Chapter 6

Madam Pomfrey released Summer one day before classes were to resume. Summer spent the rest of that day hiding in her dormitory, not wanting to face anyone. She knew they would question her. They were Hufflepuffs, after all, and did in some miniscule way care about everyone – when it was called for, Summer scoffed. She cursed herself for doing something so stupid out in the open. Now she would constantly be hammered with questions, as the scars on her face were still quite evident. The last thing she wanted was human interaction.

The next two weeks, classes went by without much difference. After a few meetings with Dumbledore, her housemates had stopped pestering her with questions, and now merely gave her looks of sympathy and pity. Summer couldn't decide which was worse.

- - -

Summer was packing up her cauldron, because her potions lesson had just gotten finished. She pushed some of her thick hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, huddling in her robes. Winter was fully upon Hogwarts, and Summer still hated the cold that it brought. Somewhere from within her thoughts, she heard a voice call out her name.

"Miss Sundale, if you do not pay attention when you are called, I will immediately take away 20 points from Hufflepuff," a low voice rumbled. Evidently he had called her once or twice, as several other students were either staring at her or laughing. She looked up from the doorway and back over her shoulder towards Professor Snape. He was irate, and almost impatient.

Nothing more had come of that evening in the hospital wing. Summer was afraid to see him again, and had discontinued her potions work. The mere sight of him in classes made her shudder, though whether from desire or fear, she still couldn't figure out. For all she could assume, it was some combination of the two.

"If you will actually pay attention with that head of yours," he drawled as she walked over to his desk, "perhaps I can actually give this to you." He handed her a piece of paper which had potions written on it, and many of them were crossed off. It was her list that he had originally made for her over the holidays. The only difference was that on the top of the list was written, "Amortentia" in a scrawling script that was hard to decipher.

Summer studied this for a moment, still slightly confused. Snape glared at her, almost thrusting the list at her.

"I have not the time to dally. And as for the potion at the top, I need help brewing it for my sixth year classes. I assume that your extracurricular activities have not consumed all of your spare time?" he asked sarcastically, knowing well that she didn't have any activities to participate in.

Finally taking the list from his slender hand, Summer looked up at him. She tried not to think of him as anything other than a professor, or of how he had gently kissed her and made her feel like she was the only person in the world that mattered to him. Her green eyes captured his for a moment, and saw something flicker through his black orbs. She shouldn't have accepted. It was going to be sheer torture on her part, being around him, all alone again – this time with him knowing full well how she felt about him.

"Certainly, Professor Snape. When would you like me to come back down?" she politely asked. Her face showed no hint of emotion, and she planned to keep it as such. He didn't need a reminder of that embarrassing night, and she wouldn't be the one to cause him that pain.

"Tonight. After dinner." His response was curt, and Summer merely nodded to him before leaving.

All she could think about for the rest of the day was going back down to the dungeons. His face and his touch had infiltrated her every thought, and she wasn't sure how she was going to behave when alone with him again. But directly after dinner, she had the opportunity to discover that for herself.

When Summer arrived at Snape's rooms, she took a deep breath and knocked. The door opened and he merely looked at her before turning around again, leaving the way clear for her to enter. She did so and saw to her mild surprise that he was brewing some potions in the lab. I haven't been here for two weeks. Obviously he's been doing the work I had taken up, Summer told herself.

Without any spoken words between them, Summer got to work brewing the Amortentia Potion, taking a table as far away from Snape's work as possible. She would briefly allow her gaze to flicker in his direction, watching the way his hands moved, or how his movements were almost like a dance. Sighing to herself, she shook her head and returned to cutting up a fig root.

The next time Summer looked up, Snape was standing right next to her. She gave a slight gasp of surprise and almost cut herself.

"It seems you were not properly instructed in cutting roots," he told her. She merely stared at him, not knowing what to say. He seemed to roll his eyes and placed his hands over hers. "This is how you are supposed to slice it." His hands were warm and soft, completely covering her smaller ones.

Summer looked up at Snape and smiled gently. "Thank you, sir," she said. He grunted and let go, assuming she would be able to properly cut the rest. His touch still burned her hands, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling they had given her. Who knew the Potions Master could be so warm, she thought.

After a time, Summer got bored while waiting for the Amortentia Potion to brew. It had to simmer for an hour, and she had nothing to be doing in the interim. She sat on the stool and got up her nerve to tell Snape what she had wanted to for a couple of days.

"Thank you for saving me," she whispered lightly. Snape looked up from his cauldron and stared at her. His face gave no hint of malice, but it wasn't gentle.

"I did what anyone else would have done," he retorted. Assuming she was quite through, he went back to his potion, adding a few ingredients.

Summer sighed, realizing that he didn't fully know how not everyone would have done that for her. In her mind, at least.

"I'm not sure anyone else would have." Her gaze had gone to stare at the bubbling cauldron in front of her. "You've been the only person I can almost call a friend, while at Hogwarts. Thank you." She tried not to let her voice waver, or to let her hands start to tremble. But they did anyway. Taking a deep breath, Summer looked up to see Snape glaring at her from across the room. She shook her head. "Never mind," she said in a sigh.

- - -

He was staring at her, still not quite sure why. She had thanked him. It was only to be expected, wasn't it? But yet she still insisted on calling him a friend, and thanking him again. Snape was starting to think the girl was mad. She did kiss you, he thought without realizing it. It had perhaps been the first time in many years that someone had even touched him, let alone shown that they actually cared for him. And here she was, putting it into words this time that she cared. He didn't know what to do.

"Miss Sundale… perhaps if you would refrain from speaking, we can actually get some work done?" he snarled. To his surprise, she smiled gently at him and tilted her head. Her auburn hair fell onto one shoulder, making her look even more beautiful than he already thought her. A slight giggle resounded throughout the chamber.

"Yes, Professor Snape." Good. At least she was getting back into her normal demeanor. He didn't have to worry about scaring her off, again.

"I couldn't help but notice, sir, that you seem unusually pale. Well, more than normal," she added in her light voice. "I hope you're feeling well."

"In all matters that concern you, I am perfectly well," he retorted. True, he hadn't been sleeping well the past two weeks, but she didn't need to know that. Nor did she need to know the reasons.

"Are you certain?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, Miss Sundale, I am quite certain!" he barked. She was merely smiling at him and giggling again. Why she insisted on being so happy, Snape could only guess. But her laughter was so innocent and sweet, despite everything that had transpired. It still baffled him beyond recognition.

Summer had risen from her seat and was steadily walking towards him. She shouldn't be getting near him. Merlin knew how much he wanted to kiss her again, to taste her sweetness and feigned innocence. But she continued walking, coming to stand directly in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, Snape held himself steady. Instead of him reaching for her, though, Summer placed a small hand on his arm. Snape was tempted to wrench her fingers off of him, but at the same time desired to pull her closer. He was only half-aware of her words, so strong was his inner battle.

"… tell me, Professor." There it was again. That sickeningly sweet smile.

"Tell you what?" he growled at her. His eyes flickered to the hand that was still lying on his upper arm. She pouted slightly, as if realizing that he hadn't heard everything that she had said.

"I said, that if something's wrong, you can tell me," she said softly. Her grip on his arm tightened for a moment before leaving. He still didn't know why he held back from people so much, even when he wanted to reach out to them, despite propriety.

"And as I already said to you, nothing is wrong, as far as you are concerned." He was glaring at her again as she sat back down, gently stirring her potion. A sad smile was on her face, and Snape inwardly cringed.

"I know, sir," was all she said.

- - -

The next morning was Saturday. The students were allowed to go to Hogsmeade, and Summer decided to actually get out and maybe clear her head. Getting away from the school might do her some good, she decided. She awoke early enough to take a shower and eat a filling breakfast and headed to Hogsmeade earlier than most students.

She wound her way through to crowded marketplace, looking at all the shops. She had only made one other trip here, when she was looking for a few gifts for Christmas. Other than that, she usually had no reason to go. The shops were still foreign to her, and she gazed at each new sign with increasing interest. The one that caught her eye, however, was "Scrivenschaft's". With curiosity, Summer headed into the shop.

It was filled with parchments of all colors, along with quills, inks, and journals. Evidently it was a stationary shop. Summer walked among the shelves, picking up an item here and there, trying to find something worth buying.

For Christmas Summer had bought Snape a bound leather journal. A small item, perhaps, but one she thought he might enjoy. She had often seen him scribbling down information on a particular potion, so she thought he would like to have it organized in a way that he could find what it was he was looking for. A simple charm made the journal file itself, along with cross-referencing.

A small smile played upon her lips as she thought about the way his face must have looked when he opened the gift, along with the note explaining how to use it. She assumed it was perhaps one of the most thoughtful presents he had received in years, gathering how many of the other packages looked like socks. Summer giggled when she thought of Snape getting a pair of pink socks from McGonagall or someone of the like.

Rummaging through a clearance bin, Summer found a peacock quill as well as rainbow ink. She went up to the register and paid for her items before walking back outside into the chilly January air. With a small parcel in her cloak, Summer realized she was starting to get hungry. Trying to decide which direction to go in, she looked up and down the alley. A dark, stalking figure was walking in her direction. Smiling to herself, Summer walked towards him.

"Good afternoon, Professor Snape," she cheerily said. The image of Snape wearing pink socks flitted through her mind and she had to suppress another giggle.

He seemed distracted and almost jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Good afternoon," he responded. His eyes were looking anywhere but at her, and Summer found that intriguing.

"I was just heading over to the Three Broomsticks for a bite to eat. Would you like to join me?" Once again, he seemed distracted and far away. His eyes finally met hers, before he nodded.

"As long as you don't pester me with incessant questions as to my health, I will," he said. Summer smiled at him and his distant look seemed to come a little closer to reality. It must be all in my mind, she criticized herself.

The pair walked back in the direction Snape had been coming from. The streets were more crowded than they had been earlier, and Summer kept bumping into Snape. She continued muttering, "sorry," to him before he told her that it wasn't worth the effort.

Winding their way through the throngs of people, they walked into The Three Broomsticks and sat down at a booth opposite each other. Summer took off her cloak and huddled in the warmth of her sweater, smiling. There was no feeling better than warming up after a day outside in the winter snow.

"What would you like to eat?" she asked Snape. He didn't respond, so she continued. "Well, I'm going to go and get a warm butterbeer and a slice of pumpkin pie. Would you like some?"

"I am perfectly capable of getting my own drink." His voice was low and almost growling at her. Summer shrugged and walked up to the bar, grabbing items. Snape merely watched her eat and drink her butterbeer.

Looking up at him, Summer smiled with her eyebrows slightly drawn. "Are you just going to stare at me, or are you going to eat something?" she asked him. He didn't respond. "I'm sorry to inform you, Professor, but that does get a little uncomfortable," she said after another minute or two.

"It was to my understanding that women enjoy it when men look at them," he retorted. That threw Summer off. It was the first time he had ever said something that indicated anything beyond a student-teacher relationship. It almost appeared as though he was being friendly and playful. Snape almost seemed to be smirking. Dumbfounded, she looked at him for a moment before responding.

"Look at them, yes. But not blatantly stare." Not able to handle the pressure, Summer started to laugh a little. "But in your case, they may much be the same thing." She took another bite of pumpkin pie, still smiling at him. The slight-smirk didn't seem to leave his face, but rather it almost intensified as though he understood exactly what she meant.

When they finally left The Three Broomsticks, it was starting to get dark out. Their playful banter had continued through much of the two hours they had spent there. Snape had finally gotten something to eat after she was done, thus forcing her to stay there with him. She had, after all, invited him. It wouldn't have been polite to leave. Not like Summer had really wanted to leave his company, anyway.

They walked back to the school in the increasing twilight. Other students were quickly walking past them as they continued in a slow stride. Walking into the castle, Summer looked up at Snape and smiled.

"Thank you for keeping me company, Professor Snape," she said warmly. It was the first time she had socialized since the summer. Feeling beyond elated, she was smiling at him.

He snorted at her comment. "I wouldn't call that company," he said. She merely shook her head at him before whispering softly.

"I hope that whatever was bothering you earlier is better." Before he could respond to her statement, Summer quickly leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He glared at her and she smiled back. With that, she walked away from him, heading back towards her dormitory. She felt he deserved a little kindness once in a while.

- - -

Author's Note: I hope that this chapter lifted up the mood from the previous two! As much as I enjoy writing angst, I know that not everyone wants to read it. Besides, it's fun to picture Snape wearing pink socks! Especially if they're really fuzzy and sparkly! Haha. Anyway. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to slowly build a relationship, so if you want to see Snape and Summer shagging, you're just going to have to wait :P This fic is supposed to be somewhat realistic.

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. It brightens my day:)