Greg eyed the neat, dare he say hazard-free path with total wariness. Just what the hell had happened since he was last here? He pushed the door open and stopped in his tracks. He thought he might know the witch in the shop, but her name wasn't coming to mind. "Is Snape in?"

Looking up from the orders she'd been reviewing, Susan saw a tall, burly fellow had entered the shop. It took her a moment to realize who he was, another of Draco Malfoy's lot. Did they all come to chat with Professor Snape? Of all the teachers at Hogwarts, he seemed an odd choice for former students to like to drop in on. She wasn't in Slytherin, though, so maybe it was different for them.

"He's in the back. I'll let him know you're here. It's Greg Goyle, isn't it?"

"It is," he replied with a smile, finally figuring out a name to go with the face, "Ms. Bones, if memory serves."

"Yes, that's right. Susan Bones." She smiled back at him, a bit thrown off by how pleasant he was being and that he'd remembered her name. Very different behavior than she remembered from school. Of course, lots of things were different. She should probably stop expecting everyone to be exactly as they had been at Hogwarts. "I'll get Professor Snape for you."

Peeking into the lab, she waited for Professor Snape to finish what he was doing before disturbing him. "Professor, Greg Goyle is here to see you."

"Send him in," he called back. "And bring tea."

"Would it kill you to say please?" Susan muttered under her breath, more amused than irritated. Stepping back up front, she motioned for Greg to follow her.

"You can come on back, he's in the lab."

Greg smiled and followed, his mind already on how to thank Snape without sounding like a complete idiot. "Thanks, Susan," he said before stepping into the room.

Susan gave him a grin. "I'll be right back with that tea."

"Well," Severus said, looking Greg over. "At least you've been sleeping better."

Greg nodded. "Luthien makes the tea for me and then makes sure I drink every last drop."

"How sad for the Goyle bloodline that a house elf has more common sense than the scion."

Greg rolled his eyes, not gracing that with an answer, turning as he heard someone near the doorway.

Feeling rather like a house elf herself, Susan carried a tray with three cups of tea, cream, and sugar into the lab. If she was going to fetch tea for her employer, she may as well get some for herself. She settled the tray on the work table, placing one cup at Professor Snape's elbow. "Two sugars," she said, knowing he'd fault her if he made his tea overly sweet by adding more. Turning to hand a cup to Greg, she said, "I didn't know how you liked your tea, so I've left it black." She quickly fixed her own cup and left the men alone.

"What brings you here today, Mister Goyle?" With a slight sneer, Severus added, "I'm sure it was not simply to drink my tea and ogle my employee."

Greg's eyes widened slightly before he caught himself. Were it anyone else, he would have sputtered out some incoherent protest. It wasn't as if he wanted to explain his recent...promises to himself. He'd acknowledged that Susan was a pretty girl and then moved on. He knew it was risky, getting cheeky with Snape, but he couldn't resist. "I wasn't doing anything of the sort. You did instruct me to return in two weeks time."

"I suppose I did." He really should start writing things that dealt with humans down with the same meticulousness he devoted to his potions. But then, once started, that sort of thing could grow time consuming. "Have you gone to see someone about your melancholia?"

Knowing that laughing at the fact that Snape had forgotten the 'order' would get him hexed, or worse, Greg controlled the urge and concentrated on the question. "Yes, I am. I've been twice so far. It does help no matter how much I dislike being there."

"We all must do things we dislike." Severus could attest to that after spending more than a decade as the Hogwarts potions professor. "The important thing is to bear them for as long as it is useful and necessary. I trust you will continue to find it so to speak to someone of your troubles rather than attempting to pickle your brain cells with toxic amounts of alcohol."

The habitual 'yes, sir, of course, sir,' nearly slipped out before Greg reminded himself he was no longer twelve. "Duly noted," he retorted dryly. "Do you recommend that the tea is used over a long period of time?"

"Not for more than four months without consultation and some testing. We'll start to wean you from it after the third month." Taking a sip of his tea, Severus stared into it while saying, as if absently, "Tell me, Mr. Goyle, is there anything in your life at the moment that makes you feel happy? A relationship, perhaps?"

"Not currently," he replied with the utmost honesty. "Other than the school and my family, there isn't much at the moment. What sort of testing?"

"When it comes time - at the one month mark - I'll send Miss--" he corrected himself, "Healer Weasley a list of what to look for. Don't try to do it yourself, you'll only muck it up."

Now that brassed him off a bit. Greg knew not to let Snape get to him. Really, he did. Usually. "I'm not a complete and utter moron, contrary to popular belief, sir."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Do you know how to administer a rectal exam to yourself?"

Greg glared, hard. He's the one with the stick up his arse. He should endure that exam, might make him more pleasant. "Nice, Snape, real nice. I was referring to the insinuation that I was a brainless oaf, not to any alleged medical procedures."

"Until you have proven yourself to not be an oaf - and after your little stunt, you are starting once again from rock bottom - I will insinuate what I please," he snapped. "And assuming that you need to know the details of a simple medical exam to determine whether you are suffering from tiny anal polyps or ingrowing back hairs, it's not polite conversation over tea, so I'll thank you to trust my judgment!"

Greg stood, still glaring though he was rather proud that he'd provoked Snape. "Fine. I'm leaving."

He stormed over to the door, calling over his shoulder, "You brought it up, not me. I came here to thank you for your assistance not revisit childhood with my father."

Watching the boy storm out, Severus allowed himself a small, pleased smile.

Susan shook her head at the angry confrontation she'd overheard. Professor Snape really couldn't get along with anyone for more than five minutes - the previous evening notwithstanding. As Greg passed through the store, obviously irritated and in a hurry to leave, she called out kindly, "Bye, Greg. It was a pleasure seeing you again."

Greg stopped and turned on his heel, working up somewhat of a pleasant expression since none of this was her fault, and he did have some manners. "Yes it was, Susan. I wouldn't go back there just yet, he bites."

Don't I know it., she thought, smiling wryly as she watched Greg leave. With a sigh, she ignored his advice and headed into the lab to clear the tea service. When she stepped in the room, she found Professor Snape not looking angry at all. He was -- smiling.

"Pleased with yourself, are you?" she asked.

"That," he said expansively, "is a boy who is too busy being annoyed to notice he's no longer miserable."

She couldn't help it. Really, it just came out. "And this," Susan said cheekily, nodding in her employer's direction, "is a man who can't resist the opportunity to wind someone up."

The smile disappeared as if it had never been. "Be so good, Miss Bones, as to get back to work. If you find yourself in need of a task, the guano samples from South America need to be tested for freshness - I'm sure you remember the procedure, and if not then you can look it up."

Deciding it would be better not to press her luck, Susan moved on to her original purpose in entering the room - clearing the tea service. After that she was sure she could find something to occupy herself with that didn't involve guano.

(Summary) Susan meets another Slytherin and overhears a disagreement, otherwise known as Snape's version of 'Glad to see you're feeling better'.