Revert To Type

Disclaimer: I own little to nothing of what it is named/referred to and am making even less from it.

Chapter 16.

Over the next few days they established something of a routine despite the oddities of the current situation. Severus could almost claim that he was beginning to get used to this slightly strange arrangement. His OWL and NEWT classes were, for the most part, in the morning and the transfigurations ones in the afternoon, which made things a little easier when it came to the practicalities of childcare. So Remus would collect Anna, it seemed so much easier just to call her that now, from his quarters after breakfast and he would retrieve her during lunch in the great hall. She had come forward leaps and bounds in only the few days she had been with them and he couldn't get over the incredible rate at which she was picking up the language. It wasn't so much what he was making an active effort in trying to teach her but the things that she just seemed to pick up. She had the most incredible fascination for just about everything they came across and though she was often a little hesitant, once she was given the ok she would spend hours immersed in the smallest of tasks. It had made the issue of ensuring she knew that his study, workroom and all the potions rooms were in fact off limits a serious one however, but he was fairly certain that it had gotten through. This morning he had a meeting with the Slytherin prefects and so Remus had offered to get Anna up and dressed in order to give him an extra few minutes to get himself sorted out and through the door. He was just about to leave for his classroom when Moony and the little lady had appeared from her bedroom. It was going to be quite obvious to anyone who saw the girl this morning that he had not dressed her. Rather than the sedate, if more practical, attire he had been picking out for her Moony had gone in the complete other direction.

"I can't believe you slipped those in." He said eyeing the stripy tights wearily.

"Stripes!" Said Anna pointing to her legs and then at the long sleeved t-shirt matched before repeating it.

"Well done." He said making sure to reward the correct use of the word, which he suspected the other man had just told her. "Only a Gryffindor." He murmured under his breath when he caught Lupin's eye.

"We're going to have toast for breakfast today." Remus said obviously changing subject. "Variety being the spice of life and all that." Severus caught the dig at him and felt the need to respond.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with porridge."

"Course not. See you at lunch?"

"Sure but I wanted to ask if you'd mind putting her to bed tonight? – Albus and I were planning on taking a trip down to London."

"No problem, it'll break the monotony of marking." Came the reply followed by another rolling of eyes.

Severus' morning was relatively quiet, apart from the disruption that having lost one of the 7th year prefects had caused. Though they had been able to appoint a replacement relatively quickly in Zambini, it had left him a little thoughtful during his classes and he couldn't quite shake his unease over Draco, his actions and their consequences. After lunch Anna was quite happy to sit and play with one of the jigsaws that they had made up having had him read what was quickly turning out to be her favourite story, Clever Cat by Peter Collington. It was not becoming Severus's favourite however, the story it's self had been mildly amusing the first time round but that was wearing off relatively quickly now that he was certain he must have read the book (or at least heard it read) 8 times in the last three days. The evening hand was more complicated though; the trip to the DoMA went quickly and though Albus was sedate and perhaps a little hesitant he did seem in a place where he could at least understand what it was that the experts were telling them. Severus had been surprised at the number of people there had actually been still working when they had arrived after dinner but he supposed this was either a testament to how many of them remembered Minerva from her time working there or how unusual it was for them to get such a challenging case as this. Whichever way, it seemed that they were putting their all into it and had, perhaps even more surprisingly, made some progress. With the partial formula they had established for the concoction that had been created, it meant that there chances were…well they had a chance. This had provided him with new fuel to his fire but as they stepped out into the cool night air he suddenly got a startling impression that the Headmaster hadn't been buoyed by the news at all.

"Is there something you aren't telling me Albus?" He asked quietly as they both stood at the top of the steps watching their breath form condensation in the cool night air. The other man drove his hands into the pockets of his robes and hunched his shoulders in a most uncharacteristic way.

"Don't get me wrong," He began. "It's not that I don't trust your abilities, our those of the DoMA people. It's just… it's just a feeling…" Severus watched as the other man looked out into the distance and the streetlights caught the watery gleam in his eye. They stood like that, in the perfect stillness for a few more minutes before he spoke again. "But then again – you and she have always had this terrible habit of doing what I least expect." He said with a smile. "I… I want you to know though, that whatever the outcome I would trust you with my life and Minerva's in a second and that I do have complete faith in your skills." There was another moments silence and he couldn't think what he ought to say in response to that. "However, now I think we had better be getting back to the castle – I'm sure you'd like to see Anna before bedtime.

Despite their swift return after this, Remus had already put Anna down and she was out like a light when Severus arrived back in his own quarters.

"Spectacular timing!" The werewolf greeted him. "I've just finished my marking." Severus merely cocked an eyebrow at the childish smile that was plastered across the other man's face. "So tell me – any news?" He asked as they sat down on the sofa and Severus conjured a tea set. They sat as he retold what the experts had told him and Remus listened even when he continued to bounce ideas about where he personally would go from here, off of him. It was exactly what he needed though, and yet again his partner had seemed to know that. He had even been prompted to share the rather bizarre conversation he had had with the headmaster.

"He's probably subconsciously trying to protect himself from getting his hopes up." The werewolf suggested, and it did make a certain amount of sense to him at least. After all he could only imagine the turmoil in the other mans heart. They slipped in to comfortable silence after this, revelling in one of the first truly quiet moments they had had in recent days. When Remus reluctantly gathered up his marking and headed back up to his own rooms Severus decided to take the opportunity to take a leisurely shower and head straight for bed.

When he did wake up he wasn't sure whether it was the crash of her falling out of bed or her cries that had roused him from his slumber. But either way he was up, out of his own bed, through the adjoining bathroom and into her chamber before the fact he was awake had even registered in his conscious mind. Despite the fall from her bed, she didn't seem to have woken up from what he could tell in the semi-darkness. She was tossing and turning though, fighting with the bedcovers that now cocooned her on the floor. He was spurred to action by the terror in her voice, amplified by her disturbed movements.

"Anna…" He began. "It's ok… I'm here it's only a dream…" He continued, moving towards her but as soon as he laid a hand on her arm she seemed to bolt awake and within the same instant draw back from him.

"Athair!" She called out seeming to search the room blindly despite the light from the night-light and that spilling from the bathroom. Severus went to hold her, to bring her close to him and whisper encouragement to frighten away whatever it was that had scared her so, but as he did she scrambled, as only young children in the throws of hysteria can, over the bed before cowering on the other side.

"Athair!" Her plaintive call came again and again, each time opening a new wound in Severus heart in a way he had never thought possible.

A/N: I know I had a couple of complaints that the story wasn't moving fast enough and that there wasn't enough 'Anna' in the last chapter so I hope this solves at least one of them. I'm more than glad to hear suggestions about where you see/ would like to see, this going, but bare in mind I'm about 5 chapters ahead of where I'm posting already….

Btw - Clever Cat by Peter Collington is an actual book (When Tibs the cat grows tired of waiting to be fed, he takes things into his own hands and gets a tin of cat food out of the cupboard and opens it with a tin opener. His busy family are so amazed and delighted they give him a front door key and a credit card! However, he finds there are snags. Synopsis taken from )

Thanks to all of you who reviewed

Same again please!!!!

Linds

xxx