Suddenly Kriss realized the classroom had emptied and she was alone with Snape. As she walked down the classroom, her footsteps echoing around the room, she was sure he was watching her. Her stomach was burning and so were her cheeks, the tension was almost unbearable. But still he said nothing.
Kriss walked to her desk and tidied her things, ready for the next session, which was theory. She finished her task and left the room gratefully, leaning up against the wall outside and wiping the perspiration off her brow, dreading next period.
"Where have you been?" Demanded Claudette, in a mock offended fashion, raising her eyebrows. "You're never late, Snape giving you extra tuition is he? Lucinda giggled suggestively. Kriss had always met her friends for break-times for nearly all the years they had been at Hogwarts and was never late without a good reason.
"Oh, I just forgot something" she said absently.
"This years really getting to you isn't it Kriss? You look tired, I thought I heard you getting out of bed last night, but I must have gone straight back to sleep, what was it ? Some essay that couldn't wait until morning? " Claudette teased
"Oh.. no.. I just went to the loo that was all" Kriss stated off the top of her head. She didn't want to tell them she had been sleepwalking again. When she was younger she had just used to walk round the room, never into the main school before and knew they would worry.
"I didn't hear her, I slept like a log last night" stated Xanthe.
" Me too" added Lucinda, who kept shooting furtive glances at a couple of boys they knew across the way from them in the courtyard were they stood.
"Why don't you go over, I've heard that Carl fancies you Lucinda" Kriss hoping it was true true, because she needed at this moment to get rid of her.
"Really? Well I have noticed him looking at me a lot more lately and I know he has just finished with that Dana or whatever her name was. Someone come with me, will you?" She looked at her friends
"Why don't you go Xanthe, his friend keeps looking at you " Kriss suggested hopefully, grabbing her friends and pushing them in the direction of the boys. She watched as they walked over to the boys. Then she took the chance to talk to Claudette alone.
"What was that all about? I hadn't heard that, why didn't you tell me?" Questioned Claudette.
"I hadn't really, I just wanted to talk to you on your own." Kriss said, then whispered "Can we go somewhere less public, I don't want anyone else hearing this!"
"Sure, what is it, what's wrong?" Whispered Claudette back curiously. Kriss ushered into her friend into an old doorway covered with a stone archway and checked for anyone within earshot. Once she was satisfied she proceeded to tell Claudette all the gory details of the previous night.
"So you were in the corridor, stark naked with - Snape!" Claudette almost shrieked, but managed to contain herself, then continued "I would have died, right there on the spot. Then he gave you his cape to wear? Wow!"
"Well he did destroy my nightdress! It was the least he could do" said Kriss in reply
"Maybe he could of magiced you a new one or repaired the old one though" suggested Claudette
"I think it was beyond repair and I don't think he thought to magic me a new one, I didn't think to ask and I can't do that sort of magic myself, as you know, it's too hard" Answered Kriss
"No I can't either, unfortunately" Sighed Claudette "Oh well, we'd better get to our next lesson" They walked back into the school.
"Not a word to anyone, okay!" Whispered Kriss in Claudette's ear.
"Not even Xanthe and Lucinda?" Claudette smiled knowingly "Especially not them" Replied Kriss laughingly, knowing Claudette knew she might as well tell the whole school, as they were both hopeless at keeping secrets. "Good Luck" Claudette said encouragingly as they parted company.
"Thanks, see you at dinner" Kriss Shouted back.She re-entered the classroom and sat down, gradually all the students filtered back in and they began to talk quietly.
Snape arrived back also, strode up to the front and announced "Today, we will be discussing the various treatments that may alleviate sleeplessness and" he looked over at Kriss " other sleep related problems." Kriss was shocked at this and stared at him in disbelief, was he trying to help her or embarrass her? She didn't know, but hoped it was the first one. The lesson proceeded with everyone making suggestions on potions, putting forward theories, asking questions and talking about their own sleep problems and possible cures thereof. Kriss did not let on about her own night-time 'activities', but sleepwalking was mentioned and the general consensus being that a relaxation potion taken before bed could help, but one girl said "Yoga, I swear by it, it helps me, I sleep like a log now."
When the lesson was over Kriss hurried out of the class and met her friends for lunch. She listened as Lucinda told them about her upcoming date with Carl, Xanthe had also got off with Carl's friend Darren. After talking at length about Carl, Darren and boys in general they finished their lunch and went off to their next lessons. Kriss had History of magic, she hated it but it was an essential subject to pass to get into the Ministry. The lesson dragged even more than usual, Professor Binns droned on about some war, in a far off European country between warlocks and giants. When the lesson ended Kriss breathed a sigh of relief and joined in with the others rubbing their necks and stretching their backs. History of magic always seemed to have this effect on people, as if you had been to sleep, though some people had. She made her way back to the common room and joined her friends in doing their homework, she kept scewing up pieces of parchment to start again. She was finding it hard to concentrate on her work, she kept thinking about when she had to take back Professor Snapes cloak to his office.
Once Kriss and her friends had had their dinner, they made their way back to the Slytheryn common room again. After changing out of their uniforms and into their ordinary clothes, Kriss and her friends went back into the main common room area, which was always quite busy at this time of night.After a few gameof wizard chess with Lucinda, Kriss suddenly got up and told her friends "I think I might go for a walk on my own to clear my head before bed" She looked at Claudette as she said this and Claudette nodded her understanding, as Kriss had told her about having to return the cloak. "I'm just going to the loo first though." She said as a reason to be going upstairs first. She tucked the cloak over her arm and waved her wand at it uttering a distraction spell over it in the hope that no one would notice her carrying it.
She made her way along the corridor now dark and mostly deserted, apart from the paintings chatting quietly to one another. Suddenly in the distance she heard several loud bangs going off, it sounded like someone letting off Dung bombs, for which she thought they would be in big trouble now.
When she reached Snapes office and knocked on the door, it creaked open. "Professor Snape?" She called.
On hearing no response she went inside to find the room empty. Unlike most other students she found Snapes collections of 'weird and wonderful' things in jars and potions fascinating and always enjoyed studying them whenever she was in there, which wasn't that often. She looked nervously toward the door and after placing the robe down on his desk, started to look around. Something in one of the magically locked glass cabinets caught her eye, it was a flat-bottomed vial with a skull stopper, but the colour, it was the brightest blue Kriss had ever seen. She stood there completely mesmerized.
Suddenly – BANG! The door hit the wall and Snape began shouting "What are you doing in here? I knew it... Oh it's"
At the bang of the door Kriss had jumped nearly out of her skin and backed into the over full shelves of bottles and jars behind her, sending them crashing down on top of herself. Snape reacted quickly, sending out a spell to stop the shelves falling onto her also. Kriss stood there unable to speak for a moment, looking at Professor Snape. Suddenly Snape shouted "Quickly! Take off your shirt!" Thinking this was getting to be a habit with him she managed to say "What?.." But before she could react Snape had pointed his wand at her and uttered a spell "Circumcindo vestimentum!" Kriss felt the shirt fall away from her body "Why did you? What..?" she said confused wrapping her arms around her chest.
"You had a bottle of 'Fervacio' dripping down your back, I had to remove your garment before it burned through to your skin" He stated, looking at her unabashed
"Oh! Thank-you!" Kriss knew this liquid to be very dangerous as it could melt its way through fabric and then cause very nasty burns on the skin. "Erm, I'm sorry about the mess, but you frightened the life out of me coming in like that, do you want me clean it up?" She said apologetically. Kriss noticed his unwavering stare and felt very uncomfortable. Her cheeks started to burn and her stomach started to tense up and start fluttering. She also noticed that the previously open door was now closed, she was grateful for that.
"No it is alright, I will deal with it myself. I thought the bombs going off had just been a distraction in order to get me away so another student could get into my office, that's why I was so angry" Snape replied, still not shifting his gaze from her, he seemed almost in a trance. The tension in the room seemed to heighten, Kriss felt unable to move, until something slimy plopped out of its jar and slithered down her bare back.
"Ahhh!" She screamed "What was that!" Kriss had run forward, closer to where Snape was standing. "It was merely a piece of Dragon Brain" Snape explained, his voice sounded softer than usual. Kriss suddenly remembered that she had no shirt on, just a white lace bra. She looked down at herself, then covered herself with her hands protectively. Suddenly it occurred to her how close she was standing the professor. He was looking at her again in a way he had never done before. Kriss saw his expression and felt her stomach clench with fear and anticipation. Snape reached his hand forward to her hair. Kriss thought he was going to stroke it and flinched slightly.
"You had some ..gillyweed ..here." He showed her the offending piece of plant, then reached forward his hand again, as if to retrieve more. Kriss looked down a little so he had a better view of her head. But this time she felt his hand touch her face. Resting his surprisingly warm fingers against her cheek and under her chin she felt him gently pull her face up to meet his gaze again. Kriss felt his dark eyes boring into her as if he was looking right into her soul. Then she felt a strange sensation in her head like a wave washing over a shore, but she thought it must have just been nerves. Her heart started thumping against her chest, her breathing became shallow and her legs and arms felt weak. It seemed as though time had stood still, neither one of them moving so much as a millimetre.
"What was he going to do? Was he going to kiss her?" - Kriss's brain envisaged. "I can't believe this is really happening, I must be dreaming!" She hoped he would kiss her, she had, had fleeting thoughts about what it would be like, but had never dreamed in a million years that it could ever really happen.
"You are so beautiful Krisstina" Snape said suddenly in a unusually gentle voice "I know it is wrong, for me to think of you that way, but I feel we have much in common, you and I, then.." He paused, looking down, then looked up again and continued "ever since last night, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, the way you looked, in that nightdress and without it! I could take a potion to alleviate these feelings, but now I know.."
"Now you know what?" Kriss's voice came out nearly in a whisper. She felt quite shocked at this expression of his private thoughts.
"Now I know that you are as fascinated by me as I am of you" He stated more definitely."I know you've had a crush on me for some time, well - the feeling is mutual"
Kriss felt a mixture of both fear and excitement at this statement. Snapes eyes never left hers, as his hand slid gently downwards. Kriss felt tingles all over her as she felt his fingers clasp the back of her neck. The heat was rising in her body and sweat started to trickle down her back as he leaned forward and pressed his slightly open lips against hers. At first the kiss was light and soft, his lips gently pulling on hers, his breathing coming in short gasps, as he did so. Then he inceased the pressure slightly, his breathing becoming heavier.
She had responded to the kiss immediately, curling one of her shaking hands up around his shoulders. Kriss didn't want him to stop, it felt so good, this felt better than any kiss she'd ever had before. His other hand slid slowly and softly down her bare back, making Kriss gasp with pleasure, then suddenly he pulled away.
Snape stepped away from her, looking at her with a shocked expression forming on his face. "I..I.. forgive me.. I" He stumbled over the words as if unable to express himself. Kriss watched as he slid around his desk using his hand to support him, as if any minute he would collapse, then sit down on his chair. Snape sat there with his head in his hands.
"What was I thinking? I must have gone insane. How could I let my emotions get the better of me like that!" He said angrily to himself
As he spoke Kriss felt like crying, confusion and shock coursing through her head.Why had he suddenly gone so cold ? She thought he was going to admit his feelings for her at last. Snape looked up at her and spoke "Are you going to tell someone about this?"
"No! I wanted you to kiss me. I wanted to know what it felt like and if the feelings inside me were just admiration or..." Kriss paused unable to finish.
"I think you had better go, your friends will wonder at your long absence, borrow my cloak again if you wish" He sounded quiet and distant, still with his head in his hands. Kriss grabbed the cloak and wrapped it around her. She reached out to touch him by way of comfort, but thought better of it, walked to the door and went out into then went out into the chilly corridor.