-a fine line- part two/ sequal

Chapter 8- Old and the new

Just as she stuffed a biscuit in her mouth, the fire flared and Minerva was visible through the flames. Her entire body let out a flinch and half of the biscuit fell from her hand and fell apart the moment it hit the floor.

"Oh, hello," She said nervously. Severus hadn't awoken yet since the strange attack he got. She had to admit to being concerned about him since no one warned her this could occur. Minerva smiled sweetly at her.

"Can I come through?" Y/N swallowed thickly and nodded. She informed Albus what had happened the moment Severus was put into bed and he told him he would probably sleep it off but they'll check on any side effects and what may have caused it to happen. The floo went green and Minerva stepped in the sitting room

"Tea?" It was unusual to speak to her former Professor without worrying about talking formally enough.

"Thank you, darling." Y/N cracked a half smile and moved herself to the kitchen to pour some freshly made tea in a cup, luckily still hot with steam immediately pointing towards the air. A stretched silence lingered between them. They both knew what happened to Severus, both were concerned and both wanted to figure out what caused the reaction. They should've been able to talk but if Y/N had to be honest they haven't spoken much since the war. Minerva was busy restoring Hogwarts, taking care of children who lost their family and needed to sort through all the files that disappeared by flames and curses. Y/N was busy with....well, with sitting beside Severus and taking in on his looks so she could now sketch him with only her mind. Their schedules couldn't be compared. But nevertheless, she couldn't blame her for not knowing what to do or what to say. It must've been a shock for Minerva to hear the screams and cries from Y/N after the war in the Shrieking Shack. The Golden Trio informed they'll keep it to themselves what they saw and how Y/N reacted but it was no secret what was going on back then.

When Severus was brought to the hospital asap they had no time to dwell upon the thought of him taking 'advantage' of a student. At least, that's how most staff described it when figuring it out.

There was a girl, Y/N, still a student who was crying out that she loved Severus. Of course people would suspect the wrong thing when the man would be older than the woman but it merely reminded her that love had no age. Y/N spent ages explaining every detail....except for those several times where she'd called Severus: Daddy.

But as suspected, Minerva came to senses the same way Albus did, only a bit slower. She couldn't blame her, really. The war was cruel, didn't take into account what others might feel, no because that wasn't how this worked. One could wish for everything but would be teared down by others opinions. That's what kept Y/N going to not care about what others thought and held his hand until he woke up.

She was glad Minerva allowed what was happening. Perhaps the reason why a conversation wouldn't come out naturally was because Minerva knew exactly what they had done while she was a student, it was obvious enough without words or thoughts. Y/N also knew the woman cared for Severus a great deal and didn't want to see him hurt.

"So what are your plans for....when this is all over?" Minerva waved around the room and took a sip of her tea. Y/N smiled briefly. What was it, indeed? She hadn't even anticipated surviving so long yet here she was all eyes on her, what does she do now? If she did survive the war she would've gone with Severus and live a happy life but that was out of the question. She gripped her cuppa tighter and cleared her throat. To say she was uncomfortable was a small word.

"I haven't thought about it properly. I-" She took a deep breath and Minerva gave her a concerned expression. "I, Severus and I would've gone to Diagon's Alley to run a shop together or perhaps even find a new house, a cottage to be exact. To get away from all the chaos." Y/N didn't know why she was telling Minerva this but was glad to see the older woman nod with understanding.

"He'll be back to how he was before you know it. The last couple of years have been stressful, I can give you that. Don't worry about him though because he's strong....he'll make it through." Y/N gave a curt nod. Her hands shook when she poured in some more tea and they fell into a comfortable conversation for half an hour before she informed she needed to get back. They both stood up and she saw Minerva hesitate for a second before wrapping her arms around Y/N who tensed.

"Everything's going to be alright. I know you're worried, so am I. If you ever need a listening ear, or just some company my floo's always open for guests," She muttered.Y/N nodded in the embrace as best as she could. To be honest she was incredibly grateful to hear she wasn't the only one. There were thousands of people still suffering from the aftershocks of the war, there were people who lost others, family, friends and their safe space.

They said goodbye to each other and Y/N sat down again, having nothing else to do. Really, what could she do? There was nothing else but silence in the chambers so she decided to make dinner a bit earlier than normal. She chose for a quick soup and was busy cutting the garlic while listening to the classic music playing from the newly bought record player, swaying her hips and humming slightly when there was a firm knock on the door. Her head snapped to the direction where the door was located and held her breath to wait if she heard it correctly.

It couldn't be any of the staff because it was dinner time at the moment and most would be in the Great Hall. Visitors would go through the floo. There was a possibility that it was a student since some of them had no other place to go and could stay in Hogwarts until the term would begin, but what business would a student have here?
With a wave of her wand, she stopped the record player and set the fire on a low to be able to open the door.

Y/N had no idea what to expect but it certainly wasn't a Slytherin student gaping at her with wide eyes. She guessed it had to be someone in third year, seeing the height and babyface. She frowned at the boy, what was she supposed to do?
"Er- Is Professor Snape here?" To indicate he had true meanings, he craned his neck to see past her in the chambers.

"I'm afraid not. Is something wrong?" What if something did go wrong? If there were still Death Eaters out there, or some dangerous creature lurking the grounds? It would explain the frightening boy but he shook his head and shuffled on his feet.

"No, nothing like that. I had contact with him before the....defeat, you know. I really wished to speak with him but I can come back later?" Y/N studied the boy dressed in too big Slytherin robes. She didn't want to pity him even though she knew she did. That's why the next thing she asked was: "Are you hungry? I'll wake Professor Snape."