"You left her where?" Severus snarled, pacing the length of the rug in Dumbledore's office.

"She's quite safe at home, Severus," Dumbledore replied calmly. "An Order member has been with her at all times since the attack, and her superiors at work have been warned that she has powerful enemies."

Severus turned on his heel to face the headmaster. "Brilliant! Now all it will take is a half-hearted Legilimens for her exact whereabouts to be discovered. Information like that leaves a deep, lasting memory, Albus, the sort that is easily recalled. You know that as well as I."

"Quite true." Dumbledore was using the same "I'm taking you seriously" tone he employed with a hysterical student. Severus bristled at the realization, even as Dumbledore continued. "Which is why I took the care to Confund them. As far as St. Mungo's is concerned, Treasa Shannon – which they believe is a pseudonym for Gertrude Gilderton - left a position in the United States where she was in danger of exposing a whole community of wizards, who were most unhappy with her for risking them. It should hold against all but a very talented Legilimens. So unless you think Voldemort himself is going to come looking for her, she is safe."

"Don't patronize me, Albus."

He half-regretted the growl in his voice as Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in surprise. Even so, he was entitled to a measure of ire at the faulty handling of a mission of this importance.

"I had no intention of patronizing you, Severus. You asked for the details of the mission to keep Miss Shannon from the Death Eaters. I've provided those to the best of my knowledge." Dumbledore spread his hands. "Unless you provide me with more detail, I fail to see the problem."

"I –" Severus clenched his hands to keep from throwing them up in frustration or surrender. "Do you have any idea how compromising it would be for me if they discovered Miss Shannon was working for the Order? She was supposed to be dead by the Dark Lord's hand. I can explain away not killing the rest of you, but this…"

"Voldemort would be suspicious if he thought you knew she was a part of the Order."

It was one of Albus's infuriating statement-questions that demanded an answer with all the courtesy in the world. Severus had long speculated that it was this particular talent that had kept him from finding a witch to settle down with. No woman would tolerate that sort of manipulation. He paced over to the chair across from Albus and let loose a hissing sigh.

"Suspicious is hardly the word."

"Surely the excuse of keeping your cover would suffice," Albus offered. "He must know that you'd be suspected if anything happened to an Order member."

"There are any number of ways to arrange someone's death without implicating myself."

Dumbledore's brow wrinkled for the merest moment. "Something you've considered before?"

"Often. And well he knows it."

"He knows enough of me to understand the delicacy of your situation."

"Perhaps, but I doubt he'd think that through before exacting his punishment."

They were talking at each other. Severus had settled on the ornate corner of the portrait frame to the left of Dumbledore's head as his focal point; Albus seemed to have fixated on the arm of the chair Severus was occupying. It was always like this when it came to the nastier parts of his role as double spy. Though he claimed to understand and appreciate the risks the position entailed, Albus could never grow accustomed to the bloodshed it required. A certain perverse corner of Severus rather gloried in that knowledge. Let the noble Gryffindor keep his hands clean. He was at liberty to do so as long as Severus was around to be sure the dirty work was completed. It was Dumbledore's job to be the hero in the end. It fell to Severus to weigh and decide who must live and die to make Dumbledore's job possible.

Albus met his eyes again. "Could you claim not to have recognized her? I can help you create memories of her being called Gertrude Gilderton – surely you cannot be held accountable for not knowing who she is."

His face was relaxing into a smile. Severus shook his head, anticipating the next question before it left Dumbledore's mouth.

"Why not, Severus? Voldemort values your position too highly to throw it away on such a minor point. You could easily have been deceived."

Severus ground his teeth together for a long moment, welcoming the shooting pain through his jaw as the pressure increased. "It's not such a minor point. I knew her too well to be mistaken."

"Too well? A woman you hardly saw outside of Hogwarts? Even Voldemort cannot expect you to remember her clearly."

"But he can," Severus said quietly, steeling himself for the reaction to come. "She's my wife."

Dumbledore's reaction would have been satisfying if Severus had been inclined to be dramatic. The man seemed to have gone completely white, his skin simply fading into his beard and hair. Severus didn't offer any further explanation. If Albus wanted to know, he could very well ask.

"Well, this changes things," Albus said, swallowing with what appeared to be titanic effort. "And just when were you planning on letting the rest of us in on this bit of news?"

Severus shrugged. "I'd hoped it wouldn't be necessary."

"Wouldn't be necessary?" Dumbledore repeated. He looked down at the papers on his desk, twirling his quill. Severus could see him patching together memories in his head. "You were married while you were still in Voldemort's service."

Severus nodded.

"Before –"

"Yes, before."

"What possessed you to –"

"The Dark Lord insisted I have a witch 'worthy of a Death Eater.' It seemed she fit his criteria."

"And you were willing to bind yourself to another?"

He jerked his eyes to Dumbledore's, sinking his tooth into his lip in an effort to keep back the retort hovering within. It didn't work. "Don't be a sentimental fool, Albus. I did what the Dark Lord commanded – what I had to do."

Dumbledore's expression didn't change. He merely held Severus' gaze and waited. Simply maddening, that skill Albus had for out-waiting a person. Most unwillingly, he cast his mind back. The memories were as vivid as he feared.

"The Dark Lord made it plain that failure to accept his chosen match for me would mean more than some slight disfavor." He allowed himself a brittle smile. "After all, I was granted admittance to the inner circle strictly on my merit as a potioneer, and he couldn't be seen making exceptions for a half-blood."

Dumbledore gave a nod, his eyes softening to something akin to pity. The knot of tension in Severus' stomach gave a sudden clench, propelling him out of the chair. He wouldn't pander to Albus' tendency to make him some sort of tragic figure. He stalked to the mantel, focusing on the slightly disarranged trinkets. The miniature bust of Godric Gryffindor was in danger of tumbling into the fire.

"Treasa Shannon no more wanted the match than I did, so you needn't imagine the marriage was anything but a farce." The bust was pushed back in line with the golden vial of dragon's blood, engraved with thanks from the International Society for Magical Research. Severus skimmed the inscription, weighing exactly how much information Albus would require. "We both had our reasons for keeping up appearances, so we were civil to one another in company and barely spoke when we were alone. That," he turned back to Dumbledore with a sneer, "may explain to you why there was no tearful reunion when we saw each other in July."

"Yes, but -"

Letting Albus ask questions would not help matters. "When I reported that prophecy, the Dark Lord didn't immediately think of the Potters as the most likely candidates. All the more aggressive members of the Order were carefully watched for several months – even the bachelors like Black and Moody. It wasn't until that last confrontation between the Dark Lord and Potter in June that they were even highly considered. As soon as word reached the Death Eaters that Lily had given birth to a son, I came to find you."

Another nod, this one much more solemn. They both remembered that meeting all too well. Severus returned his attention to the mantel, shifting the golden vial an inch or so away from the bust.

"After you instructed them to go into hiding, I attempted to find another Order member who might suffice to distract the Dark Lord. The Longbottoms were the obvious choice – they were just as vital a threat to us, and they also had a child. And once the Potters were no longer active, they seemed even more perfect as a substitute. I did my best to convince the others, and so it was that Treasa managed to overhear me discussing it with Lucius and Nott one day in the summer."

A slight noise from the desk told him Dumbledore had reacted to that piece of information. He didn't bother turning around to see it. Omniscient as the man was, Albus undoubtedly caught the significance.

"Unbeknownst to me, she began plotting how she might warn the Longbottoms. Since she had no ties to us, her communication was strictly monitored, and her travel was supposed to be as well."

"Supposed to be?"

Albus had capitalized on his momentary hesitation. Severus gritted his teeth. "Yes. Considering our situation, I'd given her a password on the Floo Network so she could come and go from the house without requesting permission from me. She mostly used it for trips to Diagon Alley for books and the like, and I had no reason to suppose she'd use it for anything else."

"Not even to escape?"

"She'd been coerced into the marriage because the Dark Lord threatened her family. Leaving would be a death sentence to them. I knew she wouldn't escape."

"But she did try to warn Frank and Alice."

"Yes. I was never told the whole story, but she found a way to see Alice Longbottom. Unfortunately, the man set to watch the Longbottoms chose to follow Alice that day, and so witnessed Treasa's betrayal. She was in the Malfoy dungeon under sentence of death before I ever heard of her involvement in the affair."

"And you intervened on her behalf?"

Severus snorted. "Do you truly think me as reckless as that? She'd been caught defying the Dark Lord. Any outcry from me would be seen as agreement. I excused myself from the meeting to discuss her fate, which was as much as anyone expected. Since she'd made such a point to warn the Longbottoms, however, the Dark Lord chose to include them in his plans against the Potters. After he finished in Godric's Hollow, he planned to go straight to London and finish off the Longbottoms, eliminating both his major threats in one night. Treasa was to be kept alive until the job was done, then executed the next day – so she would know that her interference had caused the death of her friends."

"But things didn't go according to plan that night."

"No." Severus let his shoulders relax slightly. The worst of his tale was over. "I confess, I didn't think of Treasa until much later. Perhaps two weeks passed before it occurred to me that she might have been spared. When I questioned the house elf -"

"Dobby," Dumbledore supplied.

" - he said there were no prisoners in the dungeons and hadn't been since the night of the Dark Lord's disappearance. I assumed Bellatrix must have completed the job when we realized the Dark Lord wasn't coming back. She certainly never came back to the manor."

"So, if Voldemort discovers she's working with the Order -" Dumbledore left the sentence for him to finish.

"My life will last as long as it takes him to draw his wand, yes."

Severus paced back to the chair and sat down, squaring off with the headmaster again. "So, now you know my last secret, Albus. What are we going to do about her?"

"Well, you're quite right, she'll need more protection." Albus leaned forward, tapping his quill against his left hand. "We can alter St. Mungo's records, and I'll take another pass at Confunding the Head Healers. The real question is where she should stay."

The idea leapt into his mind immediately, but Severus refused to give voice to it. "Perhaps we could set more powerful protection charms around her home."

"Perhaps, though I don't think Miss Sha – Treasa will take kindly to the forced inactivity. She'll want to be useful."

He could see the idea beginning to form in Albus' mind, but did his best to forestall it. "Just keep her busy with potions work. She's the Order's healer, after all."

"But her potions laboratory is set up at Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore countered, eyeing Severus speculatively. "I know it's not the most hospitable of places, but -"

Severus sighed. He knew better than to think his opinion would have any real bearing on the decision. "By all means, lock her up with Black."

Albus tilted his head slightly. "You don't object?"

"Object to keeping my skin on my bones?" Severus forced the sarcasm. "When will you learn that I'm not a Gryffindor, nor do I suffer from any of your grandiose delusions of self-sacrifice and nobility? If putting her in Grimmauld Place with those two -" he caught Dumbledore's frown and withheld the epithet on his lips. "If her living with a convict and a werewolf means I can stop sleeping with wand in hand, then I say get her there before dawn."

"I'm glad to hear that, Severus. I'll need your help tonight."

Of course you will. Severus merely raised his eyebrows and waited for instructions.

"I'll contact Sirius and tell him to expect us. You might see if Minerva is available to help, too. The more wands the better."

Severus gave one nod and stalked toward the door. The sooner this was accomplished, the sooner he could get that full night's sleep that had been evading him since the beginning of term.

"Ah, poor Sirius," Dumbledore chuckled.

Something in the tone gave Severus pause. He turned on his heel. "Why?"

"Surely you've noticed the poor fellow's attraction to Treasa. It's going to be rather hard for him to swallow the fact that she's already spoken for – by you. And on the night she moves in with him..." Dumbledore was shaking his head rather sadly, a melancholy smile tightening his mouth.

"He's not to know." The words were out before Severus really considered them. "None of them are to know."

"Come, Severus, you can't expect it to remain a secret now. Surely her safety is worth more than your pride."

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't have come here tonight," Severus said coolly. "I simply don't see the value in the whole Order knowing the story and being able to let it slip at inopportune moments."

"They'll have to know the extent of the danger -"

"And you are nearly as accomplished as I at telling half-stories." The words brought a thin, ironic smile, even if Albus didn't seem as amused by the comparison. "Tell whatever tale you and she can spin out, but it needn't include anything about us."

"You're being unreasonable -"

"She told me in July that she didn't want our relationship known. Your Gryffindor chivalry will force you to take her choice into account even if you ignore mine."

There was a pause as the two men sized one another up, weighing the other's claim on the decision. Rather to Severus' surprise, Albus nodded.

"Very well, I'll see what I can do."

Minerva's door was closed, and the voice coming through was that of a whining, homesick first year. Severus didn't bother knocking. Minerva would never leave one of her lion cubs to whimper through the night. Just as well, for Severus was in no way looking forward to the confrontation he was surely in store for, and the fewer eyes the better. If there were to be witnesses, he preferred the relative anonymity of an Order member such as Emmeline Vance or Kingsley Shacklebolt – not someone who was a colleague.

"This seems as if it should be a silly question, Headmaster, but are you attempting to sneak out of the castle?"

Severus stopped mid stride, catching himself just before he entered the entrance hall. Just hearing that breathy, girlish voice was enough to make him consider heading back to Minerva's office. Let Albus deal with her for once.

"Professor Umbridge," Albus' voice was cheerful and polite, but Severus could hear the strain. "You're quite right, it would be a silly question. I am merely waiting for Professor Snape to join me. We're off to pick fluxweed tonight."

"Indeed," Umbridge said, her voice as syrupy and vapid as ever. "Forgive me, but I thought fluxweed was picked only at the full moon. Isn't it but a quarter-full tonight?"

Severus stepped out into the room. "Actually, when picked on the first quarter of the moon, fluxweed is an essential additive to Shrinking Potions and Aging Draughts."

Umbridge's combative stance visibly relaxed, but her eyes remained narrowed. Severus cut her off before she had a chance to speak again.

"The headmaster informed me today that our gamekeeper planted some fluxweed in his garden over the summer, so I can incorporate its more varied uses into my NEWT curriculum with perfect assurance they were picked at the appropriate time. He was just on his way to show me their location."

"I'm glad to see at least one member of the Hogwarts staff is committed to the higher standards of learning," Umbridge purred, looking daggers at Dumbledore. "Still, it does seem rather foolish to send two grown men to go pick a few weeds, don't you think? It almost seems as if you wanted to get away from the castle without anyone knowing it."

Albus shot Severus a questioning look, eyebrows raised. Severus felt as if the color was draining from his face, though he knew his visible reaction had been stifled. The hesitation was brief, but the half-nod cost him dearly.

"Quite right, Professor Umbridge, and we wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong impression," Albus' voice had lost none of its poise. "Severus, the fluxweed is in the northernmost corner of Hagrid's garden. I'll let you see it it while I complete some correspondence to go with the morning owls." And with a quick farewell wave, Dumbledore strode back toward his office.

Severus swallowed even though his mouth had gone dry. Umbridge was smiling at him.

"Professor Snape, I applaud your zeal. Don't let me keep you from your task."

He wasn't certain what he said back, only that it was polite and just ingratiating enough that Umbridge was satisfied. The door latch groaned ominously as he fought it open and stepped into the cool night air. He'd have to face Treasa alone.