Chapter 3 Levitation and Bleeding Glass

The next morning at breakfast, Aeowyn reclaimed her seat next to Severus, finally deciding that the end of the table needed lightening up and at least her robes were guaranteed to make it look pleasant. She took a plate of bacon for Sanguis and put it on the floor, telling him to eat down there this morning. She sat back up and stared forward, obviously not going to eat breakfast again. Severus glanced at her and spoke:

"Not eating breakfast again, I presume?"

Aeowyn looked at Severus and replied casually, "I hate breakfast foods. They make me sick."

Severus let one corner of his mouth slide into a smile, so that Aeowyn merely thought he had a twitch. "And you did not attend lunch yesterday, either."

"I wasn't hungry," she retorted.

"And you ate nothing at supper last night," he accused.

"Jeez, are you my father? Lighten up," she said, but then quickly remembered whom she was talking to. "Forget that 'lighten up' part," she muttered. "It's impossible for you. Besides! I did eat dinner! I had the House Elves bring me up something since I was late!"

Severus leaned closer to her and spoke softly, his breath whisking by Aeowyn's ear, making her shiver. "If you intend to starve yourself to death, do not expect me to keep it a secret…"

In anger, she swatted at his face. "Bug off, you snake!" He hmphed and leaned back in his seat with ease. "Merlin!" she swore.

"What is that on your wrist?" Severus asked, leaning forward again. "I have never noticed that before…"

Aeowyn looked down at what he was staring at. On her wrist was a thin, curvy silver ban that clutched loosely to her arm. It had designs on it that appeared to be ovular hoops connected to each other by three smaller rings. She hesitated for a moment, appearing to not know what to say. Before Severus could speak, she replied, "It's a ban. Just jewelry, you know?"

"Indeed," he whispered, suspicious as he continued to stare.

When breakfast was over, Aeowyn headed to her classroom to continue cleaning it up. (Sir Nicholas had politely showed her the way.) Professor Flitwick had left mountains of books on his desk. Aeowyn had been told he was a tiny man and needed the books to stand on to teach the class. She threw Sanguis in the air and he flew up, perching on the top of a windowsill. Aeowyn continued to haul the books out of the room and carry them to the supply closet down the hall.

After the seventh load of books, carrying five of them at a time, she stopped for a breath and to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Phew! How he managed to get those books in there by himself, I'll never know!" She shoved her hands into her pockets, finding that she had placed her fingers on her wand. An idea struck Aeowyn like a freight train. "Aha!" She ran quickly back to the room and pointed her wand at the books. "Typical levitation spell taught to first years! Wingardium Leviosa!" she said as she gracefully swirled her wand in a small clockwise circle. The rest of the books on the desk lifted up slowly out of the air and Aeowyn smiled, in spite of herself. She began to slowly back up towards the door, watching the books carefully to make sure they didn't bump into anything. When she reached the door, she realized that they would never fit through in a jumble like that. "Hmm. Afferent recta linea!" The books started to float around so that when they stopped eventually, they were all in a straight line. "That's more like it! Now, come on!" Aeowyn started backing out of her room again and into the hall, the books following obediently. She smiled and laughed aloud when she and all of the books were finally out in the hall. "All right!" she yelled in triumph.

Something slammed into Aeowyn, knocking her hard over onto the ground. The books, haven lost their spell, fell from the air and hit the ground, as well. Aeowyn quickly sat up, holding her left hand over her right rib cage. It burned like real fire. She started screaming madly. "Who the hell do you think you are?! Watch where you're going!"

Severus stared at her from his sitting position in front of her. "You were the one who was backing up, not paying attention to where you were going."

"All the more reason that you should have been watching where you were going! You were walking forward!" she seethed, looking at all of the books scattered on the ground. She began to gather them up in her arms, tears coming to her eyes because her lungs burned terribly in her chest. "You should have seen me coming! You probably ran into me on purpose!" she screamed, losing control of her anger. She had gathered ten books in her arms, too much for her to carry alone.

Severus sat in shock at her anger and ramblings. He had never seen anyone change personalities so violently. A few hours ago, she was in the Dining Hall, having a cheerful battle of wits against him and now she was fuming like Fluffy when he had to have his shots. He pushed himself to his feet and began to help her gather the books that had fallen. She was, after all, a fellow colleague, but he would not apologize. "Allow me," he muttered quietly, reaching for the books she was holding.

Aeowyn dropped all of the books she had gathered on the ground and ran her hand back through her hair, muttering to calm herself. In a much smoother voice, she replied, "I can get them myself. I was using a spell before you bumped into me." Before he could reply, she said sternly, "Good day, Severus." Knowing he was still standing there, she pretended to ignore him, picking up her wand form the ground. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she shouted as she pointed at the books. They lifted off the ground once again and began floating.

Severus was astounded at how gracefully she had performed that simple spell. "Miss Sevor, please allow me to help-"

Aeowyn spun around violently, allowing the books to fall once again to the floor. She stared hotly into his eyes, biting her lip in anger. "I'm sorry," she said clearly and calmly, her contorted face of anger wiped clean away.

Severus glanced at her with confusion on his face. "Miss Sevor…?"

"I don't know what came over me," she said with half of a sweet smile. "I guess it's just that… I was so rude to you when you came and woke me up, I suppose I needed to apologize." She turned around to the fallen books. "But don't think that I'm going to open up to you just because we're on pleasant speaking terms." She threw a sly grin at him over her shoulder. "This isn't a romance story, you know."

Severus flushed and scoffed in disgust. "As if I would ever want to fall in love with a childish brat!" Having proclaimed this, he shot off down the hallway, his robes giving him an evil look as they fluttered in his wake.

"So much for speaking terms," she said as she rolled her eyes. "All right. Let's try this again!" she shouted. She raised her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" For the final time, the books levitated from their fallen positions and followed Aeowyn down the hall to the supply room. When they were all stacked up, she slammed the door shut and clapped her hands free of dust. "That was the most aggravating thing I have done since my first year Potions' final!" She glanced after Severus and pursed her lips together, jokingly. "I suppose all Potions Professors are dismal!" She walked back into her classroom, mocking Severus' walk and his velvet voice. "Ah, yes! Hmm!" She swirled her green robes around and walked over to Sanguis, who was eating grapes on her desk. "Mr. Sanguis," she drawled out, still mocking him. "Now what could a young bat like you be doing indoors on a day like this?" she questioned, not realizing how very true she was portraying his character. Aeowyn could not retain her smile and busted out laughing, holding her side in pain. She laughed so long and so hard that tears came to her eyes and she had to sit down in the desk chair.

Eventually, her laughter subdued and she sniffed, looking around her classroom. "Whew! What a character," she chuckled. Aeowyn stopped smiling and ran her finger across a part of the desk where the books had not been sitting. She drew her finger back and it was covered in dust. "Oh!" she growled. "How annoying!" She pointed her wand at a dust rag on one of the desks. "Detegere!" With a swish and a flick of her wand, the rag came to life and began dusting everything. Aeowyn kicked her feet up on her desk and rubbed Sanguis' fat little tummy. "Such hard work, being a Professor."

Sadly, since Aeowyn had finished preparations for her class ahead of time, Dumbledore had asked her to assist Severus in sorting his potions. Of course, she had cordially accepted, told Dumbledore she would be delighted, then muttered her displeasure to Sanguis. Aeowyn decided to herself that if Sanguis could ever talk, he could spill all the secrets she had told him, thus ending her life forever. She descended the stairs to the dungeon, the air growing colder with each step. "Merlin!" She had left Sanguis in her room, fearing he would go insane and attack Severus. Aeowyn had this strange feeling that Sanguis didn't like Severus very much.

When she had finally reached the dungeon, she stood shivering in the classroom, her breath escaping from her mouth as a frost cloud. "J-J-Jeez… If it were any c-colder, I could pass as an ice g-g-golem!" She cursed herself for not bringing her robes as she stood in the dungeon with just a pair of khaki corduroys and a dark green tee shirt on. "You'd t-think the Abominable Snowman liv-ved d-down here!" She thought about what she said for a moment, then replied to herself. "Of c-course he does!" She chattered her teeth and rubbed her arms quickly. "M-m-maybe I can st-start a fire on myself!"

"Hagrid said you had a stuttering problem."

Aeowyn eyed Severus as he exited his office and walked over to her. "N-Nobody ever told me you were k-k-kin to ice!" she snapped harshly. "B-Bloody English weather," she muttered.

Severus returned to his office and Aeowyn waited a moment for his return, wondering if he would ever come back. She then began to wonder if she cared. "Nah," she said aloud. Severus walked out of his office holding a huge woolen coat in his arms.

"Here," he said as he handed it to her. "You can use this while you are down here. But next time, bring your own coat! It's normally not so cold in here; I just have not had time to light a fire…" he continued.

Aeowyn stared blankly at the coat in her arms. "Um… Is this yours?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "It smells like you."

"I take it that is a bad thing?" he questioned hatefully, already beginning to sort out his potions' cabinet.

Aeowyn put the coat to her nose and took a deep breath. "Whoa," she whispered huskily. She felt her knees begin to weaken and her stomach turn knots. She felt a hand slap her across the face.

Severus turned around to look at her, hearing the sound of the slap that she had planted on her own face. "Not eating and now self-abuse? Really, Miss Sevor, you should see a psychiatrist." He muttered the last part as he continued work.

Aeowyn put the coat on, ignoring its intoxicating smell, but thankful for its warmth. "You should see an interior decorator. This place is a nightmare," she said as she kneeled down beside him. "What do you want me to do?"

Severus stared into Aeowyn's amber eyes, cocking his head to a side slightly. He had that blank, confused look on his face that was so famous to all. However, Aeowyn noticed something besides anger and amusement in his eyes. The look in his eyes almost seemed pleading, as if he wanted to ask her something. "Start sorting them by effects as I tell you to."

"Okie dokie," she said, then mentally cursed herself. She had never said that in public before and never dreamed she would. "Go ahead, insult me," Aeowyn said to Severus. "I know it's coming. Go on!"

Severus continued placing potions on the cold, stone floor. "Miss Sevor, I have no idea what you are talking about," he said emotionlessly.

Maybe he didn't hear me, she said to herself. "Ah, nevermind then! Sort by effects! Right!"

"Are you sure you do not mean… 'Okie dokie'?" Severus repeated, mockingly. Severus could hear growling coming from Aeowyn. "You growl, Miss Sevor? From what you told Farus, I knew you were part English, part Irish descent, but I never knew you were part Doberman descent."

Aeowyn stood up, clenching her fists. "Doberman, my ass! Sort your damn potions by yourself, you punk!"

Severus continued pulling potions. "Yankees always say it wrong. It is 'arse', not 'ass'," he insulted, trying to pull off an American accent.

Aeowyn pulled her fist back, determined to punch him in the head. "You… you… you can't even do an American accent right!" She growled deep in her throat and yanked the coat off herself, throwing it over Severus' head, covering him completely.

Severus, with his long faced expression, poked his head out from under the coat and said with a little bit of teasing mirth, "Is that the best insult you can come up with?"

Aeowyn clenched her fists at him, her face contorted with anger. Unintelligible sounds came from Aeowyn as she tried to repress her anger. The sensible part of Aeowyn thanked Merlin she had left her wand in her room, otherwise she might have had to have shown Snape what kind of magician she really was! "You… suck!" she shouted, as best she could with an outstretched finger pointed at him.

"Really, Miss Sevor," Severus said as he stood, offering the coat back to her, "let us stop this foolish quibbling." Aeowyn paused and noted that he meant this with all sincerity. She reached for the coat and began to thank him. "Before you are sent to an asylum."

"That does it!" Aeowyn screamed, pulling back a fist. She let it land square on Severus' jaw, sending him crashing into his potions cabinet. He fell to the floor, nursing his cracking jawbone, looking up at her in disbelief. She wrinkled her nose in anger. "Don't pester the Dobermans!" She leapt at him to continue the beating, but he quickly rolled out of the way, allowing her to crash down on the broken bottles. She whimpered in pain as she looked at her hands and arms, now studded with fragments of glass.

Severus was on his feet behind his desk, trying to set his jaw back in alignment. When it finally cracked back into place, he moved it around, wincing in pain. "You are a impotent, childish, nuisance!" he yelled, finally letting his eyes fall back down on her. Immediately, he regretted what he said.

Aeowyn sat amongst the broken potions, quietly attempting to remove a piece of glass from cheek. Without so much as a sound, she pulled it out and threw it to the ground, then began work on another piece. Her face, arms, and hands were bleeding profusely, her upper torso riddled with fragments and shards of glass. Severus could only stand there in disbelief. After removing the largest piece of glass from her face, Aeowyn stood up and glanced at his cabinet, then looked at Severus. "Sorry about your jaw and your potions."

Severus shook his head. "Do not apologize," he whispered, admiring her strength, her courage, and her power. She can hit harder than any woman I have ever known! And she certainly does not like as if she is ready to cry… "I should apologize to you," he said, looking away.

"But you're not," she stated firmly, reading Severus like an open book. "That's what's wrong with you, Severus. You're too predictable." Aeowyn halted her lecture short, as she felt slightly dizzy. "Sorry," she repeated as she headed for the door. With each step up the stairs, the pain grew harder to bear and Aeowyn wondered if she was ever going to come out alive. She then even wondered if she wanted to. With a sigh, she sat down on a step, only halfway up the stairs. She looked back down at the dungeon and then up again. "It is easier to fall down a flight of stairs then to crawl up them," she mused to herself. Aeowyn started to call for Severus but changed her mind, deciding that it would degrade her by asking for his help. "Sanguis!" she called up the flight of stairs. "Sanguis!" she repeated, hoping he could hear her.

Aeowyn's attention quickly shifted to the footsteps that were coming up the stairs. "Oh no," she muttered. Aeowyn forced herself to her feet with the help of the walls and began climbing the spiral stairs, but at a slower pace than before. Enormous puddles of blood were left on the stairs, as she grew paler with every step. She sat down again and waited for Severus to come up the stairs. "I'll just trick him into letting him think I'm all right," she said confidently to herself.

But when Severus came into view, he immediately lifted her into his arms, much to her dismay. "I am taking you to Madam Poppy Pomfrey; she is head of the Infirmary."

"Oh no you don't!" Aeowyn shouted in protest. "You're not taking me anywhere! Don't you dare touch my bracelet!" she screamed right before she passed out in his arms.

Thanks so much to all of those that reviewed! Your comments keep me going! ^_^ For those of you who haven't, please do! Constructive criticism and praise is a writer's best friend! A slight hint of feelings will come in the next chapter! Until then, toodles! ^^