Sitting with her legs propped up on one of the coffee tables in the staff room, Rolanda smiled to herself at the women surrounding her. Since the start of term, things around the castle had been hectic, and they hadn't had much of a chance to all be together. Though Pomona and Minerva were busy marking between classes, and Poppy reading her Mediwitch's magazine, Rolanda was glad to be all back together. The group kept making plans for outings, and they kept getting canceled for a variety of reasons.

Nobody else was in the staff room until the door slammed opened.

She felt Minerva jump next to her, and when Rolanda looked up she saw Severus stalk through and grab the books he'd left in the corner. "Hello, Severus," Rolanda said, breaking the silence.

Severus glared back at her. "Hello."

Tired of the tension between Severus and Minerva, Rolanda stood and walked towards him, knowing she was about to cause a scene, and not caring that she was about to cause a scene. From behind him, Rolanda placed a hand on his arm, pulling him to face the group of women she knew he loved to hate. She could practically feel tension moving through him as she said, "Ladies, now… this black robe Severus has on. I think it's a big step down from the positively lovely vulture hat he was sporting earlier this morning." Looking at him with the fakest smile she could muster, Rolanda asked, "Why did you change?"

Minerva's eyes practically popped out of her head. Moments before, the women had been discussing Severus's boggart incident with the third years; thank Merlin for Neville Longbottom bringing a sense of humor to what had, so far, been a rather dull year. While they had all laughed about it, Minerva had made them swear not to say anything to Severus; the two of them had been arguing throughout the entire term, mostly over Remus, and Minerva was insistent that the last thing Severus was going to want to be reminded of was the embarrassment he'd experienced at Remus's hands. At Rolanda's mention of the incident, Severus's eyes glowed with a look that, if possible, would have killed her on the spot. The silence that followed was deafening, and Rolanda was thankful when Pomona jumped in. "Honestly, Severus. You finally wear something we like, and you change out of it so quickly."

Rolanda could see Minerva biting her lip not to laugh. "Min, what are your thoughts on Severus's wardrobe change?"

Severus was staring at Minerva, and Rolanda hoped that her obnoxious show would relieve the tension between the two, even for a little while. Rolanda could practically see Minerva's mind reeling, wanting to say something witty in return. When they had been alone, she had been hysterical with laughter over the situation. "I thought the skirt was cut a little too short to be worn in front of students, myself. But I suppose I'm a little more reserved than most."

Smiling to herself, Rolanda looked to see what Severus was going to do. A few moments of painful silence passed until he smirked. "I knew a prude like yourself wouldn't approve of the length. I figured I'd change before I got written up for inappropriate dress."

For the first time in weeks, Rolanda watched Minerva's eyes light up and a chuckle escaped her. Severus pulled from Rolanda's hold on her arm. "If this incident is mentioned outside this staff room, I'll hex all of you."

Minerva put her parchments down and walked towards Severus, taking his arm. "It's just a good laugh between us girls." Severus raised an eyebrow. "Promise!" She kissed his cheek, and Rolanda could tell she was still treading on thin ice.

Severus rolled his eyes. "I could kill him."

"Oh, come off it, Severus! Of all the things to worry about, let this one go!" Pomona exclaimed.

"Besides," Rolanda added. "You could break that skirt out if you and Min decide you want to spice things up."

As much as she knew it was against his better judgement, a small smile briefly flashed across Severus's face, and Rolanda considered it her victory for the week. "Thank you for that advice, Ro," Minerva said dismissively, her cheeks slightly pink.

"If you all are done with this fashion show, I have a class to teach with what little dignity I have left," he said. Severus turned to go, and Minerva reached out for him.

"Severus?"

"Hm?"

"It's Friday…dinner this evening? I was thinking…you may want to steer clear of the third years until they find something else to laugh about." Minerva's voice was low and slightly nervous.

"I'll meet you at seven," he replied, looking up to the others with a glare, as if it was their fault they could overhear their conversation. He kissed Minerva's hand and was out the door.

When Severus was gone, Minerva let out a long sigh. "That's a good sign, my dear," Poppy said.

Rolanda wrapped an arm around Minerva. "Go ahead! Who can you thank?"

Minerva laughed. "Thank you, Ro."

"He needed a laugh," Pomona commented. "Things with him and Remus have gotten so heated lately."

"I know," Minerva replied. "I'm hoping if we get out of the castle for a while tonight, it'll allow for us to talk more. I'm glad he was willing to go."

"I just want credit for all of this," Rolanda piped in, putting her feet back up on the table.

"Alright, Ro, we get it," Pomona replied, slapping her.

"Oh my!" Minerva said, suddenly standing. "How could I be so thick to lose complete track of time? I have a class to teach…third years! You're all a bad influence," she smirked.

"Oh, you have to tell us the whispers about Severus that are inevitably going to happen," Rolanda laughed.

"Will do!" Minerva replied, grabbing her things and hurrying out the door.

When the door had shut behind her, Poppy groaned. "I'm worried about him."

"Severus?"

"Yes. They need to talk."

"We all know that," Rolanda muttered.

"No," Poppy snapped, her voice suddenly serious. "I…there's more I know…about Severus and Remus's history."

"That Minerva doesn't?" Pomona asked. She sounded as confused as Rolanda felt at Poppy's comment.

"The things that happened when Severus was a student…he needs help dealing with it."

"That's for sure," Pomona said.

Rolanda stared at Poppy for a moment, trying to digest what she was referring to. They all sensed the tension between Severus and Remus, and it was no secret that Severus had quarreled with Remus's entire group since they were children. From what Rolanda had heard, Remus, James, and Sirius had treated him pretty poorly. It was hard to imagine Severus, the intimidating man he was, being bullied. She imagined he had been very different as a child, which was, perhaps, why he was the way he was. It was part of why she found so much joy in making him uncomfortable and out of character. His internal conflicts had always been apparent to her. It was part of why she had pushed for him and Minerva for so long. Minerva, as much as she loved her, was just as secretive. It was rare Minerva discussed her own personal feelings even among the women whom she had grown so close to. In some ways, Rolanda wasn't sure how well she really knew her friend. Since Remus had arrived, they'd seen a whole new side of Severus, and Minerva's role in his life had, to Rolanda, never been so important. "You're talking about two of the most closed-off people that we know," Rolanda finally said. "Whatever this shit is with Remus…I would imagine it isn't easy for Severus to talk about."

"No," Poppy agreed.

"It's funny," Pomona said. "I think Severus has grown on all of us more than we care to admit."

"Damn greasy git," Rolanda muttered. "He has."

They all laughed for a moment. "I have to say," Pomona cut in. "I wish we could have seen that boggart today."

"We have to make that happen again at some point this year," Rolanda added. "It's not fair only the third years got to see it."