Chapter 10- Summons

-

Severus found his gaze drifting to the window. At other times, in other classrooms, he'd sneered at classmates chided by the teacher for doing the same thing. Then, he'd considered the inattention deplorable. Listening to Flitwick cheerily relate the day's lesson, he modified his opinion. Now, only getting caught was inexcusable.

His desk by the window of the third floor classroom had a direct view of the front drive. Severus' gaze followed the path carriages would take on the trip to the station in December. This was the first year he'd ever looked forward to leaving school on holiday.

He tried to imagine what the knighting ceremony entailed, what meeting the most powerful wizard in the world would be like. The possibilities were numerous. He hoped there would be at least a bit of pomp and circumstance in the ceremony. Severus eagerly anticipated taking his own measure of the man others called You-Know-Who. He was determined to make a good impression.

"Do the charms non-verbally? Is Flitwick mental?"

Severus glanced sideways at the girl who had protested the seating arrangements at the beginning of the year. He said dryly, "Yes, that's the point."

Claire Forbes huffily tossed back her hair. "I wasn't talking to you, Snape."

"Really? You were talking aloud, to yourself? Then you have right to worry about your non-verbal skills."

She made a vulgar hand gesture. His upper lip curled. "No thank you."

Fuming, Forbes looked away. He considered her for a moment longer, and then gave the professor his attention. The girl was attractive, in a shrewish way, though she was hardly likely to tempt Sutton into transferring his attentions from Eris.

"You may begin."

The diminutive wizard's genial words brought Severus back to the day's lesson on Summoning Charms. All the students were comfortable using several variations they'd learnt over the years. Engaging the charm using only the power of their minds, however, was extremely awkward for most. They couldn't focus, or channel the energy correctly.

Lack of focus had never been a problem for Severus. Accio wand, thought the boy, unsurprised when the wand slid up and out of his schoolbag to fly into his outstretched hand. The practical portion of the lesson was impossible for all but a few. Those who showed aptitude, Flitwick encouraged retrieving other objects from across the room. After summoning a piece of chalk from the blackboard, Severus decided to experiment.

Accio quills. It had taken several minutes to visualise the precise location of the spare quills on his desk. Concentrating, he'd engaged the magic charm. Long moments passed. He began to have doubts.

Beside him, the girl finally summoned the wand from her carryall. She looked at him and said, "What are you looking at? Ouch! Oh my gods, what have you done, you creep!"

His quills had flown in through the open classroom door and been halted by Forbes' hand. They weren't imbedded too deeply. He waved his wand and removed the quills before using a healing spell to close the tiny punctures.

The girl snatched up her wand to incinerate the offending writing instruments. She blew the ashes off the table, her defiant gaze silently daring him to tell.

Lips thinning with the effort to refrain from hexing, Severus looked away. The petty twit didn't realise that she'd destroyed almost his entire supply of quills. She likely had dozens and could afford to purchase dozens more next Hogsmeade Weekend. The rage that arose over the situation brought an idea he'd originally dismissed back to the front of his mind.

If an Accio charm could summon quills from his dorm room, could another, stronger charm be used in summoning a person? Fists clenching on his thighs beneath the table, the boy silently chanted Affere Eris, to bring, to fetch, to summon the girl. Severus closed his eyes to aid in focusing his will. Behind his lids, he saw Eris sitting at a library table, reading. She looked up, and around, as though someone had called her name. Slowly closing her book, she laid it on the table and stood.

"Are you having some kind of fit? Should I call for the teacher?" Claire asked scathingly.

He opened his eyes and glared. "No."

She huffed and turned away. The remaining period went smoothly, until Flitwick began to dismiss the class. Severus heard whispers and turned to see Eris standing in the doorway. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on him.

"Yes, Miss Greyback, May I help you?" the professor enquired.

Confusedly, she said, "No, I just wanted to see…" Her gaze darted back to him before sliding to Forbes. "Claire… I thought the class was over. Excuse me. I'll wait in the corridor."

Eris backed away. The class filed out. A cauldron full of emotions bubbled up inside Snape. Incredulity, pride, apprehension, elation, and dark satisfaction all simmered together. The resulting brew was one that caused his steps to slow even while his pulse raced. He heard his spiteful tablemate ask the girl he'd summoned, "What did you want to see me about?"

Looking at him over her friend's shoulder, Eris said absently, "Clive wants us to sit by him at lunch. Do you want to?"

"Are you mental? Of course I do, let's go before some other witch sits by him!"

Nodding, Eris gave him a long look before following her friend. No girl had ever given him a heated glance like that before. It disturbed Severus to realise that not only had he enjoyed the promising gaze- he'd returned it.

-

-

Resisting the urge to press the cool goblet to her temple, Eris drank a sip of pumpkin juice. Her gaze flickered down the table to where a boy silently consumed his lunch. Severus ate with a mannerly preciseness that reflected his character. He was such an uptight stickler for the rules, that it was hard for her to believe that…

"Are you feeling ill?" Clive asked, bringing her attention back to the couple she was trying to get together. Claire was more than willing, smiling and talking animatedly to the Slytherin Chaser, but so far, he was only showing reserved friendliness in return.

"A bit of a headache." She waved his concern away. Across the table, Narcissa offered a vial of headache powder her sister Bella had sent.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine, Cissy." No way was she ingesting anything Bellatrix had concocted. Making an effort, Eris ignored the pain and the boy responsible for the stress that caused it.

After lunch, she smilingly refused Clive's offer to escort her to the infirmary and strode briskly toward her next class. Inside Greenhouse 3, Eris was surprised to find she was the first to arrive. She looked curiously at the plants set in rows down the central potting bench. They looked green and healthy. The leaves had the most interesting tips on the ends. She reached out and touched one.

Staring perplexedly into Professor Sprout's eyes sometime later, Eris asked, "Wha…what happened?"

Her classmates did a poor job of concealing laughter. The sympathetic teacher patted her on the shoulder and said, "A mistake anyone could make, my dear. The stunflower plant is known more for its striking, large, mid-summer bloom than its extremely rare defensive mechanism."

"I'm stunned," said Eris wryly.

Sprout winked. "No, you were stunned, but now should be fine as long as protective gloves are worn at all times."

Eris took her place at the bench with an inward sigh. Even Diana was smirking at her. Ignoring the callous souls around her, Eris drew on her dragon hide gloves and began to re-pot her plant in preparation for over-wintering the plants inside one of the greenhouses. Thrilled with the swiftness and ease of the procedure, she grinned at her friend.

"Is that plant actually still alive, Eris?"

She took off her gloves, grinning. "Yes, indeed it is, Di."

"Don't call me Di," the girl warned, paying more care to glaring daggers than putting her pot back on the bench carefully. Placed too near the edge, it tipped over.

"I've got it!" Eris lunged for the plant. The next thing she knew, Professor Sprout was standing before her, looking concerned.

"Coming round, are we?" the witch said with a bracing smile.

"Is there more than one of me? Both of us have a splitting headache," groaned the girl.

"I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised, getting stunned twice in less than an hour. Run along to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey will have a potion to make you feel right as rain."

Eris looked around groggily. "The stunflower, is it alright?"

Sprout's smile revealed dimples. "It's stunning."

Students snickered. The professor gestured to a plant covered by a sack near the door. "Would you be kind enough to drop off the heliotrope at the kitchens on the way?"

Eris walked toward the plant, asking, "Why is it covered?"

Professor Sprout adjusted her patched hat and informed, "Unlike the Muggle plant, this heliotrope lives up to its name- sun turning. It imitates the sun's heat and dehydrates everything around it. The elves are starting to prepare for the holidays. They'll require lots of dried fruit."

Groans filled the greenhouse at the thought of fruitcake. Eris smiled as she carried the plant with extreme care. She liked fruitcake, especially when topped with marzipan, but she had no wish to become a human raisin. Inside the kitchen, elves looked up curiously. So did four boys eating bowls of ice cream.

Handing the plant off to a house elf, the Slytherin girl made herself smile politely at the Gryffindors who deserved a telling off for their full moon antics. Without a word, she left the kitchen.

"Greyback, wait up!" James Potter's long strides closed the space between them. "Are you okay? You look…"

"Stunning?"

"No."

She gave a short laugh. "That was a joke. A stunflower zapped me twice, so I got sent to the infirmary, by way of the kitchen." James said he'd escort her. She shrugged and resumed walking.

After a couple of minutes, he asked, "Will you be able to patrol tonight?"

Eris nodded. "Sure."

"Ace." Another silence descended, until he burst out, "Next Hogsmeade Weekend…do you think Lily will go with me if I ask her to?"

She considered his earnest face, remembered a stag's gallant gesture. Nodding, she said, "Yes, but I'd give her a few hints that you're going to ask, first."

Hazel eyes stared perplexedly. "But I was acting uninterested to gain her interest."

"Uh huh, and now you've got it, you need to show that you return it, in a different, better way than you did before."

"I want to do that…but how?" James asked, using those deer eyes of his to good effect.

They'd reached the infirmary corridor. Eris began speaking quickly, giving him suggestions.

During the evening meal, Claire told her friends about turning Snape's quills to ash. Eris was the only one who didn't laugh. She'd seen his desk, knew the loss would pose a hardship. After dinner, she claimed a return of the headache and left her friends gossiping in the common room. Eris took an extra set of quills from her trunk, engaged a Disillusionment Charm and made her way to Severus' room.

Thankfully, the door was ajar and only Severus was in the chamber. Slipping inside, she watched him carefully sharpen a quill that she would've thrown away. The feeling Eris had experienced in the library earlier returned with a force that caused her to sway. She wanted to go to him and…

"Who's there?" He demanded, dark eyes scanning the room while he reached for his wand. Pointing the rod to the four corners, he said in a ringing voice, "Aperire!"

When his visitor was revealed, Severus rose from his chair, regarding her warily. Eris bit her lip and said, "Here…these quills are from Claire."

He gazed into her eyes. She felt like he could see into her soul. Severus' eyes gleamed. "Really?"

Was he reading more than her facial expression? Eris admitted, "No, they're from me." She held them out. When he didn't take them, she tossed the case onto his desk and said, "I used them as an excuse to come here. I want you to take the summoning spell off me."

"I don't know what you mean."

She gave a small laugh in response to his cool denial. "You summoned me, like you summoned those quills. I saw it in your face when I showed up in Flitwick's class." His lean features reflected discomfort when she moved closer. "I've had to fight the urge to find you ever since."

An eyebrow rose. "If you considered yourself bespelled, why didn't you, or one of your friends, simply break it with a counter charm like Finite Incantatem?"

"I've tried. Nothing's worked, so here I am."

He cocked his head to the side, as if considering a problem. "What do you expect of me?"

Eris had never backed a guy against his desk before. It was odd to feel like the aggressor, but not bad at all. Taking a deep breath, she looked up into his eyes and said directly, "I want you to bring the spell to completion- do what you were thinking about when you summoned me."

-

-

Why had he partially undressed upon returning to his room? Without robes, blazer, and tie, there were too few barriers between them. Also, a buttoned up collar would be an excellent rationalisation for the tightness in his throat. Refusing to retreat any further, Severus drew up straight and looked down his nose, repeating disdainfully, "What I was thinking about…not that I am admitting anything, but how would you come by such knowledge? Studied Legilimency, have you?"

Eris blushed prettily. "No, I was in the library writing an essay when I was overwhelmed by the urge to find you and…"

Had she moved closer? He swallowed with difficulty. "What?"

Her eyes were large and filled with an emotion that made Severus' breathing hard to regulate. Rising up on tiptoes, she lifted her face and softly pressed her lips to his.

He stood as though stupefied while she whispered, "Kiss you," and brushed her lips across his once more. Emboldened by his lack of protest, she kissed him again, placing one hand on his shoulder while the other slipped beneath his hair to cup the back of his neck.

His lips parted, slowly returning the kiss. It wasn't the first time he'd ever been kissed. Bellatrix Black, on a dare from Lucius Malfoy, had dragged him under mistletoe first year. The older girl's lips had been cold, rough and undesired. Although Severus hadn't wiped his mouth afterwards, he'd wanted to. Malfoy had laughed at his discomfited expression and tossed him a brushing/flossing mint. The boy had chewed it gratefully.

Eris' mouth was warm, soft, and he had envisioned her walking into the room and throwing herself into his arms during the summoning spell. The difference was that in his imaginings, Severus had been the one to kiss her. Determined to complete the spell, he slid his hands into Eris' hair and tilted her head.

She opened her eyes, and he was tempted to delve beyond the surface memories to discover where she'd gone over the summer. He could do it easily. His grandfather had been a stern but excellent teacher in the arts of Legilimency and Occlumency. Eris sighed, and her desire for him to kiss her caused him to hesitate. Perhaps she wasn't vulnerable enough yet. If he kissed her thoroughly, the girl was bound to let down her guard and allow him to extract the memory.

He brought his mouth down to hers, his fingers clenching reflexively when she pressed against him. Their lips and bodies moulded together in an embrace hotter than he'd dreamt. Daringly, he touched his tongue to her lips, elated when she opened her mouth in invitation. Her tongue met his.

"Should I come back later?"

Two sets of closed eyes snapped open and looked at each other in dismay. Unable to resist, Severus skimmed a memory of their kiss. It was a mistake. He wanted to give her a few more melting kisses to remember. Pulling his hands down and easing away, he said, "No, we were just…completing…our talk."

Tom chuckled. The pink in Eris' cheeks deepened. She said, "Yes, erm…I'll see you later, Severus…Tom…"

After she left, his roommate demanded, "Did you use a love potion on her?"

"No."

Tom walked over to pick up the case of expensive quills. "I'm still impressed, but I would've liked to seen how a potion works on somebody."

"The effects would be similar to one of your entrancing enchantments, I am sure."

Placing the quills back on the desk, the boy said thoughtfully, "I've never had the opportunity to actually try an entrancement spell before. I'll have to remedy that." Impishly, Tom asked, "So, are you and Eris going together now?"

"No."

His friend scoffed, "She merely came by to drop those off and get in a little random snogging? Right, pull my finger, Tyke and you'll smell what I think of that."

Severus' lips twisted. "I'll pass." He strode over to his trunk and took out fresh clothing.

"Need a cold shower?"

Severus ignored Tom's snickering. In the lavatory, he engaged the water charm for a hot shower, remembered the heat of Eris' body and mouth, and wryly changed it to cold.

-

-

A/N: Bet water in the Scottish Highlands is mighty cold, LOL. I hope you enjoyed the 'first kiss'. ♥ Couldn't picture Snape being the one to initiate it, although I did think he'd make sure it was done right, heh. In the HBP, Severus seemed to enjoy being snarky to Bellatrix, which made me wonder if she'd ever tried anything on with him and inspired several scenes during the holidays. Thanks to the reviewers of the last chap who inspire...♥ 40/16 ♥ Camillia Vincent ♥ cupcakeswirl ♥ ElspethBates♥ Embellished ♥ FNP ♥ GraceRichie♥ NazgulGirl ♥ Slipknot-3113 ♪ Slytherin Love Goddess ♥ sunny9847 ♥