A/N: Gawd I'm exhausted. Here's that chapter! I took someone's genius advice and attempted something to get my chapter up, for ffnet has problems. If this gets screwed up, I'm so sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing… especially not Harry Potter

Happy Reading!

Chapter Four – Warning the Aware

Miranda, who was desperately curious about Severus' proposition, was forced to wait to take action because of her situation. She waited for a week, but still woke up every dawn in her animagus form. Finally, one bright morning, her prayers were answered.

Saturday dawned, bright and full of hope, and Miranda jumped out of bed like a little puppy. She went through the doggy flap that Dumbledore had installed, forgetting to wait for Severus, and pranced down to breakfast. People greeted her as she went by, for she was well known for her condition by now. On the way down to the Great Hall, she ran into Severus, who looked, as usual, irritable.

"I thought I was supposed to escort you," Severus said sharply.

Miranda wagged her tail as they started down to breakfast together.

"You know," She said cheerfully. "A leash would probably solve your problems."

"I've thought of it,' Severus replied. "You are more dog-like than fox-like. Not to mention you seem a lot happier than someone who is stuck as an animal should be. Should I be afraid?"

"No, I've just learned to appreciate life – you never know when you might have to hide or something."

They walked on in silence, people occasionally sniggering about the interesting pair walking down the hall. Severus always looked so menacing in his long, dark, overly dramatic swishy robes, while Miranda looked so friendly that you might just want to hug her. In fact, when one first-year gave her an affectionate pat on the head, Severus gave him a detention. Miranda deducted the detention, reminding Severus that she didn't really need a bodyguard. He said nothing, but scowled.

Severus walked into the Great Hall with Miranda at his heels, occasionally stopping so that Miranda could talk to someone about something. When they reached the table, Miranda hopped up on her chair, paws on the table, and dumped the jug of coffee onto her plate. She then proceeded to lap it up, completely oblivious to the disgusted looks she was receiving from others.

"Sausage?" Severus said, offering her the plate.

"Three, thanks," Miranda replied, and he placed three sausages on her plate.

She wolfed them down, belched, and sat down.

"I love breakfast," She announced.

"That would be apparent," Severus replied dryly, quietly sipping his coffee.

Suddenly, Miranda felt a strange churning in her stomach and hopped down from the chair. The staff watched her with concern, as well as the students. Miranda closed her eyes and grunted slightly, and the next second, she was human again. She looked down at herself to make sure that everything was in order, and then whooped loudly. The Hall burst into applause. She sat down, pleased that she was back to normal, and proceeded to eat a feast's worth of waffles.

"So, now that I'm back to normal again," She said, and Severus smirked. "You can teach me that stuff now, right?"

Severus nodded slowly, looking as menacing as possible as to scare the kids. Miranda smiled; he seemed to always want to be mean. She could tell there was a place inside him where he felt actual human emotions, but the question was "Where". Miranda sipped a glass of pumpkin juice to wash down the monstrous pile of waffles she had just consumed.

"Great, come to my office after dinner tonight," Miranda said cheerfully.

Severus looked surprised at her demand for a moment, then raised his eyebrows.

"Yes master," He said sarcastically, and Miranda laughed.

That night, right after dinner, there was a knock on Miranda's door, followed immediately by Severus sticking his head in the room.

"Are you decent?" He asked briskly.

"Yes, decent enough," Miranda replied, and he came into the room.

Severus, unlike Miranda, was wearing the same thing he had taught in. Miranda, however, was dressed down for the occasion and ready to be trained hard. She was wearing her blue jeans, of which she had numerous pairs, and a red shirt reading "I'm with stupid." The shirt had an arrow pointing off to the left side. Severus was not amused.

"Alright, let's get started,' Severus said.

After running through a drill or two, Miranda realized something new; she was not half as good at Muggle fighting as she was at dueling. She bent over double, her hands on her knees, panting after attempting to fight Severus for the fifth time. Severus, on the other hand, had not broken a sweat and looked perfectly fine.

"Where did you learn this?" Miranda asked, standing up straight and clasping her hands behind her head.

"Death Eater training," Severus replied. "The Dark Lord knew there was more than just magical power to be achieved.

Miranda caught her breath and let her hands fall to her sides. She suddenly strode over to her desk and wrenched it open.

"I need a fix," She said with bated breath.

"What?" Severus said in disbelief.

He groaned in exasperation when Miranda straightened up, holding a lollipop in her hand. She unwrapped it and popped the confection into her mouth, then grinned dumbly.

"Ahh, that's better," She said, sighing.

Severus strode forward and jerked the lolly from her mouth. He tossed it into the rubbish and then turned back to her scandalized expression.

"How can you expect to run from a bad situation when you're weighed down by sugar?" Severus snapped.

"I won't run – I'll stand and fight," Miranda replied, grinning.

Severus opened his mouth to yell, but closed it again and nodded in a considering, accepting way.

"Good answer," He replied, giving her one of his rare smiles.

Severus conjured two long poles and then tossed one to Miranda. She examined it and noted that it was about three inches in diameter and solid wood. She brandished it like a sword.

"Is this one of those ninja sticks?" She asked, waving it around. "Do I get numchucks?"

"Yes, and they're nunchucks, not numchucks," Severus replied. "Now watch closely."

He took the ninja stick and spun it around in his hands. Miranda had never seen anything like this before, and no longer doubted Muggles. He was spinning it so fast in all directions that she could hardly see the pole. Miranda tried to do what Severus had done, but only succeeded in smacking herself in the face.

"Ouch!" She dropped the ninja stick and grabbed her bleeding nose.

She quickly healed her broken nose, siphoned away the blood, and picked up the dowel again.

"Okay, let's try that again," Severus said. "Try to fight me."

Miranda laughed and rushed forward. She swung the ninja stick and Severus grabbed it, twisting it so that she was now facing backwards. She let go and went to throw a punch, but he hit her around the middle with her own ninja stick and she fell backwards, her breath knocked out of her.

"Holy…" She said, speechless. "That was incredible."

Severus dropped the dowel, held out his hand, and she grabbed it. He pulled her upwards with a jerk, but slipped, and she grabbed him around the neck, eyes wide. At the same time, he grabbed her waist to keep her from falling, and then everything stopped.

"Whew," Miranda breathed, their faces close. "That was close. Nice catch."

"Thank you," Severus said, and then the office door opened.

"Professor Kent, I –"

It was Harry. When he saw his professors in this awkward position, with Snape looking as if he had just dipped Kent in some sort of suggestive tango dance and their faces so close, he was shocked. Snape dropped Kent onto the ground, cursed, and straightened back up.

"What is it, Potter?" Snape snapped, straightening his robes.

Harry, who seemed to have forgotten why he was there, took a moment to respond.

"Er, I – uh…"

Kent picked herself up off the ground and made as if she was always caught in awkward positions with her colleagues.

"No matter, Harry, I forgot I had scheduled an additional practice for today," Kent said dismissively. "Severus, thank you. If you could give Harry and I some privacy?"

Severus nodded curtly, never taking his loathsome expression off Harry, and picked up his training supplies. Harry fought back a laugh as he saw Snape standing next to Miranda with her "I'm with stupid" shirt; the arrow was pointing to Snape. Snape slammed the door behind him as he made his exit. Harry was still too shocked to do anything.

"Alright, Harry, let's get started shall we?"

Harry nodded numbly, certain of what image we would have to focus on for today's Occlumency lesson; the image was stuck in his head.

o-o-o

Christmas was Miranda's favorite holiday. Though she was still being accompanied by Severus everywhere she went (which was something she felt was not necessary), she managed to spread cheer everywhere she set foot. After helping Flitwick charm baubles onto the twelve gargantuan Christmas trees and talking Peeves into sitting on top of the biggest tree, she even made her own ice sculpture.

"What is it?" Severus had said shortly when she had pulled the curtain off.

Miranda put her hands on her hips and scoffed in mock frustration.

"What is it?" She repeated in disbelief. "Can't you see? It's a pigeon!"

He cocked his head to the side and squinted his eyes.

"I don't see it," He said. "It looks like a big hunk of ice to me."

Harry was walking by at that particular moment with Ron. They stopped and stared up at the gargantuan sculpture.

"Nice pigeon, Professor Kent!" Ron exclaimed.

Miranda grinned at him.

"Thank you, Ron," She said. "Where's Hermione?"

"Library," Harry and Ron answered together.

Miranda nodded once and the two boys walked off. Miranda looked back at Severus, who looked distinctly bitter. She made as if she was frustrated and pointed in the direction Harry and Ron had disappeared in.

"See? They can see it."

Severus said nothing – he was clearly upset over his lack of artistic 'sight'. Miranda giggled and pushed him into the Great Hall for dinner. Severus never ceased to amuse her, and she had begun to feel rather strangely about him, regardless of the fact that he was mean and cruel.

Christmas. Even while she was in hiding, Miranda had loved Christmas more than any other holiday. On Christmas morning Miranda got up extra early, snatched up her big, red bag, and put a Santa hat on her head. Grinning, she stole out of the room and went down the corridor. She dropped off almost all of her parcels to the elves, who said they would put the gifts in he correct places. Then, with one last parcel, she tiptoed down into the dungeons. She opened Severus' office door, being careful not to trip the alarm, and placed the parcels one the desk. Giggling, though her heart was racing, she hurried back to her room.

Miranda fell back to sleep at once, and then woke up when she heard her door close. She opened her eyes and sat up, expecting to see Severus standing there impatiently. The room was, however, completely empty. Eyes narrowed and pulse quickening, she scanned the room with one of her own charms to see if any other living beings were in the room, which there weren't. Then her eyes fell on her desk. There were two small parcels, both wrapped in what looked like brown packaging paper. Confused, she stood up and padded over to her desk. She picked up the first parcel, studied it for a moment, and then saw that it had a small number one scrawled on the top. The second parcel had a two written on it with the same handwriting.

Miranda didn't need another clue. She opened the parcel and made a revolted noise. The parcel turned out to be a jar filled with a sickly green liquid, and had something yellow and slimy-looking floating in it. She quickly put the jar down on her desk and took up the second parcel, somewhat reluctantly. Upon unwrapping it, Miranda was pleasantly surprised. It was a butterbeer-sized bottle, but it didn't contain butterbeer. The label was scratched off and a sticky label had been stuck to it in its place. The label read Felix Felicis.

"Wow," Miranda breathed, and then saw that a tiny folded-over piece of parchment was stuck to the wrapping.

She unstuck the note, unfolded it, and read:

I don't have much humor, but I thought giving you something grotesque would be amusing. I'll be back at nine to escort you down to breakfast. Be ready.

Happy Christmas.

Smiling and feeling slightly aflutter, Miranda stuck the note on her wall along with several sticky notes. She looked at the clock, saw that the time was nearing nine, and she quickly got dressed. At the stroke of nine, the door opened and Severus came in, dressed in his usual apparel. When he saw her, he betrayed a look of amusement.

"Interesting," He said.

"Thank you," Miranda replied cheerfully, spinning around so that Severus could see the way her cloak billowed. "It moves like yours, see? We can be twins."

Though he knew she was kidding, he still gave an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. Miranda was wearing her usual blue jeans, but her shirt was bright red and her traveling cloak was jade green. Together, the red and green clashed magnificently with the blue. Not to mention the Santa hat that was perched on top of her head, making her look slightly misplaced. He held out his arm.

"Come on, we might just be on time today," He said as she took his arm.

They left the room together and headed for the Great Hall.

"Thanks for the gift, by the way," Miranda said as they took their route.

"And you," Severus replied curtly.

o-o-o

A few days later, Miranda sat with Harry in her darkened office, working once again at Occlumency.

"Ready Harry?"

Harry nodded, this time determined to fight her off with his mind.

"Legilimens!"

After a minute or two, Miranda was forced to retreat. Both Harry and Miranda dropped to the floor, panting. Neither of them was crying, though, which was definitely a good sign. Harry and Miranda, who were both grinning, sat up on the floor. Miranda summoned two butterbeers, uncorked them, and handed one to Harry. They clinked them together and drank.

"Congratulations, Harry, you've accomplished Occlumency for the first time!" Miranda exclaimed. "Do you know what happens now?"

"Er," Said Harry. "Well, I thought I'd get to learn your story."

"Correct," Miranda replied. "And so we begin."

She paused for dramatic effect, took a deep sip from her bottle, and began.

"Once upon a time, I was born. That wouldn't seem like such a big idea if my parents weren't Marcus and Penelope Kent. Now, this might not seem like a big thing, only it was. Penelope Kent was the last of the Ravenclaws."

Harry accidentally slopped some of his beverage down his front.

"You're kidding?" Harry said, astonished.

"Nope, though I wish I was sometimes, seeing as my circumstances are not entirely enviable. Anyway, so when I was born I became the heir of Ravenclaw. Naturally my parents, who were both wanted by Voldemort at the time, kept my birth a secret. Nobody except you, Dumbledore, Severus, Voldemort and me knows who my parents are. Severus found out by accident, though I must admit I don't regret him finding out."

Miranda paused to consider something, and Harry noticed that she was fixed with an odd expression.

"Anyway, so back years ago, when Rowena was still around, she fixed a nifty little charm that Salazar didn't think of, which makes sense because Ravenclaws are supposed to be intelligent. I'm getting sidetracked, sorry. So, Rowena Ravenclaw invented a charm called the Progenitor Veneficium. What does it do? Do you know?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, I didn't think so, because Ravenclaw has been the only one to ever use it. What it does is when the parents of a Ravenclaw child die, all the power that the parents have goes to the child. All the magic builds up over the years, because the kids are born with their own powers, but inherit them upon their parents' deaths. Now, you see this could be tricky if there is more than one child born. Coincidentally, no descendant of Ravenclaw or their spouse has ever had more than one child – they've never been able to have more."

"Why can't the spouse have more than one?" Harry asked. "Does the charm work for them, too?"

Miranda pointed at Harry.

"Ten points to Gryffindor, Harry, because you're right," Miranda said. "Once the descendant and the other person, we'll say spouse for now, have a child, the spouse has equal share in the charm. Until either they or the Ravenclaw dies. If the Ravenclaw dies, then half her magical buildup goes to the spouse and the other half goes to child. Are you following me still?" Miranda asked, and Harry nodded. "Good. Okay, so here comes another tricky part. We'll use me and my parents for example. Let's say my mother, the heir of Ravenclaw, has a kid, me, with my father, who is currently a nobody. My mother dies, giving me half the share of magical inheritance. Let's say, then, that I die. Who gets my magical buildup?"

Harry pondered for a moment, the bottle still clutched in his hand. He looked up at Miranda.

"The father?" Harry said.

"Good. Well, in my case, bad. Do you see the problem yet? Tell me, why am I in hiding currently?" Miranda said, her eyes sparkling.

Harry thought about this very carefully. Miranda was hiding from Voldemort. Voldemort was the most powerful (or in this case, second most powerful) and power-hungry wizard alive. Voldemort wants more power and is always looking for new ways to get it. Miranda said that Voldemort knew who her parents were, and lots of people knew about the Progenitor Veneficium. Which meant…

"Wait a second," Harry said, looking revolted. "You're hiding from Voldemort because he wants to – to have a baby with you, and then kill you, right? Because if he did, then he would be unstoppable."

"Correct, to a certain degree," Miranda said, holding up her hand. "Voldemort is just as stoppable as you or I, the question is merely how to kill him. That is not my field, for I believe that you are discussing this with Albus. However, you have the part right where I am hiding correct."

Harry's expression was a combination of disgust and horror.

"If he managed to, er, get you, couldn't you just stop it from being born?" Harry asked, not wanting to refer to anything that came half from Voldemort as a baby.

"Not if I was utterly trapped, in a place where my magic was useless," Miranda said. "A place where magic was disabled entirely, and I could do no spells nor enchantments to protect myself. If I was trapped, then I could do nothing. Hell, he could chain me to the wall and I could never do anything about it."

Harry said nothing, because the whole idea was frightening to him. Miranda snapped her fingers and the regular lights came back on. She stood up and beckoned him to follow.

"Now, Harry, I think I've scared you enough for one night," She said, pressing something into his hand. "Get some sleep and I'll see you next Tuesday."

Harry nodded numbly and walked out the door. Once the door had been closed, he looked down to see a lolly in his hand. He smirked; Miranda was a strange woman, yet she knew what teenagers liked.

Harry was walking up towards Gryffindor Tower when Professor McGonagall stopped him. She beckoned that he follow, saying that she had something that he needed to address, and he followed her. In her office, she took a scroll out of the desk and handed it to Harry. It was Dumbledore's next lesson time.

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, and started for the door.

Just as Harry was a bout to grab the door handle, however, the door burst open by itself. Snape had kicked open the door.

"Potter, get out," Snape snapped, and slammed the door once Harry was gone.

Harry, however, had a better idea. He pulled out his invisibility cloak and slung it over his shoulders, then pulled out a flesh-colored string. The Extendable Ears. He slid it under the door and then found that he could hear the conversation as clear as day.

"I can't stand it, Minerva," Snape said in a tone that suggested he was trying to keep his voice down and was failing.

"What is it, Severus?"

"Miranda Kent. She is driving me crazy. Have you seen what she got me for Christmas?"

There was a slam as Snape threw something forcefully onto the desk.

"Why, Severus, it's just a book," McGonagall said, then read the title aloud. "Learning to Chill Out – A Dummy's Guide."

Harry stifled a laugh, but McGonagall had no reason to. She laughed out loud, which was a strange thing for Harry to hear, for she was usually quite severe.

"Severus, it's just a book," McGonagall said. "Besides, if she's really bothering you, I'm sure Albus can do something about it."

"No, it's not that," Snape said, and Harry found himself having to listen harder, for Snape had dropped his voice lower. "I just – she's… she's got me wrapped around her finger. I get mad at her, but she gives me that ridiculous smile and I can't do anything about it. She kicks in the door every time she enters a room. She wears those stupid combat boots, and I should really hate her. But I don't. I don't know what's wrong with me, Minerva, I've never felt like this before…"

A sound followed like someone clapping someone else on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Severus, you are human," McGonagall said.

"It's not funny in the slightest!" Snape exclaimed.

"It is," McGonagall said. "Because you've finally found someone that you admire."

Harry pulled a face. Snape and Kent? Could it possibly get worse? Harry decided that he would have to warn Kent, for her well being and his own. Tomorrow, Harry decided, he would warn Kent.

Harry gave the Extendable Ear an almighty jerk and sped up to Gryffindor Tower, where he found Ron and Hermione, sitting by the fire. When Harry burst into the room, they both stood up in alarm.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked. "You look like you've battled a Dementor."

Harry shook his head and gestured to the fireplace. He and his friends sat down and leaned their heads together so they could not be overheard.

"Snape likes Kent," Harry announced.

Ron instantly made as if he was retching, but Hermione remained calm.

"How can you be so sure, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Because I heard Snape talking to McGonagall," Harry insisted. "He said something like 'I've never felt like this before' or some rubbish. I think he's gonna try and – you know – pursue her."

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"That's – that's news to me," Hermione said. "We should tell her before it's too late."

"My thoughts exactly," Harry said, looking down at Ron, who was sprawled out on the floor. "What do you think, Ron?"

Ron propped himself up on his elbows.

"I think," Ron said cheerfully, "that you've just given me a stomachache. We've gotta tell her, or else we'll regret it when she gets, like, snogged or something."

Harry shuddered in revulsion, took out the lollipop, and stuck it in his mouth after discarding of the wrapper. Tomorrow, they would warn Kent that Snape fancied her.

o-o-o

The next day, Severus and Miranda had just come from dinner and were strolling about the corridors on their patrol.

"I fancy a stroll," Miranda said, sighing. "Outside."

"Do you now?" Severus replied, not really caring what she wanted, yet caring a little too much for his own comfort.

"Yes. I won't leave the grounds; I just wanted some fresh air. What do you think?"

Severus shrugged.

"I suppose that doesn't sound so bad," He said. "As long as you do not leave the grounds, you are allowed to be about. I am, however, supposed to follow you."

"I know, I just wanted to think for a while," Miranda said.

"Fancy that."

She paused to push him.

"Shut up," She snapped. "You know I hate to be followed around, and you don't like it any more than I do, so why not just let me have free reign for a while?

Severus appeared to be thinking hard. His expression was blank except for a faint crease between his brows. She held her breath, her fingers crossed in her pockets. He turned and looked down at her. Though her face was passive, he knew she was awaiting his decision like a murder might await the verdict. Or maybe more like a child asking to go over his friend's house.

"I think that should be okay," Severus said.

Miranda smiled, showing all of her straight, white teeth. Severus realized he wouldn't have been able to turn her down if he'd tried – she always did whatever she wanted, anyway.

"Thanks, oh Serpent King of Kindness," She said.

Severus said nothing, for he did not want to seem passive or friendly. They walked to the front door and he held it open for her. Miranda stepped outside and felt the warm sun hit her face. She arched her back and stretched, like a prisoner who had not seen the light of day for a long time. It had been a while since she saw the sun, actually, for she had not been outside since her fox incident. The sun, unfortunately, suddenly disappeared behind a mass of dark clouds. Miranda stepped forward, undaunted by the approaching storm. Severus stood at the door and watched her as she walked. The sky, however, became increasingly dark and suddenly opened up. Rain began pouring down in buckets, soaking Kent as she gave a startled yelp and began sprinting to the door. Thunder clapped overhead as she reached the castle, but Severus closed the door in her face with a smirk on his own.

"Let me in!" She exclaimed, kicking the door.

"You wanted a walk, now take it!" Severus replied calmly, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Miranda, knowing she'd never get properly dry unless she got inside, decided to do something witty. She smirked and faked a scream.

"Death Eaters! They're coming, let me in!" She screamed.

The door instantly opened and she jumped into the castle before he could think about doing something. Miranda slipped with her wet boots and fell. Severus didn't reach out to catch her this time, so she fell straight to the floor. She pulled herself up, still laughing, and he closed the door quietly. They began walking down the hall again, Miranda pulling the elastic out of her hair so it could dry down.

"Shortcut," Severus said, lifting up a tapestry.

They ducked under the tapestry and came into a corridor with a huge window at the end of it. They strode along in silence until a massive boom of thunder erupted out of nowhere. Miranda jumped and grabbed the first thing she could, which happened to be Severus' hand, and then looked down, realized what she had done, and let it go, blushing profusely. He made no notion that his hand had just been grabbed except for the slight pursing of his lips. They walked on, for the corridor was long, and Miranda was struck by an idea, and an interesting idea at that. Another boom of thunder rumbled throughout the corridor and she jumped again, this time purposely grabbing his hand. He smirked this time.

"A little tense?" He said in his icy drawl, though his voice was laced with amusement.

"A little," Miranda replied, but this time she didn't let go, and this confirmed her suspicions.

She squeezed his hand and, to her surprise, he squeezed back, lightly. She had to say something before she exploded, but her vocal cords seemed to have been left at the front door, along with her wit and courage. He had completely sapped her of her strengths. She stopped walking and stared up at him.

"I thought you couldn't stand me," She said weakly.

Severus shrugged one shoulder and stared back at her.

"Things change," he replied shortly. "I guess you've grown on me."

"Being a stalker does that to you, doesn't it?"

"Yes, yes it does."

Both looked at their hands, which were still clasped together. Their eyes met again, her light ones with his dark ones.

"It would be a risk," He said. "Especially considering our circumstances. I am supposed to be on the Dark Side, remember? I'll probably be assigned to kidnap you eventually."

"Yes, and I'm supposed to have Voldemort's children, remember?" Miranda said. "It's not going to happen, not if I can help it."

He suddenly pulled her closer, almost mechanically. She laughed.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend before?" Miranda asked, regaining her lost wit.

"No," Severus replied. "I'm not exactly the most eligible bachelor, nor am I friendly."

She placed a hand on the back of his neck and felt him shudder slightly.

"How about you?" Severus asked, not sounding daunted.

Miranda shrugged and shook her head, sighing. He could smell her breath and knew she'd been eating those blasted candies regardless that he'd forbidden it. Right now, he found he didn't care in the slightest.

"No. I've been hiding most of my life and even as a kid, I didn't let anybody get close to me. Besides, I was never interested in anybody, never intrigued by anyone," Miranda said, then added in a quiet voice, "Until now."

He leaned in closer and then suddenly stopped.

"This is a corridor, you know; we could be seen," Severus said pointedly.

"It's after hours," Miranda replied. "This is a secret corridor – nobody will see."

Miranda, who was tired of waiting, swiftly stood on her tiptoes and closed the gap between them. He tensed up, then relaxed.

Finally, Miranda thought.

Finally, Severus thought.

o-o-o

Harry, Ron and Hermione got under the invisibility cloak and snuck out of Gryffindor Tower. Harry knew Miranda would be awake, for she had had several cups of tea that evening and more lollipops in their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson than he bothered to count. The trio crept along, keeping as quiet as possible, until they reached the tapestry. A rumble of thunder sounded overhead, keeping them alert.

"Here's a shortcut to Kent's office," Harry said. "I'll go first and make sure the coast is clear, then we can take off the cloak."

"Right," Ron said. "We'll wait right here."

Harry stuck his head into the corridor and saw something that made his stomach churn. It was Snape. Snape and Kent. Snape and Kent, kissing. His hand was tangled in her hair and her hand was on the back of his neck. Revolted and feeling sick, Harry quickly withdrew his head from the other side of the tapestry and faced Ron and Hermione. At the look on Harry's face, Ron and Hermione became puzzled.

"Come on, let's go back," Harry said urgently, a hand on his stomach.

"I thought we were going to warn Kent about Snape," Ron said, his brows furrowed.

"Trust me," Harry said, fighting to keep his supper down. "She knows."

A/N: After finishing this chapter, I read a different story that made a referral to an "I'm with Stupid" t-shirt. Heheh, coincidences coincidences.