The usual disclaimer JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe. This is just a fun fluffy AU fic that takes place post-war and assumes that Dumbledore lived. Hope you enjoy :o) If I get enough interest I may flesh out this fic. So, let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.

A Treat for Severus

Annie fiddled with her key jiggling it until the lock mechanism gave way. She walked into her house, closed the door, and leaned against it with a sigh. It had been a long day at work, and she was glad to be home. At least she didn't work in an office. She taught history at the local university. It was her first semester teaching after grad school. She had a long way to go before she made tenure.

Tonight, though, would be a fun night. It was Halloween, and some of her girlfriends from college had decided to go trick or treating. They use to do silly things like this in college. They would all get together and have fun. They were hitting the streets this year with Amanda's little girl, so they had an excuse to dress up. They would get as much candy for Penny as they could, and have a little fun in the process. They were all pretty tame and had no desire to go to the clubs. It was just an excuse to get together , dress up, and giggle, a lot.

Annie sat her briefcase down and walked to her bedroom where she undressed and took a shower. She enjoyed the steaming hot water. It helped her to relax after a very long and trying day. Her freshman classes were so disruptive. She had spent half of the period telling the class to take off their headphones and put away cell phones. It was hard enough lecturing about Hadrian's Wall without looking out into a sea of uninterested faces.

She stepped out of the shower into a steam filled bathroom and used a towel to wipe the moisture off of her large mirror. She looked in the mirror at her figure. At 28, she still had a nice figure. She was a little plump, but she refused to be one of those stick thin girls. Her long brown hair lay limp against her shoulders. She spent the better part of the next hour fixing her curly hair and putting on her make-up. She was going as Morgana, the sister of King Arthur. She loved the character from the book Mists of Avalon. For her Morgan Le Fey was a strong female character imbued with magic. She was the Goddess reborn.

Annie fidgeted with the clingy burgundy dress. She had spent a little extra and gotten a dress made of faux velvet. It was heavier and more elaborate than the traditional polyester gowns sold at most Halloween stores. It was accented with gold lace and the sleeves flared out from the elbow. The dress nipped in at the waist and fell in lovely full folds to the floor. She had purchased a length of fine gold chain from the hardware store that she tied around her waist. It trailed down the front of her dress. She accented the dress with a chunky gold cuff around her wrist and a Celtic style torc around her neck. She draped a delicate necklace across her forehead and left her long curly hair down. It flowed around her face and down her back.

She was just touching up her lite makeup when the door rang. Amanda and penny were dressed as witches. Amanda was a rather sexy witch. She wore sexy fishnet stockings under her very short skirt. They wore matching pointy black hats. Jessica and Mary were also at the door. Jessica was dressed as the sexy Jessica Rabbit, and she wore a bright orange long haired wig. Mary was wearing a shepherdess costume. It was light blue and cream and ended at her shapely thighs. She wore frilly bloomers and knee socks and chunky, black mary janes.

"Ooh, you look pretty!" Jessica admired her costume.

"Yeah, you are showing us up!" Mary giggled.

"Ok, does anyone need to use the restroom before we go?" Annie asked as she let them in her house. Mary used the facilities first, and they all sat in the living room and chatted until they were ready to go. It was still a little early. They were loaded in Amanda's van by 6:30 and they hit the streets with their bags. They parked and walked to the houses. It was a lovely fall evening, and the weather was a little cool. They knocked on doors and pushed Penny to the front. They got some appreciative glances from young men, too old to go trick or treating and too young to be married. They also received appreciative glances from some of the dads taking their kids to the various houses. One of these men was rather entranced by Mary's lovely legs and gave her his number. Evidently, he was divorced and on the market. Mary giggled and said she would call him later that evening.

The evening passed rather uneventfully until they came to an older part of town. The first few houses belonged to older women who were charmed to see the lovely Penny, but gave the women curious looks. "Don't you think you're a little old to be dressing up?" One silver haired matron asked. She shook her head as she closed the door. They walked to the next house, which was dark save for the spare candle light that came out of the front window. It looked a little spooky.

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Severus sat in his study reading his new copy of Potions monthly. He had flooed home to avoid the Halloween feast at Hogwarts. He had managed to get the evening off, and he hoped that Dumbledore would not trouble him. He had recived several owls with candy from various faculty. Poppy had even sent him a bag of something called Candy Corn. It looked wretched. Didn't these people know by now that he hated most sweets? He did like biscuits, and he enjoyed the tin that Minerva has sent him. He was enjoying them at the moment with his tea.

He was glad that the war was now over, but unfortunately, he had a great deal of time on his hands. He spent most of his free hours researching and publishing articles. He had attempted to start his own potions lab, only to be thwarted by the Ministry. So, he was stuck at Hogwarts, and he was now resigned to his fate. He had spent a year teaching Defense Aganst the Dark Arts, but Dumbledore was unable to find a suitable replacement for him. So he now taught fifth through seventh year DADA and Potions. He was also having to groom the young man now teaching potions, as he was a rather lackluster professor. One would think that he would have little free time, but as a veteran professor, his lesson plans were set in stone, and he was very adept at grading quickly. Since he did not to be at Voldemorts beck and call, he had a great deal more time and energy. However, he was at a loss as to what to do with all of this time.

He was loathe to admit it, but he was lonely. All of the faculty at Hogwarts were much older. Of course there was Milton, who was the new Potion's professor. Even if he were interested in men, he would never be able to tolerate a simpleton like Milton. There were just no available women in his circle, and he was not about to go out and seek them out. Besides, he was infamous. The women who would be interested were the sort that were obsessed with his notoriety. That was a definite turn off. There were few women who could look beyond his physical appearance as it was. Now, he had a large, wretched scar on the side of his neck. He snorted, disgusted.

He thought back on his time in school and Lily. He still cherished her memory, but his sacrifice had taught him that offering up one's life to an ideal was rather anticlimactic and unrewarding. He had worshiped Lily as the epitome of womanhood. He had given most of his life as a tribute to her and addressing the wrongs he had committed. Staring death in the face had a way of making one realize that there is no substitute for tangible relationships. He had nothing to keep him warm at night, no one to comfort him only an ideal. It was a rather tough pill to swallow. Finding the nerve to address such the issue was even harder. He was finding it hard to forge relationships with his colleagues because he had dealt with them in the same standoffish manner for so long. He sighed. Meeting women was impossible.

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Mary refused to go near the dark house, "I'll wait here," she said.

"Why don't we skip it," Amanda said. Jessica nodded.

"No," Penny argued, "I want to go." She smiled up at Annie.

Annie shrugged, "Ok," she was not worried about the occupant. The worst that could happen was that they were turned away without candy.

Annie walked up the steep steps with Penny and knocked on the door. They waited for a moment until they heard footsteps. A light came on in the entryway and the door opened slowly.

Annie looked at the tall man. He was quite handsome, in a dark and mysterious way. He had shoulder length black hair and a very distinguished looking hook nose. She had a thing for large hawk-like noses. Her own nose was small and could barely hold up her reading glasses. His lips were nice too and those eyes. He had eyes that were like endless dark pools. She was going to get lost in those eyes. She smiled up at him.

"Trick or Treat," Penny said cheerfully.

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Severus looked out of his front window and saw the Muggle women standing on the sidewalk. They were dressed rather provocatively. He grinned rakishly, "Well, ask and ye shall receive," he chuckled. Was this nature's way of providing for his need? Normally he ignored trick or treaters, but something led him to open the door.

And what a vision awaited him. She looked like a goddess in her soft flowing gown. It hugged her generous curves. He admired the gentle sweep of her waist and the flare of her womanly hips. She was curvy. He liked that, very much. There was something to be said for the womanly form at its finest. He always laughed at the little girls in his classroom as they came into their womanhood. They gloried in their bodily changes. He was not in the least tempted by their spare frames and small breasts, but this goddess had him entranced.

And what a lovely vision, she had long, flowing chestnut hair, wide brown eyes and lovely plump lips. She smiled up at him displaying a beautiful smile full of straight white teeth. Her eyes met his, and he indulged in a bit of Ligillimancy. He was startled by her thoughts. She thought him handsome. She was a college history professor. She was single. He was intrigued.

"Trick or treat," a little voice beside her said.

He looked down and then back to the goddess, "Is this your daughter?" he asked

"No, she belongs to my friend Amanda. I'm Annie," she said and held out her hand.

He brought her small fingers to his lips, "It is a pleasure to meet you Annie," he murmured.

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Annie was taken aback when he kissed her fingers. His voice caressed her and sent shivers up her spine.

"Severus," he stated. When she looked at him questioningly he replied, "my name, is Severus."

"One moment," he said.

He returned with a bag of candy corn, which he deposited in Penny's bag.

"Thank you!" she piped.

"You're quite welcome," he replied. He looked at Annie, and his eyes held hers. "Can I see you again sometime, Annie?" he pleaded.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" she asked. Tomorrow was Saturday, and she had a day free of commitments. "Perhaps we could have coffee at the little café down the street, Mellots? I think that's the name of it."

Severus nodded, "I would like that, very much. Perhaps we could meet around 9a.m.?"

Annie nodded, "Yes, Severus," she smiled over her shoulder at him as she walked Penny back to her mother.

"Oh, do tell," Amanda said and Jessica giggled.

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Severus woke the next morning, showered, and dressed fastidiously in black slacks and a white button-down shirt. He fidgeted with his collar and then fought to keep himself busy until 8:30. He left home and walked to the café to meet the lovely treat that had so readily landed on his door last night, Annie. He smiled and walked jauntily down his steps and toward a hopeful future.

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I hope you have enjoyed my story. If you get a chance, check out my other story, New Beginnings.