"Ah, you're here," she said cheerfully, looking up from her steaming cauldron and smiling at Severus who had just entered his classroom at eight o' clock that Monday morning. "Good, I need your help with something."
If Severus was surprised at her reaction to seeing him for the first time since his bloody battle with death on Saturday night, or perhaps confused as to why she was brewing potions in the middle of his classroom, alone on a Monday morning, he did not show it. He merely walked slowly and purposefully up to her and examined the vial she had just used to scoop up her potion.
"Here," she said, not quite looking him in the eye just yet. "I followed every step, and yet… I feel like the colour is just not quite as it's described in the book. It says teal, but this is more of a…"
"…cobalt," he finished for her curtly, his pale fingers turning the vial this way and that way in the light.
"So what did I do wrong?" she finally looked up at him and was thankful to find that other than his closed mind, he seemed perfectly normal.
He raised an eyebrow and she felt relieved just by the sight of it. "You tell me," he said slowly, walking around her rather intimidatingly, every bit Severus Snape the potions professor.
She grimaced and sat down on a chair next to the recently extinguished cauldron. "I powdered the moonstone, I added the exact amount of dragon claw at precisely the right moment, my turns were perfect, the ingredients were measured and added to perfection I am sure of it."
"So?"
She frowned and thought hard. She felt suddenly as though she had something to prove. She had so wanted to show him that she could actually brew her own potions without help, that she had been disappointed by the final colour that had revealed itself in the cauldron, just minutes before he returned.
"Then it's not about what I did, but how?"
"Go on."
"So it must be an external issue… I cast the hair follicle charm to make sure I didn't drop any of my hairs into the potion, I washed my hands, I'm wearing a t-shirt so no lose fibres, I didn't have anyone to talk to so it can hardly be spittle…"
"Then?"
"Then, it doesn't come from me," she concluded, frowning. She looked up to find a slight shimmer in his eye which made her heart leap a little. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" she baited.
He gave a shadow of a smirk. "Quite."
"Are you going to help me at all? Otherwise by the time your first class arrives I will still be here cleaning up."
"What are you brewing?"
"A cooling potion."
He looked at her with that infuriating eyebrow in the air and the sickle finally dropped.
"Oh for fucks sake," she snapped. "It's because the room temperature is too high? Or too low? Oh come on, it didn't say anything about that in potions for beginners! Seriously, what a joke."
She moved to vanish the potion but he placed a gentle hand on her wrist and stopped her. She pretended to not feel the darkness flash through her, but she was relieved to see that it made up only part of his emotions. He was also quite thoroughly bemused and truly in love with her.
"Don't," he said quietly. "This is a learning opportunity. What effect will the low room temperature have on the potion?"
"Well it means that the magical reaction won't happen in relation to the temperature at the time of taking the potion, but rather in relation to the making of the potion."
"And so?"
"And so it's useless."
He conjured what looked like a small ladle and scooped up a small amount. He held it out to her. "Here. Taste. There is nothing more instructive than feeling the effects of a badly brewed potion on yourself."
"Are you for real?" she eyed him nervously. "What if I've fucked up more than the temperature?"
"You were one hundred percent confident that you did not, a few moments ago."
"Yes, but,"
"Well are you or aren't you?"
She couldn't help but shake her head at his daring and teasing humour. "Fine. If I die it'll be your fault."
She tipped the ladle into her mouth and swallowed. "Well, it tastes as it should," she said reluctantly. "Anyway, whilst we're waiting for that to set in, do you want some breakfast or a coffee?"
She led him through to the kitchen table and tapped the kettle with her wand.
"Coffee, please," he said quietly, pulling off his cloak and leaning against the back of his chair, watching her carefully.
She poured them both a mug and then finally looked him over properly.
"Are you in one piece?" she asked rather stiffly, unsure whether he would allow questions.
"Yes," he said calmly. "Remus… helped."
"Yes, I know," she said quietly. "And I'm very angry at you, by the way." She slipped on her cloak and pulled it around her tightly, taking another sip of her coffee and then sitting down.
"Oh?"
"Turning your back? Turning your actual back? Are you kidding me? How many times do you yell that at me when we practise duelling? It's rule number one for god's sake… what happened?"
Severus pressed his lips together tightly. "We were… in the presence of the Dark Lord. I didn't think him stupid enough to attack a turned back under the eyes of his Master… he was punished dutifully."
Serena grimaced. "I should hope so," she said quietly. "And you?"
Severus' eyes pierced hers and she opened her mind just enough. He needed to know what she was really asking.
"I… I thought I could save someone… by… doing what was asked of me… but I couldn't… not in the end…"
Serena nodded sadly and shivered slightly. "The most important thing to me is that you tried. I know it's the outcome which is important to you, but… you did all you could without getting yourself killed…"
Severus looked away from her, shame building behind his eyes.
"Although," she said in a much louder voice, "you may get me killed, I feel like I am freezing to death, bloody hell, what did I swallow?"
Severus snorted quietly and moved around the table, pulling his arms around her from behind. Despite how cold she was, she closed her eyes at his warm touch and thanked God that whatever had happened this time, it hadn't stopped him being able to touch her.
"So, what have you learnt?"
"That the potion thinks it needed to cool me down based upon the temperature in your fucking dungeon."
"And?"
"And what?"
"And what else?"
"And- and you should always brew a bloody counter potion before ingesting anything Severus fucking Snape tells you to drink."
He almost gave a full laugh at that before heading for the shower.
…
As quick as that, exams were soon upon them. Serena, once again, found herself just as nervous as her students and she found herself wondering if that feeling ever went away. Everything they knew about charms came from what she had taught them, and she found it both satisfying and terrifying as she watched the fifth years and seventh years especially, sit down for their charms written test.
She hovered outside in the entrance hall, trying to crane her neck and see if they were writing detailed answers, if they had skipped any questions, or if they looked confident or not.
Her eyes flickered to the strict-looking examiners that patrolled the hall. Other than being completely wizened compared to her (one had even bragged about examining Albus), they seemed relatively normal and had climbed in her regards once she had heard how they had talked to Umbridge. Polite as they were, it was clear to everyone that they preferred Dumbledore.
It was a real summer's day and the sun was pouring in through the windows of Hogwarts quite pleasantly. She had wanted to go for a walk that lunchtime and make the most of the grounds, but she had Occlumency with Harry. She grimaced at the thought. It was not that he was a bad student, although she had to agree with what Severus had previously said- she had the impression he did not practise his exercises much outside of their meeting time, the problem was that she found herself teaching a subject that she only mastered half of.
Yes, she was an extremely powerful occlumens, she admitted that now, but that was only thanks to Severus' particular teaching methods and understanding of legilimency, too. Severus had pushed her, and it had forced her to learn. She didn't feel confident enough to push Harry too far, and even six weeks later they were still practising mind-clearing techniques and she barely dared push further than the outer levels of his mind.
As the bell rang and the exam papers were collected, Serena breathed a sigh of relief. She caught the eye of a few students as they left the exam hall, Padma Patil smiled at her and Dean Thomas gave a thumbs up. It wouldn't have been that bad, then.
She spotted Harry further back with Ron and Hermione. She backed away and began her walk up to her office, he caught up with her after just a minute.
"Professor Lake."
"Harry," she smiled, pressing her palm against her office door and then holding it open for him. "How did it go?"
"Alright," he said confidently, "yeah, there were only two questions that I didn't know at all, but I still made something up anyway…"
"Very good. I hope you will still be able to clear your mind despite any worries about the practical exam this afternoon?"
"Of course, professor."
"Then I'll give you a moment to compose yourself."
As at the start of every lesson, she gave him two minutes to put his bag down and try to clear his mind of everything that had happened that week. It was something that Severus had never done, but she thought it might help him.
"Are you ready? Okay, come and sit down."
She sat opposite him in the middle of her office, just as Severus had sat opposite her two years ago. She pointed her wand in between his eyes and took a calming breath.
"So we're focussing on the first defence mechanism to start. Legilimens."
Serena watched as the boy managed to hold a blank, white space in his mind for almost a minute, but the moment she started to push or pull against those white walls the charade fell apart and she was confronted with his thoughts and memories.
She kept him at work for half an hour. She didn't want to tire him out too much for his exam that afternoon. He still couldn't shut off his mind completely and she often had visions of his friends or of a Ravenclaw girl and sometimes, most worryingly, of a door she knew led straight to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic.
She was just thinking about letting him go when there was a knock at the door. She froze, and looked at Harry quickly.
"Stay there, Potter," she said quickly, leaving him seated in the centre of the room and hurrying to the door. She prayed in her mind to not let it be Severus.
"Ah, Pomona, is everything ok?"
She only held the door slightly ajar, just enough to wedge her body in the gap and hide Harry behind her.
"The moonflower has blossomed!" the witch said excitedly, almost bouncing up and down on her toes. We have had the first two buds, I think in about two nights time the whole plant will be ready, all our hard work has paid off."
Serena grinned. The moonflower had been hard work indeed, and she and Pomona had spent months watering it and trimming the flowers, all in the hope that the buds would one day blossom. Moonflower seeds had healing properties and Severus was in high demand of them for his potions for St. Mungo's.
"That's brilliant," she smiled enthusiastically.
"I just had to let you know. Come down the night after next, bring Severus, he can harvest the seeds."
"I will, thanks for letting me know."
She shut the door quietly and turned, still smiling back to Harry. "Right, that'll be all Harry, you've got your charms practical this afternoon and I don't want you to be tired for it."
Harry stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder. "Professor?"
"Yes, Harry?"
He hesitated. She gave him her full attention, knowing that hesitance was only for the questions one feared the answer of.
"Does… Professor Snape doesn't know you're teaching me, does he?"
She opened her mouth to make something up and then stopped. "No."
Harry nodded thoughtfully and then walked to the door.
"Well, thank you."
She gave him half a smile. "Good luck for later on."
"Thanks."
…
"They are so beautiful," Serena gasped, looking at the white flowers that stood out in the black night. The moonflower only blossomed exactly half-way around the moon's cycle. The particularity of the flower, apart from their healing seeds, was that the flowers all floated upwards, as though defying gravity or permanently levitated, all facing the glow of the moon.
Severus pulled his black coat around him and nodded approvingly to Pomona. "Excellent Pomona, even better than last year."
"Well, that's because of Serena's help too," the witch said kindly. "Now, help yourself, Severus."
Severus pulled three glass pots from the insides of his cloak and crouched down in front of the plant. Serena watched carefully, not wanting to crowd him, but extremely interested in how the seeds are harvested. Severus turned his body slightly.
"Here," he said quietly, looking at her briefly in the darkness. "Touch the centre of the flower, can you feel a slight ball, or mound in the middle?"
He took her small hand in his large one and guided her, rubbing her fingers against the soft petals slowly.
"Yes," she breathed. "I feel it."
"That's the 'nut' of the flower, I say 'nut' and not seed, because it is inside that ball that we will find the seeds."
"So the flowers have to be destroyed?" she asked quietly.
"Not quite," he murmured. "Observe."
With long fingers, Severus pinched the flowers together, closing the petals and folding them over, before caressing the soft outsides with his other hand's fingertips.
Amazed, Serena watched as the bottom of the flower near the stem opened up like a small mouth and popped out a small white ball like a pearl. Severus caught it deftly and held it up to her.
"The nut," she smiled.
"The nut," he repeated in a smooth voice. "The seeds must be taken out in daylight." He placed the little ball in one of his jars and moved to the next flower.
Serena stood up and saw Pomona grinning at her.
'What?' she mouthed behind Severus back at the older witch.
Pomona only winked at her and then said loudly. "You didn't bother taking the time to show me when I asked five years ago, Severus."
"Only because I knew you'd go spilling the secrets to all of your botanist friends," Severus drawled in his usual, sarcastic voice.
Serena shared a grin with Pomona. They knew how to wind him up very well indeed.
"Is that so?" Pomona said in a fake-haughty tone. "Because I distinctly remember you telling me to mind my own business, I was only a pot planter and if I carried on with my incessant nattering you would pull up a mandrake."
Serena snorted, Severus only turned and rolled his eyes.
"And my threat has not changed," he said coolly.
"May I take one of the flowers?" Serena asked, fondling one that Severus had already de-nutted.
Pomona nodded, "of course, dear."
"Thanks, I think Remus would like one, it's symbolic isn't it?"
It was Severus' turn to snort. "How… sentimental… next you'll be-"
Severus cut off and got to his feet as a strange sound echoed out in the darkness of the school grounds. Serena pulled out her wand and saw that Severus had done the same.
"What on earth," began Pomona but Severus hushed her.
There it was again, a strange, roaring, beast-like noise, like an animal in pain.
Serena squinted her eyes through the darkness but they were too far away from the source which was further towards the forest.
She looked at Severus again.
Forest? She asked through their mind connection.
Severus scrunched up his forehead. Unsure. Perhaps.
They heard the noise again and Serena took a few steps forward.
"Pomona, get back up to the castle," Severus murmured quietly. "Serena, come."
They walked silently towards the castle, skirting the trees to their right and staying in the shadows as much as possible.
As they neared the building they heard gasps and shouts from above them, and Serena looked up into the night's sky, puzzled. Severus had seen them too. Students, fifth years, she knew, were at the top of the astronomy tower, all fixated on something in the direction of the forest. They watched as some of them pointed and an examiner even seemed to pull a telescope towards herself for a better view.
"Take the castle side," Severus muttered, "I'll head down and skim the forest."
She nodded and set off briskly as they heard the roar once more. She had barely gone ten metres when she saw the castle doors in the distance open and a figure hurried out, pulling a robe around her. Serena recognised it as Minerva. She frowned. What on earth was…
As she drew nearer, Serena finally understood.
Down by Hagrid's hut, Serena saw the Minister for Magic, Umbridge and several other officials all casting spells at a roaring Hagrid. "How dare you!"* Minerva was shouting across the lawn.
Serena stopped and crouched in the shadow of the castle. She could see the outline of Severus against the forest and saw that he had done the same.
"Leave him alone! Alone I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing to warrant such-"*
Serena jumped to her feet as none other than four stunning spells were sent at her and hit her square in the chest. She was running now, running towards Minerva, she could hear Hagrid roaring and watched as he lashed out at the figures, immobilising them with the help of Severus' spell work from the shadows, but all she could think of was Minerva, her age, and how four stunning spells to the chest may surely be too much for her…
She threw herself to the ground, grasping Minerva's hand tightly and checking for a pulse. She couldn't feel any emotions coming from her, but her chest was rising ever so faintly. She closed her eyes tight and focussed on her injuries, tried to pull the pain from her chest, tried to take the spell-damage from her, but even as she focussed, she knew it wasn't working. This was no gaping wound; this was damage to her magic.
"Severus!" she all but screamed, spinning around wildly, but Severus was upon her instantly, kneeling next to her and checking Minerva's vitals. The witch looked tiny, lying unconscious like that.
"Hospital wing," Severus said curtly. "I will retrieve several potions and be with you shortly."
"Mobilicorpus," Serena said shakily, levitating Minerva's body and turning towards the castle. Students were watching from every window, and as they arrived at the Entrance Hall, those that had been taking the astronomy exam, including all the examiners, watched from the upper stair's balcony.
Severus swept down into the dungeons and Serena hurried as quickly as she could to the hospital wing.
"Is she going to be alright professor?" a voice she recognised as Lavender Brown cried.
Serena grimaced. "I don't know. Return to your common rooms."
Somehow, Poppy was expecting them. She was moved to the teacher's room, Severus was there in an instant and was tipping potions down her throat whilst Poppy completed some strange, low song over her chest.
Serena sat in the ward helplessly and waited. She couldn't even go in the room reserved for teachers, it brought back too many memories.
Just twenty minutes later, Severus came out looking grim. "I must floo St. Mungo's. Minnie will be safer in their hands. You should go to bed."
Serena nodded and watched him step into Poppy's office. She stowed her wand back in her pocket and smelt a floral odour waft up to her nose. She put her hand back into her pocket and pulled out the forgotten moonflower, crumpled and broken.
* = JK not me.
