It wasn't long before Snape caught up with both girls. They were sitting in the Great Hall enjoying lunch when he approached them.
"Water elemental, I demand you explain what you said to me earlier."
Raina and Airiala both looked up at him, each with different expressions on their faces. Raina looked amused, while Airiala looked puzzled.
"I believe I already told you where you can find the answer to your inquiry. Asking me is a waste of time."
"I asked you, now explain yourself."
Raina sighed before standing and looking directly at Snape. "In case you haven't noticed, she is sitting right next to me. Now either redirect your inquiry to her or piss off."
"What are you two talking about?" Airiala said beginning to panic. "What does he want to know?"
Snape's onyx eyes moved from Raina to the still seated Airiala. "The water elemental here recently informed me of some interesting news. She said that you were talking about me without my knowledge and I demand to know what was said."
Airiala narrowed her eyes in confusion before they widened in understanding and fear. She turned away from Snape as a bright blush began to stain her cheeks and a slight breeze began to blow about the room.
Snape narrowed his eyes. She was blushing and over something she had said about him. Either it was really good, or it was really embarrassing, or both. Now he really had to know what was said.
"Airiala," he said giving his full attention to the blushing girl who was becoming redder every seconds. "Tell me what was said."
Airiala remained silent as her face grew redder and redder. The wind began to pick up in speed as her breaths started coming in short pants, like she was beginning to hyperventilate.
"Airiala, answer me," Snape said in an almost demanding voice. Still she said nothing. He moved his hand to her face, grabbed her by the chin, and forced her to look at him.
"Airiala," he said in a painfully calm voice. She just continued to stare at him with a red face and wide fearful eyes.
"What are you afraid of?"
Suddenly the wind stopped blowing as Airiala stood and backed away from the Snape and the table. "I have to go," she said before rushing out the door. Snape narrowed his eyes before looking back at Raina.
Raina was smiling like the cat that had eaten the canary. She continued to smile as she turned and left the Great Hall, with Professor Snape right at her heels.
"What the hell just happened?" he said once they had exited the Great Hall and left the prying eyes of the children behind.
Raina continued to smile as she answered. "I believe," she said, "that Airiala has realized something about herself that I already knew."
"Oh, and what was that?"
Raina laughed as she rushed away from him, calling over her shoulder as she ran. "Second step: Acceptance."
Snape stood there for several seconds trying to work out what Raina had meant. He finally came to the conclusion that the water elemental had simply lost her mind.
Snape hurried back downstairs to his quarters, still angry about not finding out what he wanted to know.
It wasn't until later, when he noticed all the student gossip traveling the school that he realized that Airiala and he had had their encounter in front of the entire school and they all felt inclined to talk about it.
Someone was going to lose a lot of house points today, and for some feeling Snape knew it was going to be Longbottom.