Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, and ideas (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J. K. Rowlings. From Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, Scene I, lines 274-282 are used and paraphrased. Mordecai and Elisabeth are mine.

Chapter 18: Fool me once, shame on you.

As the new school term began, the school was warned that Hogwarts would 'play host to the dementors.' Already having a severe distaste for the creatures, Severus cursed under his breath. He was irritable not just because of the dementors, but also because one of the Marauders was joining the staff. Remus J. Lupin would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts for the school year and Severus was visibly disgruntled over the announcement.

Minerva on the other hand, rolled her eyes at Severus' reaction. She was glad to have Lupin on the staff because she knew how hard it was for him to find a job as a werewolf. He was also good at the subject he would be teaching. She caught up with him after the meal.

"I heard about the incident on the train. I thought I should congratulate you on handling it so well and welcome you to the teaching staff," she told him, extending a hand.

He shook her hand and smiled nervously. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall. I'll also be keeping an eye on Harry Potter this year while Black is loose."

"I am sure that we all will and it's 'Minerva.' You aren't a student here anymore," she reminded him.

"Someone should tell that to Snape. I noticed that he was glaring at me all through dinner," Lupin mentioned wryly.

She sighed and shook her head, smiling sadly. "Gryffindors fight battles that are not theirs and Slytherins hold grudges," she told him as they parted company.

Dumbledore had called a staff meeting with the heads of the houses after the first day of classes. Severus had an immediate concern. "Headmaster, the man's a werewolf! What on earth possessed you to hire him?" the Potions Master argued.

I know what happened in the past, but you need to give Lupin a chance. What happened all those years ago wasn't his fault. I can't believe you would hold such a grudge, but then you've told me yourself that it is was Slytherins do, Minerva thought as she interjected before Dumbledore could answer. "Everything should be fine as long as you make the Wolfsbane potion. Remus Lupin is in need of a job, and we are giving him one. He has so far given us no reason to question his abilities. If you feel yourself incapable of brewing the Wolfsbane, or incompetent in substituting for him in the area of Defense Against the Dark Arts while he is otherwise indisposed, then speak now."

Severus glared mercilessly at her. Blasted woman, she knows how much I want to teach that and she is doing this just to get under my skin. He stood and looked directly at her. "Headmaster, I recall that I have things in the Potions laboratory to tend to. If you will excuse me, as the muggle Bard would say, I can no longer endure Professor Tongue."

He walked out of the room and Minerva remained quiet for the duration of the meeting. At the end of it when only she and Dumbledore remained, he turned to her with a questioning expression. "It would seem that you have offended him again."

Sighing heavily, she faced him. "He paraphrased the muggle playwright, William Shakespeare. I think in order to explain this, I'll use him too. I 'gave him use' for my affections, 'a double heart for his singe one.' Once before, and though he might not have 'won it of me with false dice,' we still have a few matters to resolve."

"My dear, the act of reconciliation has to begin somewhere. When both sides are too proud, no one moves to make amends. It takes one of them to admit to being wrong," he advised.

She paused, allowing his words to soak into her mind. "Thank you, Albus," she acquiesced as she left, heading in the direction of the dungeons.

Severus had just sat down in his chair to grumble as he looked over his curriculum when he heard a knock at the door. "Who on earth wants to bother me now?" he growled to himself. He opened the door to find Minerva.

"Before you say one word, I need to apologize. I was rude to you at the staff meeting," she said quickly.

He motioned for her to come in and shut the door. Then while she sat, he paced through the room. "I know that what happened all those years ago was mostly Black's doing, but it does not say anywhere that I have to like Lupin. The reason that bothers me the most is type of teacher who ends up teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. We seem to acquire a new one every year."

She put a hand up to protest. "Actually we had Quirrel for quite a while, though he only taught that class for a year."

"Which brings me to my other point," he paused as he changed directions in his pacing. "The caliber of those teaching that position has been questionable and I have been wondering what has been going through Dumbledore's mind as he hires them. Quirrel was a backstabbing coward. And last year Lockhart was an arrogant idiot who nearly got people killed. This year Dumbledore hires a werewolf. Will it be a vampire next year?" he asked cynically.

She smirked. "I see your point. The people who have had that position have been less than trustworthy, but that can change."

"But then there is still the question of mental stability. Granted I am an outright scoundrel most of the time and difficult to get along with, but at least I am consistent," he argued.

"As I've told you before, Dumbledore does not want to put you into a position of temptation. I still don't see why you want to teach another class when you are so obviously good at Potions. Severus, I have seen you when you work and I know you enjoy it," she told him with a smile.

"So this is your argument to convince me to stay where I'm at?" he commented with a wry smile.

She stood and headed toward the door. "As if your argument on mental stability was any better. I really must be going; I only came by to apologize."

He walked her to the door. "Apology accepted."

Something made her turn back and face him before opening the door. They held each other's gaze for a moment and he reached up to put a stray hair behind her ear. She blushed and gently touched his hand to move it away. For such brief contact, both seemed to be caught in a spell for a moment.

She broke it by speaking. "Would you care to join me for tea and chess sometime soon, after this year's classes are back in their routines?"

"I would like that, goodnight Minerva," he responded.

"Goodnight Severus," she added as she transformed into her cat self and scurried off toward her quarters.

Mordecai and Elisabeth had started their second year, noticing that everyone seemed on edge. "Cyrus, everyone is so jumpy this year," she remarked as they headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"It must have something to do with these 'dementor' things that we cannot even see. I heard we are learning about boggarts today. My cousin, Maggie, told me that they are shape-shifting things that can transform into your fears," Mordecai mentioned before they entered the class.

As they sat down, Mordecai looked over at the red-haired girl who had caught his attention the previous year. "One of these days I will talk to her," he whispered to Elisabeth.

She snorted. "You talk to me and I'm a girl. It shouldn't be a problem to talk to her."

"Lisa, it's different," he would have elaborated, but class had begun.

The class was lined up for demonstrations of how to stop boggarts. Some of the boggarts turned into things like pies or people in the wrong clothing. Eventually it was Elisabeth's turn. She stepped up to the wardrobe, prepared to fight off what she imagined could be inside. She supposed it to be some sort of great beast, but when it was opened, a mere man stepped out. Mordecai watched as it took her a moment to realize who this person was. Her eyes widened in terror. The entire class expected her to do something, but as the boggart came closer, she froze and the wand fell to the ground.

Mordecai stood behind her and quickly realized that something was very wrong. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her out of the way, stepping up to face the boggart himself. It transformed into a piece of parchment that began to unfold itself. He uttered the necessary word and it changed again, into a valentine.

A few students applauded, but Mordecai could have cared less as he walked over to Elisabeth, handing her wand to her. "Lisa, are you alright?"

She noticed the concern in his eyes as she nodded. He sat with her until the end of class, almost as if he felt the need to protect her from something. When the class was dismissed they walked together to their next class. He noticed that she was still shaken and took her hand in his, hoping to calm her and then to understand what had happened.

Before speaking she took a deep breath. "I suppose you want to know what my boggart was. My family doesn't talk about it much. My cousin was murdered a year before I came to Hogwarts. The man who did it was a muggle and was tried in a muggle court of law. He's dead now, but at the trial, my family watched him. As the verdict was presented, he looked right at me," she admitted.

He felt her shiver and he stopped walking. When she faced him he gave her a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry for what happened. But you said that he is dead and you don't need to be afraid of him any longer."

She smiled at him. "Thanks." By her expression he noticed that she seemed more herself. "By the way, why was your boggart a piece of paper? Are you afraid of paper cuts?" she joked.

He sighed and shook his head. I suppose it's my turn. "It wasn't simply a piece of paper. The parchment would have said that my parents never wanted me."

"Something tells me that one of these days you will find out who they are," she conveyed before they entered their next class.

On Halloween the school received a shock, finding the Fat Lady in a jungle painting. Dumbledore had recommended that all of the students sleep in the Great Hall as the staff looked for Sirius Black. Severus had been patrolling the halls after the disturbing report from the Fat Lady about Sirius Black's return. He half-expected to find the black dog sniffing through the halls.

What he did not expect to find was a twelve-year-old boy in his nightclothes. He watched as Mordecai walked silently by, not even using a wand to light his way. Catching the boy by the arm, he turned him so that they faced each other. Mordecai's eyelids were closed.

"Mr. Maddock, Mr. Maddock, care to tell me what you are doing out here?" the Potions Master questioned.

The boy looked at him, bleary-eyed. "Professor Snape, sir? Where am I?"

Blast, I woke him when he was sleepwalking. "Apparently you were sleepwalking. Tell me, do you do that often?" Severus questioned.

Mordecai shook his head. "I only sleepwalk when something is bothering me, sir. I suppose all the discomfort of the school over the current situation has rubbed off on me slightly."

The Potions Master sighed with what sounded like irritation. "Come with me and I'll find you a potion for Dreamless Sleep. Now remember, do not take it until you are sitting in bed at least. It tends to work rather quickly. And ten points from Ravenclaw for having interrupted my patrol."

Mordecai followed him to the infirmary and received the vial. He faced the man after they had returned to the Great Hall. "Thank you, sir, and goodnight," Mordecai stated.

"Just don't let me catch you again. In case you have not noticed, the halls are not safe to wander through at night," he added as the boy left. Then he realized that his tone had sounded more protective than gruff. If Minerva gets word of this, I'll never hear the end of it. She'll say that I am losing my touch, he thought wryly as he returned to his patrol.

Mordecai found his way to the cot and was sitting down as Elisabeth rolled over from her cot. She eyed him with curiosity. "What were you doing out there?" she asked sleepily.

He lay down and stared up at the ceiling. "I was actually sleepwalking. I haven't done it in years, but I suppose with the atmosphere being tense here, it isn't too odd to understand why it happened tonight."

"I just hope we're not staying in here long. The ceiling is lovely with the stars and all, but I can't stand all the people who snore," Elisabeth complained before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Mordecai smirked and stared up at the ceiling for a while. Sleep did not come as easily for him as it had for her. The usual questions about what was going on in the castle kept circling in his head like Quidditch chaser.

The next Quidditch match was between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff in the pouring rain. On her way to the game, Elisabeth fought with her umbrella. Mordecai noticed that she had stopped walking and went back to find her. She was struggling to get the umbrella to hold its shape without collapsing.

She looked up as he approached her. "It's stuck. I think the connecting parts are rusted."

He looked at it and confirmed her suspicions. "You're right; it won't go up any higher because of the rust. This looks like a fairly old umbrella."

"It is. All of my brothers and sisters have used it. Mum won't let us repair it magically because she says that we should learn to fix things on our own. I should tell you that my mum's a muggle. She doesn't like it when we use magic to do every-day things," Elisabeth relayed.

"Are all of your siblings magical too?" Mordecai inquired as she left her umbrella in the common room.

"No. Only the four oldest ones are magical like I am," she explained.

As they headed outside into the pouring rain, Mordecai shared his umbrella with Elisabeth. "My umbrella is big enough for both of us," he stated.

He performed a drying spell on the bench before they sat down. As the action commenced while the storm raged on, Elisabeth kept jumping up to cheer the teams. He sighed and pulled her back over to the shelter of the umbrella.

"You shouldn't do that. With this weather, you'll end up catching a cold," he told her matter-of-factly.

She smiled and shook her head. "I'll be fine. Cyrus, sometimes you're such a stick in the mud. And stop scowling like that. Because your eyes are dark and beady, when you scowl you look like Snape," she pointed out. Mordecai snorted indignantly and turned his attention to the game.

When it had ended everyone wandered back to their dormitories. Mordecai and Elisabeth were among the last Ravenclaws to return because she kept wanting to splash in the puddles while he tried to pull her out of them. When they reached the common room she left a trail of water as it dripped from her clothing.

They stood in front of the fire for a moment and he noticed that she was shivering with cold. He sighed and shook his head, coming over to her. "Honestly, you always ask me where I have put my sense of this and that. Now I am asking you; where on earth did you put your common sense?"

She giggled. "It's only water."

He reached for her hat and scarf. "But look at you; you're probably soaked through to the bone. Your hat is wet, your scarf is wet, and your coat is soaked," he pointed out as the aforementioned items landed on the floor in a soggy pile. At least she was no longer dripping.

"Alright, I suppose I should go and change," she paused and glanced at him. "So should you."

As she bounded out of the room, he realized that she was correct. Though he was not dripping, he was still rather wet himself from the rain. As he headed toward his room, he chuckled to himself and muttered under his breath, "No common sense whatsoever."

Elisabeth and Mordecai were not the only ones caught in the rain. Severus and Minerva reached the castle and found themselves to be soaking wet. Minerva sneezed and shook some of the rainwater from her robes. "It's been a while since I have found myself to be this wet."

Severus pulled his wand out. "Use a drying spell, woman. I understand that you need to visit Potter to check on his well-being, but you don't need to create puddles from the water dripping off your robes as you go."

He used the drying spell to dry off both of them. "Thank you. I really must be going. How about a game of chess later?" she requested.

Smiling genuinely, after having made sure that no one was watching them, he nodded. "I will make the tea if you bring the Wizard's Chess set."

"In that case, I will see you in an hour," she stated as she walked away.

An hour later, Severus heard a knock at his door. He opened it and let Minerva in, taking the chess set from her and handing her a cup of tea. She sat as he placed the board on top of the table and the pieces set themselves up. Severus had set up the table and chairs in front of the fireplace so that he and Minerva would be warm.

"Dumbledore and I spoke with Mr. Potter. It was the dementors that caused them to fall. They are not supposed to wander on the school grounds like that and Dumbledore was furious," she relayed as the game began.

Severus made his next move as he noticed that she had loosened the bun and pulled her hair back. The dampness had given the smaller pieces a slight curly. "Those things are going after more than Black. I can sense them and they are not to be toyed with. Even for the time that I spent in Azkaban, the fact that those creatures are here is almost intolerable," he growled.

"I'm pleased to say though that Mordecai has been an exceptional student in all of his classes," she added, instructing her pawn to move.

He nodded and told his knight to move, watching as it hacked at a bishop. Once again he found himself watching her. As she studied the board her green eyes brightened at the challenge. She looks beautiful, he mused. "There is something you might not be aware of: the boy sleepwalks."

She raised an eyebrow. "Fiona never mentioned that. By the way, I actually saw him and his little friend through the rain at the match. He was sharing his umbrella with her."

"Though he has manners, I do hope that he doesn't let the girl distract him from his studies. There are days when I can see the logic of having separate schools for boys and girls," Severus remarked sardonically.

Minerva shot him a wry smile. "You almost sounded like a parent there. I honestly don't think that there is anything to worry about. Lupin commented that he seemed protective of her after she had trouble with the boggart demonstration, but I am not worried about those two."

The Potions Master sighed as he king was put in check. "I suppose you would understand better, having had more experience with children than I do. He also does not seem to have the same propensity for trouble that Potter has."

He told the king to move, but it was too late and her next move ended the game. "Checkmate, Severus. I think you were distracted this time," she teased.

The game put itself away and he stopped her before she could put the lid on the box to take it back with her. "We should visit like this more often," he remarked.

Somehow they had ended up standing closer. "Yes, I quite agree," she said, sounding more rational than she felt at that moment.

"One of these days we should have a tournament and spend the night attempting to oust each other. I think you and I are still evenly matched," he suggested, caressing her cheek with his hand.

She pulled away, almost reluctantly, picking up the box. However, she suddenly leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek before heading over to the door. "Sometimes competitions of that sort take time to work up to. Goodnight Severus," she told him.

He opened the door for her. "Goodnight Minerva," he added as she left. One of these days I'll stop fooling myself and tell you how much you still mean to me. We keep playing more games with each other than mere chess.

(My thanks to Leta McGotor, Motet, Isabelle (), and fan-rei for reviewing :D)