Unexpected Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own Severus Snape. No money is being made.

A/N: The revision continues. Many thanks to verity and sempra for making sure this is fit for posting.

Chapter 2: Unexpected Reunions

Severus stepped into the foyer of number twelve Grimmauld Place for the first time since Sirius Black's death. The only reason he came was for the simple fact that Dumbledore requested his presence. Normally, Snape would have been thrilled at the thought of going there and flinging into Black's face how he was risking his life for Sirius' precious brat of a godson while Black cleaned the house. Now that he was dead and gone, it hardly seemed important anymore. Dread filled him at the thought of giving up yet more of his nonexistent spare time to waste on Potter. Inwardly, Severus cringed at the thought of what foolish and pointless training he would be requested to give the arrogant little whelp this time, vowing to refuse no matter what the consequences. He opened the door to the library.

Inside, Dumbledore was speaking with a woman. Her back was to him, but he quickly guessed she must be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts mistress. He didn't even know her name, yet he despised her instantly. Their conversation ended when they heard the door close.

"Ah, Severus, how good of you to join us on such short notice," said the headmaster in greeting.

"You wished to speak to..." Severus stopped abruptly as the woman turned to face him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. No, this couldn't be happening. That person had disappeared and was assumed dead fifteen years ago. Here she was alive and well. She was a little heavier than he remembered and there were now light character lines on her face, but it could only be Callista Hawkins. Severus was seized by an impulse to sweep her into his arms and...

A twenty-three-year-old Professor Severus Snape waited outside the examination room while Callista finished giving her N.E.W.T. presentation. If it had been possible, he would have paced a groove in the stone floor. The door creaked open, and Callista walked out, her face expressionless, a by-product of the Occlumency lessons he had been giving her. Severus longed to learn every curve of the body that was hidden under those school robes.

"You had doubts?" she asked in a matched whisper, her lips grazing his jaw.

Stop it! he ordered himself. She handed you over to the Aurors. You cannot trust her.

"I believe you remember Callista Hawkins," the old man said, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

Ignoring Callista completely, he asked "You needed to see me, Headmaster?"

"We will need to rearrange the Potions and Defense courses for this year."

The statement piqued his curiosity. "Why is that, sir?"

"Severus, I would like to offer you the opportunity to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions courses for O.W.L. year and the N.E.W.T. levels," Dumbledore said, his penetrating blue gaze not wavering from the other man's face. "Professor Hawkins has more than enough qualifications to teach the beginning levels; however, after being away for so long, she does not feel comfortable enough to prepare students for their examinations."

It took the Potions professor a moment to digest the words. Did that mean starting today he would never need to watch another eleven-year-old girl cry when she failed to properly read instructions? Would he never have to mark another paper where more words were spelled incorrectly than correctly? If only this had happened five years ago, then Severus would have been spared dealing with that total incompetent, Neville Longbottom.

Snape took time to consider this option. All students who were somewhat intelligent, and an extra free period a week, as he would be teaching six classes instead of seven. Working with the Dark Arts, even if it was only teaching the defensive portion. He was sure that he would still be stuck with that insufferable know-it-all Granger, now four periods a week as opposed to two and more than likely still have to put up with Potter and Weasley. However, Snape seriously doubted that either of those two dunderheads managed to receive an outstanding in their Potions O.W.L. All in all, it might not be terrible.

"How will Miss Hawkins be able to teach eight classes?" Severus asked before snapping his mouth shut, wondering why he even pretended to care.

"Professor Hawkins will not be teaching the fourth year Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Who will be teaching it? Lupin?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Harry will be will be teaching the class under Professor Hawkins' supervision. The course will focus on practical defense."

"Potter?" Severus was dumbfounded. There had to be some sort of a mistake. "Headmaster, is this a joke? Surely that little boy..."

"Is 'uniquely qualified' to teach students how to defend themselves against Voldemort," the old man said testily, throwing Severus's words back at him.

"Utter rubbish!" he snapped.

Callista stood in front of him, clearly surprised by his outburst. "Severus, you should be very proud of Harry's accomplishment. You're a good teacher..."

"Severus," Dumbledore said gently, "there is something else we need to discuss. Harry's mark for Potions was an Exceeds Expectations, but he needs to take Potions to qualify for the Auror training program."

"So this is the catch," Severus said snidely. "Oh, yes, let's lower the standard for my class just for Potter's benefit."

"It's not just for Harry," Dumbledore snapped impatiently. "There are several other students who need will need to take N.E.W.T. level Potions for their future careers. Terrence Boot and Anthony Goldstein also wish to become Aurors. Parvati Patel, Ernie McMillian, Tracey Davidson, and Daphne Greengrass need a Potions N.E.W.T. in order to be accepted at St. Mungo's for the Healer trainee program. As you see, this will benefit other students, some of whom are Slytherins, as well as Harry." He fixed the younger man with a very stern gaze. "Think it over, Severus. I'll need your answer by the middle of the week."

Dumbledore left the two of them alone, and Severus turned on his heel to leave. Callista reached out to touch his arm, gently detaining him. He tensed at her closeness.

"I've missed you, Severus," she whispered. "I had no idea you were still at Hogwarts. I thought that perhaps you were dead by now. Being a spy carries risks, no matter whose side you're on. Professor Dumbledore told me everything, well, almost everything."

Setting his face, Severus turned to her, wincing at what he saw in her eyes now. The look made him want to forget the past, to put old hurts behind him. Suddenly, the memory of her betrayal flooded his mind, and his heart hardened. He glared down at her, his harsh features rigid. "Don't ever allow yourself to believe that Dumbledore has told you everything. Like the rest of us, you will only be given information he feels you need to know."

"I see," she said. "He told me you tried to teach Harry Occlumency without much success. To be honest, I was really surprised. You're a such a highly skilled Occlumens, and Harry is surprisingly talented."

"Potter is an arrogant, self-centered bastard like his father." He kept his tone even as he continued to stare coldly down at her.

"He's not like James or Sirius..."

"Don't you dare mention their names to me," Severus snarled, remembering the day he was suspended in the air and stripped of all dignity.

"Lily stood up for you, and he's her son as well!" Callista's eyes blazed with anger, and her jaw had set stubbornly. "You really have changed. Perhaps I should have stayed away."

"At last we agree," he said bitterly, hoping the words stung.

"Worm!" Callista snarled as she practically threw herself out the door, slamming it behind her. Outside in the hallway, the portrait of Mrs. Black began screeching in fury. Severus fell into the chair, remembering the first time he had seen her as an adult.

"Professor Blackburn, I trust you remember Severus Snape?" Dumbledore said as he took young Severus Snape around to the dungeons of Hogwarts. The young man was to begin teaching part-time in September. The classes were finishing up exams, and they were sitting in on the sixth-year Potions practical.

She smiled at them before excusing herself to return to her project. Snape watched the concentration on her face as the pale, blue vapor began to rise from her cauldron. Her hands ladled some of the liquid into a beaker to cool. There was no smugness, only passion for her work. She looked over at him again, fully aware that the young man had watched her every move. Dumbledore surveyed him over his glasses. Apparently, he had noticed Snape watching her.

He pressed his hands against his eyes. It had been so uncomplicated then. Callista had been an assignment, a means of advancing himself in the Dark Lord's eyes, and nothing more. The last thing he had ever expected was to feel for her.

Lupin walked into the room. He stood, leaning casually against the door frame, watching Severus. He looked a bit peaky. "Severus, just so you know, the meeting is about to start."

"Funny how you were sent to fetch me," he said waspishly.

Lupin stiffened at the term, a trace of the wolf lurking within reflected in his eyes. Instead he said in an overly-casual tone, "It's hard to believe Callista has been alive all this time. I'm surprised you're not more grateful to see her."

Yes, of course, Black probably would have conveyed what he had known to his faithful, furry companion. Severus rose gracefully to his feet. "I had a job to do, Lupin. I never thought about her after she left."

"You really expect anyone to believe that?" Lupin's hands were in the pockets of his well-worn robes.

"She made her choice to betray me, and I ceased to care for her existence."

"Now that is a lie," Lupin accused, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If you're finished, I believe there is an Order meeting about to commence." Severus side-stepped the other man as he exited the room.

"You're making a mistake, Severus," Lupin told him.

As he silently billowed down the hallway to the kitchen stairwell, Severus wished Lupin would keep his muzzle out of his affairs. He paused at the door to compose himself. The thought of facing Callista any time before the term started, or ever again for that matter, was not appealing at the moment.

Callista had taken a side trip to the bathroom to compose herself. Judging by Severus's reaction at seeing her, Dumbledore hadn't prepared him for the encounter. Good God, would it have been so difficult to warn Severus that she was still alive? Callista cringed, thinking about their horrible reunion. Not that she hadn't expected Severus to order Dumbledore out of the room so they could become reacquainted in private, but after all she had heard about his isolation following Voldemort's first fall, she thought maybe he would be a bit more forgiving.

If he's so cold and hateful towards everyone, Callista thought angrily, no wonder he's so despised. I refuse to waste another ounce of pity on him.

She looked at the assembled Order members in the kitchen of the old house. Earlier that evening, she had been introduced around by Professor McGonagall. Arthur Weasley had been delighted to make her acquaintance, plaguing her with questions about the Muggle world. Dear old Alastor Moody, who had known her father very well, was pleased to see her. Unfortunately, the eldest Weasley son, Emmeline Vance and Sturgis Podmore treated her with suspicion. She didn't exactly blame them, she was a stranger returned from the dead; their caution was reasonable.

"Excuse us, Callista. You haven't met Tonks yet," said Fred, or was it George, indicating a young woman with bubble-gum pink hair.

"Tonks?" Callista asked, shaking the woman's hand.

"Nymphadora Tonks," she said, smiling. "But everyone calls me just Tonks. I was Sirius's cousin."

Callista racked her brain trying to figure out the connection. Her family had been familiar with the Blacks, but she couldn't place how the name Tonks came into the picture. Thankfully it was explained to her. Callista remembered a photo she had seen at Sirius's flat shortly before her departure depicting a rather striking, young woman and a plain man playing with a bright-eyed girl whose hair changed color. They chatted for a bit until a dark figure descended the stairs.

"Well, if Snape's here, then it must be time to start," Tonks said, looking at Severus with a touch of contempt. "Don't envy you getting stuck at Hogwarts with him. Nasty bugger, but Dumbledore trusts him, so he must be all right. At least we hope he is."

Callista took a seat at the long wooden table between Remus Lupin and one of the Weasley twins. Reports were given, and Callista asked questions until Bill Weasley made a remark that shut her up for the duration of his statement. Arthur gave her an apologetic look that she returned with a fleeting smile. Kingsley Shacklebolt briefed the group on the goings on at the Ministry. Rufus Scrimgeour seemed to be taking a very proactive stance to protect both wizards and Muggles alike. Then Dumbledore nodded to Severus.

Callista turned her head slightly to focus on him. He was as thin and sallow as she remembered, yet Severus still gave off an aura of power that made her heart quicken. His voice was low and emotionless as he spoke of his most recent meeting with Voldemort.

"So he has plans to take over the Ministry?" Moody asked, his normal eye fixed on Severus's face. "But you didn't get to hear the details?"

"If I had been told, I would have passed the information to the Order immediately," replied Severus through clenched teeth.

Moody continued to watch him. "Sure you would have."

"Gentlemen," Dumbledore said with a stern glance at Moody before turning his attention to Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Perhaps the best way to prevent this action is increased vigilance of those protecting the Minister. Most likely he will have already considered the threat of assassination and will take the necessary steps for his own safety."

As they went on and on, thoroughly exploring the implications if the Ministry fell, Callista absent-mindedly turned her attention to Severus's hands.

"Try crushing it with the flat of the blade instead of chopping it," Severus instructed from behind her, as Callista labored over the shriveled pod.

Severus's voice was like a caress. "You're an excellent Potions student, Miss Hawkins, but there is much I can still teach you."

Callista yanked herself from the memory and turned her attention back to the meeting. Severus was watching her intently from his place at the table. She bit her lip, wondering if he knew what she had been thinking about just now.

"We pulled our Peruvian Darkness powder," one of the twins said, and his brother finished with, "And we'll give all Order members a special illuminator that we developed."

There was a bit more discussion before the meeting began to break up. Molly Weasley ambled about, offering food to everyone. The red-haired matron gave Callista a sharp calculating look after a private word with Bill. Callista turned her head toward the steps as Severus and Dumbledore exited the room.

Maybe the look wasn't intended for me, she thought, spearing a roasted potato on the platter in front of her.

The Weasley twin next to her grinned. "Mum's in her glory right now. She's used to cooking for a crowd. Hope you find everything to your liking."

Callista took a bite. "It's excellent."

"I'm George, just so you know which of us you're talking to," he said pleasantly. Lowering his voice to a stage whisper, he added, "I got the looks and the brains."

A giggle escaped her, and Callista took a quick sip of wine to cover it. George and his brother told her about their daring escape from Umbridge, which they assured her wasn't as romanticized as it sounded. Callista talked about her work for the university and offered to have some ingredients sent over for them to experiment with.

"Professor Hawkins." Dumbledore was next to her. "A brief word please."

"Excuse me, Gred and Forge," she said, getting to her feet.

She followed Dumbledore up the stairs. He led her to the library and closed the door behind her. His eyes twinkled at her and he said with a smile, "Severus has agreed to the arrangement of the classes. The post is yours if you still want it."

"I'll take it," Callista said without hesitation.

Later that evening, Severus Snape sat before a low burning fire at Spinner's End with an old book in his hand. With an almost loving expression on his face, he stroked the leather bound cover. Delving Into the Dark Arts was the first Dark book that he had received, at the tender age of thirteen. His uncle, aware that Severus, while deficient in aesthetics, instead possessed a keen intellect, had given it to him, saying to be sure of his loyalties. Not having many friends to encroach on his time, young Severus eagerly read the book and became enthralled by promises of power. It was small wonder that he knew more curses when he entered school than most of the seventh years. The only literature that he had ever been exposed to dealt with the Dark Arts. He wondered how it was that somehow he had managed to enter into Voldemort's inner circle while his uncle had not.

After a long time, his eyes wandered to the clock over the fireplace. It was after midnight, and he might as well turn in. After heading upstairs, he disrobed and pulled on his old gray nightshirt. He yawned and ran his fingers through his greasy hair before he settled under the blanket.

The night was so warm that he decided to take a walk along the edge of the lake. As he approached the shore, he noticed that someone else had taken up the same idea.

"James Potter and Sirius Black."

Severus woke with a start.

Another reason to hate her, he thought, lying back down; she had been friends with them.

Sleep was elusive that night, punctuated with dreams of taunts, gentle touches, and laughing blue eyes.