Chapter 15: Playful Persistence

Belinda sat at her desk, in her empty classroom, and watched as the sun set behind the quiddich pitch and over the dark forest. The sun sets at Hogwarts had been one of Belinda's favorite things for as long as she could remember. The colours were always so brilliant; fiery reds and oranges, the ice blues and emerald greens of the sky, and the dancing rays of gold and silver. They memorized her. She has missed them so much and all the wonderful romantic feelings she had. The flying had stopped over at the quiddich pitch, the students were on their way back to the school and it was nearly time for dinner to start. Belinda did feel a bit hungry. She hadn't left her classroom all day, not because she was afraid of what happened the previous day but because of the amount of work she had to do, however the quiddich tryouts had distracted her and now the sun set kept her gaze. She had seen Amelia flying and Dominic and wish she could have seen more. She promised herself she would make it out to the first Quiddich game, weather her children made the team or not. She had tried to force her eyes back to her work but she was always straying, "perhaps it's time to give up for the day," she said to herself looking back out the windows at the brilliant sunset, "It is more than the setting sun that calls me away."

"Good evening Belinda," a voice said startling her and snapping her out of her day dream.

"Severus!" she said in a bit of a shock, "you still sneak up on people like that?"

"Yes," Snape smirked, "the students hate it!"

"It's...it's creepy!"Belinda laughed, "I hate it too!"

"But you had become quiet good at it yourself," he smiled, "back in the day!"

"Back in the day!" Belinda yelled, "I don't know about you but I haven't aged at all!"

"Middle age denial!" Snape laughed.

"I suppose I am just out of practice," she smirked, "there was never any sneaking around my children, they could feel you coming."

"One of the perks of being occlumentic I suppose," Snape said as he looked out the windows at the sun set.

"May I ask what brings you up from the dungeon?" Belinda asked after a short silence.

"Old habits never die, do they?" Snape laughed.

"What do you mean?" Belinda asked confused.

"The first floor of the school, students call it the dungeon!" Snape laughed.

"Well that's what it is... the basement of the castle just doesn't sound right and even though the castle is divided by teaching floors you are still stuck way down underground in the dungeon!" Belinda laughed, "face it Severus, you have been stuck in the dungeon all your life and always will be!"

"You're right I suppose. It's where riffraff like me belong isn't it?" Snape asked slyly.

"Yes it is!" Belinda giggled."You remember that?"

"You said it to me everyday!" Snape smiled, "instead of saying good bye you said that. It was your term of endearment for me!"

"Oh Severus, that was a long time ago," Belinda smiled.

"So you now admit to aging?" Severus asked sarcastically. Belinda rolled her eyes and he continued, "it seems like its been forever," he sighed.

"Severus, you know how I feel about us," Belinda said sadly as she sat down again.

"I know," he said pulling up a chair, "but what if it had never happened, none of it? What if I had never done what I did or felt the anger and need for revenge? What if evil never existed? What would have happened then?" he asked very child like.

"I don't know..." Belinda said nervously.

"Come on, don't lie. You are a terrible liar and always have been,"he said.

"I would have probably been the happiest I could have ever imagined myself being,"Belinda said as tears filled her eyes, "I never again felt love like I did."

"Don't cry," Snape said putting his arm around her, "in a perfect world everyone would be perfectly happy and evil wouldn't exist and you would have never left and I wouldn't be a grumpy old man!" he joked.

"Severus!" Belinda exclaimed, "You were always terrible at showing emotion," she joked as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"And you've always cried to much," Snape laughed.

Belinda leaned into Severus' shoulder as she laughed and cried all at once. She was content that her friendship with Severus was finally being restored. They sat together laughing and reminiscing as they watched the sun set behind the trees of the great forest and their world was perfect for that moment. There was no evil or hatred only the romance that there once was.

Amelia and Dominic walked through the halls of the castle with Harry and accepted congratulations from the excited Gryffindor students they passed. Slowly the halls were becoming less crowded as students headed off to dinner and other social areas of the castle. Harry rounded the corner to the Gryffindor common room entrance when Dominic and Amelia stopped short.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked Dominic.

"Have you seen mum at all today?" he asked.

"Just in her class, why?" Amelia asked as Harry looked on, "Harry was with me she seemed fine."

"Yeah she did. It was a really good lesson today!" Harry smiled.

"Seeming fine and being fine are two different things," Dominic said, "maybe we should go see her."

"I'm sure she's just busy that's why you haven't seen her!" Amelia smiled.

"I'd like to go check on her just to be sure and to put myself at ease," Dominic said.

"She's fine!" Amelia insisted.

"Then lets just go and tell her our good news," he smiled.

Amelia laughed, rolled her eyes and waved to Harry as she ran after her brother to their mothers classroom.

"Severus, were you aware that you are bleeding?" Belinda said sounding more serious than she had previously.

"Oh that's nothing," he said, "the dog did it!"

"I don't believe you, you don't have a dog," she laughed taking his hand, "let me see it," she added as she rolled up his sleeve.

Severus had wrapped a huge cut in a piece of cloth, but the cloth had become soaked in blood and the bleeding still continued. Belinda noticed the cut looked infected and still filled with bits of debris from the previous day. Just above the cut was the sick green snake tattoo of the death eaters. Belinda unwrapped the cloth to see the very deep cut, "you should have this checked out," she insisted as she cleaned and wrapped the cut again in her handkerchief.

"It will be fine," he insisted trying to roll down his sleeve as Belinda continued to look at it hesitant weather or not she wanted to touch the snake or not, "I know what you are thinking, and you have to trust me when I say if I would get rid of it, if there was any spell to counter it, if I would no longer be marked as I am. I would do it and I have tried everything to be rid of it, except cut off my arm but I have been assured that , that wouldn't work either. It is with me till I die or Voldemort is dead and I am not going to hold my breath about being rid of evil anytime soon," he sighed.

"Do you feel him?" Belinda asked as a frightened look came over her.

"Only when he summons the eaters to him," Snape said.

Belinda rolled down his sleeve, silently and Snape could, once again, tell she was questioning him and his loyalty, "I really think you should have it check out,' she said letting go of his arm and walking back to her desk.

"Listen to me Belinda," Snape said leaning on her desk, "weather you believe me or not the truth remains the same. I am not what I was when I lied to you and hid this from you and now I am telling you to your face, you are the reason I gave it up. You are the reason I am fighting with Dumbledore and against Voldemort. I am doing this all for you for one simple reason and that is because I was completely and am completely devoted to you and only you. People say time changes everything and every person. If that was true why hasn't it change my feeling for you?" he paused for a moment, "I have a potion brewing that will heal the cut, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me I can handle it, as I have for the eighteen years you have been away from me." he stated.

"I believe you," Belinda said softly, "I know you would be rid of it, I know that you aren't like that and it is hard for me to believe that you were ever truly and completely what you had accepted," she said, "it's just... I don't know... it's all way to creepy!"

Snape shook his head and laughed, "here I am pouring out my heart to you and its all just creepy?"

"I have a teenage daughter," Belinda giggled, "leave me alone!"

"I wouldn't blame it on Amelia," Snape laughed, "you have always been like this and she isn't"

"Like what?" Belinda asked

"Nothing," Snape said as he watched her stand up.

"Tell me!" she said coming toward him.

"It's nothing!" he laughed and jumped behind a desk.

"I hate it when you do this!" Belinda growled.

"Do what?" Snape laughed.

"Just tell me what you mean already!" Belinda half yelled while laughing.

"You're a dittz!" Snape laughed as he hugged Belinda, "and you always have been!"

"Mum!" Dominic and Amelia yelled as they ran into the room and saw Snape and Belinda in an embrace.

"Sorry if we are interrupting anything," Amelia said as she watched Snape and Belinda back way from each other nervously, "we'll come back later."

"No it's nothing," Belinda smiled, "come in, tell me about the quiddich tryouts."

"Mum look!" Dominic said excitedly, "we made the team!"

"The uniforms have changed a lot since I went to school," Belinda said as she felt the edge of Dominic's Quiddich Robe.

"Isn't it great Amelia is a chaser and I am a beater and the whole team is now stacked!" Dominic blurted out.

"Yeah Dominic, give away more Gryffindor information to Professor Snape!" Amelia laughed.

"Oops..." Dominic said and trailed off.

"I heard nothing," Snape said with half a smile.

"ah don't worry Severus!" Belinda giggled, "it will just make for better competition when it comes down to game time. But you have to know, I will be cheering for Gryffindor this time around."

"You cheered for Gryffindor before just to spite me!" Snape laughed, "what makes you think I would have thought any differently now?"

"I'm very proud of you," Belinda said to her kids as she rolled her eyes at Snape.

"Thanks mum!" Dominic smiled and hugged her, "we had to tell you!"

"I'm glad you did. Now off to your dormitory before curfew or at least go an eat something!" Belinda smiled, "and don't let Professor Snape catch you in the halls to late!"

"We wont!" Amelia and Dominic said as they ran out of the room.

"They're good kids," Snape smiled.

"Then why are you so hard on them?" Belinda asked.

"Gotta keep up with my image," he smirked, "like I said I am a cranky old man!" he winked at her and walked out of the class room with her at his side and off to dinner in the great hall.