Severus shot a quick glance at Mette, who creased her brow. At that point, Minerva ushered them out of her office. Claire hurried to walk alongside Severus, shouldering Mette out of the way and asking, "So? Do I have the job?"

"First, I need to know who told you about the things Harry Potter said."

"Ooooh, in this regard, I am a little like a journalist. A good one, that is," she said, and let out a tinkling laugh. "I will not expose my sources. But don't worry, I will treat everything they told me with complete confidentiality, unless it's useful for your protection. Trust me, I know what I'm doing! Anyway, I have to run off now. But I will keep my eye on the newspapers and talk strategies with you and Minerva as soon as they get cheeky again!" With this, she let herself be swept along by a flock of students who came pouring down the corridor. The lunch bell had just rung.

Mette was by his side again. When he saw her face, lined with a mixture of irritation and concern, he felt a pang of guilt for allowing Claire to speak for him. But it was his life, after all; he should get to make decisions about it. He tried to think of something to say to Mette when he heard a wolf-whistle not far from them. Both he and Mette looked up. A group of boys were sitting on a windowsill, one of them holding the Daily Prophet. They were whispering among each other and looking at the two of them, smirking. Severus clenched his jaw and made a determined step in their direction. "You!" He shouted at the boy with the newspaper, "Give me that!" He stretched out his hand, but found that he could not get closer to the group, as Mette had gotten hold of his other arm.

"Don't," she whispered. He tried to pull out of her grasp, but she held on, murmuring, "Please!" He wrenched his arm away and made another step towards the boys, but now Mette grabbed a fistful of his robes and pulled him away with surprising strength. The boys shouted gleefully and one uttered a sound like a whiplash, which was greeted by loud cackling from the others. Mette pulled him into a nearby empty classroom and quickly closed the door.

"What was that? You undermined my authority!" he snapped.

"That's not what's important right now! Didn't you see the two people at the end of the corridor?"

"I don't care who was there, these boys needed disciplining," he snarled.

"You should care, Severus, because the people in the corridor were two of the reporters! And even if they weren't, you are a person of interest now, anything anyone has to say about you might be in the paper the next day. You can't go around shouting at students."

"Do you expect me to just stand by while I'm being ridiculed by children?"

"No, Severus," Mette said, sounding defeated all of a sudden. She made a step towards him and said in a calmer voice, "I just want to protect you from making mistakes that could have bad consequences for you."

"Like you tried to protect me from Claire?" he scoffed

"I have to admit that she was helpful today... and I'm glad she could defuse the situation. I might have been wrong about her. I don't know."

"And you were wrong just now."

"No, I wasn't. I know it was unfortunate to pull you away like I did. But I couldn't think of anything else so quickly. I would do it again."

"Please don't. I'm tired of people telling me how to behave and how to react to the things that happen to me. I get that from Xanimus enough, I don't need it from you as well!"

"I know that it feels awful to be told when you did something wrong. It's humiliating. But that's really not what I want, I swear. I'm just trying to look out for you because I— I don't want bad things to happen to you. I still like and respect you just as much. It doesn't change how I see you at all." She touched the back of his hand with her fingertips. He caught his breath and some of his resistance crumbled.

He sank down onto a chair and put his face in his hands. "I hate this," he said. "Always being ordered around like a misbehaving child..."

Chair legs scraped on the floor and Severus felt a hand on his back. "Is there something that would make you feel better?"

"I just want to forget the world right now."

"I could ask Hagrid if he has any more of that wine, then we can get shitfaced tonight."

Severus looked up to see a mischievous smile on Mette's face. A laugh escaped him.

She sighed, "I need to go. I have lessons."

She was almost by the door when Severus said, "Do you still want to come by tonight? I have regular wine."

"That sounds great. I'll be there at seven."

Severus stayed in his office all day not wanting to run into any more students. Or Claire, or Minerva, for that matter.

When the evening approached, he showered and put on his best clothes – not that any of his clothes differed very much from one another. He lit a fire and some lamps. Unfortunately, his office had no free wall space, otherwise he would have conjured some windows. But he had a different idea.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A knock on his door made his heart skip a beat. Mette stood before it, smiling as she lifted up a bottle she held in her left hand. "I also brought some wine. Better safe than sorry," she said. As she stepped over the threshold, her gaze travelled upward.

"Every time you invite me here you have another crazy surprise," she laughed. "We're lucky to have a clear sky tonight. Is this the same spell they used in the Great Hall?"

"I don't think so, that one is much more complex than the one I used."

They both looked up into the starry night sky that hung above them, making the ceiling almost invisible.

"It's still really beautiful!"

When Severus had poured the wine, they clinked their glasses and drank. A comfortable silence settled between them. Mette was leaning back in her chair, her eyes travelling from the enchanted ceiling across the jars of creatures on Severus' shelves. The fireplace painted patches of soft yellow light on her profile. Severus studied her face; the shape of her nose, the pool of shadow on her cheek, the arch of her ear that was just visible between strands of hair.

She turned to look at him and he quickly shifted his gaze to his wine glass. Luckily, it was too dark in the office for her to see him blush.

"I'm sorry about today," Mette said. "I still think that it was good I pulled you away. I just wish I could have come up with a more subtle way."

"It's okay. You were right. Minerva is putting herself into the line of fire to keep me here. I should not waste her efforts."

Mette drew her eyebrows together as if something was just dawning on her. "Now that you put it like that… I hadn't quite realized how utterly dependent you are on other people's good will right now. And there I go, emaciating you even more. I'm sorry, really."

Severus smiled humourlessly. "It couldn't be avoided. Still, I'm sick of having to watch my every step."

"You don't need to watch yourself now, though," Mette said, smiling. "It's only me here. And I swear, I'll keep quiet about anything and everything you choose to say or do."

Severus laughed. "I believe you. Would you like some more wine?" he asked.

Mette gave him her glass, saying, "That's the spirit!"

After they had taken a few sips in silence, Mette nodded her head towards the shelves lining his wall and asked, "That one animal over there, what is it? I've seen this jar so often and have always wondered. It seems so... eerie." She got up and walked towards the shelf, scrutinizing the creature.

"That's a Limax," Severus said as he went to stand behind her. "It could be described as a mix between a slug and a Pixie. See the arms?" He stretched out his hand to indicate them. "They like to have a weapon in each of their four hands."

"Wow," Mette said quietly. She was so close, Severus could smell her shampoo. His arm was right beside her. He let it sink down again.

"How did you get it?" she asked.

"I think it was... in spring. I don't remember the year. They hatch in spring. Hagrid had told me of a part of the Forbidden Forest where he had seen some. So, I went there to catch a few hatchlings. I thought they wouldn't be as aggressive as the adults. That was a mistake." He chuckled quietly.

"What did they do?" Mette asked, turning to look at him.

So close.

"They went berserk as soon as they saw me. I think they might be born with weapons in hand. I still have a scar on my shin," he murmured as he looked into her eyes. "At least, I think I do. I never checked if it's still there after I woke up."

"Sounds dangerous," Mette said softly. "I can help you look for that scar sometime". Her face was only a couple inches from his, her hand on his shoulder. The heavy pounding of his heart was so strong, she had to feel him tremble. He put his hand on her waist, lightly. Mette smiled, then lifted herself towards him. As Severus inclined his head, his lips met hers. They were warm and soft and tasted like wine and blackberries. Mette sighed pleasurably and put her other hand on his back. Severus pulled her closer, one arm around her waist, one hand in her hair. She opened her mouth a little and teased him with the tip of her tongue. His entire being was concentrated in his mouth and nose, smelling and tasting Mette. Their bodies were pressed against each other, but it still was not close enough. Mette moaned softly, kissed him more urgently. Severus' head swam and he shakily exhaled. Mette gently broke away from him. They looked at each other and both chuckled.

"I've wanted to do that for ages," she said.

"Me too."

"Can you bring in that couch again? I don't feel like sitting across the table from you."

She had barely finished speaking when he waved his wand in a complex movement, warping the chairs and table, making them unite to form a soft, comfortable couch. Mette pulled him with her as she let herself fall onto it and started kissing him again. He was on top of her, wanting to melt into her. A deep longing took hold of him, so powerful it was almost painful. She kissed him deeply, one of her hands on his lower back, pulling him towards herself. His body reacted to her and she seemed to enjoy it.

"Wait..." he mumbled, propping his elbows up beside her head. "I haven't... I don't..." How could he finish this sentence?

Mette smiled, "It's all fine. There's no rush. Let's just enjoy each other's company. We have to cool it down a little though, otherwise I can't guarantee anything." She laughed softly, then sat up and fished for her wine glass, which had floated to a nearby shelf when the table had vanished. They sat together, Mette leaning up against Severus. It felt unreal. How had she suddenly ended up in his arms? How was it possible he was allowed to kiss her? But she was here, talking to him, laughing, pulling his arms around herself. He felt like he had at Christmas, multiplied by a thousand.

A while later, the fire had burned down and they had finished the wine. The darkness took away some of his anxiety. He bent down and started kissing Mette's neck. She sighed delightedly and turned around to face him. He slid down onto the couch; aroused by her warm weight on top of him.

"Can I take off your jacket?" she whispered.

"Yes."

She started opening the close-set row of buttons one by one. Severus reached for his wand and pointed it at his chest. The buttons extracted themselves from their buttonholes, causing Mette to chuckle.

Slowly, she undid his shirt and started kissing his chest, then the soft part of his stomach just underneath his sternum. Suddenly, the thought of having his pants taken off filled him with unease. The image of a gaggle of onlookers, upside down, pointing and laughing, shot like a bullet into his brain. He involuntarily caught his breath. Mette looked up.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked and came face to face with him again, her hair tickling his cheeks.

"No, you didn't, it's only..."

Mette smiled and kissed his face and then sat up on his lap. "It's not fair, is it, me still being dressed." She crossed her arms before her body and took off her shirt. Then she reached behind her back and her bra came loose. She wiped the straps off her shoulders and threw it aside. "Now we're even," she said as she bent down again. The feeling of her breasts on his chest, her soft skin against his, shifted his attention back to the urgent sensations of his present. He clasped Mette in his arms and turned, flipping her onto her back. No more getting caught up in memories; the Here and Now was too precious not to be fully experienced. He lay down beside her. She turned to him, her cheek resting on his palm. Smiling, he looked into her eyes and laid his other hand into in the little valley of her waist.

He immediately knew he had made a mistake.

Oops! There you have it, Sev, people do like to touch each other - now you're one of them.
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