He took a step away from me. "Go back to your house or whatever it is you normally do at this time." He said awkwardly and turned robotically away.
"That would be detention with you." I said taking a step after him.
"No." He said. "No more detentions. They're over."
"What?" I asked more saddened by this news than I thought I would ever be. "Why?"
"Because I say so." He answered.
"But you can't do that." I argued.
"I assigned the detentions I can end them whenever I chose, which is now."
"I'm sorry about the hug. I was just excited and I wasn't thinking. It will never happen again, I swear."
"I decided to end the detentions before that."
"But why?"
"Because you didn't deserve them in the first place did you. You've learned a lesson you didn't need to learn and I'm deciding not to drag it on any further."
He turned to head to the dungeons again but I grabbed his sleeve.
"But what about helping me with Defense Against the Dark Arts?" I wondered.
"Ask the Defense professor." He suggested. "I'm the potions master. If you needed potions tutoring I would help you. But based on your Star Grass Salve you turned in today that is something you are not in need of."
"But you're the only person whose instruction has made any difference." I insisted.
"Had you ever asked any of the Defense professors for help, Ruby?" He inquired.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Honestly? You think that a student such as myself who basically bases her worth on the grades she gets wouldn't have agonized about boosting her grade in the one class in which the subject matter has baffled her?"
A small smirk lifted one side of his mouth. "You're right, that was a stupid question."
"See? So you can't leave me now. Not when I'm just starting to get the hang of it." I begged.
"Fine, but nothing but lessons will happen in the time I will allot you. Understood?"
His insistence of this rule made me curious.
"Did something happen to make you want to distance yourself from me in particular?" I asked. "Because something odd happened to me last night."
The little pigment that was in his skin flushed.
"I was sitting outside the entrance to Ravenclaw when I was suddenly doused with ice water." I began. "Peeves hovered over me and proceeded to sing at me."
I didn't think it was possible for him to get any paler but he did. "I can assure you that I am not infatuated with your body part that rhymes with your name."
I thought about it for a bit. "What?"
His eyes bulged. "You said he sang you the song."
"I…I think he sang me a different rhyme." I said.
He dropped his head into his hands. "Merlin's beard." He muttered.
I smiled because Slughorn used to use that phrase all the time. "It's alright. I panicked after my rhyme until I realized no one believes anything Peeves says anyways. Shall we go practice defense?"
"You might want to go visit, what did you name him, Oliver." He suggested. "He's doing very well and Hagrid plans on letting him go tomorrow some time."
"Already?" I asked.
"I gave him a blood replenishing potion to put in Oliver's water and it's made him much stronger." He said.
"Would you come with me to see him?" I questioned.
"I don't know, Ruby." He said.
"Oh, please?" I begged. "You helped him more than I did. You're really the only reason he's still alive. I panicked and forgot all about potions."
"How is it that you were so calm and collected when you broke my arm then?" He asked.
I looked down at my hands. "I was sort of…glad you were hurt. You were completely rude and deserved it but Olli is just a little innocent baby who wouldn't deserve anything."
"So I deserved a broken arm?" He said with mock resentment.
"Yes." I said with a straight face.
Severus seemed taken aback by my supposed seriousness but I broke and started giggling. He seemed ready to laugh when he stopped. His abrupt attitude change made me stop laughing. A group of Slytherins walked past us in the hall, greeted their professor, and paid me no attention. As soon as they were gone Severus turned back to me.
"Go visit, Olli." He instructed. "I'll meet you there as if by a chance encounter."
Something about keeping our friendship secret made me feel as though I was doing something naughty but was also fun.
I walked outside and headed for Hagrid's hut. I noticed he was outside harvesting the last bits of frozen vegetables that didn't ripen before the snow.
"Good evenin', Miss Winston." He greeted me. "I 'spose you're here fer Oliver?"
I nodded and he took me behind his hut to where Olli was looking content inside a fenced in area. His head was submerged in a barrel of oats. He looked up when he heard us approaching and looked happy to see me. He galloped to the edge of the fence closest to me.
"Looks like 'e missed yeh." Hagrid said.
"Hi Olli." I said as I reached my hand out to rub his cheek. He looked much better now than he had the night before. He looked better, the only thing suggesting anything had been wrong was a patch of silver fur that appeared darker than that surrounding it.
"I would guess that patch will go back ter normal in time." Hagrid said answering my unasked question.
"He looks much better." I mentioned when Olli left me to gallop a few laps around his enclosure.
"He does." He agreed. "He's gettin' a bit restless though. I think he'll be ready to go tomorrow."
Something flew past my ear. I couldn't see what it was in the dim light of the partially covered moonlight but I dark colored orb landed with a thud on the packed snow inside the fence. Olli trotted over and sniffed the object before gobbling it up with a crunch. I turned to see Severus walking over with a small sack.
"Do you want to give him one?" Severus asked as he handed me an apple from the bag.
I accepted the fruit and held it over the fence for Olli who grabbed it eagerly from my palm.
"Yer potions sure did the trick, Severus." Hagrid boomed. "He looks like nothin' were ever wrong."
"Healing potions only work when they are given in a timely manner." He said throwing another apple to Olli. "We have Miss Winston to thank for that."
I was happy it was dark out because I could feel my cheeks blush.
"It woulda been a shame for him ter go so young." Hagrid said.
We stood around Olli's fence Severus avoided talking to me directly but spoke to Hagrid freely. Every now and then Hagrid would encourage me to join the conversation. We fed Olli apples and watched him gallop around his area for a while. Severus finally turned the bag upside-down to show it was empty.
"I think I will be heading back inside." He announced. "I think you should think about doing the same, Miss Winston."
As if he understood the conversation Olli walked over and nudged me with his nose. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my fingers grazed his silky mane.
"You be good, Olli." I told him. "No more getting yourself into trouble, okay?"
He blew air from his nostrils in agreement. I smiled and patted his nose.
I turned and walked back to the castle with Severus.
"Are you crying?" He asked when we were away from Hagrid's.
"Oh God." I exhaled. "You can see that?"
"No." He said. "But you're sniffling a lot."
"I feel stupid." I said wiping tears from my cheeks. "He's such a cute little guy and I'm going to miss him. I just hope he stays safe."
"I'm sure he will." He assured me. "Unicorns are smart. He's learned his lesson I'm sure and he'll only get stronger and quicker with age."
When did Severus learn to say the right things? I wanted to hold his hand but at the same time he was a professor and Peeve's rhyme crept into my head again and I felt the churning of nerves in my gut once more.
The next week buzzed by. Days had classes and with night came time with Severus where we would practice dueling or he would trust me to help with his experimental potion. It never ceased to amaze me how different he could be when it was just the two of us.
On December first I stood up from the table and dinner to head to lessons with Severus as normal.
"Where are you going?" Susan asked.
"Detention." I told her finding it odd that she needed to ask after all this time.
"It's December, Ruby." She said with a smile. "You're done with detention."
"Oh…right." I said and hoped another excuse would pop into my head. "Did I say detention? I meant I have this…Defense Against the Dark Arts club thing to attend."
"Defense club?" Susan asked. "I've never heard of it but it sounds fun, I'll come with you."
"No!" I shouted and waved my hands in front of myself. "No, you're good at Defense this is a club for people who aren't and who want to get better."
"If you're all bad at defense then who is going to teach you how to be good?" She questioned.
"Er…well, it's sort of an experimental thing." I was really rusty on this whole lying thing. Detention had been such an easy excuse. "It's a judgment free zone…you know where we all try to fill in the gaps of what we can do…I didn't say it would work I'm just going to see if I like it. If I don't you will be the first person I ask to really help me."
"Who all is going to this?" She asked.
"Oh, uh, just people." There was no way she was going to buy any of this. "All years are welcome."
"Who did you hear about this from?" She wondered.
Crap! She got me I had nothing. "Errrrr…Professor Edgewoode!" I shouted at her proud of that answer. "He, uh, pulled me aside after class and told me a few students were going to do this group and thought it might help me."
"So professor Edgewood is going to be there too?"
"No. Just some students."
"Where is it going to be held?"
"We are meeting in the defense classroom." She might check there I thought. "But we might go somewhere else after everyone shows up…I don't know."
Susan looked skeptical of me but nodded her head and allowed me to leave.
I walked quickly down through the halls towards the dungeons. What was I getting myself into? Before I just omitted some of the truth to Susan but now I was completely lying to her. Why couldn't I just tell her that Severus…Snape I would have to say Snape to her, was helping me with defense? I glanced over my shoulder for the hundredth to make sure Susan wasn't following me.
After an hour and a half of spell learning and dueling with Severus, he and I agreed we would be done for the night and I headed up to Ravenclaw. I knew Susan would be waiting for me with more questions that I wasn't sure I would be able to answer but it still surprised me when I saw her. She looked up from her parchment she was writing on and smiled at me.
"How was secret defense practice?" She asked.
Oh my God, she knows! I tried to play it cool. "It was good. I learned this."
I demonstrated one of the new spells Severus showed me.
"Impressive." She said nodding her head. "Who showed you that?"
"Er, we agreed not to tell anyone who the other members are should they be embarrassed about being in the club." I lied.
"Why aren't you embarrassed?" Susan questioned.
"You know I'm horrible at defense, why would I hide it?" I shrugged.
She seemed satisfied with my answer and she couldn't argue with the fact that I learned a new spell. She gave up her questions and hopefully her skepticism.
Every night from then on I had defense club. Susan seemed disappointed that even though my detentions were over I still wasn't spending much time with her. Every now and then I felt guilty about it too but I spent every waking moment with her during the weekends which made me feel a bit better. I couldn't dedicate much to feeling bad because Severus and I always had fun together. The more time I spent with him the less I saw him as the strange new professor and started to think of him as a real friend.
There was one night during which Susan refused to even let me consider going to "defense club". December eighteenth; my birthday. She swore she was going to keep me on my birthday. She wouldn't let me out of her sight so even trying to tell Severus that the lesson was cancelled was risky so I just didn't show up. I hoped he would understand and forgive me.
Susan convinced some of the elves in the kitchens to make me a special birthday feast complete with the best chocolate cake I had ever eaten. Susan, Mark, a few choice Ravenclaws, and I had my party in the kitchen. The elves did their best to entertain us and were happy to have company and kept bringing trays of food every time we saw them.
By the end we were all almost too full to move. I had a good time but I still felt guiltier about ditching Severus than I ever had for lying to Susan.
The following Monday was the twenty-first of December and the last day at Hogwarts before Christmas holiday started.
I went to the dungeons for my last defense lesson before holiday. I entered the classroom and found Severus sitting surrounded by vials of potion samples. He looked up at me; his eyes void of emotion.
"I'm sorry about Friday." I began. "It was my birthday and Susan wouldn't let me out of her sight long enough for me to tell you I wasn't coming."
Snape nodded once and stood up from his seat before disappearing into his office.
My heart sank. I was sure all progress I had made with him was lost. I turned to leave the room with my head hung low.
"Ruby." He said. "Where are you going?"
"I thought." I turned back around and furrowed my brow. "I thought you were mad at me so I was leaving."
"I'm not mad at you." He assured me. "I just went to get this."
He held up a small velvet bag.
"Happy Christmas." He said as he held out the bag for me. "I haven't bought many Christmas gifts."
I took the gift from his hand and opened it. Inside was a small snow globe. The base was white like the snow inside. A small impossibly delicate silver unicorn figurine lived inside. He walked around his snowy world which included a tree with bare branches.
I looked up from the perfect gift to Severus.
"Do you like it?" He asked.
I smiled and nodded my head.
"Good." He said. "Put it down and let's practice."
I placed the snow globe gently next to my bag and walked across from Severus where I stopped and bowed before entering dueling stance.
"Expeliarmus." He yelled. But I had gotten very good at blocking that spell and it did nothing.
"Rictusempra." I countered but Severus was too quick for it to have an effect.
We hurled spells and jinxes at one another back and forth neither one able to get one past the other.
"Locomotor wibbly." He laughed as he blocked that one, probably thinking about the first time I used it on him.
"Steleus." He tried but I blocked it.
"Defodio!" I yelled expecting him to block it but I watched the spell ricochet off his left arm ripping the sleeve of his robe open.
He immediately clutched his arm and held his hand on top of his shredded sleeve.
"I am so sorry!" I apologized as I ran up to him. "Is it bad?"
I made to grab for his arm to see how it looked.
"It's fine." He said.
"Let me see, Severus." I said and held out my hand to receive his arm.
"I said it's fine." He said louder this time.
"Severus, give me your arm." I scolded.
"Can't you ever leave anything alone? I told you it's nothing!"
It had been so long since he raised his voice to me that I backed up a bit. I turned hoping he would think I had given up. I spun around quickly and seized his arm. He tugged but I had a firm grasp. I looked down to find no blood or even a cut. What I did see was much worse and punched the air right out of my lungs. On the inside of his left arm was the image of a skull with a serpent spewing from its mouth.
I dropped his arm and took several steps back. Finally, I was able to inhale.
"You're a…" I couldn't even finish the sentence because just the thought of it stole my breath.
"No." He said. "No, Ruby I'm not. This isn't what it looks like."
I took short quick breaths through my mouth. "How can it not be what it looks like? You have a Dark Mark!"
Tears of anger and betrayal spilled from my eyes. How could I have ever thought he was something other than what everyone told me? How could I have thought he was a good man? I hated myself for thinking the best of him.
"Ruby." Severus said calmly. "Let me explain."
"NO!" I turned to fetch my bag. "You're a Death Eater. You kill people like me…like my family! I can't believe anything you have to say. Just stay away from me."
I grabbed the strap of my bag and yanked it from the table top. It swiped the snow globe and I heard the crash of glass as I slammed the classroom door shut.