Song lyrics borrowed from Prince and Annie Lennox. You know what I borrowed from JK..

The night of the dance classes let out early, Taranis had just me up with Professor Snape in the hall when she stopped at the sound ov a voice, "alms for the poor my dear old Potions Master."

They both turned around at the same time to see a tall attractive man standing there. Severus realized he was, in fact speaking to Taranis when she replied.

"And a poor excuse for a man you are Colin Murphy," She smiled broadly as she ran to his arms to be picked up and twirled around.

"Has my lassie been bored to death without my clever whit?"

"Were you clever and witty?" He responded with a look of shock and placed his hand over his heart. "It's not been boring at all, I've been very busy," looking over to where Snape was glowering, she grabbed Colin by the hand and drug him over for introductions. "Professor Snape, this is my friend from America, Colin Murphy."

Snape nodded, not extending his hand from where it lay folded across his chest, "Acht, this is 'The' Professor Snape, the potions genius, the glorious"- he paused as her elbow jabbed him in the ribs, "I have long known the queen of the cauldron and finally I meet the king," he said with a mock bow.

"Colin stop being an ass or I'll turn you into a toad, or perhaps your condescension warrants something else. Perhaps the Potions King could think of something better," she grinned.

Colin eyed Severus warily, "twelve times she's turned me into a warty brown toad and I've not deserved any of them."

"I dare say I can think of several, much more suitable alternatives," Snape drawled at the man.

Colin shivered, "Professor Aislin herself said that vera' same thing to me a few hours ago, threatened me she did, if I didn't pump enough information out of everyone."

Snape surmised that he was speaking of the elder Professor Aislin. This man, Taranis seemed to know so well, appeared to be the exact opposite of him. Tall, blond and tan with boyish good looks, he had a smile that was incredibly annoying. Charm, sense of humor and a cheery disposition, he thought. Bah, three things I've never cared for.

"We're gonna go catch up Sevs, I'll see you at dinner."

As they walked away, he heard Colin speak, "very dark and mysterious that one is no wonder you, ouch," he grabbed his arm where she had pinched it.

"Shut up Murphy or it'll be toad number 13 for you."

As she turned back to give him a weak smile, Severus wondered if they had been lovers. They certainly seemed very 'close'. He pondered this as he waited for dinner. After staring at the same page in his book for twenty minutes he gave up and threw it across the room. So he's good looking, he fumed, she treated that man in the same joking manner that she treated him. Was she kissing him right now? Were they making love? Why should I care?! I don't! That bastard!

He sat sulking through dinner, watching the female professors ogling over the man. In fact most of the girls in the room were drooling over him, it was completely disgusting. Severus sat quietly as he heard them speaking, muttering to himself, "na na na auror, na na na na brave. So what!" Finally sick of listening to the women gushing over that infernal man's stories, he could take no more and left.

Colin changed in her room as she showered and readied for the dance.

"So have you snogged him yet?"

"Who?"

"You know who I mean, 'he's gorgeous and funny and soooo incredibly smart'," he mocked.

"Colin, he doesn't feel that way about me."

"What, come now lassie, what sane man wouldn't want you. I've yet to meet one."

"Well you have now, he's made it clear on several occasions that he has no romantic interest in me."

"We'll just have to see about that then won't we?" He muttered under his breath as he watched her try to hide the sad expression covering her face.

She wore tight black crinoline pants embossed with a shiny black rose pattern and a tight black corset top with spaghetti straps. It was form fitting, but not too revealing, except that it dipped in the back, and she had chosen not dress robes but a thin sheath of semi transparent material, it had a lapel like a man's suit, but it gathered tight at the waist and cascaded down to the floor. She took great care in her makeup and decided to pull two small strands of her hair back, just enough to keep it out of her face. Strapping on her favorite dancing shoes, a pair of four inch platforms that were amazingly comfortable to stand in, she went to the living room where she met with a chorus of wolf whistles and howls.

"Colin stop it right now, lets go." They walked arm in arm to the great hall to find it elaborately decorated in Christmas trees and Snowflakes. She rushed over to where the band was setting up and began to hug her old friends. She was speaking to Colin when she stopped, gaping as Snape came into the room, oh the way he strode across the room, graceful but strong. Ye gods he looked fantastic. His frock coat looked new and more finely tailored than his everyday wear, and his dress robes very well fitted to his lean frame.

"Close your mouth lass, it's not very becoming ye' know," Colin said, elbowing her in the arm as the man came up to them.

"Wow, Sevs, you look great."

He eyed her suspiciously, she was stunningly beautiful tonight and standing next to a man most women would die for and yet 'he' looked great. Indeed, he was surprised she had even noticed him in the glare of the man's blindingly disgusting smile. He bowed, "and you look lovely as always professor," he said casually and turned away.

Taranis felt a little let down at that remark, she had taken great care getting ready tonight and wanted to be beautiful for him, not just 'lovely as always'. She'd fantasized about him not being able to take his eyes off her all evening, she felt her smile slipping as he walked away, and felt Colin's arm around her shoulders in comforting reassurance.

Taranis was having a great time as the band played, she was laughing as she watched the girls, and the female professors drool over Colin. He was a very good looking man after all, and she'd forgotten the extent of which the 'poor boy' had to fight them off with a stick. The students seemed to be enjoying the music and the dance floor was packed, she could barely make out where Severus stood on the other side of the room, scowling as usual, waiting to pounce on some poor unsuspecting child no doubt.

Later in the evening the band took a break and she waived Colin and Kiera the drummer over to her table. The 'band table' she sighed with old memories.

As the break was over Colin went back to the microphone on the stage, "well kids, I was hoping and old band mate of mine might grace us with her lovely voice, who wants to hear Professor Aislin sing?"

After a moment of silence, the children who were all looking at her started to cheer.

"Oh, I don't know?" she blushed.

"Go Taranis, have a bit of fun," pushed Minerva.

Xiomara commented, "yeah, come on, since when are you shy? Show us old girls how it's done?"

Taranis blushed and went to the stage where she took Colin's spot and turned to Kiera and the other two men that made up the band. Colin left the stage with a grin on his face as the music began.

The students began dancing and grinning up at her.

"U're filthy cute and baby you know it . . . cream . . . get on top . . . cream"

As Severus watched her, he was amazed, her voice was rich and clear, but the way she moved on stage was riveting. She didn't gyrate or wiggle her hips, but stood with her legs apart moved in sharp angles, occasionally making fluid motions with her arms above her head. Soon Remus came over to stand with him, "wow. Wow, hey did you know she could do that?"

"Taranis is a woman of many hidden talents," he responded not taking his eyes off of her as she sang.

"Make the rules then break them all cuz yo are the best . . . cream . . . "

Severus scowled deeper as that Murphy joined him as well, how he made it through the throng of admirers I'll never know, he thought.

"Well professors, enjoying the show are ye now?" he said leaning his arm against the wall.

"She's great," said Remus, "you guys seem pretty close, have you known her a long time?"

"I came to the school when we were both in our seventh year, she was quite a lass back then."

"Yes," Severus drawled, "I can only imagine the hoarding admirers."

Colin laughed, "oh no. When I met Taranis she was not the beautiful lass you see before you," he paused as they admired her for a moment, "acht, she was ghastly, hair that looked like straw, I'm not sure she ever washed it, just pulled her hat down over it or so it looked, never wore makeup at all, didn't care if her robes were torn or dirty. One day she just changed like magic into a beautiful young woman she did. Poor thing had a rough childhood you know, she was vera' introverted back then, when we met she didn't have any friends at all."

"You're filthy cute and baby you know it, you know it . . . Come on . . . Cream . . . "

"My first week at school she ran into me, drenched me with some nasty potion, oh it was horrible," he shivered, "spent the next two weeks in the hospital wing, and they had no idea what was in that potion so she had to come up with an antidote on her own. Spent a lot of time together we did, became inseparable after that."

"And you never dated?" Lupin asked incredulously.

"No, it was never like that between us, she's like one of my sisters. I don't think she ever dated anyone in school. The boys were 'na nice to her at all. I'm afraid I had to teach several of them a lesson in, shall we say common courtesy?" Said the man as he flexed his fingers, "Barl McKlinty, oh he was the worst. Funny too that when she fixed her self up, he was the first to ask after her attentions." Colin started laughing, "Pow! She near knocked the man out, so furious she was," he made a swinging motion with his fist.

"I imagine since then she's had an 'active social life," Severus commented.

"Eh, she's dated a bit, no one serious though," he eyed the dark man, "no hot lovers."

"Really," he drawled, "she had indicated that she was no innocent."

"Ah, professor, you should know that one does not always have to be, shall we say, 'willing', to lose one's innocense."

Snape scowled as he considered the implications of this, rape, was all to common among the Death Eaters, and the thought of someone forcing their attentions on her enraged him. He suddenly felt very possessive, protective of her.

They watched Taranis nodding her head at the applause of the students as she began her second song. Severus stood transfixed as her voice rang out, melodious and enchanting it washed over him.

"Lay down your sweet and weary head, Night is falling you have come to journey's end . . . "

The students began to dance to the slow song, many looked upon her in awe. He heard a girl whisper, "is she a Veela?" An interesting suggestion, one he himself had never considered, it might, he surmised, explain a few things.

"Why do you weep, what are those tears upon your face . . . "

A few of the students, Snape noticed, were looking teary eyed, as the depth of emotion in her voice touched them.

Remus, however was not looking at Taranis as she sang, and Colin apparently noticed this as well, "a pretty lass isn't she," he inclined his head to the drummer. A small, fragile looking creature, with short cropped blond hair, "that's Kiera, we call her the Red lady because she never wears any other color. Such a sad one she is though."

"Sad, why is that? She is quite, er, attractive isn't she," the man said with a slight reddening of his cheeks.

"Across the sea, a pale moon rises, the ships have come to carry you home," Taranis sang.

"She's a werewolf."

"What?" he replied in awe.

"Yes, it's true. Kiera is incredibly smart, she was in her seventh year, all set to become an Auror, there was a boy who wanted her very much, and she thwarted his attempts at romance. None of us realized the depths of his obsession, or that he was a werewolf himself until he attacked her. Apparently if he couldn't have her, he didn't want anyone else to either, and I'm afraid he was more than successful in his task." Colin's eyes darkened at the thought. "I was a bit, overzealous with my revenge, you might say. Taranis's dad managed to stop me before I killed the bastard, but at least he'll sit in a prison cell the rest of his life. No one will hire a werewolf you know, so the band is perfect for her, bloody shame. Her 'da is a muggle scientist, molecular biologist or something of the sort, brilliant man he is to. He's been working on a cure for years and Kiera says he's very close. That's how we all met. Taranis was taking a class from her 'da at the university."

"Hope fades into the world of night, through shadows falling . . . "

Remus was now gaping at her with undisguised interest, Snape noted, this was an interesting turn of events indeed. He'd been making potions for the man for years, to curb his own nocturnal instincts. He looked up to see Taranis looking into his eyes as she sang.

"You and I will meet again, and you'll be here in my arms."

He shivered involuntarily at the feelings she betrayed, and he was somewhat surprised they were not directed at the other man.

"So why are you and Taranis not together?"

Severus was startled out of his musings at the question Colin posed him, "I have no time for such dalliances, and we are after all colleagues."

"Ah, simple as that is it?"

"Grey ships pass, into the west."

As Taranis finished the song, Colin pushed off from the wall, "if you will excuse me for a moment, I've a bit of mischief to make," and he headed off to the stage.

Taranis leaned over as he spoke to her, a slight look of shock crossed her face and she glanced over to him as they continued to speak. The man headed back over to them as the band started its next song.

A heavy drum beat permeated his thought as she began to move slowly, with a feral grace that hit him like a wall.

"I don't care if you won't talk to me you know I'm not that kind of girl . . . "

Severus noted that most of the boys in the room had the same reaction as he, as they stood gaping at her, swaying with her arms delicately swaying over her head.

"And I don't care about the way you look, you should know I'm not impressed . . . "

His heart beat matched the rhythmic thumping of the drum as he heard the girl speak again, "she has got to be a Veela!"

Indeed! The Potions Master looked at Colin who was grinning from ear to ear, "is she?"

"What, a Veela? No she's a", the man paused for a moment, "not a Veela at all."

"I need a man! I need a man," she sang.

The boys seemed to be getting a bit, agitated he noticed, "Taranis had mentioned that she was attacked, is this why?"

"What? Not with three Auror's in the band surely. She does have a way of expressing herself in her song doesn't she? Projecting her emotions through music?" Severus's brows rose at this comment.

"I don't need love, forget that stuff, you know that I don't care . . . "

"Not that she's physically doing that mind you," Colin looked Severus in the eye to make sure the man gathered his suggestion, "she's just got a way with song. Mind there are a few songs we counld 'na let her sing for safety reasons," he said baring his white teeth again, "there's one goes 'I wanna fuck you like an animal . . . ' had to make her stop 'ha way through that one."

"I don't care if you won't talk to me you know I'm not that kind of girl . . . "

Severus continued to drink her in, he felt his groin stiffen as a wave of animalistic desire washed over him. Ye gods he wanted her, watching her move so sensually, he suppressed a sudden urge to grab her off the stage and carry her to his room. He remembered the feeling of her hands on his body, stroking him, the taste of her tongue in his mouth, the way her body arched in response to his caress. It had become very warm in the room indeed. He imagined her lying naked and writhing underneath him, moaning with pleasure as he spilled his seed . . .

"Cause there's just one thing that I'm looking for and he don't wear a dress."

As the song finished Taranis came off the stage and strode over to where they stood, Severus noticed most of the boys were still gaping at her as she passed.

"Not the most appropriate of songs for a school dance," he drawled.

"Then why did you want me to sing it?" she asked startled.

"I did no such thing!"

Taranis turned to where Colin was heading back to the stage, "Oh! Colin Murphy you are going to regret that!"

Severus raised his eyebrows as she looked back at him, blushed, and hurried back to the safety of the staff table . . .