Chapter One

A broom cupboard isn't exactly a classy location for a hookup.

But that didn't matter; this was a one-off. Demona was not after a relationship, for she found them tedious, unrewarding and not even the slightest bit thrilling. She certainly wasn't the type to get easily attached; this boy was just her play-thing. He would never mean anything to her. He was just another notch in the bedpost.

Although, there was one thing that Demona couldn't deny... this particular boy was good.

He did have a reputation of being especially fond of the ladies, but Demona never thought he'd sink so low by hooking up with someone, such as herself. She had always been under the impression that she, being a Slytherin, stood for everything he hated, yet here he was embraced in a moment of passion her. With all his supposed exploits, Demona often wondered if he was as good as all the girls said he was. She wanted to test his attributes, and so, he became her conquest. She pursued him; but he was stubborn. He didn't want to associate with Demona Denby. But she, who was known to be extremely tenacious, did not give up, and eventually broke him. He did live up to her expectations. In fact, he exceeded them. He knew what he was doing, didn't fumble around, and got straight to the point.

It was a pity he wouldn't remember a thing afterwards.

As the boy became increasingly interested in her breasts, Demona found the opportunity to remove her wand from the pocket of her robes. Slowly, and unnoticed, she performed the spell non-verbally. Instantly, the boy's face froze and his limbs snapped together. His whole body rigid, he swayed slightly, before falling back onto the floor. Demona smirked. The Full Body Bind was such a simple, yet extremely effective spell. Only his eyes were moving. He was glaring ferociously up at her. A smile crept onto Demona's lips, as she thought how incredibly naïve he had been.

Demona buttoned up her shirt, and smoothed out any creases, before she raised her wand, pointed it directly at the boy lying rigid on the floor and whispered, "Obliviate."

His eyes glazed over, before expressing confusion and bewilderment. Demona chuckled wickedly as she opened the door of the broom cupboard and backed out slowly. She raised her wand once more, and quickly muttered the counter-curse of the body bind. She slammed the door of the broom cupboard shut; the sound echoed down the drafty Transfiguration corridor. Demona knew that this would alert either patrolling Prefects, or Teachers which resided close by. She cast a Disillusionment Spell, and sat on the stone windowsill waiting for what ensued. She heard the familiar voice of Pringle, the caretaker, who muttered to himself as he made his way down the corridor. The door of the broom cupboard creaked loudly as it was swung open once more. Demona watched with baited breath, hoping that the caretaker would discover her conquest, as he made his way out of the broom cupboard.

There was no sound of footsteps on the cold, stone floor, but there was a strange tapping noise. Demona thought this peculiar; she furrowed her eyebrows, and scanned down the corridor. She gasped, as a large black dog padded past her. The dog stopped suddenly; its ears perked up, it looked around, and stared straight at her. Demona knew those eyes. "Black", she mouthed in disbelief, as she stared incredulously at the dog. Her expression of incredulity turned into a smirk. Black was an Animagus – an unregistered Animagus. She knew that this information was priceless. If he were to be found out as an unregistered Animagus, the cost would be a lengthy sentence in Azkaban.

It seemed that Pringle had discovered from whence the echoing sound of the broom cupboard door had originated, for his footsteps were beginning to get louder and louder. The large, black dog took one look back, before scarpering into the darkness. Demona sighed, satisfied with her findings. She waited patiently, still under the Disillusionment Spell, until Pringle arrived at the scene, muttering indecipherable profanities when he discovered naught but an empty broom cupboard. Once the caretaker had trudged off down the corridor, Demona thought it safe to return to the Common Room.

The corridors which lead towards the Dungeons were deserted. It was eerily quiet, but Demona was not disturbed by it; she relished in the silence. Eventually, she reached a stretch of bare, damp stone wall. "Salazar," she said, and the stone door slid open.

The Slytherin Common Room was empty, apart from one person, who was bent over the table, scribbling away furiously. He glanced up as she entered the Common Room, rolled his eyes, and went back to scrawling on the parchment in front of him. Demona scowled at his attempt to ignore her. "Good evening to you too, Severus," she said waspishly, "I hope you didn't wait up all this time for me."

"I most certainly did not," Severus replied, not moving his gaze from the parchment in front of him. "I have important things to do. I did not 'wait up' to hear about your escapades, however thrilling they may be for you."

"Oh... Well, I thought you might be interested to find out what I discovered about Sirius Black this evening," Demona said, as she made her way closer to where Snape was seated. She saw his jaw tense at the sound of the Gryffindor's name; he paused for a moment, before looking up at her.

"Tell me, Demona," Severus said, staring at her through his captivating, black eyes; his upper lip was curling, "why would I be interested in anything to do with that impulsive git? Unless it is something which may get him expelled, or worse, then it is of no use to me."

Demona smirked. "Put it this way – he's an animal."

Severus frowned, disgusted. "You are most repulsive. Of all the people to – ... you chose Black?" he sneered, watching her disapprovingly, as she let out a bark of laughter.

"No – No, Severus, you misunderstood me," Demona said, taking the quill from his hand. "He is an animal." She scribbled the word 'Animagus' in capital letters on a scrap piece of parchment, and shoved it in front of his face, before she set the quill on the table, and waited for his response.

"That's how the bastard gets away with so much – "

"You do know what this means, don't you?" Demona interrupted. "He's unregistered."

Severus' eyes lit up, and he smiled coldly. "Azkaban – perfect.

"Precisely," Demona agreed. "However," she began; Severus shot her a slightly anxious expression. "I'm not going to let you turn him in – "

"You cannot be serious," he snarled, abruptly getting to his feet, furious. "I have the chance to put that mutt in his place, and you think you can stop me? He has made my life a living hell – it's time he paid the price."

Demona's eyes flashed dangerously. "You know, Severus … I consider you as a friend. It was my decision to give you this invaluable information. If you think that you can abuse my decision, and use this information at your own dispense, you are sorely mistaken," she hissed, as she caressed her wand, which was hidden in the pocket of her robes. Unknowing to Severus, she would be willing to erase his memory if he would not consent to keeping quiet.

She stared into his dark eyes. Ever since she had met Severus in first year, she had been fascinated by the colour of them. People frequently mentioned how cold they seemed, but Demona never saw that. To her, they were full of mystery. And, she knew that Severus had secrets. But he never told anyone, except possibly Lily Evans. But of course, everyone knew that they never spoke after what had happened in fifth year.

"Fine," he growled, before turning away from her and collecting his belongings from the tabletop. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning; I have things to discuss with you." His gaze lingered on her left forearm. Demona knew exactly what he wished to speak with her about. "Goodnight," he said, before turning on his heel, and stalking towards the dormitories.

Demona gripped her left wrist with her right hand anxiously. She pulled away the sleeve of her robes; the Dark Mark adorned on her forearm.

Demona Denby was the daughter of the aristocratic purebloods Daedalos and Persephone Denby. It had long been known that the Denby family meddled with Dark Arts, and since the rise of Voldemort, they had been avid followers. Daedalos was a Death Eater, and he thought that this was the most righteous path for his sons and daughters to take, and so, his eldest son, Erasmus received the Dark Mark from Voldemort at the age of seventeen. Although, his eldest daughter, Adelia, did not receive the Dark Mark, she married into a pure blood family, and swore her allegiance to the Dark Lord. Demona had turned seventeen last year, along with several of her friends, including Gordon Avery, Slade Mulciber and Evan Rosier. Due to the extensive allegiance of their families with Voldemort, they had since been welcomed into the inner circle of Death Eaters and had received the Dark Mark over the summer months. Demona knew this would keep her father happy, whilst also providing her with power that others could only wish for.

Demona sat by herself at the very end of the Slytherin table, awaiting Severus' arrival. As usual, she had her hair tied back, and wore a scowl on her face. No one would dare to sit down on the bench beside her, or even to look twice at her, and risk being sent to the Hospital Wing. Finally, Severus stormed into the Great Hall; he was furious. "You look as though you're ready to murder someone," Demona noted, as he sat down opposite her.

"Well you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Severus snapped, as he glanced around angrily, as though he was searching for someone.

Demona snorted. "Touché," she said, as she poured herself a beaker of pumpkin juice. "So, who is it you're murdering?"

"That bloody, bastard Black – "

"That's a nice alliteration," Demona interrupted, before Severus sent her a scornful glare. She took a sip of the pumpkin juice, and allowed him to carry on.

"That bastard had the nerve to use one of my own curses on me," he growled, and upon noticing Demona's confused expression, elaborated, "Yes, Potter has done it countless times before – but this was my newest curse, no one should know it!"

"You know what they're like Severus. I told you before, they're not going to stop unless you do something that might seriously injure them – but then again, you don't want to be expelled," Demona said, knowingly. She awaited a reply, but when she glanced up at Severus, he was gazing across the hall. She followed his gaze; Lily Evans had just sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Potter. Demona's expression darkened, and she rolled her eyes, "You're still pining over the Mudblood?"

Severus spun around, and stared angrily at her. "Don't call her that," he hissed vehemently.

"It's not like you haven't," Demona retorted.

"That was a mistake!"

"Clearly," Demona remarked, "Every time you saw her, you seen it as an opportunity that you could beg for her forgiveness. Thank Merlin you came to your senses, and stopped – you looked like a fool –"

"How d –"

"I wasn't finished," Demona snapped exasperatedly. "You begged her so many bloody times to forgive you, and she didn't even so much as look at you, Severus. You looked like a fool, and she didn't even acknowledge that you didn't give a damn if you did or not! If she's such a saint, why hasn't she forgiven you already? It wasn't as though you did something unforgivable!" Severus stared at her, his dark eyes unmoving. Demona sighed, "I'm just telling you the truth – anyway, let's change the subject. What do you want to know?"

Severus bowed his head slightly, and glanced around suspiciously. "You know that I wish to join – and I'd rather it happen sooner rather than later. I trust that you brought it up when you were at the last meeting," he whispered hastily.

"Of course I did – but he's getting irritated that you keep pestering," Demona said, her voice hushed. She frowned when he glared angrily at her, "Don't look at me like that, I'm only relaying a message. As soon as we leave Hogwarts at the end of the year, you're welcome – I've told you before."

"But why not now?"

"You think that I would dare to question the Dark Lord's response – you must be mad!" Demona replied, her voice raised slightly. "I do suspect though, that he doesn't want many students joining as it may look like he would be relying on children to fight for his cause –"

"I'm not a child!" Severus snapped vociferously.

"Why don't you inform him that? We'll see how you fare then," Demona said, smirking darkly as she got to her feet. She picked up her Advanced Potion-Making and Moste Potente Potions textbooks, before glancing at the sulking Slytherin. She grabbed Severus by the collar and pulling him to his feet. "Let's not be late for Potions," she said curtly, before stalking out of the Great Hall.

"I would deeply appreciate it if you would not man-handle me," Severus growled, as he caught up to her. He smoothed down his shirt, tightened his green and silver tie, and fixed his robes.

Demona smirked, "Yes, but you would have sat there sulking, and therefore would have missed your favourite class," she teased, and then laughing wickedly at his contemptuous expression.

"Hilarious, Demona," Severus replied, not the least bit amused.

As soon as they reached the door of their Potions classroom, they were greeted by Professor Slughorn. "Ah! Master Snape, Miss Denby! I trust you had a joyful Christmas Holiday, welcome back!"

Truth be told, neither Severus, nor Demona went home for the entire Christmas Holidays. Severus never went home during the school year, whereas Demona almost always did. But this year, she only spent a couple of days at home, whilst she spent Christmas Day, and the rest of the holidays in Hogwarts.

Severus and Demona entered the classroom to find it half empty. They crossed the classroom towards their usual seats at the side of the room, and sat down, waiting patiently for the class to begin. The Gryffindors were the last to enter the classroom; Potter and Black were laughing loudly as they sat down at their table, whilst Lupin followed behind the quietly, a small smirk playing across his lips. Evans walked behind them, clearly amused. Demona growled as they continued to cause a ruckus.

Professor Slughorn made his way to the front of the room, and immediately, silence ensued between the students. "I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, but, now, I'm afraid it is time to get back to the nitty gritty – in other words; work. As you will be studying your NEWTs in no less than five months, we shall be studying out of the Moste Potente Potions textbook. I trust that you all have your copy with you," Slughorn said, glancing around the room, with a gentle smile. "Now, I have decided that to ease you into the harsh reality of NEWT level once more, that we shall begin the term with a small project. I shall be assigning you a potion to make and study, and pairing you off –"

"But Professor is that entirely necessary? Can't we choose our own partners?" Demona interrupted.

"Exactly! I don't want to risk being paired with a Death Eater like Denby!" Black hollered, smirking haughtily towards the Slytherin.

Demona's expression darkened dangerously; her potent, green eyes stared at the Gryffindor, whilst she growled, baring her teeth. "It wouldn't be wise for you, Black, to go barking up the wrong tree," she hissed slowly, before cocking her eyebrow tauntingly. Black studied her carefully; Demona smirked.

"Enough! Mr. Black, I would appreciate it, if you would not make false accusations in my classroom; especially of situations as serious as you have just proclaimed," Professor Slughorn said, raising his voice. "Now, I shall call out who you are to be partnered with, and the potion which you will be studying. After the completion of the potion, you are to write an essay on the properties, and uses of the potion you were studying. The essay should be at least two rolls of parchment, but, naturally, I expect more, especially at NEWT level." Slughorn turned towards his desk, and began fumbling around in a large pile of parchment. "Ah! Here we are," he said, and turned to face the class once more, clutching a small sheet. "Gordon Avery and Damien Woodward, Polyjuice Potion; Sirius Black and Melissa Telford, Everlasting Elixirs; Demona Denby and Remus Lupin, Amortentia; Lily Evans and Karen Jackson, Polyjuice Potion ; James Potter and Felicity Kane, Amortentia; Severus Snape and Frazer Huntington, Everlasting Elixirs. There we are! Now as you know, some of these potions take at least a month to brew, and therefore, the deadline for this project will be the sixth of February." Slughorn smiled slightly, before turning and walking towards his desk, and taking a seat.

Demona glanced at Severus, envious. "Lucky bastard – a Ravenclaw, and Everlasting Elixirs! You might as well hand in the essay tomorrow," she complained, pouting.

"At least you didn't get Potter or Black," Severus replied bluntly.

"True."

"Well? What are you all waiting for?" Professor Slughorn exclaimed suddenly. "You've got two and a half hours until lunch, so it may be wise to start planning out the method for the potion – or perhaps even starting the potion. Come on, chop chop!"

Groans of annoyance echoed through the classroom. Demona sighed, gathered up her belongings, and made her way across the room towards where Lupin was sitting. She let her books drop onto the desk with a loud thud, before she sat down on the stool. "Lupin."

Lupin nodded, acknowledging her. "Denby."

Silence ensued, until Demona grew impatient. She sighed exasperatedly, "Listen, Lupin, I do not plan on failing NEWT level potions – I am sure you feel the same way – therefore I am willing to put aside any grudge until we hand in this project. However, that grudge may be resumed after this project, for I do not plan on making friends. Do you agree?"

Demona studied him; he never once made eye contact. In fact, it was as though he was avoiding even looking at her. He seemed too quiet and studious to be a Gryffindor, he wasn't loud and cocky like his friends. He had sandy brown hair, weathered skin, and he was thin, but not anorexic; he sure enough appeared older than seventeen.

"Certainly," Lupin replied quietly.

"I don't bite, you know, Lupin," Demona taunted, smirking.

"I've heard otherwise."

Well, this is my new story! I've had this chapter written for a year now, and finally remembered to post it haha… what can I say? Life catches up on you!

As always, I appreciate hearing what you readers think! So, reviews would be nice! Tell me what you think, so far!

Thanks for reading! Love, Victoria.