Chapter9: back to school

Manny entered the common room to find a raging party. Draco saw her, and screamed, "The party girls here! Hey shut up, the party girls here, every body hide! Quick!" He, along with half the people dove under tables or behind chairs while the other half covered their faces. Draco looked over the couch he was behind, and jumping out screamed, "Surprise!" and was followed by a chorus of, "Surprise!" as everyone else followed his lead. Manny just laughed and took the bottle of Fire whiskey he handed her.

"How drunk are you?" she asked, taking a swig from the bottle.

"Pretty damn, why do you look like you fought a rosebush?" He slurred a little, but he was comprehensible.

"Cause I did..." Manny was cut off by Hermione jumping on her back.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God! Slytherins through the best parties ever!"

"You missed the Trios latest falling out, Hermione's been kicken' it with us since she found out she was adopted." Draco filled Manny in on the details, and then wandered off to find more Whiskey.

"What the hell, your adopted? From who?" Manny was getting tipsy.

"I donno, some member of the Black family. Or maybe it was the Grays, Either way their dead. So I'm not a mudblood, and I like being mean, its fun!" Hermione wasn't making sense, but it didn't matter, there was a party to attend.

Manny was swarmed with people welcoming her back when Draco returned.

"Hey common, giv'er some room!" Draco managed to slur out while pushing people back out of the way. "Common, the Tom wants to see you"

"The who? Please tell me your not talking about my grandfather."

"NO, NO, no, the Tom doesn't have any kids, he's bloody ugly, looks like a damn snake…" As Draco babbled Manny caught Snape raise his bottle of Fire Whiskey to her, smile, and walk out the of the common room.

"Hey Pansy, you know Pansy, don't you Draco, go dance with her," Manny shoved Draco into Pansy's eager arms and followed Snape out.

In the hall, Manny saw a shimmer of wand light from around the corner, and, lighting her own wand, followed it. It moved up a hidden staircase, through a trap door, and out to a third floor corridor.

Snape leaned against an open window and lit a cigarette. He slumped over and looked down to the ground. He envied the kids down stairs. Not a care in the world more than who likes who's hair. Not one of them had seen true horrors, these Death Eaters of the future. He felt a hand on his and jumped. Looking over he saw Manny. The moon lit her green eyes on fire, turning them the lightest blue green he'd ever seen. Her fingers interlocked in his and she peered at a spider on the ledge. An inaudible whisper escaped her soft lips, and the spider began to wriggle, then slowly curled up and died. She looked up at him and he saw an empty, dead soul in her perfect eyes. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, turned and walked back the way she came. At the end of the hall, she turned and gracefully motioned him to follow her back to the party. Putting his cigarette out on the spiders body, he followed her back through the dark castle, mesmerized by her gracefully swaying body.

Leading him to the grounds, Manny looked back every now and then to make sure Snape was still following her. She knew Tom was waiting in the Forbidden Forest for them, but he could wait a few minutes while she and Snape examined each others mouths in the comfort of one of the beach's many trees. She stopped and waited for him to catch up. Gently, she took the lead and pushed him against the closest tree. He kissed her gently, tentative of his actions. Their tongues met in the middle, and both disappeared in the kiss. Manny's body shook with longing when Snape broke the kiss and looked her in the eye.

"We can't do this. I'm a teacher, you're a student. I've known both of your grandfathers since I was a child. We can't do this now." His conscience was rejecting this, but his body and mind were in shock he'd broken the kiss.

'I know. Someday." Manny leaned into his chest and his arms held her to him tightly.

They stayed this way for several more minutes, before she moved away and smiled at him.

"Who the hell names their child Severus? Did your mother smoke crack when she was pregnant or is she just mean?" They both laughed and she led him to the meeting.