A/N: Severus and Lily finally clear the air on a subject where it was awfully smoggy. I'll leave it up to you to guess just what that subject is, but it is a lingering point of contention between them that just hadn't reared its head until now. Also, Severus finally decides to take Esmerelda up on her offer and has a meeting with her.

Chapter 28 A Must-Have Discussion

As soon as dueling club finished, Severus pushed through the crowd to exit the hall as fast as he could. He'd been bombarded incessantly by questions during the remaining matches asking how he'd managed to withstand Walters' vaunted offensive onslaught, and then defeat him. He ignored the questions but was quite annoyed at the attention he was receiving nonetheless. Severus felt the faint presence of another body by his side, a warm hand sliding into his and fingers wrapping together. He chanced a look, it was Lily of course, by his side and moving through the sea of students for the exit. Once through the doors, they broke out into a run, not stopping as they ran through the castle to their hidden alcove in-between Potions Labs 3 and 4. Lily wasn't as tall as he, but she still did an admirable job keeping up with his fast and long gait. They ignored all the voices that echoed through the halls in pursuit of them, a cacophony of noise that rattled Severus' ear drums, he hated being the center of attention, he just wanted to get away from it all.

If he knew all this attention and adulation would come from him defeating Walters in a straight-up duel, he'd have thrown the match and let his rival take the win just to avoid all this unwanted attention. Lily's presence by his side helped calm him down, though, his breathing evened out, and clarity returned to the forefront of his mind. Now, he almost found the thought amusing that the endless barrage of questions thrown his way after winning his duel was more stressful and taxing than the duel itself. As Lily smoothed out the tapestry that kept their hidden alcove a secret from the eyes of the world, Severus sank down onto the cold stone floor, his mind still reeling and a little drunk on emotion after what'd just happened, the emotional rollercoaster he'd been subjected to.

Deeming her charms to be enough, Lily pocketed her wand and gave a satisfied huff. She then sat down across from Severus and pulled her knees against her chest, her head tilted sideways just a bit as if to ask, what's on your mind?

"That went well, I think," said Severus, huffing a small laugh.

Lily's snort betrayed her amusement. "I think so too. You really showed him up today, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Severus agreed. He laid his head back on the cold stone, dark eyes tracing the miniature crevices in the wall behind Lily. "If I'd known I'd be subjected to this…bombardment of questions though…I think I might've thrown the match just to spare myself the embarrassment."

"I guess some things never change then," Lily replied, an understanding smile tugging at her lips.

"What do you mean?"

"You've always hated the spotlight." She said it as if it were fact, which it was. Severus preferred to lurk in the shadows. Oh he wanted power and influence, don't get him wrong, but if he could get that power and influence behind a mask of anonymity, then that'd be all the better in his books.

Lily by contrast, adored the spotlight. At Hogwarts she was nothing short of a rockstar amongst their year, girls wanted to be friends with her, even the guys—before adolescent thoughts came into the picture thought that spunky, free-spirited, muggleborn girl was cool too. Unless you were a blood-purist Slytherin, pretty much everyone in their year and the years above and below loved the bubbly and vivacious Lily Evans back at Hogwarts. She was well and truly one of the queens of Gryffindor, among the lower years, at least.

While she was considered enormously popular at Hogwarts, her popularity seemed to have waned a little bit ever since migrating across the pond, sure, she was still popular, friendly and approachable to most of the guys and girls in their year, but gone were the days where adulations and praise were heaped upon her shoulders by peers and staff alike. Still, at least they had the same circle of friends here, and they were both liked by their friends and acquaintances well enough. It was an improvement from both their perspectives, no longer having to hide their friends from one another and having to make excuses for one another to the Gryffindors and Slytherins.

Thinking back to it now, Severus supposed it made her decision to write Madam Maxwell that much more impressive; the fact that she was willing to throw away her fame and popularity for his sake…for his happiness…his throat got real thick all of a sudden. Lily really was too good for him, he thought, far kinder and thoughtful than he could ever be.

"Are you alright Severus?" came Lily's voice, yanking him from his musings. He looked up, startled, but then calmed when he spotted Lily's searching gaze on him.

"I'm alright, just…thinking, about things."

"What sort of things?" she leaned forward to rest her chin on her knees.

Severus gave a little shrug, then gestured emptily to the space around them in no direction in particular. "It's not really that important," he said quietly.

For a moment, Lily looked as though she wanted to press the issue, but with a shake of her head, she decided against it. She crossed her fingers that in his own time, Severus would tell her about what was bothering him, she didn't want to push him before he was ready. "So have you thought about talking to Esme yet?"

Severus' lips twitched upwards into a smile, then his gaze found her's. He gave a small shake of his head. "Not yet. I actually…I wanted to run it by you, first."

"Why?" Lily blurted out, the surprise she felt evident on her features. She leaned closer, her eyes radiating curiosity.

"I thought it'd be obvious," Severus said with a shrug. "If I accept…the next few years of my life after graduation will be spent here, for all intents and purposes, I'll be living here, and I don't know what your plans are yet."

"So you've been holding out on accepting her offer for…for me?" Lily asked.

Severus nodded.

"That's…that's really sweet of you—" Severus scowled, protesting her assessment, but Lily found that endearing too, "—I'll try to…sort something out soon, Sev. But don't let me hold you back from pursuing this, is all I have to say. Whether I end up finding an apprenticeship here, or back in England…you should go for this either way, in my opinion."

"So you genuinely wouldn't mind if I…" his voice trailed off, brows knitting as he hesitated to voice his next thoughts. "Well, we'd have to split up, won't we?"

"Temporarily," Lily said quickly. "And only if I find something better over there. Mum, Dad and Flitwick have been helping me out distributing—"

"Flitwick?" Severus asked, his question razor-sharp. "You're in contact with him?"

Lily's eyes narrowed too, at the slight edge in his voice. "I am," she said resolutely. "He's got a lot of contacts, and he's been helping me distribute some of my letters and putting in a good word for me."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Severus asked, that edge in his words sharpening.

"I didn't realize I had to run everything I do by you, Severus. And what does it matter to you anyway, this is about my future, not yours."

Severus scowled and looked past her, wisely choosing to let his anger abate before speaking to her again. "At least be careful when you write him," he muttered. "Owls these days can be intercepted and…less than savory parties can sift through a letter's contents without anyone noticing."

His eyes narrowed and darkened, a hint of something grim flickering in them. "Letters being sent to and from an esteemed Charms Master would be particularly at risk, I urge you to exercise caution."

The surprise she felt was evident on her face, but she quickly hid it and nodded. "I guess I see your point. I'll start disillusioning my letters."

Severus grunted his approval.

Their conversation lapsed into silence then, but unlike the many hours of silence they shared at home under the shade of their willow, this was decidedly more tense and uncomfortable. Both shifted awkwardly on the stone floor, unsure of what to say next.

"So it must've been nice, eh, getting to beat Walters and one up him?" Lily said eventually, grasping at any straw that would offer itself.

Severus blinked slowly, then smiled. "It was," he agreed. "But what came afterwards wasn't so nice, though. If I'd have known I'd be mobbed for it, I might've just spared myself the trouble and thrown the match."

"And what then? Risk Walters holding that over your head?" asked Lily, daring him to disagree. In his silence, she tacked on; "It's just as well you beat him, not that I thought the outcome would be any different, but…if he'd won, his ego would've gotten too big for his head to handle."

"Like Potter."

"Yeah, like Potter. Speaking of whom, I heard from Marlene a while back that he's finally got over his crush on me, good for him I guess. He's dating some Ravenclaw girl I think, I forget her name though."

"Oh that poor, poor soul," Severus said, wringing his hands and shaking his head. "What could she have done to deserve that?"

"Don't be such a prat," Lily snorted, smacking his robe-clad arm lightly. "Besides, Potter wasn't half bad whenever he wasn't being such a nuisance, a lot like Walters in a way. Shame he wasn't a decent person when we knew him though."

"Potter lacks a decent bone in his body," Severus muttered. "And since when did you speak up for him anyway? He's terrible!"

Lily had half a mind to disagree with him, but thought better of it. He always got riled up when talking about Potter, and he was old news anyways.

"So I guess you'll be accepting Esme's offer soon, then?" Lily asked, hoping Severus would grasp the olive branch of conversation away from one, James Potter.

"Mmm. I can't see a better option coming on the table for me…and I don't want to keep her waiting too long either," said Severus.

"Whatever you think is best Sev, works for me too," replied Lily, smiling softly.

"Besides…" Severus began, a small smirk curling his lip. "When I do accept her offer, maybe I'll even be allowed to borrow some of her collection of books, some of 'em look pretty interesting from what I've seen so far."

"What sort of books?"

"Oh you know…books on more…obscure areas of magic, you could say, things of that sort—"

"Dark magic, then," Lily said, her voice dropping an octave, eyes narrowing.

Severus held her gaze, then shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with reading about it."

"No, there isn't," Lily said slowly. "But where it leads to…I don't like it Sev, you shouldn't be reading that stuff."

"Why not?" Severus challenged, his hackles raised. "It's not as if reading it does any harm, and it's interesting! The possibilities with Dark Magic are endless, Lily, if only you'd—"

"It doesn't matter Severus! Dark Magic gets you locked up in Azkaban, or worse, it'll get you killed!"

"In case it has escaped your notice, Lily…we're living in a time of war, and sooner or later, that war is going to become very real for the both of us," Severus said lowly, eyeing her angering expression intensely. "War isn't all sunshine and roses, shooting stunning spells, disarming charms and the like at one another, it's dark, brutal, and if you refuse to acknowledge the nature of the conflict we'll be fighting in, then you're setting yourself up for failure."

"Severus, what do you—"

"Let me finish," Severus snarled, glaring her into silence. Lily reluctantly pursed her lips shut, then sent her own emerald-glare back at him in a strong, but silent, show of frustration and defiance. "War isn't pretty, that's one of the few things my father's ever told me that makes sense, and if you don't understand that…then I don't know what to tell you."

"If you're not even willing to understand, let alone use the weapons the Dark Lord will use against us…then you're handicapping yourself, and lessening your chances of victory. Tell me, Lily…how would you expect to design spells to fight the death eaters if you're not even willing to understand what they will be using against our side, against you."

Silence met his ears, Lily's mouth opened, then closed, but no words came forth. She was well and truly flummoxed, Severus knew this and pressed his advantage. "I'm not asking you to become a dark witch or anything like that…Lily, but if you aren't gonna at least make an attempt to understand the magic that your enemies will use against you…then you'll just be making life far more difficult for yourself than it needs to be."

"But Sev, it's…it's…well, that magic is evil, how can you condone—"

"I don't," Severus said softly, quietly. "But if you paid attention to anything I just said, never did I ever say anything about using such magic, I seek to understand it, to learn from it, and be better prepared so that if I must confront it some day, then I will know how to combat it best."

Lily nodded resignedly, the will to fight having left her in the form of deep exhales and deflating shoulders. In the face of his logic, her argument slowly crumbled to pieces.

"Look at me."

Lily looked up, a defeated expression etched onto her face. "Know thy enemy, Lily. I'm not asking you to use dark magic, let alone learn it yourself…but I will be studying this, and I won't let you, or anyone else for that matter, tell me what I can and cannot learn."

"And beyond that…" Severus went on, his voice much softer and quieter than the hard edge it'd just sharpened to. "Beyond that…I cannot pretend that my interest in the Dark Arts is…entirely academic in nature, Lily. A part of it allures me…calls me, I feel as though—"

"But why?" Lily asked despairingly, wanting desperately to understand just how a boy as attentive and loving as Severus was to her, could be attracted to something so dark and evil.

Severus wore a fond, wistful look, which under normal circumstances would've endeared him immensely to Lily. Now though…it only sent chills down her spine for all the wrong reasons. "The possibilities…they're endless, Lily—with the dark arts that is, you can do almost anything with them…"

"But Severus that kind of magic is evil," Lily said, hoping her desperation and fear would be enough to convince him. "The things it's used for…it's terrible! It'd make you no better than Voldemort and the—"

"If I were to use Dark Magic," Severus said sharply. "While I cannot deny I'm truly fascinated by it…I don't think I ever will use such magic."

Lily sighed, raking her hand through her messy auburn curls as she leaned back into the wall. "Promise me then," she muttered, green eyes narrowed and staring at him intently.

"Promise me you'll never use dark magic Sev, not unless your very life depends on it. I can't…I won't be with someone who's a proponent of that sort of magic, I just won't."

The implication was there, I won't be with you if you even consider going dark, that's where I draw the line in the sand. She didn't say it outright, but Severus heard her loud and clear. He nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving her's.

"I will. On the condition that you promise to get off my back about me reading and studying this sort of magic."

Lily blinked once, then nodded. "I promise."

"Then I promise too."

Those four words worked wonders with alleviating the thickness of the air that had settled between them. For what felt like the first time in forever, Lily smiled, and so did Severus too. His eyes softened from their harsh look as Lily expelled another sigh, one far lighter and contented then frustrated huffs of breath she'd been puffing out earlier.

"I'm glad we got that cleared up, Sev," said Lily, still smiling inwardly. "You know I can't abide by that sort of magic…but I've got to admit, you did make a good argument for your line of thinking, about the whole, know thy enemy and all that crap you just said."

"Crap?" Severus echoed, looking aghast. "You call Sun Tzu crap? Receiving a copy of The Art of War was perhaps the only worthwhile present my father gave me, Lily, it's certainly not—"

"I was just kidding Severus," Lily replied, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "It was a good argument, strong—and well thought out," came her concession. "But I wouldn't expect anything less from you and your brilliant mind."

"I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong—" Severus snorted loudly, but with a herculean effort, Lily ignored the obvious bait. "—and perhaps I am wrong about Dark Magic…not doing it mind you, but about studying it at least."

"When you're a spell-crafter in the future, it might be wise to read up on it yourself, that way you can design spells to counter the darker curses and jinxes the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters will use."

"Who knows?" Lily said, sounding noncommittal to Severus' ears.

"D'you wanna get going?" Severus suggested. "My arse is already beginnin' to ache from sitting on this floor for so long."

"Library?"

"The usual spot. It should be dinnertime soon in any case."

Lily nodded and the two clambered to their feet, bemoaning their sore rears from having sat on the cold, stone floor for the better part of half an hour. "Next time, we should cast cushioning charms," Severus muttered to himself as he swept aside the tapestry.

Lily murmured her immediate agreement, before they both set off for the library.

As the week progressed into the next, Severus found that the only places of respite he had from his sudden increase in popularity were his dorm room, or the library. Everywhere else, his peers were hounding him, incessant in their questions as to how he'd managed to overcome Walters' unstoppable, offensive onslaught of spells. By the end of the following week, Severus had truly grown sick and tired of all the questions being sent his way, an overly-harsh glare from him usually saw most would-be questioners turned away, though. Thankfully, just as Severus' patience approached its breaking point a week after his fated victory, the attention that he'd unduly been given was taken away as his peers turned their excitement and enthusiasm towards the upcoming broomstick race.

On one, early-summer evening, Severus, Lily and the rest of their group found themselves out on the Quidditch field grandstands watching Thomas, Sandra and Billy flying about on their broomsticks. Severus, Lily, Scott and Sandra were all engrossed in their Charms assignments that they'd just been given by Professor Lambert the class prior, while Nicole was spending her time watching her boyfriend take practice laps around the periphery of the Quidditch field to prepare for his race that weekend. Sandra and Billy were taking part in one of their three weekly practices with the Quidditch team, the captain of which wasBobby Whitehall. He was kind enough to share the Quidditch field with Thomas and the other three Horned Serpent racers. Thomas was currently weaving through a set of pylons, trying to set the best time he could around a closed circuit course in order to best prepare for the coming race that weekend. His three teammates were off to the side, waiting their turn to try out the 'agility course.'

Lily was the first to finish her charms assignment, and after offering her help to her friends but having them decline said help, she packed up her notebook and wandered further down the bleachers to where Nicole was sat with a pair of binoculars watching Thomas fly around the makeshift race course at the far end of the field. Lily dumped her backpack onto the seat and tapped her friend on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" Nicole pulled the binoculars away from her eyes and turned to face her friend. "All finished?"

"Just did," Lily replied. "How's Tommy looking?"

"His turns are sharp, sharper than the rest it seems, and what his broom lacks in straight-line performance, he's making up through the corners," Nicole said.

Lily sat down on the front row, Nicole sat next to her and set her binoculars down in her lap. "How was the assignment?"

"Easy enough. Just a twelve-inch essay alternate applications and wand motions to cast a Reductor Curse," Lily said. "Wanna have a look?"

Nicole smiled thinly and shook her head. "No thanks. There's a reason I only took standard charms, not the advanced class, I really hate the stuff."

"Yeah well that's how I feel about Transfiguration," Lily said. Lily considered it her worst subject, just as Nicole thought the same with Charms.

"D'you know what time Thomas'll be done?" Lily asked, her gaze returning to the field. "Severus mentioned he'll be spending the rest of the afternoon with Rosie."

"Ole' Severus is busy today, is he?"

Lily nodded, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "He is. I dunno if I've mentioned it to you yet, but he's gonna take Rosie up on her offer to apprentice him when we graduate. He'd been thinking it over for the longest time but today he's finally gonna accept."

"Good for him," Nicole said earnestly. The halfblood sighed and laid her hands in her lap, a small smile pulling at her lips. "Rosie's a bit too…brash, and exacting for me in all honesty, I couldn't see myself doing too well if I were in Severus' shoes."

"Yet you still took my place in Rosie's class, despite openly admitting that you wouldn't be able to stand her if you were apprenticing under her for a mastery," Lily replied, giving her friend a wry look.

Nicole snorted and rolled her eyes. "Let's get one thing straight, you offered for me to take your spot in the class, I didn't take it from you, like you seem to believe. You voluntarily dropped out 'cus you weren't able to cope with the workload, Lily, don't get it twisted!"

"Yeah, well…at least I'm doing an extracurricular, and a prefect on top of that. D'you have any idea how many hours I lose per week having to do bloody patrols and—"

"Oi! can you two knock it off?" Severus shouted from his position higher up in the bleachers. Both Scott and Sandra were glaring openly at the bickering pair of redheads. "Some of us are actually trying to do work here, so we'd appreciate it if you weren't mouthing off to each other!"

Lily scowled back at Severus then drew her wand from her pocket. She cast Severus' newly-made sound-muffling charm, Muffliato, granting herself and Nicole a little bubble of privacy. Once Severus sent her one last scowl and then returned to his work, Lily turned away from her boyfriend and back towards Nicole.

"He still seems in a shitty mood," Nicole muttered, eyeing Severus out of the corner of her eye. The subject of her words was currently scribbling away furiously in his notebook, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed with focus.

"All the attention from this past week's been really getting to him," Lily said as way of an answer. "He's…well, you know what Severus is like. This whole past week's been kinda taxing for him."

"I can imagine. I wouldn't have reacted any differently if I'm being honest, I can't stand being the center of attention for long…" Nicole's smile turned lopsided, "unlike a certain someone I know…"

Lily flashed her friend a brief, soppy grin; then shrugged her shoulders as if to say, what can you do?

Thomas' practice finished not long afterwards, and after putting his broom back in the school shed, he climbed up onto the bleachers to join his friends. Earlier that day at breakfast, Lily and Scott promised to help him get started with his Charms assignment, given that it was one of his weaker subjects. They both said they'd be available to bounce ideas off of, but firmly stated that they wouldn't write Thomas' paper for him. That, he'd have to do himself of course. With Nicole's help and tutoring for his potions work, and Scott and Lily's assistance which they so willingly gave with Charms, Thomas' academics had improved immensely compared to his fourth year, and all this was in spite of his thrice-per-week training schedule. Now that his training was finished, the group wanted to head back indoors and spend the last of their afternoon before dinner as productively as could be.

After taking a quick shower, Thomas would join Scott and Lily in the library, the latter two nudging him along in the right direction for their Reductor Curse assignment. Nicole, Sandra and Caroline planned on heading back to the dorms, Caroline had sent an owl to her folks asking for a number of old tomes that would hopefully help them figure out a divination assignment that she and the three girls had been set. None of them could make head or tail out of it so far, and Barbara and Liana appeared to have checked out the only books in the library of relevance to their assigned task. Out of the seven friends, only the three American girls had ever taken divination, so it wasn't as if they could go to Lily or one of the boys for help with their assignment. Still, at least Caroline's parents had come good on their daughter's request and sent along a set of tomes that would hopefully be the girls' saving grace.

Severus was the odd one out of the lot but that was because he'd be visiting his Head of House to formally accept her proposal and begin laying down the groundwork of his apprenticeship. If there was one thing Severus knew about Professor Rosier, it was that she loved to plan things in advance, especially when it came to academics. Severus had once taken a peek at the short Professor's lesson plans and he was entirely taken aback at the thoroughness and detail each lesson plan had. Then again, perhaps it shouldn't have come as that much of a surprise to Severus since Rosier was such an effective educator, way better than ole' Sluggy was at least. When Thomas arrived, the seven friends all split up and went their separate ways, avowing to meet up in the meal hall in an hour and a half's time for dinner. Lily, Scott and Thomas headed off to the library, while Severus, Nicole, Sandra and Caroline all passed through the entrance hall bound for the far side of the castle where the Horned Serpent Wing resided.

"See you in a while Severus, meet outside the hall, yeah?" said Sandra upon arriving at the door to Professor Rosier's office.

"Sounds like a plan," Severus agreed. "See you guys in an hour or so."

The three girls smiled and echoed their agreeable sentiments before heading off themselves down the corridor that would take them towards the common room.

With Sandra, Nicole and Caroline gone, Severus turned his attention to the door and rapped his knuckles on the wood. The door swung open, admitting him into the opulently-decorated office. Sat at her desk, was Professor Rosier, although Severus could hardly see the rather short witch except for the top of her head that was just peeking out over a stack of papers.

"I'll be right with you Severus," Rosier said from the other side of the stack. "Almost done my marking here, and then we'll get down to business. Do have a seat first and help yourself to a drink if you want."

"Of course, Professor, thank—"

"Just Esme's fine for now Severus," Esmerelda said swiftly. "There's no one else here after all."

"Err…right. Thanks Esmerelda, I'll just…uhh—grab a drink then."

Severus stepped out of the doorframe and into the office. Off to the side of the office there was a coffee table as part of a small sitting area, where an assortment of refreshments resided. Severus set his backpack down on one of the armchairs, and then helped himself to a couple biscuits and a glass of juice. Esmerelda had seemingly remembered what his favorite kind of juice was, as the pitcher was filled with orange. He poured himself a glass and greedily gulped it down in a matter of seconds, then re-poured it and drank some more. After spending much of the afternoon out in the dry, Mid-October afternoon, his throat was parched and in desperate need of nourishment. He then took a bite out of one of the biscuits he'd taken and reached into his bag, looking for his trusty Potions notebook. He eventually found the tattered, old book in the bottom of his bag and brought it out into his lap.

He idly flipped through his notes, passing the time correcting a few recipes here and there, jotting down some new ideas he wanted to try come next advanced potions class. After a few minutes spent sipping on juice, eating biscuits, and all the while, jotting down ideas in his tattered journal, Esmerelda expelled a satisfied sigh and shifted her stack of parchment aside on her desk. Severus turned around, just in time to see the Professor wave her wand and send the entire stack of marked assignments soaring across the room into a cabinet that presumably housed marked papers.

"I think that just about wraps everything up," Esmerelda said, rubbing her hands together. "Don't get up Severus, I'll come over there to you."

Severus nodded, remaining seated as Esmerelda made her way across her office with a few pieces of parchment in her hands. Severus waited calmly in his chair as Esmerelda sat down across from him, she swept aside the confections that littered her coffee table and replaced them with the papers she'd brought.

"I trust you know what these are?" Esmerelda asked, indicating the parchment pieces.

Severus' eyes flittered to the parchment, then back to his expectant-looking mentor's face. "I do," he said, recognizing the papers for what they were, the terms of his apprenticeship under her.

"Then I believe—" Esmerelda thrust the papers and a quill across the table towards him, "—that you know where to sign."

Severus nodded. Reading through them was a mere formality, yet he still skimmed through them nonetheless. There wasn't anything much of great significance that he could spot, save for a stipulation stating that There will be strict adherence to the pre-planned schedule for your mastery.

He frowned slightly, holding the parchment up and showing to Esmerelda the stipulation he'd been confounded by.

"Oh, that," she said lightly, brushing it off as if it were nothing. "I've already drafted a schedule of sorts for your mastery-related work Severus, for the next three years starting with your sixth. Your training for your mastery shall begin during your last two years here at Ilvermorny, and end approximately one year after your graduation."

Severus didn't try to hide the shock he felt from his face. "D'you mean that…that I can begin my training at the start of sixth year?"

To his further surprise, Esmerelda smiled and nodded. "Indeed. Which is why I recommend you cut back on your course load next year for your NEWT years, Severus. If you were to take…let's say five subjects in addition to commencing your mastery, I believe it should be manageable for a student of your talents—"

"I thought masteries can only start after…after graduation!" Severus couldn't help but blurt out. "Don't you have to at least be an adult in order to…start them?"

"I was able to bend the rules a bit concerning yourself though, Severus," she said slyly. "Most programs take two years from start to finish, at least here in the states when it comes to pursuing a mastery. In your case Severus, we'll be progressing at a reduced rate during the first two years of your training, when you're still a sixth and seventh year, and then progressing at a normal rate in the year following your graduation."

"So by starting next year…and by continuing for three years in place of two for a normal program…that'd mean I'd only require one year of study as opposed to two, after graduation," Severus surmised. "I'd be able to get my mastery within one year of graduation."

"That is correct," Esmerelda said. "According to the contract, you would split the first year of your studies into two years, your sixth and seventh year; and the second year would be as normal. As you so aptly put it, by extending the program to three years but by commencing earlier…you'd attain your mastery more quickly."

She leaned back in her chair, a knowing smile blooming on her lips as she said; "And based on you performance in the classroom…I think you'd be able to cope well with the rigors of the program even as a sixth year, Severus, I truly mean that. I wouldn't have recommended that you start the program as a mere sixth year if I thought otherwise."

"You truly think I'm ready then," Severus said warily, on guard for any potential caveats she might throw his way.

Esmerelda looked a little hesitant, but she nodded all the same. "I'm no betting woman, but I do think you are, Severus. And given the situation back home, and your desire to…contribute in the war against—"

"How do you know about that?"

"I do write to my niece, Severus," Esmerelda said dryly, shooting him a disappointed look. "And she has iterated to me that both yourself, and Lily, intend in some way, shape, or form, to oppose Voldemort. In what way I do not know, but I reckon that in your case, it'll involve producing potions."

Severus shuddered at the name, but asked; "Did you ask Marlene then? Or did she willingly volunteer this…about Lily, and I."

"For your information Severus, I did ask," Esmerelda said, the disappointment palpable in her words. "The reason I asked was in large part, due to Lily's sudden shift in career plans. I was quite surprised when she informed me she no longer wished to become a Potions Mistress, even more surprised when she said that she no longer wished to participate in advanced potions and instead wanted to give her place up to Miss Goodman. I asked Marlene about it, and she informed me that Lily had been harboring doubts about a career in the potions business and that she wanted to get into spell-crafting instead of potion-brewing after her schooling."

"That happened over the summer, after we found out that Barton had accepted Francesca as his apprentice," Severus explained. "She's…well, concerning her beliefs and her values, Lily is as unshakable as a mountain. Whatever it is that she believes in, truly, believes in, it takes a herculean effort to budge her opinion in the slightest."

"Knowing her for the better part of a year, I'd gathered that by now," Esmerelda said lightly.

Severus allowed himself a small chuckle. "But she has always been more adaptable and prone to change concerning things that aren't her values, or beliefs. She wrote Headmistress Maxwell expressing her desire to change schools on a whim, after all. So in that sense…her changing career plans aren't all that much of a surprise to me." He shrugged, a fond smile forming on his face, harsh edges softening with adoration. "That's just who she is, strongly opinionated, but willing to change as long as her beliefs don't get in the way."

"When you put it like that," she began, a knowing look forming on her face, "it's easy to see why you like her."

His mask of occlusion was quick to rise, and it did well to stave off the blush that would've formed under any other circumstance.

"Come now Severus, I'm only pulling your leg," Esmerelda said, smilingly. She pushed the papers towards him, drawing his attention back to the agreement that he had still yet to sign. "I take it the rest of the agreement suits you?"

"I think so," Severus said dully. "The only doubt I had was about the…the strict adherence stipulation, but if some leeway can be given, like if I'm progressing faster than expected—"

"Then the schedule I've laid out can be amended if that is the case," Esmerelda agreed.

"Then I accept." Severus found the page where he was supposed to sign, then flourishingly signed his name on the dotted line. This wasn't a magical contract, so there were no tongues of flame shooting out of the piece of parchment binding him to it; it was just a piece of paper.

"Excellent," she beamed, summoning the agreement from the table with a flick of her wand. "I trust you're in agreement with everything then?"

"I am," Severus said resolutely. "I think this partnership can be beneficial for the both of us."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin."

"I am a former Slytherin," Severus pointed out.

"Indeed you are, Severus." She glanced towards the old grandfather clock sat in the corner of her office, then back to her apprentice-to-be. "Seeing as we have about half an hour to kill before dinner, how about I take a look at some of your recent modifications?"

"Since you asked so nicely."

Severus reached into his backpack for his journal. With a grin, he tossed it through the air to his Professor, who deftly caught it. Esmerelda flipped open the journal to the latest page, she then invited Severus to sit beside her on the couch, once he had, they began their dialogue in earnest.

A/N2: So yes, Dark Magic was always a major point of contention in canon between Severus and Lily. For one thing, what even constitutes Dark Magic? Is it the intent with which a spell is used that makes it dark? Or the nature of the spell itself. We all saw in Snape's Worst Memory that a fairly innocuous cleaning spell can do significant damage if used on someone's throat for instance, so would that be considered Dark Magic in the eyes of some? Who knows? At the end of the day, Severus and Lily have reached a compromise on this, as I don't think Severus' interest in Dark Magic could ever, realistically go away; and as the chapter shows, he does have some good points defending the study of Dark Magic, at least.

And from the way I've written Lily, it takes a lot to alter her views or stance on a particularly contentious topic, but Severus has managed to do it, at least just this once with regard to Dark Magic. The way I perceive Lily, I head-canon her as a character that makes decisions very much in the heat of the moment and is very much hit-or-miss when it comes to the outcome of those decisions. But when it comes to her views and morals, her stance is entirely flipped and is very argumentative and can be just as stubborn as Severus, possibly even more so. Which is what makes exploring that duality of her willingness to adapt to circumstance, but her adamance against changing her views or morals and interesting aspect to write about.

Sorry for rambling, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and if you don't, I hope you had a wonderful day as well!