The Music Teacher

The clock chimed Midnight, and Snape put down the quill he was grading papers with, red ink spotting on a piece of parchment. He put his fingers to the bridge of his nose, rubbing away a tense spot that was starting to appear. Deciding that the papers could wait, he decided to walk the grounds, maybe yell at some students.

Putting on an extra cloak, he walked out of his room, and into the cold, dark, damp hallways that were the dungeons. Here he lived, day in, day out. Walking around, the feeling of loneliness crept up in his soul. Snape was lonely, he had no one, and no one wanted him - but he threw on a sneer and pushed the feeling down, and turned a corner.

Smack!

"Oh Lord!" A female voice sounded in the candlelight as she tumbled. Snape recognized the voice, the music teacher, Professor Cross. Dumbledore had the idea during the last year to have a music class, since the Headmaster loved the piano so much; he figured other students would enjoy it. The Professor he had chosen was a middle-aged woman, Diana Cross. Diana was a brilliant pianist for a certain reason, she had never known sight, and lived through the world the sound.

"Professor Cross?" he asked, and he felt the woman's breath shudder. She had liked his voice, ever since she had heard it months ago in the meeting before school, when she was introduced to the rest of the faculty. She had dreams of his voice ever since.

"Forgive me, Professor Snape," she quickly said. He noticed her wand was out- helping her see. "The wand can't tell around corners." He saw her in the candle light, medium height, frame just the same. She wore deep purple robes, with a black cloak over. Hair, a long, onyx black, pulled back into a braid. And her face, soft, and feminine, with one exception, a pair of small square glasses with black lenses.

"Not that I should be asking," Snape started. "But why are you out here so late?" Thank God she was blind; she couldn't see the nervousness in his eyes, or the light breathlessness of his voice. Since the meeting, he noticed her, and the way her hands lightly ran over everything. He wondered- how was the world inside of her mind?

"I'm just walking," she was saying. "To get a feel for the castle, I haven't been down to the dungeons, and I figured I would come down while no body was around. Guess I was wrong," she shrugged.

He stood there, debating on what road of the emotional fork he should take. 'I'm lonely...' his mind told him as he watched her hand grace the brick that made the walls he hid behind.

"It's not safe for you to be walking around here this late. Let me walk you back to your rooms," Snape said, his mind couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth, the emotions through his head.

She nodded her face in a smile. "Yes," she said, nodding. "I'd like that." And she turned, walking towards her rooms, one hand grazing the wall, the other holding her wand, which moved all around her, making sure her path was clear. Snape followed closely behind, watching Diana walk, and climbing the stairs.

They walked in silence. Until they climbed two floors, and stopped at her door. A wild emotion flowed through Snape's blood as he watched Diana unlock the door.

"Why don't you come inside?" she asked, looking in his general direction.

"I don't think..." Snape started even though his heart ran, and his mind flew at what could conspire behind those doors.

"Yes, it'll be fine," she said, hoping he'd come- to hear his voice once more. "Come on, I'll play you a song..." she offered, opening the door to her rooms a little wider.

He felt as if he were not in control of his actions, he nodded and walked inside her rooms. It was the living room, and a desk, two couches, a fireplace, and a grand piano sat there. He heard the door shut behind him and Diana's wand move as her footsteps walked ahead of him, and to the piano.

"Make yourself at home, Professor; take your cloak off, come sit beside me," Diana invited, taking her cloak off, and throwing it to the couch, sitting down on the bench, she patted beside it.

Candlelight reflected off the walls and the furniture, off the piano and off her skin, glowing towards him. He slowly made his way to the piano bench, where he sat down, while she placed her fingers on the keys and played.

He watched her fingers dance across the keys, and wondered how they would be like dancing across his skin.

A few notes into the song she asked "Do you play?" And it took a few minutes for Snape to come back to Earth for an answer. Again, he was glad she was blind, not being able to see the lustful look in his eyes, and his hands slowly going up his thighs.

"No, I don't play," he croaked out, listening to the beautiful melody playing throughout the room.

"That's a shame," she said. "Your voice would sound magnificent with a piano." She smiled, as if the thought made her blissfully happy. And deep down, it did.

Snape gave her a nervous laugh. "I don't sing," he informed, to see her mouth fall into a slight frown, only to go again in her smile.

"Maybe- if you would like," she said slowly. "I could give you lessons."

"Lessons?" Snape shuddered with sensual delight; he had seen her teach, behind the player, arms around them, her hands floating on top of theirs as they played.

"Yes, Professor, lessons. Lessons in playing, maybe singing...would you like that?" her voice asked as the music played on. He looked down into his lap, hands resting high on his legs, fingers playing with the pant legs, he knew he'd like it- very much.

"I'll think about it..." he said.

"You are breathing funny- is something wrong?" Diana asked, slowing down the music.

Snape looked at her, mind flying to conceive a lie for his present erotic state. "The music," he finally said, "is so beautiful, it takes my breath away." When he said it, he realized its hidden meaning.

"Ahhh," she smiled, and he thought what was behind the glasses she wore, behind the robes. "The listener's response is lovely also..." she said, a erotic tone to her voice as a hand drifted towards him to play a note on the end. Staring at it, he watched the smooth graceful skin pull and stretch as the fingers pushed the keys. He took a hand off his thigh, and placed it on top of her hand as the keys pressed, and the notes from the inside the machine vibrated in a painful bliss inside his soul.

When skin touched skin she jumped, but continued playing. Fantasies coming alive, she heard him let out a sigh, and a low grumble deep in his throat as he felt her fingers move, her knuckles bob up and down. Diana's breath quickened as the hand on hers played up her arm- feeling her, questioning her frame. And slowly, she felt his touch on her face, and she bit her lip.

He went for the glasses, leaning in close. When she felt what he was doing, she flinched. "Shhh- I want to see..." he throatily said, and still playing, she stayed still as he carefully uncovered her eyes.

Violet. Violet, absent eyes looked in his direction- unused, vacant, the violet shone on, and she heard him give a tiny gasp.

Never in his life had he been this close to a woman. Yes, he had had sex before, once when he was a student, and both parties had too much alcohol flowing, numerous times in his days as a Death Eater, where he raped women who were unwilling and faceless. But never had he been like this with another human- so drawn, so willing, so full of an emotion he couldn't place his finger on, but he loved it more than anything in the world.

"You have beautiful eyes..." he said, and she looked down and hid her face as she smiled and blushed.

"Thank you," she said, almost as if this was a first. "My Mother said it was a shame how I could not see the most beautiful eyes."

"Has anyone ever told you- besides your Mother?" he asked as he undid her hair, running fingers to unlock the braids.

She stopped playing. "Most men cannot see behind the glasses," she said sadly.

Snape sat there for a moment, running fingers through her waist long hair. "Pity," he said, looking at her. "Because what is behind the glasses is what is so beautiful." She shuttered and he couldn't resist no longer, pulling himself closer and kissed her cheek, feeling soft skin under his rough lips, he grazed her face and her neck, taking her in sight, taste, and smell. She made tiny moans every time he kissed her.

"Stop" she whispered, and he pulled away, fearing he went to far. She raised her hands to his face. "What do you look like?" she asked, feeling his face, he felt fingers rising over his eyes and his nose, across his lips, and he parted them to kiss her fingers. But she pulled away and traveled her hands down his jaw to his ears, tracing them, encircling them. Pulling him closer, she kissed his lips as she ran her fingers through his hair. Kissing each other with as much passion that was possible, both caught up, her hands traveled down his neck and to the buttons of his robes, unbuttoning them, she pulled away and repeated to him, "What do you look like?"

He sat there for a moment, thinking about how to say it, and she leaned in and started to kiss his jawbone, slowly making her way down to his neck. "I'm fair-skinned," he started. "And my eyes are black, along with my hair." His breath grew heavy as she kissed and nipped his neck while a hand was running up his legs and the other traveling over his face.

"You're beautiful..." she breathed, sliding off his shirt.

Snape thought he was hearing things as he pulled the clasps off her robe to let it go. "What...what did you say?" he asked.

She laughed and pulled away, hands running now to the clasp of his pants. "I said you are beautiful..." she said slower as she undid the zippers and buttons on his pants, and then let him remove her robe from her. Pulling down his pants, they sat on the piano bench, enveloped in each other, and he pulled her close and kissed her. Then he leaned her back and crawled on top of her, laying down on top of her, going for the clasps on the back of her bra.

She breathed as his lips trailed down, panting, she started to say: "Not here, Severus, stop for a moment...not on the bench...". He pulled away and looked at her questioningly.

"Not on the bench? Then where?" he asked, pulling down her underwear and trailing fingers down her body.

"Ahh...I don't care...just not on the bench...it's too pre...precious to me..." she breathed. And she heard him laugh as she felt lips pressed against her navel.

"Alright..." he said, and she lunged and threw him to the floor with a thud, then crawling up him. Slowly she rolled down his boxers, and she laughed when her hands explored.

"What?" he asked, looking up at her. Diana's black hair shielded everything from view.

"I never knew...that I could have this effect on a man..." she said, tilting her head up in his direction.

"You look so beautiful..." he heard himself say, and he felt her crawl up to his face, placing kisses on her way.

"Look? Don't look for a moment, Severus...don't look - feel." And she raised her hand to his face, and shut his eyes with her fingers. "Don't look..." she repeated as she made her way down again.

His eyes closed, his sense of sight gone, he knew what was going on, he knew what was going to happen...he could take no more. Snape took Diana by the arms, and with strength he didn't he even had, threw her to the ground and crawled on top of her. Laughing, she wrapped her legs around him, and laughing, he obeyed. Throughout it all, her hands, so elegant on a piano, or wrapped around a student, lightly touching over the hands of the unskilled, directing them, teaching them, traveled, and sent their elegant touch to him- to someone who had never known the touch of a soft hand, the touch of someone who cared enough, who was not in power.

When it was all over, and the previous events were past, they laid there, until Snape looked at the clock.

"Dear God..." he sleepily said.

"What?" Diana questioned, whispering in his ear.

"It's almost three in the morning...we have classes tomorrow," he realized. And he heard Diana groan beside him. He got up and started to get dressed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, propping herself on her elbows and then finally getting up, hands searching for her wand and her robe.

Snape walked behind her, and grabbed them, and handed them to her. "Here you go," he said, watching her get dressed in them, sitting on a sofa.

"Where are you going?" she repeated, coming over to him and sitting her self beside him.

"Back to the dungeons...classes tomorrow- we can't allow ourselves to be caught coming out of the same bedroom," He whispered in a short laugh as he reached over and kissed her again.

After a moment, she replied, "True..." almost sadly, as if she didn't want him to leave. But when she felt the robes beside her get up to head out, her face crept up into a smile.

Opening the door, Snape felt, as he never had before, lighter than air, wanted, his loneliness diminished, for tonight at least. Walking out and down the hall, he heard the door open behind him, and he turned, to see Diana standing in the doorway, looking through to him.

"Goodnight, Severus...thank you..." she said with a lazy smile. Walking back towards the door, he thought in his mind how insane this was, how odd of him, how odd of her. What would the gossip be if they were caught?

Screw them, he thought. "Professor Cross," he said in a serious tone, and saw the corners of her mouth curl up into a grin.

"Yes, Professor Snape?" she played back.

"I think I'll take you up on your offer for lessons," he said, getting closer to her, and finally to her.

"Oh really?" she asked, throwing arms around his neck.

"On one condition..." he ordered, pulling her head towards him for a kiss.

"And that would be?" she asked, brushing his lips.

"To never wear those horrible glasses..." he ordered her, giving in and kissing her.

"I expect you here tomorrow night...until then..." she whispered to him after they parted.

"Until then..." And walking away for a final time, he plastered a sneer on his face towards the night, and for any unexpected visitor he may come upon- his outside was the cruel, heartless, evil man he was known to be. Inside, however, his heart raced, and a light at the end of the tunnel appeared, he would be alone no longer.