THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS? WHAT?

I would like to do a shout-out to my most recent reviewers! DeeD59, C.C. Baker, KatharineDunLevy, thank you so much. Every review makes me procrastinate at my job more than it ought to, and I appreciate every single one of them.

Please enjoy Chapter Twenty-One.

"I often questioned whether we had done an injustice to you."

Charlie's jaw tightened.

"You were such a brilliant student. Quite promising."

Truthfully, she had wondered when the wizard would arrive.

Six months had passed since she had left Spinner's End. Each knock at the door of her room in the Leaky Cauldron brought suspicion.

"Ms. Fraser, we've been here for an hour and you haven't said a word."

It had taken weeks for Tom to stop calling her 'Mrs. Snape', even after she had thrown the Ministry document at him showing that she had legally returned to her maiden name. Dumbledore used the surname with ease, as though he had practiced it. Perhaps he had been referring to her as such since she left Snape's house.

She glanced down to the tea in front her, now tepid. The tea leaves lay still at the cup's bottom, morphed into something her divination professor would have encouraged her to decipher.

To Charlie, they had always been just tea leaves.

"What would you like me to say?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at her as he smiled, "How are you finding yourself?"

Her lips twitched, "How am I finding myself?"

"Are you well?"

Charlie drummed manicured fingertips into the oiled pub table, staring at the headmaster's twinkling eyes, the calm smile he wore above his white beard. He had arrived in crushed velvet robes in a lavender so pale they were nearly silver, studded with constellation patterns.

In comparison, she had been wearing the same pair of sweatpants – an inherited item from Sirius – for the last four days. Despite Louisa's successful mission to bring her to Faustus, she had not bothered to wash her freshly cut and colored locks since she left the salon, nor had she bothered to send her laundry down with the housekeeper in the last two weeks. Her hair lay precariously piled into a bun that looked less messy than hazardous, and likely had remnants of mascara clinging to the corners of her eyes.

"Do I look well, professor?"

"Albus, dear," the headmaster corrected.

"We aren't friends, professor."

His hand paused as he lifted his own tepid tea, "We are not?"

Charlie's jaw was growing sore. The past hour had been spent grinding her teeth as she precariously attempted to balance between her two worlds.

If Narcissa – who had promised several times to stop by her next time in Diagon Alley with Draco – saw Charlie having tea with Dumbledore, it would reach the far corners of the pureblooded wizarding world before Big Ben struck midnight. On the other hand, shunning Dumbledore and treating him as she would have liked would mean leaving her unguarded and defenseless if the Dark Lord truly were to return at any moment.

Instead, she grit her teeth in silence, her face feeling hot.

"I'm sure that you have heard by now that Severus intends to contest your divorce."

Indeed, she had. After spending the better part of three hours at the Ministry of Magic over the past week attempting to bully her attorney's secretary to forging Snape's signature on the stack of parchment, she had left unsuccessful. Her name change had processed without trouble. Snape – who had been the first to use the word divorce, she reminded herself – had evidently dug his heels in.

"I have."

"May I speak frankly with you, Ms. Fraser?"

Charlie doubted Dumbledore had ever spoken frankly in his lifetime. However, rather than voice this aloud, she jerked her head in a motion that held enough resemblance to a nod.

"I agreed to assist Snape with the Voldemort's prophecy on several conditions, as I know you are aware," the old wizard began softly, "That he turn on Voldemort and begin working for the Order, being the most important. But the other was that he take responsibility for his actions."

A snort escaped her.

"I was not aware at that time that you would be a consequence of his actions, though I had some suspicions based on my conversations with Severus that all was not well. It was not until later I realized the extent of his actions, and the consequences you had been dealt for them."

Her throat had begun to feel tight and uncomfortable. She grabbed her teacup too quickly and swallowed a large gulp of cold tea.

"Ariana – my younger sister – is not someone I discuss often. She was very dear to me. She had an accident, at a young age, and was changed for it. It warped her; you see." Dumbledore looked away from her and stared down at his own half-filled teacup, "I saw so many similarities between you."

"She was an obscurial."

"Yes, she was," Dumbledore smiled, "Though, perhaps in less control. She was not schooled, you see, her trauma occurred at a very young age. My mother didn't want her around other people."

Charlie's fingernails had stilled on the stained table, "You didn't want me around other people, either."

"Habits are terrible things to break, Ms. Fraser."

"What happened to her, then, your sister?"

"She died," Dumbledore was watching her face carefully.

Six months had passed since Charlie had left Spinner's End. In those months, she had diligently kept up with her lessons with Remus. Despite the lack of explosions, her magic for all purposes was grossly stinted. Charlie doubted Remus had kept that information to himself. Her weight was returning to her, leaving her clothes ill-fitting and misshapen. Though Louisa had been pleased with her progress, which Charlie had blamed on Tom's cottage pies and breakfasts, she still felt on edge. At every opportunity, she used her wand for some purpose – summoning a book, turning off the light switch – for fear that at any moment, the hissing whispers and smoke would return.

"Please understand that what I asked of Severus – to marry you and be your guardian – was not done maliciously. I was selfish, I admit, for wanting you to come to the side of the Order should Voldemort ever return. However, I can quite truthfully say it was out of the resemblance you held with my sister."

"You lied to me."

Dumbledore raised a single brow, "In what way, Ms. Fraser?"

"You told me that marrying Snape was best for me in my circumstances. They were never about my circumstances. You wanted to use me for the Order."

A smile crossed his mouth, "I had no intention of using you for the Order, Ms. Fraser."

Charlie blinked, "What?"

"You have been used enough for a lifetime. I – quite simply – did not want you to land in the hands of Voldemort. His interest in obscurials is not unlike other dark wizards of my time. An obscurial in the hands of a dark wizard can only end in death."

"There was no benefit to you, then."

"Perhaps a lack of widespread devastation."

Charlie's mouth tightened, "Then why did you do it?"

The same question she had asked of Severus had only resulted in it being thrown back at her like a rebounded curse. She braced herself for the impact of Dumbledore's words.

"Because he loved you, as much as he is capable of loving anyone. In your own way, you had come to love him as a comrade and confidant. I believed that a marriage between you would begin healing the wounds both of you carry from your time in the war, and that Severus needed to take responsibility for his actions towards you."

He was not wrong, Charlie reminded herself. In her own way, she had come to love Severus. After years of believing him to be her closest ally amidst the Death Eaters, and their friendship both before and after the war, she had come to love the dark-haired wizard. Those feelings had never morphed to anything other than love between friends, until she had entered the house on Spinner's End.

She largely blamed those feelings on his possessiveness. Charlie had never felt wanted before. Her marriage to Regulus was all but arranged on parchment. Sirius had been pleased enough keeping their relationship relatively secretive at Hogwarts. Severus did not have any qualms about being openly possessive with her.

You are mine.

Six months after leaving, those feelings sat in her stomach like an indigestible boulder.

"There is no possibility of reconciliation?"

"No."

The word left her mouth quickly, and her cheeks colored.

Perhaps she was being foolish. Remus had alluded to as much in their last lesson. He had argued that it was pointless to rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron when Spinner's End sat empty during the school term. Arguments had been made that her decision had been too hasty and rushed, and that perhaps she would feel differently later.

Six months had passed, and she felt no different.

"What will you do now?"

Louisa had asked the same of her.

The world lay before her feet, and for the first time, Charlie was unsure of where to place them.

With her stinted, disabled magic she was useless in any field she had gathered NEWT level courses for in her time at Hogwarts. Other positions were barred to her as a former Death Eater. Too few wanted to associate themselves with the losing side of the war.

"I took the liberty and looked through your career advisement sessions with Horace."

Dumbledore fished a large envelope from the pocket of his robes and deposited it on the table before them.

"You did quite well in your coursework, but I believe the obscurus had already begun to fester. Your NEWT results were admirable, but not excellent. Positions that you were interested in upon graduation," Dumbledore opened the folder and looked at a large piece of yellowed parchment, "Mostly relative to potion-making and the possibility of reopening your father's apothecary."

"I don't want anything to do with potions."

The smile which crossed the headmaster's face was a sad one, "I understand. In addition to retrieving this file from our archives, I spoke with both Remus and a member of the Order."

Charlie raised a brow.

"Your criminal history will block you from prestigious positions in any fields. However, should you continue to show improvement in your studies with Remus, Alastor is willing to offer you a position with the Ministry, under the condition you continue to work for the Order."

Her eyes narrowed, "Continue to work for the Order? I've never worked for the Order."

"You'll be inducted, of course."

As her mouth opened to begin arguing, the headmaster raised a hand.

"We have done an injustice to you. One that I intend to take responsibility for. It is an open offer, though there is a timeframe in mind, and it comes with stipulations. Please allow me to finish before you insist on declining kind Alastor's offer."

Alastor Moody was anything but kind, she thought, recalling Evan's sprawled body on the Ministry of Magic's lobby floor.

"You will be required to pass examinations and licensing for the position, to take place in six months' time. After which, the Order of the Phoenix will induct you as a member should Voldemort ever return. If my presumptions are correct and he does return, you will spy for the Order among the Death Eaters."

Charlie blinked, "Spy for the Order? You just said your intentions were to keep me from the Dark Lord, not send me running back to his side."

Dumbledore smiled, "You and I both know, Ms. Fraser, that your danger in that regard has passed."

Her eyes narrowed, "It could come back."

"Doubtful, I find. Alastor has assured me that your training will include heavy lessons in Legilimency and Occlumency. You will learn to disassociate from any actions you partake in."

Leaning back in the cracked vinyl bench, Charlie stared at her headmaster. He sat, smiling innocently, his hands still clutched to the career advisory notice Slughorn had written after shouting at her for failing to make up her mind prior to graduation. In truth, by that meeting, her future had already been written to parchment. Walburga had seen to that.

There were no career options available to her, other than perhaps investing the remnants of her inheritance – which had only shrunk over the years – into reopening her father's apothecary. But in the last few months, she had realized that opening the apothecary would simply provide Snape with excuses to come there. Malcolm Fraser's apothecary had been known for carrying the most premium of ingredients, and while Snape was unlikely to purchase those for Hogwarts' stores, he was increasingly likely to purchase them for his own.

Other career options thrown about by Louisa had included becoming a greeter at St. Mungo's, an Obliviator – which despite its ominous title really did not require even NEWT level coursework -, or a librarian. Barnaby Blott still broke out in hives each time he saw her in the shop, his eyes glued to her forearm as though her Dark Mark at any moment was likely to leap from her skin and bite him.

"Well, what is it, then?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled once more, "Alastor has secured a position for you as a Hit Witch."

Charlie was familiar enough with those.

Hit wizards had been the ones to arrest Sirius in the streets of London.

Members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and controlled by the Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic, they were trained to arrest and secure highly dangerous criminals. Hit wizards were not aurors – they were not required to have high NEWT scores and did no specialized tasks – but rather the combative fighting force of the Magical Law Enforcement department.

"I'm not enough of a duelist to be a hit witch, professor."

"We are in disagreement, then. I recall your days in dueling club at Hogwarts, Ms. Fraser. You showed extensive promise. Severus himself discussed with the Order quite often how talented you had become."

"In injuring, maiming, and permanently disfiguring aurors and Order members."

"You'll find there is likely to be little difference."

Charlie's mouth pursed, "When would I have to give him an answer by?"

"You'll be receiving a formal offer by post."

It would have been a lie, Charlie thought quietly, to say she was disinterested. Hit wizards and witches were rarely home and traveled often. It would limit the possibilities of bumping in Severus in London significantly. The pay, as she recalled from Sirius, was quite good. Though it did not come with the same benefits package as an auror, Charlie would never be desperate for money with what was left of her inheritance. She could work and live quite comfortably.

However, the position proposed its own hindrances.

There would be difficulty in explaining it to others in her former circle, and therefore, alienate her from them further.

"You're concerned about the appearances of it, I presume."

Her eyes lifted to meet the headmaster's smiling face, "Of course I am."

"May I propose a suggestion?"

"Permission has never been your strong suit."

Dumbledore laughed quietly, "I'm afraid you are correct in that regard. Alastor and I were both in agreement that this would be difficult to explain to some of your friends. They could see this as a betrayal and endanger your life should the time come when Voldemort returns."

Charlie nodded curtly, "They would."

"It was Alastor's suggestion that you take the same position as Severus. Severus is willing to support this background and advise that it was he who suggested you align yourself closely with the Ministry – and Order members – to be more useful to Voldemort if he returns."

For a moment, Charlie wanted to rise and walk from the table.

She did not want Severus positioning himself of any importance in her future.

Though, she thought, it would be moronic to turn down such an offer.

If her lessons continued improving with Remus, she could be in an acceptable position to begin training in the next six months. It would require more work outside of her typical lesson hours. She would likely need to ask Louisa for assistance. The job would be simple. Charlie doubted it would be any more difficult than the raids she had taken part in as a Death Eater. If anything, she might have an upper hand with her knowledge dark magic.

However, linking herself to Severus in such a way complicated the situation further. It would grow confusing, then, to divorce him but later rely on him for an explanation.

Charlie frowned, "I couldn't divorce him, then, could I?"

"It could make our reasoning look suspicious, I'm afraid."

It would.

Asking Severus to supply an explanation for his ex-wife's sudden interest in the Ministry of Magic – and potentially the Order – without a lengthy amount of time to theoretically supply her with such an idea would be incredibly suspicious. Bellatrix, for one, would never have bought it, and she was perhaps the only Death Eater Charlie truly worried about. Bella had always been able to see straight through her.

Severus would know that.

Snape had dragged out signing her attorney's paperwork because an opportunity lay before him. She had been his meal ticket with the Dark Lord; the reason he had gained such momentum in rising in rank amidst the Death Eaters had been his 'valuable' information.

Something valuable.

Charlie flinched at the words.

"Would I have to live at Spinner's End?"

"I don't see why you would need to. Most of Severus's friends, from my understanding, do not appreciate his choice of residence."

That was certainly an understatement.

She had heard Lucius refer to Snape's house as a 'shit hole' on several occasions, and Lucius was not one to often drop to such crude terms.

"I think a separate living space would be simple enough to provide explanation for, as long as it appeared as though Severus was welcome there."

"Photographs and personal effects, then."

Her voice was flat.

"That would be appropriate."

They sat in silence as the barmaid stopped and refilled their empty teacups. Dumbledore hummed a noise of appreciation as he took the steaming cup in his hands.

"Fine. I'll do it."

There were more benefits to her than there were disadvantages. It would supply her with an easy enough excuse to avoid Snape and provided something to do that would include a healthy supplementary income to her inheritance. If the Dark Lord returned, he would not find it suspicious that she was spending so much time with Order members. In fact, he would likely be appreciative of it. If he were capable of such thoughts, he might think it thoughtful.

The Order would protect her if he didn't.

"But I have my own condition."

"I presumed that you would," Dumbledore folded his hands together upon the pub table.

"I do not want to talk to him – Snape – unless expressly necessary. You will handle everything else."

Dumbledore's expression changed.

For a brief moment, it almost appeared sad.

"You can ask him to send me a box of his personal effects, whatever they are, to make my new home look as though he stays there. But he isn't welcome there. If it is a requirement to uphold our ruse, he can write me letters, but I won't read them. If he wants to stay there and see friends there so it appears we are living together, it will be while I am away."

Charlie recalled Snape's very own words.

When I return home from Hogwarts, I expect to see no inclination that you lived in this house.

This is not a marriage that will develop beyond our arrangement.

There will be no children. There will be no marital relations. I have no expectation of this from you.

"I expect to see no sign of him having been there. It will never develop beyond this point. It will be a marriage on parchment only, with no further stipulations."

Dumbledore's eyes searched her own.

"Is that truly what you wish?"

"Yes, it is."

Her fingers dug into the flesh of her thighs. They trembled with the effort.

"Then we are in agreement. I will write to Alastor to request he send you a formal offer."

Chapter Twenty one is done! Moving forward, I'm going to try to post expected update dates on my profile. I am also working on a second fic that is currently just going to be a one-shot until this story is complete (if I can restrain myself) involving an OC/Charlie Weasley pairing. After several messages asking for one, I am trying to see if it is possible for me to write a prequel to TPMW.

House Cup

I am seriously procrastinating at this and would like your thoughts. Since about a year has passed in the story, should we start a new round of House Cup or continue this one through the end? I would love to hear your opinions while I go through all the reviews to recount House Points.

In the mean time... Bring your House to Glory! 5 Points for every review that mentions your House name!