Come Back to Me (Don't Save Me Book 3)

Chapter 24: Coincidences

Alastor gently touched my arm and the burning in my chest subsided. I looked up at him curiously and he gave me a small smile.

"What did you do?" I asked softly.

"Just a simple calming charm," he assured, taking a flask from his jacket, throwing his head back as he took a drink of the strange liquid. As he did this I noticed his shaky hands become a bit more still.

"Should we take you to Madam Pomphrey?" Alastor asked, seeming a bit more on edge than usual.

"No. I'm fine, honestly. Poppy is busy enough without me bothering her for some chest pain."

"You're having chest pain?" Alastor asked, suddenly seeming even more concerned. He moved closer, carefully pulling me away from Severus as he looked me up and down. I could feel Severus's anger behind me but he didn't react in any way.

"Just a little. It's probably just anxiety," I tried to assure Alastor but I could see he wasn't buying it.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Not long... look, I'm fine, Alastor. I promise. I really should be going." I pulled my arm away from him and Severus quickly pulled me towards him once again, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"We'll see you at the event, yeah?" I asked Alastor and he gave me a small nod, though I could see he was glaring daggers at Severus. As we turned away and walked down the corridor I could feel Severus growing tense beside me. As we turned a corner I stopped and pulled him into a small nook in the corridor, the same one we had hid in all those years ago, and the same one James had threatened Severus in.

"Sev, are you alright?" I asked him, noticing the far away look in his eyes. I gently placed my hand on his face, trying to soothe him back to me. He slowly looked down, his eyes locking with mine as he took in my worried face.

"I'm fine, darling."

"Is your mark burning?"

"What?" he asked, suddenly seeming shocked.

"Was it burning earlier?"

He looked away from me, though I could see him give a small nod.

"Strange coincidence, right?" he said, chuckling softly, though I could tell neither of us believed any of this was just a coincidence.

"What was all that about with Alastor?" Severus asked.

"Honestly... I don't know. He's been acting weird all year. I know we haven't seen each other in a while but... I'm not sure what his deal is."

"So... there's nothing going on?"

I couldn't help the small chuckle that slipped past my lips. "No, Sev. Nothing's going on."

He gave me a soft smile, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Stay close to me tonight, princess... something doesn't feel right," he whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"You feel it too?" I asked.

He looked down at me curiously before giving me a small nod. We could both feel the shift in the air. Something about this night felt wrong but we couldn't place a finger on what it was. We heard the clock chime, ringing over the grounds, and Severus sighed. "I suppose we should go, darling."

I nodded and we made our way through the castle and out to the quidditch field. Alastor was sitting in the stands, his blue eye searching the crowd furiously as he searched for something... or someone. He scanned the crowd continuously before his eyes landed on me. His body seemed to relax slightly as he watched Severus and I make our way through the crowd of eager families, finally meeting up with Minerva.

"Ah! There you are! Harry has been asking for you!" She quickly took my arm, ushering me toward where Harry and the Weasley's stood. I looked behind me, noticing Severus standing alone. He gave me a small smile, nodding to let me know he was okay, and I turned around just in time to be swept into a hug by Molly.

"There you are, dear! We were beginning to worry!" she exclaimed, releasing me from the hug.

"Sorry. I got held up. Alastor was acting weird."

"Alastor?" Molly asked, seeming confused. "Alastor Moody? The auror?"

"Yes. He works here now, though he's been acting a bit weird as of late. I'm not sure what's gotten into him."

"Hm, that is strange. He was always quite put together in his younger years. I suppose all that time of catching dark wizards must have changed him." She looked through the crowd, her eyes finally finding Alastor whose gaze had not left me. I tried to shake off the strange feeling as he watched me and turned toward Harry. I pulled him into a hug, trying not to show how truly afraid I was for him.

"You're going to do great, Harry," I said, releasing him, though still holding his face in my hands. "You are a very bright wizard. You're going to do great," I assured, though I couldn't tell who I was trying to convince more... him or me.

"Thank you, Aunt Y/n. I was worried... I thought maybe you wouldn't come."

"Oh, Harry. I'll always show up for you. I'm sorry I was a bit late but I'll always be here."

He gave me a warm smile and I could see the tears prickling his eyes.

"Don't make me cry before the final task," he chuckled as the Weasleys and I burst into laughter.

It wasn't long before Albus began taking the four champions away, leading them through a small tunnel to give them his final words of encouragement. As soon as Albus left with the champions Severus was instantly behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I turned around, wrapping my arms around his neck as the crowd began dispersing, preparing to find their seats. From the corner of my eye I could still see Alastor staring, watching us carefully. Severus gave me a confused look before turning around, trying to see what I was looking at. I quickly pulled him back to me, not wanting to draw any more attention to the strangeness of it all.

"Darling, what's going on?" he asked me, growing concerned as he looked down at me.

"It's nothing. Alastor is just acting weird again. He hasn't stopped staring since we got here."

I could see his jaw clench as his grip around my body tightened.

"Sev, it's nothing," I assured, feeling him grow tense as his need to protect me overwhelmed anything else in that moment.

"I should have a word with him," he hissed, taking a small step back.

"Sev, don't! It's not worth it! He's crazy! That's all it is! He's not the same person he once was and he's probably just on high alert tonight. If we can feel that something is about to happen, maybe he can too. He's probably just making sure you and I aren't about to try to bring Tom back. We both know he's trying to come back and he needs Harry and I to do it. He's probably just being extra careful. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," I soothed, hoping he would just let it go. What I didn't know was just how worried we really should've been.