A/N: I watched "A Little Chaos" today. Haven't seen it? Go rent it on Amazon or iTunes. It's really that good.
As ever, not mine. Resource for flower language comes from www languageofflowers com/index htm (put in a period where I have a space)

Chapter 3 - Lavender

Severus found his extra set of teaching robes on his chair the next day when he came to his office after class, but the young Miss Selwyn was not there with it. He gathered the robes in his hands, feeling that they were still warm from being held close to her body. Something familiar tickled his nose, and against his better judgement he lowered it to the black fabric.

Lavender.

It was always one of his more favored scents on women, though many did not wear it anymore. The last time he'd visited Diagon Alley, he mistakenly walked into Madam Malkin's and was overwhelmed with the scents of perfumes that smelled remarkably like candy. It put him off so greatly that he glowered at the nervous assistant who tried in vain to help him back to the exit of the store. He had a sweet tooth as notorious as his insomnia, but he preferred the scent of sweets to stay in his pantry rather than be applied to the skin of a woman.

While studying for his Apprenticeship, he'd taken a keen interest in the ancient form expressing ones emotions with flowers, though it was a practice he would never have the need to engage in if he could help himself. It was something that Muggles and Wizards both seemed to share – the need to express their emotions in something other than words. Though he'd never been a man of few words, he was a man of few kind words. Back then, in his youth, he'd hoped that learning the language of flowers might indeed persuade him to speak with a little more gentility.

Alas, that idea was a lost hope.

However, as shown the day he first spoke to Harry Potter in class, speaking in code could be a bit useful. As much as he despised the James Potter look alike, he couldn't help but be shaken when he'd looked into his eyes and saw that they had remained the exact replica of Lily's own dark green ones. Though he'd decided to shamelessly embarrass the boy, if possible, he wanted to figure out a way to … what? Apologize was not the right word, though regret was. And so, he expressed his deepest regret about Lily's death while attempted to show everyone what a little idiot he was, just like his father and so little like Lily.

His Lily. Purity and sweetness; beauty and elegance.

However, much he adored his Lily, lilies had never been the scent he smelled when he meticulously brewed Amortentia for his NEWTs classes year after year. That scent was now captured in his robes, which he immediately took to his rooms to be laundered by Bockle.

Lavender. Serenity, grace, and calmness. But also distrust, not for the flower itself, but for the ground it springs from.

Severus shook his head, clearing it of the scent as well as of the thoughts slowing spinning around. He walked back into his office, and sat down, glad he had his research to occupy his thoughts and keep him company.

When he was not disturbed at all that day, he couldn't help but feel a little unsettled. It wasn't that she hadn't shown up. It was the fact the he'd wanted her to.

It took the fair haired Miss Selwyn a full week to appear in his office at four o'clock. After a full seven days of only seeing her in the Great Hall, where she was more occupied by laughing at the little, insipid conversations of her classmates than meeting the occasional glance he cast her way.

Severus was still worrying over the Arithmancy calculations for dehydrating the concentrated form of liquid Dittany. It was the dullest part of creating a new potion, but a necessary evil. When he heard the knock on his office door he swore, loudly, as he was at a crucial point in the equation.

"ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK," he yelled at whoever was outside, hoping it would scare off anyone other than Albus or Minerva.

He sighed when he heard the door open. When he saw Miss Selwyn, this time more appropriately dressed for the dungeons in a long wool skirt, jumper, and heavy travelling robes, he bit not only the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, but also his tongue to keep from scaring her away.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to take you up on your offer, Professor," she said, staring again at the preserved Hinkypunk before turning her eyes back to his. "I've had a slight problem with my afternoon schedule."

Severus let go of his tongue. "And what would that be?" he asked, lowering his eyes back to his equations before setting them aside for the day.

Lia smiled warily. "Someone let my Headmistress know about my 'insolent, impudent behavior', so I've been serving afternoon detentions with her to get a better grasp on 'decorum and poise' when in difficult situations." Her lips twitched a little, and she took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

"So, how well has that worked out for you, Miss Selwyn?" he asked.

She cocked her head to the side. "I'll only tell you if I have permission to speak freely, without being disciplined for my cheek."

Severus chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully before he answered. "Speak freely, then."

The grimace she gave provided him with enough answer, though her words entertained him to no end, "Not very bloody well at all, sir. Try learning eloquence and poise from a woman the size of a giant. It's like taking ballet lessons from a troll."

He leaned his head back so that she couldn't see his grin. "Where on Earth do you get your mouth from, Miss Selwyn?"

"My mother," she said. "She always encouraged me to speak my own mind in all matters. Though I curse a little too much for her taste, she enjoys hearing my opinions."

"May I ask what you think about Hogwarts having two Champions in the Tournament instead of the allotted one?" he requested, wanting to hear what would come out of her mouth.

Lia snorted unattractively. "Hogwarts had one Champion. I don't consider runty little boys to be in the same category as the three real Champions," she scoffed.

"And do you have an opinion on Hogwarts itself, this school that you were not allowed to attend due to family tradition?" Severus asked as he stood up from his desk, circling around to stand directly in front of her.

She shifted in her chair uneasily.

"Cat got your tongue?" he said mockingly.

"No," she replied. She looked up at him, directly into his black eyes. "I wish I had been able to come here as a student. Being here now makes me see how much I've missed, how much all the women in my family have missed, by being sent away. I like your Headmaster; he seems like he understands things better than most other Wizards."

Severus nodded, though he did not completely agree with the last statement about Albus.

"May I ask you a question, sir?" she asked, her voice very soft and nervous.

"If you want an answer it depends on the question," he replied, thinking it was a very Slytherin response if he ever heard one. He watched her consider the answer before she spoke.

"Why are you allowing me to speak so freely now?" she asked.

He drummed his fingers on the desk behind him, pondering both the question and the answer before he spoke. "I find you very intriguing, Miss Selwyn. You show that you have intelligence, though you don't yet know how to control your words. But, you also have learned how to think for yourself, which is a quality lacking in many of the students I come across." He paused, watching her face for a reaction. When he saw that her face remained as puzzled at it was when he asked the question, he finished, "Those are all qualities that I don't dislike; therefore, when you are in my presence and we are alone, you may speak as you wish."

"I would like that very much," she said.

"And would you like to start your first lesson in Defense?"

She grinned. "Absolutely."