Chapter 13

"Don't scream, you'll wake the house."

"Athena?" Alex questioned, turning quickly to see her future mother-in-law standing behind her with a familiar gleam in her eyes. Alex couldn't place it, but she knew that she had seen that gleam before.

Putting that to the back of her mind Alex turned to the question at hand. "What are you doing up so late? You almost scared me to death."

"Sorry about that dear." Athena smiled at her. "I was going to my room when I saw the door open and the candles. I thought perhaps Potter forgot to clean up after himself. What are you doing up so late?"

"Couldn't sleep so I thought I would come up and get a book to read." Alex explained.

"Well I won't keep you dear, just be sure to put out these candles before you're done."

"Oh, Athena there's something I've been meaning to ask you. I was wondering if you still had your wedding robes?"

"Wedding robes? Why would you want those?" Athena looked confused.

"I just thought that when Sev and I get married…"

"No one told me that you were getting married!"

"Severus said he told you when he asked for the engagement ring." Alex now looked as confused as Athena did.

"Oh! Of course dear, I'm sorry just my mind skips more then it used to ."

"Well could I check the basement…"

"NO! Stay out of the basement, UNDERSTAND?"

"Yes…" Alex was extremely confused and almost frightened, Athena never acted like this.

"Very well then… Good night Alexandria."

"Goodnight Athena." Alex murmured as Athena walked away. Something didn't seem right about her. Alex decided that it was probably because she was tired and a little emotional. She gave up on the book and went back to her and Severus' room.

"Where were you?" Severus muttered in his sleep, turning so that she could rest her head against his chest.

"Library. It was strange… is your mother feeling well?" Alex asked, moving closer to him.

"She has been acting stranger then usual."

"Probably nothing right?"

"Probably." He sighed, drifting back to sleep.

"Nothing…" Alex reassured herself before falling asleep.

The next day Alex began to think that it wasn't anything. Athena had gone out for the morning and Severus was in the lab, which gave Alex ample time to go down to the basement. The doorway to the basement was underneath the main staircase. It was a small squeaky door, with slightly splintered wood. It wasn't the most appealing of doorways, which was why a tapestry hung over it. Alex was just about to pull back the cloth when footsteps made their way down the staircase.

"Hello Harry." Alex said, stepping away from the hidden doorway and trying to look inconspicuous.

"Hi Aunt Alex. How are you this morning?" He asked, noticing that she looked rather shifty.

"I'm fine thank you, actually I was going to go take a walk did you want to join me?" She asked, smiling sweetly at him.

"Alright, I'll just go get changed." Harry said, bringing to Alex's attention that he was still in his pajamas.

"I'll just wait down here then." Harry ran back up the stairs, as soon as he was for sure gone, Alex moved the tapestry away from the door and reached for the handle.

As soon as her hand made contact with the knob it began to glow bright red and get hot. Alex let out a small scream, quickly pulling her hand away. It was throbbing with pain. "Alex?" She heard Severus' voice. "Are you alright? I heard you scream."

"The door handle to the basement." Alex said, looking down at her hand, which was now glowing a similar red as the door handle had been.

"Merlin!" Severus exclaimed, catching site of her hand. He quickly pulled out his wand and muttered an incantation that soothed the pain and turned her hand back to the normal color. "What happened?"

"I tried to open the basement door and it started to glow and then it burned my hand. Something strange is going on here Sev." She said frantically.

"Mistress Grant is right." Came the quaking voice of Rappy. Suddenly the front door slammed behind them. They turned to see Athena looking very, very angry.