Armilla

Chapter 72

Neither of us spoke as we made our way back to the dungeons about fifteen minutes later. We hadn't said much at all in the moments after Mother's spirit left the ring. We had left the ring in Dumbledore's office. Snape would collect it later and then I supposed that it would be returned to the Merrigan vault at Gringotts.

Though both of us had known it was coming, witnessing such a thing did not make it any less disturbing. I wasn't sure exactly how I was feeling...perhaps a little empty. Snape's face wasn't giving much away at all. His prolonged silence probably meant he was feeling the same way I was.

As much as I knew I would miss my mother, I believed that it was harder for Snape to lose her again. I knew he had been to see her many times without me throughout the school year. Though they had often disagreed, Mother had been the person Snape would go to when he needed to talk.

I spent the rest of the day studying for my History of Magic OWL on Monday. It was a little hard to focus; my mind kept wandering back to Mother. It hadn't quite hit me that I could no longer make the trip to Dumbledore's office when I needed to speak with her. The feeling was quite surreal. It was a little bit like how I had felt in the moments after Merle's death. There was a period of not quite believing what had happened. I wasn't sure how long it would take before it sank in that Mother had moved on.

I missed her already, but I knew that it was selfish to wish her back again; she had been waiting to be at peace for so many years.

I did my studying on the sofa in the living room. It felt a little too lonely to do it in my bedroom, even though Morag was there. Morag was still napping anyway.

At first I didn't think I would end up with company after all. When we had gotten back, I had headed towards the sofa, but Snape had gone straight into his lab. He had stayed in there for about twenty minutes and I had heard him preparing ingredients. Perhaps that was soothing for him. When he came out, he joined me on the sofa without a word and opened a Potions journal. I supposed he didn't really feel like talking either.

We said very little at dinner. It was not an uncomfortable silence; both of us were content to simply be absorbed by our own thoughts.

When we left the table, I headed back to the sofa for more studying. Snape pulled on his outer robe and addressed me as I reached out for my notes.

"Armilla, I need to see the Headmaster about a few things," he said, his eyes fixed intently on mine. "Will you be alright here by yourself? Answer honestly."

I nodded. "I think so," I answered. I still didn't like being alone without him, but I was determined to work on coping with his absences.

He nodded as he headed for the door. "I do not expect to be long." He gave me a hard look as he opened the door. "Make sure you contact me at once if you need me, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem."

I nodded. He must have thought I was still a bit delicate at the moment. He had pretty much said the same thing earlier, shortly before he had left for the Ministry of Magic. I was determined to be un-fragile as soon as possible.

I kept on studying after he left, pretending that he was really just in another room, and not far away in another part of the castle. I wondered what he meant by not being away too long. Ten minutes? Half an hour? An hour? I hoped it was less than a half hour. Having to deal with staying by myself was no easy feat.

Half an hour went by. An hour went by. I kept at my study, but after two hours had gone by I began to grow worried. I was sure Snape hadn't meant that he would be gone for over two hours.

Maybe he hadn't meant to be away this long. Surely if something had come up he would have told me. I pulled out my chocolate frog card and was relieved to see the wizard on the front waving to me, indicating that a message had been sent. I accessed the message and felt myself go numb as I read the message.

Something has come up and I have to leave the castle. I am not sure how long I will be, but Dumbledore knows where you are and you can contact him if you need him. Don't sit up waiting for me. Make sure you go to bed on time.

If I hadn't being feeling so sick about the first couple of sentences, I would have laughed at the order to go to bed on time. He must have been called by the Dark Lord. He had to have been. There would be no other reason for having to leave the castle so abruptly.

How could I not worry? The Dark Lord would surely still be angry over what had happened in the Department of Mysteries. Some of his Death Eaters had been caught. He would probably know by now that my father had fled. How could I not be worried that Snape wasn't being tortured at that very minute over failing to answer where Father was? If Snape had an alibi, he hadn't told me about it. Not that I expected him to, especially when it came to his double-agent role. I just hoped he would be alright.

When I went to bed, I stayed awake for a long time, listening for sounds that would indicate my brother's return. The only sound I could hear was Morag's soft hooting from her cage. At eleven thirty, he had still not returned. It was after midnight before I realised that Snape would be furious if he found out that I stayed awake all night waiting for him. He would fix me with a stern expression and tell me that he had taught me Occlumency for a reason. Staying up all night would do no one any good.

Finally, I brought my shield up to push back all the frantic emotions and horrific images from my mind. As I finally fell asleep, the only sound to be heard was still coming from my owl.

o o o o o o o o o o

I awoke after eight o'clock on Sunday morning, feeling like I hadn't slept much at all. The use of my mental shield had kept nightmares from plaguing me, but I didn't know if I had just woken up to a real nightmare. It hit me that my mother was gone. I hoped that Snape would be back.

I hastily got out of bed and made my way over to the door. Snape very rarely slept past seven o'clock. I walked out to the sitting room and felt my heart start thudding when I found it to be empty.

I turned back to the corridor and breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw that the door was slightly ajar. It had been closed when I had gone to bed the night before. He was in there.

I knew better than to just walk into his bedroom. As close as we were, I knew he wouldn't appreciate me going in there to wake him up for no reason, especially when he had been out all night.

I went back to my room and showered and made my bed. After feeding Morag, I made my way out to the sitting room to find it still empty. Breakfast hadn't been delivered because Snape had said that we would have breakfast in the Great Hall. I was supposed to sit at the Ravenclaw table and deal with the anxiety of being surrounded by possible impostors, while Snape sat at the staff table. I wasn't going to go up there without him.

I turned around and nearly jumped a mile when I saw Snape walking down the corridor just a couple of metres away.

He smirked. "Scared you, did I?"

"How do you move so silently?" I said, getting over my shock.

"It's an art," he said dryly. "Acquired by few, and appreciated by even less."

I stared at him, trying to hide my smile at his ability to make amusingly snide comments when he had been out all night. Actually, it was probably tiredness that contributed to his fetish for sarcasm. I was thankful to see no visible injuries.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

He nodded, looking closely at me. "Did you sleep?" he asked. Trust him to turn the conversation around.

"Yes," I answered. "What time did you get back?"

"Shortly after one," he said, folding his arms. He gave me a knowing look. "Probably not long after you fell asleep."

"I went to bed on time," I said indignantly.

"Indeed." He reached out for my bandaged arm and unwrapped the bandages. He took out his wand a muttered a few spells, no doubt checking on the strength of the bones. Nodding in satisfaction, he vanished the bandages and put his wand away. He fixed me with an intense look. "Were you alright in my absence?"

I nodded, wincing as I tried moving the joints surrounding my newly mended wrist, which was quite stiff. "I would be better if I knew what went on."

He narrowed his eyes. "That was far from a subtle request for information."

I didn't answer. I just looked back at him, waiting to see if he would tell me anything.

He sighed. "I was called by the Dark Lord during my meeting with the Headmaster. I left the Hogwarts grounds and apparated to his side as quickly as I could." He gave me a stern look. "I will not disclose the main contents of the meeting, as it is not information you need to know."

I nodded in agreement. "I just want to know what he knows about Father," I said softly.

"That certainly came up," he said, suddenly looking ill-tempered. "Father has certainly fallen out of favour with the Dark Lord, especially because he won't answer his Master's summons at the moment." He paused for a moment. "The Dark Lord," he said slowly, "was not at all impressed that I had no idea about Father's current location. He had believed there was a degree of hostility between us for some time, so it was not too difficult to convince him that Father would not tell me such things."

Well, that was a relief. Snape's words gave a strong indication that he had been tortured though.

"As for Lucius Malfoy," he went on, his lip curling at mention of the name, "The Dark Lord is furious with him. I withheld my knowledge of the reward Lucius was meant to have, had he succeeded, and the Dark Lord did not suspect anything. All in all, it wasn't as bad as it could have been."

I nodded. I was so relieved. I knew Snape was only telling me the basic details, but I still thought it could have been a lot worse.

He moved towards the door. "That's all you need to know. Come, we are having breakfast in the Great Hall."

I wanted to ask him if he really was alright, but I was sure the question wouldn't be taken well. Snape had probably been through hard times with the Dark Lord on many occasions, but he was adamant that I should know nothing of the details, including any injuries he may have sustained during them.

Pushing back my question, I followed him to the door and walked up to the Entrance Hall with him in silence. He was quiet like he had been the previous day after Mother's spirit had been freed.

"I'd like you to come back down to the dungeons after breakfast," he said quietly as we walked over to the Great Hall. "There are a couple of things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Alright," I said, wondering what he wanted to talk about. It was usually something important when he requested my presence.

"When you see me leave the Great Hall, come and meet me by the dungeon stairs," he went on, his black eyes fixed intently on mine. He looked into the Great Hall, where a number of students were laughing and chatting over their breakfast. Seeing as it was Sunday, as well as the fact that exams were over, there wasn't a great number of students in there. "There are less people in there than usual, that should make things easier," Snape said quietly.

I nodded. "I hope so." I was already feeling a little nervous. Were there impostors in there waiting to transport me back to Father? I suddenly felt insecure. I only had my wand. I didn't have any of Fred and George's products with me that could help if such a thing happened again.

"You have turned white," said Snape, frowning slightly at me. "Are you sure you want to eat breakfast here?"

I nodded. "If I go back downstairs I'll feel fragile and that's the last way I want to feel. I'll be alright."

Snape looked doubtful, but after a moment's thought, he nodded. "Fine," he murmured, "but you would do well to remember that this fragility issue you have is a product of your imagination only."

I nodded, feeling a little better. "I need to order a few things from the Weasley twins," I whispered.

The tiniest hint of amusement flashed over his face, but a moment later, his face was neutral once more. "I wish to speak with you about those particular gentlemen later this morning. In the meantime, go and join Mr Boot and Miss Turpin. They've been staring at us for the last minute or so."

I looked over at the Ravenclaw table in time to see my friends hastily looking away. They weren't that subtle at times either. They were now pretending to be absorbed in The Sunday Prophet.

"You'll be fine," Snape whispered. "I will see you later." He swept off alongside the Slytherin table, his expression menacing. Students scuttled out of his way when they saw him coming.

I slowly walked over to the Ravenclaw table, trying to push away the slightly nauseous feeling I had inside. "Hi," I said, as I sat down next to Lisa. I pushed away the incredibly paranoid feeling that quite a few pairs of eyes were on me. It was just nerves...it was just nerves...

"Hey Mill," said Lisa, as Terry smiled across the table. She pushed her copy of The Sunday Prophet in front of me. "Take a look at this," she said.

I looked down and found that I wasn't entirely surprised to see such a title.

HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED RETURNS

'In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned to this country and is once more active.

'"It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord - well, you know who I mean - is alive and among us again," said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed reporters. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the Dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe the Dementors are currently taking direction from Lord - Thingy.

'"We urge the magical population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defence which will be delivered free to all wizarding homes within the coming month."

'The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the wizarding community, which as recently as last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumours that You-Know-Who is operating among us once more".

'Details of the events that led to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, though it is believed that He Who Must Not Be Named and a select band of followers (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening.

'Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards and reinstated chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, has so far been unavailable for comment.

"About time the Ministry started paying attention," I said, yawning as I reached for the toast. I looked up and nearly dropped the toast in my hand when my eyes met the cold eyes of Draco Malfoy. He had no expression on his face as he looked back at me. A few of the Slytherins around him looked subdued, but all the others were chatting quite happily.

I broke the eye contact first. I had no wish to make any communication with him, and looking at him also made me feel more nauseous. I snuck a glance at the staff table. Snape was deep in conversation with Professor Sprout, his face serious as usual.

"It all happened on Thursday evening," said Lisa, pulling the newspaper back towards her. She gave me a pointed look. "It seems Thursday evening was a bit of action-filled night."

I looked evenly back at her. "Your point being?"

She smiled. "You know my point very well, Armilla. You're just not allowed to tell us what happened. But there's a fair bit in the Prophet here." She gestured at the numerous articles.

I shook my head. "I had no involvement in that," I said. "I can tell you that. I was not there. No relation of mine was there."

They both looked relieved.

We ate in silence for a couple of minutes. Lisa turned the pages of the newspaper as she ate, pausing every now and then to read articles that caught her interest.

Terry looked completely lost in thought. His normally good humoured face seemed strained as he stared down at his porridge. He seemed more content to absently stir it with his spoon rather than eat it.

The silence bothered me. I knew that my friends were worried about the return of the Dark Lord. Now that his return had been officially recognised by the Ministry, everyone seemed officially on edge. Looking around the room, I noticed that many students were absorbed in their newspapers, theirs faces grim. Others were exchanging whispered conversations, and were giving pointed glances at certain students, most notably, the Slytherins.

I certainly knew that difficult times lay ahead. I had been through difficult times in the past year, but I had a sense that even more difficult times were to come. The majority of the faces around the Great Hall seemed to epitomise that.

Sitting in the Great Hall made me nervous. Every time I caught another student's eye I nearly jumped. In the end, I resolved to focus either on my breakfast, my friends, or Snape. My nerves weren't up to giving a nod of acknowledgement to other students around the room that I knew. The idea that impostors were about hadn't left me. It was stronger than ever.

"It's all starting then, isn't it?" said Terry quietly.

Lisa and I nodded.

"It started a long time ago," I murmured. "People have been too afraid to see what it right in front of them."

"The magical community has had a poor leader in the Ministry," Lisa added, shredding her toast into small pieces. "With no proper guidance we can have no chance in seeing the demise of You-Know-Who."

"So many were killed last time," Terry whispered. "My neighbour lost his entire family. What if..." He broke off, looking troubled.

"We don't know," said Lisa, reaching out to lay her hand over Terry's. "No one can tell what will happen. But now is not the time to lament what grievances may come." Though her words were noble, Lisa's face didn't express the same confidence.

At the moment I didn't want to think about such things. The thought of losing the person I had come to love more than I had ever imagined possible was unbearable. I knew that if I discussed the subject of the Dark Lord's destruction with my friends, I would not get by without Occlumency. As it was, dealing with each day was how Snape had taught me to function. It was how he got by, and that was also good enough for me. The world we lived in was too unpredictable.

My focus on my breakfast was suddenly interrupted by a roar of laughter from the Hufflepuff table. My friends and I looked over to see a number of first and second years experimenting with Weasleys' Canary Creams. The results had clearly amused them enough to ignore the tense mood that was in the air around the hall as a result of that morning's paper.

"Idiots," a seventh year Ravenclaw further down the table muttered.

His friend agreed. She gestured to the newspaper sitting on the table in front of her. "You would think that this means nothing to them. They should at least show some respect to the people who lost their lives the last time. Their time would be better spent on things other than silly joke shop products."

Personally, I disagreed. How could I not? One of Fred and George's products had played a major role in my escape from my father's hold. I also thought that those seventh year Ravenclaws were idiots themselves.

Yes, it was frightening to think about the havoc the Dark Lord might wreak on the world, both wizarding and muggle alike. Yes, it was important to remember those who had died the last time. Thinking of those who had suffered would only increase the strength of those who knew them, and that strength would aid in finding a way to defeat the face of evil. But wouldn't it be an injustice to ourselves if we changed our lifestyles so completely out of fear of the Dark Lord? Of course it was wise to be cautious, but did taking caution mean putting an end to everyone doing what they loved?

Did the return of He Who Must Not Be Named mean that laughter should not be heard? Did it mean that everyone had to be solemn? Did it mean everyone had to hide behind closed doors in fear? Who knew if the Dark Lord was to be defeated? What if we were still in a situation of the waiting game in another decade? Or two decades? Were people prepared to hide in their homes for that time? We were only put on Earth for a relatively short time...surely an evil wizard was not entitled to take away the most important factor: the quality of life...the right to live.

Many had died in their attempts to fight for that right. Seeing those little Hufflepuffs laughing joyfully over something the Weasley twins had made brought a smile to my face. However inappropriate their actions seemed to others, and whether or not they realised it themselves, they were living.

I felt a funny feeling inside as my mind made the connection between these thoughts and the problems I'd been having over the last couple of days. Yes, there could be impostors somewhere in the castle, waiting to take me back to Father. But hiding away indefinitely and living in terror would not allow me to live my life as Merle and Mother had wished and as Snape still wished me to. Leading my life as normal as possible would not rule out any mishaps, but it would demonstrate that the evil spreading through the world was not going to ruin my life. Mother hadn't died all those years ago to have me hide from my fears, which was what I had been doing lately. Snape hadn't spent all that time increasing my magical ability to have me give up in fear.

I didn't know what the future held, but I couldn't spend time dwelling on it. If hardships were set to come, they would be handled then. For now, I had to do what my brother's ardent desire for me was. I had to live.

I suddenly laughed, causing me friends to cast me odd looks.

"What's up?" asked Terry, looking at me as if I had gone mad.

"Not much," I said quietly, picking up my glass of pumpkin juice. "I was just thinking about Canary Creams."

o o o o o o o o o o o

"Well?" said Snape, when I met him at the dungeon stairs fifteen minutes later. "Was it alright?"

"Better than I thought it would be," I said honestly. It was true; once I had stopped focusing on my paranoia that there might be impostors in the room I had felt okay.

He nodded and gestured for me to follow him down the stairs.

There were Slytherins about as we walked through the dungeon corridors, so our conversation was limited. I noticed that a few of the older Slytherins looked absolutely ghastly, while a couple of others looked triumphant. The smaller Slytherins that we saw quickly moved out of the way to let their Head of House take precedence in the corridor, but once they were behind us, I heard them chattering away nearly as merrily as the little Hufflepuffs in the Great Hall.

Once Snape and I were back in our quarters, I voiced the subject that had built up in my mind quite quickly on our way through the dungeons.

"Are there many people in Slytherin who view the return of the Dark Lord as a good thing?"

Snape cast me a shrewd look as he sat down on the sofa. "I presume this questions stems from your observation of the Slytherins we passed in the corridor just now?"

I nodded as I sat down next to him.

Snape was silent for a moment, tracing his mouth with his index finger as he thought.

"I believe," he said slowly, "that what many of the students in my House say is very different to what they think. Contrary to popular belief of the others houses, especially Gryffindor," he paused to sneer, "a small percentage of Slytherins come from Death Eater families. I believe an even smaller number will go on to join the Death Eaters. Those who will join will do so out of being incredibly brainwashed or succumbing to pressure from their families." He stopped, looking lost in thought.

"There is another group of students who believe in maintaining pure bloodlines," he went on, "but don't believe that joining the Dark Lord is wise. There are many different views circulating through Slytherin, just as there are in the other Houses. There's no black and white in a war, Armilla; a walk through the House of Slytherin would show you that."

"I know," I said, nodding.

"As for viewing the return of the Dark Lord as a good thing," he continued, "a small percentage of students in my House would say that it is, and of that group an even smaller percentage would really think it. It's just for show."

"Slytherin students seem more complicated sometimes," I said absently.

Snape looked slightly amused. "That is precisely what I tell Professor McGonagall all the time, but she will not have it that the job description of Head of Slytherin is more intricate than that of Head of Gryffindor."

"I couldn't imagine that she agrees," I said, smiling at the thought of the two of them bickering over who had the harder job.

"No, she does not," he said, his lip curling. "I will admit that her job is taxing; where I deal with complicated students, she deals with brainless heroics."

It seemed that Snape and McGonagall would never leave the House rivalry to the students alone.

"Now," said Snape, looking serious, "I wish to discuss a couple things with you, the first being what happens over the summer. You will not, of course, go to Hogsmeade and board the Hogwarts Express like you have been used to these past years. As I already told you, I need to remain here for a couple of days to tie up any loose ends. I would prefer not to send you home by yourself for that time, even though Docky will be there too. Therefore, you will stay down here until I am ready to leave for the summer." He gave me a dark look. "The usual rules will apply. No exploring under any circumstances."

"I don't need to be told that," I huffed. "I wouldn't go exploring."

My annoyance was further fuelled when it appeared that Snape was trying not to smile at my reaction.

"Moving on," he said, suddenly sounding very business like. "I feel I am in a bit of a predicament over you this summer."

Oh. That didn't sound good.

"I am overprotective and controlling in matters related to you," he said. "I cannot see this tendency changing in the near future and that is something you shall have to live with. My current situation calls for me to be this way and I will not yield."

His face was so stern that I felt as if I was being reprimanded for something. I thought I could tell where this talk was leading though; I wouldn't be allowed to visit my friends over the summer. I had already expected that, and I had accepted it.

"I do not want you to leave the house this summer unless you are with me or another that I have deemed responsible enough," he went on, his stern expressing not faltering. "I do not want you staying with your friends or meeting up with them alone in public places." He paused, and looked expectantly at me. When I said nothing, he spoke again. "No argument then?"

"No argument," I said, looking back at him. "You said you wouldn't yield. I had already expected you to say that. I think it's fair and I agree with you." I wasn't just saying it to please him. The thought of being away from him for an extended period of time, even if it was at Lisa or Terry's house, didn't rest well with me.

Snape nodded. "I am glad you do. I may be busy with some Order business for some parts of the summer and I fear that you will soon become bored. If I can manage it, I can arrange for your friends to visit you at our home every now and then, but only for a day at a time."

I smiled. "That's okay. I can just write to them. I don't want you to put aside other things you need to do just so I can have friends over."

He shook his head. "You will need social contact of a higher level than receiving mail. I do not wish to keep you secluded if I can help it; it will make it harder for you to adjust to returning to school in September. I do not want you to become lonely."

"Why would I be lonely?" I asked incredulously, feeling a little worried at the same time. "Are you expecting to be away for extended periods of time?"

"No," he said hastily. "I do not expect to be away at all, except when I am called by the Dark Lord. What I meant was..." He trailed off, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. "Having you live with me for an entire summer is quite different to a weekend here and there, Armilla."

Oh. Now I felt uncomfortable. Perhaps having me around for the whole summer would get tiring if he had a lot of Order business, lesson planning and potion making to do.

"I'll stay out of your way if you have things to do," I said, feeling a little guilty. He was right; devoting an entire weekend to me every now and then was very different to an entire summer. "I won't be any trouble."

He looked sharply at me. "I am not expressing myself clearly," he said. "I apologise, Armilla, if I am making you think that I want you out of the way. That was not my intent."

I shifted nervously in my seat, waiting for him to express his point.

"Don't make yourself uneasy," he said abruptly. "It is my fault. What I mean to say is that...I am hardly exciting company."

"Well, that's subjective," I said evenly. I felt better now that I understood. He was concerned about me having him as my main company for the summer.

"I have a deplorable lack of talent when it comes to entertaining," he said, folding his arms, as if challenging me.

"You don't have to entertain someone who lives with you," I pointed out.

"True," he said, nodding. "But I cannot see you having the happy summer that most people your age would plan to have. My situation prevents you from socialising as you please, going on holidays or-"

"There's nothing to be done about that," I interrupted. "As for a happy summer...how could my summer not be happy? It won't be with Father, I won't have to see Draco Malfoy and I won't have a governess." I paused as I looked at his slightly strained face. "All those things aside, it will be happy because I can spend it with you."

He actually had the gall to look dubious! "Armilla, I hardly have a reputation for being good company. We have spent time together, but not months together where you have barely seen anyone else."

"I don't find you bad company," I insisted.

"But you'll basically have me as your only company," he said. "All I can do is arrange for you to see your friends every now and then."

"I'd like to see my friends," I said. "But only because I want to see them, not because I want a change of company."

He shook his head. "I have always been a loner, Armilla. The more the merrier has never been my motto."

"Nor mine," I said dismissively. "I like your company more than anyone else's because I never feel the need to say or do anything for the sake of being social. I am more comfortable with you than with anyone else, including the people I have known all my life. Staying with you for a day or a few months is all the same to me...I can't help thinking that. Being where you are is being at home."

He stared at me, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Don't say I sound like a Hufflepuff," I said flatly.

"I wasn't going to," he said quietly, still staring at me. "You spoke your mind and I appreciate it."

It kind of worried me that he was worried that I would get bored of his company.

"Besides," I said, smiling. "I'm sure Docky will be full of conversation."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Merlin help us." He seemed much more comfortable now. "You will have your holiday homework to occupy you for some of the time."

I frowned. "What holiday homework? I haven't been given holiday homework."

He smirked. "That's because I haven't given it to you yet."

I groaned. "You're making homework for me?"

He nodded curtly. "There is nothing worse than starting a new year at school having forgotten everything that was taught. You will go back remembering everything as well as things that have yet to be taught."

He did have a point; I just should have seen it coming. That didn't mean I was thrilled about having to do it. I would rather just read educational stuff than have to write essays about my interpretations of it.

"You will thank me in the long run you know," he said, giving me a small smile. "This is just one of the highlights of living with one of your teachers."

"Don't tell me the other highlights then," I grumbled.

"Fine," he said, "then I won't tell you about the duelling component."

That made me perk up. I loved duelling with him. "You can tell me about that." Okay, so there were advantages when it came to living with a professor, especially one skilled in defence.

"I think not," he said dryly. "It will depend on the quality of your homework."

I gave him an offended look, though I knew he was just teasing. "What are you going to teach me?"

"I have been thinking about what you said about being able to throw of the Cruciatus curse with your mental shield," he said, looking serious again. "It would be wise to further explore that and add even more strength to your shield."

"How could we do that without using the curse?" I asked, feeling a little worried. The mention of the curse brought back memories of the night I had duelled with Father.

Snape interlaced his fingers and put them in his lap. "I believe there are ways," he answered. "I won't go into them now because I haven't decided yet which path to take."

"Oh." As much as I liked duelling with my brother, it seemed that some tough lessons were coming up.

"I believe your studies will only take up a small percentage of the summer," he went on, his black eyes fixed on mine. "I want you to spend the majority of the time doing whatever you would like in the house...as long as you know I would agree to it."

I nodded. That meant no exploring without him. I was free to search through the room attached to my bedroom, which was full of my mother's old books. I could play the piano if I wanted...I rarely wanted to play it but the opportunity was always there.

"What is going to happen to Mother's ring?" I asked suddenly.

"I would like to bring it home," he answered quietly. "What do you think about that?"

I nodded. "What are you going to do with it?"

"I am not sure as yet. I would like to spend some time experimenting with its properties. I am not convinced that the ring is now completely void of magic. After that...perhaps we could place in somewhere in the house...somewhere that was special to Mother I suppose."

Talking about Mother suddenly brought up another recent memory. After I had duelled with Father, I had accioed my wand from a pocket in his robes. When my wand had come free, a small violet and a photo of my parents on their wedding day had come free. I hadn't told Snape about it. Father had carried a violet because it had been my mother's favourite flower.

"What are you thinking about?" Snape asked, frowning slightly.

"Just a memory that just came back out of no where," I replied. I proceeded to tell him about what Father had carried with him. His face remained impassive throughout.

"Well," he said when I had finished. "He would do well to learn that his relatives aren't objects like the ones he carries in his pocket. We knew that Mother had meant something to him, but he never learned to appreciate her as he should have." He took out his wand and summoned something from the lab.

"Speaking of appreciating things," he said, as a rolled up piece of parchment came flying towards him. He caught the parchment and began to unroll it. "What I have here is a long list of ingredients and their properties complete with recommendations for certain combinations. Some are insignificant, but others would be of use to a couple of people whom I know you hold in high esteem."

I stared at him. "So you're admitting to having helped Fred and George Weasley?"

He inclined his head. "It wasn't so much as helped them...it was more of an ardent wish to avoid them wasting more ingredients. I knew when I first taught the Weasley twins that they were capable of a great deal; they just lacked the discipline and dedication for potion brewing."

I couldn't believe that Snape was openly admitting to helping two Gryffindors, and Weasleys at that. Snape generally hated anything Weasley.

"Their Gryffindor ways and general laziness did nothing to boost my opinion of them until I happened to confiscate a few of their products from other students earlier in the school year," he continued. "It was then that I decided that they could do great things for a world in turmoil, and not just in the way of joke products. The Knockout Powder they provided you with demonstrated that."

He paused, rolling up the parchment again. He then handed it to me. "I believe that some recommendations on this list would enable them to design even more products that would aid in fighting this war. I have not the time to devote to such things. The Weasleys have made it their business and I hope they will put this list to good use."

I looked down at the rolled parchment in my hands. "Why are you giving this to them now?" I asked. "Why not months ago?"

He considered me for a moment, his face neutral. "I didn't give them a complete list during their detentions," he said quietly. "I believed that many more opportunities would come to bestow more detentions upon them. However, I did not foresee the very abrupt and very Gryffindor exit they made. At the time, I saw no reason to give the list to them."

"And now?" I asked quietly.

"Now?" he repeated. "Things have changed. Giving them the list was not a high priority until a couple of days ago. When you told me about how those gentlemen figured out that I was helping them and gave you sample products in return as a way of thanks I was astounded. You made it very clear that your use of their Knockout Powder played a key part in your escape from Rougier." He sighed. "I am thankful that the Weasleys were considerate enough to think of you...if they hadn't, there is a chance that we would still be looking for you. You have no idea how thankful I am that you chose to carry that product with you. The Weasleys provided you with a chance for escape, and your good judgement and duelling skills got you out."

I nodded. "I am thankful to them. I've been thankful towards them before."

He raised an eyebrow. "When?"

"When other students thought that I was dark," I said softly. "Some of the people who joined the Dumbledore's Army group were reluctant to invite me to join because I was related to you." I didn't really like talking about a subject that had caused a dispute between Snape and I, but I wanted him to know that the Weasleys weren't all bad...or Gryffindor, as he liked to put it. "At the time, Fred and George had just worked out that you were helping them, and they wouldn't let anyone say that I was dark."

Snape looked pensive. "Well," he said slowly, "it would seem that those particular gentlemen possess a certain degree of loyalty to us."

I nodded. "They do." I looked down at the parchment again. "When am I supposed to give them this?"

"Late this afternoon," he replied. "The Headmaster has invited them back to the school to discuss the situation they now find themselves in."

"Why would he do that?"

"I believe the Headmaster feels a need to ensure that they have set themselves on the right path." Snape gave me a knowing look. "It also serves the purpose of allowing you to speak privately with them."

I stared at him. "You and Dumbledore set this up so I could speak to them?"

He nodded. "We did."

"And what am I to say to them?" I couldn't really go into the nature of how I came to use their product.

"That you had a chance to use their Knockout Powder and it was successful. In showing our combined gratitude, we are offering them a common Potions list and some things that might be of use." Snape's blasé look told me not to make a big deal of the Potions list. Fred and George would know what that meant. They had been given what looked like a common list the last time.

"They'll ask questions," I pointed out.

"And you will have the judgement to know what to say," said Snape, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that how you handled it with your friends?"

I nodded. Snape was certainly one for springing surprises on me.

o o o o o o o o o o

I studied for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. I couldn't wait for my History of Magic exam the next day to be over.

Snape spent an hour after lunch in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey going over the potions needed for the following school year. It was another test for me to cope with his absence. I thought that I handled it rather well, but I had yet to venture out into the castle by myself. The thought of walking through the dungeons alone made me feel uncomfortable.

Late in the afternoon, Snape and I left the dungeons to head for Dumbledore's office. Though I was a little surprised with what I was about to do, I was also pleased that my brother now held the Weasley twins in higher esteem. As a rule, Gryffindors were near the bottom of Snape's social hierarchy.

As we were going up the stairs I could hear angry voices in the Entrance Hall. Snape, obviously hearing them too, quickened his pace up the stairs.

"-have left Azkaban. Dad and the others'll be out in no time..." That voice, which I recognised immediately, was coming from nearby.

"Yeah, I expect they will," another voice said, this one further away. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now-"

"Potter!" Snape had reached the top of the dungeon stairs before I had, and the tone of his voice was icy as it rang across the Entrance Hall.

When I caught up a moment later, I saw Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. Harry Potter was a few feet away from them. Harry, his wand in his hand, was glaring at Snape with a look of loathing.

Snape didn't appear in the least affected by such a look as he strode over to them. I followed, coming to a stop a few feet behind Snape. Harry broke his glare away from Snape as he noticed my presence. His eyes flickered on me briefly, his face troubled, before he returned his gaze to Snape again. I noticed that his face seemed quite flushed. I knew he had to be going through a hard time. Snape and I had just lost the spirit form of our mother, but Harry had lost a real person. He must have been missing Sirius Black terribly.

"What are you doing, Potter?" Snape demanded, sneering down at the Gryffindor.

"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir," Harry said snidely, his face intense.

If I had been at liberty to speak in such a situation, I would have offered Harry my greatest sympathies. I would have loved to curse Malfoy too. As it was, I kept my face impassive as I looked from Harry to Malfoy. I noticed then that Malfoy had been staring at me. As our eyes met, he quickly looked away and gave his full attention to his Head of House instead.

Snape was regarding Harry closely, his face unfathomable.

"Put that wand away at once," he said curtly. "Ten points from Gryff-"

He paused as he looked over at the House hour-glasses on the wall. A derisive smile appeared on his face. "Ah, I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hour-glass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to -"

"Add some more?"

We all turned to see Professor McGonagall making her way into the Entrance Hall through the open front doors. She was leaning on a walking stick with one hand, and was carrying a carpetbag with the other.

Snape immediately moved towards her. "Professor McGonagall! Out of St Mungo's, I see!"

I couldn't tell whether Snape was really quite happy to see her, or whether he was just making a show of being a supportive colleague and Order member. As far as I knew, Snape and McGonagall didn't always have the smoothest working relationship, especially when it came to Quidditch.

"Yes, Professor Snape," McGonagall answered, taking off her cloak. "I'm quite as good as new." She beckoned to Crabbe and Goyle. "You two - Crabbe - Goyle -"

The two great lumps dragged their feet forwards. In my opinion, they wouldn't have looked out of place on the front cover of Magical Muddles.

McGonagall thrust her cloak and bag at them and ordered her possessions to be taken up to her office. I thought the air seemed cleaner as sooner as they had gone up the marble staircase and out of sight. The air would be completely clean if Malfoy disappeared too.

"Right then," said McGonagall, turning to the hourglasses on the wall. "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"

"What?" he snapped, looking most ill-tempered. We all knew he disagreed, but he sounded quite rude to me. "Oh - well - I suppose..."

We all watched as McGonagall proceeded to award points to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, as well as deduct Snape's points from Harry. I could practically feel the fury radiating from my brother's body as Gryffindors points grew to a decent amount.

Malfoy looked sour as he watched the rubies fall into the Gryffindor hourglass. Harry, if he had been any other Gryffindor, would have had a hint of pleasure on his face at the very least. But as it was, he just watched with an impassive face. After what he had been through, points probably no longer mattered. Winning the House Cup was probably not in the top five on his priority list.

"Well, Potter, Malfoy," said McGonagall turning back to us. "I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this."

Harry gave no answer. He immediately made a beeline for the front doors and didn't give us a backwards glance.

Malfoy, however, had not moved at all. He looked from McGonagall to Snape, a slightly defiant look on his face.

Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "I believe you were just given an order, Mr Malfoy," he said smoothly.

"I don't want to go outside," he huffed. "I am perfectly content indoors, thankyou."

Honestly, must we be forced to put up with that whiny voice any longer?

"Nonsense," said McGonagall briskly, looking him up and down. "You look as if you need some sun and fresh air. It will do you good." She waved her hand dismissively at him. "Be off with you."

Malfoy opened his mouth to argue, but Snape spoke first.

"Go, Mr Malfoy!" he snapped.

Malfoy pursed his lips, staring at Snape with pleading eyes. But Snape simply nodded towards the front door, his harsh expression showing that deep trouble would erupt if Malfoy did not obey at once.

Looking very much like a sulky child, Malfoy slowly moved towards the front doors and was soon out of sight.

"I'd watch out for him, Severus," said McGonagall quietly. "Recent events may...unhinge him."

"Thankyou, Professor," said Snape curtly. "I believe I am capable of dealing with him myself." He folded his arms. "I suggest you look within your own House for cases of unbalanced students...one in particular comes to mind."

McGonagall looked sharply at him. "I am capable of dealing with Potter myself."

Snape gazed at her through slightly narrowed eyes. "Indeed?" he said quietly. "You have his impulsive tendencies in check, do you?"

McGonagall opened her mouth to retort, but seemed to change her mind. She turned to me instead.

"I trust you are in good health, Miss Snape?" she asked, giving me a knowing look. As an Order member, she would have known a little bit about Thursday night...what Dumbledore and Snape thought she should know anyway.

"Yes, Professor," I answered, as Snape moved slightly so I wasn't standing half behind him.

"I am glad to hear it," she said, turning back to my brother. "Well, Severus, I am going to retire to my office for the remainder of the day. I will see you later."

"Yes," said Snape, nodding at her.

She turned and limped away. Snape immediately set off again and I hurried along to keep up with his long strides.

We were about to say the password to Dumbledore's office when the entrance was revealed and Dumbledore himself came out.

"Ah, Severus, Armilla," he said, clapping his hands together. "I was just coming to see what was delaying you."

"Professor McGonagall has just returned," said Snape stiffly. "I was speaking with her in the Entrance Hall. Malfoy and Potter were making a nuisance of themselves as usual."

"I see Hogwarts has returned to normal then," said Dumbledore brightly. "Come, Severus, let us go and have tea with Minerva. There is much I need to discuss with the two of you." He turned to me. "Armilla, you have a couple of guests waiting for you upstairs. I daresay Severus has filled you in?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir." I glanced at the staircase leading up to Dumbledore's office. I tried to hide my nerves about having to go up there by myself. It was also a little hard because I was so used to only going there to visit Mother.

"Armilla." My brother's deep voice caught my attention. I turned back to see him gazing at me. "Do you want to wait in the Headmaster's office for me or come down to the dungeons later by yourself?"

Ah, another test. I didn't want to look weak in front of Dumbledore. "I'll walk down to the dungeons," I answered, pleased that my voice didn't shake with the lack of confidence that I was really feeling inside.

Snape nodded curtly. "Very well. I shall see you in about an hour."

I nodded and watched as they turned and swept off down the hall towards McGonagall's office.

I stepped onto the staircase and it moved me up to the office door. I opened it and was surprised to see Fred and George not sitting in front on the desk, but instead sitting at a small table, helping themselves to tea, cakes and various sweets. Dumbledore was certainly a good host.

They looked up at the sound of my footsteps and jumped up to greet me, their freckled faces breaking into wide grins.

"Salutations, Armilla!" said Fred, grasping my hand and shaking it vigorously.

"Long time, no see," added George when he shook my hand.

"It must be nice to be back without Umbridge ruling the castle," I said, smiling back at them. It was really lovely to see them.

George rolled his eyes. "You have no idea." He rubbed his hands together. "But we heard that she is now in a less than desirable state, and we are pleased."

Fred nodded. "We're thinking of sending her some samples of our products...the ones that weren't so successful. I don't think she'll really mind having pustules on her behind for a week."

"Ew." I shuddered. I didn't envy Fred and George experimenting on themselves.

"Come and have tea with us," said Fred, gesturing to the table. "There's a third place set. Dumbledore wouldn't say who he had invited to come and see us. He just said that it was important."

"Let me serve you tea," said George, assuming a pompous air as he pulled my teacup towards himself.

"As long as you don't slip me something you've recently made," I warned. "I don't fancy going back downstairs looking any different."

He laughed. "Would I?"

"Yes," said Fred and I in unison.

"Come on, Armilla, I wouldn't do it to you, just like I wouldn't do it to Hermione," said George.

"Only because Hermione is dangerous," Fred muttered.

"You think so?" I said, thinking this a strange comment.

"Sure," he replied. "Hermione is extremely loyal to those she's friends with, but if you cross her you'll pay for it."

"You haven't crossed her, have you?" I asked.

"No," George answered, pushing my tea back towards me, "but others have. I reckon Hermione's got a bit of Slytherin in her."

I laughed. "I'm sure she'd be glad to hear that."

"No, no, good Slytherin," he insisted. "Mind you, it took us an embarrassingly long time to work out that there was such a thing, but Hermione has got a bit of a cunning side. You're friends with her, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I said, as I reached for a chocolate biscuit. "I really like Hermione. Anyway, how is the joke shop business going?"

"Couldn't be better," said Fred.

"Best thing we ever did," his twin agreed.

"And I must say that Snape's help has played a major part in a lot of our most successful products," Fred went on, spreading jam on a scone.

"I'm glad to hear it," I said, reaching into the pocket of my robes. "I have something for you."

I held out the rolled parchment and George took it, looking askance at me. "It might be of more help," I said simply.

George unrolled it as Fred leaned in for a closer look.

"Whoa," said Fred softly as he scanned the long parchment's contents. "This is gold."

George smiled as he stared at the parchment. "It's just as well disguised as the last list was," he said. "I can only find the new stuff about every twentieth ingredient or so, but this is going to help a great deal."

Fred looked up. "How did you get it? Did you sneak it from Snape for something?" He suddenly looked worried. "It won't get you into trouble will it?"

I shook my head. "I assure you that it won't get me into trouble."

They gave me an understanding look. Their faces told me that they had realised that this had been set up.

"But why?" said George. "Why is this being offered to us now?"

"One of your products recently got me out of a tight spot," I said seriously. "I can't go into it, but my brother and I are grateful that I had it with me. It really showed what things you two are capable of and giving you this list will hopefully help in putting more helpful products on the market."

They both looked flabbergasted.

"I'm...glad it helped," said Fred finally. "It must have been something huge for Snape to be so generous. We've been so focused on coming up with jokes and products for quick getaways so we can't be caught red-handed...hearing that something we made helped someone out of a real sticky situation is just..."

"Surreal," George finished for him. It was weird to see the Weasley twins looking so pensive and shocked. "Can I ask what product helped you out?"

"The Knockout Powder," I answered. "It worked perfectly. I had been carrying it around with me ever since you gave it to me after Easter."

They grinned.

"Ah, a customer who strictly follows our advice," said George.

Fred looked down at the list in his brother's hand. "I can't believe this," he murmured. He pointed out one of the ingredients to George. "That one will help with that product we've had a problem with."

George nodded. "I was just thinking the same thing." He looked up at me. "Thanks, Armilla. Make sure you thank Snape for us."

"This list is invaluable," said Fred nodding. "We'll do our best to meet your brother's expectations."

"I think he wants you to use the list to focus on designing products that will help defeat the Dark Lord," I said quietly. "Not so much the jokes."

"We will," said Fred solemnly. "I assure you we will."

"And you know that you can't be open in acknowledging Snape over this?" I said.

They nodded. "We will find a way to thank him though,' said Fred, "probably in the way we thanked him the last time. So expect some sample products from us in the near future."

o o o o o o o o o o

I said goodbye to the twins nearly an hour later and headed back down the stairs of Dumbledore's office. Fred and George still seemed stunned beyond belief that Snape had gone to the trouble of arranging the list for them. I had left them with the promise that I would give their most heartfelt thanks to my brother. They also vowed to keep what was said to themselves, and I knew that they would.

When I reached the corridor again and the entrance behind me was sealed, I looked around nervously. I could see students off in the distance, walking in groups. The sun had started to set and as the torches on the walls had not yet become alight, the atmosphere around me was quite dim. The cold draught did nothing to lighten my spirits. Though I had vowed to not hide from the inevitable, the thought of walking down to the dungeons did not appeal to me.

But I had to do it. I walked a lot quicker than I normally did, and was careful not to brush against anyone out of fear that I might be port-keyed away. By the time I reached the marble staircase that led down to the Entrance Hall, I felt slightly dizzy out of worry and being so hasty in my urge to get home to our quarters.

When I reached the stairs that led down to the dungeons I felt even worse. This was going to be the worst part. The dungeons were where I had run into my father in disguise as Lucius Malfoy.

I took a deep breath and began to descend the stairs. My heart thudded with each step and I tried to focus on the task at hand - making it back to our quarters without being port-keyed away. By the time I had reached the last step, I had begun to use my Occlumency shield in order to keep my nerves intact. I felt a little ridiculous. To other people and to me not so long ago, walking through the dungeons would be no trouble at all. I could do it.

I kept walking, convincing myself that using Occlumency was not cheating. By the time I entered our sitting room, I felt thoroughly exhausted.

The sitting room was empty, but I could hear movement coming from the lab. I walked over to the lab and found Snape standing at the workbench, looking at what appeared to be another list of ingredients.

As I moved into the room, he turned around and fixed me with an approving look.

"You made it back," he said, putting the list down.

"I wasn't sure if I would," I admitted. "I feel like a nutcase."

He smiled. "This will all be past you before long." He gestured for me to follow him and we went out to the sitting room and sat down on the sofa. "And how are the Weasleys?"

"Fine," I replied. "Well, at the moment they're probably still stunned. They could scarcely believe it when they saw the list. They wanted to make sure I tell you how thankful they are. They said they would prove to you how thankful they are in their new range of products."

Snape nodded curtly. "As long as they do. I assume their business is going well?"

"Very well. They don't regret leaving school early."

Snape snorted. "They should regret the manner in which they left at the very least. Such brazenness is never to be admired."

I watched as he accioed a package wrapped in silver paper with a blue ribbon from the table. There was a small piece of folded parchment slipped under the ribbon.

"What's that?" I asked curiously.

"A gift for us from the Headmaster," he replied. "He gave it to me earlier with strict instructions that we open it together." He took out the parchment and unfolded it. I scooted closer to him so I could follow on as he read it aloud.

To Dear Severus and Armilla,

It is with such sadness and such joy that I write this letter to you. I wish to express my condolences to you both over the loss of your mother. I spent many an occasion in the past year conversing with Hazel and I now find myself missing our conversations. I know the two of you will provide support for each other during this sad time.

I also wish to express my most ardent joy at the opportunity the two of you now have to be a proper family. I hope the summer together brings you many memorable times and allows you to grow even closer. You would both agree that this past year has been somewhat of an adventure. I offer my sincerest congratulations for surviving such a shock. I do believe you must now view the whole saga as a blessing in disguise.

I offer you a small gift for which I cannot take credit. The idea of it belongs solely to my dear friend, Hazel, who suggested long ago that her children be presented with it upon her release from the ring. It was her hope that the two of you would treasure it.

Albus Dumbledore

"He's certainly sentimental," Snape muttered as he folded the parchment again. He held out the package to me. "You may open it."

I took it and he watched as I carefully unwrapped the flat rectangular package.

"It looks like an album," I said as I pulled the paper away. It was a very thin dark brown leather bound book. I opened it and sure enough, it was an album. On the first page there was a photo of my mother as a baby with whom I supposed was our grandmother. Underneath it read Hazel Ianthe Merrigan.

"I haven't seen that photo in years," said Snape, looking closely at it. "I wonder where the Headmaster got it from. It's certainly not from our vault."

I turned the page and saw a photo of my brother as a baby, being held by Mother. I hadn't seen this photo before. Snape couldn't have been more than four months old in the photo. Underneath was the inscription Severus James Snape.

I was waiting for Snape to sneer at the photo, but he just looked at it silently, looking lost in thought.

I was a little sad that there would be no baby photo of my mother and me. The muggle area in which we had lived when I was born had been in ruins after the attack which had killed Mother. If there had ever been a photo it would have long been destroyed.

"You can turn the page," said Snape quietly, coming out of his reverie.

Feeling a little glum, I slowly turned the page. The sight I saw shocked me beyond belief.

"That's not possible," I murmured, as I looked at the photo of my mother with a small baby who was definitely not Snape. The inscription read Armilla Lucia Kemp Snape.

"What's not possible?" my brother asked, leaning in closer to examine the photo.

"How could there be a photo?" I asked incredulously. "Mother never mentioned one."

Snape shook his head. "I am not sure, but that is definitely Mother in that photo. Can you recognise yourself?"

I shook my head, still doubtful that it was even me. I just couldn't bring myself to believe it. "The earliest photo I have of me is one of Merle's at about eighteen months old."

We stared at the baby in the photo. Like Snape's baby photo, this baby looked no older than four months. The baby had very dark eyes like mine, and she was looking at her mother with a typical curious baby look. I noticed that the baby me was not yet wearing the bracelet. I could see it on Mother's wrist.

"What's that?" asked Snape, reaching for the album.

"What's what?"

"This," he said, as he pulled a piece of parchment out that had been slipped onto the next page, which was otherwise blank. Snape must have noticed a corner of it sticking out. Unfolding it, he read it aloud.

PS. If you are wondering where the photos came from, Minerva McGonagall found them a while ago when she was going through some of her sister's old things in her vault. It seemed that Emiliana had been keeping them for your mother. I discussed giving them to you with Hazel, but she was adamant that they be presented to you in this way. She especially hoped, Armilla, that having this surviving photo of you with your mother would please you.

Albus Dumbledore

"There you go," said Snape quietly, folding the parchment again. "It is most definitely you."

I nodded, having nothing to say. Having Mother plan this for us was such a touching gift. Though Snape was not likely to admit that he liked it, he certainly seemed to by his actions. He turned back through the pages, peering closely at each photo.

He paused at the photo of me and Mother. Mother reached down and playfully ran a finger down her baby's nose. The baby me smiled in delight.

"It is definitely you," said Snape dryly. "You still smile just like that."