NOTE: Thank you so much to all of my nice reviewers, both the regulars and the many new ones since last chapter. I am so glad that everyone is enjoying the story. I hope to keep adding to it at a steady pace and have it complete by spring at the latest. Kind of ending the Hogwarts year at the same time as it would be in the real world :D - but we'll see, who knows, maybe I'll finish it earlier than that. Please keep reading and reviewing and look out for a special short story featuring Dinah and Severus to come out around the holidays! = that was my shameless plug in advance there :)

Now, on to the story!

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Reveal

To Dinah's dismay, Severus made no mention of the kissing incident whatsoever the next time she saw him on Monday. Then again, he wasn't one to talk about their relationship in words. He was more of a doer. So she was at least pleased when he seemed willing to take her arm again when they were in areas of the school where there were fewer students. They took their lunch hour to go and find Professor Binns to talk to him about the book they had found.

"My brother," the ghost said, floating around the History of Magic classroom at a slow pace and not bothering to make eye contact with either of them.

"Your brother?" Dinah repeated, hoping this would lead them somewhere.

"My much older brother," the transparent old man met their gazes for a few short seconds before beginning his floating pacing again. "Always wondering about mysterious, intangible things. Curious about ghosts his entire life. Needless to say, we two did not always get along or see eye to eye."

"Yes... but do you know if he ever found anything useful?"

"As I said, intangible things. He never found what he wanted. The things he reports on – the mysteries. Never found."

"You became a ghost, though," Severus said, seeming like he was hinting at something.

Professor Binns turned to stare at him. "Yes. Intelligent and intuitive as usual, Professor Snape. I was always annoyed by my brother's pursuits, but he was still my brother. It was always natural for me to become a ghost. I wanted justification for Frederick's ridiculous studies. I wanted to see if I could discover the facts he missed."

"Did you?" Dinah found that she couldn't get anything out of the man unless she fished it out.

"No."

"The Muggle ghosts? The other things?" Severus asked.

"My observations as a ghost have never shown me anything not in accordance with already-reported fact. As expected."

"And your experience as a ghost?"

"Same as the others. You can talk to Nick or the Baron or the grey lady or the friar. Even your friend Myrtle," he nodded at Dinah. "Who, I believe, is only making up stories about her sad young friend."

"I saw him, too," Dinah said firmly, feeling like she needed to defend both Myrtle and herself.

Binns shrugged. "Then by all means continue my brother's futile search for information. Report your observations and try to make something of it. My brother should have been the one to become a ghost for all his searching, but I have always believed he was more interested in the mystery of it than in finding the truth. Different as night and day, we were. But when he did not become a ghost I had no choice but to do so. I do not like to think that my brother never discovered fact, and if I could I wanted to do so for him."

"That's nice," Dinah said, and it was. In a sort of odd way.

"However, it has thus far proven fruitless. But I have my class, and am happy to continue teaching it for years to come. Thus, being a ghost was the right choice for me either way."

"Well, I suppose that is all the information you have to give us, then," Severus said, turning to head out of the room.

"Thank you," Dinah added, as Severus more often than not forgot to throw in polite words.

"However," Professor Binns said again, causing them both to turn and face him. "If this boy indeed exists, you might consider a number of tests."

"Tests?"

"First, ask him what is his nature. He can tell you things that you won't find in speculative books. If he does not know, he may be willing to find out. What he is capable of doing – walking through walls, eating – those traits will lead you to an accurate description of his nature."

"If he's willing; and if I can find him again."

"That, unfortunately, is one of the many drawbacks of researching the intangible," Binns said. "But if you find something useful, tell our ghost community. I like to think my brother may have had some connection to reality in his endless searching. But have documentation and proof, before you do anything."

"Er, yes I'll try. Thank you," she said again, and she and Severus left the History of Magic classroom. "What do you make of that?" Dinah asked her companion after they had been walking a while.

"I think even I fell asleep in that class," Severus muttered.

She had to laugh, "It's all right; I think we all did."

"Aside from that, I think Professor Binns's comments don't necessarily disqualify the reports in his brother's book. It simply means that they have been hard to verify."

"It would be nice if we could find something out that proves his brother's theories."

"Perhaps. If your elusive 'Tommy' shows up again."

"Indeed, that does seem to be the problem."

"If he had been capable of talking at a faster pace, we would have time for lunch," Severus said.

She grinned. "Come on. His monotone isn't that different from yours half the time." She laughed when Severus managed to look insulted. "You know I'm teasing. Well, mostly."

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about the fact that you are going to miss your lunch if you want to get to your second years class any time soon?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, skipping meals every now and then is probably good for me. Builds character and all that."

"Indeed. Then I shall see you at dinner."

"Yes. Enjoy your own classes. My second years are learning about telephones today."

He managed a grimace. "Lovely. Please refrain from telling me about it."

"Will do," she smiled as he disappeared around a corner and then let her lips curve into a sneaky grin; "For now."

Dinah made it to Severus's classroom early again and caught him teaching his seventh years. It seemed they had double Defense Against the Dark Arts before dinner on Mondays and Wednesdays

"Can anyone tell me," Severus said in the very monotone she had been teasing him about earlier, "of the proper spell for defending against a dementor."

Hermione's hand shot into the air and Severus grimaced. He looked over the classroom once, but no one else was raising their hand. Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood were exchanging glances as if they knew the answer, but had no reason to even try to get Severus to respond to them. A few other students had that expression, and most of them looked clueless.

Dinah had to smile when Severus's next move was to look at her. He was almost pleading to not make him do this. She folded her arms and did her best imitation of his raised eyebrow and then nodded. He glared at her and then turned back to the classroom and spat; "Miss Granger?"

Hermione didn't answer right away. Rather, her hand lowered about an inch and then hung in the air while her mouth dropped almost to the floor. She just stared at him.

"Well?" he growled, starting to pace.

"Um, pardon me, Professor Snape," the normally confident student squeaked out, "But did you just call on me?"

"Your intelligence knows no bounds, does it?" he sneered. "Yes, I did, and are you going to answer or not? I do not have all day, dinner is approaching, and if you don't respond then I am taking twenty points from Gryffindor. Now talk!"

"Y- yes, Sir," she said, still staring at him as though he had lost his mind. Then she proceeded to tell the class about the Patronus charm. She was more knowledgeable than most seventh years, but Dinah was fairly certain she and her immediate group had used them quite a bit during the previous war years.

Dinah had to frown when she suddenly recalled what Severus's Patronus was. The lovely white doe that put her own snake to shame. Or at least it would in his eyes.

"I suppose that simple explanation will have to do for today," Severus muttered; "Research the Patronus charm and write a twelve-inch essay on it for Wednesday. Class dismissed." At that swift order, the students hurried out of the room.

Hermione's gaze landed on Dinah's the minute she made it to the doorway, and she walked up to her. "Are you responsible for this, Professor Samson?"

Dinah smiled and shrugged; "Partially. Well, maybe entirely. Yes."

She smiled. "Thank you. You two are..." she paused and looked at Severus, who was glaring at both of them, and Dinah feared the intuitive student had no problem seeing between the lines in this situation. "He looks at you differently."

Dinah was unable to hide the slight pink tinge that rose in her cheeks at that comment. "I'd like to think so."

"Well... er... good luck then, I suppose. It's strange, but I hope it works out for the best for both of you. Maybe he'll become friendlier."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up too high," Dinah said with a smile, and the student giggled a bit and agreed before heading to dinner.

Dinah headed into the classroom, meeting Severus's glare with a smile. She placed a hand on his arm. His flinch was a bit more intense than usual because he was still stressed from the strain of calling on his mortal classroom enemy, but Dinah didn't mind. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder for a short moment, "That was wonderful, Severus."

"You told Granger," he growled, but his attempt at looking angry was somewhat ruined by the fact that he was flushing.

"She guessed it," Dinah said, stepping back.

"Insufferable Know-it-all," he mumbled under his breath, grabbing Dinah's hand and pulling her out of the room towards The Great Hall for dinner.

She smiled and let him pull her. Dinner today was shepherd's pie with crumpets and jam for dessert. As she spooned some pie onto her plate she looked up at the enchanted ceiling. Dark clouds were roiling around and thunder seemed to echo in the distance. She suspected that the sky hadn't been altered any, and that was what the weather was like outside. "Gloomy, isn't it?"

"It's that time of year," Severus said from two seats over. Neither Hagrid nor Professor Vector was present so they were able to talk quite freely.

"Mm," she agreed, frowning. "I still don't like it much." She looked over at the other professors and the gloomy sky seemed to be bringing them down as well. At least, there was a lot less talking going on among everyone. Except at one end of the table, where Slughorn was talking animatedly to Lucy, who looked irritated as usual. She laughed; "Slughorn is hounding Lucy again. I think he must be getting a bit stir crazy now that we aren't over there as much."

"Perhaps."

"You know, I feel bad about what happened on Halloween. I think I'll ask Lucy to do something one of these evenings this week to make up for it. Problem is the only day I don't have a bunch of grading to do is Wednesday and that's the day that Sirius visits, or so I've been told."

"Hm."

She sighed, picking at her food, "I don't have to."

"You want to spend time with your friend. Although I wonder if she'll want to entertain you on that day at any rate. I think the dog prefers to take his 'meals' alone."

She snorted, "That's disgusting, Severus. It can't hurt to ask, and honestly maybe if you and Sirius just tried to get along situations like that day's could be prevented. I don't know what happened between the both of you but don't you think its time to at least try to bury the hatchet?"

"I never asked you to defend me or to take my side on this matter."

He sounded like he was getting angry, and so Dinah tried to soften her words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I mean, I'll stand by you. I said I would and I will. I just wonder if it's really necessary. I know Sirius and James were horrible as children and that he can be a bit of a childish git, but he's nice to Lucy, and he's nice to me when I'm not glaring at him on the outside and screaming at him on the inside. You're both much older now. Can't you just move on from those things?"

He just stared at her for a long time. It looked like he was considering something, but she couldn't imagine what.

"I'm sorry, I guess I'm not getting through. It would just be easier for me to spend time with my friend if I didn't have to worry about this issue. But I'll deal with it if I have to. I didn't mean to say the wrong things."

Without warning, Severus stood from the table and walked over to her. "Come with me," he grabbed her hand and dragged her away from her food.

"What? Severus, I wasn't done eating my-"

"You've eaten enough. There's something you have to see."

"Okay..." she agreed, letting him drag her back down to the dungeons and into his office. She thought they were going back into the sitting room but instead he steered her to the small table where his lamp and pensieve sat and forced her to stand in front of it.

"Wait there," he ordered, and then went to a small cupboard, opening it up and going through a number of tiny vials.

Dinah shifted in her stance as she watched him search, feeling uncomfortable in this spot. It brought back too many memories of the day he had found her in his pensieve. The bad memories included both the pensieve scenes themselves and Severus's angry reaction when he had found her viewing them. She didn't really want to be standing here anymore when he came back over to her. He held up a tiny vial with a shining, threadlike liquid in it, and then placed it into her hands. "Use it."

She looked at it for a moment, not registering its use, and then read the small label. It said simply: 'Incidents: 1976.'

Dinah's head shot up to stare at Severus, who was watching her with no expression on his face whatsoever. "Severus, this is a memory!"

"How very astute."

"I mean," she turned it over nervously in her hands; "You actually want me to... put this in the pensieve and view it? Are you sure? I mean, the last time..."

He sighed. "You've seen plenty already. Now you have to see this. It's the only way you can understand."

"You really want me to do this?" She still didn't quite believe him.

"I want you to," he said softly, not meeting her gaze.

"Severus..." Her disbelief was replaced by a feeling of being deeply touched by his words. Whereas a month ago he had refused to speak to her for two weeks after she had seen his memories, he was now volunteering them. He was willingly sharing a piece of himself with her, and she hadn't yet taken Dumbledore's advice and told him about the prophecy or her parselmouth abilities. She bit her lip and pushed that thought aside.

How could she tell anyone without fearing their reactions? She didn't want to frighten or drive Severus away after she was just starting to get through to him romantically. If anything, his willingness to share things with her was only making her more reluctant to share things with him, and that was probably not how it was supposed to be.

"Well?" he asked, looking a bit agitated now.

She sighed, forcing her thoughts back to the present moment. "All right. If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Do it."

She removed the lid from the memory and dumped the swirling, fluid-like substance into the pensieve on the desk. She leaned forward, the swirling colors and flashes of images on the front reminding her of the other time. She had an instant of panic and pulled back a bit, looking at Severus for reassurance. He nodded, and she took a deep breath, then turned back and stuck her head into the bowl.