Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, or ideas (Harry Potter nouns) belong to J.K. Rowlings. Olivia McGonagall, Ferris Longbottom, and Eudora are mine.

Chapter 3: Who is the real prankster?

Minerva arrived for breakfast in the Great Hall and quietly took her seat, occasionally glancing over her shoulder with only the slightest movement of her head, watching Severus for any slight reaction to the previous evening's events. She did not even notice Eudora sitting next to her until a hand tapped her shoulder. She jumped at the contact.

"Are you alright, Minerva?" she inquired.

Taking a bite of her eggs, Minerva responded stiffly, "Yes. I am perfectly fine, just a bit distracted."

Eudora was not satisfied with the answer, but decided not to press her. After the meal, Minerva sauntered out of the room and almost tripped when someone grabbed her elbow. As she steadied herself, she found Severus standing next to her. She would have continued to avoid him, but he spoke first.

"I would have returned your gesture if you hadn't dashed off last night. If you were worried about my being upset, it isn't necessary. I understood it as your way of telling me that someone in this blasted castle actually cares," he explained.

She was unsure of how to read his eyes, but they seemed warmer than usual. An awkward silence had developed. He devised a quick solution and kissed her hand. She blushed, but also smiled. "You never cease to surprise me," she remarked.

"It's just another bad habit of mine," he stated wryly. "We are still playing chess on Thursday?"

"Yes, I think so. As long as everything is alright, I suggest we teach our classes now," she recommended, still unsure of how to react to him. He nodded and the two headed off to their respective classrooms.

Four days before the Halloween party, Minerva and Severus sat down to tea in front of the warm fireplace after she had beaten him in chess. Her face bore a satisfied grin. He glanced over in her direction and rolled his eyes. "Must you gloat in your victory?"

She sipped her tea. "Of course. It isn't every day that I conquer the board so cleanly."

"Luck was on your side because you caught me off my guard," he mentioned wryly.

Crossing her arms she eyed him with mild annoyance. "You just can't admit when you've lost. Perhaps we ought to start making bets over chess games."

He set his tea cup down on the coffee table and laughed sardonically. "And what would you have the loser do, wear the opposition's colours for a day? It might be interesting if the losing side receives the winning side's detention students. Better yet, I would like to see the losing side donate house points."

She shook her head. "As intriguing as those ideas sound, I'd actually prefer to keep the betting to Quidditch."

"And I thought all you Gryffindors were risk takers," he prodded.

"Of course we are. Some of us just know that certain wagers are more acceptable than others," she added primly, setting her tea cup next to his.

He rubbed his chin with his index finger in thought and then turned back to her. "In that case I believe I have a wager that may interest you."

"Do go on then," she responded, raising an eyebrow.

Leaning toward her, he grinned maliciously. "I'll bet you five galleons that someone will cause a chaotic mess at the Halloween party."

"That one's a wee bit predictable, but I suppose someone around here ought to defend the good nature of the students and the staff and bet against you," she reasoned.

"You make it sound as if I had said 'optimism verses pessimism.' You're the one who admitted that such pranks were predictable," he pointed out.

She put her hands up in defeat. "Alright, it would seem that you've caught me. I've been slightly pessimistic when it comes to trusting the students ever since Potter and Black came through Hogwarts."

"Those two should have been expelled," he commented quietly. At the mentioning of his old enemies, she noticed him stiffen for a moment.

"I am truly sorry. I was only trying to confirm your point. Here I am drudging up-" he cut her off.

"As I told you before, I don't blame you for anything. It was not your fault and I should learn to put the past behind me," he remarked, not looking at her. "I suppose it would be for the best, no matter how difficult that might be," he added almost in a whisper.

"One of these years I'll have a new set of pranksters to complain about," she stated, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

He stared into the waving flames and did not hear her comment. She tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up at her. "Yes?"

"A pawn for your thoughts?" she inquired with a smirk.

"I suppose I was reminiscing, but then I thought about my favourite Italian restaurant in London and was wondering if you would care to accompany me some time," he told her.

She had noticed his change of topic and decided to follow his lead. "I think that would be acceptable. I only hope that since you invited me, you also intend to pay for dinner," she relayed with a smirk.

His brow furrowed. "Of course I would pay. I am a gentleman, am I not? Merlin's beard, what kind of a rogue do you take me for? I might be a blackguard from time to time, but I still know common courtesy," he teased.

She laughed and glanced at the clock. I really must go to bed earlier, she thought as the clock read 12:15. "I'm afraid I must head off to bed. Goodnight, Severus. I hope you've got your Halloween costume picked out."

He walked her to the door. "I have my costume, jack-o-lantern and all. Are you certain that I you don't want me to walk you to your rooms?" She nodded. "Goodnight then," he told her, kissing her hand again. She kissed his cheek without reservation and left.

The Halloween party attracted the attention of the entire school, drawing in everyone wanting to display his or her costume. Minerva, dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein, waited outside the door, welcoming students as she looked for Severus. When all the students had filed into the Great Hall, she lingered outside the door for a few more minutes. I can't believe he decided to leave me here by myself, she thought, irritated. Just as she was about to give up, a jack-o-lantern appeared centimeters away from her face, levitating. She gasped and stepped back, not realizing that the person levitating the jack-o-lantern stood directly behind her .

"Don't worry, it's not your head I'd be after," said a familiar sardonic voice.

She wheeled around and smiled. As predicted, Severus was unrecognizable in the costume. His head hidden in the chest area of the black robes, anyone except her would have thought the Headless Horseman was a considerably tall man who had made his head invisible.

"I don't see any eye-wholes. Can you see at all?" she asked with a smirk.

He chuckled. "Yes. The useful aspect about having invisible eye-holes is that one can see out, but none can see in. By the way, I am impressed with your hair."

She blushed, having managed to charm her hair to stand straight up as she had planned. Hearing "The Monster Mash" playing reminded them about the party. "I suppose we should go in," she recommended. The Headless Horseman's jack-o-lantern nodded and they entered with arms linked.

Aside from the usual floating candles and jack-o-lanterns, black and orange ropes of paper were intertwined along the upper part of the walls. Realistic bats and spiders hid in corners and behind various table decorations. The middle of the room had been cleared for dancing. Tables off to the side against the walls held food and punch that students had volunteered to prepare. Costumed students began to dance to the music.

Minerva headed over toward the faculty punch and watched as a Helen of Troy danced with Count Dracula. She skimmed the crowd, looking for the other faculty members. She took a sip of her punch when she spotted Albus and Eudora, dressed as medieval knight and lady. I shouldn't be surprised. I just wish I had found a way out of this, Minerva thought. As she turned to refill her cup, she saw a familiar floating jack-o-lantern again.

"You seem bored. What you need is a good shock to your system," Severus commented, snickering.

She shook her head. "I suppose you found that remark witty. You need to do much better than that to get ahead."

"If you're trying to get a charge with bad puns, I think you're closer to waking the dead," he teased.

She threw her head back and laughed heartily. "I don't think I can top that one. It's a bridge I'd rather not cross."

He chuckled. "I wish we were exchanging terrible jokes over a chess game. I can barely tolerate chaperoning these events."

"Oh honestly, it isn't that boring, though I'd rather be dancing than standing at the faculty refreshment table," she commented.

"You want to dance to that?" he asked incredulously as "I Put a Spell on You" was heard. She shook her head.

"No, I would much rather dance to "Night on Bald Mountain," she said with a smirk.

He laughed. "And whom would you plan on dancing with?"

"You, of course," she relayed.

"I regret to inform you that I don't dance," he commented wryly.

"Oh, it wouldn't be that bad, and they don't even know it's you," she pointed out. "Or is the problem that you can't dance?"

"I can dance, I'd just rather not," he admitted indignantly.

Minerva spotted Filius Flitwick walking by in a mummy costume as a melancholy classical tune began to play. "I suppose if you won't dance with me, I'll have to ask Filius," she remarked.

He took the bait, not noticing her grin. "Fine, I suppose one dance couldn't hurt."

The two waltzed around the room, passing several spooks and creatures attempting to sway with the music. "You dance better than you thought," Minerva conveyed.

Severus chuckled. "That's because you're surrounded by incompetent adolescents who probably learned to dance from watching other adolescents."

Minerva was about to comment when Eudora tapped her on the shoulder. Her costume consisted of an elaborate purple gown with gold trim. "Eudora, you look lovely this evening," she stated politely while continuing to dance.

"Thank you. Minerva, you look downright scary," Eudora added. "Where is Severus? Has he managed to escape?"

Minerva grinned. "Oh, he's here somewhere, choosing not to be seen."

"Alright, enjoy the rest of your evening then. And by the way, my congratulations to this person you're dancing with who managed to pull off the Headless Horseman look. You have found yourself a very tall guest," Eudora mentioned as she walked away.

Severus and Minerva both laughed. "This really is a good costume for you. No one realizes that it's you," she commented.

"It was definitely one of my better ideas- what's going on over there?" A few students' shrieks changed his train of thought.

Minerva turned and watched a student turn into a rat and another student turn into a fox. "What on earth is happening? This must be some sort of prank."

"We should probably look at what they might have eaten or what they drank, considering that students made most of the refreshments," he reminded.

They watched carefully as two students drank one of the punches from the students' table. The plastic glasses clattered to the ground as the students transformed into animals. "We now know that punch is causing these transformations. The question is which punch and whether or not they can be changed back," she expressed.

Just then a sheep changed back into human form with a 'pop' and the student seemed fine. "We'll have to sample the punches to find out which one causes the changes."

"I volunteer," she told him.

The students had four different types of punches: emerald green, sunset orange, pineapple yellow, and sky blue. Minerva took a sip of the green liquid. "It's too sweet, but obviously not the one we're looking for." Then she tried the orange punch and found herself to be a squirrel a few seconds later.

Severus instructed the house elves to take the punch to the nearest sink and dispose of it. After they had left, Minerva popped back into human form. "I am very glad that my animagus form is a cat," she stated simply.

"And I am glad that the stuff wears off. Now that we've disposed of that, we need to know who was behind the prank," Severus pointed out.

They began asking the students and discovered within a few minutes who the culprit was. The boy who stood in front of them was a first-year, with bushy black hair and a shy disposition. "I didn't mean to make the punch do that. It was just supposed to be orange, but taste like grape," he admitted.

"Mr. Longbottom, please be more careful next time," Minerva told the boy. Ferris Longbottom was not given detention because she felt sympathetic toward him for trying to help with preparations.

As the Halloween party ended and some of the faculty helped clean the room, Severus walked outside of the room and transfigured his costume back into his regular robes. Minerva found him sitting on the bench in the hall and decided to join him.

She removed five galleons from a pocket on her white costume and placed them on the seat next to him. "It would seem that you won our wager."

He handed the galleons back to her. "Though it would appear that way, I wasn't expecting the events to be an accident."

She graciously took them back and sighed. "Next year the students will not be making the refreshments."

"I just hope that next year someone who knows what he or she is doing makes the punch," Severus said wryly.

Minerva laughed and her gaze landed on the window. The charm keeping her hair up had worn off and even in costume, he found her bewitching. He suddenly felt drawn to her. Severus leaned toward her slowly. I don't event know if this is the right idea, but if I'm going to do this, it might as well be now, he reasoned. He had intended to kiss her cheek, but just as he was about to, she turned abruptly, wanting to continue their discussion.

"Severus, I-" because she had turned, he kissed her lips instead of her cheek. The kiss was light and lasted for only a few seconds, but both moved back, wide-eyed.

He tried to explain before Minerva could decide to run off. "I didn't intend- you turned and- I mean- I'm sorry for-" she deciphered what he had attempted to say and decided to interrupt.

Seeing him try to explain his way out of what had just happened, something in her melted toward him. "I turned too soon. You have nothing to apologize for. There is nothing wrong with a small exchange between friends now and then," she remarked, saving him from further embarrassment.

He nodded and she watched with amusement as a shade of pink splashed over his cheeks. At last he found his voice. "I suppose we should be moving on in that case."

The two stood up and Minerva looked around for a moment, reassuring herself that no one had seen the exchange. "Good," she said aloud.

"Are you looking for something?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I almost expected Eudora to pop up from behind a knight and accuse me of snogging."

He chuckled. "That's ridiculous! It was bad enough that she suspected us of flirting. Am I to assume that she has nothing better to do than meddle in your private life?"

Minerva laughed and lightly shrugged her shoulders. "Being that I do not pry into her private life, she makes up for that by taking a great interest in mine."

He nodded and then decided to change the subject. "Minerva, do you remember that Italian restaurant I mentioned a few days ago? Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?" he offered.

She smiled. "I would be delighted, I just need to change first."

Seeing him smile was a rare occasion and the smile she read on his lips at that moment told her that she had made the right choice. "It's not a muggle restaurant, so your robes will be fine. I will meet you here in an hour." She nodded and the two parted company for a while.

When they met by the bench again, Minerva's hair was back to its proper colour, ebony streaked with gray, and pulled into a French roll. Severus smiled as he greeted her. "You ought to wear your hair like that more often. It makes you look younger and not quite so formidable."

She blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. Though if I wasn't formidable, I don't know how the students in my class could pay attention to their lessons."

"Oh, I'm sure they would find a way. Let's be off," he commented.

They walked outside and used a portkey to reach the restaurant, Botticelli's. As they entered, Minerva noticed the warm orange glow of the sconces. Tables were draped with beautiful floral tablecloths with breadsticks sitting in baskets on top. The walls were a cream colour with dark oak on the bottom half. As they approached the concierge, the portly man seemed to recognize Severus.

He shook his hand. "Ah, Signore Snape, it is so good to see you again. And you have brought a lovely guest. Right this way to your table," he offered.

They followed the man to a comfortable corner table for two with a hurricane lantern on the table and seated themselves. "Thank you for bringing me here. This place is positively delightful," Minerva stated.

"You're quite welcome. Also, thought it is quiet now, in a few minutes an accordion player will come by and play songs as the customers eat," he informed her.

She smiled and shook her head. "Severus, why are you a regular patron at such a romantic restaurant?"

He chuckled. "Here I can get away from the school if I need time to myself. It's-"

A young waitress interrupted him. "Here are your menus. Will you and your…" she hesitated a moment, "your mo- I mean a-"

Minerva decided to save the girl from further embarrassment. "Friend," she said, substituting what the waitress would have said.

The girl nodded. "Yes. Would you and your friend like anything to drink?"

"I would like ice tea," Minerva told her.

"I'll have the same," Severus responded. The girl nodded and wandered away.

Minerva began to giggle. "What's so funny?" he inquired.

"The poor waitress was trying to decide if she should refer to me as your mother or your aunt," she admitted as she began to browse through her menu.

He took a bite of a breadstick. "You don't look that old. I'm sure she was just confused because I usually come here by myself."

"I think you need glasses," she mentioned as their drinks arrived.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress asked. Both nodded and Minerva ordered first.

"I'll have fettuccini with chicken and mushrooms in artichoke pesto sauce."

"And I'll have my usual," Severus stated, taking his and Minerva's menu and handing them to the waitress. She nodded and headed toward the kitchen.

"What is your 'usual?'" Minerva inquired.

"That would be spaghetti with marinara sauce and meatballs," he paused and took a sip of his ice tea. "We have a Quidditch match in November, and I haven't forgotten about our wager."

"Neither have I. Five galleons to the winner, I seem to recall, was what we agreed on," she reminded.

He stared into the swaying flame of the hurricane lamp for a moment. "I just remembered that Albus and Eudora's wedding is to be held in November."

Minerva feigned interest in her fork, staring at in intently as she twirled it in her hand. "And I am happy for them. They did coordinate their costumes tonight, so they are obviously in sync with each other."

"I can see you're still having difficulty with this issue. Are you certain you don't want to tell him?" Severus added.

She had dropped the fork and picked up the knife. When she turned to him, the knife was still in her hand as she cut the hair with her hands in irritation. "What I'm having difficulty with is the fact that I managed to fool myself for forty years! I don't mind anymore that they're getting married. What I mind is my own blindness. Have you seen how he looks at her? I could never expect anyone to look at me that way."

He touched her hand and carefully removed the knife from her grasp, setting it down on the table. She blushed, not having realized that she had even picked it up. "I think you sell yourself short. I'm sorry for bringing this issue into the conversation. Tonight, forget about them and enjoy yourself," he instructed.

She placed her hand over his, which had found its way back to the table. Their eyes locked for a moment. "How is it that you manage to put me in a bad mood and then a good mood in almost the same instant?"

"I suppose some of us are just lucky," he joked.

As accordion music was heard, the food arrived and they began their delicious meal. After a while, Severus looked across the table. "How is your dinner?"

"It is absolutely magnificent. Are you enjoying your meal?" she returned.

"It's as good as it usually is," he replied. She rolled her eyes and took another bite.

"You should order more variety," she advised.

He snorted. "I do believe I've had more than enough variety for one night, with all those different types of punch. I think Ferris Longbottom ought to be transferred to Beaubaxton. He's only going to give us more trouble the longer he is here."

She raised an eyebrow. "You can't ship all your problems away. I think the boy deserves a chance."

"I think the boy's going to blow something up aside from his cauldron one of these days," Severus remarked.

"You're just being cynical," she told him.

"I'm just being myself," he countered, causing her to laugh. "He doesn't happen to have any relatives, does he?"

"Actually I believe he has a few cousins," she answered.

After having finished the meal they headed back to the castle. Pausing in the main entryway, Severus turned toward Minerva and offered his arm. "I know you've turned me down before, but may I walk you to your rooms?"

She smiled and took his arm. "This time you may."

They chatted as they walked. "I'm glad you came with me," he told her quietly.

"Thank you for inviting me. It really was a lovely dinner," she added.

"You are welcome. However, should we decide to do this again, I'm keeping all the sharp objects out of your reach," he teased.

She chuckled. "I promise that the next time I shall behave myself."

Soon they reached her door. Both stood silently for a moment, watching the other. Finally Minerva broke the silence. "Goodnight, Severus."

He liked her prim, kind smile. Continuing to watch her, he leaned toward her. "Goodnight, Minerva," he relayed when only centimeters away from her. She held her breath, unsure of what he would do. He was not certain himself. At last he closed the distance between them with a gentle kiss and sauntered off to his own rooms as soon as they parted.

Minerva whispered her password and entered her rooms in a meditative mood. I do not understand him, but I think I'd like to. Sometimes he annoys me, but other times he does more for me than anyone else. The problem is not that I can't understand him; I can live with that. The problem is that I don't understand myself, she realized as she drifted off to sleep.

(my thanks to duj, mg08, Quill of Minerva, Lizella, and Morgana-Alex for reviewing  )