For a half-hour, I've waited in Pomfrey's office as she has worked on Harry and Draco. I know that I should be patient, but how can I? My godson has a laceration to his back that can only have come from a knife, and Harry, well, I regret I only focused on getting the poor boy to Pomfrey than to check him out myself. I have already requested that Pomfrey keep them overnight while I have a discussion with my House. She has agreed without questions asked.

I can feel myself become even more anxious with each passing second. At every sound, I whirl around towards the door thinking that it is Pomfrey. It isn't, though. I then sigh heavily before sitting in a chair again. I need to come up with a plan on how to deal with those murderous bastards. My head then shakes. It isn't all of them that wish ill towards Harry. It is just the majority, and that is only due to their parents brainwashing them. I need to show them somehow that all the lies their parents have spewed are only typical pureblooded crap. However, I know that I am treading on thin ice with them.

"Ow…" a soft voice whispers outside of the door.

My head instantly whirls towards the sound just as the door opens. I nearly groan when it is Aurora walking in. However, my eyes narrow on her hands that are holding her side. Her hands are bloody, and more blood is seeping through. I quickly stand up and gently push her towards a chair. With the blood loss that is sure to have followed a wound like that, I am surprised the witch hasn't passed out yet. I tear off a piece of cloth from my robes before gently holding it against her wound.

"Need I ask?" I say softly as I examine her.

"No, but I'll tell you anyway," she responds weakly. "I was sparring and, well, I'm sure you can fill in the blanks."

"And your sparring partner didn't feel the need to help you to the Infirmary," I say with a slightly biting tone. She instantly gives me a strange look, but shakes her head.

"He's kind of," she starts to say before gasping in pain as I apply more pressure. "Unconscious right now, Severus," she continues. She smiles softly when she catches my look. "Well, Lockhart did nearly try to kill me, Severus. What was I supposed to do?"

"I see," I reply before gently removing the cloth. However, I cannot properly examine her in her current state. I glance at her and she instantly understands what I am asking. She silently nods before leaning back. Her show of trust shows me just how weak she is after her injury. She usually would be kicking and screaming otherwise. I quickly push off her robe and push up her shirt so that I can clearly see how badly she is injured. I grimace at the ugly wounds that cover her abdomen, but soon I focus solely on the wound to her side. My eyes narrow at the deep wound before I glance back up at her. She is grinning at me.

"Well, everyone duels magically, Severus. How many people can actually say they've fought with swords?"

I do not reply to her asinine words. Only Aurora Sinistra would joke about how close she came to death yet again. I gently hold my hand to her wound and close my eyes. Concentrating on healing her, I quietly murmur a series of different Latin spells. Other than Pomfrey, I am quite skilled at healing, which only select few individuals know. It does not take long before I hear a quiet sound escape her lips.

"Thank you, Severus," Aurora says moments later.

I quickly remove my hand from her and stand up. She is staring at me with that strange look again, but it vanishes seconds later. I can tell she is trying to figure out what side I am on, whether that is the Dark Lord or Dumbledore's side. After all, we both know that I am a former Death Eater. She has seen my Mark before and has cursed me numerous times for it. However, I cannot tell her the truth. To protect her is why I do not.

"So, why are you here? Has another idiot tried to blow your classroom up again?"

The color is slowly returning to her cheeks along with her humor. I shake my head and glance away. I know that she will not take my inability to speak as weakness. The only time she has ever considered weakness on my part is my joining the Dark Lord. However, I am unsure of how to explain to her the latest events concerning Harry and Draco.

"So I was right then? They tried to kill him. Huh…I believe an 'I told you so' is in order."

I glance at her without my trademark glare. Aurora has always known what I am thinking without my speaking my thoughts. It is her gift, and her curse. I draw in a deep breath and nod slowly. She instantly rolls her eyes at me.

"Maybe now you'll leave the poor boy in Gryffindor," she mutters.

"I can't, Sinistra. He belongs in Slytherin."

"Speaking to snakes does not make you a true Slytherin, Severus."

"He's cunning too, Aurora," I counter.

"Because he keeps you on your toes, Severus?" she responds.

"No," I simply state. "However, there is ambition. We all saw that side last year."

"Fine, but the boy has zero self-preservation skills. We also saw that last year."

"He disregards rules."

"So does the majority of Hogwarts, Severus. That's more of a teenager trait than House."

"He can't be a Gryffindor," I snarl angrily. My temper has gotten the best of me.

"Why can't he, Severus?" Her eyes then narrow on me. She's trying to figure me out again. I quickly glance away from her. I know that she has zero ability in the mental arts, but I do not wish her to know my true reason. However, when I hear her soft sigh, I know that I am too late. "You can't just rewrite history, Severus. He is still James Potter's son. No matter what House you put him in."

"I know that, Aurora," I growl quietly. I hate how she can easily figure me out. One of these days it is going to get her killed.

"Do you, Severus?" she asks softly. She then sighs again as I remain quiet. "I realize you don't want my opinion, but this has to be the worst idea you've ever had. You took him from his friends…his family, Severus. Instead of placing him into a safe environment, you threw him into a den of wolves that are all out for his blood. How is Slytherin ever going to be a place he can call home? Because you're there?" she asked rhetorically. "Then you might as well just tell Albus now that you quit teaching and being the Head of Slytherin because you will have to devote every second of your life from now on to protecting that boy."

"I have already done so, Sinistra," I quietly reply. "I made the Unbreakable Vow." My words then fail me again. "I thought this would work. I thought that I could protect him more easily, but you are right, Sinistra. I've only made things worse." Damn you, woman, I snarl in my head. Why do you always make me open up like this? I might as well just roll over and show you my belly now. The boy belongs to me. I do not know why, but I know this. I know that he belongs with me. I will find a way to protect him. I do not care the cost, but I will not allow him to suffer anymore.

"Well, perhaps I'm being too harsh with you, Severus," she says glancing at me.

Too harsh, I snarl angrily. I feel the urge to hex her instantly rise up. What do you want now, woman? I have already admitted too much to you. I then growl softly. She is the only person who can rile me up so quickly. However, then again, she is the poster child of Slytherin. She knows precisely how far to get someone to reveal every deadly secret to her. I glare at her, but she does not pay any attention. Even if she pays attention now, it is not as if my glaring affects her in the slightest. The damn woman is immune to even my most potent glare.

"After all, you are only trying to reclaim something of which you lost so long ago. Who am I to tell you how to ruin your own life?"

"Fine, Sinistra. What would you have me do?"

"I would have you sit the boy down and explain to him why you did what you did. Show him that you are not using him, Severus. The poor boy has had every adult in his life use him at some point or another. Show him that you are trying to protect him. That you are trying to make sure that he sees his eighteenth birthday. You do that, and he might start to trust you."

"And what would you have me do for the rest of Slytherin, Sinistra?"

"Well, I had thought you would ask me to join you tonight when you sit them down." My eyes narrow on her. "I can be quite persuasive when I wish to be, Severus." She then stands up and steps closer to me so that I can feel her warm breath. "As you should know," she whispers before smiling softly. Her eyes light up with amusement as she takes a step back. "If they do not listen to you, they will surely listen to me."

"Why?" I ask. She confuses me with her words, which usually occurs when we speak.

"Because everyone has a secret, Severus, and I know theirs."

I then watch her silently walk out of the room. I must admit that when she leaves like this, she tends to frighten me slightly. She acts as if she knows every deep secret I hide. I must admit even during our school years she knew secrets that were hard to decipher from people. To this day I still do not know what she has over the Headmaster, but it must be extremely deadly by the way he allows her to carry on so. I sigh heavily. She plays on a person's fears. I have managed to figure that much out through our years together. However, I have yet to understand how she manages this feat.

"Ah, Severus, good, you're still here," Pomfrey says moments later. "I've just finished healing Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy."

"And…?"

"Well, it appears that Mr. Malfoy took the brunt of the damage." My eyes instantly narrow. "Yes, I know. I'm rather surprised at that finding also." Pomfrey then holds up a vial of silver liquid that I immediately recognize. "The Headmaster thought that you would like to view these before you spoke with your House tonight. It took some coaxing I must admit, but Albus managed to extract them from the poor boy."

I calmly grab the vial and bow my head towards her. I then notice Dumbledore standing off to the side. He is staring at me with his blue eyes twinkling. It takes all my self-control not to do or say anything towards him. I feel Pomfrey rest a hand on my shoulder before she leaves us alone.

"Go ahead and say it, Albus," I growl. His damn twinkling is infuriating me more by the moment. I then glance at him and catch the slight smirk.

"You care for them, Severus."

"Yes, well, Mr. Malfoy is my godson."

"I wonder what your excuse is for Mr. Potter."

"His mother," I snap back.

"I think not," replies Albus before glancing at my hand. "Ah, I see Aurora has spoken with you."

"She foolishly sparred with Lockhart."

"Indeed…?" he says rather surprised.

"With a sword," I mutter.

"Ah, well, I do hope you learned something from that."

"I am not the one with a death wish, Headmaster."

"Forgive me, my boy, but I meant from your discussion with her. She does have the most illuminating things to say I've noticed."

"She wishes me to tell Harry why I had him resorted."

"And…" he replies.

"What would I even say to him, Headmaster? She is right. We had no right to resort him. The Sorting Hat is never wrong."

"Alas, that is not always true, my boy. I fear that we sort too early in some cases."

"Then you agree with me?"

"That the boy belongs with you? Oh, yes, I do concur with that."

"I sense that there is a 'but', Headmaster." He chuckles and nods slowly.

"Yes, well, I can also see her point. We did take Harry from his friends."

"However, since you made me agree to your compromise, I am allowing the boy to remain in contact with his Gryffindor friends. After all, it would be hypocritical of me to refuse the boy to speak with them when I spoke frequently with his mother when I was in school."

"Ah, yes, that is true, my boy."

"But…?" I say.

"Well, it is just that I wonder if it will ever truly be like it was for young Harry. I mean, the poor boy has suffered so much at the hands of others." Dumbledore then sighs heavily. "He grew accustomed to his House. I believe he thought of them as his family, and we took him from them…again. Ah, forgive me for my ramblings, my boy."

"He will have a home, Albus."

"In Slytherin…?"

"If he wishes it," I sigh. They are all right. I should have asked Harry what he wanted before I did anything. After tonight's meeting, I will speak with Harry. I owe him that much. I glance at Albus. "I fear, Headmaster, that I might have shown my Gryffindor side." He chuckles and nods.

"Do not let Minerva hear you say that. She might wish to fight your sorting then." He then sighs and hangs his head. "We all have a bit of each House's traits in us. It makes Sorting a bit impractical I must say. Who is the Sorting Hat to say where we belong? I admit that I feel positively Slytherins some days." He then glances at me with a serious look. "If the Sorting Hat had placed you in Gryffindor, do you believe you would still have chosen the dark arts?"

"I do not know," I answer honestly. He nods at me before glancing away. "I perhaps might not have chosen it because I would have been with Lily, but I do not know. It certainly would have been an interesting experience."

"Yes, so it would, my boy," Albus says chuckling. "If young Harry states that he wishes to be in Gryffindor, then what will you do?"

"Accept the boy's decision and protect him as I have done so far," I state.

"I see," replies Albus before sighing. "Perhaps you should speak with young Harry about your childhood." I open my mouth to say something, but he holds up a hand. "It is just a suggestion, Severus. I fear that he too has had a difficult childhood."

Something in Albus's words makes a chill run down my spine. I cannot tell what part it is, though. I stare at him hoping to find the answer on the older wizard's face. I find none, though. Instead, I find only more questions. Perhaps I will divulge some of my past to Harry. If I am asking that the boy trust me, it is only fair that I show him that I trust him.

"Very well, Headmaster," I calmly state. "I shall speak with him about it. Do you have any more suggestions for me?" He shakes his head. "Then you must forgive me, Albus. I must get ready for my meeting with my House tonight."

"I wish you well, Severus." I do not respond. I do not need luck. I need freaking muzzles.