The Mirror of Erised
Chapter Twenty-Four
By Jewel Little Bird
Love and a cough cannot be hid. Snape seemed to be falling, though he wasn't admitting it.
Fleur didn't know what to think. Her mother had once told her that men fell fast but women fell hard. If that was so, then supposedly it was only a matter of time until she fell. Still, it frightened her. Before, her world had revolved around Gabrielle, who would have always loved her, no matter what. Now, however, she was wondering if she dared to put her trust in a man who was a murderer, sadistic, and not necessarily going to love her forever.
What terrified her was that she was leaning more towards doing so each day.
It had been something innocently started by a flower, a Casablanca. She had found it on her desk one February morning, sitting in a little glass vase, no note. There had been, however, a little white gold ring shaped like a hawk, a tiny emerald embedded in it for an eye. It was a perfect fit for her pinky finger.
There had been no doubt in her mind as to whom it was from. Her anger form terrified everyone... except Snape.
After dinner that night, she'd chased after him until they were side by side, and then had slowed to a walk. He had glanced at her, but said nothing.
"Did you leave somezing on my desk zis morning?" she had asked politely.
"Yes."
She had noticed she was going to have to drag the answer from him. "Why?"
"I thought I'd let you know you have a friend who cares for you. That's all."
Since then, it'd been a sort of game for one of them to outdo the other. After he left the flower and ring on her desk, she left an attractive (and rather expensive) silver quill on his. Sometimes the gifts they left for each other were friendly (a box of chocolate for her, a basket of ripe berries for him), sometimes they were cruel (he hadn't told her that the chocolates were full of pepper, so she hadn't told him she'd soaked the berries in jalapeno juice), and sometimes they were a complete joke (he'd given her a cucumber and spell for breast enhancement, so she'd left him a dildo and a potion for "performance" enhancement). It was probably the closest he could ever come to outright flirting, so she played along.
Their little game wasn't exacly secret, but somehow most of the other teachers (and students for that matter) seemed to overlook it. Winky knew; she was usually the elf that both Fleur and Snape each used to leave gifts on the other's desk. There was no doubt in her mind that Filch knew; he and Snape seemed to be on "tell me all" terms for some reason. Dumbledore knew, but then he seemed to know everything.
At the moment, Fleur was sitting on her bed in a blue teddy, her robes over her shoulders, staring out the window, with Gabrielle's drawing on her lap. Gabrielle had seemed to know things before anyone else did; had she known that Fleur and Snape would get along at some point?
She was getting a feeling again, but this time, she didn't ignore it. Something was going to happen, she was sure of it. And once it did, she'd know whether she'd fallen hard.
@
End of Chapter Twenty-Four
Love and a cough cannot be hid. Snape seemed to be falling, though he wasn't admitting it.
Fleur didn't know what to think. Her mother had once told her that men fell fast but women fell hard. If that was so, then supposedly it was only a matter of time until she fell. Still, it frightened her. Before, her world had revolved around Gabrielle, who would have always loved her, no matter what. Now, however, she was wondering if she dared to put her trust in a man who was a murderer, sadistic, and not necessarily going to love her forever.
What terrified her was that she was leaning more towards doing so each day.
It had been something innocently started by a flower, a Casablanca. She had found it on her desk one February morning, sitting in a little glass vase, no note. There had been, however, a little white gold ring shaped like a hawk, a tiny emerald embedded in it for an eye. It was a perfect fit for her pinky finger.
There had been no doubt in her mind as to whom it was from. Her anger form terrified everyone... except Snape.
After dinner that night, she'd chased after him until they were side by side, and then had slowed to a walk. He had glanced at her, but said nothing.
"Did you leave somezing on my desk zis morning?" she had asked politely.
"Yes."
She had noticed she was going to have to drag the answer from him. "Why?"
"I thought I'd let you know you have a friend who cares for you. That's all."
Since then, it'd been a sort of game for one of them to outdo the other. After he left the flower and ring on her desk, she left an attractive (and rather expensive) silver quill on his. Sometimes the gifts they left for each other were friendly (a box of chocolate for her, a basket of ripe berries for him), sometimes they were cruel (he hadn't told her that the chocolates were full of pepper, so she hadn't told him she'd soaked the berries in jalapeno juice), and sometimes they were a complete joke (he'd given her a cucumber and spell for breast enhancement, so she'd left him a dildo and a potion for "performance" enhancement). It was probably the closest he could ever come to outright flirting, so she played along.
Their little game wasn't exacly secret, but somehow most of the other teachers (and students for that matter) seemed to overlook it. Winky knew; she was usually the elf that both Fleur and Snape each used to leave gifts on the other's desk. There was no doubt in her mind that Filch knew; he and Snape seemed to be on "tell me all" terms for some reason. Dumbledore knew, but then he seemed to know everything.
At the moment, Fleur was sitting on her bed in a blue teddy, her robes over her shoulders, staring out the window, with Gabrielle's drawing on her lap. Gabrielle had seemed to know things before anyone else did; had she known that Fleur and Snape would get along at some point?
She was getting a feeling again, but this time, she didn't ignore it. Something was going to happen, she was sure of it. And once it did, she'd know whether she'd fallen hard.
@
End of Chapter Twenty-Four