Blood Moon

by fauxontherun

She never allowed herself to believe in second chances - monsters don't deserve them. After years in seclusion, a wizard from her past offers her the chance of a lifetime. When faced with death, heartbreak, and a prophecy unfulfilled, will she have what it takes to go on... or will she succumb to the Dark Lord's demands? (Slow-burn SeverusxOC / begins in 1993 with the end of CoS)

9. IX

NOVEMBER 1993

The full moon had taken an immense toll upon her and Remus both, the two of them reduced to miserable shells of themselves the day before the cycle and the morning after. They slept far longer than they would have allowed themselves to on a weekday and woke feeling grateful that the full moon had taken place on the cusp of a weekend. They picked up the pieces of themselves and departed the Shrieking Shack sometime early Saturday afternoon. The weather was biting cold and steely gray. Rain poured over them as they hastily trudged over the hillside and up to the castle. Luckily, they were intercepted by the wonderful Madam Pomfrey who was waiting for them in the entrance hall with restorative draughts at the ready. Remus downed his immediately and Georgeanna pocketed hers for once she reached her room.

Professor McGonagall had also been awaiting their return to the castle with less-than-splendid news. While the two werewolves had been out of commission, Professor Snape was assigned to cover Remus's third-year class and had decided to teach the students about werewolves. Remus had been absolutely appalled to learn that his curriculum had been ignored but refused to speak out against Severus as he had only taught the class under Dumbledore's order. Minerva eyed them both warily as the news sunk in that an entire year's worth of students had been assigned an essay on how to identify and classify werewolves. "I should… I should speak with Albus about this… immediately." Remus contended, barely able to get out two words without tripping over his tongue in exhaustion.

"You'll have to wait, I'm afraid. The Headmaster is currently at the Quidditch pitch and I highly suggest you don't make an appearance in your current state. I'm headed that way myself. I'll be sure to let him know you've requested an audience." Minerva patted Remus's shoulder comfortingly. He opened his mouth in dispute but she shook her head and reassured, "You can speak with him after the match." He was visibly upset but agreed to wait and suggested to Georgeanna that they get some sleep while they could. They thanked and bid farewell to the two older witches, separating from them and walking toward the stairs.

Enraged at the very idea that Severus would do such a terrible thing, Georgeanna inwardly refused to return to her bedroom and rest as Remus recommended. She lied and told him that she'd left a book in the staff lounge and wanted to retrieve it before heading upstairs. Something in her features must have betrayed her innocence for Remus studied her briefly with narrow eyes before giving up, too tired to argue. "Please, don't do anything rash. I'll handle this later tonight." She promised that she would simply get her book and then go to sleep, smiling sweetly at him. Remus took her word at face value, waving lazily as he started up the staircase.

Georgeanna waited for him to disappear around the corner and checked that Poppy and Minerva had gone on their way. Alone, she advanced to the door that led to the dungeons and descended the stairs with vehemence. Fury boiled inside of her and fueled her steps as she navigated through the corridors. She could not believe the absolute audacity of Severus Snape. She stopped just outside his office door, her hand resting on the handle, and caught her breath. Her heart pumped erratically in her chest and she took a moment to steady herself. Without a second thought, Georgeanna pushed open the door.

Severus looked up from the stack of essays on his desk at the sound of his office door being thrown open, crashing off of the wall behind it. His face was impassive and it only served to further motivate her anger.

"Ms. Earnshaw."

The sound of his timber rolled over her and she clenched her teeth, her fingers curling into fists. "How dare you?"

He arched a slender eyebrow, simply staring at her. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about." Severus returned his attention to the parchment before him, scratching over the essay with vibrant red ink. Georgeanna slammed the door shut and marched up to his desk. "Do you mind?" His eyes shot up and he glared at her.

"Do you?" she shouted. Her voice echoed off of the stone walls and she inhaled sharply to reign in her temper. "What were you thinking teaching Remus's students about werewolves?" She placed her hands on the wood of his desk and leaned in, refusing to allow him to look away from her.

Severus sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "If his class hadn't been so abysmally behind in their studies-"

"Honestly, Severus. Werewolves!? Do you have any idea how you've risked exposing us?" He didn't respond but Georgeanna knew the answer from the blatant disregard on his face. She pushed herself away from his desk, furious. She'd known Severus to be harsh and unkind but this was an entirely new low.

He rose slowly to his feet. "Are you not the one ranting and raving about werewolves at full volume, Earnshaw? I would think you'd show a little more decorum." He moved slowly around the desk, each footstep planted firmly before taking the next, dragging his hand along the desktop.

"Why did you do it?" Her voice was losing its thunder as he drew near.

"The students have a right to know what's teaching them."

She flinched at the word 'what' instead of 'who' as if he'd slapped her. "That's not up to you," she seethed.

"If Lupin didn't want to be found out then he never should have accepted the position!"

Her chest burned with restraint. "And what about me?" She swallowed heavily, emotion building in her chest and clawing its way up her throat. "Did you think at all about how this could affect me as well? Do you even care? This is the first chance I've been given to do something meaningful with my life. I have nothing outside of these walls. Nothing to go home to." Her voice faded to a whisper. "This is it for me." A heavy silence fell over them. Severus remained where he stood, his hands limply by his sides as he studied the emotions flitting over Georgeanna's distraught face. She had looked away from him to hide the tears that pricked her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I'm trying so, so hard to make something of myself… and then you go and sabotage everything over some ancient schoolyard grudge!"

"Don't dare to pretend as if you know anything of my past. I can plainly bet on the fact that you've heard nothing but the one-sided version of history from the biased mouth of your beloved wolf."

"It doesn't matter what I've been told. I've seen it myself! You're a bitter man, Severus. Cruel to those who've done nothing to you-"

"And I suppose brewing your potion every month is-"

Georgeanna scoffed. "Please! You act as if you do so from the kindness of your heart when we both know it's only because Albus tells you to. We'd be left to suffer if you were given the choice!" She hadn't realized that she'd been migrating toward him while she spoke until she was suddenly chest to chest with Severus, only bare inches separating them from collision. His eyes were blazing coals as they bore down on her. She struggled to hold her ground as her knees trembled, straightening her spine and squaring her jaw. "I can understand why you might still hold animosity for Remus. You're right, I don't know the full story and I won't pretend that I do. So, I can't judge you for it." She licked her dry lips and pushed on, "Still, you've no right to do what you've done, or treat me in the way you have." The back of her fingers brushed the edge of his desk and she gripped onto the wood for support. "I only ever wanted to be your friend…"

Severus stepped forward, the sheer weight of his scowl forcing her back until her thighs were pressed into the desk. He leaned over her, leering down with such fierceness it took most of the fight right out of her. "You so desperately cling to the notion that I somehow desire your friendship." He spat the word at her as if it left a disgusting taste in his mouth. Her throat constricted and she gasped in a breath, tasting the scent of him in a way that caused gooseflesh to prickle over her skin. There was a familiar aroma, the one that she could often smell on him although she struggled to recognize it. "I'm vastly unaware as to how I've given you the impression that I'd want any such thing from a vexatious child like you." The scent was overwhelming. It was herbal and woodsy. Not wormwood or fluxweed, and certainly not goosegrass…

Georgeanna blanched. "I…" She blinked up at him, lost for further words. His closeness was intoxicating. "You…"

He smirked at her, tilting his head slightly to the side as he continued his beratement. "Lacking in your usual charm? Pity. I'd hoped you'd be up to task in explaining as to why either of your presence in this school is at all relevant to me." His eyes glittered with mirth.

Her head swam and she desperately continued to clutch onto the desk behind her. Vision blurring, she attempted to blink away the foggy edges of her peripherals. She felt sudden wetness on her top lip. Reaching a hand to her eyes, she swiped a finger beneath her lid and found the skin dry. She wasn't crying after all.

Severus's brow twisted with concern. His mouth formed words but Georgeanna was deafened by the sound of rushing water. He reached out for her just as her knees buckled. Her eyes rolled back and she toppled to the floor. Quick to react, Severus wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered her the rest of the way down, cupping the back of her head gently with his hand. She was semi-conscious, her body trembling in his arms. A trail of blood continued to drip from her nostril and mar her pale skin. Severus retrieved a handkerchief from within his robes and held it to her face. "Look at me, Earnshaw." His voice was steady and her frantic eyes soon found his face. "Can you sit up?" She blinked at him and slowly nodded a positive response.

Lifting her into a seated position, Severus instructed her to keep pressure on the handkerchief. He moved to rise to his feet, stating that she needed a restorative draught, but Georgeanna caught his sleeve before he could stand. "I h-have one," she sputtered through the cloth covering her nose and mouth. "In… in my pocket." She continued to hold onto his arm for balance and Severus huffed as he reached into the open pocket of her cloak, pulling out a familiar glass vial.

"This is from Poppy?" Georgeanna nodded her head, her eyelids fluttering. Her head drifted back and she snapped it forward, opening her eyes forcefully. "Imprudent girl, you should've taken this immediately. You've only succeeded in overexerting yourself." He popped the cork and held it out to her. When she failed to react quickly enough, he pulled the hand holding the handkerchief away from her face and pressed the open bottle to her lips. She drank down the liquid with his assistance and groaned unattractively at the instant relief the potion offered.

The pounding in her ears faded away as she felt her body reacting to the draught. Within moments her stamina was renewed and she felt more awake and alert than she had in days. This new sense of alertness brought with it the awareness of Severus's proximity. Their noses were inches apart and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. She risked a glance upward and was stunned by the starkness of his deep brown eyes. She traced the features of his face, his long nose and the curve of his cheekbones, and ended her journey at the bow of his lips. They twitched slightly under her scrutiny and she forced herself to look away. Georgeanna rose up onto shaky legs, thankful for the hand Severus offered her. Once she was steady on her feet, he retracted his hand immediately and held it firmly to his side.

Awkwardness hit her lick a brick. She'd come to his office for the explicit purpose of scolding him and she had once again managed to make an enormous fool of herself. She felt her cheeks flush and looked down, attempting to hide her face behind her hair. A blotch of red caught her eye and she realized that it was Severus's handkerchief, still gripped tightly between her fingers. It was old-looking and worn around the edges, the once white lace now yellowed and frayed. She noticed a small bit of faded embroidery in the corner, reading 'E. S.'

"I'm sorry, I think I've ruined it," she muttered. Georgeanna held the cloth out to Severus and he quickly took it back, folding it so that the blood was hidden away.

"It can be salvaged."

She peeked through her hair and saw that he was frowning down at the material. His expression made Georgeanna feel significantly worse. "I… I apologize for shouting at you before." Severus showed no sign of reaction. "It's just… You're just so…"

"I thought I'd made it perfectly clear that I neither requested nor wanted your trivial apologies."

Unable to restrain herself, Georgeanna stamped her foot on the cobbled floor. "Dammit, Severus! What kind of man are you? I can't begin to understand you in the least bit." She threw up her arms in exasperation. Severus clenched his teeth together, the motion visible by the flexing of his jaw. "If I'm around you any longer I'll go mad!"

"Then leave. Rest assured, I'll be hardly disappointed by your absence."

Georgeanna had never felt the urge to strike someone quite so fiercely as she did in that moment. It would bring a sick sort of pleasure to punch him right in his smug face. She couldn't restrain the vindictive smirk that crawled over her lips at the simple thought and Severus narrowed his eyes at her strange reaction.

"Oh, trust me, I have no further reason to stay," she sneered. Her smirk transformed into a scowl and she held his eye as she walked backward, heading for the exit. Severus said nothing further. He watched silently as she turned and stomped from his office, pausing at the door. "You know, I wanted to believe that what everyone says about you isn't true. But it is. You're an awful person, Severus Snape, and I'm so disappointed for letting myself think otherwise." She slammed the door behind her and the room settled into dense silence.

After she was gone, Severus let out a long steady breath and released the exasperation he had been holding back. Unable to focus on grading, Severus abandoned the remaining reports on his desk and crossed the hidden threshold from his office into his personal potion's lab. He would rid himself of his frustrations by brewing, as he usually did, and let himself become lost in the repetition and redundancy of preparing balms and solutions to restock the hospital ward. Whatever leftover anger still lingered once he was finished would be thoroughly expelled on the abysmal fourth-year essays.

---

"Poor Harry." While Georgeanna had been berating Severus in the dungeons, Harry Potter had been facing a swarm of dementors in the terrible storm that raged outside. The vile creatures had descended upon the Quidditch pitch, causing Harry to fall from his broom and he could have been killed upon impact had it not been for the quick reaction of the Headmaster. Georgeanna heard from Remus that Harry had only sustained minor injuries and was on the mend. His broom had faced a far worse fate: smashed to bits by the Whomping Willow. Georgeanna wasn't necessarily a fan of the vicious tree and she assumed neither was Professor McGonagall, now that the Willow had seen to it that her Gryffindor Seeker could no longer fly.

The following evening found the two friends seated together in Remus's office, although not as comfortable and relaxed as they normally would be. "Thank heavens he wasn't more seriously injured." Remus sipped his tea with a far-away look in his cloudy blue eyes.

Georgeanna recognized his distracted expression and delved cautiously into her line of questioning. "How did your meeting with Albus go, then?" She shifted her legs and the teacup in her hand clattered against its matching saucer. Remus looked up at her with a steady gaze.

"It would have gone much better had it not been for Severus bursting in, raging about the conversation the two of you had. If it can even be described as 'conversation'." She couldn't stop the blush that spread across her cheeks. Not having been aware that Severus had tattled – though she couldn't say she was surprised that he would go to Albus to complain about her – Georgeanna at least wished that Remus had not been present to hear about it. "I very clearly remember telling you not to confront him."

She shrugged her shoulders as she raised the teacup to her lips. "Not exactly. You told me not to do anything rash…"

Remus's stoic face revealed that he was not in the mood for games. "You know very well what I meant, Georgeanna. It was highly unprofessional of you to act in such a way." He set his cup down on the table and sighed heavily, running his hands through his messy hair. "While I can't say I'm completely surprised at your reaction, I am not at all pleased with how you handled the situation." She opened her mouth to defend herself but he held up his hand to her, palm out. "We have to be more careful now than ever. Snape has made it very clear to us both that he has no qualms about exposing us. It will not do to add any more wood to the fire. Do you understand me?" Remus looked at her expectantly.

Feeling much like the child Severus claimed her to be, Georgeanna nodded her head and looked down dejectedly. She had been so blind with anger in the moment that she hadn't been able to see the potential repercussions of her actions. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm sorry, Remus, it won't happen again." Her lips twitched into a tight smile that didn't meet her eyes.

"Although, I must say," Remus mused as he leaned back in his chair, teacup returned to his hand, "It was quite entertaining to see Snape so worked up. You must have really let him have it." He chuckled good-naturedly and Georgeanna felt a weigh lift from her shoulders. She didn't enjoy the stern side of Remus Lupin and she was glad to not see it often.

Georgeanna promised to be on her best behavior and, for the weeks that followed, she kept to her word. She returned to assisting with classes and was greeted warmly by the students, most of which believed that she'd come down with a nasty case of Dragon Pox and had been kept in quarantine to avoid spreading it around. She neither confirmed nor denied these claims, simply stating that she was back on the up-and-up. None of the students seemed the least bit concerned that she and Remus had been absent at the same time and it didn't seem like anyone had pieced together the blatant clues from Snape's lesson. She had noticed Hermione Granger staring at her quite a bit during lessons but when she confronted the girl, Hermione apologized and attributed the lingering glances to being tired from her heavy workload. Georgeanna suggested that the girl try to go to bed earlier and rest more often, to which Hermione smiled gratefully and dropped the subject.

However, Georgeanna had not been asked to assist Severus with a single class following their altercation. It wasn't that she was upset about spending less time with the discourteous potions master, but she was disappointed in no longer being able to observe his lessons on a daily basis. She had developed quite an interest in potions and had expressed such to Severus previously. If this was his way of getting back at her for confronting him, the punishment was surely working although she didn't agree that it served any other purpose than to frustrate her. She decided to use her newly found free time to study over potions books and other borrowed texts from the library. Severus might think that she would simply give up since she could not be present during his lessons, but it only motivated her to study harder to spite him.

To her astonishment, she found that spending more time than usual in her office with the door left open seemed to serve as an invitation for the students to eventually start wandering in. The first time it happened, a first-year Ravenclaw named Margorie Malcolm knocked on her doorframe and asked if Georgeanna could help her with the Herbology homework that had been assigned that morning. She had sat with the young girl for nearly an hour discussing the passage in 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' on Moly and its various uses, most commonly as an ingredient in Wiggenweld Potion. Feeling satisfied that she would be able to complete the essay assignment, Margorie had thanked Georgeanna with a glowing smile and exited her office with a skip in her step. After that, the visits from students became more and more frequent. Every now and again she would find that the students simply wanted to sit on the couch in her office and let out some steam, whether it be discussing frustrations with homework and lessons or the adolescent drama plaguing their lives – and Georgeanna found it all absolutely fascinating.

Matilda Rathe, fourth-year Gryffindor, was struggling with her Charms assignments but excelling brilliantly in Divination. On the other hand, Andrew Crosby, fifth-year Hufflepuff, often found himself struggling to decipher the meaning of tea leaves or palm lines but had quite a knack for Charms work. Georgeanna suggested they study together and soon found out from Amber Darcy and Lilliana Montgomery, Matilda's fellow Gryffindors, that the two had formed the beginnings of a romantic relationship.

A sixth-year Slytherin, Roland Barkley, had confided in Georgeanna that he didn't want to work at the Ministry of Magic like his father. He held little interest in office work but was under tremendous pressure to do well at Hogwarts so that he could be assigned to the Department of International Magical Cooperation alongside his old man. He confessed that he had been hiding his true passion from everyone around him, family members and schoolmates alike: animals. He truly enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures and wanted to become a Magizoologist. Keeping his secret to herself, Georgeanna began borrowing books from the library on magical creatures and asked the house-elves to hide them under the bed pillows in his dorm.

Leonora and Leanna Jeedah, twin sisters and academic rivals, were both top of their fourth-year Ravenclaw class and potentially in the running to be chosen as a Prefect the following year. The sisters had been bickering non-stop and had begun to sabotage the other in order to get a leg up on the competition. While they had taken to seeing Georgeanna separately in order to complain about the other, she invited them both to her office one afternoon for tea. She then proceeded with her attempt to settle their contention and made the suggestion that if one of the girls were to be selected and not the other, that they should simply take turns wearing the Prefect badge as a majority of people couldn't tell them apart anyway. The sisters had been initially been stunned wordless at her proposition only to recover almost instantly, both of them flabbergasted that they hadn't thought of the idea themselves.

Although she wouldn't dare to pick favorites – it would be extremely unprofessional in her position, of course – there was a certain third-year Gryffindor whom she often found herself paying especially close attention to.

Neville Longbottom was a very sweet and genial, albeit disastrously clumsy, young man. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, something always managed to set the boy back. Most of the time it was his own avoidable blunders. He'd accidentally transformed his teacup into a rather vicious rat during Transfiguration, and the creature had leapt at his face and bit him squarely on the nose. She had witnessed him blunder through Divination, somehow managing to drop a crystal ball on his foot, and risk injury to himself and everyone around him when casting Verdimillious in Charms class and sending a barrage of sparks shooting from his wand, ricocheting off the walls, and flying about the classroom. Georgeanna felt pity for the boy but also respected that he never seemed to give up, always trying his best even when others doubted in his abilities.

Over the last week, she had seen Neville in her office twice and both visits had been about his failure to brew successful potions in Professor Snape's class. Georgeanna was no expert, but she had gathered various articles and research on brewing techniques in order to better assist Neville. Most recently, Snape had threatened to have the boy's pet toad, Trevor, drink his failed Shrinking Solution, which was poisonous when prepared incorrectly. Neville had been unable to figure out the correct amount of leech juice and rat spleens to add, which resulted in the normally bright green potion to turn a sickly purple. Hermione Granger had stepped in, secretly helping Neville to recover the solution, and thankfully Trevor had been perfectly safe.

Another activity she had been using to fill the gaps in her schedule was taking long walks around the Hogwarts grounds and spending time with her newest friend, the mysterious stray dog she had taken to calling 'Snuffles'. She initially believed that perhaps the dog had been a figment of her imagination as no one else seemed to have any knowledge of the black dog that lived in the Forbidden Forest. Each time she saw the animal she was alone and it never made an appearance when she was in the presence of others. Her suspicions had been put to rest on the day she managed to lure the dog from the forest with a rather large turkey leg. After nearly a month of gaining its trust, the dog had sat beside Georgeanna as it devoured the proffered meal and had allowed her to pat its head. She had sighed in relief that the dog was indeed real and that it hadn't decided to bite her at the last minute. Since then, Georgeanna made frequent trips to visit with her four-legged friend and the two sometimes went for short walks in the woods.

The dog was visibly afraid of other humans and would take off without warning anytime it heard someone approaching, disappearing into the trees. She wasn't really sure where the name Snuffles had come from but, in her head, it sounded like a great name for the large dog. Surprisingly, the dog seemed to think so too. Now, whenever she ventured out to their secret spot, a little alcove hidden behind the view of the Great Lake, she would simply call the dog by name and the creature would come running.

On a particularly chilly Thursday afternoon, Georgeanna made her way across the lawn and through the tree line of the forest. By the time she made it down the well-known path which led to a small clearing, the tip of her nose was red and her fingers felt stiff with cold. "Snuffles!" she called out, her voice carried by the wind. She took a seat on a fallen log and waited for her companion. She didn't have to wait long. A large shadow appeared within the trees and slowly approached her from the front. The dog lacked its usual energy and Georgeanna watched its janky movement as it drew near.

To her horror, she saw that the fur on his front leg was wet and matted. She couldn't see it because of the dog's coloring, but she could smell the blood on him. "Oh no, what's happened to you?" She slowly moved toward the wounded animal, holding both of her hands out in front of her and urging the dog to come closer. The animal responded by sitting roughly on the ground, favoring its right paw, and huffing loudly. Georgeanna kneeled and lowered herself onto the wet dirt and fallen leaves. She held out a hand and asked for the creature's paw. The dog flinched and went to withdraw from her, but Georgeanna held out a hand to the creature's shoulder and patted it reassuringly. "It's all right, I won't hurt you." Snuffles responded by placing the appendage on her lap and muddying up the material of her skirt.

The wound was no longer bleeding but the opening was still fresh and raw. "What did you do to yourself, boy?" The dog tiled its head and stared. She gently scratched Snuffles' cheek. Reaching into her cloak, she retrieved her wand and hovered it over the dog's leg. She rubbed Snuffles behind the ears and, with a subtle flick of her wrist, cast a healing charm over the injury. The gash sealed itself without a trace and his fur was left dry and clean. The dog inspected her handiwork by licking the previously afflicted area and celebrated with a booming bark.

"All better! You need to be more careful out there. Who knows what mischief you get up to when I'm not around?" She put her wand away and used both hands to rub the dog along his face and the sides of his neck. Snuffles nudged her beneath the chin with his wet nose and barked again, using his snout to sniff her hair and neck. Georgeanna laughed. "I've brought you something." She revealed a wrapped bundle from within her pocket and Snuffles smelled it curiously. His eyes glimmered and he began to bark, skirting around her on bouncy feet.

Georgeanna unfolded the cloth napkin and held up a large slice of roast beef between two fingers. Snuffles grew still, his eyes trained on the meat dangling in the air between them. Without notice, Georgeanna tossed the beef into the air and Snuffles jumped up onto his back legs, catching the slice before it could hit the ground. "Excellent!" she cheered. "You're getting really good at that." She laid the napkin on the ground and allowed Snuffles to eat without further games. She settled back onto the log and wrapped her arms around herself, breathing out a cloud of vapor against the frigid air.

As she watched the dog hungrily devour his meal, she thought about how the poor creature would fare as winter drew nearer. Surely, he had somewhere warm to go… Her heart reached out and she pushed away the silly idea that she could somehow sneak it into the castle without anyone finding out. It was an impossible and reckless idea. She doubted she could even convince the creature to follow her out of the woods.

Snuffles had eaten every morsel and looked up expectantly. When Georgeanna failed to pull more meat from within her cloak, the dog stood and barked loudly at her. "Excuse me? Don't be rude. You've just eaten a king's share." The dog snorted and huffed, stomping its paw on the dirty napkin. "Did your owner never teach you manners?" She crossed her arms and leaned forward, her face level with the dog. It was strange how human the creature seemed. Not only did it appear to understand her with perfect clarity, but there was something about the dog's aura that was decidedly intelligent and not at all like any other beast she'd encountered.

There was a sudden snap of a twig that shattered the calm quiet of the forest and Georgeanna whipped around to see what was behind her. A tall dark figure moved through the trees and she quickly scurried to her feet, slipping on a patch of mud and tumbling back over the log. She scrambled to her knees just as the feet of the figure came into view. She knew those boots.

On her hands and knees in the middle of the woods, mud squelching through her fingers, she slowly looked up and met the incredulous stare of the very man she had been avoiding for the last few weeks. Severus Snape narrowed his eyes at her, his lips slightly parted as he took in the sight of the woman sprawled on the ground. "What on earth are you doing, Earnshaw?"

She clenched her teeth, altogether embarrassed with the entire situation. "I'm having a bloody picnic." Georgeanna worked her way up onto her feet and went to wipe her hands on her cloak but discovered that she was quite covered in mud. She shook her hands out and wiped them on her dress instead. "What's it look like? I fell." She shrugged her cloak into place on her shoulders and lifted her chin, giving him a defiant stare.

"Who were you talking to?" Severus looked over her head and around her to the empty clearing. Thankful that Snuffles was skittish, Georgeanna knew that the dog had long since disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief that at least Severus wouldn't be able to rat out the dog's presence to Albus.

"Myself," she lied. Her voice was far higher than she would've liked. Severus raised a skeptical brow and Georgeanna cleared her throat. "Not that it's any of your business."

Severus ran his eyes over her, head to toe and back again, and simply stated, "Indeed."

"And you? Creeping through the woods and sneaking up on me like that. What are you doing out here?" The mud on her clothes was growing cold and she wrapped her dirty cloak around her, fighting the shiver that crawled up her back. Without a word of response, Severus held up the basket in his hand that had gone unnoticed and she saw that it was filled with fresh herbs and fungi. She rolled her eyes; of course, he would be gathering potions ingredients at the same time she was meeting with her secret forest-dwelling friend.

She huffed and looked away from him. There was a pregnant pause between them and Georgeanna came to the conclusion that, based on their history, any further conversation would simply end in some sort of argument. "Well," She turned her attention back to Severus and was struck by the way he was looking at her. There was something calculating in his gaze but also strangely patient and curious. "I've got to be heading back. I should probably get cleaned up before my next class…"

"You might consider saving yourself the trip. I believe Pomona is planning on repotting Mandrakes this afternoon."

Georgeanna blinked, stunned. "Yes, she is." How did he know she was heading to Herbology next?

"Since you currently find yourself thoroughly covered in muck, it may be prudent to spare the extra set of clothes. We both know you're bound to spill something on yourself."

"That's not…" She took a deep, steady breath. "That doesn't happen nearly as often anymore. You'd know that if…" Georgeanna stopped herself. She bit the inside of her lip, unable to decide if she wanted to finish her thought aloud.

Severus pried, "If?"

"If…" He was looking at her in that strange way again. It made her feel nervous. "If you'd taken the time to notice." Her voice was quiet as she spoke.

Severus parted his lips but quickly closed them. He continued to stare at her in the way that made her spine tingle – and it had nothing to do with the cold. "Perhaps." His voice was low and vibrated through her. She allowed herself to meet his eyes one final time. They were deep black beneath the dimpled light that cascaded down from between the sparsely leaved trees. Shadows danced across his pale features and she was ultimately surprised at how pleasant she found his face. She blinked and looked away, instinctively raising her hands to push her hair behind her ears before remembering that they were coated in a layer of drying mud.

Georgeanna clutched the fabric of her cloak and inclined her head to Severus, mumbling a hasty goodbye before turning on her heel and making for the break in the trees. "Ms. Earnshaw," he called from behind her. She paused but did not turn to face him. "If your schedule should allow for it, there is a task in which I could use some assistance." She angled her head to acknowledge him but kept her eyes forward. "You may join me in my office on Saturday evening should you choose to accept." Severus said nothing further and silence fell between them once more, briefly punctuated by a gust of icy wind.

She couldn't seem to find her tongue. Her mind reeled. What sort of task? Why ask her? They hadn't spoken in weeks and he had barely looked at her during any shared meals in the Great Hall. What reason could he possibly have for requesting her help now? Surely, he could ask one of the other staff members. So distracted in her thoughts, she didn't hear Severus's footsteps.

Determined not to seem too eager to accept his proposal, she turned and meant to respond but found herself standing alone in the clearing. Severus's figure could be seen walking further into the trees and away from the castle. He hadn't waited for her to answer.

As Georgeanna returned to the school and navigated to the greenhouses, she settled on ignoring his request. If he couldn't be bothered to let her come up with an answer, then she couldn't be bothered to help him. She huffed and quickened her pace across the lawn. Her clothes were heavy and stuck to her legs as she walked. With each step, her resolve solidified that she would altogether refuse and keep her distance from Severus Snape.

---

Saturday night found Georgeanna restlessly pacing the Hogwarts dungeons. For two days she fought against her peaking curiosity but no argument she made with herself could quell her intrigue. She had sought guidance from Remus, who simply told her that perhaps Albus had instructed Severus to allow her back into his curriculum. While this was highly plausible, Georgeanna countered that Severus did not specify that the task was related to any of his classes. Therefore, she couldn't be sure if Albus had a hand in it until she found out for herself.

She reached the door to Severus's office and stopped, her hand hovering over the handle. She curled her fingers into a fist and lifted it to knock instead. She hesitated. Not sure if she wanted to go in just yet, Georgeanna walked off down the hall. After a few short steps, she determined that, yes, she did want to face Severus and show him that she wasn't weak. She turned and approached his door once more only to avoid it again and keep walking in the opposite direction. "This is so incredibly stupid," she whispered to herself. She was a grown woman. Severus was just a man. He had asked for her help – which of course meant he had something conniving up his sleeve. Or, there was the possibility that this was his way of extending her an olive branch.

Turning once again, she stopped before his door and took a deep breath. She could smell the potions brewing just beyond and closed her eyes. There was something sickly sweet and floral, accompanied by the stench of a bitter potion she knew quite well. This time, she raised her hand and was set on actually knocking when the door suddenly opened.

Severus stood before her, one hand on the door and the other balled up and resting on his hip. "Have you decided to spend your night pacing the halls? If so, you'd better do so on your own floor."

She rolled her eyes, "No, I've come to help you. You asked me to, remember?" She pushed past him into the room as if he had been the one keeping her in the hallway and not her own foolishness. "So, what is it that you needed assistance with? Your request wasn't exactly specific."

Closing the door with a sharp click, Severus turned and walked through a door hidden between two bookshelves. He hadn't said as much, but Georgeanna took his silence to mean that she should follow him. She was stunned to see another laboratory. This one was far more advanced than the lab used for teaching and she was immediately bewildered by all the exotic tools and equipment within the room. The walls were covered floor to ceiling in wooden shelves laden with more bottles and vials than she thought they could physically hold. In the center of the room was a long wooden table that held four cauldrons. Two were pewter, one was silver, and one was gold. The golden cauldron was bubbling away with a potion that glowed an iridescent mix of silver, purple, and blue. The steam that rose from the cauldron did so in perfect spirals and was absolutely mesmerizing.

Georgeanna approached the bench cautiously and leaned in for a better look. It was singularly the most gorgeous potion she had ever seen. She was transfixed on the cauldron and took a deep breath. Instantly, her senses were filled with an intense array of scents and her eyes closed as she tried to match them. There was something so familiar… A floral scent, one she remembered from her childhood. Peony and rose. Her mother's perfume. The smell faded away and was replaced by one of thick smoke and ash. Her father's wood pipe. There was a third scent, faint and unobvious, but one she knew she had smelled somewhere before. She couldn't seem to place it.

She opened her eyes and saw that Severus was beside her, steadily stirring the potion in the silver cauldron. She watched him go through the motions, stirring counter-clockwise with one hand and waving his wand over the cauldron with the other, his lips moving with whispered words. His brow was etched with focus and his eyes never left his work. Georgeanna knew without having to ask that the potion in the silver cauldron before him was Wolfsbane. She'd know that color and smell anywhere. Severus lowered his wand and reached for the table, picking up a handful of identically sliced roots and dropping them into the potion one by one, continuing his steady stirring pace the entire time before ending the process with three clockwise stirs.

Severus looked up and Georgeanna stilled as his eyes met hers. She smiled weakly at him but he simply flicked his wand and bewitched the cauldron to continue stirring itself. He walked away from her then and retrieved a bottle from one of the shelves. He held it out to her and she slowly accepted it, confused. "Tell me what the contents of this bottle are, Earnshaw." Georgeanna stared at him before looking down, attempting to read the faded label with difficulty. Inside were tiny round objects, black and glittery.

"Well, em, they look like eyes maybe? Or very small, very shiny pebbles?" She glanced up at him and was not surprised at the bored expression on his face.

"Those are beetle eyes. The most common uses for such an ingredient are blister-reducing ointments and Skele-gro potion."

She stared at him wide-eyed. "All right…" She looked down at the bottle in her hand once again, wondering what the purpose of telling her such a thing could be. "Forgive me, but what am I supposed to do with these?"

Severus crossed his arms, bringing his cloak around him. "Several of the ingredient labels have become too faded to read. For example, the one you currently hold in your hand. I need you to relabel them so that I can better focus my attention on more pressing matters."

"Me? Replace the labels?"

"Yes, you."

"All of them?"

"If you find even such a menial task too difficult-"

"No," she defended. "It's not that." She fiddled with the bottle in her hands, turning it over one way and then the other. "I don't know all of these ingredients…" She stepped forward to the shelves and warily eyed the hundreds of specimens lining them. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Severus returned to his workbench and ceased the stirring of the cauldron. He poured something inside that made the potion burst with a cloud of green smoke before it settled into a faint simmer. "Have you not been the one pirating all of the available potions books from the library?"

"Pirating? I haven't been keeping them… Wait, how do you know that?"

"Madam Pince maintains a sharp eye over all those who step foot in her library."

Georgeanna set the bottle down on the work bench and walked around the side until she stood across from Severus. She narrowed her eyes as she studied him. "That doesn't answer my question. How did you know that I've been borrowing those books? And better yet, why is it any of your concern?" Severus focused on his work, not once meeting her eye.

"You have been retaining the volumes for yourself and out of the reach of students."

"Oh, come on now." She leaned in and lowered her head toward the cauldron, forcing him to look at her. "We both know it wasn't a student who went looking for those books. Was it you?" She smirked at the way his eyes narrowed before he looked away. "You could've just asked me for them."

Severus huffed and set his cauldron once again to self-stir. He retreated into his office and away from Georgeanna without an answer. She waited and listened, hearing the sounds of shuffling and clattering before Severus returned with a stack of parchment in hand. He glared at Georgeanna from the doorway. "If you've no real interest in potions ingredients and their uses, then I suggest you leave. I won't allow you to meander about and get in my way." He wandlessly vanished the pewter cauldrons from the bench and set down what looked to be a stack of essays. Severus pulled a stool from beneath the table and sat, setting an inkwell before him and paying Georgeanna no further mind.

She stood dumbly before him. Severus began marking the essays and she watched the movement of his hand across the page. Seated, he was nearly her height if a tad bit shorter. The top of his head was shiny and she wondered if his hair would be soft to the touch. As if he could feel her eyes on him – and the sheer brazenness of the thoughts running through her head – Severus flicked his eyes upward at her and raised a slender brow. "Well?" The quill in his hand stilled.

Georgeanna inhaled sharply, slightly panicked at being caught starting, and picked up the bottle of beetle eyes. "I'll stay." She looked over the desk and all the various instruments and tools that were elegantly organized, unable to locate a spare quill to use. Opening the small drawers that were along the edge of the bench, she quietly ruffled through the contents but came up unsuccessful in her search.

"What are you doing?"

She halted, her hand in a drawer and her fingers wrapped around a strange metal object. "I'm looking for a quill."

"You will not find one in there." He stared at her until she placed the object down gently and slid the drawer shut. "I will allow you to borrow one this evening. Bring your own from now on."

"From now on," she thought, nodding her head slowly. "Yes, thank you." Waiting patiently, Georgeanna anticipated Severus handing her a quill.

He made no such move. Severus returned his attention back to the essays, leaving her to wonder where she was supposed to look for a quill. She turned the bottle over in her hands and watched the way the eyes shifted over each other. Curious, she pulled the stopper and plucked one of the eyes from the jar, rolling it around the palm of her hand. It was surprisingly solid and cold to the touch. She held it up between two fingers and inspected it under the dull light of the torches.

"The quills are on my desk, Earnshaw."

Georgeanna dropped the beetle eye, which bounced off of her face and fell to the floor, rolling under the bench. She grinned sheepishly and placed the bottle on the tabletop. Severus watched with narrowed eyes as she crawled under the bench and searched for the nearly invisible eye. She palmed the stone floor, feeling around for the tiny orb. To her embarrassment, she bumped Severus's knee with her shoulder and, in order to quickly retreat, she rolled onto her knees and whacked the back of her head on the bench. "Oof," she groaned, rubbing the painful area through her hair. Severus pushed away from the bench at that moment and stormed off into his office. Georgeanna sighed and hung her head low, shaking it in disappointment at herself. She hadn't even begun her task and already she'd proved his point that she was an unmistakable klutz.

Slowly crawling out from beneath the table, Georgeanna rose to her feet and secured the stopper on the bottle of beetle eyes. She held the bottle tightly in her hands and crossed the room, setting it gently back in its proper place on the shelf. Prepared to leave before Severus could begin his reprimand of her actions, she took one last look around the room she was sure to be banished from. She feasted her eyes and breathed in deeply, entranced once more by the scent of the strange, iridescent potion.

Severus returned to the room and Georgeanna bit the inside of her cheek, prepared for a scolding. She squared her shoulders, breathed in deeply, and met his eyes with resolve.

He held out his hand to her and wrapped within his fingers was a quill and an accompanying ink jar. Dumbfounded, she reached for it but Severus pulled back his hand. "Do not drop this," he spoke slowly, enunciating each syllable with purpose. She nodded her head and held out both of her hands together to which he placed both items in her grasp. His hand lingered as if to be available should she lose hold, but she curled her hands over the items and secured them in her palms. Georgeanna waited a moment longer, unmoving, and stared up at him, waiting for further instruction.

Severus nudged his head toward the bench. She walked to the side opposite his paperwork and placed the quill and ink jar on the table. Quietly, she retrieved the beetle eyes once more and returned to the bench, pulling out a stool and taking a seat. Georgeanna tried not to focus on the feeling of his eyes following her every move and instead concentrated on dipping the quill carefully in the ink and cautiously writing out 'Beetle Eyes' in her best and most legible handwriting. Once finished, she puckered her lips and blew softly on the wet ink.

Satisfied with her work, she held out the finished product to Severus for his appraisal. "There, finished!" She gleamed proudly at him.

"Congratulations," he droned, approaching the gold cauldron and examining the potion within. "You've managed to complete a single label in the last thirty minutes. Shall I offer you a prize for your outstanding effort?" Severus measured out a large portion of a yellow, creamy liquid and poured it into the cauldron. The glittering solution glowed even more beautiful and the scents emerging were growing quite powerful.

She ignored his rude comment. "What is that you're brewing?"

"A potion."

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. But which one? I've never seen anything like it before." She stood and walked over, leaning in over the cauldron to observe the changes.

"Don't get too close, Earnshaw," Severus warned. "The last thing I need is for a strand of that unruly hair of yours to fall in and ruin the entire batch."

"But what is it?" she pressed. She could only stare at the opulence as it swirled and bubbled and steamed. Peony. Pipe smoke. And that last, buggering scent she couldn't figure out. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, focusing on where she had smelled it before.

Severus watched Georgeanna's eyes flutter closed and her brow crease slightly as she inhaled the aroma of the Amortentia. Her lips twisted and her nose crinkled in frustration. She opened her eyes and blinked, staring at the mother-of-pearl sheen within the cauldron. Her shoulders sagged and he couldn't help but to notice the defeated expression on her face.

"This potion is called 'Amortentia.' It is extremely dangerous and I advise you, once again, not to lean in too closely."

Georgeanna stepped back, fearful of what such a potion could be capable of. "So… what does it do? Is it poison?"

"Close," Severus explained. "It is the most powerful love potion in existence." He stirred the potion six times, then three times, then six more before using his wand to lower the flame beneath the cauldron to a faint flickering.

She stared incredulously at Severus, his words failing to register in her mind. "A love potion? Are… are you… trying to get someone to fall in love with you?"

With a flick of his wand, he set a stasis charm over the golden cauldron and turned his full attention to Georgeanna, leaning his palms on the bench. "Absolutely not. I am brewing this for research purposes only. Now, are you planning at all on setting to work, or have I made the mistake of assuming you could handle following such simple instructions?"

She approached the bench, leering warily at the Amortentia and pulling her hair over her shoulder and away from the potion. "No, I want to help! Let me try," she pleaded. She hastily moved to replace the beetle eyes on the shelf and began inspecting the other specimens for familiarity.

With her set on her task and Severus continuing to monitor the Wolfsbane Potion and mark his essays, Georgeanna began to grow more comfortable as time went on. She felt confident in recognizing and labeling about thirty different ingredients before she began to falter and second guess herself. She wished she'd known ahead of time what she would be asked to do so that she could have arrived better prepared. Armed with her copy of 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi', she was sure she'd be able to identify at least half of what was on the shelves.

"Erm, would you mind if I went to get my book? I'll be able to do a much better job with a guide."

"Don't bother," Severus replied, not looking up from the parchment he was scribbling on. Whoever that essay belonged to was clearly going to fail their assignment. Her face fell. Georgeanna thought she'd been doing a bang-up job for the last hour but clearly, Severus had a different opinion. He glanced over his shoulder at her, his expression impassive. "You can bring it along next time. It's getting late. You should go." That being his idea of a proper dismissal, he dipped his quill in the red ink and continued crossing out and marking the poor essay.

Inwardly, she beamed. "Next time! There will be a next time." She was so pleased to be invited back that she almost completely forgot about the grudge she was holding against him. It had felt so good to work alongside him without arguing for once that she was willing to set aside her anger, although she hadn't come near forgiving him yet for what he'd done to Remus.

She placed the quill on the tabletop and stepped quietly across the room to the door. Severus did not look up nor did he say anything more as she left. She debated on wishing him a good-night or possibly saying thank you, but she decided that she would leave him in silence. He most likely wouldn't have responded anyway.

Georgeanna exited his office and navigated through the dungeons and up to her room with a slight skip in her step. She would absolutely have to thank whatever forces – Albus, most likely – had convinced Severus to allow her back into his lab. A smile spread across her lips. Perhaps, in time, she could convince Severus to teach her how to brew potions herself. She would have to behave and act properly around him. He was fickle and could change his mind with the most minimal of wrong moves on her part. But, if she was patient and observant, perhaps even she could figure out how to weasel her way into Severus's good graces – if he had any.

---

DECEMBER 1993

Belladonna. Shrivelfig. Fire Seed Bush. Screechsnap. Aconite.

Georgeanna held her quill with steady pressure and looped the end of the word onto the bottle's label. "There," she proclaimed, holding the cylindrical bottle filled with dried purple flowers in front of her. "All done." She stood her quill in the ink jar and exhaled proudly. It had taken nearly two weeks but she had done it. All of the bottles and vials had been properly relabeled and not once had she been thrown out of Severus's private laboratory. That, in itself, was a true success.

She had taken to coming by his lab a few nights a week and working on her assigned task. Mostly working alone or in silence while Severus was there brewing, Georgeanna had used her knowledge and referenced several borrowed tomes from the library in order to complete the job. She replaced the final few bottles back onto the shelves and looked around the room. There was something quite pleasant about the way her loopy penmanship looked when placed near the sharp, spikey handwriting that belonged to the potions master. Cleaning up the section of the bench she had been using, Georgeanna pushed in the stool with her foot and left the lab, her arms laden with heavy books.

Severus was seated at his desk. He lounged back in the chair with his chin propped on his fist and his narrowed eyes focused on the parchment in his hand. Georgeanna thought his posture looked rather casual when compared to his normal stiff and pious demeanor. His lips moved slightly as he read, mouthing along with the written words. She stood quietly and watched him, not wanting to interrupt his concentration. He appeared to finish reading quickly and crumpled up the parchment with both hands, tossing it into the fireplace where it shriveled and burned.

"Was it truly that terrible?" she asked, stepping further into the room.

Severus looked her way, not having noticed her enter the office. He sat up straight in his chair and watched as she approached him. "Pardon?"

"The assignment you just burned. Was it really that bad?" She shrugged and shuffled the books in her grasp, readjusting her hold on them.

He stood slowly and Georgeanna realized that for the first time he was not wearing his cloak. Being able to clearly see his slender outline without the added material surrounding him felt very personal. His jacket fit his tall frame perfectly and she took in the sight of his long legs as he strolled in front of the desk and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. Everything about him, from the way he moved to how he looked to the cold and calculating expression on his face, was entirely menacing and, Georgeanna had only noticed quite recently, extremely magnetizing.

She often found it difficult to focus when they were in a room together. She would either try too hard to impress him which would cause her to trip over her words, or she would simply become enraptured in whatever it was that he was doing to the point that she would forget herself. Just a few nights prior she had found herself sitting at the bench, caught in a daze as she watched him work. The deftness of his fingers as he prepared ingredients. The smooth movement of his wrist as he guided the wand in his hand. The practiced way he would stir his potions while muttering complicated incantations without missing a single beat. She had to admit to herself that she found him fascinating.

Severus, on the other hand, was not as enthralled with his newfound shadow. He often felt Georgeanna's eyes following him where he walked and even though she would hastily look away when their eyes met, he would immediately feel her stare upon him once he'd turned away. He had to admit that she was much brighter and more motivated than he originally gave her credit for. Although, he would never repeat such a thought aloud. She had taken his assignment of her very seriously and he was mildly impressed with her knowledge and work ethic. Severus observed her whilst she studied her books and examined the ingredients. He had caught her several times trying to start a conversation with him but she stopped herself before it came to the point of him shutting her down. It seemed that she had finally come to the understanding that he did not appreciate idle chatter while he brewed.

"If you must know, it was not an assignment. It was a Letter of Application from an old student."

Georgeanna mulled over his words. "A Letter of Application… like, for a job?" She felt the books slipping from her hold and hoisted them up once more, gripping them tighter to her chest.

"An apprenticeship position, specifically."

"That's a good thing, isn't it? You'd get to share your knowledge and experience with someone. Teach them everything you know. Share your… your expertise…" Georgeanna faltered in her words as Severus's looked turned sour. She lifted the books once again, moving a hand lower to adjust her hold on them.

"All of that would be a complete waste of my time." He pushed off the desk and strolled over to her. She took a step back as he got closer, her backside bumping against a shelf. Without warning, Severus pried the heavy books from her grasp and turned to plop them down on his desk.

Georgeanna dropped her arms to her sides and ran her fingers over the material of her dress. It was one of her favorites, a soft blue velvet number that hugged her middle and fell over her hips and legs in soft pleats. The sleeves were long and tight with silver buttons on her wrists and a matching silver clasp that secured the collar at her throat. She had taken to wearing her hair back in a loose, low ponytail while she was in the lab after a close call with a batch of Antidote for Common Poisons which had bubbled up and splashed on her, singeing the ends of her waves. Severus had not once commented on her scars, even though the one on her neck was unmistakably obvious, but she had once caught his eyes tracing the length of the marred skin when he thought she wasn't looking.

"Are you not interested in taking an apprentice?" she asked, bringing her hands together and twisting her fingers.

"Not even in the slightest." He turned on his heel and marched past her into the lab. "I haven't the patience to deal with yet another dunderheaded ne'er do well taking up space in my laboratory."

Her lip curled in anger. "Are you calling me a dunderhead?" She chased after him, turning the corner and finding him standing before the shelves with his back turned to her. "That's incredibly-"

"What is this, Earnshaw?" He spun around, holding out a large bottle with the label turned away from her. He stepped closer and held it at her eye level.

Her brow creased. "Can you not read my handwriting?"

"That," he claimed, "is not what I asked you."

She looked away from his stare and to the contents with the glass. It was filled with burgundy colored flower bulbs that resembled tiny spikey clusters. "It's Sanguisorbia, commonly known as Burnet."

"What would you use this for?"

"Em, well, it's an astringent and I believe it is used in blood-replenishing serums."

He replaced the bottle and walked past her to the opposite wall, plucking a slender blue vial from the shelf. "And this?"

"Milkweed. It can be used in wart remover but it's mostly found in poisons." He raised his eyebrow. "Oh! And you can chew on the root for tooth pain and swollen gums."

Nodding his head, he returned that one as well. She wasn't sure what the point of this exercise was but she knew that Severus never did anything without a purpose. He perused the shelves, running his hand over the smooth wood and finally stopping at a large round jar on the topmost shelf. "It seems you have not quite finished with every specimen, Earnshaw. Tell me about the contents of this jar." He used his want to levitate it delicately onto the work bench. Severus tapped the lid with the tip of his wand and the top began to twist until it was removed. Georgeanna blanked at the blueish-green worm-like creatures within. They were long and thin and resembled pasta noodles. She leaned in for a closer look and shrieked when they began to move, stepping back quickly.

"What on earth is that!?" Her hand went to her throat and she nervously toyed with the round clasp of her dress. The strange creatures had stilled again upon her retreat.

Severus remained by the bench, unfazed. The contents of the jar were immobile and had faded to a dull grey color. She took a timid step forward, eyes shifting between the bench and the man staring expectantly at her. The closer she got, the more active the worm-things became. The dreary grey grew brighter into shades of blue and green and the squiggly things swirled and curled within their glass prison.

She gulped, finally reclaiming her spot directly before the open jar. "I've… I've never seen…" She dared to hover closer. "They're not in any book I've read." Her ponytail fell over her shoulder and the strands dangled over the table. She distractedly reached out to brush her hair back, captivated by the now glowing worms, and yelped as one of them leaped from the jar and attached itself to her finger. A trail of blood flowed across her skin and down to her palm. The sight or smell of blood sent the remaining worms into a frenzy. They wriggled fiercely and twisted over one another violently, lurching up to escape.

Georgeanna tugged at the vile thing but it would not release its bite from her skin. Severus swiftly sealed the jar and reached for her over the bench, pulling her to him by her wrist. She was half bent over the table, propped up on her other hand to avoid falling at the sudden movement, and whimpered as he pinched her finger sharply. Gripping the worm by the head, Severus twisted and pried the thing off of her. It came loose surprisingly easily. Holding it firmly between his thumb and index finger, Severus tossed the worm into the fireplace as if it were a piece of kindling. Georgeanna cringed as she heard it shriek and crackle and with a loud pop, it burst and was nothing more than ash.

She gawped open-mouthed at the flames, completely stunned by what had just happened. She barely felt the skin on skin contact as Severus came around the bench and held her hand in his, examining her finger closely. "I've never witnessed such an intense reaction," he whispered. She was able to pull her eyes from the fireplace and look up at him, jaw still slack. His brow furrowed, he lifted her hand and traced the pad of his finger along hers. "Are you all right?" He vanished the trail of blood and revealed that there was no visible bite wound even though Georgeanna could still feel a throbbing pain in her digit.

He smoothed his thumb over the bite location and Georgeanna flinched, hissing through her teeth. "That hurts," she whimpered, tugging her hand away and holding it to her chest and out of reach.

"The pain should cease quickly." Using his wand, he ensured the lid was tightly secured on the jar and levitated it back onto its high shelf. "Consider yourself lucky. Most creatures don't live long enough to experience any such sensation."

She cradled her injured hand, boggled that it could hurt so much without a single hint of affliction. "How is that lucky?" Her mouth twisted into a confused frown.

He didn't answer. Georgeanna looked up and saw that he was frantically writing notes on a sheet of parchment that had seemingly come from nowhere. His had moved rapidly across the page as he scribbled line after line. "What you've just encountered is a rare species that feeds on the blood of magical creatures, 'Sarangae Interfectorem.' I've only begun to scratch the surface in my research of these Death Leeches-"

"Did you just say 'Death Leeches'!?" Her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Severus looked up from his notes. His face was impassive and he responded coolly, "Ukrainian, to be precise." He returned to his work, leaving Georgeanna to flounder. Her mouth opened and closed, unable to form the myriad of words desperately trying to escape her boggled mind. Eyes drifting upwards, she worriedly glanced at the now dormant grey creatures safely locked away on the top shelf.

"Ukrainian… Death Leeches." She stroked her hand absent-mindedly as she pieced everything together. The fireplace crackled loudly and all she could imagine was the leech burning and exploding into nothingness. It had bitten her. The thing had lunged from the jar and attacked her. Severus must have not known what would happen or else he wouldn't have… Of course. Georgeanna clenched her jaw and lowered her hands, her fingers curling into fists angrily at her sides. He had done it on purpose. How could she be so blind? He was perfectly capable of playing such an unsuspectingly cruel trick on her just when she had begun to let her guard down around him.

Shaking her head, Georgeanna began to chuckle. "I can't believe I fell for that!" Her laughter grew louder and more manic. "I'm such an idiot!" She covered her face with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What are you ranting on about now?" Severus chided. He rolled up the parchment and placed it, along with his writing tools, into one of the drawers.

She slowly removed her hands, the face beneath them desperate to be proven wrong. "You knew those leeches would attack me, didn't you?" He didn't answer, merely wrinkling his brow at her accusation. "Right. Of course, you knew. How could you not?" Her lips trembled but she fought her emotions. "If you're quite through with using me as a pawn in your twisted little game, I think I'll be going now." She turned sharply on her heel and intended to storm from the room but stopped abruptly.

Severus had caught her by the crook of the elbow. "You misunderstand my intentions, Ms. Earnshaw. It was not my objective to see you hurt." Georgeanna desperately wanted to believe him but something deep down told her that she couldn't trust his words. Not yet.

"Then what was the point of showing me your murder slugs?"

"Ukrainian Dea-"

"I know what they're called!" she exclaimed, pulling her arm from his grasp. She forgotten that he was still holding her quite tightly.

His eyes flickered. Georgeanna could almost see the thoughts turning over behind his mask. "I was attempting… to teach you." His jaw was stiff as he spoke, his lips pursed and the words struggling to form. "You've proven yourself to be motivated and eager to learn. I thought it best that you do so in a controlled environment and with supervision."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is that what all this has been about? You had me sit in here for weeks and relabel all of these vials just so you could teach me something?"

He stared down at her, dark eyes locked onto pale grey, and breathed out a simple, "Yes." Severus turned and walked away from her, retreating to a corner of the room and focusing his attention on the empty pewter cauldron on the work bench. She watched as he summoned a jar of valerian roots and began to skillfully slice each root into immaculately identical slivers.

Her head spun. Was he telling her the truth? He didn't seem to be lying, nor could she figure out any reason he would have to withhold his intentions from her. Matter of fact, he had never blatantly lied to her as far as she knew; his truths had hurt her quite enough. Georgeanna actually began to consider the fact that Severus had invited her into his lab to study on his own volition. Perhaps Albus hadn't been involved in Severus's decision at all.

She stepped softly over to him. He didn't look up but she noticed the stiffening in his shoulders as she drew closer. Standing across the bench from him, Georgeanna folded her arms across her middle and watched him work for a long, silent moment. She allowed her mind to settle as she observed the movement of his hands and the deft control of his fingers. Only marginally present, she imagined what it would be like to hold even half the knowledge that Severus held in his head. "I'd like you to teach me more, please." The words were out of her mouth before she realized her lips had moved.

Severus stilled, but only briefly. He continued with preparing his ingredients and lighting the fire beneath the cauldron before he acknowledged her. "If you are willing to maintain the level of obedience and diligence that you have shown me over the last few weeks, then I will continue to instruct you in potions."

Her heart leapt within her chest. How incredibly exciting! And yet, there was still one question left lingering…

"Why did that leech attack me? You said they feed on the blood of magical creatures, but I'm human."

"Indeed. Yet, you are also a magical creature one night a month, are you not?" His eyes roamed over the features of her face as realization dawned on her.

"They can tell I'm a werewolf?" Severus nodded a positive response. "That's really creepy. Sort of fascinating too, I guess. I wonder how they know. Maybe they can smell it on me? It's possible. But they don't have noses, or faces even…"

Severus exhaled heavily. "You're rambling, Earnshaw."

"I have a lot of questions. It's not every day that some creepy leech tries to attack you and suck your blood, you know." She rocked back onto her heels. "What sort of research are you conducting with them? Where did they come from?"

To her astonishment, Severus actually answered her questions without so much as a sarcastic comment thrown in. The Ukrainian Death Leeches had come from a wizarding facility in the Ukraine- obviously – that specialized in pest control. Apparently, the leeches resided underground and lay dormant until they sensed the presence of a magical creature. They would slither to the surface and latch onto the unsuspecting animal and drain the life from it within minutes. Once satisfied, the leeches would return to their hiding place and breed rapidly. This increased their numbers exponentially in a very short amount of time. Severus claimed that while there were near fifty now in the jar, he had originally started with only three.

"And you're allowing them to reproduce? What are you going to do once they no longer fit in that jar?" Georgeanna felt a tingle roll down her spine at the thought of the leeches becoming loose in the castle. She made a mental note to warn Remus of their existence.

Severus's eyes flicked to the fireplace and back to Georgeanna. "I've devised a permanent solution should their population rise beyond necessity."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Just burn them all? Isn't there a better way?"

"Do you care to offer your intellectual opinion, Earnshaw?" He tossed a handful of dried lavender flower into the bubbling cauldron. The potion within simmered until he added two hefty blobs of a slimy green substance which she had learned was Flobberworm mucus. He stirred the potion with one hand and used his want to increase the temperature of the flames below. Georgeanna's eyes followed his movements as he moved to the shelves behind him and retrieved a number of empty vials. The potion was now darkening form a pale purple to a deep violet.

Changing the subject, Severus casually asked her, "Do you know what potion this is?" His eyes flicked up at her before returning to the cauldron.

She stepped closer to the bench and, making sure her hair was safely tucked away, leaned in for a better look. There were not tell-tale signs based on its appearance so Georgeanna relied on the next best thing. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, analyzing the scent of the potion and categorizing based on the ingredients she'd witnessed him use. 'Valerian, lavender, and Flobberworm mucus…' When she opened her eyes, he was watching her patiently. His hands were placed in front of him on the table top, his wand gently resting in his right. His eyes were so, so dark. She continued to gaze at him and felt her breath catch in her throat. She swallowed heavily before responding, "It's a sleeping draught."

Georgeanna felt her body tense as he leaned in slightly, his eyes never once looking away or blinking. He drew closer and his lips parted. Heat rose at the back of her neck. Severus looked over her face, his expression difficult to read. "Correct," he enunciated. Stepping back, he waved his wand over the potion and set it with a cooling charm. He swiftly filled the empty vials and sealed the stoppers with a flick of his wrist. Wordlessly, he sent all but one of the vials back to their place on the shelf. He then tapped his wand on the end of the bench and a drawer that had not been visible before suddenly slid open.

Two rows of identical vials could be seen and Severus plucked one out before closing the drawer with a sharp rap. It melded into the side of the bench until it could no longer be seen. He placed the vial of Wolfsbane beside the small dose of sleeping draught that had been left behind.

"Take these with you when you go." She opened her mouth to ask about the draught but he continued. "You may need it." That was the only explanation he gave her before turning away to work on something else.

"Thank you." She picked up both vials and slid them into the pockets I her dress. Sensing that the conversation was over for now as Severus had consumed his attention with brewing, Georgeanna took a step backward toward the door. "So," she offered, "I'll come back tomorrow for another lesson then."

"If you insist," he muttered, his back turned to her.

She bit her lip as she debated whether to simply leave and let him be. She decided not. "Good night, Severus!" She called out chipperly from the doorway. He paused as he reached for a jar of Mandrake leaves and turned only enough for her to view his profile through a curtain of black hair.

"Good night." His tone was tight and formal but Georgeanna was so pleased that he had responded to her at all.

Retrieving her books and ascending the stairs to her floor, she couldn't believe the turn of events that had transpired. She wanted to run through the castle and rush to Remus's room and tell him the great news, although she suspected he wouldn't see it as such. This meant she would be spending a significant amount of time with Severus when she was supposed to still hate him for what he did to Remus and herself. She supposed she could not like him and still learn from him. It was possible to separate her educational desires from her personal feelings; she would just have to maintain a respectful professional boundary.

Upon reaching her office, Georgeanna dropped the stack of books onto her desk with a groan. She rubbed her lower back and removed the vials from her pockets. Hastily downing the Wolfsbane – gods, it was still terrible – she balanced the vial of sleeping draught in her palm. Severus had offered it to her for no more reason than she may need it at some point during the cycle. He was thoughtful enough to give it to her based on the previous month. Her lips pursed and she briefly thought that perhaps he had ulterior motives. Would this potion put her to sleep forever? No, it wasn't Draught of Living Death. Was he actually just being… considerate?

She rounded her desk and place the vial in her top drawer for another time. An unfamiliar envelope caught her attention. It was resting in the middle of her desk and had been propped up on a book she'd been reading earlier in the day. The letter was addressed to her in unfamiliar handwriting. She cautiously tore open the envelope and began to read:

"Georgeanna,

I've been hoping to hear from you but patience really isn't my strongest virtue, so I figured I'd take the initiative to invite you to join me for a visit this weekend. I'm pretty sure you have a Hogsmeade trip coming up - I could be wrong - and I'd be so pleased if you could make it. Can't say for you, but I haven't even begun my Christmas shopping yet. If you've still got things to buy, perhaps we can go together? If not, I'd still like to see you. We can get a few mugs of hot chocolate at the TB and catch up. Do you like hot chocolate? Either way, it's my treat.

Write back soon!

Yours,

Niall"

Sighing, she sank into her chair and read over the letter again. She could almost hear his voice and excited chatter in her head. She had been meaning to write Niall for some time but never seemed to find the time, or the words to say. Remembering their almost kiss the last time they saw each other, Georgeanna felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. She couldn't avoid him forever. He was one of her only friends and she did miss him.

She pulled a sheet of parchment from her desk and scribbled a hasty replay. She confirmed that the following weekend was indeed a Hogsmeade visit and that she, too, had Christmas shopping to do. She told him that she'd love to visit and get a cup of hot chocolate together, even though she insisted that he didn't have to treat her to it. Signing her name and sealing the letter within an envelope, she set it on her desk to owl out the following morning.

Georgeanna readied herself for bed and crawled beneath the covers. The Hogsmeade visit would only come a day after her transformation. She closed her eyes and rolled against her pillow, snuggling up tighter. She desperately hoped that the next few days were nothing like she had experienced the month before. Niall's letter had also brought up something that she had somehow managed to forget: Christmastime. It had been over a decade since she'd last celebrated Christmas and, personally, she had forgotten all about the jovial holiday. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about what it would be like to celebrate with other people again, to have Remus with her, and to feel the holiday spirit. She thought back to her childhood and remembered the large tree her mother would decorate with pine cones and big red bows. The roaring fire and the roasting chestnuts. Sitting on her father's lap as he sang obnoxious carols off-key and far too loudly. Her little brother ripping open his presents with childlike wonder and glee. She fell into her dreams with a smile on her face and a warm feeling in her chest.

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A/N: Ahhhh! Sorry this took forever! Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter and hello to my new followers! So glad you're here (:

I really wanted to finally get some solid interaction time between Severus and Georgeanna, so I hope it didn't feel too forced. Please let me know what you think of this chapter! I'd really love to hear from you – Take care! Faux