A/N: Sorry about the delay in updating. I think it was a mixture of having a lot of stuff to get done and losing most of my plot bunnies. But I have returned! Unfortunately, this chapter probably ISN'T what you were all hoping for. But I figured that it was probably about time we saw a little bit of the usual Hogwarts crew again, before we jump back into being alone with Severus and Morgana...haha. Anyway, hopefully this is somewhat up to par!

CHAPTER 8: A GROGGY MORNING

Christmas morning was rather uneventful throughout Hogwarts. Aside from the usual twelve enormous evergreens Hagrid had pulled in, and the snow falling from the enchanted ceiling, it was a dull day. Not many students had remained at the school, and those that had decided to remain in their dormitories for most of the morning to open presents and spend time with their friends, until they felt hungry enough to venture downstairs.

Severus and Morgana made their way up from the dungeons together, both bleary-eyed from the lack of sleep. Morgana was sucking on one of the lollies Severus had given her, and he was just finishing off a phial of Invigorating Draught. No doubt he would need it for the breakfast waiting for them in the Great Hall.

Dumbledore never utilized the staff table over the Christmas holidays. There were never enough students left over to fill even one of the house tables, and therefore the entire staff was moved down to one table in the middle of the hall, where they were jointed with whatever students that had decided to remain at the school.

Unfortunately for Severus, this meant Potter and Weasley.

Morgana left his side when they reached the entrance hall, so she could venture up to her own rooms and change into more casual robes. Severus composed himself as much as he could before strutting arrogantly into the Great Hall, shooting the customary glare in the general direction of the two Gryffindors seated at the end of the table.

He stopped behind them and bent low enough to whisper into Potter's ear, "I noticed how…similar your paper was to Miss Granger's. Care to explain how that happened?" A look of utter contempt spread across the younger man's face as he tried to ignore his professor, who was internally smiling with the knowledge that he could ruin Potter's day with a simple sentence. "The same goes for you, Weasley," he said menacingly before drifting down the length of the table to take a seat near the headmaster.

"Good morning, Severus," the old man said in his always-merry voice.

"Good morning, Headmaster," Severus grumbled in reply, reaching for the steaming mug of tea sitting in front of him and taking a swig of it.

"I noticed your hasty disappearance last night after the party. I'm assuming you had a late-night meeting with someone important?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

Severus blushed and eyed the headmaster curiously. "What…do you mean by that, sir?" he asked cautiously.

"One can always tell when these things happen," the Headmaster replied sagely. "And your eyes are darker than usual. I know what you look like when you're tired, Severus." A large grin spread across his wrinkly face as the Potion's Master blanched in embarrassment.

Severus stared thoughtfully into his teacup, pondering on whether or not to explain to the headmaster what had happened the previous night. On the one hand, divulging information like that could get Morgana sacked. And on the other hand, it was Albus Dumbledore he was dealing with. Surely he would understand why Severus felt morally responsible to explain why a little added safety to the student population couldn't hurt?

"Is something troubling you?" Dumbledore asked, concerned.

"Headmaster…" Snape paused, unsure of whether to continue. But a question had been burning in his mind, and he needed an answer. "How…how did you come across Miss Cimmerii? How did you get to know her enough that you felt confident in hiring her?"

"Still questioning her ability to teach, even after obviously spending a night up late chatting with the girl?" Dumbledore asked in mock surprise.

"No, sir, I don't question her teaching skills anymore. Where did you find her, though? From what she explained to me last night, she's been in hiding for quite some time. How did you manage to find her and bring her out, especially in such a dangerous time as this?" Severus whispered as more tea appeared in his cup.

Smiling, the headmaster replied, "Quite easily, actually. She found me. She showed up one evening at the door to my office. She knew we needed someone to fill the position, and she knew that Hogwarts was the one place she was truly safe from her father – and from Voldemort."

"How long was she – "

Dumbledore cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I believe, Severus, if you desire more information than I have given you, then it would be only right of you to ask Morgana herself," he suggested as the small amount of diners rose and left the table to clear itself. "And since it seems she is not coming to breakfast, you are more than welcome to journey up to her room and question her." He stood and gave a small nod to Severus before sweeping to the large oak doors and disappearing into the bowels of the school.

The dark-haired man was left to himself at the long, empty wooden table. He placed his cup on the table and watched as, with a small pop!, it disappeared. He glanced at the enchanted ceiling, hoping for the swirling, tell-tale signs of a snowstorm. But alas, only blue sky and bright sun shone down, and Severus left the Great Hall with another sigh.

Once out in the entrance hall, he debated upon his two choices. He could return to the dungeons and begin work on his lesson plans for the second half of the year, which would definitely take him all day. Or, he could take the passageway behind the alchemist portrait on the second floor up to the eighth, where he would most assuredly find Morgana.

And satiate that yearning for answers, he thought to himself.

I've got nothing better to do, and we both know drawing up lesson plans is not something you want to start right now. So you might as well come up, the half-vampire's voice echoed inside his head.

A faint smirk flitted across Snape's worn face, and he ascended the stairs at a normal pace, making a bee-line for the alchemist portrait.