Harry surveyed the Aurors who had gathered in the meeting room. They were a capable lot, but most of them were out of practice. Most of Voldemort's Death Eaters had been put into Azkaban years ago, and currently practicing dark wizards tended to keep a low profile. Still, he felt they were up to the task he was about to lay before them.

"I don't think I need to go into the details of the attacks on Muggle-borns these past weeks, since several of you have been investigating them," he told them. "Now, this week-end is the start of school shopping season in Diagon Alley. That means a large number of people concentrated in the area. It also means that Muggle-borns will be easy targets, because they and their parents will most likely be dressed in Muggle attire. I want to make sure that nothing, and I mean, absolutely nothing happens in Diagon Alley from now until the start of the school year.

"I want two of you patrolling each block. Be discreet, and try to blend in with the crowd as much as you can. And for heaven's sake, keep your eyes open. If anyone looks like they're doing anything suspicious, I want you to be on top of it. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Do you really think these blokes would attack in a crowded street during broad daylight?" asked Felix Knurtz.

"Yes, I think they would," Harry told him. "If you remember, the last two attacks did occur in public, and in the daytime."

"Surely they wouldn't go after children?" The questioner was Michelle Garret. She had only just completed her training, and was too young to remember the last wizard war.

"I wouldn't put anything past them," said Harry. "If they can kill off a few Muggle-born children before the school year starts, that may serve to intimidate others and keep them from going to Hogwarts. Are there any more questions?"

No one else spoke up. "Right, then, let's get to work."

Having dismissed his Aurors, Harry found Hermione. He wanted to know if she was making any progress in her search for a way to destroy Snape's horcrux.

"I'm not doing very well," she told him. "Right now, the only thing I can think of is to take up the paving stones from the roof of the tower and destroy them."

"I don't think Professor McGonagall would like that much," said Harry. "On the plus side, Filch would hate it, because he would be the one who will have to do the actual work. Anyway, it's still a better idea than blowing up the Astronomy tower."

"I'm wondering, if maybe that part of Snape's soul might have only gotten attached to a single stone," Hermione ventured. "Then, if we could find it, we could have that taken up and destroy it. It would cause a lot less damage."

"Is there a way you can check for that?" Harry asked.

"Not that I know of. There's nothing in any of the books I've read about detecting bits of soul that people have left lying about."

"Keep looking, then," Harry said. "I really don't want to have to tell Professor McGonagall that I need to do major damage to the castle unless I'm sure there's no other way."

"What about the damage to Snape's soul?" Hermione asked him.

"I talked to Snape about that," said Harry. "He said that if part of his soul has to be destroyed, he hopes he can keep the better part. Leave it to Snape to be philosophical about something like this."

"There is another way to destroy a horcrux, Harry," Hermione reminded him.

Harry nodded. "Remorse. But how can we expect the man to feel remorse for killing Dumbledore when Dumbledore himself asked him to do it? Besides, if he felt remorse strong enough to put his soul back together, it would be so painful it might kill him."

Hermione didn't have an answer to this. "I'll keep looking for other ways," she said.

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Severus looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was still too thin to look healthy, but at least he looked human again. It probably wouldn't take more than a few more weeks to get back to his normal weight.

For the past few weeks, he had been wondering what he was going to do with this life that had been given to him. Minerva was showing no signs of wanting him to leave Hogwarts Castle. Indeed she had made it clear that he was welcome to stay as long as he wished. Still, he was feeling restless. He found he was taking pleasure in the company of old friends, as well as a pretty new one. Still, when he was alone, he found that he felt cold, empty. He had been putting a lot of effort into staying busy, trying to fill the emptiness. He had at last succeeded in replenishing Poppy's supply of healing potions, but now he found he had little else to do. He couldn't just hang around the place forever. He knew his skills as a potions maker could make him a tidy living. His reputation would almost guarantee there would be a demand for his products.

Then there was Serene. His attraction to her was growing by the day and in her presence, he felt warm. He knew he was far from good-looking, but he also knew that if a man behaved himself properly, a woman might overlook his physical appearance. He and Serene had already become friends. He hoped that in time, they could become something more. At the moment, though, he had no means of supporting himself, and therefore was not in much of a position to court her.

He had just finished dressing when a house elf apparated in his room. "Excuse Cricket, but Mistress McGonagall wishes to see Master Snape in her office."

House elves had the damndest convoluted way of talking. "Tell her I will be there directly," he said, and the house elf snapped her fingers and vanished.

He made his way to the headmistress's office. As soon as he entered, Minerva said, "Sit down, Severus. I need to talk to you."

He obeyed. "What is it Minerva?"

"I've just gotten an owl from Horace Slughorn. He has wanted to retire for some years now. I've managed so far to convince him to stay until I find a qualified replacement, but a good Potions master is not an easy thing to find. Now that you're back, Horace feels there is no further reason to stay on. He has sent me his resignation. Will you take the post, Severus?"

Severus was taken aback. "Minerva, I don't know what to say." For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words.

"You might try saying 'yes'," Minerva said. "I'm in a bit of a spot here, Severus. The new term starts in less than a month, and I'm short a Potions master."

Severus considered Minerva's offer for a moment. He realized she was not offering him a job out of charity. She genuinely needed him. It was quite typical of Horace Slughorn to do something like this, waiting until just a few weeks before the start of the school year to tender his resignation. Minerva would be forced to offer Severus the job, Severus would look like a right git if he turned it down, and Slughorn would be free to pursue a life of leisure.

"All right, Minerva," he said at last. "Yes, I will take the job."

"Thank you, Severus," she said.

After Severus had left her office, Minerva breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid Severus would turn down her offer out of pride. Severus Snape was a man who hated being perceived as weak, and would be disinclined to accept an offer of charity. Happily, his pride was not affronted, and he had taken the job.

She left her office to go outside for a stroll around the grounds. In the corridor, she met Serene, who was dressed in blue and green robes and carrying a basket of wands. "Where are you off to, dear?" she asked the younger woman.

"Diagon Alley," Serene replied. Of course. Parents would be taking their children to shop for school supplies, and Ollivander's would need to have wands to sell to the first years. "You're not going alone, are you?" Minerva asked.

"I'd planned on it, yes."

"I won't hear of it. It's too dangerous for a Muggle-born witch to be out and about on her own. I've just had to replace one instructor. I don't want to have to replace another."

Serene looked confused for a moment, then realizing, "Professor Slughorn finally sent you his resignation, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did."

"I thought it would only be a matter of time, once word got out that Severus is back. Horace Slughorn is a quite the opportunist."

"That he is," agreed Minerva. Serene seemed pleased. She had never approved of Slughorn and his Slug Club. Minerva wondered how she would have gotten on with Severus back in the day, with his obvious favoritism toward the Slytherins. Knowing the two of them, they probably would have broken out into open duels in the hallways.

A thought occurred to Minerva. "Why don't you take Severus with you to London? He's well enough to go out now, and he could probably do with a change of scenery."

"All right," said Serene brightly. "I'll ask him to go."

Feeling relieved, and a little pleased, Minerva turned and walked out the door of the castle and onto the grounds. She mused a little as she walked. Serene's safety wasn't the only reason Minerva had suggested that she take Severus to London with her. Severus was obviously attracted to Serene, and it was apparent that Serene, while she may not have shared his attraction, liked Severus. Minerva thought the two of them made for a well-matched pair. They just needed a bit of encouragement.

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Serene found Severus in Horace Slughorn's soon to be former classroom, looking for the newly retired potions master's lesson plans. Of course, he would want to know what Slughorn had already taught his students, so he would not be duplicating lessons. She rapped on the doorjamb. Severus looked up at her. "Oh, hello," he said.

"Hi. I'm going off to London to sell a batch of wands, and Professor McGonagall seems to think I need a bodyguard. Want to come with me and protect me from the forces of darkness?"

"I'd love to," he replied. "Could you give me a few minutes while I finish ransacking Slughorn's desk?"

"Sure." She set her basket down, and watched as Severus rifled through Slughorn's desk. There were lots of assorted papers, but nothing that looked like lesson plans. Normally, she would have felt she was aiding and abetting the invasion of someone's privacy, but she knew that Slughorn would not keep any personal papers in an unlocked desk drawer in his unlocked classroom. Severus seemed to know the same thing. Naturally he would. Horace Slughorn had after all been Severus Snape's Potions instructor. He probably knew the man better that she did.

"Ah, I seem to have found what I'm looking for." Severus extracted a large notebook from a bottom drawer, and began to leaf through it. "Yes, this is it." He pulled out six more nearly identical notebooks- seven years worth of potions lessons. "I'll just take these to my rooms, and then we can go."

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Serene waited in the entrance hall of the castle. Severus met her there and offered her his arm, and she took it. As they walked down the path that led to the gate, they ran into Minerva coming back from her stroll. She gave them an approving nod and went back inside the castle. They continued down the path, walked through the gate and disapparated.

The apparated in Diagon Alley, a few blocks down from Ollivander's. As they strolled down the busy alley Severus asked her, "Do you cut your own wood for your wands, or do you buy it somewhere?"

"I cut it myself," she told him. "Buying wood for wands is too expensive, unless you order it in volume. Besides, cutting the wood myself gives it more of a personal touch. I do order a lot of the materials for the cores, though."

"Do the bowtruckles give you any problems?"

"Nah. Give them a few wood lice, and they're happy. Wood lice give me the creeps, but they're pretty easy to catch."

"You don't have someone to catch them for you, then?" Severus asked, a bit pointedly, Serene thought.

"No, I don't. I'm pretty much on my own in the wood lice catching department."

"So you're not seeing anyone, then."

So, that was where this was going. "No, I'm not."

"Really? I'm surprised," he said "A lovely young lady like you, I would think there would be no shortage of men wanting to court you."

Serene began to grow tense. This conversation was starting to bring back unpleasant memories. "Oh, I get my share of offers, I've even gone out with a few guys. It's just that I was in a relationship my last year of school and it ended badly. I have some trust issues since then."

"What happened?" Severus asked. "Did he use you and cast you aside?"

"Actually, he used me and then tried to kill me so he could split his soul in two and create a horcrux." She had not been sure she wanted to tell Severus this, but now that she had, she felt relieved.

"That explains your interest in the subject of horcruxes," Severus said. "Was he caught?"

"Yes, he's in Azkaban now," she told him, thankful that he wasn't pressing her for details. "He was on the lam for almost six months before the Aurors caught up with him, though. I've often wondered if he didn't mange to kill someone else and make his horcrux."

"It's quite likely that he did." Severus told her. "Someone who fears death so much that they would knowingly do violence to their own soul in order to avoid it would find a victim one way or another."

"I was hoping you would say something a bit more comforting," said Serene.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," replied Severus.

They reached their destination- the sign out front still said "Makers of fine wands since 382 B.C.", even though wands were no longer being made by the Ollivanders. The counterwoman, a matronly witch called Madam Carlotta, went to the back room and fetched Gareth Ollivander. He came out and said, "Hello, Professor Carlin. What have you got for me today?"

Serene set her basket on the counter. "Wands," she said, feeling a need to state the obvious. Ollivander began to inspect the contents of the basket, while Serene rattled off what they were made of. "These three are maple, with hippogriff tail hair; this one has a hippogriff feather. Those two are oak, with unicorn hair. Um, let's see, cherry with dragon heartstring, which cost me a pretty penny, by the way, cherry with unicorn hair, birch with phoenix feather, birch with hippogriff tail hair, birch with dragon heartstring, holly with phoenix feather, holly with hippogriff tail hair, and that's it. Three dozen wands."

Ollivander looked pleased. "The craftsmanship on these is excellent. You do use a lot of hippogriff tail hair, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. There's a herd of them on the grounds at Hogwarts. It doesn't cost me anything except the effort it takes to brush them."

"The effort and the courage," remarked Ollivander. "You've only brought these just in time, now the kids have started shopping for their school supplies. My inventory is running low. I'm hoping some more of my suppliers will have wands ready for me soon."

"I'm sure they'll come through," Serene told him. "They'll probably show up when they think you're getting desperate so they can demand a higher price." The shopkeeper counted out a stack of five-galleon coins and gave them to Serene, who put them in a small purse she drew from the pocket of her robes. Serene thanked him, and she and Severus left the shop.

Serene was by now getting hungry, and she guessed Severus was too- he was looking a bit peaky. Well, he always looked a bit peaky, but he was looking peakier than usual. "Come on," she said. "I'll buy you lunch." He looked about to protest, but apparently he decided to lay aside his manly pride for the moment and nodded his acceptance.

She led him to a little Greek café with outdoor tables and recommended the souvalaki. A waitress came and took their orders, then disappeared back inside. A few moments later, she returned with their food. "So, are you looking forward to coming back to teaching?" she asked him.

"Actually, I am," Severus told her. "Although, I must confess, I didn't enjoy it much the first time around. Of course, I really didn't enjoy much of anything the first time around."

"You're not going to do anything silly like giving bottles of Felix Felicis to the student who turns in the best cauldron of a tricky potion, are you?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Was Slughorn still doing that?"

"Yes, he was. I always thought it was a bad idea. I was worried that the student who got it would use it to gain an unfair advantage come exam week."

"That would be a valid concern," Severus agreed. "However, the prospect of getting a bottle of liquid luck would provide quite an incentive for students to do research on potions ingredients and their effects. But no, I have no intention of doing such a thing. Although, I must confess that I came into possession of more than one bottle of the stuff myself in his class."

"Really? What did you use it for?"

Severus smiled mischievously. "I don't think I'm going to tell you that. You would lose all respect for me if I did."

Serene laughed, then looked up and spotted one of her students. "Yo, Miss Fischer, over here." The girl turned, recognized her, and trotted over to the table. Seeing Severus, she looked a bit frightened, but then seemed to recognize him as well.

"Hello Professor," she said brightly, then looking at Severus, "You're Professor Snape, aren't you."

"I am," Severus affirmed, then asked Serene, "And who might this young lady be?"

"This is Hortense Fischer, one of my brighter students, and if Horace Slughorn is to be believed, a veritable potions genius. Hortense, meet your new Potions master."

Hortense seemed awed. "You're going to be teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked Severus. "That's brilliant."

"You might not think so, once you've sat through a few of my classes," Severus teased the girl.

"Miss Fischer, I was wondering if I might bribe you into running a small errand for me," said Serene, slyly.

"I suppose so. What is it?"

She handed the girl a five-galleon coin. "I want you to go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and fetch me two of the latest edition of the Skiving Snackbox. And also, do not tell George Weasley who it's for. Let him think you're getting them for yourself. Think you can manage that?"

"Yes, ma'am, I suppose so."

"Good. If you are successful in your mission, you can keep the change."

"Alright, thank you, ma'am." Hortense skipped off down the block.

As soon as the girl was out of earshot, Severus asked, "Is this something you do habitually?"

Serene nodded. "Yep. Every year, I get a couple of the snack boxes and give them to Slughorn for analysis. He brews up the antidotes and gives them to all the teachers. He's been trying to stay ahead of George Weasley for years. I'm guessing you'll have a bit less trouble, being as how Mister Weasley learned his potions-making from you."

"I'm guessing that Slughorn doesn't provide the antidotes out of the goodness of his heart."

"Oh, hell, no. I have to bribe him with a bottle of mead."

"And how can you be certain that the students have consuming Weasley's little treats, and aren't genuinely ill?" Severus wanted to know.

"Oh, there are telltale signs, if you know what to look for. I'll fill you in when we get back to the castle."

Their food arrived, and they happily tucked in. Severus was obviously and understandably famished, and Serene ordered him some spanikopita as well. He happily ate the spinach pie, and they ordered baklava for dessert. By this time, Hortense Fischer had returned with the snackboxes, and, taking her change, skipped off down the street toward the nearest sweet shop.

Severus and Serene were quietly chatting over baklava and coffee when suddenly they heard the characteristic pop of someone apparating nearby. A cloaked and hooded figure, a woman judging by the cut of her robes, appeared several yards away, her face concealed by a mask. Almost simultaneously, four more similarly clad figures apparated in various spots down the street. The woman gained her bearings, then started to move toward the table where Severus and Serene were sitting. She drew her wand, leveled it at Serene's chest and cried "Avada Kedavra!" The incantation had not completely escaped her mouth when Serene fell from her chair.

The curse passed harmlessly over her, setting fire to a large potted plant. Severus drew his wand and looked to see if Serene was all right, but she had rolled out of her fall and was on her feet again, wand at the ready. "Hominus Exumei," she hissed, barely audibly, knocking the witch off her feet. She landed about two yards away. The witch got to her feet, and yelled, "Sectumsempra", slashing with her wand, but Serene easily deflected the curse with a Shield Charm. Now, Severus raised his own wand and cried "Expelliarmus!" Red light flashed from his wand, and blasted the woman through the window of a shop behind her, her own wand flying in the opposite direction. Severus picked it up and slipped it into his boot. Severus and Serene both leveled their wands on her. Within seconds, a tall, red-haired man hurried over. He drew his wand, aimed it at the downed witch, and snaky ropes issued from it, binding her.

"Are you all right?" he asked Serene. "It looked like you had a bit of a fall,"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him. "I've learned that the best way to deal with Unforgivables is to hit the dirt."

"Sounds sensible," the man replied.

Up and down Diagon Alley, there were screams. A couple of duels had broken out, but quickly ended as pairs of wizards, who Serene realized were Aurors, bound the attackers and dragged them together into a group. Severus regarded Serene's would-be rescuer, and recognition flashed into his eyes. "Ron Weasley," he said simply.

"Professor Snape," Weasley replied. He turned his attention to his captive. "Right then, let's have a look at you." He pulled the woman's hood off, and Serene gasped.

"Artemis Stratford," she said.

"You know her?" Weasley asked.

"One of my students," Serene told him. "Just graduated last summer."

"Right then. Look, you two, don't wander off. I'm going to need to ask you some questions."

"Okay," said Serene, Severus nodding his assent. Ron Weasley took his captive over to the spot where the rest were being held. It quickly became apparent to Serene that she and Severus were, in fact, going to wander off. There were several injured people in the street. They went to help tend their wounds.

They found a woman in Muggle clothing, the skin of her back flayed, blood soaking her clothing. She pulled back, frightened, when she saw Severus, but Serene reassured her. "It's all right, we're here to help." She traced her wand three times over the wound, chanting an incantation. It stopped bleeding, and finally closed. She looked at Severus and said, "I don't suppose you have any dittany on you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," he told her, reaching into the inside pocket of his robes and extracting a miniature potions kit. He took out a tiny bottle and sprinkled a few drops over the scar and stroked it in. "There," he told the woman. "That should keep it from scarring." But the woman was sobbing. "Kevin! Where's my Kevin?" she wailed.

From behind a bin several yards away, Kevin Mitchell, a fourth year, poked his head out and said, "Over here, Mum." Now that mother and son were reunited, Serene and Severus moved on.

Farther down the street, Serene found a severed arm, and, hiding under a bench, a Muggle man who was missing one. She and Severus managed to coax him out, but he was obviously in shock. A Black woman stuck her head out the door of a nearby shop and shouted, "In here!" She held the door, and they carried him inside, quickly realizing they were inside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Angelina Weasley poured several drops of a potion into a goblet of water and gave it to the man to drink. He soon grew calm, his breathing more even. Serene held his severed arm in place, while Severus reattached it.

"Blimey," said a man's voice from behind them. "Where were you when my ear got cut off?" They looked up to see George Weasley, holding a roll of bandages, which he was soaking down with Essence of Dittany. Severus looked away. George knelt beside him, and wrapped the man's arm with the bandages. It was obvious to Serene that Severus was uncomfortable in George Weasley's presence, and she knew the reason why. It was equally apparent by George's wisecrack that he had long since forgiven Severus, but Severus was still uneasy. They left the shop as soon as they had finished tending to the injured man.

In the street, order was being quickly restored. Injured Muggles and Muggle-born children were being gathered together, and Severus and Serene took the man whose arm they had just healed back outside. The Aurors quickly reunited him with his wife. His son was still unaccounted for. "They'll find him," Serene told him, trying to reassure him, but she had her doubts. Two small figures lay on the pavement, covered in white sheets. Two children had died.

Ron Weasley found them again, and led them over to a bench. The three of them sat down together. "Your kids weren't out here, were they?" Serene asked him.

"No, thank God. The missus was planning to bring them shopping next week." He took out a notebook and a quill. "All right, for the record, what are your names?"

Severus and Serene gave them, and Serene peeked over the top of the notebook and saw that Ron had written "Hogwarts D.A.D.A Instructor" next to her name. He wrote nothing next to Severus's. He did not know yet that Severus was to start teaching at Hogwarts again this year. "Okay, now, tell me everything that happened before I got there"

"There really isn't much to tell," Severus said. "The whole thing probably took less than ten seconds."

"Tell me what you can, then."

Serene quickly related the brief series of events from when Artemis Stratford had apparated near their table until Ron had gotten to them, with Severus filling in some details she had missed.

"That's all, then"" Ron finally asked.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Serene replied.

"One more thing." Ron was now looking at Severus. "I'm going to need her wand. It's evidence."

"Of course," said Severus, extracting it from his boot and handing it over. "Is there anything else?"

"No, you can go," Ron told them. Then he looked at Serene and said, "Professor, be careful."

"I will, she said." They watched as Ron walked over to join the rest of the Aurors. The captives were quickly taken away to jail. The most seriously injured victims were taken to St. Mungo's for treatment. Gradually, the crowd dispersed. Finally, Severus and Serene apparated back to Hogwarts, the Skiving Snackboxes lying forgotten on the pavement in front of the cafe.