An Unusual Usual Weekend -Severus-

[Alexandra Evans]

In the two years since she had graduated Hogwarts, Alex had done her best to keep in contact with her father. Of course, though she still resided at Spinners End, the home in which they had both grown up, the tall redhead was hardly there during the summers, and her father preferred to stay at Hogwarts during the Christmas and Easter holidays. Thusly, they had arranged that they would get together at least one weekend a month, to keep one another at least somewhat in -the-know about their lives. Well, truth be told, this was mostly Alex's idea, as she knew that neither she nor her father would fight to keep contact otherwise, just because of the kind of people they were.

As to the arrangement itself, Alex had always disliked how much it seemed like some business transaction, and so she had done what little she could to remedy that. She made it a point to drop by never twice on the same weekend of the month, and sometimes came twice a month just our of sheer boredom. Not that she didn't like spending time with her father; she did enjoy it, but sometimes she would rather have been lectured on her potion-making skills rather than endure the silence of Spinners End for another moment. Of course, all things considered, she supposed that was her own fault.

She had never made a point of being close to anyone, and she had disliked the few people who would put up with her semi-bipolarity, so she didn't have friends. Her father had subtly pointed out over the years that it was unhealthy that she didn't have anyone she could spend time with, but she had simply turned that argument back onto him, and so the subject had been dropped. Therefore, Alex would continue this little ritual of theirs. Though she would never tell anyone, it helped her keep her sanity when she wasn't working her butt off.

Brushing a lock of auburn hair behind her ear, Alex broke from her musings. As she made her way down the dungeon corridor to her father's office, she considered her outfit. Ink-rinse muggle jeans hugged her legs nicely, and a gently fitted dress shirt of Slytherin emerald adorned her top half. Small-heeled boots made slight clicking sounds as she walked. A pairs of emerald stud earrings graced her ears, and a simple silver bangle hung from one bony wrist. Yes, her wrists were bony, just was the rest of her was; truth be told, she'd been slipping back into some of her old habits lately, and hoped that her father wouldn't notice... And if he did, that he didn't lecture her too much about her slipping slightly back into her anorexic vices.

Shaking the unneeded thoughts from her mind, Alex gently but firmly knocked upoin the door to her father's office, once she reached it.

What would happen today, only time would tell.

---

TAGGED: Severus
WORD COUNT: 544
OUTFIT: HERE
NOTES: The thread is here! XD

[Severus Snape]

It was the weekend, finally. He was sick of his students lazing around and not completing their work, it was very annoying to hear all the excuses "quidditch practice" "other homework" "my cat ate it" he was sick of all of them. Luckily, he put his detention off on another teacher so he didn't have to hear them complain.

He opened his office door and saw his daughter in there, she looked very thin. He wasn't going to dwell on it, her eating habits were none of his buisness and its not like she listened to him anyway. He smiled at her, though it looked like a grimmace. He walked behind his desk and took a seat. He folded his hands together and rested his elbows on the table and he looked at his daughter. She had Lily's eyes, or atleast it looked so in the lighting of his dimmly lit office.

"Take a seat" He said pointing to the seat near him.

He loved his daughter, really, he did. But he couldn't help but think shes the reason why Lilly never married him, she sure didn't help the cause.. and now look at her? She's gone for ever. If she just married him then she wouldn't be dead.

[Alexandra Evans]

Always able to read her father's expressions slightly better than most, Alex knew that the grimace was his way of a smile. She returned it with her own small, slightly crooked smile, though to anyone else, it would have seemed just like a cynical twist to one side of her mouth. She bit her bottom lip slightly, when she saw his eyes rake over her frame. Hell, even she knew she was skinnier than she should be, but her anorexia and getting over it/relapsing was still a work in progress. Yes, it had been two years, but it was still something that she had to fight with every day. She didn't know how long exactly it would take her to come to terms with it completely, but she would do it, eventually.

Wincing slightly at the disappointment she could easily read from her father's expression, the tall redhead stepped into the room and closed the door behind herself. Moving to the indicated chair, she settled down into it, her gaze always on her father. She knew her eyes looked green in the slightly dim lighting of the office, but hoped that this didn't put her father off too much. Attempting humor, but already knowing that she wouldn't succeed, Alex inquired, "I take it your students are still as incompetent as ever?" The twist to her lips was back, as she gave a low, mirthless laugh. "If it's any consolation, they don't get any smarter; half the clients of the apothecary don't know what they need or want, and the students only only because of their school lists - and Hell, even then they don't know which end is on most of the things they need."

Dropping her gaze to her folded hands in her lap for a moment, Alex gathered her thoughts. Lifting her gaze back up to lock with her father's, she spoke again. "No, I didn't come here just for that. Simply put, I need some advice." Taking a breath, she soldiered ahead, not stopping to question her sanity or the repercussions of what she was about to ask. "Have you ever... Thought that you... Loved someone, but there was someone else for them already?" By this point, Alex couldn't keep the anxiety from her face, or from her voice. She hoped that she didn't look weak in her father's eyes; she'd already been in that position once, when she was hospitalized during her sixth year, and never wanted to be there again.

In short, her father's approval, and his being proud of her, meant just about everything to Alex, so, that she had come to him for this kind of advice was a testament to that.

---

TAGGED: Severus.
WORD COUNT: 546.
OUTFIT: HERE.
NOTES: I'm working out the kinks with the "someone" Alex mentioned... Alex may have herself a girlfriend yet. *smirks* All I can really say is, Severus may have more of a headache to deal with when this is all over than before.

[Severus Snape]

Serverus' face twitched slightly at her comment. "Yes, they are" He said. Then he stared at her with a straight face, "I still don't see why you work there" he said slowly, "You have such great talents and they're going to waste"

Dissapointment was all over Serverus' face when she talked about her job. She should be something useful; a Healer, work at the Ministry, a teacher.. not someone who works in Diagon Alley to sell Potions.

Snape listened to her words and when he said advice he nodded his head as if to say 'go on' he folded his hands and watched her, she looked weak. When ever she looks weak it reminds him of when he called Lilly 'Mudblood' back at school and when he found her dead. When Alex said the last part of the sentance Severous stood up nearly knocking his chair over. He looked at her in utter disgust.

"How DARE you talk about such things. You know that I miss you mother. You know Potter married her and I didn't" Snape yelled in her face. He took out his wand and held it behind his back.

[Alexandra Evans]

Alex refrained from rolling her eyes at her father's comment, though at the same time she couldn't help but feel slightly giddy. She did the best she could to keep it from her face and voice, knowing she succeeded in that she managed to calm herself before speaking. "It's just a temporary job, you know that." The corner of her mouth twitched slightly; a small smirk touched her lips for a moment. "Temporary, that is, until you finally agree to take me on as your apprentice." She knew it was bold, but it was the truth. Alex had been at her father - subtly of course - since she graduated to apprentice her; she would work at the apothecary until he relented and agreed.

Needless to say, she'd resigned herself to a rather long wait.

Pausing, she heard her father out on what he next had to say. She knew she had been forthright, and just a bit stupid, perhaps, with her asking him for advice concerning her love life (or lack of one, up until this point) but she didn't know whom else to ask. She'd never been close to any of her other teachers, that was if what the father and daughter had could be called "close," and as she had never known her mother, that was out as well. Lacking any female she could speak to, she had gone to the person whom held her complete respect. She knew she probably shouldn't have, and it almost seemed like her arms pressed hard against the sharp bones of her hips (a sensation which always came over her, if she knew she had disappointed her father, reminding her of how he had called her a failure the one time he had visited her during her three-month stay in the ED/psych ward of St Mungos), but she had had no-one else to ask.

Alex's eyes widened just a fraction, and then she ducked her head, looking down at her hands, utterly shamed. "I'm sorry..." she murmured, struggling to keep her hurt from her voice. She would not cry; just because she'd been shirking hr medications lately didn't mean that she would break down here and now, in front of her father of all people. "I never meant to make you think of her." She knew he felt disgust for her - Hell, she disgusted herself half the time. Mostly when she did things she shouldn't - looking up the short skirts of fetching women, feeling weak because she didn't take her meds, when she ate too much had had to purge everything she'd eaten...

All of those things made Alex disgusted with herself, but nothing could match how much she loathed herself when she felt her father's disgust of her. Of course, speaking of such, she could feel her stomach trying to revolt - but she would only hurt herself. She hadn't eaten that day, and so what was threatening to come up, was merely acid and perhaps a bit of blood. Also, she could feel herself start to tremble slightly, as blackness began to shift at the edges of her vision; her nerves frayed and frazzled. The redhead clenched her hands into fists, to hopefully calm her body, but to no avail, as this just increased her lightheaded-ness.

She could feel the walls closing in - her father's expression of rage blurring slightly in front of her eyes. She needed to get out of that room. She needed to get out - she pushed the chair back a little, and tried to stand. She knew the desperation was beginning to show in her eyes, but didn't care; her mental state was fragile enough, what with how she had been neglecting her medications (appetite stimulant, two different kinds of mood-stabilizers, three different kinds of anti-depressants... all in potion form, of course, which she brewed and stocked herself, though she hadn't taken any for months). She could feel the emptiness clawing at her insides, begging her to feed it. She refused - she'd been doing so good this past week; she hadn't eaten for all of four days, and thanked God that she had had a few days vacation time saved up for this. Of course, perhaps standing hadn't been the smartest of ideas she had ever had... Alex felt the blood drain from her face, as she slowly felt herself begin to sway in place...

Grey, and then black descended upon her, as the stone floor rushed up to meet her.

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TAGGED: Severus.
WORD COUNT: 831.
OUTFIT: HERE.
NOTES: Sorry about the angst... It just seemed to fit... *knows she's a complete nut-job* XD