Alex glanced at the clock on the mantel; it was nearly one in the morning. Ugh, who cares about the antidotes for Ear Enlarging hexes anyway, she thought rebelliously. She tossed her quill onto the desk and headed for the bathroom. Nice soak in a hot bath and then I'm off to bed. She found herself wondering if Severus Snape were asleep, and if he was experiencing the same kind of visions she had when she slept. Through a variety of test set up by Remus Lupin, they'd discovered that her link with him easily extended over hundreds of miles. She could see and hear everything that Snape saw and heard, down to the faintest whisper. She had to chuckle at some of the experiments that Remus had devised. To test whether she felt the same emotions as Snape during her visions, he'd enlisted the help of the witch Tonks to provoke Snape into a fury. He'd also wanted her to provide, as he'd put it, 'physical stimuli' for the tests. After a day spent apparating all over Great Britain with the surly potions master, Tonks was more than happy to oblige – she'd gleefully kicked him.

They hadn't been able to determine if the link went both ways, however, and Snape wasn't offering any cooperation. Jerk, Alex thought, not for the first time. He's probably asleep right now, having himself a good old time watching me naked. Bastard. She deliberately avoided looking at herself as she bathed. There was another annoyance; Severus refused to acknowledge their relationship when they were at Hogwarts, which was most of the time. Stubborn, paranoid jerk. It's not as though we couldn't be discrete. Hell, none of the kids could even imagine the head of Slytherin house having so much as a date. She giggled. The Hufflepuffs don't even believe he's human. They think he's a demon spawned just to torment them.

Alex toweled off and cast a spell to dry her hair, grateful for the steam clouding the bathroom mirror. No way am I going to put on a peep show for Severus. The idea amused her. Heh. That'd be one way to find out for sure...even he would have to show some reaction to that. She pondered the notion. Nah. I'd feel like a total idiot. The idea refused to go away. She raised an index finger to the wet glass of the mirror, wrote on it experimentally. Hello Severus. She giggled again. It's not as though he's never seen me naked before. What have I got to lose ?

Alex took a deep breath and waved her wand at the mirror, evaporating the steam. She grinned at her reflection, setting the wand aside. She let her towel slide to the floor, raising both hands to gather her hair at the nape of her neck. Spreading her fingers, she let the thick, wavy tresses fall behind her shoulders, running her hands down her throat to her chest. Ungh. This is stupid. Alex suppressed the embarrassment and cupped her breasts. Get a load of this, Professor Snape, she thought defiantly, caressing them. She ran her tongue over her lips and gave her reflection a wicked smile. Bet he's having one hell of a dream already. The thought emboldened her. She squeezed her nipples, teasing them to hardness with the tips of her fingers, then ran her hands down her body, over her belly, across her hips. She stroked her thighs, fingers splayed, watching her reflection. Eat your heart out, Severus.

Alex blew a kiss at the mirror and caressed her breasts again. Struck by inspiration, she raised a finger to her lips and sucked on it. Gods, I am such a ham. She stifled the urge to giggle. Removing her finger slowly, she licked it seductively once, twice, watching herself in the mirror the whole time. She slid her hand back down the length of her body with painstaking slowness, mindful of the effect she was trying to create, finally slipping her finger between her legs. Her other hand fondled her breasts, circling each erect nipple again and again. She moaned softly, starting to get into the act despite herself. Her eyelids fluttered closed. Watch the mirror, she reminded herself. He only sees what you see. She focused on her hand, now rubbing more and more urgently between her legs. Alex swayed, letting out another low moan, hips moving in time with the rhythm of her fingers. She whimpered, involuntarily closing her eyes again as she began to lose control. Lookit the mirror, she thought incoherently. She threw back her head and cried out, her whole body trembling.

-----

Alex pulled on her nightclothes and tumbled into bed. Argh, I'm going to regret that in the morning. She imagined the scene at breakfast. He'll sneer at me, like always. Or worse, laugh. In front of everybody. Sheesh, I am so dumb. A flash of green light startled her out of her self-recriminations.

She was reaching under her pillow for her wand when Severus loomed over the bed, soot from the chimney sprinkling onto the sheets as he lay down beside her. "You wouldn't believe the dream I just had," he murmured. He lounged on his elbow, conveniently blocking her access to her wand.

She widened her eyes innocently. "A dream ? Sure it wasn't a vision ?" He didn't answer, but pulled her closer, caressing the curve of her hip. "Did this alleged dream have any affect on you ?" she asked with mock seriousness, reaching to fondle him.

"I think your hands have been quite busy enough," he told her, catching her by the wrists. She let out a squeak of surprise as he pulled her arms above her head, pinning her down. Severus tugged her t-shirt up with his free hand, lowering his head to nip gently at her breasts. She wriggled, trying to free her wrists from his grip. "Go ahead, I like it when you squirm," he chuckled.

"Bastard," Alex commented half-heartedly. She moaned as he licked her nipples. He hooked a finger inside the waistband of her panties, pulling them lower inch by inch. She arched her back, silently pleading for his touch, then groaned aloud as he let the elastic snap back into place. He kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth, stroking her through the thin fabric of her panties, teasing her with rough kisses and gentle fingers. "Please, gods Severus, please..."

"Gods, you drive me crazy," he groaned, releasing her hands so she could help him undress her. They fell together, bodies straining, trying to meld into one.

Later, he lay curled around Alex protectively as they slept. She stroked his hair, fading in and out of a dream where he was holding her hand. I can't tell where I stop and he begins, she thought drowsily, for once not bothered by the disorientation.

"I love you."

That startled her awake for a moment. "Severus ? Did you say that, or did I ?"

"Mm, go to sleep, Alex" the potions master mumbled. "Busy day tomorrow...pop quiz...detention..."

Alex laughed softly. Okay, that last bit was definitely Severus. She wrapped her arms around him and went to sleep.