Still the Same After ALL

She had always been a quiet child. Looking into her eyes one was stuck by the fact that despite her youth those eyes looked as if they had already seen everything, She was a solemn child. She ran and played but more often was to be found sitting off to the side just watching.  The moment that Daniel and Sharon Kline saw her they fell in love. They were both getting older and it was obvious that they would never have children of their own. Vexus was already 8 years old when they met her the first time, and the way she held their gaze when they looked at her was what finally convinced them that she was the one for them. They loved her and gave her everything she ever wanted. Which surprisingly wasn't very much. She never cried or pleaded for toys. She was well behaved and people often commented that she should be in television commercials.

The one thing that she did that ever so slightly concerned her parents was the way she read. She read anything and everything she could get her hands on. Often coming home from school with notes from her teachers commenting on what a joy is was to have this girl in their classes. She was special and loved Daniel and Sharon as much as they loved her. She called them Mom and Dad and was happy.

The summer between her second and third years at Hogwarts marked a change in her demeanor. She had never been outgoing but now she was a virtual recluse. She hardly practiced Quidditch, despite her fathers gentle prodding. She read and read and read. This worried Sharon. "What happened?" she said one day as she and Daniel watched Vexus sitting outside, her nose in a book that must've weighed 10 pounds.

His brow furrowed Daniel said "I am sure it's nothing. She probably just wants to get ahead start on her studies. This year they get to spend the weekends in that little village and she probably just wants to make sure that she is far enough ahead that she doesn't fall behind."

"Daniel, we haven't even received the list of books yet." she was saying what they both already knew. And what she wasn't saying was what really bothered them. But it had to be said, so she continued. "You don't think that something happened last term? I mean we would've heard something wouldn't we?"

Her husband thought for a moment. "Definitely, we would've been informed." They continued to watch her for a few more minutes.

It hadn't happened often in the time they had her. But the people at the orphanage told them that there had been several "incidents" when Vexus was younger. It usually only happened when she was provoked and no other children had been harmed. If you didn't count the boy who suddenly grew horns on his head.

Once when she was 9, she was sent home because anther girl had been picking on her, when suddenly the girl's hair caught fire. Vexus cried for days. She didn't mean to, it just happened and they moved her to a different school.

Ever since then she was so careful of her actions and learned to control her emotions. Those who didn't know better took it for snobbery and excluded her. Those who thought they knew were intimidated by the air of control that hung around her. Those who were her friends knew that they would follow her to the end of time. She was the best friend you could ever have.

She entered the Great Hall alone, her friend Teresa had already come in. Vexus wanted to be alone when she entered the school again. She stood for a moment and looked around. The ceiling was as beautiful as ever and everything was just as she remembered it. Maybe the nervousness she felt was pointless. Teresa told her it was just after what happened last year she was wound up. Never the less she resolved to be more careful this year.

Vexus took a few deep breaths and walked over to the table and sat.

This year she was taking Divinination and thought that Professor Trelawney must be clinically insane. She hated the room, the fire, the little lamps and most of all the way that the teacher looked at her. She did her work and at the end of each lesson she was the first one out. "What's your problem with her anyway?" asked Teresa one day while they walked to Herbology.

"I don't know," Vexus muttered "she just creeps me out." Teresa laughed. "You can tolerate double potions and sticking your hands in Professor Sprout's compost pile, but you can't stand a few tea leaves?"  Vexus shot her a look but was forced to smile. It was weird.

"She watches me. You know, like she knows something." Vexus said.

Teresa laughed "Well she is the teacher, I'm sure she must know something!" Vexus laughed too "Yeah, but I wouldn't take a bet on it."

Potions this year was extremely interesting to Vexus. They were getting into the really tricky stuff and she excelled again at every task put before the class.  Professor Snape didn't ever really address her directly but she could tell that he was paying very close attention to what she did. 'Figures that after last year he'd be even more hateful towards me.' she thought.

After one particularly eventful class (three exploded cauldrons, five students to the hospital wing and 25 inches of parchment on proper safety precautions as homework) he finally spoke to her. "Miss Vexus, please remain here." He didn't even look at her when he spoke. She shrugged at Teresa as the rest of the students left.

At last he looked at her, 'doesn't she realize that looking at people like that makes her seem so...' he fumbled for the right word '...odd.'

He spoke "I have noticed your work over the past two years and so far this year. You seem to have a natural ability with potions and I am prepared to offer you a chance to do some advanced studies." He let the words roll out slowly, so she'd have to pay attention. He was pleased by the surprised expression on her face. Snape continued "If you can pass the third year final exam I am prepared to place you in my fourth year class. If you accept there will be no backing out. If you make it into the class you will remain there."

Her mind reeled. This was the very last thing she expected. She knew that she could pass the exam if she studied but with Quidditch practice starting again this week she didn't know if she'd manage it. And she was NOT going to make an ass of herself by taking the exam and failing it. Sensing her reluctance the professor said, "Of course these are all very big Ifs and if you're not up to the level I thought," he paused "well then it's simply my error." He had her and she knew it. There was no way she wasn't going to do it now.

"When may I take the exam?" she asked.

"As soon as you feel you're ready, but the sooner the better."

"Fine, a week from Friday I'll be ready." Vexus spoke the words and both of them restrained a smile. "May I be excused now, Professor?"

She didn't even tell Teresa what she was doing and nobody questioned all the extra time she spent in the library. When the day rolled around even she didn't believe that she had passed the exam with nearly perfect marks. She told Teresa and was suddenly sad that she would be leaving her friend. Teresa took it well and took great pleasure in teasing Vexus about getting herself advanced just to be in a class with Toby. "You know how it looks!"

"No I don't," they were on their way to their History of Magic class "how does it look?" Vexus knew that Teresa was only teasing her, but after her problems the year before with her (former) friend Stacey she didn't want anymore trouble.

"Well Vex," Teresa knew she hated that nickname "Just watch out. Everybody knows that Toby is after you and now that you're going to have a class with the third years it's going to look like you're as interested as he is."

"Well I'm not." She made it clear that the conversation was over and they had reached the classroom anyway.

Quidditch began again and Slytherin dominated the other houses, aided by the fact that Vexus didn't lose twenty points every time she saw Snape anymore. By Easter it was clear that Slytherin was going to take both the Quidditch and House Cups.

Toby continued to spend every available moment in her company and rushed to sit by her in Potions. She noticed Professor Snape glare at him but thought that it was nothing more that the usual. He was still Severus Snape after all.

Vexus thought that this year was definitely the best by far. She had managed to control her temper; she hadn't cursed anyone and thought that she might even have her first boyfriend in Toby. She didn't tell anyone that though. She was still Vexus after all.

She enjoyed going to Hogsmead with Teresa and Toby. Her favorite thing was Honeydukes. Vexus had a definite sweet tooth and Teresa picked on her as they filled bags with candy. "Leave some of those frogs for the rest of us! You must have a whole set of those cards by now."  Vexus threw a couple more chocolate frogs in her bag before turning around. "As a matter of fact I've got two sets."

Three days before the students were to leave Snape and Dumbledore sat at the staff table watching one student in particular.

Albus' eyes had a mischievous twinkle as he said "See, Severus, I told you that she was a good student. Scored second from the top on your final I hear. And her only a third year."

The Potions master watched Vexus trying to not ignore Toby Matthews, but not exactly pay attention to him while he tried to tell her something.  Her eyes were the same even when she smiled, "Yes I suppose that she had exceeded my expectations. But I still think she is more dangerous than she seems."

Dumbledore chuckled and resumed eating his dinner.

On the final day in the castle before they went home Snape found her outside at the broom shack wrapping her broom for the trip. She looked up with a surprised expression when she saw whom it was. "Good afternoon, Professor."

"I thought that you might benefit from reading this over the summer." and he thrust a large book into her hands. "You will be with my fifth years and we will be preparing for their O.W.L.s." With that he turned and walked off. She watched him go and sighed. "I just can not win with him."

This time she sat with Toby on the train and he introduced her to his parents when they got back to Kings Cross Station. They made plans to get together over the summer.

Vexus liked Toby's family, although his mom was a little high strung. Though she could see why Toby had pursued her so hard. Vexus didn't know if Toby was consciously aware of it but there was a lot of pressure on him. His parents had met at school and married just after graduation. So had his grandparents and both of his older brothers. His father, Antony, was a writer for the Daily Prophet. He wrote mostly about Quidditch and was pushing Toby towards a professional career, despite the fact that Toby was more interested in going into the Ministry of Magic and working with Muggle artifacts. Once while Vexus was visiting he invited a scout for one of the professional Quidditch teams over for dinner. He spent the whole evening proclaiming what "incredible players these kids are." It made Vexus ill. She loved the game but knew she wasn't EVER going to play professionally.

Toby mother and father had been prefects at Hogwarts. They had both been in Slytherin as they were a pureblood family. They had been something like the popular kids who were a couple for precious more than the fact that they were both popular and being seen together was preferable to being seen with anyone lesser. Toby's mother, Annanova did not work but instead was kind of fashion consultant for the newspaper.

 At the end of the summer Vexus was once again happy to be going back to school. She loved Daniel and Sharon but was beginning to feel a gap between them. She didn't know if was merely her growing up or if it was more so the fact that Vexus was getting deeper and deeper into all things magical.

 She met up with Teresa at Kings Cross Station and told her as much as she could about the time she spent with Toby before he found them. It was good they all agreed to be going back.

As the year got underway they settled back into the routine of classes. Vexus did well in all her subjects, except Divinination. That didn't bother her though; she was too busy in her Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a middle-aged professor named Quirell. He didn't offer much knowledge in the class itself. But the course books were amazing. She thought sometimes that she intimidated the Professor with her questions. She resolved to be more reserved in class and picked up her reading.

Professor Snape still glared at her and picked over her work looking for any mistakes. He found few and she had no problems keeping up with the fifth years. Toby made a point of always sitting next to her, no matter where or why she sat. She snapped at him on occasion but always wound up thick as thieves again by the following day. Now matter how much she tried to deny it the time spent with his family had created a stronger bond between them. Teresa insisted that they were a couple. Vexus insisted that they weren't. Toby never insisted on anything.

The most momentous occasion of the year was the annual Yule Ball. She could finally attend and of course Toby asked her before they had finished breakfast.

"Please, c'mon, you know you want to go." he knew that she was just toying with him. She was the most incredible girl he had ever met and when he was in her company he felt like he could do anything. That is, anything but challenge her. He wanted very badly to take her to the Yule Ball and knew that if she said yes it would be a battle won in the little war of wills between them, his first victory in that war, in fact.

Vexus looked up from her omelet and considered the boy across the table "Actually," she looked over at a seventh-year boy at the Hufflepuff table, "I'm holding out for Jean-Paul Van Zant." Her words had the desired effect and Toby flushed red. Teresa turned red as well, probably because she was choking on her bacon she was laughing so hard.

"That's not funny." he stood and walked out of the hall. She smiled and watched him go. "You're going to go with him and you know it." Teresa said.

"Hmmmm. I suppose" Vexus finished her omelet and stood, "Do you want me to wait for you?"

Teresa was still eating,  "No, go ahead. I'll see you in class."

Vexus left the hall and looked at her watch, she still had half an hour before her Transfiguration class. She decided to run down to the dungeons and find Toby. She knew that he often liked to go down there to think. 'I should really be nicer to him.' she thought as she walked. 'I just don't really know how.' It was something that had been bothering her for some time. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to him or even that she didn't like him. Because she was and she did, she just didn't quite know what to do with what she felt.

She found him and apologized for the way she'd acted. As they walked back up towards the rest of the castle they talked. "Why do you torment me?" his voice, still so soft, seemed to hang in the air. "You know I love you and you still insist that you don't feel the same. You make me feel like I don't even exist sometimes."

Vexus stopped and looked at him. He'd never said anything like that to her before. After a moment she started walking again. "Toby, I am truly sorry if you feel like I am torturing you. And if you would like to have me, I will go to the Yule Ball with you." it was the best she could give him. She was so unsure of her feelings that telling him she loved him would be a disservice to them both.  He seemed satisfied and they walked on, unaware that another had heard their discussion.

Severus Snape was in his office when he thought he heard voices outside in the hall. He went after the sounds and had stepped into the shadows when they approached. He watched Vexus and saw what Toby did not. She didn't love the boy, she humored him. 'I don't understand him' thought Snape as he headed towards his classroom once they'd gone. 'Any fool can see that there's no future there. And probably he's better off if her leaves her alone.' In her second year in the school, she had cursed another student with out even using a wand and Snape still was concerned about how safe it was to have her in the school. He spoke with Quirell often and was aware of how she lapped up the Defense Against the Dark Arts course books and some of the questions she was asking were.... well...rather involved. He made a note to himself to speak with the Headmaster that afternoon.

Albus Dumbledore was the kind of person who saw the good in all who came before him. He looked at the figure across from him and sighed, "Severus, why are you still determined to prove that Vexus is somehow more dangerous that she really is?" He knew that Snape's heart was in the right place, but his concern about Voldemort seemed unfounded. Voldemort's run in with the Potter child had reduced him to next to nothing. Dumbledore knew better than to discount the Dark Lord entirely, but treating his offspring, who didn't even know she was his offspring, like she was going to turn evil any moment was wearing thin. Even for Albus Dumbledore.

"My only concern is that she has a very keen interest in the Defense Against the Dark Arts texts and I feel that Quirell isn't satisfying her curiosity. I worry that it may lead to her becoming interested in more than just defense against the dark arts." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "what if her search for better answers leads her into the dark arts themselves?"

 Dumbledore knew that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job badly and hoped that wasn't what was making him react this way. After a moment pondering this the old wizard spoke again. "Well then you'll just have to give her additional instruction if she is not getting enough out of Professor Quirell's lessons." This made Severus sit up in the chair.

"Where am I supposed to get the time to tutor her?" he spat.

Albus smiled over his glasses "Then you'll just have to trust that she's fine."

The Yule Ball was a tremendous success and for the first time in 4 years Professor Snape attended. He wanted to keep an eye on Vexus and that Matthews boy. He wanted to make sure she didn't cause any trouble. At least that was what he told himself. The truth was he really couldn't stand the thought of her being with someone so...mediocre. He cursed his reflection in the mirror before he left his chambers.

Now he stood against the wall and merely observed. She had left her hair loose. Her robes were a deep maroon color and her hair shone in the light. Toby was an excellent dancer for someone with his build and several times they passed close enough to hear her laugh.

After a while he headed to get another goblet of pumpkin juice and when he returned to his post by the doors he didn't see them anywhere. He scanned the crowd of students and came to the conclusion that they must've slipped out. Suddenly overcome with a smoldering anger he headed out towards the gardens. He knew that every year there was always at least one young couple caught in a compromising position out there.

He stalked along and caught sight of them sitting under a tree. The moon was full and Snape realized suddenly that her robes were off the shoulder and her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. He crept closer, cursing himself inwardly for being a sneaky git and a dirty old man. The last thought actually made him smile.

"Vexus," Toby was leaning in close to her and speaking softly "I've told you that I love you and never want anyone else. Why won't you even kiss me?"

She was looking at the moon and it seemed like a thousand years from both men before she spoke. "I want you to know that I cherish your friendship, but I am not ready to delve into something deeper. I don't want to jump so quickly into the next level."  Of the two who heard who response one was relieved and one was crestfallen.

She turned towards her companion and considered him for a moment. Snape saw that her eyes still had that same look and was still thinking that when she suddenly leaned forward and kissed Toby.

She leaned back with a smile and said "will that hold you until I've made up my mind?"

He nodded and stood up; she took his hand and walked back towards the hall. Back in the garden Severus was trying to figure out of he should take away 100 points each or maybe if he should just go to bed. In the end he decided to go to bed.

The rest of the year went by quickly and soon they were having the end of the year celebration again. Slytherin house won both the Quidditch and House cups again. This was mostly due to the excellent team that Slytherin had lead by Vexus and Toby Matthews. Between the two of them they racked up the points and regularly inflicted fairly severe damage on the other team's players.

Even Snape was happy about that and grudgingly admitted to Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall that perhaps having Vexus in his house wasn't ALL-bad.