The next weeks passed in a flurry. Kate kept up her routine of library sessions and lessons with Severus Snape, the letter without her visit in the hospital, nor the nightly encounter mentioned ever mentioned. If something had changed between them, it was barely recognizable, and more due to her newly found determination to be prepared for whatever danger was waiting for her in her new life – the fact, that there was some danger luring finally accepted by her.
In one of their regular meetings, Dumbledore offered her the position of a school-secretary, once the term had started. It was, as she soon found out, more of a non-job, as all the tedious administrative works were dealt with magically, but provided her with a reason for her being at Hogwarts in the eyes of any outsider, as well as a small income. And the opportunity to give her so far first contribution to the magical community: Apparently she was the only one able to prepare a decent coffee. Not that many people wanted coffee, the school being a throughout British institution, but as the term approached and more and more teacher came back from their respective holiday pastimes, she gained some approval for her addition to the local living standards. For a woman, who had once earned a PhD, she felt sillily proud of this.
When the term started, her life changed in a few ways. She started keeping office hours to answer students' questions or deal with heir parents' inquiries. She found, that nobody really questioned her being here, the teachers, of course, had been informed by the headmaster.
Her timetable also had to adjust to the requirements of a boarding-school during term-time. She now had classes with several of the teachers. The deputy headmistress, a stern woman with grey hair, always pulled up in bun, soon became one of her favourites. If in the beginning she obviously hadn't expected much of Kate, she seemed to be quite impressed, by the transfigurations the younger woman could already master, and – in contrast to Snape – had no problems expressing her approval. It was only a matter of weeks, before the two women were on rather friendly terms.
Defence against the Dark Arts was a subject Kate had really been looking forward to. Remus Lupin, the teacher, was a calm and friendly man, who introduced her to all sorts of dangerous creatures, practising useful ways of expending of them – or at least getting away as soon as possible – with her.
Apart from professor Binns, who probably was close to extatic, to finally have found somebody who was actually interested in what he had to tell, all of the teacher seemed busy enough with their regular work, though, and Kate couldn't help feeling, that she meant more of an additional task to them, than they would ever tell her. The more it amazed her, that her lessons with Severus Snape continued on a daily basis, and that he by no way restricted himself now to teaching her potions. Instead, he often had her revise what she had learned during the day and made her practice even harder on the very subjects.
Kate was musing on this, when, once more, she was on her way down to his office, rather late in the evening. She knocked on his door and got the usual "Come in" for an answer. He was sitting behind his desk, obviously grading papers.
"I can come back later, or tomorrow, if you like," Kate offered, seeing him working.
"Prepare the cauldron and get the ingredients for a basic nerve-calming potion from the shelves. They are listed in your book." he replied without looking up.
"Look, if you are busy, we might do this tomorrow," Kate tried again, feeling quite exhausted herself after having had to transfigure all seats in the transfiguration classroom into different kinds of birds.
The potions master looked up from his paper-work. "If you feel that an average student's time-table is too much for you to handle, you may of course retire." His voice was pure venom. "It would have been considerate to find out about your easy fatigues before I spent my time working with you, tough. There's no point in continuing wasting everybody's time, if you still haven't realized the importance …"
"You look tired, too." Kate interrupted him. It was true, his usually pale face now seemed to her almost white.
"Look, I know, that you spend a horrible lot of time working with me, and that you have many other things to do. I just feel bad about causing you more work, so I wouldn't mind it, if we called it off for tonight." Still being condescending, she would never had expected his fierce reaction.
"Don't dare to use me as an excuse for your incapabilities" he almost spitted at her. "If you don't want to work, if you still haven't understood the necessity, leave now and don't come back. Otherwise, set up your cauldron."
Kate felt anger welling up in her, she had taken all his bad tempers with admirable patience, she thought, but this was getting too much. Her pride was hurt, she had never intended to back out of practicing.
She took a few steps towards him. "I'm not using you as an excuse. I have understood perfectly well, what all this is about, and if I say that all I want is not to impose myself on you, you could damn well accept it at the truth." She was truly angry now.
Snape didn't even look at her. "Then set up the cauldron." His voice sounded almost bored.
But Kate wasn't up to this now. She wanted to talk. "Tell me, what's going on !" she shouted. "Why do you spend hours with me, training me, more than everybody else here, but never acknowledge, that I did anything right ? Why don't you believe me, that I feel bad for disturbing you, even though you must be close to falling asleep on your carpet from the way you look ? What happened to you the other night ?" Oh, oh, she thought, this was getting out of control. Why had she asked the last question ?
Obviously it hadn't been a good idea. "Get out, now." Severus had jumped up from his chair and was now standing opposite her. Very close.
"No !" Kate replied. "You want me to act like somebody who knows what's going on ? Well, right, then tell me. What's wrong with you ? Why are you such a bastard with everybody ? It's not just me, isn't it ?"
"GET OUT !" Snape shouted, now standing right in front of her, his face showing nothing but pure anger and fury.
"Look, professor Snape, I …" Kate started once more, but jerked back, as she saw into his eyes, that gleamed with fury. He's going to beat me. For once, he really scares me.
And what if !
For what seemed like hours she stared back at him. Then she gave in. "Good night !" she whispered, turning to the door.
She opened it and, before she could set a foot through it, it slammed shut again.
"What … ?" she asked, knowing well, who had caused it.
Snape was still standing at the same spot. "You take everything as a joke." he hissed at her. "This is serious, you either work on whatever abilities you might have, or you die. And you might not be alone."
Kate nodded. She really wanted to leave now, she desperately needed to think about tonight's events calmly. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to get away from this scornful man. Why hadn't he just let her go ?
She stepped closer to him. "I do take this serious." she whispered. She took one more step. He didn't move.
"You wanted to leave." he said in a low voice.
"I didn't", Kate answered. "You threw me out. And then, you didn't let me go."
"You can go now."
"I don't want to."
"The door is open. I won't hold you back again."
"I don't want to."
When their lips met, the kiss, that had started as an angry encounter, immediately melted into something new and unexpected. Hold me, Kate thought desperately, kissing him back. I don't want to go, never.