Chapter Two

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Chapter Two

As Hestia walked through the hall she could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes staring avidly at her. She felt like a specimin under the microscope. Whenever she caught someones eye they immediately looked away before whispering hurriedly to someone next to them. The atmosphere was tense and stifling, the usual banter of the students had fallen silent apart from a few gossiping murmurs.

She strode proudly, her heels making a loud clacking sound against the tiles. She knew that no-one could ever find out about her and Snape because there was no way that anyone could have seen them. She felt extremely self conscious but didn't let it show as she tucked a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear.

She stopped abruptly when she was engulfed in an embrace from her Potions partner Elizabeth. She could barely see through her friends mop of curly blonde hair. No matter how much she liked this girl she had to keep reminding herself that if you were to cut her open you would find Slytherin printed throughout like a menacing stick of rock.

She pulled out of the hug, choking on a toxic cloud of her purfume in the process. Her friend gazed sympathetically at her before sitting down, patting the empty space beside her.

"I've heard about what happened in Knockturn alley." Her friend whispered, the surrounding Slytherins eagerly listening in on their conversation wanting to know what the heart of the gossip had to say. Hestia was shocked, she paused halfway through putting a large spoonfull of icecream in her mouth. Obviously someone had seen what happened with Draco, or maybe Snape told someone! Either way, she was glad that people were realising how evil Draco really was.

"I am so sorry about what Snape did to you." Hestia practically inhaled the ice cream she had shoved in her mouth so began to choke, spraying the food all over the people opposite her, who gumbled angrily in protest.

"What did Snape do to me?" She asked, her voice rising to an abnormally high pitch as she began to worry.

"Draco said that he took you out of the castle on some sort of errand but then he dragged you down the alleyway and..." She trailed off, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"What?"

"Draco said that he found Snape kissing you down some side street and that he was taking advantage of you."

Hestia swallowed loudly, not believing what she had just heard.

"He also said that he had to practically drag him off you and then scared him away. He's so brave, isn't he?" She gushed, her eyes glistening with admiration as she saw Draco sitting at the other end of the table, staring at Hestia and grinning. He got up from his seat beside Crabbe and Goyle and strolled over to an extremely angry Hestia.

"Hestia! I have just finished telling everyone what happened with Snape. I hope you feel better." He hugged her tightly but his nails dug sharply into her back, as if warning her what he'd do if she spilled what really happened.

"She became really hysterical you see." He directed his gaze to Elizabeth who seemed to melt when he gave her a glimpse of his pearly white teeth. "She started kicking and screaming as I tried to comfort her... It was almost as if she had feelings for that scumbag who was abusing her."

"You mean that you've fallen out?"

"Yeah, it's a shame really, but she is too emotionally unstable for a relationship right now, or so she said when she broke up with me." He gave a sad pout that only Hestia managed to see was fake. She had to grit her teeth to stop her shouting obscentities at the blatant liar who had sat down beside Elizabeth and was edging closer, his arm around her shoulder.

"So, Miss Bouquet." Draco purred, causing Elizabeth to giggle girlishly. "I was wondering if...You wanted to...be my, uh..."

"Yes!" Elizabeth squealed, wrapping Draco in a tight hug.

"Great." He whispered in her ear before pulling away and smiling discretely at Hestia, looking for the crestfallen reaction he was expecting but she just stared impassively at the unusually empty chair on the teachers table. He wanted a reaction so used drastic measures. He grabbed Elizabeth by the chin and dragged her into a long kiss, met with a few wolf whistles and cheers from the Slytherins around them.

"What happened to Sev- I mean Professor Snape?" Hestia asked when they pulled breathlessly out of the kiss. She tried to disguise the longing and worry in her voice as her gaze settled on Dumbledores knowing blue eyes that seemed to glimmer as he noticed her attention.

"Dumbledore said that he was going to talk to the weasel and sort it out. To be honest, I hope he kicks the bastard out." Draco grinned as Hestia's glass shattered in her hand from gripping it tightly through anger.

A large silvery grey owl fluttered down to the table, a scarlet envelope clutched tightly in its beak. It squarked once before hopping into the air and soaring out of the open window. Hestia looked at the letter that lay unopened in her lap, her name clearly visible in large swirly writing on the front.

She flipped it over and carefully sliced open the envelope before beginning to read.

Miss Bell,

Please meet me in my office after breakfast,

We need to discuss some serious allegations that have been made against a certain member of staff.

Professor Dumbledore

P.s, I do like Liquorice Snaps

*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Liquorice Snaps." Hestia exclaimed when she came face to face with a domeneering grey gargoyle. It moved aside slowly with a loud scraping noise, reavealing a narrow flight of swirling stairs.

"Miss Bell!" Dumbledore beamed when Hestia finally emerged from the stone staircase and into his warm, welcoming office. She saw a worried looking Snape sitting in an armchair infront of Dumbledore's desk. He blatantly ignored her as she sat down in the seat beside him, directly opposite the Headmaster.

"Now, we need to discuss these... Allegations... a student has made about you and Professor Snape. I have spoken to Severus and he tells me that when he took you to Knockturn Alley he left you outside a shop whilst he went in to purchase a few items, at my request." Dumbledore paused, waiting for Hestia to answer but she merely nodded.

"He says that when he came back he saw you and Mr Malfoy... And he was taking advantage of you, is that true?" Hestia merely shrugged, not wanting to meet Dumbledore's eye.

"Ok, you are clearly uncomfortable. Now please answer one more question and I shall probe no further. Did Professor Snape take advantage of you?"

"No! I never-"

"Severus please," Dumbledore cut in. "Allow the girl to speak. Did he make you do anything you didn't want to?"

"...No, nothing happened. It was Draco who forced me to kiss him and now he is trying to make me jealous."

Dumbledore nodded and gestured to the door. Hestia got to her feet and walked carefully down the staircase, biting her lip nervously.

"Severus, It appears that you weren't telling me the whole truth. You may be a gifted Occlumens, but I can read Miss Bell's mind like a book. I know that you didn't take advantage of her, that was Draco, but having an illegitimate relationship with a student is not on."

Severus stared him directly in the eye before replying emotionlessly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He pushed his chair away from the desk and strode from the room, his eyes glazing with anger. He was going to teach Draco a lesson.

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