I am SO sorry for such a long delay! My life is so crazy and hectic that I am just again getting around to paying attention to this story. I do not want to give up on it! I love it so! :)
Are you guys annoyed by me always ending my chapters with cliffhangers yet? Haha! This one doesn't so much end with a cliffhanger this time, but I like the ending to this chapter.
Thank you to everyone for the follows/likes/reviews! I really do appreciate all of them!
Chapter 9
"I'm surprised to see you here." Lucius says to me as I pull my hand from his.
"Well, Severus invited me." I state, he looks over at Severus.
"Really now?" he pauses for a moment. "How very brave of you, Severus." He smirks and turns to walk away, heading towards a group of men, who are all glaring in our direction.
"I hate that little twit." I state to Severus, my eyes burning a hole right through Lucius. Severus' hand slides around to my hip.
"Let's just try to get through this evening without one of you hexing the other." He whispers in my ear, sending quivers down my spine. Why does his voice taunt me like that?
We've been at Malfoy Manor for what seems like hours and hours on end, but it's only been about 45 minutes. Severus and I have spoken to a few couples here and there, but most of the conversing was done between Severus and the other gentlemen, while the wives and I just stood next to our men, pretending to listen half the time. Every so often, my mind would start to wonder off, my eyes would start to drift around the room, scanning everything around me, until I would feel Severus move his hand to bring me a little closer to him. He knew that I was analyzing everything around me, maybe a little bit too much.
As I'm standing at Severus' side, he's speaking with a man who has his wife around his arm. I study her and am becoming very irritated at how intently she is looking at Severus. Look at your husband that way! I can tell just by watching her that she's a hoity-toity pureblood; long shiny fake blonde hair, caked makeup face, clearly using a few beauty charms, enough jewelry to feed a third-world country twice, and enough cleavage for any man.
I finish the drink that I have in my hand and clear my throat a bit. Severus looks down at me.
"Looks like my witch needs a new refreshment. Excuse us." He slides his hand to the small of my back and moves us through the crowd of couples, over to an abandoned table. "You were not pleased were you?"
"Excuse me?"
"The way Mrs. Ellis was eyeing me." He hesitates before looking over at me. I set my unfilled glass down on the table and begin lining the rime of the glass with my finger, trying to escape his gaze.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." I say as he lightly grabs my chin and turns my face to look at him.
"You don't need to feel that way."
"Really, Severus, it was nothing."
"No witch will ever win my affection more than you have." Severus says to me and I go silent, unsure of what to say. I don't know how to exactly feel about his statement. I know about his past, I know of his love for Lily Evans. She has always had his love more than I have, and there's no way I can compete with her. But, Severus is showing some, even a glimpse, of emotion right now. And while others are around. I clasp my hands together in my lap and they begin fidgeting. "Have you had time to think about…" he pauses for a moment, "how you feel."
"Severus, I've always known how I feel. It was just the timing of it all and what had happened in the past." I take his hands in mine and set them on my lap, "But, I have always known how I feel about you in my heart." He softly grasps my chin again and slowly moves towards me, until someone clears their throat behind me.
I turn my head around, still holding onto one of Severus' hands. Lucius Malfoy. Are you fucking kidding me? This bloody arse is going to be the death of me, ruining every good moment. I still hold onto Severus' hand as I stand from my seat and look to Lucius.
"Are you in need of something?" I ask him, sternly. Severus stands behind me and puts a firm hand on my shoulder, quietly signaling me to watch my words.
"Actually, a couple of things," Lucius pauses and looks from me, to Severus, and then back to me, scanning over my body. "But some of those… ideas… could get me into trouble." He puts his hands in his robe pockets. "While we are over here, unaccompanied, without anyone else to overhear, I would like to inform you that your return has not gone unseen, Ms. Gale." As he says this, Severus' other hand wraps onto my arm. "The Dark Lord has received word of your arrival to Hogwarts and is very eager to meet your acquaintance once more."
"He shouldn't be so eager to get himself killed so soon." I tell. Lucius laughs.
"Only in your dreams could you defeat the Dark Lord on your own, witch." He pauses again. "We all know your powers only have a short life to live. It will only be a matter of time until…"
"How do you..."
"Lucius, now is not the time to discuss such a subject." Severus interjects.
"Why not? All the guests are followers of the Dark Lord himself." He pauses again, raising a brow and looking at me. "Well, all except for this pretty young dove." He raises his hand to touch my cheek, but Severus moves me aside and steps in front of me, getting close into Lucius' face.
"No one gave you permission to touch her, Lucius." Severus grits his teeth and then grabs my hand. "Thank you for the invitation, but Ms. Gale and I shall be leaving now." He turns quickly on his heel, pulling me along with him through the crowds of people.
About five minutes later, Severus apparates us back to Hogwarts and we find ourselves right outside of the castle gates. Severus opens the gate and waits for me to go ahead of him. We stroll up to the castle, through the courtyard, and into the halls in silence. All the while, I'm continuously replaying in my head what Lucius had said; that my powers have a short life to live. Only certain people know of the misfortune I was given when my parents had died, but I don't recall Lucius ever being one of the people who knew. The only people that were around in my life, at that time, was my family. Robert wouldn't have spread word to other Death Eaters about it, would he?
I turn to go towards the hallway and down the stairs to where my quarters are, but I'm suddenly pulled the other direction. Severus snatches onto my wrist and leads me up the spiraling staircase to the Astronomy Tower. Just before we've reached the top of the steps, he suddenly pauses and turns toward me.
"Stay right here until I come back." He tells me in a low, hushed tone. I stand there, waiting, hearing him moving around just feet away. I cannot see him or anything he is doing, but it is merely seconds before he is back at my side, holding onto my hand. We take the final few steps up together and round the corner to the top of the Astronomy Tower.
"Severus…" I'm speechless. There are dozens of candles positioned on the floor, creating a large open circle, as well as a few candles floating around the open space. The black night sky with thousands of glistening stars as our backdrop.
Severus continues to hold onto my hand, leading me into the middle of the ring of candles. He then turns himself to face me, placing his other hand on my waist, while still holding my hand in his. Suddenly, Severus begins to move his feet.
"What is going on?" I ask.
"What does it look like? We're dancing." He replies. I laugh a little.
"Well, I see that. I mean… what is all this?"
"I decided to not let what transpired earlier ruin our evening." We both go silent for a moment and I lean my head onto his chest.
Severus is doing something romantic. Severus is doing something selfless. Severus is doing something... not very Severus-like. What has happened to my snarky remark, usually in a dampering mood Severus? Could Dumbledore have been correct? Did Severus truly change his ways, but his feelings for me were still there? I look back up at him, but don't say a word. He returns my glance, his black eyes swirling with… emotion?
I haven't even noticed that our feet have stopped moving until he removes his hands and places them on the sides of my face, still looking into my eyes.
"You really do look stunning tonight, Regina." He says quietly. I feel myself starting to blush and try to look away, but he keeps my face forward, looking up at him. "What happened earlier, at Malfoy's, I truly am sorry. He had absolutely no right to…"
"Severus, none of it was your fault. You don't need to apologize. It's alright. " I interject.
"No, no it's not, Regina!" His voice beginning to grow a little louder. "Lucius was threatening you. I was not at all pleased about it, but you were standing up for yourself and I was proud of you." He pauses for a second. "But when he… when he tried to touch you." I feel his body move closer against mine.
"Severus, I'm alright. We're both alright. We're more than alright." I ramble on. "I've learned over the past five years to stick up for myself. With everything that Robert and I have been through, and with the war the way it is, I knew it was time to. I can't always have someone around to look after me. And I didn't want to be the irrelevant young Gale daughter who needed others to fight her battles for her." A slight smile grows on Severus' face. "I could probably even beat the crud outta you." I say, jokingly punching him in the chest, causing him to, almost inaudibly, laugh. Severus clenches my hands and places chaste kisses on them, before holding them to his chest.
"Let me be the one to look after you." He suddenly says. I blink a few times, standing there silently.
"What?" I ask.
"Let me be the one who protects you when you need it."
"Severus, you're not asking me to…"
"No, no." He interjects, shaking his head. "But, I want to be that person for you. I want you to always feel that you have protection." Severus looks at our hands still against his chest. "You know topics such as this are very difficult for me to discuss… but I do love you, Regina." His gaze moves back to my eyes. "Just give me the chance to show you. To right my wrongs from years ago."