A/N: Usual disclaimer

Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming, now on to part 3. There are 2 versions of this chapter! This one is the mild version, the other version can be seen on or at

Chapter 20: Home for the Holidays, part 3

Snape's POV

Ashley pulled into the gravel parking lot, I watched her as she used her wand to change into muggle clothes. She suggested that I do the same since The Barn was ran by muggles. So I changed into some jeans and a black shirt. She glanced at me, "Damn, Severus." She began to blush.

"What?" I questioned her, as if I didn't hear her.

"Oh, nothing yousexybeast." She said the last bit so quickly I could barely catch it. We got out of her car and followed Renee and Louis up to the entrance. Ashley signed in and paid with muggle money.

"You didn't, tell me that it cost to get in."

"Sorry, it was nothing, just a couple of dollars."

"I would have paid, you know."

"Really, maybe next time."

Dustin tapped Ashley on her shoulder and motioned where he was putting the coolers. I kept on following Ashley as she led me to the other side of what was really a barn, nothing more, nothing less. The only thing that set it apart from the ones I have seen, or heard about, were the Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. Dusting returned with drinks in his hands. He handed a beer to Louis, a Hooch to Renee, and something to Ashley and I.

"Ash, please tell me he knows what Mike's Hard is." Louis said playfully.

"What?" I answered as Louis smacked his head.

"God, just drink it, we don't have a reason to kill you.....yet" Louis added while glancing Ashley's way. I tried some, it tasted just like lemonade.

"This is lemonade."

"Yes, with a little kick." Ashley commented as she was being dragged on the dance floor by Dustin. Oh shit, why did she leave me with Louis. I looked at Ashley, who was dancing a strange dance with Dustin.

"What kind of dance are they doing?" I questioned Louis, hoping to have a civilized conversation.

"They are shagging." At that moment, I began to choke slightly on my drink. Louis hit me square in the back, which just made me cough louder. The song ended and Ashley came back.

"Louis, what did you do to him?" She questioned while I was still trying to catch my breath.

"Nothing, I just told him that yall were shagging." After Louis finished his sentence, Ashley punched him in the shoulder and dragged me on the dance floor.

"No, I am not good with modern dancing."

"Oh hush, it is a slow song. Everybody can slow dance. Just give me your hands." Ashley placed my hands on her hips as she pulled me in closer to her. "Just sway to the beat." I did as she rested her head on my shoulder, humming, nearly singing the words of the song.

After the song ended, the dance floor cleared and stayed empty. "Ashley, why did everybody leave?"

"Well, it is a tradition to never dance to 'Strokin', it is like a good luck thing. Most married couples dance to it though, as a sign of fidelity. If you dance to 'Strokin', your partner will be the only person you have sex with for the rest of your life. Hence why Dustin has firmly attached himself to a chair, instead of trying to flirt with all the country boys."

"Oh, so Dustin is gay....right?"

"Oh yes, he is the queen of all queens. He has his own drag show in Raleigh, where he becomes Tina. I have a picture of him in my office as Tina, you would never that it is a guy." I arched an eyebrow as Renee grabbed Ashley and pulled her on the floor. Ashley looked back at me and muttered childishly "No, don't make me go, no, no, no."

Ashley stood with Renee while all of the women got on the floor. Louis punched me playfully in the arm, "Watch this." Dustin scoffed while muttering about how dumb Hetero's are. I couldn't help but shake my head and focus on the scene. Ashley and Renee, as well as thirty other women, were dancing rather suggestively to a song that had dog sounds in the background. They were all doing the same dance, it was very odd and yet amusing to watch. I kept glancing at Ashley, who was blushing a bright red while shaking her head.

As the song ended, I head the disc-jockey say "Ladies choice." Dustin kept on looking at me but thank god Ashley came over. "Hey Dustin, piss off, he's mine." I couldn't help but smile, which she caught instantly. She whispered in my ear "You should do that more often." Ashley was smiling brightly and walking in step to the music.

"Do you know all the songs that they play?" I questioned her smartly as we began to dance.

"No, this song was sung at Renee's wedding, actually all of the songs that they have played so far were played at Renee's wedding. I think it might be the same DJ."

"She's married to Louis, right? Those are the only two names I remember." I commented while we danced.

"Good, I wouldn't expect you to remember all of them. I am surprised you didn't make a comment about the guy that kept on glaring at us during dinner."

"I was going to ask you about it. Who is he?"

"My uncle, the squib in the family. He is very jealous of my mom and thinks that I am the spawn of Satan. I am not allowed to be talking to his kids because he thinks I will corrupt them from their strict Christian ways."

"Really, do I even want to know why?"

"Sure, I turned his son's shoes into snakes when I was eight and I accidentally hit his daughter in the head with a bludger when I was 15. After that, I made a promise to my mom that I wouldn't talk to them whenever I had my wand on me, which is always."

"May I ask why a bludger?"

"Well my cousins and I were playing a game of quidditch over the first pond at the farm, and I saw Lindsay come walking up acting like little Miss Queen of the world. So, I wanted to knock off some of the ten pounds of makeup she was wearing. I hit the bludger and it was a perfect shot, hit her square on the jaw."

"So it wasn't an accident then?"

"No, not technically, but I didn't care. I laughed so hard I fell off my broom and landed in the pond. The rest of my cousins couldn't believe it and started shaking with laughter."

"You really do have a lot of Slytherin in you."

"You have told me that before and I overheard Ms. Granger call me the female version of you one day when she couldn't get in tune." I couldn't help but smirk at that comment she made as we walked back over to the side, completely ignoring her family.

"Granger couldn't get something right?"

"There was a reason I placed her so low in the symphony. It takes her forever to get something right on her clarinet. It really isn't that hard, you just have to not think about it, which is what she is doing too much of."

"I except she has already heard that little speech from you?"

"Yes but in front of the whole class after I was already mad at Weasley for figuring out how to shoot stuff out of the bell of his trumpet."

"Where are we staying at?" I had to change the topic before we really started talking about things we shouldn't have, in front of muggles.

"Renee and Louis' place." Ashley said while Renee whispered something in her ear. "Renee just said that we can leave any time you want. She was just informed that most of the family is coming over here in a minute, which would be a frightening sight."

"Alright, whenever you want to." Ashley nodded to Renee, who grabbed Louis and started walking towards the door.

"Ash!" Renee shouted as we got in her car.

"Yeah, wha?"

"Tradition, gurl. Jam fest, all the way back home, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right!" She looked at me and mouthed that she was sorry as she pulled a disc from the visor on her side label "Only for use after the Barn". It was nothing but country music, Ashley had all the windows rolled down. I just glared as she sent hand signals to Renee in the car in front of her. "I am sorry, we have been doing this ever since she snuck me into the Barn for the first time when I was 16." She didn't have to yell because she made the music's volume somehow softer inside the car but louder outside of the car.

"I remember seeing a sign that said 'No one under 18 allowed in'." I commented while smirking at her.

"Yeah, they didn't ask for my ID or anything, they gave me the alcohol stamp and let me walk on in." Ashley said smugly as we pulled into another gravel driveway. She parked the car and we both got out with our bags. I noticed the dog trailer in the back next to another long building. "That is Boone kennels, they have Labradors and hunting beagles." We walked into her cousin's house, which was much smaller than Ashley's house.

"Since you two are adults, I don't care if y'all sleep in the same bed. Caitlin's room has been set up for y'all." Renee commented as Ashley walked down a long, narrow, cramped hallway. What had Ashley told her family about me? I had to know.

I followed Ashley into a room, decorated with tropical fish. I promptly shut the door behind me. "Ashley, what have you told your family about me?"

Ashley turned and smiled, "I told Renee, Dustin, and my mom that we kissed. Which means that most of the family might know by now. I also told Dustin and Renee that I liked you." Wow, that was a shock. What to do now that she had admitted it? I could shag her right now. No. Probably snog her. No, or I could confess too. What the hell?

She tackled me and before I knew it, she was on top of me. The kisses started off slow until I returned them with more force. Everything went so fast, next thing I knew, somebody was knocking on the door shouting "Y'all have been in there for two hours come on out and be social able." Shit, I thought I was being social able.

Ashley and I put our clothes back on and fixed ourselves so it didn't seem too obvious as to what happened. Ashley winked at me before she walked out to talk to Renee. "Renee, it has been a long day and I think we are going to turn in for the night." How did she do that? Renee just nodded and as Ashley walked back in, "Done, with that." Ashley collapsed on the bed and let out a scream. She dove into my arms screaming "Severus get it! Damn it get it!!" What the hell? I looked where she was looking and saw nothing but a spider crawling on her pillow. She must be afraid of spiders.

"It's just a spider." I said while trying not to laugh.

"Hence why I want you to kill it, damn it."

"I can't kill it unless you let go of me." She let go and backed toward the wall as Louis came rushing in with is wand out. Renee came in with her wand out as well, Ashley stood there pointing at her pillow. Renee saw and punched Louis as she backed up against the wall too. Louis tucked his wand away as we began to try kill it. I took off my boot and smacked it. "There, dead, happy now?"

"Yes thanks." Ashley said while Renee nodded. Louis gave me a quick smile and walked out with Renee right behind him. Ashley got into bed and I followed right behind her. By the time I laid down beside her, she was already asleep.

A/N: Tada!! Done!!! I am really happy with this chapter now. Thanks go out to my best friend who told me which direction I needed to go in. Please read and review, more to come shortly.