Note: short one this weekend I'm afraid! I'll keep updates coming on weekends for the next couple of weeks. I've slowed down to give myself time to write more ahead of my holiday so that I can keep updating while I'm away from my laptop :) enjoy!

Dumbledore's Office

"She spent the night here... in my bed."

Severus Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts with a loud CLAP.

"She spent the night here..."

He bolted into the castle, making his way up the stairs three at a time to the top floor.

"...in my bed."

He banged his fists on Neasa's door, not caring about the racket. She opened the door abruptly, her face full of surprise to see Severus there.

"Severus-" she began.

"I TRUSTED YOU!" he shouted. "When you told me that there was nothing between you and that insolent, idiot little man, I should have known better than to believe you! I CAN'T BELIEVE I TRUSTED YOU!"

"Severus-"

"No - NO - you don't get to defend yourself! You promised- YOU PROMISED ME! Did that mean nothing to you?!"

He ignored the tears welling in Neasa's eyes and, even though she opened her mouth to speak, he continued:

"HOW COULD YOU?! Of all- OF ALL MEN - out of everyone you could have chosen to sleep with, you choose SIRIUS? Did- did what I tell you yesterday mean nothing to you? About how he tormented and harassed me for the best part of a decade - did that mean nothing to you?!"

Neasa made to speak again, but Severus had started and now he couldn't stop the torrent of emotions flooding out of him.

"But do you know what the worst part of this all is? I SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING!" he screamed. "You're a liar! That's literally your job! So of course you were going to lie about your feelings for Sirius and of course I fell for it! Because I loved you! For Merlin's sake - I still do love you! But that never meant anything to you, did it?!"

"Please, Severus-!"

Neasa reached out to pull him into her room, but he shook her hand off him and snapped, "Don't! Don't touch me - don't even talk to me! As far as I'm concerned, I was just some stepping stone for you on your way back to Sirius! Well, you can go to him with my blessing," he added, every word dripping with sarcasm. "If you wanted to be with him so much then you could have avoided all this pain by just choosing him in the first place! I was doing perfectly fine before you and I'll be perfectly fine without you too!"

Severus didn't give Neasa a chance to respond before he whipped back around and stormed off back down the corridor, his black cloak billowing out behind him. He could feel tears pricking his eyes and he hastily wiped them away, forcing back his emotions until he reached the gargoyle guarding Albus' office.

"Sherbet lemon!" he barked at the unmoving gargoyle. "Acid pops! Ginger newts! Toffee eclairs!"

Nothing worked. He felt his anger reach a boiling point.

"Dammit, Albus, where - are - you?!" he shouted, kicking the gargoyle, which remained as still as ever. "Let - me - in!"

Severus slumped to the floor in a heap of exhaustion, the tears returning to his eyes. He had no idea how long he sat there, letting his emotions spill out. He couldn't hold any of it back anymore. Albus disappearing and leaving the Order and Hogwarts to fend for themselves - his relationship breaking down - Neasa's betrayal - the guilt he felt swelling in his chest at the awful things he had just said to her - how, at every turn in his life, it seemed as if there was either a Potter or a Black there at the ready to ruin it.

A gentle popping sound pulled him out of his reverie and he looked up through cloudy, watery eyes to see the hazy outline of a bright red bird standing at his feet. He wiped his eyes and could hardly believe that the bird was Fawkes, Albus' phoenix. Fawkes gently pecked at Severus' shoe as if inviting him to sit forward and pet him, which he did. Fawkes' feathers were incredibly soft to the touch and Severus found himself lost in the shimmering shades of red, orange and yellow as he gently stroked the bird's neck.

"Where's Albus, huh?" he asked Fawkes. "Where did he go?"

Fawkes' eyes softly closed as Severus continued to stroke his feathers, and then the bird made a quiet cooing sound and before he knew what was happening, Severus felt a sharp tug on his navel and a deafening CLAP.

He landed on the floor of a warm, bright room bathed in evening sunlight. Immediately leaping to his feet and retrieving his wand, it took him a few moments to realise he was in no danger and he was, in fact, in Albus' office.

Albus stood by the window, gazing expectantly at Severus. Fawkes returned to his perch and began nibbling on some live bugs.

"Albus?" Severus asked, aghast. He put his wand away and slowly approached the headmaster's desk, while Albus met him halfway. Severus folded himself into the chair opposite Albus and took in the unbelievable sight before his eyes. "I... don't understand."

"I never left," Albus replied. "The gargoyle no longer accepts passwords."

"So how did you know I wanted to get in?"

"The paintings," Albus smiled soflty, "they are my eyes and ears throughout the castle."

His smile lingered for a moment, but, seeing the pained expression on Severus' face, and noting the younger man's red, puffy eyes, Albus asked in a soft voice, "What happened, Severus?"