Bittersweet Nightshade

Old Friends

Garreth sighed and closed his eyes to keep himself from rolling them in utter annoyance.

As soon as the door had closed behind Leah, his aunt had gently but firmly pushed him into one of the chairs in front of her desk and, with a flick of her wand, helped him to a cup of tea.

The silence in the office had stretched as they both sipped their tea, his aunt's promise of having 'a quick word with her nephew' hanging between them, yet to be fulfilled.

Garreth avoided looking her way, but he could still feel her scrutinising glances on him. It wouldn't be long before...

"You took your time with Miss Nightshade."

His aunt gave him a meaningful look over the edge of her cup. Garreth lifted his brows, feigning ignorance. He had a feeling about where this conversation would lead, and he had zero interest in going there.

"So you keep saying. Is there a problem?"

Matilda set down her cup, idly turning it on its saucer.

"Oh, of course not. I just find it refreshing to see that you put such efforts into a task that has been given to you. If only you had shown such diligence when you still were my student..."

Again, he willed himself to practice countenance and refrained from rolling his eyes as his aunt continued.

"I trust your elongated tour of the castle was simply due to its vastness and the fact that you were striving to be the very best of guides for Miss Nightshade?"

He nodded curtly.

"The castle's huge and we got held up by Garlick."

His aunt nodded slowly in return.

"Ah, I see. I hope you won't have any trouble catching up with all the work for your business that was left undone today?"

Garreth channelled an exasperated sigh into a long exhale.

"I'll manage."

"Surely Miss Nightshade had lots of questions."

"A few. Not as many as you seem to have."

At that, his aunt faltered, giving him another of her scrutinising-being-rated-then-and-there-teacher looks before slowly setting down her teacup once again.

"Oh, I'm just making sure of something."

"And that would be what?"

He couldn't keep his voice from coming out rather strained with held back annoyance, and with a sigh of her own, his aunt stood up and paced around her desk before leaning against it, folding her hands and giving him a strict look.

"Garreth, I hope I do not have to emphasise that Miss Nightshade is both a teacher and a respectable young lady."

This time he didn't hold back an irritated groan and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh Merlin, we're really going there, aren't we..."

Matilda ignored him, carrying on without mercy.

"And I do not wish for my dearest nephew to be the cause for... rumours to spread about our new teacher. Rumours of the disreputable sort."

At that, he couldn't help but laugh out loud and looked up at her, arms crossed.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have set her up to bloody become roommates with your 'dearest nephew', then."

"Garreth, she is not one of your-..."

He sighed loudly and threw up his hands in defeat.

"Yes, yes, I understand. Please, spare us both the awkwardness of speaking it out. Fret not, I know my place."