Chapter 19

"The Headmaster would like to see you, Miss Brannigan." Professor Slughorn said cheerfully, holding a piece of parchment in his hand. His gaze met the blue eyes of the American girl in the back of the dungeon as he raised his head from the note in front of him. Riley stood suddenly, scooting her stool back from the potions lab table. She nodded to her professor and looked quickly at Severus who was seated next to her. His black eyes locked with hers and he reached out for her hand under the table. He gently squeezed her hand briefly in reassurance, looking at her pensively. Students did not get called to the Headmaster's office during class unless something imperative needed to be communicated. Riley had only been to the headmaster's office once before when she was sorted upon her late arrival. She released Severus' hand reluctantly and walked up to Old Sluggy to retrieve the latest candy-themed password to gain entrance into the Headmaster's office.

"The password is Pixie Puffs." Slughorn whispered gently into Riley's ear.

Riley was grateful that her professor didn't see the roll her eyes gave as she heard the sweetly named password. She didn't know the headmaster as well as other students, but he sure gave the impression of being an adult who never quite grew up.

Riley reluctantly hurried through the castle as she walked up to the Headmaster's Tower to the Gargoyle corridor. She stood in front of the large and ugly stone creature and muttered, "Pixie Puffs," as she rolled her eyes again. The gargoyle jumped out of the way and the circular stone staircase rose. Riley climbed the stairs with her cape hitting the back of her ankles making the journey upward. She stopped in front of the door unsure of what to do, when the door swung open magically. Walking in, she felt the eyes of all the past headmasters and headmistresses on her, surveying her appearance. She silently cursed herself for not unrolling her uniform skirt before she entered the curious chamber. She shook her feelings from her mind as her eyes widened at the group gathered before her. Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk in a silver backed chair, looking quite comfortable. Her Head of House, Minerva McGonagall, adored in her normal teaching robes spoke to a gentleman in gray dress robes. Riley looked to the right of the cluster of adults and saw a familiar face that she had seen at the last Slug Club party, Alder Rowan, the captain of the Tutshill Tornados. Alder's face lit up as he noted her arrival. The twenty-something-year-old man was oddly decked out in his full blue Tutshill Tornados' gear as he grinned at her.

Riley's head cocked to the side curiously as he walked towards her in the middle of the office and held out his hand for her to shake. She took his large hand in hers and shook it skeptically, trying to return his smile.

"I believe congratulations are in order, Miss Brannigan." Dumbledore said from his seat, his hands set in a steeple before him.

Riley's dark eyebrow rose in confusion as her headmaster addressed her. Alder looked at her and waved his massive hand to the gentleman in the gray dress robes.

"This is the owner of the Tutshill Tornados, Bilius Cattermole. Bilius, this is Riley Brannigan." Alder said in his warm Scottish accent.

Bilius, a man in his sixties with graying blonde hair, held out his weathered and tanned hand for Riley to shake. Riley took the man's hand in hers and shook it firmly looking him in his green eyes.

"Miss Brannigan," The older gentleman began, clearing his throat ceremoniously, "We'd like to offer you a chance to play on our summer league with the Tutshill Tornadoes and issue you a first year contract to play on the reserve team in the fall. Based on your summer and first year performance, we'd then consider hiring you full time."

Riley looked at the man speechless. The older man looked back at her awaiting a response.

"Well, what do you say, Riley?" Alder asked eagerly, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet slightly, "We'd figured we'd offer you the chance before you got recruited somewhere else."

Alder looked at her with his hands clasped together, his hazel eyes urging her on. Dumbledore noticed the discomfort and surprise on the young girl's face and spoke up.

"Our Miss Brannigan has also been offered a teaching apprenticeship too in Muggle Studies." Dumbledore commented, looking at her over his half-moon spectacles.

"Wow! Congratulations, Riley! An apprenticeship too?" Alder exclaimed looking at her with an admiring expression. "So not just athletic, but brainy too?"

Riley could not speak as everyone in the room looked at her. She never dreamed of receiving both positions, she felt torn and excited all at the same time. She immediately thought of Severus and wished he was there to consult. He was rational in thought and could talk her down from her emotional decision making.

"The apprenticeship is on condition that I perform well on my N.E.W.T.s." Riley said quietly.

"Don't be modest, Miss Brannigan," McGonagall said, "You do quite well in your classes." Her Head of House smiled sweetly at the girl.

Riley smiled back softly, but her head was deep in thought. Severus would want her to take the Quidditch position, but she wanted to take the apprenticeship to stay with him. The Quidditch position would mean some travel. Would that take away from her studies? She currently saw Severus almost every day and even more during Potions. If they did indeed live together, she could be guaranteed to see him every single day if she weren't traveling for a game. She could apparate after each match to ensure she'd be home. Would her parents approve of her even living with Severus? Did she care what they thought now? Would she ever let someone separate herself from her Slytherin? Did Severus even want to live with her? He never formally gave her an answer…

So many thoughts flew freely through her mind with the pressure of all the eyes upon her. Whatever decision she made would influence the future of her relationship with Severus. Finally, she heard the crisp, clean baritone-laced thoughts in her mind that sounded distinctly like the one she loved. She knew what he'd want for her.

"I could do both…" Riley said at last, mustering up a cheerful tone to hide her confusion, "When else would I have this opportunity again?"

"Brilliant!" Alder said, grabbing her hand again and pumping it up and down again enthusiastically. Riley tried to smile at him, through the underlying stress she was trying to suppress.

"We should let Miss Brannigan get back to class now, her N.E.W.T.s are steadily approaching." Dumbledore stated with a jolly edge to his voice. His eyes sparkled knowingly at her, almost as if he sensed her anxiousness to get back to class. Class was the last thing on her mind at the moment though. The only thing that mattered was Severus.

"Right then, Riley. You're due to the team's office on July 1st at ten in the morning. I'll send you an official owl as a reminder." Alder said jovially, nodding to Bilius. Bilius nodded back and smiled softly at the girl.

"I'm sure she'll get her affairs in order by then, Alder." Dumbledore said with another twinkle that sparkled in his blue eyes.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity." Riley said humbly, looking at the two gentlemen, "I look forward to working with you both in the future."

She shook each of their hands one last time before turning on her heeled platform shoes and walking out the door behind her. When she heard the click of the closed door, she raced down the circular staircase. She dashed along the halls and down the staircases towards the bottom of the castle, careful to avoid Peeves the ghost, who was setting a booby trap in a doorway. By the time she reached the dungeons, she was out of breath and leaned herself against the stone wall outside of the Potions classroom. She straightened her skirt and her tie and walked into the classroom calmly, nodding to Professor Slughorn as she arrived. He smiled congenially at her and continued on with his prattle as he pointed to the blackboard.

Other students raised their heads briefly at her as she passed them, but quickly moved their eyes back to Slughorn, seeing nothing of note. As she walked to the back of the classroom, careful to not allow her shoes to click, she caught Severus' eyes. His black eyes locked on to her blue eyes with interest and slight concern. She pulled out her stool as silently as she could manage and turned immediately to her side.

"Muffliato." Severus muttered, pointing his wand from his robes at the surrounding students. Picking up his head that was framed with curtains of black silky hair, he straightened up to his full height on the lab stool. Riley's brow rose as she watched the students rub their ears in confusion.

"They can't hear us now." He said plainly and precisely in a normal tone.

Riley looked impressed and twitched her cherry lips upward in an impish smile.

"I know I liked you for more than just your looks." She said in a smug tone, eyeing him playfully, making his ears warm to a pink tone.

"Tell me what happened." He said briefly in a firm tone, quickly changing the subject matter.

"Tutshill offered me a spot." Riley said bluntly.

"What did you say?" Severus asked without reserve, eyeing her expression.

"Yes." She said, keeping her eyes locked on his to read his reaction. "I'm going to try to take both positions."

"That's quite a lot to take on." He told her, with a serious tone.

"I know, but it is a once in a lifetime experience. I may never get to experience either again." Riley said plainly.

Severus nodded thoughtfully agreeing with her deliberation and stared at her, studying her face.

"You're worried about it though, it's written all over your face." He said practically, his black eyes searching for an answer.

"Not all of us have developed the ability to completely mask our emotions…" Riley smirked at him, still with an undercurrent of worry mixed in her eyes. "But of course, I'm worried. I'm worried about our situation." She said quietly, her eyelashes fluttering softly upon her cheeks.

"You want to live together." He mused aloud. His black eyes sparkled knowingly at her. "Your parents may not approve, didn't you say that?"

"I know. I did say that. But I don't care." Riley said bluntly.

"I don't either." Severus said smoothly.

"What does that mean?" Riley asked, her eyebrow rising in question.

"You know what it means, Riley, or have you been drinking whatever is the Gryffindor gillywater?" Severus said, his tone a little frank.

Riley glared at him briefly.

"Say it." She said in an irritated voice, knowing that he was avoiding the inevitable. She wanted to hear him say what she longed to hear. Severus grumbled and looked at the students surrounding them, uneasiness in his eyes.

"You already said they can't hear us." Riley said, watching the direction of his gaze. He shook his head in frustration, not wanting to share his feelings—or even talk about them for that matter. She was the only one that he would allow to badger him like this. Anyone else would get ignored or worse...

"Severus..." she said, turning herself on her stool and facing him slightly so that her eyes bore into to him. She placed her hand on his knee and his breath caught in his throat. The way she said his name and the touch of her hand drove him wild inside. He closed his eyes to suppress the flood of warmth that surrounded his knee and above and then opened them. She had no idea what she did to him. He had an idea of what his voice did to her, when she purred like a kitten as he rumbled in her ear. But no one said his name like she did, with passion and longing at the same time. She made his name sound enticing and her tone hinted at things to come.

"I want you to live with me." He said finally, picking his head up and staring at her with his black eyes. He could not withhold his feelings any further. His eyes said everything his other facial features did not. Desperation lingered there—a desperation to love and be loved back. Riley held back as much as she could to not kiss him full upon the lips right there and then.

"Incendio." Riley whispered, surprising Severus as he began to feel the pull to her as he always did, the tug that drew him to her. He watched as she pulled out her wand with her short, blue polished nails and pointed it at a Slytherin student's robes in the first row. A tiny flame licked the edge of the students' robes instantaneously and smoke began to silently rise. The smoke wafted through the air and the aroma quickly filled the nostrils of other nearby students. The distraction was created as Slughorn and other students tried to snuff the fire out quickly. Knowing the student was no real danger and using the moment to her advantage, Riley leaned over to Severus and kissed him gently upon his lips. She captured him off guard, causing his eyes to stay open a few extra seconds. He closed his eyes and thought about how he would prefer having this time alone with his Gryffindor as her lips intermingled with his. He tasted the cherry sweetness of her lips as she captured his lower lip. She slowly pulled back from him before prying eyes could see.

"Apparently, you have a little Slytherin in you." Severus said softly, looking in her blue ocean eyes.

"Apparently." Riley said sweetly, looking right back at him.


Riley sat over the simmering cauldron, her chestnut glossy locks falling in front of her face. She swept them back with her forearm, careful to not allow the sopophorous bean juice on her hands get in her hair. She cursed herself mentally for not remembering to tie back her hair before the N.E.W.T. exam. A look of determination set in her blue eyes as she added the juice to her cauldron and began stirring the container anticlockwise. Her skin glowed with a faint hint of perspiration as the room grew humid with brewing of potions. She glanced swiftly over to her table partner, who stood calmly over his beans. She grumbled in frustration as she watched his very calm exterior as he handled his ingredients. Although she was a decent potions student, Severus still had more precision than she could ever imagine for herself. His silky black hair hung by his face as she looked at his unreadable expression. After the seventh turn of her potion, she glanced down in the cauldron expecting to see the contents turn lilac in color. Instead she was greeted with an unwelcome murky eggplant shade. In frustration, she threw the wooden spoon aside, back into the cauldron and sat down on her stool in a huff. She folded her arms and buried her face in her sweater covered arms, shaking her head back and forth in anger.

Severus looked over at her, hearing the muttering of curses coming from the buried head on the table. His calm face took on a sympathetic glimmer as he patted her gently on the head with his free hand. This potion was incredibly challenging and he saw similar looks of defeat popping up in various stages all over the room. He glanced over at her potion, turning his head slightly and grimaced at the eggplant color lurking in her cauldron. He turned back to his potion, careful not to unsettle the good results he had seen thus far. He placed the juice of 13 sopophorous beans in the mixture rather than 12 and began to stir. He stirred seven times anticlockwise, and one final time clockwise. He peered over the liquid and smirked with satisfaction as the potion turned a lightly colored lilac.

"Well done, Severus!" Slughorn exclaimed, clapping his chubby hands together in excitement. He patted the young man on the back, reaching his hand up as high as he could to grasp Severus' much higher shoulder. Several students with exasperated expressions swung their heads around to their back table at the sound of Slughorn's praise. Many glares reached their table, but Severus ignored them as he felt the pride fill up within himself.

Riley picked up her head that she been beating against her arms and extended her short height on her stool to view the contents of Severus' potion. Her eyes widened at the color that she saw and she pressed her lips together humbled by Severus' skilled effort. Slughorn ventured over to her side, careful to not bump his stomach into the nearby contents and peered in her black basin. A look of eagerness went into the cauldron and a look of disappointment came out. Riley's face paled as she watched the professor's mood change so quickly in a short amount of time.

"A-a valiant effort!" Slughorn said, attempting to provide an equally kind compliment to Severus' lab partner. The professor looked a bit flustered and quickly moved to the next student. His face fell deeper as he looked into Avery's cauldron. The potions master walked away swiftly, as he coughed heavily into his fist. He muttered apologizes to his Slytherin student claiming he had a coughing fit and must fetch some water.

Severus' face lit up with suppressed humor as he watched the older professor toddle away as fast as he could from Avery's potion. Slughorn turned his back on the class as he transfigured a vial into a small bowl and produced his stomach contents neatly into it with barely a sound. With a wave of his wand again, the bowl and its contents were delivered elsewhere. The professor turned back to the class and delicately wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief that he had retrieved from his lapel pocket. Avery's face was horrified at the display and he pushed the cauldron further away from his table.

Riley looked at Severus, who was trying to contain his internal laughter, by placing his hand on his lips to conceal his smirk. Riley's blue eyes swept over her partner as her lips tugged upward at Severus' expression.

"At least you didn't cause someone to expel their breakfast at the sight and smell of your potion." Severus said with a voice just above a whisper.


A/N: Thank you, readers. Thank you, reviewers, followers, and people who have made my story a favorite. You all inspire me and reward me with your time. Thank you.