Chapter Thirteen: Thoughts, Messes, and Messes of Thoughts
Severus had had a long day. It had weighted heavily on his nerves, most trying of it all it was his own fault not the children's. He had spent most of his time deep in thought about a certain friend of his and her addictive lips. Thus his worked suffered. Now he was scouring the ceiling of the dungeon and taking points off of an extremely embarrassed Neville. Happy New Year. He had only that night with Evelyn, the next morning the students returned and he couldn't spend any time with Evelyn. Even at meals the other members of the faculty some how managed to keep them from talking. Rolanda had made a few coy references to the party, but for the most part he wasn't even sure it had happened. That night had been a dream to him. Did he really suck face with Evelyn, his best friend? Was she the exquisite kisser as he thought she was? He was so wrapped up in his thoughts about Evelyn and his relationship that when the bell signaling the end of class sounded he about fell off of the stool he was standing on to remove the potion.
"Whoa." Neville said and he caught his professor with a shy smile.
"You're still not getting those points back Longbottom." Severus said leering good-naturedly at the boy. He couldn't tell the difference.
"Go on; get out of here, all of you." Severus said waving his hand making it clear that he wanted them out. The students exited and he quickly tidied up. He wanted to go talk to Evelyn, noting was going to stop him from finding out what ground he had with her.
"I got something for you, just a little trinket of my devotion to us." A voice was saying down the hall from where he was.
"Ezra…there isn't an 'us'. I have a boyfriend." Tessa said.
"A boyfriend? You're cheating on me?" Ezra said sounding angry.
"I was never with you. Hey let go!" Severus picked up his pace.
"What's going on here?" a third voice joined the other two. "Let her go jackass."
"Who the hell are you?" Ezra asked.
"Neville. Hey, Neville you don't have to…. Look at me…" Severus rounded the corner hurriedly. Tessa was holding on to Neville's arm and trying to get him to turn and face her. Neville looked infuriated, something Severus had never seen in his whole life, and Ezra was looking at the two in anger and sadness. He began to splutter stuff about their relationship; Neville was now looking at Tessa but listing to Ezra.
"Neville it's not true." Tessa kept saying over and over again. But Neville wasn't listing… he was reacting.
"There never was an 'us' was there Tessi? You were just stringing me along, weren't you?" Neville said in a hurt voice, he broke away from his blonde girlfriend and stalked off. Tessa rounded on the slightly more pleased looking Ezra.
"You no longer have a boyfriend but you will always have me." He said walking forward to touch her.
"Don't you touch me you ass - fucking, ball – sucking, queer ass piece of shit!" Tessa spat at him and in one fluid motion had successfully laid him out on the floor. Covering her face with her hands she ran.
"Miss Melee. A word." Severus called making her stop and turn around. He gave her a very pointed look and made her come with him.
Severus was tense his mind churning and processing. He had just witness the end of a relationship. A damn good one. By none other than a Slytherin who used the least respectable way possible to do so. Too low for even old man Salazar to agree with. On top of that the whole situation was just a little creepy. His hair would've been on end if it wasn't weighed down with grease that no matter how much shampoo he used he couldn't get rid of. But now wasn't a time for hair, Tessa was stricken. It was painful to see her face; she was a good hard working kid with spirit that played her emotional cards relatively close to her chest. Severus led her down the hall to his office and ushered her in. He lit a few lamps and a fire in the grate, bathing his office in cool light and shadows. Tessa paused looking around before entering the room further unsure and meek. He offered her a chair which she took waiting for him to speak. He didn't sit down, not behind his desk or in the other chair, but instead he opted to stand across from her, hoping the intimidation factor would draw more information from her.
"Well?" she said looking up at him.
"What was all that about back there young lady?" he asked. A flash of some emotion danced across her features but it was so fast that he couldn't read it.
"That was nothing professor." She was lying; Tessa Melee had always been a terrible liar.
"Oh really," he sneered, she swallowed. "It didn't look like nothing to me, Melee. You knocked a student out cold among other things. I want the truth." She looked at him, not in her usual fashion, but in a manner so unusual to her disposition it was scary, when she spoke her voice too was changed. It was like a first years'.
"I don't want to talk about it." She didn't look at him as she said this. She was scared, he realized, she was scared of… what? He couldn't figure that out.
"Are you frightened?" He asked, she blushed scarlet, but shook her head lips tight showing her unwillingness to speak. This was something that was sending a flame of knowledge – want threw him.
"I'm demanding to know about this. Those five points you lost today haven't been logged yet. They might have a zero added to them if you don't explain." Her eyes widened and her hands fidgeted in her lap. He put on his best leer and waited for her to crack under the pressure. It didn't take too much effort for snap her resolutions like a twig.
"You've got to promise me; promise me not to tell anyone. Anyone. And you don't have to do anything. I can do it." She didn't have to raise her voice to make her point crystal clear.
"I promise." He said, drawing up the other chair to sit next to her.
"Back there, that wasn't nothing. It was something. He usually never talks to anyone but me and he's never grabbed me before." She was looking at her wrist, where he must've grabbed her. It was a little red and there were a few white scratches on it.
"When did this start? What's going on?" he asked.
"Maddy is convinced that he's stalking me. So'z Princess and Roy. He was in my life since I don't know, early first year. I just thought he was a nice guy, you know, not the Slytherin everyone talked about, he was a gentleman, offered to show me around, asked about my day, opened doors and stuff. But by the end of the year he was everywhere I was, not just randomly in the halls, but by my classes." She paused and he processed. Ezra was following her around like a puppy. "I thought that over the summer it would cool off, ya' know, but it didn't. It got worse. I had to stop carrying my reading book and wearing some of my jewelry because he would look up the meaning. He took divination and worked me up a star – chart and talked about it constantly. After the chamber opened he got… over protective. Said he didn't want me to be frightened. Then Sirius Black. He got so protective that Chris had to tell him to back off. It didn't help. After a while I stopped telling Chris, Maddy, and Roy. I love them dearly, but Maddy has her own catalogue of issues that can rival Witch Weekly and Chris is a puppet on her string. And Roy would rather just beat him up." Tessa still wasn't looking at him; Severus however was looking at her. He was trying to read what he saw. This was greatly out of any respectable Slytherin's character. But Severus had noticed, come to think of it, some of what Tessa was saying.
"That same year, my third year is when he first sent me anything. It was a Valentine's Day card. From there on he'd drop me a note for the rest of the summer. I got so much mail that I ended up leaving so I couldn't receive the notes. My mother collected them, but never read them, neither did I. When I got home I just burned the lot." Severus felt himself tense again. It was too strange for him to think about, let alone justify, but he felt like she was his blood, like she was his niece looking for his help, as an uncle. And if he were her uncle he would want to give Ezra P. Kriechen a good talking to.
"When vacation ended he wanted to know why I didn't respond to his letters. He wanted to know what I thought of his book. He was proud to tell me he had written a book that featured a character based off of me; Lessa. He asked me out a few times, I did everything in my power to avoid him. I had to pay Roy to take me to the Yule ball. Ezra had been following me around and I did not want to go with him and he wouldn't take a hint so I shelled out about half of the money my mom sends me to go to Hogsmead, so that Roy could take me to the ball and then never dance with me except once." Tessa paused again. Severus remembered the ball. Tessa had worn a very pretty lavender dress robe set and LeRoy James lost ten points from Hufflepuff for sucking face in the rosebushes.
"The summer changed him again; he was overprotective over all the rumors and such. But his manner changed also in his speaking, he started getting libidinal, not really pervy but just over sexed." Severus realized that he was clutching to the armrest of his chair in anger, his already pale knuckles were now bloodless. "This year has been the worst. He's gotten it into his head that I'm into him. He's using "we" and "us" when he speaks, he's made up pet names for me. And you saw the hall…" She finally looked at him, her eyes were red rimmed and blood shot, tears were welling in her bright blue eyes. "I love Neville." She said softly. And then broke down. The dam was gone and her tears and emotions were flooding out in a tsunami. He had seen girls cry, had even been the cause of the waterworks, but this was different. Tessa Melee never cried, never ever. He thought it was impossible for her to get so upset. But here she was, reduced to tears. All because of Ezra P. Kriechen.
Slowly, timidly he got up and walked over to stand in front of her. She was bent over with her head between her knees sobbing and breathing in asthmatic spurts. He bent down and placed a hand on her back, she crumpled into his arms, bringing them both to the floor. Awkwardly he placed his arms around her and let her cry on her shoulder. He had never held anyone while they cried before. Let alone Tessa Melee; student, spirit, and minor. But a sense that would probably be called maternal or fraternal was awoken in him. He was now ridding on instinct. He rested his cheek on her head and said soft words of reassurance. He stroked her back and rocked her. She was shuddering and breathing harshly in his embrace. He was amazed at how low some of her notes were getting.
"Shhhhhhhhh. It's going to be all right. It's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen to you. I won't let it. Neville still loves you. That's going to be just fine." He said. After a short time she was all cried out. She stood and so did he and they both straightened their wardrobes. Tessa dried her eyes and took several deep, cleansing breaths.
"Please don't tell anyone." She said, some of her usual spirit back in her voice.
"Does anyone else know… the whole story?" He asked.
"No. I stopped talking to Princess and the rest a while ago. They were usually supportive but not necessarily helpful. I didn't like them worrying." She said and walked out the door.
Severus sat at his desk sometime later deep in thought. The story Tessa had told him was quite worrisome, and now that he thought more about it the fact that Tessa and Neville weren't together was also troublesome. Tessa had been good for the bumbling Gryffindor he had gained a little self – confidence and his papers had gotten better. Neville was also a good grounding force for Tessa. She wasn't always rooted in reality. He drummed his fingers on his blotter and thought some more. Ezra. To think that all the trouble in one person's life was caused by a seventh year Slytherin. Severus didn't know what to think the facts added up but he didn't like the sum. He closed his eyes and rested his head on his hand. When he opened them again they were resting on his copy of Jerome K. Jerome. Evelyn. Another mess of thoughts began to swirl around in his mind. Their friendship, their kiss, his aches, and his urges. He was feeling like he had only ever felt one other time in his life. Then it was because he was infatuated with Melinda Rookwood. Was he falling in love? Couldn't be. The New Year's kisses had to have been the booze talking. Except they only had had about four drinks between them. He stood. If he couldn't put one thing at ease he could put another.
Evelyn was in her office when he made it up all the flights of stairs that separated the two of them. She was with Neville, he was holding a very thick large book and Evelyn was telling him about something. He waited outside. Shortly after he got there Neville left he was looking a little rattled still but had tried to cover it up. Severus fought the urge to tell Neville that he was an idiot for believing Ezra over Tessa and that he should go back to his girlfriend, but he quashed the inclination. He walked into her office.
"Hey." She said standing up and going around to the side of her desk closer to him.
"Hey yourself." He replied. They were quite neither knowing what to say.
"Longbottom in here getting remedial help?" Severus finally asked looking for a conversation.
"Quite the opposite he was getting advanced reading. He seems to really enjoy the stories. I lent him one of my books on Celts." She gestured to a large empty space on one of her shelves.
"He just came in here to ask for a book?" Severus asked. He was hoping that Neville would've mentioned something to her so that he wouldn't feel guilty about talking to Evelyn about their relationship. And maybe if they started with the Melee/ Longbottom fling they could move to their own.
"He seemed upset, I asked he just mentioned something about a fight, I didn't want to pry. Apparently he likes to read when he's distressed. Why?" Evelyn said looking inquisitively.
"I happened upon the fight." Severus said. Evelyn flicked her wand at the wall behind her and a door appeared. Together they entered her sitting room. She closed the door that promptly disappeared. She kicked off her shoes and curled up on the couch. He couldn't help but sit next to her.
"Do tell." She said waving her wand around some more summoning a pot of tea and two cups.
"Since when do you drink tea?" He asked her. Never in his life had he ever known her to go back on her firm belief that tea was disgusting.
"It's Po Cha I was introduced to it in Tibet." Severus took a sip of it. It was scalding hot and more cream than anything else really. Evelyn laughed. "It's also called butter tea. It has tea, salt, butter, and milk in it. It's extremely common over there. When I lived in the monastery it was almost all they had to drink." She taped his cup and said, "Now try it." He did. Amazingly it was back to Earl Grey.
"How did you do that?" He asked.
"I learned charm on how to change the properties after I got back. My addiction was already going strong. I like it better than coffee. But we're not in here to talk about tea. What happened to poor Neville?" She asked setting down her cup.
"Well… Tessa was meeting him like always, I'm assuming and Neville came out of class to find her talking with some other guy, and he took it the wrong way." Severus said, it was close to the truth and it got the basics out. Evelyn looked sad.
"So he thought that… He broke up with her didn't he." She said more than asked.
"I have never seen Tessa Melee cry before in my life." He told her.
"Those poor kids." Evelyn said. They talked about the kids for a while. Severus was getting impatient to know what they were now. She was acting like they were just friends, like New Year's Eve didn't happen. But he had to know if that was true. He finally mustered up the courage and said.
"About New Years." Evelyn took a sip of her tea.
"What about it?" She asked.
"Are we uh, are we an..." He couldn't word it properly.
"Us? Are we an us?" Evelyn finished for him, he nodded. "I don't think we're supposed to be." His stomach fell, but she kept talking. "I mean we're co - workers, that's the first thing, secondly if our younger selves knew imagine their reaction. I think that we can only be friends. I mean it's logical." Evelyn Dove Ophelia Blair using logic? This was a first. Maybe she was lying, not about the facts which were true, maybe she didn't believe them. He could hope.
"When did you start using logic?" He asked her she blushed deeply and went quiet. He slid closer to her trying to talk to him.
"Severus, logic has never helped me. Not in my youth and certainly not now. But I know you like logic. Logic says that this can't be and it can't work hell it says that you should be a terrible kisser, but that most certainly isn't true…" it was all his hope needed to hear, he raised his hand and turned her chin so that she was facing him. He leaned in and kissed her. She instantly melted into his lips and opened her mouth so his tongue could explore it's inter depths. Her hands slipped into his hair and he wrapped his arms around her, one hand on the small of her back the other in her hair. Together they managed to bring themselves as close as they physically could. She moaned, he moaned. They finally had to brake apart. Evelyn's glasses were off kilter and her lips were swollen. He felt proud being the one to make them that way.
"Who said?" He asked her. "We aren't in school anymore." He reminded her before closing the distance between them for a second helping.