Fly Boy

Fly Boy

Disclaimer: I'll bring them in from the cold when I'm done.

"Moravia?" Snape chuckled hoarsely to himself, leaning against the cold prison wall and wrapping his thin blanket tighter around his body. "The Mistixs play in the North of Scotland. Had those Quidditch freaks never heard of the Moravian Macbeth Manoeuvre?"

*

A keen, biting wind raced down from the Arctic, tore the clouds to shreds across the Moray Firth and snuck an icy finger inside Snape's collar. It buffeted the miserable Quidditch players haphazardly, forcing them to cling tighter to their brooms with cold-chapped hands.

Severus sat in the stands next to Charmaine Bien-Aimée. She had asked Lupin and him to attend the match with her, after which they were going to collect some potions ingredients from an area close by. Lupin had cried off when he found out the date of the match, wafting his hands in big, descriptive circles as he gave some lame excuse for not attending. To Snape's surprise, his professor didn't seem to mind and even wished him a safe transition.

Mlle Bien-Aimée shivered a little beside him as the wind tugged her hair this way and that.

"You could cast a Warming Charm if you are cold, miss," suggested Severus as he pulled a strand of her wild hair from his mouth. A Hair Binding Charm wouldn't go amiss either.

"Stop fussing, Severus," she said, patting his knee distractedly without looking at him.

"Indeed, miss," he replied, watching her mitted hand tapping his leg with some alarm. He was uncertain whether to leave it or remove it from his person.

"Let's go now. The match is nearly finished. First, we'll gather the ingredients, and then we'll have a bit of Muggle fun. We are going to warm your soul, Severus Snape. You will have to Side-Along Apparate with me."

On arriving at the rough, windswept beach, Charmaine did not let go of Severus's arm immediately. She leaned slightly onto him to aid her balance as they walked over the rocky foreshore.

Severus liked the bleak beach with the wind nipping spume off the sea. Drawing his cloak around him against the chill, he felt at ease as he gazed out over the grey, choppy waves. He took a deep, cleansing breath and patted the hand resting on his arm.

"It's nice out here, isn't it, Lil?"

The hand withdrew from his arm abruptly.

Severus looked down at the woman beside him and felt a little wrong-footed to see a brunette instead of a red-head at his side.

"I'm sorry, miss. I was just thinking how much I like it here. As you said, it soothes the soul. I thought Lily might like it too, but on reflection she probably wouldn't. She's changed this year, or maybe I have." He looked out over the roughened water as he spoke. "We used to be best friends, but she hardly speaks to me anymore and... I miss her."

There was a slight catch in his voice, and Severus felt his eyes misting a little, but did not feel embarrassed. Even though she wasn't looking at him, he knew the witch at his side was listening.

"She spends more and more time with Potter and Black, and I don't like them much. I think they're a bad influence on her."

"Hard times are coming, Severus," she said, laying her hand back on his arm. "Your friendships and your loves will be sorely tested. You can't live your life with regrets about what might have been with Lily."

Frowning, he did not want to acknowledge the truth of what she was saying: that his Lily was slipping away from him. He loved Lily.

Looking at the witch beside him, he noticed a quiet tear sliding down her wind-pinked cheek. Brushing the tear away, she turned towards him, but would not meet his eye. He realised she was worried he might invade her thoughts again.

"I'm... I'm sorry for what I did at the Yule Ball. It was an accident." Gazing down on her riotous curls, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "You can look at me, miss. I won't do that mind thing again without asking. I promise. With the lessons Dumbledore has given me, my control has improved heaps. Why didn't you teach me yourself, if you recognised my skill?"

Shaking her head vigorously, she looked him in the eye. "It's not something I could teach you, Severus. I'm not a Legilimens, nor am I a very good Occlumens. There are things I know, and things in my memory, you should never see. It would do you no good."

She smiled amiably. "Now, let's go. We have work to do and our souls to warm."

She turned away from the windswept shore and into the shelter of the trees. He tagged along behind her as she talked about the potions ingredients she was gathering. She explained how, here at Findhorn, the Muggles lived at one with nature, working the land organically and deriving spiritual energy from the earth. He was a bit sceptical about the Energy Restoring Charms she performed, but he couldn't help admiring the quality of the ingredients they collected, and he felt an accumulating peace as they worked. The breadth of her knowledge fascinated him. His mind wandered from his task as he watched her animated expression.

They fell into an easy rhythm, with her cutting, collecting and chatting, and Severus working beside her bundling, storing and listening. When they had gathered sufficient stock, Mlle Bien-Aimée shrank the jars and packages into a small box, which she tucked into her cloak.

"Enough work, now for some fun." She took hold of his elbow and Apparated them to another spot not far along the coast.

Severus watched, intrigued, as Charmaine stood on a small paved area between the road and the sea. She peered off into the distance inland, tense and obviously waiting for something. Suddenly, he heard an enormous, rumbling roar. The noise increased and approached fast. Alarmed, he followed Charmaine's gaze and was horrified to see an aeroplane accelerating towards them.

She lifted her hands and clamped them over her ears. Severus could not see her face, but could just about hear her scream above the increasing roar of the rapidly advancing plane. Believing she was in danger and frightened, on instinct he reached around her, enfolding her protectively in his arms and pulling her back against him. Deep thrumming in his chest built as the Air Force jet took off over the top of them. He lifted his head and watched as it went.

The thrum in his chest did not stop after the plane had gone, and he became conscious that he still held his Potions mistress close to his body. She turned in his arms and looked up at him with a broad grin on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkling.

"Wow! Wasn't that a buzz?"

"Yes, miss," he replied, dropping his arms and his gaze self-consciously and taking a step back. "It must be a buzz to fly like that, though I think flying on a broom is more exciting. Wouldn't it be amazing if you could fly unaided?"

"You can... You... You could..." She stumbled over her words.

She took a deep breath and finished. "I can teach you, if you want. It's easy. All you need to do is take a couple of strides and gently push off from the ground with your feet, pushing down slightly with the hands. Like this."

Demonstrating, she stepped towards the sea and gently rose into the air, turning gracefully to land again in front of him.

"Come on. Have a go."

Severus strode towards the sea. Pushing off from the ground, he leapt high into the air. With a lurch and a splash, he landed at the water's edge. He cursed at his wet feet.

"Try again," she said, quietly casting a spell to dry his shoes.

Scowling, he returned to his start point and tried again. This time pushing harder with his long legs, shoving all his teenage anger and hurt into the motion, he surged into the air, only to land further into the rolling waves. He waded back to shore and slumped on the beach to empty the water from his trainers.

"I can't do this." His shoulders hunched as he angrily shook the last drops from his shoes.

"Try leaving your shoes off next time."

Standing up with a frustrated huff, he dug his long toes into the cold sand. He could feel the energy from the earth seeping up through the soles of his bare feet as he collected his thoughts for a third attempt. Taking a couple of long strides, he pushed off, feeling his own magic propel him upwards. He lifted off the ground with arms windmilling and legs flailing.

"Yes!" He laughed.

Losing concentration, he plunged into the frigid waters. He coughed and spluttered as he surfaced, grinning broadly.

"Now, that was a buzz!"

He shivered as he waded out of the sea towards her.

"Viens ici! Tu as froid."

"One more attempt before I die of hypothermia."

"Severus, you're a wizard. Cast a Warming Impervious Charm."

He smiled shyly at her. "Can you help me with that one, mademoiselle? I'm a Potions man, not a charmer."

"Not a charmer?" She snorted.

With a little, intricate wave of her wand, he was soon dry and warm.

"Once more?"

This time she took off ahead of him and turned to face him, holding an encouraging hand out. He could see her breath coming in short, steamy plumes. She brimmed with energy, magic vibrating and sparking from her as she floated away from him. He could hardly believe how stunning she looked. Smiling, she motioned for him to follow. He had to catch up with her.

Pushing off firmly, he soared into the air. Severus steadied himself with his arms before concentrating on catching up with Charmaine. With arms outstretched and a delighted grin on his face, he flew towards her. The keen wind blew his dark hair back as he picked up speed.

Catching her hand as he approached, his fingertips tingled where they came in contact with her skin. His forward momentum whirled her round, and they spun together upwards through the air.

"Yes! I did it! I can fly!" he shouted with delight.

"Severus, you're brilliant! I knew you could."

He looked down at the young witch as they floated back to earth. This beautiful woman thought he was brilliant. Charming Charmaine! Her rich, honeyed scent invaded his senses. His soul warmed. Gently tucking a windswept lock of hair behind her ear, he bent to kiss her smiling lips and felt a swirling surge in the pit of his stomach.

A/N: Thank again to sunny33 for the beta.

1. Most famous Moravian: Macbeth, who was Mormaer of Moray.

2. Findhorn Foundation, Morayshire, has had a spiritual community since the 60s.

3. You can stand at the end of the RAF runway at Kinloss and watch the jets take off over your head. It is a real buzz.