Samaria Kirby is mine. All else is J.K. Rowlings.

Chapter 12

The weeks passed quickly and soon it was Valentine's Day. Samaria never really cared for the holiday and Severus absolutely loathed it. But it was here, nonetheless, and Samaria decided, in honor of the holiday most looked forward to, she would teach her class how to cure stomachaches since most would have them by the end of the day from all the candy.

Opening the door to her classroom, expecting only to find a room full of Gryffindors and Slytherins, Samaria found much more than that. Looking around she saw bouquets of red, white, and even black roses on her desk. They had fairies flying around them, casting a beautiful glow onto the petals. The smell was so potent she could smell them in the doorway.

As she walked in the class grew silent and watched her. She walked up to the rose covered desk and took a note from one bouquet that read:

Samaria Kirby,

Your lips are as read as these roses.

Your grace is shown off by your poses.

A heart as pure as the moonlight,

Eyes that are an even more beautiful sight.

Skin as white as a dove,

This is the one that I love.

Samaria just stood there looking at the poem. Who wrote this? She knew she and Severus never exchanged gifts on Valentine's Day, even if they did, this wasn't his style. She looked up at her class. Most looked at her expectantly, as if waiting to see who sent her the roses.

"Does anyone know who sent these?" she asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"They were there when we came in," Ron told her.

She nodded and went to the back of the room to retrieve something out of a drawer that she would need for class. As she passed Draco's desk she noticed he had his head stuck in a book. He never read unless he was forced to, what was he reading? Before she could get a look at the cover, he put it down and began talking to Pansy. Letting it go for now, Samaria collected her things and began class.

After class, Samaria retreated to her office. Before she even got sat down, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called and in walked Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hey guys. What's up?" she asked.

"Just wondering how you were doing," Harry said.

"And who sent you those bloody roses," Ron said, putting his hands on his hips.

She laughed at him, "I'm not sure."

"Was it Professor Snape?" Hermione asked, and the two boys looked at her as if she were crazy.

"No," Samaria laughed. "We usually don't exchange Valentine's Day gifts."

"Then who?" asked Harry.

"I'm not sure," Samaria said. "But I'm gonna find out."

Later that day, after she had finally gotten all the roses into her living room, Samaria sat down and began to think for, what seemed like the millionth time, of who could have sent those flowers.

Severus walked in the door and paused. Looking around with confusion written on his face he asked, "What in Merlin's name…?"

"I don't know. They were on my desk this morning," she replied, handing him the note. He read it, and she could tell he wasn't happy.

"You have no clue?"

"No," she insisted. But before he could say anything else, they heard a voice from the fireplace.

"Anyone home?" it asked.

Samaria went to it and saw Sirius' face in the flames. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I wanted to know if you got your Valentine," he said, with that charming smile of his.

Nervously, she looked around and saw Severus seething.

"Um, yeah. I got it."

"You like it?"

"It's uh…" she didn't get to finish, there was a knock at the door and she told Sirius, "You gotta go. I'll visit later." His face disappeared.

"You will not visit him later, but I will!" Severus said.

"Shhh!" she said as she opened the door. At her feet was an owl holding a single yellow rose with a card. She took it and read the card:

To my little sister. Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Sirius

P.S. Bet this is better than what Snape gave you!

Samaria laughed to herself, mostly in relief. Sirius hadn't sent those roses. She read the message to Severus.

"Oh, well he better be glad he didn't send you that poem," he growled and kissed her before going to get Elena from Narcissa via the Floo Network.

Samaria decided to go visit Sirius while she didn't have a baby or husband to worry about. After leaving a note for Severus she left.

"So you have no idea who sent them?" Sirius asked and Samaria shook her head.

"Hmm, makes me wish I had, just so I could've taken credit for the look on Snape's face."

"Sirius, don't. I can't think of anyone, help me."

"I'm trying," he insisted. "I don't know. It's not Lupin, he likes… Well, it just wasn't him. It wasn't me, or Snape. Not Harry or any of them. Who else is there?"

"I don't…" she stopped. Was it possible the Dark Lord? No, he wasn't the poetic type, was he?

"I don't know," she finished. "I gotta go."

"What? What did I miss?" he asked confused.

"Nothing. I just remembered something. I'll see you later, okay?"

He hugged her, "Okay, bye."

Samaria hurried home to find Severus feeding Elena. "Have fun?" he asked, not even looking up.

"Do you think the Dark Lord could have…"

"No," he cut her off. "I thought about that. It's not his style."

She felt a little better, but still had her doubts. What if it was his attempt to woo her into his bed? "I think I'm going to visit Narcissa for a while. We haven't got to sit and talk in forever."She left quickly before her husband could question her motives.

Samaria sat in the Malfoy sitting room with Narcissa. The Dark Lord was gone. Narcissa said he had been gone for a few days, so it was indeed doubtful he sent the roses. She didn't say anything to her friend about them; she was actually trying not to think about it. It wasn't really that big of a deal, it was the shear fact she didn't know who sent them and she hated not knowing.

"Oh, I've redecorated a few rooms," Narcissa told her.

"Really?" Samaria liked decorating, but not nearly as much as her blonde friend.

"Yes, come and see."

She followed Narcissa throughout the manor, looking at new color schemes, new furniture, and new drapes. By the time they made it to Draco's room, she was sick of décor.

"Draco came home last weekend and just loved it," Narcissa said. The room was no longer silver and green but silver and black. Even though they kept one color, they had apparently gotten new silver because the things that were once silver, weren't now.

"It's lovely," Samaria said, and meant it.

Lucius walked past the room and stopped, "There you are, Cissy. Could I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course, Dear. Excuse me. Please, look around." Narcissa followed Lucius down the hall.

Samaria chose to stay in Draco's room and look around. She loved his room, it was so elegant but with a teenage fling to it. As she absently stoked her hand on the mahogany desk, she knocked some papers on the floor.

"Oh!" she cried as she bent to pick them up. Stacking them back together in no particular order, Samaria happen to notice the paper on top. It was a receipt.

"Seven dozen roses. Seventy Scottish Fairies. Delivery service," she read aloud. Shuffling through the other papers she found some schoolwork, essays and such. Then came what looked like a poem. It started as hers did, then went a little different and was scratched through. The next page got a little farther on the line. As she looked through the stack she saw it kept up that rhythm until he had a finished product.

Oh my gosh. Draco sent me the Valentine! she thought.

Putting the papers back on his desk, with the schoolwork on top, Samaria left the room.

When she got back home, she asked Severus to go to the Slytherin Common Room and get Draco. He complied with a confused look on his face but didn't ask questions… yet.

He even let her use his office because it was closer. When Draco arrived, he looked as if he was about to be in deep trouble.

"You're not in trouble, Draco," she assured him. His face relaxed a little but he didn't let his guard down.

"I know you're the one who sent me the flowers," she told him.

Draco's face turned blood red all the way to his ears and he looked down.

"Draco?" she asked.

"I, I, uh. I just wanted to do something special for you," he mumbled.

"Draco," she walked up to him, "I'm flattered, but I'm married and your teacher."

"I know. I just wanted you to have something special from me and know I cared. Well, know that someone cared. I chickened out putting my name on it."

"Thank you," she said and hugged him. It seemed to surprise him because he stiffened. When she pulled back, she said, "Really Draco. It's the nicest Valentine I've ever gotten." He rolled his eyes as if he didn't believe her. "No, I swear."

He looked at her a moment, and one side of his mouth lifted.

"And I won't tell anyone, except Severus."

His half smile dropped.

"He won't be angry and he won't tell anyone," she tried to assure him.

Draco sighed and nodded.

"So it was Draco," Severus chuckled.

"Yes and what's so funny?"

"A student has crush on you. And not just any student, Draco Malfoy," he said, still chuckling.

"Why is that funny? Is it so inconceivable that someone, other than you, finds me attractive?" she asked indignantly.

He just shrugged.

"I'm going to bed before you can insult me anymore," she told him and got up to go to their room. She walked passed Elena's crib, which was now in the living room because she had started waking up in the night just to babble to herself for a couple of hours before falling back asleep. Severus hadn't thought it as cute as Samaria had, so they moved the crib.

She opened the door to her room and gasped. The room was filled with red roses. Red petals were all over the floor and the bed. There were lit candles, that had to be enchanted because they were not melting, and wine on the dresser. She felt Severus put his arms around her waist and whisper, "Happy Valentine's Day."

With a huge smile on her face, Samaria turned around and kissed him. This was without a doubt the best Valentine's Day she had ever had.

~*SW*~

Samaria was in her office catching up on some grading when there was a knocking, more like a pounding, at her door. When she told them to enter, Harry busted in.

"Why are girls so… so… urgh!" He plopped down in the chair in front of her desk.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked him.

"It's Cho. I asked her to go to Hogsmeade with me for Valentine's Day. We went to some little teashop, because she wanted to. I went along with it, but when we get there she only wants to talk about Cedric! I mean, he was a great bloke and all, but I'm the one she kissed! But again, I went along with it. I told her what about the conversations I've had with Ron and Hermione about it and she got mad! She was mad about Hermione! Still, we talked a little more but then I had to leave because I had promised to meet Hermione at the Three Broomsticks. She got mad about that too! Said all kinds of mean things about her and left! I'll never understand women." The boy sat back in his chair with a huff.

"Honey, girls are just emotional. Think about it. Cedric was really important to her, but so are you. She doesn't want to betray him."

"That's what Hermione said," he mumbled.

"She's right," Samaria told him. "And when you talk about Hermione, it reminds Cho that another girl is closer to you than she is. The poor girl just doesn't know how to handle her emotions."

"Yes, poor her," Harry said, sarcastically.

Samaria laughed. "Harry, girls are ninety-nine percent emotion. That's just part of life."

"You're not," he insisted. "You're all right and Hermione isn't as bad as the others."

"I'm grown and I matured fast. Remember whom I'm married to. He doesn't do emotion a whole lot. As for Hermione, her best friends are boys, plus she has a good head on her shoulders. We two are exceptions to the other trillion girls of the world." She grinned at him.

"I just don't get them," he said.

"You never will. Just as I won't ever get ya'll," she gestured to Harry. "Men are foreign to women and women to men. That's the way it is."

Harry sighed, "Why?"

Samaria shrugged. "Got me."

He chuckled. "Sorry I busted in on you. Ron and Hermione got tired of hearing me rant."

"Anytime you need me, Harry, I'm here," she assured him and meant it.

~*SW*~

That night Samaria sat at a long table surrounded by other Death Eaters. She was sitting to the left of Severus, who was sitting at the Dark Lord's right hand. Bellatrix, newly out of Azkaban, graced the evil man's left. You could see the admiration ooze out of her when she looked at him. Samaria suspected he'd mentioned her, a little to favorably perhaps, because Bellatrix kept shooting her dirty looks. Or maybe it was because she was married to Severus and the woman didn't make it a secret that she believed every Death Eater that didn't serve time in Azkaban in the name of the Dark Lord deserved death. Either way it didn't bother Samaria, she could care less what that frizzy headed witch thought of her, but she was Narcissa's sister, so she decided to be civil.

At the head of the table, the Dark Lord spoke of all his faithful followers that had spent time in Azkaban for him. He went on about how they would be rewarded when he regained his power.

"Now, to Potter," he said and if he hadn't had his followers attention before, he did now. "We have a plan to retrieve the prophecy using him. The plan is completely secret and only a select few will know it. The Lestranges, Macnair, Nott, Crabbe, Avery, and Yaxley, you will join Lucius, being as it was his plan, and carry it out." His eyes met every one of theirs, "The rest of you shall have your individual assignments. Carry them out as I instruct and there will be no problems. You're dismissed."

It was as if a teacher said school was out. No one wanted to be left alone in the room with their revered master. The eight Death Eaters selected for the prophecy task headed to another room. Samaria couldn't help but feel a little jilted. She and Lucius had been assigned the task originally, so why wasn't she included.

Quickly, she tried to shake the crazy thoughts out of her mind as she followed Severus and Narcissa into the parlor. She shouldn't be jealous of murdering thugs getting chosen over her by the most evil wizard of their time.

"Samaria," she heard the silky, yet creepy voice flow down the hall. The evil wizard was calling her name. She held Severus' eyes a moment, and then went to see what the monster wanted.

"Samaria," he said again as she bowed before him. The table was now gone and only his 'throne chair' remained.

"Yes, my lord."

"Are you upset that I didn't choose you to go with them?"

Gosh! He knew Legilimens, yes, but she's had her mind blocked the entire time. He must have noticed her body language. She had to pay more attention, but maybe this would make her seem more of an eager Death Eater.

"Somewhat, master," she replied.

"Ah, well, if you had been involved it would compromise your position at Hogwarts. Understand?"

"Yes, my lord. I do. I'm just ready to serve you in any way I can."

"You are doing fine. Anything else from Potter?"

"No," she said, not completely honest. "He hasn't said anything that could be any use, really. Just talks of school and friends." He had told her about starting Dumbledore's Army, but she wasn't about to mention that, or the kiss and fight he'd shared with Cho Chang.

The Dark Lord looked into her eyes, but her Occlumency must have been good because he nodded.

"Very well. Goodnight."

On that note, Samaria rose and left.

Monday after classes, Samaria left Elena with Severus and went to Diagon Alley for some things. Afterwards, as she Apparated back into Hogsmeade, she had a thought. She'd go see Sirius. She hadn't talked to him since Valentine's Day.

The thought made her smile. Severus had been so romantic that night. He had never done that before in all the years she'd known him. Usually, she was surprised if she got a single rose from him. He had told her, though, not to get used to it.

After kissing her unhappy husband and a babbling Elena goodbye, she left.

When she arrived at Grimmauld Place, she and Sirius sat down for some tea (coffee for her, she hated hot tea).

"Ever find out who your mystery Valentine was?" he asked.

"Yes," Samaria said, but didn't elaborate.

"And…" Sirius pressed.

"And I promised him I wouldn't tell."

"Ah. Wasn't old Sevie, huh?"

She sighed, "No, it wasn't Severus. His gift was better."

He laughed, "What was it, a year supply of Polyjuice Potion? You need some of my hair so you can make him turn in to me?" He gave her a dashing smile.

Another sigh, "No, it wasn't any potion and even if it was, I wouldn't want any of your hair."

"You know you would, just quite denying it." Sirius smiled at her. "So what did the prat give you?"

She gave him a dirty look, then said, "I don't think you want to know."

"Try me."

"Well, he got dozens of red roses and put them on all the tables in our room. Then he got wine and candle and sat them around. And then he sprinkled petals everywhere, mostly on the bed…"

"That's enough!" he interrupted her. "I don't want to know the rest."

"You're sure?" Samaria grinned at him.

"Pos-i-tive," he replied, emphasizing every syllable.

She just smiled at him.

"He doesn't seem the romantic type," Sirius commented.

"He isn't. Personally, I think he didn't want to be out done by anyone else. In the past, no one ever gave me one. He'd give me a single rose every once in a while, but not often. I hated the holiday, all my life. Mostly because I never had a boyfriend to get Valentine's from and it kind of bled into my adult hood. But now that I've gotten some…" she smiled. "I think I like it a little better."

"You know why you never had a boyfriend?" he asked, studying his fingernails.

"Why," she asked, suspiciously.

"Cause you always were fawning over the teacher," he told her, still not looking at her.

Samaria laughed, "You're probably right."

Sirius finally looked at her, "Of course I am."

She rolled her eyes. "You're so full of yourself," she told him, and he just grinned.