Severus hugged his arms tightly to himself. It did little to stop his shivering. Droplets of water dripped lazily down strands of his hair, and down his face. The headmistress cast a drying spell over him. Despite the fact his clothes and hair were now dry, he still felt frozen to the bone and he shivered. He stared into the flames, not ready to face his surroundings.

"Here, Severus." Lyrica draped a large silk quilt over his shoulders. She arranged it so that it covered his bare feet. Her fingers lightly brushed a strand of hair that had fallen across his eyes. She squeezed his shoulder and then disappeared behind him.

As his shivering body began to warm up, he let his eyes wander around the room. The decor was deep blues, gold, some silver and rich wood. There was an Arabian Nights dreaminess to the room with over stuffed chairs embroidered in elaborate detail, soft pillows of the dominant colors spilling over a wide divan. Over the arched windows heavy curtains of satin and silk cascaded over them until the excess cloth pooled in swaths of blue, white and warm yellow upon the floor. The floor itself was decorated with beautiful rugs whose patterns reflected the colors in the room.

The room was not cluttered, though it easily could have gone that way. Order appeared in the numerous bookshelves of dark mahogany filled with many old volumes. Turning slightly, he was able to see Lyrica at a potions work table he could only ever dream of owning. Heavily carved legs supported a thick, black marble top. The marble was unpolished, not something one would desire in a luxury furniture piece, but for a potions mistress or master, unpolished marble was the best surface to work upon. There was more unpolished marble, black alternating with white, set into the floor. The large worktable was upon this marble floor. Behind the work table was a rack neatly organised with flasks, vials, pipettes, glass, pewter, silver, gold, copper; all manner of implements used in the creation of potions.

Snape wanted to examine the work area further, but he was loathe to leave the comfort of the fireplace. He pulled the quilt tighter about his shoulders as an unexpected chill shook through his limbs.

Lyrica was at the work table brewing something. He thought possibly a calming potion until his nose detected the various herbs she was using. He identified lavender and rosemary, but they were very lightly used. There was another herb, possibly sage? And then the air was redolent with the rich aroma of chocolate. Lyrica poured the contents of the cauldron into a large, ceramic mug and brought it over to Snape.

"Hot chocolate?" he asked accepting the warm mug.

"Not quite. Well, chocolate is the main ingredient, but I always viewed it as a much better substitute for a calming draught. It's from a recipe my mother taught to me."

"I detect lavender and rosemary, but they're very light. Sage, too. That seems an odd herb to mix with chocolate." Snape observed as he took an appreciative sniff.

She smiled. "That's correct. I think you'll find the sage adds a little spice. My father hated it, but I always loved it. It comprises some of my best memories of home." She sat down on a chair beside him. "Try it and tell me what you think, Severus. Be honest, please."

Snape raised the cup and took another sniff of the steaming cocoa. He blew lightly across its surface and then brought the mug to his lips. Despite the heat of the drink, he took enough so he could properly analyze the taste.

The chocolate was smooth as satin and the lavender and rosemary flitted past his senses in the same manner the little French pastilles his mother used to give him did. He smiled, briefly, at that distant, pleasant memory from his childhood. Lastly came the sage. It wasn't heavy, as he'd expected, and had infused with the chocolate to bring out just a subtle, bitter bite to the whole concoction. He did not realize his eyes had closed until he opened them to gaze toward the headmistress who waited, quietly, and frozen in position for his verdict.

"I believe I understand now why women are wont to say that chocolate is a seductive experience," his voice was low and flowed like silk. Before taking another sip, he smiled and his eyes glittered.

Lyrica's breath caught briefly and she tried, unsucessfully, to ignore the lightheaded sensation that drifted over her for a brief moment. The spell was softly broken as she replied to him.

"I could teach you the brew, if you'd like?" He nodded and sank deeper into the luxury of the chair. Lyrica rose to her feet and moved toward him. She brushed her fingers across his cheek and he caught her hand. He pressed a warm kiss to the palm of her hand and then pressed her hand to his cheek. Silently, he wished that Time would just... stop.