The Snake and the Eagle

Chapter 6 - A Midnight Meeting

Hogwarts' students were harder to keep under control, their excitement run high before the Halloween feast. The Great Hall had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange steamers swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling, like brilliant watersnakes. Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment. Snape was still upset with Professor Falconbridge, and he has been refusing to speak to her during the whole feast. At a certain point, during that night patrolling, she could not stand his silence anymore, so she made the first move.

"Severus! I know I may have embarassed you, but please forgive me," she said gripping at his arm.

"Never take such liberties with me again, above all in public!" he coldly spat, uncerimoniously freeing himself from her grip.

"I didn't mean to offend you. I only wanted to be of help," she protested.

"Then, never try to help me again!" he hissed. He was trying to make her feel as bad as he had that afternoon. He just wanted to hurt her feelings.

"How on earth was I suppose to know you would have enjoyed it so much!" she sarcasticly said, emphasizing the last two words.

"What do you mean?" he said freezing on the spot.

"Well, it was not me to moan like that!" she said continuing to walk. He carefully considered her words, and realized she had a point so he gave up arguing.

"Ok, let's forget about it! Only avoid doing something like that again," he lowly said, speeding up his pace to reach her. Peace was back again. At the moment of parting for the night, she suddenly called him back.

"Severus, would you like to go riding with me tomorrow before breakfast?" she kindly invited him. He was a little taken aback by that weird proposal.

"I don't ride," he coldly said.

"I will teach you, it's easy! Some open air activity will do you a great good! ... Oh, come on! No one will see us!" she said, staring hopefully into his eyes.

"Ok, then. Let's try!" he sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. He could not deny her a chance to restore the feble balance between them. To say the truth, he was quite fascinated by her horse.

"We'll have great fun! Meet me here at seven o'clock," she shouted excited, almost jumping on the spot like a small child. Then they parted, and she happily trotted to her room.

***

That morning, she woke up in a very good mood. She put on her riding dress and an hooded heavy cloak. When she reached the Entrance Hall, he was already there waiting for her. He had no riding clothes, so he was wearing a pair of the most confortable trousers he had, a warm jumper, leather boots and an hooded travel cloak. Everything black, as usual. They crossed the grounds and reached Nabil's shelter behind Hagrid's hut. The half-giant was still soundly asleep, as a roar of loud snoring clearly proved. She showed him how to equip a horse. She kept caressing Nabil to calm it down, because he was suspiciously staring at Severus. That horse was used to mistrust strangers, untill his mistress showed him there was nothing to worry about. They all silently stepped away from the hut, not wanting to wake up its inhabitant.

"First you'll mount alone, and I'll lead the horse by the bridles on foot. We'll start at a slow pace, so that you can get used to the horse's movements," she explained to a very doubtful Snape, who looked at her with a raised questioning brow. She helped him to mount, then moved in front of the horse.

"When you're ready, we can go. As soon as you find your balance, I'll mount and we'll have a ride together. I won't leave you do it by yourself, until I'm sure you're ready and don't risk falling off the saddle," she tried to reassure him. Actually, he was not listening to a single word she was saying. He was too busy trying not to fall. He soon began to feel quite at ease, and his body naturally followed the horse's rhythm. Then she stopped the horse.

"If you're ready, here I come. Leave me some room on the saddle, right in front of you!" she instructed him. He nodded, and carefully shifted a little backwards over the smooth surface of his leather seat. She mounted with great agility, landing in front of him.

"Wrap your arms around my waist and hold tight. Here we go!" she shouted before spurring Nabil on to move.

The fresh wind caressed their cheeks, as they rode along the lake shores. A new emotion overtook him ... He was amusing himself like never before, or at least he had not been feeling like that for a very, very long time. Riding gave him a blissful sensation of freedom, and the warmth of the woman's body against his own was very pleasant too. Their ride lasted only an hour and half, but it had felt like eternity to them. They reached the castle just in time to change clothes and go have some breakfast.

"What have you done, Severus?" asked Professor McGonagall, bending forward to have a better look at him.

"I beg your pardon?" he said a little confused.

"Your cheeks are rosy, you look quite relaxed and ... healthier," she observed arching a brow.

"Well... I did some open-air activity," he vaguely answered, before returning to his cup of coffee.

"Whatever you did, it did you a great good! You have always worried me with your batlike habits," the older witch said. At those words, Alexandra choked halfway through a gulp of tea.

Morning rides soon became a daily routine for Severus and Alexandra. He was a quick learner, so his riding skills improved in very short time. She often let him hold the reins, but he did not mount alone yet. In fact, when it was his turn to steer, she always sat behind him with her arms around his waist, ready to take the reins if he lost control of the horse. She suspected he was now ready to ride by himself on his own horse. But each time she suggested they found him one, he pretended he still felt unsure about his riding abilities, insisting he needed some more practice together. She was pretty sure it was all an excuse he had made up to keep riding at close contact with her. Actually, she really did not mind that too. She loved sharing her riding passion with him. To be honest, she was beginning to find him rather fetching! Maybe it was his evil-guy-charm.

A tender friendship was slowly growing between them. They had also got into the habit of spending some extra time together, after their patrolling was over. They liked talking, having a drink or two, playing chess or card. They actually spent any free time together, so that one could hardly see the one without the other. Albus was simply delighted with the whole matter. They were so weird a couple, that nobody believed any relationship could ever exist between them, so they did not have to be bothered by any malicious rumor about them. Slytherins were known to be very selective, and hardly mixed up with anyone belonging to the other houses. By the way, being Ravenclaw the house of the witty, she could be considered a suitable exception.

***

The usual serenity of their night patrolling was destined to be threatened by a strange meeting they had on a stormy november night. It was almost midnight, they had now reached the famous 'forbidden corridor' on the third floor. It was exactly the same abandoned, third floor corridor where Harry and his friends met Fluffy on their way to the Philosopher's Stone. Severus and Alexandra had were the middle of the long corridor, when they heard the door of an old broomstick cupboard rattle violently. They immediately thought there was someone hiding there, a student or maybe Peeves had locked Mrs Norris in it again. Everybody knew the poltergeist liked throwing the skeletal cat inside the suits of armor. They cautiously approached the cupboard, wands at ready.

"Whoever you are, come out of that cupboard!" Snape sternly ordered. The doors stayed still for two seconds, then rattled again. "Show yourself! It's Professor Severus Snape that commands it!" roared his voice. The rattle ceased, and the doors suddenly opened wide, showing its dark but empty inside. They both froze at the sight of the shape of an old man emerging from its depths.

The man straightened his back, and silently moved forwards, staring at Snape with his fierce grey eyes. The man was very tall and slim, he had long grey hair, a hooked nose and was dressed in a faded shade of purple. Alexandra was clueless about who or what he was. She turned to her friend for some hint, but he was stricken with shock. His whole body shivered as he slowly stepped backwards, until his back was against the wall. She was flubbergasted to see the horror painted on his face. She could not really understand his weird behaviour. Who could possibly be that man to scare the impassible Professor Snape out of his wit?

"F-Father?" he asked with a trembling voice, "N-no! It can be you! Y-you are dead!" he stuttered in a fit of panic. She suddenly realized that could not be a real man.

"Severus, it's only a boggart! Think about funny things and strike it with a Riddikulus Spell!" she instructed him.

"I can't!" he said covering his eyes with his hands, and he slowly collapsed to the floor. He was in great distress, he hated himself for being so cowardly weak in front of her. He wanted to kill himself for being able to face the Dark Lord, and then fall into pieces before a stupid boggart. Even that good-to-nothing of Longbotton was able to defeat one. Alexandra readily took control of the situation, attracting the boggart's attention on her.

"Hey you! Mr. Snape!" she called at it.

The boggart turned his head towards his new victim, and instantly turned itself in the hooded, masked shape of a Death Eater. Severus was there on the floor, looking clueless at the boggart. Boggarts used to take the shape of one's deepest fears, childish things in most of the cases. But he could not really guess why her boggart was a Death Eater. Not that anyone one was not afraid of them! Alexandra held her breath for a moment at the sight of that new shape, then concentrated and struck it with a loud "Riddikulus!" The Death Eater-boggart suddenly was dressed in a sexy bunny-girl costume, complete with high heals, net stockings, fluffy tail and long bunny ears. She laughed sonorously, satisfied for her winning. She was even happier for resqueing Severus from a difficult situation. It did not really need to be a genius to understand, that old Mr Snape certainly hid terrible memories behind him. She silently kneeled down in front of him and gently took his hands in hers.

"Come on! We have still lots of pleaces to check before our turn is over," she exorted him with a sweet smile on her lips. He let her help him back to his feet, staring at her speechless. He helplessly searched for a trace of pity, blame or commiseration in her stare, but there was none. What he saw was only a comforting tenderness, and a distant hint of sadness. They continued their patrolling in complete silence. Before they parted for the night, he tried to make an attempt of explanation.

"Alexandra, I..." he began to say. But she cut his words pressing her fore finger on his lips.

"Shussssh! I'm not going to ask you anything, as long as you do the same. One day we'll talk about it, but not now. Nobody will know about what happened tonight."

He weakly nodded his agreement. He really was not in the mood to tell one of his most painful secrets to anyone too. For the first time in many weeks, they did not spend some extra time together, and headed straight each to his own rooms.

He had now changed in his grey night shirt, and was lying back in his four-posters with emerald green velvet hangings, staring at the canopy above him. He could not fall asleep, because his mind was crossed by millions of questions and suppositions. Then, he left his bed and went to open the nearby window, thinking that some fresh air could help him to clear his mind. He looked down outside the calm shining surface of the lake, which reflected the pale light of a beautiful full moon. Then his attention was caught by a pale shadow behind a window on the seventh floor, right at the feet of the West Tower.

He recognized the outline of a young woman with long hair, of which a thick lock rested languidly on one shoulder. She was sitting on the window-sill, illuminated by the silvery moonlight. At first, he had thought it was the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw House Ghost. But, at a better look, he recognised her to be none but Professor Falconbridge. He had never notice his bedroom window was in the wall just opposite hers. When Professor Flitwick occupied those rooms, he obviously could not have cared less. He stood there looking through the window for about ten minutes, almost hipnotized by that sight, and he did not even notice the chilling night air that struck him to the bone.

She sat there, motionless, staring at the starry sky with an expression of deep melancholy on her face, her sweet smile disappeared. Obviously, he could not know she had just finished crying her eyes out, clutching her parent's picture on her heart. Her sadness was like a dagger in his heart, because he felt it was all his fault. He only knew how to hurt, but not how to heal. If he had not lost his mind like that, she would not have had to face that hateful boggart on her own. It had certainly revived some of her worst memories, considering her actual state of distress.

"But why has she decided to go through all this to help me?" he muttered to himself. He then thoughtlessly touched his lips with a hand, right in the place were her soft finger had previously rested for a short instant. He violently shook his head, like wanting to chase away the weird, romantic thoughts that crossed his mind.

"Don't illuse yourself, Severus!" he bitterly admonished himself, "Love has no place in your miserable life. Your soul is doomed for all the evil things you did!" he spat, thoughlessly clutching his left forearm with his right hand, exactly in the spot where the Dark Mark was burnt in his skin.

"Who the hell would ever be so insane to love an ugly greasy git like you?" he snarled to himself.

"Oh, Merlin! She's so beautiful ... How on earth is it possible I've never noticed it before? Damn it! Was I blind or what?" he shouted, closed the window, and finally went to bed. He laid on his back, sighed heavily then rolled on one side, but could not fall asleep. He then reached out inside his bed-side cabinet and took a vial of potion, drank it, and finally fell asleep.