Bursts of bird song wafted through the window. I heard it faintly when I felt the slight breeze ripple through my hair. Smiling lazily, I went to stretch. I had missed the downy mattress. Those hospital beds were very uncomfortable. By now the nurses would know that I wasn't in that hospital. I grinned at the thought. Then, Professor Severus Snape filled my head. He still thought that I was there. I was certain to have hell to pay the next time I saw the man. An annoying beep sounded over and over again. I yanked the curtains open to see Elisabeth swatting at the bloody damn thing. Finally the noise ended. Slowly, I dragged myself out of bed. Gathering what I would need I left for the shower room. A nice long hot shower was what I really needed. I turned off the water and muttered the drying spell. Then, I massaged a white rose - scented body cream into my skin. Pulling my wrapper about me I returned to the room. When I got back the water closet door was closed. Which meant that Elisabeth was awake. Putting the bath stuff away I went over to my dresser and got out a pair of ivory lace thongs and a floral print and ivory lace corset. I slipped the knickers on and cinched the back of the corset tighter. Then, drew it around my waist, fastening it. I slid into an ivory satin robe to get ready. Sitting down at my vanity I took the towel off. The dark mahogany waterfall cascaded down around my back and shoulders. I muttered a spell drying it into soft curls. Then, I ran a brush through my hair making them even looser and softer. Then, pulling it back I plaited the curls loosely. I applied flawless foundation to make my skin porcelain. Then set it with baby powder. Next, I did my eyes in gold and cream shades. I finished them with a silver eye pencil and black mascara. I settled on a light baby pink for my lips and applied a cinnamon - vanilla - flavoured gloss sealant over them. Searching through the top drawer I pulled out silver rose ear bobs and put them in. I stood up and padded over to the wardrobe. Looking through the dresses I finally decided on a short- sleeved scoop necked vanilla floral dress. I pulled it out of the armoire and laid it on my bed. I got my petticoats out and pulled them on. Sliding the satin robe off I slipped the dress over my arms and buttoned it up. Crossing back over to my vanity I pulled the drawer open again. I found the perfect brooch. A long silver rose with a silver snake with emerald eyes twined around it in the letter 's'. I spritzed my Luve Potion perfume on my throat, down my front, the back of my neck and on my wrists. I set the bottle down and slid into vanilla kidskin slippers. I grabbed my blackwatch satchel and I was ready for the day.

" Lise ! "

" What ? " She asked, poking her head out.

" Are you ready yet ? "

" Just about. Go on ahead without me. "

" All right, " I called leaving for the Great Hall. Oh, Severus was going to be mad at me, all right. I wondered what he would do to me this time. Spank me ? I could hope. I was about to find out. Taking a deep breath I walked into the Great Hall. Thank goodness Professor Severus Snape was not an early riser. I sighed and reached for the coffee. Ahh. Better. Thank Merlin for small favours. Sip by sip, I finished waking up. Three cups of coffee and two cinnamon rolls later Professor Snape strode in. His eyes narrowed when they saw me. What the devil ? What in Merlin's name is Briar Taggert doing here at Hogwarts ? She should still be in St. Genevieve's.

He approached the Slytherin House table.

" Miss Taggert, " Professor Snape snapped icily. " A word with you. "I looked up, scared for I had never seen Professor Severus Snape like this before. He grabbed my arm hauling me out of the Great Hall. " What is the meaning of this ? " He demanded. " You should still be in that muggle hospital. Why are you

here ? "

" Well, umm ... " I was trying to think of something plausible, but, was coming up empty.

" Do they know that you are gone ? "

" Aye, they know. " I was pretty positive by now that the nurses knew I was not anywhere in that hospital.

" Are you telling me that they released you this morning without alerting me to the fact ? " Should I tell him the truth or

lie ? I didn't want the man mad at me.

" Aye, they released me. Dr. Granger started her daily rounds early, " I lied.

" I don't know why they didn't let you know. "

" Hmm ... " Professor Severus Snape let it pass. " Very well, but, remember class starts at nine 'o' clock sharp. Do not be late ! " He turned, his ebony robes billowing about him, a frown marring his face.

Professor Severus Snape stalked down to the dungeons instead of returning to the Great Hall. Entering his private sanctum he found Tom from the Leaky Cauldron waiting in his office.

" Tom ? What are you doing here ? "

" St. Genevieve's Hospital left a message for you. "

" Oh ? "

" It seems that a patient of theirs is missing. And apparently has been missing since last night. " Severus Snape's dark brown eyes filled with fire. She lied to me. Briar Taggert lied to me. " They wanted to know if you, as her guardian, had a hand in it. Or if you might know where she could be ? "

" Thank you, Tom, " Severus said. Outwardly he remained calm, but, inward he was seething for the one thing he hated the most, was being lied to.

Today's potion was the Eyebright Potion, it could cure blindness that had been brought upon by an intense form of light. I was nervous. It was impossible to tell how he had taken this morning when I knowingly lied to the man trying to keep me out of trouble. He was his usual unpleasant self, which could mean anything : that he had found out the truth and was angry at me for having lied, angry at Draco for scaring me in such a way, or that he was simply frustrated. I couldn't concentrate because I didn't know what had started Severus's mood. I had to mend mistakes twice, and I narrowly avoided a third, remembering just in time that I needed to stir clockwise for five minutes before adding the rowan sap syrup. I jumped at his voice right beside my ear,
"Have you forgotten something, Miss

Taggert ? "
The bottle of rowan sap syrup slowly slipped out of my fingers thanks to the annoying man that happened to be my fiancé at the moment. It was, oddly enough, entirely an accident, although I doubted it would look that way to him. There was no way that I could catch it in time. The glass shattered, a sticky residue covered the floor.
"Really, Miss Taggert," Professor Snape said, stalking around to the other side of the desk. "Twice in less than one week. Have you been struck with a clumsiness curse ? " I stared daggers at him. How dare he suggest a thing ! When he would be the one who would think to curse me with it. As was only to be expected, the rest of my house just laughed. Elisabeth was one of the only ones besides Blaise that didn't. She just gave me a sympathetic look. A few other people did too. Professor Snape turned stalking towards the front. Preparing, no doubt, to announce my fate. I was not about to stay afterwards alone with him. Not with the mood he was in.

"Evanesco," I murmured, flicking my wand at the mess. Which vanished, glass and all. The potions master spun around glaring at me. For he assumed that I had forgotten about his inane rule regarding foolish wand - waving in his class. I hadn't. I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could once he dismissed the class. The room grew very quiet waiting to see what he would do to a fellow Slytherin.
" Twenty points from Slytherin ! " Professor Snape snapped. "And since you are clearly much better at foolish wand-waving than at concentrating upon your work, you shall be required, in the future, to cast Unbreakable Charms upon all your

containers. " There were a few gasps at that. Charming the glass would spoil some potions ingredients and make others completely unpredictable. It would also mean receiving failing grades on every potion I would attempt until such time, if any, that he relented. It also meant that he intended to push me into doing or saying something that I would probably regret." Ah, well. " A mock sigh escaped my lips. I lifted my wand as if to comply with his instructions. "I suppose that a broken beaker is worse than, say, an exploded classroom." The room was silent enough to hear individual bubbles popping in the boiling cauldrons.
"Is that a threat, Miss Taggert ? " His eyes hardened to obsidian discs. Something glittered within the dark fire. I could tell that he was furious.
" Merely an observation," I answered, meeting his eyes defiantly at last. " Take it as you will. " For a moment, I thought he would be pointing at the door and demanding I leave the N.E.W.T. class, permanently. But he said,

"Let's see what observations you make about a week's detention." There were a few sympathetic squeaks from around the room. "Perhaps washing out every beaker in the equipment cupboard will cure your clumsiness sufficiently for you to be able to forego risking any explosions"
My eyes closed in relief as I schooled my face into a masque of complacency. I was furious at Severus for making me drop the vial. For if it hadn't been for him I would have been paying my usual close attention to the potion at hand.

" Class dismissed, " Professor Snape hissed. I threw everything into my satchel. Then, without a word I strode out of the classroom. Professor Severus Snape just glared at my back.

I was one of the first to get to Transfiguration. Once everybody was seated Professor McGonagell started.

" Today, class, we shall be turning books into feathers. " After everyone had mastered the transformation she let us leave. Thank the lord for free periods. I ran all the way to my favourite spot. After stripping everything off I dove into the water. And I began to relax for the first time that day.

When I finally dragged myself out I discovered that I had missed Herbology as well as my second potions class. Severus was going to be furious.

Professor Minerva McGonagell was sitting in the teachers lounge ,enjoying the peace and quiet that was so rare in a boarding school.

BANG!!! The door flew open crashing into the wall. I burst into the lounge, gasping for breath and looking around frantically.

" Miss Taggert, what in Merlin's name are you doing, running around school like that ? What kind of an example are you setting for the rest of students ? After all, you are a student teacher, " Minerva said sternly.

" Please, Professor McGonagell, you have to help me ! " I cried locking the door, then, ran over to her. Professor McGonagell just looked at me.

"Help you ? With what? What on earth is going on ? "

"Well, um, ... "

" Come, Miss Taggert, what is it ? "

" We, ell ... " I was nervous about having to explain last night's disappearance from St. Genevieve's and the scene this morning between Severus and I to my other favourite professor. "This morning he grabbed my arm and dragged me out into the hall just because the hospital I had been in yesterday released me early. And the hospital didn't tell him. " Actually I had just disappeared from the hospital and he saw me in the Great Hall this morning.

" What !?! " She sputtered. " Wasn't it just a month ago that you were attacked by Draco Malfoy ? "

" Yes, ma'am, " I said meekly, looking down at the patterns in the stone floor.

" And Severus just grabbed you ... ?!" She was clearly shocked. I just nodded. " I don't care if the man thinks he is your fiancee. He should know better than to ... ughh !! " I could tell she was furious at what Professor Snape had done.

" Then, he made me so nervous in class that I dropped a potion ingredient and he, he ... " I broke out in tears. At that moment a furious banging started at the door.

" Miss Taggert ! Open this door and let me in!" I had to smile at that.

"Not by the hair on my chinny, chin, chin," I managed to whisper through my tears. Professor McGonagell just looked at me, amusement dancing in her eyes.

" If you can make a joke about this I think that you shall be all right, eventually, Miss Taggert. "

" I couldn't resist. He's just so, so ... " He continued to bang on the door.

" Charming ? " She supplied.

" More like the big bad wolf, " I replied. The head of Gryffindor House started laughing at that. " This really doesn't help my situation. He's mad at me about last night because he and I got into a fight while I was still in the hospital and he made me have another attack."

"He what ?! After a fellow classmate tried to rape you ? "

" Thank you for the reminder,

Professor. " Fresh tears filled my eyes as the banging increased.

" I said, let me in !!!! " Severus Snape roared. That just made me cry all the more harder. My body started to shake as I sobbed.

" There, there, Miss Taggert, everything will work itself out. " Minerva McGonagell pulled me against her in a warm hug. I just cried into her chest. She led me over to the fireplace and pressed some ashes into my hand.

" Here, take this and go to my office. I'll handle Severus for you. "

" Thank you, " I breathed. Dropping the flue powder I sobbed, " Professor McGonagell's office. " Once she saw that I was truly gone she opened the door revealing a tall, dark, glowering figure.

" Where, is, she ? " He snapped.

"What are you doing to that poor girl !? Banging the door in like that. Thanks to you Briar Taggert is remembering the nightmare that young Mr. Malfoy put her through ." That stopped Severus Snape cold. A chill ran up his back. What have I done ? But, still that doesn't change the fact that she lied to me.

' Maybe she was afraid of you, ' A voice inside his head told him.

"You know perfectly well that it was just a month ago that, that, that monster nearly raped her. After all you were the one that stopped him. Need I remind you,

Severus ? "

" Where is she ? " He asked.

" Now, why should I tell you that ? You look ready to kill the poor girl. "

" Minerva, " He drawled threateningly,

" Where is Briar Taggert now ? "

" Someplace safe from you. I suggest that you go back to your office and cool down. " Minerva glared at him over her spectacles.

" I want to know where she is, Minerva. After all Albus did not expel Mr.

Malfoy. "

" You promise that you won't hurt her ? " She glared up at the potions master.

" Minerva, " He threatened.

" Well ? " She demanded.

" Dammit ! " He roared. " I don't hurt my students. "

" Maybe not intentionally, " Minerva shot back. " But, whatever you pulled in class today really sent Briar over the edge. Especially, after last night. "

" She told you about that ? " Shock was clearly evident on his face.

" Yes, she did, " She said quietly. " Why do you think she was on edge in class ? She was nearly raped, Severus. She is not likely going to forget that. If someone tried to rape you how long would it take you to forget ? To not have nightmares of the attack ? " If possible his complexion paled even more.

" Now, where is she ? "

" You're not going to kill her ? "

"I think we have established that, do you not think ? What I do to Miss Taggert is between her and me. I am the head of her house. Not to mention her fiancee. "

" Severus, " Professor Minerva McGonagell warned.

" Dammit, Minerva ! I am not going to kill the girl. You know where she is. Just tell me where. "

" All right, " She sighed. " My office. I sent her in tears to my office. " He stalked towards the fireplace and swiped ashes off the mantel.

" Professor McGonagell's office ! " He exclaimed.

Next thing I knew Severus Snape was in the fireplace dusting ash off. I looked around the room trying to find a place to hide. I knew I had accidently skipped his second class, but, I hadn't meant to. He looked up. I froze in fear. I didn't think he would do what Draco did. But, I wasn't sure. He started towards me. I steeled myself for the barrage of words, the sting of his hand. He grabbed my shoulder. I flinched.

"Dammit ! Quit that. I'm not going to strike you. " I just stared up at him. " We need to talk. " Silently, I nodded. He took my hand in his and drew me to the fireplace. We flued back to his chambers.

After we were through dusting ash off he settled on his bed. I was uncomfortable being in his room. The only times I had been in here it was night time and we were usually otherwise occupied. I started to pace out of nervousness.

" Would you sit down ? " He practically roared. Bursting into tears I ran out of the room.