Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing except my own character, Muirgeann le Fay (Merissa Lovey), and all else belongs to the esteemed Ms. Rowling, who I thank most heartily for creating such a universe for all of us to enjoy and explore.

...

"Let's make it of white quartz, Severus. Perhaps we can even put a thin layer of opal over it for its reflective properties." I suggested as we walked out of the mists onto my island for the first time.

"What building is that?" he asked, awe in his voice as he pointed toward my estate.

"Home. That's my castle. I'll give you a tour, if you like, but then we simply must get to work. I want the students to come here right after their Christmas holidays." I told him. He rolled his eyes and gestured toward the castle. "Oh, very well. School planning can wait until tomorrow."

"I've never seen a building so immaculately white. What is it made of?" he asked.

"Some sort of stone. Legend has it that there was a mountain where it stood and my people carried the mountain away pebble by pebble to uncover the castle. Personally, I think that's nonsense, but I haven't another explanation, so it must do." I told him. He nodded as we stepped into my private gardens, passing through them passively before we went into the main gardens and found the front gate. "This is where Sirius Black fell into my world. As you can see, the archway is completely unremarkable and I have yet to determine why he would fall through it after going through the one at the Ministry."

"Perhaps it's like a vanishing cabinet." he suggested. I shrugged and nodded, filing the information away to process later as I took him into the grand entrance.

"This is the main hall. It's much more spectacular on a moonlit night, of course, as all of the island is, but you'll have to submit to your first impression of it being during the day. Right now, we're on the White floor. Each room is of a different white stone, except for the hallways, dining halls, and kitchens. They're in the same stone as outside. We'll head to the second floor now." I narrated as I took him up the stairs into a hall as red as blood. "This is the Red floor. To your left is the ruby room, where Tonks and Lupin have been staying. Next to it is the jasper room, where Sirius has been. There are fourteen other rooms on this floor, but we needn't visit them all now."

"What's the next floor?" he asked. I smiled and led him back to the stairs. "Ah, Blue. You know, you did promise me breakfast before you worked me to death."

"Come, then. I'll tell you about the other floors while we eat." I conceded, leading him back down the stairs. "There are six floors, each with sixteen bedrooms. The libraries, parlours, studies, and such are less common, of course. You've seen the first three floors. The fourth is Green, the fifth Black, and the sixth is dedicated to blends of colours and stones. Each bedroom on each floor has a different stone for the colour, some of which aren't found off this island. Breakfast will be this way, in my private dining quarters. I thought perhaps you would like a few minutes just between us before we join Tonks, Sirius, and Lupin, as we inevitably must, as Queen and Merlin."

"Hmm. We aren't merely Queen and Merlin anymore though, are we? You're Queen, Lady, and Grand Sorceress and now I'm Merlin and Conqueror of Death." he corrected.

"Conqueror of Death, is it? I thought it was Master of Death." I asked.

"Either is acceptable, but the Queen and the Master doesn't have quite the same ring to it as the Queen and the Conqueror." he reasoned. "And I like the sound of that. Feel free to call me by that name any time you wish."

"Severus, you pervert." I replied, restraining a blush as we walked through the doorway to find the Shades serving my other guests. I paused in the doorway as they looked up and felt my skin turn bright red, incapable of restraining it.

"Please tell me I didn't just hear those words." Lupin requested. Snape strode toward the table confidently, shrugging once.

"You'll probably hear worse if you stay." he said.

"Merlin, hold your tongue! Mr. Lupin, please forgive my Merlin. He forgets himself." I apologised quickly, shooting him an irritated look. Snape merely snickered, finding my protest comical. "Severus Snape, if you don't behave yourself, I will throw you off my island! Now, then. Shades, thank you for seeing to our guests. Could you please find something for my husband and I to eat? Perhaps a Draught of Living Death for him as well?"

"Wouldn't be much use to you asleep, would I?" Snape quipped. I took a deep breath, focusing on my appearance to keep it from changing, and took my seat at the head of the table.

"Mrs. Lupin, would you please pass me the water?" I asked. She handed it over, hiding her mouth with her serviette so I couldn't see her smile. Snape glanced about innocently as I gave him a glare. "Mr. Black, it seems I forgot to inform your godson of your presence in the chaos of the battle. I will do so when I next return to your country, if you wish."

"Thank you, my Queen. Until such a time as you deem it prudent to tell him, I will live happily in your graces, my Grace." he returned with a purely hinting smile. I fear Snape may physically explode, he looks so angry.

"You are welcome in my home for as long as you please, but I do suggest you return to your country once your name is cleared. It would be a very poor place for a lone bachelor now that it's home to two newlywed couples." I commented, hoping to warn him as well as soothe Snape.

"Newlywed? Ms. le Fay, surely you don't mean that you and Severus are married?" Tonks asked, shocked and horrified by the idea.

"That's generally what newlywed means, Mrs. Lupin." I said. She nearly choked on her water when she tried to take a drink, so I turned to Snape with a glare. "If she dies, you get to argue with Death and explain why it's your fault. Oh, and I think perhaps you don't deserve breakfast this morning. Let's go back to planning the school. I want it done within the month."

"Of course, my Queen. I am your slave." Snape replied, grinning wickedly. I stood from the table suddenly, my chair clattering to the floor behind me.

"That is quite enough, Snape! Of all the men on this planet, I least expected that you would be such an inappropriate flirt! I swear on the Queen's circlet that if you don't behave appropriately, I'll slip herbs into your food that will take away your manhood permanently!" I announced. He made a show of being frightened, but he couldn't hide his grin for long. "Stay here. I'll see to planning the building on my own."

...

"Have you really finished half the building already?" I asked incredulously as I joined Muirgeann in the valley between her castle and the destined spot of her school.

"Yes, clearly. Another ten minutes and it will be structurally complete and only in need of furnishings." she replied, shooting me a dirty look as she directed another layer of stone onto the building.

"Where did you even get all this stone?" I asked, picking up a white quartz pebble to examine.

"The river. Well, the first stone came from the river. Quite a bit of spell-work added the rest." she informed me, a quiet note of pride in her voice.

"I see. What should I do to help?" I asked. She shot me an irritated look.

"You should go elsewhere. Lupin or Sirius would probably be willing to give you a more thorough tour, if you'd like. For the moment, however, I don't care what you do so long as you aren't bothering me." she informed me. I chuckled despite knowing it would make her temper flare further.

"You're really angry about my flirting, aren't you? You deserved it, you know, after pulling that stunt you did with Potter." I replied. She inhaled once quickly.

"Is that what this is about? Severus, I had no choice. The only way to end the war was to separate the boy from Voldemort and that could only be done by his death or mine. As you spent years working to keep him alive, I deemed it prudent to ensure your work was not in vain." she explained. "As to the manner in which I did it, Severus, you can hardly blame me for trying to keep you out of harm's way. I didn't want you to die."

"I did not wish for you to die, especially in such a sneaky way as you did. Until I feel sufficiently compensated for your works, I will continue to misbehave and embarrass you." I swore.

"Very well, Severus." she sighed, flicking her wand as she added a third layer to the white building. "I will accept your terms, if there is no way I can convince you to let the problem go. If it makes you feel any better, I promise to warn you if I'm planning to die again."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." I replied drily, rolling my eyes as I took out my wand to help her finish the building. As soon as the last three layers were added, she put away her wand and turned toward me, her expression perfectly controlled.

"I require supplies to fashion the furnishings and we should probably go make some sort of statement to the Ministry as well." she said. I nodded.

"Let's go. I'll behave when we're with the Ministry." I assured her. Her lips twitched as she supressed a smile and she stepped closer so I could wrap my arms around her and kiss her once.

"I knew you would be a good Merlin." she commented. Without letting me reply, she took my hand and started toward the mists by the sea. We walked into the mists on her island and walked out of them into the shadows of Diagon Alley. "Hope you don't mind, but I thought this would be a good place to start shopping. We've got to find bedsheets, curtains, and decorations for the castle. Actual furniture and kitchen supplies have already been provided."

"How is that?" I asked. She smiled.

"Stones and metals are easy for me to modify. Electrum dishes and kitchen supplies go well with the white tables. It's like a city of moonlight inside the new building." she informed me. "It won't be ideal for all students, I know, but the students will be able to decorate their dormitories and professors will likely modify their classrooms. Perhaps my Shades and I could find some of the other tapestries as well."

"You've thought this through, haven't you?" I asked, realising I'd yet to decide anything about the school. She nodded and pulled me into a store. With my pockets decidedly lighter, we left with what we needed and we headed away from the shops toward the Ministry.

"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger are here. That's good, I think. We can get through all the questions at once." she commented, pointing out the two as we neared the building. Draco soon spotted us and waved, drawing Hermione's attention to us. They fell into step beside us as we walked into the Ministry. "Greetings, students. Have you come to explain yourselves as well?"

"Yes, the Minister asked us to stop by. Is it true that you've been named Grand Sorceress, Queen le Fay?" Draco asked, inclining his head in deference to her.

"It's unofficial, but that seems to be the general idea. Severus is being considered Grand Sorcerer as well, though, so we don't yet know which will gain the title yet. Perhaps we'll share it." she suggested, giving me a half a smile.

"Like you're going to share control of the new school?" Hermione asked. We both gave her a surprised look, to which she blushed. "Draco heard rumours that you would be rebuilding Hogwarts somewhere else and he thought they were true. I thought they would be as well."

"It is true that we are building a school and we plan to run it together. Muirgeann was willing to open Avalon to students once more and expand the curriculum to encompass more than the healing arts." I explained. "Although how that rumour started, I have no idea. We haven't told anyone yet."

"Well, I think the wizarding world sees you two as their greatest heroes, so they'll likely attribute all sorts of ideas and miracles to you before it's all over." Draco reasoned. The approach of the Minister arrested the response Muirgeann was about to give.

"Queen Muirgeann le Fay of Avalon, Lady of the Lake, and Merlin Severus Snape, what an unexpected surprise! I invited our two young heroes to see me, but I never thought you would visit as well." the Minister greeted, bowing deeply. Muirgeann inclined her head half an inch with a polite smile as the Minister kissed the hand she offered him.

"We thought you may wish to know some of our plans, Minister. Due to the newness of my return, I decided it wise to accompany my Merlin in the first modern interactions between our countries." she informed him, her head high and her back straight.

"Thank you for the consideration, Your Highness. Please, would the four of you come with me?" the Minister requested. My arm around Muirgeann, we followed. At least we can get this over with. We have lives to lead.

...