He returns.

They stared at one another for a long moment, out of sorts now that they stood eye to eye.

"I should Obliviate you now," Severus grumbled as he shrugged off his outer cloak and hung it in a wardrobe with its flock of companions.

Minerva's face hardened. "Severus!"

"You caught me off guard earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have indulged you with a romp in my quarters, in either of your forms." He hurried on before she could interject, "It is simply too dangerous for you to be here. Too dangerous for both of us. I cannot believe that you would risk not only our lives but the entire war effort on an unfounded, foolish theory."

He continued his pathetic excuse for hissing and spitting, shooting holes in her logic, demeaning her house, weakly defending his own, and trying harder with every phrase to send her scrambling for the door. Minerva clenched her jaw to keep a string of regrettable words from tumbling out.

Yes, she had forgotten how harsh and tedious Severus's self-defence mechanisms could be. But Severus had forgotten that she could weather his staunchest opposition. This was nothing compared to the curse-laden diatribes whenever he tried to escape chaperone duties. She held her ground. "Are you quite done, Severus?"

Severus's familiar scowl nearly made her smile. Nearly.

"I am not a fool, nor have I ever been one. Yes, I may have been believed your ruse with Albus, much as it utterly nauseated me to do so. And I may not be as quick as I ought to be in sussing out your Slytherin schemes, but I do know how to read between the lines with you. Your treatment of the students, if one looks closely enough, reveals your true loyalties. If you're going to continue this charade, at the very least, you could use a critic to tell you when your performance is off."

Propped against the fireplace mantle, Severus sighed and glared at his shoes. "We shouldn't even be talking about this. I should bellow at you and send you on your way with your tail swishing madly. I shouldn't put you in danger like this." He seemed to recover his temper. "I won't risk you getting caught on the way to my quarters just so I can indulge in some stress relief."

Minerva clutched her fists in her cloak, trying to keep an even tone. "If Neville Longbottom can manage to sneak through this castle at night—and he does remain undetected on the vast majority of his outings—then I'm quite certain you and I could succeed in meeting at least once a week, if not twice. I can always slink around in my Animagus form."

"Yes, well, Sprinkles is rather inconspicuous, isn't she?"

Minerva huffed in annoyance. "As if Albus had not caused enough trouble in his life, that is not my n—Severus Snape, you will not distract me from this!"

The mischief that had momentarily danced behind Severus's eyes ignited into something harsher. "I've always known you to be so stubborn it was near impossible to dissuade you from anything. The only solution is to get you so riled that you forget your concerns in your anger. Now, what was it you were so very upset about, Minerva?"

The spark of hope, which had ignited at finding the photo frame, sputtered out of existence in a rush of anger and disappointment. She understood full well that Severus was stretched thin and perhaps tetchier than even his normal surly self. But she would not tilt at windmills nor sift through his speech to find the kernels of truth within. "I will not get caught sneaking about in a castle I've lived in for more years than you've been alive. However, you needn't worry about me looking sympathetic and breaking your cover. I dare say I'll be able to summon the inspiration to be sufficiently angry when we next meet!"

Minerva stalked past Severus, heading towards the door with fury radiating from every stomp. Granted, her human form wasn't quite so effective at conveying it. Pursed lips, pinched brow, and a scowl were nothing compared to a ridge of spiked fur, flattened ears, fluffed tail, and fangs.

"Minerva, wait," Severus called, resignation leaking through his words. "This cannot be a distraction. I'll allow that in normal times we could, and did, conduct an affair with the rest of the school hardly the wiser. But... there are spies throughout the castle, Minerva. Not just spies for the Dark Lord, but children with parents in the Order. News of an affair between us would be disastrous in either camp."

She turned to face him, shoulders squared. This hardly sounded like something worth waiting to hear.

"But, if we can work out a plan that's safe enough, and if you swear to follow it, no matter what happens to me, then we can... proceed."

Minerva bristled at nearly every word, but was wise enough to recognize the offer for what it was. Well, what it might be. "Proceed with what, Severus?"

Severus's eyes narrowed. "I shall choose to ignore that in favour of discussing how this arrangement shall function. If we are interrupted," he grunted as he toed off his boots and slumped on the end of the bed, "come back on Tuesday evening at nine."

Minerva glanced around the room again. There was nowhere to sit but the bed. Severus looked at her, not expectantly, not hopefully, but with weariness lurking in every inch of his frame. She sat down and placed her hand over his as she stared at the empty fireplace. "So, what safeguards do we need to put in place?"

Their fingers intertwined.

Together, they crafted the framework for their affair. Severus would cast Detection Wards on all of the professors' corridors. Minerva's would give advanced warning of anyone approaching her quarters. The others would serve as cover.

Severus's thumb rubbed the palm of her hand.

A Portkey would ferry Minerva between their quarters and was to be carried with her at all times to prohibit tampering. Irregular meeting schedules would be followed. An array of inconspicuous methods of communication was devised to cancel and rearrange their schedule. House points had never been so ill-used.

Minerva's hand moved to Severus's thigh, tracing the crease of his trousers.

A story for Voldemort should something go awry. A twist on her tale that caused a momentary, corresponding twist in her gut. Scenes to play-act to masquerade as memories. Excruciating scenes of manipulation and betrayal. But necessary all the same.

Her hand gradually stilled, and Severus covered it with his own. "I'm sorry, Minerva, but you know we must have a story. Should someone spot and report us, I must be able to keep both of us safe."

"Yes, I just won't relish making those particular scenes come to life. It's difficult enough imagining them." She clutched his hand between hers, his long, spidery fingers trapped between fingers just showing the first signs of age. "I have accepted the realities of this war, but I still don't have to approve of them."

"I know." He sighed. "I should insist on enacting one of the scenes tonight, but I'm exhausted. We'll have to do so first thing on Tuesday."

"Exhausted, Severus?" Her hands left his, one stroking his back, its counterpart returning to his thigh. She turned to look at him, holding her breath in anticipation.