Severus Snape, long time potions Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was headed briskly down the long corridor for Staff residences on his way to Dumbledore's office. Today was the day he was going to ask some much needed advice and he wasn't about to be late.

Severus pressed forward to deep in his thoughts to really take in his surroundings; one could tell by the constant jerking movements and the hand repeatedly running through his long, lank hair that he was agitated about something.

"Good morning Professor Snape! Where are you headed on this lovely morning?"

Snape jerked up and came to a sudden halt as he acknowledged the appearance of his colleague of three months, Leticia Selene.

Severus smiled and greeted his twenty-three-year-old apprentice,

"Good morning Leticia. I'm just headed to inquire something of the Headmaster . . . How is you're lesson plan coming along?"

Leticia's blue eyes twinkled, "Well I think it's going well but I suppose I won't really know until I try it on the students when they arrive next week!" She chuckled lightly and tossed her sheet of blonde hair over her shoulder.

Severus smiled, "I'm sure you're doing splendidly, well I best am continuing on my way."

Leticia nodded and gave a slight wave as she continued gracefully down the hall.

Severus watched after her before resuming his walking.

Without warning, loud music suddenly filled the corridor and echoed throughout the adjoining hallways creating a horrid whirlwind of melodic malfunction.

Severus froze mid-step and closed his eyes in obvious annoyance and despair . . . He knew exactly where the sound was coming from.

"Miss Stokes!" The words barely cut through the obnoxious muggle tune pumping through the door on his right.

"Miss Stokes, would you kindly join me in the hall for a moment . . . and turn that infernal muggle rubbish OFF!"
The music had stopped while he spoke so the word 'OFF' was echoing more wildly than the music had been. As the echo died down a be-spectacled face beneath a tousled mane of curly blonde hair peeked through the doorway. Soon joined by the long curvy figure of the new twenty-year-old Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Miss Stokes.

"Yes Severus, What's the trouble? Do you have a song request?" She smirked in her impish way.

Snape rolled his eyes in mild irritation,

"Miss Stokes . . . Must you have that blasted muggle music on? Surely it's not part of your preparations for lessons next week?"

She looked thoughtful, "If I said it was . . . would you believe me?"

He narrowed his eyes in reply.

"Apparently not."

"Would you just try and keep that rubbish down to wall-shaking volume please?"

Miss Stokes raised her dark, well-arched eye-brows and adjusted her glasses in a business-like manner,

"First of all, Jack Johnson is hardly 'Rubbish', quite the opposite really. Secondly, I'm pretty sure I wasn't disturbing anyone since its Saturday and everyone's gone out for the day." She raised the brows all the higher as though to say, 'So if you don't want to hear it you should probably go outas well.'
Severus cocked an eye-brow at her but finally surrendered in the battle of wills,

"Just remember to keep the volume lower in the evenings and when your superiors are within ear-shot."

This was Miss Stokes cue to cock an eye-brow as well but simply shrugged and muttered, "Whatever Sevvy." and said good-bye.

Snape watched as the tall figure departed with a farewell flash of her brown eyes.

Severus found himself comparing these dark, flashing eyes to Leticia's twinkling blue ones. He definitely knew which he preferred.

This thought reminded him of his original destination and he cursed himself for letting himself get distracted.

He finally reached the headmaster's office without further impediment, stated the password (Liquorices whips) and walked the spiral staircase in a rush. Each step filled him with more and more dread.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk reading what looked like another apprenticeship application (They had been receiving an unusual amount of these since the end of the war.)

The old wizard glanced up and smiled warmly at his visitor.

"Severus," Albus greeted kindly, "I will be with you in a moment. It seems Mr. Longbottom wishes to apply for apprenticeship in the Herbology department."

Severus raised his eye-brows in alarm, but decided to let it pass,

'One crisis at a time.' He quickly told himself and cleared his throat.

"Professor Dumbledore, there is a . . . err . . . a personal matter of pressing importance that I had rather hoped for some advice."

Dumbledore chuckled slightly, "This wouldn't have anything to do with our new colleague would it?"

Severus had never blushed in his life but he was dangerously close to it now.

"Am I that obvious?" He asked with genuine fear now.

Albus shook his head, "No you have handled yourself with perfect decorum and detachedness."

Severus let out a sigh of relief, "Good because. . ."Dumbledore cut him off, "That wasn't a compliment Severus . . . You love the girl don't you?"

Snape stalked toward the visitor's chair and plopped down in defeated frustration.

"Very much so," He began rubbing his temples, "But why would she want me? She's so lovely and intelligent and young, and I'm . . . well I'm myself, a fact that has repelled many women before her." He concluded pointedly.

Albus looked amused, "Severus, I believe she already does want you. The other night when you disappeared at dinner? She was the first to notice, completely failed at pretending to be casual about it as well."

Severus perked up a little at that and smiled quietly to himself. He thought back in mild embarrassment of that evening spent carving 'L.S. S.S.' on an obliging tree only to perform a cloaking charm on it before anyone came out from dinner.

"I met her in the hall on my way here . . . I would have told her right then and there if I were only sure that she. . ." He sighed as he re-lived his encounter with the golden-haired goddess.

Dumbledore watched his reaction with his twinkling blue eyes.

"Severus, as you know I am the girl's favorite Great Uncle, and I know she has fallen in love, but she won't say a word until you have declared your affections in some dramatic way. . .It's the hopeless romantic in her." He chuckled quietly and looked across his desk at a photograph of a pretty, blonde girl with bright eyes, waving cheerily from her frame.

Severus followed his gaze and watched the picture with a soft expression.

"You're right Albus . . . I'll go tell her right now."

Severus strode back down the hall like a man on a mission, ignoring the whispering portraits and creaking sets of armor as he approached the Teacher's corridor.

He quickly turned a corner only to find himself face to face with Leticia Selene.

She smiled brightly, "Hello Professor! Lovely running into you again . . . Are you too busy to perhaps join me for a cup of tea and maybe a look at my notes?"

Severus looked past her impatiently,

"Sorry, I'm afraid I have some pressing business to attend to, if you'll excuse me."

He quickly stepped around Leticia and left twinkling eyes watching after him in bewilderment.

Severus rolled his eyes and thought, 'my, what an over-eager little suck-up!' and continued toward the far door to his left.

He straightened up and knocked deliberately on the hard wood, well aware that he was mere feet away from the goddess he had been worshipping for past two months.

The door opened and there, in Severus' view, stood none other than Lea Stokes; tall, blonde and, in Severus' eyes, perfect.

At first she looked surprised but then smiled warmly at her visitor,

"Hey there Sevvy, I turned my music down . . . Or are you here for something else?"

Severus nodded, never looking away from her eyes; His favorite feature, no doubt. For when they weren't flashing irresistibly they seemed to glow from the borrowed light of whatever she graced with her gaze.

Using every ounce of courage within him, Severus knelt down on one knee before his goddess and stared up into the glowing, intelligent orbs shining through her glasses.

Severus took a deep breath and breathed out, "I love you Lea Stokes."

Lea beamed and bent down so she was perched on his knee with her arms around his neck.

"I know." She piped matter-of-factly, then, to Severus' delight pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

When she finally pulled away she was still grinning from ear to ear.

"What took you so long?" was all she whispered before pulling him into yet another kiss before he could answer.

Moral of the story: Never assume.

-The End or maybe The Beginning.

Ha ha ha! I like to flatter myself that you had no idea that twist was coming. But when I stand back and marvel at the intelligence of my readers I am forced to admit that you probably caught on as soon as I introduced my second OC. Ah well, please review!