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"Molly, I am going to her. Today," said Severus insistently.

"But can't you wait until you have a solution for the Memory Charm?" asked Professor Weasley. "Please don't take chances with Zelda's mind. Filius says you are much closer now, since St. Mungo's finally agreed to release her records." She gazed thoughtfully at him. "I'd love to know how you managed that. The laws regarding confidentiality are very stringent."

"I gave them a compelling reason," he replied with a faint smirk. "I shall tell you later. For now, the records have been released. I have been extremely patient, but Michael believes this is a good idea and, Molly, I must see her and know she is all right."

It was Friday, November the seventh, and Severus Snape could no longer be patient. There were many things he'd been forced to deal with since his trial had ended, but his tolerance for accomplishing these non-essentials was at an end. He recalled the past month and felt pleased with all he had done, but his need for Zelda had not diminished, instead it had grown stronger every day.

He had returned to his own house at Spinner's End soon after he was freed and found it vandalized, a final parting gift from his unwanted houseguest. Making the house weather-tight had been the work of one day, but the rain blowing in through the broken windows had damaged many of the books that had not been damaged by Pettigrew. Many of the books in his study were centuries old and irreplaceable, so he spent hours and days painstakingly restoring each one. As the fortunate holder of such rare treasures, he was obligated to preserve them. He renewed the magical protections on his house, once that work was done.

Of course he returned to Hogwarts, to be Minerva's guest at the first Quidditch match of the school year, and enjoyed himself very much. Potter and Malfoy glared viciously at each other as they shook hands before the match, so that one would never believe the two had reached an understanding together. Their intense posturing was very amusing. The match went on for hours, as both teams were excellent, and very well matched. Gryffindor led by ten points throughout, and the final chase for the Snitch between the two Seekers was the finest seen in years.

Potter and Malfoy had fought fiercely, shoving and snarling at each other as they raced at top speed. When they ended by crashing into the ground, on this day it was Draco who staggered to his feet holding the Snitch, giving the victory to Slytherin.

"Well, Minerva, it seems that I win our wager," said Severus smugly. He accompanied her down to the pitch, to see if the Seekers were injured.

"Shall we set a date for dinner immediately, or wait until Zelda can join us?" asked Minerva ironically. "I am nothing, if not magnanimous in defeat."

They arrived on the ground to find players from both teams surrounding the two Seekers, hopefully watching to see if open warfare would break out.

Potter was obviously disappointed, but he merely said coldly, "I'll see you in the Cup match, Malfoy."

"Only if your team makes it, Potter," sneered Malfoy, still clutching the struggling Snitch in his hand.

Both Seekers limped off to their changing rooms, surrounded by their teammates.

"Ah, how good it is to see that some things don't change," murmured Minerva, her features softening.

"Indeed," replied Severus, grateful to see the two former enemies still behaving as befit a bitter House rivalry.

Severus also found himself dealing with matters of education. He was not on the staff during this school year, so this was quite surprising. But Professor Davis sought him out almost immediately, to consult with him about the Potions curriculum. He found Davis to be remarkably insightful about potion making, but the Unspeakable was also extremely inept regarding social matters. Consequently he was quite isolated in such a small community. Severus found himself helping the newcomer to fit in slightly better at Hogwarts, as well as offering advice on classroom management. The irony of this was not lost on the formerly isolated Professor Snape.

Before long, Severus brought out the manuscript of his new textbook, resulting in many long, pleasant discussions about it. Their conversations resulted in several sessions of experimentation over a simmering cauldron, which led to some very innovative improvements. By the time the book had been sent off to the publisher, the two wizards had developed a fine mutual respect for one another.

Professor Tonks also began to consult regularly with Severus, and they had several interesting conversations about the DADA curriculum. They developed quite a comfortable working relationship. He avoided personal subjects, but the day came when, typical for a female, he thought, she could no longer resist.

"Severus, what's up between you and Remus?" she asked curiously. "I get so tired of the deep freeze whenever you two are in the same room. You've both been doing this forever!"

He rolled his eyes. "Let it be, Nymphadora," he said coldly.

"It's pretty hard, since we all have to deal with each other at times. He won't tell me anything, but whenever you see each other, he bloody sulks and you turn into a cursed icicle."

"I refuse to speak for Lupin, but I believe 'icicle' is my natural state," he replied mockingly. "This is the most pleasant relationship I have ever had with him, so I, at least, am content."

She wrinkled her nose and said provokingly, "Not always an icicle, I bet. How about if I ask you about Zelda? I did meet her, however briefly, and not that she'd remember me, right now. But in our happy, gossiping world, I'm shocked that nobody who knows her is saying much."

His eyes narrowed and he glared nastily at her, which made her chuckle. "That worked when I was a student, Severus. Most of the time... But I'll stop teasing you. I have mountains of parchment to grade before Monday. See you at dinner?"

They parted amicably, but Severus had seen the determined gleam in her eye and realized that she had every intention of making Remus Lupin his new bosom buddy. That alone was an excellent reason to leave Hogwarts for a time. There was, after all, a limit. He went to dinner in the Great Hall, but found himself picking at his food, absurdly preoccupied. He decided he would wait no longer.

Severus opened his wardrobe and fondly pulled out his ridiculous, well-worn Muggle clothing. The House Elves had cleaned everything for him and he eagerly changed into the absurd outfit. He pulled on his black leather jacket, remembering when Zelda had given it to him. Minerva and Molly had both cautioned him not to approach her yet, but the temptation was almost irresistible. They did not know of the deep connection he had with Zelda, which led him to wonder if she might know him on some level, in spite of the spell. He would consult Michael again before he made a final decision, but had to admit, being painfully honest with himself, that he had essentially made up his mind.

A knock on the door of his rooms proved to be Molly Weasley, who tried at first to dissuade him, but when she realized he was adamant, she shook her head. "I won't say another word, then. Good luck, Severus. I hope you're successful. I want this for you, and selfishly, I miss my friend. When her memory is restored, tell her I can't wait to see her again."

He could not help but smile as he picked up his long, black traveling cloak. "Thank you, Molly. Then he flicked his wand, gave a last tidying up to his Spartan sitting room, and closed the door. He parted from Molly in the Entrance Hall and headed outside. As he walked toward the gates and his legs found their normal, ground-covering stride, he inhaled the cold, fresh evening air. It was fine to be alone again with his thoughts.


&&&&&&&&&


"I am here to see Michael Fletcher," Severus said to witch at the Reception desk.

"May I ask your name, Sir?" she asked, barely glancing up at to look at another dreary, cloaked wizard.

"Severus Snape," he said quietly.

Her eyes flew to his face with sudden, avid interest. "Oh! Of course, Professor Snape, I'll have our Welcome Witch escort you to him directly."

He was led to a small area in the rear of the ground floor. A sign announced /The Albus Dumbledore Clinic/. A small reception area was empty, but after a moment, Michael himself popped his head out of a door. He was wearing the same lime green robes as other staff members. Severus's eyes widened at the remarkable sight.

"Severus!" he said, chuckling delightedly. "Like the robes?" Ignoring the simpering Welcome Witch, he gave the wizard a warm hug, which was rather nervously returned. "Come into my office, man." He nodded in a friendly way to the witch, who walked briskly out, eager to gossip about Michael's visitor.

Michael was obviously in his element at St. Mungo's, thought Severus. He looked extremely well. His brown eyes were sparkling with bright interest and his movements quick and sure. "Well, Michael?" he asked.

Michael grinned and sat down in a very comfortable desk chair, gesturing his guest to sit across from him. "I wondered if you were ever going to stop hiding at Hogwarts and venture out again. What brings you here?"

Severus frowned nastily. "I am going to Zelda now, although I have no quick solution," he said repressively. "Have you any suggestions for me?"

"Grab her and kiss her," snapped Michael. "She's alone there with the pets and her work. I know her, Severus. She's always been obsessed with being self-reliant and she'll do it. But if she remembers you on any level, she's probably driving herself to exhaustion to keep from realizing that she's miserable."

He pulled a sheet of Muggle paper and an envelope from his desk, paused thoughtfully for a few minutes, and then wrote a short letter, glancing up once at Severus with a mischievous little grin. He handed it over and was pleased by look of utter shock in those black eyes. "Okay, I've done my best, buddy. If you can't take it from there, you're not the wizard I think you are."

Severus looked doubtfully at him. "Are you sure?"

"Trust your Uncle Michael," he replied smugly. "You can always go to the cabin if you need to. In fact, meet me there Monday, okay? We should talk more about how Zel's doing, after you've seen her."

Severus nodded. He wondered how Michael could get himself to the cabin on Monday, but refused to question him.

They talked for a while longer, Michael explaining where he could find Zelda that afternoon and described the neighborhood.

"How are /you/, Michael?" asked Severus finally. "I should have known you would take over a Wizarding institution and transform it into your personal playground."

"Don't be so cynical," replied Michael seriously. "I'm meeting a deep need in your wretched society. I can't believe you're all so... so medieval about mental health. Muggles have known about PTSD for decades, and it's a good thing, or I'd have killed myself a long time ago. Anyway, I love it here. A fresh challenge is exactly what I wanted, but didn't think was possible."

"But what about your home and your work there? Your dogs? Your er... friends?" asked Severus.

"I've got decisions to make, Sev, you have no idea. But it's a fine thing, when you thought nothing amazing would ever happen to you, but then it does." Michael smiled contentedly.

A sneaking suspicion crept into Severus's mind. "Ah... Michael, who is he?"

Michael grinned wickedly. "I don't know, I might shock you, buddy. Or make you jealous."

He made an amusing little 'sealing his lips' gesture and smiled drolly.

"All right, I really don't care," said Severus coolly. "I was simply making polite conversation." His mouth was twitching in a most suspicious manner, however.

A knock interrupted this ridiculous bit of non-conversation, and without waiting for a response, the door opened.

"Ready to go home, Michael?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt, entering the room. "Oh, er... Severus, how nice to see you. How are you?" he asked airily, his eyes flickering briefly to Michael.

"It's okay, babe," Michael said with an easy smile. "Um... It is okay, isn't it, Severus?" A flush was slowly rising on his cheeks.

There was a faint anxious note in his voice, and Severus was shocked and saddened to see the indomitable Michael looking so worried.

"Really! Ah... Kinglsey, if this is true, I believe I should know what your intentions are toward my friend," he said coolly. He rose and shook the Auror's hand, a faint smile on his thin face. "Watch him closely, he's extremely troublesome," he murmured.

"In my career, I've handled tougher customers than this one," Kingsley replied with a confident smile.

Michael stood up and hugged Severus again. Amazingly, there was a tear in his eye. "You're the best, Severus. Thanks, man. But we can talk later. Right now you have to head out if you're going to casually run into Zel." He planted a friendly kiss on the wizard's cheek. "Good luck. buddy."

"Be careful, Severus, if you're really going today," said Kingsley. "Do this right and take care of your lady. I look forward to teasing her again when she can remember me. She's a sweetheart."

"Try to avoid trouble. I assume I shall see both of you on Monday," he replied, nodding farewell to them as he picked up his cloak. He covered his Muggle clothing carefully and strode briskly out of St. Mungo's, completely oblivious to the whispers of certain female staff members. He left the building and in the darkness, easily found a discreet place to Apparate away.