Chapter 1
Viridian took a deep breath and opened the heavy classroom door. She knew that History of Magic wouldn't be a difficult class for her, but she always had first day jitters. A couple of other students were already seated and turned to view the new arrival, but quickly lost interest as she strode in and took a small wooden seat in the back row. She pulled her heavy book, a small hand-bound notebook, and her quill from her bag and lined them up on her desk. She flipped to a fresh page in the notebook, and letting her dark hair fall around the precious book like a curtain, she began to doodle as more students entered the classroom. After a few minutes, Professor Binns cleared his throat, and peering over a sheet of parchment, began to take roll.
"Alexis Arinsberg... Yes... Bernadette Carter..." When he got to Viridian Glenn she raised her hand and squeaked "here" in a way that reminded her that she hadn't yet spoken to anyone that morning. She flushed a bit, but none of the other students seemed to notice.
Suddenly, the door flew open and a tall, gangly boy with shaggy black hair rushed into the classroom looking disheveled. He paused for just a moment as his dark eyes swept the room looking for an empty desk, meeting Viridian's for just a second as he realized the only empty desk was the one directly in front of her. He quickly averted his gaze and rushed over to slide into the wooden seat.
"Ah," said professor Binns, "Severus Snape."
"Yes, sir, sorry I'm late." said the tall boy, straightening his robes.
"Not a problem." said Professor Binns before immediately launching into what would be a very long and dull lesson.
Viridian stared at the greasy hair and wide boney shoulders of the boy in front of her. Why hadn't she noticed him before? He was everything she currently fancied in a boy, tall, slim, the large hands, feet and nose that gave the impression that he had just had a growth spurt and his body hadn't yet had a chance to fill out into its new frame. When his dark eyes made contact with hers, they pierced her in a way that made her feel oddly naked, defenseless.
He was hunched over his book and quickly scribbling notes in small, cramped script. His long dark hair parted a bit over his neck and Viridian found herself staring at the protruding bones of his nape. She suddenly realized that she was biting her lip and glanced around to make sure no one had seen. Determined to make up for it, she scratched the last words professor Binns had uttered into her book. She found her eyes drifting back to the lad in front of her as Binns droned on and on. A bit of lint on his shoulder was begging to be plucked away. His greasy hair swayed slightly as he struggled to write what seemed like every word. At one point a large hand, so pale and thin she could see the veins and tendons working reached up to scratch the back of his head. He had clean, short fingernails with stark white half moons at the cuticles.
After what seemed like an eternity- she had time to concoct a whole fantasy about standing to leave and talking to the boy, them becoming friends and then lovers- class was over. Viridian shoved her belongings into her bag and looked up to see that Severus had done so even quicker than she and was hurrying out of the classroom with his satchel slung over his shoulder. A feeling of disappointment washed over her, but she composed herself and decided that she wouldn't let this crush become one of her weird infatuations with a boy she'd never spoken to.
Over the next few days Viridian began to see him everywhere, seated on the floor behind a large gargoyle statue, under the beech tree, always with his large nose in a book or taking large strides with his head down to avoid making eye contact with his fellow students.
On one particular day Viridian happened to be walking across the commons with her good friend Shelly O'Dell, a tall and pretty blonde girl with sparkling mischievous blue eyes and a perpetual tan when she spotted Severus huddled along the edge of the stairwell scribbling at the bottom of a long roll of parchment.
"What do you know about Severus Snape?" Viridian asked. "Severus?" Shelly wrinkled her nose. When she saw that Viridian was quite serious she said "Not much, he's a Slitherin, hangs out with Mulciber and Avery, and Lily Evans. He's… not very well liked." "Lily Evans?" Viridian raised her brows. "Are they... A couple?" Shelly shook her head and laughed a little. "I don't think so. You should ask her. She's very nice."
Viridian gazed at Severus a moment longer and started off again with her friend. She hoped that she wouldn't have to compete with Lily. Lily was beautiful, popular and well-liked. Viridian wasn't unattractive, but she preferred to stay in rather than venture to Hogsmeade with the group. She decided that Lily would be a good person to ask, being a friend of Severus and not known to be a gossip.
When she next saw Lily wandering alone, Viridian took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Lily?" the girl turned and met Viridian's gaze with a friendly smile. Her dark red hair shimmered and Viridian found it difficult to hold a gaze with her beautiful green eyes. "Hi, I'm Viridian Glenn" she began. "I was wondering... well, are you dating Severus Snape?" The last words fell out of her mouth all mushed together. "Severus?" said Lily "No! We're just friends. Why do you ask?" "Uh..." Viridian blushed. "Ohhh!" beamed Lily "you fancy him? That's great! No, we're not together. He's like a brother to me, I could never see him that way. It would be so nice to see you dating! He spends too much time moping around these days. Would you like me to talk to him for you?" "Uhh, no... I..." Viridian blushed again and dug the toe of her oxford into the grass. "Well, okay" said Lily "but let me know. I'd be happy to set you up." And she turned and drifted away, her hair shimmering copper in the sun.
No, Viridian thought she needed to do this on her own. On Saturday when the castle was mostly empty on account of it being a Hogsmeade weekend, she set out to find Severus. She found him sitting in a window bench with his knobby knees pulled up to his chest. His thin frame was swimming in his oversized but too short jeans and tunic. She approached him a bit too quietly and when he didn't notice, she croaked "Hi". He looked up, a bit startled and his black eyes darted from hers, to behind her to see if anyone else was around and then back to meet her gaze. "I'm Viridian, I sit behind you in History of Magic..." "Oh" said Severus without emotion. There was an uncomfortable pause in which Viridian realized she didn't have a clue what to say next. "Um... can I see your notes from Monday's class?" She felt suddenly self-conscious about any imperfection that may have been apparent at that moment. She had long brown hair with a thick fringe, a heart shaped face and small nose, which at this moment felt itchy and flushed. "Why?" sneered Severus "didn't you take notes?" "Yes... I did..." mumbled Viridian "but I'm afraid I may have missed some of the dates. Do you mind if I compare?"
Severus' eyebrows nearly met in the middle as he scowled at her, but he reached into his bag and pulled out a roll of parchment. Viridian sat down next to him on the window bench and unrolled it. She gazed at the cramped handwriting, marveled at the loops and scratches of his hand. She pretended to look over the notes from top to bottom for what she thought seemed like a good amount of time, feeling Severus's unwavering gaze upon her. "Thanks" she said, allowing the parchment to roll back up upon itself before handing it back to Severus. She watched the tendons in his pale hand ripple as he grasped it. "I think I got it right." After sitting there for a moment, she sighed and said "well, I'll leave you be..." She hoped that Severus would ask her to stay, but he said nothing. "Okay, then." She got up and walked away. Severus stared at the back of her thick legs as she walked down the corridor.
After that, he noticed Viridian often lurking around behind him. She had taken to eating breakfast at the same time as he and haunting the halls he took because they were usually less traveled. In class on Monday she attempted small talk and seemed to make a little more noise behind him. To get his attention, he wondered? Or had he just started to notice her? He became unusually uncomfortable in his skin. He was used to repelling people, and was a bit suspicious of this pretty girl who smiled awkwardly at him when they passed one another.
The following weekend, Severus and Lily were lying in the grass when he saw her walk out of the castle. She waved, Lily waved back and then called her over. "Hi!" Lily said when she approached. "Hi!" Viridian smiled at her, then at Severus. "Hi, Severus" she said. "Want to join us?" Lily sat up straighter and made a little room on the blanket next to her. Viridian's eyes fell on the folds and bunches in Severus's jeans.
"No, Thanks, but I have to get to the greenhouse." "Oh, alright then." Lily smiled and looked to Severus to see if he had had any reaction. He was looking up at her, his head propped on his large, white hand, but his face bore no discernible emotion. "Alright, bye then." Viridian said and walked off. Again, Severus watched her as she walked away. Lily took note and asked "what do you think of her?" "I don't." responded Severus twirling a blade of grass between his long fingers. "You should." said Lily, irritated that the situation needed a little helping along. "She fancies you." Severus met Lily's gaze and held it. "What if I fancy someone else?" "Who?" said Lily. The way he continued to hold her gaze suggested that it was her, but she pretended to not have caught his drift. "You don't. I never see you with anyone. It would be good for you to get out. You should take her to Hogsmeade, see if you get on." Severus stared into the grass. "Seriously, Sev," Lily leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. He looked back at her. "I insist you ask her out." The sudden seriousness of her tone let Severus know that she was still not interested in him. He knew this, of course, yet always held out hope that she would somehow change her mind. Viridian would be an acceptable alternative, he thought. She had wild golden eyes that contrasted with her soft features and light dusting of freckles across her nose. She had appealing red lips and flushed cheeks, and those nice thick legs. He shifted a little on the blanket and gazed at the clouds.
In class on Monday, Viridian was pleased to find that Severus had softened up to her a bit. They chatted about potions and charms, Viridian talked a bit about her favorite rare magical plants, and left class with a bounce in her step after waving goodbye to Severus and tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder flirtatiously.
After a few more chats over the next couple of weeks that confirmed her suspicions that they had a lot in common, Viridian decided that she was confident enough to ask Severus out the next time she saw him alone. Her chance came the following Saturday when she found him seated in his usual spot on the window bench near the large stone gargoyle. She took a deep breath and willed her shaking legs to propel her toward him. He looked up as she approached, the intensity of his black eyes causing her words to become caught in her throat. "I uh," she croaked, clearing her throat a little. "I was wondering..." Severus stood up and gripped her arms. She sucked in a breath, the touch was so unexpected and she was not prepared for him to react in this way. He turned her body and began walking her backward, pushing her toward the statue. "Wondering if you..." She whispered, not quite aware that the words were coming from her mouth. Suddenly, her back hit the wall hard. He had pushed her into a narrow gap between the gargoyle and the wall. She was focused on his parted lips. His crooked lower tooth that was now visible. The warmth of his breath, musky and alluring, so close to her face. "Wanted to..." she whispered, but he cut her off, pressing his lips hard to hers. Her body stiffened then relaxed. His tongue parted her lips and she moaned at the delicious taste of him. His slight mustache that was just beginning to grow in tickled her lip. His large nose was pressed against the side of hers. Viridian drank in all of the details of this incredible feeling- her first kiss. With a boy that she felt so connected to. She couldn't believe it was happening. How did she get here? A couple of weeks ago he barely noticed her and now his body was pressed against hers, his tongue exploring her mouth.
She remembered her hands and brought them up to Severus's thin waist. She slid them down to his boney hips and pulled him closer. He leaned into her and pushed his knee between her legs. She felt her eyes roll back behind her eyelids. She moved her hands up his back and gripped tightly to his broad shoulders.
After a long while of snogging and groping, with numb lips and lightheaded bliss, they heard the other students beginning to return from Hogsmeade and broke apart, gazing hungry and heavy lidded at one another. "I should go..." Viridian said, looking beyond Severus at a couple of approaching older girls who glanced toward the couple but paid little attention beyond a knowing smirk. "Okay." said Severus, releasing her from his strong grip. She ran her hands down the front of her skirt which felt cold now without the warmth from his body. He adjusted himself through his baggy jeans and Viridian sucked in a short breath of desire.
She mumbled some sort of goodbye and started off toward her dorm. She must have looked guilty, when she arrived, the other girls stopped talking and looked toward her. "Where've you been?" Shelly, who was seated in the window sill smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke through the open crack looked her up and down accusingly. The other girls raised their eyebrows. "Ohh my God." Viridian squealed scurrying toward the group and flopping down onto her bed. "Severus kissed me." "Whaaat!" The other girls cried. "Ew!" said a tall, heavy girl called Helena. Shelly shot her a scowl and she shrunk a bit. "Yes! Oh my God. We made out for what felt like hours. He's such a good kisser." She closed her eyes and exhaled as the other girls laughed and ribbed her.
"Viridian!" Squeaked a curly haired girl called Elisa "You're the first of us to kiss a boy!"
"No way," retorted Helena. "You've kissed someone, Shelly, haven't you?" They all looked expectantly toward Shelly, who shook her beautiful blonde mane and said "I wouldn't kiss and tell."
"So, are you two going together now?" Shouted Elisa over the laughter.
"Oh," Viridian opened her golden eyes. "I don't know! I didn't ask. Ugh, I should know this, right? What do I do next time I see him? Do we... hug?" The girls laughed.
She didn't have to wonder for long. The next morning, Elisa shook Viridian awake and told her that Severus was outside waiting for her. She leapt up and quickly pulled on a light blue short dress with long sleeves and white knee socks and oxfords. She ran her fingers through her long hair and looked at herself in the mirror anxiously. "Do I look okay?" She asked.
"You look fab. Go get 'im, tiger." Shouted Shelly from her bed before Elisa had time to answer. Viridian rushed to the door and pushed it aside. Severus was waiting for her, leaning against the wall, his large hands in his jeans pockets, his overgrown hair hanging down into his eyes. He straightened up when he saw her. "Hi" she said nervously. "Hi" Severus said, tossing his hair out of his eyes. "Want to go outside with me?"
"Oh..." she remembered seeing he and Lily laying on the grass on Sunday mornings. "and Lily?" Severus shook his head. "She's off with James and Sirius." He sneered as if it disgusted him to say their names.
"Oh, yes, I'd love to." She smiled and he led her off, his hand on the small of her back as they walked.
Once they had found a nice sunny, secluded spot, he produced a blanket from his satchel and laid it down. She sat down and stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back and tilting her face toward the sky, feeling the sun on her eyelids. Severus sat facing her and pulled some pasties out of his satchel, offering one to Viridian. She took it and sat up, breaking small pieces off and chewing slowly. They gazed at one another, her large golden eyes glittering at Severus's black ones.
She thought his face was beautiful. His thin, bow shaped lips in a permanent sneer, his hook-shaped nose too large for his face, his heavily lidded eyes staring into her, the slight crease beginning to show between his eyebrows. He shoved the last large hunk of pasty into his mouth and lowered himself down onto his elbow, gazing up at Viridian. He noticed how the long wisps of her hair glittered in the breeze. Her pink cheeks lifted as she smiled at him. He smiled back for just a moment before his eyes dropped a bit. It was a genuine smile, he had momentarily forgotten to be grumpy. He thought of Lily and forced her from his mind. "Viridian is beautiful, just be here, now." he told himself. He gazed at her thick legs. He reached out and placed his hand on her thigh. It shone white against her caramel skin. He played with the white lace at the bottom of her skirt for a moment, then, looking up to meet her eyes, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down toward him. They were now lying facing one another, inches apart. Viridian bit her rosy lower lip and gazed at Severus. He grabbed her hand and held it, running his thumb along hers a few times. She delighted in the sensation. He pulled her hand to his chest, leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back, lips still parted, eyes fixed on hers, before moving forward and kissing her again. He pulled her down on top of him, their tongues mingling. Viridian adjusted herself so that her leg was between his and pushed her body into him. He moaned a little and held her tightly. After a few minutes, they paused to stare at one another again. "I like this." Viridian said. Severus licked his lips and continued to gaze into her eyes. "You're a really good kisser."
He smiled and scoffed a bit before saying "thanks" and letting his gaze fall. Viridian suddenly felt odd and kind of far away.
"Do you... do this a lot?" she asked, knowing she shouldn't have the moment the question left her lips. Severus looked up at her and sneered. "Don't ask me stupid things like that."
She felt her heart drop. How much experience had he had? They were both very young, he didn't seem to have any girl friends beyond Lily... He wasn't popular at Hogwarts, actually, he was the target of some bullies and generally unliked, but he didn't seem to lack confidence because of it. Maybe he had known other girls back home?
Severus noticed that her mood had dropped. "No." He said. "Do you?" Their eyes met.
"No" said Viridian. "You're my first." She blushed. He reached up and guided her hair behind her ear with his large finger. He held his hand to her face and sat up a bit to kiss her again.
They snogged in the grass until the sun started to go down and it was too chilly to continue. Severus walked Viridian back to the Ravenclaw common room and gave her a quick kiss goodbye.
On Monday, they passed notes back and forth, silly drawings and games, and Viridian ran her shoe along Severus's leg under his robes.
They stole kisses when no one was watching. Ducked into dark corners of the castle to snog between classes. Viridian didn't want to ask if they were official, Severus could be testy and she didn't want to make assumptions. They felt close, she felt like she was floating. It was a dream come true. She had crushed on a boy and they had gotten together, somehow.
Soon, the last bits of the long summer were gone and Halloween was approaching.
"It's my favorite holiday!" Viridian excitedly told Severus.
"Why?" He responded. "It's a muggle holiday."
"Oh, it's just fun." She laughed and poked at his thin ribs. "Come to the party with me?"
"Of course." Severus said.
"Really?!" squeaked Viridian excitedly.
"Yeah," he said "of course." He shrugged as if it were a given. Viridian beamed and he smiled at her briefly.
"Hey..." she said shooting him a mischievous look, "you should make us a potion." She smiled and tugged playfully at his tie. He laughed in his scoffing way. "What kind of potion? A... love potion?"
Viridian giggled. "I don't know! Don't you know anything fun? Something to get us loosened up?"
"You mean lager." Severus jostled her a bit.
"Well, I can get us lager." She said.
"I'll give it a think. I can probably whip something up." He said.
On Halloween, Viridian descended the stairs to meet Severus for the party. She was wearing a short red velvet dress with black knee socks. "What are you supposed to be?" Severus called up at her.
She turned to reveal a black tail hanging from her behind. "I'm a cat" she laughed. It was a trite costume, but it was all she had been able to come up with since snogging Severus all of the time left little free time that wasn't devoted to studying. "What are you supposed to be?" Severus was wearing his black dress robes with buttons all the way up his neck. He pulled the headband with cat ears off Viridian's head as she approached and placed them on his own head. "I'm a cat." He smiled and kissed her on her cheek before leading her into the party.
They grabbed small cups of pumpkin juice and greeted some friends. After a little while, when it seemed that no one was paying attention, Severus grabbed Viridian by the arm and dragged her behind a curtain. He pushed her roughly against the secluded wall beyond and kissed her.
"I did it" he said, pulling away for a moment.
"Did what?"
"Made us a potion. I don't know exactly what it does, it should produce euphoria and relaxation." He pulled a small vial of pinkish liquid from his pocket.
"Gimme!" Viridian said reaching for it as he held it just out of her grasp.
"Do we really need it?" He asked.
"I do! I'm nervous!" she laughed.
"Why?" Severus leaned closer to her.
"I'm always nervous around you. You make me feel..." Her voice trailed off and her big golden eyes seemed to plead with him. He gave her the vial and she took a sip.
"Mmm... berry." she handed the half empty vial to Severus who drank the rest, capped the vial and returned it to his pocket. They began to kiss again, pressing their bodies together as they felt the potion begin to work.
Severus felt his usually tense muscles relaxing. His mind felt fuzzy and slow, for once, not clear, but focused on what was happening, on Viridian. For the first time in a long while, Lily disappeared from his mind as he felt Viridian's hands on him acutely intensify.
Viridian felt as if she were floating in a warm bath. The sounds of the party muffled into the background and she could feel everything so intensely. She could feel Severus's hands running along her back, each strong finger gripping her tightly. She could feel each of his buttons pressing against her chest. His tongue slowly exploring behind her top teeth. The familiar taste of his saliva in her mouth. She ran her hands down his back and could feel every boney rib, she could feel his protruding hip bones pressing into her, and something else... she quickly sucked in a bit of air and her chest heaved against his. She allowed her hand to graze his side and find a fold within his robes that led toward his hot flesh. She felt his stomach twitch a bit at the introduction of her chilly hand. She felt along his waistband. She could feel his stomach moving with each quick breath he drew. He kissed her harder somehow, sucking gently on her lower lip. She slid her hand inside his trousers as he made a little noise and twitched again. She slowly continued her journey downward until she felt it, hot soft skin, slippery against his hard shaft. She gripped his cock tightly and he moaned, pulling back again to gaze at her with hungry eyes before moving in to meet her lips again.
Viridian delighted in his size. She allowed her fingers to explore his entire length, pulling down on the soft, slippery skin to expose the head of his cock, moving her thumb upward and finding a bit of moisture at the tip, which she dragged downward along the underside of his head. He moaned louder, gripping her tightly with his strong hands. She slid her fist along the shaft until she felt his coarse pubic hair on the back of her hand and then up again. She could feel him shaking a bit. When she squeezed, his muscle seemed to flex back. She squeezed harder, delighting in the steel within and slid the soft skin up and down a little more. His hips thrust unintentionally with her movements as he pushed her harder into the wall. His heart was racing, she could feel it in her own chest, her own blood seemed to pound in her ears.
She stroked more deliberately, his hips still thrusting slightly with each stroke. She squeezed and ran her thumb again along the underside before increasing her rhythm. Severus's lips left hers for a moment as he grunted and let out the breath he had been holding, his eyes shut tightly. She felt his body tighten then shudder, relaxing a bit as she felt his orgasm pulse in her hand. His hot cum dribbled down her fingers. Out of breath, Severus looked into Viridian's eyes and laughed a bit, exhaling again and catching his breath.
At that moment, the curtain was pulled back and professor Dumbledore peered in. The two leapt apart and Viridian hid her hands behind her back as Severus adjusted his robes. He looked disapprovingly first at Severus, then at Viridian. With a subtle jerk of his head, the pair scrambled out of their hiding place and ran, laughing, out of the party.