Chapter Eighteen

Severus lay there with Abby lying on his chest, her left arm hung over his stomach. He felt her soft breath feather across his chest and listened to her slow breathing. Her breasts were pressed against his sides and she had a leg thrown over his thighs. It must be near dawn, but he didn't want it to come. For as soon as day breaks and the sun comes shining in, their precious time like this would be cut short.

He sighed.

After a while he felt Abby stir and tightened his hold on her.

Abby smiled as Severus' arms tightened around her. She stretched her fingers out over his skin and tightened her own hold on him.

"Good morning." She whispered her voice slightly hoarse from sleep.

"Indeed." He said, but it wasn't in a sneer as he always said it. He said it softly and his beautiful voice travelled over her skin.

"Thanks for not running off again." Snape frowned at this but she continued, "I don't ever want to get up. I just want to stay like this forever." Abby whispered.

Severus went rigid, and felt awkward, he didn't know how to respond to something like that. It sounded to intimate and she really meant it, he could tell. His first instinct was not to respond at all, to try and push her away but some part of him wanted to say he felt the same way. Wasn't he just asking dawn to never come just a few moments earlier? Why couldn't he say it out load?

Because he wasn't weak. People who wore their hearts on their sleeves were easily eliminated or influenced and he didn't want to be neither. If he confessed his true feelings she would be a liability, people would be able to get to him through her and he would never want that. Besides he didn't know what his feelings regarding Abigail Anderson meant. It was just a summer thing, he would be going back to Hogwarts at the start of the new term and probably not come back here for the next ten years. He'd be alone again, how he was supposed to be.

"Are you alright?" Abby asked when he didn't say a word after a few moments.

"Yes."

But it wasn't reassuring. She wanted to ask him to be honest but in all reality she didn't want to know, which she knew was stupid and she would eventually ask him, but right now she didn't want to ruin the memory, which again was stupid.

"What's you favorite color?" she asked, trailing her forefinger down his stomach to the dark hair that ran from his navel and disappeared under the grey sheets covering their lower bodies.

Snape shivered under her touch and thought. "I don't really have one."

"Me neither," she said in wonder just looking over Severus' pale skin. "It changes from day to day." She trailed her fingers back up his body and touched his scars, tracing the most vicious looking ones and sighed.

"What color is it today?" he asked leaning his face into her hair and breathing her in. She smelt clean, floral, with something he couldn't place and there was a tint of his own smell on her.

She didn't even have to think about it as she kept touching his pale skin. "White."

Snape smiled into her hair, "Is it now?" he trailed his open palm down her shoulders to her unoccupied hand and entwined their fingers. "Well I believe that today mine will be blond then."

"Have you ever been in here with anyone when you were younger?"

Her sudden change of subject caught him off guard and he removed his hand from hers to lay it over her shoulder. "Other than my mother and father, no."

"So you really didn't have many friends, did you?" she asked.

"I did have one friend but...I don't make a good friend."

Abby didn't contradict him because some how she knew he would not appreciate it and besides, what did she know anyway.

Snape knew that she was holding back thoughts and was thankful. "What was your childhood like?"

Abby smiled, "It was lively. We lived in a two bedroom apartment in the middle of the city. My school was just ten minutes away, I had hated school, wasn't very popular but had a good group of friends and was glad to see them everyday."

"What were you like in school?"

"An outcast." She laughed, "My friends and I would always be those kids that sat in corners and talked about weird things that would make the popular kids uncomfortable." She thought for a moment then laughed again, "While other kids our age were partying and dating, my friends and I would still have slumber parties, write group fan fiction and walk around with nothing particular to be done. I don't think I have ever been to a party until I was in collage."

"I see."

"I know you said you never really had any friends in school but there must have been someone."

Snape lay still for a second, "There was one person, but I ruined our friendship with harsh words."

"Do you ever think that maybe you would have turned out different with one good friend at your side?"

"I don't think like that, because I would have had to have been a different person for me to even have a good friend. And I would never change anything."

"I would have been your friend if I had gone to school with you." Abby said to herself.

"You are nine years younger then I am we wouldn't have been able to go to school together anyway. And no, I don't think you would."

Abby kissed Severus' chest and rolled so that she could look up at him. "Maybe I wouldn't have been your friend but I would have still thought you were sexy. Stared at you in the corridors between classes, drew your name in the corners of my work even." She teased.

Snape narrowed his eyes at her, "Sexy?" he asked raising a brow over a narrowed eye.

"Yeah, sexy. I kind of like your dark, awkward, rude attitude. If I like it now I could have liked it then."

Snape just stared at her.

"What did you do when you had finished school?"

"I was seventeen when I had graduated, then I took three years to continue studying with elder Wizards, after that I travelled a bit doing research and then took a job at Hogwarts when I was twenty-five."

"And you've worked there ever since. Do you really like teaching then?"

"Yes." He answered her without feeling.

"When you were twenty-five I was sixteen." Abby said with purpose. "I would have been in my last year at your school and you would have been my teacher. Ohh," she said kissing him full on the lips then leaning back and closing her eyes tight. "Imagine I could have been having an affair with a teacher. And you with a student. Me and you."

Snape snorted, "Your imagination is exceedingly immature."

"Or maybe just passionate and sexual." She countered with a smile. She took his hand and placed it o her breasts, "Professor Snape, could I get some extra help with my Chemistry Project? I don't really know what I'm doing."

Snape grewing harder by the contact with her and leaned down to capture her lips. He swirled his tongue along hers and she sighed.

"Please Professor, I really need an A."

"Shut up silly girl."

"So, Zachary was it?" Snape asked looking down at the boy. He nodded and Snape continued. "You're not a werewolf, but you are something of the sort, aren't you?"

Zarchary looked up then, confusion widening his eyes. "But I am a werewolf."

Abby looked from Snape to Zachary.

Snape narrowed his eyes, "Okay. Well why are you not with your family?"

"They are all dead. I lived with my Gran since I was two she told me. Said that my mum and dad where killed." He lowered his eyes again.

"Oh my," Abby said and was about to get up but Severus shot her a glance and shook his head. Abby sat back down, hating that she was going to listen to him.

"Where is your Grandmother now?" he asked the boy.

"They took her."

"Who took her?"

"I don't know who they are but they are like me, or well like she was."

"You mean they were half man half wolf, whereas you can become a full wolf." The boy nodded and Snape asked, "When you came here you were hurt, where you not?"

"Yes, sir. It was late in the night when they attacked us. It was just one at first, he attacked me and hurt me pretty bad but Gran killed him and took me into the woods." He looked up at them then. "Then, another um, well werewolf followed us and he fought my Gran. She stopped him but she was hurt after that."

Abby's heart squeezed as she listened to this little boy. The things he had witnessed were horrible and yet he didn't look fearful. He looked brave and proud. How could grown men stand to hurt a little boy and his Grandmother? What cowards! Zachary should have never had been through something like that.

"Then what happened?" Severus broke Abby's thought of what she would do if she ever met these men.

"Gran and I used to take many long walks at night, especially in our animal form. Every time we did she would point out a specific smell in the air. One day it was gone for a while - she became very nervous- and then a few weeks before the attack the smell was back only different. When she was hurt by the man she told me to find the smell again and follow it. I didn't want to leave her but she said that I had to so I did and I found you." he finally said as he turned his pale blue eyes on Abby.

Snape turned to look at Abby as well and Abby just stared at them.

"I have a specific smell?" she asked.

"It must be your wolf ancestor's smell and with him in wolf form he could have probably smelt you from miles away. The first smell was probably your aunt but then she died and they caught onto the smell again when you arrived." He looked around the room for a moment then turned back to her. "There must be something about you being a Consoler that draws these wolves to you."

Abby raised a brow then wondered, "But then wouldn't other wolves come to me then? Why was he the only one?"

"There aren't any wolves in this area. Besides he was sent in your direction as well."

Snape suddenly remembered the night when he had seen another person in the yard and wasn't sure if it was a wizard or not. Then Snape remembered what Annabel had said to him on the hotel phone two weeks back, 'isn't safe for us right now, especially Abigail' – 'she has been chosen'. He suddenly had the urge to grab Abby and the boy up and run from the area. Calming his mind he let out a deep breath.

"But if they were bent on finding Zachary they would have spotted my scent and thought to look here." Abby said. Suddenly she felt nervous and looked out the window.

"I know." Severus said. "How long has he been with you?"

Abby thought out loud, "A month before you arrived and then ugh, now you've been here about a month. Then two months now." Abby looked at Severus intensely, "But that's a long time, maybe they never realized I was here."

"Two weeks ago I had seen a man in the yard but I had thought he was a Wizard looking for me. I had wondered why he hadn't attacked when he had the chance and now I know why."

Abby just starred at him, then to assure herself, she said, "But two weeks is also a long time, Severus."

"Then they must be planning something - something to do with you."

Abby looked down at her bag full of clothes and stupid knickknacks that she wouldn't dare leave without. Severus said to pack everything she needed, and when she had asked for how long he just said that he needed to talk to someone and headed over to his own house.

Zachary was outside rounding up her three dogs and putting leashes on them.

Danger.

They could all be in danger. She had never been in danger before and the thought of that was the only thing about this situation that scared her right now. But as she thought of the condition Zachary had come to her in she felt another type of fear cover her body and squeeze her heart.

"Are you ready?"

She gasped, and turned to see Severus in the door way. "You really think they are planning something?"

"Yes."

"Do you really think they want something with me now?"

Snape could feel it in his bones that they did, but the look on Abby's face said she wanted him to lie to her – but he wasn't about to lie to her, "Abby, they might still want the boy but you are probably now their main target. Remember what Annabel had said to me, that there were conspiracies being formed and that you have been chosen for something? Well I believe her now."

He walked over to her and closed the suitcase for her. Then with the suitcase in one hand and Abby's hand in his other they walked out the door to find Zachary waiting in the front yard with the three eager dogs.

"How are we getting to – where are we going?" she hadn't had time to ask before.

"I'm taking the both of you to Hogwarts, by the means of the Knight Bus." He informed them as he stuck his wand into the air in front of them.

"You are taking us to the school that you work at? Why would we be going there? Wouldn't we put people there in danger and what is a night bus?" Abby stared at Severus madly. Then she heard a clang and turned to see a huge Three Decker purple bus standing in front of them.

She stared wildly up and down the dirt road, she hadn't heard it approach and there wasn't so much as dust in the air to show that anything had driven into the yard. It just…simply appeared.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, I'm Stan Shunpike and I will be yer conductor for this evening. Where to?"

Abby looked up at the open doors of the bus, or more likely cruise ship form of a bus. There stood a man in a brown suit, he had very large ears and though he was well into his twenties his face had a few pimples here and there.

After Severus told the man, who was staring at his nails where they needed to go, the man took the suitcase from Severus without looking at him and carried it into the bus. Then he came back and took the dogs from Zachary and this time did look at Severus' face.

His eyes widened, "Blimey, yer Severus Snape, aren't you?"

Snape looked up into the young man's brown eyes and said nothing.

The man turned to the driver of the bus who was, from what Abby could see, much older then Stan and wore thick glasses. "Hey, Ernie, guess who it is?" The old man didn't turn his attention on them but continued eating something which they couldn't see. Stan however continued talking to the oblivious old man. "It's Severus Snape honoring us by using our facilities this evening." He took the dogs and tied them to a bar at the front of the bus.

"This bus is huge." Zachary stated excitedly as he Abby and Severus entered the bus, which was even larger inside then it had looked out side.

"Have a seat right here." Stan said pointing at the first three seats of the bus. "Wow, Severus Snape. I was told you were a Death Eater. Is that true? But yer was really a spy the Daily Prophet had said. What was it like working for You Know Who? Did any exciting things? Did any-"

"Yes." Snape said and glowered at the man.

"Yes to what?" the pimply man asked raising a brow.

Abby was about to ask Severus something but the bus jolted forwards and she almost flew out of her chair. Snape had luckily grabbed her. Zachary was less fortunate he flew straight into Stan.

"Woah, yer alright their little fella?"

Zachary said nothing just sat back down and held onto his seat.

Abby watched as blurs swished past the bus through the window. This was insane.

Severus had asked how long the ride was to Hogwarts and was told by Stan that it wouldn't take long.

"Helpful," Severus muttered as Stan went to stand by the driver.

A/N: and they are off to Hogwarts!

Now we'll start to see old friends, new enimies and so on.

Now, what is really bothering me is...the lack of reviews. It saddens my heart that this story isn't quite to interesting...is that it?

Has it become dull? I can only fix something if i know it's broken...anyway...review! please. even just to say if it is dull.

Not many Severus fans out there are there....*sigh*