"It's nearly time for classes, Eowyn," said Severus, giving her a nudge with his quill pen.
"I know, I'm just finishing this hot chocolate," said Eowyn.
"What is it with you and hot chocolate lately?" asked Auriga. "Last I looked you used to drink coffee like a normal person."
Eowyn shrugged and said, "Maybe I converted." The truth was that, since she spent much of her free time with Severus, she had begun to drink more and more hot chocolate. It had become her signature drink.
"Well I need to go," said Auriga, pulling herself free of her chair. "I've got an Astronomy Tower to climb."
"I still don't know how you manage that," said Charity. "I have to keep stopping every ten steps or so."
"Only every ten?" snorted Septima.
"Oh, shut up!" snapped Charity. "What about you, Eowyn?"
Eowyn grinned at them. "Unlike you lot, I keep fit so you'll be pleased to know that I can run up all the stairs without stopping."
Charity stuck her tongue out and Septima groaned. "Perks of being an auror," she muttered, rising from her chair and following Auriga. "I'd better go too. See you lot around. Just three more days and then we're free. Woohoo!"
"Well, I have some first years to teach how to hold a broom," said Rolanda, rising and stretching. "Want to come and watch, Charity? If my old memory serves you have a free period today."
"Woohoo!" said Charity. "I can watch cute little idiots getting their brains smashed out in mid-air. What more could you want?"
She picked up a sketchpad (in preparation to catch the more embarrassing moves that the first years were likely to make) and headed after the Flying Instructor.
Eowyn finally drained her hot chocolate and gave Severus a prod. "Alright, we'd better go if we want our students to learn anything before the holiday."
Severus complied, laying his book down. "Will you be staying over the holidays?" he asked. He knew that Charity was going away to spend time with relatives and that Septima would be absent on New Year's Eve. He wanted to know if he was going to be stuck with all the 'old people' (Minerva, Albus, Filius and Pomona) or whether he was going to have her company. He hoped she was staying. It would be good to have her company. Someone to talk to while everyone else was being absurdly cheerful.
"Yup!" said Eowyn with a grin. "Though my sister has signed me up to spend Boxing Day with her husband and my niece and nephews."
"They're all Muggles right?" he asked. He always became mixed up as to who was magical or not in her family circle.
"Yes, except Kili," she said with a grin as she mentioned her brother-in-law. "He's certain that little Tauriel's got magic in her but I think he's got his hopes set a wee bit high. The boys, Jason and Benny, are at a Muggle high school. They love it. Jason's aiming to be an artist and Benny's set on being an engineer."
They had just reached the doorway. Just as they stepped out together they were both equally shocked to realise that they seemed unable to move past it. Some invisible barrier prevented them from moving forward and, when Severus tried, moving back.
"What on earth?" asked Eowyn, kicking at thin air.
"Look up," said Severus grimly.
Eowyn did. She didn't know whether she was supposed to groan or laugh or smile. A sprig of mistletoe had been pegged to the lintel. And, if she remembered conversation that she had overheard in Zonko's last week, it that particular kind of mistletoe wouldn't let you go until …
There was a brief, awkward silence.
"Well," said Severus drily, "I guess it's all in respect for tradition."
And he kissed her. It wasn't a long kiss. But it wasn't one of those short little brushing of lips which barely counted as anything. It was a kiss. Just a kiss. But when he pulled away all she could think was that she wanted him to kiss her again. But, as he said, it was in respect for tradition. And he was her friend. So she smiled at him and they both moved off.
"You know the druids used to collect mistletoe from oak trees at the time of the full moon," he said, "because that was the most magical time to collect it on the most magical tree."
"Like Getafix from Asterix and Obelix," said Eowyn.
"Who?" asked Severus.
So they walked off, still talking, leaving two very confused Weasley twins behind them, staring at the mistletoe.
"I think it's broken," said Fred.