Yours, SS [Book 1]

Chapter 28

Amilia dropped her bag off at the foot of her bed, flopping down face-first into the familiar softness of the blanket on her bed. She grabbed her pillow and pulled it to her chest; that was a tumultuous last few days. Since the fateful day out shopping, Amilia and Severus were at a constant state of agitation. Anything she cleared or cleaned was not done correctly, she showered too long, or she was quiet for too long. Nothing she did was right, "Maybe I should just stay at the Leaky Cauldron this summer." She felt defeated, he was acting as if she wanted to change every little thing about him regarding the house, and maybe she did, at first, but after their conversation, argument in public, she realized she would have to go at his pace.

He was not like her father, and she knew they would be nothing like her parents. She scoffed, remembering the fight her parents had in public, over the color of their new carpet. She thought it was so silly then, but now that she had experienced the frustration, she could see why they were distant for the rest of the day. Amilia had hoped that things would die down so they could enjoy the rest of their break...but that did not happen.

She rolled over and stared at the ceiling; she knew what she needed to do.

Severus kicked the bedpost. How could he have let one bad day ruin their holiday? "It didn't even start out right!" he should have known that she would know the Malfoy's; he should have written her name in his response. He should have talked to her about the Easter dinner. He should not have gotten so angry with her that day. It had started so well; she made breakfast. They picked out new curtains for the main rooms in the house without having a problem. In fact, he rather liked the soft blue against the white in the kitchen, though...he hated to admit that she was right; it needed a new coat of paint and some updated furnishings.

He had expanded the main room for her books and surprise her with a piano in the room. Was that not enough? Granted...I did not tell her that a piano would be there. He growled at the thoughts and words that came out of his mouth these past few days. She had set about cleaning things for him, he knew it was helpful and not get in the way, but she did not do it right. Not the way that was preferred, and by the time he had figured out what she had done...he was already angry. He snapped at her, and he was sure he had made her cry. "Oh...what am I going to do to fix this?"

The rest of the students arrived late the night before and were slowly flooding into the Great Hall for breakfast. Amilia wore her pin on her shirt as she ushered them in. Her eyes wandered over to the staff table; Severus sat rigidly in his chair, never taking his eyes off of her. After having talked with Alice and Masters, she felt a little better, but not by much. She still decided to send the letter she had written to him; she needed to get it off her chest.

Students ate quietly, realizing that the testing season was upon them. Even when the post came, students did not show the same excitement as usual. Amilia watched as Bubbles dropped her letter off at the staff table, and was surprised to see the owl turn towards her. A message dropped in her lap.

Severus watched surprise flash across her face as she ran her fingers over the envelope. He pushed his chair back and disappeared down the stairwell as he tore it open:

Severus,

I am not sure how to go about this, but please know that this will not be a cute sweet note. I have things I need to get off of my chest. I do not want to make this too long, for you may find that too annoying.