Love and Potions - Severus Snape x OC

Chapter 51 - Quidditch and Suspicions

"Are you kidding? Rowan, you're one of the strongest women I know. If anyone can do it, it's gonna be you," Blaise smirked and shifted so that he was looking at Rowan. "You can do this, and you won't be alone," Blaise assured and Rowan nodded as he pulled her into a tight hug. 

"Are you coming to today's quidditch match? It's Slytherin against Hufflepuff," Blaise asked suddenly, a small smirk plastered on his face. "I wouldn't miss seeing Slytherin's best chaser in action! Come on, let's go get you ready for tonight," Rowan said as she stood up, holding her hand out to Blaise. 

The two had come so far in their friendship after many setbacks and arguments. They each had grown up in this year, and it was something neither of them expected. Rowan looked over at one of her best friends and smiled to herself. He was becoming quite the young man, and she was excited to see where he went in life. 

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

"It is way too cold for you to be out here," Severus mumbled in an annoyed tone as he removed his coat and draped it around Rowan's shoulders. Rolling her eyes slightly, Rowan chose not to reply. Sure, it was cold outside due to it being the last week of February; but she wasn't here to have fun. She was here to support a friend that needed her reassurance, and that was exactly what she was going to do. "She's pregnant Professor, not broken. Let her alone," Millicent remarked, wrapping her arm around Rowan's shoulder. 

"Can I take points for that? I feel like I should take points for that," Severus exclaimed as he looked at Rowan for guidance. "Unless you want me to reward double back, I suggest you watch the game. You are the head of Slytherin after all," Rowan chuckled as she laid her head on Severus' shoulder, his hand wrapping around her waist and settling on her stomach. Smiling slightly, Rowan placed her hand on top of his and admired the emerald ring that now sat on her ring finger. 

Before Rowan knew it, the game had begun. Flashes of green mixed with flashes of yellow, and it took a good few minutes for Rowan to spot Blaise but once she did, it was obvious to her that he was fully in the game. "Do you think Slytherin will win this time, Professor Knight?" Luna's voice stood out against everyone else's chatter, and Rowan couldn't tell if that was because she was louder or because she had just recently arrived. Before Rowan responded, she took a moment to look at the young Ravenclaw. While she was sporting her house colors on her robe, she had one green stripe and one yellow stripe on each cheek. "I do hope so, Miss Lovegood. Are you rooting for both teams?" 

"I think we should all be rooting for both teams, we're all Hogwarts students after all," Luna began in her usual chipper voice. "Though, between you and I Professor, I do hope Slytherin takes this victory," Luna added with a smirk that appeared foreign on her face. It seemed there was more to Luna Lovegood than being the hippie-type, and maybe that was why she and Millicent were such a good match. Rowan smiled brightly before turning back to the game. 

Rowan could feel that as the night grew on and the game continued, the wind became colder and colder. As soon as Severus began to shiver, Rowan stood up and leaned down into Severus' ear. "I'm going to go and grab myself a coat," Rowan said as she took Severus' coat off and placed it around his shoulders. "Why don't I go with you?" Severus offered, and Rowan knew why he was hesitant to let her go by herself. The last time everyone had been in one place and Rowan had drifted from the crowd, things had not gone well for her. Greyback was still visiting campus every so often to check in on Rowan, and there had been no mention of her mother's name in the paper or from Dumbledore. If her mother was caught, nobody had been alerted. But Rowan knew her mother, and she would be laying low until she was caught. Hogwarts was the safest place to be right now. 

"I am capable of grabbing my own coat, Severus. Keep an eye on Blaise," Rowan replied with a roll of her eyes. Placing a quick kiss on his cheek, Rowan made her way into the building. Rowan couldn't help but remember what she had seen in Juniper's memories in this very spot. Cedric Diggory had lost his life and, in that reality, it was in part Rowan and Severus' fault. After all, in that reality, they were both death eaters and the dark lord was alive. Shaking her head slightly, Rowan set off toward Severus' office. Thought like those made Rowan realize how much she loved Severus, and no circumstance would stop that; not even a different reality. She was going to marry this man and have a family with him very soon. 

Just as Rowan was about to make the last turn toward the Slytherin quarters, she heard a loud thump coming from behind her. Quickly removing her wand, Rowan turned around wildly searching for the source of the noise. Suddenly, she was left wishing she had brought Severus with her instead of insisting she could do it on her own. Slowly, she walked around the last turn, her wand still drawn out in case she needed to throw out a quick spell. 

Much to her surprise, Rowan was met with a very frazzled Bellatrix Lestrange emerging from Rowan's old quarters. "Bellatrix?" Rowan called out and Bellatrix spun around with her wand drawn. Lowering her hand, Bellatrix's face began to turn a deep shade of red. "Oh-! Hi, Rowan. Aren't you supposed to be out at the quidditch game?" Bellatrix asked, her voice laced with nervousness. "Yeah, I just came to grab my coat. I didn't know you were on campus yet," Rowan answered as she reached and unlocked her and Severus' quarters. Just as Rowan was about to walk into Severus' office, she heard a loud thump from where Bellatrix was standing. Whipping her head around, Rowan was- shocked- to say the least. 

"Aren't you coming back- Oh! Um- hello, Rowan! How's the er- game today?" Sybil Trelawney asked as she removed her arm from around Bellatrix and straightened her dress with the palms of her hands. Rowan raised one of her eyebrows toward Bellatrix who looked absolutely mortified. "She was just- reading my fortune. I was going to come and get you in the morning to let you know I was here," Bellatrix said as the mortified look turned into one of begging. It was not Rowan's business to get into Bellatrix's; she would explain when she was ready. There was no rushing any of this. "How nice of her; thank you, Professor. Bellatrix- I'll see you in the morning," Rowan finished as she quickly reached in the door and grabbed a coat off of the rack. Locking the door back and saying a quick goodbye, Rowan set off back toward the Quidditch game. 

Once arriving back at the game, Rowan noticed there was a large difference between the points with Slytherin in the lead. "Did you have any troubles?" Severus asked, hinting at the amount of time it took Rowan to return. Thinking only for a moment, Rowan decided it was not her business to tell what she had witnessed in the hallway. Smiling up at Severus, she placed one hand on his cheek lovingly. Looking into his eyes deeply, Rowan quickly gave him a peck on the lips before returning to the game. "None at all, Sev," She replied, interlacing her fingers with his. The crowd roared as Slytherin scored another point and Rowan looked over to her friends. 

Millicent was focused on the game, whereas Luna was more focused on Millicent. She was glad Millicent and Luna found each other; they fit together like puzzle pieces. Beside the Slytherin-Ravenclaw pair sat Juniper and Fred Weasley, who happened to be equally focused on the game and each other, with Fred ranting about how Gryffindor would have beat Slytherin 0-1. Returning her focus to the game, Rowan smiled. Love appeared to be in the air tonight.