3

Chapter 3

Severus gradually lifted his head from the hard table on which it had been resting. He had no idea what time it was or how long he'd been like that, though he was beginning to be able to think somewhat clearly again. We cannot have that now can we? said a little voice inside of his head. He wiped away the line of drool that was hanging out of the side of his mouth and reached for the bottle sitting on the table.

Damn! It's empty! he thought. He brushed the concern away. It was nothing that a few Sickles would not remedy.

He looked around the room and tried to remember where he was. He had been in and out of every bar in Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley combined. He slowly allowed his eyes to focus on the dimly lit room. He looked towards a window and saw that it was already dark outside. He was in a private backroom; dawning began to come upon him. He was in the Toil & Trouble. How fitting, he thought with disgust.

The only way to remedy his slowly declining state of inebriation was to find more alcohol. He rose from the table and stumbled out of the room in the direction he knew the bar to be. The place was crowded, just as it usually was on Saturday nights. Severus made his way to the bar and slammed down a handful of Sickles. The barkeep did not even bother asking what he wanted. The professor had been there for well over five hours, drinking the same thing. The barkeep placed a bottle of scotch and a clean glass on the counter. Severus left the glass where it was, fumbled with the top of the bottle and took a large swig as he made a staggered trek back to his private corner and considerably fewer people.

He made his way to one of the backrooms and paused briefly outside of the door of the room next to his. There were familiar voices coming from the room. He silently stood to the side of the door and peered inside.

Bloody hell! he thought with disgust as he saw a room full of former Order of the Phoenix members, including the Weasley brat and the ruddy Boy-Who-Lived-to-Spite-Him. He paused only to see if she was there and quickly realized that the room was only full of men.

It sickened Severus' stomach when he realized that the group must be there to celebrate the fall of the youngest male of the Weasleys' bachelorhood. If he would have been more sober, he would have quietly stormed off back to his own dungeons at Hogwarts. If he had been more intoxicated, he would have made his way back to his table and silently finished drinking until he lost consciousness again. He was neither.

So, he cast a quick Disillusionment Charm and remained outside of the door, catching brief snatches of conversation. Most of what he heard were congratulatory remarks mixed with the occasional words of mock-pity from the likes of Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnegan. He stood silently, uncertain exactly why he was still there. Then, he heard Potter and Weasley talking quietly just on the other side of the wall from where he stood.

"I swear! If I see that greasy old bat anywhere near her, I'll make him wish he'd never been born," came the hiss of the Keeper for the Wasps.

"Ron, relax. Hermione's fine," reassured Potter.

"Harry she was such a wreck by the time I got there this afternoon. I can't believe that you and Ginny just let her sit in her room all day long like that! You know she's not been well. She needs to eat every chance she gets. It's not good for..."

"Hush, Ron! I thought the point was to keep the pregnancy a secret," came the harsh whisper of Harry to silence his friend that had been growing louder with each word.

The anger that boiled up in Severus now was nearly uncontrollable. Before he had wanted to curse the redheaded prat for marrying his wife. Now, he wanted nothing more than to place his fingers around that youthful throat and squeeze the last breath out of him. Before he moved to do just that the two spoke again, "Yeah, you're right, Harry. I need something more to drink. What do you want?"

"Nothing. Thanks, mate."

Just then the redhead emerged from the crowded room, and Severus took his advantage of the situation and cornered the ruddy git.

"Weasel King," he drawled as he drew his wand and guided the young man down the hall, away from prying eyes and insufferable well wishers.

"Snape, what the hell are you doing here?" asked the young wizard in surprise.

"Drinking, Weasley. What do you think?" Snape spat.

"Well, don't let me keep you, Professor." Severus grabbed the man's robes and pushed him up against the wall. "Not so fast, Weasel King. I want a word with you first."

Ron tried not to appear as frightened as he was. He jutted his jaw and narrowed his gaze at his old teacher and asked, "What the hell do you want, then?"

"Just a question," he replied, as he let go of the young man and took a step back. The anger that had grown anew at the words he had overheard from this wizard and Potter was violently simmering just below the surface. He brandished his wand and jabbed it in the young man's chest. "Now tell me, why are you marrying my wife?"

The valor that Ron had been sporting previously, faintly slipped at the feel of the hard ebony that was resting just above his heart. He gritted his teeth and stilled himself. The great black bat wouldn't dare hex him in public. "Your wife? Did you say your wife?" he asked mockingly as he pushed the offending wood away from his body. "Interesting choice of words, Professor, especially seeing how you couldn't sign those divorce papers fast enough! Now, why is that, sir?"

"That is none of your concern!" hissed the now incensed wizard.

Ron had been looking for the opportunity to hurt this man since he first set foot into Hogwarts, he decided to hold nothing back. "Really? Hmm, it seems that you are a little confused about things where my fiancée is concerned. Get this through that greasy head of yours...Hermione wants nothing to do with you!"

Red began to cloud Severus' vision. He wished that he was more intoxicated so that his righteous morals did not interfere with him cursing the ruddy git into oblivion. Pity, he was not that drunk anymore. He took another sizeable drink from his scotch. He then leaned to mere inches from the younger wizards face. "Tell me, Weasel. How does it feel to know that I had your precious little friend first? That what you have in your bed has been used by another wizard?" he drawled dangerously.

The anger rose in Ron like he'd never felt it before. His cheeks were aflame, and he could barely contain himself as he attempted to get his words out. "How dare you speak about Hermione like that? You don't deserve her, Snape! You never did!"

The older wizard had heard enough out of the mouthy little prat. He dropped his scotch bottle and grabbed the whelp by the front of his robes again, viciously slamming the man into the wall. Before he could get another word out, he felt the presence of someone behind him.

The grandfatherly tone of Professor Dumbledore was unmistakable. "Why Severus, did you come to join in the festivities?"

Severus, again, released his hold on the redheaded wizard and turned to face his mentor. "No, Headmaster." He looked back at the man he had just relinquished his grasp on and glared. "I was just leaving."

Ron needed no prompting. He took advantage of Dumbledore's appearance and made a hasty retreat while glowering at Snape. "Don't you dare go near her again," he spat just before he turned the corner towards the bar.

Severus retrieved his scotch from the floor and attempted to walk back to his own private room. Albus noted his staggering. Just as the raven-haired wizard lost his balance and nearly fell to the floor, he was there to catch him. "Well, now, Severus. I think you have had enough excitement for one night. What do you say we get you a room so you can sleep this off?"

"Damnit, Albus! I do not wish to have a room where I can sleep this off! I would prefer to continue my own private celebration well into morning. Would you care to join me?"

The old wizard helped his young friend to stand and let him attempt to walk again. He barely took two steps when he was again on the floor. "Bloody hell!" muttered the Potions master. Albus again stepped forward and helped his young friend up. "Come along with me, Severus."

Severus felt in no mood to argue as Dumbledore Apparated him to a vacant room upstairs. From beneath his purple robes, the old man pulled out two phials. He handed one to his friend, and the other was placed by the bedside. "Drink the Sobering Potion now, Severus. I'm afraid that it will only help a little as it appears you've been drinking for many hours," he said sadly. "Lucky for you that I happened to bring along some Hangover Relief Potion as well," he continued, pointing to the phial on the night table. "Get some rest, dear boy."

Severus collapsed on the bed in a heap and was asleep within minutes. A wonderful side effect of the Sobering Potion, thought the headmaster. He shook his head slowly in despair as he looked at the man lying in a crumpled mess of black robes on the bed. He silently prayed that with some sleep, the troubled wizard would find some answers.

For the first time in several weeks, Severus was in a deep sleep.

Her hands were cupping his face as he lay on the snow covered ground, barely able to move; her soft soothing voice whispered into his ear, and he felt the wetness of her cheek against his palm.

Weasley was screaming, "You don't deserve her, Snape! You never did!"

Severus woke with a start. The words still rang in his head. You don't deserve her! He reached towards the empty phial that had contained the Sobering Potion and sniffed. Damn that meddlesome old fool! he thought as he recognized the smell at once. His Sobering Potion had been laced with Re Vera Somino to encourage his body to dream truthful insights. What truth is it that I was supposed to see?

Amongst the many layers of clothing that he typically wore, he felt completely stripped as emotions began flooding over him. He now knew what it was that his anger had been hiding, and he did not like it. He felt naked and raw. Sometime whilst reliving his memories, the protective walls that shielded him from the world had crumbled around him.

He had insisted on signing the divorce without speaking with her, without allowing her to reach for his heart. He had never intended to allow himself to feel that way for anyone. The way that he'd started feeling for her had frightened him. Severus Snape had always seen love as a weakness that would crush him. Now, upon learning that she was pregnant by that prat and that she would soon pledge her life to him, he could see that love was not weak. It was strength, and it was the only thing that could protect him now that he was exposed.

~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~