Fourth Year, Part 1

When auror Lawless suffered an occupational accident that confined her to a wheelchair forevermore, she applied for a teaching job. And so former auror Lawless became Professor Lawless, the best Defense teacher Hogwarts had had in over a decade. Though strict, students admired her and welcomed her practical approach and experience. Once a week, Professor Lawless would pick two students at random and ask them to duel in front of the class, who'd provide the pair with feedback afterwards.

"Mister Snape and Miss Riddle. If you'd be so kind," she said one cloudy Wednesday, last period.

The desks were positioned in a horseshoe shape that left a huge, empty space in the middle, where they were expected to duel. Severus threw Skyrah a nervous glance from his side of the shoe. They hadn't really talked during the nearly six school months which had already passed. Not that he hadn't tried. Every time she replied to him, it was to give him an excuse to end the conversation before it even began:

"I need to finish the Transfiguration homework."

"I'm exhausted. I should go to sleep."

"Maybe another day."

"I have to study for the Divination exam. Ovomancy doesn't come easy to me."

Her longing was buried in her lingering looks. They were scarce, only visible when she was too tired to occlude. Perhaps she was starved too, friend-starved rather than touch-starved. Or so he concluded. The difference was that, while he sought touch and affection, she stayed aloof of potential friends.

"Please be careful, Sev," he heard Lily whisper beside him. "Riddle's got a reputation for knowing dark spells."

Like all Slytherins, he thought, marching to the center of the classroom. Skyrah remained seated.

"Professor, I'm feeling quite unwell. Would you mind choosing somebody else?"

Gasps and whispers ensued. If it had been any other student, sniggers would have filled the classroom. Nobody dared ridicule Skyrah, though.

"It was not a proposal, Miss Riddle. You might need to defend yourself when you aren't feeling particularly well. That cannot be an excuse. Not to mention, if you felt so unwell, you would be in the Infirmary."

Skyrah gulped and made her way to Severus, halting right in front of him. Everything about her pose and facial expression spoke of confidence, everything but the volume of her voice when she murmured she didn't want to hurt him in any way.

"If this is because of your biggest fear… I trust you. You won't hurt me deliberately."

She shook her head. "I'll let you win. It'll show Potter that you're powerful. He might think twice before targeting you again. He hasn't stopped bothering you, has he?"

"I can handle Potter."

"I'm not saying otherwise."

"Maybe I should let you win. Do you think he still believes girls shouldn't duel boys?"

"Those standards he referred to were an excuse to create a good impression. He achieved the contrary. I'm quite certain he'd have hexed me if he'd felt like he'd have succeeded."

"Are you calling Potter a coward?"

"And a liar."

"Please cease to chatter." Both pretended they hadn't heard Professor Lawless.

Skyrah continued, "If I'm wrong and he was being sincere, he must've learned his lesson after Lucinda trounced him. That was a satisfying duel."

Severus smirked. "Indeed. Maybe neither of us should let the other win. Let's give them all a show. The possibilities of suffering an accident aren't high with Professor Lawless in the classroom. We won't get hurt." When her posture slightly relaxed, he said, "Give me your best."

"Only if you do the same."

At the boyish, excited grin he cracked, she felt like he had already beaten her. She would get distracted if he discovered something as simple as a grin made her weak in the knees. It didn't help that he had finally grown taller than her or that his voice had deepened so much it made her feel tingly whenever he used it.

"Finally," Professor Lawless muttered when the pair bowed in respect.

Both kept a defensive stance, neither attacking just yet, and looked each other in the eye. The whole class held their breath.

"Oh, c'mon!"

Severus glowered at Potter. The distraction was Skyrah's opportunity to use a leek jinx he barely dodged.

"Locomotor mortis!"

The surprise of having glued legs almost caused Severus to drop his wand. The sardonic laughter – from the four marauders, he'd recognize it anywhere – was difficult to ignore, and almost caused him to be hit by another spell.

"Impedimenta!"

Severus blocked it and used the same jinx against her.

"A–" Her mouth, as well as all her body, began to move no faster than a sloth. Meanwhile, he used the counter-spell to liberate himself. "–vis!"

A cloud of smoke appeared on top of her. Slowly, it became less and less dense, until a flock of birds was revealed. They were starving, and Severus was the worm. The flock swooped down on him but never got to reach him. A full body-bind curse had hit them first, causing the birds to fall down onto the floor like raindrops.

Skyrah got out of the way just in time to escape a stunner. That was no surprise (he had expected the effects of the impediment jinx to have been worn off by then). Oh, no. What shocked him was the snake she conjured next. Though small-sized, it had two long necks with a head each that grew out of the same body, no doubt inspired by mythological hydras. Severus had no time to admire her spell work. He had no desire of being beaten by a snake that might or might not be venomous, thank you very much. Instead, he stayed very still, going through every possible spell that could aid him. The snake kept winding its way towards him, four eyes fixed on him.

"Evanesco!"

The snake remained there. It was too close now, poised to strike, fangs out. If he hadn't been focused on its heads, he'd have caught sight of Lily gripping the edge of her desk. He tried again, and it worked, though he didn't understand why when he'd done exactly the same: same pronunciation, same wand movement. The puff of pale brown smoke the snake had turned to finally disappeared. Now he could see Skyrah clearly. She was slightly leaning against Mulciber's table, suddenly tired.

I don't want to hurt you in any way.

Could it be that Skyrah has—

A depulso would have got Severus if he hadn't jumped away from its course at the last moment. Well, she'd recovered pretty quickly from whatever had happened. Be careful what you wish for. Wasn't that what they said? He had asked her to give him her best, and was now receiving. What surprised him the most was the playful spark in her eyes and involuntary twitch of her otherwise pursed lips, as if she were trying to keep a smile at bay. He was having fun, too, in spite of having had stuck legs, an army of birds that had regarded him as its prey, and a hydra-like serpent who had been (to his fortune) sluggish. No. Not in spite of, but because. She was challenging him, and though he was slightly breathless, the experience was exhilarating.

"Shit! No, no, no!" If not busy with holding his wand as strongly as possible with sudden jelly fingers, he'd have looked at her in awe. No sound had come from her mouth.

The non-verbal spell, advanced for their age, had left her magical core a bit tired, for it took her a moment to recharge and say, "Obscu– What the heck?"

She had her quill in her hand. At his switching spell, the smile she had repressed came out – something which elicited whispers from the audience. If not for Lily, who called his name, he'd have stared at that smile completely bewitched.

Skyrah hurried to get her wand back while he took care of his weakling fingers. Granted, she may be able to cast a few non-verbal spells on occasion, but wandless magic was out of her grasp as of yet.

"Meteolojinx!" she heard before seizing her wand.

No sooner had the grey clouds gathered over Skyrah and released the first drops of rain that she dissolved everything with a meteolojinx recanto. She parried a brachiabindo and lurched towards him with an unsuccessful glacius spell.

"Stupefy!"

She sidestepped so that it wouldn't hit her. Now she was at an arm's length from him.

"Incarcerous!" they shouted virtually at the same time, Severus being the first, and Skyrah finishing the conjuration right before ropes bound her. She fell over with a thud, which in turn, made him trip over her leg and fall on his side.

A low moan from him. A little yelp from her.

Her discarded quill alongside paralyzed birds surrounded them.

A small laugh escaped her. And another and another... She laughed like nobody in the room had ever thought she was capable of: heartily. The class was convinced Severus had used the tickling charm on her. The only faults in that logic were that he, too, had burst out laughing and that his wand was out of reach, like hers.

After Professor Lawless freed them, Severus stood up and extended his hand. Much to his surprise, Skyrah let him pull her to him, perhaps too strongly, for she had to put her free open palm on his chest to avoid colliding with him. Severus looked down at her parted mouth, through which her breath came in short puffs (like his); at her eyes, staring unblinkingly into his; at her face as a whole. It was flushed. A part of him hoped the color didn't have to do with the duel alone. His heart was doing strange things that had only happened with Lily until then. Could Skyrah feel it under her palm? Was her heart doing strange things as well? Did her skin feel funny yet pleasant where their hands touched?

Her lips drew a thin line, her expression unreadable as she seized her quill and their wands, and returned his. She acknowledged his thanks with a terse nod. Severus locked his hands behind his back and stood in a pose of awkwardness.

"What could they have done differently, apart from being a bit tidier and not using bad language?" asked Professor Lawless, vanishing the birds.

No hands were put up, and House points were awarded. The class was dismissed shortly after.

Skyrah pretended not to hear Severus when he called her name. Back to normal, he thought with bowed shoulders. His mood improved when Lily asked him to meet her by the Quidditch Training Pitch. They only needed to go to their Common Rooms and get their coats, scarves, and gloves (plus a winter hat, in Lily's case). He knew something was wrong when he got by the pitch and a sweet smile didn't greet him.

"We need to talk about Riddle."

"What about her?" he wondered, adjusting his discolored Slytherin scarf, once property of his mother.

"You seemed to have a good time. Are you two friends?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm worried. She's a dangerous girl. She even conjured a bloody snake that could've bitten you!" Severus rolled his eyes. "Are you even listening?"

"Listening to what? Your constantly judging people like me?"

"You aren't like her." Her eyes were on the snowy ground, though, not on him. The truth was that Severus had been hanging out with Mulciber, Rosier, and Avery lately. It had led them to have several fights. "Mary told me she heard Riddle calling a Hufflepuff boy the m-word."

"Have you asked the Hufflepuff in question or will you trust Macdonald blindly?"

"Why shouldn't I trust her?"

"Spreading rumors is her favorite pastime and she can't stand Skyrah. Macdonald glares at her every time Skyrah earns House points."

"I wouldn't put it past Riddle to use the word. Most Slytherins use it. Has she ever defended a muggle-born?"

"No." He remembered very well last year's conversation after the incident with the marauders and Narcissa's book.

"There's your answer."

"I know she's the one who upset you last year. She regrets it. She'd deny it if we asked her but she regrets it."

"You have too much faith in her."

"I have my reasons to believe she's kinder than they say."

"And I have my reasons to believe the opposite."

"We won't agree on her. Did you need to tell me anything else? I'd rather not fight again."

Lily bit her bottom lip. "I don't want to fight either. We won't fight. It's just that it bothers me that you look at her like…"

"Like what?"

"Like you used to look at me."

She left to do her homework, leaving a baffled Severus behind.

Severus skipped the dessert and snuck out of the Great Hall, pondering whether to head to his dorm already or to…

Yes.

The Potions classroom was empty. He entered and grabbed one of the extra books Professor Slughorn kept in a cupboard. Some ink and parchment and a quill were also placed on a table. Severus liked experimenting with alternatives to the ingredients, changes in their order or amount, and methods or tools to use. He always wrote down what he had observed on a piece of parchment. If he came upon a little discovery, he would take his Potions textbook, cross out the original text, and inscribe his findings.

The main ingredient of today's potion was dragon claws. With the proper spell, he could extract its ooze and use that instead. It was worth a shot to see how the potion varied. He poured the ooze into the cauldron and…

BOOM!

The cauldron, thank Merlin, hadn't melted nor been dented. The jars with the ingredients hadn't been damaged. Sadly, the potion per se had to be vanished. He'd have to research why the ooze had caused such a reaction.

"Are you okay?"

Amongst the smoke the blast had produced, he couldn't quite make out her face. There was no need, though. He'd recognize Skyrah's voice anywhere.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to see you're a genius."

His cheeks heated up. That was what happened to him when Lily complimented him too. "I had considered your mind to be sharp until this very moment… Did you, perchance, miss the explosion?"

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't think you can… improve a potion? Or are you creating your own?"

"Something similar to improving for now."

"You haven't been successful with this one..."

"Obviously." He coughed and waved his hand to disperse the smoke and finally see her face.

"But with others you have succeeded," she countered, receiving no denial from him. "I knew it. You're made for this. It's a gift. Why do you always follow the book in class if you're able to do so much more?"

"Sluggy prefers the traditional method."

"Sluggy's old-fashioned."

He caught himself before smiling and vanished all traces of happiness alongside the ruined potion. "Why are you here? Got tired of ignoring me?"

"I guess I deserve that. Will you listen to me or should I leave?"

His answer was total silence. That was how she'd replied to him for the most part for an entire month after the duel. Petty, perhaps, but he didn't care right then.

"Since you haven't told me to get lost, I'll make you an offer: would you be willing to have friendly duels with me fortnightly? We ended up tying, which means we challenge each other. It's about acquiring knowledge."

"Ravenclaw could have been your house." He caught a hint of sadness on her face.

"Could have, if I didn't believe knowledge is power. The more powerful, the easier it'll be for me to defend myself."

He wondered against whom. Nobody bullied her at school.

"Your father," he whispered, suddenly remembering her conversations with Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore.

"What about him?" she asked with arms akimbo.

"Does he… treat you cruelly? Is that why you're so good at dueling, because you need to defend yourself against him?"

He'd expected her to ask her what made him think that, why he had brought her father up in the first place or accused him of something so grave. Instead, her expression softened.

"Those Gryffindors aren't the only ones who bother you, are they? Home isn't safe for you either. That's why you thought your boggart would be worse than them."

"What do you know?" he snapped.

"I've seen that look in the mirror. We should duel frequently and learn together."

The excuse he had been waiting for to spend time with Skyrah had finally come. After spending so long wanting to be with her, a positive answer should have come easy. So why was he telling her a big no?

"Is it because Evans doesn't like me?" guessed Skyrah.

"Lily's my best friend. I can't lose her."

"Is she a good friend if she controls everything you do?"

"What do you know about friends? You sometimes play chess or hang out with a group but are quiet for most of the time, and make up excuses if they invite you to Hogsmeade. They only want to be near you because they feel safer having you on their side than against them. You haven't got any friends. Lily cares for me."

"Having no friends is my choice. That doesn't mean I don't know what having a friend is supposed to be like." Her face had grown cold. Her voice was unemotional, not too loud, not too soft. Now that he was familiar with Occlumency himself, he detected it easily. That was the exact branch of magic she was using. "Potter doesn't stop bragging about you and Evans fighting all the time. He says she'll dump you and go to him."

"Potter's a dunderhead. All his friends say yes to his every whim all the time. Lily and I have disagreements. That's normal."

"Not when they happen so often and are so serious. It is only a matter of time before your constant fighting wrecks your friendship, unless you two do something to prevent that. Before judging me and my ability to make friends, take care of your own."

The very next day, when Lily reproached Severus for pairing up with Rosier for an Astronomy project, he thought about Skyrah and wondered what it would be like to duel her and laugh with her again. Everything he and Lily did less and less as time went by. Everything friends were meant to do.

The temperature in Slytherin's Common Room wasn't so cold in early May. It would be fairly pleasant if it wasn't for Mulciber, who kept rambling on about the upcoming summer holidays in Belgium. Rosier listened attentively and recommended places to visit and food to try, for he'd been in the country too. Meanwhile, Severus thought of his own broken home and what he'd give to live their life for one day. One summer day without worrying about his mother, and whether Tobias would hurt his family again. One summer day in which he'd wonder about what he'd be eating, not whether he'd have a meal in the first place.

Severus was glimpsing at Mulciber's expensive watch to make out the time when a banging noise interrupted the conversation. Skyrah, chased by Avery, had stormed into the Common Room.

"Oh, c'mon! Be reasonable!"

"I'm not going to that stupid Ball with you. Must I use my wand on you for you to understand? I'm not afraid of hexing you. Ask your friends."

"Riddle..." Avery grasped her wrist, only for the tip of her wand to poke his neck. He swallowed hard and let her go, watching as she stomped towards the stairs leading to her dorm.

"She's playing hard to get," said Avery, sitting with his mates.

"If that's what you need to tell yourself to maintain your dignity…" Rosier replied, holding back a laugh.

"Give me another day. She'll say yes."

"In your dreams," said Mulciber.

"In yours, actually," muttered Rosier, low enough Severus didn't quite catch it. He didn't see the subtle blush on Mulciber's face either, for Rosier went on, "None of us will get lucky, not with her. Unless..."

All eyes fixed on Severus.

"Have you asked her to be your date?" asked Avery.

"I don't fancy another trip to the Hospital Wing. You were lucky she didn't hex you."

"You can hold your own. You tied with her in Professor Lawless's class. She smiled at you and laughed with you. Nobody had ever seen her happy before that, or after that. Maybe she said no to us because she's waiting for you to ask her."

Severus snorted. "Highly unlikely. Last time we talked, she didn't look like she wanted to see me ever again. Besides, I don't want to go to the Lunar Ball. She's right. It's stupid."

"If you don't go, Potter will have another reason to taunt you. Will you truly give him the satisfaction?" asked Rosier. "You should get yourself a partner."

Severus hadn't thought about that. About the mockery. The humiliation. He imagined what they'd say:

Snivellus can't get a date.

No wonder. Who'd want to be near that greasy hair?

Ugly git.

He should go, if only to prove them wrong. Still, would Lily understand it if he went to the Ball with Skyrah? That was assuming Skyrah said yes to him despite their row in the Potions classroom. But then again, was there any girl (apart from Lily and Skyrah) who didn't run away from him as if he had lice? No.

Not attending the Ball would be worse; that was for certain.

So he found himself sending a flying note to Skyrah in the middle of History class, when Lily was half-asleep and sitting beside Mary Macdonald.

The tree by the Black Lake. Saturday. 10:15 a.m.

Unlike the last time he'd sent her a note, there was no reply. He had no reason to believe she'd be there. In fact, he was convinced that she wouldn't meet him.

But there she was. In the location and at the time he'd specified.

Why now, though? Why would she be willing to talk to him when she'd done her best to avoid him for so long? Unless she had something to tell him herself, something along the lines of him leaving her be.

They stared at each other for a while: she, waiting for him to speak; he, wishing he could say something. Something stopped him: her eyes. They were clouded with Occlumency. If he paid close attention, there were moments when the clouds dispersed. Her entire face would transform only until she caught herself and occluded again.

"I'm sorry for what I said about you and Evans. She'd be a fool not to fight for your friendship." When he only gaped, she asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"N-no. I'm just not used to people apologizing to me, but you keep doing it."

"You apologized to me once, too."

"I did. I've never thanked you for defending me and Slytherins, and putting Potter and his friends in their place. Thank you. I should have said it a long time ago."

"It's fine."

"I was a git."

"Only a bit," she said, her lips momentarily twitching into an involuntary smile. "But you were right, too. I should've been content having helped you and expected nothing in return. Anyway, why did you want to meet?"

This was the moment Severus had envisioned before falling asleep. Everything had been calculated: his words, tone of voice, and facial expressions. Alas, reality was unlike his imaginary scenarios. When she looked at him with those sad eyes, he remembered nothing. He could only think about changing that, making her happy. If she accepted to be his date, he'd strive to make her smile.

"I wanted t-to ask you something."

The wind began to blow as Skyrah patiently waited for him to elaborate. She drew her hair back into a bun so that her wavy locks wouldn't get onto her face. His pulse quickened. He couldn't stop staring at her, his mind blank except for the thought that she was gorgeous.

"What is it?" she prompted, beginning to feel self-conscious.

Severus didn't hear her but realized that she was waiting for an answer that was taking forever to take. He stroked his tie, unconsciously grooming himself.

"I thought that perhaps we could… Would you… I've been wondering if…" Despite the wind messing with his hair, he was beginning to sweat. His tongue was tangling in his dry mouth. "Forget it. I can't even ask the question without making a fool of myself. You should go, as always. I'm wasting your time."

"I called you a genius, remember? I won't change my mind just because you seem to be a bit nervous."

She had spoken in a voice so soft, so kind, one could have been fooled she was a Hufflepuff in disguise. The gentle smile that accompanied the statement only added to the theory. Why did she show that side of hers only to him? Or was he seeing things that weren't there?

"I took the time to come here. I'd like to listen to what you have to ask me. Then I will decide if I should leave or not. At any rate, I won't make fun of you."

"Maybe not. You'll just hex me."

"Why would I…? Oh. Are you asking me to be your date for the Lunar Ball?"

"I'm trying to."

A puzzled frown touched her brow. "I thought you'd ask Evans. Have you fought again?"

"Not recently. She's going with Longbottom."

"So I'm the second choice. Every girl's dream."

He narrowed his eyes at her sarcasm. And was that… jealousy? Of course not.

"I wasn't even planning to go to the Ball. The thought of asking Lily's never crossed my mind."

"So why are you asking me?"

"Because I don't want to end up hurt. I hurt every day." He didn't realize what he'd said until the words were out already. It was a confession he hadn't made in front of Lily or the Malfoys. Perhaps he'd told her because he trusted her when she said she didn't want to hurt him, or because he didn't want to lie to the girl that had touched his cheek so tenderly.

"Do you think going with me can change that if only for a day?"

"If we went to the Lunar Ball together, Potter wouldn't jeer at me. Maybe we'd have fun. According to Professor Lawless, dancing and dueling are similar."

"So you liked our duel despite everything?"

"It was thrilling."

"Yet you want me to go to the Ball with you but won't duel me again. Why?" Although Severus didn't answer, his silence in itself seemed to be the only thing she needed to hear. Resigned, she concluded, "Evans. It's always because of her. You might convince her that a Ball date isn't harmful – it is only for one day, after all – but meeting frequently with me to duel of all things is too much. You only want to use me to feel less lonely."

"I'd never use you. When we first met, you admitted that you felt lonely. I don't think that's changed. If you accepted, I'd make sure you have a good time. Don't we deserve to enjoy ourselves for once? We would both benefit from this situation."

She bit her bottom lip. The sight, for some reason, made him wonder what her lips would feel like under his thumb.

"Are you sure Evans won't get mad at you?"

"I trust she will understand why I'm doing this, even if there's a fight before that happens. I truly want to go to the Lunar Ball with you."

"I don't see why you'd choose me. I've done my best to avoid you. I know you can tell I give you excuses all the time."

"The same way I can tell doing that doesn't please you."

Skyrah gulped and broke eye contact with him.

"If you need to ponder it, I'll give you time. Before making a decision, you should know I can't afford a nice suit, so if that makes you uncomfortable…"

"I'd be a fool to say no to you because you can't pay for some clothes. I'm sure we'd manage to come up with a solution."

"Is that a yes?"

"I can't dance. If I were your date, Potter would use that against you."

"Sluggy's been teaching the Slytherins in the Common Room."

"I'm too embarrassed to go to those dancing workshops, and I hadn't meant to attend the Ball anyway. It's too late for me to learn. I can't be your partner. I'm sorry."

She would have left hadn't he caught her wrist a bit too firmly. For a second, he berated himself, remembering how she had reacted when Avery had tried to retain her. She didn't move, though. She merely looked at him eyes full of… hope? Craving?

"Lucius and Narcissa taught me how to dance last summer. I could teach you."

"It wouldn't be the first time someone tried and failed dismally."

"I'd still like to try. Nobody will laugh at you, at us. I want to take you to the Ball. I want to dance with you in front of everybody."

Her cheeks grew hot.

Lily never blushed in front of him except when she was mad at him. Skyrah wasn't mad.

"If you're serious and want me to learn, we'll have to devote hours to training."

"An hour every day until the day of the Ball should suffice."

"I wouldn't be so certain. I feel like someone's hit me with a jelly-leg jinx when I try to dance."

"We'll change that." His eyes glinted with mischief. Before she knew it, he had placed her hand on his shoulder and put the other in the position of a waltz.

"Here?! Now?! I haven't even accepted to be your date!"

"Well, do you accept?"

Though he kept holding her in a dancing pose, his sudden, unexpected facade of self-confidence was beginning to fade away. She looked into his eyes, breathing harshly even though they hadn't started moving yet. He didn't realize he was just as affected by her proximity. The sensation when dancing with the Malfoys, holding them as close as he was holding Skyrah, hadn't made him feel so nervous and elated at the same time.

"On one condition: we won't become friends."

Lines formed on his brow. "Pardon me?"

"We'll be spending a lot of time together. When you spend time with someone, getting close to that person is a possible consequence. That can't happen to us. After the Ball, we'll have to cut ties. We won't meet regularly again."

"So you meant it when you said we'd never be friends. Not good enough for you, am I?" he asked in a self-loathing tone, letting go of her. "Just a revolting low-class boy with a muggle-born friend."

"No! No, Severus!" She put her hands on his face. He couldn't bring himself to pull away when she looked at him with glassy eyes. Much less when her touch was oh so pleasant. "No. The reason I set out that condition is that I believe I could easily begin to view you as a friend, a very good friend."

"Would that be so awful?" There it was: that wounded-animal look she couldn't stand seeing on his face.

"It'd be dangerous. The Malfoys and Evans are very lucky to have you. I can't be that lucky. I just can't. My boggart…"

"Skyrah," he whispered, suddenly understanding.

"You can't get close to me. If I'm not careful, I'll hurt you. I don't want to hurt you or be yet another reason why you argue with Evans. I'm willing to go to the Ball with you and make an effort to learn some dance moves so that you, we, don't hurt that day. But we cannot let it go farther than a business-like relationship of sorts. That was the kind of relationship I was seeking when I proposed dueling, and it is the kind of relationship I have with Mulciber. I can't have anything more with you or anyone else."

"Why not?" It was funny how a voice so small could contain so much yearning. "Why are you afraid of yourself? Boggarts can be beaten. There's no reason to believe you won't succeed if you face it again. You might need a little push, somebody who believes in you. And I believe in you. You are one of the very few people who have ever made me feel good in this damn school. I'm not scared of you."

She drew in a sharp intake of breath and removed her hands from his face. "You need to agree to my terms, or find somebody else."

"Your father… Has this got to do with him? Does he tell you not to get close to anyone?"

"No."

He raised an eyebrow at her excessively quick answer. "Does he hurt you if you make friends?"

Her answer, another 'no', hadn't been as definitive as the first.

"What does he do to you?" He had sounded like he'd have fought her father in a heartbeat, even if her father weighed as much as a troll and was as aggressive as a chimaera, Severus would still fight him.

"Nothing!"

"Your occlumency is failing you."

"Severus, please. Please drop it," she begged brokenly.

He didn't want to make her cry. Not again. He hadn't liked how it had made him feel back in third year, after Hagrid had found her in the Forbidden Forest. Talking about Tobias wasn't a hobby of Severus's either, precisely. He understood her need for privacy if her father and Tobias had something in common. He whispered a sorry which she accepted with a nod.

"So?"

"So?" he echoed.

"Have we got a deal?"

Could he do it? Could he lose a friend? No, we won't become friends, he thought. She won't let it happen. So Severus said yes.

"Shall we start the lessons now? Here?"

"We shall not. Someone could see us here. Nobody can find out about our deal."

"So that we surprise Potter on the day of the Ball?" guessed Severus.

"Amongst other things. You might tell Evans, but she must keep the secret."

Before he could ask her to elaborate, Skyrah suggested a room her mother had told her about. It was the place she'd planned on dueling: the Room of Requirement. Eileen had once told him about it too, but he'd been too young, and he'd assumed he'd dreamed about the occasion. Mother and son seldom talked nowadays.

"It provides us with what we need," Skyrah explained, satisfied with the mirrored-walls the Room transfigured.

They were ideal to watch their steps and see her mistakes and his technique. Music worked magically, too: stopping when she didn't follow the rhythm, and resuming on its own accord when she was ready to carry on. She was serious through it all, apologizing whenever she stepped on his toes, or gripped his shoulder too tight, or turned left instead of right. It wasn't a pleasant experience for either of them.

The second and third trainings were similar. She finished the fourth one with a small grin that gave him hope. In the fifth, she occasionally chuckled and made him smile with silly jokes about her lack of skills. It was the moment he began to enjoy himself. It was easier with this Skyrah, the one who let her guard down and forgot to occlude. He began to look forward to their dancing lessons, no longer caring how much she improved so long as he got to hear her sweet laugh.

"Skyrah, I've been meaning to ask you something," he said at the end of their sixth session. "The day we dueled, you conjured a snake. I used evanesco, but vipera evanesco is the correct incantation to get rid of it."

"Professor Lawless must have vanished the snake."

Severus smirked at her lying attempt. "I'd have concluded so if it wasn't for a small detail: you looked tired after the snake disappeared. Our magical core is still developing. Non-verbal spells demand deep concentration. It isn't uncommon for young witches and wizards to feel a bit tired after casting non-verbal spells. It was you."

"…It was me."

"Why didn't you let Professor Lawless take care of the snake? You'd have won."

Skyrah took a while to answer, head bowed. But he waited patiently, stubbornly.

"I didn't want the duel to end yet. I was having fun. For once, I wasn't thinking about…pain."

Severus could relate to that. "What about Professor Lawless? She must know you vanished the snake."

"As she found the resulting duel educational, she didn't deduct points for that or for lying to her about feeling unwell. It cannot happen again, though. She made that clear."

"I don't understand why you'd ask for dueling lessons if you're better than me."

"I'm not better than you. You just didn't know that one spell. I can learn a lot from you, with you, but I respect your decision… Tomorrow at eight?"

He gave her a nod and watched as she headed towards the door.

"Skyrah," he called before she could open it. "I had fun, too, when we dueled. I had fun today. I enjoy teaching you how to dance."

Severus fell asleep thinking about the radiant smile she gave him as a response.