Disclaimer: Not mine.

The Uninvited

Chapter 16

Severus stormed into his chambers. He threw the door open so loudly that Abigail heard it and peeked into the hallway to see where the sound had come from. She heard crashing, swearing and the breaking of glass.

Grabbing her wand, she ran down the hall and boldly stepped into Severus' chamber at once taking on a duelling position. Her lip quirked up as she watched him battling himself. Tables were tipped over, books spilled to the floor, and broken glass was scattered about the entire room.

Dropping her wand into low ready position, she leaned against the wall and watched as she waited for him to take notice of her. After a couple of moments, he spun around toward her, wand pointed at her chest and eyes glaring.

"So," she said sweetly, "who is winning?"

He curled his lip into a sneer and stretched out his wand at her muttering under his breath. Before he had the spell fully out of his mouth she shouted Expelliarmus, making him watch his wand sail neatly into her hand as her spell threw him backward.

"You stupid bitch," he roared at her as he struggled to gain his feet. "Again you put this whole fucking war in jeopardy."

"Severus, let's talk..." she began backing up her smile slipping.

"I want you out. I want you gone," he hissed as he approached her. "I no longer care what you do."

"No longer?" she asked backing to the door.

Realizing the admission he had made he stopped walking toward her. He sighed and held out his hand as he called Accio wand, bringing his wand to him as she opened her hand to release it.

"I am sorry Miss Haley. The Weasleys have just lost their home. Your blood and the Reyes blood are now mixed on their land. The Dark Lord already knows of this. The wards at the Reyes Estate must have reset themselves to allow the Weasleys in at the same time."

"The wards are now set to quite a mixture I would say," he continued. "The Weasleys, the Reyes, and of course least we forget Haley. It will only be a couple of hours before they discover this as well."

He crossed his arms and looked down his nose at her.

"So my dear, you need to contact your father, if it is not too late already. He is, as of this minute, in hiding. Blood rites have no place in the world, if you have a question on that matter ask the Weasleys, or your father. I believe they may no longer share your sentiment."

Abigail raced through the halls to Albus' office. She explained to him quickly what Severus had told her. Twisting her hands, she begged him to help her father into hiding, and to do so quickly.

Albus sprang up and hurried to the portraits. He dispatched them to find Rodger Haley if at the Ministry, and then sent his Patronus to the headquarters. He paced his office, taking long strides, stopping to look out the window, searching for owls.

Abigail sat silently seeing Severus over and over as he ranted at her, as he yelled he wanted her gone. She worried for her father, but the tears that ran down her cheeks were for Severus. She had difficulty breathing and felt more scared now, than in all the time she had sat in the dungeons of her childhood home.

After an agonizing hour, the owl arrived. The small piece of parchment merely said.

DONE

Albus smiled warmly and turned to Abigail. He held up the note, and then walked across to her, pressing it in her hand. Sitting down across from her, he watched her until her breathing returned to near normal.

"Now, my dear, you must understand that all is taken care of. Your father is safe, although I cannot tell you where or when you will again see him." He peered over his spectacles judging her reaction. When satisfied that she understood this he leaned back in his chair.

"Abigail, the Weasleys are among the original members of the Order. They have long known the risks involved. I am sure Molly and Arthur are at this time gathering their valuables around them, glad to have escaped with all of them intact."

"Valuables? Molly took nothing," Abigail frowned at him.

"Did she not child?" He seemed to think. "Yes I do think her husband and children all got out safely. Why, what other valuables do we have?"

"Uncle, Severus is in a fury. He has already destroyed half of his quarters. I fear I upset him again," she added honestly.

"Only half?" he chuckled, "I am glad this is not as serious as I thought."

"Uncle!" Abigail chided.

"I am afraid it is his way. He does not run, as you have, to seek help. He must rely only upon himself," Albus stood. "The time grows late, and an old man's bones ache, I must bid you goodnight my dear."

She went to him, and placing a kiss good night on his cheek, returned to the dungeons. She noticed a light showing under Severus' door as she passed. Wanting to stop and once again apologize, the image of what had happened at the owlery came to her unbidden. She remembered not only the kisses and the desire she had felt, but she remembered his anger and warning as well. He had warned her to stay away, hinting what he may do to her. She paused, then turned, glancing back only once as she walked away.

Abigail was sleeping on the floor when her floo activated later that night. Severus stepped out wearing rumpled clothing holding an almost empty bottle in one hand, the other he used to steady himself on the mantel. He had told himself that he only wanted to talk to her, and he was finding it difficult to believe even his own lies but the firewhiskey had given him the courage he needed.

He flopped down on the sofa, stretched out his long legs, and tipped the rest of the fire whiskey down his throat. Then, putting his head on the back of the sofa he sighed deeply. Even if the witch were in front of him at this moment, he knew he would not touch her. He could not have relationships like other wizards, any witch he felt an attachment to would be in danger. Abigail was in enough danger without him adding to it already. He slowly moved his head to the side to see the room better, and relaxed knowing she was near. He closed his eyes, letting the bottle slip from his hand, and fell asleep.

In the morning, Abigail woke and reached for her wand as soon as her eyes opened. Finding the familiar piece of wood under her pillow satisfied her, allowing her to breathe evenly and not wake in a panic as she had for years. She left the wand hidden where it was, and used her right hand to light a single candle.

She looked at the clock, seeing it was 4:10 am she rolled to her back and considered going back to sleep for and hour, but hearing her stomach growl decided to hit the shower first. Slipping from the bed, she padded across the dark living room and into the bathroom. She slid her nightgown down and stepped into the shower turning on the water that was magically charmed to flow at the temperature she had set.

Having had put some weight on since she was eating whenever she wanted, her ribs no longer showed and her breasts were rounder, fuller, as were her hips. The clothes they had purchase at Diagon Alley now fit as intended, the night shifts clinging where Severus had envisioned, and flowing around her thighs like water.

Hearing her stomach protest the wait for food, she hurried and completed soaping and rinsing then wrapping a towel around herself. Tucking the end in to hold it up, she stepped into the living room and crossed to the floo.

"Kitchen elf," she called loudly, and then flicked on the living room fireplace as she slid down on her knees. She bent over, toward the fire and shook her hair, rubbing her scalp, allowing the warmth of the fire to dry it. Her towel slipped to the floor, as she rubbed vigorously, trying to get the fire's heat down to her scalp.

A small pop signified the arrival of the house elf. She waved toward the coffee table with one hand as she continued to rub her hair with the other.

The kitchen elf saw Severus who held a finger to his lips, smirking as the creature lowed its ears, shaking slightly, and winked out.

He had woken to the sound of the running water, feeling disorientated and slightly hung over from the effects of the fire whiskey and waking in an unfamiliar place. When he remembered where he was, he had immediately thought to leave before she found him, but then she stepped out of the shower with water glistening on her skin. He watched her wrap a towel around her breasts, letting the towel fall around her full hips.

He moaned when he'd seen the golden glow of her hip, and watched the towel slip to the floor as she knelt with her back to him to dry her hair. He'd watched her back, her arse sitting back on her heels, the curve of her neck. He had wanted so badly to touch her, to hold her, to be in her.

With the elf gone, what rolled off his tongue was not what he had intended.

"I see you now know wandless magic, Miss Haley?" He smirked, wanting to curse himself for not being able to say more than this.

Abigail grabbed the towel to her chest, then realizing that her naked arse was still showing, turned quickly in an effort to hide from him. In doing so, he caught sight of her breasts and the patch of hair at the junction of her legs.

He still lay back on the sofa, his eyes raking over her body. His morning erection strained against his trousers. He wanted to pull her up off the floor and carry her to the bed. Instead, he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Sitting up he reached for his wand, pointed it her bedroom and called Accio Robe. As soon as the robe hit his hand, he tossed it to her.

She grabbed the robe as quickly as she could. She needed to drop the towel to put her arms into the sleeves. In doing so, he saw a lovely glimpse of her hip, curving into her waist and up to the underside of her breast. He groaned watching her, feeling harder than he had been.

"Miss Haley, before you start in on me let me apologize." He said, with his eyes still on her body.

"You think that an apology for taking advantage of me this way is enough?" She asked furiously tugging her belt tighter.

"You misunderstand me Miss Haley," he said still smirking, "I apologize for falling asleep on your sofa, I do not apologise for what you so graciously showed me."

"I did no such thing you git. You barged into my personal…." she stopped seeing that he was already at the door preparing to leave. "Why you bastard!"

"I do believe my parents were married at the time of my conception. That would make two mistakes you have already made this morning. If I wanted you I would take you," he sneered at her. "As it is I only await the time your presence is no longer felt in this castle."

With that said, he strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him and returned to his chambers. She crawled over to the tray and picked up a teacup and flung it at the door, screaming after him before hiding her face in her hands and sobbing.

The rest of the summer was passing quickly, the letters to the First Years already sent. Severus spent several hours a day in his classroom preparing for a new term. He tried to keep busy, to keep his mind off Abigail.

"Severus," he heard his name called and the soft knock on the door jam at the same time. "May I have a word?"

"Miss Haley, of course, do leave the door open, the air is often oppressive down here in the last days of summer," he stated in his best Professor voice.

"I find myself at a dead end here, Severus," she said sadly. "I need to move on, only I have no idea what to do."

"What had you in mind?" He asked, his stomach already feeling like lead.

"I don't know." She looked down at her lap. "I still cannot read past those little children's books, sometimes those are too hard for me."

"You have done remarkably well for such a short time. Your tutor has advised Albus that you are on the second level reader."

"I am sure that was meant to be kind, but I do not think it enough for employment at Flourish and Blotts,' she said sarcastically

"Miss Haley it takes time."

"What do I do Severus? Where do I go?"

He could not answer her. He sat as calmly as he could as he watched her stand. She came around the desk to him, leaned over and kissed his cheek, hearing him offer no objection to her leaving she knew she must.

"Goodbye my friend, if I can call you that," she said, leaving him sitting alone as she walked away.

He knew she was leaving and could think of no acceptable reason for her to stay. He sat for a long time watching the door, then turned back to his paperwork and began to work on the coming term.

Severus assured himself that she would be safe for now; the Dark Lord was not actively looking for her. It seemed her father was to take the brunt of his anger. The Dark Lord was sure that Rodger Haley had discovered the Reyes Estate as it would make sense that after years of searching he had finally found it. The Weasleys were to move back to the Burrow soon. Their son, Charlie, had contacted a spell breaker in Romania who assured them he could reset the wards. This would offer protection and land rights to only the individuals that held the blood of a Weasley.

Severus had stressed constant checking of the wards, and monthly resets. He knew they did not fully understand blood magic, and worried that a reset at Reyes Manor would affect the Burrow. They had agreed to his terms. Severus knew that if the wards were breached, she would be the first one they sought.