Jenny lay awake. The insistent snoring of her fellow housemates was driving her to distraction. She contemplated reading, doing some work in the common room. Eventually she came to the conclusion that she needed a walk.
As she shuffled into the Slitherin common room she checked her watch. 2am. She pulled her dressing gown tight and sat beside the fire, which was emitting green flames. The rest of the room was swathed in darkness; she admitted to herself that she was absolutely petrified and that she aught to go back to bed, when something shifted in the darkness. She screamed.
Severus put a hand over her mouth and sat down beside her.
'You scared the life out of me!' she said breathlessly and excitedly.
'Sorry' he replied 'I didn't mean to. I often sit up at night.'
'In the darkness?' she stared at him avidly waiting for a reply eventually she continued. 'Why do you stay up? You do sleep don't you?'
'Of course I do.' He laughed 'I just don't need much' her eyes shone bright in the darkness. He concentrated on her face for a long time. Eventually when it had become too uncomfortable she turned away.
'What do you do in the dark then?' she said standing and sitting on the floor before the fire. She poked at the ashes, he did not speak. 'Well?' she said.
'Nothing much.' He said sitting beside her. He drew patterns in the ash by the fire.
She felt a distinct feeling of foreboding. 'Then why do it?' she said.
He did not answer.
'Are you still with Lupin?' he said venomously.
'No.' She said flatly.
'Good' he replied.
She felt that she should defend herself. She aught to have had it out with him for speaking that way about Remus. But found that she didn't want to argue with him. Instead, Jenny nodded.
She watched his fingers moving in the ash. Strange patterns and images immerged. He drew horses and birds. Faces and eyes. They sat in companionable silence and watched the flames.
For want of a better thing to say Jenny said 'I've never understood why they dislike you so much.'
'Who?' he asked innocently, as he brushed the ashes so that the pictures smudged and blurred.
'Remus and …' he stopped her before she could continue.
'I don't like to think about it.' He said angrily.
She stood up brushing the ash from her dressing gown. 'I had better get back to bed.' She said checking her wristwatch, nearly 3.
'Don't go yet.' He said gently. He reached up and took her hand. He looked up at her, his face completely in shadow.
'It's late. I've got an exam tomorrow…' she tried to pull away, his grip tightened.
'Stay with me.' He whispered pulling her down.
She sat down next to him, only much closer than she would have liked. After a moment he tucked a lose strand of her hair behind her ear. And then planted a kiss on her jaw line, just below her ear.
She felt herself grow hot. She tried to stand again, not liking this new sensation, this yearning for him. He put his arms around her and kept her down, he kissed her deeply. She let him kiss her, her lips moved beneath his. She could feel her heart racing, her breath caught in her chest and she gave in.
Later she lay next to him in his small dark room, and although it was June she shivered under his covers and closer to him. Realising that she had to be in her own bed she made to leave. He was sleeping soundly and as she crept out of bed he stirred. She planted a kiss on his forehead and swiftly left the room.
The clock above the fire in the common room had struck five by the time Jenny got to bed. She clutched her dressing gown around her and half ran back to her dormitory. She slipped beneath the covers and at last, she fell asleep.