Taking a stroll (Severus)

The sky was grey and the heavy clouds, that hang lowly above the forest, didn't let even the slightest ray of sun pass through to lighten up the gloomy path which led from Hogwarts to the village. Shivering in the clammy cold air of the morning, Selena pulled her cloak tighter around her slender form, her breath coming out in puffs. Even though she was wearing several layers of clothings, she felt the cold and freezing air seep into her bones and cursed her stupidity of suggesting the edge of the village as a meeting point. Then again, who could have known that the temperature would drop that quickly over night? She huffed in slight annoyance and rubbed her hands together to lessen the stiffness that had settled in them during the short walk.

Finally, she spied the little houses of the village in front of her and couldn't help but smile at the cosy impression the smoking chimneys and illuminated windows gave off. Selena really did love the season, no matter how much she sometimes complained about the cold and lack of sun. As she made her way through the small alleys, rain began to fall softly and the young witch chuckled as the song "Singing in the rain" started playing in her head.

Reaching the fence which guarded the Shrieking Shack and prevented stray students from entering the said-to-be-hunted house, Selena pulled out her wand and cleared a tree stump off dirt and wetness before sitting down on it. Thus was the position she was found in not much later by her boyfriend.

Severus brushed past some smaller students and sneered at those who started complaining about his rude demeanor, though behind the cold mask of his face, he was finding some amusement in their indignant reactions. Some people were just too easy to rile up and so he took great pleasure in provoking others to loose their composure. His dark eyes glittered dangerously, flitting from face to face of his fellow students, daring them to approach him as he strode through the hallways of the old castle, his long cloak billowing behind him.

With a flick of his wand, the heavy oak doors swung open and he stepped outide into the cool morning air, his keen eyes taking in everything, from the large barn owl carrying small package towards the window of the staff room, to the white shimmer somewhere between the tall trees of the forbidden forest that spoke of the gentle nature of a unicorn.
A muttered incantation send the waves of a protection spell washing over his body and warmth filtered through his clothes, as he lenghtened his strides till he almost seemed to glide over the muddy ground. Therefore, it didn't take him long to reach the little village short by.

A few minutes later, Severus had found the place where he was to meet Selena and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a crooked smile. He swiftly crossed over to her and sat down beside his girlfriend, sneaking an arm around her waist. "I hope you didn't have to wait too long for me?" he murmured into her ear.

Feeling the damp wood under her hands had a somewhat calming effect on Selena and she slowly drew her fingertips over the rough surface in a subconscious pattern that was not really clear to herself. A little ant darted across her hand and she quickly pulled it away at the tickling sensation and chuckled softly to herself. Usually, she didn't care much for insects, but these little creatures was actually rather cute.

With a sigh, she looked up when she heard soft steps approaching her and smiled warmly at Severus who quickly sat down behind her. Selena snuggled closer into his warm body trying to soak in the heat he send off while her cold fingers travelled up his chest and entangled in his dark hair. As she rested her head against his black-clad chest, Selena could hear his heart beating reassuringly under her ear and she closed her eyes comforted by his presence.

Severus felt his smile grow at the serene expression which his girlfriend bestowed upon him and pulled Selena closer to him and rested his chin on her shoulder, just enjoying the peaceful time with is girlfriend. Luckily the gush of rain from the night was over and they could stay outside for a while without being drenched to the bone.

Suddenly, something cold touched his exposed neck and he shuddered slightly as Selena moved her icy appendix over his scull. "Are you alright?" he asked her softly after she had been quietly leaning against him for some time. It wasn't her usualy demeanor to be so quiet and althought that in itself was not cause enough to be worrisome, it had Severus wonder what was on her mind.

With a sigh, another puff of damp air escaped her mouth and brushed against Severus' neck, as she looked up into his black eyes. Selena really didn't know how to answer that question, for she neither knew of a reason for the absence of her usual buoyant spirit, nor did she know how to explain why she was suddenly in a brown study. Normally, she was not inclined to slip into such a melancholic mood and there wasn't a specific event that could have brought it on; still, as Selena looked into the dark eyes of her lover, she had to give word to her thoughts.

"I'm fine, Severus..." she said, her voice sounding far-off even to her own ears. With an almost visible shake, she brought herself back to the present and smiled softly at him. "I just found myself in quite a melancholic mood as of late." she chuckled a bit. "In our last defense lesson, the professor asked how much we think we know of the defense against the dark arts. That just made me realize, how little I actually do know about defending myself. Don't get me wrong..." she exclaimed, noticing his doubtful expression, "I know I'm as good, maybe even better at the subject than the average student, yet if I should encounter a Death Eater, I know that the odds were against me." she concluded, her troubled eyes searching for a solution in his.

It was with a heavy heart that Severus listened to his girlfriend's words, realizing just then that no matter how much he wished to keep her away from all the darkness of the approaching war, he wouldn't always be there to keep her safe. So the only rational solution would be to train her to be able to protect herself. In this, Severus was certain, he would not fail, afterall, he himself knew more about the dark arts and the defense against the aforementioned than even most of their teachers. It was completely out of question that he would let anyone but himself install the knowledge she would need to survive this war in her.

So his mind was already formulating training plans and several books he would advise her to read before Selena had even finished giving word to what so troubled her mind. Thoughtfully, Severus brushed a stray flick of hair out of her too pale face and brushed his lips against the cool skin of her forehead. "Never fear, my love." he said. Selena's voice had begun to raise towards the end of her short speech, giving proof to her worried state of mind, so he kept his voice calm and soothing.
"I will teach you all you need to know to survive in these dangerous times. You must forgive me in being so remiss in that regard." he shook his head slowly. "I should have started training you last year already,  I just hope I will be able to be efficient enough for the task, so you will be strong enough when the danger reaches us." Severus couldn't help but pull her closer still, being unsettled by the subject himself.

Relief washed over her at hearing Severus' comforting words and tangling her fingers through his thick black hair, she pulled his head down and kissed him passionately, putting all her fear, love and gratefulness into it to show her boyfriend how much she needed his presence just now.
"Thank you..." Selena breathed against his mouth, her eyes closing on their own accord. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to teach me all I need to know, Severus. I know that you are very skilled and unlike most, you also know a lot about the dark lord and his followers. What better teacher could I wish for?" here she gave him a warm smile, her eyes regaining some of her usual brightness.

The older boy's quiet support gave Selena the confidence and strenght her Gryffindor courage needed to come soaring back to life again and, filled with sudden energy, she jumped up from her perch on the tree and pulled out her wand, her dark eyes shining with barely suppressed excitement. "There is no time like the present, is there?" Selena asked him, bouncing back on her heels. "Let us start right away, Severus. I promise to be the most deligent student you could wish for."

Severus held her close to himself as Selena poured all her roiling feelings into that one kiss and he tried to show her that she could rely on his support in whatever way she would need him. "You must not thank me, Selena. I would never forgive myself should you come to harm because of any negligence on my part." he told her gravely.

A slight smirk played around his lips at seeing Selena's obvious excitement at the prospect of training with him and Severus was also not quite capable of only seeing the danger that lay ahead of them. If Selena wanted to treat the training as an enjoyable excercise than he would do the devil and lecture her on the seriousness of the situation. Letting the smirk slip onto his face, Severus languidly got up and slowly pulled out his wand. "So eager, my little Gryffindor? I truely don't know if I have the time just now..." he drawled, his smile betraying his words.

Grinning, Selena swished her wand and send a slight stining hex at her boyfriend for his cheek. "Well if you can't find the time, I must ask someone from my housemates...I'm sure one of the guys would be willing to help a girl in need." she replied cheekily, knowing it would rile him up a bit.

Severus smoothly deflected the hex that she had sent his way and growled slightly at the thought of his girlfriend practicing with some Gryffindor idiot. No! That would never do, he thought possessiely.
"Well, if you're so eager we will have to start right away. I will fire some basic spells at you to start with and you will take care not to be hit. When I'm satisfied with your skill we can move on to more difficult hexes." he told her and then proceeded to shoot spells at her in quick succession.

Grinning, Selena nodded and pointed her wand at him, sometimes, Severus was too predictable even if he would never agree with that sentiment. "Do your best ... or your worst, whatever" she said smirking. "Protego!" she called out and flicked her wand, errecting a strong shield to protect herself from his spells.
Although it wasn't very hard at first to block his attacks, her arms started to grow weary after sometime of having to physically put her might behind her shields. Selena realized that during a battle, she wouldn't be able to keep it up for several hours, so the only way of her coming out victerious was to end the fight quickly. Therefore, the next time she dropped her shield, she sent a quick hex at her boyfriend to interupt his concentration.