Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Dianthus Stories	By : icewomin Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 3134 -:- 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
- 3
- 4
- 5
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
Four. Smut begins in Chapter Twenty Six,
so if you�re only looking for that, feel free to skip ahead. Be warned that you may be confused about some
of the stuff in those later chapters if you don�t stick it out.

*****

Chapter 4 � Some
Polite Conversation

Early
the next morning, Dianthus walked by herself to the owlery. She had lain awake for some time the previous
night, thinking about her �lesson� with Snape.
He had given her absolutely no instruction, but clearly expected her to
pay attention to what he did. And she had.
She was eager to put some of what she�d picked up into practice, but
there hadn�t been time last night to arrange another meeting. She had initially thought of approaching him
at breakfast, but then considered that he had sent her a note. Well, she could do the same, if it made him
more comfortable. She held out her arm,
and a small screech owl landed lightly on it.
She walked over to the window, and the owl hopped onto the sill.

Dianthus pulled
parchment, quill and an ink bottle from her pocket, and wrote:

I had fun last
night. When can we meet again?

She frowned at the
note for a moment, wondering if maybe she should write more. No, she decided � Snape would probably make
fun of her if she did. He�ll probably make fun of me anyway,
she thought glumly. He wasn�t a nice
guy, Potter was right about that. Still,
he�d been relatively polite last night, and he hadn�t hexed her once. And she would dearly love to beat him at
chess � that would wipe the sneer from his ugly face.

Satisfied, she
wrote his name of the other side of the parchment, rolled it up, and attached
it to the owl�s leg. �Severus
Snape. Short flight, but be safe,� she
said, as it took to the air. She pulled
another piece of parchment from her pocket and began another note. While she was here, she might as well send
her grandfather a letter, too.

At breakfast, she
chatted with her roommates and didn�t look at the Slytherin table. Halfway through the meal, the same screech
owl she�d used to send her note to Snape landed in front of her. She took the roll of parchment from it, and
offered it a bit of her toast. It gingerly took the bread from her fingers and
lifted off.

Dianthus smiled
and shook her head when she saw that Snape had used the same piece of parchment
that she�d sent him, only scratching out his name and writing hers on the
outside. Again, his message was short
and surly:

Same room, same night, next week. Don�t ever owl me this early again.

She smirked and
glanced around to the Slytherin table.
He was scowling at her, but looked away quickly when she smiled sweetly
at him. She folded the piece of parchment, put it in her pocket, and turned back to chat
with her friends.

Partnering with
Melanie in Potions turned out to be okay, or at least not the disaster Dianthus
had feared. True, Melanie was terribly
bad at cutting and chopping ingredients, and absolutely refused to touch the
slimier things some potions called for.
Still, she was very careful about following directions � and Professor
Incompertus was very forgiving of any mistakes.
As November faded into December, Dianthus saw definite improvement in
her friend�s abilities, and told her so at dinner one night.

�See?� crowed Erin
happily. �I told you it would be great! Melanie�s doing loads better in Potions now,
and you still have time to go to the great hall every Wednesday for chess!�

Dianthus looked at
her friends blankly. It was true that
she had never told her roommates that she was playing chess with Snape rather
than going to the great hall, but it had never occurred to her that they
assumed she was still playing by herself each Wednesday, either. Still, she was reluctant to tell them the
truth, now that their assumption was brought to her attention. �Uh � yeah, it all seems to be going good,
doesn�t it?�

That Wednesday she
considered the situation as she walked to the Defense against the Dark Arts
classroom. She felt funny that her
friends didn�t know she was meeting a seventh-year boy each week. She worried, though, that they might get the
wrong impression if she told them the truth.
It�s only because I want to get
better at chess that I�m meeting him at all, she thought irritably. It�s
not like I�ve got a crush on him. I
don�t even like him, for Merlin�s sake!
The very idea of her fds tds teasing her about it made her shudder. Snape was an ugly, mean kid, and if they
thought she was sweet on him� She
wrinkled her nose in revulsion at the very thought of it.

He was waiting
inside the room, as usual. He sat at the
black side of the chess table, looking impatient. She took her seat opposite him, but did not
turn her attention immediately to the board.
Instead, she looked at Snape. He
was already considering his pieces, developing his strategy while she
hesitated. Finally, though, he noticed
that she had made no effort to make a move.
He glared up at her. �What is
it?� he asked, irritably.

�Did you tell
anyone we play chess every week?�

At this, he gave a
snort. �Certainly not,� he replied
derisively.

�Why
not?� she pressed.

He cocked his
head. �I would think the reasons would
be quite obvious, even to you. I am a
Slytherin, you are not. I am a seventh-year, you are a first-year.
I am a male, and you are a female.
People would talk.� He spat the last word out as if the very idea
thoroughly disgusted him.

�I thought so,�
she retorted.

He narrowed his
eyes and looked intently at her. �Have
you told anyone?� His voice was very
quiet, but quite menacing nonetheless.

�No,
but only because I never thought of it.
My roommates think I�m still playing by myself in the great hall every
Wednesday.�

�Let�s keep it
that way, shall we, Miss Brandywine?� he said, in a
mocking tone.

�Fine with me,�
she said shortly. She made her first
move, and they played without speaking to each other for some time. Then Dianthus spoke again. �I did tell my Grandpa.�

Snape snorted
again, but did not remove his gaze from the chess board. �Stupid girl,� he growled. �Why did you do that?�

Dianthus flushed
at his insult. �I just told him I was
playing chess with someone who is quite good,� she retorted. And then, irritated that she had just
accidentally complimented the greasy git, she spat,
�I didn�t name names, if that�s what
you�re worried about.�

Snape looked up at
her, a cold smile on his face. �So you
admit that I am better than you are?� he said smoothly.

Dianthus grimaced
at his smug expression. She had given
him the opening, though. �Obviously
you�re better than I am, Snape, otherwise I wouldn�t be here!�

To her surprise, a
wounded look flashed for one second behind his eyes. Then it was gone, replaced by the bored
expression he wore so often. �I
understand,� he drawled. �You intend to
bleed me completely, and then take the skills I have given you and apply them
elsewhere. That suits me fine.�

�That�s not it at
all,� she said, angry because what he said was partially true. �I like playing chess with you, and � and not
only because you�re better than me and can help me play better.� He looked skeptical, but she continued. �You�re quite mean to me, you know, and still
I come here week after week.� He rolled
his eyes. �It�s true,� she went on, hotly. �When I used to play chess with my Grandpa,
we always talked and laughed. It would
be more fun for me if you weren�t so ugly to me all the time.�

�Talking and
laughing are why you were so abysmal at the game when we began playing
together,� he said sardonically, moving his knight into checkmate against her
king. �You see? You�ve been talking incessantly throughout
this game, and you�ve lost miserably.�

�Ha! I�m closer to beating you every game, you big
bully,� she said lightly.

He looked
disdainfully at her. �I wouldn�t go that
far, Miss Brandywine.� He took out his
wand, waved it, and the pieces repaired themselves and floated back to their
positions. �You have improved slightly,
yes,� he said, glaring at heran san style='mso-spacerun:yes'> �But you
are still no match for me.� He slid his
wand back into his pocket.

She was oddly
pleased. �I think that�s the first nice
thing you�ve ever said to me,� she saidaminaming at him.

He closed his eyes
briefly, as if regretting having said anything
nice to her. �Don�t get used to it,
please, Miss Brandywine.�

�You know, you can
call me Dianthus.�

His upper lip
curled. �That seems a bit overly
familiar, don�t you think?�

�Oh, come on,
now,� she said. �You call me Dianthus,
and I�ll call you, uh, Severus, and we�ll act like we�re friends. Just when we play,� she added hastily.

He grimaced. �Fine. Dianthus. Please make your move.� Then he sighed. �Never mind. It�s 8:30. We don�t have time for another game.� He took out his wand again and was about to
send the board back to wherever he kept it, when she put up a hand.

�Wait,� she said
urgently.

�What is it now?�
he hissed, his hand poised in midair.

�Well, we�ve got a
bit of time before my curfew,� she said slowly.
�Why don�t you leave the board for a minute, and we�ll, um, talk a
little.�

He looked fairly
astonished at this. �Talk a little?� he
echoed.

�Yes,� she said,
his hesitation making her feel much more confident. �So you can get used to talking to me without
biting my head off.�

He made a face and
lowered his hand. �Must we?� he sneered.

�Yes,� she
repeated.

He considered for
a moment, and then put his wand on the table.
�I will humor you � this evening only,� he said, �as I have already
allocated this period of time to you.�
He folded his hands and placed them on the chess board. �Prd,� d,� he said dully.

Dianthus groaned
inwardly. Well, this was a stupid idea, she thought, as she wracked her brain
for a topic that would not end up with his making fun of her. Finally she said, �Are you going home for the
holidays?�

He snorted. �Of course,� he jeered.

Okay. That wasn�t going to do it�she thought some
more, her eyes darting around the room as if it would give her something to
say.

�Do you live with
your grandfather?� It was Snape who had found something to talk about. She was surprised that he would ask her
anything about herself.

�Yes,� she
said. �My sister and I do.� She hesitated for a second, and then
continued, �Because our parents died when we were little. I was five, and Aster was three.�

�You are both
named after flowers,� stated Snape, surprising her again.

�Yes, how did you
know? Most people think we�re named aftGreeGreek goddesses or something.�

He frowned at
her. �Most people are brainless and
imbecilic, and I am neither. Dianthus
oil is used in some Potions I have brewed.
It has minor healing properties, especially when combined with other
ingredients such as calendula. Aster is
rather more common, only an idiot would not recognize it as a garden flower.�

She brushed aside
his subtle barb and said, �I didn�t know Dianthus oil was used in any
Potions. Although, come to think of it,
Grandpa grows them, so I guess I should have known.�

�What would the
one have to do with the other?� Snape said, his eyebrows rising.

�Grandpa grows
flowers and herbs, and sells them to apothecaries,� she said, simply.

This seemed to
interest Snape a great deal. He leaned
slightly forward over the table. �Does
he grow only common ingredients, or � does he offer some rarer ones for sale as
well?�

�Oh, he grows
everything, he�s quite good,� Dianthus said eagerly, relieved to have found
something that he didn�t sneer at. �He�s
being farming herbs for ages and��

But just as
suddenly as he had started it, Snape steered the conversation elsewhere. �How did your parents die?�

Okay, thought Dianthus, a bit rude, but not too nasty. �They were killed in a plane wreck.�

�A
what?� Snape looked puzzled.

�A � plane � wreck,� repeated Dianthus. �You know, an aero
plane. It crash landed, and they were in
it. They were going to France
on holida/p> /p>

�But why were they
in an aero plane?� demanded Snape, his eyes narrowed. �Why didn�t they just apparate? Or take their brooms?�

She hesitated just
for a fraction of a second. �Because �
because they were both Squibs.�

He looked
astounded. �Both? Both
of your parents were Squibs?�

�Yes,� she
snapped, irritated at the disbelieving tone in his voice.

�That�s not
possible,� he said, flatly.

�It is possible,� she retorted.

�Two Squibs cannot
produce wizarding offspring,� he insisted, as if reading aloud from a
textbook. �Either the male or the female
must have magical ability.�

�Well, I�m here,
aren�t I?� she yelled.

�Is your sister a
witch as well?�

Dianthus glared at
him. �She�s not having much luck,� she
finally said, grumpily. �After I got my
letter, my grandfather let her play around with our grandmother�s wand, but she
can�t seem to do much with it.� It
galled her to admit this to Snape.

He was silent for
a long moment. �Does Dumbledore know
your parents were Squibs?� he finally asked.

�How the hell
should I know? I�ve never met him
personally. I assume he does, though.�

�Well, the man�s a
fool, but perhaps he knows what he�s doing,� Snape said slowly, although he
sounded quite doubtful.

�Thanks,� Dianthus
shot back. She was not sorry when he
rose and picked up his wand.

She was halfway to
the door when she heard him tentatively say, �Dianthus?�

She stopped
walking, but didn�t turn.

�Same time, next
week, then?� he said, still sounding just a bit uncertain.

�Sure,� she
replied coolly, still not turning, and she walked out of the room.

What an asshole! she
thought to herself as she stomped back to the Ravenclaw common room. Dianthus knew that most Slytherins had the
�pure-blood mania�, as her grandfather called it. She might have expected Snape�s reaction, but
it still made her mad. It wasn�t her
fault her dad and mom were Squibs!

The following week
Dianthus made no effort to engage Snape in conversation. They played in complete silence � he didn�t
even bother to abuse her playing. Not
that she was playingy wey well. He was
well on his way to trouncing her for the third time when an idea struck
her. She got up and stepped around the
board to stand behind him. She saw his
body immediately go rigid, though he did not turn his head. �What do you think you�re doing?� It was the same thing he�d said to her the
first time she�d seen him, and the words were uttered in the same low, menacing
voice he�d used that night.

�I want to look at
the board from where you are,� she said, trying to sound more confident than
she suddenly felt.

�Ridiculous!� he
bellowed. �That�s cheating!�

�It is not cheating. We�re not playing cards!� she yelled back at
him.

�It doesn�t
matter! Go back to your seat right now!�

�Come on, now,�
she said, hating the whine she heard in her voice. �It would really help if I could just��

�Back!� he hissed,
raising his arm and pointing one finger toward her chair.

She flounced back
around the table and threw herself into to her seat. �You are being a total asshole, Severus!�

�Such
vulgar language, and from a Ravenclaw.
One would think, Dianthus, that you could come up with better than
merely calling me an asshole,� he murmured, obviously satisfied now that she�d
done his bidding. �You, to E-7,� he
said, pointing to one of his bishops.

clasclass=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%'>She moved her
queen side castle, and saw immediately, but too late, that she�d made another mistake. Her frustration mounted. �Damn it,� she muttered.

�You see,� Snape
said evenly, �you are behaving petulantly instead of paying attention, and your
game suffers for it.� He glanced up at
her, his black eyes full of amusement. She
glared back at him, determined not to cry.
She hated crybabies, and besides, she had an awful feeling he would
taunt her mercilessly if she started tearing up. �Oh, fine,� he sighed, motioning toward
her. �You may stand behind me while I
contemplate how best to take advantage of the numerous openings you�ve given
me.�

She was so pleased
by this unexpected generosity that she chose to ignore the insult it was
wrapped in. She moved quickly to peer
over his shoulder while he considered the board. �Kindly don�t breathe through your mouth,
Dianthus. You�re tickling my neck,� he
drawled, and she drew back several inches, until she realized that her mouth
was, and had been, closed. She smirked at
the back of his head, and then peeked around again, only to notice that he wore
the tiniest of smiles as he stared at the board.
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Dianthus Stories