Closer

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It was freezing cold. Lena watched the small clouds escape her mouth in rapid formation to the nervous tune of her heart. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around herself to keep from shivering, but it was no use. The cold of the night mercilessly crept into her bones, and the wall behind Lena's back emanated a constant cool draft, exhaling the frosty breath of centuries. The dungeons had always been colder than the rest of the castle, but for some reason the low temperatures seemed even worse tonight.

Maybe it was also just Lena's brain playing tricks on her. After all, she was standing in Professor Snape's office. Alone. With him. Wasn't this reason enough for her to tremble as badly as she did? Of course, she had spent countless hours down here in detention with the professor, but never had he paid her any attention, if she didn't count the grumpy glances he had regarded her with from time to time, making sure the work he had given her would be completed to his satisfaction.

Tonight, though, everything was different. The Potions Master didn't sit at his desk grading papers, and Lena didn't eye him with secret glances, lost in daydreams about him. No, tonight he was standing right in front of her, not even two feet away. He was so close that the tiny clouds of his breath encircled hers until they merged completely, creating a translucent layer of fog between their bodies.

Professor Snape was the first to break the silence. "Tell me," he demanded huskily, resting his hand on the icy surface of the wall, bringing his face closer to hers. "Is it true?"

Lena was in a daze. The subtle yet unmistakable scent of dried herbs and parchment intoxicated her mind to such an extent that the sound of her own breathy voice startled her. "Is what true, Sir?"

The hint of a smile flashed over his otherwise unreadable expression.

"Is it true what I have seen in your mind? Do you dream about kissing me?"

"You were reading my mind?" Lena bit her lip as the uncomfortable wave of realization washed over her. How could she have been so naïve? Surely, if anyone at Hogwarts possessed Legilimency skills, of course it would be her Potions Master. Why hadn't she thought of that earlier, before it was too late? He had seen it. Everything! And yet, here he was, demanding an answer to something he already knew, waiting for her to bare her soul in front of him. This was his way of payback, wasn't it? He wanted to humiliate her.

Lena could have just denied it, pretending that she had no idea what he was talking about, but what good would that do? Her soul had already shown him her deepest secret and lying about it would only make her look like an idiot. She had no choice. It was finally time for the truth.

Without thinking about the consequences, she slowly got on her tiptoes and placed a very shy, but very tender kiss on his pale cheek.

For the length of two rapid heartbeats he seemed to be taken aback by her boldness, but when he hesitantly returned her sign of affection by mirroring what she had just done, Lena's heart nearly leapt out of her chest, dropping to the man's feet she was so hopelessly in love with.

His soft lips ghosted along her cheekbone, resting close to her ear for a few breathless seconds, as if he were about to reveal something to her, something of importance, but apparently thought better of it and withdrew.

Everything inside of her screamed at the loss of his touch. Lead by instinct, she reached out to him, her fingers gently tracing his jawline, before her mouth found the warmth of his skin, leaving a small kiss at the same spot as before.

A very low, but very distinct groan left the Potions Master's throat at her touch and he closed his eyes, reveling in her sweet caress. Abruptly, so that Lena did not have any time to react, he turned his head, catching her lips with his mouth.

Lena gasped at the sudden new level of intimacy, which he took as an invitation to deepen the kiss. His arms took possession of her body, wrapping her in his robe and pressing her hard against him. His heady scent was all around her, invading her brain and shutting off any sense of reason. Everything she could focus on was the desire for more. She wanted more, needed more of this, more of his touch, more of him.

Feverishly, Lena responded to his passionate kisses, eliciting another groan from him, as her nails dug deeply into the fabric of his robe, begging him to not let go.

Like two drunks, they tumbled through his office in heated embrace, knocking over a small end table with books on it, tipping over his desk chair, and shattering several vials as they bumped into a potions shelf, tugging desperately at each other's clothes. Lena was the first to successfully free the wizard of some unwanted fabric. Hastily she brushed his robe off his shoulders, which landed somewhere between broken glass and some sort of spilt potion that was soiling the pages of an old book.

Swiftly, he loosened the bow around the girl's waist, carelessly discarding it, while his lips hungrily tasted the silky skin of her neck, tracing the line of her collarbone up to where her sleeves covered her shoulders.

"Say it, Lena," he mumbled against her skin. "Say you're mine."

She gave a quiet sigh, tilting her head to allow him better access.

"I have always been yours," Lena whispered under soft moans as his mouth began to explore her neck. "I love you."

It was then that she remembered the mysterious artifact the witch in Hogsmeade had given her, for the cooling charm broke this very moment and a wave of smoldering heat rushed through her body. Professor Snape must have felt it, too, since he let go of her immediately, watching the silvery shimmer on Lena's chest grow in intensity.

The necklace was coming to life, radiating so much energy that the white light soon drowned them both in its brilliance.

But as suddenly as it had begun, it died down again.

"What... What was that?" Lena's fingers cautiously looked for the pendant, while her wide eyes stayed focused on the man in front of her.

"You tricked me, didn't you?" he growled dangerously low, anger sparkling in his eyes.

"How..." Lena attempted to ask, but he didn't let her finish.

"One hundred points from Slytherin for improper conduct, as you tried to seduce your Head of House." He paused to glare at her with so much disdain that Lena could feel her heart slowly break into pieces. "And," he continued with a threatening whisper, "one thousand points from Slytherin for forcing magic upon me to bond with you. Whatever your intentions are, Ms. Flowers, they certainly won't get you better grades. Now clean up that mess. I want my office spotless when I return. And don't even think about using your wand."

And just like that, he disappeared, leaving a heartbroken and sobbing Lena behind.

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