It was a few moments before Hagrid could make sense of what the terrified Neville and Ron were saying. "What do ya mean, there was a vampire drinking unicorn blood?" Fang began to bark loudly. "Fang, quiet!" the big man snapped and the dog ceased, whimpering.

"We . . . we were following Fang . . . an' he led us right to the unicorn . . ." panted Ron. "And then . . . and then . . . the vampire came . . ."

"It turned and looked at us!" Neville added, his eyes huge in his moon round face. "I was . . . never so scared in my life, Hagrid! I . . . I couldn't move! Then Harry yelled run . . . and I did . . . I ran and ran . . ."

"Fang dragged me outta there," Ron added. He mopped sweat from his brow.

Hermione was peering about the trees anxiously. After hearing what the two boys had encountered, she was more afraid than ever. She resolved to never be caught out of bed again if this was the standard punishment McGonagall gave out! Abruptly, she realized something the others had forgotten in their mad dash to find Hagrid. "Um . . . where's Harry?"

Everyone gaped at each other as they suddenly realized Harry was not among them.

"He . . . err . . . I thought he was right behind me," Neville stuttered in alarm.

"What if he got lost?" Hermione gasped. "What if he's still out there and the vampire's hunting him?"

"All o' yeh, follow me. I'm going ta lead ya out of the forest and onto the school grounds. Then yeh go back an' tell Professor McGonagall that Harry's missing." Hagrid instructed. "I'll go back an' search for Harry with Fang. Let's move!"

"What about Professor Snape?" Draco queried as he ran quickly after the gamekeeper. "He needs to know too, he's Harry's guardian."

"Uh, yeah, righ'," Hagrid sighed. "He oughta know . . . even if he's gonna skin me an' hang me out t'dry."

"It wasn't your fault, Hagrid," Neville consoled the big man. "Nobody ever expected a vampire to be in there."

"Or that Harry wouldn't have sense enough to run away from it," Draco added, snorting. "Gryffindors! You show your bravery at the stupidest times."

"Harry's not stupid!" Ron snapped. "He probably was trying to distract it so Nev and I could get away."

Draco made a dismissive gesture. "Whatever, Weasley."

"Hush yer quarreling now," Hagrid ordered bluntly. "Got enough trouble brewin' without yeh adding to it."

The two subsided after that reprimand, and hurried in Hagrid's wake down the path leading out of the forest. Their hearts were cold in their chest wondering what had happened to their friend.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Snape's quarters:

Skullduggery awoke feeling a strange sort of magic quivering through him. He fluffed his feathers and shook himself, gliding from his perch in Severus' bedroom over to the cherrywood four-poster where the professor slept. The posts were intricately carved with vines and magical plants and the headboard bore a raven in flight, which Severus had added after bonding with his familiar. The bed was large enough to hold three, a fact that had always amused the raven, and he often teased the solitary Potions Master about having a bed large enough for a wife and kids, if he ever allowed himself to get close enough to a woman to fall in love. "You're not exactly a dried up old man, Sev," Skull usually pointed out. "You still have plenty of years of loving in you, if only you'd quit hiding down here surrounding yourself with cauldron fumes and dried newt's tongues. That sort of thing might put a woman off."

"Then she's not the woman for me, Skullduggery," came the sharp response. "Now quit playing matchmaker bird. You're hardly one to talk. Where's your mate?"

"Out there somewhere," Skullduggery said flippantly. "We shall meet when it's time."

"And the same goes for me," snorted Severus, turning the raven's words back upon him neatly.

Skull fluttered to land on the pillow next to Severus' head. The professor slept peacefully for once, without tossing and turning or muttering and moaning in his sleep, his emerald comforter wrapped closely about his lean frame. The stuffed ashwinder rested beside Snape's head, upon the pillow Skullduggery perched on. They were thick ones, plump with griffindown. "I hate to wake him," the raven said conversationally to the plush snake. "But he'd pluck me and boil me in a cauldron if I left him without letting him know I'm going to be gone for a day or two. Pity, for this is the first decent sleep he's had in a week, after all the kid's put him through." The raven heaved a gusty sigh, then trilled softly, "Sev, wake up! Severus!"

Severus coughed and turned over, his hair spread out across the pillow, one hand beneath it.

"Severus, wake up! I have something important to tell you!" his familiar warbled.

Abruptly, the Potion Master sat up, his wand flying into his hand. He rolled over, wand lifted, ready to hex whoever had broken his sleep so rudely.

Skullduggery hopped backwards, crooning, "Easy, Sev. It's just me."

"Skullduggery? Why are you disturbing me? I need a few hours of sleep before I start brewing my second batch of potions tonight," Severus grumbled.

"I wouldn't have unless it was very important," the raven said, looking rather apologetic.

"Go on." Severus sighed, concealing a yawn. He lowered his wand, placing it next to him.

"I've been summoned."

"Summoned? By whom?"

"Thunderbird. He's called me to fulfill my debt," answered Skull softly.

"Your debt?"

"Yes. I incurred a debt to him when I called on him for assistance with the storm spirits at the Quidditch match." Skullduggery explained. "He told me I would owe him a favor and now he's calling in my marker, Sev."

"Right now?"

"Yes. Thunderbird cares not for convenience. I must go, Sev."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Probably to America. It's where he makes his home."

"You're going to fly to America?" scowled Severus.

"No. I'll use the portal he provided." Skull replied, jerking his head towards the shimmering rainbow circle that now hung in the air, crackling with lambent magical energy.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know. Not more than a day, I'd guess. But I wanted to tell you before I left. So you didn't have a nervous breakdown when you found me gone." Skull said impudently.

"Nervous breakdown?" Severus rolled his eyes. "That'll be the day. I'll finally get a rest from your tongue, Master Impudence!" Then he reached out to caress the raven. "Be careful, Skullduggery."

"Always, Sev," his familiar murmured, rubbing his beak along the Potion Master's cheek.

"Fly safe, you rogue."

"Quit worrying, Sev. You'll make your hair gray. As MacArthur said, I shall return." Skull squawked, then after a playful nip on the ear, the raven flew through the portal.

"Wretched bird!" swore his wizard, rubbing his ear absently. "One of these days, Skullduggery . . . a new featherduster will be hanging on the wall." He shook his finger at the portal just before it vanished.

Then, wide awake and unable to fall back to sleep, Severus rose, put on his slippers, and decided to make himself a cup of cocoa. He checked his watch and noticed that it was almost nine o'clock. Harry should be done with his detention right around now, and be coming home. He decided to wait up and see if the boy needed anything before bed, he wondered what Minerva had made the five miscreants do, as she had not decided how she was going to punish them when last he discussed the detention with her yesterday. Hopefully it was something sufficiently unpleasant and memorable.

He started the fire in the fireplace with a soft spoken "Incendio!", then set about making himself a pot of cocoa. He used the coffee pot to steam the milk gently, placing the pot upon the iron spider, which hung upon a hook over the flames. The spider was a cast iron apparatus that had eight legs like a spider and a flat platform on top for heating things such as pans and pots. Its legs rested in the embers of the fire and it hung upon a hook attached to a cast iron arm that could be moved back and forth into the fireplace.

Once the milk was sufficiently heated, Severus added several heaping teaspoons of dark cocoa powder and some sugar, though not enough to make it overly sweet, he liked his hot cocoa a little bitter, like dark chocolate. He stirred, sipped it, then set the pot upon a trivet and relaxed in his recliner.

Despite his cavalier dismissal of the raven, he found himself missing the insolent rascal, and picked up a periodical to read, figuring he only had about ten minutes before Harry returned from his detention, hopefully chastened enough not to risk his life foolishly again.

He had finished his first cup of cocoa and was contemplating having a second cup when there came a rather loud pounding upon his door. Scowling fiercely at whatever ill-mannered brat had dared to assault his door in such a fashion, Severus gestured and the door jerked open. "What is the meaning of this ruckus?" he demanded snarkily.

In tumbled Draco and Neville, both boys were red-faced and their robes were askew. They picked themselves up from the floor and stood, looking as if they were facing a viper in its lair.

"Professor, you've got to help us!" Neville began, his voice hoarse. "We . . . can't find Harry!"

"He's lost somewhere in the forest, sir," added Draco helpfully. "There was a vampire and it attacked Longbottom and Weasley, or something like that."

"No, it attacked the unicorn!" Neville corrected.

Severus held up a hand. "Silence! Come in here, sit down, and start at the beginning." He ordered sternly. "I can't make sense of your babbling, except for the fact that something has happened to Mr. Potter. I was under the assumption that you were all serving detention tonight under Professor McGonagall."

The two boys complied, scurrying over to sit on the sofa.

"Sir, Professor McGonagall assigned us detention in the forest with Hagrid, we were supposed to help him track down an injured unicorn and put it out of its misery if necessary . . ." Draco began. He recited what had happened up until the time they had separated, then Neville took over.

"Professor, we came back as fast as we could. Ron and Hermione went to tell Professor McGonagall what happened and Draco and I came here. Sir, you don't think the v-vampire would . . . hurt Harry? I mean, it already drank the unicorn blood . . . so it wouldn't be hungry, right?" Neville whimpered.

"Longbottom, what you saw was impossible," Snape began.

"Sir, I swear . . . it really happened!" protested the Gryffindor. "The vampire was drinking the unicorn blood, Harry and Ron both saw it too . . .! It was awful, I'm not imagining things, honest!"

Severus scowled. "Longbottom, listen to me. What you saw is not possible because no vampire would ever drink unicorn blood. It is anathema to them. A vampire would soon as drink unicorn blood as you would drink poison. The first touch of unicorn blood upon a vampire's lips would cause it to burn up, for its flesh cannot bear something so pure."

"But it looked like a vampire," Neville squeaked.

"I am sure it did, Longbottom. However, that is a mistake a novice often makes the first time they see a revenant." The Potions Master replied, feeling a cold chill suddenly sweep through him.

"What's a revenant?" asked Draco.

"It is a creature of darkness, a body that has been animated through magic and will, it often contains a spirit which has refused to cross over and seeks revenge upon the living. It seeks any means to preserve its unnatural life, and does not care that drinking a unicorn's blood dooms it to a cursed half-life." The Potions Master informed his students.

"W-when I saw it . . . I was so scared that I . . . couldn't move," Neville admitted, flushing. "I felt like it was sucking all the warmth out of me, sir, and I was frozen. I couldn't look away and I felt like my heart was going to burst right out of my chest!"

"It could have, Longbottom. A revenant's fear aura has been known to cause those who encounter it to drop dead from the shock. It is equal to a Dementor's. You were very lucky." He poured two cups of cocoa and handed them to Draco and Neville. "Here. Drink this down, it will counteract the aura. Then return to your dormitory."

"What about Harry?" Draco asked.

Snape's face tightened into a grim mask. "Do not worry, Mr. Malfoy. I shall find him." He forced himself to sound confident, though inwardly his heart was fluttering madly and his stomach was churning. Of all the times for Skullduggery to be gone! Revenants in the forest, and Harry missing. Snape felt his heart skip a beat at the danger his ward could be in. Granted, the revenant wouldn't be able to touch the boy thanks to the protective amulet Severus had crafted for him, but Harry was probably lost and terrified, all alone in the darkness. The professor silently cursed Minerva's choice of venue for detention. Of all the times to assign a detention out of the castle! And worse, it should have been supervised by more than one professor. What had she been thinking?

His scowl etched into his face, Severus turned and made his way to the door of his quarters. "Finish up your cocoa, you ought to be in bed by the time my mantle clock strikes the quarter hour. If not, you shall not like the consequences."

"Yes, sir," the two chorused.

Severus left, knowing full well they would not disobey him. He strode down the corridor, his robe billowing like the wings of a night haunt behind him. Once Harry was safe again, he was going to give Minerva a good piece of his mind for putting his ward in danger, even if it had been unintentional. For now his priority was finding Harry, he could rant and rave later about Gryffindor stupidity.

Page~*~*~*~Break

"Severus, I'm so terribly sorry!" were the first words out of Minerva's mouth when the Potions Master arrived in the Entrance Hall. "I never thought a simple trip with Hagrid into the forest would result in . . . this catastrophe!" The witch looked remorseful and quite upset.

Severus shook his head. He was furious, but now was not the time to engage his sharp tongue. "Minerva, what's done is done. We shall discuss this later, once Harry is back. The longer we stand here the longer Harry wanders in the forest and I shall not have my ward spend the night in there if I can prevent it." Obsidian eyes glinting, Severus thrust open the doors and strode down the path towards Hagrid's hut.

Minerva followed, half-running to keep up with the Potion Master's long strides. "Severus, is Skullduggery with you? Have you sent him on ahead to scout?"

"Not this time. He is away . . . fulfilling an old debt," Severus told her. Never had he wished for the raven's keen eyes and clever brain so much as he did then. Just my bloody luck! He thought irritably, for Skullduggery could have located Harry much faster than he could have. But there was no use wishing for the moon, he would simply have to rely upon Locator Charms.

Just as he was approaching the forest verge, he saw Hagrid with Fang beside him, a lantern in one hand, waiting for him. Severus looked in vain for the figure of a small boy, but there was no sign of his ward. He felt the small spark of hope in his breast flicker and fade.

"Professor Snape, I went back to where they'd found the unicorn. It was still there, but no sign o' Harry. Fang found this on the ground where he musta stood, though." Hagrid held out a meaty palm, upon which rested the medallion of protection Snape had made for Harry. Its chain had been snapped in two.

Severus removed the medallion gently from Hagrid's hand, cradling it in his own. "It must have gotten caught on something and the chain snapped. He probably didn't even notice it was missing."

Minerva peered at the pendant curiously. "Severus, is that an amulet of protection?"

"Yes. I made it for Harry after he started being the target of so much misfortune, like the Plague Envelope. I told him to never remove it, and he never has . . . until now." He turned to Hagrid, tucking the precious medallion in a pocket. "Hagrid, show me where you found this. I will try and track Harry from there."

"All righ', Severus. But I had Fang search an' he couldn't pick up the trail no how."

"Fang's a good dog, Hagrid, but he's no bloodhound," remarked the professor. "Perhaps my Locator Charm will have better results."

They followed the gamekeeper into the forest, wands raised high, emitting magnified Lumos charms. Minerva and Hagrid paused and called Harry's name every so often, hoping that Harry would hear or see the light and come towards it.

Severus remained silent, convinced that Harry must have gone to ground and be hiding, afraid to reveal himself. It was what he would have done in a similar situation, and like him, Harry was a survivor.

"Over here," Hagrid stopped in a small clearing.

In the glow of the their wands, Minerva gasped at the heartwrenching sight of the dead unicorn, lying still and lifeless on the forest floor, its sparkling white coat dull, all the magical vitality leeched away. "Merlin have mercy! To slay a unicorn . . . is to commit a mortal sin."

Severus nodded shortly, he was more interested with where Hagrid had found the pendant. Reaching the spot the gamekeeper indicated, Severus knelt, careful not to step upon the patch of ground. He saw the indentation of Harry's feet, then, bringing his wand closer, noticed something else. A red stain upon the ground just behind the footprints. Severus carefully extended a finger, touched the wet earth.

Blood. Harry had been hurt. He swore roundly in his head then. He examined the ground, hoping to find a trail that would lead him to his injured child. Instead he discovered a second set of footprints, a short distance into the brush. Frowning, Severus measured them with his palm. They seemed too large to be a student's, and yet too small to be a full-grown man's. Perhaps a woman?

"Severus, have yeh found anything?" Hagrid's voice boomed out of the air.

Severus scowled, inwardly lamenting his companions' inability to be silent. "I have found two sets of footprints, one is obviously Harry's, the other I don't know. There is also some blood upon the ground. But they are the only signs, there are no tracks leading away from here."

"Blood? Then Potter is injured?" Minerva cried in dismay.

"Perhaps. Unless the blood belongs to this mysterious stranger," Severus declared, rising. He prayed that were the case.

"Could the revenant . . .?"

"No. Revenants leave no footprints, they glide above the ground," Severus reminded her sharply. "And if it had caught Harry . . . he would be dead." Especially if the revenant was who Snape suspected it was. He began to chant a Locator Charm.

But the charm seemed unable to grab hold of Harry's magical signature, which was akin to fingerprints, every wizard's was unique. His wand spun uselessly in his palm, like a compass unable to find magnetic north.

"Nothing," he hissed, the only outward sign of his terrible frustration and fear a grimace upon his face, which otherwise was a mask of stone-featured determination.

"Let me try," Minerva said, irritating him beyond measure.

Did she think he was a fool, or inept at casting, that that was the reason his spell had failed? he longed to snarl at her. It was her inattention and decision to give the students detention in so dangerous a place that had resulted in Harry going missing. And people said that he gave out unreasonable detentions? Merlin's bloody arse! No student, Slytherin or otherwise, could ever claim he'd put their lives at risk scrubbing cauldrons, or the dungeon floor, or pickling rat spleens!

He felt a small jolt of satisfaction when Minerva's Four Points spell also failed. She looked dismayed.

"I can't understand why . . ."

"Obviously, the spell cannot find his signature because whoever has him knows how to cast Anti-Locator charms, at the very least," Severus growled, a what-are-you-stupid tone lacing his words. Gryffindors! He thought disgustedly. Always looking for the obvious solution and stating it too.

"Then what can we do?" asked Hagrid.

Severus gritted his teeth. "For the moment, we are at a stalemate. Whoever has kidnapped my ward has us at a disadvantage right now. It is night, we are exhausted and not in the best frame of mind, and this is someone who is skilled at concealment. If Skullduggery were here, I could have him search and speak to the birds in the forest, they might have seen this person take Harry and run off with him. Rarely does a person think to consider that eyes from above could be watching, this one concealed his or her tracks on the ground, probably with Boots of Stealth, which leave no tracks while in motion."

"Yes, that makes sense. He couldn't have Apparated, because of the wards." Minerva stated. "I suppose the only thing we can do now is to return to the castle and inform the Headmaster, then resume our search tomorrow. Severus, I shall take full responsibility for Potter's disappearance, and accept any consequences the Headmaster sees fit to give me."

Severus' mouth twisted. "You needn't play the sacrificial lamb, Minerva. I'm certain Albus will forgive you your mistake, he's hardly likely to sack you since you're Deputy Headmistress." Now if it were my oversight . . . there would be holy hell to pay, but then I'm only his Slytherin Potions Master and any mistake I make must be paid for unto the tenth generation.

"Severus, I am truly sorry . . ." she began.

"So you've said. If you're seeking absolution, talk to Albus, not me. Right now there is one thing that matters to me, and that is finding Harry. My forgiveness can wait, old puss," he declared coldly. He spun about and stalked back the way he had come, anger radiating from every pore of his being. Anger and a frustrated helplessness.

"Severus . . . can you forgive me?" she called after him.

He did not slow, nor did he reply.

Hagrid patted the distraught Transfiguration professor on the shoulder clumsily. "Don' worry, Minerva. He'll come 'round. He's angry at me too, I can tell."

"And he has the right to be, Hagrid! We were responsible for them. And we failed poor Harry. Heaven only knows what is happening to him," she murmured, choking up. "If something should happen to him, Hagrid, I shall never forgive myself and I shan't expect Severus to ever speak to me again." Dabbing at her eyes, the Gryffindor matriarch reluctantly departed the clearing, her shoulders slumped with the weight of her poor decision and the fact that it might cost them all the life of the Boy-Who-Lived.

Page~*~*~*~Break

"My godmother?" Harry repeated. "I didn't even know I had one."

"Of course you do, dear boy!" the Fifth Marauder murmured, smoothing the hair back from his forehead as if he were a fretful child. "All babies born in the wizarding world have godparents. The last time I saw you, Harry, was at your baptism. That's why you don't remember me."

Harry frowned. His head throbbed, but he was suspicious of this woman's claim. He might not know much about godparents in the wizarding world, but in the Muggle one he knew that they were expected to take care of their godchild if his parents weren't able to. So why hadn't she done so? He peered up at her, trying to see her face.

Abruptly, she cast off her hood, saying with saccharine sweetness, "There! Is that better?"

He looked up and saw a face that seemed youthful, perhaps the same age as his mother's might have been, had she lived past twenty-one. Ringlets of golden blond hair cascaded down to her shoulders and beyond. Her eyes were . . . strange . . . she had one blue and one brown, and they shone with an odd sort of light . . . almost like satisfaction. For some reason they made him uncomfortable. She would have been pretty, had she not been so thin. Her cheeks were gaunt, lending a sharpness to her features than made Harry think of a bird of prey. She appeared to be of medium height, the blue robe wrapped about her slender frame snugly. He noted that she wore a small key on a string about her neck, and several pouches on her belt. Smoky gray boots peeked out from her hem.

He squinted as the boots seemed to swirl in his vision, as if they were surrounded by fog. He rubbed his eyes to clear them of sleep, wondering what was the matter with him? Maybe he had hit his head harder than he had thought. He managed to organize his thoughts and asked, "But if you're my godmother, why didn't you take me to live with you, isn't that a godmother's responsibility?"

"You're quite right, Harry!" she exclaimed, smiling as if he had just stated something profound. "You've got your mother's brains as well as her eyes, I see! That is what should have happened, of course. You see . . . I was your mother's second choice for godmother, she was my good friend. Her first choice, and the one that was recorded legally, was Alice Longbottom. She wanted to make Frank godfather along with her, but James put his foot down. Said one Longbottom was enough, and it was Sirius Black's turn, and a good thing too, considering what happened to them. Such a tragedy!"

"What happened to them?" asked Harry.

"You mean no one ever told you? Alice and Frank were assaulted by Death Eaters and tortured into insanity. They share a room at St. Mungos, and are incurably mad, poor things!"

Harry was horrified. Surely, they couldn't be speaking about . . . Neville's parents? He had known Neville lived with his grandmother but had never really wondered why. He had assumed that Neville's parents, like his own, had died. But this . . . he couldn't believe that Neville had never told him. Then again, it wasn't something one could bring up in casual conversation, and Harry had never asked. He felt so terrible for Neville, how awful was it to still have your parents living but yet not have them at the same time? In a way, Harry was glad his parents were dead. That way he could mourn them and go on with his life.

"How . . . how did it happen?" Harry asked then.

She gave him an odd look. "No one ever told you that on Halloween night, you were not the only family targeted by You-Know-Who? While he came to Godric's Hollow, led there no doubt by Snape, for all he claimed to change sides, he sent his Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr., to the Longbottoms to try and get information from them and they were . . . overzealous. They used the Torture Curse too long and too much and drove them mad. But we found the bloody scum and put them away in Azkaban for life. Crouch died there, and I'm sure Bellatrix has been driven mad by now." There was a sort of vicious satisfaction in her voice.

It made Harry shudder. As did her implication that Severus was evil. "But if you were my mum's second choice as godmother, why wasn't I given to you to raise?"

"Well, it's complicated." The Fifth Marauder began, giving Harry a small smile. She pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. "You see, even though I was one of your mum's best friends, I was never officially named your godmother. Therefore I had no legal authority to claim you once Alice was declared mentally disabled. Now, that wouldn't have mattered if your godfather, Sirius, had married me like we'd planned, because then as his wife, I would have got custody of you. But we never had time to get married with the war on and all, and then he was arrested and imprisoned."

"Arrested? What did he do?"

"Nothing!" she declared passionately. "They say that he killed his best friend, Peter Pettigrew, and thirteen Muggles with an Exploding charm. Supposedly all that was left of Pettigrew's body was his index finger, and the Aurors had to Obliviate the Muggles who saw the fight, make them think a gas main had exploded, because Muggles aren't supposed to know about magic."

"My relatives were Muggles and they knew about magic," Harry pointed out. "They didn't really believe in it, but they knew about it. They forbid me to ever mention it."

"That was different. Your mother was a Muggleborn, so her sister learned of magic by association. But any other Muggle gets Obliviated if they see something they shouldn't."

Harry's brow wrinkled. "Obliviated?"

"It's a Memory Charm made to make them forget what they saw." The Fifth Marauder explained. "Have they taught you nothing in school, child?"

"We . . . uh . . . only just learned about Levitation charms and Featherlight charms. Professor Flitwick never mentioned that Obliviate thing."

"Humph! This is what comes of letting Muggles bring up a wizard child," she sniffed. "In any case, they arrested and convicted my Sirius, claimed there were witnesses and put him away for life. But I never thought he did it. I knew better. Sirius was a good and honorable man, he never would have killed his best friend, little Peter, who was a Marauder too during his schooldays. But I couldn't prove anything, and the whole wizarding world was in an uproar over your parents' deaths, You-Know-Who's death, and your survival. I would have tried to get a barrister to overturn the conviction, but before I could do so . . . my own family was attacked by wretched evil brutes, as was I."

"More of those Death Eaters?" Harry guessed.

"Yes," hissed the woman, and in her eyes burned a terrible hatred. Her mouth twisted into a grimace of pure fury as she continued. "They came in the middle of the night, neither I nor my parents or my brother was expecting anything. We were supposed to be safe now that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone! His followers were supposed to have been rounded up and thrown in the deepest bowels of Azkaban. But some of them escaped. And they came to Norfolk Grange. They slaughtered my parents in their beds and when my brother tried to go for help, they cut him down like a dog! He was only fourteen! They attacked me as well, and almost killed me with a Cutting Curse. They left me for dead, sure I was going to bleed out and die. Only I didn't. I managed to stop the bleeding in time and then I went into hiding. I had to let them think I was dead. You see, I had seen their faces, they hadn't bothered to put on those grotesque masks. I could identify them. Mulciber, Avery, and Rosier! But I was too weak to do anything after the attack, I was half-dead. By the time I recovered, weeks later, the bloody snakes were in Azkaban or they had fled the country. But I vowed to have my revenge upon all those miserable Death Eaters. They had taken away everything I loved. I have dedicated my life to hunting them down."

"Are you an Auror then?"

She shook her head, a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "No. They wouldn't accept my application. Claimed I wasn't stable enough . . . that my grief made me irrational. Ha! The fools! I didn't need them to teach me how to hunt down Death Eater scum! I'd learned a lot from Sirius when I dated him. He taught me all kinds of tricks on how to track a criminal and subdue them." She bared her teeth savagely. "And when I found one . . . I made them pay! Oh, how they paid! I wasn't the Fifth Marauder for nothing, you know!"

"The Fifth Marauder?" Harry repeated, growing more and more uneasy.

"The Marauders were a group of Gryffindors at Hogwarts. They were pranksters and defenders of the weak, especially Muggleborns. They made the school safe from the Slytherins and the Death Eater kids, like Mulciber and Snape. Your father, James, was one. Sirius was another. They had two other friends, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. They were clever and handsome, and all the girls in my House fell in love with them."

"What House are you?"

"Gryffindor, of course! It's the best house! I was always mad for Sirius, and soon I joined them in their campaign to rid the school of all the scummy Death Eaters. He called me the Fifth Marauder," she declared proudly.

"But . . . what's your real name?" Harry probed.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you that? How silly of me!" she giggled, sounding like an adolescent girl.

For some reason her laughter sent chills down his spine. He clutched the sheet pulled about him and wished desperately to be somewhere else. Somehow he knew that his so-called godmother was touched in the head. He could see it in her eyes and it frightened him terribly.

"My name is Marlene, dear boy. Marlene McKinnon." She smiled at him. "But you may call me Aunt Marlene. Oh, I am so glad that I found you when I did. Otherwise that . . . creature might have harmed you."

"You mean the vampire? Where did it go?"

"Don't worry about that, Harry. You're safe with me and no dark creature will ever harm you. It ran off when I came, probably frightened of my aura." Marlene declared proudly.

"My head hurts," Harry said, wincing as a sharp pain shot through him.

"I'll bring you a pain reliever in a moment, precious one," she murmured, gazing at him with possessive eyes. "You passed out from shock and hit your head on the ground," she lied glibly. "But don't feel bad, Harry. Any child your age would have done so. It doesn't make you any less a Gryffindor."

She summoned a pain reliever and gave it to Harry to drink. Once he had done so, she said, "There. Feel better now?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I . . . I really ought to be going now. My friends and professors will be wondering where I am by now."

"Nonsense, Harry. You are still too weak to go anywhere. Besides, this is your home now, you belong with me. I'm sorry I never visited you before, but I didn't know where you had gone. And I was rather busy hunting down the Death Eaters. As well as doing research on concealment charms and other old magic. I studied with the Society of Ravens for a time, do you know of them?"

"Yes, ma'am. Our librarians, Madam Pince and Lena Rosario, are members of the Society, and so is Severus." Harry told her.

"Snape!" she cried, her face twisting into a sneering mask of hate. "He should have been put in Azkaban to rot! Instead he got off because Dumbledore, the old fool, thought he genuinely regretted his actions. He was acquitted of all crimes! Walked free to live his own life, steeped in the dark arts, while my Sirius was trapped in Azkaban. Lying tricky bastard! He's evil to the core, like all Slytherins!"

"No, he's not!" Harry cried defensively. "He saved my life three times and he became my guardian so I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys. He's not evil. You don't know what he's done for me."

Abruptly she grabbed Harry by the shoulders and pulled him up from the bed, her eyes burning with a fierce loathing, flecks of spittle dotting her lips as she snarled, "Now you listen to me, young man, and listen good! Nothing decent or good has ever come out of Slytherin! That's the house He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came from and all of his followers. All Slytherins are dark, they're born with the evil in them. Severus Snape is one of the darkest, he came to school knowing all sorts of dark curses and he often hexed Sirius and James without provocation. He was a rotten sneaking little piece of dung, always minding others' business, always eavesdropping and spying, trying to get the Marauders in trouble. He's no good half-blood trash and the sooner you accept that the better."

Harry gritted his teeth, for her rough handling made his head throb. "My mum said he was her best friend."

"Severus Snape was never her friend! He used her, treated her like a prize, and once she realized that, she cast him aside. I told her long ago that Snape was no good, and finally she believed me. I knew, you see, how Slytherins can deceive you, make you think they care, that they have a heart, only to go and stab you in the back. Poor Lily! She felt sorry for the greasy git, he never had any friends, except the Death Eater scum, and even they hated him, I'll bet. He was a sniveling whiny coward in school and I doubt if he's changed much."

Harry shook his head stubbornly. "No. He fought a troll for me and almost got killed. And a dragon. If he was so evil, why didn't he just let me die?"

"Slytherins are cunning, Harry. They have many secrets, and they deceive as easily as breathing. You're just a boy, Snivellus knows this, and he's quick to take advantage of you. Like he did Lily. She thought he was her friend, until the day he betrayed her by calling her a Mudblood. That's a filthy insult, by the way. Then he showed his true colors. James and Sirius never trusted him, they always hated him, and they were right to do so. In the end, Snape took the dark road, like all his kind, and someday I shall make him pay as well."

"Why? He wasn't one of the ones who attacked you."

"He would have been, if given the opportunity," she replied coldly. "I know you're confused and upset now, Harry. That clever-tongued git played you for a fool. Trust me, I know Slytherins like the back of my hand. They always lie and cheat and their greatest ambition was to sit at You-Know-Who's right hand and kiss his arse. You can't believe anything they tell you. I was so proud to find out that you were Sorted into Gryffindor, Harry. But then you ruined it by letting that smarmy two-faced bastard to become your guardian. Still, you're just a little boy, and better wizards than you have been taken in by Snape. You didn't know any better." She patted his cheek.

Harry stiffened. "I'm not a little boy! I'm eleven!"

She chuckled indulgently and stroked his hair. "Eleven is not old enough to determine good from evil. You were being influenced by evil, child, and it's my duty as your godmother to protect you from your own foolishness."

"Aunt Marlene, I'm not stupid. I can tell good from bad. Severus takes care of me, better than my relatives ever did. He doesn't lock me in cupboards or work like a dog doing chores day and night. He doesn't call me freak and tell me I should have died along with my parents."

"Stupid Muggles!"Marlene swore. "You are very special Harry, surely you know that. One day you'll be a hero. Just like your father."

"I don't want to be a hero. I just want to go back home." Harry cajoled.

"Harry, dear, you are home," she purred. "Snivellus is no fit guardian for a brave Gryffindor, and the sooner you accept that, the better. Your mother would have wanted it this way. She knew I would love you like my own, as she did. You are the child I never had, my Harry. And I shall teach you everything a good Gryffindor ought to know, so you can make your parents proud. Who needs Snivellus anyway?"

Me, Harry thought forlornly. Severus, where are you? He had never felt more lost and frightened. The Fifth Marauder was insane, and he had a feeling that she would do all within her power to keep him here forever. His hand groped beneath his shirt, feeling for his medallion. But it wasn't there! He patted his chest frantically, but knew it was gone.

"What's wrong, dear?" Marlene inquired solicitously.

"My medallion of protection . . . it's gone! Have you seen it?"

"No. It must have fallen off in the forest."

Harry felt a sharp stab of loss. "Uncle Severus made it for me, he told me to never take it off . . ."

"Don't call him that! He doesn't deserve the title," the Fifth Marauder snarled. "He's not anything to you . . . and you don't need his dirty amulet for protection. I'll make you another, ten times as good."

Harry glared at her. "No. Don't bother."

She frowned at him. "Don't be cheeky. Or else I'll be forced to punish you and we don't want that, do we?" Her eyes glittered in warning. Then she shifted, her expression becoming soft and sweet again. "Now quit sulking and eat your supper." She waved her wand and a plate of beef stew appeared on a tray along with some bread and a cup of tea.

Harry thought about refusing the food, but he was starving and he realized he needed to keep up his strength. So he ate the stew, which was very good, a piece of bread, and drank the sweet tea. Then he glanced around for his wand. "My wand, where is it?"

"I've got it safe. You needn't worry," she reassured him. "You won't be needing it for awhile. You need to rest and regain your strength before you can cast spells. Merlin only knows what that slimy git has been teaching you, probably all kinds of dark magic, but I can fix that. I'll simply re-educate you properly. Then you'll be happy here, just like Lily intended."

My mum was Severus' best friend. She told me that herself and that he would love me like she did, Harry thought rebelliously. I don't care if you are my godmother, I don't trust you. You're not right in the head. But before he could argue further, he felt himself growing sleepy. He struggled against the soporific feeling stealing through him, but it was no use. His eyelids were growing heavier and heavier and his limbs felt like lead. Too late he realized she must have drugged him.

He felt himself sucked into the realm of dreams, and his last thought before he succumbed to sleep's siren call was that at least he had his pocket watch. He fell asleep clutching it in his right hand, and was comforted.

Marlene McKinnon, the Fifth Marauder, caught the faint smile on Harry's face and smiled in triumph. She would make the boy see the error of his ways, free him from the web of lies and darkness Snape had spun about him. Soon he would see Snivellus for what he was, just as Lily had with her help. She would not let her godson remain a ward of a dark wizard, not while there was breath in her body. Harry was a Gryffindor, he belonged with another Gryffindor, who could teach him the true path.

She smirked to herself. I will teach him to hate you, Severus Snape. Hate the very sight of you, and someday you'll hear him curse your name and send you packing just like Lily did. A cruel smile flickered over her features as she recalled the night Lily had kicked the lousy snake to the curb. Lily had sent Snape slinking away with his tail between his legs; Marlene had come upon him later that night, curled in the stairwell, sniveling over losing Lily. She had laughed at him, asking him why he was bawling like a baby. He had flipped her off, snarling at her to get away before he hexed her. "Poor Snivvy!" she had mocked. "Did you really think Lily would take up with the likes of you, when she could have a real man like James? You're nothing but trash, Snape. Death Eater scum and Lily finally knows the truth. Now why don't you go crawl back to the dungeon where you belong, with the rest of the vermin? Maybe some Slytherin girl will take pity on you and show you a good time." He might have cursed her then, but the Marauders had come along and Sirius threatened to hex Snape's nose off and the coward had run, scurrying as fast as he could back to the dungeons.

Someday soon, she vowed, she would see him run again, and then Harry would see that Severus Snape was nothing but a coward, just like the rest of his traitorous kind.

Humming to herself, she pulled out her wand and began to reinforce the concealment and non-detection charms about her home, one could never be too careful, after all.