Seven - Fitting The Lid

A/N: Thought I'd pop in halfway through to remind any litigious soul out there that I make no money from this story, and all characters, with the exception of Mimimanderly herself, belong to JK Rowling, who let my reason for reading her books bleed to death on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, or the Boathouse, or wherever Hollywood put him. He still died...or did he?

Please note this chapter contains explicit sexual conduct.

---

They say you always remember your first time. For Mimi, it had been tragically unmemorable, and so she thought it only fitting that she do whatever she had in her power to make this one count for Severus. She would certainly never forget the sight of him, lying on his back, his black hair spread like angels wings over his pillow. She vowed to memorise every sigh, every sweet moan of pleasure, every look of blissful abandon she drew from him.

For several moments after his first climax, they sat on his chair together, gently touching, caressing one another. "Teach me how to make you scream," he'd said, a soft light of wonder gentling his stern features. He slowly undressed her, savouring this first time, wanting to remember it as much as Mimi.

She allowed him to unbutton the heavy robe he'd conjured for her. She looked so fragile against the large hands that slid the heavy garment from her shoulders, allowing it to pool at her waist. Severus leaned forward and kissed the satiny skin of her throat, warmed by her soft sighs of contentment.

Her hands stroked him continuously; he had never been touched like this by anyone, and he was already wondering how he would be able to live without it. For this was surely a dream, and he would never know this kind of rapture again.

The black silk blouse underneath the robe whispered its invitation, and Severus unbuttoned it with hands that felt oddly clumsy and unworthy. Mimi was ever patient, and when he could bring himself to look up at her face, she smiled her encouragement. He concentrated on his task, and soon the blouse parted, revealing smooth, flawless skin as pale and wholesome as fresh cream. He smiled at her red satin bra; it seemed completely fitting that she would wear such an inflammatory garment. He smirked at her. "Why am I not surprised at you wearing red?" He stroked the sides of her breast tentatively, and when she nodded, his hands moved to her breasts, and he inhaled sharply as her nipples hardened beneath the fabric.

He could feel them against the palms of his hands, and it moved him unbearably. He squeezed her small breasts gently, then a little more roughly, as his own passion increased. She moaned softly at his touch, and reached around her back and released the garment. With less than steady hands, Severus peeled the red bra from her shoulders and could not prevent a gasp of longing as her lovely breasts were uncapped. He looked up, his eyes full of entreaty, and she cupped his face in her hands.

She closed her eyes as she guided him to her waiting nipple, and mewled softly as his mouth closed over it eagerly. Mimi could not stop herself from moaning helplessly as his warm tongue slid over her taut, ruched flesh. It was all the invitation he needed, and he surged against her, sucking and tugging. From her vantage point, Mimi watched his emotions play across his face; uncertainty, bliss, contentment. His beautifully shaped mouth was red and lovely as it pouted around her taut nipple.

She gave him all the time he wanted to explore her, to explore his own needs and desires, and he gratefully experimented. A nip of his teeth elicited a soft cry from her; sucking hard while flicking his tongue over the rigid little bud made her moan and shudder and undulate against him. He found that changing the pressure and being unpredictable made her wriggle charmingly in his lap, and when he had discovered all the ways to make her keen and pull him closer against her fragrant body, he moved to the opposite breast and began again.

He became more assertive, and his grip on her back tightened, until she pulled him away from her. He made a sound of uncertain protest, until he looked into her eyes and saw the raw lust in them. With a growl, he ground his mouth against hers, sucking her tongue into his mouth, and he found her nipples and rolled them between his long fingers as his tongue battled with her, plundering her sweet mouth. She broke away from him again, and for long moments they looked at one another, mastering their passions. His fingers still pinched and tugged at her nipples. He wasn't even aware he was doing it.

"I think you'd better take me to bed now, Severus," Mimi said, smiling, her voice husky and breathless. He nodded, and cupped his hands under her bottom, lifting her as if she weighed no more than a baby. She put her head against his shoulder as he carried her into his bed chamber.

It was a modest but comfortable room, with a large bed. Four posts rose to the ceiling, and a dark duvet covered the mattress. It looked inviting, but he froze for a moment, as if suddenly aware of what was about to happen, and his old insecurities threatened to surface again.

"Steady, love," she whispered into his ear. "Everything up until now has been incredible. I won't let the side down."

He looked at her in faint surprise. "How could you? I'm afraid of disappointing you." He was dismayed at her laughter, but then realized that it was not directed at him.

"Oh, Severus," she laughed gently, then placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You have a big, delicious cock, you're a fantastic kisser and you've set my nipples on fire with your mouth. I highly doubt you're going to do anything disappointing. Your provenance is very promising."

He lowered her until her feet once again touched the ground, and she stepped away from him. She let the robe drop to the floor, leaving her clad only in a black skirt and the boots he'd given her to wear. He stood very still, his eyes locked to hers. She smiled. "Undress for me, Severus. The old-fashioned way. No magic." She felt her heart pounding. "I want to watch you."

Rather self-consciously, Severus moved a few steps away from her and unbuttoned his waistcoat, then his shirt. After toeing off his boots and removing his socks, he slid his trousers down his slim hips and removed them as well. Mimi watched in smiling appreciation as his long, slender thighs came into view, and his lovely cock returned to life as he removed first his waist coat and then his shirt.

He was a tall, thin man, but years of stalking the halls of Hogwarts and lifting heavy cauldrons had given his legs and chest power and definition. His pale skin was opalescent in the firelight, and there were numerous scars over his body which made Mimi's loving heart ache for him. He flicked his long hair from his eyes with an impatient gesture, and looked down at her, his expression smoothly unreadable. Mimi saw a man, lovely in shape and grace, and what's more, he had no idea how lovely he truly was.

"God, oh, god," she whispered, and closed her eyes, shaking her head, her heart and body aching for him.

For a moment, he was silent. Then in a voice so vulnerable it sounded like that of a boy, he whispered, "Why did you say that? Am I so repulsive to look at?"

She looked up into his eyes. Her heart was drumming in her chest. Incredulously, she replied, "I said it because you're so beautiful to look at."

He could have been a statue, so still he became. Mimi stepped up to him, and placed a warm, open mouthed kiss on his left nipple, and it stiffened beneath her lips. He hissed, and his hands floated up to caress her. She murmured against his chest, "I can see I'm going to have to spend a lot of time with you naked, Severus Snape. Someone's got to prove to you what a stunning man you are."

She could feel his mouth against her hair. "And yet, you are still wearing far too many clothes, Mimi Manderly," he purred silkily, and knelt down to remove her long boots. She leaned on him for balance as he removed first the right, then the left. His large hands slid up the outside of her thighs, and he smiled. "Am I to assume you are wearing matching undergarments, goddess?" He looked up at her with a slight glint in his eye.

She smiled down at him mischievously. "I suppose you would." Unable to stop herself, she added, "That is, if I owned any."

He made a rather uncaring gesture of query. "Any matching knickers?"

She gave him a slow grin. "Any knickers, full stop." It was worth it to feel his fingers twitch against her thighs, then move more rapidly up to her hips, where they met no undergarments on the way. She laughed at his expression. "I don't own a single pair, Severus."

"Merlin," he whispered under his breath, and removed his hands so that he could locate the buttons of her skirt. He rapidly pulled it down around her feet, and sat back on his heels, looking at his goddess for the first time. No, she did not wear any knickers. And she was shaved completely hairless.

He clenched his fingers, and Mimi realized it was because he wanted to touch her, and was afraid that, in his own eagerness, he would possibly hurt her. She put her arms around his shoulders, and drew him against her, and he made a soft sound as flesh met flesh.

As he rested his head against her flat stomach, she ran her fingers through his raven hair. "All I want is to give you pleasure, Severus. To make you understand the depth of my emotions for you. My pleasure is in seeing you enjoying yourself." She braided her fingers through his long hair, and he unconsciously leaned into her embrace. "I want you to know you are loved."

To her surprise, he looked up at her with eyes that were shining conspicuously. "I do know, Mimi. I know that now."

He rose to his feet, and lifting her effortlessly into his arms, Severus carried her over to his bed, and laid her down on the duvet. Looking down at her with eyes that shone like obsidian, he crooned, "Teach me, goddess. Teach me how to give you pleasure."

Mimi felt his hands sliding up the inside of her legs, pushing them apart, and she smiled as he gazed at the apex of her thighs. He looked as if all his Christmas wishes had just come true. Mimi could not prevent a moan of yearning from leaving her lips at his first, tentative touch, and she sighed, "Don't be afraid to play, Severus. Please touch me. Do whatever you like, and then I'll show you what I like."

Seeing the hungry permission in her eyes, Severus lowered his face to her mons, and placed the softest, sweetest kiss on her bare mound. "Oh, god," Mimi laughed breathlessly. "I'm a dead woman."

The smile he gave her at that candid statement nearly brought her over the edge again. She knew she was already embarrassingly wet from sucking him, and her core felt as if it were on fire. She wanted to close her eyes and enjoy herself, but nothing was going to be as enjoyable as watching Severus.

He approached this, as always, like a man who loved research and learning. He had read about sex, of course. Several potions required the use of semen, of virginal blood, and female secretions, and he knew that certain biological reactions took place when certain parts of a female anatomy were stimulated.

He was off the map now.

No book had ever really prepared him for the enticing scent of her, or how her labia, glistening with her juices, looked so incredibly erotic. Nothing had prepared him for how wonderful it felt to slide his fingers down the seam of her slit, and feel them yield to him. The soft flesh blushed with arousal, and he could literally see it swell and part, beckoning him closer.

He caressed the skin of her thigh, which felt softer than the silken blouse she had worn, and she spread her thighs wider to accept him. Finally, when he could no longer resist, he laved his long tongue from perineum to clitoris, and she cried out and shivered.

Gods, no one had told him how sweet a woman would taste.

Mimi had told him to explore, to play, to learn. She had not realized how much she had set herself up to be slowly driven mad. It was the most arousing form of foreplay, allowing him to simply learn her body, to experiment.

Severus parted her labia with his thumbs, and made a little soft sound of delight, which puffed his breath across her sensitized flesh. He could see the little clitoris, peeking from its throne of furled flesh like a little flower. He touched it gently, and Mimi twitched. He flicked it with his tongue, and she cried out. He drew it into his mouth with a gentle sucking pull, and she screamed.

His moan of bliss sent vibrations throughout her body, and he swirled his tongue over the little bud, as she had done over the head of his cock. "Severus!" she cried, and clutched the bedclothes. "Oh... oh shit! I'm going to... "

Mimi's world dissolved into a wail of pure pleasure as her orgasm flung her over the precipice. She clamped her thighs against her shoulders, begging him not to stop, crying out to gods she no longer believed in because she was now seared into heaven by his wicked mouth and tongue.

Severus pressed her abdomen against the bed, and felt her clit drumming against his tongue like the frantic heartbeat of a wild animal. She bathed his mouth and chin with a gush of warmth and wetness, and he lapped at it like it was nourishment. Instinct and understanding led his fingers against her opening, and he nearly came with her as his finger slid into the tight, sopping channel that quivered and undulated around it, and he dimly wondered what it would feel like around his cock.

In that moment, he resolved to find out. Making Mimi come was going to be his crusade.

He could feel her coming back down from the climax he had given her (he had given her!), and she lay panting, one arm flung over her head, the other hand braided into his hair, holding him to his task. He had not even been aware of it until now.

Slowly, she raised her head, and looked at him with eyes dazed with pleasure. With a breathless laugh, she said, "Are you sure you've never done that before?"

His voice was smooth, but faintly chiding. "I'm almost sure I would have remembered." He shook his head, and licked his lips appreciatively. "Sometimes I think you really are a goddess, come to earth. I think more likely this is a wonderful dream, and I pray I never awaken."

"I'll be in your dream if you'll be in mine, love," she smiled, and sat up. "Come here, you."

She drew him down to her, kissing him deeply, reveling in the feel of his perfect mouth. She could taste herself on his tongue, and it mingled with his own juices from moments before. He was a warm and welcome weight on her, and she wanted him inside her so badly she could taste it.

She felt his cock, long and ready, at her thigh, and she could feel his growing trepidation. She laughed inwardly. Why was it that every man in the world, even one so unique and powerful as Severus Snape, had performance anxiety? Mimi decided that, for his first time, she'd take charge, and make it count.

"Lie down," she whispered, and he rolled on his back, looking up at her expectantly. Mimi stroked his lean torso, placing warm, whispering kisses over his belly, her hands ghosting over his skin like butterfly wings. His cock, which had remained rock hard, jutted proudly upward, and Severus felt agonizingly vulnerable. Even at this time, he would not have been surprised for her to suddenly jump up and run from the room, laughing at his exposed state.

Something in his body must have told Mimi this, because she looked up into his face, and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "Relax, love," she whispered, and rose to straddle his belly. "I want you to enjoy this as much as I know I will. All you have to do is hold me, touch me."

Looking up into her lovely face, Severus felt almost outside himself with desire. He could feel her nether lips, silky soft and dripping, leaving little wet kisses down his belly, as she slithered down toward his raging erection. It felt painfully hard, even after his blistering orgasm before, and he wondered if he would still be so sensitive he wouldn't last long enough to please her. Suddenly making her come on his cock was the only thing he wanted.

"Take yourself in hand," she murmured, "And guide yourself. I'll show you."

Severus' hand was trembling as he grasped his cock, and Mimi lowered her body until she was poised over him. He gasped as he felt her wet, tight opening yield to him, encasing the head of his swollen member. Mimi's hand closed over his, and she pulled it away.

She slid sweetly home.

"Oh Merlin, Merlin," he moaned, his eyes wide, as his cock was enveloped in her impossibly hot, tight cunt. Mimi's head fell back as she, too, gasped at the sensation of their first joining.

"So... big," she whimpered, and sat back, allowing him to impale her completely. They both moaned at the exquisite sensation of being locked together, feeling as if their souls were as fused as their bodies.

Severus wanted desperately to thrust upward, but the effort of not coming was almost impossible. He moved tentatively, and Mimi looked down at him and grinned. "Oh, Severus. You've been hiding your light under a bushel." And with that, she rose and ground down onto his waiting cock, just to hear him bellow.

They moved together, finding their rhythm, and Severus grasped her waist. "Oh, goddess, don't stop, I beg you..." He looked like a porn star, his hair fanned out on the pillow, his pale, angular face lightly sheened with sweat. Mimi pressed against him, covering his face with kisses, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and began to drive up into her body, hard.

Her cry of ecstasy echoed through the room, and in spite of the unbearable pleasure of her riding his cock, he held on, wanting to return the bliss she'd given him, the acceptance, and the love.

She was close, he could tell. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, and he could feel her growing even tighter, if such a thing were possible. Her lovely breasts were rosy with arousal, her nipples rock hard. She was moaning his name as if in a delirium, and he pressed her close to his chest, driving so hard into her body that he could feel his cock battering against her womb.

"Sing to me, goddess," he moaned, barely aware of what he was saying. "Cry your pleasure to me. Come on my cock, Mimi... Merlin, woman, come with me!"

He felt that melting, sizzling fire bursting within, and just as he thought he had failed, he felt her cunt clench around him like a vice, rippling around his cock like a sucking mouth, and she screamed his name over and over with each clenching pulse, and Severus felt her drag his orgasm from him and he slammed into her, crying out to her with each shuddering thrust, until he was left a shaking, moaning limp doll, holding on to the woman who lay against his chest, trembling, and kissing his sweat-soaked chest as if he were the most treasured of possessions.

The sheer release of their lovemaking exhausted him, and he realized that he had just made love to a woman, and she had made him come twice, and he had given her two breathtaking orgasms as well. She was kissing his face, thanking him with her little mewling cries, and he felt as if he would never be physically able to rise from the bed again.

He looked up into her face, and saw such trust and affection glowing in her eyes, and she was smiling down at him with such joy on her face that it unmanned him completely, and he rose to kiss her swollen lips as tears filled his eyes.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry!" she said, and proceeded to kiss the tears that mingled with the sweat on his temples. "It was so beautiful, but I don't want you to cry."

"I cry when I am most moved," he said, simply; he stared straight up at the ceiling, unable to meet her gaze. He was afraid he would break down completely; this way he could at least master his emotions.

Mimi continued to kiss each tear as it fell, her heart so full she was almost in tears herself. Making love with Severus Snape had been the single most beautiful act she'd ever performed, and all she could think of was wanting him again. She realized that Severus was an addiction; and she wanted him more now than she had before they made love.

Watching his face, so open with abandon, so full of passion that she'd given him, was the most arousing sight she'd ever witnessed. And when he'd begged her to come with him, her body had simply obeyed its master's voice. She could have no more stopped her orgasm than Knute had stopped the incoming tide.

Gradually, their hearts slowed from the galloping pace of their lovemaking, and their breathing quieted, and Mimi was acutely aware of Severus caressing her body, stroking her skin with his large, warm hands. Now and again he would kiss her shoulder, or her forehead, and Mimi could hear his heartbeat grow steady and calm again.

She raised up and looked deeply into his liquid black eyes, and felt tears threaten again. "You are the most amazing lover, Severus." He lowered his eyes at her words of praise, and a smile fleeted across his lips. She kissed it, capturing it forever in her mouth. "Do you know how special you are? Do you have any idea how privileged I feel, being your first lover?"

He cupped her face in his large hand, and touched his lips to hers in the sweetest of kisses. "And the last. I will have no other lover."

She felt her heart stutter in her chest. "You can't know that." He gave her a rare smile, and she took her weight from his body, feeling his spent cock slide from her. He pulled her tightly to his side, and she nestled within his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. For several moments, neither moved nor spoke, and Mimi thought he might have drifted off to sleep.

He surprised her by suddenly raising her hand to his lips, and kissing each finger. When he spoke, his lovely velvet voice washed over her, and reverberated in his chest. "I swear to you, Mimi. I'm not a man who seeks out sex, obviously. I would have never initiated this; I know what I look like, in spite of your declarations of my beauty."

He sighed. "Women do not look at me that way. They never have. So I pushed them away, before I was pushed. When I lost Lily, I no longer felt worthy to even entertain the thought of another woman. I was unwanted, and ugly, and I accepted it."

She raised herself from his shoulder and looked him squarely in the eyes. "Severus Snape, you are none of those things."

He smiled at her. "To you, I am not. And I do not feel that way about myself, when you look at me. From the moment you literally dropped out of the sky and we found you here, something rang inside me, like the chiming of a bell. I didn't want to accept it, but I soon realized I could not ignore it."

He looked into her eyes. "You told me that it didn't matter whether or not I believed in love, that love believed in me." He stroked her cheek, and planted another sweet kiss on her lips. He drew her back down to lie against his shoulder. "I am still not sure I believe in love, but by all the gods, Mimi, I do believe in you. And as long as you walk this earth, I will have no other lover."

Tears spilled from her eyes. "Neither will I, Severus." He tightened his arm around her, and shushed her, wiping the tears from her lovely sea-blue eyes, until she had calmed. Gradually, they drifted into the sweet sleep that comes after love.

---

Much later, Mimi awoke to hear Severus speaking to Dumbledore. They were discussing Severus and Mimi's meeting with Voldemort, and Dumbledore seemed rather pleased that Mimi had somehow convinced him of her otherworldly status. He concluded, as did Severus, that this might be a distraction from Harry himself. Perhaps the Dark Lord, in his arrogance, would drop his guard, thinking he no longer needed to worry about The Boy Who Lived.

"So Miss Manderly is now the Roman Queen giving the thumbs up or down to her chosen gladiator?" Dumbledore was saying.

Severus shrugged. "He believed her. They threw every hex and curse they could think of at her, and she just stood there smiling at them. No one was more unnerved than Bella." Mimi could hear the grim satisfaction in Severus' voice.

Dumbledore's head went up. "They cursed her? Did he actually perform the Killing Curse?"

With the slightest of hesitations, Severus replied. "He did. Her body seemed to simply absorb it."

"Most interesting. Most interesting, indeed, wouldn't you say, Severus?"

"I have never seen anything like it, nor shall I expect to again, Albus."

Dumbledore rose to leave. "Perhaps I should speak with her."

"I would suggest leaving it for tomorrow, Albus. When I left her at her door, she seemed quite overwhelmed by the experience, and complained of being tired. I suggested she have a lie down, so she is probably sleeping."

Dumbledore looked searchingly at his DADA instructor, then smiled. "Perhaps that is what we should all be doing. Good night, Severus. Well done."

"Goodnight, Headmaster."

Severus stood still, until Dumbledore closed the door behind him, then Severus carefully warded the room with every silencing and alarm spell he could think of. With that, he sighed, and turned back toward the bedroom, stopping as he spied Mimi leaning in the doorway, wearing his dressing robe. It pooled on the floor, and the sleeves were miles too long. She looked delicious. He felt his cock twitch lewdly.

"You heard?"

"Most of it." She stood still as Severus approached her, untying the robe and slipping his hands around her waist, reveling in her bare flesh. She smiled as she reciprocated, and soon they were embracing, kissing, their hunger for one another rising in tandem with Severus' eager cock.

He moaned as her hand closed over his turgid member, and she playfully held onto it as she drew him back into the bedroom. "Is this what is known as being led around by the dick, Mimi?" He gave her a lecherous little sneer that set of an army of butterflies dancing in her stomach, and she giggled.

"I like to think of it as taking the bull by the horns," she replied, cheekily, and gave a little squeal of delight when he grasped her bottom and lifted her into his arms. He looked up into her face.

"I've always wondered what it would feel like to fuck standing up," he purred, and hissed as she slid down his large pole in one slow movement.

"So have I," she moaned.

Luckily for her, he was a natural.

---

The summons had come on a Friday, and the two of them stayed within Severus' chambers for the remainder of the weekend. House-elves brought them food, and Mimi cried off dining in the Great Hall, saying she didn't feel well. Severus used his summons as an excuse; he had told Dumbledore about Bella's Crucio, and needed the weekend to recover.

During the weekend, they made love, ate, talked, made love, slept, discussed the present situation, made love, talked about the Sempra deck, and made love. Severus was convinced that this would be his only chance to try all of the things he'd thought about during the long Scotland nights with only his hand for company, and he found in Mimi a willing partner.

He approached her shyly, at first, afraid she would think him degenerate, but he found, to his profound relief that he was more or less like every other man; he wanted to have sex with his woman, and he wanted to try every position he had ever read about.

Some were amazingly erotic; some were nice but not earth-shattering. Some were initiated by Mimi, and they were the most enjoyable. And some intimidated him, but when performed on him, like being rimmed, made him think his orgasm was never going to end.

And it wasn't just the pleasure of acting out his fantasies; he truly enjoyed watching Mimi come undone beneath his ministrations. He found bringing her to screaming orgasm after screaming orgasm more fulfilling than his own. He had always suspected this to be true, but until Mimi, he never had the chance to test his theory.

His eyes followed her everywhere; he could touch her openly without fear that the Dark Lord would use her against him. He could and did follow her around; even into the bath, where he bathed and caressed her with soapy, eager hands. He loved making her body sing, and she was his instrument, and he was hers.

Mimi herself had never felt so conflicted. She was heart-stoppingly in love with this man, and yet she worried about his future. She had changed the timeline of this universe the moment she arrived, but what if it wasn't enough? What if she had to watch him die at the Battle of Hogwarts, some eighteen months hence? She wasn't sure she could live without him now.

In the end, she decided that she would heed her own advice: watch, wait, and be ready.

Late into the night, as they lay entwined, their sweat from their bodies cooling, their hearts slowing from their lovemaking, Severus turned to her and kissed her softly. "Mimi, I –" He stopped, and licked his lips, as if unsure to continue.

Puzzled, she sat up. "What is it, sweetie? You know you can tell me anything."

He swallowed. "You know that I have to – to kill Dumbledore. He's dying."

She nodded sadly. "I know. I wish it didn't have to be so, but I know exactly why you have to do it. It is wrong, and I hate him for putting you through this."

"I will have to flee Hogwarts when the deed is done." He turned to her. "Will you come with me?"

Mimi took him in her arms, and pulled him against her breast. "I will go with you to the ends of the earth. I will defend you to anyone who speaks out in ignorance. I will never leave your side until you have no more use for me."

"Then you will never leave my side, Mimi Manderly."

That evening, as Severus reached inside his desk for a quill, he jerked his hand from the desk, cursing under his breath.

"What's wrong?"

He grimaced. "Oh, nothing, really. I'd forgotten about a small potions knife there. I've sliced my finger."

Mimi tutted. "Oh, no. Here, let me have a look."

"It's nothing. A simple healing charm –"

But Mimi already held the injured hand in hers and frowned at the thin, smile-shaped line on the side of his index finger. Blood beaded from the cut, and without thinking, Mimi lifted the wound to her lips and kissed it. "Not a charm, but kisses always make things better."

He muttered a healing charm, and Mimi, as always, marveled to see something so 'simple' do something as miraculous as healing wounded flesh. "Amazing," she said, smiling at him.

He looked at her with what she called his 'professor's look'. "You have blood on your lips."

"Do I?" Mimi instinctively licked the tiny smear of blood. She could taste it faintly. "Yuck," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"My little vampire," he purred, and leaned to kiss her, when she jerked back, and cried out in pain.

Severus watched with alarm as several small, short slashes suddenly appeared on her arms. She looked up at him incredulously. "What's happening, Severus?"

"I don't know," he said, and even as he reached for his wand, the wounds faded, and she slumped in her chair, gasping. Finally, she laughed shakily.

"No more blood for me," she quipped, as Severus knelt by her chair. She was pale with pain and fright, and something triggered his memory, but he couldn't bring it to the surface.

"Mimi, I don't like this. You could –" He looked at her, and suddenly, he felt the disorientating feeling of seeing himself outside his own mind. With a start, he realized he was looking at himself through her eyes.

He had Legilimised into her mind.

Reeling with the implications of this, he hastily withdrew, but not before she realized what had happened, and clutched her head in pain.

"Severus! I thought you said you couldn't do that!"

"I couldn't!" He looked at her in growing alarm. "I shouldn't be able to." A sick realization dawned on him. "Mimi, you are experiencing magic. Magic that has been performed on you."

She didn't answer. She was rigid in her chair, as if she'd been turned to stone. "Mimi?" he said, shaking her. She might have been one of the stone gargoyles for all her response.

Suddenly, in his memory, Severus saw them together; Mimi, her eyes sparkling with excitement, he, looking on with nervous skepticism.

"Now, go ahead, big, bad, wizard," she had taunted. "Hex me, if you're man enough-"

"Petrificus Totalus!" He had cast the spell at point blank range, but nothing happened, and the little minx had been cheeky enough to wink at him.

"Try again."

"Rictusempra!" Mimi merely stood, smiling at him, her hands on her hips. He had been flummoxed. "I don't understand. You should be laughing uncontrollably."

If he'd been a betting man, he would've wagered a month's salary the hex that Pansy Parkinson had originally cast on Mimi was a simple Slicing Hex. It was one of her specialties, and her go-to spell when anyone got on her bad side. Severus had chastised her more than once for sending a hapless Gryffindor or Hufflepuff to the Infirmary with that spell. He was almost sure it was the spell Miss Parkinson had flung at Mimi when she had insulted her.

And now Mimi was the victim of his own Petrificus Totalus spell. He pointed his wand at her. "Finite Incantatum."

Instantly, Mimi relaxed, then looked at him in horror. "Severus, please tell me what is happening."

Breathing hard, Severus ground out, "I do not know how or why, but you have just experienced the first two spells that were cast against you. Miss Parkinson's Slicing Hex, and my own Petrificus Totalus spell."

Mimi was stunned. "How can this be?" Her eyes grew large with panic. "Does this mean I'll soon be affected by every... spell... thrown... at me?" She began to laugh hysterically, the Rictumsempa spell manifesting itself. She threw back her head and laughed as if it were the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

"Sev- Severus! M-make it s-s-stop!" she screamed, as peal after peal of laughter burst from her. Severus cancelled the spell, then scooped her up into his arms.

"Where are you taking me?" Mimi said, the laughter finally dying in her throat. He looked down at her.

"To the Headmaster's office."

Mimi looked up at him, and meekly allowed him to carry her, as neither knew when the next spell would hit her. It was only as she heard Severus hoarsely call out the password (Cadbury's flake!) that she realized why fear had roughened his voice.

The last curse thrown at her was the Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse. If the Headmaster could not stop this, Mimi would die.