I'm Back! I still own Nothing, BTW In the book Harry finds Mrs. Norris on Halloween, on the same day as Nick's Death Day party, but since we're combining movie and book here, we shall tweak the time line just a smidgen.

Two pots of tea later it was nearly nine by the time Veronica had calmed Filtch down. It was pitch black when she started to head back to her classroom and she held out her wand in front of her to light her way. She was dreadfully tired despite it only being nine and she hoped that Lockhart wouldn't throw any last minute jobs her way the moment she set foot in the door.

Half way down the hall she couldn't help but get the eerie feeling something was behind her, the same feeling that just makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. She swallowed and turned to look behind her , seeing nothing she continued on her way the only sounds being her heeling on the tiles.

She felt the feeling again and she looked behind her and into the pitch blackness of the hall that seemed more like a tunnel than a hallway. She turned quickly and hastened her speed, clutching the small blue book in one arm and eyes flitting back and forth until she looked at the wrong place at the wrong time and stumbled to her knees.

"why is it every time I come across you, You've fallen down?" She heard that familiar deep voice behind her and felt her shoulder relax from sheer relief, "I guess I'm just clumsy like that." She straightened up and sighed before turning to face the raven haired professor. "I take it Mr. Filtch kept you busy." Veronica scoffed lightly, "I haven't seen that much worry on a man's face since my uncle forgot my aunt's birthday"

"He is a tad neurotic, but you seemed to handle him quite well." Severus glanced at her, "However Lockhart seemed more than a little put out that you didn't prioritize him" Veronica grimaced, "Oh I hope he didn't take it too hard, I really meant no offence but Filtch just seemed to be so upset that…"

"I'm sure he's just fine Ronnie" he used the name so casually the Veronica almost didn't notice it until she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Who told you?" She squeaked as her face turned several shades of red and her voice cracked, meanwhile Severus smirked slyly. "They" Veronica bit her lip and covered up her humiliation, "They talk a lot don't they?" she retorted

"They certainly do." Severus nodded, "They certainly do." He shrugged, "Tell me, is it normal protocol for an employer to give his employee a sobriquet?" Veronica sighed, "Not that I know of but I thought we had both figured out that Lockhart isn't exactly usual." She looked down and realized she dropped her book and knelt down to pick it up.

"Good book?"

She gave him a cheeky half smile, "a classic, fourteenth century to be precise." She ran her fingers over the worn blue leather cover. "Carmina Burana" She caught up with him and Severus noticed for the first time she walked next to him instead of slightly behind. "Pulchra tibi facies, oculorum acies. Capillorum series o quam clara species. Rosa rubicundior, lilio candidior. Omnibus formosior semper in te glorior"

Veronica turned to him in surprise, "you speak Latin?" Severus shook his head, "No one can speak Latin Ms. Largo, it's a dead language, one may read it, write it, or recite it. But you can't really speak it." Veronica smirked, an uncommon look for her "Quid enim prodest si nullus potest verbis loqui?"

"Quorsum enim verba nullo alio cognoscet eam?" Severus replied. Veronica grinned, "So where'd you learn to speak Latin?" she asked and Severus shrugged, "I taught myself, and yourself?"

"Our Lady of Sorrows School for Girls, class of 73'" She caught Severus's gazed, "My mother's Catholic and she insisted that my siblings and I got proper Catholic educations, but only Heather and I were magic so we only stayed until we were ten." Severus paused, "Maybe it's just me, but I always thought that Magic and the Catholic Church were a bit… at odds?" Veronica nodded. "Yes they are" she deadpanned and changed the subject quickly.

"Professor, Might I ask you something?"

"Within reason."

"What is the Chamber of Secrets?" she inquired and Severus stopped short a moment. He paused and looked around a moment, "Not here" he said quickly not wanting any out of bed students to hear them. Veronica nodded and Severus led her down the corridor to an empty classroom used for storage and closed the door. "As you no doubt know, this castle is very very old. Early middle ages I believe." He began, "And when the castle was build the school was founded by four of the greatest witches and wizards of that time, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. The four worked quite well together until Slytherin decided that only those children from magic families should learn magic."

"that's awful" Veronica cut in and Severus nodded but also shrugged slightly, "it was a dark time, Witches and Wizards were persecuted left and right, burnings, hangings, torture, I believe it had more to do with safety then anything, but that's not the point. The point is when the others did not agree with him, it is said that Slytherin created secret chamber somewhere under the school and in it resided a beast that would purge the school of those he considered unfit to practice magic when his one true heir returned to Hogwarts."

Veronica absorbed all of this and thought, "And the beast within?" she prodded and Severus sighed, "no one knows, but one can assume is would be something every close to Slytherin, maybe some sort of serpent. But." He stopped, "The Castle has been scourged hundreds of times looking or it but no evidence has arisen to support the existence of any Secret chamber."

The woman nodded, "well what do you think?" Severus smirked a little, "what I think? I think it's rubbish, I think some delinquent just pulled a cruel prank on the not so well liked groundskeeper. Nothing more." Lies, that's not what he thought in the slightest, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Who would do that?" she asked, aghast. "That's positively horrid." She thought, "And the writing on the wall? Do you really think it was blood?" Severus thought, he hadn't gotten that good a look at it but he had a pretty good idea. "No" he lied again.

Veronica nodded, "well, I hope you're right." She sighed, "I'd better get back to Lockhart's office before he self-destructs." Severus smiled a tiny bit, her sense of humor was strange because she was completely respectful in every other aspect of life. Everyone was Sir or Ma'am, and any slight that might pass through her lips was instantly apologized for before the person could even figure out if they should have been offend or not. She seemed almost afraid to accidentally insult someone no matter who it was and he couldn't tell if this was a good or bad thing.

Well ha had the rest of the year to figure it out.

She tucked her book under her arm and nodded at him politely before brushing past him lightly, only stopping when he halted her, "Ms. Largo?"

"Yes Sir?"

"You can call me Severus now, if you'd like." He informed her quietly. She turned around and looked at him in confusion, bewildered by his sudden change of mind. "Sir?" Severus stopped her, "please don't make me say it again."

Veronica smiled a little and nodded, "Very well si…I mean Severus"

Now I know that this is a tad short but I'm writing it between Quarterly Exams. The next chapter will be better I swear but Right now my life is more or less an unpredictable roller coaster ride right now

BTW Translations, The first bit of latin was an other poem from the Carmina Burana

from there in order it goes

What use is it if no one is able to speak the words of it?

Why do I say it with the words if no one else can know them?