"Don't you 'mother' me, young man or I really will mother you," she joked in a mock prim voice. "Taking some time off will help though," Susan agreed, thinking of their upcoming holiday, which he would come on and enjoy even if it killed her. "A bit of enforced relaxation never hurt anyone, unless they refused, I suppose."
"Oh I don't know, an engorgement charm and telling her she's allowed to bite them and I think they'd crack pretty quickly. Of course we have other, far less pleasant methods at our disposal if and when we happen to need them," she added with a sort of clinical detachment.
Susan sighed and rubbed her temples tiredly, wondering whether it was time to take the advice that Edgar and Dennis had given her - which is to say lock the two of them in a room with a bed and food and not let them out until they'd talked. The problem with that suggestion of course lay in the fact that Dean was too passively accepting of the situation, and nothing would come of it until Seamus stopped being so fucking pigheaded about the entire situation. "I'll admit that's not ideal," she responded quietly. "He's got so much bloody emotional baggage tied around that scar and his uh," she pursed her lips, not entirely sure whether to voice the theory she'd slowly developed over the years, "Feelings about the battle and how he came by the scar." She patted his arm quietly and smiled. "But you were asleep, I think that gives you a fairly good excuse for your actions. I mean he forgave Dennis for that time, so he can surely forgive his," soul mate, she thought, "Best friend, wouldn't you say?"
She felt her heart break slightly at his wan smile, and decided - in proper Hufflepuffian fashion - to try and smother his bad feelings with happy feelings. "Speaking of presents, shall I artlessly distract you with these," she asked, pointing towards the bag, paint brush holder, and blue beret that sat on the table waiting for him to unwrap them.