After Party

Natalie perched precariously on the edge of the parapet on top of the Astronomy Tower, a bowl sized mug full of coffee clutched between her hands, the steam from the hot liquid swirling about in the cold air. She stared, almost unseeing, at the horizon, completely lost in her own thoughts. The chill morning air was still, the sky - a dark grey, even where the sun tried to force its way through at the edge of the world. She made not a single sound, but tears flowed silently down her cold-reddened cheeks. Gradually, the darkest gray of the sky lightened to only dark gray, another day to live. She tossed back the now cold remains of her coffee, wiping her tears away hastily, and fixing her mask firmly upon her face, prepared to do battle once more.

Descending the numerous stairs, Natalie cautiously approached the lurching figure ahead of her. The Defense against the Dark Arts Professor from Hogwarts always put her nerves on edge, and she couldn’t fathom the exact reason why he did so. Suddenly, Moody whirled around rather agilely for someone with his handicaps, and stared straight at her with one eye, and through her with the other.

“Good morning, Professor Moody,” she addressed him politely, as cordial as she could muster, choosing to focus on his biological eye.

“And to you, Miss Richmond,” he greeted her suspiciously. “Up a bit early are ya?” he inquired, waiting politely for her to catch up to him on the stairs.

“Trouble sleeping, Professor,” she answered brusquely, still warily keeping a small distance. “I confess to being an insomniac.” She graced him with a small, wry smile.

“Conscience bothering you?” he inquired earnestly, the barest tip of his tongue flicking forward to between his lips.

“My conscience is clear. How is yours?” she retorted, instantly shifting into defensive mode, alert and anxious.

Again, he flicked his tongue, and it unnerved Natalie, though she was careful to hide her discomfort.

‘Deception, deceit, unblinking, careful body language, open posture,’ Natalie reviewed her training silently, holding his gaze. ‘He is hiding something big, and was well trained in how to hide it,' she decided, narrowing her eyes at him.  

“I may have a few regrets in my past ...” The old battle scarred Auror, answered her warily, seeming to sense her appraisal.

“Don’t we all?” Natalie asked gently, as she slipped past him on the stairs. “If you will excuse me, I have a few things to put in order before I begin classes today.”

“Of course, my dear, don’t let me hold you up,” he agreed, watching her closely as she descended.

Natalie startled Moody when she spun abruptly, catching him once again with his tongue flicking at her in quite the snakelike manner. Her eyes involuntarily narrowed; his good eye widened, taken aback.

“Good day, Professor Moody.” She took her leave, finishing her descent much more rapidly than she had intended, needing to put real distance between herself and the creepy old man.

Once more into the dungeon hallway, she paused before the door to Severus’ classroom, decided not to bother him, before heading to her own classroom. She re-emerged, scowl in place, to stride down the hallway again. Snape emerged from his private quarters to fall into step at her side. She graced him with a lesser scowl, and a relatively warm greeting.

“Good morning, Professor.”

“Good morning, Professor.” he greeted, matching her tone.

“Might I have a few minutes of your time to discuss an issue today?” she inquired while sharply eyeing a dawdling Slytherin, who was attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation. Her glare spurred the young man into walking faster and out of earshot.

“I would gladly slip in a few minutes, to fit you into my schedule,” Snape drawled, watching his snake slither away from them.

“I rather thought you would prefer for me to fit you into my schedule.” Natalie chanced a sideways glance at the Potions Master, now with a decidedly leering glint in his black eyes.

“I will be glad to fit into your day when you are available,” he bantered snidely.

Natalie smirked.  “Of course.” She grinned, cocking her head at him sideways, and giving him a small wink. “But, I really would like to discuss a personnel issue.”

“Personnel, not personal?” he requested clarification, voice timbre lowering sensually.

“Perhaps later, but there is something that is troubling me, and I respect your expertise in this area.”

They continued, stride for matching stride until they reached the faculty door to the Great Hall. Gallantly, Snape opened the door, holding it for the smaller woman, then following her into the din.

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To be continued.

Forgot the tally: Snape 3 Natalie 2; Remus 2 Tonks 2; Alexei 1 Ana 1; Albus 1 Minerva 1.