Few Winners in This Game

by Laura Owen

The first in a series of Snapefic. Features several original characters.

1. Small Clear Hearts

Disclaimer: I do not own Severus Snape or any of the original character's from the Harry Potter series. I am using them without permission, and not for profit. I do however own the characters you do not recognize. Please do not sue me.

Contact: Mail, LiveJournal

Dedicated to Dr. Peg Wyse.

Small, Clear Hearts

by: Laura Owen

Severus Snape, it could safely be said, was not a morning person. He had never been a likeable young man by any standards, but those who had been privy to his early morning moods really hated him. This morning, like every other one he had ever had at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he was woken by the sound of the bathroom door banging shut six separate times as each of is dormitory mates went in.

Severus's eyes barely opened and he cursed quietly. He lay very still and took stock, as he did every morning. Legs-tangled in the green sheets one covered, one bare. Chest-growing cold from the lack of a shirt and covers. Arms-one flung over the edge of the bed, hanging out from under the green curtains the other mysteriously gone missing. Back-aching from sleeping on something, ah, the missing arm. Head-still in place as evidenced by the wall of sleek black hair partly obscuring his slitted eyes. Mind-same as usual with lots of self-depreciating thoughts hammering around. Yes, everything was still in order.

Another bang let Severus know that the first of his roommates was through in the bathroom. Severus rolled out of bed and hit the floor feet first. He shook off the corner of the black duvet that clung to the back of his thigh. He stood there for a minute glaring around the well-lit room. The sixth year boy who was dressing two beds away looked over at Severus. That was a mistake.

"What do you want, you twit?" Severus growled. The black shorts he was wearing had inched their way up his right leg and seemed to be stuck there, making him look very tousled.

"N…nothing," the boy said, looking away hurriedly. He had to remember never to even glance at Severus before ten in the morning. He should have known not to, but it was easy to forget.

"Good, because whatever you wanted you'll not get from me," Severus said as he limped towards the bathroom, rubbing his back. He let the door slam behind him and walked over to a wash basin. He filled it with cold water while his eyes darted around the room daring someone to even look his way. When the basin was full, he took one last look into the mirror and plunged his head neck deep into the water. This always had the desired affect to distracting him from his grumpiness long enough to wander back into the dormitory, get dressed, and make it downstairs for breakfast.

Breakfast usually had some positive affect on him to. As long as he was left alone to eat quietly, he was tolerable for his first class. But this morning, someone ad the nerve to interrupt his silent feast. Coral Palafox sauntered over and sat herself down right next to Severus, her thigh right against his.

"Good morning Severus," she said in a disgustingly cheery voice. "How is my most favorite man this morning?"

Severus had the distinct feeling that he was going to throw up all over his eggs. Coral was never this sweet. "Whatever it is you want Coral, no."

Coral looked hurt at being so easily read. "I don't want anything, darling. What makes you think that I want anything?" She tried to cover herself.

"Because you have only called me 'darling' once before and that led to you being on your knees behind the stands at a Quidditch match begging me to let you…"

"Water under the bridge, Severus," Coral cut him off before he forced her to relive that humiliating experience from their third year. "I just came over here to see if you would like to get in on the ground floor of a prank that I am planning to play on my little sister. She is such a goody-goody Gryffindor that everyone is getting sick of it." She smiled wickedly. "It won't be hard, really. Adellis likes to go for the occasional swim in the lake at night. The plan is to simply take her clothes and things while she is not looking."

Severus looked daggers at Coral. She had laid her hands flat on the tabletop with her fingers spread for emphasis. Severus took the last bite of his sausage then looked at Coral and said quietly, "You know, you are a really sick girl. You should consider therapy to get these sibling rivalry issues worked out."

"Does that mean you won't help?"

Severus stood up, happy to be away from the heat of her thigh and twiddled with his fork. He was very angry at Coral right now. First she had interrupted his meal, and then she had begun to talk about him helping her to play a prank on the youngest of her sisters, who was too smart to get in the lake on the grounds in the cool evening air. Suddenly and without warning, he brought the tines of the fork down hard on the table letting them sink deep into the wood between two of Coral's fingers. "Very bad idea, Coral dear," he spat. "Very bad indeed."

With that Severus left the Great Hall. Without looking back, he knew that Coral was sitting, stunned by his reaction. He could hear her friends squawking like hens around her, cursing the day he was born and wondering why he had nearly removed a few of her fingers.

And why had he, anyway? He asked himself as he returned to the Slytherin common room to retrieve his books. What was the youngest Palafox sister to him, anyway? Logically, she should have been just another face in the sea of faces at Hogwarts, but she wasn't. She was uncommonly pretty, he had to admit, with her curls the color of spun copper falling down her back and her dazzling turquoise eyes. She was not fashionable skinny as most of the girls were, but she wasn't fat either. Every gentle curve on her looked like it had been placed there for a reason. Her skin was smooth and still tanned from her time spent outdoors during the summer break. None of that really mattered, though. Not to Severus. What made Adellis mean something to him was the fact that she was unabashedly friendly to him all the time. Even after a particularly nasty game of Quidditch where he had intentionally tried to hit every Bludger at her, she still ran up to him afterwards and told him that he had done a great job. It thoroughly baffled him.

He now walked through the halls to his first class in a foul mood. Not only had he been bothered by one of the most annoying people in the world during breakfast, but every time he thought about Adellis Palafox he became just the slightest bit nauseated. It wasn't really and unpleasant thing though. Just aggravating. As people passed by him, they made sure that their bags and elbows were tucked in. The look on his face, a cross between anger and disgust, was enough to make everyone sure to give him wide berth. Well, almost everyone.

Adellis was walking down the hall towards him with two of her closest friends, Lily Evans and James Potter. James veered off to go into a classroom, but Adellis and Lily kept on their course. Severus's stomach gave a tremendous lurch and the thoughts of ducking into a broom closet seemed to make sense. He glanced around but could not find a suitable door to slip through. But it was already too late. Adellis had spotted him. She smiled her wide genuine smile and waved a well-formed hand at him. His stomach gave another lurch and he was sure that he would be sick right there in the hall.

Adellis had sensed Severus before she saw him so when Lily had pointed out that he was coming down the hall, looking particularly nasty it was no surprise. She had looked and waited for him to notice her there. When he did, Adellis smiled at him and waved. He always managed to give her a slight smile, no more than an upward turn of the corners of his mouth, and today was no different. Satisfied, Adellis turned back to Lily and began talking again as they passed Severus.

"So you see, if you add the flobberworms too early the whole thing will blow up."

"Gads, Adellis! How do you do it?" Lily asked looking rather confused.

"Well, I guess I just have a natural ability for potions," Adellis said thoughtfully. "Everybody has a gift. You are a million times better at History of Magic than me."

"That is not what I was talking about," Lily was exasperated now.

It was Adellis's turn to be confused. "What?"

"How do you manage to make Severus smile? James and I have tried for years to be friendly to him because he always looks so forlorn. All he has ever done is glare and say nasty things. But you," she nudged Adellis, "You manage to get him to smile and I have never heard him say one unkind thing to you."

Adellis had never though about it, but Lily was right. Severus was known for being very mean tempered and not very nice on any occasion. And, granted, he had rarely said more than about three words together to her; they had always been, if not perfectly kind, at least civil.

"You would almost be tempted into thinking that he is in love with you," Lily giggled. She then stopped abruptly and turned around in the hall. Adellis turned to see what she was looking at.

Adellis saw nothing out of the ordinary at all, but Lily did. "Oh my God!" She turned abruptly back around, dragging Adellis down the hall by her arm. "Did you see that?"

Adellis stumbled along behind Lily and said, "See what?"

"Severus," Lily said as though she had some great secret to impart, "He was still staring at you!"

"So? He always does that. Really Lil, I think you've gone mental. Making a big deal about Severus Snape watching me walk away." Adellis rolled her eyes.

As the two girls walked down the stairs to the potions classroom, Lily persisted. "Okay, so maybe he does it all the time, but have you ever seen the look he gives you?"

Adellis was getting uncomfortable with this line of conversation. "No, why should I?"

"Because it was positively longing." Lily emphasized the last word by dragging it out. Adellis snorted. "I'm serious! His eyes were so sad, like he had lost something."

"Lily, you are mental. Why in the world would Severus look at me like that?" Adellis was really getting nervous now. She did not want to think about the possibility of Severus looking at her for any reason other than to register her presence.

"Why not? You're a very pretty girl. And it's hard to miss that hair," Lily said half-teasing.

"Not only are you mental, you are an idiot. There are a million reasons for him not to look all 'longingly' at me," Adellis really wished Lily would stop talking.

"Oh, like what?"

Adellis looked at Lily as though Lily had just turned into a hippogriff. "Like what? Like what? Well, for starters, he's a Slytherin. Next, my dad is a muggle. Third, he knows Coral, which is reason to hate my entire family. Fourth, Professor Dumbledore is my mum's brother. Fifth,"

Lily cut her off. "I get the idea. But still, true love knows no boundaries."

"Will you please give it up? Severus Snape is not in love with me. He never has been. He never will be." They walked into the potions classroom, Adellis hoping that her cheeks were not turning red. "You need to spend more time studying your potions instead of reading romance novels and making out with James."

With that Lily said no more about Severus, but she sure thought about it. There had definitely been something behind his black eyes as he stared down the hall after Adellis. She made a mental note to talk to James about it.

Later that week, there was announcement made in classes that the first Hogsmeade trip would be the coming weekend. Everyone was looking forward to it and raced to get their homework done so that they could enjoy the time away from school.

Lily had told James about her suspicions concerning Severus and his reaction was to tell her she was mental. Nevertheless, she had talked him into paying closer attention to how Severus was acting. For James this was a difficult task. All he could really do was eavesdrop in classes and the halls, but Severus didn't talk much. James was getting tired of Lily pestering him every time he returned from a class with the Slytherins and was about to start making things up when, in the middle of History of Magic, a great row broke out that gave him just what he would need to keep Lily quiet.

"You bastard!" Coral Palafox was on her feet, staring at Severus, angry red spots shining on her face. She waved a piece of parchment around her head and shouted, "How dare you write these things about me!"

Severus looked up calmly and said to her, "Write what? The truth? You asked me why I kept putting you off and refusing all your advances. So I told you. You are a shameless slut. Therefore I have no use for you at all."

Coral shouted at the top of her lungs, "that is nothing but a pack of lies, Severus Snape! Take that back!"

Professor Binns went right on lecturing. Being dead, it didn't bother him when a fight broke out in class.

Severus remained seated and gazed up at her, his face carefully blank, as he said, "I won't. Shall I name names for these people? Shall I start by telling them that three years ago you begged me to let you go down on me at a Quidditch match? And then tell them that I refused because I had just seen you doing the same thing to…"

"SHUT UP!!" Coral's face was horrorstruck as she screeched at him. "You don't know what you are saying! You're just mad because you can't seem to find the nerve to tell my baby sister that you are gagging for her! And you are taking it out on me!"

At that, Severus shot out of his seat and in two long strides was glaring at Coral who looked triumphant. His face had gone scarlet with rage and embarrassment. He hissed into her face, "That is none of your concern, you filthy whore. You should take a page from the book your sister uses." He probably would have said more, but the bell rang to signal lunch.

Everyone left the classroom in a hurry, leaving Severus and Coral staring at one another, nose to nose. James took the chance of approaching the two and speaking. "Severus, you coming to lunch?"

It was all that was needed. Severus glared hard at Coral once more then turned to collect his books. James waited as he crammed his things back into his bag and then walked out with him. After about six paces, Severus stopped and looked at James. "Go away Potter," was all he said, but it was enough. James met his eyes for an instant, long enough to see that Severus wore a weary expression over his anger, then walked on down the hall, around the corner and down the stairs.

Severus was in such a state that he was surprised he even had the ability to speak. He was angry at Coral for being able to pick out what had been weighing heavily on his mind. He desperately wanted to return to the classroom and slap her so hard she flew across the room, but he didn't. He turned, instead and headed down the corridor in the direction f a back stair that would take him to the dungeons ad the Slytherin common room. He walked down the several flights of stairs, his head pounding. He had to think through this, if he could just get somewhere quiet. He stopped suddenly. If he wanted someplace quiet, this stairwell would be perfect. No one ever used it except him because no one knew it was here. Severus dropped his bag on the step below and sat down in the dust.

A small voice in his head told him that Coral was right. Well, sort of. No matter how he looked at it, he really liked Adellis. He refused to believe that he was, as Coral had so elegantly put it, 'gagging for her.' No one could gag for Adellis, her personality just did not allow it. She was too…what was she? She definitely was not perfect. Severus had heard enough about her bad marks in History of Magic and Divination to know that she was far from academically perfect. She always had a bit of a messy appearance, with her robes going crooked over her hand-me-down clothes and her hair a bit wild. Her nose was even the slightest bit crooked from where she had fallen off her broom and hit it on a goalpost during a Quidditch game against Slytherin last year. And on top of all that, her father was a muggle without a drop of magical blood in him. No, she could definitely not be called perfect in any way.

But there was something about her that had touched Severus very deeply. She always seemed so genuine, so honest. When she smiled, her whole body smiled with her. Her mannerisms became exuberant and her eyes shone. He had seen her argue with her sisters before, all four girls yelling and screaming at one another. At those times, she threw herself into the fight with all her being voice becoming loud and gravelly and knuckles turning white. Severus reflected for several minutes, thinking that Adellis Palafox really was perfect. She was perfect in her imperfections.

Then he heard a sound in the stairs. It sounded like running and it was coming up towards him. Severus rose to his feet. In the narrow passage, two people could not pass without some careful planning. Whoever this was in the stairway was about to get a nasty surprise. The footfalls were closer now, and Severus noticed that they were light and very fast. Before he had time to brace himself, the person flew around to corner and started up the stairs toward the one he was sitting on. It was Adellis. She glanced up, saw him there and screamed as she stopped abruptly. So startled was she that she took an involuntary step backwards and began to fall. Without thinking, Severus reached out his hand and grabbed for her. He managed to grab her wrist and hold on, feeling her hand close over his arm.

"Are you all right?" He asked once she had regained her balance. Severus could tell she was still feeling the adrenaline rush from the near miss, it showed in the wideness of her eyes and the fact she was breathing rather heavily.

Adellis took a deep breath and said, "I'm fine." She then laughed, an amused little sound that pricked Severus ears. "Wow, that was close, wasn't it?"

"I would say so," Severus smiled the same tiny little smile that he always gave her. "Imagine what a time I would have had trying to explain how you came to be knocked out on the unused stairs leading down to the dungeon."

Adellis laughed a real laugh this time. "That would have been a task wouldn't it? I would have liked to have seen that."

"Where were you off to in such a hurry?" Severus noticed that he was still holding on to her arm and let go quickly. The grip that she had on his wrist however did not loosen.

"I was on my way up to the Gryffindor tower after my potions class. Lily saw James and went on to lunch with him, but asked me to go back up and collect her Care of Magical Creatures book. She can be so forgetful." Adellis really appeared to be standing quite well on her own now, but she still did not release his arm. "I really need to go on up now, so that there will be some food left."

Still holding his arm, she began to move by him. This involved both of them turning sideways and pressing close to the wall, but even then, their bodies rubbed together. Severus found that he really didn't' mind her being close enough to touch him. Normally, he shrunk from the touch of others, but when it was Adellis it was, well, nice. She smelled like spicy soap and her soft high ponytail brushed his cheek. She let go of his wrist once past and tossed a casual, "Thanks for saving my neck, Severus," over her shoulder as she took off again up the stairs.

Before he really knew what he was doing he heard himself calling to her. "Adellis!" She turned around and looked at him with a polite, curious expression on her face. He didn't know what it was he planned to say, but some other part of his brain seemed to take over and he heard himself say, "If you don't have other plans, would you like to walk to Hogsmeade with me Saturday?" No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he seemed to be allowed control of his brain again and immediately he declared himself a stupid git for even asking her. Of course she would say no. She had no business saying yes and it would be mad of her to do so. He chanced a look up at her, several steps higher than he was. To his surprise, she was smiling happily down at him. "Of course! I'd love to!" She wasn't mocking him, she wasn't being sarcastic. "See you later," she said and took off back up the stairs a run.

She'd been as honest as ever. Her smile had communicated very clearly what Severus's ears would not have believed otherwise. She was going to walk into Hogsmeade with his mangy self. He collected his bag and walked on down the stairs, his mind so busy and so full that he couldn't sort it all out. As he arrived at the Slytherin common room, Severus could only be sure of one thing. Stupid git as he was, he was a lucky stupid git.

As Adellis raced up the stairs, she reflected on the strange situation that she had just left. There was absolutely nothing remotely normal about the scene on the stairs. Nothing at all. First of all, she was sure that no one else even knew that those stairs were there but she had run into Severus on them. She also knew enough about Severus Snape to know that his catching her as she fell would severely damage his devil-may-care attitude, should it ever be found out. Then she had discovered that she really did not want to let go of his arm, that she liked the unexpected softness of his skin. She'd tried so hard not to let their bodies touch as she passed him on the stairs, but it couldn't be helped. She'd liked the way that felt too. She had tried to beat a hasty retreat, but Severus had called to her. THAT was the truly bizarre thing. He'd asked her to walk into Hogsmeade with him. At Hogwarts, walking into the nearby village with anyone other than your closest friends was akin to announcing that you were a couple. That didn't bother her though. Or did it?

"No," she said out loud as she raced out of the stairwell and into the empty hall. There was no reason for her to be bothered by it. She was just going to walk with him. It wasn't like he could have possibly meant anything by asking her, right? She was, as James's friend Sirius Black had often said 'not just a Gryffindor, but an AntiSlytherin' meaning that she was the precise embodiment of everything that the students and faculty of Slytherin house were against. She wasn't a pureblood wizard and she was not devious or scheming. She was friendly and polite to everyone.

Her thoughts stopped as she came upon the painting of the Fat Lady that guarded the passage into the Gryffindor common room. She paused and gave the password, "Yorkshire pudding."

"Of course dear," the Fat Lady chirped and the picture swung open. Adellis rushed in and crashed into someone coming out.

"Oof! Lord Adellis watch where you're going!" Remus Lupin said steadying her by her shoulders. "If you want to knock me over there are easier ways. Not to mention that I would be quite willing."

Adellis looked up at the rather handsome sixth year Gryffindor and smiled. "I'll keep that in mind you pratt." Remus and Adellis had a running joke going between the two of them that was designed to worry the uninformed. They would flirt and drop thinly veiled sexual suggestions to one another. Those who knew the tow of them knew that nothing had or ever would happen between the two of them, though. Adellis was too steady in her affection while Remus tended to be a playboy. The teasing gave them both a great deal of pleasure and had the unusual affect of making them very close friends.

"What are you doing up here, anyway? Shouldn't you be packing your cheeks full of Shepherds Pie?" Remus asked. Adellis only missed meals when she was very sick and she looked well enough. Her cheeks had a nice, rosy glow to them actually.

"Oh, Lily forgot her book again," she explained.

Remus nodded. "You want me to wait for you? I'll be happy to."

"No, you go on. I won't be but a minute." With that she was off to the girls stairs and within a second, running up them.

Remus turned and left the still open portrait hole and the Fat Lady closed behind him. In just a few minutes, Adellis came rushing back down the stairs, out the portrait and down the hall. In five minutes, she was back in the Great Hall. Breathless, she sat down between James and Remus and took a deep breath. By this point, James had told the story of Severus and Coral's shouting match to all of his friends and it had spread down the Gryffindor table and across the Great Hall before Adellis had gotten back.

Adellis started dishing up huge servings of the Shepherds Pie, potatoes, and carrots. "Lily, I wish you would start remembering your books. Next time, I'll make you race around the school yourself."

When no one replied to her, she looked up to see what the holdup was. Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius were all staring at her with varying degrees of curiosity and smugness. "What?" She asked taking a bite of her potatoes. "Has my face gone blue?"

Lily leaned across the table and said triumphantly, "I was right!"

"About what?" Adellis asked as Peter Pettigrew came in and sat down next to Lily. Adellis smiled at him and kept eating.

"About Severus Snape." Lily still looked like she had just pulled a trump card, but it made no sense to Adellis.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Adellis was getting a little nervous, but shook herself and thought that there was no way that this group could know anything about him having asked her to Hogsmeade.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Peter inquired with mild interest as he poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice and took a drink.

"Severus all but admitted that he has a crush on Adellis in class just now," James informed Peter and in the process, informed Adellis too. Peter, unprepared for such a shock, spit out the pumpkin juice and sprayed Remus in the process.

Adellis glanced briefly at Remus, then looked back a James. She then looked at Lily, then leaned back and snorted. "Oh, that is that so?" Highly entertained, she looked between them and leaned on her elbows. She thought that this was some grand concocted story that Lily had gotten them all to participate in. She smiled and asked, "And how did this come about?"

"Well," James answered, his eyes serious under his dark mop of hair, "Your sister apparently wrote him and asked why he kept ignoring her. Been after him for years it seems. He wrote back and told her what he thought of her, what he really thought." James paused for a moment and looked into Adellis's eyes. Everyone knew that Coral was considered an easy target and that intelligence was shared by her sisters. James continued, "Coral got mad and started yelling at him, of course. I'll save you the particulars and get down to the point when she told him that he was just taking his frustration out on her because he couldn't find a way to tell you that he was, and I quote, 'gagging for you.' Severus got so mad at her he looked like he would kill her on the spot. They yelled some more and the bell rang. When I saw Severus in the hall right after that, he looked like Coral had hit a nerve." James took a bite of his food and finished with, "Lily thought I should tell you."

Dazed, Adellis looked at Lily, who was smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Try as she may, she could not force herself to be confused by it all. Everything fit so neatly now. Everything made sense; too much sense. But still, "Severus is a Slytherin. You can't possibly be right, James." She laughed tensely, her smile becoming very strained. "You just can't be."

James put a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. "Sorry, love. I'm not wrong this time. I know what I heard. I know what I saw. Severus Snape likes you enough to…"

Adellis cut him off, "Walk me to Hogsmeade this weekend." Adellis was not one to sit in denial for very long. Whatever had come her way in the past, she had accepted and moved on with it and she had done it again. If Severus was going to overlook her shady parts, then let him. It was his choice, after all. She had done nothing but be herself and damned if she was going to feel weird about that now.

Lily was looking at her, mouth hanging open, fork paused in the air. "What did you say?" She asked.

Adellis laughed at her as she turned to help Remus clean himself up again. Peter was having a hard time of it today, what with one shock right after another. He had spit another mouthful of juice all over Remus when Adellis had told them about the trip to the village. Adellis explained what had happened on the stairs, leaving out where the staircase was and a description of how she had hung onto him longer than necessary.

When she finished, James looked thoughtful, Lily looked like she was never going to blink again, Sirius was chewing the last bites of his lunch as if they tasted very foul, and Peter was avoiding his glass. Remus broke the silence by saying sarcastically, "Well, if he dares steal my woman away I'll be forced to hang him by him earlobes from the Gryffindor mantle."

Adellis looked at him, grateful that at least one of her friends was not acting as if someone had died. Just then the bell signaling the end to the lunch period rang and everyone got up to leave. No one said anything to hr as they all gathered their books and slung their bags over their backs. Adellis was feeling very hurt by their behavior and it must have shown. As they neared the door of the Great Hall, Remus gave her his usual symbol of encouragement by pulling one of her curls out and letting it bounce back into place. She and Lily then turned and headed outside for Care of Magical Creatures.

When they were halfway across the lawn, Lily looked at Adellis and said, "I never thought that you would… that you…that you would even consider…"

"Spit it out, Lil."

Lily looked uncomfortable then hurried on, "I never thought that you would like Severus back."

Adellis felt her temper flare. She calmed it a bit before she replied to Lily. "Why not?" She tried to keep her anger out of her voice, but Lily appeared to be just a little too judgmental for Adellis to ignore. "What's wrong with him?"

Lily heard the edge in Adellis's voice and got the idea. "It's not that he is a bad person," she tried to cover herself, "it's just that he is so, well, unpleasant most of the time. And you are not."

As they neared the place where their class was held, Adellis shot an angry look at Lily. "Well, all this coming from the person who was so determined to find out whether or not Severus liked me at all. You can be so inconsistent." Adellis then walked away and did not speak to Lily for the rest of the day.

That night, Adellis sat in the Library working on a report for her Divination class. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she didn't notice Remus sitting across from her until he spoke.

"The position of Mars has nothing to do with how often your hair frizzes, you know."

Adellis jumped a little and looked up at him. "Oh, hi. I know. But I have to make something up."

Remus was tired and didn't really feel like being in the library right now. He would have preferred to be sitting upstairs with his friends, but everyone was in a foul mood because Adellis had not said one word to Lily. And when Lily was unhappy, no one was happy. He went straight to why he was there to see Adellis. "Why are you not speaking to Lily?"

Adellis replied immediately, "She was so excited about the prospect of Severus liking me then when she found out that I'd agreed to go into town with him, she changed her tune and got dodgy."

"I dare say she's had it in for him for years, hoping he would fall head over heels in love and change his tune," Remus chuckled at this. "She really didn't care who it was he liked. And when she found out it was you, she had decided that he would surely become a changed man. But then she realized you liked him back, and she got nervous. She is worried now that he will change you."

Adellis slammed her book shut and hissed at Remus, "For crying out loud! All he did was ask me to walk to Hogsmeade with him! All I did was say okay! We are not engaged! We aren't even a couple!"

"Gosh, don't hex the messenger, Adellis. I am only telling you what I know." Remus surveyed her face and didn't like what he saw. She was still angry about something. "What's really bothering you?"

"Nothing. I am just tired of this… this nonsense. Everyone seems to think that Severus is going to drag me off into the woods and kill me and he won't. And everyone seems to think that I am just crazy about him and I'm not." She pouted a little, then just looked miserable.

Remus chose his next words carefully. Although they had an enormous amount of fun together, he also knew her well enough to know when something was bothering her. There was something else that he thought she really wanted to say, but had not found the proper opening. He was prepared to try everything to get her to let it out. "If you don't like him, then don't go."

She sighed so heavily that Remus knew he had hit something. When she spoke her voice was considerably more quiet. "It's not that I don't not like him. I'm just not all googley-eyed over him." She looked up at him, her eyes shadowed. Adellis felt something like a binding breaking loose in her head. She stared at Remus and said "I like him, Remus. I really do. And I don't know why."

"Well, I wasn't planning on asking you why," Remus said brightly, happy that she had gotten that off her chest. "I mean, the sot is not nearly as good looking as me, but you've been turning me down for years. Perhaps I'll go dye my hair and practice my scowling." After a couple of minutes of just sitting there looking at each other Adellis spoke up.

"Well, aren't you going to get to it?" She asked him with mock testiness in her voice. Talking to Remus always made her feel better. He always made her laugh and he could keep a secret.

"Because I want you to give up on Divination and come upstairs and make mad passionate love to me until Peter walks in and sprays us both with pumpkin juice," he said with a winning smile.

Adellis laughed so hard that she began to cry, "Not only are you a pervert, you are an exhibitionist."

Remus helped her gather up her things and they left the library together. Halfway to the Gryffindor Tower, he asked, "In all seriousness, what time are you and Severus meeting to go to Hogsmeade?"

"I have no idea," Adellis said. "I didn't bother to ask and he didn't bother to say."

Remus raised an arm as if about to make a charge and shouted, "Take the initiative, dear girl! Make him bow to you!"

Adellis laughed, then and idea came to her. "Let's go to the Owlry," she said looking at Remus.

"What for? The much looked forward to roll in the hay?"

"No, you idiot, I have an idea."

The two of them headed off towards the Owlry at a run. It was getting late and this would have to be a very fast trip if they didn't want to be caught out of bed after curfew. They arrived at the Owlry and Adellis dug through her bag, pulling out a quill and a fresh piece of parchment.

"Turn 'round," she commanded Remus and he complied. She smoothed the wrinkled out of his robes and placed the parchment on his back. She began to write. When she finished she rolled the parchment up and called down one of the school owls.

"I do not need this delivered until tomorrow morning at breakfast. All you have to do is drop it and leave," she instructed the medium sized brawn owl that responded. "Here's something for the trouble," she said as she handed the owl a handful of owl treats that she had picked up on her way in. The owl took them and Adellis tied the message on the owl's leg. "If you are hungry in the morning, fin me and you can have as much of my food as you like." The owl hooted happily then soared back to its perch on a high rafter.

"Okay, lets go," she said turning back to Remus. He nodded and they left, racing back to the Gryffindor common room and making it through the portrait hole just under curfew. Remus pulled one of her curls and they said goodnight.

The next morning, Adellis and Lily were back on speaking terms, but Lily was extremely careful not to mention anything that might lead to a discussion about Severus. She was so obvious about it though, Adellis had to fight to keep herself from bursting into laughter. She was very relieved when Sirius and James came to the table and distracted her.

"Come on, Sirius. It is a Friday. We haven't had a decent Friday night romp in ages," James was complaining. "It won't take much."

"The last time we went for a romp, we got lost and were caught. I have no intention of doing another week's detention scrubbing the floors in the Owlry with a toothbrush." Sirius looked as though he would rather die than repeat that experience.

"What if I promised you that you wouldn't get caught?" James was getting whiny.

"How could you do that?" Sirius looked a little more receptive to the idea of an adventure.

"Well, how about that back stair that Adellis was telling us about?" James turned to her and asked, "Where there any doors leading off of it?"

Adellis looked at James and narrowed her eyes. "Yes," she answered tentatively, "But what makes you think that I am going to tell you where it is?"

"Oh, you'll tell all right," James nodded in her direction. "And if you don't do it willingly, I'll force it out of you."

Just then, Remus walked up and plopped down in the seat next to Adellis. "If you are trying to force her into bed, you'll have no luck. She's as frosty as a snowman." Remus began to heap porridge into his bowl.

James gazed at Remus and said, "Do you ever take your mind out of the gutter?"

"No," came a chorus of voices from around the table. Remus just smiled.

There was a great rush of wind as about a hundred owls swooped in, looking for the right people to deliver their letters to. Remus and Adellis scanned to ceiling of the Great Hall looking for the owl she had sent last night. Adellis spotted it before Remus, but didn't point it out to him. The owl circled over Severus, and dropped the letter into his lap. Adellis bit back a smile and turned back to eating. The owl that had delivered her letter landed gently on the table in front of her and she pushed her plate towards it. It began eating gratefully.

James, surprised by the sudden landing of an owl on the table said, "What's all this about?"

The only answer that Adellis would give was, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Severus had a typically disappointing morning. He was woken the same way as usual, preformed the same wash basin ritual and gone to the Great Hall for breakfast. On the up side, he had been left alone by everyone and had been eating in peace until an owl dropped a letter in his lap. It was nothing more than a roll of parchment, but still, it was better than nothing at all. He had looked up to try to offer the delivering owl a bit of toast, but there was no owl to be seen. Shrugging he opened the parchment and was greeted with handwriting he didn't recognize.

Dear Severus,

I think we both forgot to decide where and when to meet tomorrow. Is right after breakfast on the front steps okay?

Yours, Adellis

Severus looked over at where Adellis sat, chatting with her friends and feeding a large brown owl. He stared at her until she looked over at him. She cocked her head slightly and her smile faded into a look of curiosity. He looked back at the note in his hand then back at her and gave a small affirmative nod. Severus had never seen her smile such a shy smile before. Even from that far away, he could see the tinges of pink staining her cheeks as she bit her lower lip. Those little signs of her reserve oddly delighted Severus and he felt the corners of his mouth turn up. He rerolled the parchment and tucked it into the inside pocket of his robes. Lily had said something to Adellis and her attention was diverted. With that break, Severus got up and left the Great Hall.

As he walked across the Entrance Hall of the school heading for the stairs and his first class, a Ravenclaw first year came barreling up the steps and ran smack into Severus. The small mousy girl rebounded and gasped, looking up at him as though she had crashed into death itself. Se recoiled in horror and began to sputter her apologies. Severus cut her off by saying, "Not a problem." He then walked on, leaving a stunned little girl in his wake.

It didn't take long for that story to get around, and for everyone who saw Severus's mail delivery to begin speculating about what had brought about such a change. Severus took in everything he saw with an amused silence although onlookers never knew how amused he was. His scowl was just as permanently in place as ever. Likewise, no one knew that every time he saw Adellis that day, the slight pink that appeared in her cheeks made everything behind his ribcage go into fits and flip around as if it all had a mind of it's own.

Lucky for him, Coral didn't bother to go to any classes. She feigned sick and had some of her friends take her to Madame Pomfrey earlier that morning. There was no doubt in Severus's mind that whatever was ailing her was directly related to the rumors that were flying around about her. While he was in Herbology, he overheard a couple of the Hufflepuff boys talking.

"Yeah, seems about half of the entire Slytherin house boys have had a go with her," said a blue eyed, blonde haired boy.

"And I can name about four Hufflepuff brothers who have," said the second boy who had very untidy brown hair.

"No telling how many others there are," the first boy said.

"It is really amazing how such a girl can have come from such a nice family."

"Yeah, all of Coral's sisters are so great. I know the oldest girl, Evangeline, is graduated but she was Head Girl last year."

"And Josephine is a Hufflepuff so we naturally prefer her," the brown haired boy said nudging his friend who went red.

"That youngest one though is kinda hard to peg."

"She's a real sweet girl, that one. Not to mention easy enough to look at."

"But she takes a fall like a real trooper. D'you remember last year at that game where she fell off her broom? Face smashed into the goalpost, but she still hung on to the Snitch."

"She's tough, that's for sure. Nothing like Coral who cries if you thump her."

With that Severus stopped listening. He concentrated on gently pruning the prickly bush in front of him that seemed to sigh with every snip. If he got too quick or too rough with his cutting, the plant would lash out and slice his hands with its sharp barbs. Several students had already been sent to the hospital wing with deep gashes covering their arms, but Severus only had one thin trail of blood running across the back of his hand. Nothing a little antiseptic couldn't handle and the head of Slytherin had some of that in her office. Herbology was his last class before dinner, and he could just take care of it before he ate. He finished pruning and packed up his things. He was just finishing as the bell tolled three times signaling the end of classes. Severus walked back up the hill to the castle, preparing for what he hoped would be a pleasant evening lolling about doing vast amounts of nothing.

Late that night, as Severus lay in his bed with the curtains drawn, sleepily aware of Lucius Malfoy and his pick of the night having a rather wild bought of sex in the next bed, he wondered what Adellis was dreaming about. As he slipped into sleep, he wondered if her dreams were about him.

Severus could not have been farther from the truth at that moment. As it happened, Adellis was still awake and walking the halls of Hogwarts with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter in tow.

"Look," she said warningly as they neared the head of her staircase. "This comes to an end down in the dungeons right next to the entrance to the Slytherin common room. So be careful when you pop out on the other end. There are lots of doors and what have you, but be sure to open them carefully. And above all else," she looked at them each in turn with narrow, mean eyes, "If you get caught, you didn't find this stair through me!"

They all nodded. None of them would ever implicate any of their friends and they all liked Adellis to much to ever let on that she had anything to do with them being out after curfew. Each boy ducked into the stair. Once they were all gone, Adellis stole back down the hall under James's Invisibility Cloak and slipped through the portrait hole with Lily's help. The two girls went straight up to bed without a word and Adellis fell asleep instantly.

She could feel the weight of Severus's eyes on her as she finished up her Divination homework. It was perfect this time; she hadn't made anything up. She held up her work as if to examine it better, but she was really looking to see if Severus was still watching her. He was. And when he caught her eye, he stood up and walked slowly over to her library table and settled himself in the seat next to her. Without a word, he slid one hand around her neck and pulled her gently towards him, his lips pressing against hers, his tongue flicking over her bottom lip then slipping into her mouth. He tasted like…like…lemons.

Lemons?

Adellis woke with a gasp and found herself looking up into Remus Lupin's face. His hands were on either side of her head and as she shifted a little, found that he was straddling her hips.

"Good morning my love." Remus said with a devilish grin. "Just thought you might like a wake up kiss."

There was a flash of light and Adellis looked around her bed to find James, Sirius and Peter surrounding her, the red curtain pulled to hide all but their feet. All three of them were grinning like idiots and Peter was holding a camera in his hands. She sat up, gasping again, clutching the bedcovers to her to hide the ratty over sized t-shirt that was her nightdress of choice. In the process, Remus was caught off guard and lost his balance, falling off the narrow bed.

Luckily, the only other person who heard him hit the floor was Lily, who was promptly parting the curtains and climbing up on the end of Adellis's bed.

"What in the world are you all doing here? If you get caught…" Lily began to protest.

"Who cares if we get caught now," Peter said. "We've got what we came for."

"What, a picture of me in my pajamas?" Adellis said testily.

Remus had been under the bed for a while and popped back up, holding a pair of red satin bikini panties. "These yours, dear? Terribly sexy," he said as he ran the material through his fingers. "Mind if I keep them?" He evaded Adellis's grasping hands and tucked the underwear into a pocket of his robes.

"This just gets worse and worse," Adellis whined. "Now that you have all seen my undies, will you please go away? I can't take much more of this."

Sirius, who was standing next to Remus under the curtain, asked him, "Anything else interesting under there?"

"Loads!" Remus answered, grinning broadly. "Come on down and I'll show you."

"NO!" Adellis screeched but it was too late, the two of them could already be heard scuffling around under her bed.

"Wait for me," Peter said and he disappeared as well.

Adellis felt like she was going to die if they brought up anything else. She looked from Lily to James, both of whom looked as if they were as embarrassed as she was.

"Why are they doing this?" She asked James, who had climbed up on to her bed and was sitting behind Lily, his head on her shoulder.

"Honestly, I don't know. Remus mentioned something about how funny it would be to have a picture of you before you got all put together in the morning and we ran with it. Unfortunately, you look the same asleep as you do awake, and Remus would not be deterred," James explained.

Lily was looking disgruntled. "Notice the way he leaves himself out of the really bad things?"

James gave her a poke in the ribs and continued, saying "The next thing any of us knows, he's climbed up here and is kissing you like his life depended on it. Peter saw a golden opportunity and snapped a picture." James chuckled and finished with, "I'll wager that whatever you were dreaming about did not coincide very well with that."

Adellis felt her eyes get big and a grin begin to spread over her face. She stifled a laugh as Lily, noticing her reaction asked, "You weren't dreaming about kissing Remus were you?"

"No," Adellis giggled. On the verge of a laughing fit she said, "Not about kissing Remus."

Lily questioned her more, but Adellis could not answer. She was laughing too hard to do more than shake her head. It didn't help matters when Sirius rose from the floor and said very seriously, "This and this I understand completely," waving a bra and a tube of mascara. "But this I am very confused about," he held out an unwrapped tampon and looked so genuinely confused that Lily and Adellis collapsed into torrents of giggles and was not able to answer him. When he looked to James for help, James just stared open-mouthed at him and shrugged.

After an hour of rummaging under Adellis's bed, the boys had gotten bored and left. Adellis had relaxed a great deal after James had revealed that he, Remus, Sirius and Peter had just wanted to make sure she would not be anxious abut her walk into Hogsmeade with Severus that morning. She had told them that she wasn't nervous in the first place, but that she appreciated the thought all the same. Adellis then made sure that she could get a copy of the pictures Peter had taken and seen them on their way. When they left there was just enough time for Lily and Adellis to get showered and dressed before breakfast.

As the two girls stood at the bathroom mirrors combing their hair, Lily asked, "Why did you go nutters when I asked you if you had been dreaming about kissing Remus? You hadn't been had you?"

Adellis smiled at her friend and said, "No, not Remus."

The girls stood in silence for a few minutes, Lily contemplating a particularly hard tangle. Adellis laid her comb down and was walking out when the meaning of what Adellis had said reached Lily's brain. "You were dreaming about Severus?"

Adellis just turned around and flashed a smile.

When Adellis and Lily reported to the Great Hall for breakfast, the room was already full. The anticipation of the day outside the walls of the castle had infected everyone in the school and most everyone was ready to leave as soon as they were through eating. The two girls walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

"Noticed you returned my underwear," Adellis said to Remus who doled out a large spoonful of eggs on her plate while she hung her brown cloak on the back of her chair. "Thanks."

"Well, I only put them back so that you could wear them for me later," Remus shot back as he dropped two slices of bacon on her plate next to the eggs.

"Fat chance, lover boy," Lily said to him with a smirk. "She'll not be wearing those naughty little things for you."

"Lil, shut up." Adellis felt herself going red in the cheeks and hoped that no one would ask her whom she would wear them for. But she hoped in vain.

"Who you gonna model them for then? You can't have something that hot and not show it off." Sirius looked hopeful as he said this.

Much to Adellis's relief, she caught sight of an opportunity to distract the lot of them. She narrowed her eyes and scanned the five people around her and then answered, "Peter will be getting a private showing tonight in the girls dormitory."

Peter sprayed Sirius with pumpkin juice in surprise. Everyone at the table laughed very loudly. Everyone except Sirius that is.

"Sorry, but you deserved that," Adellis said through her giggles as she tried to help Sirius mop up.

James reached around Lily and gave Peter a clap on the back. "You are becoming a bit of a liability at mealtimes, Peter."

Peter, looking very embarrassed said, "I can't help it. When I get shocked, I get shocked."

"Yeah," Sirius said cutting his eyes from Peter to Adellis. "You just seem to only get shocked at meals."

Everyone laughed again then began to eat, discussing their favorite incidences of Peter being surprised. Adellis joined in the conversation, but her eyes kept flicking to where Severus, who had come in shortly after Peter's latest spraying, was sitting alone at the Slytherin table. He was staring very intently at her through the whole meal. She felt her face going a little redder every time she caught his eye and she hoped that the distance between them was enough to diffuse the color. Severus only broke his gaze when he rose from his place and started for the doors. Adellis heard the front doors of the castle open and close as he left the entrance hall.

Adellis pushed her chair back immediately and got up. Saying goodbye to her friends at the Gryffindor table she walked out of the Great Hall and across the entry to the front doors. She pushed them open and walked out into the cool November air. As she threw her cloak around her shoulders, Severus turned from where he had been looking out over the grounds.

"Morning," Adellis said as she walked toward him, fighting a bit with the clasp at her throat. She noticed that his mouth was turned up ever so slightly at the corners.

"Morning," Severus said back. Adellis had never noticed that his voice rasped just a little when he spoke. Perhaps it was the cold air. "Ready?"

Adellis finished the top clasp and quickly fastened the other two. "Ready." She felt like an idiot. Her wit seemed to have stayed behind at the table, leaving her to only speak in single word increments and smile like a complete moron.

Severus and Adellis walked down the stone steps and across the grounds to the road that would take them to the village of Hogsmeade. There was no one out this early and peacefulness prevailed over the road that skirted the Forbidden Forest. Birds sang quietly in the trees and the early morning sun filtered through the mist that hung over their heads, just out of reach.

They walked in silence for several minutes until Severus turned and asked, "What was the commotion this morning?"

"At our table?" Adellis asked in return. When he nodded the affirmative she answered, "Oh, the boys decided to sneak up and give me a wake up call this morning. In the process, they managed to go through some of my personal things and they were teasing me." She gave a short laugh and said, "I set Peter up to blow his drink all over Sirius after Sirius said something inappropriate."

Severus's mouth turned up again and he said, "I won't ask you what he said. I probably don't want to know."

Adellis laughed and replied, "You're right, you don't want to know." Even if he had asked, Adellis would never have told him the truth. It was not too bad when she was with that group, but the thought of describing her underwear to Severus made her turn three shades of red.

They lapsed into silence and didn't speak again until they were almost to the village. Then it was Adellis who spoke up first.

"Is there anything in particular you need to do while we're here? Anywhere you need to go?"

"I could use a few more basic supplies. Quills and parchment. What about you?" Severus looked at her, noticing that her cheeks were pink from the gentle cold wind that was playing with a few stray strands of her hair.

Adellis looked up at him and shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. "I've got two places I need to go. One, I have got to find a new wand. This one," she pulled her wand out of her pocket, "has begun to get temperamental. Won't do as it is told. Second, my mum and dad have told me that I can have my own owl if I can find one I like. I'd like to go take a look." Adellis said a silent word of thanks that her ability to speak had caught up with her on the road.

"What say we do the quick stuff first? To Dervish and Banges?"

"All right."

They set off through the mostly empty streets of village towards Dervish and Banges, where Severus could get his supplies and Adellis could look for a wand.

"I'll go on over and be seeing it they have anything to suit me," Adellis said as Severus held the door open, then followed closely behind her out of the cold.

"Right, be there in a minute." Severus could have sworn he sounded like his dad when he and Severus's mother were shopping. He glanced at Adellis, but she had paid no attention to the comment except to nod and say, "Take your time."

Severus went to collect a new quill to replace the one that someone had borrowed and chewed into disrepair. He found one and was selecting several sheets of parchment when he heard the shopkeeper say to someone, "Surely, if you think the wand you have now is temperamental, that one is not for you." Severus grabbed a few pieces of parchment and walked over to where the wands were kept to see what was going on.

"Why don't you just take it down and let me try," Adellis was saying as she looked from the shopkeeper to a wand box located on a high shelf. "If you are right, then I'll look for something else."

Severus studied the face of the shopkeeper. It clearly said, 'No way' to Adellis's request. The man spoke again, this time more insistent. "Dear, a wand like that is far out of your range. Its core is too powerful. Why don't you try this one here?" He reached for a box on a lower shelf. "Nice springy willow with unicorn hair core. 13 inches."

Severus caught a look of anger cross Adellis's smooth face. It was only there a second then it vanished. It was definitely not a look Severus wanted to see again. Her eyes, normally as clear as water, had gone cloudy, changed color to a dark blue, and narrowed. Her mouth that so often relaxed into an easy smile had tightened to a frown that looked unnatural on her bright face. He was surprised when she took to wand from the shopkeeper and waved it around.

He was not surprised when nothing happened.

This went on through what seemed like hundreds of wands. The shopkeeper would hand Adellis one, she would narrow her eyes at it, and then wave it around. Nothing would happen, and the system would start again. Severus was beginning to grow uncomfortable with the way the angry look would appear on Adellis's face and stay a little longer every time. Her eyes had already seemed to be stuck being dark blue and her mouth was, in Severus's opinion, dangerously close to being a constant frown. When she did not relax her lips after the 'ash, dragon heartstring, 6 inches' did nothing in her hand Severus took action. He pulled out his wand, pointed it at the box Adellis had been eyeing the whole time and said a very quiet, "Accio." The box landed in his hands and he looked at the shopkeeper.

"Let her try it. It can't be that bad." Severus handed the box over to the surprised shopkeeper.

The man took out the long black wand and held it out to Adellis as though he was in a trance. She took it without hesitation, but still frowning. When she waved it one time through the sir, it hummed and sent a shower of deep red sparks out of its end. Severus was relieved when Adellis began to smile again. He watched as she waved the wand a few more times, her smile growing wider with every new set of red sparks.

The shopkeeper came out of his daze and gave the wand's statistics. "That wand is ebony, with a core of Chimera hair, 14 inches long." The man looked as though he had never seen anything so strange as a girl trying out a wand before.

Adellis had begun to try a few simple spells. It was obvious that this wand was not a problem for her, as the shopkeeper had thought it would be. Severus watched with the corners of his mouth up, as she made the shop cat fly through the air and land softly on top of a bookcase. Seeing that her mind was made up, Severus gathered up his things from the top of a display and started from the counter.

It took about three seconds for him to realize his steps were taking him nowhere. He looked down to see that his feet weren't even touching the floor. He turned back to where Adellis was standing and saw that she was looking from the wand to Severus and back to the wand with an amazed expression on her face.

"Would you please put me down?" He asked her. She looked up at him and nodded her head as if she were distracted. He immediately felt his feet touch the floor. Now it was his turn to look surprised. "Adellis, you didn't say anything."

Adellis looked at him again, her eyes beginning to light up and a devilish grin spreading across her face. "I know," she said excitedly. "All I did was think that it would be funny to see you floating about, and then you were." Her grin got bigger. "Same thing when I let you down."

Severus turned to the shopkeeper, who was hurriedly tidying up the wands that Adellis had rejected. "Can that wand read her mind?"

The man turned around and said, "What? Oh, no. Well not really. It can sense what she wants, and if it feels like it will do it without a verbal command. It's all to do with the Chimera hair. Here," he said handing the box over to Adellis. "There's a book in there that will tell you what can and can't be done with a wand like that." He then went back to tidying up.

Severus looked at Adellis who shrugged and said, "Let's go. Have you got everything?"

"Yes," Severus thought he had never seen a person take such bizarre news so well. It was as if someone had told Adellis that there would be a test on Monday. She didn't treat it as any amazing news, just took it in and shrugged. They paid for their items and left the shop.

Severus came to understand the Adellis's shrugs of acceptance served the purpose of hiding her nerves not long after they stepped back into the street. "Do you still want to go look at owls?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets. After the warmth of the store, the outdoor air seemed even colder to him.

"Yes. Where would I go to do that here? I have never seen a shop for them." Adellis was getting used to Severus speaking in short, concise sentences. She figured that she would have to be careful and actually listen to every word that came out of his mouth to catch his meaning.

"This way," Severus said, gesturing with an elbow. "Down the alley behind Honeydukes."

Adellis nodded and walked next to him as they continued on down the street. It was later now and more of the Hogwarts students were trickling into town. A few of them noticed Adellis with Severus and whispered to one another as they passed. Adellis paid no attention to them and made a mantra out of, 'we are not a couple.' They turned down the alley behind Honeydukes and saw the Magical Pet Shop sign towards the end.

"A word of warning," Severus began. "If a boy ever asks you if you want to get your owl looked after in Hogsmeade, say no. Even if it's sick, don't fall for that line."

Adellis cocked her head at him and asked, "Why? What does it mean?"

"Well, this alley is sort of a lover's lane. It is also the only place, except for school, to get a sick or hurt owl taken care of."

"Ah, I see," Adellis said nodding her head. "I really don't think I have to worry about that particular invitation."

Severus swiveled his head in her direction and raised an eyebrow. "Really? I would have thought that you have offers pouring in from every boy at Hogwarts." He really believed that too. Despite her slightly crooked nose (or maybe because of it) she was, without a doubt, a very pretty girl. Not striking like Evangaline was, or sultry like Coral. Not handsome like Josephine. Adellis was just pretty. At least Severus thought so.

Adellis snorted, "Not hardly. If they are lining up for me, I must be facing the wrong way because I never see it." She smiled. "No, I think now that half the school's had a go at Coral, a quarter of them are still swooning over Evie, and Jo has procured every heart in Hufflepuff that leaves me with a handful of crazies like Remus and Sirius and Peter who I know far too well to ever date."

Severus could not help himself. He laughed. The sound must have surprised Adellis because she jumped a little and stopped in the middle of the alley. "Sorry," he apologized as his laughter faded into his small smile. "Couldn't help it. I got a mental image of you and Peter Pettigrew sneaking off to the North Tower and it just struck me as absurd."

"That's because it is absurd." Adellis made a face and shook like she had spiders crawling all over her. "Just the thought. Eww."

Severus laughed again and drew another look from Adellis. He closed his mouth and opened the door to the Magical Pet Shop, letting her step inside first. He couldn't help but wonder if she considered him one of the crazies that she could never date or if he would be lumped into one of the other categories. He filed in behind Adellis and followed her to the counter where he heard her ask the young woman who ran the shop for an owl.

"I would like the plainest one you have. Nothing fancy, nothing special. Only the most basic magical understanding so he or she can get my letters where they need to be."

There it is, Severus thought. She really does get ruffled about the crazy things that seem to flock to her. He thought a little harder as he watched her talk to a medium sized gray owl. If getting a new wand that has all sorts of powers bothered her, he wondered what she thought about having three older sisters, two of which have left some big shoes to fill. Severus could remember Evangaline as the Head Girl, walking around school like she was the best and the brightest. And Josephine was headed that same direction. She was Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as well as the Seeker. Josephine also made the best grades in her class. Coral would be a problem for Adellis because she was so passed around. Being the closest to Adellis's age, there would of course be an association made. Severus had never though about what that would be like. His own brother, Alexander, was so much older that only the Professors had any memories of him. Severus could not imagine having to live in the shadow of a sibling.

He shook himself out of his reverie and watched Adellis as she turned down a large black owl with yellow eyes. It did look rather evil as it sat on its perch turning its head around and around. She looked over every owl in the place and settled on the first one she had seen, the medium gray one.

"How will I get him back to school?" She asked the young woman as she tried to coerce the owl into a cage. The feathery creature was having none of it.

"I can send him tomorrow with a letter if you like. It might be easier than stuffing him in this cage."

"Really?" Adellis looked interested. "What would I need to do today? Write the letter and address it?"

"If you would like to. Or we can send you a traditional 'welcome to your new owl' letter. Those are boring."

Adellis looked thoughtful. Severus felt that totally mad part of his brain, the one that had invited Adellis to come to town with him, seize power again. He stepped up beside Adellis and said, "I could send you a letter." When she turned and looked at him he shrugged and said, "Don't I owe you one anyway? For the one you sent me yesterday?" Somewhere in the back of his head there was a tiny little voice rattling bars trying to break out of its cell. The mad part of his brain talked louder over the racket that the voice was making. Severus took up a quill and reached for a small piece of parchment.

"What are you sending me?" Adellis asked trying to look over his shoulder.

Severus moved a little to block her view as he drew a simple, small but clear heart on the paper and put his initials, SS, at the bottom. He then rolled it up and handed it to the woman who tied it to the owl's leg. Adellis crossed her arms and smiled at him.

"Tomorrow then," the woman behind the counter said as she took Adellis's money.

"Tomorrow," Adellis confirmed as she patted the owl on the head. The owl hooted happily and nipped at her fingers.

When the cold air hit Severus in the face, the sane part of his brain came back into power and he wondered what he had just done. Lost in his wondering, he didn't hear Adellis talking to him until she touched his arm.

"Earth to Severus! You still here?" Her hand rested lightly on his arm and he looked at her.

"Yeah, I'm here. Just thinking about something," he was not about to say what the crazy part of his brain was trying to tell him to. No way. Not now.

Without missing a beat, Adellis said, "It's almost eleven. What would you like to do until lunch?" She had thrown away the box that her new wand had come in and was now carrying the book that had come with it.

"Why don't we go get a table at the Three Broomsticks and read up on what that wand of yours can do?" He suggested.

"Sounds good to me. I could do with something hot to drink."

Severus nodded in agreement and they set off again. As they walked Severus glanced at Adellis through the corner of his eyes. The more he looked at her, the more beautiful she became. She looked a little messy, with the wind throwing copper curls across her face and an inch of her cloak dragging the ground. Peeking out from under her cloak, her black robes swirled around her legs, which were clad in loose fitting denim pants. Severus couldn't see her shirt under the layers of robes and cloak, but it didn't matter. To him, she could have worn a shopping bag and been irresistible. He shook himself and looked away before she caught him staring.

Before long they were inside the Three Broomsticks. It was slowly filing up for lunch as Adellis and Severus placed their orders, gathered their drinks, and moved to a small round table in a corner. Adellis laid the book down on the table and began working at the clasps on her cloak. She watched with some envy as Severus popped the hook that held his cloak in place with one hand. She struggled with the last of the clasps on hers, but it would not budge. Growing frustrated, she tried to wiggle it to where she could at least see what the problem was. Before she had it positioned, she felt another set of hands close over hers. She looked up at Severus as he moved her hands out of the way and forced the clasp open. Adellis's pulse quickened when his knuckles grazed her chin.

"Thanks," she said as he released her collar and sat down, refusing to meet her gaze. She draped her cloak over the back of her chair and sat down.

"You should really get that fixed," Severus said, taking a tentative sip of his steaming butterbeer. He still would not look at her.

"I know. I am just too lazy." Her voice shook as she said this and she took a drink of her hot cider. His touch had made her heart leap into her throat and a shiver had passed across her spine. For several long minutes, she could think of nothing to say. Since Severus wasn't talking either, they sat in silence.

Adellis picked up her wand book and flipped it open. She scanned the table of contents and was turning to Chapter Three: Things to Remember as You use Your Chimera Wand when Severus spoke to her.

"What does it say?" He was looking at her so intensely now that she felt her face flush when she noticed it.

"Oh, well," she scanned the page and read, " 'It is wise to keep in mind that a Chimera wand, like a Chimera is a moody and dangerous thing.' That sounds ominous, doesn't it?" Severus nodded slightly and she kept reading. " 'If this wand chose you to own it you have nothing to worry about. However if you bought this wand without trying it first, return it immediately.'"

Adellis looked at Severus who raised his eyebrows and said, "Then you won't have any problems, right?"

"Right. When I walked back there, I was very drawn to the box that it was in." She gazed at Severus and asked suddenly, "Did you hear anything in that shop? As I was looking at the other wands?"

Severus shook his head and said, "No. Why?"

Adellis looked thoughtful, as if she was trying to find the words to express what she wanted to say. When she spoke, her voice was just above a whisper, "Because the box was humming just a little. I swear it was.""

Severus smiled at her and said, "I believe you. Chimera's are very dangerous creatures. I have heard that they lure their prey with a soft hum."

Adellis looked worried. "I don't want to be anything's dinner!"

"Don't panic. I don't think a wand can eat you. Besides that," he said shrugging his shoulders, "It likes you. Look up what the book says about mind-reading."

Adellis flipped back to the table of contents and then to another page. "All right," she began. "Here it is. 'The Chimera wand cannot read your mind. It can however sense what you would like to do, and if it is in the mood, will obey without a verbal command.' Here is something interesting. Listen. 'The Chimera wand can be trained to obey simple one word commands that are not in the language of magic. For example, a witch or wizard can teach the wand to perform the 'lumos' light charm at the command of 'light' or a similar word.'"

Adellis looked up from the book and at Severus, who made a face and said, "Wow. I am getting jealous. I want one now."

Adellis glowed. They continued to talk and read, discovering that her new wand would disappear when placed in a dangerous position, set off and explosion when it was stolen, and, as an odd quirk, made flowers pop out of it's end when it's owner was blissfully happy. They read about the way the Chimera hair was gathered at great risk of life to some poor soul, and about how it was sealed into the wand.

Severus was feeling very relaxed and at ease as Adellis read about the wood that her wand was made out of. He heard her say, "A very rare wood, the ebony is black in color and when used in wands is almost always left in long pieces." His mind wandered a little as her voice went on describing where the ebony came from and how to care for it. He gazed at her, wondering how someone as good-natured as she was could sit in the now crowded inn with someone like him and not bat an eyelash.

As Adellis read, she could feel Severus staring at her again. He was, she had discovered through her frequent glances at him, a disturbingly good-looking young man. His silky black hair spread across the shoulders of his black robes, then ends getting lost and blending in with the folds around his shoulders as he sat with his elbows on the table. His black eyes were intense and calculating as they roved over her face. The lines of his face were hard and straight as if they had been carved out of stone. His skin was pale, but not so pale that he looked unhealthy. His hands, wrapped around his mug, were narrow, graceful things that ended in long, tapered fingers that never moved unless there was some intention.

She read on, unaware of what she was really saying until Severus interrupted her with a confused, "What?"

"I said I think I am falling for you," Adellis repeated automatically, without thinking until it was too late. When the realization of what she had just said hit her, she could have slammed her head into the tabletop several times. A constant scream resounded in her head like a siren. She clapped a hand over her mouth and felt her eyes get very large. She stared at Severus for what felt like hours. He sat there, his mouth slightly open, gazing at her his chest rising and falling visibly as he took breath after breath. The look in his eyes was somewhere between thunderstruck and scared to death.

"Oh God," Adellis chanced to say. "Oh God. I am so sorry. I did not mean…" Her voice failed her then and she could only move her mouth silently as she continued to stare across the table at Severus.

Severus had thought his ears were failing him when she had first spoken. One minute she was reading to him about how the guardians of the ebony trees were ferocious little beings that had to be tricked into running away by making loud explosions go off at the base of the tree and the next minute, right in mid-sentence she had said that she thought she was falling for him. Severus was so surprised that he had interrupted her and asked her to repeat what she had said. That was when it became clear, after she repeated those words, that she had really not meant to say anything like that at all. When she wittered her apologies, Severus felt like his whole world, which had so suddenly started turning at about a thousand miles an hour, come to a screeching halt.

"You didn't mean it then?" He couldn't keep the melancholy out of his voice and was seriously surprised to hear it to clearly. He had already decided that it would be very depressing to have to go back to school that night and not be able to spend this much time with Adellis. He'd even been waiting for a chance to turn the conversation so that he could tell her how much he liked her when she had told him that she liked him. Now, it looked like she didn't like him after all. There was a dull ache in his chest.

Adellis was taken aback at the sadness in his voice and the dejected look that his eyes now held. She realized what her last words to him had not been at all what she wanted to say. Collecting herself she said hurriedly, "No, no. That's not it at all!" Adellis exclaimed reaching across the table and taking his hand. "I like you, Severus. I really do."

He looked down as where her hand had a death grip on his. "You do?" he asked staring down at the tabletop. When he heard her say, "Yes, I just didn't really mean to say it right then," he felt the corners of his mouth begin to pull upward as his head went up to look at Adellis.

The look that greeted her as his face came back into view was all that Adellis needed to know that Severus felt the same way about her as she did about him. As she watched, his mouth formed into a wide smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle.

About a month later, Christmas Holiday

In James's opinion, it was far too early to be risking expulsion. Already, he had told a boldfaced lie to a professor, broken into a common room with a stolen password, and narrowly missed the roving eyes of Mrs. Norris. On top of all that, he was not even dressed to suit the schools codes. As he stole silently up the steps that would take him to his goal, he hoped that this would be a little easier. He turned a snake-shaped lever and a door opened. He was in luck.

"Good, you're up." James was significantly relieved that he would not have to rouse anyone from bed.

"More like never made it to sleep," Severus said as he pulled a dark green turtleneck over his head. Waking up in a bad mood had not been an issue this morning. He had been awake all night for no apparent reason. Having the dormitory to himself for the holiday had its plusses, but the total silence was difficult to take when he had gotten used to the various snorts and snores from his roommates. Severus raked a hand through his wet hair and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Whose idea was this anyway?"

James leaned back on the door of the room and watched as Severus put on his shoes. "You can thank Lily when we get there." Anticipating Severus's next question he said, "Adellis has no idea."

Severus stood up and shook his pant legs down over the top of his black boots. Severus turned and took a long look at James. "Why are you out of uniform?"

James looked down at his oversized sweater and jeans and said, "Woke up late. No time to get it together. Are you ready?"

Severus nodded. He grabbed his black robes and draped them over one arm, feeling the pockets for the box he had placed there the night before. "Ready," he confirmed.

The two boys sat off down the hall towards the stairs. Sirius Black had slipped him a piece of parchment two days before detailing what the plan was for getting him into Gryffindor Christmas morning. James would come for him at about six thirty in the morning. By seven he would be inside the Gryffindor Tower, a place where few outside Gryffindor had seen, and would go with Sirius, James, Remus and Peter on some kind of raid that they staged every Christmas. Severus just hoped that he didn't get caught in the Gryffindor girl's dormitory. There would surely be hell to pay then.

James and Severus walked in silence down the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts. When they came to the Fat Lady, James said, "Holly garland," and the portrait swung open. The Fat Lady didn't say a word. She had been placated the night before with chocolate liqueurs and her lips were sealed. Both of them stepped through the hole and into the common room. Severus followed James to a stairway in the back and the two of them went up.

Next to a door at the end of the hall, Remus was on his knees on the floor, looking through the keyhole and giggling like a schoolgirl. Peter, who should have been on lookout duty was asking, "What, what?" Sirius had his head in his hands and was trying not to laugh too loudly.

"Are you three voyeurs trying to get your necks broken?" Severus spoke before James could open his mouth and tell them to stop.

Remus looked up at Severus, who was standing over him, and said through his giggles, "No, take a look." He moved aside and lay down on the floor, shaking.

Severus gave Remus a glare that could have melted metal, but kneeled next to the keyhole anyway. He definitely was not ready for what he saw.

Someone had cast as spell on the lack so that it gave a clear view of the room. He could see and hear everything that was going on. The radio that was sitting on a table between two of the beds was blaring a station that played only muggle rock and roll. The song was an old one with some man singing about a magic carpet ride. But that was not the highlight of the scene. Severus flicked his eyes to the only source of movement in the room. His mouth fell open as he watched Adellis lip-syncing every word of the song into the end of her wand as she danced around on top of her bed. Occasionally she would break into air guitar, her long hair flipping over her head as she pretended to play. He could hear Lily's insane laughter and saw her having fits as she sat on the bed next to Adellis's. Severus could not help himself. The sight of Adellis, standing on her bed in pale jeans and a sweatshirt that must have been five sizes too big singing into her wand was too much. He sat back on his heels and laughed out loud.

James took his turn next and had the same reaction. The song ended before James looked away, making Peter very upset.

Sirius, who had regained enough control to talk quickly said, "Come on!" He threw open the door, and began to clap loudly as he walked in. Then James, Remus and Severus followed suit. Peter stayed where he was, looking disgruntled.

Adellis was surprised for a second when they all came crashing through the door, applauding. Then, amid a shower of syrupy praise such as 'Well done, love,' and 'Good show,' she took her bows from the foot of her bed. When she looked up she spotted Severus amid the group.

Still smiling, he walked toward her and reached up to take her hands. "When is the next show?"

Taking his hands and jumping down off the bed she smiled at him and replied, "I only do one a year. What are you doing here?" Without her shoes on, she was several inches shorter than Severus.

Severus smiled down at her, desperately wanting to pull her close. But he had decided, after he had held her in front of her friends one time, that was a bad plan. The horribly shocked looks from them all had been enough to convince him that those five people need not witness anything more than handholding. Because of the fact that she was rarely out of their company, in a month of dating, he hadn't even gotten the chance to kiss her. Trying not to think about that major letdown, he said, "I was collected at an obscene hour and smuggled here for your benefit."

James, whose mood had improved considerably after getting back to the Tower without incident and then even more at the sight of Adellis acting like an idiot, retorted, "Yes, a great task. This place is crawling with students at this hour. And every professor has been cloned. Danger around every corner."

At this, Severus chuckled. He was amazed at how tolerant James, Lily and all of them had been of his presence. He had expected open hostility from the boys and at the very best, strained politeness from Lily. What he had gotten was tolerance from Sirius and Remus, friendliness from James and Lily, and for some unknown reason, near idol worship from Peter.

Sirius closed the door of the room. Turning around, he said, "Shall we begin then? Not a very good 'raid,' but still, here we are. Where's the food?"

Lily pointed in the direction of a large wardrobe. Severus noticed that she then caught Adellis's eye and the two girls winked. Severus, still holding on to Adellis, turned to watch as Sirius pulled the doors of the wardrobe open and recoiled in horror as a Grindylow came flying out at him. Varying states of shock and surprise registered on the face of every boy in the room, but the two girls collapsed in fits of giggles. The Grindylow had taken hold of Sirius's arm and was not letting go. It took everyone a few seconds to realize that a Grindylow could not leave the water and that this was actually a boggart. Remus was the first to act, pulling his wand and shouting 'Riddiculus!' sending the Grindylow back to its normal boggart form. Sirius lay on the floor panting as the boggart retreated back into the wardrobe.

"Sorry Sirius," Lily said, still laughing. She walked over to the wardrobe and began pulling out bags and boxes filled with sweets and butterbeer. "That boggart has been in this wardrobe ever since our first year. We wanted to see what he would do to someone new."

Sirius sat up and asked, "What do you mean, to someone new?"

Adellis answered. "Well, he's so tired of all of us that he doesn't bother to try to scare us. Even boggarts have their limits." She took a box of chocolate frogs from Lily and handed one to Sirius. "Here eat this. You'll feel better."

The food and drink was distributed and they all found seats on the beds. Everyone ate, drank and made merry rather loudly until footsteps could be heard coming up the hall. Severus, who had been sitting very close to Adellis in the center of her bed, felt her push him off before he knew what was happening. "Get under the bed!" She hissed at him as the door opened.

"What is going on here!" Professor MacGonagall stormed into the room in a fury. "I could ear you all the way to the library!" She scanned the group, and then said, "Whose is this?"

From his post under Adellis's bed, he could see the hem end of his robes. He berated himself for having been so inattentive as to leave them on the floor in the hall. He did not know how in the world they would cover this one and he thought that for sure, they would reveal he was here. He moved a little to one side, ready to show himself, but stopped short when he heard Remus speak.

"It's mine," he said sounding very confident.

"Yours, Mr. Lupin? It is lined in green, not red." Professor MacGonagall never missed a beat.

"A special order gone bad. I ordered a new set trimmed in red to replace the ones that caught fire earlier this year. I was sent these instead." Severus watched Remus's feet walk over to where MacGonagall was standing. "I brought it up here to show the girls, but must have left it outside in my rush."

He was slick, Severus thought. Very slick.

"To show the girls," MacGonagall was saying, her temper rising. "Just what do you all think you are doing in the girls dormitory to begin with?"

"Celebrating the holiday," Peter said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Well, you can celebrate elsewhere! No boys in the girl's rooms! Out!" MacGonagall cried. Four sets of feet shuffled out the door and it slammed behind them.

In a few seconds, once the Professor's voice had died away down the hall, Adellis's face appeared, upside down over the edge of the bed. "She's gone. Come on up."

As he resurfaced from under the bed, Severus asked, "Won't they be in trouble? Should I…"

He was cut off by a riot of giggles from both girls. Lily calmed and said to him, "No, no trouble. MacGonagall doesn't give detentions or punishments on Christmas. It's just…" She dissolved into giggles again.

Adellis put a hand on his arm and he turned to face her. "You see, MacGonagall will probably make Remus wear your robes now. She'll want proof that they are his." She laughed. "I'm just relieved that the two of you are about the same size."

Lily, who had tumbled over in fits, managed to gasp, "Remus is going to be wearing Slytherin green for the rest of the day!"

And sure enough, he did. At midmorning, the group convened on the front lawn for a snowball fight and Remus was decked out in Severus's robes. In an effort not to be conspicuous, Severus had donned his plain black ones when he returned to his dormitory before the snowballing. He then panicked when he realized that his gift for Adellis was still in the pocket of the others. He had to get that back!

No opening presented itself to ask for its return at any point during the games on the lawn. Lily and Adellis initially joined in the tossing of hard packed balls, but gave up when James and Sirius ambushed them. The two of them then went off to the slope above the lake and began to make snow angels. The games continued until dark, with the boys trying their best to commit murder with snowballs then, for the fun of it, turning the snow different colors and keeping score of hit and misses by the stains the balls left behind. The girls amused themselves by building snowmen and occasionally joining in the snowball fight. As darkness fell, Severus still had not retrieved the small package. He was ready to just walk up to Remus and ask for it when Remus approached him on the steps leading up to the front doors.

"I think this is yours," he said, holding out the box. "I placed a couple of charms on it, to keep it from getting wet and crushed. Hope you don't mind."

Severus took the box and looked around. "Thanks."

"I didn't tell any of them," Remus said nodding in the direction of the still playing bunch on the lawn. "Thought it might be personal."

Severus looked at Remus and said, "Yeah, it is, a bit."

Remus looked out across the grounds. "You make her happy, you know." He shifted his eyes to Severus. "I don't know why, but you do."

Severus gazed at Adellis who was laughing at James and Lily wrestling in the snow. "My sentiments exactly."

After drying off and changing, all of the students who had stayed for the break reported to dinner in the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore had insisted that they all eat together at the same table while on break, and no one objected. By far, the Gryffindors were the greatest in number, second was Ravenclaw. Severus had stayed along with two Slytherin girls who were twins. Everyone in Hufflepuff had gone home for the holiday. As everyone filed around the table, all the different houses mixing up, Severus made sure that he secured a seat next to Adellis.

Midway through the meal, he leaned over and whispered to her, "Would you meet me tonight in the stair that leads from the dungeon to the library hall?"

"When?" Adellis whispered back.

"As soon after dinner as you can get away."

"Why don't we just go there as soon as we are finished eating? I don't have to do anything tonight."

Severus nodded. He had figured that she would go spend some time with her uncle that night, but it didn't seem like that was something she would likely do. When he had polished off as much as he could, he leaned back and waited for Adellis. As he waited, he scanned the table. Remus was flirting with a Ravenclaw fourth year. Sirius and James were picking on Peter, trying to get him to spew his drink on someone while Lily laughed at them. Most of the Professors were in conversation with each other. But not Dumbledore. Dumbledore was staring thoughtfully at Severus. When Severus saw this, he locked eyes with the older man and stayed that way until Adellis touched his arm and asked if he was ready to leave.

Looking away from Dumbledore very quickly, Severus said, "Yes," and took her hand. Amid a few inquiring looks, Adellis and Severus walked out of the room and down to the dungeons where they entered the stairwell. He had taken the time to enlist the help of a painting, which seemed to have taken an unnatural liking to him, to ensure that he could have a few hours of peace and quiet with Adellis. But now, as he neared the door that would take them to the room where that painting was housed, he could feel a thousand tiny wings beating against his chest.

"Where are we going?" Adellis asked as they came to a door in the stairwell.

"You'll see," Severus said evasively as he turned the knob and held the door open for her. The room that they walked in to was not much. Just a large open room with lots of sad looking paintings hanging on the wall. The little wings beat harder as he led her across the room to a picture of a Young woman with copper hair.

"Hey! That looks like my mum!" Adellis said as they approached.

"Not quite, deary," the painting chirruped. "More like your great-grandmum."

When Adellis looked at Severus with her mouth open, he just shrugged. "Would you be so kind?" he asked the woman in the painting.

"Of course, you adorable thing!" The painting swung open to reveal a small, but comfortable room decorated in plain, neutral colors and lit dimly by a few well-placed candles. There was a fire in the fireplace that crackled happily as they walked in.

Adellis let go of Severus's hand and walked to the center of the room. She turned around, a gentle smile spreading over her face. "How did you find this?"

He didn't bother to answer her. The wings had stopped their drumming and he took advantage of having his nerve back. He walked over to where she stood and took her in his arms. For a long time he just stood there, his arms wrapped around her, his head buried in the curve of her neck. He just let himself get lost in the way her arms slid around his shoulders and locked around his neck. He inhaled deeply the scent of soap that clung to her skin.

Adellis was in heaven. There was no other way for her to describe it. As Severus held her close, she felt like she was flying. The pressure of his arms around her back was so wonderful; strong and firm, but he wasn't crushing her. The black wool of his robes was soft under her fingers and smelled faintly of cedar. His hair fell in wispy waves across her cheek and tickled her chin. She sighed as she closed her eyes and melted into him.

And then he kissed her. It wasn't the first time she had been kissed before. It wasn't even the second. The first had been a crazy thing. She'd kissed Sirius on the train to school when she came in for her second year. The second was even crazier, having been Remus the month before. But, oh. This was by far the best. Severus's mouth was warm and soft as it pressed against hers. When his lips parted and he nibbled at her bottom lip, she felt her mouth open and her tongue twine automatically around his.

As much as Severus wanted to stay right where he was, somewhere in the back of his head he knew he would have to breathe eventually. Adellis tasted like honey and felt like silk. Later in life, his best days would begin with the taste of honey on his lips. Lack of oxygen began to make him light headed and he pulled back from her. Hands still on her hips, he fixed his eyes on Adellis's face. She was looking up at him with the pink flush that he liked rising to her cheeks.

Unable to think of anything else, he said "I have something for you."

Adellis rested her hands on his biceps and retorted, "What, more than that? You are going to spoil me." Her flippancy served the purpose of hiding just exactly how much she wanted to pull him back to her and kiss him until one of them died of asphyxiation.

Severus rolled his eyes, thankful that she had broken up some of the seriousness of the moment. He took her hand in his and walked around the big, squashy sofa in front of the fireplace and motioned for her to sit. He pulled the small package out of his pocket and sat down next to her. His hands shook as he placed the box on her lap.

Adellis smiled shyly at him as she pulled the blue ribbon off the white box. When she had the ribbon off, the box top popped off on its own and something shiny came floating out and hung right in front of her face. Taking a closer look, she found that at the end of a short, gold chain there hung a very unique charm. Unsure that she was seeing it properly, Adellis reached out and grasp the charm in her palm. The chain went slack and she brought it closer to her eyes. She had seen correctly. A lion and a snake were carved in high detail on a backdrop of a split coat of arms. A large X backed the side with the lion and the snake had a pattern of diamonds behind it. Adellis knew those patterns and those animals all too well. She saw them every day when she looked at the area behind the staff table in the Great Hall. The Gryffindor lion and diamonds and the Slytherin snake and X.

Severus watched as she closely studied the charm. The longer she looked at it the more concerned he got. By the time she looked over at him, open-mouthed and silent, he was sure she was about to tell him she hated it. Braced for the worst, he was knocked off center when she began to smile. He was completely thrown for a loop when she threw her arms around him and kissed him so hard he was sure that his lips would be bruised.

"I guess that means you like it," he said when she pulled back.

Adellis laughed, "Absolutely. I love it. It's so perfect." She hugged him again.

Relieved, Severus dislodged her and took the necklace from her. "Turn 'round and hold up your hair." She did and he fastened it around her neck.

Adellis let her hair fall and turned back to Severus. Her face was screwed into a confused expression. "What's the matter," he asked.

"Well, just I don't have anything for you. Not here. I sent yours by night owl last night so you would get it this morning. You did get it didn't you?"

She looked so concerned that he hated to say, "No, I don't remember it."

Adellis felt like she might cry. If her own owl hadn't been off delivering Christmas parcels and greetings, she would not have had to use Coral's nasty tempered screech owl. That was when she realized her mistake. Not feeling any better she peered up at Severus through her eyelashes. "I know why it didn't make it. The owl I used was Coral's. She had probably told it to deliver everything to her."

Severus really couldn't have cared less if he had tried. He had what he wanted right in front of him. "Adellis, it's okay," he told her. Reaching out and pulling her to him he said, "I am completely content just having a few hours with you, sans your friends." He nuzzled her chin.

Adellis didn't believe him for an instant. "But it's not fair," she protested.

"Fuck fair!" Severus said. He was not going to allow anything to stand in the way of some hard core, long overdue cuddling, not even his cuddling partner. "You can deal with that tomorrow. Tonight, we have a bit of a time limit. The sun will come up eventually, and I have no intention of spending my much longed for time alone with you thinking about your great pratt sister." That said, he leaned back and waited for Adellis's reaction.

She looked at him and laughed.

Why did she always do that?

Did it really matter?

When she snuggled up against his chest, one arm around him he decided that it really didn't.

They spent the better part of that night and the wee hours of the next morning in that small cozy room. When Severus walked Adellis back to the Gryffindor Tower, the Fat Lady gave him a wink, having heard the story from her friend Violet who knew someone who knew the copper haired woman that had been so helpful. Then, when Dumbledore caught Severus minutes away from the Slytherin doorway, the older gave the younger a knowing look and let him go on with a warning to 'Not be out so late.'

Severus wondered as he fell asleep how much Dumbledore knew. When his eyes finally closed, the morning sun made its first appearance over the horizon.

A soft tapping sound woke him six hours later. It started out as background noise in his dream. As it persisted, he realized that it wasn't part of the dream and woke up. The tapping had stopped. It started again. Someone was tapping on his door. Dragging a pillow over his face, Severus tried hard to ignore the sound, but it wouldn't go away. Finally, very disgusted, he got to his feet, walked to the door, and pulled it open.

Albus Dumbledore stared at the young man who had come to the door with something akin to amusement. He had heard the Severus was a fright when he woke up, but this was funnier than anything. He stood, slumped in the doorway with sheet tracks across his face and one leg of his black pajama pants stuck over his calf. One side of his hair was plastered straight up at an odd angle and he was stifling a yawn. Dumbledore would have laughed out loud, but the letter he had in his hand would have to be dealt with.

"Good afternoon, Severus," Dumbledore began. "Do you mind if I come in?"

Without a word, Severus stepped back to admit the Headmaster. Dumbledore walked directly to a chair in front of the fireplace and sat down. He motioned for Severus to sit in the chair opposite. Running a hand through his hair and sitting down, Severus scowled and said, "What can I do for you, Headmaster?"

"Read this for starters." It was a harsh way to wake a boy up, but it was better to deal with these things immediately.

Severus took the offered letter and glanced at Dumbledore. "What is it?"

"Just read, then we will discuss."

Severus began to read.

Albus,

Please take heart at what I am about to tell you. Bernard is livid right now and I am afraid that most of his anger is directed at you. As you know, only one of our girls came home for the Christmas holiday this year. Adellis stayed at school, Evie was sent to China at the last minute, and Jo went home with a friend of hers. It has been wonderful to have Coral all to ourselves, but she has told us a few things that have disturbed Bernard to no end (and I must admit have made me a little concerned as well.)

Severus looked up at Dumbledore then and started to speak. Dumbledore waved him quiet and Severus went back to reading.

According to Coral, Adellis has started seeing a young man of questionable character. She tells us that he is a Slytherin, the same age as she is. His house affiliation and age do not concern me, however. What makes me worry for Adellis is that Coral has told us he is known all over the school for his foul and violent temper. Coral also says that she would not be surprised if he was… Oh, Brother!… If he was to turn out to be a Death Eater!

Bernard is about to have a heart attack. He is quite up in arms about it all. And he blames you, Albus. He rants and raves about how you should have prevented Adellis from ever being anywhere near this boy. He has said that he will pull Adellis out of Hogwarts if you don't put an end to this relationship. There is no doubt in our minds that there is a relationship. Coral's owl brought this to us yesterday. I believe the inscription says it all.

Please, Albus. Do something before Bernard shows up there.

Your Sister,

Adelaide

Severus finished reading and looked up at Dumbledore. Severus felt the anger burning in his head. His vision clouded and tinges of red appeared at the edges.

"Calm down, Severus. Just calm down." Dumbledore had never seen anyone look so mad. The boy looked like he would devour the next creature that dared cross him. When Severus turned his glassy gaze on Dumbledore, for the first time, Dumbledore knew what it was to fear a student. The look that Severus wore was nothing short of cold malice.

"Why?" Severus growled. There was a knot of hate forming somewhere deep within his stomach. He could feel it grow as he stared at Dumbledore. A ringing in his ears drowned out nearly everything Dumbledore was saying.

"Did you hear me, Severus? I am not gong to do as she asks." Dumbledore was not sure if Severus comprehended anything he was saying, but he had to get this point across. "Severus! I am not going to meddle in your affairs!"

Severus had heard. He didn't understand, but he had heard. He was still seeing red when he asked, "Why not?"

Thankful that the boy was at least responding Dumbledore hastened to explain. "Because there is no need for me to. I have already been to talk to Adellis and she, although ready to do bodily harm to Coral, understands. I see no reason for me to interfere with something that the two of you have under control."

Severus was just as angry as ever. "Then what, pray tell, am I supposed to do? Daddy dearest will cone and get Adellis if I don't sod off."

"You both," Dumbledore emphasized, "will just have to lay low. I won't help you, but I won't stop you either." Dumbledore gave him a meaningful look and stood up. "Just use a great deal of discression and no one will be the wiser." Dumbledore watched Severus as the boy tried to grasp what his Headmaster had just told him. When he had received that letter at breakfast that morning, he knew instantly what he would do. Coral, he knew was a very jealous girl. Dumbledore had watched for years as she had tried and tried to capture Severus's affection and had no luck. When he found out that Severus and Adellis had begun seeing each other, he knew, just knew that Coral would make problems. He'd been waiting for something to snap in her, and it finally had. The idiot girl had gone as far as to make her parents believe that the sullen, angry boy in front of his was a Death Eater.

Severus understood. He looked up into Dumbledore's blue eyes. This man was not going to interfere as long as he and Adellis didn't do anything stupid like get caught. He calmed instantly.

When Severus's face relaxed, Dumbledore smiled. He reached into the pocket of his robes and drew out a black box. "This is yours." He tossed the box to Severus, who dropped the letter and caught it.

"And this is yours," Severus said as he retrieved the fallen letter and handed it back.

Dumbledore took it and walked from the room without a backwards glance. Severus watched him go then studied the box in his hands. He opened it and looked inside to see a single silver band lying on a bed of black velvet. He picked the ring up and studied it. Engraved on the inside were a tiny clear heart and the initials AP.

Three months later

Initially, Adellis had been so mad at Coral that she had not wanted to see her at all when the new term started. But slowly, as she and Severus settled into a routine of meeting in the room behind the painting of the copper-haired woman she had become very placated. She still had Severus. Tat was all that really mattered to her.

The day before Easter break was to begin, she and Severus were to meet in their room. Adellis arrived first, having gotten he homework done early. She waited for a half hour until he arrived, looking like he had run all the way up the stairs. He climbed through the hole into the room and leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily.

"What happened to you?" Adellis asked. She stared at him and took in his dripping hair and flushed face.

"Quidditch ran over. I tried to make it up here on time," he explained between breaths.

She smiled at him. "It's okay. It's not like I had to wait long." She crossed the room and kissed him.

When the pulled apart, he held her and said, "I really like it when you do that."

"Really?" She looked a little sheepish and said, "Well you had better get your fill tonight."

"Why?" It was Severus's constant fear that he would wake up one morning and she would be gone without a trace. No matter how careful they were, he couldn't help but worry they would be caught.

"Because mum sent a letter to Coral, Jo and me asking us to come home for the holiday. She was so whiny in it that we were not about to refuse."

Severus sighed in relief. "Is that right?" He gave her a mischievous glance. "Then I guess I am going to have to get a lot out of my system, aren't I?"

Adellis didn't giggle as she usually would have at the quip. She had much more grand plans for this night than he was talking about. She smiled gently at him and kissed him again, deeply.

When his black and green robes pooled on the floor at his feet, it didn't take long for hers to follow.

They said their goodbyes very early the next morning as before they left their room to return to their houses. While he hugged her close to him at the door and told her how much she would be missed, she promised him that she would send an owl the first chance she got.

A few hours later, Severus awoke, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. He fumbled for his watch. Eight am. Adellis would be arriving at home just then. Having no idea what had frightened him so much, he lay back down and fell into a tormented sleep.

No owl ever came.

And Adellis never returned.

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