A/N: Hey if anyone went to the Witching Hour in Salem, MA let me know how it was. I couldn't go... but if you met a Snupin obsessed girl named Rebecca that would have been my friend... :) I wonder how the quidditch went... I really wanted to meet Charles DeLint and Tamora Pierce too... oh well maybe some other time. If they do it again next year I shall try and go. :)

Here's another chapter! And right after the last one too! Though neither of them were too long, but the next one will be much longer so I don't feel that bad.

Anyway, Enjoy. And Review... you know if you don't I will just end up in a fetal position, rocking back and forth in the corner wondering where my monkey went... monkey... MONKEY!

Oh dear... I'm in an odd mood at the moment. Time to end the author's notes. Ciao

Chapter 24

If I had a list of mission objectives, then appeasing the great library monster was one of the first ones. And I could now safely say that making friends with the librarian was checked off. Though perhaps using the word friend was a bit liberal. But I try to be an optimist in these types of situations. More often then not I'm a realist, or a cynic, but for this. Well Irma spoke to me without the cold, aloofness that had been our original encounters. And the fact that I was even told her first name pushed forward my idea that I had made friends with the vulture like guardian of books.

All through my first dinner at Hogwarts (I didn't count the sandwich and crisps I had in my room the night before) I discussed with her the books, and the library in general. She made sure to tell me plenty of stories of the hoydens who attended the school, and of their complete disregard for books. It gave me a sense of the students I would soon be teaching, though I was certain to take what she told me with a grain of salt. After all she was a cranky old woman. And all the students couldn't be the spawn of Satan come to earth to rid the world of the joys of books. Granted after my own experience with the prepubescent population, a large portion of them were likely related to the devil in some way, shape or form.

The aged librarian was actually pleasant enough. Surprisingly so. The glimpses I received of the woman from the book made her out to just be a thorn in the heroes sides. In actuality though she just took her job very, very seriously. While reading the books I had almost considered her a villain. She wouldn't let them into the restricted section to get the books that they needed to save the day. Of course I was an omniscient reader. I knew what they needed that book for, but she didn't. Frankly she was protecting them from books that would harm them. She'd never let any of the students know that. Actually I don't know if she realized she was helping the students either...

"You can make some surprisingly good choices."

I looked sideways at Severus who was accompanying me down to the dungeon. Not that it had been planned or anything. We both just happened to have rooms down there, and both had left the hall at around the same time. That's just how things worked out. Up until now he had been quiet enough for me to assume that he had forgotten about my presence or at least was trying his hardest to ignore me. The quiet though had been pleasant enough, I didn't feel the need to speak to him to fill the gaps. It was different then with Sirius. With him it was talk, or he would say something to annoy me. Or even worse, he'd get thoughtful, introspective, even depressed..

"I try to make good choices all the time. But what are you referring to? I doubt it would be my delightful wardrobe." My 'delightful' wardrobe got a pointed look that basically said all that he thought of muggle clothing.

"Judging from who you arrived with, I doubted your ability to choose suitable people to converse with."

"Who I arrived with? His name is Sirius... I know you're smart enough to pronounce the syllables. It's just three of them... come on. Say it with me. SEAR-e-us. Not hard at all." I paused at the entrance to a corridor that would lead to where my own residence was. It was just down the hall from the potions classroom.

The look I was receiving was lacking the amused quality I had been going for. In fact I was fairly certain that his estimation of my intelligence had just gone down, which is hard since I don't think he thought much of my brain at all.

"You really are a half-wit."

"Well at least I can remember people's names." I snorted softly. There was no offence to be taken at the insult. In fact I was wondering at that moment when Severus was going to realize that he had actually stopped when I had, even though he should have been going on to his own quarters.

"I have no trouble with names. There are just some I feel aren't important enough to say."

I whistled softly.

"You two... I shall admit defeat tonight. But I swear I shall break this feud apart!"

Either a miracle had happened, and Professor Snape actually looked a little amused... or he had heartburn. It was entirely likely that it was the second option, but far more pleasurable to think a crack had appeared. Even if it was less likely...

"So you approved of me befriending Irma then?" I asked, getting back onto his original statement. "I didn't think you would be friends with anyone here."

That was something that had permeated my ideas from reading the books so long ago. That the high, aloof, cold, demanding Potions master would not dirty himself with or be friends with any that worked at Hogwarts. After all there had been the idea that he was still working for Voldemort, and therefore would be considered better then the blood-traitors and mudbloods that were working here. On the other hand, he wasn't working for Voldemort, but he was still usually a smug bastard, and not the type I ever imagined to sit in front of a fire, having tea and chatting with his fellow colleagues. The very idea of it made me laugh. Unlikely for me I happened to do that out loud and in front of Severus.

"I don't care what you think."

"What does it say about me I wonder, that I try and talk to you all the times I have?" I mused softly, ignoring his own comment completely. There was no reason to take his insults too seriously. I was beginning to get quite a good handle on the man. Most of the insults and the threats were weak, almost out of habit. Granted there were times he needed to be taken seriously. His hatred for Sirius was certainly real. As real as the fear I had seen on his face when he had been threatened with Voldemort's return.

"That you have rare instances of true enlightenment."

There it was. An actual tugging at his lips. The man was actually almost smiling. Certainly it wasn't an actual smile, not even close to one, but one has to take joy out of the baby steps before the leaps and bounds.

"Oh Severus. That was almost a joke. And you almost lost it for a second there." I reached up and poked his cheek, which was cool to the touch. So the man didn't just appear cold... "There was almost a smile there."

I brought the hand back quickly tucking it behind my back, trying to look too innocent to kill or hex into oblivion since that was the direction Professor Snape's mood was taking him.

"Note to self... Don't tease Severus."

"Professor Snape." He corrected, a bit late though since I had been calling him by his first name from the start.

"Severus." I said impishly, enjoying teasing the man. I had no real cares for my life.

"Now I think it's you who can't remember names."

"So Severus. Do you think people start to fit there names?" I didn't want to lose any limbs in the near future, but if you haven't tried teasing a stick-in-the-mud potions master, then you really don't know what you're missing. "After all your name likely is derived from the word severe isn't it?"

The man stared at me, likely deciding which end to start from. Either I would lose a leg or an arm first. I wasn't very good at hopping, but then I didn't really want to lose an arm either. So many essential things require both hands.

"You're name fits your attitude. Though I wonder what you would look and act like if your name was perhaps something like... Chuck." I blinked, thinking over what I had just said. Now I was looking at the hawknosed man and seeing him as one 'Chuck Snape'. Fits of giggles erupted past my lips, and it was so bad that I was soon bent over trying to get my breath back.

"Are you through?"

"Sorry..." I took a few deep breaths and stood up straight, trying very hard to put the correct name back on the man in front of me. "You probably wouldn't have made a very good Chuck..."

"And you? Do you think you fit your meaning? Brilliant and happy?"

The giggles stopped. Not many people would know the meaning of my name, meaning that either Severus had a baby names book hidden under his bed, or he knew some gaelic. Really the man had a few things hidden up his sleeve.

"Well it depends on which brilliant you think it reflects. I'm not brilliant in definition of intelligence. But as far as bright and shining like a star. Well I do try my best. I just have a sparkling personality. I try to be happy as often as I can, but I usually end up sarcastic and obnoxious."

Severus grunted softly at that, agreeing with my own assessment that I was obnoxious.

"Do you think I'm brilliant and happy?" I leaned forward, peering up at him earnestly.

"You... Your name should be Claoidh." He coughed into his hand.

A grin settled on my lips. While my own personal handling of the Gaelic language wasn't a hundred percent... I knew enough to know that claoidh meant annoy and vex. It also happened to mean torment as well, which Severus was almost definitely going to know for himself. The real question became in what way I was tormenting the Slytherin head of house.

"Oh Severus. Am I tormenting you in someway?" I fluttered my eyelashes, going for the exagerrated flirtacious behaviour that I was sure was going to cause that tick on the side of Snape's jaw that he got when he was really rather annoyed.

"I never gave you permission to use my name." He decided to ignore the point of my question, instead going back to the earlier argument. I sighed, somewhat annoyed that I hadn't gotten an answer to that question. My curiousity had been poked to life again.

"I'm a dimwitted muggle. We don't know better. We call EVERYONE by their given names. Your name is Severus. So I'll use that. And anyway, I am a teacher as well. It wouldn't be fair if I had to call you by your title. That's just for students." I huffed softly, displeased with the idea of being treated like a lesser being while I was teaching.

"You're not dimwitted."

"Aha! A compliment! It IS cracking!" I smirked. "You know if you like you can call me Aine. That would be the fair thing."

He grunted, and one could take that as a 'Yes I'll use your first name' or a 'There's something wrong with you that all the doctors and psychiatrists in the world will never be able to fix'. It was up in the air which option it was.

"Well this has been fun. Good night Severus." I grinned at him, waved and turned down the corridor, heading to my own rooms before I ended up pushing things a little too far. I wasn't too tired, but the Headmistress had told me she had sent down old lesson plans. I was certain that spending an hour or so reading some antiquated ideas on how muggles used bicycles to churn butter, or other nonsense, would easily put me to sleep.