That's What Friends Are For
By Lady Dien

Disclaimer and all that is to be found in Chapter One.

What has gone before: Valence Feye, a former teacher at Hogwarts as well as a friend of Severus Snape, has returned and now teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts-- and told Severus that he doesn't approve of his teaching methods.

Notes and kudos. New word, children: cognoscenti. This is archaic Italian for 'one who knows.' I will be describing it further in the story. For now go on context clues. ;)

Um, I want suggestions as to where to take this next. I have some ideas for later scenes, but they're still in the future. Is there anything anybody wants to see right now?

If you like this fic, please try my other ones. I adore reviews.

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Chapter Four: Talk of This, Talk of That

"And that, my foul-tempered, Slytherin-spoiling, mealy-mouthed moronic friend, is checkmate."

"Damn. Damnit... What time is it?"

"Er... twenty 'til =yawn= one. "

"Sigh... oh stop gloating, Valence. It's one game each so far. Shall we play the tie-breaker now, or...?"

"Lord, no. I'm not as young as I once was, you know. It's time this decrepit old fool voyaged off to the land of Nod."

"Valence, you're about as decrepit as I am sociable and out-going."

"Hah. ...Pour me some more, will you, Mr. Sociable."

"I can't. You've drunk it all."

"Have I then? Oh dear. Sincere apologies."

"I'm just sure."

"Why Severus! You say that as if you don't believe me."

Severus simply glared.

"Dear me, you've gotten good at that glare. Full marks. Been practising, I presume?"

"Oh shut up. Ass."

Valence smiled expansively and leaned back in his chair, then stretched towards the ceiling with a contented sigh. On the other side of the desk, Severus turned his head until his neck vertebrae cracked, then wearily did the same in the other direction.

"That really is too long to play chess, you know."

"You kidding, Sev? Three, four hours for a game? That's a ruddy record for the two of us. Remember that game we played, off and on, for nearly your entire seventh year?"

"Oh yes. I kept going to the library to check the chess manuals after every move... who won that anyway?"

"Nobody. The pieces finally went on strike."

"Ah."

A comfortable silence settled over the room, broken only by the drip-drip-drip of an antique, beautifully crafted water clock that marked away the time in Severus's office.

Valence's eyes roamed around the room, meticulously observing. The clock rested on the mantel of the cold, empty fireplace, generally kept unlit as a precaution against unwanted visitors arriving by Floo. Two huge, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stood on either side of the fireplace, filled to capacity with hundreds of books on potions, herbology, magical theory, defense against the Dark arts, and magic in general. Despite the number of books here, Feye knew it was but a small part of his friend's extensive library, most books kept in his private chambers rather than in the office that students sometimes came in.

Especially certain of the more... sensitive texts.

On the other side of the spacious office (one of the benefits of teaching in the dungeons, which most staff didn't want to do, was the extra room) were several standing cabinets and armoires. These contained Snape's private stores of ingredients and completed potions, and Valence noted, with interest, that there seemed to be some rather complex locking charms on the cabinet doors.

Interesting. He knew that just as Severus kept his more dangerous, valuable, or controversial books in his chambers where there could be no chance of a student seeing them, so the really rare, dangerous and valuable potions ingredients were not kept in the office. Why, then, the elaborate locks?

Valence tore his gaze from the rest of the rather spartan office-- the only other furniture was the chairs he and his friend sat on and the equally utilitarian desk-- and looked at Snape instead. The younger man was still studying the chessboard between them, his chin resting in one hand and his expression irked.

"Hey Snape."

The head in question shot up, black eyes fixing on Valence's face. "What?"

"What's with the security system?" Feye said, jerking his head in the direction of the charmed cabinets.

He was amused by Snape's immediate reaction. Palpable irritation shot off Severus in waves-- at least, to Valence's particular senses-- but with the control of long practice (and long exposure to one Valence Feye) Severus forced it down. In the next second, his psyche had returned to his usual impassive, disciplined, and orderly mindset. Valence hid a smile.

Severus must have been aware that the cognoscenti had caught his lapse, but said only, "I had an instance of thievery two years ago. I now prefer to be safe rather than sorry."

Valence arched a surprised eyebrow. "Stealing? From you? Who, a student?"

"One would presume so, yes," Snape said dryly, drumming his long fingers irritably on the arm of his chair. "I can prove nothing, of course, but I highly suspect Harry Potter. He was a second-year at the time."

"What was taken?' Valence asked thoughtfully.

"Boomslang skin and bicorn horn."

"Hunh. Boomslang skin, formal name Dermis acoethris. Used primarily in the Carolus Draught, the Aquaem Potencia, and the family of shape-altering potions that includes Polyjuice and Mutantur. For full potency, must be gathered under a full moon directly after the boomslang moults. Should be stored in a cool place," Valence recited idly, lacing his fingers together behind his head. He frowned slightly, then went off again.

"Bicorn horn, or bicornia cornu. Primary uses are the Polyjuice Potion, the Deflating Draft, and Dreamless Sleep Potion. Generally harvested from bicorns in captivity, and usually stored in powdered form-- although some suggest the carving of the horns into cups and containers, which theoretically increases the potency of whatever is held in them..." Feye's lecturing tone trailed off.

"Sev... what on God's emerald earth would Harry Potter have wanted with those? Polyjuice is much too complex for a second-year to have handled," he drawled, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Unless that second-year student happened to be one Hermione Granger, Muggle-born Gryffindor," Snape replied darkly.

"Ah. I know you said she was gifted, but... she's that good?"

"She's that good."

Valence said wryly, "It really torques you that she's not Slytherin, doesn't it?"

"Yes it bloody well does. Blasted Hat."

"Come off. She's much too ethical for our beloved House and you know it. Still, I'll be the first to admit the current crop of Slytherins could use a good example in the brains department... But we're getting off-topic. Assuming you're right, and Potter and Co. did indeed take your ingredients, and mudblood genius Granger's capable of making a P.J.-- that still doesn't solve why. What could those kids have possibly wanted to do, that'd be worth all that risk and work?"

"I haven't the faintest. Play some childish prank, no doubt. Impersonate someone. Cause trouble. But the day before I noticed them missing, there was a firecracker set off in Potter's class. I was trying to teach the little twits the Swelling Solution, so as you can imagine, the results were... messy. I'd bet my family estate that those three both caused the explosion and used the chaos to slip into my office," Snape growled, glaring at a white knight on the abandoned chess board as if it were Harry Potter himself.

"But you don't have proof."

"No. I don't. And not all of us are mind-readers," Severus muttered in annoyance, using one finger to flick the knight off the board towards Valence.

Feye neatly caught the poor knight as it hurtled through the air, its thin little scream abruptly cut off by the solid hand clapping over it. With a grin, he returned the figurine to the board, saying, "I taught you as much as you could learn. Stop whining."

"I am not whining."

"Sulking then. Or whatever you're calling it now," Feye said.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed by this hour, decrepit old fool?" Snape replied loudly, and Valence laughed aloud before standing and stretching some more.

"Alright, I can take a hint. I'm going. =yawn= Thank God tomorrow's Saturday... you still a chronic insomniac, by the way?"

"Actually, it has it uses. I get most of my real work done at night," Snape said as he began to put the chessboard away.

"And a fair bit of corridor-stalking, hmm?" Valence asked with a smirk. "Ha... I can still remember that time in your first year, when I caught you sneaking down to the greenhouses to get moonwort for a potion you were working on. At two in the morning.

"Couldn't decide whether to take points for you being out of bed, or help you with what you were making," Valence said with a chuckle as made his way to the door. Severus smiled slightly as he remembered the incident.

"Well, I'm off. See you at brekky, Sev."

"Good night, Valence."