Amelia Bones was sitting at her desk at the DMLE, finishing up paperwork regard several matters that had been dealt with that week.

Suddenly, there was a flame in the middle of her office and out of it appeared a phoenix. The bird landed on her desk and held out his leg. She was curious as to why Albus Dumbledore was sending her a letter.

She thanked the phoenix and opened the small roll of parchment to read it. Fawkes waited for the response.

Madam Amelia Bones;

In recent months, I have begun considering my past and the legacy that I am leaving behind. And while I have lived a long life and done many things, one area that I have never experienced has been a personal legacy.

While I am well aware of the regard I am given by the average witch and wizard due to the positions I have held or the actions I have taken, there is something that is missing: I have no children, no grandchildren, no one who will carry my memory on a personal level once I leave this plane.

In considering this, I realized that the closest I have ever come to a personal legacy would be those who have worked closely with me in the past; those such as James and Lily Potter, Alice and Frank Longbottom, as well as your own brother and his wife.

One thread which might be noticeable regarding those that are named is that each of these was lost in some manner in the conflict with Tom Marvolo Riddle, styling himself Lord Voldemort. Another thread, which I will emphasize here, is that each of these left children behind who have grown without, perhaps, as much of a family presence as one would hope for.

This leads me to a personal request.

Whilst I have no desire to usurp those that have raised these fine young people, I wish to make the effort to become closer to them. Not as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, nor as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and definitely not as one who wants young followers; but one who is looking for a personal connection.

I wish to make the effort to become viewed by these as a surrogate uncle, perhaps grandfather if you will, as I do not believe that I will ever have another chance to leave such a personal legacy.

It is obvious and it is proper that someone such as I taking such personal interest in such young people might concern family members. As a result, I have made no effort to accomplish this as I first wanted permission, as would be considered mannerly, to take such a step.

So, I ask you, as an old man who is missing much, if I might be allowed to spend time with your niece, Susan, so that I might become closer to her. I have already met with Mr. Potter's guardians as well as Mr. Longbottom's and these have allowed me access.

Please consider the matter. If you wish to ask me more, please feel free to respond via my familiar, Fawkes. Should you decide either way without need for further thought, you may also respond via Fawkes.

Awaiting your reply, I am

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Prospective Surrogate Family Member

Amelia was moved by the personal tenor of the message before her. She considered what she should send back and then took a quill and wrote a reply. She thanked the phoenix again and tied the message to his leg before the magnificent creature left once again in its traditional manner.

Severus Snape mentally prepared himself as he stood in front of the gargoyle which led up to the Headmaster's office. Once his mind was clear, he spoke the password and the stone protector moved aside.

The stairs deposited him in front of the door and he knocked three precise times. "Come in, Severus." He moved inside and stood in front of the Headmaster's desk. Upon the Headmaster's motion, he sat down.

Albus looked at his Slytherin Head of House for a moment and said, "We need to discuss what occurred earlier, in addition to a number of things." Severus nodded curtly. "Do you remember the conversation we had in the Great Hall, just after the book lists were submitted?"

"I do."

"And what, may I ask, were my directions as regards professionalism?"

Severus thought back briefly and said, "A professional demeanour is expected from all staff toward all students."

Albus nodded. "It is good to see that your mental faculties seem to be as sharp as ever. We shall test them further. Please explain to me how your demeanour today in the First Year class might have strayed from that."

Severus mentally groaned. "I perhaps favored certain people more than others?"

"Perhaps?"

Severus, who had been dreading this conversation all afternoon, still had his pride. "It has been my experience that my House often receives short shrift. I only attempt to ensure that they know they have one staff member that will not allow bias against them!"

Albus' expression at this did not make Severus feel relieved. It made him even more nervous. "Do you remember the meeting we had last night?"

Severus nodded. "Do you remember the student who was found to be completely innocent? How he was treated?"

Nod.

"Which House was that student a member of?"

"Slytherin."

"Do you remember the two that were penalized?"

Nod.

"Did I penalize your House member any more than I penalized Minerva's?"

Shake.

"Which House did the person who began the chain of events belong to?"

Severus was reluctant, but answered. "Slytherin."

Albus nodded. "Yes. But as both were guilty, both were penalized." Albus looked very old suddenly. "The errors of the Hogwarts' Headmaster toward Slytherin and Gryffindor during your schooling were egregious."

Suddenly, Albus' face looked much more resolute. "But that is now in the past. One of your tormenters is dead. One is in Azkaban. One suffered ten years in Azkaban innocent of the charges which sent him there. And one suffers continuously the discrimination of most of his peers. However, you – who committed a number of very egregious errors of your own – have enjoyed protection and a position of authority. In the end, who was done more poorly by?"

It was obvious that this was a rhetorical question, so Severus remained silent.

"I have recently reviewed the records of points and detentions given these past ten years. As I said nothing then, I will say nothing further now. But these were in the past. The past is now dead.

"You will not punish the children of those who did poorly by you for mistakes not their own. I will not punish the children of those who committed horrific crimes against their magical brethren for mistakes not their own. However, I will expect every student to be treated fairly."

Albus paused and then asked, "Have I made my position perfectly clear, Potions Master Snape?"

Severus nodded curtly to his boss.

Albus said, "You are dismissed."

Severus stood and moved out of the office. He made his way to his office and locked the door. He took a tumbler of firewhiskey out and poured himself two-fingers worth and downed it quickly.

He poured another before sitting back and reviewing the conversation he just had in detail, looking for nuance and hidden aspects – he was still a consummate Slytherin after all. He rolled the glass containing the whiskey around in his hands as he did this.

After careful review, the only thing that came out as curious was the third-person reference that the Headmaster made regarding the previous ten years and the time he attended Hogwarts. He considered it more, but made no decisions as to why that was so important.

In the end, he dismissed it. He would have to be more cautious in his behaviour. He thought about the House meeting he would chair on Monday next and began working out what he would tell his snakes.

Albus was irritated once Severus had left. He cursed, in his own mind, Wulfric's handling of the Gryffindor-Slytherin conflict. He was considering what steps he could take when Fawkes flamed in bearing the response to the missive he had sent earlier.

With some small trepidation, he opened the reply to the message he had sent.

Dear Mr. Dumbledore;

I address this reply in this way because I recognize your message was sent without regard to your vaunted positions within our society.

In thinking about your message, I was reminded of my own lack of a personal legacy other than my niece. All of us lost much from the conflicts of the past, and it would be a tragedy if the memory of those that went before was lost as well.

In reviewing your request, I found that I quite liked the idea of Susan being able to claim someone other than myself as family.

I also considered that this is a tricky matter, as you hold much authority as regards these young people.

So, while I like the idea, I would ask that you make an effort to ensure that they are not treated better or worse than those around them. If I had heard of a staff member at Hogwarts taking personal time with students not directly related within the school, I might be personally offended – both as a guardian for a young witch and as a Law Enforcement Officer.

My suggestion to you would be that an original meeting between yourself and these children take place outside of an area under your control. Between us, we can contact Madam Longbottom and Sirius Black and make arrangements for a Sunday brunch at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.

Perhaps you can make arrangements to allow any student's family opportunity for occasional visits with their children in Hogsmeade. Many parents do miss opportunity to spend time with them once they have gone off to Hogwarts.

I will say this: I do find it touching that you would make an effort to become closer with Susan and I do not find it inappropriate in the least.

I will contact you within the next week for a possible date, once I have messaged the guardians of the others.

Best Regards,

Amelia Bones

Susan's Aunt

Albus' felt a happy tear move down his cheek.