Dancing with fire. [A Severus Snape fan fiction]

Snapes suspicions

Severus

What on earth was she playing at!? I raged silently to myself as I stormed down the corridor.
"ten points from Ravenclaw!" I yelled as I saw a fifth year blow a huge bubble with his chewing gum in a classroom doorway. He went to protest, but stopped dead when she saw the murderous look on my face. By the time I reached the teachers table my temper was well and truly past boiling point. I threw myself into a chair and took several deep breaths. Why was I reacting so badly to this? A niggling feeling at the back of my mind knew exactly why I was so angered by her. Despite my very best efforts, I had let her get under my skin. Thoughts of her often plagued my mind, and it made me feel very uncomfortable. I still felt like she was too good to be true. It was almost like she was trying to make a fool out of me. My body shook with a fresh wave of adrenaline rushing through me. I gritted my teeth together. I would rather burn in hell then let myself go through heartache again. It had been exactly the same with Lilly. I gave everything I had to her. I handed her my heart and soul, but it wasn't enough. I swore to never be so weak. Emotions are for the feeble minded. I watched her enter the great hall and forced myself to stare at my plate.

I couldn't bring myself to talk to Phoenix. My embarrassment and bad temper was bubbling dangerously close to the surface. I could sense that she was waiting for me to say something, but I kept my mouth firmly closed. About five or ten minutes after her arrival, she pushed her chair back abruptly and went to leave the hall. She stopped in the doorway and our eyes met for the briefest of moments. I felt my stomach lurch with longing, only to be replaced by the intense feeling of disgust at my own weakness. She turned her back on me and left.
Twenty minutes later, I was sat behind my desk with my fingers digging into my eyelids, waiting for my third years to file into the room. As the last student took their seat, I waved my wand towards the chalkboard. Todays lesson plan, ingredients list and instructions appeared.
"You will continue with the work we have been doing on the girding potion." I said softly. "I expect" I added more sharply, "to see exceptional results from all of you." my eyes surveyed the room, watching them quake under my relentless glare.
"Well." I said abruptly, "what are you waiting for!" Almost immediately, there was a mass scraping of chairs against the stone floor, as the students scrambled to their feet. I turned my back to them. Before long my classroom was filled with varying levels of mediocre potion brewing, and it was doing nothing to improve my bad mood.
"Miss O'hara." I said suddenly from behind a blonde haired Gryffindor girl. She jumped at the sound of my voice, then slowly turned to face me. "Can you please tell me what is the third ingredient which is clearly written on the board?" I asked slowly. She looked at the board. Then as the realisationof her error registered, her face began to flush a deep crimson. "Well." I demanded.
"er... doxy eggs Sir." she muttered. "doxy eggs." I repeated. "Then pray tell me, why are you adding poxy venom?" I yelled. She looked mortified as she stared up at me. I could see her eyes starting to fill up. "I...I'm sorry professor." she stammered. "ten points from Gryffindor for your complete incompetence." I growled as I waved my wand at her cauldon making the contents vanish. I stalked away from her, a few students flinched as I made my way past them. When I reached my desk I glanced back at Madaline O'hara. She was wiping her face with the sleeve of her robe, obviously trying to stem the flow of tears that was trickling down her face. I glanced down at the dungeon floor. How had I turned into this? A prickling of unease crept over me. I sat down at my desk and busied myself with some marking. I stared at the writing my thoughts once again drifted onto the raven hair and dazzling smile of Phoenix, I remembered well the curve of her body as she moved, and her eyes. Those beautiful, enchanting....
I slammed my hand down onto my desk as hard as I could. Alot of the students closest to me jumped in alarm.

I couldn't do this anymore.

I needed to talk to her. I needed to know what was her agenda. Who the hell is Phoenix Knight?