Author's Note: Hello All! I am back again, and within a week of my last chapter. Perhaps I am on a roll! With the beginning of NaNoWriMo perhaps the words will continue to flow freely.
Thank you so much to my returning readers for your continued support of this work! I really appreciate the positive feedback I have received from you! To my new readers, welcome! I do hope that you enjoy this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Severus woke up to find himself in a rather cramped position. Rather than sleeping in his own bed he was on the couch in his living room; he had not even changed out of his teaching robes from the previous day. It was a wonder he had even been able to get to sleep at all.
Sitting up he looked at his watch to see the time. It was 8:00am. Later than he would normally wake up, even on a Saturday. His neck had a bit of a crick in it, however he found that he was not much the worse for wear. Sleeping on the couch was hardly something he could complain about. During the war he had often had to sleep on the ground, or in hastily made shelters. Comparatively a couch could be a luxury.
It took him a moment to realize why exactly he had been sleeping on the couch. Minerva was in his bed right now. That statement still felt weird to him, even just thinking about it. Never in a million years could he have imagined that happening. With the state she was in the previous evening he knew that he would not be able to take her back to her own rooms. It would have been difficult to get her there at best, and the questions if anyone saw her in that state would have made things difficult for her today.
Overall this had been the best option. Standing up he began the process of making breakfast. It would be easier for both of them to eat here today rather than go to the Great Hall. French Toast seemed to be a good option. He was craving something sweet today. He hoped that Minerva would enjoy the food as well, although something told him that she might not have much of an appetite this morning.
Never had he ever expected to see her in such an inebriated state. It just was not like her personality, at least not what he knew of her. The Minerva he knew was just too level headed for such a thing. Too sensible, too smart. He could not help but wonder if there was something that made her lose her inhibitions. More than anything he was quite frustrated at the Headmaster. That man should have known better than to have allowed her to become so inebriated! At the very least he should have walked her back to her rooms, or sent her house elf to come and get her!
While Hogwarts Castle was relatively safe he could not bear the thought of what may have happened to her if he had not been out when he was. She could have fallen down the stairs, or even wandered outside of the castle. They were well into November and the weather was already quite chilly. She could have frozen, or fallen into the lake! Not to mention what may have happened if other members of the staff, or heaven forbid, students had seen her in this state. She would have lost some of the authority that she held, at least in their eyes.
The state she was in last night! Thinking he was a ghost, and had been killed. While admittedly some of that had been rather entertaining, it was difficult for him to see her in such a vulnerable state. She was the upright and formidable professor, even in this, her first year as a full professor here, she already had a strong reputation.
It had been difficult getting her back to his rooms after she had all but passed out on him. He had caught her just before she hit the floor. Using some smelling salts he had in his robes he was able to rouse her enough so that she could walk part of the way. Professor Edgars had presented another obstacle for him. Convincing that portrait that his intentions were pure was another matter entirely.
He knew how it must have looked to the old gentleman when he had half carried an intoxicated woman to his room. It was easy to see where his trepidation could have come from. Needless to say the portrait was not at all willing to buy into his explanations of the predicament. Severus had had to bargain and allow Professor Edgars into the rooms to keep abreast of their every move. If anyone had trust issues at Hogwarts it was that man. Woe to those poor students who had to endure him as their head of house and potions instructor.
Suddenly he heard a groan from the bedroom. Minerva must have woken up. He could only imagine the type of headache she must have been dealing with right now. Hopefully those potions he had left for her would take some of the edge off of the pain. Help her to regain her senses at the very least. Perhaps he should go and explain the use of the potions to her, on second thought that probably would not be a good idea. The last thing Minerva probably wanted right now was for someone to have to explain this to her as if she was a complete imbecile.
It also occurred to him that it probably would not do for him to be walking into his bedroom with right now. Invading her privacy was not something he wanted to do. The whole situation would already be awkward enough if he did not walk into her changing clothes today. The thought had crossed his mind hat perhaps he should leave before she woke up, however he had thought better of it. While surely she might be feeling a little embarrassed it would be easier to get the awkwardness out of the way sooner rather than later. Much better if she was not avoiding him for the rest of the year.
About a quarter of an hour later Minerva emerged from his rooms fully dressed. It appeared that she had transfigured the robes from the previous night into something else. This time she had chosen to don something a little bit more colorful; her hat and dress were both emerald green. Evidently she had also taken the potions laid out for her as there was again color in her cheeks and she did not appear to be suffering too greatly from a headache.
After taking in her surroundings Minerva seemed to realize that he was in the room. Quickly she began to head towards the door. "I'm dreadfully sorry for the trouble I've caused you." she said with her head down. "I was reckless last night and that was utterly inexcusable. Thank you for your kindness."
"Minerva, please do not leave. I've made breakfast, I hope you like French Toast." he said walking towards her. "Please."
"I probably should go. I do not want to cause you any more trouble."
"Please stay, I insist. It will give us a chance to catch up. We haven't spoken in nearly a month now." He replied earnestly. "Besides, the table is already set for two."
"Alright." Minerva said giving in after a few more moments. "I will stay, so long as I am not imposing too much."
"No imposition at would never be imposing on me. Please have a seat." he said pulling out a chair for her.
Minerva took her seat almost a little reluctantly. Once she had been comfortably seated he brought the food over to the table and joined her. There was a palpable tension in the air. The two of them had been in some rather odd situations that year, but this had to have been the strangest of them. Had he been in her position right now, he did not know how he would have dealt with it all.
"So…." Severus began. "Perhaps we should address the elephant in the room."
"I am so, so, sorry about last night." Minerva blurted out. She still had yet to eat any of her food. She just kept pushing it around on her plate. "I know it was wrong, a horrible thing for me to do. I just have to say I have no idea what got into me. If you never wanted to speak with me or see me again, I would completely understand."
"Minerva, dear Minerva. I think perhaps that you are being too apologetic." Severus said placing his hand over hers. "There are times that we have all done something that we regret. I hope that you do not think that I would hold last night against you. Of course I want to continue speaking with you, and spending time with you. Truth be told I have greatly missed your company these past few weeks and was hoping that perhaps we could spend some time together today."
Minerva looked up at him in surprise. "You mean that you do not hold the events of last night against me?" she asked incredulously.
"Merlin's beard Minerva, I am a former Death Eater and you are concerned about an evening of intoxication?" He said with a laugh.
"Perhaps you are right." she said with a smile. "It is just that I am not used to being in such a situation as last night. As I said before drunkenness is not in my nature. While it is true that I occasionally indulge in a drink I can assure you that it is always in a responsible manner."
"I do not doubt you at all Minerva. Knowing your character, nobody could doubt you in this matter." He said very seriously.
"If I might ask, what exactly happened last night?" Minerva asked, her voice suddenly anxious. "Nothing too damaging I hope."
"From my experiences with inebriated individuals I can assure you that you were by no means damaging. Amusing perhaps, but that is the extent of it all." Severus said.
"How did I end up down here? I vaguely remember seeing a ghost or something of the sort last night, and then Mitzi."
Severus choked slightly on his french toast. "It would seem that the ghost you saw last night was me. Apparently you had come from dinner in the headmaster's office and got a bit turned around when searching for your own rooms. You saw me from a distance in the hallways and assumed that I was a ghost."
Minerva turned bright red and began to sink down in her chair a bit. "A ghost?" she asked. "Oh my word, how bad was it?"
"Not to worry Minerva, perhaps my coloring was a bit off. Many people have told me that my complexion is rather pale at times."
"Was there anything else?"
"You did mention something about Archibald the Squid, and George the Vampire." he said. "By the way, is the squid really named Archibald, and is there really a vampire named George living in the forbidden forest."
Minerva colored a bit more. "Yes and no for the squid. The majority of the people here refer to him simply as the Giant Squid, but according to Hogwarts a History his name is Archibald. As for George, yes he does exist, and yes he does live in the forest. We do meet up on occasion. Rest assured he is quite harmless, and actually rather an interesting conversationalist. Especially considering that he has been around for over five hundred years. One can learn a lot of information about the goings on of Hogsmeade and the school from him. "
"Really?" Severus asked truly intrigued. "Consider my interest piqued. Perhaps when you are feeling up to it you can explain the circumstances of your meeting to me?"
"Perhaps an actual introduction could be arranged." Minerva replied finally regaining some of her composure. "I believe that the two of you would get on quite well. You both seem to have that solitary air about you."
"Oh, so you do not believe that it could have anything to do with my bat-like nature?" Severus asked with a gentle smirk. "None of the whooshing and the swooshing?"
"Good grief, do not tell me hat was part of my act last night too." Minerva said with a laugh.
Severus flapped his arms up and down in demonstration. "When you mention it my robes are somewhat like wings." By this point Minerva's laughter was contagious and Severus could not help but join in. It was the first time in a very long time that he had allowed himself to laugh truly and fully. So long that even he was shocked by the sound of it.
Minerva also seemed to be momentarily surprised. Her shock only seemed to last for a short time though, because before he knew it the two of them were laughing all over again. It was as if a large weight had been lifted from both of their chests and they could be happy again. Heaven knew that they needed this right now.
After a few minutes the laughter had finally subsided. "Minerva, allow me to express my gratitude for your being here this morning. I have truly missed you over these past few weeks." Severus said gratefully.
"I am glad that I stayed." Minerva said. "However there is still one thing that puzzles me."
"What is that Minerva?" Severus asked. "I will do my best to fill you in."
"It is just, how did I end up here in your rooms, in your bed?" Minerva asked. If she had been red before, now she was bright crimson.
"Oh, well." Severus said turning a bit red himself perhaps and maybe just a bit flustered. "That is quite simple. You see we were in the dungeons anyway, and you were not in the most lucid state at the time. I was rather concerned that perhaps if we were to return to your rooms we might encounter some students or other staff members."
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness." Minerva replied. "I am also quite certain that Professor Edgars must have been quite pleased at the prospect of your bringing me here last night."
"Indeed, he was positively thrilled." Severus said rolling his eyes. "So much so that suffice it to say he insisted on spending the entire night in here watching my every move. Like a hawk"
"Well that must have been comfortable…." Minerva said. "Where is he now by the way?"
"I believe he has resumed his usual post outside of my door. There is only so much time one can spend watching another person sleep. Even he must have his limits."
Minerva stayed for a little while longer before she had to return to her offices to get some grading finished. Before she left though, the two of them made plans to meet up at the Three Broomsticks on Tuesday. Once she had left though Severus had decided that he needed to pay a visit to the Headmaster to see what exactly had happened the previous night.
He took the walk to the Headmaster's office at a brisk pace. He was not far from the entrance to the Headmaster's office when he saw the most peculiar sight. A few of the gargoyles seemed to have donned Gryffindor colored hats and scarves. Upon closer inspection they no longer appeared to be gargoyles at all, but rather tabby cats. What on earth had happened here? He could not help but think that maybe, Minerva in her drunken state… No, he must have just been seeing things.
Against his better judgement he made the decision to ignore the sight before him and see the Headmaster instead. Hopefully he would get answers. He only had to keep his temper in check at this point; because right now he was not at all pleased with the Headmaster.