Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter One-Hundred-and-Forty-Eight

gUYS

Silvanna had never been so relieved to be on the Hogwarts Express. Actually, that wasn't strictly true - she could think of numerous occasions where she'd narrowly escaped her dad before slumping into a compartment somewhere. But she was very relieved. It was like taking a breath of fresh air. It was wonderful.

To her dismay however, Marlene did not meet her on the train, and the first she saw of her was in their dormitory, as she couldn't catch sight of any of them at dinner. All three of them were behaving oddly, gathered on Mary's bed and comparing letters. Marlene, who had no letters, looked particularly gloomy, but Mary and Lily were giggling and whispering excitedly.

Aside from teachers, the first time she spoke to someone since getting back was on Friday. She'd just finished her astronomy essay that was due that evening, and was heading wearily back to Gryffindor Tower to take a nap.

Thinking only of how cosy her bed would be, she jumped when someone tapped her shoulder lightly, and was tempted to draw her wand.

Marlene smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry - I didn't mean to scare you." Her cheeks were rosier than usual, and the smallest curls of her hair around her forehead were wet and plastered to it. "Quidditch," she explained.

She nodded, "No James?"

"Oh, I told him I needed to grab a book."

Silvanna frowned, but Marlene continued to smile. "The library's closed."

"Is it? Shows what I know, I've been here seven years!" She laughed, but Silvanna was just plainly impressed. How could she have evaded the library closing time for that long, throughout OWLs and their tutor sessions? "Well I suppose we ought to get back before curfew."

"Oh," she said, looking around. She hadn't been paying attention to who was there, and was pleased to see there wasn't anybody, so she could be as free as she liked with Marlene. "Yes alright then."

Cheery as before, she led the way, nattering about Quidditch practice. The castle was mostly empty around this time of night, dinner having finished hours ago along with all the clubs and practices. As they walked around the sixth floor, the rain battering the windows and the droplets glittering in the torchlight, it felt as though they were the only people in the world. And they could've been.

Marlene stopped, and Silvanna looked around, searching for the cause, but all she could see was Marlene's face, looking at her searchingly. They stood, staring at each other for a minute, like a fox and a hare. They knew what would happen next, held their breaths as they waited for somebody to move first so that the other knew what to do.

It was Silvanna. She surprised herself, stepping forward and closing the already small gap between them. But then she stopped, the flooding feeling of instinct snatched away and left only with bewilderment.

But the first step had been taken. The hare had moved into position and now the fox was to pounce. Marlene swooped forward, pressing her lips to hers just like that night in Gryffindor Tower, just like the moment Silvanna had replayed for months and months. Her mind seared, exploding in time with her floundering heart, and she felt Marlene's hands flitting over her waist, her neck, in her hair. She followed suit, resting one hand on her shoulder and using the other to play with the tail of her plait.

The Bell Tower chimed ten o'clock, and they pulled apart. Marlene stared at her, mouth hanging open and puckered with swollen lips. "Come on," Silvanna said, checking no one was around. Relief filled her when she saw the corridor was still empty. "We've missed curfew."

Marlene didn't move. "I'm glad - I've waited - sorry."

Silvanna didn't see any need to apologise, her mind hazy and foggy and not really thinking, just doing. She shook her head, hoping she conveyed that no apology was needed. "Come on," she repeated.

*****

Silvanna was extremely confused.

They were studying The Great Work in alchemy, and it was nothing short of nonsensical for everyone involved. It was highly theoretical, and the way they were taught it seemed like Dumbledore himself would struggle to explain it. But nevertheless, they'd been set an essay on prima materia so here she was trying to figure out what on Earth it was. Except all the books were in Latin, which made things trickier. For her best subject, she was struggling rather a lot.

And when she was just beginning to understand her notes, her brain switched courses, thinking back to a few days earlier when Marlene's lips were intertwined with her own, those few blissful moments...

More than once her mind had wandered, at dinner, in lessons, studying...She just couldn't seem to think properly. She didn't know what to make of it, whether Marlene was playing some cruel joke on her, whether she just liked the thought of it, whatever it was. But there was no denying she had liked kissing Marlene. She was just confused about it all.

So, so confused.

She hadn't spoken to Marlene over the weekend and had only seen her briefly while she was talking to Lily in their dorm. Silvanna got up too early and Marlene was in bed too late for their paths to cross.

The only sensible thing to do was what followed.

On Monday night, Silvanna waited in the freezing rain nearby the women's changing rooms entrance for Quidditch practice to be over. They were quite new, what with the lack of female players, but that didn't make it any more appealing to her.

It had gone dark within the last hour or so, but she'd remembered her umbrella so it was really a game of patience. And her nerves were making her jittery but that could have been the cold. Yes, it was probably just the cold.

Finally the team appeared, and walked right by her. She couldn't blame them - what chance did they stand at spotting an invisible person? She probably could if it wasn't so dark, just because she knew what she was looking for.

Marlene disappeared between the folds of the entrance, and she squelched across the mud and followed her inside. It was so much warmer in here, and she could hear the pattering drip of a hot shower somewhere, as well as the tune Marlene was humming. She followed it through the tent (it seemed odd there'd be showers in a tent, but she supposed it was a magic tent), and rounded a corner to see Marlene polishing her bat while the showers warmed up.

She made herself visible and stepped into view, making Marlene jump. "Oh Silvanna! You scared me."

"Sorry," she muttered. "I was thinking - about Friday?"

She crossed her arms. "Did you follow me?"

"Well I knew you were going to be here..." She trailed off, Marlene's eyes piercing and making her fidget with her ear. "Sorry. Sorry, I just thought...No, I'll go. Sorry."

"No!" Marlene yelped, jumping up. Silvanna turned back and raised her eyebrows. "No - wait here and I'll shower - oh, James will want to walk me up - do you mind-?"

"How about I just catch you another time?" she suggested, annoyed that she'd have to wait longer. Silvanna Snape was not patient. She needed to talk to Marlene, properly and honestly. It just felt right.

"Yeah? Meet me in the alcove behind the swan tapestry on the fourth floor."

"Cool. When?"

"Half an hour too soon?"

She smiled. "Half an hour's perfect."