"I'm going to Diagon Alley today," Severus told her at breakfast. "Do you want anything?"
That was a nice surprise. He was still being civil, if not nice!
"The only things I need, I'd have to choose myself," she replied.
"Then come,"
She was so startled that she stared at him for a good ten seconds until he spoke again.
"Make up your mind, I don't have all day to wait for you,"
His acerbic tone reassured her and she raced up to her rooms to collect her bag.
They walked out of the grounds and apparated to just outside the Leaky Cauldron. They parted ways to do their errands, but agreed to meet for coffee later that afternoon.
"Had a good day?" Kaira asked cheerily, when she caught side of him.
"Tolerable. I've ordered all the ingredients I need and made sure that I get good ones."
"Excellent."
"I've also found this. I thought you might like it." He handed her a book. It was bound with burgundy leather and had the title, 'A Treatise Against the Dark Arts' embossed in gold leaf. It was a rare copy of a work that dated back to the 16th century.
"Oh my! Where did you get this?"
He smirked slightly, as if he had predicted her reaction exactly (which of course he had).
"I know a second hand book dealer on one of the offshoots. He was looking for a rare potions text and put that on one side for me."
"It's wonderful!" She made to hand it back.
"You may keep it."
"Really?" he almost smiled at her eagerness.
"Yes."
She cradled the book reverently.
"What did you buy?" he asked her.
"Some new dress robes, mine were getting a bit tatty; a new batch of hinkypunks, they're delivering those; a couple of books on Jacinta infusion and an owl." She brandished one of the books, which was written by one Severus Snape.
"An owl?" Snape raised an eyebrow.
"An owl. You never said you wrote the book!"
"Does it matter? It was my PhD project."
"I suppose not, but it explains why you know so much about it."
"An owl?" he repeated.
She opened one of her bags, pulling out a cage containing a small tawny owl.
"I'm calling her Amber because of her eyes,"
At the sound of her name, the owl hooted hopefully and batted her eyes at Kaira. She rummaged around in another bag and got out a bag of owl treats.
"Here you go," she cooed. The owl took the food and hooted happily.
"Intelligent creature," Snape noticed. "She already knows how to get food."
"She's so cute!"
"Why on earth did you buy an owl?" the owl glared at him ferociously. "It's a very nice owl," at which it looked mollified, "but why did you get an owl at all?"
"Before, I never had anyone to send an owl to. Now, I could use sending one to my mother at home. So I thought I'd get one."
"I see." Snape watched as she fed the owl another treat.
"I'm going to a concert tonight, so unless you want to come you'll have to make your own way back."
"What concert is it?" Kaira asked.
"You won't have heard of them. They're a choir called the Hiliard Ensemble."
"I love the Hiliards!" Kaira protested. Which, of course, he knew. "That album they did with the saxophonist was amazing!"
"They are just singing tonight," he cautioned her. "But I take it you want to come?"
"Yes!"
"You went to a what with who?" Sprout spluttered.
"A concert with Severus," Kaira repeated. "Is that so strange?"
"Yes!" Sprout could barely speak. "In all the years I've been at Hogwarts, I've never known Severus go out in the evening with anyone, let alone go to a concert!"
"It wasn't a planned thing, he was going and I happened to like the choir, so I went too."
"It's not like Severus at all. Normally he would have bit off his own tongue rather than invite anyone else to go with him!"
"Don't be silly. And he didn't really invite me, I kind of invited myself."
"Did he glower at you?"
"No. We both enjoyed the concert."
"Well, I never thought I'd see the day. He must be smitten with you, my dear,"
"Now I know you're teasing me," Kaira smiled.
Snape hid for most of the day in the dungeons, avoiding even meals. He persuaded a house elf to bring him some food so he didn't starve, and hoped to keep away from everyone. Well, the teachers, anyway. He couldn't really stay away from the students.
He didn't manage it, though. He had a visit from the Headmaster.
"Well, Severus, you seem to be doing a good job," he twinkled.
Snape glared.
"Half the staff think you're in love with Professor Elmsford and the other half think she's sweet on you,"
"I am never leaving this dungeon again," Snape said. "Why couldn't the woman keep her mouth shut?"
"At least it will give Voldemort confirmation that you are doing your job. The students think it's very funny."
"I noticed a few of them smirking at me."
"From the huge decrease in house points, I take it that they didn't smirk for long."
"No," Snape agreed with a kind of grim satisfaction.
"Mr Malfoy was extremely upset with you."
"Mr Malfoy can go and learn some manners, as befits a Slytherin. Sniggering is very rude."
"You should come to dinner," Dumbledore urged. "You have to come out sooner or later."
"Perhaps I could catch a contagious disease" Snape mused.
"Come now, Severus. Come to dinner and I'll share a truly fascinating piece of information with you,"
"Knowing you, Headmaster, it probably involves either candy or muggles, neither of which I have a particular interest in."
"Nothing of that sort, I assure you," he grinned. "Something you really want to know."
"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"
"No."
"Alright," Snape capitulated.
"Hello Severus," Sprout called, as he sat down at the high table. "Where have you been all day?"
"I had some extremely delicate work to be doing," he replied, with an icy voice.
"Not thinking about a certain...?"
"Potion? That potion did have to be concentrated on very closely. The slightest mistake could have spoiled it."
"Really? You're not planning another trip out tonight?"
"No."
"Was it a good concert?"
"It was adequate. It would have been improved by removing the audience."
"Not one member of it, surely?"
"Myself? No, otherwise I would have not been at the concert to enjoy it."
Sprout gave up. She did keep glancing at him furtively, as did several of the other teachers. Snape either ignored them or glared at them, and stayed only until he had finished the meal and excused himself.
"I must see if my potion has settled," he said.
Kaira watched him leave, but didn't go after him. She hadn't tried to speak to him at the meal – she didn't want to embarrass him. She would go and see him later to talk about Jacinta infusion.
"What was it, Headmaster, that you were going to tell me?" Severus waited until later that evening before going to find Dumbledore.
"Oh yes," he grinned happily. "I was going to tell you that I think our dear Miss Elmsford thinks very highly of you. And I also think you think very highly of her."
Severus raised an eyebrow.
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
"And that was the reason I submitted myself to the inquisition?"
"Yes. Wasn't it good enough information?"
Snape sighed and went back to his dungeon.
But not even there was he to get some peace. Kaira was waiting for him.
"I wanted to say thanks for letting me go to that concert with you last night, and to apologise for embarrassing you," she said. Could she really 'think highly' of him, as Dumbledore thought? Snape didn't think so.
He waved away both remarks and wandered over to the potion he had spent most of the day brewing. It wasn't quite as delicate as he had made out, but it needed a fair amount of care.
"That's Jacinta!" Kaira exclaimed.
"Yes. I gave you my only bottle, so I'm making some more."
"You studied it for your PhD?"
"Yes. It's a fascinating potion."
"It is. I'm reading your book."
"I hope you find it useful," he said, and turned back to the potion. He turned up the heat and waited until the mixture began to bubble and added a pinch of salamander skin.
"I just wanted to say," Kaira began.
"Yes?" Snape turned to her, eyebrow raised.
"I really enjoyed yesterday, and I'd like to do it again sometime."
"I'm glad," he bit back the snide comment that came automatically. She smiled and left.