Armilla II

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

Chapter 14

"Perhaps I should reconsider taking this class," Terry murmured in my ear as we walked along the draughty dungeon corridor where Severus' classroom was located.

I looked up ahead and immediately understood what Terry was implying. Unless there were many people who hadn't arrived yet, there seemed to be a significant reduction in the Potions class size. There were less than a dozen students waiting outside the door.

"Snape only takes students at NEWT level if they received an Outstanding on their OWL, isn't that true?" Lisa whispered, frowning slightly at the group up ahead.

I nodded. "As far as I know."

We joined the end of the line and I suddenly found myself feeling nervous. I had no idea why, but I knew it had nothing to do with the smaller class size. Maybe I was nervous about maintaining a high grade in Advanced Potions. I was no natural talent at Potions like my brother was, but though he never pressured me, I still felt a need to succeed in his classes.

"Ah, Armilla," said Ernie Macmillan, rather pompously, nodding at me. "Surprise, surprise. I would never have expected to see you in Professor Snape's Advanced class." He chuckled at his own attempt at sarcasm. I knew he wasn't trying to sound arrogant; it was his rather poor attempt to be witty. But I preferred Ernie over Zacharias Smith any day.

"She had to bribe Snape a lot to get in because she only got a P," Terry said lightly, smiling at Ernie. "Still, great to have connections, isn't it?"

Ernie chuckled again, reminding me of a much younger version of Slughorn.

"So Ernie," said Lisa, "Are you the only Hufflepuff taking Advanced Potions?"

He nodded. "Hannah did try to get in with her E, but Snape flatly refused. He told her yesterday that he has no time for students who didn't have the intellect to achieve an Outstanding for their OWL."

"That was harsh," Terry commented, looking uncomfortable.

Ernie nodded. "I thought so, but that's Snape for you." He drew himself up to his full height. "But at any rate, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I daresay Snape only wants the most gifted in his NEWT class and will settle for no less."

"Hear, hear, Macmillan," drawled a voice from behind Ernie. Ernie spun around and Draco Malfoy stepped away from the group he had been talking to. His grey eyes flitted over the four of us, a sneer pronounced on his face. "Well, this is a lovely reunion, I must say," he said in a bored voice. "Thankfully I've spotted no Gryffindors thus far."

"Think again, Draco," Blaise Zabini, his eyes narrowing at something behind me. We all turned around and saw Hermione Granger, laden with books, coming down the corridor with Harry Potter at her side.

"Potter," Malfoy sneered. "Lost your way, have you? You couldn't possibly have received an Outstanding in Potions. Anyone who has seen your Potions skills would agree."

I waited for Harry to retort with an equally insulting comment, but nothing came. He merely regarded Malfoy coolly for a moment before turning to talk quietly to Hermione, who was rifling through her books. I wished Severus had been there to observe it; Harry not reacting to Malfoy was a major feat; I was sure Severus would have felt at least a little bit of pride in having influenced this new way of handling things. It had only taken many days of volatile tempers for Harry to react effectively to Severus' methods.

"I must say," Ernie said quietly, so Harry wouldn't overhear, "I am rather surprised to see Harry here. I had the understanding that his Potions skills had always been rather lamentable."

Terry and Lisa nodded in agreement, clearly surprised themselves.

Personally, I was rather astonished myself. I had never been in the same Potions class as Harry, but I had heard that he was no talent at the subject; in truth, not many had true talent when it came to understanding the art and science of Potions, but apparently Harry had always scraped through. Why was he here?

It suddenly hit me. Obviously it had to be some sort of deal with Severus. Harry must have needed to do Potions and Severus was obliging him. But why? Severus never bargained with students. It was very simple with Severus; he either liked you or he didn't. He either wanted you in his class or he didn't. Unless Harry had obtained an Outstanding, and good on him if he had, then it was only plausible to think that Severus had ulterior motives in allowing Harry to take Advanced Potions.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I heard Terry call out to Anthony Goldstein, who'd come rushing down the hallway. Anthony had sat next to me at breakfast, very keen to make conversation. I wasn't sure if it was due to feeling self-conscious or not, but I had seemed to feel Severus' eyes upon me the whole time. Every time I had snuck a peek at the Head table though, he had been looking in another direction or else was reading his newspaper...or pretending to read it.

It wasn't my fault that Anthony had sat down next to me. I couldn't very well have told him to vacate the seat because my brother didn't approve. What if Anthony just wanted to be friends? Terry was, after all. Severus, however, didn't see things that way. He claimed to see things that I didn't see at all. I knew Severus was thinking of potential dangers to his role or people being used as weapons, but some part of me wished that he wouldn't notice things in that part of my life. Other people had more freedom at school.

"Thank goodness," Anthony said breathlessly, when he reached us. "I thought I was going to be late."

"You'd know it if you were," Lisa said. "You know Snape has a zero tolerance level for lateness, no matter what the excuse."

Anthony nodded, rolling his eyes. He turned to me. "I'm sure he's pretend not to notice if you came in late though."

"Don't count on it," I said evenly.

He smiled. "Really? Well, at least no one can say that your good Potions marks come from having a Potions Master for a brother. You've always been good at Potions."

"...Thanks," I said quietly, feeling uncomfortable. I was suddenly very conscious of all the people around us who had the opportunity of listening in. As it was, Terry was shaking his head slightly at Anthony and Lisa was giving me a knowing look, a smirk on her face.

Anthony was prevented from saying anything more when the door to the Potions classroom opened. Severus appeared in the doorway, an expressionless look on his face as his black eyes flitted up and down the line. He stood back to allow us entry. "In," he ordered and swept inside first

As we were filing in, the pile of books in Hermione's arms swaggered and the huge one on top dropped on my foot. I let out a gasp of pain. Lisa and Terry, who had moved ahead, hadn't noticed at all, and I was hoping that Severus hadn't seen it either.

"Oh, Armilla, I'm so sorry," said Hermione, looking mortified.

"That's alright." Grimacing from the pain caused by the heavy book, I bent down to pick it up from the stone floor. As I straightened up, I realised that only Harry, Hermione, Severus and I remained in the corridor.

"When you've finished trying to injure fellow students, Miss Granger," Severus said silkily, sneering at Hermione, "perhaps you'll allow me to start my class."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Honestly.

Hermione flushed and muttered "Yes, sir."

I noticed that Harry was biting his bottom lip rather hard. I smiled to myself at his effort not to defend one of his best friends. He was certainly getting the hang of self control.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Well, then? If you're ready..."

I placed the book on top of Hermione pile and then followed them into the room. As Harry passed Severus, I noticed that my brother gave him the tiniest of nods. As I went to pass, Severus nodded down at my foot with an enquiring look. He had clearly noticed my slight limp. I nodded back to tell him it was okay, even though it really hurt. I had no doubt that if I admitted to an injury then Severus would be even nastier to Hermione.

As I came into the Potions classroom, I looked around for a place to sit. I frowned when I realised that I only had two options. There was a spare seat beside Draco Malfoy and another spare beside Anthony Goldstein. Oh great...what a choice. I did not want to sit next to Draco Malfoy and Severus had told me to avoid him anyway. At the same time, Severus did not want me getting too close to Anthony. Right now though, considering my other option, I didn't really care. Anthony it was. After all, wouldn't it be expected that I would choose to sit beside another Ravenclaw?

I slowly made my way over to Anthony's table, my legs suddenly feeling like jelly, which didn't help the limp. Anthony greeted me with, in my opinion, an overly enthusiastic smile. I wished he would drop the act. I would have preferred being friends anyway. I didn't like this sudden attention from him. Was he out of his mind? He knew Professor Snape, Lord of curses and sarcastic comments, was my brother.

Severus closed the door with more noise than he usually did, causing several people to jump. Lisa and Terry, who were sitting adjacent to me, stopped giving me knowing grins when Severus caught their eyes and gave them a deathly glare. I was surprised that Severus hadn't directed his glare at Anthony. I suppressed a shudder. I could only assume that that meant that Severus was biding his time with Anthony.

He swept to the front of the room, his robes billowing out behind him and turned around dramatically, making his robes flourish around him. He really could be very amusing at times, even when he was trying not to be. This time last year, I would have seen this display as rather intimidating. I supposed that when you'd experienced many occasions of sobbing in his arms and hearing his soft words of comfort, watching him intimidate others became a little amusing.

"You are here," he began, his voice deathly quiet, "because you managed to achieve an Outstanding on your Potions OWL." His eyes scanned over every face in the room. "Do not," he enunciated, "labour under the delusion that your mark entitles you to permanent membership in this class."

I noticed Hermione gripping her quill very tightly. Harry, too, seemed to be hanging on to Severus' every word.

"This class is for the advanced," Severus went on, beginning to walk around the room. "If you do not keep up with the class, you will not be left behind in here, you will be left behind outside the classroom door." He paused for dramatic effect and was rewarded with several looks of incredible anxiety, the most intense one coming from Ernie Macmillan, who was sitting in front of Lisa and Terry.

"That said," Severus said, looking with displeasure at a few faces in the room, including Harry, "I do not expect to see a few of you in here after the first couple of weeks. I was most surprised that some of you managed to scrape an Outstanding in this subject." He suddenly sneered. "But then, we don't all have the luxury of having our true abilities, no matter how lamentable, overlooked in favour of appeasing a famous face."

At this, many heads snapped in the direction of Harry, who went red, but whose face remained quite calm. The Harry I knew would have sent Severus the most fearful glare in response to such an allegation.

I snuck a peek at Draco Malfoy, expecting to see his deep appreciation for the Harry-baiting. He wasn't even looking in Harry's direction. Instead, he was examining his nails, a haughty expression on his pointed face.

Severus smirked at Harry, and then continued back towards the front of the room again. "My expectations remain high," he continued, "and I will not tolerate second-rate homework handed into me. Do make an effort to write in legible English, even if your organisation skills are indeed so abominable that you are forced to do your homework tasks in the middle of the night."

At this, several students, including a couple of Slytherins had the grace to look guilty.

"Now," said Severus, his voice commanding as he gestured at three vials on his desk. "I have a selection of advanced potions here, ones you'll be expected to brew by the time you complete the NEWT course."

He picked up the first one for everyone to see. It was completely transparent and could have passed for a vial of water. "Can anyone identify this potion?"

As usual, Hermione's hand was up before anyone else's. Severus ignored her, clearly intent on only asking Hermione as a last resort. A few other rather tentative hands gradually rose into the air.

"Mr Potter?" Severus drawled, looking at Harry, who had his hand half-raised. "Care to enlighten us?"

"It's a truth potion, sir," said Harry quietly. Hermione looked so surprised that all the eagerness of her waving hand became forgotten.

"And its name?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Veritaserum," he said finally, his cheeks flushing.

Severus nodded curtly. "Well then," he said indifferently, "it would seemed you actually bothered to do some reading, Potter. Better late than never."

Hermione pursed her lips as she put her hand down. Harry simply stared back at Severus, his green eyes seeming much brighter than usual.

"And what is the meaning of Veritas?" Severus asked, turning away from Harry.

Malfoy rolled his eyes as he put his hand in the air. To my surprise, Severus asked Lisa instead.

"It is Latin for truth, sir," she said confidently.

Severus nodded. "And the scent?" he asked, looking around the class. "Describe the scent."

Hermione's hand was the only one in the air. I knew as well, but I always felt funny volunteering information in Potions class. I generally only gave answers when Severus directly asked me.

"It is rather disappointing that so many of you cannot tell me such simple information," Severus sneered, ignoring Hermione's hand as he looked at everyone. His eyes settled on mine a split second longer. I knew what he wanted, but I didn't think it was fair to Hermione, who, in my opinion, put up with a great deal from Severus.

Severus sighed. "Very well. Miss Granger?"

"The scent is odourless, Professor," she said, the eagerness not reaching her voice, as it might have done once.

"Correct." Severus placed the vial back on his desk. "And why it is important that a truth serum be odourless?"

Hermione's hand flew into the air, as well as Lisa's and Ernie's. I decided to appease my brother this time, since he hadn't given Hermione a nasty reply. True, he hadn't praised her, but I knew that was expecting too much, especially in the company of Draco Malfoy. I raised my hand.

Severus took his time looking at the offered hands before making eye contact with me and nodding.

"Being odourless prevents it from being detected should it be slipped to someone," I said quietly.

Again, he simply nodded, turning back to his desk. "This one is rather more prominent," he said, holding up a second vial, which seemed to contain a sludge-like substance. "You may have read more about it in the media lately."

Harry and Hermione's hands shot into the air. Severus called on Harry again.

"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," said Harry, his voice still as quiet as before.

"And I'm not surprised you know it," Severus replied, giving Harry a knowing look. Hermione frowned as she looked at Harry, who ignored her.

"And this?" Severus asked, holding up a third vial, filled with a golden substance.

Hermione's hand didn't fly into the air this time. I had never brewed this one, but I had read about it on one of Severus' books.

"Not you, this time, Miss Granger?" said Severus, smirking at her.

Hermione shook her head slightly, looking slightly cross.

I raised my hand halfway into the air, feeling self-conscious for some reason.

Severus nodded at me.

"It's Felix Felicis," I said softly. "Liquid luck."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Malfoy mutter something under his breath. Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, who were sitting in front, sniggered.

I felt fury rush through my veins. Merlin, I hated that boy.

"Correct." I knew Severus had seen them, but he pretended he hadn't. I was glad. I didn't want attention drawn to it.

"A rather intricate potion to brew," Severus went on, "with dire consequences if you make an error in the process. If correctly brewed, until the effects wear off you will find that all your undertakings will have a positive outcome, no matter how much doubt you place in a situation. Mr Boot?"

"Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" Terry asked eagerly.

I noticed that Malfoy was actually looking at Severus with his undivided attention now, as was Harry, who seemed to be hanging on to Severus' every word.

"Because if it is not taken in moderation, giddiness, recklessness and general idiotic egotism shall overtake you," he replied, his eyes slightly narrowed, "qualities some people in here already possess in abundance."

This was met with silence. The other hands that had snuck into the air were lowered again. Severus sure knew how to take the excitement of an interesting potion away.

"Furthermore," Severus went on, "this potion is a banned substance in all organised competitions and there are heavy penalties in place. Today you shall attempt to brew it. Turn to page ten and begin."

There was immediately a much higher level of noise in the air as people hastily set about setting up their cauldrons and organising ingredients.

"I bet yours will be more impressive than anyone else's," Anthony whispered in my ear. "You do have a knack for Potions."

"No, I don't," I murmured back, running my finger down the list of ingredients.

"You're too modest, I'm sure," he said, smiling broadly at me.

I gave him a rather awkward one back. He was far from subtle.

"I'm going to the store cupboard," he said, getting up. "Would you like me to fetch your ingredients too?"

"No thanks," I replied. "I can fetch them myself."

"Suit yourself." He flashed me another smile and disappeared into the store cupboard.

I set up my cauldron instead and ordered my utensils before going to the cupboard myself.

Severus was standing in the doorway, monitoring the ingredients students were taking.

"You're taking far too long, Mr Goldstein," he said coldly, sneering at Anthony. "If you can't be efficient, I won't have you here."

"Yes, sir," Anthony said hastily, grabbing the last of his ingredients and rushing past me back into the classroom.

I didn't look at Severus as I collected my own ingredients. My mind was far too engaged with the situation I now found myself in. It was convenient for me that I actually had no interest in a relationship with Anthony. Severus would certainly be happy with that. I just didn't like Severus closely monitoring the boys I talked to. If a boy so much as looked at me, Severus would react.

o o o o o o o o o o

"If that's a taste of what we can expect in Advanced Potions, I don't know how far I'll get," Terry said, as we were making our way to the courtyard for the morning break.

My friends had laughed after I had explained why I was limping slightly. They thought it was hilarious that Hermione, the bookworm, had injured someone with a book. Hermione had kept mouthing sorry to me during Potions.

"At least our potions came close enough to resembling the real Felix Felicis," Lisa pointed out.

That was true enough. No one in the class had produced a perfect potion. Mine had turned pale pink, but it hadn't been the really pale pink the perfect potion required.

I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed at Severus or not at the moment. I was annoyed because he had hovered around Anthony's cauldron a little too frequently, making snide comments, causing the boy to become nervous and turn his potion bright orange.

I had been fuming about that because Severus had no right to do it just because he didn't like me sitting with Anthony. My annoyance had dulled somewhat when Severus had curtly asked Malfoy to remain behind after class. We had left a sullen Malfoy behind and I hoped it had something to do with making unnecessary comments in class.

"So how was it working with Anthony, Milly?" Terry asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"How do you think?" I said crossly, as we stepped into the courtyard. "I wish you wouldn't make those faces at me during class. It only encourages him."

"What's wrong with that?" Lisa asked, giggling. "Anthony's nice."

"Yeah, he's fine," I said, watching Anthony laugh with Michael Corner on the other side of the courtyard. "But that's all."

"Oh come on, Mill-" Lisa began.

"No," I interrupted, feeling agitated, but not sure with whom exactly. "That's all. I don't care that you two want to sit together. I just had the bad luck of being one of the last to come in. I had either Anthony or Malfoy to choose."

"There's nothing wrong with Anthony," Terry insisted, looking annoyed himself.

"I'm not saying there is," I said heatedly. "But I have no wish to enter a relationship with him. I don't appreciate the sudden interest. We're haven't really been friends or anything all these years. I haven't had a lot to do with him-"

"Then why don't you be friends first and see if anything happens?" Lisa suggested, her face earnest.

"Because I'm not interested," I insisted. "Besides that, I've told you that relationships are prohibited anyway."

"Snape might yield if he thinks the boy is respectable enough," Terry said impatiently. "I think it's stupid that he uses that control over you. If you want to date, you should date."

"Yeah, it's just that easy," I snapped.

Terry glared at me. "I'm not saying it's easy, Armilla. Trust me, we both realise that some issues must be much harder to approach with Snape for a brother, but he's got to realise that you're sixteen."

"I think he's aware of that," I said dryly, pretending I hadn't seen the wave from Anthony from across the courtyard.

"Snape likes to control things, Mill," Lisa said patiently. "But he's got to let you have some control over your own life, no matter how dangerous these times are."

I stared at her, having nothing to reply to that.

"It's just that Anthony's real keen on you, Mill," Terry said quietly.

"Really?" I said mockingly, my eyes wide.

"You should give him a chance," Lisa said softly, looking over at Anthony, who quickly looked away.

"I don't want to," I said uneasily. "I've told you that."

"So, it's really not just because of Snape?" Terry asked, watching me closely.

I shook my head. I was being honest. I felt nothing for Anthony. The only boy who had ever sparked the tiniest amount of affection in me didn't even go to Hogwarts anymore.

"You'll have to let Anthony know you're not interested," Lisa said quietly.

"I know." A wave of bitterness suddenly swept over me. "Actually, I think Severus will do that for me."

"Oh, he's clearly noticed," Terry laughed. "He glared at Anthony all the way through Potions."

"You'd think Anthony would know better than to flirt with the Head of Slytherin's sister," I said.

"He probably thinks you're worth the death glares from Snape," Lisa said airily.

I looked uncomfortably back at her. I felt a little bad that I couldn't return the attention. I just...didn't feel that way.

"Just stay on friendly terms with him," Lisa said reasonably. "You just never know."

Terry nodded in agreement.

I rolled my eyes in response.

o o o o o o o o o o

I went down to Severus that night for some salve for my foot. I had been trying to avoid it because I didn't want my brother to use it against Hermione.

I found him cleaning up in his lab, some newly labelled potions vials sitting on the workbench.

"Good evening," he said, when he saw me in the doorway. "How is your foot?"

"A bit sore," I said indifferently, not wanting too much time or attention spent on the subject. "I came to ask for something to put on it."

"Let's see it then," he said, putting the last of his ingredients away.

I bent down and pulled off my shoe and sock. A dark purple bruise had formed there.

"That girl is a hazard," Severus said, glancing at the bruise. He reached inside his cupboard and pulled out a small jar. "Rub a small amount of that on it. It should reduce the pain and swelling. The bruise will disappear of its own accord."

"Thanks," I said, taking the jar. He watched as I bent down and started rubbing the balm into my foot.

"Your potion was near perfect today," he commented.

I glanced up at him before looking down again. "It was hard."

"It is a complicated potion to brew," he agreed. "Perhaps it would have been easier if you hadn't had Mr Goldstein pestering you with unnecessary comments every two minutes."

I ignored him. I finished rubbing the balm on my foot. I put my sock and shoe back on and straightened up. I held out the balm to him. "Thank you."

He shook his head slightly. "Hold on to it for now. You'll need to reapply it in the morning."

I nodded and put the small jar in my pocket. "Will you care if I don't answer questions in your classes?" I asked.

He frowned. "Of course I'll care. If you're referring to Draco Malfoy making inappropriate comments, I assure you that he's been dealt with."

I nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable about that. I watched as Severus closed his cupboard and locked it with a charm.

"Did the Ministry really insist that Harry could take Advanced Potions if he wanted to?" I asked.

Severus smirked in reply.

"It's not true then?"

"No, of course it's not true," he said casually, waving his wand to distinguish the lights. I followed him out to the sitting room where we sat down on the sofa.

"How did he convince you to let him take Potions then?" I asked. "Unless he did get an Outstanding..."

He let out a disbelieving grunt. "Potter and I came to an agreement of sorts over the holidays."

I frowned. "What sort of agreement?"

"I told him that I would tolerate his presence in my class if he would make a commitment to keeping up with the standard I expect."

"In return for what exactly?"

"In return for maintaining the skills I taught him over the holidays," he said smoothly, "not to mention maintaining a sense of self control."

"Oh." Well, so far he had been doing rather well in that regard. It still didn't seem like Severus to willingly have Harry Potter in his class, and Advanced Potions at that. "I thought you didn't bargain with students," I said suspiciously.

He raised an eyebrow. "Bargain with Potter? Of course not. This is for my own personal gain."

"Which is?"

He gave me a look that clearly said I was asking too many questions, but he answered all the same.

"I will have more control over Potter this way. I can monitor his progress more closely if I can see him more often. If he wasn't taking Potions then I would only see him in the scheduled private lessons, which isn't frequently enough in my opinion to make sure he's putting the effort in." He smirked. "The best part is, Potter knows I'm in control and that I'm aware of his aspirations to become an Auror. If he exercises the self control I've taught him and shows progress in the other skills as well, then I can help him reach his goal."

I stared back at him incredulously. "You want to help him become an Auror?"

"No," he scoffed. "I want complete control of him, like I had during the holidays and at the moment this is the way to do it."

"Why would you want that burden?" I asked, thinking this all sounded rather strange.

"Because Potter has a history of being reckless," he said simply. "My aim is to knock that irresponsible side out of him."

"Oh." Oh well, it was his plan. As long as there were no more disputes between them.

"Now then," Severus said, his tone sounding business-like. "I have given you the opportunity to question me. Now it is my turn to question you."

The way his slightly narrowed black eyes were fixed so determinedly on mine made me feel uneasy.

"Okay." I knew what this was going to be about and I was not going to enjoy it.

"You willingly sat next to Mr Goldstein during class today," he said bluntly, a slight scowl on his face.

"Not quite willingly," I corrected, feeling cross. "It was a choice between him and Malfoy and I wasn't going to sit anywhere near Malfoy."

His face wasn't as hard as he stared back at me. Clearly, he hadn't noticed that morning that I'd had to make a split second choice.

"I see," he said. "It would appear to me, however, that you have yet to make it clear to that young man that you have no intentions to fulfil what is his apparent wish."

I said nothing. I didn't like talking about this with him.

"Am I correct?" he asked, his voice stern.

"Yes," I admitted.

"His behaviour has been far from subtle," he went on, scowling again, "and I don't wish for it to continue."

"I know."

"Therefore, the next time you see him, you are to make it clear that you are not interested. Do you understand?"

"I'm not interested in him," I stated, feeling irritated. "So of course I'll tell him that."

Severus looked a little annoyed. "I would expect you to tell him that either way."

I looked away.

Severus sighed. "This is clearly going to be one of those issues where you are going to build up your annoyances inside and verbalise it later."

I looked back at him. "Does it matter either way?"

"Either way?"

"Whether I keep everything inside for a long time or just tell you now." I tried to keep the resentment out of my tone. "You get to make the decisions either way."

He frowned. "When I feel it is necessary to, yes."

I said nothing. I stared down at the pattern in the upholstery.

Severus sighed again and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You spoke rather resentfully, Armilla. Clearly there is more on your mind."

I continued to stare at the upholstery for a moment, thinking about whether it was worth bringing up what Lisa had pointed out to me this afternoon.

"I wish you would let me make more decisions for myself," I said quietly, not looking at him.

There was a pause. "I see," he said. "Decisions of what nature?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling annoyed again.

"By that, you mean dating," he said. "Yes?"

I looked back at him. "Yes."

He didn't look angry, as I sort of expected him to, but he did look stern. That, of course, did nothing to cure my uneasiness.

"I have outlined the reasons before as to why I feel dating is not in your best interests at the moment," he said, each word spoken slowly and clearly. "I also told you of the potential danger a partner could be in through our links with the Dark Lord. If he is not pleased, the Dark Lord looks for links to cause suffering." He fixed his gaze firmly on mine. "Surely you understand this, Armilla?"

I nodded. I did understand that. "We're all in danger though. Malfoy dates. Half the Slytherins date. Even Harry Potter dates."

Severus looked irritated. "It doesn't matter what everyone else does-"

"I'm not saying that," I interrupted. "I'm saying that people in a lot of danger are still dating. If this war goes on for years will there ever be a time that I can too?"

He stared back at me, a blank expression on his face. "I didn't realise you were so keen, Armilla," he said quietly.

"I'm not," I said honestly. "I told you I have no interest in Anthony Goldstein. I would just appreciate having the opportunity to make the decision for myself if..." I trailed off; he knew what I meant.

Yet again, Severus sighed. "I don't like the idea of you dating, Armilla. You're only just sixteen."

"Then what is the right age?"

He folded his arms, his eyes narrowed. "Perhaps when you're forty."

"Severus."

"Fine," he said dismissively. "When you've finished school is soon enough. What's the hurry?"

"There is no hurry," I insisted. "I just want-"

"I know," he interrupted, looking moody. "You want the right to make that decision yourself."

I nodded.

He was silent for a few moments, clearly brooding. I wasn't at all inclined to be the first to break the silence.

"It is dangerous, Armilla," he said finally, looking over at me. "And that is not a ploy to keep you away from all young men." He sneered. "Think for example if, Merlin forbid, you dated a Weasley. From the Dark Lord's point of view, what can you tell me about that?"

"He wouldn't like it," I said quietly. "They're seen a blood traitors and muggle-lovers."

"Exactly," he replied, his dark eyes fixed intensely on mine. "And do you think that would bode well for us?"

"No," I admitted. He did have a point there.

Severus was silent again, lost in though. I sat listening to the sound of Morag hooting to herself in my bedroom.

"I am not going to forbid you from dating, Armilla," Severus said quietly, "but nor am I going to stand idly by and give you free reign in selecting the person you date, at least not while the Dark Lord is active. It's just not safe."

I nodded. "I'm not saying I'm in a hurry, Severus-"

"I know," he said, waving a hand aside. "But I'd like to come to an agreement for now that if a...desirable...person comes your way, I'd like to know of him and approve of your choice before you come to a mutual understanding with him. I just can't risk you dating someone that will either put us or the young man in more danger." His face now looked a little anxious. "That is the condition, Armilla."

"It's perfectly fair to me," I said, nodding. "Thank you."

Severus grunted in response. "Not that I'm happy about the idea," he grumbled. He suddenly fixed with me a rather hard expression. "No Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs," he said sternly.

"Oh." I pretended to look disappointed. I had the feeling he wasn't being completely serious anyhow.

"You will go far and wide before you find someone that I approve of, Armilla."

"Why?"

He looked and me and this time I definitely knew he was being serious. His face actually looked a little pained. "Because to me, Armilla, no one will ever be good enough for you."

o o o o o o o o o o

I left the dungeons half an hour later, after having tea with Severus. I knew he was far from fussed with the idea of me dating, but I couldn't help being thrilled that he had relented enough to give me some power in the decision making. For a person who loved to be in control, this was a big step.

My mood seemed a lot lighter than it had been earlier, probably due to the talk with Severus and having my foot healed. I walked along the dungeon corridors, a spring in my step and with the sense of cheerfulness inside that I normally got after a successful talk with my brother.

As I rounded a corner I suddenly saw a pearly white figure in front of me. She was transparent, but I could make out all her features and clothes; a ghost. She had a kind, lined face that showed her age and she was wearing a very familiar set of robes, complete with the pearl necklace I had always admired as a child. I stared at her, completely stunned, and she simply smiled back, looking rather relieved.

"There you are, Armilla."

A tingle swept through my body and I swallowed. When I spoke, I barely managed a whisper.

"Merle?"

o o o o o o o o o o

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