Chapter 23: The Yule Ball Gets Announced, Girls Giggle Madly

Sage scowled at he left Professor McGonagall's class. A Yule Ball, he thought, Grand, more reveling. If they all only knew! He rounded the hallway and headed down towards the dungeons. Being completely grounded meant being down there doing his uncle's bidding at every moment he was not either eating, in class, or sleeping. It had only been two out of seven days, as Severus surely did not count the day of the task as a day. And as the Professor was required to go to the task, he had allowed Sage to go as well, as some sort of a consolation prize.

Why are all of these girls giggling and why are they travelling in pack of four or greater! He thought as he passed hordes of girls chatting excitedly.

He dropped down the last step into the dungeons and turned the corner to head to Professor Snape's office, but nearly ran into a wall of Slytherin girls. It seemed to be a few fifth, and sixth years chattering in the halls outside of the Slytherin common room. Actually, closer to Professor Snape's office.

Sage glared at them viciously and was about to snarl at them to move out of his way, when he noticed that Mandy was among them. His budding snarl softened and his face dropped completely blank. He couldn't snarl at his friend, and it wasn't just because she was his friend, it was also because she had a very calming presence. It lifted the snarl right off his face.

Feeling propriety take over in the face of not being able to snarl, he stood up a little taller and said, "Excuse me, please, ladies."

This, of course, met with a chorus of stifled giggles. Slytherin girls didn't just giggle with abandon like Gryffindor or Hufflepuff girls did. They giggled while trying not to. Thankfully, however, they moved out of his way.

He looked at them as he passed by and caught, by virtue of his sensitive ears, a younger girl saying, "He's so tall. Oooo."

The estranged look on his face must have given away the fact that he heard the whispered statement because he also caught Amanda roll her eyes good-naturedly at him as he was passing them by. He turned his head back forward and began the short journey to his uncle's office.

"Sage."

He turned and saw Amanda walking up a few feet towards him, the pack of girls lingering, in the same position, not too far away. His eyebrow raised, quickly, at the bizarre nature of what he felt around him.

"As a Prefect, I have to go to the ball, and I was wondering if you would go with me?"

He nearly smiled at how easily she just asked him. Out of the corner of his eye he swore he caught one of the girls cross her fingers. Instead of smiling he raised both eyebrows. Then he crossed his arms, just looking at her. He hadn't really wanted to go to the ball, but he found that he suddenly felt like he wanted to now.

She didn't fidget, in fact, she did not even move. She just looked up at him amiably.

Slowly he said, "Are you asking me out, Miss Macnair?"

She smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow back at him, "Yes."

He pursed his lips together and looked at her for another moment. She's asking me out! She likes me…that way…how did that happen?

The pressure of the situation only confused his thoughts, feelings, and hormones together in a jumble. His mouth curving upwards slightly. "All right then," he answered before he turned around to head to his uncle's office. Just as he was turning away from Amanda, he saw the strong tall presence of the Professor. His slight smile fell instantly. Fuck.

"Sage," the man said loudly. "Socializing in the corridors is not an appropriate activity for one who is grounded unless, of course, one would like it prolonged."

Sage opened his mouth but then quickly closed it. He looked down to compose himself and then quickly looked up. "I'm sorry, sir." He had thought about lying and saying that he was talking to her about homework, but the Professor's feared and rumored ability to read minds was not completely rumor. Sage knew better than to test it with a blatant lie.

"Sorry, indeed," Severus said venomously, while grabbing Sage's robes and pushing him off behind him.

The Professor then turned back to the pack of girls, who were frozen, except for Amanda who looked rather unabashed.

"I suggest, Miss Macnair, that you help your housemates find the way back to your common room and cease to loiter in the halls outside of my office, chatting. I do not want to be disturbed again," His pointed glare added to the threat that was clearly in his deep voice.

"Sorry, Professor Snape. It won't happen again," she answered.

"It had better not, unless you wish me to take points from my own house."

He watched Amanda shuffle them away before turning again on Sage.

"Must you constantly disappoint me?"

Sage looked at him straight in the eyes, "I didn't mean any disrespect, sir, it was only a second." The truth was always safer with Snape.

"Was it worth it?"

For a brief moment Sage considered the question seriously. Maybe it would end up having been worth it. Then he answered, "No, sir, it wasn't."

The Professor glared at him for a moment before raising an eyebrow and giving him a look that clearly said, 'Well then… We shouldn't have been loitering in the halls then, should we?'

"And it was more than merely a second. I heard the entire thing from 'Excuse me, please, ladies' to 'All right then'. Quite dashing when you wish to be," he added sardonically, with a snort of amusement.

Sage gulped and felt his face flush slightly. Nothing could be more embarrassing than having Professor Snape hear someone ask you out to the Yule Ball. Thankfully, the man would not publicly ridicule him for it as he would if he had heard anyone else getting asked out directly outside of his office.