InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "You're not funny."

in_the_grass (in_the_grass) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-09-25 00:10:00

Entry tags:

!2003: 09, !complete, essery oakby, severus snape

Who: Severus Snape & Essery Oakby
What: Chatting, etc.
Where: Hogwarts, Headmaster's office
When: Tonight
Warnings/Rating: TBA

Severus had had a few years to adjust to being able to tell the truth on a regular basis. He didn't do it gratuitously, still - there were plenty of things he saw no reason to bring up even if they weren't strictly off-limits, and a few that he still kept as close as he ever had. But he had more or less grown accustomed to the fact that there was no longer any grand, over-arching reason to say as little as possible. What was new and unfamiliar was the fact that now there was actually someone to whom he might care to say anything. Dumbledore, Malfoy and the others he'd been (somewhat) open with during the war were a different phenomenon. He couldn't imagine wanting to chat with any of them. The urge to go beyond the barest bones of pleasantries with someone with whom he had no pressing business was peculiar enough that it couldn't help but be striking.

Which made him wonder, now, why it hadn't quite stricken him before, but. It was ridiculous to delve into all of that over this, surely. First of all, he wasn't going to tell her what he knew about Goyle, at least not the more sensitive parts; in that he considered himself to be doing her a bit of a favor. (Who would want to know? It would be better if he didn't spend too much time thinking about it himself, because the thought of it still threatened to make him livid.) And then, he did owe Goyle something, and he wasn't going to risk having all of those careful plans upset by something that could see him tossed out, however unlikely she was to spread rumors.

The uncomfortable truth was that whatever he had said or insinuated, he had done it almost entirely because he wanted to talk to her, and that really ought to have been unacceptable. But he found he didn't really care. He was almost certain that it was no great sin to want to talk to someone, not anymore. Especially when they were ... well. Pleasant. And so he waited in his office, as casual as he ever was, standing at one of the shelves and thumbing through one of his collections of treatises on hellebore. He could distract himself as he pleased.

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in_the_grass
2010-10-03 11:56 pm UTC (link)

"Thank you." He leaned against the opposite side of the windowsill, taking another slow sip of his wine. "I could use the practice with chess just as much, I think, although it sounds as though the conversation might be distracting." He couldn't miss her reaction - it wasn't that uncommon, really, among most people he still dealt with - and made the rare decision not to press it, only raising his eyebrow a little. He didn't know exactly what she had done or what had been done to her doing the war. And he wasn't all that inclined to talk about things that made her look away. "Does it still come with wine, when it happens over a chess board? We'll certainly get to checkmate faster that way."

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oakbye
2010-10-04 12:03 am UTC (link)

"You got there quickly enough without the wine, thank you," She laughed though, even as she said it, and her usual easy smile came back as she gave a little shrug. "I don't think I've actually played much chess while drinking, so that might be an experience. It does make the gossiping go faster. Still, maybe you're a natural study. All those years of faculty meetings must have given you some chances." She couldn't help but notice how close he was standing, and she moved her legs, turning a bit, so that he could sit beside her in the windowsill if he wanted. The invitation, she thought, was pretty obvious.

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in_the_grass
2010-10-04 12:20 am UTC (link)

"Oh, yes. Chances to notice, anyhow. I try not to comment on my colleague's indiscretions." They were rarely interesting or pleasant, as far as he was concerned. "Sharing it will be new ground to cover. We'll both have our handicaps - I'll be distracted from the game, and hopefully you can slow to match my beginner's pace. Assuming we have anything to talk about. This place can be a little ... dusty."

It was obvious - so much so that even he could hardly miss it. With some effort his kept his eyebrow from rising any higher. But after only a split second he took it, sitting only a little precariously on the windowsill, balancing his glass beside him. It was no great crime to want to sit next to someone, either. "Occasionally something notable happens."

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