A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters
Word count: 436
Luna handed Severus a handkerchief. He looked at it and then at her. He hadn't expected to see her in his NEWT class, hadn't even given the matter much of a thought. He also hadn't expected either of them to return to Hogwarts after the war. Him because he'd be dead and her, well, he never did think about her.
"You've sneezed three times in the last half hour. Your eyes are watery and red. You've got a cold, Sir. I'd recommend you go to Madame Pomfrey, but you won't listen to me, so now at least you have something to blow your nose on," she said with a shrug. Severus blinked, looking at the handkerchief, He'd never seen one with black thestrals printed on it, but despite the fact he'd never say it, he was quite thankful for Luna giving it to him.
"Thank you," he simply said, tucking it into the chest pocket of his over cloak. It had been quite cold in the castle this morning, then again, he realized, it might be that he had a slight fever. It didn't matter, once this class was over, he had the rest of the afternoon free to not visit the infirmary. He watched the students lazily, not even snapping at one of them for misstirring their potion causing it to become the consistency of mud. He could feel Luna's eyes on him, but ignored her. He did not need her concern for him. Finally the clock struck the hour and after assigning several lengths of parchment, Severus watched the students disperse from his classroom. Luna lingered for a moment, giving him a soft smile.
"Take care of yourself, Sir. Wouldn't want you to miss any classes because you neglected your own health, a substitute would be a bit of a nightmare wouldn't it?" she asked, a dreamy expression on her face. Severus nodded, knowing she was right. They were working on learning a difficult potion, one that few people mastered. If someone were to take over his class and attempt such a think... he shuddered to think about it.
Half an hour later, he sat in hot soaking bath. The air was filled with the scents of menthol, lemon, and eucalyptus. He breathed in deeply, reaching from the large claw footed tub to take a sip of his honey and lemon tea. Miss Lovegood was right, he could not afford to miss a class. He planned an early bedtime, a rub of eucalyptus oil planned, and he hoped in the morning, the cold that had settled in his chest and sinuses would have subsided.
