What's Your Food?

It had taken almost five days from the day Severus joined to solve the Oswald case.

Severus and Harry verified that it was what Ollie had expected – a potion and a spell. Luckily, there was none connected directly to Ollie himself. The spell had been on his receiving tables which tagged each item placed on them to make the purchaser compelled to use the item. The potion, on the other hand, had been infused into the bin storing his ale ingredients so that when the ale was ingested, it made the purchaser susceptible to the spell on the tables. That part had mostly been determined by Severus after his initial visit and the test he ran. The part that took so long was finding out who did it, and how to neutralize it.

Once they figured it out, Potter and Boots sent the Aurors out to arrest the culprits and explain the cure to a small group of Healers at St Mungo's while Severus helped Ollie clean up his shop. During all of this, Severus never spotted Malfoy or Weasley, and that garish tree stayed in the corner of the office, the bird on top staring at his lab door. He regretted not talking to the boy last time he saw him.

Putting the finishing touches on the project that Maverick's Firm was waiting on, the second to the last he had to complete by the end of the year, Severus sealed his journal and shrunk it to fit in his pocket. Ollie had given him the potions book he had ordered long before he had taken up the case. It should contain the information he needed for his other potion project. It was time to head home – that particular book was not one he would bring into the Ministry.

Stalking out of the lab, he stopped abruptly as heads swivelled and four pairs of eyes focused on him. He ignored all the others for a pair of grey eyes. Snarling, he gestured towards the offending pink feathered thing. "Mr Malfoy, remove that tree from the premises. It's an eyesore."

Malfoy shook his head. "No, Mum charmed it. It has to be where it can be seen by me most of the day or she'll know."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Surely you know how to break such a charm?" He glanced at the others in the room. "Or maybe one of your co-workers could figure it out?"

"Breaking it isn't the problem, but Mum …" Malfoy glared at the table before turning his now pleading gaze on the others. "Mum promised she wouldn't serve the cheese fondue at Christmas if I did anything to the tree besides put it up and follow her dictates."

Boots nodded, his fingers brushing over the almost empty box of candy. 'I brought that just this morning. Just how much sugar is he eating?' Severus watched as the other two accepted the reasoning. He huffed – cheese fondue wasn't even all that good in his opinion. Certainly not worth the tree.

"It has to stay, Snape," Potter's voice was contrite but firm.

"Do you even know what cheese fondue is? What is tastes like, Potter?" Severus watched as they looked at each other.

Potter shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's Draco's chosen food, so we'll leave the tree for him."

"Chosen food?" Severus knew his eyes widened as the other nodded.

Malfoy gestured towards Boots. "Terry needs the sugar – his food is sweets. Ron's is pork roast, though a beef one will do in a pinch. Harry's bread – almost any type, but he loves it fresh."

Severus looked from one to the next, trying to call to mind any memory that would prove Malfoy's statement. He never watched Boots enough, but he had a vague recollection of the Ravenclaw constantly eating sweets. He knew Weasley loved food as much as any teenage male who was trying to make it to above six feet but never noticed his fondness for roast pork. He did know both inner and outer Harry loved bread, though.

"We didn't know what Draco's was, but now we do. Cheese fondue." Boots mused. "I wonder what it tastes like?"

'The tree's staying.' Severus held back the resigned sigh and headed for the door. He had work to do still.

"Do you think they'd have any?" Weasley addressed his question to Malfoy who nodded, his eyes brightening as he answered.

"I'm sure I've seen it on the menu."

"Snape," Potter called out as he turned the doorknob. "You're coming out to dinner with us, right?"

Severus stared at the four, not believing his ears. "You want me to go with you?"

All four heads nodded. Potter smiled, "It's tradition. We all go out for dinner to celebrate a case solved. The Oswald case was solved because of you. We were right, it took a Potions Master to figure it out."

Severus studied each of them carefully. They handled his rudeness at work, but to seek out his company in a different setting was something he didn't expect. He could credit it was due to the speed he helped to solve Ollie's case, but that still didn't account for the anticipation he could tell they were attempting to mask.

"Very well," the words were spoken slowly and Severus could see their masked glee. "Where are we going?"

"Vinito's," Harry bounced to his feet, his green eyes bright, making Severus' heart beat faster. "It's an Italian place down near the end of Diagon Alley. It's where we normally go."

Severus nodded once. "Shall we go then? I do have work to complete tonight."

§§§§§§

Harry leant against the table edge, peering around at the waiters and wondering when one would come their way. He knew that Draco, Ron, and Terry were all waiting as well. The waiters here, though on the whole nice, had attitudes that needed adjusting, and they all knew that Snape was the one to do it.

A tap from three long fingers had him quickly settled back in his seat, and a glance around the table showed the rest had too. A grin flashed across his face at their trained reflexes – that was Snape's signal in class to move away from your cauldron if he was being nice. He would just tap the table and you had better be sitting in your chair or face the Potions Master's wrath. Not even the Slytherins ignored it. Harry looked over at Snape and wondered once again why his heart was set on this man. They had worked together as equals for the last week, and Snape still treated them all as if they didn't have a brain cell to rub between them. Those dark eyes watched him, though, and he could see a flash of warmth in them before it was smothered under icy … not disdain, but something.

He started when the menus smacked onto the table, but he couldn't help being happy that he was watching Snape's face at that moment. The full force of the disdain there was focused on the waiter who actually gulped loudly. Those eyes then swept over him and the others before Snape's cold, silky voice softly questioned their sanity.

"You actually come here regularly?" The cold gaze pinned the waiter in place. "With service like this? It's better at the Leaky Cauldron, or even Bettman's down a little further."

Harry did his best not to smile at the cringing waiter. Yes, Snape was in his element, and it was fun to watch his ire being poured out on others. "The food here is worth it."

The dark gaze scanned the room, obviously checking out the food on the other tables, before returning to Harry. "If you think so. I, personally, am not willing to give it a try."

The waiter only gathered the courage to speak to them when Snape looked at the menu. "Your drinks?"

Ron and Terry both ordered a red wine, Draco ordered honey mead, and Harry ordered a white wine. The waiter looked at Snape's downturned head, waiting nervously. Snape, true to form, kept the man standing there, ignoring him.

Harry finally took pity on the man and leant close to the Potions Master, brushing his fingers against the black sleeve covered arm. "Snape, he's waiting on your drink order."

Dark eyes flashed up from the menu and one eyebrow raised. "I did state I wasn't willing to try, what part of that's hard to understand, Potter?"

"Come on, Snape," Draco broke in. "They're all right. The service just leaves a lot to be desired. Pick a drink, or I'll order something."

A glare hit the blond, but then Snape looked at the waiter. "Water, no ice."

The entire table froze as the waiter stared at him, his mouth almost hanging open. "Are you sure, sir? There are plenty of excellent wines, mead, bitters, and liquors available if you would check the back of your menu."

Snape glared at the man. "I placed a simple order and you question it?" Dark eyes flashed over at Harry. "Are you sure you wish to eat here? The staff is obviously simpletons."

Harry nodded as the waiter scampered off. "The chefs are good. Now, I would recommend the tortellini, but Draco prefers the lasanga, Ron likes the chicken parmesan, and Terry likes the fettucini."

Their drinks and a basket of bread was sat on the table quickly, and the waiter stayed near Draco who was as far away from Snape as possible.

"Are you ready to order?"

Harry listened as the others ordered their favourites, just as he did, although Draco also added an order for cheese fondue. Then they all turned to look at Snape, wondering just what he would get.

"A Caesar salad with no dressing and grilled chicken on the side." The order was enunciated very clearly, all of his former students recognizing the tone as one he used with the slowest of his students.

After the waiter left, Harry watched as Snape's black wand tapped the water glass, causing it to glow a light blue before it was transfigured into a teacup, and the water turned piping hot. A teabag appeared from inside the man's robe and the familiar pyramid shape was immersed into the liquid.

"Snape, what type of tea is that? I've never seen it before." Terry's question brought home to Harry just how removed the Muggle and Wizarding World was. "It smells good, and I like the depth of colour."

Harry caught the amused look that flashed over Snape's face before it was suppressed. He jumped in before Snape could start in. "I'll bring some into the office, Terry."

Snape shook his head slightly and said in an almost pleasant tone, "I can bring it in tomorrow, Potter. Don't put yourself out for it."

Harry blinked and then stared at Snape while he sipped the tea black. "We can ask them for milk and sugar."

Draco answered instead of Snape. "Don't bother, Harry. Snape always drinks his tea black."

"Tea is Snape's food, then." Ron grinned at them as he snapped a bread stick. "He brings his own teabag, can transfigure a perfect teacup, and wordlessly heat the water to the right temperature to steep it correctly."

The others nodded while Snape calmly sipped his tea.

When the waiter returned, he stared at Snape's new cup before he served the cheese fondue. Draco used a long skewer to dip a piece of bread into the melted cheese and sampled it.

"Not quite as good as the one we have at Christmas, but..."

Ron's slight humm muffled by the bread in his mouth stopped Draco's comment. "If it's better than this, then the tree can stay. Can't have you missing out on something that good."

Terry dunked in a piece of bread, sampled it and agreed with Ron.

Harry grinned as Snape growled low in his throat. He smiled at the man, making sure to meet his eyes, hoping to see that elusive warmth once again. "You can hide in your lab to avoid it."

"I'll be sure to do so, Potter."