An American Professor

The day of the Quidditch match Erin awoke long after breakfast was served. In fact, by the time she'd gone through her morning rituals it was almost time for the match. Pulling a thick cable knit burgundy sweater on with a pair of her favorite jeans, she added her now famous boots and was almost ready to go. Pulling her Gryffindor scarf out of her closet, she wrapped it snuggly around her neck and headed out the door.

Reaching the Quidditch Pitch, she looked around the stands. Snape and Flitwick were in the teacher's box. They both beckoned for her to join them. Erin smiled and waved to them before turning to the Gryffindor section of the stands. Spotting Hagrid first, her eyes then traveled to Ginny and Hermione who were sitting next to him waving enthusiastically. Smiling broadly she headed for them, and squished between Hagrid and Hermione. "I'm so excited!" she told them, "I've never seen a game before. I've read all about it in Quidditch Through the Ages, but actually watching it will be a thrill."

"You read about it?" Hermione asked incredulously.

Erin chuckled, "Contrary to what you may think, Hermione, I do research most things quite thoroughly."

Hermione smiled at Erin with new respect. Ginny smiled nervously at Erin. "This is Ron's first game as Keeper. I bet he's scared, he barely ate breakfast."

"I'm sure he'll be great." Erin smiled reassuringly.

The players soaring onto the field interrupted their discussion. Erin was instantly on her feet cheering Harry, Ron, George, and Fred by name. She'd forgotten how much fun team sports could be, and she hadn't ever realized just how loud she could be until she saw Harry and Ron blushing.

The game began and was amazing. Erin rarely remained in her seat. It was just too exciting to her, she kept yelling out encouragements to the team. Ron turned out to be an excellent Keeper. Each time he made a save Erin was on her feet screaming, "Brilliant save, Ron!"

Erin shouted words of encouragement over and over. Her excitement seemed to be pretty contagious as others observed that the Gryffindors were yelling louder than normal. When Harry went into a dive Erin threw her arms around Hermione and the two began jumping up and down. Harry came up with the Snitch and the two screamed his name as loud as they could. Hagrid lifted Erin to his hip and she was screaming, "Gryffindors are Number ONE!" Pretty soon everyone in the Gryffindor stands was on the field. Erin joined them.

She hugged Harry and Ron in congratulations and they both blushed. The whole team was commenting on how she got the others going. Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin 200 to 30. It had been an excellent game.

Eventually, Erin disentangled herself from the crowd. She began making her way back to the castle when a familiar red-haired man stepped into her path. "Charlie," she gasped.

"Hullo."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to watch my little brother play his first match. The rest of the family's here as well, except Percy of course."

Erin nodded and felt unsure about what she should say next. "Uh, well, I'm sure Ron's happy you're here."

"But you don't seem to be."

"Well, nothing personal, Charlie, but the last time I saw you, you were getting me kidnapped, not that it was you, but you know what I mean. Speaking of which, how are doing from all of that?" She asked genuinely concerned. No one had told her what had become of Charlie that eventful day.

"I'm fine. They found me about ten minutes after you were taken. I was in my room at the inn. I told them what I remembered, which wasn't much, but it was too late to help you."

"Oh, well, I'm glad you're ok," she said and began to move away.

"Erin," Charlie began, "don't run away. I really had a wonderful time that day we spent in Hogsmeade. Couldn't we just spend a little time together today?"

Erin stared at him hard and determined that he was who he said he was, but she still had doubts, "Charlie, let me be honest with you. Every time I get close to someone it's used against me. I don't want that to happen to you, again," she said quietly.

"I heard you can tell when someone uses Polyjuice Potion, now."

"Rumor travels fast. It's true, I can, at least I did once, but I can't tell when someone's under the Imperius Curse."

"So, are you going to alienate yourself from people for the rest of your life out of fear of what may or may not happen?"

"Are you preaching to me, Charlie?"

"No, I'm just stating my case."

"I'm just trying to protect you from being used or injured."

"Erin, all I'm asking for is an afternoon, not a century."

She considered him for quite a while. She knew he wasn't going to take 'No' for an answer. Erin sized him up quickly. He was awfully handsome and they had had a great time together. "Oh, alright," she conceded, "but we have to stay within the castle walls."

"Deal."

Erin giggled, "It sounds like we made a business arrangement."

He laughed and she remembered how much she like his laugh. She treated him to a real smile, and they walked to the castle. A few times their hands bumped together, and Erin felt warm tingles all over, so she pulled her hands behind her back to keep it from happening further.

They went to Erin's office and were chatting like old friends in no time. At dinnertime they made their way to the Great Hall. Instead of sitting at the head table Erin sat with Charlie at the far end of the Gryffindor table hoping for some privacy. Unfortunately, the whole Weasley family was staying at Hogwarts for dinner. They spotted Charlie and Erin and headed in their direction.

Erin had been corresponding with Arthur Weasley for quite some time. They greeted each other like old friends. Ron tried to sit next to Erin, but his dad was quicker. Erin greeted Mrs. Weasley and Bill and tried to turn back to her conversation with Charlie, but Arthur had other ideas. For the rest of dinner he asked questions about any and everything Muggle. Erin smiled at how fascinated he was, and marveled at his insatiable appetite for knowledge about Muggles. Erin answered all of his questions to the best of her ability. She smiled apologetically to Charlie and he nodded knowingly.

Dinner was over soon enough and Fred came over to whisper in her ear, "Victory party in Gryffindor common room."

Erin nodded nonchalantly and gave Charlie a wink. Arthur, Molly, and Bill congratulated Ron, Harry, and the twins one last time, and then left. Erin was surprised that Charlie was still there. He quickly explained, "I'm staying until tomorrow."

Before she could ask him why, Hermione came over to tell them it was time for the celebration. They arrived at the Gryffindor common room and Erin saw a big banner proclaiming, "Congrats Gryffindor! Happy Belated Birthday, Erin!" Everyone jumped out a her yelling "Surprise!"

She started to laugh and told them all thank-you. The twins arrived a few minutes later with sweets and butterbeer. It was quite a party. Erin heard music coming from somewhere, but before she had time to ask where, Ron came over and asked her to dance. Erin wasn't sure if she should, but threw caution to the wind and began to dance with Ron.

The music was a fast tempo and they were having a ball when Fred cut in. Ron looked miffed, but let his brother take over. Other people were dancing around them and Erin wondered where the music was coming from. She was just about to ask Fred when the song ended, and Harry asked her to dance. She agreed and they were dancing up a storm, until halfway through when George cut in. Harry bowed out gracefully. George cracked jokes the whole time they danced and Erin was holding her sides when the song ended.

A slow song began and before George could do anything Charlie was there. "Dance with me?" he asked. She nodded and he pulled her deftly into his arms. At first they danced formally and talked. "You haven't been this close to me since we hugged in Hogsmeade."

"I know."

"It feels good to have you this close to me."

"I know," she replied and pulled her hand from his and moved close to rest her head on his chest. He rubbed the small of her back and they held each other like that for a few minutes even after the song ended.

Erin opened her eyes when the silence was overwhelming. The room was gaping at them. She felt her face flush and saw Charlie blushing as well. Erin moved to an armchair by the fire and Charlie followed seating himself as well. They settled in to a comfortable conversation amidst offers to dance by hopeful young men as well as young women. They both politely declined each offer and continued their conversation.

During a lull Erin looked up at the couples enjoying the dance floor. Fred was holding Angelina close, while George was dancing with Alicia. The twin's friend, Lee, was dancing with Katie, but Erin searched for the other redheads. She smiled when she spotted Ginny looking very happy to be slow dancing with Harry. Harry seemed to be enjoying himself a great deal as well. Ron and Hermione had put aside their bickering and appeared to be enjoying themselves quite a bit, though Erin knew that neither one would admit as much.

Her attention was jolted back to Charlie when she felt him take her hand. Looking into his eyes, she felt a magnetic force pulling her to him. Instead of letting herself be drawn to him, she shook her head to clear the thought and used the opportunity to look at her watch.

"It's getting late, I should get to bed."

"Can I walk you?"

"Of course," she smiled. They left the common room hand in hand, and continued on to Erin's room as such. During their walk, Erin went over and over in her mind, should I kiss him or not? I know he wants to, I think I want to, but I don't know.

They arrived at her rooms far too soon for Erin's taste. She still hadn't decided what to do. "I had a lot of fun tonight, Charlie," she began.

"I did too."

She noted that his voice had gone deeper. It had a husky undertone to it. "So, how long are you going to be here tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure, yet."

"Oh." She scanned the hallway quickly, and noticed that there didn't seem to be anyone around.

"Erin, are you going to invite me in?"

"I hadn't planned on it," she answered honestly, and saw his face drop immediately.

"Oh."

"Charlie, we hardly know each other. I'm not that kind of girl."

"What? No, I didn't mean like that! I meant to talk some more."

"Oh! Now I feel dumb. Guess my mind's always in the gutter. Actually, no offense, but I'm pretty tired, so I was going to go right to bed."

"Alright then. So, I'll see you at breakfast?"

"You bet." She smiled and then the awkward feeling was back again. Erin hated this. She knew it shouldn't be this awkward. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, to hug him good night. Feeling his arms go around her as well, she shivered at their strength and warmth.

Pulling back, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on his cheek. As she turned to go inside, he pulled her back. He leaned down and brushed his lips lightly across hers. Erin tingled from her lips to her toes in that brief moment. He pulled back from the gentle kiss and Erin fought the urge to pull his head down to hers to give him a much deeper and more thorough kiss.

Instead, she smiled and turned to go, letting go of his hand as slowly as possible. "Good night," she said softly.

"Good night," he repeated.

Erin went into her sitting room and plopped down in front of the fire. She hadn't even noticed anyone in the room until she heard a voice say, "Erin?"

Shrieking, she drew her wand, "Who's there?" she demanded.

"Easy tiger, it's just me." He stepped out of the shadows and Erin fell back into her chair in relief.

"How did you get in here?"

"I have my ways."

"Have you been waiting long?"

"Since after dinner. You sure seem to fit in well with the Weasleys."

"Mmm?" she muttered distractedly. At the mention of the Weasleys her mind had traveled back to her brief kiss with Charlie.

"I mean, they seem to like you. So, do you like that Charlie?"

Erin's attention was pulled immediately back to the conversation, "Severus, are you jealous?" she asked in amazement.

"Of course not. You're my student, we probably shouldn't even be friends."

"Right, but we are, and nothing more. Anything more could compromise the learning environment."

"You sound like you read that right out of Hogwart's Policy and Procedures Manual. But you're right," he agreed and sat in front of the fire with her. "Why did you leave so quickly last night?"

"I thought you and Dumbledore were discussing something important."

"We were, but that's not why you left."

"I don't know, Severus. Maybe I don't want to get too close to you. They like using you against me."

"They used Weasley against you."

"I'm well aware of that. I gave him this same lecture today."

"What did he say?"

"The same thing you're gong to, 'You can't isolate yourself, blah, blah, blah.'"

"Well, he's right."

"I know."

"So, you like him?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm your friend."

Erin raised her eyebrow at him, "I think it's more than that."

Snape was silent for a moment, before meeting her eyes, "I could wait until you were no longer a student. I can wait that long for you."

"I don't know that I want you to do that. You're one of the best friends I've ever had. I'm not sure I want anything more than friendship."

"You said one of. Are there others?"

"Well, I do have a few close friends that I left in the States. And of course there's Sirius."

"Black?? How do you know him?" Snape's face had twisted in fury, and Erin felt slightly reluctant to talk further about Sirius.

"I just do. He was there for me when you couldn't be. What's wrong with you?"

"He's a criminal."

"You know that's a bunch of bullshit."

"I- We- uh, we just don't see eye to eye."

"I see. Well, regardless, I need to get to bed."

"You never answered my question."

Feeling confused, she asked, "What question?"

"Do you like Charlie Weasley?" he repeated for the third time.

Erin stared at him for a moment. She shrugged noncommittally and stood, "Obviously, I wouldn't spend time with him if I didn't like him. I'm just not sure yet in what way that I like him. You'll let yourself out? I'm heading for bed. Good night."

"Good night," he echoed.

Erin shook her head while changing. She really didn't know how she felt about Charlie. She wasn't sure how she really felt about Severus or for that matter Sirius. Lying down, she tried to go to sleep, but couldn't. She stared at the canopy for a long while before drifting off to sleep.

Erin awoke on Sunday morning feeling as if she hadn't slept a wink. She rubbed her eyes groggily and stumbled into the bathroom for a shower. Violet was in there eating her fill of breakfast. Erin gave her a little pet and Violet rubbed her leg. She showered quickly and dried her hair with a spell. Pulling a fleece sweatshirt from her wardrobe and yet another pair of jeans, she slipped into them before grabbing her Adidas. Sitting on the couch in the sitting room she slipped into her sneakers, while Violet jumped up onto the couch beside her.

Sitting in front of the fire, she stroked Violet and cooed to her. She felt really sleepy, but she forced herself to leave the room. As she stepped out of her rooms she was quite surprised to find Charlie waiting for her. "Oh! Charlie, what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

"Did we set a specific time to meet?"

"No."

Erin looked at him carefully as she asked, "Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just wanted to see you as soon as possible."

Erin smiled. "So, shall we go to breakfast?"

He nodded and smiled at her offering his arm. Sliding her arm through his she let her fingers rest on his forearm and was pleased by the muscles she felt there.

They caused quite a stir entering the Great Hall this way. There was a lot of whistling and a few catcalls, but they ignored them as they made their way again to the end of the Gryffindor table hoping again, as yesterday, for some privacy. Unfortunately, they were again not lucky enough to receive the sought after privacy. Soon, four Weasleys, a Potter, a Granger, and a Longbottom had joined their company. Charlie and Erin laughed and joked with the others.

After breakfast, Charlie asked Erin to show him her classroom and she gladly obliged. Alone again, Erin began to ask more questions. "Did you take Muggle Studies while you were here?"

"No, much to my dad's dismay."

"Your father is a great man. There should be more wizards like him."

Charlie nodded and smiled, "He says the same about you. He's always talking about how you'd be great for Muggle-Wizard relations."

Erin sighed and sat on her desk. Charlie moved to sit next to her. "Charlie, how much do you know about what happened after I was kidnapped?"

"I know you were taken to You-Know-Who and Snape helped you escape."

"That's all you know?"

"Yes. Why? Is there something else you want to tell me?"

Erin thought about telling him about Wormtail, she also considered telling him about the reason Voldemort had wanted her. This was more difficult than she thought it'd be. It seemed that one story would lead to another and another, and it might be best not to tell him anything. She knew that there could be no future for them without him knowing the truth. "No, it's not important," she lied.

"I don't believe you."

"I didn't think you would."

"Erin, whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Charlie, you probably think that I'm going to say that a Death Eater tried to kill me, but its not like that," she blurted out.

"Well, you can still tell me."

She could tell by his face that she'd hit the nail on the head about his assumption. Now, his mind must be reeling coming up with more horrible scenarios. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Then why did you bring it up?"

"I wanted to see how much you knew."

"Oh." He fell silent.

She realized suddenly how little Charlie actually knew about her. He didn't know about her childhood, Severus knew, Sirius knew, even Dumbledore knew some, but she didn't feel comfortable telling Charlie. With him, she could almost pretend it had been different. When she was with him, she could pretend to have had a happy upbringing like the one she knew, from talking to Ron, that he'd had, and he'd never know the difference. She figured that he knew the sugar-coated version that she'd given her students, but none of the other horrors she'd shared with Severus and Sirius.

Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "Have you decided how long you're staying?"

"Just until after lunchtime." He answered very quietly.

"We could go to my sitting room, it's more comfortable than here."

"Sounds good to me." They made their way to Erin's rooms in silence. She led him to the sitting room and pulled out a teapot. He nodded and sat on the overstuffed couch. Joining him a moment later, Erin brought two cups of steaming hot tea, along with cream and sugar. Adding some sugar to her own tea, she sat back on the couch. He sat back as well.

They sat in silence sipping the tea, and staring at the fire. Charlie moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders, "Erin, do you think this is going to work?"

Erin felt her heart in her throat, " I don't know." She paused a moment to think and then added, "Is this about me not wanting to tell you about the kidnapping?"

"Partly."

"Charlie, I'm just going to need a little more time. Do you really want to write this off?"

"No." They continued to sit in silence for a few more minutes when Charlie turned to her and said, "Let's keep this as a friendship for now, and nothing more. I'll come up to visit a few more times and we'll see where this goes."

Erin felt tears stinging the back of her eyelids and fought to keep from saying, Don't do me any favors, and instead replied, "I guess that makes the most sense."

"I'll write you."

"Ok."

"Erin, don't sound so dejected."

Feeling a spark of annoyance, Erin realized she couldn't hold back the sarcasm, "I'm sorry if being rejected isn't the highlight of my week."

"I'm not rejecting you, so stop trying to be a martyr."

Forcing her face blank she answered, "Of course, you're right. Maybe you should go."

Charlie nodded and got to his feet. Erin also rose. He smiled at her, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Erin, I'll write to you soon."

"I'll look for your owl." He reached out and hugged her briefly. Erin felt the lack of warmth in the hug and looked away from him. She heard him leave and let her guard down.

Walking into her bedroom, she sat down next to the window. This time she didn't stop her eyes from welling up. Erin let the tears drip down her face sitting silently. Violet came over and rubbed Erin's hand until she would pet her. "Hey, baby. Trying to make your mom feel better?" she cooed.

Rubbing Violet's back she continued to stare out the window at Hagrid's hut. Erin fought the urge to find Snape. You can't go running to him every time something goes wrong in your life.

Sighing deeply, she picked Violet up and lay down on the bed. Violet curled up next to her purring contently. Erin went over the events of the day and night before. How could everything change so drastically in just two days? Erin closed her eyes and the sleep she'd missed the night before came to help her escape reality.