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Warning: Explicit Scene for this chapter has been removed, you can find the full version on: AO3 and Wattpad with the same title or just ask me. ;)
Translated by: Aivy
Hogsmeade
The next morning I woke with a smile on my lips and during my run around the snowy Quidditch patch, where my breath condensed into small, white clouds in the freezing air, my thoughts drifted back to the day before. In my mind the encounters with Draco and Snape replayed again and again in an infinite loop. If the icy wind hadn't colored my cheeks already, they would have been red with shame and from the butterflies in my stomach, 'cause, hell, they both knew how to kiss. I myself couldn't believe it. First the heavenly kiss with Draco and then the kiss with Snape that I had initiated. What the hell was driving me to carry things so far with two men on the same day. I mean, I was no slut, right? Was it slut like to kiss two guys on one day?
Arrg, my thoughts moved in circles. Damn it! At first I had only wanted to shut Snape up, feeling furious and helpless, as he had been driving me mad. And apparently nothing better had come to my mind as to seal his mouth with a kiss… But, shame on me, I had enjoyed it immensely. If only he would kiss me as Minna! I regretted this circumstance deeply.
I drifted off into a dream world.. He was no handsome man, not like Draco! Who was sometimes almost too pretty to be real. Snape though was impressive, charismatic in his whole demeanour and attractive in his own way, but not handsome, not beautiful… Mh-hm, I think my behaviour had turned the good professor's world upside down, at least I hoped so. I loved nothing more than to make him speechless.
And then I breathed in deeply and felt the piercing pain in my lungs when it was filled with cold December air. Ow, that hurt and called me back from my daylight dreams.
Today it was freezing cold and now I was on my way back, covered in sweat and out of breath. Meanwhile I pondered how right he was with his analysis that it was impossible to punish me! He was an excellent observer and took stock from his collected knowledge with precision and without mercy. The resulting insight had not pleased him and when he presented his observations to me, which I had never given thought before, they didn't appeal to me as well, as it portrayed me as quite... Yes, well, as what? As a not very nice, friendly or kind person. What should I do with this new perspective which he had disclosed to me? I knew, I had to analyze such a critical perception of myself and draw the necessary conclusions. In this dangerous game we were playing here thanks to the permanent danger to be nearly unpunishable or unsusceptible to blackmail could be worth one's weight in gold or better yet worth one's live.
There were so many fronts one had to think about and fight on. Here the Dark Lord, there the Order of the Phoenix, the ministry, and then Hogwarts with its professors and students and at last the people I was most closely attached to, like Harry, Ron, … Snape and Draco. I had to think about all of this unhurriedly… but then I had arrived at the showers and had to clean up for classes.
When we had all gathered, well wrapped up against the cold, we set off for Hagrid's hut across the grounds, which were covered more and more in snow, as we had Care of Magical Creatures today.
"I don't know for sure, but I have a bad feeling because of the Bitch. Do you think she is going to inspect his class today?" Ron inquired distressed at the thought and looked around slightly chilled through.
"I'm certain. Now that he is back to teach. She is through with everybody, only Hagrid's missing!" and groaned quite hopelessly, as I couldn't imagine our slightly awkward and clumsy giant handling this evil woman well.
The class had arrived completely when Hagrid joined us. His wounds still hadn't healed and if I weren't mistaken a new one had been added, for his nose hadn't been looking that crooked the last time, had it? Or were I seeing things?
"Hagrid isn't looking good, he has new… Is that a broken nose?" Harry whispered into my ear, which Draco complemented with a venomous glare, whereon I gifted him with an appeasing roll of my eyes. This totally not jealous Malfoy was hard to bear.
"We're working in here today! C'mon!" Hagrid beckoned us in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. When we got close to the tree line we could see a still bloody carcass of a slaughtered cow on the white forest floor, rapidly turning red and brown through the dead cattle's blood. "How fortunate that it's so cold," I mused not without irony. In the summer the dead meat would have been swarmed with flies and the stink of decay would have been repugnant.
The reactions happened as expected.
"Yuck!", "How disgusting!", Gross!", "I'm getting sick!", "Why do we have to look at that?", "This dumb, blithering idiot. That's the worst of taste…!" Such it went back and forth with outrage. Lav and Pav were close to a screeching fit thanks to the bloody sight. Please don't, I grimaced in dread of the things to come. I mean, it wasn't pretty, but bad? Bole's dead body had been bad. That here, though, that was live. After all I hadn't met any vegetarians in the school. Did they think the food grew solely on trees?
"Easy, kids. That's just a cow, nothing bad! We will go just a little bit further into the woods. Keep together and follow me!" Hagrid kept his calm, bend down and threw the dead cow easily over his shoulder and trudged confidently into the forest.
The way the blood now dripped over his shoulder onto his scraggy coat had something positively disgusting and even I wrinkled my nose over the fact that he obviously didn't care. A look the right, yes, Draco looked very nauseated. But Harry tried, showing solidarity to Hagrid, not to appear too grossed out. We stopped on a small clearing, the snow still gleaming white and pristine. The tree's limbs hung low with their heavy loads of snow and the wan sunlight shining through the branches made the snow sparkle and glitter. Hagrid deposited his macabre burden in the middle and started to lure something with an odd, shrieking cry.
When I already spotted them: Thestrals, who trotted slowly out of the thicket of the dark woods, drawn by the carrion and Hagrid's call. Immediately I tore my eyes away from the animals. I knew them already. And I put an expectant, clueless expression on my face, letting my gaze run over the waiting class, bored, and took in the reactions of the others with idle curiosity.
I believed a knowing look flashed over Theodore Nott's features, but Neville regarded the winged horses with wary recognition, too. Draco once again showed a slippery, smug and most of all annoyed expression. He didn't betray the least that he could see the creatures, though he had to, as he had watched when people were tortured and killed, but he wouldn't disclose that to the rest of the class. Consequently, he used the same tactic as I, to let nobody notice how much one truly knew. And above all I was allowed to see the telltale twitch at the corners of his mouth when our eyes met before he announced:
"What are we doing here? There is nothing here… This half-witted oaf!" He should pursue a career as an actor. A mutter of agreeing voices arose, as the clearing appeared deserted to the students who couldn't see. Well, and Harry was not really good in not letting anything on. I am sure he couldn't get his head around the fact that the animals he had seen in front of the carriages at the start of the year actually stood before him now in the forest and were presented to the class. As brave, courageous and gifted he was in fighting, in moments like this I dearly wanted to stomp him into the ground, questioning his common sense, only because he was too lazy to pick up a book. I shook my head in resignation.
When the skeleton like creatures had reached the dead cow, they pitched into the feast Hagrid had served them. Which prompted very diverse reactions from our classmates, as to them the meat was suddenly torn up while levitating, and that had to be a truly terrifying sight and resulted in frightened exclamations and scared students taking cover behind the backs of the strongest. Hilarious!
"Quiet, class! What you can see here are thestrals. Unfortunately, or thank goodness, not everybody can see them. These animals are very useful, not only do they pull the carriages which collect you from the train station each year, they can take you everywhere you want and find the way themselves! They look like…!" Hagrid was interrupted abruptly.
„Chrrrr…" Oh no, this was distinctly Umbridge's annoying habit to call attention to herself. Probably she was afraid that she would be overlooked otherwise because of her short size.
„Eh, yes, please?" Hagrid was shocked out of his explanation.
"Whhhaatt aaarrree yooouuu doooiing heeerrre?" she asked extremely loud and pretended to talk to an idiot hard of hearing and understanding. Hagrid in his good-natured thick-wittedness responded to her mean game and answered her questions with clumsy gestures to emphasize his statements, which didn't help to make him look more intelligent. I could just expel my breath in an angry huff. She laid trap after trap, twisting everything around, which made me furious. This conceited toad. Only because she didn't like half-humans, this racist bitch.
"If I assess that correctly, you can only make the subject matter accessible to the class by communicating with the help of your hands and the mutual understanding isn't easy as well…" she summarized with a drawl and noted something down on her clipboard. I turned around and disappeared quickly, as I could no longer bear to watch the farce the toad was performing.
The week went swiftly. Wednesday we held another DA meeting, in which Harry let us practice shield charms to defend against the Expelliarmus! It ended like always, very successful! Harry was a great teacher and the members did well. It was a pleasure to see how everyone improved.
And then Saturday had arrived, Hogsmeade day, and the day on which I had planned to buy my presents. So I stood alone in the Forbidden Forest now and adopted the look of Minna before apparating to Hogsmeade. I stepped onto the market place heavily mummed by my black winter cloak, both against the cold and to not get recognized.
Oh, it was packed when Hogwarts opened its gates and the mass of students descended on the small magical village. It was a mad house! It was funny to walk through the crowd and see all the familiar faces without anybody paying heed to me. There, back there I could make out Ron and Harry, who were in high spirits, going straight to Zonko's, laughing freely. They should savour the day and treat themselves. I didn't begrudge them that.
Meanwhile I was making my way determinedly to the less populated, darker part of Hogsmeade. Here was where the Hog's Head was situated as well, but it was not my target today. When I turned a corner, I saw Draco who sauntered through the alley with his Slytherins in tow. Yes, if one was part of the snakes, one felt drawn in by such shady places. It seemed my irony made itself known.
I could observe when he halted for a short moment and looked at me calculatingly when I passed him. However, I left him behind unheeded. I had things to do and entered Dervish & Banges, a speciality store for magical instruments and tools. Here I scored and stocked myself up with christmas presents. I dug systematically through the chaotically arranged assortment of products and found more than one treasure in this treasure trove. I was elated. Why were the best shops always hidden in the most dubious alleys? When I was happy to have this task completed and left the dingy shop, I lost my hood. I had pushed it back a bit inside the shop and now I stood on the front steps with my face clearly visible. I closed the door behind me and quickly stepped down and pulled my hood up again to continue on my way.
And here we were again by the aforementioned luck and that I, even if I enjoyed it from time to time, belonged rather fell into the category of the fortuneless. Because I couldn't even blink before a - oh wonder - blackclad Professor Snape stood in front of me, grabbed my upper arm roughly and dragged me through the snow less than gentle.
"Mr. Snape?" I cried out, startled, and stumbled gracelessly in his wake. Only a couple of students were watching us, preferred Slytherins, though they were looking exceptionally stupid as their professor hauled a woman in a black cloak in the direction of an undisclosed destination. He didn't mind them and I didn't care as well, as I had different problems at the moment. Not to trip at his speed, for example. I tried to wind out of his unrelenting grip, as he was hurting me and not responding.
"Mr… ?" I protested, when he sent me an intense look out of icy, dark eyes over his shoulder.
"Be quiet, Miss Cale, and come along!" he hissed angrily and I was left speechless. Uh-oh. Well, say something, wasn't I lucky? I didn't even think about the fact that he could visit Hogsmeade as well and I expected even less to cross his path.
He wouldn't want… Or would he? I mean… No, he wouldn't. Right? To catch me on the hop like that… I mean, he couldn't assume I would jump whenever he called, not even as a whore. I mean… I was unsure about a lot of things at that moment. It didn't help me to muse, as he dragged me on mercilessly. Okay, now I spotted Draco as well, he stood near the Hog's Head and talked with some other boys. They all turned around to us in surprise and I was allowed to witness when an abrupt spark of realisation alighted in Draco's eyes.
When he saw us, Snape and me, like this, something happened that I hadn't thought I would ever experience outside of intimate situations: he erupted into honest, roaring laughter. He held his head with one hand, laughing loudly and couldn't stop, which earned him widely bewildered glances from his companions. Normally you wouldn't catch a Malfoy acting this undignified in public. But he didn't see everyday how his godfather trailed a woman like a sack of potatoes driven by his sexual needs, without knowing who it was he was desiring so desperately.
I shot Draco a heartfelt, venomous glare, which he unfortunately couldn't see as my hood shaded too much of my face and Snape wasn't paying attention to our surroundings anyway. He headed for the pub of Dumbledore's brother without regard for anything else, kicking the door open with brute force and storming towards Aberforth.
"I need the small booth for a short time," banging a hand full of coins on the counter with his left hand, for his right was still holding me in a vice like grip. I was getting my breath back only slowly because of the total astonishment that had overcome me, when the barkeep nodded already in agreement and I felt myself jerked forwards ruthlessly immediately. Help! From Draco, the giggling monster, I couldn't expect any, the wretched ferret. Snape opened another door forcefully, shoved me into the small room and slammed the door back closed. I flailed my arms to keep my balance. When I had succeeded I turned around to my kidnapper, incensed.
"Mr. Snape. How dare you! What is this about!? This assault?" I snapped back the hood so I could stare him down in outrage.
"I am sorry, Miss Cale, if I made the … decision for you. Only, I have little time and wanted to seize the opportunity when I spotted you by chance!" he snarled with unbelievable arrogance and didn't look intimidated, merely, impatient.
"I see, only that you seized my arm instead!" My voice dripped with irony.
"As I said, I apologize for my temperament, I will compensate you adequately!" he dismissed my objection and I gritted my teeth at the huge amount of ignorance on display. I gritted them so hard it hurt. Only because of my 'job' I should accede? I didn't like the taste of that. I couldn't believe it, he wanted to fuck. I should spread my legs for him, here, now. It was enough to drive me up the wall… I was incredibly angry!
"Mr Snape. If you had asked, I would have told you that, unfortunately, I don't have the time to offer you my services!" I declared politely, albeit I didn't sound very friendly and turned determinedly, almost indignantly, to the door.
"Miss Cale, now that I have you here, I won't let you go! You will be late only by a very short time," he remained uncompromising. Great, very great. Could you believe that? I didn't have a will of my own anymore! He didn't leave me the time to contemplate further or to protest against my fate, as he embraced my waist with both of his strong hands, claiming my body and pulling me relentlessly towards his own, pressing his lower body against me, so that I could feel that indeed he wouldn't take long, as aroused as he seemed already.
Gulp. What should I do? He had in fact always been polite to Minna, though I knew as well that he was not a nice man if he didn't get from a whore what he paid her for. What else could I do but accept my fate. Thus I grasped the clasp of my cloak obediently and opened it, so that the garment could fall to the floor. At once he understood it as it was meant, my capitulation to the inevitable.
~~~ Deleted Explicit Scene ~~~
"Miss Cale…" he said, when he slid out of me and straightened his attire. I closed my legs quickly, as used as I was lying on that table. "As always a pleasure to meet you," he stated soberly and began to search for something in his cloak, and I used the opportunity to slide off the table and dress myself again. It was time for the payment. How I hated that part.
When I had made myself presentable again, I looked up and he placed the purse distinctly and visibly on the table and turned away.
"Until next time, Miss Cale." And gone he was. I slumped down on the chair. Why? Why did things like that always happen to me? I would bet my fortune that Draco was waiting outside… I was not in the mood to move, a considerable amount of me was hurting and my head was starting to ache as well.
Review Answers:
DutchScorRoseFan: I can see from your name that you're probably Dutch and love Scorpius and Rose. ;) Good choice. Thanks so much for your review and I'm glad that the translation isn't painfully horrible. ^^ That's what I love when it comes to FF that it's all around the world. ;) I'm glad you like it and I hope we can pull you in with us even more.
Ash: I'm sorry to hear that you find it a bit dull, it's maybe like a series, some times it's really dull because it has to build up to something. I dunno. But maybe you'll like it later on. Who knows. Thanks for your honesty, very much appreciated. :)
Lots of Love to you guys,
Cate and Co. xxx
