Yours, SS [Book 1]

Chapter 13

A few weeks had passed, and the weather worsened. Hogsmead trips were canceled due to the amount of snow on the ground. Amilia sat in class, daydreaming about the night she had spent in Severus's chambers. She had woken early to shower and get ready before the others had gotten up for their day. She remembered folding his shirt up neatly and placing it on the chair in his room, with a little note:

Thank you for the best birthday ever. I only wish that I can make yours as memorable.

Yours, AH

Ritchie followed her around all the time, to her great annoyance. She made sure to keep her distance as much as possible and to keep other people around. Severus kept finding reasons to give him detention so that she would have some peace. Earlier that morning, Dumbledore announced that Winter Holiday would be starting that coming Friday. The freckled boy, Wendell, had asked Amilia if she would be staying at Hogwarts because she did not have a family anymore. To her amusement, he covered the top of his head when the words fell out of his mouth. The rest of the table laughed as well.

Potions dragged on and on. Severus decided to assign a three-foot-long essay instead of creating potions; he stated he did not want to deal with parents' letters begrudging him about burns and such over the holidays. Amilia pondered what to get him for Christmas; she already knew he was going to get firewhiskey from the staff, so she knew pumpkin fizz was a good idea. But what else?

Well, he really was entranced by my charmed stone. So I shall do that. Which stone will he like? Amilia sighed; I have three little pebbles in my bag. One of those will work.

"Miss Hubbard, if you are going to daydream in my class, then I will deduct points." Severus's voice echoed in the quiet room.

"Sorry, sir." She ducked her head, grinning sheepishly.

"Man, he is being tough this time of year," Ritchie whispered to her from across the aisle. Amilia shot him a warning glance.

"Twenty points from Hufflepuff Mister Clearwater, for disrupting a classmate from working." Severus hissed. Ritchie groaned and got back to work.

After what felt like an eternity, the class was dismissed. Amilia was rolling up her parchment when Severus placed a hand on her back, "We will not have alchemy on Thursday. I have a meeting."

"Okay." She shimmied a little out from under his hand, knowing that Ritchie was waiting outside. She placed three stones on the table; a smooth white river stone, a black stone from on the way to Hogsmead, and an oddly swirled stone that she found near Hagrid's hut. "Pick one."

Severus looked at her strangely before glancing over the stones. "I like the white one. What is it for?"

She flashed a quick grin before tossing them in her pocket, "Nothing. Have a good night, professor." She dashed out the door running past Ritchie.

"Amilia, wait!" he ran after her, "I heard you stayed for the holidays! I decided to stay as well!"

She stopped short and glared over her shoulder, "Go home."

"What?"

"I said, go home. If you are staying because of me, do not. Go home. I will put your ass on the train myself if you do not."

"Hehe, is that a threat?" he smirked and waggled his eyebrows.

Amilia turned to face him, "No. It is a promise, and I will use the Imperious Curse to do so." She glowered at him.

"Amilia, that is an Unforgivable Curse!" Ritchie grimaced.

"I know. That is how serious I am. Imagine how upset your family will be if you do not come home." She changed her tone, "You have a family to go home to. Some of us do not have that luxury." She turned on her heel and walked away from him. She needed to talk to Minerva.