A/N: Ah ha! A longer chapter! Thanks again for the reviews so far! Hope you enjoy!


Chapter 4

Riley was an odd creature, Severus thought. She had affinity for muggle items like music, which did not interest him in the least. Being a half-blooded student himself, his parents never indulged in such a pastime. His parents were never around anyhow to share their interests, he thought bitterly.

On weekends, Riley would wear muggle clothing and shirts that had band names scrolled upon them, well, that's at least what she told him they were. Strange names like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Cream, and other words that were odd to his ears were written upon her tight t-shirts, bright and bold in lettering. Not that he minded the t-shirts. When she would describe the bands, she would point to the words on her shirt, giving him a chance to gaze at her figure with all its supple curves. He didn't mind the jeans either. They were usually tight as well. They often hung low on slender, curved hips. He liked to stare at that too. What he didn't understand was the giant bell-shape that the legs of the jeans formed at the bottom. The openings for her legs were huge and Severus could not comprehend why a person needed that much space for their feet. And how did one walk around without tripping? Apparently the answer sometimes was platform sandals, which he'd also seen as she pointed out that she grew two inches overnight, not quite catching up to his much taller stature.

Severus had just stepped into the castle from a quiet, solitary visit to Hogsmeade when he found himself pulled by his arm into a corner. The castle was dimly lit as night's fingers started to touch the sky outside. He glanced down at the creature that had snagged him in the shadows and was not surprised to find the bobbed hair and wild grin of Riley. Her crystal eyes twinkled mischievously and she dropped his arm.

"Couldn't you have found something better to do this evening than lurk in the shadows?" Severus said with his slow English drawl.

"I do have something better! And you're going with me!" Riley said, her eyes still twinkling. That twinkle made him awful nervous. He had seen it a couple of times since they had met a month ago and it was never at a time when things ended well.

"I have things to do." He said with a clipped tone, trying to signify his position on her objectives.

"The first thing on your list is to come with me!" She pushed, placing her hands on her hips, in the patented Riley-will –have-her-way stance. She knew she was pushing, but when she made up her mind, she made up her mind. Severus knew he was stubborn and at times he believed he found his equal in Riley.

"Where are you going?" He uttered, looking down at her wardrobe for a hint or clue as to what she was up to. In her bellbottom jeans, Led Zeppelin band shirt, and reoccurring platforms, she gave away no information of note. It seemed to be her clothing of choice outside the Hogwarts uniform.

"I believe the correct question is, where are we going?" She smirked in reply, "And Severus, if you weren't so curious, you would have left already."

He frowned at her and furrowed his brow. Damn her, she read him like a book. He had worked so hard on forming his expressionless mask that it threw him each time she saw through it. No one else could take him aback the way she did. Everyone tended to see him as the robotic individual he wanted to be. It was much easier that way. The less attention to himself the better. The last thing he wanted was another repeat of the issues he had with Potter and his band of merry idiots from previous years. Not that he was scared of them, no, he had prepared himself for future attacks, he thought coldly. He just didn't want to deal with the hassle and humiliation to seem to arrive from each and every interaction with the dunderheads.

The chestnut haired girl swiveled her way around and began to walk off quietly, leaving him in pursuit. He refused to be a puppy dog following their master so took a stride or two more and he settled in step beside her, his long legs easily catching up.

After some time, she grabbed his larger hand and dragged him around the corner of an alcove. Her smaller hand in his was warm and surprisingly soft skinned. His hand was soft, but cool in temperature with long extended fingers. His fingers felt tingly encased in hers. He tried not to concentrate on the sensation, but her touch did something to him that he couldn't comprehend. It made him so nervous and anxious. He looked down at her face, trying to see if his fingers had the same effect on her. Her blue eyes darted around, paying attention to the corridor around them. Her small, petite ears were angled up to listen for passers-by, it was then he noticed glittering, blue gem stars on her smooth ear lobes. If she felt anything, nothing indicated so on her focused face. Her dark brow furrowed with determination as she turned around to him. She bumped into him during her movement, her shoulder touching his chest, and found that they were standing right next to each other, the space between them enclosed. Her face warmed up and color crept up her normally rosy cheeks. She gently released his long fingers, sudden bashfulness in her eyes. He looked on at her and was surprised by the sudden change in her demeanor. She was always so bold. He was not accustomed to her shying away from anything.

"The coast is clear." She muttered looking up at his long chiseled face. She noticed how high his cheekbones sat and how clear his black eyes were. He was a different kind of handsome, a timeless handsome. Sure, he wasn't the typical jock, thick muscled, rounded face kind of guy, but he was distinctive. There was something dark and intelligent that gave him a more interesting edge. That whole brooding thing he had going on was super adorable too. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, she was on a mission. It would be accomplished.

"I don't understand why I'm doing this." Severus said in his lower, deep tone. She tried not to tune in again to those previous thoughts as his voice rumbled through her. That voice too, it was so addictive to listen to.

"Trust me, it'll be fun." She said, turning her head to the hallway. She pressed her index finger to her cherry lips to signal his silence as she dashed quietly along the stone floors of the castle. Her platform shoes making soft clicking noises as they hit the hard surface. He sighed and his shoulders slumped in his muggle, black blazer as he glided off after her.

They passed through one of the many doors in the castles and exited out to a courtyard. The air was crisp and slightly chilled outside as they walked past the walls of stone. Grass eventually skimmed their shoes as their feet crunched on fallen leaves from some of the barren trees. The sight of trees popped up more and more as they headed to the Forbidden Forest.

"Riley..." he whispered in a hushed tone, "Riley!" he said again, his voice slightly increased in volume. The second time had the desired effect, but not for long. She whipped her head back towards him as she had sped up a few minutes prior. She grinned like some evil fairy, her locks of rich colored hair, swirling around her head with the outside breeze. She extended her hand to him, which he begrudging took. Suddenly, he felt himself being tugged and twirled and his vision swayed. It gave him the impression of being squeezed through a tiny tube. He still felt the grip of Riley's hand on his as they swirled around repeatedly. It dawned on him abruptly that they were appariting away from the school. He stumbled abruptly as his feet hit the ground in front of him. He heard the girl's voice next to him as he attempted to un-pop his ears. She was laughing quite hysterically, slapping her knee, freeing his hand from hers.

"What a rush!" She exclaimed, catching her breath. "We did it!"

He stared at her as if she had grown three heads. "Where are we?"

"Come see!" she said to his growing irritation. His body was stiff and his fists were by his sides in frustration.

"Just tell me!" He grumbled, his eyes flashing daggers. He was tired of playing this guessing game with her. He looked around and saw a nothing but a grassy field and chain link fence. Confusion crawled up on to his face when he saw her walk to the fence and pull at the corner. The fence rolled on to itself like it was used to this sort of treatment. She had pulled back the fence so it was slightly larger than her frame when it hit him that she expected him to go through the fence. Grumbling to himself that this was the last time he'd ever allow himself to be pulled around, he climbed through the chain link fence, the cut metal snagging at his jeans. She quickly followed in pursuit, her eyes no longer nervous but filled with what looked like excitement. She walked up a grassy hill taking steps ahead of him and that's when he heard it. The music.


"We're going to see Led Zeppelin!" She cried in sheer delight. "I have all of their albums! Isn't this groovy?"

He didn't even have time to contemplate what groovy was as he gazed down over the hill. There were masses of bodies moving, shaking, talking, and singing. People of their age and older were gathered in a massive clump in front of a big black stage with speakers larger than the entertainers. The smell hit him next, smoke, stale alcohol, and something pungent crept up his nose. His face tightened in disgust, but as he turned to Riley, his face eased a bit. The light from the stage lit up her eyes and bathed her figure in a yellow glow. She appeared so angelic and beautiful in that light. Déjà vu struck him as he looked on at her. Lily had appeared the same way to him once before, before he mucked it all up. He always mucked everything up. He blinked his long lashes and took in the sight before him again. But she wasn't Lily, she was very different person than Lily. He could see that, but it didn't help that his mind still compared Riley to Lily. Suddenly, a melodious humming filled his larger ears and the figure into front of him began to sway. A dreamy expression swept over Riley's tanned face and her black eyelashes batted slowly. Almost rhythmically they moved as he watched the butterfly lashes cascade up and down.

"I love this song…" she said in a voice just above a whispering wind. All of a sudden, her face changed and she whipped her head around to him. "Let's go!"

He hesitantly took off after her. He was already here. He at least needed to make sure she didn't get mobbed by the crowd below.

They pushed their way through the crowd of hot and sweaty people. Shoulders bumped and elbows struck them as they moved through the gyrating bodies. Severus held back his feelings of claustrophobia and agoraphobia as his fingertips grazed a strangers arm. The girl he touched turned and smiled dopily when he noticed flowers strung throughout her hair. This was an alien and strange place he journeyed through. It felt like something in another universe. "Isn't this far out?" the girl shouted to him. He nodded nervously and quickly pushed through more people after Riley, at least that girl knew she was out somewhere. When he caught up to her finally, shuddering as he remembered the bodies he touched on his way there, he noted that they were close to the stage. He plugged his ears with his index fingers at the proximity of the sound. It almost the loudest thing he had ever heard and the squealing of the instrument the man held on stage rang in his ears. This was music, he thought? Riley seemed to be enjoying it. She had her hands up in the air and her body rocked from side to side in time with the notes of the song. He lowered his long fingers from his ears and stared at her in amazement. Her fingers danced in the air as her slender arms twirled above her and her shirt raised a good couple of inches with the movement, exposing her tanned stomach. It was flat like he imagined, not that he had imaged her stomach, had he? Her hips poked out above the waist of her jeans and he found his eyes trailing over every curve slowly, drinking it in. He watched as her ocean colored eyes drifted to the lead singer listening to each lyric and watching his bouncing curls on the stage. Severus grew strangely jealous with this action and horror filled his mind. He was interested in this girl. This would not do.

A song or two later, she handed him a random amber colored drink which he did not remember her having prior to that moment. He was thirsty despite the chilly air in the Scottish climate. He lifted the transparent cup to his pink lips and tilted it back into his mouth. He felt her eyes watching him as the liquid hit the back of throat. He sputtered, coughing into his hand. It was nothing like the butterbeer he had earlier in Hogsmeade. It was bitter, hopsy, and watery. It was awful.

"It's muggle beer." Riley said, still bouncing along to the music. How she had so much energy, he did not know. She drained her cup of the revolting liquid and materialized another one in her other hand. "It's good, right?"

Severus was not a fan of beer or its inebriating effects of its users. He liked to be in control of himself at all times. He had partaken in drinking libations before and still was never a fan. Riley didn't seem to mind as her head bopped back and forth to the music. Song played after song and he continued to watch her. It was still tantalizing to watch that small waist of hers rotate back and forth. He was picturing putting his hands on that tanned waist when she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ready to go?" She said with a smile, calm and appearing worry-free. Her cheeks were rosy with drink and her blue eyes glittered like diamonds in the concert light. Her chestnut hair was windswept behind her small pixie ears and her shirt had resumed its previous location at the top of her jeans. He hid his disappointment that his show was over behind his patented mask and resumed his normal façade.

"I cannot wait to go."