"What are you able to do so far?" he asked.

"Basics. Impedimenta Curse, Leg-Locker Curse, Shield Charm, that sort of thing. Look, I can take a boggart or a grindylow, but I am awful at dueling," Marya said in frustration, "and it doesn't help that our teachers the last couple of years were not exactly the cream of the crop. Assume I don't know much of anything."

"Alright." Severus looked around. Taking her by the shoulders, he turned her towards another tall shrub. "Pretend this is a Dark Wizard, attacking... shall we say, Remus Lupin?" he said with a sneer. "What would you do to stop his attacker? Give it your best shot."

Marya inhaled deeply, raised her wand and cast the Blasting Curse she had been unsuccessfully trying for the last hour. The result: another small cloud of dust. She could have smacked herself – why hadn't she chosen a spell she had mastered, like the Reductor Curse. No, she had to make a fool out of herself in front of him yet again.

"No. Altogether inadequate. You are going about it quite the wrong way." Impatiently, he stepped right up behind her, so close that the front of his robe touched her back. Reaching around, he put his hand over her wand hand, guiding her through the motions. "Here, like this."

Marya couldn't breathe all of a sudden. He was standing so close she could feel the warmth of his body. His long, narrow fingers felt cool over hers. Her mind went blank.

"Miss Morava, are you paying attention?" he hissed in her ear. "I have other things I could be doing with my time if you are not interested in concentrating."

Struggling to regain her composure, Marya nodded. Snape stepped a couple of feet away.

"Try again," he commanded.

Still breathing shallowly, Marya complied, trying to duplicate what he had shown her.

This time the bush moved as if hit by a sudden gust of wind. Better.

"Not good enough. Try to picture in your mind, make it as real as you can. A Death Eater attacking your... dearest love," he said, with a mocking intonation, "and then put that emotion behind the curse. Mean it."

Marya obediently closed her eyes. She tried to picture the scene – torches, moving shadows in the darkness. A dark-hooded figure pointing a wand at the one she loved. She imagined the beginnings of a Cruciatus Curse forming on the lips of the Dark Wizard, imagined Severus' knees buckling as the spell hit.....

With a shout, she took one step forward, her wand flew up - and the roots of the shrub blew apart as if hit by lightning, sending it flying.

"Better." His voice was cool now. "Shall we continue tomorrow?"

She nodded mutely.

"My office, 8 pm," he said before stalking away without as much as another glance towards her.

Marya stared at the remains of the bush in slack-jawed amazement. She had never been able to anything remotely like this before. No matter how much he sneered and ridiculed, he was a good teacher. She would take all the help she could get.

- - -

When Marya showed up at his office the next evening, Snape was already waiting for her.

"Follow me," he said, and led her to a dungeon a couple doors down the hallway.

When she walked through the door, she noticed in trepidation that the floor and walls had been covered with thick padding. What did Snape know that she didn't?

"Positions," Snape said, and Marya obediently moved to one end of the room. The Potions master took the other.

"We will focus on practicing blocking and disarming," Snape said. "Defend yourself. Expelliarmus!"

His wand pointed at her before she even had a chance to prepare. The force of the spell caused her wand to fly out of her hand, and threw her against the back wall with a heavy thud. The impact completely knocked the wind out of her. Well, she now knew what the padding was for.

Snape strode over and proffered his hand. "Well, that was impressive," he sneered.

Marya let him help her up, more injured in her pride than anywhere else. "You could have given me a minute to get ready."

"In real life, you will not have a minute," he snapped. "You will need to be alert and ready at any time."

After Marya summoned her wand, they moved back into positions.

"Let's try again," Snape said. "Avoid or counter the spell any way you can think of. Expelliarmus!"

He worked her mercilessly for about two hours. After the twentieth time she hit the padding, she lost count. Bathed in sweat, her hair hanging in disheveled tangles, and so tired that she could barely stand up any more, she was more than relieved when Snape finally decided to call it a day. But she had learned how to block much more efficiently, her reaction time had become much better – and she had even succeeded in disarming her instructor once or twice. Progress, definitely.

As he held the door open for her to leave, she stopped. "I can't thank you enough for doing this,"she said hesitantly. "I know you are quite busy – may I ask why you offered to help me out? It was... unexpected, though quite welcome."

"Well, everyone knows I always wanted to teach Defense against the Dark Arts, do they not?" he said with a sneer. "Honestly, it has nothing to do with you. I am indebted to Albus Dumbledore. Keeping you from getting killed or incapacitated within five seconds seems a reasonable way to repay him, since he at least does seem to care about you."

As soon as the sentence was out of his mouth, he regretted it. He could see in her face that it had stung her.

"Well, thank you anyways," she said quietly, and turned to leave.

"Tomorrow, same time?" he called after her.

"I'll be here," she answered.

For more than a fortnight, Snape worked with her almost every evening, though he kept the lessons to about an hour or so after the first night. Every morning Marya discovered muscles aching she didn't even know she possessed, and required the use of a potion to even be able to get out of bed. Every inch of her felt bruised and battered.

She was amazed at how much progress she was making though – now, she was able to block and deflect most unfriendly spells fairly proficiently, and she as able to use a variety of curses and hexes, offensively and defensively. On Friday night, she was back in the dungeon, where Snape was waiting. There were cages with animals of assorted size lined up along one wall.

"I suggest we work on stunning spells today," he said as soon as she arrived.

"I doubt you will be able to do much damage at first, but I would rather not have you practice on me, just on the off chance you are having a good day," he said, one corner of his mouth curling up.

Marya sighed. She hated to admit it, but his confidence in her 'abilities' was probably justified. Determinedly, she set to work.

She had progressed from being able to stun a mouse to being able to stun a small dog when she saw his face go paler than usual, and his hand clutch his forearm.

"I am afraid I will have to go," he said in a clipped voice.

As he hurried out the door, she called after him. "Severus!"

He paused for a second.

"Take care of yourself," she whispered awkwardly. He nodded without looking at her, and then he was gone.

- - -

Marya went back to the dungeon the next evening, but he wasn't there. The cages of animals were still lined up along the wall. She decided to just go ahead and practice on her own.

After several futile attempts, she gave up. She simply couldn't concentrate. Her heart and mind were elsewhere.

Usually he was only gone for a few hours when he was summoned. Often, no one knew he had even gone until he showed up at Headquarters to give a new report. What was taking so long?

She was pacing back and forth in her quarters later that night when she felt a strange sensation. It took a second to register – it was the pendant she had worn day and night since it had been given to her, pulsating gently against her skin.

A/N: I promise we are not heading for a Severus-almost-Crucio'd-to-death-and-Marya-nurses-him-back-to-health finale. Cross my heart.