"Severus?"

Severus awoke to a soft voice whispering his name and a gentle hand on his shoulder. He frowned as he rolled away from the warm body beside him and looked, scowlingly, up into the eyes of Remus Lupin. "What?" he asked, as harshly as he could while still whispering.

"I was afraid you didn't know what time it was. I knocked, but no one answered… you've only got forty-five minutes until first classes start…"

"What?!" Severus disentangled himself as gently as he could from Autumn. "It's after seven?"

Remus nodded, and Severus cursed under his breath, then considered the sleeping Autumn for a moment. She'd said to wake her, but he didn't really want to. She looked so peaceful just now. After a moment's consideration, though, he decided that he had promised her, and supposed she would be angry with him if he did not. Bending over her, he kissed her cheek softly, caressing her face gently.

"Hmm?" Her eyes flitted open, and Severus placed a finger over her lips.

"Don't wake up," he murmured against her ear. "I promised I'd tell you goodbye before I left. I'll see you this evening. Sleep…" He kissed her forehead, smoothing her hair away from her face, and then eased himself from the bed.

He retrieved his wand from the nightstand and yawned, grimacing as a sharp pain shot through his leg. He tried his weight on it, and muttered another curse as he glanced around the room, feeling like he was forgetting something. He couldn't imagine what. He had his wand, and he hadn't brought anything else with him, so…

Stifling another yawn, he slipped out of the room, and found Remus in the hallway. He hadn't even noticed the other wizard had left. "How are you feeling?" Severus asked pointedly, regarding Lupin with a discerning eye.

"Fine."

"Liar. And horrible at it."

Remus chuckled at that, but admitted, "I've been better, but I'm feeling much better than I was last night. Molly left some sweet rolls downstairs if you want to have a quick breakfast before you go…?"

Severus scrubbed a hand over his dace and shook his head. "I'm already late," he muttered. "I'll be back later. Around eight. Tell Autumn…?"

"I will."

He paused for a moment, and looked at Lupin thoughtfully. "Keep an eye on her?" he asked, and Lupin nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Apparently, news had spread through the school about the fiasco in potions the day before, for that was what the Fifth Year students were chattering about in the Hall when Severus opened the door to allow the Third Years to exit and the Fifth Years to enter. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Fifth Years; the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws would not arrive until after a two hour lunch break, thankfully. Severus stood to one side, watching the students file in, falling silent as they passed him, as though he represented some invisible boundary beyond which it was not worth their lives to speak. That was just as well. Severus didn't like hearing his students chattering. When the last of the Hufflepuff line had passed the door, Severus pointed his wand at the portal and the door shut with a bang. He stalked to the front of the classroom.

"I suppose that you all have heard that one of your classmates attempted to kill the rest of us yesterday," Severus commented dryly. "And I hope the gossip has you all aware of the importance of following instructions. It is not, however, a topic for discussion in this classroom, and I will thank you all to desist." He turned to face them, and noted that he had their attention fully. Not that this was unusual. "Further, I will add that I don't believe I have ever assigned so many detentions in one class as I did in the Sixth Year NEWT class yesterday, and I would encourage you all not to press towards defeating that dubious record." Eyes widened marginally all over the room, and Severus pointed his wand at the board. "Now, if you will all direct your attention to the Reducing Potion instructions on the board, the supplies are in the cupboards," he pointed his wand at the cabinets that lined the wall, and three doors swung open, "and I will encourage you all to take special care with the pomegranate seeds. Begin."

Luckily, the class passed without major mishap, and most of the students' potions were acceptable. And it was a blessedly safe assignment, if complicated. The worst the students could have possibly done was make a mess; there was simply no chance that the students would kill anyone through any measure short of sheer stupidity.

When class ended, Severus stepped into his office, acutely aware that there was a gnawing pang of hunger in his stomach. It was odd that he was so acutely aware of how many meals he'd missed in the last two days, but he was. Not two weeks ago, he could have easily gone three days without eating and barely noticed it, but now... His stomach growled again, and it irritated him. He'd overslept this morning and missed breakfast. He'd not had dinner yesterday, had slept through lunch, had overslept the previous morning and missed breakfast then. He had every intention of locking his office and making his way to the Great Hall as quickly as he could manage while retaining his dignity.

He was just depositing last night's homework into a basket when he heard the roar of the fire, and a moment later Lupin stepped out, earning himself a scowl from the potions master.

"This had best be good, Lupin," he said in a warning tone.

Lupin grinned and placed a bundle on his desk. "It's excellent, as a matter of fact," the werewolf replied. "I don't think even the House Elves are a match for Autumn, and I thought you might like some."

Severus looked sideways at Lupin, then reached for the package, untying the string that held it together and peering inside. As soon as he opened it, he was greeted by a savory-smelling aroma wafting out of it, and he opened it further, revealing a dish of rice with a creamy sauce and chunks of chicken over it. "This is what she fixed you for lunch?" he asked, staring at the dish, and Lupin nodded, grinning. "I think I'm jealous." Lupin laughed aloud at that.

"That's why I brought you some," he replied, reaching for a chair and seating himself. "I know that the food here is excellent, but it's never quite so..." he trailed off.

"Unique?" Severus suggested, and Lupin nodded.

"Precisely. And there's a... erm... I forgot what she called it, actually, but it's wonderful. In that," Lupin pointed at a folded piece of parchment, and Severus fingered a corner aside and peered in. It was a flaky-looking pastry of some sort topped with something sticky-looking.

"I'm sure it is," he murmured, pulling himself away from the tantalizing aromas with great difficulty. "Do you want tea?" he asked Lupin as he peered into the kettle he kept on his sideboard.

"Please," Lupin replied, and Severus removed two cups and a canister of tea leaves, then returned to his desk. A wave of his wand and he'd conjured himself a fork, which was his last concession to civility before he took the first bite of the rice dish. It was, indeed, chicken in it, and a creamy sauce, and peas and carrots and broccoli and… And he was really too busy eating to worry about what was in it. Pity he had to waste such a meal when he was so hungry; he suspected it was rather like giving a man dying of thirst cognac when water would have done.

After several moments of eating in silence, Severus found his stomach more cooperative with the idea of conversation during the meal. "I feel like I'm being terribly rude," he commented, and Lupin shrugged.

"Don't. I know you're on a much tighter schedule than I am."

"Hrmph," he muttered non-committally. He doubted that the statement was meant to be a barb, but he was acutely aware of the reason the other wizard had such a flexible schedule, and he didn't like to be reminded of it. That, he had a feeling, was one topic which was likely to remain taboo between the two of them, however well they might manage to get along.

After several more thoughtful minutes, Severus approached conversation from a new angle. "How are things going?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer. "With Autumn, I mean. Has she had any more run-ins with boggarts?"

Lupin chuckled softly. "No," he replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "no more boggarts. There was a small matter of a puffskein that decided to join her in bed this morning, though."

Severus grimaced. "Shit. I knew I was forgetting something."

"Yes," Remus nodded sagely. "She had a few choice words for you, and a number of interesting names. I'm not sure they were all English, but I am quite certain that none of them were flattering."

Pausing for a moment, fork midway to his mouth, he frowned. "Should I be afraid of the food?" he asked. He was mostly being facetious.

With a snort, Remus shook his head. "No, I think she decided the puffskein wasn't so bad, after all. When I left, it was in her lap."

"I tried to tell her last night that it wasn't dangerous."

"I think that last night she was too busy being shocked in general," Remus pointed out. "She seemed a little more receptive this morning." There was something in Remus' tone that made Severus raise an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Mmm. We spent the morning having a little discussion about magic. A few practical demonstrations… I'm sorry, Severus, she asked. What was I supposed to do? Refuse?"

"No, no, of course not." Some of the disappointment must have shown on his face for Lupin to have apologized. "It's good that she's accepted it enough to be curious about it. What did you tell her?" He made a concentrated effort to keep the trepidation from his voice.

"Mostly some general information," Remus replied, almost off-handedly. "There isn't really a whole lot to tell, once she began believing it. I showed her a few charms and transfiguration tricks, and I think she's got the idea that it's real."

Severus nodded, taking a sip of his tea. Of course. "Then I suppose that when I get there I should be prepared to start explaining about Purebloods and the Dark Lord."

"I think she's ready to hear that," Remus agreed, looking analytically at Severus. "I can't say I think she'll truly understand it, but I think she's ready to hear it."

"Of course." He finished the last of the chicken and rice and then looked at the pastry again, trying to decide if he was going to eat it now or save it for later, and trying not to dwell on his disappointment that Lupin had been the one to explain magic to Autumn.

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were upset," Lupin commented softly, and Severus snorted.

"Good thing you know better, then," he murmured, breaking off a small portion of the pastry. The taste was enough to convince him to eat it now.

"You aren't angry with me for answering her questions, are you?"

"Of course not," Severus replied. "Don't insult me." He had no desire to explain it to Lupin. None. It was silly and a pointless thing to worry over anyway. Just because for once he would have enjoyed being the bringer of good news, the one to produce a bouquet of flowers from his wand to delight her; to charm a piece of parchment into fluttering around the room like a butterfly. Just because he wished that he could have been the one to rescue her from the evil of a boggart, rather than being the one to thoughtlessly leave a puffskein in her room. Of course, he should be used to it by now. His was not to delight, but to frighten. He had chosen the delicate discipline of potion-making over the more entertaining fields such as charms.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain," he replied mechanically, though in his mind he was already seeing the horror on Autumn's face when he began to explain about curses and hexes and Death Eaters. It was unavoidable, of course, but he had hoped he would be able to counter some of that by showing her the… he sighed. It didn't really matter.

Severus dropped his fork abruptly and opened his desk drawer, rummaging inside for a key. He found it and stood, swiftly walking over to one of his cupboards and opening it with a deft twist, and pulled out three bottles. "Since you're here, you might as well take these back with you." He glanced over his shoulder at Lupin, and then locked the cabinet again. "This one," he indicated a large bottle of acid green liquid, "is a calming potion. I don't think it would hurt anything to have it on hand, just in case Autumn or Willow runs across another boggart. Or worse. Five drops will be enough to put either of them to sleep for a few hours; ten drops would kill them. Be frugal with it."

Lupin looked doubtfully at the bottle, but nodded.

"This one," Severus held up a smaller bottle of reddish-orange syrup, "is for you. For shakiness. A spoonful will suffice, and then lie down for fifteen minutes, and it will help. This one," he pointed to a bottle with a purple liquid in it, "is for pain. Are you having muscle spasms and cramps?"

"Severus…"

"If you do, two spoonfuls to a cup of tea, or something warm and drink it. It will take effect almost immediately."

"Severus…"

"And, I have also been meaning to give you…"

"Severus."

"What?" He finally acknowledge the werewolf's repeated attempt to capture his attention.

"Finish eating," Lupin pointed at the sweet that was only half-consumed. "We're all fine."

Of course you are, Severus thought distantly. He had the most unreasonable wish that there was some crisis which he was desperately needed to solve. He looked at the bottles of potion, and then placed them on the desk. "Certainly," he murmured. "The instructions are with them, anyway."

Lupin nodded and stood, walking in a slow circuit around the office while Severus picked at his dessert. Remus paused in front of a shelf, frowning, and Severus' eyes drifted to where he stood. "What's this?" Lupin asked, pointing at the paperweight Minerva had given him for his birthday the past year. It was a serpent carved of jade and a lion carved of sandstone, the two creatures wrestling. Turned one way, the serpent was quite obviously winning. Turned the other way, it was the lion who would be the victor. Severus shook his head, noting that the lion seemed to be winning at the moment, and stood, crossing the room, and flipping the figure over so the serpent was on top.

"A joke," he answered tersely. "Between Minerva and myself."

Chuckling slightly, Lupin nodded. "You like her a great deal more than you let on, don't you?"

Severus shrugged. "It is difficult to work with someone for a decade and a half without developing a certain fondness of that person."

Remus' smile faded. "Is it?" he asked softly. "I don't suppose I've ever been in any one place long enough to develop much more than a professional respect."

Glancing away, Severus nodded. "Of course," he murmured. Did Lupin have to remind him at every turn that he'd been responsible for the other's departure from Hogwarts? It never occurred to Severus that this constant reminder was not an intentional act on Remus' part. The thought never once crossed Severus' mind that his guilt came entirely from within.

After a lengthy moment of silence, Lupin cleared his throat. "Can I leave a message with you for Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Certainly," Severus replied promptly. "Can it wait a couple of hours to be delivered?"

"Yes," Lupin replied. "May I borrow quill and parchment?"

"Hrm," Severus gestured at his desk. "Top drawer on the right."

Lupin seated himself while Severus moved to the cupboard along the far wall, gathering scrolls into a basket. Scrolls he'd finally finished marking, and which signified that he was better than half-way through the tedious task now.

"How do you find anything in this drawer?" Lupin asked, and Severus half-turned, scowling.

"Your other right, you dunderhead."

"Oh." Lupin grinned sheepishly, and was shutting the drawer that Severus had such a tendency of piling things into. Things he didn't have the time or energy for. Things like random invitations to dinner and indignant letters from parents. "Wait, now, what's this?" Lupin had nearly finished closing the drawer when he suddenly slid it open again, his fingers reaching against the side, under several loose leafs of parchment. His hand resurfaced with a small, black velvet box, and he grinned suddenly. "For Autumn?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested.

Severus sighed and crossed the room in three strides, plucking the box from Lupin's hand and shutting the drawer with conviction. "Parchment and quill and ink and whatever else you might need to compose a note to the Headmaster are in this drawer," he informed the werewolf, a little more acerbically than was strictly necessary.

"What's in the box?" Lupin asked persistently as he removed a sheet of parchment and a quill from the correct drawer.

"None of…"

"Of my affair, I know. I thought we'd been through that, though. Are you intending to sweep Autumn off her feet? Romantic dinner planned and…"

Severus snorted. "The only way we have a romantic dinner is if she cooks it," he said dryly. "And no, as a matter of fact, I'd forgotten this was even in there. It's nothing."

"It doesn't look like 'nothing'," Remus replied, his head bent over the parchment as he scrawled a note. "Come on, what's it hurt to tell me? I won't spoil your surprise."

"I know."

Lupin glanced up. "You do?" he asked softly. "I'm rather impressed. Have I progressed that far in your esteem?"

Severus didn't take quite the delight he normally would have in seeing Remus take his bait. "No," he replied smoothly, with the confidence of one springing a carefully laid trap, though his voice was laced with something more easily defined as sorrow. "It would be quite difficult for you to spoil the surprise, as it was a surprise intended for Aislinn."

"Oh." Lupin stood and closed the distance between them. Severus could feel his hand hovering dangerously near his shoulder.

"Do not touch me," he murmured in his low, warning tone, and Remus' hand dropped away.

"I'm sorry," Lupin whispered. "Truly."

Severus was staring at the tiny black box, but his eyes were not on the velvet-covered container. "It hardly matters," he replied.

"May I ask what it is?" Remus asked softly, and for a moment, Severus was tempted to tell him to sod off. He merely shrugged, though, and dropped the box into Lupin's hands, not even looking at him. A moment later, the werewolf drew his breath in sharply. "Is that…?"

"It's real," Severus replied, not even waiting for the question to finish forming.

"Real what?" Lupin asked, sounding vaguely weak.

"Rubies," Severus responded, moving back to his book shelf and selecting the volumes he would need for the next class.

"May I ask what was the occasion?"

Severus' lip twitched. "Valentine's Day," he whispered. "She gave me gifts for Christmas, and I had nothing for her, and then she gave me birthday gifts. I suppose I was determined not to fuck up again. I wish I'd given them to her sooner, though." He turned slowly to Lupin, who was holding a glimmering silver and gold filigree heart filled with fair-sized rubies that caught the light as the pendant twisted slowly on a gold and silver braided chain. Remus offered the necklace to Severus, who plucked it from the other man's fingers and then dropped it unceremoniously back into the box. He shut the box with a snap. "One in a long list of regrets," he commented dryly.

"Why do you keep it?" Remus asked softly.

"And what am I to do with it?" Severus asked in reply. "I had it custom made, so I can't very well return it."

"Why don't you give it to Autumn?"

Severus snorted. "And I thought I was the one with no social competence."

"So you're just going to keep it in your desk drawer indefinitely?" Remus asked. "It must have cost you a small fortune."

Shrugging, Severus dropped the box back into his desk drawer. "Not really," he murmured. "I'd have paid ten times as much if I could have had the chance to make her smile once more." He felt a hand on his shoulder and jerked away. "I am certain, Lupin, that I told you not to touch me."

"Of course." The weight on his shoulder disappeared.

"Have you finished your note to the Headmaster?"

"Yes."

"I'll see he gets it." Severus held out a hand, and when Remus placed the folded parchment in it, he tucked the page into his pocket.

"Thank you."

"Now, at the expense of seeming rude, I do have a class coming in…"

Lupin nodded and turned for the fireplace, then paused and turned back into the room. He picked up the three bottles Severus had offered. "Thank you," he said, indicating the bottles.

"Not at all."