A/N: It's been a while. I've had to revamp the direction of this story a bit seeing as Snape is actually evil. Who would have guessed, eh? Anyway, here's a little bit for Cat who was so kind as to review the last chapter. Thank you so much. Let's hope it gets my creative juices flowing again.

Poor Choicemakers, You and I

"What do you want out of life, Sev?"

The two seventh-year students were sitting at the very edge of the school grounds, in the shade of the trees of the Forbidden Forest. They hadn't planned it as a picnic, Severus hated that sort of smarmy concept, but Phoenyx had brought some cheese and apples stolen from the kitchens anyway. It was a habit of hers. No doubt she would lose interest in the food soon and would attempt to transfigure it into water voles or something else suitably bizarre.

It was an overcast day, but humid. The two friends were both perspiring copiously. Nyx had fashioned a couple of makeshift fans out of sticks, leaves and a bit of magic, but they weren't incredibly helpful. Severus had been watching her carefully out of the corner of his eye. He had noticed that recently she had seemed several shades more twitchy than usual, and much more intense, even for her. It would have been a stretch to say that he was worried about his harpy friend. Rather, he was mostly wary of her.

"Well?"

Returning his attention to the conversation at hand, Severus pondered the question.

After some consideration he replied, "I want respect."

Phoenyx cocked her head to the side, a secret smile playing on her lips.

"Nothing else?" she asked.

Severus shrugged. "Whatever else respect comes with, that's what I'll take." He paused, unsure if he wanted to ask the next expected question.

"And you?"

Her reply surprised him, to say the least. She didn't even take a moment to consider.

"I want to go home, someday."

Severus furrowed his brow. "But you're going home next year, are you not?"

Nyx rubbed her left arm absentmindedly and shrugged.

"Theoretically yes, but it won't happen. I can feel it."

There was more hiding in her tone, but she didn't continue and Severus didn't ask. Her unspoken words hung in the air between them like a vapor. Thoughts turned to steam to be blown away by the breeze.

Phoenyx twitched a wing. It was her undamaged one, the other still practically mummified in all its bandages. Last spring, she'd shattered almost every bone in her left wing when she'd fallen from the North Turret. The bones still hadn't healed properly. She'd never told Severus how the accident had happened. Dumbledore had spoken to her shortly after she'd regained consciousness after the accident. As far as anyone was concerned, only the Headmaster knew what the circumstances had been. And no doubt Nyx had lied to him too.

She was sure that she would never fly again.

It was something they had in common.

Severus turned his gaze away from his friend. He could feel a wall building up between the two of them. It had been steadily growing thicker since the beginning of their final school year. Perhaps it was inevitable. They'd never really been all that close, preferring to communicate vaguely through actions rather than words. Neither one was really sure what it meant to be a friend to someone. They went through the proper motions, all the while drifting further and further apart.

It was Nyx who broke the awkward silence. She always did, in those days.

"So tell me! What did Tom say about your potions?"

Severus shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

"He said that they showed promise."

Phoenyx clapped her hands happily. "That's wonderful, Sev! That's high praise right there!"

Severus shrugged again, hiding his pride. Phoenyx was always singing Tom's praises, but she did have a point. He was Head Boy after all.

"Is he interested then?"

Severus didn't answer. He just turned to Nyx and nodded slowly. His friend let out a joyful cry and hugged him tightly around the neck.

"You'll see," she said. "This is just the first step. Things can only get better for you now."

She pulled back and winked. "It's all about building alliances."

She'd been right.

&&&

But not in the way she'd hoped.

These were Severus' thoughts as he watched his old companion ready herself for flight. Oh, she had regained the use of both her wings. It had been her reward for her first successful assignment as a Death Eater. In return for her mended wing, a young but meddlesome auror and his new family had died asleep in their beds.

Both she and Severus had worked on that job together. Severus employing his considerable talents as a spy to scope out the territory, and Nyx doing the dirty work.

Snape wondered to himself if he felt sorry for his part in that event. Not really. He'd done far worse since then, and it hadn't been the turning point for him. It was just when he realized that he had turned already.

Stretching out her wings beside her, Phoenyx shot Severus a somewhat familiar whimsical look.

"Do you ever think about how things might have been different, Sev?"

"It's too late, Phoenyx," he replied shortly. "The Dark Lord is dead."

She narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "But we're not. Is that what's bothering you?"

"You're not welcome here, Phoenyx. Go."

"Of course."

The harpy looked up to the sky and gave a great heave with her wings. She had checked and had found no traces of magical activity in the area. The searchers had moved on for now. Before she took flight, Phoenyx hovered in the air above Severus.

"You can't run, you know."

Severus' face remained impassive and unreadable.

"Bloody hell, neither can I really," she continued. "But that doesn't mean I won't try."

And she was gone, flying low and fast over the English countryside.

&&&

By morning, she was in the custody of the Ministry of Magic's aurors, having been stunned by vigilantes somewhere over Edinburgh. Reports of her capture were splayed all across the Daily Prophet:

ASSASSIN DOWN: MINISTRY CATCHES DANGEROUS YOU-KNOW-WHO OPERATIVE!

Further down on the page, underneath the exclusive photographs of the irritated-looking pixie, the article mentioned that her trial was going to be held the coming Tuesday. But Severus already knew that. He'd already received his summons by owl.

He was to act as witness against her.

A/N: You know the drill. Push the purple button, tell me what you think, I update sometime this century. Have a good night (or day).