Having just finished a quick tidy, Freja anxiously paced her flat's floors. Even though she told herself she didn't feel nervous, she felt her chest thump painfully. After a brief pause, she attempted to ground herself. Again, what did she learn in therapy?

Yes, that's right. Breathe deeply. Take a count of ten. There's nothing to worry about.

A visitor was coming soon, and she didn't want to appear unprepared. However, she was certain he'd be able to detect her mood. Freja chewed her lip again and tried to ease her worry. She always seemed to find that tea calmed his tension... and hers. How did he take it again, she wondered?

Yes, that's right. Just a splash of milk to cool it down, no sugar.

She quickly prepared a kettle and rummaged through her cabinet of tea. The benefits of living above a shop and befriending the owner are obvious. Among the list were lavender, rose hip, chamomile, green, black...and even a few she was unsure he'd like.

As her first day of assisting went relatively well, she felt a sense of relief. Although a bit clumsy. She had retrieved her assignment list from Albus, who told her classes would alternate. Whenever she was needed, she would be assigned, but for the time being, she needed to get her feet wet.

She was going to work in the greenhouses tomorrow, which she found particularly enjoyable. The next course would be Transfiguration, and then Care of Magical Creatures. Next, Defense Against the Dark Arts, followed by Potions.. As she bit her lip, she could feel her cheeks flush. Her emotions weren't clear; she wasn't sure if she was angry, anxious or excited.

The kettle hissed and a light knock came to the door before she could dwell on those thoughts for long. Her yelp came as she rushed and removed the kettle from the heat, scorching herself in the process. She opened the door to find her visitor standing there, whispering obscenities under her breath.

The dark eyes of the man met hers. "Did I come at an inconvenient time?"

As she let out a deep sigh, she attempted to conceal her burn, although she was unsuccessful. "No.. Um..." She sputtered, still reeling from the pain. "Not at all, please come in. Kettle's on."

As soon as he crossed the threshold and closed the door, he removed his coat and took her hand before she could protest. "Tut-tut. What did you do, silly girl?" He purred at her.

She blinked and smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't minding myself at all. As I grabbed the kettle without a dish towel or anything, I got burned."

A small vial he pulled from his trouser pocket was poured onto her hand and the burn was gone. "I've done that more times than I care to admit." He sniffed and took a precarious look around. "Does everything here meet your expectations, Freja?"

"What do you mean, Severus?"

He felt a small shiver crawl up his spine when she said his name, but she didn't seem to notice. And for that, he was thankful.

"Do you enjoy it more here than your quarters in the castle?" he questioned her pointedly.

Are you safe here? Why is that any of my concern? A blush crept up his neck, which also went unnoticed. Or she pretended not to, at least.

"It's different. Quieter. No Peeves, haha- and no twins. It's a bit lonely to be honest with you. But yes, I'm enjoying the privacy of it all."

He smiled at her. "Let us have our tea, then, since you went through the trouble. You can tell me about your first day."

Freja led him into her sitting area, and quietly shuffled into the kitchen. After a little racket, and more cursing, she walked out with a tray and two mismatched teacups. He raised an eyebrow, opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it.

She was trying to let him in again, and it was the least he could do.

He listened intently to her as she recounted her day. She animatedly expressed her excitement of all the things she learned from Flitwick and the other students. She talked about how she was hoping she'd be able to make some sort of positive difference, even if it was just lessening the other Professors' workloads.

She had her hands wrapped around her teacup, and she gently thrummed her fingers against it. Her golden locks fell just past her shoulder-blades now, and he just noticed how long it was getting. His heartbeat quickened when the scent of lavender and vanilla came into his notice.

She stopped speaking. "Is everything alright?"

His eyes met hers again. "Hm. Not particularly for myself. But I'm happy to share the tea with you." He looked back down at his empty cup. And up again.

"I'm sorry for keeping things from you. It was not my intention to make you believe or feel like I was lying. If I could discuss with you what I had with Albus I'd gladly share. But it's not something I can necessarily trouble you with. At least, not for the time being."

For a moment she said nothing, but then smiled warmly at him. "Well, we all have our things we need to keep to ourselves. Let's not dwell on the past though. You've done nothing wrong.

All that mattered to her was he was alright. She reached over and took the cup from his hands, allowing her fingers to just barely brush his. "Care to join me in the kitchen and I'll make us another round?"

Her eyes sparkled, and with a nod he stood to follow her.

Hello.

Again, I know it's not much, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and find motivation to continue writing. I'm not entirely sure which direction I'd like it to go, but I love these characters dearly and I'd like to see it to the end.

Thank you for reading. 3