Insistent

Insistent

Chapter 2


Surely the portrait was mistaken. His former student was not on his doorstep. Why would any one of them want to visit him? The confused look on his face must have been Albus and Minerva’s undoing. They had taken to visiting him every other night, he supposed in their Gryffindor minds that they thought he would not catch on to their pattern.

He sat his tea down on the table and rose from his position slowly making his way over to the chamber door. As he pulled open the heavy oak door the sight of the woman standing where a girl had once stood took his breath away. Unfortunately, it most likely had been noticeable.

Abigail Thompson stood with her hand clutched around a small overnight bag. She was dressed in a long, flowing blood red gown, the bodice of which allowed the world to see her pressing bosom willing itself not to spill over from its confines. He could see in her violet eyes that she had been crying, her black waist length hair a mass of disarray. Her lips were swollen, giving him the impression that whoever was the cause of this emotional outburst had before kissed her thoroughly.

“Are you just going to stand there and gawk or do you think that you might invite me in? These dungeons are cold and dank, I was right tired of them by the time I left and you could start a fire?”

Minerva started to laugh openly. Never had she heard anyone speak to Severus in such a manner, to hear a former student was almost madness.

Severus turned his head towards the table that occupied his old friends and shot them a glare that would scare most first-years. Albus twinkled, the horrible old sod.

Miss Thompson brushed past him, throwing her bag onto his couch and starting to berate him for not starting the fire quickly enough. Pointing his wand towards the grate, he whispered an incantation that sprang a blaze to life.

Shivering starting to recede, Abigail rushed forward and clasped her arms around the most feared and hated man that Hogwarts had ever known, openly crying and blathering on about horrible Gryffindor men.

“Good gods, woman…I hate tears. Especially the ones you produce, they are green and slimy, almost like pus except…worse. Quite your blubbering and tell me what ails you.”

“Severus!” Minerva shouted, as she rushed towards the girl. “Obviously she has been heartbroken, what a horrible thing to say!” Minerva grabbed Abby and pulled her to her breast as a mother would to a fallen child, “There, there, tell Auntie Minerva all about the bad boy broke your heart. Gods, Severus…is this how you treat the girls in your house? Now dear, tell me all about it.”

Minerva escorted the young woman to Severus couch and sat her down, the crying continued and Severus gave a snort about how his upholstery was going to be ruined but Minerva’s glare cut him off and he went to fetch a bottle of Firewhiskey.

As Minerva cradled the girl in her arms, Abby started telling them the story, she had found love, it had been wonderful, she talked about the passion, the sex, the way he made her feel, how she had overcome her fears of him in order to be with him, how she had finally conquered her fear that all men were horrible, possessive creatures only for him to turn her away in front of his family. She told them all how he was ultimately ashamed of her, not wanting his parents to know that he could feel for a creature such as her.”

“And this boy was a Gryffindor?” Minerva asked. “This sounds like none of the boys from my house. I am ashamed. Who dear, who was it?”

“Severus—Professor Snape told me that I needed a Gryffindor man, that he alone would be able to treat me with respect and not be ashamed of what I am, he said that the traits of a Gryffindor man were substantially--.”

“That is enough you balling wad of tongue…just answer the woman’s question!” Severus knew that Minerva would never let him live this down, complimenting Gryffindor’s was thing he had never done.

“Bill—Bill Weasley, we met again as I was doing work with Gringotts in Egypt. I was stupid to believe he actually cared.”

Severus gave into a coughing fit that sounded a lot like ‘bloody Weasley’s’.

“I don’t believe it, Bill; of all people is the most honorable man that I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. Are you certain that you did not misread the situation, dear?”

Abigail placed her finger on her forehead and thought for a moment, drawing a long silver strand out of her head she threw it against a wall and the morning replayed itself out on Severus chamber walls.

“Show off”, scolded Severus.

Minerva and Albus watched the morning. Getting caught by his parents making love to a beautiful woman had most defiantly thrown Bill off kilter, then the scene form the kitchen emerged, ending with Bill almost knocking Abigail over on the way out. They saw the remorse on his face but Minerva knew that the damage had been done. He had denied her of being anything close to him. He had told his parents that basically she was a woman that met his needs sexually, nothing more. Minerva turned to the young woman and wrapped her arms around her once again, “If it is any consolation, he was very flustered, not acting like himself at all. He is a good man, I know what he did was hurtful but I think that maybe he just did not know what to do.”

Abby looked up at her, “I realize that he was put in an awkward position but he did not have to treat me as a sickle hooker. My family was not happy about my relationship with him but I told them. I can’t count the times that he took me in his arms and told me he would always be there for me, always love me. He lied, just lied, and while that is something that my Slytherin upbringing can understand, not from a Gryffindor. Gryffindor’s are painfully honest.”

Severus just couldn’t take anymore self-pity.

He stood and walked over to the girl, “You have to stop blubbering. Whining girls are not in my area of expertise. Should you like to manipulate something, then I am willing to play your game. This, however, is self-loathing at its worst. So, the Weasley broke your heart. Boo hoo. I truly was unaware that you even had one to begin with. Stop that incessant squalling and pull yourself together.”

Abby sat up and wiped her face; stood and started walking towards his bedchambers. “Where in holy hell do you fancy yourself going, girl?” Severus raged.

“One, I am no longer a girl, if you have failed to notice then I must be doing something wrong. Two, I need a shower. I still have the heavy scent of semen on me. As, I am staying with you, I figured that I would oblige myself with a bath.” She continued walking; Severus threw himself onto the couch and cursed.

“Seems that there is more to this relationship than that of favorite student” Albus stated with that infernal twinkle. “Really, Severus, I had no idea.”

“Your brain is rotting with your old-age, you pestering old dodger” Severus growled.

~ ~ ~ ~

Abigail stepped out of the bath feeling more like herself than before. Quietly she padded into the living area and retrieved her bag, opened it and gathered her favorite comfort gown. It was an old, nappy and green plaid flannel; she slipped it over her head and went to find Severus. Knowing her old head of house as she did, she assumed that he was now stalking around in his personal lab, something that he tended to do while brooding. Sure enough, there he sat at his desk pouring over what looked like research notes.

“Need help?” she quietly asked.

“Why, civilized conversation, I was beginning to think that it had all but left you.”

“Now, now, Severus…no need to show your fangs, your wit stopped bothering me long ago. I was merely trying to apologize for making a fool of myself earlier in your chambers.”

“Speaking of…the Headmaster is now curious as to our relationship. No student has ever known where my quarters reside, much less how to access them. A question, as you were wheeling your way around our corridors, did you not stop to think that maybe you should find an escort? Did that pretty little head of yours not whisper some sense of level-headedness? No, you’re distraught over a Weasley, trust me when I tell you that you could do better.”

She turned away from him, staring at the awful things that he had captured and pickled in jars. “I don’t want to fight. I haven’t the energy. I just need some sleep and a friend. You were my friend, were you not?”

Looking up from his parchments he said, “Yes, we are friends. Don’t, however, expect me to offer cocoa. And furthermore, what the bloody hell is that you have on?”

She laughed. “It’s comfortable.”

He stood and rounded the desk, took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “I never said it would be easy. You have several stigmas hanging over your head.”

“I know. I just thought he was the one. I thought that he would give me all the things that—that others were unwilling. He is from a large family and I new that children would probably be important to him but I thought that in time that could be overcome, also. How could I have been so foolish?”

“Matters that involve the heart, they cause us to not think rationally.”

“You always think rationally.”

He grinned at her, “Yes, well, most that know me know that I do not have a heart.”

~ ~ ~ ~



Bill sat in the corner of the restaurant that his family had decided on watching his younger siblings play in the Egyptian sun. His mum had left him and his dad sitting there while she went to seek out a perfume shop that was advertised to capture your own exotic smell. Mr. Weasley ordered him and his son a Firewhiskey and settled into finding out about this morning’s mishap.

“Wanna talk about it?” Arthur questioned.

Bill sighed and ran his hand through his long hair. “She is—was amazing. I don’t know why I just didn’t tell you and mum all about her. Mum probably would have freaked…you too, but I do care about her, possibly love her and that is all that would have mattered.” He picked up his glass and drained the amber liquid, motioning to the barkeep for another, he added, “I am an idiot. She is probably right now in his arms. Do you know what I went through to get her to forget the old git?” Draining another, Arthur felt that he could risk hexes and ask a question or two.

“Why would you think that your mother and I would object to her?”

Bill scoffed, “She’s – different. Everything about her is different. She and I met at school. She was in Slytherin. Same year as me. We got to know each other better our 7th year. She was Head Girl so we spent a lot of time together.”

“Bill you don’t think that we would dislike her solely based on her being Slytherin do you?”

Bill looked up at his father, “No, dad.” He drained his Firewiskey and raised for another.

Arthur looked at his son, never had he seen such a look of anguish. Whoever this girl was, his son cared for her deeply. “Bill, she had the most incredible eyes…”

Bill smiled, “You could see forever in those eyes. Her grandmother was an innocent. By all rights I guess she is an innocent; just a free one.”

Bill drank his drink and laid his head on the table, “The world is spinning, Dad,” Bill whispered.

“Yes, son, it is.”

“Why did I royally fuck this up? I have been trying since 5th year to get her to notice me. Snape, the bastard. Always standing in the way.”

Molly approached her husband and son. “Maybe we should take him home and dump him in bed. Did he tell you anything?”

“No,” Arthur stated, “unless you count the ramblings of a drunkard.”