Little nod of dedication to one of my reviewers who has patiently awaited my return to the FF world within this chapter! A little OOC, but I borrowed your name and love of Slytherin. Sorry it's short.

Chapter Four – Fears and Truths

"We're doomed," said Chester Hodge, a wiry young man filling the position of the second Transfigurations teacher. The newly qualified teachers were all sitting in a dim corner of the crowded pub in Hogsmeade, nursing glasses of whatever they needed to quell their fears. They'd just come from a staff meeting; Dumbledore had called them all together with the news that Alana had already been privy to a few months before – that they were all going to be under intense scrutiny over the next few weeks in preparation for the real Ministry inspection in January. It was November now, giving them a little time to prepare but still none of them were easy about it. And even though she had known what was coming, that didn't make the dark smirk that passed across Snape's lips when he heard about the subject supervisor's reports any less concerning.

"We're not doomed," Alana sighed wearily, mostly trying to convince herself. "We'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say," Jenea Everwood, a Herbology graduate, said fiddling with the cuff of her robes. "You'll be fine. All your students love you."

"Ah," said Chester with a grimace. "But she's got Professor Snape as her subject supervisor..."

"Thank you!" said Alana, throwing her hands up. "Glad someone understands my predicament. Besides, you're all liked by your students, we've been doing well. We just have to keep our cool and prove it for the reports...and then the Ministry."

"Well, I didn't expect this when I signed up," Jenea admitted, motioning for some more Firewhisky. Chester poured it for her miserably before topping up his own glass. "I figured we'd have a school inspection one day, but it feels like we've been singled out."

"We just have to get on with it," a new Charms teacher piped up, running her fingers through her dark crop.

Chester groaned into his glass as he took a swig. "I can just see it – another repeat of last week," he began, his Irish lilt slightly slurred with his depression and his drinking. "One of my third years tried to transfigure his nose into a vegetable for Pete's sake. A butternut squash of all things. Luckily I managed to fix it without a trip to the Hospital Wing, and without calling for Minerva's help. But kids are so damn unpredictable," he cursed, frowning and pushing his glasses up his nose. "And Merlin knows it'd be my luck to be reviewed when I have my first years. Some of the Slytherins are precocious little gits...no offense," he added, glancing at Jenea.

"No it's true," she sighed. "I remember being one."

"When do the reviews start again?" Alana asked, slamming her empty glass down and gathering her things. It was time to head back, and they couldn't wallow in their self pity forever. Besides she had essays to mark.

"Next Monday," sighed Chester.

"I hate Mondays," Jenea said winding a dark green scarf around her neck.

Alana cocked an eyebrow and heaved a sigh in agreement. With what was coming on this following Monday, she found herself hating them too.

XXXXXX

No one was more surprised to see Lucius Malfoy stalking the corridors of Hogwarts later that evening than Severus Snape himself but there he was, the unmistakeable blonde coming down a flight of stairs that lead to the dungeons, removing some leather gloves as he strode towards his friend with a broad smile.

"Lucius," Snape said with a frown. "You didn't let me know you were coming to visit."

"Just a fly-by I'm afraid. I came to speak to the headmaster and thought I'd call in. Any chance of a warm drink?"

Severus nodded and gestured for him to follow him back to his office.

"You might consider redecorating," Lucius teased lightly, taking a seat in an armchair. "This room has been the same dark, dingy way since you first moved in."

Snape didn't respond to his old friend's jibes and flicked his wand to produce a pot of something hot for them both, and when he handed Lucius the cup, the other man took it gratefully. Snape sat down in his own soft chair and heaved a weary sigh.

"Not keeping you up am I?"

"Not at all. It's good to see you."

"And how has school been so far this term?" Lucius inquired, stretching back.

"The same as usual. Nothing of consequence has happened – I've barely noticed the supposed boom of students, but I suppose that's because of the new teachers."

"Ah yes," Lucius smiled. "That's why I went to see Dumbledore. Finalising some details on the impending inspection. Are you looking forward to your chance to be critical?"

Snape narrowed his eyes in a reproachful glare making Lucius smirk. "Oh come on – don't tell me you're not relishing in the opportunity to be allowed to sit and make some poor NQT squirm?"

Snape didn't respond immediately. "Don't act coy – I know you know the new Potions teacher is Alana Cross." He was aware that his ex-student, now colleague was still in contact with the Malfoy family. Only the other week his godson Draco had stopped by after visiting her.

"Yes. That's precisely why I asked. Don't be too hard on her," Lucius said with a stern look.

"I will be professional Lucius, as I'm called to be. If she's a good teacher, I'll have nothing to report."

Lucius made a low noise of agreement at the back of his throat as he finished sipping some tea. "And how has it been? Working with her?"

Snape looked at him with a pensive expression and sat back with his cup. "Uneventful."

"Really?" the blonde man asked with a cocked eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "After witnessing some of your spats when she was your student, I was expecting fireworks and murderous threats now you had no authority over her."

Snape smirked. "Well, we have very little to do with one another, but yes there were some brief...'fireworks'...at the start of the year. It settled down."

Lucius surveyed his friend carefully as if he could suss him out with one swift glance but Severus wasn't easy to read at the best of times, and he was being so delightfully cagey about the whole thing it just begged more questions.

"Is it not difficult?" Lucius probed further, "After...you know..."

Lucius had been the only other soul privy to the knowledge of Snape's past attraction to Alana, and Snape had never discussed with him the events that had unfolded after they had left Malfoy Manor five years ago. He had told him nothing of the kiss, or the mutual confession from the girl. And he doubted Alana had told anyone either.

"Not at all. I mean that," Snape assured him, without a trace of emotion in his voice apart from sincerity. "Yes, I once felt something for her – you know that. But she and I are both adults now; we've both moved on. I really don't view her as anymore than a colleague. Of course, I would have much rather she weren't here. It was a little awkward at first, I'll admit. She was certainly the last person I expected to walk through the door."

"Oh. I thought perhaps..."

"Yes, I know what you thought." Snape fought the urge to roll his eyes over Lucius' imaginings of a reunion, now she wasn't his student. The man really was a sickening romantic at heart. "But there's no danger of that. It must have been a passing thing – coupled with the amount of time I was forced to spend with her – but I'm not suffering from the same affliction now. I've laid it to rest Lucius," he reiterated.

Lucius nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more on the matter, finishing his tea slowly. They talked a little more about business, Draco and how he was getting on at the Ministry, before Lucius rose and excused himself, saying it was late and he needed to be up early for a meeting tomorrow.

"You're welcome at the Manor anytime," Lucius said before slipping out the door. "Whenever you next get a holiday. But I shall probably see you before anyway, with the inspection hanging over your head."

Snape rose not long after the dungeon door shut and cleaned up the tea things quickly. He had unconsciously been prepared for an assault from Lucius but thankfully it was over, and he didn't have to concern himself with expecting it from anyone else. He had been as truthful with the man as he could be, without opening up and letting Lucius just delve around in his psyche. Yes, of course it was difficult; he'd convinced himself he was in love with the stupid girl back then. And she wasn't that girl anymore. But the way he felt about her now boiled down to little more than faint annoyance, and if he was truly honest, chagrin over the whole thing. He couldn't deny an acute sense of mortification when she walked in that first day.

No, he wasn't looking for a reunion, he thought as he dimmed the flickering candles with a wave of his hand and headed to his rooms. He was indifferent to her now; he didn't like her particularly and he didn't hate her either. But that didn't mean he couldn't 'make her squirm' over the reports. She worried about that sort of thing, especially if it questioned her ability. She was a proud sort, typically Gryffindor – she needed to be adored and praised. He had no doubt how uncomfortable she'd be with him watching her every move, writing down every mistake. And he certainly wasn't going to make any sort of effort to put her at ease.