Author's Note:
It has been a very long time indeed! When I saw the 'last updated' date, I was astonished and felt so shameful and guilty. SO much has happened in my life since I left this story but for some reason or another, last week, I had an urge to re-read this story. I fell in love with it all over again. It was like I was right back there, brainstorming ideas and I never ever forgot my plot for it. I still know the ending, I still know all the little twists and turns this story is going to take. So, for those of you who read this story at its start until the day I left it, I would like you to know I am finally returning to finish it and that I offer my deepest, most sincere apologies for having left it so abruptly. And for those of you who are new to this story, WELCOME! I really can't wait to get it going again! So without further ado….Occam's Razor….continued.
…
There was a muscle twitching along the side of Severus' jaw, from both the effort of keeping himself from shivering openly, and irritation as the wealthy, blonde Malfoy senior sat beside him, talking spiritedly into the thin, cold air; clearly he was under the delusion that Severus was listening. Instead, he was lazily allowing his eyes to follow the zooming Slytherin Quidditch players through the sky as they battled Ravenclaw for the win. It was highly unusual that Severus was in attendance for this match in the first place, as he nearly always found his warm, quiet study leagues more inviting than the hard, wooden-benched, cramped staff box high above the pitch. That, and Quidditch held no interest for him. The man he had most hated had been something of a legend at the sport during his days at Hogwarts, so whatever minimal interest he had in it had been dashed long ago.
However, Lucius Malfoy had come bursting into his office earlier that day, pompously announcing that Draco had just been given a new racing broom and that a win against Ravenclaw was imminent. Severus, annoyed at the intrusion, had offered Malfoy very disinterested, insincere congratulations on the new broom before inviting him to leave, under the guise that he was simply too engulfed in tests and essays to grade. A mere half hour later, he was taking a seat in that frigid, uncomfortable staff box, barely able to hear the starting whistle under the howling of the wind. He was still unsure how he had been manipulated into attending the match.
"It really was an expensive broom, you see. It's made of the finest black chestnut, naught to one-hundred-fifty in 15 seconds. That's about the same as the Firebolt, you know, and I simply could not have my son riding a broom of lesser quality than Potter…"
Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes with great intensity as he caught a snippet of what Lucius was saying next to him. He placated this desire by glancing at the scoreboard. Fortunately, Slytherin was indeed winning by a considerable lead, so he decided that as soon as there was a break in the flood of one-sided conversation, he would excuse himself, head back to his study and pour a healthy measure of Firewhiskey to rid the chill. Although, almost as quickly as that plan had formulated itself in his mind, a familiar scent was brought to his senses. A wash of goosebumps cascaded from the top of Severus' head, down his entire body, forcing him to abandon his resolve and finally shiver openly; lavender.
As if drawn there by force, his eyes darted to the opening of the box several benches below them, where a black, leather boot was stepping onto the platform. A long leg appeared next; Professor Dagrin had arrived, her werewolf counterpart in tow. Severus pulled his gaze away and exhaled slowly from between slightly parted lips, his breath escaping in a cloud of condensation, carried quickly away by the wind.
"I really don't know how you managed it, Lev," Remus was grumbling, bunching the collar of his tattered coat against his neck and shivering.
"Managed what?" she asked, glancing over at him only briefly, her eyes too busy watching her old House team flying through the air above her to turn her head fully. "To pull you out of your quarters for a half hour?"
Remus gave a loud 'tut' beside her. "In the freezing cold, yes!" he replied loudly over the wind. His back curved and he hunched slightly, a sour look on his face as he watched a Ravenclaw player whip past the staff box. "A Gryffindor at a Slytherin match," he was mumbling while Leviatha struggled hard not to grin at his whininess. "-James'd turn right over his grave were he to see me now..."
Leviatha had a very clever remark right on the tip of her tongue concerning James Potter and his grave, but she chose to withhold it, knowing how much it angered Remus when she made those sort of insensitive comments about his late best friend. Instead, she sighed contentedly, her plush lips curling upward as a loud buzzer sounded at another goal by Slytherin.
Oh yes, she knew he was there, sitting just a few rows behind her, as the smoky, spiced aroma belonging specifically to Severus Snape kept wafting down to her, carried to her nose and intensified by the bitter, thin air as it whipped in all directions. However, as previously agreed between the two of them, their interactions would be held to a minimum and only when related to something specific to their work. Whatever may have happened between the two of them in the dark depths of the dungeon classroom would have to be forgotten. Leviatha was still working on that last bit. For the time being, she did her best to ignore him whenever possible.
Just as Leviatha's mind wandered to their conversation in the teacher's lounge and her bold action of touching him through his pants, she felt Remus turn his shoulders beside her, glancing behind, as if to see who else was there. Leviatha rolled her eyes, knowing a good ribbing was coming on. From her periphery, she could see the corner of her best friend's lips twitching as he suppressed a grin with great difficulty.
"Don't-" she began to warn him before he could start, but he skated right over her.
"Lev, Severus is here. Why not go sit with him so I can go back inside?" He said this very quickly, as though trying to get all of his words out before she could silence him with a hex.
She gave a very McGonagall-like scoff of indignation as she sat up straight, squaring her shoulders. "What, and have a nice chat with ol' Lucius 'I'm-the-smarmiest-arsehole-on-the-planet' Malfoy? I think I'd rather pitch myself off the astronomy tower." she finished in a low growl.
Remus gave a loud bark of a laugh, his head rocking back. "Oh, so Lucius is the only reason you wouldn't go back there, eh?" he asked, still laughing as Leviatha's arched eyebrows contracted and she finally looked over at him, her golden eyes narrowed.
"If you'd like your tongue to remain inside your mouth for the rest of the day, I'd suggest you keep your lips together."
A few rows behind them, Severus had just torn his gaze away from the tightly wound bun at the back of Leviatha's head and his mind from the memory of how her hair felt grasped firmly between his fingers when Lucius opened his rotten mouth again.
"She really is a magnificent specimen, don't you think?" he asked in a lowered voice, clearly having noted the direction of Severus' eyes moments ago, or else had been admiring the witch himself. Severus gritted his teeth. He really did not like to hear Leviatha referred to as a 'specimen', as if she were some particularly interesting dead insect. When he did not reply, Lucius continued. "You truly have the most intense willpower of any man I've ever known. You cannot tell me that you have not even considered-"
"No, I have not," Severus lied with absurd ease, his tone a bit more curt and forward than he had meant it to be. He softened it slightly before continuing, hoping to not sound so defensive. "As I've said to you before, Lucius, she is a colleague, nothing more, and I treat her as such."
Lucius held up both leather gloved hands in a self-justifying manner. "Alright, Severus, I was merely asking." Severus' shoulders relaxed slightly as it seemed the subject had been dropped. However, only a moment later- "But I mean to say, is there anything you can tell me about her that I cannot already guess?"
That was it. Severus had reached his boiling point, despite the long years he had put into learning to control his emotions. It was bad enough that he was not allowed to even think about the witch, but he would be damned if he gave Lucius Malfoy any private information on Leviatha Dagrin. If he could not have her, no one could. Shifting the high collar of his coat, Severus stood up, glowering at Lucius as he towered over him.
"I know nothing of Professor Dagrin beyond what subject she teaches and where she does so," he said slowly, calmly, yet in a voice that clearly stated his shallow well of patience had run completely dry. "Although, if you'd like to learn more about the woman, might I suggest simply asking her yourself. Good day, Lucius."
Pale, gray eyes watched, narrowed, as the tails of the Potion Master's black coat whipped past the benches below them and out of sight, a cold sneer playing with his thin lips. The black leather of his gloves stroked the icy, silver serpent's head of his walking stick. "Perhaps I shall do exactly that, dear Severus."
Leviatha watched from the corner of her eye as the tail of Professor Snape's coat disappeared from sight. She withheld a sigh of disappointment. Given their agreement not to stray from their professional relationship in any fashion, the very last enjoyment she had was being at least in somewhat close proximity to him. She hated to admit it, but there was something comforting about being near him, even if they did not speak a word to each other, even if they did not spare a glance in each other's direction. Simply knowing he was there, close to her, had become something of a relief, yet torturous at the same time.
Remus seemed to sense a deflation in his best friend's mood with the departure of the Potions Master. He leaned forward slightly, attempting to make eye contact without saying her name aloud. Leviatha's golden eyes swiveled in his direction. He smiled warmly. "Would you like to go?" he asked gently.
Her eyebrows furrowed indignantly and she shook her head, pushing the object of her admiration away from her thoughts. "No," she answered sternly, resuming her observation of the match before them. "I want to watch my House destroy Ravenclaw."
Though she could not see it, Leviatha could detect a look of suspicion forming on Remus' face.
The match was indeed a win for Slytherin by over one hundred points by the time Draco had caught the Snitch. Of course, the match would have ended much sooner if the new broom had really been the winning factor, rather than the skill of the rider… Either way, Leviatha was glad she had attended and was grinning, listening to her old House chant and cheer on their walk back to the castle, all while Remus complained noisily about his numb face. He kept pressing his woolen gloved hands to his wind-beaten cheeks, as though checking that they were still there.
As the great hoard of students traipsed back into the warmth of the entrance hall and the massive hall of moving staircases beyond, Leviatha jumped when suddenly a hand grasped her elbow tightly in the midst of the throng. An instinctual thrill of excitement shot through her at the thought of looking up and finding Severus standing there looking down at her. However, this feeling only lasted for a mere blink before it was gone; his hand was much larger, warmer and stronger than the one gripping her now. Leviatha looked over to find the rectangular spectacles of her mentor staring up at her.
"Professor McGonagall," Remus greeted her politely, inclining his head. "Didn't fancy a trip to the pitch for the match?" he then asked jokingly with a wink.
Minerva's lips tightened, her shoulders squared, her eyes following a few noisy Slytherin students as they passed on their way to the dungeon common room. "No, Remus, I did not," she answered rather brusquely, now scanning his face as she looked up at him, noting his raw, pink cheeks and nose. "Neither, it seems, did you." While Remus brought his hands up to attempt to warm his facial features, she turned to Leviatha. "Professor Dumbledore has asked to see you in his office."
Leviatha let out a whine, stomping one foot lightly on the stone floor. "But-" she stumbled for an excuse. "-poor Charlie's been shut up in my room for the past-"
Minerva clicked her tongue in that characteristic way and drew her neck to her full height, reminding Leviatha remarkably of an ostrich. "Nonsense. Remus will let the dog out, won't you, Remus?" Her sharp eyes flew upward to where he had both hands clamped over his chilled nose, breathing rather loudly through his mouth. He brought both hands down rapidly and nodded as though he had just received orders from the British Imperial Army.
"Certainly," he said, though Leviatha would bet all the gold in Gringotts that he had no idea what he had been instructed to do, as he had been more absorbed in warming his hands and face than listening.
"Good. Thank you, Remus." Minerva's grip on Leviatha's arm tightened as she steered her away toward the Great Hall, where a secret door to the Headmaster's study stood. As she followed, she cast one annoyed glance over her shoulder at her best friend, who shrugged apologetically.
As the two witches climbed a spiraling stone staircase, Leviatha huffed in annoyance, thinking wistfully of her warm quarters and the pile of quizzes she had yet to grade. She glanced up at Minerva's back as she walked in front of her. "What does Dumbledore want with me anyway?" she asked a bit more waspishly than she had intended. She rolled her eyes when Minerva chimed 'Professor Dumbledore' from in front of her. Calming her tone, she continued, thinking back to how gracious the Headmaster had been toward her since her arrival. "I couldn't possibly be in any trouble, could I?"
At these words, Minerva stopped climbing so suddenly that Leviatha stumbled to keep from toppling forward into her. "Is there any reason you should be in trouble?" the older witch asked, her pencil thin eyebrows rising high enough to disappear into her hairline.
Leviatha felt her stomach drop. Yes, there was. But no one could ever know that, least of all her mentor and the very woman who had warned her not to get involved with Severus in any fashion. She hastily shook her head, carefully placing a look of offense onto her face. "No," she answered crossly. "I just wondered if I may have broken a rule I was unaware of, is all. If I'm going to be chewed out, I'd at least like a bit of a warning."
With one of those sharp eyebrows arched suspiciously, Minerva turned to continue up the stairs. "I think it would be wiser to see what Professor Dumbledore has to say before we jump to any conclusions, don't you think?"
Finally, they had reached the elaborate doors to the Headmaster's study and Leviatha, slightly winded from the journey upstairs, rolled her eyes. "I think you may have missed my point, Miner-"
She paused mid-sentence as the doors swung open to reveal a dimly lit office, the same she had been in before. However, Professor Dumbledore was not alone. Severus Snape stood just next to him, his hands clamped firmly behind his back, his face expressionless. Leviatha felt a jolt as though she had missed a step going downstairs. An odd sensation of mingled dread and a thrill of excitement shot through her body.
Severus' eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly as Leviatha entered the room, forcefully ignoring the way her golden eyes gleamed like pure amber gemstones. What was she doing here? Surely, after having his nerves shred to ribbons by Lucius earlier at the match, the last thing he needed was to be in the same room as the woman he so avidly tried to avoid seeing, under the spectacularly keen eyes of the Headmaster no less. He turned his gaze to Professor McGonagall instead, who was speaking to Professor Dumbledore in a hushed voice.
"She was at the match, Prof-" Minerva was interrupted as Dumbledore turned his twinkling eyes to Leviatha, his smile creasing the lines behind his glasses.
He nodded at her. "Slytherin had a successful match, I gather?"
Leviatha smiled, sparing half a glance at Severus as she was sure he would be happy to hear that his House had won by a great lead. "We did indeed, Professor," she answered, inclining her head in respect, but also to quietly let out a sigh of relief that she had not been summoned there to be sacked for sleeping with her colleague.
Dumbledore's grin expanded. "You may be wondering why I've asked you here and why this broomstick is simply hovering in my office," he began, motioning with one hand toward what was indeed a broomstick, floating midair in the space between them. Leviatha nearly started in surprise as she took a step back from it. In all her flurry of emotions upon seeing Severus, she had completely failed to notice the most conspicuous item in the room. Her eyes scanned the length of what appeared to be a brand new Firebolt broomstick, glowing lightly and bobbing slowly up and down as it lay suspended in the air. Dumbledore continued.
"You see, Harry Potter received this broomstick for Christmas from an unknown source. Professor McGonagall confiscated it from him, under the fear that it had been cursed, jinxed or otherwise tampered with by Sirius Black," the Headmaster paused, placing his hand on his chest to indicate himself, before motioning to Severus beside him. "Myself, Minerva and Severus have all three examined it, but I felt I would be remiss not to ask you to do the same, given your area of expertise."
Severus' head turned to look at Dumbledore so quickly, he felt his neck give a small pop, his long black hair whipping him about the face. Her 'area of expertise'? Did Dumbledore not believe that Severus' knowledge of the Dark Arts was sufficient? Did he really feel it necessary to invite yet another teacher to inspect the broomstick when he, himself, had already deemed it free of curses and jinxes? Severus knew Dumbledore did not possess the type of nature to do such a thing, but at the moment, he felt as though his loss of the Defense Against the Dark Arts post was being rubbed in his face…again. Anger bristled under the skin as he watched Leviatha remove her coat and pull her wand from the waistband of her black jeans.
Leviatha looked at the three professors before her, raising her eyebrows. "It has been checked for all the usual suspects, I assume?" she asked, pushing the tight sleeves of her long-sleeved shirt up on her forearms.
Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes glimmering and twinkling under the glowing light from the broom and his nearby Pensieve. Severus knew this wizard well enough to detect a bit of delight in Leviatha's sudden change in demeanor, from casual to serious and somewhat professional. The older wizard spoke, his voice quiet. "That is why I have summoned you," he replied. "To check for the unusual suspects."
Severus' brain was positively swirling in confusion at that point but he remained silent, watching with gathering interest as Leviatha nodded her head quickly, distractedly. She raised both her right, wand-bearing hand and her left hand together in one motion, sliding her eyes closed as she approached the broom. Severus rolled his eyes, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. She was making quite a show of this, he thought snidely. He had already performed the most advanced tests he could think of on the broom and had found nothing. Surely, this younger witch with no notable talent beyond quick reflexes and multiple animagus forms would come up with the same result.
Though, when he expected her to utter one of the same spells he or the other two professors had used, Leviatha's lips began moving, her hands and wand very close to the broom. She was murmuring a long string of words, almost as though reading under her breath from a book. Severus was tempted to take a step closer in an attempt to hear the Latin words she was using, but he remained in place, his eyes growing wide as the broom began to glow purple, dim at first, yet brightening quickly until it was almost too vibrant to look at directly.
The entire room was suddenly vibrating, the air itself, the very breath in his lungs trembling with magic as her voice grew louder, her hands beginning to shake under the strength of her spell. Her words were once again drowned out as the glass bottles and instruments, the metal trinkets and even the books on the shelves all began to rattle. Severus' heart was pounding against the inside of his chest, his eyes now focused on Leviatha's face as her forehead furrowed in concentration. Goosebumps rose up along his arms beneath the tight sleeves of his black tunic but he fought back a shiver, unaware that the powerful, older wizard beside him was watching his fascination with the young witch's powerful spell.
But then, almost as quickly as it had begun, it was over. The rattling of the objects quieted, the air stilled, Leviatha opened her eyes and dropped her hands, letting out a heavy breath as she took a step back from the floating broom. As she moved, Severus noticed tiny droplets of sweat had beaded along her black hairline, but he ignored this as she spoke.
"Well, you three were right," she began, motioning at the broom as she stowed her wand back into the waistline of her jeans. "That was the most powerful test I know and it turned up nothing."
At this point, Severus could not help himself and nearly blurted, "Had it been positive, what indication would it have given?" He had never once, in all his years of studying magic and the Dark Arts, seen that spell performed; he did not even know what it was called.
Leviatha looked at him dead in the eyes for only a moment before she replied, moving her gaze back to Dumbledore. "It would have burst into flame and we'd be staring at a pile of ash."
Dumbledore smiled, clasping his hands together. "Excellent magic, Leviatha, just excellent. I was hoping you would demonstrate the Innoculum Totalus for us. Most impressive," the Headmaster walked away, over toward his desk before taking a seat and inviting, without words, the other three professors to join him away from the broom. "So are we in agreement that the broomstick is safe for Harry to use?" he asked, his eyes moving from one to the others and back again.
Minerva was the first to speak. "I believe so, Professor. If Leviatha and Severus were unable to-"
Leviatha interrupted, holding a hand out toward Minerva, while keeping her eyes on Professor Dumbledore. "Well, hang on, Miner-, I mean, Professor," she began, casting a quick glance at Severus on her right. "No matter what spells were or weren't found on that broomstick, the fact remains that Harry Potter received a gift from an unknown source. And if that source happens to indeed be Sirius Black, there's no telling the sort of Dark magic he could have learned from Voldemort, spells and curses none of us might be able to detect."
The room fell silent as Severus stared brazenly at the side of Leviatha's face, the line between his eyebrows creased in an odd contorted frown. Never in his life had he heard such a magnificent amount of bullshit come from one person's mouth with such ease, but her use of the Dark Lord's name so casually had stunned him into absolute shocked silence. Even Professor McGonagall had flinched at the name. Across from them, Dumbledore seemed to be mulling over Leviatha's words, fortunately giving Severus a moment to gather himself again.
After a few seconds, the Headmaster turned to him, raising his eyebrows. "Well, Severus? Do you agree with Professor Dagrin?" he asked, linking his knobby fingers together in front of his shimmering, white beard, his elbows on the arms of his elaborate desk chair.
As Severus opened his mouth to reply, he saw Leviatha turn her head to look at him from the corner of his eye. Only a moment later, a soft, very familiar voice spoke inside his head, whispering to him as though she were uttering the words aloud.
"Agree with me. The last thing Gryffindor needs is a Firebolt on their team with Prince Potter atop it."
This stunning use of Legilimency caught Severus entirely off guard, but he composed himself quickly, seeing how Dumbledore was still awaiting an answer. He inclined his head in Leviatha's direction. "I must agree with Professor Dagrin, Headmaster. The Dark Lord knows magic beyond any of our abilities, which he would have undoubtedly passed on to Black," He glanced to Leviatha on his left. "I believe the broomstick should be withheld from Potter and destroyed."
"Now wait just a minute!" exploded Minerva.
Of course, the argument that ensued was entertaining to Leviatha in the highest degree, seeing how she had known Minerva would have guessed her attempt to prevent the Gryffindor team from obtaining the fastest broom on record. Nevertheless, Minerva had won out, partially, Leviatha assumed, because Dumbledore had also detected her underhanded tactic. Not to mention, the Headmaster himself had also been a Gryffindor whilst at Hogwarts. So as Leviatha and Severus followed a haughty Professor McGonagall, carrying the Firebolt, out of the office, they stopped in the hallway just outside the door, shutting it behind them and watching as the older witch went on her way, muttering curses on Slytherin House under her breath. Leviatha laughed, shaking her head as she pushed her sleeves back down and proceeded to descend the stairs, carrying her coat. However, Severus called out after her, immediately thereafter wondering what madness had possessed him to do such a thing.
"Professor," he called, watching as Leviatha stopped halfway down the short flight of steps and turned to face him. Her eyebrows were raised in a very innocent manner, though a mischievous grin was playing with her lips. He linked his hands together behind his back. "I had no idea you were trained in the art of Legilimency." He commented, his deep voice carrying a note of suspicion and coldness, despite the growing respect he felt for the witch's abilities. She shrugged, smirking as she turned her back on him to continue down the stairs.
"Perhaps there's more to me than you originally assumed, Professor."
As Severus watched her retreating figure, he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and turned to his right, to beat the usual path from the Headmaster's study to his own dungeon quarters. So the witch knew some powerful magic. He was not sure at that moment how he felt about this new knowledge. A very large part of him wanted to be impressed, surprised that a woman whom he originally counted as talentless actually contained a measurable amount of skill in the less commonly used forms of magic. Yet another, louder and more logical portion of him was screaming internally that this was terribly bad news for him. If Leviatha could perform Legilimency, how easy would it be for her to slip inside his mind? She could invade his thoughts, penetrate his deepest, darkest memories and indeed, most horrifying of all, see all the fantasies and dreams he had cooked up concerning matters of a sexual nature…all of them involving her. He shook his head as he began descending a staircase. No, that would not do. He would have to keep his guard up at all times from then on; get back to his diligent and unceasing practice of keeping his mind closed to foreign invaders.
If Leviatha could so easily speak inside his mind, how easy would it be for the Dark Lord, should he return?
Charlie let out an excited whine and leapt up from his warm place on the rug before the hearth, to run over and greet Leviatha as she entered Remus' quarters. Truthfully, she felt rather drained from her powerful spell in Dumbledore's office but she smiled and returned the affection to her beloved dog, hugging his neck and hiding her face against his fur as he attempted to lick her cheeks. The werewolf in the armchair by the fire set his book on his knee, grinning as he watched the pair. Only once they had settled did he speak.
"So what did the Headmaster want?" he asked, foregoing a greeting himself and cutting straight to the chase. However, just as Leviatha let herself plop heavily down onto the couch across from him, he glanced at his watch and swore, rising to his feet. "Walk with me, I've got a private lesson tonight and I'm due there in about ten minutes."
Leviatha let out a most unladylike groan, heaving herself off of the couch to follow Remus out into the hall, Charlie at her heels. As Remus descended the stairs up which she had just dragged herself, she sighed, answering his question from moments ago. "He just wanted me to inspect some broomstick Potter was given for Christmas for Dark magic," She paused, her forehead wrinkling and her lips pouting a bit as she contemplated. "Though I don't see why he called me," she continued. "Dumbledore himself, Minerva and Severus had already performed a whole battery of spells on it. He didn't even call you! I mean yeah, my training and stuff-"
So absorbed in her thoughts, Leviatha nearly failed to notice Remus had stopped walking and was now staring at her with his head tilted to one side, one eyebrow arched severely. The light from bright torches in the hallway cast a shadow across one of his more prominent facial scars, forcing his features to appear more wolfish than ever. She shrugged her shoulders, tossing her hands in the air slightly.
"What?" she asked impatiently.
Remus' expression morphed from a half frown to more of a suspicious grin seamlessly and suddenly Leviatha could see a ghostly echo of the young werewolf boy from her own Hogwarts days. He cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly.
"Severus?"
Leviatha felt her stomach clench and a wash of vague panic filled her but she rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated wave of her hand as Remus finally continued walking. "Snape, Professor Snape, whatever his name is. I mean, I understand why he asked me up there, I just don't know why he had to be there for it. He completely risked exposing me."
"Oh, for the love of-" he interrupted. "Lev, isn't it obvious why he was there?" Finally, they stopped and Remus opened a door for her, allowing her into the empty classroom ahead of him. She entered and waved her hand quickly, igniting all the candles and torches in the room simultaneously as she spun to look at him, frowning, waiting for him to go on. He glanced over his shoulder at her, letting out a bark of a laugh as he placed his wand and a few papers on a desk. "He wanted to prove to Severus that you actually are qualified for this job!" he finally said, leaning back now on the desk, half standing, half sitting as Leviatha did the same against the teaching desk across the room from him. "He wanted to finally put an end to Severus' idea that you're beneath him in skill by having you prove it in front of him! He actually did you a great kindness by having Severus there tonight." Remus paused, tilting his head again slightly. "What spell did you perform anyway?"
Forcefully choosing to forego arguing his theory, Leviatha answered, "Innoculum Totalus."
Across the room, Remus let out a low whistle and glanced at his watch again. "Well, if Dumbledore had wanted to show you off, you picked the right spell."
Leviatha rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she leaned back further, resting her back against a large packing case on the desk behind her. "Your theory's mad, Moony, you know that, right?" she asked, watching idly as Charlie sniffed around the classroom. "Severus doesn't give a rat's f-"
She started in surprised when she was cut off by a loud noise from Remus as he tossed both arms in the air, his eyebrows raised. "What's with the 'Severus' stuff?" he asked. Leviatha's eyes darted to the left hastily before she shrugged, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to find her tongue and give a snappy retort. She was just so tired. Remus was walking closer to her, his brow furrowing as he pointed a finger at her. "Something happened," he said in a very suspenseful voice. "Something is different between you two."
With a loud tut, Leviatha rolled her golden eyes to the ceiling. "Remus, I'm simply calling the man by his first name. Hardly cause for pause, seeing how I do the same with you-"
"Lev, not once since you started working here, not once since September the first of last year, have I heard you utter that man's first name." Remus hesitated, surveying her face but at that moment, Leviatha jumped with a gasp when the packing case behind her suddenly rattled loudly on the desk.
"Bloody Christ, Remus!" she exclaimed, her hand on her chest. "My heart's goin' that fast…"
He laughed, motioning to the case. "Boggart. I've been teaching Harry how to perform the Patronus Charm. The dementors seem to affect him more than any other student."
Leviatha put on a very dramatic expression of sorrow, her hand still on her chest. "Oh, the poor dear, bless him," she drawled as she turned to walk away from the boggart-case. Behind her back, she could practically predict Remus' next words.
"Leviatha," he paused. "I haven't heard you call him Severus since you were about fourteen years old." A heavy silence descended in the classroom. Placing her hands flat on a desk in front of her, Leviatha leaned on them, closing her eyes, forcefully keeping her back to Remus. "Something happened between you two at the Christmas party, didn't it?" There was no inflection of a question in his voice.
Leviatha hung her head heavily, her shoulder blades protruding, very much like they did when in one of her larger feline forms. "It was a mistake," she finally said, knowing if there was one person she could confide in, it was Remus. "And it was nothing. Just a drunken kiss." Behind her, she could hear footsteps moving in her direction and she braced for impact as her best friend's hand came to rest gently on her shoulder. Her teeth gritted together inside her mouth.
"If that were true, or at least all of the truth, you wouldn't be calling him 'Severus', nor would you be as distracted as you've been over the past week." He paused, glancing forward at her face as she stared straight down at the desk. "That's not all that happened…is it?"
With a sudden burst, anger ignited in the pit of her stomach and she took a quick step away from Remus, shrugging his hand off of her shoulder. "What does it matter what happened?" she asked loudly, scowling resolutely at him. "Whatever happened between Professor Snape and I was a huge mistake and will not happen again. He's already made that much perfectly clear." Inwardly, she swore as that last sentence left her mouth. Remus caught it.
"So Severus made that decision, did he?" he asked calmly.
Leviatha shook her head. "No, we both did. We both know it can't happen again. Not when there's so much at stake. We agreed to remain completely on professional terms and to never let it happen again."
"Then you've both arrived at a very responsible conclusion," Remus stated, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I don't need nor want to know what happened between the two of you, but I can assure you, nothing good would come of it, as you said, not when there's-"
A knock at the door echoed loudly in the empty classroom. Remus turned his head but Leviatha beat him to it, practically shouting "Come in!" At that moment, she did not care who or what came through that door, as long as it ended Remus' shaming.
As a messy head of black hair appeared, Leviatha chose to take her leave and escape from this conversation. She moved toward the door, toward the skinny, bespectacled Harry Potter. Her eyes flickered up to his forehead for only a moment, examining the fabled lightning bolt scar before looking back down at the startlingly green eyes behind his glasses. Resisting the urge to give him a detention for simply looking like his father, she swept past him through the door with Charlie at her side. Perhaps, just this once, she could say she had been relieved to see Harry Potter.
Remus did not need to know how dangerously close she had been to tears.
Post-Note: As mentioned in one of the reviews, yes, Leviatha has a cell phone and an iPod and things that were not around in 1993, etc. I know this. I know exactly when the canon story took place but I chose to deviate from that and set it in modern, today times. It's actually necessary for Leviatha's character as she develops. Just so you know. I respect the true canon fans, but for those of you reading this, just be aware that I have deviated somewhat from the original timeline. Anyways, as I mentioned above, thank you SO MUCH for coming back to this story and WELCOME to those who are just joining us! There is so much amazing stuff in store for this little tale of mine and I hope you love reading it as much as I love writing it! I LOVE YOU GUYS! -QoM