A/N: It seems that I'm getting better at suspense... :) And all hail Alan Rickman's nose!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters I use here... You think, if I did I'd be married to half of them...

Chapter ten: Finding ourselves in the same fire

"... driving me insane!" Severus let himself fall in Arleen's sofa. She lifted his legs and sat at his feet.

"What again?" she asked her mouth full of Honeydukes candy.

"You ask?" he sneered. "You ask?"

"Yes, I do, which is a way of asking not whom it is about but what it is about!" she answered smiling.

He looked at the fire, his dark eyes watering a little. "He doesn't remind me of her. At all. I wonder why I still do this," he whispered.

She caressed his legs gently. "He reminds me of her a lot, actually. He refuses to talk to me, he says things behind my back and most of all he doesn't seem to like when I talk with Remus."

Severus sneered again. "And that reminds you of her?"

"Yep sir!"

"Well, I didn't know Lily too wanted you to stay away from the Pottergang," he said chuckling.

She nudged him. "You sneaky little moron!" she said. "I never was their friend! I just wanted life to be easier in Gryffindor tower as you couldn't be with me! And Potter was so...awful..."

"Potter hated you from the first day, I wonder why..." Severus said slowly.

"I know. He didn't like the fact that I wasn't looking at him with admiration on my face." They laughed. "How's Remus?" she then asked while looking outside where the full moon was bright in the sky.

"Taking his potion. What do you want to know other?"

"Nothing," she said still watching the sky. "I wonder if he feels alone..."

"I don't care as long as he takes his bloody potion." And he put himself better in the sofa.

"You're so mean," she said.

"Yeah, tell me something you've never said before." And he soon fell asleep, letting her thinking about what he just said.

She looked at him and waved her wand. A blanket flew to them and covered Severus. A little pile of logs started putting itself in the fire so that it wouldn't fade.

She then answered his question. "I miss the Pottergang," she whispered before falling asleep too.

The following morning, she woke up alone, a note stuck on her desk.

"Had to leave early, your new boyfriend was ill". Ill was underlined three times, and with a smile she understood that he didn't believe a word of it.

She got to her bathroom, only to feel that pain in her stomach that was bothering her since September. She thought that as it was Halloween that night, she didn't need to put too much make up on, which was perfect in her sense.

Arleen jumped when she found no one else than Hermione Granger on her doorstep, half asleep. "'Mione?" she asked. "What are you doing here so early? Don't tell me you've slept in here!" she added her hands on her hips.

"No, no, Professor, I was just waiting for you to give you my homework."

"Hermione Granger, that homework is due only for next week!"

"Yes but I've finished it and so you don't have too much work I thought I might give it to you now..." she said shyly.

"Merlin's beard, you really are the strangest student I've ever had! Give it here," she said putting her hand out. Hermione handed the parchment. "And...didn't I say 3 rolls maximum," she said mischievously while counting 5 rolls of parchment.

"Yes...huh...I got overwhelmed."

"You often do, Miss Granger. Wait here," she added entering her office again. She put Hermione's homework on her desk and got back to her. "What if we got to breakfast together, Miss?" she asked.

Hermione seemed shocked. "With...a teacher?"

"Of course! There is nothing in Hogwarts' laws that forbids me to walk in the corridors with my students! Or maybe they added one and I'm not aware," she faked anxiety. Hermione laughed.

"Right then." They walked along the corridor without a word and then:

"What are you planning for tonight?" Arleen asked.

"Nothing," her student answered. "I'll probably get in bed early tonight, the boys always try to get us and throw us food..." she made a sound of disgust.

"Well," Arleen said chuckling, "when I was your age, we were all getting out of bed and made a mess in a certain part of the castle, with the gentle help of Peeves, of course."

"All of Gryffindor?" said Hermione, alarmed.

"No, of course not. Some were...well..." she looked at her "...quieter than I was." They started getting down the stairs, which started moving once they set foot on it.

"Miss? Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, Hermione, of course."

"When did you start being Professor Snape's friend?"

Arleen looked at her gravely. "Why d'you ask?"

"Curiosity," she answered too quickly.

Lin smiled a little. "First day of school. I'd discovered something he didn't want other Gryffindors to know about. He had to blackmail me..." she smiled more widely.

"You really like him, then," Hermione sighed.

"Yes, which apparently isn't your case. No...," she added, seeing that she was about to interrupt, "I'm used to it, don't worry. In fact, I take this as a compliment now."

"It was just because...Professor Lupin told us that..." she blushed.

"That I was nasty to Harry's father?"

"Yes," she said, relieved.

Arleen laughed. They were almost arrived to the Great Hall, so she stopped. "Harry's father didn't like me, and neither did I like him. But Severus had nothing to do with it, and Professor Lupin wasn't included in our fights."

"Alright. Do you mind if I told Harry?"

"Harry doesn't like me either, I don't see why the fact that I sent his father to the hospital a dozen times a year would make him like me more," she smirked.

Hermione seemed a little shocked and then walked to Gryffindor's table to join Harry and Ron. Arleen walked quietly to her seat next to Bilius, who had saved her a part of lemon pie that had nearly been swallowed by Hagrid. She felt someone's gaze on her all meal time...

After Halloween's meal, things got bad. Sirius Black had entered the castle and had stabbed the Fat Lady's portrait. All teachers had been asked to search the castle, apart from Arleen, Severus and Professor Dumbledore who were looking after the students, all gathered in the Great Hall.

Though she knew that what he'd been convicted of was a lie, Arleen couldn't stop thinking that what Sirius had done was either dangerous or foolish. He must have known that the students, Harry included, shouldn't be in bed on Halloween's night! He spent so many of them under Potter's cloak himself!

"Lin?" asked a little voice. It was Severus.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked him.

"You can go back to your office, he hasn't been found."

"We would have known it before searching," she sighed. "He knows all the secret passages..."

"Shush, someone could hear you!" he urged.

"Do you think Harry believes he tries to kill him," she asked looking over a dozen sleeping bags to the tiny black-haired boy who looked asleep.

"Yes, I think so."

"Poor thing," she said before walking slowly to the doors. Outside was standing Remus, relying on a cane. He turned to them.

"Good night," he said sadly.

"Remus..." she wanted to start.

"No, thank you Arleen, but tonight's not the right time to talk about it." She understood at once. And hurried to her office, trying not to cry.

Over the past month, she had tried many times to prove him that Sirius was innocent, but which evidences did she have? None.

Peter Pettigrew, for everyone in the castle, was dead and buried, while he was living a full life in his rat form... Rat form?

She sat in front of her desk, pushed aside Hermione's homework and took a white sheet of paper. She noted: "Peter = rat. Saw a rat today with 'Mione's cat behind. Ron's rat. Old rat. Sirius tries to enter Gryffindor's tower."

She looked blankly at her writing and then got up violently, shouting: "Squabbers is Wormtail!"

She knew she had to tell someone. But not now. Better to wait until her temperature got down. She then thought about something else. Where would Sirius hide? Not in Hogsmeade, he could be seen anywhere. Not in the castle either, obviously. The only thing she could think about was the Shrieking Shack.

"No, too simple, Remus would know..."

And then she thought that Remus, still believing his former best friend was a murderer, could never think that he would be hiding in the place where they had so many good times. She took her cloak, made herself disappear and silently got out of her office. All was silent.

It was time to meet an old friend...

A/N2: Jeeeez making her understand everything at once, what a challenge!I quite liked writing about their friendly night with Sev', still think they're cute... Next chapter, my flirt and ex-husband comes back! :) R&R pleeeeeeease!