Snape was preparing for another term: cleaning equipment, taking inventory, and reviewing curriculum. He had been notified that the dementors would be sweeping through the castle today looking for Sirius Black before students arrived. Good luck, Snape thought. He was convinced that no single soul could possibly know every hidden passage and chamber of Hogwarts.

Most of the other faculty and staff had chosen to spend the day out of the castle to avoid the uncomfortable beasts. Snape had chosen to stay behind and get ahead on his work. Besides, he reckoned, if the dementors came down into his dungeon, looking for a meal of happy memories, they'd likely starve.

Evelyn had already caught up with most of her other colleagues. She knew that she needed to evacuate before the dementor's arrival. Mediums are overly sensitive to their affect, but she had been unduly anxious to reunite with a certain friend. She was on her way down the spiral staircase leading to the potions classroom. With each step, her heart was thudding louder and her face felt hotter.

She arrived to see the classroom door ajar. Poking her head through, her eyes found Severus Snape, recalibrating a scale with intense concentration. For a moment, she could almost see him as a boy, here in this very classroom, discovering a lifelong passion. Suddenly aware that she had been staring for too long, and afraid of being caught, she gently knocked on the door.

For a man who was generally aware of his surroundings, Snape spun around startled to see who had snuck up on him. "Ah, Evelyn," his face softened, "How was your summer?" It had been months since he had seen her. Her face radiated beauty and kindness in a way that quickened his pulse. Thoughts of her had haunted him periodically throughout the summer, but the walls around his heart were too dense.

"It was wonderful," she replied, "I brought you a little something." The room was filled by the sound of her boots hitting the floor as she walked toward him. "I wanted to thank you, for everything, last year."

"Mastiha tears?" He sounded excited. She nodded and thought that she could practically see the ideas swirling around his mind of how he might put them to use.

As he was carrying his parcel into his office, she asked, "I was headed to Hogsmeade for some lunch. I would love to hear about your progress this summer, if you'd care to join me."

It had been a very long time since Snape had received a gift or been invited anywhere socially. He didn't really know how to have a friend anymore, but something about Evelyn put him at ease. He never felt judged in her presence. Then again, there was a lot that she still didn't know about him. Some of the other faculty would say that Dumbledore's word was enough for them, but he always felt that they distrusted him in their hearts.

Venturing off of the path of loneliness, he accepted her invitation. "I just need a moment to bottle these lacewing flies."

"Of course. Would you like-" Snape looked up to see Evelyn bracing her hand against a table and noticed that the temperature of the room had dropped several degrees. His candles were flickering. Creatures darker than Snape himself were hungrily approaching.

The patronus charm had always been a difficult one for him, as it required a potent happy memory, and he had so few of those to choose from. He had been so excited the first time he was able to produce his majestic, silver doe. Maybe there was some uncorrupted purity inside him that had remained untouched. Unfortunately, he had sharp ears, and the paintings were gossips. It was torture to learn that the symbol of his love was so tied to the stag he loathed. If nothing else, Snape was persistent, and occlumency helped him to lock away parts of his mind.

He ran to grab Evelyn before she collapsed. Holding Evelyn against himself with one arm, his wand in the opposite hand, he was able to cast his patronus. As he glanced down at her and felt her warm body against his, the silver doe started to flicker. He was worried that he might lose it.

Not a moment too soon, Evelyn mumbled a few words summoning a giant silver beast. It had the head of a graphorn. The body looked feline and predatory, jutting off to mismatched legs of various clawed beasts, and it ended in a long serpent's tail. The effort of the spell took her last shreds of consciousness, but the dementors drew back at the potency of her charm.

This wasn't the first time that Snape had spoken to dementors, and he assured them, if Sirius Black stepped foot into this dungeon, they'd have nothing but a corpse to drag back to Azkaban.

With the ghastly presence fading, Evelyn's senses slowly returned. There was soft fabric against her face that smelled like a campfire in a summer forest. A smooth, deep voice hummed against her side. It wanted her to open her eyes, but she was so comfortable right here. The voice was so kind, but it felt increasingly scared. It was nearly pleading with her when she fought her way toward it and opened her eyes.

The deep, black eyes of Severus Snape were staring down at her. Relief spread across his face as embarrassment spread across hers.

"I'm so sorry," she blurted out reflexively as he helped her into a chair. "I've been…" she shook her head, "…distracted lately. I was careless."

He turned toward his potions station. Without Madam Pomfrey in the castle, this was his malady to cure. She smiled softly watching Severus busy himself at his potions station. He returned with a steaming mug, and she lifted her eyes inquisitively.

"Hot cocoa," he answered.

She took a sip and declared, "Merlin's beard! This is the best hot cocoa I've ever tasted."

"Between us, I've always been somewhat of a cook," he said with a hint of pride.

Her strength was returning as they sat together. Snape commented, "That was some patronus. I've never seen one quite like it." He wondered what she could do at full strength.

"Thank you," she blushed, "It's a bit experimental. It can be traumatic for someone's patronus to change, but I don't believe that we're such narrowly defined beings. We don't always need to replace one part of ourselves with another. We are the totality of our experiences. My chimera is designed to grow along with me. Out of curiosity," she chewed her lip nervously, "can I ask what form it took today?"

He described it as best he could. Indeed the tail was new, but he didn't need to know that. She nodded and smiled as she listened. "I'm always hoping it will grow wings one of these days," she tried to divert him.

There were no house elves around to prepare a meal, and the rest of the castle was swarming with dementors. Luckily, Snape kept some basic pantry staples on hand. While the rest of the castle swam in darkness, the two enjoyed a quiet lunch in a refuge all their own.