A/N: A long hiatus, but I truly miss this story and wish I had more time to update! Would love to hear from everyone, and always looking for ideas for future chapters in the coming books :)

Filius felt a gust of wind pass by him as the Potter boy brushed past him on his way out of Minerva's office. He held tight to the textbooks in his hands and knocked gently on the door. "Am I interrupting something, dear?" he asked.

Minerva turned around, her nostrils flared, but he watched her shoulders relax slightly when she saw him. "No. Come in, Filius." She walked towards him and took the books out of his hands. "Take a seat, if you'd like."

Filius could hear her breathing was heavy. "Are you alright, Minnie?"

Minerva sunk down into her chair, massaging her temples with her fingertips. "Quite alright."

"Ah, a Gryffindor lying?"

She smirked. "Potter is the Gryffindor you should be worried about," she muttered. "Would you like some tea, Filius?"

"It looks like you could use a cup, hm?" he asked.

She smiled weakly and moved the teapot to the desk with her wand. She did the same with two teacups and poured some for each of them. "How's your day going?"

"Not much to report," he replied. "It sounds like Potter is giving you trouble?"

"Not me," Minerva muttered.

"I did hear the murmurings from the students today. I take it the rumors are true."

"He's already giving her trouble!" Minerva exclaimed. "How can he be thick enough to start this in the classroom with her, after all the trouble we've been through to keep him safe…He's…" She was starting to get worked up. "He's being…"

"Just like his Head of House," Filius cut in.

Minerva stopped her babbling and stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me, Min," Filius replied, taking a sip of his tea. "You're doing the same."

"It's different, Filius. He is so young and-,"

"Is it? You have a career, a relationship, and your cubs to lose if you cross paths with the wrong person."

Minerva huffed. "Always the logical one, eh?"

Filius laughed. "You motivate me, and I balance your passion." Filius took a sip of his tea. "It's always worked well for us."

"It has," she said, smirking. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, and Filius enjoyed their depth of friendship.

But, he knew he had to tell her about a conversation he'd had with Umbridge earlier that morning. "Min, I had to sit with Umbridge at breakfast this morning."

"And how was that?"

"She's already asking questions."

"I'm well aware, Filius."

"About you…and Severus."

Minerva's face flushed. "Does she know?"

"I don't think so; I was rather taken off guard, so I hope I held the fortress up enough."

"What exactly did she say?"

"She asked more generally about the staff- that she would like my help with making sure our staff maintain the level of professionalism as laid out by the Ministry of Magic. She mentioned seeing that we spent a lot of time in the staff room and seemed close and reiterated that we are colleagues and nothing more."

Minerva sighed. "We need a new meeting space, I see."

"She said that she was relying on the Heads of Houses to be examples for the rest of the staff," Filius relayed. "Then she did her ridiculous giggle and said you would need some reminders yourself. She mentioned that your and Severus's Quidditch rivalry was 'quite distracting' to the students. She didn't seem to suggest anything more, but I felt the need to tell you."

"I'm glad you did, Filius," Minerva said. Filius saw tears welling in her eyes, but they never fell as she sipped her tea.

"Are you okay, Min?"

"She doesn't scare me," she replied, her voice slightly shaking.

"I know, dear. But, losing Severus does."

Minerva opened her mouth to speak and quickly shut it. "I have larger things to worry about."

"I see it in your eyes, Minnie."

A knock came on the office door, and Filius cringed when he saw the woman of the hour at the door. "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all, Delores," Minerva said, standing from her seat. Filius saw hatred melt the tears away. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm very glad Filius is here as well. I was just drafting up a new rule regarding Hogwarts staff relations."

"Were you?"

"Indeed." She cleared her throat with a hem hem that Filius had already grown to hate, and he saw that Minerva's eye twitched as she did it. Minerva did not hide her distaste well; she never had. "Filius and I were talking about it this morning. I sense that by living on the grounds, the staff have formed too close of relationships for a professional setting. I would like help from the Heads of Houses to make sure we are maintaining the Ministry's expectation of professionalism outside of school hours. I saw a gathering in the staff room last evening that was rather concerning to me. It was almost midnight, and the entire staff was gathered in the staff room without a single parchment in sight."

"Ah, so the Ministry would like to regulate who we are to talk to outside of the school day? Creating a split in the entire wizarding world over You-Know-Who's return wasn't enough? Now we must create hatred among our staff?"

"You're teachers at all times at Hogwarts. This isn't some Muggle day school. We expect more out of our teachers. We also expect loyalty to the Ministry."

"Shall I tell Pomona and Poppy to disregard our fifty year friendship for the Ministry?"

Umbridge maintained her sugary, pleasant expression, but Filius could see her cheeks reddening. A knock came on the door again, and Filius's stomach dropped when he saw Severus at the door. It was the worst possible timing the man had ever had. "Well, well, I see that this is a well-needed regulation," Umbridge said smugly. "Good day, Professors." She giggled on her way out.

Her shoes clipped down the hallway, and only when they had faded did Minerva's teacup shatter. "Min?" Severus asked. Severus looked down at Filius who wasn't sure how much to share.

"What did you need, Severus?" she asked, impressingly calmly considering she'd just used wandless magic to break her cup.

"Min, I-"

"What did you need, Severus?" she asked again, staring blankly at her shattered cup.

"To know what in the bloody hell I interrupted," he snapped.

"Filius, would you talk to Severus about what you told me?"

Filius saw the exhaustion in Minerva's eyes. "Of course, dear. Want to take a walk, Severus?"

Severus breathed so deeply, Filius could hear. Filius watched him glance back at Minerva and then walk out the door.

As they walked down the corridors, Filius explained to Severus what Umbridge had said to him earlier that morning. Severus, always hard to read, didn't say anything the entire time. "Minerva seemed quite upset."

"Remember the promise you made me, Filius?" Severus asked.

Filius nodded, recalling their walk around the Quidditch field the year prior. "I do, Severus."

"Things have gone as expected," Severus said flatly as they opened the door and walked outside onto the Hogwarts grounds.

Filius finally stopped, trying to understand what Severus was saying. Ever since his and Severus's conversation on the Quidditch field, he'd been trying to understand what Severus had been talking about, what was going to happen, and how worried he should be about his friend's safety. "Stop being vague, man!" Filius exclaimed angrily, surprised at his own voice. "You ask me to look after Minerva; you tell me you may be gone. I deserve to know what's going on. I don't know if you think I can't handle it or what, but you're my friends and there is more to this than you're telling me, Severus."

Severus looked surprised at his outburst, his mouth open slightly. "I-,"

"The staff are closer to me than my family," he admitted.

"I am working for the Order as a double agent with the Dark Lord. I go when summoned. I do what he asks of me. I have been tortured; I will continue to be tortured. Minerva…she's a weakness I cannot afford."

Filius stared up at the man, tears in his eyes at the negative words about Minerva. "After all these years, to think you would call Minerva a weak woman."

"Not Minerva. Being with her…it's a vulnerability…of mine- something he can use against me should he find out."

"And that's why it's so important Umbridge does not find out…" Filius finished, putting it together.

"We don't know her loyalties," Severus said.

Filius rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry for snapping, Severus."

Severus snorted. "Nobody besides Minerva has ever become that emotional over me," he scoffed. "I suppose it feels nice."

Filius laughed and motioned Severus to keep walking. "I try my best to not become overtaken with emotions. Minerva and I were just discussing such things." A strangely comfortable silence followed. "Who else knows?" Filius asked.

"Albus, obviously. Minerva and Poppy. I believe Pomona, though she has not mentioned it. Poppy only knows out of necessity."

"Necessity?"

Severus chuckled slightly. "You think the Dark Lord let me walk away unscathed?"

"I suppose not. You and Poppy have developed quite a friendship," Filius pointed out. He had always thought it was funny, especially considering how much they had hated each other for years.

"How was she?"

"Minerva?" Severus nodded. "Shaken. I think for many reason, you being the most obvious of them. But, we must find a new staff room. Umbridge is watching ours."

"She needs her friendships," Severus said. "I'll talk to her tonight; it's a castle, it can't be that hard to find another room for you all to waste time in."

"I do not waste time!" Filius said, laughing at how dry Severus's humor could be, but thankful the dark man had any amount of humor left.

"I'm going to go," Severus said. "Thank you." Filius hugged him and watched him go back into the castle, students moving out of his way as he went. Severus was an anomaly.

Filius finished their walk, enjoying the fall air as it blew around him. His mind wandered to a great deal of things- Severus and Minerva, the return of the Dark Lord, and the incoming year with Umbridge. It would be a trying year for them all.