Severus's letter came in the morning. It was there on his desk when he came out of his quarters. He frowned a little, as he would have liked to have seen her again, but the disappointment passed as he sat down to read the letter.
November 1, 1991
Dear Severus,
Wow. You did have an exciting night. I'm just glad you got to Quirrell when you did. That could have been disastrous had you been too late. I'm just sorry that you got yourself injured. Now you have my curiosity heightened about what's hidden inside the castle that he wants so badly. I know you can't tell me though. There are some secrets you have to keep.
Harry and Ron defeated the troll? That's amazing. I can totally understand you being both angry and proud of him. That is quite an accomplishment for a first year student. But I would say we can expect great things from that little boy.
I'm sorry for scaring you last night. But I really wanted to see that you were okay.
I have some news. Jo is moving in with Chad for a while. He asked her to. I don't think it's going to be permanent. I think it's just until she's sure he won't be attacked by those Death Eaters again. That means I don't have to try and hide my letters anymore. (Jo has been dying to read them.) I will get lonely sometimes, but I can always come and visit you at Hogwarts if I want to, right? You're welcome at the apartment as well. Anytime. It will be a little weird without Jo here, but I'll get used to it after a while.
The way you reacted about Brandon was too sweet. Thank you. It means the world to me that you care about me so much. I don't care what anyone thinks of you, I think you are the best of men, Severus. From the bottom of my heart. I am so glad I met you.
I hope you can keep trouble at bay at school. Good luck and BE SAFE. No more injuries.
Love,
Lucy
He smiled as he finished reading and immediately began writing a reply. He would send it out first thing in the morning. Although he had no idea that it wouldn't go as planned.
~ * ~
Lucy had just gotten up and fixed breakfast when she noticed Speedy circling the apartment building. She smiled to herself and hurriedly opened the window for her. She flew in, gave her the letter in her beak and flew back out again. Lucy didn't even bother to eat before she was tearing the letter open. For some reason she couldn't wait to read the words on the page.
November 3, 1991
Dear Lucy,
Jo is leaving the apartment? That is news I didn't expect to hear. You will be lonely for a while. Thank you for inviting me over. I think I may have to take you up on that some weekend when classes are resting.
You didn't really scare me, even though I said you did. It was more of a shock to see a woman walk thorugh my wall. I expect that from an owl, but I still haven't got used to seeing you do it in human form yet. I'm just flattered that you came all the way to Hogwarts to check on me. That was really nice of you.
I wanted to ask you something, Lucy. How are you doing with your black outs? You haven't mentioned them. Have you had anymore? I just think about it a lot and I worry about you now that I know you're going to be in the apartment alone.
Thank you for what you said about me. I don't think anyone would ever say that about me again. I can't deny it. I do care about you. You've been a wonderful friend to me, Lucy, better than I ever could have asked for. I'm always going to be there for you. Whatever you need. I promise.
Always,
Severus
P.S. I will do my best to keep trouble down at Hogwarts. Take care of yourself.
Lucy put the letter aside. She was going to eat her breakfast and then she had some things to do before she could write him back. It was going to be a long three days.
~ * ~
November 6, 1991
Dear Severus,
Sorry it took me a few days. I didn't realize I had that much catching up to do with my cleaning and things. No blackouts. Not yet. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Maybe they're gone for good. The tonic I have really seems to be helping. I will make you a deal though. Since we are both so busy (I know you are busy too) let's write every three days. If you don't get a letter from me three days after you send yours, I want you to come and check on me. Will that ease your worry a little? I hope so. That way at least I know if something does happen to me that you will be there.
The apartment is so empty without Jo here! She and Chad did come to visit last night. It was fun. We just talked and laughed about things. I relish moments like those. You never know when someone is going to be taken from you, you know? (Of course you do. Stupid question. Sorry.) We did have a serious discussion during their visit about Chad's attack. He described the Death Eaters to me. He said the only thing he could remember was their voices. He said the main one had a deeper voice and he sounded exceedingly arrogant. Chad also confirmed my worst fear. His attackers asked him about the "phantom". Apparently that's what they're calling me nowadays. Anyway, the point is that thought the "phantom" was Jo. Chad wasn't the one they were after. She was. I told her that because of that she has to check in with me everyday, but she just laughed it off. She's convinced that they won't try again. I've taken to flying (as Lulu) and checking up on her. If she knew she wouldn't like it, but I can't chance losing her, Severus. She is my only other best friend besides you.
Thank you for promising to be there for me. I know I can always count on you.
Hey, I noticed you changed your closing. Always? You have me curious agian. Why always? Please explain if you will....
Love,
Lucy
~ * ~
November 9, 1991
Dear Lucy,
I'm sorry to hear that those mongrels are after Jo, but please don't do anything rash. Don't go looking for them or anything. Trust me when I say that they will be relentless in their search for this "phantom". I don't recall the Dark Lord saying anything about it myself, but I wasn't present at the last meeting they had before he disappeared. I had other things to do. Dumbledore needed me. Of course he thought I was spying for him so he didn't question it. I don't blame you for making sure Jo is okay. I would do the exact same thing.
I'm glad to hear that you haven't had any black outs. That's wonderful news.
I apologize that I keep lifting your curiosity. I swear I don't mean to. I changed the closing to "Always" because I've always liked that word. It means forever, invariably, at all times and on all occasions. I'm not sure why I wrote it like that. But it just seemed to express how I felt at the time. I felt we've moved past the "Sincerely" stage.
I think it is a good idea to write every three days. That gives us time to breathe in between. And I definitely like the idea of me coming to check on you if your reply is longer than that. It does ease my worries a little. Thank you.
I want to ask you a question. There is a ball about a week from now, and I know I won't get a reply until the day before it happens, but I was wondering if you would accompany me? I would be delighted if you would be my date. It's just for the staff, something to let us blow off a little steam and relax. I made sure it was okay with Dumbledore for me to bring you and it would give you a chance to meet some of my colleagues. It's going to be held at Hogwarts after the students have gone to bed on the 13th. Let me know. There is absolutely no pressure.
Always,
Severus
~ * ~
November 12, 1991
Dear Severus,
I was so excited when I got the letter. Of course I'll go with you! I would love to meet some of your colleagues and I would get to spend the night on your arm. That's a win win situation. I was so flattered that you asked me. I went out and bought my dress that night. I hope that you like it. It's blue. But that's all I'm going to tell you about it. I don't want to spoil the surprise. I didn't even know they had dances at Hogwarts. I'll bet they are something. I'm going to come to your office and we'll go from there. I hope that's okay.
As for the Death Eaters, I know they are relentless. I promise I won't do anything stupid. Jo came back over to the house. All seems to be well there with her and Chad. Maybe they decided to be preoccupied with something else for a while. Who knows?
Aw. The reason you gave for using "Always" was eye opening. You have such a romantic side. No one ever gets to see it. You should let it out more. But I know what you're going to say. You have a reputation to uphold. I get it. But still it's...nice to see the side of you every once in a while. I agree with you. We are past the "Sincerely" stage. Way past.
I can't wait until tomorrow evening. I will see you then. We'll dance the night away.
Love,
Lucy
Severus grinned as he read the letter over again. He was ecstatic on the inside. She had said "yes"! She was coming to the ball. Suddenly he got very nervous. What would his co-workers say about her being there with him? What would they think? He swallowed nervously. Maybe he hadn't entirely thought it through, but he loved her and he wanted her there. Dumbledore had been delighted with the idea of Lucy visiting the castle again. Of course he knew how Severus felt about her. He sighed. He just hoped the night would go off without a hitch. But little did he know things were not going to go exactly according to plan...