Chapter 14: Untimely Interruption
by ataraxis

Severus stared as Harry's face fell into sadness and something in the region of his heart clenched with pain.

"Oh, I see. It was all part of your revenge for Albus and me not telling you who I was."

Severus watched almost helplessly as Harry, still in the form of Emma, blinked rapidly and backed away. Without thinking it through, Severus reached out and grabbed Harry by the arms, halting her--his--retreat.

"Harry, it wasn't entirely about that, no. I just wanted to trip you up enough to forget who you were for a moment, just to get a little of my own back. But the kiss, the kiss was genuine," Severus said as he reached up and gently wiped away the tears that had fallen from eyes that he did care for, but were still not the colour he wanted to see.

"Oh," Harry blushed and stammered, "I thought, well Remus had told me..."

"And Remus would have been right, at the time. Only you, no matter what shape you take or gender you are, could make me fall in love." Severus was stunned to have the word 'love' fall from his lips and it made his heart speed up, afraid that his admission had been said precipitously, though it had been said honestly. His hands, around Harry, tightened slightly in fear.

'Emma' blushed even brighter and tilted her head in contemplation. "I think I'm in the process of falling. I am sure it wouldn't take too much to make me fall completely." Harry gave Severus a bright, shy grin.

"That's good to know, Ha..." Severus was interrupted by the door to the classroom being pushed open. He immediately dropped his hands away from Emma, almost wishing he could hex Mr. Turner for interrupting a personal moment.

"Mr. Turner, you are...," Severus looked down at the watch pinned to his waist coat and sighed, then continued speaking, "right on time. For once."

Severus watched as Harry turned away from the door to wipe away any stray tears that remained and gather some measure of calm. Severus strode forward to head Mr. Turner off before venturing too much further into the room.

"I can only assume that Headmaster Dumbledore told you what these extra lessons were for?" Severus asked as he brought out his wand and waved it towards the door to lock and ward it against outside entry.

"Yes, sir. Extra defense lessons and something he called Occlu...uh...Occlumancy," Michael Turner said with hesitation.

"Occlumency. Professor Malsby will be helping you prepare your mind to avoid being invaded, while I will help you strengthen your skills in shield spells and other offensive measures. This evening you will be meeting primarily with me, tomorrow you will meet with Professor Malsby in her offices at..." Severus turned to Emma and let her set the time.

"Tomorrow at two, be prepared to lie to your housemates if they ask why you are seeking extra tuition. I would encourage you to tell them it has to do with career placement and training in areas outside the curriculum. Let us know of any students that question you extensively, so that we may deal with them. Professor Snape, why don't I clean up the classroom for you and make sure everything is put away." Emma reached for the cauldron in front of her and picked it up to carry it to the cleaning area.

"Thank you, Professor Malsby. I also wish to thank you for the earlier demonstration. It was actually quite insightful and I have indeed learned something valuable from it." Severus saw Emma give a wide grin of pleasure and he felt as if his entire body had been wrapped in its glow. 'Get a grip, Severus. Now is not the time for warm and fuzzy feelings. Concentrate on Mr. Turner and drumming what he needs to learn into that feeble... Okay, I just admitted that perhaps Harry had a point about my teaching style. Give the student the benefit of the doubt and they might prove you wrong or right, whichever the case may be.'

Severus asked Mr. Turner to sit down and Professor Malsby to help demonstrate the shield spell, as soon as she had cleared away the remnants of their earlier lesson.

Before too long, Harry and Severus were dueling with enthusiasm and fun, but always taken with seriousness. For several moments, both men forgot that Mr. Turner was in the room, but when Severus said, "Good show, Professor Malsby," Harry was reminded of where they were and what they were hoping to accomplish.

"Thank you, Professor. You have always been an excellent opponent. Perhaps we could do this again at a later time, for sport?" Emma asked.

"I would enjoy that. Perhaps after your lesson with Mr. Turner and before dinner. Say in your first classroom?"

Emma's brow crinkled as she asked, "My first class... oh... my first classroom. Of course, that sounds fine. Tomorrow then about four. I should be going now, I have essays to finish grading and I need to brush up on some references that I think Mr. Turner should read. Good night, gentlemen."

Severus watched as Harry left the room, his focus solely on the figure walking away from him.

Before he could say anything to Mr. Turner, his student spoke, "You're sweet on her, aren't you, Professor Snape?"

Severus gave a small smile and then sneered as he realized his reputation was going to hell in a handbasket because he had a soft spot for Harry 'Bloody-Wonderful' Potter.

A/N: Beta's again by the lovely Magdelena. I worship the ground she walks on. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm so busy writing (I've already got chapter 15 written and 16 will be on it's way) that I've haven't responded to them like I should.