During the two weeks after the Ball Sirius was walking around grumpily and frowned every time he saw Severus, but he did nothing, at least not in Carmina's presence. However, after two weeks worth of Severus' faint excuses and his avoiding answering her questions, Carmina had enough, especially when she saw him sitting down cautiously and painfully on a rock beside her, when he joined her at the lake.

She gave him a sharp look.

"You hit something or tripped again, didn't you?" she said sarcastically.

"Let it be, Carmina. I've just eaten something. I have a stomach-ache." he snarled.

"Aw, really now?" she purred.

He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You are a Hufflepuff, Carmina. Slytherin tactics are not your kind of action. Don't even try to pull that tone with me."

"You know, the Hat couldn't decide. I could be anything, I just hurried it up a bit and it decided Hufflepuff. What's the matter with you? Since the Christmas Ball you're walking around as if beaten."

Severus just growled something. He was doing it a lot, so Carmina understood something along the way of "You're crazy."

"But of course, crazy about you."

He turned to her in surprise.

"What did you just-"

Carmina used his lack of attention and that he turned to face her. She poked him in the stomach. He cried out in pain before he could stop himself.

"Carmina!" he gave her a hurt look and moved away a bit.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you, but if you were speaking the truth, I wouldn't be able to hurt you."

Severus snarled under his nose again. He was really good at it.

"What happened to you, Severus?" she asked quietly, looking right at him.

He squirmed a bit.

"Nothing. I've told you that already."

"You did tell me that. But I would like to hear the truth, not stories. I can make them up myself, you know."

"I am telling you the truth."

"Expelliarmus," Carmina sighed. Severus´ wand came flying out of his pocket and into her hand. In a blink of an eye she had it safely tugged in her inner pocked, along with her own wand.

"Carmina!" he yelled indignantly and gave her an evil glare. The expression disappeared though, when he saw her crawling slowly and menacingly toward him on all fours. The look on her face was similar to that of a predator hypnotizing its prey when approaching.

She didn't turn her eyes away from his face and even smirked, when she saw him getting a bit restless the moment she got a bit too close to his liking. If she played with him long enough, he would spill everything just to make her distance herself again.

She crawled until she was kneeling over him and pushed him down on his elbows. He was almost lying next to the rock he was sitting on before, with her towering above him.

"Carmina… What are you doing?" he said weakly, confused.

"I?" she smirked at him. "Nothing at all. Though I think it is called 'pressure tactic' in general."

He tried to sit, but Carmina made no move to back away, so he fell back again eventually.

"I will not tell you anything."

"It's all right, I am quite comfortable here," she leaned down to him more.

Severus gulped and moved away again. He started looking around frantically for a way to get out from there, before he realized what he was doing. Then he quit it.

"Are you too?" she continued in a pleasant, conversational tone of voice.

He paled.

"Err… I think the Hat should have sorted you into Slytherin. That would be a lot more appropriate."

"Oh, would you like to be in my presence that often?"

He snarled desperately. "Carmina, you are a Hufflepuff. Shouldn't you behave as all the Hufflepuffs would?"

"I am behaving that way," she smiled sweetly. "Hufflepuffs are known for their trying to achieve what they want. I am currently trying hard to get it out of you, what happened to you. We are friends, so I would be very unhappy to hurt you again. Until you force me, of course. So?"

"What will you do if I won't tell you?"

"Well," she began with a sly smile and moved her gaze at his mouth. "I have quite a bit of free time, so I think I would start with kissing you again. Last time it had quite a desirable effect. What do you think?"

Severus stared at her in a minute of astonishment. It looked like only his self-control stopped him from gaping. They always avoided mentioning their first meeting, he thought she was too embarrassed to mention it ever again. Now she did it so casually as if it was nothing strange or embarrassing at all.

She giggled. Only mentioning kissing him had the same effect as the kiss alone. He didn't even know how cute he was, being so shy with these things.

Suddenly a gasp was heard from before them, followed with a choked coughing. Carmina almost growled at the interruption. Things were just beginning to get interesting.

"What are you doing?" yelled an outraged Sirius Black.

Severus stiffened immediately, but his expression changed the minute Carmina glanced at him. She looked up at the intruders.

Sirius stood there, backed by Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew. They all had a look of shock, confusion and outrage written on their faces. Well, Black and Potter did. Lupin's face was mostly shock and confusion and Pettigrew's was only confusion, until he checked it with a glance at his friends. Obviously they weren't expecting to find them in such intimate position. Carmina rolled her eyes angrily.

"I am about to kiss Severus," she snapped at them in a voice that indicated that they were asking the oh-so-obvious thing. "And you have interrupted in the best part. Go disappear this instant."

"But…But…" stuttered offended Sirius. "You are supposed to be with me!"

Carmina raised her eyebrows and looked him up and down disparagingly. She pulled out her wand, leaving Severus's where it was.

"That had to be your dream, Black, and I am genuinely sorry I was a part of anything your little chicken-like brain managed to produce. You have ten seconds to get lost or I will do it for you myself and believe me, it will be a lot more painful. You're really pissing me off."

"But Snivellus? Heavens, Carmina, even you must be sensible enough to make a better choice." Potter put in furiously.

"My choice is absolutely right, thanks for caring. It's Stetson for you, Potter. Three seconds left."

"I'll get you either way, mark my words!" Black exploded suddenly and glared at her furiously.

"In your head. Time's up." she waved her wand and all four were sent flying all the way to the stairs at the Hogwart's entrance door, where they hit their back painfully.

She carelessly put her wand away and gave all her attention to Severus again. His eyes were glittering dangerously.

"Why didn't you give me my wand?" he hissed at her. "Those jackasses wish nothing more than to get at my skin. How dare you…"

Carmina put her forefinger on his lips gently, with a mild look on her face. Severus went quiet, but continued his scowling and burning through her with his black eyes.

"I had my wand out and that is enough. They wouldn't have succeeded in hurting you if they tried."

"I don't need your help, I can protect myself! Never do this again!"

Carmina sighed and looked into his eyes. Then she just kissed him again and moved away. This time his face showed confusion along with an already expected shock, but he wasn't furious anymore.

"I am sorry, Severus. We both know it wouldn't be a help to a helpless, though. I know it very well that you know how to protect yourself, but you can't possibly expect me to just stand calmly when they try something. You are my friend. If someone hurts or humiliates my friends, he hurts and humiliates me. I don't tend to react nicely to that. Do you see?"

He was still staring at her and that confused and shocked way, but he nodded to her question, whether he got its meaning or not.

"Fine," Carmina tilted her head and her face grew serious. "This is cleared up, so we can move on to more important things. When you heard Black, your reaction was very interesting. More interesting than usual, actually, and I want you to tell me—did Black and his gang hurt you in these past two weeks?"

Severus was silent and his expression blank.

"Severus," urged Carmina, maintaining their eye contact. He returned her eye-to-eye stare, but didn't relent. Carmina sighed. The mocking mood from before was over, all that was left was her concern for him, especially after Black's outburst, fury of which seemed to be directed at Snape as well as her.

"Severus, you are my friend. I care for you. I need to know what happened. Please, why can't you just tell me?"

Severus continued his staring match, but couple of seconds after her last words he sighed and looked away.

"OK," he mumbled. Carmina gave him a happy smile, but it didn't look like he wanted to continue.

"Well?" she urged him impatiently. Once you gave up, there was no point of making it longer than necessary, at least that was what she thought.

"Black and his suit bother me more than usual since the Christmas Ball. He's angry that you rejected him and went off with me instead. That's all."

"Can I see what they did?" Carmina asked quietly. Severus wasn't trained well enough yet to catch the faint sharp edge in her voice.

"You want me to take off my… what? Carmina!" he exclaimed in mortification.

Carmina looked at him pleadingly. He suddenly looked uncertain. Then he just waved his hand resignedly.

"Why am I friends with you at all?" he grumbled to himself.

"Because I am a nice, pleasant girl who understands you and doesn't drive you crazy," she answered mockingly, while pushing his robes aside and making her way over to his sweater. She pulled it up without ceremony, and shook her head impatiently, when she saw his T-shirt.

"How many layers do you wear? The robes are thick!"

"It is the middle of January," he retorted, embarrassed at what she was doing. "Do you know what this would look like to the others?"

Carmina smiled cheerfully. "Of course. I did confirm Black's fears though, so why be afraid?" she pulled up his T-shirt and gasped. She looked terrified, when she looked up at his face.

"Severus! Why did you not tell me and you didn't even go to see Madam Pomfrey?"

He shrugged. "I know the hospital wing by heart by now and Madam Pomfrey behaves like a mother hen. It is not that bad."

She shook her head disbelievingly. "Isn't it? Hardly healed, open wound amidst bruises like these isn't bad? If I am not mistaken, you have a number of older bruises here, beside all that. It must have hurt you awfully when I poked you."

"It's all right."

Carmina glared at him. "If you don't stop this now, I'll kiss you again, just to make you shut up. Now, be still." She pulled out her wand.

"Err… Carmina, are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, why?" Carmina asked, apparently surprised. When she saw his suddenly frightened expression, she burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Severus, calm down! I may not know what to do exactly, but it won't hurt you more."

"I would rather go to see Madam Pomfrey. No offence, but I guess that would be better."

"I don't really care as long as you are tended to, but she'll make you stay there in bed for at least two days rest and it is a full moon tonight."

Severus laid back down instantly.

"Do what you wish, I don't care about my health that much."

Carmina stopped for a moment and gave him a strange look. That was probably the first time this Severus reminded her of the man he was going to become and of how his willingness to get hurt for the "greater good" would end, on the Shrieking Shack's floor, with painful deadly wounds in his neck. With that picture in mind her breath hitched and her eyed teared up. She gritted her teeth.

"Carmina, what's up?" Severus said suddenly and sat up. He winced in pain and grasped his stomach, but continued watching her face. She shook her head.

"Never mind. I just remembered something. Lay back down, I want to heal it."

"But-"

She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back on the ground.

"It will be OK," she mumbled, knowing it won't be. Severus was still watching her.

"I don't like it when you cry. Even less if it's for something you cannot tell. Why is Dumbledore doing that to you? It is hurting you."

"It has to be this way. Don't worry, I'll survive. Be still," she warned him again, putting her wand above his wound. She concentrated and watched his wound, frowning. She started to move the wand over the wound, and after a while it began to heal, the bruises fading away. Carmina had no idea which spell would do this, but her wand had found its way, as always.

Once the wound was healed and the bruises left behind only a healthy looking skin, she pulled the wand away and moved her hand over his skin carefully. Someone was going to pay for this.

"I really wouldn't do this. Now it is completely clear what the others would think."

"I heartily couldn't care less," Carmina said, pulling his T-shirt and sweater back down and handing him his wand. Her eyes had a steely glint in them.

"Carmina-" Severus began uncertainly, but she shook her head.

"It's OK, I am not angry with you," she calmed him. "I have to leave now, though. See you later. There's something –or someone—to deal with."

She stood, laid her wand on her palm and looked at it intently. "Show me."

The wand top turned to the castle and she went off in that direction. If Black won't take her warning to heart, he will pay.