Midnight Petal

Chapter 6


Merlin knows why she fancied his library so much. Every day when Snape came back to his quarters he found her there, curled in front of the fireplace with a book in her hand. Did she not have any

social life? A girl of her age should be out chasing boys or discussing latest fashion with her lady friends. She should be dyeing her hair a different colour every week and giggle above

Teen-witch magazine every morning with the other gits. Instead she was stuck in his study like she intended to become a permanent exhibit there.

A first couple of weeks it had annoyed and irritated him. He could not concentrate on his work while she inhibited the same space with him, those pallid eyes of hers flashing at him every few

minutes. Then one evening she asked him a question. A pretty banal one at that. Something about unusuall potion ingredients and their use. He should have recommended her some volume to read, but

she seemed genuinly interested in the topic and so his pride took the better of him and he explained the matter minutely. Since that day there was no stopping her. She asked so many questions he

wondered if she was storing them all her life, waiting for someone to satisfy her curiosity. Her enquiries ranged from simple topics every first-year should know, in which case he scolded her and

gave her an essay to write, to more specific problems, some of which were well beyond the N.E.W.T. level. On a few occassions even he, Severus "smart ass" Snape, did not know the answer and had to

refer to literature, but mostly he did well on his own and was able to retain his status quo. Partly it was due to the fact, his wife directed her interest to the potions and dark arts, two topics

closest to his heart, so not only had he no trouble engaging in the conversation, but he caught himself actually enjoying it more than once.

Nowadays Severus felt content in her presence even when they were both silent, dealing with their respective tasks. While he marked papers, she engaged in studying or writing her homeworks. When

there was a need for him to prepare an elixir for the next day lessons, she helped him willingly. He had to admit she had a talent for potion making and he could easily envision her pursuing a

career in this discipline. She definitely was gifted, but his own mastery remained unmatched.

Unfortunately, the same formula applied to all subjects she tried her hand on. All teachers refered to her as proficient, but not extraordinary. Dumbledore´s attempts to discover her hidden

qualities were becoming more and more desperate each passing week, and although he never let the mask of calmness slip from his face, Severus was sure the girl, with her knack for judging other

people´s emotions, knew how dissapointed and frustrated the headmaster felt. Sometimes Severus was tempted to discuss this matter with her, offer an advice or even comfort, but his pride and fear

of intimity kept him from acting on his feelings. Thus he remained a neutral figure, observant witness of the struggle between the ambition and reality. And in this ridiculous hunt for a miracle

Severus found himself wishing he would not loose his most appreciative student as easily as he acquired her.

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It wasn´t a particulary succesfull period of her life, Iris had to admit to herself. The Christmas was quickly approaching and although it has never been a pleasant and peaceful part of year for

her, she dreaded it even more than usuall this time. Now she was off-age nobody could force her to go back to her uncle´s house anymore, but she was not sure she was welcome to stay at Hogwarts

either. Her escapades in charms, transfiguration, herbology and potions in the last few months did not turn her into a superheroin Dumbledore wanted her to be and Iris sensed he was displeased and

upset by this. Nobody blamed her for anything, not even her husband, but she knew there were not many options left for them to try. For the first time in her life she felt like a complete failure.

Maybe somebody should write to her dear old uncle letting him know the goal he was trying to achieve for the last decade was finaly accomplished.

The only place she felt at ease these days was her library (formerly known as Snape´s library). She fell in love with that place, crackling of the fire, the smell of old books, cosy armchair. She

felt like she belonged there, like it was a home. And surprisingly the harmony she experienced in this niche was no longer disturbed by Snape´s presence. He still kept to himself most of the time,

but when they actually talked to each other, he no longer tried to ridicule her at every opportunity. Their conversations were led in an atmposphere of equality. The first time Snape respected her

opinion, she nearly choked on her bookmark in surprise. Since that memorable day more than four weeks passed and Iris realized she was looking forward to each evening with the feeling of pleasant

anticipation. There was so much Snape had to offer. When she overlooked his grumpiness and malice and loathing towards his students, there was no denying he was highly intelligent, knowledgable,

hard-working and determined. He was also the bravest person she has ever met. She mused on the fact, why he hated Gryffindor house so much, when he himself impersonated the quality Gryffindors

valued above anything else. And of course he could pass as a member of her own house at any time. He was an invaluable source of information and she made sure she exploited this advantage of their

nuptials to the fullest. Whatever she asked he was willing to explain, never showing the impatience he was notorious for. Iris understood his civility and kindness was not to be extended behind

these walls. He was still her teacher after all and if he started to treat her differently, it would certainly arise a suspicion and unwanted attention.

They were living in dark and dangerous times. With the Dark lord´s everpresent threat and ministry interference in Hogwarts, one had to be carefull with his trust. Iris knew the whole school

doubted Snape´s loyalty and from overheard conversations she deduced even the Order members were approaching her husband with deep-rooted mistrust. Contradicting this general atmosphere, her heart

was telling her she could trust him. And because Iris´s insticts have been flawlessly accurate since the day she was born, she allowed herself a courtesy to become the second person in the whole

wide world, who trusted Severus Snape unconditionally.

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It was THAT part of the year again, Severus sighed inwardly while blasting apart another pair of students, who were kissing under a mistletoe, that just ´accidentaly´ happened to hang from the

ceiling in the dark and deserted dungeons corridor. Every year it seemed to come sooner and last longer. Christmas. That festival of foolishness and ill-founded hope. It was claimed to be the time

of peace and quiet, but in Severus´s experience, no other part of year was further from that description. For an average teenage boy, Christmas was just an excuse to drink large amounts of alcohol

and, as a consequence, have sex with a girl he did not even fancy. Severus hated most of his hormones-ridden students, but still he did not wish them to live throug the same kind of dissapointment

and anguish he endured at Christmas almost 20 years ago.

It was his final year at Hogwarts. And while the other students were enjoying the pre-christmas atmosphere, relaxing and debating quiditch, he worked extra hard day and night. His professors

believed he was spending five hours a day in the library, because he was trying to prepare for his N.E.W.T.s exam. Those close to him knew the real reason had been somewhat different. Althought

Severus considered his education very important, there was something even more substantial occupying his mind. And that was a semi-secret society of wizards, everyone learned to know under the

name of ´Death Eaters´. Of course, there was no need for him to know every dark magic spell, that was described in books stored in the restrcited section of Hogwart´s library. The Dark Lord was

not particulary choosy when it came to new recruits. But Severus´s ambition had always been greater than the ambitions of most of those dunderheads. He wanted to rise the ranks quickly ultimately

becoming one of the Voldemort´s closest and most trusted followers. Such a position would grant him power and freedom to pursue his own goals. Goals, that seemed otherwise unachievable. Like

getting Lilly back.

Severus in his youthful naivete believed, Lilly would be so impressed by his accomplishment, she would finaly realize her place is by his side. The foolishness of his own expectations became

apparent the night of the Christmas party. Severus was on his way there, when he overheard a noice coming from a supposedly empty classroom. Snape couldn´t contain his excitement. Now, there was a

chance of catching some supid sixth or seventh-years snogging, landing them in detention and at the same time getting a sneak-peak of what he was sure he would be doing with Lilly in a few months

time! He crept up to the door and opened them noicelessly. The sight he encountered rooted him to the spot. There she was, his sweet Lilly, engaging in what could only be described as a

mind-blowing sex. Unable to move, Severus watched Lilly´s full breasts sway forwards and back, copying the rhytm of her whole body, that was rocking fiercely against a male torso. Severus was so

focused on Lilly, he did not register who her lover was, but as she neared her climax, she let the name slip gently from her lips. "James," she whispered and although the sound was hardly audible,

in Severus´s mind it echoed so loudly he was almost deafened by it. In that moment he realized his love deceived him with his arch enemy.

Severus´s blood boiled in his veins. He let the door shut with a bang and ran to the party. He swore to himself he would get his revenge that night. And he surely did. That night he commited one

of the most stupid mistakes of his entire life. Of course, through the veil of emotions, that were raging within his heart, his plan to bed a random girl seemed brilliant and perfectly logical. To

his surprise, the realization of this scheme was astoundingly easy.

It took him about fifteen minutes to get drunk. It took even shorter to find a willing mating partner. She was a Slytherin, notorious for her sexual apetite. If she was surprised the control-freak

Severus Snape approached her with a straightforward sexual proposal, she did not let it show. Before Severus realized his endeavour was succesfull, they were in his dormitory. The girl shoved him

on his bed and she undressed completely. She was really pretty, but unfortunately Severus did not get a chance to admire her body minutely. She kneeled between his legs, unzipped his trousers,

took his semi-rigid member out and started to give that part of his anatomy her full attention. Despite his occluded mind, Severus did not fail to notice the girl was the true master of oral

stimulation. While she was sucking the tip of his penis, she fondled his balls and soon she had Severus ready for action. Wasting no time she impaled herself on him and started to rock fast. All

these new sensations were too much for Severus. It took about a minute for him to lose control completely. He grabbed the girl´s hips, thrust hard few more times and then ejaculated.

He was still riding his high when a female hand slapped his face hard. "Did you come inside?" an enraged voice accompanied the offending hand. "What?" Severus mumbled, trying to concentrate on his

lover. "Did you come while your dick was still inside of me?" the girl raised her voice to an uncomfortable level. She didn´t wait for his answer. "Of course you did, you stupid son of a bitch,"

she jumped out of bed and began pacing in front of it. "What were you thinking?" Severus finaly grasped the meaning of her words. "Given your attitude towards sex, I presumed you took the

necessary precautions," he answered truthfully, hoping his matter-of-factly approach will calm the girl down a bit. Unfortunately, it provoked a completely opposite reaction. "How dare you call me

a whore!" she screeched and threw a first thing she could reach at him. Luckily, it was just a pillow. Severus did not wait for her to try some heavier ammunition. He was out of bed in a blink of

an eye, gathered his belongings and headed for the door fast. He stopped with his hand on a door knob and turned to face the young woman. "I did not mean to offend you by my words and I´m sorry

you interprete them that way. If you require my assistence in..." he never finished his speech as at this moment he was hit by a well aimed stupefy spell and he retreated from the scene hastily.

The next day he supplied the girl with a morning-after potion and a handfull of contraceptive potions and swore to himself he would not let another woman see him this vulnerable ever again.

Thankfully for Snape, the Dark Lord shared his scepticism towards womenfolk and sex, and although sexual orgies were a common occurance in death Eater´s headquarters, Severus was never forced to

participate in these activities. He concentrated on his work and, apart from an occasional masturbation, did not give in to his male instincts.

It was not so hard to live a life of a hermit, Severus thought while he was handing a detention note to a snogging couple. Young generation should practice some self control, it certainly carried

a lot of benefits. If nothing else, you did not have to spend your evenings with teachers of Umbridge´s calibre. Suddenly, he felt an enormous relief his wife was not one of those randy teens, who

spent their nights sneaking into boys´dormitories. Her constant presence in his library indicated there was no permanent boyfriend in her life and if she had had any short term relationships in

the past, she had been very discreet about them.

While thinking about his spouse´s love life, Snape guided his steps back to his quarters. He had to admit to himself, however grudgingly, he was lookig forward to talking to her again. It was ten

minutes to curfew when he entered his library. To his tremendous surprise, she was not there. A quick homenum revelio spell told him she was not in her room either. Severus tried not to feel

dissapointed. She was a young, reasonably attractive woman, after all, and he could not expect her to spend all her time with an old bat like him. He could only hope no one will catch her sneaking

home from the late randezvous.

When the library clock stroke eleven and there was still no sign of his wife, Severus decided it was time to take some action. He left his chambers and started a systematic search of dungeon

corridors. There was nobody there. Same situation applied to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff part of school. It was one o´clock at night when he reached the stairs leading to the astronomy tower. His resolve to tackle the situation sigle-handedly was diminishing. He was almost sure something happened to the girl. He knew he should report to the headmaster immediately, but could not force himself to do it. Instead he started to climb the stairs, not fully aware of what he was doing until he could feel the wind blowing in his face.

A sudden movement caught his attention. Somebody was sitting on a cold stone floor of the tower. When he came closer and recognized his wife, he felt such an immense relief, that she was safe, it

surprised him. Few secconds later, however, the anger started to dominate his feelings. "What the hell do you think you are doing here," he said in his most intimidating voice, striding closer to

her, "do you know what time it is?!" She turned her head slightly in his direction, but without looking at his face moved it back in its original position. "Professor Snape, please don´t be angry

with me," she addresed him quietly. Something in her voice caused, that his anger evaporated instantly. He could feel the fear sneaking back into his heart. "Are you hurt?" he enquired circling

her body, searching for any sign of blood. Then he crouched in front of her, scrutinising her face. She did not look like she was in pain. "No," she confirmed his observation, a small smile

playing on her lips. "Did you...," Severus had to force himself to finish the sentence, "...did you have a fight with your boyfriend?" "I have never had a boyfriend," she said firmly, looking in

his eyes for the first time that evening. "Ok, your lover," Severus could not help himself asking. "I have never had a lover," she stated, her gaze fixed on his dark orbs. Suddenly Snape felt a

wave of warmth runnig through his body, as if somebody performed some sort of warming spell on him. This sensation only lasted for a few moments, but was strong enough to linger on his mind for

the next few days. He outstretched his hand and touched her shoulder. Only then did he realize she was shivering. "You are cold," he uttered. "Obviously," she retorted, smile returning to her

lips. "Take my coat," he offered and started to undo the buttons, when her hand gently stopped his movement. "It is not necessary, keep it," she whispered. "I still don´t understand why you are

here," Snape pried again. "It´s so peaceful here, don´t you think?" Iris breathed out, starring intently at the horizon. Severus did not reply. He tried to see the beauty she was so obviously

taken aback with, but the only thing he could concentrate on were her eyes. They reflected the bright stars and dark shades of the night sky so perfectly, it made him remember the old picture

books his mother used to read to him when he was a child. The aquarells in those books had the same dreamy quality as the reflection in his wife´s eyes. Suddenly, he felt the urge to kiss those

eyes. And the nose beneath them. And the soft pink lips beneath that nose. Her mouth was open, he could see her every breath and he wished he could cover her mouth with his and catch that warm

substance, that was coming from her lips and evaporated in the freezing winter air.

He snapped back to reality when she turned her head to look at him. "Professor," she muttered and for a moment Snape was dissapointed she did not call him by his given name, "can I stay here for

Christmas? I don´t want to go back home." Her eyes were pleading. "This is your home now," Severus assured her, the bittersweet feeling capturing his heart again. He was so absorbed by this

unexpected emotion he failed to notice the soft "Thank you", that left her lips. He helped her to her feet, unbuttoned his warm cloak and covered her with it. Then he hugged her shoulders with one

hand and escorted her to the safety and warmth of their quarters.
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A/N Reviews appreciated