The lobby of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was depressingly like any other hospital lobby Alex had ever been in. Plain white walls, uncomfortable chairs, dusty potted plants. Although these potted plants appeared to be carnivorous. She was careful not to stand too close to any of them as she observed Severus Snape pacing back and forth impatiently. She rolled her eyes; he was wearing the same black work robes he always wore. His hair was as oily and unkempt as ever.

Alex was wearing a flowing black gown. The American knew that the dress was appropriate, but she still felt overdressed. Since arriving in the British wizarding world, she had yet to see anyone wearing any styles more up-to-date than those of the Edwardian era. In an effort to feel a little more casual, she had worn her hair down. Silver Navajo jewelry, heavy with turquoise stones, completed her outfit. Alex watched her boss with amusement. He looked as though he'd been waiting for a long time. Not my fault. In fact, she was five minutes early. Taking pity on him, she stepped from behind the plants, one of which snapped idly at her as she passed by.

"Hi, Professor."

"Miss Rose." He paused, eyeing her shrewdly . "Are you...well ?"

Alex was confused for a moment. "Oh, " she said, realization dawning. He's wondering why I needed to see a doctor. "I'm fine," she assured him. "Routine appointment. I'll be seeing Dr. Salubria every couple of weeks or so for medication management." She gave him a slightly challenging look. "For clinical depression," she added.

"Depression ? You ?" his eyebrows raised in disbelief. "You are the most infernally cheerful person I have ever met."

Alex relaxed. "Yeah, well, the doc thinks I'll probably need to increase my meds, considering all the stress and aggravation I'm dealing with nowadays." Snape frowned, bemused. "Working with you," she elaborated, grinning wickedly. He snorted. "So, Professor Snape, are we going to stand here all night, or are you going to show me around London ?"

He shrugged. "What do you want to see ?"

"Oh, whatever, touristy stuff," she said airily. "I've only seen St. Mungo's and King's Cross Station so far."

"The ghosts at the Tower of London do an after-hours tour," he said, noncommittally. "They end with a re-enactment of the murder of Henry the Sixth."

"Eeew. Do we get to see the crown jewels ?" Snape nodded. "Cool, let's go."

There weren't many people on the tour; six noisy American wizards in Muggle clothing joined Alex and Snape at Traitor's Gate . His muttered comments about the tourists kept Alex amused. Their guide was Catherine Howard. The fifth wife of Henry the Eighth pointed out the facts of interest while holding her severed head cradled under one arm.

Afterwards they wandered along the Thames to the Tower Bridge, getting a few curious looks from Muggles. As they approached one of the towers, Snape took her hand in his. Alex glanced up at him, surprised. "It's here somewhere," he murmured distractedly, drawing out his wand and pointing at the stones of the tower indecisively. "Ah, that one. Portus," he said clearly, tapping the stone with his wand.

In an instant, Muggle London with its electric street lights and traffic was left behind. Alex felt the ground lurch under her feet and gripped Snape's hand tighter in her own. The earth steadied, leaving the two mages standing on cobblestones in a lamp-lit alley. Half-timbered buildings with mullioned windows lined the street. Some of the stores were closed and shuttered, but others seemed to have stayed open for late evening shoppers. Little groups of wizards in their elaborate robes and hats passed to and fro. Golden lamplight and the babble of conversation poured from a nearby pub. "It's charming," Alex breathed, delighted.

"This is Diagon Alley, Miss Rose," Snape explained. "Anything a witch or wizard might require can be purchased here. "Including dinner," he added. "Shall we ?"

Alex realized she was still clinging to his hand. She relinquished it and they made their way to the inn. Inside, the tap room was packed with more wizarding folk. The potions master guided her through the crowd, one hand on the small of her back possessively. A shiver ran up her spine at the contact. He led her to a table for two in a back corner of the room and pulled out a chair for her. She noted that Snape had chosen a seat with his back to the wall. His expression was more hawk-like than ever as he looked over the other patrons suspiciously. Alex was reminded that with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" returned to power, Britain was essentially at war. She thought of the meeting that Snape had been summoned to the night of her arrival. Wonder what his involvement in all of that is. Not likely he'll tell me.

A harried-looking waitress arrived to take their orders. Alex scanned the menu. Toad-in-a-Hole, Bangers & Mash, Yorkshire Pudding. She laughed. "I have no idea what any of this stuff is," she told Snape. "Um, why don't you just order something for me ?"

By the time dinner arrived, Snape seemed to have relaxed a bit. Alex was regaling him with stories from her days at St. Vixen's, the exclusive witches' college in New York state's Hudson Valley. "So, my sophomore year, our final in Practical Potions was to brew one of the potions that take a month to steep, you know, like the Polyjuice or the Veritaserum ?" Snape nodded. "Well, I just knew my cousin Lucretia was gonna sabotage mine. We've hated each other since we were toddlers, practically. So, I made sure everyone knew that I was going to attempt to brew a Barkskin potion. The one that provides a magical armor, right ? Only problem is it's so easy to ruin."

Snape's eyes gleamed. "Even a bit too much application of heat leaves you with nothing but a cauldron full of ash. A simple incendio spell, and a rival's potion would be destroyed."

"Yeah." Alex smirked. "It was just too easy, really. Lucretia couldn't resist sneaking into the lab and lighting my potion on fire."

He leaned forward, anticipating the result. "You laid a trap ? Made sure the professor caught her in the act ?"

Alex shook her head. "Nope. That would have been a smart thing to do. But no, I was young and stupid. And a lot more vindictive than I am now." She paused dramatically. "Instead of the required pint of spirits of turpentine, I used something a little more, um, volatile." Snape raised his eyebrows. Alex giggled. "Gasoline. A gallon of gasoline. It's a Muggle fuel. Highly flammable." She giggled some more. "Explosive. Even more so when combined with the other ingredients."

He laughed out loud. "You didn't !" Snape shook his head. "I assume the girl didn't die, or you'd still be in prison ? Murder is illegal in the United States, isn't it ?"

"Well, my father nearly murdered me," Alex said ruefully. "Lucretia suffered a few injuries. Broken bones, second-degree burns, nothing she didn't deserve." Snape smiled his coyote smile. "But," she continued, "the explosion destroyed half the potions lab. Daddy had to fund a new, state-of-the-art laboratory. To keep me from being expelled."

Snape's features settled into their familiar sneer. "Yes, having a wealthy father certainly helps to smooth over life's little rough patches," he commented.

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, I was a spoiled brat," she admitted. "But daddy disowned me a year later when I decided to drop out of college. I've earned my own way in the world since then. I'd like to think that I'm a different person now."

He regarded her appraisingly. "You left school ? Why ?"

She returned his gaze. "You know, Professor, I think that's more than enough about me. Why don't we talk about you for a while ?"

The relaxed attitude vanished, the glower firmly back in place. "There is nothing to talk about," he said shortly.

"Aw, come on." You were almost acting human there for a while.

"Miss Rose, I am not...not the kind of man who does this sort of thing." She frowned, not understanding what he was getting at. "Going on a date with a beautiful woman," he elaborated, glaring. "I've done things in my life, things that I am not proud of. You wouldn't want to get to know me any better."

Oh, for cryin' out loud. "Tell you what. Let's let me be the judge of what I want, Ok ?" The little witch shrugged. "So, you have a dark past. Big deal. Believe me, I do have some idea of what that's like. Growing up with a name like Cor-" Alex's voice trailed off. "Um," she finished the pep talk articulately. Sheesh. Why'd I mention the Corwin name ? That'd lead to all sorts of interesting questions, wouldn't it. Stupid, she chided herself. A moment before she'd been annoyed by Snape's self-pity – now Alex was glad of the distraction it had provided. The normally suspicous wizard hadn't seemed to hear a word she'd just said. She changed the subject quickly; "So, you really think I'm beautiful ?"

"No."

Alex blinked in surprise. With a sidelong glance, his teeth flashed in another smile. "Bastard," she commented. Damn, that smile. He's so cute when he does that. "You're a real charmer, aren't you ?"

"What did you expect ? Did no one ever tell you that you shouldn't go fishing for compliments ?" he smirked.

Alex started to reply, but Snape's smile had disappeared, replaced again by a scowl. A thin wizard with greying brown hair approached the table. "Good evening Severus."

"Lupin," he replied grudgingly. The wizard waited a moment, his gaze straying to Alex. She regarded him coolly. Friend of Snape's, or enemy ? Or just an acquaintance ? Heck, how could you tell ? Well, he doesn't seem threatening, anyway.

Lupin raised his eyebrows a fraction. "Going to introduce me to your date ?"

"No."

He shrugged and moved away from the table, giving Alex a brief smile as he did so. "Take care, Severus."

Snape ignored him. "It's late, Miss Rose. We should be getting back."

Alex nodded and rose from her seat, feeling a flash of annoyance with Lupin, whoever he was. She noticed him at the bar, idly watching them leave. She felt Snape's hand rest once more at her waist as they made their way out of the room. He loomed over her protectively. Yeah, that's probably for Lupin's benefit. Alex didn't protest; she found that she was enjoying it.

The two mages apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts. Light still gleamed from a few of the castle windows. The grounds were deserted. They crossed the broad expanse of lawn and climbed the stairs to the darkened, empty entrance hall in silence.

Alex stopped and looked up at Snape. "Admit it, aren't you glad you bailed on detention tonight ?" she asked, grinning.

His eyes met hers, gleaming. "Possibly."

For the second time, she found that she couldn't tear her gaze away from his. As before, she found herself preoccupied with the question of what color his eyes really were. And his mouth...looks so soft when he's not doing the cruel sneer thing. Wonder how it would feel to kiss him ? Alex came to her senses. Sheesh, where'd that thought come from ? She started to step back, hoping he hadn't noticed her stare.

His hands were suddenly on her shoulders, gently but irresistibly drawing her closer. Before she could react, his mouth covered hers. She responded instinctively, reaching up to embrace him. His lips were soft, yet insistent. A wave of pleasure washed through her, startling her with its intensity. His hands caressed her, slipping from her shoulders to stroke her back. She shivered.

Alex felt an echoing shiver run through Severus Snape's body. As quickly as the kiss had begun, it was over. He held her for a moment longer. "Definitely," he murmured, "much more fun than detention." And then he was gone in a swirl of black robes.

Alex watched him stride away toward his dungeon, robe flapping about his long legs. Damn, she thought, rather incoherently. Who'd have thought a guy with zero social skills would turn out to be such a good kisser ? She pulled herself together and headed for her own quarters, shaking her head. More fun than detention ? Is that supposed to be a compliment ? She let out a Snape-like snort, unsure whether to laugh or be annoyed. I have got to come up with a tactful way to tell him he's got to wash his hair.