Disclaimer: The beer brands mentioned in this chapter are real, Muggle brands. I do not claim to own any of them.

The Three Broomsticks was crowded. Alex and Snape managed to find a booth, predictably located in the back corner of the room. A waiter eventually came around to take their orders. "Butterbeer ?" suggested Snape.

"Nope." Alex shook her head. "I want a real beer." She gave the waiter a bright smile. "What have you got on tap ?"

"Wychwood, Vixen's Vice, and Blackfriars," he replied.

"Never heard of any of 'em," Alex said cheerfully. "Bring me a Vixen's Vice, then, please. Severus ?"

"Blackfriars," the potions master snapped. "Do you really think that's a good idea ?" he asked pompously when the waiter had left.

She looked at him innocently. "What ? Oh, the beer ? Lucky me, no more Muggle meds for a while. I'm back on the Felicitas Potion. I can have an occasional drink. Anyway, you're not the one asking the questions here. I am." Alex did her best to scowl menacingly at him. "First question, and you'd better tell the truth," she hissed. The effect was spoiled when the witch burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh, my gods, you should see the look on your face ! You actually look scared."

The waiter returned with two mugs. Snape rolled his eyes at her as they were served. "Just get on with it, would you ?"

Alex took a long drink, savoring the taste of the beer - and Snape's discomfort as he waited. "All right," she said finally, "what's your favorite color ?"

"You're joking. Favorite color ?" He looked baffled. "Um, green, I suppose." He frowned as Alex giggled again. "Well, I've never given it much thought, really," he said defensively.

She stifled her laughter with some effort. "Are you an only child ?" she demanded.

"Yes."

"Me too. See, this isn't so bad, is it ?" He just scowled. For cryin' out loud. I might as well shove bamboo under his fingernails. Alex took another long drink. Heh. I'll give him a good reason to be uncomfortable. "Fine, then, time to get personal," she said out loud. "How old were you when you lost your virginity ?"

Severus snorted. "You can't be serious." He scowled harder. Alex glared back. A long moment passed before she broke into another fit of giggles, unable to keep up her serious facade. Snape laughed, watching her.

"Come on, come on, you have to answer the question," she insisted.

He rolled his eyes again. "You are impossible," he remarked. "Oh, very well. Sixteen."

"Sixteen ? Sheesh, while you were a student ?" Snape nodded, smirking at her shocked expression. "Damn, Filch must've been slacking, I didn't think anyone at Hogwarts was allowed to get laid. So, who was the lucky girl ? Details, Snape. I want all the juicy details." She leaned back and sipped her beer, smirking back at him.

Snape took a sip of his own beer and gave Alex a long, appraising look. "Her name was Bellatrix Lestrange," he said finally. "She was quite a bit older than me. Beautiful woman," he added silkily. "You may have read about her in the Daily Prophet ? She's a notorious Death Eater. The most wanted Dark witch in Britain now, I believe."

Alex's eyes widened. Damn. You're just full of surprises, aren't you. She blinked. "Wow, Severus. I'm...sorry, um, I guess. Were you in love with her ?"

Snape laughed out loud, then shook his head ruefully. "I thought so at the time. Obsessed, would be a better word." He grinned, briefly. "And terrified that her husband would find out."

"Whoa, she was married ? You were a wild kid, weren't you ?"

Snape leaned forward, suddenly fierce. "No. I was a stupid kid. Bella was the one who recruited me into the Death Eaters." He watched Alex intently, waiting for a reaction.

She kept her expression neutral. "Wow," she murmured.

When she made no further comment, he went on. "I joined the Dark Lord. Became one of his loyal Death Eaters. Oh, we were working for a glorious cause, you see." His lip curled in a sneer. "We would purify the wizarding world, claim our birthright and rule over the Muggles." Snape stopped speaking and stared at Alex. His eyes glittered.

She stared back. "I'm not going to freak out, if that's what you're waiting for," she said lightly.

He slouched back in his seat. "Really ?" Snape commented dryly. "Most people do. 'Freak out', as you so charmingly put it."

Alex shrugged and looked away, taking another sip from her mug. "I'm not going to condemn you. That was, what, twenty years ago ? You were just a kid. You got out of it, didn't you ?" Her eyes met his once more. "So, what happened ?"

"I finally realized that I was in over my head. I went to Albus Dumbledore and confessed everything." His face twisted, an ugly expression of contempt. "It took a while for me to get up the courage to tell him. I had done some terrible things, by then. I was afraid. Weak." Alex reached tentatively for his hand, then thought better of it. She waited silently for him to continue. "Bella Lestrange," he mused, his expression softening, almost nostalgic. "I would have done anything for her. Of course, it wasn't her fault. I was eager to prove myself, to earn the Dark Lord's...respect." He laughed sharply. "I stole potion ingredients - from that same cabinet that I keep locked in the storage closet, ironically. I smuggled forbidden spell books out of the restricted section of the Hogwarts Library." He sneered. "My little missions for the Dark Lord. They made me feel so important."

"She seduced you in order to get you into the Death Eaters," Alex said shrewdly. "Then she implicated you in their crimes, so you wouldn't be able to go to Dumbledore for help. Once you stole from the school, of course you'd be ashamed to tell the headmaster."

His dark eyes gleamed. "No. I had only myself to blame. I believed everything they told me. Pathetic and powerless myself, I was hungry for the power the Dark Lord promised." Self-disgust was etched on his features. "Eventually, I woke up. Realized that there was no grand and glorious cause. It was all a lie."

"Severus...it's all right," Alex whispered. "It was a long time ago. You were young-"

"Not that young. I knew what I was doing. And before it was over, I did far worse than steal a few ingredients." Snape shook his head. "The past can't just be wished away, Miss Rose. Look." His voice was a harsh whisper. He glanced quickly around the room, making sure no one was close by to observe, then pulled up the sleeve of his robe. Alex looked down at the ugly red mark on his forearm. "You need to understand what this means-" he stopped abruptly as she touched his hand.

"I do," she said softly. She ran her fingers over his arm. The skin on the back of her neck prickled as she touched the Dark Mark. Alex gently pulled the sleeve back into place, mindful of Snape's ever-present paranoia. She took his hand in both of hers. "Whenever he calls, you're compelled to go to him," she mused. Alex looked up. Snape was staring at her intently, his dark eyes full of confusion. "It burns, if you don't obey the summoning," she said, frowning. "Gods, Severus, it must hurt like hell when You-Know-Who calls the Death Eaters and you don't go."

"It does," he said slowly, "but I've only failed to obey the summons on two occasions."

Alex's frown deepened. "I don't understand. Are you trying to tell me you're still..." She couldn't finish the question. Oh shit, no.

"No," he echoed her thought. "But the mark, and the bond, remain. So now, I'm a spy."

She struggled to hide her relief as his words sank in. "So," Alex said. "That's why you were so jumpy, back in Chelmsford. You were summoned."

"Yes," he said shortly. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You seem to know a great deal about the workings of the Dark Mark. Who's been telling you ? Hagrid ?"

"No. Come on, Severus, you know Hagrid." Now her frown was one of exasperation. "You-Know-Who didn't invent the Dark Mark. The spell's been around for a long time." She rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm unfamiliar with the Dark Arts. I've told you before. My family's about as dark as they come." Snape seemed to relax. Alex released his hand and leaned back in the booth. She felt tired, emotionally drained. She tipped her mug and found, to her disappointment, that the beer was gone. "Damn. I don't suppose I should have another, huh ?"

"Dinner ?" suggested Severus. He waved the waiter over to their booth.

"Yeah," said Alex with renewed enthusiasm. "I am hungry."

"Conducting an inquisition can do that to one, I've heard," the potions master replied.

The waiter took their order, and later delivered food and pumpkin juice. Later still, he brought the check. The two mages talked of inconsequential things. Snape seemed as relaxed as Alex had ever seen him. "Feel better," she asked, "now that you've got the big secret off your chest ?"

"I suppose so." He shrugged. "I'm not accustomed to trusting people. Or to being trusted."

Alex smiled at him. "I'm glad you trusted me. We really should get back though," she added reluctantly. "Lots of work to do to be ready for Tuesday." Snape rose from the table and held her coat for her. They walked back to the castle. Alex took his hand briefly, then let it drop as they paused beside the lake to watch the giant squid surface. A tentacle waved lazily at them. When they continued on, Severus reached for her hand. She smiled up at him. Hand in hand, they crossed the lawn.

They paused in the entrance hall. "Good night, Alex."

"Good night Severus. Um...listen, let's not wait another month for a fourth date, okay ?"

"Agreed. After our next flying lesson, then ?"

"Damn. You never give up, do you ?" Alex shook her head fondly. She stood on tiptoe; he took the hint, bent to kiss her gently. She didn't press for more. Snape waited until she had started up the stairs, then turned away. First name basis, Alex thought to herself with a silent chuckle. Finally. Sheesh, it only took what, three months ? That's gotta be some kind of record.