A/N: The chapters are getting longer (finally!), so enjoy! Feel free to send lots of reviews :)

Eliza was finding it increasingly difficult to live her double life. Muggle school teacher by day, expert potions maker hell-bent on stopping a dark wizard from destroying more lives by night. It was easy to see which life was taking over. During independent reading time, she would pour over potions books that she had charmed to look like text books. When the children were at recess, she scribbled down notes and ideas on any bit of paper she could find. Her students' knew that something was going on with Mrs. Slope, but they had no idea what it could be.

Even more distracting was the letter that she received from Melanie. To any other person, the letter would seem perfectly normal. Melanie wrote about her studies, her first flying lesson, the newest wonders of the castle, and the first house quidditch game that was coming up. What bothered Eliza were the things left unsaid in the letter. Unlike before, Melanie made no mention of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She made no complaints about her teachers, and absolutely no mention of Umbridge. She didn't mention any of Educational Decrees even though Eliza was sure that they annoyed her as much as they annoyed the other students. Eliza read the whole letter with mounting suspicion, finally deciding that something was wrong when Melanie practically begged for her to visit. Eliza knew that she would have to talk to Snape about her concerns when he saw him next.

Despite her distracted teaching and the unnerving letter from Melanie, Eliza's week flew by quickly. When the day of the St. Mungo's visit finally arrived, Eliza could feel the panic setting in. Tonk's visit the medical library on that Friday went without a hitch. She was thoroughly convincing as a healer, and was able to procure a large stack of journals, books, and papers on nerve damage, cerebral protection, and treatment of various brain injuries. With half of the mission completed, Snape and Eliza were to make their trip on Saturday.

Eliza spent that Friday night tossing and turning. When her worried mind should have been thinking about how to get in and out of St. Mungo's without causing alarm, she was really thinking about just how far Snape could actually be trusted. Eliza went through the list in her head: He was an Order member, Dumbledore trusted him, he seemed genuinely interested in helping… On the other hand: she had seen his Dark Mark, his mind was unreadable, Dumbledore trusted him… The pros and cons were even. Annoyed that she still had no answers, Eliza got up to get a drink. Peering out her window into the dark windows of Snape's house, she thought back on her conversation with Sirius. What did she have to lose is what she told him. What did it matter if he was still a Death Eater. If she could successfully create the potion, even if it meant using his assistance, then it would be worth it in the end. Feeling much better, Eliza was able to get a few hours sleep before dawn.

The pair agreed to meet just inside the main entrance of St. Mungo's at 9 a.m. sharp. With both of them dressed in their usual black robes, Eliza and Snape looked like they were going to a funeral. Greeting each other with a curt nod, they walked stiffly, side-by-side toward the front desk. Bypassing the line formed in front of the uninterested receptionist, Eliza led the way to the basement where the research facilities were located. She hoped that the staff would all be new, that there wouldn't be anybody there who would recognize her, but she knew that could not happen. No doubt, all of the employees from her day would be there and want to know what happened so many years ago.

The receptionist sitting just inside the research department entrance seemed to be along the same vein as the woman sitting at front entrance: thoroughly uninterested in their arrival.

"What can I do for you today? She asked boredly. On her desk was a copy of the Quibbler, earning a shared look of contempt from Eliza and Snape.

Eliza's mouth went dry when she realized she had no idea how to ask for the information without being suspicious. Snape sighed loudly, making Eliza give him a nasty glare, and told the receptionist what they needed. "We have come to withdraw the records of Mrs. Eliza Slope from the archives."

"Down the hall, third door on the left." The receptionist pointed down the hall without looking up. "Merle is in there to help you out."

Eliza and Snape thanked the woman and took off down the hallway.

"Painless so far," muttered Snape as they walked.

"You haven't met Merle," Eliza answered. Snape looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Here we are," she said, leading Snape through the third door.

Inside were rows and rows of dark shelves, a very narrow walk space between each of them. Parchment was packed so tightly onto the shelves that it stuck out in all directions. Dust particles could be seen dancing in the few feeble rays of light that managed to squeeze through the dense paperwork. Just inside the door was a large front desk that was covered in stacks of papers. Above their heads flew countless purple memos, just like the ones the ministry used.

Snape's lip curled as he surveyed the scene. It was incredible how disorganized the archives were. "This is the archives?" he asked indignantly as a memo collided with his head.

Eliza shuffled through the papers on the desk and found an old brass bell, which she dinged loudly. A moment later, a very small and very old wizard made his way through the shelves. Unique was always the only word Eliza could think of to describe Merle. He was dressed in shimmering fuchsia robes with orange owls stitched into the fabric. His mop of curly hair had a vaguely blueish hue, and his cheeks and button nose were flushed as though they had been rouged.

Coming into the light, Merle put on a pair of blue framed glasses that magnified his eyes and made him look like a bug. It took less than a second for the old man to let out a piercing squeal. "Eliza Slope! Is that really you?! They said you would never come back, but I knew you would. I always said you would."

Eliza blushed at his excitement. She hadn't realized how much they would miss her at St. Mungo's. As far as she was concerned, she was a nobody.

"So are you picking up in Potion Development again, or trying something new," He questioned.

Eliza shook her head no. "I'm not coming back, Merle. I am just here to pick up my files."

Merle's face fell in disappointment, until his eyes lit upon Snape. Immediately, the old man brightened. "And who might this young man be? Oh my, he is quite the looker."

Eliza suppressed a giggle. Beside her, she could feel Snape shift uncomfortably. No doubt, he was giving Merle a rather nasty scowl. "This is my research partner, Severus Snape," She answered.

"Now when you say partner, do you mean partner or 'partner'?" Merle wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making Eliza turn her escaping laughter into a poorly disguised cough. She could feel Snape shaking in anger. Glancing up, she saw that an odd purple color was crawling across his jaw and up his cheeks. He's blushing, she thought.

"You have been reading too many wizard romances," she said in her most disapproving voice. "Severus is simply my research partner."

Merle sighed and leaned against the desk. "Whatever. All I can say is that you have a type and he is it."

Eliza rolled her eyes. "Can I just have my files please?"

Merle cast them both a weary glance and leaned in closer. "It's not that easy, Eliza. The Minister is keeping a close watch on us here. If I give you the files, I then have to send a report to him. With your work he will want a full scale inquiry." The wizard's voice was just above a whisper and he kept casting furtive glances around them.

Eliza frowned. Something was going on. "Are you being watched, Merle?" she asked quietly.

"Don't know," he answered with a small shrug. "Probably, but I can't figure out how."

This wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped. Looking up at Snape, Eliza opened her mind, just slightly, and thought we have to stun him and take the files. With an almost unperceivable nod, Snape quietly raised his wand.

"I'm so sorry, Merle," Eliza said quietly as red light shot out of Snape's wand, stunning Merle where he stood. Getting out her own wand, Eliza quickly summoned her files and slipped them into her charmed purse.

Quickly, Eliza and Snape slipped out of the room and past the receptionist who ignored them on their way out. The pair rushed through St. Mungo's, towards the front door, keeping their faces impassive. Both of them were expert "poker face" makers, but neither of them wanted to be in the building when it was discovered that Merle had been attacked. They had nearly reached the exit when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Why Severus, what on Earth are you doing here, so far from Hogwarts?" called Lucius Malfoy. Both Eliza and Snape stiffened and turned slowly. "And you are here with Eliza Slope. I expected better of you." Lucius looked down his nose at Eliza with an expression of something that smelled bad. Eliza returned his look with her coldest Black family glare, something that Lucius was on the receiving end of frequently.

"I can ask the same of you, Lucius. How is it that you are so far from the minister," sneered Snape. There was a definite challenge in his words.

Lucius gave a false laugh. "I am here to see Alfred Pickles, you know, the director of St. Mungo's. They have decided to name the new wing after me."

Eliza scowled at him. "Just what you need, Lucius. Isn't your head inflated enough already?" she snapped. Snape's lips thinned as he subtly nudged Eliza. She knew he wanted her to shut up, but she didn't care.

"Good to see that you have returned to us, Eliza. Narcissa will be so pleased. You must come for dinner sometime," said Lucius. There was nothing authentic about his invitation.

Eliza opened her mouth angrily to retort, but she was cut off by Snape. "Come Eliza, we have work to do," he murmured in her ear. Eliza felt shivers run down her spine. Giving Lucius a scathing look, she turned and followed Snape out of the building.

Without speaking, the pair made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the pair of them to grab dinner and a drink. Settling in a distant corner, they gave their order to the waitress.

"You really should be more careful with Lucius Malfoy," said Snape quietly, breaking the silence.

"I can handle Lucius," scoffed Eliza. As far as she was concerned, her brother-in-law was nothing but a puffed up peacock.

"I mean it, Eliza," growled Snape, giving her shivers once more. "You have been living as a muggle for a long time. Malfoy is a powerful man. He has Fudge wrapped around his little finger and he is well liked by the Dark Lord."

"Lucius Malfoy is the least of my concerns right now. I find it hard to believe that he would waste much time on recounting our little visit today. I am not a threat to his position, so I am not worried about our little encounter."

Snape sighed irritably, raking his hand through his black hair. Eliza felt an involuntary pull in the pit of her stomach, not unlike the sensation of a portkey. She loved his long hair, no matter how greasy it seemed.

"Are you going to tell me the direction of research?" he asked, fixing his black eyes on her.

Just then, the waitress brought their food and drinks. The conversation was momentarily forgotten as they dug into their respective meals. After a few moments of chewing, Snape decided to attempt to pick up where they left off.

"Well? What are your ideas?"

Eliza took a long sip of her firewhisky and pushed her plate aside. "How do you believe that Avada Kedava actually kills a person?"

"It stops the heart of course, instant death," Snape answered, unsure of why she was asking such an obvious question.

"Ah, but that is not quite true," she said, grinning inwardly that she knew something that the great Severus Snape did not know. "For centuries, that is what people have thought that was the cause. And for centuries people have tried desperately to protect the heart from the spell. But they had the wrong part.

Snape seemed to ponder this for a moment. "If it doesn't attack the heart, what does it do?" He had dropped his usual cool, condescending tone in favor of pure curiosity.

"It's the nervous system that is key." Eliza explained. "The spell sort of works as a shock to the nervous system, traveling to the brain and shutting it down instantly. It causes a massive, fast-acting seizure. See, it doesn't matter where you are hit with the spell, it can travel to your brain through any of your nerves."

Snape steepled his hands in front of him, apparently deep in thought. Eliza couldn't help thinking that he was getting more and more like Dumbledore.

"So how exactly are you attempting to address this 'shock'?"

"Well, last time I worked on the potion, my focus was on impact. I thought if I could prevent the shock from traveling through the nervous system, it wouldn't hurt you. Unfortunately, the furthest I got was a loss of feeling and no protection. This time around, I was thinking that I could work on protecting the brain itself. The spell will still travel through the body, but it would not be able to penetrate the brain."

Snape nodded as he thought about her explanation. "That would be a logical direction to head. Do you have any ideas for potion ingredients?"

Eliza shook her head. "I haven't identified specific ingredients yet, but I had Tonks get me some information on treating seizures and sensory disorders. I am also exploring occlumency and how it would affect the potion."

Snape shot a sly look at Eliza. "Yes, well you would be the occlumency expert. What was that little trick you did earlier?"

"That wasn't a trick," snorted Eliza. "You constantly try to read my mind, I just let you in long enough to get my message."

The odd purple color began creeping up Snape's cheeks again. "I don't 'constantly try to read your mind'," he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

Eliza laughed. "It's okay, Severus, you aren't the only one desperate to see what's going on in here." Standing up, she reached for her purse to dig out some money. "I need to get home and look over my files. See you around, Severus," she said, tossing her coins on the table.

As she turned to leave, Snape's hand reached out to grab her wrist. Eliza took a sharp intake of breath as her stomach swooped at the sensation of his touch. Slowly, she turned to look at him.

"If you need me, don't contact me by owl. If you do use an owl, make sure there is no information that could give away the nature of your work. We are being monitored at Hogwarts. Even the Floo Network is not safe." Snape told her all of this in a hushed, furtive tone, his eyes burning into hers. Taken aback by his intensity, Eliza nodded and quickly left without saying goodbye.

On the street, Eliza thought about what he had just told her. That would explain Melanie's strange letter. It angered her that the ministry had turned on its own citizens rather than face the truth and protect them. She had half a mind to go directly to Fudge himself and hex some sense into him.

But despite all of the anger and frustration coursing through her as she headed home, Eliza couldn't help but to notice that her wrist still tingled, just in that spot, where Snape had touched her. Her head was screaming at her for being a fool, but even Eliza couldn't deny the pull that Severus Snape had on her.