Author's Note

I wish to thank Kyoki no Megami for the first ever review of Just a Kiss and I am looking forward to more reviews! ;) I have finished writing the story and now all I have to do is upload it. I will probably be uploading more often now, but you get more updates if I get a review lol. Happy reading!

Chapter Four

"I shouldn't love you but I want to

I just can't turn away

I shouldn't see you but I can't move

I can't look away

And I don't know how to be fine when I'm not

'Cause I don't know how to make a feeling stop

Just so you know

This feeling's taking control of me

And I can't help it

I won't sit around, I can't let him win now"

- Jesse McCartney

Austin smiled as she came back into the warm castle. Severus was always good at cheering her up. At the moment she was heading to the hospital wing to take her potion. That was when it happened.

Sirius Black ran down the stairs with a pair of boys boxers in his hands. James was running after him, a pair of jeans in his hand. Peter was the last one to come down the stairs and he was holding a shirt that looked very familiar.

"I think you're gonna get the day lights knocked out of ya!" Austin laughed brightly as the boys hid behind her.

"Don't think so. He's not going to see us." Sirius gave a bark of laughter and at that precise moment, Remus appeared at the top of the stairs.

He had skidded to a halt. One of his hands was holding a towel that was wrapped firmly about his waist and the other held his wand. Austin felt her eyes travel across Remus' chest before heat brushed her face.

"Remus, ya know that you're only in a towel, right?" Austin questioned as she cocked her hip to the left and placed her left hand on it, wondering how a teacher hadn't caught them yet.

"I am aware." Remus blushed as he slowly came down the stairs. "These boys that are cowering behind you stole my clothes and were able to get the Fat Lady to change the password so I couldn't get back into the common room. They have also made it so I cannot summon my clothes to me."

Austin frowned as she turned to look at the three behind her. "All ya'll did a lot for this one prank, didn't you?"

The boys nodded brightly with wide grins on their faces. Austin sighed and stepped aside. She didn't wait for them to pay attention or to say anything; she grabbed the clothes and ran towards Remus.

"Thank you, Austin." Remus stated, but he wouldn't look at her.

"Any time, Remus. Gotta run though!" Austin laughed as she started running because the other three Marauders were coming for her.

She ran up the stairs and took a sharp right turn. She needed to take her potion and possibly lock those three out while she was at it. With a laugh, she skidded around another corner before rushing into the hospital wing and slamming the door shut with a flick of her wand.

"Miss Cross, may I ask what you are doing?" Dumbledore's voice came from the far end of the room where a student was laying on the bed.

"Oh…Umm, well, ya see…" Austin giggled as she heard banging on the door. "I had a little run in on a prank and now the pranksters are chasing me cause I ruined their fun. Also, I came to take my potion."

Dumbledore nodded his head with a twinkle in his blue eyes and a smile on his worn face. "Of course, Miss Cross. I'm sure Poppy was looking forward to your visit. Could you come here for a moment?"

Austin nodded her head and walked with a light skip in her step to the bed that Dumbledore was standing next to. It was a small first year girl who was lying there. Her skin was green and it didn't look like she was about to be sick green either. Her breaths were also very shaky. Austin's brows knitted together and she knew the exact symptoms.

"She's been poisoned." Austin muttered as she leaned forward. "I think she was trying to take a love potion."

"Very good, Miss Cross. Could you tell me what might have went wrong for the potion to become a poison?" Dumbledore questioned once more.

Austin leaned back as Madam Pomfrey came in with an antidote. "The most common thing that people do when brewing a love potion is stirring it incorrectly. The potion is supposed to be stirred three times to the left and five times to the right each time it is stirred." Austin recited and her country tone lessened as she spoke. "However, given the different types of love potions out there, the only one with an effect such as this is Amorentia, the most powerful love potion. I would say that this student was given a vial of Amortentia without knowing it and the potion more than likely didn't have frozen ashwinder eggs in it. Leave the eggs out too long and they start to thaw. The thawed ashwinder eggs cause this kind of reaction after consumption of the potion."

Madam Pomfrey glanced up at the American girl and nodded her head. "Very good, Miss Cross. I'll have your potion out for you in a moment."

Dumbledore was beaming as well. "That was very well done, Miss Cross. It took Poppy and I a little bit longer than it took you. We had thought she may have been jinxed before she told us that a potion she was supposed to test for her partner in potions went wrong. Horace was able to tell us everything you did, of course."

Austin nodded her head, "No problem at all, sir." Austin looked up as the doors of the wing opened. "Finally able to figure out how a door works, Jimmy?"

James glared at her but didn't do anything since the headmaster was present. "No, I just didn't want to interrupt any discussion that may have been going on. We decided to come in because Remus told us it was even ruder to eavesdrop or something like that."

"Yeah, 'somethin like that'." Austin laughed before she was forced to sit down and take her potion. "Thank ya, Ma'am."

"No problem, dear. I am going to try to get that letter sent to St. Mungo's so you can possibly come and work with me in here. Professor Dumbledore has already said it was perfectly fine." Madam Pomfrey explained before shooing the group of teenagers out of her wing. "Now, get to studying!"

"How can you look so happy all the time, Padfoot?" Remus sighed as he leaned back in the compartment seats of the train.

"Come on, Moony! It's almost Christmas! Can't you feel it in the air?" Sirius asked as he waved his arms.

"Only thing I feel is you going crazy." Austin rolled her eyes as she hunched over her trunk.

"What are you looking for?" James asked as he nudged Austin's head with his foot.

"First off, if you prize that damn foot of yours, you won't put it in my face again. Second, I'm actually trying to find the present that I had gotten for my friends dad." Austin explained as she continued to search.

Remus shook his head with disbelief. He couldn't understand how she could be so happy to have a friend whose father was a werewolf. Most people ran scared of them. Remus frowned as he looked out the window. Maybe it's because she didn't have to be around one all the time. Maybe if she knew that he was a werewolf she'd run away and never look back, right into Snape's arms.

Austin sat up with a bright smile on her face. "Got it! Oh! And I found a box of candy!" Austin laughed as she picked it up and handed it to Peter. "That's for having stolen your candy last night, Pete. Better enjoy it."

Peter grinned at her before beginning to eat the candy. "Thanks, Austin!"

Austin then proceeded to lean back in her seat and closed her eyes. "Jimmy, I was told that the party at your house for Christmas would be semi-formal. For your people I don't know what that means."

James' face was priceless when she said 'your people' and Remus had to fight back a laugh along with the other boys. "It means semi-formal, Austin. You act like you don't bloody know what anything means."

Austin opened one eye and shot him a look. "Don't make me get up and kick your ass, Jimmy."

James looked pale before he looked out the compartment door. "Was Lily coming?"

"Yep, she told me she was anyway. Prolly gonna have to drag her." Austin yawned before settling deeper into her seat. "Now leave me alone…I'm sleepy."

Remus watched as she drifted off through the reflection of the window. She was beautiful and he wondered why he even bothered trying to win her over. In truth, Snape probably would be safer for her. He wouldn't turn into a monster every month that would rather rip her head off then lick her. Remus frowned to himself and looked down at his scared hands. There wasn't a way around it. He couldn't be with Austin, but he wanted to be so badly.

Every time that Austin was with Snape, Remus felt a strong pang of jealousy in his veins. His heart throbbed painfully and there was nothing that he could do about it until Austin came back to him. Austin was like the air Remus breathed and there was just something about her that made the world look brighter than it was. She made him forget there was a war going on, made him forget that he was a werewolf and not just another wizard going to school. Austin made everything better, everything safer, and everything worth living for. When Austin smiled at him, he didn't doubt himself.

She was the cure for lycanthropy, all on her own.

Austin beamed brightly as she saw the orphanage. Well, it wasn't actually the building. It was really the car that was sitting out front of the building. "Is that Mr. Burnings car?" Mrs. Evans asked the young woman in the back of the car they were in.

"It sure is, Mrs. Evans. Thanks for the ride. I will see you at some point before Christmas. Bye, Lils!" Austin beamed at the red headed woman in the front seat.

"I'll let Gregory know, then. Have a good time, Austin!" Mrs. Evans smiled as the witch exited the backseat and grabbed her trunk from the back. She heard Lily yell at her to be careful.

With that, Austin ran into the orphanage and dropped her trunk to the side of the stairs. Mr. Burnings came out of the lounge where he had been sitting with his daughter, Beatrice, and smiled at her.

"I knew you'd be here when I got back." Austin beamed brightly before the old werewolf brought her into a tight hug.

"How are you, Austin?" Mr. Burnings questioned as he released the witch.

"I'm doin alright. Had to go back on the meds, though." Austin wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Mr. Burnings placed a fatherly hand to her cheek and nodded his head solemnly. "Beatrice said she had received a letter regarding that from you. She was worried and she asked if I would be here when you came home for Christmas."

Austin smiled sadly before looking around Mr. Burnings to see the frail younger witch who was sitting in the lounge still and watching them with a smile on her face. "Betty!" Austin exclaimed before rushing into the room and drawing the girl into a hug.

Beatrice Burnings was only thirteen years old but she was already beautiful in Austin's opinion. Beatrice shared her father's thick dark black hair, but she always said that she had received her striking sapphire eyes from her mother. Beatrice was also very pale and it gave her such a strong contrast between her dark locks and skin that only she could pull off so well.

"I've missed you so much, Austin!" Beatrice stated as they both fell on the couch, Beatrice keeping a hold of the older witch's hands. "Beuxbatons is nice, but I wish I could go to Hogwarts so I could be closer to you." Beatrice whispered this part of her conversation since they were the only witches in the building.

"It would be nice if you were there, but after this year I won't be in school anymore anyway." Austin shrugged and squeezed the girls' hands. "It doesn't matter, though. I'm sure France is much better than Scotland, or wherever our school is."

Beatrice laughed before she hugged Austin again. "You have no idea how worried I was when I got your letter. I really thought something bad was going to happen to you."

Austin shook her head with a soft smile. "I'm better now. The potions are working well."

Mr. Burnings came in just about then with a few papers in his hands. "I've gotten word from the ministry that I can take the both of you out for Christmas dinner."

Austin felt her cheeks redden as she looked at her hands. She felt as if she were getting ready to ask her own father for permission to go to a party. "That sounds real neat, Mr. Burnings, but I already have plans for Christmas. I've always went to Lily's house in the morning after everything is done here. Now I have a Christmas party I was invited to by a few more of my friends from school. I'd really like to go, but…"

Mr. Burnings laughed as he ruffled Austin's blond locks. "It's no problem, Austin. How about I take you out before Christmas? I really would like to catch up with both of my girls."

Beatrice and Austin looked at each other before nodding quickly. "Yes!" The girls exclaimed before grinning widely at each other.

Later that night, Austin stirred in her bed to a sound at her window. She wrinkled her nose but set up anyway. She glanced quickly at Beatrice who shared a room with her—somehow the Ministry was able to intervene here and get the two witches into the same room in a crowded orphanage that usually had about five girls in one room—and stepped up to the window.

Standing out in the small back garden where a few toys were still laying around was Severus Snape. Austin opened the window silently and poked her head out. Snape had been throwing rocks at her window; it caused a smile to form on her face.

"What are you doin here, Sev? It's the middle of the night." Austin hissed down to him.

"Come down here!" Severus grinned up at her.

Austin rolled her eyes and grabbed her sweater from this morning and jeans. She slipped into her winter jacket and her snow boots since it had snowed earlier in the week. Austin grinned to herself as she tucked her wand in her sleeve and headed down the stairs.

As soon as she walked out the back door, Severus took her gloved hand in his and started to lead her away and to the wood line.

"Sev, where are you takin me?" Austin laughed as they were far away from any people.

"I wanted to show you something. I thought you'd like it." Severus stated simply without looking back.

Austin pulled her jacket tighter around her with her free hand and continued to follow Severus' lead. When they came to the clearing that housed a river with a small waterfall, Severus stopped them. Austin tried to see what had him so excited as he pushed her forward. That was when her breath was taken from her.

The waterfall had frozen solid while it had still been moving. One hardly saw that in nature. She took a couple steps forward to get a better look. It look like small icicles were formed from a rock, but she knew what it was. Lily, Severus, and her used to come to this river all the time in the summer and play in it. That was before Lily and Severus had their falling out. Afterwards, only Severus and Austin would come. Lily never had wanted to see it again. However, seeing it now like this…Austin was enthralled.

"Sev, this is amazing!" Austin whispered as she turned her attention back to him. "You are the best!"

Severus laughed gently before helping her up from where she had went to her knees before the small river. "I knew you'd like it. I was out walking and noticed it."

"Why were ya out in the cold, Sev? You know that people normally stay in houses in the middle of winter nights." Austin joked.

"Silence, Austin, is a virtue." Severus rolled his eyes.

"I thought that was patience." Austin smiled again before giving Severus a hug. "Thank you for wakin me up, Sev. This was worth it."

Austin's attention was once again on the frozen water so she didn't notice Severus' blush that formed on his cheeks. She also didn't mind when he placed an arm around her shoulders since she was already cold and his warmth was appreciated. What Severus didn't know was that Austin couldn't wait for Christmas so she could tell Lily all about this night.