Chapter 46 - The Second Task

A/N: Uh, hold on? It's still the Triwizard Tournament and we STILL haven't had the second task?! YUP. Ya girl is writing a tome longer than the actual GOF lmao. Hon needs to work on her pacing... (I just wanna write my Grimmauld Place scenes smh cry)

PS my girlies and I discovered that our brains be so rotted that 'emerged' reads as 'ermergerd' no matter the context 🤡

NB: This is an AU where the 2nd task starts at dusk because *power-drunk holler* I MAKE THE RULES

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The hair on the back of Asha's neck rose. Now that, she thought, that is definitely something. Quite possibly someone...

Well, shit.

She hadn't expected to find anyone out here. She'd only decided to investigate because if something did happen to Harry during the second task, she wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing she hadn't at least tried to stop it.

Triple-checking her disillusionment charm, she raised her wand and continued creeping between the gnarled trees. To her left, visible through gaps in the pine needles, was the twisting shoreline of the lake. Across that vast expanse of water towered Hogwarts Castle. To Asha's right lay the gloomy depths of the Forbidden Forest.

The muffling charm around her boots made sneaking a whole lot easier than it had been during her Muggle days on the run. Still, now that she was sure something suspicious was nearby, she felt dangerously exposed. Her disillusionment charm was pretty foolproof at night, but in the daylight, the shimmering distortion of her silhouette was not ideal, especially with the limited cover offered by the near-skeletal canopy overhead.

Trying to stick to the shadows, Asha edged around a thick, moss-covered oak, moving toward the powerful pulses of magic she could sense. This magic felt unlike anything else in the forest. It was dense, contained and highly intentional.

And it was swiftly moving closer.

In a split-second decision, Asha clamped her wand between her teeth and jumped. Her hands hooked around a thick branch overhead. With the experience of many years scaling trees in the name of relieving the rich of their upper-story possessions, she silently swung a foot up, hooked an ankle over the branch, and levered herself up and over. A moment later, she was concealed high in the forking trunk.

Movement flashed below. Asha aimed her wand... but the clearing was empty. A disillusionment charm, she realised, that's what I'm sensing.

And one that's way fucking better than mine.

Heart hammering against her ribs, Asha finally began to wonder if this had been the smartest idea. It doesn't matter, she decided. I'm not about to stand by and let Harry Potter get murdered by some Dark wizard, revenge seeking fuck.

Barely daring to breathe, she listened intently and peered down for another flash of movement. Nothing.

Knowing that casting an unveiling charm would reveal her location, she wasn't keen to risk it. Instead, she closed her eyes and homed in on the magic rippling off her quarry's disillusionment. Right... there. She directed her eyes to a spot in the clearing below. Sure enough, there were tiny disturbances in the carpet of rotting leaves as someone moved on slow, silent feet.

Asha held her breath. She had to do it.

Silently, she shot a body-binding curse at her invisible target. The subtle flash of blue-white light illuminated the dim forest as it hurtled downward, only to be rebounded by a glimmering shield conjured at the last moment. Asha's heart lurched into her throat.

That had been her one chance.

BANG!

A ball of orange light shot from below and exploded at the base of Asha's tree. The world began tilting as a horrendous cracking filled the air. Flinging herself from the branches, Asha hit the ground hard and rolled, keeping her wand tucked safely against her chest.

The moment she stopped rolling, she sent a stunning spell at the spot where the orange light had bloomed, then threw up a shield. Scarlet sparks cracked and flared against it as she dived behind a pine.

An ominous silence followed.

Several eternity-spanning seconds later, Asha sensed rather than saw the curse pelting at her from the right. With a single flick of her wand, she cast another desperate shield in the nick of time—thank you, Severus!

Taking advantage of the ample cover the forest provided, Asha fired off a wealth of incapacitating hexes. But how was she supposed to aim at an attacker she couldn't see? Every single spell missed.

Whenever her opponent wasn't attacking, it was impossible to keep track of them. If it weren't for Asha's ability to sense spells before she saw them, she would've been screwed.

The forest blazed bright with destructive sparks. Asha tried to use everything Severus had taught her about duelling, but chaos and panic reigned as the world reduced to a terrifying, uncontrolled blur. Holy shit, I'm out of my depth.

Finding a moment of refuge behind an enormous elm, Asha homed in on the attacker's disillusionment magic once again. Springing from her hiding spot, she shot a stunning spell bang on target. Unfortunately, the charm rebounded and came just as close to taking her out as the subsequent storm of retaliating curses. If only all wizards were as elitist as Severus about not relying on rebounding shields!

Heart thundering, Asha threw herself behind a bramble. Using her abilities, which left no shimmering wake to give her away, she pushed a pulse of disturbance through the vegetation, deeper into the forest. Mistaking this for her disillusioned form, her attacker rained curses. Knot grass burned, thorny bushes snapped apart, loose rocks were blown into the air.

Asha considered sending up a warning signal to alert the Hogwarts staff to the threat. It would give away her hiding place, but it could save Harry's life, especially if she was about to lose this duel.

Before she had the chance to send up a flare, there was a blinding flash. Heat. The smell of smoke. Splitting wood.

In her panic, Asha threw herself backwards over an immense, rotting fallen trunk. Twisting mid-air, she realised her mistake. Here, the ground dropped away in a steep, rocky embankment, which ended at the lake shore, meaning Asha was about to be completely exposed and in pure sunlight, her imperfect dislillusionment charm worth fuck all.

Well, shit.

On her hard tumble down the bank, Asha once again protected her wand above all else. She gained her feet in time to see acid green light flare at the top of the slope. But not in time to raise her wand.

In a moment of pure fear and instinct, she shoved at the energy around her. A shimmering bubble expanded from her body and smashed against the incoming curse.

The force of the collision threw Asha backward and the strange energy field vanished. In the split second she was flying through the air, she took her chance and fired a powerful disarming spell at the top of the embankment, praying it would be strong enough to break past a hasty shield.

Her feet hit the shore and skidded to a halt, leaving long furrows in the gravel in front of her. At the same moment, a wand materialised, flying in an arc across the sky. Yes! Scrambling to the left, she caught it in the tips of her fingers. She turned to cast a revealing spell. Her wand was halfway raised when she was slammed to the ground.

Invisible hands clamped down hard over her wrists, pinning them above her head. A pair of shins locked her legs in place. Asha tried to cast a hex and felt it fly out over the lake behind her head.

She thrashed and struggled, trying with all her might to get free. Grunts sounded from above her, though all she could see was a subtle warping against the blue sky. Knees dug hard into her thighs and she squeaked in pain.

"Asha?"

They both went still.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Asha's angry, incredulous voice was laced with the panic and pain coursing through her blood.

The force pinning her to the ground eased, then lifted, and she felt the attacker's wand pulled from her hand. A moment later, an icy chill washed over her skin as her disillusionment charm lifted. Severus materialised above her, kneeling.

His face was white. His wide eyes scoured her body for signs of curse damage. When she came up clear, his expression morphed into cold, lethal rage. Rising to his feet, he took several steps backward. His eyes seared into Asha, both scorching and arctic.

She sat up.

Rigid with adrenaline and fury, Severus took in the sight of her—this woman who was somehow both the bane and the best part of his life. She was sitting there on the gravel shore, legs half bent, arms braced behind her, wand still in hand. Her winter coat had fallen open around her, her cheeks red from exertion and chill, loose strands of hair falling around her blazing eyes...

The entire spectacle was obscene. Viciously aggravating. Because how on earth could a mere mortal be so soul-crushingly beautiful? And one who had just gone toe to toe with him in that forest. Only twenty years of age with a scant three and a half years of magical education, and she was already more of a match for him than half the Death Eaters of the old days.

Of course, none of this changed the fact that he was completely and utterly furious with her. He was itching to bestow his wrath. To bellow at her. To rain down profanities, condemnations and insults.

Trying to calm her breathing and trembling hands, Asha watched Severus warily. His alarmingly palpable fury was quickly tempering her own anger to a simmer.

"I—"

"Quiet," Severus snapped. He took a careful scan of their surroundings, casting a few presence-detecting spells. When all came up clear, he turned his burning attention back to Asha. Within the space of a few steadying breaths, he mastered himself with a force and speed that awed her.

"So," he began icily. "When you asked me, 'What are you and Albus doing to make sure Potter isn't killed during the second task?' and I said, 'We have it under control'... you took that to mean what, exactly?" His monotone drawl was deeply disconcerting, so very at odds with his biting gaze.

"Why didn't you just tell me you were going to be out here?" Asha growled, still shaking with adrenaline.

Severus broke their glare-off to give her a once-over, and finally registered that she, too, had just gone through a nerve-wracking ordeal. Reluctantly, he approached, offered a hand and pulled her to her feet.

"I told you I would be on duty," he said harshly.

"Yeah! And I said, 'On duty? What, telling people off for cheering too loud?' And then you went, ugh," Asha imitated his grunt.

Severus eyed her blackly. "You didn't seem particularly interested when you asked about Potter. Once again, I made the mistake of taking you at face value."

Asha pursed her lips, looking away. It was true she had acted rather nonchalant about the whole thing. In reality, her concern for Harry had been plaguing her of late.

Blood still pumping hard, she brushed herself off and took some deep breaths.

"Clearly, we still have a lot of work to do in our lessons," Severus observed. Yes, Asha fought admirably, he thought, but if she is going to survive the Dark Lord's return, she needs to be better than admirable.

"I disarmed you," Asha argued.

"And I still won."

"Because you tackled me to the ground like some Muggle thug!"

"Allowing me to restrain you and render your wand possession inconsequential," Severus intoned sleekly.

Asha blew out a shaky breath and looked out over the lake, which sparkled under the setting sun. Flocks of birds peppered the clear, late afternoon sky.

"I agree, that did not go well for me," she admitted. She'd been entirely out of control, out of her depth, even with all the training she'd been putting in these last couple of months. It was enormously disappointing and frustrating.

She tried to shake it off. Stowing her wand, she began messing with the lake water, magically dragging it up toward them in a little rill. Severus detected her consternation and felt his anger soften.

"There is a reason Albus enlists me to protect Potter," he said quietly. "I'm good at it. I'm likely capable of outduelling most Aurors. Don't underestimate how astounding it is that I'm not taking you up to the hospital wing in multiple pieces."

At that thought, Severus was struck by another stab of horror at how seriously he could have harmed Asha today. Why did I not consider that she might pull something like this?

She made a noncommittal noise. "How did you realise it was me, anyway? My disillusionment charm isn't perfect, but it's not that bad."

Slowly, Severus turned to face the lake, checked the time on his pocket watch, then cast her a sideways look. "You make that noise sometimes when you duel."

"What noise?" Asha demanded.

Severus' lips twitched. "A sort of... squeak."

He wasn't about to admit that he'd also recognised her unique scent—lavender, vanilla, pine and a dash of something else he couldn't put his finger on...

"I do not squeak!" Asha snapped indignantly.

"You do."

Asha opened her mouth and then shut it, furious with the smirk on his stupid face. "Let's agree never to tell anyone about this." This was a rather redundant statement—it wasn't like she or Severus ever told anyone anything.

"About the friendly fire?" he inquired. "Or about the squeaking?"

Asha aimed a punch at his arm. Severus caught her fist with reflexes he had no right to possess, and gently pushed it away.

"I don't squeak," Asha repeated petulantly, snatching her fist from his hand.

Severus' face split into something that was almost a smile. "No, of course not."

This time, she successfully prodded him with her elbow. Catching sight of the horizon, she said, "It's almost dusk."

As if on cue, faint echoes of Ludo Bagman's amplified voice came skimming across the lake.

"What if they're in the water—whoever's trying to hurt Harry?" Asha asked.

"Astonishing though it may be, Albus and I have that covered also."

Severus walked up to the water's edge and withdrew his wand. "It's too late for you to join the spectators. Make yourself and that ridiculous climbing prowess useful and see if you can spy the stands from up there."

Asha picked her way over to the rocky outcropping Severus had indicated. They were currently situated around a bend of the lake, hidden from the main Hogwarts grounds by a small ridgeline which jutted into the glassy water.

Hopping her way up a rock formation and scaling the last meter of the ridge, Asha peered over the crest and spotted the outline of the stands. One tap to the temple with her wand, and her eyes zoomed in like binoculars.

"They're wading in now," Asha called over to Severus, who was in the middle of performing some very complicated-looking magic. He was dressed in formal, form-fitting, black attire, his cloak nowhere to be seen. Standing there on the lakeshore, he cut an outrageously handsome figure. Asha forced her eyes back to the stands.

As soon as all the Champions had disappeared underwater, Dumbledore drew his wand across the lake in one impressive motion. The crowd gasped and burst into applause as the surface transformed into a clear, magnified screen.

Through the screen, all four champions could be seen spreading out across the lake. In the far distance, over fields of seaweed, patches of darkness and clusters of Grindylow caves, the green city of the merpeople could vaguely be glimpsed. Asha wondered if the limits of the viewing portal were intentional—the merpeople probably weren't keen to have their secluded home on display.

Hopping lightly down to the shore, she headed back over to Severus. An angled circular disk hovered before him, somewhat similar to what Dumbledore had created on the surface of the lake.

"Optical Well charm," Severus said, before Asha could ask. "It needs pre-prepared on-location charms to connect to," he added, again, before Asha could ask.

Severus angled and manipulated the portal with his wand, scanning through the lake and zooming in until he located Harry.

He gave a hiss. "That little..."

"What is it?" Asha asked, her stomach lurching. Severus didn't answer. It's so annoying how he does that. At least Harry looked to be safe.

Asha waited tensely, not wanting to distract Severus from searching the underwater landscape for any signs of dangers not a part of the task. But what happens if something does happen to Harry? she thought. Can defensive magic be performed through the Optical Well?

Her heart leapt into her throat as a hand appeared near Harry's ankle.

"Relax," Severus drawled, "it's merely a Grindylow."

Sure enough, an ugly little head emerged from the weeds. Asha bit her lip and pushed her panic back down. Severus gave her a curious look. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"What!" she insisted, not about to let him get away with another non-answer.

"I'm simply curious as to when you started feeling such concern for Potter." He spat the name out like a bitter taste.

Asha sure as hell wasn't about to admit that Harry reminded her of Cole; that she would be fucking damned if she was going to let another precious boy die on her watch. Especially in the name of Voldemort.

"Am I not allowed to care for the safety of students?" she replied mildly. Severus didn't look convinced. Time for a subject change. "I'm curious as to why you used Protego throughout that whole duel when you've spent all our lessons telling me not to rebound curses."

"When facing an opponent under the disillusionment charm, one can use the angle of rebound to triangulate the direction from which the spell came," Severus explained, eyes still glued to the portal.

Asha was silent for several moments.

"Why haven't you taught me that!" she demanded.

Severus' mouth quirked in amusement. "There are countless things I haven't taught you yet, Winters. Progress faster and I'll teach faster."

Asha ground her teeth. Severus knew full well she was learning as fast as she goddamn could.

"Was that peculiar translucent pulse on the shore a use of your abilities?" Severus asked curiously. "I wasn't aware you were capable of shielding magic like that."

"Neither was I," Asha replied unhappily—she hated that pure luck was all that had saved her from her own incompetence. "I knew I could block physical things, but I'd never tried it against magic."

"And why, might I ask, did you not use your abilities to throw me off when I had you pinned to the ground? You've told me of incidents during your adolescence when you were able to knock people down or propel them off you."

Asha undid her hair, letting it fall loose around her face. "I didn't think to do it," she mumbled.

"Why not?" His tone was curious.

"I don't know. I guess the fact you were disillusioned threw me off."

Severus pondered this while watching Harry fight off several stubborn Grindylows. Asha turned away, addressing a shallow but lengthy cut on her thigh where a bramble had ripped her jeans.

"It may be prudent that we add practice with your abilities to our duelling sessions," Severus said. "I am aware you work on them with Albus, but—"

"Albus and I only investigate them from an academic standpoint. He doesn't want me using them around others, especially not anyone I would have reason to duel. It would be a waste of time."

"Even as a means to save your own life?" Severus questioned. "I think it important you become familiar enough with using your abilities in combat that you would—at the very least—remember your options."

Asha shoved her hands in her pockets and looked away. "My abilities kill people," she said quietly. "I'm not using them on you."

Severus' brow knitted. He turned to her, but abruptly, he tensed and his attention snapped back to the Optical Well. Then he scowled. "That is so typical of Potter!"

The pearly, translucent figure of Moaning Myrtle was pointing Harry in the direction of the Mercity. "Lucking out," Severus muttered angrily, "taking the path of least resistance. That is quintessential Potter."

"Huh. I'm surprised Myrtle helped him," Asha admitted. "She usually likes nothing more than to see people crumble. Potter"—she imitated Severus' disdain for the word—"must be really patient with her."

"Some would call it cheating," Severus growled.

Asha regarded him curiously. "Shall we talk about why you have such a problem with Harry Potter? For someone who reads people well, you have a rather skewed opinion of him," she observed shrewdly.

"Don't tell me you've joined the Potter fan club."

"Fan club might be a bit far, but he's actually nice and pleasant... unlike some people I know."

"I'm fairly sure you don't value my company for my congeniality."

Asha smirked.

"In any case, you may not be aware, but Potter has been breaking into my office," Severus hissed. "I almost caught him red-handed in the middle of the night last month.

"Specific ingredients have been going missing from my office all year. I very nearly overlooked the pattern, but once I saw it... All the rarer components of Polyjuice Potion.

"His use of Gillyweed all but confirms he is the culprit. Cuttings from that plant are exceedingly rare and expensive! Do you realise how difficult that will be for me to replace? The little thief!"

"Not a fan of thieves, are you?" Asha raised a brow. Severus was well aware of her criminal past, having been the recipient of several thrilling retellings.

He pulled his eyes away from the portal to cast her an annoyed look.

"I thought you added undetectable alerting wards around your office. How have you not managed to catch him? Getting repeatedly burgled by a fourteen-year-old boy, are you, Severus?"

"I was waylaid," he said tightly.

"Mmm?" Asha leaned over and nudged him with her shoulder.

"I heard screaming." Severus clenched his teeth. "It was Potter's egg."

Asha smothered a laugh, knowing exactly how livid Severus must be to have been outsmarted by Potter. Indeed, he now made some unnecessarily aggressive wand flicks at the Optical Well.

"But isn't Polyjuice a sixth-year potion?" Asha mused. "And don't you always go on about how terrible Harry is at potions?"

"I don't always go on about it."

Asha grinned. "No, of course not," she chimed, mimicking his words from earlier.

"Careful, Winters. Or you might find yourself joining the Champions in the lake."

"You reckon?"

"I do."

Asha smirked. "You're ignoring my first question."

"Could Potter brew Polyjuice? Absolutely not. But I don't doubt Granger could do it."

"Yeah." Asha huffed. "I can't believe she's still beating me in your class."

"I can."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed. "You're just grumpy Potter's about to win another task."

Sure enough, Harry had just become the first Champion to arrive at the suspended bodies of four hostages tied near the edge of the Mercity. Asha snorted—Fred and George were going to be delighted when they found out Ron had been floating like a princess, waiting to be saved by dashing Prince Potter.

"What on earth is he doing?" Severus grumbled. Harry was mucking around, arguing with the Merchieftain. "Arrogant, hot-headed imbecile." He said the words so quietly that Asha barely caught them.

The way Severus snarled about Harry was bizarre and unsettling. As far as she knew, Severus wasn't as unjust or nasty with any other student. She had challenged him about it enough times that he no longer even denied his particular dislike for Potter. He simply refused to divulge its origins. Nor had Albus yielded any clues on the subject.

"Is he trying to take all of the hostages?" Asha wondered.

Severus scoffed. "Undoubtedly. Potter is driven solely by the tides of his emotions, never stopping to use his over-inflated head." Then, under his breath: "You couldn't find a teenager more difficult to keep alive if you tried."

Overhead, the sky was turning a deep navy, with only a faint orange glow to the west. The temperature was quickly dropping.

Amidst the natural rustling of the forest and cacophony of birds, a faint rhythmic thud drifted from the trees. Ears pricked, Asha reached for her wand, but Severus gave a near-imperceptible shake of his head.

"Sit," he whispered, indicating a nearby rock with his eyes.

If it were anyone else, Asha would have hesitated, looked around, gripped her wand. Instead, she sat down, turning her back to potential danger. It was an odd, unfamiliar feeling, she realised, trusting someone the way she did Severus.

A crunching of uneven footsteps hit the pebbles of the shore, and Severus looked around. "Professor Moody," he intoned coldly, letting Asha know how she should act. She twisted around.

Asha was fond of the old Auror, and being one of his most engaged students, he seemed to like her. Still, his appearance was unnerving.

"Why've you got a student with you, Snape?" Moody demanded in his gruff voice.

The way Moody said 'Snape' was strikingly similar to the way Severus said 'Potter'. Hearing Severus spoken to that way set off a small inferno in Asha's chest. It was enough to put her entire opinion of Moody on shaky ground.

"Miss Winters is serving detention with me," Severus explained curtly.

"While you're on duty?" Moody asked sharply. His scarred face twisted with disapproval.

"Evidently," Severus replied. When Moody continued to level him with an interrogating stare, Severus said, "I rather thought greatly impeding her spectatorship of one of the most thrilling events of her schooling years might finally make a satisfactory impression."

"Ah, yes," Moody turned to Asha, "been having rather a lot of detentions with Professor Snape, have you, Winters?"

Asha didn't like that knowing gleam in his eye. For the first time, it crossed her mind that Moody's magical eye might've seen her in Severus' office any number of times.

"More than I'd like," she said, slipping into a sullen demeanour. She needed to stay vague. "Depends on how you define 'a lot'. One detention is already too many for my liking."

"Indeed." Moody's magical eye was staring through the side of his head at Severus. "There's a fair bit of destruction back there in the forest. Almost like someone's had a duel. Wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Snape?"

Asha's whole body went cold. Meanwhile, not a single tell brushed Severus' icy, impassive countenance.

"Do you really expect me to know everything that goes on in the Forbidden Forest?" he said in a bored voice. "The place is full of magical creatures. I'm not privy to all of their skirmishes and politics."

"Well, that's interesting, because some of the marks looked suspiciously like spell damage."

"You have been known to set your dustbins on stray cats, Moody, so do excuse me if I don't take your analysis of what warrants suspicion seriously," Severus drawled acidly. "Will you be gracing us with your presence for the rest of the task?"

"Certainly not," Moody growled. "I just wanted to check you were doing your job. Dumbledore might trust you, but I know better."

This time, Asha could tell Moody had touched a nerve.

"Think you know better than Albus Dumbledore, do you?" Severus sneered. "Perhaps the rumours of your descent into psychosis have it right."

Moody's magical eye darted back and forth between Severus and Asha while he gave the former a gruesome smile. "People always get what's coming for them in the end, Snape."

As he stumped away, the sharp crunch of his wooden leg on the pebbled shore clawed at the back of Asha's neck.

"That's a long trek for him to make on that leg," she murmured after a long, tense silence.

"He is simply being a nosey, paranoid meddler as usual," growled Severus.

"Why doesn't Moody trust you?" Asha asked carefully.

"He's the most suspicious man you'll ever meet," Severus replied dismissively. "The lunatic doesn't trust anyone."

But Asha was still picturing that knowing look in Moody's eye, that slight malevolent gleam. "He must've seen me in your office," she murmured. "Shit, what if he saw me in your chambers? That eye can see through walls! Why didn't we think of that!"

Foreboding crept up Asha's throat. Moody loathed anyone even slightly in line with Voldemort. After all, it had been Death Eaters who gave him all those horrific scars...

"The man attacks pot plants for acting suspicious," Asha hissed, dread creeping into her voice. "I'm full of Dark magic, Dark blood, Dark everything! He's—"

Feeling it was a safe moment to pull his eyes from the Well (Potter was still with the hostages), Severus turned to her.

"Asha, look at me." His voice was forceful but steady. "Even if he has seen your unusual behaviour—our unusual behaviour—when Albus refuses to disclose anything on the subject, he will drop it. Despite what Moody says about trusting no one, he does trust Dumbledore. He won't be a problem."

Asha looked up into those hard, unrelenting eyes. Severus seemed so certain, yet Asha's unease seemed keen to take up permanent residence.

For the remainder of the task, she paced up and down the shore. The sky faded to twinkling black. A gibbous moon rose up behind the silhouette of the castle, painting the world in a silvery glow. Lost in thought, Asha didn't hear the skittering echo of Ludo Bagman's closing remarks across the lake.

Severus walked over. "Your little friend Diggory just won the task."

Asha didn't seem to have heard him. She was staring into the darkness, her expression more calculating and grim than anyone her age should be capable of bearing.

"How do you cast that presence-detecting charm?" she asked abruptly.

Severus turned and pointed his wand at the forest. "Homenum revelio," he murmured. "I can lend you a text. You ought to be performing spells like this every time you sneak out here, now that we know Madeye is skulking around. All clear."

Deciding it was finally safe to use her abilities, Asha raised her palms and pulled at the vastness of air behind her. An immense blast of wind tore through the forest, over her shoulders and out across the lake.

Ripples and white caps sprang up on the water's surface, sparkling under the moonlight. Icy night air buffeted at Asha's back and whipped her hair around her face for several long, wonderful seconds, before returning to its natural calm.

The weight pulling at Asha's stomach lightened. Using her abilities always felt so freeing.

"Thank you for that."

Asha looked over to see Severus's hair looking uncharacteristically ruffled.

"It suits you," she remarked with a quirk of her lips. Severus gave her a flat look as he ran a hand through it. He flicked his wand.

Out of nowhere, a dark figure hurtled at them from the treeline. Asha practically jumped out of her skin. With a squeak of fright, her wand was out and her shield covering both Severus and her, before she realised it wasn't a Death Eater or Dementor or any kind of nefarious creature.

It was Severus' cloak.

He caught it and pulled it on. "What was that little noise you made there, Winters?"

"You..."

Severus chuckled. The deep, resonant sound made Asha quite breathless. And he's not even drunk.

"I... That... You are such a prick!" she spluttered, but his smile was infectious. She pointed her wand at him in mock threat. "Next time that cloak flies at me, I'm incinerating it!"

Severus only smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You better." Asha stowed her wand and buttoned her coat against the chill.

For a long moment, they were still, regarding each other fondly in the darkness, even as the burdens they bore hung around them like mist.

Severus was the one to break the silence.

"Fancy a walk?"

*

A/N: YES SEVERUS SNAPE I DO FANCY A WALK

Not me writing in Sev pinning Asha to the ground just because I'm a submissive fuck

In the books, I think it's so clever the way Moody says, "If there's one thing I hate, it's a Death Eater who walked free," a sentiment that fits both Moody and Barty Crouch Jr!!

Also can we talk about Sev abandoning a real-time break-in to his office because he heard screaming elsewhere in the castle - bro is a hero

Don't forget to vote! 😊