The Beginning

Severus walked into the Great Hall expecting it to be empty. He'd walked all the way to the Head table and had nearly sat down before he realised that Professor Ridler was seated beside him.

"Good morning, Severus," she said after finishing her article in the paper.

"What makes you think that it is a good one?" he asked, smirking.

"What makes you think that it isn't?" she retorted, then stood up, picked up her piece of toast and walked out of the Great Hall.

The routine continued for the next three weeks. Every morning, Severus awoke at 5:45, took a long shower, then dressed and went to the Great Hall. Every day she said "Good morning, Severus," and each day received the same response. After her own retort to his question, she would pick up her piece of toast, fold her paper, and walk out of the Great Hall.

They hardly ever saw each other outside of the Great Hall. The rarely spoke at dinner, and at supper they spoke only of their classes. She would often praise certain students or ask his opinion on her lesson plans, but they never spoke of anything more personal than that.

They had passed each other on the stairs a few times, but had said nothing and had only nodded shortly. Had it not been for the look in her deep brown eyes, he would have thought that she'd lost all interest in him.

Eventually he tired of the routine. It had been a comfort, knowing that he'd see her each morning, but now he wanted to know where she retreated to so faithfully. Instead of going to the Great Hall, he stood outside the door and waited for her to leave. She didn't notice him standing in the corner, nor did she notice his quiet footsteps as he followed her out of the castle.

The next morning, Severus awoke as usual, resuming the routine. He walked into the Great Hall and took his seat.

"Good morning, Severus," she said.

"What makes you think that it is a good one?"

"What makes you think that it isn't?"

"That's where you go every morning, isn't it?" he asked her when she stood up to leave.

"What do you mean?" she asked slyly, stopping to look at him.

"You go outside to find out if it's a good morning."

"Care to join me?" she asked, then walked out of the Great Hall without waiting for a response.

Severus stood and followed her. His long broad steps quickly caught up to her shorter ones. Before long he was walking directly beside her, saying nothing.

They walked all the way to the lake before either one of them spoke. Kali sat on the grass and leaned against a huge rock, staring at the sky.

"You were right," she finally said. "I do come out here to find out if it's a good morning."

"How can you tell?" he asked.

"The feeling in the air. Far too many people judge the day based on the sky. They assume that the rain means a bad day and that a sunny one means a good day. So Severus, is it a good day or a bad one?"

He stopped to look at her, wondering if she only wanted his opinion or if she wanted him to feel it. Either way, he knew that it was a good day, and said so.

"What makes you think that it's a good day?" she asked with a smirk.

"What makes you think that it isn't?" he answered just before bringing his lips to hers.


A/N: Aw... so cute. Okay maybe cute isn't the right word. They're a bit to edgy to be cute.

Anyhow, hope you liked the chapter. Kali is a bit queer, but hey, aren't we all. Look at me, for example. I write fanfiction based on people that I don't know and a world that doesn't exist. I wear skirts over my jeans and play football. I like math. I think that last one speaks for itself, actually.