The older students helped the injured and the younger students back up to the school while the Aurors rounded up any unconscious/tied up Death Eaters. Only a hand full were escorted to St. Mungo's.

They spend a good half an hour being poked and prodded by healers, and then a good forty-five minutes answering questions and giving their accounts of the earlier happenings.

They hadn't been back at Hogwarts long before a familiar voice sounded near him.

"Mr Snape, do you mind if I could talk to you in my office?" the Headmaster inquired.

Severus turned to him and nodded before he stood up and followed Dumbledore to his office. Once there, he sat down opposite the Headmaster and declined the offer of a sherbet lemon.

"Severus Snape," the Headmaster began. "What am I supposed to think of you? What am I supposed to do about you?"

Severus quirked an eyebrow.

"I think it's best to just put all of our cards on the table, don't you?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus looked on emotionlessly at Dumbledore, considering his situation.

Dumbledore sighed. "Alright, I guess it's on fair that I start," he stated. "I have had my eye on you for quite some time now, Severus," he admitted. "As I've said before, your change in attitude in fifth-year did not go unnoticed. You appeared to have completely changed your priorities as well as your circle of friends. All this, quite abruptly I might add."

Severus just kept looking at Dumbledore, keeping his expression blank.

"Professors Slughorn and McGonagall are very pleased. It has proven quite difficult to make Professor Slughorn keep quiet about you."

Severus relaxed somewhat at that statement and managed to give a slight smile.

"Lily had been trying to talk to me for a while," Severus slowly started. "Some things happened, and after what happened during O.W.L.s I had a paradigm shift."

"I surmised as much from prior conversations," said Dumbledore. "However, I must ask. Is there anything that you want to tell me? Something you've been holding back?"

"No sir," said Severus. The dreams weren't exactly important were they?

Dumbledore looked at him searchingly.

With a sigh, Severus decided to offer more in way of explanation.

"As I said, I just came to finally realize some things," said Severus. "A part of being a scholar is checking and rechecking your conjectures. I still want much the same things, but I discovered that there was a better way to accomplish these ends."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Very well," he said.

There was a slight pause.

"That was quite a skirmish; I am to understand that you performed admirably under pressure," the Headmaster said. "Pardon a curious mind, but how exactly did you come by such a shield?"

"I made it," said Severus.

"I see," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "How so, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I just altered the standard shield charm," said Severus, pride in every syllable he spoke. "Lily and Potter added additional layers to it as well."

"Where ever did you get such an idea?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus shrugged.

"It just made sense," said Severus.

"A sudden burst of inspiration," said the Headmaster, nodding. "I find many of my best ideas come to me in such a fashion."

Severus didn't know what to say to that.

"I don't think I have to tell you that you created a powerful enemy today?" said Dumbledore.

"No sir," said Severus.

He wasn't stupid.

"Good. You are on top of Voldemort's – Severus shuddered involuntarily – death list now, I should imagine. Let us count our blessings and keep our senses sharp, shall we?" Dumbledore said. "You may go."

With a quick nod, Severus took his leave. Lily was waiting for him outside.

He put his arm around her, and they made their way up to the Gryffindor common room.

When they finally arrived everyone was chattering excitedly about what happened down in Hogsmeade.

The silence stopped, however, when Severus walked in. A sixth-year named Lorelei Moon was speaking.

"In front of the Death Eaters too… they'd never recruit him now if that indeed was his plan…" Moon said. "That's got to stand for something."

Lily and Severus shared a look, before Severus spoke up, startling Moon, who obviously hadn't been aware of Lily and himself walking in.

"I'm a half-blood, who grew up in the Muggle world," he said, voice laced with sarcasm and mirth. "Why would I want it destroyed?"

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Lily rolled her eyes. Severus decided it was best to keep the fact that he HAD been interested in joining to himself.

All at once, all hell broke loose.

"I was there. I saw them fight, I swear!"

"Are you scared of him?"

"Where did you learn to fight?"

"Is it true that you almost attacked an Auror?"

"How did you do that shield?"

"What did Dumbledore say?"

Peoples voiced started growing louder and louder as they started crowding him, asking him, Lily and Potter all sorts of questions. James Potter was basking, unashamedly, in the attention.

Lily had been dragged away by her group of friends who were fretting over her and making sure she was alright.

The sudden crowding and shouting was making Severus dizzy and even starting to feel slightly claustrophobic. A headache was forming from all the loud questioning voiced as he was suddenly on the brink of panic as people refused to leave his personal space.

Lily gave him a look of sympathy but seemed out of her depth as well. Salvation came from the most unlikely source imaginable.

"Get out of the way!" James Potter said as he made his way through the crowd, pushing them away from Severus. "Come with me, Snape." He grabbed Severus and drew him backwards and out of the hall.

As soon as they had gotten a safe distance away from the crowd, Severus tore himself away from Potter's grasp. "And where do you supposed you're taking me?" he asked coldly.

"You'll see," said Potter flatly, dragging Severus down the corridor. They hurried along the corridor to a stretch of blank wall opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempt to train trolls for the ballet.

"Why are we staring at a wall, Potter?" Severus sneered.

"Oh, don't get your wand in a knot," retorted Potter, while a moth-eaten troll paused in his relentless clubbing of the would-be ballet teacher to watch them.

He then let go of Severus, and proceeded to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on something.

Severus gasped, as Potter wheeled around after his third walk past.

A highly polished door had appeared in the wall. Severus was staring at it, looking slightly wary. Potter reached out, seized the brass handle, pulled open the door and led the way into a spacious room lit with flickering torches like those that illuminated the dungeons eight floors below.

The walls were lined with wooden bookcases and instead of chairs, there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, and Secrecy Sensors. There was also a desk and large couch to the side of the room, with several board games, such as a chess set.

"What is this room?" inquired Severus, running a finger along the spines of the large leather-bound tomes. A Compendium of Common Curses and their Counter-Actions… The Dark Arts Outsmarted… Self-Defensive Spellwork… He looked around at Potter.

Potter started to explain. Apparently, it was known as the Room of Requirement or the Come and Go Room. It would only appear when one had real need of it, and would change to fit the seeker's needs.

They had apparently found the room a couple of years ago, by accident.

"You looked like you could use a break, and nobody will follow you here."

Impressed, despite himself, he slid Jinxes for the Jinxed from its shelf, sank on to the nearest cushion and began to read.

"Thanks," Severus mumbled.

"No problem," said Potter. "I'll leave you in peace. Just don't be too long, or Evans will murder me."

Potter started making his way to the door. "One thing, Snape!"

"Yes?" Severus deadpanned.

"Do you - do you really care about her?" he asked, and the words seemed wrenched from him.

"Yes," said Severus, without hesitation.

"I know - she -" said Potter. "You really... you make her happy and..."

"Spit it out, Potter."

"Look, all I want is to see her happy," said Potter. "If she means that much to you... she's happy. I can see that. If you really care about her… if this isn't a game..."

"It's not assured," Severus. "She's my world."

"If that means her being with you, then I'll accept it and move on," said Potter, obviously fighting and internal battle. "Hell, I admit it. I probably misjudged you. For what it's worth, Snape, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" said Severus.

"Yes," Potter said, swallowing hard. "I - you were her best friend from day one. I... You gave us as good as you got, but..."

Severus nodded.

"Just know this, mate," said Potter, regaining control of himself. "If you hurt her, I'll chop you up and throw you in your own potions cauldron. Nobody will ever find the pieces, got it?"

"I have no intentions of hurting her, Potter," said Severus cordially.

"Good," said Potter with a sigh. "Well, that's that then... I... I should go."

Severus gave a curt nod and turned back to his book. He soon became so absorbed in it, that he hadn't paid attention to the time. When he did finally look at his watch, he was shocked to see it was already ten past nine, which meant he needed to get back to the common room immediately or risk being caught and punished by Filch for being out of bounds. Severus carefully marked his page of Jinxes for the Jinxed and set the book aside.

Leaving the strange room behind him, he hurried along the corridor to the Fat Lady's portrait.

As the portrait open he could hear calls of "SEV! SEV!" and felt warm arms wrap around him.

"I love you, Lily Evans."

She seemed taken back, before smiling.

"I love you too, Severus Tobias Snape," she said with a smile. "Always."