A/N: Apologies for the month-plus long wait between chapters, and thank you so much for the kind reviews! I've enjoyed reading each and every one of them, and appreciate everyone who has given up their time to read this.

I'd also like to take a short moment to touch on something I debated quite a bit over including in these fics when I first started writing them that's been infrequently but occasionally mentioned in reviews, and rather understandably so- the fact that Severus Snape isn't against using corporal punishment now and then.

I hate saying this, but I am not as young as I once was. While I don't necessarily agree with corporal punishment in schools, or at all, really, I grew up in a time and place not terribly far from when these stories take place, an era when such methods were far more commonplace, particularly in public ('private' in the American sense) schools.

Things have changed since I was young (and I'm not one of those types bemoaning that they have), but I imagine a young and inexperienced Snape wouldn't think twice about it, particularly when he started teaching. I also was very heavily inspired by Margot11's 'A Learning Experience' series, which follows a similar sort of reasoning. I imagine if you've read this far it isn't a dealbreaker, but I know not everyone will agree with its inclusion, which I absolutely understand and respect.

Also, on a very unrelated note, I'd like to mention something that will become relevant in upcoming chapters- For this fic, I'm going off the canon in Half-Blood Prince that Minerva McGonagall began teaching in 1956, which the Fantastic Beasts films retcon as occurring decades earlier. Given she began teaching at Hogwarts two years after finishing school, that roughly places her start at Hogwarts as a student at a few years after the previous opening of the Chamber of Secrets.

All that aside, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Sixteen: A Surprise Visit

Severus reached the common room at a speed he suspected would have qualified him to run a marathon, were he so inclined. Barking the password, he straightened his posture and put on what he hoped was reasonable facsimile of a calm person greeting an old friend.

The wall slid open, revealing an unusually quiet common room. The Slytherins weren't quite openly staring at Lucius Malfoy, but his presence was impossible to ignore. Lucius, meanwhile, sat in Severus's preferred armchair, feet up propped up on a common room table as he engaged in conversation with a solemn-faced Marcus Flint. They both fell silent the moment they spotted Severus.

"Severus, I was wondering when you'd turn up." Lucius stood, a slow smile spreading across his face.

Severus crossed the room, waving an impatient hand at the Slytherins, who were rising to their feet as they always did, to sit down again. Forcing the corners of his lips to turn upward (a rather uncommon occurrence even when he was actually pleased), he shook Lucius's outstretched hand.

"I came the moment I heard you were here. To what do I owe the pleasure? I wasn't expecting you, though I'm not complaining, of course."

"I can see that," Lucius said, still smiling, though his eyes flitted for the briefest of moments to the small assortment of Gryffindors sitting near the fire. Gaze returning to Severus, he said, "Business relating to the Board of Governors. If you have a moment...?"

He trailed off, and Severus nodded, turning toward the door and motioning for him to follow.

Harry and Draco walked slowly through the dungeon corridors, trailing behind Terence Higgs, who'd hardly said a word as they left Snape's study. After they'd notified Professor Snape of the situation in the common room, the latter had darted from his study like a bat out of hell, barking at them to return to the common room as well. Harry's head was spinning; he imagined Draco's must be doing the same.

"Why do you think your father is here?"

"How would I know?" Draco stared straight ahead, at Terence's back. "He doesn't tell me anything."

"Did you see the look on his face when he saw George Weasley?" Harry couldn't imagine what had gone through Mr. Malfoy's head at that time. "Do you think he knew who he was?"

"With those freckles and ginger hair? Of course he knew. Besides..." Draco turned slightly red. "George was there when our fathers fought at Flourish and Blotts over summer. So were Ron and Ginny. He knows exactly who they are."

"That actually happened, then?" Terence paused, finally breaking free of his own pondering. "The fight at Flourish and Blotts? I thought that was just talk. You know how people exaggerate."

Draco turned redder, and Harry could tell he was biting back a sharp reply. A year ago he likely wouldn't have bothered to try, but the Draco of now had a bit more self control. Finally, he said, "The entire thing was stupid."

"I heard they knocked over a bookshelf," Terence said. Pausing again at Draco's expression, he said, "Even if they did, it doesn't matter. You should hear some of things my parents have done when they've worked themselves up over pure-blood nonsense."

"He didn't knock over a bookshelf," Draco muttered, unable to look at him. "My father was rude to Mr. Weasley for being friendly with Granger's parents. Called him a disgrace to wizards, and said his family could sink no lower."

Terence let out a rueful laugh. "I've heard that line before."

"What happened next?" Harry asked, unable to help himself.

"Mr. Weasley hurled himself at him and they slammed into a bookshelf." Draco glared at Harry as though he thought he might laugh. When Harry did nothing of the sort, he continued. "They didn't knock it over, though. They just sent some books flying about. Then Hagrid pulled them apart, dragged Mr. Weasley outside, and that was the end of it."

No one said anything for a moment, then Terence snorted and said, "Fathers. They're impossible sometimes, aren't they?"

Draco glowered at his feet, but then he relaxed slightly and nodded. Harry wished he could chime in with a similar sentiment, but he hadn't the faintest idea what fathers were like. Instead, he said, "Sorry that happened."

"You know," Draco said, looking up only enough to see where he was going. "If it had happened a year ago I would have loved it, my father standing up to a blood-traitor. Instead it was..." He trailed off and shook his head. "It was embarrassing."

"You aren't the first to feel that way," Terence reassured him. "And you won't be the last."

"Anyway," Draco said, sighing heavily. "I don't want to think about my father."

This would be an impossible task, however; the sound of voices could be heard from up ahead, one of which was undeniably that of Lucius Malfoy.

"...haven't been to the common room in years, Severus. It hasn't changed a bit, and yet... it has." Mr. Malfoy rounded the corner, accompanied by Professor Snape, and he fell silent as he strode toward Draco. "There you are."

"Hello, Father," Draco said, pausing before continuing toward him.

"I was wondering where you'd run off." Mr. Malfoy took a step back to study his son. "You've grown."

Draco, who had grown a bit taller since Christmas, straightened up. "I have. A bit."

Mr. Malfoy reached out and ruffled his son's hair, a small smile playing at his lips. "I told you last year I'd pay a visit to the common room- I suppose I was a bit overdue, but I made it in the end, didn't I?"

Draco managed a smile of his own, one that Harry didn't think looked very convincing, but it seemed to fool Mr. Malfoy.

"Your mother misses you," he said, removing his hand from Draco's head and clapping on his shoulder instead. "You should write her more often. Your letters mean a great deal to her."

"I will," Draco said. "I promise. Tell her I said I will."

Lucius nodded, then turned to Harry. Harry, not quite sure what to do with himself, was well-aware of Professor Snape watching them both.

"This is-" Draco started.

"Don't be foolish, Draco. I'm well aware." Mr. Malfoy studied Harry with an expression of open curiosity, as well as a mixture of emotions Harry couldn't quite articulate.

"Hello," Harry finally said, his mouth dry as he finally locked eyes with the man who'd tried to hand him over to Voldemort the year before.

"Harry Potter." Mr. Malfoy held out a hand, and Harry forced himself to shake it. "I've wanted to meet you for quite some time."

Harry couldn't help but think of the way he'd felt as he hid under Theo's bed the year before, listening to this same man tell his son the Dark Lord was about to return, and that he wanted to meet Harry Potter before anything else. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy."

"A pity it's taken this long." Mr. Malfoy's smile didn't waver, and Harry could hardly imagine him publicly trading blows with anyone. "Mrs. Malfoy and I so wanted to have you over for the Christmas holidays. Any friend of Draco's is a friend of the Malfoy family."

Harry didn't know what to say; he knew Professor Snape had forbidden this from happening the year before, and that he'd used Professor Dumbledore as an excuse to keep him at Hogwarts.

"Perhaps next year," Professor Snape said, his voice silky smooth. Harry didn't believe him for a minute, but Mr. Malfoy seemed to.

"And you," he said, turning to Terence Higgs, his smile slightly wavering. "You're William Higgs' boy, aren't you?"

Terence nodded, expression unreadable. "He's my father, yes. Nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hm." Mr. Malfoy smiled widened again, but it was an unsettling one. "I've heard a great deal about you as well."

"I'm certain you have." Terence's tone was polite, but Professor Snape cleared his throat all the same.

"I think it's time the three of you to the common room."

"Off with you, then." Mr. Malfoy clapped a hand on his son's shoulder again. "I'm happy I was able to see you today, Draco. Perhaps I'll start dropping by more often."

Severus handed Lucius a drink before settling into the armchair in the corner of his office. He conjured an identical armchair for Lucius, who took a seat and waited for Severus to speak. Severus didn't take the bait, instead sipping at his own drink until Lucius was forced to speak.

"You must be aware," he finally said, keeping his demeanor pleasant, "That there are currently multiple Gryffindors in your common room."

Severus let out a mirthless snort. "All too aware, I'm afraid."

"And?" Lucius asked, an edge creeping into his tone. "How was this allowed to happen?"

"The children are intelligent, Lucius," Severus said, raising an eyebrow. "I'd expect you to understand exactly what they're doing."

"Don't give me your we lost the war nonsense again-"

"I'll do exactly that," Severus said lightly. "This is the smartest thing those children could do." When Lucius didn't reply, he continued, "Have you any idea the suspicion they're under right now?" Lucius started to speak now, but Severus continued on. "We didn't mingle with other houses when we were students because there was a war on. The battle their generation is fighting is a much different one. They're befriending the enemy, Lucius, or at least pretending they are. They're maintaining their true beliefs behind closed doors while regaining positions of respectability for their families, positions that were lost when the Dark Lord vanished."

"The Malfoys never lost their respectability," Lucius said sharply.

"Of course not, not within the proper circles," Severus reassured him. "But you can't pretend you don't remember those first few years after the war, when the threat of Azkaban was on the table, not just for you, but for all of us." He paused. "The Dark Lord will return one day, and when he does, having the enemy lured into a false sense of security will make all the difference."

Lucius studied Severus, then said, "You said they're keeping their true beliefs behind closed doors- the Slytherin common room should be one of those closed doors. They deserve a place to let the old traditions carry on freely."

"They do. Trust me, I agree with you in that regard." Severus leaned forward, then said, "But they made this decision themselves."

"Did they?"

Severus nodded. "They did, and it is a purely logical one. They're wearing the same mask you wear in society today, for the same reasons as you. I can personally confirm they haven't been swayed by Dumbledore's nonsense. They're smarter than that."

"Not all of them," Lucius pointed out. "I don't like Draco spending time with William Higgs' son. That boy is a disgrace to pure-bloods everywhere."

"Terence Higgs is an idiot," Severus agreed. "And an outcast among the rest of the students. Your son hardly gives him a second glance."

"And yet you've made him Head Prefect," Lucius said. Before Severus could respond, he waved a hand and said, "Yes, yes. Appeasement of that doddering old headmaster. Sometimes it seems the amount of appeasement you're forced to dole out isn't worth it, Severus."

"And the alternative?" Severus asked. "Our true motives questioned, and a Dumbledore loyalist in the role? Scrutiny from the Ministry to the same degree as we had ten years ago? Reopening of long-since-closed cases?"

"You've quite the balancing act to manage, Severus. I won't deny that." Lucius sighed, then downed half his bourbon in one go. "I simply worry you occasionally dip too far toward the direction of Dumbledore at the expense of the true cause."

"As do I." Severus allowed his tone to go soft. "You know how tenuous the headmaster's trust in me is. Perhaps I do over-appease him, but he's more paranoid than ever these days, what with the attacks, and the near-return of the Dark Lord. I do what I must, but I don't enjoy it. You can hardly imagine my reaction the first time I discovered a Gryffindor in the common room." He chuckled darkly. "I'm lucky I kept my head. They're lucky they kept their heads."

"I can only imagine," Lucius said, letting out a reluctant chuckle of his own. "Who invited them inside?"

"The Potter boy," Severus said honestly. "He's an intelligent child. He knew exactly what he was doing. Draco was wise in befriending him."

Lucius just nodded, expression going somewhere else for a moment. Severus knew exactly where that was; they were both thinking of the Dark Lord's orders the year before that Harry Potter be brought directly to him.

"Draco says very little about him," Lucius said after a moment. "He says very little about anything. He certainly didn't tell me about this common room business. I don't know what happened. There was a time he never stopped talking. His letters home his first year were practically novels."

"He's a twelve-year-old boy. He'll be thirteen in a few months' time. They do tend to do that at that age." Severus took a small sip of bourbon. "He's matured significantly since his first year. You should be proud of him."

"Yes. Of course I am," Lucius said, though his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Finally, his gaze returned to Severus. "I know you're under an immense amount of pressure. And I'm aware a great deal of that is due to what happened beneath the school last year."

Severus didn't reply straight away. He and Lucius rarely spoke of the Dark Lord's thwarted return; they rarely spoke in general these days. He knew Lucius lived both in fear of Dumbledore knowing (but not being able to prove) that he'd been there, as well as the Dark Lord's fury that the attempt was unsuccessful.

"I promise you my dedication to the cause, along with the children's welfare, is my top priority," he said at last. "I'd make an Unbreakable Vow over that."

"I'd never ask you to," Lucius reassured him. "I know you, Severus."

Severus nodded, and before he could speak Lucius laughed and said, "Marcus Flint is convinced you're a blood traitor, you know."

"Is he?"

"He walked right up to me in the middle of the common room and said so, quietly, so the other students wouldn't hear." Lucius shook his head. "That's nothing new, of course. I hear he's been telling his father the same for years. Flint says the boy's too thick to function."

"I'm afraid so," Severus said. "His heart's in the right place, and his devotion to the cause is admirable, but he's rather incapable of comprehending subtleties."

"I know he drives his father half-mad with his nonsense," Lucius said, shaking his head. "Foolish boy."

"We should probably go," George Weasley said, moments after Professor Snape and Mr. Malfoy left.

"No reason to." Terence Higgs shrugged. "What good would it do? Mr. Malfoy already knows you're here. Professor Snape will give him some nonsense excuse about you being around somehow being good for Slytherin and everything will be fine."

"What's that supposed to mean?" George asked, prickling slightly at Terence's wording.

Terence snorted. "I'm not insulting you." He lowered his voice. "I'm insulting Mr. Malfoy."

George stared at him suspiciously, then nodded.

"What happened to your brother is awful," Terence said, then assured him, "We're not all a bunch of You-Know-Who worshippers here in Slytherin."

"Yeah," George said. "So I've heard."

"Well, you're hearing it again."

The two boys held eye contact, then George nodded again. "I suppose you're all right, Higgs."

"As are most of us. You have folks like him-" Terence directed a quick nod at Marcus Flint, whose back was to the two of them, "-but he's not exactly popular here either, if you know what I mean."

"I do." George hesitated, then admitted, "You kicked Gryffindor's arse on the Quidditch pitch last year. I hope you know I hold that against you."

"I kicked your arse the year before that too, and the year before that." Terence grinned. "I'd do it again this year, but it seems Potter's nearly as suited to the role as I was."

"That first match was just a fluke. We'll pummel you next time."

"Care to put a wager on that?"

"How much?" Despite himself, George found himself reluctantly smiling as well.

Severus and Lucius walked across the grounds slowly. The sky had long since turned dark, and Severus couldn't help but think of Lucius creeping across the grounds under James Potter's old Invisibility Cloak the year before. This made him think of something else, and he glanced sideways at Lucius.

"You know, you might have mentioned you planned on giving your son the Invisibility Cloak," he said as they headed in the direction of the castle gates. "Or did you think I wouldn't discover it on my own?"

Lucius let out a genuine peal of laughter. "Has he been so stupid you've caught him with it already?"

"He's twelve. I'm not about to be outwitted by a twelve-year-old," Severus said, not revealing Draco had come to him directly with the cloak.

"Forgive me, Severus." Lucius was still smiling. "But you must admit you rule those children with an iron fist."

"A style of teaching you've always approved of."

"That doesn't mean I can't indulge my son now and then, can I?" Lucius paused. "And perhaps I was too hard on him for not making the Quidditch team."

Severus didn't reply; for once he agreed whole-heartedly with Lucius Malfoy. Having forced his son to give his Nimbus Two-Thousand-and-One to Potter, Severus could see the logic in Lucius trying to make up for it by giving him something that should rightfully belong to Potter. Not that Lucius knew that cloak had belonged to James Potter in the first place.

"The cloak is in my study," he said at last. "Locked away for safety until he's a bit older, to be returned during the holidays. But if he ever truly needs it, I won't hesitate to hand it over."

Lucius nodded, accepting this. "You should know I didn't only give it to him for mischief. If Salazar Slytherin's monster is truly within the castle, Draco will be spared. He's not a Mudblood or a blood traitor. But I can't ignore the fact that we're living in dangerous times."

"Indeed," Severus agreed. "It sometimes feels as though the dangerous times outnumber the peaceful ones. I've been beside myself worrying about the students."

"You've always been a mother hen to them." Lucius let out a low chuckle, then turned serious. "I've been terribly worried as well. As is the rest of the Board of Governors."

"McGonagall told me you've been conducting inquiries."

"We have. We interviewed Hagrid this evening." Lucius brightened slightly at this. "This stays between us, but if all goes according to plan, he won't be at Hogwarts much longer."

Severus stopped in his tracks. He was hardly Rubeus Hagrid's biggest fan, but the insinuation was so ludicrous he could hardly believe it. "You don't think...?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Lucius reminded him. "It matters what the facts are- and Hagrid was expelled fifty years ago, was he not?"

Severus paused. He knew Hagrid had been expelled, and that involved some sort of creature and an inadvertent death. That the man was still tinkering about with dangerous creatures (to the extent his hut had been incinerated by a dragon the year before) did very little to endear him to Severus, but he still thought the had (roughly) decent intentions.

"Severus." Lucius stared at him, eyes widening slightly. "You didn't know?"

"I know he was expelled," Severus said. "I know a girl passed away because he allowed a creature into the castle. Are you telling me she was the same girl who died the last time the Chamber was opened?"

Lucius looked both ways, then lowered his voice. "I don't believe for a moment that half-wit actually opened the Chamber, or that the creature he let in was Slytherin's monster. Hagrid was a bleeding-heart Gryffindor. Even if he somehow knew where the Chamber was, I can't imagine he'd manage to open it, nor would he want to. I think he was his typical blundering self, and whoever actually did open the Chamber allowed him to take the blame for the rest of the attacks."

There were a thousand thoughts swirling around Severus's mind. A bit more gently, Lucius said, "I'm terribly sorry, Severus. I thought the headmaster had already told you."

"The headmaster only reveals bits and pieces at a time," Severus said at last. "Even to those he trusts."

"Obviously so." Lucius frowned. "He should have told you. The entire staff should have been notified, especially when the attacks began. I'll have to notify the Board. Hagrid's been under intense scrutiny by the Ministry from the very beginning."

Severus didn't respond. During his years at Hogwarts, the legend of the last time the Chamber had been opened had been simply that- a legend. He knew there'd been Petrifications, and that someone had died before the attacks stopped. He also knew someone had been chucked out, but no one seemed to know who that person was. The entire thing was brushed under the rug by Dippet and the Ministry, and the staff refused to talk about it, including Professor Slughorn, who, in a rare display of authority, forbade any discussion of the Chamber of Secrets, even among the Slytherins

This, of course, just made them discuss it all the more.

"If we can manage to pin it on him again, we'll be able to chuck that creature-loving-creature out of the castle once and for all. And, if we're lucky, Dumbledore won't be far after him." Lucius sighed. "One can dream, can't they, Severus?"

"Indeed," Severus said as his brain whirled away. He'd hoped to see Hagrid leave Hogwarts many times over the years, but not like this. Severus didn't despise him, but he did despise the recklessness with which he approached dangerous creatures. This was something he could overlook most of the time, as it typically only affected Hagrid and Hagrid alone, but it was difficult to overlook the danger he'd put the students in the year before when he'd hid a dragon in his hut, particularly considering a girl had once died due to his love of dangerous creatures all those years ago.

That being said, he didn't want the man falsely accused, much less of opening the Chamber of Secrets. Hagrid might have avoided Azkaban as a teenager, but, if charged, he wouldn't be likely to avoid it this time. Severus knew the headmaster must be aware of everything that was happening, and not for the first time he felt a wave of anger at being left in the dark.

"You're right," he said at last. "One can dream."

"See you tomorrow," Ron said to Harry, gathering up his Gobstones and Wizard chess board. To the group of first years huddled around a magazine, he called out, "Ginny, are you coming or not?"

Ginny pushed herself up. Despite her initial shyness, she'd come out of her shell over the course of the evening, her expression far more calm than Harry had ever seen it as she wandered about, asking about life in Slytherin and what kind of housemaster Snape was.

"Can we come back tomorrow?" she asked Ron as they headed out.

"You can come whenever you want," Ron said with a shrug. "You don't have to ask me."

Across the common room, Terence wandered toward Ellen, who was sitting on a sofa and sat next to her. "Hi."

"Hi." She didn't look up from her book, leaning back into the sofa cushions with her legs tucked beneath her.

Terence paused, then said, "I've been a right tit lately, haven't I?"

Ellen continued to read, but she didn't stop the small smile spreading its way across her lips. "Yes, you have."

Terence wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head against his chest as she turned the page, apology accepted.

Severus was on his way to the headmaster's office with a few choice words, but he had one place he needed to stop first. He hoped Minerva was still in her study; he hated disturbing anyone in their private quarters, but he would if he had to.

There was no need to worry, as she opened the door quickly in response to his sharp knocking.

"What is it?" She stared at him suspiciously, then hesitated at his expression. "There hasn't been another attack, has there?"

Severus shook his head. "I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to answer me honestly."

"Of course," she said impatiently. "Go on."

"How much do you know about Hagrid's expulsion from Hogwarts?"

Minerva stared at him. It was obvious she hadn't expected this. "It was something to do with a creature in the castle. There was an accidental death. Why are you asking?"

"What more do you know?"

"Nothing, really. That's all Albus told me. Again, why are you asking?"

Severus sighed deeply. "Minerva, I'm afraid there's something you need to know."

"I've a feeling I'm not going to like it." Minerva opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Come in."