OF LION AND SNAKE
He felt the anger welling up inside of him as he stood in the staffroom which had been abandoned by all but himself and that… woman. That infuriating woman! How could she have the gall to speak to him like that? His blood boiled and bubbled as he looked at… that woman.
Suddenly, he lost his restraint, grabbed her by the throat and forced her back into a bookcase. He held her there, hands still around her throat, and looked deep into her grassy green eyes. There was no fear, no anger, just… that look. What was that? Was it pity? Disgust? For some strange reason, that made him curious.
"What is wring with you?" he spat viciously.
"Excuse me?" she asked in a tone as curious as how he felt.
"You are being held, by the throat, by an Ex-Death Eater with no wand to defend yourself and you are not afraid. What is wrong with you, Minerva?"
"It was once my job to keep tabs on dark wizards, Severus. But that is irrelevant," she received a confused look for this, "You see, I have no reason to fear you, Severus. You are a good man. It does not matter that you used to be a Death Eater. You are reformed. You changed for the better and it takes guts to do that. Your past does not change how I should treat you."
He felt an involuntary tear dribbling down his cheek at her words; they were what he had needed to hear for so long.
"Thank you," he muttered, his hands still on her throat, still gazing into her eyes. On impulse, he found himself pressing his lips against hers. To his disappointment, Minerva did not kiss Severus back but, at least, she did not push him away.
"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that," he spoke in barely a whisper. Minerva's interests were piqued now.
"Oh?" She asked slyly, raising an eyebrow. Only now did he relinquish his grip on her windpipe, although he refused to avert his gaze from her mesmerizing eyes.
"It was the first quid ditch game I ever saw, in my first year, it was absolutely pouring with rain and everybody was drenched. You were walking back up to the castle and your hair had come down. You were just a vision." Severus decided to leave out the part about her robes clinging to her (didn't want to embarrass her, did he?). Minerva looked mortified, so Severus decided to back away. He descended on an armchair by the fire, leaving her standing by the bookcase.
"Then there was your smile. That amazing smile, you really should smile more-"
"Severus," she said quietly, "Stop it, please."
"I'm sorry, I should never have said anything… I'll… just g-go." He started towards the door, disappointment weighing heavy in his heart, but felt a hand grab his shoulder. Swirling around, he saw Minerva looking into his eyes.
"Thank you Severus," she smiled a dazzlingly radiant smile and edged closer to his lips before engaging them in a sweet kiss which rapidly grew in intensity.
They spent the remainder of the night in deep passion and blissful joy. It would seem that they had found, in each other, what they had been looking for for years; someone to love, confide in and comfort.
And so the lion fell for the snake.
A/N: Crummy story, I know, but it nagged and nagged in the back of my mind until it was put onto paper.