Chapter 3: Middle Ground

- October, 1976 -

Five weeks into the year at Hogwarts, Sarah began to bond with her new group of friends. She and Zaria became very close because of the secrets Sarah kept for her.

Sarah also met James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. She knew that her family disowned Sirius some time ago, but she didn't really care. Sarah never got involved with her family's business unless absolutely necessary. Besides, she could be friends with whomever she wanted; there was no one at Hogwarts to tell on her.

Nearly every time Lily was around, the four Gryffindor boys lurked nearby. James' constant attempt to woo Lily became a little annoying after the first few encounters. Also, Sarah didn't like the way he teased Severus every time he walked by with names like "Snivellus" and "greasy git".

'Come on now, he's not really that bad,' she always found herself thinking. In fact, the two became somewhat friends through their tutoring sessions and potions partnership. But the friendship never left the classroom…there was no smile, hello, or wave in the halls when they passed each other. But Sarah knew didn't totally hate her at least; she was a person who sought the constant approval of anyone outside her immediate family.

Sarah, Zaria, Amanda, and Lily sat at their usual spot on the front lawn. The trees were changing to their brilliant fall colors all around them. Bridget was the last to join them, because she had to grab a book from the library for an extra credit assignment. Sarah wondered why she bothered; Bridget, the brilliant Ravenclaw, had perfect grades already. They definitely didn't need extra credit.

As Sarah predicted, it took James five minutes to bring his gang over to their spot and sit down next to them. "Hey you guys," Sarah said.

They joked around about some stuff that Sarah didn't pay attention to. She watched as Severus walked out of the castle with Jake and Martin. They sat about a hundred meters away, and Severus didn't really interact with them at all. He just wrote in his potions book while Jake and Martin talked energetically.

"…don't you think, Sarah?" James asked. Everyone in the group looked at her, while she tried to cover up the fact that she was staring at Severus Snape.

"Sorry, I was spacing out…What were you talking about?"

"Just Snivellus...I guess you know him better than any of us. You spend a lot of time with him…He's quite the git, don't you think?" He looked at her pointedly, as though he knew who she was just staring at.

She tried to make her next words as convincing as possible. "Obviously…I'm probably going to fail Defense Against the Dark Arts still. Speaking of, I have to go meet him soon. Just kill me now."

They laughed. Sirius said, "You know, for a Malfoy you aren't half bad."

"Thanks," she smiled, enjoying her popularity. Sarah saw Severus get up and walk into the castle once more. She got up to follow him. "See you guys later."

"Have fun," Amanda said mockingly.

The two met in their usual deserted spot: Professor Weaver's classroom. "Hey Severus," Sarah sighed as she walked in the room. She had come a long way from their first tutoring session; she could finally disarm Severus at least. He was sitting at a desk, and didn't get up when she walked in. She figured they were doing some textbook exercise that day or something, so she sat down in the chair next to him.

"Tell me something, how is it that one from the Malfoy family becomes friends with people from every house, the majority of them Gryffindors?" Sarah swore she could hear a passive aggressive tone in his normally icy voice.

"I'm not big on Malfoy family pride. It's hard to explain, long story. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell my brother, though. That could be slightly problematic," she said carefully.

"It's not my business to tell. I just thought it curious that you're so unlike your brother."

"Is it a good thing or bad thing. To you, I mean?" she wasn't sure if asking Severus this was the best idea, but she was genuinely curious.

"Probably a bad thing, if it means hanging out with Potter and Black." Sarah noticed the way he said their names with incredible disdain. She couldn't blame him though; if they made fun of her as bad as they did Severus, she would hate them too.

"I can see where you're coming from. I don't think they really loathe you, though. It's just something James does to impress Lily, and Sirius joins in to impress James. That doesn't mean it's right, of course. I don't think you're as bad as they say, anyways."

- Snape's POV -

Severus was shocked to hear what just came from her mouth. In all their tutoring sessions and in potions, he thought she was simply being kind to make things bearable. But here was someone who didn't completely worship Potter. Amazed, he took in her beauty once again. Long blonde hair draped to her breasts. Her eyes resembled the water of the deepest ocean.

Her clumsy, though sometimes poised nature both entertained and entranced him. She was adorable. Her laugh was the sound of love. Severus was vaguely aware of his growing feelings. Today, he felt the full bloom of love inside him. He wondered how he could fall for someone so quickly, especially someone who was somewhat friends with the Gryffindor snobs he loathed so greatly.

"And what makes you think I'm not as bad as they say?" he smirked.

She leaned closer, voice just above a whisper. "Well, anyone with the patience to teach me Defense Against the Dark Arts can't be all bad." His heart stopped as she leaned in even closer and kissed him. He didn't really know what he was doing; it was his first kiss and all. But the feelings in his stomach were unmistakable.

He touched her porcelain face and hair like silk. Their kiss continued, adding tongue and her small arms wrapped around his neck. But it seemed too good to be true. Severus broke the kiss, and she smiled. He couldn't fight the feeling of paranoia; what if the whole thing was just a prank thought up by Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew?

He realized he couldn't trust her…where did her true allegiance lie? With Slytherin and her family, or with her new Gryffindor friends? He didn't understand how it could be both.

- Sarah's POV -

She couldn't believe what she just did; she didn't even think about it before her lips were on his. And now she had a problem…there was no way she could tell anyone and risk her newfound popularity. When she glanced up at Severus, she hoped to see a smile or some expression of happiness. Instead, she saw a mix of sadness and anger.

"I'm sorry. That was too forward wasn't it?" Sarah asked slowly.

"I'm just wondering why," he replied.

Sarah sighed. 'Here comes the confession,' she thought. "I've really grown to like you Severus. If you don't feel the same, I totally understand. I hope things won't be too awkward between us from now on. I'm fine with just being friends if that's all you want."

He stared at her for a few moments, and she knew he was trying to read her. Sarah was one to write her emotions all over her face, so she imagined it wouldn't be too hard for him. "I believe you," he said slowly. "I'm still confused, though."

"My situation is getting a little confusing." Sarah bit her lip. "I don't know if I can tell my friends about this…at least not yet."

"I can keep a secret," Severus said. This time, he was the one to kiss her. Sarah couldn't believe what had happened. She officially had a "thing" with her friends' worst enemy. Although nervous feelings ate at her insides, she couldn't help but feel euphoria at the second touch of his lips to hers. It just felt right. Sure, she snogged plenty of guys. But nothing felt as pure as the two kisses she just experienced.

Suddenly, she realized that her Defense Against the Dark Arts skills wouldn't be improving at the same rate as before. Severus seemed to be thinking the same. When their kiss broke once more, he said, "We'll practice a complex spell next time. Try and read Chapter 3 if you have a chance this week."

"I like Potions so much better. It's a science, like baking," Sarah sighed. "And we're the best Potions team ever." She was referencing their success in the class. They were Slughorn's golden students, never missing a beat in each potion the class attempted. "But without me, you'd forget half the Potion," she teased. He always seemed to forget something, just like the first day with the pygmy hairs.

"You're more like the distraction that prevents me from focusing." Sarah frowned and he added, "I meant that as a compliment. We do make a good team, you're right."

They talked for the remainder of the hour about nothing. She asked about his family, he asked about her privileged life. The second topic made her a bit uneasy…she was spoiled, that much was true. But she didn't really like talking about the Malfoy family wealth with anyone. She left the flaunting to her socialite mother the majority of the time.

The fact that Severus didn't come from a wealthy family made Sarah like him even more. She was so used to her mother trying to set her up with the large-inheritance-bound sons of her father's coworkers, and they all turned out to be gits.

Eventually, the pair had to go back to the common room so Sarah could meet up with Zaria. They walked to the door together. She reached out to grab the handle, but stopped herself. Sarah really didn't want the hour to end.

Severus pressed her against the door as soon as she turned around, and kissed her one last time. It was more awkward standing up- he was nearly a foot taller than she was, but the kiss remained entirely pleasant. "Keeping this a secret will be more difficult than I thought originally," he said as their lips parted.

"Just give me some time…I can tell them all eventually, but not yet."

Their hands brushed one last time as she left the room with him. They walked back to the common room, side by side, in complete silence so as to not attract any attention. Zaria was standing right by the entryway when they returned.

"About time…Ready to tackle this Muggle Studies essay?" Zaria crossed her arms impatiently.

"I guess," Sarah groaned. "I'm so tired of school work. We partied at Beauxbaton's the majority of the time…this is all a bit of a shock to me."

"Well, you'll get the hang of it." They grabbed some ink, quills, and parchment from the dormitories, and settled into the common room couches.

"So, who did you choose for your Muggle artist?" Zaria asked. Their essay was somewhat easy…all they had to do was choose a famous Muggle musician and explain how they affected the Muggle world.

"The Beatles," said Sarah. She was already such a fan of their music, and knew almost everything about them, so the essay would be a breeze. Of course, all of her knowledge of the Muggle world was a secret to her family.

The earlier encounter with Severus kept eating away at Sarah. She really needed to tell someone, and Zaria seemed like the best bet. But they hadn't been friends for too long…what if she went and told Amanda and everyone else? Then again, Sarah already knew about Zaria's potential fling with Martin, whom the rest of their friends also disliked.

Sarah took a deep breath, and looked around the common room once more to make sure it was empty. Then she spoke: "Zaria, I have to tell you something. But you have to swear not to tell anyone. Not even Amanda."