I walked through the passage to the common room. The tables were full of people with boxes of candies or new objects purchased during their day in Hogsmeade. My toes and the tip of my nose were still numb from sitting outside for so long. I saw Susan sitting near the fire and waved to her. I gestured to the bags in my hand and disappeared into our room to put away my things before coming out to join her in the warmth.

I sat next to her and took my shoes off and placed my stocking feet near the hearth. The heat felt so good on my icy toes and I let out a sigh of contentment.

"What have you been doing?" Susan asked.

I looked over at her and shrugged. "I was at Hogsmeade shopping late. I lost track of time and I had to walk back in the snow."

"You were shopping late?" Susan questioned.

I nodded my head.

"Well that's odd because Morgana Elderitch could have sworn she saw you leaving Hogsmeade rather early." She mentioned. I played cool and tried not to let my cheeks' tendency to flush give me away. "And with Professor Snape none the less."

Susan stared waiting for me to crack but I wasn't going to. "Professor Snape?" I asked laughingly. "That's ridiculous. Why would I want to spend any more time with him than I have to?"

"She says she saw him hand you a bag and then you headed towards the school together. She said it was hours ago when it was still light. So how is it that I arrived back her before you?"

"Well I think you should be able to answer your own question with a bit of reason, hmm. If I am supposed to have left Hogsmeade with Snape hours ago but you beat me back here and I say I've been shopping I think we should come to the conclusion that Morgana is a liar or was simply mistaken with what she saw."

Susan looked at me suspiciously.

"Well if Morgana knows everything then maybe you should be best friends with her." I spat and began to get up. I didn't want to leave the warm fireside and I hoped Susan would stop me.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Susan blurted. "Sit back down. It's just…you have been acting strange and thought maybe there was something you were hiding from me. Maybe Morgana is making it up."

"Susan, you're my best friend." I said. "I would never hide anything from you."

I felt bad for lying to her but I wasn't even sure of what was happening with Snape so I felt there was no way I could explain it to her without saying something the wrong way and making her worry more than she clearly already was. Sometimes I felt like he hated me, other times I thought we were making progress towards him being civil to me, and then other times still he practically held my hand under the night sky while we watched the snow fall on top of us.

"So what did you get me?" Susan asked changing the subject.

"What did you I get you?" I inquired. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

She smiled. "Is it something good?"

"Well it's no afternoon in Madam Puddifoot's with Mark Wizenby." I teased. "How was that?"

Susan blushed. "A lady never kisses and tells."

"So are you two official yet?"

"No, not yet. I don't know what he is waiting for."

"Maybe he doesn't think he has to formally ask you. You should hint that he does need to ask."

Susan nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe there won't be any kissing until he asks me to be his girlfriend."

"That'll teach him." I smiled.

"You're sure you didn't leave Hogsmeade with Snape?" Susan asked out of nowhere.

"Susan." I gave her a warning look.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She put her hands up defensively in front of herself. "I just don't know why Morgana would make up something like that. I don't even think she knows about the detentions you've had with him."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, so maybe she saw him hand me a bag but only because I bumped into him by accident and dropped it." I decided to tell her only part of the truth. "But after that I went to another shop, not back to Hogwarts. So Morgana is mistaken."

"Well why didn't you just say that?" Susan asked with a relieved look.

"I forgot." I lied. "Why does it matter? I barely remember it happening I didn't think anyone else would have seen it much less that they would have made such a ridiculous accusation that I walked with him all the way back here."

"It's alright, Ruby." Susan shushed. "I don't think she meant anything by it. She just asked if you were ill. I told her I thought you'd rather risk death than to spend any amount of time with him."

He's really not that horrible. I thought to myself but nodded my head with an approving smile instead.

My toes felt warm and toasty and my nose could wiggle without feeling like it took time to return to its normal position. "I'm really tired, I think I'm going to go to bed now. I'll see you I the morning."

I walked into the empty bedroom and saw the big flakes of snow blowing outside. I made my way to the window seat and sat on the cushion. I leaned my head against the cold glass and watched the snow fall. I could almost feel Snape's hand leaning against mine and how much I fought with myself to keep from putting my hand into his. I felt like if I moved at all he would startle like a deer and flee. I liked sharing the moment with him so I kept as still as I could even limiting how much my chest rose and fell when I breathed.

It was a while before he mumbled that he was cold and started to get up. He held his hand out to me to help lift me off the ground and the gesture surprised me so much that I forgot to actually take his hand and lifted myself off the lawn. His hand fell back to his side and we started walking back to Hogwarts.

It was a silent walk. Every not and again I would steal a glance at him. I liked how smooth his face looked when he thought no one was looking at him. Once when I made to look at him I caught him looking at me and we both looked away instantly. My heart began pounding at once.

We were within reach of the front doors when Snape stopped walking. I took a few steps before I stopped to see what he was doing.

He was looking at me and his hands were glued to his sides. "I'll see you on Monday, Ruby. Tonight was…" He cut himself off and let the words drift into the air.

I let the silence go until I decided he wasn't going to finish his thought. "Yes, Monday. Goodbye, Professor."

I turned back to the door. "Severus." I heard him say and I quickly turned back. "You may call me Severus." He refused to look at me as he said this.

I allowed myself a small purse lipped smile. "Goodbye, Severus." The name glided strangely off my tongue and felt like casting a forbidden spell. It was strange calling a professor by a first name but at the same time when I looked at him I didn't think of a professor. He was hardly older than I was. I opened the door and held it for him but he waved me inside. When I was half-way up the first staircase the door opened and he walked in with his normal, purposeful gait. I had a feeling he knew I was watching him but made no acknowledgement that I was there.

"Ruby." Susan said when she entered the room. Her presence startled me and I hit my head hard against the window. "You said you were going to bed nearly an hour ago. What are you doing?"

I turned to her rubbing my forehead. "I was watching the snow. You know how I get distracted and lose track of time."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Susan apologized.

"It's alright." I said. "I didn't think I had been staring off into space for so long."

We changed into our pajamas, brushed our teeth, and went to bed. We murmured our goodnights to each other, the only two in bed at this time. I turned towards the window and closed my eyes. I lay in silence and urged myself to sleep but my mind kept spinning. I really wanted to talk to Susan about what happened but I knew she wouldn't understand and I felt like it should ultimately be kept a secret but I had to at least say something.

"Susan." I whispered. "Are you asleep?" Part of me hoped that she wouldn't be awake so I could tell her everything and know she wouldn't hear it.

"Hmm?" She hummed and turned to face me. "What is it, Ruby?"

"I've been thinking." I confessed.

"I thought I smelled something burning." Even half asleep Susan still joked at me.

"What if we've been completely too quick to judge someone?" I asked. "What if we've made up our minds about someone and we are wrong. What if that person just takes some time to warm up?"

"Could you be less vague?" Susan asked.

"Well, there's this…guy." I started. "And I thought he was one way but recent events have made me think that he isn't that way. That he might actually just be complicated but once you take the time to break his walls he might be sort of…sweet."

Susan sat up in bed. "What are you talking about? Who is this guy? Do I know him? What's his name? Is that why you were late back?" She bombarded me with questions.

I paused. "I don't feel completely comfortable telling you details just yet. He could still turn out to be the way I originally thought he was. He's so complicated and one minute he is mean and the next he opens up a tiny bit and I think that maybe he could be…different."

"Can I just ask who?" Susan asked. "I promise I won't tell."

"I…no." I stuttered. "I don't want you to judge me for who it is and I don't think he would want anyone to know that he could actually be nice."

"He's a Slytherin isn't he?" Susan said in more of a statement than a question.

"What?" I asked caught off guard and sprang up in bed. "Why would you…how would you guess?"

"Well it is obvious isn't it?" Susan reasoned. "You said he wouldn't want anyone to know he could be nice. If that isn't a major trait of Slytherins then I don't know what is."

I considered this a moment. "True."

"Where did you have time to meet him with as little free time as you have?" Susan asked.

"Er, he's in the library sometimes." I thought up.

"Ohhhh, I know who it is." Susan said confidently.

"What?" I blurted.

"I've spent time in the library too and the only Slytherin I see there very often is Ignatius Gamp. Is it him?"

"No, it's not Ignatius!" I shouted. "No!"

"It's Ignatius." Susan said.

"It is not Ignatius!" I denied. "Why would you even think that?"

"You're denying it so strongly." She said. "It has to be him and don't worry I won't tell anyone. I never thought you would go for someone with such a horse face. Oops, I don't mean to sound rude. He's attractive…I suppose."

There was no reasoning with Susan. She had made up her mind that I was in love with Ignatius Gamp. The only I could do was go along with it make up a point where he regressed to being what I thought he was and be done with it.

I laid my head back on the pillow and stared out the window. I thought about the real person I was second guessing and thought about the feel of his hand on mine until my eyelids closed and I finally fell asleep.