I didn't stop running until I arrived at the common room. My heart was pounding in my chest and my hands were shaking uncontrollably. I kissed Snape, how could I be so stupid, why in Godric's name would I do such a thing. I chastised myself as I paced around the empty common room, grateful at that moment that everyone was finishing dinner in the Great Hall. "Please Edwin, hurry. I need you to talk me through this." I whispered to myself, still pacing back and forth. As if I summoned him, Edwin came through the portrait hole, his face fell when he saw my frantic state and he rushed over to me. "What's happened?" He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a tight hug. "I am going to be expelled. I am going to be expelled, and I am going to be scrubbing the loo's and the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of my life." I mumbled into my best friend's chest. "What are you talking about?" Edwin pulled me gently away from him by my shoulders. I looked around the room, "I can't tell you here, the portraits hear everything." Edwin grimaced "That bad aye?" I nodded and grabbed his hand. "Come on, we can go to the library."
I led Edwin through the corridors to the library, being extremely careful to avoid places I thought Snape would be lurking. Once we entered the safety of the library, we walked to an empty table in a dark corner and sat down. "Okay, what is it?" Edwin asked, with just a twinge of impatience in his voice. "I kissed Snape." I whispered and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You did what?" He asked, his voice carrying a bit and I scrambled my body across the table to cover his mouth with my hand. "Shhh, you big oaf! This is not something I want the whole school to know!" I whispered firmly, he nodded and I moved my palm away from his mouth. "How did that even happen?" He asked, his voice thankfully was much lower.
"He offered me some wine and we started talking and then it just sort of happened." Edwin stared at me incredulously as I spoke. "Well… What are you going to do Rora? You can't avoid him…Believe me, I tried my third year, he is everywhere." I took a deep breath, "I am probably going to be expelled when he tells McGonagall." Edwin pursed his lips "Why would he tell McGonagall? It makes him look just as bad for inviting you to have a drink with him. Besides, you left out a key factor in this whole thing." I raised my eyebrow at my best friend, "And what's that?" Edwin smirked at me "Did he stop you or did you realize what you were doing and stop yourself?" I thought about it for a second and my jaw dropped. "Me… it was me. I-I came to my senses and pulled away from him and ran out of the room." Edwin laughed "You ran?" I cut my eyes at him "Of course I ran! What exactly would you have recommended?" I whispered/yelled at him and he had the nerve to laugh again. "Well…I could think of a few things, but you're like my sister and that is disgusting to picture." I stood up "And that is where I leave." Edwin stood too, walking around the table, locking his arm with mine. "I'm just trying to lighten your mood, just go to class tomorrow morning and act like nothing happened." I scoffed and we began walking out of the library, towards our dorms. "Or, I can skip class and tell Madam Pomfrey I have a stomach ache." Edwin chuckled silently "You still have assistant duties." I shook my head "I will just quit school and work at a pub." I held on to Edwins arm tightly as we walked through the dark corridors, I made sure to keep my eye out for Snape but luckily, he was nowhere to be found.
***The Next Morning***
After I put my robes on, I sat on the edge of my bed contemplating my decision for the day while my dorm mates scurried around the room doing their hair, make-up or tending to their outfits. They were all working extra hard to impress the Durmstrang boys that were walking around the school this year. While I was trying to figure out how I was going to avoid the teacher I snogged last night. After a solid ten minutes of sitting with my face in my hands, I decided to go to class and act like nothing happened. I stood up and confidently tied my long brown hair into a ponytail and secured it with a garnet ribbon, adjusting my robes in the full-length mirror one last time before I walked out of the room and met Edwin at the entrance to our common room.
I made sure Edwin and I were the last to enter the classroom, and luckily for us there were two seats available at the table in the very back. My goal was to avoid eye contact and to be as far away from Snape as possible, and at the present moment I was succeeding.
When Snape entered the classroom my gaze shifted to my notebook, scribbling notes as he spoke. Edwin nudged me "Just leave as soon as class is over, I will meet you at the top of the staircase." He whispered and I nodded. I began packing my things 2 minutes before the bell sounded, and once it finally rang I bolted from the classroom, running up the staircase as fast as my feet could take me, and leaving Edwin behind like we planned. When I arrived at the top, I leaned against the cold bricks across the way from the staircase landing, waiting for Edwin and catching my breath.
About five minutes later, Edwin emerged from the dark stairwell and grimaced at me "He wants to see you." He said once he made his way over to me. My blood ran cold, "He stopped you?" I asked and he nodded. "Said that he needed to speak with you and I should inform you to return to his classroom immediately, otherwise he would give you detention." I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples "Are you going to go back?" Edwin asked and I shook my head "No, he can just give me detention, it would probably be with Filch or Moody anyway." Edwin shrugged, "What kind of flowers do you want at your funeral?" He asked, his voice a bit more serious than I would have liked, I glared at him in response before walking towards the DADA classroom.
*** A Few Hours Later***
After a day of successfully avoiding Snape, I sat on the sofa in the Gryffindor Common Room, re-reading my DADA essay. Everyone was at dinner and Edwin offered to bring me food when I told him that I would not be attending dinner for obvious reasons. I was expecting another hour of peace before everyone returned but that was ruined when Edwin came through the portrait hole, the look of utter terror plastered on his face. I sat up quickly, "What's wrong?" I asked, he didn't respond, he just pointed at the entrance to the room and said the word that made my heart stop. "S-Snape." I stood, clutching my dressing gown to my body "Is he out there?" Edwin nodded slowly "He was…" Edwin whispered. "Why are you pale? Did he threaten you?" my best friend gulped in response and nodded again "Y-you need to go to the d-dungeons… now." I looked at my pale, wide eyed, shaking best friend and snarled "Fine, If he wants to see me so badly… I will go." Edwin took a deep breath and sat down on the sofa beside my long forgotten essay. I hurried up the stone stairs to change back into my robes before making my way out of the portrait hole and down to the dungeons.