This Epilogue is in two parts, the first part inspired by reviewer alpis1977. This one takes place between chapter 19 and 20. The second is the original epilogue, which takes place a few years later. Enjoy!

The Headmistress sat down to her evening tea, and her floo roared to life.

"Headmistress," a very familiar voice intoned. "It is Severus Snape. May I come through?"

Whomever the Headmistress was expecting, Snape was not it.

"Severus?" she asked, astonished. "Yes, yes, come through."

Minerva drew her wand, just to be sure, and was astonished as the black-robed figure stepped through her floo.

"Could it be true?" she gaped, her childhood accent thickened in her shock. "Is it you, Severus?"

"It is I," he replied firmly. "And I am well."

"What happened?"

"May I sit?" he asked quietly. "It is rather a long story."

"Yes, yes, I'll get a spare cup," she directed, summoning a cup for him. "Please tell me from the beginning."

So Snape told her what he had figured out from the battle so far, of how he must have revived enough to put himself in stasis and hide in his second storage closet."

"That is why we couldn't open it," she acknowledged with a nervous laugh. "I was quite frustrated with you, you know."

"But you suspected nothing?"

"We both know that generally speaking that a wizard's spells will fade with their death," Minerva acknowledged. "I didn't know what to think. Part of me wondered if maybe you had become a vengeful ghost bent on keeping Slughorn out of your supplies."

"I would have done it at that," Snape acknowledged, a small smile.

"Tell me about your rescue, then," the Headmistress coached.

Sipping the tea, Snape had told her of the embarrassing rescue by Harry and company.

"The Marauder's map, Minerva!" he cried out, feeling the shame. "They levitated my unconscious body under that bloody invisibility cloak!"

Minerva, not being able to hold it back any longer, burst out in laughter. "Those original four marauders would have loved that!" she laughed, nearly in tears.

Snape, feeling a bit ruffled but also enjoying the easy companionship of the headmistress, managed to almost smile a bit himself. Serves bloody James Potter right that his creation would save the life of his enemy years later.

"So what are you planning on doing next?" Minerva asked, wiping her eyes that had teared up from the laughter.

"I have no idea," Snape answered. "My magic is starting to recover a bit, so I believe that I will be able to reclaim some of my old life."

"Of course you will come back to Hogwarts," Minerva told him. "Slughorn is really a disaster in the classroom."

"I was only here to watch out for Potter, you know that," he told Minerva directly. "He's old enough to take care of himself."

"Is he?" Minerva asked. "Seems to me that 18 is over-young to be completely an adult."

"Surely he no longer needs a babysitter."

"I am concerned about him," Minerva admitted. "I've invited him to teach here in order to help him stay grounded. He lost his own father, Sirius, and then Albus."

"Surely I could babysit him from afar to protect him from any leftover death eater threats?"

"Death eaters are the least of my concerns," she answered firmly.

"Surely there are still a few about?"

"The boy killed Voldemort," she told him flatly. "I'm not worried about stragglers."

"I suppose you're right," he conceded.

"I'm worried more about his emotional health. And I'm also thinking about Draco," she told him. "Listen, just teach a few years more, and Draco can take over for you after that. It is not good for anybody to be alone."

"I will consider," he nodded, touched what the headmistress implied - not verbally, but he could feel it firmly - she worried about him too.

"You have hated that boy for many years," Minerva told him softly. "It must be devastating to know that it was his stubbornness that actually saved you."

Snape looked away, not sure how to answer her. "I protected him," he answered simply.

"And you hated him," she answered. "You tried to make him pay for what his father did to you. You have many sins on your plate, Severus Snape, but I wonder if this might be the one you most regret."

Snape choked, feeling known and vulnerable. His carefully constructed persona was now completely seen by Minerva, and also judged. He began to panic a little.

"Do not worry yourself," she told him softly. "Your secret is safe with me. But as your penance I would encourage you to actually try and see who that boy really is, not through the lens of his father."

"My penance has already begun," Snape told her softly. "I was completely shocked by what he did for Draco. What he did for me feels like a fun prank, what he did for Draco took real courage."

"Is that making you rethink yourself?"

"Yes," Snape admitted. "He is not his father's son."

"Good," Minerva rapped. "Then you can take charge of Draco."

"How could I do that?" he asked. "I'm not even sure if I can access my bank accounts?"

"I doubt Harry counted that cost when he got into it," McGonagall shot back at him. "And you and I both know that this arrangement is good for neither of them."

"Touche, Madame," he told her, his face looking down. "I will consider how to broach this subject with him."

"I have one more thing I would like to say to you tonight, however."

"What is that?"

"I just want to say how thankful I am that you are back with us," she said quietly, her utter sincerity clear in her voice. "We lost too many good people in the war, too many. To get one back is astounding, to get you back is nearly unbelievable."

"Thank you, headmistress."

"So use this second chance to good purpose," she told him.

Harry had spent the morning putting things to right in his classroom, preparing for the coming students. Ginny had urged him to come home early so they could have some time alone in the afternoon while little James napped, and Harry smiled at the invitation. He would be busy enough when school started, it made sense to enjoy his flexibility now.

A knock at the door diverted his attention, and he smiled when he saw that it was Draco.

"Hello, Professor Malfoy," Harry smirked at him.

"Ha ha, Harry," Draco smirked back. "Although I must admit it will be wonderful having my own classroom after assisting you and Snape for far too long."

"It was nice of him to hold out until you finished the masters training before leaving," Harry agreed. "But how is that going to work with the guardianship? You still have a few years left on it."

"Snape is going to reside at Malfoy Manor for now," Draco explained. "He has his laboratory all set up in the basement, and is happily working on new potions. He says he's relieved not to be bothered with teaching anymore, but will help me if I need him. You had heard that Snape was able to get much of my family property held in trust for me until the guardianship is over?"

"I had heard that," Harry smiled. "I'm happy for you."

"They've decided to give me a lot more freedom as well since I am becoming an upstanding citizen and showing that I've been rehabilitated. I just have to check in with Snape once a day and he still has input on my decisions. He can still punish me technically, but he hasn't in a long while. You do know he took up the cane after gaining custody of me?"

"I didn't," Harry winced.

"Yeah, he thought the paddle was ridiculous for a man my age. He was right. Painful, but right."

"How's that going to work with you dating Astoria?" Harry asked.

"I believe we've worked it out to everyone's satisfaction," Draco answered enigmatically, and Harry tried not to be offended by Draco's handling of information around him. He had to remind himself that even though they had managed to come to an accord and even some level of friendship, the man was still a Slytherin. Draco sighed, and seemed reluctant to say something.

"Harry, I have something to ask you."

"Of course," Harry answered.

"We have set a date."

"Congratulations!" Harry enthused. "I'm so happy for you!"

"And I want you to be my best man."

"Really?" Harry asked, dumbstruck. "I mean, of course, but I am surprised. Do you really like me that much?"

"Of course I like you," Draco rolled his eyes. "What is this, a popularity contest among first years? You should know how I feel about our friendship."

"But you're never actually nice to me . . ."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Alright, you bloody Gryffindor. I like you, I respect you, and I am daily cognizant of the fact that I owe every minute of my bloody being to your idiotic Gryffindor bravery that caused you to not only take on the Tribunal but follow through with their distasteful dictates. You are no coward."

"Wow, Draco . . ."

"Don't get all mushy. That doesn't mean I'm going to give you a free ride."

"Of course not," Harry affirmed. "I wouldn't expect it."

"There is one thing too, that I never said to you."

"What's that?" Harry asked, mystified.

"I wanted to thank you. I mean, for all that saving stuff certainly. But for something more than that too. You could have saved me and made me a house elf and assuage your conscience. But you sought out more than that; you sought out trying to make me family. That is what made the difference."

"You're welcome," Harry told him softly. "When I think back on that time, after the war, we were all a little lost. I actually think that in the process of saving you and ultimately saving Snape saved the rest of us too."

"See? Bloody Gryffindor emotional outpouring. I just wanted to ask you to stand up at my wedding and now we're as mushy as spinsters at a Sunday School recital. Are you in or out on the best man option?"

"Definitely in."

"Good. I have one request for the wedding, however."

"What's that?"

"Get that hair of yours under control, you look like a crazed badger."

Laughing, Harry smoothed down his hair and smirked at the blond professor. In that moment, things felt complete.