Harry stood immobilized under the invisibility cloak, holding his breath as he listened in. He, Ron, and Hermione had spent the last week combing the castle for somewhere to practice defensive magic, and as their group grew, so did their need for a room where Filch, Mrs. Norris, and the Inquisitorial Squad couldn't catch them. Tonight Hermione was searching the lower floor near the library - giving herself an easy excuse in case she was caught. No one would question Hermione Granger near the library even if it was after hours. Ron was stuck in the library working on one of Umbridge's horrendous essays. He'd put it off for way too long and was now staring down a 9 A.M. deadline. Hermione staunchly refused to write it for him. She much preferred finding a hideout for their new group.

They were systematically searching the castle, each of them taking a couple of floors or corridors every night. It was the luck of the draw that Harry landed himself with the dungeons. He'd already narrowly avoided a couple of Slytherins sneaking back into their common room from who knows where. With his luck, he'd run right into Snape next.

As he rounded the corner of the Potions corridor he saw a light on in the storeroom. Great. But someone had gotten there before him. He could hear two voices, one he recognized as the Potions Master and the other... "Hazel, you should go." Snape sounded defensive.

Harry crept closer, emboldened by the fact that if he didn't accidentally trip or sneeze, they would have no idea that he was there. "Sev, that's exactly why I came to find you." Measured, silent steps brought him as close as he dared. Harry could see them both now. Snape was perched on a ladder, methodically selecting ingredients for their lesson tomorrow and making a list of things to pick up the next time they all went to Hogsmeade. Professor Ashmore had her back to the door, but Harry could tell she was displeased. "I can tell something's wrong. Umbridge denying everything isn't helping, but... the Dark Mark's burning again, isn't it?"

"Could you check that shelf by your elbow for ashwinder eggs?"

"Sev." She crossed her arms, telling him, "You've got plenty. You checked them a few days ago, so unless the House Elves have been cooking them up for breakfast, you don't need any more. Look, I know this isn't easy for you, but this time -"

"Aconite? Bottom shelf."

"Severus, listen to me!" she hissed, Snape forced to look at her. Harry took another step closer. "I want to help."

Snape climbed down from the ladder as she reached out for him. He let her take his hand, but the reluctance on his face was obvious even to Harry. When he'd heard about whatever was going on between them, Harry was incredulous. Everyone was. Only Luna sat there with a serene smile on her face, as if she'd predicted it all along. Ron had looked like he was going to throw up. Hermione and Ginny shared a look of surprise, and Neville, who thought Professor Ashmore was one of the more kind and understanding professors at Hogwarts, blinked as if he'd been stunned. Even now none of them quite believed it, though they were used to seeing the two of them walking and talking together, occasionally holding hands or sitting outside by the lake in what they all supposed was their study spot back when they were in school. The strangest thing about it, at least to Harry, was how often Snape smiled now. It was still rare, but far more than the slight smirk he'd occasionally give them in class when Malfoy got away with something.

"No," Snape told her matter-of-factly. "You shouldn't have to be a part of this. Things are only going to get more dangerous. You shouldn't have to be dragged into it. Not again."

"And you shouldn't have to go through this alone. Dumbledore's put a lot on your shoulders already. Aside from Harry - Merlin, maybe even more than Harry - you're his most important man. Without you we'd be flying in the dark."

Snape was adamant. "We need to break this off. I cannot watch you get pulled into all of the darkness to come. It will only get worse, and if we stay... if this continues, you will be swept up in it and both sides will distrust you, just as they distrust me. You'll be lucky to make it past Christmas."

There was a moment's pause. Harry held his breath as he watched them, too invested to go anywhere. "Fine. If you want me to go, I'll go. I'll pack everything up and go back to Ravenclaw Tower. But you don't have to do this alone, Sev. I can look after myself. I was an Auror at one point, and a damn good one at that. And it doesn't matter much to me what people say about us. They're already saying things. They've been saying things since our seventh year. I'm sure you've heard them." He had. The students chattering about them in the halls, saying how she could do much better, never seemed to quiet down, even when he passed by. The professors were a little wiser, dropping their conversations when he would walk into the staff room or join them in the Great Hall. He could feel the eyes on them when they would head outside, Hazel spiritedly taking his hand with a smile and setting off a smattering of hushed gossip.

They hadn't said a word to the students yet. In fact, they would nod cordially and talk for a bit in the corridors, or sit next to each other at breakfast, but tried to be as ordinary as possible. The students knew they got along well, but almost none of them had any inclination that anything more was going on. The professors, however... "I don't know what she sees in him," Madam Pomfrey frowned impatiently, itching to get back to the Hospital Wing. She had a new round of injuries from flying class to look after, and the staff meetings always tore her away from her work at the worst possible moment.

"Poppy, he's nice enough," Aurora Sinistra, the Astronomy professor, took a seat next to her. With a sigh, she admitted, "You are right, though. Hazel's much kinder and, well, a little too pretty for him. It's nice to see that they like each other, though."

Everyone seemed to have an opinion on the two. As professors drifted in from their classrooms, they each inevitably joined the spirited discussion. "Whatever makes her happy, I guess," shrugged Professor Sprout. "Though I do wonder about them... Severus isn't awful - he's down in the greenhouses a lot to collect ingredients, you know. He's always good with the plants, never harvests too much in one go, though he does have an air of annoyance about him."

Madam Hooch crossed her arms, shaking her head as she said, "He's a good flier, but like you said, not nearly as cheery as she is."

"Well Albus and I have thought they were good for each other since they were in school together," McGonagall said. "Albus has been rooting for them since their seventh year. Hazel's been there for him, she's made him happier. I had so much hope for them, but they went their separate ways. This is their second chance. Filius, you see them all the time. What do you think?"

"Oh, they've camped out in Ravenclaw Tower since they were in school," Flitwick told them all. "He still comes to visit now. The Ravenclaws, nosy as they may be, aren't going to accost them like the Slytherins would. So I think he believes it safer to pick her up from Ravenclaw Tower than have her go down to the dungeons all of the time. The two of them are happy. Sure, she could do better, but he's a smart man. He's clearly devoted to her. He sends flowers up to her classroom every Friday. It's sweet, especially for him. And I'm sure all of you have seen how much happier he is. For Severus, anyway."

He was cut off by the door swinging open, Snape and Hazel coming in from the corridor. Dumbledore was right behind them. Both of them could easily read the room as they sat down together, Hazel reaching for his hand as a couple of their fellow professors glanced at them in the back row. Snape frowned. Hazel gave him an encouraging smile as they settled in.

"I care about you, Sev," she continued. "I always have. Even when... even when you were gone, I caught myself worrying about you, about where you were and if you were okay and... You shouldn't have to go through this alone. I know you managed the first time, but you shouldn't have to. You don't have to. If you want to, I can't stop you. We can go back to just passing by in the halls and saying hello at dinner, but Sev... You don't have to do this on your own."

"I care about you too," he said slowly, refusing to meet her eye. Harry knew he was staring at a spot a little over her right shoulder, off into the darkness, but it felt like he could see where he stood. Harry looked down, just to be sure his shoes weren't showing underneath the cloak. "It scares me. To no end. I don't want you to get hurt in all of this, and I don't want to hurt you. But when I think about not being able to confide in you, not being able to have you there, being forced to become strangers again, I... I can't. I'm sorry. Please stay." His gaze shifted back to her as he implored in a voice Harry had never heard before. "Please."

"Of course," Hazel smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss. "Always." Snape pulled her into a hug, and Harry used the opportunity to scurry away. He could search the dungeons another night. For now, he had to tell Ron and Hermione about what he'd overheard.