Author's Note: Muahahahahaha! Just when you thought it couldn't get more interesting...

ANYway, a few things: I really can't stand the word "snogging." it sounds to me a lot more like something you'd do when cleaning out a drain pipe then 'making out.' But, it's true to the source material, so...there you go!

Secondly, I am trying to edit as I go but I am admittedly having fun updating as frequently as I can. So I apologize for any sloppiness of language or typos, and hope they don't detract from enjoying the story...

Thanks as always for the notes and reviews!


Amatorios Mentis Lectio

Petunia turned off her alarm clock and slept in the next morning. When she got up around 10:00 a.m., she dressed quickly and hurried upstairs to check in with Severus. They had no formal plans to meet and were still working separately, but it seemed like a good idea anyway.

Besides, she would get to see him, and see once again if she had imagined things or if last night had really been as exciting as she remembered it. She yawned as she reached the top of the dungeon staircase and entered the Great Hall, only to find it suspiciously empty.

Petunia listened for a moment, thinking perhaps everyone was in classes, but usually there were still a few people in the hallways and most classes would have begun a half an hour ago. There was definitely something different in the air. Intrigued, she made her way up to the Headmaster's office, hoping to find Severus there.

When she arrived, she noticed the third floor doorway to the spiral staircase was already open, the stone steps ascended. Multiple voices were coming down from his office; she recognized the voice of Professor McGonagall, and thought she also heard Professor Sprout. Petunia paused for a moment, uncertain if she should interrupt, then decided that the open door indicated this was not necessarily a private conversation.

"Where is everyone?" Petunia asked, after she was greeted and welcomed inside. Professors Sprout, McGonagall, Grubbly Plank, whom she'd met only a few times, and Professor Flitwick stood inside. There was also a giant red centaur whose humanoid head was several feet above the tallest person in the room, who at this moment was Severus Snape. Petunia shook her head to stop herself from staring. She'd ask about that later. She'd seen faeries and unicorns at this point. Why should she be surprised anymore? I wonder how on earth he got up here, though, she thought. Periodically, she heard the hooved feet stamping restlessly, like a "real" horse.

"What an excellent question," said Severus, in a tone that sounded both sarcastic and good-natured, as it was partially directed at her. "Would anyone care to explain?" His dark eyes had roved over her briefly and she caught the tiniest flinch of a smile before he looked around at the others. She flushed, elated. It was so exciting to have a "secret" romance. She wondered if everyone could feel the magnetism between them.

"The children are all at Hogsmeade, or most of them, anyway," explained Professor McGonagall. "The younger ones have been given the day off and are in their common rooms or outside. There's been a bit of a to-do in the kitchens, I'm afraid. It's been very exciting."

"Exciting is a word for it," said Professor Grubbly Plank brusquely. Both she and the centaur - when Petunia dared to look at him - seemed rather solemn. From the response so far, It sounded like a small crisis had taken place, but not a dangerous one. Perhaps it was the kind of thing that was just horribly inconvenient, like a flooded bathroom or the power going off.

"The house elves are on strike," said the extremely handsome centaur, with all the seriousness of a newscaster describing the devastation of a hurricane. Petunia felt his sonorous voice resonating in the very floor beneath her feet. "The kitchens have been taken over by the faeries, and the elves are very upset. We're working on mollifying them at the moment."

"Yes," said Severus, giving her an odd, mysterious look. He obviously knew something more, and he always seemed a little withholding when the subject of faeries came up, though she still didn't know why. "It seems that a band of feral fey folk have been knicking things about the castle…sheets and tablecloths and such. But this morning they took their interference to a more creative level during breakfast, rendering it inedible…according to the elves. So we've let the students wander to fend for themselves while we sort it all out."

"Erm, 'feral' faeries?"

"Non-domesticated, dear," explained Professor Sprout. "Most households have a few fey around the grounds, particularly garden gnomes. They tend to be more dependent on humans than the wild ones, and live a little less disruptively alongside us. The wild ones, however, are very difficult to get rid of once they have made themselves at home indoors. They have territorial inclinations, and they do not compromise lightly."

"I see…" Petunia was flabbergasted. So far, this was the most exciting thing to happen at Hogwarts since her performance at the spring conclave. She thought about the gnome who visited her room and wondered if it had anything to do with these other "feral" faeries.

"As I was saying," continued the enormous centaur, who somehow had made it up the spiral staircase into this far-too-small room, "I am against the use of iron to drive them out. That should be a last resort." This did not sound like a suggestion.

She noticed a respectful silence after this. Clearly, when he spoke, people listened, and she got the sense that contradicting him was not a usual occurrence. She wondered why his opinion seemed to hold so much weight, and then realized he probably had more in common with creatures like faeries than he did with anyone else in the room. Perhaps he felt some kinship to them.

"Firenze, I heartily agree with you. Headmaster, it will take a little longer, but I believe we can convince the faeries to leave voluntarily if we take the time to do it right," said Professor Grubbly Plank.

"Then I leave it in your capable hands, Wilhelmina and Firenze," Severus said with a hint of resignation. "Please keep me posted on your progress. At minimum, we need to get the kitchens in order again." Petunia thought it was very obvious that Severus wanted nothing to do with this if he could avoid it.

"Of course, Headmaster." Professor Grubbly Plank gave a soldier-like nod, and then she and the centaur who appeared to answer to Firenze went to exit the room. Petunia was determined to watch Firenze descend the staircase, but she didn't get the opportunity, as Professor McGonagall was talking to her.

"...be all right for a few hours?" She was asking. Petunia nodded vaguely, figuring she got the gist. But it was Severus who answered her.

"We'll manage, Minerva. I'll make sure Pet - Mrs. Dursley doesn't starve."

"Very well, Headmaster," said Professor McGonagall with a smile and a wink that was far from subtle. "If you'll excuse me, then, I need to check on the first years in Gryffindor. Petunia, Severus," she nodded at them both by way of farewell, still smiling widely like a very proud mother. Petunia noted her use of their first names.

She watched her and the others leave, hoping to catch a glimpse of Firenze descending the spiral staircase, but he had already disappeared. Rats. She had really wanted to see him get down from the Headmaster's office. But now she was left standing there alone with Severus, and it was much quieter in the office - and also quite a bit roomier. She turned to look at him expectantly.

He was leaning back against his desk, his arms folded, and smiling at her warmly. She smiled back and they laughed shyly. Then he stood, reached out an arm to her waist and pulled her to him, giving her a tender kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

The sounds of wolf whistles, cheers, and someone actually barking made them both jump apart, and Petunia realized they were coming from the portraits. Even though they were merely pictures and not actually live human beings, she was mortified and turned purple. Severus gave them a look that said, Really? and rolled his eyes.

"Come, Petunia. Let's leave the peanut gallery to its gossip."

This was, of course, met by more loud sounds of approval and teasing from the portraits, which Severus ignored as he took Petunia's arm. She laughed and went with him downstairs, the spiral stone staircase rolling back down and the office closing behind them when they were back on the third floor.

"Sounds like the morning was rather interesting," she said, making small talk as they strolled down the hall and to the stairs.

"Rather," was all he said in reply to this, and she still felt he was being mysterious about something related to the incident. Oh well. "Have you had breakfast?" He turned to look up at her as they headed downstairs, his hands in his coat pockets. It was an uncharacteristically casual posture for him, she could not help noticing.

"Not as of yet. I'm afraid I slept in a little bit."

"Yes. Well. I suppose we were up rather late."

"Shhhh!" She giggled.

"What? We could have been working."

She wished she could think of the perfect suggestive response to this, but nothing came to mind.

"Well, what about you then? Have you eaten?" She asked instead.

"Not really. I was a bit busy. Hadn't really thought about it."

"I have an idea…if you're not…if you don't need to be anywhere right away."

They were standing in the main hall now, looking outside at the sunshine streaming into the open doors. The quiet was both eerie and pleasant. Hardly a person was in sight, except for a few students dotted around outside, playing games, swimming, and chatting. She still found it incredible that students were allowed to swim in a lake that, for some reason, had a giant squid in it.

Severus looked at her and raised an eyebrow as if to say, Oh?

"How about a picnic?" Petunia suggested, flushing a little bit again. She would feel very foolish if this was a poor suggestion; he might have plenty of other things he needed to attend to with the present crisis. But he looked as if he was both pleased and relieved.

"Why not indeed. Certainly, if that's what you'd like."

"I would like it," she said meaningfully, stopping short of what she really wanted to say. But she could tell he'd gotten the hint.

"Very well."

As if sharing the same unspoken thought, they walked out together, a respectable space between them, but still side by side. They both seemed to be steering away from the front of the school, and she imagined he was doing the same as her - looking for a spot outside that would be nice to sit together in, but also relatively private. The fact that they were out of doors during daylight hours suggested that this was an escalation in the relationship; even with them avoiding public displays of affection, she doubted it would not be perfectly obvious to just about anyone what was between them.

To her surprise, they did not go as far out of the way as she expected. Severus strode rather confidently up a grassy hill a little ways from the Quidditch field and Hagrid's hut, but not close enough to be the edge of the forest. A few trees were in the area, like a sort of accidental orchard. He got to a large cedar and drew his wand, muttered something, and conjured a gorgeous oriental rug on the ground, complete with a tea set and some covered silver platters. Delicious sweet and savory smells were coming from the platters already, and she breathed them in, her mouth watering, while she watched him make a circle around their spot and casting some kind of shield spell. She could see the space shimmer for a moment as he moved about it.

"Muffliato," he muttered finally. She recognized that one. They used it now and then when they wanted to keep their conversations private, back when they had been practicing magic more regularly. Severus smiled briefly at her as he put his wand away, and sat down on the ground, leaning against the tree. Petunia knew he was trying to impress her and seemed very pleased with himself. Well, it worked. I'm impressed. She sat down next to him. It was a bit amusing seeing him on the ground like that, knees drawn up, all tightly buttoned up in his stiff, customary black suit and jacket.

"What was all that?" she asked, as she stretched out her legs and leaned against the tree as well, a few inches from him.

"Bit of a curtain, you might call it. Just…you know…in case…" he started spluttering and she could not help it. She burst out laughing. He turned red and also laughed. "Well, you know, I'm the Headmaster. It would hardly be appropriate to be seen…and with you technically still a student…"

"You seem very hung up about that."

"Shouldn't I be?" He frowned. She knew that being taken seriously in his position was extremely important to him.

"I think it's the right call," she assured him. "But if I'm honest, I'm also enjoying the risk of a scandal a little bit, perhaps more than I should."

"Well at least one of us is," he responded, and began pouring some tea for her.

Everything about the impromptu picnic was about as perfect as a girl could imagine it, she thought. There was a nice, occasional breeze…though they were in the highlands it was not too cold, and certainly not too warm either. There was an atmosphere of holiday all around the grounds. Everyone had essentially been given a day off, even if it was for a very inconvenient reason. Everyone, students and adults, also seemed very aware of this and were taking advantage of it. It almost felt like the end of the year had come…which, in fact, was not too far away, as it was already late April.

They talked about everything under the sun, leaning back with their heads tilted toward each other. Somehow they got on the subject of science and muggle technological advances, and Petunia enjoyed a rare opportunity to be the one explaining things to which Severus could only stare in open mouthed disbelief. At one point, when she talked about almost having a hysterectomy, he sat up and yelled, "A what?!"

"It's a very common procedure," she explained, startled. "Many women have it done, although only if it's really necessary." She had been trying to tell him why Dudley had been her only child with Vernon, and had begun talking about some of her early health complications. But Severus could not seem to get past the idea of women's wombs being ripped out of their stomachs.

Petunia was a little annoyed that he was missing the point - and he obviously did not think much of muggle medicine, despite the fact that she was pretty sure it was far more advanced than wizarding healing. But she also found it terribly funny to see him worked up this way. Here was a man who played with animal guts and poisonous plants for the most sinister of potions, who bellowed about stirring a cauldron in the right direction and the right number of times or else, and he looked like he was about to vomit from horror. It was very hard for her to be only mad at him.

Aside from that little conversational hiccup, Severus was openly fascinated with all she told him. She explained that, as a housewife, she'd had a lot of time for simply reading whatever she wanted to, and she had a particular fondness for science magazines, since that had been her educational background. She liked to keep up with all the incredible things people discovered, or created, or were imagining creating. He was admittedly stunned when she talked about genetic coding, and his eyes glazed over a bit like someone who was having a very complex mathematical equation explained to them.

"Are you telling me," he said slowly, "that muggles believe they can find a…a code, in the physical body, for every single trait?"

"Yes," she said simply. This was not news in her part of the world. Talking to him about it was a little like talking to a third grader about why the moon hung in the sky. It was odd, but she felt a fierce pride at the accomplishments of ordinary muggles; it had been comforting to her, back when she had lived her life at odds with everything fantastical.

"And…they can manipulate these…these codes? This D.N.A.?"

"Of course," she answered. "Well, they're learning to." She was feeling a little smug, but tried not to show it. "That's why," she continued, "I'd always thought it absurd that there are people who simply can do magic, and those who simply can't. If you could find out the gene that allows it, well…it probably could change a lot of things. But it doesn't seem like any wizards have ever bothered to try."

Severus was staring at her, his black eyes wide and fixed, and she recognized the expression of someone whose mind was suddenly elsewhere, going a million miles a minute. She wondered what it was like to be in his head at that moment, what it had done to his understanding of the world. His entire paradigm must be exploding apart. She was having a wonderful time.

Of course, the best part was when they lay on the ground, lazily "snogging" as the kids called it, and she relished the feeling of his hands exploring her body through her clothes. He was not yet wandering around the most erogenous areas - that might have seemed very presumptuous still, but he was caressing every other part of her that he could reach, and it was lulling her mind while she grew more and more focused on the sensory experience.

"Shouldn't we be going soon?" she asked eventually. It was beginning to feel a little late, and though she hardly wanted to leave, she was a little worried she was distracting him from his duties.

"Yes," he murmured, "In a moment." He kissed her deeply, his hands running over the curves of her hips, up her back, caressing her face, clutching her hair in his fingers. She was starting to feel very aroused. When he stopped he cupped her face again, looking into her eyes with nearly fanatical affection.

"I love you," he said.

Petunia was stunned. She had not been expecting that…not so soon. Her mind began whirling. Excitement, nervousness and fear surged through her, and she thought for a moment she might actually faint. It was all too much - her body rippling all over with pleasure, her mind doing somersaults.

"I know," he continued, seeming undisturbed, "that might seem an odd thing to say so soon. But it is the truth."

"How….how can you already know that?" she stammered, still feeling like the ground had been yanked from under her. "We've only started dating - "

"I know," he shrugged, kissing her lightly. "Why should I keep it a secret? You deserve to know."

"But…" she protested. She did not know, however, what she wanted to say. She felt like she needed to be alone with this information till she could decide how she felt about it. Suddenly she was filled with inexplicable anxiety. "I…well…"

"Petunia," he said quietly, "I am not expecting you to say or even feel the same, although I would be beyond happy if you did. I merely wanted you to know that's how I feel about you."

"That's very brave of you," she said shakily, and was wracked with guilt. Shouldn't she say the same thing? She began to be angry that he had put her in this situation. How dare he? "Look," she said, gathering her thoughts, and preparing to talk to him like she might to Dudley, "I imagine this must be very new for you, and perhaps you just think - "

"You doubt me?" he asked, and she could say nothing to this, only look into his eyes, which seem to hold fathomless depths of emotion. It sounded like a challenge. "That's all right," he said, still caressing her. "I'll prove it to you. With your permission, that is."

Now he was making no sense at all.

"What do you mean?" she said stupidly, wondering if he were going to make some huge, embarrassing public gesture. Maybe he's lost his head

"I have a new lesson for you," he said matter-of-factly.

"A lesson?"

"Yes."

"Right now?"

"Yes…well, you'll see," he said, and she saw that his smile was hiding some secret. What kind of a game was this? She raised her eyebrow suspiciously.

"And what exactly is this lesson that is so important it must happen immediately?" If he wanted to sleep with her, was certainly going about it in a strange way.

"How you will know I'm telling the truth. Oh don't look at me like that, it's perfectly innocuous," he scoffed, and she thought he was being a little mischievous.

"I don't believe you."

Severus gave her a wolf-like grin.

"In that case, how about I just promise you will like it?"

"And if I don't?"

"Then that's the end of it," he said seriously. "In all seriousness, Petunia, I mean to prove that my words to you are not frivolous. I do love you, more deeply than you can know. But I want you to know, so you have no doubts. So…may I proceed?"

"All right," she said hesitantly.

At this he stopped caressing her to prop himself up on his elbow, folding his hands as he went into teacher mode.

"Now. You've heard me talk about legilimency a few times, have you not?"

"Yes…"

"And what do you understand it to be?"

"Well," she thought, trying to recall past conversations, "it's the ability to probe the mind, like…like telepathy. Only you said it wasn't mind reading." He'd been very insistent on that point; that was the one thing she definitely remembered.

"That's right," he continued softly, looking serious. "Legilimency is far deeper than telepathy though, especially for anyone particularly gifted at it. It can allow you to see through the eyes of the other person, even search their memories. Most importantly, it can convey emotions - very strong ones," he finished. He emphasized this last part, as if it were particularly significant.

"Now, doing something like this, probing the mind, as you can probably imagine, is not something to be done lightly, and I daresay it's most often not welcome at all. One has to be either very strong while the other is weak, or they must have the deep trust of the subject."

Petunia nodded slowly, searching his face.

"I think I see where this is going."

"Perhaps. But of course if there's a way to invade someone's mind, as it were, then there must also be - " He held out his hand, prompting her to finish the sentence.

"- a way to protect against it."

"Exactly. This is known as the art of Occlumency."

Petunia thought for a moment. This sounded like it was bordering on some kind of taboo.

"It sounds like this is something people would outlaw, or strictly regulate," she suggested.

"Yes…well, it's not exactly illegal. Unlike, say, the Imperius curse, which can take over the will of another, there is always a little bit of give on the other end, whether conscious or not, for it to work."

Suddenly it dawned on her.

"Severus, are you saying you are going to teach me to read your mind?"

He winced predictably at her choice of words, but she had said it that way on purpose - he was seeming unusually indirect and she was impatient for him to get to the point.

"Y…yes, something like that, although as I said - "

"I know, it's not mind reading," she said, waving this away. "And all this is because you want to prove to me…what? That you are in love with me?" She asked, trailing off softly.

"Not only in love with you, Petunia. I love you."

She shivered. Those words were already powerful, but coming from him as he looked at her that way…she almost couldn't stand it and would have rather been anywhere else. She felt so exposed. Yes, it was wonderful to hear, but she was a grown woman…she knew things were never this straight-forward in a relationship. There were ups and downs, storms and moments of calm, near break-ups and tear-stained make-ups…"

"See, you doubt me." He touched her face and smiled a sort of sad smile.

"But Severus, you don't have to go through all that to show me how you feel. That's simply not how things are done," she protested.

He raised his eyebrows, and she thought she saw a flicker of uncertainty - and perhaps annoyance - in his eyes. "I'm sorry. What I mean is…you don't have to bare yourself to me like that. You don't have to prove anything to me. I am already with you," she elaborated, and his frown softened.

"Perhaps I'm not conveying the point of this very well. It's not simply about proving something to you. it's about…" He seemed to struggle, and she watched him, increasingly fascinated. Her heart was starting to pound, even though she didn't know why.

"...It's about…you and your partner enjoying it. It's about sharing…with one another…so deeply sometimes…well…it's as if…see, it can be so…so intimate, that people have been…said to lose themselves…"

"Oh!" she said suddenly, feeling she now understood perfectly. "It's erotic."

"Yes, yes…that's the sort of word I'm looking for," he said, also brightening. But he was clearly embarrassed, now that it was out in the open. "In fact, there's a term for it. Amatorios mentis lectio. Erotic 'mind-reading.'"

"Fascinating!" Petunia was delighted. She had just learned that there was a whole new world of odd 'kinks' in the sex lives of wizards and witches. "I see now. So, you want to try this with me." Severus flushed and stammered.

"I mean…only if you want to…"

"Well it's not dangerous, is it?"

"No! Not with me, anyway. I can guide you easily."

"Well then. How exciting. So when would you like to have this little 'lesson?' Or is it something that can be learned that easily? It sounds like it would take some time to master."

"It does, normally. That is, it takes time to learn to control it yourself. But I am very experienced, so I -"

"Experienced!" Petunia gasped, throwing her hand on her chest and pretending to be scandalized. "Severus! Just how many partners have you had with this amores mentis thingy?"

"No…I…"

"So you're an old pro, is that it? A heart breaker? A lady killer? A casanova?"

"No! It's not like that…thing - " he protested so desperately and was so flustered she burst into giggles.

"You know I'm teasing you."

"I know, but…I don't want you to think…"

"I don't think anything, Severus, except that you exist in a universe of passion under that stiff veneer." Severus tried to smile, but in truth he looked a little miserable. He was, she figured, convinced that she'd misunderstood his intentions, and thought it was all about lust. She knew it wasn't. She knew that his heart was as great as the ocean, and he wanted so much to connect with her, to share himself with her. Her own heart melted, and she was overcome with empathy for him.

"Severus, look at me," she said a little more seriously. He looked at her, hiding his face through his limp black hair. His eyes were lowered and barely making contact with hers. "I am honored that you want to share such an experience with me. And I don't think anything unseemly about it. I have no judgment at all."

"Well…you'll see, soon enough," he said, as if more to reassure himself. "You'll understand when I show - when I teach you."

"Sounds wonderful," she assured him, not knowing what else to say.

"I do hope…well, we'll see. I should be getting back."

Petunia got up and brushed the grass off of her hair and skirt, while Severus took down the last of the warding spells. They walked back to the castle, thoughtful and quiet.

Just before they parted outside the great oak doors, Severus turned to her with an odd, furrowed expression.

"Regarding the subject of promiscuity, I noticed you gazing at Firenze earlier…should I be worried?" Petunia laughed; he had regained his ability to deliver absurd humor while absolutely deadpan.

"You have nothing to worry about."

"Very well…if you say so…but I hope you'll tell me. I'm not sure I can compete with…"

"Severus!"

"Only, it would be quite an unfair comparison…"

"Will you shut up!" she laughed again, and was happy to see the usual glitter in those mischievous eyes had returned.