Hogwarts, 1995

Harry was far too familiar with the saying that time healed all wounds. He had been told it many times during his short life, and while he detested it, he was willing to admit that it was partly true in some ways. Four years had passed since the night they had left history behind forever; the scar on his shoulder had faded until it was only a thin line, and nightmares of McTavish no longer haunted his sleep. Despite this, he thought that a more accurate description of that familiar old saying was that time dulls all pain.

History books provided no closure for the events that Harry almost never spoke of - the things that had led up to him seeing Professor Snape cry openly. He doubted he would ever witness such a thing again despite the fact that he still saw much of his professor. They talked a lot these days, which Harry was grateful for. This had helped a lot in moving past the fear that had remained after being so haunted by danger for those short weeks in the seventeenth century. Yet, while the danger had passed, the scars, while faded, remained - some visible, some hidden. On occasion he still caught sight of the ghosts of Snape's past, the ghost of the woman they had left behind in 1613. Snape hid the pain well, but there were times when Harry could see it still. His classmates knew nothing of why Professor Snape had days where he spoke so little in class, and took almost no points. They simply thought he was in a good mood, which of course was not true in the least. Nobody else knew that he was in pain. Nobody else knew what he had lost. Unnoticed by the others, this silent understanding between Harry and Snape allowed them to grow closer. They seemed to be able to tell each other many of the things they could share with no other. It was for this reason that despite his love of living at the Burrow, and spending time with his Godfather, Harry felt that the one person he could tell anything was the man that inhabited the shadows, the man that lurked in the quiet corridors of the dungeons. It was a wonderful balance, something they had carefully maintained since Snape had confided his reason for having avoided speaking to Harry for so long during the first year they had known each other.

This was mostly why Harry's marks in potions had improved. Snape still marked just as hard, but Harry had striven to impress the man who had surprised him by taking an interest in his life once more. Of course, due to Harry's respect for Snape, he also found he listened a great deal to his lectures, which actually proved quite instructive.

One cold February afternoon found Harry, Ron and Hermione huddling close to the fires under their cauldrons as Professor Snape gave one of these lectures, albeit a short one. On that day Snape was outlining a few pointers before the class entered the second stage of brewing their potions. He was quite sternly telling them what not to do, as the potion they were attempting to brew could be disastrous if they got it wrong. Harry was carefully writing down what his professor said so as not to make any mistakes.

"Blood-Replenishing Potions are fairly easy to brew, as long as one examines the process carefully," Snape said. "The point where most mistakes occur is during the second stage of brewing, after the potion has simmered for fifteen minutes. Your potions should be done in approximately five more minutes, and so before you enter the second stage, I want you to pay particular attention to the following three steps."

The grating sound of the chalk on the board rang through the classroom as he aggressively underlined a number of words in the list of instructions that had been there since the start of the double period.

"This is the first part that you must read carefully," Snape said curtly, using the piece of chalk to tap the spot on the board that he had underlined. "After adding the crushed beetles, you must do three stirs counter clockwise, three clockwise, and then four counter clockwise. It makes more sense for it to be three, but it is in fact four. To those who lazily skim over the instructions, this is often missed."

"The second part," he continued, underlining another segment. He turned to face the class again, making sure everyone was paying attention, then proceeded. Harry dipped his quill in ink and set it to the paper again. There was the tapping sound of Snape pointing to the line as he spoke.

"This part is especially crucial, for under no circumstances should you ... should you ever ..."

Harry looked up, alarmed, wondering what had caused Snape to falter. Snape never faltered, but right now, he looked like a deer in the headlights. Then, to everyone's surprise, the chalk fell from his fingertips, cracking in two on the floor, all the intensity of the lecture gone.

"Sir?" a Slytherin asked hesitantly as whispers erupted around the classroom.

"Class ... class dismissed," Snape said, a tremor only just noticeable in his voice.

"But, our potions ..." Hermione protested.

"I said, class dismissed!" Snape spat, his voice stronger this time.

Everyone leaped to their feet upon hearing the tone of his voice, gathering their things as quickly as possible. They filed out of the room with haste, heads bent low and muttering. Harry sent Hermione and Ron forward, taking a little bit longer to pack up his things, worried about what had caused Snape to stop mid class. Harry was greatly puzzled, for Voldemort could not have called, seeing as his scar had not burned. He looked toward the door and as the last student stepped out of the room, he turned to Snape, opening his mouth to ask what had happened. He fell silent when he saw the look on Snape's face - like a shipwrecked man that had spotted a boat on the horizon. Harry looked to the end of the classroom to where Snape was staring, and saw that someone had stepped in through the door at the back of the room, which was still propped open like it had been during lesson. The woman smiled for a second, standing in the entrance of the classroom. She looked radiant despite the simple, old fashioned dress. A moment after he recognized who it was, Harry just barely dodged the whirlwind of black robes as Snape sprinted from the front of the dungeon, meeting Evelyn in the middle of the classroom where they became so wrapped up in each other's embrace that had it not been for the different colours of their clothing, it would have been difficult to figure out which person was which.

Cautiously, Harry crept through the classroom, tiptoeing toward the doorway. He paused for a moment as he left the classroom, taking one last glance at Evelyn and Professor Snape, oblivious of their surroundings as they rocked slowly on the spot in the middle of the dim classroom, holding each other like they were the only two people in the world. Hardly able to believe it, Harry quietly closed the door behind him, grinning from ear to ear. He wanted so much to talk to Evelyn, to ask her how she did it. Instead, he let them be, knowing that there would be all the time in the world for that.

So, Harry waited until evening to knock on Snape's office door. He had wanted to go earlier, but he was a little bit less oblivious than he was in first year, and he had no doubts they would want to spend some time alone for a while. He was practically dancing with excitement after dinner, however. Neither Snape nor Evelyn had showed in the Great Hall, but Harry could not blame them. The entire school had erupted in rumour, for nobody had seen Snape since he had told them to leave without class even finishing. It appeared, however, that nobody had seen Evelyn yet. Harry could only assume that she had made sure she was out of sight after appearing in the doorway briefly, so that the students did not catch a glimpse of her. Either way, Harry had been forcing himself to keep his mouth shut all day, even to Ron and Hermione. He had a feeling that Snape would not care for him to confide in them with something like this. So, they believed that Harry had gone down to visit Hagrid to ask him a question about Care of Magical Creatures.

"I thought you would show eventually," Snape said, rolling his eyes and opening the office door, but Harry noted the fact that he was smirking.

He looked better than Harry had seen him in years, and he had a spring in his step as he led Harry across the office.

"We will all talk in my quarters," said Snape. "I daresay you will have more questions than Evelyn will know what to do with, and I would prefer to be sitting comfortably."

"I can't believe she's back," Harry said excitedly as Snape pulled the book on the bookcase and it slid away. There was no time for Snape to reply to Harry's statement, for Evelyn saw them immediately and rushed over to Harry.

"You've grown so much!" she exclaimed fondly, standing in front of him and looking him over. "I didn't even realize it was you in the classroom earlier! My, you're as tall as I am now. Oh, and you've gotten so handsome too!"

Harry swelled with pride.

"Do try not to turn the boy's head," Snape said, rolling his eyes.

Evelyn laughed merrily, and gave Harry a hug, which he returned.

"It's good to see you," she said.

"It's wonderful to see you too," Harry replied. "I thought I never would again. How on earth did you manage it?"

"Well, we might as well sit down first," said Snape, and so they all moved to the table, and Snape left for a moment to go into the kitchen to start a pot of tea.

"I've told Severus a bit of it," said Evelyn, "but there is a great deal of time to account for. I won't stray from the important details."

"Go on," Harry said excitedly.

"I shall start where we last saw each other, I suppose," Evelyn said, sounding almost sad. "Well, after the explosion I did not go down the staircase and into the entrance hall. It was too crowded, so I ran to the end of the corridor to a window overlooking the Thames. I had to jump into the river to escape the building, because I was too weak from the smoke to turn into my animagus form. I have never really been able to swim, but I was lucky because Samuel Hearne had noticed that the Potioneer's Society had caught fire, and he was standing and watching the disaster. He saw me jump into the river, and he pulled me out. I was very lucky."

"How is he?" Snape asked curiously, having returned to the sitting room quickly as he had made the tea with magic. "Have you seen him since?"

"Yes, I have seen him, but it has been some time. I paid him a visit about two years ago, and he was living fairly comfortably in the countryside, selling potions," said Evelyn with a smile.

"So, he pulled you out of the river," Harry said, eager to continue with the story.

"Yes," said Evelyn. "Samuel had to run because the other Potioneer's Society members recognized him, and thought that he had started the fire as a means to sabotage them. I was left by myself, and I was about to apparate back to the house when I realized that my wand was gone. It must have fallen out of my pocket in the river. So I had to run back to the house, because I still did not have the strength to become my animagus form."

"The smoke, right?" Harry said. "I could barely breathe for ages."

"Yes," Evelyn said, taking the cup of tea that Snape had poured. Harry took his too with a small thank you, and then turned his attention back to Evelyn.

"Then, I arrived at the house," said Evelyn, trembling a little. She reached into a bag near her feet that Harry had not noticed. She pulled from it a piece of parchment, crinkled with age. "I found the note."

Snape looked at it sharply.

"You still have it?" he said, shocked.

"Well, yes," she said quietly to him, looking intently into his eyes. "It was my only proof you were still alive, my only hope, really."

Harry squirmed slightly at the look the two shared, and as Snape took Evelyn's hand.

"So you found the note," he said hastily, and the two came to their senses.

"Yes," she said. "I ... I did not know what to do. I spent the night, and then I packed up whatever I could, and I left. I still had Ellery's wand at the house, so I began to use it as my own. I travelled around for about a year, trying every chance I got to recreate the powder that Ellery made for travelling through time. He had instructed me how to make it to bring you two back, as his magic was taken, but I could only remember bits and pieces, which I wrote down right away so I did not forget further. It had taken us a little while even then to get it right, because he did not still have the notes he made the first time he did it. We only managed to find his supplies for inventing when we went back for them before he was kidnapped. We thought at the time that his notes had been taken by mice and used for nesting, but at that point it did not bother him too much, because he still remembered most of what he did, and he did not think he would need them again."

"So how did you figure it out?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well," said Evelyn thoughtfully, "I did not for the longest time. After travelling a year, I settled in for five more years -"

"Hang on, it's only been ... I think a little more than three years since you've been gone," Harry said, confused. "I was almost twelve the last time we saw you, and I'm fifteen now, so how could you have lived six years since?"

"That I will explain a little later, Harry," said Evelyn with a chuckle. "Time travel is not perfect. Anyway, I lived for five years at Cambridge University. They needed someone to assist the Librarian in the Parker Library, in exchange for a room and meals. I am very lucky that I got the position. You see, I had heard a rumour that they had a magical section that was only accessible to those who were magical themselves."

"And did they?" Snape asked, surprised, and quite intrigued.

"Oh yes," said Evelyn excitedly. "A whole room, with shelves as high as you could see! Surprisingly enough, a lot of the muggle subjects were useful to Wizards who wanted to become more educated, and naturally, they formed little societies and started up the collection of books years and years ago. Is the University still there?"

"Of course it is," Snape said. "It is very well known now. I wonder if the wizarding library is as well."

"Probably," said Evelyn. "There were enchantments to keep anyone from taking books with the intent of stealing them. It was quite well thought out, you know. I searched through as many books as I could, hoping to find something on time travel, which was why I came in the first place. I did not find anything like what Ellery managed, but some of it was a little bit helpful. All of it sure made me appreciate just how brilliant he was. I have never met anyone as smart as him."

"Dumbledore might be," said Snape. "You will like him. He is a fair bit like Ellery. It is a bit uncanny, actually. He is the headmaster here, and he says he wants to meet you. I told him of your arrival by mail a little earlier. We can trust him."

"I look forward to meeting him," said Evelyn cheerfully before continuing with the story. "Anyway, I realized that there was nothing in the library to help me. Attempt after attempt of mine failed to make the powder. It did not make things disappear properly like Ellery described to me, and it was showing none of the characteristics of his time travel powder. So I left the University, and I suppose I was feeling reckless, because after a month of travelling from place to place I found myself walking along the road to the cave that used to be our hide-out in Scotland, back during the witch trials. I pulled up the trapdoor, and I went down. It was deserted, of course, and I spent the night there."

Evelyn sighed heavily, and she paused for a moment.

"All I could think of was you two," she said softly, "and Ellery. I was ready to give up that night, just board a ship and go somewhere, anywhere, hoping that by chance I would end up someplace that felt like home again.

"I couldn't stay in the cave long. It was absolutely foolish of me to return there, which I knew, and by morning I came to my senses, so I packed up. And then, when I was leaving, I saw something in the cave," Evelyn muttered. "I couldn't believe it. It was one of those doxies that Ellery had once told us about, the ones that glowed purple. I thought he had gone crazy from being in hiding so long, back when he said that."

"I saw them too," said Harry, perking up. "I followed one out of a shaft in the cave, and that was how I got caught by the witch hunters."

"Is that why you wandered off, you foolish child!" Snape spat, setting his teacup down with a clatter. "I swear -"

"I was eleven," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, if I hadn't wandered off, and Evelyn hadn't saved us, then you may never have gotten yourself a girlfriend!"

Snape spluttered slightly, and Harry and Evelyn laughed at his expression.

"Alright, alright, on with the story," Snape said stiffly, snatching his tea up and taking a sip.

"Well, if you've seen those doxies, Harry, then you know that they glow really, really brightly," said Evelyn with a small smile. "It was dark in the cave, so of course I saw it right away. I couldn't believe my eyes, but I followed it a little while, and I watched it go up a shaft, probably the one you climbed through. But then, in the light, I noticed something nearby. It was one of Ellery's inventing things. It was just a round wooden box. He had a lot of little objects collected together in his box of inventing things so he always had things to do enchantments on. Mostly his inventing supplies consisted of little tools he'd made himself, and notes on various projects. I never really thought to be suspicious that the time travel notes were missing from his box, as a few other things were missing too. But as I looked at the little wood box, I realized it was at the wrong end of the cave. When we went back to get his inventing things, they were far away from the shaft, where he always kept them. It was because of this that it occurred to me that Ellery's things must have been searched through when McTavish and his men came and raided the cave and captured everyone hiding out there."

"McTavish!" Harry said suddenly, and Snape's eyes narrowed at the name.

"That's what I thought too," Evelyn said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Blaine McTavish was just the kind of person who would be interested in that sort of thing. I bet that he would have wanted to go back in time to save his daughter, before she was killed. I did not know if I was right, but I was desperate, and I thought that with those notes being so clearly filled with magical writings, he would not have dared leave them out in the open, because that would have easily pointed to him being a wizard. Thus, he would have hidden the notes. The idea consumed me, and after a little while I knew exactly where he would have hidden them too. Back before he went mad, I used to visit him sometimes at his farm, and his wife had this nice old trunk that he had carved for her for Christmas. We used to be friends, back then. Everyone was welcome in his home, the whole lot of us, before it all." She said this part sadly as she looked down at her hands, her eyebrows gently crinkled. "Anyway, he asked me for some feedback on the trunk, to get a woman's opinions on his idea for the carving on the lid. While I was there, he showed me how there was a magically concealed false bottom that could only be opened by a spell, so that they could hide whatever might make the muggles suspect them for anything, because he had a fair few muggle friends too. He was very excited about it. It was quite clever, and after some thought, I decided to go into town to take a peek around his old home when I had the chance."

"Wouldn't he have given his things to his brother when he died?" Snape said, puzzled. "If James McTavish had the chest, then it would have been in the Potioneer's Society, right? We didn't burn it, did we?"

"At first, I thought that too, Severus," said Evelyn with a slight smile about her lips. "Until, of course, I recalled that James McTavish was rich. Very, rich, and Blaine gave up any money that he would have had being the eldest, as well as any chance he had to look after the family estate. Instead, he conceded to his wife's wish for their children to be raised where she grew up, meaning James got the fortune and the land. He didn't need that trunk, nor any of Blaine's things. But his wife had a sister, who was a muggle, and lived in town in an old run down shack. She was quite poor, and Blaine, however sick and twisted he was, cared a great deal about her. When I was hidden nearby, observing his old home, sure enough, her family was living in it, which meant he must have left it to her. I was willing to bet that she had her sister's trunk too, and she knew nothing of the secret hiding spot in it, because she wasn't magical."

"So you broke in, right?" Harry said, breathlessly.

"When they went to church on Sunday, I broke in, yes," said Evelyn gravely, "and I found the trunk. I opened it like I had seen McTavish do years before, and sure enough, a whole pile of his things were still in there. The notes included, thankfully. They were the only things of real value to me in there, and so I took only them, and left for a quiet place to remake the experiment.

"It took me a few months to do it with the help of the notes. It was tricky, even with instruction. You see, the original powder was enchanted so that that it would return whatever it brought back in time to the point of origin when it was supposed to. The problem was that I only wanted to go one way. I did not want to return to my point of origin, and wanted to remain in the future. So, I had to charm it a little differently, a lot like what Ellery and I did the second time the powder was made for you two, what with the return powder being separate. But as I said earlier, I could not recall all of that.

"Now, in his first attempt Ellery had wanted to accomplish the time travel by sending the sphere into the future first, to bring someone of advanced magical knowledge back. He later decided that it would work the same way if it went through time naturally, because once it was found the person would be brought back instantly to us, so he dropped that idea halfway through. He still had notes on how he was going to send the sphere to the future, and this powder would work on its own, because it was to be separate from the mixture of powder within the sphere. I was able to figure it out after a few months, comparing his initial attempt to the notes on his successful invention. I did one large batch of powder, and split it into two doses. One I saved in a charmed phial so it could not activate and I could use it if it worked, and the other I one I tested. It exhibited the correct signs that Ellery described when he first tested his powder. I performed the same test, and the results were identical."

"How did he test it?" Snape asked curiously.

"Well, he covered a squirrel in the powder," said Evelyn, holding back a laugh. "Then he observed it disappearing, and then waited for it to return. It came back about a minute after it disappeared, because the charm that recorded the time was not completely perfect, but it worked."

"Did yours come back?" Harry asked.

"Well, no," said Evelyn, looking slightly nervous at the thought. "I caught a mouse and used the powder on it, and it showed the same signs as Ellery's squirrel, but I knew it would not come back because I did not create the return powder. I did not know if it was sent to the time I charmed it to, but I did know it went somewhere."

"You mean you took that big of a risk?" Snape said, flabbergasted. "Why?"

"Why not?" Evelyn said, trembling slightly, her words shaking further the more she spoke. "Severus, it had been years at that point. Six whole years, and a part of me hoped that I would forget about you, but I never could."

"Me neither," muttered Snape back, and Harry took an intense interest in his teacup. The two seemed to notice his discomfort when he started to hum to himself.

"But how did you know what year to come to?" Harry asked now that Snape and Evelyn had remembered his presence.

"Precisely what I was wondering," said Snape, his brow furrowed. "I think I might have mentioned once what year we came from, perhaps, but I am not sure."

"Maybe you did," said Evelyn, "but after that long, I could not remember."

"How then -" Snape began, flabbergasted.

Evelyn grinned so suddenly it was alarming, and then reached down to the little bag at her feet.

"You forgot something," she said cheekily, holding up a book.

Harry and Snape looked at each other, both unable to hold back the sudden laughter, for Evelyn was holding up a very familiar library book.

"Madam Pince will be pleased," Harry said.

"I wonder if she will give back those three galleons," Snape snorted, then briefly explained Madam Pince's visit to Evelyn.

"Well, it is a good thing you left it," said Evelyn gratefully when he finished. "I looked at the date on the sign-out card. I should have thought of that earlier, because we used a similar system in the Parker Library, but the book brought back too many bad memories so I hadn't opened it up since I last saw you two, though I kept it anyway."

"So why didn't you come back to 1991?" Snape asked. "That was when Harry took the book out."

"Well," said Evelyn with a frown, "I thought that I came back to the year you two left from, until you told me how long it had been, Severus. You may have noticed that the pages of the book are rippling slightly. It's taken some water damage, so the dates were smudged on the card. I thought it said 1995 because the ink had run badly. I think it might have gotten wet from that damned roof back in London." She scowled heavily. "Although, I was positive that we kept it in a place where the roof didn't leak, but I guess not."

Snape groaned suddenly, putting his face in his hands. He looked up at Harry, and in an instant Harry realized what Snape was thinking.

"Your rucksack!" Harry said.

"My rucksack," Snape said, looking ready to kick himself. "It was raining when we arrived in London, remember? My rucksack needed a new waterproofing charm. The bread got soaked, and so did the book. I am so, so sorry Evelyn."

"I am not angry," she said. "How on earth could you have foreseen that?"

"I guess you are right," he said with a sigh. "I just wish I had remembered that stupid charm. If I had, perhaps things would have turned out differently."

She squeezed his hand gently, and he let the matter rest, though Harry could tell he was beating himself up over it.

"Once I used the powder I set out trying to find out if it worked," said Evelyn after a moment or two. "I did not know if it did for some time because I made sure to use it in a remote location, where there would not be any buildings so I did not accidentally get stuck inside a wall, or something ridiculous like that. I walked into a city, and wow, did it look strange! You two will have to tell me all that's changed. I was only in the city long enough to ask someone the date." Evelyn giggled for a second, to Harry and Snape's amusement. "The person I asked couldn't figure out why I started crying out of happiness. I think it did not help that I asked them what year it was, which sounds crazy no matter who asks it. But, as soon as I found an empty alley I transformed into my animagus form and flew to Hogwarts. I didn't see anyone, oddly enough when I came into the Entrance Hall. I wandered around a little until I walked straight through a ghost. Gave me a nasty shock. He introduced himself to me, because he could tell I was not from around here. He had a terribly long name ..."

"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington?" said Harry, amused.

"Yes," said Evelyn, surprised.

"He always introduces himself that way," Harry told her fondly. "He doesn't mind being called Nick; just don't call him Nearly-Headless Nick."

"Why would I call him that?" Evelyn asked, bewildered.

"Well, he is nearly headless, obviously," said Snape as though it was the most ordinary thing in the world. Evelyn looked at him, confused. He frowned slightly after a moment. "Right, sorry. I have lived her most of my life, so I tend to forget others do not know the story. He was supposed to have his head chopped off but the executioner did a bad job. When he died it was still hanging in there, though just barely, so he wears a large ruff to keep it up."

"You two really need to fill me in on everything around here," said Evelyn, in amused wonder. "Well, nearly headless or not, Nick led me down to your classroom. He left to go elsewhere once he had showed me the door, but he seemed rather amazed that a woman would be coming to visit you."

"Well, no doubt everyone else in the castle will be shocked to the core when they find out about the two of us," Snape said, rolling his eyes. "They all think I'm a reclusive vampire, or something of that nature."

"No, no, everyone is convinced you can turn into bat," Harry corrected him with a smirk. "Only the first years think you're a vampire. They usually do until they realize that you don't have the teeth for it."

"Thank you for clarifying, Mr. Potter," Snape drawled in his teaching voice.

Harry and Evelyn laughed at this.

"So, when are you introducing me?" Evelyn said, still chuckling.

"There might be a widespread incidence of cardiac arrest if I go up in front of the school and introduce you that way," said Snape. "How about we tell one person at a time, as they ask. What about we say that you lived out in the countryside, and went abroad for school?"

"Sounds good to me," said Evelyn cheerfully.

"Although, we can tell Dumbledore the truth," said Snape, glancing at his watch. "I told him we would go and meet him soon, so I am afraid that you are going to have to leave, Harry."

"Alright," he said with a shrug. "It was great to see you, Evelyn. I trust you'll be around?"

"I think so," said Evelyn with a smile.

"There's bound to be something you can do around here," said Severus. "It seems like we are always short of staff. But whatever you do, Evelyn, do not take the Defense against the Dark Arts position. It's cursed. Nobody lasts more than a year."

"Cursed? Well, in that case, maybe I can help this evil Madam Pince," said Evelyn with a laugh as they followed Harry out the door. "I am sure she could use a hand, and my library experience might help."

"Actually ... that's not a bad idea," muttered Snape. "Pince is old as the hills too. She's bound to retire soon ... or croak."

Harry snorted with laughter, leaning up against the wall of Snape's office as Evelyn made to open the door out into the corridor.

"Repeat that and you will be writing lines until your hand falls off," Snape said sternly.

"Yes, sir," Harry said breathlessly as he followed them out into the corridor. He walked with them until he had to turn for Gryffindor tower.

He rather wished he could keep walking with them, as he was enjoying the hilarious looks students had on their faces when they saw Evelyn and Snape walking side by side, Evelyn hanging onto Snape's arm as he told her all about the castle. Harry said a quiet goodbye to them, and went up to the Gryffindor Common room to mull over the day's events. He told Ron and Hermione all about what happened under the cover of Fred and George's noisy demonstrations of their skiving snack boxes, leaving out the part about Snape and Evelyn falling for each other. He did not particularly want to discuss that turn of events, because he had a feeling that it would be pretty awkward. They talked until darkness fell, and then they all went to bed.

As Harry put his pyjamas on he was surprised by the sound of a tap on his window, and he opened it to see a great horned owl fluttering outside his window. He recognized it as Snape's, and he let it in. It dropped a small note on his pillow before fluttering out the window again. Harry ripped open the note, and Ron paused in taking his socks off to watch.

Harry was surprised to see that the note was in Evelyn's writing.

Dear Harry,

Severus and I just met with Dumbledore, and he liked the idea for me to help out in the Library, but he had a different thought on what I could do around the castle. He said that Professor Binns recently mentioned that he wants to settle down a little bit, seeing as he's been teaching for at least a hundred years. So, after Christmas I get to take over his position! Dumbledore even agreed to add a section to the fifth and sixth year curriculums on the Potioneer's Society, and wizarding customs in the 1600s! He said he thought teaching history would be a great way for me to get familiar with what has happened in the last few centuries, as well as breathe some life into the subject at the same time. So I guess I will be studying a lot, but I always wanted to be an academic. I was home schooled, so I never got to go to Hogwarts in my day. I hope you are as excited as I am. Severus thinks you will be, having also had Professor Binns as a teacher once. Was he that boring of a teacher, or is Severus exaggerating?

All the best,

Evelyn

P.S. Of course, that's Professor Llewellyn to you now!

"What's it say?" Ron asked curiously.

"Ron, History of Magic just got a whole lot more interesting," he said. "Guess who's retiring."

A few minutes later there was a pounding on the door. Harry opened it, and Hermione stood in the doorway wearing her dressing gown, her hands on her hips.

"What on earth are all of you celebrating?" she asked as she glanced around the room, Seamus, Dean and Neville having heard the news as well. "I heard Ron shouting all the way from the girls' dorm."

"Binns is going to be gone after Christmas!" Ron said, looking positively euphoric. "He's retiring!"

"Well, you shouldn't be acting this way about it," said Hermione. "It is rude to Professor Binns."

"Come on, tell me you aren't excited?" Harry said, grinning. "It'll be nice to have a new Professor. She's even an expert on medieval wizarding customs. Admit it, it'll be interesting!"

"Alright, I agree with you," Hermione said reluctantly, "but that's beside the point."

"And that point being?" Ron said still grinning.

"Oh, you are impossible, Ron Weasley," she said airily. "But you do know what this means, don't you?"

"What?" Ron asked, confused. The other boys fell silent, intrigued.

"If Binns isn't putting everyone to sleep you're going to have to learn to take your own notes now," Hermione said, amused.

Ron spluttered, eyes wide with shock.

Seamus and Dean collapsed in laughter at the look on his face. Harry and Neville followed suit, and Hermione cheerfully said goodnight before shutting the door with a snap.

Ron looked at Harry once the laughter calmed down, and then said under his breath to Harry, "Well, there has to be a bright side to this. Is she pretty, at least?"

"Yeah," Harry said quietly, shrugging. He grinned. "But she's taken."

"By who?" Ron asked curiously, his voice low.

Harry grinned, but shook his head.

"Come on Harry, tell me!" Ron said, intrigued by Harry's response to his question.

"Let me just say you'll get a hundred detentions and lose Gryffindor the House cup if you even so much as wink at Evelyn."

"Hang on ... you don't mean -" Ron spluttered, looking horrified.

Harry stifled a laugh and shut the hangings on his bed, flopping down on the mattress and holding his hand over his mouth as he listened Ron's continued exclamations nearby.

"What are you going on about, Ron?" asked Neville sleepily.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you," Ron grumbled before snuffing out the candle by his bed, plunging the area into darkness.

"If you say so, then," Neville muttered back, exasperated.

Harry grinned, then closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, content. If someone had asked him yesterday if he thought that Evelyn's would return, he probably would have said no. However, he had never been happier in his life to be wrong. Sleepily, he smiled to himself, and the last thing he thought before he went to sleep was that perhaps, time did heal some wounds.