Snape shuts the door to Nytd's study, thinking he's in the clear because she's at work, but suddenly comes face to face with Lupin and Black, standing in the hallway with their arms folded.

"Just what were you doing in there?" Black asks suspiciously.

"As if that's any of your concern." Snape hisses, trying unsuccessfully to get by.

"It might be Nytd's concern." Black replies, the implied threat obvious in his voice.

"You weren't touching her computer while she was gone, were you?" Lupin asks, watching Snape's reaction.

"Certainly not!" Snape says angrily. "How dare you imply that you think I would do such a thing!"

Black snorts amusedly. "We're not implying anything, Snape. We're flat-out saying that we think you were."

Snape glares at Black, about to retort when Lupin, ever the voice of reason, speaks up. "It would be easy enough to do a revealing spell to see who the last one to log onto her computer was. That should put the matter at rest."

"I assure you that isn't necessary, Lupin." Snape replies tersely. "You have my word that I did not touch her computer."

Lupin and Black look at each other questioningly for a moment. "Right." They say to each other, and head for the study. Snape merely shakes his head and leans against the doorway, folding his arms across his chest as he watches them with a dark expression.

It only takes the two Gryffs a moment to realize that Snape had been telling the truth, but they are now even happier that they've found better ammunition to harass him with when they discover the bottle of wine sitting on her desk, adorned with a silver and green bow.

"Aw, Severus." Begins Black, holding the bottle up for examination. "And I thought you Slytherins found muggles to be boring."

"And dull." Adds Lupin with a grin. "Don't forget dull."

"Yes, and...what is that charming term you use?" Asks Black sweetly. "Dunderheads is it?"

Snape scowls at the two of them, and swiftly reclaims the bottle from Black. "I'm sure," he replies dangerously, "that the two of you would agree that Nytd is not your average muggle, she is neither dull nor boring," he says as he thunks the bottle back on her desk, "and she is certainly not your typical dunderhead!" He glares at each of them, daring them to disagree, and then sweeps from the room in a huff.

Black and Lupin watch the Potions master leave and then look at each other and grin.

"He likes her, doesn't he?" Black asks Lupin.

"I believe so." Lupin replies, indicating the expensive label on the wine bottle.

"You know it's up to us to harass him endlessly about this, don't you?" Black asks.

"Absolutely, Padfoot old friend." Lupin says as they walk out of the study and close the door.









Valentine for a Ravenclaw ~*~





"So how about walking off some of that pizza?" Remus asked Marlina a short time after the last piece was gone.

"That sounds like a good idea. I ate too much." Marlina replied, sitting far back in her chair.

"Shall we head outside?" Remus asked, banishing the empty pizza box and bottles with a wave of his wand.

Marlina nodded but then hesitated. "I don't have a cloak with me."

Remus held one up and she reached out to take it. She felt her face become just a bit warm as she realized that Remus wasn't letting go of the cloak, and she turned away with a smile to let him slip it over her shoulders. She noted as he turned to get one for himself, that the cloak was the tiniest bit tattered at the edges, but she had to say she didn't care in the least if it belonged to a man that was willing to do that.

"We should probably check in with whoever is on duty before we go wandering the grounds." Said Remus, and they made it a point to find Brandon and Dixon to let them know that they'd be out and about.

"We've been talking about me all night Remus. Why don't you tell me more about you?" Marlina queried as they began to walk.

"There's not much to tell." Remus said. 'Unless you count being a werewolf, member of the Order of the Phoenix, DADA teacher, and member of Voldemort's top 10 most wanted list.' He thought wryly to himself.

"You have to at least tell me something." Marlina said, feigning exasperation.

"What about my air of mystery? Remus insisted. "I'll destroy the image you have of me if I tell you too much."

"Do you have any family?" She pouted a little to coax him to open up.

"None left." He said simply.

"Oh." She said quietly, realizing that was the wrong approach. She smiled and changed her line of questioning. "Let's try again. Easy questions."

"Easy questions?" He asked, and then looked at her through narrowed eyes. "Like what?"

She laughed at his playful suspicion. "What's your favorite ice cream?"

Remus smiled. Ok, easy enough. "Chocolate." He replied. "Anything with chocolate in it."

"See, easy." Stated Marlina with a grin. "Let's try another simple one - what's your favorite color?" She asked next.

"Red, I guess." He said, after a moment's thought.

"Favorite food?" She inquired, starting to enjoy the game she had started with him.

Remus thought about it for a minute. "Pepperoni pizza or fried chicken." He said finally.

Marlina smiled to herself. "Boxers or briefs?" She asked casually, slipping the question in with the others.

"Sorry?" Remus was caught off guard, and Marlina laughed as he realized what she'd been asking and turned a bit red.

"Just keeping you on your toes." She teased, and continued with her playful interrogation. "Favorite subject...besides Defense?" She quickly added.

"Ancient Runes." He replied, shaking his head at himself for being caught off guard by the crafty Slytherin witch.

"Least favorite?" She asked next.

"Potions." He said, wrinkling his nose. He noted that they were nearing the whomping willow.

"Really? It's always been one of my favorites." Marlina mused aloud.

Remus made another face at her. "Not one of my stronger subjects. What's your next question?"

"Ever been skinny dipping?" Marlina asked slyly.

"What?" She'd done it again, and Remus laughed. "Look, I'll answer any question that you throw at me, but the deal is you have to answer the same one, so be careful what you ask."

She looked at him expectantly, willing to play the game.

Remus sighed and answered the last question. "Yes, I have."

"When?" She asked, delighting wickedly at his mild embarrassment.

"In school." Remus confessed. "Sirius, James, Peter and I went one night in the lake."

"With the squid?" It was Marlina's turn to wrinkle her nose.

Remus looked at her expectantly, and waited for her own answer. "Well?"

Marlina knew she now owed him a confession. "I have." She said, and then started to laugh.

"Where?" Remus asked. He had to find out where since she had pried the same information out of him.

"Hmmm." Marlina stalled, smiling and acting as if she couldn't quite remember.

"Where?" He asked more insistently, shoving her arm a bit playfully.

"The water dragon exhibit at the zoo. At night of course." She replied, laughing again at herself for having the nerve to tell him.

"You what?" Remus asked, not sure whether she was joking or not.

"Went swimming in the water dragon exhibit at night." She repeated. "There were three of us."

"I think that's all I need to know for now." Remus said, teasing her and pretending to be flustered at the thought of three naked witches splashing about in the pool. Ok, so only partly pretending to be flustered.

"Ok. New question" She said as they walked along. "Person you trust the most.....besides Sirius."

"Albus Dumbledore." Remus replied without hesitation.

"I guess that might be my answer too." Marlina admitted. She paused for a minute to decide what to ask next. "What's your middle name?" She inquired, finally getting back around to something more personal.

"Jarett. It was my grandfather's name." Remus told her. "And yours, Professor Perkins?"

"Chase. It's a family name." She answered.

"Marlina Chase Perkins." Remus said thoughtfully. "Very nice."

"Thanks." She smiled at him, and then looked up at the sky for a moment.

He smiled back. "Should we be getting back?" he asked softly. He knew that she'd be concerned about her son.

"I think so. I don't want to be away from Noah for too long." She replied, and they turned and retraced their steps toward the castle.





Marlina and Remus walked back together, still laughing and asking each other questions. Remus saw that they were approaching the whomping willow again and decided that it was his turn to ask the new question.

"Ok, Marlie. My turn to ask first." He said, and glanced in the direction of the tree. "Ever stood under the whomping willow?"

"What are you nuts? Of course not." She said quickly. "Have you?"

"Lots of times." He said slyly.

"You can't be serious." She said, laughing. "You'd get beat to a pulp."

Remus grabbed her by the arm. "Come on. I'll show you." He pulled her toward the tree that at the moment was resting quietly.

As they drew nearer, the tree sensed their approach and the branches sprang to life, waving menacingly in their direction. Marlina started to pull back. "Remus, I don't think we should get any closer." She said, sounding concerned.

Remus searched the area immediately around the tree, and finally found what he was looking for. Armed with the stick he started to pull Marlina along again.

"Remus! We're getting too close." She was starting to become alarmed.

Remus stopped and looked at her. "Marlie, I wouldn't do anything that was dangerous. I've done this plenty of times."

Marlina could see he was obviously sincere. "You have? Really?" She asked uncertainly, as she looked back at the flailing branches.

"Yes." He touched her arm briefly and she looked back at him. "Do you trust me, Marlie?" He asked, looking into her clear blue eyes.

She looked back at him for a minute, wondering if this might be about more than the tree. Finally she nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Remus turned and stepped just beyond the reach of the flailing branches and pressed the knot at the base of the tree with the stick. The tree froze, and Marlina gasped in surprise.

"Come here. Quickly." Remus said, and Marlie found herself running under the tree to stand next to him. She touched the trunk of the frozen tree and could feel it quiver beneath her fingers.

"It only lasts for a minute or two, so we have to keep an eye on it." Remus informed her.

Marlina sounded surprised again. "What is that?" She pointed to the opening at the base of the trunk.

"It's a secret passageway." Remus answered.

"How do you know?" She asked, not sure if he was pulling her leg or not.

"Trust me. I know. I'll tell you about it some other time." Remus cast a wary glance up at the branches overhead.

Marlina settled for his answer, and looked up again at the branches now draped harmlessly over their heads. "This feels so.....dangerous." She smiled. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time, Remus. Thank you for such a nice evening."

"My pleasure, Marlie." He said softly.

Marlina put her hands on her hips. "I have one more question for you Remus." She announced.

"What is it?" Remus was keeping an eye out for movement from the tree and wasn't paying attention to how close Marlina was standing.

"If you've done this loads of times, have you ever been kissed under the whomping willow?" She asked, quite close to his ear.

"What?" Remus snapped his attention back to Marlie, who was smiling at him and waiting for his answer.

"Well?" She asked.

"Um....well....I...no." Remus sputtered, as Marlina took a step closer.

Marlina's voice softened. "Me either. Care to change your answer?" She asked. She took one last step toward him, and rested her hands against his chest.

Remus finally smiled back. "I think I would." He started to lean toward her as she reached up to kiss him but saw the first branch twitch out of the corner of his eye and pulled back.

"Wait." He held up one finger and then pulled her by the arms toward him as he leaned back against the trunk. He place one foot against the knot as he drew her in and smiled again. "Ok. Now it's safe."

Marlie shook her head. "Too late, I've changed my mind." She teased, trying to back away.

"Not allowed." He said, pulling her closer. "My tree, my rules."

"Your tree?" She asked distractedly, looking into his soft gray eyes.

"Yes. My tree." He said, and then leaned down a little to kiss her gently as she closed her eyes.





Remus stood at his door a little later saying goodnight to Marlina. "I enjoyed spending tonight with you a great deal, Marlie." He said as he let go of her.

"Me too, Remus. Thank you so much." She smiled at him and then kissed him again quickly. "I should really get Noah."

Remus sighed and smiled. "It probably is time to rescue Sirius."

"Oh, and by the way," Marlina said as she started to back away, "this was the best Valentine's Day I've had in a long time." She smiled and turned to walk across the hallway.

Remus caught her gently by the arm and pulled her back.







Sirius and Noah sat together in his rooms, waiting for Marlina to return with Remus. Sirius was just contemplating the fact that he was probably more worn out than the six year old when they heard voices in the hallway outside the door.

"It's Mom!" Noah said and jumped up to go to the door.

Sirius rose tiredly to his feet and walked to join Noah at the door as the young boy opened it. Fortunately he was fast enough to clamp a hand over the lad's eyes before he saw too much of the way his mother was kissing Remus in the hall.











Lorien finished her paperwork for the day, and decided she would head to the dungeon for the rest of the evening.

She encountered a lot of students out and roaming about the halls, and she remembered that some leeway was being allowed with curfew due to the fact that it was Valentine's Day. Young couples were walking together, boys occasionally ran past and groups of girls could be found giggling or gossiping together in almost any hallway. Including the one that led to the Slytherin dorms.

Lorien frowned as she realized that the group of Slytherin girls gathered in the hall was eyeing her closely as they chatted. She was sure it was unusual for them to see any staff member heading to the Head of Slytherin House's chambers at this time of night, never mind the blonde Ravenclaw witch. Not that it was any of their business, but she preferred, as she was sure Severus did, to be discreet.

She smiled at the group of girls and walked past. She knew they were going to watch to see how long she stayed. It was just the way their minds worked.



Lorien knocked twice and finally let herself in with the counterspell Snape had given her. The sitting room was empty and she called to him as she walked toward the bedroom.

"Severus?" No answer, but something flickered and caught the corner of her eye and she turned back to the small table. There was a note lying there with her name on it. She opened it curiously and read it. The note posed a question.



~ Are you up to the challenge of a short quest? ~



It was his handwriting, but it said nothing else.

Lorien was intrigued by the question, but was unsure exactly what should she do about it. Finally she shrugged and answered the note.

"Yes." she said aloud.

More writing scrawled across the paper.



~ That's because I know you're worth saving. ~

'

She was startled. Those were her words. She'd said them to him when he'd been recovering in the hospital ward. Is that what this meant? Go to the hospital ward? Well it wouldn't be much of a quest if she didn't leave this room. Lorien thought she understood the clue and left the dungeon to go to the medical wing. She smiled again as she walked past the same group of girls only a few minutes later and they eyed her as they spoke in hushed tones.

No one was in the hospital ward. Lorien looked around and then her eyes went to one of the tables. A piece of parchment sat on it that she was quite sure hadn't been there a little while ago. She smiled as she realized this was going to be interesting.



'~ Ready? ~



Was all it asked. "Yes" she said and more writing appeared.



~ At night they come without being fetched, and by day they are lost without being stolen. ~



A riddle? Lorien thought about it. Without being fetched.....so they're already there .....but lost by day...lost by day...in the morning...when it gets light. They come with the dark and leave with the light.

She thought she had it. Stars? Stars needed not be fetched, they came at night, and were gone during the day. It was stars, she was sure of it. Now what?

Oh, no! Stars..... the Astronomy tower? Did he mean for her to actually go to the astronomy tower? Evidently he did. Lorien headed for the tower, keeping a quick hex in mind in case she ran into Sinistra. She was rather hoping she did.



She pushed the heavy door open and stepped out into the cold night air. The observation platform was empty. Amazing considering what night it was. She looked around and saw what she was after. A small slip of parchment pinned to the wall, and Lorien smiled as she wondered what it was going to say. She plucked it off the wall and read it.



'~ Continue? ~



"Yes." She answered, and the same neat familiar script appeared again.



~ What is the first component of the wolfsbane potion? ~



Easy. He was referring to the same ingredient as a clue that she had given him on Halloween.

Now, what did dragonroot have to do with anything? It was powdered. It turned the water black.....was black part of the clue? Nothing came to her and she rethought it.

Powdered dragonroot changed the water to black and then the next component was mandrake.....wait. Lorien smiled. The first component was not dragonroot. Dragonroot made the WATER black. Technically the first component was water.

Did he mean the lake?





Lorien cast a warming spell about herself as she rapidly walked to the edge of the lake.

"Lumos." She held a light aloft on her palm and surveyed the water's edge. As far out as she could see, within the light was a small chunk of ice floating with a piece of parchment folded on it. She smiled. This definitely was intriguing.

She summoned the parchment. "Accio." Nothing happened.

"Pain in the....." She grumble at him. It was charmed to remain where it was, and Lorien did not feel like wading in February. She trudged back the way she came a short distance and transformed.

The small dragon launched herself in the air, made one pass, missed, and dove lower on the second and snatched the ice from the water.



Lorien opened the parchment inside the doors to the main entrance. It appeared to be another riddle.



'~ When I am young, I am sweet in the sun, when middle-aged I make you merry, when old I am valued more. ~



Lorien leaned against the wall and thought about it. Something sweet that made you merry when it got older, and then more valuable as it aged.....

She pondered it longer and it came to her. Grapes were sweet in the sun, and wine would make you merry. Wine certainly became more valued as it aged. The answer was wine.

She was closest to her rooms so she decided to try her wine rack first.

When she stood before the cast iron vine she saw the paper pinned to one of the metal leaves, and she retrieved it.



'~ Almost there, go on? ~



Well of course! "Yes." she said.



~ First kiss. ~



She thought back. It was the night he was injured, before he left. In the potions classroom, near the table. She smiled again and walked more quickly back to the dungeon. She wondered what he was up to. Maybe she had underestimated him.



She opened the door and walked to the table. A rack of potion vials stood upon it with a note.



'~ Solve this to gain entry. Ready? ~



She looked up. The storage room door was nearby and closed. Six vials sat on the table. The first three were filled with blue liquid, the second three were empty.

"Yes." She said.



~ Make the full and empty vials alternate. ~



'Well that's easy.' She thought, but then the writing continued.



~ You may move only one. ~



Not so easy. Lorien considered the problem for several minutes. There was no way to move just one into a different position without switching with a second one. How did she alternate a full and an empty if she couldn't move more than one?

She stood there picturing moving different vials, but no matter which one she picked up, empty or full, she would have to move another to alternate them.

She pictured it. Full, empty, full, empty, full, empty.....that was it. Move one and empty it. She picked up the second vial and emptied it into the fifth. They now alternated, and she had moved only one vial.

She smiled. 'Very clever, Severus.'



She went to the storeroom door and opened it. The smaller room's torches sputtered and ignited. Parchment was pinned to the lacquered cabinet.



'~ Last component. Ready? ~



"Yes." She said, anxious to see what was next.



'~ The counterspell is the first word I ever said to you. ~



Lorien smiled. She was now standing in the very first place she had ever encountered Severus all those months ago. She would NEVER forget the first thing he ever said to her. 'WHAT, may I ask, are you doing?' He had scared her out of her wits when he'd crept up behind her, although she would never admit it to him.

She took the odd-looking key on the chain around her neck, unlocked the door and gave it a smack. Sure enough it didn't open.

"What." She spoke to the cabinet.

The door swung open revealing the cabinet was nearly empty, but Lorien found herself looking upon a single flower on the shelf. It was an iris so dark blue in color, that it was very difficult to tell that it wasn't black. It was exquisite.

Lorien reached in to claim her prize and held it in her hand, gazing at it for a long moment. When she turned around Severus was leaning against the doorway with his arms folded watching her intently.

He came nearer silently and spoke only after he had looked for a long moment at her. "Do you like it?" He asked, indicating the flower.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Oh, Severus. It's beautiful."

"As are you, Sylvanesti." He said in that dangerous velvet voice, and she felt herself blushing when he lifted her hand to his lips, eyes still on hers.

He smiled at her and offered her an arm. "Come." He said, and she placed her hand on his arm as he led her out of the storage room. The torches sputtered out.



She spoke to him as he led her along the hallway, one hand tucked under his elbow, one carrying the iris. "I have a confession, Severus."

He glanced sideways at her as they walked. "And what would that be?"

She tried to find the right way to say it. "I never expected.....well, I didn't think that..."

"That I would even acknowledge what day it was?" He finished for her.

She smiled and nodded.

He snorted. "I see what little faith you have in me."

She knew he wasn't really upset. "Not true. I merely...underestimated you."

They were nearing the group of Slytherin girls that had now gone oddly quiet at the sight of Lorien on the potions master's arm. Not a word was spoken as he looked steadily at the group. None dared meet his gaze as he passed.

They reached his chambers and he held the door open to allow her inside.









Next chapter is devoted to my fellow Slytherins - Marlina, Ariel, Draco and Severus, and more Noah!