With her left hand she held the ladder, her right one reaching out for the book.

Just when she grabbed it, she felt her feet slipping from the rung of the ladder she was standing on.

From that point on, it all happened in some kind of slow motion.

She lost her grip on both the book and the ladder. The book flew up, the air breezing through the pages before landing on the floor with a tearing sound.

Meanwhile Tori had desperately tried to get a hold of something that could prevent her from falling. She through her arms around the first solid object she encountered.

It turned out to be Snape’s neck.

He grasped her tightly, her feet swaying a few inches above the ground.

Her heart was still racing, full of fear, soon to be replaced by another unsettling feeling she knew all too well.

Both heads held at the same height, their eyes locked. She was immediately pulled into those black, drowning depths, only aware of her pounding heart in her chest. She gasped as he gently put her feet on the ground, sliding the post intimate part of her body against his.

He pulled her face to his and began to kiss her hungrily. His lips crushed against hers forcefully and this delightful pressure made her knees tremble and push aside all thoughts of reason.

It was as if her bones were turning to jelly and she clung to him as if her life depended on it. Gently he moved her head to one side and his kiss deepened.

Her lips parted for him and she was amazed at the feeling that passed through her from his touch. Her head was swimming and when she felt his tongue entering her mouth, she moaned deeply and responded passionately.

When he finally moved away from her, she was leaning against the bookshelf, her eyes still shut and her breathing labored.

Slowly her eyes fluttered open, seeing him through clouded eyes.

His eyes were on fire as he looked at her, his breath heavy and loud.

Suddenly he turned around and fled the lab as if a thousand Dementor’s were chasing him, slamming the door on his way out.

Snape paced through the passages as if all hell broke loose. He had no idea of where he was going. Anywhere but his lab would do right now.

How could he have kissed her? Was he completely losing it? What on earth got into him tonight? Had he been deprived of human contact for so long that the mere presence of a young girl could make his blood begin to boil?

Indulged in his thoughts, he didn’t see Lupin coming around the corner and bumped into him.

“Ah…Severus…going somewhere?” Lupin massaged his head where he had collided with Snape.

“That’s none of your business.” Snape grumbled.

“On to Hogsmeade again, in Harry’s cloak? Lupin wouldn’t let it go, he had seen the bewildered look in Snape’s eyes and decided to lend him his ear, whether he liked it or not.

“What do you know about me having Potter’s cloak?”

“Oh, I’ve known for some time that Harry gave you his invisibility cloak to allow you to sneak out occasionally. I don’t blame you, you have to get out sometime I guess, and it’s the only way for you to do so.”

“Lupin, I have no time for idle chit-chat, so if you have something to say, you better say it quick.” Snape said getting irritated quite quickly.

“I think you better come with me to my room and tell me what’s on your mind. Clearly there’s something wrong, even in my office I could hear you storming through the passage.”

They went up to Lupin’s sitting room. Lupin himself sat down in a comfortable chair, Snape started to pace up and down the room.

“Now, are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?”

“Oh, you’ll never guess this one!” bitter irony showed on his face.

“Hmm…it’s something to do with Tori, am I right?” he asked gently.

Snape jerked and dropped his jaw. Softly he uttered: “How…”

“I sense these things you know and really Severus, you don’t have to be a mind-reader to predict that something was going to happen. What is it?

“I kissed her.” He sounded calm, but began pacing again and his teeth grinding gave away that he was trying very hard to control himself.

“I see.” Lupin sighed. “And she slapped you, I take it?”

Again Snape stopped. “No”

“No?” Now Lupin seemed surprised. A slight smile lit his face.

“No. I just…she just…Oh, I don’t know. One moment she’s up that ladder, the next thing I know she comes tumbling down and then she’s in my arms and I’m all over her. What a mess!” He kept spitting out the words, reliving the whole event the way it was engraved in his mind.

“Then my dear Severus, what on earth are you doing here instead of being with her?”

Snape looked utterly astonished. “What do you mean, man? I’m sure as hell not going to go anywhere near her for the rest of the evening. If I could, it would be never again!” he almost shouted and Lupin could see the struggle inside him being reflected on his face.

“Severus, calm down. I really don’t see the problem. You are attracted to her; she is obviously attracted to you…what more can a man wish for?”

“Do you really not have a clue or are you just pestering me?” He sneered.

“All right, I’ll try to see this your way. Please explain to me why you both cannot live happily ever after now that you’ve made your feelings clear.”

“It’s not as simple as you put it Lupin. Regardless of the feelings I might or might not have for Tori, any relationship other than a professional one is out of the question. She was my student up until recently and now we work together, everyday. Our work requires complete concentration and professionalism. There is no need to complicate it by letting our emotions get in the way.”

“A very simple life you must lead, Severus, without those emotions.” Lupin was beginning to feel sorry for the man.

“I will lead my life the way I damn well please!”

“Of course, and so much companionship it has given you.” Lupin raised an eyebrow at him, if only he could make this stubborn fool see some sense.

“I can do without companionship.”

“Clearly!” Lupin masked his laughter by coughing. “You’ll have to talk to her about it you know. She deserves an explanation.”

“What will I tell her?” It was as if he only now realized he would have to face her again.

“That’s entirely up to you my friend. You weren’t planning on pretending it never happened, now, were you?” He’d be just the character to pull off such a stunt.

“Wouldn’t that be easier for both of us?” He clearly saw this as the ideal solution and easiest way out of the situation.

“For you maybe, but you know Tori, she’ll want some answers. Personally I think you are entitled to give them to her.”

“Even if I don’t have them myself? Besides…she didn’t HAVE to kiss me back you know!

“Oooooh, now I see…it’s all her fault, of course! How convenient!” Lupin seemed to take pleasure out of the situation now and this only infuriated Snape more.

“Well, I don’t know what I should tell her or why I should even bother. I just kissed her. So what? Not as if it’s the end of the world. It was a stupid mistake and that’s all. Thanks for the talk, but I’ll make up my own mind.”

“Sure, if you say so. Next time I won’t bother.” Lupin didn’t want to push him any further.

“Fine!!” Snape was on his way out the door when suddenly, as if he realized something, he turned around and snapped: “There will be no next time!” Swirling his robe, he left the room.

*Oh yes Severus, you can make up your own mind about what to do if you like, but you don’t know half of what you’re getting yourself into. Our Tori is not going to let you get away with it that easily.* Lupin laughed out loud now. *Poor Severus, powerful and cunning enough to overcome both Imperius and Cruciatus curses, betraying Voldemort twice and live to tell, only to be outwitted by…love!!*

Back in the dungeon, Tori gradually came back to reality. She eventually found enough strength in her legs to move towards a chair and sat down. She touched her lips. They felt slightly swollen and when she closed her eyes, she could still feel his lips on hers. Never has she been kissed like that before: strong, demanding and entirely overwhelming.

Still finding it hard to believe that it actually happened, she wondered about her reaction.

Realizing she could let herself go like that, not acting on logic, and just responding to the needs of her body scared her more than having to face a dozen Death Eaters!

Was this a natural evolution of previous events in the days leading up to tonight? First she had found an agreeable working environment, receiving praise and encouragement from one of the people she always admired. Then Shannon and her friends had made her all too much aware of the fact that Snape was first of all a man and lately she had begun showing signs of a severe crush towards her esteemed colleague. It was only natural she had kissed him back.

Still one question kept popping up: Why had he started the kiss in the first place? Could it be he saw more in her than just his brilliant assistant? She would have discarded it as a moment of insanity if she had not seen the fire in his eyes, like he had been trying to suppress these feelings for a long time.

And then he just walked out. He was probably cursing himself right now for letting his passion get the better of him. He probably regretted it already. He would never act like those romance novel heroes and go down on his knees proclaiming his love to her. No way! Not a chance! He just wasn’t the type. She didn’t want to rack her brain too much right now about his motives. It was probably just a hormonal imbalance, due to lack of any type of physical contact (on his part), which hadn’t meant anything to him at all.

But how did she feel herself? It was hard to tell. She wasn’t able to think clearly just yet. But she definitely needed to sort out her feelings first, before she saw him again. She needed to know exactly what to say to him and how to act. Some awkward moments were going to be inevitable!

It wasn’t likely that he would return soon, considering his haste on leaving, but she needed the comfort of her own room, so she slowly stood up and went to the Gryffindor tower.

She was awake for most of the night. By 4:00 in the morning, she had analyzed her state of mind in detail and had come to the conclusion it was Gilderoy Lockhart all over again. Just that he hadn’t kissed her. Apart from that, and being much older now, it seemed quite similar. The only explanation was that all that teenage gossip about Snape got her carried her away. She would get her act together for sure. Maybe it would be better if she could forget altogether that it ever happened. First thing in the morning she would tell Snape that she understood that the kiss had been a mistake. It would of course be the proper thing for him to bring it up, but she somehow felt that if it were up to him, there would be no talking at all. The sooner they put it behind them, the better they would be. Then they could go back to just being colleagues again.

Reassured, she managed to get a few hours of sleep. However determined she might have been to forget about what happened; she kept reliving their moment of passion in her dreams.

It was a very shaky Tori that went down to breakfast the next morning. She was relieved to see that Shape was not sitting at the table. She somehow thought she would find it easier if their first encounter after ‘the incident’ would take place in private.

She was about to finish up when Dumbledore came to talk to her. “Tori, Severus wanted me to tell you that there will be no working today. He is taking the protection-potion against the Imperius Curse to the Ministry and will not be back until tomorrow or the day after. You can take some time off.”

“He left Hogwarts?” her stomach turned and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to keep her breakfast down.

“Yes, I don’t like it either, but he insisted on taking the supplies himself. I’m sure he’ll be fine though, there’s little chance he might run into a Death Eater at the Ministry after everything that has happened in the past. He tried to reassure her, noticing the terror in her eyes.

“Of course.” Feeling quite numb, she started to walk towards the door.

“Maybe you can go to Hogsmeade. The students have a free weekend, so you should be seeing some familiar faces around.”

“Thank you, I will.” Tori hadn’t even realized that it was the weekend. Dumbledore was right, she could use some time off. Maybe she could go and visit Hagrid. Oh no, Malfoy would be there and she didn’t feel like talking to another Slytherin.

For now, a stroll outside would do.

She walked on her own the whole morning and went back outside after she ate lunch.

She was going towards the lake when she saw Sirius coming her way.

“Hello Tori, long time no see! It’s good to see you out of that dungeon.” He smiled.

“Yes, it’s nice to be outside. It’s a lovely day.” She smiled back at him.

“Are you planning on doing anything today? I’m going to Hogsmeade myself. Would you like to accompany me?” He took a little bow when he asked and Tori couldn’t keep herself from laughing out loud.

“I’d love to go with you. I’m dying for some butterbeer.”

He offered her his arm and off they went.

When they arrived at the Three Broomsticks a lot of students were already there, including Shannon and her friends. They looked a bit surprised when they saw Tori and Sirius together, but they greeted them none-the-less and continued their prior conversation. Dumbledore was sitting by himself, lost in daydream and Tori was heading towards his table when Sirius pulled her away to sit in the back at a table for two.

“No need to disturb him. He has a lot to deal with right now, and can use some time alone.”

They spent the afternoon talking about the old days, carefully avoiding anything to do with the dungeon and it’s most notorious resident, each having their own reasons.

When they walked back in silence, Tori took the opportunity to do some more thinking on the subject that constantly haunted her. While she was talking to Sirius before, it occurred to her that it was possible that her passionate response to Snape’s kiss was a result of lack of experience. After all, she hadn’t kissed a guy in ages, and the times she had were merely childish attempts. She could clearly recall kissing Harry when he had wanted to ‘practice’ and she was the only one he had dared to ask. There had been more laughing than kissing and she hadn’t felt the slightest spark. It had been a little different with Marcus Belby, a Ravenclaw that had been a year older, but still, his kisses had been so gentle she almost fell asleep during them, but back then she thought it was supposed to be like that.

Maybe she ought to go out more. She glanced at Sirius. He was rather handsome these days, his dark hair not so long anymore; but still long enough to play with and his mouth was really sensual. There then! It wasn’t so difficult to feel attracted to another man. Snape had just been available, that’s it and nothing more.

Tori felt on top of things again, nothing to fear anymore.

When Sirius put his arm around her, she didn’t notice at first, but when she did she left it there.

All of a sudden, she realized that they were not on their way back to Hogwarts.

“Sirius, where are you taking me?” she asked surprised.

“Ah, you finally noticed. You were miles away my dear.” She blushed slightly, knowing where her thoughts had been, or better: with whom.

“Well, I was thinking we could go out to dinner tonight, instead of eating at Hogwarts.”

“Oh, do you know of a restaurant here?” Tori had never noticed one before.

“Why, yes I do! A little Italian place called ‘La Bella Noche’. I hope you like Italian?”

“Of course I do.”

They entered the restaurant and sat at a table for two by the window. The tablecloths had green, white and red stripes, like the Italian flag and numerous little candles were lighting the windowsill. A violin player came up to their table and asked in an Italian accent:

“Whatta do the pretty lady wanna hear?”

Tori didn’t know any Italian songs; well, she did, but none of them were suited for the violin. She looked at Sirius for help.

“Ah, perhaps ‘That’s Amore’?” he smiled.

The violin player grinned and began to play. Sirius sang along to some of the song.

“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore…”

Tori laughed and enjoyed the performance immensely.

Meanwhile, their own real pizzas had arrived and they began to eat.

They shared a bottle of wine, talked about all sorts of things and Sirius seemed to know millions of funny stories. Time flew by and before they knew it, the waiters were cleaning the other tables, gently trying to make them understand that they would like to close up. Sirius wouldn’t let Tori pay for anything, turning this into a real date.

When they got back to Hogwarts, Sirius took her as far as the Main Hall; he himself lived in a cottage near Hagrid’s place.

Tori said goodnight and was already starting to mount the stars when she turned around, went back to him and asked: “Sirius, will you kiss me?”

Sirius looked stunned, temporarily unable to move. He recovered quickly, pulled her in his arms and gave her a slight, tender kiss on the lips. “Goodnight Tori.” He sounded a bit moved and walked away.

*That’s the second one that runs out on me after we kiss,* Tori thought. *Well, at least he didn’t slam any doors!*

She went to her room, still a bit shocked that she had actually asked him to kiss her. She had been thinking about it during dinner, but it had only been a thought back then. Now she knew at least that she could enjoy another man’s kiss. It hadn’t been quite as passionate as the other one, more comforting actually. Then again, passion wasn’t everything.

She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. But in her dreams, it wasn’t Sirius that did the kissing…

The next morning on her way to breakfast, Tori was humming the Italian song she had heard the night before. She felt reborn, ready to take on the world.

There were only a few people in the Great Hall and she found herself seated next to Professor McGonagall. They talked about the school for a bit and when Tori said that she extremely enjoyed teaching, McGonagall looked very pleased and she gave Tori a few hints that made her believe that her stay at Hogwarts would not end after the completion of her work with Snape. This brought her in an even better mood. In fact, she felt so reassured and at ease, she decided a confrontation with Malfoy wouldn’t harm her and after breakfast she went straight to Hagrid’s.

There was no answer when she knocked on the door. Knowing at least that Malfoy would be in; she opened the door herself and went in. Nobody was in the room. Then it occurred to her that Malfoy was staying in a hidden room. The entrance being next to the fireplace, she knocked three times on the mantelpiece and a secret door opened.

Upon entering she noticed Malfoy was not alone. It seemed he had been playing chess with someone, but something must have happened since the pieces were lying scattered on the floor. From the corner of her left eye, she saw movement. She turned her head, only to drop her mouth in astonishment. Draco Malfoy was sitting on his knees in front of the sofa and there was a person lying on that sofa, clinging to him, while engaged in a passionate kiss. It was Shannon.

Unable to move, Tori let out a little shriek. The couple’s heads rose slowly as if they weren’t aware of their environment. Shannon saw Tori first and her face flushed.

Draco turned around and looked embarrassed. Not quite as embarrassed as Tori felt though. She started to turn around when both Draco and Shannon stood up, stammering an explanation.

“Ummmm, I think I’ve seen enough and I’ll leave you to it.” Tori fled the room. She desperately needed some air!

Shannon followed and caught up with her outside Hagrid’s house.

“Tori wait! Let me explain.” Shannon pleaded.

Tori turned to her and the expression on her face showed that she wasn’t ready to accept what she had seen moments earlier.

“Shannon, what the hell is going on? How could you? Malfoy of all people! Have you forgotten how badly he has treated your family and friends? Really!!!”

“Oh, Tori! I know he did some bad things and he was a real pain, but he’s not like that anymore.”

“Hmm…” Tori obviously had some trouble believing that.

“And what about Harry? I thought…”

“You and I both know that wasn’t going to happen. I’ve realized it for some time now. You know, little girls grow up. And Draco, well, he needs me.”

Seeing Shannon close to tears made Tori’s heart melt. She couldn’t be angry with her, the poor girl deserved some happiness, but could Draco really be the one to give it to her? “Shannon, I’m trying to understand, believe me, and if this is what you want, then I’m happy for you. But be careful; promise me that you’ll be careful!!”

Seeing that Tori was at least willing to accept them as a couple, she answered relieved: “Of course I’ll be careful. I’ve had enough encounters with the dark to last me a lifetime.”

Then they both smiled and Shannon went back inside, while Tori headed back to the castle.

Tori spent the rest of the day by herself, not ready for any more surprises. She wasn’t really in a position to judge Shannon and Draco, but it couldn’t stop her from worrying. At least it kept her mind from other worries. Tomorrow morning she had to go back to work and she wasn’t exactly looking forward to her inevitable chat with Snape. Apparently he hadn’t returned yet, so she could use this extra time to relax some more. Her date with Sirius had given her some peace of mind, but it was still Snape that she had to deal with.

When she entered the Great Hall that evening, she noticed some giggles while passing the Gryffindor table. She could overhear the words ‘Snape’, ‘Black’ and ‘love-triangle’ and felt her cheeks redden. Obviously Shannon hadn’t been able to keep her big mouth shut! A bigger shock was waiting for her at the Head Table. Snape was sitting in his usual seat! Sirius sat at the other end, opposite Snape.

Although there was quite some space between the two wizards, she could sense the hostility between them. It was worse than usual. She noticed that there were only two vacant seats let: one next to Snape and one next to Sirius. Not wanting to confront Snape when he was in a foul mood, she sat down at Sirius’ side, immediately realizing her mistake when she saw the look of triumph on his face. Her gaze went to the other side of the table and her breath caught. If looks could kill, both she and Sirius would now be dead, as Snape’s eyes were shooting daggers in their direction. *Oh my God and I had been worried about having to face him after the kiss!* He looked like he was about to cast Avada Kedavra on anyone in his immediate surroundings and she cursed herself for underestimating his feelings. Clearly he was having a severe attack of jealousy. Everyone in the Great Hall could sense that there was something going on between Snape and Black.

Tori finished up as soon as she could and fled the Great Hall.

She had almost reached the stairs when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She shuddered, knowing by instinct whose it was and turned around to face him, her head held high and trying not to show the fear she felt raging inside her.

“Please come with me.” It was very much an order and she complied without hesitating.

He led her into his sitting room, but offered her no seat. The cold fireplace reminded her of the coldness in his eyes.

Still standing he turned to her. The menacing look on his face made her at a loss for words. “We shall have this conversation once, and then none of us will ever refer to it again. Understood?”

She nodded, afraid that the tremble in her voice would give away her fear if she spoke.

“Well then…what happened the other evening was a mistake. Call it a moment of insanity if you like. Nothing more, I will forget it ever happened and you will too if we want to finish our work. Agreed?”

She nodded again, pulling herself together, a fierce look on her face.

“Until tomorrow then.” He looked at the door, making it clear that the conversation was over. She turned around and left.

When she finally reached her room, the tears were running freely down her cheeks. She threw herself on her bed, no longer able to hold back her sobs.

She cried for at least two hours, leaving her with a sore throat, a runny nose and swollen, red eyes. Then she stopped herself. Why on earth was she crying?

And then if finally hit her.

She had been such a fool! Did she have cotton in her head instead of brains? Had all logic left her? How could she have ignored all the signs? It was all so horribly clear now.

Thinking back about all that had happened since graduation, she could strangle herself for not picking up on what was going on.

Thoughts were spinning inside her mind.

Snape. What did she feel when thinking about him? How had she reacted when other people talked about him? She summed it up in her head:
• Admired the scientist
• Thrilled when he chose her to work with him
• Enjoyed working with him
• Defending him to her friends, even got angry with them
• Fearing for his safety
• Drowning in his eyes
• Loosing control of her limbs
• Feeling sparks when he touched her
• Denying all of those feelings, seeking miserable excuses
• Crying over the fact that he said the kiss meant nothing…

Should she continue?

She had never had a crush on Snape! Oh no, it was far worse. She had been foolish enough to fall in love with him.

The words of last night’s song kept ringing in her ear; mocking her for thinking she might feel something for Sirius. ‘When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore…, bells will ring…’

It was exactly how she felt about Snape!!

Remembering his harsh words earlier that evening, her eyes filled with tears again and she was on the verge of another big cry session, when she clenched her fists.

This was crazy. This wasn’t the behavior of an intelligent young woman, and definitely not a Gryffindor. She would not let herself go like this. Surely she could come up with something to get out of this mess.

Slowly it felt like her brains were beginning to take over the situation again.

Holding on to the fire she had seen in his eyes after he kissed her and maybe even more convinced by his display of jealousy in the Great Hall, she mustered up what courage she had (and that was plenty) and jumped out of bed, seeing her determined face in the mirror.

She was going to go after him! All she needed now was a plan. A cunning smile lit her face, knowing this was right up her sleeve.

She stared in the distance, narrowing her eyes. Her following words were barely a whisper, but the resoluteness was unmistaken: “Severus Snape, I’m coming for you and you won’t know what hit you!”

Tori woke up feeling extremely energetic. Today was going to be the start of the most important project she ever engaged in, the seduction of Severus Snape! She smiled, confident that she would succeed. Realizing that he had to teach a few classes this morning, her smile grew to be even larger. Now she could dig into it immediately after breakfast.

At first she considered asking Shannon for help. However, knowing the younger girl was completely wrapped up in Draco Malfoy at the moment and certainly not going to forget about the lack of discretion she displayed recently, she decided to do this one on her own.

The prospect of having this incredible man longing for her gave her a tingling feeling all over her body. Come to think of it, she wasn’t all that hungry! Instead of going to the Great Hall for breakfast, she headed for the library. She needed a quiet place to think right now.

Nearly there, she saw Sirius coming her way.

Oh, God. She had totally forgotten about the other night and she couldn’t let Sirius think…

“Hey, good morning!” Sirius gave her a peck on the cheek and her heart suddenly weighed a ton.

“Oh, hi Sirius.” She felt her stomach turn, but there was no way she could put it off any longer. “Err, listen. About what happened the other night, you know, what I asked you…” she hesitated, feeling very awkward about the situation.

“I know what you mean. Don’t worry about it; let’s say it was the wine and the moonlight, shall we? Just two friends having a bit of fun.”

Relieved, she smiled and started to walk away from him, when he stopped her. “But that doesn’t mean that we can’t go out together again, does it? As friends I mean?”

At first she didn’t know what to say, but she did have a good time, and he was Harry’s godfather after all, so…

“Yes, why not, and next time we can invite Remus to go along with us.”

“Oh, ok. See you later then.” And he walked away.

Happy about being able to clear the air with Sirius, she entered the library.

Now, where to start? She sat down at a table, her notebook in front of her, ready to draw up her battle plan. Actually, she could do with some guidance. She never thought about how to seduce a man and didn’t know a way to go about it. Her gaze went to the left side of the library. It was the magazine section. Maybe…

She got up and browsed the magazines. Most of them were scientific, but on the very last shelf, she saw something familiar. The label read: ‘Muggle Lifestyle/Females’ and she stared right at the glossy cover of Cosmopolitan. She grabbed half a dozen issues and took them over to her table. Soon she found what she had been looking for. There was an article in the February issue from earlier that year, titled: “10 Ways to Get Your Man.”

There would of course be a lot of crap in it, but some bits could be useful. She started reading, her quill pointing at her notebook, ready to write down the advice.

Some time later, she leaned back into her chair. This was not going to be easy! Then again, who ever said it would be? Making him notice her wouldn’t be too difficult, she was under the impression he was very much aware of her existence already. She had to focus on her strong points. Did she have any? Well, according to the magazine, men fell for long hair, breasts and hips. Ok, so she did have long hair and she always thought that her breasts would never seize to grow, so that looked promising too. Only her hips…they were rather slim. Oh, two out of three wasn’t all too bad! She needed to be around him as much as possible, taking every opportunity to touch him. That she could do! He had touched her on several occasions, so she should be able to arrange things for her to be in such a position that he had to do it again.

Hopefully she would be able to control her own feelings. She just had to push him over the edge so he would kiss her again and then he wouldn’t be able to deny the mutual attraction anymore.

Next: jealousy. She immediately discarded this method. After seeing his reaction to Sirius the other day, she was not eager to undergo another of his jealous moods. She needed to remind herself of his darker side. No doubt she would have to withstand a lot more of his sneering sarcasm if she was going to tempt him, but better not infuriate him too much. No, making him jealous was not an option.

Praise. Now that would be easy. He was a brilliant scientist, so it should be easy to praise him. However, she would have to be careful not to criticize his teaching methods!

She suddenly realized that it was passed lunchtime and he would be expecting her in the dungeon.

Quickly returning the magazines, she picked up her notebook and headed for the lab.

When she got in, he was reading the book with the obscure ingredients.

She pulled a few strings out of her knot and made sure her blouse had two unfastened buttons before she approached him. Obviously he had heard her come in, for the words he spoke were clearly meant for her.

“Take the cauldron; we are ready to begin with the weakening potion.”

She couldn’t tell what kind of mood he was in, but at least he didn’t sound irritated, so that was a start.

“Where do we begin?” she asked him.

“The basic ingredient is Marshland Purificus.”

“What is that?”

“It was a purifying liquid, found in the swamps of East-Anglia.”

“Was?” she sounded a little alarmed.

“Yes, most swamps have disappeared now, and the liquid is lost for good. Luckily for us, muggle chemistry came up with a very similar substance. You know it as ‘bleach’.”

“But that’s toxic!”

“Indeed, very much so, I use it to clean up my lab. We will have to use a magical sieve to extract the toxin before we pour it into the cauldron.”

While speaking, he covered the cauldron with a large, round sieve, took a big bottle of bleach from the bottom shelf and poured it into the cauldron.

“Now we need to add some fresh leeches. I’ll go look for them later.”

“Couldn’t we use some of the dried ones?”

“No, they have to be alive when they are thrown in. Are you too much of a sentimental, Gryffindor weakling that your love for the animal-life will prevent you from completing this task?” he sneered.

“Of course not, I realize the importance.” She had to swallow her pride, aching to answer him with a sneer as well, but she thought about her plan and stayed calm.

“Next we will need the saliva of a werewolf. Easy enough, it’s going to be a full moon tonight, so I’ll ask Remus to collect some of his own.”

“But he’s going to go all wild, isn’t he? Then how is he going to remember what to do?”

He looked very pleased with himself, when he said:

“I made some adjustments in the potion that I make for him. Only his physical appearance changes, mentally he remains himself, including his intelligence.”

“That’s incredible!” Tori signed in admiration.

He gave her a little smile and she realized that she had just scored a point. Time for action!

She was writing down the ingredients for the potion, standing very close to him. She saw an opportunity and dropped her quill.

Both bent down at the same time and when she looked at him, she saw him taking a quick peek at the opening of her blouse, before his eyes met hers.

“Oops, how clumsy of me.” She whispered, picking up the quill and raising herself without loosing eye contact. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized she was loosing herself in those dark magnets and she needed all of her strength to focus on her notes again.

“That leaves us with the virgin blood. Have you found out how it fits in this potion?”

Apparently he needed some time to snap out of the trance as well and picked up his book.

“Just as I expected, the book says it makes the wizard stronger. However, right at the bottom of the page, an interesting footnote was added. Virgin blood takes its power from the fear the virgin feels when the blood is taken. If the virgin should not feel this fear and is willing to give the blood freely, the blood will lose its power. That means that when the powerless blood is used in a potion, it will weaken the magical powers of whoever drinks it.”

“Wow.”

“Yes. I will ask Poppy to summon one of the younger students and ask for some blood. We will of course have to explain to the child why this blood is needed, otherwise she will still be afraid of the needle and the blood would be useless to us.” He obviously didn’t like having to include one of the younger students in their secret business.

“You don’t need to inform one of the younger students. I already know everything about the importance of this potion and I’ll be happy to donate mine.”

He stiffened when he heard her saying these words, realizing the implication. She had never seen him so ill at ease. She grinned. Did he really think all students had sex before they graduated?

“That…err…that would be most convenient. Thank you. I will draw some of your blood tomorrow, after I have added the saliva. At least, I suppose nothing will…err…change in your…err…condition overnight?”

Tori tried very hard to not giggle and she just shook her head thinking: not unless YOU have something else in mind, Professor Snape!

Remus Lupin drank his potion. It was THAT time of the month again! Soon he would be feeling the all too familiar changes that his body went through every full moon. Thanks to Snape it wasn’t such an ordeal lately, but he was chained to these monthly transformations for the rest of his life, thanks to Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf that bit him when he was a child.

When Snape brought the potion he had made a strange request, but he would do as he was asked without question. Hopefully he would remember to save some of his saliva. The Potions Master seemed to be in a good mood tonight. He was probably making progress in his work. In fact, he looked in such good spirits, Lupin had been daring enough to drop Tori’s name. He had heard the rumors about a confrontation between Snape and Sirius in the Great Hall and he asked Snape why he had been so hostile towards Sirius that evening, bad idea.

Snape had given him a fierce look. “I came back early from the Ministry and Dumbledore persuaded me to go with him to Hogsmeade, under Harry’s cloak of course. When we were sitting in the Three Broomsticks, Tori and Black walked in. Instead of joining Dumbledore, they went to sit on their own, Black looking very pleased with himself. Anyway, I stayed up late that night and I didn’t see them return, so I assumed Tori had spent the night with him.”

Lupin chuckled, thinking that only a man in love would reason like this. Apparently it hadn’t occurred to him that he just didn’t wait up long enough or he might have missed them.

“Turns out that I was wrong, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. He’s no good for her, he doesn’t understand her.”

“Severus, as I recall, you told me that you weren’t interested in any involvement with Tori yourself, so why are you so worked up about this?”

The black eyes turned cold and he clenched his fists when he answered: “I have told you my feelings for Tori are irrelevant. She must never be linked to me. Don’t you realize? It would be just the thing Voldemort is waiting for? She would never be safe again.”

Lupin saw the struggle on his face and wanted to comfort him, but did not know how, what he said was true. But…

“Severus, if I’m not mistaken, you are working on a means to destroy Voldemort. Then there won’t be an obstacle anymore. Can’t you explain this to Tori? I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“We have already come to an understanding to forget about what happened and I would say she’s doing a great job.” The bitterness in his voice made Lupin’s heart go out to him. “Do me a favor Remus, and do not ever mention this issue to me again.” He had left leaving Lupin feeling guilty about trying to interfere.

So all Lupin had to do now, was sit this night out. He had just finished drinking the potion, when Sirius entered his room. As usual, he would keep him company tonight. Lupin was still thinking about Snape and Tori. They were so right for each other and he was sure that Tori felt as strongly for Snape as he did for her. He recalled seeing her running through the passage in tears and assumed this had been after her ‘understanding’ with Snape. Noticing she had been looking happy earlier today, he concluded she had come to terms with it. Either she had found solace with Sirius like Snape was thinking, or she had found a way to let Snape see some sense. Knowing Tori, it would probably be the latter.

Had he been so obsessed with the Snape/Tori thing…or…did he hear Sirius mentioning her name?

“Remus? I just told you that Tori wanted me to ask you to come with use to Hogsmeade on Saturday.”

“Oh, that would be nice.”

“Actually…err, I’d appreciate it very much if you would accept to come with us and then dig up some excuse on the day itself.”

Lupin raised his eyebrow. “What on earth for?” Although he knew very well what Sirius had in mind.

“You see, I think I might stand a chance with her if I can just get her alone one more time. Remus, it’s like old times again. The Black-charm still works!

He was really getting excited now and he smiled widely.

“Err, Sirius, are you sure Tori doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

Sirius looked a bit confused, but shook his head. “No, I’m pretty sure there’s no one in her life at the moment. Why?”

“Oh nothing, I was under the impression that she had some feelings for someone, but I could be mistaken.”

“Well, a little competition never hurt anyone and, if I recall, I’m the master at this game.” He looked very confident and Lupin got a very bad feeling about this.

“Sirius, I once told you that your little game would backfire some day. I think you should make sure that she is completely unattached before you go stirring things up.”

“You think I don’t have it in me anymore don’t you?” Sirius seemed to think this was all a game and stealing girlfriends had always been his favorite pastime, but Lupin feared Snape would not be able to control himself, Voldemort or no Voldemort.

“Just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.” He sighed as he sensed the transformation was about to begin.

The next morning, Tori bumped into Lupin on her way to the dungeon. Apparently he was heading in the same direction.

“Good morning Tori. You look radiant today.” Lupin smiled, she did look good.

“Thank you Remus, it’s just that our work is really progressing.” Especially since I’m also making progress with Snape, she thought by herself.

“Good for you. Oh, by the way, I’d be happy to come with you and Sirius on Saturday.”

She looked confused. “What are we doing on Saturday?”

“Err, Hogsmeade?”

Now she seemed to recall something. “Oh right, I didn’t think it would be so soon. I’m not sure I’ll be able to go next Saturday. It depends on our work.”

Lupin laughed, thinking the Black-charm wasn’t what it used to be. “Hey, we can do it some other time. Maybe we can go when Harry comes to visit.”

“Oh yes, that would be great. Will you tell Sirius?”

She looked very relieved and if Lupin were to have had any doubts about his assumptions, he was absolutely sure now. Sirius didn’t stand a chance!

“I will. Oh, could you give this to Severus for me; I have a class to teach.”

He gave her a little jar and turned the other way.

When Tori entered the dungeon, Snape was standing next to the cauldron. She gave him the werewolf’s saliva and he instantly put it in with the filtered bleach. Next he added the leeches and she saw the mixture was boiling now. He cast a spell to keep it at the same temperature and picked up something from the table. It appeared to be a syringe with a little container attached to it.

Tori rolled up her sleeve and went to him.

“Are you feeling at ease? You know you will experience some discomfort.” He spoke softly, like he was trying to soothe her.

“I’m ready.”

She gave him her arm and looked into his eyes. She felt calm. He kept looking at her when he drew the blood. She didn’t feel a thing, only aware of his stare and it was like she floated in some kind of fluffy cloud where the pain couldn’t get to her.

When he looked away she felt deserted for a moment and followed his movements. He put the blood into the cauldron. She heard a hissing sound, but no sparks emerged from the brew.

“How do we know it’s ready?”

“We don’t. Neither do we know if it’ll work. This potion doesn’t work that way. We have to let it boil for a few days and stir it regularly to keep the blood from clotting.”

He took the cauldron from the table and put it in a corner of the lab.

Tori began to collect their notes, as she suddenly felt very strange. Her head felt rather fuzzy and her legs went all wobbly. She saw the panic on Snape’s face when he reached out to her and she could feel being lifted by strong arms right before everything went black.

Snape’s actions were methodic and instinctive when he carried Tori into his bedroom.

He laid her down on his bed and checked her pulse. It was extremely weak. He tried to calm down. She probably just fainted, but he wanted to be sure.

He threw some powder into his fireplace and yelled, “Poppy, please come down to my rooms, it’s urgent.” A few seconds later, the nurse appeared in the green flames.

“What happened?” She saw Tori lying on the bed and sat down next to her. She examined her closely and looked sharply at Snape. “Severus, what have you been doing to her?”

“Uh, well, I drew some of her blood a few moments ago, but it shouldn’t…”

Her face went hard and she sounded furious when she said: “How could you have weakened her like that? Didn’t you notice that she is underfed?”

“What??”

“When’s the last time you saw her in the Great Hall for a meal?” she asked him, knowing the answer for herself all too well.

“Last night, for dinner, but now that you mention it, she was only playing with her food and before that…I don’t know.”

“Really Severus, I should think you would pay more attention to the well-being of your former student. Now, you must wait until she regains consciousness and then a good hearty meal will fix things. Next time, be more careful!” and with that she left.

Reassured it wasn’t anything serious, Snape waited for Tori to wake up. He could beat himself up for not noticing she was starving herself. Why? Did Black have something to do with it?

Before he could lose himself in figuring out the appropriate torture for Black, Tori moved her head and let out a few moans.

He jumped up immediately and went to sit by her side, gently brushing her brow with a wet cloth, his other hand caressing her cheeks.

She opened her eyes and felt the delicate touch of his fingers on her face. She closed them again, wanting to prolong this moment for as long as she could.

He muttered some sweet nothings in her ear, slowly encouraging her to open her eyes and to sit up.

She responded to him, strengthened by the warmth of his voice. “What happened?”

“You fainted after I drew your blood.” He waved his wand and a plate of food appeared in front of her. “Eat this; it will make you feel better.” He turned around and left her alone in the bedroom.

At first, Tori was reluctant to touch any of the food, she didn’t feel hungry. Still, she forced herself to eat something, after the first difficult bites, she realized she was actually starving.

After a few short minutes, the plate was empty and Tori leaned back into the cushions. She felt much better now, but decided to stay in bed until Snape came back.

It took her some time to realize that he would be teaching now and she got up, thinking she couldn’t play the patient all morning. Halfway through the morning, she received an owl from Ron. It was the first letter he had sent since they had argued and she was a bit reluctant to open it, but she shouldn’t have worried.

Hi Tori,

How’s everything? We’ve had some great results with the potion Snape brought us. Apparently he’s not such a jerk after all. Maybe you have a good influence on him! But I’ll still feel better if you’d be working with McGonagall.

Say, I hear Harry is coming to Hogwarts for Halloween. If we’re not too busy, I might come down too. It gives me a chance to catch up with you, Ginny and Shannon.

Well, I’ll probably see you then. For now: Kick Snape’s butt!

Greetings,

Ron.

Tori laughed; happy that everything was back to normal between her and Ron. Then she realized something: if Ron and Harry were to visit for Halloween, they would discover Shannon’s attachment to Malfoy for sure. No doubt that would bring another argument!

She was tidying up the lab, gathering notes and feeling very much on top of herself again, when Snape entered. “How are you feeling?” he looked her over, trying to make out if she was her old self again.

“I’m fine, thank you. It was just a little moment of weakness I guess.”

Snape narrowed his eyes and murmured: “I wouldn’t call starving yourself a moment of weakness.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at him in surprise. “What do you mean, starving myself?”

“I do no think I should explain to you the symptoms of an eating disorder. Just think about it, when was the last time you actually ate something and I’m sure you’ll see for yourself.”

Tori raised her voice. “I do NOT have an eating disorder! I just didn’t feel hungry lately, that’s all!!”

“Hmmm.” Snape didn’t seem convinced and he came closer, as if he would be able to see the evidence of his theory reflected on her face.

“I am not unaware of the fact that some young girls are obsessed by their weight and go to all kinds of extreme measures to obtain what in their deluded mind is the perfect body.”

He looked at her with some kind of compassionate sympathy and Tori could feel her blood begin to boil. She did not need his sympathy! “Personally I am happy about the way I look and I do not feel the slightest need to starve myself. Can you please get this into that thick head of yours?”

She could no longer keep up the politeness she had forced herself to maintain in order to keep her job. It seemed like some internal dam had been broken and all of the formerly suppressed irritations flooded her mind. Before she knew it, she was flinging them at his head.

“It seems I can do no good at all, no matter what I do. Is it because I’m Gryffindor? Clearly only a Slytherin is good enough to live up to the Potions Master’s high standards and expectations. Maybe if you didn’t bully your students that much, they would actually LEARN something instead of freezing their minds in fear!!”

He gave her a menacing look, took a deep breath and said: “Don’t you dare question my teaching methods.” His sneer had been barely a whisper, but the venom was unmistakable.

His glare made her feel very uncomfortable, but she held her head up high, ready for battle. “I can do what I please, you are no longer my teacher and I’m not afraid of you!”

He let out a short hysterical laugh. “Oh I do believe that YOU are not afraid of me. Just know one thing: the world is filled with softhearted righteous moralists like you. Do you think we would stand a chance if it was up to the likes of Longbottom to defeat Voldemort, when they can’t even stand up to their teacher?”

“I’ll always be the soft Gryffindor to you, won’t I? Well, hello! You were the one that asked for my assistance in the first place.”

He interrupted her before she could say more. “I can assure you, if I had any other options, I would NOT have chosen YOU to assist me in this delicate matter. Clearly, the pressure is too much for you.”

The way he stayed calm made her angry beyond reason and she clenched her fists, desperately trying to control herself. “I’m not the ONLY one that can’t handle pressure. You should have seen yourself in the Great Hall the other night. Pathetic, the way you were acting like a spoiled child that can’t get what he wants.”

Now she saw his eyes shooting fire, his face twitched in anger and when he opened his mouth the words came bellowing out. “I will NOT have YOU judging MY behavior, when all YOU do is run around shamelessly with that Black character.”

“Oh!” she cried out, as she tried to find the words to express her loathing.

Both looked at each other with intense hate. When she started: “You jealous, narrow-minded, cold hearted…” Snape went for her and placed his hands on her shoulders like he was going to jolt her, grinding his teeth.

“You little witch, I’ll…”

“Keep your hands off…”

Blinded by fury she placed her hands on his chest to push him away. She felt a shock going through him and opened her mouth to scream in her attempt to use more strength, but nothing cam out.

She just looked at him, his fuming eyes reflecting the fire in her own. She was so worked up that her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and she could feel his doing the same under her hands. Both of them were breathing heavily now and she realized he didn’t look angry anymore.

She heard him groan “I’m lost” in the tone of a man ready to surrender and then his lips were on hers.

He pushed her against the table and she grabbed the back of his head, running her fingers through his long, black hair. Again he moaned and covered her face with kisses. She pulled him closer to her, feeling that wonderful tingling sensation again. With one sway of his arm he cleared the table, sending scrolls and quills through the air. He made her sit on the table so her face was at the same height as his and spread her legs so he could stand between them. He continued kissing her, holding her tightly, a spark of pure, ravenous fire ran through her. She fumbled at his robe, without stopping the kiss; she managed to get him out of it. The buttons of his shirt proved to be more challenging, but soon she moved her hands over his bare chest. She felt him shiver as she kissed his collarbone. She heard his breath catch and continued exploring his upper body. It was his turn to battle with her clothes. He didn’t waste any time and tore the blouse off her, the buttons scattered all over the lab.

As he was closing the distance between them, there was a knock on the door.

Both of them flinched and Snape jumped up with a horrifying expression on his face. He ground his teeth, his chest rising up and down rapidly to control his breathing.

Again a knock on the door, followed by a faint “Professor Snape, are you there?”

Both Snape and Tori rushed back into their clothing. Tori slipped into a robe to cover her button-less blouse, her cheeks still flushed. They gave each other a quick glance to make sure that they were fully dressed before Snape opened the door.

A tearful Shannon stormed in, crying out: “Professor, it…it’s Draco. Something’s very wrong with him!”

The way Snape looked at her would have normally made Shannon flinch, but she was too upset to notice his rage.

“What’s wrong with Draco?” Tori asked, forgetting her own state of confusion when she saw the tears on Shannon’s face.

“He’s not waking up, but he looks like he’s in pain and sometimes he screams and…oh!” loud sobs prevented her from speaking, but it was no longer necessary.

Snape had somehow managed to get a hold of himself again and was ready to act. “This sounds like a curse. Tori go get Lupin and Dumbledore and come to Hagrid’s. I’m going over there right now.”

Without looking at each other, they both went in different directions. No time to think about what almost happened a few minutes before. This was serious.

Tori ran through the passages. She bumped into both wizards on her way to Dumbledore’s office. “Headmaster, Remus! You have to come to Hagrid’s right away! Something’s wrong!” she said, catching her breath.

She didn’t dare say Draco’s name where it could be overheard, but luckily both Dumbledore and Lupin got the message. They hurried to Hagrid’s and upon entering; they saw Snape standing next to Draco’s bed. The look on his face was not promising. He seemed at his wit’s end. Draco himself was tossing and turning, clearly in a lot of pain. He kept murmuring: “No…please, no!” and Tori’s heart went out to him.

“Severus, is there anything you can do?” Dumbledore asked.

Snape sighed deeply. “I’m not sure what we’re facing Albus. At first I thought it was a curse, but knowing Hogwarts’ protection, it couldn’t possibly be.”

“But you can help him, can’t you?” Shannon’s tiny voice rang out in the silence.

Nobody answered.

Hagrid was sitting next to Draco, big tears running down his cheeks, ending up in his beard.

“Remus?” Dumbledore remained calm, but frowned.

“This is way out of my league Albus. If Severus can’t come up with anything…”

Tori had kept silent, but slowly an idea started to grow in her mind. “Um…Severus, when do the Death Eaters usually have their initiation?” she asked.

Everyone looked at her like she had been on another planet for the past few moments. Only Snape seemed to know what she was getting at. “They usually perform the initiation ceremony on Halloween.” A glitter of hope began to manifest itself inside his head.

“But that’s only this weekend. Why is he in pain now? At least, if you’re referring to a summoning, that is.” Remus could not yet see the link between Draco’s condition and the initiation ritual.

Tori and Snape found themselves in the center of attention, but both shook their heads, not knowing the answer. “All we can do is give him a potion to ease the pain and calm him down, but I doubt if he’ll wake up soon.”

Snape left Hagrid’s house to fetch the potions, leaving the others at Draco’s side.

“Tori, how is your work coming along?” Dumbledore asked.

“It’s ready, depending on how long the potion has to boil.”

“Then we must act quickly. It’s important we get it there before the initiation.”

When Snape returned, they discussed their course of action. The potion would be ready in a few days. Since the Death Eaters operated during the night, the potion would be brought to Voldemort at the crack of dawn, this Saturday. No doubt he would need his strengthening potion for the ceremony. They needed to switch the potions before he could drink it. Dumbledore sent a message to Alastor to warn him about the upcoming events. Harry would arrive on Saturday anyway, so he would know first-hand whether the mission had succeeded or not.

Everyone was excited and terrified at the same time, knowing that by Saturday the war with Voldemort would either be over, or they will have suffered some severe losses.