Chapter 13

He flopped in the chair opposite hers and glared at her.

"I have no problem staying here all night. When you're ready to tell me why you left, I'm ready to listen." She rose and started making her way downstairs.

Severus had no interest in spending the night in the Headmaster's study. "Athena, wait." He followed her down the stairs. "Please, have a seat." He watched her slowly and deliberately take the chair by the fireplace. He paced as he spoke. "I did some truly horrible things in my youth. What you saw is a reminder of those horrible things." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "It may be a sign of more horrible things to come. That's why I had to leave. I had to tell someone." He hoped this would be enough for her.

"What sort of horrible things?" she asked.

He knelt next to her chair and took her hand in his. "There was a war here fifteen years ago. I was a participant in that war. Please, don't make me tell you any more. I am not the person I was then and I regret the indiscretions of my youth. I have atoned for those indiscretions and started my life anew."

She stared at him, taking in all that he had said and trying to unravel the things left unsaid, as she struggled to fathom the amount of torment she saw in his eyes. From what he had told her, she gathered that he had been on the wrong side of that war at some point. That would explain all the scars. "It took you four days to give your warning?" she asked suspiciously.

His voice was filled with regret when he answered, "No. It was foolish for me to stay away for so long. I know that now. I accomplished nothing more than upsetting you. Would you dance for me again?" he reached out to brush her cheek. He didn't think she was angry with him anymore.

"You want me to dance again?" she asked tentatively.

His voice filled with regret, he replied, "I do. I did not want to leave that night. I'm sorry I ruined the week. I was looking forward to it as much as you were."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I guess I can give you an opportunity to make it up to me," she replied wryly.

"Where did you go when you left? You weren't here." He braced himself for the worst. He had no idea how he would react if she admitted she had spent time with Lupin.

"I went to London and saw the museums," she replied simply.

"For four days?" he asked incredulously.

"There are a lot of museums. Though, it was quite lonely not having anyone to share the experience with," she purred.

Alone, she had been alone, he thought and felt relief wash over him. "Tell me, are all women this irrational or is it your Dryad heritage?"

She pulled away and furrowed her brow as she asked, "What?"

"You have quite a volatile temperament. I was just curious if this was a Dryad trait," he replied.

"I don't know. I've never been accused of being irrational before." She lost herself in thought for a few moments. "I guess I have been a bit odd, haven't I?"

"Just a bit? I do think it's a fair sight more than that. I thought you might start throwing things at me," he replied jokingly.

"That would be your department," she teased back. "I'm sorry I've been so touchy. I'll try to be less volatile," she replied as she fell back into his arms.

He stood there, holding her, wondering if he would ever understand women.

Albus was standing outside his door with his ear pressed to it, when Minerva cleared her throat behind him. "Ah, Minerva, success," he announced as moved away from the door.

"You're eavesdropping on your own office? Are you that concerned what the portraits say about you?" she asked.

"No. Severus was being quite hardheaded and I had to cure him of that. I believe I have succeeded. Shall we see if the elves have left any snacks in the staff room?"

Severus and Athena spent as much time together as they could, but the necessity of standing watches to protect the castle from Black, did not leave them much time. Severus found that, for once, he was not looking forward to the Quidditch match this weekend. First of all, he wasn't entirely certain his team could win. The Chasers still were not that good and Malfoy tended to get flustered around Potter. That boy needed to learn to control his emotions. He had the potential to be a great Seeker, if only he would apply himself. Malfoy also needed to learn that while money could buy many things, it could not buy skill; that came through practice. Second, he would have much preferred to remain where he was.

Athena woke to find herself alone in bed. Hadn't Severus been there last night? She got up, pulled on her bathrobe and found him pouring tea in the sitting room. "Morning," she said groggily.

"Good morning. I was just about to wake you."

"What time is it?" she asked, unable to focus clearly on the clock. Mornings had never been her favorite time of the day, especially when associated with a late night. She accepted the cup of tea he offered her.

"Nearly time for Quidditch." He watched her sink into the chair and moan. "There is no need for you to be present if you prefer to rest."

"No, it's not that. I just wish the Ministry would get about catching Black, these watches are killing me." She had had the early watch and Severus had come by after he got off the second watch, so neither had gotten very much rest. Frowning as she looked at her cup of tea, she found herself wishing it were strong coffee.

"So, you will be attending?" he asked.

"Yes, I rather enjoy Quidditch and I have a team I can root for, so that makes it more enjoyable."

"You will be in the minority," he replied dryly. Slytherin House had always been unpopular.

"That's okay. Truthfully, the teams at Reese haven't been that good for a number of years, so I've gotten used to rooting for the unpopular team. Do you think they have a chance?" she asked as she picked at the fruit plate.

Severus frowned. He had been watching practice and knew that his team was not as good as they had been a few years back. "If Malfoy can perform up to his potential as Seeker, there is a good possibility. I assume you will be on your best behavior today?" he asked dryly.

"Was there something wrong with my behavior last time?" she asked with mock innocence.

He raised an eyebrow and glared back at her.

"Okay, I promise to keep my hands to myself and won't try to embarrass you in public, again." It was very tempting to break that promise, but she would keep her word.

"Why did you do it last time?" This question had been bothering him for sometime, but he had not yet found the opportunity to ask it.

"You're too stuffy and repressed," she replied playfully.

"And you are entirely too cavalier," he retorted.

"And what a wonderful pair we are." She kissed him and then headed for the shower.

After that match, Severus was in such a foul mood that Athena excused herself for the afternoon, claiming that she was more tired than she had thought and needed to get some rest. She hoped he would be in a better mood that evening. Of course, his team had lost so miserably she wasn't entirely sure that his mood would improve. With the Slytherin team losing by more than two hundred points, she thought it was a near certainty that he would take points from anyone that crossed his path.

Even if his mood had not improved by dinner, she thought she might be able to help him forget the loss.

Severus was still in a very foul mood at dinner. Once again, he would have to endure another year of Minerva's snide comments about her team winning the Quidditch Cup. In all likelihood the Gryffindors would win the House Cup as well. They had the academic advantage. Momentarily, he considered just being more brutal in docking points from Gryffindor, but he knew from past experience, that if Minerva thought he was being too overzealous in taking points from Gryffindor, she would find a way to award her House points.

He was so engrossed in his foul mood, that he was basically ignoring Athena. He would either grunt or mutter indistinctly at any of the comments she made. After ten minutes of mostly picking at his food, he abruptly got up from the table.

Once Athena, finished her meal, she headed down to the dungeon, hoping that she wouldn't find a scene of destruction like the last time he had been upset. Fortunately, he was not in his office. If he were destroying things, it would be a much smaller mess in his quarters. She knocked on the door to his quarters. When there was no answer, she knocked more insistently and said, "Severus? Are you in there?"

"Go away," came his muffled reply.

She knocked again. "Let me in, I'm not leaving."

"I said, go away," he snapped.

She had heard that when one of his bad moods was allowed to fester, he became downright unbearable. She wasn't about to let that happen and started knocking constantly on the door.

He poured another glass of scotch and tried to ignore her knocking. She would tire of it soon enough and leave him alone.

After five minutes and his third glass of scotch, she was still knocking on his door. Why could that infernal woman not listen to him? He wanted to be left alone.

Downing his drink, he got up to tell her to go away and slam the door in her face. As he stood, he had to pause a moment and hold onto the chair to keep his balance. He yanked the door open and snapped, "What part of 'go away' don't you understand?"

She forced herself not to step back from the reek of alcohol that came from him and instead slipped under his arm and into the room. "All of it."

He grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. "I didn't invite you in," he growled.

"I really don't care. You're drunk." She tried to shove him away.

"Very observant of you." He released her and headed back for the table where the bottle was and poured another glass.

"How much have you had?" she asked after noticing how unsteady his gait was.

"Not nearly enough," he replied snidely.

She crossed the room and grabbed his wrist to prevent him from drinking. "I hadn't thought you were one to fall into self pity."

He shifted his glass to his free hand and quickly downed it. Before he could reach the bottle, she had snatched it off the table. "Give me that," he ordered.

"No," she replied defiantly. She was reasonably confident that he wouldn't hex her, and if he tried, she hoped the alcohol would make his attack ineffective.

"It isn't self pity. I'm celebrating yet another miserable year. The Gryffindors have won the Quidditch Cup and will surely also win the House Cup. I will have to endure yet another year of taunting from Minerva. Now, give me that damn bottle, woman!"

"No, you've had enough," she replied definitively and with a wave of her wand made the bottle disappear.

He lunged at her, but she was able to deftly avoid him. "What did you do with it? That was a very expensive bottle of scotch," he growled.

"You can have it back later." She shoved him and he landed on the sofa. "I'm not going to let you wallow in self pity or get drunk off your ass." Straddling him, she continued, "I came down here to see if I could help you improve your mood and forget that abysmal loss." She started undoing his buttons. "Of course, if you would prefer I leave…" She started to get up, but he grabbed her.

"You risked my ire to cheer me up?" he asked incredulously.

She finished undoing his shirt buttons. "Not to cheer you up. I don't think you've ever been cheerful. But, yes, I risked your ire to improve your mood." Bending down to kiss him, she continued slyly, "Of course, you may have had too much to drink to appreciate what I'm trying to do for you." Slipping her hand into his trousers, she was quite pleased to find that he was reacting to her touch.

He pulled her close and delved deeply into her mouth with his tongue. "As a Potions Master, that will not be a problem." Slipping out from under her, he staggered to his private work area and began digging through the vials of potions, looking for the sobriety potion. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time focusing on the labels.

Athena slipped in front of him and deftly selected the proper vial. Turning to sit on his worktable she held up the vial. "I believe this is what you are looking for?" He tried to grab it away from her and she pulled it away. "I wouldn't want you to drop it. Come to bed and I'll give it to you," she replied playfully as she slipped it into the front of her dress.

He wrapped his left arm around her waist to keep her from slipping away and, with his right arm, he tried to retrieve the vial.

She slapped his hand away and began shoving him back toward the bedroom. "Now, now, Severus. I'll let you have it, but I want to have a little fun, first." She flashed him a devilish grin.

Suffering from reduced coordination, he fell over, pulling her with him. He quickly rolled over so that he was on top of her. "Now, what sort of fun?" he asked as he pushed her skirt up.

She could see the glint in his eye and pushed his shirt off. "I think you know what sort of fun." Once his shirt was off, she started unbuttoning his trousers. "Satisfy me and I'll give you the potion," she whispered.

He grabbed the front of her dress and ripped it, pulling the potion out of its hiding place in her bosom. With one hand he grabbed the vial, with the other, he grabbed her breast teased the nipple before suckling. "Do not cross me." He pulled away from her and downed the potion. It would take a few minutes for the potion to take effect and he pulled her to her feet. "Enough games, you harlot."

She tried to pull free. "A harlot, now?" After realizing she couldn't pull away, she started rubbing against him. "I think I like that," she purred.

He couldn't remember seeing her this aroused, not that he was complaining. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Once there, he tossed her on the bed before smothering her. He spent time teasing her nipples as he waited for the potion to work. Once he was satisfied it had taken effect, he flipped her onto her. He would prove to her that he was in charge and make her suffer for her insolence.

After he was satisfied, he pulled her against him. "You're quite randy tonight. Have you been raiding my potions?"

"I would never do that," she replied innocently.

He considered her words and felt she was telling the truth. "Now what, my little vixen?"

She eagerly returned his kisses. "I'm so very glad your mood has improved."

"You were quite insistent." He pulled away and rolled next to her. "What are your plans now that you have improved my mood?"

She snuggled up against him. "I think I'll keep you to myself the rest of the weekend. I've had the urge to shag you rotten all day."

"And you haven't fulfilled that urge?"

She draped herself on top of him. "Hardly," she replied playfully as she rubbed against him.

"You're insatiable," he replied. "What's brought this about?" While she may not have raided his potions, there was nothing stopping her from having brewed one on her own.

"I'm not allowed to find you sexy?" she asked as she trailed kisses across his chest and toward his waist.

"I just don't recall you acting like this before and was wondering what brought on your amorous behavior." Not that he was really complaining.

She continued lavishing attention upon him. "I just find you sexy. I think your pouting earlier really turned me on."

"I don't pout," he insisted.

"Of course not, darling," she replied before teasing him with her tongue.

A/N: I hope everyone finds this a better ending place than last time. Thanks again to those that have left reviews. As you can see, they do provide me the motivation to continue. :) I know these chapters have been coming fast and furious, but I felt bad about abandoning a story that there was interest in. Sadly, there is only one more chapter. But, I have a lot of other fiction you can check out if you'd like. :)

Once again, I did have to do some minor editing to this chapter to comply with the ratings. Those taht are of age and are interested can check out my profile to find the unedited version of this chapter.