Hi everyone. Thanks for your reviews as always. Notes to you all at the end. Lots of love, Severusgirl.

Thanks to JessiokaFroka for betareading.

Chapter Twenty nine

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE

Andi put all her excess energy into the show, which was drawing ever nearer to its performance.

Draco's rehearsals had to be scheduled around Quidditch practice, and then there were the matches, which every student wanted to attend. Andi, who only usually bothered with the Hufflepuff games, now found herself watching anxiously whenever Slytherin played, praying that Draco would make it through the match unscathed.

The girls were pleased with their costumes for the routine Bushel and a Peck - little blue and white gingham dresses with full white petticoats - but there were protests at the swimming costumes for the striptease number Take Back Your Mink. They confronted her during a Saturday rehearsal.

"Why can't we wear something more sexy?" wailed Veronica, a well-endowed seventh-year.

"Because this is a school production, not a lap-dancing club," explained Andi.

"But it is a striptease," argued Ginny. "It's not very exciting if we just strip down to our swimming costumes, everyone's seen us in those."

"I thought we'd be wearing something like this," said Sally-Ann, producing a catalogue from 'Peitheo's Persuasion' and pointing to the very basque Andi had worn for Severus many months before.

"Absolutely not!" spluttered Andi, although amused.

"Ooooh, that's gorgeous!" chorused the girls as they gathered round Sally-Ann and the catalogue. "Why not, Professor?"

"Because Professor Dumbledore-"

"He won't mind."

"I dare say he wouldn't," smiled Andi. "But he's an old man - I don't want him to expire with excitement."

"I do think the girls have a point," said Vincent, who was not only the choreographer, but the Wardrobe 'Mistress' too. "I think we need something a little more daring than swimsuits."

Andi sighed. "Yes, but..." she began.

"But I suppose you're right," he said, with a sly wink at the girls. "We couldn't possibly; just imagine the look of disapproval on Professor McGonagall's face..."

Andi's head snapped up and she swallowed the bait whole. "Let me see that," she said, snatching the catalogue from Sally-Ann. "D'you think they do the basque in pink?"

"How do you know there'll be an encore for my song?" asked Ernie, as they finished rehearsing Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat.

"Because there always is," she told them.

"Why?"

"It's just the nature of the song. It lends itself to an encore. It's what's known as a 'show-stopper'.

Ernie quite visibly puffed out his chest.

"What about ours?" asked Lavender. "Won't Take Back Your Mink get an encore?"

Andi put her hands on her hips and stared, incredulous at Lavender. "Yes," she said. "There probably will be shouts for 'more'; but how do you propose doing an encore to a striptease, Lavender?"

Lavender frowned and then blushed a deep red. "Oh!"

"You must be exhausted," said Vincent when he and Andi were alone and gathering their things together after the rehearsal. "I haven't seen you sit down all day."

"Oh, you know how it is. You've been run off your feet as well."

"Yes, but at least I've sat down when I've had the chance. You didn't even sit to have your coffee."

"Ah well, that's the way it goes, I suppose." Andi shrugged.

Vincent shuffled a pile of papers together and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I've got a lotion to soothe it, if you'd like to borrow some."

Andi went pink. "Wha..? I... what?"

"Sweetie, I recognize the signs. You either spent last night being buggered senseless or having your sweet little tush spanked. My money's on the latter."

"Vincent!" she spluttered, going red to the roots. "I've done no such thing!"

"Suit yourself," he flounced. "But I imagine that Potions master has quite a solid hand - you won't be sitting down until tomorrow tea time without my lotion. So, do you want to borrow some or not?"

Andi chewed her lip. "Yes please," she pouted.

It was a Friday afternoon, sixteen days after Severus' return when a roll of parchment shot out of the fireplace in the music room and landed with a 'plink' on the high keys of the piano.

Andi picked it up and recognised Severus' seal. She broke it open quickly and saw his black, spiky handwriting.

'Andrea,

Dinner.

7 o'clock.

My quarters.

Severus'

She almost hugged herself in delight. A written invitation! This could only mean one thing - Severus was a free man again.

"I ordered... cold... salmon," he explained between frenzied kissing. "It will... wait for us..."

"Oh, then let it wait!" she sighed, almost dragging the buttons off his tunic in her haste to get it off him. She let it drop to the floor and put her hands on his back, feeling excited delight at his warm, solid flesh under the crisp white shirt. Very quickly the shirt followed the tunic.

He was reduced to his underwear before they reached the bedroom door, and as they crossed the threshold, her dress slipped to the ground.

"Hmmm?" he exclaimed as his hands discovered complete nakedness.

"I'm commando tonight. I thought it would save time."

His eyes traveled down her body. "You still have your shoes on."

"Of course!"

He gave a growl and snatched her up, taking three strides with her in his arms before throwing her on the bed. He fell on her immediately, and they wrecked the covers trying to get as much of each other as possible, Andi moaning into his kisses at the feel of his naked body at last against her flesh.

Desperately manoeuvring herself, wrapping her legs around him, trying to get him where she so badly wanted him, she sighed as finally she felt him nudging at her entrance.

He stopped to look down at her, his black eyes caressing her with their softness.

"Welcome home, Professor," she whispered, thickly.

His mouth began kissing a path down her body, his raven hair trailing over her breasts, her ribs, her stomach...

"Severus, no!" she cried desperately, realising his intention. "I need you."

"Silence!" he commanded quietly, continuing his journey, his tone sending a thrill darting through her as he played up to her newly-discovered method of arousal. "You shall have me, but first I need to remind myself of your scent, your taste..."

He kissed the soft silky flesh of her inner thighs as he gently parted them further and then buried his mouth between them.

She was so ripe for him, her arousal so high, she could detect her own musk as the first touch of his tongue caused her to shout out and clutch at the counterpane, almost for spiritual support.

Sighing long and deep, feeling the growling approach of her orgasm as her sighs became louder, more desperate with each move of his tongue, with each caress of his mouth. As she began to moan and writhe, his fingers went to work, blowing her mind.

"Severus!" she cried, blind to anything but the overwhelming ecstasy he'd brought her to.

His name had barely left her lips, the orgasm still in its last throws as he picked up her, still quivering body and rearranged her in the centre of the bed and she cried out again as he came to her, filling her physically and mentally with sheer delight and the total appreciation of how well they did this together.

Andi tried to capture and keep in her memory every single movement, every thrust, moan, and sigh of this long-awaited reunion, feeling sure there was a song about every time feeling like the first time; was it Gershwin? Or Madonna? Or...? Oh, who cared...

With a gasp she arched her back as her climax crashed over her, hearing and feeling his muffled cry into her neck as he thrust hard and came at the same time.

She offered a silent prayer.

He was hers again.

"Mmmmm. Is that just a morning one or..?"

Andi had woken the next morning to something extremely hard pushing against her lower back. She wriggled into him.

His hand moved up from where it had been languishing over her waist and stroked her breast.

"That rather depends," he rasped in her ear.

She turned in his arms to face him, grinning. They had been sleeping so close they were sharing a pillow, and she lifted a hand to stroke his hair away from his face and then trace down the rough, stubble-pierced cheek and jaw.

Remembering another time when she had done the same, when his cold body had lain in the chapel, she gazed into his eyes in wonder that he was now here beside her, so close, so warm.

If she had the courage, if she felt he wouldn't baulk at her saying it, she would tell him now; tell him how much she loved him - but she knew him well enough to know he would feel uncomfortable hearing those words - it would spoil the moment. Instead she put her lips to his, softly, gently, and they fell into a long, lazy kiss.

"Ewwww, morning breath!" she grimaced, pulling her head away with a playful grin.

"Yes you have," he smirked. "But I shall endure it..."

He pulled her back and kissed her again, running his hand down her back, over her buttock, down her thigh until he could lift her leg over his waist. They both gave a satisfied moan as he slipped inside her and very gently, hardly moving at all, made love to her.

There were raised eyebrows and knowing smirks amongst the staff when Andi and Severus failed to appear for breakfast that Saturday morning; and even bigger looks of astonishment and jokey comments as they failed to appear again on Sunday.

"Had a good weekend?" asked Sylvia, with exaggerated nonchalance as Andi sat down beside her at Monday breakfast.

"Yes thank you," said Andi, and try as she might, couldn't help a bubbly laugh escape.

"Gods! Just look at your face! It's shining like a beacon," said Sylvia, in awe. "And what have you done to our Severus? Even his cheeks have a suggestion of pink about them."

Andi took a surreptitious glance up the table where Severus was in a rather animated conversation with Minerva.

She cradled the coffee cup in her hands, looking over the cup's rim as she let her eyes linger on him, and felt a warm glow fill her whole being. She loved him. Plain and simple.

She loved him, but as the weeks went by, she realized that with the return of sex, they were slipping back into their old routine; he turning up in the week and she spending the weekends in his quarters, and although things were different - a lot more physical contact that didn't always lead to sex, and a closeness that had developed and grown stronger since his return, still she realized after everything that had happened, things couldn't go on like this. She was in too deep to have this casual male/female thing any longer.

Feeling frightened of the consequences, knowing it would be one of those make-or-break conversations, she put off and put off talking to him about it, until eventually they reached the night before the show.

It was just after ten. Andi let herself back into her quarters after an exhausting and sometimes emotional dress rehearsal, to be greeted by a waiting Severus holding out a very welcome glass of wine.

"Is Ernie Macmillan dyslexic?" she said as she flopped onto the sofa. "Because he has severe difficulty with his left and right. He keeps walking off the stage the wrong side and has to run full pelt through the corridors to get back in time to enter again from the correct side. Lavender has to trim her fingernails - she ruined two pairs of tights tonight, and there must be some way of keeping that poltergeist away. He kept appearing next to Elmedius and making farting noises at the wind section. Nobody could play a note."

He sat beside her and drew her towards him so that she snuggled into his shoulder. He had his arm around her and he rubbed her upper arm.

"I sympathize," he told her. "Teaching them during school hours is almost more than I can bear without giving up my spare time for them."

"Oh, no - it's fun," she admitted. "I... I don't know what I would have done without this show to occupy me. It's helped see me through... everything, you know?" She looked at him and he kissed her forehead.

"And they're all so excited about doing the show tomorrow. I just feel very tired, that's all."

"That is rather unfortunate," he said, his voice hardening at the edges.

"Unfortunate?"

He gave her a quick glance,set his wine glass on the floor and got to his feet in a very businesslike manner.

"Yes, unfortunate - as I need to speak to you on a very serious..." He stopped. He stared at her. "Please explain why you are still sitting when I am standing."

Immediately, Andi set her own glass down and stood up.

"Sorry."

"Perhaps we might conduct this meeting in your bedchamber..?"

He closed the door behind them and dimmed the torches so they barely lit the room. She stood to the right of the bed and watched as he gathered his robes around him and crossed his arms.

He fixed her with hard, black eyes.

"Is that how I have trained you to stand in my presence?"

Immediately she put her loose hands behind her back, palms together, which took her shoulders back and pushed her breasts forward.

He moved slowly towards her, his eyes moving up and down her body, inspecting her.

"It has come to my attention that instead of spending your free periods in the Staff Room, as was your habit, you have chosen of late to return to your quarters. Would you care to explain why?"

"I have production notes to write up - the other members of staff distract me..."

(This was indeed true.)

"A lie. Try again." He held the tip of his wand to her throat and she swallowed as his face loomed close to her, staring into hers so coldly; the dim flicker of light casting sinister shadows over his pale skin.

She shivered. God, he was good at this.

"One... one of my pupils had forgotten..."

"Another lie. Well, well," he sneered. "It would seem the Professor has something to hide. Would you care for a third attempt?"

His wand pressed lightly into her skin as he drew it slowly down her throat and into her cleavage. She gasped at its icy touch as it slipped beneath her clothing and touched her nipple.

"I... I..." It was difficult to speak when all she could think about was the feel of the ice as the tip of his wand ran around and over her nipple, causing it to stiffen and peak.

"Perhaps you thought to spend your free time wallowing in the antics of the dirty little whore you really are?"

"No... no... I... Ohhhh!" She caught her breath as the wand pinched her nipple, sending a bolt of pleasure down between her legs.

His mouth came so close, his lips brushed her ear as he spoke barely above a whisper,

"You are enjoying that?"

The wand tightened. Andi gasped and felt her left knee wobble. She closed her eyes and moaned.

"Proof indeed that you are a whore, and as such - I may do as I wish with you."

The wand was withdrawn from her shirt.

"You and I both know what you were doing in this room, Professor." The wand was now pointing at the top button of her shirt. There was a sound, rather like a spring uncoiling and the button flew open. "You were pleasuring yourself... without my permission." The wand moved further down to the second button, and with the same startling sound, it also became undone.

The material fell open, exposing her pink and black balcony bra. He directed his gaze downwards and Andi felt his eyes traveling over her breasts cradled tightly in the cups - her, now very erect nipples trying to poke through the black lace.

A third button was released. A fourth.

"Do you know what happens to dirty little whores who lie and deceive their Professors?" His voice was quiet and silky in her ear and she dared to dart her eyes towards him and swallowed at the dark expression in his face.

"They... they must be punished."

"Correct. They must be punished."

With a whisper, her shirt disappeared, along with her skirt and she stood before him, trembling in anticipation in just her bra, panties and shoes.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

He eyed her pink and black panties before letting his gaze slip down her legs to her shoes. His breathing was heavy and she watched the gleam of lust appear in his eyes as they feasted on the shoes.

"WELL?"

She genuinely jumped as he barked his question, his face snapping up to look at her fiercely.

"Ummm... only... to plead for leniency and..."

"Silence! I expected an explanation, not a pathetic plea for mercy." He took a step away from her. "You will remove your brassiere."

She didn't move.

His eyes widened in irritation.

"Remove your brassiere."

Her hands moved up her back to the clasp of her bra and snapped it open feeling the weight of her breasts as they tumbled from their encasement. She let the bra fall to the side and immediately returned her hands behind her back.

"Good," he nodded. "You remember your training this time. Unfortunately, it is not enough to redeem you." He pointed his wand in the direction of the bed and she moved to it obediently, bending over, face down on the mattress.

"I want to see your legs absolutely straight and your back arched," he ordered; and when she had done his bidding, she felt his index fingers slip underneath the elastic and draw her panties down until they rested just below her buttocks.

She knew of course the slap was coming, but that first one was always a shock, mainly because he changed the timing of it. Sometimes it came immediately, sometimes he made her wait; but the first one always made her cry out the loudest.

She grasped at the counterpane as her buttocks smarted and before she knew it another whack was administered. Her legs almost gave way with excitement.

"That will teach you to lie to me," he hissed as his fingers dipped between her legs, making her moan loudly. "Did you really think you could pull the wool over my eyes? I am a respected and accomplished Legilimens, whilst you are... let me hear you acknowledge what you are."

"I... I am Professor of Music..."

Whack!

"I want to hear you say it."

"I... I... I am a filthy... little... whore..." she sobbed into the counterpane. She couldn't be more aroused than she was at this very moment. "S... Severus..."

His name was the signal that she'd had enough; that she had reached the pinnacle of her arousal and that she had to have him now.

He was at her side, reigning kisses on her shoulder, her neck, ears... She turned on her side and he collected her in his arms kissing her mouth hard as his hand sought out her breast, caressing it so gently, so teasingly.

He murmured a spell, dissolving his clothes from his body.

Moaning and gasping into each other's flesh, they grasped and rolled and tangled with each other, until she maneuvered him onto his back and climbed astride, capturing him inside her with one swift movement.

Her hands were up by his shoulders, supporting her weight, her nipples brushing up and down his chest as she rode him. He held her hips, guiding her rhythm as he bucked and moaned and tensed beneath her, and she sighed with delight.

He always went first when she was on top. Something that caused her own climax to accelerate, but not before she'd watched him.

This was the one time she saw him unguarded; all defenses down. In any other position he managed to hide his face in her neck or behind her back or...

But sitting on top of him she could watch as the pleasure inside him grew.

His eyes would begin to close - for two seconds, five, ten... until those wonderful thick black lashes finally anchored his eyelids. Then his head would tip back and to his right, exposing the full length of his neck, which rippled violently as he swallowed and gasped. His lips, slightly swollen from her kisses, would part and a quiet but harsh 'Ahh' would escape as he thrust deeply at the crest of his pleasure; and Andi thought he was beautiful.

She fell on him, panting into his neck as he ran his hands up and down her back and turned his head to kiss her ear. She slipped off him and into his arms.

"Oooh!" Her eyes watered as her freshly reddened buttocks met with the mattress.

"You are sore... I was too heavy-handed..."

"No... no. It was wonderful." She gave a contented sigh and settled into his shoulder, running her hand idly through the hair on his chest.

They stayed there, quietly basking in post-coital closeness until she felt herself drifting off into sleep.

She was roused from a deeper sleep by a movement. It was the familiar movement that announced he was about to leave.

She woke quickly.

As he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, she pushed herself up to sitting position.

He turned.

"I assumed you were asleep," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Stay," she said, reaching out and touching his arm.

"You know I cannot," he said. "Much as I would like to."

She watched, bleakly, as he reached for his socks and began pulling them on.

"Severus..."

Oh Lord, was she really, actually going to voice the feelings and thoughts that had been building for some time now? Wasn't what she had better than nothing?

Yes, was the answer, but...

"...I'm not sure I can continue like this."

He stopped, then turned to face her, remaining silent. She bit her lip and swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest, in her neck and in her temples.

"I... I can't go back to how we were at Christmas," she said, almost choking on the words. "We're slipping back into our old routine, and I... and I..." She faltered. "It's as though we're ignoring everything that's happened - ignoring the fact of Josephine."

"I could never ignore that," he said, steadily.

"I know, I know, but... our relationship has changed, surely you've noticed that? We're closer, more comfortable in each other's company. I don't want you disappearing to your quarters in the middle of the night. I want you to stay with me."

"You know that is not possible."

She took a deep breath.

"It would be if we moved in together."

He stared at her.

Oh, why should that come as such as shock to him? Didn't he share her feelings?

"We're together almost all our spare time anyway," she told him. "The only time we're apart is when we're at work or when you leave me in the night." She shuffled closer to him and stroked his arm. "I want to be with you all night - every night. I want to come home to you in the evenings knowing it's where I belong. I want us to be... a couple."

She waited. She held back from saying any more, wanting to hear his reaction, feeling sick that he might refuse, and the outcome that would bring.

"The Ministry may have no control over relationships developing between the staff at the school - and indeed, neither do they have any official opinion on how those relationships are played out." He was leaning on one hand, half turned to her. "But they can and will step in if staff begin living together."

"But..."

"It would not be allowed."

"If it were," she said, thinking she might be able to get her Grandfather to pull a few strings at the Ministry. "would you agree to moving in together?"

He bowed his head.

"No."

She reeled. She'd brought the conversation this far, hoping... and she'd got the reaction she most feared.

"Severus... I'm... I'm serious about this. I need to be with you. I... I..." She swallowed. "...I love you. But if we can't be together, as a couple... then..." The words dried on her lips.

"You want this to end?"

"No," she said, her voice catching in her throat. "That's not what I want at all. I want you in my life; but I need more than this. We've come too far to be simply 'boyfriend and girlfriend' - if that's what we ever were."

"I see." He had a distant look in his eyes.

"Do you? Do you understand what I'm saying?" she said, hopefully.

"Perfectly." he said quietly, now looking everywhere but her. Then he seemed to gather himself and stood up, tucking his shirt in and fastening his trousers as he did. "Of course, I respect your decision...

Her heart hammered.

"...but we cannot move in together. The Ministry would not approve and... it is not something I wish to happen."

She caught her breath.

"Then... then... you're saying this is the end?"

"No. That is what you are saying."

He was now fully dressed, ready to leave.

Being with him was all she wanted; that and - yes, she'd realized for a while she was ready - children.

The time they spent together was bliss; but now, whenever he left her at night there was a kind of madness with the bliss that she could no longer cope with. She'd just told him for the first time that she loved him, and God knew she never expected him to say it back, but he hadn't so much touched her hand in return. That told her everything really, didn't it?

She looked up at him, her eyes stinging with threatening tears.

"Very well," he whispered, taking her silence as his answer.

He turned and walked to the door.

She leapt from the bed, not caring about the sudden chill that assailed her naked body, and having to restrain herself from grabbing him and pulling him back to her. No, no, I didn't mean it. Let's just stay as we are then. Anything - just don't go! I love you. Please don't go.

"Will... will I see you at the show tomorrow?"

He hesitated, his back to her, his hand on the doorknob. He didn't turn around.

"No. The thought of having to sit through a pubescent display of singing and dancing fills me with bile."

"It would mean a lot to me if you were there," she pleaded.

He shook his head, all the while facing the door.

"I cannot. Please do not ask me."

She nodded sadly.

"Okay," she said, in a small voice.

He left quickly.

She stood very still for a moment, the sound of the door closing echoing loud in her ears. Then she went to it, putting trembling hands to the door and staring, as though it were locked against her.

Slowly she turned and slid down the wood to the floor, her tears coming loudly and copiously.

She'd dared to believe he felt the same about their relationship. He might care for her, show more emotion towards her now than he'd ever done in the past, but clearly it wasn't enough for him to make the commitment she so badly needed; and with that realization, there was simply nowhere else for them to go.

She would hand her notice in to Albus tomorrow, after the show. She would have to return to her old life.

Andi closed her eyes and sobbed, as her world shattered around her.

Oh, God! What had she done?

A/n - I have to stress that the end of this chapter is not my fault. I tried really hard not to let it end this way, but you all know that in romantic fiction the pair always have to break apart as the story nears its end. It's the rules. I know you will argue that they've all ready spent a large amount of time apart, but I promise with all my heart that it will be resolved in the next chapter. And don't forget we have the show - yay!

Mark Darcy - Andi dense? I can't have that. She's hurt, that's all. She didn't understand the full impact of the Imperious and she was being tortured by images of Severus and Mercedes together. As soon as Severus explained, she was OK - more or less. I think Severus does have a lot of self-control. In the books he's always seething beneath his skin, and yet we've only ever seen him go ballistic twice. And I did let the control slip a little. Andi does have a vibrator - her 'pocket pleaser' which featured in MwtB, but as you (and Sev) pointed out, it doesn't work at Hogwarts. Lol.

May-Luna - Really? You agree with the Adagio? Wow, that's amazing how minds can work along the same lines. I didn't intend Severus to be 'as noble as a Gryffindor' - I imagined him being as noble as his birthright intended; and perhaps he has another, more personal reason for acting this way. Lol.

Thouandl - So here is the release (I hope I didn't stray into a higher rating than M, I know I came close). I am only sorry I couldn't give them one clear chapter without problems. Take heart that I've changed the genre back to Romance/Humour.

Helena Oe - Hope you enjoyed the happy bits at least. I'm looking forward to posting next week's chapter, with the show and all.

Emma Barrows - Thanks for your review and for the hugs. I shall try and check out the rest of your story at the weekend.

Hysterically Insane Author - Thanks for the review. So let's see, how many times did you see Rocky Horror? I saw the show in London about sixteen times and have lost count of how many times I've seen the film. Still get a thrill when Frank comes down in that elevator!

Illume-meldanya - Thank you so much for your review. The Adagio I mention is Adagio in G minor for Organ and Strings. SO Snape, I think!