I stood on the gray stone ledge, my clothing tossed into a loose pile on top of a nearby boulder. I wearing a simple black one piece swimsuit that hung to my figure tightly, perfect for effortless swimming in the depths of the Black Lake. Carefully I rolled my neck, taking several deep breaths while stretching. I knew the lake was sure to be cold this time of year. It was a ritual of sorts, the stretches, the flexing before the long freezing plunge. Though I couldn't breath underwater (sadly no gills here), I had a natural-born affinity for water. At my personal best, I could hold my breath for 8 minutes. Definitely, long enough to scour the lake for any rare ingredients.

My eyes closed and I inhaled, my ribs fully expanding. I jumped, briefly weightless in the cool November air. My arms rose to the triangle point above my head as I dove into the water. I was home. I swam above the mass throngs of kelp, peering downwards as the underwater cliffside dropped sharply into a hazy blackness below. With several well placed dolphin kicks, I descended in the darkness of the azure, shivering as the chill pierced into my skin- was it always so cold? How had I not noticed the iciness of it before? Had the warmness of the sun ruined me forever from the cold of the deep? I continued, collecting several handfuls of emptied hermit crab shells. A decent enough haul.

I hissed suddenly, silver bubbles rising from my mouth as something clamped down on my upper thigh.

Bloody leeches. I winced, ripping them off of my flesh, a red hue tinting the water around me. I cringed at the sliminess in my hand. Still, leeches were a useful ingredient. I tossed it in the bag. Then, I saw it, the coiled plant that swayed like a ball of worms.

Gillyweed.

I smiled broadly, Now that ought to make Snape happy- they were as rare as powered unicorn horns! I plucked fourteen of them, tucking them securely into the satchel I wore. My lungs were starting to burn at last, and I was still several hundred feet below the surface. I kicked up from a nearby rock- swimming up as fast as I could. I had made a mistake- in my glee, I had been under for far too long- my body was on fire. It took every molecule of willpower to keep from inhaling the water. The surface twinkled above temptingly, no more than 20 feet away.

Unwittingly, I gasped, cold harsh water filling my lungs. I was hyperventilating- water fluxing in and out of my mouth- terror filled me in a way it never had before. Was I dying? What had I done? I had gone too far- my vision was darkening around the edges.

Two warm hands grabbed me, tugging me upwards to the surface. I reached above, stretching my fingers and palm out towards the glowing red of the sunset. My body twitched as I coughed, spewing water from my mouth, taking in several breaths of clear, warm air. Despite the relief, my gunmetal eyes blurred and stung from the lack of water. My hair grew motionless once more and clung in thick heaps to my skull. The warmth returned, spreading against my forehead, to the bridge of my nose and the small of my cheeks. In the distance, a ruby semi circle in the sky fell slowly into the sea of crimson.

"Are you ok?" A gravelly voice asked me. "Why were you down so deep?

Victor Krum was there holding me afloat in the sunset.

"Much better now, thanks." I sputtered, shoving away from him, "Why are you here?"

"I swim here every night. It's healthy for me. Helps my muscles heal." He replied calmly. Suddenly, I was aware of all the girls on the beach, eyeing me with loathing. The last thing I needed was anyone to get the wrong impression of me trying to seduce Victor Krum..

"Sorry 'bout that, I do appreciate the help. Must have gone too deep." I rushed, splashing away from him as fast as I could.

I waded on the sand, finally breaking free from the water. Ignoring the heated glares, I walked back up to the cliffside, towards where I had left my clothes.

They were gone, vanished as if they'd never been there. I bit my tongue, tasting metal. Oh I knew who was responsible. Definitely one of the girls from the beach. Tears stung my eyes, yet I refused to cry. My head held high, I left the rock, strolling up confidently to the castle in my suit, turning the heads of several older students. I ignored them all, walking straight to the dungeons. Without knocking, I tore open the door. The scraping echoed through the empty classroom.

"Professor! I brought the ingredients. As promised." I said, sauntering forward.

"Miss Bones I presume." Snape said without looking up from his desk. He was scrawling furiously with a black raven quill over a pile of what I could only assume were our two feet scrolls from yesterday.

"Have you graded mine yet?" I wondered, nearing his lectern, stopping at the first row of desks. I swung my brown leather satchel on the table where it fell with a clatter of shells and a distinctive squishing sound. God, it was freezing in here. Maybe it was the dampness of my hair or the fact that my suit was still soaked, but my arms and legs began to prickle with goosebumps. I crossed my hands over my chest, rubbing each opposite arm to keep warm.

"Yes." He muttered under his breath, rifling his nimble fingers through the pile, "Potter... a terrible summary by Mr. Weasley...Malfoy….ah...here we are."

He whipped out my 30 inch scroll, offering it loosely in his hand. The word 'Decent' was written across the top in his spidery handwriting next to the letter E which was circled in red ink. He looked up at me for the first time since I arrived. His eyes briefly widened, sweeping across my tanned bare shoulders to the narrowness of my waist, finally down to my toned legs. I very nearly blushed, suddenly incredibly conscious of my appearance. Blinking rapidly, he scowled, eyes narrowed, "What on earth are you wearing?"

"A swimsuit." I deadpanned.

"Yes, I can see that. But you should at least have the common sense to-I don't know- cover up with clothing ?"

"Well, that was the general intention before I lost them."

"You just...lost them?" He frowned, unbelieving.

"Never mind that," I shrugged nonchalantly despite the blood rushing to my ears, as if it were my intention all along to be strolling the corridors in nothing but a one piece, "Why just an E?"

"Excuse me?"

I grabbed the scroll impatiently, pointing to the top Exceeds Expectation was one grade below my typical Outstanding score, "What did I miss?"

"Third paragraph, fourth line, you misspelled the word mermaid."

"How? It's M-e-r-m-a-i-d right? I don't see it."

"Yes," His voice grated, "But you spelled it with an 'e'."

He rapped the paper precisely at the spot, not bothering to explain himself.

My face neared the paper. It was a very messy 'a', but it was still an 'a' easily mistaken for an 'e'.

"It's definitely not an 'a'. Take another look." He gave me a baleful glare after which I quickly added, " Please sir. "

He snatched the paper out of my hand. I flinched as the paper ripped against my skin, giving me a paper cut on the tip of my index finger. I knew it was only my talent at potions that saved me from losing points for that remark. That and my willingness to stay after class to clean, ensuring his classroom remained spotless.

Snape was silent for several stretched seconds as he glared at the paper. He reminded me in that moment of a Basilisk, set on killing its victim with its searing yellow eyes. I held back a smirk of amusement. His expressions were always highly entertaining to watch. Then his frown deepened. He saw what I did. Roughly, his lips blanching, he scratched out the E and replaced it with the smallest of o's, handing me back my scroll with a jerky motion.

"Thank you sir." I whispered, inclining my head as I beamed down at the Outstanding mark. I skipped back to the desk where I had left my satchel, placing it far enough away from the saturated bag so it wouldn't get wet.

"Come see what I brought." I called eagerly. With both hands, I hoisted up my hail and dumped the assortments of goodies on the open desk.

I heard the scraping as Snape pushed back his chair followed by the dull clacking of shoes on the ancient granite floor as he approached.

"Hermit shells…" He mused, fingering the spiraling carapace. He did not touch the still squirming leeches, "Some leeches, recently fed by the looks of it...and...is that….could it be…"

"Gillyweed!" I supplied readily, my body shaking with excitement and shivers mixed, "I know right? They are so rare! I found more than ten of them, right at the bottom of the trenches! I couldn't believe it myself-"

I stopped when I saw his expression change, lighting up. He looked as though Christmas had come early. He was actually smiling, not his typically snarky smirk or the upward curling of his lip in malice, but the type of grin that comes from real happiness. My chest clenched rather painfully. Likely from the cold I told myself, though that explanation didn't quite make sense with the foreign feeling spreading in my center.

Snape must have noticed my reaction, for the smile instantly disappeared, his face going strangely blank as though all emotion had simply vanished.

"Very well," He monotoned, "You've met your side of the bargain. I shall acquiesce-"

"The price has just increased." My siren mused.

Internally, I was freaking out- whatever she had to say, couldn't be any good. Still, I was powerless to stop her.

"Surely you know the value of Gillyweed, and an ample supply at that." She continued, unflinchingly.

"What else do you want?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"Private lessons, with you. Every single week."

He blinked.

"Potions is one of the few things I excel at, and you're the most brilliant professor I've known; you have the highest standards of any teacher here. I want to know what you know. The intricacies behind the brewing, antidotes and poisons, how to, as you say, 'put a stopper to death.' I want to know everything." She hung on that last word. It echoed musically in the archways above us.

He considered then, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation blended with chagrin.

"Fine," He snapped, "Every Saturday. 7pm. If you're late even once-"

"Deal." My siren spoke hungrily, "Damn, I should have asked for more." Wait... did I just say that outloud? I was shivering harder now.

"Too late for that." He smirked, then furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed my shaking, "Wait here."

He retreated back to the storeroom, returning with a large black cloak that looked incredibly toasty.

"Time for you to leave. Dinner will be ending shortly. And cover up please." He held out the long cape, avoiding my eyes, "Do try not to lose your clothing anymore Miss Bones."

I blushed, remembering my scanty appearance. As I took the cloak from his arm, my fingers brushed against his. It was like fire had seared against my skin. I shuddered, pulling back away from the lightning strike sizzling up my fingertips, hastily covering myself in the long cloak that dragged on the ground around me. I was swimming in the dark velvety fabric. A warm fuzzy feeling spread throughout my core, down my legs and out to my arms as I wrapped myself in it, snuggled in the heat of it.

As I left, jogging out into the great stoned hallway, I realized that at the moment we had touched, Snape had also flinched.