The door to the staff room slammed open and everyone jumped slightly, Filius rising particularly high out of his seat. Rolanda turned to look at where the loud noise came from and saw her friend walking through the door. Their Deputy Headmistress was striding into the room in a way that she only did when she was mad. Minerva was Scottish through and through, with quick temper. Anyone that had to face an angry Minerva knew she was a force to be reckoned with. That was one of the flying instructor's favorite things about her friend. Minerva put on a put-together and reserved face until something angered her. She was entertaining to watch in an argument. Rolanda watched as Minerva made her way towards Severus, who had been previously sulking in the corner with a stack of parchments to grade. It wasn't quite a smile, but an amused scowl played across his face as Minerva came near him. "Hello, Minerva," he smirked.

From across the room, Rolanda could see Pomona with wide eyes, knowing that the two of them in an argument was always entertaining. After Severus's first few months, there had seemed to be some sort of truce between the two. Nobody knew what happened or why they were no longer at each other's throats, but somehow the two had worked out their differences. It seemed as if even if Minerva hadn't forgiven Severus for his past, she at least was willing to be cordial with him. Their previously nasty and bitter arguments had lightened over the past few months, forming into a rather amusing house rivalry. Since Minerva's acceptance of Severus onto the staff, the atmosphere of the entire group had lightened. Minerva, the force she was, set the tone not only amongst the members of them closest to her, but the whole group of them. Any two teachers who did not get along made things uncomfortable, but Minerva's status as Deputy and Severus's past, it had made it all the more uncomfortable. "Don't you hello me, Severus. I am here to discuss the arrangement you decided to make by putting one of your first years on the Slytherin house team. You may be new to our staff, but you do know that first years are not allowed to play Quidditch."

While any other staff member, save Albus, would have not been able to hold their own in an argument with Minerva, Severus's deadpanned expression didn't change as he leaned back in his chair.

"There are always loopholes."

"Oh and I suppose his brother being on the professional Irish Quidditch team had nothing to do with your loophole?"

"On the contrary, Minerva. I never once denied that Mr. McNeil's connections factored into my decision."

Minerva was one of the kindest women Rolanda had the pleasure of knowing. However, there were two things the head of house cared about more than anything. They were her students and Quidditch, the later being very much related to the former. While she had the reputation of being the strictest teacher in the school, all her walls went done when it came to Quidditch. "I am taking this up with Albus. I tolerate many things, but cheating is not one of them."

If it had been any other person, Rolanda would have called what appeared on Severus's face a smile. But, being it was Severus, she couldn't quite bring herself to think he had smiled. "Who do you think gave me the approval?"

Glancing around the room, Rolanda saw the rest of the staff were trying to look busy, all clearly listening in on the argument, especially Pomona and Filius who, as head of houses, had stakes in the conversation, but dared not interrupt. "Since when do you even care about Quidditch?"

"Since I realized Gryffindors took the game so seriously."

Minerva fell speechless for a moment, something that happened so rarely. Severus began writing on his parchments again until she spoke up. "I assure you that a disdain for cheating should be part of every house's traits. Though, I can see why a Slytherin may not find any qualms with cheating." If it had been weeks before, she would have gone father. If it had been weeks before, Minerva would have brought up the fact that Severus had been a Death Eater. For the first time since she had walked in, Rolanda noticed Severus looked slightly uneasy, as if he were waiting for her to say it. When she didn't, he put his pen down, a sense of relief passing over his face.

"Cunningness is not a bad thing, my dear Godric Gryffindor."

"Coming between me and the house cup is." With that, Minerva turned and was out the door as quickly as she came in.

When she had left the entire room fell silent, none of them knowing Severus well enough to make a joke about what had just transpired. Rolanda could feel the tension in the room, and she felt slightly sorry for Severus as nobody, aside from Minerva, had made much of an effort to get to know him, herself included. It was hard to talk to a man who had always been so closed off, even in their school days. "Well you dug yourself a year-long hole there, Severus," she finally said, breaking the silence in the room.

A few staff members laughed, albeit uncomfortable, nobody sure how Severus would take it. "She can huff all she wants, doesn't make a difference to me."

"You may want to keep an extra eye out this year, Minerva may be all work, but her and Peeves have been known to have an occasional truce." Rolanda thought back to the time that Hufflepuff had made a dirty move in a game and Minerva had talked Peeves into following Pomona around with water balloons for an entire day.

Severus raised an eyebrow, collecting his things. "I'll keep that in mind." He said nothing else as he left the room.

When the room was finally empty of them both, a few people finally burst into laughed. Pomona came to sit with her and Filius, shaking her head. "I guess I'm glad they're getting along."

"When I told Minerva to give Severus a chance, this wasn't what I meant," Filius said, chuckling.

"It's better than them at each other's throats," Pomona added.

"With the way they've been arguing, those two are going to either kill each other or wind up in bed.'

Pomona shook her head, her face growing serious. "Oh Merlin, Ro, don't even joke."

Rolanda laughed. "Have you seen the way they argue? A good fuck would take care of that."

Her friends, who had always been uptight the way Minerva was, rolled their eyes and sighed. "I don't think Minerva would ever get in bed with a colleague, let alone someone so much younger."

"I think Minerva could use some stress relief."

Pomona stood from her chair, placing a hand on Rolanda's shoulder. "I'm going to bed. I don't want to even think about that possibility."

Pomona bid her goodbyes and left, Filius changing the subject as she did. Rolanda didn't bring it up again, but she had a feeling that there was more tension between Minerva and Severus than just house rivalries. Of their friend group, she found she was the most upfront and blunt out of all of them. It could cause its occasional disagreement, but she knew Pomona, Filius, and Poppy would come to see what she saw. For Minerva's sake, she hoped Severus had really changed. While she knew Minerva valued her students and her friendships more than anything, Rolanda had always felt as if she was lonely. Though she didn't speak much of it to being with, Rolanda wasn't sure Minerva had had a lover in years. Minerva was still beautiful for a woman in her sixties, and Rolanda knew she could get a man if she wanted to. Though Severus was much younger, Rolanda had a feeling he too needed a companion. They had a lot of chemistry. Rolanda saw it even if nobody else did. She sighed and finished writing out her lesson plans, shaking off the thoughts of Minerva and Severus.