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Here is the next chapter - I hope you enjoy it :)

October gave way to November, the temperature dropping noticeably as the weeks progressed. Frost blanketed the grounds in the early mornings, and a chill now permeated the stone walls of the castle, indicating that Winter would soon be upon them, unforgiving and harsh.

Draco Malfoy was now intent on shooting venomous glares in her direction, and Lauren had to surmise that someone had filled him in on what a 'pimp stick' was, though that didn't bother her in the slightest. Every time she glimpsed one of his scowls, she would smile brightly at him and wiggle her fingers in playful greeting. This was usually followed by a singsong greeting of, "Hello, Blondie."

Lauren knew she shouldn't be baiting him like this, but she just couldn't resist doing so. Draco made it far too easy for her. If she was going to have to redo school all over again, she might as well have some fun doing so. And Draco was proving to be the perfect entertainment.

Quirrell, Lauren noticed, was now employing a new tactic when it came to her: ignoring her completely. By now it must have been obvious that she was highly suspicious of him and that she would not be fooled into following him naively, not now or ever. But Lauren was no fool, and knew it was only a matter of time before he struck again. It was only a question of when.

Even Snape was being blatantly obvious in his distrust of the Professor; well, obvious for him at any rate. During mealtimes, Lauren would catch the Half-Blood Prince shooting dark glowers in Quirrell's direction, who had the misfortune of being partnered right next to him. Quirrell valiantly kept his head down and tried to ignore Severus, but there was no denying there was a nervous tremor to his hands as he ate. Under different circumstances, Lauren would have felt sorry for him, for Snape could be downright terrifying when he put his mind to it.

But all she experienced when she viewed Quirrell was complete and utter loathing.

The foul git tried to get his hands on me. Fuck only knows what he would have done is he had succeeded.

Lauren shuddered at the thought, but she still had no real answer as to why Quirrell had tried to snatch her instead of the Philosopher's Stone. It was puzzling her to no end.

But she had no real way of obtaining the answer. Lauren didn't want to risk walking the shadow-filled corridors at night to seek Dumbledore out in his office. Knowing her luck, that was when Quirrell would decide to strike. She was well aware that she all but a puny eleven-year-old with very limited knowledge of magical spells in her arsenal; spells that would be entirely ineffective against a fully matured wizard, who could no doubt incapacitate her with a single flick of his wand.

That left her with only one option.

A few days later, Snape handed them back their graded essays, each sporting vicious red slashes through the parchment and no doubt riddled with scathing corrections.

Lauren snatched hers up as soon as it landed on her desk in front of her and scanned the bottom of the parchment, where she had written 'I need to talk to you'. In response, Snape had scrawled the words, 'See me after class'.

Lauren released the breath she had been holding and folded her essay in half before shoving it into her bag, not bothering to look at what mark she had received. She then focused on the ensuing lesson, becoming engrossed in brewing the potion Snape had instructed them to create.

Predictably, Neville managed to disrupt the class halfway through the lesson. His cauldron gave a mighty belch, which was soon followed by billowing, thick and suffocating clouds of rancid black smoke that engulfed the entire classroom.

Snape cleared the mess, as well as the air, with a flick of his wand before unleashing a verbal tirade on the visibly trembling boy - much to the amusement of the Slytherins, once they had recovered from their coughing fits. Lauren ignored them all and continued to work on her potion, which had now swirled into an intoxicating candy floss pink, indication that she had successfully brewed her potion.

Snape swept past her station; his mood mercurial if his scowl was anything to go by. He paused and peered briefly into her cauldron. His gaze flickered up to hers and she thought she glimpsed a pleased glint enter his dark eyes before he turned away abruptly without praising her. Not that he ever did. That was not his way. At least, not with her.

The bell rang shrilly, indicating that the lesson had come to an end, and Lauren waited for the students to file out of the classroom. Tracey waited by the door for her, but Lauren waved her off.

"You go ahead. Professor Snape wanted to speak to me about my essay," she explained.

"Do you want me to wait for you?"

"Nah. I'm not sure how long I'm going to be."

Tracey gave a single nod and left without another word. No sooner had she exited the room than the door slammed shut behind her, causing Lauren the jump as the sound echoed loudly around the room.

She startled once more when she turned around and found the dark silhouette of Snape standing on the other side of her desk, his arms folded in front of him as he stared at her through the curtain of his raven hair.

"You wanted to speak to me, Miss Ward. Now is the time to speak," he enunciated, his tone deathly soft yet carrying through the room.

Lauren tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, steeling her nerves. "Did you speak to Dumbledore? You said you were going to when last we spoke…"

"What did you imagine I was doing when I explicitly stated that was my intention?" he asked with patronization ringing clearly in his voice.

"I don't know. Maybe you were chatting about the weather while sipping over a nice cup of tea," Lauren shot back.

Snape narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You had better have a good reason for requesting an audience with me, Miss Ward."

"Well, I was getting to that when you decided to get all snippy with me."

"My patience is wearing thin…"

"What? You actually have patience?"

"Miss Ward, get to the point. Now!" he warned, and Lauren knew she was now veering dangerously close to Snape's limitation. He looked as though he was envisioning wrapping his long-fingered hand around her throat and throttling the very life out of her.

"Can't even have a bit of fun with you," she muttered before clearing her throat. Hastily she continued. "So I take it that Dumbledore is now aware of Quirrell and his intentions."

"He is," Snape replied, albeit guardedly.

"Is Dumbledore planning on doing anything about it?"

Snape's prolonged silence was answer enough. "He has requested that I keep an eye on him."

"Is that all?" Lauren huffed in frustration. The old fool was still intent on using the safeguards put in place to protect the Stone as a means to test Harry. Oh yes, there was no doubt in her mind that these were really a way to put the Boy-Who-Lived through his paces and prepare him for the future.

But wasn't Dumbledore not the least bit concerned that Quirrell had now developed an unhealthy interest in her?

"I need to speak with him."

"Then, by all means, go an speak to him," Snape stated coolly.

"Well, I don't really fancy wandering alone at night where Quirrell can snatch me at any moment. By the way, does Dumbledore have any theories as to why Turban head wants me?"

"Professor Quirrell," Snape corrected, though Lauren discerned the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly. "And no, the Headmaster didn't deign to impart any of his theories onto me."

"Did he even tell you anything?" Lauren asked, already knowing the answer.

Snape's nostrils flared. "Only that I should watch out for you."

Lauren grimaced. "Well, that sucks - he just made you my babysitter."

"And you, Miss Ward, are proving to be the bane of my existence. I have more important things to do than listen to your mindless babble."

"But I really need to talk to -."

Snape held up his hand, the cuff of his sleeve which covered almost half his palm barely shifting. "I will inform the Headmaster that you wish to speak with him. I cannot guarantee that he will oblige. Now, I have had quite enough of you. Leave now or I'll forcibly remove you myself."

Lauren glanced nervously over her shoulder at the door and then turned her attention back to Snape. "What about Quirrell?"

A cruel sneer twisted his lips. "Are you afraid?"

"Of course I'm afraid – I'm not stupid." She ignored the disbelieving snort that sounded from Snape. "There's no way in hell I would stand a chance against a well-seasoned wizard."

Snape sighed impatiently and strode past her, careful to ensure that they didn't accidently touch. He halted at the door, his hand curled around the handle, and motioned with his head for her to follow him.

Lauren did so, her curiosity getting the better of her, and frowned when he halted a little further down the corridor. He was now standing in front of a portrait of a portly, red nosed wizard sporting an impressively bushy ginger mustache.

"Albertus, can you please tell me whether Professor Quirrell is still in his classroom?"

The portrait let out a sleepy yawn, stretching as he did so. His movements caused his vibrant red vest to stretch taut over his bulging belly. He relaxed and lazily smacked his lips together.

"Waddya say, Pr'fessor?" he slurred. It was then that Lauren spied the tipped over wine jug in the corner of his portrait.

Not fair. The portraits are allowed to get drunk, but I'm not!

"Can you tell me whether Professor Quirrell is still in his classroom," Snape repeated. He never raised his voice, but suddenly his tone was unnervingly ominous.

Albertus was instantly alert and gave a hasty nod, his double chin wobbling with the movement, and scurried out of his frame.

Severus waited patiently; his hands clasped behind his back as he stared at the now empty frame. Lauren peered up at him, marveling at the intense concentration writ on his features.

Suddenly a thought struck her.

"Is that how you found me?"

Snape slowly turned his head to regard her, his black eyes glinting like hard obsidian as he waited for her to elaborate.

"The day my memory came back to me. I always wondered how you found me. It was the portraits that pointed you in the right direction, wasn't it?"

"That is correct."

Lauren thought about it. "So the portraits basically spy on the students. Isn't that…unethical?"

Snape smirked, but Albertus chose that moment to reappear in his frame, his cheeks flushed red and his beefy face sweaty.

"Yes, he is in his classroom, Professor."

Snape gave a curt nod and, without thanking Albertus, turned his attention once more to Lauren. "There's your answer. Now go, or did you wish to annoy me even further with your annoying questions?"

"Well…"

His eyes narrowed into slits.

"Fine. Fine. I'm going," Lauren huffed, but paused mid turn, another question coming to her. Glancing back at Snape, she asked, "Are you ever going to tell me why my magic keeps trying to reach out to you whenever we get too close."

Snape went as still as a statue, a guarded mask falling into place. "That," he replied snidely, "is none of your concern."

"Technically it is. It's my magic reacting this way, and I want to know why."

"Miss Ward, leave now or else I will give you detention!"

"I thought you didn't want to suffer being in my presence any more than you had to," she pointed out. "Now tell me what's going on." She belligerently crossed her arms over her chest and stood rooted to the spot. She had no intentions of leaving until she had an answer. Dead or alive. Preferably alive, but one never knew when it came to Snape.

It was then that Snape snapped. Before she could blink, he grabbed her by her upper arm and propelled her into the Potion's classroom. He never released his hold on her as he slammed door behind them and rounded on her, his face pitted with fury.

Lauren gasped, both from the combination of the shock of his actions, as well as her magic flaring up between them. She knew he had felt it too when he stiffened visibly.

Drawing in a deep breath through his nose, Snape glared down at her, but she could tell that her magic had distracted him from his anger and was, strangely enough, even calming him.

"You wish to know the answer?" he hissed, his face inches from hers.

A slight tremble coursed through her body. "Yes." She would not back down. Not from this.

Snape closed his eyes tightly and slowly uncurled his fingers from her arm with great effort. Then he straightened abruptly and stormed over to his desk, Lauren all the while watching him with confusion. He clutched tightly at the edge of his desk and she heard him inhale deeply as he fought to regain his composure.

With stiff movements, he rounded his desk and settled into his chair. Lauren couldn't help but notice that the desk now acted as a solid barrier between them, something he must have intended.

Snape regarded her; his eyes akin to charred coal. His jaw was clenched, the muscle in his cheek twitching ever so slightly. Her eyes flickered down to his hands and she saw that he was clutching the armrest so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"Your magic calls to mine, and mine to yours," he said after a few painful moments of silence had passed. "It was not noticeable before due to my Occlumency shields and your…averseness to accepting your magic. Once you broke through that barrier and embraced your magic, the magic inside you was awoken and the…pull was more noticeable then, especially for you." His deep rich voice carried through the room.

"So what does that mean?" she asked as she cautiously made her way over to his desk, halting before it. "That our magic…calls to each other?"

Snape sneered. "It does not mean we are some nonsensical fairytale story about soul mates, destined to be together - so get that silly notion out of your head right now!"

Lauren screwed up her face. "Nope. I wasn't even going to go there. I don't believe in any of that nonsense anyway."

It was odd. Lauren trusted Snape and respected him even, and she liked him well enough - when he wasn't being an ass. But love him? No, she most certainly didn't harbor any romantic feelings towards the ever-scowling Professor.

Though, I still have to go through puberty again, so there's always a possibility…Lauren repressed a shudder at the thought.

"Good," he stated disdainfully, though Lauren did note that he relaxed visibly at her proclamation. He drew in another deep breath before continuing, his voice much calmer than before, though still strained. "It is rare for one's magic to call to another's, but not completely unheard of." Snape paused, choosing his next words carefully. "It essentially means that your magic will work well with mine."

"Meaning?"

"Should we ever combine our magic then, in theory, it would be more powerful."

Lauren frowned and then abruptly went to retrieve a chair from one of the workstations. She dragged it over to the front of his desk and plonked down on it.

"I could have conjured a chair for you, Miss Ward," he drawled.

"You could have, but I don't think you would have, even if I had asked nicely."

His usual sardonic smirk found its way to his lips, a clear indication to Lauren that he indeed would not have done so. Snape, it seemed, enjoyed riling her up as much as she enjoyed riling him up.

"So when you mean combine…" she pressed, leaning forward eagerly in her chair, her elbows digging into her knees as she clasped her hands in front of her.

Snape stood in a fluid motion of black and rounded the desk. Lauren eyed him wearily as he approached her, slipping his wand from the sleeve of his robe.

"Stand," he instructed.

Lauren did as she was told, but not without trepidation.

Snape eyed her; reluctance etched plainly on his face. "Take my hand."

Lauren hesitated, but then reached for his free hand.

"My hand that is holding my wand, Miss Ward," he snapped impatiently.

"Well, be more specific next time," she bit back, but placed her much smaller hand over his. She was now standing in front of him, uncomfortably aware of their close proximity.

Instantly her magic flared like the rays of the sun filtering through the canopy of a forest; warm and bright as it brushed along their flesh, sending tingling electrical currents wherever it touched.

Lauren felt Snape shiver behind her, but when he spoke, his words were carefully controlled.

"Concentrate on it," he murmured.

How? Lauren felt as though she were being consumed with indescribable sensations.

"I'm now going to call up my magic," he murmured. "Together we will cast a simple spell. You will soon witness the effects of what combined magic can do."

"Have you ever done this before?" she whispered.

"No. But then again my magic has never been compatible with anyone else's before."

"Not even…" Lauren stopped short of mentioning Lily's name.

Snape instantly went rigid behind her.

"No," he said with finality, the word hanging heavy in the air.

"Okay, so how do you know all of this?"

"I read about it a long time ago. Now will you shut up! The sooner I show you, the sooner I can get you out of here."

"Fine," Lauren said, rolling her eyes even though Snape could not see it.

The moment Snape called forth his magic, Lauren felt it. Oh, how she felt it. The air around them seemed to vibrate as their magic came together like two flames of the same fire uniting to create a blazing inferno. This raging inferno coursed through their bodies, flowing through their veins like a torrential river, raw and exhilarating, and powerful.

Lauren let out a gasp, unnerved by the sheer intensity of the moment.

"Do not let go of my hand," Snape instructed through gritted teeth.

Lauren wondered how he was able to concentrate, let alone stand. She felt as though she were going to crumble under the sheer force of their combined magic.

With a flick of his wrist, Snape muttered the simple Wingardium Leviosa spell.

Lauren's eyes widened like saucers when all the chairs in the classroom suddenly rose up, levitating in the air. Each and every single one of them.

That's…that's a lot of power…And that was just a simple spell. Imagine what we could do with a more formidable one…

The implication of what was happening hit her and Lauren snatched her hand away, as though burned, and hastily backed away from him. Suddenly, she felt very, very afraid.

The chairs clattered to the floor with a resounding clash when their contact was severed.

Snape lowered his wand and slowly turned to face her. His expression was unreadable, though his black eyes swirled with the fading remnants of magic, making them seem like burning embers of coal.

If Voldemort ever finds out about this…He will either try to use us as a weapon or kill us because we are a threat.

Lauren swallowed hard at the thought.

"Miss Ward?"

Lauren's head snapped up to see Snape peering down at her with a hint of confusion, as well as concern.

"No one can ever find out about this," she warned, cradling her hand that had held his in her other hand. Snape's frown deepened at her warning. "Will you be able to hide this memory with Occlumency?"

Snape regarded her, trying to decipher her cryptic meaning, but finally he gave a single nod.

"Good," Lauren breathed out and ran her hand through her hair. If Snape said he could hide it, then she knew he damn well could. But they couldn't very well carry on like this, their magic reacting like this whenever they so much as brushed up against each other.

"How do I control this?" she asked agitatedly.

"Care to tell me about your sudden fear?"

"Best not to. I don't want to risk revealing anything," she muttered. She was deliberately avoiding looking at him, scared Snape would choose this moment to skim through her thoughts and see why she was truly afraid of this magical bond.

Snape contemplated her request and then, without a word, he strode to his office door and yanked it open before stepping inside. He returned shortly with a leather-bound book clutched in his hand and wordlessly handed it to her.

"What's this?" Lauren asked.

"Theory of Occlumency. Read it thoroughly, Miss Ward and apply what you have absorbed from its teachings."

"But Occlumency is…a mental shielding of sorts, isn't it? How is this supposed to control my magic?"

"By applying the mental exercises outlined in this book, it should teach you to focus and, in turn, apply that same focus in controlling and containing your magic."

"Easy peasy, right?" Lauren stated with skepticism, but tucked the book securely under her arm, feeling much calmer than before.

"If you're not a complete dunderhead."

Lauren rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

"And Miss Ward…"

Lauren glanced over her shoulder.

"If you should damage or mangle my book in any shape or form…let's just say that I shall not be very pleased."

"Duly noted," Lauren remarked and exited the room, eager to get away.

She did not notice that Snape was eyeing her thoughtfully, his frown becoming more pronounced as the minutes ticked by.

~oOo~

The following week saw Lauren becoming engrossed in the book Snape had loaned her as she pored over it each night in bed. Basic forms of Occlumency, she was learning, was closing the mind off from an attack from a Legilimens by emptying it and shutting down all emotions. The more advanced form of Occlumency was the ability to suppress thoughts and emotions and create a false layer of surface thoughts to throw off a Legilimens, whilst keeping the true thoughts or memories hidden below the surface, safely protected by the faux memories. A great deal of willpower and emotional discipline was involved – the very traits that Severus Snape possessed, and which made him such an accomplished Occlumens.

Lauren took note of the mental exercises outlined in the book, knowing Snape would not have recommended this if he hadn't thought it would beneficial for her. She practiced each night clearing her mind before she drifted off to sleep, hoping that this would help control her magic when she was around Snape.

Though, in the back of her mind, Lauren had to wonder if there was more to this 'bond' than Snape was letting one. It felt more complicated than the explanation he had given her, but this was the best answer she was going to get from him. For now.

The first Quidditch match of the year rolled around, and Lauren went for the sake of seeing what all the hype was about. She was not a sports fanatic, finding it held little interest for her. But there was something intriguing about watching the players zoom around on their brooms, brain beaters - commonly known as Bludgers - shooting through the air, intent on knocking any player in their path out. It was a fast paced and thrilling, but Lauren knew this was not something she would ever get fanatical about.

As the match progressed, Harry's broom started bucking and jerking wildly. Lauren's gaze swept over to the stands where the teachers were seated, but she was too far away to really make anything out. All she could discern was the bright turban that represented Quirrell and the contrasting inky black curtain of hair that indicated that Snape was sitting close by, probably countering Quirrell's jinxes at this very moment.

Lauren knew what was coming but had to force herself to remain seated as the next few moments played out as they were supposed to.

A span of minutes passed, Harry's broom still jerking and twisting in the air like a bucking horse, the boy holding on for dear life.

Suddenly a commotion erupted in the teacher's stand, Snape shooting straight to his feet. Lauren guessed that Hermione Granger had just set his robes on fire.

Oh boy. He's going to be some pissed about that! she thought, making a mental note to avoid him for the next week or so. Snape in a foul mood did not bode well for anyone who crossed his path.

The following week as she entered the Great Hall for lunch, Lauren's gaze landed on Draco, who was sitting at the Slytherin table with his two meathead cronies.

"I need to have a word with Draco, Tracey," she said, turning to her friend.

Tracey shot her a bewildered look that quickly morphed into suspicion. "Lauren, you're not planning on riling him up, are you? It's one thing to stand up to his bullying, it's another to intentionally goad him."

Lauren smirked. "But he makes it so easy."

"Lauren," Tracey warned.

Lauren sighed defeatedly. "No, I'm not going to 'goad' him, as you so aptly put it. Though, if the opportunity presents itself, I can't make any promises that I won't rise to the challenge."

Tracey's eyes narrowed. She looked ready to drag Lauren in the opposite direction of Draco Malfoy.

Lauren held up her hands placatingly, but the mischievous grin planted on her face didn't help her case. "I'm just going to talk to him. Honestly. I need to ask him something."

"Ask him what?"

"Something," Lauren batted her eyes. Tracey didn't look fooled.

"Even if I tell you it's a bad idea, you're still going to do it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her left foot against the stone floor.

"Yup."

Tracey sighed and shook her head.

Lauren nudged her playfully in the ribs with her elbow. "Come on. If anything, it'll be entertaining."

The slow smile that crept on Tracey's face let Lauren know that she had won this round.

Lauren's grin broadened. "'Atta girl. You know, I think my bad habits are rubbing off on you," she stated as they made their way to their table.

Tracey shrugged. "Maybe, but I've got you doing your homework now, so I think some of my good habits have rubbed off on you as well."

Lauren blinked as she realized that Tracey was indeed right. They dedicated their afternoons to finishing their schoolwork, and she realized that Tracey's studious nature was certainly rubbing off on her. If only she had had a friend like before, Lauren's old life might have turned out differently.

When they reached the Slytherin table, Lauren promptly plonked herself down next to Draco. His platinum white head instantly whipped in her direction, a condescending sneer twisting his deceivingly angelic features.

"Hello, Draco," she greeted with a sickly-sweet smile.

"What do you want, Ward?" he asked suspiciously.

Her eyes briefly flickered to the staff table and was unsurprised to find Snape watching them intently, his dark eyes boring into her, as though he were silently asking her what the hell she was doing.

Ignoring him, Lauren turned to Draco, cradling her cheek in the palm of her hand as she spoke. "I want to make a proposition."

"A proposition?"

"Yeah, you know. It means to make a suggestion, or offer a deal…"

"I know what a proposition is," he spat.

Lauren perked up. "Oh, good. It was bad enough that I had to teach you how to spell. Explaining the definitions of words would have been tedious…"

Draco's baby blues were spitting daggers at her. "What. Do. You. Want?" he hissed angrily, enunciating each word. Lauren was taken aback of how reminiscent he was of Snape in this very moment.

Lauren decided to get straight to the point. "It's common knowledge that you are a bit of a prat, Malfoy."

His hands clenched into fists around his knife and fork. Lauren hastily held up her hand and continued.

"And, as a prat, you must have an arsenal of foul words at your disposal - something I'm sure that your parents would be opposed to."

"What is your point?" he asked, dropping his knife and fork with a clatter onto his plate, almost as though he had suddenly lost his appetite.

"Did they ever place a spell on you to stop you from swearing?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. And then comprehension dawned on him. He let out a cruel and delighted laugh.

"Is that what happened to you? Someone put a spell on you to stop you from swearing."

"Yup," she stated, seemingly unfazed. "And I want you to give me the spell to counter it."

The humor faded from his face. "And why would I do that?"

Lauren sighed and straightened up. "I'm not your enemy, Draco. He is," she said, nudging her head in the direction of Harry Potter, who was seated with Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. She didn't particularly like what she was doing, but she needed Draco to refocus his loathing back towards Potter.

Draco eyed his nemesis spitefully, before turning his attention back to her. "That's not reason enough."

Lauren leaned in, causing Draco to lean away from her. "I'm not afraid to play dirty, Draco, especially when I want something. I was hoping to avoid blackmail – um, I mean, persuading you forcibly, but you have given me no choice. You give me that counter spell and I'll stop calling you Blondie; a nickname I'm sure you don't want getting around the whole school."

She ignored the cracking knuckles of the two dunderheads opposite them as she peered intently at Draco, letting him see that she was deadly serious. He remained utterly still as he studied her, hatred burning in his eyes.

"And," she continued, almost sounding regretful "I will lay off goading you and will even be civil towards you. We are, after all, supposed to be united as Slytherins. Focus your hatred on Harry Potter instead and stay out of my way, and I, in turn, will leave you alone."

Seconds ticked by. "And no more calling me Blondie?"

Lauren inwardly sighed a sigh of relief. "It pains me, but yes, I'll lay off calling you Blondie. If," she held up her hand, "and only if, the spell works."

Draco contemplated her, shrewdness alighting his features. Almost a full minute ticked by before he answered her.

Finite," he said in a low voice.

"Pardon?"

Draco's head snapped up. "The spell is 'Finite'."

Lauren chewed the inside of her cheek. She recalled vaguely reading about Professor Lupin using that counter spell on Neville, so there was nothing really dangerous about it. But there was only one way to find out.

She slowly withdrew her wand from the pocket of her robes, Draco watching her warily the whole time.

Pointing the wand at herself, Lauren concentrated and murmured the spell. Nothing happened. She had half expected the heavens to part and a high-pitched chorus of Hallelujah to be sung. Nada. Zilch.

"Try it," Draco sneered.

Lauren gave a little cough and decided to use a phrase she had always wanted to call him.

"I take it back, Draco. You're not a prat." His eyes widened and then simultaneously narrowed when she finished her sentence. "You're a fucking dickwad!"

A very unlady-like snort sounded from Tracey, who was seated not too far away.

Draco glared at Lauren, which only caused her grin to notch up to mage watt voltage. "Sorry, I was just testing it out." Lauren rose to her feet, suddenly feeling as though she were walking on clouds of euphoria. She extended her hand towards Draco. "Thank you, Draco. As a wo…girl of my word, I'll stick to my promise. I'll leave you alone."

He reluctantly took her hand and they shook on it. It did not go unnoticed by her that as soon as he had released her hand, he wiped his own against his robe.

"Unless you start it, then the truce is off," she warned.

Draco regarded her and then gave a single nod of understanding. Lauren stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "And I mean it, Draco - I'm not your enemy."

He frowned at her words, but she had already turned away and went to sit over by Tracey, who was grinning widely at her.

"That was amazing," she enthused.

Lauren patted her head. "Calm down, little sprite." But she couldn't help grinning along with Tracey before she let out a yawn.

A thoughtful look swooped over Tracey's features. "Did you have another nightmare last night?"

Lauren stilled, recalling the chilling memory that had weaved its way into her dreams, as it was apt to do most nights. She would often wake in a clammy sweat, her heart pounding painfully in her ribcage.

"Yeah," she admitted softly.

Tracey nodded. "I heard you cry out."

Lauren eyed her wearily, wondering if she was going to grill her about what had happened.

Suddenly a shadow fell over her, saving her from any further interrogation. The way her magic flared forewarned her of who was standing behind her.

Lauren took in a steadying breath and used what little she had learned about Occlumency to will her magic back down. It was harder than she thought, but finally her magic yielded and receded.

She turned in her chair and peered up at Snape through her lashes.

"A word if you please, Miss Ward," he demanded, his voice deathly soft.

"But I haven't finished lunch," she protested.

He quirked a brow, somehow making that simple gesture menacing. Lauren sighed and rose from her bench, grabbing her bag.

"See you later," she mouthed to Tracey, who gave her a sympathetic look in return.

She followed behind Snape as he exited the Great Hall and made his way down a deserted corridor.

"What were you talking to Draco about?" he enquired as she caught up to him.

"Homework," she replied innocently.

Snape halted at her lie and instantly rounded on her. Lauren concentrated with all her might on making her mind blank. It must have worked for Snape straightened up, peering down his nose at her.

"You've been practicing."

She gave a nod, trying to keep her mind devoid of all emotions. Which was hard when he was standing so close, formidable as ever.

In a flash, his hand shot out and clutched tightly at her shoulder, his fingers digging into her flesh. Lauren was unprepared for the physical attack and her magic flared as her mental shields crumbled.

She shut her eyes and concentrated on evening out her breathing and calming down. She felt her magic slowly recede and she finally opened her eyes.

Snape was watching her and when her eyes met his, he let his hand drop. "Better than what I expected, though you need more practice."

Lauren let out a shaky breath. "That's something I've been thinking about…Would you be willing to teach me Occlumency?"

He eyed her for several seconds, reluctance plainly writ on his features. "I'll think about it. Now what were you talking to Draco about? The truth this time."

"I promised to back off as long as he did as well."

"Is that all?" he asked slowly, clearly not believing her.

Lauren knew she was no match for Snape, and he would break through her mental barriers in a split second if she continued to evade his questions.

"I may have also asked him some information in exchange for me not calling him Blondie anymore."

Snape's nostrils flared as he glared down his nose at her.

"You blackmailed him?"

"No, not blackmail. I just persuaded him to give me information in exchange for laying off him."

"That's blackmail."

Lauren shrugged. "You call it one thing; I call it another."

Snape crossed his arms in front of him, his patience noticeably wearing thin. "And what information did you coerce from him?"

Lauren had hoped he wouldn't ask. "I…may have asked him for the counter spell…for the one that Dumbledore put on me."

Snape was silent for a moment. "I see." His words were drawn out, constrained. Lauren knew then that she was in trouble. "What made you think that was a good idea?"

Lauren sighed. "Look, we've come to an understanding. I'll leave him alone if he leaves me alone. Call it a truce if you will."

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as though he had a headache. "I should give you detention."

"But you don't want to because, in your words, you would be forced to be in my presence longer than you have to," she pointed out.

Snape glared at her.

Several seconds ticked by, Lauren preparing to make a run for it.

His next question threw her completely off guard, though. "Are you still having trouble sleeping." This was not phrased as a question, and Lauren guessed that Snape had overheard her and Tracey's conversation.

"Some nights are better than others," she replied cautiously, still not quite believing that he wasn't hexing her into oblivion right about now.

He was silent for another moment. "See me after class on Friday, Miss Ward."

"Detention?" she asked.

"No," he replied in a clipped tone.

"In that case, you had better have some alcoholic drinks ready then," she declared.

His condescending scowl was her only answer.

"Oh come on! I've been on forced sobriety for two months. Do you have any idea how hard that is?"

Snape rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, leaving her standing alone in the corridor.

"I do hope they eventually teach us how to turn water into wine," she muttered, heading back into the Great Hall. When that happens, I plan on getting myself piss-assed drunk!

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