It's been a while.
Celosia had stayed in the castle for a while, spending her time in the dungeons, Hospital Wing and Dumbledore's office. She didn't want Umbridge seeing her, as she was not at Hogwarts on official business of any sort. However, telling the woman that she was invited would not go well. Umbridge had already set in plenty of rules, most that Dumbledore was unable to stop due to her getting Fudge involved in everything. Celosia herself never liked the Minister.
Her and Severus' relationship never went passed to the strong pleasurable benefits they had before. It was risky enough when they were doing it at Grimmauld. At Hogwarts there was definitely a chance Dumbledore, and worse Umbridge, would find out. If the word got out to students, it would ruin Severus' reputation. Celosia wanted nothing more than to be with him emotionally and physically, but the ongoing battle always ruined it.
Celosia had suspected that the Trio had figured out about her and Severus, seeing as whenever Celosia would see them walking towards the Room of Requirement, Ron and Hermione would act shy and exchange plenty of knowing glances. Harry himself might have known, but was too preoccupied with Voldemort trying to invade his mind, on top of the Army he had to teach.
The kitchens and house elves had been Celosia's new place to hang out, as she didn't find it fit to eat in the Great Hall where Umbridge was. Celosia was bloody lucky that the horrid woman was too busy judging and critiquing the staff to even notice her presence. No doubt Celosia could hide longer. She needed to stay and make sure Harry was doing alright and being successful in his lessons.
Celosia often sat in Severus' office while Harry's Occlumency lessons went on. That night when Celosia arrived was the only time they had kissed and as much as Celosia had wanted to leave his office with a goodnight peck, Severus wouldn't allow it, insisting that they both couldn't be emotionally involved. They both however knew they already were, but didn't want to admit it.
As if things couldn't get any worse, Umbridge was bringing in more rules, and with Harry's OWLs around the corner, Celosia was wondering if he was ready at all. The last thing she wanted was the boy stressing himself out too much just for his classmates to learn how to conjure a Patronus. Fudge must really have been thick for not believing that Voldemort was back after Arthur Weasley's attack.
Celosia was in the kitchen eating her lunch well into the afternoon, house elves working around her. She sipped at the glass of wine in her fingers, feeling like she needed it. The stresses of Harry's problems were on her shoulders and she felt a familiar maternal feeling, one that she had wished to share with her own son or daughter.
"Ah, so this is where you've been." A kind voice said and she looked up, setting her glass down as she sat in her chair properly. Albus Dumbledore stood at the closed doors, smiling as he walked towards her, his purple robes brushing against the floor.
"Albus how are you?" Celosia offered a chair to him, which he accepted and lowered himself down on.
"Quite well, and you?" He looked at her with a kind smile.
"Pretty ok for someone who's sneaking around the castle behind Umbridge's back." Celosia muttered, rolling her eyes slightly.
Dumbledore let out a hearty chuckle, nodding his head. "Yes, that woman has taken it too far. Unfortunately, Fudge is behind her one hundred percent. Although I am Headmaster, she is starting to take over."
"The school year is almost over, that must be a relief." Celosia sighed. "She'll be here next year though, won't she?"
"Stronger than ever, I'm afraid." The old man shook his head, leaning back against the wood and smiling. "Unless something was to happen to her, like all the other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers."
"Ah, yes." She smirked, shaking her head lightly. "A new one every year. I think we could make a record."
"Yes, it is possible." The Headmaster agreed then returned his eyes to Celosia. "Now, I've come here to tell you that I have figured out a way to let you wander around the castle freely."
"Really?" Celosia sat up in her chair again, paying full attention. She had grown tired of seeing the same grey walls of the spare room in the dungeons that she was staying in. She had only gone out really to eat in the kitchens, or wander the halls around the Room of Requirement and Gryffindor common rooms. Often she would visit Severus' office, which wasn't very successful since he was almost always absent because of teaching. She knew that she wasn't supposed to keep seeing him just on her leisure but she couldn't help herself. Something inside her wanted to.
"I will tell the Ministry that I have asked for you to come and help keep the grounds secure." Dumbledore explained. "Further help with making sure there is order, and everyone is safe."
"I doubt Dolores will believe that." Celosia frowned. "Why would she need me when she's capable of doing so herself?"
"Because, you can be undercover by my order, to ensure that the students are being well taken care of while she is in charge. You know, make sure no one is abused unnecessarily."
"Abuse?" Celosia raised her eyebrows. "She's abused the students? Which ones? All of them? All the ones that she gave detention to? Why doesn't Fudge know about this?"
"Oh, she has been careful to keep it out of Fudge's ears." Dumbledore frowned. "And yes, she has abused a few of the students, in some forms of magic and potion work."
"That's horrible!" Celosia exclaimed. "She has no right to do that!"
"Unfortunately nothing is stopping her now." He shook his head and continued. "If anyone asks, I appointed you at the end of the Triwizard Tournament last year, and you were on vacation until now. You arrived at the castle this morning and have been meeting with me all day to get your sleeping quarters and such."
"Sounds like a plan." Celosia nodded her head slowly. "Yes, I think it should be believable. But won't this mean you might get in more trouble for not notifying her?"
"What Dolores thinks is the least of my worries." He insisted. "I cannot stay here for too long, no doubt Dolores and the Minister will find a way to get me out of here. When I am gone, you need to stay and make sure Harry is safe and goes through with his lessons from Severus."
"That's the only reason I'm here." Celosia nodded and Dumbledore's eye twinkled.
"Is there not another?"
Celosia raised her eyebrows, shocked and taken aback. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Did you not show at least some affection to Severus when you saw him?" The old man pressed and Celosia scoffed, wondering how he could have found out about their kiss. Perhaps he was bluffing?
"No, Severus and I are best friends Albus, of course I would have been happy to see him. However our relationship has been and is frozen at being just friends." She insisted, smiling at him. He could see the hesitation and doubt in her eyes, but only dismissed it, knowing that what they were doing was the right thing.
"It will all be over before you know it, Celosia." He stood up, brushing his robes down as he walked towards the door, the House elves wishing him a good day. "We all deserve a happy ending."
Celosia sat at her usual chair at the side, Severus' wand pointed at Harry as the boy grunted in his chair, hands in fists as he threw his head back. His teeth gritted as he knuckles started to turn white, and as soon as Severus pulled out, the boy glared at him. "That's private!"
Celosia had kept her mind connected to Harry's, having seen everything Severus already saw. If she had to make sure he was safe, she had to see what Severus was seeing. It was also the perfect opportunity to see what his childhood was like, what she had missed out on. Her heart was absolutely touched when Harry saw his parents in the Mirror of Erised, and Celosia had started to wonder herself what she would have seen if it was still around.
"It's not private to the Dark Lord, and nor is it to me or your aunt!" Severus snapped.
"I'd rather Celosia do this than you!" Harry spat, rising to his feet. Celosia stood from her chair.
"Harry, Professor Snape is much more talented at this than I am." She started.
"You're just like your father, arrogant!" Severus interrupted, his anger flaring.
"My father was a great man!" Harry exclaimed, Severus grabbing his collar and throwing him back into the chair.
"Severus!" Celosia exclaimed, walking towards them.
"Your father was a swine!" Severus roared and pointed his wand at Harry. "Legilimens!"
Celosia tuned into Harry's mind on habit, right before Harry pulled his wand and pointed it at the man across from him. "Protego!"
All three of them were shocked as a scene from Severus and Celosia's school days started to play out in their minds. It was sometime in their fifth or sixth year, when Severus was once again being bullied by the Marauders. Harry had wondered if he would see his mother too, or Celosia even. Celosia expected Lily or she to show up, before remembering that the specific time of the memory was when Lily and her were both angry at Severus.
"Enough!" Severus pushed Harry out of his mind and grabbed him by the collar. Celosia was shocked, but remained where she was. "Get. Out."
Harry didn't need to be told twice and he bolted from the room quickly, Celosia staring at Severus. "What were you thinking?" She exclaimed, walking to stand in front of him. She obviously didn't care that he was in a rage, and wasn't afraid that he would hex her right there. Her wand was in her belt but she didn't dare use it. She had confidence that Severus wouldn't attack her in any way. "You shouldn't have angered him about his family, what have I told you before? He isn't James!"
"He acts like him!" He yelled, glaring at her. "His personality is the same; he struts around the castle, the big hotshot out of the student body, just because he's the boy who lived!"
"That isn't true and you know it!" Celosia exclaimed. "He is Lily and James' son, both of them; he has BOTH of their blood running through his veins! His personality is not just James; you're too blinded to see he has every ounce of Lily in him!"
Severus opened his mouth, about to argue before Celosia softened her gaze, taking a step towards him and setting her hand on his neck. He froze and stared down at her with his hard look, less sharp than it was a few seconds before. She looked him in the eye, waiting for them to calm down from a glare to a gaze before she opened her mouth in a whisper. "Legilimens."
A flash of the scene Harry had witnessed was the first thing she saw, before it quickly turned to Severus standing beside Celosia and Lily on the last day of summer before they were sent to Hogwarts. They were smiling and playing around in the playground, Celosia even lightening up to the boy. Petunia was nowhere to be found. The scene dissolved to Severus calling Lily a Mudblood, and then quickly changed to Severus sitting in the Evans' kitchen while Celosia and Petunia were fussing over their jobs.
The next scene was prolonged and Celosia's eyes widened. An image of her old Muggle home with Andre flashed before Severus was shown, adorn in Death Eater robes. He stared up at the house before pulling his Death Eater mask on, one that Celosia recognized. He blasted the door down, and Celosia could hear her own screams coming from the house. Several other Death Eaters were there before a harsh voice commanded them to stand down, beckoning Severus to go upstairs.
Celosia watched in horror as she saw herself and her husband in their bedroom, huddled in the corner with Celosia's wand pointed out in front of them. The door was blasted open and Andre held onto Celosia's waist tighter, the woman shaking as tears stained her face. "Expelliarmus!" She shouted but Severus deflected it. "Petrificus Totalus!"
The attempts were blocked easily and soon Celosia found her wand disarmed, lying across the room. She gripped at her husband harder before Severus casted the Cruciatus curse on her, making her scream in agony and fall to the floor, out of her husband's grasp. At that moment, Celosia watched as a flash of green light from Severus' wand hit Andre, him falling next to her with his eyes wide open.