Bonus piece:

Severus Snape sat at his desk drinking a cup of tea when an owl arrived with an Evening Prophet.

Curiously he paid the darn animal before unfolding his paper, wincing as the movement hurt his bandaged left arm. Picking up his cup of tea and taking a sip he glanced at the headline.

HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED DEAD!

REMUS LUPIN, SIRIUS BLACK AND HARRY POTTER DELIVERED HIS CORPSE TO THE MINISTRY.

FIFTY-THREE DEATH EATERS CAPTURED!

"What?" disbelieving Snape spit out his tea and dropped his cup to the ground, letting it scatter on the stones. His hands almost tore into the paper as he read the article below it.

Less than three hours ago the Auror department was thrown in an uproar when three men, quickly identified as werewolf Remus Lupin, newly instated Lord Black and The Boy Who Lived, delivered a package to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones.

The package contained the corpse of who was identified as He Who Must Not Be Named and sixty-five of his followers, of whom fifty-three carried the Dark Mark. Forty-five of his followers have been confirmed to be dead.

After questioning the three, Madam Bones let it be known that it was Remus Lupin who is responsible for the downfall of the Darkest Lord to have ever lived.

In a short statement she declared that the three famous men came across the Dark Lord and his followers while on vacation, and after a short fight in which the three took out many Death Eaters, Remus Lupin finally killed the Dark Lord with the Killing Curse.

Remus Lupin is registered as a werewolf, which leaves many of us in wonder as we have all been taught werewolves are evil and dangerous. And yet this werewolf took out the man who frightened us all, in the process saving the lives of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and Lord Black. More about werewolves on page 2.

The statement given by Madam Bones:
"We were able to confirm that Death Eater Lucius Malfoy and the murderous Fenrir Greyback, a noticeable dark werewolf known for his preference to infect children, were among the dead. Lucius Malfoy had been on the run since the news of You Know Who ́s return came out last week. Remus Lupin will receive..."

Snape stared at the words without truly seeing them any more.

That disgusting werewolf Lupin had taken out the Dark Lord?

Those three despicable bastards had taken out the darkest Lord to have ever lived. A Lord who was stronger than anyone in existence?

A monster that not even the great and almighty Albus Dumbledore was capable of defeating had been taken down by that...that...

Saved the lives of Harry Potter and Lord Black...

As if...knowing Black like he did, this was probably a set-up aimed to ensure a better life for those vile beasts. It would be just like the bastard to pull a stunt like that, even if it meant the arrogant git wouldn't get the credit for what he'd done.

It had to be a stunt. After all Snape had seen the raw power Black had displayed when he broke into Hogwarts just a few days ago. Had felt it when his attention had been directed to him.

And how mortified had he been when he had felt coldness spread over his spine when those cold grey eyes had focused on him.

He had no love for the stupid toad nor did he truly care when Black threatened the Headmaster but he didn't like being on the receiving end of that temper.

And the worst part had been when he had been grateful to him for keeping the brat safe. As if he had done it for his sake. It had never been for that brat, never!

Nothing, absolutely nothing had caused him more disgrace than having that bastard be grateful to him. Of course that was mere moments before the git had threatened him...and how could he ever forget that particular display of raw anger, even without the bloody reminder. As if he could ever forget what that bastard had done to Regulus Black, his own brother, simply because he'd threatened Potter and the beast.

It had to be a stunt pulled by Black, if not...Snape didn't even want to think about what it might mean if it truly had been the werewolf who had taken down the monster he had served for so long.

He stared at his bandaged arm, knowing the burn wound that lay underneath. Had that been the Dark Lord's last breath? His dying anger lashing out to the servants who escaped that trio's wrath?

It couldn't be true...it just couldn't be.

Not even fourteen years ago when the brat had vanquished the Dark Lord to a shade of what he'd been had the Dark Mark burned like it had that afternoon. It had felt like a scream of anger and hatred, tearing through the Mark and seemingly burning the unwanted symbol even deeper into his arm.

Just impossible...

He had no idea how long he sat there with that piece of crumpled newspaper in his hands, not answering the summoning Dumbledore gave him for an emergency Order meeting. Nor reacting to the regular Daily Prophet when it was delivered the following morning and the owl took one of the Knuts lying on his desk before leaving.

"Severus? You didn't show up at the Hogwarts meeting this morning or this afternoon," it was McGonagall's voice that pulled him slightly out of his deep thoughts though he still didn't acknowledge her.

"Very well, you should know that I have been tasked with hiring a new Defence teacher and I have asked Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to share the position. They have agreed."

"Hm..." Snape nodded absent-mindedly making McGonagall sigh and leave again without another word. It was a few minutes before her words truly got through to his clouded mind.

Wait...asked Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to share the position...of...Defence.

What?

Share...position...Defence...

"What!" his scream of shock and anger tore through the castle, making several teachers wince in the staffroom a floor up.

"I think Minerva just told him," Flitwick said with a quickly spreading smile as several others smiled too, knowing new exciting times were about to start at Hogwarts.

Taking another sip of tea they all pleasantly continued their dinner and excited chatter, ignoring the slamming of doors as their colleague tore through the castle while he screamed their Headmaster's name.