A/N: Alright, so Part II of our trio's summer centers around young!Severus and his two weeks with McGonagall and Snape. The first half with McGonagall in Aberdeen, and the second with Snape in Spinner's End. I've enjoyed writing this chapter immensely and I can only hope that you all like reading it as much as I, writing it. Also, I've titled the summer chapters this way for a reason, and that reason is in this chapter.

Chapter 20 1992 Summer Part II

"Just a little while longer Merlin, I'm sure the Professor will be here soon," said Severus, in hopes of calming his fretful familiar.

Merlin had been meowing impatiently from inside his carrier, his only way of protesting the fact that Professor McGonagall was running late to picking Severus up. When his words didn't work, and Merlin continued to meow and twitch his blue-grey tail impatiently, Severus resorted to opening the latch on the carrier and stroking his cat's fur. That seemed to appease him for the time being as Merlin's insistent meows quickly gave way to purrs of contentment. Albus had already left the country via Portkey, traveling to Belgium for the ICW conference, leaving Severus all by himself in the massive castle. Save for his familiar of course. Thankfully they weren't kept waiting for long after that as the door to the office swung open and in strode a flustered-looking Professor McGonagall. Severus' eyes snapped to the door as McGonagall entered and he quickly closed the carrier.

"Professor Mc—"

"Nonsense, we're out of term now Severus, so just Minerva will do fine," McGonagall said, sounding a little bit irritated. Severus hoped it wasn't something he had done, they'd only been in the same room for a grand total of ten seconds and she already looked mad!

"My apologies for my tardiness, I was waylaid by a certain Rubeus Hagrid," Minerva said crisply. "Follow me, we don't have all day."

Severus scrambled to his feet and hoisted the cat-carrier into his arms. Minerva strode right past him, her mossy-green robes billowing behind her as she flicked her wand at his luggage. She then levitated it over to the hearth.

"I trust you're ready to go?"

"I—yes, I am Prof—I mean, Minerva," said Severus, clutching the carrier tightly as he joined the Professor next to the fireplace.

After Minerva's instruction, Severus flooed away to McGonagall Cottage in Aberdeen with his cat carrier in hand. Minerva followed right after him herself with his luggage, guest and host appearing in a small and modestly-decorated sitting room on the ground floor of the cottage. While the room was small and far from the nicest sitting room Severus had been in, it certainly was homely and lent him a warm, fuzzy feeling that he couldn't quite place. As he reoriented himself, Minerva flicked her wand at Severus' bag and levitated it off the floor in front of her.

"Welcome to my home, Severus. Now follow me," she said, and Severus hastened to obey.

Minerva walked out of the sitting room with Severus on her heels still holding his cat carrier. Through the door was the downstairs hall with the staircase leading to the second floor. He followed her up and took in his surroundings as he walked. He could see quite clearly that the house wasn't that lived-in, the slight smatterings of dust were telling of the fact that she didn't spend all that much time in the house. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the upstairs hall branched it on two directions, to the right and to the left. To the right there were two doors, to the left there were three, although one looked like a built-in, linen cabinet. Minerva turned to the right and opened one of the doors, Severus following her right in. The bedroom was a little larger than his old one back in Spinner's End and perhaps half the size of his bedroom at Hogwarts, but like downstairs, it was homely and pleasant-looking. His room was fitted with a single bed, a bedside table, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, one bookshelf, and with walls painted the color of autumn and warmth, Severus felt right at home already despite having never set foot there before. Minerva moved to stand in the middle of the room, though Severus remained in the doorway. At her welcoming gesture, he joined her and set his cat carrier down.

"This will be your room for the next two weeks," said Minerva, gesturing to the walls surrounding them with both hands. "I trust it's to your liking."

"Yes, yes it is. It's…it's really nice, Profes—erm, Minerva," replied Severus.

Minerva actually smiled at him then, a sight that was all too rare on his usually-strict Transfiguration Professor's face.

"I'm glad you feel that way," she said sincerely. "The bathroom you'll use, which you will see is fully stocked, is just across the hall right there—" she turned around to point to the door just opposite Severus' room. "—and my room is at the other end of the hall to the left from the top of the stairs."

"Err—right," said Severus. "Is it alright if I let Merlin out? I promise he won't be any trouble or anything."

"That's just fine with me Severus, so long as he's well-behaved. You'll find that my home is…rather cat friendly as it were."

Severus grinned at the Professor, knowing full well what Minerva was getting at. He knelt down beside his carrier, inside of which Merlin was meowing insistently to be let out. He carefully undid the latch, opening it, allowing his blue-gray cat out. Merlin cautiously padded out of the carrier, sniffing his immediate surroundings but taking care not to venture too far from his protective owner's side. Minerva glanced lower at the cautious-looking cat, then back up to Severus' face.

"I'll leave you to unpack your bags for now, Severus. Lunch will be ready in the dining room in half an hour's time."

"Where will you be?" Severus asked.

Minerva arched a brow at that, surprised at the boy's forwardness. "In my office just downstairs of course, I do have some work to catch up on." She turned away and made to leave the room, but stopped just short of doing so in the doorframe. "I'll see you in half an hour Severus."

"See you in half an hour, Minerva," Severus replied.

With that, Minerva left Severus to his own devices. He got to work unpacking his bag all the while Merlin acquainted himself with the room by rubbing his scent on every fixture. The next half hour passed by very quickly for Severus. It felt as though he'd only just finished his packing and was only a few feet out of his room when Minerva's house elf, Mopsy, announced that lunch was ready in the sitting room. The sudden appearance of the house elf informing him that lunch was ready nearly sent him toppling down the stairs he'd been descending. With Merlin off god know's where exploring McGonagall Cottage, Severus took a round-about path to the dining room, exploring the ground floor of the house.

Minerva McGonagall's cottage was small and quaint, hardly an opulent fixture, and fitted with the simplest of furniture and fittings, most of which matched Minerva's favorite colors, orange and green. The sitting room, for instance, was not quite barren, but it was certainly quite open for its small size owing to the lack of furniture present. Only Minerva's office, which he'd fleetingly caught a glimpse of just as he arrived, could be considered full and well-decorated. The rest of the rooms in the house were simply bland, although Severus could readily admit that they had a sense of character openness that was stark in contrast to his older self's home. Finally arriving in the dining room, he spotted Minerva at the head of the table scribbling away in a notebook of her's while her plate of fish and chips remained untouched set before her. His own portion of fish and chips was there as well along with a bowl of potato salad for them to share and a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Only when Severus stepped on a creaky floorboard as he stepped through the doorway did his Professor's gaze snap up from her little notebook to his face. Her expression of surprise quickly gave way to a smile, one that reached her eyes as she beckoned her hesitant guest further into the room.

"Have a seat Severus, and feel free to start on your meal, I'm only just finishing this up," said Minerva, encouraging him to sit down.

Severus nodded dully and sat down in his place across from her. He poured out some juice for both himself and Minerva, then helped himself to some salad. Despite his host's words, Severus waited patiently for Minerva put away her quill, ink-pot and notebook before taking his first bite of the fish. While Severus focused on his meal, he did notice that Minerva's attention was elsewhere and that her focus seemed to be shifting from one thing to the next every minute or two. He didn't pay it any mind though and focused on finishing his salad and fish and chips. A few minutes into their lunch, Minerva cleared her throat, prompting Severus to look up from his plate into the eyes of his Transfiguration Professor. Having successfully captured his attention, Minerva began telling Severus about her home and the surrounding city of Aberdeen. Severus learned that in recent year Minerva had taken up fishing. The sea being a mere hundred meters away from the back porch of the cottage meant that she had easy access to fishing whenever she felt like it. She offered to take Severus in the evening once she'd finished her work, an offer that Severus eagerly accepted.

So, after finishing their meal, Severus retreated upstairs to get cracking on some of his summer assignments whilst Minerva headed back to her office to continue working on her lesson plans. Merlin continued to keep Severus company though, his loyal cat alternating his time between rubbing on the various fixtures in his room and taking up residence in his owner's lap as he worked on his assignments. The afternoon passed by fairly quickly for Severus with the promise of fishing on the horizon. He'd gone fishing once before with Mister Evans as a child, Lily's father taking him to a lake just out of town for the afternoon. Severus hadn't caught anything exactly, so he wondered whether or not that counted as fishing, but he had put bait on his lure, and he had cast said lure many times over, so he'd done all the other prerequisites save for actually catching a fish. As the temperature cooled, Severus decided to open the window to let a fresh breeze in—carrying the scent of the sea and helping to put his mind at rest. The fresh breeze was something Merlin seemed to appreciate for he hopped up on the sill and promptly curled up into a ball.

Come five o'clock, Severus got dressed in some more rugged clothing and headed downstairs to wait for Minerva. They'd agreed to set off for the beach at ten-past-five on the dot and he knew better than to keep his host waiting. He headed out onto the back porch, where sure enough, Minerva was waiting for him with a pail, two rods, and a tackle box all on the ground next to her. Glimpsing the smaller of the two fishing rods, it was quite obvious to Severus that this rod was newer than the other, leading him to believe that it'd just been transfigured from something else. Minerva's rod, the larger, was beaten and well-used from what Severus could see. He silently marveled at the quality of his Professor's transfiguration since the smaller rod looked as though it was fresh off the assembly line.

"Good evening, Severus," said Minerva.

"Good evening, Professor—I—I mean Minerva."

Minerva's eyes sparkled in amusement, before she then thrust out the smaller rod at him. "Unfortunately, I only have one rod, so I transfigured this for you to the best of my ability," she explained.

"It—um, it looks lovely," said Severus, sounding sincere as he grasped the matte-green and cyan rod. "Thank you," he said graciously.

"You're most welcome," Minerva replied. She then turned away from Severus to face the beach and the ocean beyond it. "We'd best set off now," she said, still staring at the vast expanse of cerulean-blue water. "The fish, I'm told, usually bite most come the evening, so hopefully we'll have a good haul at the end of the day."

Severus nodded in agreement and the two of them set off down the path from the back porch to the beach. Just off the coast was the rough and tumbling North Sea, on the other side of which laid Denmark and Norway. The sky was beginning to darken as the sun continued its descent to their backs, but there was still another three or four hours of daylight left for them. As they neared the beach, Severus turned to look over at McGonagall, and saw the woman wearing Muggle clothes for the first time since she'd chaperoned their shopping trip a year ago. Needless to say, Minerva looked a little out of sorts, but she needn't have worry about given weird looks thanks to the Muggle-repelling charms she'd put up on her little section of the beach. They came to a step a few meters away from the waterline and set their pail and tackle box down on the sand. Minerva briefly drew her wand to double check that the Muggle-repelling enchantments were in still in place, satisfied with what she found, she put it away and gripped her fishing rod. Severus did too and waited for Minerva to make the first cast.

"I suppose I should confess now Severus, I haven't caught a fish in over five years, and last I did, your older self was here with me," Minerva said sheepishly, wearing a slight grimace.

Severus' jaw dropped at the admission. "You haven't caught a fish in five years?" he asked incredulously.

All that earned him was a narrow-eyed look from his host, a blush rose on his cheeks and he hurriedly averted his gaze. "No. I haven't. And I'll thank you not to judge me for it."

"Sorry," Severus said quickly, ducking his head away from her piercing gaze.

"As I was saying, I find that fishing relaxes me, regardless of my success with regard to catching anything or not. The feeling of casting a line, waiting for a bite, and slowly reeling it in…is something I've always enjoyed doing the old-fashioned, Muggle way."

"Couldn't you just perform a summoning charm to pull fish out of the water to you?" Severus asked. "Wouldn't that be a lot easier?"

"It would be," said Minerva, but wearing a slight grimace at the thought. "But what's the fun in that? Wouldn't that suck all the fun and enjoyment out of it, if we were to try that?"

Severus stood in silent thought for a few seconds, thinking over his Transfiguration professor's words. "Yeah…I suppose so," he said eventually.

Gripping her rod tightly, Minerva took a few paces away from Severus, then cast her line into the water in a single, fluid motion. "For certain things Magic can be a blessing, Severus," said Minerva as the line hit the water. "But I find that doing things the old-fashion muggle way brings about greater gratification, at least when it comes to certain hobbies. Fishing, I find, is one of those things I prefer to do by hand."

"Like fishing?" Severus cast his line too, his nearly going as far as Minerva's as it plonked down beneath the waves.

"Yes," said Minerva. "Like fishing. I find that if you're willing to put in the effort, then the reward that may come at the end of applying said effort, is all the more sweeter. Casting a summoning charm to summon a hundred fish from the sea would be all too easy, whereas this…this is stress-free and relaxing, I find."

"And on the off chance that you do catch a fish of some kind…it'll feel much more satisfying," said Severus.

Minerva regarded him with a small smile. "Precisely."

Severus hummed in agreement, and then began to reel in his line slowly after waiting for but not receiving a bite. Minerva reeled in her line too, albeit a little more slowly and Severus, then recast it back into the North Sea. They lapsed into silence then, as they both focused on their lines and any tension that may signify a bite. Alas, they came up empty for the second time and reeled their lines in. They repeated their casting, waiting, and reeling many more times over the next few minutes in peace.

"So, how has your day gone so far, Severus?" Minerva asked, interrupting their contented silence.

Severus was taken by surprise slightly by the unexpected break in silence. "I—um, it's been good," he said quickly. "I've—uhh, I managed to get some of my assignments done. Transfiguration, for one, and uhh—another project of my own I'm tinkering with."

"I'm glad to hear you've had a productive afternoon then," Minerva replied, sounding sincere. "I take it you had no troubles with your transfiguration assignment?"

Severus was quick to shake his head. "None at all. I've…well I borrowed a few books from the library to help…and yeah, they've made things loads easier for me, so I had no troubles."

She hummed quietly in acknowledgement and turned her attention back to the sea, recast her line. "Very well. After we're done here, feel free to pass your assignment to me once we get back. I can have a look through it after, if you'd like."

"You wouldn't mind?"

Still looking out at the dark-blue waters, Minerva shook her head. "Not at all."

"Thanks."

They lapsed into silence again, both turning their attention back to their lures that bobbed up and down atop the breaking waves, but alas, receiving no bites. They continued their rinse and repeat process of casting, waiting and reeling many more times over the next ten or so minutes with no success. Even though he lacked success, Severus was beginning to understand the appeal of fishing and just how relaxing doing certain things the old-fashioned, muggle way could be. When he'd gone fishing with Mister Evans before almost two years ago, he was so tightly-strung with his desire to impress Mister Evans that he'd hardly taken any joy from his previous fishing excursion. Now though, standing on the beach with warm sand beneath his toes, he felt at peace with the weight of expectation and tension lifted from his shoulders. They continued fishing for a while, although whether they could really call it fishing when they weren't catching anything was up for debate. Although Severus' excitement waned slightly over the many minutes they spent there, Minerva's never seemed to waver. If anything, her vigor and enthusiasm only seemed to strengthen over time as she continued to plunge her lure over and over into the sea.

As the sun continued to fall, now casting long shadows upon their backs, Minerva and Severus pulled their rods back and cast their lines one last time into the ever-darkening sea. The two lures bobbed up and down atop the waves, no tension on either line. Severus sighed quietly, a slight twinge of disappointment on his features as he slowly began to reel the line in. Minerva gave no indication of her disappointment however, she looked quite the opposite as she reeled in her line with a tired, but satisfied smile. Severus decided to wait a little longer, keeping his line out as Minerva continued to reel, finally pulling in her line and removing the lure on the end.

"Well, I think that should be it Severus, dinner will be ready in a few moments so—"

All of a sudden, a little twang jolted Severus' wrist forward, something even Minerva picked up on as her eyes went and she gasped a little.

"A fish!" Severus said excitedly, gasping with astonishment that he actually had something.

"Steady now Severus, steady!" Minerva interjected quickly, dropping her rod and hurrying over to his side.

"It doesn't feel that big, should I reel it in?" Severus asked with tremendous urgency.

"Yes, but don't do so too quickly, the line might—"

"—come loose, yeah, I know," he finished, remembering Mister Evans' words from not long ago.

Minerva beamed. "Very good. Now try to reel it in."

Severus' line was about forty feet into the water, and since it was fairly shallow, Severus knew the fish must be rather small. Irregardless of his catch's size, he felt immense pride as he reeled the fish in slowly, trying not to put too much tension on the line which might cause it to snap, or the hook to dislodge. But like many things in Severus' life, something awry was just around the bend as the line snapped, and the fish broke free. Audible groans sounded forth from the despondent twelve year old, his rod going slack in his hands as he hung his head low in disappointment. With his head still hung low, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look up into the encouraging, grey eyes of his Professor.

"That was a very good effort Severus, I'm sure you'll succeed next time," Minerva said encouragingly.

"I hope so," he muttered, with far less despondence than he'd felt mere seconds ago.

Minerva regarded him with a sad smile, then picked up her rod and tackle box. "Come along. Let's head back. We can try again tomorrow."

Sighing, Severus grabbed his rod and pail, and the two of them set off back towards Minerva's cottage.

"Erm—uh, Minerva, can I ask you something?"

Minerva glanced over at him, her eyes glimmering brightly. "I don't know, can you?"

Severus' lip twitched into a brief scowl, to which Minerva grinned. "Of course you may, Severus. What do you want to ask?"

"I—erm, I was wondering what else there is to do around here," he said. At her arched brow, he was quick to add; "Umm—don't get me wrong, your cottage is really, really nice, but I—I was just curious as to what else there is to explore around here."

"Only a fool would take offense to that Severus," Minerva said calmly. They'd arrived at the back porch now, the two of them ascending the steps before Minerva banished their rods, pail and tackle box to Merlin-knows-where. "To be entirely honest with you, Severus…there isn't all that much. I suppose we could head into town one of these days, but Aberdeen is rather…quaint, as far as most Muggle cities go."

"Oh." He tried not to sound put out. "I see…well in that case, I'd love to go, if—um, if it's fine with you, that is."

"I'll do my best to make time for it," Minerva promised, smiling slightly at him.

Severus mustered up a shy smile for his Professor, one which made her own broaden in return.

"Thanks."

"You're most welcome."

Minerva's promise would come good five days later into Severus' stay when she took him into town for an afternoon of strolling about, and dinner following that. Severus found he quite enjoyed Aberdeen, it wasn't anywhere near as busy as Manchester and he certainly much preferred the quieter atmosphere here in Aberdeen than he did in the city near his hometown. In the five days between, however, Severus mostly kept to Minerva's cottage although they did go fishing once, with not much success on either of their parts. To Severus' great surprise, he seemed to enjoy his stay there far more than he'd have thought he would. Despite his lack of success with regard to fishing, Severus found that his week with Minerva was quite productive. He'd finished all of his Transfiguration assignments, and with it he'd completed just about all of his work for the summer. That left him with plenty of time to draft some of his Potions theories he wanted to show Professor Snape when he saw him. By the end of his week in Aberdeen, Severus could comfortably say that he enjoyed his time with Minerva; quite a bit more than he expected to, at least. Merlin was enjoyed his week too, having made a new friend in Minerva whenever she'd morphed into her cat-transformation.

So, when Snape arrived to pick him up, Severus begrudgingly followed the man through the floo with his luggage and cat-carrier in hand, back to Spinner's End. Tumbling out of a familiar fireplace in the sitting room, he was once more reminded of that baffling event a year ago when he woke up on his older self's couch next to Lily. Learning that they'd both travelled forward through time by twenty years was nothing short of mind-boggling, but at the same time, he felt an odd form of reassurance knowing that Lily was still there with him, in spite of all the dramatic change in his life. Now though, it'd just be him and his older self; and while he knew deep-down that he wasn't abusive like their shared father, he couldn't help but feel anxious over how this next week would go, living with his abrasive, cantankerous, older-self. As he stepped out of the familiar-looking fireplace, he was swiftly instructed by his older self to take his things upstairs and that he'd be using his regular bedroom. Severus discreetly rolled his eyes behind Snape's back and headed upstairs with his bag and cat carrier in hand.

Severus found that settling back into life in Spinner's End wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. For the most part, Snape left him to his own devices, and only laid down a few ground rules at the beginning which Severus was happy to adhere to. It was weird not having Lily only a few streets away from him, and not being able to meet up with her by the river for their usual afternoon hangouts. It was even more weird, at least at first, to not have the specter of Tobias looming over him, but it was a welcome change that Severus adjusted to quickly. More often than not, Snape was out of the house 'running errands' as he put it, but Severus knew he was up to more than just that. After all, he oftentimes came back to the house smelling of one of two things. Either rare potions ingredients, or liquor and expensive perfume. Severus never questioned him on it and was more than happy to be left on his own, lest he draw attention to himself. He received a letter from Harry and Lily a day after his arrival, but other than that, he hardly had any contact with his friends. Tracey had still yet to visit, and whenever he asked his older self when Tracey would be coming by, he was never deigned with an answer.

Three days after his return to Spinner's End, the two Severuses were both in the elder's sitting room. The younger Severus reading from his potions journal, and the older with a copy of the Manchester Evening News, in his hands. Unbeknownst to Severus, Snape had noticed him eyeing the record player in the corner of the room for quite some time. So, to spare him the embarrassment, he cleared his throat and drew his younger self's attention to him.

"You're interested in my record player," he stated flatly, speaking strictly in a matter-of-fact voice.

Severus flushed dully and nodded. "I—um, yeah—I am—"

"Speak properly," Snape sniped, his features harsh. Then softening, he added; "What would you like to listen to?"

If Severus was surprised by the question, he certainly did a good job of hiding it. "Have you got a copy of Led Zeppelin IV?"

Snape smirked at that. "I've had one ever since Lily gifted me an album for my twelfth birthday."

Severus brightened up and put aside his notebook onto the coffee table. "May we listen to it?"

Snape voiced no objection as he waved his wand, levitating the record out of its casing and onto the player. Another jab of his wand caused the needle to drop, thus the album began to play. Side one started to play, beginning with the leading track; Black Dog. Severus quite liked the song, as he did the two songs that followed after it in, Rock and Roll and The Battle of Evermore. But it was the forth song on the track that really piqued his interest and had him humming along to the tune much to his elder self's amusement.

There was no question about it. Stairway to Heaven might've been the greatest song he'd ever heard. Once the track was over and the first side of the Album was finished, Severus found himself snapped from his musings by a reverberating chuckle from his older self. He turned to face him, surprised to see a rare expression of amusement on the older man's face.

"It's funny you should like that. I was more of a fan of Black Dog. Stairway to Heaven, was perhaps Lily's favorite song on the album."

"You mean your Lily, right? I—I mean the one from this time?" Severus asked.

A slight grimace formed on Snape's face. "Of course. I'm not so sure about the other Lily's music tastes, but the Lily of this time did love classic, British Rock and Roll."

"I don't actually know what Lily likes now," said Severus, his head hung low. "My Lily—I mean, the one from my time," he expounded.

Without a word, Snape flicked his wand for a third time at the player, sending the record soaring through the air before plopping it down neatly in Severus' hands. Another flick of his wand flung the cover for the record over to his younger self.

"Keep it," he said quietly, his voice just a little thick. "It's clear that you enjoy it more than I do."

"S-Severus, I—"

"I said keep it," he said harshly.

Severus knew he'd be a fool to argue with his older self now. Despite their disparity in age and experience, they were both as stubborn as mules, and he knew his older self wouldn't budge on this no matter what he said or did. Sighing, he tucked the record into the sleeve and set it down beside him.

They fell into an awkward sort of silence then, the sound of music no longer masking their lack of conversation as they both returned to their reading. Severus' mind still whirred with numerous unanswered questions, most of them relating to what the Lily of Snape's time was like, and how their friendship was in comparison to his current friendship with his Lily. He knew that Lily and Snape had been best friends for years before Hogwarts and during, but drifted apart during their latter years at the school and then Lily had gone on to marry James Potter, hence Harry's existence. From what he'd gathered, James Potter was a Gryffindor like his son, but while he was chivalrous and noble, he had a mean streak a mile long and routinely hexed students for no reason at all during his younger years. Supposedly. Snape's scathing assessments of Harry's father, which Harry told him and Lily about over the course of their first year, seemed to run in sharp contrast to what most others said about him. But even if there was a hint of truth to what Snape was saying, which in all likelihood there was, he'd never known his older self to lie, Severus wanted to know the truth behind why his older self's friendship with Lily had dissolved.

Once again, his curiosity got the better of him, though now it was not without consequence.

"Umm—Severus…why did your friendship with Lily—"

Snape needed no longer to discern what his younger self's question was.

"You will not ask about that," he said, his voice as cold as ice and his dark eyes hardened beyond measure.

"But I want to—"

"And quite frankly, it is none of your business," his voice dropping even further and his glare intensifying such that Severus quickly averted his gaze. "You will not receive an answer. Ask one more time and you'll be—"

All of a sudden, the floo flashed a bright green, but instead of a floating head appearing in the flames, a woman strode purposefully out of the fireplace and into the sitting room, interrupting whatever it was that Snape wanted to say.

Severus recognized the woman as the one from the restaurant, Malfoy's mother, and from the looks of things she was quite flustered and surprised.

"Severus I need your—oh!" her eyes snapped to the younger Severus, a look he staunchly returned. "Your…relative on Eileen's side, was it? Dumbledore's ward?"

"I am hosting him for the week," Snape said flatly. "And you should know this because I've told you about it more than once." His disappointment was heavy in his tone.

"Right, well I need to speak with you." Then, now addressing Severus directly. "In private."

Snape's eyes snapped towards him as well, and Severus clutched the record he'd been given a little more tightly to his chest. "He was just leaving."

His dismissal was heard loud and clear, his tone brokering not an inch for argument. Severus quickly got to his feet, and with his book and album in hand he scurried from the room. With 'Dumbledore's ward, who also happened to be his distant relative' gone, Snape turned back to Narcissa with an expectant look.

"Tell me, what do you need now?" he asked snidely.

Narcissa wore a pinched look, a frown creasing her features as she folded her arms across her chest. "Must I need something to come visit you?"

Snape regarded her with mock curiosity. "Considering it's you, then yes. So, do get to the point and tell me what is it you need."

Narcissa tutted and moved away from the fireplace slightly, making to stand by one of the numerous bookshelves whereupon her fingers glanced across one of the books. "Only a potion, Severus. One of your finest Pepper Ups. Draco's been taken…unwell, and you know I don't trust anyone but you when it comes to matters such as this," she said quietly. Before he could respond, she quickly tacked on; "You will obviously be reimbursed in full, but…it is rather urgent, hence my call on short notice."

Snape stood to his feet stiffly, then with a single, fluid jab, a pepper-up potion came soaring through the air into his outstretched palm from his potions cabinet. The bright red vial stoppered by a cork bung is thrust into Narcissa's hands by Snape, she hadn't noticed him come so close. She straightened up to her full height, turning to face him fully as she accepted the vial in her open palm. Even standing upright, he still had a good two inches on her.

"I trust that is all you need?"

Narcissa nodded mutedly, and tucked the vial in her pocket. "The galleons will be in your Gringotts account by this evening," she muttered quietly. "And thank you, Severus."

Snape's dark eyes were ever so penetrating, and Narcissa resisted the urge to balk under his scrutinizing gaze. His eyes lingered on her lips for perhaps a second or two longer than what might be considered polite, but she had no qualms with it. Their gazes find one another then, black eyes drilling harshly into grey-blue ones, and neither says a word until Severus finally looks away.

"How is Lucius?"

"He's been busy," Narcissa said flatly, her tone unimpressed. "At the ministry, so he claims, but we both know the truth behind what he's been up—"

"Wait," Snape said harshly, before jabbing his wand in the air and erecting his sound-muffling charm, Muffliato.

In the next room, Severus groaned in disappointment.

Narcissa huffed, her thin brows creasing before adding; "As I was saying, you and I both know the truth about Lucius and his proclivities regarding intimacy—" she spat those words as if they tasted foul on her tongue. "—I've put up with it for too long Severus, I'm sick of it. I swear, one of these days—"

"Be careful of what you speak," Snape said harshly, closing the distance between them and seizing her wrists in his. "Lucius has…for all his faults at being a husband to you, has been a wonderful father to Draco—"

"—No he hasn't. He's hardly there and he expects far too much out of Draco. He demands nothing but perfection, and it's really—"

"As I was saying," Snape went on as if Narcissa hadn't even interrupted him. "He does try with Draco, you can't begrudge him that. So, please heed caution when—"

"Why are you even fighting for him," Narcissa challenged, now taking a step closer to Severus and invading his personal space. "You're—no, we're fucking behind his back, he's fucking behind mine, and yet you still stand up for him?"

Snape sighed, then raked a hand down his face. His apathy infuriating the blonde-haired witch stood in front of him. "As I just told you," his voice as dry and sarcastic as ever. "For all his faults, he is a good father and cares immensely about Draco—" not about you, not like I do, "—and as I said, he does provide for you both—"

"—Obviously, his trysts certainly show that," Narcissa said bitterly, her words lathered with venom. "Shows he cares about Draco, shows he cares about me right well, doesn't it?"

"That's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it? Considering what we have…between us."

Narcissa blinked slowly, then, released a brief, mirthless laugh. "In my defense, he started his affairs first. At first…all this meant to me was a way to get back at him."

Snape chuckled softly too, he can't help but agree with her though, knowing he'd come to care for her immensely too despite their affair starting only as a strictly physical relation. He then loosened the grasp he had on her hands and pulled her closer, she offered no resistance.

"Draco needs him."

"A father who's never home?" Narcissa challenged, her voice a low whisper, but the hurt she feels is still evident in her voice. "Who never cares about anything beyond his next tryst and tearing down all my son's attempts to impress him? Is that what Draco needs? Someone who…no matter who hard he tries, he can never impress?"

"A father who cares, and…can provide," Snape muttered softly. The latter of which I am woefully unequipped to perform.

Sighing in resignation, Narcissa drew herself higher and planted her lips softly on his. Snape felt the air being sucked from his lungs, but was swift to reciprocate her kiss, releasing his hold on her wrists as his hands migrate lower to her waist. Their lips move slowly against one another, hands remaining put as they are on each other's waists, but the kiss never deepens. Despite her need for the man across from her, evident in the energy and vigor she poured into the kiss, Snape draws away from her. His features a portrait of resignation and exasperation.

"I've given you what you came here for, please leave."

No you haven't. The potion was barely—no, not even the half of it.

She would've taken umbrage at the fact that he was essentially kicking her out of his home, even after all that, but the fact that he said please causes her to stay her tongue. Severus Snape never says please, and Narcissa can discern by the deep-seated sense of resignation on his face that he doesn't truly want her to go, but she must nonetheless. They both know it, and her son needs her. She had gotten what she'd come there for after all. She stole one last kiss from him, all too brief for him to reciprocate. Drawing away, she cast him one more regretful look, before grabbing a pinch of floo powder from the mantlepiece and disappearing into the flames. Once she was gone, Snape heaved a heavy sigh and sank down onto the settee, rubbing his temples with his fingers like he was trying to stave off the headache he knew was coming.

Little did he know, his intrusive younger self might've been locked out of their conversation via locked door and Muffliato charm; but the keyhole in the door presented him a nigh-perfect view of his brief exchange with Narcissa.

For the rest of his stay, Severus tried to put what he saw out of sight and out of mind. Try as he might, he was unsuccessful, and the older Snape's actions replayed continuously on a loop in his mind over the next few days. On some level he did feel guilty a bit for eavesdropping on his older self and what was meant to be a private moment. On another level he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of betrayal that Snape, his older self, was seemingly more-than-friends with Malfoy's freaking mum of all people. Beyond that, he didn't know whether or not he should tell Harry and Lily that he saw Snape kiss Malfoy's mum, for he knew they'd feel betrayed and angry just as he had been. Malfoy was a spoiled, rotten, no-good git after all, so if Snape was snogging Malfoy's mum of all people…well…Severus was old enough to know the saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In the end, Severus never spoke a word of what he saw, though he was sorely tempted to write Harry and Lily about it.

The last few days of his time in Cokeworth passed by relatively smoothly for Severus. Tracey came over once to brew with him and the two prodigies bounced ideas off one another about various Potion-related ideas they had. When it was time to leave, Severus felt a mixture of relief at seeing Lily, Harry and Albus again, but also a slight twinge of sadness at having to leave Spinner's End. Seeing what his older self had done with their childhood home slowly scrubbed away at the many bad memories he had within those walls. Little by little, the shadows cast by Tobias and his mother slowly began to recede, and by the time he left he saw 17 Spinner's End as slightly more of a home than he'd ever known it to be when living there with his mum and dad. Deep down, Severus had a strong hunch that was why Snape had done so much to change the home from the bleak, decrepit townhouse he once knew it to be when growing up. For the first time in his life he actually felt some semblance of sadness at having to leave Spinner's End.

A/N: So, bringing Narcissa into the fold has been on the cards for a little while now. After the events of their second year, she'll have an even more prominent role in the fic going forward. McGonagall was also fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed the little bonding moment I had with her and Severus in the first half of the chapter. Next chapter will center around Harry and Lily and the two weeks they spend with the Weasleys.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for reading!