Owls and Musings

Chapter 11

Severus was actually looking forward to the Christmas holiday this year. Not a single Slytherin student was staying behind which meant he could get away from the castle and spend time with Esme. This would be the first such holiday in a few years. McGonagall was going there as well, he found out, but they would miss each other by hours. She had to be back in the castle to take over for Dumbledore while he left the school.

Actually, Dumbledore was joining Severus at Esme's - but Minerva knew nothing of this.

He thought about the letter Esme had managed to get through to Dumbledore before Umbridge started having the owls checked.

Severus and Albus,

Had another 'dream' last night. Things are getting dangerous - as I am sure you know. My research is proving thought-provoking and alarming.

I still don't know what she is researching for Albus.

In any case, you are both supposed to visit on Christmas and there is some vague intimation that you, Albus, will need a bolt-hole this spring. I offer my humble abode for that purpose.

So, may I suggest you both arrive in the afternoon of the 25^th? Stay as long as you like. Aunt Minerva is to leave in the morning - so you'll miss her entirely.

With affection and love,

E.

So, here it was, Christmas day. Professor McGonagall had returned in time for the dinner feast at noon and now Severus was making his way to Hogsmeade and Aberforth's tavern where he would meet up with Dumbledore and Apparate to Esme's cottage. He counted himself lucky that he had avoided Umbridge all the previous week by staying in the dungeons replenishing supplies and brewing more potions for Madame Pomfrey. Esme's research had turned up more chants over the years and Severus had been employing them ever since.

He entered the Hog's Head and Aberforth waved him through to the back room where he found Albus. They went through the back door and quickly Apparated to the edge of the woods.

Dumbledore felt Snape visibly relax as he gazed on the cottage and heard him whisper "Home."

"My boy, you really ought to take care of that this week. Tonight would be perfect," Albus, the inveterate romantic, hinted as they started across the frost-encrusted meadow towards the house.

"Too soon, too dangerous." And that was that. Dumbledore knew he could not press the subject any further. He sighed to himself and followed Severus to the stile gate.

Esme was waiting at the door to give each gentleman a hug and a kiss as she welcomed them in.

"My dear, you get prettier every time I see you!" Albus said with a twinkle in his eyes. She pshawed him, took their cloaks and hung them on pegs in the mudroom.

"Severus, hand me your things and I'll put them away if you'll show Headmaster the guest room?"

Severus showed Dumbledore to the second floor guest room. "If you'll excuse me, Sir, I'll go help Esme set up tea. Shall I take your gifts down for you?" he offered.

"That would be helpful, Severus. I'll be down momentarily."

When he made it back downstairs he found them in the parlour. Severus had placed the unopened gifts under the tree that had pride of place in front of the bay window. It was covered in strings of popcorn, garlands of ivy, magical candles that provided a soft candlelit glow without burning down the tree, and an eclectic assortment of decorations. A sumptuous tea was spread out on the coffee table.

Esmerelda was tuning in the WWN, which was playing Christmas Carols this year.

After tea they opened presents, toasted with mead and chatted up the rest of the afternoon and evening, filling Esme in on the changes at the school that Umbridge had instituted on behalf of the Ministry, and the attack on Arthur Weasley who was thankfully recovering at St Mungo's. Esmerelda and Dumbledore even got into a game of Exploding Snap. Severus sat on the sofa reading that days Prophet.

After Albus had won the majority of several rounds, he waved off any more games and sat back in the wing chair near the fire with a glass of sherry and a good book. After sending the dishes off to the kitchen, Esme joined Severus on the sofa, cuddling under his arm and petting Casey who had curled up in her lap. It was very cosy and Esme soon nodded off.

Dumbledore looked up when he noticed the quiet from the other side of the room. His hostess was napping against his potions master's shoulder and his potions master had the look of a contented, but trapped man.

Dumbledore chuckled and got to his feet.

"Severus, take her to bed. I'm going upstairs to try out that marvellous claw-footed tub I saw and then to sleep. I will see you both in the morning," he said, placing a friendly hand on the younger man's shoulder.

Severus looked at him wryly. "Good night, Headmaster."

"Happy Christmas. Now, take her to bed!" he insisted.

Severus nodded, and as Dumbledore passed into the kitchen and up the stairs he heard mumbles from the front room, creaking of the sofa springs and then a quiet 'snick' as the bedroom door closed.

He smiled to himself and proceeded to the bathroom where indeed a magnificent two person claw-footed tub awaited. After shucking his robes, he conjured bubble bath from his wand, filling the room with a lovely vanilla scent. He stepped in, with a pile of knitting magazines nearby, for a good long soak.

+++

Severus awoke to the smell of brewing coffee and frying bacon. He wondered how Esme had managed to sneak out of bed without waking him when he realised she hadn't. She was starting to stir under his arm. He thought then it must be Dumbledore until he heard the creaking of the floorboards upstairs as someone walked around the guest room.

"Esme!" he whispered.

"Hmmmm." She still wasn't fully awake.

"Someone is cooking breakfast."

"Dumbledore..." she murmured into her pillow, eyes still closed.

"No. I just heard him up in his room."

"Go. Check. Take wand," she shorthanded, and she turned over and went back to sleep.

Exasperated at her lack of interest, he swung himself out of bed and grabbed the dressing gown, shrugging his way into it while taking his wand off the dresser. Opening the door he eased himself around it, wand outward and gave a grunt of surprise when he saw Wizby with a laden tray coming around the corner from the kitchen.

Her face lit up. "Professor, Sir is awake! Wizby came to take care of Professor, Sir and his Essie and Headmaster..." she stopped and cocked her head at him, eyes wide. "Why is Professor, Sir wearing Miss Essie's dressing gown?"

Severus looked down at himself and groaned, rolling his eyes at the sight. He ducked back into the room, removed the feminine housecoat and grabbed his own black velvet one, tying it in place as he returned to the parlour.

"Miss Essie is coming?" Wizby asked.

"Miss Esme is still asleep," Snape snapped, as he crossed to the sofa to pour himself some coffee and grab a slice of toast.

"Not now," Esme said as she came through the bedroom door chuckling. She had seen Severus' quick change manoeuvre. She was wearing the correct dressing gown and she spun in place, flaring out the bottom of the gown as she tossed her braid back over her shoulder and set her glasses firmly on her face. "I think it looks better on me, dear, don't you?" She chuckled.

Severus took the form of her in most appreciatively - even though it was morning. "Most definitely. Much better on you!" he agreed, snatching a second triangle of toast from the tray.

She laughed, and then she was nearly bowled over by thirty pounds of house-elf hugging her knees.

"Wizby! What are you doing here?"

"Knew you would be needing me today."

"House-elf magic..." Esme shook her head in resigned consternation. Some things you just never could figure out about house-elves. "Well, I could use the help today - just until Headmaster leaves, though. You will need to go back with him to the castle. Understood?"

"Of course, Miss Essie." She managed to look contrite and happy at the same time.

"Now, where is that coffee? It smells heavenly." She accepted a cup from Severus who had poured out for her and sat down next to him. Dumbledore came in carrying a full plate and sat in the wing chair.

"How is everyone this morning?" he asked cheerfully. Severus glared over at his headmaster. He could never figure out how Dumbledore always managed to be in a good mood in the morning

"Quite well, sir," Esme said, accepting a plate of eggs and bacon from the elf. "I hope you slept well?"

"I did, after enjoying a nice long soak in your tub. I also found some new sock patterns in your knitting magazines," he said delightedly, digging into his eggs with relish.

She laughed, "Those have to be twenty years old! They were my mother's! I am sure she is having a good laugh in heaven over her old Headmaster reading her knitting magazines."

Dumbledore chuckled as well. "When I get there, I'll thank her." He banished his finished plate to the kitchen. "Now, about that research..."

"I have some preliminary results for you upstairs. I'll show you after breakfast."

"Excellent. Wizby, good job on breakfast!" he praised the elf.

"Headmaster is very kind." She bowed low to him and headed back to the kitchen.

"Am I ever going to find out what you two are working on?" Snape inquired a bit testily. He was always grumpier than usual in the morning before caffeine and protein had a chance to raise his blood sugar levels to an agreeable level.

"In good time. However, I do need you to do me a favour. After the attack on Arthur last week, I realised that Voldemort is now very much aware of the connection he has to Harry. He will be using a form of Legilimency on the boy through the shared blood and the scar connection. We need Harry to learn Occlumency." He looked hard at Snape. "I need you to teach him."

"Is that wise, sir? You are a more accomplished Occlumens than I am." I can't do this!

"Perhaps. But Voldemort doesn't want to attack you, my boy. He would love nothing better than to get inside my head, however. I can't give him that chance. He has already tried to get at me through Harry - I felt his anger at me rise up the night I sent Harry to headquarters. It is one of the reasons I have avoided Harry all term. I do not need Voldemort to see me treating Harry any different than a regular student." He knew in his heart, however, that this was probably hurting Harry after all the attention he had paid the boy previously. Some things just had to be done.

"As you wish," Snape acceded but his displeasure hung like a cloud over the room.

Dumbledore studied his potions master for a moment. "Severus, you must set aside your old prejudices for this to succeed. Harry needs to learn this; for his safety and the safety of others." Snape nodded, his lips pursed. He knew, he just did not like it and it peeved him that he had to be the one to teach the brat.

Dumbledore sighed. He was counting on Severus for this and hoped it would work. "You can notify him at headquarters on your way back, next weekend."

"Of course."

"Now, Esme, shall we go to your study?"

+++

After Dumbledore left, taking Wizby with him, Snape tried again to get Esmerelda to tell him about her project for the headmaster.

"No, dear. I can't and I won't." She waved off his protestations. "If you knew about this, it would put you in jeopardy each and every time you had to meet with Him."

He had to be satisfied with that. He spent the rest of the week in quiet companionship with his lover. They curled up on the divan together, reading or watching the snow as it fell, softly blanketing the moors. In the evenings they would play wizard chess, listen to a show on the WWN, or play duets. Other times he just listened as she practiced her music. During these times he would sometimes get up out of his favourite chair and saunter around the room looking at her knick-knacks and wizard photos of family members and friends. They had decided long ago not to exchange pictures, basically to keep Minerva from finding out. She sometimes came to Severus' rooms on those rare occasions when she needed him and having Esmerelda's picture there might be awkward. And there was none of him here either, for the exact same reason.

She did have on display the collection of Christmas trinkets he had given her. It had started with their second Christmas together and he hadn't missed one. It was something of a challenge for him to find one unique item to give her each year.

This year had been a transfigured crèche scene from Bulgaria. A beautiful piece really, where the figurines acted out that holiest of meetings.

+++

Saturday morning Snape was in a foul mood anticipating the upcoming meeting with Potter.

He even snapped at Esme and just as quickly regretted it. She did not deserve to bear the brunt of his displeasure.

"I'm sorry," he told her, as he went to give her an embrace and soothe ruffled feathers. "I'd rather stay here and the mere thought of going back is making me tetchy."

She hastily dashed the tears his earlier harsh words had drawn from her eyes and leaned into the hug. "I know you didn't mean it. I'm in a bad place myself. I had a dream last night that I'm not going to see you for a year and a half. And then, only because you do something terrible and are on the run." She squeezed him harder as if to reassure herself that he was solidly in front of her.

"A prophetic dream?"

She nodded.

"Why am I running?"

"I - I don't know!" she sobbed, hiding her face in his frock coat. He rubbed his hands over her back, calming her down. "These dreams are never as detailed as I want," she murmured.

"Nothing can keep us apart," he whispered. "We are entwined together for always." He bent down to kiss her, revelling in the passion and heat that was coming over them both. Somehow they made it back into the bedroom and she drew him down to the bed with her.

Well, no one said what time I have to show up at Grimmauld Place.

+++

Snape started shaking off the snow from his cloak as he entered the front doors of Hogwarts. It had been snowing pretty hard when he had Apparated to Hogsmeade from headquarters. It had just added to his bad mood, the meeting had not gone as anticipated. Damn Black!

"Hem, hem..." Merlin, it's that toad! He pretended not to hear her at first.

"Professor Snape!" came the insistent voice.

He plastered a sneer on his face. Not hard to do today. "Professor Umbridge," he acknowledged as he attempted to continue walking past her to the Dungeons entrance.

"Where have you been, Professor?" she asked in that overly sweet, high-pitched voice of hers that tended to grate on his nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard.

That stopped him. "Sorry?" He sneered down his nose at her.

"I asked...where. Have. You. Been?" she enunciated the last four words as if he was hard of hearing. "You have been gone since Christmas afternoon after the feast. I checked your rooms and your office - and you were nowhere in the castle. I was not notified that you were leaving for an extended period of time. So I repeat, where have you been, Professor Snape?" She stood there simpering, with that foul version of a smile on her lips.

"I am not aware that my holiday plans are of concern to any staff member other than the Headmaster," he said stiffly. How dare she go into my rooms! Obviously I need to strengthen the wards again.

"I am the High Inquisitor, I am entitled..." she started, her voice losing its saccharin sweet factor and rising in volume, along with the choler in her face.

"You, Madam, are entitled to nothing," he cut in, his voice low and silky and full of menace. The voice he used on his worst students. "I had no students in my house to supervise and like all staff members, I am entitled to personal holiday time. What I do and where I go with that time is...Private!" He stared her down. "I am not a student, Professor. I am a colleague and require the same respect you would expect for yourself. Now, if you do not mind, I am wet and cold and would like to get to my rooms to clean up and get ready for my students return tomorrow." He pushed past her sputtering form and strode down the dungeon stairs.

That one's for you, Esme!