"Her eyes, the fangs, her...she seems so odd with every way she acts," Draco explained. "That way she acts around me. She's always telling me to run from her. She acts like a vampire."
Snape went into shock for a moment. But he recovered quickly, and said, "A vampire? Oh, Draco." He finished off with a shakey laugh. Snape was doubting that he was actually making Draco believe him.
Snape patted him on the shoulder and walked off in the direction Winter had gone. Snape followed a path that he and Winter had used many times during the times when he taught her during the night, walking through patches of moonlight and patches of darkness, running into the occasional ghost.
He walked out of the castle and down the front steps, into the evening air. The sun was setting far in the west as he crossed the grounds.
He looked for her in their usual place under a large tree by the lake. Winter wasn't there. Snape leaned against the tree, thinking about where else she could have gone.
Then he caught sight of Hagrid's hut. Smoke was rising slowly and swiftly from the chimmeny.
That's it! he thought and hurried over.
"Hagrid!" Snape called, banging on his huge door. "Hagrid, open this damn door!"
The door opened, and Hagrid's face appeared in the small crack.
"Oh, it's yeh, Severus," Hagrid said and allowed him inside.
Snape stepped in and saw Winter sitting at the table. One hand held her face, and the other held a large cup of tea. She looked up at Snape, a few tears in her red eyes.
"Winter, what's wrong?" Snape asked, sitting next to her.
"I'm so confused!" Winter said, sipping from her tea. "See, I can't firgure out what I think about Malfoy! He smells so good, so delicious. I-I feel animalistic around him, but other than that, I have no other idea. I always feel...this weird spinning sensation in my stomach, and this flutter in my dead heart."
Snape laughed. Winter looked at him as if he'd gone insane: Professor Snape never laughed. It was an unspoken rule! He just never let out a chuckle, gigle, laugh, chortle or anything along those lines!
"You like him," Snape said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I WHAT?" Winter shouted.
"You like him," Snape said again. "You have a simple crush. Everyone gets them eventually."
"Even you?" Winter challenged. "How could you - Severus Snape, the man without a heart - fall in love with someone?"
Snape remained silent.
"You didn't know her," he said, looking away. "You didn't know Lily."
"Wait, Lily?" Winter said, laughing at him. "Lily Evans, as in that girl who married James POTTER? Oh, this is hilarious!"
Snape reached out and smacked the back of Winter's head.
"Child abuse!" Winter said, rubbing the back of her skull.
"You're not a child," Snape said. "You're my age."
"But I look like I'm fourteen," Winter said cockily.
"Winter, Severus," Hagrid said carefully. "Shouldn't you both be getting back? The curfew is almost in place."
"Oh, right," Snape said, standing up. "Come on, Winter. Let's get you back to your nice, dark coffin."
"Okay!" Winter said and skipped ahead of him. Snape sighed and snatched up her bag, jogging after her.
The next day went smoothly, Winter keeping her hunger in check with the potion and careful breathing.
"Winter, how are you feeling?" Draco asked when he found Winter at the library, trying to reach a book on one of the higher shelves. He reached up and grabbed it for her.
Winter took it, having not taken a breath since he walked in.
"Okay," she said, checking to make sure it was the right one. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Draco said.
Winter walked off, and Draco quickly caught up with her.
"Why do you always run from me?" he asked as they stepped into the hallway.
Winter didn't answer, but she did pretend she hadn't asked that question.
"It's a nice day, isn't it?" she asked, very off-handedly.
"Yes, yes, whatever," Draco responded. "Why do you run from me?"
"Do you think they'll have prok at dinner tonight?" she asked, still ignoring him.
"Quit it!" Draco said, grabbing her by the forearms and glaring at her.
"Get your hands off me!" she shouted, barring her fangs at him.
"Answer me," Draco insisted.
"What are you doing, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson asked, walking up and running a finger along his jawline. "I thought you were mine?"
Draco released Winter, who quickly kicked his shin and walked off, holding the book tightly in her arms.
"I am," she heard Draco mutter. But he sounded as though he resented it. As though he hated the idea.
Winter smirked to herself and returned to Snape's office.
"Ah, Malfoy and Parkinson seem to be at ends about tehir relationship," she sighed, falling into a chair.
"And this is a good thing?" Snape asked, grading some paper of the second years.
"I enjoy another's pain," she said, smiling with an evil glint in her red eyes.
"Winter, what are you planning?" Snape asked, glancing up from the essay.
"Nothing actually," she said. "I need to get cracking on SOMETHING."
"Do not turn into the Potter boy," Snape sighed.
"I never planned on it," she said, turning upside down, so her head was touching the floor. "I always planned on being a girl, truthfully."
Snape chickled slightly.
"Would you stop doing that?" Winter asked.
"Why?" Snape asked, failing the paper and moving onto the next.
"It's creepy!" Winter said and sat up, spinning the chair, so she was looking at Snape again.
"And why is that?" Snape asked, putting his quill down.
"When we were growing up-"
"Winter-"
"Sev, let me finish! When we were growing up, you were the one who could never smile. I always tried - especially after Dad would-"
"Stop," Snape said firmly.
Winter started to say something, but stop and sighed.
"Alright," she muttered and got up, taking her book and walking to the door. She paused at the entrance and turned to look at Snape. "I'm going to get dinner. Would you like to come?"
"No," Snape said, going back to the essays.
"Would you like me to bring you something?"
"No."
"There's no need to be so grumpy."
Winter left his office, still holding the book. She arrived at the Great Hall and found a seat at the Slytherin table. She was slightly dissapointed to not have any pork, but she settled with a chicken leg. Someone sat down next to her, but Winter ignored them.
"Will you answer me!" the person shouted.
"Hm?" she asked and glanced over, seeing Draco sitting sideways, glaring at her. "Oh, hello, Draco. Nice evening isn't it?"
"Stop changing the subject," he said with anger in his smooth voice.
"We had a subject?" Winter asked, purposefully trying to annoy him.
"You're such a pain in the ass!" he shouted.
"I try to be one," she answered, staring at him with her red eyes.
"Argh!" Draco shouted and got up, stomping away.
Winter shrugged and went back to her chicken and blood poption.