A/N: Sorry guys! I know I haven't updated in forever…school, guy problems, ect has kept me from updating…but thanks to Erich for getting me to FINALLY type these chapters out.

Chapter 15: Flying Lessons

Ebony's world was in a fix. She didn't like the idea of Draco smoking, yet she knew she could not control him. She didn't know what to do. He hadn't said a word to her about their encounter in the Forbidden Forest and it had been almost a week.

She knew that every time he left her it was to seek comfort in the smoky arms of his new habit. She loathed it; knowing that she wasn't enough to satisfy him was killing her. The thought was like a sewer rat, clawing at her until she wanted to scream.

Talking to him about it was no use either. He would just sit there, stubbornly, looking at her. It was like ramming your head against a brick wall. Still, Ebony figured she might as well try it.

"Hey baby," Ebony said one day as Draco was about to get up and leave for the second time that day.

"Yeah?" he asked, inching his was away from her.

"We need to talk. I can't stand the fact that you smoke. I really really wish you would stop." She told him, holding her breath and hoping that her nice tone would help to calm the storm of his anger and annoyance.

"Babe, we've been through this. I do it to calm me down. I love you, but I gotta go!" he told her.

"No! We need to settle this. If you love me, then stop!" she pleaded.

"I can't-"

"You mean you won't." she interrupted, getting for furious as the minutes grew older. Silence then hung around them.

"Look, we'll talk later. I'm gonna go." He kissed her on the cheek and walked off, leaving Ebony still fuming.

Who the hell does he think he is? Her mind screamed.

She headed towards the Forbidden Forest, fully intending to confront him. Just as she had reached the outskirts of the Forest, however, she decided against it.

We're both upset, let me calm down before I talk to him she mused and she headed in the opposite direction. She wanted a release and knew just the thing.

She came to her favorite clearing in the Forest and signed. It was lunch, so she knew that she could only be out for a half and hour.

Slowly she began to think and felt a rush of excitement as her body began to transform. As soon as it was complete she began to walk around. The clearing was surrounded by trees which blocked out most of the sunlight and she had grown considerably stronger, so she felt perfect.

She began to beat he wings and lifted into the air. This was the easy part. She had done this hundreds of times in Snape's compartments. She could feel the strain of muscles as she began to move around slowly at first, then faster, she circled the grove. She could hear the tiniest noise, smell the faintest scent. She was in Heaven.

Suddenly, however, amidst her glory, she felt that oh-so-familiar draining feeling. She tried to land, but found she didn't have the strength. She could feel the ground coming swiftly towards her so she shrieked. She blacked out as she hit the ground.

Ebony woke to bright lights. She winced and could see shadows moving around her. She could hear voices but didn't know who they belonged to. She closed her eyes and drifted off again.

She awoke again to people yelling. It was dark now, and she wondered why there would be such a commotion. She turned over and began to listen.

"She's sleeping, leave her alone!" a woman's voice echoed through the room. Ebony immediately recognized it as Madame Pomfry's.

"So, if she's sleeping, my presence won't matter will it?" came a man's voice. Ebony was surprised to hear Professor Snape.

"Fine, but you disturb her, and you'll be kicked out-I don't care if you're a professor or not!" Madame Pomfrey told him then scuttled off.

Ebony then watched her Professor grab a chair and sit next to her on the side opposite where she was facing. Slowly, she turned to him and asked,

"Why did you want to sit here so badly?"

He was obviously surprised, but Ebony also caught a trace of a smile upon his lips. Smooth lips Ebony mused, but cleared her head quickly. He's my teacher! She told herself.

"I wanted to make sure my pupil was alright." He responded, shaking Ebony from her thoughts. The way he said pupil, she knew he was not talking about potions class.

"Oh, well, I'm fine."

"Let's hope so, what were you doing? I told you not to try that by yourself. You just had to go and do the exact opposite of what you were told!" he said, his voice dripping exasperation.

"I just…had to release some tension." She explained, sitting up.

Snape looked at her, "Tension? From school?" he questioned.

"No," Ebony told him, "Other stuff." She didn't want to go into too much detail. He was her teacher, after all.

"What stuff?" he asked. He didn't know why he was prying, just that he didn't like her to feel stressed or upset.

"It's nothing." She told him, wondering why he could care. It seemed as if the dark potions master was actually caring about her.

Snape looked at her, surprised at his own feelings. He wanted to sooth. He wanted to comfort. Over the past couple months he had grown to care about Ebony. Now that he knew she was having problems it killed him that she wouldn't confess them to her.

He touched his hand to her cheek, surprising them both. He held it there for a minute then said,

"Well, if there is anything you need to talk about, I'm here."

Ebony said nothing, just started as he walked away.

What the hell was that? Ebony asked herself, shrugged, then went back to sleep.

Snape walked to long way back to his room. He had a lot on his mind. He knew that Ebony was head strong and stubborn, much like himself. He only wished he could keep his feelings on the inside like she did.

She would never be interested in me, he sighed as he walked to his study.

And if she's really what the prophesy says she is then I better keep my feelings out of this. I have a job to do…yeah, a job, that's all this is…

A/N: hehe another cliffy! I hope you guys like! R&R plz…I'll give you a cookie…