Chapter Two – An Unusual Arrival
Snape wrapped his hand around Jessica's upper arm, pinching her slightly along a sensitive nerve, and callously began leading her out of the Great Hall. His long, angry strides were twice as long as Jessica's tiny steps and his pull practically had her tripping a few times down the way.
"Severus, stop it!" Jessica whispered angrily and tried to pull her arm out of his grasp. "Severus, people are watching us. You're embarrassing both of us!"
His reply was a mere grumble. Jessica could feel his temper still rising and knew it best to try and not arouse his anger any further. She'd known she was taking a big risk by letting Lockhart butter up to her like he did, and the result of Snape's postponed resentment was exactly what she expected. Although, she would have preferred that he wait until they were clear of the others before creating a relentless scene.
The doors of the Great Hall swung open and slammed against the wall so hard that Jessica saw a cloud of dust and cracked paint fall from the ceiling. Too embarrassed to look back and see if any of the other professors had witnessed Snape's horrible outrage, Jessica kept her head tucked against Snape's chest and allowed him to stride angrily out of the castle and into the black of the evening.
A long, white hand snaked out from his robes and whisked the red rose right out of Jessica's fingers and threw it heedlessly to the ground. A deadening crush sounded as Snape's heel came down on the blossom, leaving nothing behind but the stem and the spoiled remnants of bleeding red pedals.
When they'd reached a grass clearing he stopped and Jessica dared to look up into his eyes. She saw his pale, sallow skin glowing in the dark of the night and the moonlight beaming brightly in the black ink pools of his eyes. A touch of color decorated his cheeks emphasising the fury he was trying to contain. And behind pale, pursed lips his teeth were clenched tightly, temporarily postponing his shouts of anger.
Jessica tried closing her mind to his aggravation. His wicked temper had a way of inducing the worst sort of headaches imaginable.[1] Even as she struggled to keep his thoughts from penetrating her mind, she could still hear bits of him struggling to put the right words together.
As far back as she could remember this was the first time she had truly been frightened of him. She gradually pulled away from him, realizing that his grip around her arm had loosened. She watched his glazed eyes carefully as he stared into infinity and then began to wonder if he was even aware of her anymore, or if he was just preparing himself to detonate into one of the apoplectic fits she had so far only heard about from the odd student in the Hospital Wing.
Jessica waited another moment before hesitantly raising herself to her full height. "I'm sorry," she whimpered desperately.
At the sound of her timid voice, Snape's violently dilated black eyes abruptly pointed down at her showing no indication that he was about to forgive her for coaxing Lockhart into such flattery, in Snape's presence nonetheless.
"Your apology is quite worthless at this time," Snape hissed warningly. "If you intend to see through to his private rendezvous I will not stop you. However, upon your decision to see him, our association will cease permanently."
He was as every bit serious as he was livid with flaming wrath. Jessica knew that if he'd been able to sense her thoughts back in the castle as easily as she could sense his, Snape would know that Jessica did not intend to turn her association with Lockhart into anything intimate or personal, but rather keep her meetings with him entirely professional.
"Severus, I only wanted to speak with him. Every witch across the country dreams of having an opportunity to ask Gilderoy Lockhart what it's like to be a hero. You know that. Call it a case of hero worship."
"He is not a hero," Snape assured. His arms were crossed in front of him and his robes were blowing in the gentle breeze.
"I can hardly expect you to think so," she said sincerely. She dared to take another step closer to him. His temper was dwindling slowly but was still well within the boundaries of danger. "But if my seeing him is going to trouble you this much, then I won't see him at all," Jessica finally said, even though she knew it would be hard to resist an opportunity to hear all about Lockhart's intriguing accomplishments first hand.
"And just what do you suppose it is that troubles me about that man?" Snape asked mordantly. Jessica could see a vein throbbing uncontrollably just above his eye and knew that this was going to be the one time she had been gone completely out of line in wanting to provoke the Potions Master into jealousy.
Jessica's mouth felt as dry as if she'd been stuffed with cotton. Her tears were on the brink of trickling down her cheeks and her throat felt especially tight, as if an invisible pair of hands was trying desperately to strangle her. "I'm sorry, Severus," she said again. "I know he rubs you the wrong way. I didn't take that into consideration when I opted to accept his invitation."
Jessica tried hard not to cry, knowing that Snape saw enough tears in his classes and would take no pity. In fact, he saw tears as a weakness, a plea for mercy and certainly no reason to lighten up. As much as he cared for her, Jessica's tears would not persuade him.
"Please, Severus," Jessica begged in a soft voice as she hesitantly placed her hand on the back of his shoulder and began to caress him gently. When he didn't flinch or fidget, Jessica took it upon herself to take up residence in his embrace and pressed herself against him. She put her head down on his chest and listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat while her cheek nestled against the soft material of his dress robes. Jessica's arms chained around his slender figure and her fingers joined together at the small of his back.
While she stood rocking them both gently back and forth, she heard him release an agitated sigh before resolving to put his arms around her. He merely placed his arms over her shoulders for a moment before applying any real hold.
Jessica smiled and closed her eyes when she felt his strong arms finally enfolding her and his lips pressing down on the top of her head. She heard him kiss her and then felt the warmth of his breath in her hair.
"Thank you," she whispered into his robes.
Jessica didn't know how long she had just stood there with Snape's arms around her. He felt warm and loving once again. His wrath finally subsided and his thoughts of Lockhart were put aside. Jessica leisurely listened to his thoughts and was happy to hear that they were passionately devoted to her.
With her eyes closed and the cool breeze blowing gently across her face, Jessica felt so relaxed that she thought she'd collapse to the ground and fall asleep if Snape hadn't had his arms wrapped so securely around her. She was enjoying the feeling of having her face buried in his warm, black robes and had just begun massaging his back until a strange muffled noise attracted her attention.
Something that sounded very faint, but most unusual drew her attention to the sky above the lake. Snape had heard it too and turned his head around to see what it was. They didn't see anything quite extraordinary until a dim pair of lights started to emerge from around the other side of the castle.
"What the devil?" Snape whispered and watched as the pair of lights drew closer and closer until he could make out the shape of what was unmistakably a Muggle vehicle.
The muffle grew louder and the car came closer to the ground swerving and tipping from side to side as if out of control. Snape took Jessica around the waist and pulled her back as if clearing her from the vehicle's potential landing area.
Just when Snape thought the car was going to come crashing down right in front of them, it made a violent swerve and plummeted right into the heart of the Whomping Willow. There was a crunch as the car impacted the tree and a shower of broken twigs and branches fell to the ground beneath.
Jessica could feel Snape's wrath renewing itself as the long, thick branches of the Whomping Willow came down on the intruding car, trying to destroy the vehicle as it concurrently caused itself considerable damage.
They both watched helplessly until the car finally managed to free itself from the tangle of enraged branches and steered away to a safe distance. Snape watched carefully as the car came to a full stop and the doors opened.
Two small bodies were ejected from each side of the front seat and Jessica's head began to throb and ache once Snape recognized the two young students scampering around to collect their belongings that had been spit out of the trunk.
"Potter!" he muttered through clenched teeth. His head turned swiftly to Jessica as he stepped between her and the scene of the boys. "Return to the castle," he ordered. "I will deal with this."
In one swift motion, Snape hurled himself around and soundlessly stormed off towards Harry and Ron. His jet-black robes made him look invisible in the dark of the night and Jessica knew that the boys were not going to like him sneaking up on them like that.
By the time Snape approached them, they had their faces pressed up to the window peered down into the Great Hall watching the Sorting Ceremony.
"Hang on…" Snape heard Harry mutter to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table… Where's Snape?"
At the sound of his name, Snape came to a silent halt and crossed his arms over his chest as he peered angrily down at the two boys.
"Maybe he's ill!" Ron said hopefully.
"Hmpf," Snape grumbled to himself, quietly enough so that Harry and Ron couldn't have heard him.
"Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defence Against the Dark Arts again!"
"Or he might have been sacked!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him –"
"Or maybe," Snape began in a cold, cruel voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."
The trepidation Snape saw in Harry and Ron's eyes when then quickly spun around to face him put a particularly gleeful smile on his face. He marvelled at the idea of taking credit for their expulsion and dared not waste any time putting his idea to work.
"Follow me."
* * *
After the Sorting Ceremony Jessica watched as both Professor McGonagall and her Great Uncle excused themselves from the Head Table without touching the food on their plates. She was certain that they were going to deal with the matter pertaining to Snape and the two boys who still hadn't made an appearance in the Great Hall. Jessica watched as the pair of professors left and wondered if she should get up and tag along to Snape's office.
No, she thought right away, I'll sit right here and wait for him. Jessica knew that Snape would not be happy to have her interfere with something serious enough to bring both the Headmaster and the Head of Gryffindor House away from the Welcoming Feast.
Jessica sat next to Snape's empty chair and solemnly began eating, occasionally peering over at his empty chair, wishing that he'd come along and fill it. She didn't know the professor on her right, but was certain that the tall, medieval-looking witch was far more interested in continuing her conversation with Lockhart that she was paying Jessica any attention.
Deciding that her vegetables tasted a little bland, Jessica looked down the table for the salt and saw it sitting right in front of Lockhart. She peered down the table and hoped that he'd see her eyeing the salt and would just pass it to her so that there'd be no need for her to interrupt his buoyant conversation.
Between mouthfuls, Lockhart was ranting to the tall witch about his duel with a pair of wild dragons in Romania and kept looking past the witch to Jessica, flashing her a smile each chance he got. Jessica caught his eye a few times and managed a weak smile each time before the tall witch would shift her body and block Lockhart from her view.
Although he couldn't quite tell that it was only the salt she was after, Lockhart seemed particularly eager to brush the tall witch off so that he could start talking over her shoulder to Jessica instead. He was repeatedly distracted by another one of the witch's questions each time he opened his mouth to acknowledge Jessica.
After a while, Jessica decided that she'd do without the salt, afraid that Snape would walk in behind her just in time to see him affectionately touching her hand as he passed her the shaker. Another jealous outburst about Lockhart in front of all the professors and students was the last thing Jessica needed to start off a new school year.
Needless to say, Snape didn't return to the Great Hall before Jessica managed to clean her plate. She took one last sip of pumpkin juice before silently excusing herself from the table and disappearing through the back exit without even looking Lockhart's way. In the corner of her eye, she saw his hand reach out in her direction, motioning for her to wait a moment so that he could clear his mouth and speak to her.
Lockhart hurried to swallow his food, but by the time he called her name, Jessica was gone. She hurried up the stairs to her quarters hoping that Snape would be there. As she neared her door Jessica could sense no one more than the tiny house elf that was probably just inside cleaning. By the time she slipped into her room, the house elf disappeared leaving no trace of having been inside her quarters except for the brilliant cleanliness.
Jessica stripped off her scarlet talma, leaving her in the long-sleeved gown that fell all the way to her ankles and highlighted the feminine curves of her body. It was soft and elegant and fit her shape almost like a second skin. The décolletage displayed tight, appealing line of clevage that Jessica knew would capture Snape's attention the moment he arrived.
She sat down on her couch and picked up the piece of parchment she'd been using to write a letter to a friend she'd gone to med school with in London. Jessica picked her feet up and tucked them under the cushion of the couch and wrote with the parchment propped on her thighs. She'd only managed a couple of sentences before she began to feel a warm tickle start in the pit of her stomach and spread quickly throughout her body.
Jessica smiled as the door opened and in walked the Potions Master, who was emitting just as many angry vibes now as he was when he'd been dragging Jessica out from the Great Hall. He went straight over to the window and furiously conjured himself up a glass of Firewhiskey.
Jessica put her parchment back on the table and stood to meet him. "Severus," Jessica said, sounding concerned. She stepped in front of him and took the folds on each side of his robes in her hands. "Where have you been?"
Even as he tried to avoid her curious, green eyes as he swallowed a mouthful of Firewhiskey, Snape's eyes wandered helplessly to Jessica's décolletage. She pressed her fingers into his chest, massaging him as he let the alcohol give him a false sense of release from his wrath.
"The Great Hall," Snape said quietly after another large gulp. "Your uncle was adamant that I make an appearance at dinner and have a helping of the damned custard."
Jessica buried her face in his robes to conceal her smile. "Perhaps I should have waited there a little bit longer. I probably just missed you."
Snape groaned and finished the last of his Firewhiskey before tossing his empty glass out the open window and then blasting it into oblivion with the wave of his wand. He turned around and began to pace angrily towards the door. "I am going back to my quarters," he said. "I will see you tomorrow." His hand reached for the door, but Jessica held him back by his arm.
"No Severus, please," she cried. "Don't leave yet. Tell me what happened with that car in the tree. What did Minerva do with the boys?"
Snape spun around angrily and crossed his arms tight across his chest. "Not a damned thing!" he spat. He strode across the room again and stood at the foot of her four-poster. He slowly tapped the toe of his boot against the floor and released a deep breath of air.
Jessica followed him and crawled up onto her bed. She reached out for him and pulled him back until he was sitting down in front of her. "Relax, Severus." She pulled her body tight against his with her knees spread on either side of him, preparing to massage his back and shoulders. "Take this off, will you?" she asked and gave a tug at his cloak.
Snape hesitated at first but then grudgingly began to pull his arms out. "This will not help," he assured.
Jessica took his black cloak from him and threw it neatly onto the bed. "No, it won't change what happened tonight, but it'll certainly ease your tension." She reached around to his front and unfastened the top button of his most formal frockcoat. "This too," she said. "A massage won't do you much good if you can't even feel it."
Snape grumbled as he reluctantly started unbuttoning where Jessica had left off. "At this rate, I hardly expect you will be able to settle any tension at all."
"Don't underestimate me, Severus Snape," Jessica cautioned. "I didn't spend two years studying massage therapy for nothing you know."
As Snape worked down the assembly of buttons, Jessica combed her fingertips through his black mane, pulling his shoulder-length hair into a ponytail in her hand. She repeated this action until Snape spread his open frockcoat over his shoulders and pulled it down his arms.
He was left wearing a thin, white shirt with a high collar that Jessica could work through quite easily. "Why don't you take this off, too?" she suggested. "It'll feel a lot better," she said in a sensual voice.
"Don't push your luck, young lady," Snape warned.
Jessica chuckled softly and then began to soothingly press her fingers into the back of his neck. She rubbed little circles into his skin as the irregularities of his tense muscles prod out beneath her fingers. "My, my," she began. "Things didn't go your way at all, did they?"
With his arms crossed in front of him, Snape curled his lip and growled stubbornly. "No," he said quietly. "A detention and a letter home. That will mean absolutely nothing in one week's time. Those boys will forget what they have done today and the Muggles who spotted them will remember for a lifetime what they saw soaring through London's skies today. It is absolutely ridiculous! If they had only been mine to punish…"
Jessica moved her hands across his neck and began rubbing along his shoulder blades. "If the decision to punish them had been left to you, what would you have done, Love?"
Snape took a deep breath. "If they had been my students, I would have made sure that they took their last trip on the Hogwarts Express – back to London! There is no place at this school for students with the audacity to stage foolish, senseless stunts like that."
Jessica rubbed a particularly tense knot just below his right shoulder blade and Snape flinched. "I'm not so sure you mean that Severus," Jessica said as she rubbed circles into his knots.
"What are you talking about?" Snape spat angrily.
"If it had been a pair of Slytherin students, or any students other than Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, would you have expelled them, or do just as Minerva did and simply write their families and give them detention?"
"It would make no difference," he assured, his words dripping with venom. "Gryffindor or Slytherin, those two boys threatened to expose our world. In fact, I would have been doubly humiliated and disgusted if it had been a pair of my students. I expect more from my own House, and they know it."
Jessica's hands moved further down his spine and her fingers thrust up and down along both sides of his backbone. Snape closed his eyes and took, a long, deep breath of air that sounded to Jessica like he was worshiping her for the expert massage. "I'm curious about something, Severus," she said as her fingers pressed even deeper into his back. "Would you dislike Harry Potter any more or less should he have been sorted into Slytherin last year?"
His eyes opened abruptly. The quilt beneath his hands slowly crumpled in his fists as he tightened his grip. Jessica peacefully continued to massage his aching muscles as he mused over her question. He groaned as she unexpectedly came across an especially sore spot in his lower vertebrae.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Perhaps you should lie down on your stomach."
"No," he quickly objected, although he couldn't deny that his body was aching for more of Jessica's warm, soothing touch. He knew she must have sensed how badly he was craving a more sensual massage because a moment later Jessica was pulling him back onto the bed and lying him down on his back.
She smiled deviously at him and slowly untucked his shirt from his trousers. Snape made a motion to stop her, but Jessica slapped his hands away and began pulling the buttons loose. "Trust me," she said, "you're going to enjoy this massage far more than any other I've given you."
"What makes you so sure of that?" Snape inquired bitterly.
"The fact that this time you need a massage to ease your tension rather than to simply arouse you," she answered knowledgeably as she popped the last button out of place and spread his shirt apart to expose his pale chest. "Although, I do hope I'll be able to do both." Jessica smiled again and was happy to see a hint of a smile in return.
Snape helped Jessica rid him of his shirt and folded it in half before placing it atop his frockcoat and cloak. Although Snape was a slender and lean man, there was a clear definition of brawny pectoral muscles that fit perfectly in the palms of Jessica's hands. His torso was gently dusted with thin, black curls and tickled Jessica's cheeks as she dotted his chest with a series of tiny kisses.
Snape laced his hands through Jessica's hair as her head moved across his chest while she kissed him. Jessica sat up slowly and arrowed her finger down along the thin trail of black hair leading from his naval into the concealment of his trousers. She tucked her finger inside his pants and pulled gently.
"Have you changed your mind about letting me give you a full body massage?" Jessica asked, remembering a particularly avid night in Athens when she was massaging his chest and had offered to massage the rest of him.
Snape put his hands under his head and looked doubtfully at Jessica. "I said I will let you know when I change my mind," he reminded, and just like in Athens, Snape took Jessica's hand away from his trousers, silently declaring that they were not going to come off tonight.
"All right," Jessica whispered disappointedly. "Turn around on your stomach. I'll get my ointment."
The bed mattress sprung gently as Jessica pushed herself off and went into her bathroom to retrieve the bottle of massage oil she had bought in London. While she was gone, Snape rolled over onto his stomach and tucked his hands under his head. He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes as Jessica returned.
She crawled back up on top of him and straddled him at his waist, giving her just enough room to comfortably reach his back. Pockets of air escaped the plastic bottle as Jessica squeezed some of the clear ointment onto her fingers and then lathered it between her palms until it was warm and tingly. She had just begun pressing tenderly into Snape's back when she asked him again about Harry Potter being a Slytherin.
"Look Jessica, I do not wish to discuss Potter with you right now," Snape declared as the discussion of Harry Potter threatened to spoil the erotic sensation of the massage oil and Jessica's expert massage soothing his skin.
"I'm sorry," Jessica apologized and dipped her head down to touch a kiss to the nape of his neck. "What would you like to talk about?" she questioned.
"I would much rather talk about you," he answered. "Perhaps you can tell me what might interest you in learning to ride a broomstick, or using the Floo Network."
"I've already told you, I have no interest in the magical means of transportation," Jessica reminded. "I don't intend to learn any magic at all."
"Well sooner or later you are going to have to learn," Snape ensured. "Unless you plan on living the rest of your life like a Squib."
"I don't quite fancy being called a Squib, but if that's how you see it, then I suppose I'll have to get used to it." Jessica squeezed another half ounce of massage oil onto her hands and spread it evenly across Snape's lower back.
"Don't be ridiculous, Jessica. It will be for your own good, I can train you up myself. All it will take is time and practice."
"Severus," Jessica held her hands still. "I received my Hogwarts letter when I was eleven years old, just like everyone else. I told my mother I didn't want to go, and both she and Uncle Albus understood why. How come you can't get it through your head? I've told you countless times that I don't want to learn any magic. I don't belong in the magical world!"
Snape turned around, consequently rolling Jessica off of his body. In turn, he pushed Jessica onto her back and crowned her body with his own. He took her head in his hands and stared deep into her emerald eyes. "You belong in my world," he whispered in his dark, velvet voice. "I am doing everything I can to make you feel safe and welcome in this life, but if that isn't good enough you can go back to London and pick up right where you left off. There are probably plenty of Muggle men out there who would love to have you tear their pants and stitch them up with a needle and thread."
"That's not what I meant," Jessica said, "and you know it." She could feel Snape absentmindedly rubbing his thumb along the crest of her ear. "I've told you why I don't want to learn magic and I thought you understood. You of all people should know that each of my father's threats should be taken seriously. If he ever comes back and manages to get his hands on me, he'll use each of my abilities against all wizard-kind. The more powerful I become, the more powerful he will become."
Snape looked to become aware that he was soothing his thumb across her skin. He stopped for a moment and then resumed his soothing motion, brushing each of his fingers up and down along her neck. "I can show you how to protect yourself," he said in a hushed voice. "It may be years before the Dark Lord shows himself again. By then you may be powerful enough to rival him. After all, he had it in his mind to give you enough power to turn you against the entire Ministry of Magic advertently causing its downfall."
"He probably also had it in mind that he'd need a way to destroy me if I turned against him," Jessica contradicted. "The blood of the very wizard my father fears most of all also runs in my veins. He had to have known that I might turn out more like a Dumbledore than a long line of Slytherins."
If Jessica hadn't had such a close, clear look at Snape's eyes, she would have failed to notice his black pupils dilating as much as they did within the camouflage of his black eyes.
"Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about," Jessica demanded. "I know you already knew that your precious Salazar Slytherin is an ancestor of mine. I thought perhaps you would even go as far as to enlighten Mr. Lockhart earlier this evening."
Snape made a grunting noise that sounded a bit like a muffled chuckle. "I knew," he confirmed. "Although I did not believe you were so familiar with your paternal heritage. You only confirmed the suspicion that the Dark Lord was your father a few months ago."
"I had a long talk with my uncle before the summer," Jessica said. "Everything he told me made me even happier that I decided against coming to Hogwarts as a child. One of the reasons I didn't want to go is because I was afraid of being sorted into Slytherin."
"And what is it about us Slytherins that you find so appalling?" Snape asked, half seriously and half teasingly. "Your mother was a Slytherin."
"Slytherin housed my father and each of his followers," she reminded him in her most serious tone. "Now, knowing that Slytherin himself is a part of me, I'm certain I would have been condemned to his House and subject to all his darkness. I feared that the hope I have in my maternal heritage would be drained by the time I finished school and I would be nothing but a fully trained witch ready to join my father's legion. All it would have taken was another seven years of exposure to his reign and my powers would have matured enough for him to take on the Ministry."
Snape nodded in understanding. "So what you're saying," he began as he rubbed his thumbs along her chin and jawbone, "is that I could have met you fourteen years ago?"
Jessica was surprised to see a smile spread across his pallid lips. "I suppose," she answered softly and reached up to stroke a strand of black hair behind his ear. "But where would we have met? You'd just finished your last year at Hogwarts and you weren't yet a teacher."
"Fourteen years ago I was heavily involved with the Dark Lord. I started teaching the year after he disappeared," Snape told her.
"That would have been my fifth year," Jessica said as she brought her legs up on either side of him and smiled deviously again. "So we certainly would have met at least ten years earlier. But I don't suppose we would have done this back then." She giggled softly before capturing his lips with a kiss.
"Absolutely not," he declared. "There is no magic powerful enough to persuade these hands to touch a student. As beautiful and desirable as you may have been as a teenager, you would not have appealed to me as you do now."
Jessica's eyes closed and her thighs pressed hard against him. She wrapped her arms around Snape's neck and coaxed him into a deeper kiss until he pulled away. He tried to back out of her embrace but Jessica kept him held firmly in place. Deciding to surrender to her kiss, Snape settled his body against hers and let his hands roam her feminine curves.
Jessica moaned softly into his mouth as his nimble fingers found way to her ample breasts and began to press soothingly into the firm mounds as he kissed her. He caressed her until he could see her rigid buds jutting out against the thin material of her gold negligee.
Feeling his own arousal beginning to press against his pants and into Jessica's thigh, Snape decided that he'd better stop now before his manly urges took control of the rapidly heating affair.
"I must be going back to the dungeons now," he told her.
Jessica groaned in protest as he sat up and got off the bed. "Won't you stay here tonight?" she asked.
Snape picked up his shirt and quickly put it on before answering to Jessica's question. "I have a big day tomorrow, as you know. I need a quiet sleep." He slid his arms through the sleeves of his frockcoat and fastened it up before wrapping his cloak around him as well.
"You and I both know you sleep like a baby when we're together," Jessica said with a smile.
"Don't argue with me Jessica," he said, although he could feel his body aching to be with her all night long. "I will see you for lunch tomorrow. Good night."
Snape didn't see the frown on her face as he turned and walked out the door. Jessica lay on the bed watching the door as if expecting him to walk back through to tell her he had just been joking. But the door remained closed and she could feel his presence slowly fading, and then, he was gone.
"Good night," Jessica said to her empty bedroom before turning onto her side, disgruntled that this was going to be the first night in weeks that she slept alone.
[1] Being an empath and a telepath, Jessica gets migraine headaches when others around her get extremely livid – Snape in particular because she is more susceptible to his emotions than to others.