Falling Is Like This

CHAPTER 2: FREE FROM CARE...

Rosaline and Anne strolled into the Great Hall, still giggling as they slid into their seats at Gryffindor table. Chatting happily with her housemates, Rosaline shivered suddenly, and frowned.

"Someone's walking over my grave," she mumbled.

Shaking herself, Rosaline mentally scolded herself for being so silly and opted to concentrate on mashed potatoes and gravy instead. Before she had a chance to properly dig in, Anne poked her in the ribcage.

"Oy! Annie!" Rosaline turned impatiently to her friend, "what're you doing?"

Anne's pale, confused face stopped Rosaline from continuing her rebuke.

"Umm...Ros, Snape is watching you."

Rosaline turned her face towards the staff table, only to freeze like a deer in the headlights as her gaze locked with that of the Potions professor. His black eyes bored into her impassively, betraying neither anger nor pleasure at seeing her squirm. Just...curiosity.

Rosaline shivered and tore her eyes back to her plate, her appetite gone. Those eyes. She shivered again and pushed her plate away. Anne looked at her with concern, and Rosaline just smiled weakly.

"I'm okay Annie...really. I just don't feel top notch. I think I'm gonna go lie down."

With that, she got up and walked as slowly as she could out of the Great Hall, heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Cold shower," she muttered to herself, "that's what I need right now."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rosaline stepped from the shower and wrung her hair out before wrapping a towel around her body. Stepping up to the fogged mirror, she rubbed away the steam and surveyed herself critically.

"Accio," she murmured, her wand obeying instantly and flying into her hand. Running a hand through her wet hair, she smiled, and pointed the wand at her head.

"Exaresco."

The drying charm worked instantly, and Rosaline's hair settled into its usual slightly wild waves of dark brown. Drying the rest of her body with the soft towel, Rosaline pulled on boxer shorts and a tank top, with a robe over top. It was still early in the year, October, and the weather was quite mild.

Walking back to the 7th year girl's dorm, she heard the other Gryffindors returning from dinner.

'Might as well go and tell Annie not to worry before she hunts me down and beats me...' Rosaline thought to herself as she headed down the stairs to the common room.

She reached her destination just as Anne tumbled gracelessly through the portrait hole, clearly in a hurry. Standing up, she saw Rosaline at the foot of the stairs and glared at her.

"Ros, I was worried! Why did you take off like that? You knew I couldn't leave." Anne scolded, pointing to the prefect badge she had worked so hard to earn over her years at Hogwarts.

Rosaline smiled sheepishly at her friend. "I'm sorry Annie...but I just couldn't stay there, not with the way...um, he was looking at me," running a hand through her hair, Rosaline pulled Anne up the stairs towards their dorm, talking softly as they went, "it was scary Annie, it was as though he knew exactly what I was thinking, but was curious, not angry or insulted. I really don't think I could handle another look like that from him. It made my stomach do cartwheels."

Anne looked at her critically, and clucked her tongue. "You just need to get a little self control, that's all. Tomorrow's Friday, and though we have Potions last period, you can be free of Snape for the weekend after that. But you'd better get a grip Ros," Anne teased, a grin on her face, "it's not like you can run off for a cold shower in the middle of class."

"Very funny. I can control myself just fine, thanks." Rosaline glared at Annie, who just giggled.

The two girls reached their room and fell onto their beds. Rolling onto her back, Rosaline chewed her lip uneasily while staring at the canopy above her. "You don't think he...well, knows, do you Annie?"

"How could he?" Anne reassured, "it's not like the man's psychic or anything."

Rosaline nodded, unconvinced, and stretched, yawning. "I think I'm gonna go to bed now, I'm exhausted."

Anne nodded and stood up. "I'll be back in a while, as will the rest of the lot. We'll try not to wake you."

Rosaline lay quietly till the other girl had left, then pulled her robe over her head, throwing it over the trunk at the bottom of her bed. Crawling back over the mattress, she slid under the sheets and curled up.

'It's no big deal, you've just got to stop being such a git. He's only a man. Don't sweat it,' she thought, 'tomorrow will be like any other day....'

Rosaline slept.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rosaline shifted her book bag to her other shoulder and followed Anne reluctantly down the stairs into the Hogwarts dungeons. Their last class of the day, Potions, was crawling inevitably closer. Far too quickly for Rosaline's liking. Anne turned impatiently and looked up the stairs at her friend.

"Ros, we're gonna be late!" she said in irritation.

Sighing, Ros trotted down the remaining stairs and the two girls jogged down the dank corridor to the Potions classroom.

As they took their seats, Snape glided through the door, his robes billowing behind him. He turned abruptly to face the class once he reached his desk and glared at the uneasy Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.

"Today we will be brewing the Securus Serum, a potion which causes one to become free from all inhibitions and cares. As pleasant as this may sound to you dunderheads, it is quite dangerous. A person who has been given the serum could easily jump off a cliff for no reason other than they wanted to fly, act impulsively and endanger the lives or well-being of others because they did not care about the consequences, or," he intoned smoothly, his glance flitting briefly to Rosaline, "make an utter fool of themselves in front of the object of their...misplaced affections."

Rosaline blanched and gripped the sides of her table, her knuckles going white. She did not dare let her face betray her horror, and watched Snape impassively, forcing herself to appear attentive.

"The recipe is in your textbooks. Work in pairs - the ingredients are available in the cupboard. Get to work and don't pester me." The professor sat down and began marking, looking up to glare accusingly at the class every so often, daring them to make noise.

Anne looked at Rosaline with wide eyes, then opened her textbook, and got up to collect the ingredients.

Rosaline stared blankly at the desk in front of her for a beat, then began to prepare the cauldron, her every movement measured and controlled, smothering her screaming inner voice. Anne returned, her arms full with ingredients, and silently began preparing them.

The two girls worked quietly, not even noticing how Snape's gaze would drift occasionally to Rosaline, only to be removed a moment later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rosaline wiped off her knife and placed it back on the desk. She and Anne had finished their potion - perfectly this time. Anne gave her friend a weak smile, concern still obvious in her eyes.

"I'm okay Annie," Rosaline whispered reassuringly, "we've finished the potion, and it's been done properly." She smiled, and sat back, allowing herself a moment of relaxation. Unfortunately, it ended abruptly when a soft, sibilant voice, directly behind her, spoke.

"Miss Staunton, Miss Prescott...I see you've finished. And, my word, your cauldron appears to actually contain the correct potion this class. How impressive," Snape mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "perhaps you would be so kind as to assist me in demonstrating the effects of Securus Serum, Miss Staunton?"

Rosaline suppressed a whimper and turned around slowly. Snape had been leaning over to look into the cauldron. This same position now meant his face was a hair's breadth away from Rosaline's. Swallowing, the girl met his gaze defiantly, ignoring the warnings klaxons screaming in her head. Kicking her inner voice in its proverbial teeth, Rosaline smiled winningly.

"Certainly, sir."

Both Snape and Rosaline, neither willing to look away, ignored Anne's gasp of dismay. Snape finally sneered and straightened.

"Class, hurry up and finish your potions. We will have a demonstration - Miss Staunton has been generous enough to volunteer her potion and herself," Snape said coldly, and strode back to his desk.

Rosaline's composure began to crack, and she shot Anne a panicked look. Her friend looked back helplessly.

The rest of the class completed their potions in a matter of minutes, and Snape produced a small vial, full of a violet liquid. He glided back to Anne and Rosaline, holding a large spoon. Handing it to Rosaline, he smirked coldly, his black eyes tearing yet another hole in the girl's quickly crumbling self-control.

Speaking up to address the class, Snape held up the vial. "This is the antidote to Securus Serum, which I will administer to Miss Staunton after I point out the signs indicating that the Securus Serum is beginning to take effect."

The class watched with baited breath as Rosaline took the spoon hesitantly, as though she expected it to bite. Dipping it tentatively in the potion, she slowly raised it to her lips. There was a collective intake of breath from the students. Snape merely watched, his eyes burning into hers. Rosaline met his gaze for a moment, then took a sip of the potion.

Everyone waited.

And waited.

Snape frowned and looked at the potion, taking a delicate sniff of the brew. "It does not appear to be strong enough Miss Staunton," he muttered, displeasure clear in his voice. Rosaline stood still, relief flooding through her body.

"Get out," Snape hissed to the class.

The students obliged happily, and were gone in a matter of minutes.

Rosaline began gathering up her books, ready to follow Anne, who stood at the door impatiently. "Go on ahead Annie, I'll catch up," Rosaline called out happily. The other girl smiled and disappeared out into the dark corridor.

Heading for the door, Rosaline began to feel an odd sensation. A gentle warmth was creeping through her body, making her feel carefree and cheerful. She felt like she could do anything. A hand dropped lightly onto her shoulder, and Rosaline looked at it in surprise. It was long and pale - delicate. She wanted to kiss those precise fingers.

Turning slowly, she looked up into Snape's face, which currently sneered down at her. Rosaline smiled seductively, knowing exactly what she wanted.

Sliding her hands up Snape's chest, she grinned at his obvious astonishment. Without giving him moment to react, she wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her fingers in his surprisingly soft black hair, and pressed her lips forcefully to his.