Harry Potter 1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer, JK Rowling is the big cheese, I'm not trying to profit from her success, nor defame her characters (hey I'm making them happy, they deserve it) Any character or locations you don't recognise are the creation of my own imagination, yes I do possess one even though I am writing fanfiction.**

A/N This has been reformatted under the suggestion of Elizabeth so it should be easier on the eye.

A couple of minor tweaks have been made under the watchful eye of Devon_Severus.

**Chapter I**

It was the first of September, and she was waiting outside the winged boar gates. It was nine in the morning, but no one seemed to be around. Looking around again, she eventually noticed the bellpull. She pulled it, and the gates swung open. Ambling towards her was the biggest man she had ever seen, his misty breath matching the fog swathed around the castle.

'Good mornin', Professor. Welcome to Hogwarts.' She put out her hand a little nervously and this man shook it carefully as if she were a china doll and might break. 

'Nice to meet you…sorry I didn't catch your name?'

'Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Grounds and Keys.'

'Theodosia Vespertin. I am the new Potions Mistress, from The Medical School. I left Durmstrang last year.'

He looked at her carefully when she mentioned Durmstrang, and then he smiled and proffered a seat on the sledge he has been pulling.

'On our left we have the lake, with a fine specimen of giant squid. Worth a few squid he is!' Hagrid laughed. She made a mental note of this. Hagrid carried on his tour of the grounds.

'Here we have our Quidditch pitch. You do have Quidditch in Azerbaijan don't you?'

'Yes, but Durmstrang's not in Azerbaijan.' Hagrid ignored this and carried on talking about Quidditch.

'Gryffindor have James Potter. He's that good an' all we're hoping he's going to play for England.' As he said this, a man with the most effervescent white beard she had ever seen stepped out from the small door that was cut into the main doors of the castle. 

'Professor Vespertin, how nice to meet you. I am Albus Dumbledore.'

They shook hands; his hand seemed to crackle like static electricity when she touched it. He looked at her over his glasses. 'Bring your case into the hall here; it shall be sent to your room presently. Now, for a tour of the castle.' 

Theodosia had been lead to believe it was a little bigger than Durmstrang.

It was bigger than Durmstrang.

A lot bigger than Durmstrang.

Finally they ended up in the dungeons, after an explanation of the nature of the Houses. Dumbledore opened the door for her. The Dungeons were not as dark as one might expect, with windows cut into the cliff looking out over the lake letting in the morning light.

'This will be your classroom. There is no heating down here, so make sure you keep the cauldrons simmering, otherwise you'll be teaching ice blocks, not children. Through that door at the back are your office and your quarters. He demonstrated the charm. 'Now, I have all sorts of arrangements to make. Please excuse me.' And he disappeared through the open door.

Theodosia looked around her new domain – rows of desks, a couple of workbenches for projects and ingredients stacked on shelves in the periphery of the room. All present and correct. She found the sink and filled the cauldrons, setting them to simmer gently on the burners. The very back of the class room seemed a bit dark and Theda wondered if she could rig up a mirror or something to get more light back there. She checked the drawers for chalk and found a new packet labelled, 'with regards, Prof. Celius Carter.' This former Potions teacher was showing an almost Teutonic level of organisation and efficiency. 

She wandered in her new office; the obligatory Things Floating in Jars lining the walls cast a green light into the room. On the desk was more evidence of the previous teacher's orderliness – a folder marked Potions classes September 1977to June 1978. She looked inside; there were registers, for all but the First-years, waiting to be filled in with purple ink. She sat in the chair and the cushions magically adjusted to fit. In her room her suitcase was lying open on her bed; the clothes had been hung up in the wardrobe and her books piled on a chair. 

At around half four a memo flew out the fireplace and into her lap. It read:

_Professors and Staff_

_Be in the staff room at five. Students arriving at half past. Feast to start at six._

She arrived in the staff room promptly at five. Some other teachers were milling around the biscuit tin and she walked over to introduce herself. They had closed ranks around the biscuit tin, and she eased her self into the circle next to Hagrid. Professor Dumbledore noticed her.

'Ah, our latest Professor. Everybody, this is Theodosia Vespertin, fresh from the Durmstrang Institute.'

'Theda, please.'she said

This was followed by nods of recognition. A youngish man with a green velvet cap and small glasses put out his hand. 'Monti Latymer, head of Slytherin House.' She shook his hand. She then shook hands with a number of other teachers, including Minerva McGonagall (Transfiguration), Shiela Dunkle (Defence Against the Dark Arts) and Hetty Crates (Herbology). They looked at her, some with open suspicion, they were wondering if she was a spy. 

She helped herself to a biscuit aware of the eyes watching her. Then Monti Latymer winked at her and said,

'You do know they are real flies don't you?' 

She stopped chewing and looked at him. He laughed wickedly, and Shiela Dunkle hit him on the arm, 

'Monti! Stop it!' She looked at Theda. 'Don't mind Monti, he has a strange sense of humour.' 

Monti smirked unrepentantly. Theda smiled, not wishing to appear humourless.

Dumbledore clapped his hands. "The students will be arriving in five minutes. To the Great Hall, everybody!'

***

After an initial scuffle over who got the space where the mead usually materialised, the teachers settled down to wait for the students. Theda contented herself with watching out for her cousin –not that his golden curls would be hard to miss. 

The Seventh years stalked in first, looking a little bored at the thought of another Sorting ceremony, and settled themselves at the heads of the tables. From looking at their robes, Theda could see that the table on the far left was Gryffindor, the two middle tables were Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and the table nearest to her was Slytherin. As Theda watched, more and more students poured through the doors, Glancing round she saw on the Gryffindor table a face which was distinctly pureblooded, she tried to think of the families that usually got sorted into Gryffindor, the Weasleys often did and others but she didn't dream for a moment that it could be Sirius Black. He too was watching out for someone. He had a carefully prepared paper aeroplane in his hand and his grip tightened as he saw his target advancing to join its friends at the end of the Slytherin Table. Theda followed his gaze. As the target drew level Black drew back his hand and threw the plane, but at that moment Gilderoy noticed Theda and started waving, the target sidestepped to avoid be smacked in the teeth by the frantic waves. The paper plane flew under the table and exploded, making a group of girls, who were watching Gilderoy, squeal. 

Theda waved more subtly at her blonde cousin and smiled apologetically at the tall, thin boy whom her cousin had dislodged. He looked behind him, then when he realised she was smiling at him he smiled just a tiny bit and for a moment looked vaguely familiar. He then turned to Theda's cousin.

'Sit down,' he ordered. The girls that had squealed stared at the prefect. The prefect stared down his nose at Lockhart and Lockhart sidled away from the girls and sat at his own table. 'Thank you, Lockhart.' 

Lockhart smiled vacuously and Severus glared back. At the far end of the table, Gerard Rosier and Geoffrey Wilkes were discussing the new teacher. 

'Any idea what the totty's teaching?'

'No idea, not my kind of crumpet though.' They both sniggered 

'I reckon Sev'll be smitten, don't you?'

'Well, he is the one with the ginger fetish.'

'You keep your sick fantasies to yourself,' said a voice behind them. 

The two boys twisted round in their seats and looked at Severus. 'Actually, we were discussing _your_ sick fantasies, Sev,' said Rosier

'We know how you feel about Evans,' added Wilkes.

Severus pushed Wilkes out of the way and sat down. 

'I've told you I don't know how many times – that 'thing' with Evans was one of Black's ever-so-funny little jokes.'

'Well, at least we agree on that. It was very funny.' Rosier started sniggering and set off Wilkes. Severus ignored them and changed the subject,

'Where's Rod?' 

'Bella dragged him off somewhere. They're probably in the common room choosing sofas. Cough. Cough.' 

'Gez, you do realise that you're not supposed to say 'cough, cough.' You're supposed to actually cough.'

'Sev's being pedantic and Gez's being obscene. Another year has well and truly begun,' said Wilkes to no one in particular.

While this has been going on the first years had come in and were now milling around at the end of the hall and Theda idly watched them, looking nervous. Professor Dumbledore called for quiet and the Sorting ceremony began. After hearing the first verse of Hat's song, Theda pulled her own hat down over her ears and looked again for her cousin. This time he was sitting half way down the table in front of her and writing something on a piece of parchment. Theda watched as the girls sitting opposite him leaned over the table to see and put their hands over their mouths to stifle their giggles. Their little game was interrupted by a pair of first years who had been sorted into Slytherin and wanted to sit down. When the Sorting was finally finished Dumbledore stood to make the start of term announcements. 

'First and foremost, may I introduce our new Potions Mistress Professor Vespertin. She has come here from Durmstrang as part of her doctorate. Please make her welcome.' 

There was a general buzz of conversation when Durmstrang was mentioned. Wilkes and Rosier smirked at each other. Theda smiled at the faces that had turned to look at her, thinking _I haven't come from Durmstrang, I've come from Denmark_. She could see Gilderoy's teeth as he smiled at her from his harem. Dumbledore made a few comments about House points and prefects and the feast began. Theda unperturbed by Monti's jokes about the food, tucked in as heartily as anyone. 

When the feast was over, Theda, knowing only that her office was in the dungeons somewhere near the Slytherin common room, so she followed the first year Slytherins and their dark haired prefect. When she had learnt that the Slytherin password word was 'antitransubstantiationalist' and was in the process of wondering just what kind of person made up that kind of password, when the prefect noticed her. 

'Professor?' He had forgotten her name. 'Is there a problem?'

'I was wondering if you could possibly show me the way to my office? I only arrived this morning and…' She trailed off. She didn't want to appear inept, after all; first impressions counted. 

'Why certainly, Professor. My pleasure.' He smiled, and Theda had to admit this prefect did have an oleaginous kind of charm which matched his hair. They started walking.

'So, Professor,' said Severus. 'What is it like at Durmstrang? It sounds fascinating.'

'It's a lot smaller than Hogwarts, hence the orientation problems. But Durmstrang, it is very _disciplined, _and we don't have Houses as such.' 

'But lessons-wise, isn't a lot of emphasis put on the Dark Arts?'

'Only in an intellectual way, we never apply it. As I said, Durmstrang is disciplined.' 

Severus seemed a little disappointed at this. 'Professor, your English is excellent. Did you learn English at school?'

'No, my mother is English. You appear to have the misfortune of knowing my cousin Gilderoy.'

'Lockhart's your _cousin_?' goggled the prefect. 

Theda nodded. 'Unfortunately, yes. Anyway I'm not at Durmstrang now; I've finished my first year at The International School of Magical Medicine in Denmark.'

He stopped by a door which had a plaque engraved 'Professor T. Vespertin' on it. Theda ran her finger along it and opened the door. She turned and faced her guide. He was staring into middle distance, wondering what the T stood for. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Theda. 'Thank you, er..?' 

'Severus Snape, Professor.' With this he held out his hand. Theda took it, expecting it to be a sweaty paw, but was pleasantly surprised to find it soft and rather cold. He smiled again and sloped off to bed.

Theda closed the door and went into her bedroom. As she cleaned her teeth she thought about all the people she had met during the day. As she was getting into bed she thought about the people she had met, and as she fell asleep, she remembered the soft cold pressure of the handshake on her hand.

In the Slytherin dorm, things were not so peaceful. When Severus had arrived back at the dorm he had found it booby trapped with a bowl of water from the washstands. 

'Welcome back, Severus,' called Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rosier and Wilkes laughed.

'One of the New Bugs said you'd gone off with the new Prof,' said Rosier.

'We thought you might need cooling off.' They laughed and Severus dripped over to his bed and changed into his blue stripey pyjamas. Once tucked in he combed his hair as the other boys talked about Rod's girlfriend Bellatrix Black and price rises in the tuck shop. 

'So Sev, what's she like?' asked Lestrange, turning the subject back to Severus's supposed rendezvous.

'If I knew, you would be the last person I'd tell.'

'You'd tell Black _and _Potter before telling me? Me, your oldest and dearest friend?'

'Alright, then you'd be the third to last person I'd tell.' With that, Severus turned out his lamp.

'Anyway you shouldn't talk about teachers like that. It's disrespectful.' 

Wilkes muttered something that sounded like _uptight bastard_ and Severus threw a shoe at where he thought Wilkes's head was. A satisfactory grunt of pain and more muffled insults came from under Wilkes's blanket as Severus drew the heavy green curtains on his bed. 

(: Thank you to my beta readers Sheena, Aeishya and Devon_Severus who have all been a great help :)


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer, JK Rowling is the big cheese, I'm not trying to profit from her success, nor defame her characters (hey I'm making them happy, they deserve it) Any character or locations you don't recognise are the creation of my own imagination, yes I do possess one even though I am writing fanfiction.**

**Chapter II**

A small bell jingled in Theda's ear**.** She opened her eyes and sat up, the curtains drew themselves open and sunlight flooded in reflecting off the mirror. Rubbing her eyes, she saw that the jug on the wash stand had been filled, and Theda did her morning ablutions in the light of the morning sun.

In the great hall, breakfast was already under way. and Theda ate her toast and marmite quicker than she would have liked so as to be in class before her pupils. 

It was the lesson before lunch and the third years came in apprehensively., tThey weren't sure if they were going to like this new teacher., aAfter all, Prof. Carter had been rather a character, what with his wearing a white lab coat instead of a cloak and whipping out his faithful spatula to point out things, anywhere, even sSnitches. 

'Good afternoon, Cchildren.'

'Good Aafternoon, Professor.' tThey looked at her, and she looked back. They didn't want detention, and they had already heard rumours about this new teacher's strictness. 

'I hope you will be well behaved, especially compared to the Sseventh Yyears, -- an especially badly behaved year.' 

The third years looked at each other., tThey knew all about the rivalries amongst the seventh years. Luckily for them only ten points were lost, and these were due to Gilderoy Lockhart's attempts at being cheeky, which ended in him being the Gguinea pig for the Jellifaction Potion.

Overall, Theda was pleased with her first day of teaching. s She felt she had instilled a fear of detention into them her students. '_Always good to start hard on the little darlings, let them know where they stand_' she thought to herself.

The next day after an interesting lunchtime discussion in the staff room on the merits of Ten Pin Bowling and whether they should start a club, Theda sat at her desk waiting apprehensively for the Sseventh Yyears.,  She was surprised to see the Gryffindor with the Wicked Grin come in and sit next to the Slytherin Prefect., tThe rest of the class appeared to be made up of a small group of Ravenclaws who sat themselves strategically in the centre of the room. 

In the front row, Severus was fuming., Sirius Black had taken it upon himself to sit on his right hand side, and he had no idea why. The hatred was mutual and Severus was angry because he knew that Sirius was up to something. This something became clear when the class started to write down their after school work (due in next Wednesday). Sirius Black was left-handed and kept jogging him with his elbow as he wrote. Severus gritted his teeth and tried to move out of the way, but Black's elbow followed him. Exasperated, Severus moved seats, and Professor 

Vespertin looked up from reading out the work.

'What's the matter now?' she said, raising an eyebrow.

'Splinters on the desk, pProfessor' muttered Severus, and glared at Black who was grinning his devilish grin.

Theda then started to talk about the work for the year.

'Now, I hope every one had has been thinking about their independent study over the summer, because I will be passing a piece of parchment around for you to write you ideas on so we can discuss them.' Theda then produced piece of parchment and handed it to Black, who quickly scribbled his idea onto it. He then looked at Severus, got up, and handed the parchment to the group in the middle. Severus shot him an evil glance as he sat down again and fiddled with his quill. Theda noticed this little interchange of glances looked at Black as if trying to work out why he had got up when it would have been so much easier just to hand the parchment to Severus.  For his part, Severus was watching Professor. Vespertin and wondering how old she was, since she didn't look much older than they were, but he wasn't sure, -- women and age are tricky subjects at the best of times. He continued watching the professor as he had just noticed what a fascinating bosom she had, and so started violently when one of the Ravenclaws tapped him on the back to hand him the parchment. The movement caught Theda's eye and she raised one eyebrow at him., nNoticing this, Severus, did the same and was very pleased when she smiled. He then jotted down his idea for the study and signed his name with more than the usual flourish. 

Theda took the parchment form the front desk and read the list of projects. sShe then got the class to discuss each of the ideas. Severus declined to comment, preferring to mutter criticisms under his breath. Theda watched him out of the corner of her eye, and tried to hear what he was muttering., tThere was something almost comforting in his reticence. eEveryone else at this school was so cheerful and extroverted, or that's what it felt like to Theda, who was naturally shy and quiet. In the staff room she was constantly being berated for not talking enough. 

When the class finished, Severus was the last one out, and as he turned to go to the Great Hall he heard Professor. Vespertin mutter 'circumlocum' and the sound of a door opening. He peeked through the gap between the hinges and saw the dark green of her robe disappear through the bookshelf behind her desk.

***

That weekend was Hogsmeade weekend for the students, and Theda had also gone down to the village to get an owl that was strong enough to take letters to Armenia. When she had done this she wandered around the village, avoiding the knots of pupils walking along the high street. She stopped outside Gladrags and looked at a hat in the window, it looked like a dazed Chelsea bun made of velvet, and was decorated with a white ostrich feather. Theda looked at the hat and then went in the shop and bought it. Setting the hat on her head at a rakish angle, she set off to The tThree Broomsticks for some lunch. As she walked in she almost slammed into Severus Snape, who was walking towards the bar with a note folded up in his hand. Side stepping this disaster, she noticed one of the Slytherin seventh 7th Yyears waving at her. She recognised him and walked over to say hello.

'Sev's gone to get us lunch. dDo you want anything?'

'I'm here for the cheese salad sandwiches.'

'Right ho, Professor.'

Rosier shouted across the room to Severus, who was standing at the bar trying to catch the barmaid's eye. He looked around.

'Prof. V.ee here wants cheese salad sandwiches!'

Theda took a coin out of her purse and waved it at Severus, who deftly summoned it. 

She  looked at these people who seemed such a tightly knit group in a pub full of chatting teenagers , the jukebox was far too loud but the desire to flee was balanced by her rational mind that reminded her  she had ordered and couldn't go anywhere else., sShe tapped her fingers nervously on the table as  she was playing an invisible piano until a voice behind her said sharply;

'Well, move then!'  Theda moved out of the way. Then she realised the voice was addressing the others in the group., tThere was general shuffling and the girl Blellatrixack sat on Lestrange's lap producing more space on the seat.

'Do sit down, Professor,' said Severus., 'Hhe not as contagious as he looks,' and he indicated the space next to Wilkes, Theda sat down. Severus sat down next to her, and folded his arms. Theda was trapped with these people and was beginning to feel very uncomfortable, when 

Rosier addressed a question to her-

'Professor, what's Durmstrang like?' 

'I finished there over a year ago., iIt's smaller than here and stricter.' TThen, changing the subjects, she showed every one the copper coil on the handle of her wand she had got when she had received the highest marks for Potions in the Durmstrang Equivalent of NEWTs. It was duly admired and passed around the table.   

' But Professor, you said you were at medical school. sSo why are you here teaching ?' Iinquired Severus, who had not leant forward to look at her wand.

'We have to spend the second year abroad, experiencing 'Other Cultures'., I rather cheated and came here, -- as you can probably tell, English is not my second language.' 

They continued chatting about schools, and as Theda was becoming more relaxed she glanced up and happened to notice the mirror on the far wall, reflected in was the tables she was sitting at to her left Rosier, Wilkes, Bellatrix on Lestrange's lap, and to the right was Severus Snape, sitting up very straight with his arms tightly folded and his eyes quite obviously looking straight down her dress. Theda couldn't help but feel a little thrill at this unwitting compliment. Severus was not quite so diffident about his behaviour;, he felt rather disrespectful but at the same time compelled to look, he was hoping that no-one would notice., oOnly Theda had so far, but the others had noticed that he was not participating the conversation.

'I think Sev's nodded off,' said Bella., fFrom where she was sitting it looked like Severus had his eyes closed.

'Our conversation's obviously not erudite enough,' said Wilkes. Severus realised that they were talking about him and stopped looking down Professor Vespertin's dress. 

'Sickle for your thoughts, Sev.' bBut before he could answer Rosier butted in-

'It's probably Vvampires, Professor., hHe's always talking about vampires.'

'He sleeps like a vampire, too,' added Lestrange. 

At this Severus felt compelled to enter this conversation.-

'I don't actually, Professor., aAnd if any one --' he addressed this to Wilkes, '-- is bored by your conversations, I'm sure it is Professor Vespertin.' and hHe looked at her for approval. 

'Well, I do feel a little tired, and that was a lovely sandwich.' tThe food had appeared on the table during their conversations and had vanished almost as soon as it had arrived. 

'Anyway, I need to get back., I have a pile of marking to do,.' she continued. Severus got up and let her out, but what he really wanted to do was to take her arm and walk her back to her office, and….

'See you later., dDon't forget to do that work I set.' Severus watched her cloak swirl as he opened the door and she disappeared into the hazy afternoon sun.

'Well, well, Sniv. I wish you luck,' said a voice, that sounded like some one posh trying to sound rough, in his ear. He turned around., sStanding behind him was Sirius Black., cCaught by surprise, Severus reached into his robes for his wand, but Sirius just laughed. Severus looked down at him. hHe was at least four inches taller than Black, and it was one of the few advantages he had. Sirius looked back and then spoke in a low voice so that no one else could hear. 

'You're nothing to her., yYou're the greasy sneak who no-one likes and barely knows who his own mother was, although looking at the offspring I think we can conclude that she wasn't strictly human.' 

This time Severus did pull his wand out and was about to do a tongue-tying hex when James Potter came over and put a hand on his arm.  Severus snatched his arm away and glared at Potter.

'As hHead bBoy, I'll have to report you, Snape.' He smirked, enjoying this official opportunity to pick on Severus.

'I was provoked, Potter,' he said between his teeth., h He appeared to be trying very hard not to hex Potter as well.

'He was only talking to you, Snape. Now leave it, both of you.' he James walked off and Sirius followed him, only pausing to glance back at Severus and stick his tongue out. Severus sat back down and stabbed the table with his wand, muttering 'I hate Potter' and 'I hate Black' with each stab.

***

That Monday morning the dungeons were crisp and fresh, so when the seventh 7th Y years trooped in, Theda made a surprise announcement.

'Today, as a bit of fun before we get down to some serious work, I've decided we should do Cosmetic Potions. ,I've got some books out from the library.' She indicated the volumes on her desk.

'I bet Snape is going to do a de-greasing potion,' said Sirius Black, and the Ravenclaws tittered nervously. 

Theda looked at Black and pointed her wand at the door.; iIt flew open and slammed into the wall. 'OUT! NOW!' she commanded. 

Black's grin slipped from his face;, the force of that door opening had shown just how angry she was. The class twisted round in their seats to watch Black practically dragged out of the classroom by Professor Vespertin. One of the more nosy Ravenclaws whispered a charm so that they could see on their side of the door what was being said on the other. This is what they read;

Professor Vespertin-Mr Black I am very disappointed in you.

Black (_mumbles_) -– Sorry, Professor.  

Professor Vespertin V- I want my class to be a place of learning, not a war zone., I want my students to be able to learn in peace without having to endure insults from their classmates., dDo I make my self clear?'

Black- Yes, Professor.

Professor Vespertin- Now, what are you going to do?

Black- Apologise to Snape, Professor.

Professor Vespertin- And one last thing., tTen points from Gryffindor.

Severus smiled at this. aAt last, here was a teacher who didn't think the sun shone from every Gryffindor's arse. The door opened again, and a sheepish Black walked back to the front bench and apologised to Snape.  The Ravenclaws moved closer to the front and began looking through the books. Snape slipped off to the back of the classroom with a Bbook called '_Triumph over Tricky Trichological Trials'_ and sat down, and tryinged to find a degreasing Potion.,  nNear the back, after Mrs Skowrer's Scalp Scrub, was Sebum Suppression Solution. He read the instructions through and started work. 

At the front of the classroom, The Ravenclaws were making odd coloured hairs dyes, some of which appeared to be for making hair glow in the dark. , Theda did _not_ want to know what that was for. On the Ffrontbench, Sirius Black wasn't in the mood for fun, and was reading his textbook. 

Theda watched Severus working in the gloom at the back of the room and wondered why she had been so angry with Black.; aAfter all it had merely been a childish taunt. She could see Severus' pale face framed by his hair as looked intently at his book.  He really looked quite mysterious and handsome. 

'_Handsome?_' Theda asked herself., '_Where did that come from?_' 

Although, looking again, she could see that his movements were graceful and unsettling, like a spider's, and those eyes, Theda remembered, beneath the heavy brows they  they were dark and glowing, but entirely inscrutable. Theda shook herself, embarrassed., wWhat was she doing, dreaming over a student like this? She was supposed to be thinking about Potions, not Passions. 

She decided she had better take a look at what he was doing, just in case. He looked up as he heard her approach and looked at suspiciously as if expecting a telling off.  Theda pulled a stool over from form the bench in front and sat opposite his cauldron. 

'I'm so sorry., tThis lesson was supposed to be fun.'  

'It not your fault, Professor., Black's always like that.' Severus added some witch hazel to his cauldron, and a cloud of astringent steam made both their eyes water.

Severus dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve, and looked at Professor. Vespertin. She seemed to be waiting for something. He took a deep breath and breathed in more steam, which made him cough., rRecovering from the coughing, he leant forward and whispered to Professor. Vespertin:. 

 'Black and his pernicious friend Potter have been picking on me since the first year., lLook at this scar--,' he pointed under his chin, '-- that was from being pushed out of third floor window with a horned gargoyle beneath it.'  

Theda looked at it and was duly perturbed.

'But why you? What have you done to them?' she askedsaid, frowning in a puzzled manner. 

Severus shrugged his shoulders.

'I can't even remember how it started, but the crux of biscuit is the fact that they're everything I'm not; popular, good looking, clever, a Quidditch hero. Of course I've retaliated, but that just gets me in trouble. , eEvery one at this wretched place favours Gryffindor- Eexcept you, Professor.' hHe smiled at her in a mildly sycophantic manner. Theda looked at him, slightly shocked, and then a dark look passed across her face.

'You know what they say about girls being just as horrible bullies as boys? It's true.'  Her eyes dampened and she looked away. 

Severus dropped the ladle he had been stirring his potion with into the cauldron with a clang and opened his mouth to speak, but Professor Vespertin had moved off and was dismissing the class in a tight voice.  The Ravenclaws shot out, impatient to show their friends their Ppotions;, Black, who seemed still to sulking, stalked out, merely throwing a contemptuous glance at Severus.  Busy bottling his Ppotion, Severus didn't see Professor Vespertin disappear through the bookshelf., hHad he done so he would, perhaps, have seen the damp handkerchief she was clutching in her hand.

(:Thank you to my beta readers Sheena, Aeishya and Devon_Severus who have all been a great help:)


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter III- **

Theda ran through her office and threw herself onto her bed. Severus' confession had brought back memories of her own schooldays and all the torment she herself had suffered. Theda dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, and a few sobs shook her body then she swallowed hard and tried to pull herself together. Hugging  the pillows seemed to help, but it left black spiders from her mascara. Finally she managed to catch her breath and tried to dry her eyes. The fourth years would be coming soon and she really should be pulling herself together. She looked in the mirror and saw how red her face had gone. She sniffed again and dabbed on some concealer to cover up the blotchiness. 

In the library, Severus was angrily looking for books. He was angry because he was confused. He didn't know why he felt so unhappy about the idea that anyone would pick on his professor. Granted, she had told Black off, but other pretty girls had stood up for Severus before, and it hadn't affected him like this. Still confused, he sat down with a book and started making notes.  As he worked, he half-listened to the people on the opposite table talking about the Quidditch trials the next day. 

That evening, Theda was in her office marking the third years' work. At the opposite end of the dungeons, Severus Snape was heading back to the Slytherin common room reading a small gilt-edged tome on toadstools. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, but his feet knew exactly where they were going. Unfortunately Sirius Black had different ideas, and as Severus passed the niche where Black was hiding, he stuck his leg out. Severus tripped right over it and scraped down three steps with a gasp. At the bottom he eased himself into a sitting position and leant against the wall with his wand drawn; he was winded and couldn't stand back up.  He cursed under his breath. If he hadn't been so absorbed in his book he might have had prior warning. 

Black and Potter dropped the invisibility cloak and advanced towards him. Severus could see Pettigrew standing at the top of the steps, holding the cloak and watching his heroes raptly. Lupin was no-where to be seen; _having an off-day_, Severus supposed. 

Potter and Black had their wands out ready to hex Severus.

'You rotten sneak!'  

'You lost us nearly fifty points!' 

'It was only thirty five,' said Severus, pedantic even under pressure.

'Only?' squeaked Pettigrew from the steps. Black  threw a quelling glance over his shoulder and Severus took advantage of this lapse of attention to edge backwards down the corridor a little. Between the stabs of hatred one thought penetrated his mind '_run'_

'You deserved it,' he gasped.  It felt like he had cracked a rib on one of those steps and he wasn't sure he would be able to run, but the thought persisted. 

Black pointed his wand at Severus's throat and for one awful moment Severus thought  he was going to do the Peanut Jinx, but Black muttered a Silencing Charm that made Severus wheeze. 

A strange light was playing around the two boys' faces.  Severus edged backwards again, trying to put a little breathing space between them. He decided to run for it. He was nearly at a corner and if he ran now he could be around it and out of range before they could do anything about it. 

He jumped to his feet and fled. 

Potter, slightly taken aback by this unexpected flight, stepped back. Severus pelted down the corridor. He could hear Black shouting behind him and heard a spell being shouted. He sensed something above and ducked. 

 A howl of anger echoed behind him, and looking up he could see the source of the mysterious light -- a mirror that Professor Vespertin had put up to direct more light into her classroom had swung round and was now sending light down the corridor.  In it, Severus could see that Black's Impediment Curse has reflected back on him and Potter and Pettigrew had stopped to help him up. 

Severus turned right into the classroom and looked around for some where to hide. His rib was hurting dreadfully from running and his throat was very dry. His eyes passed over the bookshelf by the teacher's desk …  something about it… then he remembered. He put his wand outand tried to say  'circumlocum,' but all that came out was a cough. 

He could hear Black and Potter coming down the corridor. He tried again, and this time a rasping whisper issued from his throat. The floor moved and he was almost knocked off his feet.

In her office, a scraping noise made Theda look up from her marking. She was so startled to see the bookshelf moving that she pulled her wand out and pointed it at the shelf. She didn't know what to expect. 

She definitely wasn't expecting Severus Snape, but Severus Snape it was. 

Theda stared for a moment and he wheezed at her, trying to say something. She offered him a sweet and told him to sit down. He did so, looking at the back at the bookcase as if checking he hadn't been followed. Theda waited for the sweet to take effect, and when Severus had recovered he explained what had happened. 

'And, Professor,' he finished, 'I think I may have broken a rib. Could you take a look at it?' 

Theda nodded.  'Do you want some thing for your hands?' she asked.

'My hands?' He looked puzzled, and then noticed they'd started stinging. The adrenaline must have been wearing off. 'Yes, please.' 

Theda handed him a jar of graze cream and he rubbed it into his palms. Theda studied him.

'You'll have to take your shirt off if you want me to look at that rib.' She turned around. 

Severus took off his robes, jumper, shirt, and tie and hung them neatly on the back of the chair he had been sitting on. He looked down at his chest where a bruise was already beginning to blossom. As he stood there, he suddenly felt rather embarrassed. 

This was exactly how Theda felt when she turned around and saw his semi-naked body. She had thought he would be skinny, but he wasn't. He was lean, with smooth pale skin like marble. It was making her nipples tingle and she found herself wishing she could hug him tight, pulling his lithe body into hers. Theda blinked rapidly and broke the train of thought.

_I must concentrate. This is Healing, Hippocratic Oath et cetera,_  she said to herself. With this she put one hand above his stomach and the other in the small of his back  and asked him to breathe in. His skin was as soft as it looked, and there was something strangely erotic about feeling the swell of his diaphragm. 

'Ah,' gasped Severus and stopped breathing in. Theda let go and thought about this.

'It's  all right, it's just a fracture.' She pulled out her wand and fixed the wound. Her hands still 

tingled where she had touched his skin and her heart was beating a little faster. She picked up the pot on her desk and rubbed some of the cream onto his rib where the stone steps had scraped his skin through his clothes. 

Being this close to his body and being able hear him breathe  made little shots of excitement zing up and down her body and then congregate in  her primary erogenous zones. 

Had Severus realised the effect he was having on her, he might have been less embarrassed about his own feelings. He could see straight down her dress and this, combined with her hand massaging the cream onto his ribs, meant that he now had a most definite erection. 

Theda shifted a little to rub the last bit of cream in and accidentally brushed against his erection,  making Severus's eyes open very wide. The mere touch of it made Theda's nipples stand on end, and her vagina rippled in demand for sexual sustenance. 

The words _Hippocratic Oath_ floated through her mind, and Theda stepped back allowing the urges to subside a little, but nothing short of orgasm was going to quell the insistent ache of her clitoris. She turned around so that Severus could dress himself and tightly screwed the lid of the jar back on. 

'Professor?' 

She turned around.

'Umm, thank you, sorry I barged in on you.'  Severus headed towards the door. Theda followed him and opened it. Severus looked down the corridor, checking for the Marauders.  When he had satisfied himself that he was safe, he stepped out of the office and hastened back to his dormitory. His erection hadn't quite worn off, and he had plans for it.

Theda closed the door and locked it firmly. She had no wish to be disturbed in this titillated state. She sat down at her desk and slumped into her chair. The clitoral ache was still there.  

Almost involuntarily, she pulled up her long skirt and slipped her fingers into her knickers. She looked down and admired the way her the silky material flowed over her arm and back onto the floor. Afterwards,  feeling deliciously damp, she went into her bedroom and got ready for bed, not feeling particularly guilty as she was willing to bet that that evening she had caught Severus staring down her dress, and  was indulging in much the same thing. She got into bed and fell asleep, listening vaguely to the wireless.

***

The next day Theda worked all through her free block, hoping to finish her marking and so have time for some light revision before dinner. The third years were skittish and spent the entire lesson talking about Quidditch, trials, teams, points, team colours, and whether or not the benches would have cushioning charms this year. Theda listened as she marked their work and marvelled that they found so much to talk about. Still, at least they seemed to be working. 

In the staff room at lunch, the teachers were no better. Hetty Crates was walking round with a money jar trying to persuade people to make bets on the Quidditch cup, while some one whom Theda presumed was the Arithmancy Professor jotted odds on a blackboard. Theda sat down on the sofa next to Shielda, who was poring over what seemed to be statistics for the last hundred years of school Quidditch. 

'So, who should I put my hard earned money on?' said Theda, just to make conversation. 

Shielda had taken Theda under her wing, she was quite sure that the Potions Mistress wasn't a spy.

'Well, for easy money, I'd say Gryffindor. Their Seeker is very good, but Ravenclaw are in with a definite chance. They only need one new player. Slytherin are not likely to pull through, since they lost three players and one of those was captain. So unless they really pull themselves together, they're probably heading for runners up,' said Shielda all in one breath.

'Oh, right, I see.' Theda looked at the odds on the blackboard again. 

'Just stick a pin in the list,' said Shielda 'That's what I'm going to do.' Shielda spread the parchment out on the table and Theda pulled a pin out of her hat. Closing her eyes, she moved the pin around where she thought the parchment was and stabbed. 

'Good choice,' said a voice. Theda opened her eyes and looked up to see Monti Latymer. 

'Slytherin it is, then,' said Theda. Hetty, sensing that she was needed, came over with the collection jar and clip board. 

'T. Vespertin, Slytherin House…how much do you want to put in, Theodosia?'

'Is half a Galleon enough?'

'That's fine.' Hetty's quill wrote this down as she put the money in the jar. 

***

After lunch Theda lay on the sofa in her sitting room, reading her medical text books and revising the last year's work. After three hours of Hippocrates and Galen, Theda put down her books and decided she'd better stretch her legs and see how the Quidditch trials were going. 

As she walked down to the pitch she could hear the people in the stands. Everyone seemed to have turned out to watch. She was heading for the teacher's stand when someone coming down from the players' tower grabbed her wrist. 

'Professor, I'm on the team' Severus came down the last few steps. He was still holding onto 

Theda's wrist and pulled her round with him. He was wearing a green Quidditch robe that was slightly too short and his hair was tied back out of his eyes. A few locks had come loose at the front and made him look a little Byronic. 

'Well done. I would shake your hand but, well…' She looked pointedly at her wrist.  He 

dropped it, embarrassed. Theda could feel her own cheeks reddening and muttered an apology.

'No, Professor I'm sorry, I shouldn't have….' He stopped, not knowing what to say.

'Really, it's all right, I don't mind.' 

There was an awkward silence, then someone yelled across the grass:

'Oy, Snape, you kept that under your hat! Who'd have expected you to be such a good Beater?' 

 Severus hadn't mentioned to anybody that he had spent almost every day during the holidays practicing. 

'So, Beater?' said Theda, and the tension was released.

'Yes. And Hammond and Nedry are Chaser and Keeper. They're in the fifth year.' 

'And the captain? Professor Dunkle said the captain had left.'

'That's Geoff now, you know, the one you sat next to in the pub.'

'Apart from you.'

'Yes.' 

'Well, good luck. I'll see you in class.' 

She had only taken a few steps when Severus called her back.

'Professor, they've finished!' 

Theda stopped and turned around.

'What? I can see them, its Hufflepuff.'

'They're the last team and they've nearly finished.'

'Are you sure?' She narrowed her eyes.

'Yes.' Severus was a skilled liar.

'Okay, then. I'll just go back.'

'Professor?' 

'Yes?'

'Um, I ….' He ran his hand over his hair, making more bits fall out and making himself look more wild. 'Professor, um, would you, er, like to go for a walk? 'Round the forest?' He looked away, he could feel her confusion. Theda blushed.

'Mmm.'

They walked over towards the forest without exchanging a word. As they neared the trees, Theda looked in nervously and wondered if she was safe. 

'It's all right Professor, nothing ever comes out. I've been here for hours and I've seen nothing.'

'You come here often?' said Theda, mildly concerned.

'No-one else does. I come out here in the summer. No _disturbances_.' He frowned at the thought.

Theda looked at him and noticed the too-short robe he was wearing.

'Here,' she said, pulling out her wand. 'Shall I let the hems out a bit?' 

Severus shrugged the robes off and held them up.

'Little housewife,' he laughed.

'Actually,' said Theda, looking up sharply, 'they're medicinal stitches.' 

She continued poking her wand up the sleeves, and then Severus held it a bit higher so she could do the hem. The sun had sunk below the horizon and a cold breeze whistled through the trees behind them. Theda shivered and Severus suddenly felt guilty as he put his robes back on.  

'Professor, you're shivering. Do you want to wear these?'

'Not now, they're far too long.' 

Severus's face fell. Then he thought of something.

'Tell you what, you can have my jumper.' His took his robes off again and wriggled out of his jumper. This was more than his hair could take, and the leather lace that had been holding it together gave way and fell on the ground. As Severus searched on the ground for it, Theda could see that his hair wasn't quite as greasy as normal. It looked rather soft. Finding the hair tie, Severus stood up and handed his jumper to Theda. It was like being eaten by a black woolly monster. If the jumper had been loose fitting on Severus, it was positively voluminous on Theda. She put her hands in the sleeves and hugged herself. The jumper smelt cosy and was really rather snuggly. They carried on walking.

'So, Severus, what do you intend on doing with yourself next year?' 

He hesitated. He had noticed that she had said his first name she made it sound different. Maybe it was the slight rolling of the R, or just the tone of her voice. 

'Well, I don't know. You make healing seem very interesting, but there's just one thing I don't like about healing.'

"And what's that?" 

"The Patience" one side of his mouth twitched 'Anyway there are always jobs in the Ministry.'

'Ah, the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure more people are employed in the Ministry than people they're ministering. Still, it keeps the economy afloat.' 

'They have some research posts vacant. I want one of those.' 

Theda nodded and snuggled a little deeper into the jumper. It was getting rapidly darker and Theda really didn't like being so very close to the forest. She could see eyes glowing menacingly from the darkness.

'It's all right Professor, they won't come out. They're little outcasts, everything in the forest is. Maybe that's why I like it here. I'm at home in a backhand sort of way.' 

Theda sensed the bitterness in his voice and felt a small lump in her throat. She knew what he felt. She had been like that when she was at school, picked on for her accent, her hair, anything, not even her name was safe.  She looked at him, tall and angular, his stark complexion emphasised by the moonlight. Compared to the forest he was positively cuddly, but he seemed sure that the creatures in the forest wouldn't come out, and she had to trust him. She was torn between being cold and slightly frightened, and rather enjoying being alone with this strange but handsome young man. It was, she supposed, rather thrilling, but she wished she could at least have a reassuring arm round her waist. 

They walked on in silence, until they came to a part of the forest through which they could see the castle.

'I'm sorry, Professor, but we'll have to walk through this bit. The creatures won't bite. It's too close to the castle.' 

They walked through, Theda's heart beating a little faster than normal, and she had stopped hugging herself and had her wand out, just in case. Severus had his wand out too. For once in his life he felt he was capable of protecting something, of not being a victim, and it was over far too soon. 

Theda let her breath out.

'Well, that was a trifle interesting.' She leant against a tree, a safe birch tree with peely bark and a carpet of crisp brown leaves around it. The glowing-eyed creatures preferred the evergreen of the pines. 

Theda looked up. Severus had moved closer, and then took hold of her shoulders. 

Instinctively she tilted her face up and he kissed her on the forehead. 

Theda closed her eyes and breathed in raggedly. She could smell him, the same cloves and oranges smell as the jumper, and his lips were warm and slightly dry from his flying earlier in the evening, but they felt so nice just pressing on her forehead, like nothing she had ever felt before, and it made butterflies flutter round her stomach. His hands on her shoulders had pinned her arms to her sides but now he let go and looked at her. His face glowed white in the moonlight and his eyes glowed, too. Theda rubbed her forehead.

 'Is that a bad sign?' he asked, his smile dropping from his face.

'It's tingling, in a good way.' They both smiled and Theda stopped rubbing her forehead. She yawned instead.

'Gosh, I'm so tired. I really must go to bed.'

They walked back to the castle and went in through the small door cut into the big side door. They split up and walked down to their opposite sides of the dungeons, Theda still rubbing her forehead and smelling that warm smell. As Theda got ready for bed, she realised that she had not given the jumper back. She put it on her bed and when she tucked herself in she snuggled into it, smelling its scent. 


	4. Chapter Four

** Disclaimer, JKR is the big cheese, we bow down to her superiority she is the multi-millionaire I am the poor student I have 0 food so I can't be making money from this so please don't sue me***  
  
Chapter IV As Theda woke up the next morning her pillow felt oddly prickly, and then she remembered just why she had a woolly jumper in her bed, throwing to one side she rubbed her eyes and went to her washstand, and brushed her hair as she did so the brush caught in a tangle and the bruises on her wrist made themselves felt. She put down the hairbrush and pulled up her sleeve. The red marks from the night before had turned purple. As Theda rubbed them she thought about what had happened and her forehead tingled where he had kissed her. She picked up the jumper and put it in her office, intending to give it back after the lesson that afternoon. Now they were well into the second week and work was due from the classes. The fifth years she had before lunch seemed to have forgotten the concept of deadlines over the holidays and grumbled when they were informed that most of them had lunchtime detentions. Fifth years didn't have the luxury of free blocks and so considered their lunch break sacrosanct. The seventh years didn't have quite such a problem with deadlines; and so nearly all of the class handed in their parchments on time. Just one name was on the detention board: Severus Snape-4pm. Black smirked at Severus from the opposite end of the front bench. Severus glared back; he was not pleased to be shown up like this so at the end of the lesson he stayed behind to make such thoughts clear. He approached Professor Vespertin who was sorting through the work on her desk and positioned himself, arms crossed, behind her as she piled up some books to take back into her office. He spoke to the back of her head. 'Professor, I was going to do that work last night after the Quidditch trial, but, well, you know what happened.' He crossed his arms , feeling awkward mentioning such things aloud. Theda turned around and looked at him mock-sternly. 'You should have thought about that at the time.' A self righteous expression crept onto his face and he opened his mouth to complain. 'But-' Theda put down her books. 'No excuses, as a prefect you should be setting an example to your classmates.' She tapped his badge teasingly. 'You're a cruel woman, Professor,' he said., but uncrossed his arms. 'Yup, she said. Now, shoo! And don't come back till four -- through the proper door, please.' He pulled his bag onto his shoulder and prowled out of the room. She watched him walk out and wondered why she could be so confident with him now, when last time they'd met she'd been so nervous. Maybe it was because she had a nominal authority over him, or maybe it was because of what had happened last night. She rubbed her forehead again. Then she remembered the jumper. She was supposed to have given it back. Oh well, she thought, I' ll give it to him later. She picked up her things again and retreated into her office, putting the books and scrolls on her desk with the fifth year work. She then went into her bedroom, brushed her hair and put on a little blush-proof foundation, and some lipstick. She went back into her office, sat down and started to read a fifth year's essay, every once in a while stopping to dip her quill in the inkpot and write comments on it in her scratchy handwriting.  
*** Fifteen minutes later Severus looked at his watch. Three minutes to four. He had run up from the prefects bathroom with his half finished essay and a quill tucked into his robes, his hair was freshly washed and it still felt damp as he ran his hands through it and looked at his watch again. He knocked. 'Enter,' came the voice from within. He did so and looked at Prof. Vespertin sitting in her chair, her feet not quite touching the ground. She glanced up as he came and his heart did a double beat. That under-the-lashes look was damned sexy; he wasn't sure if she meant to do it as she didn't look him in face, but he wasn't complaining. She was a cherub crossed with a vampire, precious and dangerous. 'Sit down.' He did so and got out his parchment and quill and started writing, with his chin resting on his arm, which was draped across the parchment. Theda stopped writing comments and watched him. 'Should you be wearing glasses?' she asked. 'No,' he replied automatically without looking up. 'I think you should get your eyes tested,' she insisted. Without acknowledging her remonstrations he felt the pockets of his robes, and produced a pair of oval wire rimmed specs, which he put on reluctantly. Theda was pleasantly surprised by their tastfulness. 'Very smart. Now, why don't you wear them more often?' 'And make myself even more of a target? No thanks.' He grimaced at the thought. 'I think they look nice,' said Theda truthfully. They lent him an intellectual air, at odds with his wild hair and brooding eyes. 'Yes, but you're biased, Professor. You seem to like me. No-one else does.' He went back to his work embarrassed for stating such a personal thing so bluntly. They worked in silence, only the 'skreek' of quills and the clink of nibs in inkwells. Eventually Severus finished his essay and wrote his name at the top of the page. 'Can I go now, Professor?' he said, taking off his glasses and putting them in a pocket deep in his robes. Not that he particularly wanted to leave , but he had to show proper form. 'No, you'll stay here until the hour's up. You can read a book if you want.' She waved at the bookshelves and then went back to her work. Severus got up and looked at the shelves. Finding a book on vampires, he pulled it out and looked at the title page. Written on it in a spiky hand under some writing he couldn't read was Theodosia Vespertin. The T, he thought, it stands for Theodosia, and at that moment it was the most beautiful name in the world. Theda looked up to see what he was doing and recognised the book. 'You'll need a Transparlation Glass for that,' she said, and looked through her drawers for one. It was under the jumper and she pulled them both out and put them on her desk. 'The charm is transparlate germannica anglicum.' He took the sheet of enchanted glass and started reading, holding the book right up to eyes. 'Glasses, Severus,' Theda reminded him. He pulled them out of his pocket as he sat down again, still reading. Theda finished the essay she had been marking and looked at her watch, wondering if it was too early for tea. She decided it wasn't and went into her kitchen corner put the kettle on and raid the biscuit tin. Taking advantage of her absence Severus stopped reading and looked around the office over his glasses. Alongside the books and the jars, he noticed a tank full of ammonites rising and falling mournfully in the murky water, a piece of parchment stuck to their tank detailed feeding times. He put the book down and walked over to take a closer look just as Theda came back in to see if he wanted a cup of tea. 'Milk, no sugar, Professor,' he replied absorbed in the molluscs. Theda filled the mugs on the desk and put down a plate of biscuits. Severus sat back down and picked up a custard cream. Theda sipped her tea and watched him over the rim of her mug, eating more biscuits as if he hadn't eaten in a week. He was still looking at the ammonites. 'It is nice to see a man with a good appetite,' she said, smiling, thinking of other appetites. Their little tea party was ended by a sharp knock at the door. Theda frowned and muttered 'that's my private door.' She marched out of the room with her eyebrows knitted together. Severus picked up the vampire book and carried on reading. Pricking up his ears he heard Theda answer the door impatiently and then heard Prof. Latymer's voice speaking honeyed words. His heart contracted and he felt suddenly sick. What if she should be enjoying those words Latymer was speaking? Surely she preferred him? Had he misread her? But of course she saw him in the staff-room, how was he to know how friendly they were? Then Professor Vespertin raised her voice sharply: 'No, Monti, I don't want to go for a drink. I've got a detention and I'm up to my ears in marking.' The nausea lifted instantly, Severus sat up, and took a deep breath to free the knots of jealousy that had formed in his chest. Then he took off his glasses, and listened harder. 'I do like a fiery lady,' said Latymer in an effort to redeem himself. 'Well, ask out a salamander then,' replied Prof.Vespertin tartly, and slammed the door. Severus nearly cracked smile at that abrupt reject. She stalked back into her office and Severus pretended he had been reading all the time. He looked up at a furious Professor Vespertin. No-- Theodosia, he thought. 'That was your Professor Latymer asking me silly questions about salamanders,' she muttered furiously. 'Ugh, the very thought.' He reminded Theda of a creepy boy at her school who had had a nervous tic. She looked at Severus and smiled unconsciously. Looking at him just then was like finding shelter in a dark forest full of wolves. She sat down and finished her cup of tea. 'Right, detention is officially over, but if you want you can stay and help me with the ammonites.' She raised her eyebrows non-committaly. 'It would be a pleasure, Professor.' He said in his smarmiest prefect's voice. 'Well, you'll have to get a lab coat, they can be messy. Then take the tank over to the workbench.' She waved her hand in the general direction. Theda took off her cloak and put on her lab coat over her dress. She chucked one at Severus, who was taking off his school robes and hanging them on the back of a chair. He caught the coat, put it on, and then picked up the tank as Theda pulled out drawers on the wall by the work bench until she found a handful of different sized syringes and some small vials. She put the vials down in the bench and watched Severus put the tank down, looked at the ammonites and then pick up one of vials and look at it closely. It said: Extract of Horn of Jupiter. 'This is used in invisibility potions, isn't it?' he asked. 'Amongst other things, yes. It's what the swirly pattern on invisibility cloaks is supposed to represent.' Theda slid a piece of glass into the tank to separate the ammonites, then plunged her hand into the tank and pulled out a large reddish one. 'Now, you have to push the syringe past the soft body parts and into the liquid in the flotation chamber.' Wielding a syringe on her other hand she demonstrated the extraction technique. 'You'll have to be really careful. If your pierce their flesh or their shell, they'll probably die.' 'Fair enough.' Theda put the mollusc back into the other half of the tank and emptied the syringe into one of the vials. She put her hand into the tank and picked another unlucky mollusc. She watched Severus plunge his needle into an ammonite. His hands were very handsome, she thought, white and elegant with long fingers like a pianist. Theda had read a Muggle music magazine and had been impressed by the hands of the pianists featured within. He had forgotten his glasses again and was holding the shellfish very close to his eyes. Theda put her ammonite back in the tank, picked up his glasses from her desk and put them on him. He looked at her askance through the lenses by way of thanks and then carried on his work. Theda suddenly found a blush rising to her cheeks and thanking her foresight that she had put on the foundation. Turning away Theda concentrated on the extracting until she reached for the last one just as Severus had the same idea, and they both caught the ammonite simultaneously. 'Ladies first,' said Severus. Theda glanced down at the shellfish trapped between their fingers waving its tentacles in a futile effort to escape their collective grasp. 'A gentleman must do his duty,' said Theda, letting go of the ammonite and flicking the water on her hand in his face. 'Ugh, it's salty!' He dropped the ammonite back into the tank and sprayed Theda with the water on his hand. 'Hey!' She put her hand in the tank and threw a handful of water at him. Still dripping, Severus moved round to the desk, picked up his empty mug, and dipped it in the tank. Theda backed away as he held it forward threateningly, but misjudged and ended up nearly tripping over the shelf steps. Severus put his arm put out and trapped her in the corner. Keeping eye contact he moved the mug deliberately closer to Theda and as she tried vainly to back away she ended up ascending the steps. Severus broke open the poppers on her labcoat slowly and deliberately and allowed his finger to brush her throat as he did so. That touch made her throat tingle and her chest tightened. Then, still looking Theda in the eye he tipped the water down her dress. She tried to push him away but he caught her hands and slammed her into the bookcase. This sudden energy made Theda tingle and she looked him in the face. He licked his lips in anticipation, and put his hand under Theda's chin, pulling her face closer to his. Theda closed her eyes and felt his lips pressing hard on hers. She put her arms around him and pulled herself into his chest. He reciprocated by slipping his tongue into her mouth and putting a hand on her breast. Even through the lab coat Theda found this intensely erotic, and ran her hands through his damp hair. He kissed her a little harder, and his glasses frames stabbed her in the cheek, making Theda pull away. Severus reached out and rubbed the mark on her cheek. She sighed deeply and leant back into the bookcase, her legs suddenly felt very wobbly now she wasn't being held up. 'Are you alright, Professor?' he asked with a slight frown, he wondered if he'd somehow done something wrong. Professor! Theda thought, and clapped a hand to her mouth, realising what she had done. 'I really shouldn't have done that. Don't tell anyone, please!' 'I wasn't intending on broadcasting it,' Severus replied. 'You'd better go, I've caused enough trouble tonight,' she said, snapping the poppers on her lab coat shut. 'But-' 'No, I could lose my job, and get expelled from medical school; it would be a complete disaster.' Severus unbuttoned his lab coat, threw it across the workbench, and put on his robes. Theda watched him leave, her arms crossed tightly. He had her book under his arm and his glasses were reflecting in the light from the lamps in the corridor. 'Severus! she called. Your glasses!' He froze in the doorway and whipped them off his face, slammed the door, and stalked off down the corridor, kicking the steps. Just when he seemed to have found a woman who seemed to understand him, a woman who fascinated and really attracted him, a woman for whom he was willing to wash his hair twice a day for and who had the most eminently tactile breasts he had ever seen(or felt), he was going to lose her, to her damned conscience. He kicked at a particularly shabby statue, and it collapsed into a pile of rubble.  
*** Theda slumped down at her desk. What had she been thinking? She hadn't needed help with the ammonites, they were hardly savage creatures. She thought it over and remembered Monti Latymer. That was it, she thought. She had been angry at him and that had made her keep Severus later and then, she groaned, it wasn't as though she didn't like Severus, but the consequences of their action had the potential to be so dire they didn't bear thinking about. But it wasn't just a reaction to Latymer, she had wanted Severus to stay behind, she had wanted to spend time alone with him, with someone who understood what it was like to be the odd one, someone with whom she connected. Connected. Her mind turned to the kiss, the kiss and how damn good it was, but not just his lips. He wanted her with his whole body, in a way that only a husband should. She had felt, when she had pressed against him, a desire as strong as her own, frankly she thought should he take it upon himself to ravish her she would positively relish it. Not that it was considered strictly proper to do such things even in such times as those, and anyway there were more things at stake than just her job. Theda sighed and then noticed that Severus had left his jumper behind. She picked it up and put it back in the drawer. Author's Note Thank you to Devon_Severus Aieshya and Sheena who have beta'd, to RF and Elizabeth who have reviewed and to Mel and Veil_25 who have pestered. 


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Harry Potter, Drama, Romance