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CHAPTER 15
Severus couldn't stop thinking about Sophie nor Sophie could stop thinking about him. The remains of the school year were tortuous.
She would know when he looked at her during class and she would look back at him. Their eyes would meet whenever they where on the same room and the sound of each other's voice made their ears twitch and their lips smile.
Sophie hadn't had to do another check up ever since the night she had felt like kissing him, but she still had had a few other occlumency and legilemency lessons. She had grown fond of both of the arts and quite talented at them as well.
He looked forwards towards their moments of intimacy, but even though he said to himself that he would tell her how he felt every time they met, he would just chicken out.
Sophie's birthday was the last day of school as well, which meant it was the same day of the graduation party, to which she had to attend as Fred's date.
She had looked forwards towards her birthday ever since she was a little girl. She would count the days for the day to come. But this year she wasn't so enthusiastic about it. She no longer had the only two people she always celebrated her birthday with, nor the two people who seemed even more excited than her on said day.
Harry and Ron had give her a Bertie Bott's every flavor beans bag that contained1000 beans of her favorite flavors Blueberry, Marshmallow and Lemon drop and Hermione and Ginny had given her a copy of Sense and Sensibility, which happened to be written by her favorite author. She was overwhelmed by the fact that they had remembered her tastes that well.
George had given her an artifact of his own invention of his, an extendable ear. She though it would be really useful and appreciated the sentiment.
Fred had given her a bracelet with a white fox's pendant, which happened to be her patronus, though no one knew it was her animagus shape as well. She had absolutely loved it and had worn it for Prom.
She had transformed one of her old dresses into a stylish black Dior she had seen on a Vogue edition. She though that perhaps she could use her transfiguration skills on something useful as she wasn't having much practice lately. Hermione and Ginny followed her lead.
The party had been wonderful and she had had a great time. Those who graduated left the school on the same boats they entered on their first year after the ceremony, for which she had bid goodbye to Fred from the dock along with his friends and family.
Obviously Molly asked her to stay at the burrow but she said she had to get some things sorted at her house first. Molly wasn't glad but she accepted it, after all she had no choice, in the wizarding world Sophie was now of age.
When she got to her room to pack she found a box with a letter on it.
Happy Birthday Sophie, I hope you enjoy it.
She would have recognized his handwriting everywhere. Knowing from whom it was made her grow more impatient at the time of opening it.
It was a heart pendant on a silver chain. It had beautiful drawings and seemed rather expensive, though what shocked her the most was what she had found inside. The pendant was actually a reliquary, and inside it held a picture of her parents, smiling at each other on their Hogwarts uniform, she assumed they were only one year older that her at the moment. It had been the most beautiful and thoughtful gift anyone had ever given to her, she had to find him.
She didn't realize she was still wearing her dress and heels until she almost tripped wit it as she got to his quarters at the dungeons.
She knocked on the door but no one answered, so she ventured in. Of course he wasn't there.
She felt stupid as hell as was returning to her room. What where you thinking? What would you have said? Hi, I hope you don't mind I let myself in, I just wanted to thank you for your gift?I think I like you as something more than my teacher? And then what? what if it wasn't his handwriting and you just imagined it because it is what you wanted? Think of it why would he give you such present? Stupid, Stupid girl! You have a boyfriend remember?
He was all she could think of on the ride back home. She still had his necklace on and was eating her bag of beans. She sat by Hermione who was reading and in front of Harry and Ron. Harry was asleep and Hermione didn't feel very well so only Ron ate some beans with her, apparently her favourites where his as well.
Fred had been waiting for her at the terminal and accompanied her home. She had arranged to meet with Ron, Harry and Hermione at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley and then left.
She appareted with Fred at her house, her bags arrived a few seconds afterwards.
Fred seemed concerned, as if he had to say something that was hard for him. He did.
"So how was your trip?" He was smiling but it wasn't his usual smile.
"It was okay I guess, are you alright?"
"Not quite, I have something to tell you"
"Go ahead" She was starting to get worried.
"I… I don't think it will be fair for either of us to stay together while you are at Hogwarts and I'm here." He was pretty sure he loved Sophie, but he was just eighteen and he had never cared for long- distance relationships.
"Okay, if that's what you want" She looked downward. "We could still be friends though, right?" She wasn't sad, she was just surprised.
"Of course" He grabbed her by the shoulders "Besides my mother would slaughter me if I was the reason you didn't come to the burrow" They both smiled at each other.
"Okay then" She put out her hand for him to shake. "Friends?"
"Friends" He shook her hand. "I think I'll better go, it was a long trip after all and you must be tired." He was tempted to kiss her and make everything he had just said go away, but he didn't. He kissed her on the cheek and left.
Is it that bad that I'm not sad at all? Am I crazy or have I no feelings? I'm supposed to be heart-broken, but I'm just surprise and…relieved. God, something is definitely wrong with me.
She had arrived an hour before noon and had gone straight to bed after taking a shower. She woke up three hours later because of the doorbell. She was so groggy that she went downstairs and opened the door in he PJ's, which consisted of short-shorts and a spaghetti-striped shirt as it was summer already.
She was surprised to find Remus with a black dog she recognized to be an animagus. The dog's eyes widened at her clothing, or lack off it.
"Remus what a pleasant surprise, come on in" They both entered the house. Remus remembered the reason why he had last been in that living room. Sirius remained by Sophie's side trying to take advantage that perhaps she didn't know what or who he was. She scratched behind his ears making him move his tail. "You can change in that room if you want Sirius" Both the dog and Remus were surprised that she could identify an animagus. Remus laughed and Sirius went to the other room.
"Happy late birthday dear" He hugged his goddaughter. "I would have sent you a gift but as I knew you arrived today I didn't saw the point" He said while giving her a small box. She really was getting a lot of jewellery lately. "You shouldn't have bothered" It was a silver charm bracelet. It had a heart, a swan, which she knew was her mother's animagus form, a clover and a leopard, her father's animagus shape. "Your parents told me to keep it safe and give it to you on your birthday if they couldn't give it to you themselves" Her first reaction was to hug her godfather with all her strength. After almost suffocating him she let go.
She still was wearing the bracelet Fred had given her. She took of the White fox charm from the leather strip and put it on the silver bracelet.
"It's a lovely pendant, who gave it to you?" Sirius observed as he joined the seen.
"Fred did" She was surprised that she didn't sound the least melancholic.
"How are things with him by the way?" Remus asked.
"Um, he broke up with me today, but we are still friends" She smiled reassuringly, she knew how overprotective Remus was with her.
"Did he now" Sirius said mischievously on a voice that only Remus could hear, making him punch Sirius slightly so Sophie wouldn't notice.
"Are you okay?"
"As good as new, weird isn't it?" She didn't realize she was still on her pyjamas until she saw Sirius stare. "Oh god, I think I should change, I'll be right back, make your selves at home" Her face was red as she climbed upstairs.
"Don't mind me" Sirius said again in the same voice he had before.
"Behave or I swear I'll hex you until you do"
Minutes later Sophie went back downstairs with dark jeans and a grey knitted tank top, after all it was still hot.
"Would you like something to drink?" She asked trying to be a good hostess.
They talked for about three hours and a half, she loved her godfather and she really liked Sirius, though she would blush whenever he flirted, obviously he did so when Remus left the room.
She knew why Remus had remained there, she enjoyed his company and she was sure he enjoyed hers as well, but she knew why he didn't want to leave.
"You don't want me to stay alone for the night do you?"
"Why would you-" She cocked her eyebrow at him. "Is it that obvious?" She smiled in return "No, of course I don't."
"I've got a solution" Remus side-glanced his friend in a threatening way and Sophie just laughed. "I really do" He said on a serious tone. "Why don't you stay with me, I have plenty of room and Harry will be staying with me as well" He said the second half of the phrase to Remus so as to reassure him.
"Thank you Sirius, but you do know that I will eventually live here on my own right?"
"You must understand my concern Sophie" Remus had now taken her hand.
"I do, and I appreciate immensely your concern, but I'm far from being defenceless and you know it" He knew she was an excellent witch and duellist, but so were most death eaters. "As soon as I got here I casted a protective spell on the house, it's impenetrable and only answers to my wand"
"Sophie, you are my only family left"
"Fine, I'll go with Sirius but only for tonight, I want to sleep in my bed tomorrow night" Though technically she had slept there five hours ago. "Okay?"
"Okay, you know I would ask you to stay but it's not a good night for me" She knew exactly what he meant, for which she took a small box of about twenty vials out of a cupboard and gave it to him.
"I know my dad used to brew them for you and that the reserve he last gave you must be running out so I brew this for you."
"Thank you" He was running out of them, he had only one vial left.
"Anytime, now if you may excuse me I have to pack, again" Remus and Sirius laughed at her annoyance. She wondered whether she should just leave her clothes packed.
When Remus was sure Sophie had entered her room he turned to Sirius.
"I swear I'm serious about hexing you to 2050 if you even touch a hair on her precious little head" He doubted his friend's self-control when it regarded women.
"I know you are."
They arrived at Grimmauld place ten minutes before Harry did.
"Sorry I'm stalking you" She said to him when he entered the room and they begun laughing.
"I couldn't have wished for a more appalling stalker" They laughed again.
After dinner the remained talking about quiditch and compared the Chudley Cannons with the Wimbourne Wasps. Then they went through Sophie's break-up with Fred and finally they hit a theme that unnerved her.
"So how where your Occlumency lessons with Snape" She could sense the hatred he felt while speaking his name.
"They where great actually, why had yours been bad?"
"The worst lesson I could have ever had, helpful but demeaning" He hated the things he had said about his dad.
"You do hate Snape don't you?" She was sad to know that one of her best friends hated her, um, what's the word, infatuation? Fixation? Love?
"It's just that he hates me as well, he hated my father so he hates me, he hates everyone of is students, specially Gryffindor's, except his precious little Slytherin's"
It wasn't true, at all. He didn't hate Harry, he didn't like most of "his Slytherin's", he though most of them were nerve-less vicious little rats and he was far from hating Sophie, who was as Gryffindor as they come. Everything was just part of his act, he had to pretend to have preferences with the Slytherin's and hate the Gryffindor's as to make the Dark lord happy.
"Oh, you're probably right" With that she changed the subject and they both went to sleep.
Sophie woke up at a forest. It was daytime and she was by a pond, she could identify Harry's figure from the distance. He was lying on the opposite of the lake. He saw her the same time she had seen him.
"This isn't a regular dream isn't it?" She asked Harry when she was by his side.
"I don't think so, take your wand out" He was gripping his firmly already.
"You won't be needing that son" Harry froze at the voice of his father.
"Neither will you honey, put it down" She responded in the same way towards her mother's voice.
Both Sophie and Harry's parents where standing in front of them, they could see the, they could hear them, and they proved they could touch them as they ran to the arms of their parents.