R WARNING
Rate change for THIS CHAPTER
Playing by the rules of the game, I must inform my readers that the following chapter contains sexual activities between consenting adults. It is nothing extreme, but if your are deemed under age by your society, then I guess that - officially- you should stop reading -right now-. I do not think my story deserves the NC-17 rating- I've upgraded -THIS CHAPTER- to R merely to be on the safe side. Do not get me wrong, I -love- frolicking around in the NC-17 section myself and admire many of the stories posted there.
Personally, I have a healthy aversion against anything -official-, and leave it up to your own good judgement and taste whether you would like to read on or not. However, if you pass this chapter over, you -will- miss part of the plot. But between you and me, my dear reader, somehow I think you are reading this announcement more with an attitude like 'okay, you've made us wait for -months- for this- NOW GET ON WITH IT!' than anything.
I've been deeply honoured and moved by comments of readers who told me my story is suitable for younger persons, even if more violent parts had to be skipped. I'll leave it to the discretion of these kind readers what to relate to others and what not. I don't mean for the little ones to either get nightmares from my writings, or get bored during a somewhat heated snog session.
And to all of you, thank you for sticking with my story, and enjoy!
Andolyn
J.K. Rowling dreamed up the plot
For the books, Bloomsbury bought the lot
Warner Bros owns it all for the big screen
I'm just in for fun, so suing would be mean!
Andolyn
28. While you sleep, I will miss you
Dinner went as dinners do. Snape's absence was not commented upon. Apparently the others were so used to him skipping dinner, they had been more surprised by his continued presence of late. Ari could not get the stoic voice out of her mind, telling her as impersonal as possible of being disgusted with existence itself. She felt a headache coming up and rubbed her temple.
Someone was staring at her intently so she looked up and into the gentle face and sharp scrutiny of the Headmaster.
"The salt, please?" he asked kindly, as if repeating the question. Ari frowned and nodded, reached out for the pepper, realised her mistake, took the salt and gave it to him.
An innocent little mistake, almost going unnoticed. Everybody made mistakes.
The Headmasters voice droned in Ari's mind with the words of a week ago. Things he had said during her first evening at Hogwarts.
'Others have strayed from the path in the past. - If I had listened and taken better care of others, I could have helped some of the best of us not to fall prey to evil. But I did not. We have all made mistakes. Yet now, my friends, it is time for us to stop looking over our shoulders and face what is to come, so we are prepared for what has to be done.'
Some of the best who had fallen prey to evil. Because they had not been taken care of, not been listened to. With those few words the Headmaster had taken responsibility for the fall of some of them, and instinctively Ari understood the Headmaster had meant Severus, had meant to redeem him. Yet in that same breath he had declared that the past was dead and all had to move on now.
The past was certainly not dead to the man down below in his secluded dungeon, clawing at his own old mistakes, reliving them and trying to live with them constantly.
Ari was not so hungry anymore.
She could feel the love these people had for each other. She could feel the friendship and the tenderness. But to some and for some, acceptance came grudgingly and friendship seemed to have a taste of hypocrisy imbedded within it.
The Headmaster cared for her Severus. Deeply, so it seemed. And yet-
And yet-
And when had the Potions Master become -her- Severus within her mind?
There were puzzles within these great halls. Puzzles within puzzles and the key of it all lay in both the past and the future. Within Harry and Black. Within Dumbledore and Snape.
But for now, there was no puzzle on her path. Ari found her own course clear, if difficult. She did not care if Severus desired to lock himself away in the dungeons of the castle- but taking the dead looks he had given her before, she understood it was -vital- he was coaxed out of the dungeon of his own mind.
If his hands were indeed bloodied with the victims of the past, then their voices were gone and they could not absolve him. The people of today had no right to do so and he was intelligent enough to understand that. In fact, that was part of the problem.
He needed to forgive himself and for that, he had to believe he was -worthy- to be forgiven. Unfortunately, she could not reach into his mind and turn on some light bulb to make him see this.
But she could be there for him. And if he cared for her, and she convinced him of her feelings for him, perhaps that would be enough.
Enough not to allow himself to destroy himself.
The respected father figure of the Headmaster was not enough- Why, Ari was not sure off, but she was sure she would figure that one out along the way.
She forked her food with a smile on her face and without eating it. Severus had not destroyed her life with involving her in his own. Perhaps, he had started it.
Harry told all about the interview with Gates. There was talk about the organisation of the open house they were to give, and for a change Filch had joined them, rather shyly Ari thought. He reported all the supplies to do up the Shrieking Shack had been delivered, and work on the house could start as soon as anyone wanted to. Lupin seemed very pleased with that. Ari noticed even the werewolf was sneakily feeding Mrs Norris under the table.
Ari paid just about enough attention to the conversation to nod or shake her head at the right moments and left as soon as civility allowed .
By now, she was more able to find her way through the castle unaided. That was to say, to her rooms and back to the Great Hall, the classroom that was destined to be hers and so on. As long as the stairs remained in place that was.
Which of cause they did not, the one she was climbing moved to an entirely different spot altogether and the moment it had anchored itself at the top, it let go of the floor she had left. Annoyed but left with very little choice, Ari entered the hallway where she had been deposited. An extremely cold draft from somewhere to the right convinced her of a certain ghosts hand in leading her here, and she followed it towards a tall oak door with intricate carvings of dancing people, sporting elaborate wigs and wide gowns straight out of the seventeenth century.
There was a faint trace of music, a harp, a flute. The old-fashioned loosely falling tones of a spinet.
Curious Ari pushed at the door and it swung open in absolute silence, to reveal a huge, empty ballroom.
Tall mirrors, tainted by moisture, covered the walls. Huge, empty chandeliers swayed gently in a draft and their crystal ornaments tinkled, whispering softly to the dust covered dance floor. The ghost of the song played just beyond hearing range. Dancers, flickering in and out of view, swayed in the distance of the mirrors. Ari found herself reflected a thousand fold. Silently she moved forward, to the one ray of soft toned evening light permitted in the blue empty darkness through a crack in a wall. The light found no reflection, and fell on a mannequin.
Ari felt like Cinderella awaiting her fairy godmother. The doll had been dressed in a gown from a long forgotten age. Pastel blue satin, richly embroiled with a web of silver stitching, capturing pearls like flies and set of with elegant lace, trailing widely and cut low at the top. High heeled small boots, covered with the same satin stood by the dress and next to it stood a table with a half open wooden box on it. Ari peered inside and found a bodice and soft undergarments of blue silk and the same elaborate lace on a pillow of red velvet
"Dear lord-"was all Ari could say. Then she whirled around.
"Baron!" she cried out.
"Baron- is this from you?"
The music fell silent and the dancers retreated trough the thousand images of the one door. And Ari was left with her own thousand reflections, who, independent of her moving, turned to face her and walked towards the edge of their mirror. No longer dressed in the plain grey robes that had been issued her, but with the dress trailing and outlining her form, her hair flowing round her face like a river of pale gold and taking a proud, confident stance.
Ari shivered. Not in fear, but in awe and not so much of the dress, but of the way her unknown benefactor saw her.
So many layers within this gift. This was how she could be, if she chose to. But Severus did not need for her to dress up like this, she knew that. He had already proven to her there was no need for- how had Peeves called it? Thrillies and things? Yet, he had done a similar thing for her- How would it make -him- feel, if she made herself so splendorous for him. What would it do to him, if he realised he was thought of as worthy of all that. This was no dress to be worn in her simple rooms, it was far too grandiose, worthy of a queen. Ari carefully plucked it from the mannequin and held the soft fabric against her cheek and smiled a dreamy and enchanted smile. What would it do to him, to be touched by the regal vision in the mirror made flesh trough her? Quickly she folded the dress as careful as she could and stuffed it into the box, closed it and lifted the surprisingly light burden with one hand, took the shoes in the other.
"Have you been reading my mind, Baron?" she whispered to the empty space. "Thank you!" she said loudly, addressing the mirror images, who smiled at her, then faded. She turned round and round, only to be faced by her true self .
"Thank you." She said again, more quietly and hurried out.
Ari felt like dancing. When she swirled around, the silver-blue dress flowed like water round her legs and ankles and she felt like a fairytale princes.
"Oh- yes, yes, yes! This is -exactly the kind of pale blue that goes with your eyes. I -told- her this would be good for you!"
Ari stopped in mid-swirl. "Whom did you tell what?!"
"Well, the Grey Lady, off course. Thought that -if- the Baron just -had- to meddle with the Potions Master's affairs, they better do it well and make sure you were a lot less plain."
"I am -not- plain and I -don't- need a dress to prove it! And who are -they-!"
Ari was fuming by now. The poor mirror retracted against the wall as far as it could in it's frame, distorting Ari's image to an elongated stick figure.
"The Ghost Council" it shrieked. "The Baron wishes to help you -without- the living knowing. But even -he- needs the help from the other ghosts for that. If only to make sure Peeves keeps out of it. And the Grey Lady sees everything like Arithmancy. Boy plus girl plus nice dress is guaranteed whoopee!"
"Right! I think I'm going to put a towel over you tonight!"
"Oh- puleese?! Please don't?"
Ari took a brush and started to fluff out her hair.
"I'll think about it! And how many ghost are there exactly in that council?"
"All the castle ghost- but nobody knows how many there are- I don't think they know themselves."
Damn.
The mirror calmed down somewhat and returned to normal, while Ari brusher her hair with nervous, angry strokes.
"You're hair is fine, dear."
"OHW!" Ari shouted, an threw the brush at the mirror in a fit.
"Just SHUT UP!"
"You don't have to be so nervous dear, you really look lovely."
Ari silently tried to count to ten to calm herself while looking where the brush had landed. She had reached twenty-one before she found both it and her composure.
"Thanks. And my apologies."
"No towel?"
"But I won't keep the door open either!"
The mirror huffed. "O please- finally some action around here and -I- won't be getting any of it! Can't you hang me in the bedroom somewhere? Please?"
"No- you voyeuristic piece of furniture!"
"Hé! I'm a mirror, I look, that is what I do!"
"I thought mirrors reflected."
"So?"
"So go reflect! Meditate or something."
And with that, Ari left the bathroom and made herself comfortable in the sitting.
Stood up and stared out of the window to the dark world.
Turned, inspected the neatness of the room, the wine she had asked the house elves to bring her, and sat down again.
Mentally made a list of all the things she had to do to prepare her classes.
She was halfway, when a knock on her door made her jump.
"Come in," she said so timidly she doubted even the door could have heard her. She coughed discreetly behind her hand, took a deep breath and repeated herself in a much more forceful and steady voice.
"Come in!"
The dark form that entered, looked back over his shoulder, not at her, closed the door quickly and only then turned to face her.
Snape had a little package in his hand, and nearly dropped it. He stared at her, wide eyed, lips moving as if fighting to come up with words- a losing battle. It had to be a first for the sarcastic Potions Master, to find himself absolutely at a loss for words.
"Good evening, Severus."
He blinked. "You look like a Fae."
She took a tentative step closer.
"And that is a good thing?"
"For you? Yes. However, for the poor fool you've ensnared-"
Snape reached for her and she took his hand.
"We've been quite set up, haven't we?"
Ari's smile turned wry.
"Now what on earth makes you say a thing like that?"
He waved the little box.
"When I went to my bedroom I found -this-, on my pillow."
"A present?"
"Not for me." Severus talked slowly and huskily, almost giving each word its own identity and his voice made Ari shiver.
"I think, this goes better, with your- costume."
While drinking in her appearance with his eyes, Severus opened the small box. In it, on a bed of blue velvet, lay a sparkling silver necklace of intricately woven strands and with a sapphire pendant. Not overlarge, not small, simply gorgeous.
"Oh, Sev-"
"May I?" he asked, taking the necklace between the tips of his fingers. Ari nodded numbly and turned. Carefully, tenderly, she felt him reach around her, his hands brushing through her hair, the weight of the necklace settling around her throat. A little pressure on her shoulders made her face him. She touched the stone almost shyly before looking up at his face.
Again that impassive, icy mask- but the eyes were burning for her.
"You're a vision."
She tilted her face and gave him the pale expanse of her skin, neck, throat, chest.
"Then what is wrong."
"I do not enjoy being manipulated."
Or having his gifts chosen for him, apparently. Even the kindest of acts could go so wrong in so many ways, with this man.
Ari stepped a bit closer.
"If you do not -like- the dress,"
A bit closer still, he stood his ground.
"or the necklace,"
They stood practically toe to toe and she could see the mild surprise in his eyes for the shoes made her quite a bit taller.
"or the shoes for that matter,"
Ari lay her hands flat on his chest, noticing the soft, thick fabric under her already sensitised fingertips and the light shudder that went through him upon her touch. She put up her chin and almost reached his ear with her whisper, her breath on his cheek.
"Then help me out of them."
The tremble in his body was back. Ari felt an odd wave of protectiveness course through her. He was so much stronger than her in so many ways- And yet, somehow, so -damned- fragile.
Her arms slipped around his waist, while Severus cupped her face in his hands and gently tilted it a little, thumbs brushing her lips, before he, with hooded eyes, touched his lips to hers, keeping very still for a moment, breaths mingling.
Ari flicked her tongue and he accepted the invitation greedily.
The deep kiss left Ari breathless, and she felt her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed when he let go of her lips, only to explore her neck with soft little kisses. She took his dark head in her hands, moved his face over her exposed chest, heard and felt his sharp intake of breath when his nose touched her cleavage.
Snape straightened, taking deep breaths and with an almost drugged expression on his features, stepped back.
"Sev-" Ari said, for a moment afraid he would flee. But he put has hands on her shoulders, gently letting his fingers dance to her elbows.
"You're a dream," he whispered. "Don't wake me."
He stroke her sides, hips. And knelt for her.
"Severus!"
"Hush- he said, laying his hands on her left ankle, tugging at the ribbon that was her shoelace. "Put your hands on my shoulders." She obeyed, and he removed the shoe, making her unstable and holding on tight not to fall. He was not humiliating himself for her, thank goodness. She had invited him to unwrap her, and so he did.
Severus removed the other shoe, moved his hands up the fabric of the dress. Even kneeling, his head reached nearly to her breasts and for a moment, he embraced her, held her tight, burying his face against her while Ari embraced his head and shoulders.
"You're a dream-" he repeated, voice more steady now, hands trailing down again, disappearing under the hem, touching her ankles, calves, thighs, gently moving and reverently stoking, while the skirt of the dress pooled over his arms, taken up while he slowly stood. Ari lifted her arms and in a flurry of satin and pearls, the dress was flung over her head, landed somewhere on the other side of the room, taking her glasses with it somewhere in its folds.
For a moment disoriented in a suddenly blurred world, Ari did not protest when she was easily picked up, one arm around her shoulders, the other in her knees. She put her arms around Severus's neck and kissed him, while he carried her like a bride into the bedroom. Candles flickered into life. Their kiss was not broken, until he carefully set her down upon the bed and started to strip. Ari reached behind her neck and removed the necklace, but when she started to undo the ribbon of her bodice, her hands were caught and her fingertips brought to his lips again.
"No- please- Let me."
Severus still had to remove his boots, black trousers and white shift, that was open at the top. While he turned to remove the boots, she embraced him from behind, hands playfully exploring the skin she could reach through the small opening at the collar. And when he straitened a bit with a low, rumbling chuckle, Ari's other hand went south. Severus went completely still, throwing his head back over her shoulder, moaning with that deep, velvet voice of his, while Ari stroke his shaft through his trousers, turning her face, gently biting his earlobe, letting her tong flick over all the sensitive spots.
Severus could take very little of this. "O gods- stop!" he breathed, grabbing her hand and pushing her down on the bed, enveloping Ari in his arms, this time kissing her with fury and without holding back. Until he tore himself away from her with equal fury. They stared in each others eyes with the same wide eyed hungry expression on their features. Severus straitened, tearing the shift from his body while Ary quickly undid his buckle and pulled down his trousers. He flung the shift to some corner, indifferent where it landed, stilled Ari's hands when she reached for him again, kicking of his boots and quickly wiggled out of his remaining garments. Another time Ari would heed Severus's request not to undress herself, but something had changed the pace of their passion and while he was fighting with his hoses, Ari held his eyes while she undid her bodice and sent it the way of Severus's shift, slipped out of her panties and removed the remaining thrillies and things.
Kneeling on the bed they reached for each other. Severus pulled Ari's head back hard, one hand entangled in the strands of her hair, the other in the small of her back, bending over her, taking her nipples into his mouth, kissing, suckling and even gently biting them. Ari screamed, feeling his hardness nudging her, reaching blindly for him, holding his head firmly in place and digging her nails into his shoulder, unconsciously drawing blood.
With another growl Severus untangled himself, pushed Ari back into the pillows, cradled her head on his forearms, pushed her thighs wide with his knee and entered her deeply, shuddering. Ari brought up her legs behind his lower back, locked her ankles, kissed the nearest part of skin her lips could reach, which happened to be just under his collarbone and sucked hard, reaching round him, pulling him down on her and held on.
Time held its breath, while they moved, only conscious of each other, of the burn in their chests, of the words that could only be conveyed with strokes and kissed and the deep passion they saw mirrored in the others eyes.
From his strangled moans and desperate expression on his face, she understood Severus was holding back now, with great cost to himself. So she let go of herself and moved with him, until that familiar burn reached up from her centre, enveloped her, shook her uncontrollably and she felt her movements took him with her.
They cried out.
Then stilled.
Severus breathed heavily, his full weight settling over Ari. She reached up and gently combed through his matted hair. And she knew she loved to be blanketed like this. Nothing in the world could touch or disturb her like this. Until Severus seemed to gather his wits and he rolled of her. His breath still not under control, the next shiver rocking his body having more to do with the cool air in the room and the drying sweat on his body.
Without word, Ari gave him a soft pat on the thigh and he moved a bit so she could pull the blankets from under him to cover them both.
"Nox.", he murmured, waved with his hand. With that command the room darkened and suddenly the pale light of the near full moon added its eternal magic.
Laying on his back, Severus opened his arms to her. Using his shoulder for a pillow, Ari wrapped herself around him, both extremely tired.
Gently Ari mapped the planes of Severus's chest with soft strokes that seemed to calm him. Still, it took a long while before his breathing evened out and settled into a smooth rhythm, indicating sleep.
"You're so thin," Ari whispered when she was sure he could not hear her. "So pale. And so hungry. So very hungry."
She kissed the skin near her lips, tasted his sweat and to her surprise, her own tears. Holding him a bit firmer, she realised her promise to the Baron not to abandon this man would not be hard to keep, if it were up to her.
Not hard at all.
************************************************************
Title from the song 'Falling into you' by Celine Dion.
This is no songfic, but if it were, I probably would have chosen this song. It was and will remain a huge inspiration for the whole story.
And in your eyes
I see ribbons of colour
I see us
Inside of each other
I feel my conscious merge with yours
And I hear a voice say
What's his is hers
I am falling into you
(falling into you)
History could come true
And it feels so good
Falling into you
I was afraid
To let you in here
Now I have learned
Love can be made in fear
The walls begin to tumble down
And I can't even see the ground
I am falling into you
(falling into you)
History could come true
And it feels so good
Falling into you
Falling like a leave
Falling like a star
Finding a believe
Falling where you are
Catch me don't let me drop
Love me don't ever stop
So close your eyes
And let me kiss you
And while you sleep
I will miss you
Rate change for THIS CHAPTER
Playing by the rules of the game, I must inform my readers that the following chapter contains sexual activities between consenting adults. It is nothing extreme, but if your are deemed under age by your society, then I guess that - officially- you should stop reading -right now-. I do not think my story deserves the NC-17 rating- I've upgraded -THIS CHAPTER- to R merely to be on the safe side. Do not get me wrong, I -love- frolicking around in the NC-17 section myself and admire many of the stories posted there.
Personally, I have a healthy aversion against anything -official-, and leave it up to your own good judgement and taste whether you would like to read on or not. However, if you pass this chapter over, you -will- miss part of the plot. But between you and me, my dear reader, somehow I think you are reading this announcement more with an attitude like 'okay, you've made us wait for -months- for this- NOW GET ON WITH IT!' than anything.
I've been deeply honoured and moved by comments of readers who told me my story is suitable for younger persons, even if more violent parts had to be skipped. I'll leave it to the discretion of these kind readers what to relate to others and what not. I don't mean for the little ones to either get nightmares from my writings, or get bored during a somewhat heated snog session.
And to all of you, thank you for sticking with my story, and enjoy!
Andolyn
J.K. Rowling dreamed up the plot
For the books, Bloomsbury bought the lot
Warner Bros owns it all for the big screen
I'm just in for fun, so suing would be mean!
Andolyn
28. While you sleep, I will miss you
Dinner went as dinners do. Snape's absence was not commented upon. Apparently the others were so used to him skipping dinner, they had been more surprised by his continued presence of late. Ari could not get the stoic voice out of her mind, telling her as impersonal as possible of being disgusted with existence itself. She felt a headache coming up and rubbed her temple.
Someone was staring at her intently so she looked up and into the gentle face and sharp scrutiny of the Headmaster.
"The salt, please?" he asked kindly, as if repeating the question. Ari frowned and nodded, reached out for the pepper, realised her mistake, took the salt and gave it to him.
An innocent little mistake, almost going unnoticed. Everybody made mistakes.
The Headmasters voice droned in Ari's mind with the words of a week ago. Things he had said during her first evening at Hogwarts.
'Others have strayed from the path in the past. - If I had listened and taken better care of others, I could have helped some of the best of us not to fall prey to evil. But I did not. We have all made mistakes. Yet now, my friends, it is time for us to stop looking over our shoulders and face what is to come, so we are prepared for what has to be done.'
Some of the best who had fallen prey to evil. Because they had not been taken care of, not been listened to. With those few words the Headmaster had taken responsibility for the fall of some of them, and instinctively Ari understood the Headmaster had meant Severus, had meant to redeem him. Yet in that same breath he had declared that the past was dead and all had to move on now.
The past was certainly not dead to the man down below in his secluded dungeon, clawing at his own old mistakes, reliving them and trying to live with them constantly.
Ari was not so hungry anymore.
She could feel the love these people had for each other. She could feel the friendship and the tenderness. But to some and for some, acceptance came grudgingly and friendship seemed to have a taste of hypocrisy imbedded within it.
The Headmaster cared for her Severus. Deeply, so it seemed. And yet-
And yet-
And when had the Potions Master become -her- Severus within her mind?
There were puzzles within these great halls. Puzzles within puzzles and the key of it all lay in both the past and the future. Within Harry and Black. Within Dumbledore and Snape.
But for now, there was no puzzle on her path. Ari found her own course clear, if difficult. She did not care if Severus desired to lock himself away in the dungeons of the castle- but taking the dead looks he had given her before, she understood it was -vital- he was coaxed out of the dungeon of his own mind.
If his hands were indeed bloodied with the victims of the past, then their voices were gone and they could not absolve him. The people of today had no right to do so and he was intelligent enough to understand that. In fact, that was part of the problem.
He needed to forgive himself and for that, he had to believe he was -worthy- to be forgiven. Unfortunately, she could not reach into his mind and turn on some light bulb to make him see this.
But she could be there for him. And if he cared for her, and she convinced him of her feelings for him, perhaps that would be enough.
Enough not to allow himself to destroy himself.
The respected father figure of the Headmaster was not enough- Why, Ari was not sure off, but she was sure she would figure that one out along the way.
She forked her food with a smile on her face and without eating it. Severus had not destroyed her life with involving her in his own. Perhaps, he had started it.
Harry told all about the interview with Gates. There was talk about the organisation of the open house they were to give, and for a change Filch had joined them, rather shyly Ari thought. He reported all the supplies to do up the Shrieking Shack had been delivered, and work on the house could start as soon as anyone wanted to. Lupin seemed very pleased with that. Ari noticed even the werewolf was sneakily feeding Mrs Norris under the table.
Ari paid just about enough attention to the conversation to nod or shake her head at the right moments and left as soon as civility allowed .
By now, she was more able to find her way through the castle unaided. That was to say, to her rooms and back to the Great Hall, the classroom that was destined to be hers and so on. As long as the stairs remained in place that was.
Which of cause they did not, the one she was climbing moved to an entirely different spot altogether and the moment it had anchored itself at the top, it let go of the floor she had left. Annoyed but left with very little choice, Ari entered the hallway where she had been deposited. An extremely cold draft from somewhere to the right convinced her of a certain ghosts hand in leading her here, and she followed it towards a tall oak door with intricate carvings of dancing people, sporting elaborate wigs and wide gowns straight out of the seventeenth century.
There was a faint trace of music, a harp, a flute. The old-fashioned loosely falling tones of a spinet.
Curious Ari pushed at the door and it swung open in absolute silence, to reveal a huge, empty ballroom.
Tall mirrors, tainted by moisture, covered the walls. Huge, empty chandeliers swayed gently in a draft and their crystal ornaments tinkled, whispering softly to the dust covered dance floor. The ghost of the song played just beyond hearing range. Dancers, flickering in and out of view, swayed in the distance of the mirrors. Ari found herself reflected a thousand fold. Silently she moved forward, to the one ray of soft toned evening light permitted in the blue empty darkness through a crack in a wall. The light found no reflection, and fell on a mannequin.
Ari felt like Cinderella awaiting her fairy godmother. The doll had been dressed in a gown from a long forgotten age. Pastel blue satin, richly embroiled with a web of silver stitching, capturing pearls like flies and set of with elegant lace, trailing widely and cut low at the top. High heeled small boots, covered with the same satin stood by the dress and next to it stood a table with a half open wooden box on it. Ari peered inside and found a bodice and soft undergarments of blue silk and the same elaborate lace on a pillow of red velvet
"Dear lord-"was all Ari could say. Then she whirled around.
"Baron!" she cried out.
"Baron- is this from you?"
The music fell silent and the dancers retreated trough the thousand images of the one door. And Ari was left with her own thousand reflections, who, independent of her moving, turned to face her and walked towards the edge of their mirror. No longer dressed in the plain grey robes that had been issued her, but with the dress trailing and outlining her form, her hair flowing round her face like a river of pale gold and taking a proud, confident stance.
Ari shivered. Not in fear, but in awe and not so much of the dress, but of the way her unknown benefactor saw her.
So many layers within this gift. This was how she could be, if she chose to. But Severus did not need for her to dress up like this, she knew that. He had already proven to her there was no need for- how had Peeves called it? Thrillies and things? Yet, he had done a similar thing for her- How would it make -him- feel, if she made herself so splendorous for him. What would it do to him, if he realised he was thought of as worthy of all that. This was no dress to be worn in her simple rooms, it was far too grandiose, worthy of a queen. Ari carefully plucked it from the mannequin and held the soft fabric against her cheek and smiled a dreamy and enchanted smile. What would it do to him, to be touched by the regal vision in the mirror made flesh trough her? Quickly she folded the dress as careful as she could and stuffed it into the box, closed it and lifted the surprisingly light burden with one hand, took the shoes in the other.
"Have you been reading my mind, Baron?" she whispered to the empty space. "Thank you!" she said loudly, addressing the mirror images, who smiled at her, then faded. She turned round and round, only to be faced by her true self .
"Thank you." She said again, more quietly and hurried out.
Ari felt like dancing. When she swirled around, the silver-blue dress flowed like water round her legs and ankles and she felt like a fairytale princes.
"Oh- yes, yes, yes! This is -exactly the kind of pale blue that goes with your eyes. I -told- her this would be good for you!"
Ari stopped in mid-swirl. "Whom did you tell what?!"
"Well, the Grey Lady, off course. Thought that -if- the Baron just -had- to meddle with the Potions Master's affairs, they better do it well and make sure you were a lot less plain."
"I am -not- plain and I -don't- need a dress to prove it! And who are -they-!"
Ari was fuming by now. The poor mirror retracted against the wall as far as it could in it's frame, distorting Ari's image to an elongated stick figure.
"The Ghost Council" it shrieked. "The Baron wishes to help you -without- the living knowing. But even -he- needs the help from the other ghosts for that. If only to make sure Peeves keeps out of it. And the Grey Lady sees everything like Arithmancy. Boy plus girl plus nice dress is guaranteed whoopee!"
"Right! I think I'm going to put a towel over you tonight!"
"Oh- puleese?! Please don't?"
Ari took a brush and started to fluff out her hair.
"I'll think about it! And how many ghost are there exactly in that council?"
"All the castle ghost- but nobody knows how many there are- I don't think they know themselves."
Damn.
The mirror calmed down somewhat and returned to normal, while Ari brusher her hair with nervous, angry strokes.
"You're hair is fine, dear."
"OHW!" Ari shouted, an threw the brush at the mirror in a fit.
"Just SHUT UP!"
"You don't have to be so nervous dear, you really look lovely."
Ari silently tried to count to ten to calm herself while looking where the brush had landed. She had reached twenty-one before she found both it and her composure.
"Thanks. And my apologies."
"No towel?"
"But I won't keep the door open either!"
The mirror huffed. "O please- finally some action around here and -I- won't be getting any of it! Can't you hang me in the bedroom somewhere? Please?"
"No- you voyeuristic piece of furniture!"
"Hé! I'm a mirror, I look, that is what I do!"
"I thought mirrors reflected."
"So?"
"So go reflect! Meditate or something."
And with that, Ari left the bathroom and made herself comfortable in the sitting.
Stood up and stared out of the window to the dark world.
Turned, inspected the neatness of the room, the wine she had asked the house elves to bring her, and sat down again.
Mentally made a list of all the things she had to do to prepare her classes.
She was halfway, when a knock on her door made her jump.
"Come in," she said so timidly she doubted even the door could have heard her. She coughed discreetly behind her hand, took a deep breath and repeated herself in a much more forceful and steady voice.
"Come in!"
The dark form that entered, looked back over his shoulder, not at her, closed the door quickly and only then turned to face her.
Snape had a little package in his hand, and nearly dropped it. He stared at her, wide eyed, lips moving as if fighting to come up with words- a losing battle. It had to be a first for the sarcastic Potions Master, to find himself absolutely at a loss for words.
"Good evening, Severus."
He blinked. "You look like a Fae."
She took a tentative step closer.
"And that is a good thing?"
"For you? Yes. However, for the poor fool you've ensnared-"
Snape reached for her and she took his hand.
"We've been quite set up, haven't we?"
Ari's smile turned wry.
"Now what on earth makes you say a thing like that?"
He waved the little box.
"When I went to my bedroom I found -this-, on my pillow."
"A present?"
"Not for me." Severus talked slowly and huskily, almost giving each word its own identity and his voice made Ari shiver.
"I think, this goes better, with your- costume."
While drinking in her appearance with his eyes, Severus opened the small box. In it, on a bed of blue velvet, lay a sparkling silver necklace of intricately woven strands and with a sapphire pendant. Not overlarge, not small, simply gorgeous.
"Oh, Sev-"
"May I?" he asked, taking the necklace between the tips of his fingers. Ari nodded numbly and turned. Carefully, tenderly, she felt him reach around her, his hands brushing through her hair, the weight of the necklace settling around her throat. A little pressure on her shoulders made her face him. She touched the stone almost shyly before looking up at his face.
Again that impassive, icy mask- but the eyes were burning for her.
"You're a vision."
She tilted her face and gave him the pale expanse of her skin, neck, throat, chest.
"Then what is wrong."
"I do not enjoy being manipulated."
Or having his gifts chosen for him, apparently. Even the kindest of acts could go so wrong in so many ways, with this man.
Ari stepped a bit closer.
"If you do not -like- the dress,"
A bit closer still, he stood his ground.
"or the necklace,"
They stood practically toe to toe and she could see the mild surprise in his eyes for the shoes made her quite a bit taller.
"or the shoes for that matter,"
Ari lay her hands flat on his chest, noticing the soft, thick fabric under her already sensitised fingertips and the light shudder that went through him upon her touch. She put up her chin and almost reached his ear with her whisper, her breath on his cheek.
"Then help me out of them."
The tremble in his body was back. Ari felt an odd wave of protectiveness course through her. He was so much stronger than her in so many ways- And yet, somehow, so -damned- fragile.
Her arms slipped around his waist, while Severus cupped her face in his hands and gently tilted it a little, thumbs brushing her lips, before he, with hooded eyes, touched his lips to hers, keeping very still for a moment, breaths mingling.
Ari flicked her tongue and he accepted the invitation greedily.
The deep kiss left Ari breathless, and she felt her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed when he let go of her lips, only to explore her neck with soft little kisses. She took his dark head in her hands, moved his face over her exposed chest, heard and felt his sharp intake of breath when his nose touched her cleavage.
Snape straightened, taking deep breaths and with an almost drugged expression on his features, stepped back.
"Sev-" Ari said, for a moment afraid he would flee. But he put has hands on her shoulders, gently letting his fingers dance to her elbows.
"You're a dream," he whispered. "Don't wake me."
He stroke her sides, hips. And knelt for her.
"Severus!"
"Hush- he said, laying his hands on her left ankle, tugging at the ribbon that was her shoelace. "Put your hands on my shoulders." She obeyed, and he removed the shoe, making her unstable and holding on tight not to fall. He was not humiliating himself for her, thank goodness. She had invited him to unwrap her, and so he did.
Severus removed the other shoe, moved his hands up the fabric of the dress. Even kneeling, his head reached nearly to her breasts and for a moment, he embraced her, held her tight, burying his face against her while Ari embraced his head and shoulders.
"You're a dream-" he repeated, voice more steady now, hands trailing down again, disappearing under the hem, touching her ankles, calves, thighs, gently moving and reverently stoking, while the skirt of the dress pooled over his arms, taken up while he slowly stood. Ari lifted her arms and in a flurry of satin and pearls, the dress was flung over her head, landed somewhere on the other side of the room, taking her glasses with it somewhere in its folds.
For a moment disoriented in a suddenly blurred world, Ari did not protest when she was easily picked up, one arm around her shoulders, the other in her knees. She put her arms around Severus's neck and kissed him, while he carried her like a bride into the bedroom. Candles flickered into life. Their kiss was not broken, until he carefully set her down upon the bed and started to strip. Ari reached behind her neck and removed the necklace, but when she started to undo the ribbon of her bodice, her hands were caught and her fingertips brought to his lips again.
"No- please- Let me."
Severus still had to remove his boots, black trousers and white shift, that was open at the top. While he turned to remove the boots, she embraced him from behind, hands playfully exploring the skin she could reach through the small opening at the collar. And when he straitened a bit with a low, rumbling chuckle, Ari's other hand went south. Severus went completely still, throwing his head back over her shoulder, moaning with that deep, velvet voice of his, while Ari stroke his shaft through his trousers, turning her face, gently biting his earlobe, letting her tong flick over all the sensitive spots.
Severus could take very little of this. "O gods- stop!" he breathed, grabbing her hand and pushing her down on the bed, enveloping Ari in his arms, this time kissing her with fury and without holding back. Until he tore himself away from her with equal fury. They stared in each others eyes with the same wide eyed hungry expression on their features. Severus straitened, tearing the shift from his body while Ary quickly undid his buckle and pulled down his trousers. He flung the shift to some corner, indifferent where it landed, stilled Ari's hands when she reached for him again, kicking of his boots and quickly wiggled out of his remaining garments. Another time Ari would heed Severus's request not to undress herself, but something had changed the pace of their passion and while he was fighting with his hoses, Ari held his eyes while she undid her bodice and sent it the way of Severus's shift, slipped out of her panties and removed the remaining thrillies and things.
Kneeling on the bed they reached for each other. Severus pulled Ari's head back hard, one hand entangled in the strands of her hair, the other in the small of her back, bending over her, taking her nipples into his mouth, kissing, suckling and even gently biting them. Ari screamed, feeling his hardness nudging her, reaching blindly for him, holding his head firmly in place and digging her nails into his shoulder, unconsciously drawing blood.
With another growl Severus untangled himself, pushed Ari back into the pillows, cradled her head on his forearms, pushed her thighs wide with his knee and entered her deeply, shuddering. Ari brought up her legs behind his lower back, locked her ankles, kissed the nearest part of skin her lips could reach, which happened to be just under his collarbone and sucked hard, reaching round him, pulling him down on her and held on.
Time held its breath, while they moved, only conscious of each other, of the burn in their chests, of the words that could only be conveyed with strokes and kissed and the deep passion they saw mirrored in the others eyes.
From his strangled moans and desperate expression on his face, she understood Severus was holding back now, with great cost to himself. So she let go of herself and moved with him, until that familiar burn reached up from her centre, enveloped her, shook her uncontrollably and she felt her movements took him with her.
They cried out.
Then stilled.
Severus breathed heavily, his full weight settling over Ari. She reached up and gently combed through his matted hair. And she knew she loved to be blanketed like this. Nothing in the world could touch or disturb her like this. Until Severus seemed to gather his wits and he rolled of her. His breath still not under control, the next shiver rocking his body having more to do with the cool air in the room and the drying sweat on his body.
Without word, Ari gave him a soft pat on the thigh and he moved a bit so she could pull the blankets from under him to cover them both.
"Nox.", he murmured, waved with his hand. With that command the room darkened and suddenly the pale light of the near full moon added its eternal magic.
Laying on his back, Severus opened his arms to her. Using his shoulder for a pillow, Ari wrapped herself around him, both extremely tired.
Gently Ari mapped the planes of Severus's chest with soft strokes that seemed to calm him. Still, it took a long while before his breathing evened out and settled into a smooth rhythm, indicating sleep.
"You're so thin," Ari whispered when she was sure he could not hear her. "So pale. And so hungry. So very hungry."
She kissed the skin near her lips, tasted his sweat and to her surprise, her own tears. Holding him a bit firmer, she realised her promise to the Baron not to abandon this man would not be hard to keep, if it were up to her.
Not hard at all.
************************************************************
Title from the song 'Falling into you' by Celine Dion.
This is no songfic, but if it were, I probably would have chosen this song. It was and will remain a huge inspiration for the whole story.
And in your eyes
I see ribbons of colour
I see us
Inside of each other
I feel my conscious merge with yours
And I hear a voice say
What's his is hers
I am falling into you
(falling into you)
History could come true
And it feels so good
Falling into you
I was afraid
To let you in here
Now I have learned
Love can be made in fear
The walls begin to tumble down
And I can't even see the ground
I am falling into you
(falling into you)
History could come true
And it feels so good
Falling into you
Falling like a leave
Falling like a star
Finding a believe
Falling where you are
Catch me don't let me drop
Love me don't ever stop
So close your eyes
And let me kiss you
And while you sleep
I will miss you