Headmistress McGonagall,
I apologize for the delay in writing this, however, I regretfully must resign from my position as Deputy Headmaster and Potions Professor, effective immediately.
-Severus T. Snape
***
August 5
"Harry, may we talk?"
Harry barely lifted his eyes from the paper as his lips quirked up in a wry grin. "It's real and I'm keeping it," he said.
Severus was caught off guard by that response until he looked down at Harry's left hand and rolled his eyes.
"I knew about the ring before you did," he said lightly as he took a seat. "Though, that is not what I wanted to discuss."
Harry looked up and smiled more genuinely, as weightless and relaxed as he'd been since he arrived home a few days ago. "Did Fred ask you for your blessing?" he laughed. "He's mad."
"He would have to be, to be with you," Severus smirked. "Did you assume I would attempt to talk you out of accepting it?"
"Yep." Harry poured Severus a cup of coffee and floated it to him. "Sirius was mad as hell, wasn't he? Said I'm too young, Fred's too old, etc etc," Harry waved his hand in the air. "I told him if he kept it up that we'd get married on my next birthday and he wouldn't be invited."
Severus took a sip of his coffee and hummed in acknowledgement.
It wasn't that the mutt was wrong, for once, seventeen was quite young to be married. Sixteen was young to be engaged.
But Black was unaware that Harry had a limited number of birthdays left and if this brought him joy, something Harry has had far too little of, then Severus would sign as a witness himself.
Which brought him to the topic he needed to discuss, in a roundabout way.
"I have written to Minerva, I am resigning from my position."
"What??" Harry's jaw dropped as he stared incredulously at Severus. "From being deputy headmaster or teaching potions?"
"Both."
"But..." Harry blinked then slid his expressionless mask on his face. The mask that could hide all but the betrayal in his eyes. "But I'm taking NEWT potions?"
"I know," Severus said, "but I am certain that Minerva can find an adequate teacher to replace me. I have a friend, Wayne Ramsey, who I have recommended for the position. You will like him, he went to Illvermony and does not believe in the concept of wands either."
Harry ignored Severus' half-hearted jest. "Is it because of Sirius?" he asked, sounding a bit desperate. "He can quit, can't he? You don't need to."
Severus reached out and put a calming hand in Harry's arm. "It is not because of Black," he said truthfully. "I simply feel that my talents would be best served elsewhere."
Harry grasped Severus' hand with his own, his eyes now frantic. "Then I'll quit too," he said. "Who cares about NEWTS?"
"Absolutely not," Severus said firmly. "You enjoy school— you enjoy being with your friends," he amended himself at Harry's scoff. "Do not short yourself this time with them on my behalf, Harry. Hogwarts is still your second home, your birthright to attend. You cannot quit because of me."
Lord only knew if Harry would be able to complete his last two years of education. No need to cut it even more short.
"I'm not going without you," Harry said, just as firmly as Severus. "What if Dumbledore gets voted back in, huh? And he tries to kill me again? What then?"
"Then you may send me a message and I will come show Albus the error of his ways," Severus said, forcing calm in his tone despite the flash of anger he felt at the scenario. "Although, granted you do not end up possessed by the Dark Lord again, I do not foresee that being a problem."
At present.
Because Albus would certainly be attempting to find a way to eradicate the horcrux in Harry's head. And, as the battle in May proved, he was not above killing Harry to achieve this.
Which did not bode well for Severus' increasing efforts to find a way around it.
"Sev, don't quit," Harry said quietly. "I don't wanna beg, but I'll give you one favor in exchange. Yeah?"
Severus wanted to give in, he wanted to assure Harry that as long as he was a student at Hogwarts, Severus would be the potions professor. But he had to stay firm. He had to take the time and dedicate it to finding a way to end the Dark Lord without ending Harry. And since Flamel's stone had been a spectacular bust, he had to find another way and he needed to do so quickly before Albus or the Dark Lord made an attempt on Harry's life.
Again.
"I cannot." Severus squeezed Harry's arm with soft pressure before withdrawing his hand. "Ramsey is a genius, you will enjoy having him teach. He spent some time in the American military after he got his mastery in potions."
"If you're quitting then I'm dropping potions," Harry said with a petulant pout.
"You have already dropped most of your classes, what do you plan on doing in your free time with only three courses?" Severus asked with a raised brow.
"Dunno," Harry shrugged. "McGonagall said I couldn't be the Slytherin quidditch captain if I was playing professionally, but since I'm not, I guess I'll write her and ask if I can still be captain. So just quidditch, defense, transfiguration, and charms then. Maybe I'll ask if we can start the club back up."
"I will write to Minerva for you. I can inform her of your change of quidditch status and ask about your club," Severus offered. "I have not sent off my resignation yet, I wanted to inform you first."
"Ta," Harry rolled his eyes, but seemed willing to accept it without too much of a fight. "You're going to be so bored," he said. "No essays to grade or Gryffindor's to terrify? Pft, what are you even going to do?"
Severus subtly studied the only child he would lay his life down for and let out a mock-sigh. "Sleep, I suppose."
As if.
Life continued on in typical fashion within their household. Harry and his friends went and purchased their supplies for the upcoming year; Nymphadora, Black, and one of the wolves from Lupin's pack accompanied them to ensure there was no risk of danger to the now quite well-known group.
Severus only mildly hoped that Death Eaters would burn down Frederick's shop when the students all returned to their house with bags full of 'joke items'.
Severus continued his research, torn between searching for a way to either separate Harry from the horcrux, or to destroy him without killing him. He also dedicated a small amount of time towards finding the location of Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem, though that was low on his list of priorities.
He also spent quite a bit of time with Miss Lovegood as they worked together in his lab. And Lovegood was just as ingenious with potion recipes as Severus knew she would be. In fact, the first time they were brewing Harry's potion together, she softly suggested a change.
"If we added a counterclockwise stir before adding the powdered daffodil stems, wouldn't that reduce the brewing time?" she asked with her wide and earnest eyes.
Severus ran through the recipe in his mind twice with Lovegood's suggestion and his own eyes lit up as he summoned the written recipe and added her correction in the margins. "It would be a disservice to the world if you did not pursue a mastery after you graduate," Severus said. "I would be quite pleased to recommend you to a number of brewers that I know. In fact, the witch I apprenticed under still accepts students if they have proven themselves in the field when they apply."
"I've always imagined myself studying creatures," Lovegood said as she chopped their next required ingredients. "Creatures are just kind, aren't they sir? They don't care if you're 'loony' or not. They just want someone to treat them nicely."
Severus was reminded of the precise reasons that he had fallen so deeply in love with potions. "Neither do potions," he said gently. "Within the lab, there are no whispers or worries about who you are, all that matters is your talent. Which you have, Miss Lovegood. You have talent in spades."
"I do like brewing," Lovegood said thoughtfully. "My mother was a potions master, just like you sir. And my dad loved studying creatures. But they're both dead now, so perhaps I shouldn't do what they did."
Severus had dropped the subject after that and they continued their brewing in a comfortable silence.
And every morning, during their breakfast, Severus struggled to inform Harry of the horcrux. He opened his mouth at least a dozen times, intent on telling him, and faltered each time.
It was cowardly, but Severus could not bring himself to inform Harry of the horcrux. After his horrifying breakdown from the Dark Lord's possession, Severus did not want to be the one to see that light of joy in his eyes fade once more.
Two weeks away from the start of term, Trent Bailey showed up in their floo with an excited light in his eyes and a bag on his back.
"Professor Snape, hello," he stuck his hand out to Severus, the sole occupant of the sitting room. "Are you having a good summer?"
"It certainly has been summer," Severus said drily as he accepted the boys hand. "How has yours been?"
"Brill!" Bailey bounced in place as he looked around the room, missing Severus scowl at Harry's vocabulary being passed along to the next generation of Slytherins. "We went on vacation and staying with Sirius and Remus has been amazing. They're really smart, you know, they helped me get all my homework for the summer done super quick."
"I will take your word for it," Severus said. He eyed the bag on Bailey's back and realized the date. "Are you staying until term begins?"
"Yes sir," Bailey said, turning back to Severus now. "The wedding is this weekend, it's going to be amazing, then they're going on a little trip together. Then—"
"Harry!" Severus cut Bailey off as he yelled up the staircase.
He had forgotten how much the boy could talk.
Although, when Harry came bounding down the stairs with a quick smile and told Trent that he had 'brill plans', Severus thought perhaps he should have simply suffered through the prattle. There was no telling what 'plans' Harry had for the boy.
Another follower for the Boy-Who-Adopts-Every-Hopeless-Cause-Available.
And yes, Severus did firmly have himself within that circle of hopeless causes.
"IF YOU BREAK ONE MORE GOD DAMNED WINDOW I WILL MELT EVERY KNIFE WITHIN THIS HOUSE!" Severus screamed out his shattered office window the next afternoon. "LEARN TO FUCKING AIM OR PUT THEM AWAY!"
"Sorry!" Bailey yelled back, his hands behind his back and his face quite apologetic. "I'm sorry!"
"Ignore him," Harry said with a laugh. "C'mon, Trent, just focus on the target."
Harry came jogging up to Severus' window and he gave him a cheeky salute as he effortlessly repaired it. 'Better?' he mouthed from the other side.
No.
Not 'better'.
Though if Harry insisted on teaching Bailey and his other friends gathered around him how to 'kill an attacker with a knife', and Mavis insisted they do it outdoors, it was likely the best Severus would get.
And, when another knife bounced off Severus' window, cracking the glass, Severus gave up entirely on his book and moved outside to watch Harry in his element.
Harry, who had no patience for much of anything, whose temper was always boiling just beneath the surface, was truly just as excellent of a teacher with weapons as the students at Hogwarts had said he was.
Severus enjoyed watching him teach the others, even if it was undoubtedly a tragedy that Harry had likely honed these skills as a small child.
Regardless of how competent of a teacher he was proving to be, when Harry announced that he was going to be showing the others how to shoot a gun and Severus had to step in.
He didn't stop him, had no desire to do so really, he merely insisted on every protective spell he could for the children and the house.
Then he summoned a drink from the house and relaxed as he witnessed the debacle that was Ronald Weasley using a gun.
"You wanna try?" Harry asked when he noticed Severus' amused smirk.
Severus nearly said no, but the challenge in Harry's eyes was quite obvious.
"Certainly."
Severus accepted the gun that Black bought Harry for his birthday (the man had always been an insufferable moron) and squared his shoulders as he aimed it at the center of the target Harry had pinned to a tree 20 or so yards away.
Severus pulled the trigger as he exhaled, and his smirk grew when the bullet hit the small black dot in the center of the board.
"How did you do that?!" Bones yelled indignantly. "You can't have all that—" she waved her hand in Severus' direction, "—going on and be good with a weapon!"
"And yet..." Severus carefully returned the gun to Harry, noticing a look of amazement in his wards eyes. "Here we are."
"Here we are," Harry agreed with a laugh. "C'mon, who next?"
It was a specific type of torture, watching Harry conduct training sessions in their backyard. As Harry barked instructions to his friends, Severus could recall the small boy who used to flinch at shadows. When Harry laughed and casually twirled a knife between his fingers, a spark of cunning in his eyes, Severus could picture precisely how Harry would look in ten years. A young man, surrounded by his friends and family, undoubtedly teaching the future children of his friends the benefits of knowing how to utilize muggle weapons in magical fights.
It was agony to know that despite how far Harry has came in his life, his journey would be cut drastically short in one way or another.
Severus relished in the torture though, he embraced it and allowed it to fill his every nerve.
One day, when decisions were made and the unthinkable happened, these were the images Severus would carry before he followed his child to the grave.
***
The morning before the wolf and mutt wedding, a date Severus only knew due to the incessant conversations discussing it, Severus wearily stepped in to the dining room, dressed in his sleep clothes still, and paused as soon as he saw Harry slumped over on the table. His shoulders were tense and his face was buried in his arms.
Which was a far cry from the relaxed and joyful child that has been wrecking havoc within their home since his return from vacation.
"Harry?" Severus slowly and noisily stepped closer to Harry's seat. "Are you alright?"
"'M fine." Harry's voice was muffled by his arms and sounded entirely 'not fine'. "I need your help."
"Certainly." Severus was uneasy by Harry's continued refusal to lift his head. Had he been crying? Was he injured? "Would you look at me?"
"No."
"Harry."
"Is anyone else in here? Blippy or Roo or Mavis or anyone?"
Severus looked around, "No."
"If you laugh I will fucking kill you."
Severus' lips twitched and he took a deep breath before calming himself. "I will not laugh."
Harry slowly lifted his head and it took all of Severus' skills as an occlumens to slam his barriers in place against the emotions that threatened to overcome him.
Because he did actually feel like laughing.
"Good Lord, Harry, what happened?"
Harry's face, particularly his jawline, was some sort of horrifying patch up of nicks, cuts, and the type of shadow-like facial hair that only teenage boys are able to make look so ridiculous.
"I tried to shave," Harry said, his cheeks flushing and his eyes averted to the wall over Severus' shoulder. "I wanted to look nice for tomorrow. And I fucked up."
It did look quite fucked up.
He does not even know how to shave, and has his head on a chopping block with an axe waiting to drop.
It was tragic.
"I see." Severus remained standing as he inspected Harry's face. "Did you do this with a razor?"
"Magic."
"You attempted to shave your face with magic?"
Idiot boy.
"Come along," Severus said. "I will show you."
Severus took his time as he taught Harry to shave the small amount of scruff he had on his face.
"Heal your battle wounds first," he said. Once Harry's face was no longer covered in small nicks and cuts, Severus grabbed supplies from his restroom cabinet.
He showed Harry the proper way to prepare and lather his face, and gave him one of his unused razors to use.
"While you refuse to use proper spells, your magic is unpredictable and dangerous," Severus said as he demonstrated the proper way to shave in the mirror. "There are spells to accomplish this, but just as a scourgify does not give you the same feeling as a shower, neither do those spells. I can show them to you another time, if you would like."
"Alright," Harry said. He stepped up beside Severus and began mimicking his actions. "Like this?"
"Tilt your chin, so that you do not cut the skin. Excellent," Severus gave him a nod of approval as Harry began shaving effortlessly. "Do you already have dress clothes for the event tomorrow?"
"Yup." Harry kept his eyes on his face in the mirror as he worked. "You're coming, right?"
Severus did not laugh, though it was close. "I am not," he said. "I do not believe I was invited."
"Course you were," Harry muttered as he furrowed his brows and moved along his jawline. "Lupin said he invited you when you brought the potions?"
Severus racked his memory for what Lupin would be referring to before he recalled his parting remark;
'We'd love to have you come next week,' he had said. 'If it isn't a bother.'
And since it had been, Severus had curled his lip before flooing back to Invisibility Way.
"Perhaps he did," Severus allowed. "Though I will not be attending regardless."
"What do I do now? Just wash my face?" Harry asked as he inspected his clean face closely. "And Tonks is coming."
"Wash and apply aftershave," Severus said, pushing a bottle towards Harry. "It will prevent irritation. Nymphadora is an adult perfectly capable of attending a wedding on her own."
"Ta." Harry washed then patted his face dry. "I'm going to be in the wedding," he said casually. He gave Severus a sideways look in the mirror. "So... so you should come. Did I tell you I'm best man?"
"Nearly sixteen times now," Severus said with an actual chuckle. "It does nothing to increase my desire to attend their wedding."
"Hmm." Harry hummed as he liberally applied the aftershave to his face. "Did I tell you I'm wearing a bow tie? And you should come because I'm going to be in the wedding, as the best man, wearing a bow tie?"
Severus sighed in an actually put upon way as he looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes for a brief moment.
He truly was a terrible parent.
Harry had an uncanny knack in convincing him to commit the most atrocious acts.
"What time shall I arrive?"
Severus was unsure how Black and Lupin's desire to wed somehow led to his home devolving in to absolute chaos, yet somehow it had.
Another grudge to hold against them, he supposed.
Severus sat in the sitting room with Mister Longbottom as the other occupants of the house ran around madly.
Narcissa was dashing around, entirely in her element, as she did hair and makeup for Granger, Bones, and Lovegood.
Ronald kept being called as his various brothers kept appearing in the floo double checking the time of the wedding.
Severus could hear Draco yelling about dress robes from downstairs.
All five elves were just as energetic as they rushed around, quite pleased to help the others prepare.
"I'm starting to think weddings are a bit more work than I thought," Longbottom muttered to himself as Theodore was heard shouting at Harry for something.
Severus snorted despite himself, "Quite so, Mister Longbottom."
The boy gave Severus a startled look, as if forgetting who he was sharing a calm cup of tea with. "Er... right."
Severus was unable to finish a single glass of tea before Harry came rushing in the room, half-dressed and frantic.
"Sev! Theo is being a dick and won't help me, can you tie this?" Harry thrust a scrap of black fabric in Severus' face.
"What..?" Severus held the fabric up and held back a grin, certain it would be unappreciated (and may actually terrify Longbottom). "Come here, brat."
Harry held his face up as Severus looped the tie around his neck, beneath the collar of his shirt and carefully tied it.
"Is that too tight?" he asked.
"Nope." Harry pulled lightly on the side of the bow tie and stepped back to give Severus his artfully perfected cheerful smile as he held his arms out to his sides. "How do I look?"
Severus swallowed down his emotions and occluded very quickly before responding. "Charming," he said.
Harry was quite charming in his dress clothes and his socked feet as he stood there, but he also looked terribly young with his bright green eyes and messy hair.
"Thanks, Sev," Harry grinned more genuinely. "I should go find shoes and my robes. I'm supposed to be there before everyone else since I'm—"
"The best man," Severus and Longbottom said, unintentionally simultaneously.
"We are quite aware," Severus sighed. "Go on."
Severus sank back in to his seat as Harry dashed away once more.
"And I'm definitely not having Harry be the best man if I ever get married," Longbottom said with a quiet laugh. "Merlin."
Severus inclined his head slightly, once more in agreement with the boy.
Severus was fulfilling the role of unwilling photographer for Harry's friends, at Harry's firm request before leaving to 'do best man stuff,' when the floo flared to life and someone, undoubtedly another Weasley, stepped out of it.
"Damn." Susan Bones whistled as she posed for a photo with Granger and Lovegood in their matching dresses. "You look amazing, Tonks."
Severus mentally counted to five in his head before he turned and looked at Nymphadora. Who, admittedly, did look quite nice in her dark amethyst dress and her high-heeled black boots.
Perhaps a touch more than 'quite nice', but she also looked youthful and full of joy, which put her quite out of Severus' reach.
"Ta," Nymphadora said with a bright smile as she stepped closer to the group. "You all look great. I wish I could do makeup like that when I was your age."
"Mrs Malfoy did it," Lovegood said with a shy smile towards Narcissa. "She's a genius."
"You flatter me, Luna," Narcissa said warmly from her spot on the sofa. "A light hand is all that is needed. Luckily you girls already have such natural beauty that it is simple to highlight your features."
Theodore scoffed, though he covered it quickly with a cough when Granger lifted her brows at him.
"What?" he asked with an air of innocence. "I tell you all the time you don't need makeup."
Severus had never imagined his life devolving to involve any scenario where he was taking photographs for a child while other children began bickering over cosmetics.
God damned Harry Potter.
"Here." Severus carefully tossed Harry's camera to Bones and stepped away from the children. "If Harry needs more photographs, he is welcome to come take them himself."
"We should bring it with and take pictures there," George Weasley said after checking his watch. "If we don't hurry, we're going to be late and little Harry is going to kill us all."
"He's not little," Frederick protested, jumping to his 'fiancé's' defense.
An utterly ridiculous term to use for a sixteen year old.
"Fred's only saying that because they're engaged," Draco said with a sly smirk.
"Engaged?" Nymphadora yelped. Her eyes were wide when she turned to Severus, "Engaged? Harry and Fred?"
"Yes," Severus said simply as the others began flooing in pairs to Moon Lodge. "Frederick asked him on his birthday, Harry said yes. Thus, engaged."
"But..." Nymphadora bit down on her lower lip and remained silent as she waited for the sitting room to completely empty. "But, how?"
Severus hardly needed to read her mind to understand her question.
"Would you have told him no?" Severus asked imploringly. "Could you have, Nymphadora? I cannot tell him, 'don't make plans for the future because you might not have one', can I?"
"You're right," she agreed. "It's just... just he needs to be told soon, doesn't he? You don't want him to find out from someone else first."
Severus sighed at the truth in her words. Harry needed to be told, but...
"Not today," he said. "The brat is having a relatively good day."
"Soon though?"
"Soon."
Nymphadora gave him a crooked smile and offered her arm out for Severus to take. "Shall we then?" she asked.
Severus accepted her arm with another wry look. "You should find a more suitable person to focus your stubborn attention on."
Nymphadora laughed as she stepped in to the floo with him. "Nothing like a challenge."
By the time Severus was able to take a seat in the rows of white chairs adorned with simple golden ribbons, the mutt and wolf were the least of his concerns with attending.
It seemed as if Lupin's pack have come to regard Severus as some type of 'hero'.
In the chaos that fell after the battle, Severus had quite forgotten that a young woman, Sky Monty, had called him her hero.
Merlin.
"What's wrong, Sev?" Nymphadora murmured from her seat beside him. "Not used to being called 'such a great man'?"
He was not, actually. It was discomfiting and terribly awkward, both emotions Severus was unused to experiencing.
Severus glanced at the woman with the infant on her lap who had said those exact words and considered revoking his offer to brew the wolfsbane potion for them.
"Had I known that I would be accosted upon my arrival, I never would have let Harry blackmail me in to attending," he said back.
"Harry? Blackmail? That doesn't sound like your son," Minerva clicked her tongue as she took a seat on Severus' other side. "I hope this blackmail involved you returning to Hogwarts, Severus. I am rather displeased with you."
"Now Minerva, I seem to have gained a crowd of admirers, it would be a shame if I were to inform them of your displeasure," Severus murmured with a smirk.
A personal army of werewolves, the idea carried merit.
Severus was lost in a fantasy regarding setting the wolves loose on his enemies when one of those enemies stepped up on the platform in front of the guests, Harry by his side.
"Oh, well Harry looks nice," Minerva sighed. "He's become quite the young man, hasn't he Severus?"
Severus eyed his son and nodded curtly, unable to respond aloud lest his emotions wreck havoc on his vocal chords.
Harry stood beside his godfather in a white dress shirt, black dress trousers and robes, and his ridiculously beloved black bow tie around his neck.
And Severus was experiencing a pain so sharp that he had to use all of his concentration to ensure his face did not crumple.
How could the world be so unbearably cruel?
As Harry stood beside Black, dressed in his formal wear, it was only too easy to see how Harry would look as a man one day. As graceful in his body as Lily, as outwardly confident as Potter Senior. Eyes filled with joy, and shoulders broad enough to carry reasonable loads on.
And Severus alone knew that he would never get the opportunity to fully become the man that he could be.
No.
Severus' thoughts were grounded by a firm squeeze of his hand that caused him to glance over at Nymphadora, whose eyes reflected the grief that Severus was attempting to bury.
Severus and Nymphadora alone knew that despite the ring Harry wore proudly on his left hand, it was for naught.
"We'll figure it out," Nymphadora whispered in his ear with the stubborn lilt to her tone that Severus has grown accustomed to hearing. "There has to be something."
Severus lifted his chin, pretending to be convinced.
He kept his eyes on Harry throughout the ceremony though- Merlin only knew if he would have an opportunity to witness Harry on such an occasion again.
Nymphadora snickered when Harry nearly dropped the ring in his haste to hand it to Black when asked for it.
"Ah, that looks more like the Harry we know," Minerva whispered when Harry's green eyes sought out Nymphadora's and he glowered at her for her laugh. "Oh." Minerva inhaled sharply. She tilted her head towards Severus and whispered quietly to him. "He does look like Lily without his glasses, doesn't he? How do you stand it Severus?"
Severus lifted a shoulder silently.
It had been ages since Severus looked at Harry and saw Lily Potter's eyes.
"He looks as he always has, like himself," Severus responded in a thick whisper.
He looked like a young man. A young man who Severus would give his own life to save.
A young man who caused a true laugh to ripple through the guests as he pointedly looked away when Black and Lupin sealed their matrimony with a kiss.
A young man whose life could not be saved by the sacrifice of a parent twice.
Despite Severus' many unheard prayers that it could be.
***
"Leave me alone, you cretin."
Severus swiped at Harry's owl as it flew around his head, pulling at his hair with its talons.
"Sevvie, leave Sev alone," Harry cooed at the mad beast. "He's just a git until he gets his caffeine, isn't he?"
'Sevvie' hooted and took one last yank of Severus' hair before flying to Harry and landing docilely on his shoulder.
"I knew I should have boiled you for ingredients," Severus scowled at the owl. "Terror."
"Ignore him," Harry said as he stroked the owl. "He doesn't mean it buddy, you're perfect, aren't you Sevvie?"
Severus muttered under his breath about impertinent owls and their lackadaisical owners as he unfolded the paper the little black furball brought him.
"For the love of God..." Severus scowled and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation at the top headline. He knew it was coming, though it did not make the prospect of the upcoming year any less daunting.
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE REINSTATED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER AMIDST PANIC OVER YOU-KNOW-WHO
Severus read the article and saw precisely what he expected to:
The witches and wizards of the Hogwarts School Board of Governors were distressed over sending the children to Hogwarts without Albus' presence as he was widely hailed as the only wizard the Dark Lord ever feared.
And, to add insult to injury, Albus was quoted on the battle in May:
'I have stuck firm to my belief that Voldemort has once more returned. This was proven by his attack in Hogsmeade. He will need stopped.'
"Albus has been reinstated," Severus said flatly as he slid the paper to Harry. "There's a delightful comment in there, regarding Albus' steadfast belief that the Dark Lord was back all along."
Harry's face flashed with anger for a moment before he ground his back teeth and snatched the paper.
"Oh I'm going to fucking ruin him," Harry snarled as he read the article. "Just- fucking ruin him."
Severus smirked over his cup of coffee as Harry summoned a quill and parchment. Whatever scheme Harry was plotting to 'fucking ruin' Albus Dumbledore was certainly fine with Severus.
It couldn't happen to a more worthy wizard.
***
Severus, I would like to speak with you about the upcoming school year. I understand that you must have quite a bit on your plate that is causing you to feel as if your time would be best served elsewhere. However, if it suits you, I believe I have a compromise for your resignation if you are interested. Please floo me at your earliest convenience. Yours, -Albus