It was lovely to hear the bubble of laughter and excited chatter fill the castle once again. Footsteps echoed on the stone floors, teacher's voice shouted above the babble of noise and owls flew overhead delivering new year's treats. The only person who seemed to miss the quiet of the castle was Severus, who, according to the students, was in as worse a mood than ever.

"You seem to be quite the hero for Serena," Albus said to him over a cup of tea that Thursday evening.

Severus scowled at the older man. "I was simply doing the job that you assigned me, Albus."

"Well try to look more cheerful then," Albus chuckled infuriatingly. "You succeeded! I knew that if anyone could, it would be you."

Severus maintained a stony silence.

"Does this mean you have come to care for her company?"

"I was just doing my job," he repeated through gritted teeth.

"Then why this sudden change?"

"Change?"

"You have succeeded in the task that I gave you, and yet you seem unhappy about it."

"When have I ever been happy about anything Albus?" Severus almost shouted, standing up and striding to the window, his back to Dumbledore.

He stood, glaring at his reflection in the window for long moments. He hated how Albus seemed to sense his feelings and how he always wanted to bloody talk about everything.

He sensed him approaching him and suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"She sees you as a great friend, Severus" Albus said softly.

"Then she's a fool," Severus said bitterly.

"You are continuing your lessons with her?"

"She suggested it," he lied. "I did not want to hurt her feelings."

"Ah, yes, because you are always so considerate about feelings…"

…

"Just one more minute," Serena begged, looking towards the dungeons and trying not to show her disappointment.

She was standing in the Entrance Hall, hand in hand with Kingsley who was rubbing small circles along her fingers with his thumb. The other teachers were chatting around them in a low bubble. It had been Minerva who had organised the first night out of the year that Saturday to celebrate Serena's potion and control of her magic.

"Serena, Severus only ever comes to one night out per year, and only because Albus forced him too," Minerva said gently. "Now let's go, or Rosmerta will be getting requests about the table."

Serena admitted defeat and tried not to show her disappointment. "Let's go then."

Kingsley gave her hand a squeeze and pulled her gently towards the entrance hall doors as they all started to proceed towards Hogsmeade.

"You're so caring," he murmured to her, smiling slightly.

She grimaced, "I hate to think of him in his bloody dungeons al the time."

"So come on then," Remus said, stepping in to walk beside them. How's it all going?"

"Yes do tell!" Minerva cried, "How did this happen?"

Kingsley laughed deeply. "Well, odd as it sounds, we owe everything to Snape."

"Severus has been working with me for months trying to find a solution. He's created the most complex potion I've ever seen."

"Gosh, Severus the hero!" Minerva exclaimed. "I'm sure that if he'd have known there would be such a soppy and romantic outcome he might not have bothered!"

"I'm pretty sure he knew," Serena said quickly, defending him, "but Albus asked him to help, so… I don't know that he had much choice."

"I've asked a friend from work to meet us tonight," Kingsley said to her. "I hope you don't mind?"

"I don't think I could mind anything you do," she smiled.

"Pass me the bucket!" Remus exclaimed, earning a friendly slap on the arm from Serena.

They all crammed around a small table in The Three Broomsticks and Kingsley bought the first round. His work friend arrived shortly after, accompanied by a man.

"I think you know most people, but everyone, this is Dora Tonks."

A young, pretty woman with a heart-shaped face and round sparkling eyes beamed at everyone, obviously used to the eyes that flickered straight up to her brilliant blue hair.

"Is this Serena?" she asked Kingsley excitedly, practically bouncing from one foot to another. Kingsley nodded and Tonks squealed and pulled her into a hug, knocking Kingsley's glass of firewhiskey off the table. "It's so great to finally meet the person that makes Kingsley so damn happy!"

Serena laughed shyly and her eyes flickered up to Kingsley's soft smile. Tonks (apparently known by her last name only) moved around the table, greeted everyone she knew. Serena's eyes then moved to the wizard she had brought with her, who was now hugging Remus and laughing with him.

"This is Sirius Black," Remus said to her, the foolish grin on his face making him look years younger than he actually was.

"We went to school together," the man explained, "we're good friends." The man was about the same age as Remus, with laughter lines around his brown eyes. He had long brown hair and a neat beard that framed his mouth.

He shook Serena's hand, winked at Kingsley and pulled up a stool in between Tonks and Remus, the latter of whom he struck up a conversation immediately.

She turned to Kingsley and murmured so only he could hear, "Isn't Black…"

"You know his family, of course. Sirius is different."

Serena learned that Sirius worked in the Department of Magical Sports and Games, in charge of Quidditch organisation and regulation. "Basically, I get to see all the games for free," he joked. Serena, Kingsley and Remus spent half the night in hysterics at the anecdotes Sirius came out with.

Tonks, who had asked Serena a hundred questions about her life during the evening, had hair that changed colour constantly through the hours. When they all stood up to leave several hours later, she knocked over half the stools, although luckily everyone was too drunk to notice, even Serena who was glad of Kingsley's arm to help her back up to the castle and into bed.

At one in the morning she staggered out of bed and into the bathroom, clutching her stomach and only just making it to the toilet, over which she collapsed, vomiting the night's firewhiskey away.

"I don't feel right," she whimpered to Kingsley, who was holding her hair back.

"We did drink quite a-"

"No, it's not just the drink. I don't feel right."

Serena's body was tingling and when she opened her eyes, her vision was altered. She could see molecules and particles and shapes, which happened when she concentrated on certain elements if she wanted to use her powers. When she blinked, her normal vision came back for a few seconds, and then slid away again to the back of her mind. Was it the potion? What was happening?

"Kingsley what's going on?" she started to panic, "am I in control?"

Kingsley could only rub gentle circles on her back and run a diagnostic spell. "I'm not picking up anything-"

"You need to get back!" she shrieked, pressing herself against the wall of his bathroom. "What if I can't control my magic!"

"Serena, Serena, shh, listen to me, you're not out of control, you need to stop panicking."

Serena pressed her back against the wall and blinked furiously, trying to concentrate on his dark face and his concerned expression, rather than the shape of his face in fragments that she saw before her.

"I'm going to get Snape."

"No, it's the middle of the night!"

"I don't care. I'll be right back, don't move, ok, don't worry."

He kissed her fingers and hurried down to Snape's office with a thick robe wrapped around him. He knocked loudly on the door. It took five minutes for Snape to open the door, and despite the hour he was dressed in his usual black robes, seemingly wide awake.

He glared at Kingsley.

"Yes?" he snarled.

"It's Serena, I think she's having a bad reaction to the potion, I'm not sure what's happening but she's not well," Kingsley, who was always so eloquent with words, struggled to express himself to the other wizard.

Severus looked at him for a whole five seconds and then summoned a potions bag and hurried up the steps with Kingsley.

"You were at Hogsmeade this evening?"

"Yes," Kingsley replied.

"She has been drinking alcohol?"

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"I don't…"

"Substance abuse, has she taken drugs?"

"I don't…" Kingsley trailed off as they arrived at his rooms, unsure of what to say.

Kingsley showed Severus through to the bathroom.

Severus stuttered in the doorway, his heart pounding in his ears. Serena was half-lying on the tiled floor with her back propped up against the wall. She was wearing a long black t-shirt, with no bra underneath, and a pair of tiny pink shorts. His eyes gazed up her long, tanned legs, over her breasts and up to the face that was glaring at him. He snapped from his gaze and approached her. She was sweating and her eyes were unfocussed.

He took out his wand and immediately began casting spells over her, his other hand deftly opening his potion's bag.

"Tell me," he ordered her, taking her pulse.

"Have I lost control?" she asked in a terrified voice. "I don't know what's happening, it's all mixed up in my head."

"Be more precise," he said urgently.

Her hand felt around and suddenly clasped his. Her hot fingers pulled his hand closer until it rested on the side of her face and she closed her eyes. "Come inside."

"Legilimens."

As Serena showed Severus her vision and the confused state of her mind, Kingsley could only watch in shock at this surprisingly intimate scene. He did not even know it was possible to be able to enter someone's mind in this way, he didn't even know you could share the state of one's mind, he thought it was only memories. He felt slightly hollow that Serena trusted Severus enough to share her mind with him, and that this clearly wasn't the first time. He knew first-hand how difficult she used to find trusting people.

He rubbed his temples and tried to push any jealousy from his mind, focussing only on concern, it was only Snape, after all.

After almost a minute their connection seemed to break.

"You stupid woman," Severus muttered, rummaging in his potions bag and taking out two vials of different potion. He conjured a third vial, made a mixture of the two and pressed it into her hand.

She drank it without a word.

"Your body isn't used to it," Severus snapped at her in a low voice. "It's exactly the kind of thing that fucks up your emotional state and takes away our emotional barriers. It was idiocy!"

"I didn't think," she said in a croaky voice, her eyes, that were now slowly returning to normal, filling with tears. She looked so small, staring at the wizard who was so overbearing and intimidating in his black robes with his black eyes and constant scowl that Kingsley almost intervened.

"Will there be long-term effects?" she asked in a small voice.

"No," he said confidently, feeling the worry radiating from her. "Prof- Serena," his tone softened. "You're fine. You're in control."

She nodded, accepting his words as truth and slowly letting relief wash over her.

"Thank you," she breathed, trying to sit up straighter and pulling her t-shirt down in an attempt to hide her body.

"You're still an idiot." He stood up abruptly and waved his things into his bag. "We have an appointment for tomorrow evening. I expect you to be ready."

With that, he swept out of the room without a backward glance at Kingsley.

Kingsley rushed over and pulled her into his arms. "Are you ok?"

She nodded against him and closed her eyes tightly.

"What happened?" Kingsley asked against the top of her head.

She sighed, and when she spoke her voice was laden with guilt. "I smoked half a spliff with Sirius last night."

Kingsley drew back and looked at her in surprise.

"I know, I know," she said quickly. "It was just half a spliff, I didn't think it was a big deal, I've learnt my lesson. It will be my last."

She could feel Kingsley's disappointment radiating from him and it made her feel even worse.

"Don't be angry, please, I think I've paid the price, and like I said, I won't make the same mistake twice."

Kingsley opened his mouth, the auror lecture on the tip of his tongue, but then he closed it and gave a small nod. "Come on, let's get you back in bed."