"Headmaster, this is too much…" Circe breathed as she held the envelope in her hand. Inside was a cheque for two hundred and fifty pounds.
"Nonsense, Professor. Consider it a compassionate Christmas bonus. I'm afraid I was only able to secure one night away from Hogwarts for you, however..."
"A night away?"
"Yes. On New Year's Eve too. I myself have never spent the coming of the New Year in Edinburgh… ahh how I would love to see the fireworks from the Royal Mile…"
"Edinburgh…" Circe said, slightly flabbergasted.
"Why of course. I did not expect you to replace your wardrobe entirely from the commerce available in Hogsmeade!"
Circe looked down modestly at what she was wearing. Since Christmas Day, when all of her possessions had been trashed by an intruder, she'd had to borrow some items of clothing from Minerva. Mcgonagall did her best to assure her that she suited green, but a floor-length green skirt with a matching green jacket and pointed hat? It was like she was Minerva's clone…
Perhaps it was time for a shop.
"Tomorrow night then?" She asked.
"Indeed." Dumbledore said with a nod of his head, handing her yet another envelope.
"At the bloody Balmoral too?" Circe laughed in disbelief. "Goodness, Dumbledore. You really are spoiling me!"
Dumbledore chuckled heartily.
Circe scanned the booking confirmation and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, but it seems you've made an error and booked two rooms…"
"Not error at all, Professor Smith. As it seems you are now being targeted by people who wish to do you harm, I thought it may be prudent to provide for your protection too."
"Protection?"
"Yes. Minerva has been keeping an eye on you over the past few days, but she really was desperate to see her nieces and nephews in Caithness before term resumed again."
"And at least one of us has to stay in Hogwarts to look after the students still here…"
"Which I have volunteered for. So that only leaves…"
"Don't say…."
-----
Severus stood with a face of thunder in the outer courtyard holding a small overnight bag.
"Listen…" Circe began, "if you'd rather not come, I can go by myself."
"And get pulled up in front of Dumbledore for disobeying direct orders?" He added sourly.
"He ordered you?" She asked, surprised.
Severus responded by rolling his eyes.
"Shall we just get going?" He asked, impatiently.
She straightened the straps of her backpack, full of her overnight necessities, and walked at his side.
They both had to exit the Hogwarts grounds before they could apparate and they walked on in strained silence. Circe hadn't seen Severus since Christmas Day as he'd been hiding in his dungeon rooms. Little did she know he was, in part, hiding from her. She took a long look at him and realised he wasn't dressed in his normal imposingly black attire. Dumbledore must have advised him to dress slightly more like a muggle as he'd switched out his buttoned doublet and cloak for a pair of black trousers, a charcoal grey jumper and a sleek leather jacket. Still very Snape-esque, but astonishingly different to what she'd become used to seeing on him. Rather contrastingly, it was Circe who looked like the odd one, still stuck in Minerva's clothes.
They walked along until they passed Hagrid's Hut and felt comfortable enough that they were well outside of the apparition barrier.
"You will have to cast the spell." Severus stated. "I have no idea where I'm going."
She thought for a while and settled on a secluded spot in the Prince's Street gardens that should be out of eyesight for muggles. She nodded to him, confirming her choice. She pulled her wand out as Severus took his place beside her. She expectantly held her arm out to him to take and he hooked his hand around her with another roll of his eyes. They both went spinning off into the ether…
… and with a dizzying pop they both landed firm on their feet in Prince's Street. Circe nearly turned as green as her outfit and placed her head between her legs.
"Professor?" Severus asked.
"I always get sick from apparating." She said. "Gimmie a second…"
Severus raised his inky brow and looked around at his new surroundings. He heard the sounds of the city cars and the distant trains pulling into Waverley Station. Looming above him was the soot-stained gothic styled Burns monument and up towards the Old Town, he could just about see the Castle perched on top of the hill through the trees. It was not an unattractive city, he admitted.
"Right…" Circe said, sucking in a long breath and standing up straight. "Ready."
Severus had expected Circe to make a beeline for the major retail shops on Prince's Street. Instead she walked past them all and up the hill into the Old Town. In this part of Edinburgh, Severus confirmed to himself just what a beautiful city the capital was. That same soot-stained sandstone and old gothic flair characterised the buildings around him. Circe dragged Severus from shop to shop, down cobbled streets and gut-suckingly tight back alleys to the small little boutiques she'd come to know in her years living in the city. Circe's mood noticeably brightened as she made each purchase, going through the money her Dad had given her for her birthday before reluctantly cashing Dumbledore's check too. At around midday, Circe emerged from a little store on Victoria Street in a new pair of blue jeans, a partially tucked-in white band t-shirt and her trusty tartan coat. Severus looked up from the bookstore window he had been inspecting over the road.
"It's a pity that ghastly coat wasn't one of the casualties of the attack." He commented sardonically.
Circe laughed and swatted him on his arm.
"Are you hungry?" She asked.
The heavens opened just as they entered a cafe-come-record-store in the Grassmarket region of the city. It was a particular old haunt of Circe's and she abandoned Severus as she walked in the door to peruse the shelves upon shelves of CD's and records. She thumbed through the collection, hopping from one band to another and picking up a few new releases that caught her eye. Now she truly felt like herself again.
"I thought we were here to buy clothes…" Severus commented dryly, standing in the aisle opposite her.
She looked up at him, over the counter tops and gave him her sweetest indifferent smile.
"Why don't you go and order the coffees, Severus?" she said, ignoring his bad mood. "Oh and get us a little snack."
Severus looked over to the cafe area of the shop, where a few modest tables were placed in front of a food display cabinet and a coffee machine. A small Scottish girl with a red apron tied around her waist leaned against the till with her headphones in.
"What do I even ask for?" he said, his unfamiliarity with muggle cafe's apparent.
"Just say you'd like two cappuccinos and... uhh… two toasted teacakes." She turned back to her surmounting collection of possible purchases, leaving Severus slightly daunted.
He mustered himself and turned towards the cafe, approaching the girl cautiously. She took out her headphones and asked him what he'd like.
"Two cappuccinos and two toasted teacakes." he repeated dutifully.
"D'ye want butter with your teacakes?" she asked.
"Uhh…" Severus faltered.
"Yes he does!" Circe shouted at the girl from a few aisles away, her head still buried in CD's.
"Right, I'll bring that right over for you." the girl replied.
Severus took his seat at an empty table.
Circe sat down opposite him a few moments later and started regaling him with her purchases.
"Use Your Illusion Volume Two… very promising album from G n R if the first one was to your tastes. A new Queen album, Innuendo, that completely passed me by…"
Severus nodded his head politely, his arms folded in front of him. She may as well have been speaking to him in Greek.
The cafe attendant placed their coffees down in front of them, followed by two warm, delicious-smelling teacakes generously lavished with melting butter. Circe took a bite out of her teacake and moaned in delight. Severus took a cautious bite from his and chewed for a moment. It was delicious.
"Good choice." he congratulated her.
Circe waved the last of her music purchases in front of him. "Couldn't come back to Edinburgh without nabbing a little bit of The Proclaimers." she said.
"Sunshine on Leith." Severus read aloud. He cast an eye outside into the streets of Edinburgh and the downpour that was still underway. "Instant points deducted for naming your album something ridiculous and implausible…"
Circe laughed and took a sip of her coffee. "While the Chief, Puts sunshine on Leith, I'll thank him, For his work, And your work, And my work…" she recited. For a while they both just watched the raindrops slide down the glass of the cafe's windows in a rare moment of comfortableness between them.
"What music do you like, Severus?" she asked, taking another sip of coffee and a bite of teacake.
"As a general rule, I don't." he responded flatly.
"You don't like any music…?"
"No. It's all just noise really, isn't it."
"Ahh, then you haven't found the right music." she winked at him and he felt the heat rising in his neck again. "What is it Hendrix said...Music is magic. And magic is life."
"You should get that on your next t-shirt." he teased, sipping his cappuccino.
She tutted, letting him score that point in the verbal sparring match between them. "We must do something to remedy that awful attitude. I know quite a few live venues that will be wonderful tonight…"
"Oh you're not actually considering going out this evening are you?" he scowled. "At the best of times New Year's Eve is dire, let alone with someone out there who is after information from you."
"Severus , like it or not I am going to be singing Auld Lang Syne at the top of my lungs come midnight, on the wrong side of a few glasses of whiskey. I am not going to be intimidated by them. You can be there if you wish, but-"
"Alright, alright." he interrupted her.
Plus, we have things that we need to discuss… Circe thought to herself.
After finishing their drinks, Circe and Severus walked leisurely back down the hill towards the Balmoral Hotel. The Hotel attendant graciously took Circe's many shopping bags from her and ushered them both to follow him. Severus thought the attendant cast him a judgemental look as Circe handed over her bags to him.
Stare all you want, he internally shot back, I'm not her donkey.
Their rooms were on the third floor, opposite one another. They were both handed their room keys and left alone to settle in at their leisure.
"Seven o'clock?" Circe asked, before Severus disappeared behind his door.
He nodded in response and the door closed resolutely behind him. Circe sighed and closed her own door behind her. The room was wonderful. Exquisitely decorated and overlooking the end of Prince's Street. She tested the mattress and flopped down on the duvet with vigor, burying herself in the cloud-soft pillows. A day of shopping had made her feet and back ache, but truth be told, she felt truly and utterly spoilt.
Edinburgh Castle never did anything like this for you, she thought to herself and smiled widely.
After a long shower in the en suite, Circe sat by the room's window curled up in her dressing gown and a towel wrapped around her head. She felt decidedly more refreshed and ready to head back out again soon. The TV was on low in the background and she half listened to the news at six, more interested in watching the people below walking by and busying themselves along the shopping street. It was growing bitterly cold outside as darkness set in. She rose from her seat and began dressing in an appropriately 'going out' outfit. She chose a simple black dress that she had purchased earlier. It hung just past her knee and was cut in a modest v neck at her front. A pair of sheer tights and black heels completed her look. Circe set about drying her hair and doing something with her unruly curls. They were always tighter and more coil-like when they were newly dried and she delved into her overnight bag to pull out her various beauty lotions and potions to try and calm them down.
-----
Severus stood expectantly in the hotel corridor, tapping his feet.
Is she playing a game with me? He thought. A 'who will break and knock on who's door first' type of thing?
It was ten minutes past seven and Circe had still not emerged. He was starving, the teacake he'd eaten earlier doing little to stave off his hunger. He was about to rap on her door irritably when it swung open, and there she stood. Her hair was styled beautifully, her curls hanging in bold, shining tendrils. A bold splash of red coloured her lips and she gave him a knowing smile.
"Ready? " she asked , holding her coat in her hands.
"Where to?" he replied, unable to stop himself from looking her up and down.
They settled on another of Circe's old haunts on Rose Street. This time in the New Tonwn, it was a slightly more modern pub with a huge subterranean floor of tables. They took their seat in a quiet little booth as Circe took great pride in telling Severus all about the rabbit-warren of cellars and structures that Edinburgh was built upon.
"You see, Edinburgh is built on a swamp. So until they figured out how to stop everything sinking, the architects used to just build straight on top of the submerged streets."
"So there's a whole series of ancient roads and rooms just beneath the surface."
"Oh yes, its a practical underground labyrinth."
They ordered drinks and food, both of them going for a traditional fish supper as of Circe's recommendation. Both of them ate hungrily when it finally arrived. Severus was not a fan of the mushy peas and pushed his portion towards her. She took them gratefully and lathered them on top of her chips. Circe looked at Severus munching away happily on his cod, herself holding a chip in her right hand as she thought. Severus looked up, feeling her eyes on him and caught her in her musings.
"Is there something you want to say, Professor?" he asked flatly.
"You know something that you're not telling me." she stated rather confrontationally. "About who ransacked my room last week."
Severus stopped chewing, slightly taken aback by her brusqueness. He returned fire with his eyes and spent what felt like an age internally grappling with what he should or shouldn't say to her.
Do you trust her? An inner voice whispered to him.
She was certainly kind, warmhearted, erudite.. but trustworthy? He recalled back to Hallowe'en and her offer to find out where his mother was buried, which she had done. Unfortunately, he'd been too late to see her before she was interred but Circe had passed on what information the hospital was willing to tell her. Even when he had returned from Yardley Cemetery, having seen his mother's simple and fresh grave for himself, there had been no signs that she'd told anybody else at Hogwarts of his loss… Or anything else he'd said to her that night. Not even Minerva, it seemed.
"I think…" he began, a final hesitation before throwing caution to the wind. "...I know who it was."
Circe was shocked. She'd expected to get into a fight with Severus, or for him to clam up and refuse to answer her questions like he had done before.
"You do?" she asked, leaning in close.
Severus nodded. "You know who came back to Hogwarts that night, and then disappeared again soon after?"
"Who?"
"Quirrell." Severus said simply. He felt an internal weight lighten as he confided in her.
Circe sat back, her eyes wide. "Wait… I'm sorry. Are we talking about the same thing? You think Quirrell was the one who ransacked my room?"
"I do."
"Quirinus I'd-wet-myself-if-someone-sneezed-too-loudly Quirrell?"
"I do believe our mutual colleague is quite the accomplished actor." He went on, explaining to Circe the depth of what he had uncovered on Christmas Day. The false name, the lack of a paper trail, his suspicions. She listened in enraptured shock.
"Severus… this is serious stuff." she finally said when he had finished. "Do you know this for certain?"
He shook his head. "But I'm keeping a beady eye on him until I do."
"What made you initially think he may be a Dark Lord sympathiser?"
Severus hesitated before he answered. So she didn't know anything about his past… Perhaps that's why she'd been halfway decent to him: because she had no clue about the allegations made towards him and his dealings during the wizarding war. Ignorance is bliss, he thought bitterly as his heart sank.
"Just a hunch." He lied.
"So do we tell Dumbledore?" She asked.
"Not yet. But we both watch Quirrell like a hawk. Two pairs of eyes on him instead of one. And as soon as he lets slip or drops his guard-"
"We haul him in front of the Minister."
After their meal, they climbed back up to the surface of Rose Street.
"Now the whole deal with Rose Street, Severus, is that it's almost entirely pubs and bars." she began, gesturing to the various establishments around them. "The challenge is to start at one end and try to see how far down the street you can get having a pint or a half pint in each pub. Then you write your name on the street in chalk to show how far along you got."
"What?! There must be at least forty different-"
"Oh look, Sterling Rugby Club made it to here." She said, pointing to the pavement.
"There is no way-"
"Severus, I'm joking." She said, cracking into a giggle. His face dropped into a mask of irritation. "I've only just dried out from Christmas Day. Come on, I said I'd take you to a live venue didn't I."
She settled on The Black Rose: a proper Scottish music bar where the beer flowed and the songs were played loud. They settled into a routine of rounds, waiting for midnight to arrive. Towards half eleven, Circe was making good of her promise to be a few whiskeys deep by the New Year. Severus too was determinately keeping up with her and once again turned to the bar as Circe was whisked away by another local to dance. He watched her spin and laugh with her dance partner, again catching himself looking her up and down. The wriggling feeling in his gut came back once again and he downed his whiskey in a vain attempt to smother it. He was not jealous per se, but he did feel noticeably more morose watching her being spun and cavorted about the dance floor. She drew attention to her whereas people kept a natural distance from him. The bar erupted into shouts of joy as the band in residence began their cover of '500 Miles'. She turned wide eyed and grinning to Severus and mouthed "Proclaimers!" as she pointed enthusiastically at the stage. He nodded, acknowledging that he understood her, and leaned back on the bar as she was pulled into another dance.
It was five minutes to midnight when she grabbed his hand and dragged him from the pub.
"Where are we going now?" He asked, his head a little foggy.
"The Burns monument! Hurry up or we'll miss it!".
She began trotting, her heels clacking on the cobbles and Severus was forced to jog, still in her iron grip. Other partyers were already gathered there when they arrived, just in time to hear the beginning of the countdown.
"Look up to the Castle." She whispered into his ear over the shouts.
Severus felt every hair in his body stand to attention as he felt the warmth of her breath on his face. He followed her line of sight and as it turned midnight a brilliant burst of fireworks erupted from out of Edinburgh Castle. Circe's eyes lit up as the black sky filled with colour. Severus too watched the bright display in fascination and found that he did not flinch when she slipped her arm through his. He looked back to her, her face now illuminated in flashes of green and red.
How pretty she is when she smiles like that. The thought washed over him, as warm as the whiskey he'd drunk.
Over the haze of shouts and clapping, Severus allowed himself a small smile as he watched Circe link arms with complete strangers and start a chorus of Auld Lang Syne.
"Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For days of auld lang syne"