Chapter One: Hermione’s News

Chapter One: Hermione's News

Monday, 24 August 1998

Severus looked around the Three Broomsticks, blinking as his eyes adjusted after stepping inside out of the bright afternoon sun. There they were. Severus caught sight of Gareth McGonagall's curly chestnut head first, then he saw Hermione sitting across from him, her own thick brown hair pulled back and held with what seemed to Severus an elaborate torture device with two sticks stabbed through it. She was bent toward her companion, their foreheads seeming almost to touch, then McGonagall threw his head back and laughed, mouth open, straight, gleaming-white teeth showing, and Severus felt the piercing pain of the twins, jealousy and envy. He allowed his face to betray nothing, and as McGonagall saw him from across the room, the younger wizard beckoned to him. Severus nodded once in acknowledgement and walked over to join them.

Severus answered Hermione's smile and enthusiastic greeting with a small smile of his own...though he did not show his teeth, which were nothing like McGonagall's perfect set...and he scowled slightly at McGonagall when the latter wizard clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly fashion. He had seen McGonagall a few times over the last two months, but he had not seen Hermione since he had paid her a visit in late July. They had spoken little during that visit, really, though she had given him some advice. He had taken the advice, and that was why he was there in the Three Broomsticks that afternoon. Severus had decided to return to Hogwarts for one more year. At the end of that year, he would decide whether he would stay or not. He usually tended toward the "not." But he would teach that year and remain Minerva's Deputy, and so he had returned to the castle for the last full week of August, preparing for classes before the students arrived.

When he got Hermione's owl asking him to meet her and Gareth at the Three Broomsticks, he felt a slight twisting in his gut. She had said they had "news" for him. Not that she did, but that they did. He could only think of one thing that could mean, and he didn't like it. But she had asked him to come, and he wanted to see her. Perhaps if he had visited her again during the summer . . . at least McGonagall wasn't a dunderhead. And he wasn't Ronald Weasley.

Madam Rosmerta came over and asked Severus what he wanted to drink. Gareth had a large glass of what appeared to be lager, and Hermione had lemonade. It shouldn't be a difficult decision, Severus thought, but it seemed as though every decision he'd made in the last several weeks was difficult, and all of them had been dull, everyday decisions. It puzzled him that after surviving the Dark Lord...which he had never expected to do...such mundane decisions should seem so difficult.

Rosmerta stood, awaiting his response.

"Water. With lime."

That seemed simple enough, but Rosmerta greeted the request with a raised eyebrow as though she had heard of nothing so peculiar in her life. Then she asked what they would have to eat, and Severus froze, grateful when Hermione and McGonagall ordered first. Hermione asked for grilled salmon and the fresh fruit salad, and McGonagall requested the cold chicken plate. Rather than think about it, Severus said that he would have the same thing McGonagall was having, and hoped that it would be edible.

Severus snuck a glance at Hermione's hands. She had a new ring. A sapphire. But on her right hand, which slightly calmed his apprehension. Hermione noticed Severus looking at her ring, and she held out her hand to him.

"From my parents after I sat my NEWTs," Hermione explained.

NEWTs and OWLs had been held the week before. Anyone who had been scheduled to sit their exams the previous June had been offered the opportunity to do so then, if they wished. Any students who chose not to do the OWLs would have their admission to NEWTs level classes determined by their regular class grades; as a result, only a handful of students bothered to sit the OWLs, but there had been a surprising number of students who requested to take the NEWTs. Minerva had organised special review classes for the week prior to the exams, and most students had availed themselves of the opportunity. Hermione, however, had decided to revise on her own. Because Minerva had promised Severus that she would not disturb him with Hogwarts business over the summer, her brother Murdoch had tutored the students who took the Potions NEWT. Severus was not even bothered by that.

Severus examined the ring, taking her hand lightly in his as he did. "Very nice. A platinum setting?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "A little extravagant, I thought, but when your parents give you a present, you don't object because it's too nice. Especially not after everything else I put them through."

They spoke briefly of Hermione's parents and their transition back into their own lives. Hermione clearly did not like talking about it, though...it seemed that they were still having peculiar problems with their memories, having disturbing dreams, and occasionally experiencing curiously long bouts of déjà vu, none of which surprised Severus in the least.

"I enjoyed meeting them last week, though," McGonagall said. "I think they'll be fine once a little more time has passed."

"You met the Grangers?" Severus asked, jealousy and envy surging again.

McGonagall nodded, setting down his glass. "They invited me to dinner. Her father wants to teach me to play tennis, of all things."

Hermione laughed. "That's just because they're hoping I'll have someone to play with." She looked over at Severus. "Dad complains because I'm not keeping up with it. We always used to play together. His idea is that if he teaches Gareth to play, I'll play more frequently, but I don't think we'll have time for that kind of thing."

McGonagall shrugged. "We could probably create a tennis court at the estate. Alroy wouldn't mind, and he might even enjoy learning, then you'd have another wizard to play with."

"Or we could play mixed doubles," Hermione said, "if Rosemary wants to learn."

The food arrived just then, and Severus found that whatever appetite he might have had, had completely dissipated during the conversation. Clearly, Hermione and McGonagall were anticipating spending a lot of time together.

He looked down at his meal. The cold chicken plate consisted of three different kinds of cold sliced chicken...one portion appeared to be ordinary sliced roast chicken, one some kind of cold teriyaki chicken, and one appeared to be spicy, perhaps curried...and there was potato salad and a mixed vegetable salad on the side. McGonagall began eating with vigour. Severus picked up his knife and fork, but did not begin eating.

"Is it all right?" Hermione asked.

Severus blinked and looked up. "Yes, I am sure it is fine." He took a bite of the spicy-looking chicken and chewed.

"I am glad you could join us," Hermione said. "It feels more like a celebration with you here."

Severus's chicken became sand as he swallowed it. "Celebration?"

"Yes...oh, I can't believe I haven't mentioned it already!" Hermione's eyes shone. "I'll be nearby, living here in Hogsmeade with Gareth and his mother!"

Severus could feel the blood drain from his face.

"You're telling this backwards," Gareth pointed out, trying not to talk with his mouth full. He swallowed. "Begin at the beginning or Snape will think that I have designs on your virtue."

Hermione laughed. "You remember that I was considering an apprenticeship?"

Severus nodded. She had mentioned something of the sort in one of her letters...along with Muggle university, a year travelling abroad, spending time with her parents, getting a Muggle job, getting a wizarding job, and several other possibilities. He hadn't been able to tell from her letters whether any particular option appealed to her more. He did hope that she wouldn't leave the wizarding world, though, even temporarily.

"Well, Gareth offered to take me as an apprentice in Arithmancy, and I have accepted...or he accepted me. After Professor Dumbledore examined the contract and suggested a few changes, which we made, we signed it this morning." Hermione glowed with happiness. "I begin on the first of September!"

Severus felt more confused and conflicted emotions in that moment than he had in weeks, but he held out his hand. "Congratulations."

Hermione smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you! I'm very excited about it. I'll still be able to take some Muggle classes and train with Alroy to become an Animagus. Gareth's letting me work out a schedule so that I can do everything."

Gareth quirked a crooked grin. "Not everything, Hermione. The apprenticeship still takes precedence." He looked over at Severus. "Her schedule will be flexible, but I don't want her to take on too much at once. No Muggle courses until winter term, for example. She needs to devote herself first to the apprenticeship, then she can take on more things if she wishes."

Severus nodded. He decided that he was relieved that it was only an apprenticeship they were celebrating, and not an engagement...it would be foolish of Hermione to rush into such a thing so soon after leaving Hogwarts...but he did not like the idea of Hermione living in Hogsmeade with McGonagall and his mother. Hermione in Hogsmeade was fine...quite nice, in fact...but it was something else to have her living with that young, good-looking Arithmancer . . . and his mother. Severus still found it difficult to contemplate Gertrude Gamp in anything other than the abstract, despite her words to him after the victory dinner at the end of May. He doubted he would ever be able to look her in the eye comfortably.

The other two had begun discussing the apprenticeship, and Severus had been eating mechanically as he considered Hermione's news, scarcely tasting his food.

"Aren't you a bit young to be taking on an apprentice, McGonagall?" Severus asked suddenly.

The other wizard's eyebrows rose slightly, but he responded with good humour. "Perhaps I'm a bit younger than usual, particularly in Arithmancy, but I don't believe that Hermione would do better with any of the other Arithmancy masters she considered asking. I have considerably more experience performing complex Arithmancy on real-world problems than most Arithmancers fifteen or twenty years older than I." Gareth shrugged. "I don't believe Hermione will be handicapped in any way."

"You are requiring her to live with you?" Severus asked.

"Requiring? We hadn't considered it in those terms, Snape. It is usual for the apprentice to reside with the master; you must have done the same. Perhaps if I were on my own in a flat somewhere, we would have made other arrangements, but Mum's house is large enough, so it simply seemed sensible. And, if you are worried at all about Hermione's virtue," McGonagall said with a grin, "Mum will be there most of the time, too."

Severus could see that Hermione was blushing. "Don't be ridiculous, McGonagall. I am certain that Hermione is quite capable of looking after herself." He scowled. Just because he had been wondering about the close living conditions didn't mean that McGonagall should embarrass Hermione by mentioning it in that way.

"I am sure she is," Gareth said amiably. "Quite capable. Anyone for dessert?"

Severus returned directly to his rooms in the castle. There was another staff meeting later that afternoon, and he was once again questioning his decision to return to Hogwarts. He was unsure why he had, though Hermione's advice earlier in the summer had made sense to him. Return to teaching and, if he wished, leave later on his own terms, not merely in reaction to the end of his obligation brought about by the Dark Lord's death. He also had very few ideas of what else he might do if he did not continue at Hogwarts, and no desire to explore any of them. In the mood that had overtaken him in the weeks after Voldemort's defeat, he was certain he would only have sat at Spinner's End and done nothing.

He had not expected to live beyond the end of the war. Not only had he never made any plans for such a future, but he now felt curiously hollow and empty, as though he really had died with Nagini's bite. He did not know who he was now; perhaps there was no Severus Snape beyond the role he had played for so many years. Minerva, on those few occasions when she attempted to sway him, had told him that being at Hogwarts would give him an opportunity to rediscover himself in familiar surroundings with people near who cared for him.

He was unsure whether Minerva was right about that, but the objective part of himself knew that it had to be better than sitting at Spinner's End and decaying with the house. For all that he was envious and jealous of the relationship between Hermione and Gareth, he was glad they had included him in their lunch, and when he was truthful with himself, he was also glad that they each saw him as a friend. It was an interesting experience, to have friends of an ordinary sort, and not Death Eaters whom he was betraying or colleagues whom he could never really speak to. Not that he had any idea what he would speak to his colleagues about now, but things were different. He could feel that much. They'd been different from the moment he'd opened his eyes, wiggled his fingers and toes, and heard Poppy's soft voice telling him he was awake.

There were the usual rustling and scraping as people gathered their papers and pushed back from the table. Severus had felt rather extraneous, since he had only returned to the castle the day before and had participated in none of the planning for the year. He was still Deputy Headmaster, but Filius had apparently taken on many of his duties over the summer. But it had only been for the summer, he was fairly certain, since otherwise, surely Minerva would have said something to him about it. Filius would be a better Deputy than he was, though. He had only been made Deputy because he needed to be able to meet regularly with Minerva during the war...not to mention that it had helped secure his position with the Dark Lord. But Minerva had promised him that she would not bother him over the summer, and it was only reasonable that she should call on the other Heads of House for help. Still, she may have discovered that she would be better off with a different Deputy. It wouldn't surprise him. But unless she said something to him about it in their meeting that evening, he wouldn't say anything, either.

Amanda Teller, the previous Muggle Studies teacher, had apparently received an offer she couldn't refuse and was now the primary Muggle news correspondent for the Daily Prophet, as well as having her own weekly column on Muggle arts and entertainment. He had met the new Muggle Studies teacher that afternoon, who was also the new Head of Gryffindor, a witch named Sharon Carter. Severus had taught Sharon Carter several years before, and while she was not a complete idiot, neither had she been very good at Potions, and that was what he remembered most about her. He hoped that she actually knew something about Muggles. It would be odd having colleagues younger than he, and Carter wasn't the only one.

Sybill Trelawney had also left the staff, which surprised Severus. He had believed Hogwarts to be the only place the witch felt at home and that she had nowhere else to go, but now that the Dark Lord...Riddle, he reminded himself, even the Prophet was calling him "Riddle" now...now that he was gone, the Seer apparently felt freer to move about. Minerva hadn't said what she was doing now, and he was only mildly curious, and so he hadn't asked. The new Divination teacher was a rail-thin, giggly witch whom he had apparently been at school with, though he didn't remember her at all. She was a Hufflepuff, though, and a few years younger than he, so it was hardly surprising that he didn't remember her. There were some sensible Hufflepuffs, but the ones who weren't tended to be annoyingly . . . bubbly. Of course, he believed that Melina O'Donald was a Hufflepuff, and while she was somewhat more effusive than he normally could appreciate, she also had a sense of decorum and could exhibit proper sobriety when necessary. And somehow, even at her most cheerfully bouncy, she was only mildly annoying. This Sarah Duffy was very annoying even when all she did was smile.

Lanky and youthful-looking David Manning, the new Astronomy teacher, on the other hand, seemed acceptable, though older than he by a couple decades. His wife, Laura Walker Manning, according to his list, was to be the new librarian, though he had not yet met her. Madam Pince had, to Severus's surprise, retired early, moved in with Filch to take care of him, and they had married two weeks previously. Life was strange.

Severus hadn't yet met Olivia Ouellette, who was to be the new Transfiguration teacher. Dumbledore hadn't wanted to return to teaching Transfiguration, and believed that his last years at Hogwarts might be better spent teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Albus had apparently completely revised the Defence curriculum, and the OWLs and NEWTs committees were rewriting the exams to suit the course he had designed, which would now include written essays in the ethics of magic. The Defence NEWT would now take a full four and a half hours to complete, rather than the previous three, with two hours allotted for the ethics essays, two hours to the essays on Dark creatures, curses, and spell- and potions-use in Defence, and a half hour allotted to the practical portion, although it could take as little as fifteen minutes.

In addition to Ouellette, there were other new staff members who hadn't yet arrived at the castle, Severus thought as he picked up the full list of staff and perused it. More than half of them were new. It did not bode well for a smooth start to the new school year, since they would have a lot of preparation to do in a very short time. The new caretaker, Stan Shunpike, had fortunately been brought on in July. Severus was glad they had hired a wizard, albeit a talentless one, for that position. It seemed cruel, somehow, to have a Squib serve as caretaker for a magical school...no matter how much Filch had wanted the job initially or how determined he had been to keep it over the years, it probably hadn't been good for him.

There was to be a new assistant groundskeeper, too, a wizard named Carleton Rath. He'd been one of several groundskeepers at something called the Pertwee Project, an animal sanctuary for rare magical creatures native to the British Isles, but now he was looking for a change. Apparently he was the last of the Raths, an old pureblood family that had never allied itself with Riddle and which had suffered as a result. Rath had kept himself out of it all by essentially seeking sanctuary with the beasts for the past twenty years. Severus wondered how well the man would acclimatise to a new environment after so long living in the isolation provided by the project.

As glad as he was that Minerva had given him time to consider whether he was returning to Hogwarts or not and that she had not bothered him with Hogwarts business over the summer, Severus still wished that he had had some involvement in hiring the new staff members. But he couldn't have it both ways, and it was pointless to think any further about it.

Severus shook his head and tried to keep from glowering.

"Obviously, I can't order you to do this; it's entirely up to you, Severus, but I do think that you will be much better off if you do," Minerva said patiently. "You will have had your say, and in a relatively controlled way."

Severus did not want to give an interview to the Prophet, not even if it was to a former colleague. But Minerva did have a point: better at least to have had his say, as she put it, than only to rely on what others might say about him. He had not taken the Prophet while at Spinner's End, but since he had returned to Hogwarts, he had glanced at it the last couple mornings at breakfast. It did seem that there were some threads of distrust and scepticism beginning to emerge, although they were subtle and no one had said anything overt that he had seen.

The Prophet had begun publishing interviews with the Order of Merlin awardees beginning immediately after the second awards dinner. Daily, they printed several short interviews with holders of the Merlin, second- and third-class, and every day or two, they published one longer one with someone who had been awarded a first-class Merlin. Potter had apparently given the first interview, though Severus hadn't read it, and Albus, Minerva, and Shacklebolt had also given early interviews. Apparently, he was one of the few major awardees who hadn't yet had an interview published.

"Very well. And you will go over the permissible questions with Teller before we meet?" Severus asked, resigned.

"Yes. That's one reason why I recommended that Amanda do your interview. She also interviewed Filius, Pomona, and Alroy, so it won't be entirely strange if she is the one to interview you. And she's a fellow Slytherin." Minerva looked at Severus's unhappy expression. "I know you aren't looking forward to it, but I think that eventually you would regret it if you didn't give an interview...certainly you would later in life...and it would look rather odd now if you didn't, since no one else has declined. You don't want to appear to be hiding anything, either. It doesn't need to be a lengthy interview."

"I want to see the questions first."

"As soon as we've gone over them, I'll send you a copy. You won't be taken by surprise. If you are, tell me, and I will take Professor Teller by surprise." Minerva smirked. "I am beginning to appreciate the advantages of my position and having powerful friends."

"You're married to Dumbledore," Severus pointed out cynically.

"That's very different, and times were different, too," Minerva said stiffly.

Severus remembered what Albus had told him about being pleased that Minerva had been able to shine of her own accord and been able to step out from beneath his shadow.

"I'm sorry, Minerva. I didn't mean to imply that you used your marriage to Dumbledore for your own gain. Anyone can see that wasn't so. Just that you must know what it is like to have access to the Ministry and so forth, even if only through your observation of Albus's work over the years. And you've never been entirely without influence of your own, either."

"Hmmpf. In any case, if the Prophet prints something other than what you say or makes it sound other than you intended, they shall be hearing from me. As for the questions she may ask, it is in all our best interests that certain topics remain unexplored for a while."

"I would like to read the interviews that Teller did with Flitwick and the others. And the ones that you and Dumbledore gave," Severus added.

"I'm sure that Laura Manning could help you find the articles. Have you met her?" At Severus's shake of the head, Minerva said, "She and Davey are still getting settled in, so I told her that she could skip today's staff meeting. Davey will fill her in. It was more for the teaching staff, anyway."

"Davey?"

"David Manning, the new Astronomy teacher," Minerva clarified. "His parents actually worked for Quin. Christine, David and Laura's daughter, was in school with you, remember?"

"Vaguely." Severus sighed. "So Madam Manning..."

"She wishes to be addressed either as Laura or as Ms Manning. Or Ms Walker Manning. She's the modern witch," Minerva said, quirking a smile.

"So she's sufficiently acquainted with the library already to be of assistance and not merely be a hindrance?" Severus asked.

"Oh, yes, I should think so. And if not, this will be a good opportunity for her to become better acquainted with it. You could help each other."

"And she's so modern, but she's going by 'Manning'?" Severus asked with a frown. Married faculty members usually maintained some discretion and professionalism, and the witches, if their husbands were also on staff, almost invariably used their birth names, even if they hadn't in the past.

"Yes. I think it's a silly affectation to pretend that any married staff are not married, even when they are married to each other...perhaps especially then. Apparently, it's a practice that began in the sixteen hundreds for some reason. They had some very peculiar Governors back then, and they came up with many very strange rules and practices, some of which we have continued to follow merely for sake of tradition. This particular practice seemed pointless to me in this day and age. So she and any other married witches can go by whatever name they prefer." Minerva straightened the parchments in front of her. "This was one practice that was easy to change and didn't require anyone else's approval for me to institute. There are other traditions that I hope to change over time, too, ones that I don't think serve a positive purpose."

"Such as?" Severus asked curiously.

"I have several things in mind, some of which actually go against my own grain, given that they are customs I have lived with almost my entire life, and which I have enjoyed, but I am trying to look at everything logically and pragmatically and am putting aside my own personal preferences."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I need to think about them more before I discuss the more far-reaching changes with you, but I will talk to you before I speak with any of the other staff...except for Albus, of course. He's my sounding-board, even if he plays no official role in any of the decisions. I'd say he likely has greater opposition to my ideas than I have misgivings. But I promise I will talk to you about them at length before I speak with the rest of the staff or with the Board of Governors. But one of the changes is to the staffing schedules, and since you are in charge of that and I want to implement it immediately, I thought we could talk about that now."

Severus nodded. "You mean the schedule for curfew patrol."

"Not just curfew patrol, but also the meals. In the past, attendance was simply expected. I would like to have a schedule for the staff so that there is a rotating schedule. If someone is on the schedule to attend a meal, they arrive on time and stay until the students have left. If not, they can attend or not, as they wish, and if they do, they may leave as soon as they like. I thought six staff members per meal. We've always just assumed that there would be sufficient staff present, and there always have been, but it would be nice if those staff not assigned to attend could feel free to leave the castle or dine elsewhere. We'll no doubt have more than six present during most meals, anyway, simply because people do need to eat. I also want to have a schedule of evenings and weekend days off, rather than the ad hoc approach we have now. Not that staff couldn't still request other time off if they needed it, or trade with someone, but I think it would be nice for everyone to have more real, predictable time to themselves. Of course, for Heads of House, the situation is a bit more complicated, but as long as it's scheduled, we can adjust, I am sure. I would like you to work out the details and have a proposed schedule ready for me by . . ." Minerva thought a moment. "By Thursday, then we can present it at the Friday staff meeting. I think it will be well-received."

Severus nodded. He had never had a normal schedule, not in the last few years, anyway, and he had no real social life to speak of, but he knew that the other staff members would enjoy having more time for themselves, especially more freedom to leave the castle on a regular basis. And since Hermione was living in Hogsmeade, he could see her. With occasional evenings free, he could take her to dinner. He felt a smile creeping over his face and he quickly subdued it.

"I can do that. I'll schedule the first two weeks of September, and we can see how it goes from there," he said.

"Good. I'll see you on Thursday at two o'clock, then, and we'll go over it. But I would enjoy seeing you sooner, and not over Hogwarts business. Are you free this evening? Can you come up for drinks after dinner?"

Severus hesitated. "I'm sorry. I usually do some preparation over the summer, and I did none this year. I am afraid not."

"Tomorrow evening? Just for an hour or two. We'd love to see you. I would love to see you. I have some new photographs from our holiday...not that you want to see all of them, of course. But..."

"No, Minerva. I think not." He shifted in his chair. "I need to settle back in. Sometime soon, though."

"Thursday evening? Albus will be out that evening, and he'll be sorry to have missed you, but I am free Thursday evening after eight."

Severus sighed and nodded. "For a little while."

"Good! And you can see what I've done with the suite. I didn't spare much thought for redecorating last year, as you can imagine, doing nothing more than putting in the little kitchen, but I've made some changes. Well, we have, although it is probably more to my taste than Albus's."

"I will be here at eight-thirty, then, if that is suitable."

"Yes, yes, that's fine," Minerva agreed enthusiastically. "And with any luck, perhaps Albus will be back before you have to leave."

"Of course."

Severus still hadn't spent any time with Albus since the older wizard had visited him in the infirmary at the end of May, none that wasn't in public or in the company of several others. He knew he would have to, and that he would have to become comfortable with it, if they were to be teaching together at Hogwarts, even if just for that one year. He was resigned to that fact but unready just yet to face its reality.

Minerva stood and came around the desk as Severus rose to leave. "Have I told you how happy I am that you're back with us, Severus?" she asked warmly, placing her hand on his arm. "It just wouldn't have felt right, beginning this new school year without you. I hope that you are happy with your decision, as well."

Severus nodded shortly. He couldn't imagine what else he would be doing at that moment, except sitting in his depressing house, reheating yet another ready-meal, then throwing half of it away to eat cheese and crackers as he read, or pretended to read, some old book. He had found himself reading a lot of Muggle history recently, histories of massacres and battles, of intrigue, assassination, and treachery. It hadn't put him in any brighter mood, but he had obtained some bizarre comfort from it, nonetheless. Being back at Hogwarts gave him something more productive to do.

"It will be interesting," he stated, then hesitated. He had spoken to Gareth some about his sense of disconnection from the world and even from his own life, and with Hermione, too, on his one visit to her that summer. "I don't know if . . . if it was the right thing to do, but it seemed better than any other option. And it is good to see you again, Minerva."

"I'm glad. . . . It may be too soon to ask this, and if it is, just ignore it, but have you forgiven me? At all? A little, at least?" Minerva looked up at him with obvious concern in her eyes.

The corner of Severus's mouth twitched up in a slight smile as he looked into her eyes. "I did promise I would learn to forgive for your sake, didn't I? I hope I can always keep my promises to you. I may still be uncomfortable with it all, but you . . ." Severus shook his head and briefly touched her shoulder. "You have no worries as far as needing my forgiveness. I said it before, on that day when I went to die, you are one of the best friends I could have had, and I was not wrong when I said that."

Minerva's expression brightened with her smile. "I'm glad, Severus, more than I think you appreciate. Thank you. And if you ever need anything, if you need to talk, or rant, or break things...though hopefully nothing too difficult to fix or replace...please do feel that you can come to me."

"The trouble is," Severus said softly, "I don't even know what to rant about. But I will remember your offer."

Next

Chapter Two: An Unusual Invitation

Tuesday, 25 August 1998

Severus begins preparing for the new school year when he receives an unusual invitation by Owl Post.

Author's Note: I use the actual real world calendar when writing my RaM-verse fics, so September first does not always fall so very conveniently on a Sunday as it seems to in the books!

If you've read Death's Dominion, you may also want to read the DD one-shot, "Enter, Peacetime," which is set during and immediately after the final battle. It's available here on TPP.

It is not necessary to have read any of the other Resolving a Misunderstanding universe stories before reading A Long Vernal Season. If you haven't read Death's Dominion and you want to, though, I do recommend reading that one before this, since this is the sequel to Death's Dominion, although it's not completely necessary. Death's Dominion is a Snape-centric fic that offers an alternative sixth and seventh year. (If you haven't read Death's Dominion yet, obviously you've had a really big spoiler, knowing that Severus lives and that he didn't kill Dumbledore, but not how that comes about.)

For additional information about the RaMverse fics and about A Long Vernal Season, visit my blog (http://mmadfan.com) or my LJ.

If you're interested in an MA-rated Snape one-shot I've written that's not a part of the RaMverse, you could take a look at "Heat."