A/N: I know I should touch up the old stories. fix my profile and remove some of the fics I wish to discard. However. although my writing is still sloppy, I can't seem to get rid of this niggling feeling. And they really wanted another story.
For everyone who claims it is gross and their age difference really bothers them, after DH was published, Minerva was revealed to be in her late fifties/early sixties and Severus in his late thirties. So I think based on celebrity couples, it's really not much of an age difference considering they are both old souls aged beyond years by the horrific events of war. I am not going to try to think about Fantastic Beasts messing with Minerva and Dumbledore because that really screwed up what I thought I knew x.X I do love Leta Lestrange to be honest but that's beside the point.
Feel free to disagree and go write your own fics!
If anyone had told her the reign of terror would be over soon, she would have snorted in disbelief and wondered who the divining idiot was and how much sherry he or she had drunk. The year 1980 started off just as miserably as 1979, with nothing promising happening so far. It was just another year at Hogwarts. One term had ended, a summer passed uneventfully, and another term was beginning with not a change in the weather to signify a glimmer of hope. She was just about to despair of ever having good news when Dumbledore summoned her to his office. Sighing and rubbing her aching temples, Minerva carefully replaced her quill in the ink jar, sorted her pieces of parchment into their respective piles, duly banished them to her desk and stood up carefully. Stretching like a lazy cat, she sighed and fiddled with her spectacles. Wondering why the headmaster would wish to see her at such a late hour, she nevertheless put on her normally stoic brave face and walked quietly to the stone gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office.
Giving the stone creature her best teacher's glare, the one she usually reserved for giggling second years who should know better, she uttered the inane word as quickly as she dared.
"Pufflepod."
The obliging stone creature hopped out of her way and she was allowed to ascend. Shivering still from the utterly nonsensical word that had left her lips, Minerva tried to resettle her mind and focus on what the headmaster would deem of the utmost importance.
She didn't have long to wait. Once the stone staircase stopped moving, Minerva saw the office door was already ajar and she could hear male voices talking.
"Now, now, I'm sure everything will be alright." That was definitely Dumbledore doing his best Albus the Blessed Saint of Holy Confectionaries impersonation.
"Well, Headmaster," spat another voice, "I'm sure you think this is a good idea. In fact, I'm not sure it is good for me to be around - impressionable minds." A voice like velvet and chocolate, dripping with sarcasm and enough bile to give whoever was on the receiving end of his sharp tongue a pounding headache for being stupid enough to engage in conversation with him. So Dumbledore had a guest.
Minerva sighed and reflexively checked her hair and made sure her robes were properly in place before clearing her throat and advancing into the room. Always one for proper decorum, she would hate to think the men had found her interrupting a private conversation. Perish the thought, the high and mighty bastion of honor and courage would stoop to spying and eavesdropping like a common Weasley. Minerva checked her instinctive shivering and plastered a polite smile on her face.
"Ahem. Good evening, Albus. I received your notice. What is the reason for your urgent summons?" Minerva entered the room gallantly, presenting a calm front of efficiency and politeness and not registering any surprise at seeing Filius Flitwick already in the office with the headmaster and his guest.
"Ah, Minerva," Albus beamed, blue eyes twinkling fiercely behind his half-moon spectacles. "So glad you could make it." As if she would be allowed to shirk her duty. "Chocolate frog?" The proffered treat being denied, Albus took his time to find a chocolate egg to open. This gave him plenty of time to surreptitiously appraise his deputy, Filius and his guest.
Minerva smiled tightly at Filius, who nodded in response, before fixing her gaze on the guest. Her sharp intake of breath signaled she recognized him.
Drawing her wand out of her robes, Minerva stepped forward hesitantly. "Mr. Snape?" she asked, almost as if she wanted to be mistaken.
Severus Snape, never one to be cowed into submission, stood up haughtily and scowled his fiercest impression of a sullen teenager. "Professor McGonagall," was his only reply.
Filius shared a look with Albus and the two men agreed to watch in silence.
Minerva hesitantly put her hand out before letting it drop back to her side. "What is the meaning of this, Albus? The war is still going on. Just last week there was another Death Eater attack on a Muggle family." Her eyes never left his face, as though she was searching for answers.
His dark eyes were shielded, yielding nothing. No sign of sorrow or answers regarding any of the attacks would come from him. Yet he was here in Dumbledore's office. So something must have happened.
Albus realized the time to talk had come. "Minerva, my dear, this is why I asked you and Filius to join me. Severus has seen the error of his ways and wishes to be reformed. As part of his test to see if he really has changed, the Ministry has allowed me to keep a close eye on him. Under Filius's tutoring, he will become Horace's replacement next year."
Minerva could not suppress a gasp of astonishment at this proclamation. She stared up at Albus's merrily twinkling countenance, down to Filius's flushed face and then back to the scowling sour-faced Snape. This was her former student, the Slytherin who, after years of mistreatment, had thought he had found his place among the Death Eaters. Except he hadn't, because if he had, he wouldn't be here, her mind retorted tartly.
Silencing her inner voice for another time, Minerva looked up at Snape and asked, "Is it true you are remorseful and repent what you have done?"
Snape's eyes flicked for an instant as if asking Dumbledore's consent. The barmy old coot nodded imperceptibly and the young man relaxed.
"Yes, I am sorry for what I have done and what I caused to happen." He bit his lip so as not to say more. He could tell she would accept Dumbledore's word, but she would want more answers.
"And how do you feel about teaching?" she asked. Partly an unfair question as she suspected he had never had any positive experience with children.
The young man fidgeted like she supposed. And point to Minerva.
He licked his lips nervously before Filius intervened. "I will gladly help Professor Snape in his adventure in tutoring and teaching mindless children to mold them into witches and wizards with some aspect of purpose."
Severus's countenance did not shift an iota. "I am well prepared to tread the long hard path to redemption," he added softly staring at the ground instead of her face.
Minerva glanced at Dumbledore, then at Filius. Filius smiled and nodded encouragingly.
Sighing, Minerva walked up to the lad and stuck out her hand as a sign of acceptance. "Then welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Snape."
Stunned by her quick acceptance, Snape merely held her hand for a moment before fleeing from the office as quickly as his long legs could carry him.
"Now," Minerva stated, turning her gaze to the two older men. "How in the world are we going to allow a Death Eater to teach at Hogwarts?"
"Former Death Eater," Albus chided his deputy. "Do not forget, Minerva, his mistakes and his experiences will help the Slytherins in his care to walk a better path than he chose."
"But Albus," Minerva pleaded, "how do you know he's safe?"
Filius piped up, "I will ensure he is not a hazard to anyone, especially not the students, before he is deemed fit to teach." The elderly Charms master was brandishing his wand quite fiercely.
Minerva smiled down at her long-time friend and mentor. "I have no doubt of your skill, Filius. But how do we know he's sincere? Can he be trusted to ensure the safety of Hogwarts and our students?"
Albus beamed at Minerva and stated magnanimously, "I have heard Severus's confession at the Ministry and we had a nice long private chat here in my office before I summoned you. I am sure of Severus's good intentions and I fully expect to have both of you supporting my decision. He will need our support if we are to replace Horace sufficiently next year. After all, Horace is a good chap with ties to people of prominent power, but with Voldemort still out there, retirement is a good idea for our esteemed Potions Master. I have all the confidence that young Severus is or will be just as good a Potions teacher. He has the gift like Horace, albeit without the esteemed connections." His beard concealed his desire to chuckle when his piercing eyes stared at Minerva and caught her baleful glance.
Minerva, at least, had the good grace to look a slight bit ashamed when she thought of her own actions towards Mr. Snape when he had been a student. Her lion cubs Black and Potter had tormented the poor boy and she had not been there for him when he needed help. Everything that Minerva knew about the events that had turned him into a Death Eater - no, former Death Eater - were all hearsay and double talk. She hadn't helped him, nor had she hindered her Gryffindors because goodness knew she needed Potter's Quidditch skills. And Black, well, he was an unfortunately troubled boy as well. The only Gryffindor amidst a family of Slytherins. Maybe Mr. Snape could fit in the same boat. Another Gryffindor clad in Slytherin colors. Food for thought.
With a hasty goodnight, Albus bid Filius and Minerva goodbye as he disappeared to do what the two professors assumed must be Order business.
Filius and Minerva walked back down the stone staircase and said their goodnights as well, both pondering what the rest of term would mean.
Minerva was a mixture of anxiety and thoughtfulness. At least pompous Horace would be leaving. That fence-sitting arse had cost them a lot of trouble. If only he would use his contacts instead of talking about them, maybe they could have made some headway in this long drawn-out war.
Filius's thoughts were all worrisome concerning a dark young lad and how to handle a firework that could go off at any time. Because Merlin's knickers, no matter how badly behaved a student was, you couldn't whip out your wand and hex them all day. No matter how tempting it might seem. And for a short-tempered witch or wizard, the first year classes would be a sore trial for a jittery wand.
Alone with her thoughts, Minerva rubbed her aching head and admitted maybe she needed a drop of Firewhiskey to steady her nerves. Draining her glass almost as soon as she had poured it, she reminisced about her recent encounter. Yes the lad looked barely older than the seventh years. He was skinny and sullen, with his dark hair shrouding his face. He wore dark robes that he attempted to fill but she could see at once he was not comfortable in them. He stalked around mostly because he was uneasy, and she couldn't blame him. Teaching probably was not something he had expected to do. Fight, spy, die all in the name of glory and redemption, yes. But teach little monsters - students - Potions of all things. Minerva shook her head and laughed before pouring herself another drink. Damn Albus the Magnificent in all his wise wisdom. For all that people whispered he was a daft old codger, Minerva knew Albus had found a way to use Severus to his advantage. Maybe that's what bothered Minerva. Or maybe it was the fact that neither she nor Filius believed Severus was ready to face students any time soon.
Not wanting to think about it further, she waved her wand and the pieces of parchment stored in her desk earlier floated over to her so she could finish her marking.
Severus closed the door to his quarters and cursed. A long string of curse words issued forth as he banged around his room. How could the noble Albus the Redeemer of Lost Souls and Leader of Light ever turn him, Severus Snape, greasy git and all-around untrustworthy slimeball, into a respectable teacher? How could he, the bullied student, become a respected authority figure in the eyes of any Slytherin first-year, let alone in the eyes of his former teachers?
Flitwick of all people was the right choice. Flitwick had never harassed him during his time at Hogwarts. Nor had the diminutive Charms professor overlooked him as his own Head of House Slughorn had. But to see the look on McGonagall's face when she saw him almost broke his heart. She had been wary, as if approaching a half-tamed creature. Not that he blamed her. He had seen her duel and the look she had given him was one between despair and determination. At least she hadn't laughed at him and mocked him as other people had.
Sighing, he rubbed his forehead to ease his growing headache. Then he waved his wand and the room put itself back together after his unusual display of temper. Throwing himself down onto one of the overly plush chairs in front of the fire, he summoned a drink and thought again about his interview with the two men and Minerva.
"Fifty points!" Minerva yelled.
"It seemed adequate," came the suave response.
"I understand that your classroom was a mess. But are you really trying to win that badly?"
The younger man turned on his heel abruptly, causing the older witch to nearly walk right into him. "I would like to see you if your classroom became a burnt crisp because one of your dunderheads couldn't keep their hands to their own cauldron and caused another cauldron to explode, bathing the whole class in a solution causing ugly burns and boils."
Minerva cackled, "So it is true! You sent the most students to the Hospital Wing in one day."
Filius appeared suddenly from around a corner. "I guess that means I win the bet."
Pomona, approaching from the Library, groaned and hurried along, not wanting to miss another Snape-McGonagall quarrel.
Minerva growled and reluctantly handed over a small sack of galleons to the Charms master without so much as looking away from Snape.
Snape sniffed to hide his amusement that McGonagall had actually growled at Filius.
Minerva would not be deterred that easily. Poking a long pointed finger at his chest, she accentuated her next words. "That does not mean they deserve the loss of fifty points each. The Hospital Wing stay is punishment enough."
Filius sniggered unprofessionally. "Not to mention the embarrassment. Poppy says most of the worst-afflicted will be there overnight until the facial marks disappear."
Pomona had to cough to suppress her laughter.
Snape was not amused. "If you are done berating me for your students' mistake, I really must be going. As satisfying as this conversation has been, I can't be late for my appointment."
Minerva hissed, "This isn't over."
"Of course not. There's still time to try to win back those points. Futile as it may seem. But then, you Gryffindors never back down from a challenge." Snape strode away before she could respond. He really did not want to keep the headmaster waiting. But it was with a delicious sense of victory he left behind him a fuming McGonagall.
Flitwick and Sprout tried to ease Minerva back into her presentable self before they, too, went their separate ways. Really, the man had been here for a year and already the Gryffindor-Slytherin war was becoming the stuff of Hogwarts legend. At least there was entertainment. Ever since the fall of the Dark Lord, they had all been in need of something else to look forward to.
