1 - Holy People

"Professor, I've already given them your instructions. Now I need to go and help my parents prepare the Castle."

"Thank you, Kai. You may go."

Snape remembered Kai's first days at Hogwarts very well.

In his second Potions class, when Kai had found out that he would have to cut open a frog and take its brain out to add it to the Restorative Draught that Snape was teaching him, he had panicked. He had paled and grabbed his desk. His housemate Azpilcueta, with whom he shared his cauldron, had called the professor.

Snape had approached the Navajo boy. "Mr Clauschee? Is there a problem?"

"N-no, Professor."

"Are you feeling unwell? Maybe you should go and see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, Sir, I'm all right now."

Snape had stared at him piercingly, and spoken low, so that only Kai and Azpilcueta could hear him. "Do you feel sick when you try to cut the frog?"

"No, Professor. It's just that... the frog, in our culture, is one of the Holy People."

"Ah, I see."

"My father explained to me that everything would be different here, and that I would have to do things like that, but... it was too much. I'm sorry, Sir. I'm going to do everything you tell me to."

Snape had narrowed his eyes, and looked at Azpilcueta. "Miss Azpilcueta, today you will chop and slice the ingredients, and Mr Clauschee will stir the cauldron. Every time Mr Clauschee seems uncomfortable with a task, you can share your tasks so that Mr Clauschee doesn't have to do anything considered unethical by his culture."

Angela Azpilcueta had nodded.

"But Professor, I want to learn to do what you do," Kai had insisted.

"When you feel prepared, Mr Clauschee. There's no need to hurry."

"Thank you, Professor."

It was impressive and even astonishing to see how the boy had adapted to the Wizarding World. Now, less than three months before the end of his second term, Kai was the best among Snape's younger students, and showed more skill than his best students of all time. Besides that, Kai had a real passion for the subject.

Kai had told him that, after finishing Hogwarts, he would like to be his apprentice. Snape had asked him if he wouldn't have to renounce his people to do that. With a sad look, Kai had confirmed his impression, saying that his father wanted him to conclude his studies at Hogwarts, but, after that, Kai would have to choose between living in the British Wizarding World and being a Navajo hataali like Mr Clauschee. Snape had advised Kai to enjoy and profit from his five years at Hogwarts without worrying too much, and to make a decision only when he had finished his seventh year.

The Clauschees were living in a hogan they had built not very far from Hagrid's hut. Kai's parents, despite being as friendly and adaptable as most Navajos, had decided to keep their customs whenever possible and not to sleep in a place where so many negative spirits, or chindi, hovered freely.

In just a few months, the Navajos had conquered Hogwarts. The next day, Hogwarts would be hosting a ceremony especially prepared for the castle by the Clauschees - a kind of Blessing Way adapted to Hogwarts, lasting for two nights.

The entire school was busy with the preparations for the ceremony. In the dungeons, Snape supervised the brewing of the potions to be consumed. All his seventh-years took turns working on the potions. Right then, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were working on two cauldrons of Sandpotion.

Although he still made an effort to keep his façade of loyalty to the Death Eaters, in hopes that if Lucius contacted him, Snape could help the Aurors to put him back in Azkaban, Snape had long ago given up pretending when he was with Granger and Weasley. After Snape had helped with Mrs Weasley's healing, by giving her the Sandpotion, Ron Weasley had drastically changed his attitude towards him, and had become his greatest defender. It was funny to see him take Snape's side sometimes, mostly when there was a disagreement between Snape and Harry. Sometimes Snape asked himself if Weasley and Granger didn't suspect that they were lovers, even if Harry insisted he hadn't told them anything. Not that Snape had reason not to believe Harry, but he knew Harry tended to be incautious when he trusted someone. Furthermore, Snape knew how intelligent and observant Hermione Granger was.

"Professor," said Weasley, waking him up from his thoughts, "the potion in the biggest cauldron is ready."

"Let it cool down. Your turn is over, isn't it? Where are Malfoy and his minions?"

Weasley smiled. Snape realised he had referred to members of his own House in a deprecating manner in front of Gryffindors, and cursed inwardly.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Mr Weasley, for hearing me thinking out loud."

"What?" Weasley grimaced. "You never change, it's hopeless!"

Harry stuck his tongue out at Snape, who glared daggers at him. The Potions master dismissed the Gryffindors just when Draco, Goyle and Parkinson entered the laboratory.

Snape gave instructions to the Slytherin group and grabbed a pile of essays to mark. It didn't seem a good day to mark essays, though. There is no such thing as a good day to mark essays, grumbled he to himself. The problem was that he couldn't focus on the task at hand. Soon, he found himself watching the only heir of the Malfoys.

Draco had changed. He was becoming a very handsome man and, without his father's influence, he was beginning to develop his natural talents: Draco was a leader, and Snape wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in a high position in the Ministry. Snape was less concerned about him now. Fortunately for Draco, Lucius had disappeared completely, and Narcissa had taken the reins of the family. Without Lucius breathing down his neck, he would follow his own path. Perhaps he would become a defender of the segregationist ideas that were typical of the Death Eaters, but he wouldn't go and kill Muggles just because they existed. Draco was too much of a coward for that.

Oh, Merlin. The bloody essays. Snape growled inwardly and braced himself to face the parchments.

2 - The New Strategist

That night, as on every Friday night in "Snape Manor", Snape was performing his favourite role: the perfect lover of Harry Potter, who wasn't the greatest Wizarding World hero any more, but who was becoming more and more powerful and self-confident.

Harry's magic was impressive, and seemed to flow from every cell of his body. Without the threat of Voldemort, everything he had learned since he arrived at Hogwarts was showing. Harry was blooming in pure magic.

For the last months, Harry had been absorbed in a new project he had conceived on his own: promoting a Tri-School Quidditch Tournament among the three main wizarding schools. The tournament would be held during the next month, May. There hadn't been a Quidditch competition among the Houses that year, so that the school could focus on assembling a competitive team.

"Thank Merlin Krum finished school a long time ago," said Harry thoughtfully, lying down on his back on Severus's bed.

"But the Durmstrang team is better now than it was in his day."

"It's true. But our team is becoming invincible. Montague's a monster. And Ron is practically unbeatable."

Snape didn't want to say that their greatest asset was, in fact, the Seeker. Not because he thought Harry would become conceited, but simply because it wasn't the kind of thing that Snape would easily say.

"The Ravenclaw girl is very good too," he observed. "Walkers, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Diana Walkers. She's great, and she's only thirteen. It's hard for a Beater to be... well, she's not small, but she's not a giant either."

"Have you already decided if Ginny Weasley's going to play on your team?"

"You know that she would be my choice, if there weren't other issues involved. But we need to have someone from Hufflepuff, to get their support too. So I'll have to play with that pain-in-the-arse Zacharias."

"Oh, you are thinking politically. Very interesting."

"Of course, Severus. Wasn't that the original idea behind everything? To unite the Houses through Quidditch, instead of inciting the competition among them? This way we will have Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Slytherins cheering for us in the stands."

"You are becoming a great strategist. Better than Albus."

Harry snorted. "Don't ask me what I think of him as a strategist."

Severus decided to change the subject, returning to the sportive aspect of the game. "So, you're going to have Weasley as the Keeper, Crabbe and Walkers as Beaters, Montague, King and Smith as Chasers and Harry Potter as Seeker and Captain. But you have formed also a team B to practice against, haven't you?"

"Oh, I always keep fourteen players and I'm always changing the teams, making experiments. Nobody besides you knows what my favourite team is."

"Well, I bet Draco Malfoy is not holding his breath on being the titular."

"Yeah, but Draco has other interests at stake besides the game itself."

"What do you mean?" asked Snape, curious.

"Do you know that Chaser from Ravenclaw, Martin?"

"That hunk of... Ahem."

"Oh, so you did notice. He's a dreamboat, isn't he?"

"Potter..." Snape glared at him menacingly.

"But you're the one who started drooling over him. You know that he's not my cuppa!"

"And who is your... cuppa?"

"Er... I prefer short, chubby, blond..."

Snape grabbed him by his hair, forgetting his wand and deciding to use physical force to deal with the Gryffindor. He straddled the boy. "The Boy Who Lived might not live any more..."

"All right, Severus, I'm going to tell you the truth. I prefer my men tall, skinny, a little old..."

There wasn't any other way out: Snape had to close his mouth with a searing kiss.

3 - The Blessing Way

It was the first night of the Blessing way, and everyone was gathered in the Great Hall. The Navajo ceremony, usually performed inside the hogan, had been thoroughly adapted to Hogwarts Castle. The beautiful starry night of the Great Hall helped create the ambience. The tables had been removed and everybody was sitting on the floor.

Snape was on his feet, observing everyone and everything. Everybody had been asked to leave their wands in their dormitories, and that made him very uneasy.

Albus, at his side, smiled cheerfully.

It was... funny to see everyone wearing Navajo clothes. The women with a tiered skirt, a woven sash and a crushed velveteen or cotton blouse covered by tons of silver and turquoise inlay jewellery; their hair pulled to the back of the head, fixed in buns and bound with white yarn. The men with velveteen pullovers with a silver concho belt, Navajo boots, necklaces of turquoise or coral and a headband, along with bracelets or bow guards on the wrists.

Mr Clauschee started to sing the songs to bless the Castle.

The hataali sprinkled corn pollen through the Great hall, blessing it.

Snape swept the Great Hall with his eyes, observing, at first, his colleagues. Minerva, in her bright Gryffindor red and gold dress, seemed younger, even with her hair tied up. If Snape fancied women, he would have found her rather attractive. Hagrid seemed very attentive and completely at ease - if Snape didn't know better, he would think that he belonged to The People. Trelawney seemed in a trance - or perhaps she had fallen asleep, thought Snape, with a sardonic smile. Hooch whispered something in Sinistra's ear. Filius... Where was Filius? Ah, there he was, bouncy and solicitous as always, helping prepare the pool for the ritual bath in yucca suds.

Everyone had been instructed to wear their bathing suits beneath their robes. Snape knew that everyone would be waiting to see the stern Potions master in a bathing suit. If he could, he wouldn't give them that pleasure. Anyway, if Harry... Oh, there was Harry, at the opposite side, near Weasley and Granger. Hastily, Snape searched for Martin and was pleased to see him at a safe distance, among a group of Ravenclaws. Draco Malfoy couldn't take his eyes off him. Snape turned his eyes to Harry again.

Distracted, Snape didn't see when Mr Clauschee started to guide the teaching staff into the pool. Filius, Hooch, Sinistra and Hagrid were already inside. Dumbledore took off his robe and, sporting his purple trunks proudly, made a gesture for Snape to follow him into the pool. But Snape rolled his eyes, exasperated, and didn't move. Dumbledore shook his head before going ahead and entering the pool.

Then Snape saw Kai coming in his direction. The Navajo boy extended his hand to him and Snape, surprised and annoyed with himself, let himself be led. Arriving at the side of the pool, he took off his robe and necklaces, handed them to Kai and entered into the water in his tight black cotton trunks. A group of Gryffindors approached him with an up-to-something look, but his new ally, the loyal Ron Weasley, diverted them, calling their attention to Longbottom, the new Wizarding World hero. Differently from Harry, Longbottom didn't seem disturbed by fame: he was still the same shy and clumsy boy, passionate about Herbology.

One by one they - staff and students alike - were bathed by the Clauschees and left the pool. When there wasn't anyone left, Mr Clauschee chanted a last prayer and everyone retired to their dormitories. Snape still waited until Harry and his friends disappeared upstairs. Before leaving the Great Hall, he saw the twinkling smile of Dumbledore, who stayed there, watching the last people leaving.

~* ~* ~

On the second day of the Blessing Way, Mr Clauschee, with the help of Mrs Clauschee and Kai, painted mandalas over buckskins, always chanting Navajo ritual songs. The mandalas were painted with cornmeal, pollen and crushed flower petals. Mr Clauschee was now painting the Sun's Creation. The hataali was humming, mouthing the words of the poetry that recounted this episode, sifting blue sand between his fingers to form the tip of the feather that was hung from Sun's left horn. All those symbols had been explained by the Navajo teachers to the students and the staff of Hogwarts during the previous months.

A few hours before, Snape had met Harry in the dungeons, and Harry had told him that the previous night, during the ceremony, the castle had seemed to vibrate in harmony with the Navajo songs. Snape looked at Harry and Dumbledore and saw in both the same blissful smile. Luna, not very far from Harry, seemed fascinated too, but not with the castle: with the Changing Woman. Mr Clauschee had explained that the Blessing Way ceremony was the only one in which the Changing Woman, the personification of the earth and of the natural order of the universe, appeared. Luna clearly had an affinity for that symbol.

The ceremony went on into the night.

Suddenly, Snape noticed that Albus was looking at him fixedly. The old wizard conveyed so many emotions with a simple look. As hypnotised by that look, Snape approached him, and sat at his side. Albus put his hand on Snape's shoulder.

sang the hataali.

"Sa'ah naaghéi, Bik'eh hózhó,"* said everybody.

It was the Twelve-Word Song, the final song of the ceremony. For each verse in the song, everyone had to say the holy phrase 'Sa'ah naaghéi, Bik'eh hózhó'.

For all his power, Albus had made many mistakes. However, Snape would never forget that he had given him a second chance. Albus deserved a second chance too... Snape knew that Harry didn't understand that, but perhaps when Harry was older...

The Navajo ritual spoke about hope and beauty - beauty not in its mundane sense, but in the sense of inner harmony. For the first time, those words meant something to Snape.

The End

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