O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s always took place sooner than the rest of the exams; that was why the most stressed out students soon met their dreaded fate. Finally, the whole castle was filled with strange wizards and witches from the Ministry. Some of them I recognised, because they had been my examiners a couple of years before; some of them, though, were younger, and I did not know who they were. I watched them with certain suspicion. At that moment I did not think I could trust anyone from the Ministry.

"None of them are Death Eaters," whispered Snape as he noticed me staring at an examiner with a long, jet-black beard. "Lucius had checked them at the very beginning... there's no-one to be afraid of amongst them."

I glanced at him, frowning slightly.

"Have you talked to Lucius?" I asked hesitantly. It meant that we would soon be able to put our plan into action. While McGonagall was interrogating the students, we should take care of the other part of the plan.

"Yesterday," he answered, nodding his head. "But only by the means of Floo Powder... I'll need to meet him face-to-face as soon as possible."

"I'm going with you," I offered immediately, and Snape looked at me. I had no idea what he was thinking about, but he did not object.

"Although I'd rather prefer you stayed here, you're right," he answered with a gentle sigh. "It'll be better if you come with me, because although Lucius told me that there was nothing to be afraid of, it'd rather not have you stay alone."

I smiled gently. I liked knowing what was going on, even though I had realised already that I played actually no role in all that. Especially because Severus would not let me do that... but maybe he was right. I was still not a very experienced witch, despite the fact I really wanted to help...

"Then we'll meet in the Hog's Head, on Thursday," he added after a moment. "And remember not to do anything on your own until then."

Even though Snape claimed that no-one from the Ministry was a Death Eater, it had been a while since he had last acted that way. He did not let me leave him even for an inch, and although I did appreciate his care, I could not help but feel like in a cage once again. It began to annoy me, but I dared not object.

The days seemed to be unbearably long, and when Thursady finally came, I had a feeling that since the exams had started, at least a couple of years had passed. As I woke up, I noticed that Snape was already up. In his posture, one could sense that peculiar stiffness, which he usually showed during his lessons. The same that made the students feel both respect and fear towards him. However, at that moment there were no students around him, so I wondered what was the reason for that tension.

I got up and began to get dressed, yet I did not break the silence. I had got a feeling that Severus was simply lost in thoughts, and I did not want to disturb him. At the same time, I had a moment to wonder about certain matters.

"I've never thought that I'd get to say goodbye to my job like this," suddenly, I heard his quiet voice. Only then did I realise what had got him in such a melancholy. I frowned a bit, glancing at him. He was not looking in my direction, his eyes were fixed on his books.

"You don't have to say goodbye to it," I replied. "After all, on the first of July everything could happen. And I have an inkling that everything will have a happy ending."

Snape stayed silent for a long while.

"You know, Shirley... they really don't like me at the Ministry. They... they will never forget who I used to be. To them, I will be a Death Eater for the rest of my life, even though Dumbledore vouched for me. The same Dumbledore who then died by my hand.

His hands were in fists, and I could notice that a muscle of his jaw was twitching dangerously. It had been a long while since I had last seen him so annoyed.

"You've got a chance to prove on whose side you are, Severus," I replied, and the fact that my voice sounded so firmly surprised even myself.

"I'm tired of constant proving that I've never asked for that, God damn it!" he exploded, and I moved away in shock. "I have never wanted to get involved in all that! Yes, yes, I did make a mistake when I was still young, but how long can one atone for old sins? I have already died for them!"

I was not surprised that he was angry... I would really like to help him, but there was no such a way in which I could help.

"It'll be over soon," I promised. "Now, that we have the Malfoys to help us..."

"I shouldn't have pulled you in this, Shirley. You're in danger because of me," she whispered. "Just like Lily back then."

"I am not Lily, Severus. I won't meet the fate she did," I replied, and my voice once again took that strange firmness. "You should stop blaming yourself for her death. It's You-Know-Who who did that, not you."

Snape did not respond. He did not even look at me, but I had a feeling that my words somehow had got to him.

"Let's go. It'd be better if those big guys from the Ministry did not know that we're not at school, so we need to get our things done as quickly as possible."

The Hog's Head Inn was almost completely empty, if not for two very old hags, talking to each other with a strong, Scottish accent. Once we entered, they cast a not really friendly glance at us, but Snape did not even turn in their direction.

"Has he come?" he asked the bartender carelessly, and the latter smiled quite mysteriously, beckoning to the closed door.

Severus did not say a word, just started walking in that direction and almost noiselessly opened the door. I slipped inside right behind him.

"I've told you already, Snape, that you should stay away from my son," Lucius growled immediately, before either of us could say a word, even one of a greeting. "I swear you'll regret it if anything happens to him..."

"He's an adult, and he has the right to make his own decisions," reminded him Severus, raising his hand. "I only made him aware of the dangers awaiting him."

A terrible grimace appeared on Malfoy's face.

"Don't play with me, Snape," he hissed, narrowing his eyes. "I don't want to lose my son for your sick ambitions."

It had happened so quickly that I failed to notice what had actually happened. I only heard as though a bang and a muffled thud, and the next thing I saw was Lucius slowly slumping down the wall; blood was running from his nose. Snape stood in front of him, his wand reached out towards the other.

"Don't you dare... repeat that," he said surprisingly calmly, but in his eyes raged wild fury.

Lucius stood up, wiping blood off his face and throwing his long hair back. I was afraid that he would give Severus a taste of his own medicine, but fortunately nothing of that happened. Only then did I realise that I had unconsciously pulled my wand out.

"Put your wand down, girl," snapped Malfoy impatiently. "You don't want to fight with me, Snape, so calm down. Remember that if you break our agreement, we won't cooperate anymore, and I'd like to remind you that without me, you can do nothing."

A soft move around his jaw showed how annoyed Severus was. Hardly ever did anyone dare to stand up to him, but still, Lucius was not just a school boy, and Snape should not have gone over the top. On the other hand, I knew that he was aware of the fact how much he needed Malfoy's help. Or maybe, the Malfoys' help...

Hesitantly, I glanced at Lucius, and then at Severus, and finally, as ordered by the former, put my wand back in my pocket. It did not change the fact, though, that I felt strangely tense, knowing that one of them could burst out once again.

"Your son and his family may die if the boy doesn't start doing something," hissed Snape. "Is it what you want?"

When an hour later we set off on the way back, I felt perhaps even worse than I had when we had been heading to the village. Snape was silent, and I sensed tension in the air, which had nothing to do with the approaching storm. At the same time, I could not help but think of the students who were at that moment sitting their exams in the castle nearby. I was certain that Severus was thinking about them, too, even though his face remained enigmatic.

We had not got to know much from Malfoy, at least not much except what we had already known. But indeed, among the examiners there were no Death Eaters, which did not mean, of course, that the school was safe. Hogwart had always been the place which had been attacked first by the Dark Arts, since it was the only safe place; besides, young people were taught there, and those were the ones who would one day be able to stand up to the Dark Wizards.

The situation, however, had turned out to be less hopeless than I had thought. Yes, the Death Eaters had gone deep into the structures of the Ministry, but not everything was lost yet. It turned out that in fact the Minister himself had been aware of the whole situation, but apparently someone had convinced him that it was Snape who had enabled the Death Eaters to get this far. That was why Shacklebolt wanted so hard to get rid of him from Hogwarts.

Perhaps that was the news that had shocked me most. I wondered what Severus had felt at that moment.

"Who would've done that?" I suddenly asked out loud, and Snape turned towards me, raising his brows in surprise. Apparently neither he nor I had expected such a question. "I mean... I mean that someone's apparently trying to get rid of you. Don't you think that it could be Lu..."

"Malfoy has nothing to do with that," Severus quickly cut in. "I know what I'm saying. All of that had happened before I broke the promise, so it wasn't a... revenge. Besides, I don't think that he would try to lie to me. I don't care if he likes me or not, but both of us care about his son's safety. No, Shirley." A strange grimace emerged on his face. "At first, I thought that it was a repay for my treason. Now I know that it's much more."

He came to a halt, so I did the same. I felt my heart hammering in my chest. I did not know what was going on in Severus's head, but once again I could see in his eyes that peculiar mixture of sick fascination and something else. Something I could not even name.

"A Death Eater has done that. By his own hands, or he has used someone whom Shacklebolt trusts. I'm inconvenient for two reasons: one, I flatter myself that I'm quite a good wizard. Two, I know them perfectly. I know their structures, their mindset... currently, I am probably the greatest threat to them. They need to get rid of me, so they have a clear path to Hogwarts."

I felt all blood leave my face. Despite the day being so hot, I suddenly shuddered from cold.

"So... so what now?" I asked tentatively.

Severus sighed and shook his head.

"Now, nothing. I'm not going to let you get entangled in it once again, Shirley."

He began walking, but I stood still, staring at his back. I could not understand what he had just said; or rather my brain did not want to accept his words. It had sounded as though he claimed that my part was already over in this project.

"I want to help you!" I flared up and came running to him. I stared at his side-face stubbornly, but he did not turn his eyes to me.

"That's not going to happen. You're staying here, in the care of McGonagall, and I'm going to deal with them by myself. There's no other way out. It's not your business and...

"It is! Of course it is, after all, it's about..."

"...and I'm not going to let you die," he continued impassively, staring stubbornly straight ahead.

Never before had I felt such anger and bitterness, and at the same time, fear. I was afraid that if he decided to solve all of his problems by himself, he would get trapped. After all, there were so many of the Death Eaters! Of course, he was a wonderful wizard, he had proven it many times before, but it did not change the fact that our opponents were not weaklings, either, and there were many more of them than us. He could not go there alone.

"Are you aware of how many of them there are?" I asked reproachfully, even though I tried my best not to do that.

"Of course. Perhaps I am destined to survive miraculously once again," he added sarcastically. It had been long since I had heard that hint in his voice. At the same time, it scared and outraged me. And yet, I could not stop thinking that we could not fight now... after all, that was what the Death Eaters wanted: to turn us against each other, to separate us. Then, we would be weaker. That was why I could not agree to his idea.

"Don't kid me," I snorted. "You're going there to die. And after all you've done for me, I have no intention of letting you do so."

Before I realised that, he stood in front of me, looking right into my eyes. His wand was aimed at me. I trusted him, but at that moment, I could not help but feel hesitant. I had no idea what he was planning to do.

I objected to him; hardly ever did it happen, and he really could not handle it well. On the other hand, though, I began to wonder if it should be just me who needed to change for me to stop opposing to him. Perhaps he, too, should put some effort into it, and fight his conviction that he was infallible.

I calmed down a bit, then made a step forward; the tip of his wand touched my chest now. If he cast a spell, it would hit me inevitably.

"Move, Shirley," he growled in the tone I knew from my school times. In his eyes, there was the same antipathy. "I don't want to send you back home in pieces, and it will definitely happen if you don't get out of my way."

"Fire away," I answered in a strangely quiet voice. The fact that it did not tremble surprised me, but it was still full of emotion. "The effect will be the same, no matter if you'll do that... or you'll let yourself get killed in the name of your own honour."

A shadow rushed across his face.

"How dare you..."

"I'm coming with you. You can't protect me anymore. This time, I have a feeling that it's time for me to defend you."