Uncanny Snake

XXI - Full Swing

I sat at the Slytherin table, eating my toast in peace, the daily prophet reading the same old news. The handle was slipping, and the ministry of magic couldn't do a damn thing, because corruption always found a way in, all it took was a single person. I felt a tug in the back of my mind and put down the paper glancing at Severus, a little less than pleased. Still, I couldn't help but smile, as promised, he was still at it, dedicated to preparing me, or rather my mind for the oncoming onslaught. Keeping him at bay was the easy part; the hard part was dealing with the frustration of knowing he was holding back.

I appreciated him taking things slow, it was odd though, Severus could be pretty intense, and by that, I meant we usually dove right into the action. However, today was half-day, and I seriously needed to catch up on all my homework—I should award myself a star for being dedicated to my role as an overachieving student. That was my plan for the day, but honestly, I didn't have it in me to study.

Even with the gloomy atmosphere, the sun was as radiant as ever, and it was some quality A grade bullshit. Hufflepuff always got to play during the perfect weather, while I had to bust ass in freezing ass rain. Still, though, Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff wasn't exactly the highlight of my day. Quite boring. It was better than sitting inside brooding with an insufferable headache. "You know Snape's been in a better mood lately, anything to do with that?" Fred asked.

"I haven't done anything in particular, but lately we've been spending a lot of time together." To that, the twins exchanged winks, and I sighed, of course, that's the first thing that comes to their mind.

"You mean you haven't shagged him?"

"When I do or don't fool around happens to be none of your concern." I ignored the twins as they continued rambling on about my love life, but on the topic of Severus, I couldn't see him anywhere. Then again, he rarely showed himself, except for Slytherin games, and even then it could be a fifty-fifty. I knocked at his door, awaiting an answer, but when it never came, I opened the door anyway and entered.

"It's bad to remain cooped up all day," I scolded taking a seat beside him. He acknowledged me with a curt nod, his quill scrambling across the parchment. As usual, he split the stack, and I helped him half-heartedly, my mind wandering off in some faraway place.

"Rynne." I glanced up, meeting Sev's eyes, and he looked particularly irritated.

"What?"

"I called your name three times..." he muttered under his breath, his quill tapping against mine and I realized it had stopped moving.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." I felt him trying to pry into my head and shot him an annoyed glare. "Well, you've got my attention now." And that was the tragic story of how I ended up alphabetizing his ingredient storage. Busy work was my definition of relaxation these days, kept my mind occupied, and an occupied mind was a mind at peace. I noticed a few missing vials, and considering I was a regular in this storage area for more than one reason, I knew the inventory numbers.

Sev caught me by surprise as he placed both hands on my shoulders, and I looked up, kissing his chin. He looked momentarily taken back until I snapped him out of it. "You have missing ingredients, should I be worried?"

"I am quite aware. Thank you, Miss Salazar," he drawled.

"Hey, I'm only telling you the facts, big man." He placed a kiss on my temple and wrapped his arms around my waist. "What are you doing?" I asked, feeling his lips lingering on the exposed flesh of my neck. It was a welcomed feeling, but this wasn't the time or the place. I tapped his arm gently, calling for him to stop, but all I heard in return was an annoyed grunt. Albus cleared his throat, and Sev's eyes shot up, narrowing at the headmaster.