As Heather lay in bed the night before Christmas Eve, she smiled to herself. She was looking forward to going to the Burrow tomorrow to celebrate with the Weasleys. Hadrian and the others had already left at the start of the Yule break, but she had stayed because she still had work. Without conscious thought, however, her mind wandered to her latest quandary: one Draco Malfoy. What could possibly be the matter with him? Severus had spoken no more of the matter since the night of Slughorn's party, but she hadn't stopped thinking about it.
A tickle at the back of her mind made her sit up. Who could possibly be standing outside her door at this hour? She hurriedly threw her dressing gown on and left her bedroom. Meredith, her portrait, looked at her with relief when she saw her coming out.
"Oh thank goodness, Heather! Your Professor Snape is at the door, and he- well, I think you'd best let him in."
Her normally cheerful portrait looked uncharacteristically fretful. Worry rose up in Heather as she went to open the door. Was Severus hurt? Why was he looking for her at this time of the night?
She let out a little gasp as soon as her eyes set upon the man outside her rooms. The words she wanted to say were swallowed when arms reached out and wrapped around her. She couldn't even call it a hug, more a desperate clutch.
Quickly pulling him through the entrance, she waved the door shut to keep the winter draught out and locked it tightly. Once she had ensured there would be no prying eyes, Heather focussed on the faintly trembling man in her arms.
"Come on, let's get you seated," she said softly. Leading him to the nearest couch, she settled him down and waved her hand to set her kettle to boil. She didn't even consider the fact that she had used wandless magic, though the man probably wouldn't even notice, in the state he was in.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, looking him over worriedly. He shook his head, closing his eyes tiredly. She combed her fingers through his hair, hoping to sooth him. A sharp whistle signalled that the water had come to a boil. Without moving from her position in front of Severus, her magic prepared the cuppa how he liked it then floated it over.
"Here, Severus," she said, plucking the teacup out of the air and handing it to him. He accepted it wordlessly, but didn't drink.
"What's the matter?" She tried to keep her voice quiet and calm, but it wasn't easy, considering how anxious she was. What could possibly have gotten Severus so despondent?
"Albus," he finally croaked.
She tried not to react at that. Why, when she got her hands on that damnably annoying old man...
"I have to kill him."
Shocked, she blurted out, "Excuse me?"
Severus studiously avoided her gaze. "The curse on Albus' hand, I couldn't find a way to reverse it. He has but months left."
"Oh, Severus. That isn't your fault. You're not killing-"
"But I will!" he said harshly, throwing the cup on the floor. They both ignored the shattering porcelain. "He made me promise to kill him! He doesn't want to make Draco a killer, but he has no care for me!" He hunched over, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.
This was getting more confusing by the second. Draco?
"What does Draco have anything to do with this?"
"The Dark Lord tasked him with killing Albus, fully expecting him to fail, as a punishment to Lucius for the failed attempt at the prophecy. Narcissa and Bellatrix made me swear an Unbreakable Vow to complete the task if Draco cannot." He suddenly looked up, a haunted look in his eyes, "Do you not understand? I am bound twice over to kill Albus!"
"Severus, listen to me. Severus!" She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. "It isn't your fault! You won't be a killer, you hear me? It's called euthanasia. Dumbledore is dying anyway! You can't blame yourself! Dumbledore himself made you promise. I can't believe he would put you in such a position, but he did."
"It doesn't matter! I'll be killing him! I'll cast the Avada Kedavra, the very same curse the Dark Lord used to murder your parents, or have you forgotten?" he shouted.
She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Don't you dare compare yourself to that monster! You are nothing like him!"
"BUT I AM! Don't you see? I am a monster!" He shoved his sleeve up, revealing his Dark Mark. "This is proof! I knelt before him and kissed the hem of his robe and called him Master! I thanked-"
Heather had had enough of those words. Impulsively, unthinkingly, she did the only thing she could think of to shut him up. She kissed him.
The moment their lips touched, the both of them froze for a split second before Severus licked into her mouth to deepen the kiss. Before she knew it, strong arms had pulled her even closer and she found herself in perched his lap. It was burning, it was desperate, it made her crave even more. His hands reached up to cradle her face, as if they were handling something infinitely precious.
She thought, for a moment, that this wasn't like kissing Fred and George at all, and then she wasn't thinking of anyone else but the one devouring her lips like a starving man.
Eventually, the kiss gentled into chaste pecks, as if he just couldn't bear to stop. Heather opened her eyes, unaware that she had closed them in the first place, and found herself lost in Severus' dark eyes. They spent an infinity just breathing each other's air before reality set in.
Heather pulled back quickly, a hand coming up to touch her lips. Her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest. This wasn't something she'd ever expected to happen. She tried to say something, but her lips wouldn't work. Kissed numb, most likely. She felt her cheeks heat up even further at the thought.
"I apologise," Severus said, voice husky. It sent shivers down her back, something he had felt, going by the way he looked away awkwardly. It reminded her suddenly of her current position. She quickly jumped out of his lap, smoothing down her dressing gown (she was only dressed in her nightclothes, Salazar-damnit!).
"Right, sorry," she murmured, "Are you calmer now?"
Severus bobbed his head.
"Good, good." Heather looked around, fidgeting awkwardly. "Great." She turned her attention to the mess on the floor and, with a thought, repaired the cup while banishing the rest. "I like this china set, you know," she said lamely.
"I'm sorry for breaking it."
She shrugged. "No permanent harm done. As long as you don't do it again." So avoiding the erumpent in the room, okay, she could work with that. Clearing her throat, she said, "Anyway, don't talk about yourself like that again. You're a great man, and it isn't right that you're being forced into doing this."
He grimaced. "Nevertheless, this is something I have to do. Albus' plans hinge on it."
Scowling, Heather was tempted to go right up to Dumbledore and show him exactly what she thought of his plans. "He's not as smart as he thinks he is."
"He has pertinent information that is key to defeating the Dark Lord."
"Well," she ranted, crossing her arms, "if he didn't keep everything so close to his chest, we'd be making more progress on that front!" It was like Dumbledore wanted to make everything more complicated than it was! Her anger faded into the background when she noticed the exhaustion lining Severus' face. "I'm sorry you have to do this."
"It is necessary," he said stiffly, getting to his feet.
There wasn't anything she could say in response that would help. For want of anything better to do, she saw him to the door. He sent her one last, piercing look, and for a moment, she thought he would kiss her again.
"Severus, wait!" she blurted out, just before he stepped through the door. She grabbed onto his hand and squeezed. "Please remember, you're not alone. I'll be here if you need anything."
His gaze softened into something warm and sweet. He lifted her hand to place a reverent kiss on her palm, an action that set her heart atwitter.
Then he left, leaving the room a little less bright in his absence.
~~~
Heather was guiltily relieved to be leaving early the next day for the Burrow. After what had transpired last night, she didn't think she could act normally in front of Severus. Merlin, she'd spent the entire night recalling the feeling of his lips moving against hers, his hands searing her cheeks, his warmth permeating her skin. She was supposed to be ignoring her feelings for him, not accosting the man while he was emotionally compromised!
She cringed just thinking the words. Had she taken advantage of Severus? He hadn't been in the proper mental state to consent to such actions. She felt ashamed of herself. She had apologised last night, but it felt woefully inadequate. She could only thank her lucky stars that Severus hadn't reacted negatively, though it could have been the shock and, oh right, the emotional wringer he'd experienced. Fabulous, great going Heather.
And because she was such a coward, she'd left his Christmas gift on his office desk, along with a note with an apology for her inappropriate actions. A note!Like a first year.
Shaking herself out of her mood, she wiped the frown from her face. She didn't want to worry Hadrian or the Weasleys. It would only bring the festive mood down. She checked one more time that she had her presents for everyone with her: the Weasleys, Hadrian, Sirius and Remus. Hermione's had been sent off with Hedwig yesterday. Yes, that was everything. With that done, she stepped through the floo and tried to stay steady as she arrived at the Burrow.
Despite her best efforts, she fumbled her way out of the fireplace. As she felt herself rushing too close to the ground, her hands shot out to catch herself. To her surprise, the floor felt much softer than she expected. She smiled, chagrined, when she realised it was a Cushioning Charm.
"Aww damn, we missed it!"
Fred and George popped their heads round the door, probably hearing the racket she'd made with her noisy entrance.
"Sorry 'bout that Heather-harp!"
"Lucky we put that charm, in case we -"
"-weren't here to catch you, eh?"
They each lifted her up by her elbows and dusted her down when she was once again upright. She rolled her eyes, but submitted to their fussing. It had been a while since she last saw them, after all. They must've missed her as much as she did them.
"I'll get the hang of that one day," she vowed. It didn't make sense. She had a fantastic sense of balance; she flew on a broom perfectly well. But why did portkeys and floos trip her up so much? Pun not intended.
"We'll believe it when we see it," they both retorted.
"Stop teasing Heather," Mrs Weasley chided, ambling out of the kitchen. She then turned to Heather, holding her arms out in welcome. "Hello dear. How have you been? Oh, have you been working too hard? You look thinner."
"I'm fine, Mrs Weasley," Heather insisted, though she knew it was a lost cause. Hugging the older woman tight, she soaked in her motherly concern.
Mrs Weasley clucked her tongue. "Breakfast will be served soon, but I have some scones ready to tide you over till then."
She laughed. "I'll never say no to your food, Mrs Weasley."
The twins scowled at her playfully once their mother's back was turned. "She refused to let us sneak some food earlier, but once you show up she practically shoves some your way!"
Shooting them a superior look, she said, "I'm obviously her favourite."
They could only stick their tongues out at her in reply.
"Thank you, Mrs Weasley," she said sweetly, when the woman returned with the promised scones. Mrs Weasley beamed and patted her on the cheek before returning to her breakfast preparations.
"Suck up."
Heather bit into a blueberry scone, closing her eyes as the soft buttery pastry melted in her mouth. She easily fended off the twins' attempts to steal her food as they waited for everyone to wake up. She was surprised her brother wasn't up yet, but it was the holidays after all. Eventually taking pity on them, she held her plate out to them. The remaining scones didn't last long.
By then, the rest of the house had woken up. The first to trail down the stairs was Mr Weasley, who joined them on the sofa. No one disturbed Mrs Weasley in the kitchen. No one.
It was Mrs Weasley's shout that breakfast was ready that prompted everyone else to emerge. Hadrian, Ginny and Ron bee-lined straight for the dining room, the latter seeming to be almost sleepwalking.
Heather found it easier than expected to keep her mind off Severus, caught up in the warm atmosphere of the Burrow. It wasn't something she needed to fret about right now.
~~~
Which obviously meant that Heather started worrying herself out of her mind the moment she stepped foot in Hogwarts again, three days later.
When she found a package sitting on her coffee table, for a moment she thought Severus had been angry enough to reject her Christmas gift. Closer inspection, however, revealed that it was wrapped in plain brown covering while hers had had green wrapping. It was slightly reassuring, since that meant he probably wasn't too mad.
Carefully removing the wrapping, Heather was pleased to find a set of protective brewing robes. It was black, but it was far from plain as it shone with a faint glimmering sheen. It wasn't its design that she admired, however, but its function. It was spelled with many protective charms, those to ward against fire, corrosion, toxins and it was even waterproof and resistant to wear and tear. She usually just brewed in her regular robes, but it seemed Severus had finally had enough of it.
She didn't even need to try it on to know it would fit her perfectly, but she did it anyway. It was comfortable, lightweight and allowed full range of mobility. She tended to wear her thicker robes to brew because they provided more protection, but they were a little restrictive, which made manoeuvring around several cauldrons difficult. However, she could probably dance about in these robes with little issue. In short, they were perfect.
Heather didn't know whether to be touched or guilty at the wonderful gift, so she settled on a mix of the two. Well, nothing for it now, Severus was expecting her to report back to him for her duties.
She kept her new robes on as she made her way to his office. What better time to test them out than right now? She was sure Severus had some new potions for her to learn today, and the first time brewing something was always the most disaster-prone.
Plus, it would give her something to talk about in case she got tongue-tied around him because of that...incident.
"Severus, good morning!" Heather said cheerfully, not giving any hint of her unease.
The man looked up from his work, nodding in greeting. "Good morning Heather. How was your Christmas?"
"Great! You'll be happy to hear that Fred and George turned Sirius into a turkey halfway through Christmas dinner." It had been absolutely hilarious, though she hadn't known how loud a turkey could get. Mrs Weasley had been threatening to roast him to put an end to the caterwauling.
Severus coughed – to his laugh, no doubt. "I hope someone took pictures of that?"
"Maybe for your birthday gift," she said, grinning. She had a lot of blackmail on Sirius and was happy to share some with Severus.
"I shall look forward to it then." His smirk then softened into a real smile. "Speaking of gifts, I must thank you for the ward stones. I am certain they will be very helpful."
She had wracked her mind for a good gift for the man, since she didn't want to just give him something he accepted then never used. In the end, she settled on ward stones, something she had never made before. They were basically precious gems with wards stored in them via runes and spells. Each could only be used once before needing to be re-spelled, and it was crazily magic-intensive, but they were extremely handy to use in a pinch. Just a word and poof, a ready-made ward without all the fuss and trouble of going through the motions. Perfect for someone who suddenly found themselves in a hostile environment with little or no back-up.
"You're welcome. And thanks for the robes too!" Heather stroked down her sleeve admiringly. "They're much more comfortable than the ones I was using."
Scoffing, Severus said, "Of course they are. Proper brewing robes weigh half as much and aren't liable to trip you up."
"And I'm sure the dramatic billowing is just a side effect," she said slyly.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you are referring to," Severus said loftily.
Heather covered her mouth to hide her smile. They were bantering like usual. She wondered why she had been so nervous to talk to him again. He gave no indication that anything had happened, it was as if nothing had changed.
And if she had to smother a pang of disappointment at that, well, no one was the wiser.
~~~
The school term started again with little fanfare. Despite Heather's careful observation of Severus, he gave nothing away to hint at his thoughts on their kiss. Eventually, she settled for burying the memory of the incident deep within her mind, only to be remembered wistfully in occasional daydreams.
She was much too busy for silly romance anyway. Severus was a harsh taskmaster who had high expectations for her. She had a lot of reading and memorising to accomplish, not to mention a tonne of brewing. In addition to all that were her teaching duties, both the regular ones and DA ones.
It was all too easy to keep herself too busy to think about matters of the heart.
"So, any significant updates since our last meeting?" Hermione asked, quill in hand, ready to record minutes.
Heather glanced around the room. Everyone had managed to make it to this meeting, even Fred and George, who had snuck in through one of the secret passages. She saw her brother wave his hand to get some attention.
"I had another lesson with Dumbledore yesterday," he volunteered.
Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for more information.
He frowned thoughtfully. "It was pretty much the same thing as the other lessons. This time he showed some stuff about Riddle's uncle and the Gaunt family, which is apparently descended from Slytherin. The second memory though, was from Slughorn. It was strange, cos' it kept blurring out at some parts. Then Dumbledore said it was because Slughorn altered his memory. He told me to get the real memory from him."
"What was it about?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, that was something I wanted to ask. Riddle asked Slughorn about something called horcruxes." Turning to her, Hadrian asked, "Do you know what those are? Slughorn seemed pretty mad when he heard it, though I'm not sure if that was altered or not."
Everyone looked pretty confused, Heather noted. She was as well. Shaking her head, she said, "No, never heard of it. I'll try researching and get back to you."
"Okay, so Heather and maybe Mione will get on that," Ron said, looking to the brunette who nodded and made a note in her book. "We should also talk about how to get Slughorn's memory," he suggested.
"Sounds fishy to us," Fred said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah," George agreed, "why would Slughorn even mess up his memory?"
"Seems to us he's hiding something."
"You think he's a Deatheater?"
Pursing her lips, Heather said, "No, I don't think so. He doesn't seem like the type. Besides, Severus hasn't said anything about that, and I think he'd tell me if Slughorn really was a Deatheater."
"Anyway, whether or not he's one of Voldie's cronies," everyone snickered a little at Ginny's words, "we still need a plan to get that memory."
"How about Legilimens?" Rian said, looking pointedly at her.
She sorted. "I doubt so. Dumbledore's a better Legilimens than I am, and he didn't just use it to get the memory. Slughorn probably has good enough Occlumency that Dumbledore doesn't want to try."
Pouting, he sank further into his seat. "That was the only idea I had."
"Here's a wild idea," Hermione piped up, "Why not just ask Professor Slughorn?"
"Like that'sever worked," Ron said scornfully.
George waggled his eyebrows wildly. "You mean ask him?" he said, putting huge emphasis on the ask, while pulling an assortment of WPW products out of his pockets. Heather stifled a laugh as she saw the younger kids sidle away from him, eyeing the joke items warily.
"Didn't know you had it in ya' Hermione," Fred said, looking at the girl admiringly.
"Y'know," Ginny's expression took on a devious look, "that could work."
Hermione groaned, throwing her hands up. "No! I meant actually just asking him nicely."
"Really Hermione?" Hadrian muttered, looking at the girl, "Why would he just hand over the memory to me when he went to the trouble of hiding it from Dumbledore?"
"Actually..." Heather said, trailing off, "I think Hermione's got a point." Everyone gave her dubious looks, save for Hermione who looked smug. Shrugging, she said, "Well, Slughorn is pretty fond of me, I think, and Mama was one of his favourite students. I figure we could go have tea with him, ask about some stories then guilt trip him to Avalon about needing the memory so we could avenge our parents and save the wizarding world."
As if rehearsed, each of them gave an eyeroll and said, "Slytherin."
"Why thank you," Heather simpered, standing and giving a little curtsey.
~~~
While in the midst of brewing some medicinal potions for the infirmary stock, Heather was interrupted by the arrival of Hadrian's patronus.
"Heather! I need your help! I think Ron's been dosed with a love potion."
Her first reaction was to laugh, however inappropriate that was. Really, the messes her brother and his friends got into. She peered over at Severus, who was occupying the other workbench in the ab. He looked just as amused as she was.
He made a dismissive gesture. "Go on then, save those hapless Gryffindors."
Thanking him, she sent her own patronus off with a message to wait for her in their common room, hinting that Ron might appreciate being unconscious in the meantime. She didn't really want them traipsing about the castle while Ron was under the influence of a mind-altering substance.
Heather quickly gathered the ingredients needed for a generalised antidote for love potions. She sincerely doubted that one of the students had gotten their hands on Amortentia, much less brewed it themselves. It took all of 20 minutes to finish the potion, which she then quickly bottled and took with her.
Thankfully, Hadrian and Ron were right where she had told them to be, with the Weasley lying prone on one of the couches. There was no one else about. Whether it was because Hadrian had cleared the room or it had been conveniently empty, she didn't know.
"I stunned him, like you suggested," Hadrian said nervously, wringing his hands in guilt.
She patted him on the back. "Better than have him jump out the window cos' he saw the target of the love potion walking around on the castle grounds."
Rian baulked at the idea, darting a quick glance just to make sure his friend was still where he had left him.
She wondered who the silly student was, to dabble in such potions. Really, she should suggest to the school board about adding a module on the dangers and consequences of love potions to the syllabus.
"Do you know who was the one who gave him the potion?" she asked.
Scratching his head sheepishly, Hadrian replied, "Romilda Vane gave me a box of chocolates, but I gave them to Ron instead. So the potion was actually meant for me."
Making a note to mention this to Professor McGonagall, Heather cast a Rennervateon Ron. The boy came awake blearily.
"Wha, where's Romilda?" He looked frantically around for his supposed 'love', getting more and more desperate as he couldn't find her.
"Ron, RON!" She snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. "Listen to me! Romilda asked me to give you something, do you want it?"
Like a light had been turned on, Ron zoned in on her. He nodded eagerly. "Yeah! What did my darling get me?"
Holding up the phial, she said, "She wants you to drink this, every sip. You don't want to disappoint her, right?"
Even before she'd finished speaking, Ron grabbed the potion and downed it in one gulp. Its effects were immediate; his eyes cleared and the soppy expression on his face changed to a confused one.
"Ron?" Hadrian stepped forward, "Back with me mate?"
Well, that should do it. He'd be disorientated for a little while, but he should remember everything that happened while he was drugged. He was lucky he was alone when he ate the tainted chocolate, or he might have made a huge fool of himself chasing after Vane.
"Yeah, wha' happened? I ate some of that chocolate then everything went kinda fuzzy." Screwing his face up, Ron continued, "Eww, why did I want to go find Romilda so bad?"
Heaving a sigh of relief, her brother gave his friend a slap on the back. "The chocolates were laced with love potion. You went gaga over the girl for a while there. Lucky Heather got you to drink the antidote before you went and proposed marriage to Romilda."
Ron groaned, covering his face with his hands. "I owe you guys one. Can't believe it! That girl's a right menace, she is!"
"It could have gone worse," Heather teased.
"Don't I know it," Ron muttered.
Shaking her head, she figured her work here was done. On her way out of the room, she called out to Hadrian, "Remember, we're having tea with Slughorn tomorrow at 3!"
Then perhaps they would finally make progress on the defeating Voldemort front. She hadn't found anything on horcruxes yet, but she had a feeling they were important.