Falling Is Like This

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CHAPTER 6: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

June, as well as N.E.W.T.S., were a week away, and Rosaline and Anne spent their every spare moment buried under reams of parchment and mountains of textbooks. Rosaline never mentioned her encounter with Snape to her friend, finding it too personal, too disconcerting to share, especially with the fervour of studying foremost in the girl's minds. Yet, it remained in her consciousness, filed away with the other encounters she'd had with him. Rosaline knew that something which had begun simmering in her blood early on the year was inevitably moving closer to its boiling point. She wasn't sure what would happen when it reached its climax.

The weekend before their first exam found the girls sitting quietly in the Gryffindor common room, quizzing each other on Astronomy. After 3 questions wrong in a row, Rosaline groaned and let her head fall forward onto her notes.

"I'm fucked, Annie."

Her friend grinned and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry; Astronomy isn't till the week after next. We have tons of time to brush up on the Betelgeuse system."

Rosaline merely groaned in response and pulled a leaf of parchment over her head.

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The first week of two passed quickly -- N.E.W.T.S. were spread out over two weeks, to give the 7th years a bit of a break -- and Rosaline and Anne were satisfied with the culmination of their hard studying for Defence Against Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic and Arithmancy. Professor Lector, the teacher of the first, assured the girls that they had both passed with flying colours when they approached him a few days later. Rosaline sat her Transfiguration exam as well, and came out of it exhausted but satisfied. Anne groaned about Ancient Runes for a while after she wrote it on the Wednesday morning, but Rosaline was sure she'd done well -- it was her forte, and what she planned to use most heavily in her future career as a treasure hunter for Gringotts. The second week had Charms and Muggle Studies, and finished with Potions on the Friday afternoon. This final obstacle before their freedom was looked upon darkly by Anne.

"I can't understand how you enjoy that class so much," she grumbled as they headed down the stairs into the dank dungeons.

"I know you find it interesting, and not only because of the scenery," Anne relented to shoot Rosaline a grin, "but nevertheless, it's so...exact."

Rosaline nodded. "I know. That's why I like it."

Anne simply shot her friend a puzzled look and shook her head. They entered the classroom. Rosaline did not spare Snape a glance, but continued to ignore him as much as she could. She had done so since the night in the hall, and as far as she could discern, he didn't mind in the slightest.

With the faintest of sighs, Rosaline began to listen as Snape told the class what their exam would consist of.

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Two hours later, the girls emerged from the Potions classroom and headed up the stairs. Anne waited till they were inside the Gryffindor common room to let out a loud whoop of joy.

"We're DONE!" She jumped around happily, while Rosaline simply watched her, laughing. Anne ran around for a while longer before collapsing into an armchair.

"I'm so bloody exhausted I think I could sleep for a week."

Rosaline nodded and curled up in a chair close by. "I know exactly what you mean...I just want to crawl into bed and forget everything I've learned," she laughed.

"Well, we have the Graduation Ceremony in over a week," Annie speculated, "we could sleep till Thursday -- when all the other kids go home -- and then start getting ready for the ball on Saturday."

Rosaline grinned and stood up suddenly. "I forgot to show you Annie, my mum sent me a new dress robe for grad! C'mon, I want you to see it; it's not something I'd normally get all excited over, but, well, you've just gotta see."

Anne smiled at Rosaline as she jumped up. "We'll make a proper girl of you yet," she teased.

Rosaline smacked her playfully before dragging the other girl up the stairs.

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The graduating class had to wait a while longer for all of their N.E.W.T.S. results than the rest of the school; a drawback to having their exams more spread out. True to their claims, Rosaline and Anne spent an uncouth amount of time sleeping, missing breakfast entirely for the better part of the following week.

Their results came out the Wednesday, and to Rosaline's chagrin she did not pass History of Magic -- her weakest subject to begin with. Her other marks ranged from more than acceptable to stellar, Potions coming out as her highest grade.

The Leaving Feast passed that evening with Ravenclaw winning the House Cup, the Great Hall resplendent in bronze and blue. Thursday came and went quickly. The younger students had been cleared out by noon, leaving the castle strangely silent. Rosaline watched the Hogwarts Express disappear into the landscape from the Astronomy tower, a sense of melancholy rising up her throat and threatening to choke her. She blinked back her mutinous tears and smiled sadly before heading back down the stairs into the castle.

Rosaline headed towards the dungeons, not allowing her feet to drag. She knew she wanted to pursue a career in R&D of potions, and there was only one professor in the school who could give her the information she needed.

The dungeons were chilly, even in the sunny days of late June. Rosaline shivered and pulled her robe tight about herself as she approached Snape's classroom. Standing in front of the door, the girl smothered the images which rose to her mind, unbidden. After the exams had finished, Rosaline's imagination, which had been locked down tight for the past few months, went on a bloody rampage. The erotic, masochistic and down-right bizarre fantasies which had been playing through her mind since the previous week all started clamouring for attention as she knocked on the door.

There was no answer. Rosaline tentatively tried the handle, but to no avail. It was locked. She breathed a sigh of relief.

'I'll simply have to decide what I want to do myself,' she thought, not overly disappointed by this prospect, as it meant she could avoid seeing Snape.

Rosaline started heading back up the stairs. She had no desire to go to Gryffindor Tower, so she elected to wander, seeing where her feet would lead her. As she strolled through the hallways, Rosaline allowed her mind to skip happily back to its favourite subject.

She wanted to see Snape, while at the same time was more than a little scared of him. Rosaline knew she wanted him. There was no question of that. She wasn't some blushing virgin who trembled at a man's touch.

'Well...not most men,' Rosaline thought with disgust. 'No wonder he calls me a little girl. Gods know I act like it whenever he comes near me. He must think I'm a right bint. But...I still want him.'

Rosaline stopped suddenly. "I'm not his student anymore," she said aloud, "at least, not after the graduation ceremony."

A slow smile spread over her features. She started walking again, slowly, lost in thought.

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Snape sat in his living quarters, trying to read a book. One small voice from a dark corner of his mind continued to interrupt him, repeating the same sentence over and over again.

She's not your student anymore.

Snape snarled and dropped his unread book onto one of the small tables which flanked the chair. His attempts to rationalize that voice away did not appear to be working. In fact, the voice simply became more persistent when he tried to dissuade it.

She mightn't be 18. She's still almost half my age. I don't want to emotionally scar her -- she might be a virgin.

The chanting of the mantra -- She's not your student anymore -- continued unabated, until he snapped out what had been haunting his mind ever since the fiasco began.

What if she's simply mocking me?

There was a tense silence for a moment, within Snape's head. Then the same voice spoke up again.

It wasn't laughter that you saw in her eyes that night in the hall. It was lust. Can't fake that.

Snape snarled again, and, realising how unhealthy it is to have arguments with the voices in one's head, fixed himself a triple brandy and retreated to his bed.

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It was Saturday morning. The soon-to-be-graduates who had risen early enough for breakfast chatted excitedly. Some had heard vague tidbits about the Graduation Ball from older siblings or cousins, and were relating heavily embellished stories to their classmates. Their families and other guests were due to arrive in at noon for the feast and subsequent ceremony, after which, in the evening, the graduates themselves would have a wizarding equivalent of a prom. Obviously the faculty of Hogwarts would attend, but the families would not.

Rosaline sat quietly beside Anne, who was cooing over another girl's new necklace, sent as a graduation present from some far off grandparent. Oblivious to the feminine blather, Rosaline's attention was on something else, her eyes staring, unfocused, at absolutely nothing.

Snape watched the girl in much the same manner a hawk watches a rabbit. His dark, hooded eyes could have burned holes through stone, but she did not, or chose not, to notice. Her mind was certainly occupied with something, though Snape had now way of knowing what.

'Probably daydreaming about some clumsy, foolish boy who'll take her to the ball tonight, then poke and prod her with unskilled hands afterwards,' he sneered inwardly, not quite sure why that thought angered him as much as it did.

Snape continued to watch the girl, till Dumbledore nudges him gently.

"Perhaps you should speak with our young Miss Staunton, Severus," he said lightly, "from what I've heard from she's eager to pursue a career in potions."

Snape glared darkly at the Headmaster, who smiled innocently.

"She is a very mature and intelligent young woman, quite singular really," the older man continued, "I believe we can expect great things from her. She was your best pupil, was she not, Severus?"

Snape growled an affirmation and stared at his plate. Dumbledore chuckled and regarded the younger man for a moment, before turning to speak to McGonagall.

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Rosaline sat on her bed in her graduation robe, brushing her hair, watching Anne, similarly clothed, bustle around. The families of the graduates were due to arrive soon, and Anne was nearly beside herself. She paused in front of her trunk mid-stride and looked down at it, displeased.

"D'you think I remembered everything?" Rosaline rolled her eyes.

"Annie, you've gone over the room with a fine-toothed comb. Thrice. You haven't forgotten anything."

Anne sighed and sat down beside Rosaline. "I'm just nervous, I guess. I mean, Hogwarts has been my life for 7 years. And now...I dunno," she trailed off.

"Annie, you've got nothing to worry about!" Rosaline exclaimed, "You're gonna be the best treasure hunter Gringotts ever had, and you know it."

Anne smiled weakly and half-nodded. "Yeah, I reckon you're right. It's just a...a little scary."

"Listen to me, you have nothing to worry about," Rosaline said softly, before cracking a smile. "Just think, you'll never have to sit another exam again."

Anne smiled gratefully. "Let's go down to the Great Hall," she chuckled, "they should all be arriving soon."

Rosaline smiled and followed her friend out the door.

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Anne had been right -- parents, siblings and friends had begun to trickle into the re-arranged Hall. The tables had been cleared away, and there were rows of chairs facing the dais upon which the staff table usually sat. On the platform were a few chairs off to one side, and a small table, holding the diplomas. As the two girls walked through the door, Anne gasped in delight and ran over to three people who could only be her family. Rosaline smiled and looked for her own parents.

A lilting feminine voice spoke behind her.

"Dia duit, a chroÃ-."

"Dia is Muire duit." Rosaline responded delightedly as she turned around and hugged her mother, Ciara. The petite woman smiled at her and hugged her again.

"We've missed you, little one," her father, Sean, who had just wrapped his arms around the two women, murmured.

The family separated, and Rosaline beamed at her parents. Ciara smoothed her daughter's hair and took her hand.

"Let's go sit, and catch up, love."

The family wandered over to a row of chairs and sat, chatting eagerly, waiting for the Graduation Ceremony to begin.

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