Disclaimer: I make no claim on J.K. Rowling's characters: they are hers and hers alone.

Author's Note: Welcome back to Hogsmeade, ladies and gentlemen. I know I've missed it. And no offense to Lucas, but the magical England is much more exciting than Muggle America. Anyway, continue to read and review, but don't stop there! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell anyone! I'm the typical author, I require having my ego boosted at all times. And now, the story continues... with Snape!

Addendum: Sorry this took me so long and that it's so short. It's really background and filler stuff... and for that I apologize. Personal dramas and all that have kept me preoccupied. But I promise to be more prompt on the next chapter. So don't lose faith!

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Because he was accustomed to traveling by Portkey, Severus Snape arrived in the garden of the cottage in Hogsmeade smoothly and calmly. He watched as Andromeda Hellsing stumbled and fell to her knees amid a riotous flowerbed, throwing her hands out to slow her momentum. He resisted the instinct to step forward and help her to her feet—she, much like her formerly intended, had always been proud. She'd rather be on her knees in the dirt than accept help from anyone, he thought. And though he would never, never admit it, this was one thing he had once admired about her.

Severus Snape had his own brand of pride that had been instilled in him in his earliest formative years. Having a highbrow Pureblood father had that result more often than not. And because of this feature he found himself harder than most to impress. It was a trait he enjoyed possessing: it made him a more discriminatory teacher, and as a result his highest-level Potions classes were filled with only the best and brightest. He might not be universally liked—or liked at all, for that matter, but that was merely a technicality—but no one could deny him his intelligence or his teaching ability.

He first noticed his impossibly high standards as a young man attending Hogwarts. Because of his mother's influence in his upbringing, he would never challenge or belittle a professor in front of them—nevertheless, he found himself regarding nearly all his instructors as imbecilic at best. He had outstripped his own Potions master by the age of thirteen, and had to fight to keep this quiet victory to himself. This caused him to view most—though not all—of his professors with a certain amount of disdain.

His one teacher he did maintain a degree of respect towards was Minerva McGonagall: he had never liked nor wanted to excel in Transfiguration, but he knew enough of the basic premise to do passably well. Of course, passable work in a talented student was not acceptable to McGonagall. He would still remember the hot, angry embarrassment and shame that had filled him for weeks as one day—when he was half-attempting to turn a beetle into a coat button—she held him after class and gave him the most thorough tongue lashing he had ever experienced. She told him how shameful it was for him to deny his natural abilities simply because he didn't like the class. He glowered at her for weeks after that, bordering on rude whenever she questioned him in class... but he forced himself to improve. And as the years went by and his ability in Transfiguration shot up ten thousand fold, he put away the childhood resentment and allowed himself to admire her—a fact he kept to himself, of course, now that they were colleagues.

Then there was, of course, Dumbledore.

The Dark Lord loathed Albus Dumbledore, and his followers were expected to follow suit. This was easy for Severus, initially, as the bane of his existence, James Potter, had made his way into Dumbledore's good graces early and was widely acknowledged as one of the Headmaster's favourites. The umbrage came quickly, and was easily cultivated. But no longer. He could hold no grudge against Dumbledore. Dumbledore gave people second chances—even people like Severus who might not have entirely deserved them. And for that, Severus honored him.

The expectation that everyone should be as naturally talented and well schooled as himself also kept young Severus from making any variety of friends. True, he had his housemates—who he believed associated with him only because he was Pureblood, and such was the thing to do—but it was over the course of the years that he grew to disdain them as well. And so it was to his intense surprise that he found himself impressed by the magical abilities of two young witches, neither of whom was even in his house—one of whom who wasn't even Pureblood! But he noticed it in his second year at Hogwarts, and the feeling had only grown throughout his schooling.

One of them was Lily Evans, Mudblood and teacher's pet as the other Slytherins sneeringly commented. And the other—she who sullied her name by befriending such a disgrace to the wizarding world—was Andromeda Hellsing, also called Ani.

Lily Evans was just short of perfection. Even before he could fully appreciate the female form, Severus noticed this about her. She was, unchallenged, the most beautiful witch Hogwarts may have ever seen. (After her death, Severus would think to himself that it was a pity Lily had never had a female child who could inherit her beauty.) And, despite her unfortunate upbringing, she had pure talent coursing through her veins. He never thought this about any other Muggle born student, but Severus knew that Lily deserved to be schooled at Hogwarts. But despite this talent and beauty that she possessed, Severus could not openly admire or befriend her. It just wasn't done as such. She was beneath him; he was her superior. And so even before she had taken up with the despised James Potter and his sycophants, Severus had gone out of his way to bury his secret admiration of her.

Ani, however, was another story.

Severus had no reason to dislike Ani Hellsing. Before an incident in their fifth year that brought about Ani's distaste for him, Severus and Ani had never been enemies. Certainly he had been warned against her—Sinistrus Snape had nothing but contempt for the Hellsing family, who had raised their children as Muggles until they were old enough to understand and cultivate their powers. But Cephas Hellsing was a respected Ministry of Magic member, as was Sinistrus, and so Severus and Ani had often intermingled outside of Hogwarts. She may not have had her best friend's raw talent, but she had something else, something Severus had to acknowledge along with everyone else. Ani had the power to be great. It was the natural gift of her pristine bloodlines and her innate ability to learn, and so while she had her struggles, she was always a top student. And while Lily's natural talent had earned Severus' quiet esteem, Ani's thirst to become her best was what earned his approval.

Of course, he thought now, watching her struggle to her feet, that was before she made the mistake of consorting with Sirius Black.

After Sinistrus Snape had died and the somewhat older Severus no longer feared his father's reproval, he knew that Ani Hellsing would have made a good, solid choice for a wife for any wizard. She was talented, Pureblooded, intelligent and as loyal as her Gryffindor placement suggested—had circumstances been different, Severus might have thought of courting her. He had no romantic feelings towards her; he really had no romantic feelings towards anyone. But not only was she socially acceptable, he also had a degree of genuine respect for her: what more could one ask for in a wife?

However, Severus had no illusions. There were, of course, circumstances. And Severus knew that the minute the castle started buzzing about seeing Black and Hellsing holding hands in the corridors that he never stood a chance.

He had never liked Sirius Black. Besides Black's determination to make his life hell, he was also arrogant and thoughtless, and had a natural talent in almost everything that needed no honing. What was worst was that he knew this, knew he was talented, knew he didn't have to work at it, knew that he was handsome and charismatic and milked this fact for all it was worth. Yes, Snape despised Black. And when Ani went to his side and accepted his proposal of marriage, the respect Severus had for her was dealt a crippling blow. But what made it worse, what cemented Severus' hatred for Sirius Black fully and for eternity, was the betrayal and murder of the former Lily Evans and her husband, James.

Severus knew he was not a kind man. He knew he was not a gentle man. But he prided himself, after all those years, on being a just man. A man who, despite all his flaws and failings, upheld personal decency and believed in the reward of the righteous. Black, in his mind, was exactly the opposite.

Severus never claimed to have been bewitched by the Dark Lord—in fact, it was he who sought Voldemort out, long ago in his youth. But as age took hold of him, he realized that life was not for mortals to mete out as punishment or as reward. For this reason he turned spy against the Death Eaters, those he had once claimed were his only true family, and had joined Dumbledore's order. He had seen the error of his ways, and knew he would spend his life repenting for them. But he thought, nay, hoped, that by turning his cloak he could somehow cease the madness, and perhaps put a stop the senselessness of Voldemort's jihad on those he resented and despised.

But for every cloak that turned, so did another. And not long after Snape had come back to good had Sirius Black betrayed the Potters to Voldemort and murdered Peter Pettigrew and twelve other innocent bystanders. The news was staggering to all, especially those who had thought they were joined with Black against the Dark Lord's work—everyone, that is, except Severus. He felt he should have known sooner.

After Black's betrayal and tiny Harry Potter's staggering and unexpected defeat of the Dark Lord, Dumbledore's order had dispersed. And not long after that, Severus—living in London at the time and working for the Ministry of Magic—learned that Andromeda Hellsing, grief stricken, had fled England. No one had heard from her since.

Over the years, Severus found himself from time to time wondering what had happened to the pretty witch he had once admired, but on the whole, he didn't trouble himself with it. It was not until the murderer Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban prison that he found out the truth when Dumbledore, fearing for the life of one of his own, had informed him of Ani's whereabouts and given him the task of retrieving her

Living as a Muggle that whole time, Severus had thought as he prepared to make for America. The idea of it made him curl his lip in disgust. I don't care how stricken she was—there is nothing worth denying your people. The last traces of his respect for Ani Hellsing had vanished at that, and now he watched her turn to him, her face livid, with the familiar flooding of distaste in his veins.

Pushing his memories to the side, he lifted his wand to levitate her trunk into the house. "Come," he instructed her. "This is where you will be staying. Dumbledore has had it furnished for you. You will stay here until the murderer is caught."

He was about to turn to move into the house when Ani stalked toward him. He was suddenly and forcibly reminded of a tigress with bloodlust in her eyes.

He should have moved, should have done something. Instead, he just stood there as Ani charged towards him and, with all the strength of her tiny body, slapped him across the face.

---

I'll kill him.

She lunged again. Angry, bloody welts rose where her fingernails had raked Snape's doughy skin and she wanted nothing more than to hit him again and again until the blood poured down his face like the tears streaming off of hers. But before she could reach him a second time a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist while a second encircled her shoulders and pulled her away from her victim.

"Let me go!" she shouted, struggling against the firm hold, her shoulders straining against her captor's forearms.

"I'll do no such thing," a maddeningly calm voice replied. The familiarity made her blood boil.

"Remus Lupin, if you don't take your hands off of me in the next two seconds I'm going to take your wand and shove it up your ass!" Ani snapped.

Snape made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks," he quipped. He pulled a dingy handkerchief from his pocket and calmly dabbed at the blood on his face. He turned disdainful eyes onto the two others before him, watching Ani struggle fruitlessly against Lupin's hold. "It seems that your concern is ill spent, Lupin," Snape remarked acidly. "Such manners; not two seconds here and she's already striking and swearing."

Lupin's fingers tightened on Ani's shoulder, but otherwise he made no motion. "Thank you for retrieving her, Severus," he said, and though Ani couldn't see him she could almost hear his jaw clench. "Ani, if you'll calm down for a few moments I'll try to explain what's going on to you."

She checked her urge to physically lash out again and instead focused her energy on staying perfectly still. "I have personally had enough of your explanations," she answered, hoping her voice wasn't shaking as badly as her heart was pounding. Her fingers, trembling with rage, wiped away her tears as she tried to collect herself. "So if you'll kindly let me go, I will go up to the castle and ask Dumbledore what, exactly, he thinks he is doing."

"The Headmaster is out on very important business, Miss Hellsing," Snape informed her, "which is why I was sent in his place to retrieve you."

Ani bit down and heard her teeth groan against the pressure. "Fine," she spat through her teeth. She turned on her heel and gave Lupin a hard, quick shove in the chest. Unawares, he stumbled backwards, releasing her as he went. She stalked towards the gate that separated the cottage from the path to the village, which was growing quietly busy under the midmorning sun.

She heard Lupin's footsteps behind her before he reached her and so managed to yank her arm away before he could grab her wrist. "Ani, where do you think you're going?" Lupin asked her, a jab of impatience in his tone. "You can't go off by yourself, that's the whole reason you're here."

"I'm going to the Three Broomsticks, and I am going to take the Floo to my brother's house in Salisbury," she answered him, "though why it's any of your business I can't really see."

He grabbed her wrist and jerked her around to face him. Ani, vaguely surprised at this display, tried to hide the face as she glowered up at him. His eyes were shards of broken glass, but otherwise his face showed no sign of his anger. Lupin always was good at keeping himself in check, she reminded herself.

"In case you have yet to notice, there are many people who are quite concerned about your safety," Lupin informed her tersely. "And despite your childishness, I happen to be one of them. That's why it's my business, and I'll thank you to remember that."

"You can save your concern," Ani retorted. "It's wasted on me."

"I'm beginning to agree with you," Lupin spat back. "Be that as it may, however, the damage is done and you are here under my and Dumbledore's protection. And no matter how much of an adult you might believe you are, when it comes to Sirius Black you are as defenseless as a child." He cleared his throat. "I recognize the fact that you have no wish to be associated with your powers anymore. I don't intend on changing your mind. However, I should think you could swallow whatever block you have against it and be prudent. Carrying your wand again, even out of practice, could gain you precious time should you be cornered by Black."

Ani forced a snappish laugh. "My wand, oh that's a joke. I rid myself of it years ago—snapped it in half and good riddance."

She could tell by his face that Lupin bought the lie, and felt a swoop of shame in her stomach. All's fair in love and quarrels, she thought.

"Then I am even more convinced that you should not be out alone." He pulled out his own wand and pointed it at Ani's foot.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Ani demanded.

"Protecting you," Lupin answered. "Advigilo!"

A glistening silver band shot out of the tip of Lupin's wand and wrapped itself around Ani's ankle. She felt the slight weight of it and shot her eyes to Lupin's face in disbelief. "Did you just bind me to the house?!" she shouted.

Without waiting for an answer she pushed for the gate and found herself repelled from it upon her approach as surely as if she'd walked into a wall. "This is insane!" Ani screamed, throwing herself against the warding. "I'm not a fucking child, Lupin!"

"Ani, listen," Lupin attempted, but she swung at him as soon as he approached. She was out of control, off balance, fighting back her frustrated tears. Lupin stepped out of her reach and gave her a quietly appraising look. "You're obviously too upset to discuss this rationally," he commented, "and so I think it would be best if I left you."

"Good!" Ani snapped, stalking past him towards the cottage again. "I can't stand the sight of you anyway!"

The moment the words were out of her mouth she regretted them—like it or not, Lupin was the only way she had right now to get in contact with her brother. And angry though she was with him, more than anything she did not want to be alone in this house. She turned to call him back, to tell him she hadn't really meant it... but he had gone.

---

In his steadily emptying apartment, Remus steadied himself against a wall, drawing in slow deep breaths. The hatred in her voice! The disgust on her face! Initially, when she was angry, he could have understood. But now there was too much honesty to ignore.

"She hates me," he said aloud.

The words hurt more than he would ever be willing to admit.