A/N: This is a titch shorter than the last chapter, but by the time you get to the end, I don't think you'll care! Enjoy! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

I don't own Harry Potter

The Unexpected

Olivia walked quickly through the streets of London, hurrying back to Diagon Alley. Not for the first time, she was leaving the Auror Academy late. Since the day Moody had reprimanded her for her lack of concentration, she had taken to staying later, working furiously to improve her skills. She was determined to be the best Auror the Ministry had seen since Moody himself. The solitary walks home were the best way for her to put the hard work behind her, to relax enough to sleep peacefully at night.

Even though she had left the Academy for the day, Moody's directives of constant vigilance stayed with her. A sense of uneasiness fell over her, and her eyes swept the street, searching for what was out of place. Her fingers closed around the wand in her pocket, ready to defend herself.

"Show yourself!" she commanded. "Who's there?"

A man stepped out of the shadows to her right. She rounded on him, ready to pull her wand out at the first warning.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you, Olivia."

She narrowed her eyes. "How did you know my name?"

"I was sent to find you," he said, stepping closer. "We knew this is where we would find you."

"Who is 'we'?" Olivia asked warily.

"I'm the only one here," the man replied.

"But you said we," she said, her eyes searching the area behind him, looking for his accomplice.

"Yes, I did. I was referring to my master and I."

Her eyes instantly focused on his face again. "Your master?" she repeated. "Who . . ." Everything clicked in her mind. It was a story she had heard too many times. "Do you mean Voldemort?"

The man flinched. "Yes," he hissed. "And you would do well not to use his name so casually!"

"I'll use whatever name I want to use," Olivia said defiantly. "Why has he sent you to find me? To try to recruit me, like he did my friends?"

"Of course," the man replied. "With your skills as an Auror, you would be a welcome addition to our ranks. The Dark Lord has even considered asking you to be a spy for him."

Olivia laughed. "After you failed with my friends, you honestly thought that I would join you? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Failed with your friends," he repeated with a smile. "If that's what you think, you must not know your friends very well."

"Remus lost his job because he refused you," she snarled. "And if Sirius had wanted to join you, he would have done so years ago. They're the only ones you've approached."

"Far be it from me to correct you."

Olivia waved her hand dismissively. "You and your mates live to lie. We are through. Tell Voldemort that I refuse, and that he's wasting his time with my friends and I. We'll never turn."

"Very well," the Death Eater replied. "But one word of caution: Things aren't always what they seem, and the people who seem trustworthy can't always be trusted." He smiled. "If you ever change your mind . . ." He held out a business card.

Olivia laughed again, and knocked the card out of his hand. "Never."

"As you wish." With a crack, he Disapparated.

Olivia stared at the spot where he had been standing. What had he meant about trusting people? And what had he meant about her friends?

She shook her head. "He was just trying to scare me," she whispered. "None of my friends would ever become Death Eaters. It's impossible!"

She started walking again. This time, her fingers stayed clamped around her wand until she was inside her flat.

Peter listened attentively as an older witch told him about her son, who was in his last year at Hogwarts. He nodded as he placed the items she had purchased into a bag.

"You're sure you didn't know him?" she asked. "He's in Hufflepuff."

"I don't remember him," Peter admitted. "But I'm terrible with names, so I may have known him and just not known his name. Do you have a picture? I may remember his face."

"No, not with me," she said a bit regretfully. "I'll bring one next time I'm in."

"Yes, do," Peter said pleasantly, handing her the bag.

Without warning, a burning pain struck his arm. He sucked in a quick breath of air, and grabbed his arm as the location he was to Apparate to filled his mind.

"Are you all right?" the witch asked.

"Fine," Peter gasped. "I fell off a broomstick when I was little . . . sometimes it still bothers me."

The witch shook her head. "Those old injuries can be the worst. You should put something on that."

"I will right now," Peter replied. "Excuse me . . ."

He stumbled into the empty storeroom, and took a calming breath. Once he felt stable again, he Disapparated.

The Dark Lord sat behind the desk of a richly appointed office. Several other Death Eaters were in the room with him, silently waiting. They all looked up at Peter as he Apparated into the center of the room.

"Ah, Mr. Pettigrew," Voldemort greeted him. "Welcome to my headquarters."

"Your headquarters?" Peter repeated with a slight frown.

"But of course. Every good military operation has a headquarters. Unfortunately, I can't let you see more of it than this room. No one has seen any other part of the building. It would be too much information, and too much of a temptation to sell it to the Ministry."

"I haven't given any information to the Ministry," Peter said defensively.

"Yes, I know," Voldemort said slowly, resting his fingertips together. "But the fact remains that your friends found their way into our meeting a month ago."

"I never said a word to them!" Peter exclaimed, feeling panic take hold of him. "They don't even know that I'm a Death Eater!"

Voldemort looked directly into his eyes, and nodded slowly. "I know that you didn't tell them. It's all clear in your mind. We are still trying to determine how they found us."

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know how they found out, my Lord."

Voldemort waved his hand. "Really, we can leave that topic. It is not the reason I summoned you here."

"Oh?"

"No." Voldemort sat back in his chair. "You have spent a considerable amount of time in my service, and have had knowledge of quite a few plans. Yet, at the same time, you have served Dumbledore."

"I can't leave the Order," Peter said at once. "Everyone will know that something isn't right. It would arouse suspicion."

"I wouldn't expect you to leave the Order. In fact, I am proposing that you keep both memberships. I just want you to make better use of your time with Dumbledore."

"How?"

"I want you to spy for me." He waved his hand to indicate the others in the room. "These are my current spies. When the Aurors took some of my Death Eaters during the meeting last month, they imprisoned several of my most valuable spies. I would like for you to help fill in the gaps their absence has created in my communication system."

"You – you want me to be a spy?"

"Very eloquent, Pettigrew," Voldemort said sarcastically. "But, yes, that is what I am offering."

"Can I think about it?"

"Oh, very well. But I want an answer soon. These games of guilty conscience are wearisome." He narrowed his eyes. "You must commit yourself to our cause, Peter, or be prepared to face the consequences."

"I am committed."

Voldemort nodded. "I expect your answer in three days."

James was getting ready for the seventh year ball. He couldn't find his dress robes. They weren't in the closet where he had left them. Remus floated through the room, and James calmed down. Remus would help him.

"Remus, I can't find my dress robes!" he exclaimed.

"Can't you keep track of your things?" Remus asked.

"We don't have time! Lily's waiting . . . Lily's waiting!"

James was jerked awake. He took a steadying breath. What an odd dream. Maybe working at Hogwarts was finally starting to make him crazy. He blinked, wondering what had awoken him. He rolled over to see if Lily was still sleeping. No, she wasn't even there. She was gone?

"Lil?" he called into the semi-darkness of the room.

A strangled cough was the only response he heard. Frowning, he got out of bed, and walked out of the bedroom. He glanced down the hall, and saw a light peeking out from under the bathroom door. His frown deepened. Lily never turned on the bathroom light at night; she said the light hurt her eyes. He walked quickly down the hall, and tapped on the bathroom door.

"Lil? Are you all right?"

"No."

"I'm coming in, all right?" Without waiting for a reply, he pushed the door open.

Lily was sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her face was streaked with tears and sweat, and her hair was a tangled mess.

"Lil?" James knelt down next to her, and brushed her hair back from her face.

"Remember that flu I had seventh year?"

"Yeah?"

"I think it's back. I swear, James, that was the last time I felt this awful."

"Well, love, one good thing came out of that experience," James smiled.

"Oh, really? Would that have been the part where half the Gryffindors caught it from me?"

James grinned. "I forgot how sarcastic you can be when you're sick. And, no, the good thing wasn't everyone getting sick with you. It was that it made me realize that I love you."

Lily made a face. "You're so sappy, Potter."

He laughed. "Oh, cheer up. Maybe something good will come of this, too."

"I can't see that happening," Lily groaned. "Can you help me up? I want to brush my teeth."

"All right," James agreed, helping her to her feet. "But then you're going back to bed, and you're staying home from work today."

"Sure, Mum," she replied, making a face.

James handed her her toothbrush. "Don't be ridiculous, Lil. There's no way you could go to work like this."

"I suppose you're right," she said. "Minnie will be fine without me for a day." An odd look crossed her face, and she shoved the toothbrush back into James's hand before lunging toward the toilet.

"Maybe more than a day," James said, making a face.

Dumbledore tapped the letter of resignation he had just received against his desk. He had expected that his Potions teacher would be leaving him soon; Professor Dahl had been at Hogwarts longer than Dumbledore himself. He just had never anticipated that it would be in the middle of the year. He didn't have much time to find a replacement for him before the second term began. The Christmas holidays were less than a week away.

Tapping the letter against the desk again, he nodded. It was time. He picked up a quill, and began to compose a letter.

Lily tossed aside the magazine she had been reading, and burrowed down under her afghan. After two days off work, she was bored. She wanted to go back, but her stomach seemed to disagree with that idea. Every time she was convinced that she was cured, she would find herself running to the bathroom again.

She glanced at the clock. James should be home soon. To save her from having to watch him eat while she was sick, he had stayed at Hogwarts for dinner the past two days. Lily suspected that he was secretly excited to be able to eat at the school again.

Two pops sounded, shaking her from her thoughts. She looked up in surprise, wondering who was coming into her house.

"Hey, love," James said cheerfully. "I brought someone to entertain you this evening!"

"Hi, Lils!"

"Olivia!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm so glad to see you! But – I don't know if you should be here. You don't want to catch this flu."

Olivia shrugged, and sat down next to her on the couch. "James lives with you, and he hasn't caught it."

Lily rolled her eyes. "He swears he's immune. I'm actually starting to believe him. This is the second time I've been on death's door with the flu while he stayed completely healthy. It's totally unfair, if you ask me."

"Don't listen to her, Liv!" James called from the kitchen.

Olivia giggled. "So, James tells me you're getting bored?"

"I'm beyond bored," Lily moaned. "I just want to leave the house again! Please, Liv, give me some news from the outside world! You must have something exciting to share!"

James came in with a tea tray, and handed each girl a cup before sitting down. "She's begging for entertainment here, Liv. Can you sing and dance for her?"

Olivia smiled, and took a sip of her tea. "Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you two about."

"What is it?"

"A couple days ago, a Death Eater approached me on my way home from the Academy." Seeing the looks of horror on their faces, she quickly continued. "He didn't attack me! He wanted to recruit me."

"You, too?" James asked. "When will they give up on us?"

"That was my thought, too," Olivia replied. "I asked him why he had come for me after my friends had refused him."

"And?"

"He implied that I was wrong," she frowned. "He said something about not trusting the trustworthy, or something like that."

"How odd," James frowned. "How could you be wrong? The only two who have been approached, aside from you now, are Sirius and Remus, and we all know what happened there."

"I know," Olivia said in exasperation. "It was all so odd! Why would he say that?"

"He was lying," Lily replied. "He was lying to convince you to join him. We're not talking about honorable people here, Liv. They'll stoop to any level to achieve their goals. You know that."

"I know," Olivia said again. She shook her head. "I suppose I'm just upset that they targeted me. Watch out – you two might be next."

James smiled grimly. "We're ready."

"Good." She glanced at Lily, who was toying with her still-full teacup. "You know, you really should see a Healer. You don't look good at all."

Lily smiled. "Thanks, Liv. That was inspirational."

"No, I'm serious! You need to get better!"

"All right. I'll go to a Healer if I don't get better."

"If you don't get better by when?" Olivia pressed.

"Er . . ."

"Tomorrow," Olivia said decisively. "If you're not better in the morning, you go to a Healer."

Lily smiled. "All right, Mum."

"Lils, I'm serious. Promise me that you'll go see a Healer if you're not better in the morning."

"All right! Calm down! I'll go."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Promptly at six, a knock sounded on Dumbledore's office door. He waved his wand to open it, and gave his guest a cheery smile.

"Very punctual, Severus," he said.

"Your letter said the matter was urgent," Snape replied.

"Indeed it is," Dumbledore agreed. "Please, sit down."

Snape took the offered chair silently.

"Severus, allow me to be very direct with you," Dumbledore said, his face completely serious. "I've received notification that our Potions teacher will not be returning after the holidays, and I would like to offer you the position."

Snape's eyebrows shot up so high that they were nearly lost in his hair. "What?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in amusement. "I expected you to be surprised, but you shouldn't be. You were always an exceptional Potions student."

"Yes, but . . . I thought you were opposed to my . . . shall we say, lifestyle choices?"

Dumbledore observed him for a moment before responding. "Severus, if I only surrounded myself with people who thought exactly like me, I would have a very boring group of friends. If I only allowed teachers who thought exactly like me to teach in my school, I would have a school full of boring staff and students. I believe in looking at things from others' points of view." He paused, and gave Snape a grave look. "I also believe in second chances."

"Is this my second chance, then?" Snape asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"No," Dumbledore replied seriously, "this is your opportunity to earn your second chance. If you meet my expectations during the time between now and June, I will ask you to return next year. If not, I will be searching for a new Potions professor. The outcome is entirely up to you and the choices you make for the remainder of the academic year." He sat back in his chair. "Will you accept my offer, Severus?"

Snape looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes," he said at last. "Yes, I will join your staff."

Peter winced as the burning pain stung his arm. He wanted desperately to ignore it, and to carry on with washing the dishes in his mother's kitchen. But even as that thought went through his head, the pain grew stronger. He closed his eyes, and allowed the destination to fill his mind. He placed the last dish in the cupboard with a sigh.

"Mum, I'm going out!" he called.

"So late?" she replied.

"I won't be long," Peter said, praying he was right.

"But . . ." His mother walked into the kitchen with a frown. "You're sure you want to go out so late?"

"I'm sure," Peter nodded.

Before she could protest again, he Disapparated.

He found himself in the same location where he had met with his master three days before. The Dark Lord was once again seated at his desk. This time, he was alone.

"Welcome back, Peter," he said. "I expect you have had sufficient time to consider my proposal."

"Yes," Peter replied.

"And?"

A thousand reasons not to do it flew through his mind.

"Peter?"

"Yes," Peter said. "I'll do it."

"You'll do what?"

"I'll be a spy for you."

Voldemort sat back in his chair, and brought his fingertips together. He surveyed Peter for a moment. "Yes," he said. "Yes, you will be one of my spies. We will need to train you. Await my summons." He smiled his twisted smile. "Your time is coming, Peter. I am sure you will prove yourself valuable to us all."

James looked uncertainly at Lily as he prepared to Disapparate. She gave him a half-hearted smile.

"I'll be fine," she said.

"You'll go to see a Healer?" he asked.

"Yes. I promised both you and Olivia. What more do you need?"

James smiled. "To go with you to prove that you actually did it." He leaned down to kiss her. "Our end of term meeting is tonight, but I'll come home as early as I can. I want to know everything the Healer says."

"Yes, sir," Lily said, kissing him again. "Now get to work before you're late. We have to make sure that one of us isn't in danger of unemployment."

James rolled his eyes. "The Prophet isn't going to sack you for being ill. I think that's illegal."

"Well, this Healer had better get me back to work tomorrow," Lily stated. "Have fun with your students, James."

He smiled. "Thanks, love. I'll see you tonight!"

Once he was gone, Lily pulled herself out of bed. Her fingers shook as she chose clothes for the day. She was already quite sure of what the Healer would tell her – she just wasn't sure what to think about it. Delaying the moment when she would have to react seemed like the easiest thing to do. She took a long, hot shower.

Lily lay as still as death on the Healer's table. She had never felt so nervous in her entire life. Right now her suspicions were still just suspicions, and they would remain that way until Healer Lewis told her otherwise. He didn't seem to be in any hurry as he pointed his wand at her over and over, performing different tests. Oh, why did these Healers have to move so slowly?

Healer Lewis aimed his wand at the chart beside the table, recording all the information it had taken from Lily. He gave her a smile.

"All right, Mrs. Potter, you can sit up now."

Lily smiled back nervously, and slowly raised herself to a sitting position, willing her stomach to stop churning. "Well?" she asked.

He gave her a beaming smile. "Congratulations, Mrs. Potter. You're pregnant!"

Lily stared at him, telling herself not to panic. After all, this was what she had expected to hear. Ever since the first morning she had been sick, she had suspected that this might be the reason. She hadn't let herself say anything to James for fear that she might be right. She was afraid that he might feel the same way she did – that they were far too young to become parents.

"Mrs. Potter? Are you all right?"

Lily focused on the Healer's face. "When?" she asked. "When will the baby be born?"

"Early August," he replied. "Maybe late July. If you'd like, we can do an image right now to get the exact date."

Lily shook her head. She wasn't ready for that yet. An image – an actual picture of the baby – would make it real.

"You want to wait for your husband?"

"Yes," she said. "I want to wait for James to be here for that."

Healer Lewis nodded. "I want to do the image by the end of the month, so you'll need to schedule your appointment before you leave today. After that, I'll need to see you once a month until May, when we'll start increasing your appointments."

Lily nodded, feeling the panic she had been fighting take hold. This was really happening. She was going to be a mother.

"Do you have any questions?"

She shook her head wordlessly.

He handed her a vial of potion. "Take this once a day for a week, and you should be fine in terms of morning sickness. If not, come back and see me."

Lily gave a hollow laugh. "It's far more than 'morning' sickness. I've been sick at all hours of the day and night!"

Healer Lewis smiled sympathetically. "Well, this should cure you of all illness. We want you feeling well again. You need to be strong for the baby."

She nodded. The panic was now firmly in place.

The Healer smiled at the expression on her face. "I take it this was a surprise?"

Lily smiled sheepishly. "Well, it certainly wasn't planned."

His smile broadened. "Don't worry, Lily. The best things in life never are."

"I know you are all anxious to get home to begin celebrating the holiday season, but please bear with me for one more announcement."

James smiled tolerantly. He knew that only respect for Dumbledore had kept the teachers attentive this long. They were all clearly ready to begin "celebrating the holiday season." Judging by the expressions on some faces, a few had already begun their celebrations.

"I'm afraid that I must give you the sad news that Professor Dahl will not be returning to us after the holiday."

Shock rippled through the room. James reminded himself half a second too late to close his mouth. Fortunately, everyone else in the room was in equal disbelief.

"He's leaving his OWL and NEWT students halfway through the year?" Professor Sprout whispered to Professor McGonagall. "You know how difficult the Potions exams are!"

"He says they'd be better off without him," McGonagall whispered back.

"Have you found a replacement for him?" Professor Flitwick asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm glad you asked. I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our teaching staff: Severus Snape."

Snape walked confidently into the room, giving the teachers his usual scowling expression. This time, James didn't even bother to close his mouth.