The chill of the stone wall seeped through her robes, a futile attempt to extinguish the flame smoldering in Olivia's chest. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to distance herself from the boisterous laughter and chatter echoing from the other side of the great oak doors. The students' excited talk of their summer holidays, of new brooms and adventures... it was all just a choral backdrop to the anxiety ringing in her heart. She wasn't afraid of the crowd, nor of this familiar place. She was only afraid of facing one person.

A woman's voice called out, "Liv? Is that you, Liv?" She lifted her head to see who was approaching. Masking her worries with a bright smile, she walked toward the tall, slender woman. Though her face was stern and unsmiling, her eyes, behind square-rimmed glasses, were full of affection.

She held out her arms, calling out playfully, "Mother." It was a familiar gesture, as if she were still a little girl who had never grown up, despite the time they had spent apart.

A familiar embrace enveloped her, steady and warm. Though Professor McGonagall's voice was full of reproach, her fingers gently stroked Olivia's back with affection. "You mischievous little thing! Daring to deceive your own mother and run back here! I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."

Olivia nuzzled into the shoulder of her robes, inhaling the familiar scent of parchment and Earl Grey tea. She chuckled, "Surprised, Mother? From now on, we're colleagues. You won't have to worry about me being all alone in a foreign land anymore."

McGonagall pinched her nose. "See that you don't forget that."

"Yes, ma'am." Liv smiled happily at the familiar gesture.
"It's almost time. I need to greet the first-years. You can go through that wooden door to get to the professors' table." After giving her instructions, McGonagagall left. Olivia watched her mother's back disappear, then turned to face the door before her. After a moment's hesitation, she pushed it open.

The vast Great Hall was filled with a cheerful din as students from the four Houses, seated at four long tables, happily reunited with their friends. The four familiar colors of the banners calmed her slightly.

"Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Not many like being in Slytherin, but I think they're pretty cool..." It was as if she could hear Skye's voice somewhere. Olivia smiled to herself, making a mental note to write to her friend after dinner.

She approached the professors' table and, after greeting them, walked straight to the center chair where a man with long, silver-white hair and beard sat. "Headmaster Dumbledore, good evening." Dumbledore stood up and gave her a joyful hug. "Oh, Olivia, you've finally arrived. I thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow morning."

"I'm very happy to see you again, sir. And I'm very grateful for your letter inviting me back to work here." Dumbledore had reached out just when she needed help the most.

"We are all very happy to have you back, I..." His words were cut off as a giant of a man approached. Dumbledore nodded. "Oh, hello Hagrid, this is..."

"Olivia!! Long time no see." The booming voice silenced the Great Hall. Olivia didn't look down, but she knew she was the center of attention. Luckily, the students' chatter soon resumed.

Olivia happily shook Hagrid's hand. He was a half-giant, something she had figured out on her own. But she didn't treat him any differently; besides his large size, Hagrid was a truly good person.

"Hagrid, you're looking sturdier than ever," she complimented, making him laugh loudly. Then she asked in a low voice, "How is Taz?" Taz was a Hippogriff she had cared for since birth. He was one of the reasons she had returned to Hogwarts.

"Healthy as a horse! I'll take you to see him in a few days."

Dumbledore cleared his throat lightly. "I don't mean to interrupt, but the ceremony is about to begin. Olivia, would you mind sitting at the end of the table over there? I didn't expect you to arrive so soon, so I didn't prepare a seat in advance." Indeed, when she received the letter yesterday, she was still outside of Great Britain. She had found what she needed and returned quickly.

She shook her head. "It's no problem, I wanted to surprise everyone." Seeing that Dumbledore wanted to speak with Hagrid privately, she said her goodbyes and went to her seat, where a chair had just been conjured.

Looking at the scene before her, at the students brimming with life, Olivia said to herself, "Welcome back to the Wizarding World, welcome back to my 'second home,' Hogwarts." A place where strange things could happen. Olivia's second chance.

The cheerful scene of the students before her blurred, and her mind drifted back to when she was a child. Olivia was not McGonagall's biological daughter; she had been adopted after escaping from a wealthy household.

At eight years old, she was sold by an orphanage to the richest man in the region. At first, she did chores, and when she was a little older, she became a maid. Nothing would have happened if the man hadn't suddenly started to care for her.

And so, her tragedy began...

The familiar creak of the Great Hall doors sounded once more behind her, cutting off her thoughts. Out of a deeply ingrained reflex, Olivia turned around. And then, the world seemed to fall silent. All the sounds, all the colors of the hall faded, converging into a single point. A dark figure. Black hair. A tall, slender frame, familiar to the point of heartache. Her chest tightened, her heart hammering against her ribs as if trying to escape. A name escaped her lips, just a whisper that dissolved into the air.

"Sev..."

Two men walked in and sat to her left. She didn't know what they were talking about, but the other man's expression was very serious, mixed with annoyance. The screech of a chair being pushed back brought her to her senses, and she sat up straight, her eyes fixed on the silver plate before her.

Olivia wanted to take a deep breath to calm herself, but doing so only made her inhale the cool scent of mint. The scent brought back memories of a summer night during her seventh year here.

Her mother—the dear Professor McGonagall—would never know that her well-behaved, gentle daughter had done something she could never have imagined on the night of the 7th-year graduation party. Olivia had drugged the one she loved and secretly kissed the lips she had long dreamed of. The scent of mint hadn't changed after all these years.

Severus Snape was annoyed and didn't want to talk to Quirrell anymore. Talking to this stutterer was giving him a headache. His attention turned to the silent girl. He rarely spoke first. "Olivia, what are you doing here?" His voice still held a hint of frustration, though it was suppressed.

Olivia froze. Merlin was her witness, if she were standing, she would surely have collapsed from his distinctive voice.

She turned, a stiff smile on her face. "Good evening, Professor Snape. I was just invited by Professor Dumbledore to work as an assistant in the Hospital Wing." She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't notice the tremble in her voice.

Severus raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes appraising her from head to toe. Her wine-red hair was cut short, highlighting her pale skin, a spray of freckles, and her slate-grey eyes. The innocent features were gone, proof that she had become an adult, or perhaps it was her dyed hair that made her seem a bit unfamiliar.

He tutted, his gaze shifting to the clumsy first-years entering the Great Hall. "The Hospital Wing? You surprised me. Weren't you the one I had to tutor the most back then?" As if remembering something, the corner of his lip curled up.

Her cheeks flushed. Olivia bit her lip hard to stop herself from stammering nonsense. She looked down, wishing she could bury her head in the ground. His sarcastic remark was like a needle piercing the secret she had tried to hide for so many years. A "Potions prodigy" needing "the most tutoring"? Even her mother had frowned at the absurdity. But only she knew the answer: she had been willing to make herself the biggest fool, just to have an extra hour with him in that cold dungeon.

Luckily, she didn't have to answer, as Dumbledore stood up to give his welcoming speech to the new students. Olivia let out a quiet sigh of relief and shifted her attention away from the man beside her, thus missing the expression on his face.

Severus's own mind was in turmoil. That little girl dared to come back here? The night Olivia thought she had successfully drugged him was all an act. Just by smelling the cake she brought, he had noticed the foolish mistake. Mixing up ingredients was worthy of a spanking, but he didn't expose her, instead playing along to see what she would do.

But, Severus never expected Olivia to be so bold as to kiss her professor!!? At that moment, he was slow to react and didn't push her away. By the time his senses returned, she had already run away. Run away until now.

Olivia smiled as she scanned the new students. Their innocence was still there, but then her attention fell on a boy with green eyes and messy black hair. She pretended to glance casually at the person beside her, and sure enough, he was staring intently at the boy. The contemplation in his eyes was hard to hide.

Olivia lowered her gaze, clutching her skirt tightly. If Severus hadn't had that look in his eyes for the red-haired girl back then, perhaps she would have confessed her feelings instead of running away. If Severus didn't have a brilliant Lily flower in his heart, perhaps she would have had a chance. Olivia mocked herself internally.

"Look at this, when I finally have the courage to come back, Lily's son arrives. Maybe... no, I definitely have no chance with Sev..."

"Next, let us welcome our new Professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Quirinus Quirrell, and our new Hospital Wing assistant, Olivia McGonagall," Dumbledore introduced her to the whole school after the Sorting Ceremony.

When her name was called, Olivia took a deep breath and stood up. Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned towards her, a sea of curious and unfamiliar faces. She could feel his intense gaze from beside her but forced herself to ignore it. Putting on the gentle, professional smile of a assistant, she gave a slight nod to the school, trying to suppress the storm raging inside her. This was her role, and she had to play it well.

The feast began. The delicious aroma of roast chicken, pumpkin pasties, and baked potatoes filled the Great Hall. But before the magnificent spread that had once excited her as a student, Olivia now felt a sense of distance. Her body, accustomed to years of a simple and disciplined diet, seemed to rebel against the greasy food.

With a discreet sigh, she took only a few roasted potatoes and some vegetables, trying not to let her differences stand out too much. It seemed she would have to prepare her own meals from now on.

Seeing her eat like a cat, Severus was a little amused. "I remember you used to eat well. You even used to bake cakes for me to test as your guinea pig." Olivia immediately choked, coughing a few times. "I don't eat sweets or greasy food anymore. Thank you for your concern, Professor."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. He just looked at her. Olivia's stubbornness flared, and she met his gaze, refusing to back down. They stared at each other like that. After a moment, Severus slyly lowered his gaze to her cute, freckled nose. Her cheeks began to flush. He looked up at her grey eyes again; the corners were red as if she were about to cry.

These details made him chuckle, and he almost reached out to ruffle her red hair out of old habit. "Don't act as if I'm about to eat you, Liv."

~~~

After the feast. Olivia was shown to her room in the professors' quarters by her mother. After some catching up, her mother returned to her own room to rest for the first day of classes the next morning.

After unpacking and writing a letter to Skye, Olivia threw herself onto the bed and hugged her stuffed animal tightly. "Ahhhh, how am I going to survive this!?" Just one short dinner and her heart felt like it had just finished a Quidditch match. A few more days like this and she would have a heart attack.

Throughout that night, Olivia couldn't sleep, thinking about the foolish things she had done with Severus when she was a student. Sometimes, there were noises from her room. Even though, according to her mother, she was the only one on this floor.

Severus closed his door, leaning against it with a faint smile. "I won't let you run away this time, Liv." Ignoring the noise next door, he fell asleep. He had something interesting to do again.

Tonight, a black panther was planning to trap his mischievous prey. And the little fox was still in shock from the hunter's first strike.