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Dianthus Stories	By : icewomin Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 3127 -:- 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.

Chapter List
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Anything you
recognize belongs to someone else, namely, JK Rowling. Specifically, elements of
the HP universe, characters from same.
Sadly, I have no hope of publishing this story outside the fan fiction base, although I hope you enjoy the plot and the original
characters I�ve created. Feel free to
give me critical feedback, including flames and harsh criticism. I may delete it afterward, so as to reduce my
personal embarrassment, but I do promise to read it and incorporate it if I
feel it improves the story.

*****

This is Chapter
Thirty Six. This chapter contains no
smut. But fear not, sexual activity
reappears in Chapter Thirty Seven, so if you�d like to, skip aheapan pan
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Once again I�ll warn that you may end up a
bit confused if you don�t read the in-betweens.

*****

Chapter Thirty Six
� Lunch With The Ladies

The roommates
beamed at Snape and Dianthus when they rounded the corner. �So, you�ll go then, Professor?� said Erin
happily.

�I can spare an
hour, no more,� he replied coolly.
Turning to Dianthus, he said, �Might I leave my briefcase here until we
return?�

�Of course,� said
Dianthus.

�Well, then,� said
Melanie, rubbing her hands together, �we�d best get going.�

�Let�s go to The
Leaky Cauldron, then, and get a parlor,� said Martine, with a too-casual flip
of her hair.

�Martine,�
Dianthus said warily, �who�s at The Leaky Cauldron?�

�Well � I � I may
have mentioned to Kevin that we might be there,� said Martine, guiltily.

�And when did you
do that?�

�I � I sent him an
owl just before we left my parents� place,� stammered Martine.

�Sweet faeries in
the wood,� groaned Dianthus. �I thought
it was going to just be us!�

Snape cleared his
throat. �I would prefer not to enlarge
our party further, Miss Evariste,� he said
shortly. �I am on a schedule.�

�Oh, I�ll tell him
to bugger off, then,� said Martine immediately, though her face fell. She shrugged, but gave Dianthus a look that
said very clearly she considered this willingness to endure further separation
from Kevin a brave sacrifice.

�I can�t believe
you even told him to meet us,� grunted Dianthus. �Even if Se � uh, Professor Snape wasn�t with
us.�

�Let�s just disapparate, shall we?� said Snape irritably.

They
all disapparated with a crack, and regrouped just
inside the doorway of the pub.
�There�s Kevin,� squeaked Martine.
�I�ll be right back.�

Snape stalked up
to the bar for a few quiet words with Tom.
�Di, can you believe he�s having lunch with us?� breathed Erin. �Isn�t this great? And he�s left his case at your flat, so you
can have a cozy chat afterward. Wonder
what Dumbledore wants to tell you.�

�Probably
something about my coursework,� said Dianthus distractedly.

�That�s probably
it,� murmured Melanie.

�Hope he�s not
here to tell you you�ve failed your N.E.W.T.s after
all,� tittered Erin.
Dianthus threw her a scathing look.

Snape returned and
barked, �Follow me.� Erin
dragged Martine away from Kevin, who gave them a nervous look as they passed,
following Snape toward a private parlor off the main dining room of the
pub. He bowed them through the door and
closed it behind him. The room held a
round table covered with a brightly colored cloth, surrounded by six chairs.

�Kevin said he
totally understands your schedule, Professor,� Martine said breathlessly. �I told him I�d owl him later.� Snape�s lip curled delicately as he seated
himself at the table, but he said nothing.

�Di, sit here,�
urged Erin, pointing to a seat on Snape�s right. Erin settled herself
in a chair two seats down on his other side, leaving an empty chair between
herself and Snape. Dianthus threw Erin
a �you�re being quite obvious� look, but sat where she had pointed. Martine and Melanie sat in between them.

Tom scurried
through the door holding menus. �I don�t
think we�ll need those,� Snape said shortly.
Erin and Martine lowered their outstretched hands immediately. Dianthus suppressed a smile and stared at the
table. The innkeeper tucked the menus
under his arms and waited for their order.

�Can I get eggs
and sausage at this hour?� Dianthus asked Tom.
�That was so good last time.� She
felt Snape trying to kick her under the table, but moved her foot out of his
reach.

�Yes, of course,
Miss,� said Tom. He made a note on a
small piece of parchment.

�The same for me,�
grunted Snape.

�Fish and chips?�
said Erin tentatively.

�Me, too,� chimed
in Melanie and Martine together. Tom
made another note.

�And, a beer?�
said Erin, a little louder.

�Pumpkin juice all
around,� barked Snape. Erin
slumped slightly in her chair, but didn�t protest. Tom bowed and shuffled out of the room.

Another awkward
silence fell over the group. Snape
drummed his fingers on the table, and Dianthus wracked her brain for some
suitable topic of conversation.

�Have you had a
good summer, Professor?� she finally said, but regretted it almost immediately.

Snape
snorted. �Fine,� he said. And then he turned his head to gaze at her
through hooded eyes. �I�ve been doing
quite a bit of reading recently, actually.
I�ve discovered a cheeky new writer, something of a poet, very
intriguing.� His expression was blank,
but there was a dangerous glint in his eye.

Now it was
Dianthus who was trying to surreptitiously kick him under the table. With a malicious sneer, he moved his feet out
of her reach. She prayed the roommates
didn�t notice the flush she felt creeping up her neck.

�Ah, I�ve been
doing a lot of reading myself,� interjected Melanie. �Mostly school books, I�m afraid.�

�Melanie�s already
started her coursework,� said Dianthus in a grateful rush. �She�s up in Donegal,
studying magical creatures.�

�Oh?� Snape looked supremely uninterested. �At Vitulus?�

�Yes,� said
Melanie. �I want to work with dragons
eventually.�

�How delightful
that will be, if you survive the first week.� Snape drawled. Then, at a sharp glance from Dianthus, �Vitulus is an excellent university for studying magical
creatures.�

�And Martine�s
going into an apprenticeship at Saint Mungo�s,�
continued Dianthus, determined to steer the conversation away from Snape�s
recent activities.

�I see,� said
Snape. �It is fortunate you chose
another research topic for your N.E.W.T. Potions class, if you are hoping to
become a healer.�

�Yeah,� sighed Martine. �I�m
really grateful to you, Professor Snape � I ended up with an �Exceeds
Expectations�, all down to your suggestion.�

Snape waved his
hand dismissively. �It was your work,
Miss Evariste; I simply pointed you toward a more
suitable topic.�

�Still, sir,� she
said, blushing. �I wouldn�t have gotten
very far with love potions.�

�But it was Di who
really blew their minds on the N.E.W.T.,� said Erin,
looking proudly at Dianthus. �I bet they
haven�t seen anything like that in a long time.�

�Oh, yeah,� piped
up Melanie. �But we�ve always known Di
was a whiz at Potions. She made old
Professor Incompertus work for his galleons every class.�

�Yes, Miss
Brandywine is quite an eager student,� Snaped bld blandly. �She did quite well under me. Of course, she still has much to learn.� He flashed Dianthus a nasty smile that sent
little sparks running down her arm.

�I�m certainly
looking forward to it,� she said breathlessly.
�Bremmel is supposed to be one of the best
schools around.�

Thankfully, Tom
bustled through the door at that moment bearing a large tray with their
order. He distributed plates piled high
with delicious-smelling food, and glasses filled with cold pumpkin juice. Then he placed what looked like the bill
discreetly in the empty plate next to Snape, and bowed himself out the door.

The roommates
chatted merrily as they ate, but Dianthus was too distracted by Snape�s hand
wandering over her knee, pulling at her robe, and then stroking her bare thigh,
to join in. Snape, too, seemed content
to eat in silence. She inched her chair
toward his under the pretext of scooting closer to the table and concentrated
on her breakfast, leaving the conversation to her friends. Soon his fingers found the ruffled hem of her
knickend snd she sighed contentedly.

�Oh, yes, it�s a
lovely ring,� she heard Melanie say, breaking her out of her pleasant reverie.

�Let me see it,� Erin
demanded, reaching her hand toward Dianthus.

�Wh-what?�
Dianthus said, startled.

�Martine was
telling us about your shopping spree, you ninny. Let me see the ring you bought.�

�Come on, now,�
Dianthus said. �I�m eating.� Snape tensed slightly in his seat, and she
felt his hand leave her thigh.

�I don�t know why
you went with silver,� said Martine. �I
would want something pretty and gold,
myself.�

�It�s a lovely
ring,� Melanie repeated, glaring at Martine, who looked questioningly back at
her.

�Actually, it is gold,� Snape said icily. Everyone,ludiluding Dianthus, looked at him
in amazement. �I could tell the moment I
saw it,� Snape continued, switching to a bored expression. They continued to stare at him. He sighed irritably. �Let me see your hand,� he snapped.

Dianthus held out
her hand, and he brought it close to his face, as if inspecting the ring for
the first time. He turned it slowly
around her finger � Dianthus had to struggle to keep from squirming in her
chair. �You see,� he said slowly, �how
the ring has a rather dull shine? Silver
is much more reflective. This is white
gold.� He dropped her hand.

�Oh,� said
Martine. pan>pan>�I didn�t know the difference.�

�Didn�t the
shopkeeper tell you whether it was gold or silver?� said Erin.

�He � he only said
it was pretty old,� said Dianthus. �But
for what it cost me,� she continued with a small smile, �I should have known it
was gold.�

�Silver, gold, or
whatever, it�s a very nice ring,� said Melanie, giving Martine a furious
look. Snape�s hand moved back to
Dianthus� knee, and roo roommates moved on to other topics.

Dianthus thought
they might just get away with having a pleasant lunch, until Erin
said loudly, �So, Professor � are you seeing anyone?�

�That,� said
Snape, in his most menacing voice, �is none of your business, Miss Carousel.�

�Oh, fuck,�
muttered Dianthus and Melanie together, while Martinemedemed to be trying to
melt into her chair.

Erin
reddened slightly, but plowed on. �It�s
just that � well, I don�t see any rings on your fingers, so I thought you might
have�� She trailed off under Snape�s icy
glare.

�Well, as
delightful as this has been, I must be running along,� Snape sneered. He picked up the check from the table and
stood. �I�ll be right back.� Each roommate immediately began protesting
that they should split the bill, but Snape ignored them all and strode out of
the room.

�What the fuck did
you do that for?� Dianthus hissed at Erin, as soon as he
closed the door.

�What�d I do?�
said Erin in an injured voice.

�Why didn�t you
just ask him if he�d like to take Di to the Yule Ball?� said Melanie.

Even Martine
rounded on Erin.
�That was totally stupid, and you got off easy, Erin. Snape can get really nasty, really
quick. That�s why Kevin didn�t have a
problem with not joining us � he told me Snape was really foul to the Gryffindors during their Potions classes.�

�Fine,� said Erin,
rolling her eyes. �I was trying to do Di
a favor, that�s all. Best to know
upfront whether you�ve got competition.�

�I don�t think she
does,� said Martine dreamily. �Did you
see how long he held her hand, looking at that ring?�

�Oh shut up,�
snapped Dianthus. �He probably just
thought we were all idiots for not knowing the fucking thing wasn�t silver.�

�So now you�ll
head back to your place?� said Melanie, with a significant look.

�If he hasn�t
decided I�m a complete lunatic, hanging around with you lot,� said Dianthus
irritably. �Now just shut the fuck up,
here he comes.�

�I must leave if I
am to make my next appointment,� said Snape brusquely from the doorway. �Miss Brandywine, I would like to have a
moment of your time, and retrieve my bag.
Perhaps we could apparate together.�

�Of course,�
Dianthus murmured, ignoring Melanie�s knowing smile
and the thrilled looks on Martine�s and Erin�s faces. �I�ll see you lot later,� she said firmly,
hugging each of her roommates in turn, nodding as they whispered encouragement
in her ear. Snape stood with his arms
folded tightly over his chest, tapping his foot, as she said her goodbyes. With a short nod to him,
she disapparated.

She reappeared in
her hallway, and Snape appeared one second later. For a moment, they eyed each other. Then Dianthus opened her front door and
dashed inside, laughing madly, with Snape directly on her heels.
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