COMPLETE Book 2: Amortentia (SnapeLove)

Dueling with Emotions

Severus P.O.V.

"Alexandria?" I call for her as I enter our room. All the lights were off, and it seemed that no one was here. 'Maybe she's still with Potter.' I ponder to myself as I walk out of our room and make my way to the Infirmary. Its nearly midnight I'm not quite sure why she would be with him still. 
I turn the corner next to the library to find a dark and cloudy looking Nearly Headless Nick. "Nicholas? What are you doing?" I ask him but get no response. I decide to walk around him when I see them. First, I saw Creevey and notice the camera in his hands. Next, my eyes focus on her. "Alexandria! No!" I run towards her and kneel to get a better look at her. Her eyes were wide open, and the look of confusion and fright was frozen onto her face. Tears begin to run down my face as I pull her stiff body onto my lap. I know she's not dead, but she's petrified, and we won't have the mandrakes ready till close to the end of the school year. Can I make it that long without her? "She will be fine, Severus." I hear a voice from behind me. "I know that, Albus, but will I?" I tell the headmaster. "Let's take them to the infirmary," Albus says, and I slowly pick up Alexandria's body, and as I turn around, I notice Minerva was with him. Albus and Minerva carried Colin Creevey.
"Albus, what should we do?" Minerva asks him as she and he lay Colin onto a bed. I lay Alex down gently and cover her up. "It is as we feared, Minerva. The chamber of Secrets has been opened again. Hogwarts is no longer safe." He tells her solemnly. I walk over to them. " I'm canceling my classes for the week," I tell Albus, and before he could respond, I walked out of the Infirmary and to the dungeons.

I don't remember much of the next week. I stayed hidden in my chambers with fire whiskey as my company. I can't go on without her being by my side. She is the only thing in my life that brings me joy. I haven't showered. I haven't changed my clothes since I found her last week. I miss her laugh, sometimes I hear her. She tells me to get up and gather myself; however, I know it's just the whiskey talking. Knock. Knock.  Someone's here. I am in no state to deal with anyone. They knock again, this time a bit louder.

"Coming!" I yell, and I slowly gather myself to get up off of the floor. "Yes?" I answer as I open the door. "Professor Snape! You look dreadful. Surely a man of your stature would look better, even in time of grief. Yes, I do regret I was not there to save your love Alexandria! But never fear! I am here to help you come back to teaching. Not that the students miss you, of course." Gilderoy Lockhart makes his way into my quarters and talks endlessly. "Lockhart, I do not have the energy nor the desire to deal with you. Please leave." I beg him. "Nonsense, Professor. I will not have a colleague and dear friend of mine sit here and go to the deep end. Now you smell worse than the werewolves I banished; you can read about that in my book Wanderings with Werewolves. Page turner if I do say so myself." He drags on as he makes me go into the bathroom and take a shower. I wanted to kick him out. I tried to fight him, but I knew I couldn't stay in this state the entire time Alexandria is petrified. 

"Dumbledore permitted me to start a dueling club! I told him it would be wise to have, such as with the current events." Lockhart tells me dinner. "I also have some experience in dueling," I say to him as I pick at my food.  I miss Alexandria eating food off of my plate instead of eating hers. "Really now? Well, that would be perfect! I need someone to go against and show off my dueling skills!" He says to me, and I look at him. "I didn't say I wanted to be part of your club." I sneer at him. I don't want to do anything other than seeing Alexandria. "Alrighty, it is settled. Meet us tonight after dinner for the Dueling!" Gilderoy looks at me and smiles at me blindly. I decide to avoid the arguing because I know it would be like talking with a brick wall. One that you want to throw your head up against several times in a row.

After dinner, I met with Lockhart, and students gathered around the runway we sat up. "Very well. Thank you all for joining me in tonight's lesson of Dueling! I was quite the duel master, back in the day,  if I do say so myself. Dumbledore has permitted me to start this little club; as hopes, you may one day be able to defend yourself if need be! My partner here, Professor Snape will be accompanying me on the demonstration." Gilderoy flashes the students a smile and twirls his cape around his body.
We stand face to face and bow. Then put our hands at the ready.
"We will begin by placing back ten steps. Now, remember, kids, we only want to disarm. I promise you will still have your Potions master when I am through with him." He boasts as we take our ten paces. I turn around and sneer at him. Too bad Alex isn't here to witness me blast the puny professor out of the water. "On the count of three. One-two-three!" Lockhart yelled and I instantly shouted, "Expelliarmus!" My spell casts out red light and hits Lockhart, and makes him fall down onto his back. 

"Well, good example, Professor! That was a disarming charm, as you can tell I no longer have my wand. However, it was all too easy to predict what you were going to do! I felt as if the students needed to see what the spell looked like, of course, and that is why I didn't stop you." Lockhart sent smiles to the crowd. I sneered at him, he was a dwindling idiot and I wish I didn't have to do this, however, it was nice to see him fall on his ass. 

"Enough for the demonstration, why don't we pair up and see how you all do." Gilderoy looked at me and I believe he noticed my displeasure. I walked over to Potter and Weasley. " Time to split up the dream team." I looked down on them. "Potter, you're with Malfoy. Why don't we see what you two can make of each other." 

The two boys got on the stage and started their dueling mannerisms. Draco and Harry both began walking the ten paces back and once there Lockhart started the countdown. Sly as he is, Draco sent out his spell on the number two and it Harry in the gut. "Rictusempra!" Harry shouted almost instantly after he was hit. Draco doubled over in pain.  I smiled at the joy of knowing that Potter was going to lose this duel. Draco has been practicing for years. 

"Now now, I said disarm only! Let's try this again. Now Harry come over here and I'll give you a pointer or two." Lockhart tells Harry and I signal Draco to come over. "You've trained for this, Draco. Don't disappoint." I tell him and push him forwards towards Harry. 

"Alright. On the count of three, one-two-three!" Lockhart yells once more and Draco speaks first. "Serpensortia!" He casts and he sends out a snake flying onto the stage.  "Don't worry Potter, I'll get rid of it." I go to step forward but the Lockhart was already on the move. "Let me, Professor." He smiles and he pulls out his wand and casts a spell, I've never heard and the snake goes flying upwards and drops back down, unchanged. I go to step forward once more, but I notice Harry eyeing it, his stare was one that Voldemort use to have when he talked to snakes. But he couldn't, could he? Before I knew it Harry was speaking in a foreign language to the snake, and the snake seemed to be going towards Finch-Fletchy, a Hufflepuff.  Parsletongue. This is definitely something to bring up to Dumbledore. 

I couldn't let him speaking go any longer and I vanished the snake with a flick of my wand. Everyone stared at Potter. "What do you think you're doing?" Finch-Fletchy asked Potter before exiting the room. 

"Potter with me. Now." I take potter by the shoulder and take him off stage and into the hallway. 

"What was that?" I order him and he looked at me confused. "What? Didn't you want me to tell the snake to back off? Everyone heard me. I don't see what the big deal is." Harry tells me and I realize he has no idea he can speak to snakes. "Potter, you were speaking Parsletongue. Not many wizards can do so. You best keep to yourself, you now have a target on your back." I warn him and I swoop around and go straight to Albus' office.