Disclaimer: None of the characters or settings in this story belong to me, they are the property of JK Rowling, the only things that I claim are the odd character you won't recognise and the plot which I invented, otherwise I own nothing, because Harry Potter is not mine and neither is Snape... much is the pity... *sobs*

Author's Note: Okay then this chapter is about a month after the last chapter which I think helps and Raine is beginning to get over what happened... I'm so glad about that though she is still rather upset you must understand... Why am I trying to explain this?... Just read it... lol

::~::~::

Independence is a gift but can you exist alone?

In the Midst of Winter

The morning was cold and crisp and Raine looked out onto the Hogwarts lake from her office with a feeling of sadness, a month had passed and even though she didn't feel as sick as she had been she still felt disgusted with herself. Anger didn't even begin to cover how she felt towards Quentus but she was angrier with herself for having been beaten. She didn't feel quite as angry or afraid of Severus but being around him brought it all rushing back and yet he seemed so innocent. She was glad he didn't know but didn't know how long she would be able to hide the fact from him or anyone for that matter. Her behaviour lost its malice as she started to become quite indifferent to anything anyone said, either too depressed or too annoyed to answer anyone in a civil manner.

Christmas was a time of year that everyone enjoyed, or at least tried to, Raine would normally be feeling quite jolly round this time of year had she been the only on dwelling in her fragile form. She didn't really like sharing with an unwelcome being; it wasn't like she had planned what had happened.

There was to be a Yule Ball again this year and she knew there was no way she was going to get out of it without drawing Dumbledore's attention. She'd have to bite the bullet and go to the dance as well as try to keep her head clear, she'd not be able to keep away from Severus since they sat next to each other. She'd been okay at dinner for the past month because she had either been feeling too ill to eat anyway or Severus had simply bypassed dinner because he couldn't face her after she fell out the window. She still liked him but it was never ever going to be the same, never...

::~::~::~::~::~::

Severus watched all the students in his lessons they seemed like such mindless puppets unaware of what was going on around them. The rise of Voldemort didn't seem to bother anyone but him at Hogwarts over Christmas; he was the only one however aware of the full power of the Dark Lord.

The smiles were some of the hardest things he had to deal with, it was unfair in his opinion, he'd never had the character or the will to smile as readily as his students even when he was a boy. Some of them sickened him because of their behaviour with each other, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley seemed to be some of the people he expected to be a little more serious due to their relation ship with Potter but they were all over each other as if everything was fine and dandy, he had to separate them in Potions for their own good as well as his sanity. He couldn't stand seeing them flirt in his lessons or any of the students for that matter, he believed they should put their education first but then he remembered how he was as a young man, he didn't give a damn who he hurt because of his parents early departure having warped him, it lead him down the same path as his father, the one he was specifically instructed to avoid like the plague. His Uncle had been a smart man and a good mentor but no substitute for his mother and father.

The time factor was difficult to deal with he still didn't know where those six hours had gone but he had to try to stop thinking about it, Raine knew something he knew that much but every time he tried to ask her about it she either hit him or ran in the opposite direction even if that meant running through crowds of rowdy students, he didn't have a clue why she was afraid of him, she of all people was someone he kind he feared himself, he knew he could be frightening but she was frightening in another way. It was possibly because he couldn't be sure what she was going to do next, when you don't fully understand people it frightens you and he guessed that was what bothered him about her, she always seemed so aloof... he wanted to understand her but he didn't think he ever would which was part of why he felt drawn to her.

He hated Christmas from the tree down to the blasted carols, they were so jolly and sickeningly sweet he wanted to vomit. It wasn't that he didn't believe in the values of Christmas, the peace and good will thing seemed all very well but he didn't understand why people should only make the effort once a year - it was all so half arsed. The world would be a better place if the things that were stressed at Christmas were applied all the time but he knew that human nature just wasn't like that. They had to kill one another, make weapons, cheat and lie. He wasn't exactly the example of perfection in human nature but he had learned from his mistakes, they'd made him what he was today – bitter twisted and unfeeling... It wasn't his fault he was a sinnic, he'd inherited that from both his parents who loved each other beyond anything he had ever known but were very distant from each other in ways that he couldn't comprehend until the day he found them both dead... The ministry declared it suicide but Severus knew otherwise, only he could never prove it.

The Yule Ball, there was an opportunity to be ruthless, every year he spent most of the time blasting apart the bushes because he couldn't stand watching the rest of the staff laugh or the students smile and dance, watching them hop away from an embarrassing situation was far more entertaining and cruel.

He didn't know why but he didn't really want to do that this year, it was becoming boring like this monotonous season that seemed to drag on for a quarter of the year. Muggles seemed to be even worse off than he did if they had no one. They would start selling the tinsel and trees, food etc at Halloween and they would have to watch as the manufacturers slaughter the merriment with their annoying habit of wanting to make more money... Stupid holiday - what a farce!

::~::~::~::~::~::

Finally the day came, he would have to sit within the Great Hall amidst all the smiles, all the laughter, people coming together and generally being annoying and lacking self control, they were young after all - though some of the staff lost self control as well he noticed.

He didn't bother with dress robes, remaining in the same attire he always wore to such events seemed to be the most sensible thing to do, it wouldn't give people the impression that he actually cared - no one noticed when he had bothered so why should they notice when he didn't... He hated Christmas.

Walking from the dungeons wasn't difficult; everyone who remained that the school for the season was already in the Great Hall, his tardiness showed his desire to be there, it was almost none existent. On his way he bumped into Professor Flitwick who was wearing his bright blue robes and smiling like a little pixie. Snape sneered at him, they didn't exchange any words because Flitwick knew that Severus wasn't the kind of man to celebrate anything, he wouldn't even let on that his birthday was coming... Flitwick just gave a little squeak and hurried off in the opposite direction, Snape's aura had about as much warmth as refrigerated salad cream.

On arrival in the Great Hall he discovered that he wasn't the only one who seemed to have a reserved opinion on Christmas, Stark seemed to be shuddering every time she heard laughter. He took his seat next to her and she let shivered, did he really have that effect on women? She was dressed in her usual black but it didn't appear to be as trim as before, the material was more loose and hung from her. He looked at her again; she didn't appear to have changed anything about her appearance apart from her hair that was allowed to hang about her shoulders with no ties. It was a tangle of black that appeared to have volume at the top but became straggly at the bottom - it didn't even look as if she'd brushed it. It was clear she had made no effort but it didn't really bother him, he couldn't help finding her attractive even when she did look like a little bit of a mess. She looked better that way even in his opinion, she didn't even need to go and look for trouble as far as men were concerned, he guessed they would just go to her and she wouldn't need to try, he could see why... There was more to a woman other than curves and pouting lips. It was strange how she had dropped her normal attitude, the old attitude seemed to have faded into a more reserved mind-set where she tried to hide from everyone as if frightened her to death.

"Happy to be here Raine?" He muttered to her as she narrowed her eyes and turned to face him, she adopted a shrewd look and flared her nostrils.

"Ecstatic," she hummed, her tone seemed a little reserved but it was a lot more agreeable than a smack in the face so he smiled a little.

"Does the season of snow not agree with the ice witch?" He added sarcastically, he wasn't quite sure why he was behaving the way he was since these were the first words they had exchanged in a month. Why was he insistent on being so harsh? He had to make her believe he hated her, it was the only way to keep his mind straight, the only way to cling onto what he understood.

"I'm not the one dressed like I'm attending a funeral," she said scanning his black robes visibly. The black she was wearing had the odd embroidered pattern of dark blue on round the collar and cuffs so he wasn't really able to justify the same retort about her dress though her expression made him think she had lost something. She kept seeing him, furious, unstoppable advancing on her like she was nothing. It wasn't him, it wasn't him, she'd tell herself, he would never... he wouldn't...

"I'm not the one that has the expression worn by the mourners," he muttered coldly. The one thing however that did distress him was how he didn't want to be so cold, his mind wanted to be polite, to impress her, what was he thinking?

"Oh... I'm not going to argue with you about this... Leave me alone, the less I do here the sooner I can leave," she snapped - part of the past crept into her mind and she sank into the chair to try to forget, she grabbed the goblet from the table and whacked a mouth full of Pumpkin juice down her gullet. She had to forget, try to think that he hadn't done what he had done and make the rest of the world go away.

"Are you all right?" He asked seeing how she had gone from cold sniping remarks to trying burry herself in the chair. What are you doing? Grow up! She'd rather jump out of her office window than help you why do you think she wants to explain what's wrong?

"Fine, just please, go pick on some students or dance with Sinistra or something, we all know she's desperate for you," Raine sat back up again, a small smile on her face from the comment about her colleague who was sitting across the table batting her eyelids and generally trying to attract his attention. Get a grip you don't want to attract attention, just think about... clouds or something.

"She doesn't?" He said looking at Sinistra; Raine nodded. "Oh no..." He mumbled. She's having you on... or she's trying to get you away from her... why Nancy, oh god she's right... shoo, shoo, stop looking at me!

"I'm sure she wouldn't be washing her hair when you ask her to dance," Raine sniggered remembering how she had responded when he'd asked her to dance.

"This isn't funny!" He snapped as she burst out laughing for the first time in weeks, his expression changed, she did have a lovely smile, if only she wore it more often. She's enjoying this... damn!

"Go on... Ask her to dance." She whispered throwing the odd glance towards Sinistra who had now become highly puzzled.

"I'm not going to dance with her. She might get ideas..." He muttered back. He didn't really want to make her think anything, Sinistra wasn't the kind of person to fraternise with, she always got the wrong end of the stick and then there was no way of letting her down gently, she always seemed to fall with an enormous flump. He discovered that when he was eighteen, they had a short relationship in which she tried to mother him, he hated it. She wouldn't leave him alone, give him any space, he thought that she was over that now but she was flirting again, he could see it, where could he hide, how could he get her to forget about him, perhaps if he danced with Stark... He'd have to risk being shot down again but it would be worth it not to have the original mother hen brooding over him.

"If you dance with her I'll be able to see if you really do have any rhythm. Then in future I may not turn you down flat," she said smiling. She didn't get it did she, or maybe she just didn't know Nancy, that had to be it. Though he did like the idea of proving Raine wrong, but he rather dance with Raine.

"I could prove that to you without dancing with Nancy," he muttered. Ask her! His confident side commanded... I can't...

"Well I sure think that she'd love a dance, humour her won't you Severus," Raine really wanted to get him away from her, she didn't even like Sinistra much but Sinistra liked Snape and if that was what it would take to get him away from her then that was what had to happen.

"No Raine, I've taken to dancing with no one, it seems that way I'm not likely to have my pride damaged," she knew what he was taking about and thought he was taking it a little too extreme.

"Through being turned down for a dance?" Raine lifted an eyebrow. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"I'm not going to go into that now Raine," he began to think about how silly it sounded but he'd really felt wounded in a way, after all it was his birthday when it happened.

"Well I don't think anyone is going to be able to get away with it later, Albus told me that we are all to take part in a dance, I'm unsure as to his reasoning but he seems to believe that we all need to take part. I must say I really don't see the point," she took another gulp of Pumpkin juice, something told her Dumbledore was up to something but she didn't quite know what. He stood up momentarily thinking Sinistra would approach him as her dancing partner so had to escape her before she got any ideas about getting to him before he had opportunity to get to any of the other female members of staff, anyone, he didn't mind as long as they didn't have a crush on him.

"I think I'll be going outside for a while... Excuse me Raine," he said trying to get away from Sinistra's gaze. Raine breathed a sigh of relief, she didn't need to have the stress build in her mind, it wasn't doing her any good. Dumbledore then returned to his seat after having danced with McGonagall who was now looking breathless.

"Enjoy your dance Minerva?" Raine asked with a light-hearted smile, it didn't reflect her internal feelings but it was Christmas and therefore she had to try.

"Yes..." She said while catching a breath, even though Dumbledore was at least a century and a half years old he still had the energy of some of the young students and he always seemed happy. Raine guessed that you're only as old as you feel and Dumbledore clearly didn't feel very old.

"Are you not going to join in the dancing Raine?" Dumbledore asked plonking himself in his seat, he'd danced with her at Halloween at her invitation but she didn't seem to want anyone near her, she feared being found out not that anyone would be able to tell unless they were telepathic and knew what to look for, for some reason Dumbledore didn't strike her as the psychic kind - Snape on the other hand seemed to know about a lot more than he let on, it scared her.

"I don't have a choice later do I?" She said sounding slightly annoyed, his sparkling blue eyes and continual smiling didn't seem apt to the situation she was in.

"I'm hoping that you will partner Severus, I'm choosing the couples you see, I hope you don't mind," Dumbledore said carefully judging her response, she could see it in his eyes, he was looking for her reasons for being so off with him lately, but she couldn't dance with him, not get that close.

"I can't dance with him... I just can't... Anyone else but... Please Albus just understand this will you?" She tried to hold back the anguish she was feeling but couldn't, she would actually have to come into contact with him and that was just unthinkable.

"Well if you an give me a good reason I will see if I can change this for you." What was he trying to pull...?

"I've told you before I can't tell you! I can't tell anyone," she snapped, she wasn't going to be so weak that she would crumble just like that, it would take some form of natural disaster to forced those words past her lips.

"Then Severus will be your partner," Dumbledore said shortly, it wasn't like him to force information from people but this was important and she wasn't telling him, it annoyed him as well as worried him, he didn't like secrets especially ones that were kept from him.

"I'll be at the bar if you need me..." Raine said sulkily knowing she would have to fold to the will of the Headmaster because she didn't wish to give up her secret.

"We don't have a bar," Minerva said perplexed.

"That doesn't matter I'll still be there," she muttered heading towards the other side of the hall.

"There is something seriously wrong with her Minerva but she won't tell me what it is," Dumbledore said looking slightly distressed.

"She'll tell you sooner or later Albus, it looks like it's eating her," Minerva croaked though a cough, she showed her age more than Dumbledore did, gravity seems to take more of an effect on women.

"I guess you're right," he said with a sigh. "Want to dance again?"

"Maybe later," she sighed slumping back into her chair.

::~::~::~::~::~::

Severus wandered down the path and sat by the fountain - the fairy lights fluttered about the scene reflecting small sparks of light in the water, the small rose bushes seemed quieter than usual even though he didn't feel like paying too much attention to what was going on. He looked at the winding ornamental paths but didn't think to venture down them. A few students were sitting on the carved wooden benches looking up at the stars and fairy lights as the added the perfect romantic light for the setting. Severus had settled himself on the wall around the fountain, looming over him was a magnificent statue of a winged horse and a man riding it yielding a splendid silver sword. He believed as many people did that it was of Godric Gryffindor, he'd always been the champion of bravery and the young man on the horse seemed to exemplify what Godric had prized most.

The water was making the setting so peaceful he didn't want to bother with excited students, he ruminated upon two years before when all he wanted to do was blast apart the bushes and reek havoc on the students within, he'd done it with such malevolence but a year ago he began to think about his future, it seemed he'd lived his life by the school motto - Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus, not exactly but he'd never taken any real chances none that would have made him a better person perhaps if he had been a little more daring and not turned to Voldemort when he had felt low he might be in a better position than now. No matter what he tried to tell himself he couldn't get over the fact that he was alone, Christmas was the time of year that brought it all back. Everyone seemed to have someone even if it was a friend, and Severus didn't feel he had any real friends.

He was beginning to bore himself by thinking about all the mistakes he had made, he dismissed such thoughts and headed back inside, it was a lot less depressing to be around his friends if he could call them that, the other members had a reserved temperament about him like they were afraid to be themselves around him.

::~::~::~::~::~::

"The wanderer returns..." Raine said sarcastically, trying to sound like she was interested in where he had been but making a poor effort to sound convincing she shuddered again when the cold breeze of his aura hit her.

"Indeed," he muttered trying to sound equally unimpressed to see her but she always gave him a small smile within even when she was angry.

"The dance begins in a minute," she said shortly glowering at Dumbledore who knew what was coming next.

"Well Raine, I was wondering if now you would offer me the opportunity to prove to you that I possess a little bit of rhythm. Would you give me that chance?" Severus asked, his heart was doing summersaults and his mind was also felling a little worried, he didn't want to be turned down again. But Sinistra looked ready to pounce on him.

"I guess I could give you chance to prove me wrong," she said. "But I may turn out to be the one with lack of musical talent in my feet," she added as a caution, he'd seen her dance before though, she could dance well enough even if she did look like she was lacking a little of her co-ordination at the minute.

"Very well Miss Stark, will you join me?" He said standing and offering his hand as a new song began the rest of the staff paired off and Sinistra looked at Snape briefly and longingly before grabbing Hagrid's arm and dragging him to the dance floor. Being called Miss Stark didn't seem to bother her anymore, in fact it was kind of a comfort.

"Very well Mister Snape." She said taking his hand, her head began to swirl but she had to fight it, she had to overcome the fear she had developed, tell yourself you're not afraid and it will all go away, it's only one dance what harm can it do. It wasn't him before, it was something taking over him, it was your fault not his. If you'd done it right in the first place the hypnotism fiasco wouldn't have happened and you wouldn't be getting bigger... He's not to blame, just smile and nod... take his hand, you're doing well. Follow him to the dance floor... wait I think he's going to say something. Raine's inner thoughts were giving her instructions on how to control her emotions, it felt a little strange being told by herself what she should and shouldn't be doing and it was also quite annoying... What did she take herself for? Shut up! She told herself.

"I think that we should do a dance that doesn't draw attention Raine, I'm not keen on the students getting ideas..." You're not that bothered old boy, his libido muttered. Back off, he instructed it. "It would be better for us to do something discrete," he said while Raine took up a stance to his side holding out one arm bent at the elbow her hand slumping inwards, he knew that he must do the same. They began to walk around each other to the beats of the music as piano began to kick in before changing arms and repeating the action.

"This what you were thinking Severus?" She asked as the changed direction again on the sixteenth beat.

"Well... Yes..." He said unsure, he had kind of been hoping for a little more contact only with this dance there was no contact, it was all about keeping spacing and staying equal distance at all times. It was a dance popular in the Edwardian times when men and women needed to be married or connected in some way romantically to touch, when sex outside marriage was frowned upon and everything needed to be correct within society, his mother had taught him this dance one day when he was about ten, she wanted him to know how to treat a Lady, being a Lady herself even though she didn't exactly hold the values of polite society to apply to herself. She had double standards, it kind of annoyed him.

"I always loved this piece of music... It isn't very old but I still love it, so peaceful and yet lively, it makes me forget myself..." She said calmly. "I have become foolish," she mused.

"I wouldn't call you foolish, confusing yes but foolish... I'm unsure that describes your personality," he hummed.

The music then began to slow down as did their pace and the talking, it ceased, each looking over their shoulders directly into the others eyes. Raine couldn't help it, she had forgotten about the past events and about who she was or he was. Nothing seemed to matter, she looked into his eyes, they were masterful, powerful pools that sucked you in no matter how hard you tried to get away.

He was just watching her eyes as they became glassy, just watching, but not really noticing what was going on he wanted nothing more than to keep her from everything. She adopted the looked of a person who had just woken up, as if she wasn't really there.

The two of them continued to follow the music but both had become oblivious to their surroundings, their arced fingertips touched with a sudden flicker of static electricity before his hands crept over hers holding it tightly in his hands, her fingers forced out of the gaps in his so that their fingers were intertwined. A breeze began to blow around their hands as the power of the grasp began to become noticeable it was blowing Raine's hair around her head wistfully. The odd spark would appear around them. Looking into each others eyes had taken away the fact that they worked together, the fact that everything had gone wrong lately, that they were supposed to hate each other as their heads began to slowly lean into the other until each could feel the breath of the other. Severus tipped his head to the side a little as his nose met hers, there was a tickle on Raine's lips as his touched hers very lightly, he couldn't believe what he was doing, she drew a sharp breath as she brushed her lips against his as she had done with the rose. She breathed deeply able to get the scent of him, she could feel his aura, it was like the energy between them was creating the static around them, but it seemed to mainly coming from him...

Severus could smell the strangest most enchanting fragrance he had ever come across, it was delightful yet peculiarly overwhelming. His mind was telling him things that his conscious self would never admit to, like it was making him do what he wanted without him being present. It felt like he had taken leave of his body and was watching from the outside like in a cinema.

"I think I... I..." He breathed very quietly like it was on the wind, there was suddenly a large rush of power and their hands broke apart, Raine's eyes had gone from lazy and dreamy to alert and fearful again. He hadn't needed to finish what he was saying, she knew what was coming, it couldn't be...

"I'm sorry," she whispered taking a step away from him a tear rolling down her cheek. Not now, why couldn't everything just go away, she wouldn't have such a complicated life then, everything would be okay then, she wouldn't need to feel so confused. "I'm really sorry," she turned her back on him, if only she could really allow herself to believe it, the truth is hard to deal with, especially when she had to fight the truth every day. It hung around her like a spring haze, never relenting, constantly there like a stone about her neck. No one other than her first colleagues knew she was the greatest bull shitter that ever lived. She liked the idea that she could extract people's secrets without them knowing she'd done it, but there were some things in this world that she'd rather not know...

"Why?" He summoned from his mind, before she walked out of the Great Hall leaving him watching her as she went, all the other people and sounds then seemed to trundle back into focus, he had practically kissed her, what was he thinking? And now she was walking away, why? If she knew what he wanted to say why was she sorry, what was he saying? Something clicked, what was he going to tell her? If he had just done what he thought he had just done he'd said something he had never had any intension of telling her, if she had fully comprehended what he was going to say before she cut him off, oh no...

All the staring faces began to swim into focus people were staring at him, at Raine as she left the room slowly, her foot steps, he could hear them as she walked away, tiny clicks of her heals as they scuffed the ground, the noise of the hall eventually filtered back in, he looked about the room as everyone stood silent around him. Some staring after Stark, some looking at him in disbelief, how could he have just allowed that to happen? The hall was crowded, everyone saw, did they hear him? He was still staring blankly after Raine who had already left the hall. He couldn't believe he was standing looking over his shoulder out of the hall, what was wrong with him? The was something wistful about the whole experience, he didn't know what was going on.

"Severus?" A voice called. He looked around to see Dumbledore place a hand on his shoulder. "Severus are you aware of hat just happened?" The old man asked as Severus faced him and his expression was one of panic. He stepped away and lifted his hands to his head fretfully breathing deeply, what was going on?!

"Yes..." He said in a half-shocked half-embarrassed tone, confused and a little surprised he acted in such a way. He walked forwards quickly forcing the students in front of him out of the way as he tore after her. Raine, he had to find her... He had to explain...

::~::~::~::~::~::

"Oh my god! Did you just see that?!" Harry said as he watched Snape knock the students out of the door in his embarrassment. Ron and Hermione hadn't been paying attention. "Guys!"

"What?" Hermione said still keeping a grip on Ron.

"Did you just see that?!" Harry repeated.

"No," Ron said kissing Hermione again.

"Will you just listen to me for five minutes? Just five minutes?!"

"All right!" Ron said shortly. "What just happened?" He didn't seem too interested.

"If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me I think Snape and Stark just... kissed..." Harry said taking is glasses off and rubbing the lenses for a second time in five minutes.

"What?" Hermione said in disbelief.

"I mean they were dancing and then... well I was getting another butterbeer and everyone started to stop what they were doing, I walked around the crowd to see what was going on only to discover Snape and Stark extremely close. You should have seen the looks on the staff's faces, especially McGonagall... she had her mouth wide open. Dumbledore didn't appear to know what to do. Then the music stopped, they broke apart like there was this massive surge of energy and she slipped out of the hall. Dumbledore approached Snape and he went bright red and tore out of the hall." Harry said still checking his lenses. Seamus and Dean walked up scratching their heads, Ron and Hermione just stood shocked.

"Did I just see what I thought I saw?" Dean said looking out of the hall.

"I think so..." Harry said looking to Ron and Hermione who seemed a little disappointed they'd missed it.

"Snape and Stark? Who would have thought that?" Seamus muttered.

"Okay rub it in you guys, we missed it alright!" Ron said shortly.

"Well if you would stop eating each other for a second you would see what was happening around you," Harry said shortly, their behaviour was annoying. They didn't seem to stop kissing each other.

"Okay so you think... they're..." Ron said not wanting to finish the sentence.

"I don't think they... no... it's more likely that was a one off thing. How embarrassing for Snape..." Hermione said weighing up the facts.

"How embarrassing for Stark you mean, Snape's a pig and I mean, Stark's well..." Ron started, Hermione glowered at him though the other boys seemed to agree with him. "All I'm saying is out of the two of them it is likely to be more embarrassing for Stark since she's more attractive."

"You're only saying that because you're male," Hermione said shortly.

"Oh... I see, so we like Professor 'snot bag' Snape now do we?" Ron said shortly.

"I'm just saying that if you were a girl you wouldn't be saying it was more embarrassing for her."

"Oh I think I would be, I mean look at him..." Ron paused. "Damn he's not here! But anyway, he has about as much charm as that Potion for making fungus," Ron was reliving having to pull pieces of mushroom from his ears.

"Well, I think he's got better over the year... he's not as greasy as he was," she mused.

"Guys, can you continue this discussion some other time? The point is that Snape will now make life hell because he knows we've seen a part of him that wants to be human," Harry said, Ron and Hermione stepped away from each other glaring angrily at each other.

"Sure!"

"Fine by me!"

"Oh for Christ's sake!" Harry grumbled as Ron walked off in a huff.

"It's not my problem," Hermione said smiling at Harry. "So you were saying?"

"Never mind..." Harry said as the group dispersed.

::~::~::~::~::~::

Raine ran as fast as she could up to her office, had the situation been better had some of the events that took place not have happened and she was in more ideal situation, she may have acted differently in that circumstance but being pregnant made her emotions over act, she was feeling everything up the ying yang like she was being experimented with like a toy under the control of an excited child... She was in the same sort of situation and it frightened her. She sat in her office again twiddling her wand about her fingers, why was everything going against her, why was Voldemort such a perverted freak?!

Looking out the window to the Forbidden Forest, the same tall lonely figure stood waiting by the waters edge. It was definitely male no doubts there, the frame was tall lean and powerful yet showing signs of age in the moonlight; Quentus... She'd kill him... She rushed to pick up her wand from the desk again and ran blindly out of the building... It was his fault, he'd done this inadvertently and he still didn't know, perhaps then he would feel remorse but then again maybe not, he was Quentus after all and remained without feeling ever since his teacher had died... That however had been his fault, just like everything else bad that happened around him... She'd kill him!

::~::~::

Author's Note: The song by the way was 'Clubbed to Death' by 'Rob D', if you've ever seen 'The Matrix' then it's the one when they going into to computer simulation and Neo looks at the woman in the red dress. To be honest the song is really cool and has piano and strings and everything. The dance is from 'Plunkett and Macleane' an English sorta Highway men film about these dudes who team together one is an officer so can go and find out who is worth stealing from and then after social functions they go rob them... funny film... lol.

So what did you think? Get Quentus that's what I say! Argh! Sorry but I still hate him... Whaddya reckon? Should I hold a poll and see what you think of him... Yeah ^_^... When you leave me a review... If you do.. *looks hopeful* Then please give me your opinion of Quentus and what you would like to see happen to him, I mean it doesn't make a difference since I already know what is going to happen to him I'd just like to know... hehe because I think he's a scum sucking mollusc!

What should I do with Ron and Hermione? They seem to have had a bit of a tiff over something rather pathetic but it seemed funny at the time... Any ideas as to what you want to see happen?

I.C. Fire

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