[A/N: Warning number one: I've taken a few liberties with the HP universe.
So if you are a purist, you might want to back away. Warning number two:
This is complete and utter fluff. If fluff is something you aren't into,
I'd quickly and without hesitation back away. Warning number three: If you
are still here at this point, I'll award 50 points to the house of your
choice. Cheers!]
"Where have you been?"
Willow jumped, startled, but didn't turn around right away. She had just stepped out the fireplace, traveling thanks to Floo powder and feeling a little dizzy because of it. Her errand had taken longer then expected.
She tried to school her features before she let Severus Snape see her face or he would ruin the surprise. Her face always gave it away and during their last two years together, he had become an expert on Willow mind reading. Quite creepy really.
"What?" she said in a small voice, very innocent like and stalling for time.
Snape was sitting in a high backed leather chair and partially hidden by the shadows cast by the waning sunlight. As usual, he was completely dressed in black and blended way too well with the dark. The only thing missing to complete the picture would have been a long haired white cat on his lap for his long fingers to lazily pet.
He leaned forward, glaring at her from across the room. "You know what I said."
"Shouldn't you be in your lab getting ready to leave?" Willow was finally able to look at him with a somewhat straight face.
"I am ready to leave. I have been ready to leave for an hour now and have been waiting for you ever since." Severus grounded out through clenched teeth. His nails were ready to puncture the leather on the armrests of his chair; his frustration was growing as he watched her casually place her cloak on the accustomed hook.
"Well, I have a million things to get packed. Not to mention the books I'll need over the next few months and the research papers and my clothes . . ." Willow trailed off, bouncing back and forth through the room as if it was a fire sale in Diagon Alley. ". . . And I also promised Minerva that I'd see her before we take off and I know you want to get an early start so I promise it to be a quick visit and I-"
Snape shot from his chair, grabbing Willow and startling her into silence. Usually he enjoyed her bouts of babbling but there had been an hour where his only companion was his imagination. "Willow. Where. Were. You?" He had her shoulders in his grip, not allowing her to escape without an answer.
This time she could look him in the face, only giving away a little ray of a smile, "It's a surprise."
"What confounded reason would make you think that leaving school grounds alone is a good idea?"
"That reason would be a surprise."
Snape was still holding her in his death grip, eyes, unblinking, demanding an answer he could live with. The man gave new definition to the word intense. "Tell me," he warned, willing to stand here all night.
"Sev, what's wrong?"
"Answer my question."
"No, and you know I can be just as stubborn as you are so you know I won't give. What is wrong?"
Snape dropped his arms, started to turn, "Nevermind." He stated, still angry.
"I don't think so, mister. Why are you so freaked?" She had him by the front of the robes and was now the one not letting him get away.
"Will," he gave a growling warning.
"Sev," she answered back in much the same tone.
"Why do you think?!" He exploded wrenching himself from her grasp. "I come back here, expecting to find you, and surprise you are not! So I do a locating spell and surprise again, you are not on school grounds! Dumbledore is in meetings at the Ministry and with the students gone for the summer, who would notice if something snuck in here to drag you off! You will have to excuse me if the word surprise does not ease my concern."
After his tirade, Snape looked down his nose at Willow, staring her down and daring her to respond. They were barely a foot apart and he was surprised to see that she was shaking so hard, he started to feel a twinge of remorse for being so harsh.
That was until she hit him up side the arm.
"What was that for?!"
"Oh-oh-oh! I'm so mad at you, I could spit! I was feeling all guilty for worrying you and then you had to go and be all insulting. What kind of witch do you take me for?!" She punctuated her statement by poking him in the chest with her finger. "Allow myself to be drug off without putting up a fight?" Poke. "Can't take care of myself?" Poke. "Helpless without the men-folk around to protect me, am I?"
Snape captured her hand before her finger could take another stab at him, "Now Will-"
"Don't 'Now Willow' me! If something bad had happened, I'm positive the whole school would have known about it, at full capacity or not. And furthermore-"
This time, it was Willow who was cut off in mid-sentence. Snape swiftly pulled her into his arms and captured her lips with his own. They kissed until they were both breathless, clutching each as if to part would mean to be lost in the darkness forever, each other's lifeline.
"That was so unfair." Willow whispered, not forgetting why she was mad at him but unable hold onto any of her anger.
"I was worried," Snape muttered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
"I know." Being this close to him always made her come undone. The first thing about Severus that had attracted Willow was his voice, of course. He had a voice that made her skin vibrate, her down lows tight. But the thing she was addicted to was his scent. It was smoky, spicy, and sinful all rolled into one. She couldn't get enough of it and was sure that if she could bottle it, every woman on the planet would thank her. But she didn't share. "Truce?"
"Truce."
"Uum, Sev?" She looked up, not wanting to ruin the moment but. "If we get any more distracted, we won't be leaving this room for three days. And if I remember correctly, you have a timetable that must be followed to the second. An extremely important timetable, highly detailed and color coordinated, planetary alignments were taken into consideration."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Me mock you? Never. But I am the one who will have to live with a cranky potions master if one of his delicate experiments goes sour." Willow bounced up and lightly planted a kiss to his cheek before bounding away to continue packing.
"How many times do I have to tell you," Snape sighed and sat back down to watch the red headed witch gather her belongings with endless energy. "Complicated, not delicate. You make it sound as if I work with flowers."
Her only response was a giggle at his disdain. For that, he decided not to help with a simple little spell to make the packing go much faster. Atleast, not for a little while.
End of Part One
"Where have you been?"
Willow jumped, startled, but didn't turn around right away. She had just stepped out the fireplace, traveling thanks to Floo powder and feeling a little dizzy because of it. Her errand had taken longer then expected.
She tried to school her features before she let Severus Snape see her face or he would ruin the surprise. Her face always gave it away and during their last two years together, he had become an expert on Willow mind reading. Quite creepy really.
"What?" she said in a small voice, very innocent like and stalling for time.
Snape was sitting in a high backed leather chair and partially hidden by the shadows cast by the waning sunlight. As usual, he was completely dressed in black and blended way too well with the dark. The only thing missing to complete the picture would have been a long haired white cat on his lap for his long fingers to lazily pet.
He leaned forward, glaring at her from across the room. "You know what I said."
"Shouldn't you be in your lab getting ready to leave?" Willow was finally able to look at him with a somewhat straight face.
"I am ready to leave. I have been ready to leave for an hour now and have been waiting for you ever since." Severus grounded out through clenched teeth. His nails were ready to puncture the leather on the armrests of his chair; his frustration was growing as he watched her casually place her cloak on the accustomed hook.
"Well, I have a million things to get packed. Not to mention the books I'll need over the next few months and the research papers and my clothes . . ." Willow trailed off, bouncing back and forth through the room as if it was a fire sale in Diagon Alley. ". . . And I also promised Minerva that I'd see her before we take off and I know you want to get an early start so I promise it to be a quick visit and I-"
Snape shot from his chair, grabbing Willow and startling her into silence. Usually he enjoyed her bouts of babbling but there had been an hour where his only companion was his imagination. "Willow. Where. Were. You?" He had her shoulders in his grip, not allowing her to escape without an answer.
This time she could look him in the face, only giving away a little ray of a smile, "It's a surprise."
"What confounded reason would make you think that leaving school grounds alone is a good idea?"
"That reason would be a surprise."
Snape was still holding her in his death grip, eyes, unblinking, demanding an answer he could live with. The man gave new definition to the word intense. "Tell me," he warned, willing to stand here all night.
"Sev, what's wrong?"
"Answer my question."
"No, and you know I can be just as stubborn as you are so you know I won't give. What is wrong?"
Snape dropped his arms, started to turn, "Nevermind." He stated, still angry.
"I don't think so, mister. Why are you so freaked?" She had him by the front of the robes and was now the one not letting him get away.
"Will," he gave a growling warning.
"Sev," she answered back in much the same tone.
"Why do you think?!" He exploded wrenching himself from her grasp. "I come back here, expecting to find you, and surprise you are not! So I do a locating spell and surprise again, you are not on school grounds! Dumbledore is in meetings at the Ministry and with the students gone for the summer, who would notice if something snuck in here to drag you off! You will have to excuse me if the word surprise does not ease my concern."
After his tirade, Snape looked down his nose at Willow, staring her down and daring her to respond. They were barely a foot apart and he was surprised to see that she was shaking so hard, he started to feel a twinge of remorse for being so harsh.
That was until she hit him up side the arm.
"What was that for?!"
"Oh-oh-oh! I'm so mad at you, I could spit! I was feeling all guilty for worrying you and then you had to go and be all insulting. What kind of witch do you take me for?!" She punctuated her statement by poking him in the chest with her finger. "Allow myself to be drug off without putting up a fight?" Poke. "Can't take care of myself?" Poke. "Helpless without the men-folk around to protect me, am I?"
Snape captured her hand before her finger could take another stab at him, "Now Will-"
"Don't 'Now Willow' me! If something bad had happened, I'm positive the whole school would have known about it, at full capacity or not. And furthermore-"
This time, it was Willow who was cut off in mid-sentence. Snape swiftly pulled her into his arms and captured her lips with his own. They kissed until they were both breathless, clutching each as if to part would mean to be lost in the darkness forever, each other's lifeline.
"That was so unfair." Willow whispered, not forgetting why she was mad at him but unable hold onto any of her anger.
"I was worried," Snape muttered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
"I know." Being this close to him always made her come undone. The first thing about Severus that had attracted Willow was his voice, of course. He had a voice that made her skin vibrate, her down lows tight. But the thing she was addicted to was his scent. It was smoky, spicy, and sinful all rolled into one. She couldn't get enough of it and was sure that if she could bottle it, every woman on the planet would thank her. But she didn't share. "Truce?"
"Truce."
"Uum, Sev?" She looked up, not wanting to ruin the moment but. "If we get any more distracted, we won't be leaving this room for three days. And if I remember correctly, you have a timetable that must be followed to the second. An extremely important timetable, highly detailed and color coordinated, planetary alignments were taken into consideration."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Me mock you? Never. But I am the one who will have to live with a cranky potions master if one of his delicate experiments goes sour." Willow bounced up and lightly planted a kiss to his cheek before bounding away to continue packing.
"How many times do I have to tell you," Snape sighed and sat back down to watch the red headed witch gather her belongings with endless energy. "Complicated, not delicate. You make it sound as if I work with flowers."
Her only response was a giggle at his disdain. For that, he decided not to help with a simple little spell to make the packing go much faster. Atleast, not for a little while.
End of Part One
