Cold. Rational. Unemotional… these were the words that were often used to describe Severus Snape… and for the most part, he lived up to them… with one exception: the irrational boiling hatred he felt when it came to James Potter, and his so called 'friends'. 'Cronies' was a more apt word in Severus mind.

Even now, ten years after James Potter's death, Severus still felt rage at all of the injustices he had been subjected to at James Potter's hands, the most egregious of which was the Whomping Willow incident. Severus had never gotten justice for all he had suffered at James Potter's hands, and even now he could find himself brooding about it if he wasn't careful.

So as the year neared that Harry Potter, James Potter's son, would begin his attendance at Hogwarts, Severus found himself looking forward to it: it was an opportunity to extract some measure of comeuppance from the boy for all that he had suffered at James Potters hands. Certainly, he had promised to protect the boy, but that certainly didn't mean that he had to be nice to him, or treat him with any level of cordiality.

Harry Potter would go into Gryffindor, of course, and he would be just like his father: Rude and crass, and causing no end of trouble everyone else in the school. Severus practically salivated at the idea of seeing the look on the boy's face when he learned that he would be expelled for breaking a rule, and Severus would do his best to dog the boy's footsteps to catch him at it.

So when the day came that the students were to arrive at Hogwarts, Severus found himself walking towards the Great Hall with a spring in his step, looking forward to watching to boy and committing his face to memory.

He would wait, of course, before making his move. He would observe the boy closely, waiting in the wings to catch him in the act…

He made his way up to the staff table, and took his seat at the far end of it.

"Severus, I didn't expect to see you here so early," Dumbledore said with a smile from his seat. "Normally you wait until the students are right at the door."

Severus didn't reply, instead just leaning back in his chair and steepling his hands in front of his lips.

"Ah, I see; you're interested in the boy," Dumbledore said astutely.

"Everyone's interested in the boy," Snape deflected.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore nodded. "But not everyone has the same close personal history with his parents…"

Snape bristled at the allusion: it had been Dumbledore's decision not to punish Potter and Black for the Whomping Willow incident, since no one had been harmed. Instead he had just given them all detention for being out after curfew, Snape included.

Snape was still somewhat bitter about that fact.

"I'd prefer not to speak on the subject, if you don't mind," Severus bit out.

"Very well then," Dumbledore nodded amiably, before giving Severus a serious look. "I assume you read the papers."

"The Gringotts break in," Severus nodded. "Do they have any suspects yet?"

"None," Dumbledore shook his head. "Whom-ever it was, they were magically powerful enough to escape or bypass the Goblin's security measures. The Minister told me that they suspect that the Imperius curse was used on one of the higher ranking Goblins to bypass them."

"Hmm, do you believe they were after the stone?" Severus asked curiously.

"I know they were," Dumbledore replied seriously. "The vault that was breached was the one used by the Flamels to house the stone, as per their agreement with Gringotts."

"And you believe it… wise… to have it here in a school full of children?" Snape asked carefully.

"Wise?" Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I do not believe it wise… but it is necessary, to draw Lord Voldemort out of hiding."

It took a moment for Severus to parse that statement, so he carefully turned to look at Dumbledore. "You're trying to lure the Dark Lord here? Why?"

"It has been ten years, Severus," Dumbledore replied simply. "Ten long years…. and yet, we have seen neither hide nor hair of the man… until the break in."

"You think the Dark Lord is behind it?" Severus asked carefully.

"I suspect, and my suspicions usually prove to be correct," Dumbledore nodded.

"You never told me how you knew that the Dark Lord would return," Severus reminded him.

"That is because I did not know… for certain," Dumbledore admitted. "All I had were theories, not evidence. But with the recent break in at Gringotts, I fear that my theories may soon prove to be correct."

"Then why did you have the stone removed in the first place?" Severus questioned.

"Nicholas and I are close friends, and I asked if I could perform some experiments," Dumbledore admitted. "We are very fortunate that Hagrid was able to withdraw the stone before the break in could happen, but I hadn't expected it to happen."

"Fortunate indeed," Snape muttered. "Still, couldn't we try to do this in a way that doesn't place… the students… at risk?"

"If he is alive, Voldemort is little more than a shade of his former self right now, and does not have access to his wizarding powers," Dumbledore replied. "It's more than likely that he'll send an agent to infiltrate the school, instead of coming himself. Whom ever this agent proves to be, we much catch them in the act, and have them have them confess to the location of Voldemort. Speaking of which, do you still have your flask of veritaserum?"

"I do," Severus nodded. "I keep it locked in my secure vault."

"Good," Dumbledore nodded. "Severus, I am depending on you to keep a watchful eye on our staff this year. I know Rubeus, Minerva, Filius, and Pomona can be trusted, but keep a close, watchful eye on the others."

Severus nodded. "Anyone in particular?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not yet, I want to observe them first, our suspect should reveal themselves before they make a move."

"Very well," Snape nodded again, frowning. "If we do find the Dark Lord… what shall we do then, Dumbledore?"

"It depends, Severus," Dumbledore frowned. "I shall prepare a vessel to contain him in, but afterwards… well, it's difficult to say…"

Severus frowned in thought. "The Dark Lord… how can you be so certain that he is alive, Dumbledore? As you said, it's been ten years…"

Snape trailed off, unsure of what else to say, and he noticed Dumbledore fixing him with a genial smile.

"Tell me, Severus, do you know what distinction sets a Dark Lord apart from a Dark Wizard?" Dumbledore asked in an instructive tone.

"A Dark Lord is more powerful, and has followers," Severus replied after thinking about it for a moment.

"On the surface of it, that would seem to be the case," Dumbledore nodded. "But if you look carefully, and study the Dark Lords of the past, you'll notice another distinction."

"And that is?" Severus asked impatiently.

"A Dark Lord lacks restraint," Dumbledore said simply. "An ordinary dark wizard may delve deeply into the Dark Arts… but they stop before practicing the truly risky and dangerous stuff, because they have teachers, usually their parents, who warn them away from such practices. A Dark Lord, on the other hand, delves much more deeply into the Dark Arts, without restraint. They regularly use and practice the most dangerous of Dark Arts with wild abandon, sneering at those who don't as cowards and losers, too fearful to delve further. As a consequence, they lose a part of themselves… the part that was holding them back. The part that was human.

'Then, they delve even deeper, and become twisted and inhuman… they become something less than themselves, less than human… and as a consequence, become a danger to everyone around them. I assume you remember what Voldemort looked like just before he was vanquished: twisted and grotesque, and every time you returned to me, I heard more horror stories about the things he did to his own followers… which was every sign of a true Dark Lord.

"So if Voldemort was willing to delve so deeply… what was there to stop him from delving into the blackest of the dark arts, the arts of immortality?"

Severus swallowed nervously. What Dumbledore said made a lot of sense… Severus remembered exactly what kind of person Voldemort had become. He remembered quite keenly the pain of the cruciatus whenever he failed his Lord, and he remembered his red eyes, and his strange, misshapen appearance…

Severus was prevented from asking another question when the door to the Great Hall creaked open to admit McGonagall.

"Severus, we'll have to continue this conversation another time," Dumbledore said hastily. "Come to my office on Sunday night after dinner and we'll talk."

"Very well," Severus nodded.

Then McGonagall arrived and Dumbledore stood up to greet her. "Minerva, how are you doing? I hope all is well with the students."

"They're well in order, Albus," McGonagall replied. "We had a few who failed to send their reply on time, but they're all in order now."

"Good, good," Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "I hope you will forgive me for not attending the staff meeting, but I was busy at the ministry. Much ado with the Gringotts break in, I'm afraid."

"Of course, Albus," McGonagall nodded with a faint smile. "We have everything in hand."

"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled.

He then conjured a stool and summoned the Sorting Hat on top of it. "Are you ready, Aldabert?"

The Sorting Hat's brim ripped open and replied. "Ready as always, Albus."

"I'll see to the students, then," McGonagall gave a sharp nod, and turned around, making her way out of the Great Hall.

Very shortly after, the other members of the staff starting making their way in, including, to Severus disgust, Quirrell, who made the rather annoying decision to sit right next to Snape.

"S-s-severus…" Quirrell said with his affected stutter. "I-it is good to s-see you d-doing well."

Severus wrinkled his nose at the smell of garlic coming from Quirrell's turban, but otherwise didn't reply.

"L-lovely weather w-we're having, i-isn't it," Quirrell said in an insipid attempt at small talk.

Severus continued ignoring him.

Mercifully, Quirrell took that as a hint to stop talking, and Severus discretely cast an odor blocking charm when Quirrell wasn't looking.

The older students arrived and took their seats, chatting animatedly, and Severus found himself wondering how many of them knew or suspected that the Dark Lord wasn't dead. Severus suspected that it was likely very near zero of them… and he found himself envying them: they didn't know what it was like to grow up in a time of war. The Dark Lord had risen to power during his own time at Hogwarts as a student, and Severus himself had been recruited almost as soon as he had graduated.

During his first years as a Death Eater, the Dark Lord had mostly just employed him to brew potions… he had spent several years locked away at a safe house brewing potions for the Dark Lords army, and by the time his third year of service had come and gone, Severus had found himself willing to do anything to break out of that role as the Potion brewer.

That was what had lead him to hang around the Hog's Head bar, and that was what had lead him to spy on Dumbledore as he was conducting his interview with Trelawney on that cold winter night… and that was what had lead to him becoming a double agent, working for both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

His double life, which he entered with the intent to save Lily… well…

In the ten years that had past since, he had done his best to put it behind him, remaining Hogwarts as a teacher, because it paid well and was comfortable… and he did his best to put his life as a Death Eater behind him, to forget about it, forget everything that had to do with Voldemort, because it was too painful, too sorrowful, for him to think about it.

And now, after ten years, Voldemort… the Dark Lord… was vying to return, and Severus knew that the moment he did… Dumbledore would ask him to return to his life as a double agent, and he would obey, of course, because otherwise, Lily would have died in vain.

Severus felt a phantom ache on the spot on his arm where the Dark Mark had once been… when Voldemort was vanquished, it had vanished almost over night, leaving naught but a pale and blurry dark spot on his arm.

He was interrupted from his brooding by the arrival of McGonagall with the First Years.

It was easy for him to spot Potter, of course: that jet black nest of hair was easy to identify anywhere… but Severus was taken aback by just how painfully young the child looked. He was a small and slight thing, with cheeks full of baby fat, and a pair of wire frame glasses that barely concealed his green eyes. Was that tape on the bridge?

Severus swallowed nervously. This was the boy that had Vanquished Voldemort… yet he looked so small and nonthreatening. Dumbledore had never spoken on how exactly a young child could have done the deed, but Severus struggled to see any hint of the power that may have done so.

Growling in frustration, he leaned back in his chair.

The boy would go into Gryffindor, but now Severus found that he had lost all of his motivation to find a way to expel the boy. In fact, it'd probably be better if the boy remained at Hogwarts… it'd be easier to keep an eye on him.

Severus watched as the Sorting took place: the boy was standing next to a redhead, probably another Weasley, which it seemed like he had befriended on the train. A surefire sign that the boy was to go into Gryffindor, like his father.

"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall called eventually, and the boy came walk up, and McGonagall placed the Hat on his head…

To Severus surprise, the boy wasn't immediately sorted into Gryffindor… instead, the hat lingered on his head… time passed, and the hall quieted down, and the tension mounted.

James Potter had been sorted pretty quickly, if Severus recalled correctly… he had gone to Gryffindor only a few seconds after the hat had been placed on his head.

Then the Hat's brim opened wide and said one word, three syllables, that completely flattened Severus's, and everyone else's, expectations:

"Slytherin!"