"Marital life doesn't become you, Albus," Severus Snape stated coolly. "Your concentration is slipping."
"Wise cracking doesn't become you, Severus," Albus gave back, harsher as he'd actually had wanted. Taking his spectacles down and massaging the bridge of his crooked nose with two fingers he added: "It was a long day ..." Had he hoped to distract his potion master with that? Or had he even hoped for a little mercy? He should have known Severus better. He never stopped before he'd said his say and so it was this time too.
"I am not wise cracking," Severus said now, leaning back and crossing his long legs in the usual black trousers. "You're looking dreadful, Headmaster. And I was wondering ..." Now he hesitated, cleared his throat and started again, his voice now warmer. "The potion, Albus. I wondered if it perhaps doesn't agree with you ..."
"It's not the potion, Severus," Albus broke in, putting his spectacles back on his nose and looking weary over the pile of parchment spread over his desk. "I haven't taken it in a while."
"But ...," the potion master started.
"Don't tell me I should!" Albus crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm well aware that Lucius won't lay low for ever. He can strike at every moment and no, Severus, I do not neglect my marital duties." Albus wasn't aware how much alike his sarcasm was to the potion master's when in defense, but Severus noticed it and raised one elegant eyebrow.
"The girl's going under your skin, Albus," he said. "It seems I'm still able to underestimate a Gryffindor's capability in nerve shattering ..."
"Oh, I don't think they're able to top a certain Slytherin on that," Albus sighed. "Can we talk about our plan now?"
"Our plan?" Once the potion master's eyebrow rose. "But of course we can talk about this insanity of yours. Only I'd like to know why we should do it just now. I mean, I know why I'm up at this time in the night. I'm the school's resident insomniac. But why are you fleeing the bed you share with your young wife?"
Albus sighed again. Then he rose and walked over to the perch where Fawkes slept, his head under a wing. Stroking the bird's neck with one finger Albus said quietly: "What do you want me to confess, Severus? That I, an ancient wizard of 163 years, find it rather difficult to cope with the fact that I'm married to an 18 year old witch? This I can easily confess because it's the truth. But - and this may amuse or shock you - the difficulty lies not in finding her nerhatthattering, as you so unpleasant put it. My troubles are rather in the line of liking this certain Gryffindor."
"You're fallen in love with her?" Severus Snape sounded not shocked, but very amazed.
"Don't be ridiculous, Severus!" Albus said weary. "At my age one doesn't fall in love anymore - and especially not with a mere child." Albus sat down behind his desk again.
"The mere child - as you name it - is just developing one of the most interesting theories about the soul of magic I've ever heard of, " Severus said calmly. "After two weeks of working with her I have to admit that she's much more than a little know-it-all. She's got a mind, Albus - and it's a brilliant one."
"I'll tell her." For a moment a smile flickering over Albus' withered face. Sighing again, he said: "Back to this insanity of mine - do you really think we can risk Voldemort going first?"
"Albus ..." Severus rose and began to wander through the headmaster's office. "At the moment he's too weak to move - and even before he never tried. His hubris does not reach this far. He knows they could overpower him."
"This, my boy, is what I start to doubt." Albus took a lemon drop out of an inner bag of his robe, put it in his mouth and sucked thoughtfully. "Weakness in the flesh - or whatever the thing is he keeps his spirit in by now - always his hubris grows. And now even his pride is hurt. His hubris made him attack me and he certainly didn't count on a serious drawback. So he's probably desperate now - and this will make him more dangerous as ever."
