Always - Chapter 7 - The New Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor

-7-

The New Defence Against Dark Arts Professor

Snape gazed down across the courtyard. His wounds had been completely healed for some time, yet he was hesitant to leave the castle past his one sojourn into London and his weekend trips to the house in Cokeworth. His time in the Gryffindor common rooms had been the most pleasant he’d ever known. Harry was working at the house in Cokeworth, and he helped on the weekends, scrubbing down the dirty walls and patching the walls. He had once fancied the thought of buying a splendid home, but when Lily had ended their friendship, he gave up any dreams of ever having a family of his own. Though he kept his emotions tightly reined and was still quick to chastise (though not nearly as frequently) he was growing fond of the students.

Harry had become as close a friend as Lily had once been, and, though Snape wasn’t positive, he had surmised that Harry had begun thinking of the man as a father figure. He was watching Harry teach quiddich to some of the younger students when he caught a glance of a figure in green. Light danced off her hair and shimmered through the silken gossamer that was her cloak. Her voluminous green eyes raised to the window through which Snape was watching and he froze for a moment.

Her hair was the color of chestnuts, gleaming golden and scarlet in difference to how she held her head. Her skin was like tea with milk, creamy smooth and lightly dusted with freckles across her cheeks. She was no callow youth, but carried herself with poise and dignity that alluded to wisdom behind her sanguine beauty. She reminded him of Lily. His heart seemed to compress with anguish, but he let the feeling go as quickly as it arrived.

A woman as lovely as she would be wedded to her own James Potter, no doubt.

Snape’s thoughts turned to Harry. Had they moved into the muggle world, Harry could have passed as Snape’s own son, with his dark hair and slightly hooked nose. As it was, he was satisfied to have the youth’s affection and friendship as a mentor.

“That’s Amelia Evans. She’s the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor,” Hermione offered as she slid softly beside her former professor. “They are still in need of a potions master, you know, Professor Snape. You are the best potions master that Hogwarts has ever known.”

“Miss Granger, your wealth of knowledge is as truly formidable as ever, however,” he paused for effect. “I am no longer fit to teach at this school. I only filled in while the posts were vacant.”

Hermione scoffed. “Rubbish. You’ve been exonerated fully and students are quite fond of you now. You should ask for the job.”

Snape arched a brow at Hermione. “Indeed?”

“Absolutely,” she retorted with a shy smile.

He gave a kind of half smile that made Hermione shiver. “I suppose there are first year students to terrorize, aren’t there.”

“Professor!”

“One cannot expect a leopard to change its spots overnight, Miss Granger.”

Hermione giggled. “I ... I never got to ... that is ... I meant to—”

“Out with it, Miss Granger.”

She took a deep breath. “I meant to thank you for saving us from Professor Lupin when he had his ... moon issue ... and to apologize for hexing you.”

“Technically, it was Harry who stunned me. I heard you chastise him before I was rendered unconscious.” Snape uncharacteristically put a hand on the girl’s hair and patted lightly. “We each had a role to play, Miss Granger. You are welcome and it is forgiven and forgotten.”

“I think the new first years are lucky.”

“Oh? And why is that, Miss Granger?” he drawled.

“They’ll get to have the new and improved Professor Snape as their instructor. You don’t have to pretend any longer. Voldemort is gone and won’t be coming back again this time.”

“Indeed,” Snape intoned. “I suppose I should pay Professor McGonagall a visit then.”

“I definitely think you should.”

Snape nodded, then turned on his heels to leave the Gryffindor common room, heading down to McGonagall’s office. He reached the Gryphon statue and uttered the password to activate the hidden staircase. He stepped on the first stone slab and let it carry him up to the Headmaster’s office. He saw McGonagall penning a parchment and knocked lightly on the open door.

“Severus? To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” McGonagall asked peering at him over her afternoon tea.

Snape stood as stiffly as ever, still the epitome of the teacher who had frightened many a student. “Miss Granger saw fit to inform me that you are, as of yet, without a potions master. She suggested that I should resume my duties. I came to ask what your thoughts on the matter might be. As headmistress, you are, of course, the person to whom I would defer.”

McGonagall raised her brows. “Severus, are you certain you would wish to return to that post? I am sure there are other positions that might suit you better.”

Snape’s eyes narrowed briefly. “No, Minerva. You are better suited for headmistress and I know there already is a teacher for Defence of the Dark Arts. I no longer need to prove myself. I would be contented in being potions master, should the rest of the faculty not find discord in my appointment.”

McGonagall’s teapot poured Snape a cup as she gestured to the chair there. “Please sit, Severus.”

Snape sat as stiffly as he stood, years of discipline compelling his posture and even his small movements. “Minerva, if it is too much trouble, I shan’t worry about it.”

“Quite the opposite, Severus. News of your return from the grave and the details of Dumbledore’s imminent death from the cursed horcrux have passed from one classroom to another. There isn’t a student nor professor who doesn’t know of your bravery.

“In fact, many have asked when you would return to Hogwarts as headmaster. You seized the position to keep the students safe. We all know that. Everyone knows that.”

Snape’s brow moved upward almost imperceptibly. “I abandoned my post. I was not worthy of the position and I would not feel comfortable in that role now. If you will accept me as potions master, I will be grateful for the chance.”

“Of course, Severus. How are you and Harry getting along?”

“Quite well. We’re fixing up my house in Cokeworth. He’s working with me to flesh out his potion-making skills, and we’ve been successfully completing Occlumency and Legilimency lessons. He will be a first-class auror.”

McGonagall was about to say something more when a light rap at her door diverted her. “Come in.”

“Headmistress McGonagall, you wished to see me?”

“Ah, Professor Evans. How good of you to come.”

Amelia Evans noticed Snape and blushed softly. “My apologies. I didn’t know you had company.”

“Actually, I was hoping to introduce you to Professor Severus Snape, our returning potions master.”

Snape stood quickly as Professor Evans held her hand out to him. “Severus Snape? Of Slytherin house?”

“Formerly,” said Snape as he took her hand, pressing a formal kiss against her hand as was traditional. “I have found myself being tended to in Gryffindor Tower as of late.”

Her accent was American, her eyes as green as ferns growing in the hollows. “We had heard of the return of Voldemort in the US, but couldn’t believe the rumors were true. We were awaiting word to send aid, but I suppose Ilvermorny is very much different from schools as old as Hogwarts.”

“There was little time to send word across the pond, Professor Evans. We barely were able to keep one step ahead of Voldemort as it was. We were in open warfare.” McGonagall paused, as if to dismiss the unpleasantries of the last year. “We are very honored to have you come to Hogwarts, Professor Evans.”

She smiled, her lips crinkling in a most alluring manner. “Oh, heavens no! The honor is all mine! I grew up dreaming of going to Hogwarts, but my father was offered a job in America, so we moved to Chicago and there was that. The school in America is quite good, but nothing at all like Hogwarts.”

Snape found himself staring into her eyes. “You are from England originally?”

“I was born in Cokeworth. My mother was a witch and my father, a muggle. He was head of a textile mill there, but accepted a position in America when muggles and muggle-born alike started disappearing. I was due to head back here for my schooling, but with Voldemort’s power growing rampantly, it was decided that it was too dangerous for me to return to London and then to Hogwarts. I’m sure I must seem a country bumpkin compared to the elegance I’ve seen here.”

“Not at all,” Snape uttered slowly. “Your frankness is enchanting.”

“You’ve grown up rather nicely,” Amelia said softly.

Snape blinked. “Do ... do we know each other?”

“I ... my cousin went here when you did and I saw some photographs.”

Snape’s pale skin went more sallow. “I see.”

“Do you?” she asked softly, but with a defiant note to her voice.

Admonished, Snape turned back to McGonagall. “Potions master, then?”

“Welcome back, Severus.”

Snape stood, bowing stiffly. “Thank you, Minerva. I’ll be ready for the start of term. Professor Evans, welcome to Hogwarts.”

Snape bowed stiffly to Amelia, then made his excuses. Amelia looked after him as he stalked away. “Oh dear. I’m afraid I offended him.”

McGonagall sighed softly. “He’s had a lot happen over the past few months. He’s not one to normally let people see his inner thoughts. He’s always been a solitary man, even when he was a student here. I’m sad to say some members of my own house terrorized him in his youth. But as to why I called you here. I know that Ilvermorny doesn’t do the sorting as we do here at Hogwarts but we’re in need of a Head of House for Slytherin as the former head of house no longer wishes the post. I wondered if you wouldn’t mind seeing if you might be a fit for that house.”

“Professor Snape is a sorted Slytherin, isn’t he?”

“He is, but I’m afraid his faith in his abilities have been shaken. Slytherin has been a pure-blood bastion for so long, I’m hoping to have a new head of house to instill some new perspective and a collaborative attitude.”

Amelia smiled sweetly. “Are you going to use the sorting hat on me?”

“That was the thought.”

“I would love that, Professor McGonagall.”

“Minerva, if you please,” she said with a smile, bustling to where the hat was kept. With a flourish of her wand, the hat floated down off the shelf and into her outstretched hand. Gently, she placed the hat on Amelia Evans’ head.

The hat’s torn brim came to life and spoke in its ancient voice. “Well, you’re no first year, that’s true, but, it is your first year here so where to sort you? Difficult. Very difficult. It’s as if I’ve sorted you once before, to the lion’s den of Gryffindor. Yet there is determination ... keen intelligence ... wit and secrecy. You would do well in Ravenclaw with that brilliant mind ... or Hufflepuff with a heart so kind... but I sense in you a strong desire to turn the snake away from dark fire. I also know of the love you had for a boy once treated so very bad, and the mistakes he’d had. Very well, very well ... SLYTHERIN!”

McGonagall seemed both shocked and pleased. “My guess is that you embody all the qualities that each of the founders found desirable. Slytherin has had many ... ahem, shall we say ... episodes of favoritism in recent years. I’m hoping that mode will be abolished under new House supervision.”

“I shall endeavor to treat all students as equally guilty,” Amelia said with a light laugh. “Is there anything else I might do for you, Prof-Minerva.”

“Go catch up with Severus. I know you’re itching to speak with him.”

Amelia smiled, thanked the other witch and headed out to the grounds. She ran into a few students who, for some reason or another, weren’t headed home for summer break and asked if they’d seen Professor Snape. They pointed her towards the dungeons. She moved quickly, her feet light across the stone floors, delighting in every aspect of the school she had always dreamt of attending. She caught sight of a billowing black cape and hurried her pace lest he dart out of sight. “Professor Snape?”

Snape turned to see Professor Evans walking briskly toward him, her verdant robes sparkling in the torchlight. He looked impassive and cold. “Yes, what can I do for you, Professor Evans?”

“I’m afraid I might have offended you, and it certainly wasn’t my intention to do so.”

His eyes reflected the firelight but revealed little emotion. “It is of no matter.”

“It is. Offending you is the last thing I wanted to do, Professor Snape.”

Her eyes were so warm and pleading that he felt the knot in his stomach evaporate. “Please, call me Severus.”

“Then you must call me Amelia.”

“Amelia. What may I do for you?”

She bit her lip ever so slightly. “I was wondering if you might have a free hour to join me for tea.”

Snape could scarcely believe his ears. She was asking him to tea? He should decline. He was destined for solace and loneliness, but his mouth betrayed his thoughts by replying, “I should like that very much ... Amelia.”

“Good,” her soft voice returned. “When shall we meet?”

“I have this hour free, if that is suitable.”

Amelia nodded. “Very good. I wasn’t pulling your leg when I said you had grown up nicely. I had seen your picture from my cousin’s photographs and thought you looked lonely.”

“Yes. I suppose I was. My house was rivals with Gryffindor and my fellow housemates weren’t all good. In fact, most were intolerable.”

“Well, I’m hoping to change that. I’ve been sorted into Slytherin house and have been asked to be head of house.”

“You? Slytherin?”

“I am half-blood. My cousin is nomaj born.”

Snape raised a brow quizzingly. “Nomaj?”

“Oh! It’s what Americans call muggles. It’s short for no magic. Blood isn’t important. Heart and mind are, and Professor McGonagall hopes that I can guide the new Slytherins into a more cooperative mindset. After all, did not all houses fight against the dark lord, and a Slytherin was revealed to be a true wizarding hero? Acting as a double agent and risking his life to protect his students?”

“I had heard something like that.”

Amelia hooked her hand into the crook of Snape’s arm, leading him up out of the dungeon and out onto the grassy lawns of the school. “I hope you don’t mind being outside. I find the mountain air to be quite pleasant.”

Snape didn’t agree, but he didn’t protest either. Out in the open is where he had often been jumped by the Marauders and subjected to their bullying. “I’ve not been one much for the out of doors, but I think it would be a nice change.”

She led him to a small copse of trees on the edge of the lake, much to his discomfort. It was the very same tree which had been the scene of his worst memory. Amelia conjured a blanket, cushions and tea, ready for serving. Snape was mortified, but he kept his emotions controlled. Helping her to sit, he stood beside her for a moment before rigidly lowering himself to the blanket.

“Thank you for coming, Severus. I know it must be difficult in trusting strangers, but I give you my word that I shall never betray any trust you see fit to place in me. I wanted to come here, to Hogwarts, but it was too dangerous and my mother was horribly outspoken against the blood purists, even though she, herself, was pureblood. ‘Diversity strengthens the lines,’ she had always said. It also, I find, brings more muggles into understanding of our world.”

Snape was surprised to hear her speak. She was keenly intellectual and kind, yet she had been sorted into Slytherin. “Your mother’s words reflect her wisdom.”

“I must endeavor to speak with you on a frequent basis. I must say I find your voice and enunciation quite refreshing. Being raised in America was a blessing, but sadly, many don’t completely grasp English as their own language.”

“Indeed? Well, I am sorry to hear that,” Snape offered softly. “I had a tendency to be soft-spoken as a child and therefore, I was lacking in diction when I first arrived. One of my professors said I had the diction of a can of treacle, and taught me how to project my voice without using a wand. Now I can silence a room of noisy children with a few syllables ... or a reproaching glare.”

Amelia giggled lightly. “I can definitely see a boisterous child wilting beneath your stern deportment.”

Snape took the proffered teacup, sipping from it without milk or sugar. He preferred the strong, slightly pungent taste of it plain. “Though as of late, I’m told I’m a bit ... nicer.”

“I’ve found that having a gentle, yet firm hand seems to work well on students.”

“Where else have you taught?” Snape asked.

“I taught in some small schools in America, but they weren’t wizarding schools. I worked closely with some of the poorest communities in the Chicago area. Having magic made it easier for me to be safe in more dangerous areas. I’m skilled in transfiguration and animal handling. It’s amazing how a pack of dogs can terrify a would-be burglar or cutpurse.”

“You willingly worked with the poor muggles?”

“You sound surprised, Severus,” Amelia said as she raised her teacup to her lips and sipped the contents. “Do you feel that people are less valuable if they don’t have a lot of money?”

“No,” he said lowly. “I was quite poor as a child. I couldn’t even afford my own books. My potions book was particularly tattered ... I just know that many people in our world have looked down upon those without great means.”

“There are other forms of wealth than gold Galleons or silver Sickles. I met a most peculiar wizarding family, pureblood as any other, but not wealthy. In fact, they are quite poor, but in family and love, I don’t doubt there’s more wealth than all the gold in Gringott’s.”

“The Weasleys,” Snape offered softly.

“Why, yes! However did you know?”

“They’re very good people. They lost one of their sons in the battle.” He blanched visibly. “I inadvertently cursed off his twin’s ear while I was aiming for a death eater. I feel terrible for it.”

Snape was stunned when she put her hand across his. “It was an accident. You wouldn’t have done it intentionally, I’m sure.”

“Nobody knew of the task I’d been charged with, and if not for ... a friend ... I might not have been revealed for a double agent, and if not for a young man I once terrified, I wouldn’t be alive now.”

“You terrified him?”

Snape nodded dully. “I am his boggart’s form. He disarmed it by imagining me in his grandmother’s clothes.”

“Oh my!” Amelia exclaimed, trying hard to stifle a giggle. “A pantsuit, I hope?”

“Oh, no ... nothing so droll as that. A green skirt and coat, a green pointed hat with a stuffed vulture atop it and a brilliant red handbag. Oh, and a ginger cat stole.”

Amelia couldn’t contain her giggles any longer. Snape felt that sudden lurch in his stomach, but she grasped his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze while daubing at her eyes with the other. “I’m sorry for laughing, but I have a hard time seeing you in anything but your black frock and trousers. You look so stately and elegant. I love your choice of apparel. It fits you so well. Though I can imagine it might have taken time for you to get used to buttoning all those buttons.”

“I wanted the buttons as a means of getting myself ready for class. It made me look more stern, I believe. I’ve always looked older than my years. Especially now. Black is all I can stand to wear.” His mind went to him being hung upside down in the air and having his greying old underpants shown to his classmates. He’d worn black ever since. “You, however, look radiant in green.”

“Why, thank you, Severus,” she said, smiling brightly. “I am glad to be here sharing tea with you. While I have greatly enjoyed the company of those I’ve met, I am truly enjoying your company the most.”

She watched his dark eyes widen and the little crease between his brows deepen, the relax as he took a sip of tea. “You also drink tea straight?”

“American habit, I’m afraid. I just like the way it tastes without milk and sugar.” Amelia sighed. “This is so different from Chicago. Just the timelessness of the loch and the mountains make me feel so alive.”

Snape once imagined having someone at his side to enjoy a picnic or tea, or even just reading poetry or working on lesson plans, but as time stretched on, he’d given up any notion of such pleasures. Now, within his breast, the fluttering of hope was beginning to grow.

“Do you still have family, Amelia?”

“Oh, no. I’ve been on my own for a time now. That’s why I came here to Hogwarts. I wanted a clean break. My parents were taken in a car crash nearly seventeen years ago. What about your own parents?”

“I ... have no idea where they might be, or even if they’re still living. I came home from school one summer to find the deed to the house they’d lived in signed over to me and both were gone. No letter, no note, no clues.”

“That’s horrible! I’m sorry, Severus. I pity them both if they couldn’t be bothered with a brilliant wizard that you are.”

Snape’s lips twisted into a slight smile. “It’s of no importance. I’ve truly been on my own since I was a young boy. They just made it official when I became an adult.”

A gust of wind ruffled their hair, blowing strands of black hair into Snape’s face. Amelia leaned forward and pushed the hair back while Snape stared on at her. She blushed softly, removing her hand awkwardly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It has just been a very long time since I had companionship the likes of you, Amelia Evans.”

“I hope I’m not being too forward. I’ve been alone myself for too long. The children with whom I worked were sweet and loving, but it’s not quite the same as being able to speak to someone on magic and spells, charms and hexes. And transfiguration. Oh, how I love transfiguration. Have you done any animal transfiguration?”

“No, I’m afraid not. I think if I were to turn into an animal, it would be horrifyingly ugly ... like a bat or spider.”

“I don’t think your animal form would be any less attractive than your human form is.”

Again, the dark eyes met hers with surprise. “As I said, horrifying. You are a surprising woman, Amelia.”

“I’ve always been one to speak my mind, regardless of whether or not it might get me into trouble. And believe me, it has.”

Snape turned his face towards the loch, closing his eyes and feeling the soft breeze on his face, his hair flitting around his chin. “This is not something of which the likes I ever expected to experience. There have been a great many changes in my life since my near-death experience. I am the most contented I’ve ever been.”

Amelia gazed at him, his face in profile. His nose was large and hawkish, but it seemed appropriate on him. She found herself looking at his lips and found herself wondering what they would taste like. She scolded herself and turned back to see Snape watching her. She blushed prettily.

“You are a conundrum,” he said softly, draining the rest of the tea from his cup. “I have never been open like this with anyone since ... I lost a dear friend. It’s as if I know you from long ago, but I know we haven’t met.”

“Well, I certainly hope we’ll get to know each other better, Severus. I have heard the most amazing things about your skills as a potions master, your intricate knowledge of the Dark Arts and your ability to fly without a broom.”

Snape looked ill. “A requirement of being a death eater.” His hand went instinctively to where the dark mark had once been. “A very useful skill, but one that clearly marks me as Voldemort’s follower for a time.”

Amelia’s green eyes regarded him without judgment. “We all make mistakes in our youth. Even the best of us can say or do things we deeply regret. The important thing is learning from those mistakes and building a better foundation upon which to build our future.”

Snape looked down at the teacup in his hand, willing himself to be silent. It was if, in her presence, all his Occlumency skills were as feeble as Harry’s had been when they first began training. He only looked up when he felt her hand brush against his jaw as she straightened his cravat. He met her gaze, a slight blush rising across his cheeks. She turned rosy as well. “Do forgive me. I’m prone to act first and think later.”

Snape gave her a soft half-smile. “I am not offended. It’s just that nobody has done such for me in a very, very long time. I had a friend once who was constantly straightening my tie or my robes. She’s ... she’s gone now.” He gazed at the sun, high in the sky but lowering on the horizon. “We should probably return to the castle.”

Amelia nodded. “It is getting a bit late, isn’t it?”

Snape rose to his feet, then held his hand out to his new colleague, helping her to her own feet. Once standing, she made the tea set, blanket and cushions disappear. She turned to face Snape. “Thank you for joining me for tea. This was a most pleasant afternoon.”

“The pleasure is mine, Amelia.”

He offered his arm to her and was pleasantly surprised when she slid her hand in the crook of his arm. “Hogwarts is everything I ever imagined. Ilvermorny was lovely, but this school is so ancient and full of history.”

“I’m glad you didn’t see the school back in May. The battle really destroyed the grounds. If not for many witches and wizards coming from all over Europe, the school wouldn’t have been restored so quickly.”

“It was a really dark time, wasn’t it? Voldemort was a horrible creature. I can’t call him a man. There was nothing human left in him.”

“You are correct. There was absolutely nothing human in him.”

“Severus?”

Snape helped Amelia over a rocky patch of earth. “Yes?”

“I wonder if you might not join me for dinner some evening.”

Snape stopped walking, then pressed his hand against Amelia’s forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever. Why are you inviting the potions master to dinner?”

She blinked at him, confused. “Are you a pariah who isn’t worth getting to know, Severus? Were you so wounded that you think none would desire your company?”

“I do not have the best record of the staff here. I was a death eater and supported Voldemort for a time.”

“Yet you turned against him, didn’t you? At great personal risk, I might add. Personal risk that nearly ended your life, as I understand it. If anything, I would think that all the more reason to desire your company. You realized the error of your ways and chose to fight against the darkness that reared its ugly head. If nothing else, it makes you a man I wish to befriend.” Amelia stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Any person who values a good redemption story should want to be your friend, Severus. No matter your failings in the past, if you’ve learned from them and built upon the knowledge you gleaned, then you are very much worth knowing.”

“I stand admonished before you, my lady. I forget myself. You are, of course, seeing the new and improved Severus Snape.”

“Or perhaps,” she said softly, “this is the real Severus Snape who’s been hidden all along.”

Snape fell silent as they neared the castle. He had never expected her to be so open and frank. Amelia also was silent as they drew to the central courtyard. She seemed more reserved than she had before. “I’m sorry. I’m forward and have the grace of a gryphon in a china shop.”

Snape turned to her, standing before her and looking down into her very green eyes. “You have absolutely nothing for which to be sorry. I have had the emotional range of a rock for so very long that I have forgotten how to be a man on occasion. You remind me of the girl who once was my best friend until I lost her to my own insecurities and stupidity.”

Amelia didn’t say anything right away, then took his hands within her own. “Then I must have made a favorable impression, Severus. That pleases me. I don’t know a soul here, but I feel drawn to you.”

Snape gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “I am glad to have a new friend, Amelia. And in answer to your earlier question, yes, I would enjoy having dinner with you.”

He bent over her wrist and kissed the back of her hand. She watched him, smiling. “Have you ... ever had pizza?”

Snape raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t had pizza in years. The house elves just don’t grasp the idea of it.”

“Are you pureblood, half-blood or no-maj born?”

“My father was a muggle, so yes, I bridged both worlds. My father wasn’t a pleasant man and when I graduated, I chose to leave the muggle world forever.”

“I still enjoy a lot of things from the nomaj world. No-majs ... er ... muggles have a wondrous grasp on things that the wizarding world doesn’t, and similarly, there’s things in this world that most muggles simply wouldn’t understand. Would Friday evening for pizza at seven o’clock be good for you?”

“Friday ... ah, I have potion lessons with Harry on Friday, but would Saturday work for you?”

“Harry? Is he a friend?”

Snape smiled softly to himself. “Harry is a boy I disliked intensely because I had attended school with his father and thought the boy to be much like him. He was much more like his mother, who had been my friend. He has since become a good friend and has let me unofficially adopt him. He will be living with me once we get my house fixed up. I used to treat him horribly in my potions classes, but I am helping him better understand potions for his auror examinations.”

“I would love to hear more about it, but I fear I’ve taken up too much of your afternoon. I’m sure you have things which need doing, and I need to make myself at home in Slytherin house.”

“Feel free to decorate the apartment within however you see fit, and if you find anything there at all, you can just box it up and give it to me. The window to the left as you walk in has a tendency to stick in the summer and leak when it rains, so I’d advise keeping parchments and books from it, unless you have better luck at fixing it.”

“You seem to know a good deal about the Slytherin head of house apartment.”

“I would,” Snape uttered honestly. “I used to be the Slytherin head of house. And yes, I did favor my own students over houses, and often unfairly deducted points from Gryffindor. I was not a pleasant man, Amelia. In fact, I had many students thinking I was a bad man.”

“I trust that is no longer the case, Severus?”

Snape tilted his head to the side, then nodded. “Apparently I’m making a good impression on the students now. They’re coming to me, asking for advice and help with solving complex spells.”

She smiled and said, “I’m sure that in time, you will be one of the most beloved professors.”

Snape snorted a derisive laugh. “Beloved, I sincerely doubt, but if I can be considered with the same regard as Minerva McGonagall, then I daresay it shall be enough. Being respected is far more rewarding than being feared. I beg your leave and look forward to dining together on Saturday. Oh, dinner is in the main hall at seven. Defence Against the Dark Arts sits adjacent to myself, so I will see you there.”

“Thank you, Severus. You have made me feel most welcome today. Until later,” she offered with a smile, then turned on her heels and made towards the Slytherin common rooms.

“And you, my lady, have made me feel.” And saying nothing more, Snape turned and headed towards the lower level potions classrooms.