Chapter 04

Disclaimer: I don't own them (except the ones I do) and make no money from this (darn!). Much thanks to GrammarPolice for her beta help and to Britpicker Extraordinaire SlytherinsHeirx.

Chapter Four

Lucius and Narcissa were astonished by the whirlwind that swept into the Manor the next morning after breakfast. Minerva McGonagall had never stepped foot onto the Malfoys' land in all the time she'd known them. Yet here she was, demanding to see Severus and Hermione.

"How did you know..." Lucius began.

"...That they were here?" she finished with a sniff. "That's easy. Severus wrote me a letter yesterday. I came as soon as I received it."

"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione was hesitant to enter the room. The Gryffindor Head of House seemed to be upset.

"Miss Granger... Hermione... how could you keep such a secret from me? Really, did you think I couldn't be trusted?"

"It's not that, Professor," Hermione said quietly. "We just didn't know who else we could trust. Harry and I trusted the Malfoys because Professor Snape was their friend and we," she indicated Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco as well as herself, "trusted Harry, because he knew Professor Snape was innocent of almost everything."

"He murdered Albus Dumbledore!" Minerva shouted.

"By Headmaster Dumbledore's express orders, Professor," Draco broke in. "The Headmaster was dying anyway."

"Yes, yes, Mr Malfoy. I understand all that. What I don't understand is how he didn't trust me to help him last year." Minerva was visibly upset, but if it was because of Severus' being alive or their mistrust in her, no one could tell.

"Draco and I were on our way upstairs with Professor Snape's breakfast," Hermione offered. "Would you like to come with us?"

"I most certainly would," Minerva huffed. "I have some things to say to that silly little boy."

Draco and Hermione grinned at each other. "'Silly little boy'?" Draco mouthed. Hermione barely stifled her giggle with a cough.

* * *

"Ah, Minerva," Severus purred when she practically stormed into his room. "It certainly does me good to know that you survived in such fine health."

Minerva glared at him. "How could you not trust me with your secret last year? I would have done something to help you."

"Do you know what the biggest problem is with Gryffindors, Draco?" Severus smirked at his godson.

"Their leaping before looking, sir?" Hermione backhanded Draco on the shoulder. He grinned at her.

"No," Severus said. "It's that they can't act."

Minerva stared daggers at him. Then she relaxed and started to smile. "All right," she said. "I'll give you that. But I still think you might have let someone else know besides that daft old bugger of a Headmaster."

"Now, Minerva, is that anyway to speak of Phineas Black?" Severus teased.

"I was speaking of the late Albus buggering Dumbledore," she laughed. "Oh, Severus, how I have missed you." She bent down and hugged him despite the fact that two of her students were still in the room.

"Miss Granger, if you would leave that tray on the table, please," Severus said, visibly uncomfortable with Minerva's uncharacteristic emotions.

"Oh! Of course, Professor." Hermione levitated the tray to the bedside table and set it down with a gentle touch. "Do you need anything else, sir?"

Severus looked over the tray. "I see I'm allowed a poached egg this morning. If you would have Netty bring another cup and some more tea, Professor McGonagall and I shall have a long overdue talk."

"I'll see to that, sir," said Draco. "Come on, Granger. We can get back to studying for our N.E.W.T.s while the professors talk."

"I guess we can quiz each other," Hermione said. "But no cheating."

"I don't cheat!"

"You did so. There's no such creature as a Crumple-Horned Snorkack and you know it."

"According to Looney Lovegood, there is."

Minerva smiled as she watched them leave the room. With a 'pop', Netty appeared with another cup and a larger pot of tea.

"Mistress says the Professor is to eat all his breakfast and not to talk so much that he loses his voice. Good morning, Headmistress."

"And good morning to you, too," Minerva observed as she acted as mother and poured tea for the two of them. "Don't worry. If he starts to get hoarse, we'll stop. I can always come again."

"Netty thanks you for that, Headmistress." The house-elf looked pointedly at the breakfast tray and Severus sighed.

Minerva reached over and placed the tray across his knees with a pat. "Here you go, Severus. Netty's mistress is obviously concerned about you eating right."

"Narcissa is a hard lady to ignore when she feels something strongly," Lucius said from the door. "You're excused for now, Netty."

"Yes, Master." The house-elf bowed and vanished.

"So what made you grace our house with your presence, Headmistress?" Lucius asked smarmily.

"I received a letter from an old friend," Minerva said, sniffing her cup of tea.

"Really?" Severus sounded disbelieving. "You still consider me a friend?"

"Of course, you silly boy," Minerva answered. "I was so angry at you last year, but I couldn't help but remember that we used to be friends. Now that I know what happened and why, I understand why you did what you did. I just wish I could tell the rest of the staff."

"Not until Mr Potter completes his latest quest, my dear Headmistress," Lucius said. "Otherwise, we might find the house full of Aurors looking to arrest Severus." He shuddered. "Dreadful creatures, Aurors. Almost as dreadful as Dementors."

"Lucius?" Severus looked pained.

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind leaving us alone? We do have quite a bit to discuss." He tried to look stern.

Lucius smirked at him. "Of course, dear boy. Wouldn't dream of intruding." As he walked out the door, he turned around. "Narcissa does expect you to eat your entire breakfast. Don't get to talking so much you forget."

Minerva waved her wand and shut the door in his face.

"How rude," Lucius commented through the wooden panel just before she placed locking and silencing spells on it.

Severus laughed. For the first time in almost twenty years, he felt as if he could be free.

* * *

"Minerva..."

"Eat your breakfast," she interrupted. "I'll do the talking for now."

Severus nodded and dutifully turned his attention to the poached egg and tea, still hot and steaming due to Netty's magic.

"Last year, when the Death Eaters took over the school, the entire staff was still in shock over Albus' death." She looked at Severus who nodded his understanding. "Then, when you assigned my Gryffindors detention with Hagrid rather than the Carrows, I began to suspect that maybe you were trying to protect the students more than those people...and I use the word lightly...would have preferred.

"There were several times that you might have allowed them to really injure someone, maybe even kill, but you always stopped it before it could go too far with a well-placed dismissive remark. That confused me. Whose side were you really on?

"When Mr Potter, Mr Weasley and Miss Granger returned to the castle, I knew you had to know they were there. Why didn't you try harder to find them? No, don't answer," she said, as he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm not finished.

"When Mr Potter came to us after the battle and explained the memories you gave him, I wasn't inclined to believe anything. Then I spoke with Albus' portrait and he confirmed that he ordered you...under an Unbreakable Oath, no less...to kill him if it came down to saving Mr Malfoy's soul. No, don't interrupt..."

Severus sipped his tea while she poured out more into her cup and took a drink.

"You were right when you asked about my suspicions. When it was pointed out that there was no portrait...which there should have been considering you were a Headmaster, if only for three terms...I began to wonder. Mr Potter had told us what happened in the Shrieking Shack, but Poppy and I couldn't find a body. We didn't know what had happened to you. Now I find that you've been here all this time." She sighed and took a drink of her now cold tea. With a grimace, she cast a Warming Charm on the cup and took another sip.

"Are you finished?" Severus asked.

"Not quite," she answered, "but I'm sure you probably didn't write to me just so I could come ring a peal over your head."

"Quite," he said with a small smirk, "although it does feel like old times again."

Minerva laughed. "I really have missed our various conversations over the years," she said.

"Is that what you called them?"

She smiled. "Well, I will admit they got rather acrimonious at times."

"I actually wrote to ask you about the Potions Honours project for Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy. Of course, they used a Muggle method in the end, but it did involve the use of magical beasts..."

"Perhaps Care of Magical Creatures could be involved," Minerva said thoughtfully, staring into space. "Hagrid would be thrilled with that idea."

"Be that as it may, do you think it would be approved by Slughorn?"

"If we approach him the right way, I think we can get it by him." Minerva pursed her lips. "Of course, since both Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy are involved, he might consider it an advantage for himself, in terms of influence."

"Horace Slughorn is the consummate Slytherin," Severus pointed out. "If there is any advantage in it for him, he will use it. Of course, you can't say anything until Potter convinces Shacklebolt and the Wizengamot that I should be pardoned."

"Severus..." she began.

"Yes?"

"If you don't receive a pardon, what will you do?"

"Are you worried about me, Minerva?"

"Of course I am," she snapped. "You've been my friend for years, Albus' machinations notwithstanding." She paused, considering. "If you do receive a full pardon, would you want to return to Hogwarts? I can offer you the DADA position..."

"I would rather teach Potions," he interrupted. "Slughorn is far too lenient on his students. I expected to learn that one of the dunderheads had managed to destroy the dungeons. Give Lupin the DADA position. He was the best of all the idiots Albus hired."

Minerva looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes.

"What? What did I say?" Severus was uncomfortable with the fact that he had made her cry.

"Remus Lupin died in the final battle," she said, wiping her eyes. "As did Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, young Colin Creevey and Fred Weasley from Gryffindor. Mr Crabbe from Slytherin was also among the casualties, but he did it to himself when he cast Fiendfyre to try and kill Harry Potter. We lost at least fifty people on our side during the battle."

"The Slytherins?"

"While some of them fought on our side, the vast majority of them left the castle. Miss Parkinson actually suggested that we accept the concessions Voldemort was offering," Minerva said coldly as she remembered the battle. "As I understand it, Mr Goyle and Mr Malfoy owe Mr Potter, Mr Weasley and Miss Granger a life-debt for rescuing them from the Fiendfyre."

"So many lives," Severus said quietly. "I can understand why some of the members of my House would suggest such a thing, but I would have thought that they would have tried to defend their home."

"As you pointed out earlier, it wouldn't have been to their advantage," Minerva said. "They were taught the tenets of their House too well, I believe.

"However," she continued, "if you receive a pardon, I, for one, would welcome you back to Hogwarts and the Potions position. I have to agree with you about Horace Slughorn. Whatever was Albus thinking?"

"I won't excuse his actions," Severus said, "but I feel he was thinking about my vow to him and how he could best utilize it." He frowned. "I don't like thinking that Mr Potter might fail to present a good case to the Wizengamot, but if he does, I suppose I can immigrate to Canada or Australia," he mused. "After all, nobody else knows I'm alive, and anywhere in Europe would be too close to England for my comfort."

"We won't think about that," Minerva said. "I'd rather think you'll be coming back to teach. Are you really going to offer Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy apprenticeships when they leave school?"

"I am sure Draco would be receptive to the idea," Severus said. "You know Miss Granger's mind better than I. What do you think?"

"I think I would prefer she apprentice with me," Minerva said with a laugh. "Filius would no doubt want her to study Charms and Septima would argue that she would do best with Arithmancy. If her N.E.W.T. scores are as high as her O.W.L.s, I believe she could set her own price in the Wizarding world."

"You may be right," Severus said. "But I will deny I ever said that if anyone asks."

"Just like a Slytherin." Minerva removed the tray from the bed and set it on the bedside table. With a barely audible "pop", it vanished, presumably because Netty sensed it was empty.

"When are you going to ask those two to be your apprentices?" Minerva asked.

"When do you expect Potter to convince Shacklebolt?" Severus countered sneeringly. "I can't move ahead with any plans until I know what my future holds. Since he has always taken the entire school year for his endeavours, I expect this will take longer. After all, he doesn't have his Brain with him to help."

"Now, Severus," Minerva protested, "that was completely uncalled for. Harry Potter is quite an intelligent young man..."

"...who depended on Hermione Granger to do his thinking for him," Severus finished. "Admit it, Minerva. The fact that Potter managed to survive six years at Hogwarts and the last year on the run was due to the fact that Miss Granger was there to think logically for him. If he was to have tried it on his own, Potter would have perished in his first year. He's far too emotional."

"I have to agree that Harry is an emotional thinker, but did you know that the Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin?"

"What?"

"Albus told me during their first year. Didn't you know that the Hat always spoke with Albus when a student could be in two or more Houses? The only reason Mr Potter ended up in Gryffindor was because he asked the Hat not to put him in Slytherin." Minerva almost laughed at the look of horror on his face. "Just think, Severus. You almost had a Potter in your House."

"Your sense of humour is sorely lacking, Minerva." Severus growled. He was about to say more when footsteps came running down the hall outside the room and someone started pounding on the door.

"Professor! Professor McGonagall?" Hermione called, her voice punching through the wards. "Harry's here. He's got news."

Minerva removed the silencing spell and unlocked the door. "Good heavens, child. What are you on about?"

"Harry's here," Hermione gulped, panting for breath. "He's..."

"You said that already, Miss Granger," Severus sneered. "What news would Potter have that could possibly concern Professor McGonagall and myself?"

"He's brought the Minister of Magic with him," Draco said from the hallway. "They're asking to talk to you, sir."

* * *