Disclaim: Not mine.
Chapter 32 Its About Time For Another Chapter
"A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."
- Groucho Marx
Alexis and Amber were finally able to start working on Alexis' Animagus lessons. The twins were now on the bottle and baby food. Amber and Alexis got together every chance they could: sandwiching the lessons in between Amber's work and Alexis' continued lessons with Remus on Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Amber was trying to decide if she was going to continue at St. Mungo's. She had enough of an inheritance that they could live comfortably for time. She had decided she was going to continue working with Snape on the Wolfsbane Potion and the scar removal potion. Snape had told her that he would help her obtain a Potion's Mistress License if she was interested. That would allow her to make and sell potions for St. Mungos and private individuals. But for now she and Remus were still discussing their options.
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Snape came into his quarters and heard voices coming from the bedroom. Curious he headed toward the door to see what was going on when, to his extreme displeasure, he recognized Harry Potter's voice. How dare that impudent brat invade his personal space?
Stepping into the bedroom he stopped at the sight that met his eyes. Harry Potter was sitting on his bed hissing at a king cobra. Carefully looking around, Snape saw Remus and Amber standing at a safe distance from the bed, "Someone please tell me exactly what is going on here?" Snape quietly snarled. He might detest the brat, but he didn't want to see him dead: maimed, tortured and expelled maybe, but not dead.
Amber looked over at him, "Well, there is good news and bad news," Snape glared at her impatiently, "the good news is Alexis succeeded in completely transforming into her Animagus form," Snape turned back to look at the cobra on the bed, "yes that is her. The bad news is she can't seem to change back."
Snape took a careful step closer to the bed. The deadly snake reared up and flared her hood causing Snape to freeze in his tracks. Harry spoke to the serpent in Parseltongue and then turned to Snape, "Professor she is just trying to see you, and I think to show off some," he grinned as the cobra hissed something to him, "Were too," he responded in English.
"And just why are you here Mr. Potter?" Snape sneered.
Remus answered, "When Amber flooed me the Alexis wasn't changing back, I told her to send for Harry. Since he is the only Parselmouth we know I felt he might be of assistance in determining why Alexis is stuck."
Snape nodded shortly and then took another step closer. He knew that it was Alexis and she would never hurt him, but it was always wise to use caution around a poisonous creature. Holding out his hand he exerted control as her tongue flickered out tickling his palm. Relaxing her hood she allowed him to caress her head. He stared into her beady black eyes trying to see his wife. She surprised him when she began to slither up his arm. He estimated that she was around thirteen feet long and surprising light at about fifteen pounds. He found her olive color and creamy yellow belly beautiful. When she was draped over his shoulders she brought her head back up to his neck and nuzzled his ear. He couldn't help the twitch as her tongue flickered out along his skin.
Harry snickered, "She says you smell/taste good."
Snape glared Harry to silence. Alexis nudged his chin again before beginning to wind her way down his body. Of course she had to choose to go down under his robes. Snape closed his eyes as she slithered around his body. It felt as if she took an inordinate amount of time circling his waist and hips before sliding down his left leg and onto the floor. Everyone watched as she headed to a corner of the room where she reared up to about four feet and swayed briefly before morphing back into her human form.
"Severus, I want to know what it is about our relationship that I cannot Apparate unless you are there to ground me and it seems as if I cannot change back unless you are here," Alexis looked perturbed.
"It would appear that you cannot function properly without me," Snape snickered.
Harry stared at his Potions Professor.
Snape noticed Harry's look, "Mr. Potter you may return to your common room."
Alexis smiled at Harry, "Thank you for coming to help."
"You're welcome. It was fun talking to you," Harry smiled back at her before glaring at Snape and heading to the door. Alexis' eyes grew wide as she heard Harry mutter something rude in Parseltongue.
"Mr. Potter!" she hissed back at him, "manners."
Looking around she found everyone staring at her, "What?"
"It appears as if you can now also speak Parseltongue," Snape said looking at her with a faint hint of envy.
Alexis turned to Harry who nodded in agreement, "Well isn't that just special."
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Snape soon got used to coming home to find the olive and cream snake waiting on him. As soon as he came in, Alexis could change back. He tried to convince her to only practice when he was present, but Alexis was determined to manage the complete change on her own.
Alexis had some free time one afternoon and decided to practice while Snape was teaching a class. As usual she could change into the cobra, but still found herself unable to change back to human form. Curling up next to the fire she decided to sleep until Snape finished teaching.
Waking from her nap, she was surprised to find that Snape wasn't home yet. It hit her sleepy snake brain that he was teaching the Newt potions class which meant that the class lasted twice as long. Alexis decided to go ahead and find Snape herself.
Slithering through the dungeons she found the door to the potions classroom closed. Nothing she tried with her flat snake head enabled her to open it. She resigned herself to having to wait in the hallway. Curling up against the wall opposite the doorway, she waited.
The bell rang for end of class and woke Alexis up. She started and reared up flaring her hood just as the classroom door opened to let the students our. The first student through the doorway fainted at the sight of a king cobra reared and hissing. This caused a chain reaction of screams and panic.
Snape hurried into the corridor pushing the frantic students aside to find out what all the commotion was about, "Move you bungling imbeciles," he ordered harshly.
Snape gained a great deal of respect from the students that day as he took on a full grown King Cobra without even raising his wand, "What the….what are you doing in the hallway scaring the students?" The cobra's head dropped as if she were ashamed," Well then come along," he turned his back on the snake who had sank to the floor. A wide path was cleared as he led the chastised serpent into the classroom, "Well, what are you dunderheads waiting for? Class dismissed." When the students still made no move to leave, "She is my pet that escaped. She will not bite anyone….unless I tell her to," he smirked menacingly.
The students then left hurriedly. By dinner time the whole school had heard the story of Professor Snape and the forty foot King Cobra with a head the size of a bludger: although some stories had it as a basilisk instead of a cobra.
When Hermione heard some of the first years talking about the forty foot long snake she huffed irritably, "First of all, even King Cobras don't get that big," she started lecturing, "secondly, how on earth would a snake that big have fit in the dungeon corridor, I mean do the math, a snake rears up at one third its body length…." by the time she had finished her lesson on herpetology everyone in the general vicinity was glassy eyed and yawning. Trust Hermione to take all the fun out of a good bit of gossip.
Harry had sworn not to tell anyone about Alexis' Animagus lessons, so of course he only let Ron and Hermione in on the truth.
Alexis could not become a registered Animagus until she could change back on her own. She enlisted Professor McGonagall to assist her in determining why she seemed to need Snape's presence to correctly and completely perform some of the more complicated magic.
Minerva looked at Alexis, "The only reason I can find would involve the binding ceremony you and Severus used when you married. Since Severus already knew how to Apparate, he wasn't effected by it, while you learned both spells after you married."
Alexis was puzzled, "Why would that have anything to do with it? I haven't heard of any other married couples having this problem."
"Most couples don't use the Semper Fidelis Marriage Spell," Minerva explained.
Alexis sighed, "So the ceremony we used wasn't the typical marriage ceremony?"
"No, it was a bonding ceremony. It is almost impossible to break and contains a fidelity component so that neither of you can be unfaithful," Minerva pursed her lips, "Severus didn't explain this to you."
Alexis laughed in spite of herself, "Would you really expect him to?"
Minerva considered for a moment, "Now that you mention it….are you upset?"
"Not at all," Alexis smirked, "It gives me a certain feeling of security knowing that my husband will always be faithful to me. However, I don't have to tell Severus that, at least not immediately.
Minerva nodded in understanding, "Back to the issue of your Apparating and Animagus problems."
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Alexis was worried. It would soon be time for the final task of the Tri-wizard Tournament and the return of Lord Voldemort. This would place Snape once more in the position of spy. Reading through the birth announcement of Melanctha Pandora Malfoy again, Alexis decided she and Snape had to have a talk and soon.
Alexis was sitting up in bed reading as she waited on Snape to finish with his nightly ablutions.
"Spit it out Alexis," Snape ordered from the bedroom door.
"I sent Lucius and Narcissa a gift for Melanctha today," Alexis said thinking that was as good a starting place as any.
"Very clever," Snape said wryly, "Melanctha meaning black flower."
"Yes it was," Alexis agreed, "Seeing as Narcissa was a Black. Speaking of babies, what would you think of our trying for a little girl?'
"I though we were going to wait until the boys are two before we even think about another child," Snape answered.
"Lucius Malfoy is very powerful in many, many ways," Alexis replied carefully, "We would do well to have him believe we are on his side."
Snape settled on the bed beside Alexis, "You want to ally with Lucius?"
"I want to give Lucius reasons to keep you alive and safe no matter what might happen," Alexis had to be careful and talk around the charm Dumbledore had placed on her, "We can betroth one of the boys to Melanctha and if we have a daughter we could betroth her to Draco."
"Why would you want to do that to our children?" Snape asked trying not to get angry.
"Because if Lucius has something to gain he will do everything within his not inconsiderable power to protect you," Alexis replied.
"Betrothing our children to the Malfoys would be signing our death warrants," Snape objected.
"Not if we set it up so that if we die it all goes into a trust fund that they cannot access until they are fifty years old," Alexis replied, "A very small amount would be set aside to pay for their care and schooling. After they have completed their schooling they would be expected to find jobs and support themselves."
"Lucius would never agree to a betrothal with that type of stipulation," Snape replied.
"If we are alive, they would have access to a nice trust fund when they marry or turn twenty-five, whichever comes first," Alexis told him.
"You would sell our children for my safety?" Snape questioned.
"Well, not really," Alexis looked down at her hands, "While I love you enough to sell myself, I wouldn't sell our children's future. There would have to be a morals clause in the betrothal agreement where if any member of the groom's or bride's family is incarcerated in Azkaban, the betrothal will be automatically broken."
"Like that would ever happen," Snape scoffed, "Malfoy would buy himself out of anything that might lead to him having to go to Azkaban."
Alexis froze up unable to respond due to the charm. Snape noticed her unnatural stillness, "You know that he will end up in Azkaban?" Alexis continued to be mute and still.
"What keeps him from killing me while you are pregnant?" Snape asked beginning to see the benefits of Alexis' plan.
"The fact that if anything was to happen to you, I would surely be so upset that it could affect the baby I carry," Alexis was finally free to speak.
"And after the baby is born?"
"The fact that you would leave everything to me and I would change the trust for the children to a small stipend to carry them through their schooling and I would change my will to leave the children with a token amount and give the rest to Hogwarts," Alexis answered flatly, "We would also change it so that you would do the same if anything were to happen to me."
"You have put some serious thought into this," Snape settled down and pulled Alexis into his arms, "I will brew up the sexus fertilitas potion tomorrow so that we will be assured of having a daughter."
"Perhaps we should practice tonight though, just to make sure we have it right," Alexis began kissing Snape's shoulder.
"Practice and attention to details are important in all endeavors," Snape agreed.
AN: MarkDarcy Soar always looks more painful than sore to me for some reason.
JennSmith: My mother taught me to share….although I don't think playwitch was exactly what she had in mind.
Melissa: Mistress of Grammar Errors…thanks as always.
Jonquillejaune: I've read all the books about five times already and I just bought them on tape so I can listen to them in the car when I go visit my family. I try and double check anything to do with the books before I write it so I believe MOST of my errors are grammar and spelling. Obsessed with Harry Potter universe, who me?
StormHerder: Welcome on board. Glad you are enjoying it.