The Potion Master's Apprentice (A Severus Snape love story)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Florence approached the hall with a sense of foreboding dread. Or perhaps her dress was tied too tightly. It was Christmas Eve, and Dumbledore had decided that in these times of celebration that the Dark Lord has been vanquished, it was only right to celebrate properly. That was why he ordered that they all attend a masquerade ball.

It had been almost a week since her last encounter with Severus and if anything his sulky silence made her want him even more. They had barely muttered a word to each other and this aggravated her beyond belief.

"Severus! Will you just talk to me?" She shouted at him one day after cornering him once class had ended. He sighed impatiently and looked up from the book in his hands.

"What do you want me to say Florence? That everything is alright between us? That we can just get back to normal? That's never going to happen and you and I both know it." He returned his attention to his book, unaware of the tears that had sprung to her eyes as she stormed from the room and slammed the door behind her.

That was a couple of days ago now, and the prolonged silence was beginning to rile her. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, he just wouldn't acknowledge the fact that there was something there, something between them. And she was desperate to know why. She could see by the way he looked at her that he wanted her as much as she wanted him, but why wouldn't he let himself have her? They always got so close to being together, Florence would get her hopes up, but he'd just let her down at the last moment. She wasn't going to let him do that to her again. He wasn't going to break her heart into even smaller pieces.

She hadn't realised but her feet had taken her away from the gentle, lolling thrum of the hall and towards the open door. She stood on the steps and breathed in the refreshing night air, allowing her skin to prickle with goosebumps. She sighed and rubbed absentmindedly at her arms before smoothing the creases from her elegant ballgown.

Her dress was a luxurious peach colour, slightly pinched at the waist with a billowing skirt that swished around her legs as she walked. The bodice too was peach, trimmed with delicate lace that spanned the whole of her crinoline skirt. The back of the corset was held together with small, heavily detailed buttons that stretched from the low back all the way down to the base of her spine where the skirt exploded outwards like a flock of peacocks. She swept her hand across the netting that puffed the skirt out, and the almost doily like material that flowed from her waist, embroidered with swirls and small beads and delicate fabric flowers.

She sat on the steps, bunching her skirt around her and peering inquisitively at her shoes. They were a pair of nude shoes with heels like the stem of a wine glass. The elegant straps wound up her leg, as did a trail of small silk roses.

Florence jumped as someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up to see Gellert smiling softly at her, peacock feathered mask held tightly in place with a length of black ribbon. She smiled back and allowed him to pull her to her feet and wrap an arm around her waist.

"You need to put your mask on." He purred, tucking a strand of hair that had escaped her plait behind her ear. She kissed him gently on the lips, savouring the warmth that spread from him to her. She pulled back and lifted the mask to her face. Gellert walked behind her, careful not to tread on her skirt, and tied the white ribbon carefully. He retracted his arm and felt his breath catch in his throat. She looked truly beautiful.

The mask was a pale cream colour, moulded perfectly around her eyes with small oval shaped holes rimmed with silver trim. Across the delicate surface silver flowers swirled gently around smatterings of sparkling pearls and pale pink beads. Her glimmering green eyes blinked at him behind the mask and he smiled. Taking her hand he led her gracefully into the castle and towards the great hall.