Dark Tower

All characters belong to JK Rowling

Chapter twenty-one: Confessions X 2?

A look of utter disbelief painted itself over her face, his words slowly sinking into her brain. She warily looked at the bed she had been laying on… his bed. Her disbelief turned to outrage as she turned to confront him.

"You didn't want to be disturbed tonight? Well, that's priceless isn't it?" She questioned exasperatedly. "You didn't mind disturbing me though?" She paced angrily around the room. If she wasn't mad before, she sure was now. 'The nerve of this man!' She thought with indignation.

Severus had expected some emotional display from her. A few tears, maybe a bit of begging... But the anger he saw in her eyes was not tinted with panic or fear. She was getting angrier by the second, and this he had not counted on. She had more spirit than he had given her credit for. If he had been in her shoes, he would have torn the place up by now or dueled with the idiot having the affront to try such a stunt.

"Severus... I just want two things from you right now. I demand my wand back, as well as the way out from this room. I am NOT staying here one more second!" She said in a controlled voice, though she wanted to scream her resentment at him.

"No, I won't... and you can't leave." He added calmly, standing up from the bed. "Not until I've said my peace. Then you can go." His tones were clipped and to the point, reverting to his usual tactics from the classroom.

Jessica was just about to blow her top. "So, you won't let me go?" Eyeing him with disdain.

"No. I won't. Is that clear enough for you?" His patience was getting a little thin by now and he answered her a little too promptly than he should of.

Jessica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her nerves were raw, but she suddenly had a brilliant an idea. She quickly stretched her hand out and mouthed a silent "Accio wand!" The wand flew out of the darkness from one corner of the room, but no sooner had it landed in her palm, a second spell was uttered; "Expelliarmus!" Snape caught her wand and pocketed it with incredible speed.

"Tsk, Tsk!" He jeered at her. "No wand work outside of classes. You know the rules Miss Brown!" His smirk stretched almost from ear to ear. "Can't remove any points though... Pity!"

Jessica jumped up at him like an enraged feline, trying to retrieve her wand. They scuffled for a bit. Jessica even landed a good punch in his mid-section. But he soon got the best of her, but only because he was a fair bit taller and stronger than her. She knew how to muggle fight since her teenage years. Her mother had insisted she learn how to do it, in case she ever got into trouble. Mother never really understood that wizards never physically fought each other... barely.

He held her wrists behind her back, as he stood facing her, still panting because of the punch. "Where did you learn to fight like that? " He asked with a deep frown between his brows. "Women don't fight like that, certainly not witches?"

"My mother wanted me to be able to defend myself in all circumstances. She didn't believe in wands." She added defiantly. "If need be, I would kill in self-defense. So don't try your luck..."

He started to laugh. The girl really had hidden talents. But killing? He thought naught. "A Hufflepuff kill in self-defense? Not typical nor probable behavior from one that belongs to that House." He laughed again.

Jessica eyed him dangerously. "Care to wager on it?" She asked in a low hiss.

"I beg to differ, no Hufflepuff has ever shown any..." His words were interrupted, as he was unceremoniously thrown to the ground, flipped on his stomach and a hard pointy knee was thrust down the middle of his back. She held one of his arms in a very awkward and painful position behind his back. She bent down to whisper. "Now that the tables have been turned, can I have my wand back?" She hadn't finished talking and already she had fished it out of his pocket.

Severus couldn't move and didn't dare either. His pale complexion had turned beet red, the humiliation he felt by being brought down by a speck of a girl... "Can I get up now?" He asked cautiously. "Jessica, it was only my way of joking. Surely you wouldn't do anything else to prove your point?" He hissed as she pushed harder with her knee.

Jessica laughed this time. "Don't tempt me... I might just do that. " She lessened her grip then got off his back. "I wouldn't have thought that you, of all people, might underestimate an opponent." She added dryly, waiting for him to get up.

He got back on his feet, dusted off his pants and cloak, while eyeing her darkly. This was not what he had in mind for tonight, far from it. What was to be a romantic evening, turned out to be a vulgar muggle tussle? He sneered at her, but she just coldly looked back at him. "Very well, I admit to miscalculating the risks involved with the evening. But that shall soon change."

He reached up and took out the chain he had around his neck. He gave the time-turner, one good turn...

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Snape was sitting on the chair near the hearth a short time later, Jessica woke from her slumber, just as before. He heard her say softly, Severus; that was his cue to get up and walk toward the bed. He sat on its edge and looked at her face. He saw the puzzled look and questioning eyes. All was very familiar a second time around. But this time, he wouldn't laugh or taunt her uselessly. "Jessica... I'm sorry that I resorted to this subterfuge to get you here." He said before she could open her mouth. She stared at him, waiting for some explanations. "I took it upon myself to get you here for a reason. Something I should of said a while ago, but..."

His mouth went dry, he rarely admitted to any emotional swings of any kind. He felt at a disadvantage now. Admitting his feelings for the girl was taking its toll on his equilibrium. He looked up at her, his face grave, his eyes dark and thoughtful.

She saw the turmoil in his gaze, but still wanted an explanation to all of this. She pulled the covers closer to her chin, eyeing him suspiciously. "What did you want to tell me, that needed such an elaborate set up?" She urged him on.

He thought that he should have brought some truth serum for this. It was harder than he expected it to be. "I wanted to tell you... explain the feelings that I have for you." It almost felt like getting one's teeth pulled out. A grim smile settled on his lips.

"... After that evening, the one where I had invited you to dinner… before Albus came butting in." She nodded as she recollected her thoughts from that very evening.

"We were having a pleasant evening, were we not?" He asked point-blank.
She nodded again, saying nothing though, not wanting to stem the flow of his words.

At least she agreed to that, he thought quickly. He continued on. " I've been slowly coming to the realization that I held certain feelings for you. Though, pleasant as they are, they have become more insistent and overwhelming lately." His gaze searched hers for a moment, hoping that she had felt something akin to it.

Jessica raised an eyebrow at him. "And those feelings are? " She knew she was cornering him, but he had started this little shin-ding.

His nostrils flared for a moment, his eyes dropped to his hands lying still on his knees. He looked pained now, but it had to come out now. "I... um... I lo..." He stopped and swore under his breath. How can something so simple, feel so painful?

Jessica was having doubts that he would come out with it now.

He suddenly blurted it out. "Iloveyou..." It came out so fast, that she barely heard what he said. But, she did understand a whispered, "Merlin, someone Crucio me!"

Jessica kept herself from smiling, not wanting to ridicule the poor man. She thought about what he said for a moment, her fingers playing with the stitching pattern on the bed cover.

Jessica turned to the side and let her legs fall over the edge of the bed. Putting her slippers and shawl on, she started to pace around his room. Her thoughts were racing to find a respectable reply. She didn't want to give false hopes to him. But the whole situation was beyond ludicrous. He made her come here with dubious methods and she was to answer what? Half of her wanted to rant and scream at him for using another underhanded method to get to her, while the other half wanted to sit and talk this through, as calmly as possible. Her face reflected her swinging thought patterns.

He stayed seated on the bed, studying her face and watching how she ticked. She kept flipping her hair behind her ear while in deep thought. He made a mental note of that as he continued to watch. She stopped pacing and looked at him with oddly glittering eyes. Was she mad? Irritated? Flattered? He couldn't decipher her mood.

She started to pace again, but this time she stopped and sat on one of the chairs. She looked around and asked. "Could I have my wand back? It's rather cold in here and I don't want to catch a cold or something."

Remembering how little clothes she was wearing, he sheepishly grinned at her and went to retrieve her wand from the shelf, in one of the darkened corners. He came back and handed it to her. She thanked him and flicked her wand at the grate. Warm flames erupted and she could feel its warmth shortly after. Snape sat on the other chair next to her. Both sat and watched the dancing flames for a little while.

Jessica finally said: "Severus... I am truly touched by what you said before. Even though your methods of getting to know me have been somewhat jarring, as well as surprising, I can't say that I'm insensitive to your attentions. But..."

His heart lurched uncomfortably in his chest. She was going to say something he wasn't prepared to hear. He knew it and mentally prepared himself for the worse. He passed a nervous hand through his hair, trying to find some countenance. The Potions master did not have a ready answer or insult for this kind of conversation. It was a new reality, for him anyway, finding himself defenseless and vulnerable. His Slytherin heart flip-flopped at the idea. He closed his eyes and waited for the next words to be uttered.

"At the moment, I am seeing someone else. Though it is a good relationship, it hasn't grown serious yet." She said quietly and then added quickly. "And that's fine with me. I'm not looking for permanency with anyone." That last bit she had figured not too long ago.

"But I'm very flattered to have been the center of attention of not just one, but two wonderful wizards." She said gently. She got up and turned to him, as he had jumped up rather quickly. She saw him thrusting his hands in his cloak pockets. She felt bad now, but it couldn't be helped. She wanted to be truthful with him.

She came closer and raised a tentative hand to his chest. His hands automatically came up to hold her upper-arms, his thumbs gently squeezing the soft flesh beneath the shawl. Her words were kind to him; he was happy, or rather thankful for it. He had nothing to say, she had given him her real thoughts about the situation and couldn't fault her for doing so.

He dropped his chin, feeling somewhat defeated by now. She responded by wrapping her arms around his waist, giving him a gentle hug. As carnal as he could be with the women he 'met' in the back streets of Diagon Alley, this felt oddly more satisfying. This small wench, had gotten him to think differently about his relationships with women. How much of it had changed, he would have to ponder later on.

She shifted her head and looked up at him. Her eyes glittered gently; a soft appealing smile touching her lips. He silently groaned inwardly. If she looked at him like that any longer, he would be starting to think differently. "I'm sorry if I didn't say what you wanted to hear from me. I do lllli..." She stopped herself short from saying something that could be misinterpreted as something else.

He watched as a blush crept upon her face. She had been on the cusp of saying something that he wistfully wanted her to say. She lowered her chin to avoid direct eye contact. He smirked briefly. His hand came up and tilted her head back up. He searched her eyes, looking for some sign that something could be possible between them. Their gazes met briefly; his, full of fire, as hers was a picture of uneasiness.

Silencing his little voice of reason, he lowered his head and kissed her gently. Her lips were as soft as he remembered, as well as warm and inviting. But he stopped it there, not willing to break her trust again.

Taking a step back, he turned her around and guided her to the fireplace. Apparecium he murmured with a flick of his wand, a jar with floo powder reappeared on the mantle. Taking a small pinch, he threw it on the flames, making them turn to a lovely shade of green as he gently pushed her inside.

"Goodnight, Jessica, and sweet dreams! Forgive me again… for all of this. " She glanced at him with a surprised look on her face. She waved goodbye to him and whispered "Jessica Brown's room." She disappeared with a soft whooshing sound, leaving Severus to gaze at her disappearing form.

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I hope you guys liked this softer version of Severus… redid the chapter until he didn't feel too 'mushy'. I'd like to thank the reviewers that have manifested themselves up until now, especially Mark Darcy and Portia Malfoy. You guys are really the best! Keep reading and reviewing, there will be more to come….