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Bibliomancer by bibliomancer [Reviews - 2]

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“Parseltongue,” Snape mused quietly. He had not expected that.


“Hmm?” Adoxa stretched languidly in his lap and he felt himself stir from the movement of her soft, warm body against his own.


He watched Adoxa as her dark eyes blinked open, taking a moment to focus on his face. A lifetime spent hunched over books and reading fine print would see her wearing spectacles in a few years. Snape anticipated a similar fate for himself. It was curious. He had rarely pondered the future before but now, with Adoxa, he could think of little else. The remainder of his life spent in her company would not be nearly long enough.


“Severus?” she questioned, as if reading his thoughts.


“It is nothing. I was simply curious as to how you became a Parselmouth?”


Adoxa wrinkled her brow. “That's an odd question. I learned it, of course.”


Snape's eyes widened.


“From a book. In Grandfather's collection of esoterica.”


“From a book?” he repeated incredulously.


Adoxa hoisted herself off the chair and smoothed her dress. Snape sat mesmerized by the sight of her running her hands over the luscious black silk hugging her gentle curves.


“Like I told you that evening at Mr. Patil's,” she quipped. “I speak thirteen languages, counting the magical ones.”


“Ah – quite. And I suspect that your flawless pronunciation of Greek or Latin would have produced a similar effect on the Dark Lord,” Snape replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.


“You never asked.” She shrugged, standing before him, an enigma.


Adoxa was a woman with a complicated past of her own, full of mysteries he longed to peel away, one by one, much as he wished to do with each article of exquisite clothing she wore. But that would have to wait.


Snape cleared his throat, banishing the thought of taking his future bride then and there. He rose to his feet and stood before her.


“Have a seat at my desk and take this down in my journal,” he directed.


Adoxa did as she was told, picking up the plain, black book and opening it to a fresh page. She dipped a quill, disturbing the ink's glassy surface.


“August 20, 1996. That which must be done.”


Adoxa took the dictation in cramped, nearly illegible script, not unlike Snape's own, as he commenced with a daunting list of tasks.


“Fix clock and reveal its secrets.” Snape began pacing around the room, his hands locked behind his back, turning sharply on his heels to sneer at the eyesore.


“Preserve the life of Draco Malfoy and ensure that Narcissa does not worry herself to death in the interim.”


Snape paced back across the room. “Discover pertinent details of my beloved bride's parentage.”


Adoxa set down the quill and turned to him.


“I nearly forgot.” She unwrapped her shawl and reached into the top of her dress as Snape looked on. “That final knock at the door was an errand boy. He had a letter for you. From Flourish and Blotts.”


Snape paused for a moment. “Add it to the list then, along with reviewing syllabi for the coming term.”


Adoxa began writing again.


“On second thought, put that at the bottom. I've more pressing concerns than to meditate on the malleable young minds of Hogwarts during the final week of my summer holiday.”


With a flick of Adoxa's wrist, the line of text dropped down to the bottom of the page. Snape favoured her with an approving smile.


“Inform Dumbledore of impending marriage.”


Adoxa groaned. “Must you ask his consent as well?”


“I should think not. Although, I expect that he will offer an unsolicited opinion on the matter nonetheless.”


In two long strides, Snape was behind Adoxa and placed both of his hands on her narrow shoulders. “One more note: obtain a wand,” he droned.


Adoxa rolled her eyes but included it on the list.


“Have you anything to add?” Snape leaned closer, reading the oddly familiar handwriting and smirked with amusement at Adoxa's talent for copying penmanship. The list could have been written by his own hand, so meticulously had she copied his style.


“I do, in fact.” Dipping the quill, she began writing her own tasks, reciting them aloud. “Purchase clothing in London.”


“Why did you not choose something suitable when we were in Diagon Alley?”


Adoxa scoffed, “Have you seen what passes for fashion in the Wizarding world?”


“Really!” Snape blustered, running a hand through his hair, looking mildly offended.


Adoxa peeked over her shoulder at the Potions Master, suppressing a giggle when she noticed the slight colour rising to his sallow cheeks.


“Oh, Severus,” she laughed. “You would turn heads in either world. And if you haven't noticed, I find you terribly handsome.” With a smirk, she returned her attention to the list. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Snape stood a little taller, a satisfied smile curving his lips.


Adoxa jiggled the quill between her slim fingers, her thoughts shifting rapidly from the playful jest to a more serious matter. “What shall become of me? Grandfather's shop is truly gone. Most of those tomes were irreplaceable and my savings are insufficient to build a new collection.”


“You will be my wife, of course,” he responded, not comprehending the weight of her question.


“And what precisely will that entail?” she asked, a note of frustration in her tone. “I suspect that I shall die of boredom here. My mind might very well shrivel up if I am to be alone all day whilst you are at Hogwarts.”


“There is the Floo network. I shall be home each evening.”


“Truly?” She raised her brow. “I think not. You'll take meals there and some sort of activity will keep you late into the evening, be it supervising study hall or seeing to detentions. Saturday you'll teach a half-day, never mind the various administrative tasks required of you as Head of House.” Adoxa set down the quill, her shoulders rounding forward as she started at the daunting list.


“I …” Snape hesitated, returning to his chair and sitting down dejectedly. “I'd not considered that. When I speak with Professor Dumbledore, I shall broach the subject with him.”


“I would prefer my days filled, if not by the minutiae of running a shop, then by a position in the Hogwarts library. I have considerable training in the field, as you know.”


Snape brought out his wand and rolled it idly between his palms, deep in thought.


“I realize that I left Hogwarts before completing my education, but I could sit NEWTs in my best subjects, should that be required.”


“Adoxa,” Snape stated, more harshly than he had intended. Softening his tone, he added, “I hardly think that will be necessary.”


She gazed at him, taking note of his distraction and blackening mood. “What is it?”


His wand hand draped across his stomach as he leaned back in his chair, propping up his head with the other hand. “I did mean what I said earlier.”


Adoxa rose from the desk and walked toward him, kneeling in front of his chair.


“I do wish to be an open book for you. And since you have consented to share my life, such as it is, there is something you should know,” Snape uttered darkly.


Adoxa gazed up at him, her eyes wide with sympathy as she leaned forward, resting her head in his lap and placing a hand gently over the hand with which he gripped his wand.


“The woman about whom I've spoken before...” He hesitated. “Lily was her name. She is dead because of me.”


Adoxa inhaled sharply but did not draw away.


“I shall not trouble you with the details of our long and regrettable association, nor comment on that damn man she married, but suffice to say, they had a son. His name is Harry Potter.”


Adoxa raised her head and looked up into his eyes. “The boy who lived?”


Snape nodded curtly. “Being the young fool that I once was, convinced by Dumbledore that I must repent, I swore to protect the boy.”


“Repent? Why?”


“The Dark Lord killed Potter's parents because of information that I conveyed to him, eager as I was to gain favour.”


Adoxa blinked. “And favour you've gained. The Dark Lord values your service, that is undeniable. Is the life of some woman, who turned her back on you, really so great a price to pay for that sort of power?”


Snape's mouth went dry as he stared down at Adoxa. “It was Dumbledore who saw to it that I was spared a sentence in Azkaban. I have two masters, Adoxa. I serve both sides.”


“You have done what was necessary to survive. I see no fault in that. But a life wasted cannot return a life lost. Your words can be undone. I would see you serve no man but yourself.”


Snape gritted his teeth. “That is not possible. Should I break my vow to Dumbledore, he will see me rot in Azkaban for the remainder of my days. If I renounce my fealty to the Dark Lord,” Snape stared hard at her, his black eyes betraying the helplessness of the situation, “my demise shall be far quicker although equally inevitable.”


Adoxa sat stiffly, her vision blurring as she began to comprehend the gravity of his situation.


“And the truth of it is this: after Lily, I cared little whether I lived or died.” Snape paused, shaking his head. “But now … with you ...”


Adoxa blinked, banishing her tears as she stood up and extended a hand.


Snape took it, rising to his feet, entwining his fingers with hers and wrapping her hand around his wand.


Meeting his steely gaze, Adoxa vowed, “I'll not lose you, not after all these years. You will live, I promise you that. We shall do whatever is required to make it so.”


Bibliomancer by bibliomancer [Reviews - 2]

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