Introduction: Each story in this series contains a pairing generated randomly. The following stories will reveal a bond of love, be it romantic or otherwise, consensual or one-sided, between the two people chosen at random. Ratings will vary per story. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. I seriously doubt that this will change over the course of my writing this series of stories, but if it does, rest assured that I will inform you.

Stochasticity – Randomness; the quality of lacking any predictable order or plan

Pairing: Katie Bell/ Severus Snape

Rating: K

Schoolgirl Fantasy

Katie Bell watched the scene in the Gryffindor common room with some measure of exasperation. She winced as a second-year took a bite of a pastry offered to him by George Weasley and morphed into a large canary. Honestly, at this point he should know not to accept food from the Weasley twins; they had been concealing Canary Creams in all sorts of foods since they invented them last year.

Her eyes trailed over the rest of the room. She cringed slightly when she spotted Fred Weasley and Angelina Johnson sitting in a corner. Fred whispered something in her ear, causing Angelina to blush furiously and thump him playfully on the chest. Katie shook her head and looked away. She just didn't understand what her friend saw in Fred. He was good-looking enough, certainly, but he and his brother were both so immature. Frankly, the same could be said about all the Gryffindor boys. Clearly, maturity was not a requirement for courage.

Katie sighed. She wanted someone older. She was sixteen, and was tired of dating boys who made her feel like a babysitter instead of a girlfriend. However, she was unlikely to find anyone that suited her fancy here at Hogwarts. There was not a single student she deemed worthy of her.

'But students aren't the only people at Hogwarts, are they?' whispered a small voice in the back of her mind.

Katie considered this momentarily. There were only a handful of male teachers and staff at Hogwarts, and none that instantly came to mind when casting around for someone appealing.

First off, there was Filch, the caretaker. Katie immediately ruled him out. He was entirely too creepy.

Next, there was Hagrid. She mentally shook her head. He was nice enough, she supposed, but slightly frightening, and not even remotely attractive.

There was Headmaster Dumbledore. Katie cringed inwardly. He was old enough to be her great-grandfather. She didn't want anyone that mature.

Professor Binns was a ghost. That ruled him out.

That left only Professor Flitwick, who barely came up to her midriff. Plus, he looked vaguely like a goblin, which was rather strange.

Katie sighed again, having exhausted her list of professors. She would just have to wait until she left school to find someone, she supposed. She glanced around the common room, looking for something to distract her. She spotted Alicia curled up in an armchair by the fire with a textbook, quill, and parchment, scribbling furiously. Katie walked over to her. "What are you working on, Alicia?" she asked, more to have something to talk about than because she actually cared.

Alicia furiously crossed something out on her paper before replying, "Snape gave us a ridiculously complicated essay on Capitulation Cordials, and I have to have it finished by tomorrow morning."

Katie was only half-listening. She had forgotten about Professor Snape. She was not taking Potions because she had only received an 'Acceptable' on her O.W.L. last year. However, now she wished she had studied harder…

Snape was relatively young, only in his mid-thirties or so. He was also good-looking enough, in an unusual sort of way. Most importantly, he was definitely mature and completely unlike any of the boys Katie knew.

She was out the portrait hole and halfway to the dungeons before she realized that she had moved. She had no plan, no idea what she was doing, but she continued nevertheless. She felt as though this was meant to be. She reached the dungeons, strode over to the Potions classroom, and walked in to find…

Nothing. Katie mentally smacked herself. It was nine o'clock at night; there was absolutely no reason why Snape would be in his classroom. Rather than leaving, however, she sat down on a nearby desk to think, plotting ways to make the Potions master hers. Her mind swiftly conjured up images of quiet conversations by the fireside, soft kisses shrouded in darkness, and a host of other fantasies involving the dark-haired, ivory-skinned professor.

"What, may I ask, are you doing here, Miss Bell?" said a voice softly from the doorway, interrupting Katie's reverie. She whirled to find none other that Severus Snape looking at her coldly. She blushed and stared at the floor.

"I was looking for you, Professor," she stammered, unable to think of an adequate lie with celerity.

Snape raised his eyebrow. "And why, pray tell, were you doing that?" he drawled.

Katie's blush deepened. Before she could stop herself she said, "I just wanted to see you. I really miss having you as a teacher, Professor." She met the older man's gaze, desire evident in her eyes.

Snape looked slightly taken aback. He merely stared at her for a moment. Then another moment. Then another. Finally, he did the last think Katie wanted: he laughed, loudly and cruelly. When he was done laughing, the icy look had returned. "I suggest, Miss Bell," he sneered, "that you return to your common room immediately, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself than you already have. Furthermore, thirty points will be taken from Gryffindor for your being out after hours. I will refrain from giving you detention, however. Do not view this as magnanimity; I merely have no desire for you to spend any more time in my presence. Good night." He jerked his head toward the door.

Katie left as quickly as she could, heart breaking into a million pieces. She walked slowly back up toward the common room, stunned. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over. How could she have been so stupid?

"Oi, Katie!" sounded a voice behind her. She turned to see Lee Jordan, arms laden with food from the kitchens. He walked up beside her and peered cautiously at the tears now trickling silently down her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Katie shook her head. "I just did something really dumb. I don't want to talk about it."

Lee looked concerned, but then smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I've done loads of really dumb things myself. They always blow over eventually, don't you worry." Balancing his burden carefully in one arm, he reached out the other and grabbed Katie's hand. "Now come on! Fred and George have some fireworks that they're going to let off in the common room. It'll be cool, I promise!" he said, tugging her toward the nearby staircase.

Katie allowed herself to be led and smiled, wiping away her tears with her free hand. Maybe Gryffindor boys weren't so bad after all.