A/N: Sorry about taking so long to update, life got a little crazy. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to update as frequently this semester as I did before, but I will try :)
Eliza's steps slowed the closer she got to the front entrance of Hogwarts. The castle loomed darkly over her as she approached, casting a heavy shadow across the grounds. The day was cold and drizzly, intensifying her trepidation. There were no students roaming the grounds on such a dreary day, no doubt they were huddled by their common room fires studying.
With a deep sigh, Eliza reached out and pulled open the door. Hogwarts' entrance was as deserted as the grounds had been. Eliza's flinched as her heels clicked loudly on the stone floor. In the eerie silence, her steps seemed to be amplified and she was sure that Mrs. Norris would come slouching around the corner to terrify her.
As Eliza began making her way toward the Headmaster's office, she reveled in the strangeness of being back in her old school. If someone had asked Eliza a few months before whether or not she would ever return to Hogwarts, she would have laughed at the absurdity of such a question. Yet despite all her resistance, she was now walking about the school as if she did it every day.
When Eliza finally reached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, she realized that she didn't have the password. Annoyed, she prodded the statue with her wand hoping to get it to move using other means. Much to Eliza's surprise, the gargoyle moved aside revealing the entrance to his office. At first she was shocked that her magic had triggered the gargoyle's response, but that was not the case. Instead, standing in the entrance that the statue guarded was none other than Severus Snape.
The pair stood frozen in shock, staring each other down. Instead of his usual sneer, Snape had a softer, more appreciative look. Before Eliza could even guess what his expression meant, the professor took a step closer to her.
"Well this is an improvement," he said softly, reaching out and touching the sleeve of her robes. Eliza's eyes bulged in surprise.
She was dressed in a high-necked black jacket that was fastened by a row of tiny buttons and a mid-calf length black skirt. With the ensemble, she wore a pair of black dragon hide boots that disappeared beneath her hemline. Her white hair was swept up on one side with a pearl encrusted comb, the single black streak pinned away from her face. True, Snape usually saw Eliza in her floral print muggle dresses and pastel colored cardigans. And true, she had opted to wear her robes now that she was in wizard territory. But his reaction was so out of character.
As she looked down at her clothing, she realized that her robes greatly resembled Snape's dungeon bat robes. The thought amused her, and much to her own mortification, Eliza laughed out loud. Snape frowned in response, not sure what Eliza found so funny.
"The Headmaster is waiting for you," he said coldly, obviously sore at her for laughing at him. Eliza nodded, her face quite red with embarrassment, and pushed past him into the office. These encounters with Snape never went well.
In his office, Dumbledore was standing over his penseive, staring into the swirling silver depths. Not sure what to do, Eliza stood stiffly in front of his desk, waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing.
"Please, sit down Mrs. Slope. I'll with you in a moment," Dumbledore said, without turning around. She quickly plopped down in a pink poufy chair and looked around the room. Eliza loved the headmaster's office and it had crossed her mind on more than one occasion that she would want to set up residence there herself someday. But the thought of dealing with dunderheads and insufferable brats quickly derailed that ambition.
After a few long minutes, the headmaster moved over to his desk and settled himself across from Eliza. He was silent for a moment, giving her one of his famous penetrating stares. Eliza immediately put up her occlumency shield; she was all too familiar with the old man's methods of extracting information. Instead of flinching like Snape had done before, Dumbledore sat back in his chair and chuckled.
"I see you still have it, even after all this time. You and Severus both have to most unreadable minds," He said, his blue eyes twinkling. Eliza frowned at him. She really hated it when people tried to test her abilities any time they wanted and Dumbledore was the worst offender.
"But some skills you have lost, I see," he continued, his gaze now falling on her white hair. "Such a pity, your metamorphosis abilities were really quite extraordinary."
"My niece, Tonks, she can do it too," Eliza said. "Do you think there is a genetic component? I have never heard of two in one family."
"No one knows for sure. Perhaps that is a future project. But we have more pressing issues at hand. I see you have decided to resume your research."
"Yes, I have taken your heavy-handed hints and will pick up where I left off," Eliza said, her voice edged with bitterness. Her tone did not go unnoticed by Dumbledore.
"Your letter indicated some reservation about your research, which is perfectly understandable. What is troubling you? Are you concerned for your safety?"
Eliza shook her head. "I am not worried about myself," She said quietly.
"Is it the resources? Do you need a work facility? Of course, Hogwarts is open to you and I am sure Severus—"
"Is exactly the problem," Eliza cut it. Her gaze hardened on the Headmaster and he drew back, his eyes studying her. He was trying to gauge her reaction, to decipher the meaning behind her words, but Eliza was as unreadable as ever.
"My dear girl, why would Severus be the problem? As I recall, you were quite studious when it came to him as a boy." Dumbledore's expression was serious but Eliza could hear the almost mischief dancing in his voice.
"Your professor has changed drastically since he was a boy," Eliza said. "And I would have looked past his Dark Mark and strange habits this summer if my memories had not returned."
Dumbledore cocked his head sideways. "What do you mean by your memories returning?"
Eliza hesitated. She wasn't sure if it was the best idea to tell the headmaster about her potions, but there was no other alternative.
"After Uriah and Leonidas died, I developed two potions. One to erase any memory that I wanted to eliminate and one to bring them back. I erased most of my knowledge of magic and the memories of school and people I knew. It lasted for several years but over the summer, it began breaking down and I caught glimpses of the past. When Sirius and the others brought my notes back to me, decided to drink the other potion and restore my memories."
Dumbledore remained silent as he digested the information. He sat with his hands steeped before him, watching Eliza with those piercing blue eyes.
"How did your memories returning affect your view of Severus?"
Eliza looked away. Her throat felt thick and her lip quivered slightly. This was harder to say than what she thought.
"I was prepared to let Severus' foolish actions go. I knew he was young and angry. I know that you trust him now, for whatever reason, but I can't help feeling like it's all a ruse."
"Well Mrs. Slope, I can tell you with great certainty that he is faithful to our side. He has been given the most difficult job in the Order and I don't doubt his loyalty," Dumbledore said, a frown tingeing his words.
"But how can you be sure, Professor? You yourself said that his mind is unreadable. How do you know if he is being true or if he is delivering Order secrets to the Dark Lord?" Eliza was fierce in her questioning. She had a difficult time trusting anybody and with Snape living a double life as a Death Eater, she was sure there was no way to believe in his allegiance.
Dumbledore stood quickly. He turned and walked away from the desk with his hands clasped behind him. He strode to the window to peer outside, watching as McGonagall argued with Umbridge in the courtyard below.
"Am I correct in assuming that you are the one who saved Severus' life this summer?" Dumbledore asked from the window.
"That is correct," answered Eliza.
"And in your professional opinion, would anyone but a madman return to the Dark Lord's service after receiving such injuries from him?"
"No, I suppose not."
"And in your professional opinion, is Severus a madman?"
Eliza did not answer. Dumbledore turned back toward her but remained by the window.
"There you have it Mrs. Slope, Severus is serving us in a way that few others can. This post takes immense strength of will and character along with skillful manipulation. I cannot picture anyone better suited for the job than him."
Eliza crossed her arms tightly and jiggled her foot in her usual nervous manner. She knew that Dumbledore was right about Severus being right for the job but there was something still bothering her.
"He was there," she whispered, not looking at anything in particular. "He was one of the Death Eaters outside my burning house. If he was capable of murder then, how do I know for sure he has changed?"
Dumbledore surveyed her silently, noting the stiff way she held her shoulders and the tear slipping down her cheek. He knew that this weighed heavily on her. Slowly, he walked over to the woman, gently placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Eliza, I know that this is a terrible revelation but you have to trust me when I say that Severus Snape is not the same man he was fourteen years ago. He has changed and has been doing everything within his power, and then some, to defeat Voldemort. I am asking you to help us because you have talents that most wizards can only dream of, but you have to put aside any doubt you have in Severus."
Eliza nodded slightly. She knew that there was truth in Dumbledore's words.
Once again, the headmaster sat behind his desk across from Eliza, reaching in one of the drawers, he reached in and pulled out an old leather bound book. Severus Snape was embossed on the book's spine in faded black letters. Eliza gasped as she took it from his hands.
"How did you get a hold of this?" she sputtered. "I chucked in the room of requirement years ago."
"Ah, well some of these things have a way of resurfacing," he answered, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. "I suggest that you resume some of your other experiments in addition to your potions work."
"No Professor, I can't –"Dumbledore held up a hand, cutting off Eliza's argument.
"Just think about it. It will help you learn to trust Severus again. Until then, I will allow you to continue your research. Feel free to use the library here at Hogwarts's as much as you need but I must recommend that you keep quiet about the nature of your work, particularly around Dolores Umbridge."
"You can count on that," muttered Eliza.
Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss today?"
Eliza shook her head and stood. "Thank you Professor, I will begin reviewing my notes immediately."
"Shall I send Severus to help with the research?" Dumbledore asked hopefully.
"No, I will contact him if needed. I had best be going, I will show myself to the door," she said stiffly, collecting the old book and turning to leave the office.
"Thank you Mrs. Slope and good luck," Dumbledore called to her retreating back. Eliza paused, nodding slightly in acknowledgement.
"No, thank you, Professor."