A/N: Please review!

Chapter Four: Notes and Declarations

Walking like she was lost in a cloud, Eve stared dreamily up at the enchanted ceiling. Clutching at the already tattered piece of parchment hidden in her robes, she ignored her friend's friendly waves and sat at the end of the Ravenclaw table by herself.

It must have been good luck, or fate even, that just as she was raking her brain for a way to reach Severus Snape he must have been doing the same. They had not been back from school for more than two days when she found the letter under her pillow, its neat but cramped writing saying little, but asking much.

Eve,

(The letter had read)

I have been thinking about you. If this letter finds you willing, meet me Friday night at midnight in the old charms classroom.

Come alone.

S. Snape

Eve had reread the letter so many times it was coming apart the creases. It had been very bold of him, and she was sure that she could have never taken the risk. After asking nearly everyone she knew, she finally found the location of the old charms classroom. It was on the second floor, hidden away at the end of a long corridor. She had heard rumors that a student had been killed there once, in a horrible accident, and that was why the room was no longer used. The thought sent a shiver up her spine, and made the meeting seem all the more intriguing.

In only a few hours they would be together. She could not think of what she would say to him, or what he could possibly have to say to her. She had not told any of her friends, because she was sure they would try and talk her out of it. She knew it was stupid, going to meet a boy alone in the middle of night, one that she barely knew at that.

Potions class had been the worst. She had come early, just so she might see him walk in. Eve had expected something, a smile, a nod, a glance at least. He had walked past her as he had done every other day, and she was left to stare at the back of his head and wonder what he was thinking.

She ate her dinner so quickly she felt sick, and then pressing the note back into her pocket she dashed up to Ravenclaw tower, ignoring the curious glances of her friends as she passed. She went straight into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror for a long while, taking in every feature and flaw. She was pretty, though far from beautiful. Perhaps if she had more a bit more color, and did something with her hair...

"Eve, why didn't you sit with us at dinner?" Her friend Francine demanded, bursting into the tiled room. "You missed the funniest thing! Charlie Gibbs came over, and he asked Kate if she would go out with him! She almost choked on her...Eve, what's the matter?"

Eve broke her gaze away from the mirror, realizing how strange she must look, just staring like that. She had never been one to care much about her looks, she'd rather watch a good game of Quidditch than fuss over beauty charms.

"Nothing." Eve whispered. "I'm just not feeling like myself today."

A sudden thought occurred to her, one that she felt positively stupid not to have remembered before. Their friend Kate was a muggle born, and Eve had seen her putting on muggle make-up. The whole affair didn't look pleasant, but it was better than attempting a beauty charm and ending up in the hospital wing.

"Do you think that Kate would let me try on some of her make-up?" Eve asked. "You know, just for a laugh."

Francine shrugged, examining her fingernails.

"You could ask, but I think that stuff is pretty expensive."

Eve didn't bother to reply, and she was already out the door and into her dorm before Francine had a chance to look up.

Kate was alone sitting on her bed, flipping through an old issue of Witches Weekly. Everyone else must have still been at dinner. She glanced up when Eve walked in, and began to giggle.

"Oh Eve, I can't believe you weren't there. Charlie..."

"Yes, I know." Eve said, not wanting to be rude but suddenly feeling desperate. "I need to ask you a favor."

Looking slightly hurt that she didn't want to hear her story, Kate closed her book just loudly enough to let Eve know she was annoyed.

"Listen, I really do want to hear about Charlie, but right now I desperately need your help."

Sensing a good story in the making, Kate warmed up quickly.

"Yeah, maybe. What do you need?"

Eve swallowed hard, and tried to think of a way to ask that would led to the fewest questions.

"I want to know what I'd look like with make-up on. Will you put some on me tonight...I mean...just a little bit. You looked so pretty last time you went out with Roger, and I saw you putting that stuff on..."

"Ugh!" Kate cried dramatically. "Don't remind about Roger."

Cringing at an unpleasant memory, Kate got up and started digging through her trunk. She pulled out a fabric make-up bag, and tossed it on the bed.

"It would be my pleasure Evie." Kate said, smiling strangely. "Just as soon as you tell me who you're meeting tonight."

Eve stared blankly at her friend, a thousand thoughts swarming in her mind. This was such a bad idea, she should just go looking like herself. The classroom would probably be dark anyway. But there was no way Kate was going to let this slide.

"I'm not meeting anyone." Eve weakly offered, biting her lip.

"Liar!" Kate shouted, jumping back down on her bed. "I can read you like a book, Eve. You might as well tell me who it is now, and get it over with."

"You don't know him." She said, trying to sound confident.

Kate began taking out a variety of odd looking muggle products and laying them out on her bed.

"Try me." She said, carefully surveying the make-up, and picking a few things one by one.

Eve sat down on her bed, wringing her hands. She could guess what Kate's reaction would be, and it was not going to be pleasant.

"Severus." She muttered, so quietly she hoped that Kate hadn't heard.

Kate's head jerked up, and her jaw dropped.

"You mean Severus Snape? Evie, you had better be kidding." She exclaimed loudly. "Snape? He's such a greasy little rat!"

Eve wanted to defend him, but she didn't think she could. For all she knew, her friend might be right. What could she say anyway? That she had a gut feeling about him? A strange curiosity? That if she wanted to see him this badly, then he surely couldn't be that way at all?

"Please don't tell anyone Katie." She begged. "I don't understand it, but he just does something to me. I didn't like him at first either, not at all in fact. But we spoke, and I felt so uncomfortable with...and yet so comfortable at the same time."

"Alright." Kate said, jumping up and grabbing Eve's elbow. "It's straight to the hospital wing for you. I can only hope that they have room for you in St. Mungo's..."

Eve pulled free of her friend's grasp, her eye's shining with hurt tears. Of course she had teased them over their crushes, but that had been different. And he wasn't a crush exactly, just someone she wanted to know better. Someone she wanted to impress.

"Kate, please!" She begged. "Just do this one thing for me, and I promise I'll never ask anything from you again."

Kate stopped and put her hands on her hips, clearly debating the situation.

"What about that Rabastan character, the one that your supposed to marry?" She asked.

Kate was muggle born, and didn't really understand why Eve should have to get married so quickly, and to someone she had only met once to boot.

"I'm not going to fall in love or anything." She explained. "I told Snape a lot about me, but I know nothing about him. I'm just curious, that's all. He seems interesting."

"If you're into that sort of thing I guess." Kate said with a snort.

Eve didn't bother to ask what 'that sort of thing' was. Instead she looked hopefully at her friend, sticking out her lower lip like a pouting child.

"Oh all right!" Kate said, pushing Eve down onto the bed. "But you have to let me tell Francine. We promise we won't tell anyone else, alright?"

Eve nodded, deciding that it was probably a fair price to pay. After all, she wasn't doing anything wrong. It wasn't like she and Rabastan were actually betrothed yet, and it wasn't as if she and Severus were meeting for some romantic date. It was going to be completely innocent, that much she was sure of.

---

Flitting through the halls like a bat lost in the sunlight, Eve at last found the deserted charms classroom. The castle seemed so different a night, like it could have been a hundred years ago that these halls were filled with life and laughter, and not mere hours before.

Her heart beating wildly, Eve carefully drew a borrowed compact out of her robes and checked her make-up. She hadn't even pretended to sleep, and instead sat by the window and watched the full moon inch across the sky while Francine and Kate whispered about her. She didn't mind that so much, but couldn't help being hurt when they tried to talk her out of going, just as she thought they would.

Bracing herself, Eve pushed on the door. It didn't want to open at first, but after she shoved into hard with her shoulder it creaked open a sliver. Squeezing inside, she gasped as the door slammed behind her. The sound echoed through the dark empty room, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

All of the tables and chairs had been removed,except for the teacher's desk. The room was dusty and dreary looking, the only source of light coming from a lantern flickering on the desk. Beside it sat Severus Snape, looking paler than usual in the dim light.

"Wow." Eve said aloud, looking up at the exposed rafters encased in what looked like centuries of cobwebs. "I never knew this was here."

"I did." Severus said, hopping off of the desk and crossing the room to meet her. "I found it ages ago. I like to come here at night, when I want to be alone."

Eve smiled a little, already he was opening up to her. This was a good sign. Maybe if she knew more about him she wouldn't be so interested. Or maybe she would just care more. Either way seemed just fine at the moment.

"Did you come alone?He asked, stepping closer to her. "I was more afraid that you wouldn't."

Eve shook her head slowly, thinking about this. He probably didn't trust her, maybe he was worried that she would come here with a whole mess of her friends just to mock him.

"I'm not like most people, if that's what you mean." She said.

"I doubted that you were." He said quietly, reaching out unexceptedly to grab her hand.

Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn't pull her hand away.

"I think that's why I like you so much, because you're not like them." Severus continued, his words both intoxicatingyet almostbitter. "You're special."

Eve laughed a little bit, because she was sure that she had heard someone use a very similar line on her before.

"I know what you're thinking." He said forcefully. "And this isn't some sad attempt to get you into a dark corner so we can starting snogging."

Again Eve laughed, but now for a different reason.

"Yes, I guess I was thinking that." She admitted. "But why have to brought me down here then."

There was a long silence, as Severus seemed to struggle with his words. If it was at all possible, he seemed even paler than before.

"Because..." He said at last. "I think I love you."