Mysterious Hearts
Conversation
"Severus," Professor Lupin said in the main hallway after they had left the great hall.
"Lupin," Snape scowled at the other professor.
"The headmaster asked me to talk with you about my potion," said Remus, "and I was wondering when you would have the time?"
"Tomorrow," Severus told him and quickly swept down the stairs to his dungeons leaving Lupin staring at him. But Albus quickly came up besides the werewolf.
"Don't worry about Severus," Albus told him as they walked towards Lupin's chambers.
Severus clenched his fists as he bit back the thoughts he had about Professor Lupin. But Albus had asked him to play nice and Severus felt that he owed it to the headmaster to try. He detoured to his classroom before returning to his rooms. He spent the next half an hour preparing for his first classes. Then he headed into his office and grabbed a notebook from his desk and headed into his lab. He liked to brew potions in order to calm down. There was something he found soothing about them.
He spent the next four hours working on his own adjustments to potions. He was attempting to improve on the effects of everyday potions. He was having a rather good time. He was visibly relaxed. So relaxed that he didn't even notice when the door to his lab was opened. Tonks stood in the doorway watching as a childlike grin appeared on her husbands face.
Severus walked over to his cupboards and put away all his ingredients and pulled out several. Tonks frowned; she knew her herbology and potions well enough to know that most of the ingredients while harmless alone were combustible when combined.
"Severus," she said as he returned to his workbench.
"Nymph," he said surprised, "When did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago," she said not distracted from her questions, "what are you doing?"
"Making a potion."
"Won't that make an explosion?" she asked with an innocent smiled on her face.
"Yes," he said not looking at her while he lit a fire for his cauldron.
"Then why are you brewing it?"
"Fun."
"You have fun when you blow things up?" she asked.
"Yes, don't you?" he asked before walking over to her and placing a kiss on here cheek. Then he fingered the bright blue curls, "what did you do to your hair?"
"Don't you like it?" she asked with a pout.
"It is interesting," he told her as he tugged on one of the curls, "now stand back and watch."
"Alright," she said taking a seat on his workbench. She smiled as she watched him work. It was truly an impressive sight. Severus put his all into brewing potions. She found his actions very sensual. She nearly forgot that he was planning on blowing the cauldron as she watched him. She gasped in surprise when smoke started billowing from the cauldron in short burst. She watched as the potion spurted up in a lime green geyser and returned back into the cauldron with a loud splat. She grinned when the delayed boom sounded at the very end of the explosion.
"That was amazing, Severus," she told him as she wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"It was nothing," Severus told her, "in fact…"
Before Tonks could stop him Severus had launched into full lecture mode. Tonks just smiled and looked at the now dull green potion.
"Are you listening to me, Nymph," Severus asked with an impatient glance at her.
"What?" she asked. "Sorry Severus, I spaced out."
"Very well," he said as he went to clean up. He took her hand and they walked to his rooms. Tonks got a glass of water and joined him on the couch in his living room.
"So, Sev," she started, "if any of your students did that in class, what would you do."
"Have a heart attack because they managed to figure that trick out."
"So that was for my benefit?"
"Were you impressed?"
"Very," she said sliding closer to him.
The next morning Severus woke up and got into the shower. Tonks woke when she lost her snuggled toy; she sat up and heard the shower running.
"Care for some company," she asked before joining him.
"What?" Severus asked Tonks once they were dressed. She had been gazing at him for a few minutes and it was grating on his nerves.
"Have I ever told you just how good you look in your teaching robes?" she teased him.
"No, you have not," he said, "but now is not the time, I have students to attempt to teach."
"Don't you mean, first years to scare?"
"If that is a byproduct of my teaching style," Severus said, "then so be it."
Tonks burst out laughing at the look on his face. It was as if she had suggested something scandalous about him or a conspiracy he had a part in, "so did you practice your infamous silly wand waving speech?"
"I do not need to practice it," Severus said as he headed for his door, "I trust you can find your way out?"
"Can I give your speech, Severus?" she asked after recomposing.
"I believe that you have a job to do as well."
"Honestly you are no fun Severus," she said, "please, no one would be able to tell the difference."
"Not a snowstorms chance in hell, I believe muggles say," he sneered.
"Close, a snow balls" she told him and then gave him a wicked little smirk, "I could tie you down."
"Promises, promises" he taunted her, "no Nymph, you can not."
"Next year?" she asked.
"We will see."
"Git," she said kissing him on the cheek, "have a nice day at work, I'll be back tonight."
"Very good, you can tie me to the bed then."
"SEVERUS," Tonks said smiling despite her efforts not to.
"See you tonight, Nymph," he said before heading off to breakfast. Severus made it through his day in a relatively good mood. He succeeded in scaring the snot out of the first years. He took points away from every house in proportion to his dislike of each house. All and all it was a successful way to begin the term.
He spent a few hours in his office before dinner working on class plans and avoiding professor Lupin. Severus wanted to put off their meeting indefinitely but knew that he had to meet with the other wizard. But he was safe currently because McGonagall was shepherding her young Gryffindor around Hogwarts. She was pleased as punch that Dumbledore had hired him to teach this year. Poppy had also been fawning over the marauder because of how skinny he was and how unhealthy he could possibly be. Nothing that she and a few house elves couldn't fix.
"Severus," Lupin stopped Snape as they were leaving the great hall that night after supper.
"Yes," Severus replied in his usual haughty tone.
"Will you be available this evening around seven for our meeting?"
"I suppose that time will work," Severus told Remus, "You do know where my chambers are."
"Yes, I do," said Remus.
"Then don't be late," said Severus as he turned on his heel and strode out of the hall. He had barely entered the hall when the headmaster stopped him.
"Yes, headmaster," he said as he waited for the older wizard to catch up with him.
"Might I walk with you to your rooms," Albus asked.
"Of course, headmaster," Severus told him. The two wizards started down to the dungeons, Albus placed his hand on Severus' arm before the reached his chamber door.
"I would like to thank you for putting the safety of the students first," Albus told Snape, "I am aware of how taxing this potion is."
"I understand headmaster," Severus said honestly, "but I am looking forward to the challenge of brewing this potion again."
"Very good," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, "very good, I will see you in the morning then, child."
"Good night, Albus," Severus told Dumbledore before giving the password to his rooms.
"What took you so long," he heard Tonks call from the other room. Snape walked into the next room and took notice of the young witch lying on his couch.
"I was not aware that you would be waiting," he told her.
"I'd wait till the ends of the earth for you Sev," she replied with a sassy smile as she fell off the couch in her efforts to get up, "so how was your day."
"I have had worse," came his reply. Tonks merely rolled her eyes.
"I am so happy for you then," she said, "I will be attempting the auror test at the in the spring."
"I see," said Severus as he poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat down on the couch besides his wife. Severus picked up the Daily Prophet and read it while Tonks flipped through a magazine. Tonks was dozing with her head resting on Severus' lap when there came a knock on the door.
"Expecting someone," she teased.
"Yes, I am," said Severus, "I have a meeting with Remus Lupin."
"Oh," she said, "I'll get the door."
"Nymph," Severus tried to stop her, but it was too late, she had already bounded to the door and pulled it open.
"Come in," she said with a bright smile.
"Good evening," Remus said, "these are Professor Snape's rooms are they not?"
"Oh, they are," She told him, "Severus is in the other room, I am his wife, Nymphadora Snape. But don't even think about calling me Nymphadora, I go by Tonks."
"Please to meet you," Remus told her, "I am Remus Lupin. I was not aware that Severus was married."
"Just had our three year anniversary," she told Lupin as they entered the other room. Severus had been busy while they were gone and located the books and notes that he would need for their conversation about the potion.
"Congratulations, then Mrs. Snape."
"Nope," she grinned, "that would be his mother, I prefer to be called Tonks."
Tonks gathered up her things and pointed her wand at the fireplace, "incendio."
She turned to Snape and gave him a quick peck on the lips, "I have to go, study up on the auror training, and I'll see you this weekend?"
"Yes," he said before she left.
"Sweet dreams, love," she told him, "I'll owl you later."
"Alright," he said as she left, then he turned to Lupin, "please take a seat."
To be continued…