Chapter 19 - Goodbye

April - June 2007

"Severus," Sirius Black wondered just what he could say to the man he'd always thought of as his rival in everything. "I just want you to know that I appreciate what you did back there. There was no reason you had to take that curse for me. It could have been - " he paused, then continued delicately, "anything."

Severus looked almost sorry for Sirius throughout this speech. When he fell silent Severus thought for a moment and replied, "I thought it was," here he mimicked Sirius' pause, "anything. That's why I stepped in front of it, to tell you the truth." At this, Sirius looked up in alarm. But Severus' old sneer was back in place. "Not that I want to die, Black, don't get your hopes up."

Sirius was surprised to find himself grinning, realizing, perhaps for the first time, that Snape meant for that tone of voice to sound intimidating even though it was utterly harmless. Severus fixed Sirius with a penetrating gaze. "What kind of a friend to her would I be if I let anything happen to you?" Sirius didn't know what to say to this, considering the number of times Snape had tried to cause him harm, so he nodded mutely and left the room.

School was back in session only a few days later. Professor Snape was back to terrorizing students in Potions classes, although without Sirius following his every move. Professor Deesia, thoroughly pleased with Harry's Occlumency abilities, had reported to Dumbledore that she thought he'd had enough and could defend himself sufficiently. This made the rest of the school year much more enjoyable, and not just for Harry. Ron, Hermione and Draco had had enough of catching him when he fell off his broomstick, picking him up off the ground when he tripped for no reason, and sopping spilled pumpkin juice from the front of his robes.

Muriel spent the time between Easter holiday and the end of year exams thinking hard about what to do with Draco. In the end, she'd decided the best place for him was Hogwarts, though he'd likely visit at Grimmauld place when the rest came at the end of the summer. She'd already spoken to the headmaster about it, but there was someone else who ought to know.

"Severus, I think Draco ought to stay here with you for the summer," she began without preamble as she entered the potions classroom after lunch one hot afternoon.

He regarded her shrewdly, not quite straightening his back in the chair. "You understand that I'll likely be quite busy with the Order." It wasn't a question.

"We all will, Sev, but Headquarters is a zoo with everyone coming and going."

"And?" Severus smirked at the discomfort that his tone caused. For as long as they'd been friends, she still was not completely impervious to his cruel demeanor.

Muriel sat down heavily on the first student desk, shrugging off her teaching robes and pulling her legs up by her ankles. He would recognize that posture anywhere. Something about this situation had her very upset. Before he'd registered it, he spoke again. "Why can't he stay at Headquarters, Mur?" His voice was far too gentle, and he scowled a little, his eyes darting to the door to make sure no one had heard.

"Lucius is still running around causing trouble – "

"Lucius can't reach him there anymore than he could here, Mur." He cut her off with an impatient wave of his hand, looking back down at his papers. An instant later, her fist came down on the paper he was looking at, making him jump.

"DAMN IT, SEVERUS! Don't you act like you aren't interested in what I'm saying. You watched that boy grow up, and if you don't love him, then I don't know you!"

Nothing could have been more telling than the uncomfortable silence that followed this outburst. "Furthermore," she continued, quietly and formally, "You ought to know by now that the act you put on doesn't work with me." She flicked her wand toward the classroom door, which slammed shut. "Now, do you think you could go back to acting like my best friend?"

"You win, Mur. I'll keep Draco here, but I'd like to know why." The tone of his voice had changed, and he'd finally met her eyes. She smiled.

"Of course. You need to understand that Lucius is a monster. The things he's done shouldn't be mentioned in front of a sixteen year old, particularly one who's already been overexposed to the Dark Arts." Severus nodded in agreement. No one knew better than he, just what Lucius had spent his time in the Dark Lord's service doing. "If Lucius is active this summer, his name will be mentioned repeatedly at Grimmauld Place. I don't think Draco should have to hear it."

Severus was contemplating this silently. "There's one other thing." Mur took a letter out of her robe pocket and put it down on the desk before resuming her seat. "I think Lucius might already be aware that you're a double agent."

"WHAT?" He snatched up the letter quickly and perused it. "I never asked for these items," he whispered, glancing over the second page before whipping it behind the first and reading the letter a second time.

"I thought as much. That's Lucius' way of asking for our help with Draco. He had to send it, but he must have known Draco would ignore it, after all, the boy hadn't come home last summer, or even communicated with them previous to that. Lucius found out I was here, and sent this hoping that Draco would put himself in my care. I sent the items as a way to tell him I understood. I didn't dare send a note, since I didn't know who else was there."

Silence reigned in the potions classroom for some time as Snape read and reread the letter, trying to puzzle out exactly what Lucius meant by it all. It wasn't exactly proof positive that his cover was blown, but Lucius of all people would know that Severus was on Mur's side in every fight, even this one. He wished the slippery fellow had never asked him about Mur's return. He was still wondering how he'd found out she was back in the first place. Finally he ceased his pacing and turned to Muriel, who'd been watching patiently the entire time. "I'll speak with Mr. Malfoy," he said quietly, "but I still don't trust him."

"Me neither," Mur agreed dryly, hoping down from the bench. "I'll be spending some time in America this summer, gathering my things and saying goodbye. I'd ask you to go along, but it looks like you've got your hands full." She grinned at the sour expression on his face.

"Taking Black with you then?"

Her grin fell away as quickly as it had come. "I don't think so. We can't seem to get along without Remus to run interference. Besides, I don't think he'd like Jas very much, and I've got to see him before I can come back." She'd told Severus all about her adventures, or misadventures, with her partner, Jas, during their Sunday evening talks. "I'm sure he'll ignore me until I've sufficiently embarrassed myself in front of the others to warrant forgiving," she commented, grinning. Then she took his hands and pulled him into an impromptu jitterbug down the isle of the classroom.

He laughed heartily as she sang, "Wake me up before you go go!". When they reached the back of the room, a whisper caught their ears and they turned to see the entire fourth year potions class peeking hesitantly through the door. Instantly Professor Snape was back in form.

"What are you waiting for? Take your seats," he barked. "We'll be working on a laughing potion today, the instructions are on the board." Mur winked at him and he smirked in response as she made her way toward the door. Just a few more days of exams and she'd be free!

The students climbed onto the train, talking and laughing, and trying not to think of what a difficult summer it would be without each other, when Ron noticed that Draco had hung back. He was standing at the platform, looking longingly after them. Ron poked Harry in the back, and Harry, turning, pulled Hermione back to the door. "Malfoy, come on, the train's leaving." But Draco was shaking his head. It was then that Professor Snape arrived. To Harry's knowledge, Snape had never come down to the train to see the students off. He put a hand on Draco's shoulder, and Harry understood: Draco was staying at Hogwarts with Professor Snape for the summer.

"We'll send you lots of owls," they called, waving, as the train started to move. The conductor closed their door, so they ran to their compartment and hung out the windows, waving until Snape and Draco were out of sight.

A/N: Yes, I have written a sequel! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Oh, and if you'd like to see the reunion scene with her partner (who I'm sure you have a very odd impression of, considering his implied taste in music), stick around for the Interlude, which will post as an epilogue to this story and serve as a teaser for the next, The Men of the Order vs. Venus, which will be uploading shortly.