Molly clenched her yoga mat with tight fingers. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She, Molly Prewett Weasley, a frumpy housewife in stretchy Muggle yoga pants! "But I'm not a housewife anymore," she thought and bit her lip to keep the tears from coming. One had to be a wife to be a housewife, after all. And Molly Weasley was a widow. That was the whole point of this. Yoga was supposed to be relaxing, after all, and cooking and cleaning just weren't cutting it. She couldn't stand another stretch of unbroken days in that house, even with all her children present. It was full of too many memories of Arthur.

Well, Hermione had told her Muggles used yoga as a means to relax and de-stress, to tap into their inner core. (Hermione had then whacked Ron over the head when he said it sounded like Divination). Molly knew she needed it. She squared her shoulders and, following the bevy of Muggle women, entered the gym. Then she stopped dead, eyes as wide as saucers.

"You!"

-TIME LAPSE-

"Hey, Evan, thanks again for letting me bring in my Claire, you're a lifesaver... or, I guess, such a prince in disguise."

"It is nothing," Severus said with a rare, small smile that only occurs in the mundane world. He look down at the red-haired three years old girl and back to her mother. "How are you with the move, Miss. Peterson?"

"Please, Evan, how many times must I tell you to call me Lila?" The red-haired mother laughed gaily as she set Claire down on the floor with picture books and cheerios. She smiled back at Severus, her hazel eyes shining especially green that day. "Say, Evan, what did lead you to yoga?"

Severus glanced at the door, seeing other students (mainly middle-age women with a few college-aged women here and there) entering the classroom yet none made any advances to meet Severus. So, he was unfortunately stuck conversing with single mother Lila Peterson, who harbors a crush on him.

"My grandmother taught muh - me yoga," Severus said, covering up his mistake flawlessly. "She was a yoga instructor and I was quite close." As Lila squealed over that revelation, Severus drew back to his own thoughts. It was not exactly a lie. His muggle grandmother was, in fact, a muggle yoga instructor. What Severus failed to mention was what led to him teaching yoga was the Potter brat's embarrassing speech about his "heroic deeds," him being "Dumbledore's right-hand man," and how he was the bravest man that Potter have ever known. Potter, in Severus' cynical point of view, was milking it in. After being acquitted and endured Rita Skeeter's harassment about a tell-all book (eventually it was released as "Severus Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?"), Severus disappeared into the muggle world to become Evan Prince, a modest yoga instructor.

"We should go out for a drink one day," Lila said, bringing Severus back to reality. "I could get a babysitter for Claire."

"I am," for once Severus was at a lost of words when someone unannounced and unexpected came through the threshold. "One day, Miss. Peterson." Lila, oblivious to Severus' distraction, smiled triumphantly and simply told him to call her and went back to setting up her yoga mat. Meanwhile, the once potion master turned yoga instructor stared at the red-haired frumpy housewife, who happens to be a witch.

"You!"

Recomposing himself, he walked up to her and held his hand out, "Do I know you, ma'am? I am Instructor Evan Prince."

Molly realized she was gaping - such rudeness would have earned her children a scathing telling off - and snapped her mouth shut. Still she stared at the proffered hand. She couldn't be mistaken, could she? That face had been plastered all over the newspapers only a year ago, when parents tried to bring charges against him for the Carrows' treatment of Hogwarts students during his tenure as Headmaster. There couldn't be two faces like that in England, could there? Regaining her composure, she took the awkwardly proffered hand. "I'm sorry," she said slowly. "I thought you were someone else. My name is Molly."

"Apology accepted, Molly," he said, making a mental note to not refer her as 'Mrs. Weasley.' "What bring you to my class?"

For a moment Molly forgot her confusion and suspicion. She cleared her throat twice, and even then her voice was a little hoarse. "My...my husband died recently. It's been hard. A friend told me yoga might help."

"I'm sorry," and just like Molly, Severus forgot his own fears of being founded out. "I lost someone once too. I believe your friend is correct. My grandmother used to tell me yoga is an unique method to go back in the depths of your mind." A reason why he will often practice stretches after long, exhausting days of using occlumency.

At once Molly thought of the story Harry had only shared with Ron and Hermione out of respect for Snape's privacy, but that Ron had let slip to her. Snape had been friends with and had loved Harry's mother, Lily. Lily Evans. It was him, she was sure of it. It couldn't be a coincidence. Shortly after Harry spoke out in his defense, Snape had completely disappeared. Prince.. .hadn't there been something about princes that Harry had mentioned, too? She couldn't remember. The other women in the class had lain down their mats and were watching Evan Prince expectantly. He turned slightly away from her, toward the front of the room. Now, Molly might have reigned wrath upon Fred and George for their mischief making, but they had to have gotten the knack for it from somewhere. Merlin knew Arthur hadn't had a devious bone in his body.

"Yes, it can be so difficult," she said, stepping back and dropping her mat. "Severus was such a good husband."

Severus stiffened, knowing that Molly Weasley was not a dumb witch. He should've known. Yet, he stubbornly refused to relent and simply responded with "Severus? Like as in St. Severus? What an interesting name. Was your late husband Catholic?"

Molly was not one to give up so easily, of course. "No, but he was from an old family."

The class began with simple stretches and soon progressed into holding poses. Molly did not do the more challenging ones-she wasn't very flexible these days despite raising seven energetic children-but she did find it soothing. The instructor - Snape, the witch amended stubbornly- had a surprisingly restful voice when he spoke slowly and quietly. It was deep, almost hypnotizing. As soon as the class was over, she popped to her feet and waited in the background until the rest of the women stopped chatting to Mr. Prince and one another and left. It took quite awhile. Only then did she place herself between Snape and the door.

"I want to apologize for all the twins' antics over the years. They can be so incorrigible."

"What?"

"And for my youngest son's occasional rudeness," Molly said with a gleam in her eyes. "He means well, but he has such a big mouth, even Hermione gets fed up with him. Well," she added as an afterthought. "Especially Hermione."

Severus opened his mouth, to once again, reject the notion of his true identity when he noticed the mischievous glint in Molly's eyes. It was unnerving and reminded Severus of a certain pair of redheaded twins.

"It's you. You're how they are so, well in your words, incorrigible." He shook his head and then the strangest thing happened. Severus chuckled. "I should've known. Your husband was far too mild-manner to produce such... rambunctious boys." Then he sobered up and looked straight into Molly's eyes. "Is there any hope... that this secret... can stay between... us?"

-TIME LAPSE, SOMEWHERE IN THIS GALAXY-

The next page is blank, except for a single line that stares back ominously: Stay tune. More will come tomorrow. It is alas, dear Reader, an intermission. Isn't that a wonderful term? Much more pleasing than using "cliffhanger." Go home, do a less than satisfying household chore, call up an old friend, and then return tomorrow for this curtain will reopen once again.