Welcome back. I hope you like my little story so far. I still don't have any takers for a Beta Reader. If you are still interested you can email me.
J.K. Rowling created everything I didn't. Places, names, folk and some words are hers. I just borrowed them for a form of amusement.
***
Ch 4. -Typical Friday
Friday wasn't Delia's day. Even with Awaken she still felt funny. She knew she was tired but didn't feel it. The bump on her head was feeling better but it still hurt along with her left side. But above all that she was worried about what kind of trouble she had gotten Severus into. However, there was noting she could do about it in History of Magic. Delia did fall asleep in class. Nicola had to keep nudging Delia to keep her from falling asleep.
Severus sat in Dumbledore's office in front of Dumbledore desk. He was waiting on Dumbledore. Severus sank lower in the chair he was sitting in. He was exhausted. He had used `Awaken' but for some reason he still felt tired. Plus, Delia was on his mind. This always made him smile. Fawkes came over and perched himself on Severus shoulder. Severus always liked Fawkes. But then again who didn't?
"Good morning, Severus I am glad to see you are well this morning. Would you like some tea?" Dumbledore asked.
"No thank you, Headmaster," Severus replied.
"In that case I will just pass on the tea and get to the point." Dumbledore sat down at his desk. "Its about Miss Delia Wheelrite."
Severus sank lower in his chair and spoke coolly, "Headmaster whatever do you mean? She is fine now. She is in class where she is supposed to be."
"Don't play dumb with me, Severus. I know what goes on in this school."
Severus sighed, "I suppose I should tell you that Delia is my apprentice."
"Nothing wrong with that," Dumbledore said. "But there is more. For example for the second night in the term Delia was late going back to the Hufflepuff dormitory. And last night she has a fall where she should have gone to the hospital wing, but instead she stays with you."
"Yes, I was wrong. Miss Wheelrite should have gone to see Madame Pomfrey."
"But that's not the point. That isn't why I have brought you here, Severus."
"They why am I here, Headmaster?" Severus asked.
"I know you care for Delia and she cares for you. But how much have you told her?"
"How much have I told her?" Severus asked playing cool.
"You know what I mean," Dumbledore said.
"About being a former Death Eater?"
"Yes. How much does she know?" Dumbledore asked cafefully.
"Delia knows everything, sir," Severus said with a sigh.
"And she didn't run away?" Dumbledore asked.
"No."
"Well, then you have someone special, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly.
Severus was enraged. "You aren't going to yell at me? You aren't going to sack me? What are you going to do with me?"
"I didn't bring you here to yell at you or sack you. I brought you here to say keep school business school business. Delia is of legal age. She can make her own decisions and I can see she has. I have no control over a situation that doesn't exist. Basically what I am doing is turning my head the other way. But if it gets out of hand I will do something about it. Now, I presume you have classes to prepare for? Yes. Come Fawkes we have many things to do today." Fawkes flew off Severus shoulder as he stood up to leave. "One more thing Severus. Just remember that Delia is special. And you are such a lucky man to have that."
"Yes, Headmaster," Severus replied and left
***
Delia walked into the Great Hall for lunch. She decided that she wasn't going to go to Potions. She needed rest, badly. The Awaken potion wasn't working any longer. She sat at her usually place, alone. Josh and Nicola had decided to skip lunch to study for Potions. Delia thought they were insane. She yawned and thought, I really need some sleep. Severus hadn't shown up for lunch. He must be taking a nap she thought between bites of an Egg Sandwich. But the notion of Professor Snape sleeping was funny. Everyone in Hufflepuff thought he didn't sleep. That was half of his problems.
Delia stood up from the table with a yawn and grabbed her backpack for the second time that day and left the Great Hall. She was about to turn to go on the stairs to the Hufflepuff dorm when she heard Severus voice boom from down the corridor. He sounded irritated, but what else was new? He saw Delia.
"Miss Wheelrite, How is your head?" he asked.
"Its OK, I guess. I mean it quit hurting," she replied.
"Good. May I have a word with you in private?"
"Sure, but were you on your way to lunch? I don't want you to get distracted."
"No, I wasn't. I was on my way to look for you. Now shall we head to my office?"
"Ok, sounds fine by me." Delia began walking with Severus in direction of his office in the dungeon.
"Tell me a bit about Kansas," he said with genuine interest. I've never been. What's the weather like at this time of year?"
"Well, that's a funny question. It can be anything. It can be hot, cold, rainy, snowy, icy, thunderstorms, tornadoes and foggy."
"What was it like when you left a few days ago?" Severus asked.
"It was steamy!" she exclaimed as if it were the worst thing in the world. "It had been raining and was hot. Felt like the tropics. It was so hot; I was wearing a halter-top and shorts! Even then all I wanted to do was sit in a pool of ice water!"
A sly smile crossed his face as they entered the steps to the dungeon. "Halter-top and shorts? I'm not that familiar with Muggle clothing." In all reality he knew what it was.
"A halter-top is a shirt with thin straps and shorts are well pants without the long legs that come up above the knee at various lengths depending on the cut and fashion style."
"So in all reality you were wearing underwear."
"No, not underwear. Summer wear, " she said firmly.
"That gives me an interesting picture of you," he said unlocking his office with his wand. "Ladies first."
"I didn't know you were a gentleman," she said walking in as a few candles lit up. Exposing the various bottles and jars containing floating objects. It gave Delia the jeebies.
"My mother taught me well," he said in a voice unlike Professor Snape and shut the door behind him. "But do tell me more about halter-tops and shorts. I'm truly fascinated by the subject." He wrapped Delia into an embrace and kissed her.
"What do you want to know?" she asked gazing up into his eyes, which had a sparkle as opposed to the cold black they usually were.
"What does the `P' in Delia P Wheelrite stand for?" Severus asked.
"Promise not to laugh?" she asked
"I can't promise."
Delia gave Severus an irritated look. "It stands for Penelope. My full name is Delia Penelope Wheelrite."
"I like that name," he said in his soft silky voice.
"What is your middle name?" Delia asked.
"You know that is funny. I was never given one."
"Really? Wow. Who would have thought Severus Snape has no middle name. That'll make head lines in the Daily Prophet `Hogwarts Teacher Has No Middle Name What So Ever.'" Delia yawned. "Excuse me, rough night last night. I musta had one too many. Remind me not to do that ever again"
"I have question. Why did you crumple up my letter?"
"Oh sorry!" Delia said apologetically. "I was hoping you didn't see that. You see Josh and Nicola were getting inquisitive. So to make them think it was nothing, I had to think of it as nothing. I just said it was a letter from a secret admirer, probably some Slytherin playing jokes. The end, case closed."
"Ok makes since now. So from now on just in case they look I'll sign the letters I send with just an `S' or leave it blank."
"I'm going to get more letters, am I? Sweet," Delia drawled out.
"Maybe you are, maybe not. You may just have to be a good girl."
Delia yawned." Sorry, rough night last night. That was one wild party. I'd do it again...yah."
"Are you going to class?" he asked.
"Nahhh. I have Potions with that freak. He'll probably end up poisoning me one day. And I'd get Saturday detention for falling asleep in my cauldron." Delia could tell Severus was disappointed. "Don't worry; I'll be back for my detention. Tonight. And I have to go. You have class to teach."
"Yes, I do. Have a good nap." Severus gave Delia a longing kiss. Then he opened the door to his office and she left.
***
"DEE! GET UP!" Nicola shouted. "You'll miss dinner. You can't miss dinner! I'll have to hear you gripe all night about being hungry."
"So, I can go to the kitchen later, Delia mumbled sleepily. "I'm goin' back to snooze land."
Sometime later Delia was being prodded. "Don't you have detention with Snape?" Nicola asked.
"Huh! What!" Delia bolted up and looked at her watch. "Oh my god, 7:30! I'm dead." She threw the blankets off and ran out of the dorm towards the dungeons.
She got about halfway down the steps towards the dungeon before she realized that she had failed to put on her shoes. She considered running back and getting them. She could picture where they were, right beside her bed, on the rug. She sighed. `Too late now, genius" she said to herself. She walked into Severus's classroom. He looked up from his desk.
"Miss Wheelrite," he said curtly. "Do you realize you are forty minutes LATE for detention?"
Delia looked at her feet, "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to!"
"Sorry, will not solve this. I am displeased; you have wasted my valuable time. I'd give you dentition again, but that's a waste of time, even if it's with someone else. Instead I am deducting 100 points from Hufflepuff. I'll leave it up to your fellow housemates to torture you." Delia continued to look at her feet. She knew she was in for it when she got back. She felt like crying. But didn't. She knew as a teacher he had to do this. He had no choice she was after all in the wrong. Her feet were beginning to feel the cold. "I was going to start work on a complicated potion. But we don't have enough time. So instead you will scrub down all of the tables and chairs with out the aide of magic. Now, hand over your wand."
Delia reached into her wand pocket of her cargo robes. Her wand wasn't there. Instead it was on her nightstand." Sir," Delia gulped and said quickly. "I have forgotten my wand!"
"Miss Wheelrite!" Severus boomed. "You call yourself a witch!"
Delia was getting mad. "As a matter of fact I do consider myself one, thank-you-very-much."
"Don't get impertinent with me! Twenty Points from Hufflepuff for that cheek and if I hear it again tonight, I'll put a Silencing Charm on you, because obviously you can't improve the silence. NOW GET TO WORK!" He boomed.
Delia rounded up a bucket and sponge and began at the farthest corner of the classroom. She didn't want to look at Severus. She couldn't believe she had acted the way she did. Delia had always been a bit lippy sometimes, but she knew better with Severus. She had learned this in his first class at age twelve. Her first Potions lesson was on her birthday. Severus was picking on her that day...
Severus had been taking roll. He had gotten to Delia's name lastly.
`Wheelrite, Delia.'
`Here!' she called out eagerly.
`Didn't anyone ever teach you here you say present instead of here. I don't know what they teach you Americans. But it's not the way it should be taught.'
`I can't help being American, sir. It's where I was born. I had no choice. Take it up with my parents since you perceive this as a problem.' The entire class erupted in laughter.
`SILENCE' he shouted. The class ceased the laughter. `Five points from Hufflepuff, for that remark, Miss Wheelrite.'
Delia should have shut her trap but instead she said `You have a serious problem, man. Seek help. Americans are your friends. We don't bite too hard.'
Severus came over to the table Delia was sitting at and lowered himself to her eye level and got in her face and growled. `You Miss Wheelrite have just earned detention and ten points from Hufflepuff. I can see that you are not my problem as much as I will be YOURS!' He then rose and went to the front of the class and spoke in a tone that would scare most people. `This is Potions. I hardly doubt many of you will learn the exquisiteness of the discipline. Most Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws are duffs and as a result this is a waste of my time. But you are here nonetheless. There is little idiotic wand waving or invocation in this class.'
`Ok-ay,' Delia said grinning. She wasn't going to be called a duff by a teacher. `Where do I sign up?'
Delia was given the iciest stare from his black eyes. He walked back over to where she was sitting and spoke very softly. `Miss Wheelrite, I knew you would be taxing. It's in the American personality. For your cheek you have just lost Hufflepuff ten more points. If I hear anymore out of you today I will make it fifty! Is that quite clear to you?'
Delia grinned and held up her thumbs and said, `Crystal clear! Gotcha, chief! You're the man! Whatever you say, buddy. I'm with you!' She could tell she had pushed it too far. Severus was gripping the end of the table and his knuckles were turning white. It looked as if a vein in his forehead was going to pop. Her grin quickly faded and a look of terror crossed her face. It was only her third day and it look as if she were going to be thrown out of class. She had been quite in every other class.
`Stand up Miss Wheelrite and follow me," he growled. Delia stood and followed him to the front of the classroom. He took a chair and made her sit facing the class. Severus took her seat next to Nicola. `Since Miss Wheelrite likes to talk so much she will be teaching my class today. Go on, Miss Wheelrite; do tell us about today's potion. What page do I need to open my book to? Miss Wheelrite, I don't have my cauldron. Miss Wheelrite why aren't the instructions on the board!'
`Stop it!' she cried. She was clearly frustrated, `I'm sorry!'
Severus came back to the front of the classroom, `Sit back down, Miss Wheelrite and everyone open your book to page-`
"Delia where are your shoes?"
"Huh, what?" Delia woke up from her memory.
"Where are your shoes," Severus asked again.
"Upstairs. I forgot them."
"How can you forget your shoes?" Severus asked pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"It goes like this, as hummed to the tune of `Yankee Doodle Dandy.' I overslept. I ran out of my bed to get here. And you know the rest." She began scrubbing a table leg.
Severus chuckled. "Your feet must be freezing."
"Yep. But after awhile you don't notice it," she said shrugging her shoulders.
"I didn't know you overslept. You must have been that tired. Listen, I'm sorry for chewing you out like that. I'll only deduct thirty points total."
"No, you shouldn't do that," she said scrubbing the table leg. "I mean after all I was late. It was my responsibility to be here at 7:00 and then I got lippy. I do know better then to do that. You'd think after years of having a hard ass for a Russian figure skating coach I would have learned. I mean you are tame next to this guy. If I was thirty seconds late and if I got lippy late to practice he's have you doing laps in the parking lot for an hour! And believe me running in a parking lot at 5:00 AM isn't my idea of a good time when it snowing. Then you'd go in and have to do push-ups and sit-ups on the ice until he decided you'd had enough. This not only ticked you off, but your parents, because they paid for your coach and the ice time. You are supposed to practice ice-skating and not jogging and sit-ups and push-ups are not part of ice-skating. Then once all that was done with all that he would tell you what a bad performance of what ice-skating you did do and once that
was over he'd threaten to leave you for some other pretty ice skater with a lot more talent then you. No matter how much your parents wanted to pay him." She looked up from scrubbing the table leg.
"So why did you have this coach?" Severus asked.
"Because he was the best," she replied. "My parents had dreams of me being this Olympic skater. The stories I could tell you!"
"Let's go somewhere warmer."
"What about my scrubbing?" she asked confused.
"Forget it dump the water. I shouldn't have even made you serve detention tonight, not after last night. I was being selfish. I just want to see you thati s all. And like I said, its thirty points total."
"I'm not going to argue, since that will get me nowhere." She stood up and picked up the bucket throwing the sponge in. Severus stood up and took the bucket from her and walked over to the sink and discarded it.
"Now, how about we go get a cup of tea?" he suggested.
***
Delia once again found herself in Severus's chambers sipping tea in front of a warm fire and had the chenille throw around her shoulders again. Only this time she didn't have a fall. Severus handed her a pair of black socks. "Put these on," he instructed. "They will keep your feet warm."
"Thanks," she said putting the socks on her feet. The socks were about 3 times too big and when she pulled them on they came up half way up to her knees. Severus sat down on the couch beside Delia and said, "Tell me more about your ice-skating adventures!"
"What do you want to know?" she asked bored.
"Tell me more about this coach you had. You said he made me look tame!"
"His name was Josef Vosika. He always believed discipline was the answer. He was a man who would give you praise if you did something right and it had to be 110% right. He was always ready with his criticism. My parents hired him when I was seven. He always promised me greatness and that every one in the world would know my name. He had a fit when I told him I was quitting to come here."
"I can imagine!" Severus exclaimed.
"His words to me were, `Delia I have made you what you are! How can you leave me! You could have been great at this. I could have helped you to glory only little girls imagine! And now you leave me!' In all truth I was getting tired of ice-skating. That was the only thing I had known. My parents had me on the ice as soon as I could walk. At four I was doing some jumps. At age nine, I was competing in junior tournaments. At eleven I had a junior nationals title. I one day looked in the mirror and saw something. I had been made into somebody, but not by myself. I was made to be what I was by my parents. So I quit and came here. My parents weren't too happy at first but the learned to accept what I was doing. In all reality I really didn't know my parents because I spent so much time with one coach or another. If I wasn't training, I was studying. It was rough."
What would you have done if you hadn't have come here for school?" Severus asked curiously.
"I'd most likely be at the Olympics or would have quit."
"What happened to your coach?"
"Oh this other ice skater I know jumped at the chance to have him as her coach. She is currently winning and has a spot on the US Team for the winter games."
"So you regret not staying?"
"No, not at all. I had to think, did I really wanna do this the rest of my life? Ice-skating is great, but I didn't want to end up with a dead career by thirty-five. And I really didn't want to teach some other kid. And what's funny is when I go back home on holidays I do go to the rink. I end up seeing Josef. He always tells me I'm not his new skater isn't as good as me and that I could have been great..." Delia allowed her voice to trail off.
"You know what's funny?" Severus said. "You could bottle talent and change the course and go back and be better then what you ever could have been."
"I know. But it's a pointless waste of time. My mind has been made up. I quit. And now I find myself here, sipping tea and wearing these black socks." She lay down on the couch propping her head up on the arm, setting the teacup on her stomach and holding it with her left hand.
"You look comfortable." Severus said picking up her feet and setting them in his lap and began massaging her feet. "So it's time to tell me more of your secrets!"
"Oh boy. What do you want to know? I'm not going to start spitting out info, unless of course this has truth serum."
"You'll find out," he said with a smirk rubbing her feet a little harder. "What are you thinking?"
"You and the color black. Don't get me wrong black is a good color. But you have everything in black. Black boots, black robes, black socks, black shirt, black pants...
"I get your point!" Severus interjected. "But everything of mine is not black!"
"What you own a blue shirt?" she asked mordantly.
"I have a grey nightshirt," he replied composedly.
"A grey nightshirt? No white socks? No yellow shirt? Just a load of black and ONE gray night shirt?"
"To answer your questions: yes, no, defiantly not, yes and I already answered your last question first."
"I went through a black phase once. I was eleven. Everything of mine was black. All of my skating outfits were black- clothes, shoes and I even went as far as to buy black boot covers for my skates. I even dyed my hair black! My parents just ignored it. They were no fun."
"I kind of remember you having black hair when you first came here. Then it started going brown."
"That was kind of funny looking," she said with a grin." I'm not dying my hair ever again! Actually I know many spells to change colors, so why would I need to?
Good point. Anyway I like your hair the way it is. Why change it?" Severus began tickling Delia's feet.
"Stop it!" Delia cried, giggling.
"And if I don't." He said tickling a bit faster.
"I'll fling my tea on you!" she replied laughing.
"Oh you will now?" Severus said in his usual soft silky voice. Delia then yanked her feet away, jumped up carefully not to spill her tea and threw her tea. She didn't aim well and it ended up in his face. Severus sat there straight-faced.
Delia started to giggle she covered her mouth. She knew she was in for it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm really really sorry!"
Severus began to give her a cold piercing stare with his black eyes and the said in his silky voice only softer. "You'll be sorry when I'm through with you!" He grabbed Delia and threw her down on the sofa, causing Delia to drop her empty teacup, shattering it. He kissed her fervently.
Once they came up gasping for air Severus looked deep into her eyes with a passion Delia had never seen before. She began stroking a strand of his black hair closest to his left check. "You know you have tea all over your face."
"Thank you for enlightening me. Although, I don't think you are sorry enough!" He said kissing Delia all over her face and neck causing irrepressible giggles.
"Stop it! Stop it! I'm sorry!" she cried in-between giggles.
"No, you aren't," he replied kissing her deeply and full of passion. Delia had never felt anything like this before. This was the strongest sensation she had ever experienced. Her heart was hammering so hard she though it was going to explode. When the kissed ceased Severus gently laid his head on her chest gasping for air. Delia was in a world of daze. She wrapped her arms around Severus, holding him close. Delia inhaled deeply and smelled Calvin Kline's Obsession. They were both in complete relaxation enjoying the warmth.
Delia must have dozed off when she felt a warm hand on her face in addition to heard Severus's silky-smooth voice in a tender manner saying, "Delia, De-lia, Delia!"
"Hmm," she replied groggily. "Five more minutes mom, just five."
"I'm not your mother!"
Delia opened her eyes and found Severus crouched beside her face to face.
"Nope, defiantly not! You are Severus, well least time I checked anyway."
He kissed her tenderly and smiled. "I don't think anybody would want to try a Polyjuice potion on me. So get up. It's almost curfew."
"How long do I have?" she asked sitting up realizing her face was sticky.
"Fifteen minutes. Your hair is sticking to your face. Go wash! The bathroom is on the left wall by the bed. The door is kind of hidden from this angle due to the four-poster. It takes forever to get hot water down here so just fill the basin and tap your wand, it's faster."
"Okey dokey" Delia said standing up on the cold floor and walking to the bathroom door. She pushed open the door and looked around. Delia couldn't believe the space. It was a luxury bathroom by her standards. It was spacious with plenty of shelving, an outsized tub that one could turn into a Jacuzzi. The sink was pretty nice too with ample counter space. Delia looked around briefly. Severus had every imaginable bottle of shampoo and conditioner. He had two types of cologne, 4711 and Obsession. Delia walked over to where he kept the washcloths, took one and walked over to the sink and filled the basin with water. Delia reached into her wand pocket of her Cargo Robe for her wand but realized it wasn't there and remembered that she had forgotten it on the nightstand. So she waved her finger and muttered the spell and the water became warm. She used the bar of soap Severus had out in the soap dish and washed her face. When she finished she released the drain plug and draped the
washcloth over the bathtubs edge. She walked back to the mirror and took a look. She then realized what a mess her hair was. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a brushed and smoothed out her hair, once satisfied she replaced her brush and walked out of the bathroom into the bedchamber.
Severus was staring at the low burning fire when Delia emerged. He smiled at her and said "Well, you had best be getting back before you are out past curfew. I've nightly rounds tonight starting at midnight. So I'll walk you back to your dormitory."
Delia nodded her head and said sleepily, "Ok."
J.K. Rowling created everything I didn't. Places, names, folk and some words are hers. I just borrowed them for a form of amusement.
***
Ch 4. -Typical Friday
Friday wasn't Delia's day. Even with Awaken she still felt funny. She knew she was tired but didn't feel it. The bump on her head was feeling better but it still hurt along with her left side. But above all that she was worried about what kind of trouble she had gotten Severus into. However, there was noting she could do about it in History of Magic. Delia did fall asleep in class. Nicola had to keep nudging Delia to keep her from falling asleep.
Severus sat in Dumbledore's office in front of Dumbledore desk. He was waiting on Dumbledore. Severus sank lower in the chair he was sitting in. He was exhausted. He had used `Awaken' but for some reason he still felt tired. Plus, Delia was on his mind. This always made him smile. Fawkes came over and perched himself on Severus shoulder. Severus always liked Fawkes. But then again who didn't?
"Good morning, Severus I am glad to see you are well this morning. Would you like some tea?" Dumbledore asked.
"No thank you, Headmaster," Severus replied.
"In that case I will just pass on the tea and get to the point." Dumbledore sat down at his desk. "Its about Miss Delia Wheelrite."
Severus sank lower in his chair and spoke coolly, "Headmaster whatever do you mean? She is fine now. She is in class where she is supposed to be."
"Don't play dumb with me, Severus. I know what goes on in this school."
Severus sighed, "I suppose I should tell you that Delia is my apprentice."
"Nothing wrong with that," Dumbledore said. "But there is more. For example for the second night in the term Delia was late going back to the Hufflepuff dormitory. And last night she has a fall where she should have gone to the hospital wing, but instead she stays with you."
"Yes, I was wrong. Miss Wheelrite should have gone to see Madame Pomfrey."
"But that's not the point. That isn't why I have brought you here, Severus."
"They why am I here, Headmaster?" Severus asked.
"I know you care for Delia and she cares for you. But how much have you told her?"
"How much have I told her?" Severus asked playing cool.
"You know what I mean," Dumbledore said.
"About being a former Death Eater?"
"Yes. How much does she know?" Dumbledore asked cafefully.
"Delia knows everything, sir," Severus said with a sigh.
"And she didn't run away?" Dumbledore asked.
"No."
"Well, then you have someone special, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly.
Severus was enraged. "You aren't going to yell at me? You aren't going to sack me? What are you going to do with me?"
"I didn't bring you here to yell at you or sack you. I brought you here to say keep school business school business. Delia is of legal age. She can make her own decisions and I can see she has. I have no control over a situation that doesn't exist. Basically what I am doing is turning my head the other way. But if it gets out of hand I will do something about it. Now, I presume you have classes to prepare for? Yes. Come Fawkes we have many things to do today." Fawkes flew off Severus shoulder as he stood up to leave. "One more thing Severus. Just remember that Delia is special. And you are such a lucky man to have that."
"Yes, Headmaster," Severus replied and left
***
Delia walked into the Great Hall for lunch. She decided that she wasn't going to go to Potions. She needed rest, badly. The Awaken potion wasn't working any longer. She sat at her usually place, alone. Josh and Nicola had decided to skip lunch to study for Potions. Delia thought they were insane. She yawned and thought, I really need some sleep. Severus hadn't shown up for lunch. He must be taking a nap she thought between bites of an Egg Sandwich. But the notion of Professor Snape sleeping was funny. Everyone in Hufflepuff thought he didn't sleep. That was half of his problems.
Delia stood up from the table with a yawn and grabbed her backpack for the second time that day and left the Great Hall. She was about to turn to go on the stairs to the Hufflepuff dorm when she heard Severus voice boom from down the corridor. He sounded irritated, but what else was new? He saw Delia.
"Miss Wheelrite, How is your head?" he asked.
"Its OK, I guess. I mean it quit hurting," she replied.
"Good. May I have a word with you in private?"
"Sure, but were you on your way to lunch? I don't want you to get distracted."
"No, I wasn't. I was on my way to look for you. Now shall we head to my office?"
"Ok, sounds fine by me." Delia began walking with Severus in direction of his office in the dungeon.
"Tell me a bit about Kansas," he said with genuine interest. I've never been. What's the weather like at this time of year?"
"Well, that's a funny question. It can be anything. It can be hot, cold, rainy, snowy, icy, thunderstorms, tornadoes and foggy."
"What was it like when you left a few days ago?" Severus asked.
"It was steamy!" she exclaimed as if it were the worst thing in the world. "It had been raining and was hot. Felt like the tropics. It was so hot; I was wearing a halter-top and shorts! Even then all I wanted to do was sit in a pool of ice water!"
A sly smile crossed his face as they entered the steps to the dungeon. "Halter-top and shorts? I'm not that familiar with Muggle clothing." In all reality he knew what it was.
"A halter-top is a shirt with thin straps and shorts are well pants without the long legs that come up above the knee at various lengths depending on the cut and fashion style."
"So in all reality you were wearing underwear."
"No, not underwear. Summer wear, " she said firmly.
"That gives me an interesting picture of you," he said unlocking his office with his wand. "Ladies first."
"I didn't know you were a gentleman," she said walking in as a few candles lit up. Exposing the various bottles and jars containing floating objects. It gave Delia the jeebies.
"My mother taught me well," he said in a voice unlike Professor Snape and shut the door behind him. "But do tell me more about halter-tops and shorts. I'm truly fascinated by the subject." He wrapped Delia into an embrace and kissed her.
"What do you want to know?" she asked gazing up into his eyes, which had a sparkle as opposed to the cold black they usually were.
"What does the `P' in Delia P Wheelrite stand for?" Severus asked.
"Promise not to laugh?" she asked
"I can't promise."
Delia gave Severus an irritated look. "It stands for Penelope. My full name is Delia Penelope Wheelrite."
"I like that name," he said in his soft silky voice.
"What is your middle name?" Delia asked.
"You know that is funny. I was never given one."
"Really? Wow. Who would have thought Severus Snape has no middle name. That'll make head lines in the Daily Prophet `Hogwarts Teacher Has No Middle Name What So Ever.'" Delia yawned. "Excuse me, rough night last night. I musta had one too many. Remind me not to do that ever again"
"I have question. Why did you crumple up my letter?"
"Oh sorry!" Delia said apologetically. "I was hoping you didn't see that. You see Josh and Nicola were getting inquisitive. So to make them think it was nothing, I had to think of it as nothing. I just said it was a letter from a secret admirer, probably some Slytherin playing jokes. The end, case closed."
"Ok makes since now. So from now on just in case they look I'll sign the letters I send with just an `S' or leave it blank."
"I'm going to get more letters, am I? Sweet," Delia drawled out.
"Maybe you are, maybe not. You may just have to be a good girl."
Delia yawned." Sorry, rough night last night. That was one wild party. I'd do it again...yah."
"Are you going to class?" he asked.
"Nahhh. I have Potions with that freak. He'll probably end up poisoning me one day. And I'd get Saturday detention for falling asleep in my cauldron." Delia could tell Severus was disappointed. "Don't worry; I'll be back for my detention. Tonight. And I have to go. You have class to teach."
"Yes, I do. Have a good nap." Severus gave Delia a longing kiss. Then he opened the door to his office and she left.
***
"DEE! GET UP!" Nicola shouted. "You'll miss dinner. You can't miss dinner! I'll have to hear you gripe all night about being hungry."
"So, I can go to the kitchen later, Delia mumbled sleepily. "I'm goin' back to snooze land."
Sometime later Delia was being prodded. "Don't you have detention with Snape?" Nicola asked.
"Huh! What!" Delia bolted up and looked at her watch. "Oh my god, 7:30! I'm dead." She threw the blankets off and ran out of the dorm towards the dungeons.
She got about halfway down the steps towards the dungeon before she realized that she had failed to put on her shoes. She considered running back and getting them. She could picture where they were, right beside her bed, on the rug. She sighed. `Too late now, genius" she said to herself. She walked into Severus's classroom. He looked up from his desk.
"Miss Wheelrite," he said curtly. "Do you realize you are forty minutes LATE for detention?"
Delia looked at her feet, "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to!"
"Sorry, will not solve this. I am displeased; you have wasted my valuable time. I'd give you dentition again, but that's a waste of time, even if it's with someone else. Instead I am deducting 100 points from Hufflepuff. I'll leave it up to your fellow housemates to torture you." Delia continued to look at her feet. She knew she was in for it when she got back. She felt like crying. But didn't. She knew as a teacher he had to do this. He had no choice she was after all in the wrong. Her feet were beginning to feel the cold. "I was going to start work on a complicated potion. But we don't have enough time. So instead you will scrub down all of the tables and chairs with out the aide of magic. Now, hand over your wand."
Delia reached into her wand pocket of her cargo robes. Her wand wasn't there. Instead it was on her nightstand." Sir," Delia gulped and said quickly. "I have forgotten my wand!"
"Miss Wheelrite!" Severus boomed. "You call yourself a witch!"
Delia was getting mad. "As a matter of fact I do consider myself one, thank-you-very-much."
"Don't get impertinent with me! Twenty Points from Hufflepuff for that cheek and if I hear it again tonight, I'll put a Silencing Charm on you, because obviously you can't improve the silence. NOW GET TO WORK!" He boomed.
Delia rounded up a bucket and sponge and began at the farthest corner of the classroom. She didn't want to look at Severus. She couldn't believe she had acted the way she did. Delia had always been a bit lippy sometimes, but she knew better with Severus. She had learned this in his first class at age twelve. Her first Potions lesson was on her birthday. Severus was picking on her that day...
Severus had been taking roll. He had gotten to Delia's name lastly.
`Wheelrite, Delia.'
`Here!' she called out eagerly.
`Didn't anyone ever teach you here you say present instead of here. I don't know what they teach you Americans. But it's not the way it should be taught.'
`I can't help being American, sir. It's where I was born. I had no choice. Take it up with my parents since you perceive this as a problem.' The entire class erupted in laughter.
`SILENCE' he shouted. The class ceased the laughter. `Five points from Hufflepuff, for that remark, Miss Wheelrite.'
Delia should have shut her trap but instead she said `You have a serious problem, man. Seek help. Americans are your friends. We don't bite too hard.'
Severus came over to the table Delia was sitting at and lowered himself to her eye level and got in her face and growled. `You Miss Wheelrite have just earned detention and ten points from Hufflepuff. I can see that you are not my problem as much as I will be YOURS!' He then rose and went to the front of the class and spoke in a tone that would scare most people. `This is Potions. I hardly doubt many of you will learn the exquisiteness of the discipline. Most Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws are duffs and as a result this is a waste of my time. But you are here nonetheless. There is little idiotic wand waving or invocation in this class.'
`Ok-ay,' Delia said grinning. She wasn't going to be called a duff by a teacher. `Where do I sign up?'
Delia was given the iciest stare from his black eyes. He walked back over to where she was sitting and spoke very softly. `Miss Wheelrite, I knew you would be taxing. It's in the American personality. For your cheek you have just lost Hufflepuff ten more points. If I hear anymore out of you today I will make it fifty! Is that quite clear to you?'
Delia grinned and held up her thumbs and said, `Crystal clear! Gotcha, chief! You're the man! Whatever you say, buddy. I'm with you!' She could tell she had pushed it too far. Severus was gripping the end of the table and his knuckles were turning white. It looked as if a vein in his forehead was going to pop. Her grin quickly faded and a look of terror crossed her face. It was only her third day and it look as if she were going to be thrown out of class. She had been quite in every other class.
`Stand up Miss Wheelrite and follow me," he growled. Delia stood and followed him to the front of the classroom. He took a chair and made her sit facing the class. Severus took her seat next to Nicola. `Since Miss Wheelrite likes to talk so much she will be teaching my class today. Go on, Miss Wheelrite; do tell us about today's potion. What page do I need to open my book to? Miss Wheelrite, I don't have my cauldron. Miss Wheelrite why aren't the instructions on the board!'
`Stop it!' she cried. She was clearly frustrated, `I'm sorry!'
Severus came back to the front of the classroom, `Sit back down, Miss Wheelrite and everyone open your book to page-`
"Delia where are your shoes?"
"Huh, what?" Delia woke up from her memory.
"Where are your shoes," Severus asked again.
"Upstairs. I forgot them."
"How can you forget your shoes?" Severus asked pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"It goes like this, as hummed to the tune of `Yankee Doodle Dandy.' I overslept. I ran out of my bed to get here. And you know the rest." She began scrubbing a table leg.
Severus chuckled. "Your feet must be freezing."
"Yep. But after awhile you don't notice it," she said shrugging her shoulders.
"I didn't know you overslept. You must have been that tired. Listen, I'm sorry for chewing you out like that. I'll only deduct thirty points total."
"No, you shouldn't do that," she said scrubbing the table leg. "I mean after all I was late. It was my responsibility to be here at 7:00 and then I got lippy. I do know better then to do that. You'd think after years of having a hard ass for a Russian figure skating coach I would have learned. I mean you are tame next to this guy. If I was thirty seconds late and if I got lippy late to practice he's have you doing laps in the parking lot for an hour! And believe me running in a parking lot at 5:00 AM isn't my idea of a good time when it snowing. Then you'd go in and have to do push-ups and sit-ups on the ice until he decided you'd had enough. This not only ticked you off, but your parents, because they paid for your coach and the ice time. You are supposed to practice ice-skating and not jogging and sit-ups and push-ups are not part of ice-skating. Then once all that was done with all that he would tell you what a bad performance of what ice-skating you did do and once that
was over he'd threaten to leave you for some other pretty ice skater with a lot more talent then you. No matter how much your parents wanted to pay him." She looked up from scrubbing the table leg.
"So why did you have this coach?" Severus asked.
"Because he was the best," she replied. "My parents had dreams of me being this Olympic skater. The stories I could tell you!"
"Let's go somewhere warmer."
"What about my scrubbing?" she asked confused.
"Forget it dump the water. I shouldn't have even made you serve detention tonight, not after last night. I was being selfish. I just want to see you thati s all. And like I said, its thirty points total."
"I'm not going to argue, since that will get me nowhere." She stood up and picked up the bucket throwing the sponge in. Severus stood up and took the bucket from her and walked over to the sink and discarded it.
"Now, how about we go get a cup of tea?" he suggested.
***
Delia once again found herself in Severus's chambers sipping tea in front of a warm fire and had the chenille throw around her shoulders again. Only this time she didn't have a fall. Severus handed her a pair of black socks. "Put these on," he instructed. "They will keep your feet warm."
"Thanks," she said putting the socks on her feet. The socks were about 3 times too big and when she pulled them on they came up half way up to her knees. Severus sat down on the couch beside Delia and said, "Tell me more about your ice-skating adventures!"
"What do you want to know?" she asked bored.
"Tell me more about this coach you had. You said he made me look tame!"
"His name was Josef Vosika. He always believed discipline was the answer. He was a man who would give you praise if you did something right and it had to be 110% right. He was always ready with his criticism. My parents hired him when I was seven. He always promised me greatness and that every one in the world would know my name. He had a fit when I told him I was quitting to come here."
"I can imagine!" Severus exclaimed.
"His words to me were, `Delia I have made you what you are! How can you leave me! You could have been great at this. I could have helped you to glory only little girls imagine! And now you leave me!' In all truth I was getting tired of ice-skating. That was the only thing I had known. My parents had me on the ice as soon as I could walk. At four I was doing some jumps. At age nine, I was competing in junior tournaments. At eleven I had a junior nationals title. I one day looked in the mirror and saw something. I had been made into somebody, but not by myself. I was made to be what I was by my parents. So I quit and came here. My parents weren't too happy at first but the learned to accept what I was doing. In all reality I really didn't know my parents because I spent so much time with one coach or another. If I wasn't training, I was studying. It was rough."
What would you have done if you hadn't have come here for school?" Severus asked curiously.
"I'd most likely be at the Olympics or would have quit."
"What happened to your coach?"
"Oh this other ice skater I know jumped at the chance to have him as her coach. She is currently winning and has a spot on the US Team for the winter games."
"So you regret not staying?"
"No, not at all. I had to think, did I really wanna do this the rest of my life? Ice-skating is great, but I didn't want to end up with a dead career by thirty-five. And I really didn't want to teach some other kid. And what's funny is when I go back home on holidays I do go to the rink. I end up seeing Josef. He always tells me I'm not his new skater isn't as good as me and that I could have been great..." Delia allowed her voice to trail off.
"You know what's funny?" Severus said. "You could bottle talent and change the course and go back and be better then what you ever could have been."
"I know. But it's a pointless waste of time. My mind has been made up. I quit. And now I find myself here, sipping tea and wearing these black socks." She lay down on the couch propping her head up on the arm, setting the teacup on her stomach and holding it with her left hand.
"You look comfortable." Severus said picking up her feet and setting them in his lap and began massaging her feet. "So it's time to tell me more of your secrets!"
"Oh boy. What do you want to know? I'm not going to start spitting out info, unless of course this has truth serum."
"You'll find out," he said with a smirk rubbing her feet a little harder. "What are you thinking?"
"You and the color black. Don't get me wrong black is a good color. But you have everything in black. Black boots, black robes, black socks, black shirt, black pants...
"I get your point!" Severus interjected. "But everything of mine is not black!"
"What you own a blue shirt?" she asked mordantly.
"I have a grey nightshirt," he replied composedly.
"A grey nightshirt? No white socks? No yellow shirt? Just a load of black and ONE gray night shirt?"
"To answer your questions: yes, no, defiantly not, yes and I already answered your last question first."
"I went through a black phase once. I was eleven. Everything of mine was black. All of my skating outfits were black- clothes, shoes and I even went as far as to buy black boot covers for my skates. I even dyed my hair black! My parents just ignored it. They were no fun."
"I kind of remember you having black hair when you first came here. Then it started going brown."
"That was kind of funny looking," she said with a grin." I'm not dying my hair ever again! Actually I know many spells to change colors, so why would I need to?
Good point. Anyway I like your hair the way it is. Why change it?" Severus began tickling Delia's feet.
"Stop it!" Delia cried, giggling.
"And if I don't." He said tickling a bit faster.
"I'll fling my tea on you!" she replied laughing.
"Oh you will now?" Severus said in his usual soft silky voice. Delia then yanked her feet away, jumped up carefully not to spill her tea and threw her tea. She didn't aim well and it ended up in his face. Severus sat there straight-faced.
Delia started to giggle she covered her mouth. She knew she was in for it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm really really sorry!"
Severus began to give her a cold piercing stare with his black eyes and the said in his silky voice only softer. "You'll be sorry when I'm through with you!" He grabbed Delia and threw her down on the sofa, causing Delia to drop her empty teacup, shattering it. He kissed her fervently.
Once they came up gasping for air Severus looked deep into her eyes with a passion Delia had never seen before. She began stroking a strand of his black hair closest to his left check. "You know you have tea all over your face."
"Thank you for enlightening me. Although, I don't think you are sorry enough!" He said kissing Delia all over her face and neck causing irrepressible giggles.
"Stop it! Stop it! I'm sorry!" she cried in-between giggles.
"No, you aren't," he replied kissing her deeply and full of passion. Delia had never felt anything like this before. This was the strongest sensation she had ever experienced. Her heart was hammering so hard she though it was going to explode. When the kissed ceased Severus gently laid his head on her chest gasping for air. Delia was in a world of daze. She wrapped her arms around Severus, holding him close. Delia inhaled deeply and smelled Calvin Kline's Obsession. They were both in complete relaxation enjoying the warmth.
Delia must have dozed off when she felt a warm hand on her face in addition to heard Severus's silky-smooth voice in a tender manner saying, "Delia, De-lia, Delia!"
"Hmm," she replied groggily. "Five more minutes mom, just five."
"I'm not your mother!"
Delia opened her eyes and found Severus crouched beside her face to face.
"Nope, defiantly not! You are Severus, well least time I checked anyway."
He kissed her tenderly and smiled. "I don't think anybody would want to try a Polyjuice potion on me. So get up. It's almost curfew."
"How long do I have?" she asked sitting up realizing her face was sticky.
"Fifteen minutes. Your hair is sticking to your face. Go wash! The bathroom is on the left wall by the bed. The door is kind of hidden from this angle due to the four-poster. It takes forever to get hot water down here so just fill the basin and tap your wand, it's faster."
"Okey dokey" Delia said standing up on the cold floor and walking to the bathroom door. She pushed open the door and looked around. Delia couldn't believe the space. It was a luxury bathroom by her standards. It was spacious with plenty of shelving, an outsized tub that one could turn into a Jacuzzi. The sink was pretty nice too with ample counter space. Delia looked around briefly. Severus had every imaginable bottle of shampoo and conditioner. He had two types of cologne, 4711 and Obsession. Delia walked over to where he kept the washcloths, took one and walked over to the sink and filled the basin with water. Delia reached into her wand pocket of her Cargo Robe for her wand but realized it wasn't there and remembered that she had forgotten it on the nightstand. So she waved her finger and muttered the spell and the water became warm. She used the bar of soap Severus had out in the soap dish and washed her face. When she finished she released the drain plug and draped the
washcloth over the bathtubs edge. She walked back to the mirror and took a look. She then realized what a mess her hair was. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a brushed and smoothed out her hair, once satisfied she replaced her brush and walked out of the bathroom into the bedchamber.
Severus was staring at the low burning fire when Delia emerged. He smiled at her and said "Well, you had best be getting back before you are out past curfew. I've nightly rounds tonight starting at midnight. So I'll walk you back to your dormitory."
Delia nodded her head and said sleepily, "Ok."