Distress Signals

by Slytherin99

Some schoolgirl crushes can't be discouraged. Especially when the student is a Hufflepuff who might better have been sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin...Mostly post DH, AU, Snape/OC. Rated M for safety.

1. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~

September, 1996~

A thunderous boom rolled through the potions classroom, complete with a stifling cloud of acrid, black smoke. Like a thundercloud, Professor Snape descended on the hapless Hufflepuff in the front row of his classroom. The girl cringed under his withering glare, her rosy cheeks smudged now with oily soot, even her auburn hair-with PINK highlights, Snape thought angrily-now blackened after the explosion. I need to speak to her head of house about that hair, he fumed inwardly. Dying her hair outlandish colors, carelessly tying her ties, leaving her robes unbuttoned nearly to her waist…totally unacceptable behavior.

"Miss Dunham," He sneered down at her, "would you explain why you are trying to cause more problems in my classroom than Neville Longbottom?"

He cast a wandless spell to dissipate the acrid smoke as he towered over her. Her lips trembling, hell, her whole body shaking as she shrunk before him on her stool, he fully expected her to bolt from the room at any moment like a frightened fawn.

Hufflepuffs, Merlin preserve us from them, he thought.

"I wanted you to notice me, Sir." She said defiantly, as she stood up, and then walked-not ran-from the room.

The students sitting near her had moved away from the disaster, with two of them coughing violently. Timothy Phelps was on his hands and knees, decorating the floor with his breakfast. With a grimace, Snape vanished the vomit, and then swiftly went into the hallway, quickly catching up with Teagan Dunam.

"You have succeeded in getting my attention, Miss Dunham," He sneered, moving to block her escape. "I'm quite sure that you'll enjoy…detention with Filch, for three evenings."

"No, I haven't." She sobbed, trembling as she looked up at him. "I'll never have your attention, not the way I want it."

With that, she darted past him, into the Slytherin girl's loo.

Snape suddenly found himself very much in need of a large glass of firewhisky. Adolescent girls may be the death of me, he thought grimly.

oOo

Teagan was still trembling from her confrontation with the fearsome potions master, weeping with frustration as she scrubbed at her face and hair with a flannel covered with suds. For some reason, her casting Scourgify hardly removed any of the oily, now sticky soot that covered her from the waist up. She figured her robes were a total loss, since the explosion had scorched a huge hole in her right sleeve when she dropped the crushed-not minced-tiger lily root into her cauldron. Her hair was the worst; she feared she would have to cut it.

She sighed heavily, putting her forehead against the cool stone wall. Six months of efforts and careful planning, all with the intent of somehow getting the attention of the most dreaded professor at Hogwarts, for naught. It had taken careful research and preparation to determine the best combination of ingredients for her little 'show', as well having to wait until Professor Snape decided to finally allow the class to attempt making blood-replenishment potion.

All that effort, wasted. She sighed, rubbing her eyes.

I just wanted him to see me as something more than an annoying student. She sighed, wiping at her tears with her sooty robe, then frowning in dismay as she caught her reflection in the mirror, a black smudge on her cheek.

Crap, now I have to wash my face again, she sighed in frustration.

With a start, she realized where she was. The Slytherin girl's loo, just down the hall from the Potions classroom. Near Snape's personal living quarters. A guilty blush spread up her neck to cover her face, leading her to hide behind her hands. I shouldn't do this again, she thought. I really shouldn't. As a moth drawn to a flame, she walked past the lavatories, to the linen closet door. Her knees weak, she watched her own hand slowly open the door, the scent of fresh towels coming to her nose as she stepped into the small room.

I'm so weak. I shouldn't do this again.

I shouldn't.

It's wrong.

With a shudder, she drew her wand and quietly tapped out a pattern on the stone. With a low grating sound, the stones shifted out of the way, revealing a dark passageway.

oOo

~Six months ago~

She had dreamed about it many times before she understood that it was the castle itself, telling her, hell, INSISTING that she go there. Time and again in her dreams, she had gone through the door, tapped out the pattern with her wand, and then entered the dark corridor within the stone walls behind the girl's bathroom near the Potions classroom. For many months, Teagan had simply dismissed it as an overly active imagination, but after four months of having the same dream every night she could no longer ignore it.

Tonight, it was not a dream, but for real. Disillusioning herself, she had stealthily crept through the corridors and down to the dungeons. After a close call with Filch and Mrs. Norris, she had finally made it to the Slytherin girl's loo, checking it carefully for occupants before she went in. Her nerves on edge, she quickly walked to the linen closet and went in, carefully closing the door behind herself.

"Lumos." She whispered, lighting a faint light on her wand, and then tapping the pattern she'd learned in her dream on the stones in the wall to open the door to the secret passage. The stones moved aside with a faint grating sound that made her cringe, certain that she would be caught. After a moment, a dark passageway was revealed. Swallowing nervously, she gathered her courage and entered, her wand held out before her to light the way.

After a short distance, and a few turns, there were blocks of softly glowing stone lighting the way. Oddly enough, there was little dust, and none of the cobwebs one might expect in a secret passageway. All of this only added to Teagan's feelings of unease as she made her way down the corridor, her wand at the ready.

It's well maintained, as if the house elves clean it on a regular basis, she thought as she made her way down the dimly lit corridor. But why is it here? Why have I been led here?

She was surprised to turn a corner and find a padded stool sitting in front of some sort of eyepiece that was protruding from the wall. Curious, she leaned over and looked into the eyepiece, frowning slightly.

Abruptly she jerked away from the eyepiece, blushing furiously.

Oh dear gods. She thought, her heart hammering rapidly in her chest, suddenly feeling a bit faint.

Professor Snape was slumped in a chair in what appeared to be his private sitting room, his head cradled in his hands. Teagan held her breath as he sat back up, picked up a glass of amber liquid-firewhiskey, she guessed-and took a deep swig, grimacing at the bitter burn of the alcohol.

"Damned students will be the death of me." He grumbled loudly in Teagan's delicate ears, causing her to screech in panic as she stumbled back from the eyepiece, dropping her wand and knocking over the stool with a clatter that seemed deafening in the narrow stone corridor. Frozen in terror, her heart pounding madly in her chest, she fully expected the dreaded potions master to blast a gaping hole in the wall to find the source of the noise.

But nothing happened. Cautiously, she retrieved her wand and got up from the floor. Gathering what remained of her courage, she peered through the eyepiece again.

Snape was still sitting in his chair, mumbling to himself and nursing his firewhiskey. She turned and looked at the stool, still lying on the stone floor. Slowly she realized what was going on.

He can't hear me, she thought, looking around herself once again. What is this place?

Careful not to bump the stool and knock it over again, she moved down the corridor further, finding another stool and another eyepiece set into the wall. In the dim light of the passageway, she could see yet another stool with another eyepiece in the wall, and suddenly felt an odd mixture of weakness and-surprisingly-anger.

His bedroom. The next eyepiece showed his bathroom. Merlin, she thought, if he were showering, you could see…everything.

She jerked her eyes away from the eyepiece, blushing furiously, quite acutely aware of a familiar warmth spreading through her abdomen.

Someone was-or had been-spying on Snape in his private quarters, she realized as her anger momentarily surged higher than her fear of being caught. But who?

With a wave of her wand, she whispered "Magica revelio."

Suddenly, bright and familiar lines of magic were visible, most of which she recognized. What amazed her was the intricacy of the charms and spells. Silencing charms lay in depth on all sides of the passage. Cushioning charms on the stools. An amplification charm on the eyepieces, and she thought to herself, I really do need to figure how to turn the volume down.

Turn the volume down? Teagan shook her head with a sigh.

That won't be necessary. I won't be coming back down here. She thought, quietly making her way back to the linen closet, alert for signs of Slytherin girls. After all, she was, essentially, a Hufflepuff trespassing on enemy territory.

oOo

She despised herself for her own weakness. She had gone to bed only to toss and turn fitfully until nearly two in the morning. As if she were dreaming, she found herself again in the linen closet in the Slytherin girls' loo, tapping out the pattern on the stones, her slippers whispering down the dim corridor toward the second of the eyepieces. As if she were expected, the stool silently slid out for her to sit, then raised itself so she could comfortably see though the eyepiece.

Teagan found herself looking into his bedroom. There were no lamps or candles lit, but the magic of the eyepiece allowed her to see clearly. Professor Snape lay in his bed, but not easily. Clad in black silk sleeping pants and shirt, his legs snarled in the sheets, he looked nothing like a sleeper in repose. A muffled sound, audible to her ears, made her frown and reach up to the eyepiece. Somehow, it understood what was needed, increasing the volume. She gasped in shock.

Professor Snape was weeping. Not loudly, but not silently, either. Unintelligible mutterings, strangled sobs that rent Teagan's heart to hear them. The weeping of someone with no hope left at all.

Teagan sat for a long time in the corridor on the stool, tears streaming down her cheeks, deeply ashamed of herself. She did not look though the eyepiece again that night.

oOo

After a close call with Filch, Teagan finally was able to get back to her room. With a sigh, she pulled her covers over her head. It was four in the morning, and she was certain it would be an absolutely horrible day. Especially since her last class was double Potions. Groaning, she burrowed further under the covers, dreading the morn.

She started off on the wrong foot when she overslept and missed breakfast. Somehow, Teagan was able to snatch a piece of cold toast on the way to Transfiguration, making it just in time to her seat before Professor McGonagall turned from the blackboard to start counting those who were tardy. Minerva frowned at her favorite pupil. Something just wasn't right with the girl. Her hair was a mess, bread crumbs on the front of her robe, her dress shirt under her robe wasn't buttoned right, and she looked completely exhausted.

"Miss Dunham, may I speak for you in the hall for a moment?"

Oh, no. Teagan groaned inwardly, following her out of the room.

Out in the hallway, McGonagall quietly observed the young girl for a moment as she squirmed and studied her shoes.

"Are you just tired, or are you ill, child?" She asked gently.

"I'm not feeling well, Professor…" Teagan blurted out. "I may be coming down with a cold, or perhaps the flu."

"I see," the older woman said kindly, hoping to put the girl more at ease. "I suggest you go see Poppy, get some Pepper-up to help you through classes today."

"Yes, ma'am." She said, happy to escape further questions.

oOo

Teagan was on her way to the hospital wing, when things went from bad to worse. Turning the corner just before the hospital doors, she ran smack into the very subject of her dark dreams, quite literally. The impact of running into the rather solid Potions Professor nearly knocked the wind out of her, staggering her for a moment as she fought to catch her breath, stumbling backward awkwardly.

"Miss Dunham…" He sneered down at her, "Need I remind you that you really should be mindful of where you are going?"

Tripping over her own feet, she fell backward, cracking her head on the stone floor. The last thing she saw was Snape bending down to peer at her face, his eyes full of concern, and then everything went black.

oOo

"What on earth, Severus!" Poppy Pomfrey sputtered as Professor Snape barged into her clinic carrying a limp Hufflepuff student.

"She fell, Poppy." He replied coldly, gently placing the girl on a cot. "Hit her head when she did, I believe. A right nasty bump, I imagine."

"Well, shoo. She might wake up, and you probably would scare her into another fainting spell."

With a haughty sneer, Snape left the infirmary, his black robes billowing behind him.

oOo

A concussion, Poppy had said. At least two to three days' bed rest for observation.

In a way, Teagan was glad for her stay in hospital. She still had to do her lessons, but they were brought to her by her housemates. Poppy kept her for 3 days, releasing her to go back to her house dormitory on Saturday morning. The very thought of Monday morning filled her with sudden dread; she had missed two days' worth of Potions classes, and at the best of times making up work for Snape was unpleasant. She winced as she gingerly explored the bump on the back of her head.

I have the worst luck, she thought. She sorted through the stack of assignments, finding work to do from Transfiguration, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, even a flyer pleading with her to join the Quiddich team…but nothing from Potions. Oh, joy. She thought sourly. I have to go talk to him. Snape.

She flopped back on her bed and closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore it. She slowly counted to zero from one hundred. With a sigh, she sat up and slipped on her shoes and robes. There was just no escaping it; she had to go back down to the dungeons, to find out what her assignments were. Most everyone was in Hogsmeade or elsewhere, taking advantage of their one free day.

oOo

Very deliberately, Teagan walked past the Slytherin girls' loo, walking on the side of the hall as far away from the tempting doorway as possible, intensely aware of the door standing open in a most inviting way. She dared not even look in its direction, a bright blush coming up in her cheeks as she realized that she holding her breath, as if it were a dragon she was sneaking by.

What nonsense, she chided herself. I'm not afraid of a loo; I'm strong enough to withstand such temptation. It's not fair to…him, but it doesn't concern me. I'm going to put it out of my mind, not mention it, and not think about it. Gods! What if he uses Legilmency on me?

She stopped in front of the door to the potions classroom to compose herself, mentally rehearsing what she planned to say. Taking several deep breaths, forcing herself to think happy thoughts…

"Miss Dunham, are you going to block the doorway forever?" Snape sneered from right behind her. Teagan yelped in fright and leaped away from him, colliding hard with the door, nearly knocking the wind out of herself.

"P-p-p…Professor!" She stammered, suddenly finding herself trapped between the cold stone of the wall and her intimidating Potions professor. "I…I need…"

Way too close. Way too close. Teagan fought a losing battle against the panic, her knees threatening to buckle at any moment. Oh gods…I need…he smells so good…smoke and peppermint, pine needles, sandalwood. He cut himself shaving this morning, right next to the dimple in his chin. I really should heal that for him, it could get infected, and I don't want that. She felt faint, as if she were suddenly too warm, her hand involuntarily coming up toward him...

I want…to touch him…

"What is it that you…need, Miss Dunham?" Snape growled, his voice resonating deep within her, snapping her out of her trance.

"I-I-I need to make up the classwork, Sir…I missed the past three days because I was in hospital and wasn't able to go to class-"

"Of course you do." He said smoothly, sweeping past her to open the door to the Potions classroom. Teagan forced herself to take slow, deep breaths for a few moments, struggling to calm herself down.

Crossing the room to his desk, he opened a drawer and removed a large brown manila envelope, which he handed to her without comment.

"Your assignments are in there." He said silkily. "You have until Friday to turn them in, since I was partly at fault for your…recent trip to the Hospital Wing."

"Um…thank you, Sir." She said, her voice unsteady. She still could hardly keep her eyes away from the cut on his chin.

"Is there something else that you need, Miss Dunham?" Snape sighed, a touch of irritation creeping into his voice. "I have essays to grade, if you don't mind."

"I…um…no, Sir." She blurted out, tearing her eyes away from him. "I'll be going now."

"Close the door as you leave, if you don't mind." He said, sitting down at his desk and picking up his quill.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

~Chapter 2~

Saturday evening, she was sitting on her bed, revising her notes for Transfiguration-her favorite class- when she heard a grinding noise, much like stone on stone. It sounded like it did when the moving staircases repositioned themselves. That's odd, she thought, frowning. It sounded like it was-

Curious, Teagan looked over at the wall, toward where the noise had come from.

-inside my room. Her mouth agape, her quill fell from her nerveless fingers, smearing ink across the parchment that was nearly covered with her neat, precise handwriting. There, in the blank wall, was a wooden door. A door that wasn't there five minutes ago, she was certain of it. Suddenly, her tummy rolled with nausea as she sat there, denying what she witnessed with her own eyes.

I'm going mad, she thought numbly. This must be what going mad feels like.

The castle's never done something like this before. It's almost as if…

…it's telling me what I should do.

With a sigh and a mounting feeling of dread, she placed the parchment and quill on her desk, slipping her trainers on.

Behind the door was a staircase. Her guess was it led to the dungeons, to the spying chamber, as she had come to think of it. She had not been there for several weeks, but temptation overruled her good sense, and she ventured down the dimly lit stairs.

As it turned out, she was half right.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she opened a door to find that she was in a sitting room. It was sparsely furnished, with an uninviting couch, a few chairs, and a writing desk. Nearly every bit of spare wall was occupied by a book case, every one of them heavily laden with books and scrolls of parchment. The writing desk was likewise covered with parchment and books, many of which had strips of parchment protruding from between bookmarked pages. Curious, she walked over to the desk, idly looking at the parchment that lay in front of the chair, an essay…on the properties of juniper berries in invigoration draughts, unfinished, his quill laid aside as if the occupant had left in a rush. Her blood ran cold as she realized who the spiky, elegant handwriting belonged to.

She was in Professor Snape's private study. Panic took over, her knees trembling, her heart hammering in her chest. Oh, no, she thought. I have to get out of here, and now. Teagan spun around and ran toward the door…which was gone.

Bloody hell! Now what? She fumed silently, glaring at the spot where the door had been.

Grimly, she wondered if it were possible to hex a castle. This was a huge problem, one that would certainly end with her being expelled if she were caught here. She opened one of the two doors in the room, closing it quickly when she saw that it was his bedroom. Well, I've seen that before, she thought, her cheeks flushing scarlet. Carefully she opened the other door, finding that it led into a short hallway, with an open door at the end, through which she could see the Potions classroom.

At least I can find my way back from here. She quietly walked as fast as she could to the doorway, stopping to listen intently for a few moments. Hearing nothing unusual, she pulled out her wand.

"Hominem revelio." She whispered, making the correct motion with her wand. Her breath caught in her throat. There was someone in the Potions classroom, probably Snape with her awful luck. But why was the spell showing him so low in the room, and worse than that, not moving at all? The first thing that came to her mind was the war, and the times he had returned from meeting with the Dark Lord-a shudder passed through her-but those times were passed, the war was over.

Steeling herself for the scolding of her life, she pushed the door open and entered the Potions classroom.

She nearly lost her supper, gagging down bitter bile.

Oh gods. So much blood.

Snape lay on the floor of the classroom, sprawled in a pool of his own blood. There was a gory trail behind him where he had crawled from the door, a table turned on its side where he had tried to catch himself when he fell. Teagan knelt next to him and felt on his neck where her mother, a Muggle nurse, had taught her to find a pulse.

Oh gods, no. There's no pulse. Calming herself, she pressed a bit harder on the carotid artery. There it is, thank gods. Faint, but steady.

She fairly flew to the storeroom, pausing only to light the lamp with her wand.

"Accio Healing potion, Accio Blood Replenishing potion, Accio Pain Reliever potion,…" Vials flew to her hands in rapid succession as she quickly collected what she needed. Her mother had done both emergency care and home health, and once Teagan got past her initial squeamishness, she automatically did what needed done. Except for the blood, she thought grimly. Mom is much better with handling that than I am.

Carefully, she poured the potions, one at a time, into his mouth, as she cradled his head in her lap. I'm touching Snape, I'm touching Snape,…STOP IT! Breathe in, breathe out, push those thoughts out of your silly head, she chastised herself. Do what needs done, don't even think about his head being in your lap, the feel of his hair under the hand supporting his head as you feed him potions. Oh gods. This is no good, I'm sure my knickers are soaking wet.

Eventually, he stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, his eyes having trouble focusing at first.

Where…? Snape thought, wincing at the pain. My classroom. What is my head propped up on…not a pillow, no, not soft enough…

"Miss…Dunham…" He croaked, the words barely audible. Realizing that his head was- Bloody hell! -in her LAP, one soft breast cushioning the right side of his head, he frantically struggled to sit up. Completely unsuccessfully, to his great consternation.

"Shh, Professor Snape. Don't try to talk." She whispered to him. "I gave you a Healing potion, some Blood Replenishment potion, and something for the pain. You lost a lot of blood, you're very weak-"

"In…sufferable…Huffle…puff." He rasped irritably, allowing her to pull him back down to rest his head in her lap. He was far too weak to fight her off. Curious…she looks as if she has been…weeping? Why? Surely not for me.

"Pain…ah…potion…no good. Not…for Crucio."

"Oh…" Crucio. Teagan shivered at the mention of the Unforgivable curse. "Then what should I get for you, sir? What will help?"

"Blue…potion." He croaked, his voice nearly gone, his vision going blurry again. "Writing desk…my study, top left…drawer." A chance to get my head off her soft Hufflepuff lap, her soft breast out of my ear. Not entirely unpleasant, but highly improper.

He put all thoughts of her breast out of his mind. It was bad enough that his sensitive nose had picked up the scent of her obvious physical arousal. How wonderful. Yet another student with a crush, inflamed by her hormones and a misplaced infatuation to fend off. He sighed as she carefully Accio'ed a pillow to transfer his head to, then went to his desk to fetch the potion he had crafted to negate the effects of the Cruciatus curse. It helped with the physical injuries, but the Pain Reliever potion tended to enhance the effects of the Cruciatus more than provide any relief. He didn't mind a little pain; he had suffered enough of it that it rarely bothered him.

Teagan fought to compose herself as she went to the desk and opened the drawer to find the potion. She felt like some blushing virgin, though that she had given up to an Irish Quiddich player (ugh, an experience best forgotten). She could count the number of lovers she'd had on one hand.

How depressing. Right. Back on task, take care of your patient, She thought, thinking of her mother the nurse, and what she would do. Rummaging through the drawers of the desk, she finally located the vial of bluish potion, marked in Snape's spiky script, "Crucio".

I want him, whispered a voice in her head.

She nearly dropped the vial of the precious potion. I've got to stop thinking like this. He's my professor for gods' sake! Get your mind right, you have to take care of him!

You sure could take care of him…and he could take care of you, the little voice in her mind purred. She shivered, closing her eyes, the fire spreading through her lower abdomen, her nipples hardening to push against the cups of her bra. She caught herself just before she cupped her left breast with her free hand, jerking her hand away before it made contact. Clearing her head as best she could, she shut the drawer and went back to Professor Snape. Professor Snape. Remember that. Mean, snarky, sarcastic, hateful Professor Snape. Strictly off-limits. Taboo. You'll be expelled. Mum and Da will ship me off to a nunnery…or lock me in the closet till I'm thirty. I musn't give in to temptation…

Sure…whispered the little voice.

"I'm going to levitate you to the bed, sir, and then-"She said nervously.

"No levitation." He whispered hoarsely, "It makes the effects of the Cruciatus worse, as Nurse Pomphrey and I have found out through harsh experience. If you cannot help me to my couch, I will have to stay here on the floor."

"Oh…" Teagan blushed, carefully giving him a sip of the potion. "In that case…" She waved her wand, transfiguring the stones in the floor into soft cushions as well as casting a warming charm on them. If she couldn't move him, then at least she would make him comfortable. She was pretty sure she couldn't lift him by herself.

"I would suggest you go now, Miss Dunham." Snape said, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. He would have to heal his own wounds, and really didn't want to do it in front of a student.

"But Sir!" She blurted out, "Your wounds, they need healing, surely you aren't strong enough yet-"

"Miss Dunham." Snape replied coldy, "I assure you that I am more than strong enough. This is nothing compared to…some of the times I returned from an audience with the Dark Lord."

Teagan began to protest, but was halted by a raised hand.

"It would be…most improper for a student to see a professor in a state of nudity, don't you think?" This is far too easy, he thought, as she blushed crimson.

"I…I'll be back to check on you, Sir. To make sure you're alright." She said, struggling to retain some measure of dignity. Why do I feel so disappointed? She thought.

"That won't be necessary, I assure you. I will be fine by morning."

"Oh." Her shoulders drooped, her eyes fell to the floor. Teagan rose and made her way to the door.

"Miss Dunham?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Fifty points to Hufflepuff."

oOo

Teagan narrowly missed getting caught by Filch on the way back to her room, though she really didn't care if she would have been. Fifty points to her house, and from Professor Snape, no less! She fairly danced with joy, along the dimly lit corridor as she made her way back to her room. It was nearly midnight, and though she was tempted to check the clear containers that showed the house points, she didn't. She would lose points if she were caught. Speaking the password to the portrait, she skipped inside. Her good mood lasted until she made it to her room, evaporating as she quietly closed the door behind her, a feeling of uneasiness coming upon her.

Fifty points to Hufflepuff. Her steps slowed, and then stopped as she realized what he had just done to her. Her cheeks began to redden with another emotion; anger.

Oh bloody hell. And on a weekend. How do we explain this? Fifty points just 'showed up' in our counter.

Snape, you…bastard. You infuriating, scheming…ooh! Teagan fairly stamped her foot on the floor in a fit of most un-Hufflepuff like rage, biting her lip to keep from screaming.

If someone notices the added points, they'll think we cheated somehow. It's most unusual that a house is awarded points on a weekend. If my housemates notice, they'll want to find out how we were awarded the points…

She wasn't sure what would be worse; being found out, or not being able to tell a soul. That bastard! He knew this would happen, and he only awarded the points to ensure my silence. Not that he would thank me for helping him.

Even when he's being nice, or thanking you, he's still a irritating git. She fumed to herself as she got ready for bed.

She slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning, mumbling in her sleep.

oOo

He wasn't at breakfast in the Great Hall Sunday morning. Teagan ate in tense silence, saying little to her housemates that inquired as to why she was so silent and looked exhausted. After sleeping in as long as she dared, she put on jeans and a jumper under her robes, skipped makeup (she didn't care for it much anyway), and managed to make it to the hall in time. After a few shrugs of her shoulders and monosyllabic answers, people stopped asking her questions. She didn't want to talk to anyone, anyway. Well, perhaps one person, but he wasn't at the teacher's table at the head of the hall on its raised platform. She wasn't sure that what she had to say would be that nice. Ron Weasley was right-Snape was a right git.

He didn't come to lunch, either. I don't care, she told herself. He can rot down there in his dungeons. She sullenly picked at her food, glaring at anyone who came too close to her. Her housemates knew her well enough to avoid her when she was in a mood; but some fellow students didn't.

"Oi, Teagan!" Ron Weasley said, part of a pastry still visible in his mouth. "D' you want that roast beef?"

Teagan gave it to him, which is why she found herself in Headmistress McGonagall's office after lunch. Watching the Headmistress warily.

"Miss Dunham," The Headmistress said drily, "What possessed you to cover Mr. Weasley with your lunch today? Generally, you get along well with everyone, and cause no trouble at all!"

"I…it's just that Ron is a pig, Headmistress!" She replied, trembling in her chair. "He turned around and started talking, and there was food falling out of his mouth, and it was just disgusting! I-"

"Is that really what's bothering you, dear?" Said the Headmistress, leaning back in her chair to peer at Teagan over her spectacles. "You've been acting rather oddly for the past few weeks now. Is there something else you need to talk about?"

Oh, crap. She knows…she knows about the spying room, about me being in Snape's private quarters after curfew… Flashed though Teagan's mind, then just as quickly, she smothered her rising panic. There's no way she could know. She's just fishing for something. She's my favorite teacher, and I'm one of her favorite students, she wouldn't do such a thing to me!

"Teagan?"

Teagan blinked, startled.

"Are you well, dear? You look terribly pale…"

"I'm fine, Headmistress," she replied, clamping her shaky hands between her knees to conceal her nervousness. "Just haven't had much sleep lately, I've been doing a lot of revising."

"You and that Miss Granger, just alike. You work so hard and you don't even need to." The Headmistress smiled. "Well, on with you then. Please do try to refrain from throwing food at other students; I will have a talk with Mr. Weasley about his table manners, but I fear I will have to give you detention."

Teagan sighed and slumped in her chair, resigned to her fate.

"Well, that's only fair, I suppose. I'm very sorry that I did what I did. So, detention with you?" She asked hopefully.

"No, it will have to be with Professor…" The Headmistress paused, examining a parchment on her desk. Teagan cautiously leaned forward enough to see it; it was marked 'Weekend Detention Schedule'.

"Pardon me, Miss Dunham, we just started this recently. It's a schedule for who is responsible for weekend detentions, and I'm not used to using it yet. Not that we have that many weekend detentions, mind you." Finding what she was looking for, the Headmistress looked over at Teagan. "Your detention will be this evening at 7 with Professor Snape."

"No! He can't! He's…hurt…" Eyes wide with horror at her faux pas, Teagan clapped her hands to her mouth as if to prevent saying anything else. Oh, no…

"I beg your pardon?" McGonagall replied, a look of utter surprise on her face. "Miss Dunham, Professor Snape is on the schedule for weekend detentions for this weekend. Every professor takes their turn to ensure that no favoritism is shown. I can show you the schedule-"

"Um, I believe you, Headmistress," Teagan blurted out, "It's just that he's…he's definitely not my favorite professor, and I'm sure he's very busy, and-"

"Professor Snape is on the schedule as covering detentions for this weekend, Miss Dunham. That's the end of it."

"But…"

"No more arguing, young lady." McGonagall said sternly. "Professor Snape is on the schedule as covering detentions for this weekend, and you will serve detention with him at 7 tonight. Unless you would prefer detention for a week, with Filch, and house points docked for your insubordination."

Teagan sagged in her chair, utterly defeated, cheeks burning. It was tempting to refuse, to take the detention with Filch, but she resigned herself to her fate.

"No, Headmistress." She said quietly, feeling as if she was being sent to slaughter. "I'll serve my detention."

oOo

Teagan skipped supper in the Great Hall, unable to bear the whispers and covert looks from the other students. It was bad enough in her own common room. One of the younger Hufflepuff boys, Evan, had said loudly as she walked by him enroute to her detention, "At least she didn't cost us any house points. Yet."

She silenced him with a chilling glare, the first-year boy mumbling as he fled to his room. All she had been able to eat were a few crackers and some cheese that she got a house elf to bring to her, and she still felt as if she could be sick at any moment.

She idly wondered if he had attended supper. I don't care, she thought, with a flash of anger. He's a right bastard, an arrogant git, an insufferable, snarky, greasy…and she found herself at the door to the Potions classroom, a full twenty minutes early.

I can't be too early. That would irritate him. She fretted, walking back the way she came. I'll just walk around, kill some time…

She had stopped right next to the entrance to the Slytherin girls' loo.

Oh, no. Not going in there. She blushed so that she feared she might be glowing in the dimly lit dungeon corridor.

"Miss…Dunham." Snape purred, sweeping up behind her casually.

It was all she could do not to shriek in terror and blindly bolt down the corridor. Completely miserable, she turned to face him, wondering if her boggart had changed to Snape. He seemed a bit tired, but otherwise, there was little sign to tell that not 24 hours before, she had found him in a pool of his own blood on the floor of the Potions classroom.

I'm losing my mind. I've surely gone completely mental…

"I…I'm here for my detention, sir."

His right eyebrow arched up, and he cocked his head slightly.

"Detention? And what, pray tell, could a Hufflepuff princess, the darling of McGonagall's Transfiguration class, have done to warrant detention…on a Sunday?"

"I'm sure you already know, sir." Teagan said miserably, fighting to hold back tears. He was deliberately humiliating her, she knew it.

Before she realized it, he had backed her against the wall, his arms like two solid pillars on each side of her, his face right in hers.

Oh gods…he's too close…he's…

"Indulge me, Miss Dunham. Tell me…your side of it." He drawled, his deep voice an audible caress, causing her to shiver as if she were a gazelle cornered by a lion. She felt it again, that burning in her lower abdomen, the physical response warring with the instinctive desire to flee, even as her knees seemed to turn to water.

Oh Merlin. I want…

"Miss Dunham." He said sharply, bringing her back to reality. "It is time for your detention."

She blinked. When had he drawn back from her? He was ten feet away, walking toward the door of the Potions classroom.

Don't leave me…

She hurried after him, following him into the classroom. He waved his wand nonchalantly, and the door shut with a boom, causing her to utter a strangled yelp of surprise. He sat down at the chair behind his desk, looking up at her expectantly. Teagan glanced around her, looking for cauldrons to scrub, flobberworms to slice, beetles to pry eyes out of…but found nothing.

"Well?" Snape said in his most silky voice. "I'm waiting."

"Um…sir?" She said, her legs feeling like jelly.

"Miss Dunham," he said with a sigh, "You were going to tell me your side. Why you got detention on a Sunday, when you are such a well-behaved student normally."

"Sir?"

"Proceed, Miss Dunham. Now."

With a wave of his hand, a chair moved in front of his desk.

"Sit. Begin." He said, gesturing to the chair.

Trembling visibly, she moved to the chair and sat down. She smoothed her robe over her knees. She looked over at the specimens in their jars on the shelves behind him. She looked at him, into his jet black eyes, and then quickly looked away.

Mustn't look at him directly. She thought, her heart pounding. The fiery ache in her lower abdomen was worse than ever now. She squeezed her thighs together, struggling to ignore it.

"Sir, I was at lunch…"

"Yes?'

"Well, I was not feeling well, and Ron Weasley asked me if I wanted my roast beef, and he was eating a pastry and talking with his mouth full, and that's just disgusting…"

By now, Snape was hiding his smirk behind his hand, lest it turn into a full blown guffaw. He had a feeling he knew how this would end.

"Continue." He said, composing himself and putting on his best sneer.

"I…I…um…" Teagan felt a single tear escape and go down her cheek. "I…threw my plate at Mr. Weasley, sir."

She dropped her chin, unable to meet his eyes.

"I'm ready for my punishment, sir. I could scrub cauldrons…" She said, her voice barely louder than a whisper, dreading the task he would put her to.

There was a long silence, far too long for Teagan. Eventually, full of dread, she looked up at Professor Snape.

He was smiling at her. No, not smiling, grinning widely, and then laughing. Great gales of laughter, laughing until there were tears rolling down his cheeks.

Teagan sat as if she were petrified. She couldn't remember if anyone had ever seen Snape smile, let alone heard him laugh, and be allowed to live. She sat for the longest time in stunned silence, watching Snape laugh.

Finally, he stopped, though he kept laughing occasionally and wiping at his eyes as he struggled to catch his breath. Composing himself, he figured he had frightened the poor girl enough.

"Miss Dunham, you may go now."

What? What just happened? She thought, now thoroughly confused.

"Sir?" Teagan asked hesitantly, certain that she'd misheard him.

"You have…" He paused to stifle a giggle, then wiped his eyes with his hanky again. "You have completed your detention to my satisfaction, and I will duly note this on your record."

"Um, sir, I'm a bit confused here…" She said, thinking once again, I'm going mad, I'm sure of it now.

"Miss Dunham, your story was most delightful to me." Snape smirked. "If you would, place the memory in a vial and bring it to me so I may view it in my pensieve. I was unable to attend lunch, as I'm sure you noticed, and this is a moment I would dearly love to see. Over and over."

"Um…yes, sir…I'm not sure I fully understand, but…"

Snape rose and took her gently by the arm, leading her to the door. Opening it, he ushered her out into the hallway.

As she was leaving, he stepped out into the hall behind her.

"Oh, and Miss Dunham?"

She turned to look at him.

"Twenty-five points to Hufflepuff." Snape said with a chuckle, then turned and closed the door behind him.

Teagan walked back to the Hufflepuff dormitory as if in a dream. I don't understand anything about him, she thought. Up the stairs from the dungeons. Through the Hufflepuff common room. Into her room. She fell into her bed with her clothes on, exhausted, sleep claiming her almost before her head even touched her pillow.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

~Chapter 3~

January, 1997~

She was in the Forbidden forest. She was running, from what she did not know, but she was fleeing blindly, forcing her way through thick tangles of brush, dodging trees, leaping over rocks in her path. Her pursuer was hot on her heels, she could hear it breathing as she ran. Closer and closer, it swiped at her with clawed hands, just barely missing her. Her heart pounding in her chest, she leaped over a vine, but snagged her foot on it, falling to the ground, the beast closing in—

"Ouch." Teagan groaned, rubbing her forehead. She was half dangling from the sheets twisted around her legs, hanging more or less upside down from the side of her bed. It took a few minutes to free her legs from the sheets, and then she fumbled for her alarm clock, an old wind-up that her grandmother had given her for her first year at Hogwarts.

It was nearly 7:30 a.m. Breakfast would be over in 15 minutes, and classes started at 8.

Dammit, she fumed as she scrambled up to get ready for the day.

She cast a quick Scourgify to clean herself up, and then slipped her shoes on. As she ran down the hallway to Transfiguration class, she summoned a house elf to bring her some toast. I can make it, if I hurry…

"Miss Dunham."

She stopped dead in her tracks, Professor Snape's voice turning her blood to ice.

"Running in the halls…is strictly forbidden." He said, sweeping up from behind her to confront her directly. Arching an eyebrow, he smirked, taking in her wrinkled robe, her unkempt hair, and the half-eaten piece of toast in her trembling hand.

Oh, no…now I'm sure to be late. She thought, transfixed by his black eyes.

"If you are in such a rush to be to class, perhaps this might help."

She looked down at what was in the hand that he extended to her.

A hall pass. She blinked, not sure if she could trust her eyes.

"If you have a pass, you will have an excuse if you are…late." Snape said, holding it out to her. "Now, if you would, please WALK to class."

Teagan took the hall pass from him, her fingers trembling.

"Um…thank you…" She said quietly.

Snape sighed deeply, and then walked away.

oOo

Three weeks passed with little incident, though every time Teagan walked past the house point counters with their gleaming jewels, she couldn't help glancing nervously at them. For some reason, Hufflepuff had moved past Slytherin in house points, and was a scarce twenty points from being tied with Ravenclaw. She felt rather guilty about roughly seventy-five of the Hufflepuff points.

Snape wasn't at breakfast this Monday morning, and now he didn't show up for lunch. She hadn't seen him since her Potions class on Friday. There had been no more unusual incidents, such as him awarding her house points for the strangest reasons, like throwing a plateful of food at Ron Weasley. In fact, their interactions had been nothing but strictly those between a normal student and teacher.

She arrived earlier than usual for her potions class, hoping to get a word with her snarky instructor. All this…politeness and consideration on his part made her nervous, especially with those 75 house points weighing on her conscience. At the very least, she could get in trouble somehow, and perhaps he would get angry at her for her klutziness and take away some of them. Banging the door open, she marched into the room, bumping hard into one of the tables and knocking a cauldron over to the floor on purpose.

"Ah, Miss Dunham!" Exclaimed Professor Slughorn, peering at her over his reading glasses with a grin as he stood by Snape's desk. "Watch out for those cauldrons, you'll hurt yourself. The last period class can't seem to remember to put them out of the way."

What…where is he? She thought. Deep in a corner of her mind, a tiny tendril of panic began to form.

"Where…where is Professor Snape, Sir?" Teagan asked, slowly walking to a desk at the front of the class and setting her books down.

"Ah, Professor Snape…" Slughorn waved his hand dismissively. "He had some sort of errand to do, probably will be gone a while, Minerva, um, the Headmistress asked me to teach for him for a little while. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, my dear. You're in good hands! I taught Professor Snape, you know."

"Was…was he a good student?" She asked, struggling to maintain her composure. Her mind kept flashing back to the memory of him on the floor of the Potions classroom, not far from where she stood right now. In a pool of his own blood, helpless, unconscious. He's in trouble…

She shook her head. Stop it. Get control of yourself. He's fine; he's survived two wizarding wars, one as a double agent.

The little voice of doubt chimed in with, if he's in trouble, you'd better calm down so you can help him.

"Snape?" Slughorn said, as if he were stalling for time, to remember something. "Oh, yes. One of the best students I ever taught. He was very good, very smart. Always figuring some way to improve potions, kept very detailed notes. You know, he studied abroad, several schools of Potions. Graduated from Berkley with honors, you know."

"Berkely?" Teagan blinked in surprise. "Sir, it's nearly impossible to get into their potions program, you have to be invited practically."

"And he was, Miss Dunham. Wouldn't leave the poor boy alone, they started sending him owls his fifth year pestering him to come study there." Slughorn scratched his balding head for a moment absently. "He actually went there for two summers, during our summer break here at Hogwarts, to take advanced placement potions classes. He was all set to go start on their program after his graduation from Hogwarts…"

He paused for a long moment, and then sighed.

"Oh, would you look at the time." Slughorn laughed, then said, "Miss Dunham, it's nearly time for class, we'd best get ready."

Teagan sighed. He was about to tell me something important, and he caught himself.

"Professor Slughorn?" She said, steeling herself.

"Yes, my dear?" He smiled genially.

"Was it because he took the Dark Mark?" Teagan asked, bracing herself for the answer.

For a moment, Slughorn stood there at the instructor's desk, his smile giving way to a sickly grimace, then a frown, his face turning red.

"Um, Miss Dunham…I can't say any more." He said softly, looking away from her. He had turned somewhat pale, and he sat down on his stool heavily.

Teagan decided to change the subject.

"Professor Slughorn, do you know where Professor Snape is?" She knew she didn't have much time left, she could hear students coming down the hall to the classroom.

Professor Slughorn visibly flinched, but quickly regained his composure.

"Take your seat, Miss Dunham. That will be all." He said irritably, waving her toward her stool and turning away as the first students began to drift into the classroom. Teagan gritted her teeth in frustration, but went to her seat and began to prepare for the lesson.

She set out her tools, and then looked at the board to see what was planned for the lesson. Slughorn's writing was rather messy, and she had to study it for a while. She had noted down her ingredients for today-burn salve again, she thought with an inward sigh, and then looked back at the board. Glancing up at the upper left corner of the board, she froze in place, hardly daring to breathe.

For there, in the corner, as if it were carelessly left over from a previous lesson, were the words:

"SS Forbid. For."

Slughorn glanced at her over his shoulder, smiling at the students. When he caught her eye, the smile faded slightly. He gave her a brief nod, and then hurriedly erased the cryptic message in the corner of the board.

SS…Forbid. For. What the…?

Oh gods. SS is Severus Snape…the Forbidden forest…

He's in the Forbidden forest. Why? And why can't Slughorn tell me straight out, why the secret message business? If I'm not supposed to know this, why did Slughorn tell me?

What the hell is going on around here?

Potions class was dreadful that day. She just couldn't concentrate, and nearly blew up her cauldron making burn salve, of all the things to mess up. A first-year could make it. Dejected, she began cleaning the mess up where her potion had boiled over, running across her table to the floor.

What am I supposed to do?

oOo

Friday finally arrived, with Teagan's nerves nearly completely shot. No sign of Snape all week, and Professor Slughorn refused to say anything more to her. Most of the time, he just avoided her, or changed the subject, and when she tried to ask him after the Friday Potions class, he fled to the Potions storeroom and locked the door behind him. She was so exhausted that she had gone to visit the infirmary for a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion, the medi-witch taking one look at her and readily giving it to her. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, taking in the dark circles under her eyes and her frizzy hair. She pulled the stopper out of the vial.

Then she heard the stones in the wall moving.

They haven't done that since…

…since the night I found Snape half-dead in the Potions classroom…

Oh, gods. Oh bloody hell…

The door in her wall was back. Next to it was a canvas rucksack.

No. I can't do this. I just can't handle this again…

On legs that felt like they were made of jelly, she walked over to the rucksack, opened it, and peered inside, then sank to her knees on the stone floor.

It contained bandages, scissors, Healing Potions, and the bluish potion that she knew was marked "Crucio" in his spiky handwriting. She felt rather nauseous.

Pushing it aside, she threw on some jeans and a jumper, boots and a heavy coat. She picked up the rucksack and slung it on her shoulder. With a longing look at the vial of Dreamless Sleep potion on the nightstand next to her bed, she sighed, checked to make sure she had her wand, and pushed open the door.

oOo

This time the stairs took her to a door that opened to the outside of the castle, confirming what she had come to suspect: the castle itself was contriving to send her to Snape when he needed help. The sick feeling washed over her for a moment.

What if I'm too late?

The thought made her break into a run, her feet carrying her past Hagrid's hut, toward the Forbidden Forest.

High above the school, in the Astronomy tower, Professor Slughorn watched her go. He sighed heavily, leaning on the parapet with both hands.

"Well, that's that, then." He turned to face the Headmistress. "How the devil did she know when to go, though?"

McGonagall shook her head.

"I have no idea. I suspect that the castle may be…aiding her, but I've never heard of the castle responding to a student, save for the Room of Requirement, and of course, the moving staircases."

"He said he'd be back by Tuesday." Slughorn said nervously, running his hand along the parapet, dislodging the fine accumulation of snow. "What if she can't find him?"

Mineva sighed heavily. "We'll have to go look for them. Let's go talk to Hagrid, this storm is getting worse."

oOo

Teagan had been walking in the Forbidden forest for the past hour, trudging through snow that was nearly ankle deep, but no sign of Professor Snape. At first she had dismissed the light snow, but as she went deeper into the forest, the flakes became larger. The wind was picking up a bit, too, and that worried her. A snowstorm in this area of Scotland was no joking matter, not at all. She pulled her knit cap down more snugly and tucked her gloved hands into her pockets to keep warm. Earlier, she had found some medical chocolate in the rucksack and eaten it, so she was easily able to keep the warming charms going around her, but she didn't want to be out very long without shelter. Then she saw tracks in the snow.

They're fresh! And…

She stopped and warily looked around her.

Two centaurs, bows drawn but pointed toward the ground, stood behind her.

Oh shit. I'm so dead.

Three more closed in from the sides.

"What are you doing here, in our woods?" The leader said gruffly.

"Sir…I…I'm very sorry, kind sir…" Teagan said, her mouth dry with fear. "I'm looking for someone, I was told to look here for him, that he was here, I-"

"You do not belong here, human." Replied the leader coldly. "The forest is not a safe place for you."

"Please! I beg of you, I was told that Professor Snape was out here somewhere, I have to find him!" She cried, falling to her knees in the snow.

"What is this man to you?" Asked one of the centaurs, leaning on his bow.

"I…" Teagan paused. What is he to me? Things have changed since that night when I found him in the Potions room, but how?

"I'm not sure, sir." She replied truthfully, hoping to earn their trust. "He was my Potions teacher, and still is, for now…but something has changed between us. I'm not sure what, but because of it, things are different. I fear he is injured, in danger, and I have to find him. I promise I won't disturb anything in your forest, won't take anything without your permission. I just want to find him and take him back to Hogwarts."

The leader studied her for a long moment, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"We will help you, then."

oOo

With the centaur's help, it was much easier to find Professor Snape. Of course, the splintered, smoking remains of the trees nearby made it virtually impossible to miss him. Teagan was scanning the debris when she spotted a bit of black cloth against the snow. Shouting to the centaurs, she ran to it, averting her eyes from a mangled arm lying nearby. Just the arm, no owner in sight. She shuddered at the gory sight.

Shabby brown coat sleeve; it's not Snape's. She thought, feeing oddly relieved as she made her way through the downed trees.

He was half buried in a drift, face down, the snow near him stained reddish brown with blood.

oOo

~Chapter 4~

August, 2010~

Summer break was nearly over, Snape thought with a sigh as he took a sip of coffee. Soon, the virtually empty Great Hall would we swarming with chattering students, no more peace and quiet at Hogwarts. He could soon wear his trademark black robes with no need to constantly be renewing a cooling charm. He sighed again, turning back to the Potions section of the Daily Prophet, as Professor Sprout sat down heavily a few chairs down from him. He shot her a scowl of warning, saying plainly with it, I don't want to socialize.

"Pardon me, Severus," She said cheerfully, ignoring his subtle warnings. "May I look at the Gardening and Herbs section if you've finished with it?"
"Of course, Pomona," He replied with a sneer. "But they haven't published the article you submitted yet."

"Oh, they will. I got an owl this past week; it will be in the Monday edition, page one."

"Delightful."

"Oh, did you hear that they hired a new professor to teach Transfiguration?"

"I'm sure that the Headmistress is quite relieved that burden has been lifted from her shoulders."

"Indeed!" She said, a gleam of mischief in her eye. "I heard that her replacement graduated with honors from the Beauxbartons School Transfiguration and Charms program. Best marks in the history of the program! A Hogwarts alumni, too!"

Severus sighed in irritation. I do so wish she would just hush, I don't care about anything she's talking about. He weighed the chances of getting caught casting a hex at her.

He buried his nose in the paper, hoping that the daft bint would take a hint.

"Oh, look, Severus! There she is now, coming in with the Headmistress!"

Severus sighed and peered over the top of his paper. His eyes widened, his mouth hanging open, the sharp retort to Professor Sprout frozen on his lips.

Bloody hell, he groaned inwardly.

Walking into the Great Hall, headed for the long table set up for the teachers and staff, chatting animatedly with Minerva, walked the new Transfiguration professor.

She was a bit taller now, though still quite petite. She'd dyed her hair, or added some blonde highlights. She carried herself well, with more confidence than when he'd seen her last.

Oh, Merlin…

"Professors Snape and Sprout, may I introduce our new Professor of Transfiguration, Professor Teagan Dunham." Minerva said proudly.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts, dear!" Sprout fairly bubbled. "Severus, do put down your paper and be social."

Snape felt somewhat ill.

"Indeed…welcome back." Snape said softly, fighting to maintain some sort of dignity. "Professor… Dunham. It has a nice ring to it."

"Oh, don't be silly, Severus." Teagan smiled, trying to keep from gushing like some kind of groupie. "We're going to be working together, there's no need for such formality. After all, I am no longer your student."

"In…indeed." He replied, placing his hands carefully in his lap, so no one would see that they were shaking. Bloody hell. I need to get out of here before I make a total fool of myself. It doesn't help that all three of them are looking at me like a pride of lionesses.

Teagan was only half listening to Minerva and Pomona chatter away. From her vantage point, standing on the floor lower than the raised platform, she could see Severus' trembling hands. Keeping a carefully crafted smile on her face, her Occulmency shields up, she examined him in minute detail, her hazel eyes roving over his lean frame.

He's so thin, so pale. She thought, comparing him to her memories of him from some ten years ago. I'm pretty sure he isn't eating well, or sleeping well.

I'm so happy to see him. I've missed you so much, Severus.

He glanced sharply at her, frowning. Oops, thought Teagan. Must have let my shield slip a bit, he caught part of that last thought.

Good. He deserves it. She smiled, just for him, and then winked at him.

It nearly undid him. He stood up, and then walked toward the door, his robes billowing behind him.

"Pardon me, ladies," He rasped, "I have some potions to attend to. If you'll excuse me…"

"Only," Teagan said, "if you promise me we can catch up later today. We do have so much to talk about, Sevvy."

Professor Sprout and the Headmistress exchanged glances, with the Herbology professor failing to stifle a giggle. Minerva arched an eyebrow and frowned, shaking her head at Sprout.

Snape nodded his head slightly, turning his head away quickly to hide his reddening cheeks and escaping in a swirl of black robes from the hall.

I am so screwed, he thought grimly, walking rapidly toward the dungeons. I am doomed. She's back, and Merlin only knows what she has planned for me.

The three women sat down at the staff table, a house elf appearing with a tray of tea and sweets. Professor Sprout started to speak, but McGonagall silenced her with a sharp look. Teagan pretended she didn't notice, instead busying herself with preparing her tea. When she put a few shortbread cookies on her plate and took her first sip-ah, Darjeeling-Minerva cleared her throat.

"Professor Dunham." She said formally, steel gray eyes boring into Teagan's. "Would you mind terribly telling me just what is going on here, and just how long it has been going on?"

Oh, bloody hell. Teagan thought, fighting off the wave of panic. It didn't help that Sprout was grinning like a Cheshire cat, leaning around the Headmistress for a better view. I should have known better than to call him that in front of them. He's going to be furious with me.

"Um…Headmistress," She replied, clamping her hands between her thighs to quell their trembling. "I...I can explain-"

"Oh, do tell," Purred Sprout, putting a blueberry scone on a plate, "Inquiring minds wish to know. Don't leave out any of the juicy details."

"Hush, Pomona," Minerva snapped. "The poor thing's scared out of her wits."

The Headmistress turned back to Teagan and arched an eyebrow at her.

"You may begin where you like, though both of us would like to know more about this 'Sevvy' business. I'm sure that will be very interesting."

Teagan dearly wanted to crawl under the table.

oOo

December, 2006~

"May I come in?"

Snape glared down at her from the doorway of his old family home in Spinner's End. Teagan fought down her instinctive reaction to run away. I'm not a child, not a student of his any longer, she thought grimly, setting her jaw and forcing herself to glare right back up at him. He was a full eight inches taller than her, forcing her to look up at him at a sharp angle that was beginning to make her neck hurt.

Irritating, insufferable git, she fumed. I am not moving until he lets me in.

"Miss Dunham." He said dryly, "what a surprise. I do believe that you're the only student-no, wait, that insufferable Harry Potter came to visit me with Miss Granger just this past summer."

"Again, may I come in?" She said, shivering in the brisk December breeze. Nights were so cold lately, and her coat was a bit too thin. I'll be damned if I'll let him know he's getting to me. I'm not going to cast a warming charm.

"Why, Miss Dunham?"

"I would like to have a pleasant visit with you, talk to you somewhere it isn't freezing." She shifted from one foot to another.

I think I'm losing feeling in my feet, she thought. I'm sure of it. I can't feel my toes.

"Again, Miss Dunham," he frowned, "there is no reason for you to even be here, much less come in. I was your teacher, but you have graduated from Hogwarts, and gone on to bigger and better things, I'm sure."

"Yes, I have. I'm attending the Beauxbartons graduate school for Transfiguration right now. I'd like to talk to you about that, as well."

Snape lifted an eyebrow.

"Please, Professor, it's freezing out here." She sighed, giving up at last. If I have to beg, I will. But he will pay for this, I swear it.

He looked at her a moment longer. I shouldn't do this, he thought, weighing what he should do.

To her surprise, he stepped back from the door, pulling it open wider so she could enter. As he closed the door behind her, she stepped into the foyer and removed her hat and coat, hanging them on the hall tree.

Snape walked through the sitting room into the kitchen, putting on the kettle and preparing to make some tea. Teagan followed him, stopping in the entryway.

Well, that's a good sign, she thought. I'm inside his house with him, and it doesn't appear that he will throw me out. Yet.

She was further encouraged when he set two teacups and saucers on the table, and motioned for her to sit. He leaned against the counter, waiting for the tea to boil. She had never seen him in Muggle clothing before, and she couldn't help her eyes wandering from the floor up his lanky frame as she sat there.

Old, worn slippers, faded jeans, also well worn, with a faded, ratty dark green jumper. Her eyes lingered on the left side of his neck, on the terrible scars left my Nagini's bite.

The bite that should have killed him, she mused to herself.

"Getting yourself a good eyeful?" He said irritably. Teagan blushed furiously, looking at her feet, then out the window at the gray skies.

Bastard, she fumed silently to herself.

The teakettle began to whistle, saving them both from each other, at least for the moment. Snape busied himself with making the tea, and Teagan prepared to launch her attack.

Once the tea was poured, and Snape had set a small tray of tea sandwiches and biscuits on the table, she began her assault.

"First, I wanted to thank you personally." She said, taking a sip of tea. Mmm…Lady Grey.

"For what?" He said blandly, raising an eyebrow. "I have taught thousands of students-"

"For the letter you wrote to Beauxbartons on my behalf."

"You would have been accepted into the graduate program without it." He replied, dismissing it with a wave of his hand as he picked up a cucumber sandwich.

"Still, I appreciate it. It was very kind of you to write it."

He huffed derisively.

Teagan smirked inwardly. Time to move in for the kill.

"I'm not seeing anyone, you know." She said causally, picking up her cup and saucer. He nearly choked on a sip of his tea.

"I assure you, Miss Dunham…I have little to no interest whatsoever in your personal life." He hissed, eyes flashing. "You are a former student of mine-"

"Who has been of age the past four years." She said drily. "A former student, well of age, who has thought long and hard, considering her options, and decided on the best one for her needs."

"I am twenty-two years your senior," Snape snapped, "A former Death Eater and spy. My finances are a ruin after years of being first on the run and then having to retain counsel to defend myself from the charges the Ministry trumped up and then the endless legal harassment by everyone who imagined that I had victimized them in some way. I terrorized you and other students for years as a professor and nominal head of Hogwarts."

"So?" Teagan sniffed dismissively. Snape sat for a moment, stunned.

"'So'?! I'm a monster, a hideous, insufferable git, the dreaded 'bat of the dungeons'!"

"Not to me. I rather fancy you." She smiled. "I utterly adore you."

At this point, Snape looked to be on the verge of a stroke. Oh, is that a nervous tic in his cheek? How cute, she thought.

His mouth opened, shut again. He took a sip of his tea. Ran his hand through his lank hair, took a deep breath and blew it out.

Now for the coup de grâce, the final touch.

"I can see that I've upset you." She said, rising. "I apologize for that. I should really leave now, I suppose. Be a love and point me to the loo; that tea just goes right through me."

He still could not speak. Eyes flashing with anger, his lips pursed, he pointed down the hallway.

"Thank you." She smiled, walking down the hall to find the loo.

Once inside, she pulled her wand out of her pocket, along with a small flat object. A wave of the wand transfigured it back to full size. She placed her diary on the small counter next to the sink, on a folded towel, then flushed the toilet and washed her hands. Making sure the note in the front of the diary was in place, she walked out of the loo.

"I enjoyed our tea, Severus. I'll visit you again soon." She said, putting her coat and hat on as he leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, glowering at her. All he got for his trouble was an indulgent smile from Teagan.

"Get. Out." He growled, fairly shaking with irritation. "Now."

She opened the door and left, fairly skipping down his walkway to the sidewalk, humming to herself. I give it a week before I hear from him. Maybe less.

He found the diary the next day, after he had managed a fitful night of sleep. Nursing a Firewhisky hangover, looking for a hangover potion, he went into the downstairs loo to check the medicine cabinet. When he saw the small book on the counter, he drew his wand instinctively and checked it for traps and hexes. Nothing. Picking it up dislodged a scrap of parchment from the front cover, and he stooped to get it.

Dear Severus,

There are many misunderstandings between us that need to be resolved. As I feared, you refuse to talk about it with me. That's okay, I understand. You've been hurt and used so much that you instinctively mistrust everyone, no matter how well they treat you. This is the diary I kept from the time that I started Hogwarts. Most of it may be rather dull reading, but some of it concerns you. Whenever I see you next, you have my permission to use Legilmency to verify that this diary contains the truth of my feelings for you.

I refuse to give up on you.

Love, Teagan

Bloody hell. Just WHAT did that irritating Hufflepuff think she was up to now? He snapped the diary shut, and then stuck it in his desk drawer, slamming the drawer shut for good measure.

I am most certainly not reading that damn thing.

A year passed, then two. Twenty-eight months after Teagan Dunham visited him and left her diary, he was looking for a manuscript that he'd misplaced. Yanking a drawer open in his desk at the house at Spinner's End, he found the diary, but not the manuscript. Snape paused for a moment.

I suppose I really should return it to her. Send it back by owl, that way I won't even have to speak to her, he frowned. Pulling it out, he-and for years afterwards, could not explain why-opened the diary to the first page.

September 1, 1992

Dear diary,

I have had the most awful, yet most interesting day of my life today. Today I had my first Potions class with Professor Severus Snape. "I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death." What a terrifying, intelligent, arrogant, fascinating man. Oh, diary, what will I do? He took twenty points from my house because of my clumsiness alone-I caught my sleeve of my robes on fires as I was stirring my potion today. Professor Snape was so angry with me, but he put out the fire before I was burned, at least. Then he scorched my ears for a full five minutes before he took twenty points and gave me detention. When I couldn't stop crying, he threatened to take twenty more points! I know that it goes against the standards of my house, but I do believe I might hate him. I have Potions again tomorrow and then I have to serve my detention with that arrogant jerk at seven p.m., after supper. I miss home. I don't know how I can possibly make it to seventh year and graduation at this rate.

Good night, diary. I'll write more tomorrow, as I'm sure that I will be thoroughly miserable after my detention.

September 2, 1992

Dear Diary,

I really don't know how to write this. I served my detention tonight, as scheduled. Professor Snape was-formal, but kind to me. He explained to me that I needed to be more careful about my sleeves, and even showed me how to stand and stir in such a way as to keep my sleeve away from the fire. It's quite apparent that he cares about safety in the potions lab very much and much of his act is calculated to protect the students from their own carelessness. Timothy Spud-Heath blew up a cauldron today when he added crushed teaberries instead of crushed elderberries to his cauldron. He and Jenny Starke got sent to the infirmary with some bad burns. Snape was furious, but efficient about handling it. He gave Timothy detention next week and took fifty points from Ravenclaw. He's very strict but he's trying to keep us safe.

I still don't like him very much, Diary. He can be very cruel and rude to us. There's no excuse for that. Goodnight, Diary.

Before he realized it, he'd read half of the bloody thing. This is stupid, he chastised himself. I don't care what some silly Hufflepuff twit thinks of me, not now, and most certainly not when she was my student. My methods of teaching are effective. He tucked the diary into a pocket of his robe and left the house, walking to the end of the walkway and apparating to the main gate at Hogwarts.

Four hours earlier, Teagan had been revising and nibbling at a cold roast beef sandwich in her apartment when she heard a soft chime from her bedroom.

It's about time, she smiled to herself. I knew he couldn't resist such temptation. Now to wait, and see what he does about it.

She hummed happily as her quill scratched on the parchment. Things were going to get interesting soon. Finally finished with the revising, she laid her quill down with a yawn, and then padded into her bedroom to go to bed. As usual, she slept curled around a large body pillow that was covered with a black t-shirt. A shirt that smelled like a certain dark haired potions master, carefully charmed to stay at body temperature and preserve his distinctive smell.

oOo

Snape sighed and looked over at his old Muggle alarm clock. Lovely. It's twenty minutes past four, and I have to go teach class at eight. He had finished reading the diary about three in the morning, and hadn't been able to sleep, not even after drinking half a bottle of Firewhiskey. I'm really going to be in fine form today.

He re-read the last page in the diary.

December 20, 2006

Dear Severus,

If you are reading this, then you have finished reading my diary. As I'm sure you noticed, this entry did not appear until after you finished reading the whole thing. As of this writing, I am twenty-six years old. I am no longer a child, no longer your student. There is much that we need to talk about, and soon-but I will wait until you contact me. I told you my seventh year, just before graduation, that I loved you. I still love you. I will always love you. Whether it takes a week, or a hundred years, I remain,

Completely yours.

Love, Teagan

P.S. Please come to me soon, darling. I miss you so much.

Bloody hell. He had hoped that she would forget about it, that she would move on; find a wizard her own age. He sighed heavily, and then wearily walked to the bathroom to shower, thinking about that fateful day four years ago.

oOo

May, 2000~

He had ignored the knock at first, but the person at his door refused to go away. With a wave of his hand, he opened the classroom door, sighing in irritation.

He sighed again for good measure, as it was that insufferable Hufflepuff nemesis of his, Miss Teagan Dunham. No doubt here to guilt him into thanking her for saving his life after Nagini had bitten him; for some reason she had showed up from out of nowhere. Once again, he was in her debt. She had somehow kept him alive, fed him Blood Replenishment potions and called for help, stayed with him and kept him from choking on his own blood. I'll scorch her wings good, he thought. I'll make sure to reduce her to a sniveling little twit.

"Miss Dunham." He began, in the most demeaning sneer that he could muster. "The graduation ceremony is not held in the dungeons. Are you waxing sentimental about scrubbing cauldrons?"

"Professor Snape," Teagan said, smiling brightly up at him. "I wanted to tell you something before I leave Hogwarts."

Air-headed, insufferable, irritating Hufflepuff to the last, he frowned irritably. With an impatient wave of his hand, he silently motioned to her to get on with it.

"I've been accepted to Villiers University. They offered me a scholarship to study Transfiguration and Charms, and I'm going to minor in Potions." She went on gaily, paying no mind to his sour expression. "I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you teaching me, and I'll always remember you fondly. I really appreciate you."

Is this some kind of elaborate joke? She's mocking me, he thought, gritting his teeth.

"Well," He hissed, "Goodbye, then."

"One more thing, Sir."

"What is it, Miss Dunham? I have better things to occupy my time with than listen to your babbling." He sighed, resting his hands on his desk.

"I'm in love." She said, biting her lip slightly. "The only problem is, I'm in love with a man who doesn't believe in love anymore, who has been hurt so often and so badly that I often weep for him at night. He doesn't believe he deserves happiness. He's made terrible sacrifices to keep everyone safe, he's been reviled and hated by most of the wizarding world-"

"Get. Out." He said quietly, his voice dark and full of menace, his body trembling slightly.

"I'm not mocking you, Sir." Teagan replied, glad that her robes concealed how badly her knees were shaking. "I mean every word that I said, and I'll repeat it until you believe me."

"You have a schoolgirl crush on a teacher!" He snapped, running a hand through his lank hair. "Within a year, you will meet a young wizard, closer to your own age, and you will forget all about this nonsense! Now get out of my classroom!"

She had taken an involuntary step back when he had shouted at her, but swallowed her fear.

"I'm leaving now, Sir." She walked to the door, and then turned to face him again.

"I do not plan to see anyone else, Severus." She said, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't want anyone else. I love you."

The door closed behind her with a soft click. Snape rose, walked to his private quarters, and poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey with shaky hands. What a bunch of rubbish, He thought bitterly. She'll forget me soon enough. He downed the fiery liquor and poured another glass, his hands shaking badly.

oOo

~Chapter 5~

December, 2006~

Classes for the day were finally over, thank Merlin. Severus poured himself a Firewhiskey, loosened his cravat, and sat down at the desk in his study. Pinching his nose with a sigh, he tried to relax a bit and forget about the absolutely wretched day he'd just had. Three cauldrons ruined, two students in the medical ward, and a full dozen detentions, which he had split between himself and Filch. Taking a sip of his Firewhiskey, his eyes fell to his desk.

The diary sat right where he had left it that morning. Mocking him. I'll show her, he thought angrily. Snatching up his quill, he opened the diary to the next blank page after her last entry, dipping his quill in the red ink he used for marking essays.

Unacceptable rubbish.

There, he thought in satisfaction. That should take care of things. I'll send the diary back to her at Beauxbartons by owl, and that should be the end of it. No more of this nonsense, that's—

Taking a sip of his firewhiskey, he nearly choked. Before his eyes, after a faint chime sounded, more of her delicate, elegant handwriting appeared below his own spiky copperplate script.

Hello to you, too, my dear Severus.

By now you have probably realized that the diary is charmed, and has a twin, which is in my possession. Anything you write will appear in my diary, and anything I write appears in yours. It took some reworking to get the charm to work over the distance that separates us, but it seems to be working fine. How are you? I miss you so much, my darling.

Severus snatched up his quill, determined to put a stop to this.

I refuse to be your pen-pal. I am going to toss this rubbish in my fireplace right now.

…

No, you won't.

…

Insufferable Hufflepuff witch!

…

I adore you, you snarky Slytherin wizard. As I said, you won't burn this diary. Do you know why?

…

Why?

…

Because you want to read more. You need to know more…and now I can tell you more. For instance, I have a secret to tell you.

…

I don't care. I don't want to know it.

…

I have one of your t-shirts, the one in black with the Chudney Cannons logo on the front. I have a large body pillow that I put it on and snuggle up to at night, pretending it is you. Oh, the marvelous dreams I have had clutching that pillow…

…

He sat there a long time, the quill slowly sliding out of his nerveless fingers to the floor.

…

Are you still there, Severus?

…

He bent and picked up the quill with shaky hand, pausing to take another sip of Firewhiskey, then another.

Yes. He wrote in a shaky hand.

I really should put a stop to this, he thought, but I don't know how. She's just not listening to me.

…

I'm sorry, dear…I don't mean to offend you. I've tried so hard to let you have your space, to leave you alone, but I can't do it for long. I miss you so much. You haunt my dreams every night.

…

We should not be doing this. You are young; you have your whole life ahead of you-

…

Suddenly, the next line was filled with rapidly scrawled words.

Severus Snape, you need to stop that right now! If I wanted a boy, I would have a boy by now. I want a man. I want you. Now, you need to start listening to me. I've been telling you this, more or less subtly, for the past six years. I waited until I wanted to graduate first, but I don't want to wait any longer. Though I will, for the sake of your fragile heart. I want to love you, cherish you, and heal you. Grow old and gray by your side.

…

This is nonsense, we must stop this. It is madness! He wrote.

…

Just think about it a while. Write back to me when you have come to your senses, for now I am going to bed. Good night.

…

The last sentences were not as neat, conveying her anger to him as if she were in the same room talking to him. He downed the last of his Firewhiskey, paused a moment, then, after a moment of hesitation, took up his quill again.

Good night, Miss Dunham.

…

Good night, Severus.

oOo

Teagan went to bed, but did not go to sleep. She wrapped herself around her body pillow, burying her face in it, and breathed deeply, the scent from Severus' old t-shirt comforting to her. She'd cast several charms on the shirt, including one to prevent the scent from fading and another one to prevent it from being stained or becoming any more worn that it already was.

At least he didn't burn the diary as he threatened to. At least he's talking to me…sort of.

I want to go see him during Spring break.

Should I? She sighed. Probably shouldn't. I should just stay at school, work on my projects and revisions, and get ahead in my classwork.

He's talking to me through the diary. I'll have to be happy with that for now.

With a heavy sigh, she tried to go to sleep.

oOo

Two weeks later, when she got up and was brushing her teeth, she heard the faint chime from her desk. Dropping her toothbrush and spitting the remaining toothpaste into the sink, she ran to the diary and opened it.

I am sorry. I have been horribly rude to you.

…

Oh, Severus, there is nothing to forgive. I wasn't angry with you long. I just didn't write because I thought you might want me to leave you alone for a while.

…

This is not easy for me.

…

Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized how much it cost him to admit that. Swiping the sleeve of her nightgown across her face to dry the tears, she picked up her quill again.

I know. But you are talking to me, and that makes me happy. We have plenty of time, Severus. Just, please don't shut me out. Keep talking to me. Trust me only as much as you feel comfortable with.

…

I'm a horrible person-

…

Stop that right now. I mean it. No one, not even you, has the right to say that about you. I won't tolerate it.

It was several minutes before he wrote anything else. Teagan waited anxiously, alternating between gnawing at a hangnail nervously and tapping her fingers on the desk. Finally, the soft chime announced a message.

Are you sure you want to know me?

…

Yes. Very sure.

…

Why?

…

Severus, I've watched you, observed you, studied you since I was eleven years old. You were terrifying to me at first. As the years went by and I matured, you weren't so scary. I started to see you, the true you, not the act that you put on to scare the living daylights out of us students. You have many qualities that I admire greatly.

…

Such as what? My snarkiness, my indifference to grooming other than to keep myself clean, my service to the Dark Lord?

…

No. Though the snarkiness can be rather endearing at times. I rather admire your intelligence, your diligence, your wonderful voice, your command of your classroom, your honesty, your loyalty, your bravery…should I go on? I could for quite some time, you know.

…

This is foolish. I'm twenty-two years older than you.

…

In twenty, thirty, fifty, a hundred years, no one will care about that. Least of all, us.

…

Us?

…

Yes, us. You and me. Severus Snape and Teagan Elizabeth Dunham.

…

Tobias.

…

What?

…

My middle name is Tobias, after my father.

…

If our first son is a boy, can we name him Tobias?

…

What makes you think I want children?

…

I do, and once you love me, you will deny me nothing. Because I will give you everything.

…

After a long pause, more words finally appeared on the pages of her copy of the diary.

You are dangerous to me.

…

Nonsense. You are safe with me. You protect us, and I will protect your heart. I will heal your heart.

…

I really need to go to breakfast, and then to class to teach.

…

Of course. I have to go to class myself. Severus?

…

Yes?

…

Can I come see you during my spring break? Or could you come visit me? Oh, come visit me if you can get away. We could go to the Riviera, or Paris.

…

There was another long pause.

Let me think about that. I will have to look at my schedule. Good day.

…

Have a good day, Severus.

Teagan rushed around her room to get ready for class; it was certain she would be late, and Professor Sputhe would be irritated about it, but right now she didn't care. Severus' response to her invitation was the equivalent in her mind to him saying 'yes, I'll come see you.' Because only two months ago, he would hardly talk to her at all.

Progress is being made, she thought triumphantly.

oOo

August, 2010~

"Well?" Headmistress McGonagall said sharply, fixing Teagan with a piercing glare.

Teagan smoothed her robes, adjusted her sleeves, anything to escape those eyes for just a moment while she composed herself, and her thoughts.

How do I put this? She thought uneasily. Minerva, I've been shagging your grumpy Potions master for the past six years or so. Give or take a few dry spells when we've been fighting. More like I get mad at him for being a git and he goes off and pouts on me because he knows I'm right, but he can't admit it. And because I'm a total pushover and completely mad about him, I always forgive him because I miss him so, and-

"Professor Dunham, if you please, some of us do have things to do today."

"Um…right! Sorry, Headmistress, I was just woolgathering a bit." Teagan said, blushing furiously.

"Sevvy?" Minerva said smugly, arching an eyebrow at Teagan.

"Er…oh, my. I…I can explain everything, really I can."

Oh, gods. I'm certainly glad Severus isn't here for this. He'd hex both of them before I could stop him.

"Well, after I graduated Hogwarts and I finished at Villers, I…went by Severus' house in Spinner's End. We got to talking, and then we were dating, and…um…slept together, and I am really very happy with him…" Teagan ran out of steam under the Headmistress' withering gaze.

"Are you certain that we are talking about the same Severus Snape?" Minerva said coolly, leaning back in her chair and wrapping her shawl around her shoulders a bit better. "There's not a twin to him that isn't rude and cruel?" Professor Sprout, sitting next to Minerva, stifled a chuckle and was rewarded with an elbow in her ribs from the Headmistress.

"No…" Teagan replied, twisting her hands together in her lap under the table. "We're talking about the one and only Severus Snape."

"Do you plan to continue this…relationship while you are teaching at Hogwarts, Professor Dunham?"

Teagan froze, noting that suddenly Professor Sprout was looking rather nervous. Minerva was definitely not happy with this new development.

"Headmistress, I promise that we will be…discreet."

"I certainly hope so." Minerva said, softening her glare a bit. "Severus certainly deserves some measure of happiness, wherever he may find it."

oOo

January, 2006~Spinner's End

Teagan gathered her nerve, and then knocked on the front door of the unremarkable house of Severus Snape. As she waited, she checked her shopping bag-everything she needed was there for dinner-and shifted the strap of her bag. This was definitely a first for him, she thought, thinking back to the cryptic entry from him that she had read in her charmed diary earlier that day.

If you have no plans for the weekend, come to my house in Spinner's End on Friday, 5 p.m. Bring some pasta and your favorite pasta sauce.

She hadn't heard from him since Christmas, when she'd talked him into going to the lighting of the Christmas tree and carols at the church she had attended in her home town. He's been very quiet and unusually cooperative-translation: he hadn't been rude, impolite, or pouty. It was rather unsettling to Teagan, as she was more used to an uncooperative Severus. He's even allowed her to hold his hand, even though he had chided her for forgetting her gloves and transfigured a handkerchief into a warm pair of mittens for her, complete with a warming charm.

The door opened and then he was ushering her in, helping her off with her coat and hanging it on the hall tree, along with her hat. That was a bit of a surprise; usually when she visited, he let her do it herself.

"I've baked some chicken to go with the pasta," He said, taking the bag from her, "and chocolate cake for dessert."

Leading the way to the kitchen, with all of the lovely smells there, he took the pasta from her bag and put it in the pot of boiling water on the gas stove.

"You don't use magic to cook?" Teagan asked, surprised.

"I like cooking with Muggle methods. I consider it more rewarding, and the food usually tastes better. We can't all cook as well with magic as house elves can."

"I see." She replied, putting the bottle of wine in the bucket and using her wand to fill it with never-melting ice. "You need to let me cook for you sometime; my mum taught me to cook both ways, but I think I'm better with the magical way."

He smirked at her. "You know I like to cook."

"Yes, I know." She smiled, rising up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "That's why you are so good at Potions."

With a shrug of his shoulders, he got a sauce pan and began warming the tomato sauce. Teagan leaned against the dinner table, which he already had set, and studied him quietly.

He looks…healthier than he did last year. Probably because he's finally given in and started eating better after that last big row we had, when I put my foot down about how thin he was. I may be in trouble once he figures out that me being mad doesn't last very long…I always need to see him long before he deserves to be forgiven, so I always give in too soon and forgive him.

She sighed, feeling rather pleased with things.

"Knut for your thoughts." He said, tapping the spoon on the pan to clean it off before setting it on a saucer.

"Who says I'm thinking?" Teagan laughed.

"In my experience, a quiet Hufflepuff is a thinking Hufflepuff," He paused to take a sip of water from his glass. "A thinking Hufflepuff usually means trouble."

"Nonsense."

"That has been my experience, especially with Tonks. A walking disaster waiting to happen."

"Since when have I been trouble?" She asked, crossing her arms and faking a pout.

"Ever since you first walked into my classroom." He smirked.

Teagan huffed and stuck her tongue out at him.

oOo

Dinner was finished, the dishes done, and now they sat on the couch, each with a glass of elf wine. Teagan was being cautious with her glass; she had overindulged once her first year at college, and she didn't care to repeat that experience again. She glanced out of the window with a sigh.

It was snowing, and snowing hard.

Hmm…she thought, I sure don't feel much like going out there to apparate home tonight. Which gives me an idea…

"Severus," She said craftily, swirling her wine in her glass and taking a sip. "It's snowing."

"I noticed that." He murmured, turning the page in the current issue of Potions Monthly. "I suppose you need to go home, then. I'll walk you out to the back yard so you can apparate safely."

"Well, that might be a bit of a problem." Teagan grinned, taking care to deliberately slur her words. "Elf wine goesh right to my head…but ish sooo good."

Severus looked sharply at her, as if he were trying to figure out if she were joking with him. Teagan smiled at him and unbuttoned the top two buttons on her blouse and fanned herself with the material.

"I feel, "She sighed, "too warm. Does ish feel warm to you in here?"

Snape nearly dropped his magazine, blushing furiously. He put it aside and quickly went to the kitchen. As he feared, the bottle of wine wasn't there. When he walked back into the sitting room, he saw that the bottle was on the floor, near the end of the couch that Teagan was lying on. It was nearly empty. I've only had one glass of wine, he thought. When did she refill her glass?

"I Accio'd the bottle while you were reading." She giggled, taking another sip of wine. "You never noticed it fly past you, you were so engrossed in your magazine."

He sighed and pinched his nose. If she attempted to apparate-

"Severus?" Teagan said, and then yawned. "I can't feel my nose. Well, I can sort of, but it's kind of numb. Ish a funny feeling."

"You'd better spend the night here." He said, deftly taking her wine glass from her.

"Hey! I'm not finished-" She protested. He gathered up his glass and the nearly empty bottle and took them to the kitchen. Teagan glared at his back as he walked away.

"Fine. Be that way." She pouted.

When he was out of sight, she allowed herself a tiny smirk of triumph. Everything was going according to plan. Now to see what he would do next.

oOo

When he returned to the sitting room, Teagan was curled up on the couch asleep. He sighed, and then went upstairs to fetch some blankets to cover her with.

I didn't think she had that much to drink, he mused, gently covering her up and removing her shoes, tucking the blankets around her. He put a couple more logs on the fire, and then adjusted the damper to make sure the fire would keep the room reasonably warm till morning. After a moment of hesitation, he took his wand out and placed a warming charm on the blankets.

She's stubborn, this one. He thought, heading upstairs to bed.

He didn't notice the hazel eyes peeking over the blanket, watching him head upstairs.

Well, another first. He's allowing me to spend the night. Teagan sighed, wriggling a bit to get more comfortable on the couch. I'd better try to fall asleep for real now.

At first she wasn't sure what woke her up, or even where she was. It was still dark out. Fishing her cell out, Teagan checked the time; it was almost 3 a.m.

Something woke me up.

For a long time, she lay on the couch, listening intently. It was something that was familiar, but not. She frowned, trying to place the sound, to figure out what it was.

Someone was weeping. In a flash of realization, she knew what-and who-was making that sound. It had to be Severus.

A night terror. He's having a nightmare. She threw back the blankets, whispering "Lumos" to light the tiny light at the tip of her wand, and headed upstairs. I don't even know which room is his.

She found it soon enough, and eased the door open, approaching his bed cautiously. She'd had enough experience with friends who'd been through the last wizarding war to know to take care waking them from bad dreams.

The comforter and sheets tangled around him, he lay across the bed, whimpering and mumbling in his tormented sleep. As she drew closer, she began to make out some of what he was saying.

"I…no, no…I can't, he mustn't know…promise me…"

Teagan swallowed, brushing a tear of her own away.

"Severus?" She said timidly, wary of him striking out. He quieted, but didn't wake. Cautiously, she reached out and touched his shoulder after making sure to cast a quiet "Protego" charm. Couldn't hurt to be careful.

He sat bolt upright in bed with a shriek, causing her to back away despite the protective charm.

"Lumos." She said, flicking her wand at the bedside lamp to light it.

"I…Miss Dunham…" Severus began, "I'm sorry that I…woke you."

"Severus." Teagan said gently. "My name is Teagan. Please call me that."

She smiled at him.

"I know that when you call me 'Miss Dunham', you're trying to assert some kind of control over…whatever we have here."

"This is highly improper, whatever it may be." He replied, shivering slightly as she put her hand back on his shoulder.

"Look," She sighed, "I have not been your student for six years now, and am definitely no longer a child. I found my first gray hair just last week, I'll have you know."

"But-"

"No buts." She interrupted, holding up a hand. "I am taking charge here, and you will listen to me for now."

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it, thinking better of it.

"Severus, I have been telling you how I feel about you for six years now. I've been very patient with you. But right now, my feet are freezing and I want to get warm again. So shove over and make some room."

After a brief hesitation, he moved over.

"Nox." She said, waving her wand at the lamp to put it out, and then taking off her jeans before sliding under the covers with him.

"Put your arm over here." She directed, tugging at his left arm to make it her pillow.

"I'm not sure we should be doing this-"He began, allowing her to position his arm and tuck herself next to him.

"I am."

"You've had too much to drink-"

Teagan laughed, ceasing only when she developed a stitch in her side.

"Severus, dear Severus." She purred, "Have you ever heard of the Ligneocruris spell?"

How Slytherin of her, he thought, letting out a defeated sigh. Of course. The Ligneocruis spell, also commonly known as the 'wizard's wooden leg'. Allows a wizard or witch to appear to drink as much alcohol (or any liquid) as they wish, without actually doing so.

"I've been had, haven't I?" He sighed. Teagan giggled, snuggling up to his warm body. "So just what did you do with the elf wine?"

"I put it back in the bottle after you went to bed." She whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "I would never waste such fine wine."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" She replied, sliding a hand up to idly play with his hair.

"Why are you doing this?" He was still shivering slightly, and that worried her.

Teagan considered her response for a moment. She was right where she had always dreamed of being, but felt she had to choose her words carefully.

"May I be completely honest with you, and you hear me out?" She asked, fighting to keep her nervousness out of her voice.

"Of course."

Here goes nothing. Or everything. She thought.

"Severus…I never dreamed that I would ever be where I am now, lying in bed next to you, with your arm my pillow. Yes, I had a silly schoolgirl crush on you when I was 14; we all did, I'll have you know. You were so mean and spiteful, intelligent, moody, brilliant, dangerous…"

She sighed, gathering her thoughts. He said nothing, his black eyes watching her warily.

"I tried to forget the whole thing, especially with the war going on-"She continued, stopping to gently hug him close when he shuddered at her mention of the war. "Was that what you were dreaming about, the war?"

"I…I suppose so. Some of it." He whispered faintly. "Some of it…"

"Don't talk about it if you don't want to."

"I…thank you." He said, smiling weakly. "It's still…very difficult."

"I know." She sighed, her fingers idly tracing random patterns on his chest. "I was there, you know. For some of it."

She was quiet for a while, just letting him rest a bit.

"I finally realized before I graduated that it wasn't just some crush that I could forget about. That I could never forget about you."

Chapter 6~

She woke up when she got a bit cold; opening her eyes groggily to discover that her bed warmer was gone. Teagan sat up quickly, immediately regretting it as her hangover hit with full force, causing her to flop back in the bed with a groan.

I think I had more of that elf wine than I really meant to, she thought miserably, shutting out the sunlight by pulling the sheets over her head. She could hear Severus down in the kitchen, making breakfast no doubt. She could smell coffee brewing, its rich aroma wending its way upstairs. She sighed and slid out of the bed, picking her jeans up off the floor and slipping into them. After a visit to the loo, she softly padded downstairs to the kitchen to find Severus sitting at the table, sipping coffee and reading The Daily Prophet. She found some toast and eggs set out on her side-funny to think of it that way, her side of the table, along with a vial of pinkish liquid marked in his script, "Hangover relief".

"Thank you." She smiled at him, despite her pounding head. "It looks delicious; I'm starving."

He set his paper down and poured some pumpkin juice for her, pushing the glass over to her.

"You might want some of this to wash the hangover potion down; it really doesn't taste very good."

"Thank you. I promise I won't tell a soul how nice you really are." She smirked.

"Miss Dunham-"

"Don't you dare start with that again, Severus Tobias Snape!" She growled, pausing and wincing at the pain speaking brought to her throbbing head. She drank the vial of hangover potion; he was right, it tasted positively awful. It took most all of the glass of pumpkin juice to get the horrible taste out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry…Teagan."

"That's better," She said softly, as much for her headache as for him.

"I'm…really not very good with this sort of thing." He said quietly, studying the floor.

"I know." She said, reaching over to take his hand. For a moment, she thought he would pull away.

He gently closed his fingers around her smaller hand, giving her an unsure, tiny smile.

"We need to…set some sort of ground rules, I think." Severus said hesitantly.

"Agreed." Teagan smiled gently, giving his hand a light squeeze. "Would you be comfortable with me coming over on weekends, so long as I don't have too much classwork to do? Or is that too often?"

"Just what is this, then?" He asked, looking a bit unsure.

"Whatever we decide it should be, Severus." She said. "I've told you how I feel about you. I still feel that way, but I'm not sure if you feel the same. So I'll wait for you to catch up."

He took his hand from hers, and poured himself another cup of coffee. No cream, no sugar. Something for me to remember, she thought.

He surprised her by taking her hand in his again.

Definite progress, she decided.

"I don't have much experience with…relationships." He said cautiously, exploring her hand with his long, nimble fingers.

Oh, please…don't stop that, Severus.

"I don't either, Severus." Teagan confessed. "I've only had a few relationships…three, if you want to…count this one."

"That's two more than me, I guess." He said quietly.

Oh, Severus…

For now, she decided it was best to change the subject; he was obviously not comfortable.

"Did you sleep well last night?" She asked.

"I did." He said, pausing for a moment to smirk slightly. "As well as I could, with an insufferable Hufflepuff clinging to me in her sleep and nuzzling my neck."

For a moment, Teagan was speechless, flipping between anger and shock, then she burst out laughing.

"You…" She had to stop for a minute to catch her breath, holding her sides. "You…made a joke!"

"It is no joke." He deadpanned, and then smirked at her. "It took me twenty minutes to extricate myself from your arms this morning to go use the loo."

"Well, I don't think you had any more nightmares last night."

"No, I don't think so." He said, growing thoughtful. "You…thank you. I'm so used to…suffering them on my own, I-"

"You just need a Hufflepuff to hug you so you don't have bad dreams any more. Professor Dunham's orders."

He scowled at her, until she stuck her tongue out at him defiantly.

"You don't scare me, Severus Snape." She said, picking up his coffee and taking a sip.

"Yuck!" She made a face. "How can you drink that stuff with no sugar or cream, it's so bitter!"

"I need it to be bitter." He smirked. "I need it to counterbalance the resident Hufflepuff."

Teagan nearly fell out of her chair in shock. Gently setting his coffee down, she looked away for a moment, composing herself as well as she could.

Then she rose from her chair, drawing herself up to her full height, all five foot two of it. She swallowed nervously, taking a deep breath.

Snape looked at her, curious.

She walked over to where he sat, leaned over him in his chair, and took his face in her hands.

"Then I'd better sweeten you up some." She said, so softly he could barely hear her. And then, she kissed him, a gentle, delicate kiss. She felt his hands move to gently hold her at the waist. After nearly a minute, she pulled away slightly, breaking the kiss, her hands sliding down to his shoulders. She could feel him trembling, but she had to admit she felt rather shaky also.

"If you ever find life too…bitter," she said, her eyes warm, her hands gently caressing his face, "there's plenty more where that came from, Severus."

The look in his eyes was that of a man dying of thirst, who had stumbled across an oasis in the desert. He pulled her down on his lap and drank deeply of her mouth, desperately.

My lips will surely be bruised, thought Teagan in the midst of it. Ah, but it is so worth it.

August, 2010~

"What do you mean, that's all?" Professor Sprout said indignantly. "No juicy details?"

Teagan sighed, glancing at the Headmistress, who smirked back at her, her gray eyes twinkling.

"Professor Sprout, some things must be kept…private." She replied, brushing a stray lock of hair back behind an ear. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we did nothing other than sleep in the same bed and talk that night. He fixed me breakfast the next morning, we spent most of Sunday together, and then I had to go back to school."

"Well, when you said you slept with him, I thought-"

"That's our business, Pomona." Teagan snapped, feeling her patience slip a bit. "I don't think it's necessary to tell everything. I fear I've already said too much."

She turned to Headmistress McGonagall.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I should go have a conference with my colleague, our Potions Master." She said, rising to leave. "I hope he isn't too upset by your teasing him today."

"Of course, dear." Minerva smiled up at her. "Go take care of him."

Teagan quickly arrived at the dungeons, walking briskly past the Slytherin girl's loo on the way. I certainly don't have any need for that anymore; she smirked, then after considering, gently put her hand on the stone wall.

"Thank you," She said softly, directing her words to the castle itself. "You made all of this possible. I'll always be grateful to you for this."

Soon she arrived at the door to the Potions Classroom, which she found unlocked. Opening it, she walked in, looking around.

No Severus.

She slowly walked through the room, taking in the smells, running a finger along one of the tables. Reminiscing.

With a muffled thump and the creaking of hinges, she heard him opening the door that led to his private study. He entered the Potions classroom, carrying a few books and a small box, crossing the room to his desk at the head of the room.

"Hello, Severus." Teagan said cheerfully, smiling at him.

Snape gave her a withering glare that would have sent her whimpering to her common room, had she still been a student. Instead, she walked up to his desk and perched herself on the side of it, her feet dangling far above the floor as she grinned broadly at him. He pretended to ignore her, sorting through the vials, looking for something to stall for time.

"Severus." She said seriously, reaching out to catch the sleeve of his robes, "You aren't fooling me. Those vials are empty."

"So they are." He sighed irritably, flicking his wand at the door to shut it. Teagan smirked as she heard the locks snap into place.

"Are you angry with me?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, a sullen expression on his face.

"For letting my little nickname for you slip in front of McGonagall and Sprout." Teagan said, worried now. "I'm sorry that I did that. I was just so happy to see you-"

"You certainly kept this a secret till now."

"What? Applying for the Transfiguration position?"

"Yes."

"I didn't tell you? I thought I did." Teagan replied, chewing on her lip in frustration. She hated it when she forgot things.

"No…you did not mention it."

"I'm sorry." She said, looking up at him, contrite. "I just forgot to mention it to you. Please don't be angry with me, darling."

He sighed, and then leaned down to kiss her gently.

"How could I ever be angry at you?" He said, as she snaked her arms around his neck, effectively trapping him. He allowed her to pull him down for a few more passionate kisses, and then pulled back from her.

"I guess you were surprised." She said quietly. "I put in for the job two months before graduation; I didn't expect to have much of a chance at it…but McGonagall owled me the last week of school. I guess with my finals and comps, I didn't have a chance to owl you, much less tell you in person."

He said nothing, but drew her closer, resting his chin atop her head. She fit perfectly under his chin, though it was somewhat irritating that he wasn't talking much.

"Are you glad that I'm here?" She said nervously, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Of course I'm happy that you're here." He said, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head, lingering to smell her hair. She fidgeted with the buttons on his robe, turning her head to rest it on his broad chest.

"I have to stay in my living quarters upstairs, near the Transfiguration classroom." Teagan grumbled, picking a tiny bit of lint off his robe.

"Not a problem." He said, hugging her a bit closer. "I can have the floo connected between our rooms. We'll have to be careful, though."

"Humpf." She huffed, snuggling up to him. "I've already talked to Minerva about it, though she'll probably want to talk a bit more with me. I couldn't really discuss anything with her with that nosy busybody Sprout around."

"Oh, the joys of being a subject of the rumor mill." He said dryly. "I'm rather used to it. Just ignore them."

"I'm not used to it yet." She said, leaning back to look up at him. "Especially when I hear people saying ugly things about you."

"Some of them are true, so they may as well talk."

She sighed irritably, thumping him on the chest with a tiny fist.

"That's because they don't know you. You keep everyone at a distance by putting on this mean, hateful, snarky potions master act."

"Ah, but I don't care what they think of me." He smirked, kissing her on the forehead. "One person seems to like to be around me."

He released her from his embrace, and then carried the box of empty vials to a shelf to store them for the coming classes.

"So…" Teagan said, idly drumming her fingers on his desk. "How long will it take to connect our floos?"

"Only a few minutes, if the…castle is cooperative." He said, brushing dust from a table. "I see some cleaning is needed here…"

"Severus, leave it to the house elves." She said, walking over to him. "I think…I will need to come see you tonight."

"I thought you needed to unpack your trunk, get your books put up, get used to your new room a bit…" He said, smirking slightly. "Settle in, you know."

She glared up at him.

"I haven't spent a single night with you for nearly a month, what with finishing my finals, graduation, graduation parties, all the fuss with getting this job, and moving up here." She said softly, a dangerous tone in her voice. "You are…just being cruel."

"I apologize." He said, drawing her back into his embrace again. "I take it you miss me?"

"Yes," she whispered against his chest. "You know dammed well I need my fix, you irritating git. I left my body pillow with your shirt on it at my parents' house when I went home after graduation."

"You poor dear…so…neglected."

She drew back and looked up at him, afraid he was mocking her; he wasn't. He smiled gently at her and kissed her. As he drew back, she went up on her tip toes to maintain the contact, snaking her arms around his neck with a soft whimper.

Breaking the kiss with no small effort, he said, "I think we should part for now."

"No."

"I'll have the floo set up by this afternoon." He sighed. Tempting as it was to carry her back to his private quarters to continue, he had much to do before dinner. "Can we compromise? You let me do what I need to do here, you take care of setting up your things in your room, and then after dinner you can floo back down here?"

"I suppose that will have to do." She said grudgingly. "It will be good practice for the long days teaching, not seeing you for hours at a time. It will be difficult knowing that you're so close, though."

"Indeed."

"I'm packing an overnight bag."

"Somehow I am not surprised."

"Git." She mumbled into his chest, hugging him fiercely.

He smirked at her, and then kissed her. Extricating himself from her hug, he turned her toward the door and gave her a pat on the bum, causing her to give a soft cry of outrage.

"Tonight, then," he said, as she walked away, rubbing her fanny. "As soon as you can get here, after dinner?"

Teagan paused at the door, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smirked.

"Insufferable Slytherin." She huffed, giving way to a shy smile. "Of course. You'd best be prepared. I plan to make you suffer for making me wait for a month."

She walked out, humming to herself as she made her way down the hall. Oh, I love him. I love him SO much.

The rest of the day slowly crawled by. Teagan went to her room, unpacked her trunk, shrank it and put it away. Then she put her books on the shelf, in alphabetical order, of course. She dusted, despite there being not a speck of dust. She had tea and some cucumber sandwiches, and then cleaned up every crumb by hand. She got The History of Hogwarts and began to read it again, from the beginning. After thirty minutes, she sighed and closed the book; she just couldn't keep her mind on it. Intending to just put the book back, she ended up reorganizing her bookshelf, shelving the books by subject first, then in their sections alphabetically. After idly gazing out of the window-she was pleased that she had a lovely view of the lake-she got up and rearranged her clothes in the wardrobe.

Three more hours to go. She thought grimly. Then, at least an hour for dinner, then probably twenty minutes till I should be able to floo down there…

She walked to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo powder and tossed it into the flames.

"Severus?" She said anxiously. She waited a minute, then two. No response.

She let out a disappointed sigh.

"Yes, Teagan?" He said, his face appearing in the greenish flames.

"So, you have us connected?" She said, kneeling in front of the fireplace, her heart bounding with joy.

"Of course." He smiled. "Anxious, are we?"

"Oh, shut it." She said crossly. "I…I was just making sure."

"I found it rather curious," He smirked, "that the floo in my private study was already connected to your rooms. It appears that the castle has somehow…anticipated this."

"Why do you say that?"

"My room wasn't connected to yours a month ago. You were hired as Transfiguration professor, and were naturally assigned the old Transfiguration professor's rooms, and suddenly it's connected. Quite the coincidence."

"Oh."

"Teagan?"

"Yes, Severus?"

"Don't worry so much. Relax; find something to do for the next few hours. By eight, you'll be here with me, and…"

"Do what?" She asked irritably. "I'm bored, Severus. I can't concentrate enough to read-"

"You might wish to take a nap." He purred, "You might be up rather late tonight."

"Oh." She blushed. "Oh, my..."

"Now, my dear," He continued, "I really do need to check in an order of ingredients that just arrived before dinner. I'll see you there."

"Okay," She sighed, unwilling to break the connection. "I'll see you at dinner."

He was not so reluctant, turning away and vanishing almost before the flames lost their greenish hue. Teagan went back to her bed, flopping down on it with a frustrated growl.

The tease. That insufferable, egotistical, manipulative…oooh!

A thought began to form in her mind, one that caused a rather diabolical smirk to come to her face.

Two can play at this game, she thought, going to her wardrobe.

oOo

Chapter 7~

"Well, don't you look lovely, Teagan." Said the Headmistress as she walked down the hallway, her mind on getting to the Great Hall. On getting dinner over with. Her overnight bag was packed, shrunk, and tucked away in the pocket of the dress she was wearing, one she had picked just for Severus.

"Thank you, Headmistress." She smiled, falling into an easy pace that Minerva could easily keep up with.

"Ah, to be young again." Minerva sighed, taking her by the arm. "I must say that dark green does suit you. Complements your lovely hazel eyes, it does."

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself."

"You do realize that we're about thirty minutes too early." Minerva said as they walked into the Great Hall, which was empty save for a few house elves bustling about.

"Yes, but I thought we could talk, perhaps." Teagan replied.

"Indeed." Smirked the Headmistress. "We do have much to discuss. For example, I would be most interested to hear what your parents think of your new…beau."

Teagan paled.

"I…um…well, Headmistress…"

"Please, Teagan, while the students aren't here, call me Minerva." They reached the staff table and sat down, McGonagall waving to a house elf to bring tea.

"Well…I took him to meet them last Christmas," Teagan sighed, "It didn't go well."

oOo

December, 2009~

Teagan was a nervous wreck inside, struggling to keep some semblance of self-control as she perched on the couch next to Severus. She uneasily watched her father and Severus, wishing her mother would just forget about preparing dinner and come help her.

Her father, Walter Dunham, cleared his throat to break the awkward silence, not breaking the glare he was directing at Snape. Severus returned it, there being little love lost between the two men. The older man, a supervisor at the Ministry in the Department of Conservation of Magical Creatures, had not had much in the way of personal dealings with Snape, but was well informed on the events of the past two wizarding wars, having personally seen combat in the first.

"So, Professor Snape," He began, "What are you up to these days now that the Dark Lord is dead?"

"I have resumed my position teaching Potions at Hogwarts," Snape replied stiffly.

It had taken six months of pleading and begging from Teagan to talk him into this, and this result was exactly what he had warned her would happen. This could have all been avoided if I'd known that her father was Walter Dunham, he thought as he sighed inwardly. Oh, well, in for a penny…

"You were exonerated of all charges, I heard."

Snape started to speak, but a gentle, insistent squeeze of his hand convinced him to temper his response. Giving Teagan a reassuring squeeze in return, he turned his attention back to her father.

"Mr. Dunham, the charges were found to be mostly baseless, and enough witnesses came forward to testify on my behalf, that the remaining charges were dropped."

"I see." Walter said, leaning forward. "But you were a Death Eater."

Snape flinched as if he'd been struck physically. Teagan held her breath.

Oh, no. She thought, her eyes pleading with her mother to stop this, this is bad. This is NOT going to end well…

She held Snape's wand hand, and now she tightly gripped it with both hands, fearful of what might happen next.

"I was a Death Eater." Snape said carefully, measuring every word out as if he were brewing a potion, his voice flat and calm. "I no longer am a Death Eater. Your daughter has…helped me a great deal with leaving all of that behind me."

"My daughter," Walter said, glaring at Snape again, "yes, about all that. I'd like to hear just how long this has been going on. She was your student, wasn't she?"

"She was," Snape replied, unruffled by the simmering anger in Walter's eyes. "I assure you; I tried to talk her out of this. She came to me while she was in graduate school at Beauxbartons, determined to pursue a relationship with me. I did everything I could to discourage her."

"You failed, I see."

"I did," Severus agreed amicably. "She is…very persistent, very stubborn, and quite crafty and creative when she is fixed on a goal."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Teagan's mother quipped wryly, walking into the sitting room and perching herself on the arm of her husband's armchair. "Dinner is ready. We need to declare a truce for now."

"Teagan, Walter, would you mind setting the table." Teagan felt queasy; as her mother's tone indicated that it was not a request. Her father got up right off, leading the way into the kitchen as she trailed behind reluctantly. Her mother took his place in the armchair, appraising Snape with cool eyes.

Her father got some plates down, handed them to her, and as she placed them on the table, he put his hand on her arm.

"Sweetheart, you know that your mum and I are just worried about you." He said gently, rubbing her trembling arm. "No need to be nervous."

"I know, daddy…" She said, trying to put on a brave front. "It's just…"

"Your mum likes him, you know."

What? How did I miss that? She thought, her mind whirling.

"You're joshing me." She finally blurted out.

"Teagan, I've known your mum for thirty years." Her father chuckled. "We can just about read each other's mind by now."

"But, I…"

"Remember the last time she asked us to set the table together?"

"No…I don't remember her ever doing that. Usually, she'd ask me to do it, while she helped."

"Exactly. She wanted a moment alone with your young man."

Not exactly something that reassured Teagan much.

oOo

Teagan's mother sat in her husband's armchair, studying the tall Potions Master.

"I'll get right to it, Mr. Snape." Sally Dunham said crisply, her arms folded across her chest in a way that reminded him quite strongly of her daughter. "Just what are your intentions where my daughter is concerned?"

"I assure you that her continued health and happiness are foremost in my mind, madam." Snape said, returning her gaze. "While I cannot guarantee either, I promise you that I will do my best."

"I suppose that will have to do." She sighed, and then looked at him sharply. "I don't suppose I need to tell you how it will be for you if you hurt her?"

"No. I've already been warned by most of the staff at Hogwarts, along with several of her friends. I have no intent to harm her whatsoever."

"My husband knows you."

"Yes." Severus said, pausing for a moment. "I never had many dealings with his department, but I'm sure he's heard a lot about me."

"But you were a double agent, working against the Dark Lord in secret, correct?"

"Yes." He sighed. "It was a dark and ugly chapter of my life. I…I'm very happy that is over with."

"I presume that Teagan has told you what I do for a living."

"Yes…that you are a nurse in the Muggle world, working in home health care now."

"I worked for several years in mental health." She said, her eyes watching for his reaction.

None, she thought. That's unusual for someone who's been in combat.

"You seem well adjusted, for someone who's been in mortal danger daily for many years." She said cautiously.

"I'm not." He admitted warily. "Teagan…has been very helpful. I was alone and isolated, with no one to talk to, for many years. I…I didn't believe I would survive the war."

"That's my little girl." Sally smiled warmly, "Always trying to fix things. Remind me to tell you about her cat that she had when she was little."

"Oh?"

"Oh, yes. Teagan was about 6 years old," She smiled as she thought about that spring day long ago. "She was playing in the garden out back, and she came in and told me that she needed some more medical tape and gauze. When I got out there, I found that she had poor Morris, her tabby, all wrapped up with tape. It was a nightmare; we ended up having to shave the poor thing to get the tape off."

Severus smiled.

"I never had a pet." He said, somewhat wistfully.

"How well do you sleep, Severus?" She said, catching him off guard.

Sly, he thought. So Teagan doesn't get all of that craftiness from her father.

"Well enough." He said, bluffing.

"Alright, we'll leave that alone." Sally said, giving him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him.

"That's settled, then." She said, giving him a smile. "Shall we go have dinner now? I'm certain poor Teagan is a nervous wreck by now, what with me being alone to talk to you."

oOo

August, 2010~

"So, how have things been since then?" Minerva asked, taking another sip of tea.

"I don't really know." Teagan sighed. "Mum hasn't said much of anything, and Dad says even less. I hardly go by to see them anymore, I can't help it. It's as if they are watching for us to make some sort of mistake."

"Nonsense."

"I didn't say I was correct to think that; it's just me feeling paranoid."

"Are you really doing anything wrong?" Minerva said, setting her teacup down. "A young wizard-and he is young, for a wizard-and a young witch, having what seems to be the makings of a good relationship. What could be wrong with that?"

"My father doesn't like it, even though he's a wizard." Teagan sighed, "He knows Severus…from the two wars, though most of what he knows from the second war is from gossip at work."

"And your mother?"

Teagan rubbed her eyes in frustration.

"I really don't know, Minerva. Mum has always been so forthright, so direct with me. Now she's quiet, not saying anything about it. It's like we're a couple of patients. I can feel her watching us whenever we visit, especially him."

"Have you tried talking about it with her? Just you two?"

"Yes, last week when we went shopping together."

"And?"

"Nothing. Nothing but small talk, that is." Teagan replied, "The only exception was that she asked me what Severus might like for Christmas."

"Well, that's not a bad sign."

"Minerva," She sighed, "I have not the slightest idea of what to get him for Christmas myself!"

"He likes books." Smirked the Headmistress.

"No kidding." Teagan gave her an exasperated glare.

"Such cheek, Teagan." Minerva smiled. "I have something for you, I think. Give me a few days to locate it, and it's yours."

"What? For Severus?" She said, completely surprised.

"I have a copy of Wickinham's Annotated Plants and Flora of Asia somewhere in my personal library." Minerva replied. "Severus has coveted it for years, offered me three times what it's really worth. Your first Christmas together here at Hogwarts should be special, and as I really don't need it, I'd be happy to give it to you."

"But…he'll know that it's your copy-"

"So he'll enjoy it all the more, knowing that his…" Minerva arched an eyebrow, "…girlfriend was clever enough to talk me out of it."

Teagan blushed furiously, nearly spilling her tea.

"Now, as for your mum," Minerva continued, "you might be on your own. As you know by, Severus is a man of simple tastes and few needs. His life revolves around his profession as a Potions Master, and he's hardly ever had a proper Christmas."

Teagan sat quietly, trying to compose herself. Other staff members were starting to come into the Great Hall, though there was no sight of Severus yet. Still teasing me, she thought. Irritating git. He'll get his tonight.

"Teagan, stop worrying so much." Minerva smiled, "Everything will be fine."

A few minutes later, Teagan was really starting to worry. Nearly every place at the staff table was occupied, with most of the professors catching up with each other on a variety of topics ranging from the ever present talk of Quiddich to the latest issue of The Quibbler. The chair next to her remained unoccupied, Minerva's orders, no doubt.

Finally, there he was, sweeping into the Great Hall, his robes flowing around him as he made his way to the staff table. Teagan waited impatiently as he moved toward the one vacant seat, next to her. He kept pausing to greet other members of the staff, and she quietly burned with jealousy.

Hurry up, she thought, her eyes pleading with him. He smirked at her, and then made his way to his seat next to her as the house elves brought out the first course.

"My apologies, Professor Dunham." He said, his voice sending a thrill down her spine. "I was caught up in my…preparations for later this evening. The exact science of potion making and all that, you know."

She shivered slightly under his gaze, biting her lip, his words in her first potions class coming back to her mind.

He definitely knows how to push my buttons. She thought, squirming slightly in her chair. You just wait, you insufferable git. I plan to do some 'bewitching of the senses' myself later tonight.

As the meal got under way, she quietly slipped her shoe off, sliding her delicate foot over to his dragonhide boot. Severus suddenly was very still, giving her an inquiring glance. To which, Teagan simply gave him a innocent smile.

Slowly, ever so slowly, her foot slid up his leg to the knee. To a casual observer it might appear that she was turned toward him, engrossed in conversation. It was difficult to tell, with all the talking going on around them.

"Professor Dunham," He said in a unsteady voice that was nearly inaudible, "What are you playing at?"

"Why, Professor Snape," She laughed, "You need to relax and enjoy our conversation. We won't get to see each other that much, except at meals…"

By now, her toes were caressing the inside of his thigh, hidden from view by his voluminous robes. She could feel him trembling slightly from her attentions.

She withdrew her foot slowly, sliding it back down his leg, and then slipping her shoe back on. He shuddered a bit, stifling a groan. As if nothing untoward had gone on, she turned her attention to her meal, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. Turning toward him to make sure he was watching, she allowed some of it to dribble down her chin, where it landed right on her robes, soaking clear through to her dress.

"Oh! Drat it all!" Teagan exclaimed, pulling her robes open to expose the dark green dress and dabbing at the pumpkin juice with her napkin. She smirked at Severus, quite sure that she'd gave him a good look at the upper part of her breasts with the low cut of her dress.

He quickly looked away; his cheeks and ears flushed red, and pretended he didn't notice, turning his attention to his food.

I think this will be fun, she thought gleefully. Time to up the ante.

"Severus," She purred, leaning over to put her hand dangerously close to his groin, causing him to nearly drop a forked piece of chicken. "Could you please pass me the salt? These mashed potatoes are rather bland…"

Of course, Professor," He said nervously, reaching for the salt shaker, tipping it over as she ran her fingers down the length of his manhood.

"Oh, tsk, tsk," she murmured in a sultry voice. "Better toss a bit over your shoulder so your luck doesn't go sour, Severus. Though you may yet…get lucky."

He set the salt shaker in front of her with a shaky hand, shooting her a glare. Teagan smirked at him.

Oh, this insufferable…how did she ever get sorted into Hufflepuff? He thought, fighting to calm himself down.

Now she was back to eating, chatting animatedly with Professor Flitwick.

The nerve! Severus thought jealously, fuming as he speared a boiled carrot. How dare she treat me like this, and then just ignore me as if nothing had happened!

Jealousy gave way to sulking as she continued to pay him no attention. Even the dessert failed to cheer him up, a delicious chocolate mousse.

She laughed at something Flitwick said, then turned back to her plate, sneaking a covert glance as Severus, who studiously ignored her. With a sigh, she quietly slid her hand back over to his leg in a gentle caress. He flinched slightly.

Then his hand came down on top of hers gently, his long fingers curling around her small hand. She glanced at him; he was looking toward the Headmistress, listening to her telling Professor Sprout about her visit to Bermuda this summer during break.

"Oh, my." Teagan said, pushing her half-eaten mousse away. "I can't eat another bite, though it is delicious."

She slipped her hand away from Severus' and stood up, nodding to the other professors as she left the table.

"It's been a lot of work getting settled in today, I believe I'm going to retire early." She smiled. "I think a hot bath, nice warm toddy, and a good book will be quite pleasant. Professors, I bid you good evening."

She allowed her eyes to linger for just a moment on Snape, smirking slightly. He blushed again.

Teagan was as good as her word. She went back to her room, humming quietly to herself, feeling none of the anxiety that had plagued her earlier. She took a bath, luxuriating in the hot water, indulging herself with some of the lavender scented bubble bath her mum had bought for her when they went shopping last. She dressed for bed, putting on her nicer nightgown, and then put her robes over it. Last, she went to her bathroom and got a vial out of the cabinet. She drank the potion, and then frowned.

Funny. She thought, checking the label. Contraceptive potions usually taste awful…

She shrugged, putting it out of her mind. Maybe Severus finally found some way to make it taste better. He'll make thousands of Galleons on it if he has.

Teagan picked up a handful of Floo powder and her overnight bag, and then tossed the powder into the fireplace. With a smile, she stepped through the flames into Severus' private study.

He wasn't in the study, of course. She didn't expect him to be, given the hour. As she made her way back to his bedroom, she could hear the shower running.

Tempting, she thought, but I think I'll leave that for another time. Maybe afterward.

She lit the candles in the bedroom with her wand, placed her overnight bag on what she had come to regard as 'her side' of the bed, no matter which bed they slept in. She liked having him on her right side, where she could sleep curled up against his left side, her head against his chest. Listening to his steady, deep breaths and the rhythm of his heart.

The shower cut off.

"Teagan?" He said, "is that you?"

"Yes, Severus. I'm in the bedroom."

After a moment, he appeared in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist. He crossed the room to her and gathered her into an embrace, kissing her fiercely.

"Oh, my." She said, when he finally allowed her to come up for air. "Somebody's rather eager tonight."

"Insufferable witch. You are quite cruel, doing me like that, and at the table, no less."

"No crueler than you, trying to put me off another day." Teagan smirked, nibbling on his collarbone. "Think of it as…foreplay."

"Molesting me while the Headmistress was sitting right next to me…what if you'd been caught?"

"I'd cast a nonverbal notice-me-not charm."

"Magic at the staff dinner table…I am shocked, Professor Dunham."

Teagan slid her fingers under the top of his makeshift sarong and tugged.

"Not nearly as shocked as you're going to be, Professor Snape." She purred, pushing him back on the bed.

oOo

October, 2010~

Teagan was miserable; her nose was alternating between running and being stopped up, and was dreadfully sore from having to blow it every few minutes, it seemed. Half of the teachers and most of the students seemed to be caught in the icy grip of some sort of illness, undoubtedly a rather virulent strain of influenza. Pausing in the hallway, she blew her nose in her handkerchief, wincing as she heard some poor girl in the loo nearby retching. Hopefully I've seen the last of that part of it, she mused as she continued on her way to the Potions classroom.

Severus wasn't in the classroom, but she figured she knew where he might be. She went to the door that led to his personal potions lab and turned the doorknob, the lock-already attuned to her magical signature-clicked to allow her in.

Perks of being the Potion Master's girlfriend, she smirked. He was busy, moving rapidly between three cauldrons, adding ingredients, stirring them. For a moment, she just stood there, entranced by his graceful movements. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked up and smiled at her.

"Shevurus?" she said hoarsely. "How are things coming along? The Headmistress asked me to come down and check on the Pepper-up."

"Oh, dear," He said, guiding her to a stool. "I'm sorry; the Pepper-up potion isn't ready just yet. Poppy has been after me to get her as many doses as I can for the students, this strain of the flu is horrible."

"I shee," Teagan mumbled, wiping her nose on her handkerchief. "I feel hurrbile."

"I can sneak you a dose as soon as this next batch is finished, once it cools off-"

"No, Sheverus…I think I'm almost over it." She said, waving the idea away. "I'm over the throwing up part of it, and I feel stronger…"

She sneezed into the crook of her arm, turning her head away from him, then dabbed at her sore nose with her hanky.

"Anyway, leave the Pepper-up for the students." She smiled wanly. "I cancelled my classes for the afternoon, hardly any students attended this morning anyway. I think I'm going to go take a hot bath and go to bed. I feel absolutely dreadful."

"Alright, dear. Do you want me to come up to tuck you in?" He asked, gently rubbing her back.

"I probably will be so dead asleep I won't know you're there…besides, you don't need to catch this, too. Somebody in the faculty has to be able to make this Pepper-up potion, or we may as well close the school."

"Well, I'll be up later today to check on you."

"Thank you." She smiled, "I love you, Severus. I promise I'll get well soon. I'm just tired; I have to get rid of this bug, or I'll never get caught up with grading my essays."

oOo

December 4, 2010 ~

Impossible, she thought, looking at the plastic stick. Teagan re-read the instructions, squinting at the fine print. She jumped, nearly dropping everything when her mother tapped on the door of the loo.

"Honey, are you okay? You've been in there an awful long time. We need to get going if we're going to meet Aunt Judy on time."

"I'm fine, mom, um, just touching up my lipstick." She replied, tucking the wrapper, box, instructions, and the tester into her purse. "Almost ready."

This is a nightmare, she thought, pulling out her wand and casting the simple charm she'd learned during her sixth year at Hogwarts.

Positive. Again. The muggle test says so, too. Oh, no…

Sitting on the closed seat of the toilet, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes tightly.

Deep breaths, take deep breaths, calm down.

Oh gods. We've made a baby. Oh, Merlin, what am I going to do?

Will he be angry with me?

I know mum and dad will be. Oh gods. This is bad. This is very bad. Oh, no…

She spun and sank to her knees before the commode, flipping the lid up with a bang just before her breakfast came up.

oOo

It was several more minutes before she came out. Her mother gave her a curt look, and then picked up her purse and headed to the door.

"Come on, we're going to be late." She snapped irritably.

Teagan followed her out to the car, got in, and carefully fastened her seatbelt as her mother drove off. She knows, she thought.

"Still haven't gotten over the flu?" Her mother asked, signaling to turn.

"Oh, I…no, not really." Teagan fibbed, crossing her fingers for luck. "It's been awful at school. About a quarter of the students are still ill."

Her mother drove a while longer, neither speaking a word.

"Well, you take care of yourself." Her mum said, "All will be well, you know."

"I-"

"Teagan Elizabeth, you may be almost thirty, but I have known you all your life."

"Mom…" She said nervously.

"Does Severus know?" Her mother said quietly as she drove.

"I…no, he doesn't know." Teagan said miserably, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I…missed two periods, and I knew…wait, how did you figure it out, mum?"

"Didn't have to. You left the box for your tester right there in your purse where I could see it when you set it in your lap. Though I do admit I was becoming rather suspicious."

"You…you aren't mad at me? At us?" Teagan replied, dumbfounded.

"Why, Teagan?" Her mum chuckled. "There's no point in it. Though if I were you, I'd hold off on telling your father. When you go back to Hogwarts, first thing, you should tell Severus. When you have that all settled, then you can consider telling your father."

"I-"

"Hold on, young lady. I'm not finished yet." Said her mum, turning into her aunt's drive and parking the car, switching it off.

Teagan waited meekly.

"Right." Her mother said, giving Teagan her full attention, taking her hand. "First off, I want to make it clear that I'm not upset with you at all. These things happen. Your father will probably be upset for a while…"

Teagan groaned and hung her head at the thought of what her father would say.

"…but you let me handle him. He'll puff and stomp around and say a bunch of ugly things. After you tell him, you and Severus stay away for a while. I'm guessing about four months will be long enough, but give me a call to check that it's safe to come visit. Four months should give me enough time to talk some sense into him."

Her mother reached out and tilted her chin up gently so she could look Teagan in the eye.

"Now, I want to know," She said gently, "Do you want to marry Severus? Would he marry you? Not that I have much say in things, but he strikes me as being rather old-fashioned."

"He is, mum." Teagan said, feeling a bit lost. "I'm just worried that he'll be angry with me. I took the contraceptive potion every time before…" She blushed, unable to go on.

"Teagan, darling, I know how things work, you know." Her mum laughed. "No need to be embarrassed with your mum. Come on; let's go inside, Judy's waiting on us."

As they walked up the cobblestone path to her aunt's front door, her mother stopped her with a light touch on her shoulder.

"Remember, not a word to anyone until we get this sorted out." Her mother said, patting Teagan on the cheek. "You're still feeling a bit down with the flu, until we have the men in our lives in on this."

Teagan nodded, and her mother rang the doorbell.

oOo

At that moment, Severus Snape was sitting in his private study, glaring across it at an Auror with a shock of unruly dark hair.

"This is nonsense." He said, frowning. "There has been no sign of Death Eater activity in the UK for the past three years. They've been hunted down and imprisoned in Azkaban, or they've fled the country."

"Professor Snape," Harry Potter said, pushing his glasses up, "Our intelligence indicates differently. Lucius Malfoy-"

"Has been released, having done his time. Lucius is a model citizen, whether you like him or not. I'm fairly certain that I would know if he were back to his old ways."

"Our informants-"

"Get. Out."

"Professor Snape," Harry said, trying to keep his temper, "I'm just concerned. Lucius was mentioned by our sources, there may be nothing to it at all."

"Indeed, Potter." Snape hissed, standing up to tower over Harry. "This meeting is over. Now please leave."

Harry sighed and rose from his chair.

"I just want you to be safe, sir." Harry said sadly. "You deserve to be happy."

Snape waved his hand slightly, his eyes narrowing dangerously. The locks on the door clicked, and the door to the potions classroom opened.

"I believe you remember how to find your way out, Mr. Potter. Good day."

oOo

On the way out, Harry stopped to see Headmistress McGonagall, his thoughts still on Snape and the information the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had received.

If he would only listen to me, Harry thought as he went up the staircase to the Headmistress' office. I think he's in danger. I can't prove it to him, he won't believe me, but my gut feeling is that something bad is going to happen. I just don't know what yet.

He sighed and knocked on the door to Minerva's office.

"Enter." Said the Headmistress.

Harry opened the door and walked in.

"Harry Potter!" Minerva said, delighted to see him again. "How have you been? How is Ginny?"

"We're fine, thank you, Headmistress."

"Please, Harry, call me Minerva. You're no longer a student here. Look at you, you look so tall in that Auror's coat, it suits you well!"

"How are things going this year, Headm…um, sorry, Minerva?"

"Very well, save for nearly everyone coming down with the flu. I do believe that Filch, Professor Flitwick, Poppy, Professor Snape, and I were the only members of the staff not to come down with it. Nearly all of the students had it, it was dreadful."

"I'll bet."

"Professor Dunham-you remember Teagan Dunham, right. Hufflepuff house?"

Harry nodded.

"Anyway, she was probably the sickest of any of the faculty. It was weeks before she was able to teach again, bless her heart; she was sick most every day for most of a month."

"What's she teaching, by the way?" Harry asked. "I'm sure Ginny and Hermione would want to know, they were pals with her."

"She took my place as Transfiguration professor." Minerva beamed, "You know, I really didn't want to give it up, but I couldn't teach and fulfill my duties as headmistress, so I talked to some people at Beauxbartons…"

"Let me guess," Harry laughed, "You just happened to find out that your favorite Transfiguration student was finishing up her Professorate…"

"Oh, Harry, I would never do such, pull strings to get her here!" Minerva said, eyes twinkling. "But that's not the best news about her."

"Oh?"

"Indeed." Minerva smirked. "She and Severus are a couple."

Harry felt like he was going to fall out of his chair.

"You're kidding me," He said weakly, once he recovered his voice. "Snape has a girlfriend?"

"Exactly. I just found out when she arrived here last August. They've been dating for about four years, according to what Teagan told me."

"Well, how about that." Harry smiled, "About time Snape got a break in life. He wasn't very happy to see me, though."

"Oh?" Minerva said, puzzled. "Why is that?"

"Well, I'm here on business, so to speak."

"Go on, if you can tell me."

"Well, you're the second person I need to talk to here at Hogwarts. This is strictly unofficial, but we've had reports of Death Eater activity in various areas near the school."

Minerva went pale.

"Harry…are you sure of this? There hasn't been any trouble with the Death Eaters for years; most of them are in Azkaban!"

"That's why this is an unofficial visit, Minerva." Harry said. "We need to alert you, and to ask you to keep watch, report anything you see that looks suspicious. Forewarned is forearmed, and I'd rather you not be caught unawares. I'm sure you feel the same way."

"I take it that you spoke with Severus about this, then?"

"I did. He wouldn't listen to me." Harry sighed. "I don't want anything to happen to anyone at Hogwarts, Minerva. I really don't want anything to happen to Severus. Merlin knows he of all people surely deserves some peace. But I'm afraid that he may be one of the first targets if the Death Eaters attack."

"I'll speak with him, Harry. Try to get him to listen to reason."

"I appreciate it. Please let me know if anything happens, or if you notice anything. Anything at all, no matter how small."

"I will. Have a Merry Christmas, Harry. Give Ginny my love, Hermione and Ron, too, if you see them."

"I certainly will." Harry smiled. "I think that Hermione and Ron are still in Egypt, they won't be back till after the holidays. Merry Christmas, Minerva."

oOo

Severus was pacing in his study.

Death Eaters, again? He mused, his brow furrowed in thought. Why? The Dark Lord is no more, burned to ash with Fiendfyre. Those who survived were sent to Azkaban, or fled to the remotest areas on the globe. Potter is just chasing shadows again, the silly git.

His hand fell on the lump in his pocket.

I need to call Teagan. Just to be sure she's alright.

He swept out of the study, into the hall, robes billowing behind him. As much as he preferred the dungeons, you couldn't get any kind of decent cell phone signal there.

oOo

Teagan was unloading bags of gifts and decorations, carrying two bags inside her mom's house. One more load, she thought with a sigh of relief.

"Yes, she just came in. Hold for just a moment." He mother said, from inside the kitchen.

Teagan walked over to the doorway, curious.

"Teagan, it's Severus." Her mom said, holding her cell out to her.

"Thanks, mum." Teagan said, taking it eagerly.

She walked back into the hallway, quickly putting the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Teagan. Is everything alright?" Severus said, his voice a bit scratchy due to the connection.

"Um, yes, we just got back from shopping." She replied. A feeling of dread came to her. "Why? Has something happened?"

"No…no, nothing has happened. I…just missed you. It's been a busy day, and…well, are you planning on coming back tonight?"

Teagan smiled, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"I miss you too, Severus." She said, "Yes, I was going to apparate back to Hogwarts about ten o'clock, if that's not too late. Mum and I have some presents to wrap, and she wanted me to stay for dinner…unless you need me to come back sooner?"

"No, no…that's fine. I'm sure I can find something to do. I have some potions to check on about nine o'clock anyway. I'll…meet you at the gate, I'll be there waiting for you to arrive."

"Okay…I'll see you then." Teagan said softly. "I love you, Severus."

"I…I love you, too."

She hung up and slipped her cell into her pocket. Her mother was wrapping gifts on the kitchen table, having brought the other bags in while Teagan was on the phone.

"So," Her mother said, taping some brightly colored paper around a box, "Is finally telling you that he loves you?"

"Oh, yes. We finally got past that about a month ago, mum." Teagan laughed. "He's so shy about it still. It's endearing. But please don't tease him about it; he's very sensitive about it."

"He's not just being macho, is he? Your father was like that, I'd tell him that I loved him and he'd get all blustery and red in the face."

"No, nothing like that, mum." She replied. "He…is very serious about it. But he's been hurt, and it took him a long time to get over it…he loved someone, long ago, but she didn't love him in return. So he came to believe that no one could love him."

Her mother had stopped wrapping, listening intently to her daughter. Teagan hesitated for a moment, weighing her words, and then went on.

"It took a long time for me to convince him that I was serious, mum." She said, toying with a bit of ribbon. "It was…difficult. At times, he made me so angry…but I never stayed angry long. He has a shell…a wall, if you will, that he puts up to keep everyone out. He acts snarky and hateful, but it's all just an act. He does it because he cares deeply about what he cares about, and he's afraid he'll be hurt."

Teagan looked at her mum, who was just sitting there, listening quietly.

"Does any of this make sense, mum?"

"Yes." Her mom sighed. "Oh, look at the time. I'd better get dinner started. Do you mind wrapping the rest of the presents, love?"

oOo

In a small pub, in the quiet town of Dufftown, three men sat in a corner booth, chosen for its poor light and proximity to the back door of the pub. They spoke in hushed tones, for all three were wanted men.

"McNair," said the thickset, powerfully built man in the corner seat, as he swirled the firewhiskey in his glass. "Why are you always full of bad news? I've waited for years for revenge, and now you make excuses. Always with the excuses."

"Ru -"

"Bite your tongue, McNair! Do not say my name in public!" Hissed the big man, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Sir, if I may speak…" The third man, thinner than McNair but also taller, interjected nervously.

"Please, continue interrupting, Travers." The big man frowned. "It contributes so much to the flow of the conversation."

Travers swallowed, his face pale with fear. He was well acquainted with the older wizard's willingness to use Unforgivables, and also his ingenuity in their use. Several patients in the long term care ward at 's would testify to that; if they could talk. Or one could make any sense of their mad ravings.

"Travers," Sighed the man, fixing him with a glare, McNair forgotten for the time being, "Please do finish your sentence, while you still draw breath. I am becoming…impatient."

"S-s-sir…" Travers whispered, "He doesn't come out that often, not any more now that the school year has begun. Mostly when he has to buy the rarer potions ingredients, or when he must chaperone students when they go to Hogsmeade…"

"Go on. Your time is running short."

"Well, sir…we could kill two birds with one stone, though we would have to be patient."

The man in the corner raised an eyebrow impatiently, withdrew his wand, and laid it on the table.

"Well, uh…"Travers stammered, his eyes flicking to the wand. McNair slid a bit farther away, closer to the door, eyes bulging with barely repressed terror. "We could ambush him. Wait at the apparition point just outside Hogwarts, kill him there. Leave the Headmistress a lovely present right at her gates."

A thick finger tapped the wand, the big man deep in thought.

"This only confirms," he rumbled, taking a sip of firewhiskey, "That you are an idiot, Travers. We are not nearly ready for such an act. The murder of a Hogwarts professor, on the steps? Are you mad? The entire countryside would be crawling with Aurors!"

"Sir, what about as a diversion, to draw attention from…the other thing we need to do?" McNair said, a bit calmer-but not much-now that Travers was in the hot seat. "We could just bash Snape up, leave him, the Aurors swarm to Hogwarts…while we do what we need to do in Hogsmeade. We could be in and out before anyone's the wiser."

Frowning for a moment, Rudolphus Lestrange toyed with his glass of firewhiskey for a moment, and then smiled. Both McNair and Travers eyed him nervously.

"Here's what we do." He smiled, picking up his wand and sliding it back into his pocket. "Get a letter to him from that rare book shop. Imperio the shopkeeper, get him to tell you what Snape has been after him to find. He's always pestering Marco for some rare tome. I would suggest Finnean's Potion Properties of Central American Fungi, that is very rare, and I doubt that Snape has it. Use Legimens to check, be sure of it."

He smiled a nasty smile.

"Then, we will pay a visit to Gringott's…and take what is mine." He said, draining his firewhiskey. "When we are at full strength, and dear Severus has recovered from his injuries, then, and only then, I will pay him a personal visit…and I will make him pay dearly for what he has taken from me. And from us."

McNair and Travers smiled eagerly.

oOo

Chapter 9~

December 23, 2010

Severus was in the Great Hall, finishing his morning coffee, idly leafing through The Prophet. Peace and quiet, thanks to most of the student having left for Christmas break. As it was Friday, he himself would be leaving early, headed to Teagan's parent's home to spend Christmas with them. Things seemed less tense between them, with her father even inviting him to go bowling one past weekend, but her mother was still very quiet when they visited. Not impolite, but just didn't say much. He hadn't missed the pointed looks that Teagan pretended not to notice, either. Something was up between her and her mother.

Onward through the fog, he sighed. I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, but this makes her so happy.

He'd even picked up some small Christmas presents for her parents, figuring there was no getting out of them getting him a gift. A box of fine cigars for her father, a box of Viaje Oro Reserva VOR No. 5s, something he was fairly certain Walter didn't have in his humidor, and a good bottle of brandy. For her mother, a light robe with slippers, charmed to repel stains and to keep the wearer comfortably warm, along with a finely made locket in silver, with Teagan's official Hogwarts picture in it. Teagan's gift was a finely made necklace, made with the finest silver, inset with emeralds. But that wasn't the only thing he had for her, the last thing not being really a gift at all. It sat in his desk, in a small ring box; his mother's engagement ring, made of intertwined gold and platinum, with two small emeralds on either side of a dazzling one carat diamond.

Nothing he had faced in his life made him more nervous than proposing marriage to her. Severus was fairly certain what her answer would be, but he still was haunted by doubts. He didn't feel right sleeping with her, sneaking around like they were doing something shameful. He'd had enough of hiding.

The owl was one he didn't recognize right away, but Severus immediately knew the looping, graceful script addressing the rolled up parchment to him. It was from Rankin & DuPonte's, a rare book dealer in Hogsmeade. Curious, he unrolled it.

Severus. Come by this afternoon at four p.m., I finally found you a copy of Finnean's Potion Properties of Central American Fungi, the 2nd edition, in very good condition, the cover is a bit scuffed up but the binding is tight. I'll make you a good deal on it if you come by today, otherwise I'll just assume you already have it and put it out for sale tomorrow.

Yours truly

Frederic Rankin, Jr.

Severus sat for just a moment, stunned. Then, excusing himself, he left for his chambers.

It may take every Galleon that I have earned this term, but this is quite a boon for me, he thought as he fairly flew down the hallway.

oOo

"Teagan, sit down, would you?" Her mother said irritably, pouring herself some tea. "You've been pacing for hours, it seems. It's not even five o'clock, and he's not due to be here for another hour."

Teagan sighed heavily, and sat down on the couch near her mother, picking her book back up. Her father folded up his evening paper and got up, setting his paper on his chair.

"I'd better go out and make sure the snow is off the walk, dear. It's snowed a bit more since I got home, don't want anyone slipping on the path." He said, getting his coat and hat from the hall tree.

"Well, keep an eye out for Severus. He should be her soon." Sally said, stirring her sugar and cream into her tea.

"Indeed." Walter said, shutting the door behind him.

Teagan had dreaded this moment for the past two weeks; she was alone with her mother, and there was no escape.

"Teagan." Her mother began, her eyes locked onto hers, "Have you told Severus about your…condition?"

"No…" She whispered, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "I…I just haven't had a chance…I didn't know how to begin…"

"I told you I wanted you to tell him before Christmas, Teagan." Her mother sighed. "I'm disappointed in you. He has a right to know. And your father will find out sooner or later."

"You haven't…you wouldn't…"

"No, Teagan, I won't tell him. But it's going to be difficult to keep your father from noticing when you start to show. Or Severus, for that matter."

She sat silently, tears rolling down her cheeks. Sally sighed, put down her cup and scooted over next to her, pulling a hanky from her pocket to offer to her daughter.

"Teagan…" She said, sliding her arm around her to hug her, "Do you really think that Severus will be that upset with you? Or are you still embarrassed about getting pregnant? No contraception is perfect, dear."

"I know that, mum," Teagan sniffled, "and I'm pretty sure he won't be upset with me. He brewed the contraceptive potion, he tested it, and we knew it works…I just don't understand what happened!"

"Well, there's nothing can be done now, right? We just-"

From behind the house, there was a CRACK! Teagan froze, then dabbed at her eyes. That's odd. She thought. He told me he wouldn't be here until six…but I sure don't mind if he's early. I'll tell him, I'll just get him alone for a moment, and tell him…about the baby.

"Ah, that's probably Severus." Her mother said, "I'll go open the door for him, you dry your eyes and compose yourself, dear."

With that, her mother got up and went to the kitchen to open the door to back yard.

Teagan sat on the couch for a moment, then got up and went to the loo to check her makeup. Wouldn't do to have smeared mascara or lipstick, would it? She mused.

After she had repaired the damage, she went back into the sitting room, a smile on her face, happy that Severus was there…

But he wasn't. The two cups of tea that her mother had poured for them sat on the coffee table, nearly cold.

"Teagan?" Her father called from the kitchen.

"Yes, daddy?" She said, walking into the kitchen.

Her father was standing in front of the door to the back yard, as if he were guarding it. He was very pale, and he could hardly meet her eyes. Teagan suddenly knew things were very wrong.

Then she saw the stain on his trouser leg, at the same time catching a whiff of the coppery smell of blood.

"Daddy!" She cried, "Are you hurt? Where's mom?!"

"Teagan…"Her father said carefully, holding up his hand, "I'm not hurt…but…you'd better stay with me for now."

Teagan stared at him for a moment in shock.

"Daddy, where's mum?" she asked, her voice trembling, her knees weak. She was beginning to feel lightheaded. She tried to duck around him, to reach the door, but he caught her gently by the arm.

"Teagan…baby…I'm sorry." Her dad said softly. "I've sent a patronus to the hospital. Your mum's with him, trying to keep him stable until the healers get here-"

Her eyes went wide in horror as she realized what her father was saying. Instantly, she faked to her left, and when he moved to stop her, she went right, adding a bit of magic to blow the door open as she ran through it into the yard.

Her mother looked up from where she knelt in the snow next to Severus, the blood an inky smear on the pristine snow on the ground.

"Sally, I tried to stop her-"

Teagan felt as if she were hearing them through a drainage pipe, their voices distorted and tinny, as she struggled to catch her breath, her eye held fast by the crumpled man in the snow.

"Never mind that, Walter." Her mother said gently, but firmly, "Help her up, and bring her over here. He's still conscious."

Teagan felt her father's hands lifting her from her knees, helping her to stand. She had no idea how she came to be there, save for the memory of her legs feeling suddenly like she'd been hit with the Jelly-legs jinx the moment she'd seen Severus lying there in the snow. As if in a dream, she watched as her father helped her over to him.

Oh Merlin. Oh gods…oh god oh my god so much blood, he's dead, he must be…

"Teagan…" Severus whispered weakly.

She fell to her knees again, her stomach giving a lurch as she realized that she was kneeling in his blood.

Pull yourself together! She told herself sharply, he needs me to be calm.

"I guess…I've made…quite a mess of…Christmas." He said, panting in pain like an animal.

She choked back a giggle, feeling a bit hysterical. How could he joke at a time like this?

He gripped her hand tightly, smearing blood on her sleeve.

"Teagan…listen…"

"What, Severus? I'm here, darling." She kissed his forehead, shocking herself a bit. They'd been so careful not to display too much affection in front of her parents; but now, given the situation, she figured it didn't matter.

If I lose him tonight…

Multiple CRACKS! of apparitions in the back yard signaled that the healers had arrived from the hospital, with them rushing toward Severus where he lay on the ground, her father waving them over.

"Get…your cell…" He whispered faintly, "Call…Harry Potter. Tell him…"

"What, Severus? What do I tell him?"

"He…was…correct. Tell him…McNair…Travers…"

"McNair, Travers…right, I remember those two."

"Teagan…the gifts are…in my coat pocket." He said, clutching her arm. "The small box…for you…if you will wear it…I will…explain later…"

"What are you talking about, Severus?" She said, confused. It didn't matter, he was unconscious. Teagan found a small parcel in his coat pocket, obviously shrunk for travel.

Then the healers were there, kneeling next to him in the snow with her.

"Miss, we need to take him now." One said, as his female partner worked to stabilize Severus for transport in side-along Apparition.

Teagan nodded her head, moving out of the way. She felt numb inside. All she could do was stand there, watching them work as the tears rolled silently down her cheeks, her father hugging her close with one arm. She clutched the small package close to her chest, flinching when the Healers Apparated away with their patient. Her Severus.

It seemed very quiet in the Dunham back yard following the two sharp CRACKS! For a long moment, it seemed that the only sound was the faint noises of traffic on the nearby street.

"Come on, Teagan," Her father said, "You, too, Sally. You'll both catch your death of cold out here."

He and his wife helped their daughter back into the house.

oOo

An hour later, Teagan and her mother sat at the kitchen table, freshly bathed and dressed. The gifts that Severus had brought had been placed under the tree, and Teagan had wept the whole time she had been putting them there. Now, Teagan sullenly glared at her mother.

"I'm going to the hospital." Teagan said defiantly.

"There's no point in it," Her father interjected. "I asked them to floo us when he can see anyone. Even if he doesn't need any magical surgery, he'll need to spend a few days in the critical care wing, and they won't let you in there."

"I…they'll let me in to see him." Teagan said, her hand resting on the small box in the pocket of her jeans. Her mother gave her a suspicious look.

"Teagan, they have to stabilize him." Her father said, tapping a finger on the table for emphasis. "He's lost an awful lot of blood; they'll be giving him Blood Replenishing potion every hour, on the hour."

"I don't have to talk to him, daddy." She replied. "I just need to be there for him when he wakes up."

Her father looked at her for a long moment. Both women watched him, suddenly wary.

"There's something you aren't telling me, isn't there." Walter Dunham said, in a voice that seemed a bit too calm.

Under the table, out of view, Teagan slipped Eileen Prince's engagement ring onto her left ring finger, feeling a sudden surge of magic wash over her.

What was that? She thought, surprised.

Her father blinked at her, confusion passing over his face.

"What was that just now, Teagan?" He said suspiciously. "What are you hiding from us?"

"Teagan…" Her mother said, "I think you should tell your father."

She steeled herself, then brought her hands up and rested them on either side of her teacup, the diamonds and emeralds flashing in the light.

"Teagan…"Her mother whispered. Her father stood there dumbfounded.

"He…gave it to me tonight…I suspect…he was…he…" She choked back a sob. I have to be strong, for him. Especially now. Especially in these next few days.

"He was going to propose to you over Christmas…wasn't he?" Her mother said, taking her hand to admire the ring.

"I…I don't know for sure, mum," Teagan said softly. "We have talked about it…about getting married. He…he acted so dismissive of the idea; he can be so hard to read anyway…

"Now that I think back, on those conversations…I'm sure of it. He was planning to ask me this weekend…and…now; he's…he's gone…" Teagan could hold it in no longer; the dam burst. Her mother moved to hold her daughter, allowing her to sob incoherently as she lovingly stroked her hair, rocking her gently.

Sally looked up at her husband, catching his eye, and then nodded curtly. He nodded back, and then walked to his study. He hoped that he had enough floo powder.

oOo

"Headmistress, Hogwarts." Walter said after flinging a handful of floo powder into the fire. Instantly the flames turned green.

"Minerva! Minerva, are you there?" He shouted into the flames.

"Just a moment, I'm coming…" She said irritably, pulling her shawl tighter around herself. Who on earth could be calling me…I need to get back down to the Great Hall, dinner will be served soon, she thought.

"Headmistress, Walter Dunham calling."

"Oh, Walter…Teagan's father, right? How is she? And your wife?" Minerva said, more friendly now.

"They…never mind all that, Minerva. I need a few favors." Walter said briskly. "I need you to ask Poppy to contact Bannockburn Hospital, get in touch with some of her friends who work there. The Healers just took Severus there about an hour ago-"

"What?!" Mineva gasped in shock, "Saints have mercy, what on earth happened? Is Severus alright?"

"We're not sure what happened as of yet, except that he was attacked near Hogwarts. He apparated here, to my back yard…that's probably what saved his life. You need to be sure the school is secured, I think. I've already notified the Aurors, specifically Harry Potter. Severus asked us to contact him. He's…it's very bad, Minerva. Probably as bad as I've ever seen."

Minerva pursed her lips.

"Did Severus get a good look at them? Perhaps identify them? Harry came by and spoke with both of us before the Christmas break, regarding something that he was working on."

"Only two names," Walter said, hesitating slightly. "McNair and Travers."

Minerva shuddered, an icy chill running down her spine.

"Death Eaters. I know them well; I did battle with one of them in the Battle of Hogwarts. I thought they were dead, or in Azkaban."

"Well, it appears that they are quite alive and well…unfortunately." Walter said, mopping his brow. "Get Poppy to floo me if she can find out anything about how he's doing. Teagan's half hysterical with worry over him."

"The poor dear. I'll do my best, Walter." Minerva said, mentally making a list of what she needed to do.

"Minerva…"

"Yes, Walter?"

"About Snape and my daughter…"

"Walter. It's a good match." Minerva sighed. "He's needed someone like Teagan all his life. She came along just in time to save him from himself, and that's probably more than I should say. They are good for each other, Walter."

"Alright, Minerva…thank you."

oOo

Thirty minutes later, there was a knock at the front door. Walter Dunham answered it, his wand at the ready. He peered through the spy hole, then unlocked the door to let Harry Potter in.

"Good evening, Harry." He said, putting his wand away. "Sorry to get you out so late. Terrible business afoot, indeed."

"How's Professor Snape, Mr. Dunham?" Harry asked anxiously, as he followed the older man into the study.

"The Healers have him at Bannockburn Hospital right now. I flooed Minerva, asked her to get Poppy to find out how he is, but no word just yet." Walter poured himself a brandy, offering some to Harry, who waved it off.

"Sorry, sir…I'm on duty." Harry said quietly, "Perhaps another time. How…how's Teagan? Is she alright?"

"Her mum gave her some brandy with a bit of Dreamless Sleep in it about twenty minutes ago." Walter sighed, running his hand through his thinning gray hair. "She's a nervous wreck. She got to Snape only a few minutes after her mum did, which was right after he apparated to our back yard. It's a thousand wonders he didn't splinch himself, he was so badly wounded. He was conscious when he got here, though he didn't stay that way long."

"From what you told me when you flooed me, I'm amazed that he's alive at all." Harry said, "So he said it was McNair and Travers?"

"Yes. I was standing there when he told us, that's who he said it was."

"Since you said he was wounded when he apparated here, I guess the attack happened elsewhere. Did he say anything about that?"

"No, nothing. I think you're right, he was attacked elsewhere."

"I'll need to speak to him, then." Harry sighed.

Sally came into the study, looking weary.

"Hello, Harry." She said, walking up to give him a hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Hello, Mrs. Dunham." Harry smiled reassuringly, "I have three of my best men outside. We'll be taking shifts to guard your house until we're certain that you and your family aren't in danger. How is Teagan…I assume you put her to bed?"

"Yes," Sally nodded, drawing her shawl tighter around her shoulders. "She's exhausted, the poor thing. We had to talk her out of going to the hospital, Walter and I were sure she'd splinch herself if she'd tried to apparate there, and could you imagine the scene my timid daughter would have made had they refused to let her see him?"

"I'm sure." Harry chuckled. "Snape has rubbed off on her somewhat, hasn't he?"

"Indeed. She actually argues with me now." She smiled. "Would you like some tea, or some coffee? I can make some up for you and your men, if you need it."

"We're fine. We'll just spell each other, two inside, two outside."

"Well then…I believe I'll be going to bed. Tomorrow will probably be a trying day." Sally said, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek and a hug. "Especially when my daughter wakes up in the morning and figures out that I slipped that Dreamless Sleep potion into her brandy."

"Good night, Mrs. Dunham." Harry said, chuckling slightly.

"Good night, Harry. Don't stay up too late, Walter." Sally smiled, and then left.

The two men sat in the study for a long while, watching the flames in the fire.

Then the flames turned green, and Minerva McGonagall's face appeared in them.

"Walter, are you there?"

"Yes, right here, Minerva. Harry Potter's here with me also."

"Good, two birds with one stone, then. Hello, Harry."

"Hello, Headmistress. How are you?"

"I've seen better days, Harry. But enough of that." Minerva said crisply. "Poppy talked to her friend who works in the critical care wing just a few minutes ago. Severus is stable; they brought him up to a room an hour ago. He…lost virtually half his blood volume before they were able to stop the bleeding. He…"

Minerva turned away for a moment, stifling a sob.

"It's Death Eaters, Harry. Just as you warned us. They…crucio'd him. Repeatedly. They also used Sectumsempra on him, several times. He…he'll have a fine addition to his collection of scars now. I…I haven't seen anything this bad since…"

She stopped, dabbing at her eyes with a hanky.

"Are you alright, Minerva?" Walter asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yes." She drew a deep breath, composing herself. "Walter, it's nearly as bad as the Longbottoms."

Harry felt a chill run down his spine, as he thought of Alice and Frank Longbottom, and their cruel plight. Wasting away slowly in the long-term care unit at 's, their eyes vacant. He'd been with Neville a few times to visit them, more for his friend than anything.

"But he'll recover, won't he?" Harry said desperately. "This is Snape, he…"

"Harry." Minerva said sadly. "Do not give up hope…but prepare for the worst. Poppy said that the word from 's is that if he is able to recover, he may never walk again…and that's the most optimistic prognosis."

"That bad…"

"He's alive, Harry." Said the Headmistress. "Walter, you and Sally meet Poppy and I at 's tomorrow. It's best that she see him as soon as she feels able."

Walter laughed.

"Sorry, Minerva, I'm a bit tired myself…we'll bring her tomorrow morning. She wanted to come tonight, but Sally slipped some Dreamless sleep to her in some brandy. She's quite stubborn, my daughter is."

Minerva chuckled. "Sly Sally. Aye, Teagan needs to rest tonight. Nine o'clock good with you?"

"That's fine, Minerva. See you then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Walter. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Headmistress." Harry said quietly.

The fire had nearly died down, and Walter tossed another log on, stirring the coals with a poker.

"Harry," he said, pausing at the door. "I'm off to bed, lad. I'm sure you can find anything you and your men need in the kitchen, right?"

"Yes, sir. Rest well."

"Aye…and Harry? You'll catch these men, won't you? I don't…I don't want my daughter hurt. And by extension, I would say that means I want Severus protected, too…she seems to be quite mad about him."

"You have nothing to worry about with that, sir." Harry said, "Severus is a good man, the bravest and most loyal man I've ever known. If Teagan has his love, she'll be well taken care of. He'd die for her, to keep her safe."

"Yes. Well, I certainly hope he never has to do that. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Mr. Dunham."

oOo

Chapter 10~

Gringott's Burglarized! Are your galleons safe? Screamed the headline in The Prophet the next day.

"Awful, just awful things happening these days." Muttered Walter Dunham, rolling up the paper and tucking it his coat pocket. Harry and Teagan had just apparated to Bannockburn Hospital, with her leaning weakly on Harry's arm. Sally Dunham stepped to her daughter's side to take her other arm.

"Are you all right, love?" She said gently, her face full of concern. "Your father's already checked with the Welcome Witch; she said that they were expecting us up in Critical Care. Only two visitors allowed, and only for an hour, but they will let us in. Your father and I think it should be you and Harry, is that alright with you?"

Teagan nodded her head numbly. She was still feeling rather drowsy from the effects of the Dreamless Sleep potion. Allowing herself to be led like a child, it seemed to take forever to get past the Welcome Witch's desk, and then be signed in to visit. Then to the elevator, a long torturous ride. Finally the doors opened at the correct floor. Finally, she was able to walk into his room, the doorway flanked by two huge Aurors who gave Harry a friendly nod and her, a sympathetic one.

And there he was.

He's so pale. She thought, leaning heavily on Harry's arm. He gently walked her over to the side of the bed, helping her to sit on a chair that was already there.

"Are you okay, Teagan?" Harry asked softly. "Um…I'll leave you alone together for a bit. Come get me when…if he'll talk to me. I need to ask him some questions."

She nodded her head, and then turned toward the bed. His left hand lay near the edge of the bed, and she reached up and took it in her own. Tears welled up in her eyes, a sob escaping her throat.

"Don't cry…"

She looked up to see Severus' dark eyes open, watching her. His left eye was horribly bloodshot; most of the white was marred with red, spidery lines, and the whole left side of his face was bruised. For a moment, she couldn't speak, words completely failing her.

She held up her left hand so he could see the ring.

"You…found it." He said, smiling wanly.

"Does…does it mean what I think it does?" Teagan asked, her voice shaky.

"Yes." Severus said gently. "Would you marry me? I would…get down on one knee…but the healers might frown on such strenuous activity…after spending so much effort patching me up…"

"Yes…" Teagan whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Of course I'll marry you…you insufferable, irritating, snarky Slytherin…you…I…"

He smiled, shifting a bit in bed so he could see her better.

Then she remembered.

"Severus…"She said, swallowing nervously, dabbing at her eyes with her hanky, "I…we…might have a problem."

"As if me being laid up in hospital isn't bad enough?" He said, wincing at a minor pain.

"Will you promise not to be angry?"

"Why would I-"

"Severus…the contraceptive potion…it didn't work…" She said nervously.

He just looked at her, dumbfounded.

"I…I'm pregnant." Teagan said miserably.

He lay there a moment, just looking at her. Then he smiled.

"All the more reason to get married, then." He said gently, then frowned, worry creasing his forehead. "Do your parents know?"

"Just mum." She said, shaking her head. "Daddy doesn't know. Nobody knows but mum and me, and now you. She said we should decide what we were going to do about it before we tell daddy."

"Are they here, too?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, they're down the hall in the waiting room." She replied. "Oh, and Harry's in the hall with the two Aurors; he wanted to ask you some questions if you felt up to it."

"Oh, my…" He sighed. "Potter. I had hoped to savor my happiness alone with you, but perhaps I should talk to him, while I am awake. The Healers will be back after our hour with a sleeping potion."

"Severus," She said shyly, "You…do you remember what you told me last night, before the Healers took you off?"

"I do." He smiled faintly, running his thumb over her ring. "Obviously, you found the item I wanted you to find."

"No…not that…the other thing you said…" She blushed, and then bit her lip. "You said-"

"I love you." He smirked. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes…oh, I love you too, Severus." She smiled. "You'd just…you never said it first…"

"Well, you've told me often enough that I thought it was time to."

"So…you believe me now? That I love you?"

"Are you sure you're a Hufflepuff, and not a Slytherin?" He said, pretending to be exasperated. "Of course I believe you. Now, give me a kiss, and send that irritating Potter in. He can have 10 minutes, no more, because I want the rest of the time for us."

oOo

"Nice job."

"Thank you, sir." McNair grinned. Travers didn't.

"You two bumbling idiots…" Rudolphus growled, drumming his fingers on the table. "The whole idea was to leave Snape on the front step of Hogwarts, so the Aurors would go THERE!"

He rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Well, sir…" McNair said nervously, "We did get the item you asked us to retrieve, didn't we?"

The big man smiled, patting McNair on the shoulder.

"Travers," He said, "Doesn't this buffoon ever shut up?"

Travers shrugged, happy that he wasn't the object of Lestrange's wrath.

"McNair." Rudolphus said calmly, "You may have crippled Snape. At the very least, he will be a long time recovering. Do you see how this may be a problem?"

"Um…"

"No, of course not. I forgot, I was talking to a MORON." He sighed. "Let me explain it to you like this. I wanted to move sometime before the end of April; your cock-up guarantees that we will not be able to execute my plan until at least August, if not longer. My sources inside Bannockburn tell me that you nearly killed him!"

"Yes…yes, but…you don't have to have Snape for your plan to work, right?" McNair stammered, his eyes flicking to Travers, but finding no help there.

"I expect to succeed, no matter what happens with Snape, that is true." Lestrange said. "At the same time, I want him to suffer. He betrayed us all, and because of him my wife is dead, as are many of my friends. He will suffer, this have I sworn on my wife's grave."

oOo

"Telephone, Harry." Ginny said, balancing James on her hip while holding the cell out to him.

"Thanks, Ginny." Harry said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Potter." He said into the phone.

"Potter, this is Draco Malfoy. How are you?"

Harry went to his desk in his study and sat down, stunned. He hadn't spoken with Draco for years, not since graduation, and it hadn't been a friendly conversation the last time.

"Fine…fine, thank you. And you?" Harry said, trying to be polite.

"I've been better, Potter." Draco said. "Look, I'm concerned about my godfather. Severus. How is he?"

"Well…Draco, he's stable. Whoever was after him, they hurt him pretty bad."

"Really?" Malfoy said, his voice seething with anger. "Well, this is probably just the start of it. I'll give you a tip. The attack on my godfather and the break-in at Gringott's are related, mark my word. Listen, Potter. You never spoke with me, got it?"

"What…what's this about, Malfoy." Harry snapped, beginning to get angry. "What do you want, anyway?"

"I want to help, Potter. I'm angry that they hurt my godfather. I need to do this for him. We need to meet, and soon. I can't be seen with you in public, but I have information that might be…helpful."

"Where do you suggest?"

"The Shrieking Shack, tonight. Come alone." Draco said. "I've got to go, Potter."

The line went dead. Harry put his cell in his pocket, thinking about tonight. What did Draco have?

oOo

"I suppose we need to discuss a few things," Severus said, propped up in bed with a few pillows. His face was still pale, but holding onto Teagan's hand helped a bit. Walter and Sally Dunham sat in the room now, with Teagan perched on the bed. He could feel her trembling slightly, her fingers digging into his hand.

"Indeed," Said Mrs. Dunham, with a slight smile. "How about we start with the ring? Then I'd like to hear more about why someone attacked you, then I'm sure-" She gave Teagan a meaningful look at this "-Teagan has something to discuss."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dunham," Severus said with a nod, "The ring is my mother's engagement ring; I must say that I certainly never expected to use it myself. I have asked Teagan to marry me."

"I said yes, mum." Teagan blurted out, blushing.

"Yes, I can see that, dear."

"What was that business last night with it, then, "Walter said, frowning. "I felt magic. Did you just put it on last night, when you got it?"

"If I may, Teagan, "Severus interjected, "Mr. Dunham, the ring is charmed to protect the wearer from harm, a sort of Protego spell. I…I thought it might be wise to have her put it on last night, seeing as I was not in any sort of shape to protect her."

"I'm confused. When did you ask her to marry you?" Walter asked, rubbing his forehead.

"Just today, when she came to visit me."

"Who attacked you last night?" Sally said, subtly signaling the end of the engagement ring discussion for now.

"I know the two men who attacked me; they were both former Death Eaters. I'd assumed, like most people, that they were among those killed or imprisoned during the war."

"But they survived."

"Yes." Severus sighed. He was getting tired faster than he anticipated. He could feel Teagan's eyes on him, her face filled with concern. "I don't know why they attacked me; I assume that it was a one-time deal, a pathetic attempt at revenge, I suppose. Even wounded, it was not difficult to discourage them enough to slip away."

"Do you think they will try again?" Sally asked.

"I do not think so; but I will not be as easy a target next time."

"Very well," Mrs. Dunham sighed. Turning her attention to Teagan, who visibly flinched, she said, "I believe it's your turn now, dear."

Oh, no, Teagan thought, trembling. Severus gave her hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

"May I, dear?" He asked gently.

"I…no, I'll tell them." She replied, steeling herself. It helped that her mother gave her a wink of encouragement.

"Daddy…I'm pregnant." She said, her voice soft and unsteady. Teagan braced herself for his reaction.

"Oh?" Walter said, his eyebrows shooting up. "Splendid!"

"What?" Teagan and her mother said almost as one. Severus was speechless.

"What?" Walter said, looking at each of them, bemused. "You think I couldn't tell? You thought I'd be upset? It's done. I may as well prepare to be a grandfather, dear."

"But…"

"Teagan, you are my only child. You're almost thirty years old." He father sighed. "Granted, Severus Snape wouldn't have been my choice for you-"

Snape shot him a glare.

"-but then again, I've seen more of what he's like since you two have been seeing each other." He looked sharply at Snape, unfazed by the black eyes of the Potions Master. "You'll take care of my daughter, and my grandchild, correct?"

"Of course." Snape said somewhat stiffly.

"Excellent." Walter smiled, patting his wife's hand. "Teagan, we'll just step out for now. I'm sure you two would like to have some more time together, before those Healers come in and dope him up. When you're ready to go home, let us know, dear. We'll be in the waiting room."

With that, he ushered his still somewhat shocked wife out of the door, nodding to the Aurors on guard outside.

oOo

Harry cast a quiet Stupefy on the Whomping Willow, then quickly made his way down the hole at the base of its trunk. The tree would reawaken in only ten minutes or so. He made his way down the dark corridor to the Shrieking Shack, wand ready in his hand.

Draco Malfoy stood in what used to be a sitting room, his hands out and empty.

"Potter." He said with a nod of greeting.

"Malfoy." Harry replied, putting his wand away, but keeping his hand on it.

"We'd best sit down. I have a lot to tell you." Draco said, smoothing his hair nervously.

"Alright," Harry said, conjuring up a couple of chairs. "I'm listening."

"Right. First off, my family is not involved in this business."

"And what business is that?"

"Harry, it's Rudolphus Lestrange." Draco said anxiously. "He's gone mad. He's stolen something from Gringott's, an artifact of some kind. Came by the manor a week ago, told father and I that he was bringing back the Death Eaters, and he wanted our help."

"And?"

"Well, my father and I refused. He struck my father; mum threw him out, with the assistance of myself and the house elves. We don't need this kind of trouble."

Harry considered that for a while, and then said, "Do you know any more?"

"Harry, not much." Draco sighed. "I'm trying to find out more, but I think we queered our chances of that when mum threw him out."

"I'll get with Gringott's to try to find out what he took. It's a long shot, but perhaps the goblins will cooperate."

"I'm sure they will, Harry." Draco smiled. "Father and I plan to go with you, to make sure they help you in any way you need. Dad's really angry with Rudolphus, and wants to make some kind of amends by helping you. I think he feels bad about what happened to Severus, too."

"Well, that might help things go a bit smoother, with an important customer like your father demanding cooperation." Harry said, barely suppressing a grin.

"Damn straight, Harry." Draco agreed. "I warn you, Dad's still pretty prickly when it comes to you, but I think he's decided to put that aside. This is more important than a petty grudge."

"Indeed. When do you want to go to Gringott's?"

"How about Monday, first thing. About 8 a.m.?" Draco grinned. "Some of us want a chance to celebrate Christmas properly, and I'm sure you want to as well."

"Yeah." Harry replied, a tinge of sadness in his voice. "Too bad Severus is laid up in hospital this Christmas."

"Yeah." Draco nodded, his grin replaced by a frown. "All the more reason to end this thing as soon as we can."

oOo

Teagan sat in the living room at her parent's house, wrapped in a blanket. The fire had nearly died out completely, and she just couldn't muster the energy to put any more wood on. So she just sat there on the couch, idly running her fingers over her ring-her engagement ring…and thinking of Severus.

"Teagan?" Her mother said, quietly whispering into the room in her slippers, pulling her robe tighter around herself. She went across the room and put another log on the fire, stirring the coals with the poker to get the fire back up, then went to the couch to sit next to her daughter.

"Honey, it's two in the morning." Sally said gently, sliding her arm around Teagan to pull her into a loving hug.

"I know." Teagan sighed sadly.

"He's alright, you know. He'll be out of the hospital in a week or two-"

"I know, mum." She whispered, a single tear dribbling down her cheek. "But he'll be in a wheelchair. And then, he'll be having therapy…he'll…"

Teagan broke down, sobbing against her mum's shoulder, fingers knotted into her mum's flannel robe. Her mum held her, murmured comfort, rocked her gently, until her sobs dissolved into sniffles, punctuated with a few hiccups.

"Teagan." Sally said, gently lifting her daughter's face to look her full in the eyes. "Severus is a strong man. He'll get through this…and so will you."

"I feel so weak, mum…" Teagan said, wiping her eyes. "You're always so strong, so brave. How do you do it? How did you make it through the wars, when dad was gone? Raising me, working…how did you keep going?"

"The same way you are, love." She answered with a warm smile. "I cried, I raged, I fought, I kept putting one foot in front of the other, day by day, until it was over with and your father was able to come home to us."

"But-"

"Shush, now. No buts." Sally said, holding up a finger to Teagan's lips. "Severus has a long way to go to recover, but he'll get there. This is what they talk about, when they say, 'in sickness and in health', dear. Bless you two, you've had plenty of heartache already, and you aren't even married yet…but that part doesn't matter. You're a couple, and you may as well be married."

"That seems so far away now…"

"Teagan, with you and Severus, I think that marriage is just a formality." Her mother said, rubbing her back gently. "I've seen how you two look at each other, when you think nobody is watching you. I see all the sneaky looks, the covert caresses, the little touches. I know that you love him, and he loves you."

"You don't know everything, mum." Teagan smirked playfully.

"Aye, I don't. I guess you're referring to how your father reacted when you told him you were expecting, right?" Her mum sighed. "That man…he never fails…just when I think I've got him completely figured out; he does something completely out of character."

They sat there for a long while, just watching the hungry flames devour the wood.

"Mum?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Aren't all men like that? I mean, you think that you have them figured out, and then they surprise you with something?"

"Women are like that too, princess." Walter grumbled as he walked into the room.

"Daddy!" Teagan said, startled.

"Move over, sweetheart. Dad needs some room to sit, too." He said, seating himself as soon as Teagan made some room. "Since everyone is down here but me, and my bed was getting cold."

"Did you ever consider that perhaps Teagan and I were having some girl talk, Walter?" Sally said, trying to appear cross. It was difficult; she was actually quite pleased at the intrusion, given how awful last night had been.

"Really! How fascinating." Walter jested, putting his arm around Teagan also, giving his wife's hand a tender squeeze too. "You know, Teagan, I thought you might outgrow getting up before everyone else on Christmas morn, but you still do, I see."

"Oh, daddy," she sighed, poking him in his belly. "It…it is Christmas morning, isn't it…"

Sally gave her husband a sharp look of warning, thinking, don't you dare be insensitive right now.

"Teagan and I were just discussing how much she misses Severus," She said, raising her eyebrow at him. "I think that perhaps we should honor the holiday, but put off celebrating and opening gifts until Severus is home from the hospital."

"What-" Walter stumbled, but recovered quickly. "What a splendid idea, splendid. It can be a kind of 'welcome home' party for Severus, too."

"What a good suggestion, dear." Sally smirked, and then hugged Teagan closer. "Does that sound good to you, dear? Check with Severus first, make sure he knows that it's not a big party though. I daresay he might not feel up to a big bash when they send him home."

"I…I'll talk to him about it." She replied, stifling a yawn. "He's so private, he really doesn't go to many parties…but he does a lot of things for me."

"Oh, I know how that is." Her father said, ignoring the sharp glare that Sally shot him. "Well, I'm headed back up to bed. We're going to need it tomorrow, especially you, young lady. I know you must be tired, and we don't want Severus to worry about you or the baby, right?"

"Yes, daddy." Teagan smiled. She and her mother followed Walter up the stairs. Her mother paused outside her bedroom, drawing her into a hug.

"Good night, darling. Sleep well."

"Good night, mum. Thank you for listening to me cry." She said softly.

"It's a mum's duty, dear." Sally said with a sigh. "You'll have to do it someday, too."

Hopefully not too soon¸ her mother sighed as she watched her daughter go into her room, closing the door behind her.

It seems so long ago that she was that tiny, fussy little girl, always after me or her father to pick her up and hold her…and now, it's not just her…but him…and that tiny precious spark of life she now carries within her.

Quietly saying a prayer for her family-now expanded by two more-she went into her bedroom, hoping she would be able to sleep.

Irritating man. She thought, I'm going to bully him into giving me the warm spot.

oOo

In a dimly lit room in a dilapidated house near Dufftown, Rudolphus Lestrange could not resist temptation. He just had to see it himself. The Ring of Minarh Feniain. The item that would facilitate his plan of revenge.

Just a peek, surely that would do no harm.

He cracked open the lid of the box, his eyes widening in astonishment.

For a moment, he stood, frozen in place, staring into the box.

Then, in a fit of rage, he threw the box against the wall, breaking the open lid off completely. He screamed the vilest curses he could put together at the top of his lungs, picking up a bottle of wine to throw at the fireplace, breaking a chair by smashing it on the floor.

The box was empty.