A Heated Discussion [open]

[Severus Tobias Snape]

Snape had been in his office, talking with the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. He could trust the other paintings, because they wouldn't reveal anything, even that Phineas. This was the only place he could be comfortable. However, it wasn't long before he heard a knock at his door. He stiffened up, and the conversation finished, even though he was still mid-sentence.

"Come in," Severus ordered. It wasn't Alecto or Amycus, as he expected, but it was the second Dark Arts professor, Professor Prewett. The Dark Lord was very interested in the Prewett, and wanted him to keep a close eye on him. Severus didn't know why.

"Headmaster," Harry began swiftly, "I know what you're doing, I know the plan. Dumbledore, You-Know-Who, everything." Severus knew that this man had been from the future, from what Dumbledore said, and since Prewett's children were transfers, he must be from the same place.

"I see. I take it you are truly Harry Potter, then," Severus said calmly looking slightly towards Dumbledore's portrait.

"Oh ho! He's Potter from the future?" Phineas commented, but everyone ignored the previous Headmaster.

"Yes, I am," Harry responded with a small sigh, relaxing and standing in front of the desk of Snape.

"What gives me the... pleasure of this meeting?" Severus replied looking at the older Potter curiously. Seeing Potter near his age was extremely odd. He had suspected Prewett was Potter, but he had never knew for a fact until now.

"Well, first I wanted to tell you that the pretty little woman you hang around-" Harry began.

"Her name is Marissa. If she heard you, you would regret calling her a 'pretty little woman'," Severus interrupted, curious as to what Harrison Prewett would say about the matter.

"Well, let's just say: Everyone deserves someone, even you. You have sacrificed your life to Dumbledore for a crime you committed when you were younger, that ended the reign of You-Know-Who, and I think that you have had enough torture. You are human after all," Harry explained, wanting Severus to have something, besides making up for his mistake years ago, worth fighting for.

"I do not wish to speak on this matter," Severus replied. Harry shook his head at this stubbornness. At least he planted the thought, as he wished. "Is there anything else you wish to speak about, that does not involve my personal life?"

"I need to warn you, about the battle not far off now, just a few-" Harry began, but Severus cut him off.

"I do not wish to hear anything about the future, Mr. Prewett," Severus interrupted. He didn't care if it would save his life, or anything. The future should not be placed into his mind. As Dumbledore refused to know, he would too.

"Quite smart. Harry, I am sure you know that the future-" Dumbledore's painting began, but Harry slammed a fist on Snape's desk.

"Is a very delicate thing. You never know the consequences of revealing the future. I know!" Harry replied frustrated. It had been years since he had given up on controlling his temper. That occurred around the time Ginny died, as there was no one else really there that he cared so deeply about, besides perhaps his children. He needed things to change. He couldn't let himself go through all of that again. He just couldn't. Snape was the key.

"You need to calm down, Mr. Prewett. I do not wish to hear the future, I will refuse to listen. You know of my true plans, if you really are set on changing the future, then why do you not change them yourself?" Severus suggested.

"You stubborn man! Fine. I will change it myself. I cannot let You-Know-Who win again," Harry said shaking his head staring at Snape.

"This is settled, then. I do hope that the Dark Lord does not succeed, but I will hear not anything about my future. If I die, I will die. I will fight against the Dark Lord no matter what happens," Severus responded having not lost his cool even with Harry Potter from the future yelling at him. Harry Potter found out about his loyalties. He found out about everything. At least he earned something for his contribution. He succeeded in his goal. He redeemed himself for his crime.

[Marissa Lianne Cavaliere]

Mari had decided that she would surprise Sev in his officel. Her mother had sent her some cookies for Christmas, and she knew that he liked them, so she meant to share. She had an ulterior motive, though; she and Chris had decided that they were going to drag him along with them to the Christmas party that Thom and his wife were throwing. It had been many years since he'd spent any time with her siblings, and they wanted to see him again.

She heard voices behind the door and entered his office loudly, just in case they were saying something that could get them in trouble. It was Prewett that Sev was talking to...hm. She'd always thought there was something weird about that guy. She wondered what they'd been speaking of.

"Oh, sorry, am I interupting something?" she asked half-heartedly. She wasn't really sorry, but manners dictated that she should apologize.

[Severus Tobias Snape]

Harry swiftly turned around, ready to yell at whoever it was, but when he noticed it was the pretty little woman Snape was friends with, and had been hanging around often, he held his tongue. Harry looked back at Severus and forced a smile.

"No, we're done here," Harry said looking back at Marissa and began heading out, "Just don't let him go. Men like him don't come around very often." It was then that Harry left the office.

Severus watched as the future Harry Potter walked out. Men like him don't come around very often. He could've fooled himself. Severus didn't seem himself as a very great person.

"I'm sorry... Did you hear anything?" Severus asked. He really hoped that she did not hear any of it. It would raise a lot of questions.

[Marissa Lianne Cavaliere]

Marissa glowered after Prewett. She was really beginning to dislike that man. He was far too nosy; it was going to cause him and everyone around him a great deal of trouble. Somebody ought to put him in his face, she figured. It might as well be her, though perhaps not so close to Christmas. One day soon, though....

"Gossips tend to state the obvious," she remarked loudly, hoping that Prewett heard. "They've nothing better to say."

She offered Sev what she hoped was a charmingly wry smile as she placed the container of cookies on his desk.. Mari honestly suspected that, if Severus Snape was immune to Veela charms, it was due to her and her sisters; Sol and Ria in particular had not been shy about using their charms on male teachers and students alike when it suited them. They still weren't, really. Shyer, quieter Mari had never been as adept at the art of manipulation as her sisters, but she was no slouch, either. Veela charms were very useful for diplomatic purposes.

"Hm. Did I hear anything? Funniest phenomena. I heard myself called a "pretty little woman," and it made me so angry that I didn't hear anything else," she replied casually, opening the container.

[Severus Tobias Snape]

Harry James Potter was never the most cool tempered person in the world, and so when Mari insinuated that he was a gossip. He clenched his fist, though outside the door of Snape's office, standing there, trying to maintain his cool. She couldn't know why he was doing all of this. Snape could be the only one. He and McGonagall, of course. He decided that perhaps what they would say could be important in the future, and so, his suspicious and spy side of him took over, and he simply stood there, where he could hear at leas half of their conversation. Over the years, Harry had learned he couldn't let those he had a feeling would hide something important from him get away without him knowing the important thing. He had lost Ginny because of that. He wasn't going to let anyone else die because of him making that mistake.

"I suppose so. I never did like gossips," Sev stated, placing the act of treating Prewett as a guy who was just getting on his nerves, instead of someone he had to keep safe and close because of his knowledge of Dumbledore's plans for him, "Though he did say a few things that were important, such as his fear of a battle coming soon, and his evidence was quite compelling."

He smiled back at her, though his smile was more of a small smile of just a hint of happy. Sev touched the container of cookies, moving them slightly closer to him, as a sign that he was most definitely going to accept the gift. While they weren't his favorite type of cookies (which would be sugar cookies with coconut shavings on top), he did like them, and appreciated the gift and the meaning behind the cookies. "Thank you," Sev stated. Veela charms did work on him, but they didn't seem to affect him any where near the effect others had. True, he knew how to tell when a Veela was trying to charm him and normally he could counter it, having experience from watching Mari and her sisters at school.

"Ah. Prewett does have a way with words," Sev remarked with a chuckle at her reaction (which he expected) to hearing Harry talking with him, "Either way, the two of us discussed a few things that must remain between the two of us, so I am glad you did not hear much."

[Marissa Lianne Cavaliere]

Prewett knew?! She didn't like that man; his guesses were too close to the mark. The Curia had sensed a coming battle; why else would Marisol be so far from home? She wasn't exactly good-will ambassador material. Actually, Marisol was something of a liability in anything non-com bat-related; politics were too subtle for her.

For the time being, Mari laughed off Prewett's concerns. Something about the man made her paranoid, and she didn't want him over-hearing anything too....damning.

"Oohhh, sounds serious!" she teased. "I'm glad to have not heard much! The die is cast. Now we wait."

[Severus Tobias Snape]

Potter, no Prewett, continued to listen in. He perhaps could learn more about this Curia, more than he already knew of it. Or Snape and this woman's relationship. Harry had a feeling there was something going on, but he never thought that Snape had anyone he liked that much besides his (Harry's) dead mother. Perhaps he didn't know Snape as well as he thought. Then again, Harry spent a good chunk of his life hating the man, until he found out about Severus Snape's true loyalties. He wasn't going to let anyone die this time, at least those he could help prevent, including Snape's.

"That is quite true. Waiting is half the battle," Severus replied with a small light chuckle. He actually was slightly worried about Harry's information that he was going to die in the battle, and the battle would take place at Hogwarts claiming many lives and not even ending the war. Either way, he never thought he would live that much longer.

[Marissa Lianne Cavaliere]

Marissa sighed and let her usually impeccable posture slip, just for a moment. She quickly caught her slip and corrected it. She was tired, but she had work to do. She could be tired and sad when there was a time. Basically, she'd sleep when she was dead...which could be any day, really.

"Hah...I've had enough of the other half for two lifetimes," she joked weakly. "Maybe three...it's his birthday soon, you know. Vinny."

She missed him. More some days than others, but it was a constant ache. A part of her had died with Vinny. She pushed on, though, and worked at living with the pieces that he'd left for her. Nobody else needed to know of the burden she carried; they all had their own.

[Severus Tobias Snape]

It had not escaped his noticed that her posture had slipped. It seemed that she was facing something similar to what he was, besides the fact that he couldn't sleep because he couldn't seem to get to sleep, his mind always racing with various thoughts. Deciding that he wouldn't want to be questioned about outward signs of tiredness, as it would make him have to admit (since she was someone he didn't usually hide very much from, only what was absolutely necessary to withhold) what his mind had been racing with, which was the guilt from Dumbledore, and the feeling that the war would last too long, and that Harry was going to die, at the right moment, but he was going to die. Apparently, Harry hadn't died in the future, but that didn't mean that eventually he would die or that the future was going to change.

"Perhaps we all have," Severus replied watching her when she mentioned Vinny. They were all heartbroken when he had died, but he knew that she was the most cut up over him. Sev had been quite close with Vinny as well, and so he was pretty upset over it, but he wasn't married to him, despite thinking of Vinny almost like a brother. "Perhaps we could throw a party for him, I bet he would enjoy watching on from the afterlife," Sev suggested, in an almost joking mood.

Just thinking about Vinny and their days in Hogwarts made him feel a bit more open and happy, despite the fact he had lost them. Being around Mari seemed to bring those feelings from back then back. He still felt extremely terrible that Vinny had died and it hadn't been him instead. Vinny had everything, and he had little more to live on except to repay a debt that could never be paid off. Vinny had a family, and those he loved. But then again, Sev wasn't even close when it had happened, and dwelling upon it would mean that Vinny was upset, because he never would want them to dwell upon his death, right?

[Marissa Lianne Cavaliere]

She always appreciated people like Sev; they didn't push it when they knew that you weren't interested in talking about it. She was sure that it was fairly obvious that she missed and mourned for Vinny, even years later. She didn't feel the need to discuss that.

She laughed a little at how dead-on his suggestion was. Once his best friend, always his best friend, she guessed. He knew Vinny very well, even after all those many years.

"We should," she agreed with a grin. "He'd love that, so long as there's no ouzo involved."

Vinny hated anything that tasted like black liqorice, especially a Greek drink called ouzo. He'd tried it once and spat it out immediately.