Firstly, the reviewers:

LiL.CaT.AnImE: I'm glad you like it so much, a lot of work goes into all the details.

sweet as lemonz: what happened to cause the anger and hostility between Snape and Adrian? Read this chapter to find out.

Chapter 9: Old Pains

For the rest of the week I could hear the whispers caused by Draco Malfoy's sneered words. However no one seemed willing to bring up the subject anywhere around Severus or I so I pretended to ignore it. But I still couldn't help feeling relieved when all the students left for the holidays and I hoped by the time everyone came back they would have something new to talk about.

The first morning of break I was up early for an early morning run despite the layer of snow on the ground. Many of the Professors were leaving later today to go home to families, which meant only a handful of people were here for the entire holiday. I suspected that so many students and Professors were returning to their families for the holidays because they were worried weather or not they would get to see family members again due to the threat of Voldemort. Personally I through people were over-reacting.

As I jogged back to the castle I spotted a familiar figure walking across the courtyard. "Remus!"

He spun around and upon seeing me his face broke into a grin. "Adrian, I'd heard you were back, it's good to see you."

As I gave him a hug I noticed that both he and his robes seemed to be a little worse for wear. "What have you been up to?"

"I've been keeping an eye on the other werewolves, Voldemort has a large following among them that appears to be getting bigger every day. I was just on my way to make a report to Dumbledore, then I'm off for the duration of Christmas."

"Off to where?" I asked raising an eyebrow questioningly causing him to blush faintly. "Should I take that to mean that you have a lady friend you'll be spending the holidays with?"

He smiled. "What about you, no one's heard from you in years, so what have you been up to?"

"Oh I've been around the globe doing various things from working with dragons to curse breaking. You know, just regular, old, boring stuff."

Remus laughed. "Of course, you'd never do anything exciting that would get you in loads of trouble."

"Oh no, not at all."

We share a laugh then he says, "I better head up to see Albus, I'll see you later." Giving me a quick kiss on the cheek he then turned away and headed up the stairs.

"Well, well, you and the werewolf, I never would have guessed."

I turned around to see Severus standing there sneering at me.

"For your information Remus and I aren't anything more then friends."

"It didn't appear that way to me."

"Oh yes, because you're the expert on relationships. I'd forgotten how experienced you were given the fact that you were able to carry on with Narcissa who was simply your friends wife."

"That was different." His voice had suddenly gone quiet.

"Of course," I spat. "Different because even if I was seeing Remus I wouldn't be doing so while dating someone else. I also hardly think Remus would stoop low enough to have an affair with someone as long as he was in a long standing relationship."

"That's implying that he could find someone interested in a werewolf."

"Don't change the subject just because you don't want to face up to the past," I snarled. "And tell me something, Severus, the child that Narcissa later miscarried was it Lucius or yours?"

Severus' face paled. "How did you know about that, you were gone long before that happened."

"I have my ways. Lucius never found out you were fucking his wife, did he?"

When Severus didn't reply I snorted. "Thought so." With that I stormed off in the direction of my office.

- - - - -

Late that morning Grandpa came to see me while I was trying to mark essays.

"I heard you had a shouting match with Severus this morning."

I put my quill down a little harder then necessary. "It was hardly a shouting match."

He sighed sitting down across from me. "Adrian, you can't keep hating him for something that happened years ago."

"He doesn't deserve my forgiveness," I snapped. "I loved him and trusted him for then anyone and he betrayed my trust and threw that love back in my face."

"And he feels sorry about it. That is why you should forgive him."

"He doesn't feel sorry about it. He doesn't care. He's just a typical Slytherin."

Grandpa gave me a sad look. "Years ago there was a little girl who told me that there was good and evil in every house in Hogwarts. As she grew up she impressed me by being a Gryffindor who became such good friends with a Slytherin, good enough friends that she was able to forgive him for many things, even for joining the ranks of Voldemorts Death Eaters. Now I wonder where that girl with such a gift for love and forgiveness for everyone has gone."

"It different then that."

"Is it really? I was under the impression that most people are condemned to Azkaban for becoming Death Eaters."

"You trust him."

"Yes I do. But my point was that you forgave him easily for that and for treating you horribly in third year after Gryffindor demolished Slytherin in a Quidditch match but you wont forgive him now?"

I looked down at my hands. "I could understand the other things, at least a little. But by going off with Narcissa he broke my trust in him."

"As well as breaking you heart."

I nodded.

Grandpa placed a hand on my shoulder, "Child you would not be feeling this way if you did not still care for him at least a little. I'm not asking you to try to pretend nothing's happened, I'm asking you to forgive him enough not to hate him. For your sake as well as his."

"I'll think about it," I said softly.

A/N: from now on updates will probably be a little slower due to the fact that I'm now working on an original fiction called The Sorcerers Tale, which I hope to eventually get published. For anyone who's interested in reading it the first draft of the first chapter is up at www dot fictionpress dot com / read.php?storyid2021181