Hello all-

My name is Nick and I'm the current SOSS Fanfic Coordinator. Our president Amanda and I would like to announce the newest SOSS fanfic. I hope you enjoy reading our delightful story about our beloved Severus Snape. Before we get to the story, let's go over a few rules and introduce you to the topic...

Topic

Severus gets stuck at Grimmauld Place around Halloween and is not allowed to leave on Dumbledore's orders. See him interact with the other residents at Grimmauld Place as Hogwarts students get their first Halloween break in school history.


Rules

1. You must be a SOSS member to post in this thread.
2. If you are a member and plan on contributing, you must put a link to the feedback thread in your signature.
3. All rules of VTM apply to this fanfic.
4. This fanfic is in HBP era, which means Dumbledore is still alive. Please make sure you stick to the timeline.
5. Stick to the plot!
6. No creating characters, this story will be canon (if you absolutely cannot resist adding a new character, PM me about it)
7. Have fun writing!


If you have any questions, please feel free to PM either myself our Amanda (Nevillesgirl). Enjoy our fanfic!


-Nick
HJP
SOSS Fanfic Coordinator










“What do you mean I have to stay in Grimmauld Place?” spat Snape, disgust in every syllable. “ I am not a coward, I am not Black, Dumbledore.”

“No, you are not Sirius,” replied Dumbledore in a calm voice. “But again, you will have to stay at Grimmauld Place for now.”

“I refuse, I am in no more danger now than I was two weeks ago.”

“I’m afraid that is where you are a bit ignorant Severus. The Dark Lord knows your secret; he knows you are not loyal to him anymore. You must be hidden for your own safety.”

“And you can think of no other place except for that grimy pit Black called home?”

“Grimmauld Place is very well protected and you will be able to help the Order more if you were staying at Headquarters.”

“I cannot, I refuse…”

“I’m afraid you have no choice Severus,” interrupted Dumbledore, getting up from his chair and walking over to Fawkes. “You are expected there by dinner tonight. Molly would be thrilled if you arrived early to help out with preparation.”

“Preparation!” screamed Snape, nostrils flaring with anger. “I am not a house elf Dumbledore; in case you have forgotten.”

“No you are not Severus,” replied Dumbledore, not taking his eyes off of Fawkes. “You are far too tall to get confused with house elfs.”

With that, Snape stormed out of Dumbledore’s office, slamming the door behind him. The sounds of the door slamming echoed around the headmaster’s office as Dumbledore sat back down at his desk.

“This will not be easy Fawkes,” moaned Dumbledore, as Fawkes took off from his stand and flew over to Dumbledore’s desk. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Grimmauld Place was blown up by next Tuesday.”






Knock knock knock. The door opened to the second floor bedroom where Harry and Ron were playing a game of wizards chess. Ron’s queen had just tackled Harry’s pawn and dragged it off the board when Mr. Weasley came into the room.

“Boys, Molly wants you down in the kitchen to help cook dinner,” said Mr. Weasley, watching Harry’s knight take down one of Ron’s pawns.

“Oh come on, I’m going to win this game,” replied Ron, glancing up at his father.

“Ron, your mother is in no mood to argue,” retorted Mr. Weasley. “She is preparing a nice dinner for a guest who’s going to be staying with us for a little bit.”

“Who?” asked Harry, curiosity getting the best of him.

“Professor Snape,” replied Mr. Weasley as he walked out into the hallway.

“Snape!” repeated Harry, losing all focus as Ron’s queen took his knight. “What’s he staying here for, he hates it here?”

“I don’t know,” replied Ron, his jaw dropped in horror. “But if he’s as miserable as I think he’ll be, we’re in for one terrible time mate.”

“RON! HARRY! GET DOWN HERE NOW!” screamed Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen.

“Ah I was about to win,” Ron complained, getting up from his seat.

“Like you ever lose,” replied Harry, getting up and following Ron out of the door.





It was six o’clock and everybody was sitting around the dinner table waiting for their new guest to arrive. Hermione and Ginny were giggling at one end of the table as Mrs. Weasley was telling them stories about love potions. Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks and Moody were all at the other end of the table whispering about something. Fred and George were sitting in the middle of the table with Ron, Harry and Bill talking about their business.

“Mom, can’t we start without him?” asked Ron as his stomach gave a loud moan. “I’m starving.”

“Ronald Weasley, you complain one more time and I’ll turn you into a rat,” snapped Mrs. Weasley.

“At least I’d be able to eat the crumbs on the floor,” muttered Ron, causing Harry to choke on his butterbeer.

At half past six the front door opened and everybody went silent, listening to the footsteps of the newcomer walking towards the kitchen. The kitchen door opened and there stood Snape, dressed in all black and looking as miserable as ever.

“Severus,” said Mr. Weasley, standing up and shaking his hand and leading him to his seat. “We waited for you.”

“How nice,” replied Snape, showing no signs of sincerity whatsoever.

Sitting down in his seat, conveniently located right next to Harry, he opened a butterbeer and took a swig.

“Shall we eat?” said Mrs. Weasley, breaking the uncomfortable silence and waving her wand to bring copious amounts of food to the table.

“It looks delicious Molly,” said Lupin, loading his plate with food.

They all ate in silence as the arrival of Snape cast a somber mood around the table. Everyone stuffed themselves with food until their waist was stretching out their pants. Once everyone was finished, Mrs. Weasley flicked her wand and the table was left spotless as people began to get up and leave. Harry and Ron lingered just long enough to hear Mr. Weasley tell Snape he would be staying across the hall from them.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” complained Ron, once they were safely back in their room. “He’s staying across the hall! This is going to be a nightmare.”

“Yes it will Weasley,” whispered a voice coming from the door.

Harry and Ron whipped around to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway.

“Let me make one thing clear to you both,” began Snape, his voice barely a hiss. “While I’m here you two will keep out of my way. It is not my greatest pleasure to stay here and I’m sure you both are not happy either. So stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.”

And with that Snape turned around, walked across the landing and slammed his door shut. Harry and Ron turned to each other, shrugged their shoulders and climbed into bed.

“You stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours,” mimicked Ron. “Like we would want to be in his way in the first place.”

Harry starred up at the ceiling, thinking of how terrible this Halloween would be, as Ron continued to rant.

“Dumbledore gave us this week off for the first time in school history and we still get stuck with Snape! It would have been better to have stayed at Hogwarts!” moaned Ron.

“Yeah,” replied Harry. “At least we know how to keep him off our case. Stay out of his way.”

“Yeah,” agreed Ron, stifling a big yawn. “Night Harry.”

What neither of them knew was how hard it was going to be avoiding Snape. For things just got a lot worse at Grimmauld Place for Harry Potter and the Weasley family.



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-Nick
HJP

Author’s Note: All characters belong to the very talented J.K. Rowling. None of them are mine. I’m just having some fun with them.

Chapter 2

Housemates

Morning came despite Severus’ wish that it wouldn’t. He was awakened by the ruckus made by everyone clamoring down the stairs for their breakfast. “Well,” he thought to himself, “Today seems like as good a day as any to skip breakfast and take a long, hot bath.” Long baths were not a luxury Severus normally had time for; he was usually so rushed in the mornings he forgot to wash his hair half the time.

After his long soak and an absurdly prolonged time attending to his personal toilette, he figured it was probably time to emerge from the solitude of his room and find a place to grade the papers he had brought with him. Besides, it was probably nearing lunchtime his stomach grumbled to him.

At the bottom of the stairs he heard voices emanating from the drawing room.

“I can’t believe he’s really staying here with us the whole week.” Ron was still complaining to Harry, Hermione and Ginny, obviously referring to Snape. “Harry, it’s your house now. I mean, can’t you just chuck him out?”

“That’s right, it is my house!” Harry exclaimed just remembering that, in fact, he was the new owner of Grimmauld Place. “I wonder if I can chuck the git out. It would be my prerogative and it would serve him right!”

“Oh, Harry.” Hermione sighed, “You can’t throw him out. He’s here on Dumbledore’s orders and he’s a member of the Order of the Phoenix. No matter how much any of us dislike it, he’s got to stay. Besides, he’s been a great help to the Order, hasn’t he? I’m sure we can all just stay out of his way. We have plenty of homework to keep us busy. Now, which subject shall we start on? “

Severus took advantage of the simultaneous moans of protest from Harry, Ron and Ginny and crept noiselessly away from the drawing room to head down to the kitchen.





“Molly, are you sure I can’t help you with anything?” Lupin’s voice was heard appealing to Mrs. Weasley just as Severus was about to swing the kitchen door open and enter the room.

Instead, he stayed where he was, pondering whether or not to enter. Would Molly try to put him to work he wondered?

Mrs. Weasley’s reply was the same as it always was. “Remus, dear, you just rest. I know you’re not feeling well during this time of the moon and you need to save your strength. You are of great importance to the Order. Why don’t you ask Professor Snape to make you a fresh batch of Wolfsbane?” She inquired.

“It seems like a good idea on the surface,” replied Remus, “and I’ll admit I never felt better than when Severus made my potion, but he only made it because Dumbledore required it of him. I highly doubt he would do it for me as a favor. I can’t imagine Severus doing a favor for anyone, come to think of it!” he chuckled.

“I feel sorry for him, really. He has no family and no friends; it must be an awfully lonely life.” Mrs. Weasley lamented.

“Actually, I think that’s the way he prefers it.” Remus replied in a quiet tone. “He was always a loner at school and then after losing Li..” he stopped abruptly, knowing he probably shouldn’t share what he knew of Severus’ person life with people as though it was common gossip. But this was Molly Weasley after all. She would never repeat it or use it in a malicious way. Looking at her curious expression, he went on tentatively. “You see, Severus had one true friend at Hogwarts. Not like his Death Eater-to –be cronies, she was a genuine friend. Anyway, they had big argument and hadn’t spoken for years, as far as I know, and then she was killed in a fight against Voldemort himself. Well, as if Severus wasn’t closed off enough as it was, after losing her, he sealed himself off for good. I don’t reckon he wants to risk caring about anyone and suffering that kind of pain ever again.”

“Oh, that is tragic..” Molly began as Severus whipped around and bounded up the stairs two at a time.

“This was utterly ridiculous!” though Severus. “Everywhere I go in this blasted house someone is saying unconscionable things about me. Imagine Lupin gossiping like an old crone! I wouldn’t have thought it of him.”






Finally, Severus settled himself in the dining room and opened his folder of parchments that needed grading. Taking a deep breath, he tried to forget the overheard conversations. He also tried to ignore the now very loud growling of his stomach and concentrate on the task at hand. But suddenly one of the dining room doors opened and in came the crotchety old house elf the Black’s had retained for who knows how long.

Kreacher was muttering to himself as if no one else was in the room. “Oh, if my mistress only knew that traitor Severus Snape was in her beloved home. She would be so disappointed to find out he wasn’t really as he appeared. Will it never end? Mud bloods, blood traitors….” And a bunch of other incomprehensible drivel.

“Shut up!” Severus spat. He could take no more of this. Even the house elf was talking about him! “Get out of here and leave me in peace!”

“Merlin’s beard, this place is filled with imbeciles, werewolves and disobedient servants. How am I expected to keep my sanity?” he wondered aloud. But then, looking his folder, he figured out exactly how he would keep his sanity.

Severus quickly leafed through the parchments until he found the one he was looking for. “Harry… James… Potter. This should be fun!”


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**All characters are the original work of JKR. None of the writing here is used for monetary gain.**

CHAPTER THREE
PRELUDE PRANKS

Severus groaned and rolled over in his bed. The unfamiliar room and surroundings did nothing to aide him in a good night's sleep. It didn't help matters when he was sure Weasley and Potter had spent the better part of the evening playing a rousing game of Exploding Snaps and the racket shook the thin, waring walls of Grimmauld Place.

The clatter of pots and pans banging from the kitchen below reminded Severus that today was Halloween. Severus groaned again and flung the itchy wool covers over his head. All Hallows Eve: the day his beloved Lily had died at the hand of his mentor, his Master. To endure the memory of her demise again for another year was intolerable but to be in such a public venue with virtual strangers was insufferable. By the sounds of the noise below, Severus was sure Molly had invited the entire Order over for some sort of Halloween Party.

"Ridiculous!"

Severus crawled out of bed and headed toward his wash basin. After a quick clean up, Severus headed toward the door. It was here that Severus got a feel for what the day would be like.

Someone, no doubt Potter and Weasley had rigged his door frame with green slime that smelled of fresh strawberry pie. As soon as he crossed through, it smeared him with goo and the scent of strawberries clung to his black robes.

"Scourgify," said Severus with a vicious scowl.

When the spell did not clean up the mess but instead made the smell more pronounced, Severus realized that Miss Granger had indeed been in on the plot. Weasley and Potter could not have thought of anything this brilliant on their own.

As he headed downstairs, he saw Fred and George passing out tiny boxes of candy to everyone in the house.

"Happy Halloween Professor Snape," said George as he handed Severus a small black box that smelled of chocolates.

He took it reluctantly and with a withering glance saw Molly, Arthur and Ron sniff there boxes before eating its contents. Only when Ron mumbled his love for chocolate through a mouthful, did Severus feel confident enough to have a piece. He loved chocolate and it seemed highly unlikely that the twins would dare cause any trouble while their parents were in the same room.

It tasted wonderful. The chocolate melted into his tongue with a variety of flavors. It was the hint of hazelnut that captured his tastebuds. It was decadent. Severus put the box in the pocket of his robes and asked Molly if there was anything he could do to help prepare for the party that evening.

"As a matter of fact Severus, I would appreciate it if you would concoct our potion drink for the evening. Add a bit of flare to it if you know what I mean," she added with a slight wink.

Severus thought for a moment. That shouldn't be too difficult. Something to give a bit of life to the party was definitely a task that he as Potions Master should be able to accomplish with ease.

Molly and Arthur left the room to prepare the basement for the spooktacular event they were keeping secret from the entire family. As soon as they left, Severus felt a rumbling in his belly. It was painful and twisted, like someone was tying his innards into knots. When he looked around the room, he saw Fred and George waving a small box with the words Ex-lax on it. Granger, the Weasley girl and Potter were covering their mouths, trying to hide the laughter that threatened to escape it.

Severus' face paled. He knew what Ex-lax was. His father needed to use it every once in awhile to stay regular. It was a major downfall of being muggle and since he was half muggle, his body knew how to react to the intrusion of fake chocolate. The problem was that since he was also half wizard, his body would fight the intrusion violently.

Well, there was no way he was going to wait around down here and be the laughing stock of their private jokes. He ran as fast as his scrawny legs would go for the seclusion of his bedroom...even if it meant more slime and smelling strawberries.

He would get even he thought bitterly and the potion drink for the party was the perfect way to do it.

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Severus plopped down into a squishy overstuffed armchair in the corner of his bedroom. He propped his right elbow on the arm rest and began massaging the bridge of his nose with strawberry goo-covered fingers, while the left arm was wrapped tightly around his rebelling stomach.

If Potter and the Weasley brats disliked him now, it would be nothing compared to how they would feel after tonight. He could feel a prank war in the offing. He was not usually one to stoop to that type of tomfoolery, or any type for that matter. But it would be a cold day in Hades before he would let these insignificant teenagers get the best of him. He had tricks up his sleeves that those infernal twins could never even conceive of. “Ex-lax, HA! Amatuers!” Severus knew exactly how he could get back at them. Ex-lax would not work on wizard bodies, but he knew a potion that would prevent any of them from leaving the loo for hours. And in a house with only two bathrooms and a dozen people, it would be sure to cause havoc. Severus would make sure he was occupying one of them for nearly the entire night. He did, after all need to wash all of this revolting goo from him.

It was nearly time to go downstairs to join this farce of a party. He braced himself to cross, once again, through the strawberry doorway and stepped into the hall onto Crookshanks’ tail, who was napping right outside his room. He let out a wail of torture, hissed and batted a paw at the mean man who disturbed him and took off like a bolt of lightning down the stairs. Severus cussed under his breath and proceeded to the kitchen to deliver the potion to Molly. A kick is what she wanted and a kick is what she’d get.

“Oh, Severus, thank you so much. I really appreciate this. And, I must apologize for Fred and George. Those two are more than I’ve ever been able to handle. I never even know what they’re up to until it’s too late and someone is sprouting potatoes from their ears, or covered in blue, puss-filled boils. They’re harmless pranks really, but sometimes, I must admit they take it a bit too far.” She stood in front of him blabbering things that Severus let flow through one ear and out the other. When he didn’t respond she continued, “Oh, dear, where are my manners? You can just set that cauldron on the far end of the table by the cups.”

Severus moved to set the cauldron of potion down and as his movement stirred the air, Molly said, “By the way, Severus, you smell absolutely wonderful! New shampoo? Strawberries, is it?”

Severus stiffened and gritted his teeth. He turned to face her and nodded curtly. “Something like that.” And without another word he stormed past her and out the door to head up to his bedroom.

“Was it something I said?” Molly wondered aloud at the icy behavior Severus had given her. Then deciding that it wasn’t much different from his normal behavior, she shrugged and left the kitchen to change her clothes.

Moments later, Fred and George snuck into the kitchen and sprinkled some sparkling powder into the cauldron Snape had just brought in.



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All characters are the property of J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing them.

Chapter 5

Severus’ Halloween Surprise

The party had been in full swing for at least an hour now and Severus had been soaking in the tub for almost as long. The now tepid water and lack of bubbles was no longer enjoyable. He supposed he could just warm up the bath and whip up some more bubbles with a swish or his wand, but what was the point? He had been strawberry-free for quite some time and now his skin was beginning to wrinkle. But what was really bothering him was that he couldn’t figure out was why no one had come banging on the bathroom door yet? He was sure he had added enough Tiloloc root to make anyone nauseous. But rather than hearing the sounds of gagging and retching, it just sounded like an ordinary party. Actually, it sounded like a really good party.

Everyone was laughing and telling stories, of what he couldn’t actually make out, but they sounded amusing. Well, diverting at least. This was not what he was planning on. He thought he had ensured that everyone would have a terrible evening. Maybe it was time to go downstairs and see what was going on. Possibly, Molly had put out so many refreshments that people had forgotten about the potion. That might not be so bad, now he thought of it. The intention wasn’t to sicken the Order members, just those Weasley children, Potter and Miss Granger.

Severus quickly got out of the bath, dressed and tidied up the room within a few minutes and was down in the kitchen before he had time to change his mind. He was met with pleasant greetings from the other Order members and sideways glances from the wretched pranksters, probably wondering what the final outcome was of their little ex-lax joke.

Peering around, it looked as if Molly really had gone to a lot of trouble for this gathering. The room was entirely suffused in candle light and all the linens were black with an enchantment put on them to make them twinkle. There were numerous carved pumpkins and the table was laden with food. Roast chicken, baked ham, potatoes, a stew, at least 3 puddings and dozens of bottles of butter beer, not to mention pumpkin juice, elf wine and a bottle of fire whiskey. Well, no wonder his potion has gone unconsumed with all the other beverages offered.

He started toward the cauldron to check it’s contents when Arthur Weasley stepped up to him. “Severus, this potion you made is quite tasty. I’ve had two glasses already.”

“Oh yes,” Molly chimed in. “Thanks so much for making it. It’s positively delicious! A pumpkin juice base, I believe, with a splash of butter beer, something to make it bubble and smoke and something else I just can’t place.”

“Yes.” Severus replied, trying not to look bewildered by the fact that people had indeed been drinking his potion and it was causing no effect.

After a short pause, Molly went on, “Well, please have something to eat. Would you like me to fix you a plate?

“No. That’s not necessary…. But thank you for offering.” Severus added after he realized that his reply was too curt. He picked up a plate and made to help himself to some food so he could get away from Molly’s kind gaze and figure out what had gone wrong with his potion.

As he leaned over to get himself a butter beer, he felt a small, cool object press against his chest. How could he have forgotten? It was the phial of Veritaserum he always kept with him in his robe’s inner pocket. Occasionally it came in handy if someone was particularly skilled in Occlemency and he couldn’t get what he needed out of them through Legilimency. Severus swiftly reasoned with himself. He decided that it may take too much time to deduce what went wrong with the potion, as he certainly wasn’t going to try any himself. He had to come up with a new plan and quickly.

Hastily, he decided to slip a few drops of the Veritaserum into the pumpkin juice Harry was drinking. He had threatened to do just that the year prior but had never had the chance. Now the opportunity was at hand and he had intentions on taking it. Perhaps, Severus wouldn’t be able to repay the Weasley twins for their childish prank this evening, but he could get Harry back for his part in it. He could ask Harry all manner of embarrassing questions without Harry being able to stop himself from answering. And as an added bonus, Severus could find out what Harry and Dumbledore had been doing in those private lessons.






Five drops of Veritaserum and ten minutes later, Severus reasoned that Harry had drunk enough of the potion for it’s effects to be at their height. He noticed the boy was alone for the moment, eating his third helping of apple tart, and nonchalantly made his way over to him. He began by asking what he felt was an innocuous question. “Enjoying the party? You must be thrilled to have an extra holiday from school and a Halloween party besides.”

“Yeah, um, the holiday is great.” Harry stumbled, trying to figure out why on earth his most hated professor was suddenly making small talk with him. “The thing is, I really don’t like Halloween that much.” Now, what possessed him to tell Snape that? He had never even revealed that to Ron or Hermione, and now he was confiding in Snape?

“Really? You seem to be having a good time. You’ve certainly had your fill of pudding.” Severus replied as unconcernedly as he could.

“Well, of course I enjoy Mrs. Weasley’s cooking and the company, but Halloween brings back agonizing memories for me.” Harry was aware that he was telling Snape some very personal stuff. He really didn’t want to share his thoughts with this man and yet he couldn’t seem to stop what came out of his mouth next. “You see, the only memory I have of my mother was the night she was killed; Halloween night. At first the memory came to me in quick, painful flashes whenever Voldemort was near. I could hear her pleading with him.” Harry hurriedly went on, his voice beginning to crack with emotion. “She asked him to take her instead. She begged him not to hurt me. ‘NO, NOT HARRY! She screamed.’ Then green light exploded and lit up the room and I couldn’t hear her voice anymore.” He finished on the verge of tears.

Severus was stunned! He had no idea what to say. He had intended this question about Halloween as a simple introduction into a much more amusing conversation. Harry’s answer was as far from what Severus had expected as he could imagine. How could it possibly be that this boy could remember that far back? What’s more, how could Severus not have known this; that he and Harry both dreaded Halloween for the exact same reason?

Severus began to reach forward to rest his hand on Harry’s shoulder, and then thought better of it. “I’m sorry to have caused you to relive such an excruciating remembrance. Please forgive me.” Was all he managed before having to turn away from Harry’s sad green eyes. But before leaving he said in barely an audible whisper, “Harry, I’ll be upstairs in my room brewing some dreamless sleep potion. I’ll leave some by your door in the event you should need any to help you sleep tonight.” And then whisked away and out the kitchen door.

This night had gone dreadfully wrong.


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Chapter-6: Veritaserum

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**Again, all charcters are the brilliant work of JKR. I am getting no monetary gain from these writings.**

CHAPTER 7
WHO IS SMARTER THAN SEVERUS SNAPE?

Severus smirked nastily.

"So, Granger thinks she is smart enough to brew Veritaserum overnight, silly girl!"

His voice was a harsh whisper as he gently tugged on the flesh-colored string he had found hiding behind the chamberpot in the hall. How careless of those pesky Weasley twins to leave their Extendable Ears invention so poorly hidden.

Creeping back up the stairs and into his bedroom, Severus contemplated his next move. Something must have gone wrong with his potion. It was hard to believe that in over 15 years as a Potions Master, that he would somehow make a mistake. The only way to be proof positive would be to get a sample of his potion drink and perform a simple test. Perhaps someone had tampered with it but even then, he would need to figure out exactly what had been added to his original potion to see if he would need an antidote or a cure. The first thing he must do is return downstairs and get a sample of that potion.

The second thing he must do is get a message to Miss Know-it-all-Granger and remind her that Veritaserum takes a full moon cycle to mature, unless she wishes to kill him. The thought of the shock at how he had known their plans put a tiny smile upon his face.

The third thing he must do this evening is to brew that potion for Potter. Not only did he need that dreamless sleep, but apparently Potter did as well. Severus couldn't pretend to know or care that Potter dealt with the same nightmare he did every Halloween night, yet when the boy started speaking about his mother and her screams, it cringed every bone in his body. Severus shuddered. He missed his Lily terribly and each Halloween, the guilt of his part in her death consumed him.

Severus left his bedroom and headed for the party. By the sound of things, it seemed that the Party had quieted down. When he reached the basement, he saw Granger, Potter and Weasley saying their good nights and heading for their respective bedroom. That didn't leave him much time.

"Uh, Molly, may I give you a hand?" Severus asked with uncertainty in his voice.

Judging from the stunned silence and blank stare he received from Molly, his request was a surprise and welcome. Without waiting for her to answer he grabbed his cauldron of potion and took it into the kitchen. It took but a minute to speak the incantation softly and a tablespoon of potion filled a clear vile. Severus stealthily placed it in his robe pocket.

After a quick dishwashing spell, the kitchen was in order and Severus bade everyone good evening. It took a moment to realize that Granger wasn't in the bedroom she shared with the Weasley girl. She must be secluded somewhere with Potter. Deciding a Howler was best, Severus set about creating the exact wording and disguising his voice.

"Answer number 456 of the N.E.W.T practice test...Veritaserum takes a full moon cycle to mature...a fourth year should know that!"

He sent it to her at once. The Howler reverberated through the entire house and Severus smiled when he heard Granger gasp from behind the door that Potter and Weasley shared as a bedroom.

Back in his bedroom, Severus stoked the fire upon which his cauldron lay simmering boiling water. He took the vile of his potion drink from his pocket and with a tiny dropper, place three drops of his potion into the boiling water. It hissed shrilly, then a thick yellow mist rose from the cauldron.

"Sneezewort! Whoever in there right mind would add this to a public drink."

Severus shook his head sadly. He would never get a fair shake with these people. Not when someone, most likely one of the Weasley twins, were trying to sabotage his good nature. Severus knew this added to his already long list of things to do that evening. On top of making the Dreamless Sleep Draught, he now needed to brew an antidote for a Confusion Concoction.

Two hours later Severus wiped his forehead tiredly. His antidote was simmering and he was just about done with his Dreamless Sleep potion when he heard Mrs. Black's portrait wailing and screaming in the hall.

"OUT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU FILTH. HOW DARE YOU...DISGRACE. OUT, I SAY!!!"

All characters are the property of JKR. I am stealing them for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 8

May I Borrow Your Cauldron

The sight that met Severus’ eyes in the front hall was peculiar, indeed. Molly and Arthur had beaten him down the stairs and were trying to raise Remus to a standing position, while the late Mrs. Black continued wailing in the nearly lightless room. With a quick flick of his wand, Severus silenced the portrait and lit the candles on the walls.

“Remus, are you alright? What happened?” Molly inquired worriedly.

“I’m fine, Molly.” Replied Remus. “It’s nothing, just couldn’t sleep and went for a walk is all. I lost my balance and accidentally disturbed the picture.”

“If you have everything under control here, I’ll return to my room.” Severus began to head toward the stairs, but was intercepted by Arthur, who was suddenly standing so close to him that they were nearly nose to nose.

“Severus, what on earth are you doing up at this hour?” He asked, looking around as though he had just noticed that they were all standing in the hallway in the middle of the night.

“Same as you. I came to find the cause of the commotion and offer my assistance.” Severus replied levelly. “Turns out it was just Lupin mooning over Mrs. Black’s picture.” He said in a soft, but audible undertone.

“Yes, yes. Now how about some dinner? Mollywobbles, is supper almost ready?” Arthur inquired looking towards his wife.

“What on earth are you going on about?” Molly was mortified by her husband’s use of his pet name for her in front of the others and began blushing.

“Well, I say, it must be nearly time for the party. Where are the children? The other Order members should be here any minute.” Arthur went on jovially.

Mrs. Weasley looked worried. “Arthur, we already had the party. Are you feeling alright?”

“I believe I know what’s happened.” Interjected Severus. “Arthur is suffering from a Confusion Concoction. I’m brewing the antidote as we speak. It should be ready momentarily.” At their looks of confusion, he went on. “You may recall, Molly, that you asked me to put a little kick in the potion for the party. Well, I did as you requested but it seems as though someone else added a bit of their own kick as well. When I noticed that the potion was not having the intended effect, I performed a simple test to see what had been added and it turned out to be Sneezewort. The addition of this ingredient turned my harmless potion into a Confusion Concoction.”

“Oh, that explains it. Thank goodness!” Molly breathed. “How much of the potion did you drink, Arthur dear? Quite a lot I’ll wager.”

“What potion?” was Arthur’s only response before he began roaming around the room looking at the elf head plaque’s hanging on the walls as though they were thought-provoking objects of art.

“The professor’s potion!” she bellowed and then turned to Severus. “The twins again, I’m afraid. I’m dreadfully sorry about this and all the trouble you’ve had to go through brewing yet another potion. We’re so lucky to have you here. What would we have done without you?” Molly inquired rhetorically. “As they say, all’s well that ends well!”

“Not exactly,” Remus spoke his first words since being propped up by the Weasley’s. He looked feverish and wan and appeared to be extremely weak. “There were a lot of Order members here this evening and they may have had as much of the potion as Arthur. If they are as confused as him, they could very easily, albeit inadvertently, give away Order information that could be detrimental to us all.”

“Bravo, Lupin.” Severus retorted icily. “That’s why I’ve brewed the antidote. Now, after Arthur has regained his senses, he’ll be able to administer the antidote to all the members of the Order that work at the ministry. As, I’m not allowed to leave Grimmauld Place, you’ll have to round up the other members and give them the antidote yourself.” He said pointedly to Remus.

“Fine.”

“No, it’s not fine." Molly cut in. “You are not leaving this house while you’re this ill. It’s his time of the moon.” She pleadingly looked towards Severus. “I’ll do it myself and I’ll not hear a word about it from anyone! I’m a member or the Order of the Phoenix, same as any of you and I’ll do what needs to be done. Now, if you’ll kindly bring me the antidote, Severus, I’ll be sure Arthur drinks it and we can all get some sleep.”





The next morning found the house very quiet. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had both gone to administer the antidote Severus had given them the night before. The twins were at the joke shop and Remus hadn’t yet risen from bed. When Severus entered the kitchen, he found Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny helping themselves to an enormous breakfast that Mrs. Weasley had prepared just before she left. He seated himself at the head of the table, a few places away from his fellow diners.

Hermione gulped her orange juice and managed a cordial “good morning” in Severus’ direction, to which he gave a perfunctory nod. Ron and Ginny just stared at him with a look of unmistakable malice. But Severus couldn’t make out the look Harry was giving him. It seemed to be a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

After studying Harry’s expression for a moment, Severus finally spoke. “Did you sleep well, Potter?”

“Um, fine…thanks.” Harry replied while everyone else kept alternately staring at either Severus or himself. The whole room was wondering how this conversation was going to end any way other than terribly.

“And how was your night, Miss Granger?” Severus inquired with mock interest. “It sounded as if you were studying for your N.E.W.T.’s already. You needn’t bother with that yet, it’s not until next year, you know.”

With an irksome look and an expression that said ‘I’m aware that you’re aware of what we were up to’, Hermione mumbled “I’m aware of that!” through clenched teeth. “As you already know, I wasn’t studying, but I was testing a potion or two.”

“Oh really. How interesting.” Was all Severus would give her.

“Yeah, it was interesting!” Ron suddenly shouted as bits of pancake flew from his mouth. “Hermione found out you put Veritaserum in Harry’s pumpkin juice last night and that the Dreamless Sleep potion you put outside our door was genuine! That sleep stuff knocks you right out. I know; Madame Pomfrey gave me some third year after I broke my leg. Just what were you planning on doing to Harry while he was dead asleep?”

With an indignant look, Severus spat at Ron, “I have no idea what Veritaserum you are referring to and why would you think the Sleeping Draught I left for Potter would have been anything but genuine?

“Because you never do anything nice for anyone!” Ginny chimed in. “You always have an ulterior motive and it’s usually to make people miserable. What do you have against Harry anyway? Jealous because everyone likes him and no one in their right mind likes you?”

“Yeah, and you’re nutters if you think I’d ever let Harry drink anything you gave him, genuine or not! Come on, Hermione,” Ron continued, “Never mind asking him that question. He’d never give you the truth anyway, slimy git!”

With that, Ron and Ginny were out the door, but Hermione and Harry stayed back. The look on Hermione’s face made it obvious that she was wrestling with herself about something. Finally, she looked Severus straight in the eye. “Professor, I’d really like your opinion about something…a potion actually. I wanted to know if the Dreamless Sleep Draught would work on Remus; him being part werewolf and all. He’s been having a terrible time and he didn’t sleep much last night. I though some rest would do him good.”

“Yes, it will work on him, but seeing as it’s so close to full moon, he should ingest twice the regular amount." Severus answered in an almost bored tone. "Did you brew this potion yourself, Miss Granger?”

“No, I figured I’d just give him to potion you made last night, um, now that we know it’s authentic and since Harry didn’t use it.” Hesitantly, she went on, hoping her professor might actually give her the help she desperately wanted. “I did want to make Remus some Wolfbane’s potion though. I’ve read the directions dozens of times, but I know that if I make even one small error, I could harm him much more than I could help him. So my instincts told me not to risk it.”

“Go with your instincts.” Was Severus’ only reply.

The glare she gave him before she exited the room wasn’t so much anger as it was disappointment and regret. ‘Was she disappointed that he didn’t help her? Or was she disappointed in herself for asking him in the first place? Did she regret that she couldn’t help her friend Lupin? Or was it regret for ever having thought that Severus would treat her with respect and show a minute amount of compassion for anyone?’ Severus’ thoughts were interrupted when he realized that someone was still in the room and staring at him intensely.

“Professor Snape,” Harry chanced, “I have a question for you too.”



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Sorry everyone-I waited as long as I could! I hope you like it; please leave feedback. As always, all characters are the property of JKR.

Chapter 9

Half Truths

Severus stared intently at Harry, trying not to show the trepidation that he was feeling. “What was it you wanted to ask me, Potter?”

“I want to know why you put Veritaserum in my drink last night and I really would appreciate the truth.” Harry stated in his most level tone. “I think it’s the least you owe me after tricking me into telling you my most painful memories. I mean, I know you hate my parents and all, and honestly I understand about my father…you know after seeing that memory in the pensieve last year. But are you really so cruel that you’d make me relive those awful memories just so you could enjoy hearing about my mudblood mother’s death? Did you hate her that much; just for being muggle born?” Harry ended in a much more volatile manner than he had planned.

Shocked, Severus hastily replied, “Hate your mother? I never hated your mother. You’re mistaken. I couldn’t care less about her being muggle born!”

“Couldn’t care less? I saw that memory remember? I saw her trying to help you and you yelled at her and called her a mudblood!” Harry shouted, his face becoming flushed with anger.

“You’re interpretation is wrong. It couldn’t be more wrong.” Severus sighed. “You only saw part of that memory, Potter. It was a foolish thing that I said and I apologized for it later. I was just upset and I took it out on her. I regret it.”

“You apologized?” Harry asked in disbelief. “What did she say?”

“She did not accept my apology.” Severus was quite for a moment. He did not intend to tell Harry about his feelings for Lily. His memories of their friendship were all he had left of her and he wouldn’t share them with anyone. Instead, he decide to answer the boy’s initial question, and truthfully at that. He supposed it was the least he could do after the torture he had put him through the previous night. “As for the Veritaserum, I put it in your drink as a prank. I thought I would repay you for your involvement in the little “chocolate” joke you all found so amusing. Believe me; I did not expect you to reveal such personal recollections. I have asked your forgiveness; I can do no more.”

Harry stared at his professor for a moment. Snape really did look remorseful. “But you did do more, Professor. You brewed a dreamless sleep potion for me. Why?”

“I felt it was my duty after what I had done to you. I am not so cruel as you think. If you’d like an example of cruelty, you need only look to the Dark Lord, or your father, perhaps.” Severus was sorry for that last remark the moment it slipped from his lips. He just couldn’t help himself. He had hated James Potter and his mates for so long that insulting them was second nature. But before he could take it back, Harry was yelling at him as never before.

“It always comes back to the same thing! You hate my father; I get it. He harassed you and embarrassed you, but that was him…that wasn’t me! I’m not James! I’M HARRY! Will you ever stop tormenting me for what he did to you? Stupid question, huh? Of course you won’t. You can’t even forgive Remus for being friends with Sirius and my dad, can you?”

Severus was taken aback. He had never been spoken to like this by a student in his entire career. He stared at Harry with his mouth slightly open, about to speak, but he could think of nothing to say. The boy was eying him with such contempt. It was much like the way he himself used to glare at James and Sirius. Exactly the same way, actually. But how could Harry hate Severus as much as he had hated his late classmates? Surely Severus had never done anything so malicious to Harry as Harry’s father had done to him, had he?

As he was contemplating this and as Harry was glowering at him, suddenly the kitchen door swung open and in came Molly Weasley, chattering before she even knew who was in the room. “Well, I’m glad that’s over with. Mundungus Fletcher was the worst of all. Stands to reason he would have drunk the most.” After noticing Severus and Harry and the expressions on their faces, she added, “Good afternoon you two. How’s everything been here?”

“Fine.” They both lied in unison before unceremoniously bolting from the kitchen and parting ways as soon as they were up the stairs.




Severus stayed in his room for the remainder of the afternoon reflecting on the conversation he had had with Harry in the kitchen. ‘Could he have possibly misjudged the boy? He had always thought Harry arrogant, attention-seeking and impertinent. He never thought of him as sensitive or even as a person, for that matter. But Harry was a living, breathing being in his own right; not just Lily’s son. And he was very courageous earlier. It was quite brave of him to confront Severus with those questions and accusations. Now he thought of it, Harry was much braver than James had been at that age. James had only attacked Severus when his friends were there to protect him. Harry, on the other hand, harassed his classmates when….when…actually, Severus had never seen Harry harass anyone.’

The memory of seeing Harry being bullied by his cousin during their Occlemency lessons last year came to mind. It was something Severus could relate to. He would have destroyed that boy if he had been Harry’s position. Yet, he couldn’t remember a single occasion when he had seen Harry mistreated anyone. Even when Draco was badgering him, he very rarely rose to the bait. Of course, Severus had seen Harry fire his share of spells and hexes at Draco, but that was usually when he was defending Weasley or Miss Granger. He was a rather fierce friend…just like his mother.

Dumbledore’s words from long ago rang in Severus’ mind, ‘You see what you expect to see, Severus.’ And from another conversation ‘He may look like his father, but in personality, he is much more like his mother.’ Was this in fact true? Had Severus only seen what he wanted to see?

Severus had been in this God forsaken house for a mere three days and he thought he would have rather been confronted by the Dark Lord about his betrayal than stay here one more day. All this conversation; it was agonizing. How had the Dark Lord learned of Severus’ duplicity, anyway? He hadn’t asked that of Dumbledore before he left Hogwarts. Tomorrow he would contact him via the floo network and have some answers about that. With thoughts whirling through his head at a dizzying speed, Severus fell into a fitful sleep that lasted until the commotion of everyone gathering for dinner woke him.




Remus was noticeably absent from the dinner table again. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley chatted on about their respective days while the rest listened absentmindedly. The mood was solemn and after the dishes were cleared, everyone dispersed to pursue their own endeavors. Severus though he might peruse a book or two in the Black library and opened the door expecting to find it empty.

Instead he found a nice warm fire crackling and all the candles lit. At the far end of the room, in the most comfortable looking chair, sat Miss Granger engrossed in a very old volume entitled ‘Preposterously Problematic Potions and their Precise Preparation’. Upon Severus entering, Hermione glanced up and gave him that same look of disappointment and regret from earlier that day.

He looked pointedly at the book’s title. “A bit ambitious, Miss Granger, even for you.”



Please leave feedback here .

Hello everyone, this is my first try to collaborate in a fanfic, so please bear with me.
So here it is, but first all the characters belong to JKR, I am just borrowing them for our pleasure. . .have fun reading.


“Oh Professor Snape, I am . . . I am just reading” said Hermione as she looked up.

“Very well Granger, do you honestly think that you could concoct a potion such as Wolfsbane?” said Severus with so much contempt in every word.

Hermione was in near tears when she fled the library leaving the door unclosed. Snape felt a little uneasy as he saw the eyes of Hermione full of tears, he knew that she only wanted to help, but then didn’t she realized that it was a very complicated potion and would be life threatening in case of any chance of mistake. He walked toward the door and closed it and went for the book and took a seat in an old fashion chair near the fire, but instead of poring over the book, he again thought back of the conversation with that Potter boy and his encounter with that Granger girl just now. He felt that somehow he was too arrogant not to notice the helplessness of Lupin and his pain during the coming of the moon to its fullness. Maybe he should consider in brewing some Wolfsbane tonight, but all of the ingredients were at Hogwarts, ah maybe it is time for me to speak to the headmaster; I’ve a question to ask at the same time.

So he get up and look for some floo powder in the fire place and saw some in a wooden box seating above the concrete cornice. Snape put his head in the fire and throw some and shouted “Hogwarts Headmaster’s room”.

After a few seconds he was looking in the headmaster’s room and saw Dumbledore was looking outside his window.

“Headmaster” whispered Snape, Dumbledore turned in surprise to see Snape’s head floating in his fire place.

“Ah Severus, it was a pleasant surprise. In what circumstance were you in that you need to speak to me in this hour of night?” asked Dumbledore as he went to seat across his fire place. “And as you can remember it is a bit risky for you to use the floo network as you very well know that it is connected in the ministry and some unwanted eyes may saw this” said Dumbledore looking unperturbed his hands on top of the other seating on his lap.

“I really need to speak to you,” said Snape quickly “I will lost my sanity if you didn’t get me out of here soon. The people here were giving me a lot of feelings that I thought I hadn’t had for a long time. Besides, I haven’t asked what the Dark Lord had suspected.”

Dumbledore silently tapping his fingers on top of his other hand and said “Severus, I had something to tell you, the Halloween break was actually a plan that I conceived.”

“What?” asked Snape immediately “I thought. . . he was interrupted by Dumbledore’s hand wave.

“Severus please listen to me, said Dumbledore, the Dark Lord was in no doubt of your loyalty as of this moment but we can not be certain that there will not come the time that he will no longer trust you and that is what I am most afraid of. You see, you are part of this plan even though you were unlikely to believe that your part is one of importance, Harry needed you more than any of the order member. I wanted you and the order members to trust and help out each other, especially that they only trust you because of me.”

“I don’t care what they think, Dumbledore” interrupted Snape before he could stop himself.

“I know, but I needed you and Harry also, even if he doesn’t know. Now, I really have to tell you something, as you know, I have really a short time left, wait, is there someone from your side, it seems that I saw something, you better go, remember I will be the one to contact you, go now.”

With a small pop Snape remove his head from the fire place. Snape was so frustrated he hadn’t talked Dumbledore to get him out of this wretched place and was so infuriated to know that this was after all a set up for him to stay here. He was about to leave the library when the voice of Mrs. Black rang across loudly yet again, he was in no mood to know as to what had caused that despicable old woman to disrupt the night. But still, he clambered down the stairs just to find out that it was that Tonks girl with her impeccable ability to knack things over that had woken that undeniably miserable woman.

“Sorry, really sorry” mumbled Tonks as she pick up the knocked down cloth hanger, “I have news, sorry again Molly, from Mad-eye.”

“What had brought you here?” asked Arthur as he stumbled down the stairs.

“What news indeed, Ms. Tonks had brought you here at this hour?” said Snape maliciously.

Tonks seemed unable to speak in front Snape.

This is exactly what Dumbledore had told him about, the mistrust within the order, now he fully understood the headmaster’s plan. But still, he didn’t care, but then he would not also keep his promise to Lily, if he hadn’t had the cooperation of his fellow members, he couldn’t help Harry.

“So, why don’t we go down the kitchen and have some tea and talk about what Mad-eye wants to tell us” said Snape leading down the way to the kitchen.

The three look at each other and then Arthur nodded, and all went after Snape.

I’ll be glad to hear your feedback here.

A/N: Hey everyone~ Well, Amanda has said that we needed to be wrapping this up since Halloween is over, and I've asked Nick if it was alright if I posted the last chapter. He gave me the thumbs up! So, this is what I've come up with for the end of this wonderful collaborative.

Disclaimer: I am not, nor will I ever be JK Rowling, whose brilliant mind these beloved characters came from. I am not, nor will I ever be receiving money for playing with her world and characters.




The mood at the kitchen table was tense to say the least. Severus sat back in his chair, one hand massaging the bridge of his nose, letting the news Tonks had brought with her sink in. He shook his head in disdain. Hadn’t he, Severus Snape told them all the same thing not two weeks before? Voldemort was rallying Death Eaters right and left and his ranks were growing at an alarming rate. Whether or not the newcomers to the Dark Lord’s side were joining of their own accord was another matter. But growing it he was, and no one could deny it.

He was planning to take over the Ministry of Magic. There was a new imperiused ministry worker everyday. It wouldn’t be long until he had them all under his thumb, and Hogwarts would be his as well. . . Severus had told them all of it. There wasn’t a single tidbit that Tonks had brought with her that Severus himself hadn’t already told them. ‘The trust thing again!’ he thought bitterly.

He wanted nothing more than to retire to bed and forget this whole confounded day, no, not just the day. . . the entire holiday! Luckily tomorrow they would all be going back to Hogwarts and he could get his life back to normal.

He snapped out of his reverie to find every eye in the room on him.

“Well?” asked Arthur staring expectantly.

“Well what?” he asked back.

“What is your opinion on the matter at hand?”

“My opinion is that you are all a little slow, it seems. . . Didn’t I tell you all of this already?” And without another word or glance at anyone, he rose and swept out of the room.

He ascended the stairs to his room, but paused when he overheard his name coming from Ginny and Hermione’s room. It was Hermione speaking. “He’s horrid! How hard would it have been for him to help with the potion? I have never seen Lupin be anything but respectful to him, and you’d think that Snape would be willing to help.”

“Come off it, Hermione. . .” said Ginny exasperated. “When have you ever heard of Snape helping anyone but himself? I honestly don’t know why you are so surprised. He hates everyone, and he would be a fool to not know that the feeling is quite mutual.”

“I don’t know. . . Do you think maybe he’s just misunderstood? Maybe he just needs to know that someone cares about him. After all, Harry has blamed him for everything from trying to steal the sorcerer’s stone to trying to kill him. And he has been innocent of everything. Maybe I should just ask him again, to help me brew Lupin’s potion.”

“Hermione, you are way too soft. He’ll never help you. You said it yourself, he’s horrid!”

“I think I’ll ask him again anyway.”


Severus heard a rustling and assumed it was Hermione getting up to find him. He hurried to climb the next flight of stairs but only made it half way up before the door to the room he’d just been eavesdropping at opened slowly. He knew it was Miss Granger, but he didn’t look back, nor did he stop climbing until he heard her speak.

“Professor,” she said softly.

He looked down and saw her red, puffy eyes and mentally kicked himself for being the one to have caused it. “Yes?” he asked.

“Well. . . er. . . um. . . Could you. . . I mean, I know you could, but. . . well. . . would you. . . please help me make wolfsbane for Lupin. I would love to be able to help him through this, and he has told me himself that no one brews it as well as you do, not even himself. I. . .”

“Enough babbling, Miss Granger.” He had half a mind to tell her no, but how could he when she had defended him just now? “Meet me in the kitchen straight after dinner is cleaned up tonight.”

Hermione’s eyes brightened and she beamed, a new light to her countenance. “Thank you, Professor.” He watched her as her step became bouncy and she hurried back into her room, no doubt to report his answer to Ginny.

He continued to his room, but stopped again at the Weasley twin’s room when he heard his name. Couldn’t the children in this house think of anything better to talk about than him?

“I don’t know why it didn’t work. It’s never failed before. Everyone’s head should have been transformed into watermelons with everyone sneezing out the seeds.”

“Maybe we didn’t put enough in.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I dumped the whole package in.”

“Maybe we put in too much.”

“Nah, that would only cause everyone’s heads to grow even bigger.”

“Maybe Snape guessed we might try to do something to it and placed a charm on it or something.”

“Nah, I don’t think he’s smart enough to guess that.”

“Well, maybe he put something in it to get back at us for the ex-lax and the sneezewort counteracted whatever he put in.”

“Don’t be stupid, George. I don’t think Snape is capable of such fun things.”


“Well then, why don’t you come up with an idea and stop shooting down all of mine!?”

Severus left the twins room, smirking. He had been called fun! Well really he had been called un-fun, but he had done exactly what George had suggested, so in a sense Fred had just called him ‘fun.’

He started up the stairs again and stopped once more when he heard Potter say his name.

“I’m telling you, Ron, I’m sure Snape is helping Malfoy! I don’t know what they’re up to, but I will find out! Snape is a Death Eater, and I don’t care what Dumbledore says, I think it’s insane of him to trust the git!”

“I hate to sound like Hermione, mate, but haven’t you ever noticed how every time you blame Snape for something, it ends up that he’s innocent?”

Severus couldn’t listen to anymore of this conversation. Harry was right, he was helping Draco. And if he was this hated right now, how would they feel when he had to take the life of their beloved headmaster. The life of my only real friend.

He entered his room and closed the door softly. He crossed the floor and sat down wearily into his chair. Dumbledore had sent him here to Grimmauld Place to gain the trust of the rest of the order. But is it better to gain their trust and have to crush it, or to never have had their trust at all? He felt the latter would be best.

He promised Hermione that he would help her with the Wolfsbane potion tonight, and that he would do. He was nothing if not a man of his word. But he would do nothing else to gain the trust of anyone else in the order. He would play the part that Dumbledore had asked of him. He would spy on the Dark Lord and help the order as well as he could. But he could not let himself become friends with anyone else. It would only hurt him that much more when they all despised him more than they already did.

Besides what did it matter. . . There would come a time when everyone would know just the kind of man he was, and he looked forward to that day. But until then, it would have to be enough that he knew himself who he was and that he had the friendship and trust of the greatest wizard of all time. Yes, that would have to be enough.





Well, there you have it. I hope I have ended it to everyone's liking. You can let me know here.

Love to all,
~Dayna