Determination

LXV: Climax

1995

"To our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back!"

Snape and Meae sat next to eachother at this year's Welcoming feast as Dumbledore prattled on again as he did every year. Snape watched Meae from the corner of his eye as she pushed food around her plate not even pretending to eat it.

"Food is necessary to recovery, you are not yet at full strength." He tersely reminded.

She sat up a little straighter in her seat at being caught out by him at this. He was reminded then of a time back in his seventh year when she and Potter had hit a rough patch and she refused to eat as well. He narrowed his eyes a little at the reminder.

"Something is bothering you." He stated.

She huffed. "I wish you wouldn't analyse me like that."

He hummed to himself, "Merely a deduction", he responded as he took a sip from his goblet.

"You know i feel it, i don't know why you always pretend i can't" He said as he put his drink back down.

"I cant help but wonder if you made the right choice waking me up." She answered quietly. "I fear i bring more harm than good being awake."

Severus quickly placed his hand on her knee and squeezed it tightly as he sharply looked over at her, no longer pretending to listen to the welcome feast or Dumbledore. "Don't ever say things like that." He growled.

She looked up at him sadly for a moment before gently smiling at him and nodding. Severus knew this conversation was far from over as he could still feel the sickly twisting blackness in the hollow of his chest. He thought over how long he'd been feeling these residuals, and deduced it had been ever since he'd woken her up. He had felt nothing but contented peace while she was asleep and for the life of him could not fathom what it was that was making her feel this way. As if whatever she'd seen while asleep, whatever she'd seen while dreaming, was better than the world she came back to.

He idly heard his Name called as Dumbledore started introducing new teachers, and half heartedly waved his hand in acknowledgement as whispers started up around the Great Hall from the students.

"Don't get me wrong, i'm glad you've got the job you've always wanted and deserved, but i dont know why you took it. That position is cursed, or maybe it's the room. Can you curse a job?" Meae asked from beside him.

"It'd take considerable effort to create a curse on a job position that affects many over a long series of time." He answered.

She looked at him stunned before laughing "See theres a reason you'd always been right for the position." She told him.

Severus felt some of that inky blackness within him loosen a bit as it made new room.

She gasped as she turned towards him again "You're still going to let me visit right?! This new job won't change that will it?"

Severus snorted and looked over at her, genuinely worried over such a silly thing. "As if i could stop you."

Her worry turned into a smirk as her playfull nature took hold once again. "Of course you couldnt, i'd always find my way to annoy you."

Severus couldn't help the chuckle that threatened to loosen from his lungs. He looked towards the entirety of the great hall once again. This, this is what he'd been missing the entire past year. Her presence calmed him. He felt something in him settle into place again as he had his only true person next to him.

"You'll never repeat this to anyone, or I'll deny every word of it, and you'll look an utter fool, but... I missed you." He confessed quietly.

She gently placed her hand atop his under the table, and the two felt as their magic flowed freely between them for a moment. She didnt linger as she removed her hand moments later before anyone would notice.

Forever

Always

Severus was busy clearing up his classroom after some disasterous Lessons with his first years. how they could completely dismantle all the furniture doing something so simple, he would never know.

He stood up straight from his place as he looked over at Meae. Just as she said, she had come to annoy him as soon as she had a free period.

"Has Slughorn been trying to win over your favor yet?" He asked.

The woman scoffed from her place as she leaned on the broom she was using to sweep up the splinters of broken wood. Magic was effective, but it'd be much safer for them if they didn't have tiny skewers flying all over the place trying to put itself back together.

"Not yet, though that might change as the year goes on. Tell you one thing, the man can hold a grudge."

Severus looked at her incredulously. "He's still upset you wouldn't send him a free Auror's gear?"

"Yes!" She cried, "Why on earth he thought i'd sent him free gear i've specifically designed to be worn by aurors and only aurors, is honestly beyond my capabilities of reasoning. The arrogance alone! Like because he was a mediocre teacher to me for a subject i didn't really care about he's entitled to some of everything i own?"

She went back to sweeping the splinters into a neat pile.

"Besides, you were always better at potions than he was," she finished.

Severus sighed as he stopped cleaning up. "Meae, we've talked about this."

"Yes, well, i don't see why he needs to be here!" she retaliated. She calmed herself quickly at his reproachful look for her shouting. "I don't see why everything has to change, i liked it the way it was. This doesn't feel right." She said quietly.

Severus closed his eyes as he took a deep breath in. He couldn't give her the real answer as to why he'd been given the post; he couldn't tell her why Slugghorn was here. He could only offer her small moments before the eventual fall of everything.

"Now at least i can wrangle you into actual help with lessons, you're much better at defense than you ever were at Potions."

"Excuse you! I got an Exceeds on my Potions N.E.W.T.s !" She said in outrage.

"Be honest, you never would have scraped past that Acceptable if it hadn't been for me."

A cold Splash of water suddenly fell down upon him. He looked up in utter disbelief to see Meae with her wand out and pointed at him from across the room. Outrage shone clearly on her face. "You insufferable bookworm!" She shouted.

"Did you just augementi me?" He growled

Panic made a quick appearance on her features before she honed it back into determined spite.

"So what if I did?" She asked as she crossed her arms defiantly.

"That's it." He growled as he took his own wand out.

An hour or so later found the two standing awkwardly before Professor McGonagal as she narrowed her eyes at them from behind her desk. Their robes were tattered, dirty, wet, and singed in various places. One of Meae's arms had grown tentacles and Severus had rose petals flying out of his ears every time he sneezed.

The two were a right mess.

Completely unbecoming of Teachers at Hogwarts.

"I have never seen such misconduct from two fellow teachers before." She chastised.