Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to J.K. Rowling
Chapter 4: Picnics at Dusk
By Sunday afternoon, the long weekend felt as if it might never end. The study session with Severus had resolved the difficult potions assignment, and Fanny had three work free days ahead of her. With no further excuse to spend time with her new Slytherin acquaintance, she spent all of Saturday with the Gryffindor group, and found herself picnicking with them on Sunday afternoon as well. The time passed very slowly. It was not that she disliked their company: the boys were amiable and charming, and Lily was always a pleasure to spend time with. But she discovered, much to her considerable annoyance, that she wanted to spend more time with Severus instead, to figure him out a bit better, or at least just have his company. Why this was the case, Fanny couldn't explain: she simply had a good feeling about him-the chemistry seemed right for them to be friends.
The real difficulty with the Gryffindor group was that no Slytherin in their right mind would come within twenty feet of them. This meant that while she spent time with them, Snape would certainly avoid her; she might have to wait until potions on Tuesday for a chance to speak with him again. Her worries ran deeper than this though. After the accusations he shot at her in the library regarding her friends, she half suspected Snape would never speak to her again if he caught her spending the whole weekend with the Gryffindors. So it was with much hesitation that Fanny joined Lily and company as they played a loud game of three-on-three quidditch on Saturday, and picnicked by the great hedge maze on Sunday. She felt rather guilty about her reluctance to be seen with them. 'Why should I drop my friends for a Slytherin?' she wondered. 'And why should he dictate who I spend time with? Damn, I'm thinking about him again. Stop it, stop it, STOP it foolish girl! I wonder what he's doing today. I bet he's with that horrific girl again. Maybe she is his girlfriend. I should ask him.'
Saturday evening, Fanny had passed Severus in the halls. Simpering and clinging to his arm was the beautiful Slytherin girl Violet, who, since the Frisbee incident, Fanny had taken a particular dislike to. It was not hard to see that Violet shared these feelings. The flashing pearly smile and seductive eyes were reserved only for the boys, and the moment she saw Fanny the charm was turned off and an icy glare took over.
On the surface Violet and Severus were a strange match: she was a delicate flower of a girl, perfect in almost every physical aspect, while he was a tall, lanky, big-nosed boy who hid behind gangly hair and a twisted scowl. Most of the seventh years wondered what Violet, perhaps the most beautiful girl in the class, saw in him-even if they were just friends (nobody seemed to know what they were). But Fanny could only question why a boy she considered intelligent, multifaceted, and helpful would care to spend time with a shallow and vain creature like Violet. In her opinion, they were not only different on the surface, but down to their very core. 'He could do better,' she thought.
Laughter floated into her reflections, and she drifted back to reality. The grassy spring breeze stirred and Fanny put a hand on the hem of her long blue skirt to prevent it from blowing up. The Sunday afternoon was lovely. The checkered blanket she shared with Lily, James and Sirius was soft under her bare legs, the giant plates of lasagna and meatballs, pinched earlier from the kitchens, were delicious, and the company was friendly and carefree. They spoke of cheerful things as the shadows from the looming hedges crept upon them. Every now and then Remus and Peter, who were spending the day mapping the maze, would pop out for a chat before returning to their exploration. Under different circumstances, Fanny would have been quite at peace with the world. 'Under different circumstances?' she thought. 'Why not these circumstances, why not these people? Because you'd prefer him to them,' said a voice in her head. 'Well, maybe not Lily, but she'll always be there. There's time to spend with her later.'
Sirius elbowed her playfully. "You're off in the clouds today, Fanny," he said. "Dreaming is nice, but I'd much prefer your conversation. What's on your mind?"
"Oh, nothing," she said quickly, turning a bit red. She couldn't imagine what Sirius would say if he knew the truth. He wouldn't judge her, she was his friend after all, but she didn't doubt that it would be unpleasant for Severus. There would almost certainly be a scene. Perhaps he'd order Severus to keep away from her, or perhaps he'd challenge him to a duel. Most likely, he'd simply take to bullying him again, trying to make his life as unpleasant as possible. These were the types of thing Sirius did. Confront without thinking. Assume without asking.
For all his faults, though, Fanny found that he was beginning to grow on her. Lily had been obvious in her attempts to set the two of them up, and Fanny understood her enthusiasm; it would be a convenient and easy match. He was handsome, she had to admit, and charming, funny, smart, loyal. There was no silly teenage problem that Sirius couldn't make her forget about in twenty minutes ('except Severus,' she thought). She always found his company entertaining. Never did he criticize her, berate her, or put her down. Never would he treat her with the condescension or contempt Severus showed. But then again, he didn't challenge her, while Severus did.
Fanny's mother had once given her advice on men. After a bad and brief relationship with a work colleague, Gene sat her thirteen year old daughter down. "Bowley women always pick the wrong men," she said. "We can never resist a challenge. Never. Dangerous, acerbic, sarcastic. We love these things. Nice men bore us. It's a fact. My grandmother was the same, and she was widowed at twenty. My mother was the same, and she was abandoned while nine months pregnant. Your father was a stroke of luck: a good reliable man and a challenge. And when he died it was not because he was foolish," Gene always looked deeply disturbed when she spoke of her husband's death, "But I was lucky and that doesn't mean you will be. I don't want you to fall into the Bowley trap. Nice men can offer something too."
Sirius was nice, at least to her. Would her mother approve of him? Was Severus the type of boy she had been warned about? Fanny wished deeply that her mother was still here to ask.
"You know, this weekend's been really brilliant." Sirius leaned in and jostled her lightly with his elbow. "Nice weather, no work, and a pretty girl for company." He smiled warmly at Fanny. "What more could any man ask for?"
Fanny snorted doubtfully. "I bet you say that to all the ladies."
"Just the nice looking ones," Sirius laughed outright and Fanny slapped his arm.
"Jerk," she said, smiling.
"Come on, you know I'm kidding," he said, still laughing and throwing up his arms in mock submission. "I'm an honest guy, really. You can believe me." He pulled a sincere looking face.
"You always kid, so I'm always skeptical."
"I'm serious sometimes," and, as if to prove it, he sobered and switched to a more sincere tone. "You think I'm the joker, and maybe I am, but clowns are always the ones who tell it like it is. Well, they do in books at least."
"But we're not in a book."
"Imagine if we were, though!" he said, lying back and resting his head on his arms. "What kind do you think it'd be?"
"I don't know. Horror?"
"Bah! On a day like this? I don't think so. Fairy tale more like. Look at this." He waved his wand in the air and a thousand tiny gold bubbles appeared suddenly, surrounding them, and floating lightly down on their heads before popping. It was enchanting, and even Lily and James ceased their quiet conversation for a moment to watch. "See, Fanny, it's depends on how you look at it," he continued. "Bad things happen in all stories. The difference is in the end: in my version the beautiful princess ends up with the prince (that's me, by the way)," he said with a smile and a wink, "while in your version, everyone is eaten by dragons. Not a very pleasant thing to expect, now is it? Maybe if you set your hopes a bit higher."
"Maybe you'd be a little less optimistic if you'd seen what I have," she said dismally.
Instantly Sirius hopped up and put his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, kid, I didn't mean to upset you. But you're with us now, and nothing bad like that will happen again. We'll always be here for you. I promise."
Fanny straightened herself, and shouldered out of Sirius' grasp, but her tone was soft and appreciative when she addressed him. "I know, Sirius. You guys are really great." She remembered how she had wanted to ditch them earlier, and guilt began to creep over her. An awkward moment passed, but to Fanny's relief, it was broken shortly by Remus and Peter as they emerged from the maze, and plopped down on the blanket.
"Did you finish the map then?" Sirius asked them.
"Not quite," said Remus in a tired voice. "The distances don't quite add up near the center of the maze. There must be a path that I haven't found yet, or a hidden room or something. I don't know, though. I was pretty thorough. I'll work on it again tomorrow. Maybe you can come too?"
"Of course."
Rummaging through the half-eaten plates, Remus stood up again and stretched. "Not much left to eat. I'm going back up to the castle. See what the elves are cooking for tonight, maybe get an advancement. Coming Peter?" Peter nodded and stood. "See you guys at the feast then." The pair walked off.
"Hey look at them." Sirius pointed to James and Lily. Oblivious to their friends, they had progressed from close talking to snogging and snuggling. A bit embarrassed, Fanny turned away, but Sirius wasn't daunted in the least. "Aww, guys, is that really necessary? Look you're making the lady uncomfortable." He pointed to Fanny, and she became even more embarrassed. The couple didn't even look up. He continued loudly; "It's OK, carry on with your business, don't mind us. Come on, Fan, let's leave these two to themselves. I'll race you through the maze, alright?"
Sirius rose and offered her his hand. She took it, and as they began to leave, he pulled out his wand and dropped it on the blanket beside James. "Let's make it more interesting, shall we?" he said with a mischievous grin. Rising to the challenge, Fanny smiled, and dropped hers as well before following Sirius into the shadows of the twenty foot high hedges. Dusk was premature in the tall corridors of the maze, and already the path was dim.
"How long until it's dark in here?" asked Fanny.
"Maybe an hour. Are you scared? It's OK, nothing to hurt you in there. Besides we'll be out before then. Shouldn't take more than forty minutes. If you get lost, yell-I'll hear you. I obviously know the maze pretty well, so I'll give you a head start."
Not wanting to waste the last of the daylight, she jogged down the long entrance lane, turned west, and continued for five minutes always keeping to the left. A stitch soon formed in her side, and she slowed down. From behind her and to the right, she heard running footsteps pick up as Sirius entered the maze. Grabbing her side, she quickened her pace, and continued for what might have been fifteen minutes. The path grew darker, and the line of the sun steadily rose up the green shafts of the hedges. All seemed unnaturally quiet; the sound of footsteps behind her had disappeared. Sirius was walking more carefully now, creeping through the passages. Where was he? Maybe he was coming up behind her even now. Fanny stopped and turned quickly around. The corridor she was in was long and the ends were obscured in shadow-even if Sirius were there, she doubted that she'd be able to see him. She ran on. The darkness and silence were unnerving, and the race began to seem more like a chase. Without her wand she felt vulnerable and she began to panic, a sense of thrill and tense expectation overcoming her. She liked the feeling. Faster and faster she ran, ignoring the stitch in her side; the branches became a frenetic blur. Left, and left, and left again, and suddenly a dead end. Turning, she ran back, right this time, another right, and a hand from nowhere grabbed her arm. She was pulled back, and when she lifted her head, her face was inches from Sirius'. He was leaning down; she could feel his breath on her face before he leaned in and kissed her. Shocked and unsure how to react, Fanny became extremely stiff and made no attempt to either free herself or reciprocate. But she gathered herself quickly, and only a moment passed before she pushed herself roughly away from Sirius.
"I'm sorry," she said lamely. "I can't."
He frowned in confusion, then sighed and ran his hands through his long brown hair. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry." A disturbed and guilty look crossed his face. "I should've asked first, or something. Can we forgive and forget?" He flashed her a pleading half-smile.
"Sure." Fanny wasn't comfortable standing here with him anymore; not because he kissed her, she had forgiven him right away. But she didn't know what the kiss might mean (was it only a momentary impulse, or was Sirius genuinely interested in her?), and there was an awkwardness between them now. She shivered. "It's cold in here, lets go," she said.
It was easy finding their way out. As Fanny had kept to the left on her way in, they simply kept right. They walked briskly in silence, and from the corner of her eye, Fanny could see Sirius watch her with a frown. Twenty minutes later they emerged from the darkness into the golden sunset. Grabbing her wand, Fanny turned to Sirius and spoke with a casualness she did not feel. "I'll see you later, OK?" Lily and James looked up from their activities briefly, and from the surprised looks on their faces, obviously realized something was wrong. Fanny didn't stay to explain, though, but turned and walked to the school without looking back.
Inside the castle, Fanny quickly set out for her dorm, walking with her head down and arms folded across her chest. The twisting dark corridors reminded her of the maze and the same feeling of pursuit and panic gripped her, only this time she found it unpleasant. Not wanting to run into anyone, she walked quickly, cutting through the less frequented hallways. Her efforts were futile though, and as she approached the statue of the seven fingered satyr that guarded her common room, she found Snape waiting for her.
"Miss Bowley?" The smooth voice accosted her so suddenly that she visibly jumped. He was standing in a side passage leaning against a wall where she hadn't noticed him at first for the darkness surrounding him and the black clothes he wore. As she turned to face him, he straightened and approached her, circling like a predator. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said, but he didn't sound very sorry at all.
Fanny laughed nervously. What a strange day this was; so many bizarre encounters. "I'm just jumpy today, I guess," she said, turning on the spot to face him as he walked around her. "What's up Severus?"
"Are you giving up the company of your beloved Gryffindors so soon? I'm sure it must be very trying for you. Come, Fanny, after our little study session, I almost thought you had taste. You're disappointing me." Fanny said nothing, but looked at the floor feeling a strange mixture of indignant anger and remorse. Snape continued. "Perhaps what you need is a good influence: someone to stir up that lazy brain of yours." He stopped right in front of her, and she raised her head to look at him. She was half tempted to slap him for his audacity, but the look on his face quelled any such temptation. His mouth had thinned, his cheeks tensed, and his eyes looked dark and dangerous; Fanny was reminded strongly of her dream. But the look passed, and Snape stepped back, pointing a long finger at her.
"We'll meet every Wednesday in the old Runes classroom: second door on the right, fifth floor, east wing. Come at midnight." Snape turned and walked away, once again without waiting for an answer.
Midnight? What was he playing at? What the hell was he thinking? In a daze, Fanny made her way to the statue outside the dorm. "Sissy Whittle," she said, and the statue stepped aside.
"Is e' your boyfriend?" the satyr asked as she opened the large oak door.
"No," she said angrily, and slammed the door behind her. The common room was empty, and Fanny was glad for it. Her thoughts shot in every direction at once, and she felt as if her brain would overheat and fizzle out if one more person confronted her. Making her way to her dorm, she crawled into bed and closed the curtains behind her. A few hours of hopeless contemplation passed when the bell rang in the courtyard outside her window, calling everyone to the great hall for the Easter feast. Dubiously, Fanny fixed her hair, and put on her formal robes before she changed her mind and crawled back into bed for the evening.
Chapter 4: Picnics at Dusk
By Sunday afternoon, the long weekend felt as if it might never end. The study session with Severus had resolved the difficult potions assignment, and Fanny had three work free days ahead of her. With no further excuse to spend time with her new Slytherin acquaintance, she spent all of Saturday with the Gryffindor group, and found herself picnicking with them on Sunday afternoon as well. The time passed very slowly. It was not that she disliked their company: the boys were amiable and charming, and Lily was always a pleasure to spend time with. But she discovered, much to her considerable annoyance, that she wanted to spend more time with Severus instead, to figure him out a bit better, or at least just have his company. Why this was the case, Fanny couldn't explain: she simply had a good feeling about him-the chemistry seemed right for them to be friends.
The real difficulty with the Gryffindor group was that no Slytherin in their right mind would come within twenty feet of them. This meant that while she spent time with them, Snape would certainly avoid her; she might have to wait until potions on Tuesday for a chance to speak with him again. Her worries ran deeper than this though. After the accusations he shot at her in the library regarding her friends, she half suspected Snape would never speak to her again if he caught her spending the whole weekend with the Gryffindors. So it was with much hesitation that Fanny joined Lily and company as they played a loud game of three-on-three quidditch on Saturday, and picnicked by the great hedge maze on Sunday. She felt rather guilty about her reluctance to be seen with them. 'Why should I drop my friends for a Slytherin?' she wondered. 'And why should he dictate who I spend time with? Damn, I'm thinking about him again. Stop it, stop it, STOP it foolish girl! I wonder what he's doing today. I bet he's with that horrific girl again. Maybe she is his girlfriend. I should ask him.'
Saturday evening, Fanny had passed Severus in the halls. Simpering and clinging to his arm was the beautiful Slytherin girl Violet, who, since the Frisbee incident, Fanny had taken a particular dislike to. It was not hard to see that Violet shared these feelings. The flashing pearly smile and seductive eyes were reserved only for the boys, and the moment she saw Fanny the charm was turned off and an icy glare took over.
On the surface Violet and Severus were a strange match: she was a delicate flower of a girl, perfect in almost every physical aspect, while he was a tall, lanky, big-nosed boy who hid behind gangly hair and a twisted scowl. Most of the seventh years wondered what Violet, perhaps the most beautiful girl in the class, saw in him-even if they were just friends (nobody seemed to know what they were). But Fanny could only question why a boy she considered intelligent, multifaceted, and helpful would care to spend time with a shallow and vain creature like Violet. In her opinion, they were not only different on the surface, but down to their very core. 'He could do better,' she thought.
Laughter floated into her reflections, and she drifted back to reality. The grassy spring breeze stirred and Fanny put a hand on the hem of her long blue skirt to prevent it from blowing up. The Sunday afternoon was lovely. The checkered blanket she shared with Lily, James and Sirius was soft under her bare legs, the giant plates of lasagna and meatballs, pinched earlier from the kitchens, were delicious, and the company was friendly and carefree. They spoke of cheerful things as the shadows from the looming hedges crept upon them. Every now and then Remus and Peter, who were spending the day mapping the maze, would pop out for a chat before returning to their exploration. Under different circumstances, Fanny would have been quite at peace with the world. 'Under different circumstances?' she thought. 'Why not these circumstances, why not these people? Because you'd prefer him to them,' said a voice in her head. 'Well, maybe not Lily, but she'll always be there. There's time to spend with her later.'
Sirius elbowed her playfully. "You're off in the clouds today, Fanny," he said. "Dreaming is nice, but I'd much prefer your conversation. What's on your mind?"
"Oh, nothing," she said quickly, turning a bit red. She couldn't imagine what Sirius would say if he knew the truth. He wouldn't judge her, she was his friend after all, but she didn't doubt that it would be unpleasant for Severus. There would almost certainly be a scene. Perhaps he'd order Severus to keep away from her, or perhaps he'd challenge him to a duel. Most likely, he'd simply take to bullying him again, trying to make his life as unpleasant as possible. These were the types of thing Sirius did. Confront without thinking. Assume without asking.
For all his faults, though, Fanny found that he was beginning to grow on her. Lily had been obvious in her attempts to set the two of them up, and Fanny understood her enthusiasm; it would be a convenient and easy match. He was handsome, she had to admit, and charming, funny, smart, loyal. There was no silly teenage problem that Sirius couldn't make her forget about in twenty minutes ('except Severus,' she thought). She always found his company entertaining. Never did he criticize her, berate her, or put her down. Never would he treat her with the condescension or contempt Severus showed. But then again, he didn't challenge her, while Severus did.
Fanny's mother had once given her advice on men. After a bad and brief relationship with a work colleague, Gene sat her thirteen year old daughter down. "Bowley women always pick the wrong men," she said. "We can never resist a challenge. Never. Dangerous, acerbic, sarcastic. We love these things. Nice men bore us. It's a fact. My grandmother was the same, and she was widowed at twenty. My mother was the same, and she was abandoned while nine months pregnant. Your father was a stroke of luck: a good reliable man and a challenge. And when he died it was not because he was foolish," Gene always looked deeply disturbed when she spoke of her husband's death, "But I was lucky and that doesn't mean you will be. I don't want you to fall into the Bowley trap. Nice men can offer something too."
Sirius was nice, at least to her. Would her mother approve of him? Was Severus the type of boy she had been warned about? Fanny wished deeply that her mother was still here to ask.
"You know, this weekend's been really brilliant." Sirius leaned in and jostled her lightly with his elbow. "Nice weather, no work, and a pretty girl for company." He smiled warmly at Fanny. "What more could any man ask for?"
Fanny snorted doubtfully. "I bet you say that to all the ladies."
"Just the nice looking ones," Sirius laughed outright and Fanny slapped his arm.
"Jerk," she said, smiling.
"Come on, you know I'm kidding," he said, still laughing and throwing up his arms in mock submission. "I'm an honest guy, really. You can believe me." He pulled a sincere looking face.
"You always kid, so I'm always skeptical."
"I'm serious sometimes," and, as if to prove it, he sobered and switched to a more sincere tone. "You think I'm the joker, and maybe I am, but clowns are always the ones who tell it like it is. Well, they do in books at least."
"But we're not in a book."
"Imagine if we were, though!" he said, lying back and resting his head on his arms. "What kind do you think it'd be?"
"I don't know. Horror?"
"Bah! On a day like this? I don't think so. Fairy tale more like. Look at this." He waved his wand in the air and a thousand tiny gold bubbles appeared suddenly, surrounding them, and floating lightly down on their heads before popping. It was enchanting, and even Lily and James ceased their quiet conversation for a moment to watch. "See, Fanny, it's depends on how you look at it," he continued. "Bad things happen in all stories. The difference is in the end: in my version the beautiful princess ends up with the prince (that's me, by the way)," he said with a smile and a wink, "while in your version, everyone is eaten by dragons. Not a very pleasant thing to expect, now is it? Maybe if you set your hopes a bit higher."
"Maybe you'd be a little less optimistic if you'd seen what I have," she said dismally.
Instantly Sirius hopped up and put his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, kid, I didn't mean to upset you. But you're with us now, and nothing bad like that will happen again. We'll always be here for you. I promise."
Fanny straightened herself, and shouldered out of Sirius' grasp, but her tone was soft and appreciative when she addressed him. "I know, Sirius. You guys are really great." She remembered how she had wanted to ditch them earlier, and guilt began to creep over her. An awkward moment passed, but to Fanny's relief, it was broken shortly by Remus and Peter as they emerged from the maze, and plopped down on the blanket.
"Did you finish the map then?" Sirius asked them.
"Not quite," said Remus in a tired voice. "The distances don't quite add up near the center of the maze. There must be a path that I haven't found yet, or a hidden room or something. I don't know, though. I was pretty thorough. I'll work on it again tomorrow. Maybe you can come too?"
"Of course."
Rummaging through the half-eaten plates, Remus stood up again and stretched. "Not much left to eat. I'm going back up to the castle. See what the elves are cooking for tonight, maybe get an advancement. Coming Peter?" Peter nodded and stood. "See you guys at the feast then." The pair walked off.
"Hey look at them." Sirius pointed to James and Lily. Oblivious to their friends, they had progressed from close talking to snogging and snuggling. A bit embarrassed, Fanny turned away, but Sirius wasn't daunted in the least. "Aww, guys, is that really necessary? Look you're making the lady uncomfortable." He pointed to Fanny, and she became even more embarrassed. The couple didn't even look up. He continued loudly; "It's OK, carry on with your business, don't mind us. Come on, Fan, let's leave these two to themselves. I'll race you through the maze, alright?"
Sirius rose and offered her his hand. She took it, and as they began to leave, he pulled out his wand and dropped it on the blanket beside James. "Let's make it more interesting, shall we?" he said with a mischievous grin. Rising to the challenge, Fanny smiled, and dropped hers as well before following Sirius into the shadows of the twenty foot high hedges. Dusk was premature in the tall corridors of the maze, and already the path was dim.
"How long until it's dark in here?" asked Fanny.
"Maybe an hour. Are you scared? It's OK, nothing to hurt you in there. Besides we'll be out before then. Shouldn't take more than forty minutes. If you get lost, yell-I'll hear you. I obviously know the maze pretty well, so I'll give you a head start."
Not wanting to waste the last of the daylight, she jogged down the long entrance lane, turned west, and continued for five minutes always keeping to the left. A stitch soon formed in her side, and she slowed down. From behind her and to the right, she heard running footsteps pick up as Sirius entered the maze. Grabbing her side, she quickened her pace, and continued for what might have been fifteen minutes. The path grew darker, and the line of the sun steadily rose up the green shafts of the hedges. All seemed unnaturally quiet; the sound of footsteps behind her had disappeared. Sirius was walking more carefully now, creeping through the passages. Where was he? Maybe he was coming up behind her even now. Fanny stopped and turned quickly around. The corridor she was in was long and the ends were obscured in shadow-even if Sirius were there, she doubted that she'd be able to see him. She ran on. The darkness and silence were unnerving, and the race began to seem more like a chase. Without her wand she felt vulnerable and she began to panic, a sense of thrill and tense expectation overcoming her. She liked the feeling. Faster and faster she ran, ignoring the stitch in her side; the branches became a frenetic blur. Left, and left, and left again, and suddenly a dead end. Turning, she ran back, right this time, another right, and a hand from nowhere grabbed her arm. She was pulled back, and when she lifted her head, her face was inches from Sirius'. He was leaning down; she could feel his breath on her face before he leaned in and kissed her. Shocked and unsure how to react, Fanny became extremely stiff and made no attempt to either free herself or reciprocate. But she gathered herself quickly, and only a moment passed before she pushed herself roughly away from Sirius.
"I'm sorry," she said lamely. "I can't."
He frowned in confusion, then sighed and ran his hands through his long brown hair. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry." A disturbed and guilty look crossed his face. "I should've asked first, or something. Can we forgive and forget?" He flashed her a pleading half-smile.
"Sure." Fanny wasn't comfortable standing here with him anymore; not because he kissed her, she had forgiven him right away. But she didn't know what the kiss might mean (was it only a momentary impulse, or was Sirius genuinely interested in her?), and there was an awkwardness between them now. She shivered. "It's cold in here, lets go," she said.
It was easy finding their way out. As Fanny had kept to the left on her way in, they simply kept right. They walked briskly in silence, and from the corner of her eye, Fanny could see Sirius watch her with a frown. Twenty minutes later they emerged from the darkness into the golden sunset. Grabbing her wand, Fanny turned to Sirius and spoke with a casualness she did not feel. "I'll see you later, OK?" Lily and James looked up from their activities briefly, and from the surprised looks on their faces, obviously realized something was wrong. Fanny didn't stay to explain, though, but turned and walked to the school without looking back.
Inside the castle, Fanny quickly set out for her dorm, walking with her head down and arms folded across her chest. The twisting dark corridors reminded her of the maze and the same feeling of pursuit and panic gripped her, only this time she found it unpleasant. Not wanting to run into anyone, she walked quickly, cutting through the less frequented hallways. Her efforts were futile though, and as she approached the statue of the seven fingered satyr that guarded her common room, she found Snape waiting for her.
"Miss Bowley?" The smooth voice accosted her so suddenly that she visibly jumped. He was standing in a side passage leaning against a wall where she hadn't noticed him at first for the darkness surrounding him and the black clothes he wore. As she turned to face him, he straightened and approached her, circling like a predator. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said, but he didn't sound very sorry at all.
Fanny laughed nervously. What a strange day this was; so many bizarre encounters. "I'm just jumpy today, I guess," she said, turning on the spot to face him as he walked around her. "What's up Severus?"
"Are you giving up the company of your beloved Gryffindors so soon? I'm sure it must be very trying for you. Come, Fanny, after our little study session, I almost thought you had taste. You're disappointing me." Fanny said nothing, but looked at the floor feeling a strange mixture of indignant anger and remorse. Snape continued. "Perhaps what you need is a good influence: someone to stir up that lazy brain of yours." He stopped right in front of her, and she raised her head to look at him. She was half tempted to slap him for his audacity, but the look on his face quelled any such temptation. His mouth had thinned, his cheeks tensed, and his eyes looked dark and dangerous; Fanny was reminded strongly of her dream. But the look passed, and Snape stepped back, pointing a long finger at her.
"We'll meet every Wednesday in the old Runes classroom: second door on the right, fifth floor, east wing. Come at midnight." Snape turned and walked away, once again without waiting for an answer.
Midnight? What was he playing at? What the hell was he thinking? In a daze, Fanny made her way to the statue outside the dorm. "Sissy Whittle," she said, and the statue stepped aside.
"Is e' your boyfriend?" the satyr asked as she opened the large oak door.
"No," she said angrily, and slammed the door behind her. The common room was empty, and Fanny was glad for it. Her thoughts shot in every direction at once, and she felt as if her brain would overheat and fizzle out if one more person confronted her. Making her way to her dorm, she crawled into bed and closed the curtains behind her. A few hours of hopeless contemplation passed when the bell rang in the courtyard outside her window, calling everyone to the great hall for the Easter feast. Dubiously, Fanny fixed her hair, and put on her formal robes before she changed her mind and crawled back into bed for the evening.
