"I don't understand why you're leaving," said Neville. A small group had collected around Lindsay's fireplace. All of her things were packed and stacked on the coffee table.
"We all know Umbridge hates me, and it's only a matter of time before she evicts me from the castle."
"She hasn't the authority," said Hermione.
"Not yet," replied Lindsay.
"You're not coming back, are you?" said Ginny.
"No, I really don't belong here. We all know that."
"You shouldn't let Umbridge get to you," said Fred.
"It's for the best," said Lindsay.
"No, it's not," said George.
"It's nearly Christmas anyway, and I always have plans for the holidays. Stop looking so forlorn. You're all making me feel bad. Would hugs be too much to ask?" George held out until last, and had just released his embrace when Professor Snape walked in unannounced.
"All of you go back to your common room," said Snape without actually looking at any of the students. He caught Lindsay's eye and pointed to the pile of bags and cases on the coffee table. "Is that everything?"
"Yes, Professor."
Snape shrunk Lindsay's belongings and put them in his pocket. He moved to the fireplace, threw a handful of floo powder in, and stepped into the resulting green flames and disappeared.
"I hope you'll all keep in touch and visit. You know how much I love having house guests. I have to go; can't keep the Professor waiting." Lindsay turned and disappeared into the emerald flames. Just as soon as she was gone, the fireplace began to shrink and disappear. The furniture did the same. Then the walls began to close in.
"The room's closing," said George morosely and everyone began to file out, except for Neville.
"They do seem to be getting chummy," said Hermione as she exited the shrinking room.
"Give it a rest, Granger," said Fred.
"I merely stated my observation," replied Hermione snottily.
Ginny tugged his hand. "Time to go, Neville."
###
Lindsay emerged in her dining room patting dust off of her clothes. "Where do you want your things?" said Snape.
"Just leave them on the table please. I'll put everything away in a bit." Snape did as requested. He drew his wand and walked to the doorway murmuring under his breath.
"What are you doing, Professor?"
"Warding your house."
"Against what?"
Snape dropped his wand and whirled around. "Surely you can't be that stupid?"
"I certainly hope not," replied Lindsay. "But I can't imagine why any Death Eaters would storm my home when they know I belong to one of their fellows."
"Don't think that associating with me affords you any safety. The Dark Lord is capricious."
"Alright, Professor, do as you see fit." Lindsay set about unpacking and later left for a quick trip to the grocery store. The house was silent and undisturbed when she returned. She put her groceries away and went downstairs to check one of the rooms that always filled with water when it rained. She reached the bottom of the steps and a black-clad figure stepped in front of her. "Oh! Professor, you scared the bejesus out of me!"
"I told you I was warding the house."
"I thought you'd left."
"Obviously not." He pointed to the room he'd just exited. "You have a rather large amount of stored alcohol for a non-drinker."
"It came with the house. The former owner was a collector. Would you like any of it?"
"The Belgian ale looks appealing."
"I'll be right back. I have some beer mugs upstairs." Lindsay turned, but only managed to put a single foot on the bottom step.
"Accio beer mug," said Snape and a glass mug flew downstairs and into his hand. He handed it to her. "You know that spell. I'm sure you do."
"It doesn't work for me, Professor. I have to be touching something that the object is touching to manipulate it."
"Touch the wall; that should work."
"It's too far away."
She moved past him and entered the cold-room. She held the mug under the tap and began pouring the ale. Snape lurched forward and took hold of the mug, turning it on an angle. "You must hold it at an angle or it will be nothing but foam."
"Sorry, I didn't know that."
"Clearly." He sipped it, but didn't comment, nor did his expression change.
"Is it good?"
"Yes."
"Would you like a little tour of the...cellar?" Snape just glared at her. "I know you've been walking around the place, but it doesn't have the same ambiance without an escort." They stepped into the hall. "Those rooms down there were used mostly for storage. The fuse box is down there too." Lindsay moved into a long room that was completely devoid of decoration. It had a row of old windows facing the outside and an outside door. A second door sat off to one side. There was a large puddle on the stone floor. "This large room here was the original kitchen. The kitchen was moved upstairs in the forties, and I had it updated when I moved in. As you can see, this room collects rainwater. I meant to remodel the cellar rooms over the summer, but I did the garden instead. To be honest, I have no idea what to do with the space. The house is too much for me as it is."
Lindsay moved to the side door and attempted to force it open. The wood was swollen from all the dampness in the room. Snape took out his wand, pointed it at the door, and it swung open effortlessly; although the hinges did protest loudly. They entered a smaller room that was also completely empty and piled with the dirty accumulation of time and disuse. This room also had a door that led outside, but no window. It had a small closet and a bricked-up fireplace. "I'm not sure what this room was used for. I think it might have been a dining room for the help. The outside door in this room usually opens. The one in the kitchen always sticks."
Lindsay wrestled the door open to reveal an area that Snape hadn't found during his wandering. He looked around the doorjamb, but didn't go outside. It had rained heavily the day before and the entire area was flooded. It was a long narrow space that was walled-in on three sides. A crumbling flight of steps led up one side, in the direction of the main garden, and disappeared into the wild overgrown shrubbery that had been planted at the top of the walls and had grown unattended for decades. It was a dreary desolate space. Snape loved it. Its size and shape would be perfect for dueling.
"I have no idea what this space was used for," said Lindsay. "It seems a very unlikely place for an herb garden, or any kind of garden for that matter. It's just a mud pit now."
"You say you're unsure how to remodel this area. Would you be willing to consider some ideas?"
"Certainly, I would," said Lindsay excitedly. "I have a study upstairs. We can draw up some plans, if you like?"
###
"I do most of my writing in here," said Lindsay as she escorted Snape into her study. It was a cheerful sunny room decorated in lavender, pink, and soft yellow. She didn't change the original dark wood paneling, but the rest of the room was brightly colored and very feminine. "I have my art supplies in another larger room, but I keep a small drafting table in here. I did a little drafting in school. I haven't done much since then, but I can still draw up simple floorplans."
There was a tall stool in front of the drafting table and Snape conjured an identical one next to it and sat down. Lindsay was already seated and picking through her drafting supplies. She had a pencil in one hand and a compass in the other. "It won't take long to sketch out the cellar..."
Snape took hold of her hand and pulled the pencil out it, laying it on the drafting table. "Manual drawing will take too long, and I haven't all day to do this." Lindsay set her things on the table and wrung her hands. Snape's request made her nervous. He placed his long thin hand on her hands and squeezed lightly. "It's high time you faced your fears, Miss Gray. This Adam fellow's been dead for a long time. He can't hurt you anymore, and you won't hurt anyone either if you learn to accept and control your magic."
Lindsay placed all the tools she'd need on the table and rested her hands on the bottom. She knew she could do this and it took little effort for her to make the drawing tools speed across the paper. Snape sat silently next to her with his arms folded over his chest. It seemed a strange thing to her that his nearness didn't upset her. She found his company oddly comforting; not in the same way as Albus' uplifting presence, but a comfort in its own way.
She'd been physically close to him on numerous occasions. He usually smelled strongly of Potions ingredients, which could be anywhere from very pleasant to very unpleasant. Today was Saturday and Snape hadn't been brewing anything. Despite his appearance being as ill-groomed as ever, Lindsay could smell the light yet masculine scent of pine wafting from his body.
Snape's nearness didn't bring back visions of her evening with the Dark Lord; it was usually in nightmares that she relived those events. When she did recall those horrid events, it was always Adam's face she saw above her, not Snape's. He was a victim just as much as she and she just couldn't lay blame on him. The events of that terrible evening would haunt her for the rest of her life, but she would learn to deal with them in time. Snape was a complicated man and difficult to read, but Lindsay sensed humanity in him, a humanity that was deeply wounded and that compelled her to forgive him.
He had every opportunity to accost her, yet he neither said nor did anything untoward. Snape was his usual icy self. It could be argued that he feared Dumbledore's wrath if he took advantage of her, but Lindsay's intuition said otherwise. Snape was very clever and if he really wanted to hurt her, he could easily do it without anyone knowing. Lindsay's experience with Adam taught her how predatory men behave. Adam often flirted with her when her parents and siblings were out of the room or preoccupied. She was too young then to understand the true meaning behind his behavior. And later, when he had her alone, he took advantage of her helplessness and enjoyed every minute of it. Adam said things to her that he shouldn't have, he touched her in ways he shouldn't have, and he enjoyed her growing fear of him. In spite of his good looks and charm, Adam was the ugliest most frightful person she'd ever met, until she encountered Voldemort. Snape was nothing like either of them.
The drawing tools halted and piled themselves on the side of the table. Lindsay rested her hands on her knees. Snape immediately began talking, and his plans for the cellar were well thought out. He pointed at the floorplans as he spoke. "Those two empty rooms there will serve as storage for potions ingredients. I like to separate the innocuous ingredients from the dangerous ones. The room across the hall can store finished potions. The former kitchen will make an adequate Potions laboratory, and the room off the former kitchen will serve as a study. The 'mud pit,' as you refer to it, would make an excellent space for dueling. I suggest paving it in stone or brick and removing those steps that lead into the garden; they're crumbling and serve no useful purpose."
"I think I'd prefer stone over brick..."
"I don't care what it looks like, so I'll leave the finer details to you." Snape rose from the stool. "I must go. I have a meeting with the Headmaster." He disapparated with a tiny pop.
"I guess I have my orders then, " laughed Lindsay. She would take the floorplans to her contractor on Monday morning. She was eager to sort out the finer details of the remodeling and get construction underway.