Severus knew he had to do something. He couldn't just stand there seeing Malfoy seduce his student. Truth was, being the object of Lucius' lust was a fate he didn't wish for anybody but... this was Miss Gardner and he didn't know why, but it made him even more protective, more possessive.
' Just one,' he told himself. ' No more than one.'
Standing, he sneered at every student as he passed, stopping in front of Kyra and Lucius. He tapped the last one on the shoulder.
" Mind if I cut in?" He asked, and had the reward of beholding Malfoy's eyes reach the size of plates. Very big plates.
" Why, Severus. I didn't know you enjoyed dancing," he silkily asked.
" Well, I do," was Snape's curt answer.
Lucius nodded and forced a smile as he let go of Kyra, who had witnessed the entire scene without believing her eyes.
" We'll continue later, Miss Gardner," he whispered, leaning a bit towards her. The way in which he was looking at Kyra nauseated Severus; it was both predatory and lascivious.
Lucius then whirled around, ignoring his presence and left the dance floor. Kyra smiled at the retreating figure and then turned to Severus. He extended a slender hand for her to take.
" Would you care to dance, Miss Gardner?" He asked, reading the confusion in her face.
" Er… sure, Professor," she answered taking his hand. As his hand clasped hers, time seemed to stop.
Kyra was sure she was dreaming. Everything seemed surreal and all she was aware of was his hand holding hers, their fingers touching, their skin in contact... and when he gently pressed her body against his she had to struggle to remain calm, when everything inside of her was on fire.
They started swaying along the music and Ky noticed he was actually quite good, at dancing, just as graceful as always. She then looked around and couldn't help but to smile as every single student looked at her and the Potions Masters dance.
' Let them watch,' she thought as she set everything aside, only wanting to hold on to the wonderful sensations that were going through her body.
Severus closed his eyes for a moment, simply allowing himself to feel and smell her, trying to imprint that moment on all of his senses; pretty sure it would never happen again. Then he reopened his eyes; taking in the beauty in front of him, almost not believing it was true. He could smell Kyra's faint perfume, a light blend of flowers and fruits, mixing with her own scent and he found it pleasing. He could feel her relaxing against his body and that told him something he refused to believe: she was comfortable with him.
They danced around the room as if there was no floor beneath them. He held her close, one of her hands tucked in his and the other one resting over his heart. His other hand was settled on the small of her back. She rested her head against his chest as the first song ended and another one begun; his promise of dancing 'only one' was clearly forgotten.
At that moment, Kyra looked up at him with a bright smile and smoldered eyes.
" You look great in your Dracula outfit," she whispered.
" I am not wearing a costume," answered Severus feeling quite confused.
" I know," was her earnest reply. And then she broke into laughter.
So she was teasing him...
" I am glad I can result in your amusement, Miss Gardner," he said with a chuckle. " But it hope that making fun of me will not turn into a habit."
" Of course not, Professor. Must be this festive air what makes me act so foolishly," she answered, imitating him to perfection.
Severus shot her a murderous glance. " May I remind you I am still your Professor and..."
" Again, the festivity is to blame. All these people in their colorful outfits..."
" Speaking of such, I never expected Miss Dupont to wear such a... such an original costume."
" Actually, none of us did. Apparently, she thought it would be funny to scandalize us."
" Her choice of outfit is most shameful, but not half as much as the red brassiere that is so easily perceived under such a thin blouse," he commented casually, but with a wicked sparkle in his obsidian eyes.
She choked on her own breath. " Well, why, I-I didn't..." she stammered, while blushing radioactive red.
Severus smiled inwardly, pleased to see that his comment had managed to break her composure for a second.
" I am not complaining, though," he hinted.
Kyra gasped and they stared into each other's eyes for a long time before realizing the song was over. Seeing it was about time for him to go back and sulk in a dark corner like he usually did, he let go of Kyra. Reluctantly, Severus broke eye and body contact and led her back to where a seething John was standing.
" What the bloody hell is this?" He hissed, behind tightly pressed teeth.
Snape chuckled, eyeing him with an air of superiority. " My, we are in a charming disposition tonight, aren't we, Mr. Reid?"
" I wasn't talking to you, Professor," replied John, frowning at the last word as if it had tasted bad.
" John, please..." Intervened Kyra, placing a hand on his arm.
The boy yanked it away immediately. " What were you doing with him?"
Snape looked at him severely. " I would advice you never take that tone with me again, Mr. Reid. It will prove most detrimental," he said tersely. " I believe you have some issues to discuss, so I will leave now. Miss Gardner," he greeted her with a short nod an ignored John as if he had been a piece of furniture.
When he had reached a prudential distance, John let his anger run free. " Well, Gryffindor be damned! What the hell did you think you were doing?!"
Kyra's rage was a volcano about to erupt, but she managed to keep it at bay, answering with a simple, " Dancing."
" With Malfoy!" Retorted John.
" Well, he asked me and you weren't around," was her short reply.
" How could you? He's a sodding prat! And then with Snape? That was quite a show you gave."
At that admonition, Kyra exploded. " Oh, John Andrew Reid, just shut the fuck up! You don't fucking own me and I am more than free to do whatever the hell I fell like!"
During their fight, Dumbledore had approached the Potions Master, who was now standing in a corner, looking completely spaced out.
" I hadn't seen you dance in a while, Severus," he started.
" Why does it matter so much to you, Albus?"
" Well, Severus, you are the only faculty member below the age of seventy and it is good seeing you enjoy yourself."
Snape snorted. " Albus, I only asked Miss Gardner to dance in order to keep Malfoy away from her..."
" Of course, my boy," he said benevolently, his eyes sparkling. " Of course." The Headmaster then turned to look at Kyra and John and sensing a storm approaching if no one intervened, he went over to her and asked her to dance.
She graciously accepted and Dumbledore led her through the cloud of colorful dancers.
" This is most pleasant, my dear. Dancing is always such a wonderful activity."
" It surely is, Headmaster."
He noticed her gaze had wandered to where Severus was.
" The woman who finds the human side of him will be very lucky, I think," was his only comment. But it was enough to make Kyra blush deep crimson.
Lucky for her, the dance ended and Dumbledore led her back to her group of friends. And then, as if her argument with John hadn't been enough, Kyra had had to endure Marianne's: " How can you even get close to such a lowlife bastard? Can't you see that he's probably a Death Eater and wants to use you for something? If I were you' I'd worry a bit more about the company I keep..." And on and on like that until Jeremy dragged her to the dance floor. Kyra was immensely thankful for that; she knew her friend meant only well, but it had left her with her head swirling and her mood deteriorated.
She walked around the Great Hall for a while, stopping to make small talk with some other students, like Percy Weasley and his girlfriend, until she decided to call it a night. John was nowhere in sight, Hélène and Marianne were with their dates... Sighing, Kyra gave up on trying to enjoy the rest of the evening and left the ball.
Two hours later she was lying in bed, not even trying to sleep, when the sound of her own door opening surprised her. It was immediately followed by a, " Ky, are you up?"
She recognized her Gryffindor friend's voice. " Hélliè, what are you doing here?" She asked, followed by " Lumos!"
Light filled the room and it allowed her to see a very flustered and smiling Hélène. " I'm sorry I entered just like this, but the door was unwarded... I just wanted to chat for a while. Thought it might be neat, considering you've got this whole room to yourself..."
Kyra smiled benevolently and patted her bed. " Come here and take this cover or you'll freeze," she said, tossing her a dark purple comforter.
Hélène took it and proceeded to make herself comfortable on Kyra's bed, sighing contentedly when she finished.
" Does anyone know you're here?" Asked Ky.
" No, I used a silencing spell and sneaked here from the dorm."
Kyra gave her a gentle shove. " You just couldn't pass a good adventure, huh?"
" You know me too well. But, Ky, what the hell was all that dancing with Snape and Malfoy Sr. about?"
The Slytherin sighed tiredly. " Are you going to say I made quite a show, that it was improper, that I should think about my reputation? Because, trust me, I've already heard that."
Hélène shook her head vigorously. " No, Ky, I'm not. But... you danced with Snape! Are you sure you're not ill?
" Héll..." There was a hint of warning in her tone and her friend raised her palms, as in defense.
" OK, OK. What amazes me the most is that Snape asked you to dance! In seven years, I've never seen him do that!"
" I know, and I was totally puzzled! But I bet he did it 'cause he thought it was inappropriate for me to dance with Mr. Malfoy."
" Maybe. But why were you doing that?" Asked Hélène frowning.
" Oh, I don't know! He just came and asked me and... damn, he has this thing about him..."
" What, that he's probably as much of a git as his son?" Offered her, half jokingly, but also half seriously.
" No... I don't know. Anyway, enough of me. How was your evening?" Asked Kyra.
At that question, Hélène fixed her eyes on the carpet and her pale complexion became suddenly bright pink, a color the Gryffindor truly hated.
" Well, nice, you know..."
Kyra snorted. " Let's get to the point here. You really like Frederic, don't you?"
" Yes..."
" Something happened, right?"
" Yes..."
Hélène was never the kind of person to answer in monosyllables, so that meant something very important had taken place on her life.
" So, spit it."
The girl took a deep breath. " After you left, he invited me outside. I mean, it's such a lovely night and it wasn't very cold..."
" Hélliè, I think we're deviating from the point here..."
" Yes, you're right. Well, it's just that... he... he kissed me, Ky!" Announced her friend, bursting with joy.
Kyra gave her a tight hug. " Oh God, how wonderful!"
" Yeah... it felt wonderful indeed. But now I don't know what to do. Merlin, I don't have much experience in this."
" It's not a matter of experience, girl. It's a matter of doing what feels right."
And as the friends spent the entire night talking, a certain Potions Master laid awake in bed. Gloomy thoughts were ran through his head, until exhaustion took the best of him. He fell asleep with only one thing in mind: he was much too old for her anyway. And she was much too beautiful for him.