Chapter 17- Hanging by a Grapevine

One can afford to lose a great deal on this earth
when the sun shines on it, and not feel any the worse
for the loss: but a single shred of human affection,
one can't afford to lose, -tho' the sun and moon
and stars shone all at once!
- Elizabeth Barrett

"I'm sure going to miss that girl," Minerva said forlornly as she gazed at the vacant forest. "I hope she comes home safe."
"She is in good hands, Minerva," Albus said, his eyes bursting with twinkling stars and he smiled evenly. "I would trust Severus with my own life. I have no doubt that she will return home undamaged."
"I hope so, Albus," she said with anticipation, as she turned away from the forest, not able to tolerate the display of daunting gloom in which her colleagues now were.
To cheer up the mood of his dear, female friend, Albus said cheerfully, "Now if I retain information properly, there is a bowl full of cookies and other sweets waiting to be devoured. Would you care to join me, Minerva?"
Dumbledore stuck out his arm and Minerva took it keenly with a beam, "I would be delighted, Albus."
They both walked on the way to the castle, the two professors treacherous expedition in the forest now forgotten, to some extent, in their minds.

* * *
* *

The skies above turned to a pastel cerulean as the sunrise turned the day into a fresh, new one. The forest green grass reflected the sunlight to make it glow emerald to the limelight. Next to the sapphire waters of the lake, sat an attractive strawberry blonde, squinting at the Giant Squid as he bathed around on the surface, the sun reflecting his wet, slimy, scaly skin. She had her legs positioned in the water, the great ripples, caused by the squid's play, lapping at them. Her emerald green eyes were accentuated by the color of the grass that she was seated upon and by. The panorama of mountains on the horizon was lucid to even the blurriest watchers. No mist or haze made them appear to be an indistinct hallucination. The day was faultless, and the girl only wished that her pal were seated next to her, enjoying it as well. She was too embarrassed to face the man that she had gotten along with so well last night. And maybe she had been a bit overly affable to him. She heard footsteps approaching her from the direction of the castle. She did not glance behind her to see who it was. The long, slow strides told her exactly who to expect.
"Hey," his low, throaty voice sounded from behind her.
Maya greeted him, but did not look back. The squid was now serenely resting beneath the lake's facade, causing the water to turn out to be reasonably motionless.
There was an awkward silence. But it was soon broken when the hypothetical sleeping squid swatted its tentacles onto the surface, generating water to spray on Maya. She stood up rapidly and cursed the squid, triggering Sirius' laughter. When Maya was in a dire mood, she was not to be tinkered with. Sirius learned this the hard way.
Maya smirked as she scooped her hands into the water and suddenly Sirius' face was sodden with the cool water. She started to laugh, but desisted when Sirius fundamentally pushed her into the lake. Maya was fuming, but didn't illustrate it because of her next move. She smiled at him and held her hand out to him; clearly showing him that they were on a par. He grabbed it to draw her out, but instead she pulled him in. They cackled harder and climbed out so they wouldn't drown from laughing so greatly. They both laid back onto the grass, the breeze whipping over their sopping skin and garments as they gasped for air. When they had gained enough oxygen, Maya sat up and looked back at him with a grin on her face.
"These are my favorite pants, asshole," she joked as his eyes glinted with humor.
"This is my favorite robe, bitch," he shot back and she giggled.
"It's your only robe!" she giggled as Sirius chuckled with amusement.
Maya's mirth soon subsided and she unexpectedly asked the question she had been pondering since that morning, "What, precisely, did we do last night?"
Sirius' chuckled at her abruptness. He knew she would ask that sooner or later. "What do you remember?"
Maya scoffed in annoyance but told him anyway. "I remember being drunk . . . and you holding me . . . and kissing me."
Sirius' eyes sparkled even more, to her irritation. "Indeed." He sat up and moved closer to her so they were hip to hip. "You told me to take you."
"I'm going to assume that I didn't ask you to take me to a place," she said nonchalantly. "But, rather, myself?"
"Of course," he said, almost seeming as though he was going to laugh at her.
Maya sighed and put her head in her hands. "I can't believe I actually got drunk and slept with you!"
"Who said you slept with me?" he asked, enjoying every moment of the conversation.
"You did!" she yelled at him, now angrier than ever.
"I absolutely did not say such a thing!" he said with mock awe. "My damn conscience would not allow it. So I deposited you on your bed, which seems more comfortable than mine, mind you."
Maya whooped and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank Merlin!"
"Is the prospect of sleeping with me that unpleasant?" he asked in confusion, somewhat hurt.
Maya pulled back from the embrace and smiled at him, "Not one bit!" and she truly kissed him for the first time.

* *
* * *

"Ouch!"
"What the devil is it!"
Aletta sat down on a nearby boulder and sighed in exhaustion. Severus growled in aggravation as he saw her assemble. He sauntered toward her and sat down on a rotted log across from her.
"What is it?" he barked as she pulled her right shoe off.
Aletta looked up and glared at him as she kneaded her aching foot, "You walk so damn fast that you were basically jogging!"
"I cannot refrain from having an efficient, longer stride than you!" he shouted back and she cringed at his unexpected eruption.
"If only you would wash your neck, I'd wring it!" she shouted at him as she stuffed her shoe back on and opened her bag.
Snape stood and snarled, "I have had too much of your company!" and stormed off toward another log, located a good distance away from Aletta.
Aletta huffed at him and pulled a bottle of water out of her bag. "You're still the same old sausage, fizzing and spluttering in your own grease!"
"Don't be bitter at me because I'm superior to you and enjoy pissing on your self-esteem. Be bitter at your parents for mixing their genes and spawning you!" he retorted and she immediately stood up and walked over to him.
Aletta waved her hand back and slapped Snape as hard as she could. "Success hasn't changed you a bit. You're still the same jerk you were when I first met you!"
Snape immediately brought his hand back and Aletta's eyes widened. He held his hand back for a moment, fisted it, and brought it back down to his side.
"Go on," Aletta provoked. "Hit me."
Snape's eyes were on fire, and he was so livid he felt as though he was going to take her offer. The girl had guts, he thought, no woman would have done that with such gallantry that she just did. "No, I will not hit you."
"Is it because your boss is my great uncle?" she asked tauntingly. "Didn't want to lose your job, huh?"
Snape knew that wasn't the reason why, but he agreed anyway so he could put an end to the unsettling conversation, "Yes, precisely," he hissed sardonically.
Aletta rolled her eyes at him and retrieved to her bag. She could almost feel his eyes smoldering holes of loathing in her back as she walked. Aletta wouldn't be bothered if he despised her. Or would she?

* * *
* * *
The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand,
Nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship;
It is the spiritual inspiration
That comes to one when he discovers
That someone else believes in him
And is willing to trust him.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The two professors were soundless for about an hour. But the peace was broken when Aletta started to sneeze uncontrollably.
"Dammit!" she yelled to herself between a sneeze and a sniff as she searched her bag. "I forgot my damn allergy pills!"
She sneezed twice in a row and glanced over at the egotistical man that was now lounged comfortably on the sleeping bag inside the tent. He didn't even give her a fleeting look when Aletta sniffed loudly in attempt to gain his attention. Severus just kept on reading his book, a content look on his face as he flipped one fragile page over to read on. Aletta felt like screaming. The whole world seemed to be annoying her at the moment. Outside the tent in the darkness, a frog croaked incessantly. She wouldn't have found it so bothersome if she were able to breathe. But now, as she stared at Snape, she felt enraged. And when she was pissed, she set off to do some 'annoying' herself.
Ever since Aletta was a girl, she had been able to make a pig noise in the back of her throat, and she usually did it when she had an itchy throat. At the moment, her throat was so scratchy, she felt like putting her hand into her mouth to rub it. Giving Snape one more chance to acknowledge her discomfort, she coughed stridently and pathetically. He remained stationary and she started to do her pig noise very noisily while she watched him. Pig sound after pig sound, he made no move. At last, after about fifty oinks, he coughed. Infuriated by his disregard, she screamed.
"Is there a problem?" he asked as he finally looked up from his book.
"Bastard," she hissed at him as he raised an eyebrow in mock confusion. "I feel like shit, that's the problem!"
He snapped his book shut and stood up. He motioned for her to stand to, but she stayed seated.
"Are you going to let me help you, or not?" he ridiculed, and she huffily stood up.
He walked over and tilted her chin up toward him with his hand. The contact of his hand on her made her quake inwardly, for some abnormal reason. Maybe she thought he was incredibly attractive before, but after what they had been through, she should loathe him irreparably. He moved his hand to her eye and lifted the lid up to examine it. She, nauseatingly, shuddered again.
"Do you know what is causing this reaction?" he asked quietly as his hand smoothed back down to her chin.
Aletta's eyes widened at his question, but relaxed when she realized he was talking about her allergies.
She didn't know what did it, but she frenziedly mocked, "Probably your ignorance."
He amazingly chuckled and dropped his hand down to his side, "I would articulate the definition of ignorance to be one who, instead of asking courteously for medical attention, seeks it by making repellent swine noises."
"I express regret for your unconsciousness!" she spat. "Of course, if you were animate, you would have noticed my allergies and helped me immediately."
He barely smirked and said, "I was engrossed in my book-,"
"-about herbs," she finished. "Who the hell could get immersed in a book about herbs?"
Snape stared at her for a moment and answered, "Neville Longbottom."
"According to the grapevine, I should clarify the question," she said sarcastically. "After all, I am talking to you."
He suddenly grabbed her jaw and started to compel it open. She muffled things like 'I'll bite you!' and 'Rape!' He gave no heed to her cries as he extracted his wand from his robe and pointed it inside her mouth. He murmured a spell and a green light came streaming out of the tip of his wand into her mouth. She abruptly stopped struggling in chaste horror as she waited for the blackness to consume her body.

A/N- Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been busy with school and all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Would you say this is a cliffhanger? Keep reading! You won't be disappointed. Or at least I hope not . . .