Begin Again (Severus Snape/OC Love Story)

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Lightning Struck Tower

     My classmates frequently quipped that Snape's inky-black hair was greasy and unwashed. It wasn't. It was silky and sleek as it twisted and twirled around my fingertips. And his lips... were not tight. They were warm and gentle, and left the slightest touch of peppermint behind on mine.

I'd floated back to my dormitory and into bed in a sort of haze, my heart never ceasing to settle, and when I woke the following morning, only the lingering coolness of menthol was evidence that the whole encounter had not been just a dream. Because that was how it felt – dreamlike – to be falling away from him, his eyes as gentle as I'd ever seen them as he promised to see me the following evening; as he promised, cryptically, to set some issues straight in the meanwhile and send me a message when it was "safe."

It was impossible to focus on homework, studying, or anything else other than the feeling of his lips against mine. I replayed it over and over in my head, often unwillingly, sometimes not, and I had to keep snapping my attention back to the task at hand - Conjuring Spells. The end of term workload was unlike anything I'd ever experienced in the past, but my mind kept wandering back to that office, in spite of my efforts. I'd even skipped dinner, instead hunkering down in my dorm in an effort to force myself to get through the material. But I just couldn't stop thinking about him. What would happen the next time we met? Would it be awkward, or as easy and natural as it had been last night? And what had Snape meant by 'safe'? He was probably still trying to figure out the situation with Malfoy – I hadn't forgotten about the exchange I had overheard between them - and didn't want me to be seen wandering down to his office.

'No, concentrate... Conjuring Spells...' They were surely going to be covered on the Transfiguration exam, but the sun had already disappeared from the sky, replaced by an endless display of stars, and I had barely made any progress despite promising myself I would finish up my Transfiguration review tonight.

How late would the message come? And what could I possibly expect out of this... relationship? Could I even call it that?

I slammed my textbook closed, mentally scolding myself. This was useless.

'Click, tap, click, click, tap, tap, tap.' I startled, then smiled when I spotted the source of the clatter. An owl was frantically smacking its beak into my dorm room window, wings flailing clumsily. I rushed over to the window and swung it open. This must be the message from Snape!

The shiny black bird hovered in front of me, hooting in an impatient way. I retrieved the tiny scroll from its leg and it instantly swooped around, shooting back out the window and into the night sky. Strange.

I unrolled the parchment, excitement building, until its contents were revealed.

STAY IN YOUR DORMITORY.
DO NOT LEAVE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

-S

Ignoring the command, I slid off my bed. Being told to stay piqued my curiosity, making me want to investigate even more. I made my way down to the common room, finding it strangely abandoned aside from a handful of first-years by the fireplace, noses firmly pressed into textbooks. Come to think of it, it was getting pretty late. I paused at the bottom of the staircase. Something suddenly felt very off. There should be Gryffindors meandering all around the common room by now, as was the usual case post-dinnertime. I had been too preoccupied to realize how late it had been getting. An ominous feeling crept over me, jolting me into my senses. In an inexplicable way, there was chillingly tangible magic in the air, and it was a very, very dark feeling that made my hair stand on its ends.