Snape's Match

The bell announcing the resumption of classes had taken Snape by surprise, coming as it did at the very moment he was striding out the door in order to scour the castle for Lia.


He cursed explicitly and at length. Lia could be doing anything, or going anywhere, and now he would have no opportunities to search for her until the torture of classes was over.
His scowl was enough to quiet the rowdy seventh years as he swept into Dungeon Four in time to take fifteen points from Ron. Malfoy, who had been the one Ron called a slimy git, settled back into his chair with a satisfied smirk. It looked as though his preferred Professor had reverted to his usual self and dropped that slightly happier look he’d been wearing the previous few weeks.


We Slytherins should have some fun today, he mused. Perhaps I should try my luck with that Hiemalis Hex Father told me about on Potter today.


Meanwhile, Hermione was hissing frantically about Lia’s second unexplained disappearance, and this time Harry and Ron had joined in her anxiety.


“You say she went to Dumbledore’s office this morning?” asked Harry for the third time.


“Yes,” answered Hermione irritably, “I told you already, she got another of those flying envelopes and went straight off. You saw her go, we were in Herbology remember?”


“Oh yeah,” agreed Ron, “But Dumbledore never keeps anyone this long – concise, that man.”


“Exactly, Ron!” cried Hermione; looking distinctly happy he had finally grasped the oddity of the situation. “Lia’s not back yet –“


“Yet again,” muttered Ron.


Hermione shot him a poisonous look and continued: “Anyway, what if something has happened to her?”


Ron shook his head sagely.


“Hermione, that’s twice you’ve been worried off your head about her and she’s been perfectly alright. You’ve got to start being a bit less panicky,” he added teasingly, “or I might have to stay away from you.”


“Oh and that would be a great disappointment, Ron,” Hermione retorted sarcastically, and he faked a hurt look.


“I know that she’s been OK the last times but what if she isn’t now-“


Harry poked Hermione in the ribs as Snape swept over to them. He had obviously overheard the last bit of what Hermione had been saying. The Potions Master glanced at her cauldron and then back up at her.


“Clearly your conversation is more important than the immensely difficult potion I have set you, Miss Granger, so perhaps you would prefer to sit the NEWT right now without further tutoring?”


Hermione went rather red. It was not often Snape chastised her in class; he normally passed her by without comment. Nevertheless, a sudden suspicion made her stand her ground instead of her usual mumbled apology and hasty return to her brewing.


“Sir?”


Snape sent her a shrewd look at this uncharacteristic action, and she took this as permission to continue.


“Do you know what’s happened to Lia?”


Harry and Ron watched amazed as Snape refrained from doing what would normally be expected: hexing Hermione all the way to Dumbledore’s office, and actually answered in a somewhat civil tone.


“She received some,” Snape suppressed a grimace, “unexpected and rather shocking news, from what I can gather, and felt unable to return to lessons.”


“But where is she?” persisted Hermione.


“I don’t know.”


Snape’s frail self-control threatened to break. It’s my fault she left, is that what you want to hear? he thought wretchedly – then: Does the Granger girl know? Why would Lia have told her? He dismissed the unhelpful thoughts as Neville’s cauldron exploded for what seemed the thirtieth time that week.



Classes and dinner finally over, Snape felt free to tear apart the castle’s empty classrooms, secret passages and the sheltered spaces behind tapestries in his hunt for Lia. He even attempted to hold a normal conversation with Peeves, asking whether he had seen the Gryffindor on his mayhem-causing jaunts around the building, but stopped once he spotted the water balloons over his head. Peeves had been trying to distract him long enough to subject him to a salvo. Resisting the automatic urge to curse the poltergeist into oblivion, he carried on with his increasingly frantic search.



It was deep night by now, and Snape was in a state of nervous exhaustion. Perhaps I should just give up – Lia’s probably in her common room right now telling the other blasted Gryffindors how evil I am, he thought. Damn, I’ve missed the towers in the east wing.


The first three were empty, but in the corner of the fourth his gloom-acclimatized eyes made out the sleeping form of his beloved Lia. He slid down the wall to sit opposite; glad to have found her. She looked as exhausted as he felt, with clear evidence of the tears she had shed on her pale face. Her very sleep seemed to have been affected by the revelations she had endured. Lia looked as much on edge and tense as one could be whilst sleeping.


It tore his heart to think she was now in terrible danger from his former master. Doubly so, he reminded himself Voldemort would take particular pleasure in killing anybody dear to him as punishment for his betrayal, even if he was somehow unaware of Lia’s relationship to him. Which was unlikely, given he had been supporting her for her entire life…Snape sighed wearily - he wasn’t sure of anything anymore…



Dawn woke Lia. She lay almost happily for a few moments, admiring the golden light of sunrise despite herself, and luxuriating in a familiar scent all around her. Something dark threatened to break through into her mind and with a start she realised she was not in her four-poster in the warm dormitory but lying on cold flagstones. The events of yesterday crowded around her, each clamouring to remind her first of the misery her life had suddenly become.


As she resignedly hauled her stiff and freezing body up onto her elbows, a black cloak fell off her into graceful folds on the grey flags. With her stifled gasp, Lia awoke Snape from his fitful doze.
Her grey eyes met his black ones across the cramped tower top, and for a moment it seemed as though the couple would resume their argument from the night before, but the impulse died a quick death.


In the space of a skipped heartbeat Lia was muffling her pent-up sobs in Snape’s welcoming arms, while he showered impassioned kisses on her dark hair. It was as if the quarrel had never happened, and although the knowledge of who she really was still tortured Lia, a weight that she had not noticed before lifted.


Snape started to apologize for his comment, but Lia stopped him.


“I don’t need to hear it Severus,” she whispered from the depths of his robes. “I overreacted. You did nothing wrong.”


Lia raised her head in order to see his reaction, only to find he was watching her as intently. Smiling playfully for the first time since the meeting in Dumbledore’s office, Lia moved in closer to the mesmerized Snape.


The kiss that followed recalled their earliest in the dungeon months ago, and it was with difficulty Snape stopped himself from taking it further there and then.


A sudden idea struck him. “Lia?”


“Mmmm?”


“Are you going anywhere for the Christmas holidays?”


“Not that I know of,” she sighed.


“Do you think, maybe, you’d care to spend them with me?”


Snape had half-expected a rebuttal, but was instead charmed by the delighted smile this elicited from Lia.


“You really mean it?”


“Well, yes, although perhaps you would not want to…”


Lia hit him. It felt good to have her back to normal, thought Snape.


“Of course I do! But Severus – don’t you have to stay at Hogwarts? Don’t all the teachers?”


“Not exactly. We are allowed two of the four weeks allotted for spending time at home or with family. I have never taken advantage of that particular opportunity, however.”


“So do you have a house?” Lia was intrigued.


“Of sorts. It was left to me by a relative with an interesting taste in decorating, but I believe we can make use of it. It’s rather small, but I think you might like it.”


Lia flung enthusiastic arms around his neck.


“Anywhere’s good enough as long as you’re there, love.”


His breath caught.


“You’re just saying that, Lia”


She gave him a devious look. “Oh am I? We’ll see…”



As ever, the breakfast bell interrupted them, and it was with haste that Lia and Snape made their way down the staircase that had thankfully not moved. On the way he filled her in on what he had told Hermione in class about her disappearance.


“Will you be able to explain it away well enough?”


“I think so,” replied Lia, “I’m running out of good ideas, though.”


He gave her a rare smile, and vanished into another of the secret passageways. Damn, thought Lia, I’ll have to get Harry to teach me some of them. I might even be able to get to breakfast on time.