Chapter 11: Teaching, Decisions and Graduation

October was finally coming to an end. Tonight was the Halloween Feast and Severus had made sure to hang an appropriate hat on the headmaster's chair.

Leaning back in his office chair, he closed his eyes taking a moment to relax. The last two months had been busy. Being both the Headmaster and Professor was very time consuming. Add in his ASP work and he felt he might just need to cut back a bit. 'Minerva is doing as much as she can, but I am supposed to be handling all the duties that are not directly connected to the students. Even if it deals with the students, if I can do it behind the scenes then it is my responsibility.'

Sighing lightly he rubbed his forehead. The first two weeks had been difficult. He had to teach, set up the OWL testing and handling the Ministry officials for it. 'It is a good thing that ever since I connected to the wards I know all routes about the school. Even so, it was still difficult to be almost in two places at one time.'

Dropping his hands to the desktop, he waited patiently for Draco and the others to arrive. They had asked him to met them in his office right after lunch. 'Once the sixth years got their scores back I had to make sure all the schedule were right, adjust time frames, move classes to accommodate everyone. But everything was done before we made it into October.'

He glanced at the door wondering where they were. His eyes fell onto the stacks of papers that cluttered his desk. It had taken a bit of work, but he finally got the students used to rubrics. He was glad as they made his grading easier for the most part. Now the Ravenclaws loved them. The Slytherins did well with them, too. They liked to know exactly what was expected. The Gryffindors were still struggling with the concept, some of them thought it was too rigid, they wanted to be more creative. 'The Hufflepuff's on the other hand, took a bit to get the hang of it, but now they are the first to ask for one.' They had requested that he make them one for the essays that he still regularly assigned. It took a bit, but he eventually created one which covered the pertinent points he continually looked for when he graded, making sure to chart out what was expected for each level of paper. Of course, he upped his standards.

A knock at his door pulled him out of his musings. "Enter."

Severus watched as Draco, Nott, Zabini, Parkinson and Greenglass slipped into his office. Raising his eyebrow he waited to hear what was going on.

Draco stood for a moment contemplating why they had come. It wasn't that he was friends with those three, but the war was over and it was time to grow up. He had seen what the rivalry between his Godfather and Black had begat, and he was not going down that road. He didn't need anymore bitterness and hatred in his life; Voldemort had supplied enough as it was. So, he had talked to the others and they had agreed. The Golden Trio needed someone else to talk to. An adult who could understand what they still saw behind their eyelids at night, what caused them to search the shadows as they passed them, and made them jumper than most of the others around. Just as jumpy as the Slytherins who had to walk the dark paths.

"Sir, they need to talk to someone who can understand." Greenglass folded her hands carefully, her knuckles white as she held them tightly together. She forgot to mention who she was talking about. "And Professor Vector has about as much idea as Babbling."

Parkinson continued. "And they have seen as much if not more than we have. So, we thought since you are helping us you might be willing to listen to them."

Severus looked at them, knowing who they were talking about, there was only one group who had seen as much as the children before him, but waiting for them to say it.

Nott and Zabini looked at each other for a moment before looking back at the professor. It was Nott who said what they were thinking. "Potter, Granger and Weasley... they need help. The war has scarred them as much as it did us. I would say that they could go to Headmistress McGonagall, but they don't seem to want to. It is like they don't want to add to her burdens. I've caught Granger looking like she was thinking about it, but..." He trailed off not knowing how to phrase the rest of it.

Zabini picked up when Nott looked like he wasn't sure how to say what he was thinking. "They had to be submerged up to their necks in the Order... so they had to know that you were a spy. They should trust you enough to talk to you, and since you are not in a position of power, they might not feel like they are adding to your burdens."

Severus nodded. Their logic was sound, but unfortunately they had no true knowledge of the relationship between him and Trio. 'But it wouldn't hurt to offer.'

He glanced over at Draco and raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking to them or should I approach them myself?"

Draco raised a blond eyebrow. "We are not. Do you think the rest of the population here would approve of the Golden Trio talking to a group of Slytherins? But we were sure you could figure it out."

Severus let his approval shine through as he looked at them. "I am proud of you. You are showing your maturity not only in your classes, but in your handling of you old enemies. I'll take it from here."

"Thanks, Professor." The five students nodded slightly before heading off to their next class. They knew that he would do whatever he could, now it was up to Potter, Weasley and Granger to accept the help.

It took a couple of days to plot out how he wanted to approach the Trio. It was at the end of a potions class he decided to act. "Potter, Weasley, and Granger stay after."

He watched as the three looked each other for a moment before Potter double checked his potion. He held in his smirk, keeping his face blank as he watched the other students leave.

As the three approached his desk, Severus reminded himself that he was going to act like Chris Jameson. He was going to do his best to be just inviting enough for them to want to come talk.

The three stopped right before his desk and looked at him, defiance blended with uncertainty in their faces. Severus decided that he could not keep them waiting like he usually would if they were in trouble. Pulling out a slip of paper, he held it out to Granger. "I have seen you jumping at shadows, and you are obviously are not sleeping well yet. If you wish to talk to someone who won't have nightmares because of your story, feel free to come by."

Granger took the slip of paper. All that as on it was the directions to his room and a set of hours.

"I am always there during those hours, and I will excuse the out of curfew once I have confirmed that you haven't been wondering the school grounds before coming to see me. You may also stop by if you need a dreamless sleep potion."

The three stared at him, shock written on their faces. It was Potter that finally was able to pass words over his lips. "Thank you...sir."

Severus nodded. "You're welcome. Off to your next class before you're late." He watched as they rushed out of the room wondering if they would ever knock on his door.

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Minerva was glad to see Christmas break. It was always a good time. The children were happy and excited, and the teachers were relieved that most of the students were heading home today. Even Potter was going to the Weasley's. Severus had approved the request as soon Molly and Arthur had sent it in.

She paused for a moment when she walked into the entry hall. Filius and Pomona paused with her before they broke up and headed towards the large group of mixed house students that looked like they were about to fight. 'It has nothing to do with the fact that Potter is in there. But we all know he is a magnet for trouble.'

Filus and Pomona came up on the group from different sides. She noticed that Vector, Babbling and Sinistra had joined them. A quick glance around showed that Severus was watching from the far side of the room. With the barest gesture he told her to handle the situation. She knew he would intervene if he needed to though.

It was one of the fifth year Hufflepuff's statement that caught her attention as soon as she was close enough to hear.

"He is trying to hard. Now that he used the excuse of being a spy to get out of Azkaban he is pulling all these muggle things... projects... into the classroom. It is like he is trying to convince everyone that he is muggle friendly."

Terry Boot frowned slightly in thought. "No... he doesn't try hard enough, Knox."

Eleanor MacKay jumped in, frowning at her house member. "What do you mean? It is like he got hold of a theory book over the summer and decided to dump all of the ideas on us at once."

Minerva refrained from frowning at that. The idea that Severus would just arbitrarily try a new teaching method was ridiculous. She knew her taciturn friend would never use something that he had not throughly studied. And she knew he hadn't had time to research as he had been working hard all year to make sure that things were running smoothly and teach. He was even taking back some of the parts she was supposed to be doing.

Terry held up a hand to stop anyone from interrupting. "It's just that I have seen what it is like for a teacher to learn to use projects and such for the first time, and Snape isn't like that at all. There is no small adjustments, no hesitancy, not even the inkling of uncertainty in his presentation or grading."

Hermione nodded beside him. "He has the air of having done this before many times. He assigns them the same way he does a potion or an essay."

Ron smirked next to her. "And gives about as much of an explanation."

One of the younger years shook their head. "He gives an explanation... but I agree with Knox and MacKay, it is like he is trying to prove that he was a spy. It almost makes me think he really wasn't."

Harry eyes snapped to the small brown haired Gryffindor. "He was. And if we look back at his teaching methods, I'm sure we can see signs that this isn't all that new." He was surprised when Hermione gasped, her eyes widening.

"The opening labs." She spun about and looked into the green eyes of her best friend. "When I talked to the other students during the Triwizard tournament, the ones from other schools... they were amazed that Snape would assign us a potion to brew on the first day. Viktor went so far as to use that as proof that Snape was a bad teacher. But that isn't true." She looked over the small crowd. "It's like Harry said. Snape has been using muggle techniques since we started here, and since that was normal for him then, most likely longer. His first day potion is like the second day lab that muggle science teachers make you do."

Minerva meet Filius' and Pomona's eyes. Since his first year, Severus had been assigning a potion to brew on the first day. None of the Potions professors before him had done so. Typically the other professors had waited at least a week before starting the students making simple potions. She, Pomona and Filius had confronted him on that during that first year. His only answer was that it was his class and he could teach how he felt like as long as the students learned and were not hurt. Now she was curious if it really was as Hermione thought.

Justin Finch-Fletchley laughed slightly. "It's just that Snape doesn't spend a day on the feel good getting to know you stuff like they do. You know those papers he has us write now before class and while brewing are just a modified lab report, and they are just a modification of the essays he used to have us write. Even his current essays are like long drawn out conclusions."

Knox crossed his arms and glared slightly. "So, you are saying that he has been teaching muggle style for years and no one has noticed?"

"He was the Head of Slytherin for a reason. And not just because Voldemort wanted him to be in power and Dumbledore decided to play along." That it was Ron that answered nearly floored the ones that knew of his hatred of Snape.

The trio's eyes met and Ron smiled at them. He knew he had shocked them, but he couldn't help it. Snape was the perfect example of a Slytherin and he could finally accept that being a Slytherin was not necessarily a bad thing. The way Snape had been helping them and the Slytherins, he may have never seen one of the snakes at the man's door but that didn't make him doubt that they went there sometime, went completely against the Board's ruling. Dad had explained it to him and Ginny before they came back. Snape had no more power over the students except that as a professor, and was not supposed to be acting in anyway like a Head of a House. He wasn't even supposed to be really interacting with the students except in class, unless they came to him or there was no other teacher around to stop an altercation. 'He played the system just like a cunning, subtle, sneaky snake. He got us to go to him. And once we did that, he could help. I bet the snakes were at his door since the first day.'

Harry smiled back. Ever since the Invitation, as they had started calling the incident,Ron had been mellowing out towards the git. It had taken them a week to accept the invitation, but once they had it had done them a bit of good. Snape had been right, it was good to talk to someone who wasn't going to have nightmares because of their story. Harry knew that it was because the old spy had seen enough to have his own nightmares instead. But that didn't stop it from feeling good to say something and not have to tell an hour of back story to make it make sense. Snape had known the back story, and the man didn't patronize them and pat them on the head. He had really listened and gave them solid advice. 'The hot chocolate and toast had been a surprise the first time, but a pleasant one.'

Knox and the others tilted their heads slightly. "There is that. So, why is he being so obvious now? What is he trying to hide this time?"

Minerva's eyes met the other teachers' wondering how they could stop the students from looking for an answer to that, especially Potter, Granger, and Weasley. Those three had a record for figuring out every secret they set their mind to find.

The trio's eyes met again. They could not let people start investigating. If they did, then those late night talks and potions without a stay in the infirmary would have to stop. Hermione was the one that answer the question. "Not much I'm sure, he knows everyone will be watching him right now, and he is cunning enough to know not to get caught that easy. He probably is using this as a way for him to thumb his nose up at them for demoting him. He can make our lives miserable in class just by assigning more work than before, and making us use knowledge from other classes just to make it that more difficult and taxing."

The others nodded in agreement and the teachers let out a soft sigh of relief.

Severus watched the crowd for the other side of the room wondering if he was needed to swoop down and break them up. He let his eyes rest on Potter and his tag-a-longs. They looked relaxed enough, though when one of the boys shifted just in Potter peripheral vision he could see the dark haired boy tense up slightly. 'At least he didn't go for his wand.'

As the group continued its conversation, not noticing that they were surrounded by teachers, though he wasn't sure if the Trio hadn't noticed, he wanted to know what they were talking about. The teachers kept shooting him questioning looks. He then noticed that Minerva had tensed up, her eyes almost boring into the back of Potter's head. Whatever Granger had said caused her shoulders to relax before she shifted her eyes once again to met his. He let his eyes slid to the door indicating it was time for them to be moving out to the train.

Minerva caught his message and passed it to the other teachers. It was time to get their break started. Hagrid opened the door and the students flooded out into the weak December sunlight heading for the carriages.

It wasn't until later that Minerva and the others tracked Severus down in his classroom. "Severus, what are you still doing here?"

Severus gestured to the test that were sitting in the center of his desk. "I have a bit more to grade before I can declare it to be the holidays." He watched as Filius and Pomona wondered about the room looking at the projects that he had declared good enough to stay on the walls or hang from the ceiling. They would come down during the first week of next term.

"They could wait for tomorrow. Tonight is a time to celebrate the reduction of the hormones in the school." Minerva grinned at him waiting for him to give in as he normally did when she cornered him in his room at the start of break.

"Not this time Minerva. I am going to be out of the castle for the next two to three days." His eyes told her that she was completely in charge while he was gone.

Filius looked over at him from the project that had caught his attention. The charm work was ingeniously applied. "This is quite ingenious. Quite an different way for them to develop an understanding of the material and garner skills that they can use once they leave here." At Severus' smirk he continued both of them knowing that he was going to corner the potions master later to learn more about the projects that decorated the room. "You are going to be away from the castle, is there an emergency?"

Severus shook his head slightly as he decided he could tell this group. Tomorrow it would be all over the news anyway. "No, I am going to help in the first administration of a new potion of mine. Its patent is being approved even as we speak. There will be a big media whirlwind around it, and then I'll be back."

He was going to do this quietly but the twins had finally thought about what he said when they had met in the woods near the Burrow, and it had jostled their knowledge of potions testing. He had then received a diner invitation he could not refuse not to long after Halloween and he had to placate the mischievous duo. The only thing that worked was to convince them that he was saving using the potion on George until it could be publicized bringing good media attention to them for their business, and to him so that he could clean up his reputation enough that he wouldn't have to worry about his potions being accepted. They bought it and then sold it to their parents. Arthur had confronted him later and thanked him for not testing it on his son.

"Tomorrow I have to be at St. Mungo's to administer my new potion, the Weasley potion, to George Weasley. The entire family will be in attendance as well as the media."

Pomona's eyes brightened. "Will it help his ear?"

Severus balked at telling them that much, sure the patent was most likely signed by now, but the first official use, the one that seals the potion in the wizarding world, had yet to happen.

Filius noticed his hesitance. "We'll read about it in the paper, and then get the whole inside story when you come back." He shooed the others towards the door. "We'll let you get finished. See you at dinner tonight."

Minerva's look told him that he had better be at the table that evening. Severus held back a sigh and glared at them lightly. He knew it was his duty as Headmaster to be at the table at all meals unless he was off campus.

セブルススネイプ

Severus met up with Healer Stanhope early the next morning to go over the procedures and who would be allowed into the room. As Severus watched the middle age wizard come into the room, he let a smirk out. This was the only Healer in all of St. Mungo's that was on talking terms with him at the moment. The others were more than willing to work with him through letters, but balked when it came to face to face.

"Master Snape, it is a pleasure to meet you." The sandy brown haired man reached out to shake the acerbic Potions Master's hand.

Letting his smirk broaden just a bit, Severus took his hand. "And you Healer Stanhope. Which room shall we be working in for this spectacle?"

Stanhope grinned as he gestured towards a nearby door. "The ward that we practically cleared out using your potion, of course, Master Snape. It is a shame that it would not work on wounds over five years old. Are you currently working on a version for that?"

Severus looked at him and raised an eyebrow. 'And just when am I supposed to fit that into my schedule. It has been hard enough to keep ASP going this year as it is.' "I thought some of the up and coming Masters might wish to attempt to modify it."

Stanhope opened the door while he looked at the tall man. 'Tired, worn out, possible overworked. It looks like he is getting adequate sleep but just barely, and the same with food. Letting others take it is just your way of saying you don't have time to do it.'

Ushering Master Snape through the door, he smiled. "Of course. The Weasleys are due to arrive at any time. Once they are here, a nurse will escort them directly to this room. Then the representatives from the different publications will come in and interview all of us. Once they are done, only those who are a certified Healer or Potions Master will be allowed to stay during the procedure."

As Severus nodded, the door opened to admit the red headed tribe. He barely held back his best glare when he spotted the brown and black heads in the mix. He should have expected Potter and Granger to be there as well. That was going to make this even more of a media spectacle. There were four war heroes in one room. He caught George's eyes and noticed the trepidation in them. Stepping forward, he decided to put the boy to ease the best he could.

"Mr. Weasley." All the male red heads turned towards him. "I thank you for being patient and allowing me this small request. Healer Stanhope has administered this particular potion to the majority of the people no longer gracing the beds of this ward, so you can trust that he will make this as painless and as quick as possible."

Stanhope stepped forward and ushered the earless man to the prepared bed. "Painless is not going to be much of an option. Master Snape has spent the last several months attempting modifications to this potion to allow for the use of pain killers, but none will work in concert with it."

Severus noticed both Potter and Granger look at him for a moment before Granger asked the question that they both seemed to have. "How about Muggle pain killers? Or anesthesia?"

Stanhope looked at the Potions Master, expecting to see him blow up as many of them did when asked about the use of muggle medicines with their creations. Instead he was surprised to see the black eyes resting on the group calmly.

Severus held back a sigh. They wouldn't know that he would even think of that type of medication. "Miss Granger, I tested all the currently marketed muggle pain killers, including the prescribed ones, to no avail. The only one that might have work was morphine, and the opiate countered the finesse needed to sculpt the intricate shapes of the body. The combination of it and the potion made the potion just a bit more effective than Delany's."

Stanhope had to hold back his stare. 'Snape had tested his potion with muggle medicines?' The others acceptance of the fact that the man would have thought of it was just as surprising.

Hermione and Potter just nodded in resignation. George looked over at his family. "I want this to work to the best of its ability. So, I am willing to not use a pain killer." His eyes looked over at Snape, hoping his confidence was showing in his face, not his uncertainty.

Severus looked into the face of the brave Gryffindor before nodding. "At least we can put you to sleep for most of the procedure, Mr. Weasley."

Stanhope jumped in to continue. "And the sleep is one that you will not register most of the pain you will be in."

Molly looked out the door when she heard a slight knock. Turning back to the group, she caught Severus' eyes. "The media are ready."

Everyone looked at each other for a moment before Severus gestured for Potter and Granger to slip behind one of the privacy dividers that were set up around the ward. The green and brown eyes thanked him as they slipped out of sight. The last member of the trio watched them longingly, but resolutely placed himself next to George. With a slight nod, Severus signaled to Molly that they were ready to begin.

Two days and two media frenzies later, George Weasley had a new ear, Snape's name was associated with a positive event, and everyone was home. Well, Severus was back at Hogwarts, which at this moment was close enough for him. With a smirk, he made his way to Minerva's to let her know he was back, and fulfill Filius' request for the inside information.

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The final term passed relatively quickly.

Severus was surprised to find that the Golden Trio were protecting his secret meetings with them and the Slytherins, not that it was needed since they were the foremost secret hunters in the school and they were included in it. But they did prevent some of the more obnoxious attempts of the others from trying to figure out what his secrets were. And they were unintentionally protecting the secret that he was slowly taking on all the roles of the Headmaster except those that required face to face communication with the students or their parents. Minerva was a bit overworked in his opinion as she tried to keep up with her share of the Headmaster jobs, the Deputy Headmistress ones and teaching transfigurations. He had much more practice balancing his time carefully. He just substituted his spying job for the Headmaster's. Minerva had protested at first, but had finally caved in.

Slipping deeper into his arm chair, he rubbed his hands over his face trying to find the energy to make it through the next couple of days. He had suspended all his ASP duties for now, he would pick them up after the NEWT and OWL exams were done. He had been working nonstop for the last three day to arrange the dynamics of the testing of the students. It was ten times worse than just the OWLS from the beginning of the year, and had to eventually ask Albus for his help. Taking a long draw from his tea cup, he stared into the fireplace, running over all the details that he had only a smidgen of information on when he was just a teacher. Leaning his head back, Severus accepted that there was nothing else he could do. Tomorrow would bring the first set of tests and also the last week before the Board of Governors return.

The clock finally reached the time he had been waiting for. Potter, Granger, Weasley, nor any of the Slytherins had come. It was time for bed.

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It was on Wednesday that he headed out to make a phone call. Not that that was what he told Minerva. No, he told her he needed to pick up a fresh supply of spitting cockroaches that had just been delivered that morning to Slug and Jiggers. He had a break in his day due to his fifth years taking their OWLS, and he was not allowed to supervise. He had plenty of time since he had both of his fifth year classes back to back.

He did floo into the Leaky Cauldron and head over to Slug and Jiggers for the spitting cockroaches before he apparated to Spinner's End. With the advent of caller ID he had made his number unlisted. So, it was fine to call Stoner from his house as they would never know where he was calling from.

"Stoner High School. Mrs. Turner speaking, how can I help you?"

"Good Morning, Mrs. Turner. I..." He was cut off before he could finish his statement.

"Snape! Compton was wondering if you were going to get in touch with us soon. Are you going to be in town this summer?"

Biting back his aggravation, Severus answered her. "Yes, I am. Is Ms. Compton on her planning period so that I can talk to her?"

"Yes, she is. I'll transfer you to the workroom. If no one picks up, let me know and I'll call her over the PA."

"Thank you."

A couple of rings later he heard Ms. Compton's voice through the receiver. "Stoner High School, Science department."

"Good Morning, Ms. Compton."

"Severus Snape! How are you? Are you coming back this summer? Can you teach?"

Shaking his head slightly, Severus glanced at the clock to make sure he still had time. "I'm fine, a bit tired but it is testing time. I am planning on being home for the summer and was wondering if there was a position open for the summer school."

"The only one left is the low level group. One of the teachers at Meadowview decided to teach, but she only wants to cover the revision courses for the A-levels retakes." The regret was clear in her voice. She knew that Severus had a way of getting the material to stick in their heads no matter how fast he covered it.

"That's fine. It was better for that group to be covered just in case I couldn't make it. Do I need to send in a new application, or will my old one still work?" He kept his disappointment out of his voice. He was telling the truth, it was for the best.

"I'll mail you a new one. Do you think it can be back by next week?"

"I'll express mail it so it will reach you in time. Are you ready to copy down my current address?" At her affirmative, Severus smirked slightly as read out the new mailing address that he and Rockward had set up.

Once the phone call was done, he headed back to Diagon Alley and flooed back through the Leaky Cauldron's connection into the Headmaster's office. Once he was back, he closed down the connection. As he left the office, he sent Minerva a message letting her know he was back and then headed off to let his eighth years have fun using live cockroaches in their potion for the day. He couldn't wait to see their faces.

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By the end of the week he had sent the application back sure that they could read the quill writing as well as they could a ball point pen. The weekend had finally made it and Severus knew that the Board was coming that afternoon to decide on who the Headmaster would be next year. Taking a deep breath, Severus hung Albus' deciding hat on the Headmaster's chair. It was brilliantly colored in all the houses colors. Green, yellow, red and blue seemed to chase themselves about the entire piece. Minerva nodded in approval when she spotted his choice.

The rest of the morning was taken up with appeasing the different examiners and their whims. All he really wanted to do was to hide in his dungeon and brew until the Board arrived. Instead he was currently listening to Madam Loughty complain about her tea that the house elves had delivered to her room.

"Albus... he used to serve me the nicest tea. Surely you have some of his tea around here somewhere. I want a cup of it instead of this swill." She let the cup clink onto the saucer as she glared at the offending beverage.

Severus glared lightly at her, doing his best to hold in all the cutting remarks that were trying to escape. Just at that moment he felt the wards warn him of the Boards arrival. He needed to speed this up. 'Some of Albus' tea about here? Yes, yes we do. But, unfortunately that is not going to help since he was a connoisseur of teas. He collected and drank many varieties. So, I have no idea which one he would typically serve you.'

Remembering that Albus was also one to serve specific types of biscuits with each tea, he decided to inquire on the types of sweets that she wanted to go with the drink. "I see you haven't touched the biscuits. Is there a variety that you would prefer?"

Not that he really cared, but he did want the examiners to be content while giving the examines. 'No, not really. If they are irritated, they better still grade fairly. No, I want to speed this up so that I can get to the Headmaster's office in a decent amount of time.'

"The little lemon ones." The glassy blue eyes brightened up as she described the sweet she loved to go with her tea.

Severus narrowed his eyes a bit as he matched different teas to the biscuit in his head until he came up with the one she wanted. "Abel."

When the little house elf appeared, he ordered Madam Loughty's tea and biscuits. When they were delivered, he told Abel to prepared the refreshments for the meeting and to bring them the next time he was summoned. Striding down the hall, he headed to the Headmaster's office.

The gargoyle jumped out of his way as he strode up to it. Growling lightly at it, he made a mental note to once again remind the stone guardian that just because he was tied into the wards he was not precluded from the password check. The stairs stopped at the door which was partial opened. Surveying the room before he entered, he could see the rest of the staff and the entire board standing about. 'Did they even bother to send someone to find me?' Even as the question finished forming, he could feel the affirmative from the castle and the image of Abel appeared with it. 'I guess he decided that I knew to come since I told him about the refreshments.' Slipping through the door, he quietly called for the house elf to serve the refreshments. As Abel appeared he caught Minerva's eye and nodded. It was time to begin.

Severus' voice cut across the din created by the staff and board's conversation. "Welcome back to Hogwarts. I am sure we all have many obligations today, so let's get started."

All the teaching staff with the exception of Ms. Heaven and Mr. Parker settled into a seat on the side of the table closer to the fireplace. The other two quickly followed their example. Severus waited until the board had sat themselves across from the teachers before he took the Headmaster's chair. Refusing to see what the two that were out of the loop's expressions were, he checked to see if all the portraits were awake and present.

"Today is the day to re-evaluate the status of the Headmaster and Deputy." He looked over at Preston who was currently the spokesman for the board as Lucius had stepped back from that position for this meeting. "Since the board has not been here to observe the going ons of the school, I am sure you have a number of questions for both the staff and the previous Headmasters."

With a small gesture he signaled for Preston to take over.

The tall sandy blond leaned slightly forward, looking at all the staff members. Something told him that most of them would not protest what the board wanted to happen. Shifting his eyes towards the two new teachers, he decided to start there. "Professor Heaven, what is you impression of Professor McGonagall?"

The strawberry blond leaned forward a bit so that she could see the transfiguration teacher. "She is efficient, stern, but listens."

Preston nodded. That was typical of McGonagall. "And of Professor Snape?"

She whipped her head about to stare at the dark eyed man. "He was the Deputy? No one announced who was in that position." Shaking her head lightly, she looked back at Preston. "That explains why he would bring around the lesson plans after they had helpful notes written on them. He also was taking care of any supplies that I needed. If anything, I saw him more than I did of Professor McGonagall. The students seemed to respect him, even if they were a bit terrified of doing anything wrong near him. And they dreaded it if they had detention with him. All in all a good thing."

Preston glanced at Severus. He was not supposed to be supervising detentions, was he? Running the deal through his head, he realized that they didn't restrict him from them. He shifted his eyes to Professor Parker. "And your impressions, Professor?"

Parker glanced to make sure that the man was talking to him. "McGonagall handled the job of Headmistress quite adequately. I'm not sure if Snape did the Deputy job justice. He was not that approachable to the students, and no one knew of his title. As far as any one knew, he was just a basic professor. And, as such, his advice and comments on how I instructed my class were both unneeded and unwelcomed."

Minerva tried not to snap at the man to drop the issue that he had been harping on since the beginning of the year. Severus hadn't given them much difficulty at all throughout the school year. Parker just couldn't get over that Severus had told him that his eighth years did not need the lesson on Cornish Pixies and that the school would be better off with out an infestation from them. The man hadn't listened, and when the entire NEWTs eighth year class immediately frozen the pixies before he could even introduce them he was more than miffed. 'Even Filius had agreed that Severus' remarks afterward were appropriate. Very Severus, but appropriate.'

Preston looked over at the other teachers to see if they had anything to add to what the others said. He caught the frown on McGonagall's face and wondered about it. "Do any of the rest of you have anything to add?"

Filius leaned forward a bit. "Severus handled his position quite well. He was attentive, noted what needed to be handled before it was called to his attention. He made sure that the new teachers had all that they needed, as well as telling them what they did not need to cover, especially in the Defense class as that position has seen so many come and go through it. The students respected him, even the eighth years. I am interested to see what his NEWT and OWL scores will be this year."

Preston waited to see if any of the others had anything to say. When McGonagall started to speak, he interrupted her. "I'm sorry, Professor, but I think your opinion might be slightly biased." Minerva just looked at him for a moment before sipping her tea.

Pomona tipped her head back a bit so she could look at the him. "Everyone has said it. Minerva handled her job to the best of her ability, and Severus took over almost all the roles of his position except those explicitly forbidden to him. He pulled it off because of all the practice he had at managing his time. It probably helped that there wasn't a Dark Lord breathing down his neck he had to fool." Severus shot her a look that she couldn't quite read as it went away too fast.

Preston looked at the other Board members, his eyes lingering on Malfoy, who was the lead of the group that said this wouldn't work. They were a small faction though. He shifted his eyes back to Snape and McGonagall; he wasn't going to wait and ask the prior Headmasters anything. "It is the Board's decision that Professor Snape shall be demoted to the position Deputy Headmaster and Professor McGonagall shall be promoted to the position of Headmistress."

Severus caught the new teachers' eyes widening at his statement. Parker blanched slightly as he realized that Severus was actually the Headmaster.

The portraits shifted slightly, the red haired elder becoming the spokesman once again. "The Council cannot approve of you decision. There is no reason for Headmaster Snape to be removed from his office. We agreed, grudgingly, to the year without the title or privileges of the office because Headmaster Snape insisted that there should be consequences for his action the prior year. We will not budge this time."

The Board became the focus of all the painted eyes. Preston straightened his shoulders and refrained from looking to see if Malfoy was gloating. He had said that the Council of Elders would be against their decision. "There is still a number of the Governors that wish him removed from the school period. I think this is a fair compromise."

The elder shook his head. "No, it is not. There is no compromise on this point. As of this moment, Professor Snape is to be known as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He had served this position for the last two years better than could be expected. His first year, not one student died or was sent home due to permanent injuries, and this year he has handled all the intricacies of the office with the exception of speaking to students and parents in the role of Headmaster. And, this year, he did this while teaching full time, and stocking the infirmary." He leaned a bit forward, his hands resting on the inside of the frame. "The Council has final say in this and our say is that Severus Snape has been and is the Headmaster. You have a say in the Deputy position. If you wish to remover Professor McGonagall from that position, then by all means..."

Severus let his eyes drift from one group to another while they debated his fate. In the background he could feel the castle preparing to lock itself up like it threatened to do last year. He hoped that the Board would back down since he didn't feel like explaining to the students why they could no longer enter or exit the castle.

Preston leaned back in his chair, his eyes making contact with his supporters. He could tell that they were grudgingly accepting what the elder said. It helped that one of them who was not in Malfoy's group had found an old book that had the school bylaws in it. It mentioned the Council and the powers that it held. "Very well, since we truly have no say here. The Board does request that this decision not be made public until the end of the school year."

Severus' eyes narrowed slightly. "That will be acceptable." The look he gave the portraits showed he was not going to budge on this point. The students did not need to be confused during their finals.

Preston nodded. "Then, Headmaster Snape, we shall look forward to dealing with you later."

Severus smirked lightly as he nodded. "And I you."

"As Headmaster Snape stated earlier, we are all busy. I'm sure you all have a lot to handle at this time with testing and all, so we shall not keep you any longer." The members of the Board finished the last bits of their refreshments before heading out the door.

Severus slipped out the door before anyone of the teachers could start talking to him. He had no wish to deal with Parker at that moment, and if Heaven started to babble incestuously as was her want, he would not be held responsible for his actions. The others knew where to find him if they needed him. Slipping into his rooms, he settled into his chair by the fireplace to finish the book that was on the side table. He knew that one of the portraits would inform him if an examiner needed him.

It didn't take too long for Minerva to be ensconced in the chair across from him, distracting him from the last chapter. "You are doing the graduation speech. You are the Headmaster and have been all year. It will also be after the school year, so you would not be breaking the agreement with the Board."

One look at her set face told Severus that he was not going to win this argument if he opted to step into it. Instead, he glanced at the book that was waiting on him and then back to his Deputy. "Do the others agree?"

At her nod yes, Severus smirked. It would be good to show the seventh and eighth years that he had been in charge. It would also be good for the Slytherins to see that once the punishment is done, you can still succeed. "Then I shall. We shall not announce that I am the Headmaster. Instead we shall carry on as we have done all year, letting them draw their own conclusions."

The soon to be Head of Gryffindor leaned back in her seat, her eyes bright as she considered the confusion that was going to be running through the ceremony. It would be interesting to see who would figure it out.

セブルススネイプ

The seventh and eighth year students were all in their cleanest robes and waiting for their Heads of House to lead them into the ceremony. There had been a debate as to whether there should be two ceremonies, one for each year, but Severus had pointed out that, as this group had worked together through some of the darkest times in recent Wizarding history, there was no reason for them not to continue to do so for one more day. He did not mention that he only wanted to do this one time. The students shifted as they watched the other teachers in the dress master robes settle on the dais. The Headmaster's seat was still empty with a bright purple hat covered shooting stars hanging off of it.

Harry noticed that Snape started the music for the alma mater with flick of his wand. Before he could wonder about it, the notes drifting through the room and the Heads lead them in. A side glance showed him the entire Weasley family taking up a good sized section of the audience. He also spotted the Malfoys sitting in the back. Other families caught his eye as he made his way to his seat. Once there, he shifted his attention back to the stage.

Severus watched as the students filed in to their seats. This was one of the greatest groups of students to leave these halls. 'They are some of the most messed up in the head, as well. It is a miracle of determination that some of them made it this far.' As the last one sat down, he stood to give his speech.

Stepping up to the podium, he looked out over the crowd, his eyes holding the Malfoys', Potter's, Grangers', and the youngest male Weasley's a bit longer than the others. "This is a day I am sure that many of you did not think you would see. You have faced many obstacles to make it here, some of you more than others. That you persevered and overcame says much about these two classes."

He looked over the faces that were shooting uncertain looks between him and Minerva. As he continued, he let his eyes rest on particular students, doing his best not to call attention to the Trio even though they were prime examples. Instead he chose students who had been there during his first year as Headmaster.

"You showed to all the Wizarding world that a Ravenclaw can be cunning and loyal, a Gryffindor can be smart and sly, a Hufflepuff can be courageous and devious, and that a Slytherin can be hardworking and brave. You have stood shoulder to shoulder in some of the darkest times that have been seen in recent history. You stood up for what you believed in, be it friends, family, justice, or what is right. Take this ability out with you into the world and show them what it will take to make it a better place. You have it, you know it, you have used it. Keep doing so. Do not dishonor the school nor yourselves as you strive towards your individual goals."

Letting his eyes sweep over the parents, he thought of all that he should say, but he really didn't want to speak long. His gaze returned back to the group of students before him as he continued. "As you know, I do not like to waste my breath on unnecessary words. So, I will say this once, and only once." He watched as they focused intently on him. Letting his masks fall just enough to show the pride that he was feeling, he continued. "I am proud of all of you. You survived, but more than that you succeeded where others would have failed. Congratulation on your graduation from Hogwarts."

He watched as the faces looking back at him were covered in shock, especially the three houses that he had not been the head of for years. The masks fell back over his face as he turned to look at the Minister. "Minister Shacklebolt, I certify that these students have passed all criteria needed for graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and are prepared to step into the Wizarding world as young adults." When Kingsley nodded towards him, Severus turned and left the podium nodding at Minerva as she moved to take his place.

Minerva stepped up to the podium and gestured to the Heads of House to line up on the stage to help hand out the diplomas. Picking up the list of names that was missing a few from the time she had read them seven and eight years ago, she began calling the students up alphabetically.

As Minerva started reading the names, Sevreus considered moving to stand next to her in the position that Dumbledore had often filled and shake the students hands at the received their diplomas. Catching Flitwick's, Sprout's, Vector's, and Babbling's eyes he glanced at the spot and raised a questioning eyebrow. The grin he got from all of them had him moving forward to take his position. He knew it would raise more questions, but he couldn't bring himself to care, especially once he received a warm look from Minerva when she spotted him as the first student passed her heading for their diploma. He expected his Slytherins to track him down later for an explanation and he wondered if the Trio would also.