Cribbage
Severus led the way to his chambers, questioning why he had ever made the offer for tea. Professor Smith looked calm and pleasant as always, while she strode alongside him. She didn’t even seem to need to quicken her pace to match him despite his much longer legs and her petite frame. As he made his way to the door leading to his chambers, he thought of the implications. Inviting her to tea. At this late hour. He mentally chastised himself then. Both Minerva and Albus had paid many a visit to his chambers for tea on separate occasions. This was no different…
He placed his hand next to the portrait of a serpent, then the wall faded to reveal a door, which he then opened. As the door swung in, Severus questioned if he had left the rooms in disarray, or if she might judge him on his decor. Before he spiraled any further, Professor Smith gasped delightedly and rushed towards an upturned book on the side table by his plush old leather couch. “Tolkein! I didn’t expect to find you with any muggle literature” she exclaimed while gingerly picking up the book and resting her thumb between the pages so to not lose Severus’ spot. She let out another delighted gasp (Severus was beginning to enjoy those sounds) as she exclaimed “a first edition of the Hobbit! How did you get your hands on this?” Severus chuckled. feeling proud. “A good friend gifted it to me.” He replied, thinking achingly of Lilly Evans. Oh how he missed her.
He thought then, “how do you know muggle literature?” She smiled sadly. “I was muggle raised. It was all I knew for a time…” she trailed off. “Muggle raised? I had no idea” Severus responded. He was surprised. “You never asked,” she replied softly. Severus thought then. They mostly worked in silence. She had not willingly given any information beyond what he directly asked about. She did not ask much of him in return. Was she hiding anything? He thought quietly as he prepared tea the muggle way at his kitchen counter. “My father was a muggle,” Severus replied while waiting for the kettle to boil. “My mother was a witch. We lived in Cokeworth, a muggle town.” “Hmm…” Professor Smith replied. “It would have been difficult for you to make friends then I suspect” she said offhand. Severus turned to glare at her for a moment before realizing that she was lost in thought, leafing through the pages of his book. “It was. I did, however, manage to make one wizard friend in my neighborhood. She was muggle born too. Her name was Lilly.” He said. It came out almost in a whisper. Professor Smith looked at him then. “Was?” she asked. Severus nodded. “She died 8 years ago.” Professor Smith walked over to him then and placed her hand over his whispering “I’m sorry” gently.
The kettle started to whistle and Severus started out of his trance. He had been caught up by her eyes. They were a rich hazel, with flecks of green, brown, and gold. They were hypnotic to look into. He turned to the kettle and took the lid off the teapot as he placed a tea bag in and poured the boiling water in. “I suspect you must have had loads of friends professor,” Severus muttered offhandedly as he placed the lid back on and settled the tea cozy over the teapot. Professor Smith let out a bitter laugh that surprised Severus. “please call me sarah” she began, and then continued. “I was raised in a small town. When I say small, I mean tiny. There were only 50 people in my town. You could only get there by boat. No roads even. Just paths to walk from house to house. I was muggle born, meaning I was the only magical child in the whole community. They didn’t take kindly to me. Thought I was a devil spawn” she chuckled darkly. It unsettled Severus.
“But you’re young,” he supplied dumbly. “Fear of witches is from a time of old.” He finished. “I thought you would know better than that” she said impatiently but turned away waving it off with her hand like it didn’t matter. “Anywhere you find deep seeded religion, and very little education, you find fear of the unknown. I was unknown. Even though I was raised as a baby there. Once I began to display magical qualities, they thought me possessed. I eventually had to leave.” She stared blankly at the portrait above the couch. She looked as if she was seeing past it into another life. Severus thought she probably was. “Sarah” Severus tried. She jumped a little at the sound of her first name and turned to him. “Do you take milk or sugar in your tea?” he asked softly. “Milk please,” she replied. He poured the tea and added the milk to her cup (He liked his black of course). He brought both cups to the small kitchen table and gestured for her to sit.
“Do you like cribbage?” Sarah asked, glancing over at a board on the edge of the table. Severus chuckled, “indeed. It’s a muggle game that I still enjoy. I convinced Minerva to learn it, so sometimes we play together.” Sarah took the pack of cards on top of the cribbage board in her hands and began to shuffle. “Would you be interested in playing a round?” she asked. “Only if you don’t mind losing” Severus quipped. They ended up playing three full games, ending late into the night. It wasn’t until Sarah glanced at the clock with surprise that they decided to call it a night. “I must go if I want to get any headway on my classes for tomorrow,” Sarah supplied. “It’s nearly three in the morning!” Severus exclaimed. “You must really not ever sleep. And the students think ME a dungeon bat!” he laughed. She glanced at him guiltily before saying vaguely “depends on the night.” She tapped the deck of cards on the table so the cards all lined up once more before standing and heading towards the door. “Thank you for the tea Severus,” she said. Severus was surprised at how much he liked his name on her lips. “Of course,” he replied. And with that, she slipped out the door.
Severus sank down onto the couch contemplating all he had learned. He knew there had to be more to her than what lay on the surface. That calm facade was not fooling him. What he did find, however, was that he was feeling more drawn to her than ever.