Chapter 4: Greenhouses

"Bast! Where did you go?" Rose Snape called for her elusive familiar who seemed to think that Hogwart's grounds were her oyster. "Bast! You're going to get me into trouble. Scorpius is going to pummel me if get more points taken from Slytherin!"

"Prrrrrrreow!" came an answer from far away.

"Bast!" Rose hissed to her familiar. "Are you trying to get me trouble? Father and mum are patrolling tonight, and you know how well that will go if we're out after curfew!"

"Mrrrrrrrrrow!" Bast's meow led her on a merry chase.

"The phoenix chicks are better behaved than you lately, Bast!" Rose huffed as she came over the hill and saw the blur of orange dart into the greenhouse.

Rose closed her eyes, rolling them back into her skull with annoyance. "Next time you're covered in domineering phoenix chicks, I'm going to leave them on top of you, you orange menace," Rose hissed as she stormed up to the greenhouse.

"Bast!" Rose growled into darkening greenhouse.

Silence.

"Bast!" Rose slumped her shoulders. There was a rustling and rattling sound and Rose immediately jumped to the side, just being missed by the clack of a Fanged Geranium's irritated mouth attempting to close upon her arm. She backed up a little further, glaring at the shelf where the irritable Fanged Geranium went back to looking inanimate. "I'm so going to get it," Rose moaned to herself.

It was getting dark in the greenhouse, and some of the phosphorescent night-blooming plants were starting to send out their customary glows, casing the greenhouse in a light luminous radiance. They sparkled and twinkled with scintillating colors.

Rose stared at the glowing plants with amazement, having never seen them show off so many colors before.

"It's that time of the year for the night bloomers," Neville said behind her. "They really like to show off to each other around now."

Rose jumped a little as Neville spoke and whirled around. "Good evening, Professor Longbottom," she managed to say. "I'm sorry to barge into the greenhouse. Bast has led me on a merry chase this evening."

"Good evening, Miss Snape," Neville greeted warmly. "I seem to recall a certain feline familiar that tended to do the same thing to your mother when she was your age."

"Mum had a cat?" Rose perked at the mention of her mother's past. Her mother and father were often terribly guarded about their pasts, so tidbits of information about her mother's adventures at Hogwart's were irresistible.

Neville smiled. "She had a half-Kneazle named led her on merry chases much like your Bast, but he never failed to detect deceit and the untrustworthy. There are times, I think, when I think we should have paid better attention to what Crookshanks was trying to tell us."

"What happened to him? Mum doesn't talk about him at all," Rose said sadly.

Neville's face gained a faraway look. "The Second Wizarding War happened, unfortunately," he said sadly. "She never found him after the dust settled, not for lack of trying."

Rose looked down at her feet sadly. "I guess that's why she never talks about him."

Neville gave Rose a sad smile. "I was just about to harvest moon-flower dew, if you would like to assist."

Rose perked. "Will that be okay? Curfew is soon."

Neville gave a veiled smile. "I can escort you back to your common room after we are through, if that concerns you."

Rose bounced on her heels. "Sure!"

Neville handed her a small silver goblet. "You'll need one of these." Neville turned and walked deeper into the greenhouse until he was surrounded in the phosphorescent plants.

Rose took the goblet and followed Neville dutifully.

"Place your goblet just under the flower and run it along the bottom petals. The dew should drip into the goblet if you give it a little shake," Neville directed.

Rose placed her goblet under the flower and ran it across the bottom. The flower seemed to shiver and droplets of dew dripped into the goblet from the petals.

"Perfect," Neville said with an easy smile. "I'll go down this row if you take this one."

"Okay!" Rose said, moving towards the next flower with her goblet. She dutifully went from flower to flower to harvest the dew. By the time she reached the end of the row, her goblet was filled with dew, and a certain wayward cat was waiting for her at the end of the aisle.

Neville took the goblet from her as he gave the orange cat a cursory glance. He poured the dew into a flask using a funnel and closed the lid with a click. "Ah, that should make Professor Sprout much happier. We were almost out of moon-flower dew."

Rose smiled at him as she snatched up her wayward familiar and kept a tight grip on her. Bast protested slightly but didn't attempt to wiggle free.

"I suppose I should escort you back to your common room, so you do not get hassled by whoever is patrolling tonight," Neville said, gestured Rose to the door.

"It's mum, dad, and Mr. Mitchell tonight," Rose said with a sniff. "They show no mercy, even to me."

Neville attempted to suppress his instinctive shudder, but failed. It was physically impossible for him to think of the Potion Master of Hogwart's without reliving every nightmarish dressing down he received due to his potion ineptitude. "Well, I guess we should get this over with," Neville said as if bracing himself for a horrible fate. "Let's go!"

Rose led the way back to Hogwart's, clutching her familiar tightly to her chest.

Neville followed behind, fervently praying that they would manage to get to the Slytherin Common Room without running into a certain patrolling Potion Master. It would entirely too unseemly to run fleeing down the hallways of Hogwart's in front of the Potion Master's teenage daughter.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Severus and Hermione stood on the ramparts of Hogwart's overlooking Black Lake. Their robes blew backwards in the pervading wind. They stood as still as gargoyles, their senses tuned to the sounds of the evening and perhaps even the very feel of the castle's almost sentient flow of energy. Their bond to the castle had only grown throughout the years, and their official titles as Deputy Heads were only formalities. Every one of the staff, save perhaps Trelawney, knew the castle recognized its masters — past, current, and future. If Trelawney did have a moment of rare lucidity, perhaps she recognized it as well. Severus had once speculated that their strangely premature bond to the castle had something to do with how they had taken such a direct involvement in its rebuilding. It seemed logical, but the both of them knew that when it came to Hogwart's… very few things were to be taken at face value.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting down its glow over the grounds of Hogwart's with a surreal brightness. The wind rustled through Hermione's hair, jingling the soft metal dangles of her hair comb. The comb made a soft sound like a chime, sending phantom flames through her hair. Prince and Pyre cuddled next to each other on the rampart wall, each placing their heads across the other's back. As if in reflection of this, Severus' hand gently touched the inside of his wife's wrist in a slightly more subtle but no less meaningful show of affection. Ignis peeped contentedly from Hermione's hair as Sparks rocked back and forth on Severus' shoulder, half hidden in the cascade of his dark hair.

Wayne Mitchell joined them on the ramparts with a weary sigh, combing his hair back with his hand. Keegan peeped a greeting to his siblings, parents, and proxy parents with enthusiasm, receiving a series of warbles, burbles, chirps, and peeps in reply.

"Extricate Ms. Flanders and Mr. Jenson from the Astronomy tower?" Severus asked without turning around.

"With extreme prejudice," Wayne admitted to his Master. "For the fifth time this week."

"Apparently we need to consider harsher punishment for such late night dalliances," Severus replied.

"Do tell," Wayne chuckled. "I'm sure nothing will keep them from trying. They are obviously unable to take a hint. In all the years I patrolled as prefect and Head Boy, never have I had to catch the same pair so often in the same place. At least others move around in vain attempts to dodge me."

"You could always have Severus… check on them," Hermione turned to Wayne with a grin of mischief. "He does have a way of… inspiring students to follow rules."

Severus snorted, causing Sparks to peep herself awake from her half doze on his shoulder.

Hermione's face lit up with some thought she did not voice. Ignus began to emanate flames as his head crest puffed up and his wings flapped excitedly in her hair. She turned to Severus and looked skyward, her mouth slightly parted as her eyes rolled up to look at the moon. She placed her hand to his temple and gently pulled his head down to touch hers. Sparks peeped excitedly after a moment, as if catching the excitement from her flaming brother.

Severus pulled away after a while, his black eyes bored into his wife's face as the corner of his lip slowly quirked upward.

Prince and Pyre perked up from their doze on the ledge and flapped up to land on each of their empty shoulders.

The two potion masters turned and gave their shared apprentice what could have been the the most Slytherin of grins. Their lips were pursed in a flat line with only the corner of their mouth slightly quirked upward. It was predatory. They held out their arms to him silently. "Do you trust us, Mr. Mitchell?" they chimed together.

Wayne Mitchell knew the moment they said his name with the old prefix that they were asking something deeper than a casual question. While they did use his given name quite regularly, they said "Mr. Mitchell" with more intimacy than one would say his given name. It bespoke of their shared history, innocence, poppy flowers, potion pins with enchanted Slytherin snakes, and a young boy who proudly carried a young phoenix out into the courtyard on a lonely Christmas evening.

Wayne stepped forward. "I trust you."

As Hermione's and Severus' hand alighted upon his back together and Wayne experienced a lurch as his two masters flew together, pulling him and their entourage of phoenixes with them in a swirl of their joined magic.

After a whirlwind of seconds that made Wayne feel like he was being dragged behind an impertinent broom with mind of its own, the group of them landed on the open landing of the Astronomy Tower.

Hermione and Severus released their hands upon his back and stepped away, but not before Hermione waved her wand over each of them, casting disillusionment. It took Wayne a moment to realize what had happened even as his mind was reeling from the fact that his masters had literally flown him to to the top of the Astronomy tower under their own power. It took him another few seconds to figure out he had been disillusioned upon landing.

Ms. Flanders and Mr. Jenson had apparently returned to the Astronomy tower shortly after he had sent them packing earlier in the evening. That had, perhaps correctly, assumed that their professor would not normally re-patrol the same area during his rounds. The two students sat enjoying each other's company perhaps a little too closely to be considered within the bounds of anything resembling proper courtship. They were also quite oblivious to anyone sharing their space.

"Lumos," Severus' and Hermione's voice caustically into the evening air, their voices twisted into a combination of teaching voice, reprimand voice, and move-one-inch-and-I-will-hex-you-within-inches-of-your-life voice.

"Mr. Jenson," Hermione hissed.

"Miss Flanders," Severus growled at the same time.

The phoenixes on each of their shoulders were wreathed in fire. Flames licked off both the adults and the chicks as they engaged in their own versions of glares at the two lovers.

Miss Flanders screamed as she flung herself away from her paramour's body, terror in every line of her face. Jenson paled into a shade of white that rivaled Severus' naturally pale skin.

"Congratulations on earning Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw twenty less points for your repeated violations of school curfew and inability to comprehend that the Astronomy Tower is not your personal retreat for engaging in experiments in impropriety," Severus snarled with a voice that could have frozen ice onto the surface of Black Lake with his tone alone. "Mr. Jenson, you will report to Professor Longbottom for detention tomorrow evening and every night for the next month. I expect three feet of parchment upon my desk by your next class detailing the history of curfews."

"Miss Flanders," Hermione growled at the red-faced girl. "You will report to Professor Flitwick tomorrow and every night for the next month. If I find that you have attempted to shirk on this, I will personally see to it that Mr. Filch gains the pleasure of your company for each night you fail to arrive on time. I expect three feet of parchment on my desk by your next class detailing the merits of self-control."

"If I catch wind of you attempting to grace the Astronomy Tower with your presence outside of class with Professor Sinistra, I will see that the both of you share detention with me," Severus said venomously.

"Am… I… clear?" Severus and Hermione hissed, scowling down at the repeated offenders. As if to punctuate their ire, each of the phoenixes spread their wings and fanned them, sending flames whipping off their feathers.

"Y..ye..YES, Sir!" Jenson groveled do the dual Snapes.

"Y…yes, m…ma'am!" Flanders prostrated herself in front of both professors.

"Get," Severus growled.

"Out," Hermione finished.

Both students frantically stumbled over themselves to escape the Astronomy Tower, hurriedly scrambling down the staircase back to their respective towers.

"Five points from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for running down the stairs like rabid Kneazles," Severus growled.

The frantic footsteps stumbled over each other in an attempt to both slow down and flee at the same time.

"Nox," the two Snapes said quietly, tucking their wands into their robes.

When the sound of footsteps finally faded and the sound of the lower door of the tower clicked shut, the flames wafting off the phoenixes disappeared as if nothing had happened. The birds tucked their wings against their bodies and chirped pleasantly.

Wayne felt the disillusionment charm fade off himself as Hermione's shoulders shook in silent laughter. When he looked at her face, she was grinning from ear to ear in the moonlight. Severus' face was utterly calm, no sign of his earlier projected ire. The corner of his lip was curved slightly upward. There was not a sign of tension between either of them.

Wayne couldn't help himself, he busted up into laughter.

"You will inform us if Miss Flanders and Mr. Jenson give you any more trouble, won't you, Wayne?" Hermione said slightly breathless from her laughter.

"Count on it," Wayne replied as he wrestled with his own mirth. Keegan peeped affirmatively from his shoulder.

Hermione and Severus Snape gazed upon their apprentice with calm faces. "Good," they said together.

Wayne Mitchell was suddenly very glad he had never been one to pair off with some random female and sneak off to the Astronomy Tower back when he was a student.

"Of course you weren't," Hermione said to his unspoken thought.

"You were not a dunderhead," Severus said dismissively.

Wayne beamed. Keegan cheeped.

Dunderhead indeed.