(Author's note: Special thanks to Inu-midoriko for all of her help writing this fanfic. I'm sorry that this update took so long, I've had some major issues and family emergencies. Thank you to everyone who sent PMs to me regarding the updates!)
The upcoming Yule ball seemed to be all that the students could talk about. Gossip was running rampant because Hermione Granger was rumored to be going out with Viktor Krum. Cho meanwhile, who it was said was going with Cidric Diggory, had turned down Harry. At the moment however, poor Jake was being hunted by girls who decided not to wait for Harry to ask them out, much to his twin's amusement.
It was the only reason that Jake found himself slipping from shadow to shadow in the dungeons, hoping that Professor Snape wasn't busy.
Severus Snape wasn't busy. Well, no, that's a lie. He was busy, busy turning down seventh year Slytherin boys for Bellatrix that is. The witch had them wrapped around her slim finger with just a few smiles and every five minutes or so, some male student would come in, walk up to Bella nervously and hold out a black rose for her. They would then proceed to glance nervously at Snape, who sneered daggers at them before finding the confidence to ask Bella to the ball. At first Snape had thought it was a joke. Why would anyone want to go with her? She was insane as well as twice their age. Nevertheless, when Bella accepted the rose each and every time, they took it as their que to ask. Bella smiled at them slyly and asked the first few if they had asked Draco for permission first. At that point, they muttered 'sorry' and left blushing, embarrassed. Now all Bella would do is take the flower and look smugly at Snape. Having gotten fed up with the smug looks and the students coming into his office to ask Bella to the Ball, he turned them down for her just before they started to walk in any further than the door frame.
Jake looked nervous as he knocked on the door. "Professor? Are you busy?" He called softly, praying that no one would overhear him.
Snape sighed, glad for this break. He knew that Jake wouldn't ask Bella to the ball. "Come in." he called and rubbed his throbbing temples. Bella was busy transfiguring Snape's flasks into vases so she could put her roses in so they wouldn't die just yet.
The older redhead looked more than a little jumpy as he entered. "Want some company? I need somewhere to hide until this dance insanity ends."
Snape nodded slightly. "I understand what you mean." he said, gesturing to the roses Bella was tending to. "Have you chosen a girl to go with?" asked Snape. He normally wouldn't care about it one way or another but he was bored and so tired so telling off students.
"It feels like I've got every girl whose not after Harry after me. Why, I don't know. I'm only a first year, and this is for fourth years and up." Jake sighed in relief as he collapsed into a chair.
"Fourth years are able to bring guests from other years." supplied Snape. Another knock came to the door and he had to suppress the urge to smack his head off his desk. "Come in." he said, irritably. When yet another seventh year walked in, Snape was surprised to see it was a Ravenclaw male instead of a Slytherin. So, thinking that this boy wouldn't ask Bella out, he let the seventh year stride up to his desk. The boy was attractive and he knew it because he had a smug expression on his face. Just when Snape was starting to have suspicions about this guy, they were instantly confirmed when he brought a red rose from behind him and presented it to Bella, who, again, took the rose and said absolutely nothing.
"Will you go to the dance with me?" he asked.
Boiling hot rage filled Snape. This. Was. The. Last. Straw. He stood, sneer in place and eyes looking deadly. "No, she will not go to the dance with you, or any other seventh year who asks! She's twice your age for Merlin sakes! Go with someone in your own year or a little younger!" The Ravenclaw sighed and turned on his heel. He didn't spare a glance back or say anything on his way out, but the smug expression never left his face.
Snape sat back down and sighed heavily. "God. What the hell did you do to earn their 'love' for you?" he asked Bella, who finally turned her attention away from the roses.
"Absolutely nothing."
Jake smiled slightly. "They aren't thinking with their heads Professor." He offered.
"No, I don't suppose so." he agreed. Bella shot Jake a look but chose to let it go once she saw, again, how many roses there were for her. "How's your sister fairing?"
"She's fine. Nye's shedding for the first time and thinks he's gonna die, so she's trying to keep him contained and relaxed." He shrugged.
Severus raised an eyebrow. "He's shedding is he? It should be over soon then. Has Ms. Fear been asked to the Ball yet?"
"No, praise the gods." Jake sighed. "She's too busy trying to kill herself laughing about me though. I seem to be giving her kicks enough for both of us."
Snape grinned only slightly. "I imagine it would be amusing." he drawled.
"Why would she be amused?" asked Bella, suddenly coming into the conversation. "You're the one getting all the attention."
Shaking his head, Jake smiled. "Honestly, I don't know. I think she just thinks it's funny that I'm getting chased everywhere. Frankly, I'm just glad nobody's chasing her!"
"Why is that? Would you be jealous if she were the one getting all the attention and not you?" she asked teasingly.
"No, I'd have been too busy being an older brother and making sure her honor STAYS intact. I've never really had a problem with the girls; they get bored with me fast enough anyway." Jake replied. "Tammy however, would be hurt."
Bella rested a hand on her chin. "You're a fun one." she mused. "I have a hard time believing that they'd get bored of you fast, unless of course you show absolutely no interest in them. Girls who give up that easily are always so boring anyway."
"Please, Bella. For five minutes, shut up." asked Snape but only received a glare back.
"I've been quiet for ten whole minutes so shut your mouth."
"They loose interest when they find out that I'm not willing to ignore my sister just because we are dating. Taking care of her is my first priority." Jake said quietly. "If she gets sick, I can't go out on a date all night." He shrugged. "And as for HER dating, I'm worse than any father in a joke, and I freely admit it."
"I see." was the only thing Bella said to that but couldn't help the grin on her face. "And who's to say she'll fall for a man? Perhaps, she's more interested in a woman?"
"At least with a girl, I won't have to deal with a shotgun wedding if she gets pregnant." Jake said, even though he jumped in his chair slightly.
Bella's grin widened but she said nothing else. Suddenly a low rumble was heard from her stomach but she pretended not to hear it.
"Come on, lets get lunch." said Snape and stood with Bella following his movements. "The girls won't bug you if they see you're with me. For some reason they find me a confidence crusher."
Bella snickered. "I wonder why."
Jake looked relieved as he stood up. "Thanks. I was planning to skip lunch cause Tammy wouldn't be there."
"Oh, by the way, half of your paintings have been sold. Most of them were students buying them but a few Professors bought a few. Oh, and I sent one to Lucius Malfoy this morning. He said he'd give the money to Draco to give to me to give to you."
Jake looked poleaxed. "What?" He felt as though the floor had just dropped out from underneath him.
Severus looked at him. "What? Oh, the Headmaster also made a vault for you at Gringotts so you can keep track of money you take in."
The redheaded man swallowed hard. "What were they priced at? Should I sit down?"
"Well lets see, you gave me fifty to sell, I've sold half that, that makes twenty-five. I sold them for fifty Galleons a piece so in your vault you've got $1,250 so far, not including the one Malfoy bought."
"Okay, now I gotta sit...." Jake all but collapsed on the nearby bench as his legs gave out on him. "Whoa..."
Bella blinked. "Why are you so shocked?" she asked. She had seen a few of his paintings. They weren't bad though she preferred dark art.
"I'll have to agree with Bellatrix. It's not that hard to believe, Mr. Fear."
"The highest I've every gotten for my work was fifty dollars." Jake said numbly.
"Well when you're in this world things change." said Bella and sighed in annoyance when her stomach had it clear, once again, that she was hungry. "Let's go before my stomach tries to eat itself."
Jake got up and they continued on their way. "Does Dumbledore want more?" he asked.
"As you know he took one at the beginning when he first saw them. I was selling more in Hogsmeade but before I left, he came to take the ones he wanted. I suppose he'll give them away as gifts or hang them somewhere." he replied.
"Yikes... looks like I'm going home this weekend. I hope Tammy doesn't have any plans." He murmured to himself, the shock fading as his mind kicked into gear.
The three got to the Great Hall soon after. Snape and Bellatrix made their way towards the Professor's table and sat down, ignoring all the chatter about the Yule Ball. They also ignored looks fromIgor Karkaroff and his boys.
Jake sat down at the Gryffindor table and began to eat with tasting his food. Barrowing a quill and a piece of parchment from Neville, he started to calculate Galleons into dollars. The bills still had to be paid after all. He only hoped that there would be enough left over to buy his twin something special for the holidays...
Once the two adults had a plate of food in front of them, they noticed that many girls were ogling Jake. A few even went as far as to walk up to him and ask him to the Ball. Bella snickered at their pathetic attempts.
Jake however, was charmingly polite in his gentle refusals. He didn't act annoyed or desperate at all. The redhead acted like a gentleman, not a rude child.
"I wonder why he refuses them," pondered Bella aloud.
"So he can keep an eye on his sister. Plus, he doesn't even know these girls. They're all strangers to him. It'd be like going out with someone you've never seen before."
"Ah but Severus, I've done all that and more with mere strangers." she purred, making the potion's master roll his eyes.
"Yes I know."
When they finally went away, Jake returned his attention to the work in front of him, eating with one hand while scribbling with the other.
"If Jake is going to have a life to call his own, his sister will either have to be dead or married so that way her partner could take care of her." stated Bella and sucked on a piece of pineapple.
"Perhaps, but since when do you care?" asked Severus, sticking a piece of bacon into his mouth.
"I don't, I'm just stating my observations." she replied.
"Either that or you're growing soft." he spat.
She whipped around and glared at him fiercely. She didn't want to cause a scene because she was obscenely hungry but she didn't want him to just get away with that comment. "You are in no position to be talking about becoming 'soft', as you are already the equivalent of a teddy bear." she hissed. "And I've not grown soft, you wanker. You're just too used to giving out detentions to remember anything about being harsh."
"Oh stop with the dramatics Bella." he said rolling his eyes. "I've not grown soft either; I've just not found a reason to be 'harsh'."
"Yeah right. I bet you can't even remember how to crucio someone correctly." she said it quietly so no one would hear their conversation.
"Shut up." he hissed. "if someone over hears you, they'll think you ought to be back in Azkaban. Is that what you want?"
His gaze was piercing, and she sat back in her chair and her glare faltered but she said nothing.
The redheaded male looked at Snape and smiled slightly; he stood and left the room after giving Neville back his quill, expertly dodging hopeful ladies as he went.
Snape smiled slightly back and silently wondered if he had done that to the girls at his old school as well. He mentally shrugged. It wasn't his concern and he certainly didn't care enough about the teen's love life to go and ask him about it.
One more week until the Yule Ball and the students were as busy as ever chatting about what they were going to wear or trying to find last minute dates. Thankfully, the students had stopped trying to get a date with Bellatrix. Deep, deep, deep, deep down, Snape had got frustrated with his students because he wanted to take Bella to the Ball. He just hadn't asked her yet. In fact, he didn't plan on asking. His ingenious plan was to simply tell her she's going and then bind them together. It wasn't exactly 'romantic' but it got her to go with him and him only so he could care less about romance.
Their wrists bound, the two said adults walked the grounds to get to Hagrid's hut. Snape had an important message for him from the Headmaster and he didn't fully trust Bellatrix to not get into trouble again so he bound her to him. They didn't get around the corner of the castle before they were bumped into three aurors.
"Watch it!" spat one man, who was clearly the leader. He had dark yellow teeth and a gruff voice. Bella's eyes widened slightly in horror as she recognized the man, she quickly got her composure before anyone noticed and stood rigid, hoping he wouldn't say anything to her, but it wasn't the case for he instantly recognized her.
"Bellatrix Lestrange." he grinned. His once grimy face was clean but he was still as ugly as a bore. "And here I thought I'd have to pay a visit to the Headmaster to come see you." he said and laughed. His two cronies on either side of him laughed as well. Bella didn't recognize them. They were young, probably new recruits.
Snape narrowed his eyes, his gaze hard. Obviously, they were from Azkaban. Bella wouldn't have known anyone from anywhere else in the last fourteen years. "What business do you have with her?" his tone was calm but his gaze said otherwise.
The man only laughed and held out his clean hand for a shake. "Name's Boris. These two are new recruits. Don't mind them. I came to see how Azkaban's favorite little hell queen was fairing under your wing. We're making sure everything is in order with her. I'm sure she doesn't mind," he said looking longingly at Bella. "After all, we knew each other so well."
Bella's eyes flashed in temper but she didn't dare make a scene. She didn't want anyone to know he took her unwillingly. She didn't want anyone to know that she was at the mercy of a man other than the Dark Lord. "Leave, Boris." she hissed.
"You don't have the authority to banish me, bitch." he hissed back and raised his wand. In a matter of seconds, Snape had his wand out as well. In turn, the other two cronies had their wands pointed at Snape, though his gaze never left Boris.
"Does the Headmaster know you're here?" he asked.
"No."
"Then I suggest you leave before you make him angry." retorted Severus and did as best he could to stand in front of Bella with there wrists bound. Growing agitation made Bella start to breathe faster. She didn't want to be left alone with this man without a wand and since she didn't have one, she didn't want to be left alone with him at all.
"On the count of three, we put our wands down." suggested Boris. He didn't need, or want a conflict started. He wasn't even supposed to be here. He counted one, Snape counted two, they both counted three and all wands were lowered and pocketed.
Suddenly Hagrid came out of his hut. a large metal bucket in one large hand as he made his way towards them. "What's going on here? You lot are blocking the path." He said gruffly. Squeaking sounds could be heard from the bucket as he set it carefully on a fresh-looking stump.
All heads turned to Hagrid and then the squeaking bucket.
"What the bloody hell's in there?" asked Boris and took a step closer to it.
"The Headmaster wants to see you. He's got a special task you for." said Snape a moment after Boris asked his question. Bella tugged on Snape's robes, beckoning him to leave but he stood his ground. He wanted to make sure they left and didn't linger around.
"I know Severus, I just wanted to set the bucket here in case Tammy stops by while I'm gone. I keep an eye on her most nights when she wanders out, but I ain't comfortable with her being out alone." Hagrid said cheerfully. "There are plenty of rats in here for her." He eyed the stump and the bucket carefully. "I hope she'll be able to reach it alright, I don't want her going near that forest anymore... A little thing like her can get hurt, wand or no wand." He said as though to himself.
Boris nodded. "Alright, we'll leave you to it then." he said and grinned at Bella. He stepped around Snape, grabbed her chin and lifted her head. "Come now, we have so much to catch up on." she yanked her head out of his grasp and lunged for him to scratch him till he bled rivers but Snape tugged on their bound wrists, causing her to fall backward into him. He caught her around the waist and helped steady her.
"Not now, Bella. He's got the authority to send you back." he hissed angrily. Bella growled at Boris but did as Snape said and calmed down. She stepped around him until she was by his side.
"Now that you know I'm perfectly well, you can leave." she insisted. Clearly something had gone on between the two that Bella didn't like and it was grating Severus' nerves.
"Not so fast. We have to see where your sleeping chambers are after we check in with Albus Dumbledore." retorted Boris and a sly grin crossed his face.
"You no good, brainless-" Snape put a hand over her mouth to stop her from saying something she'd regret.
"We'll lead the way." not that he wanted to but it let him keep an eye on Boris and his thugs. The bore faced man's grin widened as he followed Snape and a stiff, reluctant Bella to Albus's chambers.
In the main hall, Nye hissed at them, his scales glossy as his hood flared in warning. Though still small, he'd grown since his shedding. At the current moment, his mistress was nowhere in sight, and you had to wonder if this was another game of hide and seek on the cobra's part.
Boris drew his wand, as did the other two. They looked petrified. "What the hell is this?!" asked Boris. "You let deadly creatures roam around?! The students could get hurt." his tone sounded as if he was calm but his eyes danced in fear.
Bella grinned at Nye. "Wot's a matter. Is the big bad auror's scared?" she mocked them with a fake baby voice.
Snape had to grin as well. "It looks as if 'the creature' doesn't like you."
The cobra hissed again and flicked his tail as though giving the whole group the middle finger. His tongue flicked in and out as he danced impatiently in place.
Bella tugged at Snape, bringing him to the far side of the wall so Nye's attention would be on the three aurors. "Come on. We can snitch them out." she whispered to him and this time, he listened to her because a) he didn't want to have Nye's venom in him and b) he didn't like those three. At all.
"You stay back!" Boris yelled at Nye and pulled his arm back to curse it.
"Touch him and I'll knock you out so hard that you might as well be dead." Tammy's sharp voice cut the tension as she carefully made her way down the stairs. Her wet red-gold hair had been pulled back into a tight braid, and her clothes looked slightly damp. Her glasses had been broken and were barely perched on her nose, a sure sign of trouble. On her right hand was a splint that they had never seen before, but it didn't look at all comfortable to wear.
"You!" yelled Boris. "you, own this... thing?!" Snape and Bella paused; they were half obscured by shadow. The three men looked at Tammy oddly for only a moment before they came back to their senses and kept a wand pointed at the snake.
"Don't knock them out Ms. Fear. They have the power to send you to Azkaban if provoked." Snape said, emerging from the shadows with Bella following by his side.
The gruff man squinted at Tammy for a moment before his eyes widened. "You're Tammy Fear?" he asked it more to himself than to her. Long ago, he had gone to a house that went by the last name of Fear. He was told that the parents and grandparents were dead but the kids had escaped. He was given a picture of each child so he'd know what they'd look like if he ever came across them. This was before he was stationed at Azkaban. He remembered studying their pictures day in and day out so he'd be able to catch them and bring them back to the wizarding world to get a promotion. He wasn't so lucky because they were clever kids.
"Nye is a cobra, and yes, he answers to me." She said coldly. "If you don't want to get bit, don't threaten him or me, you just startled him. He's only a baby." Eyeing the man the best she could though her broken glasses, the redhead frowned. "My name is Tammy Lynnette Fear, and my twin brother is Jake Anthony Fear, what do you want?"
Boris sneered and lowered his wand, as did his thugs. "My business is with Lestrange. Although, I do recall having to bring you and your brother here years ago when your parents died." he laughed. "Looks like you did my work for me. Now, take that thing and get it out of my sight. I have unfinished business with that bitch." he gestured towards Bellatrix, who merely glared back at him, fury radiating off her.
Tammy just smirked. "My brother and I took care of ourselves just fine without your world's so-called help. If we had accepted it back then, we'd be just as petty and narrow minded as you." She stated calmly. "We are smarter than you now." without batting an eyelash or taking her eyes off him, she addressed her familiar. "Nye, go outside."
"You petty foolish girl, you're nothing but a child." he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. It was at that time that Snape realized that Tammy wasn't seeing anyone else but Boris. She was speaking and only seeing Boris because her mind detected him as a possible threat. He believed her tactic was to piss him off enough that he'd just walk away, but this was an auror, aurors get extremely arrogant and wouldn't let a student's words and fury bring them down because they were convinced their power and authority was next to God's.
Tammy laughed, but it wasn't a nice sound. "We were smart enough to run from you weren't we? You have no power over us Boris; we can walk away at any time. Magic is nothing to us. You might learn a thing or two if you decided to use your brain instead your wand for a change."
Boris narrowed his eyes. "I'm so happy you're able to make such decisions," he drawled sarcastically. "Go ahead and leave, girl. You're no loss to us," he hissed. "Why am I even arguing with you?" he turned back around to his cronies. "Leave. I'll be back soon at headquarters." he commanded and the two bowed before turning on their booted heels and exiting the castle. He turned his attention back to Snape, trying to ignore the red haired teen. "You," he said, pointing his wand to Snape. "Unbind yourself from her. Now."
Severus, however, took out his wand and dug it into Boris' throat. "Making your lackeys leave wasn't a wise idea, Boris." he said his name with venom. "There are certain rules that even you have to follow here. One being, you do not have the right to talk to any of my students in that manner. They are only half your age so stop acting as if you're only a child yourself. Two, Bellatrix isn't going anywhere with you. I don't know what you did to her, not it doesn't look like she'll forgive you for it anytime soon." he hissed and reveled in the slight fear he saw in Boris' eyes. "If I were you, I'd get back to headquarters and leave these two ladies alone." his deep voice got deeper and it involuntarily sent a shiver down Bella's spine. Boris, however, narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not leaving until I do everything I'm supposed to do."
"Well, then that's a shame now isn't it?" drawled Snape. "Because you're leaving."
Tammy had made it to the front door by this time, her expression so calm that even Bella could see it was a mask. However, she couldn't retreat before making a parting shot. Turning her chair slightly, she eyed Boris one last time. "Oh Boris, to answer your question... No, changing sides will never erase the blood on your hands. Just because you are playing the role of an auror now doesn't mean the screaming that haunts your dreams will ever stop. A good act won't change who you really are, and yes, an evil done in the name of good is still evil." She said this very calmly, and left without waiting for his stuttered reply.
Boris's eyes widened. 'How does she...' he stopped his thoughts as sweat poured from him. He furiously turned to Bellatrix and ignored Snape's snarl. "I'll be back, bitch." he left Hogwarts in a huff. Clearly, he was freaked about what Tammy said. They stood there for a good few moments before Bella exhaled. Snape turned to her with an angry expression.
"We're talking about this later." He hissed before dragging her off to see Dumbledore.
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Later always means you won't talk about it." she retorted but he grinned unpleasantly at her.
"Oh no, we're definitely talking about this." he said as they stepped into Ablus' chamber, fully prepared to rat out the aurors coming here uninvited.
Albus Dumbledore stood up, looking as calm as ever, Hagrid was just leaving. The giant nodded to them as he left the room.
"Aurors were here." he nudged Bella forward. "He tried to snoop around and see what she's been doing."
"I see. Is he on his way to see me then?" The headmaster asked, resuming his seat calmly.
Snape shook his head. "We were about to, but he angered Ms. Fear and she said some things that freaked him out."
Shaking his head, the headmaster tsked. "I'll have to have a word with her concerning her temper and the use of her powers. It would be interesting to know where she draws the line..." He sighed. "She should know better."
Bella's temper sprang forward at this point. "He was the one tormenting her." she hissed. "If he hadn't shown up and brought up all those memories in her and in me then she wouldn't have lost her temper." she tried moving forward but Snape wouldn't move. "You aurors and Order members are all the same." she hissed. A mad glint entered her gaze and Snape put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down but she shrugged him off and stood tall in front of Dumbledore.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Just because she might have been provoked doesn't excuse her from violating someone else's mind and using that against them. Tammy doesn't seem too concerned about taking on more than she can handle. That could get her killed one day."
Bella snarled. "Taking the auror's side are you? That's just so typically like you." she glared at him. Snape tugged on her wrist hard, causing her to bump slightly into him.
"Calm yourself Bellatrix. Have some dignity."
"Dignity." she spat. "What would you know of it?"
"Apparently more than you." he retorted. "Headmaster, I'm sorry for her. She's having trouble understanding that you're busy and can't deal with everything all at once." he hissed at her. "Are we dismissed?" he asked.
Albus looked tired and nodded. "Yes, and thank you for telling me what happened today Severus."
Snape nodded and had to keep up with Bellatrix because she was walking so fast down the halls. Eventually he got fed up and made her walk his pace.
She walked, reluctantly at Severus pace until she got outside. The aurors were long gone so she didn't need worry about them. When she spotted Tammy, she grabbed Snape's arm and yanked him over to her.
Tammy looked less than happy as she tossed a rat to Nye and watched him chase it. She wasn't wearing her glasses, so she probably couldn't see that much.
Snape yanked his arm away from her when they reached Tammy. For a moment Bella didn't know how to go about telling her what she wanted to. It wasn't like her to help anyone else other than herself but this girl had tried to help her once before so the least she could do was warn her of Dumbledore's displeasure. "Your headmaster isn't happy. He plans to scorn you for what you said to the auror."
"He shouldn't have to, I've been yelling at myself since I got out here. Still… thank you for the warning Belle." She sighed and picked up the broken halves of her glasses. "Jake's gonna be so pissed..."
The potions master raised an eyebrow. "Why have they been broken?" he asked and took out his wand. He'd fix them, as soon as he found out why they broke.
"I had an unwelcome intruder while I was taking a shower. That reporter woman." Tammy shrugged. "When I wouldn't talk, she stamped on my glasses. I'm just lucky she didn't break my back brace or my night splint." She sighed. "I'm not supposed to drive without my glasses but Nye got scared when she screamed and I had to look for him."
Snape's eyes twitched. He despised that woman more than he despised Gildory Lockheart. "Let me see your glasses." he said and held out a hand for them."
Turning her head, she squinted before handing him her broken frames, hoping that she didn't miss. "I can't see without them, I ran into a few walls before I got to the great hall and smashed my foot to boot on those damn stairs when they moved on me."
Snape nodded, though he knew she wouldn't be able to see it, he took the glasses from her and had Bella hold them out for him. "Reparo." he muttered. A golden spark sprouted from his wand and instantly, the frames were back to normal. He took them from Bella and put them back on her face.
Tammy blinked, and then smiled in relief, giving him one of her rare honest smiles. "Thanks, I was gonna see Dumbledore anyway, that woman has to go. She has no morals once-so-ever as long as she can get that damn story... Nye scared her good though; she made the mistake of trying to grab my arm."
"I imagine." replied Snape and gave her a slight grin. "Do you feel any better?" he asked and ignored Bella's narrow eyed stare.
"Other than the fact that I'm still kicking myself for what I did to that jerk, yeah, I can't believe I did that but..." She sighed. "He hates us, and I acted like I always did when it came to a threat for us, I hit the protective bitch switch."
"You did what anyone would have done." said Bella. "I'd have said worse things than that but he would have sent me back to Azkaban, claiming I attacked him first. You shouldn't feel regret for what you said. I wouldn't."
Slowly, Tammy shook her head. "It's not what I said, it's what I did. The Rule flew right out of my head... DAMNIT!" She slammed her fist down on her armrest.
Bella merely raised an eyebrow. "I don't reside in your mind, Fear. You'll have to be a little more explanatory than that."
"Before my family died, my grandmother and my mother told me the one rule I should never ever forget about my empathic power: 'Enter no mind save to help or to heal, and only with permission.' I've been splitting hairs ever since then because they never explained to me exactly what that meant... I came very close to breaking that rule today." She looked disgusted with herself. "My reason for coming here was in the slim hope that I could find someone who shared my ability that I could learn from. Make no mistake, I'm not trained in how to use the gift that was given to me, and I know it. Most of what I've done up to this point is instinct and a hell of a lot of guesswork. After a month here, I realized that I didn't just loose my family, I lost my only teachers too..."
Hearing Nye's hiss, the redhead squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose so that she wouldn't cry. "Even though I can see into other people's minds and/or hearts, it still doesn't make you feel any less alone." She said softly. "I'm rolling down a road that I don't completely understand, and no one alive can travel down it with me let alone give me directions."
Snape and Bellatrix just looked at her, perplexed. They didn't know what to say to that. What would anyone say to that? That was the most complicated thing anyone had ever said to them in which they didn't know how to respond. Bella kept her mouth shut, for fear of saying something that wasn't at all comforting. She looked to Severus, who only shrugged and fought for something to say. He did note however, that she wasn't at all uncomfortable with saying that she didn't know everything about her ability. She only knew very little about it and she wasn't afraid to admit it. Tammy had admitted what very few people would. She admitted that she wasn't perfect and that she didn't know everything about herself. Severus put his free hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get some sweets from Hogsmeade." he said.
Bella chuckled insanely but didn't object to the idea. What amused her was that a mere teenaged girl was softening him up and having him suggest they all get sweets to feel better. It was...sweet in an awkward kind of way. If she didn't know any better, she'd admit to actually starting to LIKE him. Just a little.
"I thought that only third years and up could get goodies from Hogsmeade." Tammy asked, but she did brighten a little. She wondered if Snape and Bella would let her do some shopping too while they were out.
Bella's chuckle rang through Hogwarts grounds. "My dear little Fear, you're with two Death Eaters. Whether the shops like it or not, they won't refuse." after she said this, Snape nudged her none too gently in the side.
"What she means," he said and threw her a glare, "is that you're with a Professor so it won't be a problem."
Tammy smiled. "Thanks. I'll be glad to get away from the castle for a while..."
An hour later, the three sat around a table outside Honeydukes. They had gotten ice cream, which excited Bellatrix because she hadn't had the delicious treat in years. Severus had paid for everything, which he didn't mind. Bella was happily lapping at her ice cream, looking like a child with the best candy the world could buy. When she all but devoured the last of hers, she wiped her mouth and looked over to Severus. He was almost finished his, with most of his cone left. She turned to Tammy and asked her if she had anywhere in mind she wanted to go before they headed back to Hogwarts.
"I don't suppose there is a paint shop in the area is there?" She asked after she took a bite from her bowl thoughtfully. "I have something in mind for Jake, but I would like to see what kind of supplies they have here first." This was something of a white lie; Tammy just wanted to know which world sold the things she wanted cheaper. "He's wanted this for a while, and now that his paintings are actually selling, I want to do my part too."
Snape saw the way Bella was eyeing his cone so he rolled his eyes, took one more bite and handed it over to her. She grinned like a child would getting an extra cookie and turned to Tammy to answer her question. "There's an art shop just around the corner. You should find everything you need in there."
Now the redhead nodded her eyes thoughtful as she finished her ice cream. "Is it just painting supplies, or is there magic involved there too?" She asked calmly. "I don't want to give him something he isn't ready for yet."
"The shade of the paint changes depending on how light or dark he wants the colors. It shouldn't be too much of a hassle considering if it changes to the shade he needs it, then there's no cursing at the paint for not changing into the right shade."
"Interesting... well, I'll take a look. If they serve sample sizes I'll pick up a tube or two." Tammy smiled slightly as she backed away from the table. "I'll be as modest as I can be Professor."
Severus nodded and turned to Bella, who had just finished chomping down on the cone he gave her to finish. "Do you want company? It's not wise to leave you here unattended."
She nodded. "Yes please, I don't want to get swindled." Her smile widened a little more. "Wizarding money still confuses me a little." Well, more than a little, but Tammy wasn't about to admit it with Bella there. She still had her pride after all, and Bella would just sneer at her.
Surprisingly enough, Bella gave no indication that she heard the redhead speak. Instead, she got up with Snape and walked with him as he led the way to the art shop. Severus glanced warily at Bella but said nothing. "Has anyone asked you to the Yule Ball?" he asked as they passed a store full of beautiful dresses.
Tammy shook her head. "Nope. My brother's getting all the dates. One or two girls actually tried to ambush him in the bathroom! He blasted me out of a sound sleep and I had to rescue him. Considering it was one in the morning, I raised some holy hell! Didn't Flich say anything?"
"Filch doesn't usually make it a habit of gossiping." he stated simply. Bella however, had her eyes fixated on a black corseted dress with purple lacing. She didn't looked away from it until they turned the corner to get into the paint shop. Right now, all she wanted to do was stare at it, then buy it, and then stare at it while she wore it.
Once in the paint shop, Tammy was all business. She was very meticulous, and from her attitude, no detail -no matter how small- going to be overlooked as she looked around. It was the first time either adult realized just how much thought actually went into Jake's art supplies by his younger sister. She even carefully examined and tested the thickness of sketchbook paper before moving onto the next object. It seemed as though she was perfectly prepared to spend hours just looking around to make sure that her brother had the very best she could give him. The redhead completely ignored the shopkeeper's assurances that his wares were the finest to be had as well as her two escorts. Unlike her normal obedient behavior in the castle, this was something she was used to. However, occasionally she would frown in puzzlement at the prices, the only sign she gave that this was not her world.
Severus stood at the back of the shop with Bellatrix. Bella looked as bored as could be. She didn't like making the art, she liked the finished products. Severus would have had a look around as well but he was afraid Bella would touch something and break it. That was definitely not an option, so he quietly stood at the back of the room. The dark haired witch grew more and more restless as the minutes went by and she found herself wanting nothing more than to move onto another store, or at least go back to the dress store so she could buy the dress she saw through the window. She suddenly rounded on Snape, almost startling him.
"We must go back to the dress store that we passed." she exclaimed.
"Why?" his tone was bored but his eyes flashed with momentary curiosity.
"There's a dress in the window I saw."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Have you any money to buy it?" he asked.
Bella blinked as the realization that she couldn't just walk in and take it dawned on her. She had forgotten she didn't have a wand to intimidate shop owners to give her things for free. "Well... not with me but if we went to my vault-"
"I don't have time to take you to Grimgotts." he caught her off. She glared intensely at him.
"Then you buy it for me."
"No."
Her cheeks flushed a deep red from anger. She'd make him pay for being an ass. She'd make him pay tonight, when he least expected it. A grin graced her features and it was as though her anger disappeared. It unnerved Severus greatly but he didn't dwell on it.
Fifteen minutes had gone back and she hadn't even hit half for store yet. He couldn't help back sigh. Bella, he could tell, was about to burst. How could it possibly take so long to get a few paints, a couple canvases and a few brushes? It should take about ten minutes' tops. He resisted the urge to sigh once again and opted for leaning his back and head against the wall he stood in front of.
Finally, with a sigh, Tammy shook her head and returned to them holding five sketchpads in her lap. "These will do. I'll have to come back another time." She said simply. The girl looked very pleased with herself. "I know where I have to go to get the rest of his Christmas present. The supplies here are very good."
The shop owner nodded his agreement and told her the price for them altogether. Severus sighed once again in relief that they could finally leave the art shop and leaned off the wall. Bella's expression relaxed, meaning that she wasn't going to complain about how long they've been there for.
Hearing the price, her eyes widened. "I'll pay you back when I can professor... too bad I can't paint too..." She sighed as she took her purchase from the shopkeeper.
Severus nodded though he wasn't really worried about her paying him back. "Why did you examine everything if you knew what you wanted?"
"The quality of Jake's work is only as good as the supplies he uses. I wanted to make sure he had the best. He's been very good about it, but I wanted to give him supplies that were worthy of his talent for once." She said calmly. "Besides, you never know what might be needed in the future, so it's better to know exactly what supplies are where ahead of time." Tammy frowned and shook her head. "Jake get mad at me if I spent all my money on him, but his talents help pay the bills, mine doesn't." She smiled slightly. "To hear him talk though, I'll make more than him someday." Now the redhead looked at Severus as though just remembering something. "Did you ever read the notebook I lent to you; you never gave it back to me."
The potions master nodded. "I did. I had forgotten to mention to you that I had finished it. It's very good, although there are a few errors that I'm sure will be fixed once you read through it, or get an editor." he replied. Bella raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She just wanted outside.
Tammy smiled "I told you that it was only a rough draft, I'll probably end up rewriting it more than once. Still, my work takes a lot longer than Jake's, so he's the breadwinner. I learned to keep it with me to keep him from getting his hands on it."
"Well when inspiration hits, it's hard to let it go." said Snape and gave her a weak smile that could have been mistaken as a twitchy lip.
"It doesn't help if I'm still trying to work on it." She replied with a grin. "Now I just keep it to myself until I'm done, that way we are both happy." Tammy didn't even look at the dress shop as they passed it. "How long has it been?"
Severus noted the dress Bella was staring at and thought just how much it matched her. Chaotic and yet strikingly attractive. Snape turned to Tammy after a moment. "We've been gone about two hours."
"Okay." She smiled. "Nice dress, but too fancy for me." Tammy said, also noticing the dress. She shrugged "Belle would love it I think, and it suits her body type well. It would look dumb on me though, I'd be laughed at."
Bella raised an eyebrow. A weird feeling she hadn't felt in years came forth but she steeled it away. Instead of letting Severus take the lead and head back to Hogwarts, she steered him in the direction of the shop entrance. "Come on." she pleaded with Severus when he stopped moving. "We'll only be a few moments." she reassured him and went behind the chair to steer it into the shop. "There's a dress in there for you somewhere."
A look of surprise and something else crossed her face. "You think?" She asked. "I've tried on clothes before, but I've never looked beautiful, no matter what his paintings say." Tammy followed Bella into the shop though, wondering what Bellatrix had in mind.
Severus also took on a look of surprise but Bella feigned ignorance towards it. She knew she was doing something nice and to keep her pride in check, she refused to acknowledge her good deed. Once they went in, there were racks upon racks of beautiful dresses of every size and style imaginable. Clearly this was a very expensive store but Bella didn't care as long as she had the dress she wanted... which she had no way of getting unless Severus bought it for her or she was able to get into her Gringotts account. "You'll definitely find something in here."
"How will I try things on?" She asked, trying not to show her awe at the selection available in the shop. Tammy tried very hard to remind herself not to act like a silly girl over the dresses.
Bella looked to Snape but he merely gave her a look that said, 'you dragged her in here, you do it'. Therefore, she merely turned to Tammy and told her to pick out the dresses she wanted.
Tammy thought for a moment, and then picked out a simple white dress with dark blue trim at the sleeves and bottom that looked like it might fit. "What do you think?" She asked Bella, holding it up for the dark haired witch to see.
It wasn't her style, but it was nice. Very simple and yet very elegant, it was something Narcissa would've liked. "It's nice." she said but didn't dwell on it. She had a reputation to keep up and she didn't want it anymore tarnished by gossiping over a dress. "Are there any others?"
After a minute of hunting, Tammy pointed at another dress; this one was a dark green velvet with a bronze sash and matching piping along the sleeves. "What about that one?"
The dark haired witch nearly 'oo-ed' but managed to stop just in time. "That one's really nice." she said and took it off the rack. "If it was my size I'd steal it from you." she said grinning.
"They have one in silver instead of bronze, but I'm in Ravenclaw, so I don't think the Slytherins would like it if I wore both their colors." She offered, pointing to the dress next to it. "There might be another in your size if you ask." She smiled shyly.
Bella shrugged. "I don't think they'd care much. It's just a dress. I'm sure they'll have a few of your colors in their dresses." She went over to the rack that had the dress she adored. She took it off, held it up to her body and half twirled since she was still attached to Severus. Even he had to admit that the dresses in here looked pretty good.
"Professor, can you untie Belle? It's been a while since I shopped for clothes, and I'd like to make sure these fit." Tammy asked politely, smiling at Bella. She hoped that they'd understand her request.
When Bella smiled at Severus smugly, he merely rolled his eyes and said the counter charm that released her. "Be quick. And don't try anything." he told her sharply.
Bella rolled her eyes in response and handed him her dress. She and Tammy went into the change room.
For her part, Tammy was a little nervous as she took off her secondhand school robes and undid her backbrace so she could take it off. Now that Bella was actually paying attention, she noticed that her clothing was faded and worn, and might have even belonged to her brother before he gave them to her. The t-shirt she wore under the brace clung to her small body, showing that whatever curves Tammy had were being flattened by her brace. There was no expression on her face as she carefully bridged in her chair to pull down the threadbare jeans she had on after removing the brace she wore on her right hand.
Bella looked away to give her some privacy but it was hard not to look and be curious about why that brace had to be so tight to the point it was probably stopping her body from developing. Once her clothes were gone, Bella took the first dress Tammy picked out and turned to her. She grinned upon noting her nervousness. "Why are you nervous?" she asked and undid the dress to better slip it on the girl's body.
"Because nobody's ever helped me before but Jake." She replied, leaning forward to help Bella better. "I'm just going to be glad when my back is healed, the brace scares Nye, and he didn't like it when Jake checked the scar." As she spoke, the redhead kicked off her shoes and let the jeans slide off her legs.
Bellatrix slipped the dress over her head and zipped it up. She stood back and examined it on her. It looked very nice. She looked elegant, pure and yet, every bit the woman she was turning into, even though the brace squashed most of her curves. "I like this one." she said absent-mindedly.
The girl smoothed it down and adjusted it a bit. "Should we show Professor Snape and see what he thinks?" She asked as she pulled her braid out of the collar.
Bella grinned. "Most definitely." she replied and opened the door. Severus had been leaning against the wall and looked up when Bella came out. "Presenting, Tammy Fear and dress number one." She stepped aside for him to see her and for a moment, he just stared. She looked really good in that dress. Even he had to admit it.
"It looks... lovely." he said and looked away, slightly embarrassed. "How much is that one?"
Tammy blushed and rolled over to Snape so that he could read the price tag. "Do you really think so Professor?" She asked, her eyes glowing with happiness and for once acting like the teenaged girl she was.
Severus nodded. "Yes. It suits you. Simple, yet elegant." he glanced at the price and noted that it was reasonable. There's no way she'd have the money for it anytime soon. "It shows you can be a girl and yet wear a dress that shows you can also be a woman."
The redhead beamed at his praise. "Do you think my brother will like this dress too?" She asked, twisting her head so she could see herself in the mirror.
"If he doesn't there's something wrong with him." admitted Severus. "Are you going to try on the other one or are you satisfied with this one?"
"I'd like to try on the other one before I make up my mind." She smiled. "Wait until you see it, your jaw is going to crash though the floor." The girl giggled happily and went back into the dressing room grinning from ear to ear like an idiot.
Bella chuckled and followed her in after winking at Severus. She quickly unzipped and took off the first dress and slipped the other one over Tammy. She zipped it up and took a step back. This one was definitely an eye catcher. It was dark, so it showed a darker, sexier side of the redhead. "Honestly, it's sexy."
"You think?" She asked, fixing her hair. "I really like them both." Tammy smiled at Bella. "Thanks for letting me act like a girl just this once." She said with a smile. "Why don't you change too and we'll make him pass out together?"
Bella beamed. "Good idea. Stay here a moment." she said and left the change room but made sure that Severus couldn't see a thing when she opened the door. She grabbed her dress from him and grinned at him knowingly but he didn't know why she gave him that particular look. "Just wait and see." was all she said before going back into the change room and quickly stripping off her robes and worn black dress. She slipped into it, tightened the laces at the back and tied it into a bow. It was strapless and fell down her body nicely, accentuating the curves she had.
Tammy swallowed hard, her eyes huge as she stared at Bella. "Great merciful Goddess, the men aren't even gonna look at me twice! You'll have the entire school drooling at your feet Belle. I'd be too scared to talk to you, let alone ask you to be my date, if you were a student..." She shook her head. "Of course, you'd have probably hexed me for asking even if I somehow managed to get up the courage though."
Bella grinned. "Well, I was pretty snobby back then. Still am actually. But I guess that comes with being born and raised as a pureblood." she shrugged and her grinned widened tenfold. "You'll have the boys double taking too, my dear." she put her hand on the knob. "Shall we make Severus drool now?"
Tammy nodded, grinning at Bella. "Think Malfoy will finally eat his words Professor?" She called out.
Severus looked up just as Bella opened the door and honestly for the longest few moments all he could do was sit there and blink. Bella broke the silence with a giggle. "Come now Sev, I know we're gorgeous but I think you're over flattering us. At least comment on our carefully picked out dresses." she teased.
That had him coming back to reality. His face flushed red for a moment and he had to clear his throat before he spoke. "Well, where to start..." he asked himself and decided to turn to Tammy first. "Well it's certainly a new side of you. Says you're a woman with a sexy, more adventurous side. It's very becoming. Heads will definitely turn. And you," he said, turning to Bella. He shrugged. "It's alright." he was going to make her pay for the knowing, smug look she gave him. In truth, he thought she looked breathtaking. Definitely, someone he'd be reluctant to give up to someone for a three minute dance. However, even though he said the opposite of his true feelings towards her and the dress, it was very apparent that he liked it as much as he liked Tammy's.
Bella narrowed her eyes at him. "Liar." she muttered and crossed her arms over her corseted chest and pouted.
Tammy grinned at Snape. "So, do you think I'll finally get my revenge on Malfoy Professor?" She asked, her eyes dancing with laughter.
Severus grinned back. "Most definitely." he replied. "I think he'll have to do a triple take. Just to make sure his eyes aren't deceiving him." he stood and strode over to the two. "Have you decided on which dress you want?"
"I can't make up my mind, they are both as beautiful! I feel like a princess for once!" She giggled again. "What do you two think?"
Bella and Severus exchanged a glance. It was clear that they were both as indecisive. "Both?" suggested Bella.
"I think that would be most suitable." he replied and turned back to Tammy. "I pay for both."
The redhead looked surprised. "Really? Honest?" She asked, all but glowing in happiness.
Severus nodded. "Go change back. Don't tell Jake about the dresses though. Keep it as a surprise for the Yule Ball."
"Oh have no doubt of that! Although he might just decide to keep me all to himself once he sees me finally looking pretty! Now all I have to do is figure out which one to wear..." Tammy replied cheerfully, leaving unspoken the fact that she didn't have a date as she changed with Bella's help, humming happily. The unhappiness of earlier forgotten completely. She didn't even seem annoyed when she had to tighten her braces, and if it hurt to do so, Tammy didn't show it.
It was dinnertime and everyone was in the Great Hall. A certain shy, dark haired Gryffindor, however, was not really eating anything. He had a bundle of roses to his left. He was about to ask Tammy Fear to the Yule Ball. He was going to ask Ginny but Dean had beaten him to it. He couldn't see himself going with anyone else besides Tammy anyway. He glanced warily at Jake. He really, really didn't want to get on his bad side but he really wanted to ask Tammy. She was so nice to him. Other girls were nice to him as well but none of them were quite like Tammy. He stood, after finally deciding he was going to go through with it and took his bundle of roses in his hand. He glanced at the Professor's table at Snape seated next to Lestrange. He glared at the woman and forced himself to continue on. He reached the Ravenclaw table and tapped Tammy on her shoulder to get her attention.
Tammy jumped slightly, but smiled warmly at Nevelle. "Hi there Nev. Everything okay?" The redhead asked as she turned her head and shifted slightly to keep her balance on the bench.
Neville swallowed nervously before giving her the roses. "Will you go to the dance with me?" he asked and tried to give her a hopeful smile.
The redhead beamed happily at Neville. "Yes, I'd be happy to Neville. These roses are beautiful!" She took the roses and put them on the table. "I'd hug you, but I don't want to fall over."
In answer, Neville grinned happily and hugged her from behind. "Thank you." he said couldn't help the happy glow that flushed over his skin. "You're one of the few people I'd ever want to go with." he released her with a loopy grin on his face, as if she had kissed him.
She grinned. "Thank you for asking me to go. I hope that we'll be able to get to know each other better. Jake has praised you very highly."
Neville glanced at Jake. "I'm glad. He's very nice too." he commented. "And you're welcome." he stood there for a moment before suddenly remembering that he had to quickly finish off the last of his potions essay. "I'm sorry but I have to go. I have to finish a potions essay for Professor Snape."
Tammy laughed. "And I need to go see Dumbledore and get lectured again. See you at the dance?"
Shyly, Neville nodded. "I'll pick you up from outside your common room at seven?"
"Fine by me. I look forward to it." She smiled happily.
Neville nodded and left for his common room to quickly finish the essay that was due in about ten minutes.