guys

you'll like this chapter i promise and i'm sorry its shorter than the others, it just happened naturally i guess!

shoutout to Amy for the review (I know, the tension, but i think you'll like this hahah!) and also a shoutout to Dancing Days for following and favoriting!

I love you all so much - follows, favorites and reviews are greatly GREATLY welcomed/appreciated! :*

"5 minutes left."

Giselle's head jerked up as she zoned back into the classroom and she looked around as if seeing it for the first time. The NEWTs administrator was strolling around the tables, peering into various cauldrons before jotting notes down with his large pheasant quill. Severus was adding a phial full of powder before giving it a final stir while his other Slytherin roommates were whispering into each other's ear before stifling a snigger. Frank was sat down at his table on the next row, reading the last page of their potions book with interest; a few Ravenclaws were chatting softly to the pair of Hufflepuffs who seemed to have lost something and Lily stared at Giselle with pursed lips.

"Are you ok?" The redhead mouthed and Giselle curtly nodded, adding her last ingredient which turned the sea green potion into a swirling pool of silver liquid. She rubbed her eyes and stopped her yawn before it arose. The exhaustion of the NEWTs had her energy levels at an all time low but it was Sirius who was keeping her up at night. She spent her evenings failing to revise because she was trying to think of a way to get Sirius back. She had a few ideas but they wouldn't suffice.

"Times up. Please leave your essays beside your cauldron and leave the classroom," The administrator announced and the whole room seemed to wake up and leave with worry etched onto their faces. Giselle scooped up her bag and swiftly left but when she saw a mane of red hair whip round the corridor corner signalling Lily's departure, Severus appeared.

"How do you think you did?" Giselle asked him, loosening her tie and Severus' lips curled. "Very well, hopefully it is enough to secure myself a job here."

"Really?" She didn't expect him to become a professor, "A Potions Master perhaps?" He shook his head and brushed a speck of powder off of his robes, "Defense against the Dark Arts." She nodded and stared at Severus. She knew this could potentially be the last time they spoke to each other for a long time, maybe even forever. The pair slowly began to surface from the dungeons into the sunny Entrance Hall where many were stood, happily talking about what exam they just had or what was next on their timetable.

"Personally, I think you'd be a great Potions Master." Severus shot her a look.

"Are you saying that I couldn't be a great Defense professor?" She laughed and crossed her arms before tilting her head, "I'm not saying that at all. I can just picture you down in the dungeons teaching future students the beauty of Potions – Professor Snape, the Potions Master. See? It fits." A muscle in Severus' jaw tightened as he thought about it but his calling was the Dark Arts.

"I'll consider it, maybe you should too. We could work here together, teaching the next generation all we know and hoping they'll actually learn something," Giselle laughed, "and you wouldn't become a stranger."

Severus stared at Giselle and she frowned, looking away from him to a group of Slytherins who seemed to avert their gazes the second she spotted them. Her hand smoothed back her fringe while cogs inside her head whirred but the newly extended hand of Severus in front of her made her look back at him. The look he gave her made her fidget but she couldn't look away.

"Please don't become a stranger, Giselle," He whispered. She felt her nose wrinkle.

"Sev-," She groaned but the rest of her sentence was cut off by a loud scream, a scream that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Giselle span around and her heart thudded when the memory of Mary and Dorcas' screams came crashing back. No, not again-

Suddenly, a bright red firework flew into the Entrance Hall and exploded above Giselle's head. She stared at it, wondering where it came from but the drastic colour change from a blood red to a violent purple signalled the explosion. Two more jets zoomed into the room and collided with the purple spark to create an explosion so loud that Giselle had to cover her ear for protection.

The air froze for a second and nothing happened. She stood there next to Severus who wore the exact look of confusion she had but then the fourth firework came. A blinding white trail fell and imploded in front of Giselle, the mere blast blowing her over onto her back. Her navy eyes flicked up to the ceiling, hoping the worst was over.

Then the rain came.

Giselle thought the roof has collapsed when she saw huge droplets of water fall from the heavens and soon the population of Hogwarts was running through the Entrance Hall, screaming something indistinct due to the thundering rain and Giselle slowly sat up, not caring that her hair was plastered to her forehead. She looked around, dazed for a few moments, and hoped to see the perpetrators when she saw him casually spread out across the marble stairs with a cocky grin.

"What lovely weather we're having," Sirius called over and Giselle shakily got to her feet, trying not to slip in the pool around her. Somehow, despite the open doors, the water did not leave the castle. Sirius stood up and pulled something out of his robe pocket and Giselle watched as he opened an umbrella with no effort whatsoever. She couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"You are a complete ass, you know," She told him and she struggled to wrap her soaked robes around her translucent shirt but she gave up and let the robes sag around her body. She tried to wipe the rain off of her face but the never-ending stream continued to fall.

"I never meant to upset you, 'Elle," he told her and she stared at him in disbelief.

"Upset? I'm not upset." His face twisted and wore disbelief as well so he took a step closer towards her. She stood there contemplating her feelings because she finally realised she wasn't upset. She wasn't even angry at him anymore.

"Then what? What's wrong?" He asked loudly as the rain was still deafening. Giselle winced and wrinkled her nose. What was wrong? She struggled to come up with an answer.

"I... I don't know... You." Sirius stared at her for a few seconds before letting out a loud chorus of laughter. She glared at him, trying to concentrate on the fact he had hurt her with his dog facade but she couldn't help but admire him. Her breath came out ragged when she attempted to carry on.

"You didn't tell me you were that fucking dog. I told you something that I wasn't even sure of and you could have used that against me, to humiliate me or worse! I told that dog – you – some serious shit that no one should have heard, especially you of all people, and now I just can't..." Sirius watched her rant on and he licked his lips that coiled into a smile. He noticed that they were the only ones in the Entrance Hall. Giselle continued to tell him what she thought but he simply threw the umbrella to the side and took one more step towards her.

"-and another thing-," Giselle shouted but Sirius leant forward, grabbed her face in his sopping hands and kissed her on her lips. He felt her breath halt and her body shake when her hot lips melted into his own. His hands slipped from her cheeks to around her neck, pulling her in deeper while her own hands snaked up and around his shoulder, her fingertips softly massaging the bare skin. He felt like he was on fire and she was the flame.

"WHAT IN HEAVENS NAME IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The pair's eyes snapped open and they stepped back to see the familiar row of teachers staring at them, fury clearly ignited in all of their eyes except for Professor Irvine and Professor Dumbledore who seemed to be enjoying the show. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and glared. Giselle knew that if looks could kill, she would be 6 feet under. Sirius shot the professors a smile and picked up the umbrella that was floating at his feet.

"Would you like to borrow my umbrella, Professor? You look a little wet." That must have been the understatement of the year as McGonagall was soaked to the bone. Her nostrils flared when Sirius handed her the umbrella and Giselle accidentally let slip a snort of laughter.

"Who?" McGonagall managed to say through her anger and Sirius ruffled his hair, the drips landing on Giselle but she didn't mind as she was trying to focus on removing her foolish grin. Sirius winked and admitted he created the 'Tsunami Masterpiece'.

"Just you?" McGonagall asked and Giselle knew for a fact the Marauders had helped him. Giselle wrinkled her nose and coughed, bring the attention her way.

"Guilty!" She sang and she felt Sirius's arm tighten around her waist which drove the butterflies in her abdomen crazy. She knew her knees would collapse at any moment.

"Up to my office now. 150 points from Gryffindor." She murmured and the pair slowly made their way up the stairs and towards the Grand Staircase which seemed to have been turned into a gigantic waterfall. Giselle closed the door and felt Sirius pulled her chin up and towards his face. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck before placing another kiss on his soft lips. He tasted simply divine – better than she imagined.

"You didn't have to take the blame," he mumbled into her ear and she shivered. "I don't care – I don't want to have to wait till after your detentions to see you." She felt Sirius grin against her flustered cheek and she pecked him lightly.

"I guess I'm forgiven?" He asked and Giselle laughed.

"Absolutely."

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