She Deserves Better.

"Hmph!" she heard Severus grumble and he slammed the door of her office behind him, startling her that evening.

She stood up. "What's wrong, love?" Alexis asked as she rubbed his shoulders, trying to calm him down. 

"That old fool takes me for granted!" Severus muttered angrily.

"Old fool? What do you mean?" Alexis asked as she made Severus sit on her chair and she gently stroked his hair.

"Dumbledore refuses to tell me everything." he muttered angrily. "Yet he expects me, expects us to do as told!" he looked at her. "Did Potter tell you anything? Anything about what he does in the evenings with Dumbledore?" 

Alexis frowned. "No." she said slowly. "I did not even know he had been spending time with Dumbledore." 

"He takes us for granted! I don't want to do this!" Severus sounded frustrated.

"Sev!" Alexis grabbed his hands. "Calm down, dear. Maybe, he has his reason." she said, her eyes searching into his. "And I don't want to do it either." her voice softened. "But we're doing it for Harry, to keep Lily's son safe, for me too, Sev." 

Severus looked at her. He closed his eyes and sighed. He felt her arms slither around his neck. "I know it's hard, but we've got to do it. You're a strong man, Severus." 

"What would I do without you, Alex." Severus said softly as he felt her press her lips on his forehead. 
*********************************Alexis woke up in the middle of the night to find the other side of the bed empty. She felt exhausted from taking care of Draco the whole day and in between classes, yet she could not sleep peacefully.

 She opened her eyes fully and saw that Severus was not in bed. 

"Severus?" she called out into the dark, wondering where he could be. It was almost one in the morning.

There was no answer. She sat up and using her wand, switched on the lights in the room. She called out Severus's name again and there was no answer. Severus was not there.

Alexis panicked a little and got out of bed. She put on her on her robe. "Maybe he's at his office." she mumured to herself as she took her wand and left their room.

The school was cold, dark and quiet at that time of the night. She went to his office and classrooms. He was not there. Quickly, she went to Dumbledore's office. She felt herself calming down at two faint voices in the distant, both of those she recognised as Dumbledore and Severus.

Curiosity got the best of her. Why was Severus meeting Dumbledore late at night? She stepped to Dumbledore's office quietly, trying to listen to the conversation. The door was slightly opened and she saw Severus sitting on the chair, Dumbledore next to him, both their back facing her. 

"... a fragment of voldemort was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself on to the only living soul left in that collapsing building." she heard Dumbledore say.

Dumbledore's voice seemed to soften and Alexis leaned to the door closer. 

"And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldmeort, remains attached to and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die."

"So the boy must die?" she heard Snape ask quite calmly. 

Alexis froze. She could hardly believe her ears. The rest of the conversation was faint as Alexis closed her eyes for a second as she heard trying to catch her breath as she heard Lily's name.

"You have kept him alive so he can die at the right moment?" Severus said.

"Don't be shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?"

"Lately, only those whom I cannot save." Severus stood up. "You have used me." 

"Meaning?" Dumbledore asked. 

"I have spied for you, and lied for you, put myself and even my wife in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter son- Alexis's godson safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter-"

"But this is touching, Severus." said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy after all?" 

"For him?" Severus shouted. "Expecto Patronum!"

She saw a silver doe landed from the tip of Severus's wand and bounce onto the office floor and slip out the window. From the fading silver glow, she saw Severus turn his head slightly, tears in her eyes. 

Alexis took a step back and a gasp escaped, and Dumbledore and Severus turned, their faces surprised when they saw her.

Alexis turned and run, Severus's voice calling her name faded away. She had no idea where she was running, she let her feet lead the way. She felt suffocated, she could not breathe. Her vision was blurried by the tears. 

Harry. The boy she loved like her own son had to sacrifice himself. She felt sick to her stomach. She tried to push the image of the silver doe away, but it just came coming back. Why was she crying about that. She did not know. She knew she would never have his whole heart.

She stopped running, her lungs taking deep breaths as she looked around. It was dark and she was surrounded by trees. She realised she was at the forbidden forest. She took a breath as two stopped sobbing. Her robes felt wet and she realised it was raining.

She slowly tried to make her way out but she tripped on something hard and fell.

Grunting, she tried to get up, but a sharp pain in her right leg stopped her. "Aaah!" she screamed. She saw her wand at a distance and leaned forward and tried to grab it. As she did so, her hand brushed across the floor. The 'thing' moved and she heard a hiss. She froze as she felt it slither across her arm. Trying to shake it off, Alexis only made it angry and she felt a bite on her hand. Her eyes grew big as she realised a highly venomous snake had bitten her. She muttered the killing curse and the hissing stopped, the snake was motionless.

Almost instantly, she felt pain shot through her body. She started crying as she tried to conjure a patronus, hoping to get help or send a message like Dumbledore had taught her, but her pain and her sadness, which led her there, failed to let her get help.

She tried again. "Expecto Patronum!" she said, her voice hoarse. She felt herself getting weaker as the rain grew heavier, the venom flowing through her. Her body was shaking due to the cold and she was having a fever. Being a healer, she knew there was no spell that can stop the venom, she needed a potion. And there was no use to cast a spell on her leg, she would still be too weak to walk. 

She croaked a cry for help, but stopped when she realised nobody would hear her. She pushed her negative thoughts away and cried for help, knowing it was her only resort if she wanted to live.

"Severus! Where are you?" she whispered, the rain mixing with her tears.