The Talk With Snape
Chapter 5
Learning The Past

Author's Note: This is the next installment of the accidental story... Hope you enjoy it... In the next chapter Draco gets his Alexis style....hehehehe

Severus had been sleeping, or as it were, trying to sleep, when he heard Artimis move across his living room.

"Bloody child. Hopefully she's just pacing herself to sleep." He grumbled, rolling over in his bed. he sighed as the movement grew quiet, but something in his senses told him something was wrong.

"Severus, there is a child in your living room, how could something now be wrong?" he mocked to himself. He heard soft movement and that was shortly followed by a loud THUD, THUD, BAM! Jumping out of bed, forgetting to grab his night robes, he unlocked his bedroom door and rushed out. He froze at what he saw.

Artimis lay unconscious on the floor, her head inches from the edge of the fireplace. Gripped tightly in her small hands was The Figurine. A quick wisp of longing wavered through his mind as he remembered the memory stored within it, yet concern for Artimis flashed behind it. Severus kneeled by Artimis, his hand going to her forehead, then to her wrist, making sure she had not broken anything in her fall. He moved her hair from her face and put The Figurine on the mantle in it's place.

"Nosy child. Curiosity killed the cat, she was lucky it didn't do the same to her." He grumbled as he picked her up and moved her to the couch. Covering her up, he went back to his room and grabbed his robes. He moved beside the couch, kneeling and gently shaking Artimis.

"Ms. Callabella, Wake up." He spoke.

"Father?" Artimis sleepily replied, opening her eyes. She looked at him and frowned. "Oh sorry, Professor."

"Callabella, are you injured?" he questioned confused by her behavior.

"No sir, I don't think so." She mumbled. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ms. Callabella, would you please explain why you were touching my things?"

Artimis sat up and her eyes traveled to The Figurine. "Because... It was so pretty... and I thought I had seen it before somewhere." She spoke dazed looking with a slight blush as she looked back to him.

"Be that as it may, you did not have a right to play with it." Severus spoke roughly, mentally berating himself for not moving it, knowing Artimis would have recognized it from her mother's room so many years ago. He got up and turned to walk into his room. Artimis inhaled sharply.

"Professor?" She questioned.

"Hm?" He stated, or more of grunted.

"You knew her?" Artimis asked a quiver in her voice. Severus froze midstep, knowing her question, but needing to clarify.

"Whom, Ms. Callabella?"

"My mother. You knew her." Artimis stated more than questioned. Severus turned to look at her, a look of pleading and confusion on her face.

"Indeed I did." He replied.

"Do you know... What she was like when she was younger?" She questioned. Severus sighed and approached the couch, knowing that this conversation was going to take awhile.

"I do know." He spoke and Artimis scooted back on the couch allowing him room to sit.

"Will you tell me?" The look of pleading in her eyes was deep and needy.

"I will, I assume it would only be polite." He spoke coldly, his voice drawing a monotonous sound to it. He inhaled and sat down, leaning back.

"She was very much like you are now, headstrong, determined. Yet, unlike you, she was a true Slytherin, calculating, cunning and very charming when she needed to be." He began. Artimis leaned forward, tucking her chin on top of her hands, which rested on her knees.

"Were you good friends with her?" Artimis asked, interrupting him. He ignored that incident and went on.

"You mother was very demanding... Quite hard to get along with at first. But for some unknown reason of insanity, she became my "friend", you could say." Severus spoke, forgetting that he was indeed talking to Miranda's daughter. He lost himself in the tale, reminiscing about his love.

He snapped back to reality only when Artimis laughed at what he said.

"She pushed you into the lake?" She questioned and Snape wanted to beat himself.

"Yes, she did. Now that you have had your story time, I believe you should get some sleep." He spoke, getting up and heading to his room.

"Professor Snape?" She questioned. He stopped with his back to her and asked, "What?".

"Did you love her?" Artimis questioned in that childhood innocence that made him resist biting her head off. He sighed, rubbing his forehead at the temples, debating on what to say. He decided that the truth would only be right.

"Yes Artimis, I did." He replied.

"Then why didn't you two stay together." She asked. He gritted his teeth.

"It wasn't to be. Go to sleep." He hissed and closed his door. He heard her settle into the couch and he collapsed on his bed. He put his hand under his bed and drew out and pouch. He opened it and pulled out a lock of ebony hair. He mind traveled into the memory he had stored within the hair.

"...I love you too, Miranda." He replied a smile on his face. She giggled and kissed him softly, his eyes fluttering close as her lips touched his.

"Silly me, I didn't get you a gift." She spoke, her eyes sparkling as she drew back.

"You needn't get me anything. You are a gift enough." He cooed.

"Nonsense, you got me something, I must give you something." She spoke. She drew a dagger from her boot and pulled a strand of hair from the nape of her neck. She cut it at the base of her skull. Smiling as he looked at her funnily, she began to braid it. He watched her hands intently as she tied of the tow ends and took his hand.

"You know the power you can have over me by me giving you this. I trust you and love you, this symbolizes that." She spoke as she handed him the braided lock of hair. He ran his fingers over it and smiled at her.

"I love you too." He spoke and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her. The kiss broke and they sat on the bench that way, her sitting on his lap with her arm around his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He had his arm around her back and his other hand resting on his thigh. She smiled and nuzzled close to him and he sighed holding her close...

Severus shook himself from the memory and stored the braid back in it's pouch. He tucked it back under his bed and lay his head back on his pillow, thoughts leaving him as he drifted off to sleep.