"Clothilde"

Chapter 6 "Forget..."

"So, I hear you're going to the Ball with Ron?" Clothilde smiled at Hermione.

She shot a forlorn glance at Harry, "yes."

The guard pretended she hadn't seen anything as Harry looked back wondering what they were talking about. As usual the two of them were huddled up together in the Gryffindor main room, at the window-seats.

Hermione's eyes went to the gladius at her side, "I've wanted to ask you something, but...."

She raised an eyebrow. "Ask."

"Did you fail out of Hogwarts?"

"Ah... you didn't tell me it was in such poor taste," she teased.

"OhImsorry... it is in poor taste~"

"Yes, I did." She looked down at her blade, "this... gave me away did it? You're very perceptive."

Hermione chewed her lip, "I'm sorry."

"No big deal."

"So, they snapped your wand then?"

"Hmm... they do that sort of thing."

"Then... are you really supposed to do magic? I, I mean, Hagrid...."

Clothilde was shocked and impressed how clever and also how tactlessly bold she was. This probably showed on her face because Hermione backed down slightly. She pulled her sword.

"This is an Athame, have you ever tried one?"

Hermione looked at the short sword being proffered to her.

"I've only seen them in books." She lingered, looking at the bone handle and brass detail... then her eyes fell on the letters engraved in the blade. "IRA, what does that stand for?"

"It's the my sword's name."

Hermione screwed up her face to look at Harry's bodyguard, "you're sword's name is Ira?"

She laughed a bit as she sheathed it. "It's Latin... like everything else around here."

"So... the Ministry of Magic doesn't mind you practicing even though you failed your classes here?"

"What they don't know won't hurt them." She looked at the girl seriously, lingering long enough for her to know Clothilde wanted this to stay between them.

For a moment Hermione wondered if she knew Sirius... there was something similarly foreboding about them both. Actually... she was kind've old, could she had been in school with Sirius? That would mean Harry's father as well... and Snape. The gears in her clever witch's mind began to move, and she looked away and to the floor... ah what a lovely shade of maroon, to disguise it.

* * * * *

Clothilde moved to the hearth where a grand fire was burning merrily, Christmas Day tomorrow and the Yule Ball to deal with. Harry was going with Ginny Weasley apparently. He had told her in confidence that he didn't really know who to ask, and Ginny seemed like the best choice since she really wanted to go and she was also in Gryffindor. Clothilde thought of Hermione pining away in constant silence. She had felt that way at one point in her life as well, so she knew the sorrow of it. She supposed Hermione was a little more practical that she had been when she was a teenager though... her passion tended to get the better of her. It had that Christmas of her seventh year.... She rubbed the bridge of her nose in horror as she remembered....

* * * * *

"Professor Snape?" Her voice had come hissing and awful, like there was some other being inside her body with her. She crept into his office, she knew she'd find him working on paperwork there.

He was slumped over his desk, a teacup turned over and askew.

She neared him now, "Professor?"

He moaned a little.

"Hmm yes, that probably wasn't the nicest mix was it?" She tutted as she moved into his storage room looking for some of his slightly more dangerous potions. They had wards on them. Damn.

She strolled back into his office, thinking wistfully that this was how she was spending Christmas... this was her Yule Ball. She plopped down beside Snape.

"Professor."

He didn't move.

"Professor, wake up." She shoved him.

"I... I'm certainly not asleep Miss Malfoy." His voice lost in his folded arms.

"Ohh, well good," she pushed him and he slid out of his chair completely like a rag-doll.

A muffled groan escaped him as his head hit the floor.

"Now then, you're going to take down those wards."

He muttered something undistinguishable.

"You can't fight it old... friend, I laced your tea with Suggestion, and I threw a Weakness potion in there as well, which is why you're having some problems... maneuvering, and talking I presume. Well, this is unfortunate, however we do need to get you in there," she said as she dragged him across the floor of his office by one arm. "Now then Severus, take down the wards on that cabinet."

The Suggestion potion working on his mind he was unable to resist, and with an exhausted flick of his wand, the wards came down.

"Thanks old man," she mused and pulled his wand from him as he fell back from his half sitting position.

"Charlotte... I knew you couldn't be trusted.... The Headmaster~"

"Oh, the Headmaster won't find out." She lifted several of the most interesting looking vials.

She glanced back at him, he was lying there helplessly crushed between two aisles, his body was one long black form. His eyes were staring at her, hatred evident there. She had betrayed him yet again... and this time it was pretty bad. If anyone ever found out, well, she wasn't actually sure what would happen to her, but after he had removed himself from her life a couple months prior, she really didn't care. She endured Potions with him, he spent his time going out of his way to ignore her, it was awful. She had no one to sponsor her efforts in the dueling club so she was never allowed to duel other schools, only practice with the kids at Hogwarts. She was more self-destructive now than she had ever been. She had no plans to even bother trying anymore. Unfortunately the one thing that still haunted her, were the memories of training with him, the teasing snipes they exchanged. He had been so kind, now he was this horrible man who couldn't care if she lived or died. It hurt really bad. She tried not to cry when she was alone, and when she didn't, when she held it in she found it twisted her up inside into... something really scary. It gave her this supreme dark strength. Strength enough to carry off this theft.

She finished slipping vials into her pockets, and turned to face Snape. "This is the first time you've said one word to me in weeks you realize?"

He glared at her.

"You really hate me don't you?"

"Yes."

She knelt down, her face sinister and smiling at him, "oh but that's not really true, now... no, you, you don't hate me at all. Say it."

He fought it a little. "I don't hate you at all."

"See, that wasn't so bad. That's the nice thing about the Suggestion potion I've noticed, it can't make a person do something he is really against doing. Like, I can't make you kill yourself... which I wouldn't do anyhow," she added in an afterthought. "I can't make you do anything you are really opposed to doing."

He was looking up at the ingredients as if he was trying to formulate some sort of plan, but was too weak to actually execute it.

"Sorry about the Weakness thing, but I couldn't have you bash me in the face or something you know... didn't want to take that chance."

"You stupid girl. Do you honestly think I would've hit you?" He uttered.

"Let's just say, I'm a student~"

He snorted at that.

She continued rather annoyed. "You're a professor, you could've squashed me quite easily, and I didn't want to take that chance... why, are you saying you wouldn't have hit me?"

Snape sighed. "I demand you give me the antidote, now...." His command died on his lips in his weakened state.

"No." She crawled over his helpless form, and gazed down at him. "You're going to hear this now. Even if you won't remember.

"I never meant to betray you professor... not, not before. Not with my notebook of poison~"

He made a dismissive sound, slightly unnerved that her body hovered over his, a little too close for him to be comfortable.

"Look at me."

He had to.

"I had that notebook for years. I have been working on it for years... I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just who I am. Maybe I am an evil girl, maybe that's all true, but your... your... friendship meant everything to me." Her eyes teared. "And you just threw that away!"

Professor Snape was looking at her gravely, considering her words.

Then something came over her. She realized he wasn't going to remember any of this. She kissed him.

"Kiss me back," she breathed.

He did. He had no choice. It obviously wasn't something he was so opposed to doing either, she realized, or he would've fought it.

She flicked her tongue into his mouth, "don't stop. Oh I've missed you, I've missed you."

Charlotte ran her fingers into his hair, it was like coal so black against her pale hand, she flattened her body against his. The expression on his face was confusion, and slight horror.

"Miss Malfoy~"

"Say my name," she hissed, "Charlotte."

"Charlotte..." he uttered.

"Tell me you want me."

"I, I want you... I want you... to... put back the... vials."

She silenced him with another kiss.

"I want you professor," she whispered into his ear.

He didn't say anything.

She could feel his body under her own, it felt so delicious she wanted to pretend it was all true. She could smell his neck, his hair falling gently there... musky spice, and she kissed it. Her lips and her tongue against his neck, his ear... slowly working her way to the buttons at his throat.

Nearly inaudible, but she had heard it, he was biting back a moan.

"Oh yes...." She lifted her head to look at his face. He was breathing heavily, his lips parted slightly, a bit of a dreamy look on his face, and fear. "Oh kiss me again."

He didn't resist as much this time. His kiss came softer and deeper. She ran her fingers over the palms of his hands, which lay at his sides motionless. He breathed, she could hear his breath coming raggedly.

"Charlotte..." he uttered, she hadn't even coaxed it out of him this time. It was enough to drive her mad, but she certainly wasn't going to continue like this... this was, really wrong. And she began to wonder how long it would take for that potion to wear off, she really only had a small amount mixed with weakness... then this horrible image of him coming out of it completely and grabbing her came to mind. That woke her.

"No." She said standing, then pressed her face to the cold wet wall... "yuk...." Disgusted she pulled a vial of purple potion from an upper pocket, on it's side there was a label which read 'Forget'.

Snape was watching her from the odd angle on the floor between two aisles, he was once more wary, and slightly flushed.

Charlotte knelt down briskly, "drink this."

He fought with his body, trying to sit up. The professor watched her annoyed as she fed him the drought.

"Sorry professor, you'll hate me again tomorrow."

* * * * *

Clothilde touched her lips absently with her fingertips as she was lost in thought. Bittersweet memory. One only she possessed. She had eradicated it from him altogether.... If she hadn't he would never had spoken to her again, she may well have wound up in Azkaban... who knows. She was embarrassed it had ever transpired. She was slightly out of touch with reality back in those days.

Pushing that out of her mind she focused on the few Gryffindors who hadn't gone home for Christmas.

Fred or George Weasley was waving at her, trying to wake her from the stupor she was in. "Anyone at home?"

"I'm sorry," she smiled. "What did you want?"

"Canary Cream?"

Before she could ponder this, Ron, Hermione and Harry all jumped on him, "NO!!"

* * * * *

"I thought you liked Clothilde," Ron was saying Christmas morning as they perused the presents they had received.

"I do like her."

"But you still think we should find out where in the tower she lives, and break in?"

She rolled her eyes. "We don't even know if she lives in the tower or not."

"Well of course she lives here. She's a Gryffindor after all." Ron affirmed.

Harry looked up from his new sweater, "we really don't know that Ron."

"She must be. Come on is Dumbledore going to give you some lousy Slytherin or something to guard you? Be serious." His mouth was full of Bertie Botts.

Harry and Hermione's eyes met.

"I don't know Hermione, I don't see the point."

She found something rather interesting on the floor again. "Well, what do we really know about her?"

"That Dumbledore trusts her with Harry's life. That's good enough for me."

"Dumbledore also hired on the fake Professor Moody."

Harry looked over at Ron. "She's got a point."

Ron sighed. "All right, but not today. It's Christmas after all."

Hermione sat back in her cushy chair looking fairly pleased.

Ron smiled at her, "it's the Yule Ball tonight remember."

"I remember," she got up.

"Where are you going?"

"To get changed for breakfast, do you mind?"

Harry wondered if their bickering was ever going to end. He felt kind've bad that they were going to be ransacking Clothilde's residence on a hunch. It really wasn't the right thing to do. Not that the three of them hadn't traipsed the castle under the invisibility cloak plenty of times... but, it still felt pretty bad. He did wonder how she could be practicing magic without the Ministry of Magic knowing about it. He had reasoned that maybe Dumbledore was hiding it from them here at Hogwarts... but that wouldn't make sense while she had been living outside of the school for years using her magical ability. She had an Athame... not that they were illegal, but they were rare, hard to get... maybe he was curious too, but still.... It didn't feel right.