The Quidditch match was underway for ten minutes before Athena arrived. She took a seat at the top of the staff box, two rows up from Severus. She noticed that he went out of his way not to pay attention to her arrival. Well, she could fix that. She smiled slyly, having learned a thing to two hanging around a Slytherin for the last few months.
She pulled her wand out and tugged the sleeve of her cloak to conceal it from view. She spoke her charm softly and made a small swish and flick. Let the fun begin, she thought.
Severus was suffering through Filius' playful banter. He had hoped that Athena would have arrived soon enough to sit next to him, but she had not and he had no rational reason to refuse Filius the seat.
"Well, I dare say this figures to be a thrilling match, don't you Severus? The weather is wonderful, so it will come down to skill. Care to make a friendly wager?" Filius had asked.
Severus wasn't in much of a mood to chat. "Yes, should be a thrilling match."
"Now, about that wager? Oh, good show by Montague; that puts your team up first. I have a very nice old bottle of Scotch you might be interested in." Filius knew that Severus enjoyed the occasional good glass of Scotch, but hated going to Muggle shops to purchase it.
Severus could tell there was no way to distract Filius from his decision to make a wager. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Athena had arrived, but there was no seat nearby for her. Rather than draw attention, he chose to ignore her. She knew the terms of their relationship. "Excellent choice, Filius. In return I will wager that seventeenth century Goblin history you were eying covetously." The book had not been as interesting as he had hoped it would be, so if his team failed him, it would not be a great loss. He grimaced as the Ravenclaw team tied the score.
"Ah, well, I'm not sure my bottle of whisky is an equal wager, but, I accept," Filius replied happily. "I daresay I think this is our year for the cup. The team's looking quite strong. Oh good, Martin's scored again."
Severus flinched as he thought he felt someone touch his leg, but Filius was clapping his hands together with glee as he watched his Seeker dive after the Snitch. He allowed himself a smug grin as Bole whacked a Bludger at Cho Chang, forcing her to give up her pursuit of the Snitch. Once again, he had the feeling that someone was touching his leg, or more accurately rubbing it. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, but saw Athena thoroughly engrossed in the match. Besides, she was sitting two rows up from him.
For the next thirty minutes, the match progressed normally. Filius continued to try to get him involved in a running commentary on the match, but he really had no interest in furthering that conversation. He scowled as Addams scored another ten points for Ravenclaw. His team was now behind ten to eighty and the Chasers looked incompetent. He hadn't seen Malfoy make one move for the Snitch. That fool was just circling the pitch like a vulture. The feeling of the hand caressing his thigh returned. It was such a personal touch that it could only be Athena, but another quick glance behind him proved nothing. She was talking quietly with Pomona.
Another thirty minutes passed and his team was down thirty to one-hundred and fifty. They were going to lose this match. After all the trouble he had gone through to get their match with Gryffindor rescheduled, those fools were going to lose the match and their chance at the Quidditch Cup. That was the cornerstone for their regaining the House Championship.
He flinched as he felt the invisible touch return.
"Are you all right?" Filius asked at seeing his colleague jump.
"I'm fine," he replied, hoping his voice sounded steady. The invisible hand had given up on his thigh and moved to his groin. He turned and glared at Athena. She smiled sweetly and gave him a small wave, but he never once felt the hand leave his crotch. He shifted as his body reacted to the intimate touch.
"Oh, my. It looks like your team had better do something. This game is quickly getting out of their reach," Filius said gleefully as his team scored again.
If the Ravenclaws scored twice more, the Slytherin Chasers would have to score in order for them to win. Severus didn't trust himself to reply with anything more than a grunt. Athena's invisible touch, how he hoped it was her touch, was driving him insane, but there was nothing he could do. She knew that she had him at a disadvantage and was exploiting his weakness. He scowled and closed his eyes as the Ravenclaws scored again.
Filius misinterpreted his colleagues squirming. "This is quite and exciting match isn't it? Oh look, Malfoy seems to have found the Snitch!"
Severus opened his eyes and saw that Malfoy had indeed seen the Snitch and had given it chase. Chang was trying to catch up to him, but Malfoy had been between her and the Snitch. He tried to keep his breathing steady, but that woman's maddening touch was making it difficult for him to focus on anything other than his own body. He should have hexed her the second time he looked at her, but oh, this felt so wonderful. He shifted, sitting on the edge of the seat, now thoroughly engrossed in her touch. As he reached release, he stood up and shouted, "Yes!"
Unfortunately, this was a split second before Malfoy caught the Snitch. Filius looked at him curiously, but then realized the match was over. Slytherin had won by a mere ten points. He stood up on the bench and shook Severus' hand. "Well played by your team. I thought we had you, but I guess not. I'll bring that Scotch by later this afternoon."
Severus did his best to regain his composure. Others were looking at him strangely, since he had never displayed that sort of enthusiasm at a Quidditch match. "Yes, very well played. Don't worry about bringing the Scotch by. I'll get it after class on Monday. No need for you to come all the way down to the dungeons." He glanced up at Athena, who was obviously telling some sort of animated Quidditch story to Pomona and was not paying attention to him.
While waiting for the stands to empty, he tried to very casually recover from what she had done. He watched as she and Pomona left the stands together.
Athena and Pomona stopped to congratulate Severus. "Congratulations to your team, Severus. This puts you in a good position to win the Quidditch Cup, doesn't it?" asked Athena.
"Yes, it does," he replied, shooting her a very short and meaningful glare.
"It will probably come down to you and Gryffindor now," added Pomona.
"As well as the Ravenclaw team played, I doubt the Gryffindors will beat them," said Severus.
"Well, it's quite cold out, I think it's time to head back to the castle. Are you coming, Athena?" asked Pomona.
"Sure, I'll walk back with you." She gave Severus a coy smile as she walked down the stairs.
As he watched her leaving, he was still stunned over her behavior. He left the stands as well, but made sure to keep a discreet distance from the two women. He saw Athena wave to Pomona as older witch headed up the stairs to her quarters. Checking to make sure the area was deserted, he followed her.
"Did you enjoy the game, Athena?" Severus growled as he caught up to her.
"Immensely. And you?" she asked with a sly smile.
"What you did was highly inappropriate," he said in a menacing whisper.
"I don't see that cheering for the Slytherin team was inappropriate. After all, I'm not a Head of House," she replied innocently.
"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."
"What is it that I'm purported to have done?" she asked naively.
"You," he looked around to make sure there was no one within earshot, "fondled me."
"Did I now? That's quite impressive from two rows up and with no one noticing."
"What charm did you use on me? Is that some sort of Dryad magic?" he asked insistently.
"Come now, Severus. I've already told you, Dryads don't have magic. That was a little trick my grandfather taught me." She smiled mischievously at him.
"He taught you to do that?" Severus was aghast at the idea.
"Well, not for that purpose," she replied playfully. "We used to use it when playing hide and seek, but this was much more entertaining."
"Do you realize how embarrassing that could have been for me?" He tried to sound angry, but his heart wasn't in it.
"The timing worked out okay. I honestly had no idea you would be that…enthusiastic. You always seem so reserved. Even last night you weren't that vocal." She gave him a very sly smile.
"I will ask you to add that to your list of inappropriate public behavior," he growled.
"Of course. Truthfully, I don't think it would ever be as entertaining a second time. I'll see you six o'clock for dinner, right?" she asked.
They were nearly to her quarters. He pinned her against the wall. "Why wait until then?"
"Well, the place is a bit of disaster. I'm normally fairly neat, but, um, well, events being what they are…" her voice trailed off.
He trailed his finger along her cheek. "The mess is inconsequential. You must be…punished for your misbehavior," he said softly.
She felt weak in the knees from the combination of his touch and the rich baritone of his voice. A part of her feared what he would do after she had nearly publicly embarrassed him, but another part wanted to know what he would do. "Severus," she tried to protest.
He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "You won't escape that easily," he said as he used his wand to open her door. He followed her into her quarters, and, as soon as the door was closed, pulled her into an embrace and kissed her roughly. She tried to push him away, but he held her tighter and backed her onto the couch. "Do not embarrass me like that again," he growled.
She knew he would be angry and asked fearfully, "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing too terribly unpleasant," he sneered as he captured her mouth in his and forced her lips apart.
After satisfying his needs, he pulled away
She pleaded, "Severus?"
He rolled her onto her back and loomed over her, a sly grin on his face. "Not right now, my dear. Remember, you are being punished." He stood and pulled up his trousers, ignoring her pleas to not leave her like this. "I think I'll send down for a light lunch. After all, I need to keep my strength up."
She wrapped her arms around him, feeling distinctly unsatisfied and hoping to convince him to change his mind. "Please, don't leave me like this."
He spun around to face her, grabbing hold of her wrists. "Yes, I will. Once I have regained my strength, I may decide to forgive you."
She crossed her arms and pouted. "You are a horrible man."
He saw this as a compliment rather than an insult and merely grinned at her as he Flooed a food order to the kitchens.
It was getting late Sunday afternoon and Severus had made good on his promise to keep Athena to himself all weekend. Their meals had been sent up to them, so there had been no need to leave. Now, she was sitting in the bathtub, between his legs and he had his arms wrapped around her.
"You really should to get back to your rooms," she said.
He didn't really want to let her go, still not quite sure she would return to him. "Oh really?"
"Really. In case you've forgotten, I do teach class around here. And as much as you might disdain Muggle Studies, I do have to do some preparation for my classes. It's not easy trying to explain Muggle technology and it's even worse when there is no way for the electronics to work here."
He nibbled at her neck. "When you leave here, I will ensure it is with the knowledge to teach a real subject. Something worthy of you."
"Is there something wrong with History?" she tried to sound hurt, but wasn't quite sure she was convincing.
He snorted. History at Hogwarts was a bit of a joke. Professor Binns had definitely become more out of touch with his students the longer he was dead.
She turned around to straddle him. "I assure you, my History class is much more fascinating than Professor Binns' class."
"Of that, I have no doubt, but anyone with half a brain can teach History. You're much better suited to teaching Potions."
She ran her fingers through his hair; it felt much better without the pomade. "Flattery will get you nowhere. I still have work to do. And it might be a good idea to actually show up to the Great Hall for a meal."
She did have a point. "Perhaps tomorrow we could finally play that game of chess?" He wanted her back in his bed.
She kissed his forehead and trailed kisses to his mouth. "I…would…like…that, but I will have to see how much work I have." She tried to get up, but he pulled her back down. "Sev…"
"I don't think I can let you leave, just yet," he said as he settled her back on top of him.
Athena was perfectly well behaved around the rest of the staff, much to Severus' relief. The worst thing she did was passing him a note at the staff meeting.
There once was a Professor named Snape,
Dressed all in black, right down to his cape,
Who attracted a pretty girl,
That wanted to give him a whirl,
So her teeth along his shaft did scrape.
Come to my quarters and I'll prove it.
A
It was all he could do not to blush reading her limerick. He glanced at her and she gave him a suggestive smile. It was then that he noticed that Lupin was keeping an eye on her. He would have thought that by now the werewolf would have forgotten about her. She was clearly not interested in him anymore. He resolved to keep a closer eye on Lupin's behavior to ensure that nothing untoward happened. From what Athena had said, she was unable to behave normally around the werewolf.
He turned his attention back to the meeting. Albus had begun discussing the dementors and the security precautions that they were putting into place to capture Black. At this, Severus glared at Lupin again. He still clung to his belief that Lupin was keeping his old school chum hidden. No one could have evaded the dementors for this long without someone else's help and since the Hogwarts' grounds were the one place the dementors could not go, it stood reason that Black was here somewhere and that Lupin was aiding him.
He thought back to her limerick. He could honestly say, that in his entire life, he had never had a woman write poetry for him, at least not nice poetry. Oh, they used to make up cruel poems to mock him, but that didn't count. He would most definitely go to her quarters after the meeting.
January was winding down and the weather was unseasonably warm. Severus and Athena were playing chess in his quarters. They were evenly matched, so the games were very competitive. She moved her rook into an attacking position. "Since it looks like the weather is clearing up a bit, I thought you might like to get away from here for the weekend," she offered.
He analyzed her attack and moved his queen into a defensive position. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, but there is Quidditch this weekend."
"It's not your team, though. Besides, do you honestly think anyone would miss you?" she asked sarcastically.
He smiled at her, "Then I believe that could be arranged. Did you have someplace in mind?"
"No, not really. I thought you might," she replied.
"You know the types of places I go in my travels. I doubt any of them will be suitable," he replied dryly.
"Well then, do I have your permission to indulge myself?" she asked coyly.
He was about to answer yes, but one look at her face made him reconsider that idea. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," he replied cautiously.
"Don't you trust me?" she asked dejectedly.
"Generally, yes, but I am not accustomed to a woman making reservations for a weekend getaway," he said defensively.
She propped her head on her hands and asked, "When was the last time you went on a weekend getaway with a woman?"
"Well…never," he admitted sheepishly. Of course, she had known the answer to that question before asking it and he began to feel he was being manipulated.
She smiled victoriously. "Then it's settled, I'll make travel arrangements."
"I was never going to win, was I?"
"Not at all." She moved her queen and announced victoriously, "Checkmate."
He came around the board and scooped her into his arms. "I do know something I am going to win tonight."
"Do you now?" she replied playfully as he carried her back to his bedroom.
Returning to Hogwarts after a refreshing getaway at a wizarding resort in Bath, they both had the feeling that something was not quite right. Even though it was before dinner, there was no one about on the grounds. And they both found themselves subject to scrutiny at the front doors.
"Filch, what's the meaning of this?" Snape asked the caretaker.
"Well, perfessor, Black was in the castle last night, in the Gryffindor Tower."
"Black was here? And no one captured him? How did it happen?" Snape asked angrily. He had an excellent idea of who he thought was responsible.
Filch continued derisively, "Seems the Longbottom boy wrote down the passwords and somehow Black got ahold of 'em. He were trying to attack that Potter boy, but got Weasley instead."
"No one was hurt, were they?" Athena asked.
Filch did not care for Americans, but remained polite since she was in Snape's company. He respected Snape enormously since the Potions Master held similar views on discipline. "No, perfessor, not as of yet, anyways. The Headmaster asked me to send you two up when you got back. I reckon he'll talk about the new security."
The two of them went straight to the Headmaster's office. "Longbottom. That boy is at the center of disasters. He has no place here," Severus snarled.
"Oh, I don't know, he's rather brilliant in Muggle Studies," Athena retorted.
"Than let him live life as a Muggle," Severus replied acidly.
Athena wisely decided not to pursue this line of discussion.
When they entered Albus' office, he said, "Severus, Athena, good to have you back. I assume Argus has filled you in on the pertinent details?"
"I told you he was a danger. This is twice…"
Albus raised his hand to stop Severus before he could hit his stride. "That will do, Severus. There is no proof that anyone on this staff let Sirius Black into the castle. You will not make unfounded accusations."
"Unfounded? These are not unfounded accusations," Severus replied defensively.
"Enough, Severus," Albus said in a tone that ended that argument. "I did not ask you here so you could make accusations. The staff will be standing night watches, patrolling the castle to ensure there are no further incursions. It will be three-hour shifts beginning at nine o'clock and ending at six o'clock when Argus will begin his morning patrol. The rotation is posted in the staff room. I have also assigned teachers to act as chaperones in Hogsmeade. Athena, I have given you the afternoon shift. Severus, you will have the next weekend if Black has not been caught by then.
"I trust you found the resort refreshing?" Albus asked.
"Very much so. Thank you for the recommendation. I think this weekend was exactly what we needed," Athena replied pleasantly.
"Excellent, though I fear that it might be some time before you have another opportunity to get away. Thank you for stopping by, I'm sure you have more important business than talking to an old man," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
Once they were outside, Severus asked, "You got the resort recommendation from Albus?"
"Where else was I supposed to get it? It's not like I'm familiar with wizarding England," she replied.
Severus suppressed as a shudder as he thought about why Albus would know the name of a place for an excellent romantic getaway. There were some things it was better not to know.
"I'll see you at dinner. I've got some stuff to do."
He watched her head up the stairs and wished he was still at that resort.
Athena lost track of time and arrived at dinner late. She ended up seated between Filius and Rolanda Hooch. Since they knew she had not been present for the Quidditch match, they gave her the blow by blow of the match, including the Slytherin dementor practical joke. When she heard that, she glared down the table at Severus, but he didn't seem to understand the meaning of her glare.
She was pleased to hear that it hadn't affected the outcome of the match and was, in fact, quite surprised to hear that Harry had been able to create a Patronus. Throughout the rest of the meal she glared down the table whenever there was chance. It turned out there really weren't many more details in the Black attack than what Filch had already told them.
She noticed Severus following her out of the Great Hall. Rather than go to her quarters, she decided to go to the staff room.
Severus had hoped for someplace more private, but the staff room was large enough they could have a private conversation. Besides, it was still deserted, as they had been the first ones to leave the table. "Would you mind telling me why you were glaring at me during dinner?"
"I cannot believe you teach your students to cheat," she accused.
"I have never taught my students to cheat," he defended and crossed his arms.
"Oh no? Then why would four of your students have dressed up as dementors during the Quidditch match?"
So, she thought the behavior of his students was his responsibility alone? "I assure you, I have no idea. I never suggested they do anything of the sort to affect the outcome of the match."
"Likely story. You are their head of house, I'm sure you have great influence over their behavior," she retorted.
"Perhaps if I had been there, I could have stopped them before they perpetrated their joke," he jibed back at her.
"Oh, no you don't. You aren't blaming this one on me." She was shaking her finger at him.
He could tell that this had the potential of being a protracted argument. He lowered his voice, "I would prefer that we did not have this argument here. Perhaps you would prefer to continue in an empty classroom or we could go to your office?"
She was growing more irate. "You'd like that wouldn't you? You could get me somewhere private where you could charm me."
"I believe you are mistaken there. I am the least charming person in the world. If either of us uses charms, it would be you. Points were deducted and detentions assigned. Since the students have been punished I don't see that this is much of a concern." He hoped this logical discussion would calm her.
"I'm concerned about the morals you're teaching them. I've heard things while I've been here about how the Slytherins are a bad lot. I've chalked it up to a few bad apples getting all the attention, but now I'm not so sure. That ruse was despicable and dishonorable." She frowned at him.
"I will not disagree with you." He stopped as the door opened. He moved closer to her and whispered, "Please, Athena, let's discuss this elsewhere. I will not argue in front of others."
She stormed out in a huff and he was left to follow her. She was waiting for him in her office and locked the door behind him. She started before he could. "What kind of morals, if any, are you teaching those students? If they leave here thinking that kind of behavior is acceptable, it's no wonder that Slytherins are despised."
"Now wait a minute. Slytherins are not despised. Ambition takes many forms. I will grant you those four used poor judgment, and in addition to the detention and loss of points they are already suffering, I will speak with the young man who was undoubtedly the ring leader and let him know that sort of behavior is not acceptable."
"And tell him a better way of cheating to win the Quidditch Cup, I suppose," she retorted.
He tried not to show his exasperation. "Why are you taking this out on me? I have done nothing wrong. Not only were those four students humiliated and hit with a Patronus charm, they are being punished and Gryffindor still won the match. As sneaky as they are, it is likely, that even if had I been present, I would not have been able to stop them. I endeavor to do the best I can to prepare my students for life after Hogwarts, but there is only so much I can do to counteract parental influence. Do not turn me into your scapegoat for your sense of righteousness."
She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just know how badly you want your House to win the House Championship and a part of me thought that you would encourage your students to do whatever it would take to win. I guess I let my emotions get the better of me."
"That you did. I encourage them to do their best academically, though I have several that are severely challenged by academics, and in Quidditch, but I have never condoned any sort of cheating." Though it is inherently a Slytherin trait and some of them do not need encouragement to devise those strategies on their own, he added silently.
She crossed the room and hugged him. "I'm sorry. It just all seemed so suspicious. I thought you might have had something to do with such an elaborate ruse."
He chuckled as he held her. "After teaching here as long as I have, you learn that the students need little encouragement to cause absolute mayhem. Just look at Longbottom, trouble follows that boy like a lost puppy. You mean to tell me you have not run into mischievous students at Reese? I find that hard to believe."
"We have our share of troublemakers, but we've never had anything of this magnitude before. Of course, part of that may be that we don't have Houses. Perhaps I can make it up to you. You could meet me in Hogsmeade Saturday after my shift and I could buy you dinner?" she offered.
"That sounds reasonable, though you will have to stop treating me or I will no longer feel like a gentleman."
She laughed softly. "Now there's a word I never expected you to use describing yourself."
He laughed with her. "Where you are concerned, I would prefer to be known as a gentleman."
"Well that's too bad," she said playfully as she fingered one of his buttons.
"Too bad?" he asked.
"Yes. You see a gentleman would never spend the night in a lady's bed unless he were married to her."
"And you consider yourself a lady?" He was beginning to rethink his gentleman statement.
"Sometimes, but not right now," she whispered before kissing him and shoving him onto the sofa.
A/N: Thanks again to those that have taken time to review. I'm going to try to post a new chapter every couple of days on this one. There were a few minor edits in this chapter to make it compliant with the ratings here. If you go into my profile, I have added a link to my website in my write up as you cannot add URLs into the chapters.