Chapter III-

 Theda ran through her office and threw herself onto her bed. Severus' confession had brought back memories of her own schooldays and all the torment she herself had suffered. Theda dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, and a few sobs shook her body then she swallowed hard and tried to pull herself together. Hugging  the pillows seemed to help, but it left black spiders from her mascara. Finally she managed to catch her breath and tried to dry her eyes. The fourth years would be coming soon and she really should be pulling herself together. She looked in the mirror and saw how red her face had gone. She sniffed again and dabbed on some concealer to cover up the blotchiness.

In the library, Severus was angrily looking for books. He was angry because he was confused. He didn't know why he felt so unhappy about the idea that anyone would pick on his professor. Granted, she had told Black off, but other pretty girls had stood up for Severus before, and it hadn't affected him like this. Still confused, he sat down with a book and started making notes.  As he worked, he half-listened to the people on the opposite table talking about the Quidditch trials the next day.

That evening, Theda was in her office marking the third years' work. At the opposite end of the dungeons, Severus Snape was heading back to the Slytherin common room reading a small gilt-edged tome on toadstools. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, but his feet knew exactly where they were going. Unfortunately Sirius Black had different ideas, and as Severus passed the niche where Black was hiding, he stuck his leg out. Severus tripped right over it and scraped down three steps with a gasp. At the bottom he eased himself into a sitting position and leant against the wall with his wand drawn; he was winded and couldn't stand back up.  He cursed under his breath. If he hadn't been so absorbed in his book he might have had prior warning.

Black and Potter dropped the invisibility cloak and advanced towards him. Severus could see Pettigrew standing at the top of the steps, holding the cloak and watching his heroes raptly. Lupin was no-where to be seen; having an off-day, Severus supposed.

Potter and Black had their wands out ready to hex Severus.

'You rotten sneak!' 

'You lost us nearly fifty points!'

'It was only thirty five,' said Severus, pedantic even under pressure.

'Only?' squeaked Pettigrew from the steps. Black  threw a quelling glance over his shoulder and Severus took advantage of this lapse of attention to edge backwards down the corridor a little. Between the stabs of hatred one thought penetrated his mind 'run'

'You deserved it,' he gasped.  It felt like he had cracked a rib on one of those steps and he wasn't sure he would be able to run, but the thought persisted.

Black pointed his wand at Severus's throat and for one awful moment Severus thought  he was going to do the Peanut Jinx, but Black muttered a Silencing Charm that made Severus wheeze.

A strange light was playing around the two boys' faces.  Severus edged backwards again, trying to put a little breathing space between them. He decided to run for it. He was nearly at a corner and if he ran now he could be around it and out of range before they could do anything about it.

He jumped to his feet and fled.

Potter, slightly taken aback by this unexpected flight, stepped back. Severus pelted down the corridor. He could hear Black shouting behind him and heard a spell being shouted. He sensed something above and ducked.

 A howl of anger echoed behind him, and looking up he could see the source of the mysterious light -- a mirror that Professor Vespertin had put up to direct more light into her classroom had swung round and was now sending light down the corridor.  In it, Severus could see that Black's Impediment Curse has reflected back on him and Potter and Pettigrew had stopped to help him up.

Severus turned right into the classroom and looked around for some where to hide. His rib was hurting dreadfully from running and his throat was very dry. His eyes passed over the bookshelf by the teacher's desk …  something about it… then he remembered. He put his wand outand tried to say  'circumlocum,' but all that came out was a cough.

He could hear Black and Potter coming down the corridor. He tried again, and this time a rasping whisper issued from his throat. The floor moved and he was almost knocked off his feet.

In her office, a scraping noise made Theda look up from her marking. She was so startled to see the bookshelf moving that she pulled her wand out and pointed it at the shelf. She didn't know what to expect.

She definitely wasn't expecting Severus Snape, but Severus Snape it was.

Theda stared for a moment and he wheezed at her, trying to say something. She offered him a sweet and told him to sit down. He did so, looking at the back at the bookcase as if checking he hadn't been followed. Theda waited for the sweet to take effect, and when Severus had recovered he explained what had happened.

'And, Professor,' he finished, 'I think I may have broken a rib. Could you take a look at it?'

Theda nodded.  'Do you want some thing for your hands?' she asked.

'My hands?' He looked puzzled, and then noticed they'd started stinging. The adrenaline must have been wearing off. 'Yes, please.'

Theda handed him a jar of graze cream and he rubbed it into his palms. Theda studied him.

'You'll have to take your shirt off if you want me to look at that rib.' She turned around.

Severus took off his robes, jumper, shirt, and tie and hung them neatly on the back of the chair he had been sitting on. He looked down at his chest where a bruise was already beginning to blossom. As he stood there, he suddenly felt rather embarrassed.

This was exactly how Theda felt when she turned around and saw his semi-naked body. She had thought he would be skinny, but he wasn't. He was lean, with smooth pale skin like marble. It was making her nipples tingle and she found herself wishing she could hug him tight, pulling his lithe body into hers. Theda blinked rapidly and broke the train of thought.

I must concentrate. This is Healing, Hippocratic Oath et cetera,  she said to herself. With this she put one hand above his stomach and the other in the small of his back  and asked him to breathe in. His skin was as soft as it looked, and there was something strangely erotic about feeling the swell of his diaphragm.

'Ah,' gasped Severus and stopped breathing in. Theda let go and thought about this.

'It's  all right, it's just a fracture.' She pulled out her wand and fixed the wound. Her hands still

tingled where she had touched his skin and her heart was beating a little faster. She picked up the pot on her desk and rubbed some of the cream onto his rib where the stone steps had scraped his skin through his clothes.

Being this close to his body and being able hear him breathe  made little shots of excitement zing up and down her body and then congregate in  her primary erogenous zones.

Had Severus realised the effect he was having on her, he might have been less embarrassed about his own feelings. He could see straight down her dress and this, combined with her hand massaging the cream onto his ribs, meant that he now had a most definite erection.

Theda shifted a little to rub the last bit of cream in and accidentally brushed against his erection,  making Severus's eyes open very wide. The mere touch of it made Theda's nipples stand on end, and her vagina rippled in demand for sexual sustenance.

The words Hippocratic Oath floated through her mind, and Theda stepped back allowing the urges to subside a little, but nothing short of orgasm was going to quell the insistent ache of her clitoris. She turned around so that Severus could dress himself and tightly screwed the lid of the jar back on.

'Professor?'

She turned around.

'Umm, thank you, sorry I barged in on you.'  Severus headed towards the door. Theda followed him and opened it. Severus looked down the corridor, checking for the Marauders.  When he had satisfied himself that he was safe, he stepped out of the office and hastened back to his dormitory. His erection hadn't quite worn off, and he had plans for it.

Theda closed the door and locked it firmly. She had no wish to be disturbed in this titillated state. She sat down at her desk and slumped into her chair. The clitoral ache was still there. 

Almost involuntarily, she pulled up her long skirt and slipped her fingers into her knickers. She looked down and admired the way her the silky material flowed over her arm and back onto the floor. Afterwards,  feeling deliciously damp, she went into her bedroom and got ready for bed, not feeling particularly guilty as she was willing to bet that that evening she had caught Severus staring down her dress, and  was indulging in much the same thing. She got into bed and fell asleep, listening vaguely to the wireless.

***

The next day Theda worked all through her free block, hoping to finish her marking and so have time for some light revision before dinner. The third years were skittish and spent the entire lesson talking about Quidditch, trials, teams, points, team colours, and whether or not the benches would have cushioning charms this year. Theda listened as she marked their work and marvelled that they found so much to talk about. Still, at least they seemed to be working.

In the staff room at lunch, the teachers were no better. Hetty Crates was walking round with a money jar trying to persuade people to make bets on the Quidditch cup, while some one whom Theda presumed was the Arithmancy Professor jotted odds on a blackboard. Theda sat down on the sofa next to Shielda, who was poring over what seemed to be statistics for the last hundred years of school Quidditch.

'So, who should I put my hard earned money on?' said Theda, just to make conversation.

Shielda had taken Theda under her wing, she was quite sure that the Potions Mistress wasn't a spy.

'Well, for easy money, I'd say Gryffindor. Their Seeker is very good, but Ravenclaw are in with a definite chance. They only need one new player. Slytherin are not likely to pull through, since they lost three players and one of those was captain. So unless they really pull themselves together, they're probably heading for runners up,' said Shielda all in one breath.

'Oh, right, I see.' Theda looked at the odds on the blackboard again.

'Just stick a pin in the list,' said Shielda 'That's what I'm going to do.' Shielda spread the parchment out on the table and Theda pulled a pin out of her hat. Closing her eyes, she moved the pin around where she thought the parchment was and stabbed.

'Good choice,' said a voice. Theda opened her eyes and looked up to see Monti Latymer.

'Slytherin it is, then,' said Theda. Hetty, sensing that she was needed, came over with the collection jar and clip board.

'T. Vespertin, Slytherin House…how much do you want to put in, Theodosia?'

'Is half a Galleon enough?'

'That's fine.' Hetty's quill wrote this down as she put the money in the jar.

***

After lunch Theda lay on the sofa in her sitting room, reading her medical text books and revising the last year's work. After three hours of Hippocrates and Galen, Theda put down her books and decided she'd better stretch her legs and see how the Quidditch trials were going.

As she walked down to the pitch she could hear the people in the stands. Everyone seemed to have turned out to watch. She was heading for the teacher's stand when someone coming down from the players' tower grabbed her wrist.

'Professor, I'm on the team' Severus came down the last few steps. He was still holding onto

Theda's wrist and pulled her round with him. He was wearing a green Quidditch robe that was slightly too short and his hair was tied back out of his eyes. A few locks had come loose at the front and made him look a little Byronic.

'Well done. I would shake your hand but, well…' She looked pointedly at her wrist.  He

dropped it, embarrassed. Theda could feel her own cheeks reddening and muttered an apology.

'No, Professor I'm sorry, I shouldn't have….' He stopped, not knowing what to say.

'Really, it's all right, I don't mind.'

There was an awkward silence, then someone yelled across the grass:

'Oy, Snape, you kept that under your hat! Who'd have expected you to be such a good Beater?'

 Severus hadn't mentioned to anybody that he had spent almost every day during the holidays practicing.

'So, Beater?' said Theda, and the tension was released.

'Yes. And Hammond and Nedry are Chaser and Keeper. They're in the fifth year.'

'And the captain? Professor Dunkle said the captain had left.'

'That's Geoff now, you know, the one you sat next to in the pub.'

'Apart from you.'

'Yes.'

'Well, good luck. I'll see you in class.'

She had only taken a few steps when Severus called her back.

'Professor, they've finished!'

Theda stopped and turned around.

'What? I can see them, its Hufflepuff.'

'They're the last team and they've nearly finished.'

'Are you sure?' She narrowed her eyes.

'Yes.' Severus was a skilled liar.

'Okay, then. I'll just go back.'

'Professor?'

'Yes?'

'Um, I ….' He ran his hand over his hair, making more bits fall out and making himself look more wild. 'Professor, um, would you, er, like to go for a walk? 'Round the forest?' He looked away, he could feel her confusion. Theda blushed.

'Mmm.'

They walked over towards the forest without exchanging a word. As they neared the trees, Theda looked in nervously and wondered if she was safe.

'It's all right Professor, nothing ever comes out. I've been here for hours and I've seen nothing.'

'You come here often?' said Theda, mildly concerned.

'No-one else does. I come out here in the summer. No disturbances.' He frowned at the thought.

Theda looked at him and noticed the too-short robe he was wearing.

'Here,' she said, pulling out her wand. 'Shall I let the hems out a bit?'

Severus shrugged the robes off and held them up.

'Little housewife,' he laughed.

'Actually,' said Theda, looking up sharply, 'they're medicinal stitches.'

She continued poking her wand up the sleeves, and then Severus held it a bit higher so she could do the hem. The sun had sunk below the horizon and a cold breeze whistled through the trees behind them. Theda shivered and Severus suddenly felt guilty as he put his robes back on. 

'Professor, you're shivering. Do you want to wear these?'

'Not now, they're far too long.'

Severus's face fell. Then he thought of something.

'Tell you what, you can have my jumper.' His took his robes off again and wriggled out of his jumper. This was more than his hair could take, and the leather lace that had been holding it together gave way and fell on the ground. As Severus searched on the ground for it, Theda could see that his hair wasn't quite as greasy as normal. It looked rather soft. Finding the hair tie, Severus stood up and handed his jumper to Theda. It was like being eaten by a black woolly monster. If the jumper had been loose fitting on Severus, it was positively voluminous on Theda. She put her hands in the sleeves and hugged herself. The jumper smelt cosy and was really rather snuggly. They carried on walking.

'So, Severus, what do you intend on doing with yourself next year?'

He hesitated. He had noticed that she had said his first name she made it sound different. Maybe it was the slight rolling of the R, or just the tone of her voice.

'Well, I don't know. You make healing seem very interesting, but there's just one thing I don't like about healing.'

"And what's that?"

"The Patience" one side of his mouth twitched 'Anyway there are always jobs in the Ministry.'

'Ah, the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure more people are employed in the Ministry than people they're ministering. Still, it keeps the economy afloat.'

'They have some research posts vacant. I want one of those.'

Theda nodded and snuggled a little deeper into the jumper. It was getting rapidly darker and Theda really didn't like being so very close to the forest. She could see eyes glowing menacingly from the darkness.

'It's all right Professor, they won't come out. They're little outcasts, everything in the forest is. Maybe that's why I like it here. I'm at home in a backhand sort of way.'

Theda sensed the bitterness in his voice and felt a small lump in her throat. She knew what he felt. She had been like that when she was at school, picked on for her accent, her hair, anything, not even her name was safe.  She looked at him, tall and angular, his stark complexion emphasised by the moonlight. Compared to the forest he was positively cuddly, but he seemed sure that the creatures in the forest wouldn't come out, and she had to trust him. She was torn between being cold and slightly frightened, and rather enjoying being alone with this strange but handsome young man. It was, she supposed, rather thrilling, but she wished she could at least have a reassuring arm round her waist.

They walked on in silence, until they came to a part of the forest through which they could see the castle.

'I'm sorry, Professor, but we'll have to walk through this bit. The creatures won't bite. It's too close to the castle.'

They walked through, Theda's heart beating a little faster than normal, and she had stopped hugging herself and had her wand out, just in case. Severus had his wand out too. For once in his life he felt he was capable of protecting something, of not being a victim, and it was over far too soon.

Theda let her breath out.

'Well, that was a trifle interesting.' She leant against a tree, a safe birch tree with peely bark and a carpet of crisp brown leaves around it. The glowing-eyed creatures preferred the evergreen of the pines.

Theda looked up. Severus had moved closer, and then took hold of her shoulders.

Instinctively she tilted her face up and he kissed her on the forehead.

Theda closed her eyes and breathed in raggedly. She could smell him, the same cloves and oranges smell as the jumper, and his lips were warm and slightly dry from his flying earlier in the evening, but they felt so nice just pressing on her forehead, like nothing she had ever felt before, and it made butterflies flutter round her stomach. His hands on her shoulders had pinned her arms to her sides but now he let go and looked at her. His face glowed white in the moonlight and his eyes glowed, too. Theda rubbed her forehead.

 'Is that a bad sign?' he asked, his smile dropping from his face.

'It's tingling, in a good way.' They both smiled and Theda stopped rubbing her forehead. She yawned instead.

'Gosh, I'm so tired. I really must go to bed.'

They walked back to the castle and went in through the small door cut into the big side door. They split up and walked down to their opposite sides of the dungeons, Theda still rubbing her forehead and smelling that warm smell. As Theda got ready for bed, she realised that she had not given the jumper back. She put it on her bed and when she tucked herself in she snuggled into it, smelling its scent.