Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! Been working on my actual novels again (which I started writing when I was 12! That was a long time ago!) and may be posting them on Fiction Press. The thing is, my earlier ones suck, so I may have to post the second part of the series before the first and do some work on the first part. (I mean, if the Star Wars guy can do it, why can't I? What do you guys think? Think it might piss people off? I mean, they're certainly understandable without the first part of the series…) ANYWHO, I will jump right back into my fanfic now, since I know y'all are all dying to read the next part. Don't forget to review!

~LilReporterGirl

Snape's POV

I led Olivia into the potion-brewing room. It was a solid brick room- it had been a root cellar when my mother was alive, but I had turned it into a potion room. And it was perfect for us to practice Defense in.

We decided to have a duel so we could warm up before we got into anything serious. I cleared the cauldrons and stuff out of the way. We met in the center of the room and bowed to each other, as was custom, then we began.

She did alright at first, blocking my spells and continuing them quickly, but it soon became obvious she was distracted. I got her a few good times and finally decided to end the duel. I saw and opening and decided to hit her with something I knew she would hate.

"Rictumsempra," I said and sure enough she fell to her knees, doubled over, giggling.

"Dammit…Severus…" she said breathlessly. "Alright…you win."

I lifted the Tickling Charm and helped her to her feet.

"You're distracted. You've got to have your mind in the game if you are serious about this."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," she said. "It's just…I'm thinking about Arthur, about finding an antidote."

"I know, Olivia, but listen… there are going to be times when your life is in danger, when your friends are falling around you-… You can't afford to be distracted. If you can't handle this…"

"No, I can," she said quickly. "I won't be distracted. Let's go, you want to duel again?"

"No. I told you we were going to start offense…that means teaching you curses."

She suddenly looked a little more interested.

"I figured it best to start off with something strong. Something illegal. …Do you remember when Moody taught you to resist the Imperius Curse last year?"

"You mean Barty Crouch Jr.," she said darkly.

"Yes. I thought we would start with that. Test your mind, make sure you can still resist it. Then really test your mind and see if you are strong enough to cast it."

"…Okay," she said, bracing herself. "Ready when you are."

There was no being ready for this. I really didn't want to do this. Casting an Unforgivable Curse on my Olivia… Why had I felt this necessary?

It's for her own protection, I reminded myself. Better me than some random Death Eater.

I braced myself and gripped my wand.

"…Imperio," I said quietly.

I watched as Olivia's emerald eyes became cloudy. Silently, I told her to go to the corner and pick up a cauldron. Her body turned in that direction, but I immediately felt her throw up her defenses in a way not dissimilar to Occlumency. I repeated the instruction. Pick up the cauldron.

No, she thought firmly and before I knew it she had completely thrown off the curse.

"Excellent! Really excellent, Olivia," I said, but secretly I wished she'd had more trouble with it so we did not have to move on so quickly.

"Okay… I want you to practice the wand movement and incantation first. Aim your wand at the wall."

She did as instructed. I watched her movements scrutinously. I came to stand behind her and rearranged her grip on her wand. Keeping my hand over hers, I led her through the movements.

When I was satisfied she'd mastered the technique, I cast about for something to test the spell on.

"How do you feel about spiders?" I inquired, eyeing a web in the corner.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"To test the spell on. Normally I would suggest mice, but I know how you feel about mice…"

"Spider's fine," she said quickly. "And I wouldn't particularly want to have to curse you either."

She walked somewhat nervously over to the corner where the spider was. I didn't blame her for being anxious- I would have been more concerned if she hadn't been unnerved at the thought of using an Unforgivable Curse for the first time.

I watched her closely as she raised her wand and point it at the spider.

"Imperio," she said quietly.

Nothing happened for a moment, then the spider began to move in a very un-spider-like manner. I watched as Olivia directed the spider to scuttle from its web to the floor, then up the side of a cauldron. The spider jumped from one side to the other. It began to spin an awkward web over the top of the cauldron. She soon gave up on this, however, and lifted the curse. The confused spider scuttled back to its web in the corner, altogether unharmed.

"That wasn't so bad," she said with an uneasy laugh.

"It would be worse, much worse, if you were using it on another human. …But yes, of the three curses, it is the least trying on the caster of the spell."

"…What about the other two? Will I have to learn them as well?" she asked.

"We will see. If you don't want to, you will not have to."

"Well…the Cruciatus Curse…the torture curse… I'm not sure I'd want to use it on anything, even a spider. …When Moody did it, the spider, it…it screamed. It was horrible," she said, face pale.

"Hm… Is there any sort of creature you'd not be opposed to harming?"

"Bees," she replied immediately. "Bees, wasps, hornets. I despise any manner of things that sting."

"I never knew you were afraid of bees," I said with a slight smile.

"Not afraid. I just hate them. That's why I never go out in the backyard- there is an enormous hive of them in that old oak tree."

"You could have told me. I'd have gotten rid of them for you."

She shrugged.

"As it is," I continued. "It may be a good thing you did not. Would you be willing to practice the other two spells on them?"

"…Only if you promise you won't let me get stung," she said. "When do we start?"

"Not today. I rather think we've done enough to be getting on with. You can get back to your work, if you like, or keep practicing with the spider."

"I think I'll go back to the books… I could use your help, if you're not busy…"

"I've nothing else to do," I said with a shrug.

Olivia's POV

The next morning, Snape and I went out into the backyard after breakfast. I'd only been in the backyard a few times. It was rather unattractive- the grass was yellowed and grown up with weeds that had choked out any flowers that had once existed. There were overgrown rose bushes that hadn't been trimmed in years. The roses still bloomed in simmer, but for now they were covered in a light layer of snow.

"They were my mother's," Snape said, noticing me looking at the roses.

"…They need trimming," I said quietly.

"I've never had the aptitude for it myself, or the time or the patience. If you ever…if you wanted to, well…"

I nodded slowly and looked up at the tree where the bees' nest was. I still felt nervous about having to kill them all. It was ending a life…even if it was just a bee life. I'd never killed anything on purpose before- not a spider or an ant. Any time there was a spider in my room I would just put it out the window.

Almost as soon as we'd stepped out of the backdoor a bee had begun buzzing around our heads. The sound made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end.

"I really hate bees," I said. "I hate being stung by them, even though it's only happened once."

"What happened?" he asked curiously.

"It was when I was seven years old. Ellen and I were visiting the farm in Ireland. I was out playing with Thomas and Matthew in the forest and they led me to an apple tree. I had been determined to climb all the way to the top of the tree and pick an apple. I stuck my hand up through leaves and grabbed right into a bees nest. The whole lot of them stung me at once and I fell out of the tree. When I hit the ground my magic pulsed and all of the apples fell off the tree. I ended up with a broken arm, but the tree never grew apples again after that."

"How strange. Well, are you ready to practice?"

"I suppose…"

"Would you like to perform the Cruciatus Curse or the Killing Curse first?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to torture them either. It seemed so sadistic, even if I did hate bees. What if they screamed like the spider had?

Snape studied me silently a moment, probably reading my mind.

"…I know you don't want to use either of them, but the day may come when you are forced to," he said quietly. "The Dark Lord senses weakness. If you are asked to join the Death Eaters, you will be asked to prove yourself. He may ask you to demonstrate your skills. I've seen him force new recruits to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Muggles…even kill them, during the old days, though I doubt he'd risk it now. You need to prepare yourself. Do you understand?"

I nodded, determined that I would do this.

"Cruciatus first then," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Go ahead and get the worst out of the way.

I raised my wand at the bee buzzing around our heads.

"You've got to really feel it, Olivia. Think of how much you hate bees. Think of how it felt when you grabbed that nest," he said to me. I nodded again, conjuring up my hatred of bees til bee-hate practically oozed from my pores.

"C-crucio!" I said, hating the fact that I'd stammered and made myself look weak. The bee dropped to the ground. Still pointing my wand at it, I knelt to look. The bee was letting out a high-pitched, angry buzzing. If I looked close enough, I could see its tiny legs and wings flailing. I felt terrible, but kept up the spell. I tried not looking at the bee, but I could still hear its buzzing scream.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only a minute, Snape told me I could stop. I watched the bee take off from the ground jerkily. It flew in jerking, spastic movements towards the hive, but fell to the ground after a few feet.

"Did I kill it?" I asked anxiously, running over to look at it, but I couldn't find it in the overgrown grass.

Snape's POV

I watched Olivia searching the grass for the bee, but said nothing and waited for her to return to where I stood.

"You are going to have to kill a bee," I stated.

"I know, I know. I will. I just… I've never killed anything before…"

"…Not even a mosquito or an ant?"

"Not on purpose…"

I was struck with a sudden memory of her when she was younger.

She had been in her second-year Potions class. I was sitting at my desk, quill poised over parchment as I graded atrocious essays. A Gryffindor girl, Amelia Woodburn, squealed suddenly. I glanced up to see her staring in horror at a spider on the wall. Alan Makinney, a large Gryffindor boy grabbed his textbook and got up from his seat. Olivia, who looked as annoyed as I felt at the disturbance, saw what Makinney intended to do. She grabbed her own textbook and leapt up. She smacked Makinney one good time with her textbook.

"Leave him alone!" she snarled, walking over to the wall.

She gently nudged the spider onto her textbook and glanced around. She walked promptly over to me and I set down my quill.

"May I go outside to release the spider, Professor Snape?" she asked me in her little girl voice.

"…No," I said. "This type of spider is used in Strengthening Solutions, we will keep him."

I summoned a jar and had her place the spider inside. She looked at me with a look of hurt betrayal and returned to her desk. I kept my emotions in check at the time, but later felt immensely guilty. I found myself releasing the spider outside the castle that evening, cursing myself the whole time, that I had let the little girl get to me.

"I can't believe you remember that," Olivia said.

"Wha-? Hey! …I never should have taught you Legilimency," I said, shaking my head. She smirked, looking pleased with herself.

"Did you really let the spider go after that?" she asked.

"Yes," I admitted reluctantly.

She smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss my cheek.

"I think that was very sweet of you, Severus Snape," she said in my ear, her breath warm against my skin.

She really knew how to get to me. I wanted to turn and kiss her. I wanted to have her, outside in the snow.

I cleared my throat, knowing she was still probably in my mind.

"…You still have to kill a bee," I said to her firmly.

"I can do this," she said with false confidence.

We crossed the yard to the tree where the nest was. Most of the bees were asleep, because of the cold, but a few crawled lazily outside of the nest.

"Just say the words," I said. "No special wand movements or anything. Just say the words…and try not to feel anything."

She inhaled deeply, no doubt steeling herself against her emotions.

"Avada…Kedavra," she said, eyes closed, wand pointing at the nest. There was a flash of green light and she opened her eyes in time to see the bees that had been crawling on the outside of the nest fall to the ground.

She exhaled slowly.

"That…wasn't too bad," she said quietly.

"…I will get rid of the rest of the nest. Why don't you go inside and warm up? Get a cup of tea or something. It's freezing out here," I said, inwardly cursing myself for letting her get to me again. I really should make her get rid of the whole next, it will be good for her…

She smiled and kissed me again, this time on the mouth, letting her tongue gently flick over lips. I stopped beating myself up almost immediately, thinking instead I will do anything for this little girl.

Olivia went inside and I killed the rest of the bees with one quick spell. Then I got rid of their nest and their little bee corpses. When I was finished, Olivia came back out, carrying two mugs of what turned out to be hot chocolate. I smiled and took a cup. I wasn't usually a hot chocolate sort of person, but for her I could be. We sat on the back steps, sipping our hot chocolate and watching as the snow began to fall again.

Olivia's POV

It was a few days before Christmas when I discovered the recipe for an antidote I felt sure would cure Arthur Weasley's injury. It was a Saturday. Snape and I had spent the morning practicing curses and defensive spells. We broke for lunch, after which I curled up on the couch by the fire with a book I had found in a box in the attic, having gone through nearly every book in the sitting room. The book was called Ancient Poisons. It appeared handwritten and was bound in something that was definitely not leather that I did not want to contemplate.

The poisons described in the book were rather horrible and I flipped through them quickly. The last chapter contained a list of antidotes. I read through them carefully ad nearly dropped the book when I read over the Ultimate Healing Draught.

"Severus? Severus, I think this could work!" I said excitedly. He came out of the kitchen where he had been brewing a pot of tea.

"What?" he asked, sitting beside me. I handed him the book and he read over the page.

"It's complicated. And some of these ingredients are quite rare - Samento thorns, Noni juice, powdered bezoar, phoenix tears…how are you going to manage that one?"

"I thought of that already- I need to talk to Dumbledore," I said, standing up.

"Wait," he said, grabbing my arm. "You can't go marching off to the castle- Umbridge will ask questions if she sees you. I can send him a message."

"Well do that, then," I said somewhat impatiently. Snape pulled out his wand and cast his doe Patronus.

"Tell Albus I need to speak with him at his earliest convenience," he said. "Deliver the message only to him."

The doe gave a nod of her head and vanished.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Now, we wait."

We sat on the couch in silence, waiting. We both jumped when the tea kettle whistled in the kitchen. I laughed uneasily and stood.

"I can get it," Snape offered, starting to stand.

"No, I've got it," I assured him.

I went into the kitchen and poured two cups of tea. I added honey to both cups and a splash of milk to his, the way I knew he liked it.

I walked back into the sitting room and was surprised to find Dumbledore sitting in Snape's armchair.

"Hello Olivia," he said, smiling at me.

"Headmaster," I said with a nod. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No thank you."

I handed Snape his cup of tea and sat back down beside him on the couch.

"Olivia, Severus said you wished to speak with me?"

"Yes sir - I think I've found a cure, an antidote for Arthur Weasley," I said.

I quickly told him about the potion and about the rare ingredient.

"So you see sir… Well, you're the only one I know who could get that particular ingredient…"

"I see," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Well, I can try. Fawkes has a mind of his own, however- he is so much more than just a bird."

"All I ask is that you try, sir. …Do you have any idea where I might get some of the other ingredients?" I inquired.

"I can handle that," Snape said quickly. I looked at him questioningly, but he didn't elaborate.

We made small talk for a while until Dumbledore said he had to get back to the school. Snape saw him out, then came back and sat next to me.

"So where do you know that we can get rare potions ingredients?" I asked as he sat.

"I know two places… Some of the ingredients aren't just rare- they're illegal. The Samento thorns, for example. They're only grown in the rain forest and since Muggles discovered their medicinal properties a few years ago it's become illegal to import them. …But like I said, I know places."

"What kind of places?" I asked.

"Places," he said evasively.

"Okay, fine then. You're just trying to be all mysterious and cool," I said with a smirk.

"Right," he said with a snort. "We can go tomorrow and try and find the ingredients."

Snape's POV

Olivia and I woke up early the next morning, all tangled up in each other in my bed. I kissed her slowly and she stretched, nuzzling against me.

"Come on. We should get ready to go- I'm going to shower," I said, disentangling myself from her.

"Ooh, wait for me," she said, grinning naughtily.

About a half hour later, we emerged from the bathroom. I hurried to my room to dress. Olivia stood in the doorway, naked and unabashed.

"What should I wear? Muggle clothes or robes?" she asked.

"Robes, definitely. But something sexy- Slytherin-y and Dark."

"Is this your preference or does it have something to do with where we're going?" she asked, smirking.

"Maybe a little of both," I replied, also smirking.

"I've got just the thing," she said and turned, went into her room, and closed the door.

I went downstairs to wait for Olivia. It took nearly another half hour, but when she came downstairs, the effect was stunning. She was dressed in low-cut silky black robes, complete with black eyeliner, emerald eyeshadow, and light pink lipgloss. I stood and crossed the room to kiss her lips.

"Mm…watermelon," I said, licking my lips.

She chuckled.

"Take my hand," I said and she did. "Ready?"

She nodded and braced herself. We Disapparated.

We appeared in Diagon Alley, right beside Flourish and Blott's where the turn was for Knockturn Alley. She eyed the sign and looked up at me.

"Don't worry," I said. "You're with me."

"I'm not worried," she said. I put an arm around her, pulling her to my side, and we started down the alley.

We passed by several crazy-looking people, but nobody bothered us. She clung to me the whole time. When we reached Borgin and Burke's I held the door open for her and we entered the shop.

There was someone already at the counter having a discussion with Burke so we waited.

"Don't touch anything," I murmured to Olivia as she looked around the shop. She nodded obediently, putting her hands in her pockets. When the wizard at the counter left the shop I walked up to the counter. Olivia came to stand beside me.

"Well Severus…What can I do for you?" he asked, but his eyes were moving eagerly over Olivia. I cleared my throat and glared pointedly at him. He straightened up and looked at me. I glanced at Olivia, who seemed amused.

"I'm looking for some, ah- rare potion ingredients. I have a list," I said, handing it over.

"Hm…Well it won't come cheap, but I've got most of them," Burke said.

"Money isn't an issue," I said quickly. Olivia glanced at me, but said nothing.

Burke listed off the ingredients he had and told me a price for the lot of it. I winced inwardly, but dug in my pocket for the money.

"No, wait-" Burke said, his eyes suddenly foggy. "I'll knock off half. We're friends, right?"

"Sure…friends," I said slowly, thinking to myself that it looked like he was being Imperiused. AS he went to the back to retrieve the ingredients, I glanced down at Olivia. She had one hand in her pocket, a look of concentration on her face.

I said nothing until we were outside of the shop and safely down the street, leaving a dazed Burke in our wake.

"Smooth," I said to her softly, but I was smirking.

"Hey, I had to practice," she said sheepishly. "And what better target than that sleaze ball."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin," I said. "I would kiss you, but such displays of affection are generally frowned upon here."

"Right. Where to next?"

I hesitated.

"…There is but one person I know who keeps a regular supply of all things illegal."

"I have a sinking feeling I know who," she said.

"You don't have to go. …You can go back to the house…"

"Nonsense," she said. "He can't hurt me- I'm with you."

"Right," I said grimly. "If he so much as looks at you, I'll kill him."

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, linking her arm with mine.

Olivia's POV

We appeared outside of a pair of wrought iron gates, past which I could see a large manor house. I knew it to be Malfoy Manor, though I had never been there before. Snape put an arm around me and we walked right through the gates, as if they were smoke. I looked back at the seemingly-solid gates.

"Cool," I said.

"Lucius always did have a talent for flair," he replied.

We walked up the path towards the house past several gardens. I spotted several white peacocks, which I recognized from the Quidditch Cup. Snape saw me looking at them.

"You mustn't bother the peacocks, Olivia," he said firmly.

"I wasn't gonna," I said defensively. "…They're happy here. They aren't tied up."

We approached the front door and Snape knocked, a sound which could be heard reverberating through the house. The door was opened a moment later by a thin, bony-looking woman. She was pale-skinned, had blonde hair and a turned-up nose.

"Severus, how are you? Lucius will be pleased to see you. …And who is this? You look familiar…" she asked, looking me over.

"This is Olivia Cain, my…my ward," Snape said. "Olivia, this is Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius' wife."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy," I said politely.

"And you," she replied, still looking at me rather curiously. "Lucius is in the sitting room, Severus. You two can go ahead in."

I followed Severus closely as he made his way down a long hallway. The whole house seemed ornately decorated, from the chandeliered ceilings to the plush rug beneath our feet.

Snape entered a room where Lucius Malfoy sat in a high-backed chair in front of a marble fireplace. He was staring into the fire, a glass of brandy in his hand.

There was an enormous Christmas tree against one wall. I hadn't thought about the fact that we didn't have a tree at Spinner's End. I thought of this as Snape cleared his throat, startling Malfoy out of his reverie.

"Severus, my dear friend, how are you?" Malfoy siad, standing to greet us. "And Olivia…how wonderful to see you again, my dear. You look lovely, as always."

His grey eyes moved over my body, as if he were drinking me in.

In one swift movement, Snape slipped a possessive arm around my waist. I smiled inwardly but kept my face studiously blank.

"Come have a seat, you must be freezing," Malfoy said to us, gesturing towards a black leather love seat. We sat, with Snape keeping an arm around me.

"What brings you two out here this cold winter day?" Malfoy inquired. "He isn't here, you know…"

"I know. It was you we came to see, Lucius. …Olivia and I are working on a rare potion, you see, and some of the ingredients are rather difficult to obtain," Snape said.

"Ah," said Malfoy, a smile spreading across his features. "Say no more. Come, to the drawing room."

Malfoy led us down the hall to another room. The majority of the room was occupied by a long table. The walls were an elegant, royal purple. Malfoy smirked as I admired his house and pulled out his wand. He tapped a spot on the floor, which revealed a staircase leading down into a torch-lit, dungeon-like room.

"Home-y," I said to Snape as Malfoy led us down. Snape chuckled softly.

The room below was quite dungeon-like and contained all sorts of things. Vials of poisons, a number of books, and several Dark objects whose purpose was unknown to me.

"Let's see…" Lucius said, walking over to a large cabinet. "What did you say you needed, Severus?"

Snape listed off the 3 ingredients we had been unable to obtain at Borgin and Burke's. A moment later, Lucius turned around with all three of them.

"Excellent. What do I owe you, Lucius?" Snape asked.

"Nothing at all, my good friend. I've no real use for them…consider it a gift," Lucius replied, his eyes on me again. "…Tell me, Severus- have you been training her as the Dark Lord instructed?"

"Yes," he replied tensely.

"Would you mind giving me a display of your knowledge, Olivia? That is to say, would you consent to a friendly duel?"

"Duel? Against you?" I asked.

Malfoy nodded.

"Well… I wouldn't want to hurt you or anything," I said, thinking to myself that I would in fact like to hurt him very much.

He chuckled heartily.

"So confident in your abilities. Let us put them to the test. Do you consent?"

I glanced at Snape.

"If you want to," he said reluctantly.

Author's Note: I think I'll leave it there for now. Let you guys brew on that for a minute. How will Snape react to Olivia dueling Lucius…and what will Lucius do to her? Who do you think will win? Read and REVIEW (I can't stress that enough!). And many thanks to all of you!

~LilReporterGirl