A/N: Wow, it took me a while, but it's here at last!
Thanks to Muentiger, lucyjoan, RadientWaterfalls, TechoNomaNcer for reviewing.
Chapter 8: Snape smiling - what the hell?
I looked around the corner to make sure she didn't see me. She hasn't yet, that's good. She moved further down the hall, and I sprinted after her, keeping to the shadows.
And then she was gone. I stopped, looking around, baffled. I moved forward, hoping to find her - yet she didn't appear.
''What do you want, Keeper?'' She demanded from behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin - where'd she gone? Where'd she come from?
''What the hell, Seeker?'' I put a hand over my heart, clutching my shirt, attempting to calm it down in it's erratic beating.
''You were the one following me.'' She shrugged, ''It's creepy. What do you want?''
''To talk to you - I'm sure you gathered that.'' I snapped. She smirked.
''And a simple 'Hey, Moon!' wouldn't suffice?'' She retaliated.
''Playing auror was so much more fun!'' I moaned. Moon laughed, shaking her head. She linked her hand through my arm, and we walked further down the hall.
''How can I help, Keeper?'' She asked, ''Let me guess: it has something to do with making my fellow seeker cringe, doesn't it?''
''Yes, how'd you guess?''
''What part of 'notices everything' do you not understand? How else did I know you were following me?''
''I was incredibly loud?'' I guessed. She laughed again as we rounded a corner. We walked straight into my partner in crime, Severus Snape.
''Hey, Cupcake.'' I shot at him. The greasy git rolled his eyes at me, before greeting the seeker.
''Evening, Lee.'' These two were now on a first name basis, something Snape and I would never be on, nor Moon and I, to be honest. Though in retrospect, calling him Cupcake was fun, and Moon was 'Seeker'.
''Hey, Cupcake.'' She smiled carelessly. ''Keeper here was just telling me a way of making Potter nervous even more.''
''I'm hurt, Black, didn't you think to include me?''
I stared. I didn't think Snape had the ability to joke, I was being proved wrong. I grinned.
''By all means, this torture of my best friend includes the two of you.''
Had Moon been drinking anything, I was certain she would've spat on me. Snape, on the other hand, remained calm.
''You're going to make it seem as though I'm cheating on you, aren't you?'' He asked calmly, clapping Moon's back to help her breathe.
''With me?'' Moon asked once she got over the initial start.
''It's perfect!'' I exclaimed.
''With me?'' She repeated.
''Have you got anything against Snape?'' I asked, confused. These two liked each other, didn't they?
''No, no... It's not that...'' She was trying to think of a reason not to date him, I could smell it.
''You're thinking of a lie.'' I said, looking bored at my nails.
She looked at Snape, and back at me. ''No.''
''What have you got against him?'' I asked lazily.
''Nothing, but I'm not going to be dragged into your charade.'' She said, crossing her arms.
''If you do it, I'll do your homework.'' I offered. She scoffed.
''And fail? No thank you.''
''I'll clean your clothes.''
''House elves, Keeper.''
''I'll feed your cat!'' I was growing desperate.
''I don't have a cat.''
''I'll repay you in sexual favours?'' I said finally. She burst out laughing.
''Coming from you, that's rich.'' She laughed.
''I'll be your partner for that Potions project.'' Snape contributed. She hesitated. ''And I'll loan you my copy of Advanced Potion-making.'' She was breaking - but what was so important about his copy of our Potions textbook? ''And I'll tutor you for the remainder of the school year in Potions.''
She broke and nodded.
''You must be incredibly good at Potions for an eagle to want your help.''
''Was that a compliment, Black?'' Snape asked, swiping a hand through his hair.
''I can't believe it, but yes, I just paid you a compliment.'' I swallowed down some vomit that had risen up my throat. ''So, you two need to act all in love, okay?''
Moon sighed, adjusted her bag and walked away from us. Snape made a small wave before he followed her.
From afar I saw him catch up to her, and vaguely wondered what was going on between them.
. . .
One week ago
Snape followed her down the hall, forgetting his supposed love-interest, me, at the back.
I have no idea what they did after that, but let's leave me alone and the author goes over to third person in telling you what they did?
Snape hurried after her, a book held in his hands, one he was certain she'd dropped.
''Moon!'' He called after her. She turned around, her hair flying as if in slow-motion, and raised an eyebrow.
''Snape?''
''You dropped this.'' He held out the book to her. She glanced down at it and shook her head.
''No, I didn't. I don't lose stuff - as I said, I notice everything.'' She said, tilting her head to the side, cocky. He glanced down at the book and laughed nervously. Yes, Severus Snape laughed - it was possible, and even Lee Moon was staring at him. She tittered nervously, unnerved by his laughter as much as anyone.
''What?'' He asked, seeing her expression.
''You laughed.'' She said softly.
''And?''
''You don't laugh often. Or at all, to be honest.'' Her eyes avoided him. She was brutally honest, and she knew she'd lost friends because of this. She didn't even have friends in the muggle world - so she was alone most days. She'd tried being friends with a lot of people, but that never worked out well.
''But I just laughed, didn't I? It shows that I do indeed posess the ability to laugh, and smile, and show what can be considered 'happy' emotions.'' He said bitingly, his tone sneering.
''True, you did laugh, but with the morose facial expression you permanently wear, your awful taste in clothing and the fact that you're a Slytherin renders you entirely incapable of laughing at even the silliest jokes!'' She snapped back, her hands on her hips.
''My awful taste in clothing? Have you been paying attention to me, Moon?'' He demanded, his voice echoing through the hall.
''Yes, I pay attention to everyone - are you daft, Snape, seeing as I have now twice told you that I notice everything!'' She huffed, spinning around and making to walk away again.
''True - you do notice it all, but can you make anything of it? You have no people skills, I swear, and you lack the social skills to make friends.'' He counted each point off on his fingers, clapping his hands together lastly.
''Now who's been paying attention, Snape?'' She smirked, putting Lucius' superior smirk to shame.
''I'm not an unintellegent individual as you seem to believe I am, Moon! I know for a fact that my Potions marks are higher than yours.'' He pointed out, crossing his arms.
''And that's one subject. I know that I best you in Transfiguration, Charms, Defense, Herbology, Ancient Runes and everything else!''
He took a step back. Smart girl was angry, his head told him to run, his instincts told him to run - but his heart, the blighter, rooted him to his spot.
''We are head to head in all those subjects, and you know it.'' He retorted, a hand creeping forward and going around her neck.
''And the only reason you are able to best me, is because of this.'' His hand slid down to touch the chain around her neck, bringing it out of her shirt: a time-turner.
''That's because I have more classes than you.'' She tugged it back, putting it underneath her shirt again. His hand was still curled around her neck, and he wondered where his bravery came from all of a sudden. He was no Gryffindor, when faced with fight or flee, he chose the latter, because it was safer.
''You're standing awfully close to me, Snape.'' She said after a while. She was enjoying the heat of his hand on her neck immensely, but this was leading them nowhere. They were just staring at each other.
''Right.'' His hand fell and he stepped away, coughing awkwardly.
''Don't fall in love with me, Snape, I tend to hurt people.'' She said, swinging her bag around, walking away.
Snape stared after her, wondering how on earth he could possibly fall for her, she was so incredibly cocky and she acted as if she knew everything. She should be annoying him endlessly. He was envious of her intellegence.
But she wasn't annoying him. And for one reason only: he saw himself in her.
The following few days, the pair saw one another again, both being early for Potions. He was leaning over his book when she leaned over his shoulder.
''You really are good at Potions, aren't you?'' She whispered. He nodded, not looking around at her. ''I'm so jealous.'' She admitted. This made him look around.
''Really? I thought you were perfect.''
She smacked him over the head with her copy of Advanced Potionmaking.
''And you really are a git.'' She huffed, seating herself against the wall. He leered guiltily before joining her.
''I apologize for hurting your elusive feelings, Moon.'' He joked. ''The thing is, what I truly meant was that you seem perfect to an outsider.''
''Well, I'm not. I'm just as flawed as you are.'' She said, relaxing against the wall.
''Others don't see that. They see Lee Moon as some genius, pretty girl that everyone loves.''
''You think I'm pretty?''
''You hear my speech on what everyone sees and you worry about being pretty?'' He asked in disbelief.
''No, I know what they all think, I'm...''
He cut her off. ''The girl who notices everything, go on?''
She laughed. ''I've just never been told I'm pretty. I mean, I know I'm pretty, but that's besides the point.''
He stared at her. ''You confuse me, Moon.'' He decided, shaking his head. ''Do you have a personality disorder? Because the one moment you're worried about me calling you pretty, the next you say you know you're pretty...''
''Snape, shut up. I'm confusing you, that's what matters.''
''Is you confusing me a good thing?'' He asked, uncertain.
''It's an excellent thing.'' She said, leaving the Slytherin baffled.
Another day passed and she stole his textbook, just for a while until he tickled it out of her. She was incredibly ticklish, and the sight of Snape tickling someone was cause for Remus to stare.
Snape promised her he'd let her see his textbook one day.
. . .
Whilst I remained in the dark on Cupcake and Seeker's newfound friendship, and Snape smiling and tickling people, I did a lot of dramatic things. One night I wept into my pillow about Snape 'not getting me', the other night I stomped into the Common Room, yelling obscenities about my lover, saying he'd been staring 'at some girl'.
James always offered me his shoulder to cry on, while Lily always went off in search of him to curse the living daylights out of him.
It was fun. But all fun comes to an end.
. . .
A/N: Wow, it took me while, I blame school and a high demanding life. I promise to try and update more, though. Please review!
