A/N: Here you go, have another chapter. This one mainly is a follow up to an old storyline still unresolved, hope you like it. Thanks for all the reviews lately! Comments on those...no, Jennifer has far from forgiven Severus over keeping Lucky's presence from her, which is why she has no intention at all of telling Severus about his Godson's sneaking into the school underage. But it is true that Severus always has had a way with manipulating her emotions...it's the old, the more things change the more things stay the same routine.
Rose...yep, Rose makes her first appearance in what, book four, I think? Even when I was finishing book Three and wasn't sure at that point if I was going to be able to take the series to the next level or not, Corey's intended had been long planned out as well as the direction the four kids were to take, with the ultimate goal of trying, testing, and yes, even wearing out one Severus Snape to get him to the position of understanding that would have to occur for him to be a good Headmaster. But it sure took awhile! Some characters are a bit more recent...Lucky is an idea hatched just as I was starting to form this short series, because it really needed a fresh and unique student point of view. Ambrose was only thought up in book fourteen, as a 'hook' to the Merlin story and completing the 'Full Circle' began in the Sentinel series. Ambrose, by the way, is a two meaning name; not only because it has Rose in the name, but it is also a Welsh name for Merlin. Even his disguise name has a couple of special meanings to it. But anyhow, you'll see more of him (and Lucky) as the story progresses, but first thing's first, and Severus has put off this conversation with Alicia long enough. JC Writer

XVII

Severus and Alicia

Within moments, a team of Enforcers was on the scene led by Thomas Craw himself, who looked positively delighted.

"Harry, if this curse keeps up, you'll break a new Auror record. Twenty-eight arrests already this week, and these four will make it thirty-two," Thomas said cheerfully.

"I really don't want to break Alastor's record, thanks, I'd prefer for this curse to be over with!" Harry said, glancing at Severus.

"Well, I have some news for you then. Do you want the good or the bad first?" Thomas asked.

"Good," said Harry.

"Bad," said Severus at the same time.

"Well, I'll have to chose bad then, since after all this is a personal matter more than not," Thomas said, looking over at Severus. "I received word while I was visiting Aurelius that your waylaid daughter has returned to London in Alex's care. It seems the curse has indeed affected her."

"Is she all right?" Severus said, his expression unchanged and obviously not surprised.

"A matter of opinion I would say…she isn't physically damaged in any way, but…well, she can't see. She's gone completely blind and no doctor can seem to negate it," Thomas said.

"Is she at the hospital or at the house?"

"House, but I think you'll be relieved at my other news, Severus," Thomas said, stopping him before he could take off. "We've been able to locate Trelawney. She was found wandering around Anglesey…"

"Alone?" Severus interrupted.

"Yes, alone. The locals started some rumor that she was some sort of spirit or something…the Welsh authority went to check it out, they have her in custody out there but an Owl can bring her in at any time," Thomas said.

"Good, then let's get this over with and end this," Harry said, but Severus put up a hand.

"If we do it now we will never know why her accomplice aided her, and I for one will not be able to call this closed until I know," Severus said firmly.

"I thought you said you knew who it was, Severus…"

"Mere suspicions," Severus said, but then glanced over at where Kurgan was being carted off by the Enforcers. "But perhaps I was being too narrow-minded when it came to a motive."

"Let me go down there and talk to her, see if I can find out, Severus," Harry suggested.

"Perhaps you should, but I seriously doubt she will talk. If she was found on that isle there's only one thing on her mind. I seriously doubt she will talk to you about anything relevant, but I suppose we can hope. Tell me how it comes out. I need to take care of this family matter."

"Alicia won't want to see you," Thomas warned.

"Yes, well, if what you tell me is true she won't see me, will she? But it is about time she listened," Severus said, then Apparated.

Alexandria opened the door and immediately hesitated when she saw her father standing there, gazing at her with an even more serious expression than usual.

"Why, hello, Father. Something the matter?" Alex asked.

"Did I or did I not purchase this house?" Severus said flatly. Sheepishly, Alex cleared her throat and opened the door to let him in.

The house on Baker Street was relatively unchanged since Alex's not-so-subtle take over of the property, but there was the edition of a state of the art computer on the desk in one corner of the living room. Ben, who had had his eyes glued to that screen despite its close proximity to his nose suddenly stood straight up when he saw who was at the door.

"Don't worry, it's just him," Alex said dryly. Ben breathed a bit easier and sat down.

"I'm hardly here to continue one of Jennifer's lectures into the evils of electric gadgets contributing to 'late starts in families' and things like that, if that's what you were worried about. As far as I'm concerned ,it's none of our business," Severus said, while the couple grimaced at each other. "Besides, I have more descendents than I can deal with as it is. Where is she, Alex?"

"Um…" Alex gazed at him for a lot time. "She? What she, I'm not sure…"

"Let's just pretend you loudly protested on Alicia's behalf but had no choice but to show me upstairs on threat on bringing your mother here," Severus suggested.

"Better show him up," Ben agreed.

"Yes, you're a real help," Alex told her husband sarcastically. "She's up in her old room at the moment. But before you go up, I ought to warn you…"

"I imagine she's been behaving like a Snape over her condition, thank you, but it's time this thing is over," Severus said.

"She's not going to cooperate with a peace treaty," Alex said at the bottom of the stairs.

"No, but this time she can't really run from it either," Severus said on his way up.

The door was partially ajar, but as he quietly pushed it open, it took everything in his power not to listen to the voices in his head screaming because of the state of the room. Different colors of paint were splattered from one end to the other, on the walls, ceiling and over the furniture. In fact the only place without paint was the bedding itself, which had been changed by one of the resident Elves despite their obvious aversion to touching the rest of the room. A lump of bashed-in clay sat mournfully on the desk, partially dried out, while a layer of broken chalk, brushes, oil pastels and pencils littered the floor. There was so much of it, in fact, that there was little chance of Severus entering without being heard, not that he particularly wanted to be stealthy. He stepped in to get a better look at the girl sitting in the chair by the window, unmoving despite her eyes being open and obviously without ambition to do so.

"I told you already I'm not hungry," Alicia muttered.

"I'm hardly here to sympathize," Severus said, Alicia immediately jolting at the voice.

"What are you doing here? I can't believe she told you…"

"Alexandria told me nothing, your grandfather did," Severus said evenly. "Although I did learn a bit more after stopping at Mungo's."

"They said they can't help me, but I'm not surprised. There doesn't seem to be any fast cure for being a Snape!" Alicia said bitterly.

"That's not going to work either," Severus said calmly. "I didn't come here to be instigated or even to argue, I came to talk."

"Does it mean anything different to you?" Alicia challenged him.

"Does it to you?" Severus asked. "Tell me, did this blindness happen gradually, or overnight?"

"Playing detective again, are we?" Alicia asked.

"What I'm not playing is games," Severus said in a firmer voice. "By your own choice, you have disowned me as family on the basis that you believe I don't treat you as an adult, yet at the same time you continuously fail to act like an adult when you are around me." Alicia suddenly clamped her mouth shut.

"You really are a lot like your mother," Severus sighed, "even if your temper is a bit more malicious. Never mind where you got that from, that's hardly why I came. Perhaps I am doing a bit of my own investigating for the sake of my family, not that I wouldn't have been called in anyhow had it happened to someone else. But the curse is really only a secondary reason for coming, although I could only imagine what being so brutally severed from one's own calling must putting you through."

"It's hardly the first time I've felt my heart ripped in half," Alicia snapped.

"Which brings me to the primary reason of my visit," Severus said. "I think this estrangement between us has gone on long enough, and now that you're here out of necessity, I think it's time you chose to stop running for your own sake if for no one else's."

"I wasn't running so much as searching," Alicia said quietly.

"And that is why you avoided Britain like the plague? Bowed out of all family events, including holidays? Forced your mother to chase you around the globe to spend any time around you? Yes, well, I suppose she does have some attachment issues, but that is not the point. There is no reason whatsoever you shouldn't feel you cannot come home, whether you hate me or not."

"Why would I want to be here when I know that Pyther would stay as far away from you as he possibly could?" Alicia shouted.

"How do you know that he even cares?" Severus asked bluntly. Alicia suddenly burst into tears. Severus sighed. "Come, Alicia, you need a cup of tea and there's no way I can find you a cup in here. Let's go chat in the library."

"Why should I? You'll probably just put something in it," Alicia said defensively, but allowed him to help her up anyhow.

"Who do you think I am? I would hardly potion my own child, no matter how much she detests me. You don't trust me at all, do you?"

"Do you truly believe you have given me any reason to?" Alicia challenged him as he led her out and down the stairs. Alex peered around the corner curiously from where she stood behind Ben's computer desk.

"Perhaps not," Severus said as they passed. "Alex, send Trixie up with some tea would you? And some sandwiches?"

"I'm not hungry," Alicia said again.

"I never said they were for you," Severus said easily, leading down the hall and up the back stairs. Alex gazed over at Ben.

"Do you think he'll get through to her?" Ben asked.

"He'd better," Alex said. "It may be the only chance he has to patch this up."

"Have a seat," Severus said as he put Alicia's hand on the nearest chair. "I think it's time we got to the bottom of this problem. It has been seven years and the simple fact of the matter is Francis Pyther has probably moved on and found someone else by now, if he hasn't succumbed to daylight."

"How could you say such things!" Alicia said, completely aghast.

"It isn't anything you haven't already considered," Severus said easily, pouring a cup. "Along with the possibility that he perhaps completely forgot you, decided you were a silly schoolgirl who would never grow up, or, your favorite option, that you weren't worth the trouble of seeking out because of his indisputable fear of me. That, of course, is the easiest, for out of all the other worries you've been consuming yourself with over the years, it is the only one with a person other than yourself in it to blame is the one with me in it. I became the obvious scapegoat. Your anger at my sending him away has merely become an excuse to blame me, is that not so?" Alicia didn't say anything. She simply folded her arms. "Yes, well, perhaps you're not ready to admit it just yet, but that is the truth of the matter. And I know without a shadow of the doubt that somewhere in that stubborn skull of yours that you know I had no choice but to intervene when I did."

"Maybe then," Alicia admitted slowly, but immediately got angry again. "But what about now? Why am I still unable to find him now? I'm not a child anymore, you have no right to make decision for me any more…"

"It wasn't my spell, Alicia," Severus interrupted, taking her by surprise. "Yes, I caused it to happen and it was my decision to put it there, but considering who cast it, I couldn't do anything about it if I wanted to."

"Who?"

"Merlin," Severus said bluntly.

"Oh," Alicia said quietly. "Although, I can't believe you went to him with something like this…"

"Alicia, your powers as a youth astounded everyone, including me, and he was the only one I knew that had thwarted your attempts to run and succeeded. Up to this point I have failed miserably, but then, as you said, you are an adult now and I can hardly stop you," Severus said, then took a moment to hand her a cup.

"What's in this?"

"Tea, water, and Vertiserum," Severus said casually.

"That's hardly funny, Father."

"At least you recognize that I was being sarcastic," Severus said, "I suppose that's progress. As for the spell, it has been over seven years, yes, but I have no idea what will set it off. If it had been my spell, I would probably have set it up so that it would break the moment you were actually ready for what lies ahead, instead of when you think you're ready. With all that worrying you've been doing, have you truly taken any time to think about what sorts of problems you'll have and sacrifices you must make if the two of you did have a relationship?"

"Well, I suppose I would have to live in a cellar…"

"That would be the least of issues," Severus interrupted. "Even if he has found some humane way to get his blood supply, which knowing Pyther's aversion to other means he probably has done that, he is not technically alive. You wouldn't be able to have children, so the family question is out, and of course you would age and he would not. Not to mention that if anyone finds out what he is and how close his proximity is to decent people, he would be constantly run out of town."

"I'm already used to running, according to you," Alicia said coolly. "As to age, I was rather hoping you might help me with that."

"Alicia, putting promises I made to Dumbledore aside, don't you think people would get a little bit suspicious if the entire Snape clan suddenly ceased to age? After all, if I gave in to you I would have to give in to everyone, and you all have a dose in you as it is from one calamity or another."

"But there's also another way…I mean, there's research of people like Pyther being brought back…"

"Yes, and if you have done any sort of true reading on the subject, you'll know that the majority of vampires who attempt to regain their life only succeed in killing off what little of them remains."

"But there is a chance…"

"It's not your life, Alicia," Severus said with a frown.

"But supposing he did want it, there is a way, and you know more about time than anyone, so if something goes wrong…"

"So if something goes wrong, you will have me to blame again," Severus said, raising his voice above hers. "If I decline trying to help, you'll blame me. If anything goes wrong, again, you'll blame me, rather than admit the decision was in his hands alone. I will not become your scapegoat anymore, Alicia, in any sense. Besides, as far as time spent on this planet, Pyther has already been given nearly seven hundred years grace. If I were him, I wouldn't push my luck. It is unfair of you to ask such a thing of him or expect it, not to mention all together selfish. All I've heard from this conversation is about you and how you have become a victim. Have you once thought of how this entire situation has affected him, short of how it may change his feelings for you? This is not love, Alicia, this is something else. And I think it's about time you woke up and realized it, or you'll never get to where you really want to be." He paused, but Alicia hadn't moved, or hadn't really acknowledged that he had said anything at all. Still, he nodded, convinced that he had gotten his message across.

"Now, I am going to attempt to nab Sibyl's accomplice and end this curse within the next week or so," he continued, "but I very much hope that you learn how to see yourself a bit more clearly in the interim. If not, well, I suppose my part in this is done, and if our relationship and your relationship with this family continues to disintegrate, you will have no one to blame but yourself."

Severus turned and left then, and angrily Alicia threw her cup of tea and curled up in the chair, sobbing softly and putting a pillow over her ears as if wishing that sense had been stolen from her as well.