AN: This is a co-authored fic between Peppernator0817 and Moonchild1212. It is not copied we are just choosing to post on both accounts. This story is based (in part) on an RP from a site that can be found on google, merely search One More Time, One Less Lie. We portray only Severus and Arianna our lovely OC as well as a few others that may be dropped in from time to time.

Disclaimer: We Own nothing. Harry Potter is owned by Warner Bros and our Queen JK Rowling. We make no money from this nor do we intend to.

Chapter 4

Arianna swallowed thickly as Severus stood before her, her hand in his. Gently he tugged gently, urging her to stand, when she did so he looked into her face. "I think it is time that we have a little talk, don't you?"

Her wide eyes were gleaming amber in the firelight as she gazed up at him. She followed him into the Library where they closed and warded the door behind them. They took their old, familiar seat on the settee, and Arianna thought it had never felt so . . . small. She looked down and realized that he still held her hand, and his fingers were trailing lazy patterns over her soft skin.

Swallowing a little she watched, in fascination, as the gooseflesh began to appear on her arm before looking raising her brown eyes to meet his black orbs. HIs hand slid up her arm slowly.

"Are you cold?" His brow arched in question and the fire flared higher.

"Not at all," She looked up at him through her thick lashes and sucked her rosy lip into her mouth.

Severus watched as the tortured lip slipped from her teeth plump, wet and red. Severus leaned close to her as he relaxed further into the cushion while Ari sat ramrod straight. She heard rather than saw him lean forward until his mouth was near her ear. She could feel his breath moving her hair and filling her ear with the most delicious sensations.

"Are you going to tell me your intentions?" His deep voice sent shivers down her spine.

Arianna fought the urge to chuckle; her nerves were on end. "Do you mean, do I have designs on your virtue?" She looked at him as earnestly as she could under the circumstances.

She had turned to look at him; her face was only inches from his. Her lips merely a fraction of a centimeter away. His lip quirked up with humor. "Do you?" He asked, ". . . have designs on my virtue?" He sat back casually, long legs sprawled forward. His thighs were flexed as he used first one toe and then the other to remove his feet and prop his black sock covered feet in front of the fire.

The notion of him only in his socks finally made her giggle. She was hard pressed to stop, and when he wiggled his toes she put her face in her hands and bent forward. She had never seen this man so much as slouch. He was always the picture of decorum, and here he was in his socks. She heard rustling behind her and turned to see that he had removed his jacket and was rolling up his shirt sleeves.

She paused . . . shirt sleeves? She smirked and giggled again nervously.

Severus arched a brow. "Well, I hope you're comfortable because it's sweltering in here. I thought about removing my trousers, but I suddenly feared for my virtue." This was delivered with the same aplomb in which he delivered his reports during Order meetings.

Arianna grinned cheekily. "Well, your virtue is safe with me."

"What a pity," he said stretching his long arm across the back of the settee behind her.

Arianna bit her bottom lip and tilted her head bashfully. She didn't know how to act around this Severus.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable?" He offered.

Arianna smiled and leaned back stiffly. She stared forward into the flickering flames and jumped when she felt a finger trail up her cardigan clad arm.

"Aren't you getting warm? I know it tends to get cooler in the evenings, but that fire is warm enough to beat the chill from a blizzard."

Arianna sat forward and removed her cardigan and laid it on the arm of the chair. With a flick of her wrist, she lowered the flames on the fire. All of the sudden, the mood changed. It was darker, secretive, and a little exciting. There were things that people did in the dark that they might not do in the light of day.

She felt Severus' hand on her arm and the arm behind her slid down and his hand wrapped around her hip. He pulled her closer. As he looked at her burnished hair in the firelight, he thought he would think of Lily, with her fire red hair. But he did not, there was only this woman who had invaded his mind for weeks on end. She had slowly worn away at the walls he had created without even uttering a word. And her kiss, well, that had set his heart aflame.

She felt so right in his arms. He leaned forward tentatively and buried his face in her sweet smelling hair. He leaned forward and found her ear, "May I kiss you Arianna?"

He could feel her trembling in his arms. Her body was tense, and he could see the light sheen of sweat covering her bare arms with an amber glow.

"Yes," her tremulous voice whispered.

Severus' dry lips brushed across her neck softly, and she arched her neck so that he could have better access to her sensitive skin. His hands moved very little so as not to startle her. His mouth opened and he tasted her flesh and sucked lightly causing her to moan. She relaxed further into his arms, and he caught a delicious view of her décolletage and her lovely lace bra.

His hands ached to roam over her, and his right hand traveled down her arm and to her outer thigh, where he stroked her softly. Ari turned her head to face his and felt his lips on hers. He kissed her gently and nudged her lips with his questing tongue. When she opened her rosebud lips, his tongue delved into her mouth. He moaned as she responded fervently. Her hand reached out to rub his chest, snaked up his neck and threaded into his long, silky hair.

The hand that had been at her thigh grew more adventurous and slid upward slowly. When she didn't shy away or push his hand down, he took this as a sign that she was willing for more. Arianna's body reacted to the stimuli without thought. She arched her back bringing her full, round breast in contact with his hand. As Severus cupped her breast, he felt the hard point of her nipple press against his palm. His thumb and finger met together to tease her, and her moan filled his mouth.

He could feel the ache for begin in the pit of his stomach and radiate throughout his body. He pushed forward trapping her between his broad shoulders and the plush cushion. His mouth became more ardent, and his fingers more persistent. His hand slid up to the strap in her dress, and the door to the room flew open and banged on the opposite wall with a thud.

The two separated as if lightning had just thrown them asunder. They were gasping for air. Arianna's dress was askew as was Severus. Their lips were swollen and their eyes glassy. Severus stood abruptly, and his desire, which was at Arianna's eye level, was impressively evident. She gasped and stared, which only served to draw the recent occupant's eyes in the same direction.

Severus, who had grabbed his frock coat, drew the garment forward to hide his enthusiasm. They were both red with embarrassment; however, Kingsley, who had entered with Dawlish, was too full of adrenaline to fully appreciate the nuances of the situation. The short of it was, he had found Severus.

"Here you are." He sighed. "Tonks is upstairs in the empty bedroom. We went out for drinks. . ."

Severus cut him off and threw his coat on the settee, "Spare me the details until I ask." He looked at Arianna apologetically and bowed formally before leaving the room in a rush. He took the stairs two at a time and Kingsley and Dawlish followed.

Remus was on the bed beside Tonks holding her hand as she convulsed. Severus pushed the man aside and pulled up her eyelids, "how long has she been convulsing?" He asked

"Just recently." Remus replied.

"About how LONG?" Severus demanded sternly. "Be specific!"

"Three minutes I'd say." Remus gulped audibly.

"What did she drink?" The dark wizard questioned.

"Martini," Dawlish provided.

"I don't suppose you brought the glass?" Severus sniped.

Kingsley didn't bother responding. He pulled the container from his pocket. He had encased it in what seemed to be an impenetrable sphere. Severus took it, "Finite Incantatem." His deep voice trembled with anxiety.

He smelled the glass with one hand as he rummaged through his stores looking for . . . "Ah," He rushed over to tonks and shoved the bezoar down her throat and worked her muscles to draw it down into her stomach. He knew that it would likely absorb most of the poison, but he needed to identify the poison to insure there would be no complications should the stone fail to absorb all of the harmful substance.

He sniffed again and saw small dark grains at the bottom of the glass. He opened a drawer to pull out a fine strainer. He lit a fire under one of his smaller cauldrons, added a liquid from a clear, crystal vial, and added a blue liquid from another. Once the grains were sifted out he allowed them to dry for a moment before pouring what looked to be water over them. Once rinsed, he added the grains to the now heated cauldron. The mixture turned bright red instantly.

"As I thought, belladonna." We can hope that the bezoar absorbs the majority of it. In large quantities, it can cause severe seizures and death. Should she survive, we can't be sure that there won't be brain damage.

Remus broke down and his head bent and he crumpled to his knees. "How long?" He wailed, "How long 'till we know if Dora is alright?" His voice was heavily laden with grief.

"You'll have to watch her through the night." I'm going to brew a potion; It shouldn't take much time. It has a charcoal base, which will hopefully bond with the harmful poison and allow her to pass it." He spoke quickly as he readied another cauldron. The men watched as he worked efficiently. The charcoal cubes were placed in a mortar and crushed with a marble pestle. He added a yellow oil and swiftly made a smooth paste. This was added to a cauldron that contained a viscous simmering muddy mess. He allowed the mixture to simmer as he stirred three times counterclockwise. The potion was removed from the heat and allowed to cool. When it was transferred to a container, it poured out in a thick sludgy mass.

"How are we to get that down her throat?" Remus asked. "She won't be able to swallow."

Severus sighed. "Swallowing is a reflex reaction. She still has the ability to swallow. Watch. I will stimulate her throat and you pour . . . SLOWLY." He instructed.

Kingsley helped by lifting Tonks up into a reclining position while Remus began to pour the warm brew. Severus worked the Witch's throat, and they worked in concert allowing her to breathe in between small mouthfuls.

It took them almost a half hour to get the potion down, but by the time they were through, she seemed to be a little better. She was no longer sweating, and her skin had lost its sickly pallor.

Remus grasped the front of Severus' shirt and pulled the man to him. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Severus stood awkwardly while the man smeared his tears and snot over his face and shirt. He was utterly revolted but managed to pat the other man's shoulder uncomfortably.

Remus pulled back and apologized while Severus vanished the mess from his person.

He left the room, which he used as a makeshift lab and returned downstairs. He found Arianna where he had last left her; she was laying on the settee now, a book lying flat on her face as she breathed lightly. He thought perhaps she might be sleeping so he leaned against the door jam and watched her for a moment. When she groaned though in what sounded like frustration and her hand moved sending the book back to its proper place, he smiled and almost sauntered over to her.

A deep flush set over her body, and she played with her hair as he sat down by her with his elbows on his knees. He spoke softly his deep baritone washing over them as she tucked her feet beneath her. "So," said he, looking at her through his dark curtain of hair, "keeping busy then?"

She chortled softly and shrugged. "If you call it that then, yes. I have been quite busy getting up close and personal with a rather boring book." She rolled her eyes but smiled a little anyway as Severus took her hand in his.

"I am sorry if my earlier actions seemed a bit forward-." She held up her hand and almost smirked.

"It was nothing that I did not want. Had it been, you would have been far worse off than Percy, I assure you. "She didn't even remember doing what had been done. It was yet another incident that had happened, and had been happening more and more frequently over the past two years. It frightened her, to be sure.

Severus watched the emotions flash across her face. She was clearly concerned about what had happened earlier, and her meager attempt at passing it off as a joke spoke volumes.

"How often does it happen? Do you ever lose moments during your day?" He asked as he gently rubbed her hand.

"It . . . It's not like that at all." Arianna knew that if they were to become close this was something she would have to discuss with him, but she wasn't ready to reveal it so soon. She wanted this time of discovery to be joyful and without care. She had no idea what he would become to her, but she had felt the steady pull towards him. She was sure that he would be an important part of her life; however, she was uncertain of just what that might be or what his own intentions were. He was a private man, and he had never been known to share much of himself. She gathered that merely from observing the people who had known him all of his life. If they were not closer to understanding the conundrum that was Severus Snape, how could she hope to do so in so short a time?

So, she did what she usually did when she wanted to avoid uncomfortable situations; she diverted attention away from the issue. "However, I'm glad that you escaped with you rather . . . considerable virtue intact." She grinned mischievously

Severus snorted; "You have no idea." His distinctly articulated voice sent shivers down her spine.

"Not yet, anyway." She parried.

Severus leaned forward and taunted her, "Why don't you come up to my room and I'll show you?"

"Said the spider to the fly," Arianna giggled cheekily.

"Miss. James, you . . . "

Arianna cut him off, "Arianna . . . actually, please call me Ari. All of my friends do."

Her sweet request took him off guard. "Then you must call me Severus."

His lips tipped up to his own version of a smile. He thought back to the frustrating months he had endured. He no longer felt useful, but the longer he had been around Ari, the more he had felt a sense of excitement. He didn't know where the feelings came from or why she had such a dramatic impact on him, but he felt it nonetheless.

He had been keeping himself as busy as he could by working through a list of potions for both Hogwarts and the Order, but he had become increasingly agitated. That had inevitably led him to the library. First he scoured the shelves at Hogwarts, but lately he had been looking through the tombs at the Library in Grimmauld Place. He knew there was something here; he felt it. Perhaps with Ari's help he would find it this evening.

"Ari," he asked. "Would you mind helping me with something?" He asked.

Arianna quirked her brow, "just what might that entail?"

"I think there is something hidden here and I suspect it is behind one of these shelves." He tapped one long finger against his chin. "I want you to watch with me. I'm going to cast an intricate revealing charm. If you would monitor the shelves on that side of the room, I will focus on these. We'll have to be attentive. There should be a telltale glimmer of magic if something has been hidden. It will depend greatly on the concealment charms that were used." He nodded and then began the incantation.

As his voice rose in crescendo, he heard Arianna gasp. He turned to see her pulling several books off of the shelf. Walking up behind her, he whispered a familiar spell and smiled. He knew just who had slipped these here.

Hidden in a nook in a far corner of the room, they found a loose board. Behind the wood lay a small dark cranny that held three ancient tombs. They both reached in at once and a spark of magic lit between them. They looked at each other both a little shocked before turning their attention back to the books.

One contained the history of the Black family, another revealed dark spells and potions unknown to him, and the final was a large, leather bound volume on the history of Merlin. The text was ancient and heavily protected from rot and wear by spells that he had never seen before. Curious, he carefully checked for malicious spells, and when there seemed to be no danger, they proceeded to read. What they found was anything but a typical cursory history of Merlin.

The tale of Merlin was well known in both Wizarding and Muggle circles, particularly amongst academics who delve into the ancient texts. Though Muggles were unable to access many Wizarding volumes, there were many Squibs, Muggleborns, and half bloods who sought to unite the British people under the leadership of great Wizarding rulers like Merlin and Arthur. History notwithstanding, the book head greater import for the ongoing battle with Voldemort, and the meeting he had orchestrated today might very well change the course of the war.

"Have you ever read the legend of Merlin before?" He asked her.

"My access to texts was highly restricted, but I do recall a work of fiction that included the legend." She said.

They read the history of Merlin together, and he was reminded of the spell woven by Vivian to entrap Merlin and steal his power. The spell gave him pause, but it was what came afterwards that made his pulse leap. The author of the text confirmed the location of the resting place of Merlin's remains, which differ according to the legend one read.

He explained to Arianna that some purported that Merlin was trapped in a tree while others claim his tomb was a cave. He told her of his suspicion that Merlin was most likely encased in stone, as they were great conduits and capacitors for magical energy. Merlin himself, he explained, had created Stonehenge for this very reason. And like a fool, Merlin tried to trade his secrets for the favors of a beautiful, deceitful witch. He smiled at her.

"I've heard that Merlin created Stonehenge, and I was also told of the great power that stones hold. In fact, I have worked with them a great deal, using them as a source of energy to boost power. It is one of my talents." She smiled. "Katarzyna would make me work tirelessly honing my abilities. Once I started a fire with a mere sliver of flint. I was very young, and the room was so cold. I didn't have a wand, but I had found the curious stone while playing outside one day. It called to me, so I kept it." She paused remembering the bittersweet memory. She had been so proud that she was able to cast a spell.

"That's very impressive, and it is a rare talent. It takes a great deal of focus to draw power from stone. It is much easier to do so when they are anchored in the earth. Merlin could draw such power, and his spell was legendary. Can you imagine what we could do with such power?" He looked into her wide eyes.

"We could defeat Voldemort." She finished the thought that they were both thinking.

"It is a possibility." He confirmed

They continued reading to find that the author confirmed the location of the tomb of Merlin, Broceliande. Rather than providing any definitive details on the location, the author pointed his readers to another obscure text entitled: Into the Stone: The history of natural magic and the nature of stone crafting. The passages were said to provide a detailed means by which one could locate Merlin's Tomb, wherein lay a portrait of Merlin painted by Nimue. The portrait was sealed within the tomb, along with Nimue's remains, following her death.

If they could find the tomb and recover the portrait, he could possibly retrieve the spell that would allow them to defeat Voldemort. It was not lost on him that Merlin, the great Alchemist, might also agree to share other secrets, and learning the secrets of Merlin would make him even more powerful.

Arianna smiled up at him quite sure of where his thoughts had traveled. All Wizards were the same.

"Would you come with me?" He asked. "To Brittany, to Broceliande?" His earnest eyes begged her. Something inside of him told him that he would need her to get through with this, and he also knew that he did not want to be apart from her. She drew him like a moth to a flame.

Arianna smiled up at him, "Of course."

Severus looked down at her and felt that the world was coming into focus. It had been him, alone for so long, trying to find a way, make things right. He had wondered if his life had a purpose. It seemed that even the man he loved most kept things from him. He struggled to prove his worth and his loyalty, and here she was, this amazing woman, and she accepted him as he was with no questions. She would be there to help him, and he would no longer have to do this alone. A great burden lifted from him, and he smiled with a joy he never thought to know.

AN2: One More Time, One Less Lie is a Proboards run Roleplay site owned and run by Peppernator0817(Joyce). We are currently accepting applications and welcome all levels of experience. If you are interested google the name or visit onelesslie DOT proboards DOT com - just take out the spaces and place dots where needed.