Shedding Skin (смешанная)

With the Dark Lord comes whispers, and perhaps the most frightening ones of all are those about Severus Snape. Severus Snape who has made men nothing more than blood and bones in duels, but prefers to make his kills from a distance. His potions, shriek the newspapers, can break your mind, shred your soul, and just leave you dead.
The Wizarding World roars in triumph when he is captured, but are shocked when he is not imprisoned. Rather than lock away this dark and mysterious power, the Ministry have made the decision to use his capabilities for their own gain. Snape's reputation does not shake. Put to work with the Aurors, he cannot escape what he has done, and does not want to. He delves into spells and potions most wizards could barely comprehend, thankful that at least he is being mentally stretched. But as Dumbledore says, perhaps all the Half Blood Prince needs is love - and he is soon to find it in the unlikeliest of people.
 
Or: I was frustrated that nobody properly exploited Snape's potential in canon, and then it turned into a whole idea. Updated weekly.