Forgotten Passion.
Chapter One.
"Professor Snape?"
Severus stopped in his tracks and turned with a swoop of his black cloak.
"Professor McGonnagol." He intoned in his drawling voice.
"Oh I am so glad a caught you; could you please do me a favour? Can you please go and meet the new Muggles Studies professor from the boats? Professor Dumbledore asked me to go but one of the students from my house has fallen into the lake in on the crossing; you can hear how the wind is howling."
Snape opened his mouth to reply but Professor McGonnagol was not the type to be brushed off; her request was more of a command really.
"Fine;" he rolled his eyes; "what's their name?"
Professor McGonnagol squinted through her half moon spectacles at a crumpled piece of paper:
"Oh fibbery gibbets!" She exclaimed in frustration. "Professor Dumbledore really should learn to improve his handwriting, I think it's Andrew Block." Snape raised an eyebrow:
"When did you say he graduated?"
"No time for that Severus." She said hurrying down the corridor towards the hospital wing:
"I'm sure you can ask him."
Snape's face contorted into a grimace and he swept down the corridors to the entrance.
The wind was indeed howling with avengence when Snape stepped outside of the castle; he drew his voluminous cloak tightly around him and walked down to where he could see the students disembarking from the boats. New students, bah: more knuckleheads to annoy him. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks; gracefully disembarking one of the boats aided by two identical looking red heads (Weasley's no doubt Snape thought to himself) was a blast from the past. There right in front of his eyes was the woman he hadn't seen for ten years but had thought about everyday since their graduation. That fool McGonnagol had read the name incorrectly from the piece of paper; it hadn't said Andrew Block it had said Amber Black! The girl he had loved to distraction whilst he had been a student at Hogwarts was stood here in the guise of an even more beautiful woman. He stood as if transfixed to the spot. The wind whipped her majestic, long ebony hair into the air surrounding her with a cloud blacker than the darkest night! From the meagre distance he stood away from her he could see her beautiful, azure eyes sparkling with laughter as one of the red headed boys made a joke; her laughter tinkled back to him on the wind; a sound he'd longed to hear for years! Tears formed in his eyes and were immediately blown away by the wind; faintly on the breeze he caught the minutest trace of the flowery yet spicy scent that he remembered so achingly well.
She turned with such grace that it almost broke his heart; he'd imagined this moment for so long; and there it was the instant when she realised that he was stood there in rapt contemplation of the shadow of the girl who had broken his heart all those years ago. She stopped dead in her tracks and seemed to be momentarily transfixed to the spot. A wave of emotions played over her beautiful features;
"Severus!" She exclaimed in delight, "I had no idea that you were a Professor here!"
Her beautiful eyes lit up with a longing plain to see by all those who had suffered the pain of denied love.
"Well I see that nothing has changed since school. Still only getting half the story." He snarled with slightly more than characteristic venom.
He couldn't believe it! It had never been like this in his dreams! He had declared his love for her and she had swooned into his manly arms and he had whisked her off to his chambers in one swoop.
Amber looked sceptical; he was still the same after all these years. Sallow and bitter, but despite it all her heart still yearned for his embrace. She just wanted him to hold her and say he loved her. She bit her lip in frustration and shook her head to regain her composure:
"You haven't changed!" She beamed "So you were the one Albus sent to meet me. How curious!"
"Shall we?" Snape snorted, "It's rather cold out here and I'd rather not catch a cold so early into the term."
He turned and swept up steep incline to the entrance. Amber smiled and followed him delicately. It was very slippery and she did her best not to trip; that was all she needed, to arrive at Hogwarts looking bedraggled as well as windswept. Suddenly she lost her footing and floundered; he was there instantly beside her:
"Do be careful; you don't want to end up in the infirmary on your first night." He muttered in what he hoped sounded like indifference. "Perhaps you should hold my arm."
Amber looked up gratefully:
"Thank you Severus." She smiled.
They walked to the Great Hall in awkward silence and took their seats. The sorting ceremony began; the two red headed first years did indeed turn out to be Weasley's and were aptly placed into Griffindor; Amber shot them a congratulatory wink; that had been her house as well. Both her and her twin brother had been in Griffindor.
The feast began and Amber soon found herself to be famished, as she ate her gaze kept drifting back to Severus' face time and time again, Lord did she want to hold him close and never let him go!
"Amber." She shuddered in delight as Snape said her name quietly next to her. She could feel his breath on her cheek.
"Severus." She replied. His look was quizzical and troubled.
"You're still Amber Black.what happened to Lupin? The last I heard you were engaged; I just assumed that you'd get married after graduation." His eyes were haunted.
"I haven't seen Remus for more than three years." She replied curtly. It hurt less if she said it quickly; she still felt the pangs of guilt keenly. "It didn't work; how could it. I couldn't handle...besides I didn't really love him enough to marry him. You should know that better than anyone." She looked at him intensely. He held her look for as long as he could bear and coughed awkwardly:
"That was a long time ago; we were both different people then."
"Maybe not so different." She looked back to her plate.
Chapter One.
"Professor Snape?"
Severus stopped in his tracks and turned with a swoop of his black cloak.
"Professor McGonnagol." He intoned in his drawling voice.
"Oh I am so glad a caught you; could you please do me a favour? Can you please go and meet the new Muggles Studies professor from the boats? Professor Dumbledore asked me to go but one of the students from my house has fallen into the lake in on the crossing; you can hear how the wind is howling."
Snape opened his mouth to reply but Professor McGonnagol was not the type to be brushed off; her request was more of a command really.
"Fine;" he rolled his eyes; "what's their name?"
Professor McGonnagol squinted through her half moon spectacles at a crumpled piece of paper:
"Oh fibbery gibbets!" She exclaimed in frustration. "Professor Dumbledore really should learn to improve his handwriting, I think it's Andrew Block." Snape raised an eyebrow:
"When did you say he graduated?"
"No time for that Severus." She said hurrying down the corridor towards the hospital wing:
"I'm sure you can ask him."
Snape's face contorted into a grimace and he swept down the corridors to the entrance.
The wind was indeed howling with avengence when Snape stepped outside of the castle; he drew his voluminous cloak tightly around him and walked down to where he could see the students disembarking from the boats. New students, bah: more knuckleheads to annoy him. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks; gracefully disembarking one of the boats aided by two identical looking red heads (Weasley's no doubt Snape thought to himself) was a blast from the past. There right in front of his eyes was the woman he hadn't seen for ten years but had thought about everyday since their graduation. That fool McGonnagol had read the name incorrectly from the piece of paper; it hadn't said Andrew Block it had said Amber Black! The girl he had loved to distraction whilst he had been a student at Hogwarts was stood here in the guise of an even more beautiful woman. He stood as if transfixed to the spot. The wind whipped her majestic, long ebony hair into the air surrounding her with a cloud blacker than the darkest night! From the meagre distance he stood away from her he could see her beautiful, azure eyes sparkling with laughter as one of the red headed boys made a joke; her laughter tinkled back to him on the wind; a sound he'd longed to hear for years! Tears formed in his eyes and were immediately blown away by the wind; faintly on the breeze he caught the minutest trace of the flowery yet spicy scent that he remembered so achingly well.
She turned with such grace that it almost broke his heart; he'd imagined this moment for so long; and there it was the instant when she realised that he was stood there in rapt contemplation of the shadow of the girl who had broken his heart all those years ago. She stopped dead in her tracks and seemed to be momentarily transfixed to the spot. A wave of emotions played over her beautiful features;
"Severus!" She exclaimed in delight, "I had no idea that you were a Professor here!"
Her beautiful eyes lit up with a longing plain to see by all those who had suffered the pain of denied love.
"Well I see that nothing has changed since school. Still only getting half the story." He snarled with slightly more than characteristic venom.
He couldn't believe it! It had never been like this in his dreams! He had declared his love for her and she had swooned into his manly arms and he had whisked her off to his chambers in one swoop.
Amber looked sceptical; he was still the same after all these years. Sallow and bitter, but despite it all her heart still yearned for his embrace. She just wanted him to hold her and say he loved her. She bit her lip in frustration and shook her head to regain her composure:
"You haven't changed!" She beamed "So you were the one Albus sent to meet me. How curious!"
"Shall we?" Snape snorted, "It's rather cold out here and I'd rather not catch a cold so early into the term."
He turned and swept up steep incline to the entrance. Amber smiled and followed him delicately. It was very slippery and she did her best not to trip; that was all she needed, to arrive at Hogwarts looking bedraggled as well as windswept. Suddenly she lost her footing and floundered; he was there instantly beside her:
"Do be careful; you don't want to end up in the infirmary on your first night." He muttered in what he hoped sounded like indifference. "Perhaps you should hold my arm."
Amber looked up gratefully:
"Thank you Severus." She smiled.
They walked to the Great Hall in awkward silence and took their seats. The sorting ceremony began; the two red headed first years did indeed turn out to be Weasley's and were aptly placed into Griffindor; Amber shot them a congratulatory wink; that had been her house as well. Both her and her twin brother had been in Griffindor.
The feast began and Amber soon found herself to be famished, as she ate her gaze kept drifting back to Severus' face time and time again, Lord did she want to hold him close and never let him go!
"Amber." She shuddered in delight as Snape said her name quietly next to her. She could feel his breath on her cheek.
"Severus." She replied. His look was quizzical and troubled.
"You're still Amber Black.what happened to Lupin? The last I heard you were engaged; I just assumed that you'd get married after graduation." His eyes were haunted.
"I haven't seen Remus for more than three years." She replied curtly. It hurt less if she said it quickly; she still felt the pangs of guilt keenly. "It didn't work; how could it. I couldn't handle...besides I didn't really love him enough to marry him. You should know that better than anyone." She looked at him intensely. He held her look for as long as he could bear and coughed awkwardly:
"That was a long time ago; we were both different people then."
"Maybe not so different." She looked back to her plate.