There certainly was no reason for the Potions Professor to be awake at such a late hour, and he wasn’t. The man had duties and responsibilities to attend to and staying up late doing the drinking scene had never been Grey’s area—not to say he hadn’t indulged as he was human—but his duties as Deputy Headmaster had significantly lowered some of his free time for such activities. As such, his owling lists of ingredients to the Herbology was nothing against meeting with the woman herself but more from the practicality and ease of the action. In a busy schedule it was easier to send some things via owl rather than hunt the woman down or leave things in her office. Granted, there were some instances when he had not used an owl, but those had been times when his path would cross in that direction that it was practical to do so. For Grey, it was all a matter of what was the better option to take. His time was not always his own, and he couldn’t always spend it needlessly as some.

But the fact was, when a loud pounding came at the man’s door he was in fact asleep, like normal people would be—especially in a school of students. Really, what was all the ruckus about? Pulled from sleep, Grey was momentarily confused before he rolled out of bed, his bare feet hitting the floor. He did not bother with slippers or a robe, but instead moved towards the outside door to his quarters in just his pajama bottoms. The man did not expect it to be a student at his door, as he could not imagine that happening. Not even his Slytherins ever knocked on his door, especially after hours. However, there was always the what if, so as the man past a chair he grabbed the white wife-beater from where it had been discarded the night before, pulling it over his head.

He frowned as the knocking just continued, never seeming to let up. Really, give the poor door a break. Running a hand through his bed-ruffled hair to ease an itch, Grey opened the door to meet with this interloper of his peaceful night’s sleep—which really wasn’t all that peaceful anymore, thank you very much who-ever you were.

Nothing could really have prepared the man for the onslaught nearly the moment his door opened. It seemed both of them had been frozen for a near moment as each contemplated the other. Grey could honestly say he had no idea what brought the petite Herbology Professor pounding at his door this late into the night. It was uncharacteristic to say the least. However, Catherine seemed to have recalled her goal as before Grey could utter even a greeting the small woman shot of a vehement slew of words straight at him, pushing her way into his quarters. Still sleep addled, Grey did not attempt to block her entry into his personal domain. He was a bit confused to say the least. Yet, for all that he was confused it did not really appear over his features as he watched the woman continue her tirade. Out of habit he closed the door after she had crossed the threshold.

Passing him by, even with having just been awoken up, Grey caught the remaining whiff of alcohol that still clung to the professor’s person. He frowned briefly before attending to her words. The man was surprised by her accusations, as he for one had always believed that she had not liked him—and not the other way around, although perhaps now the belief was still valid given Catherine’s ire.

Grey sighed, rubbing at his eyes with his left hand, brushing some lingering sleep crystals away before he attempted to wade into what he could only describe as a poisonous briar patch. The woman was emotional—she was in her normal state—but she was also inebriated, and he had just been rudely awoken from a deep sleep. There was certainly no way that this meeting was going to go well. Yet, Grey attempted to hold on to what little patience he had in that moment and squashed the urge to just throw her out of his quarters and go back to bed—let the blonde come back when she was sober. But as mentioned, he squashed that urge, and against his better judgment spoke with the drunk professor.

“Catherine, I treat you no differently than I treat any other faculty member of this school,” Yeah, that was really going to pacify the woman, he internal dialogue supplied with a mental eye-roll. “I do not hate you, I don’t even dislike you, however in this moment I am severely thinking of revising that opinion,” he continued, the last bit ending in a slight growl. Okay, perhaps Catherine may find herself booted out of his quarters sooner than expected. Grey normally had a good deal of patience, but then he was just woken up to be yelled at by a drunken Professor. How much patience was he expected to have in this moment?

He didn’t even deign to give her waving of the ingredients list a response, as even in his tired state he knew it was only a means to argue. He wasn’t sure why this was going on, and in the middle of the night no less, but he just wanted to go back to sleep.