When Alex opened her eyes again, Severus Snape was watching her. "Hey handsome. What's a wizard like you doing in a dump like this ?" He smiled when she spoke, mingled relief and happiness making him suddenly look ten years younger despite his bruises. A moment later he'd reverted to his customary scowl.

"You should never have come after me, Alex. You very nearly wound up dead."

So much for the romantic bedside reunion. I almost liked it better when he was snoring. "You aren't allowed to argue with the recently comatose. Doctor's orders." She shifted, painfully, making room for him beside her on the bed.

Severus didn't take the hint. "I had no choice but to use the Cruciatus Curse on you," he said harshly. "Once Bellatrix had disarmed you, I knew she was going to torture you."

"Yeah, so you beat her to it," Alex grinned. She stopped at the look on his face. Sheesh, he's got a guilty conscience. "Hey, it all worked out. Don't feel bad," she added. "I've had paper cuts that hurt worse. You were too weak to do any harm. Come on." Alex patted the mattress beside her. Severus finally rose from the chair and perched on the edge of the bed. He moved stiffly, reminding Alex of everything that had happened to him in the past seventy-two hours. "You don't look bad, for having a house fall down on you," she commented. Severus snorted.

"I am sorry. For everything that happened to you-"

"I know. For cryin' out loud, cut it out with the guilt already. Just hold me, would you ?"

——————

It was another two days before they were released from the hospital. Their wands had been recovered but were not returned to them during their convalescence. Severus' strenuous objections had been ignored. His insistence on arguing with the medi-wizards over everything from the ingredients in the healing potions to the correct dosage of his own and Alex's meds had earned him the distinction of being the worst patient St. Mungo's had seen in decades, perhaps centuries. Even the portraits on the walls agreed. "It's a necessary precaution," Alex reminded Severus yet again as they boarded the Hogwarts Express. "I must have reached for my wand half a dozen times this morning." You have no idea what a bitch it is to do your hair and make-up without magic. "Do you really want to risk burning yourself out and having to live as a Muggle the rest of your life ?" He had no response to that.

——————

We really were lucky, Alex thought a week later as she passed out the written portion of the final exam for her fourth-year remedial Potions class. Daley-Bender cast a nervous glance her way. Alex gave him a reassuring smile, then perched on one of the empty lab tables, swinging her feet. She still tired easily. She pulled her wand from her pocket and cast lumos, just to enjoy the feeling of being able to do it. Inevitably her thoughts turned to Remus Lupin. She'd sat at his bedside in his private room in St. Mungo's, waiting and hoping for him to wake up. Like Severus did for me. The werewolf had looked so fragile, his thin form almost lost in the high-sided hospital bed. Mindful of the students hunched over their scrolls, Alex blinked away the tears that welled up at the memory. He saved my life. The Healers at St. Mungo's had promised to send word as soon as there was any improvement in his condition. That's one owl I'll be looking forward to seeing.

——————

Alex found herself blinking back tears again as she entered an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express – this time heading back to London. Severus Snape closed the door, shutting out the noise of exuberant students starting their summer holidays. She hugged him tightly. "Promise you'll visit me in New York ?"

"We'll see." He shook his head. "With McGonagall in hiding, and Albus Dumbledore so busy with the Order these days..." Severus stepped back, gently disentangling himself from her embrace.

"Of course. I understand." Not wanting to appear clingy, she busied herself with storing her briefcase in the luggage rack. Sure. It's over now. I can deal with that. It didn't really come as a shock. She'd felt him drawing apart from her ever since she'd made the decision to return to the States to visit her father.

"Oh, by the way, I have something for you, Miss Rose."

Alex turned, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the too-casual tone of Snape's voice. He was holding out a parchment envelope, her name neatly written across the front in curving green script. "What's this ?" Pulling the envelope open, she scanned the letter inside. "A contract for the next term ? But- but I thought the grant was only for one year."

"It was." Severus' face was expressionless. "But we seem to have found ourselves short-handed at Hogwarts in recent months. You're a fairly competent teacher, so Albus Dumbledore decided to invite you to rejoin the staff for another year."

"Fairly competent, huh ?" Now there's some glowing praise. Arrogant bastard. "Hmm. Do I really want to spend another year in Britain... eating weird food like pumpkin pasties and spotted dick and getting rained on every other day..." Alex pretended to consider the offer, thoroughly enjoying Snape's discomfort as she kept him waiting. "And then there's the kidnappings by insane Death Eaters...and my boss is kind of a jerk..."

"Very well. I'll give your regrets to the headmaster." Snape reached for the contract. Alex snatched it away from him.

"Not on your life." She grinned. "I suppose you put in a good word for me ?"

"Of course. And my word does carry a good deal of weight," Severus told her, smirking.

"Then I'll see you in August, Severus."

"If not sooner." He took her in his arms and kissed her good-bye.

——————

Author's notes: Heartfelt thanks to invisible2u, redlady27, addicted fan, starbrite56, Jedi Blu, Lady At Large, earthdown, tessajalynn-cilory, Chibidaima, Kara, oogityboogity, Vegas, hitchcock, Kaori7395, moonshadowed, sportsnightnut, Gwenivive, harrypocd, Lordlanceahlot, Lunarmouse, Mammypoohtehs3x, SeverusSnapesgirl12786, Ainsley Sloan, Allie, Blond Chick 108, draluck, Eco Freak, Erin19, FunkyWitchOnFire, ilovstationary, kitz, Loes, mione1, moonlightandroses, NeoAthena, NightBlossom, NoClue, soul, stargurl2, unicornmoon, and '...' for reviewing this story while it was a work in progress. Thanks again to those who took the time to review the first draft when I posted it previously.