I want to meet her. The words echoed in Hazel's mind though she had never heard them spoken. Sev could barely mask the fear in his voice when he told her. Now she clutched his hand tightly, the two of them walking up to Malfoy Manor. A group of Death Eaters was already lurking inside, others following them in. "Little Ravenclaw? Is that you? Snape, you didn't tell me this was the same girl from seventh year." Nott had materialized next to them, Hazel even more frightened than she had been seconds ago. "You've grown up."

"Hello," she nodded, the couple turning to look at him. "It's been a long time. I've had a, er, change of heart. I came back to the castle thinking it would be a good retirement from my work at the Ministry, and Severus... well, he's shown me what's really important."

The three of them stepped inside, Nott holding the door. Turning into what had once been the dining room, Hazel was struck by the sight of a table full of the men and women she had spent years tracking down, putting in Azkaban, and getting wands taken away from. She had tortured some of them personally, and watched the trials of many others. Narcissa Malfoy offered her a soft smile, but the others just sneered. Narcissa had been nice to her on the few occasions they'd interacted - after all, she was a fifth year by the time hazel got to Hogwarts. But Lucius had become fast friends with Sev, so Hazel had to talk to them on occasion. The rest of the Death Eaters only showed her a shadow of respect because she held Snape's hand. If it weren't for him, half of them would have killed the ex-Auror on sight. Sev squeezed her hand as they walked past everyone, taking their seats next to the empty head of the table. Nott took an empty chair further down the table, grumbling a hello at his companions.

Sitting next to Narcissa made her feel a little better, but she held onto Sev as Voldemort himself stepped out of the shadows, taking his seat mere feet away. He looked a lot different now, almost inhuman. A far cry from the man she'd been hunting during the First Wizarding War. "Good evening, everyone. And especially to our lovely guest. Severus, you told me she was beautiful, but... quite the Pureblood you are," he announced. "You've done well, Severus."

"Thank you, my lord," Hazel managed. She had only been in his presence a handful of times, and never this close. It was always across a battlefield. Being mere feet away from him was haunting. Sev was silent beside her, keeping his expression blank despite the firm grip he had on her hand.

"I understand, you must be in awe," he said, looking her over carefully. She could feel him trying to bore into her mind. He was one of the most accomplished Legilimens in recent history, but she and Sev had taught themselves Occlumency back in school. She could easily pick and choose what memories to show him, even as he tried to skim through her mind.

Her and Sev sitting under a tree at the castle, studying for a Herbology exam. The two of them at the winter ball in their seventh year. Both of them sitting up late, talking in the staff room when she had first come back to Hogwarts. How she'd smiled at him in the Potions storeroom, Snape hardly noticing as he patiently catalogued ingredients, carrying on a conversation as he worked. The roses he would leave on her desk every Friday morning. Their trips to Hogsmeade, both as students and when they were supervising their own students. The night she had been tailing a group of Death Eaters with Mad-Eye Moody, when they had run into trouble but she spotted Sev in the forest, telling him to run before anyone realized he was there. "That was where it started?" Voldemort asked.

The rest of the table was watching intently, not quite understanding what was going on. "Yes," she lied. "When I saw him there, I knew. I knew I couldn't keep fighting, not if he was in danger. So when they made me torture people… I couldn't stand it. I stepped back, until I was out of the Ministry. I did everything I could to minimize the sentences -" She turned to look at the rest of the table as she said, "I'm sorry, all of you. The pressures of the Ministry - I couldn't do much." Looking back to Voldemort, she added, "I did what I could. I made sure some of them were freed. I sat with it for a long time. I spent years waiting until I went back to Hogwarts and, well, until I found Severus again."

This time she was less prepared for the assault on her memories, but she managed to wrest control over them. Sitting in his empty classroom, both of them hovering over a steaming cauldron, their hands brushing together as they worked. The same classroom years before, full of students brewing Amortentia while Slughorn looked on. The last party of their seventh year, how he'd pulled her into a kiss in the shadows. Hazel stitching him up in her kitchen at the height of the first war, even though she was an Auror and he was a Death Eater. Christmas in Sussex. Lazy kisses when neither of them wanted to get out of bed, the way Sev would laugh and pull her down for "just one more, kiss, please, darling?"

"You put half of us in Azkaban," Bellatrix spoke up, distracting both of them. It was true. She had been at her trial, watched as the witch was hauled away by Dementors. She hadn't been the one charging her and presenting the case, but she had been in the courtroom. "How are we supposed to believe you?"

"I believe her." Voldemort cut off all protests. "Severus, you trust her?"

"Completely," he nodded, looking to Hazel for a brief second. "With my life, my lord."

"Very well." Voldemort turned to his most loyal, proclaiming that, "I have seen her mind. She has been... misguided, yes. But she has found her place. As a member of one of the most distinguished Pureblood families in Britain, despite the blood mixing of her unfortunate great-great-great uncle, she will be accepted here. In fact, you may prove to be useful. No one has questioned your loyalty to the Auror Office?"

Hazel shook her head. "I've gotten some distrustful responses about Severus, but Dumbledore's trust in me before he died cleared all of that up. It shouldn't be a problem."

"I shall keep that in mind. For now, all of you are to respect her. You know the consequences of distrusting me. Now, Lucius, how are the efforts at the Ministry?"

Trying not to breathe an audible sigh of relief, Hazel sat back in her seat, her vice grip on Sev's hand relaxing just a little. If she hadn't passed the test, she wouldn't be alive right now. Voldemort had demanded to meet her, to see the woman who Snape was so loyal to. He'd only found out about her when he'd stepped into a memory that he hadn't expected. He had been asking about Dumbledore, filing through Snape's mind when he landed on the start-of-term feast where Dumbledore had introduced her. He thought it had been a random memory and was about to move on when he caught Snape training his gaze on the woman a little more often than he thought natural. Sure enough, he'd found a memory of the two of them taking a walk by the Black Lake next. Immediately, he demanded to know who she was. Though he had been satisfied knowing that she came from a branch of the Ravenclaw family, he still wanted to interview her in person. After all, she had been an Auror. Yet Snape trusted her. Curious.

Living together in such a small space and being together all the time brought with it new revelations. Before he became headmaster and their world started to close in, both of them spent a lot of time in their offices. They would work together at times, but it wasn't always practical. Now Sev was much closer to Hazel's office, though she usually set her things up on a table near his desk so she could keep him company. They were already used to each other's sleeping patterns - or lack thereof - and Hazel had grown accustomed to Sev disappearing for Death Eater meetings. She hated it, but she was used to him having to drop everything and leave, even in the middle of the night. But spending nearly every moment together - aside from when she was teaching - made her realize that there was still a lot she didn't know about him.

It was late one night, as it always seemed to be when they finally got ready for bed, when Sev got up, deciding to go shower while Hazel collected her papers and set everything else aside. It was rare that he finished his work first, but it happened on occasion.

When she went to brush her teeth a few minutes later, she found him standing there, his shirt clutched in his hands. "Sev? Are you alright?"

His voice was tense as he answered. "Dressing gown. Now." She handed him the closest one, letting him wrap himself up and sit down on the wall as she reached to turn the shower off.

She sat down next to him, trying to give him enough space to breathe. "Can I…" She placed her hand next to his on the ground, Sev looping one of his fingers around hers.

"Sometimes… this happens. I can't control it. It feels like they're doing it again, like I'm being flipped upside down and… Why did they think that was funny?" he asked, staring at the ground in front of him. "Especially the last time, right before we left, when they actually… and half of Gryffindor saw and…"

"Deep breath," she whispered, Sev silently thanking her for the reminder. "They were cruel. And horrible. But right now, they're gone. It's just you and me. No one's watching you. No one's judging you. No one's going to hurt you. I promise I never will." Hazel waited a moment before adding, "Why don't you just shower in the morning? I'll go find you something comfortable to put on and make you some tea and we can get ready for bed. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

"I'll be right back." As she got up, her Aunt Violet's words from so long ago rang in her ears. It's trauma, that's why he wears long sleeves all the time. I've seen it enough as a Healer. People who have had awful things done to them feel safer when there's less to attack. Aunt Violet had noticed the first time he came to visit, when Hazel was wondering why he'd dressed for winter in the middle of summer.

When she returned with a stack of clothes he gave her a wary look, mumbling a brief, "Thank you."

"I'll go, if you want. Give you a few minutes."

"No, you can stay. You're the only person…" The only person I'll let look at me. The only person I'm comfortable with at all. "You can stay." Slowly helping him out of the dressing gown he'd wound so tightly around himself and into one of the sweatshirts he'd lay around his rooms in, Hazel said nothing, careful to not stay too close for too long.

By the time they got into bed, Sev found that he could nearly breathe properly again. Safely covered up again, he pulled the blankets up around himself. Normally he would've pulled her into his arms, how they almost always slept. But tonight was different. "I hope you don't mind… I don't feel very much like touching anyone right now. I… I can still hold your hand, if you want."

"Completely understandable, Sev," Hazel said, reaching over from her side of the bed. Lacing their fingers together, she studied his face in the dark. The panicked look had faded, replaced by a semi-contentment. "Can I kiss you goodnight?"

"Yes." She moved closer to kiss him briefly before returning to her side. "I'm sorry," he said as she moved back, "I was always able to hide it from you before. Everything's just gotten worse in the last year, and..."

If it was possible, it broke her heart even more than seeing the lasting effects of what James and Sirius had done. "You have nothing to be sorry about. They hurt you. Horribly. And you don't need to hide it. I - I'm sorry you ever felt like you had to hide it. Sev, I promise I'll be here if you need anything. I love you."

"I love you too."