Thank you, thank you for being supportive about that last chapter - I sweated buckets over it, I can tell you! There are messages for all my reviewers of that last chapter at the end.
I thought you might be interested to know, this next chapter was the very first one I wrote. This whole story evolved around it. Naturally it has changed a bit since that first idea, but the spark of the idea is responsible for everything you've read so far and are yet to read.
Chapter Sixteen
ALICE
Before she left the castle to go for her walk, she returned to her room and went to her handbag. She found her CD player and checked it. To her surprise, it was still working. Eagerly, she put the earplugs in, hung the player on her shoulder and walked back down the corridor, up the stairs and out of the castle towards the lake, all the time soaking up the music flowing into her ears.
She hadn't realised how much she'd missed music. This was such a treat, listening to other people's music, rather than having to rely on her own piano playing all the time she'd been in Hogwarts. Some of her favourite songs, her favourite singers were on this CD.
She wandered by the lake, listening to the music, watching the full moon reflecting in the water and wondering if it looked as beautiful from the muggle side of the archway.
Well, she'd be able to check tomorrow when she was back home...
...she suddenly imagined herself standing on the other side of the archway, with nothing but castle ruins surrounding her, knowing the Professor was somewhere around, going about his business, so near and yet so impossibly far.
The thought made her feel slightly sick.
She had to admit something was happening; something had shifted inside her that was making her think of him in a different way; so much so, the thought of going home left her with a cold, empty feeling.
But she shouldn't feel like that. It was hopeless; ridiculous.
There had been a few moments when she'd thought perhaps he was showing some interest - when he'd opened the door to her this evening, his eyes had widened in surprise and, what had looked like delight, as though the sight of her had pleased him. But then came that bitchy comment about her appearance, so...
...and OK perhaps she'd had an effect on him the night of the Night Diamond, but most straight men would be the same at the sight of a female body through a wet dress.
Even the look she'd seen for a moment behind his eyes tonight that had set fireworks off inside her...
In any other man, she would have taken these things as a signal he was interested; but there was no point in reading anything into any of it, because this wasn't any other man; this was Professor Severus Snape - cold, unapproachable and uninterested in the extreme.
She looked away into the distance as her eyes began to prickle.
And yet, he had sat on the edge of the bed, sponging the cool balm over her face and even in her confused mind, she had recognised how different his touch had been compared to the day she'd arrived at Hogwarts...
...he'd given up his bed for her...looked after her...
She spluttered a laugh...he'd even stooped to a muggle-style toast this evening, when it had clearly bothered him to do so...
She rubbed her arms as she strolled along. The storm had broken the weather. It was still warm, but a fresh breeze was rippling over the lake, putting goose pimples on her arms.
She reached the willow and sighed as she leaned up against it and looked out at the beautiful view. She was going to miss...
...this.
And then a song began that she had forgotten was on the CD. A song she loved, but didn't listen too very much because it held a special place in her heart and the moments were very personal.
She stepped away from the tree and pressed the button that restarted the song:
'Alice' by Tom Waits.
The lyrics were incredibly sad, but so beautiful - the music, slow, dreamy and very, very smoochy.
As always whenever she listened to this song, her eyes closed and she began to sway to the music, her hands joined loosely behind her back, and, as always, her imaginary dance partner joined her.
Andi had never put a face to this person. He was someone who always stepped out of the ether as the song began and who faded away as it finished. It never happened with any other song - just 'Alice'.
She imagined his arm slipping around her back, hers to his shoulder, he clasped her right hand and held it close to his body as they danced, their feet barely moving. His cheek would press lightly against her temple, his mouth close to her ear.
The warmth of emotion that welled up inside as their bodies moved to the smokey, sensual sound, was more than she had ever encountered in any genuine situation. She had never danced to this song with any real person because she'd never yet met the man who could equal the feelings her secret partner moved in her.
He was special. He was...special.
The heat of the night infused her senses. The music was hypnotic; the sensations rising in her, intoxicating. A tiny bead of a tear appeared in the outer corner of her eye as the song slipped into the sax solo, and such was her altered state of consciousness, Andi actually lifted her arms to slide them around an imaginary neck. She felt the reassuring solidness of his body against her own, the gentle breathing against her ear and then the roughness of his jaw as it moved across her skin, their faces remaining in contact as she tilted her head upwards, eyes still closed, lips just a breath away from his.
The hands on her back pulled her gently closer, the first touch to her lips so light, the breeze might have played across them. Slowly, softly, their mouths came together and she melted into the delicious, sensual taste of him; into the heat rising from their bodies; into the feeling that this was so...right.
Never had she felt like this, especially from just a kiss. He could ask anything of her right now and she knew she would comply; her body was completely aroused. Her senses were drowning in the security of his arms and in the sweet, herby scent of his body...
Andi gasped, her eyes shot open and she staggered backwards.
The moment crashed around her as the song finished and she found herself completely alone beside the water.
Frantically, her eyes darted over the grass, over the lake, even into the distant trees.
She was quite alone.
But that kiss..!
She raised a trembling hand to her mouth, and found it still moist. Her heart was beating fast, her skin had turned colder. It was true, she'd never been so intoxicated with the moment before, but neither had she ever been left with the trace of his kiss still tingling on her lips, the taste of him still strong to her senses...
...and the scent of his body so powerfully familiar.
Shivering with shock, she wrapped her arms around her body and began making her way back towards the castle, feeling confused, dazed and a little frightened.
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If you are curious to know what Andi is listening to, you can hear a 30 min extract or even download the entire song at amazon .Just go to Popular Music, Tom Waits, Alice.
TheRealiz: There were three reasons why Snape was upset about the eye/dress comment.
1) It's a very old trick and although he may not necessarily believe Andi had done it on purpose, it had caught him out, and effectively changed his observation into an unintentional compliment.
2) It had also let slip that he'd taken notice of her eye colour before that night.
3) He'd suddenly realised how cozy-cozy they'd been, serving food to each other.
In other words, he'd been caught off guard, so he had to recover with the spiteful remark. Actually, I can't believe just how many mistakes he made during that dinner!
Kerichi: Yeah, what is it about SS/HG fics? I love them too, but I don't know why.
Flamethrowerqueen: Then my work here is done! Welcome to the drooling club.
Celtic Elf: My first and constant reviewer. LOL.xxx
Prissy & Andromida: Your search today has not been in vain. Thanks for your reviews.
Thousandl: Don't panic. After all, tomorow is another day!
FemmeLoki: Yep! and I'm so glad you found Grill's 'The Seduction Game'. Great, isn't it?