QUESTIONS

An owl tapped urgently on the kitchen window on 6 December at breakfast. Severus tended to ignore owls and his daughter, Abigail, was sleeping in late. Poppy, left as always to let in any morning owls, feed them, and distribute the owl mail, glared at her husband, who noticeably sunk deeper behind the Daily Prophet. She opened the kitchen window, let in the owl who flew to the kitchen perch and began to drink the water. Poppy removed the scroll on its leg, dropped a bit of bacon into the small bowl, and then read who the addressee was on the scroll.

"Severus, a young Slytherin student has sent you a few questions," said Poppy as she held the scroll under her husband's nose so he could not ignore it.

Severus glared. "Just because it is from a Slytherin…"

Poppy interrupted by kissing her husband's brow and smoothing his hair. "That means you will give the young lady a lovely thrill because she will have heard from a revered Slytherin."

Severus snatched the scroll. "I ought to nail that window shut," he grumbled.

"Finish your coffee, my love, then go and answer those questions," said Poppy as she used a wave of her wand to heat up her husband's coffee.

Severus Snape leaned back in his chair at his desk to read the questions he had been sent. He had received hundreds of questions over the years but this was the first time he had received a series of questions a Slytherin wanted to use in an essay about her "favourite Slytherin".

Dear Professor Snape,

I'm doing an essay for my History of Magic class in which we have to ask our favourite person in history ten questions. Since you're alive I was hoping you would answer mine.

Debella Moor - Slytherin Year 5

PS - Here are the questions:

1) What age did you receive your Mastery in Potions? Did you go to a fancy wizard college? If so, did Voldemort pay for it or is it free like Hogwarts? Where might one go to fancy wizard college, anyway? I'd be there with bells on, to be honest.

2) What is your favorite holiday?

3) What's your favorite dessert item/cake for your birthday?

4) A list of infuriating (but secretly coveted) birthday presents that Albus Dumbledore gave you for Christmases and birthdays.

5) Did you join any extracurricular activities or clubs?

6) Did you only have one set of robes that you endlessly cleaned with magic or do you have an entire wardrobe of identical black robes?

7) Has you ever taken apprentices?

8) How do you take your tea?

9) Who introduced you to the Dark Lord? What was that first meeting like?

10) What is your favorite spell?

"Interesting," mumbled Severus. After a moment he leaned forward, took his quill in hand (a Never-Ink Quill), and began to write.

Miss Moor,

Despite the fact that you interrupted my Sunday morning breakfast I have found a bit of time to answer the questions you have sent to me. As most of my answers have changed with my circumstances (my 'resurrection', gaining a family, and a few friendships I never expected) I shall provide you with what my answer would have been before the war, and after.

1) I began my Mastery in Potions right out of Hogwarts; when I was 18. I did not require an apprenticeship as I was very well self-taught. However, going through the apprenticeship bestowed upon me the title of Potions Master which legitimised my craft. My mentor was none other than Horace Slughorn. Not the best mentor I could have chosen but an apprenticeship with him afforded me more latitude in expanding my knowledge than any other. Plus, it gave him bragging rights of being mentor to not only the youngest Potions apprentice but the most skilled.

I had earned a bit of gold selling potions (illegally, I might add since I was not a Master of Potions) and I paid for my own apprenticeship. The Dark Lord wanted control over that aspect of my career but I would not accept his 'generous offer'. To keep punishment at bay I agreed to be his Potions Master once I earned my Masters.

There is not a college or university system in the Wizarding world since our communities (towns, villages) are not populated enough for such a system. Witches and wizards compared to Muggles are still an extreme minority.

2) Before my 'death' I had no favourite holiday. I had a very pessimistic view upon such celebrations and I considered all of them frivolous and a waste of valuable time. I often escaped such holidays when I could until I became a teacher. It was part of my duties as both a teacher and a Head of Slytherin to attend festivities with my House. Often I was a chaperon during mandatory celebrations.

After my 'death' Poppy made it a point to have me spending holidays such as the Winter Solstice (which she prefers to Christmas), our birthdays, and with the collusion of Lucius Malfoy I attended my first Winter Ball hosted by the Malfoys three years after the war and when they had repaired extensive damage to their manor from Death Eaters, the Dark Lord, and time spent with the Ministry after the manor was confiscated.

During this time of upheaval the Malfoys were bearing up through Lucius and Draco's trials in which Harry Potter testified on both of their behalfs. Lucius received a reduced sentence of ten years and Draco received probation. Lucius' sentence was ended at two years when it was shown he had a terminal illness and was dying. I took custody of Lucius, resigned from Hogwarts, and spent a good deal of time searching for a cure to Lucius' illness.

In 2002, while I had custody of Lucius, Narcissa returned from Italy. She and her husband proved that there never had been a divorce and so she took over legal custody seven months after Lucius' release from Azkaban.

Since my marriage to Poppy and the birth of our daughter my favourite holiday has been our anniversary. The Winter Solstice is something I enjoy now because Abigail loves that holiday so much.

3) Poppy was the first to introduce the delicacy of German Chocolate Cake to me after the war. It has become a favourite of not just mine but of Abigail's.

4) I am sorry to disappoint but there is no list of Christmas and birthday gifts from Albus. I absolutely refused to accept gifts from him and anyone else. Albus tried to give me gifts for those two occasions my first five years of teaching. I have no idea what he gave me as I threw out the gifts.

However, you might wish to know that upon his death, Albus left to me his pensieve and his cabinet of memories. I have never been curious towards those memories, and thus I never viewed them. It is entirely possible that some of those memories might awaken demons I have long since buried.

5) As a student I spent one year as a member of the Slug Club. As a teacher I refereed Quidditch games on a rotating basis with Minerva and Rolanda Hooch.

6) As a teacher I had two suits - trousers, shirt, waistcoat, and frock coat. Two pairs of boots and one pair of dress shoes. I had teaching robes (three), formal robes for school functions that fell only to my knees, five brewing robes (that were infused with several useful spells), a Winter cloak, and of course, my Death Eater robes (and mask).

I indulged in colour in my waistcoats that were worn for non-school functions. Those colours were forest green, cobalt, maroon, brown, dark grey, and light grey. My formal robes were trimmed in forest green embroidery at collar, cuffs, and hem. My Winter cloak was trimmed in cobalt embroidery at collar and cuffs.

After my wedding, well, not much has changed. I do have a Travelling Cloak of dark brown, and a Winter cloak with blue and green embroidered trim.

Recently, Abigail has suggested that one day I wear all white to work in order to shock my customers. I might do so someday.

7) I have never taken an apprentice and have no desire to. I do hope, someday, to mentor my own daughter. As it stands at the moment she is thinking of becoming an Archivist. I wonder where such an idea came from… Calleo?

8) I do not add anything to my tea. When I make tea myself I prefer Lapsang Souchong from the Wilthshire Tea Company. It is a strong, aromatic, smoky, black tea from China. The leaves are both withered and dried over smoking pine fires for that smoky, tarry aroma and flavour.

9) My introduction to the Dark Lord was made by Abraxxas Malfoy at the same time he presented his son. That first meeting was both exhilarating and terrifying. I had dreams of being able to accomplish things no other wizard would so when the time came, that same night, I had no hesitation in agreeing to taking the Dark Mark. As I was kneeling in obeisance to my Dark Master the mark of skull and snake began to burn into my skin. As the burning went down even deeper and into my Soul, causing a pain I could never imagine, I knew I had signed my own death warrant.

10) During the war my favourite spell was not one spell but many. As a teacher I used, extensively, a spell that allowed me to silence my walk, breathing, etcetera. I was as a ghost and this was how I often managed to 'sneak up' on misbehaving students. As a Potions Master I used magic as little as possible during the preparation of ingredients and the brewing process. The Stasis Charm that Filius Flitwick created at my request has long been a favourite.

As a spy I used Occlumency, not technically a spell but a mental discipline of one's own magic, that made it possible for me to attend and sometimes survive Death Eater meetings.

Now, much of that is changed. Occlumency is an exercise not a survival discipline. The Stasis Charm is still a favourite when I am brewing for as a husband and father, and also an apothecary, I am often interrupted.

When I am with Abigail, though, I believe my most favourite spell is one that Molly Weasley taught me and it is a variation upon Wingardium Leviosa, the levitation charm. This particular spell allows me to lift and swing my daughter into the air until her laughter has me smiling.

I do hope that these answers are satisfying to your curiosity, Miss Moor, and that they will be precisely what you need for your essay. I expect no less than an Exceeds Expectations from a Slytherin.

Sincerely,

Severus Snape, Potions Master

Severus sent his owl with his answers to the young Slytherin and thought no more of the student and her questions. So, it was with interested surprise when some weeks later a Hogwarts school owl appeared at the breakfast window. Poppy retrieved the scroll tied to the owl's leg while Abigail fed the bird and talked to it.

At the table Severus broke the seal upon the scroll to find a neatly written essay with a golden 'E' at the top. Debella Moor had sent him a copy of her History of Magic essay. In it were the questions she asked with a summary of Severus Snape's own history.

Summoning his quill, he added a note with his signature. He then rolled up the essay and the owl returned to Hogwarts with its delivery.

Hogwarts – Breakfast

Debella Moor was eating a well-rounded breakfast of ham, eggs, fruit, and juice that was not pumpkin juice. Since she was not expecting any mail she was startled when an owl dropped a scroll upon her breakfast plate. Quickly she vanished the mess of breakfast on the scroll, opened it, and was puzzled. It was her essay. Her face lightened into a grand smile when she looked at the bottom of her essay. There, in vibrant Slytherin green ink, was the grade of 'E' and Severus Snape's signature. There was no note. In fact, there was no need of one. To Debella she held in her hands the greatest treasure of her entire school life - an Exceeds Expectation from Professor Severus Snape.

Nearly a century later, upon her death bed, and when her hero had long since gone to his own rest, Headmistress of Hogwarts Debella Moor-Lupin would clutch the very old essay in her hands, smile at her children and grandchildren, and pass easily through the Veil.

Finis