A/N: Well, hello there. Super long time since I last updated. And I do apologize. I won't make any promises of sooner updates as I can't foresee quick updates anymore. But I'll get around to this when I can and hopefully that will be more often than not. For now, here's a short update for you as penance.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Avonlea and Snape secretly worked on their bond over the course of the next three days, gently exploring each other's minds with tendrils of thought and emotion. Snape was great at it because he was already skilled at most things to do with the mind. Avonlea was always surprised when she learned how to do a new thing and poked at Snape at it for a bit with it until he snipped at her to do move onto the next lesson. Sometimes, he would torture her with what he knew because she annoyed him or he was feeling a bit…frisky.

Like apparently now.

The young Veela clamped a hand over her mouth as she laid on her side in her bedroom and squeezed her legs together, feeling a familiar sensation build up between her legs. Oh God…he's doing it again…

Avonlea gripped the blankets with her other hand and curled her toes as the sensation built to a higher point and she moaned against her hand. The feeling of needing to be with Snape was there. Right now. But she knew she couldn't. She had to get up soon, change, put a face on, and go meet her mother for something. Of what, she didn't know because it was, well, her mother. Snape would unfortunately have to wait.

Please have mercy…Avonlea thought, sending out soothing tendrils of thought.

The dark professor easily knocked them aside and Avonlea felt moist heat on her breasts through the cloth. Her blue eyes went wide and she squirmed on the bed, trying to get away from the sensations even though she knew it was impossible and doing so without making noise.

The Veela Halfling closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on Snape. She pictured flattening him on his back, completely bare and then mounting him. If he was going to mess with her, she was going to mess with him. The sensations hitched as Snape was caught off guard by her actions. The Veela Halfling pictured moving her hips against his, taking dominance over him, riding him into ecstasy and satisfying the two of them until they were both panting for air. She could feel Snape's hands on her hips as she laid there on her bed, but knew he wasn't physically in the room with her. They both released at the same time and Avonlea had to stifle her moan by putting her hand against her mouth tighter.

Don't…don't mess with me like this when you know I'm busy, Avonlea thought, moving hand away from her mouth as she rolled onto her back and sat up.

She could have sworn she felt Snape smile lazily as he laid on his bed somewhere in the brothel. The girl rolled her eyes before looking across the room at Carissa lying on her bed between Katia and Cassius. They didn't seem to be waking up. Which was a relief. No talking was needed. No explanations of what had happened. No teasing. Oh God, the teasing that could have happened if they had caught her.

Don't think about it.

Avonlea climbed out of bed and grabbed some fresh clothes. She took a quick shower, changed and then stepped in front of her vanity which was littered with freshly bought makeup from her mother. Avonlea sighed as she picked up the first piece and looked at it. She hated wearing lots of makeup. There was something about hiding her face behind all that makeup that made her feel like she was hiding something – who she was. And that wasn't something she wanted to do anymore.

Her mother had requested, practically demanded, that she wear all this makeup to whatever that was happening between the two of them. Avonlea stared at the mirror, trying to envision all of it on her face and hated the idea.

She could tell that Snape hated the idea too. The blonde could almost see him scowling at her in the mirror as she held that first piece of makeup in her hand, poised to use it.

"Nope," Avonlea said, tossing the makeup down and walking away.

"You're going to be in trouble," Carissa commented sleepily from her bed as Avonlea walked by. "No makeup, no fancy clothes. Morgana is going to throw a cow."

"Mom can throw a cow all she wants, I don't want to wear the bloody makeup on my face," Avonlea grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Good for you," Katia yawned.

Cassius threw his fist weakly in the air and snuggled further into the bed, wrapping his arm around Carissa's waist. Carissa threaded her fingers through his hair and smiled softly at Avonlea. Her eyes seemed to glow and Avonlea knew that she knew about what had happened.

"Bye," Avonlea muttered, turning tail and leaving before her friend could say anything.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Snape moved through the brothel, paying no attention to the working girls or their clients alike. He moved into the study and came face to face with a man of handsome features. Blond with striking blue-gray eyes. Tall and slim. Dressed to impressed and obviously well off. What he was doing in this brothel, well, it wasn't much of Snape's business. Who was he to care what another male was doing in this brothel?

That is…until Snape realized what that male was.

And it was most certainly not human.

Not a normal wizard.

And there was only one nonhuman he knew that was coming to the brothel to despise.

"You're a Veela," Snape commented, grabbing a book from the shelf.

The man turned from the fire. "Why, yes. Yes, I am."

"I suppose that makes you, Kraven."

The Veela smirked. "You've heard of me."

"Regrettably." Snape flipped through the book. "You are the father of one of my pupils who is visiting here. A Miss Avonlea Raven and she has been rather distraught about meeting you."

"Distraught?" Kraven chuckled and put his hands in his pockets. "Why would my daughter be distraught in meeting me? I would have thought that she would be excited to meet me after all these years."

"Perhaps your absence has rubbed her the wrong way?" Snape suggested.

"And what do you know of that?"

"Plenty. Enough to give this Professor a headache." Snape snapped the book shut. "It is not my favorite pastime to learn that one of my House has been plagued by an absentee father that suddenly wants to show interest now that she has survived into adulthood."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be so involved in your students' lives. Then you wouldn't be so bothered by this." Kraven turned his nose up. "It's none of your business anyway."

Wrong. "That's not how Hogwarts works, sir," Snape told him in a waspish voice. "A Head of House pays attention to his students and assists them when they are in need. Miss Raven was in need and it is my responsibility to help her. You, Kraven, are a problem for her and your sudden insistence to see her just to see the results of her not becoming a vampire has put a lot of pressure on the poor girl, who has the inability to say no to anyone. Especially her family and professors."

Kraven stared at Snape for a moment. "Like I said, this is none of your business and I think you should leave this study. Because I'm about to meet my daughter for the first time since she was a little child."

"For the first time, period, you mean?" Snape retorted, feeling his mate's approach.

"Go away, whoever you are," Kraven snapped, baring his fangs. "You're positively frustrating."

Snape turned away and opened his book once more, but made no move to leave. Kraven huffed and adjusted his suit jacket noisily.

"Bugger," Kraven said.

"Mother, what is going on?" Avonlea's voice demanded softly from the hall.

"You'll see in a moment, my dear," Morgana was saying. "Oh, how I wish you would have worn at least a little makeup on your beautiful face. It would have made just the right look with your clothes. But it's too late for that now. You're just going to have to see the surprise the way you are."

Turn around and go the other way, Avonlea, Snape thought, running his finger along the page as he pretended to read. This is not the time that you want to face this surprise, this man…

Avonlea came into the room on Morgana's arm and drew up short as her eyes flickered on Snape with a look of surprise. "Professor?"

Snape pretended to ignore her, but sent a tendril of thought to gently caress her with soothing touches.

Her blue eyes turned away from him and her eyes widened even further. She let out a small sound – a mixture of a gasp, a whine, and a growl. Something that a wounded animal would make if trapped in a place that they didn't want to be if Snape had to guess.

"Avonlea, this is your –" Morgana began, holding a hand out to the Veela male.

"I know who he must be," Avonlea said, jerking her arm away from her mother's. "And I want nothing to do with him."

"Avonlea!" Morgana cried, looking shocked.

The Veela Halfling pointed a finger up in Kraven's face. "Do you hear me? I want nothing to do with you? You can't just walk back into my life and pretend that everything is dandy. Because it's not. Now I don't care if you excuse me or not, but I'm leaving the study to be with people that I actually give a damn about."

She flashed her teeth at her father once before he could speak and then turned, heading out of the room with a slight spring in her step. Snape was impressed. He hadn't expected the girl to have such a backbone. He put his book down on the corner of the desk and met the father's eyes for a brief moment. Kraven had been staring after his daughter, but now glanced at Snape. Snape was skilled enough at mind games to read that fool's mind.

Snape straightened his cloak and turned, walking out of the room at a slower pace. He had grabbed another book on his way out and had curled his fingers around the spine. But as he grew farther away from the study and the remaining occupants, his fingers tightened on it until his fingernails bit into the leather.

He knows…

OOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: Short updates are short and probably not worthy of praise. I am getting bad at this writing thing, but I'm trying. I need to focus more. But my brain goes here and it goes there. I will get there. Woo. Have a blessed day. And thank you. -Scarlet