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Wild Horses

The door to the Banquet Hall opened with out a sound and the young man stepped out into the blinding light. He was tall, slim, his face was long but soft. His long black hair fell loosely to his shoulders; wisps of bangs fell in front of his opaque eyes.

Several of the seventh years blushed as the man made his way to the center of the room. His clothes were simple: boots, black slacks, loose white collared button down shirt, tailored black blazer. He approached the teachers table first and took a sip of the punch. He looked around the room. He saw the girls and nodded their way. They giggled and turned. The young man shook his head.

He meticulously scanned the room. The dance floor was full. People whirled and twirled in their masks and dresses as the invisible band played on.

He peered through the crowd until he found his destination. He moved through the colorful young bodies.

He stood right by her. She was beautiful. She danced slowly with the head of the school, Albus Dumbledore. He tapped on his shoulder and turned to face the man in the half moon glasses.

"Do you mind if I cut in?"

The music stopped. Everyone in the room turned to see who had the courage to interrupt a dance with the headmaster of Hogwarts. The young man did not waver. He reached his hand to the lady across from him.

"My I?"

Dumbledore nodded and stepped back. Maylin stood stunned.

"Of course you may lad," Dumbledore gave the young man the woman's hand.

"I'm glad you could join us, Severus."

Snape bowed to the older man. The seventh year girls and the rest of the school gasped in surprise.

"Music?" Snape asked aloud. A slow waltz began to play in the background. Snape slipped his arm around Maylin's waist and took her hand in his. He pulled her close and took a step to the music. She followed. Her dress was soft to the touch. Apparently she had decided to wear the same perfume as she did the last time this dress was worn, and then promptly removed.

I've always worn this.

I know. He replied with an open mind.

You dance, well.

Thank you.

I hate this music, Severus.

Think they have any Rolling Stones?

I could make that happen.

We'd most certainly end up in detention.

I cannot recall a single bad detention I ever served with you Professor Snape.

Snape half smiled her way.

Don't push it young lady.

For a moment they were silent enjoying the awkwardly comfortable movement. They were both painfully aware that all eyes were on them, but inside neither dancer really cared.

You look handsome. Maylin smiled.

That was the point. Snape smiled back. The room gasped again.

Why did you come out tonight?

Snape paused to choose his words.

Let's just say you won…

Maylin shook her head and sighed.

I won't let you forget that.

I know.

For the rest of the dance they moved in silence. Sometimes they looked at one another. Sometimes their eyes were closed. Sometimes they smiled. But all the while they danced, and for better or worse, they remembered.

When the music ended, he held her. He pulled her close and embraced her. Her hair smelled like heaven. She returned the embrace in full. As they parted, her lips grazed his clean face.

I need a drink...

Maylin put her head on his shoulder…I believe that can be arranged.

The two of them slowly pulled apart and moved toward the teacher table. Eyes followed them as they raised their glasses. The punch has since become more potent, it was smooth and soothing. From the corner of the table Madame Hooch smiled and gave two thumbs up before returning to her glass. Maylin laughed aloud as her throat cleared.

"It's good punch…are you sure you're allowed to drink this stuff, young man?" Snape smirked and nodded. "Please, Professor, I turned twenty three yesterday." Maylin smiled, "It suits you, well. I remember twenty three."

"I know."

As they picked up their second drink Dumbledore came to the table. His eyes glowed behind his glasses. He raised his hands and placed them on Snape's shoulders.

"My friend, Severus, I must say, I am grateful you came out of your shell tonight, is it not a most lovely evening?"

"I dare say it is," replied Snape eying the woman by his side. Maylin turned to hide her blush and politely excused herself to answer the beckoning calls of the Weasley twins. Snape watched as she walked to the cheerful boys.

"The students are quite taken with her," remarked Dumbledore. Snape nodded in agreement. "Who wouldn't be?"

Dumbledore peered over his glasses. "Severus, how are you dealing with her being here?"

Snape could see where Dumbledore was heading with his question. It unnerved him only slightly.

"I'm fine. I'd being lying if I said the "what if" never crossed my mind. But Maylin and I have spoken. We're colleagues." He had to spit out the last word. He took a sip and watched her.

"You missed her, didn't you?"

Snape nodded, "Very much so."

"You do understand why I didn't consult you when I approached her about the job, do you not?"

Snape returned his focus to the old man.

"I would've said no."

"I know," Albus picked up a glass of punch. Snape looked at him with a hint of confusion. "It's only one night," he said. "Besides, it seems everyone has let their hair down, especially you. Tonight is a night to celebrate." Snape and Dumbledore raised their glasses. "To tonight," toasted Dumbledore. Snape echoed, "To tonight."

The party continued long through the night past the quiet hours. The students danced and laughed, the professors did the same. The hall glowed with its Halloween brilliance. Several floating pumpkins eventually met their explosive demise at the hands of one Professor Hunter and her two redheaded cohorts.

"The Lads," she affectionately called them, George and Fred Weasley. They were seventh years, tall and lanky with eyes for mischief and laughter. They joked with Maylin, and made her feel much younger than she was.

"Please make it explode," one would say then the other chimed in, "Dumbledore

loves pumpkin juice, he won't mind at all."

"Yeah, what he said."

Maylin waved her hands at them.

"Lads…"

"We're not Lads," said George.

"We're men," continued Fred.

"And we want to be entertained," finished George.

"Entertain you?" Maylin placed one hand on her chest and the other on her forehead. "I do declare, you…Men… are so damn demanding."

"And sexy." Fred grinned.

"Right, very sexy." George followed, grin and all.

Maylin smirked and laughed. "Alright…alright, which one dies first?"

"You're choice, beautiful," answered George.

Fred just grinned.

Maylin nodded and stepped on to one of the table tops. From across the way, she could feel Snape's eyes follow her. This time it was he who made the face. But he shook his head and continued his conversation with Professor McGonagall.

Maylin balanced herself and raised her hands. The room went silent. Maylin put her hands down and on to her hips. "What now, everyone? It's not like you haven't seen it in class before." She eyed the pumpkin; sized it up from all angles. It was a rather large specimen. She looked up further and found another of comparable size, and then another. I wonder…

Maylin found five pumpkins to her liking and pointed to each of them with her finger. Yes that will do…

She opened her mind for a moment, Severus…

Snape looked up from his conversation, "Yes, Professor, what sort of hell are you causing now?"

Maylin gave her best Weasley grin.

"Send me my wand over, will you?"

Snape continued to stare her down.

Please?

Snape pulled his wand from his pocket and floated hers from her bag to her. Maylin wrapped her fingers around the end and pointed up.

Thank you, dear.

Just don't hurt anyone.

Maylin nodded and once again raised her hands. The pumpkins floated innocently above her. She called to the pumpkins. "Vanga leviosa." One by one they floated to her, in order she tapped each pumpkin and sent them back on their merry way.

The Weasley boys' eyes couldn't decide where to stare. Each had one eye on the pumpkins and the other eye on the Professor.

Maylin closed her eyes and set her spell. One by one they all will fall, but spill no blood, but pumpkin on the wall.

Maylin nodded and stepped down off the table. She winked at Snape and motioned for him to look up. He saw the pumpkins rumbling in mid-air. He sighed and shook his head. It's your spell Severus. He waited for a moment and stared at her. She was doing it again. Fire and ice all at once consumed him, And what for, he thought, over a simple magic spell…

Snape nodded, raised his wand and softly muttered.

"Aliomextatus."

Maylin smiled and rejoined her Boys. "Remove your eyes from my breasts and look up I promise they'll be there later," she told them.

The twins changed their gaze. Above them the pumpkins began to shake with terrible fury. Dumbledore looked upwards and grinned. He had seen this done once a long time ago. Good thing I like pumpkin juice.

Finally the terrible shaking ended and for a moment there was peace. The students turned confusingly to one another before they heard it. A loud screech came from one of the pumpkins. Its carved face turned downward and glared at the Twins and the rest of the room.

It laughed hideously and it eyes turned bright blood red. It began to spin around faster and faster until it shot straight up and crashed into the second pumpkin. The explosion was loud and very, very orange. It then bounced back and hit the third pumpkin with even more fury than the second one. Then the forth met it's demise followed by the grand finale. The fifth pumpkin huffed and puffed when it saw the first one approach. They both stopped in mid-air and with carved eyes stared one another down. As it huffed it grew larger until it was almost the size of all five pumpkins combined and then…

"Professor Dumbledore, Sir!"

Nearly Headless Nick Flew through the wall and straight into the fifth pumpkin. It explosion was so intense it through Nick off course and into the other wall of the Main Hall.

While the rest of the oohed and ahhed, Maylin ran to Dumbledore where she was met by Snape and the rest of the teaching staff. Nick once again appeared through the wall. He wiped invisible dust off of his iridescent body and frantically flagged down Dumbledore.

"There is something in the building and I for one have never seen such a thing." Nick tried to keep his voice as low as possible. Maylin stepped forward. "What does it look like Sir Nicholas?" He glanced her way and addressed the whole staff.

"It's large, with wings, looks rather like a dragon with pieces of a man, the eyes they look human, I assure you my fine friends whatever that be is it is most certainly not human."

Snape put a quiet hand on Maylin's back and leaned into the ghost. "Where did

you see it last, Nick?"

Nick looked toward Snape.

Actually, it was in the dungeon's around where your little ones sleep, by the statue. And then again it was in the North Tower, by the Griffyndors."

Snape nodded. "It's after a child." He turned to Maylin, her eyes were closed, her mouth moving only slightly. "Anything yet, Professor?"

Maylin shook her head "no." There was a presence. But perhaps the creature wasn't an advanced enough specimen of life to get her a good signal. Dumbledore had the prefects guide the different houses back to their common rooms.

As the students filed out, the professors huddled in closely to one another. McGonagall spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen it seems we have an issue on our hands. Flintwick, go with Madame Sinistra. Binns you go with Sir Nicholas and try to find the creature. Professor Snape take the Dungeons and lower levels, Professor Hunter, go with him. The rest come with me, Meet in Dumbledore's office once this thing is found and destroyed."

McGonagall's voice was quick and snappy. Snape helped up Maylin. Her mind was still trying to break the creature down.

Their stealthy and steady pace grew as Maylin narrowed in on the being. Snape opened his mind and became her eyes.

"It's definitely on the lower level…South Hall." Maylin stuttered through her directions. "There's something else…" Snape quickened. "What else do you see," he asked urgently. Maylin shook her head.

"Something…no…someone, small, dark hair…a child!"

"Where?"

Maylin opened her eyes.

"Ravenclaw! Down to the left by their common room. It has a child."

The pace turned to a straight sprint. Maylin pulled her wand from her bag. "Robious," she summoned and instantly her clothes had gone from her white dress to her traditional black leather. She put her hands on her sides. She was armed and Snape was right behind.

"Like old times, Severus?"

He nodded as he ran.

"Just like old times."

-Hey this updating thing is great, you know what else is great? Poptarts!

Anyhoo I just wanted to thank those who've added their 2 cents in about the story. I really appreciate it. Makes me feel like I'm not wasting my time here. So read it, write me and tell your friends to do the same. J

Quick question to a reviewer:

billiejoe: You mentioned elder Malfoy's age in a review, where did you find that? I've cased the books but nothing sticks out. I'm looking to a future unrelated story about Lucius M. and the Harry Potter age game has always confused me. So any help would rock.