Muggle Studies

Making up

Because of course they would.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

She had started fearing she might actually never see him again. She would go to the dungeon to either find it closed or open and empty - with his written instructions for her on top of the work table in his lab. He never showed up to eat or spend time in the staff room and she never even saw him in the corridors.

If not for the students complaining to each other about him, she'd actually believe he was gone from the castle altogether. How did he even manage that?

She missed him terribly and waiting was not her strong suit. She could go to his quarters or his classroom to try and catch him there but he was apparently avoiding her, so she really didn't feel like forcing her presence on him. She wanted him to want to talk to her.

Then he reemerged one night, at dinner, and sat beside her when there were other seats available.

"I missed you", she couldn't resist whispering while he was helping himself to some roasted potatoes.

He paused a microsecond (another one of his reactions that she wasn't even sure had actually happened) before going back to his plate and murmuring, without looking at her, so low she was sure only she could hear him "Me too."

And then he shot her a furtive look out of the corner of his eye. She smiled. Wow. As far as Severus was concerned, out in the open that was practically a Valentine's Day card.

That night, when she was leaving the table, desperate to get to the dungeons and finally talk to him, McGonagall called her.

"Nayme, might I have a word with you, please?" The Headmistress asked.

Nay sighed and nodded, watching the tails of his cloak disappear around the corner.

----------

"Tea? Biscuits?" Minerva asked her, as soon as they entered her office.

"No, thank you. I have a lot of work to do, I'm afraid." She answered.

"Then I'll be brief, my dear." The old witch said, then added, sheepishly, "I know this crosses all kinds of lines, but I really want to say this to you."

Nay was in shock. What would this be about?

"Severus...has been through a lot, as I imagine you know."

What was McGonagall getting at?

"I do, yes." Nayme said. Was this about his death-eater past?

Nayme doubted very much that Severus would be anything but extremely pissed off if he knew he was being discussed in his absence and she was fairly certain Minerva knew that too.

"In all this time, I have never seen him so... well. I believe your friendship has come to mean a great deal to him." McGonagall took a deep breath. "The reason I say this is because, after all that's happened, I'm afraid he may have the impulse to push you away."

Nayme remained silent.

"I wanted to tell you this so you won't blame yourself in case that happens." The witch sighed. "And so you can, maybe, if it doesn't hurt you, be patient with him." She said, carefully. "I'm afraid of saying this, because I understand we women have a tendency to feel responsible for nursing men back to health even when that is not healthy for us. It's what we are usually taught to do."

Minerva looked down. "I know I'm already overstepping my bounds talking to you about this. But I care about you. And Severus... I have known him since he was eleven years old and we have worked together for nearly twenty years. So, as you can imagine, I've come to care a great deal about him too. Even if he isn't always the easiest person to handle."