A/N: I'm still working on 'Through Another's Eyes,' but I've had chapters of this new story idea written for weeks on my phone, and social distancing has me real bored and wanting to try my hand at having both stories going. Definitely a darker tone than 'Through Another's Eyes,' so it'll be fun to switch between them both. Read and review

Nobody else understood. He'd grown to see that from his first staff meeting. Uncomfortable and unfitting for the job, Severus had felt completely isolated as he sat around the staff table for the first time. Albus was a different man to them, still a good man, still a man who cared, but not the Albus he had come to know.

He knew Albus as the man who gave him a second chance. But that chance came with a price: his life. Sure, Albus wouldn't outright harm him, but Severus was forever at his beck and call. It was an agreement worth getting out of the life he'd chosen, yes, but the thought of not only teaching his entire life, but forever playing the double agent role was unsettling. He knew that he was lucky the man had forgiven him and defended him. The Potions Master would be forever thankful. But he also knew Albus was using him. The moment he became of little use to the Headmaster, he was on his own.

The others saw a different man- the gleeful, fun loving old man, which he was. There was always a sparkle in his eye and a new activity for "staff bonding." They saw the kind words and games he liked to play. They would never know him the way he did.

It wasn't until she approached him, a gentle hand on his shoulder as they left that first meeting, that he knew that there was someone else that knew Albus the way he did. Turning to face his old professor, now colleague, Severus raised an eyebrow at the gesture. "I find it customary to share a drink with each new staff member. As Deputy Headmistress, I do believe it part of my duty to make you feel welcome."

Still so unsure of her intentions and untrusting of any ounce of kindness, he felt his nose turn up. "And what if that new staff member was a Death Eater?"

"I said new staff member," she replied in the same matter of fact manner she used on her students. He had always hated it. "I made no mention of any other requirements or restrictions. Nine o-clock in my rooms."

It was this strange invitation that brought him to Minerva's rooms at precisely nine that evening. The situation made him uncomfortable, but her tone had left him little room to decline the invitation. She seemed to have that effect on people. Severus had not had much alcohol over the years. The taste of it often made him nauseous. Years with Voldemort's followers had ruined the sensation for him. At the beginning, it had been fun. He was part of the group and finally felt accepted. He would drink his fill, until he was falling over drunk. As the years went by, however, the drinking became less and less fun. He began to associate drinking with Death Eater victories- usually the murder or rape of someone. While others celebrated, he began to pull further and further away from the celebrations. The simple thought of a quiet evening with a drink in his hand was foreign to him.

When she opened the door, he immediately noticed she was in far less than her usual teaching robes, wearing only a simple dress and thin robe draped atop. She looked thinner and far less intimidating in the more casual dress. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling slightly overdressed for the situation. "Severus! Come in," she said, motioning him into her rooms.

He had only been in them once before, and it had been many years before, when he was a young child, crying to her about a situation with his father. As a grown man, he looked around the very Gryffindor decorated rooms and felt himself blush. What a pathetic child he had been around her. Only her. She was the only teacher he had trusted. Even when her own students were the problem, she'd come to his defense. "Have a seat," she said, sitting in arm armchair beside the fire, pulling him out of his thoughts. Severus sat down in a chair opposite her, finding his body relax slightly at the way the fabric molded to his body and the heat from the fireplace warmed him. "Brandy?" She asked, pushing a glass and a bottle towards him.

"Thank you," he said, nodding.

A strangely friendly silence fell between the two for a few moments. He watched as the elder woman stared into the fire, brandy in her hands, slowly sipping it. It had been a long time since he'd looked at her. In fact, he had never really looked at her. She had aged significantly since his time as a student, but she didn't look old. Her eyes glowed in the fire. He had never noticed how green they were. She was a strange woman; that much was always clear. As strict as she was, it had always been clear she had a big heart. The dichotomy had always perplexed him; she was unpredictable, the Scot she was. The lines beneath her eyes gave away the softness he knew lived under her cold exterior. Something about her intrigued him. Sitting across the room from her, he felt slightly intimidated, like he was still a student sitting in her classroom. The situation was uncomfortable. They were colleagues now; but Minerva had a way of making everyone feel like a student when she needed to. Could he speak unless spoken to? The whole situation was almost comical; he took a sip of his brandy, staring at her for a sign of how to act. Finally, she asked, "How are you settling in?"

Lost in his thoughts, her words brought him back to the present. "Fine."

She sighed, and he watched as she took a rather generous sip of her brandy. "I meant it when I said I wanted to welcome you, you know?"

He snorted. "After everything, you want me to believe that?"

"I rather hoped you would, " she replied frankly. "I can see why you think there is some sort of...other intention. I assure you there is none."

"There always seems to be," he muttered more to himself than to her.

"Albus?"

"Hm?"

She leaned back in her armchair, her hair beginning to fall out of its normal bun, and her robe showing a small amount of cleavage. The way she sat, she looked wondrously human. For the first time, he felt he was sitting with a person that was just that- a person. She wasn't putting on an act. She wasn't a professor, Deputy Headmistress, or Head of Gryffindor house. She was Minerva. She finished off her drink with one long swig and Severus widened his eyes. Years of being her student left him perplexed by the idea of Minerva looking so at ease and so real. It was oddly intriguing.

"You may have your boys club with Albus, but I'm not thick enough to think that you're teaching here because you found a sudden love for children." He didn't say a word, careful not to say more than he should. She was crossing dangerous waters. Had Albus told her? How much did she know? "I don't know the details, nor do I care to know how Albus plans to use you. But I've been by the man's side long enough to know Albus doesn't do things just out of the goodness of his heart. There's a benefit to everyone he takes under his wing." Pouring herself another glass, Minerva topped his off as well, leaning forward as she said, "And I assure you, Severus, I understand the feeling."

He took another sip of his brandy, staring at her for a few moments. She had always been blunt, that he remembered. But he realized that as she spoke, it was the first person that had spoken nothing but truth to him for as long as he could remember. As her thin fingers curled around the glass and she leaned back once more, he felt a new sense of comfort in her presence. "Yes," was all he finally said in reply.

She gave him what he knew was a rare smile. "I'm glad we can be at some sort of understanding." Another bought of silence fell over them, but Severus found he was suddenly comfortable with it. "I will enjoy having another one of Albus's pieces of bait around."

"What?"

Minerva laughed slightly, downing the rest of her drink. "I love the man; I do. The way I'm speaking, I suppose it sounds like I don't, hm?" He nodded. "No, no. I care for him dearly. He's my best friend, but in that friendship, I know how he operates."

"You don't know anything about our agreement," he said, partially fishing to see what she knew.

"You're right, Severus, I don't. And believe me, I don't care to ask."

"Then why do you keep bringing it up?"

"Simply so you know you're not alone. You're not the first person he's used, and you certainly won't be the last. Just glad to know I'm not alone in his shadow for now."

Severus snorted. "You don't know the half of it."

"In time, we will become his two right hands, for different reasons and different purposes, yes. But I suspect as things develop, it will be us he falls to."

She wasn't wrong. He knew she wasn't. Him as double agent, she as Deputy Headmistress, they were vital. "I believe your suspicions are right."

Minerva leaned forward, her glasses sliding down her nose. "You should know, Severus. It is not customary I invite new staff into my private quarters."

"The honest Gryffindor lied?" he asked, his lip curling into the most semblance of a smile he'd had in years.

"Mmm," she nodded. "Albus made it clear you and I should be in good standing. He intends to use us both. Of course, he didn't say that, but one does have to make assumptions when it comes to the way he works."

"So, you thought you'd make the olive branch?"

"Precisely."

Feeling the alcohol begin to settle in his system, Severus leaned forward as well, placing his now empty glass on her coffee table. "Tell me, Minerva. Do you trust my change of allegiance?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Should I have reason not to?"

"I didn't say that; I simply asked a question."

"Albus wouldn't have you here if he didn't think you had."

"I asked what you think," Severus challenged her.

"I'm inclined to trust you, yes."

"Why?"

"I suppose until I have reason not to, I intend to give you the benefit of the doubt. But, as we are on the topic," she began, standing and moving to grab another bottle of brandy from her cabinet. "You lay a hand on a student, and I'll kill you myself." When she made her last statement, she had been standing above him, her voice suddenly serious. "No harm will come to them as long as I'm here." He understood. She sat back down, popping the bottle. "Now. I believe we have the business out of the way." She propped her feet up on the coffee table. "What about teaching are you most nervous about?"

He raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift in tone, but he didn't question it. As comfortable as he'd begun to get, her threat had shifted him back to discomfort. Push and pull- it seemed fitting for the now opposing heads of houses. They were still in murky waters, and he suspected they always would be. "When you've seen what I've seen, a bunch of children aren't enough to rattle your nerves," he snorted.

His answer had been blunt, a little harsh he would think to himself later. She didn't seem phased, and if she were, she didn't show it. "I suppose that's true. But you'd be surprised at some of these first years. Some days I think I would rather be fighting in the war again."

Severus couldn't help but chuckle slightly as a small smile passed her lips as well. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed. The sensation felt good. They made eye contact for a few moments, both smiling and laughing at the thought. Her eyes glimmered in the light, and he couldn't remember feeling so relaxed. "Well, Minerva. I suppose we'll see. I hardly see how a bunch of barely magical children will compare to my former companions."

Minerva didn't look at all disturbed by the mention of the Death Eaters. Something about her left her unnerved by the thoughts of his past. "As dim witted, and I use that term lightly, as I believe some of your former companions to be, I don't think they quite match to the experience of having a first year explode even the simplest of potions up in their face, not to mention that of the rest of the class. It tests your patience; I assure you of that." Minerva laughed. "I bet you give a detention every day your first week here."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that a bet?"

She shrugged. It was hard to tell if she was merely more comfortable around him or if she was slightly drunk. Or both. "I would say it is. A little interhouse rivalry wouldn't hurt anyone."

Severus poured himself and Minerva another drink, relaxing more than he had expected. "What's the price?"

Minerva stretched her limbs, much like a cat, he noted. "The next bottle. We seem to have finished these off quite well." She motioned to the two empty bottles in front of them.

He nodded. "I'll drink to that."

They toasted to their rivalry, and for the first time in a long time he felt human.