"My Inner Eye senses that someone will be late for the staff meeting!"
All faces turned toward Sybill Trelawney, Professor of Divination. Severus looked sourly at the scatterbrained woman seated a few chairs away. It was apparent to anyone who bothered to look that only one professor was not present in the staff lounge.
He idly listened to the conversations around him. Professor Flitwick was trying to convince the Ancient Runes Professor, Stuart Smalley, to accompany him the next time Gaelic Uprising played in Hogsmeade. Severus' upper lip curled- the name sounded more like a Goblin rebellion than a musical group. Across the room, Professor Tonks' face was turning as red as her hair.
She jumped up from her seat on a sofa next to another professor, turned on the man, and yelled venomously, "Sod off, wanker!"
Smothered laughter filled the room as Dumbledore stepped in and deftly prevented the DADA teacher from using the wand she was now waving about. Making soothing sounds and whispering sympathetically, the crafty wizard moved the irate woman towards a chair by the Astronomy Professor. Glaring and muttering probable obscenities, the offended woman sent a rude hand signal to the reprobate and slumped into her new seat. Obviously, Manny Hands, the Muggle Studies Professor, was aptly named. Severus speculated what Hands' middle initial stood for. Randy? Roger? Roving?
Dumbledore's move to stand beside the fireplace captured everyone's attention. As the Headmaster prepared to start the meeting, the latecomer rushed through the doorway.
"Sorry I'm late," Professor Lorelei said breathlessly.
"She must have run to get here," Professor Sprout observed in an undertone to Professor McGonagall. In a lower voice, she asked, "Does anyone know if Professor Lorelei has a gentleman friend?"
Severus' uncontrollable burst of coughing drew the women's attention.
McGonagall transfigured her cup of tea into a tumbler of water. She handed Severus the glass and said, "Mind you drink it all," before turning back to resume her conversation. "It would not surprise me in the least," she told Sprout, "It's obvious the woman took no time to groom her hair...so untidy."
Meow, Severus thought, as he watched Lorelei scan the room for an empty seat. When she moved toward the empty chair on his left, Severus quickly pretended to focus intently on Dumbledore's response to various teachers' comments on progress and policies. Under the pretext of adjusting his robes, he stealthily observed the woman now sitting next to him. She appeared in good health. When she had not attended meals the previous day, the staff had speculated she was ill. Remembering their awkward conversation, Severus knew otherwise. She was avoiding him. He told himself it was for the best. He did not miss her distracting presence. He had extinguished her inconvenient attraction and he was satisfied.
And yet...
She was tilting her head slightly to the left, giving the appearing of listening attentively to Dumbledore's remarks. Feeling her slanting gaze, he stiffened. From the corner of his eye, Severus caught Lorelei's smile. His fleeting look met hers. She winked. He immediately gave Dumbledore's closing comments about the upcoming Hogsmeade Weekend his utmost attention. No need to encourage continued flirtation.
"Good Morning."
Severus looked up. The meeting was over and Professor Lorelei was standing in preparation to leave. He faced her impassively. He would not reply. He would leave and—
"Is it?" Apparently, his voice of reason had been told to shove off by something he bloody well refused to identify.
"I told myself it wasn't," she said. "I thought it was horrid and I wasn't going to care about it anymore." Her smile was self deprecating. "But I do care."
She did? Not that it influenced him in any way. "Good morning," he said and left.
.
Lorelei took heart that he hadn't said that he didn't care. Later, following the group of students starting to climb the flight of steps from the dungeons, Lorelei caught their air of anticipation. The older students were looking forward to going to Hogsmeade the next day. She was looking forward to meeting Tonks and Remus at the Three Broomsticks. Lorelei wondered if Remus would sing for them.
Halfway up, her right foot sank down into the step and became trapped. Lorelei heard a wicked cackle and knew at once who was responsible.
"Lorelei told a lie, Lorelei told a lie," the mischievous poltergeist sang over and over as he wheeled overhead. Students halted on the steps to see what was happening.
"I didn't lie to you," Lorelei said to the ghost now floating upside down in front of her. "You never showed up for me to finish the song."
"Technicality!" Peeves screeched.
The students leaving Professor Snape's last morning class joined their counterparts already watching the scene avidly.
Lorelei cringed as she heard students at the top of the stairs call out to friends passing by. The corridor leading to the Great Hall jammed with curious faces. A group of familiar Gryffindors pushed their way through the students at the top of the steps to join the crowd of furiously whispering spectators. The situation was rapidly becoming a nightmare.
She tried to bargain. "I'll sing you the song tonight, but you have to let me go now."
"Not until you sing, Lore - liar!"
"What is going on here?" Snape's voice cowed the crowd to near silence. He waded through the sea of students to Lorelei.
She felt herself blush and wished the trick step had swallowed her entire body. "I can handle this situation. You don't have to—"
"Malfoy?" Snape said.
Draco Malfoy, leaning casually against the wall near the top step, answered, "She promised Peeves a song and didn't deliver."
"It isn't that simple," she said.
Snape turned to Peeves. "Will you agree to release the Professor after one song?"
"Yes, Yes, Yes!" Peeves' enthusiastic nods of agreement caused him to summersault in midair.
Severus told Lorelei, "This school adheres to a strict code of honour. I suggest you lead by example. Sing whatever song you rashly promised and allow the rest of us to get on with our day." His tone became silky. "Or do you enjoy being the centre of attention?"
Taken at face value, the speech was a verbal slap in the face. Lorelei flushed with humiliation. Then she took a closer look into his glittering eyes. He was goading her to act. Somehow, he knew that embarrassment and uncertainty were paralyzing her. He was giving her a way out of this farce, if she was woman enough to take it.
Lorelei resolved that she was. Keeping her eyes fixed on her unlikely rescuer, she said, "Pay attention, Peeves, because you're singing the last chorus. I'll be singing counterpoint." She started to sing softly, a deceptively sweet first line about singing when winning before transitioning to a defiant anthem of getting knocked down but getting up again because nothing was going to keep her down.
After singing the chorus again, she shifted into facetious sweetness, which was at odds with the lyrics about pissing the night away. Hoping she wouldn't soon receive Howlers ranting about her promotion of underage drinking, she continued with the verse she'd sung to Peeves on the first day she'd arrived, about a man who drinks whiskey, vodka, lager, and cider drinks.
The remainder of the song was sung in the same pseudo sweet or defiant style - to an audience of one. The small crowd was reacting in various ways. A few were shocked and likely to owl their parents directly. Others seemed amused that Professor Lorelei would dare sing a song like this to Snape. Lorelei didn't care what anyone else thought. She was fixated on the man who was staring back at her, elated to see him struggle not to smile.
At the end of the song, she was freed from the step. The flow of young people moving up and out to the Great Hall resumed. A few called out that they liked her song. She said thanks and continued to stand beside Snape. Eventually, he returned her scrutiny. She decided to be bold. "Thank you, Severus."
"You're Welcome, Lorelei."
Never had the use of first names affected her so deeply. She felt like a Victorian ready to swoon. "Would you like to have lunch with me in the kitchen?"
"The hordes in the Great Hall will have to be braved eventually," he said.
That wasn't why she wanted them to eat in private, but if Snape—Severus—wasn't ready to call a date a date, Lorelei would play along. "By dinner there will be a new scandal."
"Hmmm. Perhaps in this case discretion is the better part of valour." He offered his arm in a charmingly old-fashioned gesture.
Lorelei grinned like the fool he probably thought she was and placed her hand upon his sleeve.
.
The castle kitchen hummed with activity. At lengthy tables placed in stations around the enormous stone chamber, House-elves were busy finishing their preparations for the noon meal. The elves were proud that the kitchen had not changed since the Middle Ages, when it was enlarged to its present massive size.
House-elves didn't need modern appliances and gadgets to prepare food for the wizard folk in their care. Their magic was such that even the great central fireplace and the several other smaller ones were unnecessary. The elves merely kept the fires lit in appreciation for the warmth and ambiance. Dressed in spotless tea towels, the elves conjured a vast array of foods and effortlessly used magic to transport the plates and platters to the diners in the Great Hall.
Only two pairs of large tennis ball shaped eyes did not gleam with pride and job satisfaction in Hogwarts kitchen. The exceptions were dressed in clothing and watched the hustle and bustle from their seats by small side fireplace. Dobby was undecided as to who he pitied more- the workers content in their servitude, or friend beside him. Winky had lost her sense of self along with her Master. She twisted the fabric of her West Ham tee-shirt with one hand and sipped from a bottle of Butterbeer with the other.
If Winky whimpers Master one more time. Dobby's attention was diverted by the opening of a door. He leapt up joyfully.
"Professor Lorelei is here in Dobby's kitchen!" The giddy elf scurried across the room to grab the professor's slender hand and shake it vigorously. Looking past the kind and generous freer of elves, Dobby's eyes goggled even more. Lorelei was with Professor Snape!
He said, "Lorelei, friend to elves, is bringing...a guest to visit Dobby?"
Dobby ignored the sour look given by the man mean to Harry Potter. He listened to his friend, who wanted to eat in the kitchen with nasty Professor Snape. Lorelei smiled and pointed to a small worktable standing unused in a far corner. Dobby nodded his head in uncertain agreement. Wanting to ensure that the horrid professor was not horrible to Dobby's friend, the elf followed the pair silently and hid behind a nearby cupboard to observe whatever happened.
Dobby is proud that Lorelei is remembering the food conjuring spell her friend Dobby taught her. He stared dubiously at the strange meal that appeared.
"Stilton and halved black grapes with butter lettuce on walnut bread and strawberries with Devonshire cream," Lorelei told the man raising a haughty brow. "I've noticed your fondness. Beef and Stilton, pear and Stilton, Stilton and chutney, Stilton!" She alarmed Dobby with her teasing smile. "All that Stilton has affected your voice, made it lush and smooth."
"Are you calling me cheesy?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Lorelei's cheeks were pink. She pointed to the table. "I didn't know what you'd want to drink. My friend Piper tells me that Stilton is good with jammy red wines, but I wouldn't know a Bordeaux blend from a Blackberry Cordial."
Professor Snape pulled out a chair for Lorelei and replied after they were seated and he conjured two goblets, "I think cold spring water will suffice. My afternoon Potions' class requires every faculty to avoid disaster."
Dobby peered through the gap between the wall and the cupboard. Why is Lorelei noticing what Professor Snape likes to eat? Why is he curving his lips nicely at Dobby's friend instead of sneering? Lorelei should not be looking at Professor Snape that way. Dobby must tell Dumbledore about this! He backed away and headed for the Headmaster's office.
