Harry Potter 1. Prologue

This is a Harry Potter fiction and all non-original characters, (Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, ect.) belong to the brilliant mind of JK Rowling. I do not even begin to pretend that they are my own characters. All other OC's belong to yours truly. Please...enjoy your reading. = ]

.

.

.

.

_Occam's Razor is a principle urging one to select among competing hypotheses that which makes the fewest assumptions. In lighter terms, it means that the simplest and least complicated explanation for a phenomenon is typically the correct answer. This is a principle not easily applied to the more complex and emotional situations in life..._

…...

There was nothing at all pleasant about August the thirty-first.

The morning of August the thirty-first always came several hours too early as it seemed the nightmare of the loud, chattering mass of students bound to arrive the next day was enough to prevent even the most accomplished Occlumens from sleeping restfully. When not wide awake, staring at the ceiling, foreboding dreams of nagging, idiotic questions, detentions and late-night test grading flooded his brain. And it was always with the greatest effort that Severus Snape managed to pull himself from that fitful slumber to begin slaving away over extensive lesson plans for the next ten months.

It was apparent that the sun had only just risen as the murky green glow from the opaque glass overhead began to ripple and brighten the dungeon quarters only slightly. The shadows that filled Severus' quarters deepened momentarily before several candles hung in brackets on the walls lit themselves as he walked by, carrying a stack of papers with several books floating along behind him.

The heavy door leading into his study creaked loudly as it always did, adding to the comfortable ominous glow cast by the green light reflecting off the many and varied glass jars lining the walls. The previously floating books had come to rest on his desk with a soft thud and were now waiting for him as he sat down to lean forward over the papers he had placed there. At first, his eyes scanned the words without actually seeing them so for a moment he closed them instead, taking a deep breath to clear his brain of sleepy fog.

This strategy, though it had worked in the past, was only proving to pull him further and further away from consciousness and closer to comfortable dozing. For a few seconds, he thought of opening his eyes...but they felt so heavy and it really was much more quiet this way…

The tip of his nose had just made contact with the desk when a loud knock from the other side of the room forced him upright again, clearing his throat as he blinked hard several times and shook some of his black hair from his face. Hands automatically reached out to hastily straighten and restack the papers before him, even though they had not moved since he had set them down.

"Yes?"

The voice that came from him was much deeper than normal and laced with drowsiness so he cleared his throat again quietly, linking his fingers together in front of him as the door opened. The sweeping bottom half of her robes preceded Professor McGonagall into the room before she paused, her eyes narrowing on Severus' upper half across from her. It was tempting to look away but he was already getting the idea that she knew what she had interrupted so he remained stoic as usual and merely blinked.

"Minerva," He greeted her in his usual level, disinterested voice. "It's still rather early…" his voice trailed off when she straightened up, her eyebrow twitching into a sharp arc.

"But unsurprisingly-," she cut across him. "you're already awake and apparently fully functioning." Her thin lips tightened in her attempt at a friendly grin. "So no harm done."

Several intense seconds passed here where Severus remained quiet, still too tired to use any of the responses his foggy brain was currently spinning. Luckily, he could tell Professor McGonagall was about to continue, her eyes now glancing around at the inside of his office, lingering distastefully on several of the jars containing the more gruesome-looking objects.

"I only wished to relay a message from Albus." She went on, pulling her eyes from the walls to make contact with his again. "He asked me to tell you he wanted to see you."

With a nod, Severus stood, for once glad at the chance to escape his dark cave of an office. Given he had not been interrupted, he might have slept for another hour or two sitting perfectly upright in his high-backed leather chair. Across the room, Minerva was still rather enraptured by the glass containers but upon clearing his throat a third time, she jumped slightly before exiting the room abruptly with one last contemptuous look.

After locating one of his long, black cloaks hung loosely over the back of a leather arm chair across from the fireplace, he swept from the room, closing the creaking door behind him. The soft whooshing noise of the light material trailing along in his wake was strangely comforting to him and he relished in the fact that he could actually hear it as he entered the tall spiral staircase that led to the upper levels of Hogwarts castle. The day that was coming however, September the first, would mark the end of whatever quiet loveliness Severus had so admired about the castle over the past twelve summers.

As he came upon the entrance to Headmaster Dumbledore's study, the stone gargoyle there immediately stepped aside, obviously having not been taught the new password yet. At the top of the moving spiral staircase, Severus knocked twice, pausing before a familiar voice from inside said "Enter"

The room was ticking as usual, slightly cluttered by silver, whirring instruments and large glass cases lining both of the handsomely adorned walls. As it was still fairly early, most of the previous headmasters were still sleeping in their frames, every now and again giving a snore or sigh from above him. Dumbledore was sitting at his enormous wooden desk across the room from the door, his half-moon shaped glasses perched on his crooked nose. The corners of his eyes wrinkled slightly in the genuine grin that met his face when he noticed the potions master standing there.

"Ah, Severus. Good morning." Dumbledore greeted him, setting down the large owl quill he had been writing with. "Please, sit down."

Severus obeyed, seating himself at one of the armchairs the headmaster had indicated. "You wished to see me?" he asked, hoping his tone had not sounded impatient but merely inquisitive and he sat up a bit straighter when Dumbledore nodded, smiling, but remained silent. The momentary lull in conversation was mercifully broken by the sound of the ticking instruments behind the desk and chairs.

"All of your lessons planned? Your tests written?" Dumbledore asked after surveying Severus from behind his glasses. He nodded.

"Yes," He replied, linking his fingers together in his lap as he privately admired the way Dumbledore made people feel as though he knew when they were not telling the truth.

"Are _you _prepared?"

Severus hesitated at first, knowing he heard the inflexion in the headmasters voice although he was not sure what meaning to take from it.

"Sir?"

Dumbledore was smiling placidly again, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Severus, approximately three hundred excited students, including one Harry Potter, are set to arrive here tomorrow." He went on, clearly to do what he considered explaining himself although Severus was still unsure of what he was getting at. He remained quiet, hoping his silence would indicate his uncertainty. Dumbledore continued again, his smile now deepening the lines in his features.

"Twelve years is an expansive length of time, even to someone of age, like me." he paused, inclining his head slightly. "I merely wondered if after all this time you found yourself regretting any decisions you may…or may not have made."

Once again, Severus hesitated, focusing hard on keeping his eyes and features impassive while he wracked his brain quickly for an appropriate answer. After several seconds, he took in a short, restrained breath.

"I know what I have to do…" he answered at first. "However…" he went on, glancing upward as Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, linking his fingers together over the desk as though he had been expecting this from the youngest professor of his staff. "The same, constant questions every year, the same nagging little voices, the...cheek from _Potter..._and the loud chattering and the smallest ones cant stand the fumes and then the hospital wing and-…"

It took a few moments for Severus to regain his composure, but once he had managed to do so, he stopped short, exhaling heavily as he let his eyes fall to his hands still rested in his lap; his knuckles had turned white from squeezing his fingers together. It seemed, across from him, Dumbledore could sense that Severus had recently embarrassed himself by losing control of his complaints like that but nevertheless, it came as a slight comfort that the headmaster spoke next instead of letting that uncomfortable silence stretch on.

"There is no teacher, wizard nor Muggle that has not experienced exactly what you are feeling, Severus." He said wisely, his grin again wrinkling deep lines into his face. "It may be difficult at times, absolutely, I would never say it was easy. But those of us who consider themselves to be _good_ teachers know that there is something more at the heart of it than just disrespectful comments and sick first-years."

Severus noticed that Dumbledore had chose to overlook his complaint concerning the Potter boy; he was not sure whether or not he was being reprimanded for his complaining.

"You are a good teacher, Severus." Dumbledore finally added, smiling peacefully at him. Bypassing a smile, he inclined his head in thanks. "And speaking of good teachers, our new Defense teacher will be arriving tomorrow as well. You see, she comes highly recommended by the most confident of sources and I really think she will make a great addition to our staff."

It took several moments for this last bit of information to sink in and Severus was almost positive that Dumbledore had let this slip in this fashion on purpose to throw him off. His eyebrows furrowed, wrinkling the small line between them as he looked up again.

"Excuse me for-…but…she?" he asked, purposely controlling the level and inflexion of his voice to prevent all evidence of annoyance or confusion from being picked up on by the headmaster. "Did you not already hire Remus Lupin for that post?"

Albus nodded, his calm features still as composed as ever. "Yes, Severus; _she. _And _she _is being brought on to assist Professor Lupin with the classes, should he find himself incapable of teaching at any point in time." He replied, raising his eyebrows slightly as he unlinked his fingers. "You've already agreed to keep him supplied with Wolfsbane potion so I trust you will use your most charming manners and assist Professor Dagrin if should she need it." There was a pause before the calm smile on Dumbledore's face disappeared, only for a second. "It would be nice to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher on, long-term for once."

Although Dumbledore's tone had not changed and the smile was again present, his hand reached out for the quill he had abandoned previously to continue what he had been writing when Severus had entered. The hint was subtle but Severus picked up immediately that this conversation had now ended and that he was politely being dismissed.

The sound of his black shoes echoed copiously in the stone staircase as he approached the entrance to his dungeon office. Aggravation was deepening his gait, causing his normally somewhat quiet footfall to sound more heavy and deliberate. Although it was usually a habit of his to mask certain emotions, it was something of an art form and he was still learning; that, and he was very much alone.

At the door to his office, he wrenched it open in one fluid motion, striding into the middle of the room only to stop halfway into it and turn, as if stuck between staying and leaving. One of his hands came up to run irritably through his black hair as he took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

It was infuriating enough that one of his least favorite people had been hired for the position he so desired, but for some reason, as he paced the room, Severus could swear that Dumbledore had hired the first female Dark Arts teacher for the school merely to rub it in his face. Of course he knew that women were perfectly capable of the job, but it stung him so deeply to think that Dumbledore possibly thought that a woman could do the job better or more efficiently than him. However, upon second thought, it did not seem likely that Dumbledore's personality would permit him to purposefully do such a snide thing as that.

Dumbledore had been absolutely right, Severus realized as he sat down behind his desk heavily. Twelve years was indeed a long time and it seemed the strain was beginning to show. With his elbows on the desk before him, he buried his face in his hands, the tips of his fingers sliding into his front hairline. When it came down to it, he knew there was a duty to be fulfilled and if it was not for Dumbledore himself, Severus would probably be sitting at Spinner's End wallowing in a pit of misery…or else sitting in a cell at Azkaban. Students were much easier to deal with than dementors, even if they _both_ somehow manage to suck a little of your soul out.

With that, Professor Snape picked up his own short, black quill to finish those lesson plans and that one lovely, all-essay test he had started for those blessed seventh-years…

.

.

.

.

A/N: Thanks for reading my little prologue! Please go on to the first official chapter! And please leave a review! I'd love to know that my first posted HP fic is getting some love! -QoM


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

The time on her watch currently stood at _5:43 _on the evening of September the first.

A short breath of exasperation escaped through Leviatha's nose as her arm dropped back to her side and she impatiently tapped the toe of her black, flat shoe against the musty airport carpet beneath her. Her plane had touched down over a half hour earlier and yet the moving conveyor belt had only just begun to move, arousing a low murmur of grumbled approval from the crowd of on-looking passengers around her. Variously sized and colored articles of luggage began to move slowly around the track in the middle of the vast room, causing Leviatha to move forward, gently squeezing her way through the throng of Muggles.

"'Scuse me...Beg pardon..." she mumbled quietly as she nudged people's elbows and shoulders,g all the while vehemently resisting the urge to begin shoving people out of her way. Why she had ever thought it a good idea to _fly _from the States back home was currently beyond her scope of understanding.

Now at the front of the crowd, Leviatha watched the belt and watched and watched until she nearly felt dizzy from scanning the rectangular suitcases, sliding past her one by one until _finally, _once nearly everyone had cleared with their luggage, she spotted her large, black duffle bag rumbling toward her on the track. With a frustrated sigh, she moved toward it, muttering a quick phrase under her breath to magically lighten the immensely heavy bag, so that it felt like merely picking up a pillow as she swung it over her shoulder. Earlier that same day, her Muggle friends had teased her about how small this bag was, unaware that she had bewitched nearly all of her belongings to fit with ease inside this one bag.

Off to the side of the vast, bustling room of conveyor belts, Leviatha spotted a sign reading '_Pet carrier pick-up', _and made toward it hastily, knowing her dear dog would _not _be very happy with his less than comfortable travel arrangements. There were several people in line before her, but Leviatha was already running short on time so she walked past them, straight up to the counter where a fat woman raised her eyebrows, clearly taken aback with how she had just cut everyone else in the que.

"Look, I'm running terribly late, could you ple-" she began to explain to the woman, but paused midword when she felt a body move in close. Slowly, she turned to lock eyes with the shorter man who had stepped up behind her.

"Oy, yer can't just kip in front of us, we been standing 'ere-" he began to say in a thick Cockney drawl, but as he spoke, his words trailed off quickly, his voice quieting into nothingness as Leviatha glared heavily down at him. Her eyebrows raised a few moments later as the man seemed to recede slightly.

"Can't I, now..." she then grumbled with a roll of her eyes as she turned back to the woman. "That's my dog, right there," she continued her explanation from earlier, pointing a finger toward one of the larger pet carriers. "I'd like to take him, _now." _

The air outside the airport lobby was beautifully crisp and clean in comparison, despite the heavy layer of smog and emissions coming from the horde of waiting cars and vans along the roundabout beyond the sidewalk. Leviatha would have paused to take a deep breath in of the cool evening air, but was currently kneeling down to be level with the metal grate on the front of the large plastic carrier she had just pushed outside. With a sigh, she rocked her head to the side when her gaze locked with the round brown eyes of her beloved dalmatian. His normally expressive face was blank as he glared irritably back at her through the metal barrier. After a quick glance upward as a family walked past, Leviatha leaned forward.

"Look, I know you're pissed," she murmured as she unhinged the lock on the crate. "But Muggles don't allow dogs on the planes, I told you." With the door now open, the tall black and white spotted dog stepped out of the crate, wiggling from head to toe once as if to shake all the kinks out of his long legs and back, before casting a quick contemptuous glare up at his owner. Leviatha sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I know, I could've Apparated but you know Misty and Sarah wanted to see us off!" she explained. "How would it have looked if we had just disappeared?"

At that moment, a particularly familiar, bright purple taxi pulled up and stopped right in front of Leviatha and the large dog standing beside her. She sighed, glancing at her watch as she took a step forward with her bag.

_6:01_

"I'll make it up to you when we get there, alright?" she asked as she held open the back door of the cab for Charlie to hop inside. "How's a big juicy steak bone?" Across the magically stretched back seat from her, Charlie plopped down with a low growl of approval, so Leviatha turned her attention to the wizard in the front seat. "Hogsmeade," she stated. "And step on it."

After a half hour of bone rattling jolts and jostles from the taxi as it thundered through wizard London, narrowly missing several double-deckers along the way, it was finally coming to a stop, just outside Hogsmeade station. Several miles back, the skies had decided to open up, as if purely to add insult to her tardiness, and now rain was pelting the village and distant castle beyond it. The sun had long since gone down, causing the large puddle just outside the back door of the taxi to become all but invisible. Leviatha cursed loudly as her foot sunk down into it by several inches.

"Oh, for the love of-"

"That'll be twenty Galleons, miss!" the driver was now calling from the front seat, his voice raised to be heard over the pouring rain.

If she had planned this evening better and had more time, Leviatha would have gladly stood there and haggled with the wizard over that absurd price, seeing how he had shown up several minutes late and she was now standing ankle deep in what could be considered a small pond, but time was of the essence. The welcome feast and sorting had already long since started and would likely be ending soon.

After throwing enough money into the cab to cover the price and leave a small, smidgin of a tip, Leviatha glanced down at Charlie as she pulled out her slender, black Elm wand. "You ready to run?" she asked, raising her eyebrows with a small grin as the spotted dog wagged his tail, clearly eager to stretch out his legs after having been cooped up in a crate for most of the day. So with her bag now shrunk to a size small enough to fit in the pocket of her heavy, outer coat, Leviatha strode forward determinedly, her dog at her side, and in a flash of black, her form changed. Two legs were replaced by four; delicate feet replaced by light paws. Her back elongated, her long black hair shrank and spread until a thick layer of ebony fur covered her. Her gait smoothed out and lengthened until she was taking longer strides, quickly gaining speed until both she and the spotted dog beside her were sprinting up the long cobblestone path toward Hogwarts castle.

To anyone in Hogsmeade village, the sight of a black cat running alongside a Dalmatian might have been fairly commonplace, but Leviatha was moving far too quickly to notice anyone outside, especially not with the thick blanket of nighttime darkness and rain carpeting the surrounding area. However, as she and Charlie approached the gates to the castle, they slowed when several ghostly, floating figures appeared, looming out of the darkness toward them, taking great rattling breaths in as if to assess the taste and scent of these incomers. Leviatha felt a ripple of fur begin to stand up along her slender back and all along her tail as she crouched low to the ground to slink past, mentally hoping Charlie was doing the same beside her. Although she knew that her dog possessed an unnatural keenness for magic, and she had often suspected some sort of power within him, she was not sure if he had ever encountered dementors before. However, from the way he was copying her crouched pose, and the white and black fur along his back was raised, it seemed he was sensing some sort of unwelcome energy.

She knew why these dementors were there, knew why they were necessary, but seeing how neither she nor her dog were currently concealing any escaped convicts, she figured sneaking past them on this night would not only save her time, but also save her the overwhelming sensation of dread and misery they normally brought.

It was fortunate she had chosen her usual black house cat form for this particular occasion, seeing how her weight as a large breed of cat made her incredibly heavy, making it harder to keep her footfall quick and yet quiet at the same time. As the small, domestic cat, she could trot past completely undetected, then take off again once she had slipped through the spaces of Hogwarts' front gate. Up ahead, after glancing over to make sure Charlie was still beside her, Leviatha mentally cursed as music and soft, young voices traveled toward her keen ears under the noise of the thundering rain. It seemed she had missed the sorting.

_Double double, toil and trouble_

_ Fire burn and couldron bubble..._

With sharp, penetrating yellow eyes, Leviatha could see a lantern swinging up ahead at the grand entrance to the castle where she immediately recognized the twitchy gait and grizzled appearance of Argus Filch, accompanied by Mrs. Norris, his frizzy cat, sitting atop his shoulder, both peering out into the rainy night. His exceptionally smart cat seemed to sense that something was approaching as her characteristic raspy meow called out over the rain in either welcome or warning, but Leviatha ignored it, quickly changing her form back to her normal, human figure mid-stride. She glanced down at Charlie as she uselessly smoothed out a soggy wrinkle in her deep purple blouse.

"Ignore the cat," she instructed him quietly as she closed the remaining distance between herself and Filch; the last thing she needed was her dog making friends with the housekeepers cat.

"'OO GOES THERE?" Filch shouted over the rain in his thick drawl, his scrawny arm brandishing the lantern as though it were a flaming sword. Leviatha rolled her eyes as she stepped up into the ring of light.

"It is I, Filch, Leviatha Dagrin," she declared herself, watching as Filch's constantly suspicious eyes roved up and down her quickly in what could be considered a visual assessment of her security threat level. When his expression did not change, Leviatha continued, tossing her arms slightly. "The new Dark Arts teacher? Surely Dumbledore told you I was coming."

Several seconds of silence passed as Filch glared distrustfully at her, before he grumbled something under his breath and took a step back.

"You're late," he growled. "Cer'mony's almost done."

"Yes, I noticed..." Leviatha replied irritably as those singing voices from earlier now reached her ears more loudly and clearly than before. The doors to the Great Hall were closed but as she reached out to swing them open, she hesitated when she felt Charlie brush against her leg. Glancing down, she noticed that his slender white tail was wagging in obvious excitement over the voices he heard through the heavy wooden doors. She sighed, shaking her head. "You can't come in here," she explained, frowning slightly when Charlie's tail immediately stilled. "Follow Filch to my quarters. I'll be there soon. Filch?" The surly housekeeper looked up at her from where he had been scowling irritably at the wet dog now dripping mud all over the formerly clean stone floors of the entrance hall. "Could you please show my dog to my quarters?" she asked in a smooth voice, hoping he would gather from her tone that she was instructing him, not asking a favor. "He'll follow you, just show the way."

With another grumble of vexation, Filch sauntered off down the hall toward the moving staircases. "Come on, quickly now...yer mangy mutt...dripping great puddles of muck all over my floor-..."

Leviatha watched for only a moment as Charlie cast her one last contemptuous look over his back but without pausing to waste any more time, she turned back to the doors and wrenched them open, revealing a brightly lit, vast hall.

_Double double, toil and trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble_

_Double double, toil and trouble_

_Something wicked this way comes..._

Severus' eyes moved quickly to the doors as they swung open, revealing a tall, young woman, presumably the newest teacher, striding up the middle aisle toward the staff table amidst the sea of occupied student tables, clearly keeping her eyes focused on the stained glass, as if in an effort to ignore the noticeable stares and murmurs of what he could only assume was surprise from the students. With the greatest of efforts, he refrained from rolling his eyes at her 'grand entrance', just as the choir's song was escalating and vaguely, he wondered if she had perhaps stood outside the doors waiting for the perfect moment to enter, pondering which exact moment would give the greatest affect. However, it was odd that she did not glance to either side of her to gauge the school's reaction thus far, but merely kept her somewhat resolute expression fixed ahead, until she had to turn either left or right to avoid striding straight through the singing students on the stage. With another effort, Severus held back a quiet groan of disappointment when she turned right and walked straight toward his end of the table...And that was when he again noticed the empty seat between himself and Professor McGonagall. _Oh, lovely... _he thought sarcastically as he brought up one forearm to rest on the table before him.

The choir had just finished their song when the young witch plopped rather ungracefully down into the seat to his right and he looked away pointedly, raising his eyes slightly to placate his desire to roll them when he heard her let out a heavy, exasperated sigh. His nose wrinkled a moment later. She smelled like...something wet...and dirty...an animal of sorts...a dog perhaps? _You cannot possibly be serious..._

"Leviatha," he heard Minerva whisper harshly from the other side of the witch. At this, a tiny, shadow of a smirk threatened to curl the curved corners of Severus' lips upward. A telling-off on her first night? _How disappointing..._

"Minerva," the young witch whispered back, matching the professors previous tone exactly. Severus' budding smirk disappeared with a surprising swiftness. Did these two know each other? He strained his right ear to listen but Albus was already standing at the podium, his voice booming out over the student body.

Minerva glanced at the podium before she turned her head slightly to shift her attention to Leviatha next to her, her eyes grazing up and down her upper half before she tutted under her breath. "Leviatha, you look absolutely awful," she whispered disapprovingly. "And you _stink _like a wet animal," she then added, waving her hand slightly in an exaggerated effort to smooth a whisp of her hair behind her ear.

Beside her, Leviatha shivered slightly as Minerva's subtle drying spell sent a wave of warmth flowing over her, dehydrating her dripping, smoothed back bun of hair and the damp travel clothes she was wearing. With a breathless grin, she glanced to the older witch on her right. "Well, it _is _raining..."

"You could have at least dried yourself," Minerva hissed back, keeping her eyes fixed on Dumbledore as if to keep the students assuming she was listening. "And late? This is not a good first impression, Levia-"

"My cab was late and my bag came up dead last at the airpor-" she started to explain, but stopped speaking hastily when Dumbledore paused momentarily in his speech. Beside her, Minerva was silent until the headmaster resumed speaking, but once he had, she glanced over yet again, using just her eyes.

"You _flew? _On one of those Muggle transporta-"

"Of course, I-"

"I'm pleased to announce that this year, we will be splitting the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes between our two newest additions to our staff. Please welcome, Professor Lupin and Professor Dagrin!" Dumbledore's voice echoed for only a second before there was a hearty round of applause from the vast sea of students and as Leviatha waved a hand, her eyes scanned the room, noting that most of the students seemed to be smiling while some did not seem so keen on either her or Remus' presence. She ignored this for the time being and leaned forward, grinning down the table at Remus as he did the same and waved a hand in her direction.

On the left of Leviatha, Severus was now fully fighting himself from leaning forward and burying his face into his hands. Dumbledore's newest hire, the _second _Defense teacher had actually _flown _to England from who knows where... He sincerely wished he could turn off his hearing until the school was dismissed from the welcome feast...Minerva was whispering again, resuming the hushed conversation earlier and thankfully saying everything that Severus wished he could, though not in the same choice words he had in mind.

"You're a _witch _for heaven's sake, Leviatha..." the older professor hissed.

"Oh, but Muggle transport is so much more exciting," Leviatha replied with a shrug. "What fun is there in just disappearing?"

Thankfully, the moment these words left her mouth, Dumbledore's speech had finally come to an end, and the deafening, scraping sound of a hundred wooden benches being pushed back from the House tables simultaneously drowned out Minerva's response. With a quiet breath of relief, Severus stood, wanting nothing more than to escape down to his dungeon to brood, however, as he moved to walk off, a younger student from his house, one whom he had no idea what their name was, came bounding up, his eyes wide.

"Professor Snape!" the young man practically shouted. "I wrote this essay over the summer for a Potions column and I'd love it if you could read it over for m-"

"I do have a desk, in an office where you could leave that," he interrupted in his usual, disinterested tone, purposely keeping his voice from betraying any haste, although he hoped it was clear he was not interested in having this conversation right now. Had this student not been someone from his own House, he would have told them that he was positive their essay contained nothing of any measurable greatness or talent, but seeing how this sixth year Slytherin boy was, in fact, one of his better Potions student, he refrained. The boy seemed rather taken back by his professors brash statement as his smile receded slightly, but returned a moment later, just as strong.

"Oh, of course, I'll leave it there tomorrow morning then!"

And with that, the boy took off, leaving Severus to once again move toward the end of the table. However, just as he did this, Minerva and the newest annoyance on staff appeared to his left, where they stopped...If the laws of Hogwarts would have allowed him to Apparate on the spot, he would have done it gladly. The younger of the two witches was smiling at him, and with a lurch, Severus noticed that she was nearly eye level with him as he stood slouching in aggravation. Standing at nearly 6'3 himself, this witch had to be at least 5'11 or 6'0, adding to her rather intimidating appearance, despite the fact that her Muggle clothing was somewhat dirty, wrinkled and disheveled. He fought back another roll of his eyes as he glanced down at Minerva.

"Severus Snape," the witch named Leviatha began in a light, somewhat cordial tone. "It's been quite a while since I've seen you. It's nice to meet again!" She extended one slender hand to him for what he could only assume was a friendly shake, but with a slow blink, Severus pretended not to notice it. His eyes drifted off, hoping to portray how _not _nice it was to meet a perfect stranger for what was apparently a second time.

"I don't believe I've yet had the..pleasure, Miss. Dagrin." he replied, watching now as several students from his House stood off to the side, whispering and pointing at the woman standing across from him. From the hesitation he sensed, he assumed she was giving him a slightly taken aback look from his unabashedly sarcasm-laden response, but he was the furthest from caring that he had ever been. It may have sounded rude, but this woman had to understand that he was not exactly thrilled with her presence..._or _her unprofessional appearance.

"Oh, of course not," the young woman said, waving one hand dismissively. "I'm Leviatha Dagrin, the new Defense Against the-" she went on to introduce herself, but Severus cut in, finally bringing his eyes down to meet hers as his patience came to an abrupt end.

"Yes, I gathered as much, seeing as to how I was sitting just next to you when the Headmaster introduced you to the entire school..." he growled, his expression fixed and flat. A split second later, it took a great deal of control not to practically flinch when Leviatha's lamp-like, yellow golden eyes flashed and that polite grin widened until it could no longer be recognized as anything resembling polite...It was downright wicked, to be perfectly honest. Severus felt his insides recoil slightly as the young woman laughed quietly.

"Oh, my apologies," she breathed, glancing sideways at Minerva as that sarcastic smile remained firmly in place on her angular face. "I thought perhaps the deafening hum of self-righteousness surrounding you might have dampened your hearing..."

At this, the room seemed to swell slightly as Severus squared his shoulders, taking a slow deep breath in through his nose. Who did this woman think she was, speaking to him this way? His lips tightened and curled as he opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, Minerva stepped in, placing a hand on Leviatha's forearm, laughing somewhat awkwardly.

"Have a pleasant evening, Professor," she told him lightly, and Severus watched as she rather forcefully turned the younger witch away from him with a tight grip on her arm. He closed his mouth again, watching with arched eyebrows as the two woman walked away briskly, speaking in hushed voices and he scowled after them, hoping the younger of the two could feel his gaze burning holes in her back. Then, almost as if she had heard what he was thinking, she turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder and Severus felt a weight sink into his stomach as her golden brown eyes locked onto his black ones. Fighting back a shudder with great difficulty, he maintained eye contact until she turned away again, but once she and Minerva had disappeared beyond the doors of the Great Hall, he raised one hand to rub his opposite forearm where goosebumps had risen up all along his skin beneath the material of his tight, black sleeve.

Taking great care to avoid the mass of students all migrating toward their separate common rooms, Minerva and Leviatha walked briskly down a long corridor toward the dungeons where the Slytherin dormitories were concealed. Moving paintings and dusty tapestries slid by them as they walked, all the while Leviatha wondered just how long her mentor could hold it in before she mentioned the less than amicable conversation she had just held with Professor Snape. She could practically hear the words tumbling around inside Minerva's head and was just beginning to count backwards from ten when they reached a particular dark hallway, just off to the side of the cathedral-like hall of moving staircases. On the left stood a dark doorway, where Minerva stopped and waved her hand, unlocking the door wordlessly, before it swung open, revealing a handsomely adorned living quarter, complete with one dozing Dalmatian on the black leather couch across the room. Charlie lifted his head and his ears went back, while his tail began to thump noisily against the cushion. Minerva ignored him for the time being, and only once both had stepped inside and the door had been shut behind them did she speak.

"Leviatha, you _cannot _speak to another professor that way!" she exclaimed, dropping whatever quiet but powerful demeanor she displayed in front of her students and colleagues. "Especially not Professor Snape. He's already unhappy enough that both you and Remus are here, splitting the Dark Arts classes." At this, Leviatha let out a loud tut as she pulled her magically shrunken bag from her pocket before kneeling to greet Charlie.

"Wow, could have fooled me, with that exceedingly warm reception he gave..." she replied sarcastically, glancing upward as Minerva swept past her toward the now normal sized bag sitting on the couch.

"You still didn't have to react in that way..." she answered, her tone now lowered and level as she began to pull miniature items of furniture from inside Leviatha's bag. She tsk-ed a moment later. "You also didn't need to bring a bed or lounge with you. All of that has already been provided." she went on to explain, as she now pulled a tiny version of a mahogany wardrobe from the bag.

"I wanted my own things here with me. I'm just more comfortable with them." Leviatha insisted, but paused to pull her wand from the waist of her skirt. "And I was merely defending myself with Snape. You heard the way he spoke to me, '_Yes, I gathered as much, seeing as to how-'..." _With a wave of her wand, she vanished the previously provided bed and armchairs and would have gone on to continue complaining about her run-in with the Potions Master but Minerva was already speaking.

"Yes, but you know thats the way he is," she retorted, pausing momentarily to mutter '_Engorgio', _causing the formerly miniature versions of furniture to spring back into full sized. "He's just bitter that Dumbledore denied him the Defense position again and instead gave it to _two _people. I'm sure he'll come round in a while.." Again, Leviatha tutted, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, fat chance of _that _happening..." she murmured, now pulling a wrinkled wad of her clothing from the bag as Minerva shifted the bed into place against the far wall with her wand, beneath a dark, clear, paned-glass window.

"Just don't _instigate, _Leviatha." Minerva said firmly, turning back to the room once she had smoothed out a few wrinkles in the purple bed spread. "You and Professor Snape both have uncommonly short tempers and I can assure you, while patient and kind, Albus will not tolerate constant bickering from the two of you. And I hate to say this, but he would sooner ask you to leave than he would Severus."

From the opposite side of the room where Leviatha was now hanging clothing in the wardrobe, she laughed, shaking her head. "Minerva, relax. Its not like he and I will have a multitude of time to be arguing with one another. I plan to avoid him and I'm sure he has the same plan in effect concerning me. Besides, I have much bigger matters at hand to be dealing with than some...overgrown bat of a man."

At night, Severus' dungeon quarters were as dark as a cave and rather felt like it as well as the outside chill seemed to settle down there like a dense fog. As he strode through his outer office and into his personal living quarters, he exhaled heavily, waving his hand lazily to start a fire in the place against the far wall. His evening, while as obnoxious as always, had taken a surprisingly unexpected turn from the very start. Lupin had arrived on the Hogwarts express with the students and had seemingly already become acquianted with the Potter boy and his two friends, which was unsurprising. Severus had expected this from the beginning, seeing how Lupin had been so close with the elder, idiot Potter back during their Hogwarts days. No, that was not what was so unexpected.

What really caught him off guard was the witch that had strode into the Great Hall during the middle of the ceremony, walking in as if she owned the place with her slender nose held aloft as though she was some gift that had been given to the school. With an irritated grunt, he dropped down into his favorite armchair across from the fireplace, his eyebrows still furrowed and arched in contemplation. His right hand reached out to the small table next to him, where an empty goblet had just appeared and without breaking his staring contest with the fire, as if out of habit, he reached for the clear, glass bottle of wine already sitting there, to pour several inches of the deep red liquid.

Who did that woman think she was... calling _him_ self-righteous, just after making a scene of her entrance, making doubly sure every living, and non-living, soul in the room saw her at the same moment. Furthermore, why had she taken it upon herself to introduce herself so superfluously, after Dumbledore had just introduced her and her counterpart to the entire school? She had said it was nice to meet him again_. Again? _Closing his eyes, Severus allowed himself to sink into his own mind, flipping through memories as though they were pages of a book. Nowhere in his life, could he ever remember meeting someone by the name of 'Leviatha' and had certainly never met anyone with _yellow _eyes. Sure, he had seen women and even a few students with surprisingly bright green or blue eyes, but never that golden, rather unnerving shade of yellow.

And how did Minerva McGonagall know this woman? Surely they had not been in school together at any point, seeing how nearly thirty years separated their ages. Minerva had never mentioned having any children and had never been married to his knowledge. Was _she _that 'most confident of sources' Albus had mentioned the day before? And if so, what were her qualifications? She seemed too young to have had any real experience with dark magic. If she was only there as Lupin's 'caretaker' and substitute teacher then perhaps she was not as qualified as Albus had been led to believe. Perhaps...he might find out a few things about this supposedly 'gifted witch', expose her as nothing more than a proud, self-satisfied stand-in.

With all of her clothing and belongings unpacked, returned to their normal size and placed in their appropriate places, Minerva left Leviatha to her own devices, after calling upon a House Elf to bring up some dinner for the late-comer. Along with a tray of fresh food of the same kind that been served at the feast, came that large steak bone Leviatha had promised earlier and after both she and Charlie had eaten their fill, she climbed up into her massive four-poster bed from 'home'. With a heavy sigh, she waved her hand to release the hold on her bun, causing her long, black hair to relax into the natural loose waves across the pillow beneath her head. A moment later, the bed moved when Charlie jumped up onto it and plopped down just next to Leviatha. She turned onto her side, reaching out her left hand to run it gently across her dog's soft, spotted fur.

"I'm sure you heard us talking about it, but that man I told you about? Severus?" she asked, raising her eyebrows as Charlie blinked up at her understandingly. "He hasn't changed at all. Still the brooding, egotistic, walking melodrama that he always was...Can't say I'm surprised though. He was never much for...well, anything really. Anything besides potions and...being better than everyone else, anyways..." With another sigh, Leviatha grinned sleepily as Charlie raised his head to lick her hand once before resting his chin on her forearm. "I wish all guys could be like you, mate."

With that, Leviatha raised her free hand and waved it, extinguishing all light from the room until only the soft blue glow from the moon shining in through the window above the bed was left. The next day marked the beginning of what she could only assume was the first day of the rest of her life...and she was damn sure going to make the most of it.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: I have written several HP fictions in my nearly 11 years of writing but have never posted any of them! So this is not my first, but...kind of IS my first. BE KIND! Please leave me a review and let me know what did or didn't like about it! Chapter two coming soon! Also, I have pictures of the characters if you'd like to add me on my fanfiction facebook- Look for me as Haven QueenofMean Hunter. = ] QoM


	3. Authority Figure

Rippling, green light had only just begun to illuminate the dungeon quarters when Severus sat up in his vast bed, pausing before standing to swing his long legs over the edge, curling his toes against the black area rug on the stone floor to crack the joints as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. A heavy, sleepy sigh escaped his chest, heaving his shoulders as his long fingers raked into the front of his black hair to move it from his face. Judging from the amount of light filtering into his bedroom, his best approximation put the time at around six in the morning, give or take a half hour and with a groan, he stood from the bed, wincing as his back cracked once and smarted vaguely as he began to trudge toward his tall wardrobe. At only 33, Severus didn't feel he could blame this temporary back pain on his age, but rather the fact that he had unwisely and inadvertently fallen asleep on the couch where he had landed after the welcome feast the night before. Vaguely, he could remember waking at around three that morning and forcing himself to go get in his bed, on the sole purpose of avoiding any unfriendly kinks the next morning. Apparently, he had not done this soon enough.

In the lingering darkness of his most private room, as he opened the doors to the wardrobe, it almost appeared as though it was perfectly empty, as the solid black clothing inside blended with the shadows. Being perfectly honest, he could not exactly explain why his clothing was all black, but he felt it suited him. Bright colors and flashy garments seemed gaudy and attention-seeking to him. And seeing how he contained neither of those two attributes, he felt black was really his only preference...That, and he had been in a near constant state of mourning for the last twelve years.

Yes, some days were better than others, when he could go nearly all day without thinking longingly of what he had lost all those years ago. Other days, however, seemed to drag on, beat him down, until he could literally do nothing after his classes but sit in the darkness of his quarters and glare bitterly, angrily at the fire in his fireplace. He would drink glass after glass of either wine, or on the worst nights, Firewhiskey, until he could no longer keep his eyes open, nor string together any coherent, logical thoughts. He was not sure yet whether September the second would turn out to be a good or bad day.

With his usual, long black pants applied, and after locating one of the long-sleeved, loose white shirts that he typically wore under his black tunic, he stepped out into the outer office and living quarters, opting against lighting a full fire in the place, and instead snapped his fingers over one of his tall, white candles, where a small flame instantly sprang to life. The glow from the candle illuminated just enough of his desk for his eyes to locate his lesson plans, and he had just reached out to flip over one of the pages of parchment when a sharp, characteristic knock at the door to his office caused a frown to furrow his eyebrows.

Had it not been so early and his back not in knots, Severus would have told McGonagall, who was undoubtedly the one calling at this time of morning, to wait a few moments so he could finish dressing. But seeing how she only needed to drop off the class schedules for his House, he figured his loose white shirt and black pants would do for the time being. So without pausing to give her another chance to knock, Severus walked over, clearing his throat before opening the door, to reveal an apparently wide awake Professor McGonagall. The way her eyes flickered somewhat distastefully up and down his momentary choice of attire made Severus wish mildly that he had at least decided to grab one of his long black cloaks; he couldn't remember the last time someone else saw him dressed this way. In fact, he was almost positive his students thought he slept in his usual get-up. After a moment, McGonagall took a deep breath as she raised her eyebrows.

"Severus, your House's class schedules," she said curtly, as she handed him a rather thick stack of individual pieces of parchment. As Severus took them from her, he noticed the pile seemed thicker than usual, and he frowned slightly, portraying a hint of confusion, so Minerva continued, pointing at the papers in his hand. "Bear in mind, the Defense classes have been split, so half of your students will be reporting to Professor Lupin, and the other half to Lev-...er...Professor Dagrin." At this, Severus' mildly confused frown slid rapidly from his face into a blank expression.

"Of course," he replied, his voice deep with budding annoyance at the mention of the two new professors' names. "If you'll excuse me." he then added, and with that, he shut the door, but stayed in place, just on the opposite side. Through the thick wood, he heard Minerva give a tut of disdain at being so rudely dismissed but a moment later, Severus heard her short heeled shoes move away. Turning to the wall just to the right of the door way, he held up the papers against the stone, before pressing his hand flat against them so they magically stuck in place while he finished getting dressed. This day was sure to be interesting, to say the least.

The portrait leading into the Slytherin common room was not at all far from Severus' quarters and unsurprisingly, as he stepped out into the dark hallway, his ears picked up the sound of muffled chattering, laughing and general excitement, from further down the hall. It seemed his House of students was already awake and buzzing with activity as they waited for his arrival with the class schedules.

Very clearly, Severus could remember his first year teaching, at the ripe age of twenty-one, and could vividly recall the overwhelming stress he had felt on that same morning, twelve years ago. Being so new to teaching, _and _being the head of Slytherin House, he had not known how to go about giving out the schedules without being nearly pummeled to death with questions and hyperactive first-years all bouncing in place around him. He could remember thinking to himself that there absolutely _had _to be an easier way of going about this and over the years, he had tried different tactics until he finally found one that worked.

Stepping in through the portrait hole, Severus' ears were immediately met with the same noise he had encountered just moments before, but almost as soon as he stepped into the room, the chattering voices and laughter subsided immediately until the silence was so dense, one could have heard a pin drop onto carpet. His dark eyes scanned the room as every young face in it turned to stare at him in anticipation. It seemed the one tactic that worked was his mere presence.

"Divide yourselves by year, with the first-years to my left, seventh-years to my right, every other in between." he commanded, his deep voice raised only slightly to be heard by every student in the vast room. "When I call your year, step forward and I will give you your class schedule. Once you've received it, if you could _kindly _make your way out." With his eyes, Severus quickly passed over the crowd of young witches and wizards as a low hum of murmurs arose while they less than quickly moved about the room, dividing themselves as he had just instructed, into seven distinct groups, with the smallest of the students on his left, gradually increasing in height until the tallest of the Slytherins stood off to his right. Vaguely, Severus wondered to himself if the other three Heads of House had such an organized approach to handing out the schedules...He somehow doubted it...

With the room now divided into seven years, Severus glanced down at the first grouping of stacked parchment before he called out, "First-years, step forward." The smallest students seemed to be trembling collectively as a group as they moved forward, either from excitement or nerves, he was not sure, but as they huddled in around him, he glanced down at the first name. _Lily Stamers. _A quick pang of ache shot through him but he ignored it and cleared his throat.

"Miss. Stamers?" he asked, opting quickly to avoid saying her first name aloud, and instead, he looked straight down as a small, eleven year old blonde girl stepped out from her protective huddle of fellow students. After handing her a list of her classes, he continued on through the list, through the years until he had reached his rambunctious, all-too-confident group of seventh-year Slytherins. He had been teaching all of these students since they themselves were members of that tiny, trembling group of babies, but now, several of them stood at nearly his same height and had grown into what almost resembled adults. It was so nostalgic, he could vomit...

As he flipped through the remaining pieces of parchment in his hand, Severus listened as some of the male students talked quietly among themselves.

"I hope we get the new one, eh?" one of the tall, blonde boys said to a classmate with a chuckle. "Wouldn't mind asking for some...er...'extra credit', yeh?" he then added, followed by another quiet smattering of laughter from his friends. Despite the stab of irritation he felt, Severus looked up from the papers as he handed one of them to a girl on his left.

"I regret to inform you, Mister Tandry, that Professor Dagrin will not be handling your class," he said smoothly. "But I'll be sure to let Professor Lupin know that you're willing to work doubly hard for your grade." he then finished in his slickest of voices, allowing just a shadow of a smirk onto his face as the young man groaned and took his slip of parchment.

…...

"Five more minutes, Charlie..." Leviatha groaned into her fluffy pillow as she rolled onto her stomach, reaching out dazedly with one arm to push the dog's face away from her, where he had just been adamantly nudging her shoulder with his entire head. Just next to her, Charlie let out a higher pitched whine, doubling his effort to wake her by digging his nose under her arm against the bed to begin licking her chin. At first, Leviatha attempted to ignore this but as she took a deep, sleepy breath in, she suddenly coughed, cringing as she turned onto her back. "Alright! Fine...Lord, Charlie, your breath is awful..." she finally murmured as she pushed herself up off the bed, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe his stinky, slobbery kisses off her skin.

It was fortunate that the sun had only just risen as the giant window behind her bed allowed a tremendous amount of unwelcome light into the room, making it difficult to open her itchy, sleepy eyes past anything further than a strained squint. It seemed her recent traveling had left her with a case of jet-lag, causing her body to feel as though she had been run over by the Hogwarts Express itself. As she moved toward the bathroom, she wondered vaguely if Minerva would have anything, spell _or _potion to help with the overwhelming exhaustion she felt...She figured asking Professor Snape for any assistance was a bit out of the question after their less than cordial conversation from the previous evening.

After brushing her teeth and using her wand to compose her hair into her typical black spiral bun at the back of her head, Leviatha stepped back out into the bedroom, where Charlie was just in the process of gingerly pulling a dark green satin, long-sleeved top from her wardrobe with his teeth. When he noticed her standing there, he took a step backward from where he had just placed it on the bed and his tail began to wag as Leviatha's hands met her waist.

"Is this what you've chosen for me to wear?" she asked, moving toward the bed to pick up the top and run one of the sleeves between her fingers. "What do you suppose I should wear with it? I don't think pants would be appropriate..."

With that, Charlie took off back toward the wardrobe, rising onto his long, spotted back legs to pull another item of clothing from a hanger, before he trotted back over carrying a black, knee-length pencil skirt. After setting it down on the bed, he let out a bark as his tail once again began to beat the air. Leviatha grinned and reached out, patting him on the head.

"Alright, I'll wear this." she said, picking up both top and skirt before she paused, glancing down at him. "Well, don't watch. Go on, close your eyes."

Once Charlie had climbed onto the bed and buried his face into the pillows, Leviatha changed from her favorite black leggings she had previously slept in, into the skirt and replaced her yellow tank top with a bra and the green top before she stopped in front of a long body mirror to inspect her reflection. While it was not exactly typical of her to care greatly about her appearance, this _was _an important day. This was her first day of teaching, of being truly looked up to and looking her best, unlike the night before, seemed more prudent than ever. As she stood there, Charlie hopped down off the bed and sauntered over, wagging his tail as he gazed lovingly up at her. She held out her arms.

"Do I look alright?"

Charlie barked in response so she took that to mean he approved.

After stopping in the bathroom a second time to apply just a bit of mascara, Leviatha was just stepping back out into the bedroom when she yawned for what seemed like the one-hundredth time. Without wasting energy by lifting her hand to stifle it, she groaned loudly into the partly empty room before she shook her head.

"I don't know if I'm going to make it all the way through today," she said distractedly as she leaned down to gather her textbook and stack of lesson plans. "I would _love _some coffe-..'

CRACK!

Both Leviatha and Charlie jumped at the same time when out of nowhere, a loud pop, like that of a firework, split the comfortable silence, and suddenly, a short, bat-like House Elf appeared out of the thin air, bearing a small silver tray.

"Professor Dagrin?" squeaked the apparently female Elf. "You wished for coffee?"

Completely caught off guard, Leviatha stammered for a few moments as she glanced over at Charlie. From the look on his face, he had seen a House Elf before but had been as surprised by that abrupt appearance as she had, as he stared at the small Elf with wide, brown eyes. While she had known that House Elves worked in the kitchens while she had been a student at Hogwarts, she had been unaware one could simply call them by wishing for something aloud.

"Oh-...er...Yeah, I did, but-..." she stuttered, but the Elf was already rushing toward her, holding the tray, bearing several small pitchers and one ceramic mug, high above her pointed ears.

"I brought crème and sugar as well, miss!" she squealed, setting the tray down onto Leviatha's vanity. "Just leave the tray and I'll get it once you leave!"

CRACK!

Again, both Leviatha and Charlie jumped at the sudden noise and looked at each other once the Elf had disappeared.

"Well, _that _will take some getting used to, wont it?"

As luck would have it, Leviatha's first class was a group consisting of both Slytherin and Gryffindor sixth-years and was being held in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom...nearly four floors up from her quarters. As she trudged her way, in tall black heels, up a large spiral staircase, carrying her mug of steaming coffee and her book of lesson plans, Leviatha glanced down at Charlie beside her.

"Looks like we'll be getting back in shape this year, mate..." she grumbled, but frowned when Charlie trotted up a few steps ahead of her and glanced back as if to say 'who are you calling out of shape?' With a laugh, Leviatha shook her head, picking up the pace until her heels finally met solid ground again, and she took off toward her classroom, cursing under her breath when her eyes fell through the open doorway. It seemed she was a few minutes late, _again_, as her students had already taken the liberty of seating themselves at the bench desks and were now chatting rather loudly amongst themselves. This was her moment, the _one _chance she had to gain a position of respect and power amongst the student body...it had to be done right or she would never be respected.

Putting on a straight face, Leviatha wasted no time in striding through the open doorway with an air of unhindered confidence, keeping her rather stony gaze focused up ahead on the momentarily blank blackboard. Instantly, a heavy silence passed through the classroom as the students all turned to stare at their new teacher, and the black and white spotted dog trotting along beside her, bearing the same air of unyielding authority as he kept his head and tail aloft. While a few quiet murmurs and whispers rose up from the desks, Leviatha ignored these, pulling her wand from the waist of her skirt to wave it once in the direction of the blackboard, where the words 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' and 'Leviatha Dagrin' magically appeared in her own sharp, slanted hand writing. With her back still to the classroom, Leviatha set her book down on the teaching podium but kept her coffee cup in hand.

"Good morning," she said to the class in an almost off-handed sort of voice, however a moment later, both she and Charlie jumped hard when the entire class responded loudly.

"GOOD MORNING, PROFESSOR DAGRIN"

Turning slowly to now face the students, Leviatha scanned the room quickly before she glanced at Charlie, who's eyes were now widened with equal surprise at that loud, unexpected greeting. _That will take some getting used to as well..._With a blink and quick clearing of her throat, Leviatha stepped around the podium to place herself directly between the two rows of desks, where the two Houses of Slytherin had Gryffindor had already divided themselves, without even being asked. Apparently that rivalry was still going strong, even after all these years.

"Yes, well, I am Professor Dagrin, and as Dumbledore mentioned, I am your new Defense teacher, alongside Professor Lupin." she explained, her strong voice raised slightly, her expression fixed as she made eye contact with a few of the Slytherins in the back row. "It is my understanding that your last five teachers have not-"

"Did you really fly here on an airplane?"

This question came so unexpectedly, that for a moment, Leviatha had to glance around at the students to see who had dared interrupt her so abruptly and for a moment or two, it nearly appeared as though this question had come from thin air, as most of the students before her glanced about themselves for the culprit. However, as her eyes fell onto a sixth-year Gryffindor girl toward the back of the room, Leviatha's eyes narrowed as she exhaled through her nose. _How did they already know that?_ She wondered vaguely...but then remembered how quickly rumors managed to spread through the school during her own days as a student there.

"Yes, I did, Miss..." she answered, but paused, raising her arched eyebrows slightly in expectation. The girl appeared to be fighting a strong desire to melt into the floor as she glanced to either side of her.

"Lovelace..."

"Ah," Leviatha tutted with a nod. "Well yes, Miss Lovelace, I did fly here, and yes, I am incredibly jet-lagged so you'll forgive me if-"

"What is 'jet-lagged'?" then asked another student, this time a boy from the Slytherin side of the room. By now, every set of eyes in the room was now fixed on Leviatha, awaiting her answer so with a sigh, she figured she might as well get the interrogation out of the way now, just to avoid further interruptions down the line.

"Just means I'm fairly tired today from traveling so far, Mister Belroy," she answered smoothly. "Now,-"

"Where did you travel from?"

Yet another question came to her, again from the Slytherin House and without hesitation, Leviatha now turned and pulled a tall, rolling stool toward her; if they were going to have a question and answer session, she might as well be comfortable. Once seated, she brought her mug of coffee to her lips to take a sip before answering.

"The States..." She replied, hoping the questioning would now take a different turn at this point. However, the boy who had just spoken glanced at his friend before he looked back up to her.

"What were you doing in America?"

At this, Leviatha hesitated, squinting slightly as she wracked her brain for an alternative response to the truth. However, a moment later, she looked away, back out over the smattering of pupils. "I'm afraid I can't answer that,"

"Can't?" the same boy asked a third time. "Or wont..."

_Ah...I seem to have located the clever one..._

"Both," she said after a few moments of studying the somewhat enraptured expressions on her students' faces before she continued, hoping to further the class along. "Now, as I understand it, your last _five _Defense professors have done a substandard job of-" she began for what seemed like the tenth time, rising from the stool to walk back behind the podium and open her book, however just as before, her voice trailed off into newborn, blossoming irritation when another question interrupted her.

"What is your dog's name?" Now asked a friendly-looking girl from the Gryffindor House, and her eyes moved to meet Leviatha's as she straightened her back, taking a deep breath in through her nose.

"Charlie," she answered as patiently as she could, while glancing to her right where the dog was now wagging his tail excitedly at the mention of his presence. However, before Leviatha could demand that the questioning cease, she noticed a girl on the front row, directly in front of Charlie, slide backward in her chair slightly, eying him uncertainly before glancing at her friend next to her.

"I don't like big dogs..." she murmured, blushing slightly as several of the Slytherin students looked over at her with jeering sneers and as one of them opened their mouth, undoubtedly to ask why she was sitting next to her rather big-boned friend then, Leviatha stepped in, casting a warning glance over at that side of the room.

"I assure you he's quite friendly," she explained, reaching out to pat Charlie on the top of his spotted head. "Now, I must insist that we-"

"Did you adopt him in America?" the same girl from before asked a second question, this time rising up out of her seat along with several of her peers, to get a better look at Charlie. This time, it took a great deal of effort not to roll her eyes.

"No," Leviatha answered. "He found me. And I'm _sure..." _she paused, narrowing her gaze on the same girl as she opened her mouth again. "That you're just moments from asking me _how _he found me, but let me save you the trouble by saying that I _obviously _can't tell you how he found me without divulging why I was there in the first place, now can I?" From her change in tone, a calm, respectful silence finally settled over the classroom, and at long last, every student seemed to have stilled their incessant, curious questions for the time being. Leviatha's shoulders straightened out as she continued. "Suffice it to say, Charlie is here as my right hand man," she began, turning to begin pacing slowly in front of the blackboard. "He is my second set of eyes in this classroom and anything I just _happen _to miss, will not go unnoticed by this dog...So I would SUGGEST-..." Again, she paused, raising her voice slightly, watching with narrowed eyes as a Slytherin boy on the back row quickly jerked his head upward from where he had been focused on his desk since she had first entered the room. "-that you put away that essay for Professor Snape, Mister Lehman..."

So with the class now thoroughly under her control and appearing slightly enraptured with her, Leviatha began the lesson, thoroughly relishing her new place of authority in the classroom.

…...

With two classes out of his way, and the third now filing in, Severus remained standing at the front of his dungeon classroom with his hands tucked firmly into the pockets of his knee-length, tailed tunic, watching closely as a group of sixth-year Slytherin and Gryffindor students began to find their ways to their appropriate seats, talking in hushed, excited voices. Seeing how the Gryffindors normally detested his Potions class, he could only assume from their uncharacteristic excitement that they had just come from a lesson with everyone's new, favorite Professor. With a roll of his eyes, he dried to drown out the din of voices, but could not avoid hearing a few smatterings of what the students were saying.

"-wonder why she couldn't tell us why she was in America?" a Slytherin girl was asking of her friend. "She seems very..."

"Mysterious?" asked the friend. "Don't you think she was doing that on purpose? Just to get everyone all worked up and talking?"

For a moment, Severus couldn't help but glow with something that nearly mimicked fatherly pride at his own House's students skepticism over the new professor and he smirked to himself as he continued to listen, this time picking up on a different conversation.

"She's quite a looker, ay?" a Gryffindor boy was saying; Severus' short-lived smirk slid from his lips rapidly. "I mean, _yellow _eyes...Who has that? And her Muggle clothing...not often you see a professor here dressed that way."

Removing his hands from his pockets, Severus took a few steps to his left, where he then stopped, gazing out coldly over the students, remaining silent for only a few seconds while the chattering stopped and suddenly, every student in the room was quiet, waiting for him to speak.

"While I'm positive your last lesson was nothing short of...exhilarating..." he began, allowing his deep, drawl of a voice to creep through the room. "I must insist that you keep your miniscule attention-spans focused on the class at hand. My rules for this classroom have not changed over the past holiday and I expect each of you to follow them as...closely as you can manage..."

With the room now as deathly quiet as a properly groomed graveyard, Severus returned his hands to his pockets before he moved back to the podium, where his book already lay open and turned to the appropriate page.

"Now," he began, using his just his dark eyes to scan the room. "You may recall, before the end of last term, that I asked you all to study the properties of the-"

At that moment, Severus blinked, looking up from his book as an unfamiliar sound filled the dungeon classroom, before it returned to silence. For a second or two, he wondered if perhaps he had just imagined the sound of the dog barking, however from the way his students were now glancing about the room, it appeared that they had heard it as well. It seemed impossible that there would actually be a dog in his classroom, so he decided, for the time being, to just ignore it, assuming it had just been some sort of Zonko's product going off in one of the students' bags. He continued without sparing a second thought to the interruption.

"-Mandrake root as it applies to the use of it's-..."

This time, there was no mistaking it. A dog was indeed barking, from seemingly outside the door to his classroom, and by now, the students had all begun to murmur quietly in confusion amongst themselves. Growing ever more annoyed, Severus took a step out from behind his podium and waited, listening.

"Quiet..." he growled over the room, straining his ears as the murmurs silenced. However, just a second later, a third bark sounded from outside the door, so quickly, he stepped down from the raised platform at the front of the room, casting a dark look over the students as the dull chattering resumed at once. Now thoroughly confused and annoyed, he reached the door and swung it open so quickly, the breeze caught his black cloak, whipping it against his long legs. Looking down, his brown eyes locked onto those of a tall, black and white spotted dog, standing there outside his door with a Potions book clamped firmly in his jowls, a slip of parchment stuck to the front of it.

Upon opening the door, the dog's tail had been wagging but stopped immediately and lowered quickly as the Potions Master glared down heavily at him. The book in his mouth hit the stone floor with a thud as the dog released it and took a step back, his lips twitching as he clearly struggled against baring his teeth at the professor. Keeping his eyes focused on the dog, Severus held out his hand in the air, before the book zoomed up to meet it and he caught it with two fingers, cringing in disgust as he eyed the drooled-on edge of the book where the dog had just been carrying it. His eyes then found the note stuck to the front.

_ "Professor Snape, Miss Lovelace left her Potions book in my classroom. Please see that it is returned to her." _

The note had been written in a slanted script, and was not signed, although Severus could accurately assume where it had come from...Only her first day and she was already interrupting his class...Or rather, her _dog _was interrupting his class.

"Miss Lovelace," he called to the room behind him. "It seems you left your book in Professor Dagrin's class."

Across the room, the girl in Gryffindor colors rose from her chair, glancing about herself somewhat bashfully as she clambered through the rows of closely set desks, until she was walking toward the door, casting an uncertain, intimidated look at Severus as he glared irritably at her.

"Sorry, Professor..." she murmured as she stepped up to the door and took the book from him, but before she could return to her seat, her expression broke into a smile as she leaned down to pat the dog on to the top of his head. "Thanks, Charlie." The dog's tail began to wag again, but as the girl walked away, his gaze the moved back up to meet Severus'. His eyes narrowed, his tail immediately stilled and for a moment or two, Severus could swear he heard a growl, but before he could figure out how to make the dog wait so he could have it deliver a return note to his master, asking her not to have her _dog _interrupt his class ever again, the mutt was trotting off up the hallway. Severus watched him go until the tip of his white tail had disappeared around the corner, mentally making a note of it to mention this to the Headmaster...

…...

From the office up the short flight of stairs at the back of the Defense classroom, Leviatha looked up when she heard the sound of shoes traveling across the floor out in the main room, and for a moment, her stomach tightened into knots as she mentally pictured a seething Professor Snape, sweeping through the room with her dog on the other end of a short leash. But just as she looked up and was about to stand, Remus Lupin stepped into the doorway, wearing his old, weather-beaten robes, his tattered briefcase in hand. Despite his somewhat weary complexion, he smiled warmly when his eyes met hers.

"Ah, good afternoon, _Professor _Dagrin," he greeted her. "I see you've survived your first classes?" he went on to ask, moving more fully into the room so he could seat himself in the chair opposite her across the desk. Setting down the quill she had been writing with, Leviatha sighed, returning the smile as she rested her elbows on the desk before her.

"Yes, but only after being nearly beaten to death with questions," she answered, her grin expanding when Remus let out one of his genuine, hearty laughs.

"Well, you didn't really expect otherwise, did you? You're a new teacher, a young one at that! Of course they're going to be curious." he explained, the corners of his eyes wrinkling small lines into his prematurely aging, lightly scarred face. "I heard-" he had gone on, but at that moment, both looked to the doorway when another being entered, this time in the form of one Dalmatian, bearing a rather stony expression. However, the moment he spotted Remus Lupin sitting at the desk, his round, brown eyes lit up and bounded over, wagging his tail so hard, it looked as though it could wiggle itself clean off his body. "Charlie! My dear friend! How are you, mate?" Remus exclaimed, turning in his seat to greet the dog with much petting and loud thumping on the back, all while Charlie wiggled around against his knees, whining and attempting to lick every inch of exposed skin he could reach. Leviatha watched her best friend greet her other best friend with a smile, until she remembered the scenario she had been imagining before Remus had walked in.

"He's just returned from delivering a student's book to Professor Snape's classroom," she explained, her grin expanding when Charlie suddenly shot her a quick glare before he returned to licking Remus' hand. The man laughed, running his hand along Charlie's spotted coat.

"Oh, I bet it really took him for a turn when he saw _this _one interrupting his class," he answered, shaking his head as the dog finally settled down and resigned to sit next to him with his head on his knee. "Which reminds me, I heard about your...conversation with him after the feast last night..."

At this, Leviatha groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure Minerva told you all about that..." she mumbled, picking up her short quill to begin fidgeting with the feathers. Remus leaned back in his chair, placing his hand on Charlie's head as he nodded, raising his thinning eyebrows.

"And I agree with her, Levi," he stated. "You can't speak to him that way, nor any other teacher here. I asked a big favor of Albus by having you here to help me." Leviatha brought her eyes back up from the quill to meet her best friend's eyes. Though his tone had changed, his gray eyes still bore a hint of a twinkle, telling her silently that he was not reprimanding her but simply warning her. "As you know, Severus has a temper rivaled only by your own. You _must _be patient with him." Here, Leviatha jumped in, tossing her hands slightly as she sat up in the chair.

"I was trying to be polite!" she exclaimed. "And he came out with his usual, sarcastic drone about how much better he is than-..." Even though her rant had only just begun, Leviatha let her voice trail off when Remus held up a hand, shaking his head back and forth slowly.

"I have known you for a long time, Levi, since your third year, my seventh. I know how you are." he replied calmly, that twinkle in his kind eyes now forming another smile across his thin lips. "You jump at the chance to call people out on their...less than favorable attributes, regardless of the consequence. You know Severus as well as I do, you _know _how he is about the Defense post. And now that it's been given to not only _one _person, but two? One of James Potter's best friends at that?" he paused, placing a hand on his chest to indicate himself. "He's not happy at all. You understand that."

Here, Leviatha sighed heavily in exasperation but nodded, rolling her eyes in the process. "Yes, I understand but-..." she began to answer, but again, Remus interrupted.

"I think you should apologize to him, Levi."

At this, she let out a laugh, tossing her head slightly. "Why should I? He's the one who-"

"Because he knows what I am, Leviatha," Remus explained, his voice now lowered but still calm as ever and Leviatha instantly stilled, leaning back in the chair when he continued. "Severus is an uncommonly intelligent man and I'm sure he'll soon figure out why you've been brought here, beyond assisting with my classes, if he hasn't already." Leviatha nodded, dropping her gaze to the desk before her. "He has so patiently agreed to keep me supplied with Wolfsbane potion and if he were to tamper with it? Or stop making it all-together? Leviatha, the school and it's students would be in danger, you know that." He paused, waiting until Leviatha met his gaze before he went on, finally smiling again when he noticed through her eyes that she was agreeing with him. "So I'd like it if you would apologize to him..." Again, Remus hesitated before his smile expanded. "If not for yourself, then for me...Even if you have to lie."

A momentary silence descended through the office as Leviatha's eyes began to squint, assessing her best friend's request. Apologizing to Snape for something that was not her fault stood against every ounce of reason she contained, however what Remus had said made sense. She really could not afford an enemy in the form of the Potions Master. So with a heavy sigh, she rolled her eyes, smirking as she looked back to Remus.

"_Fine..._I'll apologize," she finally agreed, but held up one finger a moment later. "But _only _because you asked me to, _not_ because I want to, understood?"

At this, Remus let out another of his heart-warming, genuine laughs before he nodded, holding out his hand across the table to shake hers.

"Understood."

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: A bit of a filler chapter, I know! But I wanted to go into detail about the first school day of the term as if really does set up the next couple of chapters. I really LOVE reviews so please, leave one and let me know what you thought! I have this entire story planned out from beginning to end and I really think you all are going to love where I plan on taking it. Lots of drama and intrigue, some sexy stuff, some scary stuff...I would love to see it through to completion but I'm one of those that if I feel like the story is not getting enough attention, I'll lose interest. Unfortunate, but that's just the way I am. So if you'd like to see this story continued to its end, please leave me some feedback! I look forward to hearing from you! And I typically respond to reviews, just so you know. = ] Oh and as you may have guessed, this does take place during Harry's third year. Next chapter will be out as soon as I get some good, solid feedback! -QoM

OH! And I wanted to clarify something I read in a review from MidnightCrane: by having Severus rub his forearm after Leviatha looked back at him in the previous chapter, I did not mean that she had made his Dark Mark tingle ( haha that sounds naughty) I simply meant that she gave him goosebumps. Whenever I get goosebumps, I rub my forearms, I dunno. It helps, I guess lol So anyways! I just wanted to clarify. No Dark Mark tingling!

It is not in my nature to write things that don't have a designated purpose. Everything I put into Leviatha's character has been put there for a reason, so please have faith that everything will work out in due time. Like I said, I have everything planned, down to the exact second so trust me. = ] Thanks so much for reading and I hope you'll continue on with me!


	4. Two Can Play That Game

Black, inky darkness stretched out across the sky like a length of velvet, dotted with tiny stars as though someone had taken a pin to it repeatedly, and as Severus stepped out through the open, giant front doors of Hogwarts castle, out onto the grounds, he looked up to the nighttime above him. This had to be his favorite time of day; when all was quiet, the students were already back in their common rooms and the darkness in which he felt so comfortable seemed endless. It was during this time when he could truly gather his thoughts, be alone with them and dig as deeply into his own memories as he liked. However, this night, he was not alone on his evening stroll.

Through the doors of the castle, surrounding the courtyard was a large, rectangular system of enclosed walkways where he often liked to lurk, and as he turned right into one of the outdoor hallways, his eyes immediately noticed a long, silvery, embroidered cloak, blowing about in the nighttime breeze up ahead. Albus Dumbledore was standing down toward the corner of the walkway, his wizened hands clamped together behind his back as he gazed out through one of the openings, a serene and peaceful expression on his wrinkled face. Severus approached him, but from the way the Headmaster continued to stare off, it did not appear as though he heard him, however, just as he had gotten within a few feet of the older wizard, he spoke.

"Severus, good evening," he said calmly, without breaking his apparent staring contest with the distant Dark Forest. Severus blinked. Even after all these years, it still unnerved him slightly when Albus did that; he had no solid proof, but he could swear the Headmaster had eyes in the back of his head.

"Headmaster," he greeted him, stepping up to the side of the elder wizard. It grew quiet for only a moment, and Severus was considering saying something else, just to fill the silence, but Albus beat him to it, and turned to face him.

"How was your day?" he asked, that twinkling smile evident through every crevice in his face. Severus held back a grin with difficulty; he had never met another person who seemed always happy to see him. As Albus took a step forward, Severus turned and joined him as the two wizards began ambling along the walkway at a leisurely pace.

"Typical," he answered flatly, placing his hands into the pockets of his long, black cloak. "Although I only managed to be vomited on once." At this, he did allow himself a small grin when Albus laughed from beside him.

"Ah, a good day, indeed," he responded, glancing up at the tall Potions Master. "Beyond Mister Nebbins sharing his breakfast with you, was there anything else outside the ordinary?" he then asked. From his question, Severus gathered that Albus knew more about his day than he was letting on. He hesitated at first, but after a few moments, he spoke, figuring the Headmaster was allowing him an outlet for his complaint.

"Yes," he answered. "I've never had a dog interrupt my class before. It was...unexpected, to say the least..." his voice trailed off as he glanced over at Albus, hoping in vain that he would agree wholeheartedly that this was an unacceptable occurrence. However when he noticed the Headmaster smile, he fought back a roll of his eyes.

"I assume you're referring to Charlie, Leviatha's dog," he said, turning the corner beside Severus as they reached the end of that particular walkway. At this, Severus could not help himself.

"Yes, I haven't seen Professor Lupin all day..." he answered, smirking to himself when he felt Albus cast him a reproachful look. When Dumbledore did not respond right away, Severus continued, pausing in their stroll just beside one of the openings in the stone structure. "Sir, forgive me, but did you really think it appropriate for her to bring her pet to the school with her?"

Albus stopped and turned to face the outdoor window, placing his hands on the sill before him. "Severus, the majority of our students have pets with them, it is an acceptable part of living here. I feel it helps them learn responsibility. Leviatha has assured me that the dog is extremely well behaved and exceptionally bright." he explained, turning his head slightly to glance up at the younger wizard. "Besides, she would not come without him."

_What a tragedy..._ Severus thought fleetingly to himself as he too turned to face the opening. Dumbledore was continuing.

"A little bird told me about your conversation with Miss. Dagrin last night," he said, now turning fully to face Severus. "Of course, I say 'conversation' for lack of a better term."

At this, Severus turned as well, exhaling through his nose in a sigh as he met Dumbledore's still smiling, kind gaze. "Did this little bird happen to look anything like Professor McGonagall?" he asked, arching one of his eyebrows when Albus let out a laugh.

"It might have," he responded, turning again to resume their stroll along the stone hallway. "Nevertheless, I had hoped you would have given a less cold reception to the woman. From what I understand, she had been quite polite when she first spoke to you." When the Headmaster paused, Severus cut in, hoping to explain himself before Albus could continue with his carefully worded reprimanding.

"Sir, I-," he began to say, but Albus interrupted him almost immediately.

"Severus, you understand why I can't appoint you to the Dark Arts post," he put lightly, ceasing his walking to face the younger man when Severus halted just before him and turned. "You posses many great qualities but none of them would be done justice if you were to assume that position. I don't make that decision out of any spite for you, you understand." At this, Severus nodded, dropping his eyes slightly when he felt something that closely mimicked shame for his obvious contempt toward the Headmaster's choice in staffing. Albus went on. "I have known you since you were just a boy at school here, Severus. You know what it's like to be disrespected." Severus withheld a nod of agreement. If _anyone _understood that, it was him. "So I must ask you to be patient with Leviatha. She is here for a very important purpose and deserves a greater amount of respect than you have already shown her." Again, Albus paused and that smile returned to wrinkle the age lines along the outer corners of his eyes. "In fact, I think you may quite like her if you give her the chance."

As tempted as Severus was to answer that he absolutely did not think that possible in the slightest and that Albus had to be kidding himself if he thought a friendship was at all possible with the woman, he figured a simple nod of his head would be a bit more respectful than calling the powerful wizard downright insane. They continued their walk, but before long, Albus announced that he felt it was time for him to turn in for the night, so after bidding him a good evening, Severus watched for a few moments as the Headmaster walked away, back up toward the castle before disappearing beyond the walls.

Alone now, Severus considered continuing his walk, perhaps venturing out onto the further grounds, to the Black Lake, but it really was growing late and as usual, he had to be up early the next morning. And seeing how his back was still twinging a bit from sleeping so awkwardly, he figured he might as well copy the Headmaster and turn in for the night, himself. So he abandoned his path and turned up toward the castle, tightening his jaw muscles to avoid letting out an unbecoming growl of a yawn when he thought somewhat longingly of his bed.

Despite the late hour, the lights in the castle had not yet been extinguished, leaving the barren hallways and corridors still bathed in the warm golden glow from dimming oil lamps and pillar torches. As he walked through the entrance hall, toward the room of moving staircases, he waved his hand lazily, dousing a few of the torches to leave the room behind him darkened and shadowed. This continued until he had nearly reached the hallway that led to his dungeon quarters, and he had just waved his hand to put out the last of the oil lamps when a door opened up ahead...

Leviatha stepped out into the hallway, glancing first to her left, then to her right, however, just as she turned her head, she jumped when she spotted someone quickly approaching her in the dim light. A moment later, her eyes narrowed as her stomach twisted into uncomfortable knots when she recognized the tall, angular frame and rippling black cloak of none other than Professor Snape, walking toward her without so much as an extra blink, as though he had been fully expecting her to come bursting out of her room in the dead of the night.

With every ounce of control he contained, Severus attempted to completely ignore the sudden appearance of this woman as he neared her, but unable to help himself, he glanced down with just his eyes, glancing over her ratty, oversized Muggle t-shirt with a vague look of disgust. However, just as he was about to walk right past her without a word, as though she were a particularly life-like tapestry, Albus' words from only a few minutes prior echoed in the back of his mind.

"Good evening, Professor," he grumbled as he passed her, without so much as a second glance in her direction, without pausing, even for just a second, to hear her response. However, when no answer came from behind him, he let out a quiet breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Leviatha's eyebrows furrowed as she watched Severus' retreating back, mildly surprised that he had even uttered a word to her. Of course, she had not expected him to stop there in the hallway and attempt to make conversation with her, but still, the fact that he had even chosen to address her in the first place was downright shocking. As tempting as it was to ignore this, however, Leviatha remembered a conversation between herself and Remus from earlier that day, so despite herself, she called out.

"Professor Snape, could I have a word?"

Nearly halfway down the hall, Severus stopped abruptly, mid-step, sliding his eyes closed in regret. If only he had just ignored her and kept on his way... Slowly, he turned to face the rest of the corridor from whence he had just come, where Leviatha was now walking toward him, barefoot, in that overly large t-shirt and tight, green leggings he had failed to notice a moment prior.

"Miss Dagrin," he began, in that cold, smooth drawl of his, fixedly keeping his eyes on her face. "It is quite late..." he added, in place of saying how incredibly inappropriate it was of a teacher to be wandering the corridors wearing such a thing. As these words left his mouth, it almost appeared as though Leviatha could practically hear was he was thinking, as her eyebrows furrowed momentarily, but another moment later, her features relaxed again.

"And yet, you're still awake and lurking about, so no harm done," she replied, her arched eyebrows curving atop her narrow, almond-shaped eyes. Severus blinked. Hadn't he heard almost this exact same thing just recently? He kept his mouth shut, resigning himself to silence while he watched the young woman obviously struggle with what she was about to say to him. "Look, I just..." she began somewhat awkwardly a few moments later, dropping her eyes to the collar of his black tunic when it appeared that the Potions Master was not anywhere near ready to crack a grin. "-wanted to apologize to you for the way I handled our conversation yesterday." Here, she paused, bringing her eyes back up again, but only to roll them and toss her hand in what he could only assume was an attempt to lighten the conversation at hand. "I had spent the whole day traveling and I guess I was just cranky and tired, so...I hope we can start over."

The tension in that particular hallway was mounting quickly as Severus again remained completely silent, which only caused Leviatha to start to grow irritated. She had not expected him to clap his hand in hers and shake it vigorously with a 'YOU BETCHA, MATE!', but the fact that he was not saying _anything _was slightly infuriating. Either he was really thick or just simply considered himself too far above her to stoop so low as to accept her apology...Since she knew Severus was anything but stupid, she could only assume the latter of the two scenarios was correct. She continued on, her eyebrows falling back into shape as she dropped the falsely pleasant expression she had been so struggling to keep in place.

"It's just that I'm so new to teaching and you've been doing this for a long time, I though perhaps you could share some pointers with me," she started, forcefully ignoring her newborn desire to slap that blank, haughty look from Snape's face. "...Granted, you haven't been in the Defense post..."

That tension she had noticed earlier seemed to swell and fill the entire corridor with a dull hum of foul energy as Severus' shoulders squared and his dark eyes flashed as he removed his hands from behind his back. Despite the slight twinge of trepidation Leviatha felt from the rather murderous expression in his eyes, she held her ground, glaring defiantly back at him.

"Let me assure you, Miss Dagrin..." he began, purposely opting against calling her 'professor', since he did not view her as such. "I have no '_pointers' _to share with you and may I suggest that you not go around advertising your lack of experience for anyone to hear."

With that, he turned away from her, the long tail of his black cloak whipping behind him, but before he could get too far, he seemed to remember something and paused, turning once again to face Leviatha, his curved eyebrows raised slightly.

"Oh, and I nearly forgot," he started again, walking back toward her by a few steps, so briskly, Leviatha felt the end of his cloak brush against her bare toes as he glared down at her from behind black, hateful eyes. "Don't ever send your dog to interrupt my class again."

…...

Over the next several days, both Leviatha and Severus made it their personal missions to avoid direct contact with each other at all costs, even going so far as to take the long way to particular destinations if they knew one or the other was due to be traveling down that specific hallway at that designated time. It escaped both of them how they had so quickly developed such a strong discord between them, but neither were very quick to try and figure it out.

The school continued to hum with rumors concerning Leviatha's previous job, but she managed to ignore most of them and refused adamantly to answer any questions the students asked to try and trick her into divulging. Despite the unfavorable conversations with the Potions Master, Leviatha had been enjoying her classes and had been readjusting to life at the castle relatively quickly. With the help of advice from Minerva and some of her fellow professors, Leviatha had learned which hallways to avoid during the changing of classes, and had learned which students needed more attention and guidance than others. Furthermore, just as she had expected, the massive amount of attention the Potter boy received was seriously obnoxious and she refused to buy into it by ignoring it...and _him _for that matter.

Of course, as was to be expected, the rumors of Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban Prison circulated like the flu virus but like so many other rumors she had heard, Leviatha refused to answer any questions her students brought to her, and merely requested that they speak to their Head of House if they had any real concerns for their safety. Hogwarts was one of the safest, if not _the _most well protected building in all of Britain and Leviatha felt quite satisfied that both she and the rest of the school were perfectly secure as long as they stayed put and did not panic, no matter what sort of murmurings they heard.

Like herself, Charlie was adjusting to life in the castle excellently and a vast majority of the students had absolutely fallen in love with him and the way he excitedly greeted each class as they filed in for their lessons. To her surprise, a few students even stopped at her office to ask if the dog could join them at the Quidditch pitch to play, and reluctantly, Leviatha had obliged, making a point of it to tell Charlie to keep his eyes on them and not let any student out of his sight. He had returned to her quarters later that evening a dripping, muddy mess, but panting hard and looking like he had just had more fun than he had ever experienced in his life.

Every once in a while, when she had the time to think, Leviatha would let her mind travel back to the apology she had so fruitlessly tried to offer Professor Snape and would wonder where in hell that whole conversation had gone wrong. True, she had egged him on a bit by underhandedly rubbing the Dark Arts post in his face but even before that, there had been such a look of disinterest in his face that she could only assume had been due to...Well, she wasn't quite sure _what _that man's problem was.

But surprisingly, it was not his comment about keeping her inadequacies to herself that she had found so biting, but instead his warning about not allowing her dog to deliver notes to his classroom anymore. On the scale of things to be annoyed about, a _dog _seemed fairly low on the list and as Leviatha sat upstairs in the Dark Arts office, absentmindedly listening to Remus teach his class of third-years about Hinkypunks, she wondered vaguely if Snape would really make good on his so carefully worded threat. She couldn't imagine him actually hurting Charlie for merely delivering a book to a student but at the same time, Severus did seem like the type to enjoy making things very difficult for her.

Leviatha glanced up from the quiz she was supposed to be grading as her ears picked up the sound of a distant school bell, followed be the sound of a couple dozen chairs being pushed back from desks, and she waited, listening as the sound of footsteps traveled up the outer stairs toward the office. A moment later, Remus appeared, smiling placidly as he stepped into the room, a stack of papers and wand in his hand as he took a heavy seat at the chair across the desk from her. He sighed comfortably as he reached up to push a bit of his shaggy, prematurely graying hair from his forehead.

"How did that lesson go?" Leviatha asked him as she set down her quill, purely for the sake of conversation, as she had just heard every word of it from the office upstairs. Across from her, Remus shrugged, glancing down at his lap to absentmindedly pick at one of the fraying fibers of his robes.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, although Harry did ask me earlier this morning about the dementors and why they seem to affect him more than others," he replied, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in a grin when Leviatha tutted.

"I'm so glad you got the third-years," she mumbled, shaking her head as she leaned back in the chair to rest her elbows on the arms on either side of her. "I don't think I could handle having that carbon-copy of James Potter staring back at me for an hour and a half every day..."

At this, Remus let out a laugh, shaking his head as he set his papers and wand on the desk between them. "While he does look uncannily like James, Harry has a very different personality from his father. He's quite like his mother, in fact...Very kind, inquisitive-..."

Again, Leviatha let out a huff, rolling her eyes. "Oh yes, I've heard that. _Saint _Potter, I've heard him called..." she grumbled bitterly, smirking when Remus laughed again.

"Yes, that's what your fellow Slytherin Housemates call him, I believe." he replied, and it seemed that he was about to go on, when both looked to the door as someone appeared in the way. Leviatha felt a weight sink into her stomach when her eyes briefly locked with those of Professor Snape, where he stood across the room, bearing a smoking, emerald green goblet and a look of great disinterest as he glanced down at Remus coldly. He did not speak at first but merely held out the glass of potion as Remus reached for it.

"Thank you, Severus," her best friend offered, bringing the goblet to his lips for a small sip, before he coughed rather unceremoniously at the apparently bitter taste. "This will save me from a very rough week." From across the desk, Leviatha watched him take another sip, wondering vaguely to herself if she ought to playfully ask Severus why he had not brought her something to drink as well. On one hand, it would perhaps lighten the dense tension in the room dramatically, but on the other, more likely hand, it might just deepen the itchy, awkward dislike the two professors currently shared for each other. So she refrained, but did allow herself to glance up at the tall Potions Master, forcing herself not to blink as her eyes met his and that weight in her stomach seemed to disappear altogether, taking her insides along with it.

Severus' eyes narrowed briefly onto hers, and in just that split second of contact, his arms were suddenly coated in goosebumps, fortunately unbeknownst to his two fellow teachers as he fought back a shiver with difficulty. There was something in her gaze, something that closely resembled hatred, mingled with what could almost be taken as curiosity and from the way Leviatha was glaring at him, directly into his eyes, it would have been all too easy to slip inside her mind, warn her through Legillimency to stop staring at him that way. But he figured invading the mind of someone he did not necessarily like would border on the lines of something like brain-rape, so he refrained, and instead turned to leave the room without a word, without so much as a glance over his shoulder; Lupin could _have _the damn goblet.

Back in the office, as she watched the tail of Snape's black robes vanish beyond the door to the Dark Arts classroom, Leviatha could swear the temperature in the general area had just risen back to a normal degree and was currently wondering what he had been thinking over the past two minutes when Remus coughed again from across the desk, where he was continuing to force down great droughts of the Wolfsbane potion. He raised his eyebrows when Leviatha looked to him.

"So I see you two are the best of friends now," he commented, smirking from around the lip of the goblet when Leviatha rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes, best mates, him and I..." she grumbled, once again letting her eyes drift bitterly over to the doorway where the Potions Master had just been standing. Across from her, Remus set the now empty green goblet on the desk between them before he patted his knee once to call the dozing Charlie over to him.

"I trust you apologized to him, like I asked,'' he commented, reaching out to run his hand along the Dalmatian's spotted coat once Charlie had sauntered sleepily over to him, but when Leviatha tossed her hands, Remus raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I did, and he basically told me to shove it," she replied exasperatedly, thinking back on that train-wreck of a conversation from nearly a week prior. "I swear, that man is like a brick wall...Run into it enough times and it starts to hurt..."

Remus laughed, so loudly, that both Leviatha and Charlie jumped, but surprisingly, he did not comment on her comparison of Professor Snape and instead, merely shook his head. "So what have you got on for tomorrow? Just lessons?" he asked, in a clear attempt to change the subject when he could sense his old friend budding irritation and across from him, Leviatha sighed, rubbing one of her amber yellow eyes with two fingers.

"Yeh, I've got the sixth-year Slytherin and Gryffindors in the morning, then seventh-year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, then..." Here, she paused and took a deep breath in through her nose as she reached out to absently shift her quill to the side a few inches. "-after lunch, Minerva's asked me to come do a..._demonstration _of my Animagus forms for her class of seventh-years...Seems she's ready to do some gloating on how she trained me."

Remus nodded, smiling warmly as he folded his hands across his middle and leaned back in the chair. "Oh, that should be fun!" he exclaimed, his grin expanding when Leviatha rolled her eyes. "I'm sure none of the students here have ever been that close to a tiger before." Across the desk, Leviatha let out a sigh, shrugging her narrow shoulders heavily.

"No, I suppose not," she answered. "But I swear, if anyone tries to pet me, it's over." she then added, finally cracking a smile when Remus laughed heartily from opposite her, glancing down momentarily when Charlie's tail began to thump against the wooden floor beneath him.

"Well, the students will be impressed. That's enough of a reward if you ask me," Remus commented in return, grinning as Leviatha shrugged again, letting her eyes fall to the desk where she was still fidgeting rather awkwardly with the quill.

"Seeing how my forms are really the only thing extraordinary about me, I would sincerely hope they'd find it impressive...The other teachers already think I'm a total wash..." she grumbled, her mind really only focused on one professor in particular; she had pluralized it just to make her comment seem more general. From the knowing twinkle in Remus' eye, it seem he had not been fooled, but like the best friend he was, he ignored her implication for her sake.

"That's not true," he answered, shaking his head. "You're fairly gifted with wandless magic. That's no easy feat, Levi..."

"Ok, so wandless magic...because of my post in the States. That's not exactly anything to write home about..."

Off in the distance, both Remus and Leviatha paused in their conversation when the peal of the school bell sounded and echoed dimly through the office and outer classroom, where now young voices and laughter could be heard filing in. Leviatha sighed, leaning back in the chair to rest her head against the cushioned back as Remus stood, tucking his wand back into the pocket of his robes.

"You're perfectly capable of doing great things as a teacher, Levi," he told her kindly, as he moved toward the doorway of the office. "Don't let _anyone..._tell you otherwise." he then finished, and with a quick, indicatory wink of his eye, he disappeared out into the classroom, leaving Leviatha and Charlie alone in the office.

As per usual, what Remus had been right; Leviatha _was _fairly gifted as a witch, though not as powerful as she would like to be. Her skill with wandless and wordless magic had been absolutely essential to her former post in the United States and while teaching was still fairly new to her, _games _on the other hand were not. What brief interactions she had had with Severus Snape had been surprisingly cold, tense and rather unfair now that she thought of it and as she sat there in the office, reflecting on his last words to her, Leviatha's eyes drifted along the desk aimlessly until they fell onto the empty, green goblet sitting there. It seemed only natural that Professor Snape would like his chalice returned to him...But seeing how she was _really _so swamped with these quizzes, she did not see any time in the near future when she would be able to take it to the dungeons. And seeing how _Charlie _was merely dozing comfortably on his soft pillow beside the desk...

"Oh, _Charlie?..._Do a favor for Mummy?"

…...

Severus glanced at the time on the small clock at the far edge of his desk, sighing heavily when he noticed his free period between classes had nearly come to an end and he had only just made it through his first stack of papers to mark. As was usual, the grades were abysmal and he had taken extra zeal in grading Potter's with a particular harshness, which he had come to realize brought a small amount of joy to his day when he marked down a giant, glaring 'D' for 'Dreadful'...He felt 'Troll' was a bit excessive for the first week of classes.

Resigning to the less favorable idea that he would be spending a fair amount of extra time finishing the grading during his evening, Severus stood from the desk, where he pulled his long, black robes from the back of the chair and began to slide his arms into the loose sleeves in preparation for his next class. However, just as he finished pulling his shoulder-length, wavy black hair from beneath the neck of the garment, his eyes slid to the door when the soft sound of rhythmic clicking met his ears from the hallway to his classroom, just a moment before a now familiar white and black spotted animal appeared in the way.

At first glance, it was not the green goblet he has currently holding in his teeth that Severus noticed, but the fact that the dog did not look even remotely happy to be there and was now glaring heavily over at him from behind round, expressive brown eyes. Straightening his shoulders, Severus dropped his arms to his sides as his eyebrows relaxed in annoyance. If his memory was serving him correctly, and it _always _did, Severus could swear he remembered telling Professor Dagrin, or rather _warning _her, to never send her dog to his classroom again. And yet here stood her pet, in his dungeon for the second time, waiting patiently for him to walk over and take the chalice from him.

Moving across the classroom, Severus neared the dog, mentally daring the animal to even _attempt _to bite his hand when he took the glass from him. However, as he closed the distance between them, the dog took a step back and lowered his head, gently placing the goblet right side up on the stone floor before his ears went back and his tail tucked between his long, back legs. If he was not already so irritated with Leviatha's blatant disregard for his previous request, Severus would have been mildly impressed with the amount of either respect or fear the dog seemed to show for him, but as he knelt down to retrieve the cup, an idea struck him.

With the cup now in hand, Severus stood and with the dog clearly of the mind that he had fulfilled his duty, he turned to trot away, but before he could get more than a few feet from the door, Severus called out.

"A moment?"

At first, Severus felt like a blithering idiot, calling after a dog like this, as if it were a human, but as Charlie stopped and turned his head to look back expectantly, he blinked in mild surprise, but continued immediately.

"You know..." he began evenly, pausing to wait as the dog slowly turned back around to walk closer to him. "You really are very patient with your master...Running around for her, delivering things like her personal errand boy..." Severus was now feeling more irrational than he had ever felt in his entire life, standing there speaking to this mutt as though it could understand every word he was saying...It was a miracle no one else was around to witness this uncharacteristic interaction. "I suppose you'd like some sort of..._compensation_ for all your troubles, am I right?" he then asked, arching an eyebrow when the dog's tail began to unplaster itself from against his bottom and wag slowly back and forth. Nodding once, Severus backed into the classroom, holding out his arm to 'welcome' the dog inside. "As it so happens, I seem to be overstocked on bones from a potion I made earlier in the week..." he was now explaining more confidently, glancing down to the side where the dog was now following him excitedly, over toward the corner of the room where the small, class storeroom closet stood open. Upon reaching it, Severus pushed the door further open, nodding toward the inside with his head, watching as the dog trotted inside, sniffing the air. "Go on and pick one out. You can take it with you for all your hard-..."

SLAM.

With the door now closed behind the Dalmatian and a satisfied smirk spreading across Severus' curved lips, he walked away with a content sigh, waving his hand over his shoulder to lock the door from the outside. If dear Professor Dagrin wanted to play games, he could see no harm in participating...

A/N: Well, this story is moving on along quite nicely! I really hope you all are enjoying it so far, as I am having a blast writing it. Just pleeeeease remember to leave a review to let me know what you think! -QoM


	5. Divine Retribution

With her last class for the day now filing out of the Dark Arts classroom, Leviatha's arched eyebrows furrowed, forming a vague wrinkle between them as she glared heavily at the crowded doorway across the room. Her hands met her curved waist atop the material of her gray pencil skirt. It had been nearly two hours since she had sent Charlie down to the dungeons to return Snape's goblet and she had spent almost the entire time since his departure glancing at the doorway every few minutes, expecting him to come trotting through at any moment. Even her class had noticed the absence of the dog but when asked, Leviatha simply answered that he must have been out exploring the castle for the afternoon. This was not true; she had no idea where he had gone off to. However, as she stood there, confused, her furrowed eyebrows relaxed when Severus' warning words from nearly a week prior echoed in the back of her mind for the umpteenth time...

Four floors below, Severus was just seating himself behind the desk as the last of his sloth-like students exited the classroom, leaving him quite alone in the dungeon...save for the dog still locked in the cupboard across the room. Over the past hour and half, he had nearly forgotten all about the beast as it had been surprisingly quiet during his class and fleetingly, Severus wondered if it had perhaps died in there after ingesting a poisonous ingredient...Then with a stab of mingled regret and relief, he remembered that he did not keep the more hazardous materials in the students' storeroom.

Frowning slightly, Severus' eyes grazed across the classroom, to land and fix themselves on the heavy wooden door to the closet. It had been quite a while since the dog had come downstairs, but yet his owner had not come looking for him. Perhaps she had simply assumed her pet had gone roaming the castle, chasing mice or whatnot, or even less likely, was sitting down there in the dungeon with him, playing a nice, friendly game of fetch. He could not see how she could _ever, _in her right mind, assume the latter, but seeing how it was now turning from afternoon to evening and as much as he hated to acknowledge it, the dog could not stay in there all night...So with a heavy sigh, partly hating himself for caring, Severus stood from his desk and was just a second from walking over to the closet when the door to the classroom suddenly swung open with such force, the heavy wood collided against the stone wall behind it with a loud bang. Severus fought hard against allowing himself a smirk when he noticed the murderous expression on Leviatha's face.

"Where the HELL is my dog?" she practically shouted as she approached him with a surprising swiftness, despite her tall heels and only once she had reached him did Severus notice the shoes made her exactly eye level with him. He ignored this for the time being and merely blinked calmly as he slid his hands into the pockets of his black robes.

"It seems to have escaped your notice, but I am not responsible for _your _pet," he replied in his most even and baritone of voices, watching unflinchingly as the top corner of Leviatha's lips began to twitch upward in a snarl. "However, I'm afraid I haven't seen your animal today, Miss. Dagrin."

"It's _Professor _Dagrin," she spat, taking a half step toward him, as though this was meant to intimidate him. Severus remained unfazed, but watched the witch's yellow eyes as she glanced to the right of him, just before that snarl turned rapidly into a haughty smirk. "And if you haven't seen him, then _how_, pray tell, did you get your cup back?" she then asked, pointing with one finger at the glass, green goblet sitting conspicuously on his desk, just behind him.

_Damn. _

Without waiting for an answer, Leviatha spun and walked to the middle of the room, turning her head in all directions as if expecting Severus to have cleverly stashed her large, noticeable dog beneath a desk or behind a curtain. However just as he was about to comment on this, a loud, high-pitched whistle echoed through the stone room from between her lips. A moment later, a muffled bark sounded from the corner, causing Leviatha to turn to him slowly, her eyes wide and mad with disbelief.

"You locked him in a CLOSET?" she shouted, still watching him angrily over her shoulder as she walked quickly toward the closed wooden door, where she pressed her hand against it. Severus remained where he was, struggling hard not to smirk at this woman's antics; he could never have predicted how thoroughly amusing this would turn out to be. However, when he noticed her once again turn to look at him expectantly, awaiting an explanation, he stepped forward, pulling his hands from his pockets.

"I believe he wandered in there of his own accord," he answered, raising his eyebrows in lieu of an innocent shrug. "I merely closed the door to allow the poor animal a moment's rest..."

A loud tut of incredulity escaped Leviatha as she rolled her eyes. "_'A moment's rest'..._It's been hours! Open it!" As these last two words left her mouth in nothing short of a command, Severus' eyebrows arched above his black eyes.

"I really think a '_please'_ would be more effect-"

"NOW!"

With Severus' former, slightly amused expression now dissipated into flat annoyance, he wordlessly spoke the password to the door inside his mind, just a moment before the metal latch unhinged. The heavy door swung open, revealing a rather pitiful, trembling Dalmatian just inside and a tiny smirk appeared on his face as Severus watched the dog immediately step out. But just as it appeared that the dog was going to walk over to his owner and hide behind her legs, he suddenly lunged toward the Potions Master, his teeth bared, a loud growl escaping him like that of a wild, rabid animal. Raising his hand, Severus had been about to stun the animal in self-defense, but at that moment, Leviatha stepped between them, using one hand to grab his wrist, the other to stop Charlie in his tracks.

"Charlie, don't..." she murmured to the dog, turning her head to glare heavily up at Severus. "He's not worth it..."

At this, Severus yanked his arm from Leviatha's grip before he took a step back, glancing once at the dog now behind her. "I thought I had been quite clear during our last conversation," he said smoothly. "But in case you misunderstood me, allow me to clarify. If I see that flea-bitten mutt down here again, I'll see to it that _both _of you are locked in that cabinet and I will make it my personal mission to forget the password."

Across from him, Leviatha had just opened her mouth, undoubtedly to defend her pet from being referred to as 'flea-bitten', as that was clearly the only thing that had stuck out to her in what he had said. However, just as she took another, supposedly menacing step toward him, both quickly looked to the door when Filch appeared there, his frizzled cat perched atop his shoulder. He was glancing back and forth between the two professors with squinted, leery eyes.

"I 'eard shouting..." he rasped, before his gaze caught sight of the dog behind Leviatha's legs and narrowed distastefully. Across from her, Leviatha could see that Severus was just a moment from explaining, so she cut in, hoping to head him off and gain the last word of this interaction.

"Oh, no worries, Mister Filch," she told him, in a surprisingly light, nonchalant voice. Taking a step away from him, she glanced back at Severus. "_Mister _Snape was just having another of his fits, is all...I'll be going now."

As Leviatha approached the door, Filch stayed in place, his suspicious eyes still glancing back and forth between the two teachers, until the witch and her dog had passed him out into the hallway. Severus watched the small gathering of people and animals leave his dungeon, unable to prevent himself from thinking that perhaps this small battle between himself and the Dark Arts professor had really only just begun. From the way she had glanced back at him, he could practically hear her thinking of all the ways he was going to pay for locking her dog in a closet and treating her so disrespectfully over the past week. He could not help thinking that if, or more certainly, _when _her retribution came, it would be swift and knowing himself, he would not be able to resist retaliation.

However, over the next week, despite keeping one proverbial eye on his back, Severus' classes had been quiet and surprisingly well-behaved and to his knowledge, nothing had been tampered with. During their brief passings-by in the hall, Leviatha would keep her eyes fixedly away from him and would fall mysteriously deaf when he spoke to another student or professor in her general vicinity. Even her dog had seemingly decided that the Potions Master did not exist and Severus decided he could not have asked for more from the duo. Yes, it seemed as though she had simply given up trying to bother him, had ceased all attempts to..._befriend _him or whatever it was she had been doing, and had adversely decided to devote all of her attention to her classes.

Now, upon the end of the third week since the start of the new term, Severus found himself standing in his usual place at the front of the dungeon Potions classroom, his hands at their usual position, tucked into the pockets of his black tunic, watching as his class of second year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs slowly found their assigned seats. At the back of the room, a twelve-year old boy had begun flinging small balls of paper at the back of the girl's head in front of him, snickering as they stuck in place amidst her frizzy curls. Severus rolled his eyes.

"Mister Caldwell, if you could cease-fire for the remainder of this class," he said blandly as every other student in the room turned to stare at the now red-faced boy. "I'm sure Miss Rathburn would be much obli-"

Almost as soon as this last word began to leave his mouth, a loud scream of surprise filled the room as heavy, bewitched rain suddenly began to pour from the ceiling in thick sheets of water. Before him, the sea of students scattered in all directions, some under the desks, some stupidly up on top of the tables, some even running in ridiculous circles as though trying to find a dry spot and as Severus pulled his wand from his sleeve, he had to squint as rain obscured his vision. He spoke an incantation in an attempt to stop the rain, but it was ineffective and if anything, caused it to just fall harder and more thickly. The roar of the water falling onto the tables and empty cauldrons was tremendous, and added the squealing of the students, Severus had to practically shout to be heard over the thunderous din.

"SILENCE!"

At once, every student in the room quieted and stilled their frantic movements, and as they turned to face him, he struggled hard to see through the thick sheets of water.

"_Calmly_, gather your bags and follow me out into the hallway," he instructed, and a moment later, stepped down from the raised dais to walk quickly to the back of the room where he had just used his wand to open the door, allowing the already pooling water to flood out into the hallway. The students around him were scrambling to retrieve their belongings, most of them now laughing and thoroughly enjoying themselves but as Severus yelled "Quickly!", they were soon filing out into the hallway.

With every student now huddled in the corridor, drenched and soaking wet, Severus shut the door to the classroom behind him, muffling the roar of the bewitched rain beyond it. His black hair was now stringy and dripping in his face, his normally loose black robes now clinging to him, but he ignored this for the time being to give out a few instructions.

"All of you, return to your common rooms, immediately, and remain there until your next class," he said as calmly as he could manage, despite the white-hot ball of anger now resting in the pit of his stomach. However, when the students remained in place, simply staring blankly up at him, he flung out one drenched arm to point at the other end of the hallway. "GO!"

With the students now scurrying away from him, Severus followed in their wake, the heavy, soaked tails of his robes sliding lamely along the stone floor behind him as he trudged toward the stairs. There was not one shred of doubt in his mind who was responsible for this, and the fact that he could feel his normally silent shoes squishing beneath his heavy gait only made him more angry. Snippets of what he was planning to say, or shout rather, at Professor Dagrin were shooting through his mind at a rapid-fire speed, a different phrase or name popping to existence inside his brain with each step he ascended.

On the fourth floor, Leviatha was just settling into her favorite chair behind the desk, in preparation to enjoy her free period when the tell-tale sound of squeaking, wet shoes against wood floors reached her ears. She suppressed a giggle with great difficulty and instead fixed her face into a blank stare, in preparation to come face to face with the likely very wet Potions Master. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway in a flourish of limp, black robes, an unmistakably livid expression on his angular face. His normally wavy and shiny, shoulder-length black hair hung in lank strands around his face, a few of the shorter pieces hanging in his eyes, giving him a slightly maddened look as his hands braced the door frame on either side of him. If he didn't look so angry, she could almost admit that he looked rather handsome at the moment. Raising her eyebrows, Leviatha blinked placidly at him as she leaned back in the chair nonchalantly.

"Why, Professor Snape, you look dreadful!" she exclaimed, shaking her head slightly. "If you wanted to go for a swim, I'm sure Remus could have loaned you a pair of shorts..."

Across the room, Snape's upper lip curled angrily as he approached the desk and reached it within two long strides. His hands met the wood on the far side a moment before the damp sleeves of his robes did and as he leaned toward her, Leviatha allowed a dramatic look of revolt onto her face when she noticed the ends of his hair dripping water across a few unfurled scrolls of parchment.

"Do you have _any _idea what you've done?" he growled, and paused as if for effect, but Leviatha cut in, shrugging her shoulders.

"No, I haven't," she answered. "I've been sitting right here all the time. Though from the looks of it, you've run headlong into a rain stor-"

"You _idiotic _woman," Snape spat from across the desk, and apparently had been about to go on, but as luck would have it, a knock at the door tore both of their attentions from the matter at hand, to where Minerva McGonagall stood, her eyes slightly widened. Rising quickly from leaned over, Severus turned to face her and Leviatha felt her stomach sink down to her feet. Any second, he was going to begin shouting that 'this woman' had just ruined his entire classroom and every piece of paper and bubbling potion inside of it. Minerva stepped into the room, glancing back and forth between the standing, dripping wet professor and the sitting one, behind the desk.

"Severus, is everything alright?" she asked, although the expression on his face said very plainly that everything was not. However, just as he had opened his mouth to divulge what had happened to disrupt his class, he hesitated when a warm wave spread over him, starting from the top of his head, traveling downward, drying his hair and clothing as it went. He fought back a shiver.

"Yes, everything is fine," he answered a moment later. Leviatha fought hard not to let her jaw drop open in shock. "I was just leaving..."

And with that, he walked away, toward the open door as Minerva stood there next to the desk, watching him suspiciously. However, just as he stepped out, Leviatha quickly glanced over, where her heart stopped momentarily as her eyes met Severus', only for a moment before he swept down the stairs, his newly dry robes rippling in his wake. As Minerva sat down across the desk from her, Leviatha glanced down at her lap, unsure what had just happened. She had fully expected him to launch into an extravagant accusation, blaming her for everything that had been ruined in his classroom, and had only thrown out a silent drying spell in a last ditch effort to hopefully gain his silence but she had not expected it to work. Rather, from the look on his face as he left the room just moments later, Leviatha could tell plainly that this little war of theirs was nowhere near over...In fact, she rather felt as though she had just signed her death wish, dotted the I's and crossed the T.

…...

The following morning was mercifully a Saturday and from the tone of the light falling into her quarters from the circular windows, it appeared that the sun would be making one of its rather rare appearances for the day. Instead of dressing in one of her dresses or pencil skirts, Leviatha decided, with the help of Charlie, that a pair of nice, dressy black slacks and a business shirt would suffice for that days' staff meeting. She was sure some (one) of the other professors (Snape) would find it unsatisfactory, but she was beyond caring and was simply aiming to be comfortable. And to go along with that philosophy for the day, she forewent one of her usual pairs of black pumps and instead, opted for a pair of flat, Mary Jane-style shoes.

After summoning her new friend, Dory the House Elf, for her usual cup of morning coffee, and after she had glanced at her reflection in the body mirror to make sure her magically pinned bun was in its correct place at the back of her head, Leviatha left the room, whistling shrilly for Charlie to follow her. As the pair stepped out into the hallway, she couldn't help but feel slightly nervous for this meeting. It would be her first staff meeting, and furthermore, the first of the term, since they were now a month into the school year. Undoubtedly, the Headmaster would be expecting some sort of a report on how her classes were going so far and she knew the other teachers would be anticipating some sort of detailed answer...one that Leviatha had not planned as of yet. However, there really was nothing extraordinary for her to report. Her students, save for one or two, had passed all their tests, handed in their assignments and she had yet to give out a detention. She just hoped she didn't sound like an absolute fool in front of her fellow professors.

With the time now nearing ten o'clock, most of the students had cleared off from breakfast, leaving the Great Hall mostly empty, save for one large, round table that had been placed up near the raised platform on which the staff table normally sat, behind Dumbledore's podium. Most of the teachers had already arrived and were seated around, chatting quietly, amongst which sat Minerva, the short Professor Flitwick, the batty Professor Trelawney and of course, one brooding, quiet Professor Snape, who seemed to be doing his best to avoid looking over as Leviatha and Charlie approached. For the time being, however, Leviatha ignored him and instead smiled when Remus looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet, to grin placidly at her as she rounded the table toward him.

"Good morning, Levi," he greeted her, reaching out to pat the empty place next to him. "Oh, and good morning, Sir Charles," he then added to the dog, who had just squeezed in between the chairs to lick his hands excitedly. "Beautiful day, yeh?" Remus went on to comment, turning his head to look at Leviatha, who could have up and kissed him right on the mouth for opening up such a perfect opportunity for her to ruffle a few feathers.

"Oh, just _beautiful," _she replied, raising her voice slightly so the other teachers could hear her. "I thought for sure it would _rain _cats and dogs today!"

Without even looking, Leviatha could practically hear Snape's eyes narrow at her from across the table. Honestly, she felt it was a bit foolhardy to be throwing about underhanded jokes concerning her less than amicably perceived prank from the day before, seeing how Severus had so 'kindly' opted against telling Minerva about it...but at this point, she didn't really care. She felt she had won, and victory was very sweet indeed.

Within a few minutes, Professor Dumbledore had joined them and was now seating himself between Minerva and Sybill Trelawney, that typical, kindly smile wrinkling the age lines in his face as he pulled his chair up to the table.

"Good day, good day," he greeted them, holding out his hands with a slight air of excitement, as though he had been thoroughly looking forward to this all month. "I trust all of you have had an excellent first month of the term! But nevertheless, let me begin with our two newest. Remus? How have your classes been?"

Next to Leviatha, she felt her best friend straighten up in his seat slightly and she fought back a giggle at his apparent need to seem more professional than he really was. "Oh, they've been great, Professor. All homework handed in on time, save for just a few, no detentions so far and most every test has been passed, again I say, with the exception of a few," he explained, glancing at a few of the other teachers as they smiled and nodded their heads in approval. Across the table, Dumbledore inclined his head, just before...

"And Leviatha? How have your classes been?"

"Oh, yes, your Lordship, I saw the man with the pickle. I asked him for the rubber duck expose'-..."

Leviatha could hear these words coming out of her mouth, had felt herself speak them, but as every teacher around the table began to frown and glance amongst themselves, she felt herself blushing deeply...Where was this coming from? Her brain felt foggy and not like itself and as embarrassment threatened to overtake her, she glanced from teacher to teacher desperately until her eyes settled onto those black, cunningly blank eyes of Professor Snape, directly across from her. Slowly, he raised his eyebrows as he stared back at her defiantly. _That son of a biscuit..._

"So sorry, Professorhead, I can't seem to find my bodice in an hour. Perhaps come back for the apple cider last year?" she asked of Albus, her face now closely matching the garnet and gold Gryffindor banner behind her as a few of her fellow teachers laughed quietly under their breath. Mercifully, the Headmaster let out a small chuckle, nodding his head.

"Ah, not to worry, Leviatha. I often lose my tongue in these situations as well," he offered, grinning that twinkling smile of his. "I shall come back to you. Now, Pamona, how have your Hufflepuffs been behaving?"

As the older Herbology professor began to answer, Snape could feel Leviatha's gaze burning holes into his cheek as he was now all too raptly watching the woman answer Albus, his forearms rested on the table with his long fingers wrapped around the white mug of tea in front of him. Professor Sprout's mouth was moving but he was not listening and was instead struggling with great difficulty to not start laughing at how well his carefully placed Confundus Charm had worked. He had known that Leviatha would be wanting to make a great impression at her first staff meeting, and he knew the charm would make her start babbling nonsensically, but he had not expected it to go _that _well. Granted, he rather hated himself for stooping so low as to retaliate and buy into the witch's immature games, but after spending nearly an hour in his classroom the previous day, using repeated drying spells on everything in the room, he felt a bit of payback had been in order.

A few moments later, once the Head of Hufflepuff House had given her 'report' to Dumbledore and after Madam Pomfrey had mentioned a shortage in Skele-grow, Severus turned his head when the Headmaster spoke his name, asking for the same sort of information he had just asked the other teachers. He replied that he had managed to host only a few detentions for students who truly deserved it, that several of the tests he had graded had been absolutely atrocious but that his own House was doing quite well as far as grades and behavior went. From the looks of the other teachers, Severus could tell that they were not surprised in the slightest by his obvious, preferential treatment of his own House but Albus did not linger to mention this and instead went on to Sybill, who immediately launched into a detailed description of her classes and what she had 'foreseen' for the term.

"-I must warn you, Minerva, some of your students will unfortunately-..." she had been saying, but just as she began to unveil the seeings of her 'Inner Eye', a loud crash caused everyone to jump when Severus suddenly and unexpectedly dropped his tea mug and flung it nearly all the way across the table, spilling scalding hot tea along the wood that sizzled and steamed as it pooled.

"For heaven sake!" Minvera exclaimed indignantly, immediately using her wand to begin siphoning up the hot liquid as Severus cleared his throat.

"My apologies," he grumbled, casting a subtle dark glare across the table to where Leviatha was now studying her fingernails intently. "Just a bit hotter than I expected..."

At the head of the round table, Dumbledore was now glancing back and forth between the Potions Master and the newest Dark Arts teacher before he shook his head with a slight laugh. "A strange morning, indeed!" he exclaimed with merciful vagueness, patting his wrinkled hands on the table before him. "I suppose we should end it here, then. I thank you all for joining me, we shall do it again in a month's time."

With confused looks all around, the teachers stood from the table, Severus quickly tucking his stinging hands into the pockets of his robes while across from him, Leviatha and Remus were both rising from their chairs. How sorely he wanted to march over and demand that this childish game of annoying pranks end immediately, but it seemed, despite Dumbledore's kind attribution of the strange events to other forces, that the other professors sensed that some sort of foul play had been at work. And despite how much he wished he could simply decline a return volley, it was just not in his nature to back down from a challenge. He considered a curse or poison of sorts, but as he left the Great Hall, forcefully ignoring his desire to glance back at Leviatha behind him, he could not think of anything non-hazardous he could use to get back at her. True, his hands were hurting from being burned by the mug, but he could not bring himself to retaliate in a way that would hurt the witch. Not for her own benefit, no, but merely because he knew Dumbledore was already suspicious and would instantly attribute any new injuries on the woman to the Potion Master's doing. But if something were to happen to the _dog..._That could potentially be _very _interesting, indeed...

…...

"Leviatha, you _cannot _tell me you weren't responsible for Professor Snape's overly hot tea mug, back there..." Minerva had started her scolding almost the moment they had been free of the crowd of staff, and had continued all the way back to her quarters, where they stepped inside from the hallway leading to the dungeons. "And I still don't understand why you wanted to be so far down here!" she then added, glancing about at the darker surroundings.

Turning from her older mentor, Leviatha plopped down onto her leather lounge, where a tray of tea sandwiches and biscuits sat waiting for her. She took a bite from one before rolling her eyes.

"So I suppose you just happened to miss my idiotic blabbering when Dumbledore asked about my classes..." she grumbled, taking another bite of her sandwich before offering the remaining half to an anxiously waiting Charlie. "And I've _told you_, I feel more comfortable down here! I _was _in Slytherin, you know..."

At this, Minerva finally sat down on the other end of the lounge, shaking her head as she pulled a filled, steaming teacup toward her. "Yes, I know..." she answered blandly. "I'll never forget the look on your poor mother's face when I told her you had been sorted into that House..."

A knock on the door pulled both witches from the conversation at hand, and once Leviatha had called out 'Come in!', the door swung open, revealing Remus just on the other side, smiling. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, taking one step into the room, before Charlie barked, bounding over to throw himself against the man's legs.

"Well, I _suppose..._" Leviatha answered, grinning as she watched the dog wiggle around in glee. "Minerva was just scolding me for my neat little superheating spell on Snape's mug at the meeting. I'm sure you'd love to join in."

As Remus dropped into the armchair across from the couch, he too pulled a teacup toward him before dropping a cube of sugar down into it. He shook his head after taking a long sip. "I figured that was you," he responded. "And I'm sure your lack of coherent words was thanks to him as well, yeh?"

Both younger professors glanced over when Minerva tutted loudly. Leviatha nodded, grinning as she took another half sandwich from the tray. "Yeah, it was. I have to admit, I was kind of impressed by that. I didn't expect him to respond to my Rain Charm yesterday-.."

"_YOU _DID THAT?" Minerva suddenly exclaimed, turning her head to gape in shock as Leviatha's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, I should have known..." she then groaned. "He was dripping wet in your office yesterday...Filius nearly had a heart attack when he heard about his second-years, returning to the common room, looking like they'd nearly drowned..."

"Yeah, I was a bit heavy handed, I'll take that," Leviatha agreed, laughing as Remus rolled his eyes. "But Snape's been being a royal prat to me since I started here! I just wanted to show him-..."

"That you have the temper of a bratty three year old?" Minerva supplied from the other end of the couch. Remus laughed as Leviatha shot her a glare.

"_No, _that I don't tolerate being disrespected like that," she corrected, tossing the uneaten end of her sandwich to Charlie, who swallowed it whole. "Besides, it's just a bit of harmless fun. He got me, I got him. We're even."

The remainder of that Saturday afternoon passed at a perfect, leisurely crawl once Minerva and Remus had left her quarters, after sharing words of warning about how 'dangerous' it was to be messing with the Potions Master. For several hours, she lounged about in her room, catching up on reading a few essays that had been handed in early from the deadline on Monday, but as she read, Leviatha couldn't help but feel like those words of warning had been in vain. Professor Snape was a well respected, though equally feared authority figure at that school, one that Dumbledore seemed to trust implicitly, so the chances of him doing something truly dangerous or harmful to her seemed slim. Sure, he might inconvenience her by slipping some undetectable potion into her coffee or might tamper with her classroom in some way, but these were only minor hindrances. She could not imagine a circumstance in which he would purposely put her in harm's way, no matter how much he disliked her.

Later that evening, while leaving the Great Hall after dinner, Leviatha had been stopped by a young group of Ravenclaw students, who asked very politely if Charlie could accompany them out on the grounds for a game of fetch. At first, she had been close to declining, but after glancing down to find her dog gazing up at her with an expression that clearly begged, '_Pleeeeease?', _she had somewhat reluctantly agreed, upon remembering Minerva's words from earlier about how upset Professor Flitwick had been about his drenched students. So after reminding the gaggle of girls that they needed to return before dark and to steer clear of the dementors at the front gates, Leviatha went back to her quarters, where she now lay, on her bed, lazily reading her way through a poorly written essay that she had started earlier in the day.

One floor up from the hallway leading toward the dungeons, walked Severus, making his way from the staff room, where he had just spent the better part of two hours, catching up on grading a hefty pile of tests. The castle was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night and he was just wondering if perhaps the students were a bit worn out from the first month of classes, when his ears picked up the sound of laughter, coming from seemingly beyond the massive front doors to the entrance hall. Just a moment later, a small crowd of Ravenclaw girls appeared, giggling and breathless as they chased a Dalmatian into the hall.

Normally, Severus would have rolled his eyes and continued on his way, but this opportunity really was too perfect to pass up, seeing how it was his 'turn' to return fire. Quickening his pace slightly, he descended the stairs, his characteristic scowl of disapproval in its usual place.

"Ladies," he called out, approaching them with his hands tucked into his pockets. "The sun has already gone down for the day, and yet...here you are, just returning inside..." he began in his typical drawl. "Might I ask where you've been all this time?"

At once, every girl in the group began to prattle off explanations of all different kinds, but instead of waiting for them to decide on one, Severus shook his head, holding up one hand. "May I suggest," he started, glancing from anxious face to anxious face. "-That you return to your common room immediately, or I shall have to inform Professor Flitwick of your...apparent disregard for school rules."

"But sir!" the tallest of the girls exclaimed as the rest of her friends instantly moved toward the hall of shifting staircases. "We told Professor Dagrin we'd bring Charlie back!"

"I'll see to it that the dog is returned," he replied. "Now, go, all of you, or it will be ten points for each _second _you're late..."

With the group of girls now scrambling up the stairs, Severus remained in place, watching them go with a satisfied smirk on his face, until they had all disappeared, leaving only he and Charlie standing there in the entrance hall. Slowly, he turned to look down at the dog, who was now backing away from him slowly, his tail once again flattened against his rear end.

"Ah, so we meet again, my dear _friend_..." Severus began in a growl, bringing up one hand to pull his wand from tucked into the sleeve of his tunic. "I suppose your _mother _is simply having _kittens _that you haven't returned yet...Let's not keep her waiting."

…...

As the door to Leviatha's quarters swung open, she tsk-ed from behind the long scroll of parchment rested on her raised knees on the bed, and she shook her head as Charlie's soft footfall entered the room.

"Well, it's about bloody time! It's been nearly three hours..." she reprimanded, sitting up from leaned comfortably against the pillows. However, just as she had been about to go on, she stopped short, her jaw falling open as her eyes fell onto Charlie, who was now standing there in the middle of the room, a _very _annoyed expression on his face.

Where white fur had formerly been, dotted here and there with black spots, Charlie was now a rather violent shade of orange, his normally short hair replaced with big, fluffy, cottonball-like poofs and his black spots, replaced with bright tufts of purple. Slowly, Leviatha rose from the bed, her eyes agape as she approached him, noticing now that the only part of his body that had not been completely altered to a ludicrous color was his tail, which was still as skinny and white as it had ever been.

Just outside the door to Leviatha's quarters, stood Severus, a healthy smirk plastered to his face as he strained his ear for noises from inside the room. True, changing the dog's coat to something so hideous and outlandish had not been his original plan and was truthfully, rather dull, but just as he had been about to inflict some sort of hex on the animal, he had hesitated, knowing Leviatha would likely skin him alive if he did real harm to her pet. She would undoubtedly get Dumbledore involved, thus bringing him a whole world unwanted reprimanding, so he had forgone a hex and had opted for a less painful, but equally humiliating alternative.

However, as he stood there, expecting the witch to come bursting out of her room in a tornado of fury, Severus' smirk slid rapidly from view as the sound of laughter, hard, belly-aching laughter, reached his ears through the door. It seemed, vastly opposite to what he had been expecting, Leviatha was finding the dog's new coat thoroughly amusing.

"_Oh, Charlie, this is a wonderful look for you!" _he heard her muffled voice exclaim, before laughter once again filled the hallway and with a sigh of defeat, Severus walked away, rolling his eyes. Perhaps this witch was a bit harder to fluster than he had originally estimated...

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Aw, it looks like Sev and Levi are finally getting along!...Or _are _they?...Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out!...**Leave me a review if you want this story continued!** = ] I luuuuuuuurve youuuu...-QoM


	6. The Glorified BabySitter

With September now making it's annual migration into October, the weather was changing accordingly, growing chillier each day and bringing with it almost daily rain showers that carpeted the English countryside in freezing planes of soggy, slowly dying grass. Sunlight had become a near rarity at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so that on those rare weekend days that it was not pouring rain outside, both students and professors would spend hour upon hour doing things beyond the castle walls, just to soak up as much of the light as they could, while they could. Leviatha in particular, on one heaven-sent sunny Saturday morning, found herself practically sprinting through the corridors, hoping to make it out onto the ground before the sun dived behind a cloud.

With Charlie at her side, and the hallway mercifully empty, Leviatha concentrated her mind before her form changed mid-stride, from a tall woman in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, to a small, black house cat, trotting lightly along the stone floor. The massive front doors leading out onto the grounds stood open up ahead, as if in an invitation and as the cat and Charlie approached, a mixed group of Slytherin boys and girls stepped inside, laughing and clutching their sides. Leviatha paid them no attention as she passed, hoping her small size and nondescript form would prevent them from noticing her.

"Morning, Professor!" a few of the students called out to the cat, leaving Leviatha to let out a meow in return as she mentally rolled her eyes. It seemed the entire school now knew of her varied feline forms, making it nearly impossible for her to transform and not be noticed by everyone she passed. A few days earlier, she had even been caught dozing peacefully on a window sill by a first-year Hufflepuff girl who had unknowingly stopped to pet her, cooing 'oh, hello, kitty!' But for now, the grounds seemed perfectly barren, and as Leviatha and Charlie approached a lone, sunbathed tree off to the side of the path, she hoped and prayed it would stay that way over the next hour.

With the breeze blowing about around them, it was admittedly a bit cold, but as the small cat and large dog flopped down onto the warmer ground to stretch luxuriously, Leviatha let off a small shiver as her fur rippled along her side. Beside her, Charlie was clearly enjoying the feel of the spongy grass against his finally normalized coat of short white and black fur, as he rolled about on his back, growling happily, wiggling from side to side as if to rid himself of any traces of remaining orange poofs. That charm Snape had placed on his coat a week prior had been surprisingly difficult to remove and after spending the better half of the previous Sunday trying to figure out how to remove the color and cottony tufts of hair, Leviatha had reluctantly resigned to the fact that it would just have to slough off gradually.

With the warm sun now beaming down on the pair, Leviatha let her eyes close as her pointed, keen ears swiveled in various directions, picking up on the different noises around her, from a singing bird off in the distance, to the vague buzzing of an insect nearby. She had begun purring at some point and was now practically vibrating as she lay there comfortably, floating in between consciousness and a light, drifting slumber. Involuntarily, her long tail curled in on itself before unfurling again to pat against the ground beneath her, rhythmically, soothingly, the gentle motion of it rocking her right off to sleep...

Only five minutes later it seemed, Leviatha's round yellow eyes popped open as a sudden shadow slid over her. Thinking it had just been a cloud passing in front of the sun, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes again, stretching out her front legs to spread her paws open and dig her sharp claws into the grass before her. However, a moment later, a terribly familiar deep drawl of a voice caused her to jump slightly.

"How _precious..._" came the voice of Professor Snape from high above her. "A dog and his cat enjoying the sunlight...I could _just _weep..."

Rolling onto her back, Leviatha let out a soft, sleepy mew, struggling to open her eyes as the abnormally tall professor stood over her, his black cloak billowing around him in the breeze. Beside her, Charlie was now laying on his side, with one eye open, glaring up at the man. For a moment, Leviatha considered changing back into her human form, just to tell him to bugger off so she could go back to sleep, but she really was so warm beneath her layer of fur, and seeing how she was currently laying on her back, there was no telling what she would look like if she were to transform.

"I've been sent-..." he began, when it seemed like he was not about to receive a reply from a cat. However, as he spoke, Leviatha had now stretched out with both paws to bat playfully at the waving, rippling hem of his cloak as it fluttered near her face. Severus scowled, using his arm to pull it away from her reach. "I've been sent by the Headmaster to tell you he'd like to speak with you in his office."

Below him, Professor Dagrin opened her mouth wide in a hearty yawn, exposing two rows of tiny, sharp teeth and one sandpaper-like tongue before she flopped back onto her side and let out a lazy meow. Severus rolled his eyes. _Of all the women he could have hired..._

"I'll just assume that meant you're on your way..." he grumbled, and with that, turned to begin walking back up toward the school. However, he had not made it very far before the large dog and small black cat went zooming past him up the pathway.

Assuming Dumbledore was in his office upstairs, Leviatha decided to remain in her smallest form, dodging students as she and Charlie ran through the halls, for no other purpose than to get a little exercise as they sprinted up the staircases and around corners. At the back of her mind, Leviatha couldn't help but wonder if she was possibly about to finally receive a little trouble for Rain Charm, although why the Headmaster would wait an entire week to bring it up made that possibility seem unlikely. Perhaps he was simply wanting to ask for that report she had been unable to give at the previous staff meeting, or perhaps Snape had finally decided to complain about a few things; she honestly was not sure.

With the stone gargoyle looming up ahead, Leviatha and Charlie slowed, and as she came to a stop just a few feet before it, she transformed back into her normal, human form before speaking the password. Immediately, the protector to Dumbledore's study moved to the side, allowing her entrance into the tight spiral staircase that led upward to a large wooden door. She knocked, glancing down at Charlie as he began to wag his tail.

"Come in!"came a voice from the other side, just a moment later. So without hesitation, she reached out to push open the door, revealing the Headmaster's large, somewhat cluttered office. Across the room, Albus had just set down a large, Eagle feather quill and was now folding his hands together atop his desk as he smiled serenely at her from behind those half-moon shaped glasses. "Ah, Professor Dagrin, I see Severus managed to find you," he commented, reaching out one hand to motion at a chair across from him. "Please, have a seat. Could I interest you in a lemon drop?"

Glancing sideways along the desk, Leviatha noticed a small glass bowl full to overflowing with candies but she shook her head, smiling. "No, thank you. Professor Snape told me you wanted to speak with me?" She asked, hoping to finally quell her nerves over the possible chewing-out she was about to receive for her rather reckless treatment of the Potions Master. However as Dumbledore stood, she felt her stomach drop to somewhere around her ankles.

"Please, come join me in the other room," he offered, holding out one arm toward a smaller door off to the side behind the desk. "Prying ears are unwelcome in this conversation, I'm afraid," Albus then added, glancing upward quickly at a few of the previous Headmasters as they sat listening in their frames.

With a wave of nerves now washing over her, Leviatha stood, reaching out to tap Charlie on the top of the head, in a cue for him to follow. Any second now, Dumbledore was going to 'regretfully inform' her that she was no longer welcome to teach at the school, and that she needed to pack her things...But as she walked past Albus into the smaller, sunlit room of tall bookshelves and two large armchairs, she turned to face him, only to find that he was still smiling.

"Sir," she started, hoping to head him off, watching as the elder wizard took a seat in the arm chair furthest from the door. "If this is about the staff meeting, Snape and I-..." She had continued, but as Albus held up a hand, she immediately quieted and instead watched as he patted his knee for Charlie to come over to him.

"No, no, this has nothing to do with that," he assured her kindly, that wonderful smile still in place as he reached out to run his wrinkled hands along Charlie's spotted neck. "I'm afraid I found that subtle interaction between the two of you quite amusing and encouraging. No, this is of a different matter." With a quiet pop, a small dog treat appeared in his hand before he offered it to a wiggling and excited Charlie. "Please, sit down. I assure you you're not about to be canned, my dear." He then added with a wink, as though he had been listening to Leviatha's inner dialogue that entire time. Leviatha sat, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

It grew quiet for a moment or two while the Headmaster patted Charlie's back, but once the dog had lay down at his feet, he looked back up, taking a deep breath through his crooked nose. "As you may have heard, Sirius Black was spotted a town near here a week ago," he finally began, but paused, waiting for Leviatha to nod before he continued. "And as you know, most of the students are set for a visit to Hogsmeade at the end of this week. I'd like it if you would join them."

At this, Leviatha let a small frown of confusion onto her face. "Sir?" she asked, hoping the Headmaster would go on to explain in a bit more detail. Fortunately, he obliged.

"Due to your prior work experience, I, along with Minerva, have decided that we would feel more comfortable if you were to be in Hogsmeade while the students were there," he explained. "I'm not asking you to follow them closely for the entire visit, but if you were to be nearby, I feel it would be beneficial, if something, heaven forbid, were to happen...Though I do not think anything will."

"Sir, you don't really think Black would try anything in such a crowded town, do you?" she asked. Albus shook his head, rising from his armchair to walk slowly toward a large window along the far wall.

"No, I do not," he answered serenely. "It is fortunate that Harry did not receive permission from his Aunt and Uncle to enter Hogsmeade, but nevertheless, I do ask that you accompany the students down to the village for the day," Here, he paused and turned to face her, smiling warmly as he clasped his hands together behind his back. "It would put my mind at ease."

Leviatha stood from her chair, to cross the room, where she too turned to face the window, where far below, they could see several groups of students out on the grounds, enjoying their Saturday. "That will be fine with me," she answered, glancing to her right where Albus was now studying the side of her face. "But why just me? Forgive me, but why not have any of the other teachers go? I feel they'd have more experience...if something were to happen,"

"Oh, some of the other professors will be there as well," Albus clarified, nodding his head. "I would just like it for you to be there as well."

Several minutes later, after discussing what times the students would be leaving for the village and after Dumbledore had made sure to recommend Madam Rosmerta's house made Mead at the Three Broomsticks, Leviatha was excused from his office. She now found herself trudging along hallways toward her quarters with Charlie at her side, no longer interested in that nap beneath the tree from earlier. Truthfully, while she had no problem doing a favor for the Headmaster, she could not see why he thought it necessary for her to go. If there were going to be other teachers there, why did she have to go as well? Albus himself had said that he did not think Sirius Black would attempt to cause any trouble in such a populated place and yet he had still been adamant that she follow the students in to the village. She supposed there were worse things he could have asked her to do, like _leave, _but still, the thought of accompanying a bunch of squealing, talkative students seemed like a task she'd rather not have taken on.

…...

That week of classes went surprisingly quickly, and it seemed from years three and up, the school was abuzz with excitement about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. The older students were not as excited about the trip, as they had been many times before, but the younger students were positively beside themselves about the prospect of spending an entire day perusing Zonko's joke shop and the large, luxurious Honeydukes confectionery. Leviatha had already resigned to the plan that she would settle into a corner in the Three Broomsticks, maybe have a smoke or two and simply read until her time had been served.

Now, on that Saturday morning, Leviatha had just finished dressing in her favorite pair of black jeans, a gray, thermal long-sleeved shirt, and had just slipped into her heavy, knee length black coat when Charlie came trotting through the open door, looking excited as he watched her step into a pair of flat shoes. She sighed heavily as she walked toward him.

"Now, Charlie, I don't know if Madam Rosmerta is going to let you into her pub," she warned, glancing down at the bouncing dog as they stepped out into the hallway. "I don't want you to get your hopes up, mate..."

Seemingly undeterred from her words, Charlie let out a bark, bounding ahead of her a few steps as they neared the front doors to the entrance hall, where Minerva stood, holding a thick stack of parchment and a quill. A line of third year Gryffindors were filing past her, handing her their permission forms and as Leviatha approached, she noticed a familiar head of black, unkempt hair and a round set of glasses on the boy she was talking to.

"I'm _sorry, _Potter, but if you don't have a _signed _permission form, I can't allow you to visit Hogsmeade," she was telling Harry, a look of only partial sympathy on her face as the boy turned away from her sadly. Leviatha ignored him and sighed as Minerva turned her attention to the bustling crowd of Gryffindors out in the courtyard. "All of you need to return by four o'clock this evening, not a _minute_ later!" she called, and with a general muttered reply of agreement, the students moved off, jabbering excitedly about their upcoming adventures. Minerva turned to Leviatha as she halfheartedly watched the crowd amble off. "It's nice of you to be going with them, Leviatha," she told her, raising her eyebrows in what could almost be mistaken as a reproachful sort of way, as though she was fully expecting the younger witch to merely be doing this to fulfill her own desire to escape the castle for an afternoon. "Slytherin House already set out, as I'm sure you'd like to catch up to them." Leviatha shook her head with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm not trying to catch up to anybody," she answered. "I just want to settle into the Broomsticks with my tests and a pint and not be disturbed for the afternoon." Next to her Minerva raised her eyebrows before she turned slowly.

"Yes, well...Good luck with _that_," she concluded in a very knowing voice before she walked away, leaving Leviatha and Charlie quite alone to venture out onto the path leading to the front gates.

It seemed, for that day alone, that Dumbledore had made it clear to the dementors that they were to make themselves scarce at the front gates, as their absence was noted immediately by Leviatha, as she watched up ahead where the students were passing the winged boars without interruption. It was rather fortunate that this was the case, as Leviatha, for reasons that were beyond her, was feeling rather grumpy and somewhat solemn that day; the dementors would have had a feast if she had been forced to walk past them. She supposed, upon thinking about it, that she was feeling rather homesick that day, although that hardly made sense, seeing how she _was _technically home. But after living in the United States for the past eight years, Leviatha supposed she had come to call her small New York apartment home and her two roommates, her family. Misty and Sarah were probably the cutest, most in-love couple Leviatha had ever encountered and they had rapidly become her best friends after only a few short weeks of living together. Now, five years later, she had to admit, she missed them more than she ever thought she would. Longingly, she thought of her abandoned cell phone, sitting up in her quarters at the castle, no longer functioning. Perhaps a trip to Muggle London could be arranged soon so she could make a few calls.

As she expected, Hogsmeade was absolutely bustling with activity, dotted everywhere with black Hogwarts cloaks and robes, crowded to overflowing with students, some even running from shop to shop as though they did not have another four hours to leisurely explore. It was fortunate that the small, cozy Three Broomsticks was fairly close to the main road leading to the castle as Leviatha was not looking forward to squeezing her way through the throngs of students. However, just as she stopped in front of the door to the pub, that breathless group of Ravenclaw girls she now referred to as 'Charlie's angels' came running up, practically bouncing in one congealed mass of curls and ponytails.

"Professor!" one of them squealed. "Can Charlie come with us? We want to go see the Shrieking Shack!"

Of course, the dog nearly collapsed in a fit of excitement as he looked up at Leviatha, his tail about to wag itself clean off his body. Since she had promised Dumbledore that she would keep a close eye on the students, and since she had absolutely no intention of actually following the children around all day, Leviatha figured Charlie would do just fine as a body guard of sorts. She nodded.

"Yes, that's fine," she agreed, but looked down at the dog before he could scamper away. "You don't let any of them out of your sight, understand? And once they return to the shops, I want you to look around, make sure everyone is behaving themselves."

With a bark of understanding, the dog and his group of friends took off down the cobblestone street, leaving Leviatha to roll her eyes as she stepped into the warm confines of the pub, at last. As to be expected, it was rather crowded with students and older witches and wizards, all drinking either a butterbeer or some other alcoholic beverage and as Leviatha approached the bar, she kept her eyes ahead, hoping that if she managed to not lock eyes with any of her students, they would not notice her standing there. The owner and proprietor of the pub was standing at the far end of the rectangular bar, chatting lively with a couple, but as she leaned forward to place her forearms on the counter, Madam Rosmerta looked over before excusing herself momentarily.

"Oi!" she called, beaming from ear to ear as she approached, tucking a white hand towel into her waist apron. "You must be the new Dark Arts teacher up at the school!...Let's see what did Albus say your name was..."

"Leviatha," she answered, forcing a smile onto her face as she reached out to shake the woman's hand. "I suppose he told you I was going to be here?" she then asked, raising her eyebrows as Rosmerta nodded with a chuckle.

"Yes, he did," she replied. "Doesn't miss a thing, that man. Said he had a feeling you'd be here." At this, the woman paused, turning to face the bar fully, to lean forward on her forearms. "Said he recommended my housemade Mead, but...now that I see yeh..." She paused again, leaning forward to glance Leviatha up and down one time. "You look like a beer sort of lady to me, am I right?"

It seemed from the years of owning and operating her own pub, Madam Rosmerta had come into the ability to guess what each patron's drink of choice would be and as Leviatha nodded, the woman laughed, patting her hand on the bar between them. "Ah, I know an ale gal when I see one. What can I get yeh? I've got Guinness on tap today?"

Surprised but thoroughly delighted that the Three Broomsticks carried what could be considered a 'Muggle beer', Leviatha immediately nodded, grinning and watched as the woman bustled off to the other end of the bar to retrieve a glass. When she returned with a foamy, dark glass of the beer, she set it down in front of Leviatha before leaning on her elbow.

"So 'ows the new job treatin' yeh?" she asked, watching as the younger witch immediately took a long swig of the drink, before she shrugged.

"It's nice to be back amongst my own kind," she answered honestly. Madam Rosmerta nodded an understanding.

"Yeh, I 'eard you spent the last eight years living wiv' Muggles?" she then asked, raising her eyebrows with a grin when Leviatha frowned in confusion. "Albus told me," she went on to explain. "Why you think I made sure to have Guinness on today?"

Leviatha laughed, shaking her head as she held up the glass in a mock toast to the Headmaster's kindness. "Well, here's to him," she stated, before taking another long swig. "I don't suppose he asked you to keep a cigarette handy, did he?" she then asked hopefully. Madam Rosmerta shook her head, leaving Leviatha to groan playfully.

"No, but I always keep a pack down here," she said a moment later, reaching down to pull a pack of smokes from underneath the counter. "Got a few customers who like a smoke while they drink. Figured it was smart to start charging for them." Leviatha sighed in relief, pulling the pack toward her to remove two of the cigarettes.

"Well, how much do I owe you for the brew and the smokes?" she asked, reaching down into her pocket but when Rosmerta shook her head, holding up a hand, Leviatha frowned. "Oh, come now, let me give you something," she insisted but the older witch shook her head more fervently.

"No, not at all," she replied, patting the counter. "Think of it as a welcome back gift. You just sit back and relax, take a break from all those kiddies!"

After thanking her profusely, Leviatha left the bar, glancing around quickly in the close-set, crowded room for an empty table. At first glance, it appeared as though every single one was occupied, but as luck would have it, she spotted an empty, two-person table, at the very back corner of the room, just off to the side of the fireplace. Quickly, she moved toward it, praying no one would spot it and beat her there.

From her place in the far back corner, Leviatha could see everyone in the room, had a perfect view of the front door and vaguely, she wondered if Dumbledore had somehow managed to make this table available to only her. As powerful as the old wizard was, it did not seem likely that he could have done such a thing, so she chalked it up to simply having a bit of luck on her side for that day. After placing a cigarette between her lips and lighting it with a snap of her fingers, she kept her eyes peeled for glances from the younger students in the room, hoping they would not see her sitting there smoking. However it appeared that most of them were too absorbed in their trivial conversations to be paying her any attention.

The cigarettes from the pack Rosmerta had given her were slightly stale, having probably sat there under the counter for quite a while, but at this point, Leviatha could care less as she sat there, alternating between taking a drag and taking a sip of her beer. She was not a regular smoker and normally detested the stench and taste of cigarettes, but there something about a beer that just begged for something to smoke along with it. Upon sitting down, there had been no ash tray, but she had taken care of that too and had conjured one from thin air, where it now sat on the table before her. As much as she had not been looking forward to this trip, it seemed now that everything in her plan to relax was falling into place, leaving Leviatha content and at peace with the world...for now.

However, it was not long after she had been seated that Leviatha noticed a group of older, seventh-year Slytherin girls enter the pub across the room from her, where they stood near the bar, talking in hushed voices while one of them ordered five butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta. Leviatha watched, unable to help herself from feeling slightly suspicious of the girls, but as all five of them glanced over to where she was sitting, she quickly looked away.

_Please don't come over here...PLEASE don't come over-..._

Cursing under her breath, Leviatha quickly put out her half-finished cigarette in the ashtray when she noticed the gaggle of seventeen year old girls come ambling toward her, dodging other student's tables and casting them dark looks as they passed. If it had been at all possible for her to sink into the ground and disappear, Leviatha would have done it gladly, but before she could come up with some clever plan of escape, the girls had reached her table.

"Hi, Professor," one of them, apparently the ring-leader, said, setting down her mug of butterbeer. "Mind if we join you? There's no other tables..."

Glancing around quickly, Leviatha scanned the room to see if the claim was true, but once she had seen that there were indeed no empty tables, she nodded, waving her hand to conjure five more chairs to sit in a ring around her. The girls sat, and with a jolt, Leviatha realized that the ashtray and half-finished cigarette was still sitting there in their midst, but just as she was about to vanish the tray hastily, one of the girls spoke up.

"Oh, we don't care if you want to smoke, Professor," she said, smiling with a nod at the half-cigarette. "We wont tell anyone, promise." At this, Leviatha let out a short laugh as she picked up the smoke to relight it with her fingers.

"Just as long as you don't mention it to your Head of House..." she grumbled, taking a long drag of the cigarette as the girls laughed. "I think he might go straight to Dumbledore with that."

"Yeah..." the girl Leviatha recognized as Lucy said with a stony expression on her round face. "We try to avoid telling Snape much of anything." she then added, glancing at her friends as they agreed. Leviatha laughed again, tapping a bit of ash into the tray.

"I don't blame you," she answered.

It grew quiet at the table for only a moment before the girl directly to Leviatha's left broke the silence. "So where did you live when you were in the States?" she asked, leaning forward on the table to look up at her professor. "I'm just curious because my parents are taking me there this coming summer as a present for finishing school."

At first, Leviatha hesitated, wondering now if this was just a clever attempt at figuring out what she had been doing there for eight years. She then figured she could be discrete while still answering the question. "New York City," she replied, putting out the finished cigarette before taking a sip of her beer. "I lived with a lesbian couple in the Queens borough." Immediately, Leviatha felt she had said too much as a look of mingled surprise and curiosity spread from girl to girl around her. A moment later, the same girl with the previous question spoke up.

"You're not-..." she started, but let her voice trail off as Leviatha shook her head with a laugh.

"No, no..." she answered. "I'm not gay."

The girls seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief; it seemed their dislike for anything 'abnormal' continued into the realm of homosexuality. One of the other girls leaned to the side, muttering something to her friend. Leviatha frowned as her ears picked up the words 'good news' and 'Snape'.

"What was that, Helen?" she asked, leaning forward as the girl suddenly blushed pink.

"Oh, I just said...th-that's good news for Professor Snape," she explained somewhat hesitantly. "I just-...I've seen you two flirting-..."

At _this, _Leviatha burst into a loud laugh, causing a few of the nearby occupied tables to turn and glance over. She shook her head. "I think you're confusing 'flirting' with 'fighting'. I'm not sure Professor Snape even knows how to _spell '_flirting'."

Just at that moment, a few of the girls turned quickly to the door across the room when it opened, as though hoping a few of the seventh-year Slytherin boys would come walking through, however when a black set of robes slipped inside, they rolled their eyes and turned back to the table.

"Speak of the devil..." one of them muttered. Leviatha laughed again, taking another sip of her beer as she glanced across the room to where Snape was now speaking with Madam Rosmerta.

"Ah, girls, its not nice to call him that..." she said jokingly, thinking quickly of how fortunate it was that she had already put out her cigarette.

Severus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as the sound of female laughter came floating across the room to his ears, but he kept his eyes resolutely on the bottle of Mead Madam Rosmerta was now placing into a brown paper bag. Upon entering the room, he had known Leviatha was there without even looking, as though he had started to develop a skill for detecting her presence and he rolled his eyes after glancing over to where she sat. A small fan-club of sorts had formed itself around her, consisting of some of the older girls from his House and as Severus stood there, he wondered how it was at all possible, beyond sheer coincidence that he would just happen to come down there, on Albus' request while Leviatha had been there at the same time...

A sigh of annoyance passed through his nose as his clever brain put it all together. Earlier that week, Professor Dumbledore had made a point of it to ask him, way ahead of time no less, to go down to the Three Broomsticks on Saturday at around one o'clock to pick up a bottle of her Mead for him. Promptly after their 'meeting', he had asked the Potions Master to go fetch Professor Dagrin so he could ask her favor as well. Unless he was being blatantly suspicious and paranoid, Severus could figure fairly accurately that Dumbledore had set this all up, in a clear attempt to get them talking. He had apparently figured that if he could get the youngest two members on staff in the same bar around the same time, that they would sit down and strike up a conversation over drinks, then _obviously _they would be the best of friends from that day out.

_Hate to disappoint you, old man..._ Severus thought rather bitterly as he handed Rosmerta a couple Galleons. _Clearly, _fate had not worked in Albus' favor on this one.

…...

After the bottle of Mead had been delivered to Dumbledore and after Severus had declined a glass, he had returned to his quarters for the rest of the day, trying fruitlessly to concentrate his mind on grading that stack of papers from his fifth-year classes. However after reading and re-reading the same line four times, he had given up, leaning forward on the desk to place his face in the palm of his hands and rub his weary eyes deeply. How he had not picked up on Albus' plan to cleverly rendezvous the two teachers in the Three Broomsticks was beyond him, and what was even _more _frustrating to him was _why _he was feeling slightly disappointed that it had not worked out. The moment this thought passed through his brain, Severus stood from his desk abruptly.

"No," he stated aloud, as if someone else had spoken such a heinous thing. It was downright fortunate that the witch had been unavailable for a conversation, in fact Severus figured he ought to be thanking his lucky stars that those girls had shown up just ten minutes before he had. The only thing that could have possibly stemmed from a conversation between himself and Professor Dagrin would likely have been either an argument or a petty hurling of underhanded insults, which in turn would leave them both bitter and angry with each other. And yet...as much as he hated to admit it, he found the newest, female Dark Arts teacher rather intriguing. There seemed to be a haze of mystery surrounding her and her history, whether intentional or natural...and Severus was not one to leave questions unanswered.

With the sun now set and long gone beyond the horizon, Hogwarts Castle and the distant grounds surrounding it were now bathed in darkness, with no other light besides the giant, full moon overhead. At first, after finishing those papers, _finally, _Severus had wondered if he really felt like going for his normal nighttime prowl, or if he felt like sitting there on his couch with a bottle instead. He had sat there at his desk for quite some time, trying to decide between the two when it struck him that it was only Saturday. He _did _have the next day to himself, and seeing how he had finished catching up on everything that needed to be marked, he _could _sleep as late as he wanted... So he decided to do both.

However, upon stepping out beyond the entrance hall, Severus paused just outside the massive doors, wondering again whether he felt like walking around in the cold. Against common sense, he had opted not to wear his heavier coat, thinking it would have been too much, but as a particularly bitter breeze blew past him, rustling his wavy, black hair, he turned back inside, figuring he would just journey up to the Astronomy Tower instead. From up there, he could see nearly everything- the Black Lake, the Dark Forest and almost all of Hogwarts grounds. Perhaps the quiet and still of the tallest point on the castle would help him collect his thoughts.

The Tower, while fairly secluded and closed off, still remained rather open, with giant, glass-less windows that stretched nearly the entire height of the top floor, with nothing but a thin metal railing to prevent any on-lookers from falling to their death. Several magically moving parts, that followed the planetary orbits and stars creaked slowly behind him, creating a low, metallic groan that Severus had always found rather soothing, rhythmic. That same breeze from earlier caught the end of his long cloak, causing it to wrap around his legs loosely as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned sideways against one of the walls, just next to an opening in the stone.

From his vantage point, the distant ground below was completely unobstructed by any trees or other plant life, giving him a perfect, eagle-eye view of the grounds, where he could make out Hagrid's hut and a vast expanse of green grass, dotted here and there with patches of brown. His eyes were just noticing a soft glowing light coming from the windows of Hagrid's hut when two figures came bolting out of the entrance hall, out into that stretch of grass. Severus blinked. If his eyes were serving him correctly, he could clearly make out the form of not just _one _spotted animal...but _two. _

The smaller of the two creatures was quite obviously the Dalmatian, whom Severus recognized easily, but the other, larger of the two was a leopard. The giant cat and the dog were chasing each other out on the lawn, tackling each other and rolling around in the grass, batting and nipping playfully at one another. The leopard's tail was nearly longer than it's body and helped balance the animal as it ran and made sharp turns to avoid being tumbled by the dog, before it would round and use it's massive paws to bat heavily at its pursuer. Severus' eyebrows furrowed, forming that vague wrinkle between them as he watched the two animals tumble about in the grass, wrestling with each other.

He knew immediately that the leopard was Leviatha Dagrin, as he had heard many rumors floating around following her 'demonstration' of her various forms for Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration classes. And as he stood there in the shadows of the Astronomy Tower, snippets of the Headmaster's words came floating back to him.

_"So I must ask you to be patient with Leviatha. She is here for a very important purpose..."_

What sort of divine purpose could a multifaceted Animagus have, teaching at a school like this? Sure, she was close friends with Remus Lupin, the werewolf, but up until that point, Severus had been led to believe and accepted readily that she had been brought there as nothing more than a substitute teacher of sorts, someone to fill in should Lupin need to miss classes. However, as he stood there watching the massive cat crouch down and wiggle her rear end in preparation to pounce on the dog sniffing the ground a few yards away, an idea, an _answer, _struck him with such force, Severus nearly lost his balance. Not _only _was Leviatha brought on to substitute, she had been brought in as a care-taker, someone to keep Lupin in check if something were to go wrong and he were to transform. Back in the days of attending school at Hogwarts, Severus had stumbled upon some very interesting information concerning the troupe of unruly students known as James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. He knew that they had somehow learned to transform into large animals, and one rat, in order to keep the teenage werewolf from attacking anyone...Now that none of those three people were alive or..._available _to assist anymore, Leviatha had been brought in to act seemingly in their stead. It_ seemed, _as he had suspected all along, that the youngest member of staff had been hired as nothing more than a glorified baby-sitter.

As much as he wanted to march straight downstairs and confirm this with the witch herself, Severus remained in place, only half-satisfied by the confirmation of what he had figured already. Yes, it did make him feel better to know that she was of no _real _importance, seeing how _he _was already in charge of making sure the werewolf would not transform, but yet that still left so many questions unanswered. For instance, _how _did she know him beyond their supposed 'first' meeting over a month ago?_ What _jobhad she come from? _Why _had she been living in the United States for so long?...And perhaps the most pressing matter of all, _how _was he going to unearth her secrets?

Despite all these uncertainties, one thing was perfectly evident to the Potions Master. If she would not tell him, he would find out himself. As he left the Astronomy Tower with renewed zest in his step, he figured that a bit of digging was in order, and whatever he happened to find out, Severus was sure he would relish delightedly in using it to expose her.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Another chapter! I hope you all liked it, despite the fact that it was admittedly a little dull. But REST ASSURED- the next chapter will definitely be interesting...As I'm sure you've figured out, this does take place during Harry's third year or Prisoner of Azkaban year. I can't remember if I mentioned that before. And yes, I'm taking the events from the book/movie little out of order. So anyways! Time for predictions! **Leave a review** and tell me what you think is gonna happen! Eye looooovvvveeee yewwwwww -QoM


	7. Mysteries

For a Sunday morning, the school was surprisingly quiet, almost suspiciously so, leaving Leviatha to wonder, as she left her quarters, whether the entire campus had been evacuated for some reason and she had simply slept through it. It would not surprise her if that had been the case, seeing how she could usually sleep through just about anything. But as she neared the Great Hall, a low hum of talking voices reached her ears, before she turned the corner to find that only a smattering of students at each House table had come down for breakfast at his hour. As she moved along the main aisle, she glanced over to the Slytherin table where she noticed that group of girls from the day before in Hogsmeade smile and wave their hands, motioning for her to come join them. However, Leviatha was on a mission so she merely shook her head, returning a grin before continuing on her way.

Up at the far end of the room sat the Headmaster at his usual place in the middle of the staff table, his eyes gliding along a page of a floating book, magically holding itself in place while he plucked his way through a bowl of oatmeal for the prized golden raisins. Leviatha smirked to herself at how powerful yet humble and down to earth this wizard was. As she approached, it seemed he had either heard her or sensed her as he looked up from his book, before a smile wrinkled the corners of his eyes. Pushing the now raisin-less bowl of oatmeal away from him, he watched as she rounded the edge of the table toward him.

"Good morning, Professor," he greeted her, motioning to the chair to the right of him. "I trust you had a nice time in Hogsmeade yesterday?"

As Leviatha sat, a pang of slight guilt flew through her, but she ignored it for the time being. "Oh, yeah, it was lovely!" she answered, but when Dumbledore remained motionless, simply staring placidly over at her, she cleared her throat before continuing. "I um-...I wondered if I could have a word?"

"You can have as many as you'd like," Albus joked, his grin expanding when Leviatha laughed quietly.

"Well...yesterday, I have to admit, I was feeling a bit homesick..." she began, her eyes dropping to focus somewhat awkwardly on her hands. "So I was just wondering if it would be alright if I took the day and went to London...Just so I could make a few calls back to the States..." Again, she paused, but when Dumbledore did not speak, she went on when it seemed like he was still waiting for her to finish. "Plus I really need to drop in to the Ministry, see a few people..." _Finally, _Albus spoke.

"I see no harm in a bit of a field trip for you today," he answered, that wonderful grin once again spreading when Leviatha breathed a noticeable sigh of relief. "Just remember not to return too terribly late tonight. I'm sure you'll want to get plenty of sleep before your classes tomorrow," he added, with a voice that sounded quite like a father reminding her of a curfew. However, Leviatha was far from arguing with him and instead laughed as she reached out to place her hand on top of Albus' on the table between them.

"Thank you," she breathed, immediately rising from the cushy chair. "I should be back before nightfall," And with that, she took off around the edge of the long staff table, but stopped mid-stride and turned back as the Headmaster called after her.

"To what location will you be Apparating?" he asked, his gray eyebrows raised curiously over his half-moon glasses. Leviatha hesitated. She had not thought that far yet.

"Erm-...Diagon Alley, I suppose. I'll probably just cut through the Leaky Cauldron to Charing Cross," she explained, hoping this would not change his permission; Dumbledore nodded to her relief.

"Just be careful," he replied. So with one last smile, Leviatha took off down the row between the tables, now fully ignoring the looks and calls from the Slytherin table.

As she stepped into her quarters just a few moments later, Leviatha sighed as her eyes fell onto the bed across the room, where Charlie lay, sound asleep on his back with all four legs spread out lazily across her fluffy purple comforter. A low growling came from his chest as he dozed heavily there and Leviatha grinned as one of his paws twitched in his sleep. With her hands now rested on her hips, she whistled shrilly from between her full lips, grinning when the dog jumped and flopped onto his side with a grunt. One of his eyes opened a moment later to glare heavily over at her.

"Time to get up, Charlie!" she called brightly, marching over toward her wardrobe to open it and pull out a tight-fitting, white, long-sleeved dress. "I've got to take you up to Remus' room to see if he'll let you hang out with him today."

As the dog sat up on the bed across from her to begin wagging his tail excitedly, it seemed he had not understood that by going to stay with Remus for the day, it meant that his owner would not be there with him, but Leviatha left that alone for the time being. Her hair was already back in its appropriate spiral bun and she was just pulling off her shirt when her eyes fell across those three familiar, deep scars along her chest. They were the perfect shape and size reminiscent of three heavy claw marks and they tore their way along her normally soft skin from the front of her left shoulder, across her collarbone and down onto the top portion of her breast and as she touched three fingers to the smooth, raised grooves, she held back a shudder as the ghost of pain coursed through her chest. She could remember the exact day and time when she had acquired these scars many, many years ago, and honestly, felt a bit proud of them and what they stood for. However, that did not prevent her from trying to conceal them nonetheless, in an effort to avoid questions and awkward stares.

Grabbing her wand, Leviatha murmured a concealment incantation before the scars receded slightly and spread out, blending into her skin a bit until the top one, the one closest to her neck was only vaguely visible. The scars would stay that way, partially concealed until she showered again or else removed the charm, so with that, she slipped into that white, wide-collared dress and her favorite pair of acid green heels before turning to Charlie.

"Let's go, Charles," she called to him, grabbing her black coat from the armchair near the door. "Here's to hoping Remus is awake."

As the time neared a half past nine, it seemed more of the school was rousing and as Leviatha made her way up the stairs with a sleepy Charlie in tow, she nodded good morning to a few of her students as they yawned their way through a greeting. While the dress she was wearing was no more or less revealing or form-fitting than what she normally wore, Leviatha couldn't help but notice a few of her seventh-year, male Gryffindor students glance her up and down a few times as she passed them, causing her to roll her eyes heavily. A few weeks prior, Minerva had warned her against wearing her tighter dresses to class, but she had not really paid much attention to this. Boys would be boys, and hormones would be hormones, but to Leviatha, that did not mean that she needed to change the way she liked to dress.

At the door to Remus' quarters, Leviatha knocked loudly twice, before pausing to wait for an answer. Beside her, Charlie was wagging his tail in groggy excitement, but as the two stood there for several long moments, with no reply coming from inside, nor any opening of the door, she reached out to knock again, this time unceasingly rapping her knuckles against the wood until she heard a shout from inside the room.

"I'm COMING!"

A grin spread it's way across her face as rustling came from the other side, before a dull thud, followed shortly by a loud curse, just a moment before the heavy wooden door swung open quickly, revealing Remus, who's face bore an uncharacteristic look of irritation. His eyebrows relaxed atop his gray eyes as he groaned when he spotted Leviatha and Charlie standing there.

"I could have guessed that was you..." he growled, rolling his eyes as he turned from the door, to leave it open behind him so the duo could step into his room. Heavy shutters had been drawn over the tall, stained glass windows, leaving the room nearly completely dark if it weren't for the bright sunlight leaking in from the open doorway leading to the corridor beyond it. Leviatha stepped inside and was just frowning around at Remus' cave-like quarters when across the room, her best friend plopped heavily back down onto his four-poster bed.

"Why the hell is it so dark in here?" she asked, waving her hand to simultaneously shut the door behind her and pull open one of the heavy sets of shades covering the windows. Across from her on the bed, Remus groaned, squinting in the new light as he reached out to pick up one of his pillows and plop it down onto his face.

"Because that's what normal people do in the dark, Levi," he explained, his voice raspy with residual grogginess. "We _sleep..."_

At this, Leviatha let out a loud bark of a laugh. "My dear friend, you are nowhere _near _normal, but I appreciate your insinuation nonetheless," she replied, watching as Charlie immediately trudged over to the bed and jumped up onto it, before he circled and plopped down into a particularly fluffy mound of blankets near Remus' feet. "I'm going to London so I wanted to see if you would let Charlie accompany you today," From underneath the pillow, Remus groaned again.

"Yes, that's fine, just _go_," he said in a muffled voice, waving his hand lazily in an effort to shoo her out of the room. So with both men clearly ready to go back to sleep for another hour, Leviatha grinned before she waved her own hand to re-darken the room to near pitch blackness, and with that, she left, shutting the door behind her quietly as she went.

…...

The previous night had not been kind to Severus Snape. After standing in the Astronomy Tower for nearly an hour, watching unseen as the leopard Leviatha and the dog Charlie romped around in the grass below him, he had returned to his quarters with every intention of going to sleep, but had found his mind far too busy and swirling with ideas and questions to get any decent rest. For a while, after laying there in his bed, tossing and turning and groaning and huffing irritably, he had considered getting up and doing something, reading something, writing something, just to siphon off any excess energy his mind still contained. He had also considered getting dressed again and marching up to the Headmaster's office, demanding to know why he had tried to sequester himself and Leviatha in the Three Broomsticks for a friendly chat...Severus had fallen asleep trying to decide, but had not stayed that way for long. At around five that morning, he had woken with a start to a loud bang echoing through his quarters and only once he had dressed, did he venture out into the hallway, to find that a group of his Slytherins had stumbled out of their common room in their sleep clothes, mumbling something about 'someone' setting off a smoke bomb in one of the dormitories.

After he had contained the damage upstairs in the fifth-year boys dorm, he had decided against going back into his bedroom to sleep and had instead opted to begin working on reorganizing his private storeroom on the third floor. That was where he had been ever since.

As he stepped out into the hallway, a group of Gryffindor students were just walking by, and from the look of the light falling into the corridor and the amount of activity in the school, Severus' best guess put the time at past nine, but still before ten. He blinked, squinting in the sunlight as he paused just outside the door to his storeroom. It truly escaped him how he had just spent the past nigh-on four hours in that tiny room, adjusting his counts on the amount of ingredients each bottle contained, and making note of which jars needed to be replenished, but it made him feel somewhat accomplished to have gotten so much done so early. However, this of course meant that he had the rest of the day with nothing to do.

As fate would have it, the somewhat familiar sound of tall heels clicking quietly against stone floors reached his ears, causing him to look over just in time to see a tall figure moving quickly down the stairs away from him. It was Leviatha; he knew it before he had even recognized the tight black bun at the back of her head. Her perfume was filling the hallway behind her, a subtle but sharp scent, non-organic, something that had clearly come from a bottle and despite himself, Severus followed at a distance, pausing at the top of the stairs to wait until she had rounded the corner to the next flight.

She was moving quickly and from what he could see in the brief moments when he caught a glimpse of her, she was dressed as she normally would for class, even though it was a Sunday. His curiosity was growing, spurring him on his chase until he stopped on the second floor and moved to a large window when he noticed Leviatha step out through the giant entrance hall doors. From his new vantage point, he could clearly see her walking briskly along the path toward the giant front gates where the dementors stood guard, but just as he moved to continue his pursuit, Severus nearly jumped when Albus appeared next to him, seemingly from thin air. His eyebrows relaxed from their previous furrowed position as he glanced the Headmaster up and down once in confusion.

"Good morning, Prof-" he began to greet the older wizard but cut himself off when Albus interrupted abruptly.

"Diagon Alley," he said, before glancing up at him. And with that strange, twinkling smile in place, he walked away, leaving Severus more confused than ever. However as he turned back to the window, just in time to see a tiny, distant Leviatha walk quickly past the dementors, everything clicked into place. _Apparently, _the witch was Apparating to Diagon Alley, and _apparently..._Dumbledore _wanted _him to follow her.

Throwing caution to the wind, Severus descended the remaining staircase before stepping out onto the grounds, to follow Leviatha's exact path toward the winged boar gateway, where the dementors floated, waiting vigilantly. As Severus approached, he struggled to find a good memory to focus on, just in case he would need to conjure his Patronus, however as he walked hastily past the gates, the dementors paid him no attention. It seemed, if he was assuming correctly, that Albus had thankfully told them not to bother any of the professors, no matter what.

Hogsmeade village was fairly quiet on that Sunday morning, the cobblestone streets almost completely empty, which made spotting Leviatha in her lime green heels fairly easy as she stopped just outside a bookstore up ahead. Severus rolled his eyes as he slowed to a halt, just behind the outer wall of the Three Broomsticks. If her shoes had been any louder, they would have been screaming with each step she took, the bright color like a beacon, making her impossible to miss as she walked by. Vaguely, he wondered if perhaps she had worn those heels on purpose, either to make herself easier to follow or just out of some misplaced desire to be noticed by everyone she passed.

In the quiet of the village, Severus leaned around the corner to look, just as a faint 'pop' sounded from a little ways down the street. His shoulders squared themselves, he closed his eyes, focusing his mind hard on the destination of Diagon Alley, and in a swirl of black robes, with another faint popping noise, he disappeared, hoping wildly to himself that he would not reappear standing just next to her, or anywhere where she could see him plainly. It was one thing on its own that he was spending his day following this witch, and another all together more embarrassing thing if she were to _catch _him following her. He had no explanation for it, other than his curiosity and intense desire to find out what her motives and intentions were, which he was positive would make for an uncomfortably awkward conversation if she were to ask him. He must _not _be spotted.

With another pop, Severus appeared, just outside Gringotts, in the midst of a moving crowd of witches and wizards, where he quickly righted himself to face the street, his eyes scanning the throngs for any sign of Leviatha and her bright shoes. However, as he looked around, it seemed that the crowded streets of Diagon alley were too thick with people to see anyone's feet, so he then searched for that black spiral bun, which he soon spotted, up ahead, just passing Madam Malkin's clothing shop. She was moving quickly, not paying the slightest bit of attention to anyone else, and it seemed, from her pace, that she was late for something or else scrambling to reach a certain destination before a certain time. Nevertheless, Severus followed at once, completely ignoring a wizard who had just stopped next to him with a 'Why, Professor Snape! What are you doing he-'

On up the street, as Severus struggled to see over the tops of hatted heads or hooded cloaks, his dark eyes caught a glimpse of green just in front of the Leaky Cauldron, where Leviatha stopped momentarily, giving him a few opportune seconds to gain some ground. It was imperative, Severus realized as Leviatha then stepped into the popular pub, that he wait long enough for her to clear the building before he entered, knowing that the inside room and adjoining doorway leading to Muggle London were not very big and she would immediately spot him if he were to be in that room at the same time. So he waited, just outside the door, straining his ear for noises below the din of talking passers-by.

It seemed obvious to him now that Leviatha would skive off from the school to visit London, seeing how she was so very Muggle-like herself, nearly refusing to use her wand unless it was absolutely necessary. Vaguely Severus wondered if he really cared that much what she was up to. Now that he was there, following the witch around all day did not seem nearly as interesting as he had originally thought it would be, and longingly, he thought of his quiet, dark quarters back at the school. He could be sitting there, on his comfortable leather couch, drinking tea, reading...or...doing...something...Hell, who was he kidding? If he wasn't there, tailing Leviatha, he would be sitting at the castle twiddling his thumbs and glaring at the fireplace. He might as well keep going; he'd already come this far.

…...

As Leviatha stepped out onto Charing Cross road, she glanced both ways before trotting out into the street, a smile already plastered to her face as her eyes fell onto a small cafe just a few blocks away, where several people could be seen sitting outside beneath large umbrellas, despite the overcast, chilly weather. As she walked, she could feel her cell phone bouncing against her hip in the pocket of her coat, and vaguely, she _prayed _it would still work, after being inactive for nearly a month and a half. She hadn't been able to charge it while at Hogwarts but before leaving for the airport back in New York, she had made double sure to have it plugged in for several hours. Hopefully that battery life would carry over.

Once she had reached the cafe and after ordering a cup of coffee, Leviatha stepped back out onto the outdoor patio, tucking the change from her ten pound Muggle note into the pocket of her coat, before pulling out her phone at long last. Her heart beat sped up just a bit in excitement and anticipation as she pressed her thumb to the red power button...The screen lit up a moment later...

Across the street, down a few buildings, Severus stood against a bus stop post, frowning as he struggled to acclimate himself to the sensation of his temporary, new outfit. Inside the Leaky Cauldron, once he had realized that Leviatha was indeed traveling into Muggle London, he had hesitated, glancing down at his thoroughly wizard-like clothing. If he were to step out wearing his black tunic and pants, as well as his long, flowing black robes, he was sure to attract some attention and unlike some _other _people he could mention, he was not one for being the center of everyone's focus. So he had quickly used a few simple transfiguration spells to vanish his robes, and change his usual black clothing into a simple, black business suit. His white, long-sleeved undershirt had also turned black and the neck had loosened a bit as it changed into a button-down Oxford shirt. He had left the top button undone and had opted against adding a tie, which he had figured would only stand out to Leviatha if she were to spot him in a crowd.

Now, as he stood leaned against the bus stop, he had to admit, he felt uncomfortable and different in this Muggle clothing. The sleeves, while normally tighter and fitting against his forearms were somewhat loose, allowing some of the cool outside air to creep up and spread goosebumps across his skin. Therefore, it was fortunate he had thought to conjure a black, knee-length coat to go over everything and he had just pulled it on when he noticed his mark step out from the cafe across the street and catty-corner from him. She was holding a paper cup of coffee in one hand while the other held a small, black box, at which she was currently staring in what appeared to be an anxious sort of way. Severus' eyebrows furrowed as he recognized the box a moment later as a cell phone. He rolled his eyes, folding his arms to lean sideways against the post of the bus stop. Of _course _she had a cell phone and _naturally_, he had followed her all this way, just to watch her make a phone call and drink a cup of coffee.

_How terribly exciting..._ he thought bitterly to himself and was just a moment from walking away, back over to the Charing Cross entrance to the Leaky Cauldron when he paused, watching as Leviatha held the phone to her ear. Well...he had come this far, and perhaps this phone call was something of importance, seeing how she had needed to sneak all the way out here to Muggle London just to make it...and seeing how he was standing less than one hundred yards from her...

Bringing up his right forearm, Severus used his opposite hand to pull back the sleeve of his coat, under the guise of checking the watch on his wrist for the time, all while clearly thinking the words for a cleverly executed Sonorus charm. With his wand concealed in his sleeve, which was now pointed in Leviatha's direction, Severus held back a jump when her voice came through a moment later, magnified, though only he could hear it, as clearly as though he had been wearing a pair of headphones. At first, her voice was muffled, like she had been speaking through an old radio, but as she spoke, her words cleared up gradually until he could understand every syllable.

"_How are you?" _she asked the mystery person on the other end of the call.

Severus blinked. Why was her voice different? Perhaps his Charm had not worked properly... As he waited, again lowering his forearm to tuck his hands into the pockets of his coat, he began to frown. Either she was not actually speaking to anyone on the phone, or his experimental Sonorus Charm was not working correctly as he could not hear a reply. Instead, a second later, he heard Leviatha's strange voice coming through clearly yet again.

"_It's been great!"_ she answered whatever question the other person had just asked. "_Just been working and making some friends, some enemies...But other than a few disagreements at work, it's been fine!"_

Severus rolled his eyes. She wasn't lying about that, although 'disagreements' was hardly the word he would have used to describe their encounters thus far. As she spoke, again he noticed that her normally somewhat loose English tone, her less than proper pronunciation of syllables had changed, to where she was now speaking in a completely American accent, each word pronounced in a harsh, Yankee tone of voice. However, he could not accurately assume this was of her own doing; his Charm was indeed experimental at this point. Leviatha was speaking again.

"_And Charlie is doing fine, he likes it over here a lot. Although I know he misses you and Sarah. The folks at the Yard aren't too keen on having dogs around and the poor thing, he's so used to being with me..." _

The Yard? Severus was now frowning so deeply, it would be a wonder if his face didn't stay that way permanently and he was sure the people standing around him were curious as to why he seemingly found the empty street before them so dissatisfying. Surely, Leviatha did not mean _Scotland Yard?_ Was she really leading the person on the other end of the call to believe that she was a _detective _of some sort? That she really contained the sort of intelligence and attentiveness required to gain such a position in the British police force? That notion was purely laughable. Severus continued listening, hoping the rest of her conversation would give him a few more ideas as to why she was lying so profusely.

"_Well, anyways, I just wanted to call and tell you and Sarah that I miss you! I'll definitely be calling you again as soon as I get some time to myself," _

Apparently, the conversation was now drawing to a close, leaving all those questions still unanswered and across the street, Leviatha was just pulling the phone down from her ear when Severus muttered the Latin phrase to remove the Sonorus Charm...he did not want to be walking around all day with that witch's voice pounding in his ears. From where he stood, Severus could see that Leviatha was now moving on up the street, her lime green heels splashing lightly through a thin puddle on the concrete as she made her way past a group of people standing at a crosswalk. Severus followed on the opposite side of the street, back a distance, hoping wherever she was headed now would give him some inclination as to whom she had just been speaking and why she felt she had needed to sneak away to do so.

…...

_4:03pm_

Using her phone as a watch, Leviatha glanced down at the time as she stepped out of a small clothing shop, several bags dangling heavily from her wrist. She gasped, glancing at the screen once more in disbelief. _How _she had managed to already spend over half of her free day just making a phone call or two and shopping at a few of her favorite stores, was absolutely beyond her but she figured that if she still intended to make a stop at the Ministry, she would have to do it now. So after ducking into a narrow, darkened alley to shrink the bags to a size small enough to fit into the pockets of her coat, she took off up the street briskly, dodging slow-moving walkers and amblers as she moved.

Although she had not necessarily planned it this way, just up ahead by a few blocks, Leviatha could see the discrete visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic, the red telephone booth standing inconspicuously off to the side, going almost unnoticed by the Muggles walking past it. Normally, she could have used the employee entrance, but seeing how she was indeed wearing one of her favorite pairs of shoes and a nice white dress, standing in a toilet was not really something she was interested in experiencing that day...

The woman's cool voice greeted her once she had stepped into the telephone booth, asking her for her name and to state what her purpose was in visiting the Ministry. After explaining that her name was Leviatha Dagrin and that she wished to visit the Auror office, the booth began to lower into the ground slowly, unbeknownst to the Muggles still walking past. As Leviatha's eyes grew level with pairs of passing shoes, she sighed, grinning to herself. It had been eight years since she had visited this place, and despite the fact that she did miss her old Muggle post in the States, she could not help but feel excited to be amongst her former and present colleagues. She just hoped they would be as happy to see her as she was to see them.

Somewhere between the bus stop and where he sat now, in front of a small coffee shop, Severus had managed to pick up a Muggle newspaper and now sat across the street from the entrance to the Ministry of Magic, pretending to read it. His dark chocolate brown eyes scanned the top of the paper, flickering between it and the red telephone booth across the street where just moments before, Leviatha had stopped and gone inside. His eyebrows furrowed as he carefully watched the booth sink into the ground, taking the young witch along with it until both had disappeared.

As he had expected earlier, watching her shop the stores along the road had been dreadfully uneventful and he had just been in the process of giving up and heading back to the Leaky Cauldron when he had noticed her dip into an alley. Only a moment later, she had reappeared, now bag-less and Severus had felt a fleeting moment of relief when he saw that she had actually used magic to shrink her purchases. For a while there, he was beginning to wonder if perhaps the woman actually knew any magic beyond what she had previously shown by bewitching his classroom ceiling to rain.

But now, as she disappeared into the Ministry, his confusion had once again returned full-fledged. Who on earth could she be visiting there? If she had been an actual employee of the Ministry, wouldn't she have used the toilet entrance? These questions, along with the previous ones were swirling in his mind, making it nearly impossible to focus his attention on any one thing for any length of time. However, seeing how it could be another hour or so before she returned to the street level, Severus figured he might as well get comfortable and dare himself to actually read this Muggle newspaper. Perhaps it could give him some inkling as to why Leviatha was so attached to their way of life...

For what felt like ages, Severus sat there outside that coffee shop. For a while, he had read the paper until the Muggle news had lost his attention, at which point he turned to people-watching, or rather Muggle-watching, which surprisingly, was a bit more entertaining than he had expected. The people had truly adapted suitably to a life without the aid of magic, from their gasoline-run cars, to those cell-phones to which they seemed fully attached as though the small devices could save them from anything. Having one Muggle parent, Severus had spent his fair share of time around the non-magical world but the life in which his father had chosen to associate himself was not exactly prime learning ground for a young man. In turn, Severus had grown to hate the Muggle world, gravitating toward his witch mother and the people with which she associated herself. However, his father wanted nothing to do with magic, and had nearly forbidden any type of it from being inside his house, which left Severus to wander about outside as a young boy, delighting in the way he could snap twigs without touching them or cause a flower's petals to wave and flap without even the slightest hint of a breeze. Vaguely, he wondered if Leviatha's childhood had been anything like his own. It seemed likely, however that her parents had both been from full-blooded Magic families, making Leviatha in turn pure-blood. She carried that sort of confidence that normally came with pure-blood and yet, that fascination with Muggles was extremely uncharacteristic of a Slytherin. How so many mysteries could come off of one person was absolutely mind-boggling to him.

With the time now reaching toward six in the evening, Severus finally stood from the cafe, figuring he might as well begin walking back to Charing Cross, to make the trek back to Hogwarts. It seemed that either Leviatha was still deep beneath the streets of London, inside the Ministry, or that she had slipped past him unnoticed while he read. Either way, Severus' eyes were growing heavy with the affects of not sleeping well the night before and at that point, all he could really think of was getting back to his quarters to relax in his own, murky environment.

The streets of London had calmed dramatically over the past few hours, the once bustling crowds now dwindling to a few passers-by here and there, and as Severus stood at the back of a small gathering, preparing to walk across a small side street, he sighed, reaching up to push back a tendril of black hair that had blown into his eyes. That entire day had been a total waste of his time. It was true that he did not really have anything to do back at the school, seeing how he had actually caught up with all his marking and grading, but following the witch around, watching her as she ambled her way through seemingly mundane tasks had been not only boring to the highest degree but slightly embarrassing in that he had actually thought to do it in the first place. He had _just _been about to roll his eyes at his own poor choices when from behind him...

"Ya know, you look rather dashing in a Muggle suit, Professor Snape..." came a smooth, familiar, female voice. "Perhaps you should wear one more often..."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: HAVE NO FEAR! Leviatha's past and mysteries will all be revealed and explained in time. = ] I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me a review! The next chapter should be up within the week if you do! -QoM


	8. Ammunition

_"Ya know, you look rather dashing in a Muggle suit, Professor Snape...Perhaps you should wear one more often..." _

Severus rolled his eyes, turning his head slightly from her as Leviatha appeared just next to him, a proud smile perched on her face as she stared at him from a perfect eye-level. He had been caught, she was standing right there...there was no escape, no lie he could tell as to why _both _of them just _happened _to be visiting Muggle London that day...So he turned the interrogation around on her immediately, in an effort to deflect the questions she was just moments from asking him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice level and quiet, his eyes trained straight ahead as the people in front of them began walking across the street. Leviatha stayed put on the street corner, ignoring the small moving mass of strangers as she raised her eyebrows when he turned to face her, her gaze bouncing from one of his black eyes to the other and back a few times.

"Well, you'vebeen following me since I left the school," she accused. Severus felt his stomach drop to settle somewhere around his knees. "_You _tell _me_ what I'm doing here."

At that moment, Severus nearly jumped when he felt Leviatha reach out with her right hand to hook her fingers around his forearm against his side, where he had just tucked his hands into the warm pockets of his coat a few seconds earlier. With that, she pushed slightly on his arm, moving them out into the side street to cross once the car had passed in front of them.

"You knew I was following you..." he growled, shaking his head slightly as he and Leviatha continued walking on the other side of the street. Her hand was still fitted lightly around the crook of his elbow but Severus was doing his best to ignore it. "When did you notice?" he then asked, glancing to the side where Leviatha was still grinning pridefully at what he could only assume was her own cleverness.

"When you Apparated outside Gringotts," she answered, glancing up at him. "I heard someone say 'Oh, Professor Snape! What are you doing here today?'," She then explained, lowering her voice to mimic the man's tone from earlier that day. Then with a laugh, she used her fingers against his arm to tap him a few times through the coat. "Besides, you kind of stick out like a sore thumb amongst Muggles, Professor, even in Muggle clothing...Though like I said, you do wear it quite well," Here, she paused, glancing up at him as her proud smile morphed quickly into a teasing smirk. "If you'd like, we could send out for a few to be made up for you. I expect you're quite tired of black robe-..." Severus cut in, shaking his head as he less than gently pulled his arm from Leviatha's grip, when they stopped at another crossing just beyond the old, hidden, broken down shop entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

"That is _hardly _necessary, Miss. Dagrin..." he crooned, rolling his eyes as they stepped out into the damp street. "I think it's just a bit more prudent for me to ask who you were speaking to on the phone and _why, _pray tell, you said you were working at Scotland Yard?"

At this, Leviatha came to an abrupt halt just beside him as they reached the rickety old door leading to the wizarding pub, that smile from earlier now fading rapidly from view as she began to scowl heavily at him. Severus turned to face her, noting once again how somewhat off-putting and almost daunting it was that she was his exact height in those blasted green heels of hers...he was so used to towering over everyone. But the longer he stood there, the more he supposed it was rather nice to not have to look down at someone for a change. Leviatha was still looking somewhat angry.

"You were _listening _to my conversation?" she asked incredulously, her arched eyebrows curving atop her golden yellow eyes. "How?"

"I'm a wealth of ingenuity, Professor," he answered flatly. "Who were you speaking to?" he then went on to ask, in a voice that sounded a bit more demanding than he had meant it to, however instead of stopping there, another question that had been bothering him came tumbling out before he could stem the flow. "And why were you speaking that way?"

Across from him, Leviatha's shook her head slightly, reaching up with both hands to pull either side of her coat closer together across her chest as a particularly chilly breeze blew past them. "Well, I can't really see how that's any of your business," she answered curtly, sounding remarkably like a younger, yet taller version of Professor McGonagall. "But if you must know, I was talking to one of my friends back in the States. That's all I'll say."

"Awfully foolish of you to come here alone," he replied after a few seconds, glancing to the side and lowering his voice as a few people walked past them. "And without telling anyone..."

"Says the man who just spent an entire day tailing me," she shot back, rolling her eyes as a small shiver caused her shoulders to shake. "And besides, I didn't realize it was my duty to inform you that I needed to leave the school for the day. In fact, I assumed that you'd be happy to know that I was leaving for a while," she then spat, her tone taking on a new, more familiar sharp edge as she glared at him. Severus took a half-step toward her, his eyebrows furrowing.

"When your every move seems suspicious and calculated to me, I find it is, in fact, my duty to-..." he began to speak but mid-sentence, Leviatha rolled her eyes.

"Look, we can stand out here bickering all night or you can be a gentleman and buy me a drink," She said suddenly, glancing to her left at the creaky, paint-chipped door beside her as she shivered a second time. "And _perhaps _I'll indulge your eccentricity and answer a few of your questions..."

At the moment, it seemed he really had no other option than to follow the witch into the warm confines of the Leaky Cauldron, where at least, he could remove the transfiguration charms on of this uncomfortable Muggle suit and change back into his own clothing. So after opening the door for her when Leviatha waited for him to do so, they both stepped inside, leaving the chill evening air behind them on the street. The pub was thankfully rather empty, only littered here and there with a few lingering patrons scattered randomly through the warm room. With Leviatha walking ahead of him through a dimly lit hallway, Severus slid both of his hands down his chest, where he could feel the different folds of material move and shift until the sport coat had been transformed back into his regular tailed, knee-length tunic, his white undershirt had been replaced and those familiar black robes moved back into position on his shoulders, trailing down his back to the ground.

Inside the room, Leviatha turned to her right where a two-person bar counter sat against the wall across from the crackling fireplace and she paused to remove her long coat before she sat at one of the tall stools. Severus watched her for a moment as he approached, unable to help himself from noticing the way the wide collar of her dress sat lightly atop her shoulders, exposing her neckline and collarbones, just below a long, admittedly elegant neck. A moment later, he blinked, forcing his eyes to her face as she looked up at him, to smirk as he let out a somewhat bored-sounding sigh through his nose.

"I'll have whatever you're having," she informed him daintily, clearly of the impression that he was supposed to fetch it for her and that smirk expanded when Severus remained in place, glaring down at her. It was immediately clear to him that she was thoroughly enjoying her hold over his desire to receive answers to his questions, in the way that one would enjoy blackmailing someone, and as Severus let his eyes drift upward, he took a deep breath in through his nose, turning from the table toward the main bar.

If he was being at all honest with himself, Severus quickly considered ordering three shots of Firewhiskey, just for himself, to help steady his patience with the infernal woman, for not only teasing him with answers to his multiple questions, but also for her previously unnoticed keen sense of observation. She had known that entire day that he had been following her and yet she had waited until the last moment, just as he was preparing to leave, to confront him. How he wished she had just let him go, waited until both were at the castle to begin berating him for it and momentarily, the blame shifted to Dumbledore yet again. It was apparent now that the Headmaster had purposely driven Severus to follow the witch in yet another effort to get them talking more amicably, since his plan from the previous day had failed so miserably. How Severus had not seen it before was completely beyond him at that point.

Well, he had gotten his wish. The Potions Master and Dark Arts professor were now together, in a bar, about to talk over drinks, although the subject matter was probably far different from what the Headmaster had been hoping. At least Severus still had that.

As he reached the bar, Tom, the snaggle-tooth barkeep turned to face him, smiling as he recognized the tall, dark professor standing there across the counter.

"Ah, Professor Snape!" he greeted him, reaching out one hand for a handshake, which Severus reluctantly returned. "What brings you here?" he then asked, however, just as he opened his mouth to quickly explain that it was of nothing important, he noticed Tom's eyes shift past him, into the rest of the room where he clearly spotted who Severus had just entered with. A look of mingled surprise and rather revolting understanding spread over his wrinkled face, just a moment before he nodded with a quick wink. "Oh ho!..." he then grunted with a quiet laugh. "See you've brought a date, eh?" Severus' teeth gritted together so hard inside his mouth, he could swear he could feel them breaking.

"Not hardly, Tom..." he answered using his most smooth and dangerous of voices. "She is a colleague of mine at the school, nothing more." Across from him, the wizard blinked, nearly flinching at the professors tone of voice. He shook his head a moment later, clearing his throat as he awkwardly wiped a spot from the counter with a hand towel.

"Oh, of course," he began stammering explanations at once. "I just-...I just meant that-..."

"I'll be taking two whiskeys," Severus interrupted, shifting his eyes to the side. "Mine will be double, if you please..."

"Absolutely,"

After just a second or two, Tom returned to set two small glasses of the deep amber liquid in front of him, before promptly informing him that it would be on the house, clearly in an effort to silently apologize for making such an egregious error as assuming Severus was there with the witch on a date. He took the glasses, muttering a quick thank you before he turned from the bar, but only to stop where he stood, his eyes flying to Leviatha just a few yards from him at the table.

During the past two minutes that he had been gone, she had apparently decided that her lime green heels were no longer comfortable and had promptly discarded them, where they now lay abandoned on the floor beneath her chair. One of her long legs had come to cross over the other, her toes pointed slightly as she sat leaned back against the wall, one arm rested on the table next to her, the other rested lightly in her lap. Despite his dislike for the woman, Severus could not stop his eyes from drifting along her relaxed form, noting for the first time the way the length of her legs seemed endless when entwined with one another. A moment later, he blinked when Leviatha glanced over and he immediately moved forward, clearing his throat as he approached the table with their two glasses. He set the less full of the two in front of her before he sat down in the opposite chair, hastily bringing his own glass to his lips to take a hearty swig, in an effort to erase whatever image of her legs had just been burned into his memory.

Across from him, Leviatha watched for a moment before she picked up her glass and brought it to her nose, sniffing it lightly before she took a tiny sip and cringed.

"Wow, whiskey?" she asked, shaking her head quickly as she set the glass back down. Severus shrugged his shoulders, glancing across the room to where a pair of wizards were now standing from their table to leave. Instead of answering her, he went on with what they were doing there in the first place.

"So I suppose this is where you...'indulge my eccentricity' and tell me who you were really on the phone with," he stated, watching as Leviatha's eyes drifted down to the thin, circular glass of whiskey in front of her.

"When I lived in New York, I lived with a lesbian couple named Sarah and Misty," she explained, bringing her eyes up quickly to meet his, studying his face for any reaction to the word 'lesbian'. Unsurprisingly, he remained stoic and blank as usual. "I was talking to Sarah earlier."

"And Scotland Yard?" he then asked, leaning back in his own chair to let one of his forearms come to rest on the table between them, where the tip of his middle finger began lightly tracing a groove in the wooden surface. Leviatha remained sitting sideways to the table but looked over at him with a slight frown.

"Well, I couldn't exactly tell them I'd come to England to work at a school for witchcraft and wizardry, now could I?" she asked, her tone once again picking up that crisp note to it, that same tone that nearly always caused Severus' nerves to begin firing off irritable synapses at record speed. Leaning forward, he linked his hands together on the table.

"Oh no, because working for the British government seems a much more simple lie than working at a department store in London..." he replied sarcastically, furrowing his eyebrows as Leviatha finally copied his pose, smirking as she turned to face him and leaned forward, delicately linking her hands together on the table. Golden eyes met black and locked firmly into place.

"Well, one would not exactly move across an ocean just for a chance to work at Harrods now would they..."

Goosebumps the size of small hills erupted over Severus' arms, even beneath his tighter sleeves as Leviatha's tone changed yet again, into something that very nearly mimicked his own- smooth, rather deep and slightly dangerous, as though she were simply _daring _him to reply. He looked away a moment later, taking another long swig of whiskey as Leviatha smirked. She continued, asking his next question for him as though she had been reading his thoughts.

"And the Ministry?" she asked, leaning back once again to raise her eyebrows when Severus looked over. "Any guesses as to what I was doing _there?" _He shook his head slowly, using two fingers to absentmindedly twirl the base of his glass against the wooden table.

"Each as unlikely as the next," he replied truthfully, watching closely, studying her features and reactions as Leviatha grinned to herself.

"Well, I can't tell you why I was there, so that's just as well, I suppose," she answered promptly, her grin expanding when Severus' gaze narrowed.

"Can't?" he asked. "-Or wont..."

Leviatha blinked slowly, picking up her glass to drain the remaining burning, amber liquid from it before dropping it back onto the table's surface with a dull thud.

"Both."

Conversation grew quiet between them for several long moments, wherein Leviatha let her gaze drift over to the fireplace behind Severus, and he watched her, studying closely the way the dancing, yellow flames reflected brightly in her pale, golden eyes. She truly held a look of such strange unfamiliarity the likes of which he had never seen in any other woman before. That usual 'sweet girl next door' look was not even remotely present in her complexion, her very skin itself seemed as somewhat dark and mysterious as she was herself. If he was being fair, he could say that the witch was pretty, by the typical standard of what people considered 'attractive', but she was not drop-dead, drag-out gorgeous by any means. She had angular features, a wide but symmetrical jaw-line that narrowed into a lightly rounded chin. At first glance, upon assuming her perceived personality, Severus had thought that her nose pointed slightly upward on her own doing, as she did typically walk with her head held high, her shoulders straight and squared. But now that he had the chance to study her up close, he could see that her nose was positioned that way on its own and was perfectly level with the rest of her face.

Yes, she was mildly pretty, of an ordinary caliber for a woman, though the thing that really threw him about her was her eyes. As he had noted before, yellow golden eyes were highly uncommon, even for witches and wizards, and vaguely, Severus wondered from which parent she had managed to inherit that color. He was just trying to picture what her mother looked like in relation to the daughter when Leviatha's gaze shifted suddenly to meet his, causing him to blink and clear his throat somewhat awkwardly after being caught staring like a thunderstruck schoolboy. He noticed her grin down at her glass a moment later, so he spoke, hoping to change the subject quickly.

"When you first came to the school, you made it sound as though we'd met somewhere before," he began, but paused as Leviatha pulled her wand from the sleeve of her white dress to use it to pour a measure of water into her empty glass. "I can't say I remember meeting you."

At this, Leviatha grunted a quiet laugh, taking a sip of the water before setting her glass down to fidget with the rim of it in what almost appeared to be an uncomfortable manner. "Yeah, I erm-...I was at Hogwarts while you were there as well...I remember saying hello to you a few times but-...I don't think you ever noticed me," she explained, glancing over at him as he began to frown. "Of course, I was only in my third year while you were in your seventh, so that's to be expected I suppose."

"You were in Slytherin House," he asked, although the inflexion in his voice did not indicate any sort of question. Leviatha nodded, a proud smile sliding into view as she raised her eyebrows.

"The first in a long line of Gryffindors," she answered. "My mother nearly had a _fit _when Minerva told her I'd been sorted there..." Here, she paused, glancing over to Severus from the fire yet again when he did not immediately answer. Her glowing eyes rolled after a second or two. "They had been in school together as girls and have been best friends ever since, which is how I already knew her, as I'm sure you've been wondering."

Forgoing a verbal response, Severus nodded his understanding, before bringing his glass to his lips to drain the last quarter-inch of liquid from it. Things were indeed starting to make more sense about this woman, but that did not necessarily mean that she had answered every question he had wanted an explanation for and he had just opened his mouth to continue their conversation when Leviatha suddenly stood from her stool.

"Well, this has been a lovely interview, Professor Snape, but I really think we should be heading back to the school, don't you?" she asked, grinning smartly at him as though she knew exactly what she had done- left him with more questions than he had started with. However, seeing how they had been there for nearly an hour, the sun had already long gone down and classes would start earlier than either of them would have liked the next morning, so Severus nodded and stood from his own chair, to watch as Leviatha gripped the table to balance herself while she stepped back into her heels.

As they walked toward the door leading out into Diagon Alley, he could not help but smirk to himself from behind Leviatha's back. He had more than enough ammunition to use against her, despite how clever and evading she felt she had been and if he had it his way, Dumbledore would soon have as many suspicions about the young witch as he did.

Out in the Alley outside the Leaky Cauldron, Leviatha stopped just beyond the door, sighing as she slid her long arms into the sleeves of her coat while Severus stepped just in front of her, his eyes trained along the rest of the street. It was such a quiet night, almost impossibly so and for just a fleeting moment, Severus considered the possibility that he had _perhaps, _just _maybe _had a good day, and even more surprising, the fact that he had rather enjoyed his time sitting there talking with the woman. However, as Leviatha let out a rather loud, unbecoming growl of a yawn from beside him, Severus rolled his eyes.

_Perhaps not..._

"Well, shall I?" she asked, holding out her arm for him to take hold of in preparation to Apparate, but instead of reaching out for her, Severus shook his head, extending his hand.

"I'd feel more comfortable this way," he stated and with that, he grabbed her hand firmly in his before he Disapparated with a firm, resounding pop, taking both of them from Diagon Alley, to the main street of Hogsmeade. However, just a split second later, as they landed, one of Leviatha's heels hit an uneven patch in the street, causing her to stumble slightly into his side with a loud curse as her ankle buckled.

"Oh, _yeah_," she growled, with a wince, pushing herself away from him, scowling as Severus began walking toward the gated archway. "That was loads better the way you did it. Thank _god _for your chivalry..." she grumbled sarcastically as she trotted after him in her ridiculous shoes.

Up ahead, the dementors were still floating there, looming over the surrounding area, the air around them colder and thinner than usual and as Severus approached the locked gates, he felt a sense of impending dread and gloom spreading over him. Earlier, he had not thought about how he was going to get past them without conjuring his doe Patronus in front of Leviatha, but just as he began to draw close enough to the dementors to hear their horrible, rattling breaths, he looked down when a small black cat went trotting past him toward the gates. With a signaling glance over her shoulder, Leviatha meowed loudly as she strolled right up to one of the dementors, clearly less

affected by them while in the form of the small cat and she immediately began circling them, mowling loudly as a distraction, leaving Severus with just enough time to wave his hand to temporarily vanish the gates so he could walk straight through them without stopping.

Once he had made it a few yards up the path, Severus glanced down as the cat went sprinting past him toward the castle, only to transform mid-stride back into the tall woman, silhouetted by the lights from inside the entrance hall, where she stood, waiting for him. A slight frown appeared there on his face as he approached. Surely she was not actually expecting any sort of further conversation inside the castle...He _would not _be saying goodnight to her, as though they had become great pals over one simple drink at a pub in a different town...And yet, there she stood, clearly awaiting his words as he finally reached the doors to the hall and there, he paused, clearing his throat when Leviatha grinned.

"Thanks for the drink and the company, Snape," she said lightly, moving toward the stairs as she pulled off her coat. "You're not quite as boring as you make yourself out to be."

Severus' frown deepened quickly as he watched her take a few steps up the stairs away from him.

"Where are you going at this hour?" he asked, unable to stop himself from wondering if perhaps her day of mysterious comings and goings had not yet ended. Leviatha turned to face him, that smirk still in place as she bounced her eyebrows once.

"Not going to follow me again, are you?" she answered him with another question, leaving Severus to sigh irritably as he waved a hand over his shoulder wearily to close and lock the giant entrance doors behind them.

"Good evening, Professor," he growled, leaving her to it as that overwhelming exhaustion set in at long last. Now, with the soft clicking sound of heels traveling up the stairs above him, Severus waited, just out of sight, listening until the sound faded into nonexistence, before he turned directions and walked over toward the Great Hall. Yes, he was exhausted, it had indeed been a long day, but before he could rest, he needed to have a few words with the Headmaster. He had witnessed quite a few things that day and had just a few items of interest to share with Albus...

…...

With Charlie retrieved from Remus' quarters and after spoiling him with a giant steak bone, in an effort to help him get over his unhappiness with her for leaving him behind during a trip away from the school, Leviatha was finally crawling into her bed, sighing as she slid her hand along the scars on her chest to remove the concealment Charm. At her side, Charlie was already snoozing lightly after what she had heard was an exciting day of a nice long walk in the Forest with Remus and as she reached out to pat him lightly on the side, he took a deep breath in, before exhaling in a comfortable groan.

"Today was interesting, Charlie..." she told him sleepily as her eyes slid closed. "Maybe Snape isn't as much of a prick as I thought. I almost had a nice time with him tonight..."

The lights in her room extinguished themselves, plunging Leviatha and Charlie into darkness as she turned onto her side with another content sigh. It seemed, after just one rather simple conversation, that the pair of them did not exactly loathe each other as much as they had originally and perhaps, with just a bit more work, they could actually get along and learn to help each other, instead of search actively for ways to annoy and hinder one another. Maybe...just maybe she had made a friend that night...

…...

The following morning's classes went surprisingly smoothly, with each passing quickly by, unencumbered by any useless questions or talkative interruptions, leaving Leviatha to assume that her students good behavior was just owing to a strong case of 'the Mondays', after their relaxing weekend. As for herself, Leviatha was feeling happier than she had been as of late, after being able to spend the previous day in London, using her phone to call her friends, and after that unexpected but surprisingly nice chat with Professor Snape at the Leaky Cauldron. Even her sleep the night before had been deep and untouched by dreams, leaving her to wake feeling refreshed and ready to go about her day contentedly.

The time was now nearing two in the afternoon, which meant, fortunately, that Leviatha's classes for the day were nearly done and that Remus would be stepping in to finish his own lessons with his first and second-years, which he had already admitted were his favorite to teach. As he stepped into the Dark Arts classroom, just after the bell had rung, ending Leviatha's last lesson, he smiled when he noticed her grinning to herself over what seemed to be a particularly cheery page of her lesson-plan book. He dropped his leather messenger bag of papers onto the desk with a bit more force than necessary, hoping to catch Leviatha's attention and as she jumped and looked up, he raised his eyebrows.

"You're in a good mood today," he commented, laughing when Leviatha suddenly frowned but the corners of her lips twitched upward in a poorly concealed smirk.

"Shh!" she hissed, glancing around the classroom at the slow-moving students. "Don't let anyone hear you say that or someone will find a way to piss me off."

"Well, what happened to put you in such a good mood? Beyond your conversation with Sarah and of course, your _best friend_ Severus..." Remus asked, taking a seat at the tall teaching stool, to laugh when Leviatha rolled her eyes.

"He's notmy 'best friend', mate, don't get all jealous on me..." she retorted, winking jokingly at Remus as he scowled dramatically. "We just don't exactly hate each other as much anymore, which is nice...Ya know...not having to glance over your shoulder every few steps for booby traps." Across from her, Remus was nodding an understanding.

"Well, I just saw Dumbledore a few minutes ago," he explained, nodding with his head toward the door. "He asked me to send you up to his office when you were finished with your class...said he wanted to speak with you."

At this, Leviatha nodded, her eyebrows furrowed as she wondered what on earth the Headmaster could want with her in the middle of a school day...She had not returned from London too terribly late last night, had nothing to report to him, which only left the possibility that he wanted to request something of her, perhaps another babysitting mission to Hogsmeade in the future. So with that prospect looming in the back of her mind, Leviatha left the Dark Arts classroom just as Remus' class of first-year Gryffindor and Ravenclaws came filing in, bearing their heavy bags of books and wands, looking excited by the large terrarium placed at the front of the classroom.

Several minutes later, with Charlie left behind in the classroom to assist Remus in teaching his lesson on Grindylows, Leviatha found herself climbing the rotating staircase leading up to Albus' office, where she paused, glancing down at her deep purple dress to make doubly sure it was well past her knees and hugging her legs at the appropriate length and to recheck that her cleavage was not showing too much. It was one thing to be wearing Muggle clothing to teach in, but it was another to look rather slutty while wearing it. Leviatha had to make sure she did not even grow near that proverbial line between 'whorish' and 'well-fitting'. Besides, she viewed Albus Dumbledore as something of a grandfather figure and felt it would be appropriate to dress modestly in his presence.

After knocking twice, she hesitated, waiting for any sound of permission from inside the room and once she heard his familiar voice call out 'Come in!', she entered, smiling as she stepped into the warm, ticking room. At the desk across from her, Albus Dumbledore sat in his usual, ornate chair, his characteristic glasses perched ever so carefully on the very end of his crooked nose. He grinned serenely at her as he held out his hands in welcome.

"Ah, my dear, how are you?" he asked, rising from his chair, clearly already picking up on the level of happiness Leviatha was exuding that day. She approached him, reaching out to take his hands in hers as she greeted him.

"I'm great!" she exclaimed, laughing quietly as she sat in the chair he had just motioned to. "It really helped for me to get away yesterday...I had a nice time, thank you for letting me go."

As Albus sat down just across from her in the armchair next to hers, Leviatha's smile faded; why was he sitting there and not at his desk?

"Oh, well, it was my pleasure," he replied, nodding his head. "I felt you deserved a bit of a break for how well you've done so far..." Here, he paused. Leviatha felt her stomach clench up. "Which is partly why I wanted to speak to you..."

"Sir?" Leviatha asked, hoping he would go on. She was already getting a not-so-good feeling about how his tone had changed.

"Several things were brought to my attention late last night and I just want you to know, right up front, that I do not agree," he began, raising his eyebrows to stretch the wrinkles along the corners of his eyes. Leviatha remained quiet, waiting for him to go on. "I simply felt that you should know what was being said about you, as it would be unfair to keep it concealed...I've been told that your teaching methods are a little less than orthodox and that your classes have been somewhat substandard as of now."

Leviatha's eyes flashed as she sat up in her chair. "Sir..." she tried to cut in, but Dumbledore was continuing, closing his eyes for just a moment as he shook his head, silently telling her to wait.

"And that your choice of clothing is somewhat unbecoming of a teacher...that you've been...'fraternizing' with students outside of the classroom and behaving less than amicably toward...erm...one of the teachers."

At this point, Leviatha stood from her chair quickly, her face a mangled mess of anger and hurt as she took a step away from the Headmaster.

"Sir, you can't _possibly _believe that's true!" she exclaimed. "I teach my classes to the best of my ability, keep everything quiet and orderly. My student's grades are among the best in the school! And...and as far as hanging out with students, I've merely had a few conversations with some of the older Slytherin girls, giving them advice on how to deal with the less than kind Slytherin boys! Sir, _please-..."_

Across from her, still as calmly as ever, Albus held up a hand, instantly quieting her furious tirade in defense of herself.

"Leviatha, I do not agree with any of what was said about you..." he replied, his voice level and serene as Leviatha exhaled heavily through her nose. "I think you have done a remarkable job of teaching and adjusting to life here as a professor, even after your last job in the States. I think your clothing is modest and perfectly satisfactory of a person of authority in this school. So _please, _do not think I'm telling you this to hurt you or make you feel any less content than you did when you first entered my office. However, I felt it was necessary that you know what was said about you...Speaking from experience-..." Here, Leviatha cut in yet again, shaking her head in confusion.

"Who said all this?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly in anger. "Snape?" she then practically shouted. "Did _Snape _say all this to you? Last night? After we-...after he-..."

Across from her, Albus was quiet, merely blinking peacefully up at her, confirming her suspicions without so much as one spoken word. Leviatha cleared her throat, _begging _herself not to start tearing up. She thought there had been a real step taken in the right direction for them! Albus continued, standing up from his chair to close the distance between them so he could take her hands lightly in his.

"Severus is a very keen but naturally skeptical man, Leviatha, and after he followed you yesterday, he came to me last night with several concerns about your background and qualifications as a teacher," he explained lightly. "I told him that I have the utmost faith in you and that I trust you implicitly, just as I do him. I can not even begin to count all the times I have had to defend my faith in him to those who come questioning his loyalties. I reminded him of that last night."

At this point, Leviatha was beyond the point of angry tears and was now just plain livid but as she shook her head, she cleared her throat, pulling her hands back gently from Albus'.

"Sir, I appreciate you more than you know," she said, her eyes now falling to the thin silver tie holding his beard. "If it's alright, I'd like to speak with Professor Snape about his concerns...I promise I'll be civil, but I'd really like the chance to defend myself personally." she requested, finally bringing her eyes back up to meet Dumbledore's kind gaze. To her surprise, he nodded, taking a step back.

"I think that would be fine. Just please wait until he's finished his lessons for the day," he instructed, before a gentle smile met his face. "We both know how he is about having his classes interrupted."

After thanking him for bringing all of this to her attention, Leviatha left the office, but paused just outside the door, closing her eyes to take a deep, renewed hatred-filled breath in through her nose. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end, her arms coated in goosebumps as her fingers curled inward toward her palms, and with that, she took off down the stairs, her eyes narrowed as her normally round pupils tightened and reformed themselves into perfectly vertical slits.

Oh, she would be speaking to dear Professor Snape...however, it would be _everything _but civil and she would _not _giving him the courtesy of finishing his classes for the day.

If he wanted to talk, _oh, would she talk..._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave me a review if you'd like! = ] New chapter out soon! -QoM

p.s.- This is Hogwarts. The 'downright disturbing' and 'unrealistic' is encouraged here. ; ]


	9. A Simple Disagreement

Never in her life had Leviatha felt so betrayed.

The heels of her black pumps echoed loudly through the halls as she stormed her way along corridors and down staircases, giving it everything she had to try and calm herself before she could reach Snape's dungeon classroom. Just moments ago, she had promised Dumbledore that she would approach him in a civil manner and would wait until after his classes had finished for the day, but as she played and replayed their seemingly innocent conversation from the previous night in the Leaky Cauldron, then recounted the things the Headmaster had just told her, she found that her anger was not only unwavering but also justified in its very origin. It seemed obvious to her now that Snape had only been following her and then later agreed to a sit-down over drinks in a cunning plan to dig up some extra dirt on her to take to Dumbledore. How she had missed it before was a complete mystery to her, and furthermore, how she had managed to fool herself into the thinking the Potions Master had simply enjoyed her company was absolutely baffling.

Now on the ground level of the castle, Leviatha was left with only one more small staircase to descend before she found herself in the dingy hallway leading to the closed doorway of Professor Snape's classroom, where she hesitated. This potential interaction could very easily turn from 'conversation' to 'shouting match' in the blink of an eye and if she did not play her cards right or keep her temper in check, Leviatha could very well find herself packing her things before the sun had even set on that day. But as Professor Dumbledore's words once again echoed in the back of her mind, she stepped toward the door.

"_-your classes have been somewhat substandard.."_

Leviatha's knuckles met the wood of the door in what closely resembled the sound of the cracking of a whip, echoing through the corridor and adjoining rooms, but as she waited, anticipating the opening of the door at any moment to reveal a very annoyed Snape, all she heard was his droning voice from the other side, as though nothing had just happened. Leviatha let out a quiet, dangerous laugh as she shook her head, gritting her teeth. Clearly, he knew who was knocking on his door and the fact that he had chosen to flat-out ignore her was just too much for her to handle, given everything she had just heard being said about herself...

Every head in the classroom turned to face the door when it swung open across the room, revealing a plainly angry witch, who's eyebrows raised as Severus let his voice trail off. That prickling irritation instantly began to bubble in the pit of his stomach as his black eyes locked onto her golden orbs from across of the classroom.

"Could I have a word, Professor?" she asked, her tone as light and innocent as it could be, although Severus was no fool; she was _not _happy...for that matter, neither was he. Up on the dais, his eyes shifted away from hers before he stepped out from behind his lectern, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"_Clearly,_ I'm in the middle of teaching a class, Miss. Dagrin," he crooned, condescension dripping heavily from each and every syllable of his reply. Normally, this tone of voice worked on the other teachers, so that they would practically bow themselves out of his presence, but as Leviatha took a step into his room, Severus felt that pit of irritation bud quickly into full-blown annoyance.

"Let me rephrase that..." she began testily, glancing down at a few of the students who were now looking back and forth between the obvious points of tension in the room. "I'd like a word, _now, _Professor..."

Mutters immediately broke out in the room as Severus swiftly stepped down from the raised platform with a quickness that caused his black robes to let off a soft crack as the air caught them in just the right way. His eyes did not leave Leviatha's as he approached her and only once he had passed her into the hallway did he look away, but only for a moment to shut the door behind him. He then took a step toward her, gritting his teeth.

"_What. is. it..." _he asked, his words punctuated heavily. Across from him, Leviatha's face bore a murderous expression, her eyes practically aglow with obvious hatred.

"I've just been to see Dumbledore," she began. "Seems _someone _made a rather informal complaint about my teaching methods, and even went so far as to insult my way of dressing. Wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Severus took a deep breath, struggling to quickly swallow down a hint of rage that threatened to escape him in the form of a raised voice.

"Yes, it was I that said those things about you, as you've _clearly _already deduced," he replied, forcefully keeping his tone as level and patronizing as it always was. "However, you seem to have fallen under the impression that this was something worth interrupting a class for, so let me correct you-" he continued, but Leviatha jumped in, shaking her head as she took a step toward him.

"Shut up," she snapped. Severus blinked; this was not going the way he had expected it to. "Dumbledore said that _you _complained that my teaching methods were...what was it...'unorthodox' and that my classes have been 'substandard'." Leviatha went on to explain, but at this point, Severus felt he needed to gain the upper hand. He took another half-step toward her, withholding with great effort his desire to back this witch into the corner behind her.

"Ah, the Headmaster was being kind to you," he snarled, his upper lip curling in a terrible sneer. "I had _originally _used the word 'inept' to describe your teaching methodsthough it seems now, that Albus was simply sparing your feelings in failing to relay my words exactly,"

"Really..." Leviatha answered, her tone flat as a hint of a laugh played with her features, as though this was all really funny to her. Severus nodded.

"Yes, really," he bit back. "Your teaching methods border on the inane, your classes are a joke and you run around, fraternizing with your students as though they were your own little friends-..."

"Those _students," _she interrupted, straightening her shoulders. "-are young _women, _who came to me for advice on how to deal with some of the issues they face with young men of their same age. Some would see that as 'counseling', not _fraternizing,_" Here, she paused, that horrible, snide grin sliding back into view. "These poor girls obviously can't come to their Head of House with their concerns so forgive me for picking up the slack where you've met your short-comings." Severus remained quiet, forcing himself to keep his face as passive as possible while Leviatha went on, quite clearly under the impression that she was on a roll. "And as for my clothing, Albus says there's nothing wrong with it so why it should bother you so much is a little beyond me. Just because I don't walk around wearing black day in and day out, wearing Wizard's robes and-..." At this, Severus finally stepped in, rolling his eyes as he turned toward the door.

"Miss. Dagrin, I did not come out here to endure a petty hurling of insults, so please go-" he stated, however just as he reached for the door and pulled it open, it snapped shut again with a firm slam when Leviatha waved her hand. Severus turned his head slowly, his teeth now grinding themselves into a fine powder as that growing annoyance flew instantly into anger. Leviatha was standing there as bold as brass, watching him from behind hateful eyes as he turned to face her.

"Look, Snape, I know you're just _beside _yourself over losing the Dark Arts job to _two _people but-..." she began, that terrible, haughty grin still firmly in place. His desire to strangle this woman was so great that instead of taking a step toward her, Severus took a step back, shaking his head.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with that..." he growled, watching as Leviatha let out a short laugh.

"Oh, but it does!" she exclaimed, tossing her hands. "You've hated me from the moment I stepped through those doors!...Now unless I've done something to offend you-..."

At this, Severus could not help himself and he finally moved toward her, squaring his shoulders as he stared angrily into her eyes from only a half-foot of space. Only then did he notice just a flicker of apprehension pass quickly over Leviatha's complexion.

"Your very _presence _offends me, _witch," _he snapped, his voice lowered and dangerous, spreading obvious, notable goosebumps across her exposed collarbones. "So please, _leave now," _he then spat, pointing with one long arm toward the other end of the hallway. _ "I_, unlike you, actually _do _have a full docket of classes to teach."

With his hands trembling slightly in fury, Severus turned again to the classroom door, wrenching it open to stride through it in one fluid motion, before he continued into the room, immediately silencing the dull chatter that had sprung up from the students. The pathway between the two rows of tables and desks was mercifully clear, but just as Severus had made it nearly halfway back to his lectern, he paused, mid-step when he heard Leviatha's voice ring out loudly.

"Oh, and Professor?" she called from behind him, her tone sharp and biting as it filled nearly every crevice in the room. The hair along the back of his neck and all down his arms prickled. "Next time you have something to say about me, wont you say it to me directly? Instead of running to the Headmaster like a _coward-..." _

At that moment, several things happened at the same time.

A loud shout of surprise flew up from the students as Severus spun on a dime, throwing a curse at Leviatha, which left his hand in a burst of bright blue light. However, her own hand moved so quickly, it was almost unnoticeable as she deflected the curse away from her, causing it to absorb into the bookshelf to her left where several of the books fell off and landed on the floor in a splattering of sound. A dense silence then hung through the room as the students watched wide-eyed from either side of Severus as he glared heavily at the witch across from him. Leviatha's eyes were wide with either surprise or rage, he was not quite sure.

A moment later, the minimal light in the dungeon classroom was almost entirely extinguished as two jets, two oppositely thrown curses met in the space between the two professors simultaneously, conjoining in a melting, swirling mass of color and force. Both wands had been drawn in such a flash of movement that neither had seen it but as fractured beams splintered off from the congealed mass of magic between them, deafening cracks rent the air amongst shouts and screams from the students around them. However, as Severus held his wand with his dominant right hand, his left moved to either side beneath his opposite arm, sweeping the desks and students away from him to either side of the room, where they stayed, bound in place and shielded by the thick wall of protection he had just cast in front of them.

In a flash, the brief connection between the two wands was broken, only a split second before an eardrum-shattering snap ripped through the air as Leviatha's wand sent a beam of bright yellow light in Severus' direction. He dodged it by mere inches, causing the spell to whip past him and collide with the wall of glass jars at the back of the classroom. The jars and bottles exploded with such force, Severus could feel bits of glass hitting his back and tinkling to the ground around him as the jars spilled preservational liquid and their contents in a small lake along the raised platform. Severus' return curse left his wand within the time span during which one could merely blink their eyes, the flash of light blinding as it missed Leviatha and hit the wall beside her, gouging a large hole in the frame, blasting bits of stone and wood into the hallway behind her.

Momentarily, the witch retreated, backing herself into the hallway to duck behind the wall as Severus abandoned the rules of any fair duel and fired another powerful curse in her direction, this time hitting the open door before wood and metal fragments nearly disintegrated under the force of the spell. However when the dust and smoke cleared, Severus felt his stomach clench up when Leviatha was no longer standing there, or anywhere near there for that matter. Rushing toward the door, Severus could just see his career flashing before his eyes as he pictured a horribly injured witch laying out in the hallway. But just as he had run out into the corridor, a loud bang caused him to turn and face the doorway, just in time to deflect the thrown spell with his hand. From the shadows, Leviatha stepped out, her dress momentarily flickering from black back to purple after she had disguised herself against the stone wall, but as Severus raised his wand, she swiped her hand hard through the air, with a loud shout of what he could only assume was rage. His wand was thrown from his hand and hit the wall beside him before he could stop her wandless disarming spell, but just when he held out his own hand to retrieve it, he paused for a split-second as Leviatha's form quickly changed before his eyes.

Where she had just been standing in front of the open door to the classroom, now crouched a _very _angry leopard, growling and baring her massive teeth as the spotted fur all along her back raised and rippled. Severus remained still but quickly thought the words to cause his wand to come zooming back into his hand. However, it seemed that one simple movement was all the leopard needed before she lunged toward him, her massive, powerful paws hitting the ground with dull thuds of padded feet against stone floors. As Severus spun, throwing a poorly aimed curse over his shoulder, Leviatha's sharp, dagger-like claws caught the rippling material of his robes before a terrible ripping sound echoed beneath the din of voices in the classroom beyond them. With Snape's departure from the room, his protective shield over the students had broken and now the small sea of teenagers was huddled in the doorway, watching as their professor took off running up the hallway with the leopard sprinting behind him. However as both teachers reached the end of the corridor and turned the corner, Severus stopped on a dime and skidded to a halt when he found himself face to face with one very, _very _unhappy Minerva McGonagall, standing just next to a horribly disappointed Headmaster Dumbledore.

Being that both had been running, Severus stumbled forward just a second later as the leopard behind him collided heavily with the back of his legs, as if in some cartoon version of a human train wreck. Upon regaining his balance, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's uncharacteristically angry gaze, just as Severus noticed Leviatha appear just next to him in his periphery. She reached up a hand to hastily smooth back the strands of loose black hair from her face, which had been stuck momentarily in tan and brown spots from her hasty transformation back into her human form.

Severus rather felt like dying right there where he stood.

"Leviatha!" Minerva hissed in a hoarse whisper, her eyes wide and livid as she glanced back and forth between the two youngest professors. Severus cut in, hoping to head off whatever hurried explanation the woman next to him was about to give.

"Headmaster-..." he began, his voice low and somewhat shameful, but before he could continue, Dumbledore shook his head sadly and turned away, reaching out to gently pull Minerva away from where she looked just seconds from slapping Leviatha.

"My office, both of you," Albus said over his shoulder, leading Professor McGonagall away from the trail of destruction leading down into the Potions classroom.

Without so much as a sideways glance at each other, Severus and Leviatha followed at once, keeping a safe distance between them as they walked away from the partially destroyed hallway, completely forgetting about the group of students still watching, wide-eyed, from the door to the classroom behind them. However, just as the two teachers rounded the corner, both of them jumped, their nerves on edge, as a loud shout of cheering and laughing suddenly erupted from the hallway in their wake, echoing loudly through the bottom-most level of the castle.

Leviatha could not remember ever feeling so ashamed of herself as she did during those few minutes, walking silently beside Snape to the Headmaster's office. How things had gone from a rather civilized argument amongst colleagues to a full-blown duel between enemies, in front of _students _was absolutely inconceivable to her at that time. As she and Snape stepped into Albus office, she felt her pounding heart leap up into her throat; this was surely where she would be saying goodbye to the castle. Minerva had warned her at the beginning of the year, just a month ago in fact, that if it were to come to it, Albus would sooner ask her to leave than he would Severus. It seemed she was just a few minutes from seeing that sense of tenure in action as she and Snape stopped in the middle of the room, across from where the Headmaster sat leaned back in the chair behind his desk, looking weary and frustrated as he took his glasses off and pressed his fingers together in front of his crooked nose. Just to the right of him, Minerva was standing, her hands clamped so hard together in front of her that her knuckles had already turned white, her face bearing an expression of unmistakable anger.

For several long, drawn-out moments, the room was completely silent, wherein both Leviatha and Severus held their breath, until Minerva suddenly exploded, seemingly unable to keep it in any longer.

"You both are ADULTS!" she shouted. "Professors at that! And yet there you were, DUELING in a CLASSROOM amongst STUDENTS!"

From beside her in the chair, Dumbledore held up a hand, silently ending her furious tirade, before he looked to the two tattered and disheveled professors and spoke calmly. "Would you please explain what happened to cause this?" he asked, his reproachful but serene eyes glancing back and forth between them. At once, both Leviatha and Severus began speaking.

"All I did was go down to talk to-..."

"Sir, this _woman _interrupted my class with nothing but-"

Before one or the other of them could keep going, Leviatha turned quickly to Severus, her face mangled in shock that he would try to pin this solely on her. She pointed a finger at him as she took a step toward him.

"You struck first!" she cried, raising her voice as Severus began speaking loudly over her. "All I did was ask you about what you'd sai-"

"You were shouting accusations and childish insults from the star-"

"ENOUGH!"

Minerva's shout from across the room instantly quieted both teachers back into that respectful, shameful silence where Leviatha sniffled quietly as her nose began to bleed again and Severus let out a low sigh from beside her.

"That's enough, both of you," Albus was now speaking, sitting up in his chair to lean forward on the desk. "Leviatha, I specifically asked you to wait until Severus was finished with his classes and if I remember correctly, you _promised _you would be civil..." he paused, his sky blue eyes raking up and down her, before doing the same to Severus, taking in her bloodied nose, and Severus' torn, shredded robes, the ends of which were still slightly damp with preservation liquid from the exploding jars. Albus turned his reproach to the male teacher. "Severus, you have been teaching here for over a decade. You _know better _than to lose your temper in front of your students, much less losing it to a colleague."

Foolishly, he tried to interrupt. "Sir, I merely defended myself-.."

"_Silence," _Dumbledore countered, his voice taking on a hint of highly unfamiliar sharpness. Severus let his eyes fall to the far corner of the desk as his lips tightened into a thin, curved line; he had never felt so embarrassed and disappointed. Minerva stepped in at this point when she seemed to notice a small smirk forming on the younger witch's face upon hearing her opponent reprimanded. Her voice was now level as it appeared she had regained a hint of composure.

"Leviatha, you should be equally ashamed of yourself," she said rather quietly, clearly in an effort to prevent herself from screaming again. "You have been given a true gift to be teaching here and it is so beyond me that you two could even THINK of doing such a thing in a crowded-..." The level of her voice began to grow and sharpen with each word until she had to stop herself again as her temper ran away from her. At that point, Albus took over, rising from his desk.

"Now, I don't necessarily care _who _either of you feel was at fault for this as I believe both of you are equally to blame," he said evenly, clasping his hands together behind his back. "So _both _of you are goingback down to that classroom, _right _now, where you will spend the rest of the night cleaning up the mess you've made and repairing any damage you've caused," Here, he paused, moving to the side to begin rounding the desk toward the two teachers currently standing in the middle of his office. "Then tomorrow, at this same hour, both of you will make a formal apology to the undoubtedly traumatized class of third-years. I had Filius send them back to their Houses for the remainder of this period,"

At that point, Albus paused, his gaze bouncing back and forth between Leviatha and Severus, waiting until both of them had nodded their understanding and agreement before he continued.

"I will warn you both of this same thing-..." he began, taking a step toward them, his powerful but calm energy filling the room like a wave of heat. "-if anything like this ever happens again, _both _of you will be dismissed from teaching here without question. Do I make myself clear?"

Across from him, both Leviatha and Severus nodded.

After being excused, Leviatha stepped out into the hallway before Severus, not even pausing nor sparing a second glance over her shoulder as she made her way down the moving spiral staircase in front of him. From behind her, she heard him sigh before a soft rustling of fabric where she could guess he had just taken off his ruined, shredded black robes and for a moment of insanity, she vaguely considered turning to apologize for destroying them. Another second later, she rolled her eyes. He probably had an entire closet of just those damn black robes; nothing that even _sounded _like 'sorry' was currently in her words of choice for that man. But seeing how the Headmaster had just threatened to fire them if they had another outburst like that of today, Leviatha shut her mouth and kept it that way, through the school until they had reached the hallway leading to the dungeons, where both she and Severus' quarters were located. As they approached her door, she stopped in front of it and was just wondering if Charlie would be inside waiting for her when Severus walked past her. He stopped a few feet past her and turned, frowning.

"We were just instructed to go-..." he began, his voice surprisingly quiet and almost tentative as he addressed her, but Leviatha interrupted him, turning just her head to glare over at him.

"I'd like to change my clothes first, if that's alright with you.." she replied tersely, still unable to keep her tone from betraying a hint of residual anger. Across from her, Severus rolled his eyes as he turned away.

"Fine. Meet me in my classroom in fifteen minutes."

With the door to her quarters now closed behind her, once she had seen that the room was empty, Leviatha let out a loud groan as she leaned back against it, her eyes sliding shut as her mind whipped through the past twenty minutes, replaying snippets of she and Snape's brief interaction in the hallway before everything had gone so disturbingly awry. Never could she have predicted how quickly things would move from bad to horribly worse within the span of one half-hour and with one person. Vaguely, she wondered what could have possibly possessed Snape to turn and immediately curse her. True, her last words to him before the duel had been somewhat poorly chosen, and honestly, now that she reflected back on it, she felt she could have handled that entire situation a bit more maturely. It was just unbelievable to her that he found her so unlikeable and so unqualified for her position that he felt he needed to complain to the Headmaster. And what was more, the fact that he did not trust her, the fact that he felt there was some sort of evil work in play from her past, was just mind-boggling to her.

Leviatha could feel her eyes burning. She squeezed them shut as hard as she could, gritting her teeth in an effort to keep her tears at bay. Crying was not something she liked to do and typically tried to keep herself from it at all costs, however, that day had been a massive, almost nauseating roller coaster ride of emotions, from that morning, feeling content and genuinely at home for the first time since arriving at the school, to now, where she felt like she had just been hit by a particularly cruel bus repeatedly. She could not see why Professor Snape's words had affected her so as she did not usually care what other people thought of her, but...to outright use her to gain leverage for his complaints...She just could not fathom how she had let him do it.

At that moment, the door behind her moved, causing her to jump slightly and move out of the way, just a second before it opened, revealing one Charlie and one Remus, who's face was a mingled mix of confusion and concern. Leviatha ignored him for the moment and instead knelt to wrap her arms around Charlie's neck as he wiggled around, struggling to double back and lick her face. She sniffed hard against his fur, praying she could keep herself from crying openly in front of her two best friends. Above them, Remus was shutting the door behind himself, before he shook his head and tossed his hands.

"What _happened?" _he asked loudly, stepping further into the room as Leviatha rose from where she knelt, rolling her eyes. "The whole school is talking about how you and Snape were just trying to kill each other down in the Potions classroom! Please tell me that's just an exaggerated rumor, Levi..." he groaned, watching as she walked over to her wardrobe, to lean down and pull out a pair of comfortable bright blue leggings. With another groan, Leviatha disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind her before she answered, purely with the aim of avoiding another reproachful look from Remus when she explained.

"Snape and I had a little...disagreement down there, yes..." she purposely put tentatively through the door as she peeled off her dust and dirt tainted dress. A moment later, she sighed. "Well, it was more like a little...duel, I guess you could call-..."

"You _dueled?_ In a classroom full of students?" Remus cried from the other side of the door. Even from inside the bathroom, Leviatha could just picture the shocked expression on his weathered face. "Oh, Levi..."

"I know!" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows as she stepped back out into the bedroom, now dressed in a smaller t-shirt and her leggings. "I know...Look, I've already had my ass chewed out by both Minerva and Albus, so...just save it for later...I've got to go help that bastard clean up his classroom," she then grumbled, rolling her eyes as she pulled down her already loose and messed bun to reposition it onto a long, high ponytail that hung half-way down her back.

Across the room, Charlie was perched on the couch, sitting upright in a very human-like position and as Leviatha approached him, his ears went back, his tail thumping the leather beneath him like a drum. Remus was still shaking his head when Leviatha plopped down next to her dog to reach out and pat his neck.

"I can't believe you haven't been sacked," he breathed, reaching up to run a flustered hand through his graying, dirty-blonde hair. "I mean...I'm _glad, _but you have seriously got to watch yourself from now on, Levi..."

Rising from the couch, Leviatha patted her leg for Charlie to follow her to the door. "I know, trust me...I can't...I just-..." she was stammering, once again struggling with great effort to keep her tears back, but just as she passed Remus, he reached out, wrapping one arm around her to pull her back to him. With no hesitation, Leviatha reached up to throw her arms around his neck and let out a soft, restrained sob against the thinning material of his robes. "I'm just so-..."

"Hurt, I know..." he finished her sentence quietly, smoothing her long ponytail along her back and gently swaying comfortingly from side to side as the two best friends stood hugging in the middle of her room. "Albus told me earlier about what Snape said. You're a great teacher, Levi, and everyone else knows that too, so just ignore him. He's just-..."

"An asshole, yeah..." Leviatha finished for him, stepping back from their embrace to laugh quietly and use both of her hands to wipe her eyes. "I better go get this over with...Thanks for-...ya know...that," she then said somewhat awkwardly, laughing again when Remus smiled kindly and patted her arm.

"Come find me when you're done,"

…...

As Severus stepped out of his own quarters, now shed of his ruined robes and dust stained frock coat, he sighed, turning his back to them to roll his eyes when he noticed Leviatha and her infernal mutt walking toward him down the hallway. Clearly, the witch had decided that wearing something muted and dark was beneath her as her bright, electric blue leggings practically glowed as she walked, and left nothing to the imagination as the tight material hugged her body in every way possible. Glancing back, Severus forcibly kept his eyes on hers as she neared him, a flat, unreadable expression on her face.

"Let's get this done," she muttered as she and the dog passed him, leaving Severus to follow her down the hallway toward the small set of stairs leading to the partially deconstructed corridor where they had just been a half hour earlier. Even from where they were walking, both teachers could see up ahead where a shallow layer of dust had settled on the steps from the disintegrated door to the Potions classroom but as they reached it and turned to go down, both stopped in their tracks.

The path of destruction was even greater than they had realized, large chunks of stone and wood strewn along the floor leading away from the now door-less entryway to the classroom. The acidic scent of mingled potions and spilled ingredients, along with now useless specimens filled the air around them. Beside him, Severus heard Leviatha take a deep breath in through her mouth before she exhaled through her nose in a heavy sigh. He watched her long ponytail swing against her back as she stepped away from him, down the short set of stairs.

"Where do you want to start?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder at him as bits of glass and wood crunched beneath her flat shoes. Quickly, she let her eyes drift along his loose, white, long-sleeved shirt, mildly surprised that he had chosen not to wear his characteristic, black tunic in her presence. She looked away hastily when he moved toward her, his hands rested on his narrow waist as he inspected the damage around them.

"I assume you've brought your wand?" he asked after a few moments of surveying, clearly making a marked effort to keep the note of condescension in his voice to a minimum for the time being. Leviatha withheld a loud 'DUH' with great difficulty and instead nodded, glancing up at him as he walked past her, noting privately how much taller he appeared without his black robes on and when she wasn't wearing her heels. He nodded toward the inside of his classroom. "I'll do this out here. You start inside there," he then commanded, but as if he had heard the strong tone in his own voice, he added,_ "Please..." _with a horrible, painfully forced sneer.

With Leviatha in the classroom behind him and his wand now drawn, Severus began vacuuming up the dust, watching idly as the particles formed themselves into a thin line to be siphoned up, gradually vanishing from existence and leaving the stairs cleaner than they had been before the duel. While still rather mortified for letting his temper escape him that way, Severus could not help but feel relieved that nothing more had happened as he reflected back on the amount of anger he had felt toward the younger witch. It had taken everything in his power not to curse her wholeheartedly with a spell that would seriously maim her. He could even remember thinking the words _Sectumsempra!', _so clearly that he did feel that particular curse leave his wand, however fortunately, the curse had missed her, the evidence of which now lay in large hunks of stone along the floor beside him from the large hole in the wall of the classroom. If the curse had managed to hit her, Severus would surely be on his way back to Spinner's End with his proverbial tail between his legs.

Nearly then minutes later, the dust had all been cleared from the hallway, leaving only the temporarily expanded doorway and subsequent debris, which Severus quickly moved back into place with a simple utterance of the word '_Reparo'. _The large pieces of stone then zoomed back into place along the frame of the doorway, and sealed themselves there, leaving Severus to enter the classroom, where he paused, his eyes falling across the room to where Leviatha was now sweeping up bits of glass...with a broom...by hand. He rolled his eyes as he moved away toward his desk, where the large spotted dog had recently taken a place, sitting perfectly upright in the Potion Master's high-backed chair in what could almost be mistaken as a fairly accurate imitation of the way he typically sat there himself. Severus cast him a dark look but ignored this for the time being.

"If I may-..." he began, addressing the witch but Leviatha immediately cut him off.

"No, you may not," she answered curtly, not even sparing a look over at him from where she was sweeping glass. Severus sighed as he rounded the desk toward her.

"I was just going to say, that would go a lot faster if you just used your wand," he put lightly, pausing where he stood to cross his arms over his chest and lean back until the edge of the desk behind him met the back of his long legs. "You _are a _witch, you know..."

Without looking up, Leviatha continued her sweeping. "Well, _that's _not a very nice thing to call someone," she answered sarcastically. Severus blinked as his stomach clenched up; he'd heard someone else say that very same thing, a very long time ago. Leviatha went on when he remained quiet. "I just like doing it this way, alright? It's not hurting you so just...leave me alone."

The hurt in her voice was unmistakable and for a fleeting moment, Severus felt a slight pang of guilt shoot through him as he studied the lowered profile of the young woman's face. A moment later, he stood from where he had sat on the edge of his desk, waving his wand toward the pile of glass she had already swept, causing it to vanish with a quiet pop.

"Hey!" Leviatha exclaimed from behind him. "I wasn't done with that!"

"The less time we are forced to spend down here with one another, the better," he replied silkily from over his shoulder where he stood across the room, now moving the unbroken jars and bottles back into place along the shelves. "So quit pouting like a child and do something else, _with _magic preferably," Behind him, he heard Leviatha let out a low, dangerous laugh.

"Oh, Snape...if I wasn't going to be fired for it, I'd-..." she began, but he quickly spun to face her, raising his eyebrows.

"-Hex me?" he asked, his voice laced heavily with hopefulness. "Oh, do it, _please_. I'll even help you pack your things afterward, if you'd like..."

Across from him, that same, annoying pang of guilt shot through him when Leviatha's expression fell and she turned from him, shaking her head somewhat sadly as she pulled her wand from the waistband of her leggings to begin moving the cluttered and upturned desks back into place. Under the force of his protective charm, some of the wooden tables had broken, along with many of the glass tubes and vials, which now lay in shattered pieces amongst the rubble of cauldrons, knives, and jars of ingredients. Normally, Leviatha would have picked these all up by hand and moved them back into place herself, but seeing how Snape had made a valid point about not spending more time around each other than was absolutely necessary, she waved her wand, watching as the pile of rubble began to move and zoom past her into their respectable places. However, just as a copy of 'Advanced Potion Making level three' went flying toward her, Leviatha caught it with one hand, wrinkling her nose as it dripped a foul smelling substance.

Opening the cover to see whom this book belonged to, she let out a tut of annoyance when her eyes found the name 'Harry Potter', written sloppily along the inside page. With her nose still crinkled in disgust, Leviatha turned to face Severus, who was now busy using a drying spell to cleanse the wooden platform at the front of the room of it's coating of slimy critters and formaldehyde.

"The Potter boy left his book," she told him dully, holding the soggy text out in front of her with two fingers. Across the room, Severus glanced over his shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed, although just a second later, he motioned toward a metal cabinet by his desk.

"Put it in that cabinet over there," he instructed, mentally plotting the way he was going to return it to the brat by telling him he'd 'lost it', before taking ten points from Gryffindor. With his back turned to her again, Severus listened as Leviatha walked across the room to the cabinet, to place the book inside and let out another sigh.

"I told Remus, I don't know he can stand an hour and half of that kid, staring back at him everyday," she commented from somewhere behind him as the sound of shuffling desks muffled her words slightly. "...I don't think I could manage to keep myself impartial enough to treat him fairly."

"One learns to get by..." Severus answered in a very flat tone, sighing heavily as he pushed two remaining jars back into place. A moment later, his eyebrows formed a vague wrinkle between them when he glanced over his shoulder to frown at the young witch, where she stood moving a few cauldrons back onto their stands. He had never heard anyone, besides himself, speak about Potter with such contempt in their voice; his curiosity got the better of him once again. "In what way were _you _subjected to the _greatness _that was James Potter?" he then asked, assuming that her dislike for the boy stemmed from the same source as his own. With his back still turned to her, Severus heard Leviatha let out a short laugh.

"What? You going to run and tell Dumbledo-..." she began but paused when Severus turned to face her.

"Believe it or not, I _am _capable of holding a conversation without any ulterior motives..._"_ he explained smoothly, keeping his gaze fixed on her eyes as she did the same back at him. A second later, she shook her head, turning once again to place another heavy cauldron on the table.

"I was good friends with Remus during my third year, his seventh," she began, her voice somewhat quieter than usual. "And of course, the _late, great _James Potter thought it was _so _charming to call me their little 'tag-along'. He'd call me 'Leviathan' because I was so tall and-...tease me about..._other _choices I-..." At this, she paused, a selective drawn silence falling over her as she cut her sentence short. She went on another moment later as though she had not just interrupted herself almost mid-word. Her eyes glanced back at him from around the long black ponytail that had recently fallen over her shoulder. "So...no, I did not exactly _weep _when I heard of his death."

As he stood there, gaping rather brazenly at her turned back, Severus was not exactly sure why it came as such a surprise to him that he and the witch actually did share something in common. He had supposed there would eventually be something they agreed on, but a mutual hatred of James Potter was not what he had been expecting to uncover. That man had seemingly made it his personal mission to make Severus' life a living hell so hearing that he had not been the only one to positively loathe Harry Potter's father came as wholly unsurprising and yet slightly encouraging. Vaguely, he wondered if Leviatha knew of all the horrible pranks James played on him and names he had been called...For some reason, he hoped she didn't. Leviatha's voice came from just beside him, causing him to glance down to his left where she stood, eying a few of the jars on the shelf.

"So...I guess that's it?" she asked, turning her attention to look up at him, and for a moment or two, Severus merely blinked down at her, so caught up in his own musings that he had to pause to wonder what on earth she meant by that. Sensing his budding confusion, she raised her carefully arched brows slowly, before motioning to the rest of the classroom with just her yellow eyes. "The room?" she clarified. "I think it's done..."

"Oh," he finally replied, nodding his head as he took in the now orderly and perfectly clean classroom. "Yes, I suppose we're done then,"

Immediately, Leviatha walked away from him, so briskly it was as though he'd shoved her. Patting her leg for the dog to follow her, she walked over to the newly repaired doorway, where she paused, turning back to him. Severus straightened his shoulders, preparing himself to receive a carefully worded threat or insult. However, the witch simply sighed, her own shoulders drooped slightly as she gazed over at him somewhat wearily.

"Professor, despite what you think, I do enjoy teaching quite a bit," she said, her tone lighter and more gentle than he had ever heard it before. "I know you think I've been doing a shit job of it so far but-..." Here, she paused, but just when he expected her to go on with something biting, she merely shook her head before finishing with, "-I disagree."

And with that, she turned to walk away with a wave of her wand, to place a brand new, polished, wooden door on the hinges where the last one had so recently hung.

.

.

.

.

A/N: As some of you may have noticed, I have recently disabled the 'anonymous reviews'. If you REALLY wish to leave a review but don't have an account with , please feel free to send me an email at Queen of Mean 389 AT Gmail DOT com. ANYSHMOO, I hope you all enjoyed this action packed little chapter. = ] Things have really gone from bad to much, much worse huh? But it's always darkest before the dawn, as they say. So please leave me a review! I LUFF YEWWW! -QoM


	10. The White Flag

Strange, morphing shadows danced across the walls of Severus' bedroom as he lay there on his bed, his head rested right in the very middle of his pillows, his long black hair sprawled out beneath his head as he watched the fire across the room lick lightly at the stone encasing it. Upon waking that same morning, never could he have predicted the events that would follow, from leading with a fairly dull day of classes, to one very unexpected fight. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, reaching out with both of his bare arms to stretch his fingers as far as they could reach across the bed to either side of him. He supposed he should be feeling more tired than he was, but the thoughts, the ongoing battle of emotions waging inside of him was enough to keep him feeling uncharacteristically antsy, flustered and like he could lay there awake for days on end.

A large part of him wanted to be angry with Albus Dumbledore, for so readily divulging his complains to the person about which he had made them, but another, smaller part of him, the part that lived deep in the very back, dusty closet of his mind made him feel like he should not have made those complaints in the first place. Despite his desire to feel defensive and bitter about Leviatha coming to interrupt his class over something so trivial, he could not help but feel like he did not exactly blame her for doing it. Honestly, he felt that if he had found out someone had made such outrageous, nit-picking objections about himself, he likely would have reacted in the same way, perhaps even more angrily than the witch had.

While feeling a slight, miniscule bit of guilt over the things he had said, then of course reacting so strongly when confronted with them, Severus still could not get past the basis on which he'd made those claims in the first place. He'd meant every word he had said to the Headmaster, and had even been about to go on with other, more detailed accusations, but Albus had stopped him. His words came drifting back as clearly as though he had only just heard them a moment ago.

"_Severus, can you not remember all the things that were being said about you when you were first hired here?" _he had asked, raising his eyebrows calmly above his glasses, watching as the younger wizard paced in front of his desk. _"-the things that people __**still **__say about you?"_

Severus could remember staying perfectly silent as a dull realization washed over him. _Of course _he could remember what had been said about him. He could still remember wanting to physically strangle anyone that even looked at him twice, anyone who _dared _glance down at his left forearm as though hoping to see through his sleeve.

"_I cannot even begin to recount all the times I have defended you," _Albus had said. _"I trust you to the fullest, Severus, and have told many, many people that same thing, countless times. So I will do the same for Leviatha. She is a gifted witch, despite what little she has shown thus far. Her students have been making satisfactory marks, she has not given out a single deten-..."_

The rest was not necessary for him to reflect on. In the deepest pits of his mind, Severus knew that what the old man had said was right, and yet somehow he could not bring himself to fully accept it.

However...earlier that evening, cleaning up his classroom, Leviatha had shown him something, something he had not yet seen from her concerning his less than kind reception of her- _hurt. _There had been such a look of true, emotional hurt on her face, one that she had clearly been trying to mask further by continuing on with her biting, sharp responses to what little he had said during that hour. But to Severus, who was adept with reading people and their weak displays of emotion, it was unmistakable and somewhat surprising. Up until that point, Leviatha had shown a skill for remaining rather stoic and passive in front of him, except when it came to losing her temper, rather like himself. That night, though...There had been something different. _So _different in fact, that Severus had caught himself almost feeling wholly sorry for what he had said about her..._almost. _

Then there was the mutual connection to James Potter that he had uncovered during their brief stint together in the Potions classroom, one that left him surprised but slightly encouraged. A few days earlier, Leviatha had let slip to him, whilst sitting in the Leaky Cauldron, that she had known him during their days at Hogwarts, had even spoken to him on more than one occasion during his seventh-year. Several times since hearing that, Severus attempted to slip back through his memories from years past, analyzing the details of those more prominent to him, to see if he could somehow remember seeing her, hearing her voice, anything. Nowhere could he remember noticing her. That did make sense, however, seeing how his seventh year had been a bit of a dizzying blur. Only the year before, he had fallen into that infernal group of potential Death Eaters and had lost his one and only true friend, causing his seventh year to turn into nothing but one frenzied effort to forget, to move on from what he had lost. At first, he had tried throwing himself headlong into his studies, to making the top marks in every subject he studied, to work through the school books until he had finished reading the entire collection within the first two months of starting classes. When that had not worked, he had moved more fully into his circle of Death Eater friends, becoming closer with several of them. And then...there had been the girls.

It seemed, back then, to the seventh-year Slytherin girls that there had been no greater place to be than slipped less than discretely into the beds of the known potential Death Eaters at school there. Apparently, it had been considered 'wise' or...cool, for lack of a better term to be passed around within the group like tissues, to be used by one seventh-year Slytherin boy after the other. Being a somewhat foolish seventeen year old teenage boy, Severus had participated in this, purely with the intention of staying within the upper ranks of the group, but also in a concerted effort to rub it in the face of Lily Evans...even if she had no idea it was happening. Having a different girl in his bed every other night had come as a small comfort, preventing him from laying there, wide awake, and imagining his redhead with her idiot, new boyfriend. Thinking back on it now, the fact that he could not remember the name of _one _of those girls made him feel somewhat slimy. But then again, his sporadic contact with the female species after his days at Hogwarts did not make him feel much better, either.

With the impending apology he was supposed to deliver the next day weighing heavily on his mind, Severus raised his wand from where it lay just next to him and gave it a subtle flick through the air. A moment later, a small vial came zooming toward him before coming to a halt just above him. Grasping it, Severus used his thumb to push off the cork stopper and empty the bitter contents into his mouth. Instantly, his eyes felt heavy and weighted, sliding shut on their own accord as though someone were forcing them closed and with one last movement, Severus tossed the empty vial away from him onto the floor beyond his bed. The soft tinkling of glass against stone was the last thing he heard before the familiar, welcoming arms of unconsciousness embraced him yet again.

…...

She didn't want to see him.

She didn't necessarily _have _to see him.

Sitting straight up in bed, Leviatha felt wide awake, as thought she had not just been dead asleep, her mind already whirring and spinning with possible lies she could come up with to get out of the apology she and Snape were supposed to be delivering. The thought of standing there, in front of a class, _apologizing _for defending herself in front of a group of students was not only against every principle she believed in, but also incredibly embarrassing. But what was more, the thought of standing there next to _Snape_ while apologizing was just a half-jump above torture.

The previous night, after leaving the dungeons, Leviatha had found Remus in the Dark Arts classroom, marking tests, where she had plopped down behind a student desk and promptly began unloading every complaint, every bitching about the following day, using a few choice words to describe the surly Potions Master. Remus had simply sat there, smirking and listening to every word, until she had finished, at which point he had told her that he agreed with Dumbledore in his 'punishment' of making them apologize. He even went so far as to ask if he could come watch, perhaps record the whole event for proof that it happened. Leviatha had then used another few choice words to describe Remus before stomping from the room with her best friend laughing behind her.

Now, with Charlie snoozing on the bed, relishing in the last few minutes before they were needed for class, Leviatha stood in front of her open wardrobe, wearing just her black bathrobe, her hands on her hips as she glared heavily at her selection of clothing. Since the events of the previous day, she had mentally gone back through the entire month of classes, trying to see when and where she had worn something that could even be remotely deemed inappropriate. Sure, some of her dresses were a bit tighter than others, but none of them were too short, or too low cut, at least not in her opinion. Remus had offered his opinion that perhaps she could just wear a set of witches robes, much like those that Minerva wore, just to placate those 'teachers' who did not see her Muggle clothing as professional enough. To that, Leviatha had laughed and said that she would wear no such thing.

Eying her clothing all hung before her, Leviatha let out a sigh of uncertainty through her nose. Part of her dearly wanted to put on one of her more revealing, skin-tight dresses and a pair of extra-high heels, just to shove it in Snape's face that she would no sooner change her way of dressing than she would kiss a dementor. But the other part of her, the more mature part, felt that she should perhaps wear something a bit more modest for this first day after their less than professional duel, seeing how she would be standing in front of _his _class to apologize. And yet...her tightest, most revealing black dress was hanging so delicately, so innocently right in front of her...

Several hours later, Leviatha found herself tugging irritably on the high collar of her least favorite, emerald green top, fidgeting uncomfortably beneath the satiny fabric as she watched her next class of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw second-years file into the classroom. The cuffs of the loose sleeves were tight around her wrists, giving her the distinct impression of being held in rather gentle shackles all day and wildly, she wondered what had possessed her to wear such a thing. Then she remembered...the apology. This class, that was just now settling into their seats, was the last class she had for the day, meaning she was just an hour and a half from having to march down to that blasted dungeon classroom, bend over and kiss a bunch of teenagers' asses for something she did not feel she was at fault for. Perhaps she could just teach this class really slowly...maybe even keep them extra time to go over their last grades...or something...

"Good afternoon," she greeted them rather lightly, once again bracing herself for the usual chorus of 'GOOD AFTERNOON, PROFESSOR DAGRIN', and as usual, she had to force herself not to jump when the words were practically shouted up at her. She could swear they were getting louder each time, just to mess with her nerves. Leviatha continued, walking toward the shared lectern, where she stopped to glance down at her book. Their next chapter was on dementors..._How fitting..._she thought. However as she looked back up and glance over her students, to instruct them to turn to page one-hundred and three, she paused, her eyes scanning the room slowly. Three hands had risen into the air over the past five seconds. Leviatha's eyebrows relaxed. This was not going to be fun.

Looking to a doe-eyed, blonde girl near the back of the room, Leviatha sighed, raising her eyebrows. "Yes, Miss. Lovegood?" she asked of the girl she knew as Luna. She jumped, glancing up at her hand, almost as though she had forgotten she'd even raised it in the first place. However, a moment later, her airy, light voice rang out.

"Is it true you attacked Professor Snape yesterday?" she asked, her giant blue eyes blinking in what could almost be mistaken as a dumb sort of manner. Leviatha's forehead wrinkled slightly in her frown.

"That is absolutely not true, Luna," she answered curtly, forcing herself to keep her stern gaze on the sea of students before her, despite how badly she wanted to look away. "I don't know who told you such a ridiculous thing, but-..." At that moment, another boy from Ravenclaw interrupted, glancing about himself somewhat awkwardly as he spoke up.

"Everyone's saying it..." he answered, his voice lowered and almost bashful. Holding up her hand, Leviatha cut in, moving to the side around the podium so she could stand just a few feet from the front row of desks. A swift silence fell over the room, hushing the dull murmur of whispers that had sprung up.

"Let me make something perfectly clear," Leviatha began, pausing to make direct eye contact with Luna and few of the other students she had seen talking just moments ago. "What happened between Professor Snape and I yesterday was unfortunate and out of line. And...I think the only way to move past it is...to never mention it again," Just then, several more voices sprang up in protest, as though the thought of forfeiting such a juicy conversation as this was truly heartbreaking, but Leviatha raised her voice over the din. "_So if you don't mind-..."_ she continued loudly. "I'd like all of you to turn to page one-hundred and three, _now." _

…...

Ten minutes were all that was left in his current lesson.

With the group of sixth-years before him broken into pairs and working on their assigned Potions, Severus stole glances at the clock on his desk every few minutes, as though hoping to look up one time and find that time had moved inexplicably backward. However, as was the way with time, it was moving, if possible, even more quickly than it normally did, the hour draining away rapidly into minutes, into mere seconds before that bell, the sound Severus had once enjoyed, rang out in the distance. And at once, every student in the room stood up, creating that deafening scraping noise of wood benches against stone. From his podium, Severus watched, as the teenagers before him quietly gathered up their books, and for a split-second, he considered holding them all hostage in his classroom, for no other reason beyond prolonging the time before his class of third-year Gryffindors and Slytherins came pouring in, expecting their apology.

Several times during that day, Severus had attempted to mentally come up with a rough draft of what he could _possibly _say in his 'apology' that would not sound idiotic. Nothing sounded right, everything sounded stupid and like he was practically bowing before his own students, which was most certainly _not _how this little interaction would play out. He would not ask for forgiveness, he would not say the words 'I'm sorry'. If anything, he would simply let Leviatha say everything then just add his agreement afterward, therefore saving himself from anything uncomfortable. Never before, in twelve years of teaching, had Severus felt the need to apologize for _anything _he had said or done concerning a student...or rather, never had he been _told _to apologize. He was positive it would be an experience that he would not soon want to repeat.

Within minutes, the first of the third-year class began pouring into the room, chattering spiritedly amongst themselves and glancing around as though expecting to still see residual damage from the previous day. Severus watched this from the dais, his hands clamped so tightly behind his back that several of his fingers had started to tingle with oncoming numbness. So dearly he wanted to bark out that they should sit down and shut up, open their books _now_ and stop looking around stupidly for even the smallest jar out of place along the walls. But alas, he was already on thinner ice than usual when it came to the Headmaster, so he kept his mouth shut and resigned to taking a deep breath in through his nose, sliding his eyes closed for just a second longer than a blink, to steady himself.

This was it. The third-years were all seated, their books out but unopened, as though they were ready and waiting for it. Draco Malfoy and his idiot cronies were casually seated on the front row, and while their presence normally did not bother Severus in the slightest, he had to fight an extreme urge to hex that stupid, snide smirk off the blonde boy's face as he glanced back and forth between the lectern and the open doorway.

However, the longer Severus waited for the second half of his apology to arrive, his saving grace that would say all the words for him, the more irritated he grew when the door remained perfectly empty of witches. With just his eyes, he glanced over at his desk, to the clock. '_3:03', _it read. With the muscle along his jaw ticking in irritation, Severus exhaled slowly through his nose as he turned to step behind his podium and open his own book. If she was not coming, then he was not apologizing, simple as that. It was agreed, yesterday in the Headmaster's office, that they were to offer their sentiments to the class _together, _not whenever they felt the time was appropriate.

Severus flicked the pages of his book from one side to the other with such force, one of the pages split, but he ignored this and kept going until he had reached the chapter on which they had left off the previous day. His black eyes scanned the page, noticing immediately where several splotches of now dried greenish liquid had splashed onto the open book from the explosion of glass jars and bottles behind him. His lips curled into an angry snarl as he flipped that page over.

"Turn to page ninety-seven," he growled to the rest of the room as he again stepped out from behind the podium. The sound of rustling pages then filled the dungeon classroom as Severus stepped out toward the middle of the dais. "It is unlikely..." he began, casting one last look at the doorway. "-that any of you managed to brew an adequate enough antidote to the Aging Potion I demonstrated yesterday, so you will be attempting that _same _procedure again. You will find your same partner and start over from step one," The room again hummed with low chatter and movement as the students shifted around, reconnecting with their partners from the previous day. Severus watched this from behind a blank, scowling expression, remembering clearly what sort of sensation had shot through him upon hearing that first, initial knock on the door. He could remember wishing wholeheartedly that Leviatha had waited until the end of the school day to confront him, as he had oh, so much more he wanted to say to her concerning his complaints to Dumbledore. And yet, she had so rudely demanded to speak to him '_now'. _So perfectly could he remember the spread of goosebumps that had traveled up and down his arms at the harsh, livid tone in her voice after she had thrown open his classroom door. He could remember feeling as though he were going into battle when he swept down from the platform to join the witch in the hallway.

With the students now absorbed somewhat dim-wittedly into their brewing of the assigned antidotes, Severus swept slowly between the desks, his hands tucked tightly into his pockets as he watched them distractedly. Every few minutes, he would glance at the door, having tricked himself several times into thinking he had heard the sound of clicking high heels against stone floors, but each time, his eyes would meet a continually empty threshold, causing the knot of anxiety and irritation in the pit of his stomach to tighten slightly. At one point, Severus managed to distract himself for a whole ten minutes by standing directly behind Neville Longbottom and smirking snidely to himself as he watched the boy's hands tremble noticeably and glance over his shoulder less than discretely every few seconds. However, this had only managed to keep his attention for so long before he moved on, back over toward his desk where his eyes immediately found the time on the small clock, as though magnets had drawn his gaze.

'_4:18'_

Severus blinked hard several times as he frowned heavily at the time, even counting the spaces between the small and long hand, just to be sure he was reading it right. How he had managed to spend an hour and eighteen minutes just meandering about his classroom, brooding was surprising but rather impressive to him at the same time. If only _all _of his classes passed this quickly, with so little effort. Turning back to face the rest of the classroom, Severus had just opened his mouth when his eyes instantly flew to the doorway; there she was.

Before he could stop himself, his eyes flickered downward from her face to the emerald, Slytherin green blouse she was wearing, the silver buttons that trailed down the front of it, and the high collar that framed her long neck. It was immediately obvious to him that she was incredibly uncomfortable wearing such a thing, but if he was being perfectly honest, he thought she looked rather nice, albeit a little out of character. In the doorway, Leviatha shifted her weight from one leg to the other, rather awkwardly linking her hands together in front of her black, calf-length skirt. Only a second later, he turned his attention back to the students.

"There are ten minutes remaining in this class," he announced, pulling his hands from his pockets to place one of them against the stone pillar next to him. "Whatever is in your cauldron is what I will be grading. Fill one vial, then be seated,"

From the doorway, Leviatha felt as though she could faint. With the combined fumes of nearly twenty different potions being brewed simultaneously, along with the upcoming apology she was expected to give, she had to wonder how Snape was even conscious at all after spending the last hour in that room. Taking a deep breath in through her nose, she reached out with one hand to brace the frame of the door beside her, struggling to come to grips with just what was making her so very nervous about this situation. She supposed it could have been the fact that she had been dreading it all day and the previous night, and now it was literally upon her.

Lifting her eyes back to the front of the room, Leviatha felt her stomach clench up when her gaze locked onto the black eyes of Professor Snape, where he stood perfectly still, tall and surprisingly proud at the head of his classroom. A moment later, he blinked, pulling his eyes away from her; Leviatha took that as her cue. It was time.

As she entered the room, rounding the edge of the long, bench tables, Leviatha kept her gaze resolutely ahead, knowing that if she were to even so much as glance to the side, it would confirm that every set of eyes in the room were now on her and staring as she made her way toward the place just next to the Potions Master. Up ahead of her, Snape was clearly doing his best to ignore her, pretend she wasn't even there until she was within a few feet of him and only once she had stopped next to him did he glance over at her with just his eyes.

"You're late," he muttered, his voice lowered to only be heard by her as the group of students continued stoppering their vials and clearing away their things. Leviatha exhaled heavily, grinning the most forced smile she had ever put onto her face.

"And you're an ass, but I figured we could skip the obvious statements..." she breathed, reaching up to smooth back a strand of black hair that had fallen into her face. Beside her, she could practically hear Snape rolling his eyes, so she went on, turning to face him slightly. "I wanted to wait until the last ten minutes of your class, so we could avoid dealing with any awkward questions or statements that may arise,"

Severus refrained from giving a reply for the time being, but could not stop himself from admitting privately how rather smart that was of her...and how dumb he felt for not thinking of that as well.

It seemed within moments that every student in the room had finally noticed that the second addition to the teaching staff had joined them and now every eye was trained on the two professors at the front of the room. Neville Longbottom was gaping open-mouthed at them while ladling a stream of antidote onto his book, several inches from the opening of his glass vial. Severus cleared his throat, glancing to his right where Leviatha was copying his pose, but in reverse, her hands clamped together in front of her skirt, while his were together behind his back. However, when she looked back over at him, she raised her eyebrows, silently indicating that she would like him to go first. Severus' eyes narrowed down at hers before he turned back to the classroom. _Please, let me die now..._

"It has been brought to my attention that many of you were..._disturbed _by yesterday's...occurrence..." He began, forcing himself to maintain eye contact with a few choice students. He went on, fully ready to get this over and done with. "I'd like to..." he paused again to take a deep breath and sigh heavily. Oh, how he hated this... "-_apologize..._for the disruption and assure you that it will not happen again."

The room fell absolutely silent as his deep voice trailed off, and beside him, Leviatha was quiet as well, making the urge he felt to sink into the floor almost unbearable. Gritting his teeth, Severus turned his head slowly to look across at his fellow professor as she remained perfectly still.

"Professor..." he said, carefully choosing this name over the many others flying through his brain. Leviatha looked up at him, raising her eyebrows in an innocent sort of way. "Anything you'd like to _add?" _he then asked pointedly, just before Leviatha shrugged her shoulders with a smart grin.

"Nope, I think you about covered it," she answered in a highly bright and lighthearted tone, one that only strengthened Severus' urge to outright strangle the woman right there in front of his students. However, just as he turned his head back to the class to quickly dismiss them, his eyebrows practically met in the middle of his face when several hands shot into the air.

"I hardly think I left my statement open for questions, Mister Thomas..." he explained, glancing to his right quickly where Leviatha seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself over this. "You are dismis-"

"It was bloody brilliant!" shouted Seamus Finnigan from the back row.

"Do we get to learn that stuff in seventh-year?" asked another girl. Severus couldn't remember her name at the ti-...

"Did you learn those spells at school here?"

Completely speechless at this point, Severus opened and closed his mouth, unsure where to even start handing out detentions for the outbursts, but as he turned to Leviatha, as if to silently ask for help, his scowling features relaxed into flat annoyance...The witch was smiling.

…...

"I trust you did as I asked, Severus?" Albus asked, his back turned to the younger wizard as he scanned a row of books lining the wall of his office, using the lit tip of his wand to light his search. From behind him, Severus rolled his eyes, wondering why he had even chosen to come up there in the first place. He had so dearly wanted to ask why the Headmaster had chosen to relay his complaints to Professor Dagrin, but the other half of him, the more responsible and grown half, felt it would be more wise to offer some careful words of remorse for everything that had happened the previous day. However, he was not quite ready to utter the words 'apologize' for a second time within twenty-four hours.

"Yes, sir," he answered. "Though I was the only one who said anything to the class..."

From the opposite side of the room, he heard Albus click his tongue against his teeth reproachfully. "Ah, Severus, you've never been one to be a tattle-tale," he scolded lightly, but a moment later, glanced back at him over his shoulder, the twinkling in his eyes saying very clearly that he was merely poking fun at the young man. "Why did you _really _come here? Surely not to simply report to me that you had obeyed my orders, as I already knew you had done so...?" he then continued with a carefully worded way of saying 'get to the point, I'm busy'. Taking a deep breath, Severus unfolded his arms from where they had been pinned and folded against his chest.

"I merely wanted to offer my..._regrets _on what happened yesterday..." he began, openly tip-toeing around the word 'apology'. Why couldn't he have thought of saying this same thing earlier? Already the whole school was abuzz with horribly skewed renditions of his 'most sincere' words of sorry to his class. He continued when the Headmaster said nothing. "It was most irresponsible of me to react that way when confronted with-..." At that moment, Albus chose to jump in.

"I think the more appropriate terms of remorse might be to ask in what way you could make up for it, don't you think?" he asked wisely, finally turning from the bookshelf as the result of his query came floating toward him slowly. He caught the book by the spine, raising his eyebrows as Severus looked away. "I accept your apology but I believe you owe another, to someone else..." he then added, tilting his head down slightly to peer over at the Potions Master from above the line of his glasses. Immediately, Severus shook his head.

"I am not apologizing to that woman," he practically spat. "I meant every word I said about her, and given the chance, I would say it again,"

Across from him, he watched as Albus shook his head, placing the book on his desk before he sat down in his high-backed chair. "You are a Slytherin through and though, Severus. Your pride is admirable but rather damning at times," he explained, removing his eyes from the younger wizard to glance down and open the book before him. "However, I am not _asking _you to apologize to Leviatha. I am _instructing _you treat her as you do any other teacher here- with respect. I meant what I said yesterday," Here the Headmaster paused, looking back up to narrow his gaze once again on Severus. "One more unfavorable incident between the two of you, and you both will be asked to leave. You are an important and talented professor here and you have a great duty to one of our students. But I _will not _have you blatantly and openly disrespecting a woman _I _hired. Do I make myself clear?"

By this point, Severus felt as though he had shrunk several feet and was now much smaller than he had been upon first entering the room. Dumbledore had that way about him, he had come to learn; kind and very collected, but stern and very powerful when need be. He nodded without hesitation. Albus looked back down to his book a moment later.

"I will be speaking with Leviatha about this as well, so I do not want you to think that it is only you receiving these words," he said. "But for now, I think a nice, long walk through the grounds should help you clear your head, don't you think?" With a sideways glance, Severus noticed Albus' eyes flicker to one of the tall windows, beyond which the sun had already long since gone down, leaving the grounds temptingly dark. Picking up that this was his politely worded cue to leave, Severus turned on the spot and strode to the door, without so much as a glance over his shoulder.

Walking through the castle with his internal sights set on the entrance hall doors, Severus could not help but feel slightly uneasy about the Headmaster's words, just a few minutes before. Never, since being hired, had he been threatened with losing his post, and now that he had actually heard those words leave Albus' mouth, he felt ready to admit he did not like the idea one bit. Sure, he had mentally kidded himself into wondering what it would be like to leave the school, where he would go, what sort of post he would seek elsewhere, but never had he put much store into thinking hard on it. As Albus had mentioned, he _did _have a duty to the Potter boy or rather his _mother_, and leaving would make it much more difficult to keep half an eye on him at all times, like he was doing currently. So perhaps his boss had been fairly grounded in what he had said. Perhaps...he would have to just keep his mouth shut, keep his head down and keep on keeping on, the way he had for the past twelve years.

The grounds outside were delightfully black, expansive, stretching before him, welcoming him and all the thoughts swirling about inside his mind. Severus stepped out into the open courtyard, momentarily pausing where he stood to take a deep, calming breath in through his nose before he exhaled slowly in a low groan, closing his eyes as a strong breeze blew the shorter pieces of his hair across his face. It was cold and brisk outside that night, but the several layers of clothing he wore kept him warm, pushing him onward into the darkness, where he turned right, to begin ambling down his favorite of the outdoor walkways overlooking the distant Black Lake.

The wind was stronger inside these covered but open corridors, catching the tails of his cloak and rippling it behind him, creating a soft, familiar flapping sound. Vaguely, Severus smirked to himself upon reflecting back to the day before when the leopard's claws had dragged their way down the normally strong material, shredding the fabric into long strips. It was fortunate that he did, in fact, have several identical sets of the same robes and the one that had been ruined was perfectly repairable. However, for some reason that was currently beyond him, Severus had decided against repairing it just yet, and had instead folded it up to place it inside a drawer, just in case he might need it one day to prove what had happened, who had really been at fault in that whole scenario.

Turning the corner to pass along the front side of the courtyard, Severus let his eyes drift out through the passing openings in the stone walls to the Dark Forest beyond, however, just as he placed his chilled hands into the pockets of his cloak, a sudden, unfamiliar scent reached him, causing him to take a deep breath in through his nose. The scent was strong, caustic, but laced with a sweeter scent, something like...cherry, perhaps? Pausing where he stood, Severus turned his head, frowning as he looked around for the source of the random waft of scent, however just as he did this, his frown relaxed into a flat expression when his eyes found the place of origin...Just up ahead, perched in one of the open windows sat Leviatha Dagrin, with one hand wrapped around the thin frame of the window to hold her in place, the other bringing her hand to her lips; she was smoking. From the scent of the smoke drifting down to him, Severus could tell that it was not a normal cigarette. It was something stronger-a cigar, maybe? With his curiosity getting the better of him yet again, he approached, quietly.

Leviatha jumped as a body appeared suddenly just next to her, and quickly, she moved her hand, smashing the unfinished half of her cigarillo against the stone before hiding it behind her knees as she looked up with a cough. A residual puff of smoke escaped her lips but she fanned it away quickly as her eyes fell onto the side profile of the very last person she had been hoping to see. Her eyes narrowed as Severus stepped into the frame of the window just beside her, placing both of his hands on the sill before him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it, glancing sideways down at her knees as if he could see straight through her flesh and bones to the small cigar hidden beneath them. He rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to hide that..." he said dully, his voice low and quiet, the deepest notes of it magnified slightly by the acoustics in the hallway behind them. Leviatha blinked in surprise, but cleared her throat a moment later as she pulled the cigarillo back out to roll it between her fingers lightly, somewhat awkwardly as she looked down at her lap.

"You sure?" she asked, unsuccessfully trying to keep that bite in her voice to a minimum. "I wouldn't want you to run and go tell Dumbledore that one of his teachers-..." she went on, but Severus cut on, raising his own voice to effectively interrupt.

"I've resigned to the fact that you're not going anywhere," he explained smoothly, his black eyes focused lazily, unwavering on the distant Dark Forest. A moment later, he took a deep breath in, his chest expanding slightly as he glanced over at her with just his eyes. "So I might as well get used to it..." Fully frowning now, Leviatha leaned forward in the window, staring over at him as he dropped his head to look straight down at the sheer precipice beneath the hallway.

"Are you waving a white flag, Professor?" she asked lightly, smirking as Snape inhaled deeply again through his prominent nose. His dark eyes met her gaze before he exhaled slowly.

"There is nothing good that can come from any animosity between us," he answered a few moments later, shaking his head as he again turned his gaze north toward the Forest. "You are hardly worth losing my post over," he then added bitterly. Leviatha snorted, rolling her eyes as she placed the cigarillo between her lips to relight it with a snap of her fingers.

"What a charming way with words of apology, you have, Snape..." she growled sarcastically, the smoke leaving her lungs in short puffs with each word she spoke. He looked over at her so quickly, she felt the very ends of his hair brush her fingers lightly where they gripped the narrow stone column between them. His gaze was stern and strong as he met her eyes.

"Make no mistake," he began, his voice low and somewhat dangerous. "I am not apologizing to you," Here he paused, shaking his head again. "I'm simply offering a truce, as it were,"

From beside him, Leviatha watched as he blinked slowly, the profile of his face highlighted and accented by the blueish light from the moon overhead, causing his normally black hair to look even darker and more deeply obsidian than usual. Leviatha sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she took another deep pull from the cigarillo between her fingers. She hoped her silence told him clearly that she was agreeing with him without having to actually say anything aloud.

A rather itchy, awkward silence fell between them as they continued to stare off into the dark nighttime, until several, long moments later, Leviatha nearly jumped when Snape's deep voice broke the quiet.

"Might I ask what you're smoking?"

This question caught her so off-guard Leviatha nearly fell off the window sill as she let out a short cough of surprise. "Ehhmm..." she began, furrowing her eyebrows as she glanced down the brown, rolled cigar between her fingers. "It's just a little cigar I bought in London the other day," she explained. "I don't normally smoke but-...these last few days have been particularly trying..." she then finished with a pointed glance in his direction. Severus' mouth tightened into a curved, thin line at the insinuation.

"If you knew half of the chemicals in that tobacco, I highly doubt you'd ever want to smoke again," he then stated wisely, but quickly scowled when Leviatha suddenly pushed the lit cigar toward him.

"Oh, shut it. Here-..." she snapped, continuing to hold it out in front of him, until he took it from her, his surprisingly warm fingers gracing hers vaguely as he pulled the roll of tobacco and paper from between them. With much restraint, Leviatha forced herself not to yank her hand back from the contact, but instead watch closely as he brought the cigar to his curved lips and pulled deeply on it, blinking slowly as the breeze blew a bit of the smoke toward his eyes. He handed it back to her a moment later, and Leviatha took it from him but could not bring herself to look away as a thin stream of smoke began to drift away from his mouth, as though he had done this very same thing many times before. He did not cough, nor blink hard from the smoke near his eyes, but instead cleared his throat quietly. Leviatha averted her eyes quickly when he glanced over at her, before he turned away from the opening in the stone hallway.

"Goodnight, Professor,"

These words came floating back to her, causing Leviatha to turn almost completely around in the window as she frowned at his tall, retreating figure. Professor?...Goodnight? Swinging her long legs quickly to the side, to pull them up and over the edge of the window, Leviatha stumbled slightly in her haste to stand up, tossing the last few inches of the cigar over her shoulder as she tugged her tailed black coat across the front of her long-sleeved t-shirt. Before she could stop herself, she was trotting after him, still frowning as she struggled to catch up.

"Professor," she called out.

As Severus stopped up ahead, Leviatha did the same, her black boots echoing against the wooden floor of the hallway as she came to an abrupt halt. His eyebrows raised slowly in expectation as she began walking toward him slowly, tentatively and she shrugged, tossing one of her hands.

"Do you think..." she began, forcing as much strength and confidence into her voice as she could muster. "-we could...you know, just...start over? Pretend like nothing happened?" Now within a few feet of him, Leviatha stopped, once again noting privately how much taller he appeared when she was wearing flat shoes. Across from her, Severus blank gaze betrayed just a flicker, an almost unnoticeable hint of a smirk that tugged upward ever so slightly on the very corners of his lips before he nodded once.

"Like I said-..." he started quietly, turning his back to her again slowly. "Goodnight, _Professor..."_

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Leave me a review! EYE LOOOOVE YOUUUUU -QoM


	11. Cloves and Wine

Nearly seven days had passed since the rather unfortunate, impromptu disassembling of the Potions classroom, nearly a week had slipped past them since both of their jobs had been on the line. Needless to say, both sides of the rather spontaneous truce over a cigar had been forcing themselves to remain on their very best of behavior while still maintaining the rules and boundaries for their classes. While their passings-by in the hall between lessons were somewhat uncommon, when it did so happen that one would see the other or vice versa, they would quickly find something else to look at that needed their sudden undivided attention. During the rare, less than occasional meals that Severus would actually attend in the Great Hall, Leviatha would hastily find cause to speak with a teacher sitting at the opposite end of the table from him, and would stay there until he had left the room.

For several long, obnoxious days after the legendary duel in the dungeons, rumors of the cause of the fight had been tossed around and passed from student to student like a highly contagious illness, from speculations of secret misdoings to grossly exaggerated gossip concerning a torrid, secret love affair between the two youngest teachers on staff. Leviatha had explained, less than patiently, to several of her classes that the simplest explanation was most often the correct assumption- the two teachers simply did not like each other.

Of course, Remus had found these rumors highly entertaining and had even played along with them to tease his female best friend, jokingly asking if she _did _have a secret love affair with the Potions Master that had gone awry.

"_Did something happen over the summer that you forgot to tell me about, Leviatha?" _he had asked amidst bouts of laughter.

Seeing how he had been feeling under the weather for much of the week, Leviatha had felt that it would be somewhat unfair to hex him into the next century when he was unable to properly defend himself.

However on the rare, off-handed occasion that Severus and Leviatha absolutely _had _to speak to one another, their voices remained calm, their tone forcibly polite although it was obvious to anyone nearby that the tension was still strong between them, though notably less palpable than before. There were several times when Severus had said something that left the conversation wide open for Leviatha to shoot back with a smart retort, and several times where Leviatha left herself and her teaching methods open for ridicule, but each time, both parties would keep their mouths firmly shut and simply walk away...a giant leap in the more proper direction from the week earlier.

Now, on the Friday morning following the fight, a solid seven days afterward, Severus found himself beating the increasingly familiar path to the Dark Arts classroom with a lightly smoking, emerald green goblet in hand. It burned him greatly that Dumbledore had turned him into Remus Lupin's personal 'bartender' as it were, despite the fact that he, _himself, _had agreed to do it...He supposed it was a small consolation prize that the drink in hand tasted a bit like really bad cough medicine with an acetone aftertaste...Then there was also the bit about the potion keeping the students safe and whatnot...

Being that the time stood at just after ten o'clock, Severus fully expected the sound of raucous laughter and chattering voices to reach his ears at any moment from Leviatha's likely unruly class of second-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, however, the closer he drew to the classroom, the deeper his frown grew when the air remained perfectly quiet and still. It seemed unlikely that she would have sentenced her students to quiet reading time, even though that was every teacher's favorite way to gain an hour of perfect silence, but as Severus finally reached the doorway and turned right, he paused on the threshold; the classroom was empty.

This was rather unfortunate, seeing how he had been quite looking forward to experiencing the sudden hush of quiet fall over the room when he went striding past all the desks and past their teacher without so much as a second glance in her direction, however, this room was perfectly barren of any students _or _teachers. And from the looks of it, as Severus took a few steps in, the office up the stairs was empty as well. An aggravated sigh left him through his nose as he turned from the room to go to the main staircases. Chasing Lupin, screaming '_Take your medicine, wolfman!' _had _not _been in his job description for this term.

Down one flight of stairs, Severus quickly found himself outside the werewolf-turned-teacher's quarters, where he stood waiting, after knocking loudly on the heavy wooden door. From inside the room, he could hear shuffling and movement for several long moments, however, just as he was about to pull out his wand to bewitch the goblet to float stationary in the air in his stead, the door swung open, revealing a disheveled Remus Lupin, looking more pale and weathered than usual. Severus' eyebrows furrowed slightly when he noticed deep dark rings beneath the professor's eyes. Despite how badly it appeared that he felt, the man smiled in thanks when he spotted the goblet in his hand.

"Thank you, Severus," he grumbled, taking the cup as it was offered to him. Severus was still examining his state of obvious discomfort when Lupin took a sip of the Wolfsbane potion and grimaced. "Don't suppose anything could be done about the taste, eh?" he asked with a forced grin. The Potions Master shook his head.

"Sugar will render it ineffective," he explained flatly. "And you will need to drink another of these tomorrow."

In the doorway, Lupin nodded, taking another long sip before he shook his head roughly, as though hoping to rattle the bitterness away from his taste buds. Taking that as his cue to leave, Severus turned to walk away, but paused when his former schoolmate spoke again from behind him.

"Is it supposed to leave me feeling sick...like this?" he asked, in what could almost be mistaken as a rather pitiful voice. Severus gritted his teeth with his back still turned to Lupin, sliding his eyes closed as he felt himself just a hop and a skip from caring. Turning back, he pushed one hand into the pocket of his knee-length, black tunic before producing a small vial of lime green liquid.

"Drink this when you've finished the potion," he instructed, thrusting the corked, glass tube into Lupin's hand, before he turned away quickly, to avoid seeing the poorly stifled look of surprise on the man's face.

"Er...Thanks!" called Lupin from the doorway behind him, to which Severus did not reply, and instead continued down the stairs, feeling completely disappointed in himself for displaying even the slightest hint of pity for the man.

With his teeth now grinding themselves into a powder, Severus descended the staircases with ease, relishing in the castle's temporary silence during his _one _free period, when all other classes were currently in session and any of the older students without a class that hour were tucked away in their common rooms. It was simple things like this that brought him a small amount of pleasure, and just as Severus was wondering if he could perhaps doze off in his office for the next forty-five minutes when a distant, muffled sound of laughter, from some unknown origin reached his ears. His eyebrows furrowed heavily as he turned his head in both directions, looking around but searching unsuccessfully for an immediate source of the sudden break in silence. With each step he descended, the voices grew slightly louder but remained muffled, as though coming through the very walls themselves, until he reached the middle of the last staircase, where he stopped just next to a tall window.

The sound was strongest here, and as Severus turned his head to the left, he realized why; Professor Dagrin and her class of second-years were out on the grounds, their wands drawn. They were all standing a good ways out, with the class of young students huddled together in a group while she and her dog stood before them, demonstrating something with her own wand as she spoke. Turning to the window, Severus watched as Leviatha pointed to a small boy that he could not recognize at the time being, before he stepped out ahead of the crowd of his classmates, nervously glancing about himself, gripping his wand with both hands as though the thing would save his very life. Unable to help himself, Severus removed his own wand from his sleeve and pointed it through the window, once again using his cleverly manipulated Sonorus Charm to magnify Professor Dagrin's voice, so only he could hear it.

"-just a simple flick of the wrist, Steven. Watch again," she instructed, before she reached out with her right hand, wand included, to move her wrist in the slightest of variations, which Severus immediately recognized as the movement for the disarming spell of '_Expelliarmus'_. A tiny glimmer of a smirk threatened to tug upward on the corners of his lips. _This should be entertaining..._

Leviatha was speaking again.

"I'll stand here. You stand just there and try to disarm me," she told the boy, before she took a few paces toward him, clearly to the odds that his spell might miss her. However when the boy hesitated, she laughed, nodding her head. "You're not going to hurt me, I promise. Just give it a go, then we'll let the rest of the class try."

With the boy only a few yards from Severus' Charm, he could clearly hear the boy cry '_Expelliarmus!'..._before nothing happened. That shadow of a smirk from just moments earlier grew to life when the boy dropped his arms to his side and visibly flushed a deep shade of pink that Severus could see very clearly, even from a distance. Leviatha, though, was smiling encouragingly.

"It's alright!" she exclaimed, walking toward the shorter than usual Steven. A moment later, Severus jumped slightly, pushing on his ear with one finger when Leviatha let out a loud 'SHHHH!' to silence the snickering and quietly jeering class behind the poor boy. Standing just next to Steven, the tall witch leaned down and extended her right hand. "Alright, watch closely one more time. It's just like..._this-" _

Again, she did the motion before looking sideways at the boy, who nodded more confidently this time. Walking away from him yet again, Leviatha held out her wand-wielding right hand to the side.

"Ok, Steven, on the count of three, ready?" she called. Severus raised his own wand to point it through the window in her direction. "One, two, three-"

_Expelliarmus..._

_ "Expelliarmus!"_

Down below, just as the word for the disarming spell rang out inside Severus' mind, the boy practically shouted it in perfect sync with him, one moment before Leviatha's wand went zooming out of her hand and into the grass beyond her. The class behind the boy suddenly broke into loud cheering as Leviatha laughed, clapping her hands excitedly while Steven blushed an even deeper shade of violent pink, enduring many thumpings on the back when he turned to slide back into the crowd. At this, Severus could not help but grin to himself and turn from the window to walk away, only to jump hard and practically fling his wand across the room when he found himself suddenly face to face with a smiling Headmaster, standing just behind him with his hands clasped together behind his back.

"_Damnit, _Albus," he hissed, struggling now not to let _himself _blush pink upon being caught watching the object of his recent hatred through the window. "You should know, sneaking up on me is oftentimes a rather dangerous thing to do..." he then growled, holding out his hand to retrieve his wand from where it lay a few steps below them.

Ignoring his last statement, Albus stepped past him to the window where Severus had been lurking just a moment ago, before he took a deep breath in through his crooked nose.

"Lovely morning, don't you think?" he asked in a light, somewhat wistful tone of voice, as though fully expecting Severus to come back with a cheery response of '_oh, yes, just marvelous, Headmaster!' _However, after knowing this powerful wizard for well over half of his thirty-two year existence, Severus could be almost entirely certain Albus was not _just _speaking about the weather. With this in mind, he stepped just next to the Headmaster in the window before he answered.

"It appears the same as it always does, sir," he answered blandly, hoping the older wizard understood the real meaning of his words. Beside him, Albus exhaled heavily, tilting his head to the side slightly and watching the class out on the grounds as a young girl stepped up to have a go at disarming her teacher.

"It's been rather cold as of late," he said cryptically, glancing up at the tall Potions Master beside him. "But it seems as though it's beginning to warm up, surprisingly."

At this, Severus rolled his eyes before he turned from the window abruptly. "Excuse me, but I need to go prepare for my next lesson," was all he said before he took off down the stairs, leaving the Headmaster alone.

The dungeon classroom was a heavenly retreat at the moment, blissfully empty of anyone besides himself and as Severus sat down heavily behind his desk, a long sigh escaped him in a low groan. Leave it to Dumbledore to show up out of nowhere and embarrass him by speaking in code about how 'nicely' he and Leviatha had been treating each other over the past week. Did he not know that their new found sense of 'respect' for each other was simply to avoid losing their posts? Yes, he still held to his previous complaints about the woman but after standing in that window and watching as the youngest witch on staff taught her class with what appeared to be ease, and even appeared to be enjoying it wholly, Severus could not help but feel that perhaps he had been a bit quick to judge. She did seem to have a knack for connecting with her students, gaining their trust and even _wanting _to have a relationship with them, which was something Severus had never been able to convince himself to try. Yes, he was a teacher and was rather good at it, but he had been almost forced into that position. There had never been an option for him, whereas Leviatha had _chosen _to leave her previous profession, whatever that may have been, to come teach at the school. This was not something Severus had taken into account at first. Part of him could not help but feel the slightest bit jealous of how much joy her job seemed to bring her...but _only _the slightest bit...

…...

The entrance hall rang with loud voices as Leviatha and Charlie led the rambunctious class of second-years inside from out on the grounds, the whole group of twelve year old students laughing and chattering amongst themselves, bragging about how quickly they had managed to disarm their teacher. That lesson had been her favorite by _far, _as she had finally been able to show them something hands-on, instead of keeping them cooped up in an oppressive classroom, reading from the book and having them take notes on her lectures. Vaguely, as she led the class up the stairs, Leviatha wished Snape could have somehow witnessed that lesson, seen first hand that she actually _did _know what she was doing, even if she was still fairly new at it. Yes, they had reached a stale-mate in their little war but that did not mean she had gotten over what he had said, by any means. In fact, if Leviatha could manage it, she rather hoped she could stay angry enough with him, for long enough to be able to hex him into oblivion next summer, when neither of them were at school under the watchful eye of Dumbledore.

Glancing down at her watch as they reached the Dark Arts classroom, Leviatha gasped when she noticed the time. It was already past eleven-thirty, meaning both of the Houses in her class were late for their next lessons...meaning she would be owing apologies to whichever teachers had been expecting them. As the students went back to their desks to begin packing up their things, Leviatha called out to them.

"What classes do you have next?" she asked of the group as a whole, but as nearly every voice in the room answered her at once, she held up a hand. "One person, please. Ravenclaws, where are you headed?" she then clarified, raising her eyebrows in expectation as she looked through the group for the blue emblems on their cloaks. A boy at the front table answered her.

"We have Charms next!" he exclaimed, leaving Leviatha to sigh in relief.

"Oh, that will be fine," she breathed, shaking her head. "And Gryffindors?"

Through the room, there was a quiet, collective groan; Leviatha felt her stomach sink.

"We have Potions now..." a girl nearby muttered in obvious disappointment. Despite the strong urge she felt to fall on her knees and scream 'NOOOO!' dramatically at the top of her lungs, Leviatha fought through it and instead clapped her hands together as she immediately walked to the door.

"Alright! Everyone follow me, now!" she called over her shoulder, waving her arm out beside her as she ushered the students quickly out into the hallway. "Ravenclaws, I trust you can make it to the Charms classroom without me? Steven, please explain to Professor Flitwick where you all have been. Tell him I'll be by later to apologize. Gryffindors, follow me. I'm escorting you to your Potions class..."

With each step she and the smaller gathering of students took down the stairs, Leviatha's pace quickened until she was practically running in her tall heels along the ground floor corridor, toward that terribly familiar, dingy hallway where up ahead, she could see the door to the Potions classroom standing open. Just beyond it, the half-class of Slytherin second-years were already seated, but had not opened their books, had not begun brewing anything. In fact, it looked as though they were all just sitting there quietly, in silence, _waiting. _At the door to the room, Leviatha skidded to a halt, stumbling slightly as the heel of her shoe caught in one of the divots in the stone floor, just before her stomach fell clear to her ankles.

Across the room, Severus Snape was seated behind his desk, leaning back in his leather, high-backed chair, the tips of his fingers pressed together lightly in front of him as his elbows rested on the arms on either side of him. His eyebrows slowly started to raise, his eyes already fixed on her as she was sure he had heard her running through the hallway just a moment before her less than graceful entrance. Pulling her gaze away from him, Leviatha reached behind her, shifting to the side to usher her students into the classroom.

"Well, class, I guess we can get started now that Gryffindor House has decided to join us," he said to the room in a _highly _false pleasant voice, one that practically dripped of sarcasm. As he stood from his chair, Leviatha took a few steps into the room, shaking her head breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, Professor," she breathed, glancing to the side where the Gryffindor second-years were now seating themselves in their normal places. "We were outside on the grounds and...I lost track of time,"

"Yes, you did," he growled in reply.

As Snape swept past her toward his lectern, Leviatha had been about to snap back with something ill-advised but instead, caught a strong whiff of something she had not smelled before, something that smelled remarkably like cloves or some other spice...anise, perhaps...She took a deep breath in through her nose before she could stop herself; she felt like fainting. When she opened her eyes, it took a great deal of effort not to flinch when she found him standing just a foot away, directly in front of her, his eyes narrowed without even the slightest hint of amusement on his face. When she blinked, his eyebrows slowly started to arch sharply atop his eyes.

"So...you'll just be going then," he put smoothly, the inflection in his voice making this a demand rather than a request. When Leviatha did not move at first, he continued, leaning toward her by only an inch. "Unless you'd like to linger and waste even _more_ of this class' time?" With a slight jump, as though he'd just pinched her, Leviatha turned away and strode from the room without so much as even a glance back over her shoulder and continued, quickly, until she had reached the corner beyond the dark hallway. She stopped there and leaned back against the wall, exhaling heavily as she pushed a few strands of her black hair away from her face. _What the hell just happened?_

…...

As the very last of his students for the day trickled out of the dungeon classroom, Severus watched them go from behind his lectern, waiting, listening for the last of the voices to dwindle off down the hallway before his elbows met the wooden podium and his face fell into his hands. The shorter pieces of his black hair slipped between his fingers and stayed there as he exhaled heavily against his palms. It had been an abnormally interesting yet taxing day, one that left him feeling extraordinarily weary, even more so than he usually did, which made the upcoming dinner, one that he absolutely _had _to attend, sound like some cleverly devised way to annoy him into madness. He was fairly certain he knew what Dumbledore was going to announce to the school, had even asked him about it the previous day but yet he _still _had to go, even if to just make an appearance. Perhaps he could just slip out undetected right after the 'announcement'...

Just an hour later, Severus found himself seated at the very far end of the staff table, in the exact same seat in which he had been sitting on the first night of the term, and despite how hard he had struggled to make it so this wouldn't happen, there was _one _empty chair at the table, directly between himself and Minerva McGonagall...Leviatha had not arrived for dinner yet...Every few minutes, he found himself glancing at the doors to the Great Hall, just waiting, expecting the witch to come through in some flourish of an entrance, attracting every eye in the room, just as she had on the night of September the first. However, once the meal had begun, Severus started to hope the woman might not attend, only to scowl deeply when out of nowhere, the previously missing witch plopped down, less than gracefully, into the chair just next to him. She was beaming from ear to ear about something as she pulled up to the table.

"Oh, you saved me a seat next to you!" she exclaimed and at first, Severus thought she had been speaking to Minerva on her left, however when he looked askance towards her, he rolled his eyes when he found Leviatha grinning sarcastically up at him. Clearing his throat, he placed his glass of wine on the table before him just as she began to fill her own.

"It was the only chair with a trap-door beneath it..." he growled quietly in reply, keeping his eyes fixed on the back of the room as the young witch next to him coughed into her glass in a surprised laugh.

"Leviatha," came Minerva's voice from the other side of her. "I trust you've been to see Filius about his late-comers this afternoon?" she then asked curtly. Severus heard Leviatha let out a sigh from beside him.

"Yes, _mother..." _she grumbled in reply. "I went to apologize right after my classes ended."

"Speaking of your _mother..." _Minerva cut in, fully prepared to start some other branch of meaningless conversation. However as a small group of students from Gryffindor House came bounding toward the staff table, she quieted, raising her thin eyebrows in expectation. "Is there something I could assist you with?" she asked of them. Unable to help himself, Severus turned his head to watch as a the youngest, smallest girl in the group spoke up, her gaze flickering to Leviatha beside Professor McGonagall.

"Actually..." the girl started somewhat nervously. "We wanted to ask Professor Dagrin something?"

Leaning forward, Leviatha rested her forearms on the table, linking her fingers together in front of her. "Yes, Miss. Alexander?" she asked lightly, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as the group of girls giggled obnoxiously amongst themselves.

"We were just wondering..." the same girl started, glancing behind herself to where her classmates nodded encouragingly. "Do...do you know how to transform into a lion?" she asked after a few moments, blushing a deep crimson as Leviatha's shoulders straightened slowly, her back going rigid as she sat up in her chair. From the hesitation he sensed, Severus could guess the younger professor was just a second away from lying.

"Yes, I do," she answered, truthfully, after a brief pause. "Why do you ask?"

Again, the group of young girls burst into giggles. Severus picked up his half-empty glass of wine to take an unnecessary sip, in an effort to hide his smirk at Leviatha's obvious discomfort beside him.

"Well...we were wondering if...See, we have a Quidditch match tomorrow against Ravenclaw and...well, if it's not too much trouble we were wondering if you could come to the pitch as a lion and...be our mascot?"

At this, Severus had to put down his glass and turn his head away from the exchange, swallowing hard on his mouthful of wine before he ended up spitting it across the table in both surprise and sheer amusement. Beside him, there was an almost palpable hum of annoyance as Leviatha shifted in her chair.

"Ladies, I would sooner eat my wand than I would be a mascot for Gryffindor House," the witch said in a curt, rather bitter voice; the same voice Severus found himself bewildered to have missed hearing over the past month. "And I am offended that you would even _consider _asking me to do such a thing. Now, off you go."

As the group of girls scurried away toward their House table, casting hurt and flabbergasted glances back over their shoulders, Leviatha reached out for her glass of wine before tipping it back and downing the rest of the liquid in one. Severus watched this from the corner of his eye, smirking to himself as he listened to Minerva hiss Leviatha's name reproachfully under her breath; clearly this woman carried as much pride and self-contentment as any Slytherin did. He could not help but feel the slightest bit proud to be her Housemate.

"That was a bit harsh, Leviatha." Minerva was scolding quietly from beside her. "They're just little girls, you could have said something nicer."

From just next to him, Leviatha tutted rather loudly as she refilled her glass with deep red wine. "You kidding?" she asked. "That _was _nice! I didn't use the term 'bleeding idiots' once, did I?"

There was another noise of disapproval from Minerva, just as Severus' smirk expanded into what could _almost _be mistaken as a sneering grin. _A true Slytherin, through and through..._

At that moment, every chattering voice in the Great Hall quieted when the Headmaster stood from his chair in the middle of the staff table to round the edge, stepping toward his grand, winged podium in the center of the dais. At once, every student's eye was on him, waiting and wondering what he could possibly have to say. Somewhat unfortunately, the hushed quiet extended to the staff table, instantly silencing the rather entertaining bickering from the two ladies nearest to Severus.

"Good evening!" The Headmaster's voice boomed out through the room, magically enhanced and magnified so that every being could hear him properly. "I trust the first half of your term has been both enlightening and exciting! There are just a few things I'd like to announce-"

At this point, with his momentary source of entertainment dashed, Severus found himself zoning out, unable to focus his foggy mind on any one thing for too long, which was highly unlike him. Normally he could hone in on something and stay there fixated for however long he needed to, but this night was different somehow. He could not place his finger on it but he was feeling more weary and tired than usual, as he had noticed earlier. However now, this exhaustion had grown and increased tenfold, making him feel as though he could slump right over in the chair and go straight to sleep. Blinking hard a few times, he straightened his shoulders, again forcing his eyes and ears to the Headmaster.

"As you all know, Halloween is just a week away-..."

Movement in the periphery of Severus' vision caught his attention, pulling his gaze away from Dumbledore's back, down to the table in front of him to where his eyes found the source of the disturbance. Next to him, Leviatha was leaning forward with her forearm resting against the table, just a few inches from his own, her hand outstretched toward her wine glass, gliding the tips of her fingers along the side of the neck. Slowly, lazily, up and down...up and down. Unable to tear his gaze away, Severus watched the subtle movement with half-lidded eyes, entranced as she lightly traced the long, slender stem of her glass. The motion of her fingers was hypnotic, so soothing and rhythmic, lulling him into a mesmerized trance. After a few moments, her forefinger and thumb joined the spellbinding dance, gripping either side of the round stem to stroke the glass up and down. Eternally up and down. Her movements would taper off as she reached the bowl at the top of the neck, only to brush down to the wide foot at the bottom, the heat from her fingers leaving hazy steam marks against the cool, clear glass.

Captivated as he was by the swaying motion, Severus almost crawled out of his skin as a sensation he had not felt in quite a while shot through him. A stab of a near forgotten response caught him in the very lowest place in his gut, as though someone had just yanked hard on the inside of his hips. A tightening spasm shot across his lower torso, causing him to shift rather uncomfortably where he sat, while his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Unless he was mistaken, and he was not often wrong, the temperature in the Great Hall had just risen dramatically. Flushing heat began to crawl along his back, down his arms and up his neck, causing his normally comfortably warm robes and tunic to feel stiflingly oppressive. Glancing down again at Leviatha's hand just next to him, he cleared his throat and shifted in his chair a second time when her fingers once again slid down the neck of her glass. How desperately he wanted to reach out and grab her wrist to make her stop.

What was going on with him? It was bewildering that one simple action could do such things to his mind and body. Had he completely lost all semblance of control over his thoughts? The witch wasn't even _doing _anything the slightest bit suggestive, merely stroking the stem of her glass, distracted, as she watched the Headmaster speak, just like she would at any other time, sitting next to any other teacher...right?

_Just tired...Just need to sleep... _he assured himself.

Taking a deep breath in through his nose, Severus blinked hard another few times, forcefully dragging his eyes away from Leviatha's moving fingers to where Dumbledore was finally reaching the point of his small speech.

"We will be holding a costume party on Halloween night!"

From the massive gathering of students, a general murmur of excitement spread through the room, during which Severus heard Leviatha mumble "What?", annoyed, from beside him. Her fingers thankfully stopped moving. He exhaled heavily, turning his head away from her to quickly run his hand through the front of his hair. Why was he starting to sweat?

"I simply request that your costumes be appropriate and ask that you speak with your Head of House if you should have any concerns on whether or not your costume will be acceptable. Classes will end one hour earlier than usual on Friday the-"

Severus' nerves were now completely frayed and shot to pieces, making him feel uncharacteristically on edge, and when something brushed against his leg beneath the table, he jumped so hard, he could swear he completely left his chair for a half a second. Just beside him, Leviatha had just finished un-crossing and re-crossing her legs and had obviously felt her foot brush ever so gently against the back of his calf muscle as she leaned toward him.

"Sorry, Professor..." she breathed in a whisper just next to his shoulder just a moment before Severus erupted into goosebumps, from under his hair, down the back of his neck all the way down to his ankles. Stifling a shiver with great difficulty, he ignored her apology but merely kept his eyes on Dumbledore, now painfully aware that his heart had begun banging relentlessly against the inside of his ribcage. Suddenly, he was no longer tired, though he still felt an unrelenting desire to be as alone as humanly possible.

As the Headmaster stepped away from his podium, leaving a loud din of chattering and voices behind him in the massive room as every student stood from their tables, Severus rose quickly from his chair without hesitation, moving immediately toward the massive throng of students. They scattered from his path, as just the determined air about his gait was enough to move them out of his way but as Severus neared the doors to the Great Hall, he could not stop himself from sparing one last glance over his shoulder, to the staff table far behind him. Even from a distance, he could clearly see a mildly confused frown forming on Professor Dagrin's face as she watched him retreat.

The door to Severus' quarters slammed shut behind him as he strode into the room, immediately reaching to remove his robes and yank free the stifling, black cravat from against his throat. Tossing both items to the floor carelessly, he moved further into the room, exhaling heavily as he began undoing the row of buttons down the middle of his chest. Once undone, he hastily slid the oppressively warm tunic from his shoulders, before throwing it blindly across the room. Now in only his white undershirt and black pants, Severus promptly threw himself onto the wonderfully cool leather couch across from the empty fireplace, groaning as he dropped his head back against the cushions behind him. His eyes slid closed as he unwillingly replayed the sort of sensation and thoughts that had shot through his mind upon watching the young witch's fingers travel along her wine glass.

There was no denying that it had affected him, in _more _ways than one, but _why _remained a complete mystery to him. Yes, he was tired, and _yes, _it had been quite a while since he had experienced anything even remotely sensual with a woman, but for one simple action to impact him that greatly was just reprehensible to him. With another groan, Severus cringed into the empty, somewhat stale air around him, unable to stop his hand from dropping to rest over what he had been trying _so _hard to prevent all night. His grip tightened ever so slightly, causing his hips to buck instinctively beneath his hand, just before he stood abruptly from the couch, shaking his head hard from side to side in an attempt to clear his mind. No, there would be _none_ of that, _especially_ not when the most recent object of his hatred was still floating near the forefront of his mind.

Striding quickly across the room, Severus reached his personal brewing table, clumsily and hastily moving random papers, vials, knives and forgotten ingredients out of the way before his hands stumbled onto a long wooden box. Opening it, a vast array of corked vials greeted him. Grabbing one of the longer of the tubes, one of the five filled with a cool, pale purple liquid, he pushed off the cork with his thumb before drinking the entire vial in one quick swig. If a flawlessly brewed Calming Draught could not soothe and relax his nerves, then perhaps Severus was a bit worse off than he had originally estimated.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Aw, poor Severus. So oppressed. ; ] Hope you liked this chapter! Have no fear, those of you who enjoy a good conflict between characters. Severus and Leviatha's days of disagreements are far from over... Please leave a review or 'comment', whatever they're being called. Haha Eye Wuv Yewww -QoM


	12. Unfavorable Encounters

Bright, glaring sunlight greeted Leviatha as she forced open her eyes, squinting heavily as the offensive beams fell across her bed from the large circular window behind it. A low growling noise was coming from just beside her, and upon turning onto her side, a sleepy grin met her lips as her eyes fell onto a snoozing Charlie near the foot of her bed. At some point in the night, he had flopped over onto his back and was now laying there, sprawled out with all four legs in the air. For a few moments, Leviatha watched him, smirking to herself as the dog's deep chest moved up and down slowly with each breath and his tail twitched in his sleep. Then another moment later, her grin disappeared into a slightly confused frown as her mind replayed snippets of the previous night, in the Great Hall.

For a while, upon getting into bed just eight hours earlier, she had lay there, pondering all the possible reasons for Professor Snape's random and hasty exit, almost the exact moment the Headmaster had finished speaking. After several long minutes of wondering if perhaps he had forgotten about a particularly dangerous potion he had left brewing, or if maybe he had just simply wanted to get away from her quickly, Leviatha had decided she did not care. She had then fallen asleep and stayed that way, miraculously until now, where she lay on her side, debating possible ways to wake Charlie up.

Under the heavy blankets, Leviatha pointed her toes, biting her bottom lip to keep from giggling as she scooted her foot toward the dog, until she could poke him lightly in the ear. With a jump, Charlie rolled onto his side, growling from his throat as he forced one eye open to glare up at his owner. His tail then began to thump sleepily against the bed as he turned over to begin crawling on his belly up toward her. Leviatha opened her arms, laughing quietly as the dog slumped against her and turned over onto his back again to stretch his long legs out in the air.

"Good morning, darling Charlie..." she murmured, using her short fingernails to scratch the length of his spotted tummy. "Did you sleep good?" In response, Charlie tilted his head to the side to lick Leviatha's chin, while his tail wiggled back and forth against the blankets, creating a soft swishing noise. "Me too," she answered, inhaling deeply through her nose before a heavy yawn nearly split her face in half. "What should we do today?" she then asked a few moments later, once her mouth had closed again. From between her arms, Charlie again turned his head to look up at her, his round, chocolate brown eyes watching her, listening as she began naming ideas. "We could...take a walk around the lake? Maybe Remus will be feeling well enough to join us?"

At the mention of 'walk' and 'Remus', Charlie sat up, whining in excitement as his tail began hammering the bed beneath him and with a laugh, Leviatha joined him, pushing herself up from her warm, comfortable place amidst her sea of pillows to stand from the bed.

"Alright, we'll do that," she answered. "Let me just get ready then we'll go get some breakfast."

After glancing at the time to find that it was still before nine, Leviatha decided it would just be easiest to toss her hair up into a high, messy bun and dress in a pair of black jeans and long-sleeved shirt. She would likely be coming right back to her room after breakfast so she figured she could pay more attention to her outfit and appearance after she had eaten something and had some coffee.

As Leviatha stepped out into the hallway with Charlie at her side, it came as no surprise that only a handful of students were awake at this hour on a Saturday morning, but she figured it would not be long before the Great Hall was alive and humming with activity. She knew Gryffindor had their first match of the Quidditch season that morning and that it would only be a matter of time before the abnormally rambunctious House of students and players were all downstairs dressed in their crimson and gold, cheering and laughing, making an extraordinary amount of noise. Therefore, it was fortunate she had decided to make herself scarce that day.

While Charlie left her side to trot out onto the ground and relieve himself, Leviatha turned right into the Great Hall, smirking to herself as she once again thought back to the previous night when Snape had practically run from the room. She was just wondering if he had managed to take care of whatever problem he had been seeking to solve when her eyes flew to the head of the room, to the staff table. Her stomach dropped when her gaze found the very man on topic sitting in the chair just to the left of Albus Dumbledore, who sat poking through his oatmeal for those prized golden raisins. Beside him, Snape was not eating, unsurprisingly, but was instead perusing the inside section of that day's issue of the Daily Prophet while two tea bags steeped in a mug of steaming hot water in front of him. Leviatha forcefully avoided his eyes as he glanced up from the paper when he must have heard her approaching. Instead, she smiled warmly at Professor Dumbledore as he set down his spoon.

"Good morning, Leviatha," he greeted her serenely, blinking placidly from behind his glasses as she rounded the table to sit in Minerva's usual place on his right. "Have a nice sleep?"

Pulling a mug toward her, Leviatha nodded, sighing contentedly as she reached out for the hot thermos of coffee waiting for her; the House Elves had apparently learned to put some out every morning.

"Yes, I did," she answered, glancing over at Albus as she poured a small measure of cream into her mug of dark, strong coffee. "And yourself?" she then asked him, again ignoring the rustling of the newspaper from the opposite side of the Headmaster.

"Oh, I slept just fine," he replied, nodding as he resumed his search of the oatmeal. "I was given a pair of socks as a gift over the summer, ones that supposedly change color according to the type of dream the wearer is having while asleep. Needless to say, I was not awake to witness this but I plan on trying again tonight. A most peculiar pair of socks, don't you think?" he asked, his eyes twinkling as he watched Leviatha snort a laugh into her mug.

"Most odd, Professor," she answered with a grin.

"Severus was just telling me about the Gryffindor girls who asked you to be their mascot last night," Albus said a few moments later, leaning back in his chair to motion at the tall, dark, brooding Professor on his left. Turning her head, Leviatha's gaze narrowed into a glare when she noticed Severus glance over with just his eyes, while he reached out to pick up his mug of tea to take a long sip.

"Wow," she murmured, shaking her head. "That man just cannot keep me out of his mouth can he?" she then asked rather off-handedly of Albus, but only to frown and look back over to Snape when he let out a louder than usual clearing of his throat and set down his mug with a bit more force than necessary. A second later, Leviatha cringed, struggling not to flush pink at her slight faux-pas. _Oh, that didn't sound right, did it_...Fortunately, either Albus did not catch her slip of the tongue or was ignoring it as he turned his head to grin at her.

"I don't blame you for not agreeing to it, Leviatha," he said kindly. "You are a Slytherin. It would be nearly blasphemous for you to agree to such a thing."

Returning the smile, Leviatha let her eyes glance past Dumbledore to where Snape had just looked over, scowling as though he had been fully expecting a different outcome from what he had told the Headmaster. It took a great deal of effort not to stick her tongue out at him.

"Thank you, Professor," she told Albus.

With the table now settled back into a peaceful silence, Leviatha's eyes scanned the vast room before her, flickering from one table to the other, from one student to another before she noticed Charlie trotting into the entrance hall beyond the grand doors to the Great Hall. Her eyebrows began to furrow in confusion when she saw how hard his tail was wagging, for some unknown reason. Beside her, Albus seemed to notice the same thing.

"Well, what is he so excited about?" he asked quietly, and Leviatha had just opened her mouth to respond that she had no idea, when a tall, older witch suddenly stepped into the visible space of the entrance hall, glancing about herself and reaching out to place her hand on top of Charlie's head as he stepped up next to her. With an ungraceful start, Leviatha suddenly leaped up out of her chair, nearly knocking it over backward.

"Oh my god..." she groaned, completely foregoing her usual, proper route of walking around the end of the long staff table and instead, launched herself over it, knocking over several empty glasses in her haste. Nearly sprinting up the aisle between the two middle House tables, Leviatha watched up ahead as the witch turned her head, before she grinned and shifted to face her, just a second before she skidded to a halt a foot or two from the woman.

"What are you _doing _here?" Leviatha hissed, glancing behind her into the Great Hall, where she could clearly see both Snape and Dumbledore watching the exchange with opposite facial expressions; Albus was smiling while Snape scowled in confusion. The witch's grin faded slowly into a look of slight contempt as her eyes grazed over Leviatha's messy bun of hair and the somewhat wrinkled white shirt she was wearing.

"Well, I'm sure you've been busy but you couldn't spare a moment to properly greet your mother?" Lucinia asked, arching one of her sharp eyebrows as Leviatha groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"Hello, _Mother..."_ she grumbled a hasty obligatory greeting before asking her original question a second time. "What are you _doing _here?"

As several groggy students walked past the two witches into the Great Hall, they shifted to the side, while Leviatha glanced behind her, to see if those same teenagers were now looking back over their shoulders and whispering. Fortunately, it seemed they were still too close to a state of sleep-walking to notice much of anything. Turning back to her mother, she noted a look of slight confusion on her older but still admittedly striking face.

"I've come to watch the match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw with Minerva," she answered, using that crisp, dignified tone Leviatha had grown to so dislike, only because she tended to mimic it subconsciously while around her. A moment later, her mother smiled, reaching up to pat Leviatha's blushing cheek. "And see _you _of course, dear."

"Oh, well, how thoughtful of you..." she mumbled, hooking her hand beneath her mother's arm to pull her from the entry way to the Great Hall, practically dragging her along toward the hallway leading to her quarters. "I sure wish you'd at least warned me you were coming." she then murmured, thinking vaguely of how Snape was sure to find this most amusing.

"Funny you should say that, Leviatha," the older witch began, shifting her large white handbag from one forearm to the other, her heels clicking along the stone floors alongside her daughter's flat shoes. "I seem to remember sending you several notices of my visit, without any reply. Have all the school owls fallen ill, I wonder?" she asked, pausing just beside Leviatha as they stopped outside the heavy door to her quarters. However as she rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to answer, the woman frowned, turning her head to glance at their more dimly lit surroundings. "Good heavens!" she exclaimed, using both hands to pull the edges of her outer coat against her neck. "Why on earth are your quarters all the way in the dungeons? It's_ awful _down here! Surely they could have made room on one of the upper floors..."

"I _chose_ to stay down here," Leviatha answered flatly, pushing open the door to her room. As the messy interior met them, she rushed inside, hastily leaning down to pick up random articles of clothing, throwing them haphazardly across the room into the bin where she kept her previously worn items. Her mother stepped inside behind her, her short, pointed nose crinkled lightly as her brown eyes scanned the room, as if searching for something she could complain about. Just another moment later, she found something worthy of a thorough nit-picking and walked toward the open wardrobe, peering inside.

"Oh, Leviatha,_ please _tell me you haven't been wearing these tiny dresses to teach your classes..." she groaned, flicking through the hanging outfits with two fingers. With all the dirty clothes now tossed into a pile in the bin across the room, Leviatha rolled her eyes, plopping down onto the foot of her bed, just next to Charlie.

"There's nothing wrong with my dresses, Mother," she answered in a groan, falling onto her back with her long legs hanging over the raised frame at the end of the bed. "Dumbledore even said they were fine, so..."

"Albus Dumbledore is too kind," she murmured, turning from the wardrobe, to once again pick up her purse and bring it over to where Charlie was watching her interestedly. The witch smiled at the dog as he began to wag his tail furiously back and forth, smacking Leviatha in the face with it a few times. "My precious Charles, Grandmummy has brought something for you!"

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, Leviatha watched her dog practically come unglued as his 'grandmother' reached into her purse, to pull out a tiny, miniaturized version of a stuffed animal of some sort. With a quiet pop, the toy sprang back to it's full size, revealing the shape to be that of a brown and tan monkey, complete with a tail and tiny round ears that Leviatha was positive Charlie would rip off in no time at all. However for the time being, Charlie nearly wiggled himself to pieces as he sat up to gingerly and delicately take the stuffed animal from her, as though it were made of glass, before he set it down momentarily, to lean up and lick a light kiss against the woman's cheek.

"Ah, you're welcome, darling," she cooed, patting him lightly on his spotted head before she turned to her daughter. "So you'll join us at the pitch this morning? It should be an excellent match, even though your precious _Slytherin _isn't playing..." Her voice trailed off somewhat bitterly, oozing with contempt for her old House's rival, which only served to make Leviatha grin when her mother turned her back.

"I have a lot of grading to catch up on," she answered in a rather lame excuse a few moments later as she stood up from the bed, to cross the room toward her vanity near the bathroom. "So I'm afraid I'll have to miss it, Mother...It's a shame, I know." As she sat down on the small, cushioned seat in front of the mirror, she picked up one of her silver hairbrushes to begin brushing through her tangled mess of hair, but jumped, cringing as her mother swooped in, swatting her hands away from the high, knotted bun on her head.

"Oh, nonsense. You can make time to come watch the match with your mother," she replied with a shake of her head. "It wont take all day. Gryffindor should win it fairly easily. Minerva tells me that Harry Potter is our Seeker!" With a rough yank, Lucinia tugged hard on the piece of elastic holding her daughter's hair in place, ignoring the slight shriek of pain to begin brushing her way through the long, nearly waist length black hair.

From behind gritted teeth, Leviatha answered, "Yeah, he's a bloody Quidditch prodigy apparently, just like 'is blessed fathe-", only to cry out and practically slide onto the floor when her mother's brushing found a particularly stubborn knot. Glancing in the mirror, she could see that her mother's mouth had just opened, in what she could only expect to be a scolding on not speaking ill of the dead, however, at that moment, _thankfully, _the door to her quarters swung open, just a second before Minerva came flying into the room. She looked more excited than she had since the term had started and as both women squealed like teenage girls, Leviatha ignored them, quickly picking up the brush her mother had just dropped to hurry through the rest of her hair before she could return to ripping through it.

"Lucy! I'm so glad you made it!" Minerva was squealing in a highly uncharacteristic way. Leviatha could not help but smirk to herself and wonder vaguely how her fellow professors would react to hearing their normally stoic, curt colleague acting this way.

"Well, of _course_ I made it!" her mother was replying with a very girlish giggle. "I couldn't miss Gryffindor's first match of the season, could I?"

At this, Leviatha cut in, rolling her eyes. "Also couldn't miss dropping in to visit her favorite little afterthought!" she squealed to them, clasping her hands together beneath her chin in a mock imitation of their jovial greeting. Both of the older witches rolled their eyes as Lucinia returned to her daughter's head, where she used her pinky finger nail to separate a clean parting off to the side of her forehead.

"Yes, I was just telling my dear daughter that I'd like her to join us at the pitch, Minnie," her mother explained. If she hadn't been cringing so hard beneath her mother's near superhuman, tight braiding, Leviatha would have laughed out loud at Minerva's supposedly _highly _secret nickname from her school days. "I think it might be good for her to get out of the dungeons for an afternoon."

"Indeed..." Minerva answered pointedly, her eyebrows relaxing as she and Leviatha shared a private, quick conversation with just their eyes. If she could make it through the rest of this afternoon without one mention of the duel between herself and Snape, it would be a true miracle.

…...

The inside of Severus' office greeted him in the same, quietly burbling way as always, the sound of several simmering cauldrons along the far wall welcoming him back into his perfect hideaway. After spending the past half hour talking with Albus, he had left the Great Hall the moment it began to fill with groggy students and had gladly retreated to his quiet haven, to get away from all the noise in order to think and be alone. The previous night, it had been almost entirely necessary to forcefully sedate himself into unconsciousness, unwilling and unable to quiet his mind from all the thoughts and reflections on everything that had happened after dinner. His...'problem' had gone unresolved through the remainder of the night and had even been standing perfectly upright, waiting defiantly for him that morning when he woke. However, it was nothing a freezing cold shower couldn't solve, though the failure to settle the issue was making him feel pent-up, itchy and irritable. Of course, seeing the woman, the very one who had caused the disturbance to his carefully controlled routine, at breakfast that morning had not exactly helped, either...

After checking the state of his long-brewing potions at his personal work table, Severus dropped into his chair behind the desk, linking his fingers together across his middle as he closed his eyes. A long slow sigh escaped him, heaving his lean chest as he considered possible things to do that day. It was somewhat unfortunate that he had caught up on his marking of papers as that would have been a perfect excuse to stay hidden away in his office all day. Floating through all possible options that did not involve subjecting himself to Quidditch or anything near other people, Severus' mind drifted back and forth between his office and the Great Hall, mentally exploring the castle for possible ideas. However, as he remembered the strange, random appearance of that mystery woman, and the rather surprising way in which Leviatha had reacted to her, his eyebrows began to furrow. Who was that? From his somewhat distant vantage point, it appeared that the woman did not look old enough to be her mother, yet not young enough to be her sister. Perhaps it was-

Suddenly a loud, abnormally sharp knocking at the closed door to his office caused Severus to lift his head from where it had been rested against the back of his chair. That scowl of contemplation deepened as he opened his eyes to focus them on the inside of the door. He hesitated, waiting through the silence for the knocker to either speak or rap again on the wood, and after just a few moments, the harsh noise occurred again, this time unrelentingly, one crisp crack after the other. With a quiet groan of annoyance, Severus stood from his comfortable chair to sweep across the room to the door. As he pulled it open, his furrowed eyebrows relaxed as his eyes fell onto a tall, blonde wizard just on the other side, a silver, snake-headed cane raised in his hand and moving back and forth as though still knocking, despite the fact that the door was now open.

"Lucius Malfoy," Severus greeted him, his velvety voice bearing deep yet flat undertones into the hallway beyond his visitor. The cane stopped moving and slid back into place against the ground so the man could lean lightly on it as he welcomed himself into the office. Severus shut the door behind him, turning to watch as he stepped further into the room. "To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?" he asked in obvious sarcasm.

"Severus, you act as though I'm not welcome... That's not like you at all," Lucius replied with equal cynicism, grimacing somewhat distastefully at the many, varied jars lining the walls behind the desk before he helped himself to the comfortable chair in which Severus had just been sitting. "I've just been to have a word with the old man about his appointment of that oaf, Hagrid, to the Magical Creatures post. As you know, Draco has already sustained an..._injury _while attending class."

With great effort, Severus fought back a smirk upon reflecting on the blonde boy's copious tears after being merely scratched by a Hippogriff. Instead, he lowered himself into one of the two seats opposite his now occupied desk chair.

"Yes, I'm sure you've already made quite a fuss at the Ministry," he replied, watching now as Lucius reached out to somewhat absentmindedly shift a few papers to the side from where they lay atop the desk.

"You cannot blame me for that, though, can you?" Lucius asked, raising his blonde eyebrows. "The very last place that..._freak of nature_ needs to be is teaching a class full of students, as evidenced by my son's mutilated arm. So for that, I'm seeing to it that his 'pet' is terminated." he then ended, in a very light tone of voice as though suggesting he merely planned to throw a rock through the half-giant's window.

Across from Lucius, Severus forcefully kept his face passive and indifferent, even though, in all honesty, he felt the man was being a bit unfair; personally, he thought Hagrid had been doing a standard job of teaching. If only he could somehow bring up all of Leviatha's inadequacies in the classroom and somehow convince Lucius to go after her job as well...Then again, the woman had been marginally less intolerable as of late. Vaguely, he wondered how Lucius would react to hearing that a werewolf had been teaching at the school, but opted against telling him; why, he could not be entirely sure at the present.

On the opposite side of the desk, Severus watched as Lucius stood from the chair, leaning lightly on his ridiculous cane with one black, leather gloved hand. "No, I don't know how you manage it, Severus...living here all the time, without any of the..._comforts _of a true home life." he was saying somewhat haughtily as he walked to the door, once again casting dark, rather unimpressed glances around at the inside of Severus' outer office. From the inflection in his old 'friend's' voice, he was almost positive he knew the underhanded insinuation to Lucius' definition of the word '_comforts'. _Rolling his eyes, Severus followed Lucius to the door of the office, where he opened it for him, more than ready to be alone again.

"One learns to get by, Lucius," he answered silkily, moving to the side so Malfoy Senior could move past him out into the hallway.

"Clearly..." Lucius grumbled, stepping up next to him to peer through the open doorway out into the empty corridor beyond it. When he realized that he was silently being excused, he turned to face the tall Potions Master with a frown. "Oh, come now, Severus, don't just throw a man out. Have you no manners? Or has living alone, shut up in your cave ruined your sense of propriety? Come, walk an old friend to the doors, at least."

Reluctantly, Severus followed Lucius out into the hallway, rolling his eyes; that was awfully rich of him to say, seeing how he had not asked nor even wished privately for the intrusion. As they walked, Severus glanced over at the slightly older man with his pointed nose held aloft, momentarily glancing down at the elaborate silver, serpentine pins holding his lavish black cloak in place against his embroidered green and silver vest. _What a prick..._he couldn't help but think to himself. Against his better judgment, Severus opened his mouth to ask a question.

"Have you seen your son today?" he inquired, purely for the sake of conversation and to settle a personal bet that Lucius Malfoy cared more about having Hagrid fired than he cared about the well-being of Draco. To his expectation, Lucius shook his head.

"No, I haven't. I just assumed he was off doing something ill-advised, like any good Slytherin sh-," When Lucius voice suddenly stopped mid-word, Severus frowned and glanced over in mild confusion, but only to notice the man's eyes were now fixed on what seemed to be the middle of the entrance hall. Following his line of vision to the source of his fixation, Severus' eyebrows relaxed into slight annoyance; Leviatha and the mystery woman were standing there, chatting quietly between themselves. Lucius reached out blindly with one hand to his left, his eyes still fixed on the women as he gripped Severus' sleeve between his gloved fingers. "_Who _is _that?" _he asked quietly. Gritting his teeth, Severus pulled his arm from Lucius' loose grip.

"That's-" he started to answer but as Lucius took a step toward the women, he groaned quietly, following suit.

Leviatha turned her head as the sound of approaching footsteps neared her and her mother, only to let her gaze flicker quickly back and forth between the familiar, tall frame of the Potions Master and the slightly shorter, long-haired blonde man, whom she immediately recognized, despite having never met him before. _Lucius Malfoy..._ He was smiling in a sickeningly delusive manner as he walked right up to them, while on his left, Snape was looking uncomfortable and irritable. Leviatha forced a smile onto her face as she reached out to her mother's arm, to turn her so she could see the men approaching.

In an effort to avoid hearing Malfoy come out with some slick, cheesy greeting, Leviatha spoke first. "Professor," she started, inclining her head slightly to him; there was an immediate flicker of a confused frown on his face at her cordiality. "What brings you out this morning?"

Severus struggled to keep an obvious scowl from his face as he glanced quickly over Leviatha's current hair style, from the braid following her hairline, curving around her head, to the back-side of her neck, where it ended in a tightly coiled bun. "I was just seeing Mister Malfoy to the doors," he answered resolutely, motioning to the man next to him. Lucius' grin expanded.

"Well, don't just _stand _there, Severus," he began, glancing pointedly at him. "Wont you introduce me to this enchanting woman and her charming sister?" he then asked with a heavy wink.

Leviatha felt her skin crawling when her mother let out a quiet giggle. She forced another smile onto her face as Severus inhaled deeply through his nose; for once, she felt his pain. This was bordering closely on unbearable.

"Lucius Malfoy," he said, motioning with one hand from the man toward Leviatha. "Professor Dagrin." He could not bring himself to say her first name aloud just yet. Lucius seemed to pick up on this as he extended his hand to her, once he had removed his black glove.

"Oh, surely we can be on a first name basis, no?" he asked of Severus, using just the upper half of his fingers to lightly grip Leviatha's hand, before he raised it a few inches. Leviatha felt her stomach clench up when she thought he was just about to kiss her knuckles in a disgusting display of exaggerated charm, however when he did not, she exhaled slowly through her teeth as she smiled at the man.

"Leviatha," she answered sweetly, with an overly charming, yet very slight curtsy. Severus blinked. Where was this charm when _he _had first 'met' her? "And this is my mother, Lucinia."

As Lucius exchanged a light handshake with the older witch, Severus could not stop himself from studying the woman's surprisingly smooth, admittedly attractive features. She did not appear old enough to have been Leviatha's mother, yet they shared the same angular, facial attributes, even had the same jet black hair, though her mother's contained a thick streak of silvery gray along the side, leading up into her tightly pinned bun. His gaze then drifted to Leviatha, to compare the shapes of their noses while alongside each other, but just as he did this, his stomach clenched up; she was watching him, smirking. Quickly, he looked away, just in time to meet Lucinia's eyes as she smiled at him warmly.

"And _you_ must be Professor Severus Snape," she said, extending one hand to him. Severus jumped at the chance to flaunt his own, very special brand of charm, as he reached out to grip the woman's hand.

"I see my reputation precedes me," he answered her, inclining his head slightly as he released her hand. With a quick sideways glance at Leviatha, the corners of his lips turned up in a smirk when he met her glare. Meanwhile, Lucinia was beaming up at him.

"I've heard so very much about you over the years," she was claiming. "I daresay I know everything about you!"

While Lucius let out a laugh, Severus' smirk expanded slightly, his gaze flickering back to Leviatha momentarily. "I certainly hope not..." he answered in his richest, deepest of voices. Leviatha looked away when she felt giant goosebumps break out over every inch of skin on her body, causing her to let off a nearly imperceptible shiver. She quickly clarified what her mother had previously said, hoping wildly that Snape would not get the idea that she spent a tremendous amount of time talking about him.

"She means that Minerva had said plenty about you over the years, I'm sure..." she explained, turning her head to give her mother a pointed, somewhat threatening glare. Severus noticed this silent exchange of glances but ignored this for the time being.

"Oh, you've told me a bit about him as well, Leviatha," Lucinia answered obliviously, before she turned her head back to Professor Snape, who was still smirking, finding this undeniably entertaining. "I do hope she hasn't been too much trouble here at the school thus far."

At first, it had been on the very tip of his tongue to let loose all the goings-on between himself and Leviatha, tell her mother about the duel down in the dungeons, but as he caught a glimpse of the younger witch's wide-eyed somewhat panicked expression in his periphery, he merely nodded. "She's been a delight, Ms. Dagrin." he answered. Why he had chosen a certain kindness at the last moment was currently beyond him.

Seizing the moment to re-enter the conversation, Lucius spoke up, bringing his cane to rest just in front of him, to lean on it slightly with both hands. "Might I ask where you two _lovely _ladies are headed this fine morning?" he asked, once again laying the charisma on thick.

"We were just headed down to the Quidditch pitch for the match between my old House Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," Lucinia answered. "Won't you join us?"

Simultaneously, both Leviatha and Severus glanced at each other before turning their heads quickly to look at the person standing next to them. Clearly, there was nothing they'd both like less than to spend the next hour or more in each others presence, with their less than favorable company alongside them at that. With a clicking of his tongue and a raising of his eyebrows, Lucius turning to Severus before he answered.

"We were _just _about to venture down there when we encountered you! What luck!" he exclaimed, lying thickly through his teeth. "Why don't you ladies go on ahead of us and we'll catch up."

With one last pointed look back at Snape over her shoulder, Leviatha hooked her arm beneath her mother's and tugged her lightly away from the two men. As Severus watched the pleated tails of Leviatha's knee-length black coat and the way her tall heels accentuated the lines of her legs, Lucius seemed to be doing the same thing beside him, for he let out a quiet exhale through his mouth, shaking his head when he turned to him.

"You wry _bastard!_" he exclaimed, once the two women had made it out of earshot. "That vixen has been here all the time and you've been hiding her!"

With a roll of his black eyes, Severus pushed his hands into the pockets of his black frock coat. "I can assure you, Lucius, I've done no such thing," he answered dryly. "In fact, I gave it my best, most concerted effort to be rid of her." From beside him, Lucius let out a tut of laughter.

"Well, that was awfully foolish of you, don't you think?" he asked rhetorically, shaking his head slowly as he continued to stare somewhat wistfully at the open doors of the entrance hall, as though the young woman and her mother were still standing there. "A raven-haired beauty, locked in a school, prime pickings for-" At this, Severus cut into Lucius' audible musings.

"There is no need to compliment me so, Lucius. Draco already has a passing grade in Potions," he told him, smirking vaguely in his dry joke before he grunted when Lucius suddenly turned to him and jabbed him hard in the shoulder with the snaked head of his cane. With a swift movement, Severus grabbed the end of the embellished walking-stick and thrust it away from him, scowling as Lucius grinned maliciously.

"And how about his Dark Arts grade, hm? I daresay that's always been his worst subject..."

…...

As Leviatha walked arm in arm with her mother along the winding dirt and gravel strewn path to the Quidditch pitch, she thought of Charlie back in her quarters, playing with his new monkey, and wished wildly that she had insisted he join them. Even though the dog could not speak, he added a sort of silent comfort and a perfect gauge on new people as he would often react one way or the other depending on their particular energy. She was positive he would not have received Lucius Malfoy in a warm and excited manner, and would likely have reacted the way he did with Snape- with a quiet growl and a short baring of his teeth. But alas, he had been so excited about his new friend that he had opted firmly to stay behind and wrestle with the stuffed animal. It would be a true marvel if the thing still had stuffing in it when they returned later.

Beside her, Lucinia was speaking, glancing sideways at her daughter.

"Severus seems like a nice boy!" she commented rather airily, casting a quick glimpse over her shoulder to ensure the two men were not right behind them. Leviatha did the same before rolling her eyes.

"Wrong on both counts, Mother," she replied. "He is neither a _boy, _nor is he _nice." _

Lucinia tutted quietly, waving her hand.

"Oh, you know what I mean," she said. "He seemed perfectly charming, just like you'd always-" At that, Leviatha cut in, her voice raised to drown out her mother's next words.

"Well, Malfoy seemed perfectly charming too and we both know what _his _family is capable of...The slimy git-" she growled, once again glancing over her shoulder.

"_Language_, Leviatha..."

The Quidditch pitch was already almost completely filled to capacity, the tall towers and intermittent lower, wooden bleachers stuffed to overflowing with huge masses of crimson and blue. After climbing the flights of stairs leading up into the staff tower of rowed benches, Leviatha and Lucinia easily spotted Minerva, up near the top of the box, two empty spaces just next to her. As Leviatha sat down just next to her mother, she ignored their spirited chatting and instead groaned inwardly when she noticed the empty row of seats just behind the bench on which she and the two older witches sat. _Oh great..._

Within minutes of being seated, just a few moments after the Snitch had been released, Leviatha's eyes flew to the bottom of the box, squinting slightly against the bright glare of sunlight reflecting against Lucius Malfoy's pale blonde hair as both he and Snape appeared. Forcing a grin onto her face, she watched them approach while from on the other side of her mother, she heard Minerva murmur, 'What the hell are _they_ doing here?' Her mother began to answer but her words were unfortunately drowned out as Lucius grew close enough to speak.

"_Perfect _day for a match, don't you think?" he asked of a clearly unhappy Snape, just behind him. However as Lucius moved past her to the upper row of seats, with the Potions Master in tow, a breeze caught the end of Snape's black cloak causing the thick material to momentarily slide along her arm and waft the increasingly familiar scent of cloves and anise across her senses. In a split-second of temporary insanity, Leviatha held back an urge to grab the end of his coat and bury her face in it to take a deep breath in through her nose. Instead, she ignored them until both men had been seated. A nudge in the middle of her back told her that the taller and darker-haired of the two men had just sat directly behind her, his knees just inches from her shoulder blades.

As the players flew and dove through the air above them, Leviatha pretended to watch, hoping her apparent interest in the match would prevent Lucius from striking up any sort of conversation with her; she didn't have to worry about Professor Snape having any desire for dialogue between them. However, after merely a few moments, she jumped slightly when something solid tapped her arm from behind her. Glancing back, Leviatha's face contorted into a poorly concealed scowl when she noticed Lucius placing his cane back against the wooden floor from where he had just poked her. He was smiling that sickeningly conniving smirk of his as he leaned forward slightly. Against her instinct to ask the asshole never to touch her with his walking-stick again, she smiled back at him.

"I do hope my son hasn't been too much trouble in your Defense class, Professor Dagrin," he told her in a falsely kind tone. "He isn't the most obedient student, I'm afraid."

Turning slightly on the bench, Leviatha leaned toward the man, casting one quick sideways glance at Snape, where he sat directly behind her, watching the interaction with just his eyes.

"I don't actually have your son in my class, Lucius," she answered in a thick, overly sweet voice. "His class is taught by Professor Lupin."

As Lucius' cold gray eyes narrowed down at her, it was apparent to Leviatha that he had not known this and now felt rather foolish for what he had said. He skimmed past the discrepancy without so much as a second blink. "Ah, yes, Severus was just telling me earlier that the classes have been split between yourself and Remus Lupin. Have you been finding your post..._fulfilling_ thus far?" he asked, clearly of the mind that the class of _Defense Against _the Dark Arts was a mockery to his life's work. However, if Leviatha had not known so much about this rumored and confirmed Death Eater, she would have assumed the noblest of intentions from his seemingly innocent question. With another glance at Snape, as he now turned his head fully to look at Lucius, Leviatha plastered a firm smile to her face.

"Yes, I'm quite enjoying it," she answered. "I find it of the utmost importance to train young witches and wizards against the more..._unfavorable _forms of magic..." she then added smoothly before she turned even more fully around in her seat to turn her attention to the quiet Potions Master. "Wouldn't you agree, Professor Snape?" she asked him, cocking her head to the side slightly as his gaze moved from Lucius slowly down to her.

"Indeed..." he answered, his deep voice almost unnoticeable beneath the distant cheering and nearby conversations around them. As his gaze once again moved off to watch the players in the air before them, the shadows from the clouds parted, vivid sunlight blanketing the staff box. Leviatha's eyes narrowed at the sudden glare, wanting to turn away, but found herself struck by the way the light fell across Severus' face, the brightness illuminating the sharp lines of his face, enhanced further by the slight squint of his eyes. She felt a warmth rush through her body as she studied him, startled by the unexpected sensation that poured through her but unable to force her gaze away from the imposing man.

From the moment she met him, all those years ago, his eyes had always appeared to be black, a hue that never changed despite variations of lighting or any carefully concealed emotion etched into his face. But now, with the rays of sunlight cascading across his features and contracting his pupils, Leviatha was surprised to see the rich, chocolate brown of his irises. It made her wonder what else she had missed about the man, lost in her memories. He was no longer the awkward, lanky teenager, his thin frame filled out and his facial features defined and severe. The only thing that hadn't changed was his hair, still black as night, whipping across his face as a soft breeze whizzed through the stands. Her memory reminded her that he had always been somewhat attractive in his school days, but at that very moment, she reluctantly had to admit that he had grown into a devilishly handsome man.

Her assessment of her colleague had only taken a moment, but still, she flushed further when his gaze suddenly turned to look down at her, the high collar of his black outer coat grazing lightly against his defined jaw line, an eyebrow arching at her. "Is something the matter, Professor?" he asked in that deeply silken voice of his.

Leviatha struggled hard not to betray the sensations she was feeling, hoping that he wouldn't notice the rosiness that colored her skin. In response to his question, she shook her head hastily, turning away to focus on the match. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't concentrate on the game, instead closing her eyes and exhaling heavily in an effort to rid the scent of cloves and anise from her nostrils. It seemed, no matter how hard she fought it, Hogwarts was determined to remind her of her origins. With her mother cheering loudly at her side, she began to wonder if it was worth the battle.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hmmm...devilishly handsome, indeed. I'd like to give a bit shout out to Madam Jennifer or 'Auriellis' for her help as a beta. She is indispensable! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you want more, leave me your lovies in the form of a review! = ] -QoM (Eye Love Yew!)


	13. All Hallows Eve pt1

To no one's immediate surprise, Gryffindor had won the match, leaving Leviatha to stand grimly by while her mother clasped Harry Potter's frozen hand firmly between her own and shook it nearly clean off, while praising him thickly. Lucinia had then stuck around long enough to eat dinner in the Great Hall but had left shortly thereafter, while offering many apologies to her daughter for not being able to stay longer. Leviatha had made it clear that she was absolutely fine with her mother's early departure.

Fortunately, earlier that day, Lucius Malfoy and Professor Snape had apparently decided that watching the Quidditch match through to its completion was not necessary, seeing how Leviatha was wholeheartedly avoiding conversation with the blonde wizard. She had kept her gaze resolutely forward, in a concerted effort not to be caught gaping stupidly up at the Potions Master a second time. It had been embarrassing enough to admit openly to herself that she found the man surprisingly attractive, let alone be _caught _staring at him like some thunderstruck, doe-eyed teenage girl. Such a thing could _not _happen again. If she wanted to gaze upon him and drink in his masculine, dark features, she would have to do so more discreetly in the future.

With the time nearing nine o'clock, the sun had long since gone down, leaving Leviatha's quarters somewhat dimly illuminated, thanks to a gently crackling fire in the place against the far wall and several candles placed strategically around the room. Upon first arriving to Hogwarts for the second time in her life, she could remember thinking wistfully upon her electrically powered apartment back in Queens and how she would give anything for a mere lamp in her bedroom at the rather medieval school. But now, after almost two solid months, she had come to find the warm, golden glow of fire comforting and soothing, a welcome respite when she returned, sleepy and full, from dinner.

It was unsurprising that she had not seen Snape at all after the match, though she had to count this as something of a blessing; her mother had seemed determined to seek him out to ask for advice on cold remedies in relation to Potions. As if he had known this, the man had been less than mysteriously hidden away for the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening. Part of Leviatha wanted to thank him for being selective about what he had said to the older witch, but the other part of her simply figured he was sparing himself from admitting anything incriminating...He _had, _after all, been the first to throw a curse.

With Charlie rolling about on his back near the foot of the vast bed, Leviatha watched him, absentmindedly, as he held his new favorite stuffed animal between his front legs, gnawing gently on the toy's foot, his eyes fluttering open and closed, as though he could barely keep them open. She found it shocking, upon returning to her room, to discover that the monkey had not been torn to shreds, but merely chewed on and loved to pieces; one of the tiny plastic eyes had been torn off and likely swallowed by accident.

Suddenly a loud knock on the heavy wooden door caused both inhabitants to jump slightly at the disturbance. Leviatha sat up, frowning while Charlie flopped down onto his side, pausing mid-chew with the monkey's foot still in his mouth to stare at the door. The two glanced at each other. Who could possibly be calling at this time of night? Surely, Minerva had already gone to bed, Remus was still feeling under the weather and all students were just an hour away from curfew... A warm flush spread through Leviatha as her mind briefly drew up an imaginary vision of Professor Snape standing just outside her door, tall and scowling as he waited for her to open it. However, _why_ the man would need to speak with her at such an hour was currently beyond her scope of understanding. As the knocker banged again on the door, Leviatha jumped a second time, finally pushing herself down off the tall bed to cross the room, where she paused, her hand on the heavy, iron handle. Taking a deep, steadying breath in through her nose, she exhaled a moment later before pulling open the entrance to her inner lair.

Those tiny butterflies in her stomach died instantly, her eyebrows relaxed in reluctant disappointment as her eyes fell onto five, young, undoubtedly _female _faces.

"Girls, it's quite late-" she began, glancing down at the watch on her wrist, but was cut off as the small group's ring leader, Lucy, interrupted.

"Can we come in?" she asked excitedly, leaving Leviatha to sigh and lean sideways against the stone frame of the door.

"I don't know if that would be appropriate," she answered, forcing a remorseful expression onto her face. "I am a teacher-" Again she was interrupted.

"But we're all girls!" Helen exclaimed. Leviatha opened her mouth to answer but Lucy once again cut in.

"We wont tell anyone if you don't..." she said in a lower voice, her dark eyebrows arching severely above cold, gray eyes. At this, Leviatha finally grinned; of all five girls, their leader, Lucy, displayed the most Slytherin qualities she had ever witnessed in one person before. If she hadn't been ten years her elder, Leviatha felt this girl would have given her a run for her money. Taking a step back, she opened the door more fully, allowing the five girls entrance into her recently straightened bedroom, where they promptly found places to sit either in front of the fire, or on her leather couch and lounge, leaving Leviatha to take a place at her vanity, to begin undoing the tight braid and bun. Charlie immediately jumped down from his place on the bed, with his monkey clamped between his teeth, before he carried it from girl to girl, as if showing them all his new best friend. Lucy ignored him and turned sideways in the leather chair to swing her legs over the round arm.

"So this Halloween thing..." she began, reaching up to drift a few fingers through her brown hair.

"Yeah," Leviatha replied, glancing back at the girl in the mirror. "You ladies figured out what you're going to wear?" she then asked, cringing slightly as she pulled the braid apart with her fingers. Lucy inhaled deeply, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

"I think so," she answered, glancing over to the other girls on the couch and rug before the fire. "Helen wants to wear this short skirt she's got-"

At this, Leviatha cut in, turning around on the vanity stool as her long hair came tumbling down out of the bun. "Just remember, you'll have to show Professor Snape your outfit ahead of time," she reminded them, thinking fleetingly of all the 'inappropriate' outfits the girls were surely dreaming of wearing. "You don't want to get all dressed and made up then have him make you go back and change..."

One of the two girls sitting on the couch, Jen, the only redhead of the group, rolled her eyes with a rather loud, disgusted groan. "Ugh, _gross..._" she said. "I don't want to show _him _my costume. Can't we just show it to you?" With a laugh, Leviatha shook her head, rising from the vanity seat to cross over to the bed, where she plopped down onto the foot of it.

"I'm not your Head of House," she explained, smirking to herself as she took off her watch.

"You might as well be," Lucy spoke up from the armchair. "Snape doesn't give a rat's ass what we do."

"Oh, I can assure you," Leviatha began, turning to rest her back against one of the tall, wooden posters of her bed. "If he so much as sees even an inch too much of exposed skin, he'll have you wearing a nun's habit in no time."

There was another collective groan from the group before Helen, sitting across the room in front of the fire with Charlie at her side, asked, "Well, what are _you _going to wear?"

Taking a deep breath in through her nose, Leviatha rolled her eyes to the ceiling contemplatively before she shrugged. "I've got several, built-in costumes that I could wear...tiger...leopard...snow leopard...cheetah-" she answered after a few moments, grinning when Lucy tutted with a frown.

"Those aren't _costumes_, they don't count," she retorted. "You have to wear an actual _outfit_, you know...Something you wouldn't normally wear every day."

From her place on the bed, Leviatha sighed, rolling her eyes heavily. "Ugh, fine...Then...I'll just wear my Professor Snape costume," she finally answered, reaching up to pull both sides of her hair down to either side of her face, before she slicked them down against her cheeks and fixed her expression into an uncanny impression of Snape's customary scowl. "Ten points from Gryffindor, Potter!" she then growled in her lowest and most Snape-like voice before the girls all burst into loud peals of laughter.

The week of classes leading up to the highly anticipated, first ever Hogwarts Halloween costume party were damn near useless. When not being asked to confirm or deny rumors of certain guests being invited, such as Vampires, Quidditch stars and the like, the students could not focus on their studies for any great length of time before they would go back to chatting in hushed whispers or passing notes between themselves. This had gotten so bad, that by Thursday afternoon, most of the professors had given up trying to teach at all and had simply assigned 'quiet reading time', during which there was no reading, nor any quiet. Leviatha had given up entirely and had instead decided to take the extra time for catching up on her grading and marking of tests and papers while her students chatted excitedly.

However, one class in particular had managed to hold their attention steadfast for almost an entire hour, even bringing Leviatha down out of the Dark Arts office to watch in interest as Remus explained a Boggart and how to be rid of one. The students had stared raptly at the wobbling, rattling wardrobe he had brought into the classroom, listening in earnest as he explained the simple incantation, '_Ridikulus!', _for repelling and ultimately destroying the mysterious, shape-shifting being. Poor Neville Longbottom had been chosen to go first.

From her place at the back of the classroom, Leviatha had been unable to hear the nervous boy's answer when asked what he feared the most. But when Remus repeated his words with a laugh a moment later, Leviatha grinned. _'Professor Snape,' _he had said.

_Frightens all..._she thought in amusement, thinking fleetingly of the Potions Master's cold, _seemingly _black eyes and tall, rather intimidating stature.

After Remus had urged Neville to clearly picture his gran's clothing in his mind, before speaking the incantation, Leviatha had struggled hard not to laugh and disrupt the class. If Remus' plan were to work, it would be a very short while before she saw a carbon copy of her nemesis, dressed to the nine's in old women's clothing.

_Come on, Neville...You can do it! _She had thought encouragingly.

Within moments of opening the wardrobe, an exact replica of Snape had come sauntering out, his eyes narrowed and honed in on Neville, who flushed visibly at the sight of his greatest fear. However, with a direct pointing of his wand and a shout of the word '_Ridikulus!', _the boggart-Snape was suddenly transformed into a new set of hideous women's clothing, including a horrible fox fur scarf and vulture-topped witches hat.

Leviatha had nearly fallen off of her stool in a fit of uncharacteristic giggles while the rest of the class roared with laughter. Oh, she could not _wait _to see the _real _Snape's face when he heard all about his drag queen look-a-like.

However, now the time had come. On the afternoon of Halloween night, classes had ended one period earlier than usual so that dinner could be served one hour beforehand, therefore leaving the students an extra measure of time in which to get changed and all made up in their costumes. Which, of course, left an extra hour for Leviatha to stand in front of her wardrobe, in just her long black bathrobe, scowling in frustration at the hanging clothing before her. Several previously tried-on and promptly removed outfits already lay scattered on the carpet behind her, while Charlie watched interestedly from his place on the bed with his spotted chin rested on his large white and black paws. Turning to face him with her hands on her hips, Leviatha let out an irritated huff through her nose.

"Well, don't just _lay _there!" she exclaimed, tossing her hands. "Help me pick something to wear!"

With a low growl, Charlie slowly rolled to the side and continued until he was on his back, looking over at her from upside down as his tail thumped rhythmically against the bed. Clearly, he was telling Leviatha that she was on her own with this one. Another heavy sigh escaped her as she turned back to the wardrobe, this time to begin flicking through the dresses and skirts until her fingers faltered on the black, long sleeve of one particular dress...one she had not worn yet since returning to Hogwarts. Ever since she had heard of Professor Snape's complaints to Dumbledore about her manner of dressing, she had been attempting to dress more 'modestly', whether consciously or unconsciously, she could not be sure. Therefore, this tight, high-collared black dress had been left untouched, hanging just next to a set of long, black witches' robes that Minerva had supplied her with after the duel in the dungeons. She had been loathe to wear them, as her pride would not allow her to change her ways from wearing comfortable Muggle clothing to conceding defeat to the Potions Master's wishes.

However...it _was _Halloween...She _could _technically get away with wearing something a _bit _more revealing than usual...And if dear Professor Snape wanted to see her wearing witches' robes for a change, then perhaps she could indulge him...just for this _one _night.

…...

As the fifteenth, poorly executed skeleton costume walked past him into the Great Hall, Severus took a deep breath in through his nose, his eyes drifting to the ceiling, summoning every last drop of patience he could muster. The 'party' had not even begun and already, he felt his short tolerance for the students' juvenile celebrations draining away rapidly like someone had pulled a plug from a bathtub. Just a few minutes earlier, upon reaching the entrance hall, Severus had noticed Professor McGonagall at the doors to the Great Hall, eyeballing and standardizing every costume that moved past her. He had then attempted to slip past her quickly, just as she had been warning a young girl about the length of her skirt, however, she had reached out with just her hand, without moving her eyes from the girl nor pausing in her words, to grab his arm and pull him back into place just next to her.

"You can help me check costumes, as I highly doubt any of the students checked with their Head of-" she had begun to explain, but Severus had immediately zoned out, as at that moment, several, poorly and hastily devised lies went shooting through his brain as for why he could not stand there at the doors with her. However as a small group of Gryffindors walked past, he hesitated. He had then thought that perhaps scolding and removing points from the various Houses was exactly what he needed to distract him from the upcoming festive event...

This small bit of enjoyment had not lasted very long.

Now, there he stood, wanting absolutely nothing more than to be back in his quarters, ignoring everything and everyone, with a glass...no, _bottle, _of Firewhiskey in his hand. It was quite obvious to him now that his lack of patience was almost directly related to his failure to allow himself a release for all the pent up, irritating need he was currently carrying around. His perfectly brewed stash of personal ailment-curing Potions back in his quarters was beginning to grow rather sparse as he had been dipping into the supply more often than usual as of late. Even just moments before heading out into the general public of the school to endure the Halloween festivities, he had quickly downed a vial of Calming Draught, which, to his immediate surprise, was doing little to calm him. It was impossible that there was anything wrong with the Potion, as he had not effectively ruined a cauldron of ingredients in a _very _long time, which left Severus to assume that hewas in much worse shape than he had originally acknowledged.

With almost every single student now inside the Great Hall and milling about, chattering obnoxiously to one another, remarking on each others costumes and the garish decorations, Severus followed Minerva inside, unable to stop himself from wondering if either of the two Dark Arts professors had yet to arrive. It seemed improbable that he would have missed seeing Leviatha as he had been rather lazily, but attentively watching every student that passed him into the massive room. Dumbledore had also made it perfectly clear, in more light terms, that every single teacher was meant to attend; this _included _werewolves and other...beings.

However, as he neared the staff table, Severus decided that it did not matter to him either way if the young woman would show up. As soon as the party had ended, he fully planned to make a flawlessly worded excuse as to why he needed to leave straight away, and from there, he would disappear back into his hole in the dungeons. Just the thought of dropping down heavily onto his black, leather couch was enough to make him sigh quietly to himself as he remained standing, but leaned slightly on the back of his usual chair, at the very far right end of the staff table. As was customary by then, Minerva took her seat in the place one chair over to the left of him, leaving that one, somewhat familiar empty space between them. Reluctantly, Severus let his gaze drop to the empty chair, staring at it intently as though he fully expected it to hold answers as to why its inhabitant had not shown up yet...or better yet, hold answers as to why he _cared. _With a blink, Severus tore his eyes away from the chair when Minerva's voice broke his reverie.

"Oh! She's wearing the robes I gave her!..." she was remarking to Filius Flitwick, just on the other side of her. "But...that _dress_..."

Severus turned his head so quickly, a few of the short pieces of ebony hair framing his face slid into his eyes. He forcibly ignored this as a sharp, increasingly familiar spasm shot through his lower half; his gaze had just stumbled onto the object of Minerva's observations... onto the very long, elegant form of one Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor...and it was _not _Remus Lupin.

Time seemed to shift into slow motion as she walked confidently into the Great Hall, her shoulders held straight, covered and shielded from his probing gaze by black, loose material. The garment continued down her back and arms, rippling behind her and trailing along the stone floor, swishing rhythmically with every delicate step she took in his direction. Severus blinked; if he had not just heard Minerva state that she had given them to her, he would have wondered how the witch had somehow manged to get her claws on a set of his own teaching robes...which suited her _surprisingly _well. The long, billowing material created a dark back drop for her creamy, endless legs, causing them to look even longer than they normally did. Unable or unwilling to look away, Severus to unsparingly allowed his eyes to drift their way from her tall, impossibly high heels, along the shapely columns of her legs, until his gaze was interrupted by another black, tight, impeding piece of material, this time belonging to her dress. The garment clung to every curve and crevice on her body, leaving hardly anything to the imagination, even with the pitch black, flowing fabric background behind it. It stopped several inches above her knees and stretched as she walked, but shrunk right back into place, hugging her thighs.

With great effort, he forced himself to look away when she grew nearer and instead shifted his focus to the numerous, mostly older male students who had just stopped mid-conversation to turn and look back at her, allowing their eyes to copy the exact sort of visual molestation that Severus had just allowed himself. However, these boys were being plainly obvious about it, leaving him to grit his teeth irritably inside his head, the overworked muscle along his jaw twitching slightly. _Have they no decency?_...At least, _he _had been discreet about it...

With the witch now lifting one heeled foot to begin climbing the short set of steps up onto the staff table's raised platform, Severus stood slowly from where he had been leaning forward slightly on his forearms against the high back of the chair. Leviatha was smiling as she neared him but he ignored this and instead cleared his throat quietly as he watched her pass behind him with just his eyes. Only a split moment later, a wave of something warm, something like vanilla and cinnamon hit his senses, sending a warm rush of goosebumps cascading down his arms and along his chest. Another sharp tug at the inside of his gut forced him to turn his head and exhale slowly through his nose, hoping to rid his senses of every last whiff of her scent.

"Minerva, you look nice," he heard Leviatha comment to the older witch from behind her own chair. The closeness of her voice nearly caused Severus to jump; she was apparently just beside him. "And Professor Snape! Who are you dressed as?" she then asked just a moment later, causing him to turn his head, to glance over at her.

"I decided to dress as Professor Snape tonight," he answered using his most flat and disinterested of voices. As his eyes drifted back out over the sea of students, he heard Leviatha let out a laugh beside him.

"So did I!" she exclaimed in response, a derisive smirk tugging upward on her plush lips as Severus once again turned to look over at her. Once again, she was perfectly eye level with him, making it easier to let his gaze flicker ever so slightly downward to the high, open collar of her dress and her perfectly exposed collarbones. Her dress did indeed closely mimick his own frock coat and robes, with its long, tight sleeves and crisp collar, however Severus could not ever remember having his legs and chest so exposed in public. She continued, reaching out to place one hand on her hip. "Though I couldn't find my vulture-topped hat _anywhere!" _

At this, whatever small, almost unreadable expression had been lurking on his face dissolved rapidly into flat annoyance at the underhanded mention of his shape-shifting look-a-like in the Dark Arts classroom. "That's funny," he then stated in the most flat, humorless tone of voice he could muster, leaving Leviatha to laugh and reach out with one hand to pat him lightly on the arm in a consoling sort of way.

"Oh, relax," she began, and had clearly been about to go on, but at that moment, her spotted dog appeared across the long room, in the doorway to the entrance hall, his head lowered and his tail drooped between his legs. There was a slight 'tsk' from beside him where Leviatha had just clicked her tongue against her teeth. He heard Minerva speak just a moment later.

"Well, why wont he come in? He's not frightened is he?" she asked, indicating the live, fluttering bats and numerous ghosts floating about the massive room. Severus glanced over as Leviatha shook her head.

"No, he's embarrassed because I changed all his spots to purple for tonight," she explained with a smile Severus had never seen on her face before; a smile of absolute adoration for her pet. "I'm guessing he thinks he looks silly."

Straining his eyes, Severus could see now that she had indeed changed all of the dog's formerly black spots to a lovely, vibrant shade of purple, much like the Charm he had used on the animal almost a month prior. She had clearly decided to leave off the orange. Just a moment later, he jumped slightly, scowling, when a shrill, incredibly loud whistle emanated from between the younger witch's lips, from where she had just placed the upper halves of two of her fingers against her tongue. Across the room, Charlie reluctantly stepped forward into the room, slinking along in obvious embarrassment, until several of the younger female students suddenly turned to him and squealed. From the ambient noise in the room, Severus could not hear what they were saying but as the girls began to fawn over him, the dog's tail slowly began to unplaster itself against his bottom, to begin wiggling back and forth, leaving Leviatha to laugh beside him.

"Oh, see? He gets just the slightest bit of attention and suddenly, he doesn't look so silly anymore..."

At that moment, every light in the Great Hall went out, plunging the room into absolute darkness, save for the small bit of blueish light falling into the tall windows from the moon outside. A short smattering of screams went up from the students, leaving Severus to roll his eyes heavily while no one could see him; _this _was the part he had so been dreading...However, once he had silently pulled out his chair and sat down, just as the ghosts began doing whatever song or playacting they had planned, a quiet, whisper of voice spoke just next to his ear.

"If you get scared, you can hold my hand," Leviatha whispered jokingly. Severus' eyes slid closed, relishing in the temporary darkness as a second wave of giant goosebumps went sliding down his arms, across his chest and down his back. That same spasm, the one with which he was beginning to grow familiar, shot across his midsection, this time a bit lower, more strongly enough to make him cringe. Thank _god _it was dark...

As Leviatha sat down in her usual place between the Potions Master and Minerva, she watched idly as the ghosts performed their number, clearly making much less of a fright than they had been hoping, as all the students were already familiar with them. However, as she struggled to focus on the loudly spoken words of Nearly Headless Nick, she allowed herself to take a deep, inward breath of the air surrounding her; it was cloudy with several different aromas. On one side of her, she could detect just a whiff of that 'old lady perfume', as she called it, coming from Minerva, which she wore on the more special occasions. However, on her _right_, the air was thick with warm cloves, a hint of anise but more notably, and new to the dark professor's scent, the smell of firewood, as though he'd stood too close to his fireplace for an extended period of time. With the lights still out, Leviatha's eyes rolled upward slightly and closed, while silently, she leaned ever so slightly to her right, hoping to escape the wisps of Minerva's noxious perfume and place herself more fully into the aura of inviting, rather comforting scent coming from the Potions Master...If only she could somehow climb into his lap without attracting attention...and without his knowledge.

With the ghosts' Halloween act now over, the lights sprang back to life, the torches re-lit all along the walls, every candle inside their pumpkins burst back into flame, illuminating the mounds of candy that had magically appeared on the tables. A slight cry of general excitement and approval sprang up from the students as they immediately went for it, leaving Leviatha to grin when she glanced over at Snape's unamused expression, just as it deepened. A round circle of foil-wrapped chocolate had fallen into his lap upon the candy's appearance, leaving him to sigh heavily through his prominent nose as he tossed it back onto the table, clearly uninterested in the sweets. Unable to help herself from commenting, Leviatha reached out to pull a black cherry flavored lollipop from the pile of candy, just as she turned her head to look up at him.

"You look like you're having the time of your life, Professor," she said in a light, sarcastic voice, as she pulled the wrapper from the hard candy. Glancing over at her with just his dark eyes, Snape shifted his weight in the seat so he was leaning on his right elbow, away from her.

"How very observant of you..." he growled in that condescendingly deep voice of his. Another laugh escaped Leviatha as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come _on_," she groaned, waving her lollipop in a small circle using just her fingers. "It's a _party! _Loosen up, will ya?"

Just beside her, Leviatha felt a strange, swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach when Snape rolled his eyes and suddenly reached up to the high collar of his black frock coat, where he pinched the top most fastened button between his thumb and forefinger. The starchy material parted ways against the lowest part of his throat where it met the very top of his sternum, revealing that lovely little hollow between his collarbones and the pale but admittedly soft-looking skin beneath the black fabric. Leviatha quickly looked away, smirking to herself. If Minerva hadn't been sitting within inches of her left side, she would have jokingly suggested he continue on undoing the buttons, however it was already surprising enough that he had undone one; she didn't want to frighten him back into tightly-knit seclusion. Instead, she laughed, shaking her head.

"Woah, now, look out. Snape's lettin' loose," she exclaimed with another hefty roll of her eyes. If unbuttoning _one _of his buttons was his interpretation of 'loosening up', Leviatha could only wonder, somewhat reluctantly, what it would take to get him _all _the way loosened...

Before too long, the students had once again risen from their regular House tables and begun to mingle, laughing and shouting through the room, generally having the time of their lives, which of course annoyed Snape to no end, which _of course, _Leviatha found _incredibly _amusing. At first, she had been teasing him by daring him to do random things, as if in a highly one-sided game of truth or dare, but eventually, after he had not agreed to do one single thing, she had given up and resigned to verbally and quietly mocking several of the students from her place at the staff table. It was _then _that the surly Potions Master had decided he might enjoy this particular game. Across the room, mingled into a rather large group of Gryffindors, both of them spotted Harry Potter at the very same moment. Severus spoke first, reaching out to pick up his short glass of wine from where it lay amidst the sea of candy.

"Oh, look..." he began in his lazy drawl. "Potter came dressed as his father. How touching..."

As Leviatha glanced across the room to where the Potter boy was standing in a skeleton costume, laughing at his idiot ginger friend. A half second later, she snorted into her own glass in a very unladylike sort of way.

"Yes, that's sweet of him," she replied, setting her glass back down before wiping a dot of dark red wine from the end of her nose. "I would have gone to dear James' funeral but I had to work that day...You know, I'm a firm believer in 'business over pleasure'..."

At just the right moment, at the exact, perfect second, Leviatha turned her head ever so slightly, to very covertly glance up at the side of Severus' face, where in just a glimmer of a smile tugged upward lightly on the corners of his thin, artfully curved lips. It was obvious he had not meant for her to see this as he hastily picked up his glass again to take another, superfluous sip but it was too late, she had already seen it. But in an effort to keep from embarrassing him and ruining all chances of him ever allowing another smile onto his face in her presence, Leviatha kept her mouth shut and instead ignored this for the time being. Though the fact still remained...she had finally made the characteristically stoic Potions Master smile, and she hadn't even meant to.

As the time on the clock neared eleven, with great mounds of candy wrappers littering the stone floors and long wooden tables, Professor Dumbledore had just stood up from his place at the middle of the staff table, clearly with every intention of bidding the students a happy Halloween and a goodnight. However, as the castle's mischievous poltergeist, Peeves, came zooming through the air and into the room, in a flurry of somersaults and cackles, the noisy voices and laughter died slightly as nearly everyone turned to listen.

"Your Headship, sir!" the ridiculous ghost cried to Dumbledore, snickers of laughter punctuating his words. However, just as the poltergeist went on to explain in a rather dim-witted recounting of his apparently urgent news, Argus Filch came trotting into the room after him, wheezing, his jowls quivering as he clutched a stitch in his side.

"Headmaster," he wheezed as loudly as he could manage. "There's been an incident on the third floor. Yer better come quick."

As Dumbledore swept down from the dais with the swiftness of a much younger person, and as though they had planned it, both Severus and Leviatha stood simultaneously from their seats, before turning to scowl at each other questioningly. Without so much as a word, they both took off, around the end of the staff table, for once, in matching, nearly synchronized ripplings of black robes before they were walking briskly in the Headmaster's wake.

Of course, seeing how the students had been instructed firmly to stay in their places at their House tables, naturally it was only moments before the entrance hall was being flooded with random characters and costumes, making it rather hard for Severus and Leviatha to keep up with Dumbledore. Several times, Leviatha had nearly lost her balance as a student behind her had trod on the ends of her increasingly annoying black robes and vaguely, as she walked beside Snape, she wondered how he managed to prevent this from happening to himself.

In a great crowding of bodies, the two professors finally managed to catch up to Dumbledore, where he was now standing in front of the portrait hole entrance to the Gryffindor common room, where a particular, now empty painting hung lopsided on the wall, torn and ripped to near shreds. A heavy confused frown formed itself on Severus' face as he stepped up just behind Dumbledore with Leviatha incredibly close to him, pushed there and held in place by crowding, prying students around them...not that he was complaining; she did smell somewhat wonderful that night, in comparison to the usual underlying stench of wet dog he had grown to associate with her.

"We need to find her," Professor Dumbledore was saying to Filch, just in front of where the two professors stood, both clad entirely in black. "Mr. Filch, please search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady." Another, cackling voice came from just above them, where Peeves had followed and now lay on his back in mid-air.

"You'll be lucky!" he cried gleefully. Tilting his head upward, Professor Dumbledore frowned slightly.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" he asked, in that wonderfully patient voice of his. The entire staircase of students silenced immediately as the poltergeist's ecstatic smile faded slightly.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir," he began to explain in a forcefully oily, proper tone. "Doesn't want to be seen. Shes a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing..." he then added unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" asked Albus calmly.

"Oh, yes, Professorhead," Peeves answered, rolling onto his translucent stomach in the air. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see..."

At that moment, Leviatha looked up at Snape from where she stood one step below him, before black eyes locked onto gold. Both of them already knew who had destroyed the painting, even without listening to the ghost's next words. Their gazes remained fixed on one another as Peeves continued.

"Nasty temper he's got...that Sirius Black."

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: OMG! I bet you weren't expecting that! hahaha Ok, well maybe you were. Anyways, there is absolutely a second part to this chapter however, the whole thing together would have been wayyyy too long to put in one so I've split it up. You can expect part 2 up within the next few days, promise! I was going to wait and put them out together but I didn't want to keep you all waiting = ] I hope you enjoyed! Leave me your lovies in the form of a review! (Cuz I LOOOOOVE YOUUUUU) -QoM


	14. All Hallows Eve pt2

Much to their mutual dismay, Leviatha and Severus found themselves partnered together, by order of the Headmaster, to search the dungeons. The students had been sent back to the Great Hall and the rest of the teachers had already left to complete their assigned duties, leaving the two of them alone on the steps of the third floor. Leviatha shook her head. It was so like the Headmaster to force the two of them to work together, perhaps hoping to create a bond by sheer proximity. Despite any attraction she may have felt towards her sullen companion, it would take a miracle for that to happen.

Turning towards Severus, she opened her mouth to speak but instead frowned as he took off down the stairs without a word or even so much as a glance in her direction. Again, annoyed by his casual dismissal of her presence, she debated whether to stay put in protest or to follow and make her presence known in some spectacular fashion. The latter seemed a more entertaining option, so she trailed down after him in the direction of the dungeons. However, she stopped as she reached the bottom step of the main floor.

"Wait," she called out, watching as Severus paused and turned to look back over his shoulder. "Charlie is still inside the Hall," she said, once the driven and surly man had raised his arched eyebrows in expectation.

"_And...?" _he asked, clearly agitated, leaving Leviatha to frown as she placed her hands stubbornly on her hips.

"Well, I'd like him to come with us. He has a better nose than either of us," she explained. "If Black is down there, hiding, Charlie will find him sooner than we will."

With a heavy sigh and an exasperated rolling of his eyes, Severus finally turned to face her, before he motioned, rather impatiently, toward the closed doors to the Great Hall. "Well, go get himthen. _Quickly_, if you please."

His last words were almost growled as he folded his arms across his lean chest to watch Leviatha trotting over toward the doors of the Great Hall. She opened one of them just a crack and leaned inside with the upper half of her body. As much as he tried not to think about her, Severus couldn't help but notice the way one of her tall, shiny black heels propped itself against the other, in a dainty sort of way, as she leaned forward through the opening between the doors. It gave her backside a lovely shape that he couldn't help but admire. But the illusion was ruined quicky as she whistled shrilly into the room, an obnoxious sound, leaning back away from the door to pull it open just a bit wider, allowing her large dog exit out of the Great Hall. He watched from his place near the bottom of the stairs as Leviatha gave a wave of her hand, before the dog's formerly purple spots faded back into solid black. As the two approached him, he could hear her speaking to the animal as clearly and normally-worded as though she were speaking to a human.

"I'm sure you heard Dumbledore explaining it, but there is supposedly an escaped convict inside the school somewhere," she was explaining to the dog as she fell into step alongside Severus. "He's assigned us to search the dungeons so I'd like you to help us. This man is very dangerous, so if you see or smell him, I want you to sit, just like you were trained to do in the States, alright?" At this, the dog let out a quiet yip of a bark in what Severus assumed was understanding, leaving him to frown in confused intrigue as he glanced to his right, where Leviatha was walking determinedly beside him. For the time being and under the current circumstances, he refrained from asking her what she had meant by her last words.

As they approached the more dimly lit and colder hallways leading into the lowermost portions of the castle, Severus slowed to a halt, just outside the door he understood to lead into the younger witch's quarters. He motioned to it before pulling his wand from his sleeve.

"Do you feel it necessary to search your quarters, or is it well protected?" he asked. Leviatha shrugged.

"Go over and try to open it. If you can get in, the wards have been broken. If not, it's still secure," she said, with a flippant gesture, as if sure that her protections were undisturbed. In one fluid motion, Severus stepped up to the door, twisting the handle firmly, but the door remained fixed in place, giving off a slight vibration as the carefully placed wards held fast. Without pausing to sarcastically congratulate her on her successful protective Charms, he continued on down the hall, where the lights grew progressively more faint until it became necessary for both of them to ignite the tips of their wands.

The silence in the dungeons was as thick and impenetrable as always, the only sound around them coming from the faint sniffing and snuffling of the Dalmatian as his nose remained rigidly near the ground, lifting only occasionally to get a whiff of fresh air. Up ahead on the right of the corridor, came the walled entrance to the Slytherin common room, an entrance with which both Severus and Leviatha were wholly familiar. However, seeing how Leviatha had not been in there in ten years and Severus entered the Slytherin common room on an almost daily basis, she stood to the side while he spoke the password. Before them, the wall parted and shifted into an opening, wide enough for only one person at a time, but tall enough that neither of them needed to crouch while stepping through the entrance. Leviatha followed Snape, unable to keep herself from growing slightly excited to see her old House's common room, for the first time in a decade, and as her search partner spoke, she struggled to concentrate fixated on all the little things she remembered.

"It is unlikely that Black even knows where this room is located," he started, watching with a pointed eyebrow as Leviatha stepped into the room. She was grinning vaguely to herself as she walked around the space, absentmindedly running her hand along the back of an ancient leather couch. The purpose of his last words had been to explain that he felt it unnecessary to search the Slytherin rooms, but as he watched the younger witch glide through the room, clearly caught up in a bit of nostalgia, he hesitated in his insistence that they move on. The House had, after all, been her home for seven years and he was willing to give her a moment to process, if only to keep her complaints down to a minimum. Her dog began to wander around the room, sticking his nose into every nook and cranny, but Severus ignored him as he stepped further in, letting the green glow of the lights wash over him.

"It hasn't changed at all, has it?" she asked after a few moments, glancing back at him over her shoulder as she stopped near a black window that looked out into the depths of the Lake.

Severus shook his head, his fingers knotting themselves together behind his back as he noticed, with a jolt, the way her yellow eyes looked while illuminated by dim green light. It was rather striking, creating a shadowcast across her face that highlighted the amber in her irises. He cast his gaze away from her piercing eyes, noting the absence of the laughter and chatter that usually permeated the room. It was a rarity for the common room to be so quiet, and it made him think of one memorable evening in his seventh year that had him watching every entrance with paranoia. But with no students to interrupt now, his mind briefly played through a couple of interesting scenarios involving the attractive witch at the window.

"We need to keep going," he stated, shoving down his unexpected thoughts into the back corners of his mind. Stepping back through the entrance, he looked back to make sure Leviatha and the dog were following. "Albus will be expecting us to report back within the hour."

Out in the hallway, Severus nodded toward a few darkened, empty classrooms. "I will go search my office and classroom. You do these empty rooms," he instructed firmly, before he quickly walked away, needing a break from her presence. In the stale air of the dungeons, the woman's profuse, sweet scent was more pervasive than ever, making her presence even more distracting than it had been in the past. Between the aroma of her perfume, the tightness of her costume, and the betraying thoughts in his head, it was best to get away for as long as he could.

Leviatha watched as Snape disappeared into the blackness like a shadow, irritated at his orders like she was just a student. But splitting up made sense, so she opted not to argue. Standing in front of the closed doors to one of the classrooms, she looked down to see Charlie patiently waiting at her heels, ready to explore.

"You go search one of the other rooms," she instructed, giving a casual wave of her hand to magically open two other doors across the hallway from her. "Bark if you find Black or any scent of him." And with that, the dog trotted away obediently, the soft clicking of his toenails against the stone floors fading off along with him.

Completely alone now, Leviatha opened the door, stepping into a desolate, darkened classroom, holding the lit tip of her wand out in front of her, staring through the pool of blueish light, first into the corners of the large room, then individually to the rows of unused bench desks. It seemed fairly unlikely that Sirius Black would still be in the castle, let alone lurking in some random, dungeon classroom, just waiting to be found, but still Leviatha felt she had better make an effort and at least check inside the empty cabinets and cupboards along the walls.

Despite the fact that she had done searches just like this many times before in her past, she could not quell the somewhat uneasy feeling she was experiencing at being completely alone in such a dark, eerily silent place. She had never been in this particular classroom before, even during her school days, which left her to wonder just what class used to be held in there. The cabinets and cupboards were mostly empty, but some held several cups, scraps of parchment, quills, pots of dried up, cracked ink and paintbrushes. Apparently,this room had once contained that legendary, no longer existent Art class, which had since been done away with for lack of students interested in the field of unhindered creativity. _Just figures..._Leviatha thought somewhat bitterly to herself.

A soft creak from the back of the room caught her attention, her body becoming alert with anxiety. Suddenly, the darkness became more sinister and every shadow cast by her wand was suspect. With cautious steps, she made her way to the back of the classroom, seeking out the source of the disruption. Another creak echoed through the air and she located the origin, a large cabinet that she had yet to investigate. Although she highly doubted that Black was hiding inside, she still kept her wand at the ready for whatever was veiled within. The fingers of her free hand lightly touched the wood of the cabinet, before she jerked back as it shook violently, as if sensing her presence. She didn't want to open the doors, now having a good idea of what was inside, but still, it would be remiss of her not to confirm her suspicions. So, with quick motions, she unlatched the cabinet and stepped back.

A shadow slithered out from its hiding place, unformed and strange. But then it began to change before her eyes, into varying images that invoked fright in unprepared witches and wizards. A boggart. It had been years since she had last encountered one, barring the lesson that Remus had taught. Leviatha wasn't entirely sure what form it would finally take, as her fears had changed over time. But when it finally settled to an image, she couldn't stop herself from placing a hand over her mouth in horror. Contrary to the fun had in class by his students, Remus had failed to explain how deeply terrifying a boogart could be when it latched onto the most primal of fears. The image before her was proof of that. A boy, of no more than six years of age, lay before her, his eyes opened in death's grasp.

In the glow of her wand, the boy was nearly monochrome, but Leviatha could still make out the crimson stain of blood covering his body. It was horrifying and she needed to dig deep to remind herself that it was just a boggart, nothing more. Picturing an image in her head, she raised her wand hand and pointed it towards the boy, saying, "_Riddikulus!_"

A swift pop sound hit the air as the dead boy transformed into a napping child, clutching a teddy bear in his hands, much as Charlie clung to his monkey. It was one of the most adorable sights she had seen, and she chuckled softly, amused at the image before her. The boggart, defeated, crawled back into the cabinet and with a flick of her wand, she locked it. With a deep need to clear her mind completely of the terrifying vision, she closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and counting to three before exhaling it through her nose. When she opened her eyes again, she felt centered and ready to leave the room behind.

However, just as she turned to leave, to go find Snape and tell him that her search had come back fruitless, she nearly flew out of her skin with a short squeak of a scream when she suddenly found herself face to face with the Potions Master himself. With a heavy breath of relief, she placed her hand against her chest as if in an effort to keep her now pounding heart inside her chest; she hadn't even heard him enter the room.

"_Damnit!_" she cursed, taking a step back from him. Severus watched her do this, thinking it fortunate that her lit wand was currently lowered and away from his face. There was a satisfied smirk currently rested across his features that he did not want her to see. "I suppose you've been looking forward to doing that all this time?" she then asked somewhat breathlessly, scowling at him through the dark.

"Believe it or not, Professor, I do not waste any great length of time thinking up ways with which to disturb you," he lied richly. In fact, he had gone out of his way to purposely silence his footfall in an effort to startle her. But his arrival coincided with the release of the boggart from its home, displaying Leviatha's most intimate fears. He couldn't help but wonder if it was a general fear or if the boy held some special significance to her, but he left his speculation unspoken. It was best that he not let her know what he had seen. "I merely finished my search and was coming to check on the state of yours, which I see has produced nothing."

"You're a genius," she growled sarcastically as she stepped around him toward the open door to the classroom in which they stood. "And from the lack of noise from Charlie, I'm assuming he didn't find anything either." As that impossibly loud, shrill, obnoxious whistle emanated from between her lips and echoed down the hall, Severus strained his ears for a response. A moment later, the soft clicking of toenails and padding of paws grew closer and louder until he could make out the spotted, tall outline of the Dalmatian. "Anything?" Leviatha asked of her pet, only to receive a rather bored-sounding yawn from the dog in reply. She sighed, glancing up at Severus. "Well, I suppose we should go tell Dumbledore then?"

Inside the Great Hall, all of the torches and candles had been put out, leaving only a faint blueish, purple hue to fall through the room from the high windows and the beautiful, magically portrayed mimicry of the night sky by the massive room's enchanted ceiling. The long House tables had been pushed back and cleaned off, and now stood against the edges of the room against the walls. The floor was now covered in occupied, squishy purple sleeping bags and pillows, save for one narrow path along the middle of the room, which Leviatha, Severus and Charlie quietly took toward the Headmaster, where he stood in the midst of the students, all pretending to be asleep. Leviatha rolled her eyes when she noticed the ever pompous Head Boy, Percy Weasley standing haughtily and proud next to Dumbledore. Once they had grown close enough to speak quietly and be heard, Severus spoke first.

"The dungeons have been searched, Headmaster," he reported, his deep voice lowered so that it was almost indistinguishable. "No sign of Black."

"Very well, Severus," Albus replied, turning his bespectacled gaze out over the sea of students. "I didn't really expect him to linger."

Squeezing her way into the conversation between Dumbledore and Percy, Leviatha listened in silence while Charlie went trotting through the rows of students, gravitating immediately toward the first-years, to share his calm, peaceful energy with those who were likely still a bit frightened by the recent events.

"Have you any theories as to how he got in, Professor?" Severus asked, casting a quick, sideways glance at Percy, who was leaning so close into the conversation, he might as well have had his chin on the Potions Master's shoulder. With a heavy sigh, Dumbledore turned his gaze back to the youngest male professor.

"Many, Severus," he answered. "Each as unlikely as the next."

Severus' gaze moved over to Leviatha, standing to the left of the old wizard, before his eyes flicked back to meet the Headmaster's. "You may remember the conversation we had, just prior to the start of term?" he asked, now shifting his shoulders to blatantly block the prying Head Boy from the conversation. She was sure, that given the chance, he would be doing the same to her, but standing as close to Albus as she was, he was out of luck.

"I do, Severus," Dumbledore answered, a hint of warning in his voice.

"It seems almost impossible that Black could have entered the school without...inside help," Severus continued. An angry frown began to grow into life on Leviatha's face as an inkling of understanding started to form itself inside her brain. As if he had heard her expression change, Leviatha noticed the man's black eyes flicker toward her once again, ever so slightly. "I did express my concerns when you appointed-" At this, Leviatha finally cut in.

"You think _he _did this?" she asked in a hoarse whisper as she took a half-step toward Snape, purposely opting against using Remus' name in any form, just in case any of the students around them were listening in. "You _can't _seriously think...Headmaster, you _know _he would never..." she then turned her wild, defensive terms to Dumbledore, who calmly held up a hand, just as Severus opened his mouth again to retort.

"I do not believe a single person inside the castle would have helped Black enter it," he said with such finality in his tone that neither Snape or Leviatha felt it would be wise to continue on. "Now, I must go down to the dementors. I said I would inform them when our search was complete. Severus?"

"Sir."

"I'd like you and Leviatha to take a turn around the grounds, check in on the greenhouses and around Hagrid's hut. I did not allow the dementors entrance to the grounds, so I'd like you both to please search it before turning in."

And with that, the Headmaster walked away toward the doors to the Great Hall, leaving Leviatha to sigh heavily and follow Severus as he immediately took off toward the doors in Albus' wake. Glancing back over her shoulder, it was obvious, from the way Charlie was now walking slowly amongst the students, sniffing lightly at a few random sleeping bags, that he was intent on staying with the children. So she left him to it and stepped out into the entrance hall, where she hurried forward a few steps to catch up with her assigned search partner. She immediately picked up their somewhat hushed and rash accusations from a few moments prior.

"You _seriously _think Remus would help that maniac get into the castle?" she asked, her voice now completely level but still harsh with renewed bitterness toward her male colleague. As they stepped out of the warm confines of the entrance hall, she shivered slightly but did not do so openly as she walked briskly next to Snape. His dark, determined eyes remained fixed ahead and did not move as he answered.

"Is it really such a stretch to think that _perhaps _Black's best mate from school might have helped him back in?" he replied in the form of a question, leaving Leviatha to huff irritably. Severus continued when she did not immediately answer. "I do not recall seeing dear _Remus _at dinner or the party tonight..." At this, Leviatha reached out to grab his arm, just above the elbow, her grip surprisingly strong as she forced him to stop walking and turn to face her. There was a rather murderous expression on her face, one that he had not seen in a few weeks; it surprised him greatly to realize that he had missed it a bit.

"Dear_ Remus_," she began testily. "-has been feeling ill for a solid two weeks now, thanks to _your _Wolfsbane potion...One might begin to suspect that you've added something to it, just to make him feel sick!"

With a forceful jerk of his arm, Severus turned away from her with a roll of his eyes, to begin striding along the moonlit dirt and gravel strewn path. "And just what would I have to gain by making that man sick?" he answered in a question, yet again, glancing to his side where Leviatha was walking. She shrugged, shaking her head.

"Oh, Snape, I don't even _pretend_ to understand the inner-workings of your mind," she replied in a low voice. Against all reason, a tiny smirk threatened to overtake his face. _Thank Merlin for that..._he thought to himself. A sudden gust of a breeze blew past them and as Leviatha let out a loud groan of impatience, he looked over, frowning, only to glance down when he noticed her stumble slightly. Leviatha stopped walking so he did the same, but only for that smirk to grow into existence when he noticed why; her black, rippling robes had been blown between her exposed legs and wrapped around them.

"How in the hell do you _wear _these damn things all the time?" she cried, sticking out one of her legs, while bending slightly and using her hands to unwind the black material from around her ankles. In an effort to prevent her from seeing how amused he found this, Severus began walking again, more slowly as he waited for her to catch up.

"It requires a higher caliber of person, I'm afraid, Professor," he answered, fully grinning to himself now when he heard her huffing and puffing in annoyance as she struggled to catch up in her tall heels.

"Oh, well _that _explains it," she grumbled from behind him, forcefully yanking the robes closer around her shoulders as another strong breeze blew about them. "God, and they don't even keep you warm! What's the point?" she then asked bitterly. With his hands tucked into his pockets in a rather leisurely manner, Severus tossed his head slightly to flick a shorter length of his hair away from his eyes.

"You should know, I take fashion over function _any _day," he answered over his shoulder to her, sarcastically, his subtle grin expanding slightly when Leviatha finally let out a snort of a mirthless laugh from behind him as her strides became wider in order to catch up.

The large steps cost her and again she stumbled, this time due to her heels slipping in the gravel. She let out a yelp as her ankle turned the wrong way, more in shock than in pain, and found herself flailing her arms to keep her balance. But the angle of the path was too steep and gravity took over, her body falling forwards towards Severus. Having turned at her cry, and seeing the witches descent towards him, he did what any gentleman would do. He took a large step backwards and watched as she dropped to the rocky ground, palms first, amused at her unfortunate luck.

"And you wonder why I question your state of dress," he said, maintaining his grin from earlier.

Leviatha glared up at him, trying to hide her embarassment at her clumsiness, before assessing her injuries. The small cuts on her knees and hands were annoying but nothing she couldn't handle. He didn't offer her a hand to help her up, so she stood on her own, careful to keep her balance. Then she took two steps towards him and punched him in the arm. Hard. "It's Halloween," she defended. "And you're an ass!"

Severus winced, ever so slightly, from the punch. The woman had some strength and he would be sporting a nice bruise in the morning from it. For a moment, he considered letting Dumbledore know about the physical assault, since technically, it violated the Headmaster's orders and would get her fired. But he was surprised to discover that he had no desire to do so. In some way, the attractive witch was beginning to grow on him. Like a fungus.

Severus turned to continue the patrol towards Hagrid's hut, but Leviatha stayed where she was, considering her outfit with annoyance. Between the cold and the heels, she was fed up and more than anything, she desperately wanted to avoid another mortifyng incident. So she called out, mockingly, to the retreating Potion's Master. "Would you prefer I went nude instead?"

The comment almost made Severus himself stumble as his head swiveled back in her direction, only to discover her body rippling under the effects of her form-change. Shaking his head, he continued to walk, imagining idly what shape she would choose. Just a moment later, he glanced down to his side, partially expecting a small, black house cat to go streaking past him. However, an absolutely massive orange and black striped tiger appeared at his side, leaving him to scowl as he let his eyes examine the huge cat and the way her powerful shoulder blades rose and fell with her steps.

"Oh, well, that could be considered cheating, don't you think?" he asked, watching as the tiger strode forward a few steps ahead of him, and turned her head to look back, her mouth opening just slightly to expose a shiny, white row of incredibly dangerous-looking fangs. If he was being honest, he felt leagues more protected now than he did with a young, admittedly pretty, witch walking beside him.

The lights in Hagrid's hut were already put out for the night, as the time now neared a half past one in the morning, and as Severus and tiger-Leviatha neared the somewhat small stone and thatch house, a low rumbling snore could be heard coming from what was presumably the half-giants bedroom. It did seem unlikely that Sirius Black would be hiding somewhere along the circular perimeters of the hut, but seeing how Dumbledore had specifically asked them to double-check, Severus rounded one side of the hut while the tiger rounded the other side. Their paths met again at the back of the hut and Severus glanced down at the tiger to shake his head, while she let out a low, rumbling growl from her throat. He took that to mean her search had unsurprisingly come up empty.

"Shall we walk the length of the Forest?" he then asked once they had walked a ways from the sleeping Hagrid's hut. However, seeing how Leviatha could not answer verbally, he took her answer to be in agreement when a short chuff of a breath came from her nose.

As they began their walk along the length of the Dark Forest, Severus knew he was supposed to be keeping his eyes on the passing trees and not on the rippling, striped fur of the tiger in front of him. But he had never been this close to a tiger, had never even been to a zoo in his childhood, so his desire to examine the animal, knowing, or _hoping _rather, that she would not attempt to eat him, was very great indeed. Her fur looked soft but thick, her striped tail was nearly as long as her body and was held at a perfect height, several inches from the ground, swaying slightly as she walked. However, he felt it might be inappropriate to ask if he could pet her, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

The forest beside them seemed perfectly calm and merely echoed in a typically eerie way with the sounds of bats and other creatures. While the tiger paused to sniff lightly at a large tree trunk up ahead, Severus called out after her.

"It appears that Black is long gone," he said, approaching Leviatha from behind. "I'm sure Albus will have returned from the dementors and be expecting a report."

As he reached the tiger and scowled down at what she was sniffing, he jumped when she suddenly took a playful, graceful hop away from him, before she crouched down with her striped tail waving back and forth, leaving Severus to roll his eyes.

"Surely, you don't expect me to throw a stick for you to fetch," he grumbled, watching now as the tiger let out a short growl, before promptly hopping toward him where she reached out with one massive paw to bat at his cloak in a thoroughly kitten-like manner. "Oh, come now. I'm not going to play with you," he insisted, pulling the ends of his robes away from her. However just as he took a step forward, the tiger suddenly bounded away with the lightness of a cat half her size and disappeared into the outer edge of the forest, letting out a quiet, growling call behind her, as though beckoning for him to chase her.

It wasn't a growl for chase, though, Leviatha was asking him to follow her, having spotted a shadowy figure in the depths of the trees. She wasn't quite sure if it was a man or a beast, so she bounded into the forest with graceful stealth, using the darkness as cover as she approached the area where she had seen her target. She could hear Snape's voice in the distance, but the hunt was on and she growled deeply. A snap of twigs to her left indicated that the shadow had moved, perhaps in fear of the obvious predator stalking it. But her eyes could no longer make out its form, the shadow having melted into the darkness, and she gave up the pursuit, figuring it was probably some minor beast and sauntered back towards the edge of the tree line. It was then that she remembered her earlier promise to herself that she would make her presence known in a spectacular way, so she crouched down and waited for Snape to get close.

At the same time, Severus continued to look for the tiger, already annoyed with her games. "Professor-" he called, stepping into the clearing of trees, igniting the tip of his wand to hold it aloft. He strained his eyes into the darkness; the tiger had all but disappeared. "I must insist that you return to the castle with me." his deep voice rang out a second time, but then to only receive a quiet, rumbling growl in reply, this time from a distance. There was a snapping of twigs underfoot just a short distance off, causing him to quickly look over to his right, moving his wand accordingly to illuminate a thicket of fallen, dead tree branches. However, no glistening eyes, no orange, striped fur was visible, leaving him to roll his eyes and assume it had been some other creature inhabiting the Forest. Then off to his left, there was another rustling of fallen leaves, snapping of twigs and he looked over, just in time to see the very tip of an orange, white and black tail disappear behind a tangle of brush.

"Oh, I see now," he started, his voice more quiet this time as he walked slowly toward the supposedly secret hiding place of the tiger. Purposely, he kept his head turned in another direction to appear that he had not seen her. "We're playing hide and seek? And here I was, assuming we were both adults..." His words trailed off into the stale Forest air, while another, more deep and threatening growl came from the brush just mere feet from him.

"How did that rhyme go?" he then asked aloud of himself. "Eenie...meenie...mynie...moe...Catch a tiger by the toe-" Just then, he pointed his wand swiftly at the bushes just beside him and gave it a flick, a split second before the massive, heavy tiger was hoisted magically into the air and held there by one of her back paws. He smirked, turning to face the now upside down Leviatha, still in her largest feline form, while she growled deeply. His rhyme continued as he stepped toward her, through the dead leaves and branches on the ground until he was face to face with the hanging animal.

"If she _hollers _let her go-" he went on, but at that exact moment, the tiger's powerful jaws suddenly opened and snapped shut, just an inch from the tip of his nose, causing him to jerk backwards. With a flash, Leviatha released the spell holding her upside down in the air, clearly by thinking '_Libericorpus!' _and suddenly, she was on the ground, but only for a split second before she leaped into the air with determination.

The tiger's massive front paws made contact with his chest, pushing him backwards. The force of her attack sent Severus down to the forest floor with a deep grunt, his back flush against the ground with the huge beast on top of him. Cringing, he forced open his eyes when an immensely heavy weight pressed against shoulders, pinning him effectively against the ground. His stomach clenched up and his heart skipped past several beats in succession at the sight before him. The tiger's broad, but beautiful face was only inches from his own, so near to him, he could feel her warm breath against his neck when she leaned down close to his skin. For just a fleeting moment of perfectly suppressed fear, Severus pictured this tiger's sharp, powerful teeth tearing into his flesh, just before he remembered that this was no ordinary predator. It was still Leviatha.

Instead of biting him, she merely continued to lower her imposing face down towards where his collar met his neck, her long, white wiry whiskers tickling his sensitive skin as she took a deep breath in through her keen nose. Then she exhaled, a low, rumbling purr emanating from her throat. Severus closed his eyes as the tiger's breath traveled across his skin, scattering goosebumps in its wake. Against his greatest efforts to avoid it, he could not help himself from reaching up a hand to grip one of the large cat's ankles, just above where her paws met his shoulders; she was softer than he could have ever predicted, almost having expected her fur to be rougher. Another cringe parted his lips to reveal gritted teeth when her claws suddenly slid out of their sheaths, digging painfully into his flesh, even through the several layers of clothing he was wearing. More proof that she didn't seem to know her own strength. Grunting, Severus opened his eyes, to lock gazes with the round, yellow eyes of the tiger.

"You're _quite _heavy, Miss. Dagrin," he moaned, in what he considered a carefully worded plea for her to either get off of him or change back into her human form. Although if he was honest with himself, the latter option was what he was more hoping for at that point. However, just a moment after he had spoken, neither of those outcomes came to fruition and instead, Severus cried out loudly in disgust, turning his head to the side when the tiger suddenly leaned forward and flattened her sand-paper like tongue against his jaw, before licking the side of his face, upward, leaving a thick trail of drool all along his cheek, temple and even up into the front of his hair.

Before he could begin shouting curses at her, the weight on his chest was suddenly gone, allowing him to sit up quickly and follow her gleeful movements as she padded away, looking pleased with herself. He craned his neck to watch the tiger as it bounded away away through the high grass, back up toward the castle. With another irritated moan of annoyance, he pulled himself back to his feet, using the edge of his black robes to wipe the slimy trail of tiger slobbers from his skin. As he watched the animal disappear beyond the doors of the entrance hall, his eyebrows began to furrow, his mind coming to grips with what just happened. He remained perfectly still, as a realization hit him, his eyes staring off to where the beast had just been.

Unless he was mistaken, and he was not often wrong, Leviatha had just kissed him. Although, admittedly, it was not in the manner in which he had imagined she would.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter and had yourself a fantastic Friday the 13th! A big thanks to Jen for her help with this chapter! Be looking for the next installment soon! Leave me some lovies since I luuuuuuurve you! -QoM


	15. Detained and Distracted

The door to the upstairs Dark Arts office swung open with such force, a few papers on the desk rustled under the rush of air, causing Remus to look up from the stack of tests he had been grading. A slight frown of confusion formed itself on his scarred face as his female best friend came striding determinedly into the room, just before she stopped abruptly on the other side of the desk and placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm only going to ask this once," she began. Remus raised his thinning eyebrows. "Did you, or did you not, help Sirius Black get into the castle last night?"

With a great air of delicate patience, he set down the tawny, owl feather quill he had been writing with, before folding his gnarled hands together atop the desk in front of him.

"I did not," he answered calmly, but leaned back slightly into the chair as Leviatha removed her hands from her waist to place them on the desk across from him and lean down on them.

"When was the last time you spoke to him?" she asked, her yellow eyes glancing back and forth between both of his blue ones, as though searching them individually for any hint of a lie. That formerly serene and accommodating expression on his face began to fade, to be replaced by a hint of a frown.

"The week before he killed Pettigrew, _which I've told you before," _ he stated firmly, the second half of his reply spoken with an edge of irritation. As he watched Leviatha rise from her previous position, leaned over the desk toward him, to begin pacing the room slowly, Remus' scowl deepened. "Levi, you're interrogating me, _again,"_ he warned her. "If you want to ask me about Sirius, sit down and do so in a manner that does not make me feel like a suspect, or else I've got nothing left to say until my lawyer gets here."

Across the room, Leviatha let out a loud sigh and turned back toward him, shaking her head somewhat shamefully as she moved to lower herself into one of the two chairs opposite him. "Sorry, Remus, I just-" she began, rolling her eyes heavily. "Last night, Snape said something accusatory about you to Dumbledore, and while I defended you at the time, it just...got me thinking, I guess."

With an arched eyebrow, Remus picked up his quill again but hesitated before returning to the test he was marking. "What did Snape say?" he asked, watching his friend as she let out a growl of a sigh and tossed her hands slightly.

"Oh, you know, how he didn't think Black could get into the castle without inside help. He said that you two were best mates back in school so it was only fitting that you'd help him get back in. That sort of thing," she explained, the expression on her face once again betraying just a vague hint of suspicion as she surveyed Remus from across the desk, where he had resumed his grading of the test. He did not look up to speak.

"And what did you tell him?" he asked.

"Well, I told him he was a bleeding idiot and accused him of spiking your Wolfsbane potion with something to make you feel sick," she replied, grinning when Remus glanced up at her from beneath the ridge of an arched, light brown eyebrow.

"You know that's one of the natural side effects of the potion, yes?" he asked, but rolled his eyes when Leviatha nodded, smirking.

"Yeah, but I was angry at him for accusing you of helping Black so I pulled something out of my arse," she replied with a hefty shrug, before her gaze dropped to the edge of the desk in front of her. "I just...I had to make sure you really didn't. I mean, I _believe _you, honestly, I do, but-" At this, Remus finally set down the quill again and looked up, leaning into the desk toward her, a calm and friendly smile resuming it's place on his face.

"Leviatha, I know how detrimental it would be to assist Black in any way," he began. "I have not spoken to him since after James and Lily's deaths and before he killed Pettigrew and all those Muggles," Here, he paused, a mild look of hurt and poorly suppressed disappointment flashing across his features, clearly unresolved emotions toward his old schoolmate's surprising turn from good friend to murderer. "I know what a risk to Harry's safety it would be to help him in any way. So, please trust me that I have not spoken to him in twelve years now and plan on keeping it that way."

As Leviatha left his office several minutes later, she could not help but feel slightly guilty for rushing in, accusing her best friend so rashly of what could currently be considered treason in the wizarding world. True, she was a naturally suspicious person, treating every shred of information she received as suspect but she was now back in her natural element, amongst her own kind, where not everyone could be thought of as guilty of one thing or another. Yes, there were just as many bad people in the magical world as there were in the Muggle world, but now, Leviatha was not forced to subject herself to perversion on a daily basis. She was not surrounded constantly by the scum of the earth. Remus Lupin was one of the most decent, honest people she had ever met in her life and for her to treat him so distrustfully made her feel downright ashamed of herself. Honestly, she reminded herself a little of someone else she knew, someone else who treated everyone he knew with suspicion...This sickened her slightly; Snape could _not _be rubbing off on her so quickly.

Over the next several days, greatly exaggerated rumors of Black's entrance into the castle, and the manner in which he pulled off such a feat, continued to circulate the school, from students imagining the convict had transfigured himself into a flowering shrub, to assuming he could take the form of a housefly. The teachers had taken every measure to assure the students that they were perfectly safe, the castle was under intense protection and that if the man were to attempt such a thing ever again, he would be captured and turned over to the dementors. This had only subdued the rumors to whispers and murmurings between classes, but by the time Monday rolled around, the excitement had died off, dissipating into the usual, mindless routine to which the students had become accustomed, prior to the events of Halloween night.

Which led Severus to wonder, as he surveyed his class of third-years, just how many of them, if any, had suspected Remus Lupin as the source of Black's assistance. It was unlikely that any of the students knew the two men had history as friends however, making it near impossible for any of them to have doubts as to their Defense teacher's loyalties, as disappointing as that was. And alas, Dumbledore had forbidden him to mention so much as a whisper of Lupin's 'condition' or his history with the criminal so Severus supposed the male of the two newest professors was there to stay...at least until that yearly curse did away with him.

Standing at the front of his classroom, Severus watched lazily, distractedly as the small sea of students before him talked quietly amongst their assigned pairs, chopping ingredients and stirring their cauldrons, in an effort to produce a suitable rendition of the potion he had designated. He did not expect many, if any at all, to come out with something even close to perfect, so his attention was divided somewhat unevenly between keeping a watchful eye and reflecting back, unwillingly, on the evening of October the thirty-first.

The night had been an ebb and flow of excitement, from staring wantonly at the young witch's figure in her impossibly tight dress, to spending nearly an hour with the same woman, searching for absolutely nothing, before being punched, hard, in the arm and following a fully grown tiger into the woods. He could say, honestly, that he had never before experienced a more random and unexpected sequence of events within the span of twelve hours. Absentmindedly, one of his hands rose toward his face, where he brushed his fingers against his cheek. The tiger's tongue had been surprisingly coarse, leaving the left side of his face feeling raw and slightly tender, though the skin showed no outward signs of irritation. A great part of him had wanted to feel annoyed, even a bit angry at Leviatha for smearing her saliva all along the side of his face without invitation, but instead, he found the gesture slightly endearing, even if-

Severus jumped, his thoughts cut short when suddenly, a tremendous bang rattled the entire classroom, causing several of the glass jars behind him to fall from their places and shatter on the platform. A collective scream of surprise flew up from the students before him as they all shifted to one side of the room, away from where one cauldron had just burst into flames and promptly exploded, sending boiling hot globs of improperly brewed potion into the air and onto the desks and walls around it. Stepping forward immediately, Severus descended the steps to his lectern, his teeth gritted in anger as he swooped in on the incompetent 'potion-maker', who was now coughing through the cloud of smoke and removing his round glasses from his blackened face.

"You seem to have lost your hearing today, Potter, when I explained that this potion could explode if the ingredients were not added in the proper order," the Potions Master growled, his voice raised slightly so every student in the room could hear him berating the boy. "Or perhaps you believe yourself so far above basic instruction that you felt it beneath you to pay attention."

The thirteen-year old reincarnation of James Potter seemed a bit lost for words as the skin beneath the gray soot on his face flushed at either anger or embarrassment; silently Severus dared him to talk back.

"Sir, it was-" he began to explain himself, but was interrupted when Severus finished his sentence for him.

"-an idiotic mistake," the older wizard snapped. "For which you will be serving detention tonight." Turning then to the remainder of the class, he let his black eyes scan the small crowd. "Has anyone been burned by Mister Potter's attention-seeking?" he asked, hoping the boy behind him had picked up on the symbolism in his purposely chosen words. One hand rose into the air across the room, before a Gryffindor girl stepped out from the midst of her fellow students, clutching her burnt arm against her chest where a large, gooey glob of potion had landed and left an angry pink blister on her skin. An irritated sigh escaped through Severus' nose as he motioned for the girl to come toward him, just as the bell to signal the end of the school day rang off in the distance.

"You are dismissed," he told the rest of the class, before raising his voice above the immediate din of scrambling to retrieve books and bags. "Potter, stay behind to arrange your detention."

As the remainder of the students filed out of the classroom, and after he had asked the girl to run her arm under the tap in the sink at the back of the room, he looked up from unstoppering a vial of burn ointment when the Potter boy approached, using the sleeve of his robes to wipe the black from his face. Severus watched this, scowling as several options for punishment flew through his brain, until with a jolt, an idea struck him.

"You will be serving your detention with Professor Dagrin tonight," he told the boy, forcibly keeping his face as impassive as possible, despite how badly he wanted to smirk when imagining the upcoming look of disgusted surprise on the woman's face.

"But, sir," Potter started, frowning. "Why would I not be serving it with you?" he then asked, clearly confused by Snape's sudden decision to pawn him off on another teacher when it was often the Potions professor's greatest joy to make him do something disgusting for a few hours.

"As _touching _as I find your desire to spend time with me," he began sarcastically. "I do have other things to be tending to besides overseeing your detentions." By the time he finished speaking, the girl had returned and was now holding out her arm to her professor, wincing slightly as he dabbed on a thick layer of bright purple burn salve. "You will report to Professor Dagrin's classroom at eight o'clock."

As the disheveled, bespectacled boy trudged from the dungeon classroom looking defeated, Severus watched him go, wondering wildly to himself just how long he would have to wait before dear Professor Dagrin came marching through that very same door. Remembering suddenly that the burned girl was still standing there, he hastily excused her before glancing about the room, to where the clumps of potion had landed on the walls and desks and solidified into rock-like masses against the stone and wood surfaces. A simple wave of his wand and the mess could be cleared, the jars could be refilled and repaired, but in the very back of his mind, a little voice told him to leave it. The mess might come in handy soon enough.

…...

Leviatha watched Charlie, snoozing comfortably on his plush pillow in the corner of the room, from behind jealous, heavy eyes, wishing wildly that she had taken the previous Sunday to catch up on her grading, instead of wasting it to lounge abound the castle. She was now paying richly for her laziness by staying in the quiet Dark Arts office after a filling and satisfying dinner, struggling to keep her concentration on the papers and not let her attention drift off to think longingly of her dimly lit bedroom and the cozy bed within it. She still had two whole classes of tests to get through and could very easily be there until after midnight if she did not stay focused.

After a quick glance at the time, to find it was just nearing eight o'clock, she decided to try timing herself, to see how quickly she could grade this next test. Hopefully then, she could give a more accurate estimation as to what time she would be finished. So after picking up her quill and forcibly ignoring Charlie's grumbling snores, she leaned forward over the next length of parchment.

'_In which area of the world are Kappas most commonly found?'_

Just as her eyes flickered down to the hastily scribbled, incorrect answer, a knock at the door caused her to jump and look up, an instant scowl of annoyance growing to life across her face. Without wasting time to think of the possibilities, she rose immediately from the chair behind the desk and crossed the room to the door, grumbling irritably under her breath.

"Yes?" she answered in exasperation as she flung open the door, only to freeze and look down slightly, her stomach dropping to her ankles when her gaze fell onto the bright green pair of eyes peering up at her from behind a set of round-frame glasses. Her expression fell flat as her gaze flickered automatically upward to the lightening bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, just visible between pieces of his messy, black hair. "Mister Potter, how can I help you?" she then asked dully. The boy's features spoke plainly of equal annoyance as he sighed impatiently.

"I'm supposed to be serving detention with you?" he asked in a casually flippant tone, as though she was supposed to have known this already.

"Really..." Leviatha replied, arching a sharp eyebrow. "And who, might I ask, assigned you to this?" she asked, though she felt she could place a winning bet as to who had done such a thing.

"Professor Snape," he answered.

"Did he now," Leviatha growled. Fanning her hand impatiently for him to move out of the way, she stepped out of the office onto the landing before closing the door behind her, leaving the sleeping Charlie to his business. "Well, we'll just see about _that_ then, wont we?"

From his place behind the desk, the corners of Severus' lips began to curve upward in a smirk when his ears picked up the distinct, familiar sound of clicking heels against stone floors, approaching the open doorway to his classroom. His eyes glanced up from the essay he was reading to the time on the small clock across from him. '_8:03', _it read. His estimation on the time of her arrival had been only a minute short; he had forgotten to factor in the way her tall heels hindered her speed. Just a moment later, he looked up at the sound of a voice, just in time to see Leviatha turn to her detainee in the doorway.

"Wait here," she instructed, before walking briskly into the classroom, a scowl already set in place upon her features. Sensing her air of irritation, Severus straightened in his chair, set down his quill and folded his hands innocently in front of him, forcing his face into a purposely vacant expression.

"Professor," he greeted her lightly, as though thoroughly surprised by her arrival. "What brings you down here?"

"You know bloody well what," she hissed quietly, skating right past his falsely pleasant tone of voice and glancing back over her shoulder to where Potter was standing, bored, in the doorway. "Very _kind _of you to pawn your detention off on me." Severus shrugged, leaning back further into his chair in a very self-satisfied sort of way.

"I take pleasure in spreading joy to my colleagues, brightening their days in one way or another," he answered silkily, struggling hard at this point to keep that smirk from betraying its presence on his face. "I felt Mister Potter could perhaps help you with some chores around the classroom." he then explained, motioning to the boy in the doorway with a lazy wave of his hand. At this, Leviatha let out a humorless laugh.

"Oh, no, no, no," she chuckled, shaking her head as she placed her hands on the far edge of his desk. "If you assigned him the detention, I think it's only fitting that he serve it here with you." Pausing then, she glanced over her shoulder a second time to the doorway, where it was clear the boy was now listening in on the conversation. Accordingly, Leviatha leaned in even closer over the desk, offering Severus an unintentional, slight view of the rounded mounds of cleavage her dress failed to hide whilst in that position. His eyes flickered downward for only a split-second. "Besides," she was now whispering, forcing him to quickly look away with a quiet clearing of his throat. "-I don't have anything for him to do!"

With a heavy sigh traveling in through his nose and escaping a moment later, he leaned slightly to the side, to glance around the teacher to the opposite side of the classroom, where those hardened lumps of potion remained fixed to the walls and other surfaces. Earlier, a whispering voice had told him to leave the mess alone, and as scenarios began to play themselves out in his mind, he was somewhat glad he had chosen to listen. With a roll of his eyes, he then beckoned toward the door, silently asking Harry to enter the room.

"Hand over your wand," he commanded the boy, allowing his gaze to flicker ever so slightly upward to where Leviatha was watching him with a frown of confusion. Severus held out his hand to receive the magical wooden instrument without breaking his stare from his fellow professor's yellow eyes and only once it had been placed in his hand, did he look away, but only for a moment to pull open a drawer of his desk. He then looked to Potter once the wand had been placed inside it. "You will clean up the results of your disastrouspotion from class _without _the use of magic, while Professor Dagrin oversees you. Understood?" he asked of the boy, and once he had received a nod, he looked back to Leviatha, while raising his arched, black eyebrows. "Professor, does this arrangement suit you?"

"It does," she answered in a forcefully polite voice. "But I was in the middle of grading a rather large stack of tests when I was interrupted. Mister Potter?" She then turned to the now thoroughly baffled and annoyed teenager. "Could you run back up to my office and fetch the stack of papers on the desk?" she asked with thick, false sweetness. "Also, tell Charlie to go to my quarters. Let him know I should be back there soon."

As Potter left the room at a pace slower than a crawl, Leviatha watched him go, making sure he was completely gone before she turned back to the where the Potions Master was still seated.

"What exactly did he do during class earlier?" she asked of Snape, who was now rising from his chair to step out from behind the dark, mahogany desk, his hands immediately sliding into his pockets.

"He failed to pay attention when I was explaining the volatile nature of the potion I had assigned them," he explained, stepping out further into the classroom, to cross in front of Leviatha toward the scene of the explosion. "His cauldron then exploded, as I had warned might happen."

At this, Leviatha let out a short grunt of a laugh from behind him, causing Severus to turn and face her, scowling slightly as he glanced her up and down. Luckily, she spoke before he was forced to ask what she found so funny about such a potentially dangerous situation.

"Wouldn't happen to be the Hate Potion, would it?" she asked in a surprisingly sheepish sort of voice, which only caused the frown on Snape's face to deepen in concealed surprise. When he did not answer, Leviatha took this to mean she had been correct and continued. "I might or might not have exploded my own batch of Hate Potion during my third-year..." she then admitted, biting her lip to keep from grinning when Snape rolled his eyes, turning away from her.

"Somehow, that does not surprise me in the least, Professor," he grumbled, passing between the stained desks, reaching out one hand to run his calloused fingers along the familiar, divot-ridden wood. A sudden, fleeting image of a young, thirteen-year old Leviatha Dagrin flashed into his imagination, wearing her Slytherin robes and stirring feverishly at a smoking cauldron, while Professor Slughorn looked on. He could just imagine how angry and defensive she had grown when her mixture had blown up, likely singing the ends of her long, black pigtails. Then again, the woman standing across the room from him did not strike him as the type for pigtails.

Just then, another being entered the room, in the form of Harry Potter, bearing an arm load of parchment and a very sullen expression on his face. After handing the papers to Leviatha, he turned to his Potions professor and walked over when Snape beckoned him closer.

"You are not to leave until this classroom is put back the way it was before your..._mishap,_" the surly professor explained, motioning lazily to the solidified clumps along the walls, desks and even on the ceiling. Potter let out a heavy sigh through his nose as he nodded an understanding. A moment later, with a wave of his wand, Severus conjured a flat piece of metal, which he dropped rather unceremoniously onto the desk beside him. "That might help." he then added, before sweeping away and leaving the boy to his admittedly arduous task.

However, as he turned back toward the rest of the room, he stopped mid-step, his hands dropping into place against his sides. Behind _his _desk, in _his _comfortable, high-backed chair, sat Leviatha, seemingly perfectly at home as she leaned over a test with _his _short, black quill in hand. And if it wasn't the strangest sight he had ever seen in his life. It was not odd or out of place for her to be sitting, grading a test, but rather, the fact that never, not in twelve years of teaching, had anyoneever _dared_ sit in that chair besides himself., let alone a rather attractive witch. Despite the fact that she did look admittedly striking under the light of his magically powered desk lamp, Severus could not help but feel a stab of possessiveness over his belongings. He strode toward her, gritting his teeth as he approached.

Hearing the rushed footsteps, Leviatha glanced up from her test, just in time to see the towering dark form of Professor Snape stop just on the other side of the desk from her. Her eyebrows rose as she glanced him up and down once, however, before she could ask what his problem was, he opened his mouth.

"Might I ask what you are doing?" he asked quietly, leaving Leviatha to glance about herself in confusion.

"Well, I'm marking my tests," she answered with an innocent shrug. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

Suddenly, Snape stood to his full height before rounding the edge of the desk, reaching down with one hand to grip the arm of his swiveling chair and turn it to face him, thus pulling Leviatha's long legs out from under the desk where they nearly collided with his own knees. Then in a motion she did not expect, he leaned down toward her; a sharp swooping sensation clenched her insides in a vice as her yellow eyes met his deep brown ones, just inches away. If he was about to kiss her, she sincerely hoped he was not about to do so in front of Harry Potter. However, as his long fingers suddenly wrapped around her upper arms, a tiny, nearly inaudible gasp of surprise escaped her when he pulled her up from the chair toward him. A split second passed between moments when their chests were just inches from touching, before Leviatha felt herself being turned, then pushed backward. Although just when she expected to hit the stone floor with a painful thud, she winced nevertheless when she instead fell into a cushy desk chair, very much like the one in which she had just been sitting. She blinked in surprise as she glanced down; she had not even seen or heard him conjure a second chair.

As she watched Snape lower himself into his own chair without so much as a second glance in her direction, Leviatha pulled herself back up to the desk, struggling hard against the shiver that threatened to overtake her at the man's forcefulness.

"I thought you were leaving, that's why I-" she went to explain, but Snape cut in, using his forearm to shift all of her papers toward her less than gently.

"I feel it would be ill-advised to leave you and Potter alone in a room full of chemicals," he answered curtly. Leviatha felt he did have a valid point so she shut up. At least until she noticed Potter hadn't brought her anything to write with.

"I haven't got a-" she began, but nearly flinched when he gave casual wave of his hand over the desk between them, just before a rather elegant black quill, nearly identical to his own, materialized atop one of her tests. With a sideways glance, she picked it up and carefully reached out toward the ornate pot of black ink, being infinitely careful to dab the excess against the glass rim in an effort to keep from dripping great splotches of it across his papers.

Her eyes then began to scan across the parchment she had been marking before the interruption, pausing with the tip of the quill hovering over that wrong answer to the question about Kappas, suddenly struggling to keep her focus. Her upper arms were still tingling slightly from where Snape's fingers had just gripped her so firmly, causing her to shiver vaguely as she leaned closer to the tall desk before her. She could never have predicted the way he would so forcefully grab her up out of his chair but now that she had seen how demanding and possessive he could be, she was somewhat eager to tempt him into action a second time. During that half-second of close contact, when he had held her so closely, so tightly within his hands, she had noticed something primal in his eyes, something she had never seen there before. It was so uncommon, downright rare in fact, for Snape to show any outward sign of emotion that Leviatha was unable and perfectly unwilling to shake the image of that dominance he had recently portrayed from her memory.

With her left elbow placed surreptitiously on the desk beside her, with her hand up against her cheek, Leviatha ever so discreetly looked up and over at him, using just her eyes. A smirk began to form across her lips. Even while doing something mundane, his usual scowl was as present as ever on his face, as though the very piece of parchment itself had done him some great personal wrong. Her eyes flickered across his profile, partially hidden from her studying gaze by the layered, feathery curtain of black hair that had fallen over his shoulder. It looked so soft and surprisingly clean, despite what the students often said about it being 'greasy'. However, it appeared, up close, that his hair was simply so sleek, so deeply rich in onyx color that it did seem to be greasy, even wet. Leviatha could bet with certainty that it was perfectly clean and was likely incredibly soft but thick and coarse. Oh, how desperately she wanted to reach out and run just one tendril between her fingers, just to see how it felt. Although, thinking back on the possessiveness he had shown over his chair, it was likely he would have a fit if she were to touch his precious hair without invitation.

Severus could feel Leviatha's gaze burning holes in the side of his head but he refrained from looking over, opting instead to remain pretending to read the essay before him, even moving his eyes slowly back and forth along the words to add to the image. He wondered greatly what it was she could be looking at and with a stab of annoyance, he thought of his hated, prominent nose and what she could possibly be thinking about it. Yes, his hair was down covering most of his face, but even then, he felt fairly certain she could still see the top of it beyond the curtain of inky, black hair. However, just as he was about to pick up his head and turn it toward her, to snap irritably at her to stop _staring, _the woman spoke, in a hushed whisper just next to his shoulder.

"You could have easily cleaned the potion mess in about two seconds, yes?" she asked. Severus fought back a shiver with great difficulty when he caught a whiff of that damn, sugary scent of hers. Against all logic, he leaned sideways toward her, purposely refraining from turning his head, knowing their faces would be just inches from each other.

"I felt Mister Potter's delicate fingers could use some toughening," he replied, using his own very special form of whispering, which involved lowering his voice to nothing short of a low grumble.

Silence once again descended through the room like a thick blanket, save for the quiet scraping noise coming from the detainee on the far side, where he stood scratching at a spot on the wall with that piece of metal Severus had given him. The sound of quills against parchment was intermittent, as occasionally, one of them would finish a test or essay and quickly scribble a grade at the top before moving to the next. After several minutes of this lulling, off-beat rhythm of soft noises, Severus jumped when a length of previously marked parchment landed across his forearm, followed by several more distractedly discarded papers. With a scowl, he pushed them away with a bit more force than necessary, nudging the paper on which Leviatha was currently marking an 'X', causing the quill to drag along and leave a nice black line along the side. With a tut, she looked up, frowning as she watched him use both hands to shift all of her work toward her.

"That is _your _side," he began lightly, motioning toward her side of the desk, in a voice one would use while speaking to a child. "This is _my _side." he then finished, placing his hands on the desk in front of him. Leviatha's face went very blank before she suddenly reached out and picked up her entire stack of papers, before promptly tossing them over to 'his' side of the desk. She then reached over his forearm with both hands to mess them around in a circle in front of him.

"Oops, all of my papers have gotten onto your side," she said in a playfully innocent voice as Severus exhaled impatiently through his nose and reached out to pick up the stack of jumbled parchment.

"You are a child." he grumbled.

"_You're _a child!" she hissed back immediately, sticking out her tongue at him when he glared in her direction. Pulling her papers back toward her, she turned in the swiveling chair and leaned back with the next unfinished test in her lap, tapping the feathered end of the quill against her pursed lips while she read.

Severus watched her do this, not even bothering to hide his gaze anymore. Just a moment later, he blinked, letting his hand drop with a thud when the woman brought one leg up to rest on the desk, before the other joined it, linking at the ankles with her bare toes wiggling comfortably. Against his immediate annoyance at her disrespect for his things, he momentarily allowed his eyes to drift along her long legs, starting from where her tight pencil skirt ended above her knees, on down to her well-groomed, fuchsia-painted toenails. Her toes were somewhat short, her feet themselves rather petite in relation to her height. The light against her legs gave them a certain gleam, as though she had been wearing stockings, though she wasn't, to his surprise. The shine on her skin led him to then notice that every follicle of hair had been removed; he could only imagine how soft they would be if he were to lose his mind and reach out to run a finger along one. When a sharp spasm across his middle caused his dick to throb achingly, he sat up more fully in his chair, clearing his throat.

"If you could _kindly _remove your _feet _from my desk, I would be much obliged," he said curtly, turning his attention hastily to that same essay he had been attempting to read for the past hour. Slowly, beside him, he felt Leviatha moving her legs and shifting around, even rising half out of her chair for a second before being seated again. Upon glancing over using just his eyes, he let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw that she had tucked her long legs up under herself and was now leaned sideways against the left arm of the chair, her test once again in her lap.

However at that moment, both of them reached out for the pot of ink across the desk, their fingers dangerously close to touching, but Severus' hand being the larger of the two beat her to it and he smirked in small triumph as he began to dip the tip of his quill into the black liquid. A second later, he jumped with a quiet hiss and pulled back when Leviatha suddenly pricked the back of his hand with the sharp tip of her owl feather, leaving a small black dot against his pale skin. Turning her head, she gave him a very ladylike, prideful smile as she dipped her own quill into the ink ahead of him before daintily returning to her work.

Rubbing the ink on his hand against his dark robes, he narrowed his eyes, trying to think of some way to irritate her as much as she was irritating him, however nothing subtle came to mind so he returned to work. Next to him, Leviatha was feeling the strain of sitting in her current position, her left arm beginning to fall asleep with much of her weight pressing it into the arm of the chair. With a stretch, she lifted her arm straight into the air, waving it about to get back full feeling before stretching it out to her side. But Severus' face was in the direct path of her arm and she clipped him hard along the side of his face with the tips of her nails. He jumped with a groan, one hand coming up to his right eye in painful shock.

As unintentionally funny as she found the accident, she couldn't help but gasp in immediate regret. "Sorry! Are you alright?" she asked hastily, leaning forward, struggling to see around his hand to where he had it placed against his temple and cheekbone.

Severus grunted in reply, letting his hand fall down to look at it, only to sigh when a small streak of blood was visible. The damn woman had scratched him. "I still have two eyes, yes?" he grumbled, casting a dark sideways glance at her dagger-like nails.

"Here, let me see," she said, turning to face him, her legs uncurling from underneath her.

"It's fine," he said, waving her off. The bloody witch seemed to have it in for him, even when she wasn't paying attention, and he'd be a fool to let her do anything else to him.

"Oh, don't be a baby," Leviatha's tone was firm and scolding at the same time. as she pushed his hands aside, leaning forward to inspect the fresh marks just below his eye. His ever present locks of hair shadowed the injury and she found herself giving in to the temptation that plagued her earlier as her fingers moved the closest strands of hair away from the scratches. It was just as soft as she had imagined it to be, yet coarse and thick, heavy but moved with just the slightest of touches. She wanted to just wrap her hands around the back of his head and run her fingers through the length of his hair, on down to his shoulders, feeling each delicate, yet coarse, strand brush against her palms. But the awareness of the nosy boy in the room prevented such a bold gesture.

Severus found himself without words as she closed in on him, her hands pushing his hair aside, her eyes scanning the wound she had created. The feel of her delicate fingers on his face was almost too much to bear, sending a pulsating, electric current through him. It was difficult to remain passive as her golden eyes scanned the scratches, her fingers feathering across his skin and he realized he could see his face reflected in her pupils. He found himself lost inside of those depths, many images running through his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder how those sharp nails would feel scratching their way down his bare back.

"I doubt you'll need to see the nurse," she said finally as though Severus could not have already guessed this, and she removed her hands from him, much to their mutual, unspoken disappointment. "It'll heal in a couple of days."

"Do try to keep your claws to yourself in the future." He growled, and with that, he turned his eyes back to his work.

Across the room, the scraping had stopped but neither Severus nor Leviatha had noticed, from being so engrossed in purposely bothering one another. Emerald eyes surveyed the two teachers, where one sat watching the other and vice versa, each one stealing glances every few moments like two students attempting to cheat off one another's tests. However when the boy spoke, to inform them that his finger had started to bleed, neither of them looked up. He waited a moment before trying again.

"Er...Professors?"

"SHUT UP, POTTER!"

Their voices rang out in almost the exact same pitch, at the exact same moment, one very deep and one higher-pitched, echoing slightly in the dungeon classroom as though they had been planning that outburst from the beginning. With a jump, the teenage boy who lived went back to his work, leaving the two teachers to glance at one another quickly. A silly, uncharacteristically girly grin sat festering on Leviatha's face, while a poorly suppressed smirk appeared across Severus' curved lips as they uselessly struggled to regain focus. Neither of them had managed to mark _one _paper to completion.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave me some lovies! Eye wuv woooooooooo...-QoM


	16. Release

M is for Mature...

.

.

.

Upon returning to her quarters just minutes after leaving the dungeon classroom, Leviatha had found Charlie snoozing comfortably on her bed, flopped over onto his back with all four, spotted legs splayed in awkward positions. Apparently, the Potter boy had done as he'd been asked. Back in the classroom, as the time had neared midnight, Snape had risen from the desk before promptly informing the disgruntled teenager that his cleaning was abysmal and in an effort to prevent them from being there until the sun rose, he had given a wave of his wand, clearing the rest of the mess with one simple movement. At first, Potter had turned to the professor, his mouth open, his eyebrows furrowed in anger, and he had clearly been about to ask, nastily, why the man had not done that in the first place. But Leviatha had then risen from her conjured chair, to stand firmly in place next to her colleague, only adding to the intimidation; the boy had quickly left the room without so much as a murmur of dissent.

Now, Leviatha found herself walking briskly along empty, dark corridors, wearing her long, black silk bathrobe, with a yawning Dalmatian trotting alongside her. Just minutes ago, when she had informed him that he was to accompany her to the Prefect's bathroom, he had given such a look of annoyance, that for a moment, she had considered leaving him behind. But then again, she was not exactly sure how the legendary bathroom door worked once one was inside and should a student, or heaven forbid, a member of staff enter while she bathed, it could lead to some very awkward situations indeed. She had insisted that Charlie come with her.

Four doors down the hall, just after a statue on the left, Leviatha stopped outside the door to the bathroom, glancing down at Charlie as he came to halt beside her and looked up. His normally excited brown eyes were dull and heavy with residual sleepiness, which left his master to shake her head reproachfully.

"Don't look at me like that. You've been sleeping all evening," she said quietly, glancing quickly down the hall to either side of her. "Stay out here and keep an eye out for students or teachers. Don't let anyone in, alright?"

With a low growl of understanding, the dog slowly sat down just next to the door and stayed there as Leviatha spoke the password before stepping into the vast bathroom.

Immediately, the fragrance of mingled soaps and assorted scented oils met her senses, forcing her to take a deep breath as she walked further into the gorgeous room, her eyes lingering momentarily on the tall, stained glass windows, stretching from the edge of the tub all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. During her time as a student at Hogwarts, Leviatha had never been made a Prefect nor had she ever cared to become one, but now, as she took in her marble tiled surroundings and the numerous, different water taps, she wished wildly that she had thought otherwise during her school career. The bathroom was truly magnificent, the tiled basin resembling more of a small swimming pool than any bathtub she had ever seen; privately, she praised herself for thinking to ask the Slytherin Prefect, Helen, for the password to the room.

With a gentle tug on the black silk garment, the robe's ties came undone, sliding from her body to leave her naked in the room. With a vague rush of panic, she quickly glanced behind herself to the closed door. The bathroom was just so large, it seemed almost impossible that she was perfectly alone. However, it seemed she was indeed by herself so she continued toward the massive tub, giving a subtle wave of her hand through the air, before all the taps around the room turned on and began to pour steaming water into the tub. Leviatha watched the water run, grinning peacefully to herself; her night had gone from perfectly dull to more interesting and relaxing that she could have ever foreseen. All thanks to one bespectacled third-year and his inability to produce a proper Hate Potion.

Within minutes, the tub was full to overflowing and teeming with great mounds of lavender scented bubbles, bobbing along the surface of the water around her ankles as Leviatha carefully descended the short steps into the basin. A violent shiver wracked her body as the deeply warm water rose up her legs, to her midsection and on up to her shoulders when she sank down. Sighing heavily, she reached one wet hand out of the water to wave over the tightly pinned bun at the back of her head. The coil of black hair unwound itself and cascaded down, sticking to her moistened shoulders and floating weightlessly through the water around her.

Earlier in the evening, she had been so tired, to the point of falling asleep while sitting perfectly upright in her chair in the Dark Arts office, but upon leaving the presence of the Potions Master, she found herself wide awake, alert and somewhat tightly wound. At first, she had attributed the change in internal atmosphere to simply sitting too close to the man for too long, perhaps having picked up on his own uptight energy. But now, as she floated backwards in the tub, until her back could come to rest on one of the steps, her mind once again drifted back to Snape's forcefulness over his chair.

Glancing down at her glistening arms, Leviatha half-expected to find bruises there in the shapes of his fingers, seeing how she could still feel the places where he had grabbed her. However, her skin there was as pale and creamy as the rest of it, leaving her to sigh and close her eyes as she rested the back of her head against the tile behind her. Images, some real, some fantasy, instantly began to float into her mind's eye, mental representations of the man she was currently struggling to forget about. For the first time since arriving at the school, she had been able to touch his hair, his skin, even if it was on his face, and even if she had just hurt him accidentally. His eyes had been only inches from her own and she had been powerless to look away from that smoldering, dark gaze of his. That gaze with the power to effortlessly slip into her mind, read her thoughts and see all of the fantastical images she had conjured up over the past week concerning the Potions Master. She must never allow him to see just how many times she had imagined what he looked like underneath that ever present, black frock coat of his.

So lost in her thoughts, in her replaying of the moment when his hands had yanked her so possessively out of his chair, Leviatha failed to notice the location of her hand until a sharp, tightening shift in her lower torso caused her to lift her head with a gasp and look down. Her hand was currently nestled between her legs beneath the water, one finger rested firmly atop her apparently over-sensitive bud. With a yank, she pulled her hand back, tempted to slap it for so blatantly betraying her while she had been off in dreamland, fantasizing. However, slowly, she relaxed against the step once more, staring up at the ceiling high above her.

There was no denying it anymore, despite how badly she wanted to; she _was _attracted to Professor Severus Snape. Attracted in a purely physical way of course, but attracted none the less. He had grown so dramatically from the lanky, awkward teenager he once was, to a tall, deceptively handsome man. His dark, brooding personality from his school days had cooled off but yet intensified, making it seem as though power and a demand for respect simply oozed from him. Whether he knew it or not, and it was likely he did not, Severus Snape was downright _sexy _to her, and Leviatha was tired of trying to deny it.

Casting one more quick glance at the door, Leviatha sighed into the heavy, steamy air as she reluctantly pushed two of her fingers inside her, struggling hard not to let out a soft moan at the sensation. It had been _quite _a while since she had done this, either alone or otherwise, and that much was clear as her sensitivity seemed to have reached a peak. Her fingers were rather short and narrow, while she was positive Snape's were much longer and thicker, and she could not stop herself from imagining how differently this would feel were he there with her. The thought of such a situation caused her to gasp quietly into the room when she imagined how his deep brown eyes would narrow down at hers, relishing in every pleasured expression she gave, absorbing her moans and cries with his dominant mouth.

With one set of fingers working between her legs, alternating between rubbing in circles and pushing inside, Leviatha clenched her free hand into a fist beside her, imagining, wishing desperately that she could grab a tight hold on his hair and yank backward, exposing his neck to her. She could then bite it, lick it, nuzzle it with her nose, even tease him to the point of madness with her plush lips just below his jaw. How dearly she wished to explore his body, find his highly secret weaknesses and exploit them to her own benefit.

With a shuddering, restrained moan into the moonlit room, Leviatha's back arched slightly from the step beneath her as her inner walls clenched tightly around her two fingers, just before her lips began to form a name.

_"Sever-" _she whimpered, but with an electrifying jolt, as though someone had just dropped a toaster into the opposite end of the bathtub, Leviatha jumped up from her place on the steps with a loud gasp, clutching her defiant hand to her chest. There would be absolutely none of that, she told herself firmly, immediately climbing out of the tub to shake her head roughly back and forth, meanwhile struggling in vain to ignore how slick and warm she felt between her legs. However, it had been too late. She had just brought herself to a complete release, while her mind had been filled with images, moving pictures of her esteemed colleague and had even begun to whisper his name into perfect emptiness. With a shudder of slight repulsion at herself, she waved her hands over her dripping body to quickly dry herself before grabbing her long, silken robe to reapply it.

After pausing in one of the mirrors to quickly braid her long, wet hair into a single plait over her shoulder, Leviatha hastily left the room, more than anxious to be back in her room and into a set of warm clothing. Her legs trembled slightly with her recent release as she padded quietly out into the hall, but she forced herself to ignore this as she glanced down at Charlie. The dog had been laying down outside the door and had just looked back up at her, when he suddenly turned his head to the opposite end of the hall. A low growl escaped his chest as he rose to all four legs, his head lowered, the spotted fur along his back raising as he sensed an approaching presence. Clutching her wand and holding the lit tip in front of her, Leviatha turned toward the end of the hall, peering through the pool of blueish light to where the vague outline of a tall figure appeared, rounding the corner toward her. She quickly extinguished her wand in an effort to blend into the shadows.

Severus' eyes narrowed against the darkness as he noticed two figures up ahead, down the hallway from him, one tall and dark, the other, smaller and white, spotted with black. His eyebrows arched sharply as he swept toward them. It just figured he would spend nearly an entire evening with the witch right at his side, only to run into her again, not even an hour later. As he approached, the faint sound of growling reached his ears but he ignored this and instead ignited the tip of his wand as he grew within speaking distance of the woman and her pet. However, before he could speak, she beat him to it.

"You just cannot resist following me, can you, Professor?" she asked, in that casually snide tone of hers, her eyes glancing him up and down somewhat uncertainly as he stepped toward her. As the pool of light emanating from his wand fell across the woman's countenance, he stopped dead in his tracks, his stomach clenching hard to the point of discomfort. To his immediate surprise, her hair was not back in her usual, tight bun but was instead falling over her shoulder in a loose braid, leaving some of the shorter strands to hang lank around her face. Severus' eyes followed the line of the braid down her shoulder, before, with a jolt, he noticed that she was not actually wearing clothes; she was instead wearing a _very _thin, silk robe.

"On the contrary," he answered smoothly, quickly shifting his eyes away from her chest. "I cannot seem to avoid running into you everywhere I go."

Forcefully, he dragged his eyes upward from the pert, attentive nipples the sheer material of the robe failed to hide from him as the fabric fell loosely along her chest. Another healthy throb coursed through the lower half of his body, causing a great deal of blood to begin draining downward, to aid in the growth of the erection he had been fighting against all evening. Quickly, he extinguished the light at the end of his wand, plunging them into darkness, to hide whatever may or may not have been beginning to strain at the front of his pants. As though she had known the reason for this, Leviatha folded her arms over her chest in an effort to hide herself from him, but in turn creating a lovely fold of cleavage between her breasts that the parted material of her robe failed to hide. Severus had to get away from there, _with haste. _

"What are you doing up here anyway?" she asked defensively, in reference to the fact that his quarters were five floors below them. Leviatha watched him slowly shift his weight from one foot to the other as he cleared his throat and glanced off down the hall. She frowned slightly; why did he seem so nervous when she was the one who was just recently touching herself to thoughts of this man? She swallowed hard on the uneasy lump in her throat upon remembering the way his name had almost left her lips, just moments ago. When he turned his head back toward her, she noticed his black eyes glance at the doorway behind her before a scowl formed across his features.

"I do a nightly patrol of the corridors," he answered. "Though I could ask you the same thing." he then added, motioning to the door. Leviatha glanced behind her before turning back to him with a heavy shrug.

"Pie eating contest," she answered simply. Severus blinked, a vague look of surprise and confusion appearing for just a fleeting moment on his face before Leviatha rolled her eyes. "It's a _bathroom, _what do you think I was doing in there?" she then asked, shaking her head slightly with a frown. _Oh, please don't answer that..._

Luckily, Snape skated past her question. "One wonders why you would need a bath in the middle of the night, all the way up here, in a student bathroom of all places," he said quietly, taking a half-step toward her, before a very vague smirk threatened to tug the corners of his lips upward when Leviatha responded by taking an awkward step back. Her shoulders made contact with the heavy wooden door behind her. Severus' eyebrows started to raise slowly in expectation of her reply when her mouth opened and closed once, wordlessly, before she found her tongue.

"It...the tub in my bathroom...This one is much bigger, you see-" she stammered somewhat nervously, like a child who had just been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. Suddenly, she pushed herself up from against the door to stand as tall as she could whilst barefoot, a slight frown of indignation furrowing her eyebrows. "Hey, I've licked your face. Don't question my motives." she said curtly, poking him in the middle of his chest with one finger. As though that one touch had been enough to propel him into action, Severus took a full step toward her, watching with delight as her eyes flashed in either surprise or fear, he could not be sure yet. He leaned down ever so slightly.

"Yes, I am quite delicious, aren't I?" he growled, now openly allowing his eyes to drift downward once again to those perfectly erect nipples. With great effort, he held his hands back from reaching out to graze a thumb across one of them through the thin material. "_Now, _I suggest you run along before someone _else _comes by and sees you wearing this _quite _revealing robe."

Leviatha jumped with a quiet gasp when a sudden sharp pinch at her hip caused her to jump slightly, even though the tall professor's hands had not moved from his sides and with that, she took off down the hall with Charlie at her heels, casting a quick surprised glance over her shoulder, to where Snape stood in place, watching her go.

Even in the darkness, Severus could see the outline of her body perfectly through the thin, silken material of her robe, and without even trying to stop himself, he allowed his eyes to travel along her retreating backside. Very clearly, he could make out the contours of her heart-shaped ass as she walked briskly away from him, and he watched, staring after her until her form had completely faded into the darkness at the opposite end of the hallway. Then, he turned his back and let a heavy exhale escape through his mouth, a breath he had not realized he had been holding, as his eyes slid shut. As he reached out one arm to brace himself against the wall next to him, he noticed with a pang of surprise that his hands were shaking with poorly suppressed urgency. He needed to be alone. His patrol could go unfinished, while _other_ things, could not.

As the heavy door to his quarters slammed shut behind him, Severus paused in the middle of his bedroom, breathing somewhat heavily and torn between several options. There was no ignoring it this time. He was completely and entirely hard, to the point of it being painful, and as he brought one trembling hand up to run through his hair, his eyes scanned the large bed before him. Sure, he could throw himself down onto it and take care of the problem right then but that would be conceding defeat. He would have let that woman win over his self-control; this could not happen. If there was one thing Severus prided himself on, it was his masterful control over his thoughts and emotions, even his natural, bodily response to certain stimuli. However, this was different. He had never encountered a person who could literally rip that control out from under him, without even realizing she had done it. _He could not let her win. _

Taking a deep, steadying breath to settle himself, Severus moved toward the bathroom off to the left of his bed, reaching up to begin undoing the top buttons on his black frock coat while he stood in front of the large mirror. With a quick wave of his hand, the water began to run in the shower behind him, immediately warm and quickly filling the bathroom with steam as his clothing began to come away from his body. Skin was soon exposed and with it, the evidence of recent encounters with the one woman he was currently struggling to forget about. With his outer coat removed, he quickly shed his white undershirt before tossing it blindly into his bedroom, leaving him standing shirtless, exposed in just his black pants. His eyes inspected his reflection with scrutiny, grazing first, over the ugly, yellowing bruise on his right arm from where she had punched him several nights before. On both of his shoulders, faint marks against his pale skin could be seen from where the tiger's claws had dug into him through his clothing.

And then, there was his face. The most recent of his wounds appeared in the form of three faint, jagged nail marks along his right cheekbone, just under his eye. Leaning forward toward the mirror for a closer look, Severus touched the tip of one finger to the marks, tracing their path along his cheek as his mind once again played him a quick visual of two sets of clenched fingers dragging their way down his bare back. They would likely leave the same sort of marks he was currently sporting on his face, though it was probable that they would be deeper, more painful but thrilling and intensely satisfying. A deep groan of discomfort suddenly escaped Severus of it's own volition, as that increasingly annoying, seemingly forever hard dick of his gave another aching throb. His eyes slid closed, his teeth gritted together and despite how much effort he put into stopping himself, his hand moved to the front of his pants, deft fingers working quickly to undo the stifling triple buttons and zipper.

Releasing himself from the pressure of the tightened fabric helped relieve a bit of the discomfort, though he could still feel the blood rushing, throbbing in perfect time with his quickened heartbeat. Glancing down at his now completely naked form, Severus groaned again before turning to step into the shower. At times, he truly hated how very human his baser needs made him feel.

The water was almost too hot at first, having just been standing shirtless, then naked in the cold air of the dungeons, but as he stepped forward into the streams, he shivered violently, massive goosebumps rising up all over his skin at the contrast in temperatures. Using both of his hands, he reached up to push his soaked, heavy black hair out of his face, back over his head until he could feel the very ends of it against his upper shoulders, between the blades. For several long moments, he stood there, perfectly still, with his hands braced against the stone wall before him, struggling with supreme effort to clear his mind, reduce his thoughts to nothing but a blank static, as he was typically so proficient at doing. However, try as he might, he simply could not wipe his memory clean of images of the witch. No, he had not seen her naked, but after witnessing the way that silk robe left nothing to his imagination, she might as well have been standing there in nothing but her bare skin. A sharp hiss of a breath escaped through Severus' clenched teeth as he placed a bet that her legs did not completely touch together when she stood up straight. How desperately he wanted to find out. However, he had never seen her wear pants but once, and then, he had not been interested in what her legs looked liked. _Now, _he found himself willing to give just about anything to find out what it was she wore under her dresses and skirts, since she was clearly not one for wearing stockings.

Suddenly, an incredibly realistic vision flew to the forefront of Severus' mind, a vision that included him placing both of his hands on either side of her thighs, using the tips of his fingers to slide her tight-fitting dress up along her legs, until it could bunch at the curve of her ass. She would then be exposed to him, she would gasp when his fingers wrapped around her thigh, to lift it and hold it against his own hip, parting her, opening her to receive him...

Severus' eyes slid shut as his hips gave a small, instinctual buck of their own accord, as though reminding him of his problem; that same problem that had been afflicting him for several weeks now. Each time he had felt himself growing hard or would feel that telltale spasm across his lower torso, he had found it increasingly difficult to ignore, more impossible to put off. But before, he had been able to simply tip back a vial or even two of Calming Draught and the erection would slowly but surely go away. But for _this, _there was no magical remedy. No potion in the world could resolve the sort of need he was experiencing.

Just a few minutes prior, standing in the hall with Leviatha, he had smelled something on her. Lavender, of course, was the strongest fragrance but beneath that, accenting it, there had been something else, something he had not smelled in quite a while. The scent had been purely organic, there was no bottle that could imitate that primal, feral perfume and with a jolt, Severus recognized what it had been. The woman had been practically dripping with pheromones. It was a unique scent, Leviatha's only, and now that he had experienced it, had practically tasted it on his tongue, he found himself beyond desperate to smell it again. It was unlike any scent he had ever encountered.

Unable to control himself any longer, Severus reached down with his dominant right hand, taking a firm hold of his arousal, just before a deep, quiet growl left his chest. There was truly no other way to be rid of it, beyond doing this himself and as his hand moved along the length of his dick, a heavy, breathy sigh escaped him through the streams of water, still cascading over him, down his back and chest, easing the movement of his hand. His formerly smoothed-back hair had all been swept back down into his face by the falling water, and he shook his head hard back and forth, in an effort to fling it back over his shoulders. This only caused the sheets of hair to separate into lank strands that continued to hang in his eyes.

Earlier that night, Leviatha had touched his hair, purposely moving it out of the way, when it had been nowhere near the cuts on his face. But how desperately at the time, did he wish she would reach back and run her fingers through the length of it. With a shudder, Severus felt a shock go up his spine when he imagined using his own fingers to pull tightly on a handful of her hair, yanking her head back to expose her neck. He had never seen it down from that tightly coiled bun of hers until that night, but now, he had seen how long it really was. And more than anything, he wanted to grasp it and pull.

With a gasp, Severus opened his eyes, looking down to where his hand was now working its way steadily up and down his length. He cringed, closing his eyes again in disgust over himself for doing such a crude thing while thinking so wantonly of his colleague. Just two months prior, he had disliked her to the point of loathing, had gone out of his way to try and have her removed from her post. Now there he stood, fantasizing in his own shower like a hormonal teenager, working toward a release over the things the same woman had been making him think and feel. He considered it rather loathsome, perverted even, to be thinking these sort of things over one of his fellow professors, something he had never even _considered _doing up until this point. But he had already come too far. The partially fabricated images in his mind had been etched and burned into place, making it impossible for him not to imagine, with a surge of unfiltered lust, the way her plush, pink lips would likely feel, tightened and puckered around his width, in place of his hand.

Severus' head fell back, his jaw dropped slightly as all those weeks, _months_ of ignoring his sexual needs caught up with him in one strong wave of warmth flowing through his body from the top of his head, all the way to his toes. The pace of his hand slowed slightly, his thumb brushing quickly, intermittently against the swollen head of his dick before he leaned forward to brace his free hand against the wall, leaning close to rest his forehead against the cool stone, while the warm water hit and splattered off his back. Then, at once, all the muscles along his shoulders and framing his spine tightened simultaneously as that sharp, familiar spasm shot across his lower torso, just a half-second before he abandoned all semblance of control and finally allowed himself that long-awaited release. A low, rumbling moan left him against the stone wall, his deep voice echoing slightly in the room, before he opened his eyes slowly and took a deep breath.

Quite suddenly, a wave of overwhelming exhaustion hit Severus, making his arms feel heavy, his knees rather weak and without even the slightest shred of energy to wash his hair, he waved a weak hand to shut off the water. He stepped out of the shower, somewhat breathless, despite having only been standing there and with an incredible heaviness, he somehow managed to grab a soft white towel to wrap it around his waist. His bed seemed miles away from him at the moment, but he moved toward it, stretching out both hands to brace his fall as he grew close enough to collapse, chest first, onto the cushioned mattress. His body was weak from head to toe, every muscle relaxed completely, and as he took one deep, cleansing breath in through his nose, his eyes drifted shut behind stringy tendrils of wet, black hair that had fallen across his face. And before his exhale could escape him completely, Severus Snape was fast and deeply asleep.

…...

It had been a long night for Leviatha. It had been a long night for Charlie as well, seeing how the bed he typically slept on kept shifting and creaking beneath him while his master tossed and turned every few minutes, as though unable to find a comfortable position. At around three that morning, he had given up and hopped down off the bed, casting a dark look in Leviatha's direction before slinking over to the couch, where he climbed up and curled into a spotted ball. The sun had now risen and was scattering bright beams of light into her quarters from the high windows along the wall, making it nearly impossible for her to keep her highly over-tired eyes open for longer than a few seconds at a time while she dressed.

Upon returning to her room the previous night, after her unscheduled and poorly timed run-in with the Potions Master, Leviatha had found her head absolutely swirling and filled to overflowing with thoughts, curiosities and slight repulsion over all the things she had thought and done during her bath. It had just figured that she would then run into that same man mere moments after exiting the bathroom. She had still been dripping and slick between her legs as she stood there talking to him, struggling to keep her face straight and her voice strong, to prevent any hint of guilt from betraying itself through her body language.

And yet, as much as she wanted to hate herself for nearly speaking Snape's first name during her moment of climax, it had felt so..._right _to say his name that way. She had yet, until that very moment, to speak his first name aloud, either to him directly or while speaking about him to someone else. Truthfully, she found the name 'Severus' incredibly _sexy, _for lack of a better term. It carried such a harsh, dark tone to it when spoken, but also held a very sensuous note when whispered lightly. Part of Leviatha desperately desired to find out how it would feel to moan that name loudly in the throes of intense pleasure...or even pain, whichever happened to come first.

However, all these thoughts from the previous night had led Leviatha to the same, slightly depressing conclusion. The man she was so attracted to, _physically, _was the same man, who, not even two months ago, had given it everything he had to see her fired. There had been such a deep look of loathing in his eyes upon meeting her the first time, and that look had carried over, even intensified through the following weeks. It was true, recently, he had not shown such blatant, outward signs of contempt or hatred toward her but that did not necessarily mean he returned any of those sexually desirous feelings she currently held for him. Yes, his eyes did occasionally gravitate to her chest, she had caught him once or twice eying her dress as though attempting to see through it, but he was a man. And men would be men, no matter how annoying or 'inept' they found a woman. In her mind, there was just no way Severus Snape, master of control, would ever return such promiscuous, deep feelings of sexual desire. So Leviatha had resigned herself to the notion that she would simply have to admire him from a distance, steal glances when he wasn't looking and _maybe, _occasionally have herself a fantasy.

…...

It seemed only five minutes had passed before Severus was woken with a startling jolt when, at exactly six o'clock, a buzzing noise filled his bedroom, signaling to him that it was time to get up. He jumped with a gasp, the side of his face pressed heavily against the thick comforter on his bed, as the noisy alarm continued to grow in volume until, with a great deal of effort, he managed to lift his free arm and wave his hand. The noise died instantly, leaving a dull ringing in his ears. Forcing one eye open, Severus blinked heavily at his surroundings, confused at first as to why he was laying sideways _on _his bed, versus _in _his bed, with his head against the pillows. He was cold as well, goosebumps evidencing this, and upon lifting his head, he realized that, strangely, his hair was wet. However, with a groan, he rested it back down against the mattress beneath him. His entire body felt heavy with either over-tiredness or something else he could not place his finger on just yet.

With a groan, he used his arm to push himself from laying on his stomach, onto his side, where he could finally open both eyes and glance down. That groan from just moments prior returned, this time much louder, when the events of the night before came flooding back to him in a tidal wave of recent memories, brought on by the sight of the white towel, draped loosely across his naked hip. A sharp pang of slight disgust shocked its way through his body and mind as he turned onto his back, bringing both of his hands up to his face, to place the heels of them against his itchy, sleepy eyes. _Now _he'd really done it. He had finally gone and crossed the line he had been avoiding like a disease for weeks. How was he supposed to ever look her in the eyes again, knowing the sort of things he had imagined doing to her?...The things he had imagined her doing to _him..._

However, he supposed it was a very small consolation that, as he pushed himself into a sitting position at the edge of his bed, he noticed how very relaxed he felt, in sharp contrast to how extraordinarily tense and uptight he'd been feeling as of late. True, he was not the sort of man to be particularly easy going but he had to admit, feeling thatamount of tension and restraint for that amount of time had been taking a toll on him. It was downright surprising how differently he felt that morning, though he figured this temporary mellowness could be partially attributed to the fact that he was only going on about five hours of sleep. One could only be so rigid whilst sleep-deprived.

As Severus finally stood from his bed, he hesitated, a groggy frown sliding into place as his eyes scanned his room, noting just then how an extraordinary amount of light was already filtering in through the Lake beyond his windows. However, his alarm had only just gone off at it's scheduled time of six, so why then, did it appear that the sun had already risen? With a rush of panic, Severus moved quickly toward his nightstand, where a small glass clock stood atop the mahogany wood. The time currently read, _'7:48'._..just twelve short minutes before his first class.

With a loud curse, Severus dashed to his wardrobe, flinging open the doors to quickly grab a pair of black pants and a clean white undershirt, all the while wondering wildly how he had managed to sleep through his alarm when it had first gone off over an hour ago. Not once, in twelve years of teaching, had he ever been late to a class, had never taken a sick day, and now he was facing his first taste of tardiness due to his lack of self-control the night before. As he stepped into his pants, he groaned, shaking his head in shame at himself; this could _never _happen again. If he ever _needed _a release in the future, he would have to set aside time to do so, not just rashly decide to have a go at almost one in the morning.

After dressing, he glanced once again at the time, to find he now only had five minutes remaining until he was expected to come bursting into the classroom with his usual, stoic scowl in place. But before he left the room, he stepped into his bathroom for just a moment, just to be sure his reflection looked the same as it always did and to double check that the word 'guilty' had not written itself across his forehead during the night. With an impatient sigh, Severus remembered that his hair was still partially damp on one side, where he had fallen asleep with the side of his head against the mattress. This left one side of his wavy hair somewhat frizzy and unkempt, disheveled from being left to air dry, instead of the usual drying spell he used. Normally, he would not have cared what he looked like as 'vain' was not mentioned anywhere in his proverbial list of attributes. However, he was already feeling guilty enough about his foray into fantasized relations between himself and another teacher, and it would not do to have his students questioning what exactly he had been doing the night before, due to his tousled appearance. So he quickly smoothed his hand along the damp half of his thick hair, drying it instantly, before he used all five fingers from that same hand to rumple his hair into equal messiness, matching it to the other side. At the very least, he could be sure his untidiness was evenly distributed.

…...

As Leviatha stepped out into the hallway with Charlie at her side, a huge yawn nearly split her face in half, blurring her vision. Though as she waved her wand to place her usual wards of protection over her bedroom, the echo of another door closing down the hall caused her to turn, frowning slightly in confusion. There was only a few minutes left before she was due in her classroom, making it unlikely that any other student would be out in the hall at that time and all teachers were bound to be in their own classrooms already. However, as her eyes glanced down at the opposite end of the hallway, she froze, her heart skipping several beats in succession when she recognized the flowing, billowing black robes and tall, rather menacing frame of Snape. He did not seem to notice her as he was in an obvious rush, walking briskly along the intersecting corridor toward the dark dingy hallway leading to his classroom. Leviatha frowned, watching him, finding it rather odd that he was not already behind his lectern, handing out snide comments and underhanded insults left and right.

It was incredibly fortunate, however, that he was running late, for whatever reason that may be. Leviatha was not ready to see him again, as she was still feeling extremely uncomfortable about what she had done the previous night and her newly admitted feelings of lust for the professor. To have to look him in the eyes would be bordering closely on torture.

…...

The door to the potions classroom gave a loud, satisfying bang against the stone behind it as Severus burst his way into the room, moving immediately toward his desk without missing a beat. Every set of eyes turned to look at him, the hushed murmurs dying instantly as his dominating presence performed its usual magic of silencing a room within seconds. Withholding a heavy, weary sigh, he turned to the students, his face smoothly inscrutable.

"Open your books to chapter eight and begin reading," he instructed, using his silkiest of voices. When the seventh-year Slytherins and Ravenclaws moved to retrieve their books, a few of them began murmuring amongst themselves, so he clarified. "In _silence._"

As the students began to read quietly to themselves, Severus turned to sit at his desk, but hesitated where he stood, his eyes falling onto that second chair he had conjured the night before, sitting just to the right of his own. His stomach clenched somewhat uncomfortably but instead of giving himself more time to stand there and stare dumbly at the extra piece of furniture, he gave a slight wave of his wand, vanishing the object immediately. He then sat down in his own chair with a quiet sigh. He supposed it was a bit of a cop-out to assign his students to 'quiet reading time', in a clear effort to gain an hour and a half of uninterrupted silence, but he was beyond caring. His mind was absolutely whirring and he needed time to think without having to divide his attention.

Leaning back in his chair after turning it sideways to the desk, he brought one of his ankles up to balance comfortably across his opposite knee while his elbow rested atop the neatly organized surface next to him. His fingers then linked together across his middle as his eyes found a blank spot on the opposite wall to focus on. Then, his thoughts drifted to Leviatha as though drawn there by magnets. Vaguely, he wondered how she had slept the previous night, if she had experienced as abysmal a night's sleep as he had. Somehow he doubted it. The witch probably slept like a baby, perfectly unaware of anything she had caused him to feel and think. She had likely dressed that morning without even the slightest shred of concern for how she looked, without even a second thought to how any of the 'other teachers' might react to seeing her in those bloody tight skirts and impossibly high heels. _Damnit, witch..._he thought bitterly.

Over the next fifteen minutes, Severus drifted between states of consciousness, struggling with great effort to keep himself awake for the duration of this class, though after a while of fighting to keep his head upright, he gave in and leaned slightly sideways, bracing his cheek with his hand. He then closed his eyes, welcoming the dark respite. However, after only a few seconds of this new comfortable position, his keen ears picked up the faint sound of swishing robes from out in the midst of his reading students. Without moving even an inch nor opening his eyes, he spoke.

"What." he growled flatly. There was a pause before a female voice replied.

"Er...What would you like us to do when we've finished reading chapter eight?" she asked. Shifting slightly, Severus readjusted his head's position against his hand.

"Well, I would assume chapter nine comes directly after chapter eight, yes?" he answered in question form, and although his reply had been rhetorical, the girl spoke again.

"Er...Yes?" she questioned uncertainly while a few of her male classmates chuckled under their breath at her foolishness. From behind his eyelids, Severus rolled his eyes.

"So, _read. it." _he then instructed curtly, just before the room fell into deep silence once again...

"OI! SNAPE!"

Severus jumped when his name was shouted at him, only ten seconds later it seemed. Lifting his head from its comfortable place against his hand, he blinked hard a few times against the poisonous sunlight, as he turned slightly to see which infernal fool had woken him so abruptly. However, to his immediate surprise, not one, but thirty sets of eyes were on him, all at the same time. Clearing his throat, he sat up in his chair, turning it fully toward the desk to rest his forearms in front of him. A blonde seventh-year boy at the table nearest him seemed to have been one who shouted as his smirk was the shittiest of the lot.

"Rough night, Professor?" he asked, a very subtle hint of teasing to his voice. Severus' dark eyes narrowed at the boy as he leaned forward slightly.

"While I appreciate your concern, Mister Winters, I don't believe that is any of your business," he replied evenly. "That will be ten points from Slytherin for being an intrusive prat."

Just then, the chiming of the school bell echoed off in the distance, signaling the end of class and as Severus watched his students gather their bags to leave the room, he gritted his teeth to prevent himself from yawning. It was bound to be a long, treacherously slow day.

…...

Leviatha considered it nothing short of a miracle that she had made it through her day of classes without either falling asleep or having some sort of outburst, as she had found herself growing increasingly cranky as the day wore on. There was no place she would rather be than tucked into her bed, beneath her blankets, fast asleep and she was quick to leave the room after her students had been dismissed at the last bell of the day. Only four flights of stairs remained between her and her quarters.

Earlier that morning, upon arriving to her classroom, she had found her usual slew of students, all seated at their desks awaiting her arrival, but along with them, she had found a slip of parchment atop her book at the podium. She had instantly recognized Remus' all-capitalized, slanted handwriting.

"_LEVI- I AM FEELING MORE ILL THAN I HAVE FELT IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. AFTER SPEAKING WITH DUMBLEDORE, HE INSTRUCTED ME TO TAKE THE REST OF THIS WEEK OFF FROM CLASSES. SEVERUS HAS AGREED TO BRING ME SOME POTIONS LATER TO SEE IF THEY HELP, BUT REGARDLESS, I'D LIKE YOU TO OVERSEE MY CLASSES UNTIL FRIDAY. COME SEE ME LATER. I COULD USE SOME COMPANY. -R"_

At first, Remus' note had taken Leviatha by surprise, seeing how he had not missed a single class thus far, despite how sick he'd already been feeling. But upon thinking back on it randomly through the day, she figured the continued dosing of the Wolfsbane potion was just reaching a peak and that it would now level out, his body becoming accustomed and immune to the side effects. Perhaps this week would give him the rest he needed to once again return to his usual bright and impossibly resilient self.

In his note, Remus had asked her to come visit him later, however, at this point, before dinner had even been served, Leviatha could now barely keep her eyes open. Her entire body felt weak and heavy with lack of proper sleep and she had just made it back to her bed chambers with Charlie and had _just _changed into a comfortable pair of leggings and overlarge Muggle t-shirt when a poorly timed knock at her door caused her to groan loudly. From her place, halfway into her bed, she called out to the mystery knocker.

"YEAH?" she practically shouted, her voice raised a bit louder than it normally would have been as her crankiness reached an all-time high for the day. There was a pause before the knocker spoke.

"I'd like to speak with you, Leviatha Jane," replied Minerva through the door, in her typical, curt tone. Rolling her eyes heavily at the woman's use of her middle name, she continued into her bed before waving her hand to unlock the door. A moment later, the older witch stepped into the room, clutching a previously folded and creased piece of parchment in her wrinkled hand. Her eyes narrowed on the younger woman in the bed as she shut the door behind her. Her thin eyebrows then arched with a hint of concern upon noticing the faint rings beneath Leviatha's yellow eyes.

"Are you alright? She asked. "You look somewhat ill."

Shaking her head, Leviatha sat up in her bed, forcibly ignoring the pang of guilt that shot through her stomach as her mind once again flickered back to the events of the previous night in the Prefect's bathroom.

"No, I'm fine," she answered, allowing her gaze to fall somewhat awkwardly to her hands. "I didn't sleep well last night so I was just going to turn in early in order to catch up." There was then a pause, during which one of Minerva's thin lines of an eyebrow threatened to disappear up into her hairline, either in concern or suspicion, Leviatha was not sure. In an effort to slip past the possible interrogation, she pointed at the letter in the older witch's hand. "What you got there?" she asked.

"This," Minerva began, glancing down at the slip of parchment. "-is an owl from your mother, informing me that she has been admitted to St. Mungo's. She asked me to relay the message to you." At this, Leviatha's eyes rolled heavily before she sunk back into her pillows. "Oh, don't act like that. You know how your mother is, Leviatha." she scolded, frowning as the younger witch tossed her hands.

"Yeah, I _do _know how she is!" she exclaimed. "She's a bloody hypochondriac! She's probably just got a bout of the flu or something...I'm not concerned, Minerva. I really don't think you should worry yourself over this."

Just then, Leviatha watched as Minerva rose from the bed, her thin lips tightening into nonexistence as she linked her hands, along with the note, in front of her.

"Oh, I'm not worried, dear," she answered. "But I will be having you accompany me to St. Mungo's on Saturday to visit your mother."

And with that, Minerva swept from the room, leaving Leviatha to groan loudly in annoyance. It was so very like her mother to make something out of nothing and she was absolutely positive this hospital visit was nothing more than another of her usual 'brushes with death'. If she had it her way, Leviatha would not be leaving the school on Saturday, her first day of freedom after what was sure to be a long week of full days teaching full dockets of classes. With a determined 'hmph', Leviatha turned to her pillow before punching it hard and throwing her head down onto it, hoping, _praying _her thoughts could avoid drifting off to Professor Snape, just for _one _night of uninterrupted sleep.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Reviews make me write faster. = ] ILU -QoM


	17. Let Sleeping Beasts Lie

As Leviatha and Charlie journeyed back toward her quarters after her first full day of nonstop classes, she considered, incensed, how she was quite literally being instructed to visit her mother by Minerva. And the longer she thought on it, the more aware she became of the fact that if she was leaving the school for most of the day on Saturday, she would need someone to watch Charlie. It was true, he was an extraordinarily bright dog, who was perfectly capable of looking after himself, but Leviatha felt bad when he was forced to be completely by himself for longer than an hour or two at a time. He would always be in a bad mood when she eventually returned and it would require a surprising amount of spoiling for him to come back around. Dalmatians were an abnormally social breed of dog and despite the fact that she claimed Charlie was more human than he was animal, she did not necessarily feel it was healthy for him to be shut up in a room all day by himself.

It was for this reason, normally, that Leviatha would take Charlie with her wherever she went. She enjoyed his company more than that of any human being and absolutely adored the calming effect the dog's energy had on herself and the people around her. However, seeing as to how she would be visiting a hospital, it seemed unlikely the Healers and staff of 's would allow her to bring an animal inside with her, regardless of how well-behaved he was. And since Charlie took great offense to being told he could not come inside a particular building, Leviatha would, regretfully, have to leave him at the school.

But Remus was sick, more ill than she had ever seen him. It did not seem fair of her to ask if he could allow Charlie to stay with him all day, and also seemed counter-intuitive to her original reason for asking him. Remus would likely not be leaving his bed chambers for the next week, or at least until he was feeling better, which would ultimately leave Charlie shut up in a room all day.

As Leviatha entered her quarters, her mind then began to drift off to other possible 'dogsitters'. Professor Dumbledore was particularly fond of the dog and would likely agree to it, but she did not feel comfortable asking him to do such a thing. It was probable that he would be busy for the duration of the day, so Leviatha felt that adding an extra burden to his already full schedule would be a bit much. Minerva of course, was already out of the question as she would be the one dragging Leviatha along with her to the hospital...besides, the woman was not much of a 'dog person' anyway. The other teachers, Leviatha did not feel comfortable asking, since she had not really formed much of a personal relationship with them. And of course, the students were out, as she did not feel she trusted them enough to place the life of her most precious and best friend in their hands. This left only one option...

"NO," Leviatha said aloud to her partially empty room as she kicked her heels off with a bit more force than necessary. Charlie lifted his head from where he had been gnawing on his rope, his spotted ears going back as though thinking he had been scolded for chewing on his monkey. His owner shook her head, waving her hand distractedly at him. "No, not you, Charlie, dear. I'm just thinking." He resumed his chewing while Leviatha took a seat at her vanity, pulling down her bun to begin absentmindedly running her brush through her hair.

There was no possible way she could ask Snape to allow Charlie to stay with him for the day. Not only did the dog wholeheartedly dislike the man, but the feeling was mutual. More than once, he had referred to Charlie as a 'flea-bitten mutt' or 'mangy dog', and more than once, he had warned her to keep him out of his classroom. He had even gone so far as to lock poor Charlie in his class' storeroom cabinet for several hours, which in turn had caused the dog to attempt to bite him. No, there was absolutely no way he would ever consent to such a thing.

Although...he and Leviatha _had _been 'playing' somewhat nicely together as of late. Aside from a few small bickerings over random things, they had been perfectly pleasant with one another, even going so far as to actually share a desk for a few hours. Yes, they had purposely annoyed each other by getting in the way or throwing a few papers onto each others 'side' but this was leagues better than what had happened between them only a month or two prior. It seemed the two teachers had begun to form a mutual respect for one another. How this had happened, Leviatha was still unsure.

However, the most simple of facts remained. While Snape had become marginally more tolerant of Leviatha, he still held a bit of contempt for her dog as neither he nor Charlie had ever been given a chance to properly interact. Perhaps, this could be the chance for them to warm up to each other. No, she really did not wish to have a one-on-one conversation with the man, as she still felt deeply guilty about what had happened in the Prefect's bathroom, but she sincerely did not want to leave Charlie shut up in her bedroom all day. At least, in Snape's office or classroom, he could be with someone, sniffing about, coming and going as he pleased. And _perhaps, _the Potions Master could even take him outside for a few minutes, throw a ball or take him on a walk into the forest. _Ok, maybe I'm being a bit optimistic with that last bit..._she thought, smirking to herself as she imagined the shocked and slightly offended look on Snape's face if she were to suggest such a thing. However, it was still only Wednesday. She still had plenty of time before Friday, when she would be forced to swallow her pride, and nervousness, and ask a _huge _favor of the man who had, until recently, been the object of her hatred.

…...

As a collective groan of disappointment rose up from the sea of students before him, after they had just been assigned a ten-inch essay on the properties of Wolfsbane potion, Severus suppressed a smirk with insane ease. If there was one thing he had not grown tired of, after the past decade of teaching, it was the wonderful, sullen, slumped shoulders of his charges when they left the room after hearing their homework. He found it eternally amusing how they found such a simple thing as writing so very arduous and taxing. If only they knew how challenging real life was beyond the walls of Hogwarts. As much as Severus enjoyed their misery, he did not feel it was his place to forewarn them about how much they would miss the days when an essay was the greatest of their worries.

For instance, over the past week, Severus had been avoiding Leviatha as if she were carrying a highly contagious disease. Their encounter in the hallway nearly a week prior had been completely unplanned and slightly unnerving, seeing how he had not expected to see her there. Thinking back, he could not see how he had not been expecting this and if he were being perfectly honest, he felt as though he could blame his subconscious for purposely being there in the _hopes _that he would see her during his nightly rounds. Of course, he would deny this to his dying day.

It was fortunate, therefore, that Leviatha had been fairly busy over the past week, covering not only her own schedule of classes, but Remus' as well. This kept her upstairs in the Defense classroom all day, and not floating back and forth between her quarters in the dungeon and the fourth floor corridor, which typically left a whole plethora of instances during which he could see her. However, during the rare times when he would see her in the Great Hall or in passing in the halls, he would avoid looking at her, would find a random place to focus his gaze, and would keep it there until she had passed or left the room.

He supposed this was a fairly juvenile way to go about handling his newly discovered attraction for the witch, but he found it so incredibly unlikely that she would return such strong feelings of physical desire, that he felt it was necessary to hide it at all costs. Not because he was afraid of what she might think or say, if she were to find out, but because he was still coming to grips with these feelings himself. He could not ever remember being so unabashedly, sexually attracted to a woman in his entire life, and if truth be told, he was not exactly sure how to go about it. Part of him wanted to be downright ashamed of himself for losing sight of his undying love for Lily Evans, but another part of him, a much _lower _part of him, was beyond curious to discover more about this Leviatha Dagrin, perhaps push the boundaries. It was as though she had unknowingly woken a sleeping beast inside of him, which was now stirring slowly, lifting its head to sniff the air hopefully.

Just as the last of his students filed out of the room, clearly eager to begin their weekend, and Severus rounded the edge of his desk to begin gathering his papers to leave, a familiar sound reached his ears beneath the sound of shuffling feet, out in the hallway. His stomach immediately tightened into knots; the clicking of high heels against stone floors had become a source of anxiety for him. Quickly arranging his features into cold indifference, he straightened his shoulders and looked to the doorway, just as Leviatha stepped into the frame. Her eyes quickly glanced about the room, apparently to check for straggling students, before she spoke.

"Could I have a word?" she asked politely. With a nod of his head, he watched her enter the room, quickly allowing his gaze to flicker down over her chosen outfit for the day. Instead of her usual black or gray pencil skirts, she was wearing a rather modest green dress, that ended several inches below her knees but still hugged her curvy frame in the most teasing way possible. He quickly cleared his throat and looked away as she approached the opposite side of the desk from him. Once again, she was perfectly eye-level with him but just when he expected her to get on with what it was she had to say, he began to frown when she remained silent, simply staring at him. He raised his eyebrows slowly.

"_Yes..._Professor?" he urged her to get on with it, in his typical, low drawl. To his surprise, the witch jumped, as though startled out of a trance.

"Oh, erm...I wanted to ask...a favor..." she began, reaching out a finger to somewhat awkwardly shift a piece of parchment on his desk between them, her eyes watching the movement as though she could not bear to look at him. "See, my mother is in the hospital..St. Mungo's, actually and...Minerva and I are going to visit her tomorrow so...I was wondering if you would-"

_Hold your breasts for you? _Severus let out a quiet cough of surprise as this thought went zooming through his mind. Where had _that _come from? Leviatha was finally concluding her request.

"-If you would mind watching Charlie for me..." Immediately, she continued hastily, as though thinking that if she were to keep talking, Severus would not have the time to decline this request. "It would only be for a few hours and I'd becoming right back and he really is _so _well-behaved, he would just lay in the corner and-" As he held up a hand, her rambling ceased, but her face still bore a strained look as though she were standing on a bed of needles.

"It is a_ dog, _Professor," he stated, once again forcing his eyes away from her to look down at his desk, to unnecessarily straighten a stack of papers. "I hardly think it needs supervision for, as you say, only a few hours." At this, the younger witch across from him stomped her foot in a very childlike manner, placing her hands on her hips stubbornly.

"Charlie is a '_he'_, not an '_it'," _she corrected sternly, though when Severus looked back up at her, she seemed to think better of using such a curt tone with the man while she was asking him for a favor. She cleared her throat, shaking her head. "He just gets so lonely, being shut up in my room like that. He likes to be around people and it really puts him in a mood when he's forced to be alone." Again, she paused, morphing her expression into something a child would wear if pleading for a new toy; Severus hated himself for finding this the slightest bit cute. "_Please?" _she nearly begged, adding to this comparison. "I'll owe you a _big _favor in return! Redeemable any time..."

_That _had been Severus' tipping point. As much as he had disliked the idea of having the dog in his office all day and as much as he would have liked to decline the request, a very small voice in the back of his mind had told him to take her up on this. The prospect of having a favor owed to him by Leviatha had been a _much _more attractive offer than the kindness he would be showing by agreeing to 'babysit' her pet. When and in what fashion that favor would eventually be repaid, was completely up to him...and the possibilities _excited_ him.

Upon agreeing to the arrangement, Severus had felt his heart nearly stop beating when Leviatha lunged toward him, and had just been about to throw her arms around his neck to hug him. However, it must have been the expression on his face that had prevented this as she had promptly cleared her throat and instead, patted him lamely on the arm. She had then thanked him quickly and informed him that she would bring Charlie to his office the following morning, before she had practically darted from the room.

And alas, the time had come. The hour currently stood at just moments before ten, and Severus had just ignited fires under two of his personal cauldrons when a familiar knock sounded at the door to his office. Setting down his newly steeped cup of tea, he walked over to open it, glancing down, first, to the dog at Leviatha's side. He bore an unmistakable look of disdain and contempt as he glared up at Severus, though this expression could hardly be taken as threatening, as the dog had a stuffed monkey clamped between his teeth. Severus returned the glare for just a moment before stepping back with a frown when Leviatha welcomed herself inside, pulling her wand from the back of her head, where it had been stuck in her tight bun of hair.

"He'll need to go outside at some point," she informed him, leaning into the room to point her wand into the corner near his desk, just before a plush, purple cushion appeared on the floor. "But he'll let you know when he's ready." she then added, flashing him a charming smile as he exhaled heavily through his nose.

"I await your return with _great _anticipation," he said dully, reaching out to place his hand near the top of the door, as Leviatha stepped back out into the hallway. She turned to him with a strange expression on her face, where her eyebrows had risen, her eyes lit up in what appeared to be surprise. However, a half-second later, the look had vanished into that flat annoyance he was so used to seeing on her face.

"Don't be an ass," she warned him. And with that, she turned and walked away down the hall, leaving Severus behind her to let his eyes wander along her retreating backside. Very slightly, his head tilted to the side as he watched her sway her way to the entrance hall, but a moment later, a low growl pulled his attention back into his office. Turning, he found the dog watching him with narrowed, brown eyes, as if to say, '_Hey, watch it...That's my mummy.' _So with a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes, he shut the door, closing himself _and _the infernal mutt in his office. He then pointed at the cushion in the corner.

"You lay down over there," he instructed, already feeling incredibly foolish for speaking to a dog as though he could understand him. But from what he had witnessed of Leviatha's interactions with her pet, it did appear as though he understood English and this was evidenced by the Dalmatian immediately walking over to his pillow, where he circled a few times before curling up into a black and white spotted ball. Arching an eyebrow, Severus half-turned from the animal but paused to point at him again. "Now just...stay there."

Charlie gave his response in a low, rumbling growl.

So with the dog now snoozing lightly in the corner with his monkey tucked up under his chin, Severus returned to his personal work table, pausing for a sip of his tea before he scanned the various trays and bowls of separate ingredients. Upon waking that morning, he had once again visited his private stash of ailment-curing potions, only to find that he had all but drained his supply of Calming Draught. This was not surprising to him, as he had been finding it increasingly necessary to settle himself down, help himself relax from those frequent and poorly timed run-ins with Leviatha. It was also unsurprising to find that his normally well-stocked supply of Sleeping Draught was running low as well, again attributed to his newly formed inability to fall asleep, due to the teeming, overwhelming amount of thoughts he was forced to suffer through every night, once the lights had been put out. Normally, he was able to clear his mind, empty it entirely and shut himself down as it were, making the act of falling sleep absurdly easy. He could prevent himself from dreams using Occlumency and normally prided himself on the fantastic night's sleep he was able to get because of his skill in that particular practice.

However, as of late, he had been unable to do this. Crawling into bed, to let his mind wander through the day, replay all the instances in which he had seen her, had become something he rather enjoyed, though he hated to admit it. It was likely that, if he really tried, he would be able to clear his mind of all thoughts of what the witch was sleeping in that night for instance, but for some reason or another, he was hesitant to do that. Dreaming and fantasizing were his only means of having any contact with the woman, and it _had _to stay that way. He had not laid one hand on her since she had arrived at the school, besides when he had yanked her out of his chair, and he was determined to keep it that way. It was beyond probable that if he were to touch her just once, even in an innocent gesture, he would not be able to stop.

For these reasons, Severus had seen it fit to devote a good portion of his Saturday to replenishing his personal stores of these two particular potions, seeing how, if things continued the way they had been going thus far, he would be needing plenty. Before Leviatha had arrived to drop her dog off, he had pulled the necessary ingredients from his stores upstairs and now had them all set out, already measured and divided, into separate bowls and dishes, ready to be added at the appropriate time. With another glance over his shoulder, to be sure the dog was still obeying his last orders, Severus let out a quiet sigh, his eyebrows relaxing atop his dark eyes when he saw that Charlie had lifted his head. He now had his neck stretched as far as he could in Severus' direction, his black and pink nose twitching as he sniffed the air.

With a frown, Severus watched this, wondering which scent it could be that the dog found so interesting. Turning back to his table, he looked down at the ingredients before him. It was highly unlikely that the dog found the aroma of Flobberworm mucus tantalizing, so his eyes then shifted to the bowl next to it, where a fresh sprig of lavender sat, waiting to be stripped and crushed. A very small smirk tugged upward on Severus' lips as he picked up the small twiggy, highly aromatic flower and waved it quickly in front of his face, while taking a deep breath in through his nose. Instantly, the scent reminiscent of Leviatha's perfume filled his lungs, sending a cascading wave of goosebumps along his arms and across his chest, even up to his scalp beneath his hair. A soft clicking of toenails against the floors caused him to look down, scowling, to where he found the dog walking toward him, his head lowered, but his tail wagging slowly back and forth. Apparently, he found the scent of his owner just as attractive as Severus did.

With another glance at his table, to be sure he had brought extra, Severus placed the stem of lavender between his palms and began crushing it, twisting his hands back and forth, distributing the pungent, calming oils along his skin. Then, after placing the now stripped sprig back onto the table, he knelt down to one knee, holding out a hand to the dog. Charlie's tail began to wag in earnest as he drew closer, his nose twitching wildly as he approached the source of the scent. However, within just two feet of Severus, he stopped, his ears going back, his tail slowing and he took a half-step back, as though afraid to grow too close to the imposing man. Severus clicked his tongue against his teeth with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, come, I wont hurt you," he murmured, locking his brown eyes onto the matching ones of the dog, just before Charlie conceded and began wiggling his way toward him, with just the very end of his long white tail wagging. Severus then held out both hands for him to sniff."I'm going to rub this on your neck, so do not bite me or you _will_ be sorry." he warned, thinking that perhaps, if the dog were to wear the scent of his owner, it would help him remain calm and out of the way. But when the dog took another step closer, lifting his head slightly, he took this to mean that he understood and would not bite, so Severus reached out one hand, to gently but firmly wipe the oils from his hands onto the spotted fur before him.

The dog's coat along his neck was softer than he had expected it to be, feeling almost like the finest down or richest velvet. For some reason or another, Severus had partially expected the black spots to be more coarse, or have a different texture than the white, but surprisingly, the fur was very even in softness. Charlie seemed to be enjoying either the scent of the lavender or being petted as he did something of a dance where he stood, shifting his weight back and forth on his hind legs as though being tickled, while a low, happy growl came from his throat. Even though Severus was not much of an animal-lover, he could not help but find this the slightest bit amusing. But before he could allow himself a smirk, he suddenly stood up and waved a hand impatiently at the dog.

"Alright, go on. I have work to do," he said, shooing the dog away hastily, but only to watch for just a moment as, instead of going back to his cushion, he began going through the room, sniffing. It was obvious he was feeling a bit more bold, now that he was wearing the scent of his owner, as he went around with his nose to the ground, sniffing random places, like the legs of the tables, the side of the desk, Severus' chair. There wasn't really anything he could hurt or mess up by just smelling so Severus left him to it and continued with what he had originally planned to do.

The minutes wore on into thirty, then eventually a full sixty, during which the intermittent sounds of sniffing and bubbling, gurgling cauldrons intermingled in a very relaxing mix of noises. If it had not been for the sound of Charlie's toenails clicking softly or the random snuffling of his keen nose, Severus would have completely forgotten the dog was even there with him. Leviatha had told him the day before that her dog was uncommonly well-behaved and that he would not get in the way, but he had at least been expecting to have to scold the dog back into place at some point. However, he stayed out of the way and did not bother him, seemingly perfectly content to explore the inside of Severus' personal study without interrupting.

So with the Sleeping Draught set to boil for exactly one-hundred minutes and the Calming Draught set for even longer, Severus moved to his desk and sat down behind a mound of rolled scrolls of parchment. Placing his hand over the top of his now cold mug of tea, he reheated it, until he could feel new wisps of steam rising against his palm. However, just as he was about to take a sip and begin reading the first essay from his class of fourth-years, he glanced down with a jump when something nudged his leg.

With a scowl, Severus sat back in his chair as Charlie pushed his slobbered on, ripped and re-sewn stuffed monkey into his lap, before he took a step back and let out a quiet whine. Even in the dim light of his office, he could see glistening trails of drool along the stuffed toy's brown 'fur' and with a cringe of disgust, he pulled his wand from his sleeve, to gingerly push the toy from his lap to the floor next to him. Charlie's hopeful expression vanished rapidly, bearing a great resemblance to his owner's usual dissipation into annoyance. Severus ignored this and turned back to his desk, bringing his right arm up to rest his elbow next to him, and hopefully cut off access to his lap, to prevent further slobber-covered monkeys from being placed there.

However, only a few moments later, Severus' right arm was nudged out of the way, to make room for a white and black spotted head to come pushing its way into his personal space, his chin resting on the desk right in front of him. The dog's brown eyes stared up at him expectantly, his whole body moving slightly as his tail wagged back and forth. With a huff of irritation, Severus pushed himself back from the desk, before picking up his wand and pointing it at the stuffed monkey on the floor beside him. The toy levitated slowly from it's place on the ground, then with a flick of his wand, Severus sent it flying across the room to the other side, being infinitely careful not to let it crash into any of the numerous glass jars and bottles lining the walls. Charlie immediately took off after it at a playful trot, skidding to a halt so he could pick it up gingerly in his teeth and come prancing back to the desk. Upon returning, Severus watched as the dog dropped the toy just in front of him, before he let out a high pitched whine and nudged it closer to the man's black boot with his nose.

Severus was unsure why he had expected the game of fetch to end with just one throw, as the mutt could clearly continue this for several hours. He seemed to contain boundless amounts of energy as he practically hopped in place, waiting for his monkey to be thrown a second time. So with a heavy sigh, Severus spared one last glance at the clock on his desk, then another at the timer he had set for his potions, before he rose from his chair, tucking his wand back into his sleeve. Leviatha had said that he would need to go outside at some point, and if the dog wanted to run, then _oh, _would he make him run.

As the unlikely duo made their way through corridors toward the entrance hall, Severus did his best to ignore the glances and murmurs from students along his way, as they turned to watch him walk past with the conspicuous dog at his side. It was obvious most of them remembered all the commotion from earlier in the school term, where he had been less than excited to have the mutt interrupt his class, and of course, the legendary duel between himself and Professor Dagrin just a short couple weeks later. The sight of him performing a favor for the witch was likely very unusual and suspicious, but as was typical for Severus, he ignored these glances with ease and instead continued on his way until both he and Charlie had made it out onto the grounds.

The dog bouncing alongside him was nearly beside himself with excitement by the time they had reached a large clearing over by the Black Lake, where he trotted out ahead of Severus and turned to face him. His entire body was wiggling with the force of his whipping tail and he seemed incapable of standing in one place for more than a mere second, which in turn caused a _very _vague smirk of amusement to form itself on Severus' lips. For being such an extraordinarily intelligent creature, Charlie seemed contain all the 'normal' attributes of a dog, as the moment Severus conjured an apple-sized green ball from thin air, he seemed to come absolutely unglued with anticipation. A loud bark escaped him, as if in an order to 'Throw it already!'

After pulling his wand from his sleeve and pointing it at the ball, the green sphere raised slowly in front of him before he gave just a flick of his wand, sending the toy zooming far into the distance, into a small group of trees. Instantly, the dog ran off after it, his long, powerful legs taking him quickly across the clearing and into the brush, where he disappeared. Only a few moments later, he was running back with the ball in his mouth, looking elated and proud that he had managed to retrieve it. Severus' smirk expanded ever so slightly as Charlie attempted to bark through the ball between his teeth. Within a few feet of the tall man, he skidded to a halt and dropped the ball at his feet, before he wiggled his way backward and watched with a fierce intensity as the toy rose into the air yet again.

This rhythm of throwing and retrieving continued for quite a while, leaving Severus mildly surprised at how much energy the dog seemed to contain. He had started panting, but his retrieval speed had not diminished or slowed at all since they had begun. This left him to wonder whether the dog would ever gradually grow tired or if he would eventually just drop dead of exhaustion at some point. He sincerely hoped it was not the latter of the two outcomes as he could only imagine his chances of seeing Leviatha naked would go from less than slim to absolutely _zero_, if he were to accidentally run her dog to death.

Just as Charlie went tearing after the ball for what seemed like the one hundredth time and just as Severus noticed the sun, surprisingly, beginning to lower itself toward the tree line, he glanced over when his keen ears picked up the sound of rustling footsteps approaching him through the grass. With a jolt, he felt a surge of hopefulness flow through him, thinking that Leviatha had returned, and fortunately enough, while he was 'playing' with her dog, however, his eyes found the blue pair of Albus Dumbledore, partially obscured by the evening glare against his glasses. The Headmaster was smiling as he turned his head to watch Charlie come bounding back toward them with his green ball.

"Severus, I must admit, I was rather surprised you agreed to let Charlie stay with you today," the older wizard immediately confessed, leaning down and holding out both hands to the dog when he came toward him, panting hard but with his toy still clamped between his teeth. Heaving a heavy sigh, Severus turned to him, stowing his wand back into his sleeve.

"She had no other option," he replied a bit too defensively to seem honest. He continued, more slowly. "I was her very last choice, I'm sure." There was a contemplative hum from Albus as he petted the now tired Charlie on his head.

"Last choice, you say?" he asked rhetorically, glancing up at him with a twinkling gleam in his knowing eyes. "You're a clever man, Severus. I'm sure you did not get that impression from her request."

With a roll of his eyes, Severus turned from the old man, casting his gaze out along the stretch of grass before him. "As much as I'm sure you'd love to believe something has changed between Professor Dagrin and I, I can assure you, it has not. I still find her insufferable and obnoxious to the last degree and I know she returns those feelings." he lied thickly through his teeth and as was normal with the Headmaster, he seemed to know this but was too kind to mention it. Instead, he rose to his full height and nodded, but still bore that unmistakable expression of deeper understanding.

"I'm sure she returns feelings but I rather doubt they're the same ones you've just mentioned," he said wisely, sparing another grin as Severus huffed irritably. The elder wizard seemed to notice he was annoying the young man with his pestering so he took a different track of conversation. "Either way, I am relieved to see you are at least respecting her dog. She really is so fond of him."

Glancing down at Charlie, Severus found that he had finally plopped down onto his side, where he now lay panting heavily in the grass, but with his tail still thumping the ground slowly. If he were being perfectly honest, the dog was somewhat endearing, expressive and very human-like in his mannerisms, so yes, he supposed the animal was not as annoying and disgusting as he had originally thought. He could not let Leviatha know he felt this way just yet.

After explaining to Dumbledore that he had two potions brewing and needed to return to them, he watched as the Headmaster walked away, whistling quietly to himself before he looked down at the tired and dirty, but extremely happy dog. A sigh escaped through his nose as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"We should probably go inside and clean you up before your mother gets back, Charles," he mumbled, turning to walk away as the dog hopped up and trotted after him, letting out a yap through the slobbery, dirty ball in his teeth. Severus rolled his eyes. "And yes, you can keep the ball. I will _not_ be wanting it back."

With the sun beginning to set, most of the students had gathered in the Great Hall for dinner but Severus and Charlie walked right past this, one with his mind set on divvying his potions into vials, the other with his mind on a large bowl of water. The scent of nearly completed Calming and Sleeping Draughts met their senses before the door to Severus' office had even been opened and as they stepped into the room, the mingled aromas were nearly overwhelming. As Charlie panted from behind him, Severus glanced back over his shoulder, only to find that the dog had stopped in his tracks, set the down the ball and was now staring at him with an expression of what appeared to be expectancy. Granted, he was not one who prided himself on his great knowledge of animal behavior, Severus could tell instantly that the dog was expecting to be given a drink.

"I suppose you could probably use some water," he said, mildly surprised to find that having a one-sided conversation with the dog was now much easier than it had been before. As Charlie began to wag his tail, Severus turned from his cauldrons to point his wand at the floor, where a large, glass bowl appeared, before it slowly started to fill with clean, cool water. However, before the dog would lean down to begin drinking, he watched with arched eyebrows as Charlie walked over, with his head held down and his ears back, his steps carrying an air of slight caution as he approached. Confused, Severus watched, feeling slightly unsure of what the dog meant by this, until, once close enough, he leaned up and very gingerly licked the back of his hand in obvious gratefulness. A very rare grin quirked Severus' lips as he reached out to gently pat the top of his white and black spotted head.

"You're welcome," he said quietly, before pointing at the bowl of water. "Go drink then lay down. I'm sure Lev-...your mum should be back soon." Still, he could not bring himself to say her first name aloud, even when she was not there to hear it.

Soon, the wet, slopping sound of Charlie's long tongue lapping at the water in the bowl reached Severus' ears, but he ignored this and went about carefully using a glass syringe to fill a set of vials to the brim with the purple and lime green potions. With each tube filled, he would set it down gently into a metal stand, that held the vials upright until it was time for him to place the small corks in the openings. Yes, he could have easily done this by magic, but there was something rather calming to him about doing it by hand. Something rhythmic and natural to him, something that he felt put him in his element. It was easy, mindless even after doing this for so many years and he eventually found himself so absorbed in other thoughts while continuing the habitual motions that he failed to hear the squeaking of the door to his private bed chambers when it was pushed open.

Only once he had turned, to find himself in an empty office, did a frown of confusion form itself across his features. The dog had all but disappeared, leaving a half empty bowl and unoccupied purple cushion behind, though Severus noticed that his monkey was now missing. Then, he noticed the door open. Walking toward it, his ears picked up the faint sound of happy growling, coming from the room beyond his office, but once he had stepped into the doorway, he noticed the source of the quiet noise.

Up on _his _bed, in _his _bedroom, lay the large Dalmatian, on his back, with his monkey held between his front legs, with one of the toy's brown feet in his mouth, being chewed on happily. Normally, this would have annoyed Severus to no end, as he walked toward the dog, noticing then how the dog was leaving dozens of small white hairs on his black bed dressings, and undoubtedly smearing great clumps of dirt along the formerly clean linens. However, Charlie seemed so incredibly happy at that moment, so at peace with his life that Severus did not feel quite right in making him get down. He had behaved so marvelously all day, just as Leviatha had said he would, and he supposed the dog deserved something of a treat until it was time for him to leave. So he left him to it and instead moved back into his office, to continue with that stack of essays he had been neglecting all day.

After an hour of marking letters atop different scrolls of parchment and rolling them back up, placing them into a stack, then moving onto the next, Severus glanced at the clock on his desk, scowling slightly to himself when he noticed the time. Leviatha had been gone for just shy of eight hours by then, and vaguely, he wondered if she and Minerva had run into some kind of trouble in London. The young witch had seemed fairly certain that her mother was not actually sick but still, Severus could not help but wonder if the situation had actually been more dire than she had been letting on. Either that, or something _else _had happened to the two women, something more dangerous. Though he felt this was a bit of a paranoid way of viewing her lateness.

However, just as he had glanced at the clock a second time, just to be sure he had read it correctly, he looked up when a soft knock sounded from the other side of his door. Struggling to ignore the slight fluttering sensation at the walls of his stomach, he looked up and gave a flick of his hand, unlocking the door before saying, "Enter."

Only a moment later, the door swung open, and in the way, stood a very agitated and harried Leviatha Dagrin. Her face bore an unmistakable expression of vexation and with a huff, she stepped into the dimly lit room, where she immediately kicked off her tall heels, allowing them to go skidding across the stone floors away from her. Sensing her annoyance, Severus raised his eyebrows and stood from behind his desk.

"Have a lovely visit?" he asked somewhat sarcastically, struggling hard not to smirk when Leviatha let out a low groan and dropped down into one of the two chairs across from his desk, with a thoroughly unladylike plop.

"Oh, yeah, just _lovely," _she replied in equal sarcasm, bringing up one hand to absently push a few loose strands of her black hair back into her tightly wound bun. "Minerva is absolutely insufferable. She _insisted_ that we have dinner at some _hole _in Diagon Alley, but I demanded that we visit a Muggle restaurant in London. Well, of course, you know her, she just went on and on about how stubborn and close-minded I was, how I was-"

As Severus listened to the young witch literally unload a slew of complaints about her day, he walked past her toward his work table, unable to stop himself from smirking as he only half-listened. Yes, he did know how curt and rather obnoxious with her strictness Professor McGonagall could be, but he also knew how truthfully stubborn and somewhat childish Leviatha was. He could only imagine the insane amount of bickering that had gone on between the two women during their day-trip to London. Once Leviatha had finished, he turned to watch as she whistled shrilly through her lips, only for Charlie to come trotting and wiggling his way out of Severus' bedroom toward his owner, snorting and baring his teeth excitedly.

"Ah, my darling, I've missed you so much today," Leviatha cooed to her dog, in a soft, gentle voice that was very unlike her normal tone, which caused a carpeting of goosebumps to spread across Severus' arms. He hated to admit it, but he dearly wished she would use that particular tone with him at least once. He watched from across the room as she ran her hands along Charlie's soft spotted fur, while the dog whined and struggled to double back and lick her hands, all while his tail beat loudly against the desk next to him. "Did you have fun? Was Snape mean to you?" she asked, casting a look back at the man over her shoulder.

"I assure you, I was perfectly civil with your pet, Professor," he answered dully, but refrained from mentioning their game of fetch. But as Charlie came toward him, turned to watch as her dog trotted right over and nudged his nose against Severus' hand, where it gripped the edge of the wooden work table behind him. He then barked, his tail whipping wildly back and forth, as though encouraging the man to do something; what, he could not be sure at the moment. He ignored this and instead looked back to Leviatha, where she sat rubbing her fingers deeply across her forehead and groaning quietly. Her tension was obvious and somewhat tangible as Severus could practically feel the radiations of stress emanating from her, even from where he was standing several feet away. He turned away from watching her, to gaze over his newly replenished stash of freshly brewed potions.

"How is your mother?" he asked with his back to her, only to smirk when the woman let out another loud groan of frustration.

"Oh, she's just got a cold and a touch of pneumonia," she replied bitterly. "So naturally, she assumed she was just days from her death. God, I swear, that woman...I _told _Minerva that she wasn't actually sick and yet I still had to go. I _had _to go feed into my mother's paranoia and-"

While Severus had been listening to the stressed witch begin another long tirade of annoyance, he had been reached out and pulled two vials, still warm, from the metal stand and pushed small corks into their openings. Turning to Leviatha, he walked toward her, noticing then how, even while so deeply peeved, she still managed to look rather delicious in her deep maroon, long-sleeved dress. The sight of her barefoot and so very close to his bedroom was almost too much for him to digest all at once, but he held this back with great difficulty as he held out his hand to her.

Looking up from where she had been rubbing her forehead again deeply, her eyes moved first to the two vials in his hand, then up his arm, toward his face, where her yellow orbs locked onto his rich brown ones. She blinked, clearly unsure what to make of his offer.

"What is this?" she asked, a hint of her irritation dissipating for just a moment. Moving his hand slightly, Severus nodded his head, urging her to take the glass tubes from him.

"The green is a Calming Draught, the other is for sleep," he explained, moving away from her to round his desk once she had finally taken the potions from him. Hoping and praying that she understood he was doing her a temporary kindness, he did not go on and instead lowered himself into his high-backed chair, to watch as the younger witch stared down at the filled vials in her hands.

"Er...thanks," she said somewhat quietly, using her thumb to glide along the glass. "You didn't really have to do this-" she then added, apparently from feeling the residual warmth of the liquid within and assuming he had brewed them especially for her. He shook his head.

"I did not brew it for you," he explained, forcing himself to keep his tone from bearing any hint of waspishness. "I have been dipping into my own personal stock of those two potions more often than usual as of late, so I felt the need to replenish. And it appears to me as though you could use some as well."

Admitting so much in the span of two sentences was quite a bold move on Severus' part, but luckily, either Leviatha did not notice this or was ignoring it, as she stood up without so much as a quick second of eye contract with him. She nodded, clutching the two glass tubes in her hand before moving toward the door and letting out a soft whistle for Charlie to follow.

"Well...I appreciate you taking care of Charlie today," she said, still clearly struggling not to meet his eyes, although if truth be told, Severus wished wildly that she would look at him. However, as she turned to face him at the doorway, he noticed her gaze flicker past him to the open doorway behind his desk, where she could likely see his vast, four-poster bed in the dim room beyond. A moment later, she blinked and cleared her throat, finally forcing her eyes up to meet his. Severus had been about to reply when suddenly, something heavy collided with the back of his legs, pushing him forward toward Leviatha and causing him to stagger slightly as he corrected himself. With both humans now frowning in confusion at the random movement, Severus glanced down and to his side, where Charlie was now rounding his legs, his tail wagging and his brown eyes staring expressively back up at him. He barked, bouncing on his front legs slightly to lean up and lick the man's hand again. Across from Severus in the doorway, now much closer to him than before, Leviatha laughed somewhat awkwardly.

"He...er, must be tired. Bless 'im..." she chuckled in obvious nervousness as Severus took a half-step back from her. "Well, ehm- thanks again!"

And with that, the young witch walked away from him briskly, down the hall with her dog trotting along behind her. Though before either could disappear into the dark shadows of the corridor, Severus watched as both dog and human looked back at him simultaneously, bearing nearly opposite facial expressions. Leviatha looked confused and flustered, while Charlie seemed to be smiling, a hint of mischief betraying itself on his spotted face. Severus remained in the doorway, watching them until both of them had disappeared, leaving him quite alone, to turn back into his office and shut the door behind him. Although just as he was reaching up one hand to begin undoing the numerous buttons along the front of his heavy frock coat, his eyes fell to the ground before him. Two black high heels lay upturned and scattered on the floor, leaving him to wonder when and under what circumstances Leviatha would return to retrieve them.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: For those of you who don't know, the character of Charlie is based solely off of my own Dalmatian, Charlie. Heehee I have always wanted to immortalize him in one of my stories and he fit so perfectly into this story. He is absolutely exactly the way I have portrayed him in this story and even has a stuffed monkey in real life! If you'd like to see pictures of the real Charlie, and his monkey, either send me a PM or add me on facebook: Haven QueenofMean Hunter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave Charlie and I some lovies! -QoM = ]


	18. Set Aside Your Slytherin Pride

With each passing day, the weather grew colder, a sign that autumn was giving way to winter. The biting temperatures created a sense of urgency amongst the students as they hurried from class to class, eager to avoid the chilly corridors. However, that all changed when the first snow of the season arrived in mid-November, covering the grounds in a blanket of white. The students would run outdoors between classes, bundled in heavy clothes, just to have a bit of fun between classes, throwing snowballs and making forts. While the teachers frowned upon such activities during the school day, having to clean up snow covered footprints constantly, each of them knew that the students needed the stress relief as the semester drew nearer to its close. The students were bogged down with essays, tests, and homework, so the frivolity was allowed to continue.

As for the faculty, many of them wished they had the time to enjoy a romp in the snow, but the sheer amount of grading and lesson planning left all of them exhausted and with little free time. The only two seemingly unaffected by the tired dark circles under the eyes were Leviatha and Severus, but the rest of the staff chalked that up to their youth. In truth, both professors were as worn out as their colleagues, but neither would show that weakness in public. It was not the Slytherin way.

The awkwardness of previous weeks had drained away with their added workload. Severus didn't have the time to worry about his deluded fantasies and Leviatha was keeping her mind focused on completing her first semester teaching at Hogwarts in high standing. The rare moments that they would meet in the hall were filled with a strange tension, as they exchanged pleasantries or passed along messages, but neither of them had the time to analyze what that might mean. Still, whenever either of them thought the other wasn't looking, they would steal an admiring glance.

As November came to a close, Leviatha reflected on her first missed Thanksgiving in eight years. She had become accustomed to the grand feast with friends and family, a chance to connect and laugh over food and wine. She expected to be more depressed over missing the holiday, but it had never been one of her favorites. She had always viewed it as an excuse for Americans to grossly overeat. Even so, she found herself missing those she left behind and giving silent thanks for their friendship.

With Christmas, and the break that surrounded it, just two weeks away, exams were announced, and so ensued the cramming and subsequent plans to cheat. However, as students planned their schedules around times to study and put most extracurricular activities on hold, Dumbledore had announced to the school, after dinner one night, that he had planned a special night for Christmas Eve. Gasps and poorly stifled squeals of excitement had filled the Great Hall, almost the exact moment the words 'dance' and 'ball' had left the Headmaster's mouth. For just a split second of time, up at the staff table, Leviatha and Severus had exchanged a quick glance with one another, as if to silently express their equal annoyance at such an announcement. If it was not enough that the entire school was already buzzing with stress over exams, Albus had just added a whole other layer of anxiety as male students immediately began to worry about which girl they would ask to be their date, and the girls stressed endlessly over what dress to wear to such an occasion. The last two weeks were going to be a nightmare.

Now, in the midst of exams, the school was literally abuzz with excitement on the students part, and intense annoyance from most of the teaching staff as they attempted to maintain some sense of order.

With just shy of a solid week remaining before the dance, Leviatha had just dismissed a rather rambunctious class of fifth-years with the warning to continue studying hard, when Remus stepped into the classroom, looking chipper and whistling spiritedly to himself as he ducked and weaved between the students. From the podium, Leviatha watched him with a very blank expression on her face, as though his apparent happiness was offensive to her during this stressful time. He seemed to notice this as his eyes lit up and a wide smile spread its way across his face. His tattered briefcase gave a loud thud as he dropped it heavily onto a desk table. Leviatha spoke first.

"Well, I can't decide whether you just look happy or if you look like the cat who ate the canary," she said dully, arching a sharp eyebrow as Remus let out a short laugh. "What gives?"

Her best friend sighed heavily, pulling his wand from the pocket of his robes, to give it a wave across the board and wipe the previous lesson's notes away. "I've just heard a _very _entertaining joke in the hallway between a few Slytherin students, that's all," he answered her with the most vague possible reply, which left Leviatha to turn and face him with her hand rested on her hip.

"...And?" she asked. Remus turned his head to glance back at her over his shoulder.

"Sorry?"

Leviatha tossed her hand. "What was the joke?" she then asked again, more loudly as Remus let out another laugh.

"Oh! Well, it wasn't really a joke, more of a wager, I guess you could say..." he finally explained, Turning from the board, where he had just written a rather extensive assignment for his seventh-years. "Cadwallader was just betting against Jones on whether or not you would have a date to the dance..." Leviatha's eyebrows began to raise. "And _Jones_ bet that either I or Severus would ask you." At this, the witch tossed her hands, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the podium.

"Oh, that IS funny, Remus!" she exclaimed sarcastically, shaking her head as he laughed loudly from behind her.

"I thought so!" he stated, clearly missing the tone of sarcasm in her voice. "Jones seemed to have his money on Snape though, and personally, I think you and Severus would make a _very _handsome coupl-"

Just then, Leviatha swung out with her hand, to hit Remus hard on the arm, her eyes trained on the entrance to the classroom as a familiar, rippling set of black robes appeared in the way, billowing around a tall, dark figure. Confused by being smacked, Remus turned to face her, frowning, but cleared his throat when he noticed that they were no longer alone. Leviatha felt him turn his head to glance at her, obviously slightly bemused by her sudden change in demeanor, but she refrained from looking over at him. In the doorway to the classroom, Severus took one step inside, his eyes glancing back and forth between the two professors, the expression on his face seeming to indicate that he knew he had just been discussed in conversation. Whether or not this was true, Leviatha could not tell, as the Potions Master did not mention this, but instead spoke directly to her, ignoring Remus as though he were a particularly life-like painting.

"I have been sent to collect you," he said in a very droning, deep voice, as though the idea of this chore was demeaning to him. "The Headmaster wishes to speak with us."

Clearing her throat, Leviatha nodded, willing her voice not to quake under the strong gaze of this man, even as he stood across the room from her. How she had turned into a silly, sissy little girl around Snape was totally beyond her and completely unacceptable, and just as she had done continuously over the past month, she forced herself to remain strong. "Oh, alright," she said confidently. "Go on ahead. I've just got to grab a few things. I'll be right behind you."

With a slight roll of his eyes, the professor in all black swept from the room, leaving Remus to turn to Leviatha with a terribly familiar, teasing grin on his face, which of course, left Leviatha to shake her head immediately.

"Don't-"

"He's going to ask you-"

"_Moony-" _

"-to be his date!" Remus then exclaimed, poking Leviatha a few times in the arm with two fingers. He then cleared his throat, putting a flat, uncannily accurate expression on his face. "I would very much like it if you would consent to attend the festivities with me, Professor," he said in his lowest possible voice, clearly performing what he thought was a perfect impression of how Severus Snape would ask her to be his date. A loud huff of annoyance escaped Leviatha and she turned from him, gathering her things into one arm so he could have use of the podium.

"You know, I think I preferred it when you were neck deep in the toilet, retching your guts out..." she murmured over her shoulder, casting her best friend one last dark look. Remus ignored her and continued laughing, so as she walked toward the open doorway at the back of the room, she gave a very subtle flick of her wand over her shoulder, smirking to herself in victory as her best friend gave a slight gagging noise, when his ugly neck tie suddenly tightened against his throat.

From outside the classroom, Severus gave a low growl of irritation as Lupin's supposedly quiet words of teasing reached his ears through the open door. Whether the werewolf was aware that he had been standing there the entire time was irrelevant as Severus had heard the entire exchange clearly...and he was not amused. Ever since the announcement of the infernal dance, Albus had been hinting at him less than subtly to ask Leviatha to the event but he had ignored these suggestions with ease. However, now that he had heard someone else talking about such an idiotic move as asking a colleague to a juvenile's dance ball, he could not help but wonder if Leviatha would be expecting such a thing. An indignant snort of mirthless laughter escaped through his nose as he folded his arms across his lean chest. No, there was no way the witch would either be anticipating such a bold move from him, nor would she ever even consider agreeing to it. Just the thought of stooping to ask her to be his date made his skin crawl and his stomach churn. He was a man nearing his mid-thirties for heaven's sake, not a teenage boy battling puberty.

As the witch stepped out of the classroom, Severus stood to his full height from leaned back against the wall, meeting her gaze for just a half-second before he turned and began walking ahead of her. He could feel her eying him up and down inquisitively but he remained quiet.

"You waited for me?" she asked in what sounded to him like surprise, though there was an ever present, sharp tone to her voice. Severus rolled his eyes from ahead of her, having known she would find this cause for conversation.

"Professor Dumbledore specifically requested our presence _together,"_ he explained, quickening his footsteps and listening to the acceleration of her clicking heels accordingly. "I felt it would be inappropriate for one of us to arrive without the other."

"_Right..."_ said Leviatha from behind him, just a hint of what sounded like skepticism in her voice. Severus ignored this and instead subtly slowed his pace so she could catch up with his long, smooth gait; he hated himself for noticing it, but the constriction of her dress around her calves made long strides impossible for the tall woman.

As the two professors stopped to deliver the password to the Headmaster's study, Leviatha caught a very vague whiff of Snape's natural, completely unintentional cologne, which, as always, gave hints of anise, cloves and the hint of smokiness. With the weather so cold now, it seemed the chill in the dungeons helped adhere the scent more fully, so that even standing within a meter of him brought those familiar aromas to her senses. It was always with the greatest of efforts that Leviatha managed to refrain from burying her face into the collar of his frock coat and taking a great breath in. Not much had changed over the past two months between them, but it seemed they had now, strangely, become more bold with admiring one another, to where one of them seemed to always be catching the other staring. Leviatha could not help but grin to herself when she would catch Severus eye-balling her with that continual, natural scowl of his. She still had not determined whether he liked what he saw, or if he still found her attire somewhat repulsive.

As the door to the Headmaster's office swung open, the two youngest members of staff stepped inside, only to be greeted warmly by one of the room's two occupants; Fawkes, the phoenix, was asleep on his perch just beside the desk. Albus held out his hands in his eternally friendly greeting, smiling that deceptively innocent smile of his as he observed the objects of his attempted, and thus far failed, matchmaking.

"Ah, good to see you both!" he exclaimed, and for a moment, Severus could swear he noticed the old man's blue eyes flicker between the two of them, as if hoping or foolishly expecting them to be holding hands. He held back a roll of his eyes at this notion. Dumbledore was continuing, taking off his glasses to place them on the desk before him. "I do not wish to take a great amount of time from your busy day, I just wanted to explain the Hogsmeade visit tomorrow."

At this, Leviatha felt a weight sink into her stomach; she had completely forgotten about Hogsmeade as she had not been made to attend the previous visit in mid-November.

"As you both know, our Christmas dance is just a week away and none of the students have been given an opportunity to do any shopping for the occasion," Albus explained. Both Leviatha and Severus fought an urge to glance at each other, to share an exchanged look of agitation at what they both knew was coming. "Severus, I've been informing the Heads that they will need to accompany their Houses into the village and that I will be sending either a female, or male, counterpart to oversee the opposite gender during their shopping. From what Minerva has told me, many of the girls have been fretting over whether or not they will have the opportunity to go dress shopping and purchase hair and beauty products for the day of the ball." Here, Albus paused, lowering his head to observe the Potions Master from under the ridge of his eyebrows. "I am likely correct in assuming this is not something you would be interested in supervising." Across from him, Severus gave a slight inclination of his head.

"Most gracious of you, Headmaster..." he growled with a hint of sarcasm, which left Leviatha to open her mouth slightly when Dumbledore then turned to her.

"So, Leviatha, I would like you to accompany the Slytherin girls to Hogsmeade, to supervise their shopping, and...just to be sure the dresses purchased are appropriate in nature," the older wizard explained, smiling that twinkling smile of his; the same smile that very plainly said the instructions were not up for debate.

Despite any qualms the two youngest teachers felt about their orders, neither felt it would be wise to protest them and instead left the Headmaster's study just a few minutes later, in silence. If it was not bad enough that their classes had been continually interrupted by note-passing and whispering concerning the ball, they were now being forced to join in with the madness and literally thrust themselves into the middle of it, even attempt to contain it. There had already been a number of scuffles in the hallways between classes amongst young men over which girls would be asked, and many tears in the female lavatories concerning certain boys that had not asked them. This chaos could only be expected to increase as the days, and eventually hours grew closer to the damned event, and needless to say, neither Severus nor Leviatha were much looking forward to it.

Now, less than twenty-four hours from being assigned this task, Leviatha found herself pulling on her heavy black coat over several layers of clothing as she and Charlie stepped out of her quarters. The hallways were already ringing with excited voices and obnoxious chattering, causing a heavy groan to escape her a bit more loudly than it normally would have. Being a woman, Leviatha could not say that she did not enjoy a bit of shopping herself, but she normally preferred to do it alone or with one other friend...not with a hoard of squealing, bouncing teenage girls all jabbering excitedly over their dresses and shoes. She supposed it would be a small comfort, however strange it may sound, that Snape would be close by, providing an unintentional place for her to let out her frustration in the form of quiet insults and jibes. It would also help to have Charlie there, to act as a second pair of eyes, just in case she felt the need to slip away for a few minutes, to regain some sense of patience. The wonderful dog was now trotting along at her side, feeling confident and extra handsome in his new, deep purple sweater.

Up ahead of her in the entrance hall, Leviatha could see a massive huddle of variously sized students, all wearing their heaviest coats and their finest silver and green striped scarves. However, in the midst of the chaos, she could very easily make out the tall, dark form of Severus Snape, standing near the doors, wearing his heaviest scowl, blackest scarf and glaring about as though silently daring one of his students to step a single toe out of line on this trip. Though despite how unhappy he appeared, Leviatha could not help but notice how strikingly handsome he looked, standing there in the open doorway with a very white, wintery backdrop behind him. The combination of the stark, opalescent snow and his pale skin caused his black hair to look even darker than it normally did, in turn causing his features to look more defined and sharp. His natural, perfectly curved eyebrows were arched severely atop his dark brown eyes and Leviatha was just admiring the way his masculine jawline curved in perfect parallel with the collar of his coat when those same dark eyes flickered quickly in her direction, as though he had felt her staring. Although instead of looking away hastily, she let her expression fall flat, hoping to convey to him silently how very unhappy she was about being instructed to do this. And just then, the most incredible thing happened-

He grinned.

It was a strained grin, the type where his lips tightened into a thin line as if he were giving it the greatest of efforts to prevent this expression from making itself visible, and he even turned his head slightly, to glance down at the floor beneath him. However, it was too late; Leviatha had seen it. She had just allowed a very small smile onto her own face and had begun to walk toward him, when his head turned again, and the grin was gone, replaced with that ever present flat expression of annoyance as a group of third-year Slytherin girls came bouncing up to him. By then, Leviatha had grown close enough, now within a few feet of the exchange, to hear what the bravest girl said.

"Professor, can we leave now?" she squeaked, her head tilted almost all the way back in order to look straight up at her tall Head of House. Leviatha felt a tug at her heartstrings at the sight of this; it was almost..._cute. _Obviously, Snape did not share the same feelings toward the situation as he rolled his eyes, before glancing over to where Leviatha had just stepped up next to him.

"Well, I suppose so, seeing how Professor Dagrin has finally decided to grace us with her presence..." he growled with heavy sarcasm, partly in response to the girl, but also partially to Leviatha as he glared sideways at her from behind the few shorter pieces of black hair hanging lightly against his cheekbone. A half-moment passed of rare, full eye contact, before both teachers suddenly jumped as the entire body of Slytherin students went tearing past them through the large open doorway. But as he took a deep breath in preparation to shout after his house of students, Leviatha reached out to place her hand boldly on his arm, causing him to look over and frown in confusion. She shook her head with a roll of her eyes.

"Just let them go," she said dully, taking a step past him out into the snowy, stone courtyard. "They've got too much energy as it is. Might as well let them get it out now."

From his place walking beside Leviatha, Severus glanced down when something nudged his black leather gloved hand, only to find that Charlie was trotting along in the space between himself and the younger witch. The dog's round brown eyes were staring up at him in what almost appeared to be anticipation, though he turned his head just a moment later and looked up at Leviatha on his left. She must have sensed her pet staring at her as she glanced down at him in return.

"Well, go on then," she said, waving one arm toward the herd of students ahead of them. In a flash of purple, black and white, the dog took off, kicking up loose bits of snow as his long, strong legs carried him quickly along the path. "And keep an eye on the younger ones!" she shouted after him just a moment later, only to receive a distant, loud bark in return.

Up ahead, Severus and Leviatha watched as the students turned at the sound of approaching, thudding paws, and both smirked when Charlie wiggled his way into the crowd, licking gloved hands and nearly wagging his tail clean off his body as his young friends greeted him warmly. Some of the third-years were nearly small enough to practically ride him like a pony, but fortunately none of them attempted this and instead simply walked along with the dog between them, with their hands on his back, or holding his tail.

Severus watched this exchange from his place beside Leviatha, wondering whether he ought to allow this silence between them to continue or if he should break it with some sort of normal, purposeful question. Vaguely, Lupin's joking words from the previous day, about Severus asking Leviatha to the Christmas dance, echoed in the back of his mind but he pushed those thoughts away adamantly. He would _NOT _ask her to that damn dance, and that was final.

"Where will you be taking the girls first then?" he asked, glancing to the side where he found Leviatha smirking to herself. Her shoulders gave a slight shrug from beneath the heavy coat she was wearing.

"Oh, I figured I'd let them go to Zonko's first to pick up a few love potions for the dance," she answered casually, which in turn caused Severus to nearly break his neck from turning his head to look at her so quickly.

"You most _certainly _will not," he insisted with a heavy scowl of surprise that she would even consider doing such a thing. However, Leviatha let out a laugh as she shook her head.

"Oh, for God sake, I was _kidding!" _she exclaimed, grinning to herself over how immediate his reaction had been. While Severus rolled his eyes, Leviatha glanced over, watching him for just a moment before she continued, placing a perfectly sassy grin on her face when he looked over at her using just his eyes. "Besides, they've already brewed all their own love potions anyhow..."

And with that, the tall form of his fellow professor dematerialized, and reformed into that of an admittedly striking, white and black speckled snow leopard. Just a split second later, after glancing back at him over her long, elegant back, the massive cat went bounding away from him, using her abnormally long and powerful tail to help keep her balance as she dashed through all the largest snow drifts. Severus was unable to prevent the smirk of amusement that jumped to his face, to quirk the corners of his curved lips, as he watched leopard-Leviatha bounce around and tumble through the snow, clearly enjoying herself for just a few minutes before she was forced to retain the role of 'authority figure' again. It was amazing and somewhat funny to him how very kitten-like she could act while in one of her cat forms but so very stoic yet unintentionally sexy she could be while in her normal, human figure. The woman was truly a walking enigma and even after all this time, after four months, Severus still deeply desired to discover all of her secrets.

Upon entering the village of Hogsmeade just minutes later, Severus noticed that he was the last to arrive but paid this no mind as he immediately cleared his throat and raised his voice slightly so every student could hear him from where he stood in the middle of the crowd of teenagers.

"This will not be an average Hogsmeade trip," he said loudly, his voice as deep as ever, causing every face to turn toward him and silence instantly. His black eyes scanned the throng of students, studying a few faces to be sure they were all listening before he continued. "Professor Dagrin will be taking the females to Gladrags while the males will be given an opportunity to make any purchases they deem necessary," he continued on to explain, allowing his gaze to flicker quickly over to where Leviatha now stood, in human form, leaned back against a frosty black lamppost. The corner of her lips twitched as their eyes met briefly. Severus continued, but only once he had pulled a silver pocket watch from the pocket of his long, heavy black traveling cloak to glance at the time. "Everyone will meet back here at _exactly _three o'clock, not a minute later. Have I made myself _perfectly _clear?" he then asked, however, it seemed the excitement of the day and the prospect of the following weekend had rendered his typical powers of authority and domination over his students absolutely ineffective. The hoard of teenagers scattered with record timing, so with an annoyed growl and a heavy rolling of his eyes, Severus stalked off after the Slytherin boys with Charlie in tow, while Leviatha did the same in the opposite direction, trailing after the girls toward the popular dress shop.

The inside of Gladrags Wizardwear was absolute and utter madness. The din was so great and the walking space so tight that for a moment or two, Leviatha considered stepping back out into the street to just stand against the window and wait until the chaos had died down a bit. However, the wind had picked up over just the past few minutes, blowing massive drifts of snow along the street and even less fortunately, Leviatha's fanclub of seventh-year Slytherin girls had just spotted her.

"Professor!" cried Lucy from the midst of the shuffling crowd of teenage girls. Her four counterparts were just behind her. "You've got to come see this dress we just found!"

_Oh great..._Leviatha thought somewhat irritably as she placed a forced smile on her face, in preparation for the serious bout of 'ooh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' she would have to do over this dress Lucy was interested in. Stepping forward, she followed the group of girls through the crowded shop, toward the back corner where, unsurprisingly, the darker and less modest of the dresses hung. It just figured this particular clique of girls would gravitate toward this type of clothing.

Once at the back of the shop, Leviatha watched while Lucy and Helen flicked through the hanging garments until their fingers faltered on the black sleeve of a very long dress. Lucy gave a noise of approval as she pulled the hanger from the rack and held up the dress as high as she could, to show off the extraordinary length, which even with her arm extended fully above her, the very end of the train of the dress still graced the carpeted floor. Leviatha nodded, raising her eyebrows as she eyed the deep, severe dip in the neckline of the dress. Professor Dumbledore had mentioned something about monitoring the 'appropriateness' of the dresses purchased; this dress was definitely not 'appropriate' for a seventeen year old girl.

"It's lovely, but..." she began, hoping the girls would not lose their thus far established notion that she was one of the 'cool' teachers by what she was about to continue with. She chose her words carefully. "Don't you think it might be a bit, er...flashy?" she asked, hoping the girls understood that she was referring to the amount of cleavage this dress was sure to exhibit. Lucy let out a snort of a laugh as she glanced back at her friends, as though informing them that they were to laugh as well. Leviatha glanced around at them, frowning in slight confusion.

"Well, if _I _were to wear it, yes, it would be too...'flashy', as you said," the girl said cryptically, clearly interpreting Leviatha's words. "But I actually chose this dress for _you." _At this, it was Leviatha's turn to laugh.

"Me?" she asked incredulously, with a shake of her head. "Oh, no, girls...I don't even know if I'll be going to the dance. I mean-"

"You _have _to go!" Jen, the redhead, suddenly exclaimed. "You're a teacher!"

There was a momentary silence, while Leviatha eyed the black dress up and down again, cringing slightly as she imagined the sort of skin this dress would expose. However before she could shake her head, the five girls suddenly bum-rushed her, thrust the long dress into her hands before ushering her rather forcefully toward a changing room.

"At least try it on!" Lucy called over the din as she slid a heavy curtain across the entrance to a small dressing closet. "If you still hate it once you see it on, you can put it back."

On the opposite side of the curtain, Leviatha groaned loudly in annoyance, yanking off her coat to toss it to the ground and continue on with her multiple layers until she was left in nothing but her bra and panties. She then grasped the lengthy black fabric that formed the trail of the dress and slid it over her head, and her arms into the long, tight sleeves. There was no zipper or buttons on this dress, and for good reason; this particular garment was meant to be stripped of easily, not fumbled with clumsily by some flustered man. With the tight material finally applied and adjusted against her form, Leviatha stepped back to look in the mirror...It was stunning.

The neckline was not as revealing as she had originally pictured but did come down far enough to reach her sternum, and if Leviatha had been any more busty, there certainly would have been some cleavage. But she was not a woman of large breasts so thankfully, this was not an issue. The back however, was a different case all together. A wide and long diamond of material was missing from the base of her neck, between her shoulder blades, reaching either side of her back where her elbows would touch, then down far enough to end right above the curve of her hips. Leviatha was not complaining however; she had to admit, she rather liked the way her back curved, exposed, as she turned to admire it in the mirror. Her study of the dress was interrupted by Lucy's voice.

"Let us see it!" she exclaimed from just on the other side of the curtain. So Leviatha obliged, pulling it open somewhat slowly, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed and highly bare. However all five of the teenagers gasped girlishly as they looked her up and down. Their professor instantly cringed, clicking her tongue against her teeth uncertainly as she turned back to the mirror.

"Oh, I don't know..." she groaned, reaching down to tug at the tight material against her hips, just above where it began to loosen and flow around her legs. "Don't you think it might be a bit much?"

From where she stood leaning against the doorway of the changing room, Lucy shook her head. "I think it's perfect," she replied for the group. "And I think, if you wear this, a _certain somebody_ wont be able to take his eyes off you..." Leviatha gasped, reaching out to swat Lucy on her arm. She laughed and went on. "-which would be nice, meaning he wont be keeping such a keen eye on _us..._ "

So after changing back into her regular clothes, Leviatha hung the dress back up and carried it to the cash register, where she asked the owner of the shop to keep it on lay-away for her. The five girls had been unable to convince her to buy the dress that day, since she had not been sure she would even be attending the dance in the first place, but Leviatha had also been unable to dissuade the girls from their adamant pestering about the whole ordeal. She eventually promised them that if she did indeed decide to attend the party, that she would come back and buy it. Though privately, Leviatha rather hoped she would be given a reason to attend, just so she could have an excuse to purchase and wear such a beautiful piece of clothing as that elegant black dress.

The warmth in the shop was now stiflingly oppressive as the tightly packed throng of girls continued to move about, so Leviatha jumped at the change to step outside, while the five Slytherin girls were absorbed in trying on their own dresses. After slipping through the crowd, she found herself outside in the street, where the weather was mercifully, wonderfully chilled, in sharp contrast to the sweltering heat inside the shop. Immediately, she took several deep breaths in, exchanging the hot breath in her lungs with colder, more refreshing air. Glancing up and down the street, Leviatha's eyes searched for any sign of Charlie amongst the banks of snow lining either side of the lane, but just as she noticed a blurb of purple and spots down a ways, outside Zonko's, her eyes also caught sight of a tall figure shrouded in black.

Snow had begun to fall heavily upon Hogsmeade, obscuring her vision beyond only a few meters, which made admiring Snape from a distance a bit harder than it normally was. She could vaguely make out his tall, cloaked form down the street, where he stood with Charlie just outside the door to the infamous joke shop and Leviatha grinned to herself as she quickly imagined the surly, brooding Potions Master in that loud, noisy establishment. He would likely sweep between the shelves, discounting and disapproving every joke item in the shop...Of course, it was unlikely he would ever allow himself to step foot inside in the first place. No, it appeared as though he was waiting outside with Charlie, clearly of the mind that he would rather deal with the cold than have to endure the whirring, squealing toys and joke items inside.

For a moment or two, Leviatha considered walking down toward them, under the excuse that she 'wanted to check up on Charlie', but there was a strong chance that Snape would be expecting this and could see straight through it to the true, underlying intention. So she stayed put. Instead, she let her mind wander back to the day before and the obnoxious yet entertaining joke Remus had made about the Potions professor asking her to the dance. It was a purely ludicrous notion that such a reputable, somewhat ill-tempered man would even begin to consider seeking a 'date' to a teenagers function. Yet Leviatha could not help but wish, _very _deep down, that he would put aside his notorious Slytherin pride for just _one _night and ask her to go with him. Yes, it was likely that they would both be in attendance regardless of whether or not they wanted to be, but the thought of walking into the Great Hall on the arm of Severus Snape, decked out in his usual black, with herself in that wondrously elegant dress, made her feel a bit giggly and squirmy with excitement. This, of course, was nothing more than a daydream, however, just another of her increasingly frequent fantasies. With a somewhat wistful sigh, Leviatha folded her arms across her middle and leaned back against the shop window, to wait it out until three o'clock.

With the time on his pocket watch reading '2:59', Severus felt a surge of relief flow through him. The afternoon in Hogsmeade had been just as uneventful yet obnoxious as he had been expecting and more than anything, he was ready to be back in his own quarters, doing nothing but whatever it was he felt like doing, without anyone to worry about but himself. Earlier, while walking the length of the street out of boredom, he had caught sight of Leviatha through the window of Gladrags, laughing and handing a bundle of material to a woman behind the counter while five of his seventh-year students giggled around her. Curiosity had been eating away at him for much of the remainder of the afternoon, torturing him with imaginative glimpses of what the dress could possibly look like, how much of her creamy skin it would reveal and vaguely, a sense of rare excitement had flared up inside him upon thinking ahead to the following weekend.

However, as he raised his wand into the air, to let out a loud alarm-like sound, summoning all Hogwarts students out into the street, his eyes flickered over to the doorway of a small coffee shop, where Leviatha and several of his Slytherin students were stepping out, giggling girlishly to one another, clutching steaming paper cups. For a moment, confusion flitted its way through his brain when he noticed that his colleague was not bearing a bag from the wizarding apparel shop. A slight frown wrinkled that gradually deepening crease between his eyebrows; had she not bought the dress? Was she even planning to attend the dance in the first place? He found himself wanting desperately to find out, but knew he would never be able to ask her without appearing all too interested.

Forcing his eyes away from her, he turned back to the crowd of both male and female students and had just opened his mouth to inform them that they would be returning to the school, when a boy near him was suddenly struck in the face by a fat snowball. Though instead of crying out, the fifth-year Severus recognized as a boy named Michael reached down, laughing, grabbed a handful of snow and brought his arm back in preparation to retaliate. However, before he could follow through with his return-fire, Severus reached out, grabbing his wrist tightly.

"That will be quite enough, Mister Bron-" he began to warn him...but it was too late. The war had already been started.

Suddenly the air was thick with thrown snowballs between the boys and girls, the shrieking and squealing of laughter ringing out loudly between the buildings, where shop owners now stood in their windows, watching the fight with amused grins upon their faces. Severus squinted through the dizzying blur of white lumps whizzing past him as Charlie bounced between the opposing teams, barking and thoroughly enjoying himself. However, Severus did not find this funny in the least and instead of shouting for the nonsense to stop _immediately, _he merely pulled his wand from his sleeve yet again and gave a sharp wave through the air, instantly stilling all snowballs, both in-hand and airborne. Silence descended rather quickly, leaving Severus' dark gaze to scan the crowd of wide-eyed teenagers as they all turned to look at him.

"If you are all quite finished, we will be going back to the castle now and I will thank _all _of you to not throw one more-"

WHAM

Severus was unable to prevent himself from gasping in shock when a heavy wad of snow suddenly collided with the side of his head, and he was not alone; nearly every student standing in the street had just gasped along with him. Each and every one of them knew that whoever had just thrown the offending snowball at him was in some really serious trouble and immediately, every head began to swivel in the direction from whence it had come. Blinking snow out of his eyes and from the ends of his black eyelashes, Severus turned his head slowly, gritting his teeth together so hard, he could swear they were all breaking; whoever had just thrown that would find themselves in detention every day for the rest of the year. However, as his eyes locked onto Leviatha's, just a few yards away, across the street from him, to find her quickly looking away in an innocent manner, his expression fell flat. The five seventh-year Slytherin girls on either side silently told him all he needed to know, as they stood staring up at her, their mouths agape and eyes wide as though they could not believe what she had just done. Not removing his eyes from the witch, he spoke loudly to the rest of the crowd.

"All of you, back to the castle, _now."_

With the swiftness that only his special brand of intimidation could bring, the students all took off up the street at a near run, with Charlie in tow, leaving Severus to walk swiftly toward Leviatha, where she stood leaned against the lamppost defiantly. Once close enough for her to hear without him having to shout, despite how badly he wanted to, Severus opened his mouth, quickly shaking his head, to knock a few bits of snow from his black hair.

"I hope you found that thoroughly amusing," he snarled, watching as the younger witch took a very nonchalant sip of her coffee before shrugging.

"Yeh, I did," she answered casually. "Though I can tell that _you _didn't." Severus let out a quiet, mirthless laugh.

"Your powers of observation astound once again, Professor," he growled, sarcasm dripping as heavily from his words as the melting snow did from the ends of his hair. "Sometimes, I do wonder how you manage it." he then added bitterly, turning away from her, to begin walking away up the street. But the lack of crunching under boots told him that Leviatha was not following.

"You know, you really should lighten up," she said somewhat waspishly from behind him as she stayed put under the awning out in front of Gladrags. "Those kids were just having a bit of fun before they had to go cram for their exams and you acted like...like it was the end of the world or something."

Turning back on his heel, Severus took one step toward her, still leaving several meters of space between them. "I was _actually _attempting to prevent them from hurting one another-" he answered, but before he could finish, Leviatha cut in.

"They were throwing balls of _snow, _Snape, not slivers of _glass," _she said, shaking her head. "You really are a scrooge, you know that?"

At this, Snape turned once again with a heavy roll of his eyes, to begin walking away, and Leviatha watched him go, letting her eyes fall to the very bottom of his long traveling cloak where it dragged along the snow covered street behind him. Yes, it may have been incredibly foolish to lob a heavy ball of snow at the Head of Slytherin House, but she was no longer a student. She could do whatever the hell she-

_ WHOOSH_

It took a great deal of self-control not to let out a startled scream as the heavily laden awning just above her ripped clean in half, dumping what was easily several pounds of compacted snow onto her head, shoulders, down her back, into her open coffee cup and even into the bit of space between her scarf and bare neck. Forcing her eyes open to blink through the snow on her face and the thick pieces of hair that had been pushed and pulled out of her slick bun, Leviatha could see Snape up ahead, walking away with his back to her, just then pushing his wand up into his sleeve. And as she stood there, covered in snow, shivering, she could almost _swear _she heard a laugh.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Sorry for the longer-than-usual wait on this one, kiddies! Real life has a tendency to get in the way of fanfiction and it SUCKS! But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one and have been keeping up with the story because after this one...stuff starts to _happen..._Leave me a review if you want the next chapter out sooner! I LOOOOOVE YEWWWWW -QoM


	19. The Ghost of Christmas Past

"They're _b__rown?" _

Remus looked up from straightening the vest of his dress robes with a mildly hurt expression on his scarred face. He had just stepped out into the hallway from his quarters, where he now stood before Leviatha, being scrutinized, before they were due to head downstairs to the Christmas dance.

"What's wrong with brown?" he asked quizzically, glancing up and down at her long, sleek dress as she stood there, both hands on her waist.

"I'm wearing _black, _Remus!" she exclaimed exasperatedly, motioning to herself. "Brown and black do _not _go together, you must see that." Across from her, Lupin glanced down at his own rather ugly brown robes before he shrugged.

"Well, I had no idea what color you would be wearing tonight!" he replied, tossing his hands. "I thought that...brown would be...you know..."

With a heavy sigh and roll of her eyes, Leviatha reached into the tight sleeve of her dress to withdraw her wand, before she pointed it at her best friend.

"Men are absolutely hopeless at this stuff..." she murmured, giving her wand a slight wave across him, before the formerly brown fabric changed swiftly to a deep, clean black, from his collar, down his middle all the way to his shoes, leaving only the white shirt unchanged. "Now let's go or we're going to be late."

With Remus alongside her, smoothing out his 'new' dress robes as they journeyed downstairs, Leviatha noticed that the sound of voices and faint music was gaining volume and growing nearer, tightening the knot in her stomach with each step she descended. She had not been to such a formal event as this in many years but if she had it her way, this night would end much differently than the night of her _last _Hogwarts Christmas ball.

As the pair of friends rounded the top of the last remaining flight of stairs, Leviatha glanced down into the entrance hall, where she could see several students with their dates milling about, as if feeling every bit as anxious as she was, though she could be fairly certain it was for a completely different reason. Leviatha had her mind set on one man and one man only, despite how much she had tried to convince herself earlier that she was _not _paying such careful attention to how she looked purely for _him. _Just a half hour earlier, in her quarters, she had gone through several different hair styles in an effort to stumble upon the perfect one. First she tried it up, then tried it down in a braid, then tried some sort of wonky, half up-half down thing before she had given up and simply decided to wear it all down and natural, with her loose waves flowing down her back. Just before they stepped into the doorway of the Great Hall, Leviatha slipped her hand into the crook of Remus' elbow, in a last ditch effort to make it known to _everyone _that she had in fact brought a date, even if it was not the man she had hoped it would be. However, as she and Remus stepped into the massive room, Leviatha felt her jaw go slightly slack and she stopped, mid-step as the sight before her took her breath.

The immense room had been decked from floor to ceiling in Christmas decorations, from everlasting icicles, to large, incredibly intricate ice sculptures, to a twenty-foot tall _real _Christmas tree at the very back, where the staff table would usually stand. The normal House tables had all been cleared from the room, to make space for smaller, more numerous round tables instead, where currently, some of the students sat, chatting and glancing about themselves somewhat nervously. Quiet music was playing off in the background, through a giant record player horn, which had also been set up at the back of the room. Although, despite how lovely the décor was, Leviatha could not help getting the first impression that this was about to be a rather dull, lame party if that 'old people' music continued to play all night.

Exactly across the long room from she and Remus, Leviatha spotted the pointed, silvery wizards hat, perched jauntily atop Professor Dumbledore's head, just next to an equally tall black witches hat, belonging to Minerva. A length of red tartan had been wrapped around the base of the hat, the tails of which trailed down her back and complimented the same tartan pattern of her admittedly rather ugly dress. Leviatha smiled; she loved her mentor, but she really did have a rather peculiar sense of formal fashion-

Just then, Leviatha's gaze flew to the opposite side of Dumbledore, to the tall figure in black, as though drawn there by force. Severus Snape was wearing his usual outfit of crisp black, not a single wrinkle present anywhere, save for the very small one between his eyebrows as he scowled around at the room before him, his hands clasped together behind his back. Even from where she was standing, Leviatha could see the way his black hair shone under the light of both candles and fairies alike, looking softer and cleaner than any material she had ever seen in her life. But as handsome as she felt Snape looked that evening, Leviatha felt as equally beautiful herself, for the first time in quite a while, and she would be absolutely sure, unlike years past, that Severus Snape took notice of her.

_The Great Hall was throbbing with excitement, the teachers were all talking distractedly and Leviatha Dagrin sat by herself at a back table, near the corner, watching as Remus, Peter and Sirius chatted spiritedly amongst themselves a short distance off. Nearly a half hour earlier, James Potter had left the Great Hall with Lily Evans following him closely. Leviatha had watched them go, taking just a brief moment to reluctantly pull her eyes away from the subject of her subtle staring. _

_ He looked very handsome, in all black, with his shoulder length ebony hair hanging against either side of his face. Leviatha chose the word 'handsome' very carefully as she did not feel the word 'cute' quite embodied Severus Snape accurately, even though many of her thirteen year old classmates might throw that particular term around lightly. Thought not many of them would likely agree that the moody, sulking seventh-year, Death Eater in training, was...handsome. She had studied him from afar so many times before then, though she never failed to notice how he seemed to always look so forlorn and miserable. _

_ She knew. She knew how much Severus adored Lily Evans. She had spent much of the previous year and the first half of the current one watching him, studying him, attempting to work up the nerve to speak to him. Oh, she had tried of course, even managed a quiet, 'Hi, Severus' every now and again. But each time, it seemed his attention had either been focused on chasing after the infernal redhead, or had been distracted by walking an older Slytherin girl down the stairs from the boys dormitory, over to the opposite staircase leading to the girls dormitory. She could remember very clearly how deeply she had blushed and how heatedly jealous she had gotten, from her place on one of the couches in the common room, when she __had seen him kiss one of those disgusting tramps goodnight. It spoke volumes to how little he noticed her that he had then walked straight past her on the couch, wearing nothing but a pair of black sleep pants and a loose white shirt, without a word, without so much as a glance in her direction. _

_ Leviatha jumped, nearly spilling her half-drunk cup of punch down her dress when someone suddenly plopped down in a chair across from her at the round table. Looking over, she saw that it was Remus and she rolled her eyes heavily, quickly averting her gaze from Severus, to some other random point across the room. There was a moment of silence, where only the music could be heard, before her best friend spoke. _

_ "Staring at Severus again, Lev?" he asked with just a hint of playful teasing to his voice, his blue-gray eyes sparkling at her under the dim lighting of the Great Hall. _

_ "No," she answered all too quickly to seem sincere. Remus obviously noted this as he continued on, glancing over his shoulder to where the seventh-year Slytherin was seated amidst a huddling of his Dark Arts friends. _

_ "If you want to talk to him, just go up and do it," he urged her gently, kindly, something his friends James and Sirius never did. "I'm sure he won't bite you. Well...he might, I don't know, he looks pretty mean..."_

_ "He's not mean!" Leviatha spat back at him, scowling for just a moment before she noticed the grin on Remus' face. "Shut up...I'm sure he's plenty nice..." she then added, owing to the fact that she had never had a conversation with the older boy, despite the deep feelings of attraction she felt for him. _

_ It seemed, from the way he opened his mouth, that Remus was about to reply, but glanced up when two people entered the room just beside the table at which he and Leviatha sat. Lily and James had returned, one blushing fiercely, the other bearing a remarkably noticeable expression of pride. Remus bid her a hasty goodbye, before he stood from the table and joined his friends again. She noticed, as she sat there observing, that James seemed to __glancing over toward the table of Gryffindor girls a bit more often than what would appear to be normal. Leviatha let her yellow eyes drift around the table of older girls, her gaze lingering momentarily on Lily Evans. A swell of mingled jealousy and supreme dislike flared inside her as she eyed the redheads perfect, pale skin and emerald green eyes, watching the way they lit up when she would laugh and toss her mane of fiery hair. She too seemed to be glancing over at James Potter an awful lot and the color of her skin nearly matched her hair when the lanky, black-haired Quidditch marvel walked over, leaned down, and kissed her soundly on the cheek from behind her chair. Leviatha felt a surge of relief flow through her at this exchange. _

_ She had thought, with a pang of hatred, that Lily might have gone outside with James to tell him that she could not date him, as she undoubtedly had her heart set on someone else...A certain tall, dark Slytherin boy. How could she not? Severus was very kind to her; Leviatha would have killed for him to show her the attention he showed Lily. However, it really did seem that the redhead had absolutely no interest in renewing her friendship with Severus and really did seem intent on being with James. Leviatha breathed a bit easier for this. _

_ Just then, a tall figure in black walked briskly past her lonesome table, with such hasty force that the table cloth moved in the breeze. Turning her head quickly, Leviatha noticed the pleated tails of a frock coat round the corner into the entrance hall and her stomach sank down into her ankles. Severus was leaving? _

_ She felt conflicted. She could go after him, talk to him...introduce herself. They had never been formally introduced to one another, perhaps now was the perfect time for such a thing? But then again, her purple dress was now wrinkled, her heavy, black hair had fallen ungracefully from the tight spiral curls in which it had been held earlier and she was positive her makeup had faded dramatically. Though perhaps he wouldn't care? Maybe he would just be happy for some company..._

_ Leviatha jumped when four teenage boys went walking past her table in Severus' wake, and she looked up, just in time to catch Remus smiling at her in a strained sort of way, as though he knew what was about to happen. His mouth silently formed the words 'stay here' as __he passed her. So naturally, Leviatha stood up and followed quietly once they had walked out into the entrance hall, her stomach already in a ball of sickening knots as she imagined the next few minutes and the incredibly hurtful words that were bound to follow... _

_ "_Oh, she looks _lovely!"_ breathed Professor McGonagall from the opposite side of Dumbledore, a highly uncharacteristic note of girlishness to her voice.

Severus felt as though he had missed a step going downstairs as his eyes made abrupt contact with Leviatha from across the room. She was not exactly hard to miss as she stood out to him like a beacon in a room full of mediocrity. Her dress was as long as his usual teaching robes, trailing along the smooth stone floor behind her and giving her the illusion of being even taller than she actually was, and as though she were floating along instead of walking. Her shoulders and a great deal of her chest were exposed, though was not lacking in taste or discretion as she was not particularly busty, but the effect was just as strong. There was something almost devilish about her, and as Severus openly stared at her, where she stood beside a table of Slytherin students, laughing and smiling, he noticed that her hair looked entirely different. He had never, until that point, seen her hair down fully from that tight knotted bun of hers, but now that he had, he wished she would never put it up again. Sleek and black as his own, the wavy curtain of hair nearly reached her waist, seemed to flow along behind her as she walked, and framed her narrow, yet strong face. His desire to run his fingers through it and grip tightly had never been stronger.

Something about her complexion was different as well, Severus noticed. Her eyes, while normally almond-shaped and half-lidded naturally, were shaded and shaped with the use of dark makeup. The effect was noticeable and rather shocking but not overdone or extravagant. From where he was standing, he could not yet see if the yellow color was more pronounced because of this, but he was almost positive it would be, were he to allow himself to get close enough to her.

Some months ago, Severus could remember having a conversation with himself, during which he had been studying her features in a dimly lit room in London, where he had resigned to the notion that yes, the woman was pretty enough, but not anything spectacular. He had gone about her features, and picked everything nearly to shreds, from the way one of her eyes was _supposedly_ bigger than the other, her nose was slightly upturned and her jaw was rather defined and strong for a woman. Now, in the present, Severus could not imagine how he had ever thought such things about this woman and actually shook his head with a quiet scoff as he stood there beside Dumbledore, watching. Leviatha Dagrin was not _pretty; _she was downright stunning. And if Severus could consider himself a true man in any way, he would see to it that he told her this at some point during the night.

However, just as he had begun to imagine the various ways in which he could get the witch alone, Severus felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to prickle when Remus Lupin seemed to appear out of nowhere beside her. He was wearing a terrible smile as he draped his arm around Leviatha's shoulders, pulling her to his side as they stood there chatting with some of their students. Despite himself, Severus felt a horrifyingly familiar stab of painful jealousy course through him. Apparently, the werewolf, freak of nature, had heeded his own directive from a week prior and asked Leviatha to be his date. _Why _had Severus felt such a strong objection to doing this himself? Why had he let his damn _pride _stand in the way of getting what he truly wanted, _again? _ He had not felt a such a strong sensation of pure envy in over a decade.

_Severus watched from behind hateful, jealous eyes as the idiotic Quidditch boy-wonder stood across the room, eyeballing the redhead at a round table..._His _redhead at the round table. Well...she was not exactly his anymore...He had ensured that the previous year. Rumors had been floating around prior to the Christmas dance, that 'James Potter asked Lily Evans to be his date?!', but Severus had ignored this, foolishly tricking himself into believing that these were only rumors and that it simply was not true. His former best friend, the love of his life, surely could not actually be consenting to date the boy who, past and presently, found it beyond enjoyable to torture him? _

_ And yet, they had shown up at the dance together, had gone through the motions of dancing together, had even disappeared together out into the garden for just shy of a half hour, during which Severus had been fighting back an extreme urge to either begin screaming or cursing every single person in his line of sight. 'They just went outside to talk...' he had __kidded himself into believing. 'She's just telling him that she cannot date him, is all...Nothing doing...' _

_ Then, they returned. James Potter had been bearing a great look of unmistakable triumph about his face, while Lily, his precious, perfect Lily smoothed out a wrinkle in the midnight blue material of her skirted dress, blushing quite as deeply as the color of her hair. Severus had looked only momentarily away from Lily toward the quartet of teenage Gryffindor boys, where James was just exchanging a low high-five with Sirius Black. _

_ Leaving his groupies, as though high-fiving one of them had not been insult enough, James sauntered haughtily over toward Lily, leaned down from behind her with his back toward Severus. And although he could not see what he had done, he could be absolutely positive it involved lips against creamy, pale skin. Red flashed before Severus' eyes and for a split-second, his hand twitched toward the sleeve of his black frock-coat, but before he could attempt to get himself expelled, he stood from the table of his Slytherin peers and took off toward the doors at nothing less than a determined march. He had to get out of there. _

_ Students and tables flew past him as he hurried to escape the Great Hall, and once outside in the frosty rose garden, he took a deep breath of the frigid air, fighting hard against the howl of misery that was threatening to escape him. It was his fault, entirely his own fault for losing her to that slimy bastard, and yet all Severus could think of doing was going back inside to curse that cockroach's head right off his body. Yes, he had made some poor decisions in the past year and had made even more bad decisions in conjunction with the female gender in the previous months, but Severus had been, and still was, paying richly for it. No amount of whimpering, mewling seventh-year Slytherin girls in his bed could ever cause him to forget about her and what he had lost. Dropping down onto a freezing stone bench, Severus leaned forward, bracing his forehead with his hands, begging himself, pleading with himself to keep it together, at least until he could make it upstairs and into a shower, where he could not be heard cursing and sniffling pathetically. _

_ "Oy! Snivellus!" came an all-too-familiar voice, cracking through the thin air toward him. Severus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. His hands immediately began __to shake. Despite himself, he looked up and over to where James Potter was walking toward him, his three cronies in tow. "You not enjoying the party?" the Quidditch star asked in mock concern, his round glasses flashing as a fairy went floating past him. _

_ "Go, now." Severus growled in return, rising from the bench. He was several inches taller than both James and Sirius, yet the two of them somehow managed to make him feel very small at times. James turned back to Sirius and Lupin, letting out a mocking bark of laughter. _

_ "Alright, Snivelly, but you may want to clear out of here," he began, motioning to the rose garden around them. "I'm sure my pretty little Lily will want a second go before too long..." Severus felt his face screwing up in both anger and confusion and could feel his wand practically vibrating against his forearm, tucked up into his sleeve, begging to be used. _

_ "What do you mean...?" he asked stupidly. He __asked__ this, knowing full-well what the answer would be...James let out another horrible laugh as Sirius sniggered evilly behind him. _

_ "Oh, I'm surprised you didn't hear her!" the bespectacled teenager answered, crossing his arms over his chest proudly. "I had her squealing my name just a half-hour ago, didn't you notice she was gone-"_

_ In a flash, Severus had pulled his wand from his sleeve and had pressed it up underneath James' chin, his black eyes flashing, begging him to give him a reason to do it. Though almost as soon as he had done this, Severus noticed from the corner of his eye another wand being drawn, this time from Sirius, which was now being pointed directly at his face. A terrible, snide grin gradually spread its way across James' face. _

_ "Now, now, Snapey-kins, it's not smart to duel four on one, you should know that..." he crooned, watching from behind his glasses with increasing haughtiness as Severus weighed his options. No, it was not smart to pursue this duel. Yes, he was perfectly capable of cursing all four of these idiots in one swipe of his wand, even as a seventeen-year-old. But he was only five months from finishing school. If he were to be expelled now...expelled for permanently __disfiguring the Quidditch prodigy, James Potter..._

_ Taking a step back, Severus lowered his wand and walked away, deciding that this night was, by far, the worst night of his life...at least since the night he had spent outside the portrait to Gryffindor tower, begging, pleading to speak to her one last time..._

_ "Don't worry, Snivellus! I'll be sure to fill you in tomorrow on how she was!" Came that hated voice floating to him through the air._

Indeed, it had been quite a long time since Severus had felt such an immediate thrill of unfiltered jealousy, but as it once again reared it's ugly head, he found himself wanting nothing more than to quell it, somehow. He understood that Lupin and Leviatha were only friends, and that nothing even remotely romantic stood between them, however, just the sight of someone else with their hand on her waist, was enough to irritate him. Then again, he had never even touched her, he had never lay claim to her in any way, besides a few fantasies involving her so how could he stand there in jealousy like his former, emotional, hormonal self? He had been a fool, had refused to set himself aside and ask her to accompany him. And now, he was paying the consequences. Had this exact situation happened fifteen years ago, Severus would have simply left the room, gone out into the garden to sulk and brood, whine and pine with an 'oh, woe is me' attitude. Things were different now. He was a grown, adult man now. Leviatha was not refusing to speak to him like _another _of years past. In fact, as he noticed her glance over at him for the second time, it almost appeared as though she were _hoping _to speak to him. Perhaps he would wait, let the evening unfold a bit further before he decided to pry the woman away from her 'date'...

A familiar voice just to the right of him caused Severus to blink several times in a row, noting then how his eyes had been burning from staring so intently, lost in his own memories. He glanced over to Professor Dumbledore as the older wizard turned his head to speak to the Deputy Headmistress.

"I think it may be time to start the dancing, don't you think?"

From where Leviatha stood beside Remus at a table of his obnoxious Gryffindor students, she watched as Minerva walked over toward that giant, magical record player and began to fiddle around with the different knobs and controls. She rolled her eyes, smirking to herself as she began to imagine the looks on all the students' faces when that terrible, 'old-people music', as they would undoubtedly call it, began to fill the room. In preparation to watch the reaction from the teenagers, she turned her head, glancing out through the room. However, just as she had expected a very scratchy, old record to begin playing, Leviatha jumped when suddenly, a very familiar, very loud, _Muggle _song began to play...one that she had heard many, many times while living in America... Almost at once, every teenager was in the middle of the room, in a giant, gyrating mass, jumping and dancing to this 'new' exciting music.

Whipping around, Leviatha saw that Minerva was just walking away from the record player, after setting down a small white box atop the table on which it stood. Her heart stopped; it was her iPod. Rushing forward, away from Remus, she caught up with Minerva just as she was returning to her place aside Dumbledore, where the Headmaster stood, clearly enjoying the music as he bobbed his head and swayed slightly in time with the heavy, bass-filled beat. Leviatha felt her stomach clench when she noticed Snape turn his head to glance at her, but she ignored this for the time being and stepped toward Minerva and Dumbledore.

"How did you get my iPod?" she practically shouted over the loud music, glancing rather frantically between the Headmaster and her mentor. There were _numerous _songs on that iPod that the students had _no _business listening to. Minerva leaned forward, raising her own voice.

"Albus needed some music the students would like so I told him I would fetch your music device!" she replied in a yell, very close to Leviatha's ear. "You weren't there when I went to ask for it so...I borrowed it, with every intention of returning it to you once the party was over!"

"I thought it couldn't work at Hogwarts!" she shouted back, tossing her hands in exasperation. She could have been listening to her music the entire term! Just then, Albus Dumbledore leaned over, having obviously heard the exchange.

"I had to fiddle with it a great deal in my office before I could get it to run on magic and not on a battery," he explained, smiling that twinkling smile of his. "I quite enjoy the...what were they called? The Black-Eyed Peas?"

At that, Leviatha finally broke and burst into loud laughter as she leaned forward to hug the Headmaster, all the while, completely aware that Severus Snape was listening very carefully to the entire conversation.

"Well, you're welcome to borrow it anytime," she answered, flashing Albus an extra charming smile, before allowing her eyes to, ever so subtly, flicker toward Snape. Then without a word, she walked away, wondering how much longer she would be able to hold out before she went to speak to him. He seemed to be showing absolutely no interest in her, which was not out of the ordinary, and yet Leviatha had been so sure that her dress, wearing her hair down, wearing more makeup than usual would have all had an affect on him. With a sigh of slight disappointment, she returned to Remus' side, just as the song changed, to slow down and mellow out into a relaxing, rather romantic tune. He turned to face her from where he had just been speaking with Potter, and he smiled in a highly sympathetic way as he held out his hand to her.

"Dance with me?" he asked, and very vaguely, Leviatha noticed his gaze dart quickly past her to where she knew Severus was standing. Without hesitation, she returned the smile and placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her out into the midst of the now slowly revolving mass of students. They found one corner of the makeshift dance floor where many of the oldest, taller seventh-year students were dancing in pairs, where they stopped and turned to face each other. With one hand on his shoulder and the other rested against his palm, Leviatha let out a slow sigh as she let her eyes dully graze the crowd around them.

The song played for a few bars before Remus spoke near Leviatha's ear.

"Do you remember our last Hogwarts dance?" he asked. She sighed heavily in reply, allowing her eyes to drift off toward the doorway, where it lead into the entrance hall.

_From her place hidden, crouched behind a rose bush, Leviatha jumped with a gasp when suddenly, a familiar figure in all black went practically running past her, wand clutched in his hand. _

_ "Don't worry, Snivellus! I'll be sure to fill you in tomorrow on how she was!" came the voice of James Potter through the frigid night air, causing Leviatha to shiver, both out of hatred and the cold. Jumping up from her hiding place, she trotted a few steps after Severus where he had just darted back into the entrance hall toward the direction of the Slytherin common room. _

_ "Severus, wait-" she said, though from the ridiculous, quiet volume of her voice, it was doubtful that even a person standing just next to her could have heard it. Then the sound of derisive laughter rang out behind her, causing her to spin, where she found the four Marauders walking toward her. Her eyes were burning but she choked the tears back down as she ran toward James Potter and shoved him as hard as she could with both hands against his chest. Being five-nine at only thirteen years old had its supreme advantages as James stumbled slightly, caught around the back by Sirius. _

_ "Why do you have to be so mean to him?!" she shouted, struggling with great effort to keep her voice from cracking under the weight of her tears. It seemed so unfair that a boy with everything could find humor in tormenting a boy with nothing. James let out a loud laugh as he glanced back and forth between Sirius and Remus. Sirius laughed along with him; Remus gave a halfhearted, strained smile. _

_ "Look, boys, the leviathan is sticking up for her boyfriend! How sweet!" he taunted, knowing full-well that referring to Severus as her 'boyfriend',when he was perfectly aware that the Slytherin boy was not even conscious of her existence, was the one thing that stung her the most. _

_ "HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" she screamed shrilly, those tears now spilling down her __face. "I just-...He's-.." _

_ "-Just so dreamy, right, James?" Sirius asked of his best friend in a very snide tone of voice. "I mean who could resist that monster nose and greasy hair? I may faint!" he then made a swooning-motion, fanning himself with his hand while James laughed loudly. _

_ "Guys, let's just go..." Remus said from the other side of James, but the ring-leader of their group, the one whom Leviatha so desperately hated, shook his head, folding his arms across his chest. _

_ "How can you defend a guy who doesn't even know you exist?" he asked with a laugh. "I don't even think he knows your name!" _

_ With that, Leviatha took off running, biting her lip to keep from letting out a sob. _

"Yeah..." she finally answered Remus. "I remember it."

There was a long pause before her best friend spoke again.

"Do you still have feelings for him?" he asked quietly, turning them so Leviatha could see the top of the room over his shoulder, where the rest of the teachers stood. She knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Oh, of course I do, Remus," she answered curtly, reminding herself uncannily of Minerva. He quickly pulled back a bit, glancing at her with a slight look of surprise.

"Do you really?" he asked, pulling them back together as the song continued. "Even after all this time?" Leviatha took a deep breath, before exhaling heavily in a sigh.

"Well, it died off a bit after you all finished school, when I didn't see him every day," she began. "And I all but forgot about him while I was living in the states but...being back here, seeing him all the time...It's like I've gone back to third-year, crushing on the boy who doesn't even know I exist." she then finished rather dismally, but forced a grin onto her face when Remus let out a bark of a laugh, reminiscent of his more wolfish attributes.

"If you think that man doesn't know you exist, you're a fool, Levi," he said, shaking his head as they continued to sway. "I think causing it to rain in his classroom might have clued him in." Leviatha remained quiet, so he continued. "I know I've told you this before, many times in fact, but you should go talk to him if you're doubting whether or not he notices you. Though I'd have thought the fact that he can't take his eyes off of you might be an indication...plus the fact that he's been glaring at me like he wants to slit my throat since I walked in with you..."

Once again, Severus felt the hair rising up along the back of his neck and all down his arms as he watched Leviatha laugh, tossing her head back slightly as Lupin had obviously told a very amusing joke, where they stood out on the dance floor amidst the students, swaying to the slow music. Then to his dismay, the witch took a step closer to her dance partner, resting her cheek against his as they rotated slowly, dropping their clasped hands so that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders and hug him while they danced. As hard as tried not to notice, Lupin's arms encircled her waist as well, his hands resting over that exposed diamond of skin the back of her dress failed to hide.

If he was going to intervene, it would need to be soon. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand there and watch her before his possessiveness kicked into overdrive. Part of him sincerely wanted to go yank her out of Lupin's grasp, as he should have done so many years ago with Lily, but most, if not all, of his students were in that room. They would undoubtedly notice him pulling a woman into his arms and he would likely never hear the end of it. Perhaps he should just leave...go back to his quarters and submerge himself in the bathtub with his favorite bottle of Ogden's Finest. Albus was now dancing with Minerva to this Muggle music, so he may not even notice if Severus left the room...Then the song changed, to something very loud, very fast and very obnoxious. This made his decision for him.

With a quick glance to his right, to be sure that the Headmaster was still distracted by the new music, Severus turned left and stepped forward, in preparation to round the jumping, grinding mass of students. But before he could make it even three steps from his original place, he looked up; Leviatha was emerging from the crowded dance floor, walking toward him. His breath hitched in his throat. Her expression was indescribable. She was smiling at him, but something else was there, something untamed, wild. It seemed either she really enjoyed the current song, or...Severus could not put the alternative to words, it seemed so unlikely.

She was within a meter of him, then within a foot, then just inches from him as she had to practically shout to be heard.

"You look really excited to be here," she said loudly, grinning at him as she pulled back from where she had just been speaking near his ear. Severus struggled not to shiver when he felt his hair move against her nose, her breath warm against his cheek.

"Indeed," he answered, only raising his voice slightly to be heard over the music. Leviatha laughed and he watched her do this. He had been right, earlier; the dark makeup against her yellow eyes caused them to practically glow in the dim room. The younger witch glanced behind her, to where Lupin was now seated at the table with Potter and his ginger friend, before she turned back to Severus and shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm not too keen on this either," she said loudly. "And I could really go for a drink."

A vague smirk appeared on Severus' face as a somewhat uncommon thrill of confidence filled him; it was very fortunate he had thought to quickly swallow a double shot of whiskey before coming downstairs.

"Well, as you can see, there is a massive bowl of punch over there. I'm sure your date wouldn't mind fetching you some..." he answered, motioning with one hand lazily toward the crowded table near the back corner of the room. Leviatha laughed again, shaking her head.

"That's not really the type of drink I'm after..." she answered, giving Severus a very quick, subtle wink that nearly sent him reeling, however, he easily maintained his composure externally as the witch went on. "Come on, let's get out of here." she then said, nodding toward the door to the entrance hall with her magnificent head. Her hair swung against her back slightly with the motion of her nod, sending a wave of lavender and vanilla toward Severus' senses. His stomach twisted into knots the size of his fist. It seemed from the way he did not reply at first, Leviatha took this as a hesitation, as she went on. "No one will even notice we're gone..." she added. As though Severus needed convincing.

As Leviatha followed him toward the edge of the room to round the mass of dancing students, she felt somewhat lightheaded with mingled disbelief and excitement. She was surprised at how easily he had agreed to leave with her, and could not help privately thanking Remus for urging her to go talk to him. Glancing over as the passed the table of awkward Gryffindor third-year boys, her eyes met those of her best friend and for just a moment, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, until he noticed who she was following. He then lowered his head slightly and gave her a look as though warning her to behave, just before a smirk tugged upwards on his lips. Leviatha stifled a giggle with great difficulty, suddenly feeling very much like she had just slipped back fifteen years to her thirteen-year-old self.

Only a few stragglers remained in the entrance hall, clearly waiting for the party to get into full swing before they could make their escape out into the rose garden for some privacy, and as Severus walked past, he eyed them suspiciously. It was very much against his nature to ignore this, knowing full well what they would be doing before long, and how relieved the students would be feeling upon watching him leave, however, taking away House points and handing out detentions was indeed very low on his list of priorities at the moment. He was currently beyond distracted from his usual teacher's duties as the young witch behind him suddenly caught up to walk just beside him. He glanced over, arching an eyebrow.

"The Three Broomsticks?" he asked as he stopped walking in the middle of the entrance hall, hoping sincerely that she had not had that destination in mind. As she grimaced and glanced toward the doors leading out onto the snowy grounds, he felt his stomach flip over.

"Eh..." she began with a shrug. "It's awfully cold out there and I don't fancy passing the dementors tonight, do you?" she then asked, glancing over at him from eye level. Severus noticed with a jolt that she was indeed wearing her usual high heels under that extravagantly long dress of hers. He shook his head.

"I suppose not," he answered. "My office then?"

As the two teachers began walking in the direction of the dungeons, Leviatha could feel her heart banging away at the inside of her ribcage, so hard, it felt as though something were trapped inside her chest, fighting to get out. She would have given anything to be in this same situation fifteen years ago, and now that she was, Leviatha was finding it surprisingly difficult to keep her nerves steady. She was only going to have a drink with him, right? She would have a drink and then leave for the night..._right?_

At the very back corner of the large room of moving staircases, Leviatha paused when Snape stopped outside a door she had never noticed being there before and pulled his wand from his sleeve. He then pressed the tip to the wood before them and moved the wand across the surface in a short intricate pattern before there was a soft click from the other side. Reaching out for the handle, he pulled the door open, revealing a tall, tightly-wound and enclosed spiral staircase. Leviatha stepped inside, onto the first step and glanced up.

"Ah, so _this _is how you get up and downstairs so quickly," she said, grinning back down at him over her shoulder as she began to climb. "I had started believing you were able to slip through the floors and ceilings." Severus shook his head, watching the way the exposed section of her back curved from the left to the right and back again, rhythmically, as she climbed the stairs ahead of him.

"I used to do it that way, but it makes one terribly dusty," he answered in a very dry, joking tone of voice, smirking to himself from behind Leviatha as she let out a laugh.

At the very top of the circular column that was the enclosed case of winding stairs, Leviatha sighed heavily, hoping dearly that Snape would not notice that she was slightly winded. It was no wonder the man remained so lean in the midst of all the wonderful, legendary Hogwarts cooking; getting to and from his quarters was a workout in itself. He walked past her, as she moved to the side to follow him, and led her down a now familiar corridor, where the closed door to his private office and study stood up ahead of them. If Leviatha's heart had been racing before, that was nothing to what it was doing now. She felt almost lightheaded as he unlocked the door and stood aside to let her in ahead of him.

Severus watched from the open doorway as Leviatha stepped into his office, glancing around at the many varied jars and bottles along the walls and he could remember very clearly the last time she had been in this room. He had just spent a day 'babysitting' her dog and though he had tried to deny it at the time, had been eager for her to return. The conversation that had followed her arrival had been their first fully civil conversation and she had left a mere ten minutes later, appearing awkward and somewhat flustered. He rather hoped she would leave in a different manner tonight, when the time came for her to depart.

"Hey!" the witch suddenly cried, pointing at something on the floor near his desk. "Those are my shoes!"

Severus smirked as Leviatha walked toward the pair of black high heels sitting together, upright, leaned against the leg of his desk.

"Yes, you left those here that night when you came to retrieve your dog," he explained, finally closing the door behind him and walking across the room to another door in the opposite wall. Leviatha turned to glance at him with a slight frown of confusion spreading across her face.

"They've been here all this time? That had to have been over a month ago!" she said. Severus nodded, raising his eyebrows.

"Indeed," he replied, his voice deep and rather dull. "What I find surprising is how you managed to walk all the way downstairs, through the castle and to your own chambers without realizing you were barefoot. You seem to have only noticed just now that they were missing, in fact." While Severus had not said this in an effort to embarrass her, Leviatha's reaction was somewhat surprising. Her face reddened slightly as she turned away to fidget awkwardly with a bit of parchment on the desk.

"Oh, well...I was a bit distracted that night, wasn't I?" she asked defensively after a few moments, turning once again to raise her eyebrows in his direction. "I'd just spent an entire day with Minerva, harping on every little thing- and besides, I...drank that vial of Calming Draught you gave me the moment I got to my room so I was a bit knackered then, wasn't I?"

At this, Severus nodded his head, turning to the door to open it and reveal his study. "If you drank the entire vial in one, then yes, you were likely incapable of noticing much of anything. That was a very freshly brewed Potion," he explained, watching closely as the striking witch strode the length of the room toward him, without breaking her gaze from where it had fixated on his eyes.

"I still have the vial of Sleeping Draught," she said quietly as she moved past him into the room. "Will it still be effective after this long?"

Fighting hard against a shiver, Severus followed the woman into his study, but left the door open for the time being. He nodded. "It should be." was all he could manage to reply.

Leviatha let her eyes travel around the inside of her new surroundings. She had never been in this particular room before, but could see why the Potions master preferred to spend time there, rather than out in the main part of the castle. It was a very handsome room, though barely decorated, save for heavy, dark green velvet hangings against the tall, stained-glass windows and a vast, intricately patterned area rug in the middle of the mahogany wooden floors. The entire back wall was one large bookcase, filled to capacity and lined with hundreds of books, some newer, some appearing older than the castle itself. The hearth just next to her sprang to life, a perfectly strong, warm fire suddenly crackling and filling the room with a surprisingly welcoming golden glow. Leviatha turned to find where Snape had gotten to, only to see that he was just placing his wand atop a table near the door where she could now see a row of randomly sized bottles in various states of dustiness. He spoke, without turning to look at her.

"Pick your poison," he said, reaching down to pull two crystal goblets from a cabinet beneath the table. Leviatha hesitated, frowning in his direction until he turned to look at her. He then rolled his eyes. "_Figuratively speaking..._" he added in a low drawl. Leviatha laughed and crossed the room toward him.

"That would be figurative for someone who is _not _a Potions master, Snape..." she said just next to him as she peered down over his shoulder at the various bottles. Severus wondered if he could somehow trick her into using his first name, without having to blatantly ask her to do so. She pointed at the bottle in his hand, from which he had just poured a rather healthy measure of dark amber liquid into his own glass. "Let me guess...Ogden's Finest Firewhiskey?" she asked, glancing sideways at the profile of his face as he nodded, placing the glass stopper back on the bottle.

"You know me too well," he muttered sarcastically. "And if I know you at all, I'll venture a guess that you'd rather something else, no?" he then asked, bringing his glass to his lips for a small, calming sip, just to steady his nerves. Being alone with her at long last, without her dog around, was already having a rather nerve-wracking effect on him. When she nodded, he continued, pointing at the different bottles. "Scotch, mead, elf-made wine, bourbon or brandy." Glancing to the side, Severus noticed an expression of surprise flicker across Leviatha's face.

"You have quite an extensive collection of liquor, Professor," she remarked, smirking as Severus nodded.

"When you've been teaching for as long as I have, you'll find it goes from being a luxury to a necessity," he explained. Leviatha laughed, turning away from the bottles, to go stand over by the fireplace, to warm up, thinking that her goosebumps had something to do with cold.

"Surprise me," she said over her shoulder. "Anything but whiskey."

As the tinkling of a bottle sounded from the other side of the room, Leviatha stepped closer to the mantle over the fireplace, studying a few random items placed there. She had already noticed that there were no pictures placed anywhere around the room, but this did not surprise her; Professor Snape hardly seemed like a deeply sentimental person. Instead, she noticed a beautiful glass serpent sitting atop the mantle, held upright by it's sculpted, curved tail. Two small emeralds had been set into the glass to serve as eyes. She had just reached out with one finger to gently touch the piece of art when his deep voice from just behind her caused her to jump.

"That was given to me by a student several years ago after he graduated," he explained, handing her a half-full glass of liquor as she turned to face him. Leviatha nodded and glanced back to look at the glass snake again, just as she brought the goblet to her lips to taste what he had given her. Though the surprise of what she had just drunk caused her to forget the figurine and turn back to him, her eyes widened in surprise.

"What is this?" she asked, glancing down into the glass. "It's delicious!"

Severus smirked. "One part mead, two parts bourbon," he answered, turning away to take another long drink from his own glass. "I find the oak notes in the mead compliment the same flavor in the bourbon...an invention of my own, I suppose you could say." Leviatha laughed, taking a rather healthy swig of the warming, mixed liquors.

She could see this mixture as being one of those where it would be easy to drink a lot in a short amount of time, and end up making some very poor decisions. She took one more long sip before she held it between her hands in front of her, then proceeded to step out of her high heels, to stand barefoot on the surprisingly soft area rug before the fire. With a sigh, she flung her shoes across the room with her feet, then wiggled her toes against the rug comfortably.

Severus watched her from where he sat in one of the two arm chairs, opposite each end of his long leather couch. Whether she was aware of it or not, every curve of her body was visible through her dress, just as it had been through the thin silk of her bathrobe in months prior. His eyes followed the curved line from under her arm, past her waist and over her hip and another heavy measure of whiskey trickled down his throat as he drank deeply from his glass; a warm sensation began to spread from beneath his hair, down the back of his neck. He watched as Leviatha did the same from her own goblet of liquor, before she let out a quiet laugh, glancing down at her bare toes, where they just barely peeked out from beneath the length of her dress.

"You know..." she began with another giggle. "If someone had told me, when I first arrived to teach here, that, by Christmas, I would be having drinks with you?...I'd likely have called them mad."

Suddenly feeling quite warm about the collar, Severus reached up to undo his black, silk cravat from around his neck and drape it across the arm of the chair, something he would not normally have done in the presence of a colleague. He sighed quietly, taking one last sip of his whiskey.

"Well, you must admit, you did not exactly make it easy for one to like you right off," he replied, arching an eyebrow in her direction as Leviatha scowled down at him.

"You _hated _me when I first started here, Snape," she said, turning her back on him to gaze down into the fire before her. There was a contemplative sort of hum behind her, followed by the sound of movement, where she guessed he was standing up from his leather armchair.

"I did not _hate you..._" he started, moving away toward the table of glass bottles, to set his glass down and refill it with water; the whiskey was having more of an affect on him than he would have liked. "I merely disliked you..._strongly." _Leviatha let out a quiet laugh but did not speak, so he continued. "Though I'll admit, you've been marginally less..._insufferable _as of late..." he crooned, studying the side of her face from where he was walking toward her, the liquor giving him a new sense of confidence that he had not possessed earlier. He went on once again, when he drew closer to within a few feet of the younger witch before the fire. "Though you still are, without a doubt, the most difficult woman I have ever met in my life, Professor." he concluded, thinking quickly back on all the times he had been forced to shove his hands in his pockets to refrain from reaching out to touch her. Severus watched as Leviatha brought her glass to her lips, tilted her head back and drank the remainder of the contents in one. She then turned to glance at him, that same wild look behind her eyes that he had noticed earlier.

"Well, if I wasn't difficult, you wouldn't find me so _terribly_ irresistible, would you?" she asked, grinning a very sassy sort of smirk. Severus immediately felt a warmth explode in the pit of his stomach and before he could stop himself, the muscles in his face contracted, tugging the corners of his lips upward. Leviatha's eyes widened slightly in surprise and she turned to face him fully, just as he looked down at the floor beneath them.

"Snape, I do believe you're smiling," she said with a note of incredulity to her voice. "I was beginning to think you didn't know how." Her eyes scanned his face as he looked back up to meet her eyes and a rambunctious swarm of butterflies suddenly filled her stomach; she had never seen him look so handsome as he did just then. His thin lips were twisted into a very crooked, yet extremely charming smile, exposing just a few of his upper teeth and the corners of his eyes wrinkled slightly with this rare expression.

"Learn something new every day," he answered dryly, but then hesitated, his smile fading just a bit as his eyebrows arched. The former smile morphed seamlessly into a twisted smirk. "And I _do _have a first name, you know..." he then added, watching in amusement as Leviatha suddenly flushed a noticeable shade of pink, even with the large fire beside them as the only source of light. However, just when he half expected for the witch to grow awkward and nervous, she straightened up a bit and placed her hands on her waist.

"Are you suggesting that we be on first-name terms, Professor?" she asked, flashing a very cheeky smile as Severus arched an eyebrow.

"You've already made it further into my private living areas than any other being in this castle," he explained, taking just half-step toward her. "I feel it would be appropriate for you to call me by my first name, _Leviatha." _

A very noticeable breath of air passed into the witch's lungs as she inhaled deeply upon hearing her name leave his lips for the first time _ever, _but she moved past her moment of stunned silence quickly and cleared her throat. A settled air of regained dignity passed over her once again.

"That would be fine, S-Severus," she replied in a very matter-of-fact sort of voice, and as a joking gesture, she held out her hand to shake his in agreement. However, Severus bypassed her hand and instead, wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, to both move it out of the way and pull her closer at the same time. Firewhiskey was a marvelous, wondrous thing when it came to supplying confidence where it was needed most.

Leviatha was now so close to him that as she exhaled, he could feel her chest expand and contract against his own. His fingers remained gripping her wrist at her side as he stared down into her dimly-lit, glowing yellow eyes.

"Could you, perhaps, do me a favor?" he asked quietly, his voice sounding suddenly much huskier and deeper than it normally did. This was evidenced by the small shiver Leviatha gave off from within inches of him. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him. He took her silence to be a 'yes', so he continued, leaning down ever so slightly to place his lips near her ear. "Could you say it again?" He had to hear her say this name without stammering, while he was so close to her.

All nerves gone, Leviatha leaned just another inch or two closer to him, placing her own lips against his soft, clean hair, before she obliged his request. "_Severus..." _she purred.

No name, no word had ever felt as right leaving her mouth as that one had.

Chills erupted down the back of Severus' neck, down his back and arms, causing him to exhale heavily against her cheek and into her loose hair, his eyes sliding closed of their own accord. His fingers tightened around the wrist he was gripping and it took every once of self-control he contained not to guide her hand to the front of his pants, just so she could feel what hearing his name leave her lips at long last had done to him. Instead, he let go of her and allowed his hand to move to her neck, so he could finally, _finally _touch her skin.

Leviatha fought desperately not to shiver violently when Severus' fingers traveled along the side curve of her neck, following the line from just past her jaw to where her shoulder began to slope. At the moment, she had no idea where an innocent drink had gone so far awry...but perhaps, it had never been an innocent drink to begin with. Severus' deep voice pulled her back down to earth into a thick daze. Her head was swimming, but she was not entirely sure that had anything to do with the alcohol in her system. His nose rested very gently against her cheek, and as he spoke, she could feel his perfectly curved lips brushing her skin.

"I'd really like to kiss you..." he began. Leviatha knew there was a 'but' coming. Her stomach fell. "...but I'm afraid you might hit me."

Just then, a very ungraceful snort of laughter escaped her and she nearly melted into a puddle when she felt him smiling against her cheek. She reached up, placing one of her hands against his chest.

"I _would_ really like to hit you," she began in repartee. "But I think I'd rather you kiss me."

Severus' lips met hers in a motion so gentle, it was almost as though he were afraid she was poisonous, and he was testing her first. The hand at her cheek slid further back, behind her neck, where he pushed his fingers into the warm underside of her hair. Leviatha exhaled in response against his lips, struggling to ignore the cloak of goosebumps traveling along her neck and shoulders, as she tasted remaining sweet bitterness from the Firewhiskey there. For someone who spent most of his time in the darkest, deepest, coldest reaches of the castle, his lips and fingers were remarkably warm against her flesh, making it nearly impossible for her to resist a heavy shiver.

His head was spinning, his fingers felt numb with both relief and surprise at his own actions. Never in a million years, could he have predicted the boldness he would possess with this woman, on this night, but now that he was there, doing what he'd wanted to do for months now, he felt there was no going back. He had been right in one prediction- now that he had felt her skin, he did not want to stop touching her. For having a rather harsh demeanor and somewhat biting personality, Leviatha was remarkably soft to the touch and with a pang, Severus wondered whether his calloused, potion-stained fingers felt rough and grating against her skin. She was not pulling away, though, and to his surprise, she even took a step toward him, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly to deepen their kiss. Her own, smaller hands then gripped either edge of the collar of his black frock coat, before she pulled him more fully to her. His breath hitched in his throat as he let his left hand slide from it's place framing her ribs, onto her back, where he found that lovely diamond of exposed skin. Rough fingertips traveled along the curve of her spine, causing her to shiver against him.

The room was suddenly stiflingly warm, from the fire beside them, from the liquor coursing through both of them, and from the heat generated by their bodies so close together. With another great surge of boldness, Severus allowed his tongue to ever so gently trace the inner contour of her upper lip, silently begging her to allow him to taste her, to which Leviatha obliged willingly. Lingering hints of oak-matured mead and bourbon remained on her tongue as she teased him with it lightly. Unable to stand the heat any longer, Severus pulled back abruptly from her lips, and removed his hands from her, only for a moment, to quickly begin undoing the buttons on his black outer garment. He breathed rather heavily, watching Leviatha from behind half-lidded, hazy eyes, hoping that she would not get the wrong idea from this. However to his immense surprise, she closed in on him, her hands sought his and pushed them away, to allow her space to continue the buttons herself. Severus groaned deeply against her lips, carpeting her in tingles as his hands found a place on either side of her hips. His thumbs pressed deeply against her, his grip tightening as Leviatha let her tongue flick delicately against his upper lip.

Cooler air rushed against Severus' loose, white long-sleeved undershirt as Leviatha finally succeeded in freeing the last of the buttons from the small openings in the opposite side of the fabric. She seemed to be hesitating in pushing the coat completely from his shoulders as she allowed it to remain in place, though Severus did not mind this when her hands made contact with his warm chest through the white fabric of his shirt, just beneath the separated edges of his coat.

Pulling her closer yet again, Severus let his forearm wrap fully around her back, his hand bracing her opposite hip, marveling again in how tall she was and how he did not need to stoop or bend at all to kiss her. This was particularly appealing to him, seeing how-

WHAM-WHAM-WHAM

"LEVIATHA?!"

The breathless witch in Severus' arms pulled back from him with a gasp as though he'd just pinched her, and confused, both turned to the open doorway of his study, where they could see out into his dark office to the closed, locked door, on which someone was now banging. Her golden eyes met his deep brown ones and widened when Minerva yelled again.

"Leviatha, I know you're in there! Snape!" came her distinct, curt voice through the wood.

He could see her eyes darting back and forth between his, as though stuck on whether or not she wanted this to end, but Severus took a deep breath, removing his hands from her.

"I'm going to answer it," he stated, pulling the edges of his pleated, unbuttoned frock coat across his chest before he reached down to take her hand in his and lead her back out into the office. "Don't forget your shoes this time," he then whispered, giving her a very quick wink as he pointed to the two pairs of black high heels just next to his desk. Leviatha jumped and scurried toward them, before she attempted to place her left foot in the wrong shoe, as though in a daze. Severus watched this, wondering momentarily why he did not feel more dazed himself. Perhaps he was too drunk to feel stupefied by the recent events...he _was _drunk...right?

"Open this door THIS INSTANT, Severus!" came Minerva's biting voice one last time before he suddenly yanked the door open, to reveal a very harried-looking Professor McGonagall, who had to quickly reach up to hold her hat in place from the vacuum the door created upon being swung open. She raised her thin eyebrows, glancing back and both between the two youngest professors. "Leviatha, I have been looking _everywhere_ for you," she stated brusquely. "What _have _you been doing...?"

From the way her question ended abruptly, Severus was almost positive she had refrained from tacking a '-with him' to the end of it. He kept his face as impassive as possible.

"We had merely grown tired of the party, Minerva, so we came up here for a drink and quiet," he explained dully in a partial lie. "Is that acceptable to you, or have members of staff suddenly fallen subject to the same rules as the students?"

For several moments, Minerva stammered wordlessly at him, casting a quick glance down at his unbuttoned frock coat, before she gathered herself up and straightened the edges of her robes distractedly.

"No, that is fine, I just wondered where she had gone off to, is all," she answered, shaking her head, before she suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Leviatha's shoulders, to pull her out into the hallway. "But I think I could do with a cup of tea, and by the looks of it, she could do with a cup of strong coffee, don't you think, Professor?" she then asked him waspishly, commenting on the somewhat dazed expression on Leviatha's face that she clearly assumed had something to do with the alcohol. Severus had been about to answer when Leviatha suddenly came to and waved her hands at Minerva.

"Oh, stop it, I'm fine," she hissed, shimmying to the side to escape her mentor's arm. "Professor?" she then turned to Severus. He felt his stomach clench up; her lips were swollen from where he had just been claiming them with his own. "Thank you for the drink and the quiet. Goodnight."

And with that, she walked away down the hall, her arm linked with that of Professor McGonagall, and Severus stood there in the doorway, watching them go, but before she could round the corner, Leviatha glanced back at him over her shoulder, that fazed look coming back for just a moment. Then, she was gone into the darkness at the opposite end of the hall, the very end of her long dress trailing along behind her. For several long moments, Severus remained in the empty hallway, staring at nothing, wondering what was surprising him more: the fact that they had actually kissed, or the fact that he knew exactly where that kiss would have ended up, had they not been interrupted.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! (ILY) -QoM


	20. Everybody Lies

Leviatha's eyes scanned her ceiling. She watched idly as the remaining shadows slid slowly away, retreating from the rising sun filtering into her bedroom from the circular stained glass window high above her bed. The last traces of Sleeping Draught were trickling gradually from her body and mind, allowing her wake gently while Charlie dozed lightly near her feet. It was hugely fortunate that she had saved that vial of purple Potion all this time, as there had been absolutely no hope whatsoever for her to fall asleep on her own upon returning to her room the previous night.

It had taken an extraordinary amount of coaxing to convince Charlie to jump up onto her bed when he had returned after the party with Remus, as he had been very put-out upon being left behind while she and his new best friend, Severus, had gone upstairs. She had attempted to explain to him that they had wanted to be alone, but he had still refused to join her in the bed and had instead curled up on the leather couch across the room. Though, sometime in the night, he had obviously gotten cold, as he had been laying on his back comfortably on the bed right beside her when she had woken.

A heavy sigh heaved Leviatha's chest as she very slowly reached one hand toward her neck, where she allowed her fingertips to retrace the exact places Severus had touched her the night before. If she concentrated hard enough, she could still hear the heated, almost relieved sigh that had escaped him upon hearing his name leave her lips at long last. And if she concentrated upon this memory for long enough, sharp goosebumps would rise up along her arms and chest, just as they had in his study. Her fingers then moved toward her face, where she let just the very tip of her pointer finger trace her bottom lip. His kiss had been so gentle, but possessive, and had gained intensity with every second that passed.

Golden eyes slid shut as she struggled to picture the way he had been looking at her, when he had taken a step back to hastily remove his oppressive, black frock coat. A tightening clench gripped her stomach as she thought back to the sensation that had shot through her upon watching him do this. A thrill of mingled excitement and trepidation had filled her. Their breathing had been so heavy at that point, that there was no point in attempting to speak, and yet it appeared as though both were wondering the same thing; was this _really _a wise decision? Was it really advisable for two people, _colleagues_, with such a very short, rather volatile history to become so quickly involved in what was sure to be a purely physical relationship? The answer was quite obviously _no, _but thinking back on it now, Leviatha doubted whether she actually cared how ill-advised it would be. At the same time, she would not allow her body to rule her mind, especially in light of their tumultuous history. As much as she may have desired it and still desired it, the kiss had not been one of her better choices. She sincerely hoped Severus held the same mentality.

At that moment, Leviatha started with a gasp and yanked her finger away from her lip when a very sudden, loud tapping filled the room. Near her feet, Charlie flopped over onto his side and raised his head in the direction of the far window, where both could now see a handsome tawny owl perched on the sill, a small scroll of parchment tied to his leg with a silk, maroon ribbon. With a roll of her eyes, Leviatha pushed herself to a sitting position, before swinging her legs to the side, to rise and trudge groggily toward the window. Not only did she recognize the owl, she also recognized the maroon ribbon and Dagrin family crest, watermarked into the parchment. With a sigh, she opened the window for the owl, who's great wings dumped a rather large amount of snow onto the stone floor just below the opening. Charlie sat up and watched with interest as the large bird came to rest on the back of the couch, his long talons holding him steady as he lifted the leg bearing the scroll. Leviatha took it and unrolled the message, just as the owl took off again through the open window.

"_Leviatha, please come for Christmas brunch this morning at ten o'clock. Minerva will be __joining us. -Mother" _

With a lurch, Leviatha once again thought back to the previous night and the torrents of scolding and suspicious questions she had undergone on the way back to her quarters as Minerva marched her there by what seemed like near force. The shame of being nearly caught by the women was enough to remind her that making out with a fellow professor was not the best idea Leviatha had ever had. And while she had tried to assure the older witch repeatedly that she and Professor Snape really _had _been simply having a drink and talking, she could tell that her mentor had not fully bought the story. If Minerva did not mention this occurrence to her mother while at breakfast, it would be nothing short of a true miracle.

…...

A very tousled, stony-faced Potions master stood in the doorway leading from his office to his study and had been there for some time. The room seemed much different now, bathed in the silvery, gray light from the overcast sky outside, though the memory of his most recent experience inside it was still very clear. His eyes had settled and fixed themselves upon the empty glass goblet sitting on the mantle over a lifeless hearth. Part of him wished there was more evidence of what had happened, something else, something more notable to prove that Leviatha had actually been standing there, a mere six feet from where he stood now, enclosed in his arms, kissing him and allowing herself to be kissed in return. Yet all that remained was the goblet and the few tiny, now sticky drops of residual liquor left at the bottom of it. There was not even a print from her lips around the rim of the glass.

But the print didn't need to be there to be felt. His memory could easily recall her tongue, licking away the sweet taste from her lips or the scent of her hair as she whispered his name in his ear. He memorized the way her form felt against his, her hands grasping to him boldly and he found himself wishing the annoying hag from Gryffindor hadn't spoiled the moment, as the kiss surely would have progressed to make a memorable evening into something legendary. In a rare wistful moment, Severus found himself wondering if Leviatha was just as eager as he was to pick up where they left off.

As his body gave an involuntary shudder against the frame of the doorway, Severus realized dully that he was cold, as he stood there in his loose, black cotton sleep pants and a white, long-sleeved shirt, and with a wave of his hand, a roaring fire sprang to life in the place across from him. No sooner had he done this, was there a quiet pop, before a bearded, wizened head appeared there, floating eerily amidst the flames. Severus remained quite still and merely waited for Albus' head to swivel in his direction.

"Oh!" the Headmaster started slightly when he noticed his Potions professor standing there. He smiled, the reflection of the flames against his half-moon shaped glasses obscuring the usual twinkling in his blue eyes. "Good morning, Severus, and a Merry Christmas to you!" Dumbledore said cheerily. Severus inclined his head slightly.

"The very same to you, Professor," he replied. "What brings you popping into my study so very early this morning?" he then asked, arching an eyebrow sharply, fully aware that his hair likely resembled the branches of the Whomping Willow, but caring very little.

"I wanted to invite you for a spot of Christmas tea!" Albus responded excitedly. "Care to join me?"

For a moment, Severus hesitated. He was not particularly keen on the idea of sitting down across from Albus Dumbledore, master of knowing more than he let on, master of appearing to x-ray his company, so soon after he had been in a rather compromising situation with a fellow member of staff. But then again, if he refused, Albus would likely ask what else he would be doing instead of joining him for tea, to which Severus did not have a good answer. So he nodded.

"I'll join you in ten minutes," he responded. And with another pop, Albus' head was gone.

After dressing in his usual, all-black attire and attempting to make a mildly composed mess of his rumpled hair, Severus stepped back into his study, casting a last longing glance at Leviatha's goblet on the hearth, before he tossed a handful of Floo powder into the flames and stepped in. There was one moment where a cool, flickering sensation surrounded him, before he was again stepping out of the fireplace, into the Headmaster's study. Albus was already seated in the upper portion of his massive, multi-leveled office, on one side of a small, round table, just opposite a large, empty leather armchair. A tea tray sat on the table before him.

As Severus sat down across from Albus and leaned forward to pour himself a cup of what he hoped would be a strong tea, he could feel the Headmaster surveying him from behind his glasses. He remained quiet, hoping the older wizard would speak first.

"Are you planning to return to Spinner's End for the remainder of the holiday?" he asked conversationally after a few moments of watching the younger man. His eyebrows raised slightly when Severus looked up after taking a short sip of the scalding hot tea.

"No," he answered, thinking quickly of Leviatha and hating himself for factoring the witch into his decision. "There is nothing that interests me there." Across from him, Albus made a noise of understanding.

"Ah, quite the contrary to the numerous things that hold your attention here," he said in that maddeningly cryptic way, that suggested he knew much more than he was letting on. Already, Severus was mildly regretting his decision to join for tea. "I do hope you enjoyed yourself last night, Severus, though I feel compelled to mention that I do not condone you leaving the party without informing anyone," Albus then added, his tone still quite light and pleasant, his face still smiling, which left Severus to wonder whether he was being reproved or being poked at. He arched an eyebrow.

"How foolish of me, thinking I had been invited for tea, when you only wished to reprimand me," he said casually, forcing himself to keep the bitterness in his voice to a minimum for the time being. Across from him, Albus let out a chuckle, leaning forward to place his half drunk cup of tea on the table between them. He rose from his chair, to place his hands behind his back and walk away.

"I think we are well past the days when I could scold you, my boy," the older wizard replied lightly, now standing before a tall, frosty window. "I only meant that you should exercise better judgment when abandoning your duties, not only as a teacher, but as a guardian."

Severus felt his stomach turn over inside of him uncomfortably. He set his tea down on the table, suddenly no longer feeling any desire to drink it. A prickling, vague feeling of shame had started at the back of his neck and was now spreading its way through his body, leading him to feel as though he had shrunk a bit since entering the room. It always returned to that, didn't it? His obligation, his promise to protect the boy. He had neglected that duty the previous evening when he put his own passion before everything else. Granted, Dumbledore was standing guard, but if something had happened to the boy while he was busy tending to his own desires, Severus would never have forgiven himself. He would have failed Lily a second time. That could not happen. He had forgotten, for however brief a time, that he was someone who didn't have the luxury of giving in to temptation.

Rising from his chair, he moved toward the window, to stand beside the Headmaster, where he stood surveying the snowy grounds. Albus turned to look at him, but Severus did not move his eyes from where they had landed on a snow-capped tree far below. "You, of course, understand what I'm saying," the Headmaster continued; Severus could feel his contemplative gaze on the side of his face but did not look over.

"I do," he answered after a few moments. Down below, his eyes had just caught sight of two witches and one large spotted dog stepping out through the front doors of the castle, one bundled in a thick traveling cloak, the other, taller of the two in a heavy, black coat. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. She was leaving the castle? Surely not for the remainder of the Christmas holiday...With a jolt, Severus allowed his mind to replay a quick echo of Leviatha's breathy sigh as it traveled past his ear, causing goosebumps to rise up along his arms beneath his sleeves. It was going to be difficult to push the memory aside of what might have been. He would do it, though, for Lily.

Albus must have noticed the way the younger wizard was now frowning at the glass before him as his voice broke Severus' reverie. "Minerva and Leviatha are going to visit her mother for Christmas brunch," he explained quietly. "She will return late this afternoon."

A noticeable cringe of uneasiness passed over Severus features at the Headmaster's words, and as much as he tried to block his wants in favor of his promise, he found he really did care a great deal about whether or not she should return. But he gave a noncommittal jerk of his head as he turned his back on the window.

"That does not matter to me," he lied with surprising ease. However, he could tell Dumbledore was not convinced as he sat back down in his chair at the small round table, smiling placidly.

"Oh, quite the opposite, Severus, I believe it matters a great deal to you," he answered. "Forgive me, but I believe that if she were not returning until after the new year, you might go right now and pack your things for Spinner's End."

Severus remained perfectly still, his hands clamped tightly behind his back as he glared down at Albus. He _hated _when that old man was right, but right he was and as Severus finally regained his seat across the table, he shook his head, a slow, building feeling of guilt welling up inside of him.

"It was not wise of me to leave last night," he eventually mumbled, staring determinedly at his knees. "There is too much at stake for me to be distracted by...certain things." He found himself unable to say 'her', and it seemed Dumbledore understood this, despite his more carefully chosen words, but remained quiet, until Severus went on. He looked up from his knees, his face full of resoluteness. "It will not happen again." he concluded, ignoring with great difficulty the pang of aching protest that stabbed the lowest part of his gut.

…...

"I must say, Leviatha, I'm rather surprised you made it out of bed this morning," Minerva was saying thickly, her voice muffled by the tartan, wool scarf around the lower half of her face. "...without a searing headache, I might add."

"Oh, I'm getting on to one just fine, Minerva," Leviatha replied somewhat bitterly, thinking vaguely that because of the woman walking beside her, she had woken in her _own _bed that morning, versus that of someone else. Her yellow eyes watched the path before them as she cleared the snow away with her wand, Charlie bounding ahead excitedly. Minerva gave a loud 'tut' from behind her scarf.

"Well, you and Professor Snape ought to be ashamed of yourselves for leaving the party to go have drinks," she said, once again repeating the exact same thing she had said the night before. "Dumbledore asked _all _of the staff to be there and remain there for the duration, after what happened during the Halloween par-"

"Oh, will you give it a rest?" Leviatha suddenly snapped, stowing her wand away as they neared the front gates. "I've already apologized for it and admitted it was a stupid thing to do, so can we just drop it?" she then asked in a more light tone, knowing it would be unwise to rub Minerva the wrong way, just before they were to join her best friend, and Leviatha's mother, for breakfast.

With the dementors looming up ahead out of the blisteringly cold air, both witches changed forms mid-stride, into their feline forms, before the two cats and the large dog slipped through the gates. In animal form, the horrible, dismal feeling given off by the dementors was not as strong, and seeing how Leviatha was already feeling somewhat jumbled and confused internally, she counted her abilities as an Animagus a large blessing just then.

Being that it was Christmas morning, Hogsmeade was almost completely deserted, the white streets barren, the numerous shops closed for the day, their windows dark. Casting one last glance back up toward the castle, she wished idly that she had been able to at least glimpse Severus before leaving, however felt she could count his absence as something of a stroke of luck; Leviatha was not sure she was ready to see him just yet. It would be too awkward and she wasn't sure how to tell him that, as much as the previous evening had been fun, it couldn't happen again. Turning to Minerva once both of them had resumed their human forms, she took a deep breath in through her nose.

"To Wisteria then?" she asked, raising her sharply curved eyebrows as she took a firm hold of Charlie's tail.

With two sharp '_crack's, _both witches and the dog Disapparated on the spot, leaving the empty street behind them, only to reappear with another two loud cracks of noise, on a winding, perfectly cleared street. High banks of snow bordered the lane on either side, one leading to a large, rolling field, the other standing just opposite a tall, wrought iron gate. With every intention of getting into the warmth as quickly as possible, Leviatha and Minerva stepped through a clearing in the bank of snow, onto a small stretch of cleared cobblestone pavement. Minerva pulled her wand from inside the pocket of her traveling cloak, before she began to trace a pattern across the heavy, iron padlock, chaining the two halves of the gate together. Leviatha let her gaze drift upward from the lock where her eyes caught sight of a gaudy, intricate letter 'D', that was formed to completion when the gate was closed. Rolling her eyes at this, she looked away from the letter when the iron began to shift and move out of place by magic, allowing the two witches entrance.

Dagrin manor was the exact picture of how old, pure-blooded families were expected to live. However, contrary to the numerous mansions in the fields around them, this massive, ancient house was entirely white and stone, looming up before them as they trod the path toward the handsome oak front doors. Leviatha glanced around, wondering if she might spot a flock of the wild, white peacocks that typically inhabited the sprawling grounds surrounding the house. Countless times during her youth had she found herself out in the yard, feeding them, in an attempt to escape her mother's seemingly endless parties and useless celebrations. The peacocks were nowhere to be found however, and instead, Leviatha spotted the same owl that had visited her bedroom earlier, circling the air toward the back of the house, where she knew the small owlery to be. With another great roll of her eyes, Leviatha stepped up onto the doorstep beside Minerva, with Charlie at her side; _what an absurd thing to have in one's backyard..._she thought with resentment.

An impressive silver knocker hung against the double doors, though before Minerva could reach out to grasp it and knock, the doors were pulled open, revealing not Lucinia Dagrin, but a very old, very small House-Elf wearing a clean, maroon pillowcase in the style of a toga. Her large, round brown eyes lit up as she set eyes on Leviatha, who was already smiling and stepping forward.

"Mistress Leviatha!" the elf squeaked, holding out her skinny arms to wrap them around the witch's neck as she leaned down to one knee.

"Hi, Trinkit!" Leviatha answered, standing back up. "How have you been?" she then asked, grinning as Charlie stepped forward slowly to very gingerly sniff at the House-Elf's bare feet. Trinkit seemed to be putting a great deal of effort into ignoring him as she winced very slightly and took a barely noticeable step backward.

"Very well, Mistress!" she replied, but before she could say one thing more, another being entered the foyer, in the form of Lucinia Dagrin, whom Leviatha could see was taking a rather lame stab at informality with her would-be casual dressing gown...if only the gown had not been white and gold and worn with a pair of jeweled, heeled bedroom slippers. Her mother's insane compulsion to impress even the most familiar of guests was rather repulsive to Leviatha. The woman was throwing her arms wide as she clicked her way along the marble floors toward them.

"Minnie, Leviatha!" she cried rather pompously, causing her daughter to fight off another urge to roll her eyes. "How lovely, you both came! And Charlie, my darling dear, how are you?" she then asked the dog as though expecting an answer. He simply licked her hand and wiggled in place, torn between his desire to sniff Trinkit's bat-like ears and greeting his 'grandmother'. Lucinia turned from him to lean forward and bump her cheek against Minerva's in a friendly kiss, before she threw her arms around Leviatha and squeezed, hard.

"Merry Christmas, mother," Leviatha said, plastering a very forced smile to her face as Lucinia pulled back to beam happily at her. "I haven't brought anything...I haven't had a moment for-" she began to explain her lack of a gift, but her mother waved her hands.

"Oh, not to worry, not to worry!" she exclaimed. "I'm just glad you could spare a few hours to visit with me! Let's go to the dining room, breakfast, you know!" And with that, Lucinia took off down the hallway, leaving Leviatha to glance sideways at Minerva, mouthing the words '_a few hours?', _as though expecting some comfort with a reply of '_oh, we wont stay that long...'_ However, to her dismay, she simply sniffed with a half-shrug of her shoulders and moved away down the hall in her best friend's footsteps, pulling her tartan scarf from around her neck as she went. Fighting a supreme urge to groan loudly and stomp heavily after the two older witches as she had done so many times in her youth, Leviatha followed after them, pulling her coat from her shoulders to toss it automatically onto the banister of the marble staircase as she passed.

…...

The moment Severus had been presented the opportunity to escape the Headmaster's presence without being rude, he took it and was now seated in his study, down in the bowels of the castle, glaring at the crackling fire across from him. A half-read book lay open and face down on the leather couch beside him, as he had lost interest nearly an hour ago and abandoned his attempt to distract himself from his raging internal debate. Contrary thoughts raced through his mind, switching between his own desires and the logical course he should take.

When he first returned to his study through the fireplace from Albus' office, Severus had stepped right out onto the hearth rug, turned around and vanished Leviatha's empty goblet with a wave of his hand, thinking that to put it out of sight, would be putting it out of mind. However, as he quickly discovered, this was not the case. Severus constantly found his gaze flickering between the fireplace and mantle, wishing that he had decided not to take such hasty measures to remove the only trace of their encounter the night before. He was still coming to grips with the fact that it had even happened, and without that goblet standing there as solid proof, he might as well have dreamed it.

But he was resolute in his decision, there would be no going back on it. He had made a poor choice the night before and was now paying richly for it, by means of the rather uncomfortable pit of guilt festering in his stomach. Plus the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop thinking about the infernal witch and the way her hands had rested against his chest, feeling their needy warmth through his white cotton shirt. With a groan, Severus let his head fall onto the back of the couch behind him, his eyes closed as he, once again, mentally played through the conversation he was planning to have with Leviatha.

He would have to tell her, flat out, that what had happened between them could not happen again and most certainly could not be allowed to escalate in any sense. They had both been under the influence of alcohol and had clearly not been making wise choices while in the dimly lit room...all alone...with Leviatha in that dress... Abruptly, Severus rose from the couch, knocking the book to the floor as he ran a flustered hand through his hair. It simply did not make sense to him. He _wanted _to kiss her, desperately, had _not _been intoxicated, no matter how many times he foolishly lied to himself, and unless he was very much mistaken, Leviatha had craved his affections in return.

"No." Severus said aloud to the empty room, quickly pushing up the sleeves of his white shirt, as he knew exactly where the baser instincts of his brain were taking this argument. He wouldn't allow that, focusing on the logical side of the coin. This was not a complicated matter. It was clearly a matter of self control, willpower and abstinence from something he wanted. And if there was one thing he knew how to do well, it was controlling himself and that was exactly what he was going to have to do in regards to Leviatha. He knew she would not make it easy for him and that she might even become a bit cold-shouldered toward him, once he had said what he was planning to say, but then again, she was a surprisingly unpredictable witch. She might make it easier than he believed, agreeing with him wholeheartedly that they had been stupid and that it could not happen again.

Yet, at the same time, he wanted her to argue, to tell him that she wanted it as badly as he did. The subtle passion behind her eyes when she left, turning back for one last glance, inflamed him further. He wanted to stalk forth and take his prize. Even if her reactions were aided by the liquor, it only served to heighten her innermost desires, and loosen her inhibitions. Yes, Leviatha wanted him as much as he wanted her. She wouldn't have allowed the kiss to occur, otherwise. It was almost painful to realize that he could have her, but that it would be too distracting to his duties to do so.

As this last thought flew through Severus' mind, he let out a grunt of a laugh as he dropped back down onto his couch heavily. How could Leviatha ever agree with him, if even _he _did not agree with himself? _This is a disaster..._

…...

With the breakfast plates now cleared, Leviatha chanced a glance at the carriage clock over the mantle across the dining room, before letting out a long sigh when she noticed that the time had just reached noon. Already, she was wishing fiercely that she was back at the castle, and for a moment, she wondered what Severus was doing that Christmas morning. She hated the thought of him having to spend it alone, but wondered whether he preferred it that way. And if he was of the same mindset as her, would he even want to see her after what had happened? She didn't know what she'd say if they happened to run into each other. _Hi. How are you? Want to hop in my bed?_ Sighing, she realized that her own thoughts were evidence that the whole affair was idiotic and should never have happened.

"So, Minnie, Leviatha," her mother began from the head of the table, setting down her tea cup delicately. "I wondered whether you two would like to help me with something?"

Looking over, Leviatha raised her eyebrows while Minerva's lips tightened into a thin line and she shifted her weight in the chair, making it quite plain, even without spoken words, that she had quite enough responsibility to be getting on with without something else thrown into the mix. Leviatha fought back a grin at how well she knew her mentor's form of silent language. Lucinia seemed to pick up on this as well as she waved her hand in the direction of her best friend.

"Oh hush, Minnie," she said, despite the fact that Minerva had not uttered a word. "I'm only planning to throw a New Year's Eve party and merely wanted you two to help with the guest list while you were here."

At this, Leviatha let out a loud groan and dropped her hand heavily onto the table before her, causing Charlie to jump where he lay in the corner, gnawing on the large steak bone his grandmother had given him. Lucinia looked over with a frown, but continued without pausing to ask what the problem had been.

"_-And I was wondering..._" she went on, a bit of testiness to her voice as she eyed her daughter contemptuously. "If you would like to invite a few people from Hogwarts as well. I'd love to have Albus attend!" Lucinia finished brightly, turning her brown eyes quickly to Minerva, clearly seeking input.

"Oh, I don't know, Lucy," she began. "He's been hesitant to leave the school, what with all the Sirius Black business, not to mention the dementors lurking just beyond the grounds..."

Back at the head of the table, Lucinia was waving her hand impatiently. "Alright, alright," she said hastily. "I will still send an invite regardless. The worst he could do is decline. Now...where is my..where did I put that- TRINKIT!"

Leviatha, Charlie and Minerva all jumped when Lucinia suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs for the elf, something Leviatha had once been so accustomed to hearing multiple times a day. After being away from the house for so many years, she had forgotten how truly annoying her mother's loud voice sounded echoing through the cavernous house. Just a moment later, the sweet House-Elf, Trinkit, appeared at the side of the table, where she gave a half-bow.

"Madam called for Trinkit?" she asked in her squeaky, quivery voice. Leviatha watched this exchange with a dull, flat expression of annoyance, remembering quite clearly now why she had been so eager to leave this house and the haughty, pure-blooded tactics that abounded there. While her mother was not cruel or unfair toward her servants, she did still regard them as though they purely existed to wait on her hand and foot. Though of course, if one were to ask Trinkit, she would agree that she truly _did _exist for that purpose alone. Leviatha found this rather revolting and swore to herself that no matter what magical, ancient stipulations had been placed on the ownership of Dagrin manor, she would never _ever _allow herself to become as spoiled rotten as her mother.

"Bring me the rolls of parchment, three quills, my ink well, the maroon ribbons and my wand, Trinkit," Lucinia ordered in a very polite, but demanding voice, so that when Trinkit moved away from the table to obey her order, Leviatha leaned forward and added loudly, "_Please?" _

A few minutes later, the elf returned, bearing the whole lot of items on a large silver tray, which hovered effortlessly in the air before her, as she was much too small and frail to carry the thing herself. The heavy tray made contact with the wooden table, giving a dull thud before Trinkit turned to Lucinia and handed over her wand, holding it high above her with two hands as though the thing were a gallant sword made of solid gold. Leviatha gave an indignant huff once again and placed her chin in her hand, with her elbow on the table before her, hoping wildly that this visit was soon to be over. Her mother pulled the thick roll of parchment toward her, and used the tip of her wand to cut a clean line in the paper, to sever a shorter piece on which to write.

"Now," she began, picking up a quill to dip the tip into her gaudy pot of ink. "I think I'll invite my usual friends, just the old group for starters." she was saying distractedly as she jotted down numerous names. "Plus, Albus...and you two of course..." More names were written on the parchment. "Oh and of course, the Malfoy's..._lovely _couple...Did you know they live just over the hill from here, in Wisteria?" Lucinia looked up from the paper to look back and forth between Leviatha and Minerva as they exchanged glances. The honest answer was 'yes', Leviatha did know that the Malfoy manor was indeed very close, just a mile or two up the road, but could not see how her mother had only just realized it, after having lived in this house for nearly all of her adult life. She shook her head no, while Minerva remained completely silent, her thin lips tightened seamlessly into that line they formed when she was biting back the urge to say something. Clearly, she was not keen on the idea of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy being in attendance at the upcoming party.

"And...Leviatha, why don't you invite that charming man...You know..."

Leviatha felt her stomach tighten into a tiny knot. They had finally reached it. She _did _know to whom her mother was referring, but refused to supply his name.

"Severus, dear? Professor Snape?" Lucinia went on, raising her eyebrows when her daughter refused to meet her eyes. "Would you like to bring him? Perhaps...as a date?"

At once, both Leviatha and Minerva made sudden noises of protest that caused Lucinia to start, but gain a rather gleefully surprised look on her face, one that plainly suggested she had struck gossip gold by mentioning his name. And to Leviatha's horror, she turned to Minerva first.

"Have I said something I oughtn't?" she asked, her lined face rapt with excitement. Minerva cleared her throat, straightening in her chair as she glanced through her glasses toward Leviatha across the table.

"Oh, you might ask your daughter where she had gone after leaving the Christmas dance last night with another certain, young professor..." she replied, her Scottish brogue laden heavily with residual scorn as Lucinia turned quickly to Leviatha.

"Did you really?" she asked excitedly, her voice dropped to a whisper as though a hundred people were currently eaves-dropping. "Went to his quarters, did you? His bed chambers, I suppose?"

Again, both Leviatha and Minerva spoke loudly, simultaneously.

"_Mother!" _

_ "Lucy!" _

Her mother jumped, holding up both hands in an innocent gesture. "I was just curious!" she exclaimed. "I thought he really was such a nice man when we met back in September! I just hoped that...Well, Leviatha, he would make a _fine _husb-"

"MUM!" Leviatha shouted, tossing her hands while Minerva dropped her head into her hands on the table. Lucinia shook her head again, raising her penciled eyebrows.

"Fine, fine...Well, I shall invite him anyway. I'm sure he'd love to meet old Libatius, and if you, Leviatha, dear, should just _happen_ to travel with him...maybe arrive with him, I'm sure-"

"Mother, I'll be bringing Remus with me," Leviatha suddenly cut in with finality, hating herself for even considering for a moment that she would indeed like nothing more than to bring Severus as her date. Her hormones and her mind were in opposition and it was beginning to drive her crazy. On one hand, the previous evening had been wonderful and fun. On the other hand, getting involved with a colleague, no matter how handsome she found him or how good his fingers felt trailing across her skin... Not the point. The point was that it would only lead to problems down the road. Of course, if their past was any indication, there would never be a dull moment for their future.

…...

By the time Leviatha managed to wrench Minerva away from her best friend's house, the silvery, shimmering sun was already somewhat low in the cloudy afternoon sky. How she had allowed herself to stay at her mother's manor for almost six hours was currently beyond her, but as she stepped out of the fireplace into Minerva's office, she felt her misplaced sense of time was neither here nor there. Her mind quickly flew down to Severus' quarters, where he was likely lurking and for one annoying and neglectful moment, she considered going down there to see if he would like some company. She wanted to kick herself for even entertaining such urges. As she mentally berated herself, Minerva's voice broke her thoughts.

"Leviatha, you are not to listen to a word your mother said concerning Professor Snape, alright?" she asked, taking a seat behind her desk. "I think pursuing a relationship of _any _kind with that man would be a very poor decision." she then added, putting particular emphasis on the words '_any kind', _as though she knew exactly what the younger witch was thinking.

While Leviatha considered it rather rich of her mentor to be telling her what to do, when she was a fully grown woman capable of making her own decisions, she could not deny that she agreed with the woman to a certain extent. With a roll of her eyes, she moved to the door of the office with Charlie at her heels, but paused, her hand rested on the iron latch.

"Minerva, when have I _ever _listened to what my mother says?" she asked, turning back to glance at the older witch, who was now watching her with a frown. A moment of silence passed before she nodded once and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, before turning to her desk.

"You have a fair point there."

As Leviatha journeyed down to her own quarters, she struggled to put all thoughts of Severus out of her mind. But at the same time, she kept hearing Minerva's words echo loudly in the back of her brain. The more she thought about the older witch sticking her nose in Leviatha's business, the more that she felt the old teenage urge to rebel against authority. The woman just didn't know when to quit, constantly making her opinion known. It irked her to the point of wanting to find Severus right away and do something that Minerva would most certainly disapprove of. The only thing that stopped her was the thought of her mother's happy look at the news that her daughter had been misbehaving with the Potion's master.

Even with her mind leaning towards a more logical solution, she couldn't deny the attraction she felt. The boy had grown into quite a man and why not indulge herself with someone who wanted to be with her? Sure, there had been alcohol involved but he wouldn't have pursued the kiss if he didn't find her desirable. Despite Minerva's warnings, she couldn't see how a physical relationship, with the intention of just finding a release, would be inadvisable. In fact, she found it highly likely that, given the opportunity, she might find, that after sleeping with the Potions master just once, just _one time, _that it actually might help her to clear her head, get him out of her system as it were. Leviatha found herself going over scenarios, silently convincing herself that a night with Severus Snape might be just what she needed. The only question was, would he be willing to make it a one-time occurrence? Perhaps he too would find that a sexual encounter would help to-

A tall figure in black came barreling around the corner, bumping harshly against her and forcing her backside to collide against a brick wall. "What the _hell?!" _Leviatha shouted in surprise.

A pair of hands suddenly gripped her upper arms, holding her in place, preventing her from falling to the floor as she struggled to regain her balance. However, just as she was about to continue on to hand out a detention for running in the halls, several things hit her all at the same time, creating something of a sensory overload. The scent of anise and cloves, mingled with something else, something new, filled her lungs while her eyes focused and fixated on a pair of deep brown ones. Beside her, Charlie barked excitedly and bounced a few times, turning sideways to wiggle against Severus Snape's long legs.

"Oh..." she muttered, suddenly feeling very foolish for paying so little attention to where she was going. Glancing around, she noticed that she had already walked several feet past the entrance to her quarters. Her stomach then did a back-flip as Severus released the grip on her arms, alerting her finally to the fact that he had been touching her. True, she had been hoping to 'bump into him', but not _literally. _Hitching herself up to her full height and confidence, Leviatha folded her arms across her chest, clearing her throat as she finally forced her eyes to meet his again.

"I'd take some points from Slytherin for that but I suspect you wouldn't learn your lesson" she asked, her voice dripping heavily with cynicism. Despite her tone and expression, Severus noticed her yellow eyes flicker down to his lips and back up. He struggled to ignore the increasingly familiar swooping sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"Actually," he began in his silkiest of voices, putting great effort into keeping his gaze on her eyes. "I was coming to find _you_. I thought..." Here he paused, figuring that he might as well bring it up now and not waste more time trying to evade the inevitable. "...I thought we might have a word about-"

"RIGHT," Leviatha answered, cutting him off a bit more loudly than she had intended. She blushed visibly, something Severus could not help finding slightly endearing, and glanced around at the empty hallway before she shrugged. "Yeah, I was actually coming to find you as well. I...didn't like the idea of you having to be, you know, alone today."

A rush of something unfamiliar flooded Severus at these words. Was it...relief? Gratefulness? He could not be sure. Feigning impassiveness, he took a step past her without looking back and began to walk away, with Charlie bouncing at his heels.

"I prefer to be alone. The fact that it's Christmas makes no difference to me," he answered smartly, hoping the coolness of his voice and his change in demeanor might make it easier for him to accept that he could not touch her again. Thus far, the only thing it was doing was making Leviatha match his temperament step for step, as she obviously fed off of his new, disinterested energy.

"Good to know that even the most cheerful of holidays can't wash away the sour air from around you," she answered sarcastically, now walking alongside him as they moved toward the entrance hall. Apparently, they had come to an unspoken agreement that their upcoming conversation might be one for out on the grounds, where the chances of being overheard were much less. Leviatha thought this was a bit of an ominous sign, that he had not invited her into his quarters for this particular talk they would be having...not to mention the fact that he could apparently no longer stand to look at her directly. Quite honestly, she found his snappish tone of voice and abrupt bristling demeanor rather tiresome, so just as they made it out into the courtyard and into one of the further outdoor hallways, she stopped and turned to face him.

"Alright, tell me what your problem is," she commanded, her voice a bit more biting than she had meant to. She pressed on after a brief pause to collect herself, softening her expression and tone. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Across from her, Severus seemed to be fighting something internally that was threatening to escape him. Before she could discern the direction of his thoughts, he quickly tucked his hands into his pockets and turned toward one of the openings in the wooden hallway. He seemed strangely diminished and it made her heart sink further. She had seen that pose before. She knew what was coming. And a few moments later, he shook his head in response to her question.

"You realize that, what happened between us last night..." he paused. Leviatha felt like melting into the ground and vanishing before he could finish. Severus did not look at her as he continued. "It was a mistake. We should not have left the Great Hall. Not after what happened on Halloween. It was foolish of us to do so, in light of the possible dangers," he said, turning his head to look sideways at her when she stepped into the window next to him. He was brushing aside the real issue so he cleared his throat before getting to his point. "Neither of us were thinking clearly and-"

Severus' voice cut short when Leviatha suddenly laughed, hanging her head to shake it slowly. His eyebrows furrowed into a confused frown. This was _not _how he expected her to react. He had been nervous that she would be angry or perhaps even aloof, but amusement?

"It never should have happened?" she asked, craning her head to gaze at him with a smile on her face. Inwardly, she could feel her stomach clenching as her hopes for something more were dashed but she'd be damned if she let him see how much his words affected her. Instead, she would play the role of acquiescence and spoke light-heartedly to put any of his doubts to rest. "Severus, I agree with you. I suppose we had both had a bit too much to drink and...things sort of...got away from us."

Twisting his head away from her, Severus felt his eyebrows arching sharply as he put two and two together. His stomach clenched into a tight, uncomfortable ball that went plummeting to his feet in disappointment. Though he had made the decision to cut this off before it went too far, it still stung to know that she considered it a mistake. A drunken mistake that she did not want to repeat. Clearly, she held some desire for him, buried deep, but without the liquor to give her courage, she didn't want to acknowledge it. But he had to make sure he wasn't misreading the situation.

"Were you intoxicated last night?" he asked. Both of them turned to face each other and he sought out her eyes, looking for the answer he needed.

In return, she hesitated, her yellow eyes searching his as though hoping they would tell her what to say. Instead of answering, after a few moments of silence, she merely replied back with the same question. "Were you?"

Without hesitation, without even batting an eyelid, Severus lied with absurd ease. "Yes," he answered.

For just a split-second, he noticed her shadow of a smile fade slightly from view, before it returned, though not as bright or genuine as it had been a moment ago. She nodded, glancing down at her hand, where it rested on the railing of the window beside her. "I was too," she said.

She was lying. Her eyes had flicked slightly to the left when she spoke the words, a clear sign. Severus didn't know what to make of that. It would have been easier to let go of the entire situation if she had been drunk, but his quest for answers had upset the balance. Now, he knew that they were both clear of mind during the kiss. Part of him was elated. But the other part, the part that was winning out, knew that it was best to stick with the charade and try to put her out of his mind. So he nodded in return.

"So I suppose we'll just have to refrain from drinking around each other in the future, yes?" Leviatha gave another laugh at their silliness, masking the crushing disappointment she felt. Severus had been drunk. She had completely misconstrued everything. Maybe deep down he found her attractive, but apparently not so much when he was sober. She cursed herself for giving in to any wishful thinking. She should have stuck with her initial assessment that the entire evening was a folly, then perhaps she wouldn't feel so dismayed.

"I think it would be more effective to just agree to remain professional around one another from now on, don't you think?" he asked in response, tugging the edges of his coat together across his chest and struggling not to shiver upon remembering the way her hands had felt rested there less than twenty-four hours ago. "Our duty is to this school and to protecting the students within it. I think it would be unwise to ever let that fall out of perspective again."

That dangerously playful smirk was once again present on Leviatha's face as spun from him to walk away. "I also think it would be unwise of you to forget that I don't like you," she replied, curtly, over her shoulder.

_ Liar_, he thought, allowing his own smirk to cross his face. A torturous revelation to say the least, as he had to fight the desire to walk up to her and tuck a tendril of free flowing hair back into her bun. He had made the right choice to cut any potential relationship off before it interfered with his primary role to the school. They did need to stay professional and away from each other. But even still, his hands closed tightly around two fistfuls of material inside his pockets as it was all he could do to keep himself from touching her.

"Funny you should mention that," he called out, watching her backside as she walked away. It was just another role to pretend he didn't have this new knowledge and he _was_ rather good at acting. "Because I don't necessarily like you either."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hope you liked it! We're really moving on along now! And rest assured, this story is not even to the half-way mark yet! = ] We're in for a long one, kiddies. Special thanks to Jen for her mad editing skillz. She is a master-beta...hehhhhhhhhh Anyways, you know I loves all y'allz. Leave me your lovies/haties. -QoM


	21. Dagrin Manor

"But, _Remus!" _Leviatha whined, stomping further into his quarters with her hands on her hips as her best friend went through the room, tossing random, dirty items of laundry into a cloth hamper near his wardrobe. "You _have _to go!"

The werewolf sighed, straightening up and turning to face her as she plopped down into one of his shabby armchairs. "Lev, the party is on New Year's Eve," he began, making the same argument he had already given. "The next cycle of full moon starts the next night. Which means, I'll have to take my first dose of Potion on the afternoon of the party. And you _know _how sick it makes me feel..."

At this, Leviatha tossed her hands, her face lighting up. "Well, that's perfect! If you come with me, that means I'll be able to leave early and say it's because you don't feel well!" she cried happily, leaving Remus' prematurely aged face to fall comically into annoyance. He rolled his eyes, turning from her to begin straightening the linens on his bed, where Charlie was laying, snoozing on his back.

"Typical Slytherin," he began reproachfully, shaking his head. "Always looking out for themselves, no matter the cost to others." From behind him, Leviatha let out a laugh.

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" she exclaimed, but just when she was about to go on, to _demand_ that he join her to her mother's infernal party, her eyes caught movement beyond one of the tall, paned windows in Remus' room. The tail feathers of a tawny owl were now disappearing past the edge of the window. Jumping to her feet, she ran to the door, sliding slightly on the carpet in her flat shoes as she went. "I gotta run!" she called over her shoulder, leaving Remus and Charlie to stare after her, confused. "We'll be leaving here at nine o'clock on Friday!"

Down the stairs, through the near-empty halls she ran, sliding around corners, descending the numerous levels of the castle, until she found herself on the ground floor, flying past the Great Hall, past her own quarters to a short flight of steps leading down to the dungeons. Every window she passed, she would look out and occasionally see the large, familiar owl swooping by, a scroll of parchment tied to his leg by a maroon ribbon. Racing along, hoping to beat it to it's final destination, she forewent using the short set of stairs and instead jumped them, landing clumsily on her feet and staggering slightly as she regained her balance. The door ahead, the one leading to the finish line, stood open, and just beyond it, she could see the tall man in all black, walking over to open his window as an owl appeared there, tapping against the glass.

"You don't have to go!" she practically shouted as she went sliding into Severus' office, flailing out both hands to catch hold of the door frame, to just barely keep herself standing. Clearly flat shoes were not made for running on stone floors. Across the room from her, the Potions master was just now turning from the owl, an unopened scroll of parchment in his hand, the handsome owl perched haughtily on the window sill behind him. A scowl of confusion flickered across Severus' features as his eyes took in her sudden appearance, and the way she was slightly out of breath.

"Begging your pardon?" he asked slowly, his eyebrows arching sharply and forming the vague, vertical crease between them. At the door, Leviatha straightened up, clutching a growing stitch in her side. She nodded at the scroll of parchment.

"That's a-" she paused to take a deep breath. "That's an invitation from my mother to a New Year's party at the manor on Friday night," she finally explained, taking a few steps into the room as Severus slid his thumb under the wax seal bearing the elaborate Dagrin coat of arms at the edge of the scroll. "And I just wanted you to know..." she continued as she watched his rich brown eyes flit quickly across the paper, reading the gold lettering. "...you don't have to go. I'm sure you have other things-" her voice trailed off into nothingness when Severus raised his head and scowled in her direction. A very rare twitch at the corner of his mouth told Leviatha that he was struggling quite hard not to smirk.

"And what if I'd _like_ to go?" he asked, clearly of the mind that it would cause Leviatha no greater discomfort than for him to be in attendance. Why this was so, he could not be sure yet. Curiosity tugged relentlessly at his insides. The young witch across from him shrugged, her gaze bouncing up and down between his eyes and the invitation in his hands with dizzying rapidity.

"Well...I suppose that's up to you but, I just...I didn't want you to feel obligated..." she replied somewhat awkwardly, wishing heavily that she had thought through his conversation mentally during her run through the halls. Severus opened his mouth to reply, however, both looked to the window when the soft whoosh of wings broke the strained silence. Turning toward the source of the noise, both saw a rather large, jet black owl perched on the open window sill, another scroll of parchment tied to his leg, this time with an emerald green, silk ribbon. Severus knew, at once, who this particular owl was from.

Leviatha watched as his eyes once again flew back and forth across the paper before a very thin, nearly unidentifiable smirk brought itself to his face.

"Ah, so Lucius and Narcissa will be attending as well," he said, tossing both scrolls of parchment onto his desk before him, before he turned to face Leviatha. Her expression had changed over the last few moments from one of inquiry to one of annoyance. He continued without verbally acknowledging this. "It seems, because of this, Lucius feels my attendance is compulsory."

The witch across from him folded her arms so tightly across her chest, it seemed impossible that she would be able to untangle them. "_My _attendance is compulsory," she snarled. "_Yours, _and certainly the darling _Malfoy's, _is not."

Turning his back in an effort to prevent her from seeing his smirk, Severus closed the window before moving around his desk to sit down in his comfortable chair, where he leaned back and linked his fingers together across his middle.

"Forgive me, but unless I'm mistaken, it seems as though you don't _want _me to attend your mother's party," he said smoothly, his face now completely blank, though the effort he was putting into _not _grinning was beginning to strain at him. Apparently, he had said the right thing, as Leviatha instantly unfolded her arms and began to shift her weight somewhat awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"No, that's not...I didn't mean it like _that..._I just.." she stammered, leaving Severus' eyebrows to begin raising slowly. However, after a few moments of stammering, she hitched herself up to her full height and put a very firm, very McGonagall-like expression on her face. "It makes no difference to me whether or not you're there. I'm going to hate it either way."

And with that, Leviatha stomped from the room with her pointed nose held slightly aloft, leaving Severus to grin after her, listening as the soft padding of her flat shoes echoed off down the hallway.

If he was being at all honest, the idea of attending a New Year's Eve party at an unfamiliar manor surrounded by mostly unfamiliar people did not seem like something he would expect to enjoy. In the past, he had never considered the ringing in of a new year cause for celebration, and typically went to sleep before midnight came upon the eastern hemisphere. However, Leviatha had made it so very clear that she was somewhat hoping he would not consent to attend the party, and for what reason, Severus was still unsure. He knew full well that the witch did not absolutely despise him despite how she acted, which made him even more curious as to why she did not want him at the party. And for this reason, Severus felt even more inclined to show up and stay, perhaps not the entire time, but at least long enough to do some careful, subtle snooping and possibly find out for which reasons she did not want him there.

…...

December the thirty-first was upon them, and Leviatha woke with a tense knot of anxiety festering in her midsection for more than one reason. Her mother's party was set to begin at nine o'clock that evening and would likely contain some of the more notable names in Britain's Wizarding community. She was positive that the air at Dagrin manor was thick with anticipation and stress as party-makers likely flitted in and out of the house, setting up magically constructed marquees, drink bars, even a stage for a quintet of musicians. Lucinia Dagrin was not known for her frugality when it came to her festivities and could often be expected to pull all the stops out to provide for the most spectacular of parties. And typically, the more low-key and 'small' her mother described the party as being, the larger and more grand it would turn out.

After double and triple checking with Remus that he still understood his obligation to arrive and stay at the party with her, Leviatha mostly stayed in her quarters for the remainder of the afternoon, grading tests and essays that she had left until the very end of the holiday, in an effort to distract herself from the upcoming events of the night. Classes were due to resume on the second of January and she did not want to be up late the night before, scrambling to complete her work. However, as much as she tried to focus her attention elsewhere, her mind seemed bound and determined to float down the hall to Severus' dungeon quarters, to where he was possibly debating his options. With a thrill of amusement, Leviatha pictured him standing in front of his wardrobe, poring over his admittedly small selection of clothing, wondering which of his identical black frock coats he ought to wear that night. As much as she dreaded the moment when her mother would manage to wrangle him into a conversation, she could not help but feel slightly relieved that he would be attending. It was more than probable that Remus would not stay very long and Leviatha was sure she would eventually be glad to have someone around her own age there.

Seeing how the invited members of staff were all planning to arrive at Dagrin manor by way of the Floo network, through the large fireplace in Minerva's office, Leviatha had informed Remus, upon fetching him from his quarters, that they would need to leave first and earlier than any of the other professors. Of course, when he had asked why this was so, she had simply responded that she wanted to arrive a few minutes early to help her mother, but she was fairly positive Remus knew the real reason behind her logic in this; she did not want to arrive at the exact same time Severus did. She was rather hoping to keep at least ten feet of distance between them for most of the party, just so her mother could not be presented with the opportunity to wrangle them both together. Lucinia's talk of husbands and Severus had rattled her on Christmas morning and she was not looking for her to repeat her sentiments in a blithering drunken tirade.

"Ready to go?" Leviatha asked Remus as the two of them and Charlie stepped up to the massive fireplace in Minerva's office. She had just seized a handful of Floo powder and was preparing to throw it when the door to the office swung open, revealing both Minerva herself and none other than Headmaster Dumbledore. He was looking very dapper in a flowing set of silver and midnight blue robes and wearing a serene smile on his face. Leviatha returned the expression forcefully, despite the turmoil of nerves and anxiety inside of her.

"Oh, Professor!" she exclaimed, turning to face him. "My mother will be so delighted that you're coming."

"Yes, well, I may not be able to stay for the entire party but I at least hoped to see Lucinia and thank her for inviting me," he replied, his eyes twinkling. With a nod of his head, he motioned toward the thin Floo powder now escaping from between her fingers as she struggled to keep it in her hand. "You two should get going," he then added with a wink.

Turning back to the fireplace, Leviatha threw the handful of powder in and watched as the flames suddenly burned emerald and rose up in the grate, ready to swallow all three of them. And with that, Leviatha, Charlie and Remus stepped forward, holding their breath to avoid a mouthful of ash.

Within moments, they were stepping out onto the hearth rug in the elaborate, highly polished drawing room of Dagrin manor, where they were immediately greeted by a young man wearing a maroon jacket. Leviatha did not recognize him but looked over when he stepped up to them, inclining his head slightly.

"Good evening," he said politely. "May I take you to the-" he then began to offer, but Leviatha cut over him, sliding her hand into the crook of Remus' elbow firmly.

"No thanks," she said quickly, steering both Remus and Charlie toward the drawing room doors. "I know where I'm going."

Leaving the young man behind, Leviatha and her two dates moved out toward the rest of the house, where the sound of voices, laughter and music began to grow louder and seemed to be coming from the very walls themselves. The massive foyer had been purged of it's former Christmas decorations and in their stead, gold, white and silver lights twinkled at them from all angles, even from the banisters lining the large, marble staircase leading toward the upper levels of the house. Remus had turned his head to get a closer look at the source of the pleasant lights and let out a low chuckle as they passed to the left of the staircase.

"Your mum goes all out, doesn't she?" he asked quietly, leaving Leviatha to sigh and roll her eyes.

"This is actually fairly underdone from how she normally goes about her parties," she explained. "I'm actually surprised-"

Just then, as they passed through the short hallway and out into the largest portions of the house, Leviatha's words failed her as she, Remus and Charlie stopped mid-step in the archway to a massive room. Normally, this room was decorated fairly casually, with couches, lounges, armchairs and tables. However, on this night, all of that had been removed, either by manual labor or magic, Leviatha was not sure. And instead of the usual sitting area, the room had been transformed to resemble something Leviatha could not quite describe. Long, sheen white, silver and pale gold linens had been suspended from the high vaulted ceilings along the walls and bewitched to sway gently, pleasurably, though there was no breeze inside the house, some of them so long as to brush the marble floors. Fabric covered orbs filled with soft light had been levitated and also enchanted to bob high above, between the hanging linens. If the effect had not been so overwhelming, Leviatha would have admitted that the decorations were quite beautiful, but her immense dislike for her mother's grandeur was taking over for the time being.

To add to the picture of splendor, Leviatha groaned inwardly as Lucinia Dagrin suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wearing a long white and gold dress, very similar to the dressing gown she had been wearing on Christmas morning. She wore a high, open-collared outer coat over her dress as she had clearly just been outside, where Leviatha could now see most of the guests.

"Leviatha, darling!" her mother squealed in her typical, pompous voice. Her arms were thrown wide, one hand empty, while the other held a half-empty flute of sparkling champagne. "How _are _you, dear?" she then asked, but before Leviatha could reply, Lucinia turned to Remus, beaming. "And you must be Remus Lupin!" she cried, reaching out a dainty hand to just barely grip his fingers in a very lady-like, wimpy handshake. "I've heard so very much about you all these years! I hate that you haven't been to visit before now!"

Beside Leviatha, Remus was looking somewhat drawn and uncomfortable, but smiled warmly nonetheless. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Madam," he replied courteously. "Leviatha has had nothing but wonderful things to say about you." he then concluded in an extravagant lie. Lucinia seemed to catch this.

"Ah, come now," she began, waving a hand airily. "We mustn't-"

Her next words were drowned out in a very loud, very obnoxious squeal as Lucinia suddenly spotted someone between the tall shoulders Remus and Leviatha and promptly pushed her way between them, sloshing a bit of champagne over the thin rim of her flute. Turning, Leviatha saw Minerva and Dumbledore in the hallway behind them, smiling as her mother approached at a jaunty trot, holding her arms aloft and squealing as though she had not seen her best friend in years.

"Minerva!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the witch's neck. "And Albus! So lovely you could make it! Minerva here said you might be too busy what with all the goings-on at the school..."

Dumbledore, reached forward to take Lucinia's empty hand, where he gripped it and inclined his head slightly.

"Oh, I'm afraid she was correct to a certain extent," he answered politely. "I may not be able to stay for too long, but I at least wished to bid you a happy new year and thank you personally for the invite. You have such a lovely home!"

Glancing up at Remus, Leviatha shook her head and rolled her eyes, turning from the exchange with her hand once again fitting around his elbow. She turned them away toward the huge, wide glass doors leading out onto the stone veranda.

…...

As Severus stepped out of the fire onto a rich, maroon hearth rug, he glanced around, hoping wildly to spot Lucius at once. Already, he was feeling unsure about how comfortable he was going to be at this party. This feeling was only intensified tenfold when a young man in a maroon jacket stepped up toward his side.

"Good evening, sir," he said. "Could I show you the way to-"

However, his next words were cut short when another '_whoosh' _came from the fireplace behind him, causing Severus to turn and look, to where Lucius Malfoy was now stepping out onto the same rug, his wife Narcissa at his side. He was bearing such a smug expression upon his pointed face, that Severus was unsure now whether or not he was capable of changing it. His eyes scanned the beautiful drawing room, clearly comparing the light-colored walls and sparkling marble floors with the dark décor of his own mansion.

"Cozy little place, this, don't you think?" he asked sardonically of his wife, who's face was bearing an equally sneering expression of superiority. Narcissa had clearly chosen her most expensive outfit for the occasion and was wearing her long, white-blonde hair up in an elaborate knotted style. Glancing around, she sniffed, unimpressed.

"Charming," she answered dully. A moment later, both she and her husband noticed Severus simultaneously. "Ah, Severus, glad you could make it." she then told him, as though hosting her own private party in the home of someone else.

"Yes," Lucius began. "Where is everyone anyway? I do hope we aren't the first to arrive.."

After asking the young man at the fireplace where they could find the rest of the party, they passed through the massive foyer, where Lucius and Narcissa once again began to compare the splendor of this mansion to that of their own, and into a narrow hallway leading to a large, beautifully decorated room. Severus felt his insides knotting uncomfortably as he spotted a whole throng of people up ahead, standing just outside on a vast veranda. He hated himself for quickly scanning the people for any sign of Leviatha. He did not yet know what she was wearing, though he was positive he would be able to spot her quickly, being that she was so tall...

However, before he could attempt to slink through the room toward the crowd of people outside, he nearly jumped when a loud woman's voice called out from seemingly nowhere. His discomfort and supreme feeling of awkwardness was setting his nerves on edge.

"Mister Malfoy! How wonderful to see you!" Lucinia Dagrin was practically shouting as she approached, her cheeks already rather pink. Her hand bore a full glass of champagne. Severus remained in place just a half pace behind Lucius, figuring he might as well get the greeting over with now. The tall, blonde wizard in front of him lowered his head slightly, grasping the matron's hand and raising it a bit.

"Mrs. Dagrin, it's wonderful to see you as well," he answered in that cold, drawling voice of his, that sneering grin still plastered haughtily to his face.. Severus noticed his arm move to unhook Narcissa's hand from his elbow. "May I present my wife, Narcissa."

The witches grasped each others fingertips in a very light handshake before Narcissa motioned to the inside of the room. "You have a _beautiful _home, Madam..." she said, completely contrary to what she had been remarking just moments earlier to her husband.

"Oh, why thank you, dear. It is a place to- Professor Snape!"

Severus' stomach squirmed uncomfortably as he took a step forward, forcing a polite smirk onto his face as he reached out a hand to greet Leviatha's mother.

"Good evening, Mrs. Dagrin."

…...

Even over the music, Leviatha's ears picked up the rich undertones to a very deep, very familiar voice coming from inside the house, and spinning, her stomach went crashing to her feet as her eyes fell onto the tall, dark frame of Severus Snape. He was standing there in the entrance to the lounge, speaking with her mother and with a rush of dislike, Leviatha noticed the Malfoy couple standing just beside him, looking important and condescending. Beside her, Remus seemed to be sharing some of her feelings.

"I've always wondered what it is she's smelling that gives her that expression..." he commented on Narcissa's smug face, just next to her ear, grinning while Leviatha snorted a laugh. "But Severus looks awfully dreamy, don't you think?" he then asked a moment later, causing the smile on Leviatha's face to vanish from view rapidly. He raised his graying eyebrows quickly when she spun to look at him with a very McGonagall-like, stern expression.

"If you embarrass me, Remus, so help me..." she murmured threateningly, however, just as she was about to go on, both looked over when three people approached, one of whom was wearing a natural cologne of anise and cloves. Goosebumps cascaded down Leviatha's arms as she turned to meet his gaze, which was unsurprisingly flat and almost bored-looking. She nodded her head at Severus.

"Professor, so _pleased _you could make it," she told him, putting particular emphasis into her words. The corner of his curved lips twitched as he inclined his head slightly.

"And you as well," he replied, once again giving her the sense he was only there because she had so wanted him not to be. He motioned to Lucius standing next to him. "You remember Lucius Malfoy, don't you?" he asked, completely ignoring Remus as though he were a hat-stand. Leviatha fixed her face into a purposely polite expression before she reached out and shook his hand. A low growl sounded from beside her where Charlie was standing. She nudged his paw with her foot to silence him.

"Of course," she answered. "A pleasure to see you again, Mister Malfoy."

"And you, Miss Dagrin, and you," he drawled, his cold gray eyes raking across her face and down to the neckline of her dress. "My wife, Narcissa." he then added as something of an afterthought, moving his hand to place it on the small of his wife's back. It came as no surprise to Leviatha that Narcissa did not look even remotely happy to meet her. Accordingly, she did not hold out her hand for a shake, but merely nodded her head slowly.

"Charmed," she said indifferently.

Craning his neck slightly, Lucius peered straight past Remus, whom he seemed to be ignoring, into a small throng of people, where he appeared to recognize someone he knew. He opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could come, Lucinia's voice was carrying over the party, from where she stood in the way of the glass doors. Her flute of champagne was now empty, though she continued to hold it as she held her arms out, as though to embrace the crowd of people as a whole.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming to my little party!" she cried, beaming widely around at them all. "I hope you enjoy yourself and be sure to stay for the celebration at midnight as we ring in the new year!"

A short smattering of applause echoed across the veranda before Lucinia took off once more to go and greet a few of her friends, and just then, Remus turned to Leviatha, sighing. Severus' eyes narrowed on the scarred profile of the werewolf's face.

"Well, I think I've fulfilled my duty, don't you?" he asked her, and Severus felt a thrill of hopefulness. Unable to help himself, he stepped forward, sliding his hands into the pockets of his cloak.

"Oh, surely you aren't thinking of _leaving, _Lupin..." he growled, sneering. "The moon has barely come out yet-" he then added, casting a quick sideways glance to where Leviatha was now glaring heavily at him with those brilliantly yellow eyes. Seemingly immune to the underhanded jab, Lupin shrugged, his blue eyes flickering upward to the night sky.

"I know, but unfortunately, that potion still makes me feel rather ill," he answered with a shrug. "So I'd better be getting back. You'll look after Levi wont you?" the man asked, a hint of a very Dumbledore-like twinkling behind his eyes. At the same moment, Severus and Leviatha glanced at each other, and wildly, he wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was. Though from her flat, annoyed expression as she surveyed the side of Remus' face, it seemed she was more absorbed by being perturbed that he was abandoning her than she was interested in dissecting every possible meaning behind the words 'look after'.

"Of course," Severus eventually replied, and with a stab of jealousy, watched as Lupin leaned over and very lightly pressed a friendly peck of a kiss against Leviatha's temple.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Lev-" he was saying, before moving away toward the doors of the house, thus leaving Leviatha, Severus and Charlie quite alone in their small section of the stone patio. Part of him wanted to be quite glad that Lupin had gone, leaving them alone, but another, very small part of him wished he had stayed, just to diffuse the slightly awkward tension that was growing rapidly between them. Across from him, Leviatha seemed rather short on words and was now pointedly avoiding his gaze. He took the few seconds to glance quickly ahead through the crowd of people milling about the veranda.

Directly across from him, he could see Dumbledore seated at a small round table, chatting animatedly with whom Severus recognized as Elphias Doge, one of Albus' closest friends from his school days. He wondered vaguely how Leviatha's mother knew Doge, but did not linger and instead moved on to the people beyond the table. With a grizzled mane of hair and leaning on a cane, he recognized Rufus Scrimgeour and felt a jolt of foreboding pass through him; Scrimgeour had not yet been Head of the Auror office back when Voldemort had first been vanquished but had still been hell-bent on seeing Severus sent directly to Azkaban. He must make a point of it to avoid that particular guest while at the party.

Minerva McGonagall was, of course, in attendance, along with Horace Slughorn, another person Severus would like to avoid. Though just as Severus' eyes were traveling around the table at which McGonagall and Slughorn sat, his eyebrows furrowed when he noticed an immeasurably old man seated just next to the former Potions master and Head of Slytherin House. The old man was leaned forward squinting slightly as he struggled to hear what Horace was saying, even going so far as to raise a permanently stained, scarred hand to his ear and cup it in the direction of the voices. Turning his head, Severus opened his mouth to ask Leviatha if that really was who he thought it was, when suddenly, she was already speaking to him from directly beside him.

"Libatius Borage," she said, confirming his suspicion and sending a highly uncharacteristic wave of excitement through Severus. "He's been a family friend for quite a long time. I suppose you'd like to meet him?" she asked, turning her head to grin placidly at him as Severus swallowed hard on a ball of nerves that had recently settled into his throat. He shook his head quickly.

"No, that is not necessary," he replied hastily. "He seems preoccupied with the conversation at hand. I don't wish to intru-"

"Oh, don't be silly. The man is deaf as a doornail," Leviatha said, waving her hand. "He can't hear a thing they're saying anyway. Come, I'll introduce you."

Every day since turning eleven-years old, Severus had seen Libatius Borage's name, multiple times a day, but never in his life had he imagined meeting the man who had written _Advanced Potion Making_. True, Severus had found his versions of the recipes slightly wrong and had made various additions and subtractions, made thousands of notes all over the inside of his Potions books, but at the moment, he felt as though he were about to meet something of a legend. He felt strangely nervous and just as they were about to reach the table, he even reached out and grabbed Leviatha's forearm in an effort to stop her, she had already reached the old man.

"Libatius?" She said his name so loudly that several people standing near by turned their heads. Severus felt color rising in his face. "_Libatius?" _she practically shouted in his ear. The immensely elderly man turned his head, raising his nonexistent eyebrows as he looked up at her.

"Leviatha, my dear!" His voice was surprisingly hoarse and wispy, as though he had spent too much time leaned over a cauldron, breathing in fumes; Severus wondered quickly whether his voice would eventually become that way. Smiling, Leviatha leaned down, placed her hand on his shoulder and her mouth near his ear.

"I'd like you to meet someone," she said close enough to him that, mercifully, she did not have to shout. "This is Professor Severus Snape," she went on after Libatius had nodded. "He is the Potions master at Hogwarts and teaches from your book."

Severus noticed Horace Slughorn turn his head, his eyebrows raised and his mouth had just opened to remark, but Libatius was already rising slowly from his chair, extending a very wrinkled and gnarled hand. He smiled as he looked up at Severus.

"A pleasure to meet you, young man," he said in that raspy voice, his choice of the words 'young man' making it clear that he had not heard his name. "Always nice to meet a fellow Potions master. Tell me, have you had any trouble with the recipes I have noted?" he then asked, motioning to the chair on his right as he sank back down into his own. Leviatha grinned to herself as Severus sat down and figuring that he would be occupied for at least the next several minutes, she turned to walk away. However, before she could make it any further than just a few feet, a familiar voice said her name.

"Leviatha, might I have a word?" Rufus Scrimgeour had asked, from where he appeared just next to her shoulder. Glancing back over her shoulder, Leviatha double checked that Severus was still absorbed in his conversation with Libatius, before she smiled at Rufus and nodded toward a more secluded area of the veranda.

Severus was getting the distinct impression that Libatius Borage was not exactly hearing him correctly. The old man seemed to be doing a good amount of smiling and nodding, even when asked a question that could not have been answered by a simple yes or no. This was not particularly annoying to Severus as the man was really something of an icon in the world of Potion-making and he had to admit, it was rather endearing to him that Leviatha had thought to introduce him. She had to have known how interesting he would find Borage, even if he could not hear very well, if at all, and he reminded himself to attempt to thank her later.

"Ah, yes, I think the invention of the Wolfsbane potion was hugely beneficial to our world," Slughorn was saying loudly from the other side of Libatius. "Although I hear it is desperately tricky to brew."

Severus nodded in agreement, but instead of remarking, he glanced over his shoulder, frowning slightly as he scanned the throng of party-goers for Leviatha. However, just as he did this, his eyes caught sight of Lucius a short ways away, who had his eyes widened slightly and who nodded very subtly, beckoning him closer. Severus' frown deepened a bit as he turned back to the table.

"Excuse me," he murmured and rose from his chair before making his way toward Malfoy senior. Scowling, he watched as Lucius shifted ever so slightly to the side, putting his back toward the direction of the doors, then placed both of his hands on the snaked head of his cane, leaning on it. Severus noticed that Narcissa was a short ways away, talking with Lucinia, giving him a slight indication as to what Lucius might like to discuss while his wife was not present. Lucius' blonde eyebrows bounced once.

"So the vixen of Hogwarts is looking delicious this evening, don't you think?" he asked, his voice lowered to barely above a whisper. Severus felt his expression tighten as one of his eyebrows arched. He glanced over his shoulder.

"If you'd like to speak to her, I can call Professor McGonagall over..." he joked dryly, smirking when Lucius tutted disdainfully.

"You know precisely of whom I speak, Severus," Lucius murmured, once again glancing over to where his wife was standing. "You can't tell me that, after all this time, you still have not even attempted to-"

"No, I haven't," Severus cut in, all joking gone from his voice. His words were only partially untrue. "She is a colleague and nothing more. And I _suggest_," he went on, upon noting the disgusting hint of hunger in Lucius' eyes. "-if you have any sense at all, that you leave her be. She is a talented witch with a very short temper." It was not that he feared for Lucius safety if he were to approach Leviatha with the wrong agenda, it was more that if _anyone _was going to put their hands on that particular witch, it was going to be _him. _But no, he had already sworn to himself that it could not happen. Nevertheless, he would be damned if he allowed Lucius to grope the woman. Lucius leaned forward slightly.

"On a different, though related, note...did you happen to notice to whom she is speaking?" he asked, his cold, gray eyes sparkling maliciously. At that moment, a young man in a maroon jacket strode by, bearing a tray of sparkling champagne flutes. Lucius turned his head to take one from the tray and at the same time murmured, "Look just over my shoulder to the left there."

Just as Lucius shifted to the side slightly, the side profile of Leviatha was revealed to him, standing near the very far corner of the stone patio, her gaze focused on the battle-scarred face of Rufus Scrimgeour, who was apparently speaking in a hushed voice. She nodded and glanced around her before she answered him, leaving Severus to wish dearly he could hear what she was saying. He felt it was of great significance, the fact that she was speaking on what seemed to be familiar terms with the Head of the Auror office but as he looked back to Lucius, he gave a noncommittal jerk of his head.

"He must be an old family friend, like Borage," he explained lazily. A great desire to get away from Lucius was filling him quickly, so before the blonde wizard could reply, he nodded toward the glass doors. "If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Dumbledore before he leaves."

It was beyond fortunate that Albus was indeed walking through the house back toward the drawing room to leave, though instead of following to speak to him, Severus hung back, walking more slowly so he could pass the drawing room, unnoticed by anyone, and instead turn right, toward the foyer. The massive, marble staircase loomed before him, and that thrill of foreboding shot through him yet again, though this time, he heeded it, pausing at the bottom of the steps. Perhaps it would be a bit invading for him to wander through someone's house without invitation, the home of his very attractive colleague's mother no less...

Just then, sharp tugging at the back of his tailed frock coat caught his attention, and turning to look down, it was difficult not to smile as he saw the spotted dog yanking at his clothing as if engaged in a game of tug-of-war. But Severus understood, with the intelligence of Charlie, that this was not the case. The dog wanted something from him. As soon as Charlie had his attention, he released the robes and bounded for the stairs, stopping on the first step to look back at Severus. An indication to follow. The stairs were concealed from most people's eyes, but standing on the fringes, he could not only see them clearly but he also saw the opportunity the dog was providing. And who was he to decline an invitation from one of the masters of the Dagrin house? With one last scan of the crowd to ensure their attention was elsewhere, he slipped away to follow the Dalmatian up the stairs.

Charlie trotted up the steps into a light hallway of white wood. The walls were lined with portraits of wizards and witches, each bearing the name or crest of the Dagrin family. Many of them waved at the dog as he trotted past, calling out friendly greetings. Charlie received the attention happily, his tail swishing back and forth with excitement, but as Severus walked down the row of paintings, he looked at them and gave no response to any attempt to start a conversation until he came across one familiar face. The engraving underneath it read as "Julian Merchet" with the Dagrin family crest to the side of his name.

"Good evening," the man in the portrait said, politely. He was young, with long dark hair and a full beard, but that was to be expected. Julian Merchet had died early, in his mid-thirties, but not before discovering how to fuse Phoenix feathers effectively into the core of a wand. And, if Severus recalled his history correctly, he was also responsible for many of the techniques still used by current famous wandmakers, such as Ollivander and Gregorovitch. Much like Libatius Borage was a legend in potions, Julian Merchet was a legend in wandmaking.

Severus inclined his head with respect. "Good evening, sir."

"Enjoying the party?" Julian asked.

"Somewhat," he said honestly. "I did not know you were a member of the Dagrin family."

"I was the third child of Anari Dagrin, who is the great, great, great grandmother of Lucinia." The portrait figured smiled and pointed across the way to a sleeping, elderly woman in another painting opposite him.

"Then why do you not have the same last name?" Severus asked in curiosity. Pure-blooded Wizards rarely changed their names.

"Between you and I," Julian's voice dropped conspiratorially as he leaned forward in his portrait towards Severus. "Mother disowned me for marrying a Muggle-born, my beautiful Beatrice, instead of following her wishes of an arranged marriage. I changed my name to not be associated with her again." He sighed. "Of course, as soon as I became famous, she was beside herself with pride for the family and added me back to the family tree, telling everyone what a great and noble son she had. And now, I have to stare at her face every day."

"Hmm." Severus answered. He was rapidly losing interest in this conversation.

"It was worth it, though," Julian went on. "The years spent with Beatrice were the best in my life. Better than any fame or riches." he laughed, sitting back in his painted arm chair. "I say, always follow your heart. It will never steer you wrong."

Charlie barked up ahead and Severus nodded to the man in the portrait, then turned to follow the dog down the hall, passing more chatty portraits and closed doors.

As the hallway turned, he watched as Charlie sat in front of a door, tilting his head expectantly. Severus approached, observing several pictures in this stretch of the hall. A couple showed Leviatha's mother in her youth, decked in her Gryffindor House colors of scarlet and gold, hugging another woman who, when he looked more closely, appeared to be a young Minerva McGonagall. This was an odd sight to him, though he could not place why. It was as though he had concluded long ago that the woman had sprung into existence with a lined, strict face and tight knotted bun of gray hair. Shaking his head, he continued until he reached the dog. One photograph, right outside the door caught his attention- a man with his hands on the shoulders of a young girl. The girl was clearly Leviatha, perhaps six or seven years of age so he assumed the man had to be her father. Idly, Severus wondered what happened to him.

Charlie pawed at the door, begging entrance and Severus gave in to his request, twisting the door knob to open it. The Dalmatian immediately bounded inside, running around and sniffing everything in sight. The room was a dazzling display of his House colors; the wooden furniture had been stained black, with silver accents for the knobs and handles. Emerald green assaulted his senses as every wall was painted in the color. The room was large, a queen sized bed in the center between two windows, the bedding a twisted mix of the same colors, the drapes matching perfectly. While there were no pictures or trinkets to identify the owner of the room, there was no mistaking that this had been Leviatha's bedroom.

He stepped inside, letting his eye wander around the immaculate room. It was clean, but empty of any real personal touches. Likely, anything that had once inhabited this room had been either put away or was sitting in her room at Hogwarts. His eyes scanned the few titles resting on her bookshelf. Most of them were school books, worn with creased bindings, though as he walked around the room, he noted another small book on her desk. Picking it up, in the hope it was the diary of a young Leviatha, he was disappointed to find the pages blank. He put it back down and looked up at the large board above the desk.

The board was covered in clippings from the Daily Prophet. Leaning in to inspect it closely, a theme became apparent. They were all about the war. Headlines such as "Dark Mark Spotted" and "Trials Begin" were prominent to his eyes. In a way, it was a little morbid as many of the clippings detailed the deaths of witches and wizards. And he couldn't help but shudder as he saw the Dark Mark visible in one of the photographs, the snake slithering through the skull; a reminder of his dark past.

"Your mother was a bit obsessive," he said, offhandedly, to Charlie who was currently digging under the bed.

The clippings were disturbing, particularly, as he remembered many of the moments depicted, some of them he was involved in. Others were the work of his former comrades and clearly, as though it had happened yesterday, he could recall their boasting tales as they reported to the Dark Lord. Yet, at the same time, the collection was fascinating. Her board covered all aspects of the war, right until the last trial. He spotted pictures from the various trials, the screaming and laughing face of Sirius Black in his Azkaban photo, one that was all too present this year. And then he was drawn a picture of his younger self, leaving the Ministry with Albus Dumbledore, with the tag line, "Severus Snape Acquitted of All Charges." He remembered the article well and didn't need to read it again, as it just highlighted his brief Wizagamot trial during which Dumbledore had spoken on his behalf.

Charlie nudged his leg, pulling him out of his thoughts. Something dropped from the dog's mouth onto his shoe and frowning, he leaned down to pick the cloth object up. "What do we have here, Charles?" he asked quietly of the dog.

It was no doubt another toy he wanted to play with, but as he held up Charlie's discovery, his brow furrowed. A lacy, black bra rested in his hands. It obviously must have belonged to the owner of the room at some point, and running his thumb along the laced fabric, his mind couldn't help but conjure up images of the beautiful witch wearing it, her breasts filling the cups perfectly. The pictures in his mind changed to his own hands removing it so he could revel in the glorious sight underneath the fabric. This would look good cast aside carelessly on his floor. A small smile crossed his lips before he shook his head. No, the decision had been made and it did him no good to dwell on something that could never happen.

"I don't think that would look very good on you, Professor," a familiar voice said from behind him.

Leviatha truly had impeccable timing when it came to embarrassing him. He inwardly sighed and smoothed his expression before turning to face her. Holding the bra up with one finger, he said, "Your dog believed this to be a chew toy. I was merely rescuing it before he could destroy any of your clothing." He held the bra out to her, a disinterested look on his face.

Leviatha laughed, taking it from him and tossing it on the bed. She noted that his eyes stayed fixed on her instead of watching where it landed.

"How gallant of you," she replied dully, her voice laced with sarcasm, before she looked at Charlie with mock anger. Her hands rested on her hips. "And you know better than to chew on my things, don't you?"

The dog whined and lay down at her feet in apology and she smiled at him affectionately, before her eyes moved up to meet Severus' again. To his dismay, that loving smile disappeared immediately. "Might I ask what you're doing in my bedroom?"

"I was looking for the bathroom," he lied rather lamely.

"A likely story..." she answered quietly.

Leviatha wasn't fooled in the slightest but since there was nothing of importance in her old bedroom, she opted not to press the issue. Nodding slowly with a great look of suspicion on her face, she said, "There is one downstairs off the parlor. I'll show you." She turned and walked out of the bedroom, Charlie trailing after her, and behind them, she heard the click of her door before feeling Severus' presence at her side as she guided him back down the stairs.

Back on the ground level of the house, Leviatha had just led Severus over toward a door across the hall from the drawing room, when out of nowhere, Lucinia came hurtling up to them, bringing with her a strong whiff of alcohol on the air. Leviatha's stomach went crashing to her feet; this was not going to be good. Her mother's normally beautiful face was flushed violent pink and her breath reeked of champagne as she got very close to both Leviatha and Severus, bringing her arms up to wrap around their shoulders a bit more heavily than she would normally have done.

"Oh, you two..." she breathed with a giggle, shaking her head as she glanced back and forth between them. Severus spared a rather pitying glance toward Leviatha, who seemed to be quickly turning as pink as her mother, though for an entirely different reason. "You two, you two...what am I going to do you with you..." Lucinia was still tittering drunkenly. "Just been upstairs have you? Leviatha show you her old room 'as she?" the woman asked with an obnoxious wink and another giggle, her intoxication making her normally prim, proper speech a bit lazy. Severus felt his insides give an uncomfortable squirm; he could not imagine how Leviatha was feeling just next to him as her mother swayed between them. As gently as he could, Severus reached up and took a soft hold on the matron's arm, before lowering it to it's normal place at her side. As he did this, he noticed an empty champagne flute clutched in her hand.

"My dear Professor Severus, I don't know whether my daughter 'as ever told you but we were just having a conversation about you on Christmas morning, just a few days ago," Lucinia was saying, holding the champagne flute up toward his face as though the glass was to represent her finger. Across from him, Leviatha seemed to be diminishing in size, her eyes growing wide and dilated with what almost looked like fear. She shook her head.

"Mother, _please..._" the younger witch moaned. Severus felt his heart give a pang of compassionate ache for her as her mother ignored her and went on.

"-And I was telling her, you know...what a _fine _young man you are, and how-"

"Mother! Quiet, _please!" _Leviatha now sounded very close to the verge of tears but upon looking, her eyes appeared completely dry, though wide and pleading.

"Hush, Leviatha," was all Lucinia could manage before she turned to Severus again and leaned in close as if to make it less obvious she was talking about the poor woman standing just beside him. "I was _saying _how you would make a _wonderful _husband for my daughter and- Leviatha, where are you going?"

Just then, Leviatha took off through the crowd of guests at a near run, which was a surprising feat in itself, seeing how she was wearing her finest, black high heels. Charlie trotted away after her, and now completely ignoring Lucinia's drunken tirade, Severus watched, wondering where the young witch could be running to. The drawing room was behind him, so if she had been about to leave, wouldn't she have run in the opposite direction? Instead, she disappeared beyond the glass doors, out onto the stone veranda where she vanished from sight, leaving Severus behind to frown. He turned his attention back to her mother for just a moment.

"Forgive me, Mrs. Dagrin, but I really think you ought to have some water, don't you think?" he asked her hastily, and reached out, pulling his wand from the sleeve of his coat, before tapping the edge of her glass champagne flute, which instantly began to fill with clear, cool water. "Excuse me." he then added, and followed in Leviatha and Charlie's wake, leaving Lucinia quite flustered and confused in the doorway.

Out on the porch, the number of guests had nearly doubled in size since last he had been out there, but without pausing to see who else had arrived, Severus paused on the edge of the stone dais, turning his head in all directions for any sign of Leviatha. However, after scanning the thickened crowd three times and still failing to locate her, or even to catch sight of her tightly knotted bun of black hair, he turned his attention out into the snowy, more dimly lit yard, to the side of the patio. A short distance off, sitting just beneath a huge, snow-capped sycamore tree, beneath the branches, was Charlie, blending almost perfectly into the fluffy white snow, were it not for his black nose and black-spotted face. He began to wiggle in excitement as Severus approached.

Tilting his head to the side in confusion, he drew closer to the dog beneath the tree, noting only just then that it had begun to snow, the tiny flakes of white falling into his black hair. He frowned when Charlie stood up from his post against the base of the barren tree.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked the dog. Charlie immediately sat back down and tilted his head as far back as it could go, pointing with his spotted nose up into the tree, where, upon following the dog's line of vision, Severus could now make out the form of a small, black house cat, crouched on one of the lower branches. Her yellow eyes blinked slowly at him as his frown deepened and his hands met his narrow waist.

"What are _you _doing up _there?" _he reposed his original question a bit differently to the cat. She merely blinked again and remained perfectly still, her thick black fur ruffled against the cold. Sighing, Severus dropped his arms back to his sides but continued to look up at her. "About what your mother said..." he began again, ignoring the low growl issued by the cat overhead. "-don't let that bother you, Leviatha. She has just had a bit too much to drink and is saying things she normally would not...You understand this."

Up in the tree, the feline-Leviatha lowered her head and glowered at him from behind those slanted, yellow eyes, her vertical pupils dilating slightly. With a low grunt of a partially amused laugh, Severus shook his head.

"Anyway, I found her sentiments rather flattering," he admitted, before the smirk slid immediately from his face. He lowered his gaze to study a gnarled knob on the trunk of the tree. "I cannot say I've ever had _anyone _refer to me as... a 'fine young man'." He chose the end of his sentence on a whim, opting quickly to focus on that part of Lucinia's words and not the part about him making a good husband for Leviatha.

Again, the cat simply blinked down at him, which led Severus to grow slightly irritated, though he hid it well. Sighing, he waved one hand toward the veranda and the massive house beyond it.

"If you are so terribly embarrassed by it, why don't I escort you back to the castle?" he offered, arching an eyebrow, and luckily, up above him, the cat-Leviatha started, as though about to jump down from the tree, but paused, again blinking at him questioningly. Severus rolled his eyes, picking up on what was causing her to hesitate. "Stay in your form if you are more comfortable that way. I wont stop to speak to your mother. I'm sure she's distracted elsewhere anyway."

Finally, the black cat rose up onto her feet, balancing with ease on the narrow tree branch, but as Severus turned from the tree, expecting a soft thud into the snow behind him, he jumped in surprise when the cat landed lightly on his shoulder and balanced there momentarily. Standing still, Severus turned his head slightly, glancing up at the cat on his shoulder. His eyebrow arched as Leviatha's yellow eyes stared down at him.

"You're getting wet, dirty snow all over my clothing..." he growled in partial annoyance. However, just a moment later, he grunted when the cat's forehead made contact with his and she rubbed her face along the side of his own, nuzzling his cheek with her cold nose and tickling his skin with her short, black whiskers. A soft, rumbling purr emanated from her chest in something Severus figured was appreciation for his understanding. "Oh, yes, you're just _precious..." _Severus said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Reaching up to fit his hands around her narrow belly, he lifted her from his shoulder before placing her on the ground. And with that, Severus and the two animals trekked back toward the house, skirting their way through the thick crowd and into the house, toward the drawing room. All three of them were more than ready to be back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave me some lovin's! = ] -QoM


	22. Over the Moon

To Leviatha's immense surprise, Severus did not once mention her mother's supremely embarrassing monologue at the party and instead, both opted to pretend that it had never happened, chalk it up to the woman having too much to drink. He did not need to know that Lucinia had already once uttered the exact same sentiments only a week prior, and while of perfectly sound mind no less. If he could just assume that the words had only been spoken out of some drunken stupor, both he and Leviatha would be better and less uncomfortable for it. Things were already strained enough between them without having a whole other layer of awkwardness added to it.

For Leviatha, January the first was spent almost entirely in solitary confinement, within the sheltered perimeter of her quarters, lazing about and finishing the mound of tests and essays before the first day of classes was due to begin. True, Severus had been surprisingly kind about the whole encounter with her mother, but she was not looking for any further, forced views. She had already been sent an owl or two by her mother, full of words of apology, as she had clearly remembered all that had been said, but Leviatha had gone straight to the fireplace and chucked the scraps of parchment in, uninterested in Lucinia's remorse.

At around eight o'clock that evening, after spending nearly a half hour attempting to decide whether or not she was still upset with Remus for leaving her unattended at the party, she opted to just forget it and go to see what he was doing. Perhaps he could joke about the whole ordeal with the drunken Lucinia and help her feel better about it. Remus had heard plenty of tales concerning her mother's less-than-lucid blabbering over the years and could almost always find humor in the situation. So with Charlie at her side, and most of the students now tucked away in their common rooms for an early bed time, she ducked out into the hallway and glanced both ways before journeying to the stairs.

Fortunately, the corridors were almost completely empty, save for one Peeves, who was so busy pushing a wad of chewing gum into the keyhole of Minerva's classroom that he failed to notice her, and further up, one Filch and Mrs. Norris, who were both busy searching for said poltergeist. Charlie paused to sniff the cat interestedly but Leviatha urged him on with a click of her tongue against her teeth. He had already spent the better half of the morning during breakfast chasing a squashy-faced, fluffy orange cat, distracting the feline from it's pursuit of a rat; Leviatha did not need him making friends with any of the students' pets.

At the door to Remus' quarters, Leviatha and Charlie stopped, though before she could knock, the Dalmatian at her side began to paw noisily at the wooden door, whining and looking up at her with a look of anxiety in his expressive brown eyes. Leviatha frowned down at him in mock urgency.

"What is it, Lassie?" she asked jokingly. "Is Timmy stuck down a well?" For just a moment, Charlie stopped to give her a glare, before he returned to scratching the door, leaving Leviatha to roll her eyes. With a wave of her hand across the heavy lock to Remus' room, she entered the wards to which she had already been added and pushed open the door, allowing Charlie to bolt in ahead of her. Glancing across the room toward his bed, she frowned when her eyes found it empty.

"Remus, are you in the bathroom?" she called to the seemingly empty room. "If so, please be dressed when you come out-"

However, almost the second these words left her mouth, a low, rumbling growl caught her attention, causing her to look over to where she assumed Charlie was now waiting at the bathroom door. But the growl had not come from the Dalmatian. Instead, her eyes fell onto the form of an entirely black werewolf, crouched on the hearth rug in front of a crackling fire, his massive size highlighted by the light behind him. His head was bowed and another low growl escaped him as he heaved a heavy sigh. Leviatha tisked quietly with her tongue against her teeth as she walked slowly toward her best friend.

Charlie had already made it over to the wolf and was now wagging himself into pieces, struggling to stay in place as he greeted his friend in a submissive manner, his head lowered and ears back while he sniffed at Remus' furry front legs. The werewolf was ignoring him for the time being and was now lifting his head to look up at Leviatha as she approached, his silvery eyes round, sad, tired from his recent transformation. Glancing to her right, Leviatha could see through the windows that the perfectly round full moon had only just risen over the top of the distant mountains. Remus must have just finished his transformation when she had knocked on the door. With a sigh, Leviatha crouched down a few feet from the wolf, knowing full well that the Wolfsbane potion allowed him to keep his human mind while he morphed into his werewolf shape, but she had to admit, just being this close to him while still in her own human form was slightly unnerving. She knew he would not bite her but she had never been within strike range of those massive, powerful jaws while not in one of her feline forms.

Reaching out a brave hand, she waited for the wolf to approach, which he did after a few moments, rising up onto his long legs and moving toward her slowly with his head lowered. His snout was shorter and more defined than that of a regular wolf and it was his cold, wet nose that made contact with her skin first, as he nuzzled it gently against her palm. Leviatha could not help but shiver. She had never been close enough to pet him with her bare human hands before. Remus had noticed her shiver, and had accurately taken it for trembling as he immediately backed away from her, again lowering his head and slinking back to his original place on the floor before the fire. Leviatha rolled her eyes, moving after him on her knees.

"Oh, stop. I'm not afraid of you..." she crooned a smooth lie, reaching out to glide her fingers into his thick, black fur. "And besides, I've got longer claws than you have, anyways."

Normally, she would have already chosen one of her feline forms and been transformed into it, but she felt that would have been too easy, too simple to just avoid her instinctual fear of him. If he were to open his mouth at that very moment, turn his head ever so slightly and bite down on her arm hard enough to draw blood, her life, her very body itself would have been permanently and irrevocably changed forever. And it was this thrillingly terrifying yet fascinating truth that kept her in place, with her hand in his fur.

Defiantly holding her ground, she allowed her eyes to wander over his form, studying the wolf as though she had never seen such a thing before. His ears were relatively small in comparison with the rest of his body, though pointed, tufted and soft in relation to the course fur everywhere else. In all essences, he was the spitting image of a wild, standard wolf, though his snout was shorter and practically hairless, the ridges along the nose bearing deep scars and gouges from where he had undoubtedly done battle with his former, Animagus Marauder friends from his school days.

Feigning a boldness that she did not entirely feel, Leviatha reached out a finger very gently toward his face, where she traced a particularly deep scar along his snout, as it passed the crack of his whiskered lips, where his dagger-like, prominent canine tooth peeked out from behind the skin. Seemingly startled by the touch, the wolf-Remus turned his head a bit more quickly than Leviatha would have liked, causing her to flinch and pull her hand back. Again, she felt a pull toward the desire to retreat to the safety of a feline form, but she refrained; her best friend needed to see that she trusted him implicitly, at least while he was under the affects of the Wolfsbane potion. Idly, Leviatha let her mind wander to Severus, and she thanked him internally for the reluctant, though thorough care he put into creating such a helpful concoction.

Rising up onto her knees, Leviatha moved so her back could rest against the couch only a foot away from Remus, and she sighed, watching as Charlie crept toward the wolf again, his black and pink nose snuffling the thick fur along his neck, sniffing. The look in the werewolf's silver eyes betrayed a sense of reluctance and hesitation as he turned his head to look down at the Dalmatian, and in an effort to distract him, she spoke.

"If you'd like us to leave you be, we can do that, Remus," she said quietly, purposely using his human name, unsure whether or not she would like to go. The instinctual, fearful half of her was hoping to leave the room as quickly as her legs could carry her, but the other, deeply affectionate part of her, the part that held the unwavering friendly adoration for the man, wanted to stay, to be there for him. A sensation of mingled relief and regret flooded her as the wolf let out a low hum of a growl, using his long, sharp claws against the carpet to crawl his way toward her. His ears went back and his head remained low as he neared her and with a soft grunt, he settled his heavy head onto her lap, before he sighed, the warm air from his snout tangible against her leg, even though the fabric of her pants. Leviatha smiled, reaching out with one hand to dig her knuckles against the well of his ear, rubbing in deep, firm circles just as Charlie liked her to do, and to her delight, a low rumbling growl escaped Remus as he rocked his head against her, urging her to continue.

"Would you like me to read?" she asked a few moments later, her voice soft and rather hesitant, wondering whether the offer would offend him. However, the wolf only continued to growl contentedly. So she pulled her wand from her sleeve and gave it a slight wave, conjuring a book from the thin air. The tome appeared hovering in front of her, floating there waiting to be taken, and as she reached out, a wide grin split her face at the irony of her reading choice.

"How about..." she began, flipping open the book and bewitching it to float, open, in front of her. "...Little Red Riding Hood?" she then asked, glancing down when Remus suddenly lifted his head from her lap and his silver eyes narrowed up at her. Leviatha laughed, shaking her head. "Don't look at me like that. This story has a big, bad wolf. I figured the text was relative to the current climate." Though Remus continued to glare up at her, Leviatha rolled her eyes and placed her hand back on the top of his head to push it back down into it's former relaxed state atop her lap. "Just lay there like a good little doggy and listen-"

"_Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen..." _she began, but paused and tapped the top of Remus' head with her finger. "See? It _is _relative!" she joked, and to her immense surprise and delight, a soft, rhythmic thudding noise reached her ears, from where the wolf's tufted tail was now patting the hearth rug beneath him.

…...

The time was uncertain, as was the series of events that had led Leviatha to wake with a start, on the floor of Remus' quarters with her back rested against the couch behind her, with her best friend's head lain across her lap. He had already resumed his human form, which led her to the conclusion that it was morning, the moon had already disappeared for the day and with a thrill of panic, that one, or both of them, was late. With a less than gentle motion, she brought her hand down heavily on his pale, scarred face, smacking him hard several times on the cheek. Remus groaned, bringing up one hand to shield his head, while the snoozing Dalmatian flopped over onto his side from where he had been sprawled out on his back across the rug from them.

"Remus, get up," Leviatha instructed, the early morning hour having a rasping effect on her voice. Her hands lifted his head from her lap so she could slide out from beneath it and slowly push herself into a kneeling position. Her best friend groaned, peeling his eyelids back to peer dazedly about his own quarters.

"Why?" he asked. "What's happened?" Moving as quickly as she could in accordance with the sleep still draining slowly from her body, Leviatha walked over toward his nightstand next to the bed across the room, where she assessed the time on the old-fashioned, battered clock there. With a sigh, she shook her head; it was only just getting on to seven o'clock.

"If we hadn't woken just now, we'd have likely been late for classes," she explained, moving back toward the two groggy shapes on the hearth rug. Her toe nudged Charlie's side, encouraging him to get up. "You'll need to get up and bathe, Remus," she went on, allowing a very hazy smirk to cross her face. "You stink rather like a dog."

A grunt of a mirthless laugh preceded a noted expression change on his face, from one of sleepy contentment to a look of sheepishness. He glanced down at his hands, turning them over as if to check for any signs of lingering fur. "Thanks, Lev, for...you know..."

With a huff, Leviatha waved a hand over her shoulder as she walked away. "Don't mention it." she answered, shaking her head. "It was nothing." At the door, she turned back to where Remus was now standing, swaying in place, looking pale, but smiling serenely at her while Charlie continued to doze.

"You're my oldest and best friend..." she stammered, and was attempting to go on, but she had never been one for deep sentiments and was feeling more awkward by the second as the unintentional tenderness of the moment carried on. She tossed her hand lazily, rolling her eyes. "See you at class." With a loud whistle, she left the room, waiting just outside the door for her grumbling, yawning Dalmatian to follow her.

…...

Severus Snape was _not _in a good mood. Arguably, one could say that he was _never _in a very cheery mood, but this day, January the second, was putting him in what he could say with confidence was one of his worst tempers yet. And it had all started with his dream the previous night.

Until recently, Severus had perfected and practically defined the art of Occlumency when it came to sleeping, as he could always close off his mind, completely shut himself down until not a single, lingering thought plagued his waning consciousness. From employing this practice, he could guarantee that his cycles of sleep could go entirely undisturbed by any dreams or nightmares...but again, this was all until very recently.

As of late, he had been forgoing this exercise and instead, allowing himself to have these dreams, as that was the only time he could have Leviatha to himself, without the horrible, nagging sensation of guilt. And more often than not, the dreams he had concerning himself and Leviatha were highly inappropriate but so deeply satisfying, though they did not happen every night, to his dismay. Occasionally, the dreams would not include her at all and instead would feature something completely mundane and ridiculous. These particular dreams he would cast aside, completely forget them, and become rather agitated that his subconscious had denied him a night of delicious imagery and sensations.

But the previous night, the night of January the first, Severus had once again fallen asleep to thoughts of Leviatha, and where she was, what she was doing. At first, these thoughts had annoyed him and he had struggled so desperately to keep his mind from wandering to her. However, he had learned to embrace them, as he had found that thinking of her, just before falling asleep often led to the more tantalizing dreams. Though, the experience from the previous night had not supported this theory. His dream had been thoroughly and utterly disappointing, hugely unsatisfactory. The Leviatha in his dream had been giggling maddeningly, glancing back at him over her shoulder as she kept trotting away from, remaining just out of his reach. No matter how quickly he pursued her, no matter how hard he tried to touch her, it was as though an invisible barrier had settled between them, making it impossible.

Now Severus was not normally one to analyze his dreams, but he could be sure of one thing; his own mind, his very own subconscious was mocking him for the decision he had made, just as Lucius had done at the party. It was as though he had tied a knot in a very sinewy length of rope, tightened it to an impossible strength, and was now struggling to undo it before the fibers frayed and splintered apart under the strain.

His first two classes of students had been even more diminished under his authority than usual, clearly picking up on his intense mood and had remained almost entirely silent for the duration of their periods. He had assigned them immensely difficult potions to brew, thinking that if one of them were to even slightly deviate from the instructions and skew the finished product from anything less than perfect, he would have a perfect excuse to lay into them with his preferred waspish, snappy remonstrations. However, his carefully worded, though abrasive comments had even gotten so fierce that he reduced a first-year Hufflepuff girl to the point of tears, forcing him to listen to the poorly stifled hiccups and sniffling for the rest of the class.

By the time lunch hour came and went, Severus was more than ready for his free period, where his classroom would be blissfully empty, where he could sit at his desk and sulk moodily for an hour and a half without any distractions. Though, seeing how his mood was not abating with the passing of the day, he felt he was too restless even to sit in his favorite chair, or even to mark every test that passed in front of him with a huge, spiky red 'D'. His mind had wandered several times out onto the grounds, to his favorite, hidden and secluded paths, where he felt he might find a hint of solace in being perfectly alone. And it was just as the bell rang off in the distance, signaling the end of lunch, that he decided to get up and go walk some of his aggression off.

…...

Leviatha was not entirely sure what it was that was giving her such a headache. Her three classes before lunch had not been any more taxing than usual, her students had been relatively well-behaved and quiet, so the fact that her head was pounding fiercely in the area above and behind her eyes was, for the moment, unexplained. True, she had not gotten a full night's sleep while reading to the wolf-Remus and had fallen asleep in a rather awkward position, sitting perfectly upright against the couch, but yet it was not her back or neck that ailed her.

As the last of her class filed out for lunch, Leviatha sat down on the stool behind her lectern, digging her fingers against the temples on either side of her forehead and closing her eyes to see if that would help alleviate any of the tension. For a moment, she considered going down to Severus' classroom, to see if he had any special potion for curing a headache, but she quickly put this idea to rest, knowing that by doing so, she would have to endure the awkwardness of knowing that he had heard her mother's idea about him making a good husband for her. She would rather suffer through a headache than subject herself to that mortification.

The minutes wore on, as Leviatha sat there at the front of the classroom, foregoing lunch and instead, deciding to wait there so she could see how Remus was feeling for their first day back at classes after the holiday. However, the longer she sat there, the more aware she became that it did not appear as though the werewolf was going to arrive to teach. A few times, she had looked up hopefully at the sound of approaching footsteps against the stone floors, but had sighed, her frown growing deeper each time a person who was _not _Remus walked past the classroom door.

After an entire hour, Leviatha had looked up from an essay before her when the bell to signal the end of lunch rang off in the distance, and within moments, the thunderous sound of students flooding the halls reached her ears. Her stomach turned over. Her best friend's class of third year Gryffindors and Slytherins, the class containing her very least favorite students, was due to arrive at any minute, and there she would sit in Remus' stead, looking awkward. She had been so eager to relish her hours free from classes, but if her colleague was not going to show up...

Across the long room from her, the very first students of Remus' first class were filing in, glancing around and frowning when they saw her sitting there, in the place of what had become their favorite teacher. Rising from the stool, she watched them enter, remaining silent while she listened to their noisy, post-lunch chatter, catching a few snippets of what they were saying.

"_Why is _she _here?" _a girl asked of her friend, casting Leviatha a rather reproachful glare, which she ignored. A Gryffindor boy was grumbling a few feet from her as he took his place at a long bench table.

"_He's not here again?" _he asked of the other boy sitting next to him.

Leviatha waited less than patiently for the entire room to fill with students before she spoke, so she would only have to say this once. Taking a step out toward the front row of desks, she felt color rising in her cheeks as she quickly noticed a pair of strangely familiar gray eyes staring up at her from the back row. Draco Malfoy's face was surprisingly similar to that of his father and she had never quite noticed how uncanny the resemblance was until then. She looked away.

"As you can see, I am not your usual teacher, but as far as I know, Professor Lupin will be joining you shortly," she said, glancing back toward the door one more time. "I am going to leave you for just a few minutes so I can attempt to locate him." she then went on to explain, her headache now reaching an almost dizzying frequency. "I will be putting a Charm on this door, so that anyone who is caught attempting to leave the classroom in my absence will be automatically assigned to detention."

And with that, she and Charlie walked to the back of the room, meanwhile pulling her wand from her sleeve, to wave it in an intricate pattern across the frame of the door as she closed it behind her, muttering the words to erect a variation on a Caterwauling Charm across the way. Then with a grumble of annoyance, she took off down the hall toward Remus' quarters with her dog at her heels, thinking that the man had better have a really stellar excuse as to why he was missing his class without giving her any prior warning.

…...

Severus had just risen from his desk, shed his long teaching robes in exchange for his knee-length, black traveling coat and had only just applied it in preparation for his journey out onto the grounds when a soft tapping noise from the window caught his attention. Looking over with a groan, his lean shoulders slumped when he recognized the bright red and gold plumage of Fawkes, the Headmaster's Phoenix, who's massive wing-span was holding him up, beating the air to keep him hovering just outside the window as he waited for it to be opened. With a sigh of defeat, Severus moved toward the window and pushed it open, allowing the large bird to settle on the ledge, and extend his admittedly graceful neck, offering a neatly folded piece of parchment to him. He took it a bit less than gently and unfolded it to read, ignoring the loud coo of protest the Phoenix gave before he took off again through the window. Albus' familiar handwriting was revealed to him across the paper.

"_Severus, please attend to the third-year, Defense Against the Dark Arts class immediately. Remus is ill and Leviatha cannot be located. An error in communication, I believe. Nothing to worry about. Thank you, A" _

For a moment or two, Severus black eyes stared unblinkingly at the witch's name in the middle of the script, until with a quick movement, he threw the parchment into the air, where it burst in flash of flame and glided to the stone floor in curled wisps of ash. With gritted teeth, Severus rolled his shoulders back, shrugging his arms from the sleeves of his heavy coat, only to replace it a moment later with his long, billowing teaching robes. Then, within only a few steps, he was to the door of his classroom and out into the hallway, struggling to refrain from showing any outward sign of the supreme annoyance he felt, currently surging it's way through his body.

He was not sure who's fault it was, or which of the two of them it felt better to blame, but one thing he _was _entirely sure of, was that his free period, the one he had planned to use to rid himself of this ridiculous amount of itchy, pent-up, angry tension, had been dashed. The blissfully quiet, empty hour and a half he had been hoping for was now to be filled instead with close-quarter contact with some of his very least favorite students, most of which he had in his _own _following class. _A double period with Potter, the ginger and the know-it-all..._he thought bitterly as he stormed up the stairs. _I can hardly breathe from the anticipation..._

As Severus strode up onto the fourth floor, he continued without missing a beat, his normally quiet footfall magnified greatly by the agitation he felt, his black robes whipping behind him softly, the material itself seemingly charged by angry static. Up ahead, he could see the door to the Dark Arts classroom standing closed, a rippling force of magic set across it, and at that moment, he knew exactly who he would like to blame for his ruined hour of peace. Leviatha had obviously been there, had obviously seen that no teacher was due to arrive and had seen it fit, in a last, lame effort to keep the unattended students safe, to erect some weak sort of charm across the door before leaving to go enjoy her _own _hour of uninterrupted quiet. Pulling his own wand from his sleeve, he gave it a swift wave and banished the foolish charm, before striding forward, wrenching the door open fluidly and allowing it to slam behind him as he entered the room. Keeping his eyes fixed dead ahead, Severus ignored the surprised glances from the students as they turned in their seats to see who had arrived, until he reached the very front of the room and turned to face them.

"Turn to page three-hundred and ninety-four."

…...

"You've been sleeping all this time?!"

Leviatha's voice was uncommonly shill and high-pitched as she stood there beside Remus's bed, where he lay on his side away from her, his scarred face buried against his pillow. Charlie had already hopped up onto the bed and curled into a ball next to the man, licking his exposed arm in an effort to heal him. Remus gave a groan.

"Lev, I cant hardly move without feeling like I'll pass out," he answered, finally turning onto his back, revealing a very stark-white complexion. "I've only just woken and sent word to Dumbledore to have you cover my classes for today."

With a loud, annoyed huff, Leviatha tossed her hands and stomped her heeled shoe against the floor. "Well, it would have been nice for you to send word to me as well!" she cried, thinking vaguely of how she also would have liked to have heard from the Headmaster on this situation. "I don't mind covering your classes, Remus, but I'd like a heads-up next time! And _not _five minutes _after _your first class is due to start!" she then said loudly in exasperation, but just as these words passed her lips, she gasped, turning her attention to the clock on his nightstand; she was now a full ten minutes late in returning to the waiting class of third-years. As quickly as she could in her tall heels, she trotted to the door, glancing back at Charlie over her shoulder, who had lifted his head to watch her go inquisitively. "You stay here and keep an eye out for him!" she instructed the dog. And with that, she dashed out into the hall, slamming the heavy door shut behind her.

The hallways leading back to the classroom were so quiet, the only things Leviatha could hear were the pounding, splitting sound of her heartbeat through her aching head, her breathing, and strangely, a carrying, deep voice coming from up ahead. In a moment of blinding panic, her mind was filled suddenly with a broken, charmed doorway, an escaped mass murderer, her own failed protection of the students and a dead Harry Potter. But as she grew closer, she realized numbly that the voice she was wearing was much deeper than that of the adult Sirius Black, more familiar, more condescendingly lucid. And where that fear had been borne just moments before, terrible, shaking anger flared up inside of her as she approached the now open, unbroken door to the Defense classroom. Her head felt as though it had been cleaved clean in two as she rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes flying across the room, to land and fix themselves upon the deep, dark black pair of her old nemesis. Her arrival did not go unnoticed as nearly every student in the room turned to look back at her, many sets of eyes becoming wide and round as a practically antiquated, tense energy filled the room. The students were now glancing back and forth between the two adults.

"Professor, could I have a word with you out here?" Leviatha asked as politely as she could manage, in the most level voice she could force out. Memories of shattered potion bottles, screaming students and angry Headmasters were flying through her mind; she was unwilling to experience that again. Without a verbal reply, and to her surprise, Severus walked toward her, where she stood at the very back of the room in the doorway, his narrow but defined jawline set and strong. Any awkwardness she had felt toward him before, had been completely abandoned; she was ready, with the aid of her splitting headache, to rip into him. He stepped out into the hallway, his black eyes staring straight ahead into her yellow ones, his gaze intense. Leviatha did not look away.

"May I ask what you're doing?" she asked sharply, though in a low enough voice that the students could not hear her, despite how hard they were trying. If Severus was feeling any strong emotion at all, he was not showing it, which annoyed Leviatha even further. He glanced to his right, back into the classroom.

"The Headmaster sent me a message, asking me to cover this class, since you were...unavailable..." he answered snidely, his voice just as low as hers had been moments before. The tenseness of the situation did not prevent Leviatha from being carpeted by a layer of goosebumps under the sound of his velvety voice. She did not betray this to him and instead crossed her arms across her chest.

"So you're doing my job for me now?" she asked snappishly in return, her voice gaining just a hint of volume to it, as her headache rose another notch in intensity. Her eyes even squinted slightly under the pressure of it, but she hoped he did not take note of this outward sign of weakness.

"This class of vulnerable students was left unattended," he answered, putting particular emphasis on the word 'vulnerable', as if to rub it in that she had made a very poor choice indeed. "One would think your _top _priority would be the safety of your charges, do you agree, Professor?" he then asked, leaning ever so slightly toward her, so that she could mistake the insinuation behind his words. They had agreed to refrain from further contact with each other, in an effort to remain professional and on top of their duty to the school. Then here, less than two weeks later, she was leaving those same students virtually unprotected. For a moment, Leviatha seemed stunned into silence, but just when Severus was about to assume he had won this battle of wills, the witch across from him called into the classroom, without moving her strong gaze from his eyes.

"Miss Granger?" she called out. "Could you tell me what homework Professor Snape just assigned your class?"

There was a quivering, stammering moment of hesitation from inside the room, during which Leviatha and Severus stared daggers into each others eyes, both daring the other to look away first.

"Er...He asked us to write two scrolls of parchment on the werewolf with emphasis on recognizing the features of the cycles and symptoms of contamination," the bright, but obnoxious young witch answered from inside the room. Severus felt an uncharacteristic thrill of foreboding shoot through him as he noticed a silent fury explode behind the witch's yellow eyes. Though just when he expected her to begin shouting, she remained calm, and rather alarmingly so as she took a deep breath and unfolded her arms.

"We'll speak more about this later, Professor," she said placidly. "If you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach."

And with that, she turned back into the classroom, leaving the door open behind her, just so Severus could hear her announce, as he walked away, "You don't have to do any essay on werewolves," followed by a loud round of cheering and applause.

…...

Severus supposed he should have been rather glad to have been relieved of his duty and awarded back his free period, however, he felt he could not sit in one place, behind his desk, nor did he feel any further pull to walk about the grounds. He knew Leviatha was still angry about his attempt to commandeer her classroom and even more livid with the particular subject he had attempt to teach while there, and this knowledge was making him restless, like a warrior about to enter a fierce battle. She had told him that they would speak later about what had happened, but how _much _'later', she had never said. The damn woman could likely appear at any moment in a flurry of anger, or she could draw it out, making him wait to see her again, let her wrath either wax or wane in the intervening hours. The fact that he was seemingly destined for another row with Leviatha was not what was making him feel so anxious, but rather the uncertainty of it all. He knew she would be angry, but how angry, he could not be sure. Either way, he felt he had to prepare himself mentally. He did not want to argue with her, but upon remembering his horrible mood for the day, perhaps a fierce battle of mind and wit was exactly what he needed to release some of his aggression. The answer was closer than he expected.

With only twenty minutes remaining in his break, Severus had finally settled himself into a forced, dignified state of rest behind his desk and was just reaching out to begin unstoppering a vial of test potion, when the tell-tale sound of clicking heels against stone floors floated into the classroom. The speed and strength of the rhythmic clicking told him straight away that Leviatha's temper had _not _cooled over the past hour and if anything, seemed to have intensified. His own anger flared inside of him, causing his heart to begin pounding away at the inside of his chest. Rising from his desk, he quickly ran a flustered hand through his hair, moving around the edge of it, so he could be standing attentively when the witch came hurtling into the room. Her words escaped her before she had even made it past the threshold.

"What the _hell _were you thinking?!" the woman practically shouted. Severus forced himself to remain quite passive both internally and externally and instead of replying immediately, he waved a hand, closing the door behind her. With a calmness that he did not truly feel, he leaned against his desk and linked his fingers together behind his back, to blink at her placidly.

"I do quite a bit of _thinking_, Professor, so you'll have to clarify which moment-" he began in a typical, sarcastically biting response, but was cut short when Leviatha took several steps toward him, more fully into the room, her yellow eyes flashing dangerously.

"Assigning _my _class homework-"

Since she had interrupted him, Severus felt it was only fitting for him to provide her the same courtesy. His black eyebrows arched severely atop his cold eyes.

"I was under the impression that I was assigning _Lupin's _class homework..." he answered smoothly, filling Leviatha with a rather startling urge to wrap her hands around his throat and throttle him to death- something she had not felt toward him in quite some time. To placate this sensation, she took another half-step toward him, flattening her hands against the sides of her knee-length dress, willing herself to keep them there, no matter what he said.

"Exactly!" she cried, her voice now so loud that it echoed slightly into the empty Potion's classroom. "You assigned _Lupin's _class an essay on _WEREWOLVES, _SEVERUS!" She was now almost screaming and had no idea how she had allowed her voice to reach that level. If Severus was at all deterred by her tone, he did not show it and instead took a full, step toward her, his gaze so intense that Leviatha felt a strong urge to look away. She did not indulge this, but remained glaring deeply back at him, where he stood at perfect eye level with her, less than a foot from her.

"I felt that our students should be able to recognize the differences between a rather harmless Animagus and an immensely dangerous werewolf," Severus growled, his black gaze now bouncing back and forth between her yellow eyes. "The difference between a normal, gifted Wizard and a useless, talentless freak of nature-"

Leviatha's hand moved so quickly, Severus was given absolutely no time to react before her palm connected with his cheek in a slap so sudden and so strong, the sound of it echoed through the classroom like the crack of a whip. Tiny spots of light burst before his eyes as he blinked once, bringing the witch's face back into focus. A deadly silence had settled through the large room while the last ringing echos of the slap reverberated against the walls and died off.

Then, in the very last movement Severus could ever have predicted, he was taking a half, staggered step back when Leviatha's painfully familiar lips were suddenly against his. She was not sure what had caused her to do it. It could have been, perhaps, the fact that even as angry as she was, Leviatha could not deny how handsome he looked when he was equally as infuriated. It could have been the way his black hair had whipped lightly against the side of his face, jaw and neck with the movement of her slap, or the half-second afterward, during which a poorly stifled look of surprise had flashed across his features. Either way, Leviatha had thrown all caution to the wind and kissed him, though she was about to pay dearly for her recklessness. However, when she felt his hands reach up to grip her arms tightly, a very small, very foolish part of her had hoped wildly for one moment that he was about to pull her more closely to him and respond with equal fervor.

Instead, Severus pushed her away with more force than was necessary, causing the witch to stumble slightly in her tall heels as she opened her eyes with a gasp, not of shock at his reaction, but of outright alarm over what she had just done. His expression was unfathomable, an endless mix of emotions ranging from confusion to rage, from exasperation to complete surprise. For once, she had caught the Potions master off his guard, and the result was not nearly as amusing as she had always guessed it would be. She shook her head, her eyes wide as she backed away from him, seemingly cowering as she brought her hand up to her mouth, as though to hide the offending body part from his view.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, continuing to shake her head. "I'm so sorry, Professor, I didn't mean-"

However, what she had not meant to do, Severus never did hear, as Leviatha turned quickly from him and moved to practically run from the room. Though before she could do this, he followed her, reaching out a hand to quickly, firmly grab her wrist and yank her around to face him, eliciting another gasp from between her lips. Then before he could stop himself, he was kissing her deeply, hungrily, claiming her mouth as she had just done with his.

It was almost as though they had planned this contact from the beginning of the day, it felt so right, so natural yet so horribly out of sync with the recent events. Severus' free hand had already snaked up to the back of her neck, where he was holding her in place, running his tongue daringly across the contour of her bottom lip, begging her to allow him entrance to her mouth. She granted him this without hesitation, allowing her own hand to come to rest on his chest, where she clenched her fingers around a handful of the material of his teaching robes, tugging at them impatiently. Severus felt his dick give a hard, aching throb, which propelled both of his hands to her upper arms once again, where he gripped her and pushed backward.

Leviatha's back and shoulders collided with the closed wooden door to the classroom with a satisfying, dull thud and Severus followed her, his hands immediately seeking out her hips, where he instinctively dug his thumbs against her hip bones, pulling the most delicious sound from her throat as she tilted her head back. How many weeks, months had he been waiting to do that and have her react to the fullest extent. His heart was racing, causing his fingers to tremble ever so slightly as he curled them around her waist and tugged, arching her back away from the door. Thin, curved and parted lips sought the crook of her exposed, elegant neck, and he breathed heavily, raggedly against her skin, cascading a wash of goosebumps across her collarbones and chest.

"Severus..."

He felt his name escape her with his lips against her throat, and he looked up, worrying for a moment that she was about to stop him, though he had not needed to. Leviatha had only wanted his attention so she could catch his mouth again with hers, and he obliged willingly. Their lips tangled heatedly, while her hands immediately moved to his chest once more, where she curled her fingers around the edges of his teaching robes and pushed them from his shoulders, causing them to slide to the stone floor behind him with a soft whoosh, the cool breeze of the movement tangible against her bare legs. With a jolt, Leviatha realized, as she shifted her weight, that her panties were already almost entirely soaked through, the moisture now spreading to her thighs. How desperately she wanted Severus to feel that.

Both of her hands were at his chest a third time, her nimble fingers starting at the third button from the top of his frock coat, though she fumbled with it several times before managing to undo it. Severus pulled his lips away from hers for just a moment, to glance down at what she was doing, before he met her eyes. A smirk formed across his face when she let out a frustrated whimper, her eyes half-lidded but full of unmistakable heated lust. Who was he to deny them both what they so desperately wanted from each other? Removing one of his hands from her waist, he reached up to the line of buttons down the middle of his coat and ran his palm along it, magically unfastening the row with just a single pass. His smirk grew as Leviatha's hungry eyes widened and she reached out, hastily pushing the garment from his body, allowing him to help by rolling his shoulders back and shrugging out of it.

Then, it hit him. That same, overwhelmingly delicious scent he had encountered in the hallway outside the Prefect's bathroom all those weeks ago, though this time, the scent of her pheromones was not diluted and overpowered by lavender. It was strong and close to him, filling him up like warm liquor, causing his already entirely hard cock to ache painfully from where it strained at his oppressive black pants. His black eyes slid closed as he leaned forward, begging his body to slow down at this point. It had been quite a while for him. Just inches from his chest, he could feel Leviatha's breasts heaving against him as she practically panted, her fingers clutching at the material of his white, cotton long-sleeved shirt. Again, she whispered.

"_Severus..._"

The note of urgent need in her voice was unmistakable and as Severus opened his eyes from where his forehead was rested against the wood just next to her head, he looked down, only to groan when he noticed the way her tight, purple dress had stretched taut across her long, spread legs. His straining erection was absolutely painful at this point and she was right there, so inviting, waiting less than patiently for him to continue. Then with gritted teeth, he straightened up to his full height, reaching down with both hands to the sides of her dress where it covered the outside of her thighs. Leviatha wiggled against him slightly as he slid the tight material up along her legs, bunching it at the curve of her ass and exposing what she had been so eager to show him.

The feral scent of her moisture was now so strong, it was almost making Severus light-headed and if they had more time, he would have gladly knelt down and licked it from her skin himself. But time was of the essence, and while his brain had gone almost entirely into a state of blank static, he had to remember that their time was indeed limited. So instead of using his lips, he reached down, gliding two fingers up along the space between her thighs.

Leviatha shivered against Severus, her nails digging deeply into his chest through his shirt. His cheek had rested against her own as he gazed down at what he was doing, and just as the very tips of his fingers made contact with the soaked 'V' of her panties, she felt his jaw drop against the side of her face, before a low, quiet, shuddering moan escaped him. His hand pulled back and found one of hers, where they remained at his chest, though before he could do what she knew he would, she pulled her hand out of his grip and reached down for herself. A soft gasp traveled inward past her lips as she wrapped her fingers around his solid length through the material of his pants, amazed that he had gotten that way in such a short amount of time. Perhaps he needed this just as badly as she did.

With fumbling, trembling fingers, she hastily undid the triple buttons on his trousers, watching unabashedly as she tugged downward on the confining material until it rested on the curve of his ass. Then a moment later, her fingers grasped at the waistband of his boxer-briefs, freeing his dick entirely from the fabric prison to which it had been confined. That gasp from moments earlier escaped her in a rather ungraceful huff as she admired him; he was _beautiful._

Bringing her head back up, she locked eyes with him, hoping to convey silently that she wanted this more than anything else at the moment. And to her fortune, he seemed to understand this, as he removed one hand from her waist, waved it just next to her head across the pane the door, while very gently pressing his lips against the soft, fleshy space of skin below her ear and beyond her jaw. He opened his mouth, whispering, "_Muffliato" _against her neck in that perfectly rich, velvet voice of his.

As tempting as it was to Leviatha to push him forcefully backward until he was seated on a nearby chair, so she could ride him ragged, she remained patient, wanting him to go at his own pace, wanting _him _to fuck _her. _And as his left hand glided down over the curve of her ass, to the back of her thigh, to lift it and hold it propped against his hip, it seemed that was exactly what he was planning to do.

Severus had never before truly appreciated Leviatha's height and how beneficial he might find it. But now, both of them were standing perfectly upright against the door to his classroom and he did not have to bend or stretch at all to feel her wet slit against the tip of him. She was wearing her heels and Severus was incredibly glad for it; he had never seen any woman ever look so wildly appealing in his life. He dipped a finger into her wet folds momentarily to tug the saturated crotch of her panties to the side.

Leviatha could feel him hesitating at her entrance, could feel his warmth between her legs, and with very little effort, she clenched the small but powerful muscles there, urging him to get going. Her patience was waning quickly. With a staggered breath, Severus looked down, his black hair falling into his face, but as the pointed heel of Leviatha's heel dug into the cheek of his ass, he looked up and abandoned his self-control.

Severus forced himself to keep his eyes open as he finally pushed into her, his jaw dropping very slightly as he watched her reaction to the feel of his velvety length stretching her, filling her. She tilted her head back, she closed her eyes, and contrary to the very few experiences with girls of his age, Leviatha did not whimper, she did not mewl or sigh...

Leviatha _moaned. _

And it was the most delicious, most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life.

Then as though someone had flicked a switch, Severus was suddenly thrusting into her deeply, sheathing himself inside of her completely before drawing back out again, over and over. Her nails dug into his shoulders, though she remained almost completely silent, unable to even make a sound as pleasure radiated throughout her body from the place where she and Severus were so intimately, unexpectedly joined. Her breathing matched his, escaping her in short bursts, laced occasionally with a sigh or a deep moan and as Severus buried his lips and nose against her neck, he cringed, hating his body for betraying him so early, as he could already feel that familiar tightening sensation across his lower mid-section. In an effort to distract himself, he bared his teeth and bit down on a section of Leviatha's exposed neck, hard enough to hurt, but still gentle enough to not leave a mark. His prize, the witch between himself and the door, cried out, rocking her head toward his and pushing her hands against his chest hard, knocking him back and away from her, severing all contact between them. But Severus was not done, and clearly, neither was Leviatha, as he lunged back toward her, using both hands at her waist, to turn her away from him and she allowed him to push her shoulders into the door.

Her back arched sharply as she thrust her ass out toward him, inviting him back into the warm, wet, tightness inside her. He obliged, rocking his hips forward to push himself into her once again, growling deeply from his chest as that aggression from earlier in the day flared inside him. His hands parted ways, one remaining in place at her hips, helping to pull her back against his thrusts, the other snaking up her back to the tempting knot of black hair at the back of her head. Now was his chance to pull it like he had always wanted and if the suddenness and spontaneity of the entire situation proved anything, it was that he might never get the chance to do this with her again.

His fingers dug into the bun and pulled rather gently at first, releasing the magic bond she had used to pin it up, before her long, nearly waist-length black hair cascaded down her arched back. A wave of lavender rose from the thick locks, causing him to groan and buck his hips hard against her, threading his fingers finally into her hair and pulling firmly but still gently. Her back was forced into an even sharper arch, a moan leaped from her throat and that tightening across Severus' torso returned with strength. His hand released her hair and instead joined it's opposite at her hip, gripping her tightly and pulling her back to meet his thrusts each time.

Before him, Leviatha was gasping against the door, struggling to turn her head and look back at him, watch him as he came. Though just as he felt himself begin to release, he pushed her forward, wrapping one arm completely around her waist, pinning her between himself and the door as his hips bucked, his chest heaved and his hands trembled slightly. Leviatha could feel his hot release spilling deep into her and thought the affect was rather pleasurable, though how she could feel it, she was not entirely sure. Her whole body was trembling, practically vibrating and if he had not wrapped his arm firmly around her body, holding her up, she was certain she could have easily collapsed right there to the floor.

Behind her, Severus' chest heaved against her back, beads of sweat collected across his hairline, his eyes closed as he nudged the side of her neck with his nose. Part of him wanted to kiss her, to pull out of her, turn her around and say something stupid and sweet to her, but another, larger, more logical part of him just wanted her to leave, so he could be alone to enjoy his post-coital bliss in silence. He was still deciding which avenue would be more advisable...when the bell rang.

Both Severus and Leviatha's eyes shot open at the same time. It was still in the smack middle of a school day. With everything that had happened, with the haze of cloudy, heavy lust hanging over them, it seemed both had forgotten where they were, what day it was and how many students were set to come flinging themselves into that very room in just a few minutes time. And as though both had been electrified, Severus stepped back from her, hastily tucking his softening member back into his pants as Leviatha quickly pushed her purple dress back down to her knees and struggled to smooth out the wrinkles in her skirt. Her yellow, weary eyes then widened as she met his intense gaze, under which she seemed to diminish slightly; Severus forced himself not to frown. Had he just domesticated the wild animal that was Leviatha Dagrin? Was she really acting almost submissive toward him at long last? He was not entirely sure he would like this if that was the case. To his relief, Leviatha straightened up and reached both hands to her length of messy hair, quickly twirling it and pinning it back up into a new, neat bun at the back of her head.

"Er..." she mumbled, glancing about the room awkwardly as Severus leaned down to pick up his black frock coat and teaching robes. He hesitated in putting them on, anxious to see what she could possibly have to say.

"I need to go," she said quickly, then made a half-step toward him as though tempted to rush him for one last kiss. Though, to Severus' dismay or relief, he was not quite sure yet, she seemed to think better of it and remained in place several feet from him. He nodded.

"Yes, you do," he affirmed her previous words, raising his eyebrows as she turned from him half-way, placed a hand on the door and moved to open it. In a flash, she was gone almost as quickly as she had slapped him in the face just fifteen minutes earlier, leaving Severus quite alone in his dungeon classroom, to hastily reapply his clothes.

Severus had only just pulled on his teaching robes, when voices could be heard traveling down the hall in his direction. A heavy sigh passed his lips as he hastily ran a hand through his now slightly greasy hair. How was he supposed to stand up for the next three hours and teach classes after all that? Exhausted though he was, his thoughts wandered vaguely to Leviatha as he moved slowly to the dais at the front, in the midst of students pouring into the room, wondering how she was faring while her own class filed in for their lesson. Would she be feeling as utterly worn out and frazzled as he was? Were her thoughts as scattered and buzzing as his were? He wanted to find out, he wanted to see her again later that evening, and for just a moment, he wished she had not gone running off right afterward, despite what he had felt at that moment. Then again, they had not been allowed much time. Their jobs came first, unfortunately.

With all the students now seated in their assigned places, Severus finally looked up from his notes, scanning the room and doing a quick assessment with his eyes, double-checking that everyone had arrived for class. The young master Malfoy was there, looking like his father, the idiot Longbottom had managed to stumble his way into the correct classroom, that one insufferable know-it-all had arrived and there, seated just next to her, was Potter. And yet it wasn't really Potter at all. It was Lily, her bright, emerald green eyes staring up at him unblinkingly, imploringly through the glasses of James Potter. Lily was gazing up at him through the eyes of her son.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Do you feel better now? I know I do. Can't wait to read what you thought! (ILY) -QoM


	23. New Realm of Impossibilities

Leviatha could barely put one foot in front of the other without it costing her great mental and physical effort. Her ears were ringing, her mind was spinning, whirling under the torrent of mingled emotions in the aftermath of what had just transpired between herself and Professor Snape in the Potions classroom. The stairs leading up to the fourth floor classroom might as well have been a treacherous mountain, and with each step she took, each time she lifted a leg to ascend another step, a flash of what had just happened flew before her mind's eye.

_Severus was grabbing her wrist to yank her back to him. _Another step.

_Her hands were pushing his black clothing from his shoulders onto the floor_. Another step.

_His fingers dipped between her legs._ Another step.

_She was tugging apart the buttons on his pants._ Another step.

His thick length pushed into her, causing her to moan in a most unladylike way. She had finally reached the top. Up ahead, students were filing into the classroom she shared with Remus, awaiting her arrival.

Leviatha supposed she should feel elated that her fantasy, the dream she had been having for months now, years even, had finally come true, but yet a very heavy weight of something she could not identify had settled into her stomach, leaving her confused and not all together pleased. No, Severus had not disappointed her; he was just as perfect as she had always imagined he would be. A very large part of her was screaming to have more time with him, a chance to kiss him and find out if he had enjoyed it as much as she has. But on the other hand, perhaps it was better that they had been forced to part immediately afterward. Perhaps this would give them both some time to figure out how they truly felt about it. And if one good thing had come from the experience, she could now say that sex with Professor Snape was a surefire headache cure.

The residual stickiness between her legs was hugely uncomfortable and as Leviatha entered the classroom behind the students, she wondered whether there was anything more obvious about her appearance to hint at what she had just been doing. Guilt was beginning to wash over her, not for screwing another of their teachers, but for doing so in the middle of a school day, for losing control so thoroughly as to forget where she was. Remus' class of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were all being seated around her when she arrived at the lectern and turned to face them with a heavy sigh. However just as she reached out to open the book before her, to see where her colleague had left off, she blinked, her eyes widening down at the words on the page when she felt a new, fresh gush of moisture seep out of her; a last reminder of her tryst with Severus Snape. She swallowed hard on a new lump in her throat as she looked up at the class before her.

"Please begin reading at the beginning of chapter fifteen, and I will be right back," she instructed, and with that, she took off between the rows of desks amidst the rustling of turned pages. Fortunately, a girls' bathroom was just up the hall.

…...

The end of the day could not have come any sooner for Severus. While his bad mood from earlier had completely vanished, it had been equally and fervently replaced with a sensation of crushing, suffocating guilt. Why did _Potter's _class have to be the first one he had encountered after his first bout of sex in over a year? Why had the boy been staring at him with those damn green eyes, as though he had known exactly what had been happening in that very room before the arrival of he and his classmates? Of course, Severus knew this was an impossibility, for anyone, besides himself and Leviatha, to know what had occurred in that closed, magically muffled room between classes. Regardless, he still felt shameful, as though Lily had been right there, watching. The thought of this made him feel slightly sick.

And yet Leviatha had been utter perfection; the taste of her, the scent of her arousal, her desperation to have him rivaling that which he felt toward her. All of this had made for a very pleasurable fifteen minutes indeed. But then again, Severus had never known fifteen minutes to pass by him so quickly.

Somewhere else in the castle, he imagined that Leviatha was likely eating dinner, chatting amiably with one of the other teachers, acting as though nothing had happened, while Severus stepped into his quarters, peeling off his clothing one article at a time and leaving them strewn across the floor carelessly. He still felt tired and rather drained from what had turned out to be a wildly eventful day and with a heavy grunt, he threw himself onto the couch across from a newly crackling fire in the grate. Now left in just his pants and matching black socks, he sighed from the coolness of the leather against his warm, bare back. Seizing his wand from where it lay on the table across from him, he gave it a subtle flick, before a short glass appeared before him, empty, waiting to be filled.

The bottle of firewhisky was exactly where he had left it across the room from him and with another wave of his wand, it came zooming toward him, before tilting forward and spilling a measure of its contents into his waiting glass. The liquid burned his throat as he swallowed and returned warm feeling to his toes and hands. His eyes slid closed, and despite how wretched and guilty he felt, his mind wandered back to several hours prior, against the door of his classroom. Shameful goosebumps rose up along his exposed chest and shoulders, carpeting his arms all the way to his fingertips as he replayed the electrifying shock that had flown through his body at the very moment he had pushed himself into Leviatha.

The unexpectedness of the situation and the suddenness with which it arrived had rendered Severus nearly incapable of noting in detail much of anything during those minutes. Though for the life of him, he wished he had at least taken a few seconds to really admire and memorize how soft, wet and warm she had been. Thinking back, he felt he could not accurately remember it as clearly as he would have liked to...but perhaps, that was his punishment. Just fleeting, torturous snippets of memory were all he had now with which to remember the experience. A deep sigh heaved his chest as he balanced the half-empty glass of whiskey with one hand on his stomach, while the other reached down past it to grip himself firmly.

His body had never felt so conflicted. Desperately, he wanted to have another go with Leviatha, but he knew they had already gone too far back on their original agreement to allow a second tryst. He had already been given his dose of guilt by seeing the green eyes of his one, unrequited love peering up at him from within her son, and the thought of ignoring that, just to satisfy some mundane, human urge, was repulsive to him. He could not, _would _not, allow it to happen again. But then an echo of Leviatha's whimper, the particular one she had given off when he had released himself deep inside of her, replayed itself inside his mind, strengthening those goosebumps and causing his hips to shift slightly, instinctively beneath his own hand. That had felt so unbelievably good, reaching as deep as he could within her to abandon all semblance of control, allowing himself to spill every ounce of that pent-up, rather aggressive need he had been holding back, basically since her arrival at the school. Thinking way back, Severus could not remember it ever feeling so good during his youth. But perhaps that had something to do with the forms of magical contraception that had been put in place for-

The glass of firewhiskey went flying from its place, spilling sticky liquid all over the couch as Severus suddenly sat up, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open in shock. His heart was suddenly hammering away at the inside of his chest as though he had just been running and a very sick feeling swooped down into his stomach.Jumping up from the couch, he strode hastily to a tall bookshelf across the room from him, running two fingers along the rows of books before he found the one he had been looking for. The layer of dust along the binding and top edge of this particular book was so thick that it gave off a cloud as Severus nearly ripped it in half trying to flip to the appropriate page.

This was one of the very few Potion recipes that either he did not have already memorized or else readily accessible to him; the Contraceptive Potion. Setting the book down on his personal work table, now open to the correct page, he adamantly ignored the pang of tired protest his body gave off and instead, pulled a heavy, empty cauldron from underneath the table. Torn between an insane desire to laugh and an even stronger urge to cry at his own carelessness, he set to work lighting a fire beneath the pewter cauldron. If he could just somehow trick Leviatha into drinking a vial of Potion within the next twenty-four hours, his mistake could be rectified.

…...

Upon waking, Leviatha lay in her bed for quite some time, listening to Charlie's soft, even breathing and debating heavily on whether or not she really wanted to teach that day. It would be simple, so wonderfully easy to just roll back over, find a cool spot on her pillow and drift off to sleep again. And yet, she had a duty to her students, a duty to the school, to uphold those principles she and her fellow teachers stood by...the very same duties and principles she had so easily forgotten the day before in the Potion's classroom with Severus. Goosebumps rose up along her chest and arms as her mind, once again, took her back to that unexpected tryst. Her eyes slid closed as her memory replayed her the sound of Severus' breathy groan, just next to her ear, that had escaped his lips upon pushing into her. He had filled her so completely, so perfectly, Leviatha almost felt as though he had been made especially for her, like a puzzle piece that had finally found it's designated match.

Part of her wanted to see him desperately, to kiss him lightly on the lips with a quick 'good morning', ask him how he slept, to find out if he had dreamed of her all night, just as she had done of him. But on the other hand, she wanted to avoid him, too embarrassed to even lay eyes on him, afraid she might not have lived up to his expectations. Plus, there was the very real chance that he was experiencing the same sort of awkward, itchy guilt that she was feeling. She supposed there was only one way to find out exactly how he felt. However, Leviatha was bound and determined not to seek him out first. If he wanted to see her, he knew where to find her. If, by chance, he did _not _want to see her...well, Leviatha figured she would know one way or the other by the end of the day.

…...

Severus' first class passed at a brain-numbingly slow pace, worsened by the fact that his eyelids felt heavy and itchy from lack of decent sleep. Again, the night before, he had attempted to employ Occlumency, but found that it had not been necessary, seeing how the clock had already reached two in the morning by the time he had left the potion to brew on it's own overnight. He had been asleep almost before his head had even made contact with the pillow but it felt as though he had only been sleeping for about ten minutes before the time arrived for him to be rising for class. Now, he stood behind his lectern, watching a class of exceptionally chatty fifth-years filing out of his dungeon classroom, through the very same door against which he had pinned Leviatha the previous day. Again, he felt an increasingly familiar tug from his memory toward the sexual encounter, as though begging him to think through it again, but Severus had bigger, more pressing and important tasks to tend to. A slowly cooling vial of freshly brewed potion resided safely in the pocket of his frock coat. He reached down and placed his hand over it, reminding himself once again of what needed to be done. There were fifteen minutes remaining until his next class. He had to find her.

To his immense disappointment, Leviatha had not been present in the Great Hall for either breakfast nor lunch, thus thwarting his idea to somehow slip the contraceptive into her coffee or tea. This had sent a slight wave of panic through him; what if he was unable to locate her before the twenty-four hours had passed? She had not been seen passing him in the halls between classes either, when he had ventured from his classroom on the sole purpose of hoping to encounter her 'by accident'. Another thrill of anxiety had possessed him.

Now, as he climbed the stairs determinedly, passing several floors before reaching the fourth, Severus could feel his skin practically crawling as he neared the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Within just moments, he would be face to face with the delicious witch he had enjoyed just less than a day before, the same woman who had been running her hand along the front of his trousers, feeling his hardened length through the material...His stomach was in knots. How was he supposed to be in her presence at all any more without thinking longingly of having her legs wrapped around his narrow waist? How would he be able to look her in the eyes without imagining the way they had appeared so close to his, alight and dilated with passion and arousal?

Up ahead, students were flitting in and out of the door of the Defense classroom, causing Severus to groan inwardly. All he had to do was ask her for a private word, an action that would surely be deemed innocent to any lingering students, right? And all Leviatha would have to do was either say yes or no. Severus was positive that she would be expecting him to seek her out, though for what reasons, she was likely to be ignorant. There could be no tricking her, Leviatha was a smart witch and would easily spot a ploy to have her drink the potion unconsciously. He would just have to hand it to her and demand that she drink it. Hopefully, he could convince her to do this without having to explain _why _it was necessary.

In the entrance to the Defense classroom, Severus easily ignored a small group of students passing him and instead continued into the room, glancing around for any sign of the witch. However, the space behind the lectern was empty, which led his eyes to flicker immediately up the set of stairs at the back of the room, to where a door leading to the teacher's shared office stood open. A wave of vague relief spread through him as he moved toward the base of the stairs. As long as Lupin wasn't there, he and Leviatha could possibly be granted a perfectly private conversation without worry of being interrupted-

Severus came to an abrupt halt in the doorway to the circular office, what little expression on his face now dashed into absolute blankness.

"Oh, hello, Severus," the werewolf greeted him brightly, looking up from a stack of parchment. "Can I help you with something?" he then asked. Before answering, Severus' eyes glanced quickly around at the inside of the office, as if to make doubleqaz sure that Leviatha was not there, either in cat or human form. He withheld a sigh of disappointment when he saw that the part-human was completely alone.

"I'm seeking your partner," he eventually replied in the most vague possible choice of words. "Have you any idea where I might find her?"

As Lupin's eyebrows furrowed, he hesitated in his answer for a moment or two, giving Severus what he assumed was a very searching sort of look. A second later, the expression was gone and he shrugged.

"She left here a few minutes ago," he answered. "Apparently, she was headed to the staff lounge to finish her grading there. Fancied a cup of coffee from what I gathered."

Without another word, without wasting more precious time to thank Lupin, Severus swept from the room, his mind already settled on his newly determined destination. He hoped for the life of him that none of his other colleagues would be present in the staff room, thus sparing him the difficulty of asking Leviatha for a private word. He had a feeling Minerva McGonagall might find this at the height of suspicious. The very last thing he needed was an extra set of eyes watching he and Leviatha's interactions in the presence of others, when they were already bound to be strained and awkward.

The two stone gargoyles flanking either side of the staff room door ignored him and allowed him entry to the room, revealing to him the fact that by some stroke of mercy he felt he did not deserve, the room was empty, save for one witch, seated comfortably in an armchair across from the fireplace. The high back of the chair was to him; all Severus could see from his vantage point was one long pale leg from the knee down, rested delicately over the top of her other knee. Her high heel was bouncing slightly as she swung it absentmindedly. Either Leviatha had not heard the door open or was ignoring whatever new presence had entered. However, just as Severus began to move forward into the room, her voice caused him to blink and start in surprise.

"I rather had the impression that you might attempt to avoid me all day, Professor Snape," she said lightly, idly turning the page of the Defense Against the Dark Arts text book she had propped open against her leg. Severus felt mildly disconcerted by the casual flippancy in her voice, but he responded with an equal lack of enthusiasm.

"This castle is only so large," he answered, finally crossing the room toward the table along the far wall, to prepare a cup of tea he did not entirely desire. "I'm afraid avoiding you forever would have been unrealistic to the point of foolishness."

From behind him, there was a sniff, a turn of another page, then silence. Severus abandoned his cup of tea before he had poured anything and instead turned to finally face her, forcefully ignoring the swooping sensation in his stomach like he had missed a step going downstairs when his eyes fell onto her, seated comfortably in that armchair. Her eyes flickered upward from the book in her lap, but she looked away only a moment later. Severus suppressed a smirk with difficulty. It was truly odd to see Leviatha acting nervous and awkward...almost cute, dare he say it. He cleared his throat, taking another few steps toward her, while sliding his hand into his pocket.

"I came to find you so I could ask you to drink this," he eventually explained, struggling against his mouth's attempts to spill his words quickly in a disconnected jumble. Very slowly, Leviatha raised her eyes again, her gaze lingering momentarily on the glass vial in his outstretched hand, before it traveled up to his face. He swore inwardly upon locking eyes with her; _damn_, she was pretty. A small grin played around her mouth for just a moment.

"Was yesterday's event really so unsatisfactory that you feel the need to poison me?" she asked playfully, causing Severus to blink in perfectly concealed surprise. He had not expected her to come right out and openly mention what had transpired the previous afternoon. "I can assure you I wont tell anyone what happened." she then added, clearly mistaking the potion as an attempt on her life in an effort to keep her silent about their tryst. Severus' eyebrows relaxed into a very blank, vaguely annoyed glare.

"If I were really attempting to poison you, I can assure you, I would not be asking you politely to drink it," he answered dully. "This is merely a potion to ensure you..._and _I, don't suffer any lasting effects from our..._serious _deviation from professionalism yesterday."

As Leviatha stared up at him rather blankly, Severus wondered whether his words had been a bit too vague in his explanation of why it was imperative she drink the potion, and he was just praying that he would not be forced to explain again in more direct terms when a look of realization dawned across her features. Reaching out quickly, she took the vial from his hand, wrenched the cork out and drank it down in one. Her sharp features contorted a moment later as the bitterness washed through her mouth. She then thrust the vial back at him, opening her mouth wide as though to assure him she really had drunk it, however before she could comment with some smart retort about how he could have made sure it tasted better, Severus spoke.

"I believe it goes without saying that yesterday's events must not happen again, Leviatha," he said smoothly, forcing himself to stare as deeply into her yellow golden eyes as he possibly could. There was a single moment of hesitancy where Severus could see the witch appearing slightly taken aback by his use of her first name. But only a moment later, she nodded, closed the book on her lap and rose from the chair, before she began to move slowly toward the door of the staff room. Severus followed, feeling he might as well leave after her.

"I agree, Severus," she replied somewhat conversationally over her shoulder as the pair of them approached the door. He could not believe how easily they were talking with each other, almost as though nothing had ever happened. Had the level of awkwardness between them somehow topped out? He was just wondering this when the witch a half-step ahead of him stopped at the inside of the closed staffroom door and turned to face him. There was a very strange, vaguely familiar expression on her face; it was something between a smirk and a sneer. It gave Severus a very odd sensation in the pit of his stomach. Leviatha continued.

"I agree with you that _under the same circumstances_, that sort of event could not be allowed to happen again," she said lightly, her voice dropping in volume with every word she spoke. "However..." Severus had to fight very hard indeed not to jump or gasp or even growl in delight when a small, painfully familiar hand reached out to very gently caress the zipper of his black pants. A blink; that was the only indication he gave that he registered the feeling of her hand against him. Again, she continued. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it."

Severus stared at her. She was not attempting to seduce him. There was nothing at all feral or soft and inviting about her eyes. There was nothing even remotely sensual about the way her hand was gripping his dick through the front of his pants. Her tone, expression and touch was all very casual and surprisingly matter-of-fact. Severus was not quite sure what to say.

But only a second later, her hand was gone and she was taking a deep breath in as she used that same hand to readjust the position of her text book under her opposite arm. She shrugged with an accompanying bounce of her eyebrows.

"And well, I couldn't have let you go without telling you that, so there you are," she explained, smirking a bit sheepishly at him. "So hopefully now we can just go back to how things were when we hated each other, eh?" Leviatha then asked him over her shoulder as she pulled open the door to the staffroom. Severus nodded, still surprised to find himself a bit lost for speech as Leviatha walked away. With every fading click of her tall heels against the stone floors, his expression deepened and tightened until he was scowling hard at her curvy retreating figure.

'_Just go back to the way things were when we hated each other...'_

Somehow, Severus seriously doubted that.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: OMG I KNOW! LONGEST WAIT EVER! Before you start screaming at me, let me explain- I've undergone some big changes in my life over the past two months and have been really busy with real-life stuff. But I've settled into my new routines nicely and am finding time to write at every turn I get. So PLEASE bear with me! We may not have an update every 5-6 days like before, but I will try my damnest to get these updates out to you as quickly as possible! Like one every two weeks, or something like that. So this chapter was short, I know that, but I just HAD to get this out to you! please leave a review if you really missed Lev and Sev and want to see another update before Christmas! haha (jk) -QoM


End file.
