Although I would do so much to just be able to sit there with Severus for long hours, I knew that we could not do that; behind that secret door plain everyday life awaited us – he needed to correct the homework he had assigned to his students, and I should get back to my office, waiting for those who might have had any problems with the material we had covered for the exams. However, I still felt some strange happiness, knowing that I shared yet another secret with Snape, and it was such a beautiful secret.

Finally, we stood up to get back to the castle. As soon as the door closed behind us, the tapestry got back onto its previous place, just as faded and dusty as it had been; no-one would have been able to tell if someone had touched it.

Quickly, we got back to the Great Hall, and having crossed it, we once again found ourselves in the Entrance Hall. The gems in the enormous hourglasses rattled quietly whenever one of the teachers awarded or deducted points.

"Ah, Snape, here you are," we heard McGonagall's voice, full of emotion, and Severus quickly let go of my hand, as though he had never been holding it, and laced his fingers behind his back, turning back to face the Headmistress, glancing at her calmly.

"Has something happened, Headmistress?" he asked in his usual, matter-of-fact tone.

McGonagall pushed her glasses up, since they had slipped down her nose when she had grimaced slightly. It looked like the situation was quite nasty, and the woman really did not want to talk about it; however, there was no other solution but finishing it now.

"Yes, something has happened. I would really appreciate it if you will please follow me to my office," she answered, then looked at me. "Your presence won't be required, Miss Shirley."

"But has..." I began a question, but that was when I noticed Severus move his head slightly – an inch to the left, an inch to the right. "Oh... yes, of course."

I would have sworn that I saw a little smile on Snape's face.

"I'll be in my office," I added quickly, and McGonagall nodded before she asked Severus to follow her.

I felt somewhat nervous when I sat in my office. Not many students came to ask me about something, and I was so distracted that I felt really guilty whenever someone actually did come. I wanted to be able to give them real help, and they truly deserved to devote all of my attention to them, therefore now, as my attention was far away from that place, focused upon a completely different person, I could not help but scold myself internally.

I sighed deeply when another student had left. I closed my eyes and hid my face in hands, hoping that my premonitions would not turn out to be true, and in fact nothing bad had happened.

I was jerked back from my thoughtfulness by a knocking on the door. Convinced that it was just another student, I took one more deep breath and looked at the doorway.

"Come in!"

In the doorway appeared Severus, even grimmer than usually, which actually surprised me – and unsettled me at the same time. I felt an unpleasant twinge in my heart, realising that my fears had been true, and something had in fact happened.

"Come with me," he said, holding his hand out to me.

I stood up without a second thought, slipping my hand into his grasp. However, I did look at him enquiringly. For the first time, he seemed to be really old, even though I knew it was not the case. Before I could even bite my tongue, I asked, "What happened in McGonagall's office?"

It was quite obvious that nothing pleasant had occured, since Snape grimaced slightly as he opened the door. We left, and he answered only, "Not here."

The darkest scenarios rushed across my head. For a moment, though, I did have some hope that maybe he had learnt something more about the Death Eaters. Maybe McGonagall had discovered who their leader was, and that was what had upset Snape so much? Maybe it was one of his friends...?

For a while, I felt strangely tempted to ask that question one more time, but I would rather not risk making him angry; because he was in such a state that it would not be hard to get him furious. I forced myself to stay silent, then, as he led me across the corridors, down the stairs, towards the dungeons. That way had never seemed so long to me.

Only when the secret door to his room closed behind us, he let go of my hand and made a couple of steps away from me, looking somewhere ahead.

"Severus...?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing if it was the moment when I should speak up, or maybe I should still stay silent.

"You... you don't need to worry about my constant surveillance of your life, Shirley," he answered after a long while. I noticed that he kept curling his hands into fists nervously behind his back. "I was allowed to stay at school until the end of the school year... but I won't be coming back in September."

My world stopped for a moment. Not having any idea of what I should say, I just stared at him, trying to catch a breath. Only after a while did I calmed down enough to be able to react in any way. Without a second thought, I ran over to him and took his hands into my hands, forcing him to look me in the eye.

"You can't!" I protested. "This school has never had a better Potions teacher! The students need you!"

Snape grimaced a bit, then firmly took my hands away from his face before taking a step back. I felt in some weird way lonely, even though we were still in the same room, and there was not much more than a feet between us.

"You heard what I said, Shirley. The... ah... the Headmistress decided that it would be better... she let me stay until the end of June, so that there would be no chaos amongst the students, since it would not cause any turmoil in the examination schedule."

Something about the tone of his voice definitely did bother me. Hardly ever did he speak about McGonagall with so much resentment.

"What happened?" I asked quietly, still not quite understanding why the Headmistress would want to get rid of him less than a year after she had been trying so hard to bring him back as a Potions teacher.

"Sit," he said only.

It was just one word, but in the way he uttered it I sensed that it would be nothing pleasant to listen. I dared not object, though, so I walked over to the chair by the desk and moved it back to sit down. All that time, though, I did not take my eyes off his face, trying to read anything from it.

Snape sighed deeply, then sat down as well. Trying to calm down, he closed his eyes, and I had to control myself not to instinctively embrace him. I had no idea how he would react to my touch at such a moment.

"The time when the Ministry interefered in the affairs of Hogwarts," he spoke after a moment, "is not over yet... though, it may be better. Maybe a teacher such as I should be got rid of for the sake of the students as well as the teachers."

He stopped and swallowed, as though he was doing his best not to say something inexplicably nasty.

"But you are not dangerous!" I protested, frowning. "Not... not you! Until now, you've always done whatever was necessary to protect the students! For God's sake, you've saved my life so many times!"

"But the Ministry does not consider it the way you do, Shirley! To them, I still am – and will be, until the end of my life – an ex-Death Eater, regardless of who would vouch for me! In the past Dumbledore did it, now, McGonagall did the same, but apparently the words of either of them mean nothing!"

He was irritated, furious, maybe resentful. I found it hard to understand what he could feel at a moment like that one; I knew, though, that I wanted to protect him at all cost, not to let him be treated the way he was being treated now.

"Once, Dumbledore was considered a genius. The highest authority, whatever the case was. However, it seems to have changed, and as soon as he died, he became an irrelevant old man who should not be trusted."

"But... but after all you've done for this school... for the whole wizarding society, and everyone else... how can they not trust you?" I asked, still not quite understanding what had happened in McGonagall's office.

"Why won't you understand one thing... they... do not... care!" he replied angrily, but still did not raise his voice. "They don't care that whatever I do, I do it to protect... someone, no matter whom. Ever since Dumbledore gave me a second chance, I've never dared waste it. I knew that I wouldn't get another one... however..."

I was scared that my desire to reveal what had really happened would turn out to be nothing but unhealthy curiosity. Or that – what was even worse – Snape would think it was the case. However, I still wanted to know, so I could react in any way.

"I have no idea how to protect you from now on, Shirley," he added after a while, looking at me seirously. "I've been trying my best, but... but apparently the words written on paper are... are worth more than your health and life." He swallowed and hid his face in hands; only then did I notice that they were trembling slightly. Without a second thought, I took them gently into mine – this time, he did not tug them away, but looked at me tiredly.

I did not try to break the silence, knowing that Severus might need it at such a moment. I just looked him in the eye.

"I can't lock you up in my house, like in a cage," he whispered finally. "And I can't be sure I'll discover who stands behind it all when I'm still here. You'll need to deal with everything on your own from now on."

"What did they tell you?" I asked at last. "McGonagall..."

On Severus's face appeared a grimace, and for a moment, I had got a feeling that I should not have asked that question. However, when he slipped his hand out of my grasp just to caress my cheek a bit, I did calm down, even if just a little bit.

"McGonagall still tried to... excuse me," he answered. "It's only thanks to her that I can stay here until the end of the school year. I... I shouldn't have cast that spell on you. I shouldn't have invented it. The Ministry considers it... a serious violation... of certain legal regulations."

I frowned; apparently he was talking about that one spell that made Severus know when I was in danger. Why, though, if I did not try to fight it, the Ministry deemed it was something despicable?

"On the first of July I am supposed to come for a hearing on the improper use of magic. It also causes me to be... as the Minister called it... incapable of teaching at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."

"But... I thought it was up to the Headmistress as to who teaches here, and who does not!" I said indignantly, then stood up. "I see nothing improper in you having developed a spell, which... thanks to which you found me! If not for it, I would be probably dead by now... or at least lying at St Mungo's without senses!"

"Tell that to those big shots from the Ministry," almost growled Snape, standing up as well. "When I mentioned that I can't help but remember the school from the times of the famous Professor Umbridge, I heard that I could leave Hogwarts even today, if I don't watch my tongue."

"But still... it makes no sense... you haven't hurt me... you've been protecting me!"

I did not even notice when I had started to pace around the room, feeling the irritation engulfing me from the inside. Why did the Ministry act like that? Had another Death Eater broken into the ranks of the Minister's closest associates? Even when the Minister was no-one else but one of the most prominent Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt himself? I did not believe that someone might have cast the Imperius Curse upon him without anyone noticing...

"That's where the problem lies, Shirley." Snape still stood there, watching me. "The spell had not been tested before it was used on a human being. It's true I put you in danger..."

"But if I die now, it won't be because of you!" I interrupted him and turned so I could look at him. Tears were burning my eyes.

Snape used that moment when I stood still, and approached me quickly to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"Listen carefully," he said finally, holding me in place when I tried to leave. "Stand still when I'm talking to you... You must help me now. It's very important. If... if the Ministry don't want to contribute to the capturing dangerous criminals, dealing with innovative spells instead... we have to take things into our own hands. I'm not able to do it alone."

I looked at him and drew a deep breath. My breath was slightly shaky because of the tears, but I was doing my best to calm down. Finally, I nodded.

"We must discover who now manages this wretched organisation... Avery is not clever enough, but since he gave orders to the rest, we may suppose that none of the three you've met beside Avery have anything to do with command. As I said earlier, I do have some suppositions, but first, we need to check them before we start to act." His voice was quiet, but hardly empty or emotionless. Never before had I heard such a tension in his words.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" I asked after a while, having no idea as to how we could make our situation any better.

"Nothing, for now. We have to speak with Lucius, as soon as possible. He has certain connections we don't have," explained Severus, and I once again nodded. "I'm afraid that the whole case has already gone too far. Further than I've thought till now. But it's still not too late to prevent a tragedy. We just have to cut off the dragon's head."

"How?"

"When we've talked to Lucius... I'm almost sure I won't have any doubts as to what's happening at the Ministry, and I'm convinced that at the moment quite a lot is happening. A lot of nasty things."

I bit my lip.

"So you think... that there are Death Eaters in the Ministry already?"

"Oh, I don't doubt it, of course. The sooner you penetrate the Ministry, the easier it will be for you to hide, don't you think?" A grim smile appeared on his lips."That's why it'll be hard to get them, because you'll never know who's really guilty... who's lying, and who's been deceived. I'd wish for Lucius's son to help us... but he, apparently, is not interested in having a hand in any of this."

I sighed deeply, remembering the conversation between Snape and McGonagall when the name of Draco Malfoy had been first mentioned. I had never had a chance to get to know this boy better, even though we had been going to the same school for a couple of years.

"So, what we have to do is to do the dirty business for the Ministry, thus risking that we'll end locked up in Azkaban as well, Shirley..." whispered Severus, his eyes set upon mine. "But either this... or agonising death."

"I'll follow you everywhere, Severus," I answered just as quietly, smiling a bit. "How are we going to meet Lucius?"