Owls and Musings - The Sequel

Owls and Musings II

Chapter 1 - New Term

"Twins!" Minerva exclaimed excitedly as she escorted the Professors Snape up the front steps of Hogwarts after their return from their week-long honeymoon in Nice.

Esme smiled at her aunt, and Severus snorted as he locomotored their trunks through the front doors.

"How did you find out?" he asked his new aunt-in-law. "Did Poppy tell you?" He was going to have a word with her about patient confidentiality if she had.

"No," Minerva soothed, "it was Wizby. She was helping me get your new rooms ready. She took one look at the nursery and promptly told me it needed another cot and to expand it for more play-room."

"How in Merlin's name did Wizby..." Esme shook her head in disbelief; elf magic had struck again. Minerva chuckled quietly at the look on her niece's face.

She led them up the grand staircase to the second floor corridor where the married teachers' quarters were located. It had been years - practically the entire century - since there had been need of family quarters within the castle. Wizby had been in her element while her beloved Essie and Professor, Sir had been gone; getting everything moved over from their two separate quarters into the new one and making sure everything was perfect.

McGonagall showed them the dark, carved oak door that now sported an engraved brass knocker with 'Professors Snape' embossed on it. A portrait of a Victorian gentleman in Slytherin colours was positioned nearby.

"This is Gustav Pierpont, he will operate your door. Severus, if you would set the password..." the headmistress indicated with a wave of her hand.

Severus thought for a moment then said, "Amor vincit omnia."

Esme blushed as Gustav unlocked the door and said, "Welcome home!"

Esme was in awe as she gazed at the rooms. The door had opened up to a large sitting room that included an alcoved eating area from which a door immediately lead to an office/library area and a hallway led off the opposite wall to the bedrooms and baths.

Severus moved the trunks down the hall to the master bedroom and then made his apologies to the ladies, as he needed to see to his office in the dungeons. Besides, he could fairly smell a gossip session, and he did not want to stick around for it. He kissed his wife as he headed out the door.

"Ladies, I'll be back to escort you to the feast this evening." As he closed the door, making sure the cat did not escape, he could hear them chuckling. His mouth quirked up - it was good to be back.

Minerva conjured a tea tray, and she and her niece settled down in front of the fireplace.

"So," she continued, "twins?"

Esme sighed. "Yes, Auntie, twins. Poppy confirmed it right before we left."

McGonagall grinned. "And what was Severus' reaction?" she asked as she poured out for the two of them.

"Aye, he was stunned. But it's really not unexpected considering it's our first pregnancy at our age." Esmerelda accepted the cup of tea from her aunt and snatched a couple of biscuits from the serving plate.

"Severus, a father of twins!" Minerva laughed. "'Tis a great cosmic joke!"

Esme joined in the laughter. "It is, isn't it? Funny enough, he is looking forward to it - now - although he was scared to death at first. I still don't think he has fully embraced the concept of two at once yet." She shrugged her shoulders a bit at the thought.

" Much less one! Well, he finally has the luxury of being able to settle down and have a family - and enjoy it without worrying," Minerva noted.

"Not all of Voldemort's supporters have been rounded up, Auntie. Which is why we are living here instead of in the village; it is much safer. But I can tell you right now; the Slytherin students are going to be in for a shock with Severus back in charge. He no longer has to cater to their pureblood fathers and you are going to find a much more even-handed dealing of the students from him." She grinned a decidedly evil grin before sipping at her raspberry tea.

McGonagall's mouth quirked upward at this as well. Yes, the young snakes would have a rude awakening in the morning.

"Oh, you better read this," she remembered, fishing out and handing the morning's Daily Prophet to her niece. "I take it you did not take the Prophet while in Nice?"

"No, we didn't. Should we have?" She reached for the paper.

"Take a look at a new column that popped up this week - page three." Minerva grimaced as she reflected upon the contents. "All I can say is the woman should be permanently banned from being a journalist. She doesn't even deserve the title."

Esme quickly turned to the page indicated and found what her aunt was talking about : Skeeter's Scouts.

...and in other news, Severus Snape, Potions Master and former Death Eater, was seen this past week in Nice at the wizarding resort. Recently married last weekend, the newlyweds were seen enjoying the sights. His wife is the former Ministry employee, Esmerelda McGonagall Scott, niece of Professor Minerva McGonagall - current Headmistress of Hogwarts. Two years his junior, it appears they got married none too soon as it is reported that Madame Snape is expecting their first child in mid-February. Severus Snape recently was on trial pertaining to the death of the late Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, but was cleared due mainly to his actions during the final battle between Harry Potter - the Chosen One - and You-Know-Who according to sources in the Ministry.

"He claims it was a coupe de grace," said Ministry employee, Percy Weasley. "But after fighting with Potter in the final battle - no one was going to convict him, no matter what he has done in the past as a Death Eater. I heard there was a deal made for certain information." This reporter is still trying to verify this fact.

Both Snapes will be returning to Hogwarts this year; Madame Snape is to continue in her position of Transfiguration Professor - a post she took over from her aunt last autumn in a bit of nepotistic hiring - and Head of Gryffindor House, and Professor Snape will resume his position as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House.

Another former teacher will be resuming his position of Defense Professor. Remus Lupin, recently married to Auror Nymphadora Tonks, will be returning to Hogwarts this autumn. His previous one-year tenure in this position was terminated amid a flurry of speculation four years ago over his status as a Werewolf. This still has yet to be confirmed.

"This is just shy of slanderous! How in Merlin's name does she get away with this?"

"Och, well - that's just it. It is correct - just the slant is a bit skewed. You should hear Potter on the subject of Rita Skeeter, or Hermione. She has quite a lot to say about the woman." Minerva huffed a bit before taking another sip of her tea.

"I know; we had several conversations last year. I wonder if Severus has seen this yet, or Remus..." Esme pondered.

"I'm sure we'll find out later. Now, let's take a tour of this space - I think you'll enjoy it. And you can tell me about your trip!" McGonagall rose and offered Esme a hand up from her seat.

Arm in arm the two women began a walk-through, leaving the paper discarded on the divan.

Severus finally arrived back in time to change robes and escort his family to the Great Hall. Esme read him the article as he changed. While incensed that Rita was on the loose again, he said he was not surprised they had been spotted, nor that Skeeter was returning to her brand of yellow journalism. He told her the best thing to do was ignore the woman. To prove the point he Incendio-ed the paper in the grate and took his wife into his arms to kiss her thoroughly. They returned to the parlour to gather up Minerva, and he led them both to their seats in the Great Hall and left to prepare for the first years' arrival as part of his new duties.

Several of the older Slytherin students who had not been part of the war the previous term threw "Congratulations, Professor!" in his direction as he made his way against the tide of incoming students. He acknowledged the felicitations with curt nods, continuing onward. He was looking forward to making his House aware of the new attitude he was bringing to his Head of House duties as well as teaching. His lips curled up to one side at the thought as he made it to the stairs leading down to the inner boat landing with time to spare.

As the first years trickled in, they saw the famous Professor Snape in his usual haughty façade. He smiled inwardly as he saw several of the students gulp reflexively when they stared up at him. He truly cut a menacing figure in his black frock coat covered by the equally black teachers robes lined in dark green silk, with his arms crossed over his chest as he silently glared down his nose. Yes, he thought, it really is good to be back!

Esme watched as the returning students filtered in through the doors heading for their respective tables. The turnout was larger this year, now that the school was relatively safe again.

The seventh and sixth year Gryffindors were waving enthusiastically at the teacher next to her. Remus Lupin was returning as the DADA teacher, as reported in the Prophet. Newly married as well, he returned the waves and ignored the mumblings from the Slytherin table. His wife, the same Tonks who had escorted Esme to Minerva's bedside at St Mungo's two years previously, was also waving at several students she knew. She had already thrown a "Wotcher, Esme!" at Esmerelda when they had taken their seats. Esme really did not know the young woman all that well, but Remus obviously adored her and Esme remembered her fresh enthusiasm for life from the few Order meetings she had attended.

Esme concentrated on a group of Gryffindors clustered together. They were admiring a ring on Ginny Weasley's hand. Minerva had told her that afternoon that Harry had proposed this summer, once he determined it was safe to court her again. The wedding was set for the end of the following summer. She quickly caught Ginny's eye, and Ginny came up to the head table to show her and Tonks the beautiful diamond. As they were admiring each other's new rings, Esme noticed Hagrid entering from the teachers' entrance and realising it was nearly time for the sorting, shooed Ginny back to the table to take her seat.

As soon as the last stragglers were seated, the great doors opened to reveal Snape leading in the first years towards the Sorting Hat, his robes billowing behind him. When he reached the stool, he caught his wife's eye giving her a wink (causing several teachers to reach for their goblets to hide their guffaws and setting Hagrid to chortling; Madame Hooch kicked him under the table to shut him up), and setting his patented smirk on his face, turned back to face the assembled first years.

With a quick indication of his hand to the stool and hat by his side he said, "This venerable object in front of you, as some of you with older siblings may know," here some of the new students nodded their heads, " is Godric Gryffindor's hat - commonly known as the Sorting Hat. It has been be-spelled to determine which House you best belong in for the next seven years of magical tuition.

"After the hat imparts to you its yearly bit of wisdom, I shall call your name and you will come forth to sit on the stool and place the hat upon your head."

He turned his full attention to the hat as the rip in its brim opened wide and began to sing.

Oh, I am a hat of a thousand years

So many have put me on

To see where I will put them,

Among what peers, so strong?

Esme watched as the first years listened raptly to the hat, taking in its descriptions of the four houses and their salient traits. She could remember her sorting like it was yesterday. She rested a hand on her belly realising that in twelve years it would be her children in that line.

Severus began calling names after the hat ended its prose, and the children came forward one by one to place the enormous bit of brown felt over their heads and have it determine their Houses.

After the last child was sorted, Severus flicked his wand to whisk the hat back to the Head's office and the stool back to storage, then briskly walked up to the staff table to take his place next to his wife capturing her hand under the table.

"Good sorting!" she murmured to him, while McGonagall gave out start-of-term notices and began the feast. He gave her a quick smile and snagged some chicken from a passing platter for each of them and looked over at Lupin.

"Lupin, I see you are attempting Defence again. Wasn't once enough?" he asked snidely.

"Well, we shall see. McGonagall seems to think the jinx will be lifted now that the jinxer is dead - for good this time," Remus parried back.

Severus smirked in acknowledgement of the jibe. "Who is taking your sick days? I'm afraid I'll be too busy this year," he stated, taking a sip from his goblet.

"I'm married to an Auror now, Severus; Tonks will be taking those days," Lupin said mildly, but pointedly.

"I'll remember to avoid that corridor on those days," Severus sneered.

Esme listened as the two bantered back and forth over her head. She was beginning to feel like a Quaffle in a heated Quidditch game. Tonks was staring at the men with a bemused look on her face. Finally, Esme put a hand on each of their arms below the edge of the table and forcibly whispered, "Gentlemen, I am trying to eat. Can we keep the verbal riposte down to a dull roar, please? Remus - I, for one, am glad to see a competent teacher back in that position. Severus, you were offered a choice, if I remember correctly, and you chose to return to potions. Now sheath it!" she hissed through her smiling teeth. She gave each of their arms a sharp squeeze and released them to continue eating her dinner.

Both men subsided, although a hint of red suffused each of their faces, and murmured apologies to the stern Gryffindor who sat between them. She snorted once and resumed her dinner. Tonks looked at her with glowing admiration.

They continued eating for a while in silence before Severus tried conversation again - this time with his wife.

"Did your visit go well, this afternoon?" he ventured.

"Aye, quite well." She was perfectly willing to talk to him as long as he behaved civilly. "Wizby will be staying with us now and will act as nanny after the children arrive and I resume teaching."

He nodded acceptance of this bit of news. He wasn't fond of the creatures in general, but with both of them working it was logical to have one permanently assigned to them. He also had to admit that Wizby had been very loyal to them over the years and had kept their secrets to herself.

"Do you need to visit the common room tonight?" she asked him.

"No, tomorrow will be soon enough for them to be aware of the changes I will be instituting." He smirked as he began to eat his chocolate gateau.

Soon enough Minerva stood to dismiss the students to their dorms, and the teachers started rising to leave as well. The Snapes found themselves walking with the Lupins to the second floor corridor. Esme had not had much interaction with Tonks during the war. They had met at meetings, and she had seen Tonks around the school and Hogsmeade the previous year in her Auror capacities, but they had never really sat down for a gab session.

Esme found Tonks to be a delightful - if exhausting - addition. As they walked together, Severus and Remus discussed the schedule for Remus' Wolfsbane potion and Esme listened as the flamboyant witch waxed enthusiastically about Esme's pregnancy, about her own recent wedding, helping Remus with his classes; about everything! It was a bit of a relief when the couples reached their corridor.

They politely said good evening to the Lupins and quickly stepped in after giving Gustav the password.

"She's a lot to take at once, isn't she?" she asked her husband as she sat down in front of the fire. There was a bit of a nip in the air that evening.

Severus brought over her evening potion that Poppy insisted she drink every night. "She'll calm down somewhat as she gets to know you," he predicted.

"What was that snarkiness with Remus about?" she finally asked, taking long sips of the nutritive potion.

He rubbed his hands over his face in weariness as he sat down in his wingback. "No excuse. Old habits die hard, I guess," he said sounding resigned.

"Well, please try to curb them in the future. I thought you two had reached a détente during the war? He was your go-between for information to the Order last year," she reminded him.

"We have reached an understanding. Can we drop the subject, please?" he snapped.

She pursed her lips and kept further criticisms to herself. Instead she sipped her draught and then went to sit on her husband's lap, snuggling into his embrace. He sighed as he put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Esme. Really. Sometimes I still fall into that old role. It's hard to realise I can be myself all the time. I think the problem is I played so many parts according to where I was and whom I was with; it's going to take me a while to let my true personality be in the forefront all the time. Sometimes I'm not truly sure who is the true one."

She snuggled closer as she gave him a gentle kiss.

"The true one is the one who is here, right now. The one I fell in love with and married. I think as teachers we all have a 'teacher mode' we fall into, but there is the 'at home mode' as well and that is fine. You just need to realise that the old 'Death Eater' persona can be retired."

"I know that," he acknowledged. "It's just going to take a while to internalise. I played that part for so many years." He buried his face against her collarbone and breathed in her vanilla and cinnamon scent. It always ensnared and aroused him, and this time was no different. She raised her lips to his and snuck her arms around his neck as she accepted his apology.

++++++

The next night, after dinner, Severus headed to the Slytherin Common Room. He had already posted a notice on the board stating that there would be a House meeting that evening and woe betide any snake that was not present. Tonight he would be laying down the new rules.

As he recited the master password that gained him entrance through the two sets of doors that led eventually to the Slytherin common room, he reflected on the necessity for this meeting. He had to reinforce his control over the House and remind them who held the power.

When he reached the middle of the common room floor at precisely eight o'clock, he found the House gathered in a layered semi-circle facing the entrance. He stared down his long crooked nose at them, noting the group of ten first years near the front. He looked at each row in turn, noting who was missing among the older students. Some from dying in battle the previous year, some from having been removed by their parents and either shipped off to one of the other schools or tutored at home. He knew intimately why each student was missing. He sighed inwardly as he noticed that the reduction was most evident in the sixth and seventh years - mostly due to death.

"For those of you who do not know me," he spared a look for the first and second years, "I am Professor Severus Snape, your Head of House and Deputy Headmaster. I was absent last year due to my need to spy deep within the inner circle of the Dark Lord. But as the war is over and the Dark Lord is vanquished for good, I am back!" he snapped out. At this point he crossed his arms in front of him and gazed over the entire assembled House. "I expect you have heard several rumours already, and I am here to lay them to rest. I was a Death Eater fresh out of school here, and I saw the error of my ways all too soon. I turned to the late headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and he helped me turn into a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, I killed him and as that has been covered in the papers I will not reiterate the reasoning behind it during this meeting.

"What you are to be concerned with is this," he skewered the older students with a black calculated look, "I will no longer be favouring this House over any other when it comes to points taken or received. It no longer matters that I do so and it will stop now." He paused so that the gasps and grumbles from the older snakes could die down. "From now on, Slytherin will learn to fly on its own merit - so if you want to show the rest of the school that Slytherin is the best House, I advise you to expect to do it by pure hard work - like any other House in this school. I will no longer turn a blind eye to the shenanigans that have been pulled in the past. If I catch any of you breaking a single school rule, I will take points and give out detentions just as I would to any other House. Is this all understood? Any questions?" The entire group only shook their heads in disbelief.

"Good," he purred in his silkiest voice. "I expect we shall have a most pleasant year, then. Good evening, Gentlemen and Ladies." With that he turned and returned the way he came, robes billowing with his stride.