Chapter 8

Snape arrived the night before classes started up again. It was dinner, and Penelope nearly choked on the chicken leg she was eating when she saw him enter the hall. He looked good. He walked confidently alongside Dumbledore with a casual sweep at his shaggy black hair that fell into his face. He seemed a bit stressed, but as he glanced up to the staff table he winked at her. Cheeky man. He came and sat next to her, still deep in conversation with the headmaster.

" - and Beaubatons really expected the ministry to agree to that? They're delusional. These are children we're talking about. Not stunt wizards."

"And I completely agree with you, Severus. For the time being we will compromise, but trust me. They will be persuaded. Now if you will please excuse me, I have an urgent matter to attend to. Please enjoy a double serving of this delicious food for my sake."

Dumbledore then winked at Penelope, then made a darting look towards Severus. That old man really didn't miss a thing that happened in this castle.

After Dumbledore left, Snape leaned near Penelope to whisper his greeting. "Hello love, how have you been? Again, I'm sorry I left like that."

"I've been pretty well, thanks. I went to visit my friend Tonks for the break, and we had a grand time doing nothing."

"Oh yes, you mentioned that in your letter. I think I've met her father before… well maybe. But in any case I'm glad you enjoyed your time."

"How was your trip?"

"To be honest it was a big headache. Durmstrang and Beaubatons are being entirely unreasonable with their demands. And of course the ministry hardly cares about the whole thing because all that is on their minds is the manhunt for Black. As it should be. I am regretting agreeing to be on the Hogwarts tournament committee though." He shook his head to clear it of all the nonsense and then dug into a steaming hot bun.

"Well I certainly don't envy you that. Say, care for a cup of tea tonight? The house elves have left over easter sweets that I'm happy to share."

He smiled warmly at her, "Of course. How could I refuse?"

That night Snape came to her room and they talked for hours. The elves' cakes were only slightly stale. It felt so carefree to sit beside him with her legs wrapped up under her, his firm shoulder beneath her head as she leaned into him. He gave a hilarious impression of Filch that almost made her spew tea from her nose. He bellowed with laughter at his own antics. "The man is hard working, I'll give him that. But he needs to keep his nose out of the ladies laundry room, that's all I have to say about it. Oh it feels good to have a laugh like this. It's been ages with the year we've had. Well the past few years to be honest. He turned to her and she recognized the fierce gleam in his eye. "I think I'd like to keep you around, if that's ok with you. You do my soul good."

"That sounds like a lovely suggestion, Severus." She climbed onto his lap to wrap her arms around his neck. Then she whispered in his ear, "It's cute to ask, but you've been mine since that night. You had no chance of shaking me off if you tried." The man tensed at her words. Then he pushed her onto her back with a suddenness that nearly knocked the breath out of her. He kissed her hungrily, running his fingers through her hair. "You wicked woman," he muttered. She wrapped her legs around him and attempted to roll him over so she could straddle him. Severus had other plans. He pinned down one of her wrists and chuckled at her, "Not so fast dear." She heaved in a breath as she grew increasingly warm. Laying with his body on top of her made her eager to shed their clothes. She reached for the hem of his shirt as they made-out. He impatiently pulled it over his head and tossed it to the floor. She reached her palm up to his chest and enjoyed letting it wander.

"Your turn," he began unpinning her blouse. She felt impatient, knowing what came next. "I need to stop wearing so many buttons."

"Actually, it's kind of hot." He kissed her neck and started traveling downward.

The next morning, Penelope woke up with a snoring Snape beside her, a hand reached across her waist. She felt relieved. Secure in her new feelings. Like maybe this was the start of something real and permanent. "Severus?"

"Hmmmm?" He woke up a bit confused by his surroundings. She pecked him on the cheek then rolled out of the sheets. "Come on dear, we have classes to teach today. Unfortunately. If not, I'd stay here with you all day." She smiled sweetly at him. He sat up with a yawn. Then he pawed at the back of her thigh, trying to draw her back to the bed. "Don't we have a little time? Who needs breakfast anyway?"

She chuckled, "I do, actually. If I want to be a functioning adult today. You used up a lot of my energy last night." She smirked at him and walked away to pick robes out for the day. After another failed attempt to distract her, Snape kissed her goodbye.

Penelope caught herself grinning like a madwoman at random times throughout the day. She couldn't help feeling extremely happy. Maybe after experiencing some of the darkest emotions she could imagine a person feeling, having the opposite was practically heaven. In fact she'd gladly forget all else. Yes, this was a good plan, she would just bury anything that hurt deeper down inside herself. There was so much joy to fill her up anyway, she'd never notice.

The next week Severus and Penelope stole moments together, between classes, sneaking around at night, and during meals. By the quidditch match that weekend, she was practically certain she was in love with him. Snape came to escort her with a small bouquet from the greenhouse. She tucked it into her pocket, brightening up her robes and her smile. How thoughtful. They sat in the Slytherin section, screaming at the top of their lungs whenever the green blurs in the sky scored a goal. Even the disappointment of the loss didn't really dampen their spirits too badly.

Penelope was feeling better than she had in a long time. She just felt normal again. And happy. After a long day of giving the students their finals, she headed back to her room to relax a bit. She worked on her cursed artifact for a while before giving it a rest. Except apparently she was at it longer than she thought because it was dark out, and her room was brightly lit by a single candle and the full moon beaming through the window. She crept closer to the window and looked out to see what a beautiful night it was. Clouds framed the moon in the sky, and the grounds were glowing in its light. She spotted some… small figures darting across near Hagrid's cabin. They were heading towards the whomping willow. Students were banned from wandering the grounds after dark. Time to go investigate.

One more chapter to go in part 1/3! Writing this has been so fun, I can hardly wait to dig into the next part following the Goblet of Fire! Stay tuned :)