Buried History

Chapter 16 Music Boxes and Divination

Sitting at the High table, swirling her fork in her mash potatoes, Eliza was aware the she was being watched.

She turned her head and raised an eyebrow.

"If you're trying to be discreet, you aren't very good at it." She shot snarkily, not appreciating the unwanted attention. "Why are you fixating me like that anyway?"

Severus didn't reply, instead he turned his gaze towards the mass of students.

This time, Eliza turned to face him and frowned. Why was he acting so strangely?

She tried to see into his mind and found that she couldn't. He had put up a wall.

The witch felt that he was uneasy, almost nervous.

Placing a tender hand on his arm, she was surprised when the man cringed at her touch.

Eliza tried to take away his unsettled emotions, but it wasn't working. He wouldn't let her.

"Severus, what is it?" The spiral haired woman asked gently.

Snape stood up and left the Hall stormily. Worried, Barron followed him, walking at a quick pace.

Outside the dining hall, the man hadn't stopped. If he was aware that she was following him, he didn't show it.

Severus made his way up two flights of stairs and down a long corridor. He stopped in front of a wide expanse of stone wall.

The potions professor walked quickly to keep up. She nearly ran into him when she realized he had stopped walking.

"Severus Snape, you are to explain to me immediately what is going on. You are acting completely out of character. This isn't you, what is it?" Eliza demanded, scowling.

The man turned to face her and raised a sardonic eyebrow. "How dare you speak to me that way, Professor Barron."

Her eyes widened. Things were never good when he used her formal name.

"Let me explain something to you, Eliza." He drawled. "I have recently discovered that I am a father. Three weeks later, here I am, face to face with the mother of a child I didn't know I had. A child that has been living under my nose for the past 7 years! In my own house! Am I correct in those assessments, or should I go back to my books and keep searching?" His voice had turned nervous. She had never seen him like this.

Placing a hand on the side of his face, she smiled sadly. "No need to be so nervous, and yes, you are right."

"I have a son?" He asked quietly. Eliza smiled and raised her chin to place a soft kiss on his lips.

She pulled away and a single tear rolled down her face. "Yes, you have a son."

***

"I wonder what that was about." Harry mumbled, turning to face his friends.

Hermione shrugged. "Not really any of our business, is it?" She asked, flipping the page in her book.

"When have we not meddled in business that was not ours?" Ron inquired, a look of mischief glowing in his blue eye, resembling much like his older twin brothers.

Excusing themselves from the Gryffindor table, they headed to the Common Room to discuss privately.

***

"Are you alright, Garrett?" Annalise wondered aloud, brushing a kiss across his cheek.

The boy nodded. "I'm fine." He said, removing his glasses. "I just feel a bit odd. It's a feeling I've only ever had twice in my life."