"Thank you for your time, Professor. Good afternoon."

It was 2:45 when Minerva left the new Headmistress' office, the same office that Albus had occupied for better than twenty-five years, and she was glad to be leaving. She did not approve of the birds that kept swooping from shelves and chattering noisily. She did not approve of the color scheme that the young Malfoy witch had chosen. She most certainly did not approve of the jungle that the fair-haired woman had coaxed out of the walls and floor, though she did have to admit that she was impressed by it.

And she was marginally impressed by that folder. Such a slender, inconspicuous looking folder, but it seemed that Regalia Malfoy carried an entire filing cabinet's worth of papers in it, and knew precisely where everything was. She was a formidable woman, and even if Minerva didn't like her and didn't approve of her, she had a feeling that she wasn't going to be able to bring herself to disrespect the new Headmistress, if for no other reason than it seemed as though it would be a colossally bad idea.

And what is your primary objection, Minerva? Her age, her beauty, the fact that she's a Malfoy or the fact that she is here to replace Albus? Minerva didn't have an answer for that question, though she knew she was going to need to find one before long. Preferably before classes started. She needed to find the answer and find a way to get around it.

Already, Minerva had two more meetings scheduled with the Headmistress—one on Wednesday morning and another on Thursday afternoon. And Malfoy had intimated that she would want to speak with the four Heads of Houses some time before the end of the week. Perhaps that was why Minerva disliked Regalia Malfoy so much—she seemed to have a great love of scheduling meetings.

Of course, Minerva knew that there were many things that needed discussion, and, as Deputy Headmistress, it was certainly her duty to see that the new Headmistress was aware of all the problems in the school, from discipline issues to disagreements among the staff, from necessary repairs to the temperaments of the various portraits. There was much to be done still in this window of opportunity before the students started pouring in again, and Minerva was fully aware that she would be spending most of her time in the same manner if Albus were still here.

With a sigh, Minerva lifted her bony fingers to her head and massaged at her temples, pausing as she left the spiraling staircase to the Headmistress' office. After a moment's contemplation, she headed, not to her own office and classroom, but downstairs, towards the dungeons. She needed to talk with Severus, to compare notes, to find out what he had discovered that she had not.

Her head was swimming as she made her way down to the dungeons, barely cognizant of passing Rolanda Hooch pacing near the main entrance. And what are you so nervous about? she thought sourly as she watched the flying instructor attempt to wear the floorstones smooth. Of course, Minerva could only imagine—Rolanda had been the instructor in charge when more students had been injured than any other instructor at Hogwarts. Of course, given the subject she taught, that was to be expected; every student at Hogwarts fell off his or her broom at one point or another, and the Quidditch players, well, they were infamous for being injured. It was to be expected. It was to be excused! Rolanda Hooch was a wonderful teacher, caring and compassionate, and if students did fall off their brooms in her class, she was always quick to see the injured student to the hospital wing for treatment. She was well-trained in first aid and crisis management, and, really, it took a certain steel nerve to teach twenty children at a time to fly.

Rolanda Hooch was a wonderful teacher, and Minerva made the silent vow that she would not stand idly aside and see the witch sacked without a damn good reason.

By the time she reached the dungeons, Minerva had worked herself into a regular frenzy, and as she stalked, uninvited and unannounced, into Severus' office, her first words, without preamble, were, "If that bitch fires Rolanda she's going to have me to contend with." This was spoken plaintively enough, apparently, that Severus deigned to raise an eyebrow.

"Is that a concern?" he asked, gesturing sardonically towards the chair that Minerva was already claiming for her own. The Deputy Headmistress' eyes narrowed.

"It is always a concern, Severus, and if I were you I doubt I would be so secure in my future at Hogwarts, either," she replied testily.

A flicker of something, impatience perhaps, or maybe worry, crossed his face momentarily. "Is it an immediate concern?" he asked, this time his voice seeming to carry a bit more of the proper appreciation for the gravity of the situation. "Did she say something to you to prompt such a fierce mother-hen reaction?"

"Well, no. Nothing specific. But if you will remember that Umbridge troll..."

"I remember her quite distinctly, thank you, despite repeated attempts to forget last year all together."

"Then you remember that you were one of the ones she placed on probation, and you haven't much room to be dancing around on the line between gainfully employed and dismissed with no references!"

Severus leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, a defensive posture Minerva recognized from years of working with him. "Indeed?" he asked softly. "If I didn't know better, Minerva, I might think that a threat."

"I'm not saying it isn't," she replied cryptically. "Though I hope you know the threat isn't from me."

For a long moment, Severus was silent, watching her like a crow standing sentinel over a graveyard. A long finger absently traced his lips, a sign that he was thinking, and he regarded her, unblinking and unflinching, with those beetle-like eyes. Trying to read Severus Snape when he did not wish to be read was rather like trying to wade through a marsh wearing velvet slippers-- it could be done, but was seldom worth the effort.

"Is it because she is so young?" he asked finally. "She is barely older than I was when I began teaching. Twenty-five? Twenty-six perhaps?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Severus stood and walked over to his sideboard, taking down a pair of cups, a pot of hot water and a canister of tea leaves. He placed these on the desk, and then retrieved a pair of spoons and a small bowl of sugar. Careful movements, with a feline grace, and Minerva knew he was still thinking. Not waffling over what to say, she was sure, as he never seemed to care if his words lacked tact, but rather a silence as he continued to compile information and assimilate it into knowledge. "I believe you do," he replied finally, sitting again. "You have a reason that you do not like the new Headmistress, and you are digging for reasons to justify it. If she dismisses staff members, you will have found your reason, am I right? But as yet, you simply do not like her."

"And you do." She couldn't quite keep the accusatory tone at bay.

"I have not decided whether or not I like her," he replied neutrally. "And that is immaterial. She is here, and she has the authority to make us miserable, or to make us regret our decisions. She is a formidable woman, Minerva, and whether you like her or not, I advise you to keep in mind that she is not the sort you would want for an enemy."

And since when are you an expert on keeping your personal feelings out of professional relationships? she thought irately. He smirked, and she scowled. "You know I wish you wouldn't do that," she told him icily, and he laughed softly.

"And I could nod and promise not to and you would never know the difference," he replied smoothly.

"You are a man of honor, and I would accept your word on the matter."

He lifted an eyebrow. "You are many things, Minerva, but you are no fool. Don't make such foolish statements."

She knew him to be an honorable man, though, whether he wanted to admit it or not, but there were more crucial discussions for them to be having now. "Is that your official opinion of her, then? She is a formidable woman, and not one you wish for an enemy? Will you be kissing the ground at her feet, then?"

His eyes darkened. "You should know better than that," he replied, his voice colder suddenly. "And I did not suggest that we grovel at her feet. Nor that we indulge her every whim."

"Then what are you suggesting?" she asked.

"Caution," he replied. "And perhaps the benefit of a doubt. I have seen nothing to indicate any animosity on her part as yet, and I would suggest we do nothing to unnecessarily provoke such a reaction."

"Then you think we should ignore her as a threat?" Minerva asked, disbelief evident in her tone.

"Not at all. I think it would behoove us not to alienate her without good reason. You have met with her already, have you not?"

"You know my appointment was directly after yours."

"Then I wonder what was your impression of her."

Minerva snorted softly. "I wondered the same thing of you."

Severus tapped a finger on his desk, then lifted his eyebrows. "I did not detect any particular malice in the encounter," he replied after a moment, his tone carrying a heavy air of concession. "And I believe I was impressed with her. I've yet to decide if I like her, but I do think I am impressed. She has the Malfoy charisma, and I find myself rather wary of that, as I believe I told her more than I intended. I will have to make an effort to exercise more caution in the future. Regardless, though, I think she will be either a powerful ally or a powerful enemy. I think it crucial that we discover where her loyalties lie, in short order."

Minerva nodded thoughtfully at this. If Severus considered someone a powerful ally or enemy, she could not take the assessment lightly, as he, himself, was powerful in either role. "Then shall we tread lightly?"

"We should choose our battles," he replied, sounding a little irritated. "I don't know how many ways I can say that, Minerva-- I believe we should not offer her reasons to be our enemy, and that we remember who she is. Never tickle a sleeping dragon, if you will. If she becomes our enemy, it would be beneficial if it was not a result of our actions."

Minerva sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"I'd almost swear you sound disappointed, Minerva," he commented dryly, and her lips quirked into a momentary smile.

"I was quite prepared to hate her on principle, I must say. Pity you couldn't be swayed to join me."

Severus snorted softly again. "Invite me in a week and I might do that. In fact, invite me this evening, and I might."

Minerva frowned slightly, then nodded. "That's right. You are interviewing for the Defense position again, aren't you?"

"Who told you that?" he snapped, and Minerva held up a forestalling hand.

"Don't lose your temper with me," she retorted. "And remember that as Deputy Headmistress, I do still have access to certain information that is not common knowledge. That, coupled with the fact that she asked you to schedule an additional hour... I'd have to be daft not to reach that conclusion."

"Hrm," he replied non-committally, though she could tell that he was wavering between hopefulness and irritation. For a long moment, she studied him silently.

"Why do you want that position so badly?" she finally asked, and he looked up at her, his face closed tightly as a sealed tomb.

"Because it is the position for which I am most qualified," he replied.

"But the way you teach potions is..."

"Is a separate issue, Minerva."

For a very long moment, she watched him, and then stood, smoothing her robes. "If you are so stubborn with her, I've no doubt that I shall see you storming about the castle in a foul mood tomorrow, then," she told him.

"Excuse me?" Indignation crossed his face, and Minerva smiled triumphantly. She always considered it a personal victory to break Severus Snape's defenses and elicit an honest reaction from him.

"Nothing, Severus," she replied placatingly, and, far from surprisingly, he swept up from his chair and moved to block her exit from his office, his arm across the door. For a man who was so intimidating and surprising, he could be extraordinarily predictable at times.

"No, you meant something by that comment, and I want to know what it is."

She patted his arm and ducked under it, out into the corridor. "Only that it the world would not end if you answered a question directly from time to time. And, if she asks you why you want the Defense position, I hope your answer is a little less off-putting. For heaven's sake, Severus, if you interview like that, it's no wonder your request has never been approved."

She swept back upstairs, leaving him gaping like a fish behind her.


A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! And sorry the chapter is so short. It took me this long to find my way back into the story, but I think I have it again. Thank you for your reviews! They're really the reason I didn't abandon the story all together.