Gabriella sighed. She wasn't sure if her sigh was of contentment or of resignation. She was happy to be back at Hogwarts. After the loss of her family, Hogwarts had become one of the most important places to her. After all, it was here that she got a new home, felt accepted, and had made friends. Most importantly, this was where she had met Severus, the man she loved. Even when she laid in a self-afflicted curse in the middle of the Forbidden Forrest, her dreams were full of the dark potions master in his billowing capes.

However, Hogwarts, ageless as it was, had changed. It was not that the building itself had changed. Rather, the structures, paintings, and the furnishings were almost all exactly as she had remembered them to be. It was the heart of the school that had changed. Except for her newfound acquaintances within the Gryffindor house, Gabriella recognized no one. Occasionally she would come across some one who seemed familiar, only to realize that she was speaking to the child of one of her past classmates. Many of her old teachers were gone, such as old Kettleburn who had disturbed her and Severus so many years before. The ones who were still there had changed. Time had not forgotten the occupants of Hogwarts. McGonagall, a teacher so dear to Gabriella, looked tired and stretched thin. Dumbledore, who had always seemed old, seemed even more so. Though she knew that she should expect it, it still alarmed Gabriella. Far too frequently she found herself brushing away a small droplet from her eye.

Worst of all, though she tried to deny it, Severus looked older. Though he was still undoubtedly the man she loved, he had changed. There were scars that went further than the skin, and Gabriella knew that she was the cause for many of them. She smiled briefly to herself though and gingerly placed her hand over her stomach, though it did not yet show her pregnancy. After she told Severus that she was carrying his child, he had grown silent in quite an intense and unusual way. He had then leapt up from the bed, paced the room quickly, and then swiftly returned to her side. To Gabriella's surprise and laughter he began to fluff the pillows behind her, rushing about, asking her if she wanted anything.

"Calm down, Severus." She had said, smiling. He had set down the glass of water that he was preparing to pour for her and returned, kneeling, to her side, clasping her hands in his own. They had merely gazed into one another's eyes, until Severus had lowered his hand over her own on top of her stomach and laid his head next to her side on the bed. Gabriella then moved to the side, allowing to him to climb in next to her. He had held her in his embrace for the rest of the night.

Walking to potions class, however, she wondered how she and Severus would handle being in the same classroom together after so long a separation. Would they be able to mask their relationship from the other students?

As it turned out, Gabriella would not have to worry about that. A new man bustled about the potions classroom, checking cauldrons and instructing the students. His name was Professor Slughorn. Gabriella, greatly distracted as she was, still managed to make an excellent potion, though it paled in comparison to the Potter boy's. When she passed his cauldron she could have sworn that there was something familiar about the notes in the textbook he was using. She was more preoccupied with Severus' absence, so she didn't dwell on the textbook for long.

On her way out of class, Hermione ran to catch up to her.

"Gabriella, are you all right?" Hermione asked, brushing her bushy hair out of her face. "You look rather angry."

Gabriella sighed. "Severus forgot to tell me that he wasn't potions master anymore. I suppose I can't blame him though."

"He didn't tell you? That's odd. He's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher now."

"Really? Hmm." Gabriella mused. "It was always his passion, but his greatest talent is his potion making. Oh well. He was such a perfectionist, he could never stand watching students mess up their potions. It made him so irate."

"I can understand that. He used to hate Harry and Ron's potions." Hermione laughed. "They were pretty terrible."

"What do you mean? Harry seemed to be doing so well." Gabriella looked to Hermione curiously.

"It's because of some textbook he found. It has a bunch of potions notes in it from a previous student." Hermione sighed. "Who ever it was, they were brilliant."

Gabriella smiled, realizing whose it must have been. Walking next to Hermione, Gabriella was suddenly reminded of her old friends, Piper and Annabelle. In the end, neither proved to be true friends, though she still thought fairly well of them.

Hermione turned to Gabriella. "I know this might seem rather rude of me, but do you think you could show me some of your animal forms? I find transforming fascinating, and I've never heard of a multiple animagus in recent times.

Gabriella smiled. "Sure. Let's go outside, so we can avoid getting too much attention."

Smiling the two girls quickened their steps to the outdoors. Although she knew she would never fully belong to the new, modern Hogwarts, at least she had a friend who knew one of her secrets and still accepted her without disgust. Things like trust, no matter how small, had become invaluable to the young wandless.