A/N: Wow. It's been so long since I updated this story. So many apologies. This chapter fought with me brutally. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I think I've got it getting back on track. When I started this story long ago, I had so many ideas with this fic. However, I admit that I hadn't fleshed all of the ideas out before I just started writing, so the ideas quickly started fading. My main goal with this story was to try to do something that hadn't been done before, show the after the Final Battle. The broken lonely hearts, the heart-wrenching despair, the unknown anger ... and the eventual/surprising moment of one moving on. It likely hasn't come out, and for that I apologize. As always, thank you for your continued support.

Shocking Prophet

With the leaves now falling because of the brisk cool wind, it was clear to all that the first Quidditch match was just around the corner. Excitement filled the air at this realization, as it had in the past. In fact, in some parts of the castle there were even hushed whispers of bets on which team would win, whether that would be Slytherin or Gryffindor. Gryffindor, of course, was the favored party.

But Quidditch wasn't all the talk, however. There were also large groups scattered about the castle talking about the latest Daily Prophet front page article. How could they not, though? Everyone wanted to know where in the world the true hero of Hogwarts was now.

Stifling yet another yawn, Toby quickly took his seat in the large Defense classroom and opened his textbook. Surprisingly, he had to admit that his father-in-law was a competent teacher. They had covered most of the material that would be on their O. effectively. Though, the man was seriously lacking when it came to classroom management in his opinion.

"Hey, Brooks?" Anthony Lark called out from across the room.

Toby bit back his sigh and glanced at the curly-haired boy. "What?"

"You read the Prophet yet?"

He shook his head. "No. Why? Something interesting in it today?" When Anthony headed towards him, Toby felt his gut contract as a surprising surge of fear rushed through him.

"There's an article in it about Cokeworth. Didn't you say that's where you're from?"

"Yeah," Toby replied quietly, jerking his head before he glanced down at the newspaper Anthony set down in front of him. His eyes passed over the photo of his older self.

"You ever run down Spinner's End?"

"Time or two," Toby said with a listless shrug. "But that's a rough neighborhood so you try to stay far away from there. Lots of desperate people live there." He watched Anthony nod but quickly glanced back down at the article. His eyes narrowed when he caught a small blurb in the bottom corner.

"Yeah, that caught my eye, too," Anthony cut in soon after, poking at the article above the one Toby had been reading. "I hope wherever he is that he's all right." He laughed when Toby glanced up at him in surprise. "I mean, don't get me wrong. Snape was a royal git, but at least you knew where you stood with him. He may have hated your guts and treated you like shit, but he wasn't going to gut you or anything. It made you tougher, I think."

"You're an odd one, Lark," Toby finally said after a few minutes of shaking his head. He watched the young man laugh before Anthony quickly returned to his seat.

"Good morning, class," Orin announced not long after, walking out of his office with a cheerful smile. "I take it you've all heard by now about that silly gathering after the Quidditch match tomorrow in the Great Hall?"

Toby blinked as he heard the excited chatter all around him. What was Orin talking about? The professors never before had encouraged the students to party in the Great Hall after a Quidditch match. Just what exactly was Dumbledore up to by allowing this?

"No? Oh, well." Orin laughed awkwardly. "Surprise."

"Do you mean it, sir? Is there really going to be a party in the Great Hall?" asked one of the Hufflepuff girls.

Orin smiled warmly. "I mean everything I say, Miss Michaels. Just ask my daughter." A frown then quickly took over his face as he likely recalled that he was supposed to pretend Aurora wasn't around. "Ah, well, you know what I mean." He shook his head and turned away.

"Um, sir?" the Hufflepuff girl asked hesitantly.

Toby sighed inwardly as soon as he heard her. Nothing good was going to come of this.

"Yes?" Orin replied quietly, slowly turning back.

"Is it true what they're saying?"

"It would depend a great deal on what they're saying, Miss Michaels."

"Well, the Prophet is saying that, um, well—" the girl stammered.

"It's saying that Professor Sinistra miscarried, sir," Anthony said, cutting in quietly.

Toby couldn't help but flinch inwardly.

"I see." Orin sighed and ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair before sighing. "Frankly, I don't see where any of this is your concern. This matter is between—"

"We know that, sir, but we were just wondering if she's all right," another girl said, picking up the conversation.

Toby could see the internal struggle Orin was having with himself and dipped his head imperceptibly towards his father-in-law. There was no harm in letting them know the general details.

"She's healing. A little slower than all of us, of course, but she is healing. It's just going to take a while. However, she's in good hands, I know, and she's well aware of how loved she is." Orin then cleared his throat. "Now, then, let's move onto today's lesson." A Ravenclaw, however, raised his hand. "Yes, Mister Hunter?"

"Is Professor Snape with her, sir?"

Toby caught Orin's head fall forward instantly. The man clearly didn't feel comfortable at all answering these questions. Toby didn't blame him one bit, though. He didn't feel comfortable hearing it.

"I take it that all of you have been reading the salacious gossip the Prophet has been printing lately?" Orin grumbled quietly. He shook his head when most of the class nodded. "We are all entitled to our private lives, and that is all I will say on this matter. Understood?"

"But, sir, the Prophet and others have all been trying to get ahold of Professors Snape and Sinistra for months now and haven't heard any replies from them. Aren't you worried at all?"

"About what exactly?"

"That something may have happened to them," a brave Hufflepuff girl called out.

"Yeah," a few of her classmates agreed.

"No one has seen them in months!"

"And the last person to see her was some professor at Oxford, who said Professor Sinistra was taking a class with her," Lea declared.

If Toby wasn't so shocked by their genuine concern, he may have cut in.

"Yeah, and that professor later said that Professor Sinistra was supposed to send in this paper thing and she never received it. It's not like her to not send things in on time," Anthony stated firmly.

Toby blinked instantly. She hadn't sent what thing in? Certainly not her proposal, could it?

"I'm sorry?" Orin said in clear confusion, mirroring Toby.

"According to that Oxford professor, Professor Sinistra was supposed to submit some proposal thing back in late August, but the Oxford lady said she never received it, though. Don't take this the wrong way, sir, but your daughter is always a stickler about getting things in on time. If we didn't, she wouldn't accept the paper."

"And let's not forget about Professor Snape, who nobody has seen since the day after the, you know," cut in another student wincing as he finished speaking.

"That's enough." Orin gave each of his students a hard look. He angrily shook his head before he quickly regained control of his composure again. "I don't even know why I'm bothering to discuss this, but I want all of you to listen closely. Regardless of what that Skeeter woman continues to write in the Prophet, my family is fine. This I promise you. There is no big conspiracy going on between my daughter and son-in-law. They are resting, learning to cope with their loss. That's it. They're not avoiding Aurors to escape any punishment as the Prophet would have you believe. They are just healing in their own way."

"Well, we sort of figured they weren't part of a conspiracy, sir," Anthony replied with a shrug. "Potter's convinced us all that Snape's not so bad."

"Then, what are you suggesting exactly?" Orin asked suspiciously.

"We're asking, sir, if you're absolutely certain she and Professor Snape are all right. If you've seen them with your own eyes."

"Of course they're all right. Why on earth wouldn't they be?"

"Oh, I don't know . . . maybe because of last year?" snapped a young Hufflepuff behind Toby.

"What do you care anyway?" growled a Ravenclaw across the room. "I mean, let's face it. We all hated Snape. We all wanted him dead."

"Yeah . . . and look what happened," a Hufflepuff two rows over replied somberly.

"You think he'd want our pity? To hear us moping over them? He sure as hell didn't complain, so why should we?"

Toby tugged uncomfortably on his collar. He glanced sideways at Orin, hoping the man could rein his students back in quickly. This conversation had gone on for way too long in his opinion.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Orin said after a few silent moments, cutting in between the bickering students. "How much our opinion of a person can change based on one little tidbit of info we didn't previously have." He leaned against his desk and sighed. "I assure you that they are both fine. They are healing in their own ways and when it's time, I'm certain they will return. Until then, we must give them their space. After all, how would you like it if you were hounded by the press, as they are, when they're still learning to cope with such a terrible loss as theirs?"

There were soft murmurs in the class.

The brave Hufflepuff, once again, though, raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Michaels?"

"Is their baby going to be added to the fifty names, sir?" Her blue eyes hesitantly glanced towards the window. Out on the small island in Black Lake the window looked out on was the memorial that was slowly being built to stand as a reminder of all the victims of the Final Battle. The base had now been laid with a few marble pieces having been set into place on the skeleton structure.

Toby sat up, stiff as a board in response to the girl's question. Was his daughter going to be . . . Of all the things he'd thought the girl would ask, that was not among them. He glanced through his long black hair towards his father-in-law, noting Orin's hand resting behind him on the desk in sheer shock.

"I-I do not know," Orin said after clearing his throat. "That would be a decision up to them."

Another girl raised her hand, then.

"No. No more questions, class. Not about private matters like this," Orin announced, turning his back to the curious class.

"But, sir—" Anthony called out.

"Mister Lark, I said—"

"No questions,' I know," the Ravenclaw recited rapidly. "But you also said at the beginning of this class, 'If we see one of our friends having a difficult time, we must help.' And, quite frankly, sir, you're having a difficult time."

"However, I am not one of your friends, Mister Lark," Orin replied flatly. "I'm your teacher."

"Actually, you're more of our counselor, I think, but it still applies."

Orin turned back and frowned. "I see. Well, then, let me assure you that I am fine."

"But your—"

Orin quickly cut him off. "What happened with my marriage has no bearing in this classroom whatsoever regardless of the rumors that are flying around here concerning my current relationship with Professor McGonagall."

"So, you two are together, then?" Anthony asked bravely.

"Mister Lark, that is none of your business."

"Normally, we'd agree, sir. Trust me. We wouldn't want to know about two of our teachers snogging and stuff anymore than you would, but what we're trying to say here is that . . . it's good to see Professor McGonagall being happy again, you know? It makes us, or at least me, feel like everything's going to be all right now. Like, you know, life is going on."

"Life is going on, Mister Lark," Orin gently reminded. He glanced at each of his students before he sighed. "I suppose in a way I understand your fascination. After tragedies people tend to search for good in life just to help reaffirm the belief that it will get better eventually. So, of course, you'd naturally be interested in such things as trivial as my relationship to one of your professors. However, just because I understand it, it doesn't mean either of us are comfortable knowing that our students are discussing our personal life in the dark corners of the castle. Understand?"

Several students nodded.

"Good. Now, let's move on, shall we?" Orin stood a bit straighter. "For today, we shall be doing a practical exercise on—" A door behind the class slowly creaked open.

Toby whirled around instantly when Orin stopped talking. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Celes walk into the room. Did this mean Pomfrey was finally releasing her? It had only been a month and a half this time after all.

"Ah, Miss Martins." Orin quickly gestured to the empty seat next to Toby. "Welcome back."

"Thank you, sir," Celes replied quietly, shuffling to her chair with her large black robes flowing gracefully around her.

"As I was saying," Orin announced, turning away to address the class again, "our practical exercise today will focus on facing our inner demons. We all have them, of course, more now than ever. So, it's important to practice in conquering them before they conquer you." He gave them a curt soft smile before he clapped his hands together. "Now, then, head to your designated spots around the room and wait for further instructions."

The class pushed their chairs back and stood up, heading in their varied spots and breaking off into two-person groups. Toby couldn't help but smile when Celes stood across from him in their spot. He had a feeling class would be better today than it had been for a long time. Normalcy was finally returning to Hogwarts.

Loud cheers from the crowd rang out as the broom-mounted players zoomed past at alarming speeds. In the stands, a sea of green faced the sea of red. Quidditch was finally upon Hogwarts.

Sitting in the crowded Gryffindor stands, Toby sat in the middle row with Celes on his left, holding her hand. Luna and Hermione sat to Celes's left. Unlike everyone else around him, though, Toby watched the match with mild disinterest. For the life of him, he could not pull himself out of his thoughts to enjoy even a minute of the game.

In his mind, he kept returning to the other day when he had viewed Celes's memory of the events of the Final Battle. Just as it had been for him in the Shrieking Shack, so it had been for her as well up there in the Headmaster's office. She, too, had been bathed in the warm Hogwarts' colored radiant lights and had heard the strange ethereal voices. Like him, Hogwarts had saved her as well. But for what reason was the main question plaguing his mind currently. Had the castle and all its magical inhabitants saved her because of him? Or was there a bigger plan? Were they being thrust into another scheme for the Greater Good? Or—

"Ouch," Celes whispered next to him.

Toby quickly snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at her. He caught her pained wince instantly and then noticed Hermione's pointed look directed at him. Had he hurt Celes accidentally? He tried to pull his hand back from hers, only to have Celes squeeze his hand back hard.

"Celes?"

"I'm fine, Toby. It's nothing." She drew in a slow breath before wincing again and biting her cheek this time, her eyes quickly darting away from his.

He didn't believe her for even a moment. She was always bad at hiding things from him. He opened his mouth to say just that when Luna beat him to speaking.

"Did you know that Fengas feel their mates' pain during pregnancy?" Luna said rather hushed, looking up from the Quibbler she had been previously reading. She had spoken so softly that only Hermione, Toby, and Celes could hear her. "I wonder why it's not like that for us. It'd certainly help lessen any misunderstandings, I think." She then shrugged before she went back to her magazine.

Toby blinked before he glanced at Celes.

"Do you want to—"

"Toby, I'm fine," Celes repeated firmly, finally meeting his eyes again.

"I'm sure Harry would understand," Hermione softly cut in beside them.

Celes sighed heavily. "I'm fine. Really." However, her sudden wince proved she wasn't.

"Let's go. We're seeing Pomfrey," Toby said in his best 'Take no prisoners' voice.

"Absolutely not," Celes replied, giving him a dark look. "I'm fine. It's just a little . . ." she paused for a second as she searched for a word "side ache. I'll live. Trust me."

"But what if it's—"

"Severus, stop. Now. I'm fine," his wife's soft voice said in his mind, as she held his eyes silently. "It's just a couple of hard kicks. Nothing to panic about."

His eyes narrowed as he quickly did the math. Celes snorted on the other hand.

"It's four months, love. Perfectly normal. You can relax now." She gave him a lopsided grin. "It's not the first time the baby's kicked either. I just wasn't expecting it right then."

"If it's—" he started to say before he was rewarded with another swift glare.

"Watch the match. Now, Severus. Or so help me, I will hex you across this field."

He winced at hearing her anger through their link. Wisely, he turned away and searched the skies for Harry. Last year when she had been pregnant he could have sworn he was in trouble for something with her throughout the entire experience. Granted, he'd admit that they typically didn't see one another a lot due to Death Eaters all around.

Toby had just found Harry circling high above the stands when he felt a quick—something, a tap or a bump?—against the palm of his hand. He turned back towards Celes instantly and glanced down at his hand, finding that his hand was now resting atop of her stomach. The grin quickly spread across his face at the realization that he had just felt his child's kick.

"You look like an idiot," Celes muttered, rolling her eyes as she quickly slipped her hand back into his and turned back towards the match.

He heard soft laughter next to him, but said nothing. If he looked like an idiot, so be it. He had just felt their baby's kick, and Merlin was it a strong one in his opinion. He had felt their daughter's kick just once, as it had been the only time he had allowed himself to be near them for an extended amount of time—in other words two hours. That kick had been like a flutter, like a 'Hi, Daddy' nudge. This kick, though—it had been so much stronger. Almost as if the baby was saying, 'I'm here, Daddy, and I'm not going anywhere.'

"You know, I read an interesting article the other day about expecting couples," Hermione quietly said, leaning towards them. "It said that while the experience is nerve racking and overwhelming, it eventually makes the parents' relationship grow stronger as a couple."

Toby glanced at the young woman and raised an eyebrow. He then found himself wondering how Granger had figured out that Celes was pregnant. He couldn't recall either Celes or himself telling her. However, he quickly scolded himself at being so stupid. Of course Granger would figure out that Celes was pregnant. The young woman was only the most observant witch in her year.

"How fascinating," he said dryly, turning his attention back to the match.

"Don't mind him, Hermione. He's just a big grump," Celes teased, squeezing his hand lovingly.

Granger softly laughed again. "Yeah, so I've noticed."

Doing his best to ignore the girls, he continued to watch Harry chase after the Golden Snitch. When the young man suddenly dove towards to the ground, Toby inhaled sharply. Just what in the hell was that blasted boy doing now? Toby didn't see the Snitch anywhere near the ground, but he knew there had to be some reason Harry had taken such an unexpected nosedive towards the ground. After a few more seconds of watching the young man heading at breakneck speed, Toby reached for his wand, ready to cast a quick protective charm on the young man. Instinct drove his every action. However, before he could mouth the spell, Harry shot straight up like a rocket.

"What the hell is he up to?" Toby quietly muttered under his breath, his hand curled around his wand as his eyes were trained on Harry.

"Likely some dunderheaded stunt meant to give people heart attacks," Celes replied just as quietly beside him. "Though, you have to admit. He's certainly giving us something to talk about at the party later. That is if he doesn't break his neck first."

He frowned in response. When Harry flew up and over their stands a moment later, Toby felt his mood darken even more. He had protected the boy for eight years, did his best to keep him safe and far from the Dark Lord. And what did the boy do once the big bad evil wizard who made their lives hell had finally been vanquished? The idiot child had decided to still scare the hell out of Toby. When would he finally get a break?

Another gasp near him quickly pulled him back to reality. Had the baby kicked again? His head snapped towards Celes as his eyes frantically glanced her over. She looked fine to him. Soon after, though, she stood, which caused him to do the same. He then rapidly followed Celes out of the stands, keeping his hand firmly in hers. His mind raced with grizzly possibilities of what was going on as they spiraled down the wooden staircase.

"Stop panicking, Severus," Celes finally responded through their link when they had reached the ground. She continued walking at her brisk pace towards the castle.

"I would if you'd tell me what's going on."

"Skeeter is here."

He stopped in mid-step, nearly finding himself falling flat on his face when Celes kept walking. Rita Skeeter was here at Hogwarts?

"Hermione pointed her out," Celes continued, speaking through their link. "She likely didn't see us, but I'm not about to take chances."

He nodded numbly, walking in step with her now. Skeeter at Hogwarts? He couldn't wrap his mind around it. He would have thought that Dumbledore would have kept the blasted woman far away. Then again, Dumbledore didn't know that they were there. At least not anymore, thanks to Celes.

This whole thing was utterly ridiculous now. For years he had been the hated man, the one who everyone believed was the enemy. Yet one measly act, allowing Harry to know the truth, had took all that away. So, there he was now, hunted and hounded by the press.

"I asked Copernicus to ignore them. You did as well, right?" He could sense the panic in her.

"Of course."

In fact, after the first week of harassment from the press after the Final Battle, he had placed charms to ward Press owls far away from them. His charms actually had worked so well that a few of the other professors stopped receiving their daily subscriptions to the Daily Prophet. However, it wasn't just Press owls they had to deal with. They soon started receiving owls from the Ministry. He did his best to ignore them, but after a while he warded against Ministry owls as well.

"Good." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

The front doors to the castle swung open the moment they reached the steps. It was almost as if the castle was trying to protect them as well. They rushed inside and up the stairs, heading towards the Ravenclaw dorms.

Once behind the closed door in Toby's room, Celes headed to his bed and sat down on the edge, glancing warily at him. He gave her a returned warm smile and sat beside her.

"Better?"

"Getting there," she quietly replied.

"Good."

A comfortable silence fell around them then and lasted for a long while. It was odd, but this moment reminded him of the old days, before it had all gone to hell on them. They didn't say a word. There wasn't really a need to. He was by her side just as she was by his.

"Toby?"

He snorted and glanced down at her. Or maybe words did need to be said.

"Everyone is figuring out."

"I've noticed." He hesitated for a moment, unsure of himself, before he rested his head against hers gently. "Does that upset you?" he asked quietly, wondering if she was going to pull back from him.

She shrugged. "Not as much as before, I guess." She then leaned into him further, as if drawing strength from him. "I mean, I know it's going to happen eventually and they're all going to know at some point. Just . . . well, you saw the owls we had. Everyone is just plain mad about all this. I just need a few more months. That's all."

"They're curious." He sighed then and added under his breath a moment later, "Unfortunately."

"Have you been reading the Prophet still?"

"Not lately," he admitted with a sigh. "I've caught bits and pieces of it, though."

"They think we wanted all this darkness. That we planned it all."

"And we both know the truth," he replied. "It's just a mystery to them right now, and they're all desperate to figure it out first. So, they distort things and twist it to fit their narrative."

"Well, it's stupid."

He laughed and nodded slowly. "You've really adopted the adolescent attitude, you know?" When she gently pushed him playfully, he laughed more.

A knock against his door drew their attention a moment later. He sighed inwardly before he stood up. When he felt a swat to his bum soon after, he whirled around and caught Celes's wide grin before she disappeared behind his bathroom door. He rolled his eyes, though, and turned back to the door, opening it. His eyes narrowed when he came face-to-face with Harry, who was still wearing his Quidditch uniform.

"Potter?"

"Uh," the young green-eyed man started to say, glancing around nervously. "Is, um, Celes here with you by chance?"

"She's in the bathroom."

"Oh. Good." Harry nodded jerkily before he rubbed the back of his neck.

Toby crossed his arms. "Why? What's going on?"

Harry quickly reached behind himself to grab something out of his waistband. He then held out a rolled-up Daily Prophet to him.

Toby frowned in confusion, but skimmed the front page. His eyes widened instantly the second he read the headline.

"That's tonight's edition," Harry said rather hushed.

"How'd—you were just playing."

"Yeah, and we lost pretty much right after you left according to Hermione. But that doesn't matter." Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"Who gave this to you?"

"I don't know. There was a large crowd all around me once I landed." His green eyes darted towards the closed door. "Thought you should know before you two come down to the party."

"We likely won't be there now," Toby sighed, glancing back at the headline.

Harry hung his head and dug his shoe into the ground. "It probably won't sway you, but a lot of people are supporting you guys. They're not believing that crap printed in there." His green eyes then darted behind Toby. "Hello, Celes."

"Harry," she softly said, clearly smiling as she walked back into the room. "What's going on?"

Toby closed his eyes, knowing that she couldn't see his face. He'd have to tell her.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to go to the party tonight," he stated quietly, refusing to turn around and see the disappointed look on her face. She had been ecstatic at hearing the news of a party, of having a chance to get away from it all again. To be a normal everyday young couple.

"Why?"

"Because some git went to the Prophet and told them that you two were here pretending to be exchange students," Harry answered, cutting in before Toby had a chance.

"Everyone knows?" she whispered.

Toby could hear the tremble in her voice and turned around. He quickly moved over to her and pulled her into his arms, embracing her warmly.

"Everything's fine, Celes," he said softly, wishing once again that he could give her all his strength and take all her pain away. "You're safe."

"It's not all bad, Professor," Harry offered. "Most aren't believing the crap in there. And, well, some of us figured it out awhile back."

"You don't understand," she replied shakily, pulling back and glancing at Harry. "They—every detail—" She then scoffed before shuddering. "Hell, I had people asking if I purposely killed our—" Her voice broke, and she quickly wiped away the streams of tears.

"Those people clearly suck, Professor," Harry declared. "And need serious help if they think that. But I'm telling you—"

"We lied, Harry. We lied repeatedly to everyone. We told them we were students . . . we made them think . . . After everything they went through . . . after everything they faced . . ." She let out a shaky breath. "I lied."

"To protect yourself, I know," Harry said with a shrug. He then glanced at Toby, who stared at him with narrowed eyes. "And I bet deep down that he knew that too. But, I mean, let's face facts here. We've all lied this year in some way or another. So they don't have any grounds to get upset over it."

"I lied, Harry. I led everyone to believe that . . . that I was some fifteen-year-old girl who came here from Beauxbatons and who couldn't relate to their problems whatsoever. But that's not even the worst of it. I lied to everyone about—I let them believe that all this . . . all of it was serving some higher purpose when it was only to protect myself, to make myself feel better, to escape it all."

Toby didn't move or even breathe after hearing her admission. He'd have been lying to himself royally if he didn't admit that he knew deep down that her wanting to be adolescents again had all been a way to escape her pain. He even had spoken to Pomfrey about it once, he recalled. However, there was more to it than just that.

Again, Harry shrugged. "So, you took it to the extreme. I think taking into consideration what you went through, it's forgivable, even understandable." He dragged his foot along a tile's edge. "You lost a child. A child you had to hide from the world because of who her father was." The young man sighed loudly. "I mean, from what it sounds like he was telling me, your entire relationship was hidden. So you did what you had been doing. You hid behind this mask of pain and put on a brave face. Only you didn't want to hide him anymore, hide what you felt for him any longer, so . . . Celes was born." He glanced sideways at Toby briefly before returning to her. "And he followed, wanting to make sure you knew that he was there for you always. That he'd do his best to support you in whatever way you needed in order to heal. Because, honestly, Professor, it sounds to me like you supported him when no one else would and when even he wasn't appreciative of it at the time."

"I didn't turn my proposal in. I wrote it, but . . ." She drew in a sharp breath. "I left it on the table." Her eyes slowly wandered over to her husband's. "I asked Albus for the sabbatical. I doubt he was even really paying attention to me when I asked. He seemed to have enough on his mind."

"Why didn't you tell me, Aurora?" Toby asked, betrayal deeply seeded in his tone.

She glanced down, aware that Harry was still there. "You would have said no."

"So? You could've at least explained to me that you hadn't sent in your proposal. That this wasn't for an experiment at all."

"I did," she whispered.

"No. I'm rather certain I'd have remembered that." His eyes then narrowed when she pulled out the journal he had gotten for her. She had written it?

"I left it behind after one of my sessions with Pomfrey and she saw it."

"When?" He stared at her, recalling an earlier conversation he had with the matron.

"Before we learned I was pregnant."

"That's why she spoke with Sheridan," he said aloud, finally understanding that puzzle.

"What? Huh?" were Harry and Celes's replies.

"Poppy spoke with your Oxford professor. I had wondered why. She had, of course, said it was for a mental background on you, but it seemed off to me at the time because they had ended up speaking about your proposal."

"Well, Sheridan had a rough draft of it, but she never received the final copy."

"Not to interrupt here, but can I just say something real quick?" Harry cut in again.

"What?"

"What I was trying to say before was that you can't keep putting your lives on hold and avoid all this." Harry shrugged. "From my perspective at least, people might be a little hurt or whatever that you conned them, but you did leave a bigger mark than what you think. A good mark, I mean." He gave her a soft polite smile. "If you go down there right now to the party and show them that you're healing, it'll give some of them hope. In fact, both of you actually are clearly healing and moving on from what I see. And you've been helping all of us . . . in our own ways." He shrugged. "I mean, I never would have had my discussions with you, sir," he said, holding Toby's eyes "if it weren't for you being less intimidating as a teenager. You're showing us that second chances do happen. That things can get better. And it's something we all need to learn."

"Perhaps I misjudged you, Harry," Toby quietly admitted.

"No, sir. You were right. I was lazy and I did become rather arrogant at times."

"All of this doesn't help, though," Celes spoke up. "They will still remember—"

"Trust me, Professor. When I left the pitch, most of the people around me were going to round Justin up and string him up."

"Justin?" she repeated with narrowed eyes.

Toby blinked, feeling oddly hot right then under the collar.

"Yeah, Finch-Fletchley," Harry replied with a shrug. "He was the one who went running to the Prophet the other day after Toby pretty much laid him out on the floor I hear."

"What?" Celes exclaimed, her eyes darting up.

"For the record, I didn't hit him," Toby countered. "He hit me. I may, however, have retaliated by using a certain piece of information told to me in confidence."

"What'd you say?"

He winced, scolding himself silently for admitting that in front of her. "Something like, 'At least he has a girlfriend when all you have is your pathetic little fantasies about a professor."

"Severus!" Celes exclaimed.

He heard Harry's amused snort instantly. "I assure you that if I knew the little git was going to run to the Prophet, I'd have said a lot worse to him than that then."

"I cannot believe you."

He couldn't help but smirk, sensing their familiar, playful bantering returning slowly. "Well, you did know when you married me that I was a bit of a git who doesn't play fair usually."

"Oh, hush," she said, pushing him lightly. "This is all your fault."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who lied about a supposed experiment she was running, Aurora," he gently reminded, catching Harry's smile.

"No, but you did tick off a young man you knew had feelings for me."

Toby shrugged listlessly. "I don't play well with others when someone I love is involved."

"That's true. I've seen it," Harry interrupted with a soft laugh.

"I take it then that you think we should still go down there, Harry?"

The young man smiled faintly. "I think that as long as he's by your side, Professor, that you're safe because he'll likely hurt anyone who messes with you," Harry replied honestly. "At least that's been my experience with him." They all laughed.