HEY EVERYONE! THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! NOW, I'VE TOLD SOME OF YOU THAT I AM JUMPING THROUGH SOME OF THE YEARS, BUT FOR THE SUMMER, I THOUGHT I WOULD ADD MORE.

I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!

CHAPTER 5

FEARS OF A FIFTEEN YEAR OLD

Snape quickly left the office, walking toward Katrina, who was not paying attention. Snape gently touched her upper arms, causing her to jump. "I'm sorry I scared you." He whispered. "Let us go back to my office, so you can rest. You have had a very stressful evening." They walked down the spiral staircase, leading to the rest of the Castle.

There was no way to hide her face as the entry opened. Snape helped Katrina down the last step into the hallway, when she looked up seeing five girls-all fifth years, and all from Slytherin as well.

"As if you weren't ugly enough already." One of the girls spoke in a degrading tone. The others laughed.

"Ugly is no longer the proper word for what she looks like now." Another said, causing the others to laugh even harder.

Katrina knew Snape was watching, yet did not stop them. "Has anyone ever told you that beauty is only skin deep?" None of them replied. "I might not be even remotely pretty, but I know enough that I don't need to put up with insecure gits as yourselves." She held her right hand out, casting a spell upon them. Snape walked out behind her, and watched. A moment later, Katrina moved her hand down to her side. "Now you're the ugly ones. Your beauty isn't even skin deep!"

"Professor Snape!" The first girl yelled. "Look at what she's done!"

Professor Snape looked at Katrina. "Are you alright?" She nodded and he turned to the five girls with warts covering their faces. "The five of you need to respect your fellow Slytherin. Therefore, you will be serving detention with Mr. Filtch tomorrow evening. Leave your wands with me after dinner.

He turned back to Katrina, leading her back to his office. "What is my punishment, sir?"

They turned down a corridor, and he stopped. Snape said nothing, he was considering a proper punishment for her. He started laughing. She looked at him like he had lost his mind, but he only laughed harder. "What's so funny?" After a minute or two, she started slapping him.

After she had slapped him a few times, he grabbed her wrists, forcefully and pushed her against the wall. "When the time is right. Then, and only then will you receive your punishment." Their faces almost touched. Snape cocked his head to one side, placing a chaste kiss upon her lips. He slowly pulled away. "To my office, young lady."

As they walked through the halls-Shape concealing Katrina from other passers by, Katrina's thoughts were about what he had done. Why did he kiss her? He was almost nine years her senior! He could have any woman he wanted, yet he was alone.

Entering Snape's office, he pulled away from her. In the corner, he conjured a bed for her to sleep in. "Why don't you go change, and get ready for bed."

"Yes, sir." She was not looking at him when she answered. Then she realized. "Professor, I need my things."

Letting out a deep sigh, he thought before answering. "For tonight, I will get you something of mine." He walked to a door, which led to his chambers. "If you would like to bathe, you may use my personal bath." She followed him through to his chambers. He opened another door to his bath. "Everything you will need is in there."

She still was not looking at him. "Thank you, sir."

"Is something wrong, Katrina?" She was still looking at the floor, Snape lifting her chin to look at him. "What is wrong?" His voice caring, almost loving , but he knew he could not start anything he wanted to with her, without the Headmaster knowing.

As he looked into her eyes, he could see that she was questioning his kiss. "Nothing, I'm just tired."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he asked, "You are wondering about the kiss I placed upon you in the corridor?"

She closed her eyes. "Yes, sir."

Wiping the tear that escaped her eye, he leaned in, kissing her lips once again. "I care for you deeply, Katrina." Slowly she opened her eyes. "More than any other student I have taught."

"Do you remember the first time we met?" He nodded, so she continued. "When we shook hands, I'd seen they had started glowing." She let out a sigh. "It was a magical sign. One that we are meant to be together."

He smiled. "That is why the Headmaster wished to talk to me alone earlier. He knows how I feel about you. I think he knew the moment you started fighting your parents." He touched her cheek. "I would die to protect you."

"I am fifteen." Katrina looked down. "I know this is a bit personal, but, how old were you, when…"

"When what? When I became interested in girls?" His smile became broader, "Or, when I became…"

"The latter." She answered immediately.

He let out a soft laugh. "You are not yet ready. It does not matter how old you are when you become active as a man and woman are. You must love that person enough to share that experience with them."

"Were you?" She asked as he pulled her close to him.

"No, I was not in love when I lost my virginity." He pulled her away slightly. "Take your shower. I will have something for you when you are finished."

Snape closed the bathroom door, Katrina undressing. As she washed her hair, she had forgotten about her face, when she went to rinse the shampoo out, she let out a horrifying scream.

Snape quickly rushed in, "Katrina!" He was not thinking of anything but her well being. He opened the shower door, finding her on her knees, hunched over crying. "Katrina?"

"I-I…" She pulled her hands away from her face, "…forgot." She did not look at him, she kept staring at her hands. "I should not have taken a shower."

Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around her back. "Come." He said pulling her up. He wrapped the towel the rest of the way around her, bringing her to his bed to sit on. "Katrina, look at me. I need to assess the damage."

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him. "Because of my stupidity, it will take twice as long now."

He knelt in front of her, rubbing her arms. "You are not stupid, Katrina. You are the most beautiful, intelligent young woman I have ever met, and don't let anyone tell you differently." After a few minutes, he stood up. "Get dressed. I will be right back." He went into his office, returning as Katrina finished buttoning the shirt the Professor had given her. "Let me get you in bed." He touched her hand, bringing her to his office. She pulled the bedding down, and climbed in. "I will be awake for a while in my chambers. Do not hesitate to walk in if you need anything at all."

She nodded as Professor Snape pulled the covers over her. "Good night, Professor."

He leaned down, "Good night, Katrina." He tenderly went to kiss her cheek. Katrina turned pressing her lips against his. Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as they kissed. He did not fight it, but shortly after starting, he had to stop. "We must stop, Katrina." His forehead placed upon hers. "As much as I would like to continue, we need to wait." He pulled away slowly, placing his hand on her waist. "I am almost twenty-four, and you are as of now, too young."

"I don't care, Professor."

"We need to wait. Just a few more years." He wasn't harsh. After that kiss in which he desperately wanted to taste again, he could never speak to her with anger in his voice again. "I cannot play favorites toward my students." There was a knock on the door. "Sleep, sweetheart. I will check on you later." He kissed her cheek, got up and pulled the curtains closed. He placed a spell on her bed, one where he could hear her, but she could not hear him. As he opened the door the Headmaster was on the other side. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Headmaster."

"You said it was urgent, Severus." Dumbledore walked in to his office. "What is it about the house elf you wished to ask about."

Snape walked to the fireplace. "The house elves magic is far greater than that of a witch or wizard. I thought, possibly that one of the elves in the kitchen could attempt to heal Katrina."

"That is an excellent idea, Severus." Dumbledore complimented. "If you would allow me to use your fireplace, I will go fetch one to try it out."

Dumbledore left, Snape paced along the fireplace, waiting as patiently as he could. It did not take long, for the house elf popped in by his feet. Soon after, Dumbledore arrived through the fireplace. They watched as the house elf walked to the bed, Katrina fast asleep. The elf opened the curtain, walked to her side and held out his hands. Both Professor's had watched as Katrina's face healed slowly by the elf's magic.

Dumbledore and the house elf left some time later, after they knew Katrina had been healed. Snape went to his chambers, leaving the door slightly ajar for him to hear Katrina, in case she needed him.

Snape was in bed reading, when he heard a soft knock, and sniffling. "Come in."

"I'm sorry…Professor." She sniffled.

"What is wrong, Katrina?" He spoke softly. "Come here." She walked to the side of his bed.

He took her hand in his when she did not speak right away. "Would you mind…"

He pulled her to sit on the bed, pulling her body to his. "You had a nightmare, didn't you?" She nodded. "Do you wish to talk about it?" She shook her head as she cried.

"I'm sorry I'm putting you through all this." She pulled herself up, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

He had touched her cheek, smiling. "Stand up. I need to show you something." She did as he asked as he climbed out of bed. "Follow me." He took her hand, guiding her to a mirror. He stood between her and the mirror. "I want you to look at yourself.

He moved away from the mirror, she closing her eyes, not wanting to look at how horrible she was. "I can't do it."

He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "You will be surprised by what you see if you only open your eyes."

Slowly, she opened them. She gasped when she didn't see the marks on her face. Turning, she looked at Snape, "What-how-I can't believe it."

"You had told me that no magic could heal your wound. An elf's magic is something no one has ever experienced before." Snape told her. He watched her face drop. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing." She lied. She walked to the door, not looking at him. "Good night, sir."

As Snape watched her go through the door, and close it, he was confused as to why she left after seeing herself healed. Walking through the doorway, he had noticed Katrina standing at the post of her bed. "Katrina." She jumped as he called her name, wiping the tears from her face.

"I'm fine, sir." She choked out.

Immediately he spoke, "You are not fine, Katrina. You wouldn't have come into my chambers if nothing was wrong. It is not just about the nightmare you had, is it?"

She turned, falling into his arms. "No it isn't." She broke down crying again. "I'll have to go back to my dorm room tomorrow."

"I distinctly remember telling you that you can stay here for the entire term if you'd like." He caressed the back of her hair. "Come with me. We can talk over some tea. Maybe a treat as well." He guided her back to his room, sitting her down near a small table. "What would you like to indulge in?" He had his wand out, ready to wave it over the table. Katrina just shrugged her shoulders. "Come now, Katrina, what is your favorite comfort food?"

"I really don't know, sir. I can't go to Hogsmeade since I don't have a parent to sign for me, and I've never been given any type of treat."

"Hmmm." Snape thought for a few minutes, then waved his wand over the table. Suddenly, at least twenty different sweets appeared. "If you would approve…" he picked up a plate of chocolate, and knelt in front of her. "…I would like to take you to Hogsmeade this Saturday. Of course, I will need the Headmaster's approval as well."

She looked up at him. "There isn't a visit until the weekend of Halloween."

"I will make arrangements then. A treat for you, since you haven't yet been to Honeydukes. They have the most delicious chocolates. Now, eat."

She took a bite of chocolate, savoring it in her mouth. "Professor Snape!" She swallowed. "This is amazing. Thank you."

"I will escort you to Hogsmeade this weekend then?" He asked smiling.

"Yes, sir!" her eyes sparkled. "I would like to try a little of everything now."

"Help yourself, sweetheart." He had gotten up, sitting in a chair next to her.

She picked something that wasn't chocolate. "What is this?"

"Go ahead, take one. But… I must warn you, that is the only one you get." He pulled the plate to him, guarding it with his life after she took one. "These are my favorites."

Giggling, Katrina took a bite. She closed her eyes this time basking in the joy of this treat. "There are almonds in this! I love almonds!" As she said this, she opened her eyes, smiling.

"I warned you, that is all you get." He smiled as he ate one himself. "Like I said, comfort food."

"Just one more?" She smirked, stood up, and kneeled in front of him. "Please, Professor." Her bottom lip jutted out into a pout. "Am I not your favorite Potions student?"

"And what do I get from this, if I do give you another?" He asked with a smirk of his own.

She thought for a few minutes. Her eyes grew big as the idea struck her. "I won't be such a pain if you let me have another!"

He pulled the plate out, watching as she watched him. "I would prefer something better. Besides, I know that you not being such a pain is impossible." He smiled.

Furrowing her brows, she asked. "Then what is it you want from me in exchange for some of that?" He did not answer, he took her hands that were on his knees, pulling her up to him. He leaned down, placing another kiss on her lips.

"This way, I will be able to have a sweet that lingers on my lips, and I will no longer need any of these." He kissed her again, a little longer.

"I will trade you a kiss for a piece of candy any day." She smiled into his lips.

As they indulged in the treats, Snape asked her a little more openly, "Why is it you do not wish to go back to the Common Room?"

"You said earlier that I shouldn't have been placed in Slytherin. And I had said it would have been a bad idea for me to be placed in any House." Snape nodded and she continued. "I guess there is something about me that people cannot get a grasp on. Maybe it was my parents doing, I don't know. But, people seem scared of me, because my parents are so deep into the dark arts. I ran away because of it. I did not want to be as evil as they are."

Snape laughed lightly. "You know, Slytherin is the only House that people believe that the students will turn evil." Taking a bite of another sweet, he continued. "That is not completely true. There have been those who have been weak in other houses, that they ended up serving this one man, hungry to rule the wizarding world."

"My parents would love to serve someone like that. Who is he?" she asked completely unaware of how truly evil that man was.

"People do not speak his name, Katrina." He let out a sigh, continuing. "People had been so terrified of him that they called him, 'he-who-must-not-be-named'."

"And what about you, what did you call him?"

He hung his head in shame. "My lord." he chanced a look up at her as she said nothing. "I am the one who is weak. I joined his ranks shortly before leaving the school." he put the sweets down and stood up, walking away so he could not see the expression on her face, he added. "I regretted it after a while. The dark lord was after someone I cared for very deeply at the time." She could hear the hurt in his voice. "I went to the Headmaster, knowing he was in charge of this Order that had been trying to defeat the dark lord and the followers; his death eaters, as he called them. I wanted to protect this woman. Let the dark lord kill her husband and infant son, just so she would live!" he had never told anyone this. "I loved her very much, wanting to be with her for eternity." He swung his arm across the mantle piece, which made Katrina jump. "The dark lord killed both her and her husband, leaving the child alive, dying himself. No one knows if he was defeated by the child or if he still lingers about trying to find a body to live in."

Katrina stood, wanting to go comfort him, but she was afraid he would strike her. "Did you…" She didn't know what to say, but she tried to comfort him in some way. "…leave him; the dark lord I mean?"

He shook his head. "One cannot just up and quit being a death eater, Katrina." He turned to see she was standing, though she hung her head. "If one ever tried-and I have seen it attempted, they wind up dead after some time, running from him." He walked toward her, but stopped half way. "To answer your question, no I did not leave him. I became a spy, conveying messages to the Headmaster about what was happening, and in turn, giving the dark lord information-false information to lead him to his death." she looked up at him finally, as he had seen tears in her eyes. "I am only telling you this; I am a accomplished legilamist and occlumentist." She gave him a questioning look, so he continued. "I can block my thoughts, so as no one can see through me. Not the Headmaster, nor the dark lord."

She never wiped the tears from her eyes. "That had to be the scariest thing for you to do. If the dark lord was that powerful that you had to do that to him, just so you could survive…" she walked to him, as he reached out his hands to her. "You are very brave."

"You must not repeat any of that to anyone, Katrina. We cannot speak of it again." she nodded in agreement.

She reached up to touch his cheek, noticing he had a few tears of his own coming from his eyes, wiping them away. "I know absolutely nothing, Professor." he pulled her in, hugging her tightly.

"Hopefully I will never have to do that again."

"If it does, I wish to be by your side." he pulled her away from him after she said this. "I might not be accomplished at anything, but I will help you when needed."

"Katrina, it means the world to me to know that you will help me, but, I do not want you involved in anything this dangerous ever. You had left your family to escape it, yet you wish to indulge in it to help me. No, I will not let that happen. You will be more important in fighting against him than with him."

Her features turned from sadness to irritation. "You can be a double agent, yet I can't? I, unfortunately hold the key to his demise!"

"No you do not, Katrina!" He about growled. "If-and only if he returns, the key to his demise does not lay within you! It unfortunately lies within a small boy whom he tried to destroy only a few years ago!"

She completely pulled away from him. "I'm sorry I made you angry." She started to walk to the door, leading into his office.

"Katrina." He sighed in defeat. "I am the one who is sorry." His voice was soft again. "I did not mean to become angry with you. It is just that you are not even remotely prepared to face the dark lord. I would give my life to keep you away from him, and the likes of him."

"Don't worry about me." She said still a bit irritated. "I can take care of my own." she walked through the door, and as he watched, she climbed in her bed closing the curtain.

"Goodnight, Katrina." he said at the doorway.

"Goodnight." she answered in a more caring tone.

THANKS AGAIN FOR READING, I HOPE YOU REVIEW AND I WILL REPLY ASAP! :)