HEATING UP NEXT CHAPTER! ;]

Chapter 7- Urgency

Chapter7

It was starting to get colder. The air coming through the castle's stone walls at Hogwats was musky and thick. Some days consisted of just cold rain. The weather was grim, as were the moods of the student and faculty members of the school. This was certainly so for Thena Abott. Thena had been expecting something, anything to rectify, provide evidence of the night of… affections with the infamous Professor Severus Snape, yet nothing had surfaced.

As she went to breakfast and dinner in the grand hall every day, Thena looked to him to acknowledge… what exactly, she didn't know.

The reality was quite the opposite. It was as though, to Severus's knowledge, Thena didn't even exist at the school.

It had been an entire week after the incident took place, and when Thena walked into the Grand Hall, Severus looked straight through her or not in her direction at all. Thena use to see him on the way to his living quarters since they were very close to her's, and yet their paths never seemed to cross. They also never met or even planned appointments for her memory exercises.

It was as though she disappeared, and him…from her.

Thena was surprised the emotion of despair that over took her on yet another rainy day. Analyzing herself and her emotions, Thena took inventory of her issue and took to a resolution. It is what she always did: listed out a problem, bluntly and detached, and seek solution.

She surprised herself, by admitting that she was hurt by this lack of Severus's attention. Why was she hurt though? Because she felt rejected?

Thena kind of felt guilty for her actions on that night. Though the memory played through her head repeatedly before she went to sleep and even in waking hours, when she was working, Thena felt like it was a vague dream.

Had she evoked him? Did she force herself on him? She didn't remember too much on how it began, but definitely could remember him returning the gesture and then some…Right?

Thena often got goose bumps when she thought up to that point. His hand and his body pushing her against the stone wall, his mouth connected to her…the way his lips felt and tasted…

She was surprised she wanted him to continue that night…Severus was much older than she was, about ten or fifteen years older. She knew he didn't take her seriously for it and that he would never talk to her on the same level as a colleague or peer.

Though Thena was part of the staff, Severus always talked to her like one of his students and perhaps even rightfully so? He was such a wise and experienced man…especially in the wizardry world, which was a world Thena knew very little about. She felt insecure about all she didn't know about magic.

She also knew very little about Severus which maybe fed into this sexual draw she had towards him. All Thena knew was what the papers said, that Severus was "loyal", "disciplined", and "courageous". Sometimes they even went as far as to use the word "compassionate".

The words didn't resemble the professor she saw every day. Minerva was right, Severus didn't represent himself this way, because he didn't believe himself to be so admirable…He was modest?

And even with his misery, stern expression, dark piercing eyes, and the way he scowled her and everyone else around him, she still had wanted to continue being with him that night… and maybe even now? Perhaps that's why she was disappointed.

Thena laughed at herself and shook her head at her stupidity. She was an adult, not a teenager and was nursing her heartache like it was a bad, dysfunctional heart break…just one of her girl students would do…Make everything out of nothing, fantasize, build up tension, just to ultimately be let down and then wallow in that self-pity.

After the weekend past, she had decided that today was a new day and Thena felt too much self-purpose and pride to continue to grope or be disappointed about lacking something that didn't exist nor did she feel like she needed.

She was also sick of the rain and decided to rebel the horrible weather with a yellow dress and white laced stockings. They depicted flowers on her legs. Thena's whole appearance in fact, hinted a need for spring. The winter, however, had not even arrived yet.

All fireplaces were lit in the corridors as she made her way to the Grand Hall. Thena lit up the rooms further with her bright gown and the way her long ringlets tussled as she walked towards breakfast. Her strides felt determined. One of Thena's greatest memo's was "believe it, before you achieve it". This was a simple cliché, but Thena knew the powers of this thought process.

She was unsure of everything, unclear how her life was in the past and where it was going in the future, but she placed such conviction in her movements. Because of this she would sometimes reaching a state of complete clarity. It seemed like other's sense this aurora around her too. The students still gawked at her as she took her place at the head table.

Thena made conscious effort to not even glance in Severus's direction. She ate her whole breakfast that morning, never knowing if he was even at the table.

"Ms. Hagons." Severus let the name escape his throat before he could even prevent himself. The big eyed second year, hesitantly stopped walking towards the door and walked back. She had almost made it out of his class, unscathed.

The classmates Veronica were walking out with all looked back in sheer horror. The professor took note of this and with a flick of his wand, the door shut in their wide-eyed faces.

Veronica gulped, her voice was wavering as she responded, "Yes, Professor?"

"I don't know if it came to your attention…" Even he didn't know this unfamiliar verbiage he managed to utter. It was as though he was going through an out-of-body experience. "but a few weeks ago I had said something that was…" he choked on the word "regrettable… to you in front of class. If you don't recall this incident, then that is…fine and I hope everything is…resolved. I hope you can… " He cleared his throat and turned his back to the girl, pretending to rifle through some books. "continue to attend my class."

Veronica didn't say anything for a moment. She was putting together what he was saying. It sunk into her that the Professor Snape was admitting he regretted something he said to her and that he possibly was trying to apologize. Only after this she managed to respond, "Thank you, Professor." She turned to the door and was about to leave when she felt the need to tell him something else…anything…even if it was a small fib.

"I look forward to your classes, Professor."

It happened again later that day. A notion had swept through Severus, like symptoms of a sickness. He was retreating to his quarters when he passed her door and paused. This wasn't entirely true since her quarters were on the way to his, not her office or instruction room…whatever she called it.

He paused three feet passed the door…again. Severus noticed his skin began to grow hot and pricked him slightly. Perhaps he was coming down with an aliment of some sort. He walked to the door and didn't knock.

There was a sign on the door that altered between "in session, please come back shortly" and "please knock before entering". In this very moment it said the latter, yet Severus still waited.

He weighed his options of sending her a message through bird, or letter, or talking during dinner, but he felt this way may draw less attention towards their…interactions…and less attention towards what had taken place.

He was also there because he felt a sense of urgency to deliver the message, though the message wasn't urgent at all. Maybe it was just the act of talking to her that made Severus feel a desired urgency.

He finally drove himself to knock and enter.

It seemed to take her a few minutes to take notice that it was him. She rose from a desk she was seated at, yet didn't move.

"Hello Professor." She very formally. She didn't seem to address him or look at him the same as she did before. He could have been anything to her, besides someone familiar…a colleague, a student…a stranger.

Though she was obviously surprised by his presence, Severus observed she represented herself very disconnected from him.

The woman was still wearing a yellow dress that graciously hung to her. He knew what she was wearing today, but it still surprised him even now to see it a second time. The whole day was spent seeing robes and gray weather.

She was a spectacle.

A spectacle he wanted to remove or scold…or simply just wanted to touch again…he didn't know. He brushed this feeling and the memory out of his mind in an instant and detached…much like her.

"Madam." He nodded his head and forced his eyes to the desk. "It has come to my attention…that for whatever reasoning we may each have…we have neglected to do our practices that Minerva has requested from us…That I have agreed to…Are you free to commence at nine, tonight?"

She seemed confused by his request at first, but agreed. "Yes. I can."

"Yes…very well." He said curtly. Severus turned to leave, but froze.

"I cannot neglect my profession in any sense." He turned. He forced his eyes to her face. "Do we have an understanding, Ms. Abbott?"

"Yes. We do."