Disclaimer : - The world of Harry Potter isn't mine – wish it was – but belongs to JK Rowling… anything from the books is hers not mine…. Anything else is probably mine. Not getting anything but fun from writing this etc etc etc….
The fic is Rate R ….. if you are not old enough to read it etc then please don't
Spanning the River of Blood
By Ridley-Roo
Chapter 21 - Sunsets
Snape moved along the battlements as quietly as possible, his mind racing with the possibilities of the next few minutes. Quickly he ran though the various ways of approaching the situation, but hadn't reached any conclusion by the time the form of Layla Green came into sight.
Coming to a silent halt he took the time to take in all the details of the scene in front of him. She was dressed in what appeared to be a simple robe with her hair pulled loosely back into a pony tail which hung from the nape of her neck. Legs dangling over the edge of the masonry she seemed oblivious to the fact that she was presenting her back to anyone who might come along. The entire image before him spoke of someone confident in their own safety, their place in the world and he was willing to bet that if could see her face in the fading sunlight, her eyes would be closed. The vulnerability of her position made him hesitate for a moment in approaching her. Just my luck if she fell off in shock he thought miserably to himself. Got to find a way to avoid that… but standing here gaping won't do it.
Jake had been enjoying a light cat nap by the only door leading onto the battlements when he had heard the faint scrapes of someone walking away from him. Knowing no one had passed him he opened a green eye, quickly spotting the dark form of a human heading towards his mistress. Padding out of the shadows he was soon sitting watching Snape, watch Layla. Raising his head slightly he tasted the air for the tiny particles of scent coming from Snape before slinking back into the shadows to see how the scene developed.
The debate inside Snape continued as he tried to cover every angle before alerting his quarry to his presence. His research based on his eavesdropping had led him to conclude that the woman before him somehow had access to some very powerful magic. Exactly how and where she had learnt it he had so far been unable to determine. A search of past school records had shown no one with the name Layla Green or Katrina Wilson had ever attended Hogwarts. Calling in a few favours he had concluded she had also not attended Durmstrang or Beauxbaton. While this didn't cover the Americas, Australia, the Middle or Far East schools he was also sure that her accent wasn't one which she had adopted to cover time spent in those regions.
That left him with two possibilities. The first was that she had been taught privately. The second made him weak at the knees. Was it possible that she had learned about large scale wards from the same source as Slytherin?
Yet the question remained. What was the best way to approach her in order to get the information he needed? For a moment a smile touched his lips before being replaced by his best poker face. Perhaps attack would be the best form of defence. Calming his body as best he could he flexed his fingers and moved towards the figure in front of him.
Layla's mind was jerked back to her body as something touched her. Adrenaline pumped through her arteries as she automatically stiffened before realising that the touch was an arm snaking round her waist. Once she was held tight it pulled her backwards to rest against a warm torso.
'You should be careful. You could fall off and that might prove unfortunate.' The words dripped down over her as the warm breath that carried them trailed down onto her neck carrying a distinctive smell of herbs. Despite herself she had to smother a smile and frantically searched for a suitable reply.
'Why Severus I didn't know you cared.' Knowing it was a lame response she heard him snort but he didn't remove his arm.
'Whether I care or not has nothing to do with plain stupidity. Or perhaps you are simply unable to comprehend the seriousness of your position.' Placing his free hand at the base of her back he pushed slightly forcing her closer to the edge. The idea of playing dumb to his double meaning flashed through her head but was quickly chased out by more mischievous thoughts. After all she had started this with that kiss, so now it was time to find out how he was going to play the game, and boy did she hope he wasn't going to be a push over. Taking care not to make a sudden movement that might actually send her over the edge in more ways than one, she started to turn to face him. Inching her way round, his fingers trailed across her stomach as she slid past him eventually coming to rest.
Realising her elevated seating position meant that their faces were much closer than if she had been standing, various options presented themselves for her next move. His lips were within easy reach of her own, but where would the fun be in that? So instead she made a show of studying his thinly disguised smirk before letting her eyes move up to the reflected sunset in his eyes.
'Perhaps you should explain it to me?' She was aiming for a sultry note with a hint of a challenge in it and judging from the slight twitching of his lips she guessed she'd got it right.
Snape stood staring down at the creature below him. He could take her, right here, right now. Physically she wouldn't be able to stop him and he was fairly sure he could disarm her magically before she could mount a defence. A surge of pleasure coursed through him as he thought about it, such a sweet response to his earlier humiliation at her hand. Surely no one would believe she hadn't been willing after that display in front of the whole school. However a small voice mounted a protest on the grounds that it wasn't likely to get him the answers he wanted. His body renewed it's case as he watched Layla lick her lips and raise an eyebrow. She was very obviously baiting him, so it would be easy to argue that it was all her fault?
Layla watched the indecision flitting across his eyes. Oh good, he's not going to just lie down and play dead. As she watched him debating his next move her interest grew. Rather than just taking the obvious route and handing all the power over to her he was obviously going to mount a defence of some sort. Nothing worse than a push over.
Snape's inner debate continued as Layla slid herself down so that she was standing wedged between him and the stone battlements before running a hand up his chest and round his neck. As her fingers started to entwine themselves in his hair Snape's mind was more confused than ever. What was she doing? Was this a joke? Surely she couldn't actually want to touch him? A range of confused emotions started to wash over him. No stranger to the touch of the female members of the species it had never happened like this before. In the past it had either been at Voldemort's bidding or involved the exchange of a few galleons. Confused he was frozen to the spot while his mind frantically tried to decide if this was a trap.
Jake watched from the shadows as his mistress ran her hands leisurely over the body of what he considered a specimen beneath her. Seized by a morbid fascination he remained silent and still as she pulled Snape's head towards her, gently placing her lips over his. Scenting the air again he contemplated the situation as their kiss started to deepen. Disturbed because he sensed Snape as a potential threat, he was also acutely aware that continuing to watch constituted an intrusion neither person would appreciate. Perhaps it would be better for him to retreat back round the corner to his previous position by the door. Deciding a tactical retreat was definitely in order, he caught the faint sound of footsteps approaching and took the opportunity to investigate.
Lupin was starting to get a little desperate as he headed up to the roof of the last tower in the castle. He'd waited with Dumbledore as usual for Snape to appear with his wolfsbane potion but had been unable to simply sit as the deadline for tonight's dose started to approach. The effectiveness of the potion was dramatically reduced to the point of uselessness unless the doses were taken at strictly twenty four hour intervals. True you had a couple of hours either side but not much more, he was already over an hour late. Stomping up the remaining few steps he started to mutter to himself about all the things he would do to Snape if he didn't find him soon.
Snape had almost given up his debate as he investigated Layla's mouth when he heard the unmistakable sound of Remus Lupin heading in their direction. Was this a setup to make him look foolish in front of his old enemy or something worse? As the prospect ran though his hormone charged mind his survival instinct took control and pulled away from the warm body wrapped in his arms.
Rounding the corner Lupin was greeted by a furious looking Potions Master and a smirking Layla Green. 'Err. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything.' Snape glowered in response to his question and the werewolf started to calculate how fast he would need to get out of the way if Snape's wand appeared.
'Of course not,' Layla responded before winking at Snape and heading over to the new arrival. 'I don't suppose you could help me find something to eat do you? I'm afraid I completely lost track of the time and missed dinner. It's amazing how you can build up an appetite in no time out in the fresh air.' Facing Snape she licked her lips slowly before turning back to the new arrival. 'Wouldn't you agree?'
'Err of course. Errm Severus I don't suppose you have the errm…. you know what… err do you?' Snape seemed ready to kill but with what Lupin was sure was a huge amount of effort pulled himself back under control.
'Of course. Perhaps you would be so kind as organise a late dinner for Miss Green while I get it for you?'
Lupin nodded his agreement and soon Layla was heading back into the castle on his arm. Jake stayed where he was as Snape gave them a five minute start before taking his frustration out by blasting a couple of gargoyles. Slightly mollified he headed back inside as Jake stretched before following with ideas on how to use what he had witnessed for his own aims spinning in his head.