Hello, soooo sorry for it being a while. Just come back off holiday and I've had the worst writers block ever!
Just like to say thank you to Amelia for the review ... wasn't sure whether I was going to carry on with this story but if at least one person really likes it then its worth writing! :D
Please Read and Review... I really want to know what people think!
-SherlockIsMyHero xx
Candra didn't see Snape for three days. It wasn't entirely down to her, though she wasn't complaining. She had kissed her Potion's professor. How could she do that? She knew it was so wrong but...no one had ever shown her that sort of affection. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him, hell half the school were secretly. But it wasn't entirely physical (though again she couldn't deny the shiver of pleasure that had gone down her spine when his lips touched hers) it was something more than that. They were both hurt, had been hurt, by people. Candra didn't need Snape to tell her this you could tell by his cold demeanour and his closed off eyes. She was right of course, and everyone knew how Candra had been hurt. Everyday since her first year, emotionally and physically, the black stares from the other pupils adding to her pain. No one ever spoke up and said, 'Hey leave her alone, what's she ever done to you?' because they knew that they would pay for that. No one took her to one side and said, 'Are you alright?'. She doubted half of them even knew her name.
Even though Candra had (maybe) been avoiding everywhere she knew Snape would go she couldn't avoid eating dinner every night. That Saturday night at dinner Candra was ridiculously nervous. It had only been a few hours since...well she had stormed off after Snape had kissed her. Yes he'd kissed her. She was worried about catching his eye at the front of the great hall, she was worried about what she would see in them. She had thought that he actually wanted her, wanted to get to know her. But she saw pity in his eyes and in the way he spoke; and then she knew. Of course he was only trying to make her feel better he pitied her. That was almost worse than the punches, the spitting and the constant name calling. Almost, not quite, but nearly. Then again, Candra wasn't aware that she was wrong. How could she have known? So as she stepped into the hall that Saturday she was surprised not to see Snape at the teacher's table. Part of her was relieved of course but the other part, a larger part, was disappointed. Strange really. It was almost as though she had wanted to see him to have the awkward glance that would be inevitable and convince herself that it was real. That what had happened, had really happened and not just occurred within a slightly twisted part of her mind. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was going insane after all the years of barely anyone talking to her, this was frighteningly comforting.
It was Tuesday when she finally saw him again. Hogwarts was a very large school and it was easy to not see someone for almost a whole year in the vast corridors. She had arrived ten minutes early for class, she was the only one there. She entered the classroom and sat down in her seat at the front. She got out her quill and parchment slowly from her bag, set down her text book and waited. Slowly students began filing into the room. The girls who were on the same desk as her sat down and...ignored her completely. What a surprise!
There were five minutes where a steady rumble of noise filled the air of the potions classroom. Candra waited until she heard the door being thrown open again. The atmosphere in the room changed, the low rumble quietened and all that could be heard was the echoing footsteps of the potions master walking into his classroom. As he reached the front Candra put her head down, so she didn't see the way his eyes paused on her face willing her to look up. If he could just look at her maybe she would see...but at that moment she didn't.
Candra did breathe a sigh of relief, slightly to her annoyance, that he was okay. She was slightly worried that maybe something had been wrong with him, maybe he was ill? Or maybe he was just busy, Candra was keen to know but not keen to ask. Candra was interrupted in her thoughts by Snape addressing the class,
"I assume you have all completed you're essays. If you could come to the front and hand them in now." Candra's heart jumped in her chest. She'd forgotten, she never forgot homework. Ever. Even if she said so herself she was probably most of her teachers best students. She always handed in her work (and usually extra) it wasn't as though she really had anything else to do. So how could she forget her potions homework? It was her favourite subject, she seemed to have a natural knack for potions making and she enjoyed learning how the different ingredients put together could either kill or cure you. She couldn't have forgotten. She walked up to the front with the others, deliberately hanging round near the back (but not too close to Hunter). What was she going to say? She didn't have much time to think before she was at the front of the line.
"Miss Jones, you're hands seem to be empty." Candra blushed and looked at Snape properly for the first time. He looked as though he hadn't slept, although she could be imagining that, and his eyes were closed off and cold once again. Candra mumbled too quietly for him to hear, blushing profusely.
"I'm sorry Miss Jones, I didn't hear you. Have you got your essay with you?"
"N-no sir," said Candra quietly. She could have sworn she heard Snape sigh before he said,
"20 points from Ravenclaw and detention tonight in my office. I will not accept homework not being done in my class Miss Jones. Now take your seat." The whole class were looking at her as she slowly sat down at her seat. She heard Hunter snigger at the back of the row and tried her best to ignore him; and the look of disappointment on Snape's face.
The lesson drew out slowly. They were brewing a sleeping draught that was slightly more complex than they'd done in recent years (due to the stronger effect it had). Candra found it interesting and finished hers before the rest of the class, left to make notes about the draught until the end of the lesson. She didn't notice the amount of times that Snape glanced her way or the impressed look on his face when she'd finished first.
She left the classroom slowly, not wanting to walk past Hunter. She looked round as she walked out of the classroom and judging the coast to be clear she rushed out into the corridor. Then she felt an hand grip the top of her arm tightly, pulling her into a deserted end of the corridor. She instantly felt her stomach drop, a sicky feeling overcoming her. Her heartbeat increased making her feel light headed and much hotter than she'd felt before. She was slammed against the wall and felt the bricks graze her face as it scraped across them. Then hunter was in front of her, an evil look on his face. He grabbed her hands, stopping her from fighting back and pressed himself against her. Putting his mouth near to her ear he whispered menacingly,
"Did you really think that Snape would stop me for long you piece of dirt?...Well?" Candra shook her head slowly,
"Now I've got a lot of catching up to do haven't I?" He stepped back from her and slapped her hard round the face. She gasped as the stinging sensation spread across her face. It took her a moment to realise that Hunter had drawn his wand and that his two accomplishes had evil smiles on their faces.
"Go on Hunter, she deserves it!" one of them said. Hunter smiled,
"Lucky for me, I've had time to do some research...but I guess that's unlucky for you isn't it mudblood?" He pointed his wand at her arm and murmured something under his breath that Candra couldn't make out. Soon enough though she felt it's effect, she felt it as her wrist bone cracked. She screamed. Hunter and his friends ran off, laughing.
Her wrist was broken...badly. What spell had Hunter used? How had he done that? The pain was so intense that Candra found it hard to see straight. Her next lesson, the last lesson of the day, was a study period so she decided to skip it and head straight for the common room. She struggled to make it up to the Ravenclaw common room, every time someone bumped into her arm the pain intensified and she felt herself swaying on her feet. She found that if she kept her wrist and her fingers still that the pain was not as bad, almost bearable. When she got to the common room she was so relieved that she almost ran to her dormitory; sitting on her bed she tried to think of a plan. Obviously she couldn't go to Madam Pompfrey, how would she explain how she broke her wrist? Instead she decided to improvise. She went through her 'muggle clothes' until she found a large scarf that, unfolded, was a square. With great difficulty, and a lot of pain, she tied a knot in the opposite corners. Tears streaming down her face she put the handmade sling round her head and laid her arm inside of it. Having something to support it on was instantly a relief, but it was still throbbing painfully.
Unable to sleep and in too much pain to eat Candra just sat on her bed until both her last lesson and dinner was over. The shock had worn off and left her slightly shaky, leaving her hands trembling. That's when she remembered that she had to go to detention tonight with Snape. For a full five minutes she debated not going, after all he would only ask questions. Then she realised that skipping a detention with Snape was something that no one at school had ever done, and would probably be a lot more trouble than it was worth. As she walked down to his office, which was near the potions classrooms, she tried to think of a convincing lie to tell him about her arm. She hadn't removed her D.I.Y sling as it was relieving a lot of the pain but she had debated removing a dozen times on the way. She stood outside his office door and knocked on the door hesitantly. It opened after a few seconds of waiting and Snape's eyes flicked to her arm before he motioned for her to enter the room. She waited patiently for him to close the door before taking the seat that was offered for her opposite his desk.
"Are you going to give me an explanation as to why you didn't hand in your homework Miss Jones?" Snape said when they were both sat down. Candra felt her face flush, ashamed at herself.
"No Professor, I forgot. I apologise," she said looking down at the floor. She heard Snape sigh and looked up to see him moving forward in his seat.
"Well then, will you give me an explanation as to why your arm is in a sling?" he said motioning to her right arm.
She'd been dreading this question, yet she knew it was coming. How could he ignore her arm being in a sling? She hesitated, unsure whether or not to lie,
"I fell professor," she stated, a weak lie even to her own ears. Snape rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and once again sighed,
"Is it broken?" he asked, just an edge of concern in his voice. Candra nodded. His hand went through his hair before he stood up and stood in front of her.
"May I take a look?" he asked, without waiting for an answer he undid the makeshift sling. His fingers brushed against Candra's neck and despite everything Candra felt a shiver of pleasure bolt down her spine. This was forgotten quickly when Candra felt Snape's hand replace the comfort of the sling. She winced slightly in pain and Snape's eyes instantly darted to her face, his brow furrowed with concern. He gently felt up the length of her wrist and her hand, checking the swelling. By the end Candra felt tears falling down her face despite her best efforts to hold them back. Snape pulled back, unhappy that her wrist was in fact broken, when he noticed the tears on her cheeks. He felt a tug in his chest, wanting to comfort her once again. Then he remembered what she had said before, and he pulled back. He didn't want her to think, once again, that this was pity. Yet she was crying, right in front of him, because she was in pain. Before he could let the thoughts in his head overwhelm him Snape put his hand up to her face and brushed away a tear with his thumb. Candra bit her lip, holding back another wave of tears. Snape spoke softly and quietly,
"I do not pity you Candra," then as soon as the words had left his mouth he had risen and gone to a small cupboard in his office, leaving Candra to wonder whether he had actually spoken at all. He pulled out a small bottle of green liquid and gave it to Candra , it shone slightly. Candra noticed that there was a stopper in the top and looked at Snape helplessly. Realising his mistake he took it from her again, his fingers brushing hers, and removed it. Handing it back to her he said,
"Drink it all, it may hurt slightly." Candra hesitated before gulping the bottle down in almost one mouthful. It stung her throat slightly and tasted bitter. As soon as Candra had swallowed all of it she felt a surge of intense pain in her wrist...and promptly fainted.
She woke up a few minutes later on a hard surface. There was something soft beneath her head however that she appreciated and a heat beside her that she instinctively nuzzled towards. She took a few seconds to become aware of her surroundings. She was on the floor and there was a pillow from one of the seats under her head, the warmth she had nestled towards had been Snape sat beside her on the floor. She looked up at him and his eyes softened,
"That can be a side affect. Does your wrist feel better?" he asked. She flexed her fingers and felt no pain so she chanced it by pushing her self up into a sitting position. It was slightly stiff but it didn't hurt.
"It's much better, thank you," she said looking at the professor and smiling weakly. Her head felt a little light and she didn't trust herself to stand up just yet. It was then she noticed how odd this situation was, she was sat next to her professor on the floor. She waited for him to stand up and say something like, 'well on with the detention then' (probably not in those exact words) but he didn't. Candra felt quite content, the silence only on the verge of becoming uncomfortable. She felt herself sway slightly, her head still fuzzy. In a second she felt a hand on her back, steadying her, not allowing her to fall backwards. That's when she decided she needed to say something.
"Why – why are you so nice to me?" she said quietly, blushing as she spoke. Snape looked quite shocked at the question and looked at her intently before answering.
"Why wouldn't I be? You're a very intelligent girl who has a flair for potions, in fact you're probably my best student." Candra felt herself swell with pride slightly before an odd sense of sadness came over her,
"So, it's only because I'm good at potions then?" she said so quietly that Snape had to strain to hear her.
He could have shook her, screamed at her.
"No, no it isn't just because you're good at potions. I've been where you've been. I know what you're going through, I want to help you get through it." Candra felt quite sorry for Snape in that moment, she never knew that he'd been bullied in school (why would she?) and the comment instantly wanted to make her know more. Then a peculiar feeling swept through her; someone actually wanted to help her. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened.
"Nobody ever wants to help me..." she said, a statement that made Snape's heart sink. Snape's hand, which was still on her back, worked its way up to her neck. Then it was stroking through her hair in comforting gesture,
"I do." Candra looked at him, stared into his eyes looking for traces of pity; she didn't see any. The air around them seemed to change once again. Candra twisted slightly to put her now uninjured hand on his chest, using the other one to keep her steady on the ground. Snape stopped stroking her hair and instead laid his hand on the side of her face once again. Then they were moving towards each other, as though an unseen force was pulling them together. Candra could feel Snape's breath on her face, warm and comforting.
"Thank you" Candra whispered, their lips so close that Snape felt the movement of her lips against his own. Just seconds later their lips finally met. They stayed like that for a few seconds then everything seemed to intensify. Candra felt it, like a sudden need to be closer. She pulled herself towards him more wanting to be nearer to him. Her lips moved and parted against his and after a couple of moments of doubt Candra felt Snape's do the same. It was soft and gentle, but there was an underlying passion. It was about comfort, friendship, hurt and loss; and Candra lost herself in it. All she could focus on was the feel of Snape's lips upon hers; the way she could only smell him and the beating of his heart against her hand. When it came to an end Candra felt content and happy...but she wanted more. After a few seconds of them both breathing slightly heavier than they had been doing before Candra said,
"Professor, I think I can stand up now." Although her legs felt a lot more weak than they hand done before and she wasn't entirely sure that she was telling the truth. As they stood up, their bodies were still close to one another. Snape's hands were on her hips pulling her closer. They're faces just inches apart,
"Professor I think we-" Candra started before being cut off by Snape,
"Severus..." he said softly, "my name's Severus." Candra blushed and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She licked her lips before saying,
"Severus," she let his name slide along her tongue, lingering on every syllable. The sound of his name from her lips sent a thud of emotion through Snape causing his breath to hitch in his throat. His eyes met with hers, so green – shining with emotion, and he let their lips touch again. He wanted to savour the sweet taste of her, like vanilla and warm days walking on the beach. He hadn't felt like this in so long, the inexplicable feeling of wanting to be so close to someone. He felt her mouth open against his and a small moan escaped her, causing him to stop thinking for a few seconds and lose himself again in her kiss. He kissed her softly, his hands once again coming up to cup her face. He tried to poor in all the emotion he'd been feeling, the protectiveness and the attraction, into the kiss. It trailed off slowly. He laid another gentle kiss on her lips and they were left with their foreheads touching, their breath mingling with each others. It was a few moments before Snape pulled back and let go off Candra completely, causing her to feel cold once again.
"I can't Candra," Snape said unwillingly, "you're my student and-"
"I don't care." Candra piped up, a surge of confidence overcoming her.
"That's not the poi-"
"Let me finish please," Candra said, determined to get her point across. Snape backed up and leant against the wall, waving his hand in a resigned act for her to continue. Candra took in a deep breath before continuing,
"Well it's ridiculous really," she avoided Snape's eyes as she carried on, "but ever since first year people – Hunter – having been picking on me. Mainly because I'm a...a filthy little mudblood," she dug her fingers into her hands and spat out the words, barely noticing Snape flinch at them coming out of her mouth. She continued, keeping her eyes on the floor,
"Well when Hunter picks on you, it's as though you have some sort of disease or something. No one dares to help me or even talk to me just in case that means that he starts on them. Still it would be nice for someone – Anyway no one has been nice to me since first year, or spoken to me...until you. To be honest I couldn't care less that you're a teacher, for some unknown reason you're nice to me, although I don't really deserve it and -"
"You do deserve it," Snape cut in, a slight edge of anger in his voice. Candra was shocked at his sudden outburst, and embarrassed as she realised how much she'd just revealed. She looked at the floor and twiddled her thumbs. After a long pause she said quietly,
"It's just nice for someone to be nice to me...especially as it's you." Candra heard movement in the room, but didn't look up her embarrassment almost crippling. Then she felt arms wrap around her and she leant in to the warmth and musky smell of Severus Snape.