Snape's statement made Leah pause. He had come all the way back to Hogwarts after murdering Dumbledore, and he somehow wanted to save her rather than kill her too?

"Save my life?" Leah asked, skeptically. "Why do you think I need saving?"

"First of all, I need to put on my teacher voice and lecture you about something," said Snape. Leah secretly wondered when he wasn't in his teacher voice, but decided not to interject anything. "What were you doing spending half the afternoon in the lake with nary a wand in sight?" he demanded.

"I was cooling off!" she defended. "It was a hot day."

"I understand that, but does a string bikini really afford all that much space to store a wand?"

"So you came all the way back here to criticize my clothing choices-"

"I am in full support of your choice of apparel, or lack thereof - what I'm not in support of is you going anywhere or doing anything without your wand within easy reach at all times!"

"How do you know this anyway?" she asked.

"I can have house elf friends too, you know."

"Okay, you're right, I forgot my wand," she confessed. "I won't do it again. But really, why are you so convinced my life is somehow in danger?"

"Because," Snape said, severely, "The Dark Lord is mere days away from taking over the Ministry of Magic. Once he does, he plans to institute a registry for all Muggle-born wizards and witches - anyone who is unable to sufficiently prove their ancestry. Tell me, Leah, who is your closest witch or wizard relative?"

"Well... we think one of my great-grandfathers-"

"That won't be good enough!"

Leah looked startled.

"Many Muggle-born witches and wizards are or will be going into hiding, and I'm here to advise you to do the same," he said, quietly but forcefully.

"But," she sputtered, "This is Hogwarts! I've always been safe here..." she suddenly remembered that that safety had been breached not all that long ago. "Is the Dark Lord really going to come all the way here just to murder me?"

"He's already murdered Charity Burbage."

Leah gasped. She had heard of the disappearance of the Hogwarts teacher - in fact, her name had come up that very evening during the discussion at The Three Broomsticks.

"I was there, and I saw it happen, powerless to do anything."

Leah suddenly jolted back to the present. "But why on earth should I take any kind of advice from you? You killed Dumbledore!"

"I did," admitted Snape. "And it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."

"HAD to do?"

"He was dying, and would have passed very soon anyway. He was under the effects of a very powerful curse brought on by trying to destroy a Dark object, and was very weak. You remember seeing his blackened hand?" Leah had forgotten, but could immediately picture it once he said it. "And he decided it would be better for me to be the one to cast the fatal spell and keep my cover. Otherwise someone else would have done it and I'd be dead too - and then two of us would be dead instead of just one."

"Your cover... so... you were a double agent?"

"Yes. Am."

"Or... a triple agent," she pondered, confusedly. "And that's why you didn't tell me where you were on the night we collided in the mud?"

"Good memory, and yes."

It actually made sense. Leah was terribly confused and while she desperately wanted to believe him, she was also afraid she was overlooking something.

"So..." she said, slowly, "Who else knows you're a double agent?"

"At this point, only you. The other teachers believe I'm their enemy now, and it has to be that way, for their protection as well as my own."

Seeing his face again, and hearing his earnest, silky voice brought her back to their many fireside conversations, and she saw him again as the man she'd always thought he was.

All she could think of to say was "Why me?"

Snape was silent for a moment, and his eyebrows lowered slightly in thought. His piercing eyes had been watching her the whole time, and she had noticed with some degree of satisfaction that he hadn't always had an easy time keeping his eyes on her face.

"Because your safety is of great concern to me. As it has been ever since we lived together."

She couldn't believe she was hearing this. The sincerity of his voice, and his actually referring to their enchantment as simply "living together" rather than some kind of tedious prison.

"I thought you hated it. I thought you hated living with me."

"You had to. If word got back to the Dark Lord that Severus Snape was actually enjoying the company of a you-know-what, well... we'd both be in big trouble."

"You didn't tell him?"

"I did. But I told him exactly what I wanted him and everyone else to believe - that it was simply an inconvenient and unfortunate mistake, and I wanted to be free of it as soon as possible. Of course, that was entirely true at first... I certainly didn't orchestrate my student's misdeeds, and was just as annoyed as I acted in the beginning. But... it... became more than that to me over time. I just couldn't tell you."

"But I made you really angry before I left," she said meekly. It felt good to finally acknowledge the fight.

"Yes..." Snape replied, slowly. "And I was genuinely angry. We both said some regrettable things, I'm sure. I wanted to just stay angry at you and forget it all. But I couldn't. I kept thinking about it... and you. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized you were probably on the right track."

"Oh..." was all she could think of to say.

"Well, someone had to say it. Yes, I admit it, I can be terribly insecure. I push people away, I tear people down, I live in the past because it's easier. And I don't know... I don't know exactly how this will go. There are more things you need to know that I don't have time to explain right now. I can't be away too long tonight. But I do want to offer you protection. If you want it, we'll have to leave very soon."

"Where are we going?" Leah asked, standing up.

Snape smiled, looking relieved. "There's a tent I've set up, in the Scottish wilderness. It's soundproof, invisible, with plenty of protective charms, and should be good protection for you. It may start to get tedious after a while, but I promise to bring you lots of books."

Now it was Leah's turn to smile.

"First off, you should write a letter to the Hogwarts staff. Don't tell them where you are, just say that you are safe and in hiding. They'll understand soon enough." He produced a quill and piece of parchment, and Leah quickly did as he suggested, leaning over her small night-side table. She once again got the distinct feeling that he was gazing at her.

"Now," he said, "Put all your clothes and anything else you'll need into this backpack. Only leave things behind if you're okay with not seeing them again. Don't worry, it will hold quite a bit. Oh, and by the way... we'll be flying for a little ways, and it can be a bit chilly up there..."

She understood his meaning, and quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a pink babydoll T-shirt. Then she began filling the bag. It didn't take long, and no matter how much she put in, the bag never got too full. Finally, she had finished. She surveyed the room, and very little was left except furniture and bedding.

"Ready?" Snape asked, producing a broom from the bathroom.

"Ready," she said.

"All right. Climb on. And hold on tight. Please."

Leah smiled again, and climbed on behind him with the backpack on her back. She reached her arms around his waist, and felt the old tingling feeling flow through her again. Soon the broom had risen, and Snape had quickly opened the door with a wave of his wand, and also quietly shattered the glass in the window across the hallway.

"Here we go," he said as they zipped through both openings. He hovered for a moment to close the door and repair the window, and then they were off. It was one of the most exhilarating feelings Leah had ever felt. She clung tighter to him as they sped up, and whizzed through the air, her hair flowing out behind her in the breeze. It was well after midnight, and there was no moon, so the conditions were perfect for a getaway.

It was glorious to be near him and to feel him move as he turned and directed the broom. She wanted to just stay close to him like that forever, but all too soon she felt their descent toward the outskirts of Hogsmeade. She leaned her head against his back as they descended, and before long they were on the ground. She reluctantly let go of him and climbed off the broom.

"Now," he said in a pleasant voice. "Hold onto my arm tightly, and we'll apparate." She did so, and felt herself being sucked through space until they reappeared in a deserted-looking wilderness. She saw lots of underbrush and some trees.

"And the thing about invisible tents is that you have to pay close attention to landmarks." He pointed out a small hill to the left and a funny-looking tree to the right, and then led her right through a door between them into an inviting-looking room.

It was one large room with a small bathroom off to the side, and the whole thing had a light, cozy glow. In one corner there was an open fire with a cauldron over it, and a few cabinets for food. On the other end of the room was a small sitting area, and then in the other corner was a four-poster bed with curtains. Next to that was a small bookshelf full of books.

"It looks wonderful," said Leah, happily.

"I'm glad you think so. I've indirectly arranged with Marley to bring you meals. You should call her as soon as you're ready for breakfast tomorrow, so she'll know where to come. By the way, is she your elf? Is that how you're able to call her? I thought she worked for the school."

"She does," laughed Leah. "Apparently one day she accidentally picked up a hat someone had knit in one of the common rooms, and freed herself. She was quite distraught. But there are other free elves there and they helped her get used to it. But she just kind of attached herself to me and I guess she sees me as her mistress."

"So she doesn't have to come when you call, but she does anyway."

"Yes."

"That's charming." He surveyed the room, and sighed lightly. "Well," he said, "I really should be getting back. I have more to talk about, but that will have to wait for another visit. Oh! And by the way: whatever you do, make sure you never say the Dark Lord's name. Not that you'd really have occasion to."

"Okay. Why not?"

"He's placed a jinx on it," said Snape. "As a way to help find those in hiding, since they're more likely to use the name. So if you said it, Snatchers could show up outside the tent in moments."

"Wow..." said Leah, shaking her head. "I will definitely keep that in mind. I didn't realize such a thing was possible. So do you know when you'll be back here?"

"I do not intend to take any longer than a week. But I can't promise anything before then. Lots to do, unfortunately, and I don't want to arouse suspicion."

"I see. Well, I'll look forward to seeing you whenever you can make it."

He smiled. "That's not something I'm used to hearing." She smiled too. They both stood there for a moment. Leah was looking at his face, pondering whether or not to... but then she decided to be bold, again. She went up to him quickly and threw her arms around his neck, watching as his arms opened to her equally as quickly, and feeling them encircling her waist tightly. She lay her head on his shoulder, and listened to his even breathing right near her ear.

She hated that she eventually had to pull away and watch him walk out the door. That night as she lay in her bed, she dreamed she had been pulled into a long embrace with him, all while whizzing through the air together on a broom.