Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Nope, not me.

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"You know, staring at the wall isn't going to make it disappear, Severus, if that's what you're attempting," Dumbledore said.

Severus shook himself out of his reverie. "Sorry, Professor. Just -"

"- thinking?" Dumbledore finished for him.

Severus nodded. "Yes. About -"

"- Sirius?"

Severus restrained the impulse to glare at the Headmaster. "Yes, if you must know, I was thinking about Black."

Dumbledore calmly poured himself a cup of tea. "There is no need to be so defensive, you know, Severus," he said.

Severus sighed. "I know. I just feel…"

Dumbledore remained silent.

"Damn it, the one time I need you to finish my sentence for me, you won't!"

Dumbledore sipped his tea. "I believe that in the Muggle world, that is called Murphy's Law. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Besides, I do not think it is necessary that I acknowledge how you feel about Sirius. It is, however, necessary that you do."

"I know, Professor," Severus replied - and, somewhere deep down, he did know. "I feel… almost guilty. That we did nothing but snipe at each other for the entire time after his return from Azkaban."

"That was as much his fault as yours, Severus. I hardly expected you to get along like brothers." Dumbledore sipped his tea again. "It is enough that you are sorry that he is gone."

"I am sorry," Severus said, and meant it, "but I can't say that I will miss him every moment of every day or anything like that."

"I know," Dumbledore replied, "and that is perfectly all right. Just don't go expressing those sentiments around Harry, or he'll most likely pull his wand on you."

Severus snorted. "Potter," he said coolly, "had better not, or I will draw my wand on him."

"All the better not to provoke the situation," Dumbledore replied, eyes twinkling.

There was a resounding clang! through the office, and Dumbledore rose from his chair. "We have an expected visitor," he told Severus, "who believes she is unexpected. I must just go and let her in."

When the Headmaster had left the office, Severus could barely resist the impulse to look around, though he was not, by nature, an impulsive man. Dumbledore's shelves were filled with many intricate objects - some he recognised as modern inventions, others ancient, and some clearly Muggle. Beside the Pensieve that glimmered, opalescent, on one of the lower shelves, was a bright yellow tin marked Sherbet Lemons.

How out of place such a tin would be in his own office! A bright yellow tin in the midst of neatly ordered Potions ingredients, sitting just between Boomslang skin and powdered Billywigs. Why, he thought, it would make the place almost cheerful.

He heard the door snick closed behind him as Dumbledore and the visitor came in. He did not have to ask who it was.

"You haven't washed your hair since 1972, have you, you slimy git?"

Needless to say, Severus was not amused.

*

"Miss Fudge," he said through gritted teeth, "how nice to see you too."

Aemilia plunked herself down in the chair beside his and then, obviously, drew it as far away from him as she could. "Don't lie, Snape," she told him. "You might as well tell me the sky is green."

Severus looked at her. "Right you are," he said. There was a long silence, then, "Fudge, what the hell are you doing here?"

"None of your business, Snape," she shot back.

"Aemilia," Dumbledore interjected calmly, eyes twinkling, "what brings you to Hogwarts?"

"My bloody father, that's what!" she answered. "Stupid bastard thinks he can control my life - and I don't want to take it. He's already proven he's a stupid git with the whole Potter business, and I'll be damned if he drags me down with him!"

There was a long silence, then Severus slowly began to applaud. "Oh well done, Fudge," he said. "Most convincing. But I'm afraid there is no place for Ministry spies at Hogwarts."

Aemilia glared at him. "You think I'm lying, Snape? Then try me with one of your foul potions! Give me Veritaserum - I don't care! You'll get the same answer out of me, either way!"

"Fine!" Severus pulled a small phial out of his robes. "Drink up!"

"Severus!" Dumbledore barked, shocking both Severus and Aemilia into submission. "Miss Fudge will not be drinking Veritaserum. I believe you, Aemilia," he told her.

"Thankyou," Aemilia replied, glaring sideways through her lashes at Severus before looking back at the Headmaster. "Anyway, Professor, my dilemma is this: I have broken with my father, which means I have no money. Therefore -"

Severus barely restrained a groan. "Albus, you can not hire her as a teacher. She has no training! No expertise!"

"I passed the Bar examination and spent five years qualifying for the International Magical Office of Law!" Aemilia snapped. "Not qualified my arse!"

"What do you expect to teach? How to negotiate with Death Eaters without breaking the Anti-Violence Convention of 1674?" Severus shot back.

"Severus!" Dumbledore barked again.

Severus lapsed into silence. "Sorry, Professor."

"No, you're bloody not," Aemilia growled.

"Aemilia," Dumbledore said warningly. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "Now, my dear, what subjects did you take when you were a student at Hogwarts?"

"At NEWT level?"

"No, at first year level," Severus snarled.

Dumbledore ignored him. "Yes, my dear, at NEWT level."

"Defence Against The Dark Arts, Charms, Numerology, Herbology, Advanced Astronomy and Ancient Runes," Aemilia replied. "I wanted to take Muggle Studies instead of Numerology - because I really hated Arithmancy at OWL level - but my father wouldn't let me."

Severus snorted. "Why do I seem to recall a certain someone getting a D in OWL Potions?"

"Why do I seem to recall a certain someone getting a D in OWL Astronomy?" Aemilia retorted.

"Now now, you two," Dumbledore said warningly. "Well, Miss Fudge, we have a vacancy in Defence Against The Dark Arts. Would you like it?"

Severus groaned inwardly. Was Dumbledore going to pass over him for the Defence post again?

But he didn't have to worry himself over that much longer.

"Professor Dumbledore!"

Severus turned. Remus Lupin's head was in the fire.

Dumbledore got up and knelt in front of the fire place. "Hello, Remus," he said.

"Is it all right if I come through? I've got some rather urgent business to discuss with you."

"No, it is bloody not all right!" Severus snapped. Don't make me deal with them both, Albus, he thought, or I just might spontaneously combust!

"Shut up, Snape," Aemilia snarled.

"Of course, Remus," Dumbledore said placidly.

There was an explosion of soot as Remus tumbled from the fireplace. "Bloody hell, Professor," Aemilia said, "you need to clean your flue."

Remus stood up and dusted his robes off - in the usual state of shabbiness, Severus noted. "Professor, when I was -"

"What, so I don't even merit a hello, then," Aemilia snapped.

Remus glanced at her. "Urgent business, Aemilia." He turned back to Dumbledore. "Professor -"

"Even Snape gave me a warmer welcome than that," Aemilia interrupted.

Remus, exasperated, strode over to her and kissed her cheek. "How nice to see you, Aemilia. There. Satisfied? Professor -"

"Well, it's completely pointless now, isn't it!? I know now you don't mean it!"

"For the love of Merlin, Aemilia, this is important!" Remus barked.

Aemilia folded her arms. "And I'm not important?"

Remus sighed, frustrated. "You are important, Aemilia, but this is extremely urgent! Now, Professor -"

"Nice to know I mean so much to you then, Remus," Aemilia said icily.

"Shut up, Fudge!" Severus snapped.

There was a long pause. I just defended a Marauder, Severus thought, half-dazedly.

Aemilia sighed sulkily. "Fine," she snapped, and lapsed into silence.

Remus turned back to Dumbledore. "Professor, I went to Gringotts today."

"Regarding Sirius's will, I assume?" Dumbledore peered at Remus over the top of his half moon spectacles.

"Yes, Professor," Remus replied. "All went as planned - Sirius's money and his violin has been transferred and all that, but there was one thing we didn't know about. That even Sirius didn't know about."

Comprehension seemed to dawn on Dumbledore. "Not…?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, Professor. Sirius had Lily and James's documents in his Gringotts account."

"And of course he wouldn't know," Dumbledore mused, "because the transfer would have happened after he went to Azkaban. He never would have seen Lily and James's will or witnessed it."

"If I may interject," Aemilia said, "not to antagonise you, Remus, but on a matter of legal interest - these documents. If Sirius didn't leave them to anyone in his will, then they should go -"

"- to Harry, yes. But Harry's not of age, so…"

"The documents go to his guardians. The Dursleys," Dumbledore said. "Well, this is interesting."

"What exactly were Potter and Evans researching when they died, Albus?" Severus asked bluntly. "Will it be of any use to the Order? Does it matter that the documents would fall into the hands of these Dursleys?"

"These documents, if Lily and James progressed as far along in their research as their preliminary results showed they might," Dumbledore said slowly, "would be of untold benefit to the Order." There was a pregnant pause. "They were researching death magic. Magic that causes death, why it causes it and how it may be undone or protected against."

Severus slammed his fist down against the desk. "How was Black so damned stupid as not to realise he had them, then?!" he roared.

Remus glared at him, and Severus saw, for a single second, the wolf inside the man's clothing. "Do not," he grated, "speak of Sirius Black that way. Ever."

"Can it be contested?" Dumbledore asked Remus.

"Yes. It can. And it will." The reply came not from Remus, but from Aemilia.

"Aemilia?" Dumbledore said, sounding mildly surprised.

"I've decided, Professor," Aemilia announced. "I don't want to be a teacher at Hogwarts after all. Give the Defence Against The Dark Arts post to Snape for all I care. I'm a trained lawyer. Let me deal with this."

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