Disclaimer: None of the recognizable characters and settings belong to me. They are all the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing around with them for the fun of it…no monetary gain is sought.
This story is dedicated to scattered logic, for her cherished friendship and all her invaluable help. :)
Chapter One: Mirror, Mirror…
From a narrow bed in the bright, airy infirmary, Severus Snape scowled darkly out the window at the world beyond. It was a perfect day. The sky was lightly overcast, not too sunny, not too bright. No wind to speak of. The temperature was hovering in the cool, but not cold, range. It was absolutely and unseasonably perfect for the start of the Quidditch season, and for the first time since he'd been a teacher at Hogwarts, he was going to miss the opening match. The truly important one…Slytherin versus Gryffindor. This was the match that would no doubt set the tone for the entire season, likely determining who would ultimately win the Quidditch Cup.
Oh, yes, there were two other teams, but, really, they served as nothing more than practice teams for the truly important ones to sharpen their skills on. Rarely did they ever come into serious contention, at least not in recent years. It almost always came down to Slytherin and Gryffindor, as did most things of any importance around here. As head of Slytherin House, he should be sitting in a prominent position in the stands and directing haughty glances at Minerva McGonagall while his team flew on to victory over hers. But would he get the chance to assume his rightful position over her? No. All because of his own absolute stupidity!
It rankled that he couldn't even blame his present circumstances on others. Landing in the infirmary with his leg torn open from hip to ankle had been due entirely to his own carelessness. He'd known that despite their usual scarcity in this part of the world, there were Pogrebins on the prowl in the forest at the moment. And since he'd known running into them was at least a possibility, he should've been much more careful when he'd ventured in on his weekly hunt for fresh potion ingredients. Usually he was, but he'd let himself become distracted by finding an unexpectedly large batch of a rare herb that he needed for an upcoming potions lesson. The herb was off its cycle somehow, as it should've been past its growing season, so finding it had been an unexpected stroke of luck…bad luck, as it turned out.
Thinking back on it, he realized that he'd never heard of so many Pogrebins attacking at once. Usually, no more than two or three of them hunted together, but this time there must've been at least fifteen of them, and they were all far too hungry. The intense feeling of hopelessness that had washed over him when they attacked had left him overwhelmed and feeling ill at its sudden onslaught. With his will being unnaturally sapped by their influence, he'd barely been able to fight back enough to escape with his life. Dragging himself back to the castle for help with his injuries had almost been more than he'd been able to manage, though he'd never admit it to anyone. He was fortunate to have been found by Minerva and Hagrid or he just might have bled to death before he could get beyond the front door. Wouldn't that be a humiliating epitaph. Severus Snape…nibbled to death by rocks.
In the end, he supposed that he'd been damned lucky to escape at all, but at the moment, his luck seemed rather sour indeed. A few weeks of wasting his valuable time in bed at the mercy of that iron willed matron who ran this prison was punishment enough for his carelessness, but this was above and beyond. There were expectations on him that plagued no other at this school. He needed to project an image of strength for all the eyes that watched him so closely. Failing to make his usual appearance at today's match wouldn't help at all. But there didn't seem to be a single thing that he could do about it.
So he crossed his arms angrily over his chest, leaned back against his pillow and sulked as he waited for Poppy to come out of her office in preparation for heading down to the Quidditch pitch herself. She'd been rubbing his nose in it all morning, talking about what a perfect day it was for Quidditch and how much she was looking forward to the match. Insolent woman!
It was a blatant dereliction of her duty to go off and leave him here to suffer alone, and he planned to make damned sure that she realized that before she ran off to enjoy herself. Oh, yes, she could protest all she wished that she wasn't leaving him alone. That he'd be very well taken care of in her absence, but no matter what she wanted to believe, having that annoyingly subservient house elf come peer at him with her huge liquid eyes was more irritating than helpful. It was Poppy's job to be here if there were patients in need of care. No, she had no business leaving him here alone, and if there was anything that he could do to make her feel guilty or uncomfortable about it then he wanted to be certain that he did it.
As he was mentally rehearsing his lecture, the door to the infirmary inched open and Minerva McGonagall came in, struggling mightily with a large, shallow stone bowl. It more than filled her arms and was obviously rather awkward to move around. The overburdened witch staggered under its weight and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she was able to deposit it on a nearby bed once she'd finally managed to maneuver it through the doorway.
A small smile quirked the corners of Snape's mouth as he watched in puzzlement while his slender colleague wrestled with the large, heavy basin. Here, at least, was a momentary diversion from his mood of gloomy annoyance.
"What in the world are you up to with that thing, Minerva? Surely there must be easier ways of getting some exercise. Why ever are you carrying it, anyway? You do know how to use a simple levitation spell, don't you?"
Minerva leaned heavily against the edge of the huge bowl, her breathing was still a trifle accelerated, as if she'd carried the heavy thing for quite a distance.
Then slowly she raised her head to stare at the smirking Snape, trying to ignore the sarcastic tone of his voice.
"I brought this for you, Severus, so don't start with me," she warned.
Snape's eyebrows rose in mock surprise. "For me? What an unexpected gift. That has to be the largest pensieve I've ever seen. Are you foolishly assuming that since I'm stuck here I'd have nothing better to do with my time than comb through my memories for amusement? Or were you planning to offer up some of your own for my entertainment? Hmmm…now what deep dark secrets are hidden in your past, I wonder? Might be amusing at that."
A brief shiver ran through her and her lips tightened, but she gave his taunting no other response. Then, with a deep breath, she heaved the basin up into her arms once more and carried it over to drop it deliberately on the end of Snape's bed, forcing him to move his good leg out of her way rather hastily.
"Watch where you toss that oversized pensieve, Minerva! I don't need to damage the other leg, too. I would like to get out of here sometime this century," he snapped.
"It's not a pensieve, Severus, as you well know. I'm quite certain that there's nothing wrong with your eyes after all, or your mouth, unfortunately," she snapped back. "This is a scrying pool. I borrowed it from Sibyll. I was feeling a bit sorry that you were laid up here and had to miss the Quidditch match this afternoon, so I thought I'd make things easier on you. Merlin knows why I bothered."
An incredulous expression settled onto Snape's features as his voice dripped with sarcasm. "A scrying pool? Do you expect me to somehow forecast the outcome of the match with that monstrosity? Wouldn't it have been easier for the two of us to have simply had tea together? Then we could peer into the resulting muck and ponder the future's mysteries at our leisure, no heavy lifting involved. Really, I didn't think you believed in that foolishness anymore than I did. How disappointing."
Minerva crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I don't, and I'm truly beginning to regret my impulse to try and help you watch the match. If you'd prefer to sit here alone and lament your pitiful state and then rely on the slim hope that someone will be willing to tell you exactly how the match went after the fact, I have no objection. However, I emphatically assure you, it won't be me."
Snape sighed heavily and pulled himself up a bit on the bed to take a better look at the scrying pool. She was so much fun to needle. The trick was to know just when to stop. He didn't truly want to anger her after all; at least, not without good reason. "Oh, very well. Since you've gone to all the trouble of borrowing that thing from our esteemed colleague and bringing it all the way down here, I suppose I can hear you out. It's not as if I have anything better to do at the moment after all."
Minerva suppressed a smile at the emphasis that Severus put on the word esteemed, but refrained from commenting. "How generous of you. Very well." Slightly mollified, she straightened up and dropped her arms. "I tend to share your opinion of the scrying pool. I've never seen an accurate prediction come from the use of one of these things. However, it is a magically attuned object, and as such, it can be used in other, more practical ways."
"Such as?" Snape raised an eyebrow.
Minerva frowned again. "Such as a viewer of current events. Are you really telling me that you weren't aware that it could be used in this manner?"
Snape shrugged. "I don't give much thought to matters of Divination and its trappings and fripperies."
Minerva sighed. "No. Normally I don't either, but this is really quite helpful. I've made use of it before when students were laid up here in the infirmary for an extended length of time and had to miss classes. This viewer allowed them to watch from here, so even though they couldn't participate, they could see the lecture, and thus, didn't fall too far behind."
Intrigued in spite of himself, Snape leaned closer to the bowl. "How does it work?"
With a flourish, Minerva conjured up a support table, which she shifted close to the side of Snape's bed. Then she placed the pool onto the table and filled it with water from a nearby pitcher. "You simply need to use a magic mirror spell on it. That turns it into a viewer. You can specify the scene you wish to view with a simple locator spell and tighten your focus with the same sort of viewing spells that you use on the telescope for fine-tuning. The scrying pool is ideal for this use as its primary purpose is to allow people to view things, so the focus is really quite excellent. The mass of the water gives the picture wonderful depth, too…much better than what you'd find in an actual magic mirror."
To demonstrate that she was correct, she waved her wand and cast the first spell. The pool's contents stiffened and became as solid as a sheet of glass. Then, with another wave of her wand, the support table shifted upwards and tilted the "mirror" into a comfortable angle for viewing from the bed. Minerva smiled in satisfaction. "You see…very simple."
Snape nodded. "It does seem to be."
"I told you that I'd allowed students to use it. If they could manage it then I'm sure that you'll have no difficulty."
"No. I'm sure I'll manage. Thank you, Minerva. It was very…thoughtful of you to take the time to do this. Though why on earth didn't you just levitate the thing down here instead of carrying it the whole way from the North Tower?"
Minerva snorted shortly and smiled. "Believe me, I would have if it was possible, but all of Sibyll's things are so ridiculously sensitive that they can't be fussed around with too much. The first time I tried this, I did levitate it down here, but the spell disturbed the delicate magical tuning of the pool and all we were able to pull in on the viewer was a blurry picture of the house elves as they prepared dinner. Hardly worth the effort."
Snape grunted his agreement, but before he could venture any further comments, Poppy bustled out of her office all bundled up for her trip down to the Quidditch pitch. "Well, what's this?" She walked over and inspected the viewer. "I haven't seen you use this in quite awhile, Minerva. Not since Miss Granger had that unfortunate accident a few years back now and had a somewhat lengthy stay here."
The nurse turned and eyed her recalcitrant patient with satisfaction. "It's a good idea, though. It'll keep you from haranguing me because I won't let you out of bed to attend the match as I'm sure you were planning to do." Snape glowered darkly as the nurse continued, "This way you won't miss a thing, nor will you harm that leg by putting any pressure on it before it's ready to support you again."
"I still say that I would be just fine to go down to the pitch myself. My leg is hardly even sore anymore. You can't keep me a prisoner here forever you know."
Poppy looked horrified. "Good heavens, what makes you think I'd want to? You are by far and away my most difficult patient; no matter how long or short a stay you have in my infirmary. It's always a pleasure to see you walk out of here, but when you do, I'd like to think that you wouldn't be back immediately. If you tried to walk all the way down to the Quidditch pitch today, over all that uneven ground, even with a strong cane, you'd be with me a lot longer than you will be if you just behave and do what I tell you to do. I swear you think I talk just for the sheer joy of hearing it."
"It certainly does seem so," he asserted dryly.
Poppy waved her hand in dismissal. "Pah. I'm not wasting any more time arguing with you. I want to get a good seat. Remember that Winky will be popping in every now and then to check on you. If you need anything just ask her…politely if possible. Now that you have the viewer, I expect her life will be a lot easier, as well as happier, for the next few hours." She turned to the witch standing next to her. "Coming, Minerva?"
Minerva smiled. "I'll be along in a few minutes, Poppy. I want to be sure that Severus doesn't have any problems adjusting the viewer first. Then I need to stop at my rooms to collect my cloak and hat."
Poppy nodded and with a final warning scowl at her patient, she wrapped her cloak more tightly around her body and headed out the door of the infirmary. Once it had closed behind her, Minerva turned back to Snape.
"Do you have any more questions before I go, Severus?" she asked.
A haughty smirk crossed his lips. "Just one." With a quick movement, he slid down against his supporting pillows as he reached out and pulled the startled witch down onto the bed beside him. Before she could offer a protest, he sealed her lips with his own and kissed her hungrily. After a moment's hesitation, she kissed him back just as eagerly. He turned to meet her and she stretched her body out along his own, pressing her chest to his and entwining her fingers in his long hair. His arms clasped her tightly against him, and she could feel his growing hardness pressing into her groin. For a moment, it was all too easy to forget that they were in an unshielded bed in the open infirmary ward where anyone might walk in on them at any time.
When that fact finally penetrated to Minerva's consciousness, she began to pull back and tried to sit up, though Snape's arms were a difficult restraint to overcome. "Severus…this really isn't the place for this," she whispered reluctantly as she tried to pull her lips from his.
"Perhaps not, but then it's the only one available to us at the moment. You're the one who started this, you know. You threw yourself at me if I recall correctly."
"Nonsense. You were a very willing participant," she said softly as he began to nuzzle her neck distractingly. His lips were sending tingling shivers all through her body.
"We were both drunk out of our minds." His voice drifted up to her.
"Well…yes…the first time…but after that, I believe we were both quite sober," she murmured in faint reply.
Slowly he pulled back and smiled smugly down at her. "True…as we are right now. Which brings me to my question. Will you stay and watch the match here with me?" His hand casually drifted down the side of her cheek, along her the length of her throat, and continued down over the swell of her breast…caressing softly.
With a deep pang of regret, she pulled back out of his arms and sat up. "I hardly think either of us would get much watching in if I did that, and I've been waiting all week to see Gryffindor wipe up the pitch with Slytherin." A teasing smile was directed his way to soften the blow.
Arching an eyebrow in response, he released his hold on her and pulled himself up into a sitting position once more. "Oh, really? Would you care to put your money where your arrogant assumptions are?" he drawled softly.
"Oh, that's a switch, you calling my assumptions arrogant. Certainly, I'd be happy to indulge in a little wager. What did you have in mind?"
"How about five Galleons to the winner. Six if their seeker manages to capture the snitch within the first fifteen minutes of the game."
Minerva nodded. "Done." She extended her hand to seal the bargain, but with a withering look, Snape ignored it and pulled her down into his arms once more for another lengthy kiss. "Severus," she cried as she felt his legs brush against hers. "I don't want to hurt your leg."
Snape ran his hands down over her backside possessively before he reluctantly released her with a scowl. "My leg feels much better. No matter what Poppy says, I still say that I could get down to the pitch with a minimum of difficulty." He directed a more intense look her way. "And it was only my leg that was injured, Minerva. Nothing else was harmed in the slightest, I assure you. If you're willing…I'm still most capable."
Her face flushed slightly as she remembered the tempting feel of that seductive hardness pressing urgently against her body just a few moments before. Thankfully, he was right. An injury there would have been a dreadful shame. He was ready faster than any lover she'd ever had. Of course, it had been awhile since she'd had a much younger lover, but she doubted that age alone had much to do with it. The quickness of his responses seemed to fit his somewhat mercurial personality. Quick to anger…quick to love…at least physically. She doubted that anyone would ever crack the iron bands he kept around his feelings, but that really wasn't her concern. An enjoyable physical relationship was all that was desired here anyway, as long as it remained enjoyable to them both, and so far it had…very much so.
Of course, it was a danger becoming entangled with a colleague in any way. Not that their involvement had been planned by either of them. However, once it had happened, and they'd both admitted to enjoying it, well…it had been fairly easy to take the tack of wait and see and continue on as long as it was what they each desired. They were both private people by nature. So far, no one suspected a thing, and that was the way they wanted to keep it, though Severus was apparently willing to take a few more chances than she was comfortable with if he was willing to have sex here and now.
However, she'd known that he was a risk taker for years; he was a spy after all, so she could hardly complain too much. Her heart still pounded violently when she remembered how he'd insisted on taking her up against the wall in the Charms corridor on the third floor one afternoon shortly after they'd begun their liaison while most of the school was in classes all around them. The intense thrill of that encounter had been intoxicating, but Peeves had almost caught them at it, and if he had…
With a shiver, she slid off the bed and quickly rearranged her garments. "Now is not the time, Severus, and this is most certainly not the place," she exclaimed primly.
With a mildly frustrated sigh, he considered her through narrowed eyes. "All right. If you insist. I shall simply have to amuse myself in other ways…such as imagining the look on your face when you come crawling back here to pay up on your wager."
She crossed her arms and gazed at him over the top of her spectacles. "If you wish to indulge in sheer fantasy I suppose that I can't stop you. I hear that delusions often ease the passage of time." Then she tapped the viewer with her hand and turned and headed for the door. "Enjoy the match, Severus. I'll be back later to collect the viewer…and my winnings." Then, with a final smile in his direction, she was gone, leaving him alone in the quiet of the ward.