It was her first day off in November and she was beginning it with a breakfast meeting with Tien to catch up.

"It seems I never see you unless I help in the shop," Emma sighed, thinking over how she was going to address Snape later that day.

"Are you working the shop today, by any chance?" Tien asked, flicking bits of sausage around her plate lazily.

"Maybe later," Emma said. "I've got some stuff to do and I'm not sure how it will go or how long it will take."

"Yeah, George mentioned you'd be seeing the dungeon bat today," Tien said with a grin. "Can we still call him a dungeon bat if he doesn't teach Potions anymore?"

Emma shrugged and said, "I think his office is still in the bowels of the school, so it doesn't really matter. He still smells of pickled erkling."

Tien laughed, arranging the bits of sausage into a frightened face.

"Weird," she said, arranging the sausage-eyebrow carefully. "I would have thought that the not being around it would have fixed that. Do you think he bathes in the stuff?"

Emma didn't want to think about it at all, both the bit about Snape bathing or the bit about the pickled erkling.

"It would explain the hair," she finally said in her most thoughtful voice, thinking of how Tien would always be Tien. No matter what was going on, no matter who died, no matter how long Katie stayed in the hospital, she would go on being herself and treating life with the same deep-but-careless regard she'd treated life with for as long as Emma had known her.

"I wonder," Tien muttered, pulling out a notebook Emma had never seen and scribbling something in it quickly before putting it away.

Emma raised an eyebrow and gestured toward it.

"What's that?"

"Hmm?" Tien hummed absently. "Oh, the notebook? Just a little something to keep track of ideas for the shop. George pays me dearly for them if he can make them work, so I try them out first and give him hints."

"How many of the things they do are actually your idea first?" Emma asked, amused.

"Maybe forty percent?" Tien said with a shrug. "The boys do a lot of the work, to be honest. Their defense line is all theirs. I don't have any skill for that sort of thing. You know, useful stuff."

That was certainly unsurprising. Tien occasionally had information that proved useful, but she really had little interest in discovering things for the point of their being useful. Her interest in information was purely for amusement, which was what made her a bit strange for a Ravenclaw. Her love of learning strictly adhered to learning ways and things to make herself more amused. No doubt it often benefited other people, like the Weasley twins and their customers, but that was hardly the point.

The very idea that Tien had managed to make a career out of it was a miracle in and of itself.

"I should probably head to the shop soon," Tien said sadly, rearranging her sausage bits into a caterpillar. She grinned up at Emma and said, "Hey, wanna watch me get our meal for free?"

"No," Emma said firmly, knowing exactly what Tien had planned to do: transfigure the sausage bits into an actual caterpillar. She'd done the same thing at the Three Broomsticks once, and it had been utterly embarrassing.

"George has me do it every time we do business brunch," Tien sighed sadly. "He thinks it's funny."

"George is easily amused," Emma said dully.

"No, he's really not," Tien said firmly, more serious than Emma thought she'd ever seen her best friend. "He's a bit of a hedonist like me, sure, and he seeks out amusement, but he's not amused by just anything. That's why he and Fred are constantly pushing the boundaries of the wizarding entertainment industry."

"With your help," Emma teased with her eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Tien quipped, grinning again, clearly very pleased with herself.

Emma hadn't really thought about it that way before, but she supposed Tien was absolutely right about the twins. Emma had always known they were talented and had good business sense, but she hadn't thought that they were hard to pleased, exactly.

But they were never satisfied with the basic pranks and jokes. Dungbombs weren't good enough unless they were being used in a way no one had ever seen before. And once they'd started to formulate their own products nobody at Hogwarts was safe. She smiled slightly to herself, recalling the first time she saw someone who consumed a Canary Cream.

"They're brilliant," she sighed. "But you've got to get to work, dear, and I'm expected at the Hogwarts gates soon."

"Is the bat coming out of his dungeon to greet you?" Tien asked excitedly.

"Doubtful," Emma said with a smile. "But not more procrastinating, miss. George is expecting you!"

The two friends kissed each other's cheeks, promised to meet up that night if Emma didn't come to the shop to work, and went their separate ways, Emma paying the check because Tien had gotten the last one.

She took one last drink of water before heading out of the restaurant, thinking once more to herself how Diagon Alley had become more and more of a disturbing place to be. With a sigh, Emma Disapparated to the Hogsmeade high street, catching her bearings before heading to the familiar gates of Hogwarts.

Even Hogsmeade was an uncomfortable place, she mused, thinking of how bright and pleasing the town had previously seemed, even so late in the autumn. The gloom of Scotland Novembers seemed so much more pervasive with the wanted posters lining the streets and the warnings about how to avoid attack by Death Eaters. Everyone she passed on the street avoided her eyes and hurried away like she might attack them, even if it was some she'd greeted with the friendly way strangers do on previous visits to the town.

Professor McGonagall actually was the one who greeted her at the gate, as it was her free period for the day.

"How do you find work, Miss Norwick?" she asked.

"Actually, just call me Emma, if you don't mind," Emma said with a blush, thinking of how she'd almost just told her professor about her elopement.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall said with a smile. "And work?"

"Oh, it's tiring," Emma sighed with a small smile. "But there's never a dull moment. I imagine I'd be even more tired if I worked for the twins. Have you been to their shop?"

"No," Professor McGonagall said with a tight smile. "But I have confiscated a number of their mail-order catalogues and I have to say that I am rather impressed. The products work as well as advertised?"

"Better, usually," Emma laughed. "How's Hogwarts, Professor?"

"Well, it's better than last year," Professor McGonagall. "But the atmosphere is... tense."

"I can imagine," Emma admitted. "Thank you, Professor. I know my way from here. His office?"

"That is what I was told, yes," Professor McGonagall replied. "You... you do know what you're getting yourself into, yes?"

"I did have him in class for seven years, Professor," Emma laughed. "I imagine I know how not to act like a dunderhead."

The two women parted ways and Emma followed the familiar path to Professor Snape's office, knocking on the door with all the bravery she could muster, not being a Gryffindor herself.

"Enter."

She took a deep breath and followed the simple instruction, closing the door behind her.

"I hope," he said dryly, not even looking up to make sure it was her, "that you are here on some other matter than the last time we met."

"Related," she said, sitting down across from him without invitation, which prompted him to look up at her with thinly veiled surprise.

"Very well," he sighed. "Speak your piece and let's be done with it."

Emma drew herself up to her full height.

"I would like to think, Professor, that you have even a nominal amount of respect for me," she said without allowing him to interrupt her to either confirm or deny her claim. She really didn't want him to. "That being said, I've been considering our last meeting and I have strong evidence to believe that you lied to me, for noble reasons perhaps, and maybe even on orders from one of your masters." One of his eyebrows quirked at that and she knew she was on the right track, so she pressed on. "So, Professor, if you have any respect for me at all in any way, I would ask that you tell me here and now if you have ever, in our acquaintance, lied to me about anything. And I don't mean about my potions abilities or things like that, but things that matter. Have you ever lied to me about anything that mattered? If you say yes, I'll drop the whole thing, but I trust you not to lie to me now."

He watched her in silence for a long moment and Emma thought that by not answering he was trying to find a way out of treating her fairly in this situation, but she knew he wanted her to drop it. So she knew that if he could find a way to say he'd lied to her he would do it.

But the problem was, of the few times they'd discussed things of actual import, this was the only time he even could have lied to her. So she had him cornered, and she was fairly certain he knew it.

"Well," he sighed, "I will certainly commend you on your bargaining abilities, Mrs. Weasley."

She gasped, eyes wide.

Professor Snape smirked.

"Yes, I know about your elopement. Clever of you to keep it quiet. I will be honest with you, of course. I have lied to you many times, both important and otherwise, and I expect you already knew that. So why did you come all the way here? Surely not to waste my time."

Emma shook her head, taking another deep breath, trying to recompose herself.

"I needed to hear it from you," she explained. "Professor Dumbledore would lie to me, I'm sure of it. And if I'm right you're the only two people who really know the truth. And I don't think you would lie to me about this if you didn't have to, and you don't. I'm not going to press it. Whatever you're hiding, it's none of my business, and perhaps not even the business of my department. Just... just don't lie to me again, okay? If it's Order work and you need me to drop something, I'll do it. I'm not a child, professor."

"No," he sighed. "You're most certainly not." They just watched each other for another long period, Emma determined not to back down before she had some sort of response. Finally, he said, "Very well, I will make you a deal. If you ever do come to me about something you need to stop pursuing for any reason, including your safety, I will tell you so. I may not tell you why, but I will tell you to back away and I expect you to trust me."

"Of course," Emma said with a nod.

"And I mean no matter what happens in the meantime," he said softly. Emma frowned at him, wanting to know what he meant by that, what he expected to happen that would make her not trust him, but his expression suggested that he would not elaborate further, so she merely nodded, muttered her agreement to this condition.

"Very well," he said, standing. "If there is nothing further, Mrs. Weasley, I suggest you leave."

Ah, he even made a parting sound like an insult. There was the professor she knew.

"Thank you, Professor," she said with a small, forced smile, and she walked back to the gates alone, Disapparating as soon as she was on the other side.

Emma dropped by the Ministry quickly to tell Tonks that she was dropping the case due to lack of evidence, dropping subtle hints to suggest that it was an Order matter, and then she retreated to the shop to see how Tien and the boys were getting on.

"Ah, Emma, great," George said happily. "You want to help Fred and Tien close? Verity called in sick today and I've got a date with Angelina in about five minutes."

"Go on, lover boy," Emma teased, pulling out her wand to lock the door and get the blinds.

"You're amazing!" George cried, grabbing his cloak and hurrying out of the door.

She shook her head, wondering if she would hear him say that ever again. With a sigh, she went to the back where Tien and Fred were locking up the stock and experiments.

"Did you count the till?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did that before I came back here because George wouldn't stop whining about how he would never finish it before he had to go," Tien said, checking off something on a clipboard.

"Are you staying for dinner, Tien?" Emma asked, picking up the third clipboard and counting the back set of shelves.

"If you'll have me!" she replied happily.

They finished up far quicker than Emma had expected and the three of them went up to the flat where Fred got started on dinner, watching the girls set the table.

"How was dungeon bat?" Tien asked happily.

"Reasonable," Emma said slowly. "I think we've reached an understanding for moving forward as well, which is more than I actually expected out of him. He's almost... agreeable when he wants to me."

"Now that's something I hadn't expected to hear you say," Fred said with a smirk.

"I'm getting more than a little worried about Tonks, too," Emma said sadly. "I almost want to make her talk to me about whatever's bugging her, but I know I can't make her if she doesn't want to."

"No," Tien said thoughtfully. "But I think I might be able to. Do you have any way of accessing her tea, or-"

"No drugs," Emma growled as Fred put food on the table and sat down between Emma and Tien, who merely shrugged.

"Just a thought."

"I think that as thankful as we are that you drugged us," Fred said with a smirk, "it's a bit unethical, especially when we're not at all sure what she might say."

Tien shrugged once more and they dug into food.

"I don't know, though," Emma finally said. "I'm so nervous about Katie, I really don't need to worry about Tonks too. And I know what Sirius did when he was depressed. I don't want her getting all reckless because she's upset."

"So tell her that," Fred suggested. "She knows you cared a lot about Sirius, she'll understand your concern at the very least, and maybe she'll give you some sort of reassurance."

"Have I ever told you you're brilliant?" Emma asked with a grin.

"At least once a week," he replied, kissing her lips briefly before turning back to his dinner.

"You two are so cute," Tien teased. "Ah, well, I think I'm going to turn in soon. Give you some alone time. Arrange my socks."

"You don't wear socks," Emma pointed out.

"Doesn't mean I don't own any," Tien said with a shrug. "They look so interesting, even if wearing them is a legal form of torture."

They all laughed together, and Emma realized that this was the wonderful thing about marrying Fred.

Nobody else could have managed to handle Tien with such finesse but George, and that just couldn't happen.

"You're really worried about Tonks, aren't you?" Fred asked as they cleaned up from dinner and put the dishes away. "I've not seen as much of her as you have, but..."

"Yes," Emma admitted. "I think I know some of what it's about, but I suspect there are things she hasn't told me. And I want to know, I want to help her, but I'm so worried she would be offended at my asking-"

"She won't be offended when you express that you're concerned," Fred said resolutely. "She trusts you and values your opinions. I know or she wouldn't have been so interested in this case with Katie. She knows it's cut and dried until you tell her otherwise, and she gave you the extra time to talk to Snape today."

"You're right about that," Emma said thoughtfully.

She hadn't realized, but Tonks did seem to put a lot of faith and store by Emma's reports, even if they were minimal or not entirely necessary. Perhaps she would react well to Emma confronting her with the sulking. She wouldn't know if she didn't try.

"Come on," she sighed. "I think about this more tomorrow. I want to get to bed before George comes back from his date, or we'll be listening to a reel of the cleverest things he said all night."

"Yes, please," Fred groaned, leading her to the bedroom, using the bathroom while she undressed and crawled into bed. When he came out again, undressed, and crawled into the bed beside her she turned over, resting her arm and face against his chest.

"Today was good," she sighed. "I think I needed a quieter day. I've been so frantic for so long."

Fred began to run his fingers lazily through her hair, his steady, calm breathing soothing her simultaneously. The feel of his fingertips on her scalp was lovely and calming.

"It's nice to see you so relaxed," Fred whispered. "Even when you're upset. I know you would have liked to see Tonks happier, but whatever she's waiting for isn't happening yet, so there's not much more you could have expected."

"No, I don't suppose you're wrong there," Emma said, shifting her head so that he had better access to the area behind her ear, her eyes growing heavier every moment. "But I also learned today that people can be very surprising, so there you go."

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Paper Grenade, a reader who has recently followed this work, and whose interest has prompted it to be posted quicker. Thank you, Paper Grenade, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy!

-C