Dark Tower

All characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter six: The pursuit?

The next morning, Jessica arrived at the Great Hall, whose magical ceiling matched her mood. Grey and rainy. She went to the head table and sat down at her usual place. A few of the staff were already eating and conversing over a cup of coffee. Severus wasn't there yet, she was thankful for that. She mumbled some greetings to the staff that was there and pulled a few pieces of toast to her plate. She munched slowly, only half-listening to the conversations around her. She didn't feel up to talking politely today. Her mind was somewhere else today...

When he finally arrived for breakfast, his face reflected his usual surly self. He just nodded to the others and sat down quietly. Filling his cup, he then took a large gulp of the scalding coffee, seemingly intent on burning his insides to wake himself up. His face was a little paler than usual...Maybe he hadn't slept well during the night? Jessica speculated on his appearance. But stopped herself from asking about his apparent lack of sleep. He shot a few murderous glances at the students that had the gall to speak too animatedly. The students would take his overt animosity for serious, and clam-up immediately.

Jessica finished eating and got up to leave the table. But as she turned to bid everyone a good day, she found him staring at her. He had a way a staring that would cut her capacity to speak, let alone think. She blinked, trying to get back her bearings, then softly said goodbye to all and hastily left the Hall. She left the school to go the greenhouse. She had loads of things to prepare or finish preparing, her mind already thinking of the tasks ahead. She unlocked the door to greenhouse #2 and stepped inside. She paused at the coat rack to remove her cloak and put her gardening smock. Might as well start now, or she would never finish for lunchtime.

She grabbed a few pots of flux weed and started to re-pot them as professor Sprout had asked. Her mind was totally engrossed in the task at hand...so, it was natural that she hadn't heard the door to the greenhouse open and close gently in the background. Her hands manipulated the plants with dexterity, pruning a few roots along the way, transferring plants to larger containers and adding soil as needed. A half hour later she had finished the task and put the plants back on the corner-shelving unit. She turned to go to the blackboard that hung on the wall, but instead walk in, quite unceremoniously into someone. Strong hands steadied her in case she would fall. She looked up, and met a set of dark, obsidian eyes. She paled when she saw him, she couldn't understand how he had come in without her knowledge. His face was smooth and didn't let his emotions show through. She was at a loss for words, and only managed to croak a weak "Good morning professor" before her voice gave out.

He studied her face, and noted how she paled when she looked up at him. Then saw a gentle blush spread across her cheekbones a moment later. He knew he had surprised her, and felt a certain glee for having done so. He kept his hands on her upper arms, not wanting to let her go just yet. Her voice gave away her nervousness. He almost laughed at such an innocent reaction. It pleased him to know that he was able to rattle her so.

He said..."I was a little disappointed this morning when you left the Great Hall so soon. As if you were trying to avoid a conversation with me." His voice but a hushed murmur. A smirk spread across his face. He knew she had left for that very reason. Seeing her lower her eyes for a fraction of a second, proved his assumption.

He closed the space between them, and gazed into her eyes, reading her like a book. He bent his head and whispered to her ear, in the sultriest voice imaginable. "And I missed you terribly last night,after you ran from my room. Wished you could of stayed longer... much longer." His breath caressed her ear, and she closed her eyes in response. She could barely breath in such close proximity with him. How could a man, so well known for his brutal and sometimes petty behavior, have such an influence on her?

He gently took her earlobe between his lips and gently teased it's sensitive skin. She stopped breathing for a few minutes, or so it seemed to her, while he gently kissed her ear, and then slowly let his lips graze her jaw line. Her heart was pounding in her ears by now, a gentle moan escaping her lips, before his mouth covered hers.

Severus felt in no hurry, as he gently pried her lips apart with the tip of his tongue, savoring the sweet hollow she offered him. His hands steadily crept from her waist, down to the small of her back. He embraced her gently so he wouldn't frighten her off again.

She felt the heady warmth of her senses awakening to his gentle embrace, her hands reaching up to tie themselves around his neck. She felt nervous as well as exhilarated at the same time. She wanted more, much more than this... forgetting where they were, not caring who might be watching. But fate had other plans for them, in the form of a short, stout woman with deliriously crazy hair.

Professor Sprout hadentered the greenhouse through its back door not noticing the entangled couple by the corner rack. Her day was to start with the second years coming for a course on Bubotubers...and she had to prepare the tables for them. With a wave of her wand, she cleaned the tables of any dirt residue from last afternoons 7th year class. She turned around to go fetch the pots of bubotuber and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes grew wide, her mouthdropped open as she set her eyes on the most surprising sight. The Potions teacher was effectively shagging her young assistant. And from the looks of it, they hadn't even noticed her presence. Ooh, the things that would be said at the dinner table that evening. Sprout thought of the scoop she had just been given. This would fuel months of tasty rumor mongering and salacious jokes at Snape's expense. She almost screamedwith joy.

Then she remembered that the 2nd years were coming soon. Looking at her watch, this would be in 15 minutes or so. Regretfully, she had to break them apart before the students got there. Sneaking silently to the antechamber that led to greenhouse #1, she took an old, broken clay pot and let it fall to the floor. She glanced quickly around and saw them jump apart, look at each other in shear panic. He whispered something to her, and then left by the back door. Jessica's face was ashen by now, as she quickly grabbed a few empty pots to try and cover up her discomfiture.

Sprout put a straight face on, and entered the room. "Good morning Jessica! Hope you slept well..." She went to the student's tables to check if anything was missing for the next class.

Jessica hoped Pomona hadn't seen anything, though if she did, it didn't show. "Had a good night, can't complain." She shifted the pots she was handling to another shelf. "I'm almost finished here, did most of the things you asked me to do."

"We missed you at supper time yesterday. Hope you weren't ill?" Pomona asked her innocently. A quick glance behind her shoulder and she saw the girl flinch at the question. But she didn't add anything.

Jessica wondered if Albus had spoken about her being with Severus last night. She spoke cautiously. "No, I wasn't. Ihad an appointment that ran long.Got something sent to my room instead." She made a barrel of earth float easily to the worktable, keeping an eye on the older woman.

"Oh...very well then." She walked to the door and unlocked it, so the students could come in. "Anyway, you can have the rest of the morning off. I won't need you for the first two classes. Be here for the 6th year's class. I'm bringing them into the forest to gather some wormwood."

"Very well Pomona. Thank you for the time off." Jessica casually offered, but Sprout came next to her and eyed her keenly. Her eyes twinkled as she gave Jessica her handkerchief. "He smudged your lipstick... better clean it up before entering the school."

Jessica became crimson faced and ran to a small mirror next to the sinks. 'Oh dear god!' She thought wildly. She cleaned her face with the cloth Pomona had given her. She turned back to face her colleague, folding the handkerchief, "I guess you saw...um...us?" she asked nervously.

Pomona winked at her and left the greenhouse to get some wooden stakes for the class, leaving the girl to wonder about what she had seen.