A/N: Hey, hey! Look who's back! It's been awhile now hasn't it? It's not my fault, though. Well we all know that Ffn has been being bothersome, I have school and a million other things to write, maintaining my website, and that Mallory and Severus has asked for some time alone has all contributed to this. ~_^ Chapter title is taken from Red Dwarf.
Dedicated to Anna and Caroline, who waited oh so patiently.
Chapter 12: Confidence and Paranoia
"It's just that I'm concerned, Albus."
"Minerva, you're always concerned, just let them be. I really think you're dabbling into others' affairs too much."
Early the next morning, Dumbledore and McGonagall were walking along the empty halls before the students awoke and clamoured towards breakfast. "It's not what you think," McGonagall explained, "I've actually come to terms with this unnatural attraction. What I am concerned about is that I heard them fighting last night. I hope they work things out."
No sooner were those words out of her mouth when Mallory hastily skidded around the corner, out of breath. She clutched her boots to her chest; her golden curls were wild and loose around her face, which was flushed. With a gasped "Excuse me" she dashed past them in the direction of her quarters.
McGonagall watched her pass, mouth agape. That twinkle came into Dumbledore's eyes and a smile crept onto his lips. "Minerva, I find that your concerns are completely ungrounded."
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Mallory, finally in her own room, let out a very long breath. She was still panting from the long jaunt up the dungeon stairs and down the maze-like corridors. Seeing that she only had half an hour before breakfast, she took a very quick shower and then sat at her vanity.
She picked up a large, wooden brush with Merlin roughly carved on its back. She stared in the mirror and began to absentmindedly brush her hair. Her reveries took her back to the events of the previous night. She smiled. She even thought about that morning; it was only a few minutes ago….
Mallory woke up first, her head resting on Severus' chest. She could hear his steady heartbeat. She sat up, pulling the sheets up with her to keep her warm. She looked down at Sev's sleeping face and smiled. He looked almost innocent when he slept. She figured it was just the defenseless way any unconscious person looks. What a thought to break the moment! She shook her head and examined him again.
She was still in disbelief over what had happened. This was the girl that up to a couple months ago wouldn't let anyone tap her on the shoulder, and then last night happened! Her body shook with silent laughter; she didn't want to wake him. Then her mind wandered to the source of her long isolation: Her father. By Titania's Mirror, she missed him! She stopped and wondered what he would have thought about her new situation. He was a very sweet and gentle man, but there were certain fields he was very blunt about. "It's about bloody time! Gets one to think that there's somethin' wrong with a pretty lass who can't get herself a beau." Imagining her father saying this, she could not hold it in any longer, she laughed aloud.
She was laughing so much; she didn't notice that her newly found lover was stirring. He sat up groggily and looked at her. "What's so funny?"
She finally gasped for air and tears starting at the brim of her eyes. "Nothing," she was finally managed to get out.
She repositioned herself to let Severus wrap his arms around her. "How is it," he started saying, "that an ugly, old, bitter, gargoyle can be in bed with a beautiful sprite?" He truly wondered.
"Hmm," she contemplated from where her head rested on his shoulder. "I'll let you in on a little secret," she raised herself so that their faces were barely centemetres apart, "I love you." With a slender finger she traced that scar she had given him on his cheek and leaned forward ever so slightly so that their lips met…
Mallory was brought out of her reverie with the chiming of her clock. Damn. Well, why sit and fantasize when the man of her dreams was waiting for her at breakfast? With no time to do her usual braid, she once again sprinted through Hogwarts.
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Severus Snape could not remember the last time he felt so happy. But he wasn't about to let his students know that. In fact, the entire student body was still scared out of their wits after yesterday's ordeal. Being a practicing Bastard for so many years made it simple for him to keep up the pretense of crankiness around the students. But he couldn't keep it up around a certain blonde.
He found the aforementioned blonde alone, thankfully, in her classroom. As always, she was concentrating on grading papers, not acknowledging his entrance. He noiselessly walked up behind her. He produced a rose out of thin air and handed it to her. "Doubt that stars are fire/ Doubt that the sun doth move/ Doubt truth to be a liar/ But never doubt that I love."
With a disgusted upturn of her lips, she took the offered flower. "What did I say about you and Shakespeare?"
"Leave it, I'm not use to being romantic."
"Yes," she said, turning her chair around to face him, "and I'm not use to romance."
His smile turned playfully wicked. "Romance, who loves to nod and sing,
With drowsy head and folded wing,
Among the green leaves as they shake
Far down within some shadowy lake
To me a painted paroquet
Hath been-a most familiar bird-
Taught me my alphabet to say,
To lisp my very earliest word
While in the wild wood I did lie,
A child-with a most knowing eye."
She laughed at the display. "Yes, dear, Poe suites you much more." Her tone turned skeptical, "You want something."
He smirked slyly. "There's always something I want, but coincidentally I do need a favour."
She raised an eyebrow. "That being?"
He lent over and rested his elbows on the arms of her chair so that their eyes were level. "Ronald Weasley's detention is tonight, but I'm being sent off on some last minute recon."
Her brow furrowed, her forehead wrinkled in concern. "Recon? But I usually go on reconnaissance with my abilities it's safer for one…" She was cut off by a slim finger pressed against her lips.
"So they're giving you a day off. Besides, if I started noticing that a little white bird is spending too much time hanging around our club meetings, than some one else may catch on, too." She was just about to protest again, but he just silenced her again. "I was ordered to so this, you were not. Accept that. Now, Weasley's detention, will you help me out?"
She sighed defeatedly. "Sure."
"Thank you." After a quick kiss, he left.
She frowned at the rose thoughtfully. She suddenly dropped it as a small prick drew blood from her finger. Leave it to Severus to give a rose with thorns.
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Ron Weasley's stomach churned
as it always did when he was on his way to serve one of Snape's detentions. Descending the steep dungeon stairs did nothing to help the sinking feeling. He could only imagine what horror the Tall Greasy One had in store for him. He prepared himself to face Snape's nasty, grouchy scowl, but instead found himself greeted by the bright smile of Professor O'Kenly.
Ron was taken aback and his stomach did a little cartwheel as he tried to figure out her presence. Did he tell her about it; what it said? Is this part of my punishment: To face the innocent I slandered? Her smile seems genuine though, not patronizing…unless she is genuinely enjoying this torture! Ron was beginning to sweat. This thought process all occurred in the second it took for him to realise and ask the obvious question, "What are you doing here, where's Snape?"
"Professor Snape was called away for the evening. You'll be serving your detention under me." Ron's spirit rose. If she was truly unaware of the note's details, then she will be a lot more lenient with him than Snape would have been! But then, she had to continue, "He left me a list of duties that you could perform." Ron panicked. A whole list! "From which I am to choose one or more task for you to do," she said, erasing his fear, and he relaxed.
She picked up the list and began to verbally check off some of the choices, "No… No… No… No… Gross! No… No… Ah, here we go: 'scrub the mildew from the walls and floor.' Excellent."
Ron blanched and briefly wondered what the one was that made her exclaim its unpleasantness when it this wasn't very appealing either. "Seriously?" He asked, sickened.
"Seriously," she affirmed. "Well, it certainly will approve the odor in here, wouldn't it?"
"Only if Snape moved out," Ron mumbled under his breath.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Sorry ma'am"
"For what?"
"What for what?" Ron started panicking again. Was she trying to confuse him and then get the confession out of him?
"What are you saying sorry for?" Mallory clarified.
Aha! So, she was trying to get it our of him. He wasn't about to play into her hands so easily though. "Oh, nothing."
She raised an eyebrow. "Not even for what you did to deserve this detention?"
Oh, she was a clever one. Ron's mind raced, trying to decide on the appropriate, not incriminating answer. Instead, what he came up with was this: "No, not really."
She just eyed him for another second or so before making her next move. "Hang on a second." She opened the door to Snape's office, disappeared in there for a brief moment and came back with a pale and scrub-brush. She was handing them to Ron, but at the last moment before he took them, she pulled back. Ron looked at her inquisitively. "You know, Mr. Weasley, we may be able to strike a bargain," she said thoughtfully.
"A bargain, ma'am" he said, nervously.
"You may not have to serve this detention, and get out of several hours of excruciating manual labour."
Ron's eyes widened. She could not have been sincere! Wait a moment… Then what exactly was his end of the deal suppose to be? "How's that, ma'am?"
"You wrote a note, Mr. Weasley." Ron's face turned crimson. So she did know. "A note that you passed to Miss Granger. A note that greatly upsetted the Potions Master."
"I did ma'am," he admitted.
Mallory laughed. "So the Hogwarts rumour network is still reliable! But I am greatly interested in the details."
"This is blackmail!" He exclaimed.
"Mr. Weasley, I know something in that note pertained to me, and one does get curious about what other people are saying about them."
Ron went on the defense. "What makes you think it had anything to do with you?"
She perched herself on the desk. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was the spontaneous fit of giggles Granger contracted all during my class." She raised her eyebrow again, expectantly.
Ron couldn't believe he was having this conversation with professor O'Kenly! She used to be so quiet, so to-herself, and not so manipulative. It was Snape. He knew that. Why she even kept his company was beyond Ron's reasoning, but the end result was definitely corruption. Looking at her now, her hair loose and curtaining her face, her lips smirking, eyes alight with mischievousness; Ron felt he was making a deal with the devil. The ultimate question was before him: Cleanse the soul and confess, or scrub the floors with a tainted conscience? "Well, I don't remember exactly what I wrote."
"A brief summary would be sufficient." She sat and waited.
What's the worse she could do? He contemplated. She already would be giving him a break. Surely he could come up with an euphemism and not come out and say it directly. "Well," Ron chose his words carefully, "it dealt with how you were the cause of Professor Snape's ill mood of late."
Her brows knitted. Suddenly she was very curious. She asked, "In what way am I the cause?"
"Ron desperately searched for the right words. "In the way that…you were holding something back form him…" Ron hoped against hope that explanation would be good enough for her.
His attempt at beating around the bush didn't exactly work. She caught on exactly to what the note was really all about. To Ron's relief, she laughed. "Ron," she said, "nothing could be further from the truth."
Still, Ron was visibly uncomfortable being there. "You can go, Mr. Weasley." Ron scurried out, face as red as his hair.
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Snape was only mildly surprised to find his chamber door unlocked. Inside, Mallory sat cross-legged on his bed, a book in her lap. "Kierkegaard," she announced. "Since when were you into philosophay (she pronounced it as such), muggle philosophay at that?!"
"A while," he responded, taking off his cloak and throwing it over a chair. He then laid down on the bed, next to where Mallory sat.
"How'd things go?" She asked, not looking up from the book.
"Brilliantly," he said, dryly. "How did things go with Wesley's detention?"
"Brilliantly," she said more enthusiastically. "I also find your reaction rather uncalled for."
"I beg your pardon?" He sat up, having no clue to what she meant.
"The note was silly, you overreacted, as usual."
"You don't know what it said," he reasoned.
"Ah, but I do. I think it's funny."
"You would. It was completely inappropriate and horribly timed."
"Yes, because then, it was true." She smirked.
He took the book out of her hands, and placed it on the nightstand. Taking her hand, he laid back down and she followed. "I'm so glad things are different," he sighed.
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Grr…Ack! So, so sappy! Yes I know! Don't worry, this time of fuzzy-cuteness will soon come crashing down! Mwa Ha Ha! So…Alan Rickman as Snape…*sigh*
"To face the innocent I slandered"? What the hell is all that about? Ron has problems…
Well, all reviewers get lots of hugs and kisses…well, maybe not so many kisses. Big Thanks to Anna, my beta; Iphigenia, and her lovely creation "Odi et Amo" to which I reffered to in this chapter; and Athena who is my newest fan (does "fan" really work? I guess so); and my Creative Writing teacher for no good reason.
Did you know I got to sit next to my crush (my APEnglish teacher) when I went to go see the movie that first night? ^_~ Sevvie is happy as a clam! Just thought I would share that.
