One such night she broached the subject of Muggle Studies with the students.
"How often do graduating Students end up out in the real world with muggles?"
He rose a brow, tho he hated to admit it, he enjoyed the young witches company, and had come to enjoy their long talks.
"Most assuredly. Why?" She frowned and laced her fingers together, resting her chin delicately upon them.
"If they arent allowed to use magic infront of Muggles, how will they protect themselves if they were mugged or attacked in an alley? " He frowned.
"The instance hasnt happened, that I am aware of. Why is this relevant to us? We are Wizards, They are simply muggles. What can they do?"
Her face grew hard, serious. "You have got to be kidding me, does EVERYONE in the Wizarding world have that same oppinion?" He pondered that and gave a slight nod.
"Why is this important to you?" He wondered aloud.
She rose from her desk and began pacing. "Because the 'World' out there is dangerous! Magic, tho wonderful is not going to stop a bullet, or keep you safe ALL of the time...what if Hermione came across another madman like from the Texas Chainsaw Masacre...or another Ted Bundy...My god. You are all to cocky! Magic means nothing if you cant use it in EVERY circumstance! People could seriously be hurt or even killed, all because they dont believe Muggles are capable of hurting a 'Great and Powerful Wizard!" She sneered with contempt.
He frowned and watched her. "What do you mean? " She stopped pacing and gesturing wildly to stare at him. "Muggles, tho not Wizards, are every bit as dangerous as Those Dark Wizards Ive heard of. I'd rather face the cruciatis Curse, then some mad man with a fetish for eating people alive."
He paled, tho he had heard of such people, it didnt truely apply to him. "You dont know what you are saying. " He growled.
She turned and faced him. "Oh I dont do I? Think about it Severus. You are a Father, you and you're wife are out with your three children. You are Wizards in the Muggle park and safe, who could possibly touch you. You turn to find your youngest and prettiest Daughter missing. Owls are sent everywhere, there is no sign of her, no word. Weeks later, you are notified by the authories that your daughter has been found, so severely mutilated and tortured, that she would NEVER be able to bear the touch of a man. Oh sure, you're wizarding magic could heal her body. But Multipal Rape, vaginal, and anal by a fully grown man to a small little girl would leave emotional scars forever. This kind of stuff happens every single day. And Its impossible to stop."
He paled, the very thought was sickening. "I ought to ask Dumbledoor if I could take the students to an American Federal Prison. Let them see what these people are like. Maybe it would wake them up and make them want to learn how to safe guard themselves from dangerous Muggles without magic..."
He paled further. "You'll do no such thing! To expose mere children to such filth..." She interrupted him. "Would teach them that these people EXIST, and its a possiblity that one of THEM could become their victums! Open your eyes you obstinate old fool! You're sending these children out into the world to the mercy of the Muggles without so much as a simple self defense class! Im suprised you havent lost as many as you have! Its insane!"
He lost his temper, he rose from his seat and strode to her hand reaching for his wand. She was quicker than he had imagined she would be in such a fit of rage. She leapt upon him, struck his chin with her open palm, causing him to painfully bite his tongue, and see stars with the impact of his teeth slamming together. She then dropped to the floor swept her foot outward and kicked his feet beneath him, he fell like a stone, on his stomach, and she was upon him with her knees between his shoulder blades, a knife at his throat, and a handfull of his hair clenched in her fist, she gave a painful jerk of his hair, and pulled his head back her breath was hot against his ear.
"This could happen to the students Severus, Im not even a great fighter, and I disarmed and have you totally at my mercy. Imagine what would happen to the students in a situation like this. " She took the blade from his throat and rolled off of him, sliding it into her jeans, before lighting a ciggarette.
"You cant blame me for being worried. " She began, inhaling deeply. "Ive lived my whole life with Muggles like that"
He'd been stunned when he felt the cool kiss of a blade against his throat, and slightly, alright very intimidated... he reflexively rubbed his throat. "It must have been difficult. " He growled softly.
She sighed and gathered her things. "You have no idea. " And with that she strode from his rooms...angry. Perhaps not at him, more at the situation than anything else.
He watched her silently, his hand at his throat still...he couldnt forget the feeling of the blade there, and the sudden wash of fear that she truely COULD harm him, and there would have been nothing he could have done to stop her.
She stormed to her room, threw her books onto her bed, kicked the bedpost a while, then slipped out of the room and down through the halls... She talked to Proffessor Flitwick and found the location of the Music and Chorus room and sank onto the seat of the Grand Piano..
She was a mystery, and a prodigy, even tho she never spoke of it, or boasted. She was Mechanically, Musically and now Magically Inclined.
She rested her fingers on the keys, eyes closed and began to play. She threw herself into the music, playing stormy progressive Classical, letting her emotions out in the music. It slipped into sad sweet tones of David Lanz...the music filled the room and down the halls.
Severus Snape had left his Dungeons intent on going to the Kitchen for another bottle of Firewhiskey when the piano music caught his ears...
The Music teacher wasnt there, who could possibly be playing at a time like this? Letting his curiosity control him breifly, he followed the music to its source...to find Danielle Silvermane at the piano, eyes closed as she played.
He watched her from the doorway...silent...her expression was sad, but she never seemed to miss a beat...fingers playing beautifully.. the song itself was sad...heartwrenchingly, but what disturbed him most was that tears streamed down her face, and her expression was a pained mask of anguish. She let the song end, and dropped her face into her hands to give way to silent, body wracking sobs.
It hurt him to see her like that, she was the stubborn, headstrong Slytherin of his house, she should not cry like that. For any reason. Silently he approached her, and touched her shoulder. She didnt move...but her voice was a pained growl.
"Go away."
He shook his head and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Perhaps you would like to talk about it?" He murmured so softly, he wasnt sure she heard him, for she was silent a long time.
"You wouldnt understand. You've had the easy pampered life of a Wizard. You know nothing of what is inside of me." He stared down at her and touched her hands, brushing them away...she turned stormy ebony eyes up to him...
He was glaring, but not angrily, which was a talent this man seemed to posses. The Ability to glare and not seem angry whilst doing it.
"I would, if you explained it to me..." She shook her head.. "This world is so cruel, so unkind...so unfair. The scales always tip towards the stronger, the richer, nevermind if either of those two are evil, and destroy lives. Good people are torn asunder and no one bats so much as an eyelash in regret. My people have suffered so much, lost so much, and even with what I will 'bring' back with me, and what I will 'build' Im afraid it will not ever be able to return things to the way they were. Ever again."
Her voice was filled with defeat...her shoulders sagged...and she turned away from him...rose from the piano and stood before the large stained glass window overlooking the Quiddich feild.
"What do you mean Danielle?"
She sighed. "I must bring magic back to my people. I must start a school, I must try to create a place within the Muggle world where my People can live in the old ways, away from Muggle Oppression. Hidden from all the world if needs be...Like Diagon Alley..." She seemed to sag with the wreight of such a responsibilty.
He approached her, striding to her with long steps, it was barely two breaths before he was behind her, enveloping her in his arms from behind. She sighed against him and closed her eyes.
"Its unfair of them to expect so much of you. You are only One Witch afterall." She nodded and shrugged within his embrace.
"Im all they have right now. What choice do I have? I have these abilities, how can I not use them to help my people? So that they may go back to the old ways if they so choose..." He turned her in his arms and glared down at her.
Mystified she stared into his eyes and touched his cheek. "Why are you angry?" She asked in barely a whisper.
He studied her face and closed his eyes breifly. "Because it is wrong to expect you to fix all of their problems. It is too much to ask of you. "
She closed her eyes. "Wrong or not...I have to do..." She was silenced by a soft kiss against her lips. She rested against him, let herself enjoy the kiss and returned it lightly. No sense in scaring the man off again. And this time he had made a true pass.
He broke away after a while..she sighed and shook her head. "Ive got to rest...Im sorry." She touched his cheek once more, before slipping away from him, and back to her rooms. He watched her broodingly...then growled as he stormed away.
What the HELL had possessed him to kiss her, Again!?!?!?!?