This chapter is dedicated to FreeSpiritSeeker :) Hope you enjoy!
-B
Snape registered the fear on Corina's face before she left the Great Hall. There was nothing he could do about it at that moment, he couldn't even show that he noticed- or cared. He'd be waiting all day until dinner to ask her about it. It would be a long day.
Corina found her way to Dumbledore's office, still holding onto the note. It didn't say much. Just that her Aunt was waiting for her, and that she needed to talk to Corina. Pausing at the entrance, she smoothed her hair and let out a deep breath. Saying the password, "Jelly beans", she watched the gargoyle move. As it rose, a stair case was reveled. Stepping onto a moving step, she hoped that this wouldn't turn into her fighting with her Aunt. They were far too much alike for their own good.
Knocking on the giant door, she looked around. She hadn't been to his office before. "Come in." She heard Dumbledore say gently. Entering, she saw her Aunt, Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore. Corina shut the door behind her and slowly walked in a few feet. "So, I have been informed that you wish to leave." He said, looking at her over his half moon glasses.
Her Aunt turned as he spoke, her eyes watching Corina's every move. "After your letter, I'm surprised you aren't jumping for joy that I'm here." She mentioned to her.
Corina bit her lip, hoping that this didn't keep her from her classes too long. "Um, I did write that. I had every intention of going to a Muggle school to finish my year off. I won't lie. However, I spoke with my friends, and they made some very valid points. It is my belief that staying at Hogwarts really is the best option. I need to learn valuable things in order to pursue a career in any kind of magic, I can't do that at a Muggle school." She shrugged, looking from person to person. "Besides, it has been brought to my attention that leaving would be letting the bullies win..." She added, her eyes landing on McGonagall's.
The others glanced at each other before any of them spoke. "Miss Bates, after your little spat in the hallway, I asked you what it was about. Do you remember what you told me?" McGonagall asked.
"Yeah. A stupid rumor." She didn't see what that had to do with her wanting to stay in school.
"Is that what this is all about? A rumor?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"Pretty much. Since I've come back to school, things have gotten progressively worse. I want to stay at Hogwarts. However, I do not want to be bullied." Corina explained. "I mean, I got my picture taken right after I got out of the shower and that was passed around. Tell me that's not a good reason for getting upset." Now she felt that she was under attack for defending herself, and trying to get out of a bad situation.
McGonagall looked at her with sad eyes. "We're not saying that, Miss Bates. Not at all. We just want to understand your reasoning." She explained, looking over to Dumbledore.
"Miss Bates, if I could arrange you to stay at Hogwarts, but with limited chances for the others to...bully you, would you take it?" He asked.
After thinking for a second, Corina shook her head. "No, sir. If I'm staying, I'm staying as a regular student. My friends helped me see that they're the ones that matter. It shouldn't matter what a bunch of idiots think, do, or say. I'm going to try my best to not get into anymore trouble, but I can't promise anything." She told him honestly.
Dumbledore smiled, with a light that reached his eyes. It seemed he was pleased with that answer. "Then, Miss Bates, I suggest you move along to your first class. Should any other incidents occur, please inform either myself, or Professor McGonagall." He told her simply, letting her know it was okay to leave.
Corina's Aunt came over to her and took her hands. "If it gets too much, you can always come home. I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself, but don't over do it, okay?" She smiled, giving her a hug.
"Thank you, Aunt Gerri," Corina started. "It means a lot to me. Oh, and...can you get my things back to my house? I just know that once this is over, I'll want to be surrounded by familiar walls that remind me of them. I didn't think I could stand it, but that's my home."
"Of course." Her Aunt told her, slightly shocked.
Corina smiled at them slightly and walked out, letting out a deep breath. She stopped once she was at the bottom of the stair case and leaned against the wall. The halls were empty, and she allowed herself a moment to compose herself. She had basically just lied to three important people. It was nerve wracking at the moment.
Once she felt steady again, she made her way to her first period class. At least her excuse would be a good one.
By lunch time, she was feeling a lot better. Corina had been focusing solely on her classes. It was a good distraction from the whispers. Walking into the Great Hall, she smiled at her friends and hoped that they had had a good morning, as well. Sitting next to Sam, and across from Danielle, she looked around for John.
"He's not here. He's in the library studying." Sam informed her without looking away from her book. "He had a rough class this morning." She told her simply.
"Now he's afraid of failing. Not that he knows what that's like." Danielle shrugged. "Anyways. Someone looks like their in a good mood."
Corina nodded slightly. "I was terrified this morning of going to Dumbledore's office, but it worked out okay. They offered to keep me away from the bullies, but I said I'd rather just be a regular student. My Aunt said I'm always welcome to come home, as well. After that I just focused on my classes." She explained, hoping that it kept up.
Sam finally looked up and grinned. "I'm glad. I was getting really worried about you. I'd never seen you like that." She admitted.
"I think it'll be okay. I'm not completely back to normal, of course. It still hits me at night, but I'm getting there. One day at a time." She said, finally taking a bite of her food. Sam went back to her book, and Danielle stood up. "Leaving so soon?"
"Yeah. I might as well go help John study. Wouldn't hurt to get some early studying in for exams." She shrugged. It probably was a good idea. Most of her spare time was spent working on Quidditch, not school work.
"See ya." Corina waved, turning back to her plate. Once Danielle had walked away, she let her eyes wander to the end of the teacher's table. She caught sight of Snape and smirked slightly.
Once Corina had left the Great Hall, Snape didn't stay that long. He finished his breakfast and silently left the room. He made his way back through the halls to his classroom to set up for his first years.
Even his class could tell he was slightly distracted, but not enough to let them do whatever they wanted. He deducted points from both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. After giving them their homework assignment, he ignored them as they scurried out of his classroom.
At lunch, he noted the change in Corina's demeanor, and relaxed. As she spoke with her friends, he let his gaze move around the room. The last thing he needed was to be caught staring. After all, teachers were expected to keep order in the Great Hall. As he looked back towards the Gryffindor table, he caught her smirk. Not letting his face change at all, he chuckled inwardly.
The rest of the day went fairly smoothly for both. During potions, neither gave anything away. Corina focused on her potion more then ever. If someone were to ask, she'd say it was to spite him. In all reality, she just wanted to prove she could do well.
He made his rounds half way through class, making comments about each potion. Not pausing any longer at Corina's, he simply told her she was on the right track. Allowing herself a brief moment of triumph, she quickly went back to focusing on the task at hand. Concentrating in potions was a bit more difficult then the rest of her classes. Having him there, and forcing herself not to watch him was half the work.
As Snape made comments on each potion, he was glad that he didn't show emotions if he didn't want to. He let nothing slip. However, as he passed Corina's, he almost found himself slipping up, almost sneaking a glance at her. Catching himself at the last second, he was sure that it wasn't apparent to anyone but him.
By the time dinner rolled around, Corina was actually hungry. Not starving, but looking forward to eating. She had said goodbye to her friends at the portrait of the Fat Lady and made her way down to the dungeons. Ignoring the other students- mainly the Slytherins- she pulled her hair out of her usual ponytail, letting it hang over her shoulders.
Corina knocked and opened the door. "I'm here." She said quietly, stepping in. Shutting the door behind her, she gave him a nervous smile.
"Hello." He said, his tone a bit lighter then usual. "Please, sit." He motioned to the front row, not moving himself. Corina made her way to the desk she had sat at the night before and sat down. Watching Snape stir his potion, she wasn't sure what to say. "I noticed you looked scared. What was in the note?" He asked, looking back down to his potion for a moment.
Before she could answer, a house elf popped in with her dinner and placed it in front of her. Knowing that his tray was next, she held off answering for another moment. Once both trays were in place, she told him. "Oh, my Aunt was in Professor Dumbledore's office with Professor McGonagall." She started, sipping her juice. Snape looked up as he reached his desk. "Don't worry, nothing was said about you." Corina told him, wondering if that was why he looked up. "We just discussed me leaving, then me staying. Dum- Professor Dumbledore offered to keep me away from the bullies, but I said if I was staying, I was staying as just a regular student."
Snape picked up his tray and moved to sit with Corina. "Well, as long as it worked out." He replied.
"The rumor was brought up, but not what it was about. Professor McGonagall asked about it momentarily. She asked if that's what caused me to want to leave. I said things were getting worse, and I told them about the picture. I hope that stops going around soon, by the way." She stopped talking to take a small bite of her food. "I was told if it gets worse, to let them know. My Aunt said that I'm welcome home if I need it. I asked her to get my things back to my parent's house, for when I graduate."
They ate in silence for a few moments after that, neither wanting to break the silence. Corina would glance up every now and then, and more often then not, would see Snape watching her. It caused her to blush more and more.
"I have a question." He said, finally, putting down his fork.
Corina looked up and nodded. "Okay..."
Snape wasn't sure exactly how to word it, so he figured it was best to not over think it. "I noticed that you blush- a lot." He started. "I'm just curious about that. You blush when you see me looking at you, or when we're talking." It wasn't exactly a question per say, but it was an inquiry.
She hadn't really thought of it before, and realized she had been blushing quite a bit. "I never even realized it until you pointed it out, to be honest." Corina shrugged.
"Are you embarrassed easily?" He asked. It was better then asking something like 'you haven't had a lot of boyfriends, have you?' because that wasn't the point. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
"Not really. I mean, I guess with you it's different. It's not like I can control it. I'm not used to being close to guys, or really that...attracted...to them." She admitted quietly. Biting her lip, she felt her face get hot.
Snape wasn't sure how to reply to her statement. "Surely, you've dated boys here?"
"Not here, no. I knew dating a class mate would be awkward when things went south, as most high school relationships do. I just dated Muggles back home, ya know, during the summer. Nothing too serious, maybe one was. That's about it." It seemed less odd when it wasn't being explained. "Longest relationship was about six or seven months." She shrugged.
He felt slightly relieved that she had dated boys her own age, although he wasn't sure why he was so worried about it. "Makes sense." Was all he could say.
"What about you?" She asked, resuming her meal.
What about me? He thought to himself. It wasn't like he could spill the whole truth, so he figured telling her the short version wouldn't hurt. "Um, there was a girl, when I was attended Hogwarts. She was my friend, until I said something very mean." He said. "She married someone else, and she was murdered seven years ago." His gaze drifted to his plate.
Corina felt bad asking. Without thinking, she reached out and put her hand on his gently. "I'm sorry for asking. I didn't mean to bring up old wounds." She had a gut feeling that the woman he loved was killed by Voldemort, as he was in power about that time.
"It was only fair." He said softly. He moved his hand so he could hold hers, as well. "Enough about the past." Snape said, looking up to her. "Let's talk about something else. How was your day?"
"Pretty good. I didn't get into any fights, so there's that. I was actually able to focus on my classes, and ignore the idiots." She said, proud of herself. "What about you? How many detentions did you hand out?"
He couldn't help but give her a small hint of a smile at that. "Wow. I'm impressed." He teased. "And none, in fact. I did take some points from a couple first years this morning, however." Nothing new about that.
"Wow, I'm impressed." Corina smirked back at him. "No detentions? That has to be a new thing." She chuckled.
"Hey, I could make you my first detention of the day." He pointed out. "I mean, if you think I should give out at least one a day."
"Nah. I need some time for homework. I do intend to pass all my exams with flying colors." Corina smiled.
Snape moved around to sit next to her, taking her hand once again in his. As he did so, he watched the color grow darker on her cheeks. "As much as I do enjoy having you down here, we won't be able to do this for too long." He pointed out, earning a small nod. "Even then we couldn't hold back any rumors."
"I know." She agreed. "We'll figure something out. I mean, a couple days ago you hated me sooo..." Corina wasn't sure that he actually hated her, but the word fit.
"Actually, you intrigued me. You decided to help me out, despite who I am, and how I act. That took...a big heart, for lack of better wording." Snape explained. "And you weren't afraid to stand up to me. Bloody hell, you set off that fog bomb in my class! That took guts."
Corina stared at him, amazed. She didn't think he was capable of any of what he said, then again, she had stayed at Hogwarts for him. Licking her lips, she gently kissed him, unsure of how to reply to what he had just said. They kissed for a few moments before they both pulled away. Every kiss they stole was another chance to get caught- either by a house elf popping in, or maybe even another professor. "We need to be careful." She whispered.
"I know." Was all he said back.
