Severus stood in his doorway for several minutes, still processing. A few minutes ago they had been fighting, and now he was savoring the tingling sensation left behind from where she had kissed his cheek. How was she able to forgive so easily? And what had she meant by that kiss? Perhaps it was nothing more than a friendly gesture, but perhaps, he thought, there was a chance...
He felt the guilt slowly begin to seep back into his mind.
"I'm sorry, Lily."
The week he'd endured without the pleasure of Theda's company had been almost unbearable. Each night had been spent agonizing over the constant flow of daydreams of Theda followed by a stream of apologies to Lily. Many shameful memories that he'd repressed from his younger years had started resurfacing as his internal conflict grew more and more torturous.
He really had made an honest effort to put Theda out of his mind. Despite how unhappy it made him, he had tried his best to deny her. Even so, he realized now that it was already too late. Theda had made it clear that she was in his life to stay, and Severus knew it would be pointless to try to avoid her now. They were friends, and there was no going back.
And now, after that kiss on the cheek, Severus allowed himself to believe that she might even share his feelings. That theory, however, was not one he had much faith in; in all his 33 years of living, no woman had ever expressed any romantic interest in him. Still, as far-fetched as it seemed, it felt good to allow a small part of himself to hope that maybe this time things would be different.
That being said, he was still conflicted. He did not want his feelings for Theda to distract him from what was most important - protecting Harry, for Lily's sake. Still, one thing was for certain: he couldn't lie to himself about his feelings anymore.
The next morning before class Severus sent Theda an owl bearing a letter that read:
"Miss Desmond,
I think we should have our first training session tonight if you're still interested in my assistance. I still need to hear about what you learned in Paris. Meet me in the Entrance Hall after your last class.
Severus"
When the school day was over, he was on his way to meet her when he caught sight of Gilderoy advancing on her as she was waiting in the hall.
"There she is, the saucy little minx!" Gilderoy said in Theda's ear, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "Do you know how long I've been trying to get you alone?"
"Gilderoy?! What are you— Where did you—"
"Hands off, Gilderoy." Came a startlingly stern voice.
"Ahh, Professor Snape. Theda and I were just—"
"I know exactly what Miss Desmond was doing. As it so happens, she was waiting for me. What, may I ask, has given you the impression that your advances were welcomed?" He asked as he released her from Gilderoy's arms with a wave of his wand.
"That would be between Theda and me."
"Is that so? Miss Desmond, were you hoping to meet Gilderoy here?"
"You know I wasn't."
"There you have it," Severus said plainly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, I admit I may have sprung this particular encounter on her." He said nonchalantly. "Where are my manners? Theda, would you care to join me for a round of drinks this evening?"
"Actually, I already have plans with Severus this evening."
"Oh well, that's nothing that can't be rescheduled. Wouldn't you rather have drinks with me than spend the evening reorganizing potion ingredients in some smelly old dungeon?"
"We won't be reorganizing the storeroom tonight," Severus said as he grabbed Theda's hand, moving his body between the two of them. "We're having dinner."
"Is that so?" Asked Gilderoy in disbelief. "Theda, do you mean to tell me that you would prefer dinner with Severus over drinks with me?"
"Yes, actually."
"Ahh, well, I see you don't want to hurt the poor man's feelings. I understand." He said as he gave her a quick wink.
"Very well then, enjoy your dinner, Severus. Something tells me that it may be the last you share in Theda's company. I intend to treat her to a night of amore, and I assure you, she'll soon burn for me as badly as I burn for her."
"Really, Gilderoy, your delusions are becoming more and more concerning. I think I'll escort you to the hospital wing and we can have your head examined," Severus spat.
"Believe me, Professor, you're the one who's going to need his head examined," Gilderoy said as he withdrew his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Theda said, disarming him.
Just then Professor McGonagall appeared from around the corner, a group of first-year students following behind her. Severus quickly pulled his hand away from Theda's.
"What is going on here!?" She shouted in astonishment.
"Professor McGonagall, we were just—" Theda began.
"Rehearsing!" Gilderoy interrupted, flashing his most charming smile.
"Rehearsing!? For what?" McGonagall inquired.
"For the Dueling Club Severus and I have decided to start!"
McGonagall gave Severus a surprised glance.
"Is this true, Severus?"
Severus' lip curled as he flashed Theda a mischievous smirk.
"It is, Minerva. However, as I was just explaining to Gilderoy, the halls really are no place for combat. I suggested we practice in Gilderoy's classroom but he didn't seem to care for that idea."
"Quite right, Severus." She cast her gaze at Gilderoy, her eyes narrowing. "The halls are certainly not the place for this, Gilderoy. I shouldn't have to explain this to you."
"I apologize, Professor McGonagall." He said, still trying to win her over with his terribly fake smile. "I suppose I was a bit overeager. Although, it was my eager nature that came to my aid when I fought face-to-face with the Wagga Wagga Werewolf. Have I told you the story of how I defeated him using an incredibly complex Homorphus charm?"
"Yes, yes, we've all heard the story, Gilderoy, no need to repeat it. Well, as absurd as it is that I have to be the one to tell a professor that fighting is not allowed in the halls at 5:00 pm on a school day, I must admit I do actually see the merit of starting a dueling club. We had one when I was a student, and it was very beneficial. When would you be starting?"
"We're still ironing out the details." Said Gilderoy, a bead of sweat now dripping down his temple.
"Well, let me know when you've made a decision and I'll arrange everything with Albus. Gilderoy, would you mind coming with me? These students have informed me that more irklings have been wandering near the greenhouses and I could use your help rounding them up."
Gilderoy paused for a moment, clearly caught off guard.
"Uhh... of course." He said, smiling unconvincingly once again.
He took his leave and Theda and Severus began their descent towards the dungeons.
"Do you mind if we have our first session in my chambers?"
"Excuse me?" Theda said, blushing nervously.
"I just... thought it would be more comfortable than the classroom."
"Oh, umm, yeah. That's fine with me."
"After you." He said, holding the door for her.
When she entered she could see that his small dining area had been set with two plates. The room was cleaner than it had been last night, but still dimly lit only by a handful of candles.
"Are we actually having dinner?" She asked in surprise.
"Well, this is almost certainly going to be an emotionally draining night for you and we wouldn't want you having to deal with all that on an empty stomach. Plus, I wanted to do something to apologize for last night."
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble. Clean slate, remember?"
"I know, but I wanted to." He said, pulling her seat from under the table and gesturing for her to sit down.
"Thank you, Severus. I don't know what to say."
"You can start by telling me about your trip to Paris."
Severus clapped his hands together, and their plates were magically filled with the most luxurious beef Wellington atop a richly seasoned parsnip purée.
Theda recalled every minor detail of her trip as they ate, including the nature of her relationship with Marius, which Severus was secretly relieved to learn was not romantic. She recounted everything she had learned and handed him a stack of the photos she had taken at the Ministry.
"The Count of Saint Germain, hmm? Now there's a historic figure for you. Didn't I help you find a book on 17th-century alchemists the day we went to the cemetery? How coincidental that you should find yourself now entangled in a mystery pertaining to one of the most infamous 17th-century alchemists of all."
"Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence at all. Perhaps it was my intuition! I recall doing particularly well in Divination when I was younger. Maybe I'm a bit psychic."
Severus rolled his eyes.
"I don't recall that being one of the traits of an invoquor."
"A person can be two things!"
"Moving on," Snape continued, not wanting to dignify that with an answer. He'd seen firsthand what it was like when a true prophecy was being made, how the person's eyes grew cold, their body rigid, and their voice harsh and monotone. He could say with certainty that Theda's interest in the book was not enough to constitute her being "psychic."
"I happen to know that Albus is often in touch with Nicholas Flamel, but... He doesn't have much time left. It's... a long story. I would recommend speaking to Albus about it, sooner rather than later. Perhaps he can put you in touch with Flamel while there's still time."
"You're kidding! Albus knows Flamel? I mean, I know old people always seem to know each other, but they're not exactly close in age, are they?"
"There's only about a 500 year age difference. They were bound to cross paths sometime." He quipped."Did you take pictures of Collette's brooch?"
"I did, but they won't be necessary. Reach into my bag." She said, holding it open for him.
He did so, pulling out Collette's cameo brooch.
"They let you keep it?" He asked.
"Noy exactly... I, uhh... kind of stole it."
"YOU DID WHAT!?" He shouted in alarm.
Theda began laughing hysterically.
"I'm kidding!" She said between laughs, Severus scowling. "They did let me keep it, and I'll show you why. Go ahead and examine it carefully. Notice anything?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary." He said, searching it from every angle.
"Hand it to me." She said, holding out an open palm. "Now look at it again."
He took it back from her, his eyebrows raising as he saw the riddle etched into the gold rim.
"It's as if it has some sort of flesh memory." He said. "Perhaps only revealing its secrets for those with Altier blood in their veins."
"Exactly. This brooch has been in the Ministry's possession for over 100 years and no one has ever seen the inscription before. It revealed itself only at my touch. I am of Altier descent, I'm sure of it."
"Have you worked out the riddle yet?"
"No. I have a few different interpretations running through my head, but none of them make much sense. So far my strongest theory is that 'where three join to embrace the flame' could refer to a place where witches were burnt at the stake."
"That's more or less how I interpreted it as well." He said.
"But I'm not entirely confident with that theory... If they were referring to witch burnings I'm not sure they'd use the phrase 'embrace the flames.' I think they'd probably say 'succumb to flames' or something like that. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it."
"I agree, I think we may be on the wrong track." He said. "Let me ponder this for a while and see what I can come up with. In the meantime, are you ready to start your training?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
"Very well. Now, with occlumency, the goal is to control your emotions. The reason, of course, is to block attempts by unfriendly legilimens to penetrate your mind. In your case, we need to find a way to block unwanted emotional stimuli from others. Are you following me so far?"
"Yes." She said, rolling her eyes as if her intelligence had been insulted.
"I was thinking... It would help me if I could understand more about the nature of your abilities. If I could see them in action, or learn more about when they started to develop. I was thinking that, if you're okay with it, I could have a look at your memories. I think that would be a good starting point."
Theda looked quite taken aback.
"You want to... see my memories?"
"We don't have to if you're not comfortable with it... I know it's an invasion of your privacy but it could really help."
"If you think it will help... then okay. Let's do it."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
There was a long pause.
"I envy you." He said, smiling softly.
"Why?"
"You're so... open. You always say exactly what you're thinking without worrying that you'll be judged. And now, after I suggest diving into your thoughts, you agree to it without the slightest hint of fear. You have nothing to hide. That's a kind of freedom I'll never understand."
"Hmm... I'm not sure that's true. There are times I do worry about others not liking me or judging me... but I suppose those moments are few and far between. It hasn't always been that way, though. I've dealt with my fair share of rejection and hurt. I'm sure you'll have a better understanding after what you're about to see."
"Are you ready then?"
Theda took a deep breath.
"I'm ready."