"Neville!" Severus' eyes shot up from his focus on grading as Luna Lovegood's melodic voice broke across the room. Her chair was screeching backwards faster than he could blink and she'd all but launched herself across the room and into the waiting arms of a familiar brunette.
Neville Longbottom had grown, Severus realized, he was tall, a slightly lanky with all of his father's features and his mother's soft eyes. He embraced the petite witch tightly, her feet in the air as he held her up against him with a broad smile and closed eyes. His face was buried in her hair throughout their intense hug and Severus couldn't help but scowl.
"Mr. Longbottom, to what do we owe the pleasure?" He huffed, locking his former student in a dark gaze as he settled Lovegood to her feet. She was staring up at him, dreamy smile in place, her hair a mess from her wild flight across the room.
Severus felt his stomach twinge at the way she stared at the boy, as if she were being reunited with a long-lost love.
"Ah, hullo Professor Snape, I came by to see my favorite girl, I was talking about my apprenticeship with Professor Sprout." He smiled, hooking his arm around her shoulders as she turned to face Severus himself. She had a dreamy smile on her face and he almost growled, almost.
What was he doing? Getting possessive of Luna Lovegood? Oh, Merlin what was wrong with him!?
"I knew you would be coming soon, you haven't written me in some time." She turned those silvery eyes up to him, smiling earnestly and Severus took a deep breath, reigning himself in. Hadn't they just spoken about Lily the night before?
He couldn't lose sight of his truth, the idea that he would ever be worthy of something as beautiful, as innocent and pure as Luna Lovegood was a ridiculous thought in itself, not to mention that someone so much younger than himself could ever desire him in return.
No, she belonged with someone like Neville Longbottom. Someone who had shown such extreme bravery and compassion all throughout his Hogwarts career, and he'd grown into a fine looking young man.
He fought down the bile that rose in his throat.
"Yes, well, Ms. Lovegood is tending her duties as my assistant for the moment, certainly you can grace her with your presence later." Longbottom looked between them then, his eyes flitting first to the blonde witch and then to Severus before turning back to the blonde.
"Aye Luna, you said he'd been in better spirits lately, you shouldn't be telling such fibs." He smirked, slipping into an all too familiar accent, one Severus had fought tooth and nail to rid himself of after his less than graceful upbringing.
"Be nice," she smiled up at him, her head near craned back to look up at the boy who'd once been one of her closest friends. "You know Slytherins never show their true colors in front of a perceived threat."
"I hardly see how I could perceive either of you as a threat." Severus felt his hackles rising. Luna turned back to him, her dreamy eyes catching him.
"I'll see you later Neville." She kissed his cheek, ushering him from the room grumbling while Severus sat stiff behind his desk, watching her with guarded eyes.
She drifted closer, her movements so smooth, so graceful that he could barely think she was genuinely moving until she stood right beside him, still stalk straight in his chair, behind his desk.
"Is everything okay, Professor? Neville didn't mean anything by interrupting us, we haven't seen one another in many, many months."
Severus couldn't help but turn to her, his chair sliding across the floor as he moved so his knees were pointed toward the witch, she watched him, her open face curious.
"Long distance relationships can be quite difficult I have heard." Her eyes went wide at his words before a wild peel of lighthearted laughter ripped from her throat.
"Oh Professor! Neville and I?" Her light, melodic laughter faded to little giggles and he could feel his hackles rising again. She stepped closer, entirely occupying his space and his fingers twitched where they clutched the fabric of his robes atop his thighs. He wanted to reach out and cover her little waist with his hands, he wanted to drag her closer to him.
Ever since their encounter in his chambers, ever since she'd stroked her fingers through his hair, rubbed his scalp so soothingly- it was all he could think of. Touching her, being touched. Merlin how he craved it, touch, such a simple action that held so many different meanings, different intents and outcomes.
"May I drop formality for a moment, sir?" Her voice was quiet, drifting across his ears, his skin, caressing his very core. He closed his eyes, a soft nod as she loomed closer. Lemongrass, melon, a hint of parchment and an almost woodsy smell clung to her. She must have been out hunting her creatures earlier.
"Thank you." She whispered, he tensed when her fingers worked their way into his hair again, nails scratching along his scalp and nearly making him purr. Merlin what the witch could do with her sweet artist's hands!
"Neville and I aren't together, Severus. He's been my best friend for so long, since he lost his silly little frog, Trevor, on the train our first year. We love each other, as a brother loves a sister, as best friends, as confidants. He is a vault of integrity where secrets are concerned and he always tried to stand up for me, even when everyone else wanted to take away my shoes and laugh at my glasses." He opened his eyes to see her smiling wistfully. He adored her sweet voice, the way it drifted slowly around the room, sweet and honeyed, soft and airy.
"It is none of my concern, Luna, who you see." His own much deeper, darker timbre broke across the room, shattering the illusion her honeyed voice drew but she didn't break his gaze, she didn't cease her ministrations against his scalp with her lovely nails.
"None at all, Severus?" She moved so her face was closer to his ear, her fingers drawing a line down from his scalp, across his jaw, to his neck. He shuddered, feeling the familiar stir of sensation in his groin, hot insistent.
"Do not tease me, witch." He growled, his breath shallow, his fingertips digging into the tops of his thighs. Merlin, she smelled so good, her warmth drifting between them, the ebb and flow of her magic as it searched out his, a gentle caress.
"Have you ever seen me do more than hug a friend? Than hold someone's hand when they were in pain, in need?" Her whisper brought up gooseflesh across his neck, his breath was so tight in his chest, so tight.
He shook his head, knowing the answer. He'd never seen her so much as bat an eye in more than a friendly manner at someone else. What did that mean? What did everything mean?
Why was she forcing such sensations through him?
"I'm not teasing you, Severus." Her right hand was still caressing his scalp, her left had drifted down to lay flat against his chest. He could feel her warmth, through even the heavy layers of wool he wore, through robes, and frockcoat, and his crisp white dress shirt beneath it all.
Her palm burned a path straight to his skin and he closed his eyes against the touch. He was seconds away, moments from grabbing her and anchoring her to him. So many invitations, so many open looks and small touches.
"You should leave, Ms. Lovegood." He didn't look up to see her face, didn't want to know the look in her eyes. She drew first the hand atop his chest away and he almost cried out at the loss of her warmth.
"Is that really what you want?" Her fingers were still in his hair, her body still so close to his, drowning him in her sweetness, her light.
"It's what you need." He felt her fingers still, her hand drew back and he dared a look at her. There it was, that smile, fixed across her face, lost and dreamy.
He was beginning to see the cracks, a mask? Could it truly be that someone as kind, as innocent, as pure as Luna Lovegood put on a mask of her own every day? The mask of a smile.
"Do you enjoy Shakespeare, Professor?" Her question caught him off guard and his eyes locked on hers, silver and deep onyx clashing with one another.
"I cannot say I either dislike, or particularly like the playwright, your reasoning?" His voice was low, dimmed by the emotions, the sensations that stirred through him. She tipped her head, a few locks of incredibly long blonde hair fell into her face.
She took another step back from him, removing her from arm's length.
"One quote, simple and beautiful. My mother's favorite, did you know, it is difficult when one is placed in an arranged marriage? My mother and father were two of a kind, perfect for one another, but they didn't know before they were brought together, they barely knew one another. Mum used to tell me, when she tucked me in at night, she'd say; 'Remember Luna love, it is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.'" She took a breath, her gaze burning into his.
"My mum took that quote from Shakespeare, he was her favorite, and her mums before her. I think it's important you know that, Professor, that your destiny, no matter how things are meant to play out, it is your decisions, your beliefs, and your choices that change the way, that plot the course. Our trip to our destiny can be ours, in the palm of our hands, walking there with pride and happiness, or we can flounder our way to the end." She gave him that small, cracking smile again.
"I will greet my destiny with open arms, and an open heart, what will you do?"
She turned and left him, not a goodbye from her lips as the door shut silently behind her. His head fell to his hands, palms gripping it tightly, fingers buried in his own fall of dark hair.
He wanted, her and he wanted to push her away.
"Indeed Luna, what will I do?" He exhaled on a sigh, deciding he'd certainly had enough grading for one day.