Letters By Night

"And that's exactly what happened, Headmaster," said Professor Snape half an hour later, in an almost sarcastic subordinating way. He and Alanna were in Dumbledore's office, Alanna looking sheepish as she stood there Eye of Thoth-less.

Dumbledore sighed. "Thank you, Severus, Alanna. We'll just have to be...more cautious." He nodded and waved his hand. Snape and Alanna left.

"More cautious, my arse," muttered Snape after they were out of earshot. "I'm sure they'll find some way to...What are you doing?"

Alanna had been staring at the ceiling, dazedly, thinking about the letter and whether she had gotten a reply.

"Oh...just thinking."

He raised his eyebrows, apparently mentally filing her under "brainless git". "The Astronomy Tower is that way," he said, pointing.

"Oh...right." She turned around and headed the other way.

Snape stared after her, his eyebrows still raised. "She'd forget her head if it wasn't attached."

Alanna got another letter the day before term began again.

Glancing around her quarters as though someone might be watching, she broke the wax seal and unfolded the parchment.

Alanna,

Perhaps you could be a better judge of me sooner than you think. Astronomy Tower, Thursday at midnight.

Nox

"What?" Alanna said aloud, indignantly. Hasn't even the decency to say please. But she secretly had no desire to say no.

Four more days of glassy-eyed students and boring classes; stargazing and endless reading, and Thursday was fast approaching. Alanna was almost ill with nerves, but it was a pleasant sort of nervousness.

Alanna hummed placidly as she sat down to dinner on Thursday evening, twirling her fork with one hand. The other was shaking.

"What's with you?" asked Snape bitterly beside her.

"Nothing, nothing." She smiled.

"Don't know how you can stand to be so happy." He swept his greasy hair back from his face.

Alanna took a sip of pumpkin juice. "Don't know how you can stand to be so surly."

"Twit."

"Recluse."

Snape scowled and started to eat.

Alanna smiled smugly. "I won."

He glared at her, but remained silent. Alanna ate quickly, still smiling. Ahh, revenge is sweet. And to think, I used to be frightened of him!

She sat in her quarters at eleven, reading Hogwarts, A History, and began to worry. What if this man is some kind of...insane stalker? She shivered. I can take care of myself.

Alanna crept out of her quarters at midnight, her footsteps soft on the stone. The tower was empty.

A knock on the door startled her, and she opened the door with a creak.

"Nox," a deep voice said, and all the lights in the Tower went out. All she could see was a shadowy black silhouette.

Alanna backed away from the door. "Who are you?"

He was suddenly behind her. "That is not for you to know," he whispered in her ear. He traced the planes of her face with one long finger, and tilted her chin upward. Before she could make a noise, he kissed her hard.

He broke away after a moment, and the door flew open as he swept off; she could hear his footsteps, heavy on the Astronomy Tower stairs.

Her lip throbbing, she stared after him in the darkness, then returned to her room, where she sat awhile in thought. She still didn't know who he was; and she had to admit that he scared her; there was an angry passion in his words, and she found it rather romantic that she had a secret admirer. Well, a bit more than that, obviously; it didn't sound like he intended to kill her, but just how far would he try to go?