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Heart of Darkness and Light	By : Lynne Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 2396 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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The afternoon classes went as usual. Severus barked orders; the students cowered. They made mistakes; he yelled and took off house points. He took a total of 50 points from Gryffindor and handed out 3 detentions. All in all, it was a good afternoon for Severus Snape. His last class of the day was a remedial potions class that he never looked forward to. ‘Extra Help’, he scoffed to himself, ‘Students like Longbottom would undoubtedly not succeed with an extra 10 hours of potions per week, much less a mere two hours.’ Still, it was Headmaster Dumbledore’s idea, and Professor Snape reluctantly agreed to the extra class. He was a potions master. He could brew more headache potion, he supposed.

Ariah watched Severus from the doorway to the classroom. ‘The man is a good teacher, if insufferable to his students,’ she thought. She watched him stride through the classroom, his robes billowing around him (‘so dramatic’), a perpetual scowl on his face. She shook her head and grinned wryly. There was so much more to Severus Snape than this huffing, puffing, scowling, big bad wolf. She wondered how to further break through the walls that years of torture and mistrust had erected. She had touched him on some level with their lovemaking last night. That she knew. And while she had initially set out to make the events of last night a simple seduction, it had quickly turned into more than that. The depth of her emotions and the words that had escaped her lips had surprised Ariah. It was true that she had watched over him for years. She hadn’t planned on telling him that. But she had looked into his dark eyes and lost herself. Now she stood in the doorway to the potions classroom, just out of sight of Severus, and wrapped her arms around her against the chill of the dungeon. She watched a man who fascinated her beyond all others. She watched a man who could make her give up all that she was for the chance to be a part of his life. She watched a man who could spell her downfall. But if she could be his savior, it would all be worth it.

* * * *

Severus sat in his chambers following his detentions. There was something so inherently joyful about watching proud brave Gryffindors scrub cauldrons and alphabetize herbs. And now what? Professor Morrigan had asked him to pencil her in for this evening, but he had no idea where they were to meet or what they were to do. He was unsure of how to even act around her. She was strong, beautiful, powerful, and a real life goddess. He knew there were things he wanted to ask, like what a goddess was doing teaching a new curriculum at Hogwarts; tactical magic, both defensive and offensive. He understood the need for the classes, there was a war and no one in the wizarding world was exempt from becoming involved. He also understood that Hogwarts was a target for Voldemort’s forces. But he couldn’t understand why a goddess would be teaching. She had told him last night that she couldn’t stop the war. The gods were powerless to stop the dangerous exhibit of the free will of Voldemort. But she had also told him she would fight side by side with him if she had to. He rubbed his temples. Why him?

Severus was disturbed from his thoughts by a soft knock on his chamber door. He got up and answered the door himself rather than simply take down his wards and yell out ‘enter’ like he usually did. Ariah stood there, a vision in a simple loden green dress. She smiled up at and and gently brushed his cheek with her hand.

‘Hello Severus. You’re scowling.’

‘Hello Ariah.’ He replied, his voice sounding flat.

‘So, are you going to invite me in or should I stand out here collecting cobwebs as souvenirs of my date with the infamously grumpy Severus Snape?’

‘Come in if you wish.’

‘You not only have wards on your door, you seem to have wards on your being as well,’ said Ariah, squinting her eyes at him, ‘That must be so hard to live with all the time.’

‘Not at all. This is who I am, Professor Morrigan.’

‘Why so formal, Severus? I would think I at least rate an ‘Ariah’, considering that part of you spent part of last night buried in part of me.’

‘That may have been a mistake, Professor Morrigan.’

‘I strongly doubt that, Severus,’ she said, gazing into his eyes, ‘I think we were both where we were supposed to be doing exactly what we were supposed to be doing last night. I have not one single regret, except, as I said at breakfast, that I didn’t wake up in your arms.’ Ariah reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of Severus’ face, ‘Must everything in your life be fraught with such angst?’

Severus looked at Ariah’s face and suddenly had the urge to smile. It wasn’t an urge he had that often. He wasn’t even sure if he should indulge.

‘Please, Severus, don’t even think about smiling,’ said Ariah, walking around his sitting room, lightly running her fingers over the books on the table, ‘I mean, if you smile, I might realize that I need to kiss you or something. You really are quite irresistible when you let your defenses down a little. And incidentally, in Snapeland, does ‘ravish’ mean ‘give the cold shoulder to’? I’m curious, because it means something quite different in Ariahworld.’

In spite of himself, Severus grinned. Ariah turned to look at him and returned his grin. She casually walked over to him, stood on her toes and kissed him gently.

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I knew I’d find you too irresistible not to kiss.’ Ariah let her lips linger a bit longer on his, savoring his taste and the sensation of her sensitive skin meeting his. She gently ran her fingers through his hair and down his face. ‘You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen.’

‘Don’t get out much, huh?’ he replied with a snort.

Ariah rolled her eyes and broke off her embrace. She moved over to the couch, sat down, and just looked at him. Severus felt distinctly uncomfortable under her gaze.

‘I get out plenty,’ stated Ariah, ‘and you’re scowling again. Come sit here and talk, or come sit here and not talk. I don’t care, I just want you near me.’

Severus joined her on the couch, only flinching a little when she took his hand in hers. Ariah shook her head and softly explored his hand with hers. His hands were so strong and yet so artistic looking. They clearly were the hands of a man who could turn simple ingredients into amazing potions, but they were also the hands of a man who was more than capable of using them against another. His were the hands of a bard, a mystic, a healer, and a warrior. Ariah thought that Severus Snape would have made one hell of a Druidic Shaman had he been born in another time. Severus watched her, amazed that this woman not only wanted to touch him, she wanted to explore him. Ariah’s blue eyes met Severus’ dark eyes. She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it running her tongue lightly over the veins on the back of it. Severus let a little sigh loose.

‘You SO have to get over having someone want you, Sev,’ said Ariah, running her lips over his hand and up his wrist. She moved further up his arm, trailing kisses. He started as she turned his arm over and ran her fingers over the Dark Mark residing on his forearm, ‘it’s OK, Sev. I’ve seen a Dark Mark. To me, it’s just another part of you.’

‘It’s a mark of my youthful stupidity and the cruelty of which I am capable.’

‘Yes, and you’ve been treating it as your penance. You are who you are and you’ve done what you’ve done. You’ve also atoned for it many times over. How long are you going to let the Dark Mark define you?’

‘For the rest of my pathetic existence, which I hope will not be much longer.’

‘Are you never going to let yourself be happy?’

‘I don’t deserve it,’ he murmured softly.

‘Yes,’ whispered Ariah, wrapping her arms around him and holding him as close as she could, ‘you do.’

‘Why?’ he asked. Ariah knew he wasn’t asking what was obvious. There was a deeper meaning in his simple one word question.

‘I told you. From the first moment I saw you I was intrigued. I believe you were in your 5th year at Hogwarts. You were standing in the Astronomy Tower looking out at the night sky. I looked up at you and saw the strength and resolve in your eyes. I knew your path would not be an easy one, but it was one you had to follow. I alit on your shoulder and together we looked out over the lake, over the forest, and over what seemed to be the world. Do you remember, Severus? Think back.’

Severus glanced down at Ariah, a vague look of recollection crossing his face, ‘The raven? The one that seemed to follow me through my younger life here at Hogwarts?’

‘Yes. I was there so many times in your life. I was there when Sirius Black tried to kill you. I was there the day Lucius Malfoy finally convinced you to attend your first Dark Revel. I was there when you took the Dark Mark. I was there at so many Revels, witnessed so much of what you did as a Death Eater. And I was there when you went to Albus Dumbledore, too disgusted by what you’d become and ashamed of yourself. You wanted Albus to give you redemption. You wanted him to take your life. He wouldn’t. He saw what I saw. He saw the good inside you. He saw the light that surrounds you. You’re not evil, or ugly, or awful—OK, you can be awful sometimes, I have to give you that, but you’re intrinsically good, Severus Snape. Through all that time, when you were at your lowest and your soul was at its darkest, you were NEVER alone. I couldn’t interfere with the path you had to take, but I was damned if I was going to make you walk it alone. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to leave you alone now. THAT is why I’m here. That is why I’m in human form. And that is why I’m teaching. Being here gives me a chance to teach these youngsters how to survive in this bloody stupid war and it gives me a chance to actually touch the one thing I’ve wanted for all these years ‘ you. You want redemption? I can’t give you that. It’s not in my power. You want death? I won’t give you that. I’m too selfish. What I can give you is simple. I can give you my heart. But unless you take it, it’s just an empty offering.’ Ariah let go of Severus and stood up, ‘If you want what I’m offering you, all you need to do is take it. But I am not going to sit in this room and watch you break my heart because you’re too bloody stupid to believe that anyone could love you.’

Ariah walked to the window and in the blink of an eye transformed into a raven and flew out into the night. Severus sat on the couch, stunned by all he had heard. He slowly got up, put on his cloak and left his rooms. Somewhere out there was someone who thought he deserved to live. And he had to find her before she flew off for good.
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Heart of Darkness and Light