When the door chime sounded, Andromeda Tonks half expected it to be yet another Ministry inspection. Even with her beloved Ted gone, the bastards had never stopped hounding her family, always suspicious of what she might do. Her pureblood status meant little in the grand scheme of things as week after week they would send thugs to ransack her apartment, callously sifting through the remnants of her life. And they would always show her a warrant with the same stupid excuse – searching for subversive elements. As if Harry Potter and his friends would suddenly decide to hide out in her home!

Then, a few weeks ago, the inspections suddenly and inexplicably stopped. She should have been relieved, but she wasn't. Her fear told her it could mean only one thing – the Potter boy had already been captured. Andromeda had only met him briefly, but he'd seemed like such a kind, earnest child. The mother within her couldn't bear the thought of those Ministry bastards getting their hands on him. And yet Andromeda simply couldn't think of any other reason why the inspections would stop. Her anxiety and confusion grew even more when a trusted friend she still had at the Ministry passed on a message to her. Apparently, the order to stop harassing Andromeda's family came from Dolores Umbridge herself – a woman known for hating mudbloods and blood traitors equally. It made no sense!

And it was far from the last unbelievable thing to happen...

Few days ago, Andromeda opened the door for a visitor, only to have a certain richly dressed girl waltzing into her apartment, insisting it was vitally important they spoke. It took Andromeda all but five minutes to dislike Daphne Greengrass, recognizing her as the pureblood princess she was. The blonde had been surprisingly polite and careful to mask her true feelings, but Andromeda still caught the subtle glances of disapproval and pity as she took in her muggle-style apartment. In every conceivable way – looks, opinions, and mannerisms – Daphne Greengrass reminded Andromeda far too much of her younger sister for comfort. The resemblance alone was enough to set her on edge, but the absurd nonsense the girl was spewing, expecting Andromeda to believe it, only made matters worse. She had been moments away from throwing the arrogant pureblood princess out of her home.

But before she could act, the one person she'd been most worried about (aside from her own family) pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, revealing himself. Andromeda was overwhelmed with shock and relief. Like so many others in the country, she had feared the boy dead. Intellectually, she knew that no news about Harry Potter was good news, but after months of complete silence, it had been nearly impossible not to assume the worst – especially in these last few weeks.

But it seemed her fears had been entirely unfounded. Not only was Harry Potter alive and well, but he was also happy. And from his passionate speech, it was clear he attributed it all to the person standing beside him – his fiancée. In that moment Andromeda realized the world had changed in ways she could never have foreseen, shifting beneath her feet so rapidly it threatened to knock her off balance.

First and foremost, Andromeda realized she had been wrong about her initial impression of Daphne Greengrass – the striking blonde wasn't a pureblood princess; she was a pureblood queen. A queen who had found her prince, sinking her exquisitely painted nails deep into him.

In the next moment Andromeda wondered how she might discreetly perform a scan for love potions or mind control on Harry Potter… only for the couple to exchange a knowing glance before the boy willingly offered to submit to the checks. It seemed they had been met with this suspicion more than once. In any case, she had conducted every test she knew, only to find absolutely nothing amiss, forcing her to accept the unlikely truth.

Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass were genuinely in love. They were going to be married.

Andromeda had always despised the politics that came with being a pureblood. That world had rejected her in the worst manner imaginable, and she didn't want to have anything to do with it! But even she wasn't so far and long removed from it as not to recognize the colossal game changer in front her. Namely, that the muggleborn equality movement was now as good as finished. Despite Dumbledore's best efforts, it had been losing momentum throughout the entire twentieth century as all over the world, the pureblood reactionists erased one advancement after another. Harry Potter and his generation being the beacon that would usher in the age of equality into their world had been the last hope to reverse that development. But now, it was over. The entire situation best summed up in one word – checkmate.

Just as in chess, Harry Potter was a king who had been cornered and taken out by the opposing queen. Now he was hers, allowing Daphne Greengrass to shape him into whatever she desired – her pawn, her knight, her king. It didn't matter. No matter what role she would assign him, the queen would always be the most powerful piece, controlling the entire board. The few enemy pieces left wouldn't be able to stop her. Without their king, they were already lost. They could either submit to the opposing queen or be taken off the board one by one...

The dark lord's end was practically a forgone conclusion – Andromeda was convinced of that when the two young people explained their plans. But what would follow was something she and her generation utterly failed to even imagine. Part of her felt like she had to do something, say something. And yet...

"You're making a terrible a mistake!"

Those were the words she had once heard from her parents, sibling and friends... from pretty much everyone she ever cared about. They all spat on her and condemned her, all because she was in love and wished to marry a muggleborn. In response Andromeda had made a solemn vow back then that she would never do this to anyone she cared about – she would never tell them they were wrong to love someone. And she had kept to that vow! Even when her own daughter fell in love, married and had a child with a werewolf. And yet now here she was, about to say the awful words to Harry Potter, condemning him for loving Daphne Greengrass. Was she like the biggest fucking hypocrite in the world?!

Andromeda felt even worse as she quickly realized the two young people were very much mutual in their feelings. One had to observe them for all but one minute to come to that conclusion. And although Daphne had seemingly begun molding Harry Potter into her pureblood king, it was obvious the boy had gotten deep under her skin as well.

Nevertheless, while Andromeda couldn't bring herself to openly blame the boy for his choice in romantic partners, she still didn't like the inevitable consequences. Just like her husband, she believed in muggleborn equality. She believed in Dumbledore's vision of the society! And of course, Daphne Greengrass knew all that... which was why she went ahead, offering Andromeda everything her weary heart desired – her family safe and their future secured. All Andromeda had to do in return was betray everything she and Ted believed in, by supporting Daphne's enlightened pureblood-led society.

As a cherry on the top, Harry and Daphne had even restored her Black family membership – because apparently Harry Potter was now Lord of House Black, making his fiancée a Lady Black in all but name. They even offered to do the same for her daughter and grandson. Since marrying her husband, Andromeda tried to have as little to do with her birth family as possible, but she couldn't deny being officially banished like a blood traitor hurt for a very a long time. It still did at times. She had never felt like she did anything wrong and being restored felt like a long overdue justice.

She even believed Daphne when the girl insisted that under her rule, Andromeda wouldn't have been banished in the first place. The passionate lecture the blonde gave her about the potential rewards of breeding with those of lesser blood while the boy-who-lived smiled like a love-sick puppy and gently stroked her back – Andromeda would remember that until her death. It was both fascinating and horrifying, making her want to slap and hug the two young people at the same time.

The door bell chimed again, bringing Andromeda out of her troubled thoughts and back into reality. She went to open the door, finding a young man standing on the other side. He was dressed in black form-fitting robes favored by hit wizards and politely smiled when he saw her. "Delivery for Mrs. Tonks," he announced before stepping aside, letting her see what was behind him... or rather who.

The two men had iron shackles on their wrists and ankles, but other than that were exactly how Andromeda had envisioned them in her nightmares – evil looking, dirty, dressed in shabby clothes and stinking. Even not knowing their crime, she would have been repulsed by their very presence. Her gaze settled on their faces, at last glancing into the eyes of the men who had destroyed her life. She was irrationally disappointed by what she saw there. Andromeda had been hoping to see something – confusion, followed by fear as they realized who she was, or perhaps even pointless defiance.

But there was literally nothing in their eyes as both wore glazed expressions – a tell-tale sign of the Imperius curse. Andromeda drew her wand with a speed betraying her lack of training, pointing it at the gutter thug closer to her. "Leggilimens!" she cried, diving into his disgusting mind. For the first time ever, she felt a sense of gratitude toward her parents for repeatedly beating and starving her until she had learned that ability.

The fugitive mudblood was running through the woods. Desperate, unarmed, helpless. The thug raised his wand, shooting a cutting curse and opening his right leg from the foot to thigh. The mudblood cried and fell down, incoherent from the searing pain. His mate caught up with him and raised his wand, pointing it at the mudblood as well. And then...

Andromeda gasped as she emerged from his diseased mind, unable to witness another second. 'Don't cry. Damn it, don't cry!' she desperately chanted in her head. Crying was for little children and muggles – her parents always told her that. 'Oh, Teddy... I miss you so much,' Andromeda thought with bitter regret, allowing herself a single moment of self-indulgence before swallowing her overwhelming grief and focusing her mind on the merciless reality.

"Thank you for the delivery," she told the young man who had been waiting patiently. "Please bring it in." She then stepped aside, allowing him to enter her home, the two imperiused prisoners in tow. Andromeda watched them with pulsing hatred as they walked past her like automatons, blissfully unaware. Or perhaps they were aware, trapped in their minds by the curse. She wasn't sure how it felt for the victim, and honestly, she didn't care.

"On your knees... filth!" Andromeda spat at the two snatchers once they entered the living room.

Both of the prisoners fell to their knees without protest, their expressions still dazed. Andromeda smiled with satisfaction before proceeding to cast a couple of spells on them, making sure they were truly secure. However, she didn't need to bother as the young man seemed to have everything well in hand. Both of the murderers were as secure as magically possible. They certainly weren't going anywhere, even should they somehow manage to overcome the Imperius. With the two bastards secured, Andromeda turned her attention entirely to the young man who had delivered them to her.

"You seem familiar to me. Have we met?" she asked after a moment, having a nagging feeling she had seen him somewhere before.

The young guard slowly nodded. "Yes, my lady. Dora – your daughter – we were yearmates at Hogwarts. Housemates as well," he explained and she nodded in understanding. Andromeda might have briefly seen him during the graduation ceremony, but the place where she remembered his face from was actually Nymphadora's yearbook. Over the past few months, she found herself looking at family photographs a lot.

"You're a muggleborn, aren't you?" Andromeda asked next, making sure to pose the question kindly to make it clear she wasn't judging, merely curious. But despite her best efforts, the young man still looked at her with startled disappointment.

"You- you shouldn't be able to tell anymore," he mumbled, completely caught off guard.

Andromeda shook her head. "Not from your magic, don't worry," she assured him.

At this point, the young man's physical magic was abundant enough to make him indistinguishable from born-and-raised wizards to her senses. Any other pureblood wouldn't be able to tell a difference. But Andromeda's been married to a muggleborn for decades and had acquired a lot of experience with muggle culture during that time. She had learnt to recognize the more subtle clues – mannerism, speech patterns, the way people moved. She explained it all to her guest who seemed greatly relieved. Seeing his reaction both amused and disappointed Andromeda.

"Don't worry, young man... you've been broken well," she told him with sadness. Andromeda could only imagine the groveling and submission before purebloods he likely had to have to gone through to get his physical magic to this level. In her opinion, it absolutely wasn't worth the price.

The man blinked at her few times before saying in surprisingly firm voice. "I don't see myself as broken... my lady."

Andromeda smiled at that. "As well you shouldn't... what's your name?"

"Mike Wilson, my lady," he dutifully answered.

"Enough with the my lady nonsense already," she said, her frustration mounting. "Just call me Andromeda."

He smiled cheekily before answering. "Lady Greengrass would be greatly distressed if I did that, my lady. After all, you're a lady of House Black while I'm just a lowly mudblood," he told her in a seemingly serious tone, but Andromeda could detect the sarcasm behind, telling her he was just as uncomfortable by all the theatrics as she was, but had accepted them as facts of life.

"Indeed... and we cannot allow Lady Greengrass to be distressed," Andromeda said with a knowing smile to which the guard pursed his lips and slowly shook his head no. Andromeda snorted and shook her head. "How did you wound up in her service, anyway?" she wondered. A muggleborn Hufflepuff graduate serving the Greengrasses – there had to be a story behind this!

The man was silent for a while before answering. "Life... happened, my lady."

Andromeda nodded and immediately dropped the subject, sensing he didn't wish to talk about it. As a pureblood she could probably compel him to answer, but she would never do that. Instead, her gaze switched back to the two murderers, still obediently kneeling on the floor of her living room.

"Part of me didn't expect Daphne to keep her word," Andromeda admitted.

Even with Harry Potter himself vouching for her, trusting a bloody Greengrass was one of the hardest decisions she had ever made. In the beginning, she had briefly thought that perhaps she had completely misjudged the girl. After all, if Harry Potter was in love with her, she couldn't be living up to her family's legacy, right? But speaking with her for hours had quickly demolished that theory. Instead, Andromeda's initial impression of her had been entirely spot on. Daphne Greengrass was exactly as her ancestors – a staunch pureblood supremacist who saw it as her sacred duty to bring all muggleborns to heel. She genuinely thought she was doing them a favor by subjugating them – that it was the right thing to do.

"Tell me... is Daphne a fair mistress?" Andromeda asked with genuine curiosity. "To your kind, I mean."

The man thought about for a moment before answering. "I've never known Lady Greengrass to mistreat a loyal mudblood, if that is what you're asking..."

"A disloyal one, then?" Andromeda asked, immediately noticing his careful choice of words and raising an eyebrow.

"They are given an opportunity to see the error of their ways," he told her before noticing her expectant expression and adding. "Harshly but fairly punished should they waste the opportunities given, my lady."

Andromeda sighed at his words, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. The thought of getting into bed with pureblood idealists – she had never thought it would come to this. She had in fact spent her entire adult life trying to get away from that world. And yet what other choice did she have? Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass were going to win this war, Andromeda was certain of it. And afterwards, with the boy-who-lived on her arm and leash, the Greengrass heiress – and by extension, the entire pureblood faction – would be politically unstoppable.

Should she tell them to go to hell, vowing to fight against them both, tooth and nail? Andromeda knew couple of friends who might do the same, so she wouldn't be alone in that fight. But it would still be following the war with another war, and Andromeda didn't think she could do it... actually, no. She couldn't do it, period. She had already lost her husband. Ted never got to see his first grandchild because of all this madness. Should she continue to fight for her ideals, only to lose Dora and Remus as well? Should she make little Teddy into an orphan?!

What Daphne Greengrass offered, it went against everything she believed it – but it was peace and stability, and no more blood taken from her family. So what if she had to spit on her husband's memory by cozying up to the people who had looked at him with disdain their entire life?! To see Dora, Remus and little Teddy alive and well... she would sell her soul to a devil for that! But as it turned out, the devil wasn't interested in her soul. Instead, all she had to do was sell it to Daphne Greengrass – a bargain, as far as she was concerned.

"Daphne promised me my family would be safe... that my son-in-law and grandson will be treated like human beings," Andromeda whispered, hoping beyond hope the blonde hadn't been tricking her and that being married to Harry Potter would keep her honest.

The guard looked at her intently before replying. "If that is what Lady Greengrass promised you, then that's what she will do. She always keeps her word..." he said with passion before thinking for a moment and adding. "... at least to a pureblood," he said and shrugged.

Andromeda smiled weakly at that. "In that case, tell her... I agree. To everything," she said with finality and the guard solemnly nodded.

"Yes, my lady," he said and bowed, ready to say his goodbyes and go relay her words to his mistress. Andromeda stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait, before you go... I have a favor to ask you," she admitted as she glanced between the young guard and the kneeling men who had murdered her husband. "I am not my older sister, Mr. Wilson. I wanted the men who murdered my husband punished and gone from this world. That is why I asked Daphne to deliver them to me," she explained before trailing off.

In that moment, part of her bitterly regretted having never learned the Cruciatus like her two sisters. But knowing what it had done to Bella, it was likely for the best. Besides, no amount of pain she might put the two bastards through would come close to the one they had caused her family.

Finally, she looked up at the young man. "Would you be willing to execute them in my name?" she asked, abashed. "I realize it's a horrible thing to ask, but..."

The guard raised his hand, interrupting her. "I didn't know your husband, my lady," he admitted. "But Dora was my friend when we were in school. We haven't kept in touch afterwards, but we were friends once," he told her before glancing at the prisoners with hatred rivaling her own. "I'd be happy to do this for you."

Andromeda nodded in gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you," she whispered repeatedly.

The man nodded and shrugged. "Besides, Lady Greengrass already ordered me to do this should you have made the request."

Andromeda snorted at that. "Of course she did." During their conversation earlier, Andromeda quickly noticed the young blonde was not just a pretty face, but also exceptionally bright and intelligent. It seemed Daphne Greengrass had her read so well she even knew she wouldn't be willing to kill the two murderers herself.

It made Andromeda feel a little less guilty about her decision, as there simply didn't seem to be any point in fighting Daphne Greengrass – not while Harry Potter stood beside her, supporting her in everything. The only hope would have been somehow turning Harry against her, but five minutes with the young man was enough to assure Andromeda that was just never going to happen. She was certain some people would try, though, and that their efforts would backfire on them spectacularly.

"I believe Lady Greengrass didn't wish me to inform you of that," the guard admitted after a moment of thinking.

"And yet you're telling me anyway," Andromeda pointed out, growing curious about this subjugated muggleborn more and more. "Why?"

Mike Wilson shrugged again. He seemed to be doing that a lot. "Daphne hasn't explicitly prohibited me from it either. It is merely a speculation on my part that it might have been her wish. But as you well know – mudblood's beliefs... they just don't matter."

This time, Andromeda laughed honestly. "You... you don't really believe purebloods are superior, do you?" she asked with suspicion. When he did not deny it, she asked in disbelief. "And Daphne tolerates that?"

His answer was simple despite the potentially damning seriousness of her question. "Lady Greengrass is my superior... that is a fact. Whether I believe it or not, it makes no difference."

"You're wrong," Andromeda whispered the words that ended the topic for now. "It makes all the difference."

After this, both of them focused their attention on the two prisoners. "Please cancel the Imperius. I would hear their final words," she asked him, feeling it was an appropriate thing to do under the circumstances. Or at least she thought it was, having never executed anyone before. Mike Wilson reluctantly did as she asked and the two men blinked in confusion, as if coming out of a deep sleep. In the next instant, Andromeda regretted her request as her living room became filled with screams and incoherent cries for mercy, proving both of the prisoners had been aware the entire time, and now knew what awaited them. The one who had finished Ted off had even soiled himself in fright.

"Pathetic," Andromeda spat in absolute disgust and Mike Wilson wisely gagged them both once more, cutting off their lunatic cries.

Many years had passed since her childhood, and Andromeda had even made an active effort to forget the lessons her parents had taught her. Far too many were either explicitly about, or at least tangentially connected to, the mistreatment of muggleborns and muggles. It was easier and safer to let them all fade away from her memory. But in that moment, one of the more benign lessons (by her birth family's standards) surfaced unbidden, and she recited the words flawlessly.

"In the name of Harry Potter, Lord of House Black, and Daphne Greengrass, Lady of House Black, I, Andromeda Tonks, always the loyal daughter of House Black, hereby sentence you to death. I spit on your bodies and curse your souls…"

Andromeda's last thought before the sentence was carried out was that, if her parents were watching from beyond, they must be cackling madly right now.

Then, two jets of green light shot out from Mike Wilson's wand.

"... to deputy headmistress Carrow!"

Severus Snape finished his long and purposefully boring speech by raising his wine glass. He was followed by the nine other people present in the staff room, glasses clinking. Earlier, he had summoned them all to witness this momentous occasion – a promotion of one of their own. All of them were among the strongest supporters of the Carrow twins, and so being invited to the celebration of Alecto's promotion didn't raise any eyebrows.

After everyone drank from their glasses, the new deputy headmistress opted to address the crowd. "Thank you... headmaster," Alecto Carrow spoke, grinning from ear to ear. Her voice barely contained the usual bite, overshadowed by satisfaction at finally getting what she wanted for months. "I think I speak for all of us here when I say: It's about bloody time!"

This elicited laughs from the gathering, and Severus gave her an obligatory twist of his lips as a response. The next moment, Alecto's asshole of a brother decided to speak as well. "What about you, Minerva?" he said, addressing the only person in the room who hadn't laughed. "Aren't you going to congratulate my sister? Wish her a good luck as your... replacement?" Amycus asked gleefully.

Severus watched carefully for how his old colleague would react to this provocation. Earlier, he had warned her she might need to deal with some insults and smugness. He also gave her detailed instructions on how she should react as not to arouse any suspicion. He knew Minerva wasn't stupid and would do her best, but still... asking a Gryffindor to be cunning was like asking a dog to stop barking. It just wasn't in their nature.

As if to prove his words, his old colleague smiled forcefully while holding her wine glass so tightly it would have broken by now had it not been magically reinforced. "Of course... congratulations, Alecto. I hope you'll do many good things for the students of Hogwarts," she spoke, her lips pursed as she raised the wine glass to salute. The insincerity of her words was patently obvious to everyone. But it was exactly what the twins were expecting from her, so no harm done.

"Oh, I will, you can count on that!" Alecto assured her, sadistic pleasure shining in her eyes as she no doubt imagined everything she was going to do to the poor students.

Afterwards, they all sat down to a small feast prepared in honor of Alecto's new appointment. Everyone began to eat – which was great as stuffing their mouths full kept the provocations to a minimum. Severus consumed the same amount of food as usual while Minerva took few demonstrative bites before seemingly losing her appetitive. It elucidated a smug grin from the twins, making Severus wonder whether Minerva was so superbly playing the righteous Gryffindor or whether she was merely acting naturally.

In any case, it didn't matter. The Carrow twins and their most loyal helpers continued to indulge in the feast – laughing, eating and drinking, and throwing occasional smug looks at his old colleague. Severus paid them barely any attention, too busy eating and thinking about his immediate future. He only looked up when he heard the first tell-tale cough. It was one of the guards, one too loyal to the Carrows, who couldn't be safely bribed over to their side. The man predictably reached for his wine glass and drank from it deeply, thinking it would relieve his throat. More coughing from the crowd and couple of other people, including the twins, reached for their wine glasses as well, still not realizing something was wrong.

And then it was too late.

The next instant, all of the people in the room other than Severus and Minerva started coughing heavily, clutching at their throats. Plates, glasses and eating utensils were knocked over to the floor as their users collapsed in their seats, spasming and helplessly gasping for breath. Severus noticed Amycus Carrow was actually foaming at the mouth. 'Interesting, the poison wasn't supposed to do that,' Severus thought with clinical detachment, making a note to check the formula later. The last thing he wanted was to get sloppy with his potion making skills like all the dunderheads he had been forced to teach!

In the meantime, most of their guests were already twitching down on the floor, having failed to catch their breaths or stop their spasms. In the end only Alecto Carrow was left, the new deputy headmistress of Hogwarts looking at Severus and Minerva with blood shot eyes, silently mouthing the question – "Why?"

But of course, Severus ignored her completely. He hadn't the slightest desire to indulge the crazy woman by explaining his actions. Instead, he drank deeply from his wine glass while looking into her eyes, knowing the antidote he and Minerva had taken would be enough for ten times more poison than what he had placed in the wine. And in the end, it really was an excellent vintage...

At last the jerking and gurgling of their guests stopped. In the corner of his eye, he could see Minerva being not quite as detached from their surroundings, looking at the scene with horror despite having known exactly what was going to happen. "W-what now?" Minerva stammered after they were the only two conscious people left in the staffroom.

As if to answer her question, a house elf popped into the room the next moment. Without being asked, Severus reached into his robes and took out eight strings, each of them carefully labeled with a name tag. Earlier, he had enchanted all of them into portkeys – making sure they would pass through Hogwarts wards and that each of their guests would get exactly where they needed to go. He watched as the elf proceeded to attach each of the strings to the correct person, always double checking the tags before moving on to the next person in line. When he was done, the elf bowed and popped away.

"Daphne Greengrass and Harry Potter," Severus spoke the trigger words once the elf was gone. At his command, all eight portkeys activated at exactly the same time, taking their bearers away. Severus let out the metaphorical breath he had been holding, knowing his task was done – they were someone else's problem now.

"What's going to happen to them?" Minerva couldn't help but wonder out loud, her eyes fixed on the now empty space on the floor.

"That's not my concern," Severus Snape retorted even as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "And neither should it be yours," he stressed warningly, knowing neither of them had any business even speculating about the fate of their former colleagues. Minerva didn't look happy at his dismissive answer but said nothing else.

Privately though, he had wondered the same question. As far as he knew, Lord Carrow had firmly declared Alecto and Amycus had embarrassed his family for the final time. Severus seriously doubted either of them would ever be seen by anybody, ever again. As for their sycophants, Greengrass would no doubt arrange a trial for them where they would confess to torturing and abusing the students of Hogwarts, conveniently taking the blame away from those who were on her side. And after serving as the public scapegoats for the purebloods, they would be imprisoned or killed...

"That reminds me, Minerva," he said, reaching into his robes once more, this time pulling out a sealed letter. "My resignation as the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Severus declared with a great relief while smiling for what felt like the first time in years. "It is effective as of tomorrow, however, I will be leaving already this evening... the school is yours."

"Y-you're running away?" Minerva asked with surprise and a hint of judgment.

"That's right," he said and shrugged, confirming her words without shame. "Until Dumbledore's letter explaining my actions is re-printed in every newspaper, I'm not showing my face in public," Severus declared firmly. Far too many people saw him as nothing but a murderer of the most famous wizard in history. They wouldn't hesitate to lynch him on the spot.

However, his role in Dumbledore's death wasn't the only reason. What Potter and Greengrass were doing, while seemingly a legal takeover, was still too much like a revolution for his taste. The problem with revolutions was that people like him – highly placed experts with no extended family and few friends – were usually lined up at the wall and shot. In addition, even though the thought made him despair about the state of human civilization, he knew Harry Potter was going to be a person of great influence in the future. And as such, he would have people vying for his attention even more than before. Some of the stupider ones or those unfamiliar with Potter's personality might just come to believe bringing him Severus' head would earn them a favor. After all, it was widely known across the country that he and Harry Potter passionately disliked each other.

Minerva nodded at his words. "Understandable, I suppose."

Relieved she was dropping the matter, Severus looked at her pensively for a moment before saying, "You realize, of course, you'll have an important choice to make in the coming weeks and months," he addressed his colleague. Severus figured this might be the last time they were talking as he wasn't sure he was even going to remain in the country – after all, the idea of settling down on the other side of the planet from Harry Potter had its charms. In any case, he reasoned his parting words to her might very well be a well-meaning advice.

"And what choice is that?" McGonagall asked curiously, her eyes narrowing.

"Whether you wish to be the headmistress of Hogwarts temporarily... or permanently," he told her.

The older woman's eyes widened at his words before she shook her head firmly. "If the purebloods are going to win, then they won't let..."

"They will... if Harry Potter tells them to," Snape interrupted her firmly. "The boy likes you. He can ensure you get the job. All you need to do is find a way of getting along with his future wife."

"You mean teaching pureblood philosophy at Hogwarts," Minerva vocalized the unspoken thought they both had and sighed. When Severus nodded in confirmation, she added, "I don't think I can do that. I believe in equality for muggleborns… and I think you do as well," she said, looking at him hopefully.

Severus didn't bother explaining his beliefs as that would take hours. Instead, he simply said, "You will never be able to teach them equality. They won't let you. If you openly oppose the purebloods, you will lose everything. Even Potter won't save you then. He will never choose you over Greengrass." He delivered the words without mercy, pausing to let the Gryffindor head digest them before continuing.

"All you can do is ensuring they are taught equally. If you play your cards right, you'll be in a position to guarantee muggleborns receive the same quality education as purebloods. That is the best you'll be able to do for them." He trailed off before asking, "Is that enough for you? Is that worth it?"

Again there was a brief silence before Severus stood up. "Goodbye, Minerva," he spoke, giving one last curt nod to his colleague of almost twenty years before turning on the spot, his black cloak billowing after him as he left Hogwarts forever.

Even as he walked, he kept thinking about his deputy's situation. Funny thing was, Minerva completely failed to realize how simple she had it – she was a morally uncompromised halfblood and therefore acceptable to both sides in this war. All she had to do was not actively go against the pureblood agenda and show at least rudimentary willingness to cooperate with the new regime.

Despite what he had just told her, Severus didn't think Greengrass would need Potter to convince her all that much. In fact, he was positive the blonde would jump at the chance to have the popular Gryffindor head as the new headmistress of Hogwarts. It would effectively pacify the rest of Dumbledore's diehard supporters and give her what she desired the most besides pureblood supremacy – stability.

Severus sincerely hoped Minerva would take his words to heart. With her in charge, the muggleborn students would have a chance of being treated in the best way they possibly could under the circumstances. Also, just in case he decided to remain in the country after all, it would be highly beneficial to him personally if Daphne Greengrass remembered exactly who had helped her secure Minerva McGonagall's cooperation…

It was highly unusual for the Lord Commander of the household guards to leave his mistress on the eve of battle. But as Daphne had pointed out, he was the only one capable of completing this task.

"Reinforce the northeastern quadrant!" he barked, catching one of his underlings straying from the ward scheme. When the man corrected his mistake, he gave a nod of approval before turning his gaze to the distant muggle city – the only one close enough to Malfoy manor to be threatened by Lady Greengrass and Lord Potter's plan.

Oh, to think he was here, doing everything in his power to protect these worthless cretins, while Lady Greengrass was confronting the dark lord. His only solace was that Lord Potter was with her. After months of training under his command, Harry Potter had become a formidable wizard – more than capable of holding his own. More importantly, he was just as willing to lay down his life for Daphne as he himself was, should the need arise. And yet, that very fact troubled him as well because he knew all too well Lady Greengrass would do the same for the young man.

'She's changed,' he thought. Even his presence here, away from her side, was proof of that change. Just a few months ago, Lady Greengrass wouldn't have spared a thought for the muggles. She wouldn't have cared the explosion she planned to unleash at Malfoy manor would obliterate their city and kill them all. Oh, she still would have sent him to prevent that outcome, but only to safeguard the secrecy of their world. But now… now when she issued her orders, she had been just as concerned about the innocents caught in the crossfire.

And it all came down to Harry Potter. Somehow, the halfblood had accomplished what many who knew her thought impossible – he had changed Daphne Greengrass. Whether the change was for better or worse was a matter of perspective… and ultimately irrelevant. It had no bearing on his duty to Lady Greengrass, and it certainly wasn't his place to judge her! But privately, he believed the change was for the better. As unlikely as their relationship was – given their opposing political alignments and Lord Potter's inferior blood status – it undeniably brought out the best in both of them. Everyone who served them had noticed it. And among them, the general consensus was clear: Lady Greengrass couldn't have chosen a better husband for herself.

"Everyone... STAND READY!" he cried out, having received a signal from the group at Malfoy manor. At his command, more than a dozen wands went into the air, their bearers arranged in carefully designed pattern to maximize the effectiveness of the blast and radiation shields.

Then it happened – a blinding flash of light erupted beyond the thick forest ahead, so intense it would have burned out his retinas had he not been wearing magical protection. At the same moment, a wave of radiation slammed into the shield with a force he hadn't seen since the War – not since one of Gellert's failed experiments.

"Merlin…" someone muttered as the deadly radiation strained their magic, their protective wards groaning under the pressure.

"FOCUS!" he bellowed, knowing they had only seconds before something even worse arrived – the blast wave. And then it hit. Once, a horse kicked his head while he was accompanying the late Lord Greengrass to the stables. It felt eerily similar – only this was much, much worse. A few of his colleagues were caught off guard and thrown several meters into the air, but the second line of defense, positioned closer to the muggle city, quickly caught and steadied them before they could be harmed.

"Report!" he barked the moment the chaos settled, surveying the flattened, burning remains of the forest before him. Behind him, the muggle city… looked untouched.

"We have 96% coverage, my lord," one of his men reported.

He nodded in satisfaction – it was better than he had expected. Some windows would be shattered, roof tops damaged and garbage cans overturned. But otherwise the muggles were unlikely to have suffered serious casualties from what they would believe to have been a meteor strike.

Their media would hail their survival as a small miracle, crediting the hill between the impact site and the city for shielding them from the brunt of the blast. The cover story would be further reinforced by an actual meteorite deposited near the former Malfoy manor and carefully positioned so the muggles would inevitably discover it. As for the residual radiation, it was already being cleansed by mercenaries hired by Lady Greengrass.

"It's over," he said after taking stock of the men and women under his command. "Let's go home."