I realize that Snape is rather OoC but hey. :-) Oh, and of course I don't own any of the characters, I just toy with them. Enjoy. And don't forget to review. ;-)

When Minerva turned around, she gave a small cry of relief.

"Severus, are you mad? You gave us quite a scare." Unknowingly, Minerva had clutched her wand tightly, holding it up in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Min. That wasn't my intention." Severus said softly. He could see that Minerva was quite scared. And he saw the scars that Umbridge had given her with the stunners. He stared at them for a moment until Harry cleared his throat.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked. Severus tore his gaze away from Minerva, who covered herself quickly with a towel. It wasn't that Severus hadn't seen her in her swimsuit before but she knew that he was upset about the scars.

"Yeah, I am." Severus looked at Harry, a bit amazed that the boy – the young man – seemed to care about his well-being so much. But then again, they had gotten to get along these last weeks, and though Severus only grudgingly admitted it, Harry wasn't that bad. He wasn't like James. And he felt that Harry had come to a new respect for the man he had hated for so long.

"How was the meeting?" Minerva had draped the towel around her slender frame and stepped next to Severus, putting her hand on his arm.

"It was okay. We just got some instructions. Apparently, the ministry had planned some raids for tonight, and Voldemort wasn't willing to risk any of his death eaters caught. Just wonder why he's suddenly so thoughtful about their well-being," he commented dryly. He would have to report the details of the meeting with Voldemort to Albus later on.

"Do you want to swim with us?" Hermione asked. She, too, had noticed that the potions master wasn't that bad if one just got to know him a bit better. He was still rather moody but he wasn't cruel to them anymore.

"No, thanks. I think I'll just go back to the house and get myself a cup of tea or something." Severus even tried to smile at Hermione. The insufferable know-it-all had turned out quite okay too, much to his surprise. But then again, he had always suspected that the girl just had to be quite nice, otherwise Minerva wouldn't have to be so taken with her.

"I'll go with you." Minerva said quickly and gathered her belongings. "You three enjoy yourselves." She smiled at the trio and waved goodbye to them.

Linking her arm with Severus', she looked at the young man. He seemed pensive today. Not that that was unusual for him, but today it was just different.

When they arrived at the house, Severus headed in the direction of the kitchen while Minerva hurried upstairs to change. The table was set for two, with tea and cookies, when she entered the kitchen.

"I thought you might like some tea too." Severus pulled a chair out for her, and Minerva sat down.

"Yes thank you." She smiled at the young man who sat down next to her. "So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Or do I have to tickle it out of you?"

Severus gave her a mock-annoyed look. But he knew it wouldn't do to keep anything from Minerva, so he could tell her right away. That would be better for both of them. He knew how persistent she could be when she sensed that something was wrong with him.

"It's just… I've never realized just how much Umbridge and her puppets hurt you. These scars…" his voice trailed of, and he kept his gaze down. "I've just never really realized how close I had come to losing you." Finally he looked at Minerva, and she could see that he had tears in his eyes.

"Severus… don't. Don't even think of that possibility." Minerva reached out and drew the young man into a tight embrace. Whispering words of comfort, she stroked his back and rocked him gently while he cried. Severus wasn't one to cry easily, Minerva knew that; but since she and Albus were the closest thing to a family he had, that realization was quite a shock to him.

Regaining his composure, Severus pulled away from Minerva and wiped away his tears.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

"What for? For showing that you care for me?" Minerva caressed his cheek. "You can't fool me, Severus Snape. I know that you do care for people, though you want to make everyone believe that's not the case."

"I know." Gratefully Severus took Minerva's hand and squeezed it gently. "And thanks."

"Not for that, dear boy, not for that. You know that I'll be always there for you, when you need me."

"I know, Min." Severus sighed. It had been difficult for him to accept that there was someone who saw right through his icy exterior, right into his heart. But Minerva had known him for so long, she had held him when his parents had died and his aunt had rejected him. She and Albus had celebrated with him when he had finished Hogwarts and graduated from university after his potions studies. They had suffered with him when he had been fooled to join Voldemort's ranks, and they had been the first ones to welcome him back to the light side. And they had helped him getting the job at Hogwarts. He was eternally grateful to them, and seeing Minerva's scars had unsettled him greatly. She was like the mother he had never really had – even when his birth mother was still alive she hadn't really loved her son. And Albus had always been a father figure for Severus. When they had taken over the care for Severus, they had given him all the love he had never known. Now there was Harry, and for the first time in his life, Severus could understand how the boy must feel.

"And I think it's great that you finally convinced Albus to let Harry stay here. I don't know his relatives but it sounds awful, from what I've heard about them." Severus nearly grinned.

"I'm glad you think like that, Severus. He's a good boy. It's really a pity the two of you had such a bad start." Minerva took a cookie chewed it pensively.

"Well, I guess we still have to work on our relationship but I think it has already improved greatly. You know, you were right, he really isn't that bad." Severus said with a low chuckle.

"I told you so." Minerva grinned at him.

Chatting lightly, they sat for another hour, waiting for Albus to return from his Order meeting.