Chapter Fourteen: The Language and Sentiment

"My dear Neville you may take your flowers, your apologies, and your 'love' and shove it where the sun does not shine!" The sound of shattering glass followed the enraged voice of Tessa Melee. What a Valentine's sentiment. Thought Evelyn as she rounded the corner and found Neville standing vacantly watching as Tessa's blonde hair disappeared as she walked away determinately.

"Are you alright Mr. Longbottom?" Evelyn asked snapping the dark haired student out of his slight daze.

"Yes Professor." He said he didn't look it at all. His brown eyes held a lot of sadness and with an absentminded wave of his wand he sent shards of bottle everywhere. Evelyn barely ducked in time to avoid being hit by the cobalt glass. Neville flinched and looked apologetically at her. Evelyn whipped out her own wand and collected the now scattered remains of what was the vase. At Neville's feet was a pile of beautiful and exotic looking flowers. He gathered the bouquet up and managed to transfigure the pile of sea blue glass into a pot.

"Professor," He said turning to her, "You wouldn't happen to have anything on Japanese mythology would you?"

Severus was through with his anticipation, he was tired of waiting. He had gotten Evelyn a present and wanted to give it to her, damnit. She had promised to skip lunch and come and see him. As he headed to her office he wondered if she had forgotten. He had already poked his head in the great hall to see that her chair was vacant. She must be working late. He made it to her office and found that she was inside, with Neville Longbottom. Severus' apprehension towards the boy had grown since he had broken up with Tessa. Was he too ignorant and stupid to not see that she was telling the truth?

"Mr. Longbottom." He said curtly nodding to the young man who shifted and quickly collected his things to leave. Among them a book, a flower pot, and an arrangement of flowers. As the boy left he gave a polite,

"Professors." And closed the door. As soon as Severus was sure that they were alone he went over and brought Evelyn to him, claiming her lips in a kiss of greeting.

"Mmmmmprh." Evelyn said incoherently as they parted. "Hi."

"Back at you." Severus replied, he flicked his wand and her chamber door appeared. They both headed for it.

"I'm sorry I didn't come. I got waylaid by a very angry Tessa telling Neville to shove it. But I'm glad you're here I don't want to forget to give you your present" She said as they entered her sitting room. She took a seat on her settee and he joined her, fishing in one of his many pockets and extracting his gift to her. She smiled and summoned his gift from her bedroom. Once she had it in her slim hand they exchanged. He took her red wrapped parcel and she accepted his silver covered one.

The silver covered box sounded to contain clothing. Evelyn knew that it wouldn't be another gown. She could only imagine how much he shelled out for the beautiful silk that was hanging in her closet. Of course a slightly selfish part of her said it wasn't like he didn't get anything in return for buying her something so nice. Severus was sitting next to her, almost as impatient for her to open the box as he had been on Christmas. Teasingly she opened the package, inside there was a shirt she held it up an instantly recognized the bird on it. It was a large blue swallow. She shot Severus a look, he was positively beaming.

"A Swallow Severus?" She asked him, What the hell was he playing at? She wondered.

"Swallow? No, dear, that's a blue bird." He said pointing to the picture. "I saw it and thought of you and that line you yelled at me once. 'May the blue bird of happiness shit upon your shoulder.'"

"Severus that is a Swallow." Evelyn said matter – of – factly. Severus went quite studding the shirt for a moment.

"You're right, that isn't a blue bird. Oh well, it's a swallow, nothing too major." He had to be joking.

"You're kidding me, right Sev?" Evelyn asked him putting the shirt down on the coffee table.

"I don't understand the Swallow is just a bird." Severus said wrinkling his brow. He was very cute with that crinkle between his eyes.

"You don't know what the Swallow means?" Evelyn asked in disbelief, she thought that dirty references were in the boy handbook.

"No, I guess I don't." He said, looking at her eagerly to explain it to him. Evelyn felt a blush coming on.

"If you wear a Swallow it means that you…" Severus' eyes got very large at her words. A light pink tent covered his pale cheeks.

"Oh my God. Evelyn I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that in the least. Oh God." Severus said taking her hands and looking deep into her eyes trying to read what she was feeling. What was she feeling? She wasn't mad at him at all; if any other man had given her that shirt, weather or not they were in a relationship she would've never believed that they didn't know what it meant. But with Severus she believed him 110 if not more. She trusted him above all else. That was one aspect of their relationship that has never changed. And everything else had, in some way. They were friends that was first and foremost. They had been probably since that first train ride. And as the years progressed they had grown closer. By the end of their seven year saunter of the school they could communicate without speaking, she remembered being able to throw things over her shoulder with out looking back and he would catch them. While in school they knew each other's deepest secrets, hopes and fears. Even those long years when they were apart she never forgot him. Their reunion had been sweet and long over due. But with there reunion there was problems. They had grown and suddenly their relationship moved from friends, ones that were just…That's Just Severus, how could he be a lover. To could he be my lover? Lover... She loved him. It came on so gradually that she wasn't even able to pinpoint when it started. Perhaps she had always loved him. That would explain her past love life. She didn't fall in love a lot in school and even when she did date she felt incomplete. Her years out of school were spent single and celibate. Sure she lost her virginity, once even lived with a man for a few months. But nothing seemed as satisfying when compared to what she was feeling now. She must've always loved him.

"Know what Severus Roberto Snape." She said. "I love you." Boy did that feel good.

"Know what Severus Roberto Snape," She said. "I love you." Severus felt his heart skip a beat. That was heaven. She was a peach to take his mistake so well and to say that she loved him.

"I love you too Evelyn Dove Ophelia Blair. You're a peach." He told her. It was more rewarding to tell her than to hear it. Since when was giving more fun than getting? But logic didn't apply when he was with Evelyn. He leaned over and gave her a kiss before staring at the small package she had given him.

"Well, open it." Evelyn said smiling at him. He did. Inside the red wrapping and small black box was tissue paper inside the forest full was a pendent. He pulled the necklace out of the box and looked at it. The chin was simple and silver and the hanging on it was also simple. It was an emerald heart with silver holding it onto the chain. It was beautiful, although Severus didn't quite understand the significance.

"I was once told that you were the only living heart donor." She told him kissing him warmly. They broke apart and Severus allowed her to put the pendent on him. It was beautiful to be sure, but a touch feminine for his usual taste. But for Evie Blair he'd jump threw hoops. And that was before he found out what a heavenly kisser she was. In their shared youth Severus had thought of her as his sister in Slytherin, nothing other than Evie. He recognized her as a very attractive young woman, but she was still Evie. The mere thought of hooking up with her back then would've curled his hair, not his toes. Life had changed since the seventies and now all he found himself thinking about was her kiss. And it wasn't even on a lustful level. When he thought about it his heart seemed to expand more than his penis. That must be love. Although he knew he did love her he didn't know when it started. Even in school he had been protective of her; perhaps that was when it all started. He thought it was just their friendship but maybe it was more. That explained all those times he had compared a woman on a scale he didn't know. He had actually been comparing them to Evelyn Blair, he just didn't realize it. Perhaps that's why he lost his virginity to a brunette who was also named Evelyn. Past history aside it was still very clear that he loved the woman he was sitting on the coach with. He loved her very much. Screw wasn't it?