When Wikeni drove up to the rather small house she was watching, Severus's heart fell. It was tiny, almost a cottage, and certainly didn't look like it had a lot of space. He didn't want to get any closer to this girl than he had to.

"Are you sure this is the right house?"

Wikeni glared at him.

"No, I just came here to rob it."

"What!"

"Oh, chill out, I was only kidding. You alright?"

"Just fine," he seethed.

Looking back, he now realized that it might have been better to simply just try and apparate, and let the ministry worry about the frightened muggles. Surely Dumbledore would defend him, as he was the one who was waiting for him. Why he had chosen to meet in a muggle town Severus wasn't sure, but he was suspicious of the area. He knew it was close to where the Dark Lord had lived as an orphan, and he was not looking forward to meeting the headmaster there. His Dark Mark had been getting clearer for months.

"…just sit there and freeze to death?"

"What?" Severus jerked his head around to look at Wikeni, who was leaning in the car and had a slight frown on her face.

"I said, are you going to come in or just sit there and freeze to death?"

"Which would be less painful?" he mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Geez, sorry."

Wikeni shut the car door and walked towards the house, the blizzard almost completely obscuring her from view. Severus had a twinge of remorse again, but shook it from his head and stepped out of the car. He slammed the door shut and started to walk gingerly up the garden path. Almost immediately he slipped on the black ice and fell down, hard, on his butt.

"Dammit!"

Suddenly he heard giggling. Wikeni was standing in the doorway, holding it open for him, and had seen everything. He winced and stood up, not bothering to wipe the snow from the back of his cloak. He walked back up the path, being careful to step on the thicker patches of snow, until he reached the house and stepped in.

Immediately a warm, cinnamon smell engulfed him and he relaxed. There was already a fire in the fireplace (how did she manage that so quickly?), blazing and bathing the entire living room in dark orange light. Wikeni shut the door so quickly that Severus jumped, but she simply took her coat off and hung it up on a stand next to the doorway.

"Do you wanna hang your coat up?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

"Alrighty then. I'm just gonna change over there," she said, pointing to a room at the end of a narrow hallway. "I'll be right out, but if you need anything just ask."

"I won't," he muttered.

Severus looked around the small house's interior. It was actually quite roomy inside, despite the large amount of furniture. He ran his fingers along the top of the soft recliner, then peered around at the small sofa next to it. It looked very comfortable, and since it was right in front of the fireplace, very warm. Walking around to face the couch, Severus noticed a small, open kitchen area across from the living room. He suddenly felt very thirsty, and his stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten or drunken anything since almost two hours before he left, which he realized now was three hours ago. Although his gut growled uncomfortably again, he forced himself to ignore it and instead turned to the couch again. As soon as Severus sat down, his entire body relaxed and he sank into the soft, plump cushions of the couch. Maybe charity wasn't so bad after all.

Wikeni changed into a loose pair of pajama pants and an old black t-shirt she had had since she was 15. Miraculously, it still fit her, and had only gotten looser and baggier as the years went by. She walked barefoot back into the living room, which, to her surprise, was empty. Wikeni suddenly panicked.

What if this guy was psycho? Where was he? What would he do to her?

Her fears were unfounded. She heard the springs of the sofa squeak, and as she suspected, there was Severus, lying peacefully with his hands across his chest. Wikeni slowly took the old afghan from the back of the sofa, and, carefully opening it, placed it across his body. Immediately, Severus jerked awake and jumped up from the couch to face her.

"What are you doing?" he snapped.

"Putting a blanket across you," she said, picking it up from the floor. "You're welcome."

"Well, haven't you ever heard it's bad luck to wake someone?"

"I suppose you're right. Let sleeping dogs lie."

Severus balked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I think you've been very rude and ungrateful. You didn't have to come here, you know, and now you're just being obnoxious. I'm a very nice person once you get to know me, but I'm not sure I can say the same for you. You seem like someone I would rather not get to that level with."

Severus's face fell.

"Well, you certainly weren't obligated to offer me shelter."

"No, I was obligated – morally – something you obviously wouldn't understand."

"And how would you know? You act like I don't have a conscience."

"From what I've seen I can definitely back up those assumptions."

She turned away from Severus, frowning, and took a deep breath. Her face suddenly softened.

"Look, I'm sorry. I can get a bit out of hand - sometimes I have a short fuse."

Severus's heart immediately lifted. She meant it. He had never gotten a serious apology before – ever. He suddenly heard himself speaking in a manner he had never even felt like speaking before, let alone actually doing so. He felt genuinely sorry.

"I – I – apologize, too."

Wikeni turned to look at him. Severus, emboldened, went on.

"I am not quite used to charity, mostly I – fend for myself – however, you have been very gracious to me, and for that, I really am grateful. Perhaps, I have a short fuse?"

Wikeni smiled. Severus's heart seemed to melt, but he willed himself to stand strong. God, where were these feelings coming from?

"It's alright, Severus," she said. "Maybe we just got off one the wrong foot. I mean, I just fought with you like I've fought with my best friend. I know this makes me sound crazy, but I really feel like I've known you for a long time."

"No, I know you're not crazy, because… I feel the same way, too."

They both grinned.