Smoke and Mirrors by JewelBurns
Summary: Sequel to The Choices We Made.

With Voldemort dead and Harry's cancer settling life should be returning to normal for Harry and Snape but things aren't always as they seem. Instead they find themselves challenged in new ways. When dangerous events start after Harry's return to Hogwarts can Snape figure out what's going on before they're torn apart again? HPSS mentor Healing/Coping
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Dudley, Hermione, Original Character
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Snape is Depressed, Snape is Desperate, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Out of Character Snape, Overly-protective Snape, Snape is Secretive
Genres: Angst, Drama, Family, General, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Media Type: None
Tags: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Azkaban Character, Hospitalization, Injured!Harry
Takes Place: 7th summer, 7th Year
Warnings: Alcohol Use, Character Death, Out of Character, Romance/Het
Challenges: None
Series: Choices We Made Universe
Chapters: 84 Completed: No Word count: 697412 Read: 514925 Published: 15 Nov 2020 Updated: 30 Sep 2023
No. 7 Hillcrest Road by JewelBurns

~~~~SS~~~~

Saturday 27th September, 1997

Severus knew the Calming Draught he took at half past midnight last night should have been Dreamless Sleep. The former had very little effect on him anymore, however as he didn't wish to be late to the lab this morning, he took the almost worthless potion and subsequently spent the first three hours of his night tossing and turning in his bed thinking through every scenario possible where the deaths of Ash and Talpin could have been anything but suspicious.

Unfortunately, even after spending two hours in Albus's office, neither of them could come up with a logical reason two wizards found guilty of the same crime - and sentenced only seventeen days ago - would be found dead in separate cells, simultaneously. Albus argued it fully supported his claim of Death Eater reorganization, stating the murders could be an attempt to keep them quiet and restating the fact the culprits from the Godric's Hollow attack still hadn't been found - Severus wanted to mention they hadn't yet been identified, but chose to keep his comment to himself. As he'd done every time Albus tried to bring the Order back together with potential Death Eater activities, the former spy emphatically argued the headmaster was speculating, at best. He continued to yell that not only could these incidents be perfectly explained without any Voldemort supportive magical supremacy group, but by focusing on this one segment, they could be missing subtle yet equally important clues to find who actually orchestrated the attacks and now murders. In the end, the two wizards could only agree on one thing: regardless of whoever ended up being behind them, all three occurrences were related. Sadly, it was one step closer than the aurors were to solving the damn cases.

Unable to come to a consensus outside of Albus tracking down more information on the Azkaban murders - Severus still maintained his position of this being a Ministry only situation - Severus opted to discuss the interesting conversation he'd had with his Slytherins earlier that evening, specifically any guidelines for potentially seer students.

"We all know the rumors, Severus," Albus had told him, staring at the floor, his hands clasped tightly behind his back, as if he were trying to translate ancient runes below his feet, "and you said she predicted the Azkaban deaths correctly?"

"I said," Severus emphasized the second word to make sure his words were understood this time, "my students claimed she told them the day the sentence was announced in the papers they would be dead. I did not ask for particulars. Given the high percentage of deaths which occur in Azkaban, I challenge this supposed premonition."

"But those, my boy," Albus paused his pacing and lifted his head to meet the younger professor's eye, "are typically prisoners who see life in Azkaban, not ten years. And for them both to kill themselves simultaneously? After only seventeen days?"

"Perhaps the prospect of ten years was too much for them," Severus speculated. "Black spent twelve and yet he managed to lose what little sense in his brain he had left, who's to say those last two were what tipped him over the edge?"

"Do you really believe it a double suicide?"

Severus sighed and ran his left hand across the back of his neck, an action which caused his sleeve to pull up and showcase his Mark, still darker than he liked to see it contrasted against his pale skin. He couldn't say with any amount of certainty what he believed anymore.

"No," he admitted the closest answer to the truth, "they weren't suicide. Nevertheless, Death Eaters killing each other makes no more sense. Besides, I was asking you about Miss Khatib."

"Ah, yes," Albus raised his hand, "thank you for getting us back on track. We cannot ostracize the young lady. Unlike a prophecy, these… visions… she has, they aren't set in stone?"

"Neither are prophecies," Severus pointed out.

"Patronize me."

Rolling his eyes, Severus answered, "She claims they change based on other's actions. Rather convenient, if you ask me."

Albus turned, deep in thought, to examine a glass cabinet of small phials filled with liquids of various colors, reminding Severus of the red potion that brought him here over a year ago. The time went by so quickly, and though he would never forget his old life - the dominating memories in his head - he had adjusted to living here more quickly than he ever expected.

When Albus finally spoke, he did so with his back to the younger wizard, still examining the phials, his voice laced with a mysterious undertone, "My best advice, Severus, would be to keep a close watch on Miss Khatib and Draco, as they've seem to become close. Do not be so quick to discount that of which you do not understand."

The entire meeting with the headmaster left him with a migraine and angry for getting nothing accomplished outside of wasting his time. It had been after curfew when he'd finally left the old man's office, thus meaning he couldn't check in on Harry. Luckily on the way to his quarters he'd run into Ron - supposedly on prefect duty, yet Severus had the feeling had he checked, he would have found Miss Brown in an empty classroom nearby - who had been able to tell him Harry eventually finished half of his dinner around eight o'clock and went straight back to sleep. Unsolicited, the Weasley wizard said he'd explained to Harry about the Prophet article, followed by the disturbance from the Slytherins over dinner, likely preventing Severus from being able to stop by the Tower. Severus appreciated the message - both to and from Harry - although he hated the necessity of it. In a way, life had almost seemed easier last year, at least then he had been able to be where he wanted to be. For a brief moment, he considered telling Lucius he'd have to hold off at the lab, but deep down he enjoyed the work he did there, and having committed to the responsibility, he'd see it through for however long he could manage.

Of course, arriving at the MLD bright and early Saturday morning, the prospect of putting in a full day - followed almost immediately by his date - already exhausted him and he'd yet to light a cauldron. Unwilling to cancel his evening for rest he wouldn't get anyway, Severus had an Invigorating Draught stored in his pocket to help get him through the first part of his day.

"Morning, Thomas," Severus greeted the security guard at the atrium, handing his wand to be scanned as proof of entry. The act seemed trivial as the doors leading into the building had enough enchantments and wards they could have been found in Gringotts.

"Morning, Mr Snape," the elderly wizard - Severus would have guessed the man in his sixties - responded. "Busy morning already in there. Must be something big going on. We haven't had this many people here on a Saturday in over a year, and before nine in the morning, no less!"

Unfortunately, Severus's pod hadn't made much progress in his two weeks on the bench - taking into account the one he missed for Harry's treatment - so he found himself genuinely curious as to what Thomas alluded to. It didn't take him long to discover because the moment he walked into the bright laboratory, giving a small wave to people he still hardly knew but they all knew him, he saw at least triple the people buzzing around the floor than usual. Most were congregated at the pod five spots away from his own and in the center of them all, he saw the last person he ever expected to see in the building: Nadine Walker. Dressed in the typical green robes worn by the healers at St Mungo's, Healer Walker looked in her element as she hurried from cauldron to cauldron making notes at each one and asking questions to the potioneer sitting in front of it. As the witch or wizard answered her questions, Severus watched her eyes brighten, listening carefully to every word told to her and nodding her head in delight.

"Severus," she said with a smile as he approached the pod on the way to his own, far more lonely looking with the rest of the area filled. "I didn't expect to see you here."

She leaned over and gave him a small hug, a move he would have scuffed at from anyone else, but seeing her so lively after everything they'd been through together threw him off.

"I could say the same," he answered. "Last I heard, you vehemently turned down Lucius's offer."

"I could say the same about you," she repeated his phrase back. A small flush creeped up her cheeks. "The truth is, I thought about what you told me… about not turning down the opportunity due to my issues with the owner-" Severus noted her refusal to use Lucius's name and made sure he steered far away from the subject, "-and decided the worst that could happen is I quit if it became too much for me."

"And?" He prompted.

"And… so far, I've been kept busy enough not to have to think too hard about… things." Her eyes gave away her uneasiness with the situation and how badly she'd wanted this arrangement to work.

"So what's going on here?" He changed the subject to one he knew would comfort her. "I've not seen you here the last couple times I've been."

"I'm usually at St Mungo's," as a nervous habit, she attempted to tuck a strain of hair behind her ear, but it was too short now, so she scratched the spot instead, "or working behind the scenes here or with the diagnostic center. Today though-" her voice raised indicating her excitement over what was going on, "-I'm consulting on a new sedative potion. It's one they've been working on for two years now and finally making it to the last phase before trials. The last batch was close, but we had to switch out the active ingredient to… I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"Not at all," he answered. "It's refreshing to hear someone talk about potions without groaning and complaining."

"Healer Walker?" One of the potioneers called to her from across the bench.

"I've got to finish up here," she looked over to him regretfully, "but if I'm still here later, maybe we can have lunch?"

"Of course," he politely told her, "good luck with your next phase."

As he approached his own pod of benches, he noticed once again Arlie Clagg sat hunched over a cauldron, already deep into his own work. Severus questioned what time the man generally arrived as every time Severus had been at the lab the other wizard was present and engaged in his experiment. The note from the weekday Potioneer he partnered with - a witch he'd never met, who had handwriting messier than his own - told him he'd be continuing her work on the Leukopenia potion: to help decrease the white blood cell count. He waved his wand, taking her cauldron out of stasis and activating the documentation charm to keep track of each and every move made on the bench to begin his part of the procedure.

As a natural introvert, Severus found himself falling into a calming state being able to sit at the bench and focus on his work. Most of the day, he got by barely speaking to anyone; not even Arlie and they shared a workspace. The monotonous actions and the focused work helped his mind unwind, especially from the overly stressful week, in a way not even Occlumency had ever done. Unlike in his personal laboratory and in the classroom where every single technique had to be taught, most of his ingredients were prepared for him either in bulk in the cupboard or fresh by an apprentice. It would take some getting used to, nevertheless, his first day at the lab he had been surprised how much more productive he could be when not focusing on things like chopping, scaling, and measuring.

The best part of his whole working day - something no one would really understand or quantify - he felt as if he were helping Harry; he actively was working against the disease that continued to plague them. Yes, he knew he helped everytime he sat up with the young wizard long into the early morning hours, or when he grabbed the third cup of ginger ale hoping it would finally ease his nausea, and keeping track of the medications - the ones to save his life and those to help make him more comfortable. This, though, felt different to him; more concrete, more active fighting. A better treatment and a possible cure; both of which he hoped Harry would never need a drop of by the time they were finished with them.

Nadine left before lunchtime, having gotten called away for a non-MLD related emergency at St Mungo's. It left Severus alone for lunch - not necessarily the worst situation - but he'd felt a piece of him calm knowing it demonstrated another step towards her healing. Slowly, the victims from Malfoy Manor and Voldemort's reign were getting better and would continue to do so; at some point, they'd be able to put it all behind them.

More bustling than usual for a Saturday due to the extra personnel for the sedation draught, Severus had a more difficult time finding a secluded table in the cafeteria where he could be as unseen as possible. The excessive talking practically bounced off the walls, completely surrounding him as he walked through the pristine room with his tray of stew and coffee levitating in front of him. He'd almost been forced to find a table out by the lake, until at the last moment he found a small two-person round one tucked back by the window leading outside. Settled with a book to read on magical plants from across the country, his desire to finish his lunch in silence was quickly dashed.

"Cahn I seet here?" A delicate voice disturbed his thoughts, having no earthly idea how dangerously close she came to getting hexed from startling him. "Everywhere else ees full."

The professor looked up to see a witch with mousy brown hair filled with tight curls that bounced as she spoke, standing there physically holding her tray. He narrowed his eyes at her then focused on the room behind her where the other tables were clearly filled more than any other Saturday he'd been here, but still had the odd seat open here or there.

"I hear the lake is lovely to eat beside this time of year," he answered.

"Oh," she turned and glanced out towards the lake where a soft drizzle he hadn't realized had started since his arrival, explaining why not a single person sat at the tables neatly lined up. "I suppose eet's nahtheeng a watair repelleeng chahrm cahn't hahndle."

Her voice, sad and lonely, trailed off near the end of her statement. He was getting soft. There had to be no other explanation for the words that almost autonomously flowed from his mouth, "Take a seat."

My good deed for the day is done.

To emphasize his lack of socializing, he immediately turned his head down and continued to read his book, making notes in the margins when needed. For the most part, his antisocial nature - keeping his head down and in his book - worked to keep his tablemate quiet. Unfortunately, either her inherent need to speak superseded his need for silence or, more likely, she simply didn't pick up subtly at all.

"I'm sahrry to hear ahbout your sahn," she told him halfway through her chicken salad sandwich; ironically, Harry's absolute worst lunch at Hogwarts.

Her words shook him to his core as he thought back on how she could possibly know about his son from his old reality. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your sahn," she repeated, "he's why you're wahrkeeng on ziss pahtion prahjects, cahrrect? Zat's whaht everyone says here ahbout you. Well, ahnd zat you've keelled a dahrk weezahrd here."

The fact she didn't know about Voldemort, or his role in his death, reminded him that while Britain had been terrorized, the rest of the world continued on as if nothing happened.

"Thank you," he answered uncomfortably. "Which project are you working on? I've not seen you here before."

"Eets my first week," the French witch replied, "I'm wahrkeeng on Drahgahn Pahx. Deed you know muggles hahve medeecahtions zey cahn use to mahke sure zey dahn't get diseases?"

"Vaccinations," Severus answered.

"Yes!" Her eyes lit up when she realized he knew what she was talking about, "Zat's whaht we do. We're trying to mahke ze mahgeec recahgnize ze eellness to prevent eet."

A vaccination for Dragon Pox would be paramount in the Wizarding World, however realistically, manipulating magic to recognize the virus before it infects would be a revolutionary use for potions. Though difficult, that's what the MLD did: found possibilities from impossible situations, an empowering message to those who worked on any of the teams. Like any proud Potioneer, no matter where one came from, she rattled off the methods her team had been using, the failures and challenges they'd faced so far, and her excitement over the prospect of being selected to be part of it all. He nodded where he should and took his Invigorating Draught - ignoring her questioning stare - once he'd finished his own lunch sometime near the end of her diatribe.

"Please Miss Beaufort, give the man some breathing space," Severus almost couldn't think of a time he'd been so grateful to hear Lucius's smooth voice coming from behind him. The witch - Beaufort, a name he'd heard before but was too tired to place at the moment - clamped her mouth shut and turned bright red. "Severus, please follow me."

Heading back to the laboratory alongside the Malfoy patriarch, Severus noticed how quiet the room became in his presence.

"I saw Nadine Walker earlier today," Severus mentioned. "You managed to finally win her over? I would have expected her to hex you rather than agreeing to work for you."

Lucius gave a half smile, "Yes, well that's why she ended up in Ravenclaw. In the end, her need for education and information overpowered her need to stand up for herself. Don't worry-" he added at the professor's almost repulsed face, "-I've reassured her that our time, specifically alone, will be kept on an as-needed basis. Thus far, we've yet to break the arrangement."

"And I doubt you'll give me any insight as to why she hates you," he intentionally said it as a statement, not a question.

"A story for another day, I'm afraid," Lucius replied, "I simply saw you drowning in friendly banter and thought it prudent to assist. You're getting soft, Severus. A year or two ago, you would have told the young witch off without a second's hesitation."

"It's been a long week."

"Obviously," the blonde stated as they approached the entrance to the lab. "Try to get some rest, Severus, you look dreadful."

Easy for him to say, the former spy thought, watching the other wizard walk away not knowing how much they evied each other.

~~~~HP~~~~

Harry woke up to the sound of rain crashing against the side of the castle and the seventh year dorm completely empty. Rarely was he the last to wake in the dorm - that title had always gone to Ron - but since he spent most of the night restlessly tossing and turning, it only made sense that he'd oversleep in the morning, especially with the weather being so dark and dreary. Most of the night he'd been awake pondering the news the Gryffindors returned from dinner boisterously gossiping about: the deaths of Ash and Talpin. The Gryffindors quickly fell on two sides, those who claimed deaths like this were common in Azkaban - to which Harry couldn't comment one way or another - and those who said they had to be planned murders. To complicate the matter even more, the Slytherin table ended up being removed from the Great Hall because they were causing a fuss about Hala Khatib having predicted the pair's deaths. For reasons Harry couldn't figure out, the idea of Hala's premonition coming true caused him just as much grief as the deaths - or murders - and sometime around one o'clock in the morning he decided he'd spend today in the library researching death premonitions and jinns. Of course, that didn't mean he could fall asleep, so instead of trying to solve the world's problems, he spent the next hour or two looking over the Marauder's Map; specifically how Snape was still up pacing - likely in his bedroom pondering the same questions keeping Harry awake - and Draco completely still next to Hermione, a clear indication he was spending the night there.

Grudgingly, Harry pulled himself out of his warm bed to get ready for the day at a quarter past ten meaning he'd more than missed breakfast - though he wasn't anywhere near hungry - and his morning medications. His body protested the walk down the stairs to the lavatory, where he didn't cross another wizard on his way. He ultimately needed a shower to wash away the sick feeling he always had coating his skin after his "bad days" but he found he was simply too tired, and settled instead on giving his face a good washing, then dressing in a pair of black jogging bottoms and his Gryffindor jumper. If any of the professors had a problem with his attire in the library, he'd come back to the Common Room until going back home with Snape.

"There you are," Hermione greeted him when he reached the bottom of the stairs, causing him to startle from not expecting anyone to still be here. She was dressed in her casual muggle clothes, a pink long sleeved shirt and jeans, sitting across the sofa in front of the fireplace with her knees bent propping up the large book in her lap. She turned her head to the side, giving him the sad face he learned to associate with times she felt bad for him but didn't want to say anything. "I was just about to come up and check in on you. How are you feeling?"

Rubbing his eyes, giving away his exhaustion, he sat down on the other side of her feet and answered, "Tired. I didn't sleep really well. Not from being sick-" he added quickly, so she wouldn't worry anymore that usual about him, "-just a lot on my mind last night."

There were a dozen questions he wanted to ask his friend, the top of which had to do with Draco spending the night in her room. Her hazel eyes on him stopped any chance of that as he realized how little time he had spent with this third of their group. With him and Draco still avoiding each other and Hermione obviously wanting to spend time with her boyfriend - hence why he slept over at her room - it left little time for them as a group. Ron, Dudley, and pretty much everyone else hung out with the blonde included, leaving only him who needed to be separated and asking such a pointed question would only further distance her.

"Whatcha reading?" Harry decided to go with instead, "I don't care what advanced classes you're taking, I'm pretty sure they don't need a book that thick."

Her cheeks blushed and she closed the book in a move Harry had seen too many times from Snape when he didn't want Harry to see what he was studying. "Just doing a little research on the Wizarding Judicial system. It's quite fascinating, really, it's a combination of the 1600's wizarding world with a touch of more modern Britain."

Harry almost laughed, "So basically, at some point they decided not to burn everyone at the stake?"

She wrinkled her face at his crude comment, "That never worked anyway-"

"-I remember," he cut her off before she went into a lecture on witch burning. "So what happened to journalism? Decided you wanted to take a stab at the Wizengamot instead?"

Worrying her bottom lip, her answer shouldn't have come as a surprise, "I'm trying to make sure everything going on with Draco is legal. I swear they shouldn't be able to just decide these things willy-nilly." This time, Harry did laugh. "It seems wrong."

"It's better than going to Azkaban," Harry offered. "And I'm pretty sure Severus wouldn't let them do anything they weren't allowed to."

She huffed, "Yes, well… he doesn't exactly have the best track record with them either, does he?"

Harry recoiled as if her accusation had physically hit him. "Well, he's doing the best he can. I mean, what else do you expect?"

"Nothing," Hermione argued back, insulted, "which is why I'm doing all the research I can myself on it."

He thought back on the research Snape had done on chemotherapy and his diagnosis back at Privet Drive. How many times had the man asked him if he'd read through the pamphlets before his port had been placed? Too many, Harry answered to himself. And yet Hermione engulfed herself in this side quest - on top of all of her other classes, Head Girl duties, N.E.W.T.s, and a boyfriend - so she could make sure he was being handled fairly. Suddenly he felt like an awful friend to Hermione and son to Snape.

"How's he doing?" Harry asked, needing no other specificity on the subject; she'd know he meant Draco.

The young witch took a cleansing breath, this had been the first time he had flat out asked about the Slytherin since his birthday. "He's angry," she sadly replied, frowning, "and I think it's covering up that he's scared about what this year will hold. He'd never admit to it though."

Harry nodded, understanding how the other felt. "I don't blame him, you know… for kidnapping me. I can appreciate the position he'd been put in. I never wanted any of that to happen… to anyone."

He jumped when he felt her hand on his knee, not noticing that she'd gotten up and now sat directly beside him.

"You should tell him that," she suggested. "I think you guys need to figure this out, you're only making it worse the longer it goes on."

"He'd hex me," Harry smirked. "And this time I couldn't hex him back."

"If it's any consolation," she said, giving him a friendly jab in the ribs, "he can't use any questionable spells right now. So really, you're better off talking to him now than before."

Harry smiled, "I heard what he did to Harper's face. Almost as bad as falling into the Whomping Willow, from what I'm told."

"Hey now," she laughed, "you weren't any better to Ackerly."

Harry rolled his eyes, "But I didn't manage to break his nose, no matter how much I wanted to. Plus, I'm pretty sure Snape won't think twice on removing me from the school if I get into another fight."

Bringing the former Death Eater back into the conversation caused the air between them to drastically shift. What they'd managed to get to a light-hearted, friendly banter turned to an icy cold shoulder.

"Why?" The witch closed her eyes when she asked it and her face grimaced.

Again, Harry recoiled, wishing he could take the comment back, not wanting to get into an argument about Snape. Figuring she wouldn't drop the subject, he answered as honestly as he could, "He doesn't want anything to happen to me."

"But, Harry," she jerked around swiftly until she faced him, her left leg tucked at some impossible angle under her bottom, "I know he's been great with you and he really stood up to help when you needed it the most. And I couldn't be more grateful because I couldn't be there for you and you finally have a family you can love…"

Harry swallowed back the lump forming in his throat and prompted, "But…"

Another big breath, "But… when I look back at it… now that you're mostly out of danger… it seems odd. How does someone change so drastically? Hear me out-" she held her hand to stop his protest and he could see this conversation hurt her almost as much as him, "- After Sirius… after he died, you were so ready to blame Snape, and then adding in everything with the… remedial potions lessons, it doesn't make any sense. I didn't question the major shift back then because you needed him and you were happy, for once in your life. But now… when I think about it…"

Frustrated, Harry ran his hands through his too long hair; he definitely should have showered that morning, maybe then he would have been saved from this awful conversation.

"Is that how you see me?" He asked half rhetorically, standing up desperate to get away. "Someone so pathetic and desperate for attention he wouldn't think twice when someone's actually decent? Let me set the record straight for you, Hermione, I don't want the attention, if you remember right I had plenty of that. What I needed was someone to listen to me and put my interest as 'just Harry' above The-Boy-Who-Lived. So whatever happened between us, is just that… between us. You can't even begin to understand… while you guys were up here going to classes, snogging, and enjoying your lives, I was down there struggling, just wanting it all to end! There were days I wanted to just walk away and he kept me going, so you don't get to sit here and question why when you didn't do a single thing to help!"

Not wanting to hear another word from her, Harry stormed out of the portrait hole figuring he could bury himself deep within the library, where no one would expect to find him. He only had to hide out for a couple of hours, and lunch - at some point, even he knew he'd have to eat - he could easily grab from the kitchens. With a plan in mind, he set out for the library hoping to put his negative energy to good use in finding whatever he could on death premonitions and whatever the bloody hell a jinn was.

~~~~SS~~~~

Severus didn't get time for any rest after completing his shift at the MLD and arriving back at Hogwarts to prepare for his date. He had just enough time to firecall Lupin - holding back the sneer and the plentiful of jiving comments in the process - and see if he and Tonks could stay at Spinner's End with Harry, and then have a quick shower. For what it was worth, the werewolf only asked if Harry was alright and not where Severus would be preventing him from staying with the young wizard. He also didn't ask why they'd be in Cokeworth instead of Hogwarts, to which Severus shook his head in defeat; not everyone could be as observant as he. All that mattered to the professor was the werewolf had come through stating he'd meet them at Spinner's End a mere five minutes before Severus had to leave for Guildford - giving him as little time with the last Marauder as possible.

Severus had just long enough to finish dressing - choosing a more casual set of black jeans and a grey fitted jumper - when he heard the door to his quarters open signalling Harry's punctual arrival.

"In here," he called out to the teen from his bedroom.

There had been very few times Harry had been in his bedroom - at Hogwarts or Spinner's End - and based on his hesitation prior to entering, one would have thought the child expected to be punished for it. Eventually, he entered and took a seat on the bed with his legs slightly kicking back and forth.

"You should tie your hair back," Harry mumbled from the bed as Severus tried to figure out where to store his wand and sphere in the more fashionable, yet less comfortable muggle clothing. "It'll look neater that way."

Severus narrowed his eyes at the teen's suggestion taking note at how sullen the child appeared. Though clearly engaged in the situation - having just given unsolicited advice - he seemed equally distant and quieter than usual. Having left for the lab before Hogwarts' Saturday breakfast this morning, Severus didn't have a chance to see Harry since dropping his dinner off yesterday evening almost twenty-four hours ago. In addition to his overall demeanor, the Gryffindor's face still had the familiar pallor to it, causing the professor to question if he should cancel the entire evening and keep Harry at the castle.

Knowing he had one chance until Harry caught onto his plan, Severus approached the bed without pause and placed his hand against Harry's forehead - no fever.

"What's that for?" Harry complained, pulling his head backwards so quickly he almost fell back onto the silver bedspread.

"Just checking," Severus replied. "How have you felt today?"

"Fine."

The one word caused Severus's nostrils to flare and his jaw to clench. Clearly he wasn't fine, but he doubted asking any further questions would yield any different answer.

"Are you sure you're ok with my going out tonight?" He tried in an effort to take a different approach. "I can reschedule-"

"No," Harry boldly interrupted, "it's fine."

A pregnant pause fell between them. Severus ran his hand across the bottom on his jaw thinking of his next move. Not saying another word to the Gryffindor, he turned and left for his attached lavatory, returning a minute later with his hair neatly tied at the base of his neck.

Harry gave a small smirk, but didn't comment. "Are you nervous?"

"Not at all," he lied, unwilling to let anyone know how refreshing it felt to have someone who didn't know about his turbulent past or judge him based on the mark on his arm. "You should bring some school work to get started on," the professor lectured. "You've missed two days this week and I'm sure you don't want to spend all of tomorrow trying to catch up."

"No, sir," Harry politely replied, standing from the bed until he was face to face with him. In that position, Severus was tempted to use Legilimency to find out what happened to cause the shift in the young wizard's behavior, but he resisted the urge. As much as pained him to wait, he would figure it out the hard way by giving Harry his space, in hopes he either said something to give the man a clue or optimally confided in him.

True to his current mood, the second they arrived at the sitting room at Spinner's End, Harry raced straight up to his bedroom - the stairs giving their now customary creak along his way. Alone in the sitting room, Severus debated between following him up the stairs or pouring himself a glass of wine. Against his better judgement, he flicked his wand and a bottle of red wine and a glass came over to him from the shelf beside the fireplace. Between his morning, Harry's apparent attitude, the prospect of seeing - inviting was more like it - Lupin into his home, and his date, he'd be shocked if he made it out with his sanity intact. Sipping his wine, Severus looked up the stairs trying to rack his brain on what could have caused such a big change in Harry's demeanor in only a day. If he weren't so physically and mentally tired, and needing to be in a better mindset for this date, he'd have lectured Harry on how to act appropriately. As it was, he half wanted just to call Mae and cancel, go upstairs and take a nap in his own bed, however he hadn't seen her since before term started and he knew he'd regret that decision later.

A knock on the door came only five minutes later, making Lupin and his fiance early; no big surprise there, he should have known not to pad the time in case the other wizard was late.

"Hello, Severus," Lupin greeted when the professor swung the door open to reveal the last person - people, since Tonks counted by association - he ever wanted to see standing on his doorstep.

"You look nice," Tonks, sporting long teal hair, called out from behind her fiance, "kind of a muggle casual?"

"Something like that," Severus flatly answered and stepped aside to allow the couple entry into his home. He knew he should feel grateful the other man could stay with Harry, especially given the young wizard's current disposition, but the werewolf's experiences with Harry after his diagnosis had been shaky, at best. Some visits were fine - like back at Privet Drive when Harry had his port surgically inserted - and others tense; unfortunately, there were more of the latter lately.

"Where's Harry?" The metamorphmagus asked.

Severus exhaled dramatically, "In his room. Top of the stairs, on the right. If you make the very unwise decision to go into the room on the left, I am not responsible for what may become of you."

Tonk snorted and elbowed Lupin in the stomach; a gesture reminding Severus how young she was compared to them. He grimaced as he put it into perspective: she left Hogwarts the year prior to Harry's arrival, and she was about a decade younger than Mae. Lupin had to be either incredibly lucky or incredibly stupid, and Severus knew where his vote would lie.

~~~~HP~~~~

Harry knew he wasn't being fair to Snape by taking his bad mood out on the man. He'd tried to calm himself down before meeting him in the dungeons, but everytime he saw the professor his argument with Hermione came flooding back to him and anger refueled whatever he'd managed to tuck away. Why did Hermione suddenly care why Snape had changed so much? So what if the professor hated Harry and then didn't? Thinking back about those early Privet Drive days, it didn't seem like such a big change at the time and Harry could give the man credit for acting his part well. Knowing what he did now, it had to be difficult to pretend to hate the boy he thought of as his son… on top of waking up in a completely different world, having to deal with Voldemort too. Sitting on his bed, Harry shook his head to clear those convoluted thoughts from his already boggled down mind.

Snape had seemed exhausted lately, making Harry feel almost guilty to be utilizing his current state for the Gryffindor's own gain; justifying it by telling himself Snape would likely be proud of the bit of Slytherin coming out. He should have asked why Snape seemed so tired, beyond the obvious reason of the Death Eaters in the news and his Slytherins going nutters over Hala's premonition.

I would have loved to see that, Harry thought to himself with a laugh.

Unfortunately, his quest to find any information on death premonitions left him oddly empty handed. Halfway through his day at the library, Harry quickly realized how much he depended on Hermione to navigate the overfilled collection of books. Naturally, he started with jinn - being a dark creature at least gave him a category to focus on - however the explanation he read went over his head; something about creatures, mostly found in Islamic countries, living in a mirror world and on rare occasions attack because they got jealous. It seemed a little far fetched to him, but admittedly, the dark creative aspect of Defense Against the Dark Arts had never been his strong suit.

He had half a sandwich, crisps, and fruit for lunch in the kitchens - much to Dobby's emphatic delight - then promptly returned to the library to focus on Divinations; a class he quickly realized he'd never looked up in the library because Hermione dropped out of the class, then he and Ron never took seriously enough to research on their own. Working his way through the library's sections - seemingly with no rhyme or reason - he finally found all sorts of books about crystal balls, reading different tea types, and prophecies; the latter of which he hesitantly looked through because it seemed logical to have premonitions and prophecies in the same category. In the end, he came up empty handed and considered testing if his seventh year status would gain him access to the restricted section regardless of his lower level classes, but it had been time to go meet Snape. He'd officially spent the day at the library and had nothing to show for it.

Switching gears, he figured given his sour mood overall, his best chance of successfully finding and sneaking back his old class essays would be heading straight to his room upon arriving at Spinner's End. There had been a fifty-fifty chance of Snape following him in a fit over his attitude, but he hedged the bet that his upcoming date would distract him enough to let Harry be. The last thing the man wanted would be to show up to his date's flat with his full anger turned up; she'd be terrified. Once Snape left for the night - the staircase gave him plenty of notice that the professor had been on his way up to say goodbye and therefore hide his papers - Harry focused on his next step of needing to find some books to hide them in order to stealthily bring back. As his main excuse to come back home in the first place, he couldn't really leave empty handed. There weren't really any books in his room he could logically convince Snape he needed, so Harry made his way down to the sitting room where he knew he'd find at least one book on magical plants he could convince Snape he wanted to borrow for Herbology. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he turned back with his eyes squinted, questioning their odd silence during this trip.

"Wortcher, Harry," Tonks loudly greeted when he turned into the sitting room. Lupin and the Hufflepuff were sitting snuggled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace, Lupin reading through a book and Tonks filling out something in a file filled with parchment.

"When did you guys get here?" Harry asked, choosing not to sit with them, but instead look for the book he'd been there to find.

"Right before Severus left," Remus placed his finger in the page he'd been reading and closed it. "He told us you'd had a bit of a rough day yesterday and should wait for you down here." Harry paused, his face flushing from the childish explanation. "Join us for some tea? There's something I'd hoped to talk with you about."

Cautiously, Harry turned around from his place behind Snape's favorite armchair and looked over at the couple. Tonk had her arm laced with Remus's, and for some reason that made Harry more angry than the thought of Snape being out on a date at that very moment. Torn between finding the book he needed to hide his essays and listening to his former professor, Harry sighed, nodded, and with a random book he'd plucked from the shelf to keep his hands busy, he nervously took a seat in Snape's armchair. He'd always sat on the sofa in their quarters at Hogwarts and here at home, so sitting down in the professor's armchair seemed sacreligious; as if the man could somehow tell and would storm in at any moment to remove him. Instead of a dark figure swooping in at him, Harry noticed how worn in the seat and arms of the chair felt; a perfect fit to Snape.

"What'd you want to talk about?" Harry quietly asked, flipping the text over in his hands, hardly noticing its title Secrets of the Darkest Arts, by: Owle Bullock.

"How have you been?" The other Gryffindor handed him a cup of tea from the set in the table in front of them and a biscuit which Harry declined. Unlike Snape, Remus didn't hassle him about the missed food.

"I've been good," Harry told him, and for once he'd been able to speak the truth. "Classes are pretty easy, my magic is getting stronger, and yesterday was really the only sick day - outside of treatment - that I've had."

"That's great," Remus exclaimed, but he sounded nervous, more so than Harry had ever heard him. His hands were wringing in his lap with Tonks keenly watching him. Harry wondered if the full moon was close or had recently ended - he could appreciate the cyclic nature of how they would affect him - yet he felt confident the full moon had been over a week ago; Snape wouldn't allow him here otherwise.

"Everything alright?" Harry prompted. His heart started to race thinking about all the bad things Remus could be delaying telling him.

With a forced smile, the other wizard tapped his hands on the thighs, released a large breath and said, "I owe you an apology-" Harry wanted to tell him he didn't, but he shook his head before the young wizard could get a word out, "- I'm truly sorry for being so absent from your life. I can see how much you needed someone and I should have been there for you."

"It's fine," Harry sighed. Why today, of all days, did everyone feel the need to talk about this? "Seriously, Remus, you did the best you could. Can't we just move on? Start over?"

"It's not that simple, Harry," Remus started, but embracing his anger, Harry interrupted.

"But it is!" He exclaimed, "If Severus and I can get past everything, and me and Dudley can move on, it's not a big deal. What honestly do we have to figure out?" By the end, he'd been practically pleading to move on. "Between the wards on my aunt's house and being… y'know, a werewolf sometimes, there wasn't much you could do."

"I realize that," Remus sadly said. "I want us to be on better terms. After Sirius… died, I know it was hard on you and then everything with your cancer happened and we didn't get a chance to clear the air between us."

Harry closed his eyes, took a deep breath, releasing his clenched fists from around the book in the process, then opened them and said, "Consider it cleared. You helped save my life and you were my dad's best friend. We can start over."

Tonks smiled up at the older Gryffindor and patted him patronizingly on his shoulder with a whispered, "I told you'd it'd be fine."

Remus grabbed her hand, held it between his own, not taking his eyes off Harry. "We've set a wedding date, the second of May next year."

"Well, that's great," responded Harry, his hands opening wide asking what the issue seemed to be with it. "Isn't it?"

"Yes, of course. It's soon," Remus nervously smiled, "And well… I wanted to ask you if you'd be my best man."

Flustered, Harry inquisitively turned his head, "You want me to be your best man?"

"Yes," replied the older Gryffindor confidently. "That is, if you-"

"I'd be honored," Harry quickly cut in. Though he had no idea what being a best man entailed, the fact that Remus had wanted him - the one responsible for killing who would have been his best man - made him feel good; loved even.

"I'm relieved," Remus unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, a sign over how nervous he had been to ask. Did he really think Harry wouldn't want to stand next to him in support for his new marriage?

Once Remus had gotten the question out in the open, the rest of the night went much smoother. They spent the next hour catching up on missed time. Remus asked about Harry's plans after Hogwarts, agreeing with him about having plenty of time to consider his options, which lead to Tonks explaining how intense auror training had been - unfortunately, her description alone validated that even if he didn't have the magic issue, he wouldn't survive while doing chemotherapy - and the couple asked Harry all about his illness and treatments. Oddly enough, Harry found he didn't feel the slightest bit of embarrassment talking about it, even though growing up in wizarding households, neither of them had much of a clue about bone marrow, blood cells, or tablet medication. Harry boldly asked when and how they'd become a couple, not mentioning their large age gap figuring they wouldn't appreciate it being pointed out. As they went through how Tonks' persistence eventually wore Remus down and he almost grudgingly agreed to go on a date, Harry was reminded about Snape and Mae. He couldn't deny how much happier and carefree Remus appeared with Tonks, and Harry found himself smiling at the thought of Snape being able to find some kind of happiness; maybe not forever, but during this seemingly calmer time.

The more they talked, the better and more relaxed Harry began to feel. For dinner, they ordered in Chinese takeaway from the only restaurant that delivered to their area of town. Ironically, it also happened to be Snape's favorite restaurant and Harry naturally assumed it wasn't as coincidental as the professor wanted Harry to believe when he first explained the phenomenon over the summer. By the time the food arrived, the young wizard had completely forgotten any animosity held between him and Remus, along with the book he unconsciously tucked into his school bag to take back to Hogwarts, before he made his way into the kitchen to set the table for three.

~~~~SS~~~~

Severus had no idea how he could stand before the Dark Lord and blatantly tell him he'd forever be his faithful, trusted servant, a lie which could have - and on too many occasions should have - gotten him killed, and not feel nearly as nervous as he did standing in front of the brown brick flat belonging to Mae and Jessica with a bottle of wine not at all mentally prepared to have dinner with them. He didn't relate to people, especially women, and yet somehow he managed to convince himself this would be a sound idea. Closing his eyes, he flooded his mind with their first date, how Mae looked in her blue dress, her hair perfectly placed on her head. He focused on her laugh travelling through the phone line each time they had spoken and eventually his nerves began to calm. This was good; he wanted this for as long as he could have it, assuming he didn't manage to screw it up like he did everything else.

More in control of himself, the former spy walked up the drive from Hillcrest Road, under the brown brick archway leading to a small garage. The building itself looked to have two flats side-by-side, and he walked up to the plain white door with the number seven prominently placed on it. Prior to knocking, he peered at his surroundings - the side effect of being a paranoid spy for sixteen years - and, determining nothing appeared out of place, he firmly knocked on the door. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself, trying not to fidget as he heard someone clumsily running on the other side of the door. Based on the running rate of speed, Severus took a small step backwards expecting the door to fling open in his face. Luckily, the pounding of feet stopped suddenly and a small pause had him picturing the nurse fixing herself before greeting him.

"Punctual yet again," Mae's familiar voice announced from the other side of the threshold. Tonight she'd dressed casually in a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight green jumper hugging all the right curves on her body and confirming he'd dressed accordingly for the occasion. Instantly, any nerves he previously had melted away at her joking smile. "You know, if you keep showing up on time, I'm going to have to believe it's only the phone you have difficulty using."

"Good evening to you too," he offered her the bottle of wine, the one thing he had confidence in selecting for tonight. When she made no motion to let him in, he narrowed his eyes at her and asked, "Am I banished out on the porch for the evening? Though I have no qualms with dining alfresco, it may be a bit cold tonight, even for my comfort."

"Are you trying to tell me vampires don't like the cold?"

He smiled, completely unprepared for such an action and shook his head, walking carefully into the small flat when she moved away to allow him entry. Strange. Had someone asked him to describe the feeling of being willingly invited into a muggle woman's home, he'd say strange - a word no more eloquent than something Ronald Weasley would use.

The front door opened up on the ground floor into the lounge with the brown wooden staircase directly in front of him leading to the first floor. He'd be willing to bet it didn't creak randomly as his did back at Spinner's End. The rest of the ground floor could be seen from his vantage point in the entryway, to his right a door naturally leading into the kitchen, and to his left, just beyond the sitting area - consisting of a white three-person sofa, light brown coffee table, and television on the wall flushed with the staircase - was a conservatory used for their dining room, reminiscent of the one at Privet Drive. Strangely the space - certainly not the decor - resembled his home on Spinner's End combined with 4 Privet Drive, leading him to believe two bedrooms and a single bath likely resided on the first floor.

"It's lovely," Severus told Mae as she led him through the lounge towards the conservatory. The round table in the conservatory was set for three, with light blue plates and red wine glasses. On the far end, a door led out to a small fenced back garden, rare to find in a flat these days, with more grass in their fenced area than on his entire street. Without warning, Severus became hyper aware of Mae's presence beside him as she opened the bottle of wine at the table, and he felt as if the temperature in the room spiked by a hundred degrees, causing him to mindlessly push his sleeves up to his elbows, "You said your flatmate will be joining us?"

Mae gave a small laugh, "She'll be right down," and she reached in front of him to grab two of the wine glasses from the table and poured them both a glass. Handing one out for him she added, "I hope lasagna's alright for dinner. It's one of my favorites and you said you're not picky."

"Of course," he answered, filing the tidbit of information away for later, never knowing when being able to identify her favorite foods might come in handy. Taking a sip of his wine did nothing to help ease the nervous heat, and though his selection would pair perfectly with their Italian meal, he almost wished he'd brought a more refreshing white.

"So you must be the professor Mae talks so fondly of," the voice from the stairway drew Severus's attention away from the dinner table - and unfortunately, Mae - to her flatmate.

Jessica had long dark auburn hair, cascading down her back and wore an unflattering floral dress, intriguing Severus as to the choice of attire when planning to meet her roommate's latest beau. Still unwilling to die an early death by inquiring of their ages, Severus guessed Jessica to be a couple of years older than Mae, somewhere between her 34 and his 38. She had a warm smile on her face, and curiously it almost instantly dropped when he approached her to introduce himself.

"Severus," he greeted, offering her his hand to shake. When she didn't reciprocate, he amended his statement, "Severus Snape. You must be Jessica?"

Perhaps it had to do with his appearance - particularly his long hair - but whatever the cause, it couldn't be more obvious that at first glance she would not be friendly towards him. Dinner had been a confusing and strained affair, yet Severus's experience in hostile environments served him well and he handled it with ease. Rarely did he have Italian food being at the castle during the year and cooking for one - now two, however Harry's measly appetite hardly counted - and Jessica's lasagna did not disappoint. However her cold shoulder towards him throughout the meal didn't coincide with someone who would have gone through the trouble to prepare such a meal, and as time went on, the flatmate continued to be a conundrum to him.

Though her answers were short and snippy, he'd managed to learn the two muggles met through Dr Swanson at the hospital, who suggested Mae to Jessica after the latter nurse mentioned she'd been looking for a flatmate when her last one up and moved without warning. Being new to the area and her practice, Dr Swanson thought of Mae and it kicked off a seven year friendship. Despite sometimes working opposite shifts and going as long as a week without seeing one another, Severus could tell they'd become as close as sisters, and if he had any chance of continuing to court Mae, Jessica's approval was paramount; adding to the importance of identifying the cause of her consternation with him.

True to his personality, Severus held his own and by dessert, a strawberry and blueberry trifle prepared by Mae, he knew he'd have his work cut out for him in gaining over the red-headed nurse's trust. He wouldn't go as far to say Jessica didn't like him, but she definitely had reservations in regards to his relationship with Mae. Equally the silent listener and protector, she soaked in every detail he provided on his career, his hobbies - mostly reading - and his relationship with Harry, and didn't hesitate to ask the more pointed questions, obviously in an attempt to catch him in a lie. He held his own, telling as much of the truth as he could and stripping the magic from his answers as needed. Not all of their conversations were difficult, and Severus enjoyed the time spent between the pseudo-interrogations, when things felt comfortable and normal, just three people ranging from their early to late thirties highlighting how few people Severus actually conversed with like this and why Harry clung to his friends like his lifeline.

Jessica had been quiet as Severus helped clear the table to the small kitchen, not much bigger than his own, but had the significant difference of having a woman's touch to it. The oak cabinets were modern for the muggle world and matched perfectly with the golden countertop with hints of dark brown splattered throughout. Opposite of his own plain white dishes, mismatched linens, and furnishings, everything in Mae and Jessica's tied together in feminine perfection, and it all had a place within their home.

Though it was getting late, and Severus hated to think about what Lupin and Tonks were getting into back at Spinner's End, he agreed to tea before ending their night. They moved to the sitting room for evening tea with Severus and Mae on the sofa - where the professor sat comfortably in the corner with his right ankle propped on his left knee and Mae beside him, close enough to be flirtatious yet far enough to be sly about it - and Jessica pulled up a chair from the dinner table to sit in across from them. A sitcom Severus had no clue about played on the television, spurring Mae to heckle his lack of technological knowledge.

"How do you manage to survive like you're still in the Middle Ages?" Mae laughed. "You don't watch the telly, you don't go to the cinema, you don't eat out, and you only read classical literature."

"That last one is not completely true," he defended himself, shifting to sit forward on the sofa.

"Textbooks hardly count and before you argue with me on that one, you always have your nose deep in one at the clinic," she argued. "I'm all for staying on top of your area of study, but even I like a good novel and movie every now and then."

"I wouldn't have taken you as the tattoo type," Jessica randomly exclaimed, her voice laced with an accusatory distrust making Severus sneer at her. "Seems a bit… bold for a chemistry professor, especially in such a prominent location."

"I hardly think my previous life choices are any of your concern," he didn't say it nearly as angrily as he wanted to. "As for my professional life, that's between me and my headmaster."

"You are dating my best friend," she claimed, "therefore I think it earns me the right to ask."

"The right to ask, certainly," the former spy agreed, "not the right to demand an answer, or judge me for things I've come to terms with long ago."

A good minute pause elapsed when Jessica added, "I've seen it before… in the same spot too, on a pair of patients brought in only last week. In my line of work, we see gang symbols all the time and all of them mean bad news. I have to admit, though, this one was new and it seems odd to have it pop up again in my own house."

It took all of Severus's Occlumency not to react to the proclamation. Never would a former Death Eater voluntarily walk into a muggle hospital, and yet to have two at the same time couldn't be a coincidence. He wanted to do Legilimency - to see who she could possibly have been referring to - nevertheless doing so would be an unnecessary risk; there wasn't anything he could do with it anyway.

"As I've said," the professor leaned forward with his feet planted firmly on the floor and his arms - both sleeves currently pulled down - resting on his thighs, then just above an angry whisper he continued, "I owe you no explanation. Should Mae require one, she's more than welcome to inquire and I'll answer her accordingly."

"Jess," Mae finally spoke up, "drop it, alright. It's fine."

"Suit yourself, but based on the injuries we had to fix, you better get some answers," Jessica said, not attempting to hide her hostility. She stood, slammed her teacup down on the table between them, "I'll just be upstairs for the rest of the night."

Watching the nurse walk away left him with more questions than answers. What had happened with these two mysterious Death Eaters? Didn't the Prophet article mention Ash and Talpin had been arrested for trying to burn down a muggle pub? The only option he had was to get the information to Kingsley, who could work with the DMLE muggle liaison to find out whatever he could about them.

Feeling Mae's presence next to him, he rested back against the sofa with his arm draped around her. Her allowance of such a move settled his nerves, but he still watched for any reaction indicating the new information about his "gang symbol" had altered things between them.

"I should probably take my leave," he told her carefully. "Harry's… staying in our quarters tonight. He had a rough day yesterday."

"You should have said something," Mae responded, half in her normal tone, and half in her concerned nursing one.

"He's alright with this-" Severus motioned between them, then looked over to the stairs and added, "however after everything tonight, I'd understand if you wanted to walk away." He tried to ignore the painful feeling in his chest as he said the words, embarrassed for it having such an effect on him when he barely knew her. "I stand by my statement to your flatmate, if you have any questions, I'm more than willing to answer them, to help ease your mind."

"I have one," she shifted away from him and turned to face him head on, "when I first met you in the clinic, I asked you about the tattoo-" he nodded, remembering how exhausted he'd felt that day and how much he wanted her to leave him be, "- you told me it's so you never forget how young and stupid one could be as an eager teenager. Is that still true?"

The verbatim repeating of his own response back to him hit Severus hard. She'd never asked him about his Mark again, either on their first date nor on any of the numerous phone conversations they'd had. She trusted the explanation she'd been given at the clinic and he knew his answer tonight would be the foundation for their next several encounters.

"Yes," he told her, "that part of my life is one-hundred percent, completely over. I have nothing to do with this mark anymore."

She nodded and her small smile eased some of his pain. For now, things were stable. He survived to hopefully see her again. Against his insistence, Mae walked him to the door and out onto the small porch. At half past nine o'clock at night, the waning crescent moon sat high in the sky and the cold air released the tension in his chest.

"I want to apologize for Jessica's behavior tonight. I don't care what she saw, she had no right to attack you like that," Mae told him, running her arms up and down to keep herself warm. "I promise she's not always such a git."

"Well, it's a good thing it's not her I'm interested in seeing again," the admission caught Severus, himself, off guard. Things between them were changing if he'd been comfortable enough to say such a statement.

A cold breeze passed over them and Mae shivered, her light jumper not even close enough to keep her warm in the brisk fall weather. Against his better judgement, Severus reached out to her and ran his hands up and down the outside of her arms in an attempt to warm her up. Her soft smile warmed him, then before he could say a single thing, she leaned forward up on her tiptoes and placed a small kiss on his unsuspecting lips.

To be continued...
End Notes:
Coming Up Next: The Alarm

Finally, all of the pieces have been placed on the board and the next chapter gets to start moving them around!


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