CHAPTER TWO

The full moon reflected off the lake as an invisible figure came to stand at the edge of its calm waters. The reflection of a person slowly appeared in the lake as the figure standing beside it removed their invisibility cloak.

Alessandra let the invisibility cloak fall to the ground as she sat beside the lake. This seemed to have become a ritual, to sneak out of the school at night to think. There was nowhere else in Hogwarts where she could truly sort through her thoughts. It was the way the wind teased her hair and whipped stray strands around her face, she absolutely loved it. It seemed to help her think more clearly. She tried to avoid coming out on nights when there were full moons. There were rumors about werewolves in the forbidden forest, and she didn't care to come face to face with one, but it couldn't be helped tonight. Her mind was too congested to wait for the full moon to subside.

There was so much to think about, but no matter how hard she tried to keep her inner thoughts from drifting, she caught herself thinking about that afternoon, when she saw that look in Sirius' eyes. 'Why, of all things, does my mind decide to plague me with the memories of that incident?' Her thoughts cried out in the back of her mind. After six years of knowing him they had grown close, but what happened that afternoon scared her. The memory of the look in his eyes, the desire that seemed to be revealed at that moment seeped through every ion of her being. Was it just her mind playing tricks on her? No, it wasn't her mind. She could still feel the butterflies return whenever she thought of the sensation when Sirius touched her face. Her mind wandered helplessly, wondering where it all would have lead if she hadn't pushed him away. Would they have ended up in the position they had caught James and Lily in. If they did, would it have been so wrong?

Then there was their friendship to think about. What if a something serious, such as a relationship, didn't work out? Would they be able to remain friends, or deep down was the whole basis of their friendship built on some subconscious attraction that they felt? She didn't want to risk losing him as a friend, but what if he turned out to be the one? Everything was so complicated and she realized that it would take several trips to the lake to figure it all out.

In the mists of her deep thoughts Alessandra didn't notice that the wind died down, and her ears didn't care to hear the crunch of footsteps approaching from behind her.

He knew where to find her. It was no secret, to those who cared to know, that she often wandered out to the lake at nights. He just needed to ask the right people and he had all the information he needed. He smirked at the fact that he could easily manipulate any situation to work to his advantage.

He carefully considered his task. He would be perfectly able to do the alternative task, but he would rather not be placed in the dark lord's bad graces without at least attempting the first task. He didn't want to try it, because not only was she James Potter's sister, she was also the girl who's friendship he had turned down years ago. It was as if the dark lord knew it would bother him, and that he would possibly refuse.

As he approached where Alessandra sat the wind that had been steadily blowing died down suddenly. His stomach sank as he realized what he was ready and willing to do in order to accomplish his task. His hand reached for an object in his robes, and he pulled out a piece of metal that shimmered in the moonlight. He winced as he dragged the point of the sharp object across the palm of his hand, creating a deep wound, which immediately started to bleed. He quickly placed the pocketknife back into his robe and waved his hand quickly around the air and then pulled out a thin bandage from his robes and placed it on the cut. The bandage was just enough so the blood wouldn't start pouring down his hand. He didn't want her to know what he was up to.

He took a few more steps and stopped. He lingered behind her for a moment, giving his plan some time to work. He then took a few more steps and leaned over beside her, to where he was able to whisper into her ear. Before a sound came out, his senses were invaded by the fresh smell of Strawberries.

"You smell as good as you look," His voice penetrated the silence.

Alessandra jumped at the sound of the voice. She quickly whirled around and looked up at the possessor of the voice.

"Snape!" Alessandra hissed then rose from her position on the ground and quickly reached for her invisibility cloak, but Severus reached it mere seconds before she could.

"You know I do have a first name," he stated cynically as he twisted the silver liquid-like material in his hands.

"I don't give a Hades that you have a first name, let alone what it might be," Alessandra stated as she quickly lunged forward to grab her cloak. Severus stepped to the side, which caused Alessandra to tumble to the ground.

"If you want it back you could just ask," he said as he reached out for Alessandra to take his hand.

Alessandra considered the situation; it almost seemed to hold a sense of irony in her eyes. Had she not help him in a similar situation six years ago? Then she thought of the way he had treated her afterwards.

"You're a Slytherin," She stated in a sarcastic tone, and helped herself up from the ground.

Severus pulled back his hand and scoffed at the comment. "Yea and you're a Gryffindor. So what?"

Alessandra looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head.

"What are you up to Snape?" Alessandra asked then grabbed for her cloak, which he gave up without further struggle.

"I'm not up to anything. I was just wondering why a prefect decided to take a midnight stroll on the night of a full moon," he said making a point to look in her eyes, and seem as truthful as he could be.

Alessandra considered not answering the question, but then she looked into his eyes, and they seemed almost sincere. She really didn't know what to think. 'This is Snape!' Her head cried out. 'What in bloody Hades are you doing still standing here?'

"So, are you going to answer my question or just going to stand there all night deciding whether or not to answer it?" Severus' voice broke through her thoughts.

Alessandra looked up, stunned for a moment until she saw the smirk starting to form on his face, then she simply smirked back and turned to leave.

"Wait. Don't go," Severus cried out, if she left now then the plan would be ruined.

Alessandra turned around, and slowly her demeanor started to melt as a look of fright came over her features.

"A...a...the...Sna..." Alessandra started to stutter as she pointed to behind Severus.

Severus quickly spun around to see his plan staring right back at him.

Four creatures lurked in the heavily wooded part of the Forbidden Forest. The pack consisted of a werewolf, a big black dog, a stag, and tagging along in the back was a small rat.

The pack had journeyed across half of the Forbidden Forest, already, that night. Their trek came to an end, however, when the werewolf stopped suddenly and started to sniff the air. The stag and dog exchanged curious looks as the werewolf changed their course.

The werewolf stalked along quickly and the smell in the air drew stronger, the mouth of the werewolf watered profusely. The dog and the stag tried smelling the air, but couldn't smell anything. The rat just tagged along in the back, not thinking anything out of the unusual was occurring.

The stag and dog halted as they realized they were heading out of the Forbidden Forest. The rat finally figured something was happening and scampered up to the edge of the forest behind the werewolf to see what was going on.

The werewolf continued out of the Forbidden Forest in a slow, stalking, manner. The rat squeaked out and the dog and stag joined beside it immediately to see what was going on.

At the site before them, the stag and dog immediately leapt ahead to stop the werewolf.

"A werewolf!" Alessandra was finally able to cry out.

It was part of his plan, but all thoughts of it escaped Severus' mind at that moment as he backed up to shield Alessandra from the massive werewolf that stood before them.

The massive werewolf's eyes held a hunger as it stalked closer. A low growl emerged from the depth of the great beast's throat.

"Run!" Severus finally called out as he spun around, knocking into Alessandra and sending her sprawling on the ground and ran for his life.

The werewolf leapt on Alessandra with its front paws on either side of what it thought to be its next victim.

Alessandra started to hyperventilate before passing out. The werewolf opened its massive jaws when it was attacked from the side by a big black dog. The impact from the attack sent the werewolf flying several feet away. The werewolf quickly regained its balance and lunged back at the dog. The werewolf was acting mad as it swiped at thin air and howled loudly.

Severus had reached half way to the building when his plan entered his head again. 'Bloody muggle loving git,' his mind cursed himself as he turned back around to retrieve Alessandra.

The stag reached Alessandra and slowly sniffed at the body. When the stag saw Severus approaching it quickly jumped in the path and lowered its head in a challenge.

"Move, you mongrel," Severus shouted, but the stag stayed put and only lowered its head further in a challenge. "Do you want me to save her, or not?" He cried out.

The stag lifted its head and looked at the person standing in front of it for a moment, as if assessing the situation before it, almost reluctantly, moved aside.

Severus reached Alessandra, and gently lifted her into his arms and rushed towards the castle.

When Severus was safely inside the castle walls he entered an abandoned classroom and carefully placed Alessandra down on the cold floor. He then took off his cloak and placed it under her head, and then checked her body for any scratches or bites of any kind and breathed a subconscious sigh of relief when he realized she was unharmed.

He finally felt his own exhaustion as he backed up against the closest wall, and slid silently to the ground, and sat there watching Alessandra. He finally noticed how much she had changed since the night they met, over six years ago. Her body was still very thin, and showed no signs of imperfection, except her unusual paleness.

He slumped lazily against a cabinet that stood beside the wall, and after awhile his eyes slowly closed.

Several minutes passed and the dim moonlight that shone through the small window started to fade. A slit of moonlight fell across Alessandra's closed eyes and in the light of the moon a birthmark on her right eyelid that could be seen with a studious eye. The mark, the size of the tip of a pinky, was that of a four point star.

Alessandra's eyes fluttered open from the light of the moon. She didn't recognize where she was and slowly sat up, and looked around the room. When she saw Severus against the wall everything came back to her.

"He saved me," she heard her voice state meekly. She slowly stood and walked over to where Severus was and leaned down beside him.

Severus' forehead was wrinkled, and it seemed as if he was trapped in a confusing dream. Alessandra studied his face for a moment looking over his thin lips, hooked nose, and his black hair that hung to the nape of his neck. Acting on an impulse she brought her hand up to his face, in a subconscious effort to make sure he was real.

At the feel of her hand on his face, Severus' eyes shot open. Alessandra jumped back a little and stared at the person in front of her.

Severus looked up at Alessandra for a moment before standing and moving towards her.

"You saved me," she whispered looking into his dark eyes.

"I...I guess I did," he stated and looked down at the ground. "We need to find a way back to our common rooms. Do you have your cloak with you?"

"Why?" She asked with a confused tone to her voice.

"Well, I figured that it being the time of night it is, that maybe, a prefect such as you would...."

"No," Alessandra cut him off by placing her long slender index finger gently against his lips. "Why did you save me?"

There was an awkward moment of silence, and then Severus reached up and gently took Alessandra's hand away from his lips.

"It might help me to answer if you weren't blocking my lips," He said as a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

"Oh," Alessandra said, and looked down, not bothering to take her hand out of Severus' grip.

From what Severus could tell she was blushing, for a fleeting moment the thought of his task had no effect on the way that his heart leapt, but it only lasted a moment. His head cleared and he was in his right of mind again, his task back at hand.

"I did it because...." His voice trailed off as he heard footsteps coming towards the classroom.

"They've got to be in here, we checked the other rooms," said one voice.

"What makes you think they are even in one of the rooms?" a somewhat high pitched voice asked.

"Will you two keep your voices down?" hissed another.

Suddenly the door opened and in the doorway stood James, Sirius and hidden in the shadows behind them, Peter.

There was a moment of silence, James took a step forward, and stopped when he saw their hands. His face went red with fury, and he gave Sirius a slight nudge, but Sirius had already locked his eyes on the sight.

Severus automatically dropped Alessandra's hand and took a step back.

Sirius started to charge forward, but James stuck out his arm and stopped him.

"Come on, he deserves it," Sirius growled. James reached behind him, and Peter placed something in his hand, he brought his hand back around again, and it held an invisibility cloak, and he threw it to Alessandra.

"You left that out by the lake," James stated with a cold look. "Now go up to bed."

Alessandra opened her mouth to protest, but closed it just as quickly. A look of fury crossed her face, and finally she was able to speak. "Who are you to boss me around?"

There was a steely look that passed through her brother's eyes as they met hers, as far as she was concerned that settled the argument.

Severus' focus was taken away from James and Sirius as he watched Alessandra slip the invisibility cloak on, and disappear.

James, Sirius and Peter moved out of the doorway, and waited a minute until they were assured that Alessandra had left the room and then Sirius started to advance on Severus.

"You dirty little piece of scum!" he yelled as he lunged at Severus.

At the last second Severus felt a pair of hands grab his arm and pull him out of the way, and just as quickly felt a thin watery material being placed over him. He tried looking out to his surroundings, but all was clouded by what looked like a watery cloud. He still felt a grip on his arm, and looked down to see who had a grip on him, and looked right at Alessandra. She hadn't left after all.

"Where in great Hades did he go?" yelled an irritated Sirius, his arms flying in every direction, searching the place where Severus had been standing.

Alessandra took a step closer to Severus to make sure they were completely concealed under the invisibility cloak, and looked over at her brother, who seemed to be looking straight through the invisibility cloak. Alessandra held her breath as she saw her brother clench and unclench his fists and finally look away, and move towards Sirius.

"C'mon, he's obviously gone, we need to get back to the common room before someone comes in here," James said as he grabbed Sirius' arm and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Peter shut the door behind them.

Severus looked around at the quiet room and then back down at his arm, which Alessandra was still gripping tightly.

After a few minutes Alessandra released her grip and took the invisibility cloak off of them both and then turned to face Severus.

"Okay, we're even now," she stated with finality in her voice. "Go back to your house by whatever means you used to get out, and with that she started to put the cloak back on, but Severus caught her wrist and spun her around, which caused her to fall into him.

Caught completely by surprise all she could so was look up into his eyes as he looked down to hers.

Severus' mind clouded over and it was hard for him to think. With the slightest hint of a plea in his voice he whispered, "I just need one thing before I go."

Alessandra straightened herself slightly, but Severus refused to let her go.

"What?" Alessandra squeaked, but it didn't take long for her question to be answered as Severus placed one hand gently on one of her cheeks and lowered his lips down to hers.

Before she could protest their lips met and Severus hungrily pulled her body closer to his. Alessandra's arms flew up to his shoulders, and her right hand found a pressure point and squeezed with her might. Severus let out a little scream and let loose his grip on Alessandra.

The cloud that was blocking Severus' mind quickly evaporated and a sudden fit of fury swept over him and he advanced on Alessandra.

A cry escaped out of Alessandra's throat as she backed up against one of the cabinets in the room. As soon as her back hit the cabinet Severus grabbed both her wrists and pinned them to either side of her body, and again lowered his lips to hers in a rough, forceful kiss. Alessandra's head began to swim, and she lost all aspect of reality.

Severus felt her freeze up, and he reluctantly pulled away, and realized what he did when he saw the look in her eyes. She had zoned out, and didn't even realize that he had pulled away. He didn't want to startle the girl like this, he just couldn't help himself. Her lips were like intoxicating liquor that one could easily become addicted to, and in one brief moment he had.

Severus gently placed his hand on her cheek, and looked into the dead cold eyes. "Alessandra, snap out of it," his voice came out a little harsher than he had hopped.

As if her spirit had just returned to her body she blinked and then focused on him. "Please, let me go," she asked in a shaky, pleading tone.

In those four words Severus felt a deep pain in his chest that he had never experienced before. He stood for a moment looking into her pleading eyes then lowered his hand and took a step back.

At that Alessandra hastily grabbed her invisibility cloak, and threw it on over her. A moment later, Severus saw the door open and close, and his composure melted, and he crumbled to the floor.

"What's wrong with you?" Severus asked himself, angrily. "She's just a girl," but even as he said that he knew that she was not just any girl. She was the girl who had managed to stir an item of him that had been dormant for quite a time, his heart.

Alessandra whispered the password to the Fat Lady and entered into the Gryffindor common room. Upon entrance a pair of arms wrapped firmly around her, and her invisibility cloak was ripped from her body. The arms released themselves from around her, and the possessor stood in front of her.

She stared in amazement at her messy haired brother whom held a look of fury mixed with concern in his brown eyes.

"I'll take this," He stated, holding up her invisibility cloak.

Alessandra's eyes narrowed. "I think not," she stated defiantly.

"I don't believe you have a say in this," Another voice stated from behind her.

Alessandra spun around to see an middle aged, stern lady with square framed glasses and her hair in a neat bun.

"Professor McGonagall!" Alessandra cried out incredulously.

"Yes, Ms. Potter," Professor McGonagall stated as she took the cloak from James. "I am extremely disappointed in you. I have known for some time about your nightly escapades, but to go out to the lake on a full moon, you have more sense than that Ms. Potter. After tonight's events I have no choice but to confiscate this item until the end of the school year."

"But..." Alessandra began to protest but was cut of by Professor McGonagall turning on her heel to leave.

"Good night Ms. Potter," and with that the Professor exited out of the Gryffindor common room.

Alessandra stood gapping at the portrait hole, then spun around to face her brother.

"How could you!?" Alessandra screamed not bothering to keep her tone down.

"It is my duty to see to the well being of..." James began, but was cut off when Alessandra's palm connected to his cheek.

"Damn," James cussed as he grabbed his face.

"Quit your holier than thou bull shit," Alessandra growled at her brother. "You never gave a shit about me, you only cared that I decided to help Severus escape from you and Sirius' little fighting match."

"Severus?" James asked in a mocking tone. "What are you suddenly on a first name basis? Wait, I suppose you aren't even a virgin anymore are you? You and Snape having activities on the side have you?"

That was being pushed over the edge, and he should have known it.

"Is that what you think I am?" Alessandra's voice came out in a low sob.

James realized he had gone too far when he saw the hurt look in his sister's face, and the tears swelling up in her eyes. He quickly became apologetic.

"I didn't mean it, Alessandra. I only..." but before James saw what was coming he was huddled on the ground in a fetal position clutching his man hood.

"Well I meant that!" she stated in an infuriated tone before running up the stairs to the girl's dorm.