Title: Charming Roots, She Wrote
A/N: This was written as a present for furandfeathers on the CR Boards as her Secret Santa present! It is a crossover between Murder, She Wrote (Seth/Jessica) and Harry Potter (Filius/Pomona). I hope you enjoy:) Merry Christmas!

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Pomona sat in a corner booth of the nearly empty cafe, waiting for a very good, if usually very distant, friend of hers. They had begun corresponding after Jessica read one of her muggle publications and contacted the Herbology Mistress, who was considered at the top of the muggle botany field, to act as a consultant for a murder-mystery novel she was writing. The two had been merely friendly acquaintances until nearly ten years ago. That summer, Pomona had chosen to vacation in the States and happened to run into Jessica in New York City while doing some souvenir shopping. The chance meeting had turned into an afternoon of shopping together and then dinner as they caught up on each other's lives and found they enjoyed each others' company.

She supposed that even then they would not have bonded as friends so quickly had not their waitress, the poor, sweet girl, been murdered that night. Pomona had realized of course that the girl was a witch, but could not reveal that to the police, though she found it especially hard not to tell Jessica. Once the murder was solved –it had been the girl's muggle sister who apparently was jealous of the waitress's boyfriend and Pomona guessed her magic as well- Jessica had invited her to her hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine to recover from the attempt on her own life, when she and Jessica had gotten a little too close to finding out the truth.

The two had been very close ever since. Keeping in touch mainly through letters, though Pomona did own a mobile since she was much more involved in the muggle world than the average witch, they had kept in close contact over the last decade, but had only managed to meet up a few times. Pomona had been pleasantly surprised to find that Jessica would be in Scotland visiting the family home of a friend of hers from Scotland Yard. She had written to find out if Pomona would be able to meet her in Edinburgh for dinner. Of course she did not realize how easy it was for Pomona to get there and back, but that would have to remain a secret.

She had flooed to Edinburgh that morning with Filius. She had mentioned the visit and he had offered to accompany her since he had some business in the wizarding district there. He had even made sure she made it to the restaurant safely and was coming back to meet her there after dinner.

Filius.

Pomona sighed as she thought over her relationship with her closest friend. What was she going to do?

"Pomona!" She had been so deep in her thoughts, she hadn't seen Jessica enter.

"Jessica dear, how is my favorite author?"

Jessica simply laughed as they embraced and then settled into the booth. They ordered shortly after and made quick work of the usual pleasantries and catching each other up on their lives as they ate dinner. It was only after their plates had been cleared and they were lingering over their drinks that Jessica brought up what had been bothering her during the meal.

"Now, why don't you tell me what had you looking so sad when I entered?"

"Sad? I don't know what you mean." Pomona smiled, but she was not even convincing herself.

"Well, thoughtful at least." Jessica considered her friend a moment before deciding not to push her. "You don't have to tell me, but I hope you'll talk to someone about it. I'm sure Filius-"

Pomona choked and sputtered on her soda and cherry syrup. "Leave it to you, Jess, to shoot an arrow in the dark and still find the apple."

Now her curiosity was more than piqued and there was no going back. She still would not force Pomona, but surely chatting a little would not hurt. "It has to do with, Fil? But he's your closest friend. If he's done anything to upset you, I'm sure he did not mean it."

"You've got it backwards there. It's me that's doing the upsetting… or at least will be."

Now Jessica was really stumped. She had always enjoyed the fact that Pomona understood her relationship with Seth because of her own close relationship with one of her colleagues. She had even met Filius a few times and once she had gotten past her surprise that he was a little person, something Pomona had never mentioned, she had found him charming, extremely intelligent, and handsome. It was obvious why Pomona liked him so. She considered her friend as she thought of her relationship with Seth. Suddenly she knew.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Pomona's deer-in-the-headlights look was all she needed to know she was correct. Now that she knew the secret, she did not know what else to say. It was too similar to her situation to say much. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Only if I am." Pomona did not understand of course, so she continued after a moment of hesitation. "I was just thinking about how similar your relationship with Filius is to my relationship with Seth. Then I realized they might be even more alike than I thought." Pomona spared her having to say more by smiling ruefully and nodding.

"So, what do we do?"

"If I knew, I would probably still be in Maine."

They were silent for a few minutes, each lost in her own thoughts. Finally Jessica spoke.

"I almost forgot. I wanted to invite you to Maine for Christmas this year. I thought it could be a good break for you."

Pomona smiled, knowing Jessica was worried about her being alone this Christmas. Her mother had past away right after Christmas the year before and as an only child, she was without family for the holidays for the first time.

"That would be lovely, Jess. When would you want me?"

"I was thinking a few days before the holiday. You can stay through the New Year if you want. I had given some thought to inviting Filius as well, but maybe that wouldn't be a good idea."

"No, go ahead and invite him if you like. He's actually supposed to meet us here pretty soon, since we came into Edinburgh together. He has said before he would love to visit Maine and we had talked about spending the holiday together anyway."

"Speak of the devil," Jessica said as she watched Filius approach their table. The restaurant had filled while they were eating, but emptied again as they talked. It seemed the rush was over and the only other diners left were an adorable older couple, seated on the same side of their table, holding hands as they waited for their bill. She felt two pangs as she watched them, one from having missed the chance to have that with Frank and another because she wished she could have that closeness with Seth. She wondered if Pomona was thinking the same thing as she saw her friend look at the couple before turning to welcome Filius.

It had been nearly two months since that dinner with Jessica and Filius and Pomona were preparing to board what was possibly the smallest plane ever, if you could even call it a plane. It looked more like someone's toy. Pomona felt sick just looking at it.

"Filius, I don't know if I can do this."

They had used traditional wizarding transcontinental transportation all the way to Maine, but there was no way to get around Jessica's offer to have a friend of hers, the local pilot, fly them into Cabot Cove. She and Seth were going to meet them at the air strip.

"Pomona, haven't you been there before? How did you get through this the last time?" He was watching her turn a rather unattractive pale-ish green as she considered the plane.

"I told Jessica I would arrange my transport and had the embassy set up a portkey. They were more than willing to help out after that incident with the girl."

"Incident? Is that how you refer to it when someone nearly kills you?"

She felt her usually cool temper began to burn as the stress of their day caught up with her.

"Filius, you know it wasn't that big of a deal. I was able to stop her with," she eyed the pilot who was walking toward them and now within earshot," just a small move you taught me. I was never in any real danger." She paused as the pilot helped her and then Filius into the plane. "I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not entirely helpless!"

In response, Filius just smiled and took her hand after fastening his seatbelt. "I never believed you were, my dear. I just needed someway to get your mind off having to climb into the plane; making you mad at me seemed easiest. I'm just glad it worked."

She did not know whether to be angry or grateful, so instead she just giggled at how ridiculous the whole situation was. Before she realized it, they were landing, still hand in hand, and meeting Jessica and Seth.

The men were busy fitting their luggage in the trunk, having forced Pomona and Jessica into the car and out of the snow as soon as they had greeted each other. They immediately began talking about the things they would not be able to once Seth and Filius joined them.

"Jessica, I tell you I felt like a school girl! All I could think about was my hand in his the whole flight. I'm too old to feel this way."

"If that were true, neither of us would be in this situation." Jessica laughed and Pomona joined her, but couldn't respond as Filius and Seth got in the car.

"It's really coming down now and it's only getting thicker. Good thing you folks are staying a while. It might take that long to get out."

"You mean we might be snowed in?" The thought had never occurred to Pomona.

"Oh Seth, you yourself always say those weather reporters are never right. Don't worry, I'm ready if it happens, but I doubt it will."

"Well at least I'll be in good company if we are snowed in." Filius smiled at Pomona and she felt her uneasiness slip away.

"You're right Fil, and after all, I've never been snowed in before. It might be fun!"

It had been three days since their arrival and being snowed in had lost its appeal somewhere in the middle of day two. Pomona was an Herbologist for a reason. She loved being outside and knowing she could not leave the house was beginning to make her a bit crazy.

Seth had dropped them off and hurried home, hoping to get in before the weather got much worse. He had only been gone about an hour when he showed up at the door, shivering and wet, with a suitcase in hand. A tree in his backyard had fallen from the weight of the ice and snow on its branches and crashed into his house and was still leaning against his roof. He was able to seal off the room, but he would have to stay elsewhere until the tree could be cut down, and who knew when that would be with the weather they were having. Pomona had seen that Filius was about to offer to help before realizing he could not without revealing their secret.

So it was just the four of them, sitting around in front of the fire. Filius had cast a few small heating charms on the crocheted throws they were all covered with, enough to keep them warm, but not enough to have Seth and Jessica wonder. Pomona had given up trying to make conversation. It seemed there was simply nothing left to talk about. The only thing she really wanted to say was that she was a witch, Filius was a wizard, and if they would each grab one of their arms, all four of them could be somewhere warm, sunny, and more importantly outside, in the blink of an eye.

"Filius, I don't believe I ever asked what you taught. I knew you and Pomona worked together, but it never crossed my mind." Jessica was obviously in better spirits than she was and still willing to try polite conversation.

"We do work together, though I am worse than useless in her greenhouses. I teach Latin actually." Pomona had never heard him describe his job to muggles and she was pleased with his answer. He did teach the students the meaning behind the spells as a part of Charms theory of course, so he was not lying exactly.

"Latin and gardening? That's an interesting school you have there." Seth smiled and while Pomona took some small offense to the gardening comment, she decided to let it go.

"It's a little more work than just gardening, Seth. Pomona deals with highly dangerous plants, not to mention all the research and writing she does in her free time. Her students are lucky to have someone as knowledgeable and talented as she is to teach them." Filius continued on about her accomplishments at Hogwarts and in both the wizarding and muggle worlds. She had never heard him speak of her so glowingly. Jessica was looking at her with a little smirk on her face and when she realized Pomona was looking at her, she raised her eyebrow and then winked.

"I'm sure Seth didn't mean any offense, Fil, and if he did, I have the perfect punishment." She stood, folding her throw neatly before placing it on the sofa where she had been sitting with Pomona. She turned toward Seth and smiled, "Would you help me put supper together?"

He apologized to Pomona briefly before following Jessica into the kitchen. Filius stood and poked at the fire a moment, then surprised Pomona by sitting right next to her on the sofa. He leaned over so he could whisper in her ear.

"So, feeling cabin fever yet, or is it just me?"

"You could say that." She heard Jessica laughing in the kitchen and Seth's deep chuckles soon joined her. "They don't seem to be having as much trouble."

Filius leaned even closer and Pomona felt her cheeks begin to blush. Her cabin fever was apparently affecting more than just her claustrophobia. She also was losing control of her ability to pretend she did not notice his nearness or touch.

"Well, they have been in this situation before. I think it helps that she is obviously attracted to him and Seth in is love with her."

"Really, you think so?" She was not sure whether she wished he were so perceptive when it came to her or if it was better he was not.

"You can't tell? They are pretty obvious. I'm surprised they haven't seen it in each other. Maybe I can tell because Seth admitted as much to me today while you were helping Jessica with lunch."

Jessica stood at the door hinges, peeping through the crack as she watched Filius lean closer to Pomona. Suddenly, Seth was right behind her, whispering in her ear.

"Woman, what do you think you are doing?"

She turned toward him, bumping the door closed. He was wearing her favorite pink apron and standing so close to her, she could feel his breath on her skin.

"I was just watching them." He cocked his head and gave her that look, which was so very Seth, and she knew she had to tell him what she knew. "She's in love with him. She told me when I had dinner with her in Edinburgh. I was trying to figure out how he felt about her."

"Well, that's easy enough. Ask."

"Seth, I couldn't."

"Well, I did and he loves her. Let's get back to the chowder, aye?"

Seth walked back to the stove as silently as he had come and began to stir the large pot.

"Well, of course he loves her; he's her best friend. I meant is he in love with her."

She joined him at the stove and leaned against the adjacent counter as she spoke. Seth sighed one of his heavy sighs and turned to face her as he set down his wooden spoon.

"Of course he's in love with her. She is his best friend, how could he not notice how right she is for him?"

Jessica started to interject that they, too, were best friends, but remained quiet as Seth continued.

"She's brilliant. They work well together." She held her breath as he moved closer. "She laughs at his jokes and understands how to handle him when he's moody. He is by her side as often as he can be and wishes he was when he can't be." He took her hands in his and looked straight into her eyes. Somehow she knew he was not talking about their friends any longer. "She's beautiful and has the most amazing blue eyes and he wants nothing more than to stare into them for the rest of his cranky life."

Jessica was still except for her eyelids as she tried to blink her tears away. Finally she took a step forward so they were as close together as possible without actually touching. She looked at him and smiled.

"Brown," she said, her tears making her ocean-blue eyes ever brighter.

"What?"

"Pomona has brown eyes, not blue, and I don't believe Filius could be cranky even if he tried."

"Well, I did have to listen to the man go on and on about her this morning. I wasn't listening the whole time."

He had not moved and neither had she. Slowly she tilted her head toward him.

"Jess," he whispered as his lips touched hers.

Jessica had wondered from time to time what it would be like to kiss and be kissed by Seth Hazlitt. She had always thought he would be soft and gentle with her and he was, to begin with. It was almost as if he was hesitant, giving her a chance to change her mind. She changed his for him by running her hands up his arms and around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. His mouth became possessive over hers and every thought but of Seth and what he was doing to her body left her mind.

It felt like a lifetime, but could only have been a few moments later when they broke off the kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers, still holding her close.

"Jess, I-"

"That was-"

She smiled and a giggle slipped out as she wondered if she looked as giddy as she felt or as happy as Seth looked. He chuckled and smiled brighter than she had seen in years. Then, he leaned in and kissed her again.

Pomona and Filius had stopped talking for a few minutes, just watching the fire, but her mind was anything but quiet. He had placed his hand on top of hers between them and instantly she was a schoolgirl again, at least in her head. The sad part was she had not been very good at this when she was in school either. If only she knew what he meant, but the only person she could ever talk about something like this with was Filius and she could not very well talk to him about himself, could she? Unless… Maybe she could and should. It was not like her to hide things from him. Maybe it was time to just tell Filius that she was no longer satisfied with just being his friend. They were adults, after all, and they could handle this, despite how he may or may not feel.

Turning toward him with purpose, she felt her resolve weaken as she caught him watching her. It took her a few more heartbeats to gather what little courage she possessed and move forward. After all, he was her best friend, how bad could it be?

"Filius, I-"

There was a crash and a scream from the kitchen. Before Pomona could process the sounds, Filius was standing in the doorway, wand drawn.

"Filius," she called as she hurried across the room, but the damage was already done. White, creamy, steaming soup was all over the floor. The large stock pot was on its side at one end of the kitchen. Jessica was laying half on top of Seth and half on the floor in front of the stove and Seth had his arms wrapped around her protectively. Each was focused on Filius and more specifically, his wand.

"Oh, Filius," Pomona said with a resigned sigh. He looked just as shocked as Jessica and Seth.

"I didn't even think about it. I just reacted like during the war." He was flushed and sweating as the adrenaline pumped through him.

She helped Jessica up as Seth stood up by himself. "Are you both alright?"

They nodded, but their attention was still focused on Filius who slowly put his wand away.

"Well, why don't you have a seat and let Fil and I clean up our way. Then we can talk over dinner." She led Jessica over to a chair at the kitchen table as she took out her wand.

The last time she had performed magic in front of a muggle it had been to save her life, now she just used cleaning spells. She took care of Jessica's clothes and then Seth's, while Filius got rid of the chowder which had spread all across the floor.

"Jess," Seth said finally, "am I dreaming this or did I just hit my head harder than I thought when I tripped over your feet?"

"No, Seth, I think…" Pomona could almost see her mind whirling, trying to take in the new information. "I think this is real."

Pomona sat down at the table with them. She thought it was a good sign that they did not seem to be afraid of her. Filius still looked upset and she supposed he was with himself, but she could not be. Frankly she was just relieved to have it out in the open so she could stop watching her every move while trapped in this house!

"I- I'm a witch. Filius is a wizard. I'm sure this sounds crazy, but I'm being honest. We do teach together at a boarding school, but it is a school for wizarding children."

Filius sat next to her and placed his hand on her knee, beneath the table. "I do teach Latin, but only so they know the meaning of the spells and charms we use as they study the theory behind them."

Jessica was silent, but she seemed rather calm. Seth was another story. His face was quickly turning purple and he looked angry.

"You're telling us you are really a witch? A pointy-hat wearing, broom-riding, spell-casting witch?"

Pomona looked at Filius for help and he gave her knee a reassuring squeeze.

"We do cast spells, as you saw. We don't ride household brooms anymore since our ministry considers it dangerous. Instead they regulate the spells used on brooms sold particularly for that purpose. And yes, our usual attire would be robes and matching hats."

"Can we see?" Jessica asked.

"Our robes? I didn't bring any with me, Jess. There are laws against us telling Muggles –non-wizarding people, I mean- about magic. We're not supposed to let you know we are different from you at all, in attire or other wise. Actually we could get in a lot of trouble for doing even simple spells in front of you."

Filius smiled at her, "Well, Mona, you are a witch, aren't you? You can surely transfigure your outfit into robes."

They were in more trouble than she could imagine if Seth or Jessica decided to tell anyone about this, and he was teasing her. It was just like Filius to try and lighten the mood, but this was not helping.

"Filius, don't tease. You know I wasn't very good at transfiguration."

"Then I guess I'll have to do it for you." He smiled and motioned for her to stand.

For a moment, it was like there were only two of them in the room. He was smiling at her, a wide smile that asked her to trust him and she could not help herself. With a shrug, she stood and closed her eyes. She heard more than felt the clothing change around her.

Jessica watched Filius as he looked at Pomona. Seth was right; you could see the love shining in his eyes. She had closed her eyes and was waiting for him to… Well, to do whatever it was they do.

She still was having trouble believing that what they said was true, even as she watched Pomona clear the chowder off her clothing. She had always thought there was something different about Pomona, but this was simply beyond anything she had ever thought.

Filius was still looking at Pomona, but then he lifted his, well, his wand, she supposed, and pointed it at her friend. He flicked it a few times and the most amazing thing happened. If she had not seen it herself, she never would have believed this.

There was no swell of music, no birds or mice, and certainly no swirling dust or smoke. It was simply as if Pomona's clothing had expanded, changed color and reshaped itself into the most amazing dress Jessica had ever seen.

It was pale pink and seemed to almost shimmer in the sunlight. A scooped neckline and fitted bodice showed off Pomona's curves in all the right places, while the long, floor-length skirt made her seem taller and thinner. Cap sleeves gave way to matching, fingerless, sheer gloves which ended at a point between her first and middle fingers. The same sheer fabric had been made into a sash at her waist and created a train that seemed to float behind her. A tall pointed hat with no brim set perfectly on her head. Her shoulder-length hair was down, the first time Jessica had seen it that way, and hung in perfect curls around her face.

If this was how she dressed everyday, Jessica knew she would never get anything done, but then, looking at Pomona, it might be worth it. She wondered if this was how Filius always saw her.

Then reality came crashing back in. This breathtaking outfit was not the result of hours spent behind a sewing machine but of a few flicks of a wand. Its fit was not due to pins and alterations, but just the imagination of a man who knew his friend's body much too well to believe he only thought of her as a friend.

"Oh, Pomona." The dress was as near a confession of love as Jessica had ever seen without the words being spoken and she could not wait to see her friend's reaction.

Pomona opened her eyes and smiled at Filius before looking down. Jessica watched her smile fade and her expression become nearly as serious as she had ever seen it as Pomona looked at her robes.

"I- I don't know what to say. I've never owned anything like this. It's too beautiful."

Jessica started to contradict her, but Seth's hand on hers stopped her in time for Filius to speak first.

"It's not beautiful enough, you mean. But then, I don't think anything could be." He was still gazing at her longingly and Jessica felt goosebumps as she watched the two of them. She wondered if this was what she and Seth looked like. She hoped so.

Pomona looked at her then, tears in her eyes. She was obviously desperate for an escape and was looking to Jessica for help.

"I hope you don't teach in that. Your students would be much too distracted." Jessica winked at her and smiled.

"I usually wear simple brown work robes when I'm in my greenhouses. Nothing this fancy, I assure you."

Pomona looked down at herself once more, wondering what on Earth Filius had been thinking. She felt like a princess out of a muggle fairy tale and for the first time in her life she felt beautiful and… She looked into Filius' eyes to confirm the sensation once more before allowing herself to name it. Yes, there it was: the warmth, compassion, and love she was feeling deep inside.

Just at the moment Pomona thought she might burst from joy, there was a knock at the door. They all started and then stared in the direction of the front door. Seth was the first to recover and he walked to the entry way and opened the door while Filius quickly changed Pomona's clothing back to the way it had been.

"Seth, where have you been? Mrs. Seibert had me looking all over the countryside for you. She was sure you froze to death after that tree came crashing through your house!"

"THROUGH MY HOUSE?" Seth paled and Jessica helped him to a chair as she introduced the sheriff to Pomona and Filius.

"Amos, I'd like you to meet my dear friends…"

Pomona collapsed into her favorite chair, happy to be home after over a week away. Jessica and Seth had tried to convince them to stay for New Years, but she and Filius had decided before they left to be back in time for the Annual New Years Eve Celebration at Hogwarts and their plans had not changed, especially not after three days of being snowed in.

Maine had been fun, but it had certainly given her some things to think about. Once the moment with Filius and those beautiful robes had been broken by Amos and his horrible news about Seth's house, they had gone on as they had before. Well, Filius and she had remained the same, Seth and Jessica had swiftly been transformed into young lovers, sneaking kisses when they thought she and Filius were not looking. She was happy for Jessica, especially once she found out what had happened, but she could not help but feel cheated at the same time.

Jessica had tried her hardest to convince Pomona to tell Filius how she felt, but in the end she just could not make herself. How would you bring such a thing up in conversation? Not that it mattered now. They were home and because of problems both at customs and a long delay with portkeys, she had just over an hour to shower and get ready for the party. She was determined not to spend what little time she had thinking about Filius. Once she arrived at the gathering, everyone would be asking about their trip and she would have to pretend that they had not revealed their secret to Jessica and Seth and that Filius had not made her feel…

"No, don't think about it!" she scolded herself.

Forcing herself out of her comfortable chair and into the bathroom, Pomona took off her cloths and threw them into the hamper. She stepped into the shower and turned the water on hot, hoping to sooth the tension from her shoulders. As she shampooed and conditioned her hair, she focused her mind on what to wear so it could not wander elsewhere.

Her favorite dress robes were a pale green under robe paired with a sheer chocolate over robe, but they were also the set she wore most often and she found herself wanting something different tonight. She could wear the pale yellow set her mother had given her as a birthday present the year before she died. She had not worn them before, but that had less to do with the fact they were her last present from her mother and more because with their high neck and loose, long fit, she felt matronly and much older than she actually was when wearing them. That left her plain, black dress robes. They were nothing to shout about, but at least she felt her age in them.

That decided, she reached blindly for one of the many body wash options available on the shelf in her shower. As soon as she opened the bottle, she groaned.

Honeysuckle, of course. Filius' favorite scent, of course. So now she was thinking about him again, of course.

With a sigh of resignation, she finished her shower. After drying off she put on her dressing gown and stepped into her bedroom wanting to see if she would need to have the house elves iron her dress robes while there was still time.

"What on earth?" In the middle of her bed was a large package wrapped in red and green Christmas paper. She pulled her robe tighter around her as she tried to figure out who could have left her such a gift and if they were still there.

The only person who had her password, besides the Headmaster for emergencies, was Filius and when she saw he had signed the card, Pomona relaxed a little.

Pomona,

Consider these a belated Christmas present. They were made for you, after all.

Yours,
Filius

Pomona held the note to her chest for a moment. She knew as soon as she read it what was in the box, but she could not believe it. Placing the note on her bedside table, she untied the ribbons and opened the box. Inside the dress robes Filius had created for her were carefully folded and just as beautiful as she remembered.

Pomona ran a finger along the beading that embellished the top. It really was the most exquisite robe she had ever worn. To think that Filius had created this for her and then recreated it for her to keep was enough to bring a tear to her eye as she took it out of the box and hung the robe up.

She quickly curled her hair, remembering the way it had looked the last time she had worn the robes. Usually she wore only a little gloss, but tonight she thought back to her days in the dormitories of Hufflepuff and the makeup charms she had learned then. After a few adjustments in the color of her blush –neither neon pink nor maroon were really her color- she was satisfied with the look. It was not a lot of makeup, but considering she normally wore none, she thought it looked nice. Just a little blush, mascara to bring out her eyes and a neutral lipstick. She smiled when she thought of how proud her mother would have been. The poor woman had despaired when a young Pomona had been more interested in her favorite trowel and hoe than the uses of her mother's makeup applicators.

She smiled at herself in the mirror before turning to her new robes. She carefully slipped them on, making sure not to catch the beading on anything. She tied the sash behind her into a bow. She slipped into silver flats, her favorite pair, and turned to look in the mirror.

She was still there, nearly in tears, moments later when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she called out as she wiped her eyes, careful not to smudge her mascara.

Filius walked through her sitting room and stood in the open doorway to her bedroom.

"You're wearing them." He remained in the doorway, gazing at her.

"Of course. They really are the most beautiful robes I've ever worn. Thank you," she smiled.

For a moment, he looked into her eyes, smiling brightly and as before, she was sure she could see, could feel love, his love for her. Then the moment was broken as he took a step back and looked at his feet.

"Don't thank me. You deserve beautiful things and I've never understood why you don't see that."

She was about to retort with her usual light attitude about her looks, but she stopped. She was in love with this man and from everything she saw when she looked at her robes, at him, and into her heart, he loved her as well. She had come so close to admitting her feelings twice now in just over a week. In the years they had been friends, how many more opportunities had she let slip by her? And how many more opportunities would fate give her before giving up?

Slowly she began removing the gloves she had just put on. She slipped out of her shoes and with a few flicks of her wand, switched her beautiful dress robes with a set of her everyday brown work robes.

"Pomona, what are you doing?" She knew he would have heard her mutter the spells and was not surprised with his reaction.

"We need to talk and I can't have this conversation wearing these," she said as she hung them in her closet.

Walking past him, she made her way to her suite's small kitchen area. She poured a glass of cider for herself and added just the right amount of cherry to Filius' soda, then carried the glasses to the small table that sat before her large window. She had a seat in one of the chairs and motioned for Filius to sit in the other.

She sipped her cider and tried to decide where to begin. Filius cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry if the robes were too much. I didn't mean to upset you with them."

"You didn't and they truly are lovely, but I… Fil, I have to know what they mean before I wear them down to the party tonight." Suddenly she was near tears again. Why was this so difficult?

He finally crossed to her and sat in the chair she had offered. He moved his hand as if to reach for hers, but settled it on his glass. "They are just robes, Pomona. They don't mean anything."

She gripped her glass tighter and stared into the amber liquid.

"To me, they do," she whispered, "and when our friends and colleagues see them, I've a feeling they'll mean something to them as they did Seth and Jessica."

He was silent and Pomona took the time to consider him. It was no wonder this was so difficult for her, especially tonight. He was wearing her favorite robes, the dark blue ones that showed off his shoulders and lean back, and his face, though looking turbulent at the moment was as handsome as ever.

"Do you know why Seth told me about his feelings for Jessica?"

His voice startled her from her thoughts. She shook her head no in response though she did not think he really wanted nor needed one.

He took a large drink from his glass before continuing. "We were sitting in Jessica's armchairs and listening to the two of you laugh and chat in the kitchen. I was thinking how lucky we were to have such women in our lives and Seth must have read my mind because he said the same thing."

He was still looking anywhere but where she wanted him to, at her.

"Soon we were bragging, trying to outdo each other with stories of how wonderful our 'girls' were. It didn't take me long to realize I was talking to a man who was in much the same situation as my own. We talked about it and tried to encourage each other, but I'm a Ravenclaw for a reason, Mona. I always have been."

He looked at her finally, but she was too emotional to respond.

"Surely you can see that taking a chance on something, no matter how wonderful, when it is possible, no, probable that you will lose what matters most in your life… I just could not make myself… take the risk when the potential cost was so..."

He trailed off and looked away. Pomona took a deep breathe and tried to blink her tears away. He had been honest. It was her turn.

"I didn't even consider telling you or telling anyone, ever, but then that night in Edinburgh, Jessica guessed it. I still don't know quite how, but that woman has deductive skills you wouldn't believe." She smiled at the memory, and then smiled brighter when she saw him looking at her happily. "So, what do we do?"

He stood and held out a hand to help her up. She joined him, but he continued to hold her hand in his. "Well, first I think you should change, while I pinch myself to make sure this is real." She rolled her eyes and giggled at him, despite herself, feeling much like a school girl once more. "Then we have a party to go to. After that, who knows?"

Pomona quickly walked into her bedroom and performed the necessary spells so she was ready to leave, all the while thinking back to her jealousy of Seth and Jessica in the days after they admitted their feelings to each other.

Filius might not know what they would do after the party, but she had a pretty good idea where she wanted to start.

(wink)