AN:

Hi guys!

LOL so much about being more active with the uploads.

Imagine this: first class on the first day of the new term. The teacher is going over the syllabus. The topic of the lessons, evaluation, and shit like that. And then the worst part comes; the assignments. You see a 30-page methodology review that is due at the beginning of May and you are like "Well, fuck my life" BUT THEN your laptop gets a war flashback to writing your 50-pages long bachelor thesis. He remembers the 20+ open tabs in chrome, the open pdf files, the word documents… All the horrors of working on a long assignment with many sources. And he is like "Nope. No. I will not do it again!" and dies.

Rip.

The moment the teacher explained the methodology review my laptop died.

Since then I was forced to use my phone for everything, like the broke university student that I am.

I wrote this chapter on my parents' old computer, which hasn't been used since 2005 and freezes up every five minutes. So, sorry about the typos, but I just cannot be bothered to work on that computer more. Not to say that I had to type this chapter from memory, and I changed a lot of things compared to what I originally wanted.

So let me know what you think in the comments and let's hope that the guys at the tech store will manage to repair my baby soon so that I can continue working on the updates.


CHAPTER 17

Vines and Thorns

Meeting Lily Evans and her group right in the entrance to the Great Hall was like a cold shower for Evelyn. Walking down the Grand Staircase, holding hands and chatting with Severus was nice.

Too nice.

Even though the girls often said that she was oblivious when it came to romance, she was not a complete idiot. She has read romance novels, she had spoken to people who were in love, she knew what to expect. She just wasn't interested in any of that. Not when she had to focus on more important things…

Still, she was pretty sure that they had a moment on the stairs. Or at least she thought so.

Then again, they just held hands. She was convinced that if she were to tell the girls, Lucy would make fun of her for being bashful about such a small act.

"Calm down, it's not like he asked for your hand in marriage or anything. If you are this flustered just from holding hands, you will faint when it comes to-"

Evelyn just shook her head trying to get rid of that thought.

However, the imaginary Lucy was right. Handholding was nothing interesting. It was pretty normal. Nothing you would run to tell your friends about.

'You are overreacting,' she told herself, 'so what if we held hands? So what if he let go of you as soon as you met people he knew? Seriously you are acting worse than Bonnie...'

One of the reasons, why Evelyn didn't like the idea of getting involved with the opposite gender, was seeing Bonnie getting crushes left and right, only to end up heartbroken. Then again, the other girl had the tendency to develop feelings from the smallest things.

"Have you seen it? Our eyes met, and even though it was just a moment, there was something! I could feel it!" she would say. Other times it was the "Oh my God, he smiled at me!" that sent her into a frenzy and in just five minutes the girl had their whole future figured out, from the way they confessed to each other to the job position of their four children.

Walking to her friends she chastised herself in her head, 'What were you thinking? The point of the whole thing was to get rid of unnecessary distractions, not to create more, you idiot,'

She knew that. Of course, she did. Still, she couldn't help but feel hurt.

"What took you so long?" asked Lucinda, as Evelyn sat down between Regulus and Bonnie.

"You know Bertha. Once she starts talking there is no end to it," rolled her eyes Evelyn, choosing to blame it on Bertha and leaving out a couple of things.

"Bertha, eh? Interesting. Are you sure that it wasn't one of the broom cupboards?" smirked Avery.

This teasing surprised the unsuspecting girl, whose eyes went wide and her mouth opened in surprise.

"E-excuse me?"

The others just smirked, while Lucy laughed at her friend, knowing full well that nothing like that happened.

'The day when Evelyn gets caught in a broom cupboard with someone will be the day when the world ends.' she thought.

Still, it was a great opportunity to tease her friend, and she wasn't about to let it pass quickly.

So, she smirked as she said, "You don't need to say anything, it's written all over your face."

The other girl's blush just grew, as she denied everything, "You - you are mistaken. We didn't do anything indecent."

Still, her mind was quickly filled with images of what it must be like to be locked in the broom cupboard with Severus and she could feel her face growing hotter by the minute.

The boys just smirked at each other, not believing a word of what the girl said, but the girls shared a surprised look. They knew that Evelyn was shy when it came to romance, but they have never seen her blush like that.

'Interesting...' thought the smirking Lucinda, as she made a mental note to ask Evelyn about what happened on their way to the Great Hall. By the face she made and the blush on her face she knew that something must have happened and she was curious to find out what.

"Hmm... That doesn't sound too convincing" said Avery smirking.

However, before Evelyn could have said anything Lucinda cut in laughing.

"What is it, Avery? Are you jealous that Snape is getting some while you are still pinning after Harriet Jones?" she sneered and it was the boy's turn to blush.

"What? How-?"

"Oh, was it supposed to be a secret? Well, in that case, you shouldn't ogle her so much in public," smiled the entertained girl, but the boy just shrugged.

"If she doesn't want people to ogle her than she should dress accordingly," said the boy simply.

Lucinda didn't know what to say.

Harriet Jones was a 6th year Gryffindor, who was part of Bertha's group, which meant that Lucinda was on fairly good terms with her. However, Hattie loved to test the boundaries of how much flirting she could get away with. She would often laugh while telling Bertha and the others how she flirted her way out of detention with old Sluggy, or how she made another teacher flustered. For her, it was like a game and she was enjoying every minute of it.

Lucinda was aware of what kind of a person she was said to be. She knew about the rumours going around, however, she also knew which ones were probably true and which were just coined by jealousy.

She also knew that other than that Harriet Jones was a very kind and fun person to be around. She learned a lot from her about fashion, makeup, and other girly things.

For this reason, Avery's comment made her blood boil. She could see his point, but still, it was her friend he was talking about.

"You are disgusting," said Regulus, who until now was quietly listening to the others.

"You are too young to understand," rolled his eyes Avery.

"I might be young but even I know that not only was your comment incredibly rude, it was also immensely stupid to say in the company of other women," said the younger boy nonchalantly and everyone's jaw hit the floor.

A few seconds later the others laughed, while Mulciber patted Avery's shoulder.

"You got told off by a third year. How embarrassing," laughed Lucinda.

Evelyn also smiled, however, her smile soon dropped, when she saw Severus approaching their table. Regulus, who saw the change in his friend's mood, just raised an eyebrow in question, but Evelyn just shook her head.

As Regulus moved to make space for Severus, Evelyn instinctively moved to sit next to Regulus, making Snape sit between her and Bonnie, surprising everyone.

The girls just gave her a puzzled look but decided not to comment on that. No, they will have plenty of time later, in the privacy of their room.

Snape also raised a brow at that but said nothing as he sat down.

"Oh, what is it? Trouble in paradise? Maybe your little escapade wasn't as good as we thought it was…" smirked Avery.

Evelyn just lowered her head. Suddenly her lunch seemed to be ten times more interesting than the people around her.

Snape just shot a questioning look at Avery, who was smiling wide. He looked at Evelyn, for some clarification, but she just shook her head.

"Not so fast, Avery! Trying to change the subject, aren't you?" teased Lucinda.

"Severus, you missed the best part of the discussion," laughed Rosier as he told him the part when Regulus told off Avery, wisely leaving out the part about them teasing Evelyn.


When Severus sat down next to her, at first Evelyn felt uneasy, but as time passed the uneasiness turned into annoyance.

"What a fool," sneered Snape when Rosier finished telling the story.

'Takes one to know one,' thought Evelyn annoyed, but as time passed she continued to be more and more annoyed.

'What kind of man lets go of his girlfriend's hand, when he meets people he knows? Good thing no one saw that, or it would have been really embarrassing...'

'God, if he were my boyfriend I would give him a talking to!' she thought annoyed already seeing herself giving him a piece of her mind.

'How dare he do that to me? Other people would kill for such an opportunity!'

She couldn't help but imagine, how other people would behave in his place.

Bulstrode would definitely take a scroll through the grounds to show people that they were together in his subtle style.

On the other hand, Sirius would be very loud and would try to bring it to the other's attention.

She could see him showing their interwoven hands right in the faces of the other students, just to make sure that they see it.

The thought almost made Evelyn laugh. Yet as her eyes wandered over to Snape her bad mood was back once again.

By the time they finished their meal, Evelyn couldn't even look at Snape.

"Well, I will be leaving first," she said as she stood up and gathered her things.

"Have fun at Runes," smiled Bonnie and Evelyn nodded.

"I will be going as well, see you later," said Snape as he was about to stand up, however, seeing the look that Evelyn shoot him, he felt the need to sit back down.

Sensing the tension, Regulus also stood up, while muttering about Herbology.

The purebloods were quick to leave, while Evelyn kept inquiring about Regulus's Herbology lessons.

"I don't know what you did, but you should tread carefully," whispered Bonnie to Severus, as he was about to leave.

The boy just nodded, not understanding what was happening.


Severus Snape was a clever boy. He was quick to pick up on small things that other people might miss.

He didn't miss how Evelyn's smile fell when she saw him approaching. Neither did he miss, how she didn't look at him during lunch. Not to say that the look she shot him said that she was ready to kill him in the middle of the Great Hall, not caring who saw.

To say that he was confused was an understatement.

Everything was fine until they arrived in the Great Hall.

So, what changed?

Did he do something?

No.

Maybe Avery said something stupid, as usually.

They were probably teasing her for arriving late, and she was embarrassed.

But then, if that was the case, why was she angry with him?

Severus just sighed as he slowly caught up with his housemates.

They were in a deep conversation about some plant in one of the greenhouses.

"Oh, yes, she basically takes care of herself, but she needs a lot of attention. If she has taken a liking to him, he should pay her some attention before doing his assignment, otherwise, she will feel neglected and she might get a little aggressive with the vines and the thorns," said Evelyn and Snape couldn't help but wonder whether she just said that in reply to Regulus, or whether she was trying to tell him something.

'Neglected?'

It still made no sense to him.

How could she feel neglected, when they were together basically for the whole day?

'Good thing she is not really my girlfriend. She would suffocate me,' he thought, while his mind couldn't help but imagine her as a greenhouse flower, ready to strangle him.

Then again, she said before that she liked her freedom, and that they were free to be friends with whoever they wanted to be friends with.

So, what was the problem?

With a sigh, he followed his housemates into the dungeons.

Yes, he was clever, but when it came to girls Severus Snape was very confused.


"Well, here we are. I guess, I will see you both during supper," said Evelyn as they arrived in front of the staircase leading to their separate dorms.

"Actually, I am also going in that direction, so, I could accompany you on your way to the classroom," suggested Severus.

"Thank you, but there is no need for you to climb those stairs again," laughed Evelyn.

"As I said I will be going in that direction, so I will meet you in five minutes and then we can go," said Severus, leaving no room for disagreement, as he left into the stairway leading to the boy's dorm.

Regulus and Evelyn just shared a look.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but please solve it quickly. The energy is suffocating,"

The girl just sighed, as she said, "It's nothing,"

"It doesn't feel like nothing… Look, I don't know what this all is about, but be careful, okay?" said the boy quietly.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" looked at him Evelyn confused.

"I don't want you to get too invested in this and ending up hurting yourself… You know that you two couldn't be together in real life even if you wanted, right?" asked the boy.

'Of course, I know…' thought Evelyn bitterly.

"Aww, looking out for me like that! You are such a kind-hearted boy, aren't you?" she teased, ruffling Regulus's hair, "Don't worry Reg, if it comes to it, you will be the only one I will consider marrying!"

"Sh-shut up! I was just trying to be considerate! Fine, go fall in love for all I care!" said the embarrassed boy, as he all but run down the staircase.

"Oh, come on, Reg, there is no need to be embarrassed," called the laughing girl after him.

Evelyn just shook her head as she went to her room to collect her things.

Of course, she knew that they couldn't be together. Still, she couldn't help but wonder how her parents would react to her actually dating Severus.

'They would be shocked. Father would probably have an aneurysm, while mom would start planning the wedding.' she thought amused.

Not that it mattered, anyway.

Evelyn quickly gathered her things and with her thick dictionary in her hands, she left the room.


"I don't know what you did, but apologize," growled Regulus as he entered the room.

'Not you too,'

"Why should I apologize? Maybe it's not even me, to begin with," said Snape simply.

"Yeah, right. I have seen her face when she entered the Great Hall. She looked like a kicked puppy. What did you do, mate?" asked Regulus, but he got his answer without Snape saying anything.

Snape looked taken aback by what he heard.

"I have no idea," he said and Regulus just sighed.

"Whatever, just apologize and get over it," rolled his eyes the younger boy.


When Snape left his room he was determined to find out what the hell happened. Arriving in the common room, he saw Evelyn already waiting, holding a very old and very thick book.

"Shall we go?" asked Evelyn, and Snape nodded.

For some reason, he missed having her hand in his. While his hands were scrawny and always cold, hers were warm and soft.

'Tch, you are pathetic. A girl holds your hand one time and you are whipped.' he thought annoyed.

"I can help you with that book if you'd like," he said.

He was just trying to be a gentleman. His mom taught him to respect women. He was just trying to help her, with her book.

Or so he kept telling himself.

It wasn't that he wanted to free her hands so that he could hold them.

No. Of course not.

"Thank you, but I can manage," said Evelyn simply.

The two left the common room and were slowly walking upstairs and while Severus slowed his pace for the sake of the girl carrying the enormous book, he was surprised to find that she didn't seem like she was having difficulty carrying it up the stairs.

Snape just shook his head and decided to confront the girl about her behaviour.

"Um, I have the feeling that you are annoyed with me, and I would like to know why," he said trying to sound polite.

Evelyn just took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I apologize. I am just tired. It has been a tiring day. Don't worry about it," she said as she gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry about it? You looked like you were ready to murder me in the middle of the Great Hall!" said the boy before he could stop himself.

He didn't know many things about girls, but he knew what 'I'm tired' and 'Don't worry about it' meant. It usually meant that there was a problem, and they didn't want to talk about it. Yet, if there was one thing he liked about Evelyn it was how upfront and to the point she has been with him since the beginning.

Looking at the girl's face he realized that he has messed up and quickly added, "I had no intention to offend you, and if you tell me what I did then I can make sure to not do it in the future,"

The girl just listened for a minute before she shook her head, "It's nothing, I was just being foolish. There is nothing to worry about,"

Snape just rolled his eyes.

Now he was starting to get annoyed.


Evelyn knew that it was her fault.

She was overthinking things and she got herself worked up over nothing.

'What is my problem? You let go of me as soon as you saw Evans! It makes me feel a lot of different things, and I don't know how to handle it. I am angry, embarrassed and more importantly, I feel humiliated...' she thought.

Of course, she wouldn't say it out loud.

She would definitely say it if they were truly seeing each other.

But in the current circumstances, she couldn't bear to lose face like that in front of him, so she just said, "It's nothing, I was just being foolish. There is nothing to worry about," but as soon as she said that she Severus furrow his brows.

He took a deep breath and tried to get her to talk again, "If you don't tell me what happened I will not know what I did,"

"I told you that it was nothing. Can we just change the topic?" asked the girl, but her tone made it clear that she was getting annoyed as well.

Meanwhile, the two just arrived on the ground floor, but before she could have stepped on the first step of the Grand staircase Severus stood in front of the girl, frowning.

"What now? I will be late to class," said the girl.

"Then you will be late for class, but I want to know what got you so worked up," he said glaring at her.

The girl just sighed and they spent the next couple of minutes glaring at each other.

"You still have a lot to learn before you can even think about intimidating me, Severus Snape," said Evelyn with a cold tone that always made others back down instantly.

However, Snape was not backing down.

"Move," said Evelyn annoyed, as she tried to push the boy aside, with one hand, but Snape grabbed her hand.

"Not until you tell me what's got you so angry. One minute everything was alright and the next you are glaring at me,"

The girl just sighed, "Can we not talk about it? At least not now? I have a class to get to,"

"Then you better start talking,"

"Severus, I really don't have time for this! You are being very childish right now!" snapped the girl.

"Childish?" smirked Snape, "Alright then. If it is nothing, then give me that damned book and hold my hand,"

"What?" asked the surprised girl.

"You said that it's nothing. Then what is stopping you from behaving like nothing happened?" challenged her Snape.

And Evelyn Williams was not one to back down from a challenge.

"Fine. But don't cry if it's too heavy for you,"

"I've caught you, didn't I? I doubt it will be heavier than you," rolled his eyes the boy as he took hold of the book.

It was heavy. Very heavy.

And there were a lot of stairs.

He had no idea how he was going to make it there, but Snape was determined to make it to the sixth floor without Evelyn noticing how much he was struggling.

"Don't say that I didn't warn you," said Evelyn.

Snape said nothing, just took hold of Evelyn's hand and together they started to climb the Grand Staircase.

The air was tense.

They walked looking in opposite directions.

Yet, if someone looked closely, they would have seen the tiny smiles and the slight blush on their faces that they couldn't control.


"You know, you can always give me back the book. I have spent a year hauling it with me to the sixth floor, so, I can do it easier," said the girl after a while.

"Why? Didn't one of your suitors offer to help?" sneered Snape.

"They did. I just always refused. I don't need people to do things for me that I am perfectly capable of doing myself,"

Hearing that Snape couldn't help but be in awe of the girl. He was sure that it was not an easy thing to do for a small third-year girl. Hell, they were on the third floor and he was ready to give up.

But no, he couldn't give up now.

He might be weak, but his pride is strong.

And he would rather die on the stairs carrying that book than give it back to Evelyn.

"What is it for anyway?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"It is called The Big Book of Runes, so you can probably guess. And before you say anything, no, it's not a required book for the class. It is from my private collection, but I agreed to lend it to the professor for our lessons, in exchange for some help with runes that are not usually covered during our school years,"

'She even has deals with the professors…'

"Anyway, I can see that you are about to collapse, so give me that book," she said as she reached for it.

"I can do it,"

"Oh, shut up. The first time I carried it upstairs I was 20 minutes late, and I had to think of an excuse because I didn't want to admit that I couldn't carry my book to the class. So just shut up and let me help you," she said as she took the book from him, carrying it in one hand, not letting go of his hand.

Snape took a moment to get his breathing under control.

"I swear to everything holy that the end of the year I will be able to carry that book all the way to the classroom," he said still trying to catch his breath.

"Oh? Does this mean that my strong boyfriend will carry my book to my every class?" asked Evelyn sarcastically.

"It's my job as your boyfriend, isn't it?" said Snape amused.

"I don't need a boyfriend to carry my books for me," said Evelyn quietly, but then she added, "but I might need one to set me right if I act out of line…"

Snape's eyes went wide before he smirked and adjusted his hold on her hand.

'Yes, when she attacks you with thorns, you put on your dragonhide gloves and show her who she is dealing with,' he thought arrogantly, as he grasped her hand and the two continued their way to the sixth floor.