Susanna Aarons looked at the invitation in her hands.

Faculty Christmas Party
Come one, come all to
Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart's room
on Christmas Eve
for a little fun!
(Plenty of Firewhiskey and Rosmerta's mead available.)

She wasn't one for parties, but she knew that if she didn't attend, Lockhart would hunt her down and make her life horrible for the rest of his time here. She'd been here for a while, and she intended to stick around for a while longer. She was hired as the Ancient Runes professor around the same time that Sibyl Trelawney was hired for Divination and Severus Snape was brought on for Potions.

Snape.

Snape.

Severus Snape.

Dark, mysterious, gorgeous in that harsh-to-hide-his-vulnerabilities way. Well, that was her theory. There had to be some reason he never smiled. He was hurting. And she could heal him.

That was the other reason she would go. Snape absolutely abhorred parties, but Dumbledore would make him go for his own good. And Severus always listens to Dumbledore.

Well, Lockhart was right about one thing. There was plenty of drink available. Even after Hagrid drank a barrel of mead by himself, there was a lot to go around. Susanna downed her fifth shot of the strongest Firewhiskey there, feeling braver by the moment. She watched Severus sulking in a corner, sipping the only glass of mead he had poured himself all evening. Most of the staff chose to wear casual robes, while she had opted for the jeans and button-down blouse style her Muggle parents had supplied for her in her school years. Only Severus retained his perpetual heavy black robe.

Okay, Susanna thought. I'm gonna do it now. Well… She knocked back a sixth shot of Ogden's Best. Now I'm ready. As she looked for Severus though, she realized he must have been at the party for as short a time as possible, then left. She bolted toward the door, dodging people, eager to catch him before he left. She reached the corridor and looked around, seeing the hem of his black robes whipping out of sight. She chased after him, yelling, "Severus!" in hopes that he would turn around.

It worked. He stopped and doubled back. "Yes, Susanna?"

Merlin, how she loved to hear him say her name. "Just, er, wondering…how you're doing." That sounded like a normal thing for a colleague to say, right?

"I've been better," he replied shortly. He sniffed a moment, then asked, "How much did you drink?"

"Not that much," Susanna replied, realizing exactly how slurred her words were.

"Well, then." Severus walked a few more steps with her, then led her into an empty classroom. He shut the door and lit a few candles in their brackets before turning to Susanna. He produced something from a pocket of his robe, and held it out to her. "It won't do for the students to see you stumbling through the halls drunk. This should sober you up."

Susanna picked the small vial off his hand, looked at it for a moment, then dashed it against the floor. "I don't want to be sober," she said simply at his incredulous expression. "It's Christmas, and something is attacking the students. I deserve to be a little drunk. So do you. So what are you punishing yourself for?" She stepped forward so there was barely an inch between their bodies. "What hurt you so deeply?" She reached up and touched his face. "What do I need to fix?"

Severus turned his head away. "You can't fix it. Nobody can."

Susanna turned his face back toward her. "Wanna bet?"

She jumped at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Her lips found his. He was still stepping backward to keep from losing his balance after she jumped, so he bumped into the wall. His lips moved against hers. He instinctively placed his hands under her to support her, though her legs were plenty strong. He opened his mouth, and she slid her tongue into his mouth. As he gently flicked his tongue against hers, she moaned in pleasure and ran her hands up his neck, knotting her fingers in his hair.

He sought the desk across the room. He stumbled across, still holding her, their lips glued together. Eventually, his foot hit the table leg and he perched Susanna on the edge. Severus used his newly freed hands to pull her shirt up slightly in the back to feel her smooth skin against his. It was warm and he wanted to feel more of her. He moved his hands to the front and began awkwardly undoing the buttons from the top down. When he slid the shirt off her shoulders, she gasped, half due to the shock of the cold air and half due to the lack of oxygen her brain was getting. Then she busied herself with removing his robe, stopping only when he stood before her shirtless. She moved back in, her hands gliding over his bare chest and back. She had long ago dropped her legs from around his waist, but kept him there by tugging him closer by his belt buckle every time he moved slightly away.

Severus lifted one knee up onto the desk, then the other, so he was over Susanna, who was still sitting. She scooted backward a little ways and lay down, pulling Severus down with her. He planted feather light kisses down her neck and across her collarbone, nibbling on her earlobe on the way back up. Susanna knew she was losing control, and fast, but she didn't want it back. She wanted to give in, to let herself be ruled by the pleasure he was showing her. The hand that had been pulling him closer by his belt began undoing the buckle.

Severus pulled away. "I'm not sure-"

"Shut up and kiss me," she murmured. He did so, licking the edge of her lip, causing her to let out a low groan.

The door burst open and two students, possible Prefects doing rounds, barged in holding hands. They were brought up short by the sight of what was spread all over the teacher's desk at the head of the room.

Severus looked up and glared at them. "Weasley! Clearwater! Out! Now!"

The teen couple fled, choosing the door behind them, but not before Susanna heard the girl say, "I didn't know Professor Aarons was such a BAMF."

Susanna giggled, making Severus laugh. "Well," she admitted, "the moment is gone." She pushed him off her, then hopped up and began dressing again.

"Thanks."

Susanna looked at Severus still sitting on the desk. "For what?" she asked.

"My Christmas present."

"You're welcome. What was it?"

"A happy moment."

She buttoned her last button and walked out. She may not have completely mended him, but it was one stitch to put his heart back together.