If we'll hold tight for just one second more
We can win this fight, we will beat this storm
And everything we've ever had will make sense
So hold my hand and love me true
The games we play will make us confused but will
Keep us safe and sound
So just stay right here safe and sound
- Safe and Sound by Christian Leave

"Good morning, students. I am pleased that so many of you are participating on my N.E.W.T. course and have passed their exams. Some of you even get top grades." I said proudly, looking at Charlie Weasley, whose good-natured and slightly broad face was flushing. But the other students also felt addressed and their faces lit up the greenhouse with their joy.
"Today we will start with this plant here. Can someone tell me what this is?" Immediately, a couple of hands shot up. I was happy about this lively participation. The students were not shy in my classes.
"Mr. Weasley!" I looked at him encouragingly, his eyes lit up because he was the first to answer my question, as in almost every lesson.
"They're called Snargaluff, and they're often used in poisons." he explained enthusiastically. He had a knack for magical plants. But Professor Kesselburn also raved about his knowledge of magical creatures. He also appeared to have talents in Charms, according to Professor Flitwick. But his older brother Bill already showed great talent in many subjects.
"Very good. 5 points for Gryffindor!" I said happily. Did they notice that I often preferred him and Bill? Luckily Bill was out of Hogwarts this year and had accepted a job as a curse breaker at Gringrotts. I wondered what would become of my dear Charlie. But he would certainly succeed his uncle as Auror. I rather had the feeling that he liked to stay out of conflicts.
"Don't let the appearance of a gnarled tree stump fool you. They have dangerous hidden thorny tendrils that will attack if provoked. It is best to choose a plant in pairs to gently harvest the pods. Please take a face mask and goggles and put on your gloves!" I explained to the students, observing the talents in front of me. If Dumbledore was right in his assessment of Voldemort, then all of them would soon witness terrible events. I shuddered at the thought and tried to shake it off.
After the students implemented the protective measures, they sat around the gnarled Snargaluffs. As the students attempted to harvest the pods, the plants sprang to life, and long, spiky tendrils immediately flew out of the top and whipped through the air.
I walked through the rows of students and said loudly, "Be careful not to get caught by the vines. You can try to tie them together, it won't do them any harm. Then slowly try to extract the pods inside."
I distributed bowls to the groups so that the fruit could be squeezed there. I tossed my long hair over my shoulders to get a better look at the students who hurriedly went about their assignment.
"Press it tight! You needn't be disgusted." I smirked as I watched a student holding the fruit in disgust. I see the green peel pulsing.
"If you don't know how to properly juice the fruit, see the book Flesh-Eating Trees of the World for instructions."
Charlie Weasley, the first to hand me a full bowl of Snargaluff juice, approached me at the end of class: "Professor, I just want to warn you. My twin brothers Fred and George started Hogwarts this year. They are... something special. You should keep an eye on those two."
"Thanks for the tip, Mister Weasley." I had to grin. I thought back to the little 2-year-old boys of that time who took enormous pleasure in teasing the cat or how they threw sand at their brother Ron in the stroller. But what should first graders do? Charlie nodded uneasily when he noticed my thoughtlessness. I was sorry that I didn't take his warning seriously and that I made him uncomfortable. I quickly thought of a topic that would be comfortable for him to talk about.
"I wish you the best of luck in this weekend's game! You are truly a gifted seeker!" I remembered James trying to impress Lily with his broomstick skills, which left her cold until she fell for his smiles and jokes. Sometimes I wish I could be a student again and study and have fun with all my friends here - including Severus. If only the house rivalries hadn't played against us.
"Many Thanks! Why aren't you interested in Quidditch anyway? Since my uncle was keeper and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team even in his senior year?" A pang went through my heart when he mentioned his uncle. He looked at me penetratingly with his amber eyes.
"I only watched Gryffindor games when I was a student at Hogwarts. My friend Mary was in the team. I was a spectator in the stands because of her." I remembered Mary, proudly flying around the stands in her team tricot. It's all so long ago. Only pale memories remain of the people who meant the world to me at the time. I push my pain into the back of my self and looked at the boy in front of me. His flushed cheeks, his excitement about the upcoming game. His soul was still without all those scars. I bet it stays that way.
"But that's a shame! I would like to have you among the spectators!" he said firmly. Sometimes I wish I could be a student again and study and have fun with all my friends here - including Severus. If only the house rivalries hadn't played against us.
"I don't think my presence matters." I laughed and clasped my hands in front of me and tried not to let my sad thoughts show.
"Of course, it does! Every spectator is important for the team. Especially when they're ex-Gryffindors!" the red-haired boy didn't give up. His eyes sparkled at the thought of the game. The thought of wasting my time playing such a game was as present as in school days.
"You're the captain, aren't you Mister Weasley?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
"Yes. And I'd really appreciate it if you came to this game." His amber eyes looked at me pleadingly. How could I have disappointed him?
"Ok, I'll watch it."
He nodded happily and slowly walked up to the castle and I focused on the mess the students had left behind before the first years arrived for their first Herbology lesson.

I glanced at the new faces of students in the first year. I had already noted some names from the distribution of houses by the sorting hat. Of course, the red-haired twins immediately matched the Weasleys. They were rather shorter and stockier than their eldest brother Bill and looked more like their brother Charlie.
"Hello, today we are going to Greenhouse 1 and devote ourselves to Wolfsbane there. Do any of you know by what other names it is known?" I asked around. Everyone eyed me carefully, studying my smile and my clothes. Perhaps they were imagining a more comfortable older lady, defiant of earth at the thought of their Herbology teacher.
A Ravenclaw girl with short brown hair answered.
"Yes, Miss Stewart."
"Monkshood."
"Right. 5 points for Ravenclaw. It will often be an ingredient in your Potions class. Why?" I asked, amazed that the hands were only raised on the eagle's side.
A boy with black hair and blue eyes raised his hand and looked at me eagerly..
"Please, Mister Boilt."
"It is the content of many magic potions and both the flower and especially the roots of the plant are very poisonous." he said quickly, his voice cracking with excitement.
"Just right to throw in a drink for Snape," one of the twins whispered. The students around him grinned, but I felt a slight anger rise up inside me. I tried to ignore it and just gave them a warning look.
"Exactly, 5 points for Ravenclaw again. It is also a component of the Wolfsbane Potion recently developed by Damocles Belby. It helps werewolves to consciously experience the time of their transformation and thus remain harmless despite the transformation. I'm really looking forward to the release of the magic potion recipe. It is to be published in a book during this school year." I explained and saw how the interest of the children at the thought of such a magic potion rapidly decreased. I barely sighed.
"Since the plant can cause death from respiratory and cardiac paralysis in a matter of hours, everyone please put on your gloves. We don't want you having to visit the Hospital Wing today." I wait and distribute the protective equipment.
Instead of putting on the gloves, the Weasley twins waved theirs in front of a couple of girls, who yelled, mistaking it for a poisonous spider.
"It's good that you've mastered the Levitation Charm, but it would be beneficial if you followed my lessons. I don't like subtracting house points." I admonished the two with raised eyebrows. I glared at them both, their smiles disappeared and they started whispering something while I checked that all the students were wearing their protective gear correctly.
"Very good, we want to harvest some roots today. Please gently dig aside the soil in the root area. You should now uncover the roots." I looked around. "Exactly, you're doing well. Now…"
"Ahhhh..." yelled Mister Boilt, his hand had a poisonous rash.
"Mister Boilt, calm down," I said loudly, reaching into a small closet to my left. I pulled out a bottle of diptam and applied a few drops to the now swollen skin. The boy was breathing fast with pain and excitement.
"Mister Boilt, you wore your gloves correctly. What happened?" I asked calmly and laid a hand on his trembling shoulder to calm him down. After a few breaths he caught himself.
"I don't know, they were suddenly gone." He stared at his hands in disbelief.
I saw the twin's grin. There was no way they had already mastered a vanishing spell. I hadn't seen them do anything either, but I could see it in their eyes. I kept a close eye on her for the rest of the lesson, which really got on my nerves. I wasn't used to being interrupted like that.

After the lesson I ran exhausted to the Great Hall for lunch. I dropped into my chair, sighed loudly and took a mug of cool pumpkin juice.
"I see, so you've also met the Weasley twins?" Severus asked me with a sideways smirk. I looked into his sparkling black eyes. He had already emptied his golden plate, leaving only one thing to justify his stay in the Great Hall.
"Yeah, obviously," I said and quickly grabbed some vegetables and potatoes. If I hurry, we'd still have a few undisturbed minutes until the next hour.
"The two are amusing, aren't they?" Professor Dumbledore asked with a grin over his half-moon glasses while raising his golden cup to his lips. I gaped at Severus briefly before answering the headmaster in irritation:
"I would say they are... striking." I answered hesitantly and wondered if he could be serious. Severus curled his lips in a smirk.
"Like the old days," Severus whispered, just for me to hear. His hand brushed mine under the table. I shuddered, which in turn pleased him visibly. He liked those secret touches as obviously as I did. Then Professor Sinistra appeared and sat next to me and Minerva.
"Oh, Minerva, you've got some interesting new students in your house. I had a few of them in class tonight." Professor Sinistra, the astronomy professor, also noted.
"There are challenges in every year", Minerva said wisely, turning back to her conversation with Albus. Professor Sinistra raised her eyebrows and turned to me. Her gaze slid down my neck.
"You have a nice locket there. A gift?" Professor Sinistra asked, and Minerva's head turned to me with great interest, her eyes fixed on the piece of jewellery. Suddenly her conversation with the headmaster didn't seem so important after all. I felt myself blush. Damn it.
"Um, a holiday memory from the sea," I said hastily, but I noticed Dumbledore staring at me over his glasses and fixing my eyes. I thought about what I had learned. In front of me I saw the sound of the sea, a beach, children playing. The headmaster turned away and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's very pretty, so delicate. You have good taste," Minerva said, her eyes sparkling. Not her, too! Am I such an open book for everyone? Severus and I exchanged meaningful looks. I quickly ate some of my golden plate before Severus and I got up and excused ourselves by correcting essays. After a few secret kisses and touches in the empty classroom number 11, we again went about our tasks separately.
In fact, we met longer in his office later after the students were in their common rooms. We sat down at his desk with some student essays.
"These rascals hang around the castle at night. I swear if they cross paths with me or Filch, they're due." He slammed the dark wooden tabletop with the palm of his hand, his voice trembled with anger.
"Do you think Dumbledore will do something this time?" I asked in a low voice. I knew that having students scurrying about made our nightly visits more difficult. Not only could we be spotted, but Filch asked Severus for help, which would unnecessarily shorten our hours together. His face twisted in disgust. Oddly enough, I found that expression very appealing on Severus.
"No, you've heard that he also finds the two troublemakers amusing. Disgusting."
"I have to agree with you. Remember when going to the dungeons was always haunted on Halloween?" I asked Severus, thinking back to our school days. Severus nodded knowingly.
"Naturally. Potter and his gang were never held accountable for this. A few Slytherins got hurt as a result. But it seemed irrelevant to the Headmaster." he explained in a bitter voice. It still bothered him that some things went unpunished at Hogwarts.
"If I really were to become Head of Gryffindor House, I could severely limit them." I said thoughtfully and bit my lower lip at that moment.
"Are you seriously considering it, given our... connection?" He looked at me thoughtfully and raised his eyebrows. I knew what he was getting at. I too had already thought about it.
"No, I'm afraid my days here are numbered. If we really want to help Harry Potter and at the same time want me to stay out of the gunfire, I don't have a choice." I said quietly. My voice sounded less confident than I intended.
"If the Dark Lord finds out about us..." Severus began, frowning, but he didn't finish the sentence. He recognized my insecurity about my future and so I tried to confirm his because he was right..
"If any of us find out, Severus. No, it's too dangerous for both of us. As soon as my third year as a teacher is over, the boy will go to Hogwarts. Until then I'm gone. I'll be back to work at St Mungo's. My old colleagues wrote to me just last week that my replacement was nothing like me."
"I'm sure. But do you think this is the right choice? The Dark Lord knows that you worked in the Order and at St. Mungo's back then. When he reappears and the Order of Dumbledore is re-established, you will be one of his targets. I'm absolutely sure with this. Also, I fear that our open friendship here at Hogwarts will not go unnoticed. Then when the Dark Lord puts two and two together..." Severus didn't continue, instead his eyes narrowed when he met mine.
"You mean he remembers how you got me out of the line of fire back then?" I shuddered at the thought.
"Certainly." Thoughtfully, his finger trailed over his lips and he stared at the wall opposite.
"Then what do you suggest?" I asked after a while, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.
"Something incompatible with your character." he whispered, avoiding my eyes.
"Hide?" I gasped. The noise made his eyes wander to me, but his face seemed inscrutable and stoic. Just as he preferred.
"Yes."
I had to swallow. My gaze wandered through his dark office, which was only sparsely lit by candles due to our sensitivity to light. A few glass jars with pickled animals and plants that I grew were stacked against the walls. All rare objects shimmering in beautiful potions. I wandered in my thoughts while Severus watched me. As I looked at him, I saw sadness in his eyes.
"What's the matter, Severus?"
"I know I can't ask that of you." He looked at me with raised eyebrows.
"Neither do you. You suggested it and it's my choice. I'll think about it." I answered and smiled softly at him. He nodded, but continued to look at me uneasily and I sensed that he felt guilty. To take that thought away from him I grabbed his hand.
"Severus, you know, when I was working at St. Mungo's, I wasn't happy." I said now in a stronger voice.
"Why not?" He gave me a questioning look.
"Because you weren't with me. I would have sacrificed everything in an instant to be with you. And that's me now. I know I need nothing more than you. I can stand being hidden for a few months."
"But no contacts? No task? You are full of energy. I can't imagine that," he said doubtfully, stroking his lips thoughtfully with a finger.
"You don't need that either. Time will tell." I replied confidently. I would find a job that would keep me busy. Something that would still be useful.
"And what if it's more than months? If it's years or decades?" Severus asked, staring into my eyes as if trying to close them to reality. I bit my lower lip. I didn't know if I could really take it when the time came. But at that moment I decided to try. Staying hidden while around me people fought and... died too.
"Will you stay with me? By my side?"
"Always."
"Then I will do my best." He kept looking at me searchingly, but I knew that he was only reading my feelings and thoughts from my eyes. Completely without Legilimency. I smiled confidently, sensing my words were true. I only needed him and nothing else.
"Actually, I don't want to think about this time without you either. You know, I like the scent of you in my sheets after you left. Or when I find little details in my rooms that remind me of your presence the night before. Something like a strand of your long hair on my pillow, my robe which you used and left over my chair or the two glasses left together over the table. I will miss this all, when you are not here anymore." He said in a low voice, his eyes searching mine.
"I'm still with you, Severus. Even though we may not be able to see each other every day. You'll never be alone without me again," I said in a whisper, stroking his cheek. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. He took my hand in his.
"That's what I'll miss the most. Your words, your mind and your heart," Severus said in a low voice, his eyes twinkling betrayingly wet.
"You're going to be a bit grumpy with the students again." I stated with a grin. I already felt sorry for them. Severus as a teacher, missing me and unhappy with his position, cannot do any good. His lips compressed into a little smile.
"Yes, you may be right. But that just means I'm the same as before you arrived here," he stated.
"Well, I hope my place in your life makes a difference." I said, running my fingers through his black hair.
"Not as far as my life as a teacher here is concerned." I knew he might fall back into the darkness he was in when I took my place at Hogwarts. In the darkness that enveloped us both before we began to find, trust and love each other.
"But it's good that we still have a little time before I have to say goodbye." I said thoughtfully. Maybe I could give him enough love that he could get through these hours without me without falling back into his old patterns, ruminations and dark thoughts. My hand now wandered between his crotch. Severus took a deep breath.
So, our hearts felt so full.