Chapter 13- Transitions

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Severus entered his dormitory room, halting when he noticed Tom's bed curtains were drawn. His jaw clenched when he heard his roommate say, "Why the tears, Emily? Don't you want to be with me?"

The weak-willed blonde hadn't lasted a day before succumbing to the enchantment. She'd gone from staring at Tom in the Hall to waiting outside the Slytherin common room within twelve hours. Wilkes had been torn between pride at the strength of his spell and disappointment that she hadn't been much of a challenge.

In the week that followed, Thompson had alienated her housemates and scandalised the school with her behaviour. Anything Tom wanted her to do, from carry his books to kissing him in the stands while her ex-boyfriend practised Quidditch on the pitch, Emily did. The Gryffindor Seeker was miserable, and his Slytherin rival had been exultant- until Emily began to cry.

According to Tom, the girl still wanted to be with him every moment of the day, wanted to kiss him and gaze into his eyes for hours, but for the last few days, tears would well as she did so. That put a damper on his roommate's ardour, and kept him from wanting to take the 'relationship' any further than the kiss and cuddle stage.

"I…I'm sorry, Tom…I can't help it."

The girl sounded pathetic. Wilkes obviously thought so too. The boy opened the curtains and sat on the edge of his bed, buttoning his shirt. He rolled his eyes when he met Severus' gaze. "I know you can't, Emily. Now make yourself decent, we've got company."

The sniffing, whimpering sounds grated on the taller boy's nerves. "Have you taken this far enough?"

Standing and straightening his hair with his fingers, Tom answered, "Well, McKinnon's been humiliated in front of the entire school. Even if he takes her back, the knowledge she'd been snogging yours truly every chance she could will stick in his craw." Tom said, "Come here, Emily."

"Yes?" The girl's eyes and tone were dull, but her gaze stayed glued to the boy's face.

Tom took her hands in his. "Father Christmas is coming early this year."

"Are you going to give me a present?"

"No, my mate here is, since he's the one who's been spending all his time in the library looking up the counter spell." Tom grinned at Severus. "I know that's what you've been up to." Turning back to his soon to be ex-girlfriend, Tom said, "I'm going to use a memory charm on you afterwards, so you remember only that our attraction burnt itself out, but you'll always be my friend."

Tom's mock-gentle words made Emily frown. "I don't understand."

Severus raised his wand as Tom replied, "I know you don't. If you did, maybe I would've kept you around longer. Sorry, Em, Happy Christmas."

Afterwards, Severus gathered a few pieces of parchment while Tom prepared to walk Emily back to the main corridor. He answered the inquiring look his roommate gave when he followed them out of the room with, "Library."

The mocking chuckle he received echoed in Severus' mind as he swiftly made his way to the place that felt like a refuge from his conflicted feelings. He admired his friend's cunning and drive, but disagreed with his methods.

Severus kept his opinions to himself, not out of friendship, but because Tom would be a formidable enemy. Severus preferred Wilkes be for him instead of against him.

On the second floor, in the far back, a girl sat on her robes in the Goblin Poetry section. Her lips twitched with humour as she leafed through a book. Eris looked up as he approached, smiling as she read aloud, "Silver and gold, silver and gold, everyone wishes for silver and gold. How do you measure its worth? Just by the pleasure it gives…"

He dropped to his knees and stilled her recitation with a kiss, pulling her into him and causing the book to drop with a thud. The sensation of her mouth opening and taking in his breath was just what he needed. Severus' inconvenient conscience was stilled by the warmth of her body and the answering jolt of heat in his own. His hands traced her curves. She smiled. "Do you know a counter spell to use once you've melted me into a puddle?"

A smile curved his lips before he kissed hers once more. "No, so you had better lock your door over holiday."

The arms threaded around his neck stiffened. "You've been invited to join the house party?" Answering her own question, she gave a chuckle that sounded sad. "Of course you have, they'd be foolish not to, and whatever else they are, the Knights are no…gawbies…" Smiling a little, Eris said resolutely, "I'll just enjoy being with you, then." Her fingers slid into his hair as soft lips brushed his.

When she licked his bottom lip, Severus' hand came up to cradle the back of her head, holding her in place as he took over the kiss. The inane words of the Goblin poem came back to him. Severus determined to make this pleasure worth any price.

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Eris tossed her favourite jumper into a small travelling bag before adding her toiletries and closing the leather case. Across the room, Claire remarked, "Must be nice, having so many clothes at home you don't have to bring your trunk."

Narcissa shut her lid with a snap, drawling, "When I'm the wealthy Mrs. Malfoy, I'll have a wardrobe to put even Eris' to shame."

Smiling at her friend's affected hauteur, Eris said, "I'm sure you will."

Emma was helping Diana pack her trunk. She said with a giggle, "Will you let me borrow your jewels?"

"Perhaps," Cissy responded loftily, admiring her manicure.

Claire said, "If she's not wearing them all at once, to rub it in to Mrs. Patsy Parkinson that she's not the wealthiest woman around anymore."

They all laughed at the thought of the girl who had left Hogwarts the previous year to marry an older wizard. Narcissa groaned suddenly. "Oh no, that witch isn't going to attend the house party, is she?"

"Afraid so," replied Eris. "Plump-in-the-pockets Parkinson bought his way into Father's circle. He's not bad, just boring. It's his wife that drives the staff round the twist with her demands."

"Who cares about house elves? Patsy drives me round the twist!"

"Sorry, Cissy, it's not like I had any say in the guest list." Smiling at her other roommates, Eris said, "I would've invited all my friends instead."

Emma and Diana smiled back.

Claire frowned. "Clive wouldn't tell me his plans. Will he be there?"

"It's possible," Eris said reluctantly.

"Great, just great."

"Come on, Claire, you know she doesn't like him," Diana said.

"So what?" Claire demanded. "I've been working on him for weeks, he's finally coming round, and now Clive's going to spend Christmas at Eris' ruddy family manor? Gods, it's not…"

"…a manor. It's a house, and be glad it's big, so she can avoid Sutton more easily," Narcissa cut in, waving her wand and sending the trunk drifting to the opened door. "Now stop whinging and go talk your way into sharing his compartment on the train."

Claire smiled apologetically. "All right, Happy Christmas, everybody."

Holiday wishes were exchanged. Diana, Eris, and Narcissa shared a carriage to the station. Once the girls boarded the train, the other two went to secure a compartment while Eris made her way to the Prefect Carriage. Inside, Potter and Evans were reminding everyone of their duties. Once the talk was over, the prefects dispersed.

"Greyback, wait up."

Eris turned and smiled. "Back to surnames, Potter? Forget the Christmas card, then."

Hazel eyes were appropriately merry and bright. "Sorry, just didn't want Lily to hear me call you Eris and wonder why we're so friendly. I wouldn't know how to begin to explain." He grinned with boyish appeal. "Were you really going to send me a card?"

Eris took an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to him. "No, because I wouldn't know how to begin to explain either- to my family..." Trying to lighten the abruptly sombre atmosphere, she said, "Inside, there's a list of things you might want to try over holiday."

A curious smile crossed the Gryffindor's face. "Like what?"

"Take Lily to a skating rink. Lace up her skates for her, hold her arm while you skate and buy her hot chocolate afterwards. Don't snicker, girls like that stuff," Eris said.

James nodded. "Thanks, Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas."

In the corridor outside, Eris turned and strolled directly to the first compartment in the first carriage. Inside, Severus was reading the Daily Prophet. His lips looked so kissable when he curled them like that. While she shut the door, he folded the paper and set it aside. Tugging her down to sit on his lap, he asked in a dark, silky voice, "Are you feeling any urges?"

Eris giggled as she replied, "Yes, I want to make a pact to snog our lips off."

He gave her a quick kiss. "That is a physical impossibility."

She widened her eyes. "But we have to try, for the ghosts' sake, so we can replace romance/suicide with romance/snogging and free them to rest in peace."

Severus' mouth hovered over hers. "How altruistic you are…almost Hufflepuff."

Her hands began undoing his robes. "I'm using any means to achieve my end, like a proper Slytherin."

His brief smile did things to her insides that put her in the holiday spirit. Wanting to show her goodwill toward this man, she lifted her lips to meet his. He was so clever, always finding new ways to touch and kiss that left her breathless. After the embrace grew heated enough to fog the windows, they drew apart. Eris sat beside Severus and reached for his hand. Unlike the first time she'd attempted the overture, he tensed only briefly before relaxing and twining his fingers with hers.

Gathering her nerve, Eris peered sideways. "Severus?"

He gave her a considering look. "Yes?"

Unconsciously, her fingers squeezed his. "Erm…have you ever been to a house party before?" He shook his head. She scooted a bit to gaze directly into his face. "Well…" Pausing awkwardly as his expression tightened, she said, "No one will be wearing wizard robes, excepting dress robes, at the Christmas Eve Feast."

Severus became totally still. Looking out the window, he replied, "Ah."

Eris' stomach twisted with anxiety. "No one informed you?"

His gaze was as black as his tone. "No."

She took a deep breath and held onto his hand when he tried to draw away. "I've noticed that you always wear your uniform and robes. It makes no difference to me, because I don't care about clothes."

"But everyone else will," Severus said flatly, dark eyes flickering up to his small bag. "Appearances are everything to purebloods."

It was an oblique admission that he wasn't one. His trust made her even more determined. "To some, not me, but I can fix the…problem…if you'll let me."

He looked at her intently. "How?"

Eris stood and pointed. "May I see your things?" Curtly, he agreed, rose, and lifted down his case. She opened it and waved her wand over the contents. Breathing a sigh of relief, she said matter-of-factly, "Wizard made items are the devil to transfigure, what with all the counter spells you have to fiddle before you can begin. Muggle clothing is child's play in comparison."

"How would you know?"

Severus' tone was level, but she thought his set expression concealed resentment and embarrassment as well as curiosity. Eris looked into his eyes and brought a memory to mind. She knew he wouldn't 'hear' the words, but Severus would get the gist even if he didn't read lips.

Eris sat on a window seat. Rain lashed the glass behind her as she watched an old woman transform black cloth into black velvet. The crone said, "He may live like a king, but that doesn't mean the Master's got the galleons of one. That's why he took you in, and why I'm kept busy transfiguring Muggle things to meet his standards."

"Will you teach me? I'm good at Transfiguration," Eris said.

"Na. Don't you have enough on your plate, without adding more?" The silver-haired witch shook her head.

"I can't sleep unless I'm so tired I collapse, and since you said you're a night owl, I hoped…" the girl trailed off, bending over with a pain-wracked expression, unable to continue.

The creases of the old woman's face deepened. "I will teach you, Cariad. Gwenllian will teach you."

Eris looked away when she felt Severus trying to probe deeper. He said, "You went to Wales this past summer."

She avoided his piercing eyes. "Ie…yes, and now I get to practise what I learnt." Reaching out, she picked up a clean but cheaply made black shirt. In her most blithe tone, the girl explained while weaving a spell, "People like Malfoy brag about the labels in their clothing, never realising that true quality isn't about designers, or cost. It's about style, and fabrics, things like single needle stitching, and precise tailoring."

Satisfied with the now classically styled shirt, she reached for a pair of black trousers. In businesslike fashion, Eris transfigured Severus' wardrobe from worn, Muggle made garments to Wizard-tailored apparel that was elegant and comfortable, made with fabrics that would hang beautifully.

Picking up a black jumper newly transformed into a lambswool/cashmere blend, Severus watched her intently as she transformed his footwear and cloak into stylish ones better suited to the weather. His face was impassive, but Eris saw the way his fingers stroked the garment. Her heart turned over.

"How can I thank you?"

The quiet sincerity of his voice made her blink back tears. Controlling her emotions, because she wouldn't hurt his pride for anything, Eris smiled tiredly. "A kiss…or two…or three…"

The corners of his mouth tilted upward as his lips caressed hers. The light touch became a kiss that stole her breath and made the world spin.

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Severus knew his kisses affected Eris deeply, but this was alarming. He lowered the girl to the bench. Her breathing was deep and even. She'd passed out from exhaustion. Severus packed his 'new' wardrobe back into the enchanted capacious bag that had been his grandfather's. After storing it overhead, he turned sharply when the compartment door slid open.

"What's wrong with her?" James Potter stood in the doorway, looking concerned.

Something rose up inside that Severus had never felt before. He answered curtly, "She's tired. Late nights, you understand."

Potter's face twisted. "Is that a joke?" Severus lifted his brow. The Head Boy shook his head. "Just tell Eris when she wakes up that I'll cover for her the rest of the trip." Still shaking his head in disbelief, Potter stepped back into the corridor and shut the door.

The sneer remained on Severus' face until he looked down at the sleeping girl. Covering her with his cloak, he sat on the opposite bench with the paper. He read articles in between checking on Eris' condition. The spell work had taken its toll, but she smiled when he reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. The feelings that had been aroused by Potter's solicitude dissolved. Even in her sleep she responded to his touch.

The rattle of the tea trolley jarred Severus out of the reverie into which he had fallen. When Trolley Witch failed to stop, his features hardened. The witch had passed him by for the last time.

Severus reached for Eris' purse. He only had a few sickles to his name, and she owed him several galleons from the last card games they'd played. He smirked, remembering the way her concentration had faltered. His fingers stroking her leg might have distracted, but she hadn't removed his hand, had she?

He opened the bag and removed money from the coin purse. A gleam of silver caught his eye. Severus lifted out a locket hanging from a black ribbon.

Elpis

Closing the purse, his finger traced the engraving and opened the locket. Inside, strange green fur was stored in the tiny compartment. Severus remembered the story of the hunt for signs of the Cu Sith. That didn't explain why the cat's name was engraved on the locket. Was she Eris' cat? Where was the feline? Had something happened to her? He hadn't seen the Siamese for several days.

Resisting the urge to wake the girl and demand answers, Severus rose and left the compartment. He stalked down the corridor, his approach causing the frizzy headed witch to snap, "Wait yer turn."

"You passed my compartment, so you will allow me to make my purchases now."

Severus' implacable tone caused the witch to flush angrily. "I never...!" she began.

"That is your problem," he returned coldly, stating, "You did not stop at the first compartment, and I demand that you rectify the oversight at once."

"The first compartment…is Eris Greyback with you?"

It took only a moment to recognise the boy who asked from the doorway. It was Bentley, a popular seventh year Ravenclaw. Severus remembered what Eris had said in front of the Shrieking Shack.

I could've gone with another boy. I didn't.

"Yes," he hissed, before turning to the witch and tersely giving his order. While paying for his purchases, Severus heard the other boys give 'poor Jason' a hard time about the girl obviously preferring to sit anywhere else. His stride was more of a strut as he returned to the compartment.

Inside, Eris sat up and pushed her hair back, smiling sleepily. "Hello."

He sat beside her when she made room and offered a butterbeer and a sandwich. They ate in comfortable silence. Afterwards, Eris retrieved her purse and gave him a brushing/flossing mint. Severus noticed that after Eris popped a mint in her mouth, her chewing slowed while she rummaged in the bottom of her bag for something that wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" he asked, holding up the ribbon so the silver locket twirled, the engraving easily read beneath the enchanted lights. Her eyes opened wide. Severus' narrowed. Tersely, he demanded, "Where's Elpis?"

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A/N: FNP once used an 'I Love Lucy' line in a 'Blue Moon' review, and I couldn't help but think of it here…"(Eris), you got some 'splainin' to do!" For those of you wondering if the 'Goblin' poem came from 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer', yes, it did, ho, ho, ho! The readers who made my week holly and jolly by reviewing the last chapter were ♥40/16 ♥ Beauty Eclipsed ♥ Camillia Vincent ♥ cupcakeswirl ♥ die Loreley♥ ElspethBates ♥ Embellished ♥ FNP ♥ gothic-wildhorse ♥ GraceRichie ♥ Jedi Knight Padme♥ Machiavelli Jr ♥ MamaLisa ♥NazgulGirl ♥ Slipknot-3113 ♥ Slytherin Love Goddess♥ and ♥ sunny9847 ♥