Snape's POV
Olivia was gone, she had accompanied McGonagall to St. Mungo's, and so it came to be that I was sitting alone in my office grading papers when Draco came bursting in.
"Professor- Professor Snape!" he gasped. "Umbridge needs you- immediately-!"
"What's happened?" I asked, standing and following him out of the room.
"She's just caught Potter and several of his friends inside of her office. I think he was using her fireplace, sir," Draco said. I quickened my pace.
When I entered the room I was not surprised to see several of my own students, members of the Inquisitorial Squad, holding various friends of Potter's. I glanced around the room, keeping my gaze indifferent, then looked to Umbridge.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" I asked, sounding bored.
"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely, "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."
"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," I said, observing her coolly. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you three drops would be sufficient."
Umbridge blushed slightly.
"You can make some more, can't you?" she asked, her voice becoming more girlish and sweet.
"Certainly," I said, my lip curling in distaste. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."
"A month?" Umbridge squawked, her girlish demeanor fading, "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"
"Really?" I said, appearing only faintly interested, "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."
"I wish to interrogate him!" Umbridge shouted angrily, "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"
"I have already told you," I said smoothly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter- and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did- I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling…"
"You are on probation!" shrieked Umbridge, and I raised an eyebrow at her. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of office!"
I bowed ironically and turned to leave.
"He's got Padfoot!" Potter shouted desperately, "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"
I paused with my hand on the door handle, quickly taking in the meaning of this message.
"Padfoot?" cried Umbridge, looking eagerly around, "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"
I turned around and looked at Potter, using Occlumency on him to see what he had seen- the Dark Lord torturing Sirius Black.
"I have no idea," I said coldly to Umbridge, "Potter, when I was nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if you ever apply for a job."
I left quickly, closing the door behind me with a snap. I hurried to my office and immediately sent a Patronus to headquarters, to see if Sirius Black was there. It took a while, but I received a confirmation that he was, meaning that what Potter had seen was likely a false image, planted by the Dark Lord, or- less likely- only a dream.
I made my way back to Umbridge's office to see what had become of the situation to find only the members of the Inquisitorial Squad left in the office- several had been Stunned and Malfoy was being attacked by what looked like flying boogers with wings. With a wave of my wand, I reversed all the spells.
"Where are Potter and Umbridge?" I demanded, pulling Draco to his feet.
"She went into the forest with Potter and Granger. They said something about a weapon- a weapon they've been building on Dumbledore's orders, sir," he said.
"How long have they been gone?" I asked.
"Well over an hour."
"Right, the lot of you head back to your Common Room," I instructed. They did as asked.
I went outside and scanned the grounds for any sign of Potter or Umbridge, but saw nothing. I waited as long as I could, to see if they would come out, but they did not. The idiot boy probably actually thinks Black is in danger at the Ministry, I thought to myself.
I went back to Umbridge's office to find it empty and used her fireplace and Floo Powder to contact Grimmauld Place. Sirius Black was sitting on the couch when my head arrived in Grimmauld Place.
"What is your head doing in my fireplace, Snivellus?" Black asked disdainfully and spit at me. "And why did you need to know if I was here?"
"Be quiet and pay attention- who else is here?" I asked.
"Remus, Tonks, a few others. Why-"
"Get them- NOW. Potter may be in danger."
Black leapt to his feet and let out a shout. Immediately, Lupin, Tonks, Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt came into the sitting room.
"What's happened?" Shacklebolt asked, kneeling by the hearth.
"Is Dumbledore here?" I asked anxiously.
"No, but he's due back soon."
"Soon may not be soon enough," I said and quickly recounted what happened.
"We'll go to the Ministry and see if Potter has made it there," Kingsley said. "If he is there, we will help him."
"I'm going, too," Black said.
"No," I said from the fireplace. "Someone must remain here to tell Dumbledore what has happened…and if Potter hasn't made it to the Ministry, if he is in the forest, you'd be facing certain death."
Black swore loudly and sat back down on the couch while the others prepared to leave.
"I'm going back to search the forest," I told them. "Just in case."
Olivia's POV
It was late at night and I was still at St. Mungo's when we got wind of what had happened at the Ministry of Magic- the appearance of the Dark Lord, the standoff between the Death Eaters, Potter, some of his friends from school, and members of the Order (though the last part wasn't public knowledge). We got a flow of injured witches and wizards right about that time, including Tonks who had been knocked out cold. I was working on Tonks when I got a message saying Healer Mycroft required my urgent assistance in Exam Room 9. I hurried there and, when I opened the door, was surprised to see Snape waiting for me. When I closed the door behind me, several people appeared, as if out of thin air- Death Eaters, all of them sporting various injuries.
"Severus- you can't bring them here! What if someone finds them?" I asked anxiously.
"It's chaos out there right now, did you see how easily I Imperiused that Intern to find you and I've Confunded just about everyone on this floor," he said.
"Severus," I said disapprovingly.
"Oh come on. We need your help. The sooner you help us, the sooner we'll be out of here."
"Oh alright fine. Just let me grab a few things."
I came back as quickly as possible and tended a number of wounds. Snape didn't bother introducing them to me, it would have been wasting time. I treated a man with a swollen, bleeding eye; others with a variety of cuts and spell-related injuries. As I finished each of them, they Disapparated, until it was just me and Severus.
"Why did you bring them here?" I asked.
"The Dark Lord's orders," he said apologetically. "I've really only got a moment, I've got to go back. You may want to get back to the castle as soon as possible, someone can tell you what's happened."
"I've heard bits and pieces. Tonks is here… W-were there any casualties?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice strong.
"…Sirius Black was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange," he said. "That's the only one I've heard about."
I bit my lip anxiously. He glanced at the clock.
"I've got to go," he said and kissed me swiftly before Disapparating. I sighed heavily, then left the room and got back to work.
It was late when I returned to Hogwarts and I had the energy to do little more than crawl into my bed and fall asleep. I slept until well past noon the next day. When I did wake, I hurried down to Snape's office and he recounted the night's events for me.
After lunch I was heading down the stairs, making my way outside, when I spotted Potter talking with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. I slipped away to the other side of the staircase to listen to what they were saying.
"-You think you're such a big man, Potter," said Draco, advancing towards Potter with Crabbe and Goyle flanking him, "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison-"
I started at this- Snape had failed to mention that Lucius had been captured.
"I thought I just had," said Potter. I snickered quietly.
"The dementors have left Azkaban," said Draco softly. "Dad and the others'll be out in no time…"
"Yeah, I expect they will," said Potter, "Still at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now-"
Draco went for his wand, but Potter was faster. He had drawn his wand before Draco even laid a finger on his pocket.
"Potter!" Snape said loudly, entering the Entrance Hall.
"What are you doing, Potter?" Snape asked coldly as ever as he strode over to the four of them. I stayed hidden in the shadows.
"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir," said Potter fiercely. I chuckled quietly and Snape merely stared at him.
"Put that wand away at once," Snape said curtly, "Ten points from Gryff-"
Snape looked toward the giant hourglasses on the walls that kept track of house points and sneered.
"Ah, I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hourglass to take away. In that case, Potter, we simply have to-"
"Add some more?"
Professor McGonagall had just come stumping up the stone steps leading into the castle. She was carrying a tartan carpet bag in one had and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise she looked quite well. I felt a strong surge of happiness at the sight of her and almost rushed to her side. Instead I hung back to see what would happen.
"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forward, "Out of St. Mungo's, I see!"
"Yes, Professor Snape. I'm quite as good as new. You two- Crabbe- Goyle-"
She beckoned them forward imperiously and they came, shuffling their feet awkwardly.
"Here," she said, thrusting her traveling cloak into Goyle's hands and her carpetbag into Crabbe's, "Take these up to my office for me."
They turned and walked away up the marble staircase.
"Right then," said McGonagall, looking at the hourglasses on the wall, "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"
"What?" he snapped, "Oh- well- I suppose…"
"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom, and Miss Granger," said McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of the Gryffindor hourglass, "Oh- and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose. Now you wanted to take ten from Mr. Potter, I think, Professor Snape- so there we are…"
A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nonetheless.
"Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this," said McGonagall briskly. Potter at once thrust his wand back inside his robes and headed straight for the doors without a second glance behind himself. Draco, scowling, retreated back towards the dungeon Common Room. McGonagall headed for the Grand Staircase with a satisfied expression on her face. Making sure that Potter was gone, I headed up the staircase.
"Professor McGonagall!" I said loudly and she stopped, turning to face me. Unable to help it, I hugged her thin frame. She looked surprised and I heard Snape laughing from down the stairs.
"I'm glad to see you're doing better, Professor," I said, stepping back from her, my face slightly red.
"Thank you Miss Cain," she said, seeming touched by my concern. "I heard you played a large part in my healing."
"Well, I stayed as long as I could and made sure you got the absolutely best Healers, at any rate."
"And for that, I thank you."
"Olivia," Snape said from down the stairs and beckoned for me. "Let her rest."
I nodded once to McGonagall, then went down to where Snape was waiting.
"Why don't you help me finish grading these final exams?" he asked me. "Keep you busy for a while."
"Okay," I said with a shrug.
The last few days of term seemed to fly by, much to my dismay, as it meant the end of Hogwarts for me. I spent as much time as possible wandering the castle and the grounds, trying to etch it into my memory forever. The last day of school came. All those who had been injured in the battle at the Ministry had been released from the hospital wing, completely healed, and Tonks had been released from St. Mungo's after only a few days. I waved goodbye to my classmates as they lined up to board the Hogwarts Express and I felt myself tearing up. I felt a hand on my shoulder suddenly and looked up into Snape's black eyes.
"Wanna go for one last walk around the grounds before we go home?" he asked me. I nodded wordlessly and we started down the path towards the lake. After a moment of hesitation, Snape took my hand.
"You are officially no longer a student," he said with a small smile.
"Does this mean our…relationship doesn't have to be so secret?" I inquired.
"Well…" he said slowly. "I would still rather Albus not know. You know how he is. He would hold it over me and…tease me with it. And it may be best to keep it as secret as possible, still…it could be seen as a weakness, if someone were to choose to use it against me… Someone could try to hurt you, to get to me."
"I understand," I assured him, squeezing his hand tight.
Snape's POV
Olivia and I walked along the water's edge for a while, then up the path to the Quidditch pitch. She tugged on my hand and I followed her out onto the field. She looked around and sighed.
"I wish I had gotten a chance to play Quidditch again after my second year," she said heavily. "Montague is such an asshole."
"I could have forced them to let you on the team," I said. I had offered, many times.
"Yeah, but then the other players would not respect me. They'd think I had an unfair advantage."
I inclined my head. We walked around the field for a few minutes, then Olivia led me underneath the stands and kissed me.
"I always wanted to do that," she said with a grin. "Students were always sneaking off under here to make out during Quidditch games."
"I think students have been doing that since the school was established," I replied, also smiling.
After kissing some more under the bleachers, we made our way back towards the castle. We were halfway there when Albus appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. I quickly let go of Olivia's hand and he looked the other way, pretending not to notice.
"Lovely day, isn't it?" he said, looking around.
"Yes sir. Olivia was just taking one last walk around the grounds."
"Oh I somehow doubt this will be your last time on these grounds, Miss Cain," Albus said, smiling at her, his blue eyes twinkling. "Are you staying with Severus this Summer?"
"She is," I said stiffly. "She is welcome to stay as long as she likes."
Olivia and Albus shared a smile. I cleared my throat.
"I figured it would be best for her, with her continued work for the Order and her likely imminent work for the Dark Lord," I continued. Their smiles faded at this.
"She is in good hands then," Albus said. "Take care, you two."
"We shall," I said.
With that said, he continued on down the path and we continued into the castle. Olivia seemed a little perkier.
"I think I'm ready to go home now," she said. "Since Dumbledore said it won't be my last time in the castle."
"Yes, if Dumbledore said it, it must be true," I said sardonically, but meaning it. "Let me grab my things, then we can both go home."
Author's Note: Phew! That's the end of year 7. Can we say yaaay? And Thanks to all who have stuck with it this far, as always, I love you guys! Coming up soon will be "After Hogwarts, Year 1" but in the meantime, please leave me some nice Reviews, I always check them! Oh and if you are a Sweeney Todd fan and haven't read my short fic, Vagabond, yet then read it because it's awesooooome! And Review that, too! Love you guys!
~LilReporterGirl