Severus was feeling decidedly light-headed. "Why did I say that?" he wondered.

He looked down and found himself examining the stone floor very closely in an effort to stay focused on anything at all. He was just thinking about how extraordinarily clean it was when it suddenly became darker. His eyebrows knitted closely together as he contemplated this strange phenomenon while overlooking the obvious- Anne tapped him on the shoulder and he nearly gasped in surprise.

"Severus, I don't know why you think this about me," Anne said softly, "but I don't want to, either."

She looked at him, soaking in the sight. His eyes were the black found at the deepest reaches of the ocean- cold, but so full of life. His prominent nose cast shadows that twitched over the left side of his face with the flickering candlelight. Anne took a deep, shaky breath.

"I guess we have some catching up to do."

They had talked for hours. It was deep into the night, but neither cared, and as it was Friday the late hour didn't matter, either.

Once Severus got over his initial recalcitrance, Anne was shocked to discover how many similar interests they shared. A significant portion of the time had been passed debating the merits of German singing technique over Italian, which culminated in a brief episode of rival breathing exercises. When Anne realized that they were, in effect, panting at each other she simultaneously blushed and giggled, which drew a raised eyebrow and a change of subject from Snape.

Suddenly shy, Anne looked away from his face and touched a tentative hand to his. When he took it she looked back up and smiled. Severus trailed off in the middle of his sentence (Anne thought dimly that it had been something about Mozart) and looked at her. Intensely.

Anne's heart seemed to skip a beat. She was suddenly flushed and feeling rather odd. Her breathing quickened as she matched his gaze, and she started to open her mouth to say something- anything to keep herself from making another spectacle.

Much to her embarrassment, she yawned. The corner of Severus's mouth twitched as he tried to conceal his amusement.

"I don't entirely agree, but I'm sure that the composer, being dead, won't take offense," he commented dryly.

Anne blinked in surprise and stared blankly at his pale face for a moment, then broke into a slow grin.

"Its so...bloody odd hearing you joke," she said with a sheepish laugh. Gently, she squeezed his hand. "You should do it more often, really."

"Hmm," Severus replied noncommittally.

"Its pretty late," Anne observed as she barely stifled another yawn, "shoudn't we try to slink on back to the dorms?"

"You can if you really want to," he said. He was looking at her again, his black eyes sending both disturbed and arousing chills down her spine, "but I'm staying here. Peeves is nearly always just down the hall this time of night, and its not worth the trouble."

"Oh," Anne said intelligently.

Severus looked impassively back at her and amused by her awkwardness, turned their held hands over so that hers was facing him. He was not nervous this time, because he was engaged in making Anne even more uncomfortable than she already was, and Severus was greatly enjoying his little power trip.

With one long, delicate finger of his free hand, Severus traced slow patterns on her warm skin. Her hand twitched the tiniest bit as she floundered.

"Oh, then...where are we supposed to...I mean me! Er...I'm going to sleep?"

"Mmhmm?" Severus was busy raising goosebumps on Anne's arm.

With his murmured bass hum, Anne twitched again and fairly squeaked, "Where? I mean...um..." her voice settled to its normal register, "Where are we- that is to say, I! Where am I going to sleep?"

"Oh, I don't know..." he drawled, "right here?"

Anne's eyes widened. She had no idea what to say. Would it be too forward to accept to sleeping on the couch with him? "Its just sleeping," she argued with herself. "but what if he tries to...what if YOU try to...!"

Severus, meanwhile, was feeling rather guilty about toying with her mind in such a manner. Not enough so that he wasn't enjoying the look on her face, but enough to decide that it was time to end the game.

"Yes, I think you'll be most comfortable here," he said, and rose. He gently let go of her hand and watched it fall into her lap, seemingly deboned. "I'm sleeping there," Severus pointed at an easy chair that Anne hadn't noticed a few feet to the right of the couch.

"Oh, all right," Anne replied and nodded as if she'd known that all along.

"Good night, then," Severus nodded back at her, and walked to the chair, where he wrapped his cloak around himself like a blanket.

"Good night."

With mingled feelings of relief and regret, the two settled themselves comfortably for the night. Within minutes, all was silent save for soft noises of breathing.

Moonlight filtered in through the dungeon room's enchanted window and reflected dreamily from the few surfaces it touched. Among them were the two shining black eyes that gazed wonderingly at the sleeping young woman on an otherwise unremarkable old couch.

A/N Yes, it has been a long time. I apologize! I was dealing with a million and a half things (including writer's block...yuck), but now everything is back to normal and I should be posting regularly. Thanks for reading, and please review!