Snape nodded, knowing it wasn't a request no matter how much the headmaster's eyes twinkled.

"Lemon Drop?" Dumbledore asked benignly.

"No, disgusting little things, and just in case you were wondering, yes I know they are laced with calming draught, and no, I don't think anyone else knows" Snape remarked sourly.

"In a bad mood?"

"I have no idea who this man is much less why he would want to court me, so don't even bother asking" Severus snapped out, thouroughly irritated after only five minutes in the Headmasters presence.

"Very well. I'd like you to meet me here later tonight to go to the Burrow for an order meeting it seems there may be a new power, a 'grey side' if you will, I want you to see if you can get any info before then, he calls himself the shadow assassin and a snake and a phoenix wound together are the sign left at each of his kills, which are all death eaters I will have you know we want to know any info on him and everyone has been looking for evidence of him to bring to the meeting"

"I can't possibly go of tramping to Lucius for information I still have summer homework that needs to be graded as well as potions for the infirmary to be ma-"

"You shall find time, I'm sure"

"Yes, Headmaster", and with a twirl of his black cloak he was gone.

/conniving old man! I was also hoping for some tea with headache potion well, it appears I shall forgo sleep to grade the essays, and due the potions tomorrow and-ah a wayward Gryffindor/

"Ms. Granger ten points from Gryffindor for wandering the halls" /ah much much better/

"Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall asked me to give you the password to the Burrow floo" The bushy hair girl rushed out.

"Well then?"

"it's a err, lost hero"

"mm our Gryffindor golden boy no doubt"

Turning and stalking through the halls to his office professor Snape is very surprised once he reaches it.

"nghh" /what the hell, there are different wards on my classroom god dammit my nose hurts who could've circumvented my wards they had to have been nearly flawless! Dumbledore would've told me and the my dark mark doesn't hurt so it's not the dar- ahh my courter, lord Emyrs, a black and white phoenix indeed, did you think you could have let Mr. Flamel know it would be weaved with magic, well incinereo I believe it was./

and raising his ring to the magic flowing wards he incanted "incinereo!"

/ahh the wards are keyed to me now, wonderful/

walking in, the potions master just stared in disbelief, /well I do suppose I got my wish/ he thought with a sort of wry smile there on his desk were all the essays and after flipping through he realized they were done to his exact key and graded exactly as he would do it there was also a small black opal with a white phoenix imprinted on it

/I shall go see what potions Poppy needs me to brew then/

He poked his head in the infirmary and then walked in, "Poppy?"

"There you are Severus you will never believe what I just found" she gushed

"Well if I won't believe don't bother telling me just give me the list of potions you need so I can get started" Snape snarked

"Follow me"

"I insist, I don't need to see whatever it is, just give me the list" but the matron had already started walking to her office

"I-what are these?"

"Potions a full stock, almost all the potions you could hope to find in St. Mungo's, except they are all done to your standard."

"Did ah, did anything come with them?"

"So you do know who sent them! here, I found this on one of the boxes" there in here hand was a small quartz stone with a black phoenix on it.

"Mr. Flamel says that this is the sign Mr. Emyrs leaves on all favors for me done personally by him."

"So he brewed all of these for the infirmary, so you wouldn't need to?"

"It would seem so"

"My you have quite the man there"
"mm, well seeing as I have no need to brew stock I shall be retiring to your room, good day"

"Wait, here, take the stone, you should keep them"

"very well"

Arriving in his room Snape strode cautiously remembering very vividly running into a ward wall and of course another weave of magic in form of a phoenix

"Incinereo"

/Emyrs, does seem to be quite the man, how in Merlins name did he know what my favorite pastry is and how I like my tea though, and for that matter how did he get it here? Unless it was Albus.. ah-no, tea service decorated in black and white phoenixes very nice/

After taking tea Severus decided he should go see what he could dig up on the Shadow Assassin walking throwing floo dust he said, "Malfoy Manor" and promptly yelled as his dark mark started to burn immediately

"Ah ssseverus what a nice sssuprissse"(he knew that the hissing bothered his spy, though he showed no sign of it)

"My lord" he gasped