"Do you suppose he'll show?" Ron sat down beside Harry, grinning in greeting before diving back into his original point. "Snape, I mean. Do you really think he's still alive?"

"Dumbledore sent the owl," Harry answered, nodding up to the front of the office.

Albus was in talks with Minerva and Remus, low-voiced but without the tension that had marked every conversation for the last few weeks. The office seemed bigger somehow - it was easier to breathe, and Harry's mild and annoying claustrophobia didn't even spark.

War had been fought and won; years had passed since Harry's first time in this office. But, despite it all, nothing had changed. Albus seemed older, but at the same time he seemed less weighed down than Harry had ever seen him. Minerva too was quicker to smile suddenly.

"You don't think he's just hoping?"

Harry shook his head. "Snape's alive. I know he is."

"Where did this sudden confidence come from?"

Harry shrugged. He believed his old teacher and the bane of his existence was alive because to believe he was dead and wouldn't come back to witness Harry's triumph was too disappointing to contemplate. Because he wanted to be able to look into those black, hateful eyes and feel victory instead of intimidation. Because he had won this war and Severus Snape had run away.

The door opened, and every eye turned to see - Harry wasn't the only one curious about the missing member of their Order.

Hermione came in, and eyes averted and voices went back to their conversations. She smiled at them as she approached. "No word yet, but if wizards and witches on the street have any vote, he'll be killed today."

"Unfortunately, they don't." Ron slumped in his chair, his spine vanishing with the odd ease of the truly tall. "Not while Fudge is in charge."

"He's gotten better," Hermione argued instantly.

Ron shrugged, looking at his hands.

More arrivals began coming in - Percy Weasley, whose presence still made Ron tense. Tonks, who made him relax again. Kingsley, Mad Eye, Dung. Some new recruits Harry hadn't met formally yet. He watched them come in and shake grave, formal hands with the beaming Albus.

Seats appeared with every new arrival - the inherent magical hospitality of the headmaster's office. Hogwarts, like Albus, was never-changing in the oddest ways.

"Right. I suppose we're most of us here, aren't we?" Albus stood, drawing attention from everyone. "We'll have some late arrivals, but the sooner we get everyone out of here and off to a night of celebration, the better."

"I think there've been quite enough nights of celebration already," Minerva muttered as she followed Albus around to the front of the desk.

The Order took their seats, waiting dutifully.

"Told you he was dead," Ron whispered.

Harry just shook his head. Snape wasn't dead. Albus knew everything, especially the things he couldn't know. He would never have sent Snape an owl if he was dead. Simple as that.

Albus's gaze fell on them for a moment, and his mouth turned up beneath his beard. He cleared his throat and swept his eyes over the room. "Needless to say, good work."

Cheers met that, Ron loudest of all. Harry shot Remus a look, hearing his quieter, more solemn response. Remus had warred with this for years more than he and his friends, and had lost even more than Harry, really. The glow in his eyes was nice to see.

"Yes, yes. Very good. Of course, nothing is over until it ends."

"You'll never tire of cryptic wisdom, Albus," came Tonks's response to that.

"It keeps me young," came the answer. "But in this case, it's the truth. The Prophet says we've won, but Voldemort has escaped defeat in the past. I hope the Ministry will make the right choice and have him executed, but even when the choice is made we're not done. Draco Malfoy is free, Lestrange and his brother. They were unstable enough with the death of Bellatrix. Without Voldemort to keep them in check they will only be worse. They needed the control he brought. They have to be stopped."

His eyes locked on Harry. "Voldemort as well. Captured and warded is not dead. Like as not, the Ministry will not have the resources to kill him. That will fall to us as well."

"Get 'im, Harry!" Dung always managed to sound drunk, even if he wasn't.

Harry frowned.

"It's alright. They'll manage it without you." Ron spoke at his side, low enough that even Hermione didn't hear.

Harry wasn't so sure.

"There is also the matter, long overdue, of properly honoring our fallen. Hagrid was the latest, but there have been others not properly mourned. They need to be celebrated, and their families and friends need to know why they were killed. Their place with us doesn't need to stay secret any longer, and so it shouldn't."

No cheer or snappy answer filled the silence.

But the mood was properly somber to greet the opening of the door. Not a knock was given as warning, and a tall figure strode in, black robes billowing behind him.

"Headmaster."

If not for the voice and the ever-familiar stride, Harry wouldn't have realized who the man was.

Severus Snape had the same glower, the same coldness in his face. But his other tale-tell aspects seemed gone. His long, greasy hair - the source of many a joke for Harry and doubtless years of students - was cut short, swept off his face, and the pure black of it was dotted with gray. He held himself straight and tall, chin in the air, eyes on Dumbledore but doubtless aware of everyone in the room.

Harry blinked, and a moment later he shut a mouth he didn't realize was open.

"Bloody hell," came a mutter from Tonks's area.

"Severus!" Albus smiled, moving to meet the new arrival.

Albus's face, Harry thought, had a familiar expression. Like Remus's when he watched Harry sometimes. Harry thought of it as paternal, though he had no range of experience in that outside of Remus.

"My boy, how good of you to come. I trust you brought Hermes back safely."

"Owlery," Snape answered even as his face softened into something like a smile. He took Albus's outstretched hand and shook.

Minerva was next, as always dogging Albus's steps and holding her own creased hand out to him. "Severus. "

"Minerva." Another faint smile and terse shake.

Harry glanced at Ron and saw an expression that quite suited the way Harry felt. Past Ron Hermione had quite the same look, a fact that made Harry feel slightly better.

"I brought someone." Snape's voice at least had not changed. It was still low, clipped.

"Splendid. Room enough for everyone."

Snape glanced back at the door as two chairs appeared in answer to Albus's words, one a black leather armchair much like the ones Harry remembered from Snape's office, and the other a soft green cushioned seat. Slytherin green?

Irish green. Harry knew he was gaping this time as a man came in, grinning and achingly familiar.

"Merlin's balls!" Ron got out, shooting out of his chair. "Seamus?"

A light laugh greeted that, and indeed it was Seamus Finnigan, a little older but still their old dormmate. "Hullo, Ron, Hermione. Harry." He moved in and greeted Ron with a hug that took the redhead by surprise if his squeak was any indication.

"Seamus! But you're dead!" Hermione went to him, and Harry rose from his chair.

"Vicious lies." Seamus hugged her, and held a hand out to Harry. "It's been a while."

Harry nodded, shaking. "I suppose there's a story behind it."

"Always! I've got a yarn for everything." Seamus released him and beamed towards the middle of the circle. He greeted Minerva as if she were another school chum, pulling her into a hug. "Professor McGonagall! You look fantastic!"

Minerva smiled as she pulled back, her eyes bright. "Mr. Finnigan. We were all stunned by your death. I'm very pleased to be more stunned by your rebirth."

"My pleasure." Seamus laughed. "Hullo, Professor Dumbledore. Hope it's alright that I came along."

"Splendid, my boy." From the look on his face Harry thought that maybe this was one thing that actually had managed to take Dumbledore by surprise. "I'm always glad to take a name off the list of departed students."

Seamus grinned. "I'm just here for Severus, so I'll sit down and be as quiet as humanly possible, and you just pretend I'm not here." He flashed a wave to the others in the room, most of whom he couldn't have known, and brightened when he saw Remus. The green armchair vanished and appeared again beside the werewolf, and he went over happily, sitting down and twisting to chatter at Remus, eyes bright.

Harry's brow furrowed. This was too odd. Snape's appearance and now Seamus Finnigan back from the dead and grinning like it was just another day in the dorms.

"Here for Severus?" Ron muttered a moment later, blatantly staring between the excited blond and Snape. "Bloody hell, and we thought catching You Know Who was the interesting part of all this."

Harry nodded and moved back to his chair, waiting for the meeting to begin again. There was a little too much to compute at once, but Harry knew Albus, so he knew Seamus and Snape both would be staying until the entire story was out.

Snape turned and looked at the empty bergere chair sternly. It vanished and reappeared on Seamus's other side. He strode over and sat without a word, looking around in silent challenge.

No one said anything. Harry saw many faces looking as surprised and almost amused as he felt himself.