a soft place to fall // Severus Snape x OC

013 ❁ Air Into Gold

A/N: I won't say anything for this one except :))) xoxo enjoy and leave some words if you have them!

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"It'll be alright, Hagrid," Wren patted his huge shoulder at dinner. Days still rolling onward with tensions high. "When's the hearing?"

"Coming up. The eleventh of this month," he didn't eat much from his plate. No twinkle to his eye. "Buckbeak isn't bad."

"No, he's not. He's lovely. We all know that."

"Lucius Malfoy is going to be there, I already know what he's pushing for," Hagrid wiped his eyes on a napkin. Wren stole her drink with a sigh.

"We'll see this through, it'll work out," Wren tried for most of dinner to bring up his spirits. Even walked him to the back door and gave him a hug before he left for his hut. Few teachers saw her being openly affectionate and paused in wonder. Whispers carried and Wren shifted uncomfortably.

"Still down, is he?" Minerva stopped as well on her way toward the staircase. "I hope Albus has a plan for this."

"He always does, doesn't he?" Wren fiddled with her sleeves. Hemlock climbed up to her shoulder from his usual pocket. Restless, Wren bid her goodnights and lingered. Pulled a pair of gloves from her robes and slipped out a side door. Barely got three steps before a voice beckoned.

"Walking about at night alone when it's been advised against, Miss Valentine?" Air swept Snape's robes.

"I'm not alone, Severus, I'm with you," she smiled sly there under a glittering black sky. A crescent moon shimmered. "Aren't I?" Wren turned to continue, hearing him sigh. Steps picked up to follow. "I can show you one of my projects. Well, it's a small experiment to assist something bigger I've been working on in my room. Still just as fascinating."

"Lumos," Wren followed the line of the pond with her wand in hand. Deeper into the black, further from the castle lights. Severus caught up to her right, watching the pulse of light flick upon her gentle features. "Should be about time..."

"Time?" He inquired.

"Just watch," Wren let her wand go out. The shine of his obsidian eyes was lost to darkness. "Edge of the pond, up ahead. One of my own creations I've been mingling with a few others. Hoping for results with this one." She gave a calculated swish against the air and something sparked.

"Something oddly comforting about plants," Wren portrayed a passion Severus did not see often. As often as he would have liked at least. "When you walk through nature, they know. They know you're there. They reach out for you."

Another slash. Another spark. Under the dim stars, something came alive. Roots prickling. Leaves rustled out. White hawthorns poking up to shift from water and green leaves. Ripples cast. Petals flexed out and stilled before they all seemed to glow in turn. Swirling to follow the pond's edges in pretty curving patterns. Wren laughed there, moving to follow the swell of lights inching back and forth along the petals.

"These might be nice on black nights like this. Plant them along certain paths for a little illumination. Better than a lumos spell, I think," she turned to grin again. Her wand hovered, spraying a cast of green to nourish her babies.

"How long did this take you? You seem to favor the aquatic plants," Severus trailed to her side, studying the glow.

"Wouldn't say favor. Not to their faces. I'm running experiments with lotus so the like plants are best in my pursuits," Wren knelt to free one line of flowers twisted into a vine. "I do like how...peaceful they seem. Aquatic plants. Easy for me to nurture as well. This took me maybe a year. Nature is life. Unlocking a plant's true potential, dangerous or not, is something that's always interested me. With respect and care. They respond to that same as humans."