Lorelei wound her way through the pumpkin patch as she returned to the castle. Once she reached the last colossal pumpkin, she glanced back to see four faces watching from the large window. Lorelei waved, turned, and promptly walked into an orange wall. She righted herself and continued on her way, refusing to check and see if the audience was still at the window.
If only she had casually confirmed that the socks were hers, but no, she had to choke on her tea and make everyone suspicious. She needed to find out where Severus was so she could fill him in on Mad Hagrid's Tea Party, and a certain friendly house elf was the most knowledgeable person to ask.
.
"Gerroff Winky!"
Dobby tried to pry Winky's fingers from the bottle of Butterbeer. He wished he had paid attention when his friend had started raving about not wanting to drink alone. Avoiding the descending Butterbeer and trying to get off the floor where Winky had him pinned down was harder than it probably looked. Garrghhh! She'd managed to pour some Butterbeer into his mouth. He spit it back out, inadvertently spraying Winky in the face.
"Winky's eyes is burning, is burning!"
Dobby grabbed a tea towel and handed it to his friend to wipe her face. The house-elf he had taken it from hastily conjured another one. Dobby ignored the elf's resentful mutterings. Winky was not getting better. He was going to have to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore again about helping her. She needed to go to BAA...Butterbeer Abusers Anonymous.
"Dobby?"
He Apparated to the side of the woman waiting by the kitchen door. "Professor Lorelei is visiting Dobby's kitchen again! Dobby is so happy to see his friend!"
"I'm always happy to see you too," Professor Lorelei said. She asked with wide eyes, "Where did you get that...uh...lovely sock?"
Dobby preened. "Dumbledore gives it to Dobby when no one is claiming it from his office." He looked down at the black silk sock with the letter 'L' embroidered around the top. "The sock is looking very well with the blue sock given to Dobby by Harry Potter." The tips of his ears grew hot as he saw how Lorelei could not tear her gaze away from his mismatched socks.
"Well...that's...splendid, Dobby." She bent to whisper, "I need to find Professor Snape. Could you do that for me?"
He didn't want to, but she was his friend, and she admired his socks. Dobby spoke to an elf on the other side of the room and then told her, "Dusty has just finished cleaning the library and he was seeing Snape in the Restricted Section."
"Thank you."
Dobby waved goodbye and returned to Winky's side. Perhaps he could get her to talk about something other than Master.
The window seat in the back corner of the library's Restricted Section was one of Severus' favourite places to read. The appeal wasn't the lighting or atmosphere, but the seat itself. Wide enough to sit sideways with his legs stretched out on the seat and his back cushioned with a pillow against the wall, and deep enough that another person could do the same beside him, the velvet covered seat was incredibly comfortable. It was also private, as students were prohibited without a teacher's signed permission and fellow teachers were seldom interested in the books there.
Today, he leafed through a couple pages of Moste Potent Potions before laying the book on the floor. Irma Pince would have kittens if she could see a precious book treated so carelessly. The disrespectful idea made giving in to the urge to lean his head back and close his eyes even more agreeable. Putting his body at ease did not do the same with his thoughts, however. Severus' solitary life had just changed and he was still trying to come to terms with the impact. He would not lie to himself and say he was displeased; it was rather that he was unsure how to please.
"I can guess the subject of your reverie."
Severus pondered the statement made by the siren who had found his hideaway. Pride and Prejudice...the book had been required reading for one of his Muggle Studies classes. The line she'd quoted was from one of the few memorable scenes. He remembered enough to play Mr. Darcy. "I should imagine not. I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow."
Pleased laughter spilled over him. Daft woman, so easily impressed. It was becoming increasingly difficult to prevent his eyes from opening. Would she continue citing the particular scene?
"Tell me," she said. "What lady has the credit of inspiring such reflections?"
"Lorelei."
He felt her brush against him as she dropped onto the seat and swung her legs up alongside his. He didn't have to see her to imagine the face regarding his own. A light touch moved an errant strand of hair out of his eyes. She leaned close and whispered, "Teasing, teasing, man." A fingertip slowly traced his lips.
Severus said, "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
"What if the sleeping dragon needs to be tickled?"
His eyes snapped open. Lorelei gave a startled laugh, but remained leaning over him with a hand braced against the window to help her look directly into his face. What to do with the incorrigible woman. He knew what he wanted to do, but first he felt compelled to ask, "What do you see in a face like mine?"
"That's a loaded question. What's so wrong with your face that you have to ask it?"
"This abnormally large nose, for one."
She ran an elegant finger down its length. "It's noble...commanding...sexy."
He frowned at her answer. "This greasy hair." Severus knew the students called it several other unsavoury adjectives as well.
"I like a little natural oil." She ran her fingers through it. "Makes it soft...shiny...sexy."
Severus raised a brow. Before he could say a word a soft finger followed the curve of brows and then traced half circles under his eyes.
"Your brows are expressive, and your eyes are mysterious dark pools—"
"Cold and empty."
"Veiled deliberately, but passionate."
"Passionate?" The conversation was heading in an interesting direction.
"Yes. Like your lips."
"I suppose they're sexy as well." It was hard to sneer when he wanted to smile, but Severus managed. He pulled her over to straddle his lap.
Her hands moved to rest on his shoulders. "Everything about you...takes my breath away."
He couldn't help a small smile, "That sounds like a song lyric."
"Maybe it is, but it's true." A slight blush coloured her cheeks.
He didn't need Legilimency to know she was honest in her affections. He removed her hairpins and threaded his fingers through the tumbled curls. Severus brushed his lips across hers in a kiss expressing the unfamiliar sweetness he felt in her arms.
.
After they finished their tea at Hagrid's, Hermione insisted on stopping by the library before returning to the Gryffindor common room.
"C'mon, Hermione," Ron said as he followed her through the stacks. "Why would you even want to look at that old book again? There are worse things than turning furry, you know."
Hermione spared Ron a withering glance and set her schoolbag on a table by the roped off Restricted Section.
"Who gave you permission to read Moste Potent Potions anyway?" Harry asked.
"Professon Binns," Hermione said. "He's so grateful somebody actually pays attention...sometimes...in his class that he'll sign anything I want."
"How?" Ron asked. "Binns' a ghost for Cripes' sake!"
Hermione said, "He has a stamp, charmed so the ink only shows if you have permission." She ducked under the rope and walked back to the Potions section. She crouched down and reached for the book, but it wasn't in its place. Through a gap, she could see through the stacks. There was a book on the floor.
A muffled noise caught Hermione's attention. She angled her head to look past the book, up to the window seat and its occupants. She clamped a hand over her mouth. No. She was not seeing this. Hermione carefully backed away, keeping her lips covered to prevent whimpering.
She practically crawled under the rope in her eagerness to leave the Restricted Section. Harry and Ron halted discussing Quidditch strategy when she approached the table.
"What happened back there? Where's your book?" Ron asked.
"Snape...Lorelei...window seat...!"
The stammering, horror-filled words caused Ron to scrunch up his face. "Merlin! They're having it off back there?"
Nothing calmed Hermione faster than the opportunity to correct Ron's faulty addition. "Only you, Ronald...I didn't say that, now did I?" She held her hand up to prevent an undoubtedly hot retort of something along the lines of she hadn't said anything much, so don't go blaming him. "They're kissing."
"Kissing? That's it? You looked like you saw your mum and dad getting a leg over or something!"
"He has a point," Harry said when Hermione opened her mouth to tell Ron off. "Aren't you overreacting?"
"No. It was like something out of films."
"What kind of films?" Ron asked.
"Not dirty ones." She couldn't say she watched romantic films on telly and occasionally even in a theatre. It embarrassed her how fascinated she was with the whole boy meets girl, happy ever after nonsense, and how she always sighed when a male actor had blue eyes.
.
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A/N: Hoped you liked the Austen bits...thanks again to Vitreum and everyone who lurves them some Mr. Darcy!
Yay for Amazing Reviewers whose kind words keep me writing happily...without you I would be writing morosely. So throw a bone and Review!
