Slytherin Challenges Ravenclaw ~*~

Severus Snape was in a foul mood. Not that he wasn't usually brooding and irritable, but he was particularly agitated after being summoned to the headmasters office. Especially after that class. The Gryffindors in the last class were enough to send him on a rampage, and the remnants of his anger had not yet expired. He swept down the hallway as he headed for Dumbledore's office, his robes fluttering madly behind him.

Lorien tried to keep herself focused on her work. She hadn't seen Remus other than at dinner over the past few days, and she wasn't sure how she'd react when she encountered him alone again. She felt nervous and excited all at once, and figured it was probably best that they'd had a little time to themselves.

A knock at the door caught her attention and she looked up to see the woman with long dark hair enter. It was Sinistra.

'Uh oh.'

"Good afternoon, Lorien," she said in greeting.

"Good afternoon," Lorien replied warily.

"How are you, My Dear?"

"Fine. And You?" Lorien inwardly rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine. So how are things going for you here at Hogwarts, Dear?" Sinistra asked sweetly.

"Very well, thanks," Lorien answered.

"Good. Managing to find your way around the castle ok?" she asked.

"Yes. It's getting easier," Lorien replied.

"You managed to find the astronomy tower." Sinistra was smiling slyly.

"Erm...yes. There's quite a view up there." Lorien smiled but eyed the teacher warily still.

"Are you talking about the stars, my dear?"

"Yes..."

"Or maybe you're speaking of Remus Lupin?" Sinistra leaned toward the blonde witch in a conspiratorial manner.

Lorien's mouth fell open. " I assure you that..."

"Now, now," Sinistra interrupted her. "My students may not have been paying attention, but I noticed you two seemed to be quite cozy the other evening."

Lorien was at a loss as to how to respond.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," Sinistra continued. "I mean, he is handsome, isn't he? What witch your age wouldn't want to cozy up to him in such a romantic setting?"

Lorien was getting angry.

"I would suggest, however, that you find a more private location," she purred. "There are children about, you know."

That was it.

"For your information, Remus and I are friends..."Lorien began angrily.

"Oh, I'm sure you are, my dear . My, is that the time? I've got a student to meet with. Nice to chat with you." Sinistra smiled sweetly at her and left the ward.

Lorien was furious.

'Of all the nerve. What does she care? She made it sound like we were doing something awful. Nothing even actually happened.'

She decided to find Sinistra and set her straight.

She yanked the door open and stepped into the hall.

'Of all the nerve!' she repeated to herself, quickening her pace and sweeping around the corner.

It was unfortunate for Lorien that Snape rounded the corner at the same moment, and in an instant she found herself sprawled in an undignified fashion on the floor. It took her a moment to clear her head and realized that she had collided with him.

'Stupid and clumsy!' she thought to herself. She tried to get her feet under her and then cried out as the pain shot through her ankle.

Snape caught his balance quickly after the impact. The collision he'd just experienced did nothing to improve his mood and he descended on the fallen witch with a glare.

"Of all the stupid, clumsy..." He broke off when he realized she wasn't attempting to get up, but remained on the floor clutching her ankle.

"Are you hurt?" There was still an edge to his voice.

"I did something to my ankle," she said.

It was obvious she was in pain.

"Can you stand?" He offered his hand.

"I think so." She nodded.

He yanked her to her feet when she took his arm.

"I'm so sorry, Professor. It was my fault. I should have looked where I..."

"Can you walk?" His voice was gentler.

"Yes, I....." she broke off with a small gasp as she tried to put weight on the injured leg.

"Here." Snape offered his arm. "We should get you to the hospital wing."

She smiled gratefully and locked her arm in his. Slowly he helped her to hobble the short distance to the hospital ward.

"Professor Snape," she began as he helped her to sit on the edge of an exam table, "I apologize again for being....."

"In the wrong place at the wrong time?" he asked. It was his way of accepting her apology.

She nodded, tried to examine her own ankle, and quickly found that it was painful to bend it close enough to check it. She let go and groaned slightly.

Snape studied her while she attempted to evaluate the injury. She wasn't going to ask for help. He stepped closer to the table. "May I?" He indicated her leg.

She nodded and leaned back on her hands behind her.

He pulled her robe up a short way, exposing her foot and ankle. Gently he tugged the tie that held the soft leather together, and slid the shoe off her foot. He was about to focus on her injured ankle when he saw that her toenails were painted. Blue.

Ravenclaw blue.

"That's a bit much, don't you think?" He wore a slight scowl but she thought she caught a hint of amusement in his voice. His hands began to gently probe her ankle.

"What?" she asked.

"The nail polish, Miss Desjardins," he said with a hint of disdain.

"What's wrong with it?" She started to smile.

"It's blue."

"You wouldn't expect me to use green...ow!" He'd found a sore spot.

"That hurt?" he inquired.

"Yes. It doesn't feel broken does it? I think it's just sprained," Lorien said.

"You would know better than I, but I can find no indication of a serious injury," Snape replied.

"Good. Can you get something for me?" she asked hesitantly.

Snape nodded.

"That cabinet, over there. Grab a small red bottle," she directed.

Snape stood in front of the shelves that she indicated and removed a vial.

"Freloux's?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You made this one?" He sounded doubtful.

She nodded.

He removed the stopper and smelled the contents before handing her the small bottle.

"Well?" She looked at him expectantly.

"It appears adequate," he said evenly.

"That's a compliment, isn't it?" she said and laughed a little.

He gazed at her steadily for a moment.

She drank the potion.

"Are you going to be alright?" There seemed to be genuine concern in his voice.

"Fine, yes. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it, Professor."

"What about your ankle?" he asked.

"Oh, a little healing spell should set me straight," Lorien said lightly.

"Very well." He turned to leave.

He turned back. "Tell me something. Do you like Quidditch?"

"Why do you ask?" Lorien inquired.

"Oh no reason...it's just that the first game is coming up in a few weeks, and I believe Ravenclaw plays Slytherin," he said slyly.

"And what of it?" She wanted to know.

There was a hint of amusement as he spoke. "I thought perhaps a little wager might make things more interesting."

Lorien was curious. "What do you propose?"

"If Slytherin wins, you must wear my house colors to dinner in the great hall."

"And if Ravenclaw wins?" Lorien asked.

"I will wear your house colors that night."

She considered for a moment. "Fine. I accept your wager."

Nodding slightly, he turned and strode out of the room.

Lorien thought he seemed amused as she watched him leave. She smiled for a moment and then placed her hands on her ankle. She drew a deep breath and concentrated...

Snape left the hospital wing and walked toward the headmaster's office once again. He walked quickly, but his stride lacked the ferocity it carried before his encounter with the Ravenclaw healer.

His bad temper of twenty minutes ago had faded and been replace by ...amusement.

He considered the wager they had agreed upon and snorted again. 'She obviously hasn't seen her team at practice yet.'

He smiled to himself. 'She obviously hasn't seen my team practicing yet.'

Snape sobered as he reached the stone Gargoyle. "Pepper Imps." He rolled his eyes as he spoke the password with disdain.

"Ah, Severus. Come in." Dumbledore smiled as the younger, dark robed mage stepped into the room. "How are you?"

"Fine. I apologize for not being here sooner, but I ran into Mistress Lorien on the way here...quite literally."

It took a moment for the older wizard to gather the meaning of what Snape had told him.

"You ran into her?"

"Yes. I'm afraid we collided at a fair pace."

Dumbledore eyes went slightly wider.

"Is she alright?"

"Yes.....now," Snape replied.

"Severus, honestly," the headmaster chided, "you really need to take care not to....."

"She ran into me," Snape said irritably.

"I see." Dumbledore smiled to himself as he pictured the outburst from Snape that must have occurred when she collided with him.

"You wanted to see me?" Snape grew impatient.

"Yes, Severus. Have you heard anything more yet?" The older wizard was serious now.

"I have not," Snape's answered in a low voice.

"You'll let me know the moment you do?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course."

"Severus?"

The raven haired wizard looked up.

"You don't have to do it." The headmaster looked very serious now.

"I must," Snape said quietly.

"Severus, it's getting too dangerous...."

Snape sighed. "We've been over this, Albus. I've made up my mind."

It was Dumbledore's turn to sigh. "I know. Very well. Keep me posted."

Snape nodded and moved to leave.

"By the way, how are you getting along with Mistress Lorien? Any problems?" Dumbledore knew the Potions master was often irritated with Madame Pomfrey.

Snape shook his head. "She is," he paused, ".....agreeable."

"Good. Thank you, Severus."

The black robed wizard nodded and left.

Dumbledore watched him leave and then sighed again. He now realized there could be another problem at hand. It probably would not have been apparent to someone less familiar with Snape, but the headmaster knew him better than he knew himself sometimes.

He found her agreeable. By Slytherin standards, agreeable was good, which was probably not good. Oh, he wanted the two of them to get along, but this was..... unexpected. He pressed his palms to his eyes. His thoughts turned to Remus Lupin, and he felt the headache intensify. Things were never dull here.

He stood and went down the stairs, deciding that he'd better see if Lorien could do something about the headache she was causing him.

Lorien had spent the afternoon treating her own ankle, the headmaster's intense headache, and reversing a misplaced hex from a sixth year Slytherin that arrived in the ward with a large number of mushrooms sprouting from his ears. She'd tidied up afterward and headed to the great hall for dinner.

She was seated in her usual spot next to Sprout when she spotted Remus entering the hall. He was heading for her end of the table and she found herself smiling as she turned back to what her companion had been saying. The smile faded quickly as she glanced past the Herbology teacher to see Professor Sinistra watching her. Lorien frowned slightly and looked away.

"Good evening, ladies." It was Lupin's voice.

"Hello, Remus." Sprout greeted him enthusiastically.

Lorien smiled at him. "Good evening, Professor Lupin."

"Mistress Lorien, I wonder if I might have a word with you after dinner?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'll be in my office."

"Good. I'll stop by later." He smiled and headed to the other end of the table.

Lorien found Professor Sprout smiling at her.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." Sprout continued to smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Lorien asked, more insistently.

"Nothing dear. It's just that there's been some talk," Sprout replied.

Lorien's eyes went immediately to Sinistra and then flicked back to Sprout.

"We'll talk later, Dear." Sprout patted her hand.

Lorien paced in her office, fidgeting with the key on the chain around her neck as she waited. She sat down, got up again, and paced some more. Finally she sat, and pressed her hands to her temples.

A quiet knock.

She looked up to see Remus standing in the doorway.

"You look like you need to see a Nemorosi witch." He was teasing her.

"Hello, Remus," she spoke softly.

"Have a minute?"

"Yes, of course." She stood. "Are you alright?"

"Never better. Lorien, I wanted to talk to you about the tower the other night," he said.

"I see. You didn't waste any time getting to the point, did you?" She wasn't looking at him but he could see the small smile.

"I guess not." He hesitated. "I hope....." he started, taking a step closer, "that I didn't do anything to offend you, Lorien."

She looked up. "Offend me? No, don't be silly. Of course not." She looked away again quickly.

He was standing close. "May I ask you something, then?" His voice was soft as he regarded her carefully.

She nodded, aware that her face felt warm.

He touched her hand. "Did you mind?"

"No." It was hardly more than a whisper.

"I see." His fingers tightened around hers. She found herself twining her fingers through his.

"Lorien?" He spoke her name softly.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind now?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "No."

He let go of her hand as he moved closer and placed his hands gently on either side of her face. She allowed him to tip her head back slightly and then she closed her eyes as his lips pressed gently over hers. It was not just her face that felt warm now.

She opened her eyes a moment after he released her and found him gazing steadily at her with those soft gray eyes. She smiled at him, hesitating only a moment before she placed her arms around his neck. "I don't think I mind," she said softly.

"You're not sure?"

"No. I'm not sure." She was teasing him.

"Well, let's see if this helps...."

He drew her in against him and kissed her deeply this time, and by the time he let her go, Lorien was absolutely positive than she didn't mind.