An: This was written in collaboration with two wonderful little ones: Uma-kun (who came up with the starting story idea) and Moonstarslight (who helped flesh this out). It was a fun dinner conversation.

Yen has taken her comb to this to help it out already (Thanks, ladio), but if you find more of my mistakes and it is bugging the dickens out of you, let me know in a PM.

Thanks!

Ree

Doing What Teachers Do

Severus, Minerva, Pomona and Filius met up in Severus' room. The door was closed tight and the room was sealed with strongest privacy wards in the four Heads' repertoire. Not one of them wanted Umbridge to find them.

"They are going to do it." Pomona sank into the armchair near the fire place.

Severus leaned against the mantle. "Of course they are. It wouldn't be Potter, Granger, and Weasley if they didn't."

"They need to be supervised." Minerva paced about before perching on the edge of the sofa.

"One of us is going to have to join them and make sure that they don't hurt themselves." Filius clasped his hands behind his back as he searched the others' faces.

"How are we going to do that?" Pomona fiddled with a small tear in her sleeve. "They are going to be extra cautious about who they let in. They know that Umbridge is against it."

Filius pinned Severus with a decided look. "Severus, it is going to have to be you."

Severus watched as Pomona and Minerva nodded in agreement.

Minerva took in the frown that was creasing Severus' face. "You know how to change your actions enough that they won't suspect it is you."

"And you have enough knowledge in the field to act if something bad happens." Pomona leaned forward in her seat. "You would also have any potions on hand that they would need."

Severus met each one of their eyes before answering. "I am already stretched for time with my … extra duties."

Minerva pulled a time turner out of her pocket and set it on the low table. "Make sure you get some sleep with it while you are at it."

Filius looked from the turner to Minerva and back again. "How do you still have it?"

Minerva smiled. "The Unspeakables forgot to ask for it back after the Black chaos. I didn't see fit to remind them that it was still here."

Severus stared at the time turner. What could do if he had it? The answers were endless.

"Severus, only use it for these meetings and to catch a nap now and then." Minerva frowned up at him. "If I find out that you were abusing it, then I will take it away." She knew that the hard part would be to catch him.

Severus just nodded. "Time issue is handled. Who am I supposed to be?"

"Leo."

"Drake."

Minerva and Pomona's answers were one on top of the other.

Filius jumped in before Severus could vent the aggravation that was plain to see. "Leo Drake, a sixth year Ravenclaw who stays in the library. He is utterly brilliant and we tend to give him passes to the Restricted Section. He hides deep in his books during classes, and is in the Library unless he's sleeping. Madam Pince is thinking of investing in a bed for him to make her life easier."

Severus frowned as he considered Filius' proposal. "It would work, except, what if they sneak into the OWL records."

Not one of them thought to question Severus about thinking that that particular group of students could access the records.

Minerva tapped her finger on the arm of the sofa as she thought. "I'll insert your OWL scores into the records with the name of Leo Drake on them. That way it will be easy for you to know what you made."

Severus nodded towards her as he asked his next question."Madam Pince?"

Pomona grinned. "I'll talk to Irma later."

"How am I supposed to revert back to a sixth year?" Severus pinned them with a questioning look.

All of them frowned as they considered the problem. It was Pomona that came up with the solution. "Polyjuice. We will get it on a medical file that Leo has to take a potion every hour. Most of the sixth and seventh years look very grown up, so if we can get some hair from a nineteen year old, they'll never suspect anything."

"I'll handle that. Black hair, right Severus?" Minerva grinned at him.

"Blond or redhead would be better. Less connection with who I am." Severus strode over to a small locked cabinet that opened with a brush of his finger over the handle. Pulling out a vial, he held it up to the light.

"We will not have to bring this to Poppy's attention."

"Polyjuice only lasts a hour, you know...What is that potion, Severus?" Pomona tried to get a better look at the fluid in the vial.

"It is my three hour Polyjuice potion. I perfected it last week." Severus quirked up the side of his mouth. He was deciding whether he wanted to submit this one or the two hour version to the Guild Rank Committee. Either would be the last one he needed to submit for the ninth rank status. He had discovered that there would be no written test, just an oral panel after that. Then he would be the only ninth ranked Potions Master.

Minerva's eyes widened. "Three hours?"

Severus pinned them with his warning glare. "I have not submitted this one yet. If I hear a peep about it anywhere..."

Filius grinned. "We'd be dead and the school would need three more teachers. Understood. Are you ever going to submit it?"

Severus studied the smaller professor for a moment. "Maybe after the war is finished. I was considering letting this be a Hogwarts secret for a while."

His message was loud and clear. The new potion would be only for the Order to use.

(o.o)

Minerva had delivered an entire lock of hair to Severus the next day. Filius had already delivered the uniform. Pomona had stopped by to let him know that Irma had not been informed. Now the three Heads were waiting to see Severus's new persona. Then they were all heading up to the library.

After Severus shifted into Leo Drake, he glared at the teen he had become. Gregory Fullson, a member of the Order that was originally from France, had not attended Hogwarts. Which meant that there was no student here who would know him. Scanning over himself in the mirror he took in his new appearance: washed out short cut blond hair, pale blue eyes, pasty skin, all together a bookworm. Minerva had chosen well. It shouldn't matter that Severus had barely any respect for the man.

Stepping out into his front room, he let his shoulders hunch just a bit and changed his gait. He looked at the other three Heads. "Let's go meet up with Madam Pince. I've told Albus that I will be brewing tonight."

Filius nodded. "So, you are going to eat at the Ravenclaw table. I'll make a point to stop by and ask you about something."

The trip to the library was taken separately.

Severus walked passed the Great Hall keeping his gait in check. Remembering to carry and flip through a book was easier to do than watching how he moved through the halls. Taking the stairwell at a slow pace, gliding about the loitering students as if he was a ghost, he followed a carefully plotted route. He felt several pairs of eyes following him. Most were Slytherins, but he noted Longbottom and Weasley spotting him as well. He was the last one to make it to the Library.

Filius spotted Severus coming through the door. 'He looks right in Ravenclaw colors. Not that I would ever convince him that.' Stepping away from Irma's desk, he flashed a smile at the newest student in the school. "Mr. Drake, over here please."

Severus barely remembered to react to the name. "Professor Flitwick, what is it?"

Filius made sure to catch Irma's eyes and hold them for a moment before focusing on Severus. They had brought her up to speed just moments before he had arrived. "It has been called to my attention that Madam Pince is having problems closing the library at night."

Severus closed the book he was carrying. Keeping his eyes wide and earnest, he looked at Irma. "Is there anyway I can help, Madam Pince?"

Irma had to draw on all her reserved library starch not to grin at Severus' act. It helped that he looked like someone different. She glanced at the book he was carrying and shot a look back up at the wrong colored eyes. 'Now he decides to bring it back. I've been telling him since the beginning of the school year to return that book.' She barely caught the glint of amusement in his eyes. "You could leave the first time I tell you to. Since the books you are currently researching aren't allowed to leave the library, they will be here tomorrow."

Filius caught sight of Granger as he addressed Severus. "I have talked to you about finding something else to do. Studying all the time is not bad, but you should broaden your horizons."

Severus made his eyes drop along with his shoulders while he fiddled with the pages of the book he was holding. "I'll try, sir. But with the newest regulations, there isn't much to do but study."

Filius patted Severus' arm. "It is trying times, but I am sure that you will find something to do. If nothing else, find an empty room and practice your charms or transfiguration. No potions though, we don't want Professor Snape worried about you killing yourself."

It was his standard advice, his eagles had heard it so often that they could quote it, but he had meant to leave the potions part off.

"Yes, sir. I find somewhere to practice, and I won't work on a potion without Professor Snape there."

Filius was relieved to hear the humor delicately threaded through Severus' response. "Good." He turned back to Irma. "Feel free to send him out of here around seven."

Irma nodded, a small smile twisting the corner of her lips. "Mr. Drake, you were returning that book?"

Severus looked at the book he was carrying and gave a rueful shake of his head. At least he was done with it now. "Yes, Madam Pince."

He set the book carefully on the edge of the desk and turned to head into the Restricted Section. A hand on his arm stopped him.

Filius felt Severus' arm stiffen, and had a brief vision of facing Snape's wand point in a way he never wanted to. He caught the glare lurking in the blue eyes before it was muffled. The tension never left the arm.

"It is time to head down to dinner." He leveled his Head of House look on his friend.

Severus forced himself to crumble before that look the same way he had seen other Ravenclaws do. "Yes, sir."

Turning he forced himself not to sweep a glare over the room and once again guarding his gait, he headed for the Great Hall.

Filius made sure to stop by the table to bring attention to Severus' presence.

(o.o)

Severus was not surprised when he was quietly invited to a special meeting. What he marveled over was the lack of coordination and planning that was evident. The list of names made him almost smirk. He had added his new name when he arrived. Luckily, they had counted on something like this, and Filius had worked with him on casting a wordless and wandless negation spells.

As the group voted for a leader and named their group, he watched from the sidelines, making sure to go with the majority.

When Potter suggested starting with the Disarming Charm, he let a corner of his mouth tip up. Easy, fairly safe, and a good way to judge a student's abilities. It was nice to see Potter being smart for once. It was obvious that it wasn't Granger creating the lesson plans. At least not for today.

As Smith started spouting about how it wasn't a good spell to learn, Severus was tempted to hit him with one just to stop the boy's nonsense. Potter's response did it better than anything he might have been able to do as Leo Drake.

When they were pairing off, he positioned his partner in a way that he could see the entire room. It was time to do what he was there to do.

(o.o)

The weeks passed with Severus attending the DA meetings. He then met with the other Heads to discuss the lessons being taught, teaching style, and what they thought should be suggested.

Severus would then take the suggestions and carefully bring them to Potter's core group's attention.

Soon he was paying attention to how the students were acting in and out of the meetings. The other three Heads started watching the group outside of the meetings as well.

It was Filius that alerted them to the problem with Marietta Edgecombe. Armed with the knowledge that something was going to happen soon, Severus made sure to be extra alert every evening leaving and coming to the meetings.

Dobby's sudden appearance and warning surprised him. He hadn't expected Potter to have friends amongst the elves.

Making sure that he was one of the first out the door, Severus ducked into an alcove and called Tiffy.

The elf narrowed her bulbous blue eyes for a moment before nodding to herself. "Sir called Tiffy?"

Severus smirked. He knew that Tiffy would figure it out. "The students leaving the room on the seventh floor are to be watched and kept safe. I am ordering all the elves to do their best to keep Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad from finding them. Send three elves to immediately alert Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall to what has occurred. If any of them are with someone else, tell them that Leo stayed in the library too long. Now go."

Tiffy didn't bother to answer, she just disappeared.

Moving through pathways that even the Marauders had no clue of, Severus made sure that all the Gryffindors had made it back to their dormitory before heading to his rooms. He had to wait there to find out what happened.

(o.o)

Minerva settled carefully on to the edge of Severus' sofa. The other three Heads were waiting anxiously for her story. Wishing she had a glass of scotch and Filius' pensive, she gave a synopsis of what happened in Albus' office. When she finished she looked over at Severus. "Albus told Harry to work hard at his Occlumency lessons."

Severus flexed his fingers before relaxing his hands at his side. "Maybe Potter will finally take the lessons seriously. He keeps playing about."

Filius shook his head. "Is he really doing that bad?"

Severus looked over at them, his face showing how serious he was. "He is getting worse instead of better. It is like he is practicing leaving his mind, opening it, instead of sealing it off."

Pomona sighed and changed the subject. "All mine made it back safe."

Filius nodded. "Mine, too. Thanks for keeping Miss Edgecombe safe, Minerva."

Severus looked over to Minerva. "I made sure all yours made it back safe, except for Potter."

"Thanks, Severus. What about your House?"

Three sets of eyes landed on him. "Those who were out are back safe, even Umbridge's group."

All of them looked at each other for one more moment.

It was Pomona who said what they were all thinking. "We have to keep our heads down and keep them safe."

Severus leaned against the mantle. "Same thing as every day."

Minerva nodded. "Just with a little twist on it."

Filius leaned forward, resting his hands on the armrest of the chair. "So, we keep on going as if nothing has changed."

Three smiled and one smirked. They were going to do what teachers do. Take care of the students.