There are probably characters here (in the fic in general) that you don't recognize. That would be because this is an AU and I have not had access to regular television for almost three years… so all of my information is old. I also read a lot and there are pieces from different books I've read. Lastly I have invented a few of the characters and those are mine. I'm not going to list them because if I miss one then it's a problem. (they get jealous)

Gryffindor-40 Points- if you reviewed and I didn't count you tell me, or review this chapter and get some points for your House.

Slytherin-110 Points- Book Of Days, is awarded 10 points for cleverly catching onto the fact that I had purposely misspelled Lucius' name as a test for my readers… Really! It was on purpose…; RivanKnight is awarded 10 Points for expertise in the use of a Foe Glass; BookEater is awarded 10 points for an impressive scroll on unconventional applications for Invisibility Potions;

Ravenclaw- if you reviewed and I didn't count you tell me, or review this chapter and get some points for your House.

Huffelpuff- if you reviewed and I didn't count you tell me, or review this chapter and get some points for your House.

Chapter 33:

Telling Lupin to go away would have turned the whole thing into a bigger deal than it was. The door to the Self Defense class opened as she approached and she was relieved to see the male standing a little more comfortably, in the center of the mat, than he had been when she had left him. 'He won't last an hour though,' she felt a twinge of concern twist through her. 'That's another thing, why am I so concerned about him? My first priority is her, not someone I just met… someone I know without having met before…'

A little unsettled at having Professor Lupin take a seat, apparently to watch the lesson, Neville was having more trouble firing the energy bolt he had nearly mastered last time.

The male kept his eyes down and spoke softly. He didn't have the strength to make his comments as painful as the real Snape would have. "Mister Longbottom," he sighed and put out a hand to push Neville's down. "Why are you purposely failing Potions?"

Neville paled, "Sir?"

"Can you really fear me so much that you would hurt your own future because of me?"

"I-" Neville looked around quickly, as though looking for escape. "I don-" his hazel-blue eyes stopped on the male's midnight-blue eyes. "Why," he croaked around surprise, shock, and fear.

"I know your secret," the male whispered stepping forward carefully. "Now you know mine." He didn't blink, neither did the entranced boy.

She wondered, briefly, at the wisdom of revealing themselves to someone who was not even a member of the Order, 'But then, why am I already accepting his decision? I'm vulnerable now and I'm just sitting here beginning to shrug this off as a strategic move.'

Neville swallowed, hard, and took a breath, "My grandmother said that my father was good with Potions, I just don't want to remind her of him every time she gets a report on my grades."

"Mister Longbottom," the female called, forcing the boy to turn and face her, with his back to the male. "I have heard of the work your father did as an Auror. Any remembrance of him that you could bring your grandmother would ease her pain." Over the Gryffindor's shoulder she could see the male giving her a cut-and-run signal with the down turn of his head and shrug of one shoulder. 'What do you want me to do?!' she projected the panicked cry with a slight lift of one eyebrow.

The male slanted a question into the silence that followed the female's blundered statement, "You already knew that I existed. How?"

Neville took a few steps back.

'He's figured out our trick,' the female sent the male an appreciative nod, 'Standing between us was not a good idea. With the extra distance though, he can now see us both without turning around. Clever boy.'

"Harry was talking to Ron and Hermione. He said that there was something-strange going on with you. The Headmaster told him about it, er, you when Harry's godfather falling and professor Lupin thought he was dead…" Standing in his white, padded uniform, Neville had actually relaxed as he spoke. "What should I call you, sir?"

The male took a slow deep breath, processed the information he was getting about the emotional and physical reactions of the people in the room, and nodded slightly. " You were not alarmed to hear that Sirius Black was in the building?"

Neville kicked lightly at the firm mat, "A few years ago, I heard Harry talking to Hermi and Ron about Mister Black being innocent. They didn't notice me. Nobody does." Gathering his courage Neville asked with more strength, "Sir, what should I call you?"

The male flinch, she saw it. He didn't flinch badly, the Werewolf hadn't even been able to see it. But he did flinch.

"I guess you could just call me Snape. You always have."

And all the time Remus Lupin watched from a chair near the door at the darkened end of the room.

~

Neville was able to interrupt the building charge with a great deal more ease than he had learned to create the charge in the first place. But going to breakfast was harder than it had ever been.

He raced up to Gryffindor tower, as the other Gryffindors were coming down for their morning meal.

'He knows,' it kept spinning through his head, the knowledge that he had been caught. 'I can't believe everyone expects me to just act like normal when I have to wear these gloves,' he slammed into his shared dorm room and quickly swapped his training costume for the school uniform.

At least Professor McGonagall excused me from dinner last night.' He raced down a staircase that decided to change its bottom landing when he was half way down. 'But, that was because the lesson was interrupted and I was still a danger.'

He slowed enough to manage a slightly rushed, entrance to the dinning hall. Sitting down in the empty seat at one corner of the table he was only a few moments late, and most of the other students were still filling their plates.

He made it through most of Herbology (his second class of the day) before anyone noticed his gloves.

"Uh," he stammered, flashing a nervous grin, "I thought they were cool." 'I can't believe I just said that.' Neville mentally smacked himself.

Seamus grinned conspiratorially, "You sure they're not a gift from your gran?"

'I can't believe I just got away with saying that!' Neville tried to give a longsuffering look while he ducked his head. He tried to focus on the Tantalus Lilly he was supposed to be transplanting. 'Sorry grandmother, I just can't take standing out anymore than I already do. You'd understand, right?' he snorted at his hopeless plea, 'Ya, right, shirking the truth to protect my own, nearly invisible, status with the other Gryffindors would be just fine with her.'

Because Neville was notorious for violent Potions related accidents, a rumor which ended with him accidentally saving the day (drawing his wand and botching a spell) was widely accepted. Neville was saved any curiosity or extra attention that would have followed if everyone knew he had done it on purpose.

~

Snape vaguely remembered getting up from the couch to throw up. Then the next thing he knew, he was being fussed over by that ridiculous House Elf that seemed to make it her personal mission in life to be the mother he never had.

'No,' he mentally lashed out at the disloyal thought, 'I can't keep falling back into the lies they planted in my mind.' 'He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands for a moment. 'I need to keep things straight, now more than ever.'

~

First period was not pleasant for anyone. Snape hadn't gotten enough sleep for far too long, and Professor Moody was absent. She was covering Lupin's classes. Because he wasn't taking the Wolfsbane Potion he was too tired and too emotional to teach.

The full moon was coming tomorrow night.

Sitting at his desk after the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had fled, he did not relax his control, exactly, he just closed his blacker than ever eyes and focused on finding out what was wrong.

Deep inside, It, had been quiet almost nonexistent. Since Voldemort's touch he hadn't heard from It, at all. 'Not even the usual warnings about people behind me, or some disaster about to happen. I have grown dependant on It. My very reputation is based on the warnings and hints It gives me… what will I do once It is gone?'

Despair, resignation, a warning that would go unheard and unheeded but was told anyway, *You will no longer represent an unattainable thing for the Dark Lord to lust after. You will be cast aside as you cast me aside.*

The inner voice was weak and projected feelings more than the actual words it usually used, but Snape understood.

Longing for something that would never be granted, and acceptance of the hopelessness of asking again, *Please… all I desire is to end this struggle. Can you really think you will be better off… without me? Have you been better so far?*

~

Late for lunch, Snape tried to ignore the soreness in his stomach muscles. He hadn't exactly thrown up, there hadn't been anything after the first few heaves, but then he had taken the Plastijuice and gotten sick all over again.

He almost froze when he saw her there, sitting one seat from the end of the table. 'Saving me the seat furthest from anyone else.' He gratefully took the place she had reserved for him and sent her a look of thanks with his black eyes.

Amazingly, his stomach was not rejecting the food today. He didn't feel in top condition by any means but he wasn't rushing out to find a safe place to vomit until he passed out.

"The light is bothering your eyes." She did not turn to face him as she spoke. She didn't even slow the spoon of chicken broth on its way to her mouth.

"I've been in the dungeons all day," he winced slightly and looked away from the cloudless sky that the ceiling showed.

"And it is quite bright in here," she took a sip of wine from a goblet that looked exactly like his. "In class, Miss Granger felt the need to correct me for calling it the Dark Arts."

He caught the sparkle of her ebony eyes as she glanced at him, "You didn't," he whispered back while taking a bite of his roll.

@---'---,-----------------

As usual, no one heard Neville when he asked for the salt.

"I can't decide which would be worse," Ron said with another glance at the Head Table, "The idea that they're related or the idea that there could be more than one Snape out there."

Because of their, more than obvious, similarities in look and temperament most students believed the rumors that the Co-Heads of Slytherin were in fact cousins.

"Ron," Neville spoke a little louder and tried to get the redhead's attention, "Ron the salt, beside your elbow, can I have it plea-"

"What?"

Ron finally heard him, but then turned and knocked the salt to the floor. "Never mind," Neville sighed and pushed his chair back to try and see where the shaker had gone. Aidan made a joke and Ron turned to laugh with him, kicking the salt shaker as he did so. 'Great, I can't get the salt while it's under some Ravenclaw's chair.' Briefly he contemplated using his wand to Accio it over, 'But it would be my luck to explode that on accident.' Which brought to mind the strange talk he had had that morning with the guy that was impersonating Professor Snape, 'But the Headmaster and Professor Lupin and Professor Moody and Harry, Ron and Hermione, just about everyone knows about it, so is it really an impersonation?'

A few girls gave him funny, nerve wracking, looks like the one Hermione had given him the day before. No one mentioned the gloves he wore, Seamus made sure they all knew about the gift from his grandmother.

Care of magical creatures went pretty well. Neville had what Professor Hagrid called, a way wit them critters. Or at least he had suddenly developed it over the resent summer break.

~

Friday morning Neville was not woken by Professor Lupin, the Werewolf would be in no condition to do much more than sleep today. Instead a small, yet very annoying, tone sounded in his ear. A charm had successfully been put on his pillow the night before. 'After the first four started to squawk. Stupid down-feather pillows.'

By special order he had not taken off his gloves since that first lesson. Not to put on other gloves for Potions or Care of Magical Creatures, 'Or for a shower or to sleep or anything, just like he said'

Without tripping on Ron's new (first hand new at that) broom. Which he insisted some Slytherin would jinx if given the chance. And they most likely would have too, but he only let it out of sight to attend classes or meals.

Shaking his head at the Quidditch obsession that most of his housemates had, Neville opened and closed the portrait so softly that the Fat Lady only stirred slightly in her sleep. With the Daily Prophet claiming that Sirius Black had been sighted in Jamaica two days ago, no one was overly concerned about safety.

'Except Filch,' Neville had stifled a laugh, but not well enough. The creepy Keeper of the Keys seemed to jump out of thin air like a House Elf.

"An' What 'ud we 'ave 'ere my Sweet? A nice little Gryffindor out a'fore curfew is up?" Filch took in the bit of clothing that the open neck of Neville's half-closed robe allowed. "So," he grinned like a skull, "Yer the one 'e tol' me ta watch fer? Well better ta get along then, 'e don't wait patient like."

Mrs. Norris kept running ahead then back to Filch's side, Neville almost trampled on her tail during one pass. Filch grabbed his shoulder and jerked him to the side so that his foot just missed.

With two escorts Neville made it to the right room by a rout he had not known and probably wouldn't find again.

As before, Professor Lupin was sitting near the door watching, a good deal more tired than he had been the day before, but still watchful. The woman with Blue eyes who seemed to fill in for Professor Moody sometimes was standing inside the barrier around the mat.

"Mister Longbottom," the man with the blue eyes had been leaning against the wall beside the door. At his soft, greeting, Neville jumped.

"Sir," he said turning to face the man.

He stepped away from the wall. Heading toward the mat he called back, "You can call me Snape you know, it doesn't matter as much as you think it does."

They started the lesson quickly. The woman, who said that he could call her Professor Moody, walked in slow laps across the mat. Neville alternately tried to shoot bolts, block her own shots or interrupt his charge before it could be sent.

"Now try a water charge," the other Snape said. He was sounding tired, like this was hard on him.

Neville tried thinking water while building a charge, but it came out as a bright orange flame. He tried willing it to be water, tried changing his stance and then his hand movement. Nothing worked.

"It is water," came his instructor's quiet explanation. "It doesn't need to change, you can't change it anyway. It just is water."

"what do you mean?" Neville was sweating and tired from trying so hard, "It's a fire. How is it water?"

"You blocked Mister Malfoy's hex, do you remember how?"

It suddenly made sense, 'But could it really be that simple? It just is…' Neville took a deep breath and raised his right hand toward the woman. 'Well, if it already is, then I can't go wrong.' The recoil knocked him flat on his back.

Opening his eyes slowly the first thing he saw was the man standing at his head and looking straight down at him.

"A water charge is less dangerous to others than a fire charge. For obvious reasons. It also has more recoil, you need to work on your footing. Breakfast begins in five minutes, don't be late for Potions." Neville blinked and he was gone. Pushing himself up with an elbow he just glimpsed Professor Lupin heading out the door with the other man.

"Get dressed, get your breakfast, get to Potions don't kill anyone." The woman said. She threw him his robe and followed the two who had just left.

~

Sirius Black opened his door and smiled, "I've already put away my wand, I'm wearing a heavy robe, and a lighter layer underneath, I'm done eating and I think I'm ready now."

The female raised one brow at this announcement but stepped aside and let Black lead the way down the hall and into the main corridor.

"Is it really necessary to start this early?" Sirius asked once they were safely in the nonexistent stairwell. 'Apparently she has the ability to open it too.' The blue shine from her eyes seemed to catch only the next step and the bit of wall closest to Sirius' shoulder.

"At this time of year the moon rises before the sun has set," the female quietly answered Black's question. " The lack of congruency between the time when the sun sets and the moon rises makes the shift more… problematic. We need to start early or he will not be able to cooperate."

Sirius tried to shake off the deja vu sensation. After a few more steps the female reached around him and opened a door. 'She opened it sooner than the male did when I fell. I know it's Magic, but what kind of Magic is it that makes the whole place respond to them like this?'

The lab was cold; Sirius was prepared this time and he silently congratulated himself. Remus was already, obviously, not in a good mood. Sirius cautiously took the stool that had been set aside for his use. 'Right beside the slab. Where I'm within easy reach of an increasingly aggressive Werewolf…'

This was the worst part. The part he had not been able to stomach when they were kids. Seeing Remus loose his mind. He wasn't really worried for his own safety, 'But what if, this time, Remus can't find his way back? It happens sometimes. A Were who's gone through a particularly bad shift. Sometimes they just, can't find their way back from the wild that takes over.'

The male had been saying something to Remus, but stopped when Sirius and the female entered. Lupin seemed inclined to pursue it though.

"So," Remus' voice was harsh and there was a gleam to his amber eyes that brought to mind the old legends of Moon Madness. "Does Snape know you're screwing her too?"