Author's Note: Hello All! You will be pleased to know that I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I apologize for the long wait for this chapter With school and work I have been so busy that I have not been able to find the time to write much of anything, let alone post anything here. There are only two weeks left to this semester, so hopefully I will be able to sneak in another chapter before break begins and then go from there.

Thank you for the lovely reviews left on this story during my absence. They were very encouraging as I plodded on with this chapter trying to get something ready to post. I appreciated them very much. :)

P.S. I hope everyone enjoyed Fantastic Beasts as much as I did, I found so much fresh inspiration from it for this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter, but I do rather enjoy borrowing JK Rowling's characters from time to time.

Halloween was drawing near and there was palpable excitement in the air at the school. Even in these dark times, nay especially in these dark times it would be a comfort to students to have some sort of distraction. Students and staff members alike looked forward to this event and Minerva was no exception. She was looking forward to the upcoming festivities more than she had been able to look forward to anything in a long time.

It would be a short respite, certainly, but a break from it all nonetheless. This year they would not be having the staff Halloween party for a change, things were far too bad for that in their world right now. They would still be having the feast for the students though, and classes would be shortened as well. She had just been in a meeting with the Headmaster and a few of the other professors about this upcoming event.

Severus had been absent again, it seemed that the further they got into the school year the more and more he was being called away. As much as he tried to keep his absences hidden from the staff and students they were beginning to have an effect. There were even a few times he had to cancel his classes because a substitute could not be found in time. It had gone so far that other staff members had begun making inquiries to the headmaster about his absences.

Albus remained discreet with the details about Severus' particular situation. As far as she had heard he was informing those who asked that he had been been recovering from an illness. Minerva knew that save for herself and the Headmaster nobody else at the school knew about his status as a former death eater and as a spy. If her initial reaction and response were any indication of how the others would react to the situation then she was glad that this information was kept from them. He deserved better than to be judged on his past, let them make their judgements on him as a colleague and friend.

Ever since he had been injured so badly at the hands of aurors a few weeks ago she had taken to checking in on him more outside of their weekly games of chess. Paying him visits in his office, just to see how he was doing and to make sure that he was okay. It was painful to see her friend so exhausted.

While she could not pretend to know all that he was going through she had some understanding of his life as a spy. She too had served as a spy for the Ministry, and subsequently the Order. Unlike Severus however, her duties as a spy did not take up her entire life; as soon as the school year began she was relieved of her duties as a spy. Her experiences had never been quite the scale that his were, but she understood what a sacrifice it was he had to make.

In a way she really wished she could be doing more for the war effort right now. She felt that she could be more useful in the field as a spy than hiding here at the school. While her friend and colleague was risking his life for the safety of their students on a daily basis she was here at the school. Unlike many others in this war she did not have to face imminent danger on a daily basis, and she did not constantly have to fear for her life. It made her feel guilty and almost ashamed of what she was doing.

Even her own brothers were fighting this war, one of them just barely out of Hogwarts himself. They would have never have asked her to fight, she knew that much, but it would have been easier if she could have been doing something. At the Ministry her former colleagues faced danger on a daily basis, many of them were never able to make it home to see their families again. It was not that she did not feel grateful for this job and her safety, but she did feel somewhat useless to the war effort.

Minerva realized that in the time she had spent thinking about her friend's predicament she had been wandering aimlessly around the castle. Although her schedule was fairly open this Saturday she felt that there were probably better things to do than walk around the castle by herself. She settled instead upon going to the library. Maybe some light reading would allow her to take her mind off of all that had been going on.

She was not that far away from her destination, ducking through a few side passageways she was there in just a few minutes. The library had far more people than she had expected to see here on a Saturday afternoon. Students were at tables studying and in the stacks looking for books. It was rather encouraging that they were studying, but she could not help but notice how depressed some of the students felt. It was almost enough to convince her to go back to her rooms.

"Our students are studying willingly, this seems to be a first for them." said a sarcastic voice over her shoulder. "Perhaps we should capture this unprecedented moment on camera."

Minerva spun around to see Severus standing behind her. "What are you doing here?" she asked him perplexed.

"Hello it's nice to see you too." he replied cheekily. "I came from my office, where else would I have come from."

"You were not at the staff meeting this morning." She said perplexed.

"No, I was not present." he agreed.

"Would you care to elaborate?" she asked him

"My, my, always asking question are we?" he asked her good-naturedly. "Well if you must know we could discuss this over tea and out of ear shot. Unless you have other plans this fine Saturday afternoon?"

"Well my schedule is full to bursting, but I think I might just be able to fit you in somewhere." She replied jokingly.

"It is settled then." he replied. "Before we go I did come here with the intent of finding a specific book."

"I was hoping to pick one up as well. We can both meet back here in a few minutes." She said.

The two of them parted ways both intent on finding their reading materials. Minerva quickly found her book in the stacks. She had decided on a volume on the history of magic. Anything to distract her from the war raging on in their world. She quickly made her way back to the desk and checked out her book before waiting for Severus again. Five minutes went by, and then ten. Minerva began to wonder if he had forgotten about her when he finally found his way out of the stacks without a book.

"I apologize for keeping you so long Minerva. It would seem that the book I was looking for is unavailable at the present time. I was hoping to be able to use it to get a head start on a project for next week for my upper level students. Now I might need to run up to Flourish and Blotts to get a copy." He said somewhat dejectedly.

"That's rather unfortunate. What was the book about?" she asked him curiously.

"It was a book about transfiguration and potion making by Emric Switch." Severus replied.

"Transforming the Elixir?" Minerva asked automatically.

"Yes, that's the title! Do you know the book?" He asked surprised.

"Actually yes I do." she replied. "In fact I believe I happen to have a copy of that book."

"Could I possibly borrow your copy of it?" he asked her hopefully. "I promise I will get it back to you as soon as possible."

"Perhaps I can be persuaded, you do make rather a convincing argument." she replied. we can go and get it now." she replied.

The two of them headed off in the direction of Minerva's office to search for the volume. The walk was not a long one and they were there within a matter of minutes. Severus waited patiently as Minerva sifted through the many books on her shelves searching for the correct title, and then through the drawers in her desk.

"Is something the matter?" Severus asked after a few minutes of searching.

"I cannot seem to find the book, it should be here somewhere." she replied perplexed.

"Did you loan it out to someone already?" he asked her.

"No, not that I can recall." she said. Suddenly it came to her. "That's right, that book is in my rooms upstairs. I was using it recently for a potion."

"I did not know that you were so advanced in your potion making skills." Severus said genuinely impressed. "We should compare methods one of these days. I would be very interested in seeing your work."

"Goodness no, I do not feel the need to embarrass myself in front of an expert." she replied.

"I cannot believe that you could possibly embarrass yourself. I am sure that you are very accomplished in potion brewing." he said quite seriously.

"I believe that you said the same thing about my Exploding Snap skills and look at how that turned out." she said.

Severus put his hands up in mock defeat. "Whatever you think is best. "

"Indeed, well shall we go get the book now?" she asked.

"Certainly." he replied. "Lead the way."

Once they had left her office, and she had locked the door behind them, they started off towards her rooms. Minerva realized with a start that she had never had any visitors to her rooms before save Albus when he came to welcome her to the school. She had not even thought to tidy up the papers she had been grading the past few days.

"Good afternoon Professor." Sir Stephen greeted her when the two of them were outside of the entrance to her rooms.

"Good afternoon Sir Stephen." Minerva replied.

"Would you care to introduce me to your companion?" he asked her kindly.

"Certainly." she replied. "Sir Stephen this is my friend and colleague Professor Severus Snape. He is our potions master."

"Pleased to meet you." Sir Stephen said removing his trip cornered hat with a flourish.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance Sir Stephen." Severus said bowing to the portrait in return.

"Professor McGonagall what is Professor Snape's business here this afternoon?" Sir Stephen asked.

"I have a book I was going to loan him, and then we were planning on having tea." she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I am tasked with protecting you It is my duty to see that you are treated with respect and that no harm comes to you." he said carefully addressing the potions master in particular. "I do not want anyone to take advantage of you in any way. Do I make myself clear?"

Minerva was rendered utterly speechless. She had not expected Sir Stephen's little speech. Surely he knew that Severus would never harm her? As another member of the staff he should have known that Professor Dumbledore would not have hired him if he were a threat of anyone in the castle. She was about to respond to Sir Stephen's statement but Severus beat her to it.

"I respect your job and your duty as guardian of these chambers and their occupant. I will honor all of your requests. I assure you that my intentions are completely pure." Severus said addressing the portrait. "You have my word."

"Very well, you may enter." Sir Stephen said. with a click the portrait swung aside to reveal the entrance to her rooms.

"I am so sorry, I really had no idea Sir Stephen was going to put you through that lecture." Minerva said to Severus once they were in her sitting room.

"It is fine Minerva." Severus replied. "All of the portraits who guard a particular set of rooms are supposed to look out for the occupant's well being. Sir Stephen does seem to be particularly protective of you though. He must really like you."

"I was unaware of this. Is this why Professor Edgars questioned us when I visited your rooms?" Minerva asked him.

"To some extent, however Professor Edgars does not seem to be very trusting. It took him long enough to get used to me, let alone somebody else." Severus replied.

"I can only imagine." she commented. "Please have a seat if you would like, I will go and get the book for you."

"Thank you." Severus said as she headed off into her little library. "You have excellent taste. Everything in here fits together so well. Are you particularly fond of the color green?"

Minerva quickly found the book and returned to her sitting room. "I cannot take any of the credit for the decor in my rooms. When I first came here I chose the option of allowing the room to decide for me. This is what I ended up with. I have tried to change it several times, but to no avail. It seems as if this is how it will be."

"You do not give yourself enough credit Minerva. When the room furnishes itself it does it in such a way that it will fit with your preferences and personality. This space is entirely you. Why do you wish to change it?" he asked curiously.

"This color green, I have never been particularly comfortable with it." she said a little bit uneasily.

"Would this have to do with the fact that green is one of the two colors of my house?" Severus asked her teasingly.

"I had not though of that very much, but now that you mention it." she said in mock consideration. "It is mostly the fact that deep greens have long been associated with, well the darker sides of magic."

"That is old folklore and it need not be followed. Green represents so many other things as well. It is the color or life and growth, renewal, and safety. Among many people the color itself is said to have relaxing and healing qualities. Aside from all of that green suits you very well, it brings out your eyes." Severus said winking at her.

Minerva could not help blushing a bit at what he had said. "I suppose I can give it another chance. Since you have given everything such a high recommendation. Here is the book by the way." She said handing him the thick volume.

"Thank you so much! I don't know how I may repay you for this." he said leafing through the book quickly. "This will be terribly helpful for the project I am assigning my students."

"No repayment necessary." Minerva said. "I am happy to help you out whenever you need it."

"Likewise." Severus replied. "If you ever need anything please let me know."

Minerva went over to the kitchen and put a kettle on for their tea. As long as they were in her rooms it seemed logical that they just have tea there rather than going back to one of their offices. When the tea was finished the two sat down opposite one another in the sitting room.

"I believe you were going to explain your absence from this morning's meeting before we got distracted by all of the other stuff. Correct?" Minerva asked Severus.

"You are quite right. There was a meeting rather late last evening. I did not arrive back here until around 2:00 this morning. It was 4:00 when my meeting with the Headmaster concluded, and given the hour he excused me from attending this morning's meeting so that I might have some rest."

"I hope things were not too serious last evening." she said concerned for him.

"No more so than usual. I expect tonight might be rather busy as well. It seems that a social gathering has been planned. The Headmaster has promised to tell me whether or not he wishes me to attend sometime before this evening. " Severus explained wearily. "I cannot tell you how much I look forward to when this war will be over."

"I cannot agree with you more. I hope it comes soon." she said. " I wish that I could be doing more to help with the war effort more."

"What do you mean?" Severus asked perplexed.

"I feel like I should be out in the trenches as it were. When so many of our people are fighting every day for our safety I remain here at the school. You go out every night and risk your life so that all of us may one day live in peace." She said. "I just do not feel very useful here."

Severus was incredulous. "Don't say that, you are extremely of the reasons that this school is so safe is because you are here. The Headmaster has chosen his staff very well for this school. Your very presence helps to protect these students and that is extremely important. You are keeping the next generation of our kind safe, and you are educating them to live in this world one day. Your influence will help this children to create a better society for us." Severus replied. "Do not ever underestimate what you do for our people."

Minerva had never really though about it this way before. It had never really occurred to her that in teaching these students she was doing her own part to help win this war. "Thank you for your thoughts on this Severus. You helped me to gain a new perspective."

Before he could reply a house elf appeared before them in Minerva's sitting room. "Professor Dumbledore is wanting to see you in his office." the elf informed Severus.

"Thank you Abner." he said standing up. "Let him know that I will be there in a few minutes." The elf bowed and disappeared with a pop.

"I apologize for cutting this short Minerva." Severus began but before he could finish what he was going to say Mitzi, Minerva's elf appeared.

She had the exact same message for her mistress that Abner had for Severus. "I wonder what this could be about." Minerva said to Severus.

"I haven't the faintest idea, at any rate since he wants to see both of us we might as well go to his office together." Severus said.

"I think that would be quite agreeable." Minerva replied. "Don't forget your book."

"Don't worry, I won't." he said picking up the book before they exited her rooms.

They spent the walk across the castle to the headmaster's office in companionable silence. Minerva was wondering what Albus could possibly want with both of them. She doubted he could be calling another staff meeting. It was generally unheard of to have two of those in one day. They had not had any major conflicts aside from that embarrassing misunderstanding on her part a few weeks ago. Maybe this had to do with something related to the students in their respective houses? That had to be it, she thought. At any rate, this certainly was turning out to be an afternoon of firsts.

"Please take a seat." Albus said gesturing to two chairs across from his desk once they had reached his office.

Both of them did as they were told waiting to hear what it was that the Headmaster had called them here for. "From the looks on your faces I can only assume that the two of you are wondering why I asked you both here." he said looking between them. "To keep things short and concise I will get straight to the point."

"Severus has been invited to take part in a gathering this evening of death eaters and other officials. I am given to understand that there will be lots of people there from the ministry as well. I feel that it would be helpful to have a second set of eyes and ears in the vicinity. Therefore I am asking that you, Minerva, to join him this evening. You have served well as a spy for us in the past, and I expect that you will do the same for us now. I will make excuses for both of you this evening, and someone will cover your nightly rounds."

For a moment both Severus and Minerva were speechless. This had been a complete and total shock. Severus was the first to break the silence.

"Headmaster, are you quite certain you want to send Minerva to this event?" he asked, Minerva thought she could detect the faintest sign of irritation in his voice. "I do not believe that two people are required for this gathering.

"While I respect your input Severus, Minerva is an excellent spy, and I trust that her presence will prove invaluable this evening." Albus replied sternly.

"Headmaster, I implore you. I have not doubt that Minerva is an excellent spy, but please send only me. I can get all of the information you need. She is needed here at the school."

"My word is final Severus, Minerva will attend tonight's gathering with you. Now I have other matters to attend to. I trust that you can give her all of the information she needs to know for tonight's event, and advise her as to what type of clothing would be appropriate. You two are now excused, please use this time to prepare for your mission tonight." With that the Headmaster resumed his paperwork and the two professors left his office.

Minerva resented the fact that Severus did not want her to go with him this evening but she tried not to let on anything as the two of them made their way through the halls. There was a new tension between them that had not existed before. One unlike any she had felt around him before. The silence between them this time was not the companionable silence it had been on the walk to the Headmaster's office, but rather a silence that was painfully uncomfortable. This silence was not broken until they had reached Severus' office.

"Please have a seat Minerva." He said gesturing towards a chair across from his desk. "We have much to discuss before tonight's gala."