The Princess and The Half Blood Prince

Pretending to be Normal

Voldemort stood. I never realized how short he was. Severus stood several inches taller as did most of the people in the room. Nacissa and I being the only exceptions. How did the whole wizarding world get brought to it's knees by this....thing?

It took all my will power to maintain a blank expression. Voldemort has high hopes for a battle he doesn't realize he's already lost.

"You will do your part?"  Voldemort's dead eyes landed on me.

"Of course, my lord." I curtsied deeply as Severus had commanded of me  when we first entered.

He eyed me then Severus. "Good."

"My lord. If I may?" Severus bowed. "If we stay gone much longer, he will become suspicious."

"Right." The dark lord paced like a lost shadow. "Go back, but be ready to come when called with my prize. Harry Potter won't know what hit him."

The look the crossed the dark lord's face was barely human. I saw it then. He's completely out of his damn mind.

I sighed internally. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that someone who willingly split their soul into pieces was nuts. I just hope Harry is ready. He'll need all his wits to save himself and the wizarding world.

Hogwarts was exactly the same, except now you could feel it in the air. Fear. Students and staff alike new something big was coming. Now it's just a matter of sit and wait.

Waiting is always the hardest part. I paced the potions room like a caged beast. In some ways I was in fact a caged beast. Severus' hands landed on my shoulders stopping me. He started kneading my to tense shoulder.

I wanted to relax into that touch, but everything in me screamed for battle. Screamed to protect Severus from what Dumbledore had asked him to do. Protect Draco. I know Draco didn't deserve the task Voldemort had set upon him. I know Draco was only there to protect Narsicca and even his arrogant abusive father. As someone who had killed much younger I even still knew he was to young. To soft, to....innocent.

I sighed letting myself lean into Severus. Nothing could stop what was about to happen. I kissed his cheek.

"Be safe." I looked deep getting lost in pools of ink.

"Always." He wrapped his arms around me hugging me tightly.

Gabby sat perched on the end of her bed. Jason, Josh, and Allen were strewn around the floor like a couple rag dolls the kids were tired of playing with mid game. All about to graduate. Thankfully they wouldn't be here next year when shit really the fan. I loved all of them even if I was still angry with Jason.

Gabby threw herself across the room. "Ira! You're back!"

"Yeah." I patted her back.

"How was the trip?" She wiggled her brows at me. "Anything interesting happen?"

I rolled my eyes. "We we're looking for rare potions ingredients in the middle of the rain forest. It wasn't exactly a romantic retreat."

"Did you kill them?" I knocked the bottom of Allen's shoe with the toe of my own. He didn't budge.

"No." Gabby laughed. "They're studying." She air quoted the studying part.

"Finally figure it out did you?" I looked at the three of them.

"Shh you're breaking our concentration." Josh interjected.

"You'd get more done if you opened a book instead of trying to copy each other's thoughts through telepathy." I crossed my arms shaking my head at them.

"Telepathy?" Gabby joined my pose. "Really Jason?"

"It's going to work. I think we have it figured out."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "The library?" I directed at Gabby.

"The library."

We exited our dorm room still shaking our heads. Idiots I swear.

The library was quite, but full to the brim of studying 7th years. It's almost over.

"Gabby," I chewed my lower lip, "I think you should go stay with Jason in America."

She looked up from her transfiguration book bewildered. "Why?! I mean not that I really object....that was just sudden."

I ran a hand down my face. "Sorry Gabs. It's just...."

"Things are going to be bad? Worse than they are now?"

"Yeah Gabs. I just want to know the four of you are safe."

"You know. We're all of age now. We can stay and fight."

"No!" The librarian shhed me. I lowered my voice. "Please Gabby. I know you're of age for magic, but please go. You don't need to be subjected to that."

"To what exactly?" She crossed her arms defiantly.

"Death. The fear for your life. The killing. Waking up in the middle of the night screaming because you still see those faces and people you love dying around you."

Her eyes were the size of saucers. "You expect me to let you face that all alone?!"

"I've faced it alone since I was thirteen Gabby. I'll be fine. Besides I won't be all alone." Severus will have it worse than I do I said silently.

She sighed. "If Jason goes back, I'll go with him, but if he stays so do I."

I nodded. "Fair enough Gabs."

We studied in silence. The N.E.W.Ts we're going to be here before we knew it. After that we all had to chose to fight a war we didn't ask for or going home to hide with our tails between our legs. Well they could anyway. I'd be damned before I let Severus face that alone.

"Miss Greyson." Severus' voice drawled from behind me, "You're late."

I looked up from my book to the clock on the wall. Crap! "Sorry Professor. I lost track of time studying."

He gave me a cold look as several students looked up to watch. "Perhaps I should have chosen someone with a larger attention span to be my apprentice then." He turned heading toward the dungeons.

I followed closely on his heels. I wanted to punch every person I passed in the face. "Poor thing stuck with the dungeon bat." And the "He's such a *insert insult here*"  It took everything in me not to scream at them. He only has to act this way to impress the lot of you.

"Are you alright?" He wrapped me in his arms the moment his classroom door was closed.

"I'm alright Severus. Sorry I lost track of time." I leaned my head on his chest as he stroked my hair.

"No need to apologize mea principesa. I know with N.E.W.T.s coming up you have a lot on your plate." He placed a kiss on top of my head.

An unbidden tear slid down my cheek. "Severus, I'm afraid."

I felt him tense. "I am as well, Ira."

"Promise me you'll be careful?" I hugged him tighter.

He kissed my forehead again. "I promise not to get myself into anything I can't get myself back out of." He echoed the words I had promised him when Alex first went missing.

I nodded against his chest. In reality it was all either of us could ask.  I nuzzled him. It's hard pretending everything is normal around everyone else. Here with him, I could let the weight of what was going to happen settle into my chest. Here with him I didn't have to pretend.

"I love you dimidium sanguinis princep."

"I love you mea principesa."

—————author's note———

Hey everyone! I hope you're still enjoying the story. Sorry not much happens in this one. I plan on trying to wrap this up in a few more chapters.

*much love
The Princess*