Lost and Found...Love

Chapter 17

'Do You Wanna Dance?'

" 'Colloportus'."

The door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom sealed itself. Severus turned and saw Anna standing on the landing at the door to her chambers, wearing her favorite kimono. He started walking, unbuttoning the sleeves of his tunic as he proceeded the length of the classroom. She smiled and turning, disappeared into her bedroom.

He heard soft music begin playing; guitar, piano and bongo drums? A smile played across his lips. 'I've waited long enough,' he thought, 'no time for romantic foolishness.' Undoing the front buttons, he shrugged off the coat as he mounted the stairs, two at a time.

As he turned the corner and stepped through the door, he flung the coat onto a chair, but then froze in his tracks. The room was bathed in soft light from rock crystal candleholders positioned on every available flat surface and from half a dozen crystal chandeliers, floating lazily around in the air above them.

Anna was standing across the room, her back to him, swaying with the music coming from the victrola on the table in front of her.

'Do you wanna dance, and hold my hand?'

Anna turned around to face him.

'Tell me you're my lover man."

Her fingers undid the sash of her kimono, which fell open to reveal her body in the soft flickering light.

'Oh, baby, do you wanna dance?'

Severus realized he was holding his breath and released the pent up air from his lungs in a long sigh, as Anna walked over to him.

'We could dance under the moonlight,'

She put her hands out and unbuttoned his shirt.

'Hug and kiss all through the night.'

She pulled the shirt loose from his trousers.

'Oh, baby, tell me, do you wanna dance with me baby?'

Running her hands up his chest, she put her arms around his neck and stepping closer, swaying with the music, she lifted her lips to his and kissed him softly. Then pulling back, mouthed the words along with the music, as the singer's voice became more plaintive, pleading, more urgent, sensual.

'Do you, do you, do you, do you want to dance?'

Her hips were pressed against him and he was vaguely aware of the fact he was starting to sway in rhythm with her.

'Do you, do you, do you want to dance?'

Dear God, Severus thought, I'm being seduced.

Her lips were brushing his as she pushed his shirt off of his shoulders and let it drop to the floor

'Do you, do you, do you, do you want to dance with me baby?'

Severus pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. Pulling the silky kimono off of her shoulders, he started kissing her neck and shoulders, and then her lips again, which were burning hot to his touch.

'Ah, that's right, ah, ah, aaaaaaaaah.'

The kimono slipped to the floor. Anna wrapped her arms around him.

'Do you want to dance under the moonlight?'

Severus broke off the kiss and reaching up, pulled two enameled chopsticks from the knot of hair on her head. They clattered to the floor as her auburn tresses cascaded down her back. His breath was growing ragged.

'Hug me, kiss me, baby, all through the night.'

Anna undid his trousers, pushed them down over his hips and let them drop.

'Oh, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, tell me, do you want to dance.'

Severus looked deeply into her eyes and she returned his gaze unflinchingly.

'Oh, do you, do you, do you, do you want to dance?'

Severus bent slowly forward, kissing her softly.

'Do you want to dance?'

Then, with one swift motion, he lifted her in his arms.

'Do you, do you, do you, do you want to dance with me baby?'

With a flick of his foot, his trousers joined his tunic, as he carried her to the bed.

'Please dance with me baby.'

X # X # X

"How is Father?" Draco asked, as Narcissa removed her cloak and dropped it over a chair in the front hall of Malfoy Manor.

"Sore, in a bit of pain, but satisfied with himself for enduring his punishment with a minimum show of weakness."

"You look dreadful, Mother."

"Thank you for noticing," she replied, touching his cheek, "and caring. I have not enjoyed the last two days, you can be sure. I don't even know where I was, except with your father. And your Aunt Bella. I didn't see anyone else. I stayed in our bed chamber. We had our meals there, too, and we ate alone."

"Why were you and Father separated from the others?"

"I don't pretend to know or care what the reasons were, Draco. All I know is that your father is desperate to prove himself to his Master. I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid or dangerous."

"He won't."

"Sure, are you?" She looked at her son. "Well, I'm not. I fear I'll lose him, Draco. But I can do nothing. When he's obsessed like this, he's beyond listening to reason."

She walked into the salon, followed by Draco.

"By the way, dear, how are you feeling? Better?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I could send Dumbledore as owl, so you could stay a few days longer, if..."

"No, mother. I want to get back to school."

"Very well, we'll get you packed and ready to go, then. First thing tomorrow."

"Fine. Well, goodnight, mother." Draco kissed her cheek. "Don't worry about Father. He's got to stay where he is until he's regained his strength. So, he'll be safe for a while."

"You're right, dear. I'll try not to worry about him. Goodnight."

Narcissa watched her son go up the stairs.

"It's not your father I'm worried about, Draco," she whispered.

Sitting wearily on the sofa, she winced as she leaned on the cushions, the bruises on her back protesting at the pressure. She was stiff, sore and bruised from the vicious beating Lucius had inflicted on her when he had found her weeping in their bed chamber at the Dark Lord's secret headquarters.

He wanted no sympathy for himself and no show of weakness or pity from her. She had stubbornly fought to not cry out as he aimed blows and kicks at her, showing her fierce determination in her eyes as she faced him when he had finished venting his anger on her.

He had apologized, as usual, asking for her forgiveness and understanding. Then he had made love to her, gently, softly, kissing the bruises, even as they bloomed on her skin. She had felt nothing, though, as if she had gone numb, in mind and body.

'Love, ha!' she thought. 'He doesn't know the meaning of the word, and never will. I do, but it's too late for me. But not for my son. What can I do to keep Draco safe?'

Narcissa sat there until the wee hours of the morning, thinking, worrying, planning and finally, she stood and walked slowly up the stairs to her bed.

X # X # X

"Anastasia?"

"Hummm?"

"I just remembered something."

Pushing herself up onto one elbow, Anna flipped her hair out of her eyes and looked at Severus.

"What is it? Nothing serious, please; I've got too much of that already to think about."

"No...I brought your Christmas gift with me. I had it at the New Year's Eve party, but I couldn't get you alone long enough to give it to you."

"Oh, goody! And I've got yours, too. Where's mine?"

"Greedy little wench. It's in the pocket of my trousers. Hold on." He started to roll over to reach for his trousers, hanging off of a nearby chair.

"Watch! You're close to the..."

"Whoa!" KAFUMP! "Ow."

"...edge of the bed..." Crawling to the side, Anna peeped over and saw Severus sprawled, face down on the floor, the sheet hanging off the bed, entangled in his legs, drumming his fingernails on the floor.

"Are you alright?" she asked, tentatively.

"Fine. Thank you for asking."

"I did try to warn you."

"Yes. I heard you...on the way to the floor."

"Oh,dear...anything broken?"

"No."

"Bruised?"

"Ego."

"Damage anything?"

"Apparently not, but this is getting rather dangerous, being in love with you. I'm starting to believe I'm in real physical peril."

Severus pushed himself up and disentangled his legs from the sheet, which he tossed over his head onto the bed. Leaning back against the side of the mattress, he turned his head and looked at Anna. He then started counting on his fingers.

"Let me see. One. I've been slapped."

"Overdue payback."

"Two. Hit, repeatedly, with custard pies."

"You were no slouch at throwing them."

"Three. Put flat on my arse with that ice patch."

"You should watch where you're going."

"Four. Slammed, by you, in the chest and rolled across the floor, when you executed that 'flying tackle' of yours."

"You could have stepped out of the way and you know it. You just wanted a hug."

"Five. Assaulted with snowballs."

"You were a willing participant in that and you loved it."

"And now, six; dropped off your bed onto the floor."

"Oh, no, you're not blaming this on me, Severus Snape. You weren't paying attention."

"Very well, this time was my fault, but I still stand by what I said."

Reaching out, he grabbed his trousers and fumbled through the pockets, extracting a small fat box, wrapped in silver paper, tied with a green bow.

"Let me get yours."

Anna scrambled across the bed and picked up her wand off of the nightstand.

" 'Accio gift'."

A little flat box, wrapped in gold paper, tied with a red bow, flew across the room to be deftly caught by her. Severus stood up and putting some pillows against the headboard, sat down and leaned back. Anna turned around and settled next to him, cuddling up as he put his arm around her.

"Should we do one at a time or just exchange and rip away?" Anna was literally shaking with excitement.

"One at a time, but first...I must tell you something," Severus answered.

His serious demeanor made her stop wiggling and look at him, with her brows knit.

"What is it?"

"This belonged to my mother. I remember her wearing it when I was very young. I believe it was from...my father, perhaps a wedding gift. I hadn't seen it in years, but found it right after..." he sighed. "When I was going through her things. It was all I kept, except for one photograph that I thought was the best likeness of her; taken when she was young and happy."

"Oh, Severus."

Anna put his gift down on the bed and taking the proffered present, carefully unwrapped the box. Pausing, she slowly opened it and gasped.

"Severus...it's exquisite."

Anna lifted a delicate gold chain on which was hanging a plump ruby heart, surrounded by a net of the finest gold thread that, on inspection, more closely resembled a mesh bag made of gold spider web; a 'captive heart'.

"Let me."

Severus took the heart from her fingers and as she turned and held her hair up, put the chain around her neck and clicked the clasp shut. Then he bent and kissed the nape of her neck. Turning, she held the fat little heart in her hand and admired it.

"It's just so fragile looking, but I think that's a deliberate deception. Spider web is extraordinarily strong and the jeweler who made this must have had that in mind. It's lovely...Thank you, Severus. This means so much to me...that you'd think I'm worthy of this reminder of your mother."

She kissed him and sat back, fascinated by the reflections of the candlelight in the plump little stone.

"I have only one special memory of my mother. I was, perhaps four years old, sitting on her lap, out in our garden. It was a bright spring day and I was watching the sunlight shining in the depths of that heart. I reached out and touched it.

'Ma-Ma, it's warm' I said. 'I thought stones were cold.'

'Severus, my dear boy,' she said. 'This is a special stone. It's a heart that stays warm as long as I have it hanging around my neck, next to my heart. Two hearts keeping each other warm.'

'Like you and me, Ma-Ma?' I asked. 'When I lean on you, I can hear you heart beating and I feel safe and warm.'

'That's right, dear. That's love. As long as two hearts are together, love will keep them warm and safe. Like you and me.'

"That's the only memory I have of seeing the necklace up close and then I don't remember her wearing it much after that. I'd forgotten about it, to tell you the truth, until I found it among her personal things.

I brought it back with me to Hogwarts and I had it in my pocket, that day when we walked by the lake. I was holding onto you with one hand and had that heart clenched in the other, clinging to the only two things on this earth that represented love to me."

"Severus." She kissed his cheek.

"I kept it hidden here, until we graduated and then I put it in my vault at Gringotts. I saw the box when I was making a withdrawal in order to purchase a Christmas gift for you. I realized that you would understand and appreciate it."

Anna sat, shaking her head. She handed Severus the box meant for him.

"What goes around...comes around. Let me tell you about my gift for you. My mother bought this for my father as a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary gift. She died before she could give it to him. He found it in a drawer of her desk, wrapped and tagged. He couldn't bring himself to wear it as she hadn't had the chance to give it to him. Instead, he hung it on the frame of his favorite picture of her, on his desk. I found it when I went back to the house...after I got out of St. Mungo's. I decided to keep it as a reminder of their love and I hoped and prayed I'd be lucky enough to find someone who I'd want to give it to, to wear it.

"What about Christopher?"

"I loved him very much, but I knew he wasn't the love of my life. He's seen it, of course, hanging on her picture and understands how important it is to me. Something told me to keep it, that I'd find the right person someday. And I have."

Severus gave her a quick kiss and then unwrapped and opened the box. On a silver chain hung the symbol of St. Dwynwen, the patron saint of lovers; two intertwining triskeles. It was the sign for everlasting love.

"I'll be honored to wear this, and keep it close to my heart," he said as he slipped the chain over his head and looked down at the intricately twisted silver knot, gleaming in the candlelight. "We couldn't have done this... picked out such perfect gifts for each other, if we had tried. You're right...what goes around...comes around. We're both getting second chances, at love and at life, together." Taking her in his arms, he kissed her, and then whispered in her ear, "I can't think of life without you, now, even if we have to hide it from everyone."

Smiling, she pushed away from him, shaking her head.

"Almost everyone, don't forget, our 'secret' is now known by, let's see: Christopher, Albus, Harry - but I did a memory charm on him, so he doesn't really count. Dobby and Winky, but they won't tell, house elf secrets are sacred. I think Remus and Gwen suspect, as do some of the senior D.A. members. But we bicker enough to keep them guessing."

"Yes, the list does seem to be growing. All the more reason to use tonight to it fullest, because things are going to get nasty around Hogwarts. Especially between you and the Slytherins, with my encouragement, of course."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't, but I know it has to be done."

"Well, what I have to do right now is show you how much I love you," Severus growled, pulling her close.

"So," she leered at him, "show me."

"Hussy!"

"You better believe it." She tossed her hair back. Then she looked deep into his eyes. 'I love you, Severus, with all my heart and soul."

"I could say ditto, but I think actions speak louder than words, don't you?"

"Stop talking and start showing."

"As you wish."

Tell me what you see

"Everyone has their slingshot with them?"

"Yes," chorused the class, holding them up, grinning at her.

"This might have been a mistake," she muttered as she put three boxes on the table.

"And we've all been practicing." Dean Thomas twirled his slingshot around his finger.

"Right, Dean. Then you can be first. Come here." Anna crooked her finger at him.

As Dean sauntered up, she addressed the rest of the class, "I'll tell you right now, I lifted this from the Slytherins Dueling Society; hook, line and dragon." Turning, she conjured up the targeting board the Slytherins had devised for their spell practice. "TA-DA!"

"Whoa!" "That's wicked!" "Bloody Hell!" "The Slytherins thought of that?" "Cool!" "Blimey!"

"Yes, they did, and it's a good targeting board, you have to admit. Now, I have three kinds of ammo for you all to carry with you: hard, soft and wax. The hard are for serious attacks. Knocking things over, breaking things, hitting objects or people with the intent of doing harm; hitting HARD. You better be in a lot of trouble to use one of these babies, because they will cause damage...and injuries. Understood?"

The class nodded, suddenly silent. Anna spun around and fired off a shot at a hanging lantern at the other end of the Room of Requirement. It shattered, exploding into a million pieces, raining down to the floor.

" 'Reparo'."

The shards of glass and metal reversed themselves and re-assembled, and the lantern hung there, as if nothing had happened. The black rubber ball came rolling back to stop at the tip of Anna's boot.

"They've been charmed to return to you," she explained as she bent over and picked it up, showing it to the students. "Not with the same velocity that you launch them, obviously, but you'll not run out of ammo, let's put it that way."

"Cool," said Dean as he grabbed a few from the box. "Can I try?"

"Go ahead, and then I'll explain about the other two. Everyone will have a go, so be ready."

X # X # X

After half an hour, the students were seated again and the smoke was dispersing around the vicinity of the targeting board.

"Ok, ammo type two: soft, bouncy, good for a bit of noise in the dark, making sounds like someone walking, if bounced at the right speed, that sort of thing. This will be the hardest to learn to use properly. Speed is the controlling factor, not strength. Decoying is what this is all about. Watch. No, correction; close your eyes and listen. Think of what it sounds like."

The class sat stone still, straining their ears.

Bop...bop...bop...bop...bop...bop.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

Duddudduddudduddudduddudduddudduddudduddudduddud.

Bang...bangbang...bang...bang...bangbang...bang.

"Well?" Anna was sitting on the table facing them as they opened their eyes. "Tell me what you heard."

Hermione's hand shot up.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"The first one sounded like someone's footsteps, maybe going down some stairs, just walking."

"Yes, that speed is especially good for letting the ball roll down a flight of stairs. Anyone get number two?"

Neville held up his hand.

"Ok, Neville, what did you think it was?"

"Someone sneaking around, tip-toeing."

"Good. A bit quicker, but lighter."

"I know the third one," Ron said, as he raised his hand.

"Ok, Ron."

"Sounded like my old rat Scabbers ,when he ran across a tile or stone floor. His nails clicking on the floor."

"Good. A small animal running. And the last?"

"Sounded like something or someone struggling inside a box."

"Correct. Fire one into a closet and close the door. It'll go for five minutes or until you open the door, whichever comes first. Let me show you how to achieve the different speeds and the arch of your shot to space the bounces."

X # X # X

Ok! As you can tell, this will take a LOT of practice. You will find your own rhythms and ways of shooting and bouncing and ricocheting as you go along.

"Now, the third kind of ammo: wax. Great for a variety of little things: stopping something from flapping in the breeze, making noise, when you need quiet. Window shutters and such. Jamming open a window or door. Holding something temporarily. But we'll get to that later. It's the first two I'm concerned with now. I'm having ammo belts made for each of you and they should be here within the week. Along with another piece of equipment I'm really excited about. Fred and George Weasley are helping with the manufacturing and will hand deliver them to us. Again, hopefully before next week.

"What is it?" "Come on, Anna, tell us." "Fred and George? Heaven help us!" "Tell us, please?"

"No, you'll just have to wait and see. Come on; let's get back to the classroom, time's nearly up for today."

X # X # X

"But, Professor, that's way beyond N.E.W.T.s level," Hermione remarked. "Are we allowed to do that advanced a charm?"

"Of course, if it's deemed necessary," Professor Flitwick assured her. "Besides which, this charm is not hard to learn to do at all. It's just not routinely taught, because of the possible misuse. It is taught only in Auror training, Miss Granger, point in fact. Imagine if even one of the Weasley twins had known this charm. It would have been chaos."

The entire class dissolved in laughter at the very thought.

"Well," he continued, after restoring order, "let's see how quickly you can learn the incantation. Usually you don't perform the Disillusionment Charm on yourself, but have someone disillusion you, so they can watch and be sure it was wholly successful. We'll work in pairs, then.

"But, I would remind all of you, you MUST keep the fact that you can do this charm in the strictest confidence, a TOTAL secret. If anyone who is not in the D.A., and I'm limiting this knowledge to the original D.A. members only, mind, finds out you can do this charm, then it's no use to us at all. Understood?"

The students were suddenly solemn. They nodded, as the seriousness of his words sank in.

"Yes, Profess Flitwick, we understand." Pavarti Patil answered for all of them. "We'll keep it in the D.A. We promise."

"Splendid!" Flitwick smiled at them. "Now, where was I...Ah, yes, the incantation."

X # X # X

"Ready?"

"Anytime you are, Anna."

"Right. Ok, gang, open your eyes and tell me what you see."

"Well, just you, Anna," answered Seamus, tilting his head. "But I could have sworn I heard..."

"Fred," Ron finished the thought for him, "or George. Where are you two?"

"Ah, that's the topic for the day, isn't it?" Anna smiled

Just then, Fred and George whipped off the invisibility capes they were wearing.

"Ta Da!"

The students came forward to greet their former school mates. Anna shooed them back to their seats after a few minutes of bedlam. She faced the group with a fairly serious look on her face.

"Now, if you think keeping it a secret about the Disillusionment Charm is important, wait until we show you these."

Anna, Fred and George each held up a pair of sunglasses.

"What the...Anna, you're putting us on," Seamus laughed.

"No, you're putting these on. Come here, Mister Finnigan."

Grinning, Seamus walked forward. Anna took a pair of glasses out of a box on her desk and held them out to him.

"Ok, Seamus, put them on and tell me what you see."

"The classroom; shaded, darker." He shrugged.

"Now, tap the right corner of the frame with you index finger."

"Whoa! What's this? Everything is glowing, kind of funny." He took them off and inspected them.

"I think you'll understand if I do this. Fred, would you mind disappearing for a bit." Anne took her wand and closed the shutters on the windows and extinguished all of the lamps and candles in the room. It was very dark, but enough ambient light was available for everyone to see her, George and Seamus standing in the front of the room. Fred had put his Invisibility cape back on.

"Now try them, and tell us if you can see everyone and everything."

"Wow. Yeah, but it's all green and grey. And I can't see Fred anywhere." Seamus turned slowly around, checking the entire classroom.

"These are night vision sunglasses. An oxymoron, I know, but that's what they are. Ok, now tap the left corner, Seamus," instructed Anna.

"Oh, wow! I can see everyone, but they are all rainbow colors. And there's Fred," added Seamus, pointing to the other side of the room."

"Heat sensor. You'll be able to spot someone from a lot further away. Night vision is ok, but not always reliable, especially is someone is hiding from you. With the heat sensor, you can distinguish a person's shape, even if they are using an Invisibility cape and are Disillusioned."

"We've combined modern Muggle technology with Magical control, all in a stylish package." George announced, as he pulled more sunglasses out of the box.

"Can we try?"

"Yes, everybody can come get a pair."

There was a mad rush to Anna's desk and soon all of the students were wearing their new shades; looking around, laughing and checking out how everything looked with each of the different settings and how they looked, themselves, in the mirror on the wall.

"Now," Anna called over the chatter, "I want you to line up and come forward to Fred, George or myself. We will permanently bond you with your sunglasses. That means only you will be able to make your glasses work in surveillance mode. To anyone else who puts them on, they're just a regular pair of sunglasses."

"How cool is that?' "Wicked!" "Oh, good idea, that." "Excellent!"

X # X # X

"Now," said Anna, facing the class, after they had gone back to their seats. "Do you see the method to my madness?"

They looked puzzled.

"Ok, here's the whole thing in a nut shell. You can now walk around, visually undetected, but able to see anyone and anything around you. No matter where you are, or what time of day or night it is, or whether there's any light or it's pitch black. Just don't trip over anything or knock anything over. That's our next lesson, learning to be quiet. 'Stealth and concealment, 101'."

The class sat there, open mouthed, as her words sank in. Then smiles started to spread across their faces.

"Oh, oh, Anna," said Fred.

"We know that look," added George.

"We've had it on our own faces..."

"too many times."

'The wheels are turning..."

"and that's not good."

"Right. Ok people, here's the deal. No-one does the Disillusionment charm outside of Flitwick's classroom until you are given permission. The sunglasses you are to keep out of sight for the time being. Nobody wears sunglasses around here until springtime, when the weather gets hotter, so keep them safe, somewhere, until needed. It that understood? Just as you keep your slingshots out of sight"

Their faces had fallen a little bit, but the class knew she was right. They had to hide this from everybody. They nodded.

"Ok, Anna, we get the point, and we agree. But it is fun, too," Harry said, donning his shades and looking over top of the lens at her.

"I agree, Harry, that these are fun," replied Fred, putting on a pair of the sunglasses. "Now, if George and I could only figure out a charm to make these glasses see through clothes."

"FRED!"

"What?"