The following morning, the Master found himself with his face pressed rather uncomfortably to the pillow, the black linen very warm and blocking all vision.
His head hurt like hell.
"Oh, bugger all..." He growled, and rose gingerly, stomping off to splash cold water into his face. Fortunately, Severus had never been the sort to wake up and vomit after the consumption of far too much alcohol.
After a series of muttered - but heartfelt - "damn it's," he wandered about for a moment before locating the bottle he sought among his shelves. Opening the phial and downing it, he felt much better, and was able to complete his morning ritual with a minimum of distracted inefficiency.
Rearranging a comb atop his wardrobe for no apparent purpose, he braced his fist against the wall and growled at himself. "You stupid ass. Abysmal ass. Incomprehensible ass." After several more rounds of verbal abuse directed at himself, he resigned himself to the obvious next move in the fiasco he'd created and prowled off through the corridors to Sabine's quarters. Or, rather, the hall outside them. He knew she'd still be inside... Hung over or not, Severus was still an obscenely early riser.
He sank onto the floor, his knees drawn up and hands hung casually over them, and studied the wall while waiting for the woman to emerge. He had a lot of explaining to do.
Trefethen rose at her usual time, having slept dreamlessly in her bed for the first time in a few nights- the weather was finally cooling to her pleasure, and after having a strict word with the house-elf that tended her chambers she had managed to avoid the inconvenience of a heating pad from there forward.
She dressed herself slowly as her bed pulled its covers and sheets straight, the three pillows arranging themselves in accordance to her preference while Sabine donned a set of simple dark purple robes with a black belt and scarf, then fastened her hair into its usual bun.
That was when the realization hit her: she possessed no coffee. "Shit!" she announced to the picture of her cousin on the vanity table next to her, the brunette in the framed photograph looking only mildly offended at the expletive. Unfortunately, this meant that her feud with the Potions Master would have to be as short as possible. Sighing resignedly, Sabine rose and strode to her door, passing through it and stepping past the gorgon-nymph...
...to almost trip over Snape. "Good God!" she choked, annoyed at the obstacle blocking her way. "How long have you been there?"
Severus gave the barest of shrugs. "Approximately, half an hour, though if you desire a more accurate answer I'm sure that portrait over there could give you the exact time down to the second... She's been glaring at me since I got here, apparently thinks I am up to no good." He looked up at his colleague, noticing for the first time the intriguing deep purple hue of her robes. "I must warn you, Sabine, that if you say no I intend to dog you around the school for the remainder of the day, however..." He drew a breath. "May I speak with you?"
"No."
The word was sharp and callous, followed by the stubborn setting of Sabine's chin as she stepped awkwardly past him. The time taken in that movement, however, allowed her to reconsider… she could not very well have him interrupting her all day. Far more important was the coffee matter (or rather, lackthereof). So, with a sigh, she sank to her knees beside him and folded her hands in her lap.
"I'm listening; go on…"
He sighed and looked down, studying his hands, then glanced at her, then at the painting, then back at her, meeting her eyes. It seemed he could not decide where to direct his gaze as he was formulating a reply.
"I am sorry." He said softly, and the sincerity in his voice was such as he had not heard from himself in quite some time, save perhaps to the Headmaster. "I had no reason to criticize you, none at all. I would not have you change, Sabine..." He quirked a slight smile, "And I actually do like your friends. Though, admittedly, Miss Prestan slightly less than Ms. Brooke. I am not a nice man, as I'm sure you have discovered, but I have no excuses. I am very sorry."
Suddenly Sabine felt quite uncomfortable, and gave a discomfited shrug of her shoulders at the apology, as though to wave away the situation. "We both said things; I believe at one point I made a comment or two that was rather below the belt. I'm sorry, too, for any trouble I might have caused you. Let's not dwell over apologies like schoolchildren." She flicked her eyes to the ceiling and back, clearing her throat before furrowing her eyebrows.
"What did I do to upset you in the first place?"
Severus shook his head, caught between a chuckle and a sigh. "Absolutely nothing. I believe it might have had something to do with the books, but I honestly cannot remember. I just found you..." He trailed off, and looked at her again. "Infuriating."
What were you going to say? He asked himself furiously.
"Would you like some coffee before classes?" He asked, changing the subject.
"Yes," Sabine sighed. Honestly, she looked more than a little bit disturbed at being described as 'infuriating'.
So, then, he just randomly decides that you're irritating? her inner voice asked incredulously. Partly Sabine's disturbance was from her unwaivering belief that everything had a cause and effect, but there was another part that would really rather not have Severus think she was infuriating. There was really no reason for that line of thinking, which only served to annoy Sabine further.
"Infuriating indeed," she muttered under her breath.
Severus realized with dismay that he had blackened her mood again, and set his mind to rather frantic work trying to find a way to allay that disturbance.
So what can I say? He growled at himself. Oh, you weren't actually doing anything wrong, I just couldn't keep myself from staring at you... Lock of hair against your neck, very distracting, you know, I'm sure you understand... Right, Severus!
He settled on a vague half-truth. "Through no fault of your own, please understand." He emitted a soft chuckle. "I was just being an ass, and had the Dark Lord himself shown up at that moment, I believe I may have picked a fight with him, just to relieve the general irritation."
He stood and offered her a hand. "Coffee?"
"Yes," Sabine repeated, accepting the hand up and borrowing Severus' considerable strength to hoist herself into an upright position. "Very well, if you insist," she conceded reluctantly, leading the way down the stairs and looking back over her shoulder.
"I would have decided to seek you out eventually, you know. You must tell me where I can acquire my own supply of coffee, so I don't burden you with my dependency." You weakling, she reprimanded herself. Addictions are the first step to abhorrency. Just look at Tarla and her cigarettes and scotch and God knows what else.
She was very light, he mused (as he helped Sabine to her feet), for such a tall woman.
"I do insist." He replied.
You must tell me where I can acquire my own supply of coffee, so I don't burden you with my dependency.
He passed her a sidelong glance as they descended the staircase. "And why would I do that," he purred softly, "When I have you at my beck and call for the mere price of a hot beverage?"
On the line, there, you git. He warned himself fiercely, and turned a corner in the corridor that led to the main dungeon staircase.
For a moment she went quiet, staving off a slight blush, although she didn't seem to mind the assertion terribly. "Nonsense, Severus. For such a dear friend, my attention can be bought for much less." She didn't press him again, however, to direct her to his elusive coffee shop.