Oh, Chosen, I wish I knew how to quit you!

Thank you to everyone who has prodded me with random reviews long after I figured this story had faded into the archives.

Aliesha: Here you are, if you are there: more Snuffy

Pussykat8: Why, thank you.

jw Here you go!

Lily Tanzer: Well, if you insist, I'll keep this up.

Tiffany: It really warms me to hear that I've made someone see the beauty of my ships. Thank you for having faith in my Snape.

FirePrincessofSlytherin17: I've changed it in this chapter. When I started writing this all those years ago, I didn't know what her name was. I'll go back and change the rest later. But I'm glad you like the character, whatever her name is.

Buffy nervously tucked her hair behind her ear as she surveyed the hundreds of students she was supposed to be escorting to Hogsmeade. Every so often, she would look down on a student from her perch at the top of the stairs and would wave, but the student almost always gave her a confused look before going back to his or her conversation.

'Okay, this is going to be...a challenge.' she said to herself. 'I can only guard the rear and they haven't sent any other teachers to flank and protect the front. They're just kids – how are they going to defend themselves if we get ambushed?

Suddenly, she as aware of someone standing behind her. "They're really not, you know."

Buffy whirled around. "Hey!" she said, startled. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to spy on your fellow faculty members' thoughts?"

Snape's thin lips twitched upwards. "I read lips as well as minds, Ms. Summers."

"Oh," she replied. "Uh, but aren't you still supposed to be in the infirmary? I happen to know from experience that it's not good to be walking around with a hole in your stomach."

"You severely underestimate my constitution." he said, as he walked over to stand beside her at the railing. "But as I was saying, these are not mere children. For the most part, yes, many of them couldn't find their way out of a classroom without the directional jostling of the herd but there are the occasional exceptional talents. Mr. Malfoy, for example," he gestured with his hand to the blond boy who was holding court in the middle of the mob, "has a gift for subterfuge that will allow him to survive in any situation. Time will tell whether that was purely his father's influence. And it is rumoured that Ms. Brown is hiding an excellent patronus underneath the metric ton of paint that seems to have collided with her face."

Buffy turned to face the older man. "And you are apparently hiding a charitable streak underneath all that black." she teased. She shot her hand out to test his wound, but found her hand incapable of moving more than 2 inches closer to his body. She looked up, her playful look meeting with his smug one.

"All those with permission, line up in front of me!" Filch yelled suddenly. The professor and the Slayer both blinked and seemed to return to themselves and the present time. Snape's face slide once again into the mask of barely concealed disgust as he turned sharply away from Buffy and marched down the stairs.

"10 points from Gryffindor, Mr. Finnigan. That is most definitely not the proper use of a stirring rod!"

Ginny stalked ahead of Lucius as they made their way down the hallway to the library. Although she had yet to form a workable plan for revenge, she knew she had better start soon to impress upon the man just who was in favour and who was not. As she walked through the open door, she turned around without warning. "I think you should wait out here." she said haughtily. "This meeting is for members of the inner sanctum, not playthings."

However, Lucius merely grunted as he brushed past her, trying to knock her shoulder as he did only to meet a rock of tense Slayer muscle. Scowling, he cracked his neck and waited for her to enter before sliding inside behind her.

Two chairs had been set up by the fireplace and Ginny recognized Tom's voice instantly as he spoke amiably with the new ally. "I see we have an understanding." he said pleasantly. "Feel free to maim and kill whomever you wish, but your first target is to be the werewolf."

The other man nodded but said nothing.

Tom sighed. "I do wish they'd made you more talkative." he muttered as he rose to greet Ginny and Lucius, who had stopped at respectable distances from where Tom was sitting. "Ah, you're here at last." he said, gliding over to Ginny to place a small kiss on her lips. "Ginerva, I'd like you to meet Luc Bakirsis, our latest ally."

Ginny smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Bakirsis." she said politely. "I'm sure you'll – "

"Does she always talk this much, milord?" the man growled as he rose from his chair. "It's bound to get on a man's nerves."

All the air had rushed out of the room. Gone was the wild, dirty hair created by years of sleeping in the earth, the frantic eyes trained by years of running, the over-done, ill-fitting robes that had been grudgingly hung on his body but never worn.

Before her stood an immaculate, clean cut, and very much alive Sirius Black.

Short, I know, but worth it. Please give generously to the Review button!