A/N: Merry Christmas! Happy holidays! I have come bearing a gift for y'all! This is just a little update that I've managed to get together in time for the holiday to almost be over. I tried to make myself happy with it, but as I am not feeling the best right now, I'm not enjoying anything. Anyway, here's the update. Let me know what you think later on.
OOOOOOOOO
Avonlea walked out in the snow once more a few days later, dressed in a coat and boots. People were laughing as they darted about, almost ready to go back into the castle because the snow was starting to fall harder and the sky was darkening rapidly. She didn't mind the idea of being alone as she walked through the powdery flakes. Her thoughts were best left to her without interactions with the other students that remained at Hogwarts for the holiday season.
We've gotten past that awkward moment, Avonlea told herself, shoving her hands in her pockets. I think that he's pushed that awkward kiss out of his memory and moved on. We haven't talked about it, but we've talked about so much more...Does this mean things are changing for the better now? Has hope begun to really shine on me and my future?
The Veela-Halfling ran her tongue over her teeth and winced as she felt the sharpness of one canine. She'd noticed that they had been getting sharper with each passing day. They hadn't fully extended like they did when she fed on the blood that McGonagall provided when Avonlea needed to satisfy her blood lust, but they were becoming noticeably sharper.
And that's a problem, Avonlea thought, letting her tongue rest in normal position. I hope that no one's noticed...
Avonlea hadn't talked to Carissa since that conversation in the fireplace, but she could feel her friend's presence around her everyday. She knew that her best friend was impatiently waiting for her to contact her with the news that Avonlea and Carissa's father had mated and saved Avonlea's humanity. It made her stomach twist into knots and her head hurt to know that she was not meeting her best friend's demands on a timely schedule. She'd never done that before and Avonlea hated doing that now.
"Miss Raven," Snape's voice floated to her ears.
The Veela-Halfling stopped walking and turned to see the dark professor walking through the snow towards her. His black cloak billowed behind him like a second shadow and snowflakes clung to his shoulders. Avonlea's breath hitched at the sight of him and felt her heart race before mentally telling herself to calm down.
Breathe. Don't get worked up. Breathe.
"Hello, Professor," Avonlea greeted, ducking her head. "What are you doing out here in this stormy weather?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Snape said, stopping in front of her. "Shouldn't you be in the warm indoors like the rest of the intelligent students?"
Avonlea smiled slightly at him. "I wanted to think in the fresh air. And the chilly air doesn't really bother me much anymore." She saw the shift of concern in his eyes, but made no comment about it. Avonlea gestured towards the castle grounds. "Would you like to walk with me for a little while? Or are you too cold to do so, Snape?"
Snape said nothing, but gestured for her to start walking beside him. Avonlea fell into perfect step next to him and buried her hands back into the warmth of her coat's pockets.
"I received a letter from my mother this morning," she announced after a few minutes of easy silence. "A rather long one for her, at that."
"And what does that woman want now?" Snape asked, staring straight ahead.
"She was just wondering when I was going to come visit on the Christmas week and if I was wearing enough high-end clothes," Avonlea said, shrugging. "And she wanted to know about the situation with my mate and my continued humanity."
"And what did you tell her?" Snape's voice was quiet as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Supposing that you did respond to that woman's letter."
"I didn't tell her anything," Avonlea admitted, glancing at him before looking down at her feet as they continued to walk through the snow. "I couldn't tell her that I have found my mate and that we were on the path to saving my humanity because that might be a lie."
"Might be a lie..." Snape repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Our relationship, Snape. We haven't gotten to the point that we could save my humanity...The feelings aren't exactly there and..." Avonlea shook her head. "Besides, my mother would have a problem hearing that my mate is you. She hates your guts."
"The feeling is mutual, believe me."
Avonlea stopped walking and turned to face him. "You don't mind that I didn't tell her about you, do you? Because I can always go back to my common room and send another owl after the first one, if you want me to."
Snape shook his head. "Don't bother. That vile woman will see what happens in the future soon enough. Your birthday is fast approaching, let your condition be a surprise to her." He let out a small chuckle. "It'd serve her right to find out that I am the one that could save you..."
The Veela-Halfling bit her bottom lip. "I don't want you to start a war with my mother, Snape. I know that you've never gotten along because she's always sided with the pure-blooded wizards and you're nowhere near that bloodline. And she has never treated you kindly in front of anyone...but please, don't start something with my mother just because you have my future in your hands."
"You sound like you're afraid to tell people that you're deeply connected to me, Miss Raven."
"It's not that."
"Are you ashamed then?"
"No!" Avonlea glared at him. "Are you ashamed to be connected to me? The daughter of your antagonist and the best friend of your daughter, Snape?"
The dark professor glared down his nose at her. "I never said that."
"No, but are you?" Avonlea demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't be what you expected to find in a mate, now can I?"
"Perhaps not, but I'm not going to let some fear of a whore's feelings keep me from trying to save your life from living in darkness for the rest of time." Snape put his hand on her arm and turned her back towards the castle. "Come. It's too dark to continue walking and the snow is getting worse. We will retire in your common room and continue talking there."
OOOOOOOOO
The two made it back to Avonlea's common room and shed their coats and cloak, setting them near the fire to dry. A House Elf had set out a couple large mugs of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream on one of the tables before Avonlea and Snape had arrived and the two gladly held them between bitterly cold hands.
"When did you begin to realize that something was changing about our relationship?" Avonlea asked as they stood by the fire, sipping their hot chocolate. "Not like loving, but like a beginning change. Like noticing my scent or how I looked or things like that? Things that made you pause for a moment?"
Snape glanced at the fire and frowned. "I believe it began during the last few weeks of the previous school year. There was something about your scent that changed when I walked around the classroom during tests and I found myself looking at you more and more...Of course, I couldn't understand why that was and decided that I had to deal with it in my own way."
"By being a jerk to me when I wasn't getting ignored?" Avonlea offered with a small smile. Snape blinked. "I may have noticed that you didn't call on me as much and you did avoid coming to my corner of the classroom unless you absolutely had to, Snape."
Snape continued to stare into the fire. He had hoped that she hadn't noticed the way he had treated her. He had attempted to treat other Slytherin like he treated her, just to mask the punishment, but it seemed like she had noticed after all.
"I don't blame you," Avonlea commented, drawing his attention back to her. "I was trying to stay away from you too." She took a sip of her hot chocolate and swallowed. "I was beginning to notice that I was being drawn to you three and a half weeks before the last year of school ended. I noticed your eyes and your hair and...other things. And you started to smell pleasant to me, unlike any of the boys my age and that scared me. I didn't tell Carissa about my pull to you until this school year had just begun. And she gave me an earful." The girl shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "It scared me and it still scares me now to think that I could have told you a long time ago..."
Snape breathed in slowly, drawing in the vanilla scent of the Veela-Halfling. She was so close that he could feel the heat of her body as well as the heat of the fireplace that they stood beside. When he looked at her, he saw that there was a spot of whipped cream on her lips.
On those full, velvet soft lips.
He had not forgotten that brief kiss that Avonlea had given him days prior. He had pushed the thoughts about it aside, for her, because he could see how embarrassed she had been to do something so brash and out of her character. But he had not forgotten the touch of her lips against his in that brief moment.
Before Snape could stop himself, he had reached around the girl's waist with one arm and pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers. When his lips touched hers, he felt hers respond for just a moment before her mug fell to the floor and shattered on the floor next to their feet.
Avonlea pulled away from him, red in the face and looked down at the mess of broken ceramic shards and brown liquid. "Oh my God!" Avonlea exclaimed, putting a hand to her mouth as she danced backwards. "I am so sorry!"
Snape frowned and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the mess and making it disappear. "You're shaking like a leaf, Miss Raven, from just a kiss. How can you expect for you to remain human if you shake and break things whenever I merely touch you?"
The Veela-Halfling shook her head as she walked over to the couch and plopped down on it. "I'm sorry, Snape. I don't know how to react to these kinds of things. I've never had a boyfriend. I've never been kissed or held tenderly. No one's never treated me like you've been treating me...All of this, it's all new to me and I wish that could fall right into it, but I'm scared. I'm untested and everything is shocking to me. I'm sorry I don't have as much experience as you do."
Snape shook his head and set his hot chocolate mug aside. "I do not have as much experience as you may think, Miss Raven. Other than Carissa's mother, I have only been with a handful of whores during a handful of sexual experiences. I am only slightly more tested than you."
Avonlea moved a little on the couch as Snape settled on it. She leaned against him, letting him drape an arm around her shoulders. The touch, he felt, made her tremble for a moment, but he could hear her whisper to herself "cool it" under her breath. Within a few heartbeats, the girl stopped trembling and she was breathing normally.
"If we ever get to that point," Avonlea began quietly. "Can you tell me if it hurts?"
Snape took a slow breath. "I have heard that it hurts for the woman the first few times...but, if we get to that point, I will try not to hurt you."
Avonlea touched his hand, loosely linking her fingers with his. "Thank you, Snape. Thank you for doing all of this. I know that this isn't what you wanted out of life, but you've done so much and I thank you for it all..."
The dark professor let the girl settle closer to his body, stirring her scent and putting more of her body heat against his flesh. He had to mentally tell himself to calm down before he could get aroused and disturb the peace that had settled between him and the young Veela-Halfling nestled against him. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and heard her sigh.
"Are you staying for the night again?" Avonlea asked softly.
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes."
"Then I will stay right here," Snape promised. "Do you want to go upstairs to your room? I am quite content to sleep on this couch tonight."
Avonlea shifted her body slightly. "Would you mind if I stay on the couch with you? I promise not to snore or talk in my sleep."
Snape smirked against her hair, but made a dramatic sigh. "If you must."
"Thank you."
The dark professor pulled out his wand one last time and made a blanket float over to the couch. He draped it over the girl and himself before settling back against the cushions for the night.
"Goodnight, Snape," the girl yawned.
"Goodnight, Miss Raven," Snape said quietly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: So, some things have happened in here. I hope you enjoyed a little bit of what happened in here and want more. Please leave a comment or two and things could happen. Or not. Depends on how I feel and the Plot Bunnies react. Thanks! And Merry Christmas! -Scarlet
