Sitting alone at a table, a twelve-year-old shaggy raven haired boy tapped his foot against the dusty floor with his vibrant green eyes trained on the clock on the wall across from him. His whole body buzzed with nervous energy. It had been a week since he and his father had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron after returning from their bonding adventure trip. For the most part, the young boy and his father stuck to their room. Neither of them wanted a repeat of Birmingham when they had run into two Death Eaters and a man who claimed to be someone who had died.

"Staring at the clock will not make it go any faster, Harry," coolly stated a tall and slender man with a large, hooked nose and shoulder-length black hair, rolling his black sleeves up as his black eyes narrowed on the young boy.

"I know, but I don't know what else to do. It's almost time, Dad." Harry bit his lip, drumming his fingers atop of the table. "Do you think they'll recognize me?"

"Of course they will. You sent them a picture of us, remember?"

"Oh. Right. I did do that." Harry then sighed heavily. "Do I look all right?"

"I thought you and Miss Granger were just friends?"

"We are. It's just . . ." The young boy shrugged. "Usually I've got my hair in all directions. Guess I'm not used to looking like this yet."

"You look fine, Harry."

"Okay. Thanks." The twelve-year-old then sighed.

Harry had always hated waiting when he was younger. Too many times his hopes of escaping his horrible guardians, the Dursleys, were dashed. If it hadn't been for Hagrid coming and telling him he was a wizard and basically scaring the Dursleys into allowing him to go to Hogwarts, he'd never have been saved, never had known his dad. He frowned as he thought on that for a moment.

"Hey, Dad?" He then glanced at his father when the man made a noise of acknowledgement. "Who am I?"

"What do you mean 'Who are you?"

"I mean, am I Harry Potter or Harry Snape? I mean, you're my dad. Not him."

"I believe we covered this before, Harry."

"I know, but can we cover it again?"

"As you wish." His dad remained quiet for a moment before speaking. "Your mother didn't want it discovered that you were my son, so after she gave birth to you, she named you Harry James Potter. It's on your birth certificate from St. Mungo's, and it's how she registered your birth with the Ministry."

"So I'm not a Snape."

"You are. Just not in your name."

"But I could take your name, though, right? I could be Harry James Snape instead?"

His father frowned. "I'd rather you not take my name at all, Harry."

"Why? I'm not ashamed of being your son."

"Be as that may, I'd rather you not share it with me. I realize that you wish to shed your skin fully and rid yourself of the whole Boy-Who-Lived persona surrounding yourself. Trust me, though, Harry. Being a Snape is not any better."

"Was your dad that horrible?"

"He was a drunk and a mean one at that. He frequently took his anger out on my mother and me. Sometimes there was no reason at all, but that he could."

"But what if that guy I met in Birmingham is your father, though? Maybe the guy you thought was your dad wasn't really. I mean, you mentioned before some kind of potion that could change his looks. Maybe the guy you thought was your dad took that potion or something."

His dad shrugged. "Perhaps. However, the Aurors inspected that shop with a fine-tooth comb and found nothing to suggest that there was another man there besides you and the shopkeeper. Whoever the man was that you met, it would seem he makes a habit of cleaning up after himself."

"Did they do a fingerprint check on the bracelet? Maybe he left something there."

"Muggles run fingerprints. Wizards check for magical signature and DNA. He left neither on anything. There wasn't even a bit of it on the Gringotts card. He knows how to cover his tracks."

"So we don't know who he is?"

"Not at this point we don't."

"Maybe we'll run into him again. He seemed to have kept track of us in Birmingham."

"Perhaps," his dad conceded before glancing towards the clock. "Your friends should be downstairs now. Do you have your bag?"

"Yeah." Harry sighed as he glanced down at the table. "Are you sure you have to leave, Dad?"

"Yes. I have lesson plans I unfortunately need to finish. And you likely would rather return to Hogwarts like all the other students. So, yes, I'm certain. However, I have requested that Arthur contact me if there are any issues while you are at the Burrow."

"And then you'll come?"

"Of course."

Harry sighed, nodding slowly. "All right." He pushed himself up and walked over to his dad before giving him a brief hug. "See you soon, Dad."

"In a week," his dad replied quietly, patting his back gently. "Now, go on. Your friends likely are wondering where you are." His dad stepped out of the embrace with a slightly tense posture.

The young Gryffindor frowned before grabbing his bag and walking towards the door to leave. In a week, they'd be back at Hogwarts for Harry's second year. He couldn't really say that he was excited about returning for his classes, but he was glad that he was going to be coming home. He had missed Hogwarts while they were on vacation. He had wondered numerous times how some of the other professors were, namely Professor Sinistra. He didn't know why, but he still hoped his dad and she would end up together.

He grabbed the doorknob turning it when he noticed the stack of papers on the table next to the door. He frowned, pausing for a moment to skim the papers. He then glanced back at his dad, who now had turned his back to Harry while reaching for a book. Harry shook his head. His dad had lied to him. The older wizard had already finished his lesson plans. He just didn't want Harry around anymore.

Walking quietly between Hermione and Ron a few hours later, they followed Ron and Hermione's families through Diagon Alley while the families shopped for their school supplies. Harry pointedly ignored the looks from his friends. He didn't want to talk about it. Like ever.

"Come on, loves. Keep up," Mrs. Weasley chided as the crowds started to pack in tighter as they neared Flourish and Blotts. "Oh, goodness me." She gave a soft laugh at the sight of a nearby sign.

"Mum?" Ron glanced towards his friends with a confused look.

"I forgot that was today." She then turned towards the trio, fluffing her auburn hair with a soft laugh. "Gilderoy Lockhart has a new book out."

"When doesn't he?" muttered a few of the Weasley males under their breaths.

"Here. Let me take one of your books so I can get you each an autograph."

"No. That's all right, Mum," Ron said with a wince.

"Fine. Suit yourself, Ronald." She gave a soft smile to Harry and Hermione then.

"No thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. His father had muttered about the man the past week. And judging by his father's words, this Lockhart was not a man to respect in the slightest.

Hermione only smiled, handing one of her books over before watching Mrs. Weasley leave. At the sight of the boys staring at her, she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Ron. The man's a legend."

"You just want his photo to fall asleep to," grumbled the youngest Weasley boy. "Bet he uses a glamour charm or something to hide the fact that he's really a hideous old man."

Harry snorted, having heard his father say something along those same lines two nights ago. His green eyes then fell on a familiar blond staring at them through the crowd. He glanced away when Draco quickly disappeared in the crowd. He would have to keep a close eye on Malfoy this year. That, and he owed the Slytherin for saving his life last year.

"Let's go to Fortescue's. I'm hungry."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead. "You're always hungry, Ron."

Harry followed his two best friends with a half-smile. He had missed them terribly. He sighed. His dad had likely lied because he wanted Harry to be close with his friends, grow his friendships. Maybe he should think more like a Slytherin and less like a Gryffindor . . . like his dad does.

~FKTF~

Meanwhile hundreds of miles away from London, a brown-haired, blue-eyed man walked down the cobblestone street of Cokeworth. He frowned as he stopped in front of a door to a row house on Spinner's End. He glanced around to see if anyone was around before he drew a wand. He flicked his wrist and whispered a soft Alohomora. He chuckled when the lock clicked open, slipping inside then.

His blue eyes darted about the musty house as he took in the sight of the neglected house. He shook his head slowly and walked further into the house, heading towards the cramped sitting area. He stopped in front of the mantel, plucking one of the few dust-covered photos off it. Brushing his hand against it, he stared down at the photo of a sour-looking woman holding a baby in her arms.

"Oh, El," the man whispered, talking to the woman in the photo. "Yer gonna hex me back to hell when ya learn the truth." He then sighed, putting the photo back on the shelf. He grabbed the adjacent photo then, half-smiling at the photo of a happy young couple. "We were in love. Weren't we?" He shook his head again. "Thirty-two years," he whispered. "Ya raised him right, El. He's a good man."

"Perhaps you can tell your son yourself, Tobias," a gruff voice spoke quietly behind him.

"I thought one of ya might show up here today." He clenched his wand tighter in his hand.

"A Seer as well? Clearly, we underestimated you and your power," the voice mocked. "Perhaps we should give you another painful reminder. Perhaps kill your wife this time."

"And perhaps I should just get it over with and kill ya, boy."

"Oh, please. I know all about your—shall we say—difficulties. You're a pathetic wizard. Hell, you're not even really a wizard. Just a bit above squib. Whereas I'm all wizard, knowing how to control my magic. You can't do that I hear. It's a little touchy."

"State what ya came here for and then leave. Before I throw ya out on yer arse."

"Like I said, we underestimated you when we left you to die all those years ago. You being here now is a mistake. One that I in—" The voice suddenly went quiet before there was a loud thump.

"Only mistakes made was keepin' me from my family and thinkin' ya could kill me." The blue-eyed man then glared down at the now revealed Dark Mark on the other man's arm. "Pathetic."

~FKTF~

After Harry had left to meet the Weasleys downstairs, Snape returned to Hogwarts and promptly started to brew potions in his dungeons to try to distract himself. He had several hours of sheer solitude and peace. Both of which were key to successfully brewing potions. A rare owl in the dungeons, however, ruined everything by delivering the wretched letter in his hand. A summons to join Dumbledore for tea in his office. As if Snape didn't have anything better to do with his time. But the Potions Master did as was requested, heading to the Headmaster's office at once.

"Gobstopper," Snape announced as he approached the large stone gargoyle statue outside of the office. He quickly walked up the steps as the staircase slowly spun its way up to the top. He knocked once on the sturdy oak door before walking inside. "You asked to see me, Headmaster?"

Headmaster Dumbledore glanced up from his desk before smiling warmly and standing up. His light blue eyes had the slight trademark twinkle behind the half-moon spectacles. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Severus." He motioned to the empty chair in front of him. "Please sit."

"I'd rather stand, Headmaster." Snape stood rigid in front of the desk with his hands clasped behind his back. "What is this regarding?"

"I take it you haven't had time to read the Prophet yet, Severus?"

"Only this morning's edition. Why?"

"The Aurors found a body floating in the water near the old mill in Cokeworth a few hours ago."

Snape forced himself not to stiffen at the mention of his hometown. "And?"

"The Aurors identified the young man as Darius Trevino. Do you recall him at all?"

"No." Snape frowned, wishing Dumbledore would just get on with it already.

"I thought not." Dumbledore popped a lemon drop into his mouth and sucked on it for a few moments before continuing. "It would seem Mr. Trevino was a Death Eater, however. A new recruit in fact according to Alastor judging by the redness still around the Mark on the man's arm."

"I see." Snape was starting to dislike where this conversation was headed.

"You are certain that you've felt nothing from your Mark, Severus?"

"I am." Snape then slowly unbuttoned his sleeve before rolling it up to reveal his bare, unmarked forearm. "I've felt nothing, nor is there any sign as you can see, Headmaster."

"And yet Alastor and others are finding evidence of Death Eaters actively recruiting again."

"If you are insinuating—"

"No, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted, holding a placating hand up. "I am not. I'm merely curious why you've felt nothing or have any sign of the evidence that we're finding."

"I have no answers for you, Headmaster. My Mark has been faded since," he paused for a moment before inhaling slowly as he pushed back the memories that threatened to control him, "since that night the Dark Lord was first defeated."

"I see." Dumbledore's eyes narrowed on him. "Before you went on vacation, it was a bit darker, though? Where we could see it?"

"Yes, but as you can see, Headmaster, I've gotten a bit of sun this summer unlike most years."

"Or perhaps Harry was not the only one affected by the water."

"Oh, please," Snape drawled, shaking his head. "It may have removed Lily's charm on him, but I doubt that water has the power to remove that deep of a dark stain on my soul."

"Have you seen Madam Pomfrey for your physical yet?"

"No."

"I recommend you do that."

Snape groaned inwardly. "As you wish, Headmaster. Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Dumbledore sighed. "There appeared to be a break-in at your home on Spinner's End."

"How grand. And just what did the thieves find to steal exactly? There's nothing of value there."

"Your parents' wedding photo was the only item missing."

"What?" Snape stared at the elderly wizard with a dumbfounded look. "Why on earth would anyone steal that photo?"

"Was the frame of any value?"

"No. It was made from plastic. Cheap."

"Then perhaps it was more for sentimental purposes."

"My mother?" he quietly asked. "You believe she broke into her own house and stole her wedding photo?" Snape scoffed. "You've had one too many lemon drops, old man. She'd rather have burned the hellhole down than take that photo."

"Actually, I was thinking of the man from Birmingham young Harry met."

"My father is dead, Albus. I killed him the night I became a Death Eater."

"Are you certain, Severus?"

"Yes. The man I killed was my father. He had the same cocky arrogance when he died."

"Would you be willing for someone to exhume his body and test it? To ensure that there is no chance that this man from Birmingham is your real father?"

Snape shook his head. "Fine. If only to put this damn thing to rest once and for all. He was dumped in a landfill near Manchester. I'll take them right to it."

"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore then sighed. "I must admit that I hope for your sake that it is not true. That the man you killed was not your father, and that this man from Birmingham is. You know as well as I that the shopkeeper who was killed had a history of various dark crimes."

"It does not give a person the right to kill."

"Even if it was to protect your son?"

"Don't, old man."

"My boy, you know what I say is true. You left your son unprotected in a shop where he could have been killed. That man would not have hesitated to kill him. Think of it. The Boy-Who-Lived killed by a shopkeeper who was known for supporting the Dark Lord. He'd have been welcomed for that."

"You think I don't think about it, Albus?" Snape snapped, his jaw clenched. "I made a mistake. And had it not been for whomever, I might have lost my son. It didn't hit me until I walked in later and saw Harry on the ground." Snape shook his head angrily. "So, yes, Albus. I'm aware. But forgive me for not welcoming this stranger into our lives. We don't know his motives. Now, if you forgive me, I have a potion to brew. Good night, Headmaster." And with that, Snape whirled around and stalked out.

When he arrived in his rooms not long after, Snape walked over to the simmering cauldron and glanced inside it. He frowned at the gunk that he saw. Another potion ruined. He sighed, waving his hand towards the goo as he whispered a soft Evanesco.

Dumbledore's words unfortunately continued echoing in his mind. Of course Snape thought about leaving Harry alone in that shop without ever having made sure the boy would be safe first. He had chastised himself viciously over that mistake ever since that day. What had he been thinking about? How could he afford to make that error? Granted, he knew he was human, but this was his son! It wasn't just himself he had to look out for anymore. He had to start putting his son first. Think more.

Snape growled, shaking his head as the little voice in his head reprimanded him even more. Brewing potions wouldn't help anymore. It'd only make him focus more on his mistake . . . and the fact that he had allowed Harry to spend the week with the Weasleys—away from him again. He missed Harry horribly if he had to admit it. He had become so used to his son's presence with him that now he felt . . . incomplete maybe. Snape didn't know how to describe it exactly. He just knew it didn't feel right having Harry away from him now.

Turning on his heel, Snape strode out of his private lab and walked into his bedroom. He waved his hand to the curtains, snapping them shut instantly. He then snatched a bottle from his nightstand, uncorking it before tossing back the liquid inside. His body started to relax quickly as the potion worked its way throughout his body. No more self-deprecating thoughts could plague him. No more repetitive dreams could torture him. Just dreamless sleep. That was all.

He stripped down to his boxers before he lay down in bed and closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing and waited for the potion to take effect, reaching the number twelve before he fell fast asleep.

As had been the case for months now, Snape found himself thrown into the familiar recurrent dream of late, a nightmare he'd have stated. The moment he recognized the same beginning, he attempted to control his dream and change it. He didn't want to see and live this anymore. He was tired of dreaming this damn thing. His attempts, however, failed.

"Sev! I thought I told you to get rid of these damn things. I don't want them in the house," a green-eyed, redheaded woman scolded, frowning at him.

Snape's heart contracted as his eyes closed at the sound of her voice. Why did this dream portray his love in such a negative light? She was everything good in the world. In Snape's at least.

"I told you I didn't want these books in the house. They're evil, Sev. Pure evil. You don't need them anymore anyway. You choose me. Not the Dark Arts. Remember?" Her lively green eyes stared at him without the familiar warmth he was accustomed to having seen from her. "Unless you're regretting that decision, and you'd rather be with Mulciber and Avery or worse . . . her?"

"Never, Lily," Snape answered with no hesitation. "I choose you, Lily. Always."

"Well, then prove it, Severus. Get rid of these books." She then placed a gentle hand against his chest. "I know how hard it is for you, Sev, but honestly there's no need for them anymore. You have me now. I'm a much better alternative than the power you used to seek." She then smiled at him before glancing at the door when there was a soft knock. Her eyes lit up as her smile widened deeply. "That's Remus and James." She gave Snape a quick chaste kiss on the cheek before happily skipping towards the door to open it, leaving him standing in the hallway with a familiar feeling of loneliness.

Snape watched her embrace the other men warmly, hugging each one longer than necessary in his opinion before the three walked off together. He, however, did as she instructed. Even if it was just a stupid dream, he still wanted to prove to Lily that he'd always choose her. So, carrying several of the books in a large stack, he walked out of the back door to toss the books—some of which were rare tomes concerning Potions—into the rubbish. He tensed when he heard a soft moan, swallowing when he turned to look towards the sound. This was the part he hated the most.

He closed his eyes as a curly dark-haired woman approached him slowly. He could recall from memory the dark bruises and deep cuts, clear signs of her being badly beaten. He grabbed her when he heard her soft moan again as she stumbled. He held her brown eyes, dull with pain now.

"I, I love you, Severus," the dark-haired woman rasped before becoming lifeless in his arms.

Like always since drinking the Soul Need potion months ago, he woke up then, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Why was it always Sinistra? What was his soul trying to tell him he needed?

Harry's hand swiped through the dense foggy air as he tried to catch a shimmering silver emblem of two snakes on either side of an emerald inside a circle. The object was strangely enough hovering above his head. He growled when he missed it by a few inches and tried again. He didn't know why he was attempting to catch it. Just that he had to do so for some reason.

Slowly, the mist that had blurred his surroundings filtered out. He inhaled slowly and leapt towards the emblem in a last ditch effort to catch it. With a hard thump a moment later, he hit the floor, crying out as he did.

"Harry!" Hermione called out somewhere next to him. "Are you all right?"

The twelve-year-old groaned, slowly pushing himself up before glancing at her in confusion. Since when had Hermione shown up? Or Ron for that matter?

"Did I get it?" Harry replied groggily, looking around for the object.

"Get what?" Ron stared at him for a moment. "You fell out of bed just now, mate."

"I did?"

"Yeah. Must have been some serious dream you were having, too."

Harry frowned, rubbing his head. "Oh." He sighed. He hadn't had a dream that vivid for years. And he certainly hadn't had a dream that caused him to fall out of bed before. He slowly pushed himself up with a wince, heading back to bed to sit on the edge.

"Is everything all right in here, dears?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she walked into the room. Her eyes quickly darted to each of the kids to look them over before resting on him. She bustled over to him a moment later, drawing her wand. "Let me fix your nose for you, Harry, dear."

"My nose?" He then rubbed his hand against it before swallowing at the sight of his blood.

"Episkey," she muttered under her breath with her wand pointed at his nose.

Harry yelled out in pain before groaning. He then caught Mrs. Weasley's soft apologetic smile.

"There we go. Good as new, love." She then glanced at Hermione and Ron. "Wash up and then come downstairs for breakfast, you three." Her eyes moved back to Harry. "You have a letter from your father as well, dear."

Harry's stomach clenched. "Is everything all right?" She only smiled faintly before nodding and walking out of the room, leaving them alone again.

The three Gryffindors quickly did as was instructed before rushing downstairs. Harry felt himself slowing when he saw the letter on the table. Had his father decided he didn't want Harry anymore? Or was it saying that Harry was not to come to Hogwarts? Or maybe something happened to his dad? The twelve-year-old swallowed again before picking up the envelope and opening it.

His green eyes passed over the hurried cramped handwriting of his father's with his heart in his throat because of his nerves.

I apologize, Harry, but I will not be able to make it to King's Cross to see you off today as we had planned. Something unfortunately has come up that I must deal with. I'll explain more when you arrive at Hogwarts.

 

Severus T. Snape

Harry sighed before he carefully folded the letter up and stuffed it back inside the envelope.

"Everything all right there, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked quietly, glancing at him from over the folded down Prophet.

"Yes, sir. Just something's come up, and he can't come today."

"Ah." Mr. Weasley sighed before glancing at his wife and sharing a brief look with her. "Well, I'm sure Severus wouldn't have cancelled if it wasn't important."

"I know," Harry quietly replied, glancing at his plate of food.

"Well, you best eat up then, dear." Mrs. Weasley gave him a faint warm smile.

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley," the twelve-year-old softly said. He brushed off the looks from the others. He didn't want their pity right then. After all, he should have expected his dad not coming. It wasn't like it was really that big of a deal. Who cared if he had thought this would be the first year he'd be like all the other kids, normal and not a freak? He sighed and quietly started to eat his breakfast. His dad was busy. It didn't mean anything. None of it did.

~FKTF~

Snape frowned as he impatiently waited in the hospital wing. He glared at Madam Pomfrey as she continued her examination slowly. Why the blasted woman couldn't go any faster was beyond him. Furthermore, why the hell Dumbledore had instructed him to stand here and babysit her instead of being with his son was yet another baffling item on a very long list of things Snape had complaints over.

"Hmm," Madam Pomfrey said as she waved her wand over the bones that were atop of the cot.

"Perhaps you can speak English, Madam," Snape said through clenched teeth.

She glanced at him sharply before speaking in clipped tones, showing her annoyance with his snappish attitude. "Without a doubt, I can say that this man was, in fact, a wizard."

"That's impossible. My father was a Muggle."

"Be as that may, this man is not, Professor." She frowned. "And before you even start to say they exhumed the wrong body, let me just say that these wounds to his bones are consistent with your spell. In fact, I'm finding numerous traces of your magical signature on him. And all the curses you stated you used on your father to torture him before you killed him, I'm finding that evidence on this man's skeleton to support your claims. You killed him."

"I've killed a great deal of men in my life, Madam," Snape hissed, clenching his fist at his side angrily. He had led the Aurors straight to the damn body. There had to be a mistake. This was his bastard of a father. "What of the DNA?" He watched her, knowing that she had compared her sample of the skeleton's bone marrow to Snape's blood just a few moments earlier. "Is it a match?"

"The DNA is not even close. You may have killed him, but he's not your father, Severus."

"How certain are you? What's the percentage?"

"Ninety-eight percent," she replied with a sigh.

"How is that possible?" Snape clenched his fist by his side again, growling in frustration. "He had the same arrogance that night that he had when I was growing up. That he was above all of us. That he was stronger than everyone. He told me I didn't have the guts to kill him as he lay there bleeding. That man was the same man I grew up with. He was the same man who beat my mother and me for the hell of it. Your tests are wrong, Madam."

"No they're not, Severus. I'm sorry, but he's not your father. See for yourself. Collect some of his marrow and then test it against yourself. The results will be the same. This man you killed was not your father, Severus."

"Then, who the hell was he?"

"I don't know. I'll send a sample to St. Mungo's for them to check, see if they have a file on him, but I don't know who he is. He didn't attend Hogwarts for certain."

Snape shook his head angrily as he paced for a few moments to let off some steam. He then exhaled and addressed her once more. "Are you able to test his marrow at all to see if there were any potions in his system before he died, Madam?" She nodded slowly.

"I am. And I'm currently analyzing it for traces of Polyjuice as we speak. It'll be a few moments before my spell is complete, though."

"Fine." Snape's eyes then darted towards the opening door to the hospital wing. He involuntarily tensed when he watched his colleague slowly head to them.

"Oh dear. Do I have the wrong day, Madam Pomfrey?" the younger witch said with a soft laugh as she ran a hand through her dark curls.

"Of course not, dear. You're right on time," the matron replied, smiling politely. "Sit on that cot, and I'll be with you in a moment, Aurora." She then turned towards Snape. "Severus, you'll have to forgive me. You can wait in my office, however."

"There's no need, Poppy." Aurora laughed again. "Severus can wait out here with his creepy skeleton. It's just a follow-up after all."

"You're certain?"

Aurora nodded, smiling warmly. "Yeah, Poppy, I'm sure. It's fine. I don't mind." She then glanced towards him. "I see someone got some sun this summer, though."

Snape merely inclined his head, unable to say anything right then.

"You look nice, Severus. Healthier this year." Her warm brown eyes darted momentarily at Madam Pomfrey who waved her wand over Aurora before her gaze returned to Snape.

"Thank you," he quietly replied. He felt oddly uncomfortable around Sinistra for some reason. Then again, it was likely due to him having dreamt about her most nights now.

"Harry's not here?"

"No. He's returning with the Weasleys," he answered her.

"Oh. That's sad."

His eyes brows furrowed for a moment at Sinistra's words before he forced himself to adopt a more neutral look. He didn't know why, but he found himself numerous times showing his emotion around the witch now. It was unsettling to say the least.

"He likely enjoys this arrangement better than me being with him, Sinistra."

"If you think that, then you clearly need to spend more time with your son, Severus. Harry probably wishes you were there with him. He's wanted a father for so long, you know?"

"Yes, well, life doesn't always go the way you plan it, Sinistra." He felt rather annoyed and disliked her insinuation. How dare that witch claim he didn't know his son.

"What the hell does that mean, Severus?" Aurora snapped, crossing her arms.

"It means that our headmaster told him to stay here with me, dear," Madam Pomfrey chimed in. "Oh, don't give me that look, Severus. It's not as if you were going to tell her."

"Albus ordered him to stay here?"

"If you two are quite finished discussing me as if I'm not here," he cut in sharply, "perhaps we can focus on getting Sinistra the hell out of here so we can finish our matter, Madam."

The matron shook her head before she addressed the younger witch. "You're fit to return to duty, Aurora. I would still like it if you remained on light duty, however, but you may return to teaching."

"Thank you, Madam." Sinistra smiled warmly before standing up. She glanced at Snape before sighing. "If you want, I can go for you, Severus."

He shook his head. "I think not."

"So, you'd rather your son just think you don't care, is that it?"

"I don't like your tone, Professor," he growled, glaring at Sinistra.

"Tough," she flatly replied. "Because, frankly, I don't like your thinking that your son is better off with the Weasleys than with his father."

"You're treading on dangerous ground, Sinistra," he hissed, taking a step towards her. Normally, his current actions would send people fleeing or backing down, but not Aurora. She took a step towards him with no signs of backing down.

"Yeah, well, I'm not the only one there, Snape," she retorted, glaring up at him. "Your son has wanted for years to have a normal family, a normal life. You think he's getting that with the Weasleys right now, knowing that his father isn't able to be with him—to be like all the other students who have their parents send them off? Let me go for you, Snape."

"You're not his mother, Sinistra."

"No. I'm not. I wouldn't dare claim that I was, but he needs someone there for him. Someone he doesn't have to share." She then took another step towards him. She was close enough to him now that he could smell her shampoo and feel her breath against his face. "You're stuck here because of Albus, so dammit let me go for you, you stubborn arse. Or do I need to pull rank on you?"

"Just how do you plan to accomplish that, Sinistra, hmm? I'm damn more intimidating than you are. You'd lose and end up looking like a fool."

"Only one who would look like a fool here is you, Snape."

Baring his teeth, he released a low growl before he snatched a hold of her left forearm. However, instead of hissing the rant on the tip of his tongue, he found himself thrown into her mind unexpectedly. He inhaled sharply in response and quickly tried to pull himself back out of her mind. He saw various flashes of her memories before they melded with his own. He swallowed back the bile that had collected in the back of his throat because of the dizzying effect this unforeseen act had. He tried harder to pull himself out of her mind, stopping for a brief moment when he saw a darkness rapidly approaching. The air left his lungs when he recognized the face as being the Dark Lord's before he was finally thrown out.

After coming back to himself, Snape stared at Sinistra for a few moments. He could tell by the confused look on her face that she had seen it as well. He drew in a slow breath.

"W-what was that? What just happened, Severus?" Sinistra's voice was shaky.

"I'm not certain." He glanced at Pomfrey. His mind quickly flooded with possible explanations, but each one was more unlikely than the previous. "Did you perform an autopsy on Quirrell last term?"

"I did."

"What did you find?"

"Well, other than the fact that he was badly burned," the matron answered with a shrug, "I found evidence to suggest that You-Know-Who shared Quirrell's body. Much like how a parasite does." She held up a hand when he opened his mouth. "There were traces of a foreign genetic material inside a hollowed out cavity that stretched from his lower lumbar region to his head. I'm guessing that's where You-Know-Who resided. I tested a sample to see what it was, not knowing at the time, and my results were unfortunately inconclusive at best. It had the typical human chromosomal number of forty-six, but the base pairs were altered and manipulated as if someone had stripped away the human elements. It wasn't until the headmaster suggested I test the sample against You-Know-Who's DNA that I connected everything and realized what happened."

Snape drew in a slow breath. "Did you test us, Pomfrey? To see if he had transferred into a different host after Quirrell's death?"

The matron's eyes narrowed on him for a moment before she glanced at Sinistra. "Well, yes of course. There was no evidence to support that, however. Why?"

"Check us again, Pomfrey. Just do it." He sighed silently when he watched the matron wave her wand over both of them. If either of them was being inhabited without their knowledge, then—

"You're both clean." Pomfrey then folded her arms as she looked between Snape and Sinistra. "Now, will you tell me what that was all about?"

Snape shook his head. He said nothing when Pomfrey informed Sinistra that she could leave. His mind was already trying to figure out what his accidental Legilimency with the witch meant. He had to be on his guard, ready for anything. He couldn't afford to make a mistake this time.

~FKTF~

Meanwhile in London, Harry silently followed the Weasleys through King's Cross Station. He found himself glancing around at all the happy families and feeling his mood worsen with each family he passed. He had talked to his father and thought he had stressed how much he wanted the man there this year. The young Gryffindor must not have stressed it enough, though.

As the others slowed when they approached the magical barrier, Harry felt the urge to kick and scream bubble up inside him. It wasn't fair. He had a father now. He was supposed to be happy like Ron and Hermione. It wasn't supposed to be like this anymore. He barely noticed that he had a sour face similar to his father's as he watched the Weasley clan minus Ron enter the barrier and vanish.

"You coming, mate?" Ron asked as he turned towards him. Harry only shot a wicked good impression of his father's glare at the redhead, however. "All right. Fine. See you on the train then." Ron shook his head before he too entered the barrier and vanished.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Harry growled, kicking at the ground as he death gripped the handle of his trolley. His green eyes then darted up to the clock, shaking his head. He still had several minutes to enter the barrier before it closed.

Slowly, Harry turned back, glancing around just in case his father had managed to drop whatever it was that he was doing and had shown up. The twelve-year-old only saw more smiling happy families, Muggles he'd imagine, board their trains. It wasn't fair. He shook his head and started towards the barrier, grumpy as all hell.

"Harry! Stop!" a voice suddenly shouted behind him.

The young boy instantly stopped and whirled around at the sound of his name, stumbling as he did. His trolley now rested against the very edge of the now solid barrier, which he didn't notice of course. A smile tore across his face when he saw the approaching person.

"I know I'm a poor substitution for your father, but—"

"No. It's perfect." His mouth snapped shut when he caught himself about to say 'mum' to the witch. She wasn't his mum. No matter how much he wished she was. "Thank you, Professor." He laughed softly before hugging the woman fiercely.

"Your father wanted to be here, Harry," she explained, her fingers affectionately running through his raven locks just like a mother would do. "To tell you the truth, he's actually in a rather bad mood because he can't be here with you. The headmaster unfortunately ordered him to stay at Hogwarts for some reason or he'd have been here." Harry nodded slowly against her. She smiled down at him, laughing. "Let's get you all settled in, all right?"

Harry pulled back with a wide grin. He was about to tell her that he was ready when he noticed her eyes dart off at something in the distance.

"Is something wrong?" he asked quietly. He didn't like the look on her face. However, his attention was quickly diverted when he heard the bells in the distance. He listened to them for a moment before realizing with a sick feeling that it was eleven o'clock now. His heart dropped. He had missed the train. He opened his mouth to tell her when he felt the ground shake violently beneath them and heard fierce crackling from the barrier as it vanished.

"Come with me, Harry. Now," she whispered, wrapping an arm around him before steering him away from where the barrier had been. Her eyes darted continuously around the station as she wore a look of puzzlement.

"Is something wrong?" he asked again.

"I'm not sure. Just stay close to me, Harry."

The young boy nodded slightly and took a sideways step closer to her as they walked towards the exit, slowly passing by a large frosted-paned glass window that hid the locker room from view. He could feel from how tense she was that something was definitely wrong. He didn't know what, but judging by the way she was acting she didn't like something she had seen.

They walked a few more feet before a series of loud and powerful blasts from various directions sent them flying through the air and crashing through the frosted glass window on their right. They slammed down hard onto the ground a moment later. Harry inhaled sharply as he felt his head connect with something. Another loud boom, somewhere to their left this time, rippled through the air and sent more debris flying. She quickly shielded his body as Harry closed his eyes tightly. What was happening?

"Spread out," a gruff voice shouted above the terrified screams from somewhere in the dust and smoke clouds. "Leave no survivors!"

Harry inhaled sharply before glancing at her. She pressed her finger against her lips to silence him and then motioned that they should crawl towards the back of the empty room to get out of plain sight. He nodded, and quickly and quietly started to do just that with her beside him.

A few moments later, when they were nestled and hidden, he glanced at her and watched her look around the room. When he felt her try to pull herself up, he quickly followed suit. He then noticed what she was looking at through the dense cloud of smoke and dust. There was a door just a few feet from them that led outside.

"There should be a," she started to say with a wince, grabbing her side, "a diner a few blocks from here we can go to and Floo back."

"What about the others?" Harry whispered, glancing nervously towards the dark area outside of the room. His friends. His classmates. Their families.

"My only concern right now," she inhaled sharply as she winced again in pain "is you, Harry." She wrapped an arm around him before closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. Now." She then took a step towards the door, which Harry followed with a heavy heart.

She was right of course. Whoever these people were, there was no way he and his mum—professor—could save them. They opened the door a moment later and walked out into the alley, quickly heading towards the diner.

Harry kept close to her, glancing up nervously whenever she'd let out a soft groan. Her side clearly was bothering her, but she was trying to push past it. It had to be a Slytherin trait he guessed. They continued walking through the back alleys. He wondered for a moment if they should have headed towards the sidewalk instead, where there were many people, but he kept quiet, trusting her. There had to be a reason why she stuck to this alleyway, and Harry just likely wasn't seeing it at the moment.

At the feel of the ground violently shaking again, he was sent forward, grabbing the wall beside him to keep himself steady while noticing that she had done the same. He swallowed, scared out of his mind but quickly put on the brave face like a good little Gryffindor. If she could keep from being scared, so could he then.

"We're almost there, Harry. Just a little bit longer," she whispered, inhaling with a soft rasp before coughing harshly.

"Maybe we should rest?" When she shook her head, he glanced down at the ground. She was becoming paler as they continued heading to the diner, and it was starting to worry him.

"We can rest," she drew in a deep breath with another wince, "once we get back to Hogwarts. Until then, we need to keep walking."

"All right, Mum." Harry didn't even notice what he had said, but neither did she, though. They continued slowly towards the diner, which seemed to be another block from them. However, they stopped instantly when a brick wall suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Well, well, well." There was a low sinister chuckle behind them. "What do we have here, hmm?" Soft footsteps walked towards them. "I spy a pretty little thing and her boy out for a stroll."

Harry glanced up at her, wondering if he should grab his wand to back her up. But she merely gave him a soft smile and winked. Slowly, they turned around, her mood shifting instantly.

"Please." Her voice was shaky, hesitant now, as if she was terrified and extremely worried. She was a damn good actress he thought. "My son and I mean you no harm. Please?"

Harry pressed himself further against her when the chuckling sinister man in long black robes finally reached them. The young boy didn't like the way the man leered at his m—professor.

"No harm, hmm?" the man purred, leaning towards her before brushing back her stray dark curls. His eyes briefly darted to Harry prior to him scoffing. "Anyone ever tell you that you're all kinds of pretty?" He smirked when the young boy reacted on instinct.

"Leave her alone, you creep!"

"Oh, my, my, my. What a fierce little warrior your son is." The man chuckled darkly once more. "Be a good little boy, and maybe I won't rough your mum up too badly. All right?"

"Please. I'll—I'll do anything." She pulled Harry closer to her.

"Anything? Now that's more like it." The man's eyes trailed down her thin blue dress, his dark smile widening. He then reached out, grabbing her throat and yanking her closer to him. He chuckled as he drew a small knife, the blade slicing through one of her straps a moment later.

"Stop it. Leave us alone!" Harry yelled, unable to hold his words in any longer. What was she waiting for? He broke free of her hold then and went to draw his wand. Unfortunately, before he could, he found himself quickly wrapped up in thick ropes, carelessly tossed to the side like rubbish. "No! Mum! Help!" Harry shouted, hoping someone could hear him—his mind in sheer panic mode. The rest of his cries for help were silenced by another of the man's spells. The young Gryffindor, however, struggled as much as he could, trying to break free to help her.

"Now, that we won't be interrupted, where were we? Ah, yes, here we are." The man lowered his head to kiss her bare shoulder before he grunted.

Harry's green eyes darted frantically between the man and his mum. He didn't even notice again that he had called her that once more. Instead, he watched as the man yelled silently, falling to his knees a moment later. What had happened?

"Next time, make sure your victim isn't a witch, you jackarse," she growled, kicking the incapacitated man backwards. Revealing that she now had her long silver wand drawn, she flicked it towards Harry, releasing him from his bonds. "Are you all right, Harry?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Never better," she said with a warm smile. "We should get out of here before my curse wears off. Men don't tend to enjoy that particular curse." She laughed softly when Harry's eyes widened in comprehension.

Harry swallowed visibly. She had cursed the man's . . . bits? It was no wonder the man wasn't trying anything anymore. That hurt. The young Gryffindor followed, noticing that she had a bit more of a pronounced limp as they continued. He remained quiet, though.

A few minutes later, they were just about to reach the diner when a familiar man stepped out of a darkened alcove from their right. Harry gasped, taking an involuntary step back. It was the man from Birmingham.

"If yer thinkin' about headin' to Shelly's, you'll find a piss load amount of baddies there, lass." The man's blue eyes briefly flickered to Harry before he settled on her again.

"I'll take my chances, thank you."

"A bettin' woman, are ya?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Ya know what the number one rule about bettin' is?" He took a step towards her, causing Harry to tense again but the young boy noticed that she didn't back down from the man. Did anything scare her?

"No I don't. Enlighten me."

When the man's hand quickly extended and snatched a hold of the side that had been bothering her, she gasped instantly and tensed against Harry.

"Never think yer invincible," the man replied with a quiet whisper before releasing her.

Harry had his wand drawn, pointing it at the man but he was pretty certain Wingardium Leviosa wasn't going to do much good here. His eyes narrowed for a moment, though, on the blood on the man's fingers. He then glanced towards her, finally noticing the darkened spot on her dress. She had been bleeding this whole time, and he hadn't noticed it.

"Lower yer wand, boy. I'm not a threat to either of you. Or didn't yer dad tell ya that I saved yer life that day?"

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked quietly, wrapping a supporting arm around his mum—professor—to help support her for a moment. She was becoming rather heavy, leaning against him but he guessed that was because she was finally succumbing to her injury.

"That shop he dropped ya off at while he went off to play hero? The shopkeeper who died? Ring any bells, Potter?"

"You killed him."

"Yeah. Ain't gonna get choked up over it either. That shopkeeper would have sold you up the creek faster than you could say fiddle sticks." The man's blue eyes then darted back to her. "Oh, honestly, woman." He took another step forward before finding Harry's wand thrust into his gut. "Potter, if I were you," he growled, glancing down at Harry, "I'd kindly remove that damn wand before I snap it into two. She's hurt, and ya don't know how to do any sort of magic to fend me off. So, lower the wand and let me get you two to safety. Unless ya want to die like some stupid hero when those bad guys finally figure out ya two are takin' the alleyways? Yer choice."

Harry glanced up at his mum and then glanced back at the man. "You can help her?"

"I can try. Best thing I can offer. We got a deal?"

"Yeah."

The man scoffed. "Yer grandmum would give ya hell for trustin' so blindly. Come on, Potter." He gently grabbed her from Harry before easily picking her up bridal-style and carrying her into a nearby building with Harry following.

Harry didn't know why he trusted this man, but the man was right. He hadn't hurt him when they had first run into each other. And he hadn't hurt them now. Not really. Maybe Harry was doing all this, trusting him, to find out for sure if this was his dad's dad, his grandfather. After all, the twelve-year-old wasn't quite ready to call him Grandpa yet.

"Get the door, Potter." The man tossed a key to him, and Harry quickly rushed past them. Once the door was open, the three entered and the door quickly shut behind them. The man instantly headed towards the small bed in the room, gently laying her atop of it. "Go to the cabinet to the left and open it. Bring me the clear bottle on the second shelf. Oh, and the bottle of whiskey, too. She'll likely need it." Harry did as he was told, returning with the items silently. "Good. Set them right here."

"What are you doing?" the young boy asked curiously as he watched the man douse his hands in the liquid from the clear bottle.

"Sterilizin' my hands so she doesn't get an infection or nothin." The man then sighed, glancing at Harry. "She's got a bit of glass in her side that needs to come out."

"But . . ." She had been walking with glass inside her?

"Yeah, well, she ain't no Muggle clearly, Potter." He frowned when Harry seemed only more confused. "Without borin' us to hell and back, just know that Magical folk can sustain greater injuries than Muggles can. It's cause of yer magic."

"You can do magic, though, too. I saw you."

The man scoffed. "Yeah, but it ain't like yers, Potter. I'm closer to a Muggle than a wizard." He then jerked his head towards the boy. "Ya might want to look away for a bit if ya get squeamish."

"I don't." Harry bit his bottom lip as he watched the man rip the tear in her dress back further so he could examine her wound. It looked like one of those bullet wounds they sometimes showed on the telly. He pressed his eyes closed really tight when he saw the man yank a jagged piece from her side and squeeze the laceration. He swallowed at the sound of the clinking as the shard of glass fell into a metal bowl. He heard one more clink before he heard the sounds of tape being torn off. "Is she going to be all right?" He hesitantly peeked, noticing the thick gaze taped down now to cover her wound. Briefly, he recalled several times where he had to do this for himself thanks to the Dursleys' wonderful treatment.

"Yeah. Her body'll heal itself now." The man walked to the sink before washing his bloodied hands. "She'll wake up in a moment."

Harry nodded slightly, glancing back at her and frowning.

"Dad said he killed you," the young boy softly said to break the silence as they waited, averting his eyes from the man.

"Did he now?" The man scoffed. "Do I look dead to you, Potter?"

"No, but." He shrugged. "It's what he said."

"I never met him, Potter. Didn't have a chance to thanks to some bastards who thought it'd be fun to rip another family apart. Whoever he killed, it wasn't me."

"Then how do you know he's your son?" Nothing made sense anymore. Was the man lying or was his dad?

"He's got his mum's eyes." The man chuckled softly. "And her cheekbones if we're honest."

"Have you been watching him for a long time?"

"As much as I can, yeah." The man then sighed before he headed back to them. "Time to wake Sleepin' Beauty up." He drew his wand then and pointed it at her. "Rennervate."

Harry's eyes darted back and forth as he waited to see what that spell did. There was so much about magic that he didn't know yet, and it frustrated him. He always felt ten steps behind his classmates who had been around it all their lives. When he caught her slowly coming to, he glanced at the man.

"Mornin' there, sunshine," the man loudly said with a wide grin. "Nice of ya to join us. Here ya go. Ya better drink this." The man held out a bottle to her, motioning for her to drink it. When she coughed violently a moment later after swallowing, the man chuckled softly before taking the bottle back from her.

"Who in their right mind gives a person whiskey?" she growled.

"Well, sorry that it ain't yer precious magical stuff, princess, but it's all I have currently. And hell, it's just to take the edge off anyway, so quit yer damn complaining. Could have made ya suffer through the pain like the right fool ya were being. Would have served you right to suffer, too."

"Who are you?"

"Could ask you the same thing. Without the damn attitude yer sportin' of course." He shrugged.

"I asked you first. Who are you?"

"A friend, princess. That's all ya need to know."

Harry winced when he watched her quickly try to sit up only to hear her cry out soon after and grab her side. He then glanced at the light brown haired man. The man's blue eyes were twinkling in amusement. The young boy could see maybe just a hint of his dad in this man . . . so maybe this man was his grandfather? He wasn't certain yet. Maybe it was just idle fantasy that he wanted to believe that this man was his grandfather—just like he wanted his professor to be his mum instead of Lily.

"Ya want some help there, sweetheart, or should I just wait here for ya tire yerself out?" The man leaned back on his heels, crossing his arms as he watched her.

"I don't need your damn help, you son of a bitch," she snapped, glaring at the man.

"Feisty, aren't ya? I can see why he likes ya. Bit like El is."

"El?" Harry and she both asked simultaneously.

"My wife. Or rather she was my wife. Not sure if she'd still be married to me after I been missin' for—hell, thirty-two or some odd years."

"Who are you?"

"I told ya, princess. I'm a friend."

"Not good enough. Who are you?"

"Dad's dad," Harry spoke up, cutting the man off.

"What? Harry, Severus's father is dead."

"Gee, thanks there, lass," the man said with a snort. "He likely killed someone, but it wasn't me there, princess. Promise."

Harry watched her eyes narrow on the man.

"A good lie is always better to believe than the truth," she retorted.

"Maybe, but I ain't lying, princess."

"His father was a Muggle. He couldn't do magic, and he most certainly didn't have a wand. So, you're lying again."

The man shrugged casually. "Technically, I'm closer to a Squib there, princess, but all right." At the sound of a nearby explosion, the man's eyes darted to the window before he glanced out. "Looks like the baddies are havin' some fun today blowin' things up. We should probably get ya two back to Hogwarts before they get any closer."

"If you're truly his father like you claim to be, then you're coming back with us and proving it."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Persistent little lass, aren't ya?" He glanced around for a moment before pouring out the rest of his whiskey. He strode across the room, running a bit of water into the empty bottle and rinsing it. "Sorry it ain't any smaller." Turning back to face them, he then cut his finger with a switchblade, squeezing his blood into the empty bottle for collection. "Ya can test that against his." The man then sighed softly when there was another loud explosion, rattling the building this time. "Sorry about this, princess." He waved his wand at them, and a spell quickly enveloped the two—knocking them out instantly before they could even hope to fight back.

Harry groaned as he pressed his palms into his eyes to scrub the sleepers from them. He then felt someone move next to him. His head whipped towards the movement before he relaxed.

"Dad?"

"Harry," his father replied, sitting in a chair next to the boy's bedside in his familiar black robes.

"I'm in the hospital wing?"

"You are. You've been here asleep for the past hour."

"Oh." Harry ran his teeth over his bottom lip before he glanced around the room nervously. He inhaled sharply when he noticed that they seemed alone. "Dad, where's Mum?" he blurted out, feeling a familiar panic rising up in his chest.

"Aurora is right here." His dad moved to the side so Harry could see her lying on the opposite cot from the young Gryffindor. "I've been waiting for both of you to wake up."

"Is she all right? She was bleeding earlier from the glass, Dad. He tried to get most of it out, but he did it the Muggle way so maybe some got left behind."

"Easy, Harry. She's fine. Madam Pomfrey has already healed her. She's just resting now." His dad then leaned forward slightly. "Who do you mean by 'he,' though, Harry?"

"The man from Birmingham, Dad. We were walking down the alleyway to get to some diner to get back here. He showed up then after she cursed some other guy's . . . you know . . . stuff."

His dad merely stared at him neutrally. "I see."

"It was odd. He just knew somehow that she was hurt. I didn't. He just took a step towards her, and then yeah. He didn't hurt us or anything, though. I mean, he carried her up to his flat and got the glass out of her side. Oh, and about the thing you were saying before, that you killed him or whatever, he said that he never met you actually because of him being missing for thirty years or something."

"Harry?"

"Yeah, Dad?" The young boy's eyes narrowed then. His father seemed angry for some reason.

"When he took a step towards her, what did he do? Did he say anything? Do anything?"

"Well, he put his hand on her side, on her wound I think, and said something like 'Never think you're invincible.' Why?"

"And how did she react?" His father's voice was even, but there was clear underlying rage.

"She tensed against me and sort of—I don't know—needed to lean on me more." Harry's eyes then widened as he realized what his father was getting at. "No, Dad. It wasn't like that. She needed to rest. I told her so, but she wouldn't. She was getting paler as we continued. He helped her."

"An interesting way of helping someone clearly," his dad replied lightly.

"Dad, he's not a bad man."

"Oh? I suppose you believe everything you're told then, do you?"

"He saved us, Dad. Saved me twice now. He told me about the shopkeeper. That the guy would have gladly handed me over to You-Know-Who."

"Harry, he's killed three people that we know of so far. You trusting him so blindly—"

"Wait. Stop! He told me after I agreed that your mum would've been upset with me trusting him like that, too. That she would've given me hell over it." Harry caught a brief flicker of something in his dad's dark eyes before it vanished. "He was right, wasn't he? She'd have been upset with me over it?"

"All that proves is that he has knowledge of your grandmother, Harry. It doesn't prove that he's trustworthy, however. He could be carrying all this out as some elaborate scheme to get close to you so that you'd trust him before he later handed you off to the Dark Lord as well."

"But, Dad!"

"No, Harry," his dad said firmly. "We cannot afford to trust this man."

"He could be your dad, though!"

"Or he could be a very good liar, Harry." His dad sighed. "Son, I realize that you are quick to believe that there is good in everyone, but that's a lie. There are people out there who have no good left in them, who only wish to set fire to the world and watch it burn."

Harry frowned before he quickly rolled over and turned his back to his father. The man from Birmingham wasn't one of those people. Harry just knew it. His father would learn it soon enough.

~FKTF~

An hour later, Snape let out a growl of frustration into his hands that covered his face. Why couldn't his son get it through his head that not everyone deserved his trust? He'd have thought after living with the Dursleys, supposed family, would have taught that painful lesson to the young boy. He shook his head then, letting his hands drop to his side.

Harry had fallen back asleep after doing his best sullen brat impression earlier. So, Snape's questions were unanswered for the most part. The main one was bothering him the most. Why the hell hadn't his son been on the train? Granted, it had turned out for the better this time, but it was still unsettling to say the least.

Snape frowned before he turned around and glanced at the sleeping witch. He moved his chair then, knowing that Harry wouldn't be talking to him for a long while now. All his hope, their hope, rested on her now. It was the second time she had saved his son's life now. A little voice in the back of his mind whispered that it was a sign, but he quickly silenced that voice that strangely enough sounded like his son's.

His eyes narrowed when he caught Sinistra's hand tense. She was likely waking now, so he patiently waited. He needed her cooperative. And he knew from experience that if she was upset with him, she'd not be helpful in the slightest.

"Where am I?" Her voice was soft and groggy.

"You're in the hospital wing," he quietly answered. He watched her slowly turn her head to the side so she could look at him.

"Severus?"

"Yes." He then watched the familiar panic set into her face. She and Harry were becoming too close clearly. "He's behind me, Sinistra, sleeping."

"He's fine, though?"

"Just minor bruising."

"Good. I mean, not good about the—"

Snape held up a hand, cutting her off. "I knew what you meant, Sinistra. It's fine." He then released a slow breath. Perhaps if he eased her into his questions, it'd be easier for them. "Yet again, you've managed to save my son. So, thank you."

"Not sure if I did, though, Severus," she softly replied. "If I hadn't been there, he'd have made the train and wouldn't have been there for the attacks at the station."

So she wasn't aware then. Snape remained silent for a few moments then as he thought of what to say next before finally deciding just to tell her the truth.

"If he had been on the train, he'd likely not have made it here, Aurora." He watched the confusion settle on her face. "While Platform 9 ¾ was mostly untouched by the bombings, several of the attackers managed to board the train as it was leaving the station. We had several Aurors onboard of course as we always do, but it seems as if we had a traitor on board as well. The Aurors were confined to one part of the train as the attackers searched for Harry. When they realized he wasn't onboard, they returned to London likely."

"Death Eaters?" she asked, frowning as she stared at him.

"If they are, then they're clearly not from the Inner Circle."

"What do you mean?"

Snape shook his head before answering. "Every Death Eater's child is untouchable. If it is discovered that you attacked a fellow follower's child, you are killed immediately. If it is a member of the Inner Circle's child you harmed, though, you are killed as is your entire family."

"Harry is your son, though."

"Yes, but he's also the Boy-Who-Lived, Aurora. He's the only visible mistake the Dark Lord has ever made. No doubt, that weighs heavily on the Dark Lord's ego." His eyes narrowed when he caught Aurora picking at the sheet. She was hiding something. "What is it?"

"I had a visitor this summer at Windsor, Severus." She sighed, slowly glancing at him. "Narcissa Malfoy to be exact."

Snape's eyes narrowed on her. Narcissa Malfoy had visited her? Why? He hadn't thought they were close. Perhaps he was mistaken. There was a lot about his colleague he didn't know.

"She wanted me to know that Harry was safe. That the others had orders from the Dark Lord not to go after him anymore."

"Why would she tell you that and not me, Sinistra? I'm his father."

"Yes, I know you're his father, Severus." The witch sighed, shaking her head. "It would seem that Draco is under the impression that you and I are involved with one another. And with Harry calling me 'Mum' every now and then, the belief was further cemented."

"You didn't correct her?"

"No. I didn't tell her that it was true either, though, Severus. I just brushed it off and let her tell me her message."

He ran his hand through his raven locks, frowning. "And why is it that I'm just learning about this now, though, Sinistra?"

"Because you were on vacation with your son, and I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Felix Felicis," he growled. "Next time, woman, interrupt me!"

"Fine."

He felt horribly annoyed now. Why was it that every stupid person thought that by hiding things, the person was doing the right thing then because of the age-old excuse that they were protecting the others from this horrible secret? Idiots. The whole lot of them.

"Were there any losses? With the attackers on the train, I mean?" she asked quietly.

"Not on the train. However, at the station, there were numerous casualties, Magical and non-Magical. There are also some who are still missing reportedly."

"Anyone we know missing?"

"Unfortunately." He paused for a moment. "Molly Weasley."

"What?"

"The attacks were mainly confined to the other side of the barrier, but some of it spilled onto 9 ¾. The barrier for example," he stated. "When it vanished from the other side, it likely was taking the brunt of the explosions at the time. So, when it reappeared on the platform, it sent brick and mortar flying through, striking and injuring numerous people. As it always is, mass chaos soon followed. It would seem that during the chaos that she became separated from her family. They haven't found her thus far unfortunately."

"Who else?"

"Mister Flint's mother. They're the only two that are missing currently." He then stopped. "This time at least," he added quietly.

"What do you mean?" He glanced at her.

"I take it that you haven't read the Daily Prophet lately, then?"

"Not exactly on my list of priorities, Severus. Why?"

"Since late June, three women have disappeared without a trace."

"You kept up with this while you were on vacation?"

"Not exactly. I've read most of it while I was waiting for you and Harry to wake up. Minerva filled me on the rest earlier."

"Wonderful." She sighed. "Could it be Death Eaters again?"

"Unlikely," he replied. "Of the five women's disappearances, Molly is the only who is not married to a Death Eater."

"Anything in common among them?"

"Yes." His eyes darted to hers before he calmly stated, "They're all purebloods."

"You have to be joking."

"I'm not. The headmaster believes it's a coincidence, however. He, in fact, is convinced that other women have disappeared, but that only the prominent missing pureblood women are being reported missing."

"What do you think?"

"I think there are no such things as coincidences. However, I have my own mystery to sort out currently, though." He caught her eyes narrowing in confusion, but brushed her look off. "Do you know why you'd have been holding a bottle in your hands when you and Harry were found by the gates?"

"A bottle?"

"Yes. A whiskey bottle to be exact. When Hagrid found both of you, you were holding it in your hands for some reason. Do you recall why?"

She frowned and tried to think for a few moments. She then made a soft sound. "Oh. Um, yes, yes I do. A man we ran into—blue eyes and light brown hair—he claimed to be your father. I told him to return with us and prove it. He cut his palm and then filled the bottom of the bottle with his blood."

"I see." He forced his face to stay neutral. "He did this in front of you?"

"Yes." She nodded. "He kept trying to convince me that he was a friend."

"Did he say anything else?"

"Um, yes, something about him being missing for thirty-two years."

"Convenient."

"That's what I thought, too. He said that he was closer to a Squib than a Muggle as well, and said his wife's name was . . . 'El,' I believe."

"El?" he repeated quietly.

"Yes. That's what he said. Why?"

"My parents had carved their names into an old oak tree long ago, before I was born in fact. Mother had stated it was before he had started drinking heavily. The names on the tree were 'Toby' and 'El." He released a slow exhale, shaking his head.

"So, he might be telling the truth, then?"

He glared at her instantly, having heard Harry say the same thing earlier. "Do not even get me started with that again. I'm not going to trust some random man who seems correct about some things."

"All right. Fine," she quietly replied, nodding. "I understand."

He nodded, thinking. The man no doubt had time to switch out the blood in the bottle for a vial of his father's before he brought them to Hogwarts and left them there. So testing the blood would be a waste of time. He'd just have to wait and let things play out unfortunately. Something he hated doing.

Frowning, Harry finished tying his school tie as he stood in front of the mirror. He had been released earlier from the hospital wing. However, instead of being allowed to return to Gryffindor tower like Harry wanted, though, he had been forced to follow his father down to their rooms. So, once they arrived, he quickly headed to his room, hiding out in there and doing his best to give the older wizard the silent treatment. For the most part, his father allowed it, keeping his distance for some reason.

However, after an hour, there was a knock against his doorframe. Harry glanced in the mirror and quickly looked away when he saw his father.

"I see the brat currently inhabiting my son is still here," his dad remarked.

"You're wrong," Harry snapped grumpily.

His father sighed. "We know nothing about that man, Harry."

"I know little about you, yet others still let me be around you," he argued.

"That's different. You're my son."

"And he could be your dad!"

"Could, Harry. Even you're not a hundred percent certain." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Son, I can't take that risk with you."

"He hasn't hurt me!"

"Yet!" his dad yelled back. His father then ran a hand through his raven locks as he shook his head. "Harry, you have to understand. I have more experience in this than you do. He may not have hurt you yet, but he could just be waiting for the opportune time."

"No. You're wrong. Not everyone wants to hurt people."

"Harry—"

"He hasn't hurt me."

"Son, why can't you just listen and trust me?"

"Because you're wrong, Dad. This man has had two opportunities to hurt me, and he hasn't. He helped Mum, too. He carried her up to his flat and did everything I used to do after the Dursleys hurt me. He even gave her a drink of the whiskey to numb her pain since he didn't have a pain potion or anything. He could have just let her suffer and hurt herself more, but he didn't. He helped her, Dad. Now, does that seem like something a person would do if all they wanted to do in the end was hurt me in the end? I don't think so."

"Harry, you're young. You don't understand—"

"What? That people are bastards sometimes?" the twelve-year-old yelled back. "The Dursleys used to lock me in a cupboard, Dad! I wasn't even good enough to have a bed in their eyes, to have food. They treated me worse than a dog, like I was nothing."

"Harry—"

"And it's not just the Dursleys either. I've got some mad person who keeps trying to kill me. I get it, Dad. Better than you do probably. This guy isn't one of them. Why can't you see that? Why do you always have to see the worst in people?" He ended his rant with a sharp kick against his dresser.

His dad remained quiet for a few moments as Harry stomped angrily to his bed and flopped down on it. The young boy tried his best not to look at him. He knew his father wouldn't be happy with that temper tantrum, but it needed to be said.

"Are you finished? Or would you like to kick something else as well? Perhaps the nightstand this time?" his father drawled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Harry glared at his father.

"I understand your frustration, Harry. I do. You believe that I am likely being too cautious with you. However, I lost your mother. I could not protect her. I do not want to lose you as well, Harry. Could this man be my father? Possibly. Does that make me any less concerned, though? No. You and I both know firsthand that even family can hurt you and that it usually hurts more."

"He didn't hurt me, though."

"No. He hasn't," his dad agreed quietly. "So far." He held up a hand. "Just listen for a moment. Please." His dad then sighed before continuing. "My mother took the brunt of his abuse alone for years. In his eyes, I was considered normal because I hadn't shown any magical inclination around him. So, he thought I was like him, a Muggle. He hated magic, Harry. Feared it." He glanced at Harry. "Sometimes when people, Magical and otherwise, fear things they don't understand, that fear quickly turns to hatred." His dad frowned. "When I had my first accidental magic around him, about seven, he beat me. Much like how your uncle did with you. He didn't stop until I was unconscious. He continued this pattern every time I displayed any magic around him with the thinking that he could beat the unnaturalness out of me. That he could make me normal like everyone else. He convinced me at one point that I was unnatural, that I deserved it."

"But you didn't deserve that. Nobody does."

His dad nodded slowly, the corners of his lips twitching for a moment. "No. I didn't, Harry." His dad's voice now held a strange emotion in it that the young boy couldn't figure out. His dad laughed softly, then. "It's pride you hear, Harry. In my voice." The boy's eyes widened suddenly.

"You can read minds?"

"Not exactly. I can read people."

"Oh." Harry nodded slowly. "I thought it was like your thing you can do. You know, the thing that makes my scar not hurt?"

"You're correct. It's part of it." His dad then glanced at a nearby clock. "We should start for the Great Hall now. We can speak later."

"But don't I have classes today?" It was the first day of the term. There were always classes the first day. Had he missed something?

"Classes are postponed until tomorrow." Harry opened his mouth, but his dad held a hand up. "The headmaster did not feel it right to hold classes the day after the tragic attack at King's Cross where some students lost parents. He's proclaimed this to be a grieving day."

"Oh."

"The usual separation of houses in the Great Hall has been suspended in fact." The two then started for the door to leave. "After breakfast, come to the staff table so we can leave together." Harry nodded before he hugged his dad briefly, knowing he'd not have the chance for awhile.

~FKTF~

As soon as they reached the doors to the Great Hall, Harry instinctively stepped away from Snape and headed to his friends. Snape drew in a slow breath, ignoring the slight sting he felt at this unfortunate, albeit normal, action. Even twelve-year-olds like Harry didn't like to be seen walking into the Great Hall with their fathers. It didn't mean that his son rejected him, though. He had to remind himself of this unfortunately, having been too often rejected by others.

When he reached the staff table, Snape quickly took the only seat left available. He made sure not to glace at either Sinistra or the unknown woman on his other side. He hated it when he was the last to arrive, but it was necessary today.

"Is everything all right with Harry, Severus?"

Snape paused in mid-action of reaching for his cup of tea at the sound of Sinistra's voice. He could hear the concern in her voice. She was starting to sound like Molly Weasley around his son. He then winced inwardly at the mentioning of the Weasley matriarch.

"He's fine, Professor," he answered in a clipped tone before taking a sip of his tea. He hated being here for breakfast. It always made him feel as if he was on display like a piece of art.

"Are you trying a new product, Snape? Your hair is really nice this year," remarked from further down the staff table another witch, Septima Vector he realized a moment later.

"Septima," Sinistra snapped, clear disapproval in her voice.

Snape felt like crawling under the table, but held the urge back just barely. Could Sinistra make her feelings for him any more apparent? He snidely added it to yet another reason they would never be together. He could only imagine— The ghostly feel of warm breath against his ear stopped him instantly. He swallowed, knowing that no one was there, an invisible charm or otherwise. A hallucination then. He forced himself to remain looking calm.

"Severus," a soft voice whispered, drawing his name out like a snake.

His wand hand tensed slightly as he continued staring straight ahead out at the Great Hall. What the hell was happening? He then inhaled sharply at the feel of someone suddenly grabbing his arm, the ghostly sensation disappearing at once. His eyes darted down to his right arm before he quickly yanked his arm back from Sinistra.

"Are you all right, Severus? You seemed out of it just now."

"Perfect," he growled, desperately grasping at his anger for protection to keep the unsettling other emotions at bay. "I can do without you pawing at me like some I'm some piece of meat, however, Professor Sinistra," he snarled. He ignored her huff of outrage.

"See if I ever try to help you again, you grumpy bastard," she snapped, turning away from him.

"Well," muttered the unknown woman on his other side.

"What? Do you have something to add?" he growled, glaring at the unknown woman who kept her eyes downcast on her journal. He assumed she was the replacement for the late Muggle Studies professor, who had unfortunately died over the summer in a flying accident.

She merely glanced at him finally and smiled faintly with an air of mystery around her before she returned to reading her journal quietly.

Snape clenched his jaw in return. He hated his colleagues. Absolutely hated them. Sinistra was tolerable . . . sometimes. When she wasn't trying to force herself on him that was. The rest of them were either manipulative bastards or complete idiots. Speaking of manipulative, he glanced towards the center of the table at Dumbledore. He watched the white bearded wizard stand, which made Snape frown. A hush then fell on the Great Hall as everyone waited for Dumbledore to speak.

"I'm afraid with the tragic events of yesterday that I forgot to introduce our two new staff members joining us this year." Dumbledore gave a brief smile before he glanced at the two odd ducks at the table. "First off, Professor Lockhart has been kind enough to take the Defense against the Dark Arts post. I'm certain we'll all stand to learn a thing or two from such an accomplished man."

Snape snorted. An accomplished man? That was one way to describe him. The man was clearly a baboon in sheep's clothing.

"As I'm certain most of you are aware, Professor Reynolds who had previously held the Muggle Studies position was killed last July in an accident. Professor Rayne has thankfully taken the post. Let's give them a very warm welcome, shall we?" There was a large applause around the large room from the students and the staff.

Snape then sighed inwardly as he watched Dumbledore sit back down. Breakfast would be over soon enough, and then he could return to his rooms with Harry. They had various things they needed to discuss today. He glanced towards his son, watching the young boy talk animatedly with his friends. No doubt, the boy would learn about Molly's disappearance from the others. He then glanced away. They'd deal with it later. For now, the boy was happy.

"Rayne?" Sinistra stated, glancing around Snape to talk with the woman on his other side.

"Yes," the woman replied softly, her mouth barely moving as she spoke.

"Oh my Circe!"

Snape glanced at Sinistra instantly. She was acting like a fifth-year who had just received all Os on her OWLs. What was she going on about?

"Like the gorgeous vampire in The Lonely Witch?"

He closed his eyes. Of course. Her stupid romance novels. He should have known better.

"Something like that, yes," Professor Rayne answered quietly, her eyes downcast as she continued reading her journal.

"Oh, I just love that book."

"No one cares, Sinistra," Snape grumbled, buttering his piece of toast.

"Well, no one asked for your bloody opinion either, you giant bat," she snapped back.

Snape scoffed. Sinistra was much too easy to rile up. How she had been sorted into Slytherin was truly anyone's guess. He fell silent instantly when he caught the headmaster's disapproving look in their direction. He popped a bit of his toast in his mouth and chewed it.

"So, what are you reading, Professor Rayne?" Again, Sinistra tried to talk through Snape.

He just barely bit back his sarcastic retort in time before the woman replied.

"The latest edition of Wizardly World's Quarterly," the woman answered quietly. Her mouth barely moved when she spoke.

"Oh."

Snape snorted silently. Of course, Sinistra wouldn't be familiar with a such a highly respected—

"Well, if you turn to page twenty-three, I believe, you'll find Severus's article on Nerve Restorative draughts and how they could be strengthened by adding Re'em blood instead of the usual dragon. It was quite intriguing actually."

"What?" His head snapped towards Sinistra. "You actually read it?"

"It's not as if I had anything better to do while I was recovering this summer. Why? Surprised?"

"Yes actually," he answered, frowning.

"Why? Because I teach Astronomy so there's no way I of all people could ever understand any of the ridiculous long arse words you used in your article in your absurd attempt to flaunt your vocabulary like some immature six-year-old?"

He glared at her. "Perhaps if you bothered to write any articles that were worth publishing, Sinistra, you'd know—"

"Hmm, Aurora C. Sinistra," the woman next to Snape whispered, causing him to stop instantly.

"What?" He glanced at Rayne, noticing that she had her nose still in that damn journal. "Let me see that." He snatched the journal from her and quickly skimmed the top of the article.

"Oh? What was that, Severus? I'm sorry. I can't hear you over the sound of your ego deflating." His eyes darted to Sinistra as he stared at her with a confused look. "Oh, yes, love, you're reading that right. I have seven published articles. Remind me? How many do you have again? Hmm?"

"Impossible!"

"Hardly," the curly-haired witch said with a snort.

"There's no way you have—there has to be a mistake here."

"No mistake. You see, unlike you, I don't try to make my readers feel like complete idiots. Nor do I force them to have to find a thesaurus to figure out what I'm saying."

He tossed the journal down angrily. There was no way Sinistra had more published articles than him. None. Just two years ago, she had two to his five. He sat through the rest of breakfast seething.

~FKTF~

Harry glanced at the closed door worriedly. The man seemed absolutely livid when they had returned to their rooms. In fact, the older wizard had stalked off to his private labs the second they set foot in here and locked himself up inside. Numerous times, Harry thought about knocking on the closed door to see if he could help, but he thought better of it every time. He didn't want the man mad at him.

Only when the clock chimed eleven at night, the young boy couldn't wait any longer. He knocked gently against the sturdy oak door and waited outside. When he received no answer, he knocked again, louder this time.

"Dad? Are you all right in there?" He took a step back when the door burst open.

"How in the bloody hell did she manage to publish seven articles?" his dad growled.

The young boy stared at his father for a few moments. "Maybe she was bored?" he offered. He bit his lip when his dad's obsidian eyes darted to him. "Sorry. That was rhetorical, wasn't it?"

"I have five articles published. Five. That's an accomplishment, I'll have you know. And here Sinistra is with seven! Seven of the bloody damn things! It's . . . absurd."

Harry did his best not to laugh. It was rather cute to see his dad all competitive with her. It reminded him of Ron and Hermione.

His dad then sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What is it, Harry?"

"It's eleven."

"Oh." His dad frowned. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah. I asked Mokai to bring me some food from the kitchens."

"Good."

"Did you?"

"I'll eat later." His dad then sighed. "I suppose you'll be heading up to the tower tonight?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could stay here tonight." Harry bit his lip nervously.

"Of course you may. Go on. I'll come in a minute."

Harry smiled before giving his dad another brief hug and rushing off to his room.

True to his word, his dad came in after a minute. All of the anger and frustration that had been in his face was replaced now with fatigue and calmness. His dad slowly walked towards Harry's bedside, following the tradition they had started over the summer.

"What classes do you have tomorrow?" his dad asked, slowly pulling the covers up to tuck the twelve-year-old into bed—a way of making up for their lost time.

"Charms, Herbology, Transfigurations, and Defense." He watched his dad make a face at the last class. "You don't like Professor Lockhart very much do you, Dad?"

"I don't like anyone very much, Harry," his dad replied quietly. "However, he would be one that I'd much rather was elsewhere this year."

"Why?"

"He's a bumbling idiot."

"Hermione says he's a legend."

"Well, I'm afraid, Miss Granger is going to get her heartbroken like the rest of them in the end. He may be a charmer, but I doubt any of the things he states were true."

"The witches do seem to like him, don't they?" Harry glanced up at his dad, noticing that the older man was already lost in thought again.

"Yes, unfortunately. Give them a pretty wizard who can spout lines, and they'll throw away their self-respect in order to be with him."

"Ron said that he probably uses a glamour charm to hide the fact that he's a hideous old man." Harry smiled when he heard his dad's mirthful chuckles.

"For once, Weasley used his mind and was able to come with a correct thought." His dad then shook his head before he ruffled Harry's raven locks. "Good night, son."

"Good night, Dad."

Harry watched his father wave his hand towards the lit torches in the room, extinguishing them magically. His green eyes then followed his father as the man silently headed for the door. He saw his father pause for a moment in the doorway before he finally left. Harry rolled over and closed his eyes.

The young Gryffindor didn't know what to expect this year with Defense, but he certainly never thought it'd be like this. Half-listening to the turquoise robed, golden haired wizard drone on and on about himself, the young twelve-year-old leafed through one of his so-called defense books. How was this going to help him learn how to defend himself from people out to kill him?

"Well, now, I thought we'd start off today with a little quiz. Now, nothing to worry about of course, but it's just to see how well you've read our books for class this year, how much you've taken in." Lockhart flashed a beaming smile towards the class as he handed out the stacks of paper to them. "The student who answers the most correct will win a very special prize. Very special indeed." He chuckled softly. "You have thirty minutes, and you may start now."

Harry frowned before he glanced down at the questions. He groaned inwardly. Every single question was about Lockhart. Honestly, how much more in love with himself could this man be? Slowly, the young boy wrote his answers down, though. The majority of the answers were made up of course and bordered on the edge of downright hilarity.

In regard to the question what Lockhart loved most, Harry replied with a simple answer of 'himself.' Harry laughed over that answer. Honestly, this whole class was a joke. So, he didn't care about his answers in the slightest. When he finished, he pushed his paper away and snorted. His dad likely would have been rolling on the floor if he had been there to read it.

"All finished there, young man?" Lockhart beamed down at him.

"Yeah."

"Let's see, shall we?" He picked up Harry's paper and skimmed it before glancing at him again. He forced a smile a moment later. "Well, well, well, a class clown, are we?"

"No." Harry shrugged. "I just didn't do the reading, sir."

"What's your name?"

"Harry." Lockhart's eyes narrowed on him so he lifted his head up before he proudly added, "Snape, sir. Harry Snape." He ignored the looks from his classmates.

"As in Severus Snape's son?"

"Yes, sir," Harry replied with a wide smile, not caring for a minute about the trouble this was going to cause him later. It was, after all, better than him saying Harry Potter after all.

"Well, Mister Snape, I'll be having a talk with your father later."

The young boy nodded. "You'll find him in the dungeons, sir."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for disrespect."

Ten points from Lockhart for being a narcissistic idiot, Harry thought in reply as he sat there calmly. He then watched Lockhart walk past grabbing all of the papers, rifling through them with a growing frown.

"My, my, I see quite a lot of you didn't recall anything from my books. Hmm, except a Miss Hermione Granger that is. In fact, she receives full marks. Well done, Miss Granger. Where is our lucky student, hmm?" His eyes bounced around the room before he fell on the witch raising her hand. "Excellent. See me after class, Miss Granger, and I'll tell you what you've won." He flashed a brilliant smile at her before winking and turning around.

"Excuse me, Professor?" Harry asked, raising his hand slowly. "When are we going to learn things that will actually do us some good?"

Lockhart stopped in mid-step before he turned around and narrowed his eyes on Harry. He forced a smile to his face again. "Itching to do magic, are we, Mister Snape? Have no fear. I was just getting to that." He then gave a short laugh before continuing towards the table where a covered cage rested. "Now, unfortunately with yesterday's postponement of classes, I couldn't bring in the freshly caught Cornish Pixies that I had managed to acquire. Have no fear, though, my dear students. Your professor wouldn't just end this brilliant class on such a dull note of course. So that's why I have brought in these." He chuckled loudly before he yanked off the cover.

"Bowtruckles?" Harry said with a frown. He and his father had run into one over the summer. They hadn't seemed too dangerous, then. In fact, if the young boy remembered correctly, they only became angered when they felt they had to defend themselves or their trees they guarded.

"Right you are, young man. Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, where was I? Oh, yes." Lockhart chuckled. "I'll have you know that I once had to defend myself against a room much larger than this filled with them. Of course, they were no match for me." He grinned brightly, sticking his chest out even further. "Of course none of you have an Order of Merlin, First Class like I do. Nonetheless, let's see what you make of them, shall we?" He opened the cage door a moment later, releasing dozens of the sticklike creatures.

Terrified screams rang out as the students quickly dodged to avoid the wickedly fast creatures that to tossed sharp projectiles towards them. All except poor Neville, Harry noticed, dodged successfully. He watched his housemate get overrun with Bowtruckles who attacked the poor wizard.

"Professor, do something!" Harry shouted, swinging one of his books at a pair of Bowtruckles who had attempted to go after him.

"Of course, of course," Lockhart shouted before clearing his throat and drawing his wand. "Peski—" His wand went flying a moment later after being hit by one of the Bowtruckle's sticks. He instantly let out a sharp cry and dashed off, grabbing a portrait that one of the creatures was carving up.

Harry scoffed, shaking his head. That idiot! He glanced at Hermione who was casting numerous Freezing charms towards the creatures. He soon followed suit and gave Ron a look to do the same.

"What do you think of your brilliant Lockhart now, 'Mione?" Ron grumbled as he wrestled a Bowtruckle to get back his wand the creature stole.

"He's one of those professors who believes in the value of us experiencing dangers hands-on," she firmly stated. "It's a wonderful teaching method. Brilliant in fact."

"Brilliant? He doesn't have a clue what he's doing!" Harry argued.

"Rubbish." She shook her head, levitating a few of the docile creatures back into the cage. "It's just nerves. That's all." She drew in a slow breath as she levitated the final one inside a moment later. "I bet your father was the same way when he first started teaching, Harry. It's just nerves. They'd not give him an Order of Merlin if he didn't do all the amazing things he's done."

"Or maybe they would," Harry and Ron muttered.

~FKTF~

Thankfully, Charms class with the Ravenclaws was much calmer for the young Gryffindors. In fact, the moment Filius Flitwick, the small Charms professor, saw them, he winced. Not a single Gryffindor had been spared from the Bowtruckles' attack. They all sported bruises and cuts. Quite frankly, they seemed as if they had just come in from a brawl when they had stepped foot in his class. So, Professor Flitwick decided to cover minor healing charms, which the little lions were all thankful to learn—Harry and Neville most especially as they were the worst off.

So after every Gryffindor was healed—either by themselves or a helpful Ravenclaw, the Gryffindors made their way to the Greenhouses for Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. The two houses kept their distances from one another for the most part, the lions on one side of a large table and the badgers on the other. It was just natural for them.

"Excellent," Professor Sprout warmly announced as she stepped into the greenhouse. "Glad to see that we've all made it through Defense today. Now, today, we'll be repotting Mandrakes." She walked past the students, taking her place near the middle table. "Who can tell me about the properties of Mandrakes?" Her eyes glanced over the class before pausing on Hermione who had raised her hand. "Miss Granger?"

Harry groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long answer. He just knew it. Hermione always gave the longest, most in depth answers ever. She was brilliant, of course, but such a know-it-all.

"It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state," the Muggleborn witch stated.

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Hermione's hand collided with Harry's as their hands both shot up.

"Well, then, Mr. Potter." The Herbology professor seemed genuinely amazed that he had raised his hand. "Go ahead."

"When it's out of the soil, its cry can kill people," Harry quietly answered, recalling his father's words from over the summer.

"Another ten points to Gryffindor," announced Professor Sprout with a wide smile before she turned back to the rest of the class. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young." She motioned towards the trays of tiny plants. "Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," she directed a moment later, waiting as the students did as they were told. "When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered. When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right—earmuffs on." She glanced at everyone to ensure earmuffs were on before she grabbed a bit of a Mandrake and tugged it up out of the ground.

Harry grinned when he saw the muddied baby-like creature crying at the top of its lungs. They were as ugly as his father had said they were. He watched Professor Sprout quickly sprinkle some soil around the Mandrake, almost covering it completely with the rich earth a few moments later. All that could be seen now were the familiar leaves. When she gave them the thumbs up, they removed their earmuffs, holding them in their hands as they waited for her to continue her lecture.

"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet. However, they will knock you out for several hours. As I'm sure none of you want to miss your second day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up." She motioned to the trays again. "Four to a tray—there is a large supply of pots here—compost in sacks over there. Be careful of the Venomous Tentacula. It's teething." She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had inched sneakily over her shoulder.

Harry glanced at the curly-haired Hufflepuff boy who joined their table. However, he cut off any conversation that could have happened by placing his earmuffs on again. He couldn't wait to play with these Mandrake things. His dad had made them seem wicked the other day. Then again, his father always seemed to do that when it came to ingredients for his potions. When they received their signal—earmuffs all on—Harry grabbed his first Mandrake and pulled. And pulled. And pulled some more. He frowned. This had seemed so much easier when Professor Sprout did it earlier. Ten minutes later, he had planted his very first Mandrake . . . and hated it with a passion.

~FKTF~

While Harry learned how to change a rat into a goblet in Transfigurations, Snape found himself entering the staff room that suddenly hushed at his appearance. He frowned, striding through the room, however. He honestly didn't look that different this year. Healthier definitely and less like a vampire, but it wasn't as if he now looked like he could have belonged in Witch Weekly's edition of Most Eligible Bachelor, though.

"I take it by your non-ranting mood that you haven't heard about the second-years yet?"

Snape's eyes darted to Sinistra instantly. "What are you talking about?"

"Our esteemed colleague decided to release Bowtruckles to his class and forced them to defend themselves," she answered quietly, holding out a cup of tea.

"He did what!" Snape clenched his jaw. "Does he have any idea—"

"He does now." She sighed. "Albus gave me his classes for the rest of the day. I haven't seen Harry, but according to Filius, Harry and Mr. Longbottom took the brunt of it. Filius taught them minor healing charms today and instructed them to visit Madam Pomfrey after classes finish. Most of them have already went and seen her, though."

"Harry?" he asked with a frown.

"Stated that he'd come see you later." She gave him a faint smile. "I'd imagine it's because he trusts you more than the rest of us."

Snape nodded slowly. She was likely right about that. He shook his head, closing his eyes and sighing. By the way Sinistra seemed to be relaxed now as she stood beside him, he could tell that they were alone in the staff room.

"And here we thought it'd be a quiet year this year," she said with a half-smile.

"Oh, how I wish it was," he replied. "Thank you for informing me."

"Anytime, Severus. Unlike our cowardly colleagues, your temper doesn't bother me," she joked. "I should go finish my lesson plans before the fifth-years' class. Good night, Severus." She then left.

"What am I going to do with you, Harry?" Snape muttered, shaking his head.

~FKTF~

Later on, Snape looked his son over, inspecting him for all injuries the young boy could have sustained. He found numerous bruises, but the majority of Harry's injuries were healed. Of course, the boy complained of being worked like a dog with the repotting of the Mandrakes, which made Snape chuckle somewhat.

"Not as enjoyable as you thought?"

"Not at all, Dad. One of them took me twenty minutes to get it up out of the ground. For being small, they're hard to pull up."

Snape snorted. "I believe this is where Mr. Wood would state that it's helping you build muscles." He watched Harry roll his eyes.

"I don't need muscles, though. I'm a Seeker. We just need to be fast and coordinated."

"If you truly believe that, then Mr. Wood isn't teaching you adequately. You recall the bumping and frequent attempts to unseat you last year, correct?"

"I know, Dad." Harry sighed. "Lockhart's a moron." Snape gave him a look. "What? He is."

"Regardless of that, I expect you to treat him with respect. Furthermore, I'm quite disappointed in you. Did you think I'd not find out about your behavior earlier?"

"But—"

"Silence." Snape frowned. "Harry, regardless of my feelings concerning him, I do not wish you to show that level of disrespect to anyone. I do not wish you to turn into me, a bitter angry man. Do you understand?"

"Yeah." Harry glanced down at the floor.

"You have detention Saturday night with Professor Lockhart. Hopefully, you can smooth things over with him so he doesn't think you're the cocky arrogant child he believes you to be now."

"You're joking. You want me to kiss his arse like everyone else?"

"No. What I want is for you to apologize for your behavior. You have a good reputation currently, son. Do not lose it. It is hard to regain. Trust me."

"But I was trying to make you proud, show you that I could be like you, Dad."

"Son, you don't need to act like an arse to make me proud of you," Snape replied quietly. "You do that all on your own when you are yourself."

"All right." Harry sighed.

Snape watched his son silently. The boy sometimes made him wonder if he had what it took to be a father. If it wasn't injuries, it was the constant emotional abuse from the Dursleys deplorable treatment of Harry they tried to deal with together.

"What is it?" he asked, slowly joining his son when he noticed the boy's attention was focused entirely on the Prophet. Snape hadn't had a chance to read it yet unfortunately.

"There's some sort of contest thing."

"I'd imagine there are quite a few in there, Harry."

"Well, yeah, but this one is pretty wicked." The boy's head lower more as he skimmed the short blurb. "Potions Master of the Year award," Harry read. His green eyes then darted to Snape. "All you have to do is submit a paper. They'll nominate seven people and award it at some fancy dinner on Halloween. What do you think?"

"And why would I wish such a title?"

Harry shrugged. "Bragging rights? I mean, Mum doesn't have a title like that for Astronomy."

Snape chuckled, shaking his head. Perhaps his son did have some Slytherin tendencies in him after all. He glanced at the newspaper then.

"And if I'm nominated, then what?"

"Then we go to that dinner and watch you kick their butts, Dad."

"You'd be willing to go with me?"

"Definitely. And I'd be cheering the loudest too. They'll hear me all the way in Scotland," Harry proudly said. "No matter what, I'll go with you, Dad. Promise. Even if I have to skip classes to do it."

Snape snorted, hearing his son's playfulness. "Cheeky brat. All right. I'll submit one." He shook his head, laughing. How could he have become so lucky?

Two days later arriving at his detention, Harry glanced at Lockhart. Why couldn't he have had detention with Filch? It would have been so much better than this torture, answering Lockhart's fan mail. Harry sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm here for my detention, sir."

"Ah, Harry, there you are. Wonderful. Just wonderful." Lockhart's smile widened as he quickly placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry frowned. Just what exactly was wonderful? He decided to ignore it, though.

"Sir, before I start, um, well, I'm sorry about lying earlier and being disrespectful to you."

"No matter. Cast it out of your mind, dear boy." Lockhart chuckled, steering Harry towards a large oversized chair. "I understand perfectly. Not used to the fame like I am. No worries of course. I'll just have to help you along."

"Uh, sir, I—"

"Shh. It's all right. I understand." Lockhart's smile widened as he pushed Harry into the chair. "Tea? It's my special blend."

"No thank you, Professor," Harry quietly replied. He glanced around the room, noticing Lockhart's fan mail on the desk on the other side of the room. Wasn't he here to answer fan mail?

"Please, Harry. I insist."

Harry finally nodded, grabbing the cup. However, when he brought the cup to his lips, he made sure not to take a sip. He didn't like the look on Lockhart's face. It reminded him too much of his uncle. A part of Harry in fact felt like running from the man.

"It's good," Harry lied.

"Excellent. You just sit here and drink your tea now. No need to overwork a celebrity like you."

Harry felt extremely uneasy currently. There was something off about the other man. He couldn't explain it, but something didn't sit right with Harry. He, however, followed Lockhart's orders, watching the man out of the corner of his eye walk back to his desk to work on signing autographs.

So, with Lockhart far away at his desk and Harry in the oversized chair in front of the fireplace, silence settled around them. Harry continued to fake drinking his tea as he waited for whatever it was that Lockhart was.

"Oh, Sarah," muttered Lockhart, his attention having been on autographing for hours now. "How I shall remember you forever." Lockhart then was silent again as a clock rang out that it was midnight.

Harry watched him out of the corner of his eye nervously before relaxing slightly. His instincts had to be wrong. Lockhart hadn't moved in four hours. The man was just being nice. That was all.

The young boy's then started to wander to earlier in the day. Malfoy had seemed extremely subdued when the Slytherin Quidditch team arrogantly walked onto the field like they owned it. A part of Harry felt betrayed by his father giving them permission to practice during their slot, but he knew it was just business. Nothing personal against him. Like retaliation for Harry disappointing him. At least he was pretty certain that wasn't the case. His dad didn't seem to be like his uncle.

Malfoy the new Seeker! Unbelievable. And what was more was that he had clearly bribed his way onto the team. Or at the very least the blonde's father had with the generous donation of new brooms for the team. Harry frowned. He didn't like this. He didn't like it one bit.

"Come . . . come to me," a cold voice hissed.

Harry's whole body tensed at the sound of the deadly voice. He drew in a shaky breath, glancing at Lockhart. The professor, however, was still busy with his autographs, seeming not to hear the voice.

"Let me rip you. Let me tear you. Let me kill you," echoed the sinister voice.

Without a second of hesitation, Harry stood up, the cup clattering to the floor. He could feel the fear rising and clenching around him. He then did the first thing he could think of. He fled. As fast as he could, he ran far away from Lockhart who had glanced up with a confused look.

Harry didn't care if his father did yell at him over this. He couldn't be in that office another moment. He rushed down the moving staircases, panic driving his every movement. He wanted his dad. He wanted to feel safe. He continued sprinting for the dungeons, running into someone soon after.

"Mum?" he gasped at seeing the witch, nearly sobbing into the woman's chest a moment later.

~FKTF~

Meanwhile in the dungeons, Snape was fast asleep, having been forced by Pomfrey to take another Dreamless Sleep potion. He saw the familiar reoccurring nightmare's start and used every bit of his Occlumency to push it aside. He didn't want to hear Sinistra's declaration of love anymore. It only made him feel worse inside, more conflicted for some reason.

So, pushing his reoccurring nightmare with every bit of strength from his mind, he inhaled deeply in hopes that he'd dream something better, more pleasant. Oh, honestly, whom was he kidding? He wouldn't know pleasant if it bit him in the arse anymore. All he had ever known, had experienced, was pain and heartbreak in his life. Even with Lily if he was honest.

Soft laughter suddenly surrounded him then. The mist slowly started to clear, gradually allowing him to see his dreamscape. He recognized his son's high pitched laughs instantly.

"Mum, stop," the boy cried happily from the sofa as an unknown laughing woman unmercifully tickled the young boy.

Snape chuckled as he took several steps towards them. Lily. Now, this was a dream he could get used to having repeat. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the mist completely vanished and allowed him to see his lost love tickling their son.

Only when the mist was gone, Snape stopped in his tracks. His breath caught in his throat. It wasn't Lily as he had assumed. It was her. Sinistra. He felt his gut clench in reaction. Sinistra was the woman Harry had called 'Mum.' Sinistra was the one that had Harry laughing as she tickled him.

"No. This isn't right," he whispered. "It should be Lily."

He heard a scoff beside him, causing him to turn towards the sound. There, standing next to him, was Lily in white robes. She stared back at him, shaking her head.

"It should be you, Lily. Not Sinistra. I love you."

"Lies," she flatly replied.

"No. It's not lies. I love you, Lily!"

"If you had truly loved me, Sev, you'd have chosen me over the Dark Arts." Her green eyes slowly moved to their son. "He looks happy, doesn't he?"

"This isn't right."

"She would make you happy, Sev."

"She's not you, Lily! You are the only woman I will ever love. No other!"

"More lies," the redheaded witch said softly.

"I'm not lying dammit! I love you, Lily! Only you!"

"Quit lying to yourself, Sev."

"I'm not lying!" he roared, clenching his fists.

"Shall we, then?"

His eyes narrowed in confusion. Should they what? He was about to ask when he saw everything phase in then out. He drew in a breath at the sight in front of him. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Lies," he whispered with a shaky breath.

"No. For once, it's the truth. And you know it." Lily looked on impassively as numerous memories of him and Sinistra flashed in front of them like a Muggle film.

He closed his eyes to escape, only to see the memories continue behind his eyes. He sighed, drawing in another shaky breath. He watched the memory of him and Sinistra dueling. She was wickedly fast, not stopping when he had disarmed her like so many other witches would have done. He watched her apologize softly and help him up after she had knocked him down. He drew in quick breath as another memory flickered past. This time she had fallen into his arms, her heel on her boot having unfortunately broken. Another memory—her removing a leaf from his hair gently during a Quidditch match with a kind look in her warm brown eyes. He trembled as the memories continued. He felt something break inside when he saw the memory from long ago—of her healing him without magic.

"No, Lily," he whispered with a shaky breath. "I-I love you." He did . . . didn't he?

"I showed you kindness when the world only gave you pain, Sev. You're realizing it now. That what you feel for me is diminishing. You falling for her is not a betrayal, though. She forgives when I could not. She loves when I could not. Stop lying to yourself and let me go. Forgive yourself. Live and be happy, Sev. That is a much better gift to me than to allow yourself to be swallowed by your pain."

"If I . . . You're the one, Lily. Only you."

"No, Sev. Not me." Her eyes filled with sadness before she sighed. "Stop punishing yourself."

"I told the Dark—"

"Even if it had been someone else who had died in my place, I'd not have left James. You know this in your heart, Severus. I loved him. Not you." She glanced back at the memories still flashing. "You fight it because you fear your happiness will be taken from you again. That the world will shroud you in pain once more. Do not live your life in fear, Severus. Do not be the coward you are making yourself be. She can be a strength to you. As she has been from the start."

"Lily, I-I please," he begged, swallowing harshly. "I . . . no."

He watched a memory of Aurora laughing before she playfully pushed him away as she shook her head at something he had said.

"Stop fighting your heart. This will only get worse if you do not."

"Then I won't sleep."

"Your soul needs this, Sev. It needs you to move on. To be the man you were destined to be."

"Not her! You, Lily! I need you!"

"Then cast your Patronus, Sev." Lily gave him a soft smile. "See the truth of your love."

"It is with you. Always."

She slowly faded as the dream did the same. He sat up gasping instantly. He pressed a hand to his chest, inhaling deeply trying to catch his breath. It would be a doe. As it always was. His love for Lily ran that deep. Sinistra was just a momentary fleeting distraction. Whatever conflicted feelings he had for his colleague would disappear soon enough, and his love for Lily would remain.

Snape grabbed his wand from his nightstand. Lily was wrong. Likely a part of his subconscious that was trying to convince him with lies. He didn't love Sinistra. Lily was the only one he'd ever love.

"Expecto Patronum," he cast, thinking of his night with Lily. His wand clattered to the floor a moment later. "No . . ."

~FKTF~

Now in the Astronomy tower hidden from view, Harry hiccupped as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He was still curled up against the curly-haired witch, but he didn't care how it looked. So far she hadn't pushed him away. In fact, she held him as he sobbed, whispering soothing things to him to calm him—further cementing his belief that she'd be a wonderful mum even if she wasn't really his.

"Sorry," the young boy whispered, rubbing his nose on his sleeve.

She only smiled softly at him. "Don't. It's okay, love. Let's send your dad an owl, though. So he knows you're up here with me, okay?"

He hiccupped once more before he nodded. He watched her tie the message to an owl's leg prior to sending the owl off. So many questions were going through his mind.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Um, well, why'd we come here? Why didn't we go to Dad's?"

"Your father's been neglecting his sleep lately, so Madam Pomfrey ordered him to take a sleeping potion and rest." His eyes narrowed on her. She laughed softly. "You're wondering how I know this, aren't you?" He nodded slowly, which she only smiled in response still holding him gently. "The Bloody Baron or sometimes even Salazar tell me whenever Severus is incapacitated. It's so I can take Severus's Head of House duties for him."

"Oh. Okay." He then glanced down at his hands sadly. The troubling thoughts bubbled up in him again. He could still hear the voice, the anger and hatred in it.

"You think you can tell me what that was all about now, though, love?"

Harry swallowed. "Um, well, I was in detention. With Lockhart. I sort of lied to him and disrespected him earlier." He was very quiet in his answer, but she seemed to still hear him. "I was supposed to answer his fan mail, but he didn't let me. Gave me a cup of tea." Harry's words were starting to run together as the words quickly flowed out of his mouth. "I didn't drink it, though, because I had a bad feeling. And then I heard this voice. It wanted to kill. And I . . . I left. I didn't want to be there anymore. I just wanted to be with Dad and you . . . and feel safe again." His tears fell once more.

"Shh. It's all right, love." She rubbed his back gently and kissed the top of his head. "You're safe. I promise."

He cried, burying his face into her neck as he held onto her tightly. It was so easy for the boy to believe that she was his mother, that his birth mother never existed. Granted, he had come some ways with his thoughts about his birth mother. He didn't think she was such a cold-hearted bitch anymore. But that didn't mean he was totally accepting of his birth mother. Unlike his father, he saw his birth mother's flaws. He sniffled, hiccupping again.

"Sweetheart, now this is important." She rubbed his back gently. "Did Lockhart hurt you?"

"No. He just kept signing his autographs. But I heard the voice. I think it was him. I think he wanted to kill me. Like Quirrell last year."

"What?"

"I think Lockhart was going to kill me like Quirrell tried last year. We should see if he's got . . . you know . . ." Harry then thought of something and grabbed her upper arms in pure panic. "Mum, stay away from him! He'll try to take you away from us again."

"Easy, Harry. It's okay." She stared at him with a puzzled look. "Listen to me. We're safe right now. It's just you and me. And when your dad wakes up, he'll come up here and we'll all be here together. Safe. Everything's all right. Okay?"

Harry trembled slightly before he nodded jerkily. He knew that he was being a bit of a baby, needing to hear her reassurances, but it had just been last year that his luck started to turn around. He had something close to a family now. A dad who loved him. A mum who was there. He wasn't a house elf anymore. He wasn't considered a freak. He was loved and cared for and wasn't alone anymore.

The young boy buried his face in her neck again, hugging her tightly. He felt safe with her. Like he did with his dad. He bit his bottom lip and glanced up at her. Why couldn't his dad see how perfect she was for them? She could heal them, make them feel whole again. All his dad needed to do was let her in as Harry had.

"Shh," she whispered, rubbing his back gently. "It'll be okay, love. I promise." He believed her.

~FKTF~

Snape had finished his second glass of Firewhiskey when Sinistra's owl arrived. He frowned at its appearance, but quickly snatched the message from the owl's leg. His eyes skimmed the note before he tossed it aside. He threw a shirt on then his robes, whirling around to leave a moment later.

Had he spent more time thinking, he might have decided to arrive by Floo. His mind, however, was a muddled mess. And not just because of the alcohol he had drank earlier. He rushed up the stairs to leave the dungeons, rushing towards the Astronomy tower.

How could this have happened? How could he have— It was Lily. Always. He loved her so deeply that she had become engrained in every aspect of his life. He lived his life for her, and only her. He didn't matter anymore. Only her, his beautiful Lily. He would carry on loving her, being with only her, to show her how much he loved her, show her that he was so sorry for being the reason she died.

Snape grabbed the railing suddenly, his knuckles turning ivory as he gripped it hard. He could feel himself trembling slightly from the emotional storm ragging inside him. It had to be a lie. Lily was perfect. Lily was the one he belonged with. No other woman could compete with her. His heart lay with her, only her. No other. He closed his eyes, pushing back his emotions. Weak. Pathetic. Coward.

It meant nothing. Lies. That was all it was. Lies. He loved Lily. Aurora was a distraction. A temptress meant to sway him, to test him. He'd prove to Lily that he loved— He drew in a shaky breath.

"Shh, Severus," the ghostly whisper of a voice whispered, yet he knew no one was there on the staircases with him. "I have you. You're safe now. I promise."

The memory flashed before his eyes once more. Aurora. He shook his head violently to rid himself of it. He didn't want to remember that night, the night he lost Lily. He didn't want to remember his weakness he showed Aurora. His mind just didn't obey, though. He could recall the feel of the witch's arms as she held him while he openly wept against her. Weak. Pathetic. Coward. Murderer.

His hand slammed down onto the railing once more, the pain jolting Snape from the memory instantly. He quickly rushed up the remaining stairs with renewed vigor.

Hidden from Snape's view, a shadowed figure smirked as they looked on, watching Snape disappear soon after behind a door.

"Fascinating," the figure whispered before leaving as well.

Snape, however, continued, sprinting up the steep spiral staircase that led to the Astronomy tower. He took the steps two at a time. His lungs hurt from his brisk running, but he pushed forward. Several minutes later, he found himself standing in front of Circe's portrait that guarded Aurora's rooms. He glared at the beautiful witch. Circe only opened with a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Snape walked in and stopped in the doorway. His eyes passed over the two on the sofa. Aurora was holding Harry against her like any mother would do to calm her child. They seemed so peaceful in fact. Snape drew in a slow breath, walking towards them silently.

He watched them for several moments as they slept, unable to speak. Such a simple act of kindness. How could it mean so much?

At the sight of seeing his son slowly lift his head, Snape gave Harry a faint smile. He could see the sleepiness in his son's eyes. He then watched the young boy gently shake the sleeping witch awake.

"Mum?"

Snape should have corrected his son. All three of them knew she wasn't his mother. She could hold the boy close, treat him like he was her son, but she wasn't his mother. Lily was. But Snape didn't correct Harry. He hadn't corrected his son in awhile he noted. He hadn't even talked to the boy about it like he had planned before they arrived at Hogwarts. Why hadn't he? Had it been a sign he simply overlooked in his attempt to continue to prove he loved only Lily, an attempt to lie to himself further?

"Dad's here," the twelve-year-old quietly said.

"Hmm." Aurora then glanced up at him, meeting Snape's obsidian eyes with a sleepy look. A few of her curls stuck up. "Sorry. We must have dozed off at some point." She yawned quietly before lightly tapping Harry's shoulder to motion him to sit up and quickly doing the same thing herself.

Snape continued to staring at her, though. Was it love that he felt for her? No. Caring and the strong urge to protect her, yes, but not love. Not yet at least. His feelings were definitely growing for her he noted. He swallowed slowly. He was falling in love with her.

~FKTF~

Three days later, a brown-haired man walked down an empty street. His blue eyes wandered to the park, watching a young boy play. He drew his tattered tan coat further around himself and chuckled.

He had always wanted kids. So when he learned that his wife was pregnant with their son, he couldn't have been happier. His happiness was short lived, though. The tattooed bastards saw to that.

He frowned, kicking a loose rock as he headed into an alley. Where was his wife? What had happened to her? Had they killed her? A part of him wanted to ask his son. But from what he had gathered from the Potter boy, that would be a horrendous disaster.

Without proof of his claims, Severus wouldn't believe him for a moment. He'd think it was just another trick. The man sighed, shaking his head. Life was bitch sometimes. Truly.

At the sound of a scream, the man's head jerked up. He glanced back towards the boy and growled inwardly. Them again. Couldn't the bastards leave people alone?

"Find her!" shouted one of the burly hooded men to a small group of black robed wizards.

The man watched the four dark wizards quickly burst into homes, searching them. He thrust his hand into his pockets, grabbing the wand caked with dirt and drawing it. When his blue eyes noticed one of the men head towards the boy who had screamed, he slashed his wand across the air and snarled his curse. He sneered when the dark robed man whirled around and blocked his curse.

"Pathetic, wizard. Truly p—" The words died on the dark robed wizard's mouth, then.

"Ain't no one here pathetic but yerself," the man growled. More curses headed at the dark wizard's friends as they walked out. His wand slashed through the air as he hissed his curses with pure venom. One by one, each of the dark wizards fell to the ground as a tangled bloodied mess. He growled when the last dark wizard came out with a woman against himself as a shield. "Let. Her. Go. Now!" The dark wizard only chuckled at him. That was until he found himself struck by a Stunner to the back. "Rule number ten, bastard. Never turn yer back on yer enemy." The man then shook his head, yanking the stunned dark wizard up. "I'll leave ya to Dumbledore. Bet he'd love to get his hands on ya." He Disapparated with the dark wizard a moment later.

Six days later, Snape tossed the Prophet onto the table with a growl. Idiots. The whole lot of them. How could the Aurors not know who had killed three wizards? There had to be witnesses in Hogsmeade. It was a nosy village for goodness sake. The ladies were always watching him whenever he was there, gossiping behind his back like the old hags they were. He shook his head.

He went to take another bite of his breakfast when he felt his wards shake slightly to alert him of someone standing outside his rooms. He sighed, glancing at the clock. Harry would be in Charms currently, so it wouldn't be his son.

"Enter." He stood up a moment later, facing the door to greet his guest. His gut clenched instantly at the sight of Aurora. He was still reeling from his revelation of his growing feelings for her.

"Morning." She smiled warmly as she walked towards him. "Thought I'd come early today since we both have things to do." She sat at the table a moment later. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No. Quicker I get rid of you, the better," he replied flatly. She rolled her eyes, laughing.

"I see making a lady feel welcomed wasn't something you received an OWL in."

"Hardly. I actually put my mind to use unlike the rest of the idiots here." He sat across from her, thankful of the table between them. He watched her glance at the Prophet. "It's utter rubbish today. They state they have no leads."

"So I heard." She shook her head before she ran her fingers through her dark curls. Something he had noted was when she was unsettled by something. "According to Rosmerta, they were after Layla."

"Another pureblood," he stated.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." She pushed the paper away.

"I assume you're taking precautions?"

Snape would never admit it if asked, but he had made it a habit the past few days to check on her by means of the Bloody Baron. The Baron thankfully never asked questions. Coming to terms with his feelings was definitely going to be harder than he had thought it would be, especially with the danger they were facing. Why couldn't they have just a nice quiet year for once?

"Why, Severus, I didn't know you cared," she joked before giving a short laugh. "Yeah. Of course. I'm sticking mostly to my tower."

He nodded slowly. He knew this of course thanks to the Baron. He also knew that she frequently paced up in her tower now—something he had witnessed firsthand as he watched her from the shadows, unable to find the courage in himself to reveal that he was there. Hogsmeade was close. Too close.

"You are aware that you're safe here, yes?"

"I know, Severus." She laughed softly, the smile not quite reaching her lips. "There's no safer place than Hogwarts." She then shook her head. "Well, unless you're anywhere near the Defense professors that is."

"Indeed." Snape frowned as he stabbed a bit of bacon. "Unfortunately, though, Lockhart wasn't the source of the voice Harry heard. The idiot had been thinking of a voluptuous witch at the time." He grimaced as the image flickered in his mind before he pushed the thought far away.

"You didn't," she breathed, staring at him with her mouth slightly opened. "Oh, dear Circe, tell me you didn't. Severus, there's a thing called privacy!"

"I will not apologize, Sinistra. Any parent would do the same to ensure that his child is safe. Lockhart was none the wiser."

"Well, of course not. The man's an idiot."

Snape took another bite and smirked inwardly. He was very thankful that she was not like the rest of the witches in Hogwarts, falling for the charm of Gilderoy Lockhart. It did make him feel less tense regarding his feelings. He wouldn't have to fight off another man this time to win her affections.

"I bet he's not even that good in bed anyway."

Snape paused before he swallowed. She had to be joking. "You've considered this, Sinistra?"

"What? No. I just—well, you know how it is." She then sighed. "Actually you wouldn't. Never mind. It's just that everyone's wondering. The others like Septima and such." She shrugged. "I mean, I couldn't care less what he's like in bed because he's not the man I want. It's just it makes a person curious if he's just all crap, you know?"

Snape was already stuck on the 'man I want,' however. He was that man, wasn't he? Or maybe there was another? He hadn't seen her over the summer break. She could've met someone. It was possible. Unlikely because the man would be eliminated now once Snape found out who he was, but it was still possible.

"Are you all right, Severus?"

"Hmm?" His head then snapped up. "Oh, yes, I'm fine."

"Want to share those thoughts? You seemed miles away just now."

"Merely recalling if I have enough ingredients for my second year class," he lied smoothly.

"Oh, of course. How could I forget?" She laughed. "You can't take the Potions Master out of the man of course." She rolled her eyes before she reached forward to snag a piece of his bacon.

He frowned instantly and swatted her hand.

"What? It smells amazing, Severus. You can't blame a witch for trying."

"It's rude to steal food from other's plates, Sinistra. Perhaps your parents never—"

"Oh, please. Mother would have had a conniption fit if I tried it in her presence."

"And what? You believed I'd say nothing? Allow you to steal my bacon?"

"Honestly? No." She tried to reach for another piece, laughing when he swatted at her hand again. "But a gentleman would offer a lady a piece."

"Since when have I ever been a gentleman?" he grumbled. If she kept this up, he'd just give her the damn plate. Insufferable witches who don't understand boundaries.

"Well, I'm hoping you'll surprise me one of these days, Severus." Giving him a perfect pout, she slowly walked her fingers to his plate.

"No."

"Please, Severus? I'll be a good witch and not bet against Slytherin in Quidditch."

"You'd bet against your own house?"

"Yeah, course I would." She shrugged. "Harry's the better Seeker."

"I thought you hated Quidditch."

"I do. It's barbaric and unnecessary, but some of us have to keep up appearances, Severus."

He snorted. "And what's yours exactly? Hmm? Clumsy twit?"

"Better than dungeon-dwelling git," she said with a shrug before she leaned back.

"Why thank you, Miss Sinistra. I do appreciate that compliment immensely," he drawled. "If you weren't the traitorous Slytherin you are, then I might have awarded you points for that."

"Oh?" Her brown eyes sparkled in the torchlight. "How much?"

"Five."

"Five? That was well worth at least fifteen. You, sir, are a stingy bastard."

He snorted, shaking his head. "And you, Miss Sinistra, are easy."

"Easy? Well, you'll never know just how easy I am then, will you, Mister Snape?" She grinned before leaping forward, finally snagging a piece of bacon and giving him a wink as she took a bite.

Oh dear Felix Felicis, he was screwed. Positively screwed. He grabbed his cup of tea, taking a sip. There was a humming in his body now. A humming that he desperately wished would disappear.

"Are you sure you're well? You seem a little peakish today."

"I'm fine." He added in his head, just trying to figure out what to do now after realizing I'm falling for you.

"If you say so." She smiled before licking her finger.

Snape swallowed and quickly glanced away. Oh dear Merlin. He shifted slightly in his chair. He would not allow his emotions to control him. He was in control. Not them. He just had to play it cool. She'd not notice a difference. She couldn't notice a difference. At least not until he was ready.

He took another drink of his tea, deciding he'd add Firewhiskey to it the first chance he had. Merlin above, he was not some hormone-riddled adolescent. He then glanced back at the witch sitting across from him. She was once again reading the Prophet. He could be professional. Hell, he was a spy dammit. Control was vital. He could get through this meeting with her. He could . . . he hoped.

"I think you've managed to waste enough of my time this morning. So, let's get this over with," he snapped, somehow finding the strength to speak. Anger was always good to use.

~FKTF~

Harry watched the young witch from across from him. He tapped his fingers against the table before he glanced up at the clock. She hadn't moved. At all. It was infuriating. He shifted on the large bench. What was she waiting for?

"Mione?" She glanced up at Harry immediately. "Aren't you going to open it?" She stared at him. "Your present?"

What was up with her? She had been acting odd all day. It was her birthday. He knew it was. He had even made a note to make sure he remembered. Harry then frowned.

"Is everything all right, 'Mione?" Harry asked quietly.

"Did you send me a necklace?" she replied, frowning. "Earlier, I mean."

"No. This is the only gift I have for you. Why?"

"Oh." She sighed. She then glanced at Ron. "You didn't send me one, did you?"

Ron stared at her for a few moments before he swallowed. "Well, uh, well, you see, um, no." He then glanced down at the table instantly, his ears turning red.

"Is there something wrong with the necklace?" Harry was honestly confused. Didn't witches like jewelry? His Aunt Petunia was always showing hers off and telling people about it.

"Well, no, I—you're right. It could be cursed."

"Mione, you're not making sense. I don't understand."

"When I woke up this morning, there was a box on my nightstand. I opened it and found a necklace inside. You're certain neither of you gave it to me?" Both boys nodded. She sighed.

"Well, if you think it's cursed, we can always go see my dad and have him check it out," Harry offered with a shrugged. He watched the witch's eyes light up instantly.

"I'd like that. Just to be sure." She smiled faintly before she gathered up her books. She was halfway out of the Great Hall before she turned back. "Well, are you two coming or not?"

Harry and Ron quickly scrambled to their feet and followed her. The walk down to the dungeons was quiet, the boys having to run nearly to keep up with the determined witch. When they reached the portrait, Harry sighed.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Potter in the flesh," purred Salazar from his portrait that guarded Harry's dad's rooms.

"Could you tell Dad we're here, so he'll let us in?" The Slytherin Founder cocked an eyebrow in response. "Please, Salazar," Harry added, swallowing nervously. He knew his father would be awake. The man rarely slept in.

"As you wish, young Mr. Potter." Salazar then disappeared from his portrait before it slowly creaked open a moment later, allowing the three Gryffindors in.

Harry stepped in first, walking further into the room soon after with a warm smile. His eyes darted to the shadows and watched his father appear from the short hallway. The young boy turned his head to the side, then. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear his father just woke up.

"Is something wrong?" His dad's rich velvety voice surrounded them.

"Mione got a necklace, Dad." Harry then untimely paused.

"I see." His dad frowned before he glanced at the two Gryffindors behind Harry. "I take it there's more to this than just that?"

"Yes, sir," Hermione replied, taking a step forward. "I've read about curses you see, but I've never learned how to detect them. So, Harry suggested that we come and see you, so that you would inspect it to make sure that it's not dark."

Harry's dad's eyebrow rose slowly. "I see." He cleared his throat quietly before he exhaled and held a hand out. "Let me look at it."

Hermione reached into her robes before pulling out a large velvet black box. She carefully handed it over and took a step back from him. "There was no note," she explained. "And, well, considering what happened the other day on the Quidditch Pitch . . ." Her voice faltered.

Harry gulped when his dad's dark eyes darted to him instantly. He had forgotten to tell his father about that unfortunately. He glanced down and winced.

"And just what occurred on the Quidditch Pitch exactly?" His dad's voice was deathly soft.

"Couple of your slimy gits insulted Hermione," Ron loudly said. "Called her a Mudblood."

Harry watched his dad's jaw clench instantly. He had seen that look in his father's face before—whenever they talked about the Dursleys. It was one of the few emotions Harry could recognize on his father's face. He grabbed Ron and yanked him back suddenly.

"He didn't mean it against you, Dad. Promise. It's just that stupid Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry thing. That's all," Harry quickly cried out, truly scared for his best mate's life right then. His father stopped in mid-step with a clenched fist instantly.

"That word is not just some 'stupid Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry thing," his father spat out before he whirled on Ron. "Who? Give me their names. Now, Weasley!"

"Flint and Montague," Ron yelped out.

"Why didn't you inform me of this earlier, Harry?" his dad growled at him.

"I don't know. I . . . I didn't think it was that big a deal."

"You didn't think—Weasley, did you tell him what it meant?"

"No, sir," Ron replied quietly.

"Miss Granger, did you?"

"No, sir," she answered softly, keeping her eyes down on the floor.

"What? What is it, Dad?" Harry frowned, glancing at his silent friends. Now, he wondered what the word meant. Clearly it was an insult, but . . . why was it so bad? "Dad, what's a Mudblood?" Harry gulped and took a step back when his father's face morphed back into anger.

"Do not say that word. Ever!" his dad snarled, glaring at the young boy.

"Okay! Okay, I'm sorry!" Harry felt genuinely scared. His dad would never hurt him. He knew that. But the man was angrier than Uncle Vernon ever was right now.

"Leave. All of you. Now."

"But the necklace—" Harry said.

"Later. Get out. Now."

The three Gryffindors fled instantly, Harry running to his bed. What had he said wrong?

~FKTF~

An hour before curfew, Harry found himself in the Astronomy tower. He had managed to hide from everyone all day, especially Hermione and Ron. But he couldn't help himself any longer. He needed to know what he did wrong. So, since he wasn't going to risk his dad going off on him again, he found himself there, standing in front of a sturdy oak door to an office.

Surely she'd not turn him away. Right? He swallowed slowly, feeling his insides clench. What if she got mad at him too? Then he would have no one. He shook his head a moment later. He was being stupid. She wouldn't. He raised his hand to knock before his hand just opened the door instead.

"Mum?" he spoke with a slight tremor in his voice as he stepped inside the office. He heard a gasp instantly, which caused him to stop. "Oh. I-uh—I didn't—I'm sorry—I—oh." He turned to leave.

"It's all right, Mr. Potter," the older witch called out with a soft smile. "We were just finishing up here. Weren't we, Miss Weasley?"

"Yes, Professor Sinistra," replied the soft spoken, shy Weasley girl as she slowly got to her feet from the chair she had been sitting in. "I'll see you tomorrow." She then silently walked past Harry, her eyes never meeting his as she left. The door closed behind her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you had someone in here," Harry apologized.

"Just knock next time, all right?" She smiled at him before she stood herself, her long blue robes flowing gracefully behind her. "Want some tea or juice?"

"No thank you," Harry answered softly, hanging his head. He was screwing up left and right today. He sighed loudly.

"Uh-oh. That's not good." She laughed softly. "What happened?"

"Dad's mad at me."

"Oh?" She paused, narrowing her warm brown eyes on him. "How so?"

"Because I repeated a word that I guess is really bad to say."

"Which one? Divination?" she joked, smiling softly.

"No." He glanced down at the ground again, shifting his weight nervously.

Her smile vanished, seriousness taking over. "Go ahead. Say the word, Harry."

"I don't want you mad at me either."

"It takes a lot to get me angry. Now, come on. Out with it. What's the word?"

"Mudblood," he whispered, wincing. He slowly glanced up and noticed her look of recognition.

"Oh. That word." She sighed, shaking her head. "He's not mad at you, Harry. I promise."

"He seemed really angry."

"Yes, I bet he was. That particular word invokes very painful memories for him."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you that answer, Harry. Roundabout way of answering you, though, is that it had to do with your mother."

"What does it mean? Ron seemed to know it. And Mione, but she won't tell me either."

"Well, first, let me let you in on something." She smiles faintly before she sat down and leaned towards him. "We Purebloods are arrogant arseholes. We like to spout off crap like blood purity to make ourselves feel better. In other words-overcompensate." She laughed softly. "Most Purebloods have realized by now that the bloodlines cannot remain pure anymore. There needs to be blending with half-bloods and Muggleborns and yes, even Muggles as horrifying of a thought as that is to some. There are some out there, though, who have wands stuck up their arses so far that their brains don't work quite right anymore."

Harry laughed, nodding.

"Well, those idiots are the ones who give the rest of us Purebloods a bad name. You see, these particular idiots would be the first to tell you that the Weasleys, a Pureblood family mind you, aren't actually a true Pureblood family. Their reasoning? Because of Arthur's obsession with Muggles and their favorable views concerning Non-Magical folk. If these particular idiots had their way, there would only be three families left. My own family not included of course. Can you guess the families?"

Harry shrugged.

"Malfoy, Black, and Lestrange," she answered softly. "Three prominent and heavily Slytherin Pureblood families. I'll let you in on a secret, though." She smiled. "There are no true Pureblood families anymore. Malfoys lie to cover their past with Muggles. Blacks simply remove anyone seen talking to a Muggle, regardless of the reason. And Lestranges—well, they're mostly crazy and who really knows about them?" She laughed quietly. "We're all interrelated in some way of course, so none of us can truly state that we are fully pure in our lines. We all have someone in our family trees who was favorable to Muggles or involved with them. Just most families remove all traces of it, ashamed of their ancestry. So arsehole Purebloods say that stupid word in a moronic attempt to claim that Muggleborns have dirty blood, lesser than them, the oh-so-mighty Purebloods. It's all a crock really."

"Oh. So you're not really a Pureblood?"

"Not a true one in the sense of having family who didn't support Muggle Rights." She smiled again. "You see, Phineas Black is my great-grandfather. His parents, Phineas Nigellus and Ursula Flint, removed him from the Black family tree once my great-grandfather began to openly state that he was for Muggle Rights, in essence my great-grandfather claimed that they were no different from us. His parents basically removed all traces that he was ever a Black and disowned him as a result."

"That's stupid."

"I agree, but it's how some families try to maintain their false status of being a true Pureblood."

"If you're not a true Pureblood, then why do you say you're one?"

"Like I said before, Harry, we're arrogant arseholes. Myself included." She laughed, smiling as Harry laughed with her. "No, seriously, though, I claim to be a Pureblood because I have no direct Muggleborn, Half-blood or Muggle ancestors who are related to me either by blood or marriage. Removing someone because of their views does not constitute removing their blood status in my mind. It's something my great-great grandfather learned."

"Is he still alive? Your great-great grandfather?"

"No. He died long ago. However, he has a portrait—well, two actually here. You see, every former Headmaster has a portrait made during his or her tenure that is hung in the Headmaster's office. His second portrait is up here in my tower in my rooms. I like to keep family close by."

"He was a Headmaster?"

"Oh, yes." She laughed. "The least popular Headmaster in Hogwarts' history."

"Was he that bad?"

"He's a bit like your dad. A bit of an acquired taste."

"Why do you have a portrait of him if he's such a git? You said he removed your great-grandfather from the family tree. I mean, why would you keep him around?"

"Because he learned his lesson before his death, Harry. He came to be very proud of his son. My great-great grandmother didn't know of course, but he was quite proud of my great grandfather for standing up for his beliefs no matter what the rest of the family thought."

"So are you a Black, then?"

"No. The Sinistra surname skipped a generation with my great grandmother. It's quite the sordid tale." She then glanced up at the clock before she shook her head. "One that time won't allow me to tell, I'm afraid." She smiled at him. "Come on. Let's get you back to the dorms." They walked to the door to leave, only to stop when there was a knock. "Strange," she remarked quietly.

Harry glanced up at her instantly. She hadn't been expecting anyone else tonight? He stuck his hand into his robes, clenching his wand just in case as she opened the door.

"Professor Rayne," she stated with a faint smile. "I must admit this is unexpected."

The Muggle Studies professor merely raised an eyebrow before her deep green eyes darted to Harry. She stared at him coldly for a moment.

"Of course," Professor Rayne finally replied quietly. Her mouth barely moved as she spoke, Harry noticed. "Many apologies, Aurora. I was not aware that you were so . . . close to young Mr. Potter." She smiled just a bit. "I shall wait for your return then. It is such a beautiful night after all."

"That it is, Professor," she responded with a soft laugh. "Come on, Mr. Potter. Let's go."

Harry followed silently, swallowing slowly. There was something about the new professor. He couldn't put his finger on it. But she was positively creepy. He suppressed a shudder as he thought back on how little Professor Rayne's mouth moved. It was . . . unnatural. Just what was she hiding?

Snape frowned as he sat at his desk in the Potions classroom, staring at the velvet box in front of him. He had finished his analysis of the necklace earlier and found no traces of any dark magic at work. He glanced up towards the clock. It'd soon be time for his second-years to filter into his class. He'd return it to Granger then. Preferably before class started if the witch followed her routine like usual.

At the sound of the door creaking open, his dark eyes darted to it. He watched the Gryffindor witch walk in hesitantly. Her companions weren't with her, but his son and his idiot friend Weasley rarely were first to Potions. He'd have a good five minutes alone with her.

"Miss Granger," he spoke softly, addressing the young girl. He caught her look of panic instantly and suppressed the urge to groan. Honestly, he wasn't that damn scary. "You may have your necklace back. There are no dark spells on it. Nor poisons. Nor anything sinister whatsoever. It's merely an expensive necklace." He held it out, waiting for her to collect it.

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me. Thank Mr. Malfoy," he replied quietly as she grabbed the black velvet box. "He's the one who gave it to you."

"Draco?" she repeated bewildered. "But why would he get me anything?"

"I'd suggest you ask him that, Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir." She nodded slowly before she drew in a slow breath, her mind clearly working through a fury of questions. "You casted a charm on the necklace to reveal the person's identity, didn't you, sir? In an attempt to figure out the person's true intentions, I mean?" She swallowed when Snape merely stared at her for a few moments.

"No."

"I don't understand then. How did you know it was Draco?"

"An older student recognized it and wanted to know why I had Mr. Malfoy's box." He watched her chew on that answer for a few moments. No doubt, she had more questions. "I suggest, Miss Granger, that instead of annoying me to death with your questions, you merely ask Mr. Malfoy and cease in bothering me with answers that I do not have. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." She turned around then and walked to her seat quietly, the necklace quickly being tucked away into her bag. Silence settled around them for awhile. It was going to be a long five minutes.

"Miss Granger?" He watched her head snap up. "How has my son been?" He hadn't seen him since Saturday when he lost his temper. He hadn't been able to work up the courage to apologize quite yet. Instead, he sat in his rooms, drowning his sorrows in Firewhiskey like the wretched man he was.

"Confused and worried, sir," she answered respectfully. "But Professor Sinistra has been talking with him regularly since Saturday night."

"Aurora's been talking with him?" He frowned. The witch had conveniently left that out earlier.

"Yes, sir. It seems to be helping him."

"Does he state what they're talking about?"

"No, sir." She shook her head. "Any conversations with Professor Sinistra are usually private."

"You've spoken with her before then, Miss Granger?"

He was well aware that Aurora took certain first-years under her wing if she thought they were having difficulty adjusting to Hogwarts. It had helped him greatly over the years and allowed him to focus on other things rather than the incessant whining of brats. It was one of the many things he appreciated about her. Her kindness and loyalty were the other things.

"Yes, sir. Last year. Before the incident with the troll in the lavatory," she admitted quietly.

He recalled that particular incident with a sour look. He had thought for certain he was destined to die of a heart attack because of the boy's idiotic attempts of bravery. Then again, at the time, he didn't really know his son. At least not like how he knew his son now.

"Did she help you, Miss Granger?"

"It was more about knowing that she was there, sir. That she cared and that I wasn't alone."

He nodded. A series of memories flashed in his mind, causing him to draw in a slow breath. It was the same for him if he was honest with himself. Just her being there was enough to heal wounds.

At the sound of the door opening, Snape let his thoughts slip away again. He glanced towards the students walking in, his face perfectly neutral. He watched all of them filter in, nervously taking their seats. His eyes remained on his son a bit longer than the others, taking note of the boy's downcast eyes. He needed to talk to Harry to explain. He decided he'd wait until after class to speak with him. He couldn't delay it any longer, judging by his son's look.

"Settle," Snape announced softly as he slowly took his place at the top of the classroom. "The instructions for today's lesson are on the board. I would advise all of you that I expect you to use your heads while brewing this potion, but clearly for some of you that would be expecting a lot. You have exactly an hour. Do try not to kill your classmates."

Snape then whirled around and headed to his desk, allowing his students to move about the classroom to gather their materials. It had always been better for his mental health if he remained far away from his students during this time. The idiocy a few demonstrated on a daily basis frankly drove him up the wall. Not to mention the frequent "Ew. I have to touch this?" whines that came from several of them after they retrieved their ingredients.

As soon as the last student had returned to his table, Snape pushed himself up. He had given them more than enough time to settle into brewing now. He slowly walked down the aisle, glancing at their work as he moved past just to double check their work. For all his harshness, he truly didn't want any of his students to die by accidental potions explosions. For the most part, the students were focused on their task. All except one young boy—his son.

Snape frowned inwardly when he caught his son's meager chopping of his rat tail. The boy clearly didn't seem to be enjoying Potions in the slightest today. He sighed silently, glancing about the room to do a quick check before he stopped beside his son's cauldron. He flicked his hidden wand, casting Muffliato around them.

"I apologize for my behavior on Saturday. I should not have lost control like that."

"It's fine." Harry shrugged, his eyes downcast. "M—Professor Sinistra explained. I understand."

Snape opened his mouth to speak, but Longbottom gained his attention as the Gryffindor foolishly went to throw an ingredient into his cauldron. The conversation was effectively dropped then.

~FKTF~

Later that night, Harry tossed and turned in his bed. He knew his father had attempted all afternoon to try to speak with him. Harry, however, did his best to brush the man off, though. It wasn't that he didn't love his father. He did. It was why it hurt so much. To see his father lose his temper with him and scare him to death like that. His dad's temper was so eerily similar to Vernon's that for a moment there that Saturday he thought for a split second his father was about to hit him.

The young boy bit his lip and swiped at the traitorous tears a moment later. Harry just wasn't ready to talk to his father yet. He needed time. It was the first time he had truly felt like he wasn't safe with his dad, and he hated it.

It was stupid. Of course he was safe with his dad. His dad loved him, whereas Uncle Vernon wouldn't have given a flying leap if Harry had died. So, then really why couldn't he get past this stupid fear? Why couldn't he just put on his brave face and talk to his father? Why did he instead avoid the man like the plague and hide out here in the tower?

He sniffled, wiping his nose onto his pajama sleeve. His mind returned to what his mum had said earlier during their talk. His mind was just trying to make sense of everything again. The whole thing with his dad had brought back painful memories, and his mind was working through that pain. It would take time she had said. He believed her. His mum hadn't failed him yet.

Harry rolled over, pulling his covers up around him more. Would his mother have said the same thing if she were alive? He didn't know. His dad made his mother sound like she was an amazing, kind woman. But in Harry's mind, he thought that about his mum, not his birth mother. He had tried to bring his birth mother up with his mum in order to learn a bit more about her, get another perspective so to speak. His mum had only told him, however, that his dad would be better to answer that. Harry knew his dad's answer about his birth mother, though. Lily was perfect in every way imaginable. She made no mistakes. She was beautiful, kind, and loving, truly the perfect woman. The end.

The twelve-year-old scoffed, punching his pillow to fluff it up again. His dad needed to open his eyes and see his mum instead of only his birth mother. That was his opinion.

~FKTF~

Heading to his dungeons, Snape frowned as he hurried down the staircase outside of the Headmaster's office. While a part of him was glad that Dumbledore thought to inform him of Flint and Montague's punishment, another part of him wasn't. The punishment was too lenient in his opinion. Then again, he did have a bit of a bias concerning their crime.

Snape turned the corner to walk out of the alcove and promptly slammed into someone. He growled instantly, having been in a bad mood to begin with. He caught his colleague's slightly raised eyebrow in response to his growl and clenched his jaw.

"Professor Rayne," he merely acknowledged with a hint of a hiss. He then tried to sidestep her to leave, only to have her hand rest against his forearm for a moment.

"Professor Snape," said the witch quietly. "Perhaps you'll have a better day tomorrow, hmm?"

He growled before he yanked his arm back, easily brushing past her this time. He hated his colleagues. Truly hated each and every one of them. He stalked down to his dungeons then, wishing he'd come across an insolent brat that he could reduce to tears. His wish was not fulfilled, however.

As soon as the portrait shut behind him, Snape ripped his billowing robes off. Why had his son ignored him all damn day? He had apologized. Didn't the boy understand how sorry he was for losing his temper like that? No. Of course not. It was much easier to think he was a git.

Snape quickly proceeded to get ready for bed, hardly noticing the temper tantrum he was clearly throwing as he did. What the hell had his son meant that Aurora had explained? Explained what? He knew she'd not tell Harry about that day by the lake. Aurora wouldn't hurt him like that. She was much too kind but most especially too smart for that.

Now wearing only a pair of black sweatpants that were low on his waist, Snape rolled onto his side, slamming his wand down onto his nightstand. The torches around his bedroom extinguished at once. He growled once more, clenching his jaw. Damn it all to hell.

Closing his eyes tightly, he focused on his breathing as he followed his ritual of clearing his mind. He soon fell into a restless slumber.

"Sev," a familiar voice spoke, surrounding him as he found himself entering his dream.

Snape watched his Lily come into view and sighed, the anger evaporating. He then caught another movement to his left and watched Aurora walk towards them slowly. The usual annoyance that he had felt for months was long gone now. It was calming to see both of them. He wondered idly what he would dream this time. His dreams lately had taken a bit of a nice turn for the better thankfully.

"Look for yourself. Look in her mind, Sev."

His eyes narrowed in confusion. Just what did Lily want him to see in Aurora's mind?

"See for yourself how she fancies herself being the Mrs. Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Aurora doesn't like that idiot," Snape argued, frowning. He then tried to push the dream aside in favor of having a better one than this dream, finding that it remained. What the hell was this dream?

"Oh, really? Is that what she told you, Sev?" Lily scoffed. "They're all lies."

"No, Lily. It's not. Aurora doesn't care for him. I know it." He then tensed as a series of flashes of Aurora and Lockhart passed by on the black mist that surrounded them.

"She'd never be true to you, Sev. It's not in her."

Snape shook his head, though. It wasn't true. Everything about Aurora showed him that she would be faithful to him. That was if he just admitted his feelings to her.

"She told him. Think about it, Sev. How else would Harry understand your pain? Your anger?"

"No. She wouldn't."

"Oh, really?" Lily laughed shortly. Another series of images flashed quickly. "Want to bet?"

"She wouldn't tell him, Lily. She knows what it means. She wouldn't do that."

"You mean like how she wouldn't tell Madam Pomfrey about your drinking, hmm?"

Snape flinched instinctively. Aurora had told Pomfrey about that unfortunately. He shook his head, though. That was different. She had done so to help him.

"Just like this time, Sev. Saint Sinistra thought she was helping you by telling him about how you called me a Mudblood." She smiled, laughing when he tensed visibly. "Go on, Sev. Look for yourself. See the lies she's told you. I'm just trying to keep you from getting hurt. Do it, Sev. See for yourself her lies. She's a Slytherin after all. She'd use any means to get you and then toss you aside when she was done with you. Do it. Look for yourself. Prove me wrong, Sev."

Snape clenched his jaw tighter. Lily was wrong. Aurora wouldn't hurt him like that. He reached forward, his hand clasping onto Aurora's wrist before he pulled her closer. As Lily continued her chant, he saw the panic in Aurora's eyes as she desperately tried to avoid his eyes. She wouldn't—the WITCH!

"Legilimens," he growled, tearing into Aurora's mind with pure fury. Faintly, he heard her pain filled screams, but he ignored them. He would not be made the fool. Not by her!

His mind rifled through hers destructively before he came back to himself after viewing the last memory of Aurora's. She hadn't . . . He quickly pulled himself out of her mind, inhaling sharply when he caught the blood streaming from Aurora's nose as she stared at him blankly. No. When her body pitched forward suddenly, he leapt ahead and caught the unconscious witch, trembling as he did.

Snape's eyes quickly darted to Lily. At the sight of the gleeful smile on Lily's face, he felt his heart stop. What had he done?

"I'm the only woman you'll ever love, remember, Sev?" Lily stated coldly.

"You bitch," he snarled. The pure vitriol and hatred in his words startled him awake almost instantly, the words loudly reverberating around his bedroom. He clenched his jaw tightly, fisting the sheets beneath his hands. His breathing came in pants as anger flooded every part of him.

Snape sat up in bed for several minutes, growling lowly as he slowly calmed down. It was ridiculous. Positively ridiculous. And yet that stupid dream gave him the push—well, rather shove he needed. He couldn't just sit back anymore and try to convince himself that finally moving on was the right thing to do. Hell, his sitting back and waiting for Lily to make the first move had been one of the many reasons he lost Lily. He had never made his move. Well, that was going to change now. He would not lose Aurora. Not this time. He snatched his wand from beside him and threw his legs over the side of the bed before he stood up. For once in his life, he would get the girl.

"Baron!" Snape shouted. He watched the Slytherin ghost float into the room a moment later, his silver bloodstains glistening in the low light. "Where is Aurora?"

"In her rooms, Severus." The Baron's voice was low, full of remorse and sadness, as it always was. His chains rattled and clanged as he floated in the middle of the room.

Snape nodded slowly. "Thank you, Baron. That will be all."

"I wish you better fortune than I, Severus." The Baron then slowly turned and floated away.

Snape frowned but brushed off his thoughts. He couldn't delay any longer. With his wand in hand, he whirled around and stalked to his sitting room. He didn't care if he did look like hell frozen over; he needed to tell her that he cared for her. Now. Before he stupidly talked himself out of it again.

He grabbed a pinch of Floo powder and cast a quick Freezing charm on the flames in the fireplace. He stepped in a moment later and called out his destination as he tossed down the powder. He arrived to her dark sitting room not long after.

"Sinistra!" he called out. He glanced about the room, searching for any movement. On the staircase that led to her bedroom he assumed, he caught a shadow move from inside the room and shook his head slowly. She must have been getting ready for bed herself. "Aurora, I need to talk to you." The sound of glass shattering upstairs a second later sent him sprinting up the spiral staircase.

When he reached the final step, Snape saw a black robed figure choking Aurora while pinning her to her vanity table. Without a second of delay, Snape threw a Cutting curse at the person. He noted with hidden glee that he had hit her attacker in the arm, causing the figure to release her instantly. Snape then dodged as a volley of hexes was thrown towards him, sending back his own batch of nasty curses. With his teeth bared, Snape yelled when the figure suddenly drew a knife.

"Coward," he growled.

"You don't got a clue who you're messing with, old man," the figure snarled back.

Snape truthfully didn't give a rat's arse. All he wanted right then was to kill the person who had attacked Aurora. He stalked towards the person, dodging the slashes and thrusts of the knife before he expertly disarmed the figure—the knife clattering to the stone floor after a loud snap of a bone breaking. Snape's fist then connected with the figure's face. He dodged when the person retaliated with a swing towards him a moment later. Without a thought given, Snape punched the person hard in the jaw before he slammed his boot against the person's chest. He watched neutrally as the figure crashed through the glass window, falling through it.

With the threat eliminated, Snape turned around and quickly headed back to Aurora who lay motionless on the floor. He easily picked her up and carried her downstairs. He ignored the pounding of his own heart as the dark voices whispered their sinister thoughts in his mind. He'd get her to Pomfrey, and she'd be fine then.

Tossing down the Floo powder a moment later, they swiftly arrived in the Hospital Wing.

"Pomfrey!" he shouted, setting Aurora down atop of the nearest cot. He heard hurried footfalls come from the direction of the matron's office a second later.

"Oh dear Merlin—What on Earth—Severus, how?"

"Later," he snapped with his teeth clenched tightly together. He silently watched Pomfrey quickly wave her wand over Aurora to examine her before the matron headed off to work on healing her. He remained by Aurora's side as the unconscious witch had done so many times for him. When Pomfrey glanced at him—likely to inform him that he had to leave—he shot his fiercest glare at her. He was thankful that the matron had the foresight to keep her mouth shut then. Under no circumstances was he going to leave Aurora now.

At the sound of more footfalls, he clenched his fist, noting a slight ache in it but ignoring the pain for the most part. Snape's frown deepened when he caught who had arrived. Wonderful.

"You'll find the bastard at the base of the Astronomy Tower, Headmaster," Snape stated coldly.

"I see." There was a long pause. "Kingsley, go. Calisto, fetch Harry for me please."

Snape clenched his teeth even more somehow at Dumbledore's mentioning of his son. However, he remained silent, watching Pomfrey work on Aurora. At the sound of the doors opening later, he felt his son approaching them slowly. He could feel his son's worry and fear but the young boy was trying like mad to keep both emotions at bay.

"Dad?" Harry said softly. He swallowed when their eyes met. "Just what is going on with you and Mum exactly?"

With his dad sitting next to his mum, Harry stood and watched his dad glance away the moment he asked the question. Did that mean that his dad had finally gotten it through his skull that his mum was the one he should love? Harry bit his lip. His father still hadn't answered. He opened his mouth to ask his dad again, but promptly closed it when he noticed Professor Rayne watching him closely.

"Professor Rayne, if you could," Headmaster Dumbledore spoke, "please ask Professor McGonagall to get in touch with Aurora's parents."

"Is she hurt that bad?" Harry asked, glancing from his dad to Madam Pomfrey. His eyes then darted back to his mum. She had deep black bruises to her neck where someone had clearly choked her and numerous cuts and bruises speckling her face.

"No, Mr. Potter. She's stable," Madam Pomfrey answered a moment later.

"Then why—?"

"We do not know at this point if the attack was a result of the recent pureblood kidnappings or if it is an enemy of Aurora's, my boy," Dumbledore quietly replied, frowning as he stared at Harry's dad.

"Who would want to hurt her?"

"Aurora has her share of enemies unfortunately."

Harry shook his head, though. He couldn't think of anyone who would want to hurt her. She was kind and loyal and sweet and good. The young boy then glanced across at his father, narrowing his eyes on his dad's bloody knuckles and a jagged cut that ran across his bare chest. He hadn't noticed it before.

"Dad, you're hurt, too."

"I'm fine, Harry," his father replied shortly.

"But you're bleeding, Dad."

"He's right, Severus. Let me take a look, please," Madam Pomfrey softly said.

"I said I'm fine," Harry's dad growled, his eyes never leaving the bruised witch's face.

Harry watched the looks between Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey instantly. He frowned. Maybe he did take after his dad. At least partly he seemed to. Harry slowly walked to his dad and rested a hand on his father's shoulder.

"Dad, please let her look at you. Mum wouldn't want you being a stubborn git like this, you know?" Harry heard his dad's snort almost at once. He licked his lips nervously when his father glanced at him. He could see some emotion in the man's eyes, but he couldn't figure which one it was. "I bet Madam Pomfrey will even look at you here, while you stay with Mum."

"You're a wretched manipulator, Harry," his father quietly spoke before he inclined his head.

"Well, yeah. I am a Gryffindor." Harry smiled briefly. His dad only looked away.

It was several minutes later before the doors opened up. Harry glanced towards them, watching his Head of House walk beside a tall and unfamiliar man.

"Minerva, Kingsley, good, very good." Dumbledore inhaled slowly. "What did you learn?"

"Her mother stated that they're fine as is her sister. There's been no activity at Windsor."

Dumbledore nodded slowly before he glanced to the man next to McGonagall.

"He was just where Severus stated he'd be. Dead." Harry's dad's lip curled upwards slightly at the mentioning of the man's demise. "I could be wrong of course but I believe that he's Fletcher Pine."

"Ah. That is most troubling." Dumbledore stroked his beard slowly.

"Why? What's that mean?" Harry asked, interjecting himself into the conversation.

"Did you check his arm?" Harry's dad inquired with a frown.

"I did," Kingsley replied, nodding. "He had the Dark Mark. A fresh one by the look of the redness surrounding it still. No more than a few weeks old."

"Interesting." Dumbledore stroked his beard more.

"First the attack on Azkaban yesterday, and now one on Hogwarts today. They're clearly making some sort of statement." Kingsley shook his head.

"Yes, I agree, but what message are they trying to convey is the question."

"Fear clearly. We know they were behind the attacks in London and Hogsmeade, Albus."

"No, they were merely diversions," Harry's dad stated flatly. "To provide cover for the kidnappings and make us believe that it was just Death Eaters. Was anyone taken from Azkaban?"

"Unfortunately." Kingsley frowned. "Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Oh, lovely. They can keep her," Madam Pomfrey quipped.

"It doesn't make sense." McGonagall pinched her lips together. "As much as it pains me to say this, why go after Aurora when you have a castle full of young female purebloods at your disposal?"

Harry noticed his dad's intense look of contemplation. He wanted to ask his dad what he was thinking, but clearly the man was deep in thought. A moment later, his father's eyes widened slightly.

"Because they're searching for a specific person."

"Precisely," Dumbledore agreed.

"What do all the witches have in common? Other than being pureblood," McGonagall asked.

"They're all from prominent families," Kingsley answered.

"We're missing something."

"We're missing several things unfortunately, my boy."

"What's the age range so far?" Harry's dad inquired.

"Thirty to forty-one," Kingsley replied.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, Molly Weasley, Victorie Flint, Darla Bulstrode," Dumbledore recited.

"Layla McNair," Kingsley added quietly. "They came back for her two days ago."

"And Aurora today," Harry's dad stated, frowning.

"We need to figure out what it is we're missing."

"Agreed."

Dumbledore frowned. "Poppy, are you able to check medical records to see how many purebloods are left in that age range?"

"Only if they went to Hogwarts, yes," she answered.

"If we know who's left, we can provide them protection," Kingsley stated, nodding. He then glanced towards the cot. "When Aurora regains consciousness, I need to speak with her."

"Of course," Madam Pomfrey replied. "But for now, though, all of you need to leave." She glanced towards Harry's dad and Harry before she sighed in annoyance. "I won't even bother."

~FKTF~

Several hours later, in the dead of night and shrouded in shadows, two figures stood in a darkened room. The flames in the dying fireplace licked at the logs and crackled softly as heavy rain pelted against the windows.

"Report," a male spoke.

"Everything's going just as you planned, sir," a woman replied with a smile in her voice.

"Excellent. Your thoughts so far?"

"The staff is loyal to their leader. They will follow his every word without hesitation."

The man merely nodded before he spoke. "Do they trust every word given to them?"

"Without a doubt, sir. It's, in fact, why they trust Severus Snape, a former Death Eater. Well, perhaps not all of them."

"Oh?"

"Minerva McGonagall. She believes that it may be an error in judgment, but she is so far following along. She worries, however."

"About?"

"The Astronomy Mistress. Aurora Sinistra."

"I see."

"She worries the girl will get hurt one day. However, like all mother hens, she only wants what is best for Miss Sinistra. They share a strong bond with one another. Likely a result of the skeletons in Miss Sinistra's dark past."

"Anything else of note?"

"The Potions Master. Severus Snape."

"What about him?"

"His results I found to be quite interesting."

"Explain."

"While he is loyal currently, his loyalty would sway given the right stimuli. If he thought it was best for his child, he would do as any parent would—and choose the best option for his family."

"I see."

"His fears are another thing of note. His own wellbeing is of no concern to him. Only his family. He believes that he is beyond saving because of his past sins. However, lately, his thoughts have turned less dark, less depressing."

"Why?"

"He let go of his heartbreak, moved on. His heart no longer yearns for the witch of his youth."

"As a result of your doing?"

"Perhaps." The woman shrugged.

"I see," the man replied with clear disapproval.

"You asked me to test their reactions to certain stimuli to learn about them and report my findings to you, sir. I've done this."

"I did not ask you to test with that particular stimuli, however."

"Would you rather I have tested to see how he'd react to the lies concerning his father then, sir?"

The man growled instantly.

"He is not aware of my tests. I assure you if that is what you're concerned with. He may be a skilled Occlumens, but I believe that is why you asked for my services. Now, if you do not like my methods, then perhaps you should have asked another person. I've done as you've asked and given you my results—and then some."

"What does he know about his father?"

"Nothing. He still believes that the man he grew up with at Spinner's End was his father." The man nodded. "I'm curious, sir. How do you believe he'll take it when he learns the truth about Tobias?"

"I only hope that never occurs, Calisto."

"Unfortunately, sir, the truth has a funny way of coming out." She smiled faintly when he glanced at her. "If you'll forgive me, I have a pile of fifth-year essays about rubber ducks I must mark before sunrise. Good night." She left a moment later.

~FKTF~

Tobias frowned as he glanced through the gates up to the spectacular castle, shining in the sullen night. He pulled his long weathered tan coat further around him, trying to stay dry from the pouring rain. A useless action if ever there was one. He was already soaked through. His eyes stared up at the tallest tower, however, before he glanced down at the newspaper in his hand.

"Azkaban Attacked" was the headline in big bold letters. He shook his head before he glanced back up to the tower. He needed to get closer. Turning around, he headed along the property before he stopped in front of the outer edge of the lake. He dove in, swimming to the very bottom before continuing onwards. He reemerged a few moments later with a gasping breath as he clung to a large rock in the water. He glanced at the castle and frowned when he saw the men standing around a body at the base of the tower. His eyes looked up at the top of the tower. Another flash of lightening streaked across the sky, allowing him to notice the broken window near the top of the tower.

"Fuck," he growled, slapping his hand against the water. He had thought for certain that the witch would be safe with his son there. Then again, he hadn't really met his son, so what the hell did he know truly. He shook his head, hitting the water hard again. "Fuck," he repeated.

A movement above him caused Tobias to jerk his head upwards. He frowned when he saw a red-and-gold phoenix slowly circling above before it gradually glided down to him. His eyes narrowed when he caught the rolled up parchment in the bird's talons. He swiftly removed the message and unrolled it.

"Packages are safe" were the only three words written on the parchment. Tobias closed his eyes before scratching his simple reply, "For now." He rolled it up and handed it back to the phoenix, sending the bird off a moment later. He watched it fly to a neighboring tower.

They would not stop until they had every pureblood witch in the group. He knew it, and Albus knew it. Tobias sighed, shaking his head. His blue eyes glanced up to the broken window again. He had half a mind to walk in that castle and demand to see his son. But he couldn't. Not yet. Not until he made things right. Until he had his proof that he was Tobias Avery Snape, husband to Eileen Prince-Snape and father to Severus Tobias Snape. Only then could he see his son. He turned away and left the grounds.

~FKTF~

The sun was just rising when Snape heard the soft moan from Aurora as she slowly woke. His dark eyes soaked in every movement, every breath she had taken. Merlin, she was beautiful. He held himself back somehow from leaning forward and brushing back her stray dark curls. An urge he had strongly wanted to do for several hours now.

"Hey," she softly whispered, blinking at him owlishly.

"Hello," he replied equally soft. He swallowed the lump as she glanced around the main area of the hospital wing. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he watched her. His control was quickly spiraling out of control. The words burst from him—the truth escaping. "I care for you." Her head snapped back as her warm eyes darted to his.

"Wow. I must have hit my head harder than I thought." She laughed before she shook her head, her hand rubbing the back of her head gently.

"I'm not a hallucination, Aurora," Snape stated quietly.

"Yeah, sure, and I'm amazing at Potions," she drawled, laughing.

He grabbed her hand, threading their fingers together. He felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him at the innocent touch and noticed with a hidden smile that she did as well.

"I care for you, Aurora," he repeated calmly, holding her eyes with his. He patiently waited as a flurry of emotions passed over her eyes. It was slightly comical if he could say so himself.

"Severus?" she breathed, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yes." He nodded slowly. He watched the smile spread across her face like wildfire, warming up the room a moment later. Or at the very least his heart. He snorted inwardly. When had he become some pathetic romantic sap?

Someone cleared his throat then, effectively ruining their moment.

"I apologize for interrupting. However, I need to speak with you, Aurora. About your attack."

Snape frowned. A very large part of him wanted to hex the foolish Auror for his stupid timing. Didn't Kingsley see that they were having a private conversation? Idiot.

"All right," Aurora replied with a shrug.

"I'll make this quick," Kingsley stated.

"You better," Snape grumbled under his breath. He caught Aurora's short laugh instantly.

"Walk me through the attack. Where were you?" Kingsley asked.

"I was going to bed early. I felt like someone was watching me so I turned around. That's when I was stabbed in the shoulder with something. I fought back. Was grabbed a hold of at some point and thrown towards my vanity table. Then hands were around neck, and Severus showed up somehow then."

Snape's hand clenched instinctively. She had been stabbed? He hadn't noticed any major bleeding consistent with that, though. Only cuts and bruises.

"Was it this?" Kingsley questioned, holding up a syringe with a trace amount of liquid inside it.

"Yes. Exactly like that."

Snape frowned, glancing down at the floor. The syringe and liquid looked familiar somehow. But where had he seen that before? He searched through his memories, trying to recall the object. His fist clenched once more when he recognized it from his childhood.

"Son of a bitch." Snape noticed both Kingsley and Aurora glance at him instantly. He pulled his wand out and handed it to her. "Cast Lumos." He caught her confusion, but she grabbed his wand.

"Lumos," she stated, flicking the long ebony wand. Nothing happened, though. She tried it several more times before looking at him. Even though it wasn't her wand, it should have still listened.

"Dammit," Snape growled. "It's a magic suppressant. The liquid that was injected into her."

"You know this potion?" Kingsley inquired.

"Something like that," Snape replied with a scoff. "My bastard father used it on my mother all the time." He shook his head. "It was to keep her in line, but it would wear off and she'd fight back."

Kingsley frowned. "Your mother's been missing for years, hasn't she?"

"Yes." Snape's line of thinking ran parallel to Kingsley's then.

"Then perhaps we were mistaken. Perhaps this whole Pureblood kidnapping business has gone on longer than we thought." Kingsley shook his head. "Maybe your mother was the first, Severus."

Three weeks had passed by with two more Pureblood women kidnapped, Alice Longbottom and Andromeda Tonks. The Aurors had lost people in both kidnappings according to the Prophet. However, the bloodiest kidnapping was Alice Longbottom's by far. The attackers had Apparated directly into St. Mungo's and had fired curse after curse at the healers and innocent victims as they made their way up to the late Auror's hospital room. The three Aurors tasked with protecting her hadn't stood a chance against the ten attackers.

The kidnappings had put everyone on edge, Snape most especially. He hadn't left Aurora's side at the hospital wing and stated that she would stay with him when Pomfrey attempted to bring up that discussion. Snape was grateful that Aurora accepted with little resistance. He couldn't handle her being far from him right now. It was a stupid irrational fear that he unfortunately had difficulty controlling.

So far, their living together was not that different from living apart. She stayed in the guest room mostly, keeping out of sight. He'd of course check on her occasionally, but he let her have her space. After all, it wasn't like they were jumping in each other's bed, holding hands, or doing any of the normal dating rituals yet. He had admitted his feelings. That was good enough for now.

Groaning loudly, Snape stalked into his rooms, leaving a trail of red slime behind him. He caught the gasp instantly from the island and frowned when his eyes met his son's. Of course it'd be Harry. It was too early for Aurora to be awake. He groaned again, grimacing as the smell started to overpower him once more. He needed a shower. Badly.

"Don't even ask, Harry. Just stay there," Snape instructed as he continued through the room. He shook his head. He was covered from head to toe with the red slime that was previously a potion—if one could even call it that. Every part of his robes was covered. He truly hated teaching first-years.

Once he arrived in his bedroom, he caught his reflection in the mirror and winced. He carefully started to remove his billowy teaching robes, allowing them to drop to the floor. His fingers moved gracefully down the buttons of his heavy frockcoat, shedding that a moment later before adding his white button down shirt to the pile. Undoing his trousers, he slowly headed towards the calling shower with his head still down as he kicked the garment off. He moved to do the same to his boxers only to stop when he heard a soft noise.

"Oh, by all means, please don't stop on my account," Aurora said with a laugh as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom wearing a white fluffy bath towel.

Snape stared at her for several minutes, his thumbs still inside the waistband of his boxers. He knew he had to look ridiculous, but what the hell? Why hadn't he noticed Aurora was there?

"What happened to you anyway? You look like a Troll vomited strawberries on you."

"Potions accident," he answered flatly. Why did his brain refuse to work right now? Maybe because she was only in a towel he thought darkly.

"Is the stuff toxic at all?" The familiar concern for him had seeped into her voice.

"No." He watched her nod slowly before she turned around and retrieved her clothes.

"I'll just get dressed in my room then." She flashed a warm smile as she walked past him, disappearing behind the door a moment later.

Snape swallowed slowly. Soon after she left, he headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. His forehead rested against the cool door for a moment. Three weeks they had been cohabitating, and that hadn't occurred before. It was just his luck that it'd happen today. Things could not get any worse.

When he was positive that he'd not be interrupted, he stripped down fully and stepped into the shower. He waved his hand towards the taps, turning the water on. He closed his eyes as the warmth enveloped him. He quickly set to washing his hair and body. He frowned when he reached for his shampoo, finding Aurora's in its place instead. He looked around and didn't see his shampoo anywhere.

"Blasted woman," he grumbled. She had moved it on him. His eyes then darted to her bottle. His frown deepened as he stared at it. If he didn't wash his hair, he'd deal with wretched greasiness the rest of the day. And he truthfully didn't feel like searching all the while for his own, so it only left hers. He grabbed her bottle, sniffing it and smelling the rich berries surround him. He returned it and sighed. No way in hell was he going to deal with insolent brats today asking why he smelled like her.

He tensed when he caught the bathroom door opening. His eyes darted to the privacy screen, watching the shadow enter the room. He shook his head when he noticed the curves.

"Perhaps it's escaped your notice, Aurora, but I am—"

"I know. I know. I just remembered that I forgot to put your stuff back. You stripping sort of made me forget that."

He quickly glanced up at the ceiling, reciting the instructions on how to brew Wolfsbane in his head. She was going to get hexed one of these days.

"It's fine, Aurora."

"Really?" She laughed. "I didn't think we were at that stage yet, Severus."

His brows furrowed. "I'm not following."

"The sharing showers stage. It's what everyone will think if we start smelling like one another. Plus, you need your shampoo anyway."

"I beg your pardon?" He glared at her through the screen. If she was making a hair joke—

"Circe, you get rather defensive quickly. I was merely trying to tell you that you need it in order to continue to smell as wonderfully as you do. Nothing bad." She laughed softly, likely shaking her head. "Here. Your body wash and shampoo." She held the items close to the edge of the screen. She said nothing when he silently grabbed them from her. "I've taken the liberty to leave out some clothes for you. New ones I mean. They're on the table by the sink. The elves already cleaned up the mess, too."

"I didn't realize we were at that stage, Aurora," he stated, returning her earlier remark with a hidden smile playing at his lips.

"Who knows? I might get a ring from you by the end of the day. Wouldn't that be a kicker?" she joked before she left the room.

Snape only snorted, though. If it had been any other witch, he might have shouted at her to leave, feeling horribly vulnerable as he was stuck behind a privacy screen. But there was something about that witch. He couldn't deny it. He quickly finished his shower then, using his shampoo and body wash she brought him before stepping out and drying off.

He threw on a pair of clean boxers, sweatpants, and a loose black shirt. He walked barefoot out of the bathroom, fingering his raven locks as he headed through his bedroom. With just Harry and Aurora around, there was no need to get dressed up. It wasn't like Snape had any more classes for the day. His classroom was covered in the damn slime. Honestly, what the hell had the Weasley girl been thinking, throwing a chopped up liver into her cauldron instead of the required ground up horn?

"Hey, Dad," Harry said softly, glancing up from the same spot he had been sitting at before. He seemed to be working on an essay of some kind, but it wasn't clear which subject.

"You can 'hey, Dad' him later, Harry. That essay is due in an hour," Aurora said, rolling her eyes as she sat on the sofa wearing a simple black skirt and white blouse. A book was in her hand.

"Yes, Mum." Harry rolled his eyes before he sighed and returned to writing his essay.

Snape shook his head, grabbing for the kettle to pour himself a cup of tea. It was strange, yet oddly relaxing to hear Harry and Aurora. They sounded as if she had always lived there with them. He slowly headed to his chair across from her and sat down. His eyes narrowed when he caught Aurora staring at him a moment later.

"What?"

"Nothing," she replied with a shrug, glancing down at her book again. Just that you're smiling more, she thought.

"I am not," Snape bristled.

"Hmm? You're not what?" She glanced at him in confusion.

"I'm not smiling more."

She rolled her eyes. "One of these days, that gift of yours is going to bite you in the arse." She then glanced at him and held his eyes for a moment, so he'd see exactly what she was thinking.

Snape instantly shifted in his seat at what he saw in her mind then. She had done that on purpose. The minx. While they hadn't moved past the declaration stage yet in their budding relationship, that didn't mean that they weren't flirting like hell with one another.

"I believe that'd be grounds for sexual harassment, Sinistra."

"No, but I believe this would be." Another lascivious thought was sent his way, causing him to swallow harshly this time. She only laughed and returned her attention to her book.

"Ew. Should I leave so you two are alone?" Harry asked, glancing from the island.

"Oh, just work on your Charms essay," Aurora replied, shaking her head with a smile. She tossed her book aside before she stood and headed to the fireplace.

Snape watched her, frowning when with the poker she poked the fire a couple of times. He hadn't thought it was too cold in the rooms this morning. He supposed, though, for her it'd be freezing. She wasn't one for the cold he had noticed. When the flames suddenly roared with life, he leaned forward and yanked Aurora back just as a bloodied body was deposited onto the floor.

"What the hell?"

Snape threw his hand towards his fireplace, closing the Floo instantly. His wards crackled as they were reenacted. His eyes narrowed at the hint of blond.

"Is that Lucius?"

"So it would seem," Snape stated, watching the bloodied person roll over with a low groan.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey," Harry chimed, hopping off his stool.

"No. Don't," Snape instructed. "Stay there, Harry."

"Severus, he's hurt."

"So I see, Aurora." Snape frowned. "He'd only have come here if—" He stood up, bending down next to the man. "Lucius, can you hear me?" The man groaned before coughing harshly. "What happened?" The man groaned again, taking raspy breaths. "Show me then." Snape quickly found himself in the older Slytherin's mind.

Flashes of grizzly images flickered in Snape's mind. House elves murdered and strewn about the manor. He heard Lucius calling for Narcissa several times then, Lucius's voice echoing as a result of the Legilimency shared connection. Three bright jets of lights then whizzed past—curses. Lucius chased three men, one of them carrying Narcissa before all three disappeared.

"They . . . they took her, Severus," Lucius rasped. "They took . . . my wife."

~FKTF~

Several hours later, Snape frowned as he stood rigid in Pomfrey's office. He glanced at the matron, noticing her grim look as she sat at her desk looking at her notes.

"Poppy, who's left?" Aurora asked, repeating her question once more.

"According to my records," Pomfrey sighed "the only pureblood witch in that age range is you, Aurora. There may be others from other countries who didn't attend Hogwarts, but you're the only one left who attended Hogwarts."

"Are you including Severus's mother? In your calculations, I mean?"

"No. Frankly, we just don't know what happened to Eileen."

"So then we're leaving older pureblood women alone? They could be taking them too, and we'd not know it because some idiots like you think it's only thirty- to forty-year-old women being taken."

Snape grimaced inwardly, but remained quiet. He could understand Aurora's harshness. She was struggling with her emotions. She had always taken things too close to her heart. He caught a stray dark thought of hers then and stepped forward, grabbing her wrist before pulling her into his arms. He watched Pomfrey's eyes widen slightly prior to the matron nodding her thanks slowly.

"There could be others. It can't just be me left. I'm not . . . She's wrong. They all are."

"Aurora," Snape spoke softly, holding her. Her chaotic emotions were frankly dizzying to feel. He frequently had to pull himself back when he unintentionally found himself in her mind again. It was unsafe to use Legilimency in these situations. But he couldn't help himself. "You're safe, Aurora."

"What the hell are they even doing with all of us? What do they want? It doesn't make sense." She trembled slightly against him. "Why don't we have any answers? Why is it just more stupid damn questions? They've been doing this for months now. And we have nothing."

Snape watched Pomfrey quietly leave, closing the door behind her. He frowned. He really wasn't good with this sort of thing.

"Why aren't they including your mother? Even Kingsley stated she could have been the first, so then this has been going on for years and no one noticed."

"We don't know if she was taken, Aurora."

"You said it yourself that the same damn thing they injected into me was something you witnessed happen to your mother."

"It could merely be a coincidence."

"There are no such things as coincidences!" she yelled back, tensing in his arms.

"Calm yourself. You're safe." He was at a loss of what to do for her.

"Calm myself?!" she snapped. "How would you like it if people hunted you down like an animal and no one had any goddamn idea why, Severus? Damn it all to hell!" She pulled back from him, pacing in the room. "Are they going to come blazing in here and murder innocent children just to get me? Is that what's next?" Her whole body radiated the anger and torment of her soul. "Answer me, Severus!" She scoffed when he remained silent. "You know what? Hell, if that's the case, maybe I should just leave and let them take me. That way no one dies because of me!" She kicked Pomfrey's desk then before collapsing into a chair, leaning forward as she covered her face with her hands.

"If you'd like, I could perhaps scrounge up a few Nifflers for you to hex as well." He watched her head snap up instantly as she stared at him for a few moments. She opened her mouth to say something before a faint smile spread across her face, the anger and fear disappearing from her.

"You smart arse."

He shrugged. "Some say smart arse. I say Slytherin genius."

"You've been taking too much Swelling Solution again there, Severus, because your head is getting a little too big for you," she replied with a soft laugh.

"You're just jealous of my supreme intellect." He felt himself relax more as she laughed loudly. "It'll be all right, Aurora. I won't let them take you."

"Severus—"

"Trust me as you've done so far. I won't let them take you. I promise." He sighed silently before he knelt down in front of her, grabbing her hands and holding them in his own. He gave her a gentle reassuring squeeze. "You're safe, Aurora. I'll protect you and make sure they never take you. Promise."

~FKTF~

The following week, Harry found himself outside for another Quidditch practice in the pouring rain. Oliver Wood, Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, had been making the team practice regularly in efforts to achieve the goal of winning the cup. They had been close to winning it the prior year. Had Harry not been attacked and forced to sit out the rest of the season that was.

Harry mounted his Nimbus and took off to the skies. He did his warm-ups, flying figure eights around the stadium many times at varying speeds before he tried a couple of difficult flying maneuvers. He did downward spirals that were sure to give his father a heart attack if the man was watching. He did end over ends. Only a few of those, though, because he nearly met his breakfast again on the last one.

"Ready, Potter?" Wood yelled up from the ground to him.

Harry glanced down before he dove down beside his captain. He nodded once, watching the glittering ball in Wood's hand sprout wings before the Snitch took off. Harry shot off after it within seconds. He dodged the Quaffle that Fred and George hit back and forth in order to simulate the real match being played. He dove down underneath Angelina as she streaked past him. All the while, Harry kept complete focus on the Snitch. He jetted right then left then up and then down before he snatched the Snitch with a large grin. He glided down to Wood, holding the Snitch in his hand.

"Two minutes," Oliver stated with a frown.

"Yeah. A good five minutes faster than Draco," Harry replied, still grinning widely.

"Not good enough, Potter. I need it done in a minute flat." Oliver shook his head. "Otherwise, we're dead in the water for the cup this year." He then gave Harry a hard look. "We're going to do this again until you can do it in a minute. Understood? I'm not going to lose to them again. Do it again," Oliver ordered, shooing Harry back up into the air.

For the next four hours, Harry attempted to do as Oliver ordered. He flew as fast as he could, as skilled as he was. But the closest he got to Oliver's minute was a minute and five seconds. They kept at it until Oliver finally threw his clipboard down and stormed away. Harry touched back down onto the ground then, panting and sore as if he had been weeding the Dursleys' lawn again nonstop. They'd win.

Harry slowly walked up to the castle then. Every muscle in his body hurt. He frowned, thinking about asking his dad for a potion. But if he did that, then he'd have to answer to why he was sore. And he knew his dad wouldn't go for "Oliver's overworking us to beat your team." So, Harry pressed his lips tightly together, deciding he'd not tell his dad.

His father had enough to worry about anyway, what with Harry's mum and Malfoy's dad. The young boy was still trying to figure out how his mum hadn't hexed Malfoy's dad the other day when the arrogant blond made an off-color remark about her. He knew she had heard it. Harry had seen her fist clench before she left the room.

"Potter!"

Harry frowned when he heard the familiar voice. He slowed but didn't stop completely. Visiting his dad's rooms every now and then, Harry was beginning to understand where the other young boy got his arrogance from now.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"To talk to you," Draco replied quietly, quickly walking beside him.

"So talk," Harry said flatly, continuing towards Gryffindor Tower. If Draco started asking him to deliver a message to his father or tell him what the adults had been talking about in Harry's dad's rooms, he was going to hex the Slytherin. He wasn't a bloody owl or eavesdropper.

"Did she say anything to you yet?"

That question stopped Harry instantly. He turned towards Draco, frowning.

"Did who say anything?"

Draco's gray eyes darted about the empty corridor as if to see if anyone was around before he leaned in towards Harry. "Granger. Did she say anything to you yet, Potter?"

"About what?" Harry's eyes narrowed. What in the world was going on?

"About the note this morning."

Harry stared at the Slytherin for a few minutes before he thought back to breakfast. He remembered Hermione receiving two messages. One was from her parents and the other was . . .

"YOU!?" Harry yelled, his mouth dropping. He caught Draco's flinch instantly. "You're the one who's sending her the poems? The flowers? The necklace on her birthday even?"

"What if I am, Potter?" Draco growled. "You going to tell? As if anyone would believe you." Draco clearly was agitated now. He scoffed, feigning his arrogance.

"Why?" Harry asked—the shock vanishing and being replaced with idle curiosity.

"Just answer my question, Potter. Did she say anything about it?"

Harry frowned before he shrugged. "No. She just got a little smile on her face and tucked it away." He noticed the slight tug at Draco's lips. "What?"

"So, she liked it then?" Draco gave a self-satisfied laugh. "Good. That's all, Potter. You tell anyone about this. I'll make sure you live to regret it, understood?"

Harry glared at him instantly. "Are you kidding me, Malfoy?" He shook his head before he walked away from the Slytherin. Honestly. Malfoy sending Hermione a necklace? What was the world coming to? Next thing he'd know—

"POTTER!" a shout suddenly filled the corridor.

The twelve-year-old stopped instantly, gulping. What had he done wrong now? He turned, watching Filch—who looked one stop short from sicking up—limp towards him with a murderous look.

"I've had enough of it. All you students, always the same. Filth and muck and mess. And who has to clean it up? Me! Well, I'll make an example of you, I will. March." Filch pointed towards his office, which Harry sighed and headed towards.

Standing in front of Filch's office, Harry waited with his head down. If he received another detention this week, his dad was going to ground him for life. He watched Filch search for a form, his eyes darting onto the man's desk and stopping when he found a purple envelope with silver lettering.

"Excuse me, sir." Harry swallowed when Filch glanced at him. "What's Kwikspell?"

Filch turned bright red with a slight tic before he pointed towards the door. "Out. Get out now!" Filch rasped with a horrified look on his face.

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He ran like hell out of there.

~FKTF~

Biting his lip nervously, Harry watched his dad break the seal on the envelope a few days before Halloween. He glanced towards his mum who gave him a soft smile and then back at his dad. His whole body hummed with nervous energy as he waited impatiently. He felt like asking 'What does is say?' repeatedly like a little kid until his dad answered, but Harry kept quiet. His dad pulled out the folded-up letter before he handed it to the young boy.

"On behalf of the European Potions Council," Harry read, his voice rising with glee, "we hereby formally congratulate you, Severus Tobias Snape, on being one of the four nominated for the Potions Master of the Year award. We will award this prize on October 31, 1992 at the Rose Garden in London, England at 7:00 sharp. You are invited to bring one guest of your choosing. Dress appropriately." Harry jumped up and cheered instantly, clutching the engraved invitation in his hand. "You got it, Dad! You got it! You're nominated."

"Yes, Harry, I believe I heard that," his dad replied flatly.

"I do believe your son is quite excited, Severus," Lucius drawled from the sofa with a raised eyebrow as he watched Harry continue jumping for joy.

"So it would seem."

Harry realized quickly he was the only one happy and stopped instantly. He frowned, glancing from his mum to Lucius to his dad.

"What's wrong? Why am I the only one happy about this, Dad?"

His dad shook his head. "I am happy, son. We just have bigger things on our minds right now."

"Oh, please." Harry's mum said with a laugh. "I'm fine, Severus. I've got two former Death Eaters protecting me. Enjoy it. It's a big deal being nominated for something like this." She smiled as she stood up from the sofa. "In fact, I'll get the bottle of celebratory wine."

"I can have some, too, right? I mean, please?" Harry asked quietly, bouncing as he waited.

"Fine," Harry's dad sighed before he chuckled when Harry cheered. "But just a sip."

Harry was going to London with his dad. He couldn't wait.

Halloween morning, Harry woke up with a wide grin plastered on his face. He threw off the covers and quickly dressed before he headed down to the common room. He skidded to a halt when he noticed Hermione sitting on the sofa, crying. He glanced at the back of the Fat Lady's portrait and then at his friend. He sighed. His dad could wait a bit he supposed.

"Is everything all right, 'Mione?" he asked quietly as he walked towards the sniffling witch.

"Yes, fine," she replied with a quivering voice.

"What's wrong? Tell me. Please?" He watched her rub her eyes, shaking her head. "Come on. Please tell me. Maybe I can help."

She glanced at him before holding out a slip of parchment. Harry frowned but grabbed it. His eyes narrowed as he turned the paper around so he could properly read it. He then clenched his jaw. That git. He gave Hermione a hug, sitting beside her a moment later—his arm still around her shoulder as he had seen his dad do with his mum several times.

"I'm sorry, Mione."

She sniffled. "Don't. It's fine. It was stupid anyway. I didn't need another friend anyway."

"It's not fine. You lost someone you were close to." Harry sighed. The stupid git likely never even told her. The coward. He frowned and shook his head. "It was Malfoy, Hermione. The git who was writing to you. He gave you that necklace for your birthday, too."

"I know," she replied quietly. "Your dad told me when he returned the necklace." She closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You knew?" And you still wrote that git? Harry stared at the flickering flames of the fireplace. He sighed. "You don't need Malfoy. You've got me and Ron, 'Mione."

She exhaled loudly. "Yeah." Clearly not enthused one bit by that.

Harry frowned before he glanced sideways at her. "You really liked him, didn't you?"

"It was nice to talk to someone who actually understood me for once," she replied quietly. She shrugged a moment later. "But it happens, right? I'm going to go study in the dorm. Bye, Harry." She stood up then, walking away slowly.

Harry shook his head, standing up as well as he headed for the portrait. That stupid Slytherin git. He glared at nothing in particular as he left the common room, heading for the dungeons. If he saw Malfoy, he was going to wish he never lived.

Kicking at the stone floor, Harry rushed down the moving staircases. He found most of the castle seemingly empty on his journey to the dungeons. That was until he entered the corridor that connected the entrance to the Slytherin common room and his dad's rooms. At the sight of long white hair, Harry clenched his jaw. That git. Walking around all proud like a peacock.

Harry took off down the corridor, overcome with anger for how hurt his friend was because of the Slytherin git. He launched himself at the blond, knocking Draco down to the floor. He punched the slightly shocked Slytherin in the face hard before pulling his arm back to do it again.

"Mr. Potter," a sharp voice hissed from behind them. "Enough!"

Harry inhaled suddenly, glancing down at Draco before swallowing. Oh no. He felt his insides clench. His father was going to flay him alive. There would be a new special ingredient on his dad's shelf, Boy-Who-Lived. Draco stared up at him before he shoved Harry off and scrambled to his feet.

"Get up, Mr. Potter. Now!" the voice hissed.

Harry did as he was instructed, but hesitantly and very slowly. He swallowed as he turned around. His green eyes narrowed instantly when he saw Professor Rayne there instead of his father. He was certain he had heard his father's voice. But Harry didn't see the man anywhere in the corridor.

"You may leave us, Mr. Malfoy," the witch softly spoke, her mouth barely moving. Her eyes were impassive as she stared at Harry. "Detention tonight in my office."

"But, Professor, tonight is—"

She held a hand up, cutting him off instantly. "You should have thought of that before you attacked a defenseless student in the corridor, Mr. Potter." She forced air in her lungs before she whirled around. "You may beg your parents to change your detention, but I assure you it will not be amended. I shall see to that, Mr. Potter. Good day." She walked away, leaving Harry alone in the corridor.

~FKTF~

An hour before the start of the ceremony, Snape stood behind a cauldron, brewing yet another potion. How could the boy have been so idiotic? Fighting in a corridor! Honestly! His frown deepened before he stirred the sunshine yellow potion. He understood that today was an unsettling day—hell he was snarky all damn day—but that didn't excuse his son's atrocious behavior.

Unless all the hype about how happy the boy was for getting to go with his father to cheer him on was nothing but pretend. Harry likely never even intended to go with him at all. The boy was just looking for a way to get out of it without hurting his father's feelings. After all, who would want to go to some idiotic Potions ceremony anyway?

Snape growled before he grabbed a jar of pickled hearts from the shelf beside him and threw it towards the closed door.

"DAMMIT!" he yelled as it shattered upon impact a moment later. He watched the liquid run down the door and sighed tiredly. He should have never sent in that damn paper. Never entered that blasted damn contest in the first place. The day was hard enough without this crap on top of it now. He shook his head and waved his hand towards the broken jar. There was no use crying over the hand he was dealt. He just had to make do with what he had now.

A knock at the door a moment later made his brows furrow. He knew Lucius wouldn't dare interrupt him right now. The man knew the dangers this day produced. And with Harry having stayed in the Tower the rest of the day wisely, that only left one person. Snape closed his eyes and hung his head. He should send her away. Or tell her to leave him alone. Instead, though, he partially opened the door.

"Yes?" He watched her give him a faint smile as she stood in front of the door wearing her long blue velvety robes. Her hair was swept up with a stray strand on either side of her face.

"Could I come in?" Aurora asked softly.

"I'd rather you wouldn't."

"That's not exactly a no."

"It's not," he agreed. He hated this. He hated knowing that she was dancing around his feelings. That she cared enough to do so when he was being a royal bastard to everyone and trying to hurt them. He watched her bite her lower lip as she likely thought through her list of options. He waited, not sure why he was doing so when he would never have done it before.

"Oh, screw this," she huffed before she stepped forward and pushed the door wide open, causing him to take a step back to avoid the door hitting him in the face. "Get dressed. Now."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Excuse me?" Well, this was a switch for the day.

"You heard me. Go get ready for your dinner."

"I'm not going." He crossed his arms, frowning at her.

"Oh, like hell you aren't. You're going even if I have to drag your dead body there, Severus. You were looking forward to this. Just because Harry decided to throw a punch earlier doesn't mean you don't get to go to your dinner."

"In case this escaped your mind, I—" When her finger pressed against his lips, he went silent.

"Hush. You have a date." At the narrowing of his eyes, she added, "Me. Now, get dressed before I take you in your nightclothes, you bloody damn bat."

He glared at her. Only when she glared back, he took a step backwards. Dear Merlin, he thought he was the only one who could glare like that. Obviously not, though.

"Go. Now!"

Snape only nodded and left to follow her orders. He grabbed his dress robes from the way back, quickly changing into them before frowning. What the hell just happened? Why was he doing what she told him to do without even thinking about it? He thought for a moment, realizing she hadn't used any mind coercion techniques on him, spell or otherwise. So he did it of his own freewill. But why?

"You did it because you care for her deeply, old friend," Lucius offered as he stood in the doorway. "Don't worry about tonight. I'll make sure your son has gone to his detention."

"No need. I'll find out tomorrow, Lucius." Snape sighed. He glanced at the older wizard when he felt the reassuring squeeze to his shoulder. "I should go before she makes good on her threat."

"You both better be home before midnight or I'll send out the Aurors," Lucius joked.

~FKTF~

Harry slowly walked to the door in his dad's room when he heard the knock. When the door opened a moment later, he sighed. He glanced up, noticing the woman staring down at him with that same blank stare from before.

"I was on my way for my detention, Professor. I promise."

"I know," Professor Rayne replied before she glanced at the man standing behind Harry. "I was not aware that you would be here, though, Mr. Malfoy."

Harry glanced at Lucius and then looked back down. The man had asked Professor McGonagall to get Harry from the tower earlier so he could personally escort Harry to Professor Rayne's office later. He had never been more embarrassed in his life. He supposed that was the point, though.

"Just ensuring that your young pupil made it there all right," Lucius stated.

"Won't you join us, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Rayne smiled faintly.

Harry's frown deepened. He understood now that Lucius was considered something akin to a sex god or something. He had overheard several of the upper students mentioning it in the common room earlier, but really! He just wanted to do his detention and go home. Was that too hard to ask for?

Harry then glanced upwards, sighing. It was odd really. He hadn't noticed it before but he had never really ever seen Professor Rayne show her teeth. She always hid them when she talked. Maybe it was boredom, but he wondered curiously if she had really bad teeth or if it was something else.

"If it's not too much trouble, I suppose I could. I have nothing better to do, I mean."

"Oh, no. No trouble at all, Mr. Malfoy. In fact, I insist that you come with us.

There was something about that statement that sent off alarm bells in Harry's mind. He glanced at Lucius, noticing the forced polite smile on the Slytherin's face as he inclined his head. Harry watched Lucius walk towards them before setting a hand on Harry's shoulder—protective like his dad would do.

"Well, then, I would love to, Professor," Lucius drawled, clearly on his guard.

"Excellent. Shall we then?" She didn't wait for a reply before she placed a hand on both of them. A mere second later, the room was empty as all three suddenly vanished.

~FKTF~

A half an hour later, Snape sighed as he watched a man slowly walk up to the podium. He watched Aurora out of the corner of his eye fidget in her seat. He snorted into his wine glass, taking another sip of his elf-wine and glanced out the large glass window towards the street.

"Well, now that we've all had a bite to eat. Let's get right down to it, shall we?" The man pulled out a sealed envelope. "This year's Potions Master of the Year Award goes to . . ." The man fumbled with the envelope for a few moments.

"Do you have your speech all prepared, Severus?" Aurora asked softly, leaning towards him.

"I do, but I'll likely not get it."

"I'll bet you a dance that you do," she replied with a shrug.

Snape snorted, but said nothing as he turned his attention back to the speaker. She was going to lose that dance. There was no way his paper on Wolfsbane—

"Severus Tobias Snape," the man loudly announced.

The glass in Snape's hand nearly fell. What? No. There was no way— He had won? He glanced at Aurora, noticing her wide smile as she clapped while she stared at him with a proud look. He never won things, though. He then narrowed his eyes on her when she tried shooing him up to the stage.

"Go. Get it from him, Severus. Enjoy it." She smiled, laughing and shaking her head.

Snape quickly made his way up there, shaking the man's hand before nodding. It felt so surreal and odd. He didn't hear what the man was saying and truthfully didn't care either. He grabbed the small glass cauldron and stared at it before looking around at the crowd. His eyes soon settled back on Aurora. He swallowed the uncharacteristic lump in his throat.

"Without proper funding and time to do my experiments, none of my research would have been possible. I-I owe many thanks to those who stood behind me, who put up with me when my research did not go well. Perhaps in time, we will have a better understanding of this affliction and be able to cure it so no one has to suffer the effects of being a werewolf any longer." He caught the polite claps before he numbly walked back down to his table with Aurora and sat down.

"Everything all right?" she asked softly, staring at him in confusion.

"Yes. I just, I . . ." He sighed, lost for words. It was rare that people took note of his skills. More often than not, he found himself fighting for every centimeter to get just an inch of respect. Or if people did take note, they frequently tried to exploit it for their own purposes. This was none of that.

"Overwhelming, isn't it?"

"Frankly, yes." He watched her smile widen before she took another drink of her wine. He uncovered his award, not noticing he had covered it at first, and stared at the small glass cauldron. It was beautiful. Finally, he had something to take pride in again.

"Photo for the Prophet, Mr. Snape," a young man stated before he squeezed up to them with the camera in hand and practically blinded Snape when he took the photo.

Snape growled but said nothing when the young man took off in the other direction. He rubbed at his eyes a moment later, sighing. Stupid boy. He then glanced across at Aurora, observing her silently as she watched the band play. She seemed relaxed, happy. His eyes passed over her, taking note of the beautiful dress she had worn—a black strapless dress that feathered out with intricate white designs sewn into it to make it look as if the white was dripping. She truly was the most gorgeous woman there.

Looking around, Snape noticed that some of the couples had moved away from the tables, either to chat by the buffet table or to dance. He frowned and turned back to Aurora. He brushed aside the uneasiness and stood up, holding a hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?" He caught her faint shy smile instantly before she nodded, grabbing his hand and threading their fingers as she stood up. He led her towards the dance floor, ignoring his heart that thumped wildly in his chest. There were so many things that could go wrong right now. He could step on her feet. She could break her ankle in those ridiculously high heeled shoes she was wearing.

He bowed towards her, recalling Lucius's instructions from all those years ago when he had been forced to attend the Death Eater parties. He then stepped towards her, fluidly placing his hands on her lower back and feeling her do the same to him. They were chest-to-chest now, and it wasn't as horribly awkward as he thought it'd be. He felt her rest her head on his shoulder, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm curious, Aurora."

"Hmm?" she mumbled softly.

"How did you know I'd win? It couldn't just be your usual faith in me. Not for betting a dance with me, something you've wanted for years."

"Well, if you must know, I poured a bit of Felix Felicis into your glass of wine earlier."

He stopped instantly, pulling back and staring at her. She had to be joking. He caught her laugh in response to his reaction.

"No, honestly, I researched your competition. The Prophet posted all of the nominees and the titles to their submitted research papers two days ago. So, I went and found copies of their papers and read them." She shrugged as he relaxed and returned to being close to her. "Montgomery's research on restorative draughts using Mandrakes, while extremely fascinating, was all based on his father's previous studies. In essence, he just recycles his father's ideas and stated that they were his own. Sullivan's research was dull and—quite honestly I've read better first-year essays than his theory about how one can improve upon the nerve restoration draught. Not to mention he couldn't spell anything."

Snape stared at her, holding his breath. Holy hell and heaven above. She had actually researched them. And she seemed to understand their research enough to critique it. He had only known the other nominees by their notoriety and reputation.

"And don't get me started by dear Mr. Reynolds's research on antidotes that doesn't even take into consideration Golpalott's Third Law or even his Fourth and Fifth for that matter."

"You understand it?" He was shocked beyond belief. She actually understood potions.

"The theory behind it, yes. Brewing it, you might as well just have Longbottom do it. You might actually get a potion from him." She laughed against him before she pressed herself against him even more. "I'm not a total idiot." He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when she wrapped her arms around his neck suddenly. "There are three men outside who are watching us very closely," she whispered in his ear before pulling back with a wide smile. "What do you say to us getting out of here?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he replied, following her towards the back of the restaurant.

A few minutes later, Snape frowned as he held her to keep her stable as she hopped up onto the sink in the ladies' washroom. He gently pushed her bare feet up as she tried to pull herself through the high opened window. He watched her immediately turn around once she was outside and hold her hand out to him. He grabbed her heels that she had discarded earlier, only to catch her look.

"What?"

"My hand is for you, Severus, not the damn shoes."

"Oh." He tossed them aside before he motioned for her to move away from the window. The moment she did, he hopped up, pulling himself up and through the window before joining her on the street. "Let's go." They both quickly stood up and ran down the cobblestone street. A loud explosion behind them caused the ground to shake, but they continued, not daring to look behind them.

Something suddenly whizzed past them, causing Snape to yank Aurora closer to him and stop. Two black-robed men walked out of the shadows in front of them then. Turning around, Snape noticed that two more men approached them from behind.

"Give us the lady, and we'll let you live. Got it?" one of the men gruffly stated.

Snape noticed Aurora turn towards him and narrowed his eyes on her. What on earth was the witch doing? She swallowed slowly. He couldn't hear any of her thoughts, which truthfully unsettled him greatly. She was hiding her thoughts from him somehow. Oh, dear Felix Felicis, if she was thinking about what he was thinking she was, he was going to lock her up in his dungeons and never let her out ever again. He opened his mouth, only to have hers cover his as she kissed him deeply. He inhaled sharply, feeling her pass something into his hand—a knife he noticed a moment later.

Don't miss, she thought, catching his eye before she whirled from him and headed to the men.

With the knife hidden under his long sleeves, he thought for a minute about what she could have meant. Don't miss what? He then caught her leg swinging towards another man and threw the knife at the other man who tried to grab her. The other men instantly reacted violently, rushing towards them. He watched a dozen curses fly out of a darkened alcove as a man who looked strangely enough like his father walked out of the shadows with a sneer on his face. Snape ducked and dodged the curses, ready to hiss his specialized curse at him. There was a groan behind Snape, though, before a loud thump. Snape then whirled around, feeling someone near him and noticing a thin razor wire the black-robed attacker had in his hand. He slammed his fist against the attacker's face before tossing the man against the wall and throwing a strong Stupefy at him. He turned back around, watching Aurora defend herself against another man's attack and noticing that his father's look-alike was trying to distract Aurora's attacker. Snape headed towards her, only to stop when her attacker yelled out and suddenly went limp. He raised an eyebrow, noticing the blade in her hand then.

"Now, that's what I like to see, Princess. A lass who ain't afraid to protect herself."

Snape ignored the man, though, still on his guard, however.

"Just how many knives do you have hidden under your dress, Aurora?"

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Well, a lady always needs to bring some sort of protection with her when she's on a date." She then glanced towards the approaching hook nose man. "Tobias."

"Princess." His blue eyes glanced towards Snape. "Son."

"You are not my father," Snape snapped.

"Got El's stubbornness, I see."

Snape growled before he slammed the man against the brick wall. He clenched his jaw, glaring at him. There was no denying that the man looked like his father, but that didn't mean much. What with Polyjuice and Glamour charms.

"Got my temper, though."

"My father was a son of a bitch who died like the pathetic little worm he was," Snape spat out. "I tortured him and left him like the bastard he was to die like an animal and bleed to death. You. Are. Not. My. Father," he hissed.

"Um, boys, hate to break this up, but we've got company," Aurora interrupted. "We need to go."

Snape growled when Aurora grabbed his hand and gave him a hard look as the man—since he refused to call the man Tobias or Dad—held out a chess piece to them—clearly a Portkey. He exhaled loudly when she didn't back down. He grabbed the knight with Aurora, and they suddenly vanished.

~FKTF~

They had been there—wherever the hell there was—for two hours. Two long agonizing hours. Snape's patience was worn thin. It had all started with arriving to find his son and Lucius already there. And when he found his colleague, Calisto Rayne, warmly greet the man who claimed to be his father, he nearly lost it. Only Aurora's hand in his prevented this.

An hour ago, though, Harry had gone to bed as Aurora had left with Lucius to give Snape some time alone with them. So it was just Snape, Rayne, and the bastard masquerading as a dead man left in the grey open area. Snape glared at them. They seemed so cozy with one another.

"Son—"

"No!" Snape snarled, glaring at the man. "My bastard father's dead."

"Fine. Severus—"

"No. You are not my father. Do not claim to be him. I murdered the bastard."

"Yes, ya made that clear. But ya didn't murder me. I can prove it. If ya'd just listen for one goddamn minute."

"My father's dead."

"Oh, for crying out loud," the man groaned. "Yes, Severus, we got that for the hundredth time."

Snape clenched his teeth. He then caught the bored look on Rayne's face.

"So, who are you really? Death Eater? Murderous thug?"

"Calisto Rayne," she replied softly. "I was the one who found your father."

"He's not my father!" Snape hissed, making a fist.

"No. He's not the man you grew up with, Severus. He is your father, though. He was the man responsible for your birth. You may have certain memories concerning him, but the man you knew to be your father was not."

"My father's dead."

"No. The man who imitated your father is dead. This man here is Tobias Snape. Draw his blood and see for yourself."

"It can be faked." Snape frowned when she laughed softly.

"Or perhaps you're just afraid that he tells the truth and that everything you've been led to believe is based on a series of lies?" she replied quietly. "Understandable of course."

"You don't know me."

"Oh? Shall we test that, Severus?" She smiled slowly.

"Calisto," the man stated softly, grabbing her hand. "Enough."

"She stated she found you. Explain," Snape asked, glancing at the man.

"It'd be easier to tell ya all of it, I think. From the beginning." The man sighed when Snape glanced at him sharply. "All right. Well, I met yer mum outside a diner in Manchester. We chatted for a bit. She didn't really want to give me a time of day, so she left. I went back the next day to the diner and saw here there with her friends. I kept at it for a week, begging for one date. She finally relented on the third week." He shrugged. "Found out she was a witch and should have told her then, but didn't. Long story short, I knew about yer mum being pregnant with ya." Snape tensed but said nothing. "I had gone to work one day when a couple of gits showed up. Realized they were up to no good right away, but I thought I could beat 'em. Wound up getting my arse handed to me." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "They left me in some shithole place like this. Underground. Couldn't escape it no matter what I tried. Somehow, Calisto found me, though."

Snape watched Rayne smile faintly, nodding towards the man. He frowned in response. Curiosity about if the man was really his father was killing him. He drew his wand then and flicked his wrist, sending a weak cutting curse at the man. He caught Rayne's low growl instantly but ignored it as he collected a sample of the man's blood in a flask.

He pulled out a bottle containing the Paternity potion, adding a drop of his blood and a drop of the man's. He frowned when the potion turned the dreaded color. Dammit.

"Well, now, do you deny that evidence?" Rayne stated with a faint smile. "Perhaps an error occurred in your brewing of it?"

Snape clenched his teeth. "I don't make errors."

"Oh, of course not."

"Calisto," Tobias softly warned, shaking his head once at her again. "Don't."

"My father was a Muggle," Snape stated with a bit of a bite to his voice. "He couldn't do magic."

"No." Tobias shook his head. "I can do magic, son. I just ain't exactly good at it. Yer grandfather wasn't thrilled about having a boy like me. So he wanted me normal. Did his damnedest to do so, too."

Snape frowned as he stared at him. His father was a Muggle. He had never seen the man do any sort of magic. Hell, the man had tried beating him—no, this couldn't be true. He shook his head. It felt as if the whole world was being tilted on its axis. Nothing made sense anymore. He grabbed the wall, sighing as he closed his eyes. He wished Aurora was there. He needed her right now.

"I'm the Half-Blood Prince."

"Ya still are, son. Hell, I'm closer to a Muggle than an actual wizard like ya are. My magic don't work exactly like it's s'posed to. It's always a guessing game if it'll work or not. Thanks to Albus, found out that when I'm angry or protective it works better, though."

"Albus?" Snape repeated deathly quiet.

"Yeah. Dumbledore. Yer boss."

"He knew?" Snape's eyes darted to Rayne before he glanced back at Tobias. "He knew you were my father this whole time? That the man I had killed, had believed for decades to be my father wasn't?"

"He learned of the truth when I retrieved Tobias from the tunnels, yes," Rayne answered softly.

"When did he know? When did you tell him?" Snape demanded, his heart pounding angrily. That manipulative bastard. If he knew—

"A year ago." She frowned. "I asked him if he'd inform you, and Albus replied that you were not ready for the truth yet. You were still dealing with the effects of your son's near death."

"Son of a bitch." Snape's hands balled into fists. "What else is he hiding?"

"A great many things, Severus."

"Don't give me that crap, Rayne. Answer me. What else is he hiding? What else has he lied about?" Snape noticed the shared look between Rayne and Tobias. "What?"

Tobias sighed before he stuck a hand in his pocket and pulled out a small envelope in his hand. "Was on his desk when I brought him one of the jerks who tried to kidnap that witch from Hogsmeade the other day. It's addressed to you."

Snape frowned but grabbed it. A part of him was still on edge, not quite trusting the two. But a larger part of him knew the two were telling the truth. He broke the seal, pulling out the letter. He swallowed when he recognized the handwriting. Lily. It was dated just a few days before her death. He tucked the letter back in and sighed. He'd read it later.

"What do you know about the purebloods being kidnapped? Why are they after them?"

"I'm not a hundred percent certain, but it could be a result of Project Unicorn," Rayne answered. "It was started around the same time your mother was last seen."

"What is it? What is Project Unicorn?"

Tobias shrugged. "Yer guess is good as ours. It was just something that Albus mentioned the last time I was there. He asked the jerk from Hogsmeade about it."

"You captured one of the attackers?"

"Oh, yeah," Tobias nodded. "Handed him over to Dumbledore."

"Whatever it is, it worries Albus greatly, though. His mind of late frequently returns to it."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Legilimency?"

"No." She laughed, finally showing her teeth—two pointy canines. "Vampire." She shook her head. "He asked me to take the Muggle Studies post so that I would be able to provide assessments of his staff in secret. He wished to know where their loyalties rested. The events last term with the late Defense post rattled him to the core. That he had not noticed the vile dark wizard sharing his existence with a Hogwarts professor. He wished to ensure that didn't happen again."

"He hired you to play mind games with us?"

"To test your reactions to certain stimuli and provide all my findings. So if you believe that's mind games, then yes." She shrugged. "The only professor I truly had any difficulty with was Aurora. She naturally resists me. However, she openly shows her loyalty rests solely with you."

"And did I pass your stupid test?" Snape growled.

"With flying colors, yes. You have a good heart. But with you, my tests weren't about loyalty."

"Then what were they about?"

"Whether you'd find the strength to move on and heal," she answered honestly.

"You're the reason I've dreamt about Aurora for months?"

"No. Not for months. I merely planted another seed that was already in your mind prior to the other day when you left Albus's office and ran into me. Likely a result of the potion you took at the start of summer holiday. Your mind truly did the rest, Severus."

"Why? Why is it so important that I heal? That I move on?"

"Because clinging to the past as you were doing tends to make one miserable and seek solace in death, Severus." Her eyes held his. "And frankly you deserve better than that."

"How did you know he was in the tunnels?" Snape asked, trying to throw her off.

"I smelled him," she replied quietly. "I found him down there, covered in filth, tired, hungry, and just plain ready to give up. He was not the first I found in those tunnels, though. He was just the first live one. It was frequently used as a dumping ground by them."

"Them?"

"Death Eaters." She shook her head. "We always talk about the First Wizarding War, but never how he was just as evil and vile years before that as he gained his strength and reputation." She frowned as she glanced at Snape. "He knew your grandmother and by extension met your mother when she was younger. The Princes are a very strong Wizarding line, Severus. Quite frankly, he needed you to join him. So he had one of his followers take your father's place, guide you to him."

Snape stared at Rayne, recalling his mother's words as she held him once. He wasn't always like this. I promise you, Severus. He frowned and glanced away. Everything he had ever known about his family was a lie. How could this be? Had everyone in his life manipulated him?

"When ya get back tomorrow, son, ask Albus about Project Unicorn. See if he'll tell you. Either way, ya best get some rest, though. Ya had more than enough for tonight. Good night, son."

After leaving his dad, Snape drew in a slow breath and entered the bedroom he was to share with Aurora. The rich scent of berries instantly filled his nostrils, his body relaxing as he recognized her sweet smell. His eyes looked over the room slowly as he searched for Aurora. However, with the only object in the room being a bed, he found himself glancing at the semi-opened door. He took several steps forward, hearing a hissing noise behind him. He whirled around, frowning when he noticed that the door he had just walked through had now vanished—leaving behind just the plain gray cement wall.

"Severus?" Aurora called from behind the partly opened door to his left.

"Yes. Are you all right?"

"Oh, Severus, you have to come in here and see this."

Judging from how happy she sounded, he assumed she had said it with a smile. So, he paused for a moment before heading towards the other room. He stopped just outside it as a thought occurred.

"You are decent, aren't you?" While they had been sleeping beside one another for the past month, they hadn't exactly crossed that particular bridge yet. One kiss and one declaration of feelings. That was all their relationship consisted of currently. Well, that and a hell of a lot of flirting.

"Oh, just get in here," she replied with a loud laugh. "Honestly."

He quickly walked into the other room, slowing when he saw the rectangular pool filled with bubbles taking up as much room as half of the Great Hall in his opinion. His eyes narrowed. A toilet and an enormous bath fixed with many taps were in this room, yet the bedroom only had a bed? What?

"Remind you of anything?" She smiled widely.

"It bears a striking resemblance to the Prefect's bathroom, yes," he agreed, feeling slightly uncomfortable standing fully clothed, while she stood there chest deep behind bubbles in her bath.

Her smile faltered slightly as seriousness took over. "Severus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I-I was not aware that you were taking a bath, however, Aurora."

"Yeah, probably should've mentioned that detail." She laughed. "You should join me, though."

He started coughing violently the moment he heard her suggestion. "Excuse me?"

"What?" She smiled warmly, laughing at his shocked look. "Come on. There's more than enough room in here for you. Hell, we could fit everyone at Hogwarts in here. And, well, you look positively filthy, Severus. You could use a bath." She laughed when he glared at her. "Oh, come on. Don't give me that look." She smiled, her eyes sparkling. "I just mean that we both got dirty when we were crawling out of that window. Frankly, and I'm sure you'll agree, there's no reason why we can't share this bath. Well, unless you think I'll bite."

"How about that you and I are not intimate with one another?"

"Oh, don't give me that. We've slept beside each other for a month, Severus."

"Yes, fully clothed!" he retorted. "This would be crossing a line." He chastised himself when he heard the slight edge to his voice. Honestly! Where was his usual control?

"Severus." Her eyes narrowed. "Are you afraid I'll jump you? Is that what this is all about?"

"No. Of course not." He shook his head as he stared at her. It's more like I'm afraid I'll jump you, Aurora, he added in his head, tensing at the thought a moment later.

"Then, what is it? You're acting rather odd right now."

"I just cannot do this right now. With you." He watched the hurt pass behind her eyes before she hid it. He sighed in response. "That came out wrong. I just do not feel comfortable with this, Aurora."

"All right." She shrugged. "You're right. We're taking it slow."

"Yes," he agreed, nodding once. "Slow."

"Will you at least stay here?" She bit her bottom lip. "So I'm not alone?"

He stared at her, swallowing slowly. Was she truly that comfortable with him that she'd allow him to watch her bathe? Wasn't that supposed to be a private moment anyway? He then frowned inwardly as he watched the various emotions play across her face. Or perhaps it was that she didn't want to be alone again—that her fear of being taken was plaguing her thoughts once more.

"I suppose. If it's acceptable with you." He watched her nod instantly. "Then, I'll stay." She smiled before she dove under the bubbles for a moment before resurfacing. He sighed silently and sat down a respectable distance from her, but still within her line of sight.

"Severus?" He glanced at her. "What do you think of him? Tobias?"

"He is certainly not the man I grew up with," Snape remarked. "However, he is telling the truth."

"Let me guess. Legilimency?" she asked with a knowing playful smile.

"Legilimency," he repeated with a nod. "It was brief, but it gave me a bit more evidence that supported his claims." He shook his head slowly. "My mother once told me when I was four or five that my father wasn't always the wife-beating bastard I thought he was. I didn't believe her of course."

"And now?"

"Now, I've seen the proof." He ran a hand through his raven locks. "Their theory is plausible given the cunning nature of the Dark Lord. And my mother's bloodline was considered quite strong from what I've been told. He could have easily created some elaborate ruse starting from my birth to ensure that I'd join him—that he'd have a member of the Prince family in his ranks. He was quite clearly one for manipulating popular Pureblood beliefs and—for the lack of a better word—collecting members of powerful Pureblood families. So with my hatred of the man I believed to be my father coupled with my fascination with the Dark Arts, I was an easy target. Like so many others."

"Harry seems to like him. A lot really from what I've seen."

"I'm beginning to think my son would adopt Thestrals into our family if given the chance." He felt the corners of his lips upturn slightly at the sound of Aurora's laugh. He then sighed as his mind wandered back to his conversation with Tobias.

"Galleon for your thoughts, Severus?"

"Dumbledore has been lying to us for quite some time. He knows more than he's telling."

"Well, yes, but hasn't that always been a given, Severus?" She shrugged. "He always keeps his little secrets close until he's ready to reveal them. Pisses me off frankly."

"He knew Tobias was my father, Aurora. He knew for a year, and he didn't say a word."

"I know. Well, not really, but how would you have taken it if he had told you? Good? Bad?" She paused for a moment. "My bet is that it'd be bad. That you'd be the stubborn man you always are and not believe him." She waded near the edge close to him. "Your childhood was heartbreaking, Severus. You experienced things that no child should ever witness and go through." She frowned, holding his eyes. "As manipulative and cunning Albus is, I know in my heart that he doesn't want to hurt you, Severus. Deep down, I think he does love you."

"He has a funny way of showing it," Snape remarked with a frown.

"Severus, do you know when you and Harry went missing this past summer what he was doing?" She waited for him to look at her. "Albus called in every favor he could. He spoke to numerous Order members. Hell, he even reached out to Lucius at one point to see if the Dark Lord had taken you two."

"That only shows he cares about the stupid Prophecy concerning Harry. That doesn't show—"

"Severus, listen to me." She sighed, running a hand through her dark curls. "After he spoke with Lucius, he went to Nurmengard alone. He asked Grindelwald if he had somehow managed to order his followers to kidnap you two. You know how hard that is, to talk to a man like that."

"How do you know he went to Nurmengard?"

"Minerva told me," she answered with another shrug. "She stayed with Dumbledore because quite frankly it was scary as all hell—you two missing, I mean. She also told me that his mind was frequently on you, Severus. That he believes in his heart that he failed you. Because he didn't attempt to reach out to you, to help you. Instead, he turned a blind eye when he could have helped."

"That's ridiculous." Snape shook his head, glancing away. He was already beyond saving at that point. No matter what the man had said, he'd not have listened to the Gryffindor—not after the shown favoritism to the snotty Lions.

"Severus," she started to say, frowning when he gave her a dark look.

"Don't, Sinistra. Just drop it and leave it alone."

"Fine," she grudgingly replied, heading further back from him—likely to finish her bath.

Snape exhaled slowly before he silently removed the letter from his pocket. He frowned as he stared down at the aged parchment. No good would come of this letter. He knew that. But he couldn't just toss it away either. Not something that Lily had penned for him. There was just something inside him that needed to know her final thoughts. He couldn't explain it.

Slowly, he opened the letter and stared down at the elegant cursive. If push came to shove, he'd have Aurora to lean on. That much was certain. He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Rayne was right. His being stuck in the past was causing him to miss out on so much. He opened his eyes and read the letter, then.

October 29, 1981

Of all the things I thought you were capable of, I could never have guessed this. He informed me today. Professor Dumbledore. About your little talk the other day. About how you begged your master to spare me in exchange for the deaths of my son and husband. Do you honestly think I'd ever want to be with someone like you? Someone who cares so little about others unless it comes to the people he so-call loves? You disgust me.

Snape inhaled sharply, his hands trembling with the letter he clutched so tightly. He felt sick. He felt as if someone had repeatedly hit him in the gut, a thousand Cruciatus Curses cast on him. His eyes darted to Aurora, noticing that she had turned her back to him as she washed her hair. He swallowed the bile that collected in the back of his throat and closed his eyes, forcing the air into his lungs. It was just a letter. That was it. Just a stupid letter. He drew in a slow breath, opening his eyes and staring down at the shaking letter in his hands to finish reading it.

Do you honestly think I'd slip back into your bed after losing my husband? After losing my son? I love James, Severus. Not you! I would never love you! That night last year was a mistake. One I deeply regret making. So much so that I have removed every single shred of you from Harry. I wish I never met you. I wish I never slept with you. And above all, I wish Harry was James's son and not yours. When your master comes to kill us, and he gives me that choice—between stepping aside for you and dying beside my husband, know this. With all my heart, I will always choose James over you! I'd rather be with an arrogant git like him than be with a soulless monster like you!

The letter slipped from his hands as he drew in a shaky breath. "Aur—" He watched her turn around before she rushed towards him. Lily was wrong. He was not a soulless monster. He wasn't.

He closed his eyes as he felt Aurora's arms wrap around him. He could feel her warmth, burying his face into her neck. He wasn't a soulless monster. He wasn't. Lily was wrong. He drew in another shaky breath, chastising himself for his weakness. It was just a stupid letter from a dead woman.

"Lily's wrong. I'm not. I feel. I care. I love! I'm not the soulless monster she thinks I am!"

"Of course you're not, Severus. I've never thought that. Not once. Shh. It's okay. I've got you."

He felt Aurora rub his back gently and inhaled again. The rich scent of berries filled him, helping him center himself. It was just a stupid letter. Lily didn't know him. Not anymore. He held Aurora, drawing in another slow breath. She was wrong!

When Aurora grabbed his head, forcing him to look at her, he swallowed back his heartache. Would he hurt her? Was that what the Fates were trying to tell him now? Would he make her that angry someday, to the point where she'd write a letter full of hate to him? Where she'd call him a soulless monster? He held Aurora's warm, forgiving eyes. No. He knew in his heart that she wouldn't.

"Look at me." She brushed back his hair with a faint smile. "I know in my heart that you are so much better of a man than what she ever thought of you, ever gave you credit for being. You made a mistake. A horrible one that hurt you deeply and has affected you greatly. But, Severus, you are doing everything you can to redeem yourself, to make it right." She smiled faintly, caressing his cheek. "You are not the angry sixteen year old you used to be, the one who had to prove to others that he was worth something, worth being loved and worth being respected."

He closed his eyes, leaning into her hand.

"You let me in that night," she whispered with a faint smile. "Do you remember? You showed me I was right. That you were the man I knew you to be in my heart, not the man others believed you to be—wrote you off to be. You're not evil. You have a strong moral compass, knowing that things the Dark Lord does are wrong but are forced to do them regardless as not to give away your true self—to lose your chance to protect your son. You're not soulless either. You feel each death, each pain inflicted on others. You hide it away, but you feel it. And you are most certainly not a monster. You don't get off on the pain and heartbreak of others. Evans was wrong. You are a good, honest man, Severus, who is human and who has made mistakes just like the rest of us—even her."

~FKTF~

Harry yawned the following morning, rolling over in his bed and frowning. He was back at Hogwarts again. He didn't remember coming back here, though. He sat up slowly, glancing around. Last night he had fallen asleep in a replica of the tent he had shared with his father while they were on vacation. He was in the dungeons now, though, his dad's rooms specifically. He tossed his sheets aside, quickly walking out. The smell of a warm breakfast surrounded him. Someone was cooking.

Following the smell into the kitchenette, he smiled when he saw Tobias flipping bacon in a pan.

"You cook?"

"Oh, yeah." Tobias chuckled. "Ain't nothin' more relaxin' to me than to cook. Sit."

Harry glanced down the corridor towards his dad's closed bedroom door. It was rare that Harry was up before his father. He then glanced back at Tobias.

"How did we get back to Hogwarts?"

"Calisto. It's one of the many tricks she can do." Tobias winked at him as the bacon sizzled loudly. "She did it when we were all sleeping."

"Why?"

"Well, ya got practice, and that's important. Way I hear it, yer mighty good too. That, and we weren't really supposed to fall asleep there. Ain't really a good place to be if you want a restful night's sleep." Tobias chuckled when Harry's eyes narrowed. "Ya noticed the room changed last night, right?" Harry nodded. "Some people wouldn't ever want to leave, ya know?"

"I suppose." Harry thought back to the Mirror of Erised. Dumbledore had told him something similar then. He then watched Tobias fix his plate. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

Harry silently grabbed a fork before he started to eat. It felt weird being up before his dad. His eyes darted to the closed door once more. Was his dad all right?

"So. Why don't ya tell me a bit 'bout yourself, Potter? Since we ain't exactly come to that yet."

Harry turned back instantly. He gave Tobias a faint smile. The man was trying to get to know him. That was good, wasn't it?

"Yeah. Sure. Um, well, I'm a second year Gryffindor. House of the brave." He watched Tobias nod slowly, clearly not understanding what Gryffindor meant. "I play Quidditch. It's, um, like a really wicked game where a team who has the most points at the end wins. You get points either by throwing a ball, the Quaffle, through the opposing team's hoops or catching a tiny little flying ball with wings, the Golden Snitch." He laughed when Tobias nodded slowly.

"All right. Got it. I think. What do ya do on the team?"

"I catch the Snitch. Basically, whichever Seeker—the player who can chase the Snitch—catches the flying ball first wins the game for their team."

"Interestin'."

"Yeah. It's pretty wicked," Harry said with a grin.

"Yer team any good?"

"Well, yeah. Or our captain would have our butts out there practicing all day every day instead of the three hours we have now." Harry watched Tobias nod slowly again.

"Ya keep up with yer grades, though?"

Harry shrugged slightly. "Yeah. Somewhat. I mean, Dad makes me redo any essays when they come back below Acceptable now."

"Good man. It's important to learn that kind of stuff. Theory behind it."

"What about you?"

"I didn't go to no fancy school like this. I'll tell ya that." Tobias chuckled. "Got my letter, though. To go here. Hogwarts. My dad found it in the post and burned it. Said I didn't need to go to no school to become a bigger freak than I already was."

Harry frowned. "Sounds like my Uncle Vernon."

"Yer Uncle Vernon?" Tobias asked, frowning as well. "Who's that?"

"My mum's sister's husband," Harry answered. "He used to tell me I was a freak all the time when I lived with him. He boarded up the door to keep the letters out once. Until they came through the chimney that was. Then he just packed all of us up and tried getting out dodge."

"Why'd ya live with him? Why'd ya not live with yer dad?"

Harry sighed loudly, glancing down at his plate. "Lily didn't tell Dad that I was his. He found out last year when an old letter of hers showed up. Dad and I actually just sort of got close last year. When bad things started to happen."

"When ya nearly died," Tobias quietly stated.

"Yeah. You knew about that?"

"Albus told me. No details, course. Just that there was a bit of a scare. Somethin' 'bout ya getting' attacked in the forest or somethin'. Later he told me that ya, him, and yer professor saved the school when the git that attacked ya tried again."

"Professor Quirrell," Harry said softly. "He had, well, you-know-who in his head."

"Sucked for him I bet."

"Yeah. He, well, he took Mum into this chamber thing. He wanted this stone or something. He hurt her. Then when I showed up, he tried to hurt me. Dad came a bit later. I thought Professor Quirrell was going to kill us so I, well, I touched him, and he . . . sort of died. Dumbledore said that it wasn't my fault, though. That Professor Quirrell was already dead. That I hadn't killed him or anything. According to him, I couldn't save Professor Quirrell."

"I'd reckon he's right, Harry. Albus is a smart man after all." Tobias sighed. "Ya and yer dad talk at all 'bout that day?"

"Some. Not a lot, though." The twelve-year-old shrugged.

"Ya did the right thing. Ya know that, right, Harry? Ya protected yer dad and ya."

Harry glanced at Tobias, sighing. "I know, but I still killed a man. Even if Dumbledore says I didn't. I know I did. I watched him . . . you know."

"Defendin' yerself against a man who wants to hurt ya and yer family, Harry, is never somethin' ya should feel guilty over. Ya did what ya had to do in order to survive. And I'm glad ya did." Tobias gave Harry a soft smile before carding Harry's hair. "Now, go on. Finish yer food before it gets cold."

~FKTF~

An hour later, Snape slowly emerged from his room. Wearing just a pair of sweatpants, he walked down the corridor and into the kitchenette, frowning when he saw the plate of steaming food on the table. He glanced towards the light-haired blue-eyed man who had placed the plate down.

"Mornin', Severus," Tobias said with a polite smile.

"Morning," Snape replied evenly.

"Before ya ask, Harry's gone off to his Wood Itch practice. I made sure he ate before he ran off, though. And that blond guy that was with us last night—he's off with Calisto."

Snape inclined his head slowly. He didn't feel like correcting the man's 'Wood Itch' statement. He inhaled slowly, smelling the bacon and eggs.

"Didn't know what ya guys like so I made a bit of everythin' this mornin'. Is Princess goin' to join us or not?"

"Aurora is indisposed for the moment," Snape answered with a frown as he started to eat his breakfast slowly. The man clearly seemed to know his way around a kitchen from what Snape could see. And he knew that if the man had attempted to drug them, Salazar would have alerted him instantly.

"All right. Fair enough. Ya sleep good?"

Snape exhaled slowly. It was too early in the morning for this crap in his opinion. However, a part of him—tiny sliver really—was glad the older man was making the effort.

"It was adequate. However, I would like to know just when we arrived back to Hogwarts."

"Harry wanted to know that earlier, too. Calisto brought us all here after we fell asleep. It ain't exactly safe to sleep there. Good for hidin' out. Not good for sleeping."

"I see." Snape stabbed another piece of bacon before he brought it to his mouth and ate it. He ignored Tobias as the man walked past him, likely to head to the sitting room or somewhere.

"Did a cat get ya last night, Severus?"

Snape stiffened instantly at Tobias's question. He stared directly ahead at the wall, unable to move or say anything for a moment.

"Excuse me?" Snape quietly replied, holding his breath silently.

"Yer back's all scratched to hell, son."

Snape closed his eyes. Dammit. He felt his cheeks redden slightly as he drew in a slow breath. Oh, dear Merlin. He then held his hand out, wordlessly summoning a shirt from his bedroom before quickly throwing it on.

"Ah. Never mind." Tobias gave a soft chuckle. "Say no more, Severus."

Snape stabbed another piece of bacon, frowning deeply. It was beyond awkward now. The man knew. Or at least had an inkling of what had occurred last night. It was Snape's own fault, though. He knew that. He had been the one to walk out here without a shirt. His frown deepened. What if Harry had been the one to see the marks? He grimaced immediately.

"Yer bein' safe, though, right?"

Snape stiffened again before he glanced towards Tobias. Was he being safe? Had the man seriously just asked him that? He blinked.

"I'm afraid I don't—"

"Safe," Tobias repeated, shifting his weight slightly. "Like usin' protection and that sort of thing. Makin' sure ya don't get her pregnant or nothin'. Ya know." He then shook his head before he shifted his weight again. "Well, unless ya two are wantin' that I guess."

"We're not," Snape replied instantly, somehow keeping his voice steady. Merlin, he wasn't taking things that fast yet. Children. Babies. He couldn't even imagine Aurora and him having a child together right now. He then frowned as he thought on it. Had he used anything last night with her? He couldn't recall it actually.

"Severus?" Tobias waited until he glanced at him. "Yer mum did talk to ya about all that, right?"

"I've received the talk, yes," Snape responded stiffly. Had the man really thought that Snape had gone through life, being thirty-two now, without receiving it? He studied his father's face for a moment. No. There was no way the man thought that. Tobias was just trying to make up for lost time likely. This wasn't just overwhelming for only Snape after all.

Tobias was suddenly a father of a thirty-two year old man now. He had missed out on birthdays, milestones, and just everyday occurrences with his son. Much like how Snape had missed out on Harry's. He frowned. It was easier with Harry since the boy still needed guidance. Snape didn't need that anymore, though. He was pretty certain he didn't at least.

"Oh good. Cause honestly I wasn't lookin' forward to that discussion," Tobias said with a sigh of relief. "Have ya two been together long? Ya and Aurora, I mean?"

Snape shook his head. "No. It's been approximately six weeks."

"Six weeks?" Tobias whistled. "Don't take this the wrong way, but ya held out longer than I'd have, son." He chuckled. "Yer mum and I—well, it was the second date for us."

Snape grimaced instantly. He really didn't want to hear the intimate details of his parents' relationship. Ever. He grabbed his glass, drinking as he tried to focus his mind on something else.

"When I found out yer mum was pregnant—boy, was that a shock—I married her. To make sure she'd be an honest woman and all that. Didn't want no one givin' her any crap about bein' an unwed mum or anythin'. Course, El didn't care about that. Hell, if anyone had given her shit, she'd have hexed the hell out of 'em. Yer mum's a strong woman, son. Stubborn mule at times, but damn is she strong."

Snape nodded slowly. He agreed wholeheartedly. His mother had taken the abuse for years, shielding her son from most of it whenever she could. It wasn't until the magic suppressant had worn off once that he saw the fight in his mother. She had nearly succeeded in getting both she and her son away from the abusive bastard they lived with. He recalled being mere inches from the window when the bastard caught them, yanking them both back into the row house.

"It's why I gotta find her, son," Tobias quietly said. "To make things right again. I mean, I ain't an idiot, though. I know she'll react the same way you did. Hell, I'll likely get hexed within an inch of my life knowing her. But I love her. And I ain't stoppin' for nothin' until I find her, ya know?"

"I do." Snape knew he'd be the exact same way if someone took Aurora from him now. "We'll find Mother together, though." He watched Tobias glance sideways at him. "Just so she doesn't kill you by accident." He smiled inwardly when he heard his father's chuckle.

Four days later, Harry's mind was still reeling from the week's events. While he had been off with his dad and everyone on Halloween far from Hogwarts, Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, had been attacked by something. Ron had described the scene as being sick with the cat hanging upside down by its tail from one of the torch brackets, frozen in place. Beside Mrs. Norris written on the walls were the words: "THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPEN. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE." Hermione had been quick to point out that Mrs. Norris's Petrification wasn't the result of a spell, which put Harry slightly on edge for some reason. The young boy couldn't stop thinking about how it could be related to the people trying to take his mum now. However, Harry's dad stubbornly disagreed.

Frequent whispers about this Chamber of Secrets thing at the school spread like wildfire through the corridors and the common rooms. Everyone wanted to know more. Fear driving most of the talks. So, when it was brought up in his History of Magic class the day before, Harry found himself even more on edge, listening to Binns drone on about the chamber's legend and the rumored monster within its walls. A part of Harry wanted to march up to Dumbledore's office and ask him just what sort of school he was attending. Quirrellmort first year. Now this. What was next?

Knowing that would be foolish, however, Harry continued to go about his day as normal as it could be at Hogwarts these days. Defense class was sorely a joke. He was frequently forced to act out passages of Lockhart's books with the man. Harry hated it, but he did his best to remain respectful.

Walking in with Hermione and Ron, Harry took his seat near the back. He quickly lowered his head and tried to make himself as small as he could before Defense class started. He glanced at Ron when his friend sat beside him, Hermione taking the seat on Harry's other side.

"I've been thinking," whispered Ron as he leaned towards them. "This Heir bloke, all right? He's got to be a Slytherin, doesn't he? I reckon if we could trick one of them into telling us, we could find out which one of them it is and save the school."

"Trick them?" Harry stared at his friend for a few moments. He could already hear his dad's lecture about his one. "And how would we do that? Take Polyjuice potion?" Harry said with a snort.

His eyes darted to Hermione when he heard a book clatter to the floor. He frowned when he saw her shocked look as she stared at him. He sighed.

"What? I do listen to Dad every now and then, Hermione. Sometimes it sticks."

"Then you know that the book your dad said it is in is—"

"Most Potent Potions or something," Harry said, shrugging. "Yeah. So?"

"Moste Potente Potions," Hermione corrected before shaking her head.

"Fine. That one. Whatever, Hermione."

"Wicked. Then, let's take that potion and save the school."

"There are two problems with that, though, Ronald," Hermione said in her familiar know-it-all tone. "First being that if Harry's father finds out what we're doing, we could be in serious trouble. ("Trouble. Ha. It's our middle names!" exclaimed Ron.) Second being that Moste Potente Potions is bound to be in the Restricted Section, so we'd need a note from one of the professors."

"Well, Lockhart's an idiot. Let's use him," Ron offered, his eyes watching the Defense professor floating down the stairs from his office.

"I could ask Mum, I suppose," Harry suggested quietly. The thought of finding out the identity of the heir of Slytherin was strangely appealing to the young boy. Maybe because it'd be a distraction.

"Or you could just let your father deal with this, Harry," Hermione whispered harshly.

"Dad's busy protecting Mum and finding out what happened to his mother with Grandpa," Harry replied offhandedly. "We could do this."

"You're an idiot. Both of you."

"Come on. Think about it. If we find out that Malfoy's the heir, we can get the git back."

"It's not Malfoy, Ronald," Hermione snapped, turning away from them with a loud huff.

"Jeez. What's got her knickers in a twist this morning?"

Harry merely shrugged, turning around and noticing Lockhart staring at him with that creepy grin of his. The boy glanced down at his book instantly. Definitely his mum. He would ask her about the note tonight after classes. It was worth a shot after all. There was no reason his dad had to do it all.

~FKTF~

Snape frowned as he read through the abysmal first-year essays. Honestly. What were some of these idiots thinking when they wrote these pathetic excuses of so-called papers? He winced at a student's response to what a bezoar was. With a flourish, he wrote his spiky 'T' at the top of the parchment. He wasn't paid enough for this crap.

"Idiot," he muttered, grabbing the next one from the pile.

"Sounds like quite a few of 'em are, son," Tobias piped up from the sofa.

Snape flinched inwardly at the sound of his father's voice, but he said nothing. He still wasn't exactly comfortable calling the man anything other than Tobias. He didn't dispute anymore the fact that the man was his father. Genetics rarely lie. However, that history was still there in the forefront of Snape's mind. He couldn't shake the past regardless of the fact that the man hadn't been there.

"Hey, Severus?" The scratching of the quill paused for a moment. "When's Princess done anyway? Thought maybe we could have a late dinner or somethin' together."

"Aurora is finished at two." Snape still wasn't thrilled with the nickname Tobias had settled on for Aurora. It was unsettling to hear his father use it.

"Really? That was like a half-hour ago, son. Maybe we should go check on her, huh?"

"She's likely marking exams currently, Tobias."

"Ya really aren't worried right now?"

"I am not." He glanced towards the man when he heard the scoff. "I know that she is safe because I've asked the Baron to watch her. He'd have alerted me if something was happening."

"Unless someone got to him," his dad remarked.

"Considering that the Baron is a ghost, I sincerely doubt it."

"What would it hurt, huh? To check on her? Just for peace of mind, ya know?"

Snape sighed, setting down his quill. A break from the horrendous torture devices called essays did sound good about now. He noticed the grin spread across his father's face instantly.

"You are aware that she is my—"

"Yer girlfriend, yeah, I got it, son." Tobias chuckled when Snape's cheeks reddened a bit. "Shit, son. Ya still get all red as a tomato when anyone says the g word. Ain't nothin' to be embarrassed about. Ya picked a good one."

"You make it sound like I went to the pound and chose her like one would choose a dog."

"Nah. She ain't no dog in the slightest. Ya get her anythin' yet?"

"Get her anything? Why on earth would I get her something?"

Tobias blinked for a few moments. "Cause she's yer girlfriend, son, and ladies sort of expect to be wooed in the whole courtin' phase. Otherwise, slick gits come and sweep them up off their feet."

"I doubt that would ever be the case with Aurora."

"Oh yeah?" Tobias crossed his arms. "Why? What'd ya do that's won her heart already, huh?"

"I don't need to win her heart. She's already mine."

"Ya sure 'bout that, son?"

"Positive."

"How? Ya just sort of said ya didn't give her nothin'. So how?"

"I don't need to give her silly little trinkets. I'm enough."

Tobias burst out laughing instantly, causing Snape to frown. What was the old man laughing about? He was. She didn't need stupid little tokens of his affection. He showed her the other night how much he cared for her. Physically.

"Oh, son," Tobias said, chuckling as he wiped his eyes. "Ya got so much to learn 'bout women."

"She doesn't need me to give her stupid flowers or bracelets or whatever to know that I care for her," Snape bristled, clenching his jaw.

"Then ya told her that? That ya care for her?"

"Of course I did." His temper was getting the better of him.

"When?"

"When we started our relationship." Honestly. What did it matter when he told her?

"Ya tell her anytime lately, son?"

"No. I don't need to tell her every damn day. She knows."

"Son, I hate to break this to ya, but telling a woman once that ya love her and shaggin' her later ain't gonna cut it. Ya gotta put more effort into it. Ya two been on a date yet?"

"Not officially." Why wasn't he just getting up and leaving? Why was he just listening to Tobias get on him like this? Maybe because he knew the man wasn't acting like this to hurt him, but to help.

"Son, they want to be wooed. Swept up off their feet by Prince Charmin'. Damn. Didn't yer mum ever tell ya about those stupid fairy tales or anythin'? I mean, hell, El wasn't exactly one for that sort of shit, but El ain't like most women. Most ladies get told these stupid little fairy tales where a prince comes and rescues this pretty little lass from wherever the hell these bad gits put her, sweeps her off her feet after rescuing her, and they live happily ever after the end. They want to be treated like princesses. Told they're pretty, swung around in yer arms as ya hold 'em, kissed like there ain't no tomorrow, get all the lines like 'Where ya been all my life' and 'Yer prettier than all the damn stars in the universe.' Ya know. Crap like that. And most of 'em want to show off the jewelry or stuff we get 'em to all their girlfriends, brag to them in other words about how perfect her guy is."

"You're saying that I'm supposed to buy crap and give it to Aurora in order to play into her girlhood fantasy?" Snape replied, frowning.

"Yeah. Pretty much. But, hey, son, don't ever buy her lingerie. Trust me. That shit don't work. My kidneys are still bruised from when I did that to yer mum."

Snape grimaced. He really didn't need to hear that.

"Wait. Son, ya tellin' me ya didn't give her that ring Harry got in Birmingham last year?"

"What ring?" Snape's eyes narrowed. Harry never told him about a ring.

"The boy said—lie I know now—that ya and she were datin' back then. He saw a ring in one of the cases. Told me that it'd be for her. It was a damn nice ring."

"Did he now?" He'd be speaking with his son very soon. "I wasn't aware of any ring."

"Huh. Interestin'. I know the boy had it when he left. Course, if he does give it to ya now, I'd likely wait until yer ready to marry her. Bit more of a weddin' ring I think."

"You gave him this ring, though? Without him paying for it?"

"Yeah, course I did." Tobias shrugged. "Ain't like anyone really noticed it, now did they?"

"Why?"

"What do ya mean 'Why?' The boy said it was for ya to give to yer girlfriend. So, I figured that it was the least I could do for ya since I wasn't there when ya were growin' up. Hell, it ain't like I could do much else without ya hexin' my arse over to kingdom come." Tobias shrugged. "Not much different from how I took care of those men tailin' ya later."

"You killed them."

"Yeah, and I ain't losin' sleep over it either, son. Shit happens. Ya should know that by now."

"You murdered two people who were defense—"

"Defenseless? Ah, hell, son, ya make it sound like I killed two innocent church going people. I killed two arseholes who'd have been released by the Ministry after a few days anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Ministry ain't holdin' people long anymore. They're releasin' them with the claim that the idiots are cured or some such bullshit like that."

"How do you know this?"

Tobias shrugged again. "Just where do ya think I been goin' to find yer mum, son? The Ministry's got answers. They just ain't willin' to provide just yet."

"You think the Ministry is holding her?"

"Nah. But I know they know more than they're lettin' on, Severus. I watched half a dozen men who got caught by those fancy Aurors be thrown back out onto the streets not long after. So somethin' mighty fishy is goin' down there. Course it could always be me bein' paranoid or something."

Snape frowned. If the Ministry was behind recent events, that wasn't good news to hear. He shook his head. The riddles surrounding them now were even more frustrating than the whole foolish Chamber of Secrets business.

"What do ya say to seein' her now, son, huh?"

The younger wizard only shook his head, though. He'd go see her alone. He pushed himself up and headed for the door, motioning for his father to remain. He truly didn't need Tobias to continue his 'princess' crap with her now.

However, the moment Snape stepped out of the portrait to leave, he paused at the muffled voices that were coming from the stairs. He frowned, narrowing his eyes. One of the voices definitely belonged to Aurora. The second—it took him a moment to realize was Lockhart.

"Now, now, my dear Aurora, I promise. It'd be just one butterbeer. That's all I ask."

"And as I told you before, Gilderoy, I respectfully have to decline. I have plans."

"Plans? At this hour? Surely, my good witch, you could cancel those plans for me. I'm certain whoever would understand," Lockhart replied in his sickly sweet voice.

Snape clenched his jaw, taking several steps out of his rooms. He could just see their shadows above him now. He glanced towards his father when Tobias stepped up beside him.

"I sincerely doubt it, Gilderoy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be going."

"Down there, my dear Aurora? To the dungeons?"

"Yes. To the dungeons," Aurora replied with clear annoyance.

"Is it true then? That you're with our dear Potions Master?"

"I don't believe my personal life is any of your business, Gilderoy."

Snape smirked inwardly after hearing her snap at Lockhart. A part of him wanted to see her—well, her shadow—punch the blond. He knew from experience that Aurora's punches hurt.

"No. No. Of course it's not. But, well, my dear, I'm worried about you, you see."

"I'm a big girl, Gilderoy. I can take care of myself," she replied dryly.

"Of course you are, my dear. It's just, well, I'd hate for something to happen to you while you're in our dear sweet Potions Master's rooms. I mean, I would hold myself accountable then because I was the one who escorted you down here in the first place you see. And I'm aware of the subtleties of a woman, my dear Aurora—"

"Clearly you're not aware of it enough, Gilderoy. Good night." She quickly rushed down the spiral staircase then away from the Defense professor.

Snape stood firmly when she reached the bottom of the stairs and saw him. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that his dad wore a large grin. He merely raised an eyebrow at her when she shook her head, brushing past him. She seemed to be in one of those moods again. He followed her with his dad in tow once more. These bad moods of hers were starting to become more frequent.

As soon as the portrait closed behind them, he watched her shoulders sag. Curiosity started to take over. Was her annoyance due to something more than Lockhart being his usual foolish self?

"Your son asked me for a note to the Restricted Section earlier," she stated, turning around for half a moment. "He wanted the book Moste Potente Potions. I asked him why, but he became defensive and ran off. You might want to talk to him soon." She sighed, shaking her head as she pulled off her long teaching robes and set them on the hook by the door.

"Are you well?" For the moment, he was brushing off her words about his son, focusing on her.

"Fine. It's just one of those nights. Good night."

"Wait!" Tobias called out when she headed for the bedroom. "Ya forgot somethin'."

Snape watched her tense instantly before she turned back around. Her eyes darted to her robes once more before she blinked something back.

"What?"

"Might be different in yer household, but mine a pretty lady kisses her father-in-law goodnight."

Aurora laughed softly, a ghost of a smile on her face.

"I wasn't aware that Severus and I had already married, Tobias," she said lightly.

"Eh, semantics," Tobias replied with a shrug. "Now, come here. My cheek needs a kiss. And, hell, my son likely needs one, too."

Snape's eyes darted to his father instantly. He was about to protest when he noticed Aurora kiss Tobias's cheek before she kissed his then. When she whirled around and left the room, he frowned. He received just a measly kiss on the cheek? That was her goodbye to him?

"Now, let's see what she was hidin', shall we?" Tobias said.

"What?" Snape glanced at his dad, watching the man return to the table with a note in his hand a moment later. "Where did you get that?"

"Her robes." He shrugged.

"You took a note from her robes? Have you ever heard of a thing called privacy, Tobias?"

"Yeah, well, keepin' her safe's more important, ain't it, son?"

Snape didn't reply. What was he going to say after all? No it wasn't? Frowning, he glanced at the note when his father finally unfolded it. Curiosity won as he read the note.

When picked, flower's petals will produce a glow. Follows traditional color meanings. Golden symbolizes true love.

"Figures it'd be 'bout flowers," Tobias said with a sigh. "Ya know the kind she's talkin' about?"

Snape inclined his head. He would gather these particular ingredients whenever he could. They were quite rare and quite valuable to say the least. He frowned inwardly as he reread her last notation. He had never had one glow gold before. Of course he never held much stock in plant lore either.

"Got any of them around here, son?"

"No. They bloom in the spring."

"Ah." Tobias sighed. "Well, ya could always get her some daisies or somethin' then."

"I believe I'll let her rest for now." Snape then shook his head.

"Onto the boy then?"

Snape didn't respond to him. "Baron," he called out, glancing when the Slytherin ghost suddenly appeared. "Inform my son that I'd like to speak with him first thing tomorrow morning." He watched the silver bloodied ghost nod before vanishing once more.

"If it was you, I'd tread lightly, son," Tobias remarked quietly. "Find out what ya were up to first. Then punish ya."

"I plan to." Snape watched Tobias nod before his dad walked past him, pausing to squeeze Snape's shoulder gently. His dad gave him a kind look before leaving a moment later. Tomorrow, Snape would find out what Harry was up to. Tonight, though, he'd just sleep.

~FKTF~

Waking up the following morning, Snape stretched before he pressed a kiss against Aurora's bare shoulder and got dressed. He had a young man to deal with first. Running a hand through his hair, he walked out of his bedroom. He snorted when he noticed Tobias already awake, reading the Daily Prophet at the table.

"Well, ya did say first thing, son."

"I did. Let's see if Harry understood that." Snape walked over to the counter, pouring himself a cup of tea. He glanced towards the portrait when he heard it swing open.

"You wanted to see me, Dad?" Harry asked quietly as he slowly walked into the room.

"I do." Snape took a sip of his tea. "I thought we might brew something together today. Before your classes." Harry's face was rather comical. Snape forced his face to remain neutral, though.

"Brew something?" Harry glanced towards Tobias before looking back at his dad. "Like what?"

Snape shrugged, walking over to his bookcases. His dark eyes trailed over the numerous leather-bound books before he found the desired one. He pulled the book out and turned around.

"Whichever potion you want to brew, Harry." He held out Moste Potente Potions. "Aurora informed me of your request, so I thought we could brew it together." He watched his son gulp. "What?"

"Dad, I, well, all right."

"Mind if I watch?" Tobias asked.

"If you'd like," Snape replied, glancing at his father sideways. "Choose the potion. We'll brew it in my personal labs." He caught Harry's Adam's apple bobbing up and down again. The boy was clearly nervous. "Is something wrong, Harry?"

"No. Why?" The young boy chewed on his bottom lip.

"Ya know, Harry, ya could always come clean. Cleanse yer conscience so to speak."

"What?" Harry glanced towards Tobias before he looked at his dad once more.

"Well, it's not exactly a book every second-year would know, Harry," Snape explained.

"I, um." The young Gryffindor sighed, looking at his feet as he shifted his weight.

"Tell me, Harry. What potion did you want?"

"Polyjuice," the boy softly whispered.

"Why?"

Harry shrugged.

"What do you want Polyjuice potion for, Harry?"

"To find out who the Heir of Slytherin is," the young Gryffindor whispered.

Snape shook his head. He should have figured that. That's all anyone wanted to talk about now. It was the Heir this, the Heir that. It annoyed him greatly. Hence why several Houses had lost a tremendous amount of points the past few days.

"I take it that it wasn't your plan?"

"I mentioned the Polyjuice. Ron came up with the thought of us finding it out." Harry sighed. "I just wanted to help, Dad."

"You have only one priority. School. That's it, Harry."

"But, Dad—"

"No. You are a twelve-year-old boy, Harry. You are not some indestructible child who cannot be harmed, I assure you. Leave the Heir of Slytherin business to the adults, and concentrate on your schoolwork. We have it in hand. Understand?"

"Fine," Harry said quietly. "May I go?"

"Not yet." Snape sighed, glancing at his father who watched them silently. It was unnerving to have the older man there. "Your heart is in the right place, Harry, but I need you to remain focused on your studies instead of adventures. I do not want anything to happen to you." He frowned inwardly. "If you'd like, however, we can brew the potion together. It'll take a month to brew."

"You're not going to let us have it, though, so why would you and I brew it together then?"

Snape did his best not to react to his son's words. "Merely offering the option to you, Harry." Because I thought maybe you'd take after me and enjoy brewing, he added in his mind.

Harry glanced at his dad before he nodded. "Sure, Dad. I should go, though. See you." He left.

Wearing his Gryffindor Quidditch robes the following Saturday, Harry hovered in the air high above the Quidditch pitch. He knew in the stands were his father, Tobias, and Mum. The first Quidditch match of the year, and it was against Slytherin. The second-year felt positively sick. He glanced down at the field to watch Madam Hooch instruct the captains of both teams—Slytherin's Adrian Pucey and Gryffindor's Oliver Wood—to shake hands. Harry felt a bit better knowing that Slytherin's Montague and Flint were both suspended from Quidditch until further notice by Dumbledore for their Muggleborn insults awhile back. Their absence meant that Slytherin had to rely on lesser experienced players, giving Gryffindor a chance now. All the fastest brooms in the world wouldn't do a person any good if he or she hadn't at least played a game of Quidditch before.

At the sound of the whistle, Harry shot off, his broom darting left and right to avoid collisions. He ignored the fact that Malfoy—still acting strangely subdued for some reason—was the opposing Seeker. Harry focused all his concentration on finding the Golden Snitch. Gryffindor was not going to lose. Not this time. Wood's earlier words echoed in Harry's mind. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry. He wouldn't let Wood or his team down. He just wouldn't.

Harry zoomed up high into the sky, catching the glittering gold instantly. His broom sped off after it. He'd show Slytherin a thing or two about how money couldn't buy matches. Vaguely, he heard someone yell his name, but he ignored it and reached out to snatch the Snitch.

WHAM.

The scream tore out of Harry instantly, his right arm hanging limply by his side. Where the hell had that Bludger come from? The pain was nearly unbearable as it shot through his arm. He, however, pushed himself through it. A broken arm was hardly the worst thing he had ever been forced to endure. Merlin knew that. He had a match to win.

At the sight of the glittering gold again just in front of him, Harry reached out with his good arm, snatching it with a dazed laugh. They had won. Take that, Slytherin! He held his hand up proudly. The match was over. Gryffindor won! Wood would be so happy now.

However, something collided with Harry a moment later, slamming hard into his back. The force of the blow unseated him, causing him to spiral at breakneck speed towards the ground. Harry couldn't even bother to scream before he hit the mud.

When he came to, he heard a flurry of noise and saw blurs coming from all directions. He lolled his head to the side with a groan before he started to choke. He couldn't breathe. Something was filling his lungs, liquid of some kind. He choked, sputtering as he closed his eyes.

"He's choking!" someone shouted.

"Get Madam Pomfrey!" another person yelled.

"Step back, chaps. I have just the spell for young Mr. Potter. We'll get him right as rain."

"No. Not you, Lockhart!" cried someone that sounded a bit like Ron, just a bit raspier—or did Harry just think Ron sounded raspy because he was in a lot of pain?

"Poor boy doesn't know what he's saying. Distraught over his hurt friend."

"Oh, yes he does!"

"Ron, come on." Another voice was added to the mix.

"No, Hermione. He's not doing any of his spells on Harry."

"Ron, lower your wand. He's a professor."

"Yeah, and an idiot one, too, Hermione."

"Ronald Weasley!"

"What? He is, Hermione!"

"I most certainly am not. You take that back, Mr. Weasley."

"I most certainly will not! You're an idiot! Everyone who's ever read your books knows it."

"Ronald!"

Harry laughed silently. Everyone sounded so funny to him. Like they were all characters on a comedy show on the telly. He opened his eyes, glancing towards them. There were all sorts of different shapes looking down at him. Merlin, he felt so loopy. As his vision blurred even further into darkness, he closed his eyes again, passing out.

~FKTF~

"He feels a little warm, doesn't he, Madam?" a soft voice whispered somewhere near Harry, a hand against Harry's forehead.

"He's fine, Aurora." Madam Pomfrey laughed quietly as the hand was removed. "Goodness, my dear. Trust me. I have him well in hand. You need not to do the Martyr's Gift this year on Mr. Potter."

"I didn't mean that. I just—"

"I know, Aurora. He's mending just fine so far. As I told you before, the bones are reset, and the damage is repaired. He's merely resting now." There was a soft sigh. "I take it Severus is still inspecting the equipment with Rolanda?"

"Yes. Otherwise, he'd be here with Harry." A gentle hand brushed back Harry's long hair. "Is he in pain? I mean, he looks like he is. Maybe it's time for another pain potion?"

"Aurora, please. Stop worrying. You getting all worked up will not be good for either of you."

"Someone tried killing him, Poppy. With a Bludger of all things."

"I know. I saw it just as you and Severus did."

"If it's not Purebloods being kidnapped or cats being Petrified, it's hexed Bludgers trying to kill Harry." She exhaled loudly, clearly frustrated. "Hasn't he gone through enough already in his life?"

"Harry's a survivor, Aurora. He shows us his strength every day."

"He's also a twelve-year-old boy, Poppy," she retorted. "Who has gone through hell and back."

"I know that. However, he has Severus and you, Aurora. He's in good hands now."

"Severus is livid. He thought it might be retaliation for Flint and Montague's punishments."

"Understandable."

Harry moaned softly, unable to remain quiet any longer as he had eavesdropped on the witches. His eyes slowly opened before he yelped out from a sharp pain in his back.

"Welcome to the land of the living, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said with a faint smile.

"Ow," he replied, wincing. He realized quickly that he couldn't move his arm, and that he was lying on his side. "What happened?" he asked weakly.

"Someone tampered with a Bludger, it would seem," his mum answered as she sat across from him. "Your dad's trying to see if he and Madam Hooch can find out who it was."

That made sense, considering what he had heard them discussing just a few moments ago. He glanced around the room before looking back at her. It sounded like it was just them in the hospital wing. He had thought that his grandfather would have at least been there.

"Where's Tobias?" Harry still wasn't comfortable—for some reason—calling the man Grandpa yet. Of course, his dad didn't seem at all comfortable calling the man Dad either.

"He's in the dungeons, getting your dad's bed all ready for you."

"What?" Harry was confused now. "Aren't I staying here?"

"Normally, I'd be inclined to say 'yes,' but because of the nature of your injuries, your father requested you remain in the dungeons. Where you're safe, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey answered. "We're not quite certain who it was that fixed that Bludger, and he's not one to take chances with you."

"Oh."

"You can heal just as well down there as you can up here."

Madam Pomfrey and his mum then glanced towards the door. Harry could see his mum's eyes widen instantly before she hid her surprise at something.

"What? What is it?" His curiosity had taken over.

"It's nothing, love." His mum rose a moment later from her seat. "I'll take him down there now."

"Good. I'll send a house elf with the potions after I deal with . . ."

"I understand."

Harry frowned when he saw Madam Pomfrey move away. Something was going on behind his back. Literally. The adults just weren't willing to share. Had something happened? Was there another Bludger attack? Oh, no. What if it was his dad? No. If it had been his dad, his mum would be more choked up or something. It was something else. Something deemed to be a threat. Clearly.

"Kali," his mum called out. A small female house elf appeared a moment later. "Take us to Severus's bedroom. Now." Without another word, the three disappeared.

~FKTF~

Meanwhile, Snape frowned as he moved his wand over each piece of Quidditch equipment. So far, they had found nothing. Not even a trace of a magical signature that could be tied to the tampered equipment. There was no dark magic. No light magic. Nothing except house elf magic.

He then paused, re-inspecting the Bludgers. One Bludger was badly damaged from a well-deserved Bombarda after it had hit Harry in the back. His eyes narrowed as he then re-inspected the Beaters bats. There was more house elf magic on the Bludgers than there was on any other piece of equipment. He noticed Hooch's look of puzzlement.

"Do the house elves usually handle the equipment?" he inquired, already knowing the answer.

"Sometimes. Usually when they need to be washed. Why, Severus?"

"Did you have them washed recently, Madam Hooch?"

"No. Not since the end of last term. Why?"

Snape's frown deepened. There was no way any witch or wizard could tamper the Bludgers without leaving some trace of their magical signature behind. And it especially couldn't be erased without someone reaching the Bludgers before he and Madam Hooch had arrived. There was a crowd full of witnesses who hadn't seen anyone go near the bloody things. So, it left only one explanation.

"A house elf tampered with this Bludger," he stated.

"A house elf? Why on earth would a house elf try to kill your son? It doesn't make any sense."

"I agree." Snape's mind raced with plausible explanations, but he couldn't. No Hogwarts house elf would ever attack a student, ordered to do so or otherwise. He then thought for a moment. What if it wasn't a Hogwarts elf? He'd have to ask Lucius about it later. Perhaps the man would have the answer.

"You'll referee the next match, I take it? Like you did last year when Harry was hexed?"

"If my son is able to play, certainly." He hadn't seen Harry since earlier on the pitch, his son lying completely still with Lockhart and Weasley arguing like idiots above him. He inclined his head to Madam Hooch before he walked away. Maybe this happened because the Fates were telling him that he'd have to choose between the woman he cared for and his son. That he couldn't protect both.

Walking into his rooms a half an hour later, he set his outer robes on the hook by the door and then proceeded to the bedroom where he heard voices. He slowed when he caught Harry's laughs. He leaned against the doorjamb, glancing in with his arms crossed at the sight that greeted him. Like a little kid who had gone to his mum in the middle of the night after a nightmare, Harry was snuggled up against Aurora, his broken arm propped up by a pillow. The two were laughing at the shadow puppets that danced across the wall as Tobias made them, sound effects and all.

Snape couldn't help but chuckle a few times. He'd admit that Tobias certainly had a knack for comedy. He watched with them, slowly walking further in the room but still hovering by the door. He had never been truly comfortable in these settings. He always felt as if he was a burden to others for some reason. Or perhaps it was something else. He didn't know for certain.

"Hey, Dad," Harry said softly, a wide grin on his face. "Come over here. We got plenty of room." He kicked his legs as if to prove his point. His eyes then darted back to Tobias who was telling an amusing rendition of the Three Little Pigs.

Snape walked to the edge of the large four-poster bed, sitting down and leaning against one of the tall bedposts. He kept himself deliberately back from Aurora to ensure that nothing improper occurred. He didn't need Harry to start the adolescent whining about such things then.

"Ya find anythin' out, son?" Tobias asked once he finished his storytelling, joining them on the bed a moment later.

Snape glanced towards each of them before sighing. "It would seem that a house elf tampered with the Bludger."

"Dobby?" Harry mumbled under his breath in surprise prior to realizing his mistake. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and glanced away when his dad leaned forward.

"Where did you hear that name?" When Harry shook his head, Snape's frown deepened. "Answer me, son. Where did you hear that name?" There was no way Lucius had spoken about the elf. The man was rarely around anymore, spending his time with Rayne most nights now. "Harry, answer me. Where did you hear that name?"

"I didn't," the young boy replied quietly, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Then, how is it that name came to be in your head?" Snape responded, staring at him.

"Um, well, uh, promise not to get mad?"

"It's too late for that. So, answer the question."

"He was at the castle that we visited over the summer. He was the reason the suits of armor came to life. Not the little girl, Dad. He told me not to come back to Hogwarts this year."

"Why?" Snape drew the word out slowly.

"I don't know. He didn't say. Well, just that it wasn't safe." Harry shrugged before wincing. "I think he wrote me, though. Once I mean. When we were at Scarborough. It's in Mum's journal."

Snape held his hand out, summoning the journal that he knew was on his son's desk in the other room. He drew in a slow breath when it suddenly flew into his hand. The smell of lavender and other scents instantly surrounded him. He brushed it off, though, flipping through the journal before finding the slip of parchment.

Don't return to Hogwarts next term. It's not safe.

Snape drew his wand, tapping it once against the note to reveal the writer's identity. His eyes narrowed when he caught the name. That most certainly was not Dobby. He glanced at Harry before looking back down at the note. What in the nine hells was going on?

"Baron!" he called out. His eyes darted to the Slytherin ghost when he floated into the room. "Escort Lucius and Draco Malfoy to my rooms immediately." He turned away when the Baron glided away to follow his orders.

"What are you planning on doing, Severus?" his mum asked softly.

"I'm going to figure out why Draco warned Harry to stay away," Snape answered with a forced exhale as he clenched his teeth. He should've known better. Lucius was a Slytherin and a Death Eater at that. All attempts at stating he was reformed were likely lies on his part.

"You asked to see us, old friend?" Lucius said with a smile that quickly faded. "What's wrong?"

"Why did your son write mine and tell him to stay away this term?"

Lucius's eyes quickly darted to Draco, who kept his eyes trained on his feet. "I was not aware that he had, I assure you, Severus. Answer him, Draco," he barked.

"Hogwarts isn't safe for Harry," the second-year Slytherin answered softly.

"That is not for you to decide, Draco Lucian Malfoy!"

"But the diary, Dad!" Draco then clapped his mouth shut and took a step back as if he expected a blow at any moment.

"The diary?" Snape repeated deathly quiet. "What diary? What is your son referring to, Lucius?"

"I haven't the slightest, Severus." Lucius shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine at this point." He shook his head before inhaling sharply when Snape slammed him up against the wall with a wand digging into his neck. "Severus! Old friend!"

"The truth, Lucius. Now!" he hissed, glaring daggers at the blond. "Lest I start informing—"

"All right. All right! Let me go, and I'll tell you."

"No. You tell me now!" He dug his wand deeper in the other wizard's throat.

"I procured an interesting object in Knockturn Alley a few years back."

"And?"

"I may have slipped it into one of the Weasley brats' cauldrons this summer."

"What sort of 'interesting object' was it, Lucius?"

"A diary. Like the boy said. It's harmless, though. You write a few lines. It writes back. That's all. Nothing to get all upset over, I assure you. Now, may I be let down?"

"What aren't you telling?"

"The stupid house elf thought it was dark. Said it was evil and a litany of other junk. But I found no such darkness on it." He swallowed when Snape's eyes narrowed. "Well, I might have found a trace of it at first, but when I examined it again, I found nothing."

"Draco?" Snape asked, frowning.

"It felt like it was sucking out my soul when I played with it once," the young blond answered quietly. "I didn't want it to be like last year. So I thought if Harry stayed away, it'd be all right."

"Why?"

"It seemed interested in him, Professor. Like really interested in learning about Harry."

"Old friend, you know me," Lucius interrupted. "I owe you a life debt in fact. Why would I try to harm your son?"

Snape brushed off Lucius's words. "Draco, did you order Dobby to tamper with the Bludgers?"

"No, sir."

"Lucius, did you order Dobby to tamper with the Bludgers?"

"Merlin no, Severus." Lucius exhaled. "Why would I order my house elf to harm your son after I petitioned the Dark Lord not to go after your son anymore?"

"You spoke with the Dark Lord?"

"Yes. Contrary what everyone would like to imagine, the Dark Lord is quite well."

"What was the condition he required, Lucius? What did you promise him?"

"Nothing. I may have told a few . . . mistruths to him, though, to ensure it'd be in his interest."

"Regarding?"

"Harry's mother."

"Explain."

"I informed the Dark Lord that Mud—Muggleborn was not his mother. That it was an elaborate lie she had told to conceal the fact that she miscarried."

"He'd never believe such a thing." Hell, Snape couldn't even believe such a thing.

"He would when I had proof to state my claims, old friend."

"Proof can be manufactured, Lucius. Any good Slytherin would know that."

"It can. But in this case, the proof was a former employee of St. Mungo's."

"What are you talking about?"

"In July of 1980, Harry James Potter was born at St. Mungo's, where he stayed for two days," Lucius happily announced. "Also, in July of 1980, Miss Aurora Sinistra was admitted to St. Mungo's the same time that our dear Harry was born. She too stayed for two days."

"You son of a bitch!" Aurora yelled instantly. "You had no right!"

Snape's eyes darted to her before returning to Lucius. "Are you stating that you told the Dark Lord that Aurora is his real mother?"

"Yes."

"And he believed it?"

"Yes. Because the man had told the truth. He had falsified birth records when he was there."

"Where's the diary now? Which Weasley did you give it to?"

"I don't know. I didn't pay much attention. Just dropped it in the cauldron and left."

"We need to find that diary. Understand?" Snape's eyes darkened as he glared at him.

"It's nothing bad, Severus, I assure you. This concern for the students is misplaced."

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, Lucius."

"It's not real. It's pure fantasy. Words spoken from an old legend meant to scare the first-years."

"Then, tell me, Lucius. Just what exactly is petrifying the students currently? You are aware there was another attack tonight, aren't you?" He noticed the bob in Lucius's Adam's apple. "Your son could be the monster's next victim."

"Impossible."

"How so?"

"It won't attack a Slytherin," Lucius replied, holding his head up a bit higher. "Especially not one who holds my views."

"Would you like to test that theory, Lucius?" He scoffed when the blond quickly shook his head. Lucius may have been a fierce believer in the Dark Lord's ideals but underneath that exterior he was just a selfish, self-centered coward. His only redeeming quality, if one could call it that, was that he loved his family more than anything and would do anything to protect their best interests. "I thought not. You and I are going to find that diary tomorrow. In the meantime, order your house elf to cease and desist where my son is concerned, and get the hell out." He released Lucius, turning away. He said nothing when he heard the older wizard scramble to his feet before rushing out the door. Malfoys. He should've known.

Snape paced silently, frowning as he stood in the antechamber off of the Great Hall as he waited for that idiot Lockhart. Lucius and he had searched practically a month and a week for that damn diary and found nothing. Well, that was to say they found nothing of use. He turned on his heel once more, heading back towards the door.

It didn't make sense. Lucius just happening to find a dark object and passing it onto a Weasley? He turned sharply again, returning the way he came. Lucius wouldn't have risked putting his son in danger. So, then Lucius couldn't have known it was a dark object. That led to more questions, however. Like, for example, how could Lucius—known for recognizing dark objects—not realize the dangers this object possessed?

Snape halted instantly. Lucius had admitted to speaking with the Dark Lord, though. Lying to the Dark Lord, in fact, about Harry's mother. Snape's eyes narrowed as he replayed that conversation in his head. Aurora's reactions were as if Lucius had revealed a secret of hers, something in her past she didn't want known. So what if she had been admitted the same time Lily had been giving birth to Harry? That didn't mean anything truly. It could easily be explained as her having surgery the same time or something else. But then, why did she become so enraged by Lucius's revelation?

Aurora was right. Lucius had no right to lie to the Dark Lord and tell him that Aurora was Harry's mother. It put her in danger now. But her reactions weren't consistent with protecting herself, though. It was something else.

In July of 1980, Aurora would have just been entering her second year of university, nineteen by his estimate in fact. He frowned, still pacing back and forth in the antechamber. She would likely be at Windsor for the summer holiday. He then sighed heavily. It really wasn't any of his business why she had become so upset over Lucius's revelations. If she wanted Snape to know, she would tell him.

"Ah. There you are, Severus," McGonagall announced, walking into the antechamber briskly.

"Indeed. What may I do for you, Minerva?"

"Have you gathered the names of Slytherins who are staying for the Christmas break yet?"

"I have. You should already have them by owl, in fact. I sent them last week."

"Ah. Good." She forced a smile. "I will admit, Severus, I had thought with your father being here, Harry would be joining you two for the holidays."

His eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "I'm afraid I'm not following you, Minerva."

"Harry. He stated that he was remaining behind with his friends."

"Granger and Weasley?" Snape asked softly.

"The very same," she replied with a sharp nod. "Was Mr. Potter mistaken?"

"He was." Snape kept his features masked. If he found out his son was still on his finding the Heir of Slytherin kick, his son would find himself sorely punished later. "Remove him from your list, Minerva. He will not be spending his holidays here." He caught her curt nod.

"Shall I inform him, then?"

"There's no need." Snape smiled thinly. "It'll be a surprise." One that the boy wouldn't know until the very last moment, in fact, if Snape had anything to say about it.

"Of course." She turned to leave, smiling when the door opened a moment later to reveal Madam Pomfrey. "He's all yours, Poppy." McGonagall left soon after.

"If you are here to lecture me about—"

"No, Severus. I'm not," the matron said with a sigh. "Actually, I've just received the information you requested awhile back. About Project Unicorn?"

Snape felt the sudden stimulation at her words. "Go on."

"Well, there's honestly not much to go on, I'm afraid, Severus. Most of the files have strangely disappeared from there and from the Ministry. My contact believes that someone has gone to great lengths to hide this information. The only thing he could find about it was this." She held up a manila envelope. "It's the cover page, Severus." She sighed, handing it over to him. "I'm sorry we couldn't find more. However, it seems that whatever this project is, no one wants others to know about it. My contact stated that it seemed like a lot of people were spooked by his inquires."

Snape nodded slowly, grabbing the envelope. He inclined his head to her before she left, leaving him alone with the envelope. Not wasting any time, he opened it, pulling out the page and closing his eyes. Pomfrey had meant it when she said there wasn't much to go off.

Project Unicorn

Funded by the Ministry of Magic

Implemented at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Healer-in-charge: Syra Ophelia

Assistant: Leonidas Montgomery

He slipped the paper back into the envelope a moment later. A mystery for another day. He frowned, tapping his foot silently as he glared at the door leading to the Great Hall. Where was that bumbling idiot anyway? He snorted when a tiny voice in his mind snidely suggested that Lockhart likely had locked himself in the bathroom again. They could only be so lucky.

When the door opened with a flourish several minutes later, Snape masked his features to keep the disappointment from his face at the sight of Lockhart gliding into the room. Crossing his arms, Snape drew in a slow breath. He hated tardiness, but most of all he hated Lockhart right now.

"My good chap, there you are." Lockhart chuckled loudly. "Hiding out in here will curry no favors with me, Professor Snape, I assure you."

"Shall we?" Snape replied sharply, just barely keeping the hissing from his voice. Merlin, he hated that man.

"Of course. Of course." The man's eyes darted about the room, however.

"Is something the matter, Lockhart?"

"Hmm? Oh no. Of course not, Professor." Lockhart gave an awkward laugh before he headed for the door. Once they stepped out into the Great Hall, Lockhart once more stopped and glanced about the room. He was searching for someone clearly.

"If you are concerned about—"

"Of course not." Lockhart laughed nervously again, glancing at Snape. He forced a polite smile on his face before he leaned in towards Snape's ear. "If you must know, I'm looking for our lovely Aurora. I was hoping for a good luck kiss, you know?"

Ignoring his first urge to punch the man, Snape settled on snorting. The act of perfect neutrality was one of his many gifts after all. He caught Lockhart's eyes narrowing.

"Professor Sinistra rarely leaves her tower on clear nights, Lockhart. Therefore, I doubt she'd bother herself with attending. It's rare that she tears herself long enough from her stars to be around us lesser beings," Snape drawled. There was a half-truth to his statements. She did dislike tearing herself from her stars.

"Hasn't she been staying with you, however? In light of recent events, I mean."

"No." He knew no one but Harry, Tobias, and Calisto Rayne knew about his relationship with Aurora. They had both decided to be extra careful and keep it a secret.

"Ah. Then, the rumors are wrong?"

"Rumors typically are, Lockhart. Now, unless you wish to delay us further, shall we? Unlike you, I'm quite confident in my abilities and do not need a 'good luck kiss." He turned on his heel a moment later, heading towards the golden stage beneath the bewitched darkened sky. He barely kept his growl back when the bumbling idiot brushed him aside to reach the stage first.

However, the sight of Aurora standing off to the side caused him to forget his annoyance. She had come. She was giving up a night of clear skies to be there for him. He caught her glance towards Lockhart who was being a conceited arse again no doubt before she caught Snape's black eyes. He couldn't help himself as he easily entered her mind.

Hex his arse, love, she thought.

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. He sent her back a simple reply. With pleasure. He turned away, his lip curling as he glared at Lockhart. The bumbling idiot wouldn't know what hit him. Though, Snape did want the students to learn proper dueling so he'd abide by the agreed rules. For now at least.

Lockhart bowed with as much flamboyance as he could, which only served to piss Snape off even more and forced Snape to jerk his head irritably at the idiot. Honestly. Hadn't Lockhart ever been in a proper duel before? Had they been at the height of the war currently, Lockhart would have been murdered the second his pompous arse self did that girly flourish.

Raising his wand in front of his face, Snape stared darkly at Lockhart. At least the idiot could manage to raise his own wand properly. They'd all see soon enough if the bumbling fool's magical prowess, which Snape figured was grossly exaggerated.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart announced to the gathered crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

Snape barely kept the 'oh really' smile from his face. His breathing was slow. His heart beat lightly in his chest. And his eyes kept watch on his prey. This right here was why he had agreed to the blasted duel in the first place. For this one moment, this one chance to put Lockhart in his rightful place. To show everyone just what sort of complete moron and fraud Gilderoy Lockhart really was.

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent.

After Snape cried, "Expelliarmus!" there was a dazzling flash of scarlet light as Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backwards off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. Snape looked on in expertly hidden glee. Served the moron right.

At the sound of Lockhart's pronouncement of how so-called 'easy' it was to recognize, Snape felt his temper flare. He glared murderously at the man, wondering why he hadn't casted the Killing Curse on the clear waste of oxygen Lockhart represented. He ignored the annoying voice that answered.

Several minutes later—after all the students were divided up and promptly tried to kill one another—Snape looked on, watching Harry and Draco face each other on the golden stage. He bent down to Draco's ear.

"I suggest whichever spell you are no doubt going to cast instead of disarming my son be a minor annoyance spell only, Mr. Malfoy. Is this understood?" Snape caught Draco's wide smile instantly. "Because if you cast anything dark or damaging, I assure you that your father will be the least of your worries." Snape then stood up straight and stepped aside.

He hated that Draco had to keep up appearances for the sake of his family. The young Slytherin, while clearly arrogant, wasn't similar to Lucius in the least. The boy, after all, had no particular qualms with Muggleborns, rising above the long-standing pureblood beliefs. However, Draco had to maintain an image, just as Snape had to do.

Before the two boys were given the go ahead, Draco struck first. "Serpensortia!" A long black snake shot out of Draco's wand, flying through the air towards Harry before it thumped onto the stage.

Snape frowned inwardly as he looked on neutrally. Summoning a snake was rather mild, he supposed. His brows knit at the sight of Harry standing motionless while the snake slithered towards the young Gryffindor. Was his son scared of snakes?

"Don't move, Potter." Snape slowly walked towards the snake. "I'll get rid of it—"

"Allow me!" Lockhart proudly shouted before sending a spell towards the snake.

Snape watched in silent horror as the black snake sailed through the air before slamming back down onto the stage. What in the hell was Lockhart thinking? He raised his wand to vanish the snake as it rose to strike the young Hufflepuff boy who unluckily stood in front of it. However, before he could cast his spell, he heard loud hissing that clearly wasn't from the now docile snake.

The black eyes snapped to Harry instantly. There were no thoughts in Snape's mind currently. He was too shocked for a moment. He quickly snapped himself out of his rare stupor and sent his spell to banish the snake that lay at his son's feet. He could see on his son's face that Harry didn't understand why Finch-Fletchley had become so angry with him. His eyes narrowed on his son before Weasley and Granger yanked Harry off the stage and away from the crowd. He quickly moved to follow, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Aurora was doing the same.

It didn't make sense. His son, a Parselmouth? Where would he have gotten that gift from? Snape brushed past the likely scared students. He was thankful when he noticed Aurora reach the trio first and instruct them to stop. He felt a chill run down his spine as he approached them. The last person he had heard speak Parseltongue was the Dark Lord to that damn snake of his. It had always given him the creeps if he had to admit it. He joined the four a moment later, glancing pointedly at Granger and Weasley—thankful when the two left without a word—before escorting his son down to the dungeons with Aurora by his side. How in the hell were they supposed to handle this surprise?

~FKTF~

Inside his dad's rooms now, Harry sat on the sofa, trying to figure out why everyone was acting so serious all of a sudden. Had he done something wrong? He glanced towards his dad, then to his mum. Both adults seemed lost in thought, though, as they stood in front of Harry.

"Is Tobias all right?" Harry asked quietly. He caught their eyes darting to him in confusion.

"He's fine, Harry," his mum replied quietly. "He just went to bed early."

The young Gryffindor nodded slowly. "Then, what is it? Why do you both have the look that someone died?" He noticed his mum glance towards his dad and frowned. "What is it?"

"What did you instruct the snake to do?" his dad asked.

"To leave Justin alone." Harry shrugged. "Didn't you two hear me?"

"I heard you speak Parseltongue, Harry, not English. Snake language in other words."

"Oh." Harry shrugged again, not understanding why that was so unsettling to them. "Loads of people here can speak to snakes, can't they? Like all of Slytherin."

"No, son. It's a rare gift. One that doesn't run in your mother's or in my family."

The young boy's bright green eyes glanced towards his mum, who had made a slight movement in response to his dad's answer. He frowned, watching her walk towards the window to look out.

"So, then, what? Is that bad? That I can speak to snakes?"

"Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth," his dad said softly, "as was the Dark Lord, Harry."

"Oh." He glanced down at his trainers. No wonder they were all looking so serious. "Dad?"

"Yes?"

Harry bit his bottom lip, kicking his heels against the sofa. "Do you think I'm turning dark?"

"No, son. I don't think that at all." His dad sighed, kneeling down before he pulled Harry into his arms. "We'll figure out what it means. All right? You aren't alone, Harry. We're right here with you. You're safe now, son."

With all his heart, Harry believed his dad. He certainly felt safe with them. Safer than he had ever felt before in fact. It was a good feeling, one he hoped lasted forever.

~FKTF~

After Herbology was cancelled because of the blizzard that continued roaring outside the next morning, Harry found himself outside his mum's office door. Had his father not had class right then, he'd have gone to him instead. He pulled his robes tighter around himself, raising his hand to knock. Only the door burst open before he could as a young Gryffindor first-year rushed out, clearly crying. That was Ron's little sister, he thought. He frowned, but walked in a moment later.

His mum sat at her desk with her head in her hands. Hovering by the door for a few seconds, he quietly closed it behind him soon after. Her office was warm, and he knew she'd be upset if he let all the warmth escape.

"Is everything all right, Mum?"

"Harry," she softly said, raising her head ever so slightly to look at him. "Shouldn't you be in class?" Her eyes were narrowed on him in confusion.

"Cancelled because of the snowstorm." He sat down across from her.

"Of course." She rubbed at her temples. Something she had been doing a lot more lately. "So, what brings you here?"

"Ron's playing Wizard's Chess with Hermione, and I'm getting tired of watching her lose." He glanced down at his hands. "And I'm tired of all the looks from people, too. They act like I'm going to hurt them or something now." Harry swallowed. "That's what she was doing here, wasn't she? Telling you that she's worried about her brother being friends with me?"

"No, Harry."

"It's not?"

"No." She pushed herself up to stand. "What do you say to us raiding the kitchens for a snack? I don't know about you, but I'm starved." Her earlier dismay seemed to be vanishing slowly. She smiled faintly when Harry laughed. She waited for him by the fireplace, grabbing the Floo powder. They arrived in the kitchens a moment later. A dozen or so house elves instantly snapped to attention, asking what they could get them.

Harry opened his mouth to answer the house elves, but promptly closed it when he heard the rattling of chains near them. He glanced to his left and watched the Bloody Baron slowly float towards them. His eyes narrowed as he waited silently.

"Severus requests that I escort the both of you to him," the Slytherin ghost stated mournfully. His chains rattled eerily as he hovered in the soft light of the kitchens.

"Did he now?" Harry's mum replied with a slight frown. "And did he say why exactly?" At the sight of the Baron shaking his head, she scoffed. "Of course he didn't."

"I believe it is urgent, however."

Harry glanced towards his mum, noticing her brows knitting in confusion. The Bloody Baron held her look silently for a few moments before he motioned for them to follow. Harry waited to see what his mum was going to do and was thankful when she moved away from the counter to follow the ghost. If his dad wanted them to see him now, it had to be important.

Harry's insides quickly knotted as they headed to the dungeons. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened to his dad. Or maybe it had happened to Tobias? He wasn't certain which.

The corridors were largely empty and quiet. In fact, as they rounded the corner near his dad's classroom, he realized that he hadn't seen a single student or professor in the hallway. The Baron walked past the room a moment later, allowing Harry to glance in quickly and find it empty as well.

By his estimate, his dad still had forty minutes left of class. It was rare that his dad would let the class out early unless there was a potions accident. However, upon the brief inspection, Harry found the Potions classroom spotless. So, then, why had his dad dismissed class?

At the sight of the Baron stopping in front of Salazar's portrait, Harry's frown deepened. What was going on? He watched the portrait swing open to allow them inside, following his mum in. His confusion became even worse when he saw Tobias standing in the sitting room with a bag.

"Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked the older man quietly.

Harry's dad, however, stepped into the room a millisecond later and quickly cut Tobias off. "No. We are, Harry." His dad's black eyes darted to Harry's mum's. "I need both of you to pack anything essential. We're leaving tonight."

"What?" Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, but he couldn't form a thought long enough to elaborate. They were leaving Hogwarts? Why?

"Just do it, Harry. Grab anything you might need, and throw it all into your trunk." His dad seemed uncharacteristically rattled for some reason. However, the man clearly wasn't in the mood to supply answers just yet.

Harry did as he was instructed, heading to his room quickly. He brushed aside the question of when his trunk had been brought down to his room and started to pack. His clothes were already in the trunk as was the Invisibility Cloak. Not really sure if he needed them or not, he gathered up a few of his scattered textbooks anyway and stuffed them into the trunk. He grabbed his birth mother's journal and the framed photo of him and his dad from last summer, adding them to the pile to take. He then grabbed his Nimbus and dragged his trunk behind him to the sitting room.

"Do you have everything?"

"I think so." Harry shrugged. It had become a habit while living at the Dursleys to have already packed everything up. Just in case one day he was saved from the wretched hellhole. Harry watched his dad nod before the man glanced towards the back bedroom where Harry guessed his mum was.

After hearing his dad's quiet growl of annoyance, Harry's mum appeared from behind the door. A green-and-silver trunk followed behind her as she approached them. She seemed just as confused as Harry did, which put the young boy at ease somewhat. At least it wasn't only him this time.

"Do you have your journal?"

"I do. It's in my trunk. Why?"

"Do you need anything else? Perhaps from your rooms?"

"Severus . . ." she started to say before she thought better on it. "There's a tapestry in my bedroom hanging on the wall."

"Mokai!" Harry's dad yelled, calling for the house elf. "Go to Aurora's rooms. Retrieve the tapestry from her bedroom wall. Now!" The small creature vanished and then reappeared with the item in hand. His dad quickly grabbed the tapestry and promptly dismissed the elf.

"Severus, what's going on?"

"Dad, what is it?" Harry asked, joining his mum.

"Son, we gotta go," Tobias quietly stated, frowning. "There's no more time left."

"I know," Harry's dad replied, looking grim as he flicked his wand at their trunks to shrink them. He picked up his mini-trunk, now the size of a matchbox, and put into his pocket, instructing them to do the same. His knuckles, Harry noticed, were ivory as his dad tightly held his ebony wand. Something had clearly happened. Or was about to happen maybe, Harry decided.

Harry felt odd, knowing that his now mini-broom and mini-trunk were in his pocket. It didn't feel as if he had either item on him. In fact, if he hadn't seen them put their mini-trunks in their pockets, he'd swear they were all just normally dressed; his dad in his black billowy robes, his mum in her blue robes, he in his Gryffindor robes, and Tobias in his trousers and shirt. Harry watched his dad head for the Floo powder on the mantel and watched him grab a bit from the jar next to his dad's glass award.

They then headed to the fireplace to leave, all four of them squeezing in tight and standing in the temporarily frozen flames. However, just as his dad had thrown down the powder and called out their destination, his mum suddenly reached up and snatched his dad's "Potions Master of the Year" award from the mantel. Harry just barely kept from snickering, feeling the whoosh of the Floo a second later along with an unexpected roar.

Reappearing not long after, they all tumbled out of the connecting fireplace. Harry groaned and slowly pushed himself up. However, before he could get his bearings straight, his dad's hand snatched a hold of his arm. Harry's vision instantly went black as there was a strong tug behind his navel. What was going on? Once more, they reappeared, Harry finding himself in the same position he had been previously on a new surface—a cobblestone street he realized.

"Dad?" the young boy said weakly. His stomach rolled slightly.

"Just breathe through it, son," his dad replied flatly, helping him up and holding the young boy against him. "We have a bit to go yet, I'm afraid, before we can stop." He helped Harry walk, since the boy's legs refused to walk correctly.

"There," Tobias called from Harry's left. "Might help the boy. Walkin' sure ain't gonna help."

"I agree," Harry's dad responded as they came to a stop.

Harry lifted his head slowly, frowning when he saw the taxi. He glanced at his dad and felt himself being passed over to Tobias as they slowly slid in together. Harry's head slumped against the window instantly, seeking the coolness of it to ease his sudden headache. When he felt someone squeeze his hand, he made a soft noise. His eyes slowly moved to his hand to see who it was.

"It's all right, love." His mum, then.

Harry felt warmth seep into his body and closed his eyes. Whatever she was doing, he hoped she didn't stop. It was helping him feel better strangely enough. He didn't know why, but his ears hurt. Was that a result of whatever the hell his dad just used on them? Or was that from the roaring he heard? He rolled his head to the side, smiling faintly when he realized his head was now on his mum's shoulder. He felt warm. He felt safe. He felt loved. But above all else, he felt confused as hell about what was going on around him. He could feel the fatigue pulling him to sleep and didn't fight it.

At the sound of a car door slamming, Harry's head came up suddenly. His eyes darted around wildly. His first thoughts upon waking were that his dad was taking him back to the Dursleys. However, as he became more aware, he knew that couldn't be true. His dad loved him.

"Where are we?" Harry asked softly, still feeling a bit weak from his adventure.

"Home," his dad replied, helping him out of the car. "Think you can walk to the door?"

Harry's eyes followed the short sidewalk to the door before he nodded jerkily. He could make it there. He then glanced to his right, noticing an elderly woman standing in front of a bed of flowers.

"Dad? There's a lady watching us." He heard his dad's soft laugh.

"That's just Mrs. Andrews, son. Come on. Let's go inside." His dad wrapped an arm around him when Harry stumbled. "I owe you and Aurora an explanation after all."

"You're damn right you do," Harry's mum drawled as the family walked into the cottage, the door closing behind them a moment later as the wards raised and blocked out the rest of the world.

Snape watched as Harry quickly joined Aurora on the sofa. Where would he even begin? His mind raced with a hundred or so thoughts before he finally just sighed.

"Another student was attacked today. It was Mister Finch-Fletchley. However, Sir Nicholas was also found with him. It appears the ghosts are not immune to this creature either." Harry's face fell.

"They think it was me, don't they? Because I spoke to that snake yesterday?" Harry asked with his hands in his lap and his head down.

"I'm not certain. I wasn't there when they were found." Snape hated seeing Harry like this. The boy took things too personally and too close to his heart all the time. "However, that's not entirely why I brought us here." He caught his son's head come up as the boy's green eyes darted to him. "I believe that the attacks on the students and the attacks on the purebloods are somewhat related."

"How?" Aurora asked, clearly confused.

"We've learned over the past month that Ginny Weasley brought the journal into the castle."

"Yes, and she wrote in it every day until Gilderoy confiscated it from her. I know. She told me in hopes that I'd retrieve it back from him for her."

"Unfortunately, Lockhart, however, lost the journal and had no idea where it was. Or so he claimed. I found it today purely by accident."

Snape drew in a slow breath, forcing himself not to wince at the sharp pain that had rushed through his body. His adrenaline rush was clearly wearing off. He caught Tobias's look and returned it with his 'I'm fine' glance. He would be fine after he explained it to them.

"Where is it?"

"Just listen, Harry. I'll explain." Snape remained silent for a few moments as he thought how to word his explanation. He could just hear their impatience. "After I had finished speaking with Lockhart, I went to speak with the Headmaster. His office appeared deserted. As I turned to leave, I noticed a black leather-bound item on his desk. I opened to the first page and found the name T. M. Riddle inside." He watched them glance at him with identical confused looks.

"Who's T. M. Riddle?"

Snape closed his eyes and heard his father step forward. The pain in his chest was getting worse. However, he hadn't even explained half of what he had wanted to.

"Severus?"

"I got it from here, son. You just sit down and rest. I'll tell 'em the rest."

"Tobias, what's going on?"

"Dad?"

Snape let out a hiss as the pain shot through him again. He inhaled sharply before reaching for an old armchair and sitting down in it.

"Lass, sit down. Please. Just let him have a moment to rest. I'll explain."

"Do it quickly, Tobias," Aurora replied impatiently. Her hand grabbed Snape's a moment later as she knelt beside his chair.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle is Voldemort's real name."

"Riddle? That's not a Pureblood name."

"No it ain't. It's Muggle," Tobias replied gruffly. "Either way, that's few and far between what I'm going on about. So, the story goes like this. Malfoy passed Riddle's diary to the Weasley girl. She got it taken from her by Goldilocks. Goldilocks got it taken from him by Dumbledore. And Severus found it there in Dumbledore's office. Now, here's the part of the story ya ain't gonna like, princess." Tobias frowned before he continued. "Dumbledore found Severus looking at it. Instead of just shrugging it off like he'd usually do and make some oddball riddle about it, Dumbledore attacked him."

"What?!"

"Ya heard me just fine." Tobias sighed loudly. "So, Severus defended himself. He got hurt in the process clearly, but long story short, that book's damn evil and has Dumbledore all messed up in the head right now. That ain't all, though. Once Severus dealt with—well, we'll just call him possessed Dumbledore for now—he obviously wanted to know what was up. So, he did that mind stuff on him. Found out that Dumbledore was going to lower the wards several minutes after that monster thing attacked—when everyone was all distracted by that. Hence why we got the hell out of there and came here instead. A possessed Dumbledore sure as hell ain't something I want my son or grandson around."

"Are you saying that Albus released the monster to attack the students?"

"Well, I sure ain't saying the tooth fairy did," Tobias drawled.

"I don't understand. How is that possible?"

"The journal and monster are distractions," Snape said with a grimace. "I would have been brewing the potion to restore them, while you would be being kidnapped." He shifted in his chair, drawing in a slow breath. "Lockhart's in on it."

"I thought you said he wasn't trying to kill Harry."

"He's not. He wants you, Aurora."

"Why?"

"I'm not certain, but the Baron stated that Lockhart has been lurking around your tower lately. Lockhart was also very interested last night at the Dueling Club about your whereabouts. According to the Baron, he went up there last night."

"I was with you, though."

"Exactly. The Baron stated that Lockhart kept his wand in hand the entire time he was there and seemed extremely frustrated to find you not there. It can only be assumed that he would have tried last night to take you."

"In other words, Goldilocks is in cahoots with the bad rogue people that have been kidnapping ladies like you, Aurora, for the past four months. And instead of us counting on Dumbledore to keep ya safe, it seems like he's trying to help 'em now since he's all messed up in the head because of this evil journal thing that's all interested in Harry."

"So, you brought us here to keep us safe, Dad?"

"Yes." Snape caught Harry's eyes narrow on him. "It was imperative that I removed you two from the danger before something happened." He could hear his unspoken concerns reverberate around the room. He didn't want to lose either of them.

"How long are we going to be here? I mean, is it just for the holidays while we come up with a plan of attack? Or—"

"We will be here as long as it takes for the threat to be dealt with, Harry."

"But the others, Dad!"

"The only people who matter to me, Harry, are in this house, safe," Snape interrupted, holding his son's green eyes.

"So, we're just going to let them fend for themselves, Dad? I—how—my friends are there!"

"And my family is here, Harry. I will not lose you." Snape sighed silently. "The other staff members are perfectly capable of dealing with the threat by themselves. Your friends will be fine."

"What am I supposed to tell them when they ask where I am?"

"I'm afraid that there won't be a way for them to contact you. The wards on this place will confuse any owl that tries." He caught Harry's eyes widen in shock instantly. "I expect you not to send any messages to them either. We must keep our location secret if we're to remain safe."

"What about next term? My classes? Quidditch? Dad, you can't just lock us up here."

"It is better than the alternative, Harry." He frowned as he watched his son glance at Aurora and Tobias for help. "My decision is final. I realize that you don't agree with it or even understand it, but I will not lose you like I lost your mother."

"Fine." Harry stormed away, slamming one of the bedroom doors shut behind him.

Snape closed his eyes before he glanced at Aurora and saw her staring at him with a blank look. While cowardly, his action was the right one to take. He was protecting his family, and that was always the right thing in his mind. He opened his mouth to say just that when she spoke instead.

"I understand, Severus," she said quietly. "You don't need to defend yourself." She sighed and ran a hand through her curls. "Let's check you over and heal you, though. I think you've done this 'tough guy' thing long enough, don't you?"

His lip curled upwards slightly before he inclined his head. He needed time to think anyway. He then watched Tobias head to Harry's room and sighed. The boy would understand. One day.

~FKTF~

Sitting on his bed with his legs pulled up against his chest, Harry glared at the door when he heard the knock on his door. Didn't his dad understand that he didn't want to talk to him? When the door opened a moment later, he threw his pillow at the man walking in, hoping he hit his dad in the face. Only when he realized that it was Tobias walking in instead of his dad, he inhaled sharply.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. I thought it was—Are you all right?" Harry quickly asked.

"It's a pillow, boy, not a hunk of rock. I'm fine," Tobias replied with a frown, stooping to pick up the pillow before he closed the door behind him. He tossed the fluffy pillow onto the bed a moment later and crossed his arms. "Yer dad's just trying to keep ya safe."

"I know, but my friends are stuck there with a monster. And he didn't give me any chance to say goodbye or anything. He just whisked us off here."

"Yeah, he did. It's cause there are bad people after ya and Aurora."

"Mostly after her," the twelve-year-old pointed out with a shrug.

"Oh? So ya don't care about her now that ya ain't with yer friends? Good to know how self-centered my grandson is."

"No. It's not that. It's just . . . my friends are there."

"And yer family is here."

"But they're in danger."

"And yer family is in danger as well."

"But Dad can handle that."

"Yer dad can't fend off every psychopath, Harry."

"He could try."

"Yeah, and he could get killed, too. Would you rather that happened? Have yer friends but not yer dad anymore?"

Harry flinched instantly and his gut contracted.

"Of course not! I love him!"

"Well, ya sure as hell ain't showing it right now. Cripes, Harry. Ya think it was easy for him to run here? To take ya away from your friends? To act like a big ole coward? Shit, ya don't know him, do ya? Yer dad loves you. He ain't doing this to be a git or to hurt ya. He's doing this to keep you and that pretty woman of his safe. Keep his family safe, Harry."

"But he could keep us safe there," the boy argued.

"Ya weren't listening close, were ya? The minute that boy got attacked, they were coming." Tobias sighed. "If old Moldymort is teamed up with Goldilocks, they'd come for you, too, Harry. They wouldn't just stop at her." He frowned. "Long time ago, I heard a man explain how ya hurt someone. Ya don't kill them. Ya kill their family. If anything happened to either of ya, well, ya can bet yer arse that it'd hurt him. He loves ya."

"My friends, though—"

"Ya are the most stubbornness damn boy I ever knew. I swear it," Tobias grumbled. "Yer friends ain't in the danger ya and Aurora are in. They're just getting knocked out. They'll live. You two on the other hand—we ain't sure what they want ya for. Could be to torture ya. Could be to murder ya. Could be to sell ya for all we know. We just ain't got a clue at this point. Yer in danger, and that's all that matters. Yer friends and their welfare take the back burner. Ya take priority. Simple as that, Harry. We're focusing all of our energy on ya two. No distractions. No nothing. That, my grandson, is why we're here. No school. No friends. No Wood Itch. No bad guys under the same roof as us. Just us together, watching each other's backs in a small little cottage. Severus will always know when yer up, and you'll always know when he is. Ain't nobody can hide here."

"I miss them, though."

"And they likely miss ya, too, but keeping ya safe is all that matters to us right now. Plus, yer dad did sort of attack one of the most powerful wizards of the century. Ain't exactly a good time to be there considering that, even if Dumbledore is messed up in the head." Tobias gave the boy a sideways hug then. "Yer dad loves ya. So, he'll do whatever he needs to do in order to keep ya safe. Sometimes that means taking ya away from yer friends. You'll be back before ya know it, though, kid. Trust me."

~FKTF~

A half an hour later, Snape winced and clenched his jaw to keep from hissing in pain as Aurora tended to his wounds. He glanced up when he heard the approaching footfalls and inclined his head slightly to his dad. He heard the man's responding snort instantly.

"He got ya good, didn't he, son?"

"Something like that," Snape replied quietly.

"He's gonna need some stitching to that one cut, lass."

"Stitching?" Aurora repeated, glancing at Snape with a puzzled look.

"Ah, never mind. I'll do it for ya after ya get done."

Snape hissed again at the feel of the stinging as she continued to clean out his cuts. He caught her apologetic look and merely gave her the look to continue. It wasn't the first time he had been forced to this sort of healing.

"Ya got any potions here?"

"No," he answered, jerking at the feel of a burning pain in one of his wounds. "Unfortunately."

"All right. Do ya got stuff to make some, then?"

"No." He breathed in deeply, smelling the peroxide and other various antiseptics she was using. "Other than the wards that came with the house, I don't use magic here. And it's better if we stick with that so they can't find us here." He jerked again and gasped at the feel of her cleaning out his cut.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, pausing for a moment.

"Don't, Sinistra," Snape rasped, drawing in a slow breath. "It's fine. Just keep cleaning them out. I don't have anything to fight an infection, so it's up to you to help make sure I don't."

"I can heal the minor cuts, but your dad's right. The one across your chest is going to need something else." Her warm brown eyes held his. "What did he hit you with?"

"Pretty much everything and anything until I disarmed him."

"Judging by the bruising, ya got some broken ribs, too, son. We're gonna need to wrap that extra tight, and yer gonna have to rest."

Snape nodded slowly. Broken ribs certainly explained the sharp pain he felt every time he took a breath. He caught her look again and sighed inwardly.

"What?"

"How in the hell could you just act like you were perfectly fine as we're gallivanting about the countryside? We should have gone to Mungo's."

"And have them find you there and take you? No thank you."

"You don't get to kill yourself over me, Snape," she growled.

He snorted. "Oh please. As if I haven't been hurt worse than this before, Sinistra."

"We should have gone to a hospital." She rubbed the washcloth against one of his cuts, washing away the blood and grime. She then lowered her voice to mumble, "Stubborn arse who thinks he's freaking invincible."

"The stubborn arse can hear you," he replied dryly.

"Good! I hope this hurts, too," she snapped, glaring at him as she then pressed the cotton ball with antiseptic against his open wound.

He winced, but forced himself not to hiss. He supposed he deserved her anger. At least partly. He did pretend that he was perfectly fine when he clearly wasn't. One could say he, in fact, intentionally hid his numerous lacerations and broken bones.

"Easy, lass."

"Of all the stupid things you've ever done, Severus," she muttered under her breath.

"All right there, Princess. Time to take a break." The older man held his hand out to her. "I'll finish up for ya." Tobias said nothing when she slammed the washcloth into his hand. He gave her a forced polite smile before she stormed off to one of the spare rooms. "Well, then. Where were we, son?"

Snape sighed. "I should've told her earlier that I was hurt."

"Probably would have been good, yeah." Tobias shrugged. "She'll get over it, though. She's just worried about ya. Just give her time. Now, let's stitch up that cut, shall we?"

"Yeah." Snape frowned. Now, two people were upset with him. He couldn't catch a break.

The following morning, Harry sighed as he threw off his covers and got up out of bed. He had a restless night of sleep the prior night unfortunately. His dreams were full of nightmarish scenarios of his friends being attacked by the monster for about the first hour he had tried sleeping. The rest of the night, his dreams consisted of his parents, Aurora and his dad that was, being taken from him in various types of ways. After every nightmare, he had woken up, crying and scolding himself for it. He was twelve, not two. He knew deep down they were just dreams, but they felt so real, though.

"Morning, Hedwig," he mumbled softly, passing by her cage as the snowy owl watched him curiously. He left his room a minute later.

As he dawdled towards the kitchen, his mind jumped to his reoccurring thought. Would his dad and mum even be out there, or had they truly been taken already? He kicked the floor grumpily. He needed to stop thinking like that. His parents were fine.

His mind then moved onto his friends as he continued down the hallway. Had Ron and Hermione finished brewing the Polyjuice potion already? He vaguely remembered Hermione saying it'd be done around Christmas, which was less than a week away. If only he could send Hedwig to them, tell them to lay low and be safe in a message, but he knew he couldn't. His dad had made that explicitly clear.

Harry walked through the entryway a moment later, relaxing slightly at the sight of his dad and grandfather sitting at the kitchen table already. He slowly walked to one of the empty chairs and sat across from his dad. He gave his grandfather a faint smile when the man glanced at him before his eyes moved over to Harry's dad.

"Dad?" whispered the young boy soon after.

"Yes?" Harry's dad's eyes darted to him instantly as he gave Harry his full attention.

"I'm sorry for yesterday." Harry glanced down at his waffles, stabbing one of them and tearing it apart with his fork. "I get it now. You were just trying to protect us. I should have trusted you and just followed. You didn't need some bratty twelve-year-old freaking out about his friends. Not when you've got Mum to worry about." Harry shrugged. "So, you know, I'm sorry, Dad. For being a brat."

His dad snorted softly. "Part of growing up, son, is being a brat sometimes. I know how much your friends mean to you, and I'm sorry as well that you're not with them."

"It's fine," Harry replied with another shrug before he took a bite of his waffle. He swallowed a moment later. "I mean, it's to keep us safe. And it's not like we can tell people we're here or it wouldn't exactly be a safe location anymore, would it?"

"No it wouldn't," his dad agreed.

"And we'll go back when it's safe." Harry then sighed, swinging his legs. "I guess, um, another part of why I was upset was because I had plans with them. Ron and Hermione, I mean."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we, um, that is to say—you see, Dad, we, um—Hermione brewed Polyjuice." Harry gulped when he caught his dad's brow raise.

"Did she now? You informed her that I was aware of your so-called plans, did you not?"

"Yeah, but she and Ron wanted to know." When his dad's eyes narrowed on him, Harry glanced down at his plate. "And me too," he added quietly. "We just wanted to help, Dad. Honest. We thought we could find out who opened the chamber and, you know, stop it like I did last year with Professor Quirrell. That way you'd only have to worry about Mum."

"Harry—" His dad then growled before he shook his head. "What part of 'I don't want you hurt' do you not understand, son?"

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"So you keep saying."

Harry frowned when he heard his grandfather snort into his cup. He glanced at the older man, noticing that his father had done the same.

"Do you have something to add, Tobias?" Harry's dad asked with a bit of a growl to his voice.

"Hmm?" Tobias chuckled, waving the question off. "Oh. No." He then shrugged. "Only that the apple didn't fall far from the tree there, son."

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"Well, seems to me that the lad here was keeping certain things from you so you wouldn't worry about him. Sort of like how you were with Aurora last night. He keeps things close to his heart and plays his cards when the time's right. Would make him hell of a poker player, I'd bet."

"That is entirely different from this situation."

"Oh?" Tobias replied, leaning back and crossing his arms. "How do ya figure, son?"

"It just is."

"No it ain't, and ya know it, Severus. Ya hid things from her because ya didn't want to hurt her. He hid things from you because he didn't want to hurt you. A spade's a spade there, son. No matter how many times you turn it."

Harry heard his dad's low grumble in response. He wisely stabbed another piece of waffle and shoved it into his mouth to keep from laughing. Honestly, his grandpa rocked.

"I take it, then, that Granger was the one who stole from my stores the other day?"

"Yes, sir," Harry answered with a sigh. Hermione was going to kill him. Not to mention Ron.

His dad muttered something under his breath. "When was she going to finish brewing it?"

"Sometime around Christmas, I think." Harry heard his dad mutter more and frowned. "Dad?"

"Your friends are idiots. Does she have any idea how complicated—" His dad's voice trailed off. "Idiot Gryffindors."

"Hey!" Harry yelled.

"You could have gotten yourselves killed, Harry."

Tobias made sort of sneezing sounds that sounded like "Pot" and "Kettle."

"Do you have something to add, Tobias?"

"No. No. Must be those damn allergies of mine, son. Carry on."

Harry caught his dad's glare directed at his grandfather and had to bite his cheek to keep from snickering. He'd say it again. His grandpa rocked.

"Well, your allergies are incorrect, old man. I am not the pot calling the kettle black."

"Sure sounds like ya are, son."

"Hardly."

"Definitely," Tobias replied.

"How do you figure?"

Harry's head whipped back and forth between the older wizards. It was like watching a tennis match. Only this was a lot more fun to watch in his opinion.

"Ya could have gotten yourself killed as well, son, trying to figure out about this chamber monster thingamajig. And if that cut to yer chest was a bit higher, ya would've, too. So, I'm right. Pot calling the kettle here black. Simple as that."

"I am a fully grown wizard—"

"Yes ya are, son. Congratulations on that, but you still got yer arse handed to ya by an old man. Disregarding, of course, the fact that the old man was Albus Dumbledore."

"You're not helping here."

Tobias shrugged before he took a drink from his cup and swallowed. "Ain't really trying to, son. By the way, did ya sort things out with your lass last night?"

"What?"

Harry blinked as well. That was an abrupt change in topic. He frowned before he glanced at his dad. What did his grandfather mean by did his dad work things out? Were his dad and mum fighting?

"Ya heard me just fine, Severus," drawled Tobias before he sighed and slowed down his speech, enunciating every word. "Did you work things out with her last night?"

"No. Aurora made it clear she didn't want to talk with me."

Tobias groaned instantly. "Hell, son. Sometimes I wonder how on earth ya got such a lovely woman like her when ya know absolutely nothing about women. Let me guess. She had her back turned to ya when ya went to talk to her?"

"Yes," Harry's dad replied with a slight edge to his voice now.

"So, instead of just pushing through it, ya let her go to sleep pissed with ya and left?" Tobias snorted. "Ya just digging yer own grave there, son."

"I was giving her space last night. Was that wrong?"

"Son, piece of advice for ya, don't ever let a woman go to bed angry with ya. Least of all a witch. Hell, she's likely in that room right now thinking of ways to torture you."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. He glanced down when his dad's eyes darted to him.

"Now, get up off yer arse and go in there, son. Let her vent. Before she comes out here and hexes yer arse to oblivion."

"I didn't do anything wrong, though," argued Harry's dad. "I was letting her calm down."

"Yeah, I know, but in this instance, she ain't needing time to calm down. What she needs is ya reassuring her that she ain't gonna be some widow because ya got yourself killed. She needs ya to tell her that ya understand why she's ticked with ya, and that you won't scare her like that again."

Harry's eyes narrowed on his dad. Was he hurt that bad yesterday? The man seemed fine today. At least he did to Harry.

"Women are too damn complicated," his dad said under his breath.

"Yeah, just be glad Aurora ain't like yer mum, son. She takes women and complicated to a whole new level. Trust me." Tobias sighed. "Go on. I got things here. The longer ya put this off, the angrier than hell she's gonna be with ya." At the sound of a sharp knock on the front door, the wizards glanced towards it. "Ya expecting company?"

"Not that I'm aware," Harry's dad answered with a frown as he headed towards the door. He pulled back the curtain slightly before he snorted. He opened the door a moment later, relaxing visibly. "Mrs. Andrews, what a pleasure. How may I help you today?"

The thin elderly woman gave Harry's dad a warm smile as her eyes darted behind him to glance at Tobias and Harry. She drew in a slow breath a moment later.

"You can't, Severus. Not today. But I can help you." She laughed softly, waving off his motion for her to come in. "I'm just here for a moment. Have to prune the roses in a bit before the storm moves in, you understand?" She didn't wait for him to respond before she continued. "About a month ago, I caught a man watching your house closely. He asked me if you had been home lately. Course I told him that you were away on business, but the man was quite interested in the house, Severus. Thought you should know since you're home now."

"I see." Harry's dad inclined his head silently. "Thank you, Mrs. Andrews."

"Oh, anytime, dear. Anything to help out my neighbor." She then glanced towards Tobias before she quickly looked away. "I see you found your father. Not to mention that beautiful woman of yours. I told you that you'd find her. Didn't I, Severus?"

"You did indeed, Mrs. Andrews."

"Where is she by the way? I would love to meet her." She then smiled, holding up a hand and cutting him off once more. "Say no more. She's resting. I understand entirely." Her eyes darted to Harry, then. "A fine looking son you have, too, Severus. Hello, Harry."

Harry blinked before he glanced at his dad. She knew his name? Then again, most people did.

"Uh, hello, Mrs. Andrews." The young boy watched her smile widen.

"It won't be long now, young man."

"Huh?" He frowned when she laughed.

"You'll see." She winked at him before she turned her attention back to Severus. "Well, I best be off before the storm comes in."

Harry glanced out the window, his frown deepening. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"I'll make sure I have your favorite tea prepared tonight when you visit, Severus." She then rested a hand on Harry's dad's arm and squeezed it sympathetically. "Do try not to worry so, hmm? It will all work out in the end. I promise." She then turned away and headed back to her house.

"Dad? What just happened?"

Harry heard his dad's snort instantly as the man closed the door.

"Mrs. Andrews can sometimes predict things before they happen, Harry. It's one of her more annoying habits unfortunately." He sighed softly. "It's the only bit of magic she displays, I'm afraid."

"Why?"

"Decades back, she had a bit of an accident. She's never spoken about it other than she lost most of her magic years ago. And I've never asked for obvious reasons." His dad frowned. "I would imagine she was a true Seer back then. Now, she just gets flashes every now and then. She certainly has a better successful prediction rate than Trelawney."

"Who?"

"A professor at Hogwarts. You'll likely have class with her next year. Unfortunately."

"Oh." Harry swung his legs slightly. His dad didn't seem to hold much faith in his coworker.

"Son," Tobias stressed. "Go talk to her. Now. Before she puts a curse on yer bits."

"She wouldn't do that."

"Want make a bet, son?"

Harry grimaced and noticed his dad's frown grow. He could back his grandpa up that his mum had at least done it before. He could still hear the man in the alley that she had cursed like that.

"I couldn't have hurt her that badly."

"It ain't about hurting her, son. It's about ya making her think even for a moment that ya could have died. That pisses people off more than anything else, because no one wants to lose someone they love. I know you know that."

Harry's dad exhaled loudly. He clearly wasn't in a good mood anymore. Then again, when was he in a good mood?

"Go talk to her, Severus. Ya ain't helping yourself waiting for the grass to grow."

"Fine."

"Good boy."

Harry heard his dad's quiet growl instantly. He glanced down to hide his smile at that. He stabbed another piece of waffle, quickly eating it. His mind wondered back to Mrs. Andrews's earlier words. Something wouldn't be long now, but what was it? She was smiling when she said it and winked, too, so clearly it was something good. He bit his bottom lip as he thought more on it. Would it be that he was going to have his family that he always wanted? He had a dad, a mum, and a grandpa already. All that was left was siblings. He glanced at his dad who was leaving, his green eyes widening. Oh.

~FKTF~

Several moments later, Snape stood in front of the closed door. It was before nine so he was certain that she was asleep still, which made him even more hesitant. She really wasn't a morning person by a long shot. However, his dad was right. He drew in a breath and knocked once.

"Aurora?" He paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed when he heard movement inside. However, he heard no reply from her. He knocked once more before his hand went to the doorknob. Something felt off. Even if she was upset with him, she'd still reply.

He opened the door a moment later and walked in. The room was empty, but the bed clearly had been slept in—restlessly he noted. "Aurora?" he called out, glancing around. He frowned when he heard a noise from the adjoining room. "Are you all right?"

Why wasn't she answering him? He received his answer a moment later when he heard her sicking up. Pushing open the door, he quickly headed to her, holding back her long dark curly hair soon after. He had thought her stomach bug from the other day had passed. She had certainly seemed better yesterday. He rubbed her back silently as he had done before and waited for it to pass, though.

"Better?" he asked quietly several moments later.

"Somewhat," she whispered, groaning and leaning back against him. Her eyes closed as she focused on her breathing for a bit. "I can't seem to shake this damn thing."

"So I see." He held her silently against him. "I should get you some anti-nausea medication when I'm out later, then."

"Out?"

"If we're going to reside here for awhile, we'll need supplies obviously." He felt her nod slowly. He pursed his lips a moment later and let the silence fall around them. He was delaying their much needed conversation. Even he knew it. "Do you need me to bring you back anything else?"

"A book maybe, I guess. I don't know."

"All right." He closed his eyes, inhaling slowly. He knew that she'd likely fall asleep if he continued to remain silent. However, he truly didn't know how to start. He wasn't good with apologies. And his past experiences usually had the result of broken friendships as a result of them. "Aurora?"

"Yeah?" Sheer exhaustion could be heard in her voice.

"I apologize for scaring you yesterday. I should have informed you that I was hurt instead of hiding it as I did. However, I'm still adjusting to all of this." It was a lame excuse, he thought snidely. In fact, he couldn't believe he had just said it.

"I know," she slurred slightly as she started to drift asleep.

"I've been on my own for so long that it doesn't dawn on me sometimes to let others know," he continued, deciding that it would be best if he tucked her back into bed as he spoke. "I didn't consider your feelings on the matter. All I thought about was how you and Harry were in danger." He gently picked her up into his arms and carried her out of the bathroom.

"You were scared, Severus." Her arms wrapped around his neck as she buried her head there.

"Yes, but you see that's foolish of me, Aurora." He sighed, walking through the bedroom and into the corridor. "I let my emotions control me, and I made a bad decision as a result."

"No."

"Yes," he argued, turning the doorknob to the master bedroom's door before pushing it open. "We have no provisions here whatsoever." He carried her through the modestly-sized bedroom. "My son's education is likely going to suffer, because he won't be in school until who knows when." He gently placed her atop of the king-sized bed. "Not to mention, we practically walked out on our jobs."

"It'll work out," she mumbled, turning away from him to nuzzle further into the fluffy pillow.

"I wish I shared your optimism." He sighed, brushing aside a few stray curls that had fallen onto her face. He sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep for a few moments.

They needed supplies. By his estimate, the house only had about a day's amount of food left for all three of them. They had no medication. So if she was truly ill, he had nothing to give her to help. In fact, they had no more medical supplies left since they had used it on him yesterday. If something were to occur, Merlin helped them, they would be practically helpless he figured. Not to mention, he knew for certain he didn't have enough clean clothes to last him for however long they'd be there.

Snape stood up a moment later and headed out of his bedroom, closing the door behind him as he left. He quickly strode down the hallway towards the kitchen where he figured Harry and Tobias were still sitting. He noticed his dad's look instantly when the older man glanced up at him.

"I spoke with her. However, she appears to be ill still from the other day, so she's resting now."

"Ill?" Tobias repeated. His blue eyes darted to Harry for a moment before they returned to Snape. "Son, answer me something."

Snape sighed. Oh, here he went with his ridiculous theories again.

"She's been like this off-and-on for, what, like a week or two now?"

"Roughly, yes," Snape agreed, crossing his arms. He wasn't going to let the man spout of his ideas this time. "However, what she's ill with doesn't matter, Tobias. I'll pick up some medication for her, and we'll deal with it. Now, tell me what both of you need and I'll bring it back."

"You're rounding up supplies, then?"

"Yes." Snape had thought that was obvious. He caught his dad's look and frowned. "What?"

"By yourself?"

"That is the plan, yes. Is there a problem with that?"

"No. No problem, son." Tobias shrugged, pulling a list out from his shirt pocket. "We sort of came up with that stuff already."

Snape snatched it and quickly glanced over the sloppy handwriting. He glanced at his dad a moment later. "Adequate, I suppose." The majority of things Snape was thinking of picking up were on the list already, which made it easier.

"There are a couple of lady things on there, too. At least things I know I had to pick up for yer mum a few times when we were living together. Ya sure ya want to go alone, son?"

"Are you insinuating that I am unable to pick up such things?"

"Well, son, it's just some men ain't comfortable picking up a box of tampons, ya know?"

"What's a—" the twelve-year-old started to say.

"Never mind, Harry," Snape cut off quickly. He really didn't want that conversation yet. "Unlike most men, I'm not that worried what others care of me, Dad."

"All right, then." Tobias shrugged, taking a drink from his cup.

Snape turned and headed for the door. "I'll be back shortly. Please allow her to sleep. She needs her rest today."

"All right, Dad," Harry replied.

"Whatever ya say, son. We'll be good in yer absence."

Shaking his head, Snape grabbed a set of keys from the table. He knew he'd get questions from Harry, but he'd answer them later. Right now, he really needed to get supplies.

Instead of walking out the front door, he walked to a side door and stepped out into the garage. Pressing the button once, he unlocked the doors and opened the driver's door. He pressed another button and heard his garage door slowly open. Putting the key in the ignition, he started the black Dodge Charger and put it into reverse. He could only imagine the questions Harry would have for him when he got back. The number one question being about how he knew how to drive a Muggle car.

As he backed out into his driveway, Snape noticed the front door open. He frowned when he saw Tobias and Harry burst out of the house. For a split second, he thought about peeling out onto the street and taking off, but he knew that it'd only upset his son. He pressed a button to roll down his window so he could hear them if they yelled anything out to him. He gave them a short wave when they said nothing, though, assuming that they just were saying their goodbyes. However, when he had just put the car into drive, his dad called out after him.

"Don't forget to pick up a pregnancy test, son!"

Snape slammed on his brakes instantly, throwing the car into park in the middle of the street as his head whipped towards the grinning older man who had an affectionate grandfatherly arm around Harry. He caught Mrs. Andrews looking up from her roses at them and glared at his dad. If that was a joke, he'd murder the man. Without so much as a word, he shifted the car back into drive and took off.

Aurora couldn't be pregnant. He glared out the windshield as he drove to the nearest store. There was no way she was. They had only been intimate that one time. His frown deepened. Then again, he had only been with Lily one time, too, and he now had a son as a result of that.

Reaching the store in record time, he shut the engine off and slammed the door behind him, pressing a button to lock the doors and activate the alarm a moment later as he headed towards the doors. He shook his head. No. No it wasn't possible. So she had been sick off-and-on for the past two weeks. That didn't mean that she was pregnant necessarily. It could still be just a stupid bug. He grabbed a cart and headed through the store, tossing in various items as his mind continued to wrap around his father's oh-so kind parting words to him.

After having filled the cart full of the essentials—food and clothes, he found himself heading towards the back of the store. His eyes kept glancing up at the offending Family Planning sign that taunted him. He turned into a nearby aisle, though, and grimaced at the shelves upon shelves full of female supplies. He really should have asked her to come with so she could have picked. His eyes moved over the various boxes, skimming the labeling. He stopped after a few moments and sighed. For a moment, he thought about picking up one of each box, just so he'd have one that was right. But she'd likely laugh at him for it—not out of spite or anything, but because it would be amusing, he assumed. He sighed again. Then again, if he grabbed three different boxes, it would increase his odds a bit. He did just that, tossing them into the cart. Next time, she'd be picking them up for herself.

"Oh, what a kind young man you are," smiled an elderly woman standing at the far end of the aisle. "What a lucky woman she is."

Snape forced a smile and nodded. Yes, Aurora certainly would feel lucky after this, he thought sarcastically. He then pushed his cart around the corner and closed his eyes. Family Planning aisle here he came. He walked down the aisle and paused in front of the boxes. It was better to be safe than sorry, after all. And at least they would be able to rule that out as a possible reason she was sick. He glanced at the boxes before he chose one that stated it was easy to read in just five minutes.

With the shopping done, he headed for the nearest checkout aisle. He put his items up on the conveyor belt and completed the ritual of shopping hell by paying for it all, two hundred pounds later. It was so much easier shopping as a wizard than a Muggle, he thought grumpily.

~FKTF~

Several hours later after everything had been put away in the house, Snape walked into the master bedroom. He paused at the door when he noticed that Aurora was awake sitting on the edge of the bed. The box in the bag felt as if it was burning him, but he knew it was all in his head.

"Aurora?" She glanced at him. He sighed and quickly sat down beside her.

"What's in the bag?" He held it out to her.

"Just in case," he said softly. He watched her emotions quickly flood her face as she pulled the pregnancy test box out. He said nothing when her eyes darted to him.

"Severus?"

"So we can rule it out, Aurora," he stated coolly.

"You think I'm pregnant?"

"I, I do not know." He glanced down at his hands and frowned. "It is possible after all."

"We only were together that one time, though."

"And I was only with Lily once as well, Aurora. Harry is a result of that as we both know."

"Yes, but she was taking fertility potions at the time, Severus. I'm not."

He blinked and stared at her. He heard her gasp, then, followed by a groan.

"Dammit. I don't suppose you can forget I said that?"

"No." His eyes narrowed on her. "What do you know, Sinistra?"

"Just that she was taking fertility potions, and it was causing her a bit of a problem when she was in labor with Harry." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "One of her healers mentioned it as he informed the healer-in-charge who was with me at the time."

"What were you doing on the maternity level that night?"

"Surgery, and I would appreciate it if I left it at that for now." His frown deepened. "Severus, it's really not something a girlfriend tells her boyfriend after three months of dating. Trust me."

"As you wish." He glanced at the box in her hands.

"You really want me to take this?"

"Yes," he replied quietly, looking up at her.

"What if I am? Then, what, Severus?"

"Then, we will deal with it, Aurora."

"Deal with it?" she repeated, looking outraged as she hopped off the bed. "Deal with it?!" She scoffed before she stormed out of the bedroom.

"Aurora!" he called after her. He followed her, not even noticing that they had stepped outside. Who would have known that she could walk so fast in those heels? "Aurora, stop!" She, however, continued down the street, almost running away from him now as he chased her. "Aurora!" He growled. "Dammit, woman! Get back here!"

"Why? So you can 'Deal with it,' Severus?"

"I didn't mean it like that, you foolish woman!" He growled when she stopped and turned around. "I merely meant that if you were, I would support you and our child. That you wouldn't raise our child alone. Merlin, woman, think for once in your pathetic life!"

"You—Oh."

"Indeed. Now, get back here." He glared at her, feeling himself relax inwardly as she started to head back to him. They were beyond the wards of his house. In fact, they were standing in the street in front of Mrs. Andrews's house. He held his hand out to her as she neared, only to yell out her name as someone suddenly appeared next to her and grabbed her around her midsection. "Aurora!"

"Now, now, be a good little wizard and go away," hissed the man, showing his long fangs near Aurora's neck as she struggled in his arms. "This doesn't concern you." His eyes darted behind Snape before he abruptly vanished with Aurora.

"No!" Snape took a step forward only to groan when he felt a sudden jolt in his chest. He drew in a shaky breath. It felt as if someone had stuck a hand through his chest. He could feel warm breath against his ear and tried to keep his emotions under control.

"Do not fret," a soft female voice whispered in his ear. "I will keep Mistress Aurora safe."

"Who?" He couldn't finish his question because of the pain in his chest.

"A friend."

The invisible woman pressed a kiss to his cheek, then, before the pain suddenly disappeared. He fell to his knees and held a hand to his chest. His eyes darted about the street. They had been lying in wait for them to come out. He groaned, inhaling deeply.

"All right there, dear?" Mrs. Andrews called from her front step.

He glanced at her, noticing her look. The elderly woman didn't seem at all curious as she looked at him. In fact, she seemed to look as if she had expected to find him kneeling in front of her house.

"Well, you best come in. No need to be lollygagging out about there. Won't do any good, you know," Mrs. Andrews announced. "I've got a spot of tea ready for you, dear. Anytime you're ready." She then turned around. "Unless of course you don't want to find Ms. Sinistra."

He grimaced and pushed himself up slowly. He had never said Aurora's name to Mrs. Andrews. The old woman was good, but she wasn't that good. He stumbled to her door, knowing that Harry and Tobias were safe in the house. Something told him, though, that he had to go on in the house alone.

Once he reached her house, he pressed a hand against the doorframe and closed his eyes. His chest still had a dull ache in it. Though, he imagined that was thanks to the woman who had held him up. He slipped inside a moment later, closing the door behind him.

"Mrs. Andrews?" He noticed her standing in the middle of the room. The way she was standing was eerie. He couldn't put his finger on it. "What do you know?"

"Tea first, dear," stated the kind elderly woman.

"I don't want any damn tea," he snapped.

"Then, how will you ever be strong enough to make the connection with Aurora, Severus, and find her?" she replied with a warm smile. She patted his arm. "Be a dear and drink the tea. Trust me."

He glanced at the cup in her hands before he grabbed it. He smelled nothing but his favorite tea. He found no signs of it being tainted. He watched her as he took his first sip.

"Good choice, dear. Now, don't worry. I'll bring them over here as we wait for you to wake up." She took the cup from his hands and helped him lay on the sofa. "Find her, Severus. I know you will."

Harry frowned when he heard the sharp knock on the door. He glanced at his grandfather and watched the man walk to it. He leaned in his chair and craned his neck to see who it was a moment later.

"Mrs. Andrews? What are ya doing here?"

"Follow me, loves," replied the kind elderly woman.

"Don't take offense, but I think not. Not until ya tell us why."

"Your son is on my davenport currently, Tobias."

"What? Where's Aurora?"

"That's what he's trying to find out currently. Now, please, follow me."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, Tobias. I swear."

"I don't believe ya."

"Something of which I said to you many times over the years, Tobias. Now, please. Come with me. I have no ulterior motives other than wanting you and young Harry to be with him. He will need people to ground him, I think."

Harry heard his grandfather inhale sharply before the man took a step back. His eyes darted between them, his frown deepening. What was going on?

"Grandpa? What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Lizabeth?" Tobias breathed shakily.

"Yes, Tobias. It's me. Now, please. Come. We truly shouldn't leave him alone."

"Wait. What? Who's Lizabeth? What's going on? Grandpa?" Harry was beyond confused now.

"I'll explain later, child. For now, please come. Your father needs both of you," Mrs. Andrews said with a soft smile. "Come, Tobias. I'll make you some tea as well."

Harry pushed himself up off the sofa and followed his grandfather. He glanced up at the man every now and then, and noticed his grandpa's contemplative look. Who was she? And how did she and his grandfather know each other? He walked into her house a moment later, the door closing behind them silently. The young boy quickly went to his father's side.

"Dad?" He whirled around, glancing at Mrs. Andrews. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, child. He's fine physically. He's merely trying to find Aurora, and that requires a bit of concentration of course."

"I don't understand," Tobias said quietly. "How? Ya were much—"

"Younger the last time you saw me?" Mrs. Andrews laughed shortly. "Yes."

Harry grabbed his dad's hand, squeezing it as he watched his father's face. The man looked like he was just sleeping deeply for all that Harry could tell. He could see his father's eyes move rapidly behind his eyelids, so the man had to be dreaming something.

"When will he wake up?" Harry turned back to her.

"After he finds her, child."

"Ya knew what was going on, didn't ya? And ya didn't say a word?"

"No, Tobias. I don't know fully what's going on. It doesn't work quite that well. I only know that whatever this is, it has something to do with Aurora. If I had known that Eileen would be taken, though, I would have hid her away and helped her stay safe. You know that, Tobias."

"No. What I know is that ya used to try to convince her to leave me," he growled, glaring at her.

"You were hiding things from her."

"Things I didn't want anyone to know! Not just her!"

"Stop it!" Harry shouted on the verge of tears as he stared at them. "I don't know who you are, and I don't care. I just want to know what's going on with my dad. All right? Tell me that. Please?"

"Your father is fine, Harry dear. Look at him. He's using a connection he accidentally made with Aurora. The connection is temporary, however, so I helped him along. Gave him a spot of tea with a few drops of Invigoration Draught. He'll wake up shortly. After he finds her, of course."

"What about Mum, though? Is she fine?"

"Your father could tell you that better than I. She's a bit hazier unfortunately." She gave him a somber smile. "Don't fret, love. It'll work out. Otherwise, your Grandmum Eileen would kill me."

~FKTF~

Snape heard overlapping voices around him in the darkness as he searched through it. Several moments had passed before he realized what Mrs. Andrews was saying without her actually saying it. There was a connection between Aurora and him. One he had made accidentally it would seem. Or perhaps he hadn't done it accidentally but instinctively. It didn't matter which it was honestly.

"Well, well, well," a low male voice said, swirling about the darkness.

Snape's eyes narrowed before he focused on the voice. Maybe that was where Aurora was. Every bit of concentration he had went into trying to find a way to see her. He had to find her.

"Who do we have here? Hmm?" A balding man said slowly fazing in with the surroundings that were appearing as well. The man smiled sinisterly as his eyes flicked over something—Aurora, Snape noted a moment later when she finally appeared as well. "Now, listen here, beautiful. All right?"

Snape glanced back to Aurora and frowned. The vampire who had taken her earlier still had his arm wrapped tightly around her midsection, pinning her arms by her sides. She looked fine, though, in his opinion. Slightly worried, of course, but she was definitely alive still.

"My issue isn't with you, beautiful," drawled the balding man as he ran the back of his hand down her cheek. "It's with your mother. You see, Syra stole something very valuable. And I just want it back. She hands that over, and I'll release you. Simple as that."

"You think she gives a damn about me?" Aurora replied, scoffing.

"You better hope for your sake that she does, sweet. Otherwise, you won't fare very well." The man smiled sickly sweet. "You see, I have friends in all sorts of high places. It's how I was able to take all the others so easily. Nothing will stop me from finding it. Got it?"

"Finding what?"

"That's for me to know, sweet."

"Something about this Project Unicorn crap?"

"What do you know about that?" When she refused to answer, the man grabbed her chin and growled. "Answer me, sweet, because you won't like me angry."

"Just that Dumbledore asked one of your friends about it when he got captured."

"Oh, yes, I bet the old man was wondering about it." The man scoffed, releasing her. "He was the one who signed off on it after all. Thought it could be used for the greater good purposes. To save lives." The man clucked his tongue in disgust. "He didn't see what the rest of us did. The true good it'd do. But that's for another time." The man laughed quietly. "Let's see. Usually I'm one for sending a pound of flesh to loved ones for proof, but I'll make an exception in your case."

Snape snarled, jumping forward to throw the man up against the wall. However, his hands went straight through the other man. Snape hissed at this before he glanced at Aurora. The fear certainly had increased in her eyes, but she desperately tried to hide it.

"Aurora!" shouted Snape. There had to be a way he could reach her. Her eyes remained on the other man, however.

"A back molar would do well, hmm? Might get the point across to your dear mummy, don't you think, Aurora?" the man said with a dark chuckle.

"You bastard!"

"Like I said, sweet, I truly don't have a problem with you. Just your mother." He nodded to another man who had walked into the room. "Try not to hurt her too much, will you?"

Snape watched the vampire's arm around her tighten before its free hand wrenched her mouth open. At the sight of the other man approaching with an instrument of some kind in hand, Snape's eyes darted wildly around the seemingly medical-like room. There had to be something he could use to get Aurora's attention. He found nothing, though. Hearing her fearful whimpers in front of him, he reacted on pure instinct and reached for her.

"Focus on me dammit!" shouted Snape. "Me, not them!" When he saw her eyes dart towards him a second later, he knew he was successful. "Think of me. Now!" He wasn't certain how the link worked, but instinct drove him. He needed to protect her. To get her out of there. To shield her from being tortured for as long as he could. "If you truly love me, think of me now!" His gut clenched at the sound of her pain-filled screams, the view of her wide brown eyes on him. "Now, Aurora! Think of me!" He watched her eyes close, doing his best to block out the man extracting her tooth.

A moment later, Snape found himself being thrown into darkness again. It took him a second for his eyes to adjust before he saw Aurora. The link. This had to be it. Their minds were joined fully if only temporarily. She stood before him, confused and scared.

"How?"

"We're sharing a mental link. It's temporary, though, but . . ." His voice trailed off. He didn't know what to say. "As long as you stay with me, focus on me, you won't feel the pain." He swallowed, staring at her before taking a step forward. "It's like occluding one's mind."

"How, Severus?"

"I-I don't know how I made the link. I'm not sure when I did." He took another step towards her. Instinct was still driving him.

"You're not here with me. They'd have seen you. So, where are you?"

"Mrs. Andrews's sofa." He watched her eyes soften.

"Oh, no," she whispered, her arms wrapping around herself. "How badly are you hurt?"

"Felix Felicis, woman," he growled, his frustration taking over for a second. "For once in your goddamn life, don't concern yourself with my wellbeing. Put yourself first. I'm fine, whereas you're not." He finally reached her and pulled her into his arms. "You come first this time. Not me."

"Severus," she started to argue.

"Silence, woman!" He growled under his breath. "Merlin above! You're the one being tortured out there, not me." Something flashed around them, startling both of them. He frowned, reminded once more that the link was temporary. "Tell me everything you saw. No matter how insignificant you think it is. Smells. Noises. Sights. Touches. Anything."

"Um, old rundown military barracks. Building 7, I think. There, um, are no windows. A large Maple tree with some sort of plaque." Another flash followed by a jolt pain seeped in, then. Her eyes darted to him as if she knew what was to come. "Severus." She trembled against him. "I love you."

"I—" A roar echoed before he felt her ripped away as she returned to her mind. "NO!"

~FKTF~

The exact second Harry felt his dad squeeze his hand, he whirled around. It had been an hour since the man had slipped into this state. His eyes caught his grandfather's.

"I think he's waking up."

"I reckon yer right, lad," Tobias replied with a relieved look. He frowned when Mrs. Andrews placed a bucket beside Harry. "Now, just what do ya think yer doing, giving him that, Lizzie?" He winced a moment later when he watched his son roll over and promptly sick up into the bucket. "Ah."

"Their link isn't exactly stable, Tobias. It's going to take a toll on him, unfortunately," Mrs. Andrews sighed. "All right there, dear?"

Harry's eyes darted back to his father as he waited for his dad to reply. He could see how pale his father was again and how drained the older wizard looked. He bit his bottom lip, watching his father breathe in and out in an attempt to calm himself likely.

"Aurora," groaned his dad, flopping back against the sofa.

Harry's eyes narrowed when he noticed his dad shaking slightly. He opened his mouth and closed it several times. What was wrong with his dad?

"Yes, dear, we know," kindly responded Mrs. Andrews, placing a wet washcloth on his dad's forehead.

"Hurts," grimaced his dad.

"Well, what did you expect to feel after forcing the bridge wider between your minds, dear? Euphoria? Of course it was going to hurt."

"Lizzie, yer not helping," grumbled Tobias as he moved closer. "Did ya see her, son?"

"They're" his dad gasped "torturing her, Dad."

Harry's heart dropped instantly. They were torturing his mum? Why? She wouldn't hurt anyone. It didn't make sense. His eyes remained on his dad, watching the man continue to shake.

"Did she give ya any clues where she's at, Severus?"

"Old barracks. Building 7. No windows." His dad gasped, groaning before continuing. "Maple tree with a plaque."

"Shh, rest now, dear." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did well. Won't do you any good to fight off your rest. We'll wake you up in a bit. Off you go, Severus. We'll take it from here."

"No." Harry's dad rolled his head against the pillow. "No. I-I have to find her."

"And you will, dear, but not when you're drained like this. Rest. We have it in hand."

"No rest. I have to find her. Protect her." He sounded so exhausted in Harry's opinion.

Harry watched Mrs. Andrews gently grab his dad's chin so he'd look at her. Her eyes had softened somewhat as she looked down on his dad somberly.

"For once in your life, dear, don't be a stubborn mule. It's a trait your mother would smack you upside the head for and say you got it from your father. Now, be a good boy and rest. Otherwise, I'll tell your mother about you when she returns and let her deal with you. And I'm certain you remember what happens to people who get the force of her wrath placed on them. Hmm?"

Harry heard his grandfather chuckle softly beside him. He couldn't see what was funny, though. But clearly there seemed to be some inside info he wasn't privy to about Mrs. Andrews and Tobias.

"Good boy. Your mother would be proud to know she didn't raise a dunderhead." Mrs. Andrews gave his dad a faint smile as his head lulled to the side. "Well, then, now that he's resting. Shall we?"

"Who are you?" Harry asked, frowning.

"She's yer grandmum's best friend," Tobias answered quietly.

"Former best friend, that is," Mrs. Andrews corrected with a sigh. "And formerly godmother to your father as well, Harry dear."

"Grandmum and you don't get along anymore?"

"Well, she's missing first off, Harry, so that causes issues obviously. And, secondly, well, I overstepped my bounds with her."

"Which in simple terms means she didn't give up on her quest to get yer grandmum to kick me to the gutter, lad."

"Oh please, Tobias." Mrs. Andrews scoffed. "As if I would have been wrong in that request."

"Now, you listen here, Lizzie. I ain't ever laid a hand on El. The only damn thing I'm guilty of is lying to her about being a Muggle, which ain't really something I lied about."

"Really now? So, you told her then that you were a wizard?"

"No."

"Then, you lied, Tobias. You lied by not being entirely truthful with her. If you had just told her the truth, then I wouldn't have been so suspicious of you."

"Oh, yeah, cause El would've loved to have found out that I wasn't as exotic as she first thought. Yeah, sure, Lizzie, and pigs fly."

Harry frowned. Adults were idiots. There was no other way to put it. They were idiots. He glanced towards his dad and pressed his lips tighter together.

"Do you know why he's shaking like that?" the young boy asked quietly.

"It's the link, dear," Mrs. Andrews replied kindly. "You see, sometimes with people like your father who are naturally gifted in the Mental Arts, they create mental bridges with people they hold dear to them. Love in other words. Your father accidentally created one with Aurora, but he didn't finish it. In fact, he wasn't even aware he had started to make one with her until tonight."

Harry's eyes narrowed. He didn't understand.

"It's a bit like how you have two wires sometimes; one is fastened down correctly while the other is flapping in the wind. Every now and then, the wire swinging in the wind will touch the fastened down one and create a spark. Sometimes that spark will power the telly, and you can watch that cute Connery boy and all his movies. Understand?"

Harry nodded slowly with a laugh. He heard his grandfather groan and glanced at him.

"Honestly, Lizzie. Must ya bring that man up?"

"What? Eileen had him right. He's quite the charmer." She smiled. "Your grandmother fancies the pants right off him much to your grandfather's obvious discontent." She then sighed. "Don't worry, Harry dear. Severus will find Aurora in the end, and you'll get your family. I know it." She drew in a slow breath. "Now then, who's going to help me with dinner while we wait for Severus to wake up?"

Several hours later, Snape groaned quietly as he came around. He rubbed his eyes for a few moments, blinked a couple of times, and then sat up slowly. He glanced around the dark and unfamiliar sitting room, trying to regain his bearings. Everything quickly rushed to the forefront of his mind again. Aurora. He had tried to find her through their accidental link. Her captor wanted something her mother had. But what was it? He shook his head to push away the memory of Aurora's screams. He needed a clear mind if he was to find her.

Not wasting any more time, he pushed himself up off the sofa he had been resting on. Where was everyone? Harry? His dad? Mrs. Andrews? He frowned at seeing a light underneath a closed door. With his wand sliding easily into his hand at the ready, he slowly approached the swinging door and pushed it open. His brows instantly furrowed in confusion.

"Full house. I win again," laughed Mrs. Andrews, sitting with Harry and Tobias at her kitchen table. "I never would have thought I'd see the day where you'd have gotten so bad at poker, Tobias."

"Ah, hell," Tobias grumbled before he tossed his cards down in frustration. "Not all of us ended up like you, able to bluff our way out of things, Lizzie."

"Dad?" Snape said extremely confused. Just how long had he been out? He caught Tobias's blue eyes dart to him followed by Harry's green. What was going on?

"There you are, dear. Good to see that you're up and about. Sit. We've been waiting for you," Mrs. Andrews explained kindly, not even bothering to look at him.

Snape slowly staggered towards the opened chair in clear puzzlement. He couldn't have been asleep long enough for Tobias and Mrs. Andrews to be on first name basis joking around with one another like old friends. He rubbed his face quickly to check his stubble before his frown deepened. He was still somewhat clean shaven. So he hadn't been asleep that long.

"What's going on?" His black eyes darted back to Harry who was quiet. Was he still asleep? Was this all a dream or something?

"Some coffee for you. Now don't worry. I made sure not to add the cream or sugar this time. It's black. Just the way you like it, dear." Mrs. Andrews slowly pushed a cup and plate full of food further in front of him.

"I don't understand."

"Yes, that much is clear by the look on your face." She gave him a faint smile. "I'll explain. You just eat up. You're going to need to keep your strength up now. What with all that extra workout you're going to get trying to find her. Eat. It'll do you some good. You're much too peakish as it is frankly."

"Who are you?"

"You know who I am, Severus. I'm your neighbor, Mrs. Lizabeth Andrews. We've been neighbors for—oh dear me—since your second year of teaching, I believe? Or was it your first?" She shrugged, drinking her cup of tea.

"You two know each other?" He glanced between her and his dad. They seemed awfully cozy with one another he noted.

"Yeah. We do, son." Tobias sighed heavily. "She's yer godmother and El's best friend."

His eyes darted back to Mrs. Andrews. Memories of the kind elderly woman flashed behind his eyes as he recalled the majority of his meetings with her since he had moved there. She had always kept an eye out for him, but he had tallied it up as her being a good neighbor. She was his godmother?

"You lived out here first," he stated flatly. Had everything in his life been a tangle web of deception? Was anything real?

"I did. Lived out here since you were about five or six," she replied, nodding slowly.

"I don't ever recall you and my mother together."

"You wouldn't. You were just a few hours old when I met you, Severus."

"Convenient."

"Perhaps." She shrugged again. "I told your mother to leave Tobias that day in the hospital after she had you. That he would only hurt her in the end. Your mother being the stubborn woman she was didn't listen. Instead, she told me that we were no longer friends and to leave."

"And what? I'm supposed to believe you now?"

"No." She smiled at him. "A healthy dose of skepticism is good. Keeps a person on their toes."

"How much of my childhood was real? Answer me that."

"I can't, Severus. I wasn't there for it."

"You told my mother to leave him, and she didn't. If you were truly her friend like you claim—"

"I did check up on her, dear. A few days after she brought you home in fact. I knew I had overstepped my bounds with her. Knocked on the door. Last row house on Spinner's End, of course. Next to the dirty river. Heard you screaming your heart out upstairs. Knocked again. Thinking that she couldn't hear me over you. Tobias answered. Or I should say someone who looked like him did. Snapped at me to leave his family alone. That my kind wasn't wanted there. I was dressed like a Muggle of course. So he shouldn't really have known. Either way, I told him to tell her that I was sorry for the other day. He slammed the door in my face. I turned to leave and saw her in one of the upstairs' rooms, looking out the window with you against her chest." She sighed, pinching her mouth together for a moment. "I left and went to Dumbledore with my suspicions seconds later. Told him that something didn't feel right."

Snape frowned. Her body language showed complete honesty. Her eyes even said it. So, either she was a very good Occlumens or he was slipping.

"Dumbledore said he'd check it out. I took his word for it—had no reason not to mind you—and went home. Two days later, four goons broke into my house. I've no way of knowing for certain who they were, but they attacked me. Told me to stay away from your mother. I went back to Dumbledore after they left. Told him about it. He said nothing of importance. Just a thank you and sent me on my way again. I sent your mum an owl that night, asking if she was all right. The owl came back empty handed. No reply. I went to the Aurors then with my suspicions. Told them I was a Seer and that I just knew something was off. I asked them to investigate it, just to make sure she was all right. Later that night, the goons came back. One of them forced a potion down my throat while the other held me down. My magic's not worked right since. Get flashes sometimes, though. Dumbledore told me to drop it, then. Before I got her killed. So I did, Severus. Kept tabs on you, though. As best as I could from a distance."

"Dumbledore knew?"

"Oh, Dumbledore knows a great deal more than he lets on, dear. We're all pawns to him. A means to an end. Your mother would tell you that if she were here. She didn't trust him any farther than she could spit. For good reason, too. When Dumbledore found out Riddle's interest in her, Dumbledore wanted Eileen to play along." Mrs. Andrews smiled, laughing. "Your mum's never been one for rules. Society's or other people's rules, though. So she told him just where to shove it. And Dumbledore just didn't like that, of course. Now, don't get me wrong. He does have his good side. As long as you play the dutiful pawn to him. Anything else just doesn't fit in with his brilliant schemes. Likely lost himself after his sister's death, I'd imagine. Guilt does do horrible things to a person."

Snape's fist clenched atop of the table. First, he learned that Dumbledore knew that his father was alive and well after being held for years. Now, this? What was next?

"What else do you know about him? What else is he hiding?"

"I couldn't say, dear." She sighed and shrugged. "The only thing I've noticed over the years is that where Tom Riddle is concerned, Dumbledore will do anything to rid the world of him. To Dumbledore and likely Riddle himself, they're playing Wizarding Chess with our lives."

"What about Aurora? What have you seen with her?"

"Nothing. She's hazy for some reason. I haven't gotten a reading on her. I only knew about your link with her because of the red thread."

"Red thread?" He frowned. "What red thread?"

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "A Chinese proverb, dear."

He thought for a moment before realizing what she meant. Knowing the proverb only because he had heard Lily once say it, he recited the proverb by heart, "An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." He watched her nod slowly. "You see this?" He looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Oh, Severus." She patted his arm and smiled kindly at him. "I see how you are around her. Trust me. The thread's there. Now, eat up. Won't do her any good if you're too weak to concentrate."

He frowned but slowly started to eat one of the cucumber sandwiches. His mind digested every bit of information she had told him. It was like a riddle with the answer staring him right in the face. He tried to connect all the dots that she had supplied for him, including Rayne and his dad's earlier comments a few moments later.

A young Eileen Prince met Tom Riddle when he visited with Eileen's mother. Did the dark wizard see something in Eileen when he was there, something her son couldn't? He had to. Why else would Riddle be so interested in her? She would have been a child, not of age yet since she was still at the manor. So, then, what was it? Was it just that she was a Prince? Maybe Eileen didn't play ball with Riddle either—to use one of his father's asinine phrases. She clearly didn't with Dumbledore, after all. So, then, Riddle set his sights on Severus, guided him into joining with certain events. Tobias and Rayne had mentioned that it was likely would-be Death Eaters who threw Tobias in and left him in the tunnels. With the real Tobias out of the way, Riddle could insert someone else. A little Polyjuice and good acting, he'd have complete access to the Princes, and no one would know because Eileen cut all ties off with the Wizarding World except her best friend. Mrs. Andrews started sniffing around, though, and it made Riddle nervous. So he had her dealt with. Forced her to drink a potion that neutralized her magic. Same potion that was used on Eileen and the same one that a Death Eater tried to use on Aurora.

Dumbledore knew it all, it seemed, but he wanted Riddle dealt with. So, he let events play out, sat aside and let Riddle make his move. Did that mean it was Dumbledore's move, then? No. Riddle was already making his next move—gathering more followers and leading an either complacent or clueless Lucius to the diary—before Dumbledore could. So, where did this Project Unicorn mess fall in at?

The balding man who was holding Aurora captive said that Dumbledore was the one who signed off on it. What was Project Unicorn? And what was the thing that the man wanted so badly? For that matter, why had the man taken the other Pureblood women? What was he doing with them? Every time he thought he'd have something figured out, ten more questions would pop up.

The most troubling question of all, though, was, how did anyone know about his house. He hadn't even told Dumbledore about it. Only he and Mrs. Andrews knew. He glanced at the elderly woman and frowned. She certainly hadn't seemed concerned about the people having kidnapped Aurora. That wasn't a godmotherly thing, was it? But then again, she was the one who gave him the idea about his link with Aurora. What would be the point in telling him that if she was in league with the man who took Aurora? There wouldn't be one he gathered. Nothing made sense anymore. He had to be missing something, some big piece of the puzzle he was overlooking. But what?

"Where do I even start?" Snape grumbled before he heard himself speaking aloud.

"We've been doing that for you, son," Tobias answered quietly. "Looked up all the old abandoned military barracks on a map. Got a listing of twenty-seven here in the kingdom."

"Twenty-seven?" He frowned, shaking his head. Even with Apparation, that would still take too long to search. He couldn't waste any time because Aurora didn't have any to begin with. He thought back on what he saw briefly before the link took over. It looked medical in nature. That would cut some of the twenty-seven down likely, but it was still too big of a search for his liking. "He wanted her mother to return something. Something she took."

"All right. How about we go see her mother, then?" Tobias offered with a shrug.

"I don't know where her parents live. It's a place called Windsor, I remember, but she's never said where that was exactly. And I doubt it's the one that's on the map."

"Got any method of contacting anyone who would know, son? Secretly, I mean?"

Snape shook his head.

"Not unless I wish to return to Hogwarts," he answered with a sigh.

"What about Mum's mirror?" Harry suggested helpfully. "She talked to Professor McGonagall with it earlier when you were out shopping. Course she didn't know I was outside the door, though."

Snape's fork clattered onto his plate. His black eyes instantly darted to his son. He had to have heard Harry wrong.

"What?" the twelve-year-old asked, blinking in confusion before a light bulb went on in his head. "Oh. Well, how was I supposed to know she was talking to Professor McGonagall? It's not like I did it on purpose, I mean."

"What part of 'Don't contact anyone' did you two not understand?" Snape growled.

"Hey! I didn't talk to her, Dad. Mum did," Harry argued. "Besides, Professor McGonagall thought we were all dead anyway. They were like crying and stuff with each other. Mum was for sure. I could see her through the crack in the door."

"How much of their conversation did you overhear?" Snape's eyes narrowed on his son.

"Enough to know that Professor McGonagall thinks of Mum as her daughter or something. Why?" Snape didn't reply right away so Harry tried a different approach. "Dad, what is it?"

"Why did she think we were dead?"

"Um, something about our rooms being destroyed, I think." Harry thought hard for a few moments before he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that was what it was. The dungeons ended up underwater due to a window being shattered. Mum's rooms were destroyed, too, but I didn't hear how. Mum cut her off and said we were fine. I can't be sure, but I think Mum told her about the headmaster being, you know, possessed. Professor McGonagall said she'd keep an eye out. Then, they sort of talked about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah." Harry shrugged, glancing down and moving a few of his cards.

"What did they say?"

"Son," Tobias warned. "That's dangerous waters you're treading in now."

"Harry, answer me." Snape brushed off his dad's warnings. He needed to know if he'd be made the fool yet again by a woman he cared for—the constant fear that nagged him inside.

"It was nothing bad, Dad. Just, well, Professor McGonagall wanted to know if Mum had told you something yet. Mum said that it was nothing. That it was better not to rush and tell you because she didn't know for certain herself and it'd likely ruin the relationship. McGonagall told her it was important to tell you, though."

"Tell me what, Harry?"

"Beats me, Dad. I thought it was that she was pregnant, like Grandpa shouted after you. But when I talked to her about it, to see if that was what it was, she kissed my forehead and said that it wasn't possible." The young boy shrugged. "I don't know."

Snape frowned and nodded slowly. He didn't want to consider anymore if she was pregnant or not. Everything was still too fresh in his mind. So, he set aside that question of what she was hiding. He needed to get her back first. Then, they could deal with whatever it was.

"What are you thinking, son?" Tobias asked quietly.

"Either one of two things happened. Either someone else was listening in to their conversation and found out where we were. Or they were here the whole time waiting for one of us to make a mistake so they could grab her."

"Only way to know which it was for certain is to talk to the thugs who took her."

Snape nodded slowly. That was one way. People, however, had a nasty habit of lying when their lives were on the line. He knew that from experience.

"Do you remember where she put the mirror, Harry?"

"No." Harry's green eyes flitted briefly over to Tobias. "Grandpa found me outside the door and pulled me away."

"And I'd have done it sooner, too, if I'd have known," Tobias gruffly stated. "Ain't no good ever come from snooping in things you ought not to be snooping in. That's how fights happen usually. Cause someone misunderstands and blows it out of proportion."

"We need to find that mirror," Snape announced.

"Thought you didn't want to go back to Hogwarts, son?"

"I don't." Snape's frown deepened as his mood darkened. "But I need to know the location of Windsor. If I can find out what it is that her mother took and what this is all about, maybe we can find where she is and bring her home." It sounded good in theory at least, and it kept his mind busy until he could try to use the link again, which he guessed would be sometime tomorrow.

"All right. To the cottage, then, son?"

Snape nodded. To the cottage.

~FKTF~

After a half an hour of searching, they finally found the blasted mirror. It was underneath her pillow of all things. Snape assumed she had hid it there quickly with little thought. His fingers curled around the handle before he held it out and waited. He could feel his father's and Harry's eyes on him. At the sight of the flickering reflection, he knew the mirror was making the connection with its other half. He remained perfectly stone faced when he saw McGonagall appear in the mirror.

"Severus?" Her green eyes glanced around in confusion. "Where's Aurora?"

"Indisposed," he replied curtly. "I need to know where Windsor is. I need to speak with her mother." A brief flicker of contempt flashed across her face at the mentioning of Aurora's mother.

"Why?"

"That's for me to know. Now, tell me where Windsor is."

"No."

"McGonagall, I don't have time for your games," he growled. "Tell me where Windsor is." He frowned when he heard her sharp exhale followed by her eyes widening in horror. "What?"

"That's why—oh, Severus," McGonagall whispered, clapping a hand to her mouth. "That's why they were released, isn't it? They have her, don't they?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" he snapped, annoyed with her reaction. He couldn't be that out of practice that she could read him like a book and know that Aurora was missing.

"The kidnapped women were found earlier. Andromeda, Narcissa, Layla, Molly, and the others, I mean. They were found in an abandoned medical facility of some kind near Surrey. The Aurors found them just a few hours ago." She closed her eyes for a few moments and drew in a slow breath before she spoke again. "Your mother was among them, Severus."

He felt his dad take a step towards him instantly. However, there was a new roaring in Snape's ears. His mother had been one of the kidnapped women? He forced back his emotions. He needed to be calm and collected. Emotions did little good right now anyway.

"Alive?" he asked as if he was merely asking about the weather.

"Yes. Barely, though, Severus." McGonagall's eyes softened on him. "Pomfrey's working on her as we speak. She believes that in time Eileen will make a full recovery." She gave him a sympathetic look. "Your mother's a strong woman, Severus. She endured hell and then some it seems. She was one of the lucky ones."

"How many survived?"

"According to Molly, forty Pureblood women were taken in all. Of that forty, seven survived."

"They were all tortured?"

"In some way or another, yes."

He heard his dad's low growl as the man stood next to him. It was getting harder to keep back his emotions. His mother, Narcissa, Molly Weasley for Merlin's sake—all of them tortured.

"Kingsley stated that they all look like they were experimented on or something. Judging by what I saw with your mother and Narcissa, it seemed as if someone was trying to dissect them. Their bodies are littered with lacerations—surgical in nature Poppy said actually."

"That bastard's gonna get his balls forced down his—" Tobias snarled before he stopped suddenly at the sight of Snape's harsh look.

"Agreed, Tobias," McGonagall replied, gaining Snape's attention again.

"I need the location of Windsor, Minerva. Now."

"You won't go there alone. I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not, McGonagall," he growled, not liking her insinuation. Of course he wouldn't be alone. He'd have his dad and son with him.

"Meeting Syra alone to inform her about Aurora is not wise, Severus."

"Regardless of her natural maternal instincts, I need information that she has."

McGonagall's green eyes darkened slightly. "That bitch has never given a damn about her daughter, Severus, despite of how much Aurora tried to please her. She has no maternal instincts in her."

He raised an eyebrow. Was Aurora's mother that bad? He had heard Aurora complain about her a few times before, but he had always thought it was just the usual mother-daughter issues.

"I'm coming with, and that's final, Severus Snape," McGonagall stated with a tone of finality. "I'll meet you in the Hog's Head in two minutes." The connection then crackled before the stern witch vanished from the mirror.

"Hog's Head it is, then," Tobias said with a nod. "Probably should hold back your tongue it sounds like, son. This Syra lady doesn't sound all that . . . polite."

Snape glanced at his dad and shook his head. This was not the way he wanted to meet the woman. He put a hand on his son's shoulder before he glanced down at the twelve-year-old. The boy hadn't taken well to Apparating the last time they tried it. Perhaps if he prepared Harry this time, it might help.

"Harry, put your arms around me." He closed his eyes briefly at the feel of his son's embrace, returning it gently. "You might feel ill again after we reappear," he explained quietly. "I apologize if you do." He felt Harry nod stiffly against him. "I'll try to make it easier on you this time, all right?"

"Dad?" Harry glanced up at him. "Let's just find Mum, all right?"

Tobias chuckled mirthfully before he caught Snape's eyes and nodded to him. A moment later, they turned on the spot and Disapparated with two identical pops. When they reappeared outside of the Hog's Head, Snape helped steady Harry and waited patiently for the boy to breathe in and out.

"Are you well, Harry?"

"Yeah, Dad. It didn't suck that bad this time." They, then, walked into the establishment.

"As you can see, Minerva, I'm not alone," Snape dryly stated when they reached her.

"Yes, I see that. You're still not going without me, though, Severus. I want to find this bastard as much as you do. And if Syra is the key to it, then we'll go together."

He opened his mouth to argue with her, but promptly closed it. It wouldn't do any good, and it'd only waste more time. Slowly inclining his head, he yielded to her. She seemed to have history with Syra. So, it might help, even if it was clearly a history full of contempt.

"Windsor is along the North Sea. In Northumberland, I believe. I'll take you to it." She held her hand out. Tobias, Harry, and Snape quickly grabbed a hold of her before they Disapparated with her.

~FKTF~

Harry glanced around the large foyer, eyeing his dad every now and then. His dad clearly was uncomfortable as they waited for the house elf to retrieve the lady of the house. Of course Harry didn't blame him. The whole place made him uncomfortable, too. He felt like he had just stepped inside one of the vaults in Gringotts. Who would have known that his mum came from money?

At the sound of heels clicking against the steps, Harry glanced up the marble staircase and resisted the urge to take a step backwards. A pale, tall, golden blond elegantly walked down the stairs towards them, her cold blue eyes resting on them.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this little visit?" the woman asked, forcing a polite and thin smile to her face.

"Your daughter's been kidnapped, Syra," McGonagall stated bluntly.

"Ah." Syra walked past them, motioning to follow as she led them into a large drawing room. "Frankly, I've already been informed of that, Minerva." She held up an envelope that she had grabbed from the coffee table. "Received her molar—left one I believe it is—by owl just a few hours ago."

Harry stared at the woman in disbelief. He knew his dad guarded himself closely, too, but this woman—there were no words for it. There was no remorse, no fear, no sadness. Just utter emotionless.

"The man who took her is willing to exchange your daughter if you return something to him," his dad spoke politely. "Something he stated you stole from him, Mrs. Sinistra."

"Refer to me as Syra if you must, Mr. Snape," she replied shortly with a look of annoyance. "Otherwise, I'd prefer you don't speak to me at all." The woman then pursed her lips before continuing. "I read that as well, however."

Harry frowned, wondering how she knew his dad's surname.

"What is it that he's after?"

"Something of which I don't have anymore," she answered flatly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't ever hand it over to him."

"He will continue to torture your daughter until he gets whatever it is he wants."

"Yes. I'm aware of that."

Harry could see what Professor McGonagall had meant by saying that Syra didn't care about his mum. She didn't seem at all bothered by her daughter being kidnapped and tortured. It was as if they were talking about the Chudley Cannons or something.

"What does he want?" his dad repeated, forcing the politeness now.

"As I said before, Mr. Snape, something I do not have."

"What was it?"

"You're a bit slow, aren't you? Of course I can't blame you. It's all because of your breed."

Harry clenched his jaw, recalling his Aunt Marge saying the same thing once. This woman was horrible. How could she be his mum's mother? She was worse than Lily and Aunt Petunia combined.

"Now, listen here, lass. You can insult me all ya like—"

"Oh, don't think I won't, Mr. Snape Senior." The woman's smile widened just a bit. "Now, then, I do believe we all have better things to do. So, I'll have a house elf show you to the door."

"You care so little about your daughter—" his dad growled.

"And here my daughter claimed you were a smart man, Mr. Snape," she replied coldly, her blue eyes flashing dangerously towards him. "I've yet to see evidence of that, but no matter." She gave a short laugh. "My daughter will survive. I've ensured that."

"So you gave him whatever it was, then?" Harry blurted out before he winced when he realized his mistake. He didn't dare glance at his dad.

"No, Mister Potter. Had you been paying attention, you'd have heard me say that twice now."

"Then, how?"

"My daughter may consider you kin, but I assure you that I don't."

"Your daughter will die if you don't give it to him, Syra. And your grandchild as well."

Harry watched Syra's eyes dart to his dad before he heard her scoff.

"My, how desperate you are," she drawled. Her icy blue eyes narrowed on him. "Little word of advice, Mr. Snape. Don't tell obvious lies. They'll always burn you in the end."

"It's not a lie. Your daughter is pregnant."

Harry did everything in his power not to look shocked. His dad needed the woman to believe it. So, he nodded slowly just in case she'd look for confirmation.

"Impossible," spat Syra, her icy exterior melting away just slightly.

"No. It's not. She's pregnant with my child. Now, are you going to let her and your grandchild die?" his dad asked firmly, standing his ground with her.

Syra stared him down before she scoffed again. "You're lying."

"Give me Veritaserum, then. I'll take three drops worth and tell you the same thing."

"It's not possible, Snape."

"Oh? And just why is that, Syra?" his dad growled, taking a step towards her.

"Because Aurora can't have children," she answered impassively. "She's physically unable to according to the healers."

"What?"

"You heard me. She's not able to have children." Her eyes flashed coldly at him. "Next time you decide to lie, do your homework first. Now, kindly get the hell out of my home."

"Syra, you cold bitch," snapped McGonagall. "Your daughter is being tortured as we speak. Whatever it is he wants, give it to him."

"As I said before, McGonagall, I don't have it anymore."

"Then, fake it! Don't just sit there and do nothing as your daughter yet again suffers because of you!" Her green eyes darkened as she glared at Syra. "You say you love her? Prove it for once in your pathetic life, Syra!"

"Aurora will survive."

"In how many pieces this time, Syra?"

"She will compartmentalize and survive. Just as I taught her to do."

"Oh, yes, I remember all about your techniques," McGonagall snidely retorted. "She didn't trust anyone when she returned that fall. Withdrawn. Scared out of her mind. But then again, how could she trust anyone when her own mother left her to die? And for what? Hmm, Syra? All so you could test her to see if she was strong enough to endure the hell you put her through that summer! I will never understand why Albus allowed you anywhere near her after that. You're a monster."

"Are you finished?"

Harry's mouth dropped when he saw his head of house punch Syra. He glanced at his dad, noticing his father's raised eyebrow. His eyes then darted to his grandfather, seeing the older wizard's appreciative smirk.

"No. Now I'm finished," McGonagall stated, glaring at the golden blond.

"Get out," Syra hissed, emphasizing each word.

"Project Unicorn," his dad interrupted, gaining the witches' attentions. "What was it?"

"A secret Ministry project," Syra replied with clenched teeth. "Why?"

"Tell me about it." He lowered his voice, releasing the tension in his voice. "Please."

Harry could see Syra start to relax slightly as well. Once again, she seemed devoid all emotions. He didn't know how she did it. Be angry one second ready to kill them all, and robotic the next.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

She sighed, glancing up at the ceiling before inclining her head. "It was a Ministry funded top secret project that was implemented by St. Mungo's during the 1950s and early 1960s. Initially, the project was to answer the age old question of how does one keep the purebloods entirely pure without them all dying off. At least that was the Ministry's unofficial explanation of it. However, the submitted and later accepted proposal stated that the project's primary purpose was to alter the genetics of any offspring and repair any damaged or missing genes. For example, a child predisposed with hemophilia. With certain genetic modifications, that could be repaired while the child is still in utero. It's based around the research of an American who at the time believed 'little machines' created in a lab could cure dozens of aliments plaguing the world. Nanotechnology in its infancy in other words."

Harry listened silently, thinking some of it was going over his head already. But the adults seemed to understand. He just waited patiently.

"Albus Dumbledore signed off on it, seeing that it could be used for good and could help hundreds of families who needed it. The project started soon after about 1951, and I was asked to be the healer-in-charge of the project, since I submitted the proposal. I researched tirelessly to find a way for it to work, using Muggle and Magical research on the matter. After a few years of researching, I created several serums that included the tiny machines. If it was to work the way it was intended, the machines had to learn and adapt, as we do in order to survive. In 1956, I started my tests on various lab animals with the serums to see which ones worked and which didn't. Eventually, I became pregnant with Aurora, though, so the Ministry hired an assistant, Leonidas Montgomery.

"He was a healer who had just finished his internship with St. Mungo's," Syra continued. "So to say that he was desperate to sink his teeth into my research would be an understatement. It soon became apparent to me that Leonidas was not just hired to assist me, but to keep an eye on me as well for the Ministry. They all wanted to know how close I was to developing the serum, but I refused to tell that bureaucratic corrupt place anything of value. My pregnancy helped provide me with various excuses to use when I needed to work alone and escape his watchful eyes."

"You worked on it here?"

"Yes." Syra nodded slowly. "I soon realized what the Ministry had planned once I finished the serum. By using nanotechnology and programming it either to adapt or to override the default of adapting and accept a code, I had given the Ministry a new weapon to use."

"I don't understand."

"It could target specific programmed-in genes and alter them based on the code given if overridden. In theory, one could program it to check to see if the gene responsible for one becoming either magical or not is in an individual. If said individual was non-magical, one could target and kill the non-magical person while it'd do nothing to the magical person it'd come in contact with. In other words, if it was introduced into the drinking water, the genocide of all Muggles would be too easy."

"Bloody hell," Tobias gaped.

"Indeed," Syra said quietly. "Unfortunately, when I realized this, I had already developed a large batch of it, and Leonidas knew that. He informed the Ministry, who in turn selected females of all ages from prominent families. I was five months along at this time. I couldn't afford to make a mistake. The first woman selected was Eileen Prince-Snape, your mother."

Harry's eyes darted to his dad. He watched his dad breathe in and out slowly as the man said nothing. That certainly was interesting.

"The Ministry didn't want the public to know they were being experimented on, of course. So, the lie we were to use when administering it was that it was a nutritional potion. Your mother came in for your routine check-up, while I was in the process of switching the vials out with actual nutritional potions. Leonidas, however, had already grabbed one of the vials and gave it to her. I'm unsure if Eileen took it or not. Once I had switched out all the vials, I resigned and took my research with me, leaving Leonidas to administer the potions alone. He realized after a bit that something was wrong, so he came to me asking for my research. I refused. The Ministry noted not long after that the project was a failure and ended it, effectively ruining Leonidas and his career because he couldn't keep his promises he gave to the Ministry." She sighed, shaking her head slowly. "He didn't take failure well, so he sent the Ministry to raid this place to find the real vials. They found nothing."

"Is he the one who has Aurora?"

"Likely. I'd imagine he's been taking all these women these past months, because he believes one of them actually drank it."

"And you never thought to tell anyone this?"

Syra's eyes darted to Harry's dad as she smiled thinly. "You mean inform them of something they already knew? Don't doubt for a moment that there aren't those at the Ministry right now who knew exactly who took the women and just where he was this whole time. After all, keep in mind that the Ministry wants it just as bad as Leonidas does."

"So the unused vial is what he wants?"

"Yes, but as I said, I don't have it anymore. So I'm not any use to Aurora."

"You used it?"

"Clearly," Syra replied flatly.

"On whom?"

"As if I would tell you. Now, I believe I've answered all your questions."

"Who did you give it to?"

"Kindly see yourselves out. We're finished," Syra stated coldly, standing up and motioning towards the foyer behind them.

"Your daughter will die, Syra."

"No, Mr. Snape. My daughter will survive. I've ensured that."

Harry gasped, his mouth dropping. He glanced at his dad, then to his grandfather, and then to his head of house. He stared at the golden blond before shaking his head.

"Yes, by torturing your daughter yourself," McGonagall snapped.

Tobias frowned instantly and opened his mouth to disagree, but his grandson quickly cut him off.

"No. No, that's not it," Harry argued. "She took it herself. She drank it." Harry caught Syra's unnatural blue eyes rest on him and swallowed. This was not going to be good. She was positively scary.

"How observant of you, Mister Potter. There's hope for you yet." She flashed a thin smile. "You are mistaken, though. I injected it into my abdomen so it'd pass through the placenta into my daughter."

"Dear Merlin!" McGonagall and Harry were outraged. "Why on earth would you do that? Subject your unborn child to something so risky?"

"Seeing as how you're not a mother, Minerva," Syra stated coldly, "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Tobias and Harry's dad both wore identical frowns. When McGonagall took a step forward, Harry's dad quickly grabbed her wrist and shook his head at the older witch. It truly wasn't worth it.

"She might not be fortunate enough to be a parent, but we are. So, try us, lass," Tobias gruffly grumbled with hard steel blue eyes.

"Would you do everything in your power to save your son, Mr. Snape Senior? If you had the chance, that is? I had such an opportunity, and I took it."

"Save her? Well, if that isn't some fine Thestral dung, I don't know what is," McGonagall cried, glaring at Syra. "You always claim you're saving her, yet you're always the one torturing her."

"Think what you will, Minerva, but I did the right thing."

"No. You never have. Your daughter has always just wanted your love. And what do you do? You give her constant pain and heartbreak instead. Anytime she does anything of importance, you tell her that it wasn't good enough. You never deserved her!"

"Be as that may, she is my daughter, Minerva, not yours. Sooner you understand that, the better."

"No one but you was after her. She was fine. Safe."

"I saved her."

"No! You killed her by experimenting on her! You gave your unborn daughter a serum that you likely weren't even certain worked on humans at the time. And for what? Just to see if it'd work. If you were the genius you believed yourself to be. You're a monster."

Harry sidestepped towards his dad. The witches looked like they were about to come to blows, and he didn't want to be anywhere around when the hexes started to fly. It'd likely be deadly hexes, too.

"You don't get to—"

"You never appreciated your daughter. You never loved her!"

"Silence!" Syra snapped, glaring daggers at McGonagall. "Had I not given her the serum, she never would have survived, Minerva! Would you rather that occurred?" She shook her head violently when McGonagall reared back. "The exact second the healer told me something was wrong with my child, I did everything in my power to save her. So when I came home that day, I gave her the serum on the off chance it'd work. What else was I to do, Minerva? Stand by and let my daughter die like the healer recommended I do? Let her be a stillborn?" She scoffed. "I gave my daughter a chance at survival. So don't you ever insinuate that I didn't love her! Everything I've done is to keep her alive. Keep her safe." She shook her head again. "My daughter may not have had the pampered childhood you think she deserved, but she's alive. Now get out." She waved her hand, and they were thrown outside.

~FKTF~

Snape wore his fixed frown as they reappeared at the cast-iron gates of Hogwarts. He glanced at his son and then to his dad before he looked away. Ahead of them walked Minerva, who had been lost in thought after they left Windsor. He couldn't help but see the head of Gryffindor in a new light. She clearly cared for Aurora as if the younger witch was her daughter. He shook his head. His mind was swimming with information now. He didn't know how to make sense of it all.

"It's safe to return, Severus," Minerva said softly, pausing as she opened the gates with a spell and glanced back at the trio. "After Aurora informed me about Albus," she sighed. "Well, let's just say he's been subdued until we can figure out how to end the spell on him."

"The diary?" he inquired. His eyes narrowed when he watched her reach into her robe pocket before she removed the leather-bound item.

"It was still on his desk." She held it out and said nothing when he grabbed it from her.

"The attacks?"

"Mister Finch-Fletchley was the last one, which occurred just a few moments before you left. I'd imagine there's been no attack because no one's used that book since you left." She sighed. "Lockhart disappeared, however, but no one's choked up about that obviously. Professor Rayne also hasn't been seen lately."

"Calisto went off to talk to her sources," Tobias cut in.

Snape's eyes darted to his dad as his frown deepened. Had the man spoken with the vampire while they were at the cottage? Hell, did everyone know about the place now? When his dad's blue eyes met his, he looked away.

"I know that because she said she'd do that while we were away, son. I didn't break yer rules," Tobias replied, answering the unasked question.

"Poppy likely would allow you to see your mother, Severus. There's nothing stopping you currently." She sighed when he gave her a sharp look. "You know what I mean, Severus." She turned away and slowly walked up the path to the castle alone.

Snape looked back at Harry and his dad. Minerva unfortunately was correct. As long as they were together, they'd be safe. He'd protect his son at all costs, and he knew his dad would as well. He closed his eyes. When he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder, he glanced towards his dad.

"Regroup. That's all we can do at this point, son." His eyes softened slightly as his voice lowered so only he and his son could hear it. "You ain't abandoning her, Severus. You ain't giving up either. You just are regrouping. Ain't nothing wrong with that either. I did it with yer mum." He gave him a faint smile. "Next time you talk to her, tell her it. She'll understand. Girl loves you to death, son."

"There's a monster in that damned school, Dad." Snape pointed at the castle. "It's petrifying students."

"So, then we slay the dragon, son."

"Easy as that, is it?"

"No, but we do what we have to." Tobias sighed. "Judging by how Minerva said that all the ladies but Aurora was found in that facility, we've got to assume that they moved her elsewhere. Now, sure, we can go gallivanting about the countryside looking everywhere, but all we'd be doing is wasting energy and time. Both of which we need when we find her."

"But at least we'd be doing something, then!"

"We are doing something, Severus." Tobias shook his head, squeezing Snape's shoulder. "I'll bet you a wedding of your choice, son, that later tonight you'll be feeling better."

"What?" How in the hell would he feel better after Aurora was kidnapped on his watch?

"We got yer mum, son. They don't."

"What does Mum have to do with this?"

"Yer mum's a smart woman, son. If them bastards said anything, left a hint about Aurora, yer mum would have heard it. She likes to toy with people you know, but she learns very quickly the nuances and such. She's got something for us. I just know it. Now, come on. We'll slay the monster and get yer princess back. And, hell, she'll get her fairytale come true. Ain't nothin' more romantic than it."

Snape frowned, resisting the urge to punch the man. He headed to the castle a moment later.

~FKTF~

Not long after they entered the hospital wing, Harry found himself standing in front of his grandmother's cot in one of the private rooms. He glanced at his dad, biting his lip when he noticed his dad's closed eyes. He then looked at his grandfather, shifting his weight at the sight of his grandfather sitting down in the chair beside her and reaching for her hand. His green eyes passed over her, taking in her appearance.

Her long black hair speckled with gray was fanned out around her head. She had angular cheekbones, like his dad, and thin lips. Dark bruises and deep cuts littered her white face. Her right arm was wrapped heavy in gauze. A sheet rested atop of her to shield the rest of her body from view, but it was clear to Harry that she had been starved and beaten.

"Are you just going to hover near me, child, or are you going to say something?" a raspy voice asked suddenly.

Harry jumped in response before he noticed his grandmother's dark eyes on him.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know you were awake."

"Obviously," his grandmother rasped before she glanced towards his dad and then at Tobias. "I should hex you, you lying arse, but I'm without a wand unfortunately." Her dark eyes flashed as she glared at her husband.

"You know?"

"That the bastard I thought was my husband was some Polyjuiced idiot while you were hidden away from us? Yes, Tobias. That became painfully obvious when I was brought before Riddle."

Harry watched his dad start at the mention of the dark wizard.

"How did you come to be held with the others, then?"

"Riddle exchanged me for a guarantee of some potion he wants. Immortality or the like." She winced in pain, drawing in a slow breath. "Since Riddle already got what he wanted with you, Severus, I wasn't needed anymore."

Harry watched his dad grimace slightly.

"When I told you that you could be anything you wanted, Severus, I didn't mean be a Death Eater, you foolish boy!" she scolded, giving his dad a sharp look. "I hope you learned your lesson."

"Yes, Mum," his dad replied quietly.

"Good." She sighed a moment later. "Then, come here, you silly child, and give me a proper hug." She laughed softly when he stiffly embraced her. "A fish gives better hugs than you, Severus." She kissed his cheek before she pulled back. "Well, now, who's this?" Her eyes darted back to Harry.

"Um, Harry Potter," the young boy softly said, holding a hand out to her.

"Yes, dear. That's obvious," his grandmother drawled. "Who are you to my son?"

"Oh, um, his son. Your grandson." Harry watched her eyes lighten for a moment before she smiled in amusement. He frowned in response.

"I'll forgive you for not telling me about my grandson this time, Severus, but this is the only time I will about this." Harry couldn't tell if she was serious or joking. Her face was perfectly neutral like his dad's usually was.

"How are you feeling, Mother?"

"I've been better." She glanced at Tobias, then, and frowned.

"What, El? Gonna smack me upside the head?"

"You'd certainly deserve it, wouldn't you?" Her eyes darted back to her son. "And you, too, Severus. Both of you are menaces."

"Eh, you love us anyway," Tobias replied with a cocky grin. The minute his wife smacked the back of his head, though, his smile vanished and he glanced down.

"I'm upset with you. Both of you." Harry noticed that his dad and grandfather both knew enough to look ashamed. Her body lost its tension a few moments later as her eyes softened slightly as she glanced between them. "Honestly. What am I going to do with you two?"

"Forgive us?" Tobias suggested quietly.

"We'll see." She inhaled sharply as likely another jolt of pain shot through her body. "For now, though, I think I'll try to rest." She closed her eyes. "Try not to lie or maim anyone in the meantime."

A few days later, Snape leaned against the wall in his temporary rooms. He felt restless, drained, incomplete. He rubbed at his face, shaking his head slowly. His dad. His mum. His son. His—Aurora. All had been taken from him at some point in his life. Why, though? What had he done that deserved his heart being ripped out with each of them being taken from him? He exhaled slowly. Three out of four were thankfully returned to him now. Aurora would make it a perfect score.

His dark eyes glanced at the trunks that sat side by side, his and Aurora's. He took a step towards hers before he stopped and sighed, his hand resting atop of the trunk. Closing his eyes, he drew in a calming breath. It would be all right. He'd get her back.

"Dad?"

Snape slowly turned and glanced at his son. Harry was hovering by the door, something the boy had been doing a lot lately. He gave his son a faint smile and motioned him to enter.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Um, well, since it's break and everyone's gone, I was just wondering if I could, um, do something, Dad."

"Meet your friends you mean?" He noticed his son's eyes dart to the floor suddenly.

"Hermione and Ron went home."

"Ah." Snape sighed, taking a step back towards Harry. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Whatever." Harry shrugged, shifting his weight slightly.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Nothing really." Harry sighed. "You're going to try to talk to Mum again soon, aren't you?"

"Probably." He watched his son nod slowly. "Harry, talk to me. Please."

"I miss her, Dad."

Snape slowly pulled his son into a hug, embracing him warmly. He closed his eyes when he felt Harry's arms tighten around him for a moment. He carded his son's hair affectionately.

"We'll get her back, won't we, Dad?"

Snape released his son hesitantly before he tilted his son's head up so their eyes met.

"We will, Harry. I give you my word."

"I believe you." The young boy sniffled before he buried his head back into his father's robes, seeking his father's comfort once again. They hugged silently for what seemed a lifetime before Harry took a step back and wiped at his eyes. "Dad?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Do you think her mum was telling us the truth the other day? About Mum not being able to have kids?" He quickly continued before his father could respond. "I mean, I know that it's stupid of me to hope that her mum's wrong just because I want to be a big brother, but there's more than just that." The twelve-year-old quickly started to ramble as the tears openly fell from his face. "We could have a real family, then. A mum, a dad, a couple of kids. You know? We could have our second chance at being one. Together. We deserve a family, don't we, Dad? A happy one? I think we'd be happy."

"Harry, shh." Snape stooped down in front of the ever increasingly panic-stricken boy. "Stop, son. It'll be all right."

"What did we do, Dad?" Harry asked through tears. "What did we do that was so bad? That makes the Fates want to hurt us like this? To take Mum from us?"

"Nothing, my sweet Harry." He hugged his son once more, rubbing the boy's back gently. "We didn't do anything, son. Life just sometimes isn't fair, so things happen. We just have to remember that we have each other, and then we'll be all right again. We'll be strong enough to fight off whatever is thrown our way. Trust me. We—Aurora, you, and me—will come back from this stronger than before." He felt Harry nod against him. "You and I didn't cause this by anything we did, Harry. This Leonidas did. He's the bad guy here. Not us."

"Will you, um, will you tell her that I . . ." Harry's voice cracked before he stifled a sob.

"I'll tell her." He heard his son's sniffles again before the boy pulled back. They needed a different topic. "Did you finish reading Lily's journal?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded slowly, shifting his weight slightly as he regained control of his emotions. "It only went to her fifth year. About some sort of exams or something."

"OWLs?"

"Yeah, those." Harry shrugged. He seemed to be calmer now after being distracted. "Her last entry was about her worrying about her Defense exam she had a few hours later."

Snape closed his eyes instantly and sighed. He shook his head before he glanced back at his son. The young boy didn't know about that day. He didn't know the significance of her not writing after that.

"Was she good at Defense?"

"Adequate, but she was better at Charms."

"Oh. So, she didn't do well on her exam?"

"I don't remember." Snape exhaled slowly. "After the exam, your mother and I got into a row. I lost my temper and called her a horrible word."

"The word you got mad at me for asking about awhile back?"

"Yes." He ran a hand through his raven locks. "James and I never got on. I've told you that before. That day he and his best friend decided to harass me by the lake. They wanted a rise out of me, and frankly I stupidly gave it to them. Hexes were thrown, and I ended up being humiliated in front of our classmates. Lily came to my defense, like always, and I was too sore from being humiliated to take a breath to calm myself. I lost my temper and called her that wretched name. She never forgave me."

"That's horrible, Dad."

"It is, but I didn't help myself any, Harry. I chose the Dark Arts over her. So she chose James."

"Do you think if you would have chosen her, it would have been better?"

Snape shook his head, sighing. "I honestly don't know, Harry. I'd be content likely, but Lily and I are different people." He thought for a moment before he continued. "I'd have to give up a part of myself, deny something I enjoy, to be with Lily. It's one of the many good things about Aurora. She accepts all of me and doesn't try to change me."

"You enjoy the Dark Arts?"

Snape looked at Harry and shook his head. One of these days his son would learn to observe instead of just seeing and believing others. They'd work on it.

"No, Harry. At least not the way others believe I do. I'll admit that I enjoy learning about it, hearing the theory and complexity that comes with it, but I don't enjoy the pain it inflicts upon others.

"Oh."

"Not all wizards use light spells in duels unfortunately. So my experience with it gives me an advantage because I can quickly discern what spell was cast by just a slight turn in the wrist and block it as a result. Not all dark spells can be blocked, though." He watched his son nod slowly. "There was a time when I was younger when I fell in love with the idea of having such power that comes with it. But I assure you that my first time casting one of those dark spells—well, it made an impact on me, Harry."

"When you killed the guy you thought was your dad, you mean?"

"Yes. It leaves a mark on your soul. At least that's what it felt like the next day."

"Do the other dark spells do that, too?"

"Likely. They are dark for a reason after all." Harry nodded. "I much rather enjoy casting the defensive spells, though, feeling the power behind that than feeling the Dark power." He frowned. "There are times, however, when you are forced to use dark spells to win a duel."

"When it's to the death?"

"Yes. And when there's no other option to guarantee your survival."

Silence settled around them for a bit. Harry had lost himself to his thoughts, much like his dad. However, after several minutes, the young boy spoke again.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Do you think maybe I could look at one of your old schoolbooks?" Harry drew his trainer across the floor as he bit his lip. "I mean, I, well, I'm not good at Potions, but I am pretty good at Defense, though. I'm getting an 'E' in it actually, I think. Well, if you don't count Professor Lockhart's quizzes about himself, I mean."

Snape chuckled before he headed to his trunk. As if he'd ever count Lockhart's egotistical self-absorbed quizzes. He quickly searched through his trunk and handed Harry a worn book a moment later.

"Should be some interesting information in there for you. I only ask that you don't try to cast any of the spells without my permission. Understand?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded slowly as he took the book. "Are they that bad of spells?"

"No. They're just rather advanced and require some prep work before you can cast it safely."

"Got it. Thanks, Dad."

"Of course." Snape inclined his head slowly.

"I'll be in the other room reading, then. See you soon, Dad."

"You as well." Snape watched his son walk towards the door and frowned. "Harry?"

"Yeah, Dad?" The young boy stopped at the door and turned back.

"What did you do with the ring Tobias gave you that day in Birmingham?" He caught his son's immediate flush.

"I, um, well, I'm keeping it safe for you, Dad. Until you need it. Why?"

"Retrieve it for me please." He watched his son's shock flood his face instantly.

"What?"

"You heard me, Harry. Retrieve it."

"But you can't give it to her since she's—" The young boy swallowed suddenly. "You know."

"I'm not planning on giving it to her."

Harry frowned. "Then, why do you want it?"

"So I can keep it safe, Harry, until I need it."

Harry grinned widely before he frowned and then settled on just smiling. He dug into his jeans pocket for a moment prior to pulling out a small silver ring and handing it to his dad.

"Thank you."

"Sure, Dad." The young boy turned away not long after and walked out of the room.

Snape sighed silently and glanced down at the ring. The band had dark etchings in it to give the appearance of snakeskin. Attached to the top of the silver band was an S-shaped snake holding a teardrop-shaped emerald. He half-smiled. His son clearly had good taste when it came to rings. Snape quickly pocketed the ring himself.

He headed to his temporary bed, removing his robes and his boots as he did. Once he was dressed for rest, he slid between the sheets. Harry would be all right by himself for a bit. His son had proved lately that he could be trusted. And if need be, Harry knew that if anything happened with Snape—not that it would, that Tobias was just a Firecall away in the hospital wing with Eileen.

Snape drew in a slow breath as he emptied his mind. There would be only one thought left in his mind, and that'd be Aurora. His eyes slowly closed. He imagined her long dark curls, warm brown eyes, kind smile, and ashen face. Slowly, he saw her fade in front of him as his surroundings blurred into the room she was being held in. He frowned deeply when he saw her suspended in the air hanging limply by the shackles around her wrists. If only he knew where she was, then he could make the bastards who did this pay. He took a step towards her, noticing her head loll to the side slightly.

"Sev," she whispered, coughing harshly a moment.

"I'm here, Aurora," he quietly said, doing his best not to scare her. The bastards had moved her to a different room today he noticed idly. Not to mention they had stripped her. She was now being held above some sort of empty cylindrical tank of some kind. He could see all types of pipes connected to the glass tank. His eyes quickly followed one pipe before it disappeared into the ceiling. He shook his head. He then looked back at her, feeling his anger rise at the deep bruises and cuts to her body. Judging by how she was drawing in quick raspy breaths that clearly hurt, he could tell that she had numerous broken ribs. "Think of me again."

"Hurts."

"I know." He lowered his voice. "Close your eyes and think of me, Aurora." He remained firm but still keeping his gentle tone he had adopted over the days. At the feel of a tug in his mind, he knew she was listening. He waited patiently and inhaled deeply when he felt their minds join again as the room faded away, leaving behind just them standing.

"Severus."

"I'm here." As he did the past few days, he pulled her into his arms and held her. "I'm here."

"They know," she cried against him. "They know, Severus." She trembled before looking up at him. "He drew blood. He knows what she . . . he knows."

"Shh. It's all right."

"No it's not. He knows that she gave it to me, Severus."

He frowned, closing his eyes. That was unfortunate. With Leonidas knowing that Aurora had the serum in her now, Leonidas would ratchet up his plans to get at it. He exhaled loudly. That certainly explained why she looked worse now than she did the past few days.

"He's testing how fast you heal?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but he thinks that the crap does something extraordinary." She scoffed, shaking her head. "A part of me just wants to shout at him that he's an idiot, that it doesn't work. That her whole stupid thing she gave me was a failure."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." She exhaled, closing her eyes. "Nothing, Severus. I'm just tired."

His eyes narrowed on her. She was hiding something. Several things he amended a moment later.

"I agree you're tired, but you meant something by that. What aren't you telling me?" His frown deepened when he saw her start to argue. "No. Don't tell me it's nothing. It's clearly something. What is it?" He shook his head when her mouth opened again. "Dammit, Aurora! Stop trying to protect me. I don't need to be mollycoddled by you. What are you hiding? What did Minerva want you to tell me?" He took a step towards her. "Aurora, is it that you are pregnant?" He watched her face fall and her arms wrap protectively around herself.

"No."

"Then, tell me what it is. I can't help if you don't tell me everything. What is it?"

"I'm sick, Severus."

He stared at her in confusion. She was sick? He blinked before he thought very carefully on what to say. An infection would be likely considering that the man likely hadn't—

"I don't follow," he finally said.

"I'm sick, Severus. I have been for awhile now." She ran a hand through her hair. "I should've pushed you away that day you told me you cared for me. But I just was so happy, you know? Because you finally noticed me, saw me." She laughed softly, trembling slightly as she held back her tears.

"Aurora . . ." So, she was sick. Big deal. She was a witch. There was likely a potion for that.

"After the whole Quirrell and the Mirror of Erised thing—well, you remember that. Pomfrey said I just needed to rest and recover, so I went to Windsor for the summer. About a day after arriving, I started to feel woozy. I was still shaking from the Cruciatus, so I thought it was to be expected. A week later, I collapsed in my room. My dad found me having a seizure on my floor. Went back to Hogwarts to see if it was some sort of residual thing. Pomfrey examined me again, drew my blood, and did the whole work up. She gave my dad some, uh, potion to help with the dizziness. I had another seizure before Pomfrey found some sort of virus of some kind in me. She said she's never seen anything like it."

His eyes narrowed on her. A virus a mediwitch had never seen before? Interesting. He then grimaced inwardly. Sometimes he really could be an idiot. Thankfully, he hadn't said that out loud.

"I've been on some sort of potion to regulate the seizures since about August, I think." She exhaled, shaking her head. "Dizziness, seizures, disorientation, fainting spells, sicking up, the list goes on." She scoffed. "Pomfrey's been trying to research, reaching out to her Muggle counterparts to see if they know of anything like it. She's heard nothing back."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything, Aurora," he replied gently.

"Before my appointment with Ginny and before Harry later showed up the night we went to the cottage, I went to Pomfrey for my weekly check-up. To see how far this thing was progressing."

"And?"

"She found evidence of my kidneys starting to shut down."

"What?" He stared at her, feeling as if he had been punched in the gut one moment and then a belly full of anger. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Aurora? Hell, ask me to go with you so you didn't do this on your own? What? Did you think I wouldn't care?"

"Severus, please. I, I didn't think."

"Obviously," he snapped before shaking his head. "What else did Pomfrey say?"

"Severus—"

"No. What else did she say?"

"That if she doesn't find out what it is soon, there's a chance it'll kill me." She glanced down before closing her eyes. "Do you see now why I should have pushed you away when I had the chance? I'm just going to be another person in your life who hurt you."

"You're an idiot."

"What?" Her warm brown eyes darted to him in shock.

"I don't need you trying to protect me, Aurora. And I sure as hell don't want to hear you ever give up like this again. You're ill? Fine. I can deal with that. I'm not going to dissolve into a puddle of goddamn tears convinced that you'll die, though. I'll fight for you. I will do everything I can to help you." He shook his head. "That night when Dumbledore told me Lily had died, you held me and told me everything would be fine. You let me lean on you when I needed it the most, when I felt like there was nothing left living for. Do you remember that, Aurora?"

"Severus . . ."

"I wore my heart on my sleeve like some damn fool that night, weeping against you like some fourth-year girl because I had lost a girl I had obsessed over, whom I had thought I loved. And you just held me, told me everything would be all right. That you were there for me." He brushed aside her tears, not feeling the familiar wetness. "You gave me all your strength, all your love that night, not wanting anything in return. I didn't see it that night. I was too lost in myself to, but I see it now, Aurora. I recognize all the times over the years you were there for me, standing by my side when no one else would. So, this time," his voice wavered slightly "I'll be the one to give you all my strength, all my love, and be there for you, standing by your side. Where I belong, Aurora."

She opened her mouth to speak, but promptly closed it when their surroundings rippled as if it was a puddle. Her eyes darted to him in confusion. A moment later, they were ripped out of their link and sent back to the room where she was being held.

Snape's dark eyes glanced up at her. She was still held up by the shackles around her wrist. He clenched his jaw, turning and glancing at the smirking man who looked on. Oh, how he wished he could use his magic on that bastard.

"The Minister wants to speak with you again, sir," announced the male vampire who had taken Aurora. His eyes briefly flitted over to her before he glanced back at Leonidas.

"Tell him I'm busy."

"I did. Minister's not buying it, sir. Neither is Lord Voldemort for that matter."

Snape's eyes snapped to the male vampire. What?

"All right. Fine." Leonidas scoffed, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, my sweet Aurora, we'll have to cut this short today. Frankly, I don't know when I'll be back, and, well, I don't really need you for anything for a bit. Lower her into the tank, will you? Oh, and make sure you do it right this time."

"Yes, sir," the vampire dutifully replied.

"Good. Well, then, I'll just go talk to the Minister." Without another glance, Leonidas left.

Snape watched the vampire smirk before Aurora was slowly lowered into the empty glass cylindrical tank. He caught the slight jerk of her head as she tried to fight against unconsciousness. What was going on? At the sound of a hiss near him, Snape glanced at the pipes that ran to the tank. He inhaled sharply at the sight of pea green liquid rushing through the pipes.

"AURORA!" he shouted, helpless to do anything else. Just underneath her chin now, the liquid quickly continued to rush into the tank. "Think of me! Think of me now dammit!" He didn't usually panic but knowing that he would be there to witness her drown—he couldn't hold back his emotions. "AURORA! THINK OF ME!" He heard her cough and sputter as she flopped inside the tank in hopes of escaping. He felt as if he, too, couldn't breathe now. Horrified, he watched her suddenly go limp, floating soon after in the liquid with her hair all fanned out. The last thing Snape heard before it all vanished was the vampire remarking to the empty room that she still had a strong heartbeat.

~FKTF~

A few hours later, Harry found himself sitting by his dad's cot in the main area of the hospital wing. He bit his bottom lip. Something had happened. He didn't know what, but Harry knew that something had. He grabbed his dad's hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Come on, Dad," the young boy begged. "Squeeze back." He jumped slightly when a hand clapped his shoulder.

"Didn't mean to startle you, Harry," his grandfather said softly. "You all right?"

"He won't wake up."

"He will, lad. He just needs time."

"Something happened. Either to him or to Mum." Harry glanced at his grandfather, drawing in a shuddering breath. "I know it did."

"Eh. Don't worry, lad. Your dad's strong. He'll be fine. He just pushed himself a little too much tonight. Their link ain't exactly supposed to withstand a night full of talking and such."

"No. No, Grandpa, I'm telling you. Something happened."

"Oh, Harry." Tobias knelt down in front of him, sighing. "I know you're scared. Hell, I'd have been finding him like that, but look at him. See his chest rising?"

"Yeah."

"Feel his heart beating under your fingers?" Again Harry nodded. "See? He's fine, lad. He just overworked himself. Has a nasty habit of doing that the way I hear it."

"He'll be all right? Mum, too?"

"Course they will. You know why?"

"No." Harry frowned.

"Cause they got us, lad. And we ain't gonna let nothing happen to them. Family sticks together, you know? And we're family. You, me, El, Severus, and that pretty little lass of Severus's." Tobias leaned forward and kissed Harry's forehead. "And, well, we got a wedding to plan, don't we, Potter?"

Harry laughed through his tears, nodding slowly. Leave it to his grandpa to make him feel better.

~FKTF~

The following afternoon, Snape groaned quietly, his head rolling against the pillow. He felt a firm squeeze of his hand, knowing that it was son. Blinking rapidly, he slowly regained consciousness. He gave Harry a weak half-smile before coughing harshly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Professor Snape," Pomfrey stated dryly before she paused. "Oh, wonderful. Tilt your head back."

"Why?" Snape asked feebly. He felt as if he had run a marathon non-stop for a hundred days.

"You're bleeding, Dad," Harry answered quietly.

Snape snorted, regretting it almost immediately. He followed the matron's instructions, watching her wipe the blood that had leaked from his nose. He closed his eyes for a moment. His head pounded as if he had a herd of Hippogriffs galloping through it.

"You're quite lucky you didn't kill yourself, Severus Snape," Pomfrey scolded with a huff.

He scoffed. "Yeah, well, while we're on topics to scold people over, didn't you think I deserved to know, Poppy?" he spat out, glaring at the matron. He watched her eyes dart to him.

"What on earth are you talking about, Professor?"

"About Aurora and her illness." He saw Pomfrey's eyes widen before she wisely glanced away. "Yeah, she told me. Finally."

"Dad?" Harry said, clearly confused.

"Healer-patient confidentiality, Severus," Poppy replied quietly. "She didn't want you to know. Minerva wouldn't have even known about it if she'd not found her awhile back."

"How grand," he spat back. "In case you care, he's got her in some kind of tank now. Some sort of pea green liquid is in her lungs, but according to the vampire who was with her, she's still got a strong heartbeat for some reason." He noticed Pomfrey's blink of recognition and frowned. "What?"

"The liquid. It's a preserver that St. Mungo's and the Ministry use. A comatose patient is generally lowered into a tank full of it, allowing the liquid to enter through the nasal cavity and mouth. It allows the higher brain functions to continue, but shuts down most of the other systems."

"Well, she wasn't comatose when they filled it, Poppy." He watched her eyes close.

"She's not dead, Severus."

"Oh? Because it sure as hell looked like they trying to drown her." He heard Harry's gasp, but didn't glance at his son.

"It's not water. It's actually a bit like a giant Dreamless sleep potion."

"You can drown on that," he pointed out with a low growl.

"It's in her lungs, yes, but she's fine."

"How can you be so certain, Pomfrey? Hmm? Have you seen her?" When Pomfrey's eyes flashed at him, he glared back at her.

"I know it because I put spell on her the other day, Severus."

"So, you know where she is, then, Pomfrey?" His hope was rising again, letting the anger slide away for a moment. If she knew where Aurora was, then he could bring her home.

"No. It's not that kind of spell, Severus. It tracks her vitals remotely and reports them back to me." She sighed and flicked her wand. Numbers instantly appeared above him along with Aurora's name. "The vampire is correct. Her heart is beating strong currently. Stronger than it was a few hours ago, in fact. Leonidas putting her in that tank is actually a blessing, Severus. It's helping her."

"I won't be able to speak with her, though."

"Probably not, but I'm actually quite glad that you aren't able to, Severus."

"Why? It was helping."

"No, Severus," Pomfrey replied, frowning. "It wasn't. You suffered a cardiac arrest last night. That's why you're here now. And you're damn lucky your son was around, or you'd have suffered from a ruptured blood vessel or two in your brain as well. You are putting too much strain your body with that damn link of yours, and it can't cope. And that's just you. We won't even get started with how that link is affecting her."

"What?" he breathed, staring at her in disbelief. No. Pomfrey had to be wrong. Aurora was fine. The link wasn't hurting her. It couldn't be hurting her. "Answer me, Poppy. What was it doing to her?"

"Severus—"

"No. Answer me, Poppy!"

"It was putting unnecessary strain on her as well. At one point, she had tachycardia, in fact."

"How else am I supposed to find her, Pomfrey?"

"Kingsley, Mad-Eye, and Tonks all have their eyes and ears open. They've spoken with the survivors. If Leonidas goes out in public, they'll know and get him."

Snape frowned, recalling something. "The Minister wanted to speak with him. He was going to see him last night."

"Minister Fudge?"

"Yes. I think. He never stated the name. Just the title. The Dark Lord also wanted to speak with him." He watched Pomfrey nod slowly.

"All right. I'll pass the information on. However, I'm ordering you to rest. Your heart is doing much better now, but your body needs to recover."

"What I need is to find Aurora."

"No, what you need, Severus Snape, is to listen to your healer right this minute," she replied firmly. She then glanced at Harry. "Watch him, Mister Potter. If he attempts to leave that cot, use the spell I taught you earlier."

"What?" Snape's eyes darted to his son. "You would have my son hex me?"

"And your dad and mother as well. They all have their orders," she stated matter-of-factly before leaving the room.

Snape frowned, crossing his arms. Blasted woman. He then sighed heavily and looked at his son. "What spell did she teach you?"

"Petrificus Totalus." Harry shrugged. "Hermione used it last year. You're not going to make me use it, though, are you? I don't think Mum would be happy if you did."

"You're likely right about that." Snape settled against his propped up pillow. "I apologize for scaring you last night, Harry."

"It's fine. You're all right now." Harry gave him a faint smile. "Just don't do it again, Dad."

Snape snorted. "Cheeky brat." He then drew in a slow deep breath.

"Is Mum really sick, Dad?"

"Yes." He glanced at Harry. "But we'll help her when we get her back."

"She's not going to, um, you know, right?" The fear and worry was evident in his soft voice.

"No."

"You promise, Dad?"

Snape nodded jerkily, unable to answer vocally. He watched Harry nod as well before his green eyes glanced back down at the opened book in his lap.

"What are you reading?" Snape asked, attempting to distract himself.

"Your defense book you gave me last night."

Snape nodded again. "Learn anything interesting?"

Harry shrugged. "Just read about a cockatrice and a basilisk." The young boy frowned slightly before glancing at him. "Dad?"

"Yes?"

"It said back in like the Middle Ages or whatever that people would carry roosters with them to protect them from those things. Have we done that? Carried a rooster around just in case it's one of these things petrifying everyone, I mean?"

Snape thought for a moment. He'd had his mind on other things this year, so he hadn't really paid that close attention to the whole chamber of secrets thing. Searching through his memories, he tried to recall what the staff had tried. He then shook his head as he remembered something.

"Hagrid mentioned his roosters being killed awhile back." He watched Harry's eyes widen. He could see the wheels clearly turning in his son's head. "No, Harry. We already checked. They were killed by a human, not some monster."

"Well, we already know that Dumbledore—"

"Professor Dumbledore," Snape corrected firmly.

"Fine." Harry huffed. "We already know that Professor Dumbledore lowered the wards around the school so that the people could try to take Mum. We know he had the book that messes people up and became evil because of it. So, then, maybe he killed the roosters to make sure we couldn't use them to kill the monster."

"That's your theory?"

"Yeah."

Snape just barely kept the half-smile from his face. His son was starting to think like a Slytherin. His face remained neutral as he watched Harry.

"I mean, the book said the rooster's cry is fatal to the cockatrice and basilisk. And the cockatrice and basilisk are known for petrifying their victims. Which is what's happening here."

"I see. So, you think the monster is either a cockatrice or a basilisk?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Because it also explains why only I hear them, Dad. They're both like giant snakes, and I'm a Parseltongue."

"Parselmouth," Snape corrected again with a slight wince.

"Yeah that."

"You could be correct. However, we still don't know how it's getting around the castle, nor do we know why it's made an appearance exactly."

"I thought it was to provide a distraction?"

"That's the best guess we have currently, but there are always other options to consider. It's best to consider them as well, so we're not caught off guard."

Harry nodded again. "We also don't know where the chamber is. I mean, I'm guessing that someone asked Ginny and Professor Dumbledore, right?"

"I'd imagine."

"What about the ghosts, Dad? Has anyone asked them?"

"I don't know." Snape sighed. He hated admitting that, but it was the truth. He didn't.

"Was the Chamber opened before?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes. About fifty years ago."

"Did they catch the person who opened it back, then?"

"Yes," Snape replied, recalling Dumbledore's answer from a staff meeting awhile back.

"No," Eileen countered as she limped into the room. She sat down on a nearby cot with a slight grimace. "Honestly, Severus." She fluffed the pillow behind her and shook her head.

"What?"

"Lying to your son. I see your father rubbed off on you."

"I wasn't lying."

"Oh? Then, I suppose you think I am, Severus?" Eileen stated with a raised brow. When he remained quiet, she shook her head. "I was a first-year when it opened the first time. Oh, they boasted that they had caught him red-handed, but Professor Dippet was an idiot and never truly looked into it. He didn't want Hogwarts to close. No one did. So the first name thrown out there got all the blame. If Dippet had half a brain and investigated, though, he'd have known who it truly was."

Snape's eyes narrowed on his mother.

"What do you mean?"

"Riddle. He received a special award from the school for his bravery and courage, all for pointing a finger at an innocent third-year."

"I don't follow."

"Honestly, Severus. Don't you ever speak with your coworkers?" she scolded lightly. "Rubeus Hagrid. He was expelled after that Ravenclaw girl's death and thought to be the heir of Slytherin, but he had nothing to do with it. Dippet wouldn't listen, though. The damn fool he was."

"Hagrid?" Snape frowned. He noticed Harry's eyes widen as well.

"The very same. Unless you know another half-giant," she said dryly, shaking her head. "After her death, they wanted to close the school down. So, Riddle went straight to Dippet and claimed that Hagrid had released the monster to prevent that from happing. But there was no way Rubeus would ever harm a soul. Even Dumbledore knew that, but Dippet chose to believe Riddle instead, the ever charming liar he was."

"What was the evidence against Hagrid?"

"An Acromantula. Creepy thing, but I never knew Hagrid not to have dangerous pets. I'd imagine that's why Dumbledore kept him on as gamekeeper all these years."

"How—?" Snape glanced between Harry and Eileen.

"Told you, son," Tobias chuckled as he walked into the room. "Your mum notices things."

"Hardly," Eileen replied, looking rather bored. "I spoke with Madam Pomfrey earlier, and she mentioned that after I left Hagrid remained here. Speaking of which, she tells me that you nearly killed yourself last night, young man." Her eyes narrowed into slits as she coldly looked at her son.

"I'm fine, Mother."

"This time," Eileen huffed.

"I needed to talk to Aurora," he argued. He hated when his mother made him feel like a naughty first-year all over again. It was . . . embarrassing, especially with Harry right there beside him.

"Who?"

"His girlfriend, El," Tobias answered his wife quietly.

"Girlfriend?" Eileen's eyes darted back to her son. She frowned but thankfully remained silent.

"It won't happen again, Mother."

"See that it doesn't, Severus. I did not go through hell just to come back and bury my son."

He winced. She was always blunt.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt," Harry started to say, biting his lower lip slightly. "But the girl who died fifty years ago, do you remember who she was?"

Snape noticed his mother's eyes soften at Harry's question as she gave her grandson a gentle smile. He looked on in utter fascination.

"Merida." She frowned. "No, that's not right. Um, Myrtle, I think."

At the sound of his son's gasp of recognition, Snape's eyes darted to the young boy. So, his son knew Moaning Myrtle. Interesting.

"The ghost who haunts the girls' lavatory?" blurted the twelve-year-old.

"Yes, Harry," Snape replied. His eyes narrowed on his son. "How exactly do you know her?" While Myrtle would inhabit other bathrooms occasionally, she usually stuck to her own.

"Uh, well, that's where we were brewing the Polyjuice. Well, Hermione and Ron were at least."

"Difficult brew. Up to trouble, were we?" Eileen's eyes narrowed on her grandson again.

"Dad already yelled me over it. I just wanted to help him out, though. He had enough on his plate with people trying to kidnap Mum."

Snape noticed his mother's eyes lighten again.

"What a sweet boy you are, Harry," Eileen said with a soft smile.

Snape frowned instantly. If he would have said that, he would have had a sore bottom for a week if not longer. For putting himself in danger, sneaking behind her back, and a whole list of other crimes she'd state he did.

"However, dear, the next time you decide to help out, try not to put yourself in danger." She then glanced at Snape. "Something to add, Severus?"

"No," Snape replied, just barely keeping his cheekiness back. If he were anyone else, he might have pouted and stated how it wasn't fair.

"I thought not." Eileen settled further against her pillow. "If I remember right, Myrtle died in the second-floor girls' lavatory."

"Where she haunts most frequently," Snape added.

"If you say so, Severus." Eileen shrugged. "I remember her only as the one who made Olive Hornby regret ever making fun of her. Which Hornby greatly needed in my opinion."

"Then, we ought to check that lavatory out first," Tobias stated.

"Agreed." Eileen started to sit up only to be pushed back down by her husband. "Tobias," she warned, giving him a fierce look.

"Not this time, El. You need yer rest."

"I'm fine, Tobias."

"Hell, woman, you'd say that if ya got yer arms ripped off by a tiger." Tobias chuckled quietly before he flashed a cocky smile at her. "I got this, El. You get next time when you can give them the full brunt of hell. Promise."

"Going off by yourself, Tobias Avery Snape, is irresponsible and an idiotic thing—"

"I ain't going off by myself, El."

"No, you're not, because I'm going with you, Dad," stated Snape, slowly sitting up only to frown when Harry quickly raised his wand and pointed it at him.

"No you ain't, son. You ain't in any shape to go searching for some chamber thing either."

"Then, who—"

"Calisto," Tobias answered instantly. "She offered earlier."

Snape noticed his mother's eyes narrow into slits again, this time on his father. He frowned and shook his head, thinking about it. A vampire and a wizard whose magic acted up sometimes. It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.

"You'll need a Parseltongue, Grandpa," Harry cut in.

"Parselmouth," Snape corrected before he lowered his voice. "And absolutely not, Harry. There is no way you are going off without me there to protect you."

"But, Dad, Salazar was a Parsel-whatever! Just like me. So, then, he likely used that to make sure people couldn't come upon his chamber by accident," Harry explained. "I'm the only one here who can speak to snakes. So he'll need me."

"Absolutely not," Snape growled. "I will not lose you as well, son."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence there, son," Tobias mumbled.

"Fine, Dad," Harry huffed before he got up and stormed towards the lavatory behind the privacy curtain around Snape's cot. The door slammed behind him.

Snape clenched his teeth but didn't dare move from his cot. Just when he thought his son finally understood—that Harry meant everything to him, this happened. He glared up at the ceiling, ignoring his dad saying his goodbye to him and Eileen. Foolish Gryffindors.

~FKTF~

After several minutes of sitting on the toilet lid, Harry exhaled deeply. Why couldn't his dad get it through his thick skull that he wouldn't lose Harry? Yeah, sure, in the past he did have a stupid habit of getting himself nearly killed by looking for danger, but Harry hadn't done that in awhile. He hadn't even helped Hermione and Ron steal the ingredients from his dad the other day. He had been good lately. Really good. He was constantly ignoring his instincts. Just for his dad. Not like the man ever noticed, though.

It made sense. Salazar could speak to snakes. Just like Harry. The rest of the Founders couldn't. Just like his grandpa, his grandmum probably, and his dad. So Salazar probably had some sort of secret password thing or ward or entrance that only let in people who could speak to snakes. So, if his grandpa was going to find the Chamber of Secrets and defeat the monster, he'd need someone who could speak to snakes probably. And if they defeated the monster inside the chamber, then his dad could focus everything on finding his mum. And if that happened, then they could all be a family. It made sense. So, why didn't his dad go for it? It was logical. His dad had to have worked it out, wouldn't he have?

The young Gryffindor sighed heavily. It wasn't like he was going to face Voldemort head on. He was just going to say a few lines in Parsel-whatever and let his grandpa and Professor Rayne take over. He may be a Gryffindor, but he wasn't a total idiot. He knew he wasn't anywhere ready to take on giant snakes and whatever other dangers that lurked in that chamber. Last year had made that point painfully clear to him. He had been forced to watch his mum and dad be tortured before, by some sort of luck, he was able to burn Quirrell with just his hands and kill the man. Didn't his dad understand that he just wanted to help?

Frustrated, Harry kicked in front of him, his foot surprisingly connecting with something. His green eyes widened at the sight of the crumpled up invisibility cloak. He hadn't noticed it earlier. He glanced around the lavatory quickly, scared that his dad would know right then. The man after all had an uncanny sixth sense when it came to Harry contemplating mischievous actions. He picked it up, feeling the familiar material slide easily through his fingers. With a nod of determination, he made his choice.

~FKTF~

Snape tried to glance around the privacy screen to look at the closed door and frowned. His son had been in there for a very long time now. Granted, the boy was likely throwing a pity party or a tantrum about how unfair his dad was being, but honestly—the boy needed to understand. He sighed and shook his head. He could feel his mother's eyes on him, but he brushed it off. Slowly standing up, he headed over to the closed door and knocked gently against it.

"Son?" he called out. He heard no reply. "Harry, open the door." Still, there was no reply. His eyes narrowed. "Harry James Potter, open this door now," he ordered. When the door remained closed, his hand shot to the doorknob turning it before he threw it wide open. "Dammit," he snarled, whirling around after finding the lavatory empty. "When I get a hold of him, I swear to Merlin above . . ."

"I could have told you that'd happen, Severus," his mother drawled, looking at her nails as she remained on her cot.

"Not now, Mother," he growled, heading towards the double doors to leave the hospital wing. He slammed his fists against the doors when they refused to open. "POMFREY!" he bellowed.

"She won't come," Eileen stated.

"What do you mean? Why the hell not?"

"Sit down, Severus." She rolled her eyes. "Before you work yourself into another cardiac arrest."

"My son ran off, Mother!"

"Yes, Severus. I know. I'm not deaf."

"How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because I know when the boy shows up that your father will send him back. Tobias wouldn't let him put himself in danger. One, Tobias knows that it'd upset both of us horribly. And two, he loves Harry. Anyone that sees them together can see it. I've only been here for a few days, and I've seen it."

"So, then I'm just supposed to be happy?"

"Getting upset right now won't help, Severus. Just trust Tobias."

Snape growled. "I'm going to murder him when I get a hold of him."

"Yes, dear," Eileen drawled with a loud sigh. "I'm sure you think you will, but you won't."

"You don't know that."

"Do you remember when you got it into your head once that you'd take care of our little problem with that arsehole we lived with, Severus?"

He frowned deeply, not answering. Of course he recalled that memory. It was one of the few times he had seen his mother lose it with him.

"I was angry with you, wasn't I?" She snorted when he didn't reply. "And I told you that I was going to spank you until you couldn't sit for a year, didn't I? But when I finally found you crying in the corner, what did I do, Severus?"

"You pulled me into your arms and hugged me," he said quietly.

"And?" she asked, giving him the familiar 'You better continue or else' look.

"And you told me how disappointed you were while you healed my broken nose."

"I also told you that I loved you, Severus, and that you scared the hell out of me, because I thought I would lose you." She held his eyes. "You'll do the same with Harry."

"No I won't. It's bad enough that I lost his mother. I can't lose him as well." He shook his head. "He needs to understand that I won't just let him get away with whatever he does. His constant belief that he has to save the world needs to be squashed. And I'll make damn sure that he understands that."

"You weren't listening to him, Severus."

"I was, too, Mother."

"No. You weren't, son." She brushed back her long hair. "He's not doing this to be a hero, Severus. To gain some sort of glory out of it and hero worship. He's doing it to help you so you don't have to split your focus between two things. He's doing it out of love."

"Well, it's idiotic. I don't need help. I'm doing fine as it is."

"Oh? Then, why is that your father told me earlier that your girlfriend was kidnapped after you took her to your place to hide everyone away and keep them safe, Severus?"

Snape's jaw clenched. Some days he hated his mother.

~FKTF~

Minding carefully that he didn't let the door squeak as he opened it while under his Invisibility Clock and that he removed his trainers to ensure silent footsteps on the floor, Harry slowly snuck towards the double doors on the far side of the room to leave. At the sound of his dad swearing behind him, Harry rushed out of the hospital wing, quickly closing the door behind him. He was quite glad that Madam Pomfrey had warded the doors to accept his touch, knowing that it would refuse his dad's when the man would try.

Harry ran as fast as he could towards the second-floor girls' lavatory, staying under his cloak just in case he was spotted. He skidded to a stop when he saw the standing water in the hallway just outside the room. He frowned, but pushed it open anyway.

"Grandpa!" Harry shouted happily at the sight of the older man inspecting the faucets. He laughed when he noticed his grandfather jump and whirl around with his wand at the ready. Quickly, he removed his cloak so the older man could see him. "It's all right. See? It's an Invisibility Cloak."

"Excellent. You did find it all right, then," Professor Rayne said with a kind smile.

"Calisto," Tobias rebuked, his blue eyes flashing slightly.

"Be as it may, Tobias, your grandson is correct. We will need him if we're to open the chamber."

"Severus will skin us alive if we take him down there with us."

"Only if we take him down there, Tobias, and you have no plan in doing that. Nor does young Mister Potter wish to put himself in harm's way either," the vampire pointed out with a smirk.

Harry watched his grandfather's eyes dart to him. He bit his bottom lip and decided to agree.

"She's right, Grandpa. I don't want to make Dad any madder than I already have."

"Fine." Tobias sighed, running a hand through his long hair. "Bloody hell." He then pointed a long pale finger at Harry. "You will do everything I tell ya to do. First one being that you only say the words to open the chamber. The minute we're in, you will march yer butt back to yer dad's and stay there. Got it, lad?"

"Yes, sir." Harry nodded fervently.

"Two, you don't do this ever again. Yer dad loves you, Harry. And if anything happened to you, it'd eat him alive. Yer his boy. His son. No father ever wants to bury their child before him. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Harry nodded again, glancing down at the floor this time.

"Three." Tobias cuffed Harry gently against the back of his head. "Don't disobey yer dad again."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied quietly. It hadn't hurt in the slightest, but he clearly got the message.

"Good lad. Now, let's see about opening this chamber thing."

The three searched the faucets in the raised sink before Harry found the intricate snake designs in one of the polished silver taps. Professor Rayne and Tobias both nodded to him.

"Open up," Harry said. He glanced at his grandpa when nothing happened.

"Treat it like it's a snake, lad," Tobias replied.

Harry nodded and repeated his order, "Open up." At the sound of hissing escaping his lips, his eyes widened and watched the tap start glow and spin. He felt his grandpa yank him back when the sink moved suddenly and revealed a large pipe. "Whoa." He glanced up at his grandfather.

"All right, lad. You know what to do."

"But—" Harry's mouth instantly snapped shut when his grandfather's blue eyes darted to him with a fierce look in them. "All right. Be safe." He sighed when he felt Tobias rest a hand on his shoulder and give him a gentle squeeze.

"Don't you worry about me, lad. I got Calisto watching my back."

"That he does," the vampire said with a smile. "I shall ensure that he makes it back all right."

Harry nodded jerkily. It felt odd not to be the one going down there like it was supposed to be him that did go down there, but it was the right thing to do. He sighed before he glanced down at his Invisibility Cloak. His green eyes darted back to his grandfather.

"Here." He held out his Invisibility Cloak. "Just in case the monster is down there, Grandpa." He smiled faintly when Tobias kissed the top of his head and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I'll guard it with my life, lad. Now, go on. Before yer dad starts shitting bricks." Harry only laughed before he quickly headed back to the hospital wing. He knew all would be well now.

~FKTF~

It had been ten minutes since Snape had realized that his son was missing. Ten long excruciating minutes of pure and utter hell. He paced back and forth in the main area. His mother was wrong. She had to be. Ten minutes had passed—eleven now—and Harry hadn't returned. He glanced towards her, noticing her calmness and clenching his teeth as a result. How could she be so damn calm about this? Her only grandson was missing.

"You're worrying for nothing," Eileen drawled.

"I'm not worrying," Snape snapped back.

"Are too."

"I am not, Mother," he growled, glaring at her.

"Tobias will send him back."

"We don't know that. He could be an imposter for all we know."

"And now we're back to the panic phase again," his mother remarked with a sigh. "You truly shouldn't have any more children, Severus, if this one is already causing you to have heart attacks."

Snape grumbled under his breath before he whirled around when he saw the doors open. At the sight of his son walking in, he strode quickly to the young boy. Oh, that boy would learn a lesson he would. However, before he could even swat the boy on the backside, he found himself pulling the boy into his arms and closing his eyes.

"Told you so," Eileen piped up behind him.

Snape just barely held back his deadly 'Silence' hiss for her. He knew precisely how that would end for him, and he had no intention of being scolded in front of his son. The bloody damn Gryffindor who was already giving him gray hairs.

"You—that was foolish of you, Harry, very foolish," he scolded. "You could have—"

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Dad," quietly replied the young boy against him. "I know you just want to keep me safe. I get it. It's why I only opened it and then came straight here. You wouldn't have believed me if I told you that before. I'm sorry, though, Dad. For disobeying you, but mostly for scaring you. I know you love me and don't want to lose me."

"Exactly." Snape frowned. This was going differently than he thought it would. He had thought the boy would argue, but Harry surprisingly, and quite refreshingly he added, wasn't.

"I love you, Dad."

Snape closed his eyes. He was losing his previous anger. The boy was safe. With him. He sighed.

"I love you, too, brat," Snape grumbled, opening his eyes and glancing down at Harry.

He should have laid into the boy for scaring the hell out of him. He should have made damn sure that the boy never did it again. He should have told Harry how disappointed he was. He should have disciplined him in some way. But he didn't. At least not then. He would later. But for now, he'd just enjoy the fact that his son was safe and sound in his arms. He hadn't lost him.

Father and son sat down a moment later on Snape's cot once again. Snape, Harry, and Eileen barely said a word the next two hours to one another. They all seemed lost in their own thoughts. However, when Snape heard his mother gasp suddenly, his dark eyes darted to her.

"Mother?"

Her eyes met his with a puzzled look on her face. "I'm fine, Severus."

"Then, why'd you gasp?"

"Just a chill. I'm fine, though." Eileen then glanced away.

Snape shook his head, but didn't comment on it further. He'd drop it for now as well.

It was a good five more minutes before the double doors to the hospital wing burst open. The trio instantly glanced at the doors and watched Madam Pomfrey precede a levitated cot with a blood drenched person on top of it.

"Grandpa?" whispered Harry, staring at the clearly lifeless male body.

"Dad?" breathed Snape, following his son's whisper. However, a moment later when Minerva helped Tobias limp into the hospital wing—the man leaning heavily on a long silver sword, the two frowned in confusion.

"Then, who's that?" the young boy asked, glancing back at the bloodied person.

"Lockhart," Tobias answered with a hiss of pain as he settled atop of a cot. "Bastard got the short end of the stick when it came to the diary thing. Riddle was using his energy to come back to life."

"Was he successful?" Eileen inquired quietly.

"Hell no, El." Tobias chuckled before he groaned loudly, grabbing his side. "Did what you said to and destroyed it."

"Good."

"What's destroyed?" Snape asked, glancing between his parents in confusion.

"The diary, dear," Eileen replied with a sigh of exasperation. "Honestly, son. If you're going to eavesdrop, at least attempt to keep up with the conversation."

Snape mildly glared at his mother.

"What do you know about the diary?"

"Other than it's evil, you mean? He poured his soul into it, binding it with dark magic. He seemed to think it'd help him come back to life if he ever died." She shrugged. "That was all he ever talked about. How he had conquered death. As if anyone can truly conquer it." Her eyes glanced at her husband. "Where'd you get the sword?"

"Some funny hat Dumbledore's bird left me down in the chamber." Tobias shrugged. "I think it makes me look rugged. Don't ya think, El?"

"Personally, I think it makes you look like an idiot."

"Always gotta be the critic, don't you, El?" Tobias remarked quietly, wincing as Madam Pomfrey headed to him with her wand in her hand. The matron had a fierce look on her face. "Now, listen here, lass. The bird already cried on me, so I should be fit as a fiddle."

Madam Pomfrey threw her hands up into the air before she whirled on Eileen and Snape. "What is it about your family? Must you all try to kill yourselves?" She held up a hand when they started to argue. "Don't even start." She whirled back on Tobias. "You're lucky the Headmaster has a phoenix, Tobias Snape. Otherwise, you'd have been dead."

"Yes, lass. I got that."

"Bed rest. No buts about it, Mister Snape." Madam Pomfrey then glanced at Harry. "You, too, Mister Potter. You're just like your grandparents and father. Always causing trouble and injuring yourselves. Honestly. I've never met a more near-death experienced family than yours."

Harry laughed and nodded.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," the young boy quietly said.

The matron glanced at Tobias.

"Now, you can't exactly get mad at me, lass. I mean, I did just slay a basilisk and save the school," Tobias announced with a shrug. "Not to brag or anything."

Pomfrey's eyes narrowed into slits as she pointed her wand at him dangerously.

"Rest. Or, Merlin help me, I will make you, Tobias Snape," she stated coldly.

"All right. All right. Jeez. What are you? The dragon lady of Hogwarts?" Tobias settled against his cot and sighed. When Pomfrey and Minerva left them alone a moment later to head to her office, he glanced at them with a smirk.

"Grandpa?" Harry waited until Tobias met his eyes. "Where's Professor Rayne?"

Snape noticed his dad's smirk falter instantly.

"She's gone, lad," Tobias quietly replied. His voice was soft and gentle. "She's in a better place now, though, Harry. The way I understood it, she didn't really like being a vampire much. Found it to be a wretched curse. Most of the people she knew from before, well, they had already gone on. So it was lonely for her." He sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered.

"Don't be, lad. She's happier now. Plus, she went out fighting like the warrior she was."

Snape glanced down at his hands. Hogwarts had lost two of its staff members now. Three in the past two years. He closed his eyes. Aurora would not be the third this year. He wouldn't let her be. He drew in a slow calming breath. The basilisk was slain. Riddle was once more defeated again, unable to return this time. Hogwarts was . . . safer now. He shook his head slowly. All that remained was bringing Aurora home.

The following evening, Harry sighed heavily as he sat on his cot in the hospital wing. Across from him, his dad sat intently reading things from a large folder as he supposedly rested. Looking entirely bored, his grandmother lay on her cot next to her grandson. His grandpa sat beside her bedside, openly defying Madam Pomfrey for the hundredth time that day.

"You all right there, kiddo?" asked Tobias, his blue eyes quickly passing over Harry.

"Yeah." The young boy shrugged. "Just bored."

"Already finished writing your friends, then?"

Harry nodded. He had finished that after lunch earlier. It wasn't as if Ron and Hermione had said all that much to him. They just asked if he was all right. Well, on second thought, Ron had mentioned that Mr. Weasley had told his family about strange blackouts that were occurring sporadically at the Ministry. But Harry really didn't care about that.

"Finished all of your schoolwork as well?" Eileen questioned, giving him a kind look.

"Yeah. I didn't have much. Just a Transfigurations essay and, um," Harry's voice gave out. He closed his eyes and glanced down. He felt like crying at the thought of his mum. She had been gone for five days now. Now that there wasn't any danger of the monster in the Chamber of Secrets to distract him, he found himself dwelling a lot on her not being there.

"It's all right, lad," Tobias quietly said with a sympathetic look.

"I miss her," Harry admitted softly, glancing at his dad who continued silently reading things from a large manila folder that he had on his lap. He hadn't heard his dad say a word to them since breakfast this morning, and even that was just a brief 'Morning.'

"So does yer dad."

"Obviously," Eileen agreed, following Harry's eyes to watch her son. "He's obsessing over her. Just like he used to do with the Evans girl."

"That was my mother," Harry stated as he glanced back at his grandmother.

"I know, dear." Eileen gave him a faint smile. Her eyes returned to Harry's dad soon after.

Harry's grandfather sighed heavily, running a hand through his long scruffy hair.

"Case I haven't said it yet, thanks, Harry. For opening the Chamber for us." Tobias gave him a faint smile. "Wasn't the only one to open down there, though, but Calisto just imitated you when we ran across the second door." He then sighed as he thought of something before he looked away.

Harry just nodded slowly, watching his dad. When he heard his grandfather clear his throat, he glanced at the older wizard, noticing that Tobias was looking at his dad.

"Son?" Tobias announced.

"Yes?" replied Harry's dad, refusing to look up from the piece of parchment he was reading.

"What are ya doing?"

"Reading, Dad."

Harry could hear his dad's impatience just a bit in his dad's voice. He frowned and bit his lower lip. His dad had been sitting there reading that folder since this morning. In fact, Harry couldn't remember the man taking a break from it in the past four hours.

"I see." Tobias licked his lips. "What are ya reading?"

The raven-haired man sighed quietly and paused for a moment before he replied. "Aurora's medical file."

Harry heard his grandfather inhale sharply and his grandmother make some sound he couldn't distinguish. His frown deepened. His dad was reading his mum's medical file? Why?

"Ah, hell, Severus," Tobias gruffly growled. "What the hell are you reading that for? To get hexed when she finds out later?"

"No. To find out what she's sick with and see if there are clues in here about where she could be, Dad." He grabbed another piece of parchment from the thick folder and continued to read.

"You do know that's a serious breach in privacy, right?" Tobias scoffed. "Hell, son. Don't you know that there are just some things you aren't supposed to know?"

"The worst thing in here, Dad, I already know about." He paused for a moment. "Well, knew partly about," he corrected.

Tobias shook his head and scoffed. "Do you know what the point of dating is? At all?"

"I'm sort of busy here, Dad," Harry's father replied, not bothering to look away from the file. He turned the page.

"Yeah. Busy ruining yer relationship."

"Hardly."

"Definitely." Tobias frowned. "Yer supposed to learn about her by her telling you what she wants you to know, not grabbing her medical file and reading it. It's a matter of trust and stuff."

"Well, she's not here, is she, Dad?"

"That doesn't give you the right to grab her file and start reading it. What's next, her work file?"

"Already finished reading that this morning before you woke up," Harry's dad answered flatly. "There was really nothing of interest in there, Dad. Mostly because Dumbledore redacted a bunch of it."

Harry watched his grandfather's mouth drop.

"Yer shitting me? You didn't—Severus, tell me yer joking."

"I rarely joke, Dad." He turned the page again, his frown deepening in response to whatever he was reading currently.

"Are you out of yer goddamn mind?" shouted Tobias before he turned to his wife. "I-I just-I don't even—do you hear our son, El?"

"I hear him," Eileen replied quietly, her eyes resting on her son.

"Do you understand how wrong it is what yer doing? Has it even crossed yer mind?"

Harry watched his dad's jaw clench for a moment as the man paused for a moment before he turned to the next page. The young boy glanced down at his hands. Usually this would be the point where his dad would start hissing and growling. He peeked through his long hair towards his dad and watched his father finally set the file down beside him.

"Aurora was taken because her mother gave her a supposedly powerful serum. A serum that if replicated could be used to commit genocide." Harry's dad met Tobias's eyes. "This Leonidas bastard is currently treating her like a lab rat in order to test her limits with it. Now, if you'd rather I just sit aside and not even try to understand it, then by all means. However, I can't just do that, though."

"You can. You just won't."

"Dammit, Dad." He growled, shaking his head. "She's being tortured as we speak! Do you understand that?" He glared at Tobias. "They stripped her down like she was some child's doll. They put shackles on her wrists and suspended her in the air. She was beaten, cut, and I'd imagine a whole hell of other things. All so he can figure out how fast she heals." Harry's dad scoffed. "So, yes, I took her medical file. Because there is something in here," he snarled, shaking the file. "Something that will give me a hint where she is so I can find her and bring her home."

"There are things in there that yer not supposed to know, Severus!"

"No!" He growled loudly, shaking his head as he slammed his fist down onto his cot. "No! You don't understand, Dad! None of you do!"

"Understand what?" Eileen asked.

Harry glanced down at his hands, closing his eyes. He felt so awkward and scared and a whole list of other things that he couldn't even begin to list. He could feel his dad's anger, making him want to shrink inside himself to get away.

"Yeah," Tobias agreed with his wife, staring at him. "Cause right now yer coming off as some crazy stalker obsessing over her."

"I'm not obsessing!" Harry's dad snarled. "Right now I feel—" He yelled out his frustration, clenching his jaw as his whole body shook with anger. "I need her! Merlin!" He punched the mattress again. "For the second time in my miserable damn life, I have someone who I can't live without. I feel like I'm drowning now, and I can't— I thought losing Lily was bad, you know, but it wasn't like this. This is worse because Lily was never mine to begin with. I just wanted her to be badly. But Aurora, she's my, my second good thing. I need her back, Dad. So, I will do whatever the hell I need to in order to find her. I won't lose the one woman in my life that—that's made this bearable. I won't lose her." He exhaled shakily, his jaw still clenched. "She's the one. My other half." He drew in a quick breath. "The Fates won't fuck with me this time. They've had their fun. Now, it's time for them to leave me the hell alone, and let me have what everyone else has had given to them so easily." He panted heavily, glaring at his parents. "Just once . . . once . . . I would like to experience happiness without it being ripped from me. Just once. Is that too much to ask for really? I think not."

"Severus," Tobias started before he paused. "We know you care for her. But taking her medical file and reading it isn't gonna bring her back, though. It's just gonna make you miss her more. And probably learn something that you shouldn't."

Harry watched his dad shake his head again and heard his dad mumble something under his breath. The young boy drew in a slow breath and closed his eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"Just what am I going to learn that's so horrible, Dad? That she used to drink heavily when she was at university to the point where she'd blackout? Show me a person who didn't. That last year she performed the Martyr's Gift on my son, so I'd get to know him? I knew that already, too. Or that she once foolishly thought she could take on five Death Eaters by herself and ended up getting her arse handed to her? Again, I knew that, since I was one of the five. There's nothing in here that I don't already have some idea about, Dad. I know what that mark on her left arm means. I can guess what her childhood was like with her mother. Nothing in here is surprising yet."

"There will be something in there—something you'll read, Severus, and you'll misunderstand it. You'll take it out of context, and it'll change everything you feel about her."

"The only thing I'm seeing in this damn folder is that she suffered in silence, Dad. That she took everything thrown her way and somehow came out stronger from it. That's it."

"Stop reading it."

"I can't. If I'm to find her, I have to use every resource. This is one of those. He took her because of everything in here."

"Severus, please. Stop."

"I love her, Dad."

"That doesn't give you the right to throw aside her privacy, son."

"I'll take whatever anger and betrayal she feels any day of the damn week just to get her back."

"You are sabotaging your relationship with this."

"No. I'm saving her."

"And the boy's mother?" Eileen asked suddenly.

"What?" He blinked a few times, along with Harry.

"Harry's mother, dear. You threw aside her privacy quite a lot as well if I remember correctly. Even showed up in her bedroom once late at night."

Harry's eyes darted to his father. What?

"No."

"Yes, Severus. You were eleven, I believe, so I was still around. You needed to know if she had gotten her letter yet. And you just had to know right that second. So you snuck out of the house and snuck in through her opened window around three in morning. Her father heard you and his daughter's resulting scream."

"It wasn't like that."

"You cared deeply for Lily as well."

"No."

"No?" Eileen repeated with a raised brow.

"I cared for Lily, yes, but I cared more about having a friend with me when I went to Hogwarts. Someone who wanted to be there with me. I liked the feeling that I had someone, Mother."

"A feeling I'd imagine you like with this woman of yours as well. Hence why you're so desperate to cling to anything that has her name on it."

"I love her, Mother."

"Do you, Severus? Or is she another of your possessions?"

Harry felt his jaw drop at his grandmother's question. He glanced at his dad and saw the older man stare at her. He swallowed and dropped his eyes to the floor.

"You're out of line."

"No, Severus. You are," Eileen firmly replied. "I can see why you'd read her medical file since it was why she was taken. That doesn't mean I agree with you stealing it and reading, though, but I can understand it. But her personnel file? That has absolutely nothing to do with why she was taken, and you know it." She frowned deeply and held her son's eyes. "Do you want to hear why I think you took it?" She didn't wait for him to reply. "I think you took it because you're trying to make sense of everything you're feeling right now, so you'll grasp at anything with her name on it. You badly want to distract yourself from the pain you're feeling, because it doesn't feel anything like the pain you felt after Lily's death. You admitted as such earlier in fact. But, most importantly, you took it because for the first time in your so-called relationship you don't have her and you're realizing how much you miss her. And you feel like if you can understand her, read up on her background and such, that you won't have lost her. That you will actually know the woman you love."

"I know her," he argued with a slight growl.

"Do you? From the way I hear it from your father, you two had one date that wasn't even really a date in all actuality."

"Stop it."

"You kissed her a few times, held her nightly, and even slept with her once."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Any of it."

"There's not," Eileen agreed. "However, your entire time together has been dealing with someone trying to take her from you, Severus. Similar to how it was with Lily when you were younger in fact when that Gryffindor arse continued to try to steal her from you. So, just like with Lily, you became possessive with this new witch of yours. To the point where you're now stealing her files."

"Stop," he begged quietly, staring at Eileen.

"To convince yourself that she's yours and show it to all of us as well."

"No."

"Yes. If you can't have her, no one will. Isn't that why you ran the other day? To hide everything dear to you away and keep them safe?" Eileen sighed. "You don't know her, Severus, because you never had the chance to. But you won't find your answers in there. I promise, son."

"Stop it. Just stop it! You're wrong. Utterly wrong, Mother! I know Aurora. I don't need these damn things to tell me about her. I know her."

"How? How could you possibly know a woman after three months of just handholding?"

"You're wrong."

"No, Severus. I'm not. And you know it."

"I shagged her, Mother," he growled, glaring at her.

"Congratulations. Would you like a medal for figuring out where to stick things, Severus?"

Harry winced, closing his eyes. He couldn't hold back his shudder. Why had his grandmother said that? He really didn't need to hear that. Ever.

"I know her mother."

"No, Severus. You don't."

"I DO!" he bellowed. "Stop telling me I don't know her. I do!"

"Shagging a person doesn't mean you know them, Severus. It just means you carried out a basic instinct. I could shag Dumbledore all night, but does that give me any insight as to what type of man he is? No. It just shows he has a sex drive. That's it."

Harry's fingers went to his ears immediately. Why? Why did she have to talk like that? He closed his eyes tightly to block it all out. However, curiosity won out again, and his hands fell aside.

"I'm trying to save her, Mother!"

"No, Severus, you're basically violating her instead of actually getting to know her."

Harry watched his dad's eyes flash dangerously. The man looked ready to explode. The young boy swallowed. This would not be good.

His dad opened his mouth likely to snarl the most hate-filled things he could at her, only to snap his mouth shut a moment later. Grabbing the thick folder beside him, he threw it across the room, the papers flying through the air and floating in various directions. With a low growl, he flipped over and turned his back to all of them. Waving his hand violently, the privacy curtain snapped shut around him. Conversation over.

~FKTF~

An hour later, when Madam Pomfrey discovered Aurora's medical file scattered on the floor in front of his cot when she came to check on Snape, she instantly launched into a tirade about him stealing it and how he had broken half a dozen protocols. It didn't matter that she had taken them back from him, though, so he brushed off her anger. After all, he had finished skimming the files earlier in the day.

Staring off into the darkness now as his parents and Harry slept, Snape reflected on his mother's words. She unfortunately had been right. He hadn't found any answers in either file. He had found plenty of information, of course, but nothing that stuck out that said 'Here was where Aurora was.' He brushed back his long hair.

Aurora had been born on January 1, 1961 at St. Mungo's. The midwife had been none other than Poppy Pomfrey, which was slightly interesting on second thought. However, his mind kept returning to the photo of Aurora just a few hours old that had been included in her file.

Baby Aurora was held by, whom Snape could only guess was, her father—a proud father he was clearly. Her mother looked on with a slight smile. However, Snape had noticed with his third glance that Syra had looked at someone standing off to the side. He had thought at first that it was likely a family friend. However, the way Syra was looking at whoever it was, it clearly seemed that it couldn't be a family friend but an associate of hers instead.

At the sound of a quiet clearing of someone's throat, Snape glanced up. He schooled his features to keep the frown from his face. Dumbledore. Lovely.

"Happy Christmas Eve, Severus," Dumbledore softly said.

Snape's eyes narrowed instantly. Was it Christmas Eve already? He, then, closed his eyes. It didn't even feel like Christmas. Five days she had been gone, but it felt like a lifetime to him.

"I hear I owe you my deepest gratitude."

Snape scoffed before he glanced at the white-bearded wizard. "You can repay me by telling me where Aurora is, old man," he stated coldly. He brushed off Dumbledore's pained expression.

"Ah. Yes. Unfortunately, your guess is as good as mine, Severus." The older wizard sighed softly. "However, Minerva informed me that Kingsley and others are searching for her."

"Must be nice to forget all your mistakes."

"I haven't forgotten, Severus."

"Then, how is that you don't know where she is?"

"One must know it before he can forget it. I never heard anything concerning her being taken. Only that I was to lower the wards around Hogwarts. As you recall," he stated softly.

"You were always the better Occlumens than me," Snape retorted with a sneer. He ignored Dumbledore's somber look. He felt so angry right then. How dare Dumbledore show his face!

"I am sorry, my boy."

"Apologies don't bring Aurora back. Now, do they, old man?"

"They do not." Dumbledore sighed silently.

"When I get her back, find yourself a new spy because I'm done lying for you."

"If that's what you wish."

"It is." Snape clenched his fist underneath his blanket that was draped over him. "I'm tired of you using me, using my son, using my entire family as a pawn in your Wizard's Chess against him."

"It was not my intention to hurt you, my boy."

"No? Then, tell me. What was your intention?"

Dumbledore frowned before he answered quietly. "I understand your anger, Severus."

"No. You don't, old man. You don't understand it in the slightest."

"You feel used and betrayed, and you are correct to feel that way." Dumbledore shook his head slowly before he glanced towards Harry. "I have been so focused on fixing my mistake over the years that I let others' well beings slip through the cracks."

"Your mistake?" Snape scoffed, shaking his head. "And which one is that exactly?"

"Riddle." His blue eyes darted back to Snape. "You see, I was the one who brought him into our world, Severus. I'm the one responsible."

"Did you know then?"

"That he'd become Lord Voldemort, you mean?"

Snape inclined his head sharply.

"No, Severus. I didn't. I saw that he favored cruelty, secrecy, and domination, of course. It made me uneasy, but I figured that once he was around others at Hogwarts like him, he'd gain friends." Dumbledore shook his head. "Always the optimist of course." He sighed. "I was gravely mistaken, but I still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Snape frowned.

"If you had it to do over again, would you have told him?"

"No." Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "As horrible as it is to admit, Severus, I would have dealt with him swiftly and ended it then."

"Meaning?"

"He'd have killed him, Severus," Eileen answered, sitting up on her cot against her pillows.

"Good."

"I suppose," Eileen replied with a shrug. "If one can live with the blood on his hands, that is."

"I owe you an apology as well, Eileen," Dumbledore stated quietly.

"You owe everyone an apology, Albus."

"I assure you that I did not know that Riddle had switched Tobias for an imposter."

"But you were aware that she and I were being beaten, though," Snape sneered.

"Unfortunately, yes," Dumbledore admitted quietly. "At the time, I had thought I could learn what it was that had Riddle so interested in you."

"Your reasoning doesn't matter, Albus. Frankly, I don't give a damn what crap you spew. I'm more interested now on how we end this once and for all so my family is free of you," Eileen stated.

Dumbledore inclined his head slowly before he closed his eyes. "I'm afraid that plan is already in motion, Eileen."

"I see. And who is the poor sheep that you're going to have slaughtered for you this time, Dumbledore?" she replied coldly.

"That will not be the outcome, Eileen," Dumbledore firmly stated.

"No? Well, it does seem to be a typical outcome with your plans, though. Who is it?"

Dumbledore remained silent, though, keeping his eyes lowered.

Why wasn't Dumbledore answering? Snape stared at the older wizard, noting Dumbledore's hunched shoulders and twinkle-less eyes. A sickening feeling slowly flooded Snape. He felt his heart slow. No. It couldn't be. Dumbledore wouldn't—

"Tell me it's not her, Albus," Snape breathed. "Tell me you didn't use Aurora."

"It's not my plan, my boy." Dumbledore sighed heavily a moment later, reluctantly meeting Snape's eyes. "I was informed of it upon awakening by owl."

"Who?" Snape jaw clenched as it took everything not to leap up and shake the elderly man. "Who owled you? Whose plan is it?"

Dumbledore made a slight face before he opened his mouth to answer. He was cut off, though.

"Oh, you gotta to be kidding me," Tobias growled, pulling himself up against his own cot.

Snape glanced at his father. He hoped that Tobias hadn't come to the same conclusion as he had.

"That damn bitch is sacrificing her own daughter," Tobias snarled. He scoffed, shaking his head. "Is she really that arrogant to think that her stupid serum won't let her daughter die?"

"I would not call it arrogance," Dumbledore quietly said with a sigh.

"Then, what would ya call it? Cause in my book, that's arrogance to a 'c,' Dumbledore."

"It is my understanding that Aurora was aware of the consequences and agreed."

"What?" Snape blinked. "Are you saying she wanted to get caught?"

"No, my boy. Aurora would never willingly go along with a plan where it would hurt you like this. I'm saying that Syra mentioned to her that if Aurora was taken, a way could be executed to end our problem with Riddle once and for all. Something of which you have longed for years, Severus."

"Syra knew that the Dark Lord would be interested in the serum?"

"Oh, yes. It was a possibility we talked about at length. Him and others who would kill for it."

"Did you know that she gave it to Aurora?"

"No, my boy." Dumbledore sighed, stroking his beard lightly. "I knew that Syra wanted a child badly, of course. However, I did not know the lengths she would go to guarantee her daughter's birth. I was not in agreement with the Ministry about not telling the women the truth, I admit, but I trusted Syra fully. Her research was astounding. And I had already seen her in practice in developing the magic suppressant, so I had thought she would be one to trust not to use it for dark means."

"Magic suppressant?" Snape repeated, noticing his mother and Tobias staring at Dumbledore. "She was the one who developed it?"

"Yes. It was quite an interesting potion. However, as you can see, the other side gained access to it somehow and has used it for their means."

"How?"

"The Ministry claimed that they lost a vial. I would imagine, though, that someone stole it instead and later replicated it." Dumbledore shook his head. "Syra is truly a brilliant witch."

"She's using her daughter, Albus," Snape stated.

"I'm aware. However, her daughter was aware of the consequences and agreed."

"So says Syra," Tobias pointed out with a scoff. "A woman who clearly ain't got a damn clue about how to be a mother if it bit her in the arse."

"She does love Aurora, Tobias. I assure you of that," Dumbledore quietly said. "She just has difficulty showing it in the usual methods."

"Difficulty my arse. She's a cold-hearted bitch, and you know it."

Dumbledore only inclined his head, remaining silent.

"What was the plan they came up with?"

"I'm not certain. The message merely stated that Syra was fixing my mistake with her daughter's help." Dumbledore pulled the slip of parchment out a moment later and held it out. "I can only guess at this point how." He shook his head slowly. "I am sorry for hurting all of you with my past decisions." He held each of their eyes for a moment. "I've been so focused on my crusade to fix my mistake that I overlooked the most important thing of all, how my actions affected everyone. I'm truly sorry."

"We don't care to hear your apologies, Albus," Eileen coldly replied. "Apologies are worthless when it comes to the sacrifices my family has had to make over the years because of you."

Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"I know," the white-bearded wizard replied quietly. "They will not bring back the time nor the blood and tears lost over the years."

"Good. You do actually understand," she snidely said. "Glad to see your brilliant mind isn't entirely warped with vengeance yet."

"It has not." Dumbledore frowned, stroking his beard slowly. "No amount of apologies will ever be enough. You have all sacrificed and suffered so much because of my actions." He shook his head. "But I assure you it has not been for nothing."

"Oh, if you start spouting that ridiculous crap about the greater good, Albus Dumbledore, I will castrate you here and now with a dull spoon," Eileen growled.

"Please, my dear. Allow me to finish." Dumbledore gave her a kind, somber look. When she inclined her head, he continued. "Tobias, had I known then what I know now, I would have sent someone to find you the second I knew you were missing. Over the past year, you have continued to show your resiliency and your large capacity of love for your family. You've watched over your son and protected him and Harry from harm, even after learning of your son's misplaced hatred concerning you. In addition, you continued to search for your wife, not giving up on finding her so that you could all be a family again." He stroked his beard quietly. "Furthermore, your actions in the chamber yesterday showed fierce loyalty. Normally, I would state that it was loyalty to me that caused Fawkes to come to your aid down there, but I would imagine that he has seen as I have—that your loyalty rests solely with keeping your family safe. I can only assume then that Fawkes came to you because he sees as I do that your heart is in the right place, Tobias."

Snape watched his father nod jerkily.

"Moreover, and something that I find extremely intriguing I'll admit, your pulling the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat." Dumbledore chuckled quietly. "I must say that in the years I've known the hat, he has never once allowed me to pull the sword out of it." He smiled faintly. "In fact, it has been said that only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat."

Snape's black eyes darted to his father. A true Gryffindor? Dumbledore had to be joking. There was no way Tobias Snape was a Gryffindor. He grimaced as he stared at his father. That was sickening to consider even.

"But I didn't go here, Albus," Tobias argued softly.

"I'm aware." Dumbledore inclined his head slowly. "However, your name was down on the list to attend Hogwarts. In fact, you did receive your letter."

"Yeah." Tobias scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Just had a shit father who couldn't bear to send me off to a school full of special rejects like me." He scoffed again.

"Some Muggle families unfortunately don't appreciate their talented children," Dumbledore stated quietly. "We, however, should have followed up after receiving your father's letter. We knew for certain that he was a Muggle. So, we should have treated you like we treat any other Muggleborn."

Snape's eyes widened before he blinked back his surprise. His father was a Muggleborn?

"Eh. Water under the bridge now, ain't it considering? And, hell, we still don't know what I am, do we, Albus?" Tobias gave a gruff chuckle. "I mean, hell, it's never really been known who my mum was, so it ain't really easy to know if she was a witch or not then to classify me."

"No one's ever compared your blood to see?" Snape asked, frowning.

"Son, last year was the first time I saw this fancy arse place. Dumbledore's been working with me to get my magic up to speed, but it ain't like ya and yer mum's. That's for sure. This has been the longest time I've been here actually. I mean, hell, Dragon Lady did draw my blood a long time back, but nothing came out of it. She's still looking, though. I guess." Tobias shrugged. "The only thing I do know is that we're about a hundred percent certain yer mum and I ain't related."

Snape winced. "Thank Merlin for that, Dad."

"So, I clearly ain't pureblood. Ain't related to yer girlfriend either. At least not directly."

Again, Snape grimaced. "Enough, Dad. Please." His stomach couldn't bear anymore.

"Muggle. Muggleborn. Oh, yes. I can see the similarities," Eileen sneered, shaking her head. "Why didn't you just tell me all this, Tobias?" She gave him a fierce glare that would have killed.

Snape watched his dad glance down at his hands immediately.

"Cause I didn't want to disappoint ya, El," Tobias quietly answered with a sigh. "You thought I was exotic, you know." Tobias paused when Eileen crossed her arms and her eyes flashed. "When I saw you do magic that first time, I thought about going 'Holy shit, woman. I can do that too.' But then we were talking and you said that I was different from the other guys you were with, and I thought what could it hurt." He quickly pushed forward when she leaned forward with a dangerous look. "I mean, hell, I knew what it could hurt, but, shit, no one wants to be with a guy who hasn't got the faintest idea who his mum was."

Eileen drew in a slow breath before she calmly said, "You're an idiot."

"Never claimed I was a smart man, El." Tobias shrugged.

She scoffed, shaking her head. "So instead of telling me the truth, you lied."

"Not exactly."

"Yes, exactly," Eileen argued, glaring at her husband with raised shoulders. "You didn't say," she paused before she attempted to imitate him, "El, I'm a wizard. A pretty shitty one, but I can do magic just like ya." Her voice returned to normal, then. "Instead, you let me continue to believe that you were a Muggle."

"All right. Yeah. I did do that. I'll admit."

Snape watched his dad grimace and rub the back of his neck. He caught Harry's faint smile as the young boy looked on as well. His parents were oddly amusing for some reason.

"That's lying, Tobias."

Tobias sighed, inclining his head.

"Yeah. It is." He then gently grabbed her tense hands. "I'm sorry, Eileen. Truly."

Snape's eyes narrowed on his parents' joined hands, noticing his mother's hands lose their earlier tension. He glanced up at her eyes, recognizing from her look that she was recalling a memory. She looked less tense now in his opinion. As if all her earlier anger just faded away at the feel of Tobias holding her hand. Snape swallowed and glanced away. Aurora could calm him with just her touch, too.

"I should've told ya the truth that first time it came up. I shouldn't have been a coward." Tobias gave her a soft smile, watching her lip quiver slightly." Forgive me?"

"This is becoming to be a habit, Tobias—you asking me to forgive you," she mildly stated, the tension in her shoulders having vanished. "Makes me wonder why I married you in the first place."

"Cause you and me go together like sunshine and thunder, love," Tobias grinned.

Eileen rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Whatever you say, Tobias."

Dumbledore cleared his throat softly to regain everyone's attention. He gave them a faint gentle apologetic smile before he continued.

"You have shown your tremendous strength continuously over the decades, Eileen."

Snape watched his mother's shoulders hunch instantly as she went on the defensive. He knew from experience that his mother was a force to be reckoned with during these moments. How she went from calm and relaxed to pissed and tense . . . It reminded him of the times he had pushed his mother just a bit too much when he was younger. Or when he was arguing with Molly Weasley some days.

"I had to, Dumbledore. I had a young boy who needed his mother to keep him safe from the bastard who lived with us."

The older white haired wizard nodded slowly. "I know, Eileen."

"Yes, you did. And you did nothing to help us. Instead, you allowed him to continue. You're just as guilty as that bastard."

"I am," Dumbledore agreed quietly, glancing down at the floor. "Likely more in fact. Elizabeth Andrews came to me with her fears. I sent her away, stating I'd look into it."

"And did you?"

"No."

Snape clenched his jaw at hearing Dumbledore's answer.

"I waited instead. I knew Riddle wouldn't linger long before he made his move. However, I didn't know that he had already made it, though. I truly thought it was Tobias. I had never met him before last year, so I thought he was just an angry drunk Muggle."

"And what was your excuse when I disappeared, Dumbledore? Why did you not remove my son from that hell, then?"

Dumbledore's eyes darted briefly to Snape before falling back to the floor. "Because I had written him off already, Eileen. I saw how he had become close to Lucius, Mulciber, and Rosier. I figured that it'd have been a waste of time trying to save him from the darkness." The older wizard had a pained look on his face. "I was grossly mistaken, and Severus paid the price."

"Yes he did. Congratulations for understanding that. Glad to see that the most brilliant wizard in the world only needed, what, twenty years to figure that out?" she sneered.

The somber blue eyes closed.

"I apologize. To all of you. I never meant to hurt any of you. You must believe me."

Eileen scoffed. "Believe the man who didn't even tell Severus that his father was alive and was actually a really good guy, something that you knew a year in advance?" Her eyes narrowed on him as she gave him her fiercest glare with her arms crossed and her finger tapping. "Believe the man who used my son and manipulated him constantly just so you'd get your way?" She laughed harshly. "Oh, yes. Of course I should believe that." Her eyes snapped to Dumbledore. "Especially since it comes from the man who was friends with the other pain in the arse wizard who wanted to take over the world. So, tell me, Albus. Just which one of you did kill your sister? You or Grindelwald?"

Dumbledore inhaled sharply as he glanced at Eileen, stumbling backwards into a nearby chair.

"Oh, yes, Albus. I know." She looked on impassively. "It's amazing what Aberforth will say when you share a few drinks with him."

Snape watched Dumbledore's eyes close tightly as the older wizard drew in a shaky breath. The man looked tortured and horribly aged now. As if all the life in him had been sucked out.

"So, you tell me, Albus Dumbledore," Eileen said in the tone that still caused Snape to shiver in fear upon hearing it. "Why should I believe you?"

Dumbledore trembled, deathly silent.

Snape's eyes darted back to his mother. She was downright brutal sometimes. Honest, of course, but she practically went for the heart every time.

With her same cool tone, not raised in the slightest, she continued. "I lost everything when I was taken from my son, Albus. He's my life. Every moment I spent dreaming of coming back to him, of keeping my little boy safe from the bastard who I thought was his father. But I realized something. Something I bet your brilliant mind figured out as well. I may have lost everything that I held dear to me by being held captive all those years, but my son lost a whole hell of a lot more. And why? Because of you, Albus Dumbledore," she sneered. "You are personally responsible for everything that happened to Severus. You could have stopped it. But you didn't. You admitted as such earlier." Her eyes quickly hardened. "All the blood on Severus's hands is on yours. Just like your sister's blood, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore made a soft tortured noise as the tears fell from his eyes.

"Even if it wasn't your direct fault, you are ultimately responsible." She shook her head, scoffing. "Look at you. So pathetic. Can't even bother to argue now because you know I'm right." She clenched her jaw. "You disgust me."

Dumbledore's eyes remained trained on the floor as Eileen continued, his body shaking as his emotions battled inside him. Snape opened his mouth to speak out for the wizard. But his words stopped in his throat when his mother raised a finger in his direction without looking away from Dumbledore.

"And all your crap about the greater good? You sacrificed that and your morals long ago." She exhaled, deliberately slow and scarily. "Now, of course I'd demand you to apologize to Severus and Harry for everything you've ever done to them and made them sacrifice for you as well, but frankly none of us wants to hear your voice anymore, let alone your pathetic attempts at an apology. Now, get the hell out of my sight, Albus."

Without another word, Dumbledore left while Snape noticed out of the corner of his eye Harry giving a slight compassionate wave to the retreating white-bearded old wizard.

~FKTF~

Christmas morning, Harry looked out onto the snow-covered grounds and sighed heavily. He slowly turned around and glanced at his family. Well, everyone in his family but his mum. His dad was asleep, while his grandparents were talking quietly between themselves. The young boy bit his bottom lip nervously before he quietly approached his father's bedside.

"Dad?" he whispered, careful not to startle the older wizard.

"Harry?" The reply was hoarse and somewhat gruff as his dad gradually woke up.

"Do you mind if I go see Hagrid this morning?"

"Hagrid?" his dad repeated, sitting up with a groan.

"Yeah. I think he's in the Great Hall. I'll go down there with the Baron so I'm not alone." Harry gave his dad a faint apologetic smile. "Pretty sure I don't want to be here when Madam Pomfrey comes by to do her daily torture with you guys this morning. Not that learning new curse words isn't fun, of course," he joked with a soft laugh.

His dad nodded. "Two hours. Then, you come back."

"Got it. Thanks, Dad." Harry gently hugged his father and gave his grandparents a quick smile before he headed out of the hospital wing. He didn't like leaving them, but he really didn't like seeing them in pain when Madam Pomfrey did her physical therapy with them.

Harry headed down to the Great Hall true to his word, feeling the Baron watching over him as the Slytherin ghost silently followed. He pushed open the oak door a moment later, hearing the quiet noise of the few students and staff that had stayed. He quickly headed to the lone table.

"Happy Christmas, Hagrid."

"Happy Christmas, 'Arry," Hagrid loudly announced, chuckling when he moved the table a moment later and spilled his goblet much to everyone else's dissatisfaction. "Sorry." He grinned. "What are yeh doin' down here?"

"Dad let me out for a bit," Harry laughed, sitting beside the friendly giant.

"Always knew he was a good man. I did." Hagrid took another large gulp from his goblet.

"Do slow down, Rubeus. We don't need a repeat of a few years ago," McGonagall chided.

Hagrid only smiled.

"Yer grandpa up yet?"

"Yeah." Harry laughed. He couldn't keep the silly grin from his face at the word 'Grandpa.' "He's been annoying Grandmum all morning."

Hagrid chuckled loudly.

"Eh. Yer grandmum's enjoying it, I bet."

"Probably," Harry agreed, smiling widely. He glanced around the table, noticing that it was mostly staff. In fact, besides Harry being there, the only other students there were Draco, Blaise Zabini, and a dishwater blond Ravenclaw first-year. He glanced away when he noticed Draco. He still wanted to punch the Slytherin git for hurting Hermione.

"Yer grandpa certainly can hold his liquor."

"Hagrid," McGonagall scolded, looking sharply at the half-giant. "I'm certain Mister Potter doesn't care to hear about that right now. We most certainly don't."

"Sorry." Hagrid looked down into his goblet again.

"It's fine." Harry waved his apology away. Hagrid hadn't said anything all that bad in his opinion. So his grandpa drank. His dad did on occasion as well. Even Uncle Vernon did. Wasn't that just something guys did for fun? Harry had always thought so.

"Potter?"

Harry sighed. Idly, he wondered if he ignored Draco saying his name, the blond would get the hint and leave him alone. He sincerely doubted it.

"Potter?" Draco repeated, leaning towards him.

"I'm busy, Malfoy," Harry replied shortly. Didn't the blond git understand that Harry didn't want to talk with him?

"Harry, please."

The young Gryffindor glared at his plate of food. Stupid stuck-up, rich snobbish Slytherin who hurts people for the fun of it, Harry thought as he picked his fork up and started to tear his breakfast apart. He stabbed his egg numerous times, pretending it was the blond in fact.

"Potter, come on," Draco pleaded. "Please. Can't we just talk?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Malfoy."

"What did I do?"

Harry scoffed, glancing at the Slytherin blond. He frowned when he noticed Draco's confused look. As if that git didn't know what he did.

"Come on." Draco leaned further towards him, lowering his voice. "This thing's gone on long enough, don't you agree?"

"You hurt her."

"She hurt me first, Potter!"

"That's a load of crap and you know it, you freaking arse," Harry growled, glaring at him. He didn't even notice the collective gasps around them. "I read your stupid note to her, Malfoy. The one where you called her that damn word!"

"Potter!" someone, likely McGonagall, yelled sharply.

"I didn't call her anything, you liar!"

Harry growled, ready to launch himself at the blond and punch him again. How dare Malfoy lie like that! The stupid little blond git.

"That's enough!" McGonagall snapped. "For Merlin's sake, it's Christmas, you two."

"I didn't call her anything, Potter! She's the one who told me to leave her alone! So I did."

"What? No way! You told her, too!"

"Oh, dear Merlin. They're going to be at it all night," someone muttered.

When Draco thrust his hand into his deep robe pockets, Harry leaned back, crossing his arms. He glared at the blond, clenching his jaw. Idiot. His eyes narrowed a moment later when Draco pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to him.

"What's this?" Harry asked, his eyes darting to the paper.

"My proof."

Harry's frown deepened, but he slowly opened up the folded piece. His eyes narrowed at it before he glanced up at Draco.

"Hermione didn't write this."

"What are you talking about, Potter?"

"This note. Hermione didn't write it." His eyes narrowed on Draco.

"Oh, don't even suggest it, Potter." Draco growled before he grabbed a quill and wrote out the exact same sentence that was written on the note. "See? It clearly wasn't me."

"Then, who . . ." Harry's voice trailed off before he glanced back at Draco's note. He knew that handwriting. Well, he at least knew the scribbled parts of a few letters.

"What?"

Harry closed his eyes and hung his head. Ron, you idiot. He made a mental note to punch his best friend in the arm, hard. He shook his head before he looked back at Draco.

"I believe you, Malfoy."

"What changed?"

Harry thought for half a moment. He needed to be like his dad to keep Malfoy from figuring out that it was Ron. He could only imagine how that'd go over. One of them would be found bloodied at the bottom of the stairs, and Harry had a feeling it wouldn't be Malfoy.

"Nothing. Just you're right. You couldn't have done it."

The other people at the table seemed just as confused and intrigued as Draco did as they looked on. Harry continued to force his face neutral, though. After all, if his dad could hide his emotions, so could he. At least he hoped he could. Otherwise, his best friend would get a well-deserved wallop.

"So, who wrote the message, then?" asked Blaise, a dark-skinned Slytherin second-year.

"Dunno." Harry shrugged. He did his best to ignore Draco's eyes watching him intently. He would not be the one to tell the blond. Though, he would ask Hermione to check her letter to see if it was from the Slytherin. Harry was quite glad the staff hadn't offered some sort of spell that'd reveal the author's name for Draco's note yet. But then again he guessed they knew better than to interfere in their students' lives like that.

"Ooh, a mystery. How delightful," the dreamy-eyed Ravenclaw said with a smile. "Though, we do have a bit of them already, don't we?" Her smile faltered for a bit as her eyes met Harry's.

Harry cleared his throat before he glanced away. He didn't know how to respond that. Then again, it looked like no one really did.

"Minerva?" quietly asked Professor Sprout, breaking the unwelcomed silence. "Has the Headmaster decided if he should find replacements for our . . . available classes next term?"

"He did this morning." McGonagall sighed heavily, her lips thinning. "He decided against it. He's going to ask us to incorporate key concepts into our classes for the remainder of the term."

The gathered staff nodded somberly.

"What about Severus?" inquired Professor Flitwick. "Will he be rejoining us next term?"

Harry's ears immediately perked up. He glanced at Professor McGonagall and waited. He hadn't heard Madam Pomfrey or his dad talk about that yet. Then again, Harry tried to keep himself busy.

"I don't know, Filius. I would imagine Mister Potter knows better than I do."

Harry shook his head. "I don't, Professor. Dad's been rather quiet lately." Ever since he and Harry's grandmum got into that argument about Harry's mum. His eyes fell onto his plate.

"Tobias said last night he'd bet his kidney that he'd come back. That his son needs a distraction."

"Don't we all?" mumbled a female professor on Hagrid's left side. "I don't know about you lot, but I wish Aurora was here. Doesn't feel like the holidays without her and Snape bickering."

Harry watched his Head of House's lip twitch into a quick smile for a moment. He wondered if she, too, missed his mum. They were very close from what he could tell.

"Agreed, Septima," McGonagall replied quietly. She then grabbed her goblet and raised it, everyone else at the table following suit soon after. "Here's to hoping for a Christmas miracle by bringing her home safe and sound." The gathered staff and four students murmured the same before each became lost in their own thoughts.

A week before Snape's thirty-third birthday, Madam Pomfrey released Tobias from her hospital wing. However, much to her displeasure and Snape's amusement at how riled up the matron would become, Tobias remained by Eileen's bedside as he had done throughout the time, holding his wife's hand. On occasion, Tobias would make his usual off-color remarks during Snape's and Eileen's physical therapy sessions, which would only further irritate Madam Pomfrey and cause Snape and Harry (when Harry didn't have classes) to laugh every now and then, forgetting their troubles for just a few moments.

On the morning of Snape's thirty-third birthday, the matron deemed Snape physically fit to teach once more and stated that he was free now to leave the hospital wing. Making it quite clear to him not to use his link with Aurora again, she gave him a scathing lecture that he'd swear his mother would have said. She, in fact, informed him that if she found that he was using that link, he would find himself tied to a bed in the hospital wing and sedated until she saw fit to wake him. He made no comment at this warning, though. He had no plans ever to use that link after learning that it harmed Aurora, at least not until he could solidify and stabilize their link. So, he merely inclined his head and headed with Harry to their temporary rooms on the third floor, since their quarters in the dungeons were still being repaired by the house elves and not scheduled to be completed for another few days.

Father and son quickly set into a routine after Snape's release. Every morning they would have breakfast with Eileen and Tobias in the hospital wing. Harry would give his grandmother a quick kiss on the cheek and his grandpa a hug before the young Gryffindor meandered out the door to his first class, while Snape would merely incline his head at his parents and leave silently to head to his first class as well. They were on autopilot, going about their day silently. They likely couldn't even explain what had occurred in any of their classes. Every evening, they'd have dinner together, father and son, before wordlessly heading to their bedrooms and suffering another restless night filled with nightmares. Each day that passed and Aurora wasn't found, a bit more of their hope chipped away.

For four and a half long months this routine continued. Harry didn't even notice the owls once again flying back and forth between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables during this time. Oh, he knew that Hermione and Draco had made up and became friends again, much to Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle's dissatisfactions. He just didn't really care all that much anymore. And he had yelled just as much to Ron once, among other things, of course. Didn't they understand how much he hurt? His mum was missing, and they were carrying on like nothing had happened—that everything was perfect, just bloody damn perfect. Harry hated it. Absolutely hated it. So whenever he could, he'd spend his free time with his father, the one person in the whole damn castle who understood and who cared.

On the other hand during these four and half months, Snape continued to use every available moment he could to find Aurora. In total, five months had passed since she had been taken, and he felt no closer to finding her now than he did before. He had spoken to every person he could think of, but no one knew anything. He had even owled that idiot Igor Karkoff at Durmstrang in hopes that the Russian knew where she was. Nothing came of it, though. Just a brush off like everyone else. It led Snape to believe that some of them knew more than what they were telling like Minister Fudge for example.

When asked repeatedly by Dumbledore, Snape, Kingsley, and a flurry of others over the past months about Leonidas Montgomery, Minister Fudge immediately became hostile at every encounter and told them all that the matter would best be dropped. It wasn't of course, which only further irritated Fudge. The man now barely answered an owl addressed by anyone from or affiliated with Hogwarts, citing that he was much too busy. But much to Snape's discontent, Dumbledore refused to press Fudge any further than the weekly owl or appearance.

Eileen had remarked once that whatever Snape hoped for from the Ministry, he'd never receive it from that bunch of bureaucratic cowards. So far, he had to agree with her there. There had been no sightings of Leonidas for months. It had left him frustrated as hell. Why did nothing ever go his way? Had he truly deserved this much punishment? This much cruelty from the Fates? He knew he had made horrific choices, but hadn't he atoned for them? He certainly thought so. From Pomfrey, he knew that Aurora was still alive, so she was somewhere out there. He just had to keep searching. He'd find her sooner or later. He wouldn't give up. He couldn't give up. He just wished that there was some sign, some indication where she was. But all he ever saw was the damned sporadic blackouts at the Ministry.

~FKTF~

The last day in May, Snape found himself standing in front of his class of second-year Slytherins and Gryffindors. His black eyes passed over his horribly withdrawn son before he glanced away guiltily. He was failing as a father. He didn't know how to comfort the boy. Hell, he didn't know how to comfort himself at this point. He glanced at the chalkboard where he had written the instructions of a potion earlier and closed his eyes. What was he doing?

"Professor Snape?" Granger said quietly.

"What?" he snapped, wincing inwardly at the sound of his harshness. He needed to get a hold of himself. He was acting weak and pathetic. A fool with his heart on his damn sleeve for all to see. Prior to his learning Occlumency so many years ago, his emotions had always consumed him. It was why he relied so heavily on the barriers, so they wouldn't. He felt so deeply that he couldn't control himself at times. The barriers were to balance him. But now he just felt so empty.

"Is everything all right, sir?"

Kindness. Granger was showing him kindness when he only showed her anger. His heart clenched painfully, recalling another witch who did the same. Aurora.

He shouldn't have felt like this. He knew that. He had only been with Aurora for three months. Was it possible to love someone after dating them for just three months? No. No. He had been with her longer than three months. He just didn't realize. She had always been there for him. Like the night Lily died. She required nothing in return. No ulterior motive. Just offering her shoulder for him to cry on. She had only brought that night up once. Not out of anger or to hurt him like so many others in his life had, but to comfort him once again. Kindness drove her actions. Kindness and love.

Snape blinked back the ghostly image of Aurora sitting in the second row next to his son, where Granger previously had been. She wasn't there. It was Granger. Not Aurora. Upset with himself, he sneered, feeling his control shattering. He should have dismissed his students, but he couldn't. His emotions were suffocating him. He drowned in his grief, unable to come up for air.

"What do you think, Granger?" he heard himself snarl. He caught the witch's eyes widen and heard her gasp of surprise. "Honestly, you stupid girl. You'd think—"

"Stop," a voice abruptly whispered across from him.

He obeyed instantly, his mouth hanging open slightly as he caught the transparent witch standing across from him. He blinked several times and even rubbed at his eyes once. He couldn't be seeing this. There was no way Aurora was in his classroom. But there she was. His eyes darted to Harry, noticing the boy staring at him fearfully as if Snape had grown a second head. So, then, Harry didn't see her.

"Where are you?" Snape pleaded, taking a step towards her while openly ignoring his class full of students.

"Weasley," she whispered before she faded from the room.

Snape groaned loudly, grabbing his head and leaning against a nearby table. Pomfrey was going to murder him, and it wasn't even him who had initiated it this time. His head felt as if someone had slammed it repeatedly into a brick wall. His full weight rested on his hand that kept him upright. He panted and shuddered when he felt a hand rest on his forearm.

"Dad?" Harry asked quietly. He then raised his voice. "Get Pomfrey!"

Snape slowly lowered himself to the ground, breathing in and out. When he was sitting on the ground, he felt himself fall backwards and stare up at the ceiling a moment later. His head hurt like hell. At the sound of a herd of hippogriffs, he turned his head to the side.

"Weasley," he rasped, trying to reach for the redhead. He was tired. So in pain. He frowned when the boy squeaked and glanced towards his friend. "Tell." Snape groaned, clutching his head again. The pain felt worse than a two-minute Cruciatus. The boy had to know. Or at the very least someone in his family knew. She had given Snape a hint. "Tell me, Weasley," he hissed out his pain.

"Tell you what?" Ron glanced around, shirking back a bit at the intense glare Snape gave him. "I don't—all right, fine." He sighed heavily, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, Crabbe, Goyle, and me wrote those stupid letters to Malfoy and Hermione, but it was just because it was so wrong. A Gryffindor and that nasty Slytherin git all cozy. S'not right, you know, sir?"

Snape's eyes glared at the idiot Gryffindor. Weasley was lucky that Snape couldn't move more than an inch or the boy would have found himself cuffed upside the head.

"I can't believe you, Ronald!" Granger hissed, slapping the redhead.

Snape, however, turned back. He could only imagine how this debacle would be spread around the school. Snape lost his marbles in class this morning. No, no I'm telling you. The greasy git was going on, and then he just went sort of, you know, funny. I don't know. Who cares? The voice in his head sounded annoyingly like Weasley's. Why were his son and Weasley friends anyway? Weasley didn't really contribute much if one thought on it. Trouble and Wizard's Chess.

"Dad?" Harry asked, moving into his line of sight again. "Are you all right?"

Snape grabbed a hold of his son's hand and squeezed it firmly. "Weasley," he rasped, holding his son's dull green eyes. He needed the boy to understand. "Weasley," he repeated while grimacing. He watched Harry blink once then twice before the boy's eyes widened.

"Mum?" Harry breathed with wide green eyes.

Snape squeezed his son's hand again, unable to respond in the affirmative. However, before they could continue, Snape quickly noticed Madam Pomfrey bustling into the room, her wand already drawn and her lips pursed. It wasn't his fault this time. Honestly, it wasn't. He watched her wand trail down him as she did her scan, her eyes darkening at the results before she shot her fiercest glare at him.

"Mobilicorpus," Pomfrey cast, her spell levitating Snape a few inches off the ground instantly. With her wand pointed ahead of her to levitate Snape where she wanted him, she and Harry followed the prone Potions Master up to the hospital wing.

The minute the double doors opened, Snape heard his father shout "What in the nine hells?" He closed his eyes. It was one thing to deal with Pomfrey's lectures. It was a whole other thing to deal with his mother's, and he knew it was coming by Merlin almighty. He let out a low groan when Pomfrey ended her spell abruptly, which resulted in him landing hard on top of a cot.

"Your son decided to use his link again."

"No," Snape argued, groaning. "Not me."

"Who else could it have been?" Pomfrey snapped.

"It wasn't me," Snape continued to claim, wincing and drawing in a slow breath.

"Impossible." The matron clucked her tongue angrily. "Aurora's never shown any indication of having any sort of ability or control whatsoever when it came to the Mental Arts, Severus."

"Not me," he repeated, clearly out of breath.

"It's not possible!"

"Are you certain, Madam Pomfrey?" Tobias asked, moving to his son's bedside.

"Positive!" She huffed, feeling obviously insulted by the insinuation.

"There's nothing, not even remotely possible, that could explain it otherwise? Cause my son said it wasn't him, and I take his word at it, lass."

Snape winced when he caught Pomfrey thrusting a vial in his direction, nearly spilling the potion on him. He wordlessly drank it, closing his eyes as he felt the pain quickly recede thanks to the pain relieving potion. Sometimes he truly loved being a wizard.

"There's one possibility, yes, but it's so remote that it's laughable to consider."

"Which is?"

"I'm telling you that it's not possible."

"Don't care, lass. What is it?"

Snape turned and glanced at the matron. She clearly was wrestling with herself. He frowned and thought back on all the books he had read concerning mental links. Because he was naturally predisposed to the mental arts, it would be rather easy for him to create a bridge between their minds. However, Pomfrey was right. Aurora had no inclination towards the Mental Arts. Frankly, she didn't have the necessary control and focus. So, it shouldn't have been possible for her to reach his mind. Unless the serum was adapting and changing her mind so she could, but that didn't seem likely.

"It's not possible." Her eyes darted to Snape. "Unless you're lying about when you started your relationship, Severus."

He frowned. "I'm not. We've only been together since late September. She's been missing longer than we've been dating."

"Then, as I said, it's not possible."

"Let us be the judge of that, Pomfrey. What is it?"

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I'm not even certain if it's possible to occur, Severus. I mean, you two would have had to choose this."

"Choose what?"

"A binding of your souls." She shook her head. "Frankly, you two wouldn't have had time even to attempt it, least of all start one. It takes decades to complete."

Snape searched through his mind for everything he could recall about binding one's soul to another. He knew of the lovers' bonds, of course, but they weren't as strong or chaotic as this bond between him and Aurora. He frowned when his mind drew a blank. It must have been older than his books, likely from before the Founders' time.

"Continue," he said softly, his curiosity winning for a moment.

"It's said that if a couple meets all of the set criteria that their essences are entirely bound together with their hearts, minds, magic, and souls all as one. It's generally referred to as 'finding your soul mate.' However, to those with magic, it can be something much deeper. If you're lucky, you can find a person to bind with magically, by a shared choice of course. As far as I'm aware, you and Aurora aren't that far into your relationship where you're both ready to commit your lives to one another, so it's absurd to think that you'd both choose to make this decision already. In fact, it rarely happens without the knowledge of both parties, so I don't see how it's possible."

"What's the criteria?"

"Of a soul mate?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, Pomfrey," Snape growled. He'd ask the ridiculous childlike question. "What's a soul mate?" If that's what the hell we are now, he thought darkly in his mind.

"Well, it's like a best friend, but more." She thought for a moment before she continued. "It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It's someone who makes you a better person." She then paused. "Actually, they don't make you a better person, you do that yourself because they inspire you." She inhaled slowly. "A soul mate is someone who you carry with you forever. It's the one person who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens, you'll always love them. Nothing can ever change that."

Snape stared at her. There had to be more. Otherwise, there'd be loads of bonded couples this way. Molly and Arthur came to mind as prime examples of this. Molly and Arthur. His head snapped towards his parents. How had he become so distracted? Honestly, he was worse than a squirrel.

"Weasley. Aurora said 'Weasley' to me earlier when I saw her," he quickly explained, turning back to Pomfrey. "I need to talk to all of them but Ron. One of them holds the key to finding her."

"How? All of the Weasleys here have been in class."

"One of them knows something." He instantly watched the matron's face morph into outrage.

"Are you honestly claiming that a Weasley knows where Aurora is and isn't telling us?"

"I need to talk to them."

"No, you need rest, Severus Snape," Madam Pomfrey growled, leveling her wand on him.

"She's right," Tobias chimed in. "They'd be in class or whatever. So it's got to be their parents or the older ones. I'd reckon it'd be the parents before the kids in fact."

"Yes, but how do you suppose we go about this, Tobias? Ask them flat out what they know?" Eileen stated, picking up the conversation as she now stood next to her husband. "We have to find something direct to ask. Otherwise, it'll be a waste of time."

"The pipes. They run up into the ceiling. There's a tank. I . . ." Snape closed his eyes, trying to recall what he had seen the times he had seen her. His brows furrowed as he remembered something. "There were no windows, just one door, and everything led up to the ceiling. It was dark, little light. So, it's possibly underground." Snape watched his dad quickly walk towards the fireplace.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Madam Pomfrey demanded, hands on her hips.

"Getting the Weasleys, witch," grunted Tobias, throwing the Floo powder into the flames and Firecalling. He stuck his head into the frozen green flames a moment later before he stepped back.

Easter had been the last time the Snape family had seen Molly and Arthur. They had all gathered around at the Burrow for an Easter dinner together, Tobias and Arthur's idea. It hadn't improved Harry and Snape's spirits in the slightest, but it had provided a distraction for a bit. And, more importantly, it got the Snapes out of the castle and away from Madam Pomfrey.

When Molly Weasley stepped through several seconds later, her quick eyes darted about the room before she quickly bustled over to Snape's cot with a concerned look. Just what he needed. Three women to fuss over him. Well, his mother wasn't fussing quite yet, but she likely was biding her time until the other two left.

"We need to know what ya know about underground pipes going to the ceiling, Molly," Tobias asked respectfully, clearly attempting to speak properly. Something everyone had noted at Easter.

The Weasley matriarch glanced at him and shook her head.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. Arthur might, though." She shrugged and wiped her hands off onto her apron before she pressed a hand to Snape's forehead and promptly removed it with a faint apologetic smile in response to his mild glare. She truly couldn't help herself sometimes. "Sounds like something the Ministry would have, I'd imagine. Not that I would set foot in that place anytime soon. Not with these strange blackouts that Arthur's had to investigate. And, of course, he gets the run around."

Snape's eyes narrowed.

"Arthur's looking into the blackouts?"

"Oh, yes," Molly replied, waving her hand with a laugh. "He thinks the electic's gone out."

"We don't use electricity, though," Eileen stated with a frown that mirrored her son's.

"I know, dear." Molly smiled. "But according to one of Arthur's coworkers, the Ministry converts that electic rubbish into energy for us to use somehow. Sounds like rubbish to me, but that's the story his coworker told." She shook her head slowly. "Arthur's been trying to find out if it's true. Comes home positively filthy. I've told him time and time again that it's likely his coworkers pulling his leg again, but you know him. Anytime Muggles might be involved, he has to know."

"Can you send him a message to come here now? We need to speak with him."

"I can certainly try." Molly's eyes then narrowed. "Have you a clue where she is, then?"

"Possibly. She said 'Weasley' earlier to Severus."

The redheaded matriarch nodded before her eyes met Snape's. "Well, you can count us, dear. Merlin knows you deserve happiness like the rest of us." She flicked her wand, sending off her Patronus. When an ethereal weasel returned a few moments later, she smiled.

"Coming, dear," Arthur's voice replied by use of the talking weasel Patronus. And true to his word, Arthur Weasley appeared, stumbling out of the fireplace a few moments later. "Goodness! There's a bit of a drop off there, isn't there?" He quickly brushed a hand down his dirtied robes and shook his head. He strode to his wife, nodding his head at Tobias and Snape. "What's going on?"

"Severus thinks he heard Aurora earlier. She said 'Weasley' for some reason," Molly explained.

Arthur frowned and glanced at Snape again. "Did you really?" He shook his head, shrugging. "I'm not sure I can tell you much. I haven't seen her. I've been waist deep in trying to figure out these blackouts. Strange sort they are."

"You travel a lot for the Ministry, don't you, Arthur?" Eileen asked quietly.

"Oh, yes." Arthur nodded. "There are loads of incidents where I have to help smooth things over with the Muggles. Just dealt with one the other day in fact. Seems Otto Bagman was at his usual again and bewitched some sort of Muggle contraption into dancing." Arthur shook his head. "It was a brilliant idea, but of course the Muggles saw it. Poor Otto. Seems like the Ministry usually has to smooth things over with him, but he's quite happy living with the Muggles of course. At least that's what he says. Personally, I think he's just happy to be out of his brother's shadow."

"I see." Eileen inclined her head slowly. "Do you recall ever seeing a room with pipes leading up to the ceiling? A cylindrical glass tank, perhaps?"

Arthur scratched his jaw line, frowning as he clearly tried to recall. He shook his head a moment later. "No. Can't say that rings any sort of bells, I'm afraid. Though, that does remind me of something interesting that happened today." He glanced back at Snape once more. "You asked me to tell you of anything that I found peculiar at the Ministry. Well, I was down in the lower levels earlier, just a step off the elevator when two men quickly approached and informed me that the level was closed. Naturally, I informed them that I was the head of the—"

"Just get on with it." Snape noticed the look of surprise at his interruption, but he needed to know right then and Arthur was just dragging it out like always.

"Well, they stated my clearance wasn't high enough, which is impossible. I'm allowed to enter the Department of Mysteries at will, so you'd think I'd be able to visit the lower levels of course."

Snape glanced to the side as his mind started to work through this information. Aurora had said 'Weasley.' So, she was giving him a hint obviously. Molly had stated that she knew nothing about it, and he was quick to believe her since she appeared to have not left the Burrow lately. The rest of the Weasleys at Hogwarts had been at class, so they'd be worthless. There were always Bill and Charlie, the oldest Weasley boys, but they had said during Easter that if they heard or saw anything they'd owl. And so far, there were no owls. Which led Snape to Arthur who was stopped after two men stated his clearance wasn't high enough. Could it be related? Could it have been Arthur she was trying to point out? But how would she have known it was Arthur that she needed to hint at? How did she know he was wherever she was? Arthur was an observant man. He'd have seen her. So, how, then?

"Did you say anything? Raise your voice maybe when you were talking to the men?"

"In fact, I did. When I argued, they started to get rather agitated. Course that's not rather hard to do these days at the Ministry. So, naturally I argued more, because I'm right. My clearance should have been high enough to be down there."

Snape quickly turned to the matron and interrupted Arthur.

"Pomfrey, tell me. The tank I described earlier, is it possible it could be at the Ministry?"

"Well, yes, of course, they were put into storage down there. But to run it, it'd require a significant . . ." Her voice trailed off before she glanced at Arthur with wide eyes.

"Son of a bitch," Tobias whistled.

"Always said they were corrupt," Eileen remarked, shaking her head.

"She's been at the Ministry this whole time?" Arthur stated astonished. "Unbelievable."

"And to think just the other day Minister Fudge looked me in the eye and said he knew nothing about her disappearance," Molly huffed. "Well, I assure you. He won't be getting my vote anytime soon. The crook. Honestly, holding her hostage like this . . . he should be ashamed of himself."

"Now, Molly, dear," Arthur said placating. "Let's not get our feathers ruffled. It could just have been a coincidence."

Tuning out the others, Snape processed everything, his eyes moving back and forth while his mind raced with half a dozen thoughts. She had been at the Ministry this entire time? How could that be possible? The most respected building in all of the Wizarding World, and she was being held there? Had the Aurors even looked for her? Unless Fudge was involved and had told the Aurors not to look all the hard. Snape frowned deeply at that particular thought. Yes, he knew some minister asked to meet with Leonidas the last time he had seen Aurora. But, honestly, he didn't know what to believe at this point.

He shook his head. Fudge's involvement didn't really matter at this point, though. Once he had her back and Leonidas was dealt with, then they could find out if Fudge was involved or not. Until then, they would just be overly cautious. It was all they could do at this point. Everything about this was purely supposition based on circumstantial evidence, and it was better to wait with all the facts than to accuse a sitting minister of consorting with a criminal. That didn't usually go well for the accuser.

"All right." Tobias clapped his hands together with a determined look. "Let's mount a rescue and storm the Ministry, kids."

"Tobias!" Eileen snapped with a disapproving frown. "Use your head for once."

"What?"

"Storming the Ministry would be the most idiotic thing to do ever."

"So?" He shrugged.

Eileen pinched the bridge of her nose before saying exasperatedly, "Why did I marry you?"

Tobias glanced towards their son, then to his wife again. "Well, I'd tell you, but our son's right there, El." He grinned cockily, ducking when she went to cuff him upside the head.

Snape frowned, ignoring his parents—which at this point he wasn't certain they were his parents. They'd need a plan. That was for sure. And an Auror. Just in case they were wrong and shit hit the fan.

~FKTF~

Not long after Pomfrey had told Snape and his mother 'no' to accompanying the others to the Ministry, Shacklebolt arrived by Floo. Of course when Slytherins hear 'no,' they plot a way to make it 'yes.' So, with Shacklebolt there now, Snape glanced towards his mother who sat on a cot across from him. While Pomfrey's back was to Eileen, his mother's eyes met his before she slowly bowed her head.

Since Pomfrey had allowed the Slytherins to be involved in plotting the rescue mission, mother and son's secret plan was further cemented, especially when Harry pouted and stormed off to his common room after being asked to leave. Weasleys, Tobias, and an Auror were no match for the determination of Eileen and Severus. Then again, Snape knew the real reason was that the other four just understood why the two had to be there at the Ministry better than Pomfrey did—who only saw it as actions of entirely stubborn patients of hers.

So, the Ministry plan was made. They'd go together in pairs. Snape would work with Kingsley, while the other married couples would remain together. Since it was the Ministry, they decided stealth would be the best method in rescuing Aurora. They would rely on their nonverbal magic and cast non-lethal spells if they could help it. There could be no mistakes, lest they'd start a war between the Ministry and Hogwarts.

With that arrangement taken care of now, all that remained was how Snape and Eileen would escape Pomfrey's clutches. The two didn't need to voice how they'd do this. Mother and son were on a similar wavelength usually. So, they just bided their time and waited.

Snape and Eileen forced frowns to their faces when Shacklebolt, Tobias, and the Weasleys said their goodbyes. They felt Madam Pomfrey's eyes on them, watching their every move. However, they were Slytherins. They knew all the tricks in the book.

When the doors to the hospital wing burst open not long after, the trio's eyes darted to it. Snape smirked inwardly extremely proud of his son as the young boy, Granger, and Draco entered the room. Harry and Draco were on either side of Granger, their arms around her waist as they helped the crying Muggleborn witch.

"What on Earth?" Pomfrey cried, her wand slipping into her hand as she went into full on matron-mode.

"Uh, well, um, Hermione." Harry's face was bright red. He shifted his weight, dragging his trainer over the stone floor in front of him. "Well, she's been, um, with Draco."

Draco nodded slowly, swallowing with his head hung. He and Granger looked absolutely pathetic and distraught. They were selling the lie perfectly. There would be definite points awarded to Slytherin and Gryffindor later.

"And then?" Pomfrey glanced hard at them.

Hermione sniffled, slowly raising her head up. Who would have thought the Gryffindor would be such a good of an actress like this? She wiped at her red, puffy eyes.

"I-I-I'm late!" the second-year girl cried, sobbing before her head quickly buried into Draco's shoulder. Harry gently rubbed her back.

"What?!" Pomfrey clutched her chest and took a step back.

Snape bit back a chuckle. Normally, this type of situation wouldn't be funny in the slightest. But knowing that it was all a ruse to provide a distraction for Eileen and him, that was what made it utterly hilarious. How on earth Harry and his son's friends came up with this particular distraction of all things was beyond—well, actually not. On second thought, he knew exactly where his son had gotten the idea. Him and Aurora. There would be no way that Madam Pomfrey, fierce Mama Bear of Hogwarts, wouldn't take the bait in front of her now.

"Back there. Now, Miss Granger," barked Madam Pomfrey, prodding the sobbing second-year towards one of the private rooms while glaring darkly at both boys.

The exact minute Pomfrey had disappeared behind the door to the private room, Snape and Eileen hopped up off their cots and sprinted for the doors. They were making a run for it. They had just opened the oak doors that led to the corridor when they heard it.

"SEVERUS SNAPE!" screamed Madam Pomfrey. The ruse was up. She knew.

"But we snogged, Madam! Honest!" Granger cried after her. Snape and Eileen were gone.

~FKTF~

Still running as fast as they could from the hospital wing, Eileen and Snape rushed to the front gates of Hogwarts. They sprinted past the Stone Circle, down the large hill, and around Hagrid's hut. They slowed as they approached Shacklebolt, Tobias, and the Weasleys who were all waiting patiently in front of the wrought iron gates.

"Took you two long enough," Tobias remarked, handing a wand to his wife.

"Oh, hush, you," Eileen replied quietly, shaking her head as she slid her wand up her sleeve.

"Remember to attract as little attention as possible," Shacklebolt instructed. "There will be Aurors stationed throughout the atrium, and if they notice us acting suspicious, we'll be detained. Blending will be our best bet."

Snape bit back his usual snarky comment immediately about just how tough it would be for them to blend in and act naturally considering who they all were. For once, sarcasm was not something he desired to use. He closed his eyes and drew in a slow breath to center himself. He needed to be at the top of his performance. They all needed to be.

"When we arrive in the atrium, fan out and head for the elevators. We'll move from there."

Without another word, the group turned on their heels and Disapparated. Mere seconds later, they all reappeared in various places in the large atrium of the Ministry of Magic. None of them looked at each other. Instead, they made their way through the thick crowds gathered around the large fountain.

As he continued weaving through the throngs of people, Snape's eyes glanced upwards. He frowned inwardly at the large waving banners of Minister Cornelius Fudge. If he found out that Fudge was involved, Merlin help the Minister above when Snape was done with him. He shook his head quickly, though. He needed all his attention on the matter at hand. Aurora needed him.

Snape reached the elevators not long after, noticing his parents and Weasleys join a moment later. His eyes darted to Arthur when the man stepped forward and pressed the down button. The elevator appeared promptly, all six of them entering soon after. Once more, he watched Arthur press a button, the lowest number on the keypad. Snape closed his eyes at the feel of the elevator lurching as they started their way to the desired level. None of them spoke a word the entire ride.

Once the elevator jerked to a stop and the doors opened, they quickly fanned out and hid in the shadows. Upon first sight all seemed quiet on the level as if no one was there, so they waited just in case. A shadow from the far side of the corridor approached a minute later. There it was.

Snape glanced at Shacklebolt and nodded sharply. He watched the Auror step out of the alcove that had hidden them and flick his wand at the unsuspecting guard who had been patrolling near them. Snape rushed forward as the red jet of light flew at the man and gently grabbed then lowered the now stunned man to the ground, tucking him into a nearby alcove. One down and who knew how many left.

The two continued onward, deep in the heart of the Ministry of Magic. Their every move relied on stealth and efficiency. They could make no mistakes, and so far they hadn't made any. But they were just getting started.

Snape glanced at his parents who flanked the left side. He watched them work perfectly in sync with one another. It was as if his parents had done this sort of thing hundreds of times before. For all he knew of them, which really wasn't a lot, they could have. He glanced away after his mother flicked her wand at another unsuspecting fool. At hearing no body thump to the floor to his left, he knew his father had grabbed the now unconscious man in time.

Arthur and Molly were just as effective as the others. Then again, Snape should have assumed as much since the couple were both proud members of the Order of the Phoenix. He watched Arthur sneak behind a man and nod to his wife before they quickly struck. The three pairs were three for three and hadn't attracted any attention yet. So far so good.

They continued down the darkened corridor, taking care of any nearby patrols silently and hiding the unconscious people in dark areas of the hallway. They swept each room one by one, leaving no one able to alert others of their presence until all that remained was the last room at the end of the hallway.

Snape and Shacklebolt were on one side, Molly and Arthur on the other, with Tobias and Eileen standing in front of the door. However, Snape shook his head and waved them back. It would be too easy for them to be incapacitated if they all entered at once. If all of Leonidas's people had their wands trained on the door like they were, they'd only see to knocking each other out. No. They had to be smart about this. While there usually was strength in numbers, sometimes it took less in brute force and took more in the element of surprise. He pointed to himself and then to the door. He would go in alone. At least at first. He watched them nod before they moved further into the shadows away from the door. He knew they would be there at a moment's notice.

Without further delay, his long fingers closed around the handle and turned it. The door quietly opened. He stepped inside and held his wand a little tighter in his hand. He drew in a slow breath, his heart in his throat at the unnatural sight in front of him that had taken all the air out of his lungs. Aurora.

Still unconscious in the large cylindrical clear glass tank, Aurora floated eerily in the pea green liquid. A tube now had been inserted into her side. Another inserted into her mouth. His eyes followed the side tube out of the tank, down along the sides, and finally into a slowly filling container. He felt his insides lurch as he realized that the red liquid filling it was her blood. They were bleeding her dry. Of all the sick things he had been forced to watch while in the Dark Lord's service, it had never compared to this. He took a step towards her, quickly catching movement off to his side that stopped him instantly.

"Beautiful, isn't it, Severus?" a balding man asked, looking towards Aurora as he stepped out of the shadows. A sickening smirk graced the man's lips, clearly showing an appreciation of his work.

"Leonidas," growled Snape, his hand squeezing his wand even tighter. Pure rage coursed through his veins. He took a threatening step towards the man, only to take a large step back at the sight of the man's evil red eyes. When Snape had seen him five months earlier because of the link he and Aurora shared, Leonidas hadn't had red eyes.

"I must admit," announced Leonidas loudly with dark amusement coating his voice. "This body is much better than Quirrell's last year. It's much less constrictive. Not to mention, no turban impeding my view." A low chuckle filled the room. "Don't you agree, Death Eater?"

Snape stared in complete shock. It couldn't be . . .

"Surprised? You shouldn't be." The voice lowered to a hiss. "As if your brat could ever truly vanquish Lord Voldemort. Could ever defeat ME!" roared the balding man with red eyes.

~FKTF~

Meanwhile in the hospital wing, Harry sighed heavily as he swung his legs back and forth in his chair. He kept his head down. Hermione and Draco sat near him with their heads bowed as well. Honestly. He didn't understand why they were in trouble. His dad was the one who had asked for a distraction. He was just following his dad's orders.

At the sound of the door opening, Harry glanced towards the oak doors and quickly sighed. It was just Professor McGonagall. He kicked at the floor moodily. He knew it'd take time, but he really wished his dad would hurry up. Spending fifteen minutes with an angry Madam Pomfrey was murder.

"There you are." Madam Pomfrey quickly turned to McGonagall with her hands on her hips.

"What's the problem, Poppy?" McGonagall's eyes sharply narrowed on her little lions.

"These three helped Severus and his mother escape!"

Harry watched his Head of House's lips twitch slightly. He glanced towards his friends, noticing that they saw it, too. Maybe they wouldn't be in that much trouble.

McGonagall sighed, shaking her head. "Really, Poppy. You should have known two Slytherins wouldn't take 'no' as an answer."

"Well, of course I knew they'd ignore my orders. Severus gets it from his mother, I swear. But they used these three to carry out a horrible distraction."

"What sort?"

"A pregnancy scare. Of all the things they could think of—"

"Well, it worked on Dad and Grandpa," Harry quickly pointed out before wincing at the harsh glare Madam Pomfrey shot his way.

"Of course it worked on them. Men have no comprehension of babies. The minute one cries, he hands it off," Pomfrey muttered. "But that is neither here nor there, Mister Potter. Do you have any idea what could have happened if Miss Granger wouldn't have said that she thought she was pregnant by snogging Mister Malfoy?" He shook his head, unable to reply. "She could have been expelled."

Harry heard Hermione gasp. Well, he didn't know that either he guessed. He rubbed the back of his neck. It didn't make sense that they'd expel her for being pregnant. Adults were strange.

"Poppy," McGonagall quietly stepped in. "Mister Potter was just helping his dad. And I'd imagine Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy just wanted to help, too. There's been no harm done."

"There has, too, been harm done," bristled Pomfrey. "Severus Snape is out there after using that link of his again. Not to mention that his mother is out there as well. She's still coming back from her time captured, you know. What if something goes wrong? I mean, neither of them is fully healed."

"That being said, this is Severus and Eileen we're talking about here. Even if they're fifty percent healed, they'd still be the best bet in rescuing her. You know it as well as I do."

"Minerva!"

"No," McGonagall replied firmly. "Severus had to go. If he didn't, he'd always wondered if the outcome, whatever it may be at this point, would have been different. And Eileen, well, she's a woman out for revenge, but mostly a mother. She knows her son needs her, even if Severus won't admit it."

Pomfrey frowned but nodded slowly. "I suppose. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

"Of course."

Harry glanced between the witches. While he understood why his dad left him here, he wished there was some way to know how everything was going. He hated not being included. Of course, that was mostly because experience had taught him that others were always plotting behind his back.

"Um, Madam Pomfrey?" the young boy asked softly. "Could you do your spell thingy and check on Mum for us?" He watched the matron glance to McGonagall before she nodded slowly. Pomfrey flicked her wand, and numbers quickly hovered in the air. He caught the mediwitch's somber look.

"She's getting weaker by the minute," explained Madam Pomfrey. "She's alive, though."

"We should contact her mother," McGonagall suggested, her green eyes softening. "Maybe Syra knows something about this illness affecting Aurora."

"It's worth a try." Pomfrey glanced at the young trio. "I'll Firecall her, while you watch them?"

"Deal." Once Pomfrey was out of earshot, McGonagall turned to Harry with a smile. "You're definitely the son of a Slytherin." Harry grinned proudly. The son of two Slytherins he liked to think.

~FKTF~

Rarely shocked to the core, Snape stared at the balding man whom he had known to be Leonidas, quickly raising his Occlumency barriers. It seemed unreal. It didn't make sense. What on earth was—

"My Lord, I—"

"Save your words, traitor," hissed the Dark Lord speaking through Leonidas, his red eyes flashing. They stood feet apart from one another. "I have little value in your lies anymore."

Snape's brows knit together. Was his cover truly blown or was all this just a test? He had witnessed the Dark Lord test others before to ensure there were no traitors in his midst. More often than not, the tested were killed. He decided that he had to maintain his status if he wanted to survive.

"You have a choice to make now," the Dark Lord announced.

Snape couldn't respond. His mouth refused to work. The words still stuck on the tip of his tongue. This had to be a horrible dream. This couldn't be real. Since when had the dark wizard relied on others? Quirrell was one thing last year, but to completely possess another wizard? It didn't make sense.

"You can choose to avenge the death of your filthy Mudblood that I killed. I can only imagine how much that's weighed on your mind over the years. Or . . ." His voice trailed off before he chuckled darkly. "Or you can choose to save your pathetic blood traitor before I take her away from you, too. Either way, you have a minute to decide which witch is more important to you. Choose wisely."

Snape glanced at Aurora before he looked back at the balding man. Why did he have only a minute? He quickly turned back, his eyes darting to the large container her blood was being collected in. She had lost a tremendous amount of blood so far by his estimate, but—no it couldn't be that. He then looked at the other tube inserted into her mouth. He followed it down to the ground before he saw the emerald liquid slowly moving up the hose towards her. Based on how quickly it was moving, the liquid would reach her lips in exactly fifty seconds.

Lily or Aurora? That was always going to be the question if he let it, wasn't it? Which witch meant the most to him? One choice was redeeming his past mistake. The other was choosing to move on with his future. He drew in a sharp breath and chose to stick with his future, running towards her. Aurora had never given up on him. So why the hell would he give up on her?

"How weak you've become, Snape," the voice hissed behind him.

"And how stupid you've become, Riddle," another voice added to the mix.

Snape turned suddenly, torn between trying to figure out who the voice was and saving Aurora. At the sight of his mother jamming a syringe into the balding man's neck, his eyes widened. Just what the hell was she thinking?

"You—AVADA KEDAVRA!" However, no Killing Curse or spell of any kind flew out of the yew wand of destruction now pointed at Snape's mother. Once more, the Dark Lord was unable to kill.

Tobias growled. "That's my wife, you red-eyed son of a bitch!" He slammed his fist hard into the other man's face. When the man crumpled to the ground instantly, Snape's dad jerked his head before he spit on the knocked out man. "And stay down, you bastard."

"Forty seconds," Shacklebolt yelled out, running into the room with the Weasleys on his heels.

Whirling back, Snape quickly yanked the tube connected to the container full of emerald liquid. However, the coupling refused to part. He slashed his wand at the plastic hose, hoping that would cut it. But the tube remained undamaged.

"Help me!" he shouted. They had to get her out of there before that dark emerald liquid reached her. His mind raced with the potions and poisons it could be. He watched his father, Arthur, and Shacklebolt all send various blasting curses at the tank. Their actions had no effect.

"Thirty seconds," Eileen announced.

Deciding that magic wouldn't help and that the tube couldn't be removed from the container, they each broke off metal parts from various items scattered about the room and slammed it hard against the glass tank that held Aurora. Slowly, the glass started splintering, crackling.

"Twenty seconds," Tobias called out, all of them still swinging their metal objects hard against the cylindrical tank. The breaks cracked more, the pea green liquid now spurting out from tiny fractures.

Snape swung with all his might against it, hissing. His heart was in his throat. He could barely breathe. No . . . It would not end like this. He would not lose her. With one last swing with his full force behind him, he felt the glass shatter on contact, sending them flying against the wall from the power of the gushing liquid. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling to Aurora's limp body suspended in the air several feet above them. He jumped up, trying like hell to grab hold of the chain swinging next to her.

"Ten seconds, Severus," Arthur shouted.

On his fourth attempt, Snape had a hold of the chain securely, wrapping it around his arm. He used his magic to stabilize him and quickly grabbed the plastic tube. He yanked it, noticing that the thin hose had hit her gag reflex. He brushed it off, though, and kept pulling. The emerald liquid was mere centimeters from her lips now. He cursed wildly in his mind as he kept pulling more and more tube furiously. How much of the damn stuff had been inside her?

"Five seconds!" cried Molly, fear etched in her trembling voice.

Snape tugged the small hose as hard as he could, pulling and pulling some more, not stopping even when he noticed the emerald liquid at her lips. He would not lose her.

"Dammit, come on!" he snarled. How much more was there? Oh, how he wanted to slaughter Leonidas, the Dark Lord, both of them for this. When he finally reached the end of the tube, he tossed it behind them and grabbed a hold of Aurora. Her body was jerking wildly now as she convulsed, the shackles slicing her wrists. He slashed his wand the best he could at the swinging chain that held her up in the air, inhaling sharply when they both dropped towards the ground suddenly. He caught them thankfully before they hit the solid floor and wrapped his arms tightly around her, slowly lowering them to the floor.

Once on the ground again, he laid her down gently onto it. He knelt over her, his ear to her mouth. He heard no breathing, felt no puff of air. He quickly swallowed back his emotions. It wouldn't be like this. Not this time. The Dark Lord would not win.

Snape clasped his hands on top of each other and promptly started chest compressions on her. He could feel the others standing around him, but brushed it off. He pressed hard against her sternum several times, hearing a cracking noise under his hands from the force he used. He then leaned over her, tilted her head back, and covered her mouth with his lips. He breathed and breathed and breathed some more into her. He breathed until he felt light headed. Then, he pulled back and returned to the chest compressions. He would not lose her. Not without a fight.

Tasting the salt from his tears with each breath of life he gave her, he kept this pattern up, compress and breathe, until she finally took a weak gasp that truthfully sounded more like a strangled breath. He turned her head to the side, sighing in relief as he felt her chest rise. He'd never let her out of his sight ever again, her and Harry. He'd chain her to goddamn bed if he had to by Merlin's wand.

"There's . . . my . . . witch," whispered Snape, each word emphasized with a short pause. He felt the smile tug at his lips as he watched her slowly open her warm brown eyes. There was his sweet Aurora, whom he loved and missed.

"Uh, kids," Tobias said suddenly, alarm engrained in his voice.

Snape glanced at his dad and frowned. What now? His eyes darted to the unconscious wizard lying at Tobias's feet. So whatever the problem was, it wasn't Leonidas/Voldemort.

"We got a problem here." Tobias pointed towards the broken tank.

"What?" Snape followed his dad's gaze before his eyes widened. A countdown was now visible behind the broken glass of the tank. Something had been rigged to explode. The time 00:02 flashed.

"Hogwarts now!" shouted Shacklebolt.

Snape didn't need to be told twice. He wrapped his arms around Aurora and Disapparated. He groaned when they both slammed hard against the ground a moment later, Snape's back taking the brunt of the impact. A series of harsh cracks rippled around them as the others reappeared soon after.

"Well, that was fun," mumbled Tobias, groaning as he slowly pushed himself up. Automatically, he held a hand out to his wife and helped her stand.

Picking Aurora up into his arms a moment later, Snape carried her up to the castle. He needed to get her to Pomfrey. He knew the others would soon follow. They could deal with the aftermath of whatever just happened later. For now, he needed to push forward. Aurora wasn't quite out of danger yet. He heard the others join them, noticing Shacklebolt levitating Leonidas's limp body next to him as the two couples walked side by side. He'd leave the Auror to deal with that piece of garbage.

As Snape and the others approached the castle with Aurora, Harry tried not to glare at his mum's mother in the mean time. The twelve-year-old really couldn't help it. The blond, sapphire-eyed witch was a bitch. She was even worse than Lily, which Harry had never thought possible. He was quite glad to know, though, that he wasn't the only one who was glaring at Syra. Professor McGonagall was glaring daggers at the woman as well, looking like she was envisioning murdering the woman in fact. If his professor needed an alibi in order to get away with murder, Harry would happily give it.

So far since Syra had been there, she had been reading her daughter's medical file silently. McGonagall hadn't really been happy about that, but Pomfrey stated that Syra needed all the answers they had so far, so the young boy guessed it made sense. Well, actually it didn't really make any sense, but who was he to argue with adults?

"Interesting," Syra mouthed, shaking her head slowly.

"What?" Harry said, ever curious. He huffed when she only glared at him and turned away. He couldn't help it. He made a rude face behind her back and just barely restrained himself from flipping her the bird. Nasty hag.

"Do you think he found her yet?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"Probably," answered Draco with a shrug. "Or Pomfrey would be going nutters right now."

Harry had to agree with the blond. He swung his legs again, which Syra had harshly commented earlier was an annoying trait of a brat. He didn't know why, but he felt like everything would be all right now. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but he liked to believe it regardless. He was just about to kick the ground in boredom when the doors burst open suddenly. His green eyes darted to the doorway, and a grin spread wildly across his face.

"Dad!" Harry shouted happily, hopping up and rushing towards him and his mum. Only when the young boy got closer and saw his mum, he stopped dead in his tracks. He gasped and made a strangled noise. "No . . ."

"She's alive, Harry," announced his dad, gently setting her atop of the nearest cot.

Harry watched Madam Pomfrey and Syra swiftly move to either side of the cot, their wands moving over his mum as they completed their scans together. Both witches had intense looks on their faces. He glanced at his dad, noticing him sit down in one of the nearby chairs. Harry's eyes then darted to his grandparents as they approached.

"Is she all right?" the young twelve-year-old asked. No one replied, though. "Is she going to be all right?" Harry repeated, his voice shaking slightly. Still, no one answered. "Please."

"Quit your sniveling, brat," Syra snapped, not bothering to look at him. "Your tears won't do her any good anyway."

"Kindly hold your tongue when you're speaking to my grandson," Eileen hissed. "Or I shall make sure that you never speak again."

Syra remained silent for a long while, which only added more to everyone's unease. Her wand moved methodically over her daughter before she paused. Her cold sapphire eyes flickered to Harry suddenly with a concentrated look on her face. She seemed to be working something out in her head.

"My daughter performed the Martyr's Gift last year on you, didn't she?"

"She did," Madam Pomfrey answered, cutting Harry off before he could answer. "Why?"

"Of course. I'm such an idiot." Syra shook her head sharply as if she had all the answers now. "It's not a sickness that's ravaging her."

"Then, what is it?"

"You assumed it was a complex illness based on increased production of leukocytes, correct?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded slowly.

"Normally, that'd be a correct assumption to use as a starting point. However, I'd imagine you found no bacterial or viral evidence in her blood?"

"None. But something is clearly affecting her."

"Agreed." Syra's frown deepened. "However, it's not what you thought. When she performed the Martyr's Gift last year on the boy, she essentially swapped her life force with his. Therefore, I'd imagine the boy is quite gifted when it comes to charms, but pathetic when it comes to concentration."

"Hey!" Harry glared at his mum's mother.

"Keeping that in mind, if anything harmful was inside of the boy, it would have transferred into her during this moment."

"But Mister Potter was fine, though. Severely underweight because of his atrocious Muggle guardians, but we were correcting that."

"Something you couldn't see on any of your scans, Madam," Syra gently corrected.

"I don't follow."

"His soul." Syra sighed heavily. "I'll assume since you are skilled in the arts of healing and not in the dark arts that you have no prior knowledge of Horcruxes."

Harry watched his dad start instantly at that strange word.

"Horcrux?" Harry's dad repeated quietly, blinking once.

"Yes. Your former master, it seemed, created one, Mr. Snape, by using your son's Muggleborn mother's murder. The container, I would imagine, was your son's soul. However, when my daughter went against the very laws of nature and practically sacrificed herself for your son, she absorbed the Horcrux into herself. In other words, the Horcrux is the sickness affecting her. It would seem that the active bits still inside her from the serum are attempting to—for the lack of a better word—destroy it. However, that is next to impossible to do, so her energy is all behind this task."

"Can you remove it?"

Harry watched Syra close her eyes and quickly felt his gut clench. Whatever her answer was, he had a feeling it wasn't going to be good. He swallowed and waited with an abated breath.

"There are two options to removing a Horcrux. The first is highly unlikely. It would require Riddle to repent for killing the boy's mother." They glanced at the unconscious man far from them.

"Fat chance of that happening," Harry's grandpa drawled. "Next?"

"The other option is to damage the vessel beyond all repair."

Harry's bright green eyes narrowed on the blond witch in confusion. For the first time since he had met her, the young boy could hear remorse in her voice. He glanced at the adults in the room who were now strangely silent.

"What does that mean, Dad?" Harry asked softly, glancing at his father.

"It means if Aurora's the vessel, she has to die in order to remove the Horcrux."

"What? No! There can't—that can't be it!" Harry felt his panic overwhelm him. His mum had to die? That was absurd and stupid and a list of other things. "There has to be some other way. Couldn't someone else do the thing she did last year and take this Hore thing?" His eyes flickered to each silent adult, feeling his grief bubble up inside him. It couldn't end like this. It just couldn't. Not when his dad and he were so close to having a family.

"There may be another option," Syra suggested several minutes later. "It would definitely be a Slytherin approach, but it could work."

"Name it," Harry's dad demanded.

"If I'm correct in my understanding, you and my daughter share a link between each other now."

"A very chaotic and unstable one," Madam Pomfrey chimed in.

"That may be, but it is a link nonetheless, Poppy." Syra closed her eyes and sighed, the tension rolling off her before quickly returning. "You've not finished the link, however. Likely why you and she become so drained upon awakening. If it is the link I believe you are creating, a binding of your souls, it could perhaps be used to save her."

"How?"

"Theoretically, to destroy a Horcrux you just need to destroy the vessel beyond all repair so it has no power to draw off from anymore. In Aurora's case, destroying the vessel would be with her death. However, there have been cases shown where individuals have been medically dead for fifteen minutes before they were successfully revived."

"Are you suggesting we kill your daughter and bring her back to life later?"

"Yes," Syra said with a confident nod. "You know as well as I do, Pomfrey, of the documented cases that I speak of. It can be done."

"It's been done a handful of times. And all solely through some sort of divine intervention."

"That may be the case, but we can at least attempt it."

"Attempt it?" shrieked the matron. "You're insane. Certifiably." Pomfrey pressed a hand to her chest, shaking her head fiercely. "Have you forgotten our oaths to do no harm since you've retired?"

"I haven't. I am well aware of the consequences if this does not work. However, I am choosing to put my faith in Severus."

Harry and his dad both blinked.

"Put your faith in me? I don't follow."

Syra slowly turned to Harry's dad. "You claim to love my daughter."

"It's not a claim. I do love Aurora," Harry's dad firmly countered.

Harry couldn't help but grin before he quickly hid his excitement. He felt like cheering and doing a little dance of glee. His dad loved his mum. Of course Harry knew this because his dad had shouted it twice to Grandmum and Grandpa, but it was always nice to hear again especially with his dad actually saying his mum's name.

"Now is your chance to prove how much you love her, Severus." Syra looked horribly concerned now. Her eyes had lost their usual coldness and adopted a sadder look to them. Her voice had lost its usual hardness as well, being replaced by worry. Maybe she did love her daughter after all. "If you truly love her as much as you claim, then we shouldn't lose her."

"Go on."

"Your minds join when using the link, so for a bit you share a consciousness. It is possible—all theoretical of course—for someone such as you to latch onto her consciousness, onto her soul during that time. It would be difficult, mind you. You'd likely feel her being tugged away at times. But if your link is strong enough and your love for her is powerful, you may be able to hold onto her for the necessary time needed to allow us to remove the Horcrux from her."

"You would kill them both, Syra," interrupted Madam Pomfrey.

"No. Only if his feelings for her aren't real. They've already started the link, Poppy. Instinctively nonetheless. With no conscious thought in making it. You said as much in your report. If that doesn't prove his love for her being strong enough, I don't know what would."

"Yes, but it doesn't make sense how they started it. First, they had only been dating for three months prior to her kidnapping. And second, they didn't make a conscious choice in it."

Harry watched his dad think for a moment before the older man cleared his throat.

"The conditions are met for us, Poppy," Harry's dad quietly said. "I would consider Aurora to be my best friend. She certainly knows more about me than anyone else. She was there with me the night Lily died, in fact." He paused, glancing down. "When I'm around her, I don't feel so angry, so hurt, so conflicted as I usually do. She just calms me somehow. She makes me want to be a better person by showing me that my grave mistakes of my youth doesn't define me or control my fate today. I do." He ran a hand through his hair. "She's always been by my side. I just never noticed it before this year." He shook his head slowly. "She's accepted every part of me, good and the bad with no judgment or feelings of spite. And she believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself." He gave a soft laugh. "In fact, she'd write me a damn letter every summer, telling me she hoped I got the Defense position that year. And each year when it was published that it wasn't me, she'd send me a bottle of Firewhiskey with a short message. I never read the messages, of course. I'd toss them away and just enjoy partaking in the liquor instead. She sent one this summer actually, and I didn't bother to read it."

Harry's grandmum's exasperated sigh instantly drew the boy's attention away from his dad. His eyes narrowed on his grandmother when he saw her staring at his dad with a frown.

"Amor vincit omnia," Syra quietly spoke.

"Love conquers all things," translated Harry's dad, glancing at the blond witch.

"Indeed." She nodded slowly. "If we do this, it must be done soon so it's on our terms."

"What do I need to do?" He held up a hand to silence Madam Pomfrey instantly. No doubt, the matron would be headstrong against it, whatever it was.

"Center yourself and then use your link to find her. When you do, hold onto her as long as you can. No matter what, do not let go of her. The rest will come naturally to you." Syra paused. "We will take care of our end. You take care of your end now before she doesn't have enough strength left."

Harry watched his dad jerk his head before the man closed his eyes and sat back. Whatever it was that his dad was doing, he hoped it worked. The young boy stood off to the side, horribly unsure of what to do now. His eyes observed Syra slowly pass her wand over his mum, a whitish glow trailing the tip of her wand. He frowned at this sight, knowing that it had to be a result of some spell she was casting on his mum. But which spell he had no idea. He hadn't heard her say a word.

At the sudden movement of his dad, Harry's eyes darted to the chair. His brows furrowed when he saw that the chair had now been transfigured into a cot with his dad now lying down. He turned to Syra and Madam Pomfrey in confusion. It was his grandmother who answered, though.

"It's to make him more comfortable, dear. Nothing to worry about."

Harry nodded. He supposed that made sense. His dad likely would have gotten a stiff neck trying to do whatever it was he was doing sitting like that for a long period of time. The twelve-year-old hovered close to his parents, biting his lower lip. He wanted to help somehow, but it looked like everyone had it well in hand. He'd just wait, then.

"Eileen?" Syra said suddenly, glancing towards his grandmother.

"Yes?" Harry could hear his grandmum biting back her annoyance.

"You're aware of blood magic, aren't you?"

"Some, yes." His grandmother nodded slowly. "Why? Are you planning on us performing the asinine ritual I think you're thinking of?"

"It would be the easiest on them."

"Perhaps it's escaped your notice, Syra," his grandmother bitingly stated, "but unlike you, I don't make a habit of hurting my son."

"He needs all the help he can get."

"Agreed, but that is by far the most stupidest—"

"Do you have a better option?" Syra interrupted, huffing.

"No."

"Then, logically, we do everything we can to give him the best chance of success. Correct?"

Harry glanced at his grandmother, noticing her disgusted look. She clearly didn't like whatever Syra was talking about. Then again, he didn't blame her. Syra enjoyed others' pain for some reason.

"Correct?" Syra repeated.

"I'm not five," his grandmother growled, crossing her arms and frowning deeply. "It's an asinine ritual based on idiotic logic from the bloody medieval times."

"But it works, Eileen."

"How much more could these two possibly be bound together with? Honestly. They'll be bound by magic, by soul, by you name it. And you want to add blood on top of that."

"I assure you it's not an option I'm particularly thrilled in suggesting, but it is something that could make it easier for them."

"Why? Because you're a complete dunderhead who believes the pureblood propaganda about—"

"Oh, please." Syra rolled her eyes, scoffing. "This has nothing to do with your son being a half-blood, and you know it, Eileen."

"Well, it surely can't be about not hurting your child, because it sounds like you've never given a damn about her since before she was born."

Harry winced, glancing at his dad. In a way, he envied his father right now. The man wasn't there mentally to hear the witches' bickering. He frowned, wanting to reach for his dad's hand but not doing so out of fear that it'd startle him.

"Fine! I'll do the stupid asinine goddamn ritual with you! But only because it'll help my son."

"Thank you."

Slowly, the young boy turned back to his grandmothers. He winced. Was he truly thinking of Syra as his grandmother now? That was a horrifying thought. Looking on silently, he watched the witches make identical cuts to his parents' palms.

"Join their hands together, dear," his grandmum instructed. "And send them all your love."

Harry nodded sharply before he placed his mum's slender hand into his dad's calloused one. Closing his eyes, he gave them every bit of love he had. Please let this work.

~FKTF~

Darkness didn't greet Severus this time, unlike all the times before when he had used their link. Instead, he found himself standing on the lush grounds of Hogwarts near the lake's edge. He quickly glanced around his surroundings, searching for her. With a faint smile, he noted the large mossy boulder with the lone white clad figure perched atop it. He strode with purpose towards her as she silently looked out onto the white capped lake, seemingly not noticing his presence at all.

"Aurora," he whispered, quickly kneeling in front of her when he reached her. Her warm eyes flickered to him for a brief moment before she returned to watching the waves. "I see you found our boulder," he drawled, attempting to add some levity to the situation at hand.

Their first time together was against this mossy soft boulder. Not against the real boulder on the grounds of Hogwarts, of course. But on Halloween after he had met his father face to face and spoken with the man in the tunnels, his and Aurora's temporary bedroom created for them that night a replica of this exact spot, mossy soft boulder and all. He had drawled at the time that it was clearly her fantasy the room was attempting to recreate, since he wasn't one for shagging outdoors or under the stars for that matter usually. However, he'd admit now that it was the most perfect night he'd had.

"We have waves like this at Windsor some days," she divulged emotionlessly. "They crash against the cliffs and make such a horrible sound. Like a hundred glass vases shattering repeatedly."

He nodded slowly, watching her stare out with a blank expression in her eyes. She seemed . . . empty now. As if every bit of her had been removed and all that remained was a shell. That thought caused him to shiver.

"When I was little, I used to be terrified hearing it. I was convinced the waves would break through the cliffs and send us into the sea one day." She swallowed slowly, drawing in a shallow breath. "That one day I'd find myself drowning, staring up through the water as I died alone."

He quickly pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"I won't let you drown, Aurora. I promise." He watched her eyes dart to his before she looked away again. He could see the unshed tears in her eyes and resisted the instinctive urge to wipe them away. He wished there was a way to help her. To let her know that everything would be all right. But he couldn't because he wasn't even certain himself that it would be.

"Oh, Severus," she whispered. "You can't promise that. No one can." She sighed quietly. "It's odd, you know?"

"What is?" He couldn't shake how withdrawn, defeated, and lost she seemed now. He'd make sure she would be all right in the end. She wouldn't be another witch he lost.

"Realizing you're dying," she answered flatly, staring blankly out at the crashing waves.

His breath caught in the back of his throat. He held her tighter in his arms. He wouldn't let her go. He couldn't let her go. Not like this. Not when they were so damn close to happiness, true happiness.

"Can you hear them?" she asked quietly, not turning away.

"Hear whom?" The only things he heard were the roaring waves and her talking.

"The voices." She paused. "I can't make them out, but I can hear their whispers out there."

He closed his eyes tightly. It scared him to hear her words. He wanted desperately to tell her to fight against it, but he recalled her mother's words. The vessel needed to be damaged beyond repair or the Horcrux wouldn't be destroyed. As long as he held onto her, though, she'd be fine. Theoretically.

"Hey, don't be sad," she breathed, a hand cupping his cheek lovingly.

He glanced at her. His words again were failing him. He turned into her palm, holding her eyes. He wished he could tell her what they were doing. Let her know that he wasn't giving up on her. That they were going to save her. That they would outsmart the Horcrux. But he couldn't. Not unless he wanted to jeopardize the plan.

"It doesn't hurt. It's actually kind of soothing, I guess. Like falling asleep."

The waves kicked up then, slamming harder against the quickly eroding shoreline. Where there had been grass once, there was now sand and rocks. Swaying violently in the sudden wind, many of the trees in the distance bent and touched the ground, nearly snapping in half. Water sprayed up over them as the waves reached the boulder every now and then.

"Stay with me," he begged, his voice cracking as he felt her being tugged away from him. No . . .

~FKTF~

Harry cried openly when he heard Madam Pomfrey state that his mum's heart had stopped. His green eyes looked on horrified, watching the witches quickly transfigure his mum's and his dad's cots into steel tubs before they filled it full of ice packed around his parents. He felt arms encircle him, but the young boy couldn't bear to look away.

"It'll be okay," Harry's grandfather quietly whispered, embracing Harry.

"Severus's heartbeat is now slowing as well," Pomfrey informed, glancing towards Syra.

"So I see," Syra replied with a nod, her eyes reading the floating numbers above the couple's ice baths. "As long as we keep their core temperatures down, though, we shouldn't run a risk of any permanent damage."

Both witches added even more ice until his mum and dad were completely covered with ice. Harry had to look away from his mum at one point when he saw the bloody ice cubes. Didn't they see that? It couldn't just be him that was seeing it.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" Harry demanded with a shaky voice.

"There's nothing we can do at this point, Mister Potter, except keep their core temperatures low," Madam Pomfrey answered, glancing at him with a somber look.

"Mum's bleeding, though!"

"We're aware, Potter."

"If you're so damn aware, then why aren't you doing anything?" Harry shouted, glaring at Syra and Pomfrey. How could they be so calm right now? His parents were dying!

"Hush," his grandmum lightly scolded, turning him away from the sight.

"They're dying, Grandmum," Harry cried. Why wasn't anyone helping them? Why were they all just standing around doing nothing? He trembled, wrapping his arms tighter around himself. He was finally going to have a family. A mum and a dad for once. Who loved him. Didn't they understand that? Didn't they care? His world was coming apart at the seams, and they just stood there. "Do something!"

"Come on. Let's get you—"

"NO!" Harry screamed, wrenching himself out of his grandfather's arms when the man tried to steer him away. "I'm not leaving them!"

"Enough, young man," admonished his grandmum, who gave him a deep frown of disapproval. "We understand this is difficult for you to watch. It's difficult for us to watch as well. But that does not give you the right to act like this. Now, you either control yourself or we'll—"

"It's my family!" Harry shouted.

"It's mine as well, you brat," snapped Eileen. "He may be your father, but he's my son."

"I love them, and they promised they wouldn't—"

"Oh, dear Merlin," his grandmother groaned loudly, glancing upwards in annoyance. "Of course they promised they wouldn't leave you. However, you acting like this won't make that promise be kept any better, will it?" Her eyes hardened when Harry glared at her. "If I were you, I'd best direct that glare elsewhere, young man, before you find yourself with a sore bottom," she threatened.

"They promised!"

"They're not dead yet, you insufferable brat!" Eileen huffed. "If you had bothered to listen to what Syra had said earlier, you'd know that we have at most a half an hour window to work with before permanent damage sets in. Meaning that we have a half an hour before they stay dead forever. So before you start thinking that they lied to you and whatever else that's going through your foolish head, realize that the time is not up yet."

"Mum's heart stopped beating!" Harry angrily threw back, swiping at the fat tears on his cheeks.

"So? Look at her." His grandmother pointed at his mum. "She's in an ice bath. Completely covered. Which means that the rate of decay and tissues dying is slow. They can still bring her back once the Horcrux is destroyed. They're just fooling the Horcrux into believing that she's dead. That's it. You'll still get your mother and father. Or did you truly think that your mum means that much to your dad that he'd allow himself to die with her?"

Harry frowned grumpily. He didn't like this at all. It sounded like a dumb idea. Like a Gryffindor idea in fact. He huffed, kicking the ground. When he had his parents back for good, he was grounding them for life for this.

Green eyes darted to his parents a moment later. His brows furrowed instantly when he saw his parents glow, his dad's glow shades darker than his mum's. He whirled around and looked at Pomfrey.

"What's going on?" Harry asked with an edge to his voice. "Why are they glowing like that?"

"Their magic is combining because of their bond."

"But they're dying."

"Their minds are still linked, though." As if to prove her point, Madam Pomfrey pointed to the floating identical squiggles above his parents. "Those lines represent your parents' cerebral activities currently. They're identical as you can see."

"So, Mum's heart stopped, but not her mind?"

"Something like that, yes." Syra nodded slowly, picking up where Pomfrey left off. "Your father is a Legilimens, someone skilled in the Mental Arts. As such, he is able to penetrate others' minds. So, while her body continues to shut down, her mind being the last thing, he is drawing her consciousness into his mind temporarily."

"Won't the Horcrux notice that and stop it?"

"No. Not as long as your dad doesn't make it noticeable what he's doing. Considering that he is also an Occlumens, someone who has disciplined his mind in a way not to allow others to see his true thoughts, that shouldn't be an issue with him."

"So, Dad's lying to the Horcrux?" He caught Syra and Eileen's faint smiles.

"In a way, yes."

"What is this thing anyway? This Horcrux?"

"It's extremely dark magic. Darker than the Unforgivables even. It goes against the very laws of nature itself, not to mention morals since you have to murder to create one. But if you create a Horcrux successfully, then you cheat death and cannot die. A piece of your soul latches onto an object and acts as an anchor basically for you."

"I had a piece of his soul in me?" Harry shuddered, grimacing as he felt his stomach lurch.

"So it would seem. However, when my daughter last year performed the Martyr's gift on you, she swapped your life force with hers in essence and absorbed that dark magic. It does not appear to have latched onto hers, though."

"You can see people's souls?"

"We can see traces of magic that latch onto it. The darker it is, the easier it is for us to see."

Harry nodded. That made sense. It was sort of like how people could tell at night when driving how far away the nearest city was. The lighter the sky was the closer a city was up ahead.

"So, when will we know when the Horcrux has been removed?"

"When a giant dark mass comes roaring out of her," Harry's grandfather answered quietly.

"Excuse me?" Several of the witches turned to him, raising their eyebrows at him. Harry even looked at him in shock. Since when did his grandfather know about things like this?

"Uh, well, you see," his grandfather stumbled saying, rubbing the back of his neck. "According to Dumbledore, that diary was one." Harry's grandfather shrugged. "I had it down there in the chamber with me when I slay that giant snake, and, well, as far as I know, not a lot of books bleed when you stab them with a Basilisk's fang."

"You stabbed a book, Tobias?" His grandmother sounded horrified.

"Well, yeah, but it was an evil book, El."

"It was still a book."

"A soul-sucking evil book," his grandfather argued.

"If you stabbed Mum now with that, would it be faster than waiting like we are?" Harry chewed the bottom of his lip. Normally, he was against violence like this, but he hated waiting. He swallowed when everyone's eyes, including Draco and Hermione's, stared at him. "I was just asking."

"It would be faster, yes," Syra replied hesitatingly. "We would likely need a phoenix to remove the venom later, though." She sighed, shaking her head. "However, it would be overkill, and likely result in us not being able to revive her later."

"Oh." Harry sighed. "I was just wondering."

"And to think, I thought you were bad, Syra," Pomfrey remarked quietly, slowly turning away from Harry to glance back at the floating vitals.

The young Gryffindor frowned. It was just a question. It wasn't like he actually stabbed his mum with a fang. His eyes darted to his parents, noticing that their glow was gone. He guessed that meant they were now bound magically to one another. He then looked at the squiggles Pomfrey had pointed out earlier and narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Mum's squiggle is gone."

"Look at your father's."

Harry did and pulled his head back in surprise. His father had two squiggle lines now.

"So, Dad has a hold of her consciousness now?"

"For the moment." She paused. "We'll need massive doses of Blood Replenishing."

"Agreed. Invigoration draught for both of them might help as well," Syra replied quietly.

"It'll be months before she'll be strong enough again. And who knows what sorts of mental trauma she's gone through? I'm finding—"

"I'm seeing the same readings as you," Syra interrupted, frowning.

Harry slowly approached his parents, chewing even more on his bottom lip. His grandparents hovered close by for some reason, but he did his best to ignore it. In fact, everyone else including him seemed to be ignoring the fact that there was some strange unconscious man tied up on a cot at the far end of the hospital wing under Shacklebolt and Dumbledore's watch and not asking questions.

The young boy raised his arm to rest his hand atop of his parents' before he gasped as a large black evil cloud thing roared out of his mum's chest. Green eyes watched in horror as the black screaming mass shot through the ceiling and disappeared. That was the Horcrux? He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He trembled before screaming his delayed panic. Hands suddenly seized him and wrenched him back even further. That was the thing that had been inside him? That black evil blob? He hugged fiercely whoever grabbed him, hearing Syra's commanding voice behind him.

"Seal her wounds first, Pomfrey. Then, we'll concentrate on the revival spell."

~FKTF~

Many minutes prior to the Horcrux's destruction, Snape saw everywhere he looked the white capped waves crashing around them in their shared connection. Hogwarts was destroyed in this dream-like state. All that remained was them atop of the boulder, the crashing waves, and the ominous skies.

Pulling Aurora further up their boulder, he tried to keep her from the violently churning water. His arms, still tightly around her, held her against him with every bit of strength he had. More than a few times he had turned them away as the angry waves slammed into the boulder's sides and sent up the foamy spray.

He couldn't go through with the plan. Not anymore. They could find some other way to remove the Horcrux from her. He wasn't going to lose her. He wasn't going to risk it. Not this time. He had risked so much already. Lily. Harry. Himself. His mother. He was going to play it safe. Keep her safe.

"Shh, love," Aurora whispered. It had been her chant for the past few minutes after he had begged her to stay with him. "It'll be all right."

"No. No it won't. You belong with me," he argued fiercely, his usual emotional detachment long gone. The metaphorical mask he had hid his softer side behind over the years was breaking. More jagged pieces broke off and allowed Severus to be peek through the rough harsh metaphorical Snape mask he had worn to protect himself from heartbreak. "I can't live without you," he admitted with a crackling voice. He didn't want to imagine a world where he raised his son alone. Not when he'd had a taste of what it was like to be a real family. He had enjoyed coming home to see Aurora and Harry laughing over some shared joke. He had grown accustomed to being curled around her at night, to the morning breath that sent them into a fit of giggles, but most of all to being loved back for once.

"You don't love me."

"I do."

"No you don't. You love Lily. Not me." She rubbed her thumb against his lips. "You can't love me when your heart already belongs to another."

"That's not true." He watched her glance away. The waves were increasing again, churning the water even more. He held his breath and braced them when a large wave hit the boulder and sent up a high surge of water. "You can't give up. Not yet. Harry needs you. I need you." Once he'd have thought snidely how pathetic he was for begging a woman, but now he didn't give a damn about any of that. She was his, and he was hers.

"You'll find someone who is worthier of your—"

"No! Listen to me, witch!" He just barely held back from shaking her. "My son needs to have you as his mother. Someone who loves him unconditionally and shows him time after time that you will always love him no matter what." He felt his insides quiver slightly. "You connected with him long before I ever did. You made him feel loved before I did. You did everything; every damn thing a mother does for her son. You protected him. You loved him. You cared for him when he was ill. You helped him with his schoolwork for Felix Felicis' sake." He felt the tears slid down his cheeks. "Please. Please don't let my son lose another mother. Lose you!"

"You don't understand," she cried back, her voice shaking.

"Don't give up on us, Aurora. Please. We won't give up on you. I promise. Harry and I, we'll be right there with you every day you recover. We'll fetch you the morning paper." He half-laughed, keeping the horrible sobs that wanted to erupt out of him at bay for a bit longer. "We'll bring you breakfast in bed. Whatever you want. No complaints. I swear. Hell, I'll move into your tower just so you're comfortable, at ease. Just please, please don't give up on us. We need you. I need you, Aurora."

"You don't—"

"Next year, I promise you that it'll be us on the platform at King's Cross. We'll help Harry get all settled in, just like a family. You and me waving like pathetic parents, me trying not to—" His voice broke suddenly, but he inhaled sharply and tried to continue. "Trying not to be emotional like all the other damn fathers who sent their children off years earlier. You punching me in the arm." He laughed, clenching his jaw tighter as he kept from breaking down right there with her. "Telling me that I've grown soft. Harry smiling and telling us to knock it off, that we're embarrassing the little brat. That's what awaits us. All you need to do is fight. Fight for us, Aurora. Please!"

"He did something to me," she cried, her body shaking in his arms. "He did something to me. I don't know what it is. But I felt it . . . I feel it even now."

"We'll get past this," he firmly stated, kissing the top of her head and closing his eyes. "We will. We'll move past all this crap that's happened as a family. Together."

"I-I don't feel right anymore," she continued, sniffling. "I don't feel—he did something to me. Something other than torturing me. I screamed. And screamed. And screamed until I couldn't anymore. I felt him. Felt the blade. I tried to fight. I did!" She openly sobbed against him. "I couldn't, though. Fudge—I saw him."

He stiffened instantly. The Minister of Magic was there? His dark eyes darted down to her as she continued revealing the trauma she endured.

"Leonidas showed me off to him, to Fudge. He called me his little pet. I tried to call out to Fudge, to beg him to help me. I couldn't. Every time I tried, something shot through me, keeping me quiet. He put something in me, Severus. Something to make me comply with his orders."

"Fudge's?"

"No. Leonidas's. He showed me off to Fudge. Ordered me to, to—There was so much blood. I, I don't even remember what happened. One moment I hear Leonidas order me to, to . . . and the next I'm covered in blood. Fudge smiled at me. He told Leonidas that he wanted more like me, more to use."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She shook her head, inhaling with a soft whimper. "He did something to me."

"We'll fix it. Whatever it is, we'll fix it."

"You can't," she cried, suddenly trying to pull herself out of his arms. She struggled against him, trying to reach the water. "No. Let me go! Just let me go. Please? Just let me go. It'll be . . . let me go. I don't want to hurt you or Harry. Please."

"Enough! It'll be fine. I promise you!" He tightened his hold on her and wrestled to keep her in his arms. She was trying like hell to reach the water. "Aurora, stop it!" She didn't, though. Thrashing wildly in his arms, she tried numerous times to break free of his hold.

"No. Please. Just let me go. Let me die in peace!" she pleaded through tears.

"Never!" he fiercely replied, pulling her back from the water's edge. He wouldn't let her go no matter what. He wouldn't fail this time.

"I'm broken now."

"Then, I'll put you piece by piece back together until you're whole again."

"Dad, you really shouldn't tell lies like that," a familiar voice spoke from the waves.

His head whipped towards it, feeling Aurora flinch instinctively. There standing in the violent water was his son. Only Harry's recognizable green eyes were replaced with red. He glared at the image of his son, knowing that it was just a representation of the Horcrux inside Aurora.

"Harry," Aurora breathed.

"You left me, Mum. How could you leave me after promising you wouldn't? You never loved me, did you? You're just like her, just like Lily." The Horcrux-Harry scoffed. "Actually, you know, I think I would rather have her as my mother than you. At least she doesn't betray me. Doesn't lie to me."

"I haven't, sweetheart. I promise. I haven't," Aurora replied, shaking her head as she held Horcrux-Harry's angry red eyes.

"Aurora, it's an illusion. It's not Harry," Severus whispered, blinking as he stared at the boy.

"I bet Dad prefers Mother over you as well. Probably thought of her when you two were together in fact. You're just a distraction. He'll toss you aside for my birth mother any day."

"No. That's not true," Severus argued, shaking his head.

"Tsk, tsk. Grandmum wouldn't be too happy with you for telling lies, Dad." Horcrux-Harry laughed sinisterly, his eyes darkening. "Just do it, Mum. Do us all a favor. Let go and stop hurting us. Unless you really think Dad could ever love you once he knew your dark secret."

He felt Aurora stiffen again. Dark secret? What dark secret? He then shook his head. Whatever it was he didn't care. He'd stay strong and keep holding onto her.

"Maybe I should tell him. Save him the heartbreak."

"No . . ." Aurora begged, crying and trembling.

"Go ahead. It won't change anything," Severus stated, raising an eyebrow. He quickly readied himself for whatever this dark secret of hers was. He'd love her no matter what. It wouldn't change anything. He wouldn't let the Horcrux win and take her from him.

"What do you say, Mum? Do you want to tell him or shall I? I'm sure Dad is just itching to know the real reason why you were at St. Mungo's the night of my birth."

The black eyes narrowed as Severus thought back on Aurora's medical file. She was admitted for three days. The reason, however, had been heavily redacted. He could hear in his head Pomfrey saying "And no matter what happens, you'll always love them. Nothing can ever change that." It wouldn't change anything. He'd still love her no matter what the Horcrux said.

"Well, go on then. Tell me already." He wouldn't let the Horcrux gain any more power.

"Mum was pregnant the same time Lily was, Dad. With a Death Eater's child. She wouldn't get rid of it like any other woman would do in her situation. She wanted a child that badly. At the first sign of trouble with her pregnancy, she went to St. Mungo's and begged them to save her bastard child. The Marauders were there already because of me being born. So, when Sirius Black saw her, he went off to be with her, to support her since she was all alone. She held his hand, Dad. Willingly. And cried on his shoulder when the healer told her that she had miscarried."

Severus closed his eyes tightly and hugged Aurora even more against him. He brushed off the mentioning of his childhood tormentor and found himself focusing solely on the fact that she had miscarried. She'd have been a year younger than Lily at the time. A young woman herself. Did anyone else know this other than Pomfrey and Black?

"No wonder she slipped into your—"

"ENOUGH!" she yelled, wrenching partly out of Severus's arms to fling her arm towards the dark image of their son. A bright white light shot from her and slammed into Horcrux-Harry. A horrible scream then erupted before the now black blurry silhouette of Harry exploded, pieces sailing off and vanishing soon after. Her body slackened instantly, the energy zapped from her.

Severus took more of her weight, keeping his firm hold on her. His eyes watched the water lap over the boulder. He frowned, pulling her towards the center of the rock. He had to keep her from the water, keep them away from it. His eyes widened when he saw the hands coming up from the waves.

"Oh, lovely," he mumbled. He tried to reach for where his wand usually was in his sleeve, frowning openly when he didn't feel it in his familiar black billowing robes. He supposed he should have guessed that on second thought. Having a wand would be too damn easy. His eyes glanced down at Aurora before he inhaled slowly as he noticed more of her attire.

Her feet were hidden underneath the many long folds of nearly transparent material. It didn't so much flow around her legs as float, the thin material catching even the smallest breeze underneath it. The thin material hung loosely below her belly button, leaving the soft skin of her stomach exposed. Her full perfectly rounded breasts were barely covered by the same white material, but pressed up against him so he could feel her fully. He wondered how the thin material could hide anything underneath it. It wrapped snuggly around her upper chest, but pieces hung loosely down the sides, touching the tops of her hips, and blending with the bottom material. The sleeves, attached just barely to the top, loosened significantly around her elbows. By the time it reached her wrist, the sleeve was so broad and loose that it blended flawlessly with the many transparent folds of the skirt. Dressed like a goddess one would say.

"Inferi," she whispered, the creatures slowly crawling towards them.

"I know." He couldn't use his magic to keep the Inferi back since they were only products of their shared link. Not wanting to risk being pulled from her, he crossed off physically pushing them away. So that left only one option, holding her as long and hard as he could.

"Severus," she murmured, her eyes starting to close as she became even limper in his arms.

He brushed back her long dark curls. He had to finish their link now. She was getting even weaker. Not to mention, the Inferi were now all around and grabbing them to pull them to their deaths.

"Amor vincit omnia," he spoke loudly and firmly. He noticed her confusion and repeated. "Amor vincit omnia." He thought how badly he needed her to finish it.

"Et nos," she swallowed "cedamus amori."

He nodded. Warmth spread through him, demonstrating their bond was stabilizing finally. There was something else he felt now, something indescribable. He wrenched them back from the Inferi that pulled them into the water and kept his focus on her. A soft light had surrounded her now.

"Amor vincit omnia." Love conquers all things.

"Et nos cedamus amori." So let us too surrender to love.

He kept repeating the phrase with her while the Inferi continued to grab and try to pull them apart. He tightened his hold around her. They'd not split. He'd stay with her until the very end. She would not drown alone.

He wrestled to break them free of the deadly grasps that pulled them even deeper into the murky water. The light above them slowly faded, his strength waning as well. They were falling even deeper, death likely imminent now as they were dragged closer to it.

With his son in his mind and his witch in his arms, he fought against death dragging them to the depths of hell. His son would have parents. Harry would not lose them. They deserved a happy ending. They deserved to be a family. All of them. Harry, Aurora, him, Tobias, Eileen, hell he'd even rope Syra the bitch into his family someday.

Severus would have that crazy arse family that he had always wanted. He would be loved and love them just as much. He would pull a Lucius Malfoy and walk around with Aurora on his arm. He'd be one of those doting fathers as well, going on about how perfect his son was. He'd cheer his goddamn head off at the next Quidditch match for his son. The way it should have been from the start!

He could feel them being propelled up to the surface. He kept thinking about all the things they would do now as a family once they returned—and they would return back to the waking world. They could go whitewater rafting for all he cared. Hell, he might even get another tattoo and add to his lily with stars one he already had! This wasn't the end. No. It was the freaking beginning to something amazing. He was Severus Tobias Snape, and by Felix Felicis he would get his well-deserved happy ending even if he had to destroy the entire world for it.

He was rambling and not making sense and acting like a Hufflepuff. But there were worse things in the world. He would have his second chance and make the most of it. Wedding, babies, everything.

~FKTF~

Harry watched his father sleep silently. His mum was in a private room now so Pomfrey could deal with her injures, but she too was fine. They were both fine. His parents had kept their promises. The young boy had sighed in relief when he had heard that his parents were stable a few days earlier.

For the hundredth time since arriving to the hospital wing that morning, the young Gryffindor had to remind himself of his age. He couldn't shake the overwhelming urge to get in beside his father like a little kid and wrap the man's arms around him so he'd feel safe once again.

The Horcrux had been destroyed two days earlier, and Harry's dad still hadn't woken up yet. Pomfrey had stated this was normal since his father was physically drained from whatever magic they cast to get rid of the dark magic thing. It just scared him to know that neither one was awake yet.

"He's still not awake?" Harry's grandmother remarked with a loud sigh as she suddenly appeared by his side. He hadn't heard her approach.

"No. She thinks he should wake up soon, though." He watched his grandmother nod slowly before she fixed him with a hard stare.

"Shouldn't you be taking your end of year exams?"

"The headmaster announced yesterday at breakfast that he had cancelled them." He swore he had told his grandmother this already, but maybe he hadn't. The past few days seemed a lifetime ago to all of them. "He didn't find it fair for the Petrified or for the rest of us who had our schooling interrupted."

"Ah." Her eyes flicked back to Harry's dad. "I think it's long past time he woke up, don't you?"

Harry frowned. How was his grandmother going to wake him up? He then caught her wand and saw her flick it at his father. His mouth dropped at the sight of the shooting jet of water. The young boy squeaked his surprise when his dad suddenly shot up from his cot, coughing and sputtering. The grey nightshirt Pomfrey had changed his dad in was now drenched.

"There we go," Harry's grandmother said in satisfaction as she looked down at her son.

"Mother," growled Harry's dad, his black eyes flashing at the older woman.

"Well, you weren't waking up any other way. So I provided a little incentive." She shrugged. "A little cold water never hurt anyone, though."

Watching his dad, Harry noticed the man open his mouth, likely to snarl something, only to have his face morph from anger to fear.

"Aurora—" his dad started, clearly worried.

"Is asleep in the other room," Eileen answered rather bored. "In fact, she's currently getting a sponge bath, I believe."

"She's alive?"

"Well, it's my understanding that dead people don't usually get sponge baths, dear. So yes."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. He definitely could see where his dad got his wicked sense of humor from. He watched his grandmother catch his eye before she looked away.

"She's all right? The Horcrux is gone?"

"She's as well as one can be."

His dad nodded slowly before thinking for a moment. He turned his attention back to them soon after. "Did Pomfrey find anything inside her? She thought Leonidas put something in her."

"Her mother removed two objects from her, yes. One was in her back, and the other was in the back of her neck. You'd have to ask Syra for further details."

"Where is that bastard anyway?" His dad's voice was low and deadly.

"Being dealt with appropriately away from here." Harry's grandmother sighed quietly. "The last I saw of him, Syra had just finished pouring an entire bottle of magic suppressant down his throat."

"He was stripped of his magic?"

"Yes. We thought it was the best course of action since we don't know if Riddle made more Horcruxes or not. The suppressant traps Riddle inside Leonidas. If I understood correctly, he's being kept heavily sedated so he doesn't wake up. Yet, it's my understanding that Albus has used Legilimency on him several times to learn what he can about the Horcruxes so we can deal with them."

"Good."

Harry gave his dad a faint smile when the man glanced at him. He couldn't help but think that his dad seemed different now. Then again, he supposed he was different now for nearly dying himself last year. Throwing caution to the wind, he fiercely embraced his father, loving the fact he could hear his father's steady heartbeat.

"Easy. It's okay," his dad said quietly, rubbing Harry's back gently.

It would be okay. Now. They'd have to focus on his mum of course, but everything would be fine again. Leonidas was dealt with. His mum was back. His dad's heart was beating. And there weren't going to be any exams this year.

The young boy felt the waterworks burst from him, but he didn't care anymore. He sobbed against his dad, burying his face into his dad's shoulder. He could hear his grandmother say something above them, but he couldn't make it out over the roaring in his ears.

"Shh. It's okay. Everything's fine now. I'm here, son."

"Mum's heart stopped," Harry cried. "And then they put you both in ice baths. Covered you in it. And Mum was bleeding. They didn't even try to stop it," he rambled, hiccups forcing him to pause every now and then. "So there were bloody ice cubes. And then Mum's squiggles disappeared. And they pointed that you had Mum's squiggle." The twelve-year-old sped up as he went on, everything bursting out of him. "They talked back and forth. I went to put my hand on you guys to help . . . and this big black weird thing shot out of Mum. And it was so—It roared out of her chest. She went limp then. And they worked on you both, pushing me out of the way. And—and—"

"Stop," his dad instructed firmly, pulling Harry back from him. "Take a breath, and calm down."

"I can't. You—I thought lost both of you. I thought you two broke your promises. And I was so angry with you." Harry sniffled. "So angry with myself for believing I could have a happy ending. Could have a family of my own." He angrily swiped at the tears falling down his face. "I heard them state that both of your hearts stopped then. And your squiggles were lessening, and so were Mum's. So I thought it was the end. That you two would be taken from me like James and Lily. But I knew it'd hurt more. So I begged and I pleaded. And I did everything I could, Dad. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose either of you. Promise me that you two won't do it again! Please!"

"We won't, my silly boy." His dad pressed a kiss to the top of Harry's head.

"Promise me, Dad."

"I promise we won't scare you like that again, Harry."

"Good. Because you're both grounded."

Harry heard his father's deep chuckles instantly followed by his grandmother's snort. He was serious. He wasn't going to let his parents out of his sight ever again. Well, maybe sometimes to like take showers and that, but other than that—he was going to make sure they wouldn't go anywhere without him ever again.

"I mean it!" Harry glared at his father who only chuckled more. It wasn't funny. He did mean it. With all his heart he did.

"You don't have to worry. We won't be going anywhere for a very long time. You're stuck with us. For life."

"Good."

Harry glanced away and out the window. There were so many things he had thought of over the past few days that he wanted to tell his dad. But now that his dad was awake, not a single one of them remained in his mind. He frowned, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"Feel better now?" his dad questioned with a faint smirk.

"I have a headache," Harry admitted softly, glancing down. He hated when he started blubbering like that. He always got horrible headaches afterwards.

"I can't imagine why," his dad replied with a snort. "Come on. Let's go see Aurora."

"Unless you want your son to see a thirty-two year old woman's naked body, I'd not recommend that," Harry's grandmother pointed out.

"Thirty-one," his dad corrected before sighing. "Aurora's a year younger than me."

Harry noticed his dad's mood somber. The older wizard had to have remembered something just then. The young boy glanced down before he hugged his dad tighter for a moment.

"It's going to be all right," the little Lion softly whispered to his dad.

"It is," his dad replied firmly, carding Harry's hair affectionately.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but promptly closed it at the sound of approaching footsteps. He didn't feel like turning around to see who it was. He'd find out soon enough.

"About time you woke up. Any longer and I'd have married that pretty little lass of yers," Tobias joked. "You good?"

"I am." Harry's dad sighed heavily, tensing against Harry for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Fudge was there at one point. He knew where she was the entire time."

Harry's eyes widened. He heard numerous gasps around him.

"Are you shitting me?" Tobias growled before scoffing. "Bleeding coward."

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley cried in horror somewhere off to Harry's left side. "Albus sent him an owl just a few hours ago about Aurora. He's on his way here."

"Does he know we have Leonidas?" Harry's dad inquired, his heart beating faster for a second.

"No. We kept that quiet," Mr. Weasley answered. "Kingsley and Albus thought it'd be best if we didn't let that known just in case." He paused. "There's something you need to know. According to Kingsley, that room we found Aurora in was taken out by the blast. Cornelius has been dealing with that lately, telling the public it was just an accidental mishap and to keep their faith in the Ministry."

"Any deaths reported?"

"None."

"Albus asked some Bones lady to come with Fudge, though," Tobias stated. "Guess he figured Fudge was in on it as well or something."

"When are they supposed to be here?" His dad rubbed Harry's back gently, his mind already working out his next plan of attack clearly.

"Little less than an hour," Eileen responded.

"Good. Then, we have time to plan the Minister's warm welcome," his dad growled. There would be hell to pay.

~FKTF~

Exactly an hour later, Severus sat in a transfigured armchair with his arms folded across his chest. Fudge was late. His eyes remained trained on Aurora, who lay unconscious in front of him. He tried to overlook how sunken in her ashen cheeks were now, but he couldn't. Every single physical change he saw on her made him just angrier than before. She had been beaten, starved, shocked, carved into, implanted with foreign objects, and even more gruesome actions than that. It was difficult not to Disapparate and murder Fudge right then to be done with it all. But murdering the current Minister of Magic was punishable with Azkaban, so for his son and Aurora he fought against that urge and waited.

Leaning forward, he gently brushed back one of her stray dark curls. Harry and he would certainly have their work cut out for them this summer, he mused. Aurora's physical injuries were already starting to heal according to Pomfrey. However, she would need months of physical therapy to retrain her either atrophic or badly damaged muscles. He didn't even want to consider how long it'd take for her to recover mentally. They'd work through it all together as a family, though.

"Back here you say, Madam?" the cheerful voice of Cornelius Fudge rang out behind Severus.

His wand hand tensed for a moment before Severus forced his turbulent emotions back. He needed to stay calm. At least for two minutes or so.

"Ah, there we are." Fudge chuckled before quickly clearing his throat when he likely saw Severus sitting next to Aurora. His earlier cheerfulness was now replaced by seriousness. "I see you found her, Professor. Congratulations. Has she, well, has she said anything yet?"

"She hasn't woken up, I'm afraid," he replied, glancing towards the plump man. His dark eyes flickered from the tea cup in Fudge's hands up to the man's face as Fudge took a drink from his cup.

"Ah." Fudge nodded slowly, his eyes looking her over. "I've asked the Aurors to continue their search for Leonidas, but there's been no such luck yet."

Severus forced a polite smile to his face. "Thank you."

"Of course." Fudge nodded before he took another sip. "Has there been any indication when she might regain consciousness?"

"A week or more according to Madam Pomfrey." It was getting harder not to reach up and throttle Fudge. Honestly he decided that he must have had nerves of steel not to kill the minister right then and there. A minute had passed. One more to go. He could do it.

"Hopefully then we find out what really was going on. I must say, this whole debacle with the purebloods is most confusing."

"From what Syra has divulged, Leonidas was a former disgruntled assistant of hers when she worked on a Ministry-funded project years back. They were working a serum that would alter a person's genetic makeup and correct any deficiencies." Severus shrugged, glancing away to look at Aurora.

"Is that so?" Fudge had paused and took a bigger sip of his tea, then. "How . . . fascinating."

"For some reason, Leonidas recently started kidnapping purebloods over this past year in hopes of finding one that had taken this miracle potion. She believes that he took Aurora solely because Aurora is Syra's eldest daughter."

"Ah. Does her mother have any other insight into this matter?"

"Yes. She believes that Leonidas had to have had help. The bombings seemed to be distracters so that these purebloods could be taken without too much notice. They were written off after all as rogue Death Eater attacks."

"Oh, yes. I recall them." Fudge nodded slowly. "I had to make daily speeches to keep the public at ease after those terrible events."

"Your approval ratings rose after that, didn't it, Minister?" Severus smoothly asked. He noticed Fudge's blink of surprise.

"Uh, well, yes they did, but the polls didn't matter much to me in light of those events." Fudge's eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just something I recall." Severus shrugged, sighing. His eyes watched Fudge like a hawk when the man then stepped towards Aurora's bedside and placed the flowers he brought into a vase on her nightstand. He resisted the urge to flick his wand at the flowers to incinerate them. He'd do it later after Fudge was dealt with.

"I do hope Leonidas is caught and brought to justice. It's always such a shame to see one of our fine citizens harmed in such a way."

"Of course." He inclined his head. The words then flew out of his mouth, just the way he wanted them to. "However, it would have been better if the Ministry had—" When Fudge instinctively tensed, Severus sighed heavily, feigning remorse. He pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced down. It was a long standing fact that Slytherins were always the best actors. "I apologize, Minister." The lie left his lips freely. "It's been a trying few days."

"No, no I understand, Professor." Fudge awkwardly shifted his weight. "Continue. Please."

"I'm afraid I have nothing more to say to you, Minister." His dark eyes then watched the relief flood Fudge's face before the man turned away and headed for the door. Severus waited five seconds before he stood up and quickly followed.

Upon walking out of the private room into the main area, Severus noted Amelia Bones, a ranking Ministry official, talking quietly with the three Aurors: Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, and Nymphadora Tonks. The stage was set. Action had been called. It was show time.

"Actually, I do have something to say to you on second thought, sir," Severus loudly announced, feeling all eyes dart to him instantly. He was improvising, but he wouldn't have ever forgiven himself if he didn't take this chance. Knowing that he was being watched carefully, he cleared his throat. His mother's eyes were the most piercing of all the others' in the room.

"Oh? Well, spit it out then, Professor Snape," Fudge spoke.

Giving little notice of what he was about to do, Severus's fist slammed hard into Fudge's face a moment later. A sickening crack echoed dramatically throughout the main area followed by gasps. However, he wasn't quite finished yet. As Fudge sputtered and brought his hands to his nose, Severus's hands snatched a hold of the man's robes before he slammed the man back against the nearest wall. He growled, sneering at Fudge and exposing his teeth like a rabid dog.

"Consider yourself lucky, Fudge, that I've changed my ways," Severus spat out. "Otherwise, I assure you that you'd have been found slaughtered in a landfill, unidentifiable." He tossed Fudge from him, then, and glared down at the shocked man.

"That's my son," Eileen proudly stated.

Fudge quickly scrambled to his feet, though, pointing at Snape. "Arrest him, I say! Arrest him!"

"Afraid we can't comply with those orders," Moody gruffly grunted, his magical eye trained on Fudge as the others' wands did the same.

"What? What's going on here? I am the Minister of Magic! I am the, the, the—what's—what'd you do to me?" Fudge's voice quickly lost its edge, slurring as his eyes rapidly dulled. He stood there, back against the wall for several moments just blinking silently.

Amelia Bones, the department head of Magical Law Enforcement, drew in a slow breath before she took several steps past Severus. Her eyes were hard as she stared down at Fudge. Severus knew that she had been made aware beforehand that they had planned to interrogate the minister by use of Veritaserum, so she didn't seem all that shocked to see Fudge's unfocused gaze.

"What is your real name?" Madam Bones asked firmly.

"Cornelius Oswald Fudge," the minister answered flatly, staring straight ahead at a wall.

She glanced towards Dumbledore who silently approached as everyone else looked on. She clearly seemed uncomfortable interrogating Fudge, but it needed to be done. They needed to know what Fudge's real reasons for this were to ensure the safety of the wizarding world as a whole. She frowned and continued soon after.

"What event brought you into politics?"

"The rise of Grindelwald," Fudge replied, blinking with a peaceful look on his face.

She nodded slowly and glanced back at Dumbledore. Fudge's identity had been confirmed. They could continue asking more direct questions. Like what the hell he was thinking for one.

"Were you aware that Aurora Sinistra was being held at the Ministry?" Madam Bones inquired.

"Yes."

Severus clenched his jaw but remained silent. He knew that Fudge's interrogation was being recorded by the Aurors, so he needed to ensure that nothing occurred to jeopardize Fudge's conviction of his crimes. He would pay for what he did.

"Did you at any time see her at the Ministry while she was being held captive?'

"Yes."

"How many times did you see her while she was held captive?"

"Five times."

Severus could hear his teeth grinding together. He wanted to murder the man, rip him limb from limb apart. He glared at Fudge, envisioning that exact fantasy as he waited for Bones to continue.

"Were you aware the location of the other purebloods before they were found?"

"Yes."

"Did you see the other purebloods while they were held captive at any point in time?"

"No."

"Were you aware of Leonidas Montgomery's obsession with finding the serum he and Syra developed years back?"

"Yes."

"Did you want the serum to use for your own personal interests?"

"Yes."

There was no other way of putting it. Fudge was a complete bastard who deserved a slow painful death. He knew where the victims had been and said nothing. It did all lead to the obvious question of why. What was the point of all this in Fudge's mind?

"Were you responsible for releasing twelve supposedly reformed Death Eaters?"

"Yes."

"Did you make an offer to any of these individuals before you released them?"

"Yes."

"What was the offer?"

"I would release them only if they agreed to assist Leonidas Montgomery for a time."

"What sort of assistance did Mr. Montgomery require?"

"He needed people who could kidnap the pureblood women without being caught."

So Fudge provided twelve former Death Eaters to Leonidas, Severus thought. He shook his head. This whole thing was sickening to watch. Honestly. Where had the man's morals gone?

"How did you meet Mr. Montgomery?" Madam Bones asked sharply.

"One of my assistants brought me the wrong file from the lower level. So, when I went to read the file, I found that he had given me Project Unicorn's file instead. I read the entire folder that night and was fascinated by the serum's possible uses. The following morning I asked Leonidas to meet me in my office and stated that I would provide assistance to him in exchange for him injecting the serum into a select group of Aurors. He agreed. I signed twelve individuals over to him soon after."

"So you were aware then that he would kidnap the pureblood women?"

"Yes."

"Who decided to kidnap these women?"

"I did."

Severus heard gasps all around him. He frowned, though. Why? That kept coming back to him. He watched Bones nod slowly before she closed her eyes and sighed.

"When did you decide this action?"

"Leonidas stated in our meeting that he needed access to the women in order to test them. He suggested we wait for them to come in for their annual physicals, but it would've taken too much time and would have run a great risk of others finding out what we were doing his way. So instead, I informed him that I would provide twelve former Death Eaters who were experienced in this sort of action. It would be quicker. He agreed reluctantly."

"What promise did you make to these twelve Death Eaters in order to keep them loyal to Leonidas?"

It was a valid question. Most former Death Eaters would have fled the moment they were free and started their lives over. Or at the very least, the former Death Eaters would have returned to their sordid ways and killed again. So there had to have been something Fudge promised to keep them in line.

"I told them that they would be given the serum if their performance was satisfactory."

Power. That was all it ever boiled down to. An idiot's quest for power. Severus himself had fallen for that once long ago, and he had paid for that mistake dearly.

"Were the bombings at King's Cross, Muggle London, Birmingham, Manchester, Hogsmeade, Cokeworth, and elsewhere in the Kingdom over the past year planned?"

"Yes."

"Were they carried out by the twelve Death Eaters you released earlier?"

"Yes."

"Who ordered the attacks?"

"I did," Fudge admitted blankly.

Severus grabbed his dad's arm when the man went to seize Fudge and likely beat him to a pulp. He shook his head sharply at Tobias and frowned. They couldn't. Not while the Aurors were still recording the interrogation. Maybe after they could.

"Why did you order the attacks?"

"My ratings with the public were slipping thanks to that Quibbler hit piece. I was seen by most as being a bumbling idiot, especially when it came to public opinion on safety. Not to mention it was rumored that I drowned goblins for fun," Fudge answered matter-of-factly. "The public had all wanted Dumbledore as their minister the year before, you see. I knew it. Barty knew it. We all knew it. So, I ordered the attacks, knowing that if I came out and told the public that the Ministry would stop at nothing to catch the murderous thugs who did it, I'd come out as appearing tough on terrorism. And it worked beautifully. Leonidas kidnapped a few of his purebloods, and my ratings soared for a time."

So Fudge accidentally found out about Project Unicorn and the serum Syra developed, realized that the serum's potential, and decided to work with Leonidas. He gave the man twelve former Death Eaters who were all promised a bit of the serum in exchange for their loyalty. When his ratings dropped, he orchestrated a series of attacks around England and allowed Leonidas to have his kidnapped pureblood women. It was sickening.

"Why did you want the serum?"

"So I would have a method to defend myself and the Ministry when Dumbledore attacked."

Severus's eyes narrowed in confusion. When Dumbledore attacked? Why would Dumbledore attack the Ministry or Fudge for that matter?

"What do you mean?" Madam Bones replied with a frown.

"It was obvious with Dumbledore's fierce refusal to run as Minister that the sly old man had other means in mind to gain that seat. It would only be a matter of time before he struck I knew." Fudge paused for a moment before he continued. "For a time I thought it was paranoia on my part, my lacking self-confidence. But then I learned that he had gone alone to Nurmengard to speak with Grindelwald over the summer, and I knew right then that I had to defend the Ministry against Dumbledore."

That stupid idiot. Instead of sending an owl to Dumbledore to ask what was going on, Fudge automatically assumed that Dumbledore was plotting to take over the Ministry. In reality, Dumbledore had gone to Nurmengard over the summer to speak with Grindelwald to see if the dark wizard knew where Severus and Harry were since they were missing at the time.

"Did you ever send an owl to Headmaster Dumbledore to ask him what was happening?"

"No," Fudge answered.

"Why didn't you?"

"He'd have lied in his reply."

"So because you were convinced that Headmaster Dumbledore was plotting to overthrow the Ministry, you decided after accidentally reading the Unicorn files one night that it was acceptable to orchestrate bombings all over England in order to kidnap our citizens and torture them just to prevent a supposed overthrow from occurring?"

Fudge paused for a moment, clearly trying to fight against the Veritaserum. However, the truth came out a moment later.

"Yes."

The last nail was hammered into the minister's metaphorical coffin. The three Aurors frowned deeply and glanced towards Madam Bones, awaiting their next orders. Madam Bones stared at the former Minister of Magic for a few moments before she shook her head fiercely.

"Your actions have caused considerable harm to the citizens you were sworn to protect. And for what reason did you do all this damage? Because you allowed your paranoia to control you instead of using your common sense. All of this could have been prevented with a stupid owl to Headmaster Dumbledore. Instead, though, you ordered attacks on our innocent citizens, tore families apart, and destroyed lives. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" She stared at the blank man in front of her.

"I did what I had to in order to ensure that Ministry would remain strong. Dumbledore goes on about how much of a threat You-Know-Who is, but Dumbledore's the bigger threat. You-Know-Who only wishes to save us, Amelia. It's Dumbledore who is the dark wizard, not You-Know-Who."

"What?" Bones shouted, as others cried the same. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Dumbledore worked with Grindelwald in hopes that they'd find the Deathly Hallows. It was only when the public's cry for help could no longer be ignored that Dumbledore stepped in. We always thought it was because he was good, but he's not. He just hides his evilness better than most. He wants power just as badly as Grindelwald did. And he needed to get Grindelwald out of the way to do so. So the Deathly Hallows would be his, only his. You-Know-Who has only been trying to help us, but we didn't listen. We took the Great Albus Dumbledore's word. Is it so wrong to have a world free of Muggles? Tell me. They murder. They rape. They torture. They slaughter animals for fun. They pollute. They care nothing but about themselves. They're like a disease. And they will destroy us if we don't act soon. We are the future. They are just relics of the imperfect past."

Severus clenched his fist by his side. Fudge's rant sounded like one of the Dark Lord's propaganda speeches that Severus had been forced to listen to in his younger years. The blasted idiot.

"Aurors, escort Mr. Fudge to Azkaban. I believe there's a cell with his name on it," Bones announced frostily before she turned away.

He watched the three quietly surround Fudge before they pulled him to the fireplace and used the Floo. Severus closed his eyes at the sight of the green flames dying down. It was over. Finally.

The following day, Severus sighed quietly, watching Aurora continue to sleep. Pomfrey had given him an update on Aurora's condition a few hours earlier. There wasn't much to that regrettably. While she was healing, it'd be at least a week before she'd have enough strength to remain awake for long periods of time. The last thing Pomfrey had said was that it was only a matter of time before Aurora woke, so he'd just have to be patient. So naturally he was just as impatient as one could be.

Leaning forward in his chair, he brushed her curls back from her face, a ritual he had developed lately. He thanked whoever above that Fudge was now locked up in Azkaban, far from Hogwarts. Otherwise, he'd have seen to the man's death personally. He then sighed with a deep frown. On second thought, he truthfully found himself waiting for word that the Dementors had accidentally sucked out Fudge's soul. It wouldn't happen he knew. Severus couldn't be so lucky, but the hope was there. If only because he knew Fudge's accidental Dementor's Kiss would spare Aurora the pain of a trial later, and they frankly had enough on their plate as it was now.

Then there was Leonidas, who had been moved to a secure, unknown location. Syra days earlier had stripped him of his magic temporarily, which trapped the Dark Lord inside the man. In essence, two birds were killed with one stone, something of which Severus was quite thankful for. He wouldn't have to worry any longer about the Dark Lord attempting to harm his son anymore. That part of their lives was over, and it was long overdue quite frankly.

Severus shook his head then as his mind wandered back to Fudge's Veritaserum-induced interrogation. Sure, Leonidas might not have been as bad as they had all first thought. In fact, he came off as being a seemingly misguided man who quickly became consumed with finding the serum that he lost himself in the process and fell victim to darkness. They had learned during Dumbledore's quick scan of Leonidas's mind that Fudge had suggested to one of the released Death Eaters the idea of the Dark Lord possessing Leonidas's body. The idea was that with the Dark Lord controlling Leonidas, the medical assistant couldn't double cross Fudge then. Yet another display of cowardice and stupidity on Fudge's part. However, all these unfortunate events that occurred to Leonidas didn't change Severus's opinion of the man in the slightest.

In Severus's mind, Leonidas was far from a church boy or some innocent victim. The damning evidence was that according to Dumbledore, it was late April when the Dark Lord took control of Leonidas. So, everything from December to April was Leonidas himself, which meant the good medical assistant was the one who had tortured and experimented on Aurora, not the Dark Lord.

Furthermore, from what they had learned from perusing through Leonidas's mind, it seemed that Leonidas had spent more than a decade grooming Gilderoy Lockhart into being the slick liar he had been before his death. Lockhart truly had been nothing but a fake, as Severus had rightly pointed out at the beginning of the term. The curly blond had stolen the stories of others, Obliviated his victims when he had all the information, and happily took all the credit. He and Leonidas did all this so they could gain access to the Ministry and in turn access to the Project Unicorn files that had been seized by the Ministry decades earlier.

If it hadn't been so pathetic, in fact, Severus might have chuckled at the fact that Weasley had been surprisingly correct. Lockhart had used a glamour charm to hide the fact that he was truly a hideous-looking man. The man wasn't even really a Ravenclaw according to Pomfrey who had finally looked his file up. The only truthful thing about Gilderoy Lockhart was his name. Everything else was elaborate lies he and Leonidas had concocted. In fact, it seemed the only reasons Lockhart had even taken the Defense position at Hogwarts were to steal more stories and lure young witches into his bed. Thankfully, the Chamber of Secrets fiasco helped prevent both from occurring.

Severus shook his head in disbelief. All of this had been a result of four men being consumed by their obsessions. Fudge had been consumed with paranoia to the point where he was convinced that Dumbledore would overthrow the Ministry someday and take away Fudge's power, throwing aside his morals. Leonidas had been consumed with his quest of finding the serum that he stopped at nothing to ensure his success, ignoring his oath to do no harm. Lockhart had been consumed with his vanity and his need to remain popular, becoming a monster that preyed on others. And the Dark Lord had been consumed with his insatiable hunger of dominance and irrational fear of death, damaging his soul beyond all repair in the process. Four men consumed by each of their obsessions that led to their individual downfalls. It was a lesson Severus would have to remember in the future he decided since he had a habit of becoming obsessed easily himself.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, then, and Severus glanced up. He gave his father a slight nod before his eyes darted back to Aurora. His dad had a habit of checking on him now, something Severus secretly enjoyed truth be told.

"She looks better today, doesn't she?" Tobias gruffly said, jerking his head in her direction.

"I suppose." Severus shrugged. She was breathing at least. That was a good sign.

"How are you holding up?"

"Fine." He frowned when he heard his dad's scoff. "What?" He glanced back up. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, sure you are. Bet you'd say that if you just got yer arm ripped off, too."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "What do you want me to say, Dad?"

Tobias half-shrugged and shifted his weight. "Well, the truth would be nice."

"You know how I feel."

"Yeah, but do you?" Tobias replied quietly.

Severus growled under his breath in annoyance. He hated it when his dad tossed questions back at him like that. It was pointless and stupid. However, he guessed it was some sort of annoying parent trait, since he had found himself doing the same to Harry earlier in the day.

"It doesn't matter what I feel. It doesn't change anything. She'd still be like this, and I'd still be waiting for her to wake up. It's just a waste of energy," Severus grumbled before shaking his head. "I thought this stupid link was supposed to help her heal faster." His frown deepened when he heard his dad's snort of amusement. "It's not funny, Dad."

"No. It ain't. But you pouting sort of is."

"I'm not pouting!" The urge to punch the man in the jaw was overwhelming.

"Well, hate to break it to you, but you ain't exactly not pouting."

"I just want her to wake up. Is that so much to ask?"

"No. But this link of yers ain't some miracle thing, though."

"It doesn't seem to be any sort of thing," Severus huffed.

"Kept you two alive now, didn't it?"

"We're bound together, Dad. We share magic, blood, minds, soul, hearts—you name it. But I can't hear her right now. I can't sense her. If Pomfrey didn't have all these damn number things and I didn't see her chest rising, I wouldn't know she was alive." His mouth then snapped shut. He needed to be quiet. It wouldn't do any good anyway.

"Go on."

"What do you mean, 'Go on?" Severus snapped.

"You been pussy-footing around and keeping all this stuff inside since you woke up yesterday. Get it out, son. Trust me. It'll do wonders for you."

He glared at Tobias before shaking his head fiercely. Get it all out. Easy for the old man to say. He huffed loudly and clenched his jaw. His dad was right, which annoyed him to no ends. He needed to get it off his chest, but he couldn't get the words out. He always was pants at talking about his emotions, about his fears.

"I ain't leaving until you do."

"It's not going to make me feel any better," Severus argued.

"You won't know until you at least try," Tobias replied with a half-shrug.

"It doesn't change anything."

"Who you trying to convince here, you or me?"

Severus growled, clenching his fist. His anger was always the one emotion that he could freely express. He turned away from Tobias and kept his eyes focused solely on Aurora's face.

"She begged me, Dad." His mouth clamped shut for several moments before more exploded out of him. The dam inside him burst. "Begged me to let her die. To let her go. And I wouldn't."

"And then?"

"What do you mean, 'And then?" Severus snarled, glaring at his dad. "I didn't want to lose her!" He growled out his frustration. "Merlin, you have no idea how good she is with Harry. I—hell, I didn't even want to tell him that I was his father last year when he nearly died. I thought that it'd just upset the boy needlessly, so I stayed in my rooms. Instead of being with my son in his final moments. Aurora was there, though. She nearly sacrificed herself for him. Just so I'd have a chance to get to know my son. So I'd get this second chance."

"Sounds like a good woman."

"She is, Dad. More than you know." He shook his head, exhaling slowly before he glanced back at her. "I owe her so much. And all I can think about now is how for the first time in my life I'm actually loved back. And I don't want to lose that feeling." He paused for a moment, reaching for her hand. "I don't want my son to lose that feeling either. So when she begged, I held her tighter and pleaded to whoever would listen not to take her from us, from me. But it was selfish, you know?" He glanced at his father for a brief moment. "She went through hell and back. And I knew that she was broken. That she had been hurt badly, but I told her that I'd put her back together piece by piece until she was whole again." He swallowed back his fears and spoke it out loud. "What if I can't do that, though, Dad? What if my selfishness causes her to suffer even longer?"

"That ain't gonna happen, Severus." Tobias sighed heavily. "It'll be tough as hell at first I bet after she wakes up, but she's got you and Harry. None of you are alone anymore. You got each other. And we got your backs as well. Just remember that."

"She begged me to let her go, and I wouldn't," he argued. His father didn't understand. No one could. They all had some instinct, some natural gut feeling on how to deal with all this family stuff. He didn't, though. He just had his Occlumency, and even that was failing him at the moment. He glanced towards his mother when she walked into the room with Harry by her side.

"Oh, my silly little Prince," Eileen whispered softly. She gave him some sort of look that he couldn't discern. "I once begged for death as well when I was held captive," she admitted. "I didn't mean it, though." She scoffed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I was tired. I had given up for that split second." Her eyes fell on him with that familiar loving mothering look. "I would bet my firstborn grandchild that she was tired as well. That she truly didn't want to die anymore than I had."

"You'd bet on me, Grandmum?" Harry quietly asked with a frown.

Eileen merely gave a soft smile to Harry before her eyes returned to Severus again. "Second guessing yourself now is only going to cause you unnecessary pain. You did what you thought you had to do. Now, just move on. That's all you can do at this point."

"What if—"

"You'll drive yourself insane if you consider all the asinine what ifs in life." His mother drew in a deliberate sharp breath. "Focus on the here and now, on the material. Otherwise, you'll miss out on all the menial steps that bring you to where you need to be." She gave her son a veiled look.

"I didn't want to let Lily go either, though. I held onto her until—"

"And you've learned your lesson from that, Severus," Eileen replied, talking over him. She sighed. "Only time will tell what happens from here. But at least you know you gave it your all. Do you understand?" She glanced away for a moment before she continued speaking. "She has you to rely on. Harry as well. Just as I had you, Tobias, and Harry to help me find my way again."

More footsteps echoed around the room before Pomfrey entered. It was clear to Severus that she had just been outside listening in on their conversation, unable to wait outside any longer.

"It's certainly not going to be easy at first, Severus," the mediwitch announced. "She'll likely do as she always does and try to fight against the perceived pain. But your mother is right. As long as she has you and Harry, she'll eventually be well again. Of that I have no doubt." Pomfrey laughed with a soft smile.

He shook his head, though. He wished he could believe them, but he didn't see how it would be possible. He only saw how he had refused her request as a result of his own selfishness. Then again, he always was the hardest person on himself.

"She's going to need months of physical therapy. Retrain everything she's lost." He ran a hand through his silky raven hair. His decision to hold onto her was looking even worse of a mistake than just a few second prior. "She hates the hospital wing. Merlin, you mentioned that in her file, in fact. She finds this place to be some sort of prison to her, and she always tries to escape. Yet here we are, going to keep her here for months." He scoffed. "The moment she wakes up, she's going to try to work out a way to escape. To get away from all this. And she'll likely just end up hurting herself even worse."

"I'm aware of her instincts," Pomfrey replied with a slight bow of her head. "However, we—that is Harry and I—have come up with a possible solution. That is if you're agreeable to it."

He glanced towards his son. His brows furrowed instantly at the sight of Harry's wide smile. He was missing something. Then again, it wasn't as if Severus was at the top of his game right now.

"What is it?"

"Mum hates the hospital wing." Harry gave a short laugh. "Sort of like you do." He then shifted his weight. "Well, last year, you asked her to stay with us in the dungeons. So you and she could keep an eye on me after the whole Quirrell thing in the forest."

Severus nodded slowly. He recalled that vividly. It was one of his more unorthodox actions. However, it had helped in the end. Mostly because it allowed him to bond with his son without feeling too—something. He still couldn't put a name on it.

"Go on," he quietly urged, holding his son's green eyes.

"Well, that got me thinking. Mum was recovering then, too. I mean, she nearly gave her life for me and nearly died herself. But she seemed—I don't know—relaxed with us." Harry laughed awkwardly. "I mean, one of the first things I saw after waking up was seeing her try to grab her wand and leave the hospital wing. Followed by you telling her that she was an idiot."

"You're suggesting that we have her recover in the dungeons?" Severus sighed, shaking his head. How could Pomfrey even consider that? "Harry, she needs months of intensive therapy."

"You're correct. She does," Pomfrey interrupted, taking a step towards him. "However, with certain modifications, her therapy could be done somewhere other than the hospital wing. In other words, somewhere she feels the most comfortable."

He frowned. "Are you proposing that she does her therapy at Windsor?" He didn't envision Aurora's therapy going well there, but he wasn't about to suggest his home. It wasn't proper after all.

"Not exactly," Pomfrey replied, clearing her throat. She glanced towards his parents casually.

"What she's trying to say is that Harry and she have it worked out that she could do the therapy at home. Sort of treat it like couple's therapy," Tobias said with a faint smile. "Since we all know that there ain't no way in hell you're going to let her out of your sight."

"Or out of mine," Harry piped up saying.

Severus's eyes darted to Pomfrey. Aurora could leave the hospital wing? She'd allow that? He could hear his heart beating rapidly with anxiousness. A part of him knew it wasn't right to want to take her home with him, but another part of him—the larger section—didn't give a flying hippogriff. He didn't know how to explain it, but he just knew that he and Harry could help her.

"I don't understand. How would her therapy work?"

"Well, I'll need to be there for her therapy regularly of course, but you and Harry could handle practice exercises with her when I'm not there. I'll teach her the exercises before leaving. And if need be, I'm always an owl away if you need me to supervise. So, if you'd like, we could modify her therapy so that she wouldn't need to be here for it." Pomfrey flashed a soft smile. "She trusts you, Severus, which is something that's needed when working with a patient that suffered the trauma she did." She drew in a quick breath. "However, I'll warn you right now. There will be good days, and there will be bad days with her." Pomfrey glanced at Aurora. "I know I don't have to tell you this, but she's stubborn as hell. Almost as stubborn as you are. So some days she'd fight us and lash out."

He nodded. He could imagine those days, having experienced days like that himself. He could overlook it. Hell, Harry had those same days last year when they were first starting after his attack, and look where they were now. Father and son—and rather inseparable.

"Treat her like a potion, Severus." He chuckled at Pomfrey's words. "I'm serious. Some days we're going to have to push her, which will usually make her seem at first explosive—so she'll lash out. Other days we'll need to back off and just let her rest. Now, I know this is confusing and overwhelming. Hence why we developed a tentative plan." Pomfrey pulled out a roll of parchment and handed it to him. "As I said, it'll take her a bit before she can keep her eyes open. So, we won't be doing much for awhile. Only make sure she's drinking and that she's comfortable."

"Poppy," he started to say, his eyes looking up from the schedule. Feeling overwhelmed was an understatement. The tentative schedule was pretty straightforward and easy to understand as well. However, many days he saw Aurora's therapy would be very physically demanding. His imagination ran amok with his fears, visualizing the pain she'd be in afterwards, the breakdowns that were certain to happen. It'd be torture for him to listen to her cries, not being able to help. Honestly. What had he done?

"Dad, it's okay," Harry cut in, smiling at him. "Think of it as sort of a never-ending family thing. I mean, think of all the bonding that'll go on. It'll be just like our summer last year. Only this time we'll be together at the house."

Severus closed his eyes and hung his head. "Harry, she's not going to be—"

"I know," the twelve-year-old replied instantly. "She's changed. We all have in some way, Dad." He smiled, glancing at her. "My mother—that is—Lily wrote in her journal once that when terrible events sometimes happen, they can tear away at relationships because you start to see the person you're with in another light. So there are two choices. You can either let the event destroy a friendship because things have changed now and aren't like they used to be. Which frankly I think is stupid. Or you can adapt and grow because of the changed things, and end up in a totally new path."

Severus felt a tug at the corner of his lips as he stared at his son. His young boy was growing up. He nodded back at Harry slowly.

"Then, you recommend that we take the new path?"

"Yeah, I do." Harry laughed nervously. "I mean, Mum never gave up on us, Dad. And she . . ." He shrugged his shoulders listlessly. "I don't know. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for her you know. I wouldn't be your bratty second-year son, and you wouldn't be my dad. And we wouldn't know what it's like to have a family, to be loved." He glanced down, smiling shyly. "I think it's our turn to help her. Show her how much she means to us, you know? Be her rock for once."

He nodded slowly, grabbing his son's hand and squeezing it. He then glanced at Pomfrey.

"So," Severus drawled loudly. "When can we take her home?"

~FKTF~

The day after his mum was released from the hospital wing, Syra went home to Windsor, stating before she left that she knew her daughter was in good hands with Harry and his dad. For being a bitch at first, she certainly had changed her tune, Harry decided. Though, he guessed that was because she had come very close to losing her daughter forever. A long overdue wakeup call had gotten her to realize something, whatever that something was.

It was actually funny looking back on it now. Harry had given Syra a hug prior to her leaving, and the woman tensed up instantly as if she wasn't used to hugs. He had heard the shocked gasps all around them, but he didn't care. Syra was a part of their family now, his family. Even if things didn't work out between his parents, something his father kept repeating and Harry thought had no chance of happening, Syra was still family. And families hug. His grandpa had joked afterwards that Harry deserved some House points for hugging Syra, but his dad only snorted in response.

During the following week, Harry, his dad, and his grandparents each took short shifts watching his mum rest at their temporarily home at Hogwarts in the dungeons. Since his mum hadn't woken up yet, Pomfrey wasn't quite comfortable releasing her from the castle. The matron of course would check in and see how his mum was doing, sometimes examining her or changing her dressings. So far according to Pomfrey, his mum was healing nicely. However, the family was all quite ready for his mum to wake up so they could go home to Cokeworth and get away from all the prying eyes.

It was only a matter of time that she'd wake up everyone said. So, Harry waited patiently, sticking close to his dad's side and ready to help whenever he could. In fact, whenever Pomfrey would come and check on Aurora, Harry would quickly tell the matron that he and his dad had it well in hand. His dad would usually roll his eyes in response.

As it neared the end of the school year, the young Gryffindor found his classes thankfully letting out early usually. The only classes that didn't were Potions—his dad was an old stick in the mud so it was to be expected—and History of Magic—where Binns was a ghost who didn't have a care in the world because of his being dead. So, whenever his classes let out early, Harry would either head outside for a quick moment or head directly to the dungeons.

It was on this day that Harry found himself running outside to his favorite spot that was still on the grounds. He nodded to Malfoy when he walked past the blond and Hermione sitting on a bench together in the courtyard. His eyes then noticed Ron lurking and looking longingly at the young couple from behind one of the nearby trees. He sighed and headed towards his best friend.

"Why don't you just go over there and apologize for acting like a prat?" Harry sighed. He said nothing when Ron jumped, but he caught the redhead's deep frown.

"I can't just go over there now."

"Fine." Harry shrugged, starting to walk away. "Suit yourself."

Ron grabbed Harry's shoulder, though, and stopped him. He jerked his head across the courtyard towards Hermione and Malfoy. With a sneer, he said, "Look at them. All lovey-dovey with each other."

Harry raised an eyebrow and glanced towards the couple. He frowned before he looked back at Ron. He shook his head.

"Looks to me like they're studying for Potions, Ron."

"Trust me. I know lovey-dovey. I've seen my brothers around girls. And that's lovey-dovey."

Harry's eyes darted back to Hermione and Malfoy. The couple was sitting at an arm's length apart from one another on the bench. Their heads were bent together, their eyes on the opened book in between them. He saw absolutely nothing lovey-dovey about them.

"You're seeing things, Ron." Harry quickly continued to the spot, then. Honestly. He had seen more romance from Binns and Trelawney than Malfoy and Hermione. They were just really good friends. He shook his head and bent down, picking various wildflowers. His mum would like these today. He smiled to himself and quickly headed back to the dungeons. Several minutes later, he sighed contently when Salazar's portrait swung open to allow him inside.

"Awe. You shouldn't have," his grandpa drawled from the other side of the room, chuckling as he sat beside Harry's grandmum on the sofa.

With the flowers in hand, Harry laughed and shook his head. Leave it to his grandpa.

"Sorry," the young boy said with a shrug. "They're for Mum, not you. Not your color anyway."

"Well, shit on a log," his grandpa exclaimed, slapping his knee.

"Tobias," his grandmother scolded, shaking her head.

His grandpa only winked at Harry, though, before nodding towards the master bedroom.

Without another word, Harry walked down the long hallway, knocked on the door, and walked in. He smiled at his dad who was in bed holding his mum, her head on his chest.

"Better make sure Madam Pomfrey doesn't catch you two being all lovey-dovey." Harry giggled when his dad's brow rose. He shrugged in response. "Ron's going on again about how Malfoy and Hermione are all sweet on each other."

"Ah." His dad snorted, shaking his head before he glanced down and ran a hand through her hair lightly. "Jealousy. It makes us all idiots."

Harry nodded, walking towards one of the vases on the nearby nightstand. He pulled out the wilting flowers and added the freshly picked ones. He quickly checked out the other flowers before turning back. He laughed when he caught his dad whispering in her ear.

"Has she responded yet?" the young Gryffindor softly asked.

"She moves every now and then, so she's starting to wake up."

"Maybe we should do what Grandmum did and throw ice water on her?"

"Harry," his dad lightly scolded.

The young boy laughed. "I know. I'm just joking."

"You better be." His dad sighed, shaking his head. "The flowers are a nice touch."

"Thanks." Harry smiled, glancing at the vase of fresh flowers. "Thought it'd cheer the place up or something. Maybe help her come home sooner." He sat down on the edge of the bed, sighing. "Think we'll ever have a quiet year here?"

"With you around? I doubt it." His dad chuckled a moment later, threading his fingers with his mum's. "I'd imagine it'll be quieter than usual with the Dark Lord gone now."

"He can't like jump bodies, right?"

"No. He's stuck in Leonidas's body for now." His dad sighed. "So, if all goes well and we find the Horcruxes, then we can get rid of him once and for all."

"Good. Because my education is starting to suffer with all these near-deaths," Harry semi-joked.

"Been around your grandfather a lot, I see." His dad then frowned suddenly, glancing down.

"What is—whoa! She's squeezing your hand!" Harry shot up, feeling his excitement skyrocket as his eyes remained trained on their joined hands. His mum was squeezing his dad's hand! "She's squeezing your hand!" he happily announced. "That's good, right? That means she's waking up?"

"Easy, Harry," his father replied, running his fingers through her long hair gently. His dad was right of course. They had these close calls before, and she had only fallen back asleep then.

Harry's eyes darted to his dad when he heard a soft noise from his mum. He nearly laughed at the sight of his dad's raised eyebrow. She was snuggling, or at least attempting to, into him more. He watched his father play with her curls for a few more moments, noticing that it was soothing her.

"Aurora?" His dad paused for a moment, his rich baritone voice surrounding them. "If you can hear me, please open your eyes." His lips curved upwards slightly when she mumbled something. "It's okay. You're safe now. I promise. You're home."

Harry glanced between them, waiting impatiently. She was on the cusp of consciousness. Just a little bit more, he thought. He bit his bottom lip, shifting his weight nervously. In his head, he went through a series of encouraging chants he had adopted over the past week.

"Shh," whispered his dad, running his fingers through her hair. "They can't hurt you anymore."

More noises escaped from her firmly pressed lips. Harry thought she sounded scared. The young boy didn't blame her in a bit, though. Not with the hell she went through. He swallowed back his emotions and slowly crawled to her, wrapping his arms around her and embracing her with his dad.

"Come on, Mum," Harry murmured. "It's okay. Dad and I have you now." He sniffled and buried his head against her. "We'll keep you safe. And kick anyone's arse if they try to hurt you." Harry heard his dad's soft laugh instantly. It was true, though. They would kick anyone's arse.

More fearful whimpers surrounded them, so Harry pulled back from her. Maybe they were hurting her? He didn't know at this point. He just wished she woke up. He had missed her terribly. At the sound of his father's voice speaking some unknown language then, he glanced up at his father. Was it a spell his dad was casting? It didn't seem to be one. He frowned in confusion and waited. A moment later, his eyes widened again when he heard a word, just a single word, from her lips.

"Forever," she rasped, her throat clearly having been dry.

"Always," his dad replied, smiling before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. His dad's black eyes then darted to him before glancing at the glass of water on the nightstand.

Harry understood immediately, getting up and grabbing it. He noticed her instant reactive flinch. "It's just water," he explained quietly. At her nod of understanding, he quickly but carefully brought the glass to her lips, tilting it back. He waited patiently for her to take a drink before he set it aside.

"How do you feel?" his dad asked quietly, his fingers still running through her hair.

"Hurts." She then coughed loudly. Her whole body tensed up before she went limp again.

"Do you want me to stop?"

She shook her head minutely, so he didn't. Harry stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. A part of him wanted to launch himself at her and hug her forever. Another part decided that wasn't a good idea. So, he waited as the minutes ticked by with absolute silence.

"You don't have to answer right away. In fact, I don't want you to," his dad stated. "I just want you to know that if you're all right with it, Madam Pomfrey has allowed us to take you home with us for the summer. It'll just be you, me, and Harry." His dad then winced. "And Poppy every now and then."

Harry shifted again as he waited to hear her reply. He noticed his dad's eyes moving back and forth and wondered if they were having one of those mental conversations. Harry had after all always found thinking easier to do than talking when he was in pain.

"She said she could come to Cokeworth and work with you there. Help you heal in other words."

"Dad and I would help you practice," Harry chimed in when it was quiet for awhile. "And if all goes well, you and Dad can see me off next year at King's Cross." He immediately closed his mouth when his dad gave him a sharp look after his mum inhaled shakily. He hadn't meant to upset her.

"It's okay. You don't have to decide now. Just think about it, okay?" his dad said to her softly.

She blinked and then nodded. However, quick as lightning, her mood shifted again as her hand flew to her chest. Her eyes widened in clear fear before she glanced about the room wildly.

"What is it?" his dad asked, trying to calm her. "Aurora, tell me what it is, and we'll fix it."

Harry looked on in confusion. Something was wrong. But she wasn't letting in on what it was. No, instead, she kept looking about the room as if searching for something. Her hand kept pressing against her chest, feeling around for something that she clearly thought should have been there.

"Dad?" For a moment, the young boy thought about yelling for help. However, he quelled that instinct when he noticed his dad's eyes slowly convey comprehension.

"Grab the necklace out of my right front robe pocket and bring it here," his dad ordered, motioning with his head towards the folded black cloth lying on the back of the nearby chair.

Harry did as he was asked, thrusting his hand deep into the pocket before pulling out a necklace. His green eyes widened in recognition instantly. He knew this necklace. He swallowed as his eyes trailed over the shimmering silver circle that enclosed two snakes on either side of an emerald. He had dreamt about this same emblem in September.

"Harry!"

His dad yelling his name pulled him out of his mind for half a moment. He quickly strode back to the bed, holding it out. He had dreamt about trying to grab this necklace in September at the Burrow. What on earth was going on?

"Dad, I know this necklace." Harry watched his father quickly put it around her neck and fasten the clasps and noticed her relaxing as a result of it being around her neck again. "I've seen it before."

"Of course you've seen it before," his dad replied offhandedly, his focus clearly on Aurora. "It's always around her neck. It's been that way since before I knew her."

Harry glanced at his mum, narrowing his eyes on her as she blankly stared out into space. He couldn't recall seeing the necklace before, though. In real life that was. He had dreamt about it a few times over the summer, but this was the first time he could recall seeing it in real life.

"No. Dad, I dreamt about it." Her eyes met his then. Did she know why he had dreamt about it?

"Probably because of last year." His dad still didn't look away from Aurora.

Harry's face contorted into even more confusion when he saw her pull back from his dad before lightly pressing her fingers against the man's temples. Pomfrey had said that she'd likely talk a few moments and fall back asleep. His mum, however, seemed to have some more energy than Pomfrey had previously thought she'd have. He watched his dad close his eyes and waited. She was talking to his dad, he guessed a few moments later. He stepped back when he heard his dad's sudden chuckle.

"I'll tell him," his father said quietly to her. "Just rest. Please. Otherwise, Pomfrey won't let us leave with you at all." She slowly settled against him again, burying herself into his chest for a moment before glancing at Harry. She seemed more comfortable now.

"Tell me what?" the young boy asked hesitantly, glancing between his parents.

"When she performed the Martyr's Gift last year, she held you against her chest. You probably saw it during that time. She also said that you could have run across it in a book. Supposedly, one of her ancestors received from Slytherin as a gift. It's been passed on through the female line for centuries since. In fact, several of her ancestors have been noted to be wearing it over the years."

Harry nodded slowly. He guessed it made sense that he'd have recalled it from last year. Sure, he was badly hurt then, but maybe his consciousness or whatever had felt it pressing against his face. His eyes narrowed further when his dad stated that he could have run across it in a book. Harry barely remembered cracking open his texts this year. Or last year for that matter. So that had to be out.

"I guess," the young Lion said with a shrug. He watched his dad pull her closer and sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed again. "Could I do that? Hear her, I mean? If she wanted me to?"

His dad shook his head slowly. "No. I can only hear her because of our bond now."

"Oh." Harry glanced down, sighing. It wasn't long before he felt a soft hand slipping into his. He looked up and smiled faintly at his mum, noting that it was hers. Warmth enveloped him as she rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand. "Everything's going to be all right now. We've got your back. I promise. Dad and I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, Mum. We'll keep you safe."

She gave him a weak smile in return, as if to say she knew all that. He couldn't stop himself at the sight of her responding faint smile. He kept thinking that if he kept talking, then maybe she wouldn't fall back asleep and make it so they'd wait anxiously for her to awaken again. So, he continued.

"Dad's been sitting with you almost every moment he's awake." The young boy then winced, rubbing his neck. That wasn't exactly true. "Well, except when he has to teach or use the loo. Then, either me or Grandmum or Grandpa sit with you." He caught her eyes then darting to the flowers around the bedroom. "Do you like them? I've been picking them myself for a bit now. Thought they might help give the room a splash of color or something. Plus, they smell nice. Course I can't get real ones like roses or something, but these will do for now, won't they? If not, I can—" Harry stopped immediately after she squeezed his hand firmly. He sighed loudly and hung his head. "I'm sorry. I know. You're probably tired. Madam Pomfrey told us you would be for a bit."

The young Lion took a hesitant peek, finding her staring back at him with that same weak smile of hers. He could see that she was clearly fighting against her fatigue to stay awake, so he glanced back down, ashamed with himself. He swallowed when she gently tugged on his hand, as if to tell him to come closer. Without a word, he complied, lying down on his side in front of her with his back to her.

He smiled widely when her arms encircled around him and held him against her as any mother would. He felt safe, warm, loved, and protected in her arms. Mostly loved. This was how a family should be, he thought happily. He didn't care he was twelve and being held by his mum. He didn't even feel awkward knowing his dad, who was now resting on his side as well, was all snuggled up against his mum's backside. All that mattered was that they were together, safe and sound. As it should be.

Who would have guessed that with last year's tragedy would come the realization that Harry was his father's most prized treasure? Surely not his dad or even Harry himself if one had asked them last year. Or even to this year, who would have guessed that a kinship formed last year would later solidify into the unbreakable bonds of a family this year. A crazy messed up family of course, but a family nonetheless. The young boy smiled gleefully, closing his eyes as he and his parents cuddled up to one another in bed. His last thought before falling asleep was that next year would be even better.