An Exchange

On their way to Albus's office she looked about her. *Oh my god! I'm really here! Hogwarts!* She looked behind her and caught a glimpse of Professor Snape bringing up the rear. Doubtless he expected her to make a dash for it or something and she grinned at the thought of such an ubsurd thought. She had no where to go and she didn't know what she would do if they turned her away. She kinda doubted Professor Dumbledore would do that but the possibility was always there.

They covered ground quickly arriving at the headmaster's office before she knew it. Ushered in, they shut the door and conjured some food and pumpkin juice for her. She took an eager sf thf the juice and smiled.

"I had actually managed to make some of this but, of course, yours is much better. Thank you so much."

"Perhaps now that you're settled you'd care to answer my question audibly?" Hissed the irritated potions master.

"Sir, as I said, my name is Talene Chapman and I am from Brandenburg, Kentucky in the U.S. I had not meant to irritate you. Honestly. This has been really unsettling....though I understand it has been even more so for you. Hasn't it? What with the return of Voldemort and all or hasn't that happened yet? Or has it already past? I saw Harry so it had to have happened consing ing his apparent age and....I'm babbling. I'll just shut up now." She shrunk back into her seat and sipped the juice.

Snape listened to her with rather bored with a sneer that changed to shocked surprise then rage! *How dare this chit use the name of the Dark Lord so nonchalantly! How does she know all this? Damn Dumbledore! I want answers!*

"Accio Veritaserum!" he all but growled.

"Severus!" Came from both Albus and Minerva in shock. He merely looked at them through narrowed eyes.

"I want answers from her and I want them now! I also want to make sure that the answers I get are truthful! This is necessary!"

Albus seemed to consider.... a bit too long for the potion master's taste whose teeth ground with suppressed rage. He deftly caught the small vial that flew in the room with barely a glance. *One way or the other she was going to answer him! Albus would simply have to deal with it! *

"Child, will you agree to take the potion for our Professor Snape? You will not have to if you do not wish to."

Snape growled at Albus. "Albus..."

"Uh...Sir?" Talene got up and touched the arm of Severus Snape very gently. She gathered all her courage hoping that he would not ask questions of a personal nature. Considering his apparent rage...she doubted he would. Unless.... unless he decided that would be an excellent way to blackmail her. No thinking that now.

"What? Sit down Miss Chapman! You are in enough trouble as is and I am speaking with the headmaster! Well? What?"

Talene winced inwardly but managed to keep a calm face. "Sir. No offence but for one thing I am not a student for you to order about. I can see that you are speaking with Professor Dumbledore but it is *my* answer you require, not his and I will happily comply with your request. I would like to help...not hinder."

He was at first irritated with her impertinence but then intrigued. *So...she is willing to cooperate. How far. I wonder. Will she trust me? I doubt it. *

He smiled like a cat that was about to get a canary with cream sauce...feral and predatory. Talene steadily looked him in the eye despite the cold trickle of unease that his smile gave her. He straightened quickly, very business-like and guided her back to her seat.

"Very well, Miss Chapman. Open your mouth. I will be placing three drops on your tongue; you will then swallow and likely wish to take a drink of your juice. By that time we should be ready to proceed."

Talene nodded opening her mouth. One. Two. Three. She swallowed the stuff, took a drink of her juice obediently and looked to up at the professor who smiled slightly again.

Talene tried to hold it in but it escaped before she could stop it. "You look really nice when you smile Professor Snape."

She looked mortified that she'd said anything, which assured Severus that she was under his potion's influence. *Good! Now does she mean by that? I'll ask later. This is more important than... I look nice to her? *

"State your name, place of origin and how you got here."

"Ooo...my name is Talene Chapman. I originate from Brandenburg Kentucky and....I'm not sure how I got here. I was in a fake.... muggle, I guess, um, haunted house when I was pushed through a doorway with a sheet hung up and found myself here. I wish I could tell you more. There are theories of course but more than likely you know of them so.... no sense in me rattling off my thoughts and sounding foolish."

"Tell me what you know of Mister Potter and the Dark Lord."

"That actually encompasses a lot, Professor Snape. You see there is an author where I come from whose name is JK Rowling..."

Her speech was rather long and they'd had to interrupt her several times for clarification's sake. It seems she knew them rather well, all of them...including their secrets and things that no one else knew or could prove. Severus had suspected Harry of stealing ingredients from him in his second year only to find out that it had been Miss Granger and they were all greatly upset that it had been Umbridge who sent the Dementors after Harry.

Severus noticed that all through her tale, she only mentioned him in a negative light once. That occurred when she scolded him a bit about his taunting of Black at the Order's headquarters that summer but then told him she understood considering what they did to him in his youth. *Was 'everyone' going to be privy to that information now? * He ground his teeth from the humiliation of it all and knowing that he couldn't get Potter for this one.

"You will of course not tell anyone of my memories. Will you?" He asked Talene silkily leaning in close.

"Never! I wouldn't do that to you!" Talene looked horrified at the idea of doing such a thing. She shivered from the tone of his voice. Gods! She wanted him to kiss her in the worst way!

Albus cleared his throat. "Severus. Are you content with her answers?"

"I suppose I will have to be Headmaster. She couldn't very well lie to me under the circumstances. Remember your promise girl."

He stalked away and sat in a chair across the room watching her intently. As open to him as she was, he was having trouble understanding her. The customary lines that he read between weren't there.

Albus and Minerva spoke in low tones for a few moments before the headmaster came over with a smile to where Talene still sat.

"Miss Chapman, I have a test I would like to conduct with your permission."

"Certainly sir. Anything you'd like." Her eyes held no guile and were hopeful even as she struggled inside to squash that hope.

Snape could see the internal struggle and smirked; an optimist struggling with a cynic. There was an interesting development! Which would win?

Albus took from one of the shelves a rather beat up looking piece of cloth, which Talene recognized immediately. *The Sorting Hat! Why that though?*

"This will allow us to determine a few things Miss Chapman. It will test your magical abilities, if any and then place you in a house should you decide to stay with us."

*Oh like I'd leave! Not with Professor Snape here! * She thought to herself. *Wild horses and all that! * Albus smiled at her. *Damn! He 'does' seem to know everything! *

He placed the hat on her head and it began sifting through her mind immediately... searching deep. Finally it began to speak.

"You are a witch which relieves you I can tell. Glad I am to have released you from that... well! What house to set you therein.... my dear I'll place you within Slytherin!"

Talene sat very still hardly daring to breathe or even think. Slytherin?? She'd be in *his* house! Lordy! He'd be on her butt *all* the time! Was that really a bad thing?

Snape was about to explode. *His* house?? She seemed to be everything a Slytherin wasn't! He calmed though as he thought. This could be to his advantage. At least initially.

Albus removed the hat and looked at her. "Well, young lady? Would you like to attend Hogwarts?"

She opened her mouth and closed it before answering. "Would I? Of course I would! It's been a dream of mine since I started reading the books!!” She giggled then. “I'm sorry. I'm just excited."

"Of course you are dear." Minerva smiled. "Severus, if you would be so kind as to take Miss Chapman to her dormitory? We will see about getting what you need for school dear. Go now with Severus and get a good night's sleep. Severus, also see about getting the girl something to sleep in for tonight if you would."

"Yes Ma'am." Talene gathered her toy broom and hat. She looked to Severus and had to will her heart to start beating again.

Severus gestured impatiently for the girl to follow. She quickly followed him down to the dungeons where he lead her to the entrance of his rooms and told her to wait outside. Soon he brought out a black silk pajama top and handed it to her.

"Here. Use this for the time being...in the mean time come here." He led her to a sitting room where they could sit down and talk. She sat nervously, he noted, in her chair. "Miss Chapman, do I make you nervous?"

"Yes sir."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not really sir." Talene looked down uncomfortable with the idea of sharing this information.

"Tell me why anyway." Severus said in low velveted tones that made Talene want to melt into a puddle of goo.

"I'm afraid you don't like me sir." She said in a small voice.

"Why would you care if I liked you or not? Most detest me...the greasy haired git of a potions master."

"Because I like you very much and I really would like to request that you please stop asking these questions while I am under the influence of your potion."

"Duly noted and ignored Miss Chapman. Thank you.” He smirked at her knowing she could do nothing really to stop him. The Death Eater within was nearly screaming to get out and this was only teasing that side of him; an internal torture but one that he found amusing nonetheless. “Do you trust me and if so...how far?"

"I trust you, Professor Snape, with my life." She said shyly in quiet tones. She wondered what he was up to and how much longer this potion was going to last. Surely it had been hours since she'd taken the drops. Hadn't it?? Her luck...no, it hadn't. Damn!

He watched her a few minutes through narrowed eyes. She hated this and knew that he was enjoying this immensely. "Are you sure you like me Miss Chapman? I'm not a very nice person and I am enjoying your discomfiture very much."

"I know professor and yes. I do." She whispered. He frightened her...oh yes. A delicious fear. She was breathing harder now.

He stood in front of her now and bending down to look her in the eyes, smiled. "I look nice when I smile. That is what you told me. What is your interest in me Miss Chapman?" His voice was low and a dark velvet to her ears.

"I..please professor....I want....don't, please...I want you to kiss me. My...interest is...very sexual with options for more later." Talene's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

*Interesting.', He thought to himself. *She's trying to fight the veritaserum.* "You are rather young for me don't you think?"

"No...and I don't think you really care. Do you? Your concern is whether or not you'll get caught."

He placed a finger under her chin, pulling her up to him. She stood willingly looking into his eyes, mesmerised by the tacturn Slytherin, hers eyes followed as he slowly lowered his lips to hers. She knew exactly what he'd had planned and had stood there anticipating while her heart beat in time to a hummingbird's wings. His kiss was breathlessly light and torturously slow. She whimpered her pleasure and frustration but still he would not hurry.

His hands came up to cup her face on either side as he pulled away just a fraction to whisper silky words against her lips while he looked deep into the depths of her eyes. "How far would you let me go child? You've a woman's desires blossoming deep within you. Has it fully bloomed, I wonder?"

One hand slid gently down her neck and over her shoulder, his lips resumed their feather light teasing of her lips. She was so wonderfully responsive! He massaged her shoulder a bit through the cloth she was wearing and received a slight shiver in responce. As she was willingly kissing him and trying for more. Blessed Merlin, he knew it to be desire rather than revulsion.

He let her draw him into a deeper kiss feeling slightly surprised when he felt her tongue graze his lips begging for entrance and her young, innocent body pressing against his. *Ah...innocent but is willing to let her need take initiative. She'll require careful training and cultivation but, I am beginning to believe she'll turn into a rather nice lover. Pet? Would she object to being called that? She is American after all. No matter. She will accept it.*

His mouth opened allowing her to kiss him but still not quite the liberties she craved....not yet! Her hands came up to his chest as she seemed then unsure of what she should do. Both of his hands wandered down to her hips and pulled her against him to both feel her and tease her. Her grip on his clothing told him what her responce was and deciding that she unlikely to get what she wanted by being passive so she drew his head down to hers kissing him fully and passionately. One hand wandered up till it cupped one breast while a thumb rubbed across the cloth where underneath her nipple lay hardening now from his barest touch. She pulled her mouth away to catch her breath which allowed him to step back and regain control of the situation.

He drew his wand pointing it at her and while she had no fear of his intentions but she was very afraid that he ment to do the one thing she definately did not want him to do. She backed up a step shaking her head 'no'. He raised an eyebrow at her weak defiance. She would comply. He knew that. She was simply pleading with him not to. *Did she know? How could she?*

"No? No what? What do you think I intend to do Miss Chapman?" He asked with an intense curiousity.

"You...I believe you intend to O-obliviate me so that I cannot remember." A tear rolled silently down her cheek with these words.

"Yes, I do.' Severus told her in his gentlest voice. "However, it isn't the horrible thing you think it is. Your mind will not remember but your body will and there will be many times such as this until I feel it is either time to claim you as mine or leave you to forget me. Will you trust me now? Will you submit yourself to my will?"

She looked at his handsome face and into his enigmatic eyes as she slowly nodded and for some reason she couldn't fathom she sunk to the floor on her knees to await his pleasure. He shook his head a bit as he raised his wand...

"Miss Chapman? Miss Chapman! Do wake up girl! For this evening you will be sleeping in a room next to mine. Tomorrow we find you a room in Slytherin House."

"Yes sir, Professor Snape. I truly apologise. I hadn't meant to fall asleep like that. I..." She stopped speaking because of how he was looking at her. She wasn't sure of his expression. His face was the usual mix of irritation and concern while his eyes...they held a (what is the word?) hunger. She was the prey and he was now hunting her. She wasn't sure if this was good or bad but, she felt herself getting wet at the idea.

He blinked and the look was gone as if it had never been. "That is quite alright Miss Chapman. You've had a very trying day. This way if you would." He indicated a door off to the side that lead to a simply furnished room. She went through to stand in the middle of the room turning back to look at him.

He smiled from the shadows and whispered. She barely caught it. "Goodnight pet." Talene's eyes widened...