Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I just play with them for pure entertainment.

A/N: Many thanks goes to all of my awesome readers for Undoing the Past. And a special thanks goes to Snapeswidow for letting me borrow her OC Demetri Le Fey for this fic and giving her the right voice. I hope you enjoy. Thanks.

Rocky Start

Summer had come and gone quicker than ever before. It was as if the world had just skipped right ahead to the coming term and forgone the long-needed break from the students. At least that was how it felt for the young twenty-two-year-old professor. Soon, he would be forced back into the long hours of marking abysmal papers, listening to self-absorbed bratty pre-teens' and regular snotty teenagers' conversations, and brewing potion after potion when said-brats became ill with the many diseases they carried. Why had he returned?

With his two-year-old son now at his side always, he could have left at any point in time. Left it all behind and raised the boy far from the castle's prying eyes. And yet he remained. Though, there wasn't any reason to anymore. His father had been exonerated with his record expunged. His mother had physically recovered from her grave injuries while held captive for four years. He himself had been granted immunity for any crimes he may have committed while in the ranks of the Dark Lord. There honestly was no reason to subject himself to the torture that was teaching.

Was there?

She has always stood by my side, even when I did not know it.

Frowning, he stood in front of a large window in his office and folded the letter once more. Taking extreme amount of care as he folded it, he then pocketed it and turned away with a sigh.

Were those just empty words written by a desperate man? After all, it was a year since his life had been turned upside down. And, save for that one encounter in London in late spring, he honestly couldn't see the truth behind those words. Only his parents and McGonagall stood by him.

It wasn't that he was wanting to jump into bed with the witch of course. His life was complicated enough. But a friend . . . He'd admit that he could do with a friend who was on his side these days. His parents, of course, were always on his side, but they were blood so they didn't count really. And Headmistress McGonagall, he supposed, was trying to make an effort, but for the most part everyone steered clear of him.

Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater. No matter how hard he tried to change his spots, he knew that those words would remain deep down in some people's minds.

Shaking his head, he sighed heavily. He shouldn't have come back. He should have taken Harrison and run far away. His parents could always visit.

Though, he did need a roof for him and his son. A roof and income. And food. And—oh, whom was he kidding? He had returned because Hogwarts was where he felt comfortable. He was becoming complacent, a part of the woodwork so to speak, he supposed. Like another statue hidden away in the many dark parts of the castle.

Today would be the day the new staff would be announced to the others. Today he would see her again for certain. The letter currently in his pocket had said they were to be coworkers, and the Astronomy position had become vacant as of last term. Adding on top of that, he recalled that she and Headmistress McGonagall got along pretty well. So, logically speaking, she would be there. And yet a part of him reminded him of his luck.

"There ya are," a gruff voice stated from the doorway.

The young man glanced up and smiled faintly when he noticed the hazel eyes watching him. Little Harrison was getting so big nowadays. Where he once was unsteadied, he had become more stable. In fact, he was quite the talker now. It made quiet moments very rare these days.

"Hi, Dada!" the little boy shouted as he ran as fast as he could towards his father.

Bending down, the twenty-two-year-old scooped up the toddler instantly, setting him on his hip.

It seemed a lifetime ago that this little boy had arrived in the middle of a November night.

When Harrison kissed his cheek a second later, the young father raised a brow at the boy. It was a game they played nowadays. Who would break first and start to laugh. It never lasted more than a few seconds. In fact, more often than not, it was always Harrison who would start giggling, causing his father to join in soon afterwards. So much happiness surrounded this little boy, so much good. It was as it should have been. As his future self had wanted for all of them.

"All right there, sport," stated the blue-eyed, shaggy brown-haired man, grabbing the toddler back. "Time to let Daddy get back to work. He'll come after his meetin' with the boss lady."

The young man regretted letting his son go instantly, as the wails came from the boy. He glanced up at his own father and sighed. The boy always seemed to think this was to be his last time ever he'd be with his father. No matter how much the young father tried to show him that wasn't the case.

"Go, Severus," the young man's father said with a nod. "I got this."

Kicking himself internally, Severus sighed heavily. His father was right. He had to go or he'd be late. And this was one year he didn't necessarily want to be late for the annual staff meeting. He had messed up their first real meeting. He wasn't going to mess up their second. Not if he wanted a friend again at least. He turned away and left with a heavy heart, Harrison's sobs serenading him.

Severus stood near the back in his usual spot in the staff room. Staff meetings in the past for him always led to someone thinking he cared about their lives. As if. But this year was going to be different he knew. This year he knew what was to come. Or rather whom was to come. Or at least he had an idea, and that was good enough. His hand instinctively brushed against the faded letter in his pocket again for what seemed like the hundredth time since he left his office. His luck was changing as it had done ever since that early November morning when little Harrison had arrived.

He looked around the room, searching to see if she had arrived yet. He wasn't going to kid himself. He wasn't really looking for love just yet. Really he wasn't. But a friend . . . one he didn't really have to try hard with—that sounded good to him. Real good. Someone to talk to. Or rather bitch about the bratty students with.

As the door opened once more, a dark-haired witch easily slipped inside. Smoothing a hand over her purple robes to rid them of nonexistent wrinkles, the young witch glanced nervously around the room. Severus could see that she was trying hard not to wince when nearly every head turned to stare at her. He knew that feeling all too well. She plastered a smile on her face as she slowly made her way to the back of the room near him. Leaning against the back wall, she crossed her arms over her chest, raising a challenging eyebrow at the few professors who still stared.

"If you take a picture," she stated curtly, "it will last longer."

There were a few mumbles as the few who had been looking turned away from the witch. Severus frowned and glanced towards Headmistress McGonagall. He'd give the young witch some credit, though. She did seem to have mastered sarcasm.

The gawkers turned their attention away from her, resulting in a snort from the young woman. She hated being stared at, which she knew was odd with her being a professor but students were supposed to give her their undivided attention. Adults staring always made her feel as if they were looking for a weakness or waiting for her to make a mistake.

"Now, that we're all here," McGonagall stated brusquely from the front of the room. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Now, I'm certain most of you would like to return to hiding in your offices until the start of term as was typically done, but now that I'm in charge, I thought we could start with a little exercise." She smiled thinly as she glanced around the room. She was enjoying this a bit too much clearly. "A trust exercise if you will."

The young woman's eyebrow rose nearly to her hairline at the woman's words. "You have got to be kidding me. When did we all become ten-year-olds?" she whispered.

Severus glanced at the witch who beat him to express his outrage. They certainly hadn't done this last year with Headmaster Dumbledore in charge. Though, it was different times then unfortunately. Every day now there were more and more reports about Aurors rounding up former Death Eaters. And seeing as how he was one . . . His frown deepened. Is that why McGonagall was going to have them do this silly exercise? So the others would start to trust him again? He shook his head. He'd be damned if she started to treat him that differently. Turning away, he headed for the door to leave.

"Ah perfect!" McGonagall's voice called out behind him suddenly. "Severus, if you'll join me up here please."

He stopped, staring at the door. She had to be joking. He slowly turned towards the witch and took note that there was no amusement on her face, only a look of extreme seriousness. His shoulders sagged, and he slowly meandered towards the front of the room. Why did he want to teach again?

McGonagall turned to the rest of the group, her eyes wandering over everyone before she finally stopped and smiled.

"Miss Le Fey, if you may join us?" Headmistress McGonagall called out, motioning next to Severus.

Severus did his best not to stare up at the ceiling. He should have quit. Left the damned castle once and for all. But who would employ a former Death Eater like him in this post-Dark Lord era?

"Of course, Headmistress," replied the young dark-haired witch as she made her way to the front of the room. She clasped her hands behind her back and glanced at him before finding a spot on the back wall to stare at. The entire room was staring again, and she brushed down her robes nervously.

"Excellent." McGonagall turned back to the others. "Severus and Demetri will now demonstrate for us the exercise." She returned her attention to them again. "You will each take a turn and stare into each other's eyes for sixty seconds."

"What?!"

Demetri jumped at his outburst, her head whipping around to stare at him. "I know I'm not as pretty as some of the British witches I've seen around the village," she snarled, "but staring at me for sixty seconds wouldn't kill you."

He blinked when the witch snapped at him. What on earth was she going on about? He merely was outraged at the fact that McGonagall had wanted them to stare into each other's eyes as if they were lovers or something. He then crossed his arms, unable to hold back his snarky reply. He really hated being attacked for no reason. "Perhaps it's something you never learned across the pond, but the world does not revolve around you so kindly keep your 'quaint' remarks to yourself."

"Severus!" McGonagall barked.

"I never said I thought the world revolved around me. Maybe you believe it revolves around you the way you are carrying on like a petulant child." Demetri crossed her own arms and cocked her head to the side. She clearly hated being yelled at even more than being stared at by complete strangers "You don't want to be here. We get that. We all get that, so maybe if you just shut up and did what the Headmistress asked of us you could go back to sulking in the back of the room."

Severus's eyes flashed before he stared deep into her eyes, glaring daggers at her. His nostrils flared, and his fists were clenched by his sides. Just who did this American witch think she was exactly? Vaguely, he noted that the witch's eyes were a dark cerulean blue. However, he pushed past that a moment later, concentrating on her mannerisms that she tried to hide. Brushing at her robes nervously at wrinkles that weren't there. Trying hard to hold back her fiery temper. Cocking her head to the side as she studied him. Once he had reached sixty, he whirled back to McGonagall.

"Is there anything else you'd like, Headmistress?" he asked through clenched teeth.

McGonagall sighed heavily, and Severus took that to mean he could leave. He stalked to the door without another word, his black robes flapping wildly behind him.

"Well, that went well," a voice quietly remarked behind him, as he slammed the door shut.

In whose world did that go well? He should never have come back this year.

The second he turned the corner near his rooms in the dungeons, he noticed that Salazar swung his portrait open for him. It was as if the portrait knew just how angry he was. He scoffed in response, walking through before throwing his arm back to slam the portrait shut again. How dare that witch—no—witches do that! Who the hell did they think they were? Honestly!

"So, how'd that go, son?" his dad asked with a wide grin that fell the moment he saw Severus.

"About as well as baptizing a cat," Severus spat, balling up his outer robes before tossing them angrily across the room. "I quit! This damn castle can crumble to ash and dust for all I care." He didn't even wait to hear his father's reply. Instead, he continued to his bedroom. Everyone else be damned. He was after all.

She wasn't there. No, in her stead was that mouthy, dark-haired American witch. What the hell did that witch know about his life anyway? She didn't know a damn thing.

None of them knew the sacrifices he had made for all of them. None of them did.