Chapter 23

Sarah spent the rest of August in a flurry of activity. During the week, she continued working in the library, reading snippets of "Hogwarts: A Revised History" in her lunch breaks and during her commute to and from work. Severus had taught her both "Reducio" and "Engorgio" to prevent her struggling with the weighty tome and had also charmed the cover so it now bore the inoffensive title of "The Complete Works Of Shakespeare." Her evenings were spent with Severus for her coaching, throughout which he retained an air of professional distance. The following weekends, however, were for her and Severus alone, and she wanted to hold on to every blessed second of them.

Whether they were strolling through the woods at Spinner's End, curled up watching television on the sofa (Severus had developed a keen interest in the Muggle news), or, more frequently, exploring each other in bed, Sarah's weekends were as precious to her as gold. She still knew very little about her dark lover. Sometimes he would ask her questions about her family or her experience growing up, and she would reply openly. If she then responded in kind, he would usually brush her off with an "It's not important," or "There's not much to say." She remembered Albus' words about not pushing him, and so she left it, reasoning he would tell her in his own time.

Sarah had some holiday time booked from work towards the latter part of the month and had made plans to stay with friends in London for a few days. This worked out well, as term-time did not start until the first week in September and Minerva would not be returning from her own vacation until a few days before, Severus had discovered by way of her returned owl. Minerva seemed to have no overt objections to Sarah's tutelage, but suggested they meet after she had arrived back to assess her progress, to formally select her subjects, and to conduct her Sorting.

Sarah was already showing an aptitude for Charms and a keen interest in Herbology and Transfiguration. In light of her Charms work, Severus decided to teach her some defensive spells the night before she left to go on holiday.

"The two main forms of defence against spells and hexes are disarming and blocking," he told her in his smoothest teacher's voice, tapping his wand lightly on one hand. The furniture in his large lounge had once again been pushed back to give them both room, and he'd conjured a blackboard to hover in front of one of his vast bookshelves.

"The disarm is the simplest spell to master. Raise your wand in the secondary offensive position, like so." Snape held one arm straight out in front of him, his right hand hooked over his head, wand pointing straight at her. She copied the stance.

"Now, observe. Expelliarmus!"

A jet of red light whooshed from his wand and sent Sarah's arcing up from her hand, landing neatly on the sofa behind her. She looked from her hand, to her wand, and back to Severus, impressed.

"Your turn," he drawled as she turned to collect her wand. She stroked it absently, hoping it hadn't been damaged. "They're hardier than they look," he said in consolation, noticing her furrowed brow.

Sarah stepped back into the offensive stance.

"After three," Severus instructed. "One... two... three!"

"Expelliarmus!" she muttered. A red puff issued from the end of her wand, but trailed out after a few feet.

"Concentrate!" he chided her. "Remember: both the wand and the word are an extension of your will. You can do this. Again."

Sarah took a breath, shifting her feet and rearranging her fingers over her wand. Her face shifted into a scowl of concentration. "Expelliarmus!" she cried. A jet of red swooped from her wand and whizzed past Severus' ear, making several books come flying from the shelves.

"Much better," Severus replied, quietly impressed. "Now we need to hone your target skills. Be aware of the direction of where you're aiming the spell. You should be able to see the tip of the wand in your periphery vision. Use your front arm as you would the sight of a pistol. Again, on three." He waved his wand, and the books floated back up to the shelf.

They both took the stance. Sarah once again shifted, her face the picture of concentration.

"One... two... three!"

"Expelliarmus!" she cried, and this time the jet zoomed precisely at Severus' wand, sending it ricocheting off the wall and on to the floor.

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Impressive. A full disarm on your third attempt. It is indeed a shame you will not be taking my subject this year."

She smiled at him happily as he retrieved his wand.

Severus then went on to teach her how to shield, which she successfully managed after two attempts. She so impressed him with the speed of her learning that he decided to push her a little and moved on to the topic of the Patronus Charm.

"The Patronus Charm is one of the lightest sorts of magic. It is used as a weapon against Dementors, who are foul, evil beasts which can suck your soul right through your mouth." He looked hard at Sarah and found her looking back at him with horrified disbelief. "Yes, you heard me correctly. Dementors guard the wizarding jail of Azkaban. Only a Patronus Charm is effective against them. A full Patronus, or Corporeal Patronus, takes the form of an animal. It is summoned by positive feelings, especially those of hope, which counteract the Dementors' own excretions of despair."

Although Severus could cast a Patronus non-verbally, for Sarah's benefit, he flicked his wand and spoke clearly, "Expecto Patronum."

A burst of white light spilled forth from his wand, followed by twisting, silvery-grey, smoky fronds which began to form into a shape Sarah did not recognise. It looked to be a skeletal, winged horse, almost frightening in appearance, like something from the Apocalypse. She watched as it delicately unfurled its wings, tossing its skull-like head before turning and trotting gracefully towards Severus. On closer inspection, the animal looked sad, and it ducked its head down to receive an ethereal caress as Severus offered his hand to it.

"What creature is that?" Sarah whispered.

"It's a Thestral. They can only be seen by those who have witnessed death. Despite their fearful exterior, they are in fact gentle creatures. A herd actually dwells in the Forest at Hogwarts."

Sarah watched it paw at the floor with a hoof, wings drawing close to its sides once more.

"Will my Patronus look like that?" she asked.

Severus smiled. "No. Producing a Patronus is a very personal thing, and each person's Patronus is unique to them, in much the same way their wand is. This is in part due to the happy thought required to conjure the spell, as much as the person themselves." With a swift flick, the Thestral disappeared.

"This is quite advanced magic, but I'd like to see you try it. You need to concentrate on one of your happiest memories. Find a strong one, one that makes you smile in recollection. Hold on to it tightly in your mind; do not let go. Then say the words: Expecto Patronum."

Sarah thought for a moment. Which memory to choose? She'd had many happy ones over the last few days, that's for sure. One popped into her head quite unexpectedly; the thought of Severus walking her home, and Bernard rushing up to greet him, and the inexplicable swell of happiness that she felt when she saw the man she loved being accepted by her choosy cat. Her mouth quirked; yes, that would do.

"Concentrate, now," Snape encouraged as she flexed her wand arm.

"Expecto Patronum!" she gasped, and to both of their astonishment, her wand-tip glowed white and the smoky tendrils curled forth, materialising into the shape of a proud, sleek tabby cat that trotted forwards.

"Well, the form of your Patronus is no surprise, even if your ability to produce one most certainly is," Snape drawled. "A cat, of course. My own Patronus was a cat, once."

"Your Patronus changed?" she asked, watching the cat swishing its tail gently from side to side, blinking at her benevolently.

"Yes, the shape of the Patronus can change, according to whatever memory is used to produce it. My own has changed three times in my life, as I've used three different memories to conjure it."

He looked at her sideways for a long moment.

"I've never heard of anyone to be able to produce a Corporeal Patronus on their first attempt. It is quite a feat for someone so new to magic. Filius and Albus will be thrilled."

She glanced back at him and smiled as the cat vanished. "I'm so excited about magic. I just want to learn everything. I just can't seem to learn quickly enough."

Severus raised his eyebrows. "You are learning plenty fast enough. Once your schooling begins in earnest in a few weeks, you'll have much more on your plate. As for tonight, I think that will be all for now. I was hoping you'd join me for a nightcap so I can say goodbye to you properly." His mouth twisted into a crooked smile at the prospect.

"Saying goodbye properly" actually resulted in a long, luxurious evening of unhurried lovemaking, Severus making her body sing with each caress as he explored every inch of her, deliberately slowing the pace so he could enjoy her for longer and watch her whip herself into a lustful frenzy as he kept her on the edge. He was by turns both tender and passionate and also very keen to drive her to more and more climaxes. When it came for the time to say goodbye, they held each other for a long time. Severus knew she would only be gone for five days, but to him it would feel like an eternity.