I walked briskly to the Slytherin common room, and whispered the password. When I came in I saw Allistor and Lynx sharing a large, comfortable chair near the fire. A couple of other students mulled around not yet ready to sleep. I walked over to where Lynx sat in Allistor's lap looking content. They both glanced up at me and smiled.
"So, Snape let you out early tonight?" Allistor asked in his cocky way.
"Yup," I smiled. I turned my gaze fully onto Lynx. "I need to talk to you, now," I said with emphasis on the last word. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Is this about you-know-what?" she asked animatedly. I loved how easily she got excited.
"Yes," I said locking eyes with her. I made sure my tone let her know nothing was wrong. She hopped off Allistor's lap and turned to him apologetically.
"Sorry Allistor, but this is important girl stuff," she explained giving him a peck on the cheek. He smiled charmingly and shooed us away with the wave of his hand. I quickly pulled Lynx into our dorm and locked the door. I cast a silencing charm on the whole room so we wouldn't be overheard.
"Okay so—" I launched into my story about everything that had been going on with Snape and how both of my detentions had gone. I made sure I didn't skip a single detail and told her how it seemed like he was mad because he had been worried for me when he thought I'd lost control of my broom.
By the end of my story her eyes were as wide as a deer's, and I had earned several 'no way!'s from her. Her eyes sparkled as I pulled her farther and farther into my twisted fairy tale. "So I was thinking about making him notice me a bit more in class," I said inclining my head conspiratorially.
"What'd you have in mind?" she asked smiling evilly. She was a true Slytherin, that's for sure. She didn't think my attraction to Snape or his attraction to me was creepy in any way. She loved a good scandal when she could find one, and this would definitely give her her fix. I smiled shyly.
"Well I was thinking, if you'd help me, I could start fixing my hair nicer and doing more with my make-up. I was thinking if I curled my hair and applied a little moose to make it sparkle it would catch his eye, and if we fixed my make-up so that my eyes popped he wouldn't be able to look away. Tonight, in detention, my eyes watered a bit so the green was really noticeable, and it was like I had him under a spell."
Lynx hugged me tightly and squealed. I laughed lightly and patted her back in an awkward way.
"I'm so proud! My little girl is growing up!" she laughed holding me at arm's length. "Of course I will help you win your man's heart." I laughed hard at this. She was so exuberant. It contrasted my placidness well. I grabbed my pillow; we were sitting on my bed, and smacked her with it. She pretended to glare at me. I smiled and thanked her for the support.
"You do know that if you sleep with him you have to tell me what he's working with right?" she said as we got into our pajamas. I nearly choked.
"Lynx! Why on earth is that the first thing that comes to your mind?!" I asked freaking out just a bit. She laughed and gave me a wink.
"He's Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Mysterious, Izzy. I have to know these things, and you better tell me if you start shacking up with the Potions Master," she demanded. I rolled my eyes at her, half tempted to throw another pillow at her.
"Fine," I growled crawling under my covers. "Finite Incantatum." The silencing charm on the room disappeared, and I drifted into blissful sleep.
The next morning I woke up early and showered with hot water. When I got out and dressed I was dragged over to Lynx's mirror. She cast a drying spell on my hair and began loosely curling it with her wand. My hair would not look right with ringlets, but with a wavy curl it seemed richer, thicker even. It was a dark mahogany color with a rich red hint that was barely noticeable unless the sun hit it just right.
Once my hair was wrenched into place, gelled lightly, and curled to perfection Lynx started in on my make-up. I had this type of mascara that was made for eyes my color. It really made them look gorgeous, and Lynx's expert touch with my green eye shadow and light foundation made me look almost like a model.
I wasn't quite skinny enough to be a model, but I was far from overweight. My lips were always a soft red color so I simply put on a clear gloss to finish the look off. I retied my combat boots and stood for Lynx's inspection.
"Not bad at all, Izzy," she said walking in a slow circle around me. "We'll leave lunch a little early so I can touch up your make-up before you go to Potions." I nodded, grabbed my book bag, and headed out.
Ten minutes before lunch was over Lynx and I went to our dorm. She appraised me for a moment before making me apply more gloss. She gently brushed my hair back with her fingers so it looked a bit more orderly. Luckily my hair held curls well. She redid my eyeliner and stepped back satisfied.
"You're beautiful, Babe," she smiled. "He won't be able to teach for tripping over his tongue on the floor." I giggled and thanked her. She wished me good luck, and I nervously went on my way to Potions.
I made it to class second today. A Hufflepuff girl beat me. I sat down and pulled out my books leisurely. I had received compliments all day on my appearance which made me smile. I only hoped that Snape would notice. I smirked to myself as I waited for him to enter, and soon other students started filing in.
Most of the class was already seated when Professor Snape came in. He glanced at me as he passed, and I swear he froze for half a second. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been paying close attention to him. I gave him a flirty smile because I sat on the front row and no one would see. He glared at me, but his eyes seemed unable to look away from mine.
He began his lecture for the day sounding unusually distracted all the while and did his best to ignore me. I pouted slightly about that which he seemed to notice. Was that the reason for his smirk? It was obvious to me that he was putting in a lot of effort not to stare at me, but I knew nobody else would notice. He was really good at hiding his thoughts.
Roughly an hour later he assigned us three feet of parchment for homework on the uses of scarab beetles in potions making and dismissed the class.
"Miss Fellstone, a word," he said in his droning tone. I sighed and sat my things back on the table. I slowly walked up to his desk and decided to stop acting like a Gryffindor and let my Slytherin charm show.
"Yes Professor?" I asked meekly looking down at the floor.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked. It sounded almost as if there was amusement under his annoyed tone, but I couldn't tell.
"What do you mean, Sir?" I asked looking up at him from under my eyelashes and brushing my hair back with one hand. Playing dumb can be a girl's best friend sometimes.
"The way you have dressed today; are you honestly expecting me to think it wasn't a silly ploy to win me over?" he asked raising one eyebrow. He was playing cool, but I could just barely see the longing in his eyes. I considered telling him not to flatter himself; that my appearance was for someone else. I decided quickly that that would only hinder my objective.
"I noticed you looking quite a bit," I said roguishly instead. He glared at me now.
"Miss Fellstone, you're behavior is highly inappropriate," he growled irritably.
"With all due respect, Sir, I have not broken any school rules in regards to the dress code. It is not my fault if you can't control yourself," I said looking up at him now. I was showing my sassy side. He snarled and leaned forward quickly.
"Ten points from Slytherin," he seethed. "I do hate taking points from Slytherin, Miss Fellstone, and you seem to be making me do it repeatedly as of late. I have perfect control over myself. You, however, seem incapable of keeping your hormones in check.
"As far as the dress code goes, I could report you for wearing those boots you seem so fond of." He was very sharp and curt. His words cut into me, but I didn't take it personally. I knew he meant it personally, but I had to expect this sort of response from him. Nobody had ever referred to Snape as warm or mild-tempered.
"My hormones have nothing to do with this. I think you know that," I tried not to call him 'Sir' or 'Professor' when we started talking about personal things, "and we seem to have the same taste in shoes." I smirked. It was true that I found Severus physically appealing, but I didn't lust after him. Whatever I felt for him was deeper than that, more intellectually based. How deep my feelings went, I didn't know, but I did know I wanted more from him than hormonal satisfaction.
"Will you let this drop?" he asked ignoring my shoe comment. I could tell he desperately wanted me to let it go, but I couldn't. Not when the look in his eyes told me I had a shot at winning him eventually.
"You claim you can't say yes. Well, I can't take no for an answer. I'll keep dressing like this, and I may give you reason to take points from Slytherin from time to time. It's a price I'm willing to pay," I looked him hard in the eyes. "I know you're worth the fight so I'm not giving up."
His eyes widened. He seemed utterly shocked by my last couple of statements which pleased me. It seemed he didn't see much worth in himself, and to be told he was worth something was unheard of. It made my heart ache for him, but all too soon his face turned impassive again.
"This is a game of will power, Miss Fellstone. Do you really think you have more will power than I do?" he challenged me darkly. I dropped the cute little school girl act all-together and gave him an even harder, steady glare. I would show him I could play on his level.
"Only time will tell," I said just as darkly as he had. "You don't know me very well, but let me tell you a thing or two about me now." He merely arched an eyebrow so I continued. "My favorite animal is a wolf. This is so because they are strong, caring creatures. They can survive all alone, but they prefer a pack.
"Wolves mate for life. A wolf's key desire in life is to find their mate and stick to them until death. I am stronger than I let on, and when I care for someone I will do anything for them. I will never let them go." I gave him a meaningful look which he held without faltering.
Call me a snake or a wolf and I didn't care. They were both predatory creatures and somehow Snape had become my prey. I think Snape knew I was being completely serious because he squared his shoulders and straightened his posture before he spoke again.
"In that case, I am the lone wolf," he said. His voice was firm, but somehow I sensed a deep sadness inside him. It made me long to hold him. I felt my eyes water and was glad my make-up was water-proof.
"What is it now?" he growled making me curse his acute perception. "Surely I haven't said anything worth tears," his tone was reprimanding in an incredulous sort of way.
I shook my head and forced the tears to stop before they spilled over. I tend to only really cry when my heart hurts for other people, like when Lynx's brother was killed.
"It's nothing," I said softly. His face softened a tiny bit.
"Don't lie to me," he commanded tightly. I looked deep into his eyes without hiding an ounce of my emotion.
"My heart hurts for you because, even though you won't admit it, you're in pain; and you won't let me do anything about it," I confessed. My voice was ragged with emotion. His impossibly dark eyes softened a little more. I felt so small admitting such a deep feeling to a man with such a strong presence. However, he didn't seem so bullet-proof right now.
"What makes you think you could do anything to help me if I did let you try?" he asked coolly. I was surprised he didn't sound angry.
"I can't explain that. I just know that I could if you would let me," I admitted feebly.
"No," he said simply. I looked at him confused. "There's nothing for you to do. Find someone else."
"Why?" I asked immediately.
"Because I don't want you!" he snapped harshly. I flinched and felt tears slip over the edge of my eyelids. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away from him. It felt like I would fall apart if I tried to walk so I leaned my back against his desk and silently sobbed into my hand. My shoulders shook as I cried.
~Oh no Severus! How could you be so cruel! lol Snape has a lot of internal battles going on that Isabella just doesn't understand. *sigh* ~