Sunset

The week after the accident went by quickly. My head healed well, and things returned to normal… for the most part. I had trouble deciding whether or not the night with Snape was imagined or actually real. I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t have been able to hallucinate something as peculiar as his freezing body temperature, and so cast curious glances at Snape whenever I could. I started to notice quirks about him that most people wouldn’t have picked up on: he breathed slowly, rarely ever came into close contact with colleagues or students, and never touched anyone, even in a passing gesture. He preferred writing to typing, and had elegant penmanship. He was graceful, honest, and diligent in everything he did.

A few times I caught him looking back at me whenever I glanced his way. Furious blushes would always follow such awkward events; I usually didn’t risk looking back. Snape seemed to be a very thoughtful man. He was intelligent, witty, and cared about his students. He dressed nicely, looked gorgeous every single day, and the color of his eyes would never be the same shade in consecutive days. He was an enigma to me.

I loved everything about him.

Chemistry soon became my favorite class, despite my hatred for the subject itself. Ron and Hermione became my closest friends, and we spent free time talking to one another. They were the best friends I had ever had, including everyone I’d known in Phoenix. They seemed to really get to know me, and appreciate me for who I was.

During lunch on Friday we were discussing plans for the weekend. Hermione mentioned that she wanted to go to Port Angeles to pick up a dress for the upcoming dance; Luna and Ginny jumped on the opportunity to go with her. The three of them tried to persuade the rest of the table to go too, but Dean was busy with family stuff. Ron, Neville, and I all decided we’d tag along with them, but try to find more “manly” activities than shopping. The six of us would meet up for dinner at a popular pizza place, and carpool both to and from Port Angeles.

I was excited to spend time away from the house. James was alright, but usually he went fishing with Ron’s dad and left me in the house alone. Things got kind of boring.

Plus, having a night out with some real friends would make for a great time.

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Ron picked me up around seven. Everyone else was already inside his van, so I sat in the back seat and had fun being obnoxious by singing loudly to the radio with the rest of the guys. We made it to Port Angeles in less than an hour. Ginny, Hermione, and Luna left us to go shopping and agreed to meet Ron, Neville, and I at the pizza place in about two hours.

The three of us debated on what we should do first. Ron wanted to check out the sports store, so we walked a few blocks down and went in. I wasn’t much of a sports fan, so I just trailed behind Ron as he exclaimed over the jerseys and equipment. When we walked by the shoe department I noticed that their sneakers all had better tread than the shoes that I had. Ron and Neville kept walking as I sauntered over to a pair of boldly colored Nikes. I found a box with my size on it, took the paper stuffing out from the toes, and slipped them on.

I stood up and walked over to a shoe mirror, and decided they looked pretty kickass. They were comfortable, cool looking, and would provide better traction for when it snowed… I decided I should get them. I re-packed the Nikes into the box and wandered around the store to find Ron and Neville again.

The two were huddled around a kayak when I finally ran into them. I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you guys like kayaking or something?”

Ron laughed and said, “No man, look at this picture. On the advertisement.”

I walked closer and saw that they had been drooling over some chick on a picture next to the equipment. I just rolled my eyes and laughed, “Yeah, yeah. Do you guys wanna check out anything else before we go?”

Ron just looked at me funnily and asked, “What? You don’t think she’s hot?”

I just made a face and said, “Not my type,” before turning around to avoid talking about that particular subject any longer. I wasn’t exactly eager to tell everyone that I didn’t swing that way when I had only just made friends… it would be better to ease into it rather than alienate myself.

Over my shoulder I called back to them, “I’m just gonna pay for this and wait at the front, okay?”

Neville answered back, “Sure, we’ll be there in a minute.”

After paying for my new shoes, Neville and Ron finally met up with me. It had only been an hour since we arrived in Port Angeles, so we thought about where to go next. Neville mentioned that he wanted to look at some things in the art store. We agreed that we had enough time to head over, so we walked several more blocks until reaching our destination.

When we finally got to the art supplies depot, I noticed a bookstore on the other side of the road. Making a split second decision, I told Ron and Neville that I’d just meet them at the pizza spot after I was done in the book store. They hesitated at splitting up, but I told them I had my cell phone and I’d just call if I got lost. They agreed to meet up later.

I walked into the book store and was immediately assaulted by the smell of paper. I loved that smell - it always seemed to make me feel at home.

A good while later, after looking at practically the whole store, I finally remembered to check the time. Fuck. It was 10:05, and I was already late. I sent a quick text to Hermione and Ron jointly to let them know that I’d be there soon and not to worry, then ran out of the store.

If it wasn’t for the street lights, the city would have been pitch black. I squinted left and right, trying to figure out which way I was supposed to go. I finally recognized one of the sidewalks and started heading that way.

After three blocks I started getting nervous. I couldn’t remember what any of the buildings were supposed to fucking look like. This was such a terrible idea. I was officially an idiot.

That was when my luck turned to absolute shit.

“Hey!” I heard someone call from the other side of the street.

I turned my head to see who it was, and slowed my walk a little. It was a big, burly man, flanked by about three other equally muscular guys. I snapped my head back forward and started walking faster.

“Hey, baby!” the guy yelled again, “Where you goin?”

Fuck.

I kept walking, but heard them cross the street and start following me. My heartbeat sped up and my vision started getting blurry as my adrenalin began pumping through my system.

I heard a gruff “Hey, you!” one more time before I broke out into a sprint.

I ran as fast as I could, feet pounding the pavement, arms swinging, plastic bag hitting my side and swinging wildly outwards. I can outrun these bastards, I told myself. Keep going.

I had been running for about two minutes straight before a motorcycle shot out of an alley a block ahead of me and skidded to a stop. The guy riding it kicked down the stand and got off, then started swaggering towards me. I stopped running, unsure of what to do. I looked behind me – two men were snickering and closing in about a block and half away. Another motorcycle then roared through the alley and stopped at the entrance, effectively blocking my last route of escape.

The man on the first motorcycle was still coming towards me. I took a few steps back and yelled out, “What do you want? Money? You can have it!”

He answered gruffly, “Oh no honey, I don’t want your money,” and laughed. I saw his sick smile and yellow eyes about 20 feet away. Every instinct was telling me to run, but there was nowhere to go. Two men behind, two men in front… I was surrounded.

All of the leader’s cronies were snickering as he continued, “Baby, we’re gonna make you scream.”

A shudder tore through my body. These fucking disgusting men were vile. Despicable. I didn’t even want to think of what they’d do to me. It was a violation of my mind to even consider it.

I shouted at him, “Don’t even dare! My father is the Chief of Police. He’ll fucking shoot your brains out.”

The man laughed at that, looking up at the sky. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. He flicked the blade open. It shone in the meager street light as he kept taking steps towards me, each man was only 20 paces away now.

I prepared myself to fight. I wouldn’t let them lay a finger on me without giving them broken bones themselves – at least bruises, black eyes. I could get away if they realized I wasn’t an easy target.

The leader of the four men took one more step towards me.

That was when the car came.

It was a sleek, expensive-looking, black Lexus. I knew that car. I almost fell to my knees in relief from the realization that I would be saved, again.

The car barreled down the road and screeched to a stop next to the man who kept threatening to do things to me. The driver’s door flew open and Snape stepped out, fury on his face and vengeance in his eyes.

“Get the fuck away from him,” Snape said.

The man turned to look at Snape and grinned his sick smile again. Instead of wisely leaving the scene he asked, “You gonna make me, sweet cheeks?”

That was when Snape exploded. I could practically feel the energy pulsing off of him. He moved like a blur towards the creep, stopping only a hair’s breadth away from him. He towered over the disgusting would-be-rapist and said, simply, “Yes.”

Snape moved like a cat, his grace was awe-inspiring. He wound his arm back and swung it, palm open, until it connected with the center of the man’s chest. He flew backwards into the brick wall of a building – the sickening crunch was audible as some of his bones shattered against the unyielding surface. The mortar between the bricks crumbled and fell like dust on his limp form as he sagged onto the pavement of the sidewalk. The rest of the gang got on the two motorcycles and left almost as fast as Snape had arrived.

That was when Snape finally looked to me, trembling in the middle of the street, wide-eyed and nearly crying. He was at my side in an instant, and collected me into his arms. I barely registered that I was moving until I found myself placed gently in the passenger seat of his Lexus. A moment later he was seated in the driver’s side. He turned to me, reached across, and pulled the seat belt across my chest before clicking it by my hip. He turned the car around and started heading the same direction that he had come from.

I was probably in shock, by that point. I had faced a near-rape situation and had been rescued, unscathed, only moments before those men had laid their grimy fingers on me.

Snape was my official savior. I think if he could have gotten a fucking certificate for it, he would have. With a gold seal.

I started laughing to myself. Snape looked over to me and seemed concerned. I waved my hand in a dismissing motion and said, “Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

Snape’s eyebrows came together. He reached a hand towards my face, but aborted the motion halfway there. His arm dropped limply to his lap. He seemed at a loss for words.

I reached for the hand that fell. Snape looked up at my face. I held his freezing hand in both of mine, turning it and bending the fingers in fascination. After a while of that, I just laced the fingers of my left hand together with the fingers of his right, and let our arms rest together on my leg. I traced patterns with my finger on the beautiful skin of his arm, and finally whispered, “Thank you.”

Snape’s face hardened. He replied, “Those men were disgusting.” He gripped the steering wheel harder, but kept the hand I held in a gentle hold. “I should have destroyed them. If you knew what they were thinking…”

Snape looked out the window and I saw the anger glinting in his eyes. I just looked down at our hands and replied, “Ron and Hermione will be wondering where I am.”

The beautiful man next to me tensed and said, “Would… you prefer to return to Forks with them?”

“No,” I replied quickly, “You make me feel much safer.”

Snape visibly relaxed. His lips twitched at the corners into a small smile, and he looked towards me again. He assessed my posture and asked me, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m…” I trailed off, “feeling much better.”

“Good,” he replied. “Do you have your phone with you?”

“Yeah,” I said, and reached into my pocket, not letting go of his hand. I pulled it out and saw that I had five new texts waiting in my inbox. Snape gently unwound his hand from mine, despite my panicky expression, and plucked the phone out of my hands. He bent his knee and steadied the steering wheel with it, then used both hands to fly over the keyboard of my phone. He was done with it in about ten seconds – he handed it back, grabbed the wheel with his left hand, and laced our fingers together once again.

I smiled down at our hands and checked to see what he’d done to my phone. He had sent a mass text to everyone that I was supposed to meet at the pizza place explaining that I had gotten sick and was getting a ride home with Charlie, who happened to be in the area.

Snape turned onto the highway and I watched passively as the lights flew by at faster-than-average speed.

A thought occurred to me as I sat tiredly in the passenger seat. “Snape, why were you in Port Angeles tonight?” I asked, looking at his face for any clues.

Snape sighed a little bit and said, “Harry, feel free to call me Severus when we aren’t in school.”

My eyes widened and I asked, “Is that your first name?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Severus,” I said, the name feeling new to my tongue.

His lips did that small smile thing again and my stomach somersaulted at the sight. He then answered my question simply, “I followed you here, Harry.”

My face reflected the confusion I felt inside. “Followed me?” I asked. “But why? How did you even know I was going in the first place?”

Snape hesitated and glanced at me before focusing on the road again. “Are you sure you want to know, Harry? I’m not sure if this is the best time for you to find out.”

“I want to know, Severus.” I assured him.

There was about a minute’s pause after I spoke. The air was heavy with anticipation; I looked at Severus’s face patiently.

“I followed you to Port Angeles because I feel a very strong urge to protect you, Harry.” Snape said, “I… there’s something about you that makes me want to be around you. Keep you safe. Know you’re happy. So I followed you to make sure nothing would happen to you.”

My insides glowed with warmth after I listened to what he had to say. I blushed, feeling lame and insignificant in comparison to Severus. Despite my attraction, though, I still had millions of questions. My eyebrows furrowed and I said, “How did you know where I was, though? You do all of these things and I… I just don’t understand.”

Severus Snape was the most confusing person I had ever met. He seemed to only tell me half of the truth, just enough to keep me interested and not enough to shed light on the entire situation.

Snape took some time answering me. When he finally decided to reply, he started off slowly. “Can you keep a secret, Harry?” he asked.

“Of course I can,” I said with conviction.

Severus took a deep breath and replied, “I can read minds, Harry.”

Not understanding I said, “I’m sorry, what?” Snape couldn’t have said what I thought he did.

“I can read people’s minds. If I had to compare it to something, I’d say it was like listening to the radio. There are hundreds of stations available, but I can only focus completely on one at a time. That’s the reason why I knew where you were going to Port Angeles, and it’s how I was able to locate you before those… those… rapists were able to hurt you. And I’m sorry that I couldn’t find you sooner, because for some reason, there isn’t a “station” for you on my radio. You’re like a blank space. It’s extremely frustrating, not being able to know how you feel, or what you think.”

Severus looked at me carefully when he was done talking. He was probably expecting me to be scared, or think that he was a lunatic that had lost his mind. If anything, I was in fact relieved – if Severus had been able to read my thoughts I would have been mortified. I couldn’t even count how many times I had fantasized about him in class.

I took a moment to process everything he had said, and replied, “Well I appreciate you telling me all of that. It kind of explains a lot. Do you… know why you can’t read my thoughts? Am I some kind of freak?”

Snape laughed a genuine laugh; it sounded musical, like underneath there were bells chiming and birds singing. He replied, “I can hear people’s thoughts and you think you’re a freak.”

He shook his head and continued, “I don’t know why your mind is different from everyone else’s. If I were to use my radio explanation to describe it, I’d just say you were on a different frequency. Maybe I can only hear FM and you’re on AM.” Severus shrugged.

“So…” I started, “Were you… born with the ability to do that? Or did you learn it or something?”

Severus replied, “I’m just not like other people, Harry.”

I half-laughed at his vagueness. “Are you even human?” I joked.

Snape smirked to himself and replied, “Good question.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “You’re… not human?” I asked.

Severus took a moment to reply and finally said, “No, I’m not.”

“Is that why you can run really fast, then? And why you’re so powerful? And cold?” And why you’re so beautiful? I added in my head. I said, “And I’ve noticed that your eyes change color almost every day, too.”

“Those are all aspects of my being not-human,” he replied, matter-of-factly.

“Is there a certain… name for what you are?” I ventured.

Snape nodded.

“Could you tell me?” I pressed.

Severus pursed his lips and shook his head.

“Why?” I asked, exasperated.

“It isn’t something you need to know,” he replied.

“It’s not like it will matter to me!” I argued, “To me, you’ll just be Severus Snape. You’ve saved my life twice now. You care about me. You’re not going to hurt me, I know that. You already told me that you hear people’s thoughts, what could be more unbelievable than that?”

There was a silence, then, and I hoped that I hadn’t crossed a line.

“You’ll hate me if I tell you,” he said. I could hear a note of defeat in his voice, and it was something I hoped to never hear again in my life.

“I could never hate you,” I told him.

He looked at me then, into my eyes. He saw the truth in them. I’m not sure what else he saw, but I hoped that he saw everything. I had fallen in love with him the moment I saw him leaning over me after the accident. There was no way I could ever not want to be with him.

“Then you could never believe me,” he said.

We came to a stop. I looked out the window and saw that we were in front of my house. I looked back to Severus, hoping against all odds that he would let me stay in the car with him.

“Severus –“

“Go inside,” he said. “Your father is starting to get worried.”

I felt as though he had punched me in the stomach. I looked down and swallowed hard, fumbling for the door handle after I unsnapped my seatbelt.

Snape must have seen the hurt in my eyes, because he reached his hand out and touched me on the cheek. I leaned into his cold touch slightly, staring at the floor of the car, unable to look at his face.

He spoke, “If you still want to talk tonight, leave your window open. I’ll be back.”

I looked up then, with hope in my eyes. I gave him a small smile, and then he reached across smoothly and popped open my door. I grabbed the plastic bag that had my new shoes in it and got out of Severus’s Lexus.

After I closed the door, I stood on the sidewalk and watched him drive off. It wasn’t until he had been out of sight for several minutes that I turned around to go inside, feeling more in love than I had ever been before, and knowing that Severus Snape had my heart in his hands.

It would be a long night.

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Author's Note: Alright! Chapter five! I hope you guys like this one, I spent a lot of time on it. Hopefully there will be a new chapter shortly. ;) Thanks for all of the reviews so far, I'm really appreciative of all of them. You guys are awesome! :D ~LostSoul