The Tenth Rule

Chapter Three.



The journey to the Slytherin common room and Alice\'s dorm seemed twice as long that afternoon. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribcage. Darkness seeped from every crevice; under doors, around corners, the only illumination being the mounted flames that licked hungrily at the cold stone walls. She shivered, but only partly due to the chill. Despite her victory over Snape, she still felt like a lump of ice was lodged inside her, born of humiliation and resentment. This had to be a first, or if not, then it had to be a very rare occurrence indeed that Professor Snape had actually picked on one of his own house. She could only reason it to the fact he must have been in a particularly foul mood today, and wanted to take it out on someone. The class had been particularly good, and unfortunately, she was the only one who had actually made a mistake. It must have riled him even more that the only one to make an error was a Slytherin! It was a well-known fact that Snape favoured his own house, so it neatly explained the fact that though he had humiliated her, he had made certain he did not remove any points from his own house. Oh but of all people why her? Quiet, unassuming Alice, forced to march in front of the class and spout potion-making rules! Only Snape\'s malicious and spiteful nature could take some satisfaction from that. Perhaps it was some sort of emotional salve to soothe whatever must have really pissed him off that day that he had been resorted to choose one of his students from his own house? She kept glancing around, terrified she was going to bump into him. Her fellow Slytherins grinned at her as she entered the common room, and if she had been expecting congratulations for her one-upmanship on Snape she was wrong, she didn\'t, her triumph had been very brief it seemed. There was sniggered warnings that she had made a really big mistake, or just mysterious tut-tuttings as she walked by, or sombre shaking of heads.



Alice had no real reason, before today, to feel any dislike for the man. Without a doubt he was a brilliant wizard that knew his craft better than any other, and the rumours of his very dark past indicated he had skills and power far greater than anyone other than Professor Dumbledore knew of. Though she admired his profession and skills as a teacher, she was far from approving of his treatment of students - with hawk-like precision, he would swoop down and snatch weaknesses from the pool of water that was the cowering victim - but he had never verbally attacked her personally. That was namely because of her subdued nature - she huddled over her cauldron, casting nervous glances up to check that he wasn\'t hovering over her with a disapproving gaze. She was an adequate student, not making any mistakes but not creating new revolutionary potions either. Alice often compared herself rather unfairly to other potions prodigies, who could effortlessly conjure mixtures that would take Alice at least a double lesson of intense concentration. Nonetheless, Alice was quite content with being average, in every sense of the word.



Alice thought of her friend...Bethany. To Alice, Bethany was everything she was not. Bethany, with her sharp tongue and acidic wit, her almost flirtatious turn of phrase. Bethany with the chestnut curls that fell more loosely than Alice\'s straight blonde locks, Bethany with the rounder hips and fuller mouth. Alice was rarely in trouble - something she reflected rather morosely upon that afternoon - but when problarosarose, Bethany was always there to fight her corner. It was a mixed blessing. Alice was grateful for Bethany \'s interventions, for her skills in argument were second to none. But, at times, she wished that Bethany allowed her to stand her ground, gave her space to breathe. Alice wanted to prove to herself, more than anyone, that she had a voice. She had demonstrated this earlier, and without any help from Bethany.



The heavy oak door of her dorm room soon came into sight. Alice picked up speed, her heels tapping on the stone steps, puffing a stray strand of hair out of her face. She shouldered the door gracelessly, kicking it almost insolently shut behind her.



The peace in the room was impossibly soothing, it was empty. Alice sighed, slumping against the door, allowing her eyes to fall slowly closed. She remained there for a moment, gathering herself, before walking slowly over to her writing desk. Upon it sat a pitcher of water and a glass, and she hastily poured herself a drink. She had not had anything since lunchtime, before her potions lesson, and her throat had become quite dry.



Sipping at the cool liquid, Alice observed her section of the dormitory. She had to share it with other girls, but they all had the decency to allow each other their space, and it helped they all had their own curtained four-poster single-beds to afford some privacy from each other. It had been awkward at first - Alice was always dubious about her fellow Slytherins - but they had found it far too much effort to actively ostracise her.



Her bed was firm, yet comfortable. A small table beside the bed that she kept neat and orderly, played the dual role of a writing desk and was reasonably sized and host to a lamp and a double-bell alarm clock that ticked pleasantly throughout the night. All that shared the surface was a stack of papers, the odd quill or two, a well of rich navy ink and a small notebook. All of her schoolbooks were tucked away in the drawers, all organised aside from the pile of notes that had been passed in various lessons. Small, scrunched scraps of paper, all adorned with familiar scrawls. Her cool eyes passed over the length of the room. It was quite a rare occurrence to be alone.



Alice caught her reflection in the mirror, sighing. She looked tired - her pale skin showed shadows easily, and her eyes were ringed with a delicate purple. Never one to have roses in her cheeks, her face appeared hollow and drawn, and her hair had partly fallen out of its plait, seemingly demonstrating her emotional state. She dusted herself off in the mirror, noting the time displayed on her clock. There was still just enough time to bathe before dinner. Alice wasn\'t particularly hungry, but she felt that she would need the sustenance to last the evening.



It was an unspoken rule that the staff arrived long before the students for the evening meal. They were not served any earlier, but it was a silent indication of their status and power within the building. Watery moonlight trickled from above and through the long arched mullioned windows, diluted by the multiple candles that hovered above the tables, all of varying heights and widths. Upon reflection, it seemed rather dangerous, but it was decided that it gave pupils a careful air of caution, kept them in line. The older students often found amusement in the younger ones, shoulders hunched so that any part of their robes would not come into contact with the hungry flame. It was an art long mastered by some.



Bethany eyed the empty seat behind her worriedly. She knew her friend had hidden depths, she had seen it surface once or twice on very rare occasions, and this afternoon in Snape\'s class, she had witnessed it again, and was proud. The only thing that had marred it slightly was the fact Snape had overheard their conversation about him, which wasn\'t that disastrous but embarrassing all the same, they could have done without that. Could this have something to do with Alice being late?



Because they were in different houses they ate at separate tables, but Alice had worked it that she sat with her back to Bethany on the neighbouring table and the two were at least able to converse albeit leaning back! Alice was never late, and following her shock earlier, she may have reacted rather adversely. Bethany didn\'t notice she had been tapping her plate with her fork until the weight of angry pairs of eyes fell upon her from all directions. She looked up, no trace of apology on her face. Her gaze fell upon the staff tables, and her eyes became icy. There sat Snape, upright, with the usual sour expression upon his face. The expression that constantly emanated a feeling of resentment, of wanting to be somewhere else.



Perhaps he just might understand how his pupils feel!



Bethany \'s diagnosis was certainly accurate. Snape did not want to be there at all - it was only responsibility, loyalty to Professor Dumbledore and a sense of common courtesy that bound him there. Despite his caustic temperament, he loathed bad manners. There was nothing worse than insolence. He was surrounded by peers, many of which he did not have the time of day for, those that wished to indulge him in conversations he had no interest in. All he wanted was to retire to his room and work on his potions. Surely that was not much to ask? The peace and tranquillity of his own living space, full to the brim with potions and experimental brews, with no one to proposition him with vacuous discourse. One of the more simple things in life that he craved.



He caught a gaze across the room. Bethany Beddows. Snape felt contempt form, cold and hard, in his stomach. He had never liked the girl. The moment she had walked into his class several years ago, unconsciously swaying shapeless hips and displaying childish bravado, he had figured her out. Now, at only sixteen his expectations had been proven correct. She was aware of the sexual power that had started to bloom inside her. Her skirt had stopped skimming her hips and had started gripping them, her blouses no longer flat, but shaped, the material stretching. The ying to Alice\'s physical yang, she was attractive in a coarse, sensual sort of way. She was the kind that would try to use her wiles to no real advantage, but bask in the momentary glory that it brought her. He was also well aware that the negative feeling he had towards her was somewhat mutual, but it certainly did not concern him. If he worried over every single pupil that viewed him in a hateful light, he would have long passed away from some panic-induced illness.



Snape refused to drop his glare. His eyes, even when narrowed, still harboured that dark glitter, like hard smoked diamonds. He saw the girl squirm slightly in her seat, and l her her eyes. It barely showed, but Snape allowed a ghost of a smirk to tug at his lips. His long, masterful fingers slowly curled from an outstretched position to settle, coiled, beneath his palm. When his eyes returned to the girl, he saw that Alice, her endless companion, had joined her. Snape had not felt so strongly about her until earlier that day. Alice had been relatively unimportant to him, blending almost entirely into the background if it were not for her almost translucent colouring. She was not a poor student, neither was she academically brilliant, but inoffensive.



It was only when she seemed to have this second-hand confidence from Bethany that she riled him, and never had it been more obvious than this afternoon. She might as well have puffed her chest out proudly and given her friend a salute. Snape was well aware that if he had cornered the girl and then asked her the ten rules, she would stutter and flush crimson, more so than she had done earlier. But because this Bethany, the fountain of all front and grandiosity, had been present, silently assuring poor, meek Alice that Snape was indeed the big bad wolf and she could indeed prove him wrong, Alice had redeemed herself. He would see that it would never happen again.



Bethany literally sighed with relief when Alice sidled into the seat behind her; she leant back a little.



\"What took you so long? I was worried about you.\"



Alice\'s eyes remained downcast, as though she did not want to be spoken to.



\"I had to bathe before I came here.\" She glanced at the others who were all busy talking about various events of the day and lessons. \"I\'m not that late, am I?\"



Bethany \'s lower lip protruded in consideration, and she twisted a little on the bench all the better to see her friend.



\"Well, not really. It\'s just not like you.\"



Bethany’s eyes remained on Alice. Her eyebrows had knitted into a frown, and the gaze lingered long enough for Alice to raise her head.



\"Do I have something on my face?\"



\"Oh…no. It\'s nothing. I was just thinking if you were still upset about earlier…\"



\" Bethany, I\'m not really in the mood to talk about it. I just want something to eat. In peace.\"



\"Suit yourself.\" After several seconds Bethany sat forward and poured herself some water.



If frost could form on air, it would have done at that very point. Alice was not hostile, but the delivery of her rather curt words struck a nerve in Bethany. She had not really given the situatioch tch thought since the girls had separated, but it was made quite clear that Alice had. Alice\'s fatal flaw was chronic thinking. Every word, every gesture, was taken into consideration. She felt crowded enough by her own emotions; she did not need her friend to join them.



The meal was palatable enough. The pupils sat, with various degrees of patience, through Dumbledore\'s pre-dinner speech. Some wriggled in their seats; others sighed and cast their eyes skyward, others decided to concentrate on whatever was in front of them. Bethany noticed that Alice ate methodically, but rather slowly, as though she were obliged to eat. She despised the awkwardness that had blanketed them, and it was her that resumed the dying throes of the conversation. She leant back once more and elbowed her friend gently.



\"Alice, look. I don\'t know what it is that I\'ve done to bother you…\" she tucked a curl behind her ear, \"because if I did, I\'d have done something about it. You don\'t have to tell me, but I think we could do something tonight to lighten yo…us up a little. What do you think?\"



Alice chewed thoughtfully on the remaining morsel of her food and swallowed. Bethany watched her glance cautiously to the side, almost as though she were about to tell her some conspiratorial secret.



\"Okay. That\'ll be good.\" Taking a sip of her water, Alice turned slightly toward her friend and offered her a small, meek smile. Alice did not feel the need for apologies at that moment, and that gentle facial expression could say far more than any summoned words.







****************************************







Some would call the silence of Snape\'s quarters uncomfortable, but he delighted in it. No barely-muffled giggles. No smashing of glass or explosions as yet another heavy-handed student attempted a delicate procedure.



No Alice Pearson, triumphantly reciting the ten rules.



Severus Snape felt the muscles in his jaw tense as cold and teasing anger jabbed at him with eager fingers. Initially, it had all seemed perfect - he knew how painfully shy Alice could be, it should have been quite straightforward. He had over the years seen how quickly a blush would creep up her skin like ivy, how her tongue would produce mere snatches of words as they caught in her throat. She was not observant enough to catch him watching her, but he possessed the almost feline skill of being able to appear preoccupied whenever her wide eyes looked up. He often watched students in this fashion and quickly became familiar with their unconscious though telling little habits, such as Alice Pearson chewing on her lower lip as she pondered over a potion, slender fingers absent-mindedly fiddling with her blonde ponytail. As for her friend…



Though Professor Snape rarely felt the need to physically assault anyone whilst at Hogwarts; his Death Eater days were long past though the residue of his darker nature would never be subdued, it was a constant battle to keep it repressed. His words and his cold, ruthless, sour reputation, amplified over the years as much by his own deeds as the distorted tales from student to student handed down over the years, magnified and warped to such a degree were enough to terrorise and keep those youths in check, along with his trademark biting comments that proved to be far more effective and painful than any whip, the effects everlasting. But that afternoon he had felt the urge, rather than the need, to slap Miss Bethany Beddows hot, hard little cheekbone with the back of his hand. The ultimate position of submission was the exposure of the throat, and Snape was fully aware of how powerful this blow would have been and how easily her frivolous little head would have jolted back.



This was what irritated Snape. Girls didn\'t seem to be girls anymore; they permanently aspired to be young ladies. Thinking they knew everything they in fact knew nothing. That precious well of childhood was now emptied, and every female that inevitably paraded herself down the hall with vacuous attempts to be so impossibly attractive to the opposite sex constantly annoyed Snape. Even more aggravating it appeared to work. He had seen Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and impossible though it seemed, Hufflepuff boys nudging each other and smirking when a young girl had walked past, tossing a sickeningly contrived smile over her shoulder at them.



Even worse were the amateurish, usually drunken fumbling that Snape had interrupted on countless occasions. He knew that the panting, red-faced boy\'s sweaty fingers would have trembled when grazed across the girl\'s barely developed breasts, the awkward and sloppy kisses, the concentration on not losing all control if allowed to achieve the ultimate goal to slip said sweaty fumbling fingers up her skirt along a firm silken thigh to try and seek entrance beneath the elastic of her childish uniform regulation knickers, and that\'s when Snape would swoop, embarrassing the boy so callously with such choice hurtful words the youth would harbour both mental and emotional scars that would render him impotent for years to come. He knew that the girl would return to her room, triumph stained with disappointment and frustration for experiencing no more than a grope, and a completely ineffective one at that, but most damning of all, the mortification and shame at being discovered by that nasty old potions master and the threat of expulsion, that it was unlikely she would venture into any trysts again within Hogwarts walls.



Did these cretins not appreciate the finer things in life? Were they all so impossibly reoodeooded that even a glimpse of an inner thigh in a short skirt would send them into quite a state? Were these girls not so proud as to flaunt anyone as their trophy? Snape had suffered all the same agonies of sexual frustrations when he had been a student many, many years ago, and had been just as inept and suffered many indignities, until instinct, experience, maturity and the innate desire to survive strove him to perfect and master all his emotions, feelings, pleasure, pain, desires and needs rather than have them master him, and gave him control that was exceptional. None of these students nowadays would ever have the discipline, the self-control or the will to even make any attempt to master themselves at all, and why he was unsympathetic towards them.



Snape allowed a shudder to course through him. He frowned and moved a stack of parchments in front of him, quill poised to mark. The long fingers of one hand rested under his chin as he read the essay, dismay growing with each passing second at the slapdash nature of it. Clearly a night-before job. Still, this was marginally better than his later duty. The first night check. Two cold eyes glanced upon the sands thin trail in the large glass, a sigh. He had a few scant hours.



********************************



Night had long settled over Hogwarts, and the sky played host to a million brilliant jewels. A brisk wind had whipped dead leaves into a frenzy, waltzing briefly before discarding them, making trees tremble delicately as icy hands caressed them with a lover\'s touch. A light, soundless drizzle had begun to fall, and it trickled in delicate rivulets down the window.



Alice and Bethany, per usual, were crammed in the lookout. And their mood had been considerably lightened.



\"Ooh wow! This is stronger than the last one!\" Spluttered Alice as she swallowed the sweet and sparkling beverage. Three empty bottles stood side by side on the dusty stone floor.



Matthew Sturge; a fellow Slytherin and born entrepreneur, had developed the art of the illicit manufacture of alcohol. Based on Muggle cider, he had perfected it with varying - alphabetically graded strength - brews to what was now simply known as Matt\'s Mk. IV and was very popular with the students. It was probably the best-kept secret that bound all the students together of all houses. A solidarity that bound all by protecting their own interests, which protected Matthew Sturge and his potent brews! Alice had managed to procure four bottles from him, each one a slightly different flavour and different grade and she and Bethany were sampling the last one.



\"Cripes...yes!\" Gasped Bethany, her eyes watering. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. \"That\'s the strongest yet!\" She breathed in wonder, looking at the homemade label on the small dark brown bottle.



\" Matt\'s Mk. IV...D.Brew....Hmm, D... do you think that means d…deadly?\" The two girls giggled as she hiccupped the last word.



After their laughter had finally died down, Alice placed a hand on her stomach and frowned.



\"You got any more of those cookies? I\'ve got the munchies.\"



Bethany glanced over her shoulder. \"I think I stuck some in the corner over there.\"



Alice drew her knees up to her chest and swung over the ledge, scuttling across the floor to access her treat. With only moonlight shining through the window as any source of illumination, she fished about haplessly in the dark, her fingers closing upon the rustling plastic of the cookie wrapper, the light-headedness brought about by the alcohol making it rather difficult for co-ordination. She quickly returned to the window ledge.



The two friends, as always, had passed up the offer from their other house mates to go to Hogsmead with them, preferring to spend their time together, and chatting amicably about all and everything, which they had been doing incessantly since they met. However, the two girls were in somewhat of a special celebratory mood this night; not just because it was the eve of the weekend they were more than a little inebriated; Alice had found renewed triumph over Snape\'s attempt to humiliate her. They were on a high, and were enjoying it immensely.



Apart from the crunching, munching sounds of them chewing on their biscuits, there was a moment\'s comfortable silence before Bethany squinted and peered out onto the horizon, and then down. She pressed the tip of one finger against the cold glass.



\"Alice...? I swear to you, I\'m sure I can see Hilary and Dominic! And I think they\'re…ooh, you should get a glimpse of this!\"



\"I\'m not sure I\'d want to,\" retorted Alice, resisting the urge to look, even though she knew her friend was joking. Firstly it would be impossible to see that far down into the darkness, and also, it was highly unlikely Dominic and Hilary would choose such a place. However, she played along with her friend\'s game. \"I hope they both catch cold!\"



\"Among many other things,\" smirked Bethany. \"You know, maybe we should put a spell on Dominic…make sure he doesn\'t rise to the occasion, so to speak.\"



Alice smothered a giggle beneath her palm. \"Oh Bethany! You\'re disgusting!\"



\"I\'m disgusting? I\'m not the one that has had someone\'s tongue down my throat…\"



\"Oh, shh. Don\'t turn this on me,\" Alice spoke as Bethany flopped down from the window.



\"Or…even better than putting a spell on either of them; Professor Snape might catch them if he\'s doing the night rounds!\"



\"Professor Snape...\" repeated Alice, \"… sounds so formal Beth. Is he above forenames or something?\"



A scowl flittered across Bethany’s face, yet it was not quite spiteful. It was injected with a sort of humour, a parody, the way someone mocks another momentarily behind their back before smiling sweetly.



\"I\'d assume that he likes to think so! Severus Snape… It just sounds too personal for him… too vulnerable. A title gives him power.\" Bethany puffed her chest out and placed her hands on her hips as best she could in such a small space. \"I am Professor Snape and you will respect me! Forenames are for inconsequential plebs like you!\"



\"What on earth made you think of him?\" She asked grimacing as Bethany resumed her seat beside her.



Bethany shrugged and grinned, \" Just trying to think of a fate worse than death that is suitable for Dominic-dogs\' breath-Esler! I wonder what Snape is doing now, maybe he is about to pounce on them any moment!\"



Alice shook her head, something she regretted, as she was already quite dizzy.



\"Urgh don\'t! I don\'t like to think about Professor Snape\'s nighttime or any time activities. In fact, I don\'t like to think of Professor Snape at all!\"



Another grin suddenly stretched across Bethany\'s face. \"I bet he\'s got some really dodgy habits.\"



A striking blush climbed up onto Alice\'s cheeks, despite her loosened intoxicated state.



\"Oh, you\'re terrible! You always have to find the dirtiest aspects of people, don\'t you?\" A raucous giggle escaped her throat, and she poked her friend playfully. \"Pervert!\"



Bethany tapped Alice back. \"Don\'t go calling me a pervert, it\'s Professor Snape that\'s probably doing awful things as we speak!\"



Alice wrinkled her nose.



\" I bet he does…\" Bethany grinned, she loved embarrassing her friend.



Alice squealed girlishly, and Bethany slapped a hand over her mouth.



\"I can just imagine it now…mean old Professor Snape lurking about in the night, waiting for the right opportunity…just waiting for people to go back to their rooms after curfew…and then he strikes!\" She wagged her finger in Alice\'s face. \"Don\'t ever go doing dirty things in the night Alice - you know who\'ll be peeping into your room and then thinking about you when he-\"



\"Stop right there!\" shrieked Alice, clamping her hands demonstratively over her ears. \"I mean it, Bethany, don\'t say another word!\"



Bethany nudged Alice in the ribs, making her yelp. \" thi think…sweet Alice, being the subject of his fantasies…imagining his hand being your own! It\'s a well-known fact that Snape favours his own house, that\'s why you didn\'t get any points deducted this afternoon...and I did! Eww, can you imagine what it must look like? Maybe it\'s a shrivelled little worm through age and lack of use, Or maybe some big monster? Which do you think?\" Bethany was laughing loudly, enjoying the embarrassment of her friend.



Alice pushed Bethany away from her, her expressions twisted in distaste. \"Bethany Beddows, you are possibly the vilest person I have ever met!\"



\"Makes me memorable though, doesn\'t it?\"



\"Besides,\" Alice sniffed, \"I don\'t think Professor Snape would do that sort of thing.\"



\"What, spy? We all know about his past, Alice…\"



Another blush surged in Alice\'s cheeks.



\"No, not that…I mean…\" she pressed her lips together, nodding her head, waiting for Bethany to come up with the words, \"…you know…\"



\"Come on, spit it out! Professor Snape wouldn’t what?\"



\"Oh God, don\'t make me say it!\"



\"You were the one that said he wouldn\'t do it!\"



Alice took a deep breath, rather comically summoning her courage.



\"Fine. Professor Snape would never…pleasure himself like that.\"



Bethany fell about laughing, her arms folded about her stomach.



\"Oh Alice, you\'re priceless! \'Pleasure himself?\' So not only is Snape above forenames, but he\'s above…\" she paused for dramatic effect, \"…masturbation too? Next you\'ll be telling me that you\'ve never done it…\" The silence was longer than she had anticipated. She didn\'t think she would offend Alice that much…she peered over at the other girl as she watched her staring intently out of the window.



\"What is it?\"



\"Shit!\"



\" Alice!\" Bethany was shocked, it was very rare for Alice to swear, and the intent look of panic on her face made Bethany realise her expletive was not from a loose tongue through alcohol, but by something she had seen.



Bethany whipped fully around on the ledge in the space that allowed her to do so. \"What\'s the matter?\"



She pressed her face to the window, and then way, way below saw a small light, and in the glow of that small light they saw the bulky shape of Hagrid, Hogwarts grounds man holding a glowing golden lantern out before him, and his faithful giant hound, the inappropriately named Fluffy, loping along beside him.



\" We\'re past curfew!\" Alice exclaimed in a squeak, eyes huge.



\"Oops…\" Bethany looked back at her friend, cupped her chin in her hands, her expression that languid mix of somewhat tired yet satisfied.



\" Oops?!\" Repeated an alarmed Alice. \"We\'d better get back! I\'m in enough trouble as it is…\"



\"Alright, alright, keep your hair on!\" Bethany\'s nonchalant attitude managed to quickly disperse Alice\'s concern. She rose to her feet, dusting off her jeans, waiting for Alice to do the same.



\" Quick, lets gather up these bottles, Mattie won\'t give us any more if we don\'t give him the empties back; but let\'s finish the last bit off.\" Bethany took a large swig of the fizzy liquid, and handed the bottle to her friend.



Alice took a large swallow and choked.



\" Argh...you mucky pup!\" Chuckled Bethany as Alice quickly wiped her chin.



\"Okay, you take two bottles and I’ll have the other two,\" whispered Bethany, and then shooed her friend out of the room, eyes doing a quick once-over down the darkened corridor.



\"I hope Peeves isn\'t about,\" muttered Alice as they lurked in the doorway.



\"No, he doesn\'t usually haunt this part...quick!\"



Once they were out into the main corridor, the two friends linked arms. Not so much as a sign of their friendship, but more as a convenience. If one of them were to stumble in a drunken state for example, the other could ably support them.



Hogwarts was largely quiet, the curfew already underway, and the only real sound being the almost melancholic howling of the wind as it serenaded the large, imposing building. The girls huddled together, their body heat most certainly reduced from the drink they had consumed. The plan was that Bethany would walk Alice back to Slytherin, so the riskiest part of the journey would at least be taken together.



They both looked with owlish turns of their heads when they approached each corridor, ever watchful for Filch and his mangy cat Mrs. Norris doing their nightly prowls hoping to find stray students.



\"Oh just think,\" whispered Bethany, teasing her friend again, \"being caught by either Snape or Filch...I\'d rather be caught by a prefect! Then we could buy their silence with our bodies,\" she hissed good-naturedly into her friend\'s ear. \"I\'ve heard that prefects are amazing, you know…\"



\"Oh, and how would you know?\" chided Alice, trying not to laugh. Despite the seriousness of being out after curfew, the heightened tension through the daring of it, the alcohol and the comical comments her friend was coming out with the two girls were becoming increasingly giggly, silly, and careless.







Professor Snape was about to return to his chambers having completed his rounds when he had espied two students dodging in and out of shadowed alcoves and doorways, full of suppressed giggles and trying unsuccessfully to walk with care and stealth, though it was nothing more than a clumsy, swaying gait.



He didn\'t particularly like this early shift because it was usually the most time wasting and the most unrewarding. It was very rare any students would be that foolish to be around that soon after curfew was called. It was much later they could usually be found skulking about, or discovered in some of the most unlikely places and more often than not, in the most compromising of situations. With their raging teenage hormones controlling their bodily desires rather than common sense they would seek out all manner of dark corners, or unused rooms to feverishly explore each others anatomies, indulging in extra curricular sex education, putting into practise what was only supposed to be, for them, theory. If only they pursued their potions homework with the same feverish enthusiasm and relish! They couldn\'t seem to keep their hands off of each other, attractions, emotions and the predictable end of relationships always affected their work, and it tested his patience constantly. He often wished Albus would seriously consider separating the sexes altogether; but he knew that wouldn\'t solve matters. There seemed to be as many same sex couples, as male and female relationships, all flinging themselves at each other, or so it appeared to him. His lips curled in disdain.



No one threw themselves at him. Not the feared, old, nasty potions master. However, teacher/pupil relationships were not permitted, though he knew if an occasion arose and the conditions secure, he would give serious consideration towards it if approached by a female student that sought a sex-only relationship with him. He was a man after all, and though he did his best to ignore all students, particularly the girls, regarding them mostly as asexual which most of them were in their uniforms, though there was the odd exception; he did notice them, the more so at weekends and holidays when school robes were discarded for their leisure garments.



Spring and summer months were the worst, and his trips to Knockturn Alley became more frequent. It was little wonder he spent most of his free time in his dungeon offices researching, keeping his mind occupied and away from viewing what he could not have. He had mastered himself well, long years as a Death Eater and then a spy; he could disguise his emotions and feelings without any difficulty. Which was just as well, there had been several female students over the years he had watched and looked at in a manner most unprofessional without their ever having known.



Professor Snape stepped back quietly, hiding in the shadows, watching them. He felt irritated and disappointed. These were just two students who were late and making their way back to their dorm rooms now. It hardly seemed worth bothering about. However, he could gain some satisfaction in return for the waste of his time prowling these corridors by severely reprimanding them. He couldn\'t see who it was and waited until he could. He hoped Peeves or Nearly Headless Nick wouldn\'t make a sudden appearance and spoil the element of surprise. Suddenly the two students came into full view and when he saw who it was, the professor\'s irritation became full-blown anger.



Those two girls, Beddows and Pearson, again! His eyes narrowed as he watched anew. Their movements and their giggling indicated more than nervous girlish excitement, their manner indicated they were intoxicated, and yes, in their hands he saw them clutching a bottle each! The professor smiled coldly, and decided this early shift proved not to be so dull after all.



He took the moment when both girls were distracted, giggling and whispering to each other, to step out of the shadows before them.



It was Alice Pearson who saw him first.



\"Alice? What\'s the matter?\"



Bethany thought she would never see Alice quite as frightened as that afternoon, shaking and stammering in Snape\'s lesson. But the sudden look on her face overrode all that. Her blue eyes were unhealthily wide, the glow that the alcohol had brought on had all but disappeared, and her lower lip visibly trembled. She slowly followed her friend\'s gaze, and with each millisecond her dread grew. She knew with a sinking stomach and a rapidly sobering effect what would be on the end of this gaze, the only question was, who would it be, and she didn\'t want to acknowledge it. Like the person that walks to their own intentional demise, Bethany was fully aware of what was coming, but that did nothing to make it any easier. Before them stood Professor Snape, looming above them like Death itself.



Whether in shock, disbelief or sheer submission, both girls reflexes spasmed and the bottles they had been clutching tightly in each hand was released, clunking with glassy thuds upon the floor and rolling traitorously towards Snape\'s polished black boots. It would have been comical if the seriousness of the situation they found themselves in weren’t so dire. The two girls stood before him in speechless shock and dismay.



The silence was ominous, and Snape\'s expression was thunderous, not at all revealing his actual cruel delight in discovering these two girls breaking some very rigid Hogwarts rules. He could not believe an opportunity had presented itself so quickly enabling him to exercise some very spiteful though immensely satisfying reprisals upon those who had so inexplicably riled him this afternoon. The multitude of thoughts almost made him dizzy as he pondered the endless possibilities that crowded his head. He knew he could get much mileage out of this, and he intended to. He had been bored for some time now, and he was well overdue for some...diion;ion; and these two girls had presented themselves to him in such a way they would have little choice but to comply to whatever he enforced upon them.



\"Well, well.\" He murmured quietly in the darkest of tones that were always the deadliest. \"Miss Beddows and Miss Pearson. Two of the most mediocre students I have ever had the misfortunate to teach have decided after all these years to suddenly emerge from anonymity today; not to display any shining academic brilliance for once, but to destroy my lesson this afternoon by almost causing grievous bodily harm to fellow students as well as myself, but have now managed to get themselves caught for the blatant disregard of the most strict rules of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that will almost certainly result in expulsion.\"



Snape controlled his impulse to laugh. His face was stone, his eyes glittering black ice as he looked down upon the two girls, their mouths working like fish gasping when plucked from water, their feeble minds not quick enough for an answer or an excuse. They most certainly were not troublemakers or rebels by any stretch of the imagination. What they had done this evening was probably the most daring thing they had ever, or would ever do, and their absolute devastation and panic at being caught was proof of that. Apart from Filch maybe, had any of the other Professors caught them, they would have been sent for a stern lecture from Professor Dumbledore, then another from their own House Professor and then finally some detention as this was their first \'offence.\' But he had discovered them and so it was down to his own discretion how they were to be dealt with, and also, Alice Pearson was a student of his own house.



\" We-we\'re sorry Professor Snape, we didn\'t realise the time...\" stammered Bethany.



Professor Snape\'s lips curled with contempt.



\"Do not make the situation worse by lying to me Miss Beddows. You are both out after curfew, you have both obviously been drinking alcohol, you reek of it, and you are both more than slightly inebriated, a condition that in the hands of students of witchcraft and wizardry is extremely dangerous …do you wish me to continue?\"



The two girls didn\'t know what to do and reacted to the catastrophe in different ways. Alice\'s throat seized up and felt her lower lip tremble. She refused to burst into tears though she desperately wanted to. She had lost the power of speech so tight her throat felt, whilst Bethany felt dizzy and sick and just wanted to run away.



\"Pick up those bottles and follow me; I will hear your explanations in my office, now!\" He snapped viciously.



With a face both stern and severe, he turned away from them quickly, his black robes flaring gracefully as he walked down the corridor briskly. The two girls had no choice but to follow, trembling and sick with fear.