Allyna was frantic. It was only two hours until the Yule ball and her dress had still not arrived. She was pacing frenetically back and forth in her room. What was she going to do?! She forced herself to sit on the edge of her bed and breathe so that she wouldn't pass out. If nothing else, she could perhaps transfigure something? It wouldn't be spectacular, but it would work, right?

Suddenly there came a loud, insistent tapping at her door. She yanked it open to find a house elf there with a large box cradled in it's arms. "Delivery for you, Misses!" it said, shoving the package into her arms. "Thank you!" Allyna shouted as the elf POPPED out of existence. Allyna shoved the box onto her bed and ripped into the wrapping. She stood there staring at the note in her hands, and at the dress and accessories packaged within the box. She was literally speechless. She looked over the note:

Dear Miss Wilson,

As promised, your dress. I knew it needed to be something beyond the ordinary and something that would absolutely suit you. I have accomplished this task and I cannot wait to see your picture in the Daily Prophet tomorrow, I know you will be exquisite. Payment has been arranged with your father and has been taken care of. Enjoy knocking everyone's knickers off!

~ Edwina

P.S.-Your accessories have been included, created especially for you as well!

~Drusilla

Allyna hurried to take a shower and used a quick charm to dry her hair. She bit her lip as she decided how best to do her hair. She finally decided to pull it back, fastening her hair into a half-bun, part of it in a bun and the rest of it flowing down her back like a waterfall of pale-gold silk. Her makeup was equally simple, smoke and pale silvery-greys on her lids, a touch of peach blush and shimmery rose gloss.

She returned to the bedroom and pulled the beautiful satin undergarments from the box, letting the satin glide over her skin. She'd never worn a garter belt before, and the snaps tickled at her skin before she rolled the stockings up over her skin and fastened them into place. The corset laced in the front and Allyna blushed over the amount of cleavage it created, but it wasn't indecent, the dress still had to be put on over it, after all.

Allyna used the Wingardium Leviosa spell to hold the dress above her head as she moved under it and allowed it to slide down her body. She fastened it into place, then sat on the bench at the end of her bed to pull on the shoes that had been in the box. She had never seen anything like them. They looked as if they were made of spun glass, they should be weak and delicate. But they were incredibly strong and firm under her feet.

She finished her preparations by taking a beautiful tiara from the box and place it onto her head. It magically placed itself correctly in her hair, not undoing Allyna's styling. The tiara was gorgeous, pure silver, filigreed and studded with moonstones, diamonds and over Allyna's forehead, a single tear-dropped shape pearl. The final piece was a ring, with a cabochon of moonstone the size of Allyna's thumbnail. It was beautiful and her name was inscribed inside it as it was inside of the tiara.

She stood in front of the mirror and nearly cried. She knew that she was pretty, but for the first time in her life, Allyna felt truly beautiful. The last thought she had before she opened the door and headed for the Great Hall, where the ball would be held, was that Severus was in for quite a surprise.

Severus, meanwhile, was standing by the doors of the Great Hall, glaring at students as they entered the room. He'd already caught the Weasley twins trying to sneak firewhiskey in to spike the punch that seemed present at every ball. He was getting a little nervous, most of the students had already arrived, though there were a few stragglers left. Where was Allyna? Had she decided to skip out? Was something wrong with her? Had she rethought her request for a dance with him? All those thoughts ceased immediately when his head jerked up and he saw her.

Her dress was the color of moonlight. The bodice of the dress was sleeveless, and completely beaded with, what he knew from their constantly changing color, were moonstones. The skirt poured outwards from her waist in a flow of silvery satin. It too was embellished with moonstone-beads, but done in a pattern of swirling snowflakes. She looked like a queen, he thought. A beautiful, powerful Snow Queen. She quite literally took his breath away.

Severus wasn't the only one who was speechless. The Potions Master, too, had dressed up for the occasion. Instead of his every day black robes, his robes were a magnificent green so deep that they seemed black. Only under the lights could you see the shimmer of green on the expensive silk. His frock coat and trousers were the deep black-green as well. He had pulled his hair back, securing it at the base of his neck with a black ribbon. His black eyes flashed, softening for a moment when her gaze caught his, before going cold once more. He inclined his head towards her with a soft, "Miss Wilson."

She smiled at him, as she did everyone, only he saw the flash of wanting in her eyes. "Professor," she said softly in return, before entering the Great Hall. She gasped aloud at the change in the room. Everything was decorated in white, silver and a very pale crystal blue. Icicles dripped from every available surface, spearing towards the ground in a fall of beauty. Satin streamers streaked over the ceiling and hung to the floor. The floor of the Great Hall had been charmed to appear as ice, the ceiling was fluttering with snow mimicking the gently falling snow outside. All in all, it was entirely enchanting.

As she entered, Allyna spotted a woman who she had no doubt was the repulsive Skeeter woman. She was garishly dressed in lime-green dress robes and clutched a notepad and quill in her hand. "Well well well, don't you look like the belle of the ball? You must be Alexia Wilson."

"Allyna Wilson, Miss Skeeter. Pleasure to meet you," Allyna forced herself to appear pleasant as she stuck her hand out for the other woman to shake. The other woman's handshake left a lot to be desired, it was weak and vapid, like Skeeter herself.

"Of course it is. Please sit while we have our little chat, dearie. Now then, how about you tells us why you came all the way from across the pond to little old Hogwarts? You're eighteen, you could be done with school here, have taken the NEWTs level exams." She said with a rather playful smirk on her face.

Allyna answered honestly. "Hogwarts is home to Professor Snape, who is a Potions Master beyond compare anywhere in the Wizarding world. As I hope to pursue a Mastery in Potions and become a Potions Mistress myself, it seemed only logical that since I had not yet finished my schooling according to the laws of my original home, that I attend Hogwarts and learn from the very best."

The woman's quill rushed over the parchment she held. "And has Professor Snape been welcoming?" Skeeter asked, a smirk upon her face.

"I would have to say that Professor Snape has been very accommodating for a student who is several thousand miles away from home and completely unused to the way things are done here." Allyna answered, completely truthfully yet again. It seemed to annoy Rita Skeeter to no end that there was no way to twist Allyna's words so far.

Suddenly Allya felt a presence behind her and knew immediately that it was Severus. She felt her entire body relax. "If you'll excuse us, Miss Skeeter, Miss Wilson is needed by the Headmaster. I bid you good evening." Severus said in his monotoned, deadpan voice.

"Oh, just one more thing, Professor. Would you and Miss Wilson consent to a picture together for our readers? It's so rare to get a picture of you, Professor, and I thought it would be nice to see how you are welcoming your newest student," Skeeter said, a smirk on her face.

Severus sighed and said simply, "Very well."

"Wonderful, wonderful! Over here, dear!" the annoying woman said, grasping Allyna's wrist and pulling her towards one of the falls of satin that was clear of other people. Severus stood next to her, dourly facing the camera. Allyna smiled and stared into the camera, waiting for the flash. With a loud poof and a flash, the pictures were done. "Thank you, Professor, Miss Wilson."

And finally, they were alone. Severus took her elbow to lead her back towards the other students. "Meet me at the Astronomy tower at midnight," he hissed into her ear as he released her arm. She nodded almost imperceptibly. She was then surrounded by several young men who wished to dance.

Allyna was not surprised in the least when Draco Malfoy was at the head of the pack. He bowed and kissed her hand, smart enough to leave his tongue out of it this time. She sighed but consented with a nod of her head and Draco placed his hand on her hip, his other grasping her hand. When the music began, they swung gracefully in an arc around the room. "Been practicing, I see," Draco said, his smirk a bit softer than usual.

"Yes. Didn't want to embarrass Hogwarts, Slytherin or Professor Snape," Allyna said softly.

She noticed Draco gulp hard. "You...you look beautiful," he said quietly. Allyna would have sworn she saw a hint of a blush touching his cheeks. She smiled at him.

"Thank you, Draco. You look quite handsome yourself," she replied, making his blush deepen and he smiled, a true, honest smile. It made him seem infinitely more approachable and likeable. When the song ended, Allyna curtsied and Draco bowed. "Thank you for the lovely dance, Draco," she said softly.

He nodded and walked away, heading for the table filled with refreshments. Suddenly Allyna was presented with another dancing partner, this time one of Draco's friends, a lovely dark-haired boy named Blaize Zabini. He was graceful and quick and made her smile with witty repartee about Draco and the rest of the Malfoy clan, as well as his own mother. It was a well-known fact, he explained, that his mother married a string of men who quickly died and left her their lands and money. He kissed her fingertips as they broke from their dance.

Next up were a complete surprise, the Weasley twins. A loud, rambunctious song began to play and Fred and George took turns galloping with her across half the room before, twirling her into the other twin's arms for another "gallop." It was so funny that it had Allyna laughing out loudly in the room. The sound of it caught the attention of many. It wasn't the polite, hidden-behind-the-hand giggle that so many of the girls practiced. No, this was a full-on, right from the guy belly laugh. And it made Severus' chest tighten with the happiness of the sound. He wanted to make her happy like that.

Severus felt himself getting a bit more and more impatient for midnight as he watched young wizard after young wizard as for Allyna's partnership in dancing. He made his rounds around the room, making sure no students snuck off to broom closets for a quick kiss or shag. By the time eleven-thirty rolled around, Severus felt anxious and frustrated. He wanted to ask Allyna to dance here in public, but knew it would be frowned upon. She was just too damned young for him, he knew, everybody else knew it, hell, he was pretty sure she knew it as well. His downtrodden thoughts were interrupted by none other than the Headmaster himself.

"Severus, I do believe it would do a world of good for you to ask Miss Wilson to dance before the evening is through. It will look good for that Skeeter woman and the Daily Prophet. Show her that you fully support Miss Wilson as a member of your House." Albus said, nodding towards the girl who was currently sipping from a glass of punch and was smiling at a little fourth year who'd she'd just finished dancing with.

Severus had to force a sigh. "Very well, Headmaster."

Severus pushed his way through the throngs of students and stood by Allyna's side. He pressed a hand over his heart and bowed to her. Completely surprised-after all, she hadn't truly expected him to dance with her in public, that's what the meeting in the astronomy tower was for later-she curtsied and took his offered hand. To the surprised gasps of the gathered students, and most of the teachers, Severus placed his hand on her waist, her hand tiny in his. As they had practiced so often, the moment the music began, they were whirling around the room. They didn't hear the whispered praise of two people dancing so well together. For it was obvious that they were well-matched dancing partners. Severus was a strong leader and Allyna looked graceful as a bird on the wind in Severus' arms. In fact, the student body all stepped back and cleared a large area of the floor as they watched their snarky potions master dance with the strange, kind girl from the States.

Allyna was smiling up at him, this moment was everything she'd dreamed of. Even the clearing of the ballroom floor, with the students and teachers watching with hushed whispers of astonishment. At last, the music ended, and both of them were loathe to end their dance. But Severus removed his hands and stepped back, bowing to her again. She curtsied deeply, her chin resting on her chest. Suddenly there was applause, first from Albus and then continued by Professor McGonagall and then the rest of the staff and students began to clap as well. Severus took her hand in his for a moment and they both bowed/curtsied to their audience.

The remaining half-hour, Allyna danced with Ron, Neville and Harry. Only Ron and Neville seemed to have any skill, Harry tried hard, but just wasn't a very good dancer. But Allyna praised them all, if nothing else, they were good company and polite. As the bell began to toll midnight, the Great Hall began to empty. Allyna watched carefully for any stragglers as she slipped out the doors. She walked carefully to the Astronomy tower. She frowned when she noticed that it seemed pitch black but stepped inside anyways.

The darkness was from the outside only. Once she stepped through the doorway, the room was filled with hundreds of floating fairy lights. They twinkled and slowly moved around the room as she watched. The room was not cold, even with the wide, open area of balconies that surrounded the room. There was no breeze, either, though Allyna could see swirling snow beyond the boundaries of the balconies.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

A whisper of sound caught her attention and she turned to find Severus there, watching her. "Not more so than you are," he said.

Allyna blushed. "When did you do all of this?"

"Yesterday. I saw you as you were flying on that infernal hippogriff. You looked beautiful then, too. Like a goddess on the back of her steed," his words were filled with passion that he was holding back.

He walked to her and didn't stop himself when he laid a hand against her cheek, his fingers brushing over it light. Her skin was rose-petal soft and he wanted to wrap himself in the feeling of her skin. He watched as she slowly, cautiously raised a hand to stroke over his cheek as well. He closed his eyes and reveled in her touch, surprising both of them when he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand.

"You are so beautiful, Allyna. Why would you want someone like me?" he whispered, truly baffled.

"You are so much more than you see yourself as, Severus. You are blindingly brilliant, kind to me, we enjoy many of the same pursuits," she answered truthfully.

"I'm an ugly old asshole, Allyna," he said, surprised when she scoffed at him.

"You are not ugly, Severus! You may not be considered classically handsome by some, but you have far more worth in your little finger than most of those foppish buffoons will ever have. You are not like them, Severus. You are, however, very striking, powerful and damn good looking when you smile, which is not often enough at all."

"I'm too old for you," he groused, his true fear coming out at last.

"No, Severus, you are not. I'll have you know that my grandfather was older than my grandmother by thirty years. And theirs was a love like I've never seen. My grandmother was heartbroken when he died. Two of my favorite aunts have husbands that are fifteen or more years their senior. Besides all that, we're a witch and wizard, Severus. An age difference isn't going to matter all that much at 150." Allyna grinned up at him.

He didn't know how to respond. He stood there in surprise, just looking at her face for any hint of deceit, but of course, there was none. She was completely at ease with the age difference. She stepped closer to him. "Dance with me, Severus?" she whispered.

In a heartbeat, music filled the room, and he was holding her again. This dance was different than earlier. He held her closer, their hips pressed together, his arms wrapped around her tightly. As the song ended, Allyna smiled up at him again, and when he looked at her, his eyes were softer that she'd ever seen them, filled with an emotion she couldn't name.

She brushed a hand over his cheek softly. "Kiss me, Severus. Kiss me and make this night perfect," she whispered to him.

And that's exactly what he did, wrapping her in his arms and drawing her close before sliding his fingers into her hair and yanking her lips against his.