Goodnight, Sweet Princess
Chapter 5- To Cuddle or not to Cuddle?
Sometime later that night Tara woke up, still feeling tired, a bit sick, but not about to throw up again, and comfortably warm. The thin girl stretched and yawned, but didn't open her eyes. Feeling a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, she burrowed deeper into the embrace, and sighed with pleasure. Tara was curious to know who the person holding her was, but fearing the whole thing to be a dream, she left her eyes closed and satisfied herself by breathing in the person's scent. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that her mystery embracer smelled faintly of cedar and rain, reminding her of her home in Louisiana. Caught up in a school girl's fantasy, she imagined that to be the way Professor Snape would smell, if she could ever get close enough to smell him. Now curiosity ate her alive, and she could no longer hold back. With a sigh, she turned her face up towards her embracer's face, and opened her eyes. When she saw who was holding her, Tara stifled a gasp, and tried to squirm out of her potion master's grasp, only to have him mumble incoherently in his sleep and pull her closer to him. Tara could feel her cheeks burn bright red, and she forced herself to lie still in her professor's embrace.
A good amount of time passed, and still Snape did not wake, merely continued to hold Tara close as he slept. Finally, unable to take the close proximity any longer, Tara shifted, and at the same time, so did Snape. Their lips met, and as they did the potion master's eyes opened as he came awake. Tara blushed red again, but didn't pull away. Neither did Snape, though he too blushed. Aware that she was kissing her professor, she still couldn't keep herself from deepening the kiss, angling her head to fit her mouth better to his. Tara's small movement was enough to jolt the professor back to his senses, and he quickly pushed her away, looking as though he had kissed some kind of particularly nasty bug. Tara had pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the bed when he had jumped up so suddenly, and was studying him intently from her perch.
Unsure whether she should be insulted or simply shocked, she blurted out "Professor Snape, I don't know what came over me. I won't say I'm sorry that happened, because I'm not," Tara clenched her fist and continued, unable to tell if he was even listening to her. "I've wanted to kiss you for years. I am sorry if it upset you, and if you hate me, I understand completely." Still, Professor Snape sat on his side of the bed, with the same look on his face. "Fine. I can see that you do then. I'll just get my things and go. I'm sure I can work some other arrangement out with the headmaster." Tara stood and fought the dizziness that assaulted her, refusing to show any weakness in front of this man. She made her way to the dresser, removed a pair of school robes, and stormed out into the main room, heading for the hall. Somehow, before she managed to get the door open completely she found that it was shut in front of her by a strong hand next to her head. Tara turned and pressed herself against the cool wood, and looked deep into the eyes of her professor.
"Miss Landers. If I hated you, if I had not wanted that kiss at all in any way, it would not have occurred." Snape drawled. Tara found herself lost in his eyes, barely hearing what he was saying to her. "Tara. My name is Tara." She found herself telling him, still trapped in his gaze. "Tara" Her name sounded so different when he said it, as though he were caressing it, making it his own. Hearing it brought Tara back to her senses, and she shuddered involuntarily. "Professor Snape" she answered, but anything else she might have had in mind to say was cut off when his head dipped down, bringing his lips to meet hers for the second time that morning. The kiss was chaste enough, but it was soft and sweet. Tara broke it quickly, and looked down at her still bare feet. Once more, a tide of dizziness swept over her, and her knees gave out in under her, but she managed to keep consciousness. Tara looked up at her professor and caught what, had she not known better, she would have said was a look of worry as it passed over his features. In the next instant it was gone, and he was bending down to take her in his arms. Quickly he carried her to the bedroom and set her down on the bed. "Now. When exactly was the last time you ate, Miss Lan- er- Tara?" he asked her, all business. Tara shook her head, trying to think. "I had breakfast Friday morning, and then I had... well, I saw Madame Pomfrey for my... you know, but nothing since then." As Snape watched, she blushed and turned her head, trying to keep him from seeing her. "Ah, that explains quite a bit then. I imagine you were sick when you woke yesterday?" Tara nodded, still looking away from him. "I see. Has this ever happened before?" He pressed. "No, not that I can remember, Professor Snape." The Slytherin head of house seemed to consider this for a moment. "Clearly the Memoro Somnium Draught has unforeseen effects on vampires. I shall have to discover a way to alter it. As to your need for sustenance, you will have to do with what we have here."
Now rather confused, for she was not aware there was any food in Snape's chambers, she turned to look at him, but he had already moved to the desk, and was rummaging around inside it. "Professor, what exactly are you looking for?" Tara asked, and he turned around, holding something shiny and sharp looking in his hand. Tara gasped as she recognized the object as a small dagger. Snape sat back down on the bed, and as she watched in shock, he pulled up one of the sleeves on his robes, exposing a wrist that was nearly as white as hers. "No, Professor, you can't mean to..." "Of course. It would seem there are no other options open to us at the moment, this will have to suffice for the time being." Snape drawled as he brought the tiny blade down and dragged it across his wrist. When he lifted the blade a thin line of blood swelled up, nearly driving Tara mad with thirst. For a second he just watched her, then he extended his wrist to her. Unable to resist the temptation, Tara moved to sit closer to her professor, and took his wrist in her hands. "Professor... I've never done it this way before, are you sure it's alright?" Tara asked, looking up at him. Snape closed his eyes, and nodded. "Yes I am sure, now get on with it."
Tara smiled, and lowered her mouth to the cut on her professor's wrist, and sucked gently, drinking his blood as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The warm liquid filled her mouth and she was amazed at just how much better blood tasted when it was fresh. Tara let the taste of it wash over her, and with each mouthful she swallowed the better she felt. As she drank she felt the man beside her relax, and she wondered what he was thinking. Unknown to her, Snape found his mind to be quite blissfully blank at the time, he was unable to do more than concentrate on the gentle suction of the girl's lips on his wrist. Finally, after quite a few minutes, Tara stopped drinking, and ran her tongue gently over the cut, feeling him shudder as she did. Tara sat up and scooted back to sit farther back from him on the bed. Concern gripped her immediately, the man across from her was paler than normal, and he seemed to be swaying back and forth.
"Professor?" she asked gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. Snape seemed to mumble something, but she couldn't make it out, even with her preternatural hearing. "What was that Professor Snape?" she queried. "Severus. My name is Severus." "Er, yes. Well then Severus, what do we do now?" "Sleep" he muttered, and gave her a look that said that she must be crazy not to know that this was clearly the most obvious thing in the world. "Alright, then, I suppose we should get some sleep." Tara said, and feeling rather awkward, lay down on the bed. For a minute Snape simply watched as she lay down and rolled onto her side, presenting him with her back. Then unable to stay awake any longer, he lay down next to her, facing her back. Slowly he began to feel himself drifting off to sleep. As he was closing his eyes to give in to oblivion, a small quiet voice jolted him awake. "Uhm, Severus?" Tara had turned to face him. "I was wondering, can we, you know, like we did last night? Would you mind terribly? It's just that it was just so comfortable." She stammered and was rather surprised when he didn't answer her. Instead he took her in his arms again, and let her nestle her head in his chest.
For a very long time Tara simply lay there, locked in Severus' arms, listening to his heart as it beat steadily in his chest. She had tried to reason out just why he didn't seem to mind kissing her, but she couldn't figure it out. He had always been cold, if not downright cruel to her before, but now here she was cuddling with the man. It was just so confusing. None of what she knew about the man a week ago added up with the man she was sharing a bed with. The Professor Snape she had met the first week of school had been a cold, calculating, person who only did something if it was in his best interests. Yet he had apparently been donating his blood to keep her alive for the past four years. She knew that much for certain now, his blood had tasted the same as the blood she drank every Friday in the hospital wing. Tara let out a tiny groan, and cursed her sire for making her what she was. If he hadn't changed her into a vampire the night on her terrace she would have died, but at least she wouldn't be so confused about everything. Eventually she gave up thinking, and went back to listening to the professor's even breathing, falling off to sleep a short time later. Both teacher and student slept quite comfortably until the next morning.