The sun streaming through a gap in the curtains awoke Kriss from her restless sleep. She sat up, yawned and stretched arching her back, hands clasped around the back of her head. Picking up her wand from the bedside table, she stood up and walked over to the bathroom, tapping the shower on with it.
Thinking it might be a good idea to open the curtains and see what the weather was like, she walked over to the window. She pushed the rather dusty old drapes aside and stood there, looking out at the familiar streets and buildings of Hogsmead, feeling glad that although it looked cold the sun was shining.
She had booked herself in to The Three Broomsticks the previous night. The pub where she had spent many happy hours drinking butter beers with her friends had also got several rooms upstairs for hire.
Kriss stepped into the shower, the warm water cascading over her. Thinking about what she was about to do and running her plan through her mind, wondering if it would work. 'Was it really what she wanted? Had she got the courage to go through with it? What if it didn't go the way she wanted it to?' Suddenly she felt very nervous, causing her stomach to tighten.
After finishing her shower and wrapping a towel around herself, she walked over to the bed and sat down, lost in thought for a moment. She shook her head out of this reverie and picking up her vanity case, began her usual after shower routine. After doing her makeup, she used her wand to dry her hair, which was shorter now. It came to just past her shoulders and it was more practical in her new job. Kriss also felt it made her look older and more sophisticated; she wanted to be taken seriously as a woman now, no longer wanting to look like the schoolgirl she had just been.
Her hair done, she began to get dressed in the new clothes she had bought especially for the occasion. First a black lace bra, matching thong and black stockings. Then she slipped on a long, black, tight fitting dress with sleeves that flared out from the elbow. Lastly she put on her ¾ length, black, high heeled boots and stood in front of a long mirror that stood in the room. She looked admiringly at her reflection for a moment, smiling and turning this way and that.
"He'd have to be blind not to notice me in this dress" she said to herself
She picked up her cloak and after wrapping it around her shoulders walked out of the door, locking it behind her and then headed down to breakfast.
The scrambled eggs on toast she ordered didn't seem, quite so appetizing now; her stomach was churning too much. After managing to get some down, with a few gulps of coffee, she decided it was time to go. She waved goodbye to Madame Rosmerta and went out into the street.
Feeling the cold through her rather flimsy dress, Kriss wrapped her warm cloak more securely around her and as she didn't fancy walking decided to get a carriage.
To Kriss's frustration, she hadn't yet got her 'apparation' licence. As transfiguration had never been her best subject at school, she was still trying to get the hang of apparating and disapparating properly, so had to use more conventional means of transport.
She made her way down to the rank of carriages that always lined up just outside of the village, got in one of them and ordered it to go to Hogwarts. Kriss had already sent an owl to Dumbledore to ask him for permission to visit the school, saying she wanted to visit all her old teachers and tell them how she was getting on. He had sent one back saying it would be fine for her to visit and to come and see him when she did. When at last she arrived at the gates, she felt her nerves tighten her stomach once more and her heart start to beat faster as the carriage turned up the long driveway.
Professor Severus Snape was sitting at his desk, looking out over his class of fourth year Slytherins and Gryffendors. He had never understood why Dumbledore always insisted on putting these oppposing houses together, as in his eyes, it only seemed to cause more conflict.
Suddenly there was a tinkle of glass and gasps of exasperation, as an unfortunate student tried to clean up their mess of dropped potion and vial. Severus got up and was just about to jump on the student for being so clumsy, when he felt a jolt.
"What was that?" He thought curiously to himself.
He stopped moving and stood waiting for another, which duly came, stronger this time. There was only one person who had that effect on him but.. it couldn't be her could it? Not now, when he was starting to get his life back on track again. Not when he had just started to accept that she couldn't be part of his life anymore.
When no more jolts came, he dismissed the feelings as maybe just wishful thinking, but still felt quite unsettled.
Just as he was beginning to relax again he suddenly heard footsteps coming down the corridor, getting louder all the time as they approached the classroom. He knew it was a woman, as he could hear the heels clacking on the stone floor. His heart started to beat faster and his stomach clenched as the footsteps stopped outside the door.
Slowly the door creaked open to reveal a hooded figure, wearing a long cloak. All the students turned from their work to see who the new arrival was. The figure turned back the hood of their cloak, to gasps from the class.
Severus stood in silence as he watched Kriss slowly walk up the classroom towards him. The class suddenly became deadly quiet as they watched her too, in curious fascination
As he watched, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and tingles spread all over his body, at the sight of her. He struggled for a moment trying not to look as stunned at her appearance as he felt; she looked different, more sophisticated, more like a woman and so sexy. She seemed to have matured so much in just the few short months they had been apart and looked even more beautiful. Feelings returned to him now, ones he had tried to suppress since the break up.
Kriss smiled as she approached the desk where he was standing.
"Hello Professor Snape" she said, looking him straight in the eyes, "I just thought I'd come back for a visit, to see how everyone is doing. You don't mind if I sit in on your class do you, it will bring back memories for me."
Severus took a breath, trying to make sure his usual haughty demenour remained on his face as he spoke.
"Of course not. Class! This is Krisstina Firestone, my finest student from last year, her potions ability matched only by my own. You'd do well to follow in her footsteps, as she now works for St Mungos in the Potions Research Department, a place that only takes the best, highest achieving students" he said, looking around disdainfully at all the gawping faces.
"Thankyou Sir, I'm flattered, I didn't know you thought so highly of me!" Kriss said smiling flirtatiously, her head on one side, "Now, I don't want to disrupt the class any longer so I'll just sit over there quietly and watch, that is if you're sure you don't mind" she said raising her eyebrows at him, questioningly.
"No, not at all, " Severus replied, nodding politely at her, but really wishing she would go. Her presence was making him extremely uncomfortable; he had now started to get quite hot and was finding it hard to think clearly. He sincerely hoped the class didn't notice.
Kriss went to sit down at an empty desk, next to a shy looking boy with mousy brown hair and a rather dirty robe. Severus had looked away from her now, trying to remember what he was supposed to be doing next. Then, hearing gasps come suddenly from some of the boys, he turned round to see what was wrong.
He saw Kriss sitting there, apparently oblivious too all the attention. She had slipped off her cloak and underneath was a dress, which was cut low at the front, revealing a generous amount of the cleavage of her larger than average bust, then fitted tightly over the rest of her hourglass figure.
"Oh, don't mind me!" she said, looking round at the boys sitting next to her, "I won't tell on you if you do something wrong. I wasn't as much the 'teachers pet' as the Professor would like you to think" she continued, shooting a look at Severus, more serious this time.
The boys continued to stare at Kriss, until he intervened.
"Well, what are you waiting for! Get on with your work!" He snapped loudly, making the boys come back to reality and carry on making their potions. Most of the girls were shaking their heads in derision at them. A smattering of whispering and giggling then started to travel around the classroom, making Severus shout for silence again. He banged his wand on his desk with a noise like a thunderclap. Suitably frightened, everyone settled down, only glancing furtively in Kriss's direction now and then.
The shy boy she'd sat next to seemed to be having trouble with his potion and looked very nervous, she stood up and whispered instructions to him. This just seemed to make him worse and he then started to drop his ingredients all over the floor. Kriss crouched down and passed him some of them up, to help him. As he looked down to take the ingredients from her, he suddenly seemed transfixed, staring with his mouth open. The boys next to him noticed this and started to snigger and whisper behind their hands.
"Here you are!" she said and on getting no reaction, "are you going to take this from me or what?" Kriss prompted him smiling, holding out a bag with something rather slimy in it
"Err.. thankyou.. Miss..Miss.." he tried to say, but Kriss finished for him
"Firestone, but everyone calls me Kriss" She said getting up. She then leant over and whispered conspiratorially in the boy's ear "Don't worry his bark is worse than his bite you know, he's a big softy underneath" But by the look on his face, he wasn't convinced.
Very soon everyone had finished making up their potion and was taking it to the front, just in time for the bell to ring for morning break. All the students filed out, talking quietly but excitedly and taking backwards glances at Kriss. The boy that had been next to Kriss was still there, showing her his pet ferret, which he kept in his bag. She was stroking and making a fuss of it when Severus came over and looked at the boy distainfully. He immediately picked up his bag and made for the door, smiling briefly at Kriss who smiled in return, as she said goodbye to him.
As soon as the boy had shut the door behind him, Severus seemed to relax a little. He sighed and looked at Kriss, then walked back over to his desk before speaking.
"This is a little unexpected Kriss, why didn't you tell me you were coming?" He asked, trying not to sound as anxious as he felt
"I couldn't risk you disappearing on me again! Like the last time I saw you." She stood up and started to walk towards him. "You broke my heart Severus. You know that, don't you?" Kriss looked at him, her face full of emotion
"I know and I am truly sorry, but I also told you that in time you would see the sense in what I did and get on with your life. It looks like you have." He said, smiling briefly
"Yes," she said looking down at her appearance, then back at him again, "I had no choice, you didn't tell me where you were, I didn't know if you were alive or dead or what you were doing. I wrote loads of 'owls' but you never replied. I was in so much pain, then when I got my exam results, which were all top grades I started to feel a little better. It meant I could take up my place at St Mungos, the job I've wanted for so long " She revealed, trying to move closer, but stopping as she saw him backing up away from her again
"So why are you here now, shouldn't you be back there enjoying your new life?" He said trying to sound casual, but her close proximity had made him feel flustered
"Not when I have unfinished business here I can't" Kriss said, walking towards him again, a look of determination now on her face
"We have no unfinished business, what we had came to an end, that was it" Severus replied now looking unnerved by Kriss's continual movement towards him.
"I just wanted to make sure, that was all. I suddenly realised the other day it was time, that I was ready to see you and find out if what I had felt for you was the real thing or just a crush. I needed to know if I still had feelings for you or not, in order to get on with my life" She had reached where he was stood now, backed up against his desk, with nowhere else to go.
As she stood there just a few inches away, she looked him up and down critically, pursing her lips, then smiled.
"You haven't been looking after yourself have you? You look like you've lost some weight and your hair!" She shook her head, tutting "greasy as ever! But you're still my Severus!" she said reaching out her hand and stroking one side of his face gently
"You..you've changed a lot in just these few short months also. I like your hair, it..it suits you." He said awkwardly
"Thankyou" she said stroking her hair and looking sideways at it "I've had it long for years and years, I thought it was time for a change." After she said this her demenour became serious again
"When you ended our relationship, you said you did it because you loved me. Do you still love me?" She said looking directly into his eyes
Severus looked down to his chest sadly and said nothing
"Well?" Kriss said impatiently
He looked up suddenly, his expression soft and his eyes full of emotion
"I have never stopped thinking about you Kriss. Since that day, the only thing that has kept me going was the thought that I was setting you free to lead a happier life without me, that you would be better off. So if you must know the answer ... yes, I do still love you," Severus admitted, looking down again
Kriss smiled a triumphant smile "that causes a problem for us then doesn't it?" she said looking at the sad, defeated looking Professor, "Because I still love you too!" At this she leant in pulling his face up to look at her and kissed him softly on the lips. She pulled back, waiting for his reaction
For a moment he just looked at her, a surprised expression on his face. Then it was if the floodgates had opened. He leant down pulling her head towards him and kissed her hard on the mouth. He twisted her around so that he now had her leant against the desk and pushed her slowly back down onto it. Their breathing intensified, as the passion in their kiss increased, both of them feeling the elation of being together once more. They were so lost in each other, they didn't notice the door to the classroom open and someone walk into the room.
"Ahem," said a voice and on getting no reaction, louder "AHEM! Excuse me for interrupting, but I.." the voice suddenly cut off, when seeing the pair hurryiedly trying to get off the desk and straighten themselves up.
"Minerva, what brings you down here?" Severus said rather gruffly, trying regain his composure
McGonagal had an incredulous look on her face, which turned to shock, as she turned to Kriss, suddenly recognising her "Krisstina Firestone?" She said, looking at Kriss, then at Severus, her eyes narrowing in derision.
"I thought I recognised that smell, I've smelt it somewhere before, it was a long time ago but.." McGonagal said, looking as if she were searching her memory, then she spoke to Severus, "the night of the ball, when I came and fetched you after your 'disappearance'. I said I could smell someone in the room but you dismissed it and at the time so did I, thinking I must have been mistaken. It was you wasn't it Krisstina? You were there in his room that night?" Her face stern and accusatory, looking at kriss now
Kriss looked down for a moment then at Severus for guidance, but he was still looking at McGonagal. She took a deep breath and was about to say something when he got in before her
"We have only been seeing each other since she finished school Minerva, so don't go thinking anything untoward has been going on. She sent me an owl about her results and her job at st Mungos and asked me to meet her to talk about it. The work she does is of great interest to me so I agreed, we kept on meeting up and began to form a more serious relationship." Severus said stiffly, his usual haughty expression back on his face
"Huh! A nice little story, only, when have you had time to meet up with her, between your work here and your.. 'extra curricular' activities?" she answered back, her eyebrows raised expectantly
"I don't have to discuss my social life with you Minerva! Now could you please tell me what it is you want?" Severus was irritated now; one for being found in a compromising position and two for this woman's incomparable ability to see through any lie he had ever tried to tell her.
"I had come down to talk to you about the activities of some of your Slytherins against my Gryffendors on the Quidditch pitch yesterday" she said still looking sternly at the both of them.
"Well..I am rather busy at the moment, so I will discuss the matter with you later" Severus said, glaring back at her
"I can see that you are busy Severus Snape! I just still can't believe with what and with who!" She answered her hands on her hips now
"Well you had better believe it, because Kriss and I are in love and nothing and no one will interfere with us being together ever again. I'll make sure of that!" with these words he took Kriss's hand and dragged her past an astonished MacGonagal, out into the corridor.
"Did you mean that?" Kriss said smiling "That nothing will ever stop us being together again?" now looking up at him hopefully
"Yes" he said simply, sliding his hands around her waist, pulling her close and looking into her eyes.
"In that case I'll put this back on then" she reached inside her bra and produced the necklace Severus had given her, the day he had left, . She fastened it then pulled it over her head, brushing her hair out from under it and pulling it straight as she did so. Severus reached out a hand to touch it gently, his fingers brushed lightly against the skin underneath, then he trailed them down her front.
"I like your dress by the way" he said smiling lasciviously "the boys in my class seemed very impressed too! You deliberately went out to disrupt the lesson didn't you?" He said in a not too serious accusatory tone.
"Of course not, I would never do that!' she giggled, "But if you like the dress, just you wait until you see what's underneath!" Kriss said, looking at him enticingly.
"Why don't we go up to my room and ... investigate that theory," he answered her "we have a lot of lost time to make up for!" With that, he took her hand and led her to the portrait that hid the entrance to his room. He stopped before they went up and looking at her sincerely, said "Are you sure Kriss?"
"Yes, I've never been surer!" she answered definitely as they stepped behind the portrait and ascended the stairs, both hoping that this time nothing would ever split them apart again.