News of what she had done to the three Gryffindors had spread through the school like wildfire and Lauren now found that her reputation had been upped to that of celebrity status. She was greeted rather enthusiastically by the rest of her House, who were undoubtedly very proud of their little spitfire Slytherin. The Gryffindors, on the other hand, were another matter.

Oddly enough, they had not appreciated what she had done to three of their own and were now resorting to shooting her venomous glares wherever possible. But as much as they now detested her, Lauren noted that they were being rather cautious around her and were keeping a safe distance. Having the reputation of being a mini-Snape, she thought with amusement, was working to her advantage.

And what was even more curious was that Draco was now acting downright civil towards her - well civil for him at least. Before, Draco and Lauren had come to a mutual understanding and had, for the most part, kept out of each other's way. Now, however, when they passed each other or were in the same room, Draco would incline his head towards her in a respectful greeting. Lauren, admittedly, had been suspicious at first, but now she found herself nodding back. Draco had ulterior motives, no doubt, but Lauren decided she would wait it out and see what his game plan was.

But Draco wasn't forefront on her mind at the moment.

Snape, notorious for holding a grudge, was ignoring her of late, which was unsurprising. Lauren had hoped that his attitude towards her would be different, though, especially since he had defended her actions. But now she could see how feeble that hope had been.

Severus practically radiated pent-up tension whenever he swept past her workstation during Potion lessons, not even once bothering to stop and glance in her cauldron to check on her brew. His features were set in a permanent scowl – which was not unusual in itself - but he was leaving no doubt in Lauren's mind that he was still very much furious with her. And this knowledge stung more than it should have.

Friday's Potion's lesson drew to an end and as the students filed out of the classroom, Lauren remained seated at her desk, waiting for her detention to commence. Tracey squeezed her shoulder in encouragement, coupling the gesture with a sympathetic look before following the rest of her classmates out.

The door slammed shut behind the last retreating student, a bit of wandless and non-verbal magic cast by Severus, no doubt.

The silence that permeated the room was stifling and Lauren had to force herself not to fidget as her thoughts ran rampant. Severus had defended her, yes, but that didn't mean he was going to be lenient with her, especially if her was still as angry as his attitude suggested.

Snape leaned back in his chair, steepling his long fingers in front of him as he glared at the surface of his desk. His features were set in a deep scowl, his eyes darker than usual and foretelling of a brewing storm beneath the surface.

As the minutes ticked by, he made no move, clearly in no hurry to break the silence. Lauren resisted squirming in her chair, for his reticence, she had fast learned, did not bode well.

Finally Severus slowly raised his head, his raven hair framing his place features and his dark eyes capturing Lauren's in the spellbinding swirl of danger lurking in those obsidian depths.

"Last week's escapade has brought to light some pressing issues," he began, his deep silky voice filling every crevice of the room. Snape's voice was his weapon and he could use it to wield all-consuming fear, curling dread or complete rapture. And right now his tone had her tensing up like a tightly coiled spring. "Tell me, Miss Ward," he continued, rising to his feet in an unfurling of black. With unhurried movements, he rounded his desk and leaned back against the hard wood, staring down his nose at her as he folded his arms in front of him. "What do you consider to be your character flaws?"

Lauren had no idea where he was heading with this, but she knew that it was best to answer him, especially in his current mercurial mood.

"My...temper," she ventured cautiously.

Snape's eyes narrowed, glinting. "Go on."

Well shit...how much more does he want to know? I'd bet anything he already has a list drawn up.

Lauren breathed in deeply through her nose, willing herself to remain calm under his penetrating gaze. "I'm rash, quick-tempered, hot-headed and stubborn."

Snape arched a brow at her quickly recited words.

Lauren lowered her gaze. "I'm well aware of my 'flaws', as you so aptly put it. They've been pointed out to me on more than one occasion."

"How mature of you," he drawled sarcastically. He paused, gauging her. When he spoke again, his voice held a hard edge to it. "Yet you lack the wisdom to rectify the very traits that continuously get you into trouble. I think you should add juvenility to your list of shortcomings," he sneered.

Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowing. "Did you just call me immature?"

"For someone who continuously professes that she is an adult, your actions are that of a petulant child. So yes, I'm calling you immature, for lack of a better word."

She glowered back at him. "There no point in in being grown up if one can't act a little childish sometimes." At Snape's ensuing frown, Lauren elaborated. "It's a Doctor Who quote."

His frown deepened as he stared at her. Then, deciding to dismiss her statement, he continued. "Do you ever think before you act? Because I can guarantee you that not being able to keep a level head in a situation can often mean your death. You need to be able to focus and think clearly, especially in the war that is coming."

Lauren straightened up in her chair. They were now drawing near to what he was really getting at.

"You need to learn to rein in your emotions, Miss Ward," he continued.

"What exactly are you suggesting, Professor Snape?" she asked, dread curling in the pit of her stomach as she had a distinct idea of what he was about to advocate.

"I think it's time for you to learn Occlumency."

Lauren hated it when her suspicions were proved correct.

"No! Absolutely not. I refuse!" she exclaimed, rising to her feet and shaking her head vigorously.

Snape regarded her, a mixture of disdain and curiosity swirling in those obsidian depths. "What are you scared of, Miss Ward?"

Lauren paused, for Snape had hit the nail right on the head. She was scared.

"Besides having you rummaging around in my head...who would say no to something like that?" she asked with a bite of sarcasm. "Besides, you might see things you're not supposed to."

"You're referring to your knowledge of future events."

Lauren gave a nod, hoping that would be enough to deter him.

Snape unfolded his arms and clutched the edge of his desk either side of him. His eyes narrowed as he countered her argument. "I am a highly accomplished Occlumens, Miss Ward. Not some dundering novice who doesn't have a clue. I can assure you that I will not search out, neither inadvertently nor intentionally, information regarding Harry Potter and the future of the wizarding world."

Shit, he's not going to let this drop.

Lauren shook her head. "No."

Snape pushed away from his desk and strode towards her, the workstation the only barrier separating them. He leaned forward; his palms planted firmly upon the surface of the workstation.

"What are you afraid of, Miss Ward?" he demanded, his dark gaze boring into her, searching for an answer.

Lauren pressed her lips tightly together, backing away as she shook her head from side to side.

Snape slowly straightened to his full height. "Tell me."

Again Lauren shook her head in refusal.

"Tell me now or I might be tempted to delve into your mind and seek out the answer myself," he stated, his tone dripping with dark promise.

Lauren's eyes widened at the threat. "You wouldn't!"

"I'm angry enough with you at the moment that I am quit tempted to do so."

It was then that Lauren realized how wrong she had been about Snape. He lived by his own code of conduct, yes, but the lines between right and wrong were blurred sometimes when it came to him. And right now, the lines were very blurred indeed.

"You'll learn thing about me that I don't want you to know," she blurted out.

"Then we shall be even," he sneered back.

Lauren blinked as the true nature of his intentions became clear. In a sick, twisted way this was her punishment for using his magic without his permission.

Oh, he was phrasing it as wanting to teach her to control her emotions and be as mentally prepared for the upcoming war as she could be, but he also intended for this to be humiliating for her.

"Now clear your mind," he commanded.

"What?! No! Wait!"

Her protests fell on deaf ears and suddenly Snape was inside of her mind without warning. Lauren didn't even have time to put up any mental barriers, nor clear her mind sufficiently enough.

Suddenly memories flashed before her very eyes in a blur...

...Lauren was young in this memory, maybe about five-years-old. She was curled into a ball under the thin covers of her bed, shaking from cold and hunger...

The memory faded and suddenly she was launched into another one.

....She was playing with a threadbare toy bunny rabbit under the kitchen table, humming quietly to herself. The kitchen, though clean, resembled a home that had endured poverty. The table, which memory-Lauren was playing under, was cheap and rickety and the fridge in the corner, if opened, would hold very little food within it. Unless you counted beer as a staple.

Suddenly raised voices could be heard from the other room, causing Lauren's head to snap up and her youthful eyes to widen in fear. The sound of a ringing slap echoed throughout the house...

The memory zoomed away and was replaced by another.

...Lauren was walking home from school. Her shoes were worn and almost too small for her feet. It was a crisp Autumn day, bright yellow, red and orange leaves blanketing the gravel path. She was wearing a coat that was obviously second-hand and frayed.

Suddenly she clutched the back of her head, a cry of pain escaping her lips, and whirled around, spying a gang of older kids from her school trailing behind her. They were tossing pebbles in the air, cruel intent gleaming in their eyes.

"Raggedy Anne, come and play," they taunted.

The pebbles started to fly in her direction. Lauren ran as fast as she could to escape, but she suddenly stumbled and fell hard to the ground, the gravel scraping against her palms and knees. She tried to scramble to her feet but was yanked forcibly back down to the ground. Lauren struggled against her captors but was too small and weak. Then the kids tugged her to her feet and started shoving her around in the circle they had formed around her, jeering and laughing cruelly...

The memory shifted and suddenly Lauren was flung into one where she was older, about ten...

...Lauren was playing with the same plush bunny rabbit, though it was now dirtier and was missing a button eye.

She was sitting in the middle of her rather bare and gloomy bedroom, weak sunlight streaming in through the grimy window, though it was enough to shed light on the blossoming bruise cresting her cheek.

Suddenly a loud and obviously drunken male voice could be heard swearing downstairs. Lauren eyed the closed door with fear plainly written on her face, the pulse beating frantically in the side of her neck. She glanced around the room with wild desperation and then scrambled to her feet, hastily pushing the only piece of furniture in the room against the door – an insubstantial bedside table.

Then she raced to the wardrobe and flung the door open. She paused and then dashed back for her toy bunny, which she had left lying on the floor in her haste. There's the unmistakable sound of crashing furniture, punctuated by a woman's scream, but that's cut short by the sound of the loud slap that can be heard from even upstairs.

Lauren dove into the wardrobe, where only a single coat and a pair of worn shoes reside, and hastily closed the door.

The sound of heavy booted feet could be heard ascending the stairs. Lauren huddled in the corner of the closet, clutching her toy bunny tightly to her chest and clamping her hand tightly over her mouth to stop herself from making any noise. Even in the gloom, her silent tears could be seen flowing down her cheeks.

The door crashed open and Lauren flinched visibly, unable to stop the cry of fear that escaped her lips...

"Stop." Her command penetrated through the memory like the cracking of a whip and almost immediately Snape retreated from her mind.

Lauren blinked as the memories faded away, realizing that she was back in the Potion's classroom. She raised her hand dazedly to her cheek and her fingertips come away damp with her salty tears. She hadn't even realized she had been crying.

Her gaze landed on Snape, who was standing before her looking markedly pale, and she thought she glimpsed regret lurking behind his eyes.

Lauren wanted to slap him with every fiber of her being.

"You unimaginable bastard," she whispered.

Snape's eyes focused on her, though it was clear that he hadn't even heard her insult. "Was that your father?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes."

She could see him swallowing hard as he struggled to formulate his next question. "Did he...?" Was it her imagination or was Snape unable to complete the sentence?

"I wasn't sexually abused, if that's what you're asking," Lauren stated flatly. "My father much preferred using his belt and fists."

Snape closed his eyes tightly at her admission, almost as though the thought of it was causing him physical pain. But Lauren was beyond caring.

"If you're quite done having your bit of fun, I'm leaving."

His eyes snapped open, his usually guarded features clearly reflecting guilt. But it was too late for apologies.

He opened his mouth, but Lauren cut him off rather viciously.

"No! I'm done playing your vindictive and cruel games, Severus Snape. You had no right! What you did was a violation. You broke my trust! I'm done," she spat, whirling around and snatching up her schoolbag from the floor before storming out of the classroom, making sure to slam the door as hard as possible behind her.

That night her dreams were plagued with the memories she had fought so long and hard to forget – memories that Snape had dredged to the surface against her will.

She awoke with a gasp, clammy sweat clinging to her skin. Lauren blinked, her eyes adjusting to the gloom and was distinctly aware of the hard pounding of her heart in her chest. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, cradling her head in her hands.

She would not cry. Not over the past. Not over that cruel bastard.

Lauren slowly lifted her gaze and stilled when she noticed a vial resting on her bedside table. A vial that hadn't been there before she had crawled into bed.

She reached out and plucked it up, peering at the label: Dreamless Sleep.

By the spidery handwriting, she knew the potion had come from Snape. A peace offering of sorts. A weak apology.

Anger unfurled in her chest, white-hot in intensity, and Lauren flung the vial against the opposite wall, shattering it. Startled yelps permeated the room as the other girls woke up with a start. Lauren shifted back into her bed, pulling the covers firmly over her head.

How dare he!

The dark was the only witness to the lone tear that trickled down her cheek, silent and unseen.

It was now Lauren giving Snape the cold shoulder, pretending he didn't exist at all in the week that followed. She could feel his eyes trained on her during mealtimes and especially during her Potions classes, willing her to look up, look at him. But she was determined to hold onto her anger and refused to acknowledge him.

Inwardly she was seething. He had absolutely no right to do what he had done. He had crossed the line with her.

Just as she had crossed the line with him...

The irony – oh, the irony! – was not lost on her. Lauren had used his magic against his will just as Snape had used Occlumency on her against her will. They had both violated each other's trust. But that didn't make either of them right.

But Lauren was still too absorbed in her anger to contemplate much else except avoiding Snape altogether, although that couldn't last too long. She still had detention with him on Friday, something she was most definitely not looking forward to.

The dreaded Friday detention came all too soon, and Lauren briefly contemplated just walking out the classroom at the end of the lesson. The thought, though tempting, was inadvisable. Snape was not a person you dared outright defy.

So she sat at her workstation, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she glared at the countertop. Snape was seated behind his desk, watching her with that penetrating gaze of his.

"Miss Ward," he said after a prolong silence had lapsed.

Her scowl darkened. "Just tell me what I have to do for detention."

The silence that followed was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Your instructions are on the board," he finally stated.

Lauren lifted her gaze to the blackboard, her eyes skimming over the ingredients she would need to brew a Calming Draught. It was a lengthy and complex potion; way more advanced than she was capable of brewing at her skill level.

She stared at the board, her stomach knotting when she realized this was going to be a disaster.

"Is there a problem, Miss Ward?" Snape enquired.

It was then that Lauren understood why Snape had specifically allocated this difficult potion for her: he wanted her to ask for his help.

Like flying fuck I will.

"No," she replied curtly and made her way to the storage closet to collect the ingredients.

The next hour passed in silence, Lauren intently focused on brewing the potion, which was not going good at all. For one it was slimy green and smelled like cabbage. Secondly, it was belching dangerously, threatening to explode at any moment. Lauren extinguished the flame and sighed in defeat. This potion was going to take considerably more practice, and a few years, to perfect.

Lauren glanced over at Snape, who was busy grading essays at his desk. She noticed that he was using his new quill, the red bottle of ink nearby, and she had to quickly tamp down the pleased feeling that bubbled in her chest.

Snape paused, as though sensing her eyes on him, and Lauren quickly averted her gaze. A few seconds ticked by and then she heard his quill resume scratching once more on the parchment.

She clutched at the edge of her workstation as she stared at the disaster of the potion. Thoughts whirled around in her head, consuming her entirely that she did not notice that Snape was now watching her, waiting. After a few moments she became aware of him.

"What you did was unforgiveable," she finally stated, looking up to meet his gaze.

"I know."

"Juvenile even," she said, throwing his words from last week back into his face.

Snape merely stared back at her; his features guarded. But he made no response so Lauren continued.

"You talk about controlling one's emotions, yet you have one of the worst tempers I have ever seen."

Snape leaned forward in his chair; his hands clasped in front of him on his desk as he regarded her. "It would seem that you and I possess the same flaw then."

Lauren narrowed her eyes. It was nowhere near an apology, but she had hardly expected to receive one from him.

"It was a violation; a breach of my trust," she said through clenched teeth.

Snape's features remained an unreadable mask.

"I hope you enjoyed it," she snapped, pushing away from her workstation. "I hope my pain and humiliation were amusing to you -."

"No."

Lauren paused. Snape rose to his feet as well, his posture rigid and his jaw clenched as he glared back at her. This was the first bit of unguarded emotion she had glimpsed from him thus far since detention had commenced.

"What?"

"I garnered no enjoyment from any of it," Snape enunciated, his black eyes glinting at the memory.

Lauren was momentarily stunned by his admission. It had almost sounded heartfelt. "That wasn't an apology," she finally pointed out.

"No, it wasn't."

They stared at each other, both too headstrong to apologize, yet neither wanting things to continue the way they were between them.

"Is this what you do?" Lauren asked, shaking her head. "Push people away when they get too close? Is this how you usually treat your friends?"

"You are not my friend, Miss Ward. You are my student – nothing more, nothing less. You had best remember that," he cut in, his voice an ominous growl.

Lauren tried not to feel hurt by his words but dammit, it stung.

"My mistake then, Professor Snape," she bit back curtly.

Something unreadable flickered within the dark depths of his eyes.

Knowing they had come to a stalemate, Lauren picked up her bag from the floor and marched towards the door. She paused, her hand curled around the door handle.

No, don't say it Lauren! the rational part of her mind begged. But Lauren, as she had admitted, was rash and hotheaded.

"Don't make the same mistake with me as you did with Lily."

She swung open the door, but it was suddenly slammed shut in her face. She tried handle again, but it resolutely would not budge.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Snape snarled, punctuating each word.

Lauren leaned her forehead against the door, suddenly tired of it all. "You heard me." She drew in a deep breath and turned around to face him. "Lily was your friend – your only friend – and you pushed her away, just like you're trying to push me away."

Snape's glare darkened. "You are not my -."

"Yes, you've made that perfectly clear. A friend wouldn't do what you did. A friend wouldn't make me relive those memories!"

Tears stung her eyes and she couldn't help the lone tear that trickled down her cheek. She angrily swiped the tear away and glanced away, folding her arms protectively over her belly. Crying always made her feel so vulnerable.

The silence was her only reply, which was worse. She'd prefer Snape shouting and ranting at her; anything to distract her from the pain clawing at her heart.

"I'm so angry at you," she ground out as another tear fell free from her lashes.

A swathe of black entered her field of tear-blurred vision and she slowly looked up into the pale features of Severus Snape.

Suddenly the fight left her. She didn't want to continue down this path.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that about Lily," she murmured, unable to meet his gaze any longer.

He remained silent and Lauren finally dared looked up. Snape's expression was stony, frosty even, but she could discern the internal struggle waging in those dark depths.

"We're both terrible at this," she muttered bitterly.

"At what?" he finally asked, derision still evident in his voice.

"At apologizing."

Snape stared at her for what felt like eternity.

"You really were an ass," she ventured.

"And you, Miss Ward, vex me beyond what is reasonable."

She cracked a smile at his dry tone, relaxing now that his fury was now fast evaporating. They stared at each other, neither quite knowing how to proceed.

The seconds ticked by in a progressional march.

Snape was the first to break the hush that had descended, deciding on another approach, one that was obviously weighing heavy on his mind. "My actions were rash, this I admit, but I cannot impress upon you enough the importance of learning Occlumency, Miss Ward. My decision to start teaching you was not made lightly. Should the Dark Lord ever discover the knowledge you possess, he will not hesitate in using any means necessary to extract it from your mind."

Lauren knew he had a point, a very valid point, but her stomach still coiled with dread at the thought of enduring another Occlumency lesson, and especially having to relieve painful memories all over again. But Voldemort already had his sights set on her and, as far as she knew, did not know about her origins nor the fact that she held valuable knowledge that he could use to win the war. If he should ever learn the truth and get his hands on her...well, Snape's actions would seem like butterfly kisses compared to what Voldemort would do to her.

She studied Snape, a large part of her wanting to refuse, but the logical part of her whispering that this was necessary. Very necessary.

There was no way around this. It was time to pull on her big girl panties and face this head-on.

"If we continue with Occlumency lessons, we first need to lay down some ground rules."

Snape arched a brow, waiting for her to continue.

"Teach me properly. Don't tell me to do something and assume I know how."

Snape looked as though he were about to make a scathing retort, but after a moment's thought, he inclined his head in agreement.

"Secondly, don't use Occlumency as a way of taking your anger out on me."

His eyes flashed, but she held up her hand.

"And I will make a concerted effort not to use my knowledge of certain...things against you." She still regretted that Lily comment. It was the worst possible way to hurt him and, in her moment of anger, Lauren had used it to her full advantage. Not her proudest moment for sure.

Snape looked as though he didn't believe her for one second, which was perfectly understandable. He was not a person who trusted easily, and neither was she. But she was hoping that by agreeing to this, he would see that she had faith enough in him to place her trust in his hands once more.

She wanted things to return to the way they were before, and it was up to her to lay down the olive branch.

"And, I suppose you've seen the worst of my memories..."

Snape glanced sharply away, though Lauren thought she heard him mutter something along the lines of, "Thank god for small mercies."

She blinked in surprise as she realized that her memories had unsettled the impervious Snape.

"Professor Snape?"

He turned his attention to her once more, an unreadable mask now firmly in place.

Lauren reached out to him, wanting to convey silently that it was okay, but Snape swiftly stepped back and out of her reach.

Lauren dropped her hand to her side, stung by his actions. She had thought they had been making progress and were now coming to an amends. But as she looked up into his face, she saw none of the previous anger, but rather weariness. Then realization hit her.

"We really need to find a way to control...whatever is going on with our magic," she muttered.

"Hence the Occlumency lessons," he drawled.

"Trust you to have more than one reason for doing something."

Snape gave her a tightlipped smile, and for him that was a lot.

Lauren shook her head and glanced down at her wristwatch. It was almost time for dinner.

Looking up at Snape she arched her brow, challenging him. "Do you think my reputation as a bad-ass is enough to deter Professor Quirrell or do I still need you to walk me back to my room?"

Amusement flashed in his eyes. "I'll walk you back."

The walk back to the Slytherin Common Room was reminiscent of previous times, and almost felt normal.

Lauren glanced up at the dark Potion Master walking beside her and noticed the built-up tension that had enveloped him the entire week was visibly absent.

Snape, she had to conclude, had not enjoyed the rift that had formed between them.

Theirs was an unconventional friendship, with a lot of push and pull, but they were on the path to understanding each other a little better now. They were accepting each other, flaws and all.