Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The rest of the month of July as well as most of August passed in a blur. Severus slowly began to adjust to having Jessica living with him.

It was an early Monday morning, and Jessica was fast asleep. Severus sat in one of his black armchairs and watched the fire as it glowed purple. A letter spat out of it and onto his coffee table. He looked at the letter almost suspiciously, curious as to who would correspond this early in the morning. With an eyebrow raised, Severus reached for it and picked it up. He immediately noticed the Weasley family seal on the back and bit back a groan. He opened the envelope and pulled out a folded parchment.

Dear Severus,

Molly and Arthur

Severus read through the letter once more and groaned.

"What's w-w-wrong, Professor?" Jessica asked through a yawn.

Severus turned to look at the young girl and noticed her ruffled blonde hair and tired green eyes with a slight smile. He beckoned her over to him, and she came. She stood next to his chair and pointed at the letter still in his hand.

"What's that?" she asked.

"This? Oh, this is just a letter from the Minister and his wife."

"Oh. Arthur and Molly? They are really nice."

"You've met them?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! They are the ones who brought us here. And they know my Mummy and Daddy. Mummy and Daddy like them."

Meet Jessica, indeed! They met the girl before I did!

"They are throwing a party on Saturday and would like us to join them."

Jessica's eyes lit up. "Do you think Arthur would know where Maria is?"

"Possibly."

Jessica looked thoughtful for a moment. "Can we go, please, Professor?"

Severus sighed. "I shall think about it."

* * *

That night found Severus sitting in an armchair in front of the fire, sipping a drink. There was a small, black, leather-bound book and a quill and ink on the table next to him. His eyes stared unblinkingly into the blazing red and orange flames. There was not a single sound throughout his rooms, and he suddenly wished that Jessica was up and bugging him with questions.

Idly, Severus set his drink down and picked up the book. He muttered a spell, and the bindings loosened. He opened the cover and flipped through the pages, finding the first blank one. He picked up his quill, dipped it in the ink, and began to write.

Jessica has been living with me for about a month now, and I'm surprised to say that I actually enjoy her presence. It seems she hadn't heard anything about me and had no preconceptions about who I am. Her innocence is refreshing.

Well, the hour is late, and I have potions ingredients to buy tomorrow.

Severus closed the book and set it and the quill down, resting his head against the back of the chair.

* * *

The next few days flew by quickly, and Saturday morning found Severus sleeping soundly in his bed. His mind suddenly filled with a field of grass with a large black trampoline directly in front of him.

"Come on, Professor!" Jessica appeared in front of him. "Let's jump!"

Severus eyed the trampoline warily. "No, I don't think so, Jessica."

"Oh, come on! Please!" She pulled him to the trampoline with surprising strength for a seven-year-old.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Fine, just let me take my shoes off first."

Jessica giggled as Severus looked down and noticed he wasn't wearing any shoes. Jessica climbed onto the trampoline and motioned for Severus to follow suit. He struggled to climb up as Jessica began jumping. As he tried to stand, he toppled over from a particularly big bounce Jessica had just done. She giggled again and stopped jumping so he could stand up. He stood, then crossed his arms across his chest.

Jessica started rocking on the balls of her feet. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Aren't you going to jump?"

Suddenly, Jessica started jumping with vigor.

"PROFESSOR?!"

Severus jumped out of bed, his eyes wide. Jessica was on his bed, laughing hard and clutching her stomach. His blankets and sheets were all over the place.

Severus forced a cold calm into his voice. "What do you think you are doing?"

Jessica stopped laughing and got off the bed. "I'm sorry, Professor. It's just that it's already ten o'clock, and you weren't up yet." The smile fell from her face as she realized that Severus was not happy with her actions.

"So you decided to come into my room and jump on my bed until I woke up?"

Jessica's eyes were downcast, and she was biting her lip. "I'm really sorry, Professor."

Severus sighed. "Go finish getting ready. I'll be out shortly."

Jessica practically ran past him to get out of the room. Severus closed his door, then got into the shower. He got ready, then went into his sitting room to find Jessica sitting on her legs behind the coffee table with a bit of parchment and crayons in front of her. Severus stood silently in the doorway for a few moments, watching her, already having forgiven her for the way she woke him up.

"What are you doing?" His soft voice surprised him.

Jessica jumped slightly, then turned to look at him. He noticed her tear-stained face immediately. She got up quickly with paper in hand and ran to him, enveloping him in a large hug.

"I'm so sorry! I'll never do it again! I promise! Please don't send me back to the orphanage!"

Severus removed her arms from their tight grip around his waist, then knelt down in front of her. She wouldn't look at him.

"Jessica, look at me."

Slowly her eyes turned to his, fresh tears falling down her face. He held her chin in his hand and looked firmly into her eyes.

"I am not going to send you back; I promise. What were you doing?"

A small, hesitant smile graced her face. "Y-you won't?" She sniffled and wiped away her tears

"No, I won't."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!"

Her arms were around him in a tight hug once again. This time, Severus hugged her back. After a minute she finally let go and handed him the paper. He looked at the picture drawn on it of him, tall with black robes and long, black hair, and her, short with yellow hair and blue robes.

"Why don't you go wash your face, then we'll go?"

Jessica left the room as Severus went to the couch and sat down, staring at the picture. They were both smiling, and Jessica was holding his hand. Their names were written above their respective portraits.

"I'm ready." He hadn't even noticed Jessica come back into the room.

Severus nodded, then stood and went to the fire. He picked up a jar and opened it. He held it out to Jessica.

"Take a pinch, throw it into the fire, and say clearly, 'The Burrow', all right?"

Jessica nodded, then did as he said. Severus followed soon after.

* * *

A/N: I do realize that things are moving quite slow right now, but please bear with me! Hermione will come into the picture next chapter, then the plot will slowly begin to take form, I promise! Also, a big thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! I greatly appreciate everyone's comments!

Chapter polished up on January 29, 2010.