Dance With A Serpent

Soulmates

Ginny turned her head back to her friend. "You didn't dance with anyone, did you? You would tell me, right?"

Hermione's intestines turned. She couldn't really tell Ginny. The red-head would freak on her if Hermione said: Actually I did, I danced with Professor Snape. I'm in love with him and want to have all of his greasy little babies.

No, Ginny would probably not even believe her.

"Gin' I was barely in the room when the rest of you danced."

"Okay, well did you see the hot thing Professor Snape brought to the dance?"

Hermione felt the pressure increase on her pen.

"Yeah..."

"Yeah, I thought I would pop my eyes. And then Malfoy danced The Dance with her. She was really pretty."

"Yeah, pretty..." And a complete and utter bitch. Hermione had to concentrate hard on not letting her face twist up in anger or let her hand snap her pen.

"I wonder what her name is..." Ginny sighed. She was always interested when a pretty girl was talked about, unless that girl had made advances on Harry, that is.

"Artemis Winter. I think she's some sort of pureblood." Oh, the pain of not spitting out her name...

"Clearly, otherwise she wouldn't have come with Snape and left with Malfoy. She's pretty but with bad taste, ey?" Ginny giggled.

"Yeah, bad taste..." But she hadn't left with Malfoy... the tramp might just as well have retreated to the dungeons after the dance, to be with Snape.

Hermione's pen snapped.

He was sitting by his cluttered desk, correcting some of his old notes. His room was almost as messy as before. That's what normally happens when one likes to research and dabble with new potion recipes as a hobby. The house elves were rather good on dusting and cleaning around the notes and books, but the clutter remained. God forbid the little creatures moved his books.

Snape blew on the freshly applied ink.

Yesterday he'd been dancing. Her brown hair had been up in some lavish hairstyle, yet some stubborn strands had freed themselves and gently played in the breeze. Her chocolate brown eyes had looked him in a way... in a way he could not describe. He had not seen such eyes before her.

The ink was dry.

Yes, he had danced yesterday. He had danced with some snotty foolish girl. Nothing more, nothing less.

The fireplace bloomed green and someone stepped through.

"You bastard!"

"Ah, Ari. I had not been expecting you today." Severus looked up at the blonde woman by his fireplace.

"You could have told me!"

"Could I?"

"Yes! Why did you drag me to that stupid ball when you knew there was going to be some sort of magical terror-dance?!" the girl stormed over to his desk.

"I tried to talk you out of it, but you wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise." He remained calm, the amused contrasting to her indignant rage. "And don't forget, girl, you forced me to go."

"Why didn't you tell me about the crazy woman's evil dance planes?"

"You played the 'I saved your life card'. I couldn't exactly refuse you then, could I?"

"Why not?! You always have before! You've always been able to talk back and refuse anything!"

"I stand by my point: You played the saving card."

Ari glared at him. She walked about in his room flailing, not knowing what to say but still too angry to leave. Then she stopped as if something had hit her, her blonde head turned to look at him suspiciously.

"You," she pointed an accusing finger at him, "You wanted to go."

"I assure you I didn't."

Ari sat herself on the edge of his desk and peered at him. He didn't approve of her on his desk. It was for research and school materials only, and she was no paper weight.

"It can't solely have been just to force me to see Malfoy."

"I can't see why you visit me and not him. I was a Death Eater far longer than you have lived, missy."

"You turned out to be a traitor," she pointed out and crossed her arms defiantly.

"He never killed any innocent people, or anyone at all for that matter."

"He joined for the glory."

"So did I."

"Yeah, well he...We are getting of the subject. Who did you want to see at the Ball?"

Severus met her cold blue eyes.

"You are as stubborn as your mother," he smirked.

"And may that evil bitch rot in hell. Who was your dance partner? I know it wasn't that former schoolmate of yours; she's as dead as my mom. Wasn't that woman a parent to one of your students?"

Severus grimaced at the blonde. She had far too much insight in his personal affairs.

"Is it your classmate's child?"

He gave her his most terrifying glare.

"You are getting nosy, Ari."

The girl jumped of his desk with a triumphant "Ha!". She had had a horrid childhood with a magically insane Father and a drunkard Mother, who blamed the child for the father's madness, and both parents had been Death Eaters. A glare from Severus probably didn't even register in the girl's mind.

"I knew it! I knew it! Old Snape has a new lady in his life. Is it your old lady's child? That would be disgustingly twisted."

"No. Lily only had a son." He was going to strangle Thomas' child if she kept taunting him like this. "But I would leave this alone if I were you." The threat was evident both in the man's face as in his voice.

"Whatever you say, Severus" she smiled from ear to ear as she flung the floo powder into his fire. He regretted the day he had made it possible for her to travel from her home to his. Meddling little girl.

"I'll give your regards to my dad when I see him. See you next week."

He nodded at her as she disappeared.