Chapter Two: Locker Room Bully

"I'd like to be above it all
But your words are like poison
I know it's never gonna stop
So I might as well join them
I hate biting my tongue
When I know what's right
And I don't like being mean
But I won't run from a fight."

"No broken bones, or trips to the Infirmary. Maybe some hurt egos and pride, but I call those classes successful, Maeve!"

I dropped down onto the chair while yawning and stretching. The first two classes of the day were what I would call a success; we already had a couple of students accomplish producing their wandless energy. I usually didn't expect many to catch on so quickly, but I was happy to say the least that a few fifth and seventh-year students caught on. First period I had seventh years, and five students (three Ravenclaws and two Hufflepuffs) out of the classroom of 40 produce sparks or tiny streams of their energy. The once discouraged and frustrated classroom that was ready to give up had turned hopeful, and even motivated to accomplish their lessons.

Second period I had the fifth years and I had only two (Gryffindor twins) who were able to show some sort of ability. The two brothers seemed to praise themselves as the ones to advance further than their classmates until I explained that producing even a hint of energy was the easiest thing. Little did they understand that things would get harder from here in producing larger amounts of energy magic that were needed for spells.

I told my classes that they shouldn't be discouraged if they hadn't been able to do anything as of yet. Introducing this type of magic was just the introduction of seeing who had a predisposition, and it went against a lot of the normal practices that wizards and witches had been learning for some time. Reworking that ability for the magic to conjure anywhere else other than a wand would take some time to test.

Not everyone would be able to handle the practice, and usually, we'd be able to find out within two weeks at most. Just because it doesn't show up the first time doesn't mean it couldn't show up later, especially for those as young as fourteen. They would always have an opportunity next year to try, again. However other times there were students who simply couldn't produce that type of magic, or aged out. This would allow them to explore other class options instead of spending too much time on something they weren't capable of doing. Explaining this to the students gave mixed reactions; excitement, relief, apprehension, and anxiety.

Regardless of the success I had the day was half over and seemed to take its time in ending. We were able to have a free period at the moment that was much needed. It seemed like my reputation had painted me in a light that the students were almost too reluctant to even properly attempt. It was almost amusing to me that a bunch of teenagers were more worried about making a fool of themselves by not even trying on the account of rumors and gossip, rather than taking it in stride and seeing if they had an amazing ability just waiting to pop out.

With Aurora's ever-helpful presence to smooth things along, more and more seemed to relax once they realized I wasn't exactly that terrible, just strict in how I conducted my classes. Things could go haywire very easily if this type of magic was misused if not applied properly, so it required total concentration and no-nonsense.

"I don't even want to think about it, Aurora." I returned while rubbing my face. "I'm so tired after two periods already, and don't know how I'm going to get through the next one." Aurora gave me a puzzled look as she sucked in her lips, but her eyes carried suspicion.

"That's not very like you, Maeve. Don't tell me these students are proving too much for you now." The light jab was playful as she crossed over to my desk, arms folded she sat on the corner of the desk. The vexing look I gave her must've confirmed something to her that went unnoticed by me. She nodded before speaking.

"Definitely not the kids… Listen, I know you like to keep things to yourself, and I do respect it, but you've been off ever since we came here last night." Her voice was full of concern but her eyes were studying me and my reaction. She did this whenever she wanted to see just how far she could get through my armor, and within the last decade, she had found ways to pierce it. It could be irksome at times, yet other times it felt comforting that she was willing to push back with me. The closest person I had to a friend knew her boundaries and sometimes that meant figuring them out by digging.

I put my elbows on the desk to prop my head up and stared at her. Hiding my stress from her was harder to do since I had opened up to her more over the years. Normally I'd be excited to see how many students I'd be able to reach on the first day and make it some type of personal competition to get more and more of their jump start, but today I just didn't have the same intensity I normally did.

My mind kept me up nearly all night with thoughts that rolled into memories which led to fake arguments with Severus Snape. I despised how I approached him with a civil standing only to be met with bad-mannered indifference. I understood things weren't exactly mended; saying nothing to each other for so many years wasn't an apology from either side. Maybe time couldn't heal or change him the way it did with me, but you'd think after almost twenty years something as small as civility between us would be warranted. Or was I expecting too much from him? Did he want nothing to do with me and was that our finality? Estranged childhood friends, who were working under one massive roof forever being petty to each other?

"I didn't sleep much last night." A sigh escaped once more as I explained this and avoided any eye contact as I did so. It was more difficult to allow my side of the conversation to flow, but at least I was trying rather than waving her off. It wasn't that I wanted to tell her everything, but maybe some insight from a clear head could help.

"Is that so? Here I thought you had given up on your pursuit of teaching, and just wanted to back out of this lazily." Aurora's sarcasm came with charm, smiling with impatience and blinking a few times as she stared at me. At this, I looked up at her and rolled my eyes once again.

"Maeve," Aurora steered her tone more gently. "While I don't doubt you haven't had enough sleep, I think there's something more that's on your mind. It's clearly distracting you so for once, maybe just… talk to me about your problem rather than brushing it off."

The warmth of her brown eyes held a safe space to compel me to spill my problem to her. It was like her own special spell that she was able to do to weaken my defenses. I knew this would only produce a conversation about all the details if I just gave her a little bit of info. Otherwise, none of this would make sense for the depth of how problematic my situation was for me. Maybe it wouldn't be so awful to vent, just let down one shield or two to ease my buzzing brain.

"I suppose you've got me there. This might have something to do with… My classmate now being my coworker." It was even harder for me to get that out than I originally thought. I felt some type of defeat saying those words which was reflected in my tone.

Aurora perked up when I didn't resist and nodded, seeming satisfied that the conversation was advancing to something tangible. "Ah yes, the most charming man I've ever met, Professor Snape?" her sarcastic tone made me chuckle.

"Yes, that one. I… well, it's complicated." I started, lifting my hands and gesturing with them as I spoke and looking everywhere but at her. "We grew up together and were friends." My throat was getting dry from what little I was explaining. I didn't remember it being so hard to open up to Lily as it currently was with Aurora, but then again, I haven't allowed myself the pleasure of sharing my vulnerability in quite a long time.

"Friends? With the likes of him?!" Aurora's voice raised as high as her eyebrows did and hopped off the desk to turn fully to me, hands on her hips as her bewildered expression scrunched her face. "How in the world did you manage to warm up to him?"

I inhaled and prepared to give my little explanation but was (thankfully, sort of) interrupted by the sound of our classroom door bursting open and Elowyn running straight to us. I knew something had to of been wrong for her to act so drastically. Her face was scrunched up, red and blotchy, tears running freely down her face as she sniffled. "He took my headphones!" She belted out as she hurried to my desk.

Elowyn held herself in a collected manner that we rarely saw any outbursts from her. A few times she had made a fuss about random things that you'd expect from a child, but even fewer times had we seen her so upset that she was a sobbing mess like she was now.

I quickly got up and Aurora rounded the corner of the desk to meet her in the middle of the room where she went straight to Aurora and buried her face into her chest, wrapping her arms around her as if hanging on for dear life. Her sobs were muffled against Aurora's chest.

"Darling, calm down, tell us what happened." Aurora tried to soothe Elowyn by patting and smoothing her hair. Her face was etched in immediate concern as she looked between Elowyn and me. I met her concern with my own which also expressed confusion.

"Who took your headphones?" I pressed for the issue as I put a hand on Elowyn's shoulder. Her petite body was trembling harshly against my palm.

First day here and she was already being bullied, and some nit-wit kid was about to spend a good month's worth of detention with me for their crime. I might even get Filtch in on it to try and compose a rather miserable punishment to ensure they learned their lesson.

Elowyn had a few pairs of headphones that were some sort of buffer for any distractions, or social situations she didn't want to be a part of. I had learned a long time ago that it was more beneficial for her to have them on hand than try and coax her into leaving them behind. Once Aurora and I noticed that it was useless, and there was actual improvement when she carried them around, we made our minds up then and there. When it came to schoolwork that was during class, she carried around her oldest pair that shorted out a long time ago. At this point, it just helped to block out the bulk of noise around her so she could concentrate.

"He took them! He took my headphones because I sat with the Gryffindors!" Elowyn pulled her face away and looked up at me, her eyes were bloodshot and wide with panic and distress. I hated to see her so broken about something so important to her as I did my best to keep my expression from showing how livid I was becoming by the second. It didn't have to make sense to us why she needed headphones all the time, just that it kept her at peace and was beneficial enough for me and Aurora.

"Who did, my love?" Aurora pressed further, cupping her hands around Elowyn's face to try and steady her erratic crying.

"Professor Snape! He took my headphones!" Elowyn started crying harder and fell forward into Aurora's chest once again. I looked at Aurora who seemed at a loss for words but held hints of annoyance at what she heard. My expression warranted a more surprised look from my colleague. I clenched my fists, my face growing hot from the blood rushing to my cheeks. I felt my temple twitch with anger that built steadily the more I heard Elowyn cry.

'How dare he… I won't allow this!'

Shaking my head I took off heading out of the classroom as Aurora called for me.

"Maeve, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting back her headphones." Although I was snippy it had nothing to do with her question and everything with the animosity that was building up in me. Had Elowyn not come to my classroom as distraught as she was, I would've probably had a different conversation than the one I was gearing up with, but since he didn't mind reducing her to tears, I wouldn't mind being as vicious as I wanted.

It was one thing to have issues with me, be rude, and ignore my existence, but it was another to take out his issues on the closest thing I had to a daughter. To think I had been stressing about him all night when it was clear to me, that he was just a bitter man who didn't mind piddling someone who was more than half his age. If he wanted to pick on her for something as silly as sitting with an opposing house, then he'd have to hear from me, Head of House or not.

It didn't take long for me to get to the dungeons from my classroom, even with the traffic of students scattered around. I thought of many different ways of what and how I wanted to tell him off. All did not fully capture just how despicable I thought of him at the moment. Perhaps in the heat of the moment, I'd come up with something worthy enough.

I rounded the corner with one person on my mind and was so concentrated on the door that was down the hall that I didn't even see the three students who were walking opposite of me.

"Professor Thorne." I glanced at them mid-stride, coming to a pause as I realized who they were. It was Harry Potter, accompanied by a red-haired boy with an apprehensive look and a brunette-haired girl who had such curly, almost bushy, hair that looked a bit braver as she had called out to me. It must've been how I held myself for them all to seem uneasy at the sight of me. Seeing them had simmered the boiling waters within my chest but did not calm them.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit in a hurry." My tone had softened only slightly on them. I could hear the brief curtness at the end when I focused back on my objective.

"We were just in class with Elowyn," The girl quickly stated before I could head off as the redhead and Harry held up what I recognized to be Elowyn's lilac school bag and potion supplies. "We were going to try and find her since she left her stuff, but…"

"Ah," I said while waving a hand upward swiftly. My red energy covered the items and floated, moving at a slow and steady speed back toward my classroom. The three looked surprised at the sudden show of magic, watching them float away. "Thank you, she'll surely need those. I take it you were the Gryffindors she tried to sit with, yes?"

The three looked at each other before Harry spoke. "She just didn't want to sit with the Slytherins, said something about how she didn't like how they acted. So…"

"Snape gave her a hard time about it," the redhead spoke up, looking a bit guilty as he explained further. "So, she ignored him and put on these ear things. He ripped them off and she just kind of lost it after that."

"We didn't mind if she sat with us," Hermione interjected, seeming to catch my angry expression. "For some reason, Professor Snape wouldn't stand for it."

I felt my temper rise once again as I tried my best to remain calm in front of the trio before me. Licking my lips, closing my eyes for a moment, and taking a deep breath, I looked at them once more. "Thank you for explaining this to me and being kind enough to allow Elowyn to sit with you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to exchange a few words with Professor Snape. Off to class with you."

I turned sharply and hurried down the hallway, not letting the students speak anymore. How utterly foolish to start such a commotion over seating arrangements. Ripping off her headphones, too? I would have no more of this treatment so long as I was around.

'What if it is because of me?' I thought, another pause as I reached the large wooden door. Would Severus be so trifling that he would target her over our past?

I reached the door and opened it immediately, not bothering to knock, and slammed it shut, flicking my hand to lock it as well. Not only didn't I want the students to have a chance to interrupt, but he wasn't going to run away from this.

I found him sitting at his desk, looking over papers before shooting a look of harsh confused look at me from the loud banging I just did. Once he recognized that it was me his face relaxed into discontent before looking back to his papers.

"A simple knock on the door to my classroom would suffice, Miss Thorne."

"Give them back, now." I hissed as I advanced straight to the desk he hadn't bothered moving from. "Give me her headphones now, Severus."

Severus flicked his gaze to me and held it, showing nothing other than a type of smugness he played off nonchalantly. "Ah, Miss Beaumont's little distraction device?" He questioned, tossing the papers on the desk and lifting himself with poise before circling his to stand in front of me. His towering height paired with looking down his nose at me possibly meant to intimidate me, but I did not falter to it.

"I'm afraid those have been confiscated due to your ward's insubordinate behavior."

"Since when is it a rule that a student can't sit where they please, or ensure proper concentration?" I scoffed at his explanation and put my hands on my hips. It was ridiculous that he dared to even use it as a crutch for whatever he was playing at.

Severus raised an eyebrow, still staring down at me as a twitch flared in his mouth before he answered. "Miss Beaumont caused a distraction to the rest of the class by moving, and when asked what her reasoning was, she had put this muggle contraption on." Severus turned at the waist to pull up the headphones in question. "She clearly ignores anyone speaking to her when they're on. Therefore, they are a distraction to my lessons and are not permitted within my classroom. Miss Beaumont is lucky…" Severus bent forward a little, meeting my glare with his own dominant sight. "That she didn't end up with detention." Severus finished, taking a moment to glower at me to let the words sink in. I could feel my pulse quicken from the anger, my chest rising up and down quickly and more visibly.

It was taking everything in me to not spew insults and keep my composure. I knew Elowyn too well to know that having broken headphones wouldn't be a problem, that she was attentive during lectures but only put those headphones on to concentrate on her work. Severus, however nasty he was acting, did not know this.

"Consider my leniency as an act of sympathy, Miss Thorne." The sarcasm in his voice was accompanied by a twinkle of satisfaction in his eyes. Severus took this moment to walk back around to his desk and sit, headphones tossed to the side as he took the papers he had been looking over once more and began to look them over again.

I shook my head lightly gathering myself to try to reason with him. Severus couldn't possibly be this vindictive to a fourteen-year-old he just met. All from a pair of plastic, broken headphones, and changing seats? This only further convinced me that it had to be more personal than that and had nothing to do with Elowyn herself. Severus must've been looking for a reason to go after her, and it seemed that it wouldn't take much for him to strike down on her.

"Elowyn uses these as a way of concentration, and when it comes to potions, she values the ability to not have any distractions, either," I spoke, folding my arms as I took steps forward to be directly in front of his desk. "I can assure you that whatever work she was able to accomplish was done right, and that's in large part to her wearing those." I nodded in the direction of the headphones.

I could hear traces of pleading in my voice, finding it almost pathetic of myself to have to resort to this type of behavior, and to Severus even. The Potions Professor remained looking over the papers and refused to look up at me. He acted as if I wasn't there and probably hoped that I'd give up and just leave. He truly must've forgotten who he was dealing with if that was the case. I narrowed my eyes at his absence of a response, nostrils flaring out involuntarily before resorting to my last stance.

"Pull out her work from today, Severus." I placed my hands on his desk and leaned forward to grab his attention. His eyes met mine as he paused his reading, holding the stare as he contemplated my challenging words before relenting with a sigh. In quick movements, he picked up a separate pile of parchments and started flipping through for a moment before pulling out one piece. He cleared his throat, and I concentrated on his face as his eyes started reading over.

Waiting was like torture; Elowyn never had issues when it came to her potions practice, and it helped that Aurora had the aptitude and was able to teach her so well. Her other teachers praised her for her ability to quickly pick up on the instructions and recipes. I had faith that Elowyn had done perfectly fine, but waiting for the verdict from Severus still made me nervous.

Severus blinked once, then twice at the page with a twitch from the corner of his eye with his jaw clenching. Though he tried his best to remain unreadable afterward I could see the flash of irritation across his eyes as he laid the paper down without another word, rose from his chair grabbed the headphones, and took large strides around the desk to stand directly in front of me. I turned to put one hand on my hip while the other hung loosely to look up at him. He held the headphones out for me to take, and as soon as I started to reach for them, he pulled back.

"The moment her grade drops, she proves she hasn't heard a single word I've said or becomes insubordinate again these might just slip to the bottom of the Blake Lake." Something flashed across his eyes, similar to the twirl I felt in the pit of my stomach at the mention. A slip of something more behind his words than I could catch to comprehend. "... Do I make myself clear, Maeve?"

The way he spoke my name sounded entirely wrong, even though his voice sounded low and silky, his tone held sarcasm at the use of it. I held my eyes with as much inexpressiveness, my lips pursing at the sound of him saying my name, jaw clenching at the snide tone in his voice. Yet even with how frustratingly rude he was acting over the situation, I found myself struggling to retain my harshness to keep up with him. His coal-black eyes were vivid in their stare that seemed to try and disrupt my whole being.

"Yes… Mr. Snape." My voice mocked his tone and as I held his stare. He slowly held out the headphones once more with his eyes narrowing. Yanking them out of his hand I broke the eye contact and turned on my heels. I started toward the door, waving my free hand to unlock the door before stopping once more and turning back around. I still had something else to resolve.

"Does this really have anything to do with a muggle item or more so to do with the company Elowyn took to?"

Severus sighed and looked back at me with exasperation. "Merlin, you can't just accept that you got what you wanted and move on, can you?" He scathed while shaking his head.

This time I felt smug at his furthering frustrations; the ball had rolled into my court now. I took one step forward, a lighter, more complacent look on my face as I spoke this time. "I got only half of what I want; I want to know if Elowyn choosing Gryffindors over her housemates has anything else to do with your sour mood toward her?" I took another step forward, folding my arms as I studied him. "More specifically… Harry Potter and his friends, over her housemates?"

Severus stared at me for a moment, an expression that was hard to read as he shifted his weight, hands shoved in his pockets. "Are you accusing me of having underlying intentions against Miss Beaumont?"

"I'm merely asking if it's a matter of conflict about her… or me." My casual tone turned accost at the mention of myself.

"How incredibly arrogant of you." Severus took a few steps forward and placed his hands together by his fingertips. "A bit of notoriety thrown on your name and now suddenly you think the whole magical world should revolve around you in a red glow?" I'm sure his jeer was meant to upset me, but I smiled despite it.

"All I'm simply saying is if there are any pressing issues you have with me, then feel free to address me directly rather than through the likes of your students, Severus. " I spoke cooly, my smile deceiving the tone I spoke with.

This time Severus crossed the room briskly, hands down at his side as he stood much closer to stare me down. My words must've hit a particular spot, and while I didn't expect him to react so strongly, I felt the warmth of gratification at seeing something other than disinterest. His glare was burning through me and held firmly, muscles twitching about his face as I was sure he was searching for the right insults this time. His lips parted as if about to speak but nothing came out. A moment's pause and I raised an eyebrow as a nonverbal push for his response as he sneered.

"I assure you that there is nothing… between us." The indignation in his words held this second layer that felt like he wasn't just speaking about the current subject anymore. My eyebrows twitched suggesting I caught the undertone of his message, but this didn't stop him. "Consider where we stand as nothing more than unfortunate colleagues."

I let the words sink in far into the pit of my stomach. This was all so messy, and genuinely I wasn't sure what to expect after years apart from each other, but a part of me felt the returning dejection of innocence lost when I looked into those cold eyes. I couldn't stop my face from faltering at bitter words when the emotion-filled my chest, my hand grip on Elowyn's headphones tightened as I tried to pull myself back to a more composed state, but not before Severus' eyes softened ever so slightly.

"Understood," I spoke barely above a whisper while I looked down. I couldn't stand to see him the way he was now; someone I couldn't recognize or amend anything with. The quiet of the classroom was deafening yet Severus stood up tall once more before breaking the silence.

"Besides," His voice returned to the same uncaring tone it held at the beginning of our argument. "Potter has a knack for attracting trouble, which unsurprisingly seems to be genetic. Perhaps it would be within Miss Beaumont's best interest, and yours, to keep a better eye out on your charge, and who she keeps for company." His voice was carefully crafted to remain low and hold my attention when he turned to other matters.

My lip curled along with a deadpanned expression when I looked at him which seemed to delight him. His smirk broke through as he caught the sight of me, the glint in his eyes danced while they bore into my heated stare.

"And you thought you were doing her some sort of favor?" I scoffed at him.

"It's within my interest to look out for my Slytherins, even if they happen to have been misplaced during their sorting ceremony. Something, I'm sure, you can understand personally." He taunted as he started to turn away.

A humorless laugh escaped before I could even stop myself, shaking my head and rolling my eyes I stopped him in his tracks to look at me once more.

"Make up your mind, Severus; is this just about the girl or not?" I seethed deciding I had had enough of this and turned to take a few steps to the door and took hold of the handle with my free.

"I've been told she takes a lot after me, and I must admit I see a lot of myself in her especially when she goes against the grain of anyone around her, but to think you must see me in her so much you decide to be petty and try to play it off as 'house alliance'? Pathetic."

I didn't allow him to say anything more as I opened the door and with brisk movement made my way out of there.

It was incredible of him to have such a flagrant ambition to try and get back at me through the punishment of my adoptive child. Here I thought he had some sort of change within him that would prove that he had a backbone of some sort, that he would be able to stand up to anyone and anything after hearing of his espionage days. It was true he was nothing like he used to be, he was much worse than I had considered.

If he didn't have a grudge against me like he claimed I highly doubt he'd go through so much trouble to embarrass someone from his own house that he claims to care so much about. Yet, he told on himself more than he realized to prove differently. With his explanations being decoded differently, his hidden messages of that grudge coming out, his voice, eyes, and face showing more than what his words were telling me. I may have been rusty to understand the full extent of what went on in the mind of Severus Snape, but I could still read that there was more to him than he would ever let on.

At least I knew Elowyn would be able to rest assured that she'd have her headphones back, and continue to use them, on the account that she remains doing exactly what she always ended up doing during her potion lessons; succeed. Out of that whole interaction, the only good thing that came from it was knowing I was able to smooth over her classroom participation even at the expense of my sanity.

)))(((

"Headmaster." I stepped through the threshold into Dumbledore's office to see him petting the phoenix that sat upon his perch. He turned to me with a kind smile, before looking back to the animal.

"Ah, Miss Thorne, punctuality can never be admired properly if one is never early or on time." He commended, turning to me while putting his hands behind his back.

I had arrived earlier than intended for the meeting of a lifetime. I was finally going to tell Harry the truth and face him for the lack of contact I had in his life. I was thrilled to finally be able to tell him the truth, but with that excitement came the petrifying idea of how his reaction could go. Would he think less of me for keeping my distance for so long, or would he accept me for my past decisions? My sordid younger years were nothing to be admirable of, and while I wouldn't dare tell him the details, I hoped maybe he understood the difficulty enough to not completely write me off.

I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but with the pressing matters I had on my mind, I had to wait for that reality when we'd speak. Right now, I wanted to bring up a different subject with Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry to be so early, but I wanted to speak to you about someone other than Harry," I explained, walking slowly to the middle of the office, fidgeting with my nails, and preparing myself. The nerves of meeting my Godson face to face showed more in my actions than this conversation would.

Dumbledore nodded with a look on his face as if to ponder what the issue could be. "I see… this wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the confrontation between Miss Beaumont and Professor Snape, would it?" He looked at me as if he already knew that answer, taking a few steps towards me.

The precise reason I decided to come early coming from the headmaster shouldn't have surprised me, yet Dumbledore pulling out another insightful stop wasn't surprising either. Of course, news traveled fast within the school, and that always proved true even in my younger years, but for it to travel to his ears all in the timeframe of a class period must've been some sort of record.

"Actually, yes." I exhaled with a chuckle deciding not to question exactly how he knew. "Well, more so about what you told me when I arrived here last night; about being friends with Severus."

Dumbledore nodded, an all-seeing understanding of where this could go.

"It's not that I wouldn't be opposed to… rekindling our friendship. I grew up with him and spent a lot of time with him when I was younger, but it seems that Severus doesn't plan on entertaining the idea of rekindling anything between us." I tried to conceal my inefficacy with irritation, hopeful to sound convincing enough, but standing in front of Dumbledore it seemed that he could see more through the words than what I said. I wondered briefly if Severus took lessons from him on how to read people.

Dumbledore took a few steps forward before replying, contemplating his words for whatever reason that I couldn't understand. Waiting for his reply left me wondering if I should've brought it up at all.

"What I'm going to tell you Miss Thorne is something that I must be careful in explaining to you. I believe that in time you will understand, but for now, what I can offer to you is hope in the guise of persistence and patience." Dumbledore paced back and forth as he spoke and once again turned to me. "Severus has made many sacrifices that the wizarding world itself will never know about. Keeping people at an arm's length has come with his territory, it seems."

"So," I worked over the words he spoke around in my head before responding. "You think he's being incredibly guarded with me?"

"As it is to say, his fortress surrounding his vulnerability is impenetrable to those around him."

I looked down as my shoulders slumped. The Severus I knew always did have this reluctance to open up, but the Severus I am understanding now seems impossible to reach.

"However," Dumbledore continued with a step closer to me and bringing my attention back to him. "I recall that you two spent quite of bit of time together when you were younger. Something no one else here can say for certain. I believe you have an advantage with your past that can penetrate that fortress, Miss Thorne."

I raised an eyebrow as the words mulled over in my head. I shook my head before replying. "I don't mean to constantly question you, but I just don't understand. Severus seems perfectly content with that fortress as you call it, so why would I need to get closer to him and break it down? Not to mention, sir, I don't think you understand the whole story of our… friendship."

I wasn't sure what I was expecting from Dumbledore's reaction, but the patient smile and discernment in his eyes weren't exactly it.

"I'll admit I don't know the fine details, but what I do know is that Severus is someone who has gone through tremendous pain. I believe, perhaps, he feels that the past has defined his future even after the good he has been able to do to show him otherwise. Maeve, you're the first choice to show him something more."

I blinked at him as he spoke to me, unsure of what to say next so Dumbledore continued.

"A friendship as long as the one you had doesn't just disappear one day. If anything, it is buried deep within the hearts of the people that are connected. Take the time to uncover that friendship, and you may find that it might be something you've been missing out on, as well."

A knock upon the door startled me out of my thoughts once more causing me to immediately turn toward it.

"Ah, that should be Harry," Dumbledore looked to the door for a moment before coming back to my perplexed gaze. "Remember, persistence and patience will go a long way." A wink from the wise wizard and he beckoned for the person at the door to enter. Opening the door Harry walked in looking curiously between the both of us as he closed the door and walked to stand in front of us.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to interrupt." He stated continuing to look between the two of us.

"Nonsense, Harry," Dumbledore dismissed him warmly. "Actually, this meeting will be facilitated by Professor Thorne as much as yourself. I'm here merely here to bring it together. " Dumbledore stated in a factual tone as he gestured to me.

I did my best to combat the fretfulness that was rising by swallowing it down. My mouth was going dry at the thought of speaking I almost just wanted to blurt it out and get it over with. I put my hands behind my back while nodding to Harry.

"Does this have anything to do with Elowyn?" Harry questioned me directly with a tentative look, the green eyes of my late friend observing me from her grave through him. I only hoped her spirit would guide me through this whole interaction.

"Oh, no. Nothing at all with that." With a reassuring smile, I saw that this eased his worries. "Although, I truly do appreciate you and your friends allowing her to sit with you. Elowyn tends to prefer her solitary company, so you all must've made some type of impression on her."

"It's no problem. I hope she's doing better." He humbly replied.

"Oh, much better. Let's just hope she doesn't decide to do anything more rebellious than the level she showed today." I joked with him. I could see more that he was becoming more comfortable, enough to even laugh at my reply.

"If you will Harry," Dumbledore gestured to one of the two chairs facing his desk that were catty-cornered. Harry moved to take the one on the right while I stood to the left of him. Dumbledore remained where he stood in front of Harry before he spoke once more. "Do you remember the last time that you and Sirius spoke?"

Harry straightened up in his chair and tensed by how casually Dumbledore asked the question. Eyes widened as they surveyed our demeanors. I wondered if he took this as some sort of interrogation. I gave a kind smile at his frantic state to try and calm him now; it was easier to focus on his distress to soothe rather than my own.

"It's quite alright, Harry." Dumbledore quickly assured, holding up his hands as if to physically ease his worries. "Professor Thorne, actually… is aware of your unique situation. In fact," Dumbledore looked to me and motioned. "Maybe it would be more effective if Maeve would take it from here."

I nodded to Dumbledore before looking at a less anxious and more confused Harry.

"I'm sure this is an incredibly strange conversation to have Harry." I started. "We're practically strangers and we only know of each other because of this wonderful school." I grinned a bit more brightly this time at him while motioning above me.

"Before coming here however I lived in a little town where I met your mother, Lily."

"You knew my mum?" His interest was piqued; he leaned in a little more as if to soak up whatever I was about to tell him. Nodding I continued.

"I'd known Lily ever since I was a little girl, and our friendship would lead further whenever we were accepted to Hogwarts. She didn't think I was so strange for my magic I suppose since the idea of magic existing was so strange. She was in Gryffindor, and ironically enough, I was in Slytherin, but inner-house rivalry had no effect on our strong bond." I was pacing slowly back and forth in front of him perhaps in an attempt to stall the truth. "Of course, we'd eventually meet James, Sirius, and Remus as well. Granted I had a rocky start with James and Sirius, but Remus and Lily had a way of defending the two that I gave them a chance in my later school years. Plus, when they were always around, it made it harder to avoid them." I chuckled and shook my head at the memories.

Harry's confusion had let up on any confusion as his face lightened up as I spoke. It only made me feel like speaking of the past wasn't so hard on myself, or him as I feared.

I turned to pull the empty chair close to Harry and sat down, reading myself for the news I had been waiting to give to him.

"Lily and I were inseparable… our whole lives, honestly. No house rivalry or childish antics could break that." I swallowed hard before continuing, not daring to look at him in the eyes. "We were so close in fact that…she honored me by naming me your Godmother, Harry." The words came tumbling out a little quicker than I anticipated couldn't stop me from looking back up at him to see his response.

Harry blinked as he took in this information, mouth parted open with astonishment written all over his boyish face, sitting forward a little more as he clung to my words. Silence filled the room as the news loomed over him while he worked out this shocking turn of events. I watched him with hypervigilance to find some sort of indication of refusal, denying anything like this could be possible. Maybe it was some sort of pessimism I had about the idea of someone like me making this claim, but I had to remind myself that Harry was lucky enough to not know who I was back then. Just the reputation I had built, and even then, that had to of made a rather less than pleasant impression, wouldn't it?

"M-my… you're my Godmother?!" He exclaimed, to my surprise, with glee. The total opposite of what I feared came to pass and was met with the other possibility I didn't have the most confidence would happen. "Wait." He blinked with concentration before continuing. "… you're the one Sirius talked about then!"

I gave him an inquisitive look as I wasn't sure I knew what meant. Sirius may have been made aware of my presence back within the country, or even Hogwarts, but from the conversation I had with Dumbledore it made it seem that I was the one who would've made contact with him first after sending my letter that very night. Harry caught my puzzled gaze and spoke on.

"Sirius told me that he'd hoped I'd get to meet the 'other Godparent' the first time I met him. He wouldn't tell me much, but said they were out of the country the last he heard about, well, you. He didn't tell me your name or anything else, I-I'm not sure why, but…" He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head as speechlessness took over once again.

I was a bag of mixed emotions at what I was told; relief from a more animated response, the fact that Sirius also had hinted about me at all to brace Harry for more revelations about his life, no matter how secretive it was, was still pleasant. I couldn't contain a wide smile as the feeling of alleviation took over my face, a small eye roll that looked more like my eyelids fluttering a little at the mention of Sirius's vagueness.

"Probably his way of not completely spoiling the surprise, maybe even… to make sure I explained myself as to why I've stayed away for so long." I reluctantly moved the conversation along. Even if that wasn't Sirius's intention it still didn't change the fact that I had to speak to Harry about this. To hear it from me, rather than someone who had been locked up for twelve years.

Harry's smile faltered some as if the thought didn't occur to him at the moment. "Well, why were you? Gone for so long, I mean."

I nodded and braced myself. "When… the death of your parents happened, I had just returned to find you. At the time I was under the impression that Sirius was no longer a trusted… confidant, and with the heartache of losing Lily, even James… my mind wasn't working properly so to speak. I… wasn't fit to be taking care of myself, let alone taking care of a child. I came to find you though," I hurried to explain as I saw something flicker in Harry's eyes. "And as it turned out you were with your aunt and uncle. Petunia and I never saw eye to eye, and even though I had to reign in my displeasure of her at your mother's request, I could count on her keeping you away from me out of spite more than anything. Though I was under the impression she wanted nothing to do with anything magic-related, I still believed that maybe you were safest with those who could properly accommodate to a child."

Harry looked down his smile completely gone. "I think it probably would be better anywhere else, to be honest."

His words stabbed into my chest. Furrowing my eyebrows and looking down for a moment, swallowing guilt this time. I asked Dumbledore about how they had treated him, of course, I wanted to know how his life was since I wasn't there to witness it. I could almost agree with him on his statement.

Almost.

"I'm going to make that up to you somehow, Harry," I assured while reaching out to place a hand on the one that rested on the armchair. I gave a light squeeze that pleaded for him to believe me. He looked up again at me and smiled softly, nodding as if he understood just how ready I was to do so before I pulled away.

I took a deep breath to continue. "I went to the only other person I could trust at the time, our wonderful Headmaster," I motioned to Dumbledore with my free hand and gave a sheepish smile. "Who saw the state I was in and gave me the advice that it would be best if I took care of myself first and come back whenever I was better. You see, these abilities that I possess are not common. It has taken me years to be able to get on an acceptable level with the ministry, and then some more to even be able to assure them that I am not a danger to others, or that I can help further our magical advancement. At the time I was under a lot of watch and had to mind what I did to not bring a lot of attention to myself. I may have had the title of Godmother, but Harry I was struggling to even hold myself together to maintain the appearance of a sane witch who had her powers under control…"

Harry took this all in. For as young as he was, he seemed to have an understanding of what I was telling him, I could see his thoughts were swimming with questions, deciding which to ask with concentration in his mind. "And… that kept you away?"

"Partially… I was in the midst of trying to find anyone else like me, as well. That would mean I'd have to travel a lot, and…" I gave a side glance to Dumbledore, who knew somewhat where my story went but the shame still lingered. "...I wasn't exactly surviving by the books, at the time. I resorted to a lot of trickery, Harry. Something I'm not proud of to this day."

I kept it light for the two in front of me because the truth was I was a grieving young woman who didn't care who she lied, cheated, or stole from in order to survive. My father passed a year after Lily did, and we only had so much money at the time that I ended up using a majority of it to drink away the pain. Traveling the world wasn't going to be cheap either, but thankfully after finding my way to North America and meeting Aurora after a bad stint of luck, I was able to get cleaned up. In large part due to her help.

"I just wasn't fit to be the person you needed, Harry. Looking back now I know there were things I could've done differently to help myself, and I'll live with this for the rest of my life. I got better, though. With the help of Aurora—Professor Ramsey—I eventually found myself again, and was able to eventually feel stable that when we found Elowyn, I didn't give it another thought."

I looked Harry in the eyes, leaning forward so he could see my sincerity as clearly as possible.

"Believe me when I say that my work was very important but not a day went by when I didn't wonder what it would've been like to see you, to meet you. To be involved in your life more than what I was only able to do. I kept in contact with Dumbledore over the years and heard about your triumphs here at Hogwarts. I had at least one link to you that would lead to us meeting one day. Thankfully, I was given this opportunity to teach here after the leaps and bounds of getting it approved. I know it must not be fair to just… dump this on you, and come into your life—"

"No, no, this brilliant!" He interrupted, looking at me with an eager smile. "Professor Thorne, you don't understand, I get to have an actual family now. You, me, and Sirius–a family that I can call my own! I don't care what happened in your past… You're here now, and that's all that matters." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it this time, warming the icy parts of me that I was convinced were unable to thaw.

I smiled, feeling tears prickle in my eyes. Granted the idea of being the counterpart to Sirius Black once more left me feeling strange, but it paled in comparison to the joy in the fourteen-year-old boys' eyes. I couldn't control myself and leaned forward, enveloping him in a hug that was returned with just as much enthusiasm.

After a moment I pulled away, cupping his face in my hands to get a better look at him. "My… I'm sure you're told all the time how much you look like them. Forgive me for doing it once more."

He chuckled and nodded. He truly was carved from James with how he looked, specifically his cheekbones and jawline. His eyes and smile were that of Lily, and how he even acted seemed to take more after her from what little I'd witnessed.

"A wonderful reunion if I say so myself." Dumbledore piped in as he stood up. I let go of Harry and turned to look at him. "I'm sure you two will be able to build and enjoy many years to come and catch up."

"Is this…" Harry brought our attention back to him, looking almost hesitant in his question. "...A secret? Am I allowed to tell Ron and Hermione?"

I thought for a moment, nodding absent-mindedly as I mulled it over then answered. "I don't see why not, Harry. I will encourage you to weigh the pros and cons of telling anyone outside of your inner circle, however."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm in the best standing with the ministry than I have been most of my life, but I suspect that it won't take much for that to crumble. Aurora made her choice when we started to travel together, even at the risk of ostracization on my account. We took a risk by bringing Elowyn under our care, something I worry about even now, but we've agreed to protect her over ourselves should anything go awry. Connecting yourself to me publicly is an event-changing decision, and I don't mean that in some glorified way. It's… probably best to keep this information private from everyone, except for those you trust. In time, maybe that can change, but I only say this to watch out for you." It felt painful to say yet I forced a small smile to spread across my lips. "I just got you back and don't want to risk it."

Harry nodded but whether he truly understood what that meant I couldn't tell. "It seems like my Godparents are pariahs in the eyes of everyone who knows nothing about them."

My smile widened as I nodded. At least he had a bit of humor towards the situation.

"Speaking of Sirius," Dumbledore spoke up once more; walking to his desk he picked up an envelope and handed it to me. "He was able to get this to me in a speeding fashion, Miss Thorne. Clearly, excited to reconnect with an old friend."

I took the envelope and looked it over, but it was blank on the front. It was strange to have a link back with Sirius after spending many years believing him to be treacherous, but now the feeling had changed. To wasn't I couldn't exactly pinpoint. I was elated to know that he was innocent, but the strange weight of responsibility of sharing a child had me feeling peculiar. A friend from the past that, regardless of our childish romance and awkward friendship afterward, I felt closer to. Like I could easily pick up from where we left off with a better outlook.

"I'd say he's excited to hear from you." Harry offered as I gave a light laugh to him.

"More like excited to irritate me. A favorite pastime of his when we were young, but I can't deny that trying to irritate him back was just as fun. Hopefully, he's grown up from that." I spoke off-handedly.

"Now that the two of you have been able to reacquaint yourselves, this year at Hogwarts can be pivotal for the both of you. I'd hate to break up this wonderfully happy time but I must get back to some pressing matters." Dumbledore explained to us.

The both of us were able to understand and started to get up to leave. I couldn't help myself to stop Harry and give him a soft hug that was received. When I pulled back, I smiled warmly. "I hope this is the best year yet for you, Harry."

A/N: I'm really trying to set up the background of Maeve's involvement in the HP universe, and have planned the first three chapters to really emphasize that. I know I'm more than ready to get into the nitty-gritty of Severus and Maeve's relationship, but that will come in due time. I would kind of consider this a slight filler chapter, but still important to see currently how Severus treats Maeve so it's also... kind of not a filler?

Thank you to everyone who has read to this point; I'm really loving what I've got planned out and how it's turning out. Any feedback is appreciated, any questions are welcomed and of course, general support is absolutely adored.

Much thanks and love,

TJ