Good evening! Lots of dialog in this chapter so uh...yeah! I have a super horrible sense of humor so don't feel bad if you don't laugh at my 'jokes' in this chapter. It's cool we can still be friends. Right then chaps lets give it the ol college try!

Severus

"May I come in?" She asked in the most devious tone that reminded me she is still a child.

"You may not." I said stepping into the hallway. She frowned defeated, but still kept her chipper demeanor.

"I figured as much."

"Did you?"

"I just came to ask about professor Vaustali."

"Dumbledore is aware of the situation that is all you need to know." She nodded and bit her lip looking away. "Unless there is something else…"

"No I mean…I just wanted to make sure she was okay." I didn't answer right away. I was attempting to find the logical perspective of her question. It didn't come to me.

"Why should that concern you?"

"That looked like a right nasty spell you gave her." She finally looked up and forced a sigh that would accompany an explanation. "Look I'm not heartless alright?! I can't help it! I worry about people."

"Just seems strange. You were ready to give her to the dementors and the ministry all at once only hours ago."

"I still…" She looked around at the abandoned corridor and leaned in to whisper "I still don't like that she's a death eater."

"And…?"

She rolled her eyes. "And that you two are close."

"Miss Ryen…" This discussion would go for the running of one of the strangest conversations I've had here at Hogwarts. Being in the spy business and potions master that was a heavy statement. "Robin, did you read my letter?"

She beamed instantly and reached for it in her robes. She clutched it proudly and beheld it to me. Yet when she returned it to its home her fingers trembled at handling it, as though it would rip at the wrong touch.

"I know…" She said in the silence. "Its silly. These feelings I have, love, protection, jealousy."

"They're not silly and neither are you." Her eyes came to mine. I wasn't prepared for her expression, relief but somber flooded her mind and it reflected in her eyes. They became soft and glazed with the hint of tears. Tears from students was nothing new to me but this guilt or was it empathy, that was rising in me was. "I'm not…adept at consoling others, in fact I can hardly acknowledge sadness in myself." For a moment I wanted to confess all of my unfavorable traits to her, to help her see that I was not who she thought. To help her see that I was not someone she should love.

"Its okay." Her voice, null in its steadiness. "You don't have to explain."

"Damnit woman I want to." I sighed and held back the normal insults that would normally fly out of my mouth. Ridiculous really, how automatic it could be. "That letter is the most honest I've been in a long time. I don't know why I wrote it, in fact if you weren't as smart as you are I'd probably find you the most annoying student ever. Sometimes the fact that you are so well versed in potions, and Hufflepuff does annoy me beyond measure."

"Professor I was under the impression everything and everyone annoyed you."

"I should be throwing detention at you for that remark but I'm so damned impressed with your wit I can't bring myself to do it."

"That and you know that detention with you would be the highlight of my Saturday night."

"The point is Robin…I'm not just a snarky professor who takes pleasure in tormenting his students."

"But you do take pleasure in tormenting your students…?"

"There are things about me that I can't explain to you."

"Why not?"

"Other than its my own damn business?" She nodded. "Its-"

"Complicated." She echoed, annoyed.

"Robin, I am not a good person, I'm not a nice person. I practically fail at any type of social interaction that does not directly relate to work."

"Permit me to disagree professor but I'd say you're doing a pretty good job now."

"I'm not saying that you don't have feelings for me, what I am saying is that they may only exist in the Severus Snape that stomps around Hogwarts sneering at everybody. Berating students, and enjoys that the entire student body and half the staff fear him!"

"I don't." I stopped for a moment. The eyes that threatened to break down into redness and incomprehensible speech, were now dry and focused on me. "I have never been afraid."

"Then perhaps you're not as wise as I originally thought."

"What is it you're trying to say sir? Are you trying to scare me?"

"No, I can see that tactic has long been wasted on you."

"If you think that telling me more about you, the you outside of Hogwarts is going to push me away you seriously misunderstand me." This girl, was either extremely brave or stupid, or both. Seeing as how the golden trio ran around the school like they had the deed in their pocket it wasn't unlikely that the two traits mirrored one another.

"I think its time you went back to your dorm."

"Okay fine but…are you going to erase my memories?"

"Dumbledore has given me permission to attend to you at my discretion."

"And what is your discretion?"

"You still remember the incident don't you?"

"Sadly." She rolled her eyes again. "Can I ask why?"

"Has anyone ever told you, you ask too many questions?"

"How else am I going to learn?"

"As you know, memory charms are difficult."

"So I forget where my family went on vacation when I was seven or what my grandma's middle name is. That stuff is what usually gets lost in the process."

"Oh well in that case." I reached for my wand.

"I mean! Not that I want you to I just okay! I'm going god!" She whipped around out of my doorway and back to the Hufflepuff common room.

Eva

What little light there was, it stung my eyes as they opened only to be greeted by a jumbled mess of dim firelight and the outline of someone's face. I closed them tight and groaned. I had a good feeling on whose face was staring back at me and so I encouraged myself to open them again. Even with them fully open it took some time for me to adjust.

"Here." he pressed a hot cup to my lips and suddenly I was more awake.

"What the hell happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Hell I think it was a dream. I was..." I swallowed some tea and sat up rubbing my eyes. "I was in your classroom, and that Hufflepuff girl was there. Gods I can't remember much else." I looked up at Severus with my eyesight back to full function, but wondered if the smile on his lips was real or of my imagination.

"It seems Miss Ryen got a little overzealous with the night's calling."

"So I was trying her potion."

"Allegedly yes, it was a potion. What effect it was supposed to have I'd rather not contemplate." Poor girl, I did remember, in my feverish stupor that she had made a confession to me. Perhaps she was hoping the potion would make me forget what she had just told me.

"Severus…"

"Hm?"

"Before I lost consciousness Miss Ryen told me something."

"Oh?"

"I think, I think she's in love with you." I ended with a bit of a chuckle but he remained firm and stoic.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The Hufflepuff girl, she's in love with you. She told me before I blacked out. Before I drank her potion." He glared at me for a long time. "What?"

"I sincerely doubt that, nevertheless I don't suspect she'll be writing me love letters any time soon."

"Why do you say that?"

"I failed her."

"You did not."

"She'll pass the class but she was careless and she could have done serious damage to you. Its partly my fault though, I had too much confidence in her and didn't check her work."

"Such a shame, her family is pure blood aren't they?" He snorted.

"Doesn't seem like its doing them much good. Her brother is an arrogant Gryffindor who has the distinct talent of being able to talk nonstop."

"What about her older sister? I heard she has an aptitude for healing."

"Potential squandered I assure you."

"I suppose so. I heard she declined the offer to take the mark." Severus got up from the edge of the bed he was sitting at and poured himself a glass of tea.

"Its for the best. They're about two breaths away from being blood traitors." He returned to his seat on the bed. "How are you feeling?" His voice softened.

"I'll survive." I sat my cup down on an end table and moved towards his back. At first his shoulders stiffened at my touch but slowly relaxed under my kneading finger work. "Thanks for taking care of me." With my arms completely around his shoulders and my lips grazing the outside of his ear he sighed, and I melted. "Now let me return the favor." He leaned into me, cursing under his breath until all I could hear were deep sighs of pleasure.

"Bravery is not measured by the dragons slain, nor maidens preserved of their virtue, no not even the man who pulls the trigger. Bravery comes from how much love and trust you place in others." - TCH