After several minutes of searching every room in Hogwarts to find their hysteric and disheveled friend, they had found her—in a place they would least expect—in Professor Snape's dungeon. On a nearby desk she sat, Snape looming over her like some enormous and hideous carrion bird, his hand quite obviously far up her skirt. Even more shocking and bewildering, Lucretia seemed to be enjoying this immensely, that is, until her friends burst in.

"Fuck! --Was so close... damn them and their concern... wait... SHIT!" Lucretia thought, now realizing what sobering event had just occured. Wystaer and Sicilia stood in the doorway, their mouths open in shock. "Oh my god!" Sicilia cried, breaking the awkward, tense silence. Lucretia seemed to blush even a deeper scarlet than her lips, and fumbled desperately for the best words to say. "Excuse me while I go kill myself..." Snape mumbled under his breath, removing himself from between her thighs.

Quickly regaining his usual demeanor, he spun around to face the students. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing here?!" he yelled at them. Sicilia trembled and clutched at Wystaer, who was standing frozen in disbelief. "It's quite disrespectful to enter without knocking first, and isn't it past curfew?" They quivered silently. "...If I'm not mistaken?" No response. "WELL?!" They flinched.

"...Luci? What's going on?" Wystaer asked cautiously. Snape turned to look at Lucretia, his black hair flying in front of his eyes, who bit her lower lip nervously. She hopped down from the desk and straightened her tie, and approached her friends while her professor fumed and silently panicked in the background. "...you shouldn't have come looking for me," Lucretia said, feeling embarrassed.

"What was that? What was he doing?" Sicilia nearly screamed.

"Calm down... Listen, you can't tell anyone about this. Not a soul!" she whispered.

"We have to! Dumbledore will have to know that Snape is hurting you—"

"He isn't hurting me...he... I... we're in love..."

"WHAT?!" They both yelled loud enough to wake the dead.

"Just believe me. When have I ever lied to you? Don't answer that. Please, just keep it secret, for all our sakes!"

Attempting to regain his composure and control of the situation, Severus said, "I order you to leave my classroom immediately." Wystaer and Sicilia turned towards the door, while Lucretia was reluctant to move.

"All of you. Out of my sight. NOW."

Tears welled up in Lucretia's eyes as her friends dragged her away. His cold gaze seemed to melt slightly.

Severus lay awake in his bed, gently running his fingers through long black hair, unable to fall asleep once again. He reflected on the evening's events, on the past few months, on his whole life. Even after all the brief moments of victory and power he experienced in his younger years, nothing could compare to what he had tasted in this school term.

He had a real reason to stay in the world. Not just for Dumbledore and the Order, or even just for himself... there was something real; someone. Someone who needed him, wanted him, cared for him. Things he never had before.

"You really shouldn't be here..." he said, his voice slightly muffled by fatigue. "I know, but no one else knows...it can be our little secret." Lucretia said, and kissed him goodnight.