Late as ever, but at last I post a new chapter. This was hastily edited, and I take full responsibility for poor decisions.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The world and characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I claim no ownership whatsoever. I only own my original characters and their names.

~HP~

Taking Hermione's advice, Rose managed to recover some spirit as the weekend sailed by. It wasn't easy to put those emotions behind her for now, especially when that was combined with the hormonal roller coaster that almost every woman experiences. In hindsight though, it probably was the best thing for her. Her late friend was her first love, but she was only eighteen. If fate was on her side, there would be others. She just had her doubts, doubts that were as intimidating as scaling Mount Everest without so much as a Muggle pickaxe.

Monday dawned on a cloudy, dreary morning, and Rose found herself sitting alone at the sparsely populated Gryffindor table. She had woken up surprisingly early and instead of rolling over and waiting for the alarm to go off, she decided to just go down to breakfast on her own. Hermione would be down in a short while, and the others would not be far behind. In the meantime, Rose took small pleasure in marking up the shopping section of her brand new issue of Witch Weekly. The pages were soon covered with her little ink stars.

She kept finding her attention being drawn toward the head table. She eyed Snape as he read over his copy of the Daily Prophet, exchanging his coffee mug for a slice of buttered toast. What she didn't say to Hermione was that she wished her detentions had gone on for a few more days. She had been working for her dignity, but for some reason, they had brought a sense of calm to her. That tough weekend had made her realize that Snape's presence was something that she kind of missed. Whether he realized it or not, he had made her feel good on multiple occasions. He could also probably do it again. She wished that she still had access to the Potions master in that way, but she did promise to stay out of his hair. He really needed some time to himself, time to recover his health.

She was about to start reading an article about a witches' day-spa in the remote fenlands of Lincolnshire when she became keenly aware that someone else had walked up behind her. Stirring the cornflakes in front of her, Rose carefully looked over her shoulder, half-expecting to see one of her friends arriving for the day. Luna Lovegood stood with great posture, twiddling her laced fingers at her waist.

"Hello Rose Beckett. Lovely morning, isn't it?" she said in a tone a bit too wispy and lively for so early in the gloomy morning. Rose was more than a little confused given that she and Luna had barely said ten sentences to each other in the last several years. Even when they did interact, it was usually because their groups of friends melded together. Rose thought that the Ravenclaw was loony when they first met, and she still thought the same now.

"Hello Luna," said Rose, cautiously. "Wha – what can I do for you?"

"I need to ask you some questions." Luna plopped down on the bench beside Rose and helped herself to a blueberry muffin.

"Questions? Me?" Rose had been fully prepared for a rambling about creatures that may or may not exist, so that caught her off guard. "Whatever about?"

"If you want to please a boy, what would be the best perfume to use?"

"Oh," Rose said as she raised her brow. That was just as unexpected. "Well um…it depends on what fragrances you like, what he likes. It's all to do with compromise, I guess."

"Oh alright," Luna curtly nodded. "So would you say that the same is true with makeup?"

Rose wrinkled a flaxen brow at Luna. "You and Neville aren't having problems, are you?"

"Oh no, not at all," said Luna. "It's just that something has been telling me to – you would say – spice things up a little."

"And so you come to me?" Rose flipped back to the shopping pages to look once again at the handsome green jacket she had admired for weeks. "Luna, if I know anything about Neville, it's that he likes his women just the way they are. From what I've heard, you've done fine on your own. And why me exactly? Why don't just go and talk to Hermione?"

"You seem to be more knowledgeable in that sort of stuff. You have a good idea about what boys like."

"In case it's missed you, I'm single. I don't know if I'm that trustworthy."

"Well, Hermione mentioned that you read a lot of women's magazines, that you couldn't go one week without reading one. That's pretty trustworthy to me."

"Luna, any girl could be an expert if they read enough Witch Weekly. I just happen to have gotten hooked."

"Is that so?" asked Luna, eying the open booklet in front of Rose's cereal bowl.

"Yeah, probably. Nothing is typical. It's just fun to try it out every now and then."

"Interesting," Luna pulled the magazine closer to see. "Any intriguing articles this week?"

"I wouldn't know because I just got it yesterday. Haven't had a chance to read it yet." Rose tugged a corner back towards her.

"I see you did go through the shopping pages," said Luna. "That's quite a lovely jacket you marked. It would really bring out your eyes, although twenty galleons does seem a bit pricey to me."

'I know that, don't rub it in,' Rose thought, resisting the urge to snarl. Of course, it would bring out her eyes. That's why she would consider spending more money than was probably needed.

Luna flipped back several pages, scanning over the dazzling images and words. More and more, she looked enchanted by the world of alleged trends, a world that she mostly chose to ignore. Being someone who didn't know Luna so well, Rose thought this was stranger than clippings out of the Quibbler. She also definitely knew that there could only be one thing behind this, and his name was Neville Longbottom.

"Do you think I could borrow this for a while?" asked Luna. But Rose was very hesitant. "I, uh…I'm not so sure about that."

"Please? I'll give it back at supper, I promise." Luna batted her eyes in a terrifically pathetic way that she probably wasn't aware of.

Rose didn't want to come across as nasty or selfish to her housemate's girlfriend. But it was her magazine. She let out a sigh as she looked down at the scribbled-on paper. It really was going to be a long, boring Monday. "Alright, I guess you could take it. But I want it back tonight, from either you or Neville."

"Yes, absolutely." The Ravenclaw rolled up the booklet and stuffed it into a robe pocket. "Thanks a lot." She took off, blonde locks floating behind her, over to the entrance to the hall, where Neville had just sleepily hobbled in.

Almost like she was stunned, Rose watched her for a second or two. She thought to herself that giving up her addiction might have been easier than trying to describe an anecdote to the chronically offbeat Luna. Scooping up a mouthful of cereal, she shifted her gaze back up to the head table to watch Snape with his eyes glued to his newspaper. She vaguely wondered if the slight tugging in her gut was some suppressed desire for those eyes to look up at her.

~HP~

It was not uncommon to find Luna with her nose in the folds of a magazine. But the fact that it was Witch Weekly she was reading caused more than a few double-takes. Throughout breakfast, she poured over the pages, one by one. Even Neville couldn't stop her from indulging in the articles on using potions in speed dating, which ingredients could double as makeup, and instructions for Violet's Volumising Brew for limp hair. The entire time, as she went back and forth between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables, Luna took great care to make sure that the paper didn't get torn and that nothing got spilt or smeared onto it. It was a kind thing of Rose to let her borrow her things, so she would want to see to it that it was returned to her in fine shape. Yet she couldn't get enough of it. The morning meal was not enough time to thoroughly read into such fascinating ideas. Luna's mind churned all morning, blurring timelines together and briefly making work seem less important. She was still reading when she arrived for her early Potions lesson.

Snape was giving them a lecture on the inner makings of love potions, which Luna didn't think she would get much out of. Everyone knew that there was such thing as a genuine love potion. All people her age wanted to know was what you could do with the ruddy stuff. Please, she had already gotten a fair few ideas from one issue of Witch Weekly.

Speaking of which…

Using her place at the back of the room for cover, Luna carefully and quietly tugged the booklet out of her bag. She kept one ear open to Snape while her eyes gravitated to her lap. She turned back to the article about potions and beauty products. It was mostly common plants and herbs that could be ground up into a more natural makeup. It was rather simple considering it was what most women did before Muggles created those brightly colored powders. But she wondered what Neville would say if he knew she was wearing his precious herbs. A man like him would probably get a royal kick out of it. Already, she was trying to recall which of those herbs were readily available in the student stores to try out at first opportunity.

"And what do you think you are doing, Lovegood?"

Luna jumped in her seat, startled. She looked up to see Snape standing right beside her. He was staring down his long nose at her with slits for eyes. Luna giggled in a way in that there was no sense in hiding her guilt. "He-he…Professor, I –,"

"You are to tell me that you were not reading a magazine under your desk? If that is so, I would love to know what it is you are doing."

"I…I was just –,"

"A likely story," Snape cut her off. "Tell me, Miss Lovegood. Am I boring you? Are my lessons useless to a witch such as yourself? Well, I can safely assure you that you will never find answers in the pages of The Quibbler, and you certainly won't find any in Witch Weekly."

"Professor, I'm sorry –,"

"Evidently, not enough that you think to waste my time." Snape lashed out and grabbed the magazine from Luna's hands. He sneered at the frilly cover. "Truly pathetic, Lovegood, that you would prefer this rubbish over actual fact. Ten points from Ravenclaw. Now pay attention." He started to walk away, the magazine still in hand.

"But Professor, that's not mine," said Luna, only slightly raising her voice. She didn't sound panicked, just objective and matter-of-factly. Snape turned back to her, a distinct arch in his brow. "Oh really, then whose is it exactly?" It was more of a test than an actual question, to see if the loopy girl would have the gall to use someone else to get away from trouble.

"It's…it's…"

"Um-hmm, so I thought," Snape fingered the paper. "I suppose that will be five more points from –,"

"It's Rose Beckett's, sir. She let me borrow it," Luna explained, wry as ever. Snape's other dark eyebrow perked up at the name, still no detectable emotion in his face. "I promise not to read it anymore, sir. But she is expecting it later today, so I really need that back, if you please."

"Not a chance," said Snape, not missing a single beat. He walked around and behind his desk. "If that is truly the case, then I will see to it that Miss Beckett's belongings are returned to her. That however does not change my mind about your house points. Now turn to the appropriate text and keep your head in the real world for one minute."

Luna swallowed as she watched Snape place the magazine in a drawer and close it with a hard snap. She hoped that Snape meant what he said. It wasn't very likely, but a man could change his mind if he pleased. And even if he didn't, Neville always described Rose as a perfectly nice girl. She could understand what happened, although Luna had heard how Rose could be a holy terror at her worst. The nerves began to fester in her stomach. It would be a good six or seven hours before she found out the outcome of her little lapse in common sense, which was just enough time to conjure up a suitable fib just in case.

~HP~

"You know my boy, one of these days, I have to ask the House-elves where they get their meats from. I haven't enjoyed a turkey sandwich this much in years."

Severus rolled his eyes at the headmaster sitting across from him, though it wasn't as sinister as if it had been someone else of the Gryffindor variety. He soon turned his attention back to his own sandwich in his hand. For some reason, classes that morning seemed to double in length, and at the moment, no sight was more pleasing than the simple platter of turkey, ham, and cheese laid out on Dumbledore's desk. "Of all people who should know that, I believe it ought to be you."

"Believe me, I have enough on my plate. These budget issues are killing us, Severus! I know this is a tough time for a lot of people, but some of these cuts are just ridiculous! I really need to give Kingsley a good talking-to."

"I think it might take a little more than that if you want to have enough money for Cassandra to do what she wants with her class," said Severus, again rolling his eyes at the terribly annoying ideas the woman had been tossing around the staffroom as of late. Albus chuckled. "Now Severus, I think taking the older ones out to the theatre in London is a splendid idea. So much so, I would pay for it out of my own pocket if I had to."

"There are over twenty-five students in NEWT level classes alone. It's more money than it's worth." Severus sipped from the goblet of chilled tea that Albus had presented him with.

"I'm glad that you decided to accept my invitation to take lunch up here," said Albus. "I hardly have the time to sit and have a proper conversation with you."

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't like to spend all my time alone," said Severus. "I was never so lucky to have voices in my head to keep me occupied."

"I'm glad just to see you eating. I do hope that you have gotten your morning sickness under control, finally."

"It's a wonder what dry crackers and herbal teas can do. I don't want to test my luck, but I've felt better the last few days than I have in weeks."

"Oh Severus, you have no idea how good it is to hear that from you," Albus smiled, eyes twinkling as he reached for his own drink. "I don't think you know just how worried you had me. Bed-bound one day, fainting another, cancelling classes. My boy, I've seen you get the flu and still have the strength and obstinacy to continue teaching. Poppy and I were afraid that we would have been forced to take you off the job for a while."

Severus's brow cocked over the rim of his goblet. "Poppy failed to mention that one."

"Only because your condition has improved."

"Lovely to know that you have so little faith in my stamina," said Severus, shaking his head in his own sarcasm. "By the way, what else has the woman told you? Has she found anything on the spell that caused me to get pregnant?"

"I was actually going to ask you the same thing," said Albus. "All I've heard is that she's combing the library in her spare time, when she has spare time that is. She hasn't even started on the Restricted Section yet."

"The sooner she finds something, the better. If any of this is going to kill me, it would help to know about it ahead of time."

"Now Severus," Albus said, placing his now empty plate onto his desk. "I have complete confidence that both you and the baby will survive this ordeal. Poppy might have specialized with children, but she knows what she's doing. She would hex herself into next year before letting something terrible happen to you."

"I don't doubt that, but there was a time when women regularly risked their lives to have babies. And though I don't know much about those alleged cases of wizard pregnancies, I can easily assume that they didn't end well."

"That was then, this is now. Make no mistake, Poppy is preparing herself for any and every complication that might pop up. But in my opinion, it will be for nothing because nothing is going to happen." Severus offered Albus a half-ass smirk, pretending to be more interested in his sandwich. "While on the topic of your pregnancy, there are a few things I think we should discuss."

"Yes?"

"Since you have decided that you are carrying the child to term, have you thought about when you would possibly go on leave?"

Severus's mind went uncharacteristically blank. With all the effort that carrying and birthing a child required, time off was almost inevitable. But with his thoughts being taken up by his possible future with or without the child, not to mention his distracting draw to Rose, Severus's working conditions had been tossed to the side.

Albus continued. "Poppy believes that you will deliver in late April or early May, correct? I would think that you would like to begin your…your maternity leave a few weeks beforehand." He smiled apologetically for his choice of words, which had Severus forcing out a sigh. Well, what else could you call it?

"I don't want to give up my classes, Albus. If Poppy is correct, that would put my due date right before finals. I wouldn't want to go on medical leave and leave the students at that time, especially my NEWT classes. It could potentially end up a disaster on the day of those exams."

"You plan on working right up until you give birth, don't you?" Albus raised a bushy, white eyebrow, as well as the corner of his mouth. Severus swallowed his last mouthful and rested his crumb-dusted plate on the headmaster's desk. "I do, unless of course you have some objection to that."

"I don't see too much trouble with that prospect, but I do hope that you consider a backup plan of sorts. Poppy sees it fit to remind me that you cannot be too careful in pregnancy. What would you do if you ended up having to go on bed rest? I'm sure that Horace would not mind coming back for a few weeks to see the children through their exams."

"I've heard that he's on a year-long holiday in the Virgin Islands," said Severus. He straightened his back against the back of his chair, folding his hands in his lap. "Look Albus, no one needs to tell me that being pregnant isn't easy. I know that I will have to make changes along the way, and I am prepared for that. But I would rather not think about those changes until it is necessary. Right now, I plan on teaching my classes as I ordinarily would until I have the baby, so that's how it will be."

"Very well my boy, but that still leaves medical leave for after you have the baby."

"Well, if I am to go through childbirth, I imagine I would require a week or two to heal from that. Then I would finish out the rest of the term."

Albus frowned to himself. Severus was obviously dancing around the subject of long-term leave, just as obviously because he had not yet made up his mind. However, the old wizard knew ahead of time that he was not going to press Severus for answers. Considering adoption was never an easy thing to do, no matter who it was that said different. Severus had endured quite a lot of turmoil over the course of his life. He had an unstable home growing up, not much guidance, and not nearly enough love. He had been led to get entangled with the worst of people. He carried the weight of innocent people's lives on his shoulders. Not many people could look into Severus's deep, obsidian eyes and see a scrap of any sort of feeling. But even there in his office over lunch, Albus didn't have to look twice to see the immense doubt. Poor Severus hardly knew what it took to be a good parent. Of course, he would be uncertain when faced with becoming one himself.

However, the lad had proven himself quite capable. Generation after generation of Slytherin students had passed through his dungeon halls, had been left in his hands. True, he encouraged house rivalries, and his grip on discipline for his own house was often quite loose. But that was as far as he let it go. If any of his students did anything truly terrible, he made damn sure they knew it. He actually discouraged the older ones from carrying on in their ruffian ways. Privately, he would talk to them about where they were heading in life, and he gave them advice with how to handle their own affairs. They looked to him for support, and most of the time, they got it. And as a result, only a bare few of them ended up turning to Lord Voldemort and the comforts he promised for their allegiance.

The elderly headmaster smoothed out his beard, pulling a candy dish closer to the edge of his desk with nothing more than a silent charm. He reached for one of the Muggle chocolate drops resting in it, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. He let the little morsel melt on his tongue. "I suppose we'll see what happens from there, dear boy."

"At this point, that is all I ask for," said Severus, eying the silver dish.

"Once you have cleared your head, it will get easier to make those sorts of decisions. Although, I do hope you are still thinking about keeping the child."

"You say that like it's the easiest thing in the world," Severus sighed. "The positives are still vastly outnumbered on that matter."

"Do you want to know what I think about that?" asked Albus. Severus humored him with a nod of his head. "I think you are seriously underestimating yourself. I understand, your father was not exactly Father-of-the-year material. But you know, you don't need anyone to tell you how to be a good father. You may find that it will just come to you."

"You realize you say that to the one professor that the students say should never be allowed to procreate."

"Oh, it's not that many of them," Dumbledore laughed. "Also, don't think that I haven't noticed how many of the Slytherins turned out fairly decent for what their reputation dictates. You don't know how to handle children?"

"I did not want to see any of them turn out the way I did."

"Which shows how much you care about them," said Albus. It was something he often suspected, but never said. "You have helped to raise some fine young people in the last several years. If that is what you can do with someone else's children, imagine what it could be with your own."

"Given the circumstances, I don't know if I can."

'He'll come around,' Albus quietly thought to himself. 'He can bring up this baby and do it well if I do say so myself. He will realize that for himself or my name isn't Albus Dumbledore.'

Much to Dumbledore's surprise, Severus took hold of a bit of chocolate and carefully peeled off the foil wrappings. He placed it in his mouth and chewed methodically. "Why Severus, I always assumed that you didn't care much for chocolate."

The younger wizard swallowed and reached for another piece. "Not as much as others around here. If you must know, I have been having an odd craving for it since Rose Beckett shoved hers down my throat. I've already confiscated a few unopened bars from some First years. A bit funny really. I haven't enjoyed the retched stuff this much since I was a boy."

"Then treat yourself, my dear boy. Now that you are able to keep your food down, you should take advantage of that. Cravings will happen, so why not satisfy them?"

"I suppose you could be right," said Severus. "I just hope that this is as far as it goes. Pomona has already tried to tell me about how I may find myself combining pickles with an odd assortment of condiments."

Albus chuckled heartily. "Honestly, I will look the other way if you do. The only thing that could alarm me would be if I heard anything about you wondering what chalk tastes like." Severus let out a short laugh before coming to his senses. He rolled his eyes, biting into the piece of chocolate in his hand. For a Muggle variety, it was actually rather tasty.

"This also doesn't give you permission to fill my robe pockets with sweets," he said, putting the headmaster in his place before the thought could pass through his aging mind.

~HP~

"So I heard that Blaise Zabini is prowling around for a new nighttime plaything," said Lavender, repeatedly sipping her pumpkin juice. Around her, the Gryffindor Seventh years were tucking into their evening meals like she was chatting about something as mundane as the weather. "I knew he couldn't go one term, one term and keep it in his trousers."

"Frankly, I'm surprised he managed a week without turning blue." Parvati uncharacteristically sneered, shoveling roast potatoes onto her plate. Dean sat next to her, trying to muffle his laughter with a mouthful of food. The two girls had always maintained that Zabini would sleep with anything with a pulse, and there wasn't a single Seventh year, male or female, who would think to disagree.

Seamus rolled his eyes. "Aye, it's only a matter of time before he comes sniffing around our turf. He went through three girls in fifth year alone."

"Lock up your women!" Ron laughed, wrapping an arm around Hermione's neck and pulling her into his torso. The other men chuckled along with him, and Dean shifted a little closer to Parvati as he did so. Hermione scoffed at such a barbaric idea, hinting to Harry that the women could handle themselves just fine.

Rose meanwhile was tearing herself between backing Hermione up and staring up the hall, letting go of several, very long sighs. She never thought she would see a longer day than the time when she sat for her O.W.L.s. Mondays dragged on as they were, but it was frankly ridiculous without her precious Witch Weekly. And those yippy Sixth year girls she heard talking about the issue in the loo, that was just annoying. Her impatience was pushed down more as each class crawled by at a drunken snail's pace. The most exciting thing that had happened to her was earning ten bronze knuts for chocolate frog cards of Merlin and Morgan le Fey, both at the expense of a rather desperate young Slytherin. Maybe Hermione was right after all. She couldn't go one week without her fix. Suppertime helped to ease her delicate sense of irritation. At least now Rose had the company of people she liked to turn to for distraction. And occasional gossip about other people's sex lives certainly didn't hurt either.

She again was letting her gaze wander to Snape's seat. She still felt that puzzling pull to him, catching her eye whenever their paths crossed. His class had actually been the only reasonable one that day, so rare for the start of the week. Totally immersed in the lesson, Rose was more interested in what Snape had to offer than in her missing periodical. Her lips tugged into a smirk, thinking of that surge of pride those four correct answers produced. Actually, only she, Hermione, and Malfoy had been allowed to talk that day. And twice, Hermione was passed over in her favor.

The Potions professor finished off his last bite and rose from his seat. Guessing that he was leaving, Rose shook herself back into reality and dismissed her silly wandering thoughts. She tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Lavender tell Parvati about a way to shake off unwanted men that she had read about in Witch Weekly, in case she found herself the target of Zabini's overactive libido. The urge to snarl returned along with the reminder of Rose's still missing magazine. She looked to Neville, who was a few inches to her left, listening in on the nonsense.

"Say Neville, did Luna ever give you my copy of Witch Weekly? I haven't seen her since this morning, and I'm still waiting for it."

Neville shook his head, making an odd face. "I haven't seen it since breakfast. Luna told me before lunch that she would bring it to you…oh wait. Here she comes." Rose turned around as Luna came floating up the aisle toward her. Cracking an anxious smile, Rose pulled her legs out from under the table and swung around the other side of the bench.

"Hey Luna," she said, speaking as though they had been bosom buddies for their entire lives. "So did my magazine help you out at all?"

"Yes, actually," said Luna, a certain snag catching her tone of voice. "There were some very interesting suggestions in those articles. I almost wonder how I didn't think of them myself." She shifted her gaze to Neville with a cute little smile, a subtle gesture that caused him to flush a light pink. Rose offered him a playful smirk. As odd and slightly mismatched as they were, those two were quite cute together.

"So where is it?"

Luna snapped her eyes back and her face also seemed to take on a healthier shade. "Eh – what?"

"My magazine, I still haven't gotten it back. Where have you got it?" Rose looked up at Luna's face, waiting for the booklet to appear from inside her sleeve. That was when she noticed the shrinking expression around her little mouth, the twitchy shift in her gray eyes. She looked like a guilty child being confronted by their parent.

"I –um – Rose, about your magazine…"

"What about it?" asked Rose, her tone hardening with each word. Luna tried to force a slight giggle. "Well…eh, it's a bit of a funny story really –,"

"I'll be the judge of that. Luna, what happened?"

Luna swallowed, as subtly as she could manage. She briefly looked to Neville, who nodded her on. "Rose, I'm really, really sorry. But I…I lost it. I left my bag open, and it must have slipped out somewhere in the halls. I retraced my steps, but anyone could have picked it up by now."

There it was! It was exactly what Rose feared would happen if she let go of her things; lost or destroyed! She had been subjected to inescapable boredom all day long. She had been looking forward all day to immerse herself into those pages, to tune out the world for just an hour. Now Luna's carelessness would cost her that scrap of delight! And on top of that, her insolent scribbles were now out there for the whole world to see. Deep in her gut, Rose felt anger mixing with her just-eaten meal to create an uncomfortable burn. The color drained from her cheeks, rendering her pale complexion severe. And thankfully, any immediate words that came to her were caught in her throat.

"I hope you understand," Luna continued. "And again, I'm very sorry."

"You…you lost my magazine?" asked Rose, a very firm hold on her voice. The tension in her stomach was slowly working its way up to her head. It was like some animal was trying to claw its way out of her. No, she could not lose her mind over something so stupid! Nobody would be able to let her live it down, nobody!

Luna seemed to pick up on the Gryffindor's agitation. Behind her back, her hands were tying themselves together. But she didn't so much as shuffle her feet an inch or two back. "It was an honest mistake. I lost some class assignments of mine the same way. I should have been more careful, especially as I was carrying someone else's things."

Now Rose was struggling to not snarl at Luna. Her tense knuckles tightened around her knee, and her breast forced out hot breath. Hermione, who had been sitting to Rose's right and listening through one ear, turned her head to her heated housemate. "Rose, are you okay?" It was a stupid question, but one that would hopefully diffuse something in Rose's head.

"Oh just fine, Hermione," Rose chewed out, still glaring up at Luna.

"I'll make it up to you," Luna offered. "I'll buy you another copy when we go into Hogsmeade –,"

"On Saturday!" snapped Rose, cutting her off. "The new editions come out on Sunday. There's no point."

"Take it easy, Rose," Hermione urged as she shifted her body to better face her roommate. "It's not that big of a thing."

"You say that because it's not your things." Rose said with a low-lying growl. She could sense that she had just minutes left on her fuse before she started spewing words. It quickly dawned on her that if she didn't do something fast, she would totally lose it in front of hundreds of people, including a certain Transfigurations professor who would not hesitate to scold her into the stone over her many-times-lectured temper. Really, the last thing she needed was to cement the reputation that Pansy Parkinson had helped to create for her. She reached back to push herself up off the edge of the table.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione and Neville at almost the same moment. The formally awkward Longbottom gripped the table, as though to launch himself up to Luna's side.

"I need to get some air. I don't know if I'll be back." Rose wasn't in very much mood for explaining herself. She got a better hold on her self-control long enough to straighten the hem of her skirt. She then set off for the Great hall's massive doors, the clacking of her heels only the slightest bit louder. Just as her shoulder brushed past Luna's, she managed to get out one little lie. "No hard feelings."

Luna watched Rose as she walked down the long length of stone and left the hall. Once she was sure that the red-haired Seventh year was gone, she turned her attention back down to the table. "Well, that wasn't so bad," she said, almost sighing her relief.

"Luna, it was an accident," said Hermione, her tone caught somewhere between relaxed and stern. "Rose will understand. Just give her a chance to cool down, she'll come around."

"I told you, Sweetness, she's not that bad." Neville smiled as he reached for Luna's hand. He gently coaxed her down onto the bench and laid a kiss on her forehead. "I don't know who told you that she has daily conniptions, but they are way off target."

~HP~

Just outside the Great hall by the staffroom door, Rose was doing her best to prevent exactly that. She had pressed herself up against the wall, facing the ancient stone. She rested her forehead against the rough surface, breathing away the hard tension through gritted teeth. On either side of her head, white fist rapped away to the tune of her frustration. At the moment, Rose could not give a fuck if someone happened to walk by and think that she had finally snapped. She just had to pretend that she was in some deep dark void…all alone. There was no one to bother her, no one to ruin her plans, and certainly no one to "lose" her Witch Weekly. It was far better to punch the wall than to attack innocent little Luna.

She had retreated so deeply into herself that she didn't hear the sharp click of a door handle, or the tapping of a boot. "Miss Beckett, what in Merlin's name are you doing?"

Rose did not jump at Snape's deep voice, though it did yank her out of La-La-land and back into reality-land. In an attempt at a passable impression of an owl, she twisted her head around to half-face the Potions master. He was leaning against the staffroom's archway, his back resting on the closed door. He had his hands in his robe pockets, and a relaxed cock in his brow. If he was trying to be threatening, it sure wasn't working. She had to strain her voice to say, "Nothing, Professor."

"You know, the last time I saw someone beating against the wall like that, they were completely barking." Snape folded his arms across his chest. "And the last time I saw your face that red, I was pulling you out of a scrap. I'm almost obligated to ask if anything is wrong."

"It's nothing, sir," said Rose, releasing her tension enough so that her face could blanch again. She turned her body completely to Snape.

"Really? Seems to me like you are angry," Snape said with sarcastic undertones. "And having quite a fit, by the looks of it."

"Believe me Professor, you've seen a fit, and this is not it." Surrendering to her bad mood, Rose leaned back against the wall.

"Alright Miss Beckett, what happened?"

Hesitation was an understatement compared to what shot through Rose's mind. Knowing Snape as well as she did, she felt that telling him her predicament would provide him with more entertainment than watching Harry on the wrong end of a Leg-locker Curse. "Nothing…"

Snape shook his head. "Come Miss Beckett, I know that you can't hold your tongue forever. Just spill it and get it over with." Rose looked away with a strong sigh. What use was there in lying to a man who was known to be a Legilimens? And why was it that she forgot that little fact? Even so, this man had already heard things from her that most people ordinarily would not. It was hardly a confession to blow off a little steam that just wouldn't let up.

"Let's say that I had some arrangements that due to incidents beyond my control have gone awry."

"I'm assuming that these arrangements were not that important. Am I right?" Rose slowly nodded her head, and Snape snickered under his breath. "And I thought you promised to control your temper."

"I am controlling my temper!" Rose barked. Snape raised his brow at her. "By leaving the room?"

"Eh…yes, I suppose so."

Now Snape was muffling his laughter. "Stubbornness, both irritating and amusing! Miss Beckett, for your sake and everyone else's, do calm yourself. I doubt that your mother would appreciate another letter from Professor McGonagall about your violent disposition."

Damn, she hadn't even thought of that one! Oh yes, Rose thought, that would go over really well with Mummy-dearest. "No need to remind me of that, sir."

"Yes, think of what she would say, how unbecoming it would be of an English lady."

"But you know how hard it is to stop yourself once you're in that mindset," Rose said, stretching an open hand out to the Potions master.

"That I do," said Snape. The harshness of his features seemed to relax away. "But I can also entertain how pointless it is to let little things set you off."

"Really Professor? Wasn't it a month ago that you deducted house points from people who sneezed in class?"

Snape shifted his black eyes away for a moment, almost as though he had forgotten that little incident. He shook his head, more to himself. "Alright, so I might not be the best example. I could say that I can't control it any more than you can, but at this point, it might be because I don't know any better. Let me put it to you this way. Do you want to end up like me?"

That was a trick question, though whether Snape intended that or if Rose just came to the conclusion herself was anyone's guess. End up like Snape? A well-known, widely respected potioneer, yes. A snarling nutter with a famously bad temperament, no. She assumed, of course, that he was referring to the latter, and she shook her head with a little smirk.

"I didn't think so," Snape continued. "You're a clever girl; I like to think that you know better. Anger doesn't really suit you anyway. It's quite an ugly emotion. It's not much of a surprise that you can't get a date." Rose listened to Snape's voice, ignoring the sneer and taking in what Snape was trying to say. With each second that passed, she felt the tension in her head and torso drain. For a brief moment, she was back in the Potions classroom. She thought being alone was the answer to her frustration, and all it took to bring her down was a little chat with the "greasy bastard."

The subtle smile she offered could not have been more genuine.

Snape stepped out of the doorway and walked in the direction of the stairs. "Go back to your simpleton friends, Miss Beckett," he said. "And do control yourself. Whatever it is that's got your knickers in a knot, it will pass and you can all get back to wasting your days with nonsense."

'Oh yeah, I'll bet you did the exact same thing when you were my age.' Rose thought to herself as she watched the Potions master vanish down a flight of stairs. She could not help herself when she released a much shorter sigh, raising her blue eyes to the high ceiling with a smile. She couldn't have felt more like one of Snape's favored Slytherins if she tried.

She was about to reenter the Great hall, calm and collected when she suddenly came face to face with Neville. "Oh Rose," he said, as surprised as she was. "You came back. I was just going to go look for you."

"What for?" asked Rose.

"I wanted to make up for what happened with Luna. I felt bad when Hermione told me how much you were looking forward to reading that magazine. Well, I have a few pieces of bronze to spare, and this morning's Prophet has an ad with Witch Weekly'saddress. If you want, I will personally write in for a rush order on a new copy. It will be here by Wednesday."

Rose blushed, the word "aww" just on the tip of her tongue. She could have thought to do that herself, and yet someone was willing to do it for her, even if it was to cover his girlfriend's tracks. She smiled again as she patted Neville's shoulder. "I'll give Luna one thing. She knows a good guy when she sees one."

~HP~

I thank every one for continuing to read, and I look forward to the reviews.