She Healed Me | Severus Snape

Chapter 33

GUUUYYYSSS! I missed you. This chapter is a little shorter, but it will build up to the moment we have all been waiting for.

Listen: Op. 40, No. 6, piano by Tchaikovsky

33| enjoying

Lucia felt content with herself as she returned to Hogwarts early that evening. There was a new lightness to her heart from spending time with her friend. They spent quite a while looking through old photos from their school years. They even came across a few photos from Gwen and Carmine's wedding, to which she was the maid of honor. So upon her arrival back, Lucia placed the old photo album in her chambers in a safe spot. Once satisfied she decided to put her friend's advice to use and find Severus. It was time they had that difficult conversation about the nature of their relationship. After giving it more thought, Lucia wanted to explore the more physical desires they had. The only thing that caused her any hesitation was whether Severus was ready for that sort of thing or not.

Knowing they needed to get it over with, Lucia went off to find the man in question. She first stopped by his personal chambers but received no answer. Lucia then went to his classroom to see if he had holed himself up there while she was gone. It seemed her inclination was somewhat correct since he was in fact there. She leaned against the doorway as she silently watched him work on a potion. It was almost hypnotic with the ease he moved.

"You know I kind of enjoy watching you when you brew," Lucia said after a few more seconds.

Severus flinched slightly at the intrusion of another voice. He looked up from slicing to see Lucia smiling softly at him at the door. "Then you missed an entertaining afternoon."

Lucia breathed out a laugh. "You mean I missed the show?" Severus gave a slight nod as he set down his knife briefly. "That's a shame."

Severus barely caught the way Lucia's eyes roamed over his figure. He froze in apprehension, not knowing if he interpreted her gaze correctly. But the sultry look he received upon noticing she was caught told him he did. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he turned back to slicing. He wanted to avoid even thinking about the implications of what that moment between them meant.

Lucia pushed away from the door to go closer to Severus. She stopped in front of the table and leaned against it. "What did you do this afternoon?"

"Brew."

Lucia raised an eyebrow even though he wasn't looking. "That's it?"

Severus finished slicing and added the ingredient to the potion he currently had simmering. "Well I also spoke with Dumbledore earlier."

"You did," Lucia said in slight surprise. "About what?"

"About Riddle."

Lucia looked down with a frown. "Why would you need to talk about him?"

Severus stirred the potion before answering her. He set aside the ladle and looked back up at Lucia. "I thought more about your concerns over his budding relationship with Miss Merin." He reached for the next ingredient to prepare it. "I voiced those concerns for you."

"And what did he have to say for himself?"

He knew what he was about to say would set her off, so he explained it in the gentlest way possible. "Dumbledore had a secret seer associate who knew of Riddle's return." Lucia's brows shot up, taken aback by the information. "This person just so happened to know that Riddle would make a close friend out of your goddaughter."

Lucia froze, the growing anger quickly becoming completely polarizing. "So he knew that Ava would be dragged into this whole mess?"

"Essentially," Severus said flippantly.