Disclaimer: Please note, this is but a humble fan-fiction. All characters, places, themes etc belong to JK Rowling. I am merely toying with them for my own amusement. (Yes, Tricia too! Or Patricia to give her full name; I have, however, taken some rather large artistic liberties as she is only mentioned once and it's not even definite she's a Gryffindor).

Please feel free to review!

Chapter Warnings: language, yuri (indirectly referenced).

Chapter One

Tricia left the revelry of the Great Hall behind as she slipped out into the Entrance Hall, away from the celebrations. It had been fun while it lasted: the shock on everyone's faces when they saw the estimable Quidditch prodigy enter on the arm of another woman. It had been fun to see the teachers whisper as Tricia had steered Katie around the dance floor, flipping her, twirling her, making her laugh. It had been especially fun to see the mixture of disbelief and intrigue on the faces of their Gryffindor peers as Tricia had filched a sly kiss under the mistletoe. But, when it all came down to it, Katie wasn't like she was. She had agreed to go for the novelty of it, it seemed, and nothing more. It had not been long before a boy had approached her and Tricia had graciously let her date for the evening slip away. Tricia was not upset: it had been a laugh and, she thought wickedly as stepped into the draughty hallway, there was another hetero Hogwarts girl she could add to her list of conquests.

Smiling a small, private smile, Tricia meandered towards the open doors and let crisp night air refresh her senses. The Entrance Hall was quite empty: all of the castle's occupants and guests were either in the Hall or out in the gardens, trying to steal a few private moments with their dates. She thought for a moment about nipping back inside and trying to pry Alicia Spinnet away from her man candy - that depraved little minx would do anything for her - but decided against it. She was not really in the mood for Alicia's incessant talking.

As she leant pensively against a chilly, stone door jamb, wondering what to do with the rest of her evening, she heard quick footsteps approaching from outside. She had barely looked up before she spotted Professor Snape, sweeping up towards the castle, his cloak billowing and his greasy black hair speckled with enchanted snow.

'Great,' Tricia thought, rolling her eyes. 'Of all the things I could be doing right now, detention would not have been my first choice…'

However, she stayed resolutely where she was, quite determined that she was doing no wrong by simply taking in a little air. Not that ever mattered to him of course: if he wanted you punished, he'd find something.

"Miss Stimpson," he muttered, and Tricia felt the usual shiver as his cold, black eyes met her own. "What are you doing out here?"

"Getting some fresh air, Professor," she replied innocently, quite determined to stare him down. He glanced subtly around the hallway before turning his gaze to her once more.

"No date?" he asked. His tone was casual enough but the cruel smirk that pulled at his lips said otherwise; he was goading her. Tricia frowned, determined not to rise to the bait.

"No, sir," she replied quietly, forcing her tone to remain civil. "Not anymore."

"What a pity," Snape murmured, silkily. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, Miss Stimpson. There are a limited number girls inclined to such proclivity after all."

His black eyes glittered with cold triumph as the outrage crossed her face. It took all of her self control not to slap him.

"And what is that supposed to mean, Professor?" she hissed, spitting his title out as she would do a curse. He smirked all the more, closing the gap between them and dropping his voice to a bare whisper.

"Oh, I think you know," he intimated. "You have a reputation, Miss Stimpson, for being rather free with your… affections." He sneered. "Have you perchance exhausted your options?"

"Fuck you!" Tricia spat venomously, before she could stop herself. At once, his black eyes widened in disbelief and fury, and Tricia knew she was seconds away from serious trouble.

"I beg your pardon?" he breathed, his voice dangerously low as he bore down menacingly upon the Gryffindor. Tricia felt a strange mixture of horror and thrill as he towered over her but she pushed it aside to let her anger flow freely. She didn't care if he was a teacher - no one got away with speaking to her like that.

"You heard me!" she snarled. "Fuck you. You think I don't know what you're doing? I didn't see you in there tonight, Professor - no date? Of course not, when was the last time you saw any action? Maybe if you stopped trying to ruin everyone else's fun, you might get a little!"

She knew she'd already gone too far; Snape's usually sallow face had flushed a nasty brick colour. There was vein twitching in his temple and his coal-coloured eyes were glittering with anger.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor, Miss Stimpson," he whispered, the tremulous note to voice testament to his barely restrained fury. "And detention, every Saturday for the next month. You dare-"

"Oh, give it up!" snapped Tricia, unable to stop herself now. "You think I'm scared of you? What can you do?"

"You be surprised," Snape snarled, eyes flashing. "I can make your life utterly miserable, Miss Stimpson, if I so choose to. Do you see this?" He stuffed a hand into his robes viciously and for a moment, Tricia though he was going to pull his wand on her. However, what he retrieved was merely a small crystal phial of a clear liquid. "Veritaserum," he hissed, dangerously. "You know by now what that is? Naturally, the use of such a powerful potion on a student is prohibited but one more word from you and you might just find my hand slips over your morning pumpkin juice. How would you like to spill your innermost secrets in front of the entire school, hm?"

Tricia glowered at him. She could not deny, the thought was alarming. But she had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. Instead, she did her best impression of his trademark sneer, leaning back against the wall with as much arrogance as she could muster.

"What secrets, Professor?" she murmured, lazily. "You said it yourself, I have no secrets; everyone round here knows my business. Unless this is your way to get the sordid details out of me for your own wicked means - in which case, you might try asking first-"

That had done it. His eyes widened so much that Tricia could see their whites and his face became a mask of pure, unbridled fury. Quickly, he glanced about, scanning the hallway for anyone who might bear witness to whatever he was going to do. Tricia expected to be hexed but instead the man simply grabbed her roughly by the arm and pushed her hard against the doorframe.

"How dare you!" he thundered, and he shook her roughly. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to? Do I need to make it a hundred points from Gryffindor before you employ a little penitence?"

Tricia would normally have been horrified at such a loss but at that moment in time, she didn't care. She was livid and shaking and, strangely enough, thoroughly excited. This man's powerful fury, his surprising weight bearing down upon her, and his use of that particular word sparked something she knew she should not be feeling.

"Penitence?" she repeated, unable to keep the intrigue out of her voice. The term brought a flood of inappropriate images to her mind; Snape slapping her smart across the face, Snape chaining her up, crucifix style, as he dripped hot wax over her bare flesh, Snape bending her over his knee and whipping her (ill-behaved) backside with a vicious switch. She blinked, trying to clear her head, and was surprised to note that he had pulled away, shock and embarrassment evident on his face as though he had seen it too. Tricia smirked.

"Legilimency's a curse as much as a blessing, isn't it, Professor?" she murmured. She knew she was skating on perilously thin ice now but she found she no longer cared - this was just too entertaining.

"Leave," Snape ordered her, quietly, his face completely inscrutable. "Leave now and we will never speak of this again. I will arrange Mr. Filch to do your detentions."

And he turned away, his black robes billowing as he headed towards the dungeons. Apparently, he had nothing more to say to her. She should have walked away then, should have considered herself lucky but Tricia felt like a child denied a treat and she was not about to let that happen. Before he had gotten halfway across the empty Entrance Hall, she called after him.

"What's the matter, Professor? Don't pretend you didn't like what you saw!"

Tricia was pleased to see him stop dead in his tracks. Slowly, ominously, he turned to glance at her, his expression thunderous, and he was beside her again in seconds.

"Have you completely taken leave of your senses, Miss Stimpson?" he raged. "What exactly, are you trying to achieve b-"

His sentence hung in the air unfinished, however, for Tricia had chosen that moment so press her lips fiercely against his own. Not at all gently, she seized the front of his voluminous black robes and subjected him to a thoroughly searching kiss. She did not know what had made her do it. What she did know was that she would gladly do it again. Passion, the likes of which she had never known, surged through her, accompanied by a burst of reckless excitement. The potion's master made a noise of surprise in the back of his throat and Tricia had just enough time to wonder what he was thinking before something collided with her side, knocking her to floor. Slightly dazed, she blinked upwards to see the formidable teacher towering over her, anger emanating from him like heat from a flame.

"You dare…?" he hissed. "Get up! You are in a world of trouble…"

Feeling rather dazed, Tricia staggered to her feet and was at once seized roughly by the arm. Snape said not a single word more, though his fury was palpable, as he marched her towards an empty classroom off the Hall. His pace was punishing and Tricia struggled hard to keep up with his lengthy strides as her high heels snagged the hems of her gown.