"Okay. How about Henry Fullarton, Ezekiel Emmett and Ben West?"

The evening was chilly and the breaths of the group of girls could be seen in the air as they walked back to the castle from Hogsmeade. The group of sixth years were ahead of Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Leanne, but their voices were loud enough to carry easily.

"Erm … Kiss Ben, marry Ez, kill Henry," said one.

"Same."

"No, I'd definitely have to kiss Henry and kill Ben, but I agree about Ez. He's gorgeous."

"Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley."

The group behind had almost caught up with the loudly-talking girls, and listened with interest.

"Kiss Neville, marry Harry, kill Ron."

"I think Ron's cute," said the shortest of the group. "Still, it's a tough choice with Harry."

"Kiss Harry, marry Neville, kill Ron."

"Hey, that's my brother you're talking about!" Ginny's voice made them turn around. They relaxed when they saw Ginny laughing.

"Are you more bothered about them killing your brother or kissing your boyfriend?" teased Leanne.

"I'm not completely sure," Ginny shrugged, "but given the alternatives of kissing or marrying him, I suppose I'd have to kill Ron, too. What about you, Hermione?"

She laughed. "Well, I've already kissed your brother, so I suppose I'll have to marry Neville and kill Harry."

"I wonder what would happen if you tried," said Luna. "Voldemort hit him with an Avada Kedavra twice and it didn't work either time."

Several of them winced as she spoke the words of the killing curse - or maybe still at the name of Voldemort - but she took no notice.

They continued to walk together, with the older girls joining in the game.

"What about some of the eighth years?" one girl asked. "Michael Corner, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas?"

Amongst the three, Dean was a clear favourite, while Michael and Seamus were an even split for being sentenced to death. Ginny was the voice of authority, though, when she insisted that Michael was a better kisser than Dean.

"Okay," Leanne asked with a sly smile, "how about the teachers? Professor Savage, Professor Snape, Professor Williams?"

"Definitely kiss Snape," said a sixth year. "Marry Savage. Kill Williams."

"No way! Marry Snape, for me. Savage has no sense of humour and he's much older."

"Professor Snape is still grumpy, even though he turned out to be a good guy. And Professor Williams is way better looking."

"But Snape is all tall, dark and mysterious. Not to mention a seriously powerful wizard. I'm sure I could find a way to make him smile more."

Hermione listened in amazement as the other students discussed their teachers, giggling loudly. Even Leanne now considered him good looking and chose to kiss him, marry Professor Williams and kill Professor Savage. Most of them agreed that in a duel between the former auror and the former spy, Savage wouldn't stand a chance.

She refused to give an answer when asked her choices for the three, stating "I chose to marry Neville, remember? I'll just stick with him."

She was too lost in thought to join in the rest of the conversation very much, even when the rest shared their views on who to kiss, marry or kill between Professor Flitwick, Professor Slughorn and Hagrid. Instead, she found herself thinking about how Professor Snape would react if he knew that he was being spoken about in such a way by students - not that she would ever tell him, of course.

When she entered the great hall with Leanne later that evening, she couldn't help but blush slightly as she determinedly avoided glancing at the staff table.

November 2nd, 1998

Dear Professor Snape,

Luna told me that she and Thomas have arranged a time to speak with you about their article this week. Try not to hate it too much - remember that they just want to tell the truth about you. Thomas is very keen on journalism, and I think he'll do well. I'm really happy to see some of the Slytherins mixing with other houses. Andrea and Padma have become good friends since starting to work together in potions. Apparently, there's a group of Hufflepuffs who are really going out of their way to include the Slytherins in things, which is great.

There's a big difference in how the students talk about you now. The people who were scared of you seem to have got over it, and most of the students seem to like you. I think the title of strictest teacher in the school has now gone to Professor Verto. She dishes out detentions a lot for work not handed in on time, but I think she's a good teacher.

I met up with Harry and Ron in Hogsmeade at the weekend. Ron had a great idea that after I finish my N.E.W.T.s the three of us should go camping for a couple of weeks. We've been making a list of things that we wished we'd had with us last year, and we're going to take everything with us that we missed. Ron's priority is the food - he always complained about having to eat whatever we could find. Not that he made any attempts to be the mighty hunter and provide anything better. Harry said the main thing he wants is warm clothes. Well, the first thing he put on the list was Ginny, but we told him he's not allowed to bring anyone else! I haven't put much on the list yet. I don't think there was much that I wanted in terms of 'things', though I agree that we were cold and hungry most of the time. The main thing I wished while we were gone was that I'd done a better job of preparing by learning more healing spells. Ron getting splinched was a nightmare. I think the only thing I might add to the list is a better bathroom with an actual bath. I'm sure that being able to have a relaxing soak would have made dealing with horcruxes a walk in the park.

Hermione Granger

November 7th,1998

Dear Miss Granger,

I am happy to hear that the students are more comfortable with me. I see a difference in classes, but it sounds like the biggest change is in how students speak *of* me, rather than *to* me. I find myself having difficulty knowing how to take this knowledge; I have always been a hated teacher and this is new territory for me.

For the first time, I am also beginning to see some of the staff as friends. As headmistress, Minerva is no longer supposed to show partiality to her former house, and I think she puts on a better show of neutrality than Dumbledore ever did, but our house rivalry continues. In the past, there was considerable irritation between us over the house cup, but now it feels to be merely for fun, with genuine friendship between us. She's a formidable witch and I like having her as a friend much more than an enemy!

I hope that despite your unusual 8th-year status in the school, your friendships remain strong. The idea of the camping trip sounds utterly insane to me, but you sound excited about it. Much as I dislike the dunderheaded duo, I hope that the three of you are able to continue your friendship for a long time. My own school friendships tended to sour when I realized that most of them were murderous bastards.

I find that socializing with the staff becomes easier, the more I do it. My first instinct is still to refuse invitations to spend time with them, but I occasionally regret having to say no due to my health. It may be a long time before I am strong enough to take Filius up on his offer to buy me a drink at the Three Broomsticks. It is much further than I have managed to walk so far, though I continue to exercise in the corridors at night whenever I can slip from the clutches of Poppy Pomfrey.

I meet with Lovegood and Dagworth tomorrow. I am not looking forward to it.

Severus Snape

"Hermione, you've got to hear this!"

Still having permission to enter the Gryffindor tower, Hermione had gone to find Ginny. They had arranged to practice some of their transfiguration work together, but the younger student seemed preoccupied with something else right now. A group of fourth-years were talking, with a crowd around them.

"It was amazing!" one of them was saying, with a huge grin on his face.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

The loudest of the fourth years, who Hermione seemed to remember was called Richard, was quite happy to repeat the story, excited to be the centre of attention.

"Our potions class. Snape went full-on SNAPE on Matthew Chalmers and Emily Smith."

Full-on Snape?

"They were messing about and Emily dropped some beetle eyes down the back of Matt's shirt because he'd thrown an octopus sucker at her. He shrieked like a first year girl and dropped too many porcupine quills into his potion and it started to bubble really loudly. They both got splashes of it on them, but Snape used a spell to put like a bubble around the cauldron. He shouted that they were a couple of dunderheads and were lucky that he got to the cauldron before it exploded. He gave them both detention then sent them to the hospital wing because they were getting blisters where the potion splashed them."

Hermione frowned. "Well, it's not really that unexpected. He's always been tough on people messing about in class."

Richard shook his head, gleefully. "That's not the best bit. When they'd gone we were all nervous because he's not shouted at anyone this year, but he looked like he was trying not to laugh! I'm serious! He said just because we know now that he's not going to use the cruciatus curse on us doesn't mean he can't have a good yell at someone."

"He was laughing?" she asked, surprised.

"Almost. And like he found it funny, not like he was being evil, or anything. Oh, and he said there was too much paperwork if anyone actually died in his class."

Hermione laughed. "I would imagine that's true. The class isn't quite so scared of him any more then?"

"I was never scared of him," huffed Richard.

"You said you were going to drop potions if Professor McGonagall wouldn't let you change classes!" Ginny snorted.

Richard blushed. "Well everyone thought he was going to kill us all," he blustered. "Anyway, he's alright, Snape is."

"You don't want to switch to Professor Slughorn's class, then?"

"Nah."

The Quibbler article came out the following Saturday and Hermione was surprised to see that the story was so long that it took up almost the entire publication, which was much thicker than usual. It was written in the form of an interview, with Luna asking the questions.

As well as interviewing Professor Snape, Luna and Thomas had spoken to Professor McGonagall, Kingsley, Harry (with Snape's grudging approval) and Neville.

Luna's announcements that the Quibbler was back in production had caused quite a few students to subscribe again. When the owls arrived at breakfast, Hermione looked up at the staff table. Professor Snape was already leaving through the staff entrance, and she suspected that he had timed his exit to avoid the post. As it was the day of the first quidditch match of the year - Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw - many people stowed their copies away to read later, but Hermione was already deep in hers as everyone started heading down to the quidditch pitch. Walking slowly, she kept her nose buried.

Professor Snape had made it clear that he did not consider himself a hero. He was someone who had made devastating choices early in life and who wanted to do what he could to set things right. He had pledged his loyalty to Dumbledore and had never regretted that pledge, even though he believed he would not live through the war.

He talked about the allure of the charismatic and persuasive Voldemort to a teenager who desperately wanted to belong. His main experience of muggles was a vile and abusive muggle father, so it had not been difficult for him to believe the rhetoric of muggles hating magic and being a danger to the wizarding world. He had never felt the same thirst for blood and pain that some Death Eaters, such as Bellatrix Lestrange or Antonin Dolahov, but he was by no means innocent of crimes committed against muggles and muggle-borns. When asked what had made him realize he had made the wrong choices, he said that there were certain incidents that led him to see Voldemort's true evil nature and his own wrongdoings. He chose not to elaborate on what those incidents were.

The most difficult part of the interview to read was when he was asked about his time as a spy for Dumbledore. He had lived under the constant threat of torture, death, and the knowledge that a mistake could jeopardize the lives of others. Voldemort had been a powerful Legilimens, and if Snape's defenses had slipped for even a moment he could have discovered enough information about the Order of the Phoenix to be devastating to them. Worse was the fact that he had to behave like a true follower of Voldemort to be convincing. This included following Voldemort's orders, no matter how horrific. He had done worse things to muggles while under Dumbledore's command than he had ever chosen to do when he was loyal to Voldemort. There had been many times when he had been desperate to openly declare his loyalty to Dumbledore, but that very loyalty prevented him from doing so.

He spoke about the pain of having to kill Dumbledore. He had lived for months knowing what he would have to do, and had argued several times with the headmaster about it, but had been given no choice. The worst part was that he had to use the unforgivable killing curse, which required him to draw on every negative thought he had ever had about Dumbledore to create enough hatred to power the curse. The hatred he had had to draw out for his mentor still plagued him.

When speaking of his recovery in St. Mungo's, he expressed his gratitude to Arthur Weasley for assisting with the development of his treatment due to his bite from the same snake previously. Luna, in her typical straightforward manner, had asked whether there had been any times when he would have preferred not to have survived, and Hermione felt tears form in her eyes as she read his reply that there had been many such times. Finding himself still alive, he had decided that in a world that had lost so many, life was not something he had a right to wish away, but it had been difficult at first, when he had been so weak and in so much pain in the hospital.

Although he explained that he was still not fully recovered from his injuries, he gave no details and gave the erroneous impression that he was much stronger than Hermione knew him to be.

Neville spoke about the previous year's events at Hogwarts and his subsequent 'reconciliation' with Snape in front of the whole school. Harry talked about witnessing what he thought was Snape's death and receiving the memories that helped Harry finish his task. Kingsley spoke of his trial and acquittal. Each one of them expressed their heartfelt appreciation for everything he had done during the war, especially when it had to be done under the guise of a traitor.

Reading Professor McGonagall's words made her feel the sting of tears again. The headmistress was effusive in her praise of him as a loyal member of the Order of the Phoenix, a teacher and a friend. She spoke sadly, however, about the position of Potions teacher, explaining that Professor Snape would only agree to teach for the year, then leave the school. Hermione's breath caught when she read that there had been another potioneer whom she would have happily taken on, but she, her husband and her children had all been killed by Bellatrix Lestrange in her attack on the apothecary in Hogsmeade two years ago.

She finished reading as she reached the quidditch stands, and looked at the photograph of the article's subject that took up a large portion of the front page. He was standing tall, as she had seen him many times, folding his arms across his chest. He was gazing straight into the camera, his face calm and open but otherwise expressionless.

She was happy to have the truth about his story out to the public, but saddened by the pain he must have gone through, and by thinking about the losses in the war. So many had been lost, but she wondered how many more would have died if not for his loyalty and bravery.

The Quidditch game had already begun by the time she had climbed up into the stands. She spotted Ginny and Luna sitting together, and gave Luna a big smile as she tucked the Quibbler away and joined them.

Loopy vanished with a soft pop, taking her letter to Professor Snape. She had wanted to say so much to him, but knew he would not want to hear her thanks for what he had done, and certainly not her belief that, despite his protestations, he was a hero. Instead, she said she knew how difficult the interview must have been for him, and how she felt that it was worth it to have the truth available to people. She told him how much she liked the result, and hoped that he did, too.

With her letter gone, she sat on her bed and looked at the photo that Thomas had taken. The way he held his robes to keep them straight as he folded his arms was a familiar gesture to anyone who had ever sat in his class. His dark eyes blinked as he stared back at her. Although his face was expressionless, she knew that there was much more to his emotions than he ever showed. In his letters, he had shown her his wit, pride, caring and even vulnerability. He had opened himself up in his interview, but she felt somehow special to feel that there were still things he had revealed only to her, such as his worry over the stress of students having to face him at the beginning of the year, and the true extent of his injuries.

She thought of the things he had done as a Death Eater and shuddered. She couldn't decide which would be worse - the remorse of knowing what he had done while willingly following Voldemort, or the anguish of being forced to continue doing them under Dumbledore's orders. In his interview, he had spoken of feeling the need to belong and it made her chest tighten in pain and made her want to wrap her arms around him. She fervently hoped that he felt more of a sense of belonging now that he was able to consider his colleagues as friends. And her. She was proud that he thought of her as a friend.

Unbidden, the game she had played with the other girls while walking back from Hogsmeade came into her mind. Kiss, marry or kill? She closed her eyes as an image of kissing Professor Snape floated across her thoughts. She pushed it away in surprise and put the Quibbler on her bedside table before slipping between the sheets of her bed. Despite trying not to think of the way his lips might feel on hers, there was a soft smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep.