SS: Hey Guys! Short one today sorry! The next chapter is pretty long and is taken ages to finish so thought I'd post this to keep you updated! ;o)
Never Judge A Book By It's Cover
Temperance Starfall
Temperance jumped and inhaled the air sharply causing her to make an 'Eeek' sound; she turned around quickly pulling herself away from its grip. When she looked up she gave a sigh of relief at the familiar face in front of her.
"What are you thinking, roaming the woods at this late hour alone?" Severus said in an annoyed tone.
"I could ask you the same thing?" she bit back, trying to slow her racing heart. "You scared me half to death!" a smile started to play across her lips.
"Miss Starfall, it may come as a surprise to you but young women should not be out wandering the forest at this time of night, it is dangerous!" he said as though she needed lecturing. Temperance rolled her eyes, beginning to feel annoyed at his tone.
"First of all, it's Professor Starfall and secondly I've been in places a lot worse than this and lived to tell the tale!" she smirked, her annoyance gleaming in her eyes. She turned away from him and quickly began walking back in the direction of the castle.
"The library during your first year at Hogwarts, three boys from Gryffindor decided to play a prank on any students still studying after the exams had taken place and of course the prank backfired leaving several students seriously injured… except you," he looked pointedly at her. Temperance stopped and turned back to him, her eyes now smiling playfully.
"It's a day I'll never forget either," she began walking away again before turning back once more. "You were my hero, Severus," she beamed and then she disappeared before his eyes. Severus stood for a moment looking at the space she had just been standing only seconds ago and smiled despite himself, before making his way back towards the castle. He was in no hurry to return to his office and walked at a gentle pace, soon old memories were beginning to stir in his head. He had been walking towards the library when the first explosion happened. The place had immediately erupted into yells and cries, students were running everywhere in confusion. A young girl was standing in the middle of frightened students, crying that her friend was trapped behind the fire. Severus looked in the direction the girl was pointing as one of the bookcases fell. He knew the fire was enchanted and was not going to be extinguished easily, it could take a while and the trapped student could be dead. Another bookcase crashed to the ground and Severus pulled on his cloak, using a special incantation he was able to walk through the fire, it took several minutes before he saw her. Her short messy silver hair reflecting the flames, he rushed over, seeing that she was trapped under a bookcase. He waved his wand, using a spell to lift the bookcase and pulled her free. She coughed, looking up at him briefly before lapsing into unconscious. He bundled her up under his cloak and took her safely away from the fire and to the hospital wing. The moment she had looked at him had stayed with him for years, he could never forget the way her bright blue eyes had pierced through him – he felt as though she were looking into his soul. Even now all these years later he still felt she could see into his soul and he felt ashamed. That was the last good thing he had ever done, everything since then had been selfish and only hurt other people. He was so completely lost in thought he didn't notice leaving the grounds behind until he was walking along the darkened hallways of the castle and past Temperance's chambers as he made his way to his own. He stopped, becoming concerned as he noticed the door had been left open. He stepped inside and glanced around the room, there was no one there.
"Miss… Professor Starfell?" he said aloud incase she was perhaps in the bathroom, but again he heard nothing. A cat suddenly ran past, startling him slightly. He watched as it hopped onto the bed and lay down comfortably at the bottom, wrapping its tail around itself. It looked up at him, giving a low, whining meow. Severus gave it a quizzical look, wondering why it was here. There was nothing in the room suggesting a cat stayed here. He looked closer as it gave a long yawn. It was not like any cat he had seen before; it was white, the purest white he had ever seen and then its eyes… Severus' own eyes widened before her regained his composure and left closing the door behind him.
LL: Until next time readers!
