A/N: (*dusts off profile and document uploader*) Sorry to everyone for the long delay. Lets just say that Life can really get in the way sometimes...

This chapter went through so many re-runs in my head, especially the first part. It was the rest that took the time, along with actually getting it down... But it's here now, barely an hour after I finished it (the intervening was used for a quick proof read and spell check)

The door to the Potions classroom banged open, and Hermione stalked out, her heels rapping sharply on the stone floor. Those who witnessed her passing shied away, many having seen this behaviour before. Those who hadn't, were still able to recognise the simple fact that Miss Granger was angry.

Behind her, Harry rushed out of the classroom. "Hermione, wait!" he called, but his bushy-haired lover just kept on walking. Running a hand through his hair Harry set off after her, his mind going over the day as Tracy emerged from the classroom behind him.

They had gone to the Great Hall as a group, Lily splitting off just before to enter via the Teachers doorway up by the staff table. McGonagall had arrived towards the end, bearing timetables for all of them... including those not in her House. She'd apparently collected Hannah's, Luna's, Tracy's and Astoria's from the other Heads of House.

The 'Girls Trio' – Hermione, Susan & Daphne – had been the first off to class, Arithmancy, while Harry and Neville had headed towards the Ancient Runes secondary class. Hermione in particular had had been thrilled at his new studious attitude. Harry had explained that after seeing how much runes were actually used, he ought to know more about them.

It had been the next class, Defence Against the Dark Arts, where things had started going downhill. Snape had already imposed his stamp on the classroom, making it almost as gloomy and dark as the Potions room had been under his tenure. The images that now adorned the walls, depicting those under the effects of various dark curses, unsettled the stomach.

However, for the group Snape was a far more unsettling figure. The 'man' just could not be trusted. Dumbledore assertions that Snape was on their side rang hollow in their ears. As were his words that he'd spoken with the Professor regarding his conduct towards the students. He was just as biased and spiteful as ever. Hermione had answered all the questions he raised correctly, but he'd not given one point, just sneered and commented that 'know-it-all's that learn the textbooks verbatim would last only seconds.' In a real situation. Harry had been ready to throttle the man then and there: only Susan's hand had stayed him. Snape had looked right at him, his eyes dark with malice and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he saw the way he'd riled Harry.

His expression turned to confusion, then annoyance, even as a pressure formed in Harry's head. Recognising the feeling as a Legilimency probe Harry pushed back at the presence, preparing to throw a nasty memory at the probe if Snape persisted. Sadly for Harry, Snape had broken eye contact and started speaking again. He'd been so itching to see Snapes reaction to meeting a thousand year-old Basilisk face to face, as it were.

The lesson – if it could be called one – had only gotten worse from then on. Snape had waxed on about how powerful and fluid and dangerous the Dark Arts were... leading Harry to wonder if the greasy Professor was nursing a hard-on for them. He'd then set them a task that, Harry considered, was beyond nearly everyone in the class; non-verbal spell-casting. Most of the class ended up either muttering the spells, or failing to cast. Only Hermione and Daphne actually managed to cast silently, but both spells were much weaker than normal.

Of course, no lesson with Snape would be complete without him picking on Harry. In this case, he needed a class 'example', so he used Harry, casting a stunner at almost point blank range without warning. Fortunately for Harry, his summer training had kicked in, and his shield had been up in time, though the force he felt through it was worrying. Of course, Snape had taken points since he'd not cast the shield non-verbally.

Getting out of the class had been a relief, though Snape's assignment was horrific in its own right. Between them the group had hashed out a frame they could all with before the girls had to leave for their NEWT Ancient Runes class.

They had all met up again for potions, and things had rapidly gotten out of hand. Slughorn had on display several advanced – and dangerous – potions on display. Harry had easily recognised the Polyjuice Potion; one encounter with the mud like potion was enough, thanks. Of more concern were the others he had out. Veritaserum, Draught of Living Death, and of most concern to the group, Amortentia... the infamous love potion. Harry had shared concerned looks with all four of the girls.

Slughorn had then set the class the task of attempting to brew the Draught of Living Death, even though the class time was not long enough to actually complete the potion. The one who got the best result when the time was up winning a small bottle of liquid luck: in Harry's opinion, a very dangerous thing to just give to a teenager. But then, common sense seemed to be in even shorter supply in the magical world then it was in the non-magical one.

Harry sighed as he followed after the still furiously walking Hermione, vaguely aware of the others following behind him but to focused on trying to understand her sudden anger with him to acknowledge them. They had had disagreements in the past, but never this bad... or illogical.

Since he'd not expected to be able to take the class, Harry had not purchased a copy of the textbook required. However, Slughorn was not as stringent as Snape had been, allowing those who scored an 'Exceeds' to attend. Lacking a book, Slughorn had him passed a spare from the classroom stores. At first Harry had been dismayed to discover the last owner had scribbled and written all over the pages, but then part way through the brewing of the potion, he'd gotten so frustrated at the one task he'd tried the alternative method the last owner had stated was better. To his shock, it had worked brilliantly. Later he'd followed the adjusted instructions again, and once more had a vast improvement in his results... which had resulted in him winning the impromptu contest, and having Slughorn shower praise on him.

But Hermione had not seen things that way. She'd accused him of cheating, and had stormed away from the classroom, barely taking the time to gather her own gear before doing so.

Harry finally caught up with her outside the entrance to their new private common room. "Hermione!"

But she didn't react, just pushing the opening portrait wider to storm within. Inside, Lily looked up from the table, the smile on her face fading as she took in the expressions on both teens faces. Over by the fireplace both Susan and Daphne also looked over, concerned.

Hermione, please..."

"Don't talk to me!" Hermione snapped before she slumped down in one of the soft chairs near the fire, arms folded across her chest.

Frowning lightly, Lily moved to sit beside the younger witch. Reaching out with one hand, she gently rubbed Hermione's shoulder. "Hermione?" she asked softly "what's the matter?"

A sniff emerged from the younger girl before she spoke. "Harry cheated." She muttered. The turbulent emotions clear in her tone.

Lily looked at Harry, one eyebrow raised. Hermione's words made no sense to her. After being in his head for so many years, Lily knew her sons thought processes. Cheating was just not something he would do lightly, if at all. It was just not in his nature to act so.

But this anger from Hermione towards Harry was also not normal. Out of the old Trio Hermione had always been the level headed and rational one. This sudden anger was rather irrational... Lily's train of thought halted at that moment, as a suspicion came to her.

"Winky." She called softly. With a soft pop the elf appeared. Her appearance had undergone almost as much change as Dobby's had. Gone was the dirty, drink-sodden wreck dressed in rags Harry had seen towards the end of his fourth year, sunken in depression and despair. Now Winky's eyes were bright and alert, her pose straight and dignified. She appeared to have gained a couple of inches in height, and the hair atop her head had thickened and lengthened, styled in the same way Emily Van Dort did hers. The rags were gone as well: now Winky was garbed in a simple maids uniform. It had been Hermione who'd worked out the loop-hole in the House Elf Bond that allowed both elves to wear clothing yet not be dismissed from service. Lily had not given Winky the clothing; she had provided the raw fabric with the – gently spoken – order that Winky make herself a uniform out of it. No Potter Elf would ever be dressed in rags.

"yes Milady?"

Lily smiled lightly; she much preferred that salutation to 'Mistress'. "Hermione's supply." Was all she said.

Winky nodded once before disappearing... before reappearing a few seconds later, holding a silver platter. On which rested a very muggle product.

"Malteasers?" Harry asked aloud, confused.

"What? Where?" Hermione almost lunged at the elf, her hands snatching the packet away. In a blur of movement the end was ripped open and the first chocolate covered biscuit honeycomb treat was in her mouth. Hermione's eyes fluttered closed before she sighed in her throat contentedly, her whole body relaxing into the chair.

"Thank you Winky. That will be all for now." Lily told the still startled elf.

Her words allowed Winky to recover. "Very well Milady." She curtsied then vanished.

Lily now turned to Harry. "Now, while Hermione soothes her cravings, why don't you tell me what happened in Potions." She patted the seat next to her.

Harry followed the not quite a command but certainly more than a suggestion and sat beside his mother. Seeing the tension still in his frame Lily looped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into her side. Harry went willingly, soaking and bathing in the motherly affection. Feeling his own emotions calm, Harry started telling her about the lesson just gone. Around then the others listened in, Tracy adding details to Harry's explanation and adding her view point.

Lily listened carefully, holding in her reaction to the list of potions Slughorn had so carelessly had on display before the students. She had hoped that the intervening years would have mellowed the man, made him more aware of the consequences of his actions. Sadly, it seemed he'd remained the showman she remember, always eager to show off his own skill, and not following common sense. 'Then again, Common Sense is not that common. Especially in the Magical World.' She thought.

When Harry started telling her about the 'corrections' and additions to the text book he'd been given however, she stiffened slightly. Not many students made such corrections: most just followed the set directions. Only those who experimented on their own would have discovered such small changes that improved the brewing process.

Her blood ran cold however when Harry told her what was written inside the back cover. "Harry... may I see this book?"

For a second Harry hesitated, before reaching down to his bag and drawing the battered potions text out. As he handed it to his mother, Hermione set aside the nearly empty Malteaser packet and leaned forwards, her hand reaching out to brush the back of his.

"Harry... I'm sorry I over reacted."

Harry smiled at her while twisting his hand to grip hers in return. "We were bound to argue about something sooner or later. I guess it was just too much on-top of being the first day back... and one of 'those' days?"

Hermione smiled softly in reply even as she blushed. "I still think you should be careful about using things the last owner just scribbled into the book. Who knows what they have written in there?"

"Mostly, improvements to the brew processes." Lily chipped in, prompting heads to turn towards her. The battered old potion text was in her lap, her hands flicking through slowly. "I recognise a few of these corrections. They are genuine."

Hermione's jaw dropped slightly. "But... if they are improvements, why are they not in the text book? Surely the Ministry..." she trailed off.

"Yes Hermione. The Ministry would not admit that a mere student could improve on a brewing process that has been around for donkey's years." Daphne commented.

"Besides, this student kept all of his improvements to himself. No wonder he became top of the class..." The last she said quietly.

Harry looked at his mum closely. "You know who used to own this book?"

Lily sighed deeply. "I knew them. At least, I thought I did, until the end of our fifth year..." She said sadly. She flicked to the back cover. "'Half-Blood Prince'. Even then his arrogance was..." She shook her head slowly.

Harry was confused. At first he thought that made the book had belonged to Riddle again, but his mums comments shattered that. "Who was it mum?"

Lily looked up, green eyes meeting their duplicates. "Snape." She said softly.

Harry felt a sudden urge to wash as his eyes darted to the book she still held. "Snape?" He asked incredulously.

"But... why would he call himself 'The Half-Blood Prince' then? I thought he was a Pure-blood; he certainly acts like the typical sort. No offense." Hermione asked, eyeing the book like one would a dangerous reptile.

Susan however frowned as she waved off Hermione's comment. "Has he ever actually said, one way or another?"

Daphne slumped. "No. He just let everyone assume his blood status."

Lily smiled sadly. "I only know a little about his home life. But I do know that he's a true half-blood; his mum was a witch, while his father is pure muggle. And... not a nice example of one either."

Harry looked closely at her. "Dursley's?"

Lily nodded after a moment. "More or less. I don't think he was as bad as that man was, but he was certainly strict. Snape was never the popular kid in the estate; we only became friends when he revealed that they strange things I could do was because I was a witch myself."

They all fell silent for a few moments, each with their own thoughts. It was Harry who broke the silence. "So… what now?"

Lily sighed. Keep using the book for now, just... don't use the altered method. While it's not cheating per-se, having superior instructions makes you look better than you actually are. I'll think about what to do with this..." She held up the book "... in the long term."

Harry nodded. "Okay." Sighing, he reached into his bag, drawing out a tiny bottle filled with golden liquid. The Felix Felicis he'd won. "You would have won if not for that." He nodded towards the book in Lily's hand as he pressed the bottle into Hermione's own. "You should have this instead."

Hermione slowly lifted the bottle, letting the light play through it, before she smiled and passed it to Lily. "Thanks for the thought Harry, but I think we should put it away for when all of us can benefit from it."

Lily smiled warmly at the mature decision. "Take five points Hermione, for such a mature, thoughtful and considerate proposal." Though she intended the award to lighten feelings, expressions feel instead.

Harry looked darkly towards the book now. "At least we're back to where we started..."

"Harry..." Lily brought his chin up with her free hand. "...What do you mean?"

A deep sigh came from her other side. "Snapes being just as bad as he normally is."

Daphne snorted. "Worse, Hermione. At least with potions you could read the book and look up the instructions. Now we don't even have that recourse."

Lily was frowning. "Tell me more."

"So in conclusion, I say we're ready to start operations against Voldemort's forces. Obviously we can't deploy en-mass yet, but individual fire-teams can be put on alert to either respond to, or if chance allows, intercept, one of their teams."

Amelia nodded slowly. It had been a long day and she was tried and exhausted after dealing with the Ministry Morons, as she'd started to call them. Every which way she turned she ran into incompetence, ignorance and plain old job-worths. She'd chased up the Creature Control people she'd alerted regarding the Acromantula's in the Forest outside Hogwarts, only to find that they had spent the months since 'gathering information regarding such creatures, and how to contain a nest of such size.' In short, they'd done nothing. The head of the department had then pulled her aside, and told her that he didn't believe such a nest could exist in the British Isles, much less the middle of the Scottish Highlands. And he was not happy with her not going through proper channels and coming to him first.

Amelia had been so close to striking the smug self-satisfied git, but had managed to leave with dignity intact. What really galled her though was that the man was a suspected Death Eater. He certainly fit the profile: Male bigoted pureblood. Of the last seven hired people in the department, five had been pureblood. The other two were like her niece Susan: classified as Half-Blood but technically three-quarters.

And then there had been the minister himself. She'd never been fond of Scrimgour, but at least as an Auror he'd had set targets to work towards, which gave him direction. Now though, the position of Minister appeared to have gone to his head, leaving him directionless. She had no doubts that he was opposed to Voldemort, but he seemed to have no idea as to how to do so. The 'Information for Concerned Citizens' leaflets that had been distributed were worse than useless, at least in their initial form. As Head of the DMLE, she'd been able to get some of the items re-worded. At least now, hopefully people would alert the Aurors if they came under attack.

And now, with the British Army group that Capitan Granger had been training, they could finally start striking back.

"That's good to hear Daniel. We've just not got the personal to handle everything." She sighed. "I've been getting some leads from our contact in Scotland Yard. Hopefully with a bit a luck, we can start going after their bolt holes."

Daniel grinned darkly. "And drop a few explosive or incendiary tipped gifts in?"

Amelia laughed, a deep, cleansing laugh that she really needed. "I wish we could just do that sometimes, but no. We have to bring them in and expose their crimes to everyone. Otherwise, they'll just become martyrs for their cause."

Daniel sighed in response. "Yeah, I understand. Well, just get us a target, we'll get them. Very likely rather worse for wear, but as alive as we can make them." He paused for a moment. "Train trip go okay?"

Amelia sagged in her seat out of relief. "Yes, nothing happened. All quiet... aside from the normal ruckus of roughly a hundred & twenty teenagers heading off to boarding school, with no adult supervision for nearly eight hours."

Daniel shook his head. "I still don't understand why you do things that way."

Amelia shrugged. "It's always been this way. As I recall, the trip itself is to seen as a right of passage... as well as a way to reinforce the whole notion of 'being at school'."

"Well... I guess there has to be some logical in your world." Daniel said as he stood. "However twisted it may be."

"Away with you!" Amelia snapped, but the laughter in her voice clearly showed that she wasn't offended at all.

Smiling lightly, Daniel walked to the guest room set up for him in the manor. His thoughts wandered to his brother and sister-in-law. The two ex-dentists were really embracing the opportunity to remodel the old manor house that they had been gifted. The local firm was very understanding… and able to quickly changes when needed, as a couple of the workers were actually muggle-born wizards who'd returned to the muggle world in search of work. Landing the job with the firm was ideal for them. It was fair to say they were happier now than they ever had been… with the exception of when Hermione had been born. Was it really almost seventeen years ago?

Having showered, Daniel quickly shaved before dressing in the clothes he'd picked out earlier. Nothing too fancy, but certainly much higher class than his normal wardrobe.

As he stood there, dressed in a well fitted suit, he paused. 'Is now really the time for a date?' he thought to himself. 'There's a war going on out there, and this… tribe, is right in the thick of it. I ought to be focusing on my role, on training those men.'

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. 'But what more can I do for them? They were already professionals, trained for combat. It's just the foe we face that's changed.'

A knock on the door brought his thoughts back to the world. Turning he bid the other enter.

Victor stepped in, his butler's uniform as neat and perfect as ever. "You're choice of vehicle is outside Mister Granger. And may I say that you have picked a fine example sir, though I would have suggested the use of actual horses with a carriage… if we still had some."

Daniel couldn't help but grin at Victor's comment. The Potter's butler was an enigma, his background hidden. His accent, faint though it was, hinted at a Eastern European birth place, Poland perhaps. He seemed to have an endless list of facts about the Potters, as if he'd served the family for centuries.

Which given the nature of the family, was possible. After all, the Potter's had a ghost dragon as a watcher spirit.

"Good to hear. Anything I should know about her?" He asked. Daniel had asked for, and received permission, to use one of the Potter Family's cars for tonight. With the exception of Lily's Stag. That was hers and hers alone.

It had been an experience looking over the other three cars in the garage. Four if you counted the classic Mini tucked in one corner. Daniel had grinned at the sight: his first car had been one of those little roller-skates.

The real shock of the collection however had been in the third garage he'd opened. He'd come face to face with a genuine 1970's Dodge Charger, the classic American muscle car. He'd had to look closer at the beast; there was no other word to describe it. The huge blower/supercharger that jutted out of the bonnet – with it's triple butterfly valves – seemed even larger in real life than in pictures, and the fat tires seemed to almost disappear into the car. Clearly one of the Potters – perhaps Charlus – had been fascinated with street racing, as the Charger appeared to be tricked out just for that. Even the paint job was more racer style, though it was subtle: the bodywork was a matt, pitch black, but overlaid with a flame pattern coming from the leading edges done in a gloss black. It was an impressive – and intimidating – machine, but not in any way suited for his needs.

But Daniel made a promise to himself that one day, he'd take the monster out for a spin.

In the end, he'd decided to use the Bentley he'd first found, rather than the Aston Martin that he was personally more inclined towards. The '78 Bentley T2, he figured, would be much more of a success with his date.

"She has aged well, in my opinion sir." Victor stated. "Please remember though sir that she is a lot heavier than the modern automobiles you are used too, so be extra careful with braking. Also, I would not try any high speed cornering."

"I'll bear that in mind." Daniel replied, then hesitated. "Victor… Should I be doing this? Taking 'Cissa out on a date, with everything that's going on?"

Victor eased the door almost shut behind him, giving him time to word his reply. "Is there any reason not to sir? Madam Black has been pushing herself a lot lately sir, if you'll pardon the liberty. The knowledge that her former husband and son are key members of our foes drives her. She needs time and space to unwind sir." Victor paused. "I am also informed that as a young woman, Madam Black was not really allowed to indulge in dating as such: her betrothal to Malfoy prohibited it." It was a mark of Victor's opinion of Lucius, him not granting the man a title or salutation.

Daniel smiled weakly. "So I should just get on with it?"

Victor bowed his head, not quite hiding his smile. "Aye sir. If you like, consider this; if Malfoy learned that his former wife – the wife that granted him much of his wealth and prestige, I might add – was having a date in the muggle world with a muggle… why, I reckon his head would explode."

Daniel laughed, the tension draining. "I think so too."

Victor now stepped aside. "Yes sir. Now may I suggest you not keep the lady waiting?"

Raising his hands in surrender, Daniel quickly headed down, taking the keys from Victor as he passed.

At that same time, Narcissa Black was staring at her reflection in the mirror in the suite she shared with her sister. The long sleeveless black dress felt very revealing to her, despite the high neck. Butterfly's fluttered through her stomach.

"I'm not sure I can do this Bella…"

Bellatrix stepped up to her sisters side, patting her shoulder while lifting up the jacket that went with the dress. "You deserve a fresh start sis. Lucius was a worm. This… muggle, is anything but."

Slipping the jacket on, Narrcissa found her face twisting into a smile. "Oh, he's certainly everything Lucius wasn't…" She turned to face Bella. "You sure you'll be okay?"

Bellatrix tried to smile. "I'll be fine. Now go, enjoy yourself. Your free, enjoy it."

Narcissa gently cupped Bellatrix's face between her hands. "So are you Bella." She half whispered.

Bella sighed as she gently pushed her sister away. "No, I'm not. I'll never be free of what I've done…" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Just go. Live for both of us." At her sisters look, Bella smiled. "Promise, I won't try to take myself out."

Narcissa nodded slowly. "Okay."

The manor seemed so silent now, Narcissa thought to herself as she made her way down. When the others were here, there had always been at least some noise, some activity. But now… she shivered slightly, feeling what the Van Dorts must have felt for all those years…

Her thoughts can to a halt as she stepped into the entrance hall. Daniel Granger was stood in the centre, his back mostly to her. Her footsteps however echoed on the stone floor, alerting him to her entrance. As he turned to face her, Narcissa found her eyes running up and down his figure. While he'd always projected a powerful image, now he displayed an inmaculate, gentlemanly figure. 'He certainly brushes up nicely…'

Daniel stepped up to her, a smile on his face. "You are stunning tonight, Narcissa."

A faint blush formed on her cheeks. "Thank you. You look good yourself."

He offered his arm. "Shall we?"

Narcissa now matched his smile as she linked her arm through his. "Yes, lets."

Later that evening, Lily stalked through the halls of Hogwarts, her face set in a frown. Combined with the dim lighting, it was a face that would have sent any student that crossed her path fleeing back to their common room.

Ever since the teens had relayed the events of the Defence lesson, Lily had been fuming. Fortunately, after the years of being trapped in her sons head, she had gotten some control of her legendary explosive temper.

However, the lack of release had also allowed the anger to grow.

Once she was sure that all her brood were tucked away safely in their quarters – the last to return had been Astoria, who'd had a last period Herbology lesson – Lily had made her excuses and slipped out. Her destination; the Headmasters office. As much as she wanted to personally ream Snape a new one, she knew she really should go through the proper channels... at least at first.

But if Dumbledore failed – or refused – to rein in his pet Death Eater, she would go right to the problem.

The Gargoyle was already to one side when she approached, leaving the path up free and clear. Reaching the door to his office, Lily took a moment to rein herself in enough to knock politely on the wooden door... rather than barge in like she wanted to.

"Come in." Dumbledore's voice came quietly from within.

Pushing the door open, Lily began to speak. "Headmaster, we really have to talk about..." She trailed off however, when she took in the sight before her.

The office was dark, only a little light spilling from the open window illuminating it with the deep reds of a late summers evening. Around them, most of the silver trinkets that Dumbledore kept were still, silent. With a jolt Lily realised they had been like that the previous night, but she'd been too furious about Snape's appointment to notice.

Dumbledore was sat in his high backed chair, but he'd turned it to look out the window rather than face the desk and door. In the low light the creases in his face were made even darker. But the light was not low enough to hide the gleam of moisture on his cheeks. His right hand hung off the armrest, the shelve pulled down till only the tips of his withered fingers remain visible. The left was curled around a tumbler, half full.

His head twisted enough to look at her. "I had a feeling you'd be here tonight Lily." He said wearily, resignation filling his tone.

Lily slowly stepped over to the desk, sinking into one of the chairs before it without looking. She had never seen the Headmaster look this old or weary before. Unbidden she felt some of her anger fade away. "Albus?"

Dumbledore took another drink from his whiskey. "You are here because of Severus, correct?"

Lily frowned. "Headmaster, with all due respect… why is he here? Why has he been here all these years? A marked, confirmed Death Eater, teaching? You know what they have to do to earn the mark."

"Yes… I am aware. Severus, however… as you know, he turned spy for me in the last war. His placement here…" Dumbledore sighed deeply. The urge to confess everything overwhelmed him. "It was all part of my grand plan."

Emerald green eyes narrowed to slits. "Explain. Now."

"As you wish… I had long suspected that Voldemort had found a way to cheat death. I was only unsure as to the method. As such, I planned for his eventual return. By employing Severus, when Voldemort returned, I made him a vastly more important assest in Voldemort's eye. What better than a trusted professor within the school, right under my nose? It was most convient in fact, as Horace wished to leave at that time. As you are aware, Severus is more than qualified to teach potions."

"Albus… he may be a potions master, but he's a shit teacher." Lily shot back, trying hard to keep her temper in check once more. "There's more to being a Professor than just one's understanding of the subject. You have to be able to relay that knowledge, be fair and unbais, be approachable. And Snape's none of those things. His behaviour in the classroom… it's obvious to anyone how biased he is. And as for my son… from the moment they met, Snape has been hounding, belittling and tormenting Harry."

"Ah… but how would you expect a former Death Eater to react when confronted with the one who defeated their Lord?" Dumbledore countered.

"Don't try to excuse his actions Albus! What Snape does is far beyond just acting a role! He's got a personal grudge against Harry. I know he and James feuded…" A twitch in Dumbledore's face gave away his thoughts. "That's it, isn't it? He's attacking Harry because he can't hurt James anymore! That bastard!"

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid so. I have repeatedly tried to reach him, asked him to let go of the past… but it's all wrapped up in with why he turned to me in the first place…"

"What do you mean? Why did he turn anyway?"

"Ah… now that I can't tell you. He begged me not tell anyone when he came to me."

Lily frowned, thinking. What could possibly have made Serverus turn against everything he had believed in? True, he'd always been about himself first, but he'd certainly believed in the Pureblood cause. And how could it be involved in his grudge against James, and by extension Harry? Deciding to think about it later, Lily refocused on the Headmaster. "Fine. But my other point still stands. He's a bully Albus. And scum. Not even you can be deaf to the rumours about his… actions."

"I have instructed him to ensure that those vile rumours be laid to rest, Lily. I trust him to prove thme foundless."

"You really are blind, aren't you? That is such an open-ended instruction that he can do whatever he wants and still say that yes, he's stopping the rumours."

"Please Lily, give him a chance. For your childhood friendship."

"Snape ruined that when he called me 'Mudblood'. When he joined the Death Eaters. No Albus, there will be no reconciliation between us." Lily's voice was firm, cold. "Keep him under control Albus, both in regard to my son and the other students. If you can't, or won't… I will."

Dumbledore's eyebrow rose. "Is that a threat, Lily?"

"No. A promise." Lily met his eyes squarely. "I will not allow my son to be harressed any more by a man too petty to let go of past hurt. Nor will I allow the girls here to come to harm from those supposed to protect them."

A deep sigh came from Dumbledore's chest. "I'm sorry you feel that way Lily."

"I don't care." Lily stated as she rose to her feet. "All I care about is my son. He's been without support from our generation for too long. No longer." Turning, she left the office.

Descending the stairs, Lily allowed the scowl to form on her face. Trusting old fool! Couldn't he see what his plans had done to the rest of the world?

Reaching the corridor Lily looked up… and froze for a moment. Then her scowl deepened, while her hand shifted closer to her wand.

A few feet up the corridor, Snape also paused, his robes billowing around him in confusion as he halted.

For a long moment the two old friends looked at each other. Lily found herself examining Snape, searching. 'Time has not been good to him…' She thought, taking in the swallow skin, the frown lines and creases. 'Good.'

Snape broke the silence. "Lils…"

"Don't call me that Snape!" Lily snaped, cutting off whatever he had been about to say. "You lost that right back in Fifth year forever." Snape almost staggered back at the force and vemon in her tone. After a moment however, he tried again.

"Lily… you're looking good." Silence was her reply. "Look… I know it's been a long time, but… maybe…"

"What? You think we can go back to how it was before you started hanging out with the like's of Malfoy? No Death Eater…" Now he did take a step back. "…There is no chance of that ever happening. Not after you spat on everything I believe in." her eyes narrowed as she took a step forward. "Not after the way you've treated Harry all these years."

Inmediately Snapes expression darkened, and scowl formed. "The little brat is just like his no-good, punk of a father!"

"That is my son you are talking about Snape! Along with my husband!" They were almost nose to nose now.

A smirk twitched at the corner of Snape's mouth. "A dead husband. His mouth and atitude finally caught up with him…"

Lily's hand came out of nowhere, smacking Snape across the face with such force that he was sent staggering into the wall. When he regained his wits and looked back, he found her wand pointed right at him.

"If I ever hear of you befouling James' memory again, I will take it out of your hide." Lily stated with a cold voice, her eyes burning with emerald fire. "As for Harry… you leave him alone, you hear me? Him and all the others. If I so much as hear a whisper that you're preying on, or allowing those Death Eater spawn in your house to prey on the girls in this school… well, you'll be needing to sit down to piss for the rest of your wretched, miserable life."

Snape blanched, an impressive feat given his already pale skin. But Lily was not done, as she leaned closer, her furious face filling his vision. "And if you go after Harry again… Death will be a long time coming Death Eater, though you'll be begging for it to come."

With that she stood and strode away, leaving behind a man whose vision of the world crumbled around him, the illusion of the past he'd built in his mind falling, to reveal the truth that he'd denied to himself for over fifteen years.

A/N: And that's it... for now. Kudo's for those who spotted the TF&TF camo.

Can't say when the next chapter will be done. All I can ask is be patient, it will come...