Severus walked casually down the street of Hogsmeade, confident that his Glamour charm would not be penetrated. In all of his years as a spy, the charm had served him well, and saved his life on more than one occasion. For that he had Albus to thank, who had taught him the faerie way of casting glamours, which he had learned from his late son, the half-sprite, Julian. According to Albus, Julian had a natural talent for concealment, as well as mischief. Severus could tell that the Headmaster had loved the boy very much, no matter how much of a scamp he had been. "He would have been just your age, Severus, had he lived," Albus had said wistfully just this past December. Severus had merely nodded, not knowing what else to say. The loss of a child was not something he ever wished to know, and he could not imagine how Albus must feel, having lost not just one, but two children, and his beloved wife as well. And yet, Albus still managed to laugh at life, and look at his life with that damnable twinkle in his eyes. Unless, Severus mused, that was a carefully orchestrated act. His mentor had taught him much about being a spy, more than he could have ever learned from a book.

There was more to Albus Dumbledore than met the eye, very much more. Once Severus had asked him why he taught when he could have been a much more prominent figure in the wizarding world. "You could have become Minister of Magic, Albus. They offered you the position, didn't they?"

"Indeed, my boy. But I turned it down," the old wizard chuckled. "Who wants to have all the wizarding world looking up to you for answers. It's a thankless job and not one that I need to burden myself with, Severus. I much prefer to oversee the children, and to guide nad mentor the young people who will one day shape the future. That is all the reward I need. Teaching is harder than running a country sometimes, as you well know."

Oh, Severus did know. And yet, like Albus, he would not trade it for another profession. Despite his snarky strict attitude, Severus found he enjoyed passing on his hard-earned knowledge to the young wizards-provided they appreciated his subject and did not sass him or act arrogant and all-knowing.

Enough, Snape. Concentrate on the task at hand, you can go woolgathering down memory lane another time, he scolded himself sternly.

He arrived at the Hog's Head and pushed open the door to the pub.

Like most of its kind, the pub was dimly lit by Lumos-spelled globes, smoky and redolent with the odor of pipe tobacco and cigarettes, though the floorboards were clean and scrubbed to a high gloss, as were the tables and chairs. There were few patrons in the pub at this hour of the morning, and Severus gave a quick nod to the barkeep and held up two fingers.

"Two pints, coming up, mate," the barkeep grinned, then began filling a tankard with the dark amber brew the Hog's Head was famous for.

Severus made a quick scan of the room, then made his way casually over to a table in the corner, where a young man with ebony hair and bright hazel eyes was sitting, wrapped in a nondescript sheepskin duster and patched boots and a green scarf.

"Hello, Hobbs," he greeted, making up an alias for the disguised Narcissa on the fly.

"Hello, O'Rourke," answered Narcissa, striving to keep from breaking out into tears of relief. She had been terrified that he would not show, and her last hope of getting help to rescue her son would be gone. "Been awhile."

"Aye, it has." Severus seated himself and gave her a quick smile, then clasped the other's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He saw some of the tension go out of the witch afterwards, and continued with his casual conversation. "Been keepin', how about you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Working hard, but I figgered I could use a break and so here I am."

The barkeep brought two pints of foamy dark ale to the table and Severus slipped him a few Knuts as payment. "Enjoy, mates."

Severus took a casual sip of his ale and nudged the other over to Narcissa.

She made a face, but then lifted her pint and drank a little, knowing it would appear strange if she were in a pub and not drinking. But she disliked the taste of ale.

Once Severus was certain the barkeep was not watching, he cast a quick non-verbal Muffliato charm over the table and then leaned in and said, "Have you been in contact with Draco since you left?"

Narcissa hesitated. "Is it safe, to talk here?"

"Yes. No one can overhear us. Well?"

"Yes, I received a letter from him just the other day. He said everything is almost the same there, except Lucius has taken to accompanying him to his tutor's before work and asking Doby to report to him when Draco arrives home. Draco complains it feels like he's being watched all the time, but Lucius hasn't forbidden him not to fly his broom or leave the house." She gripped the mug hard, till her knuckles whitened. "Severus, I must get him away from there. Lucius might not harm him right now, but . . .I don't trust him. I want my son away from him. When I first married him, I thought Lucius was wonderful. He was handsome, charming, he had money and presence, and he . . .he seemed to love me."

"A cobra can charm his mate, but it doesn't last," Severus observed.

"True. I did not know what he was until after Draco was a year old. Only then did he tell me he was a follower of . . .of You-Know-Who. Only then did I see that the face he presented to me was false. But by then it was too late."

"We all make mistakes, Narcissa. The important thing is to learn from them. I would not leave any child in Lucius's hands, but especially not Holly."

"I can understand that, after what he did to her, and yet, you surprise me, Severus."

"I do? In what way?"

"You care very much for her, don't you? A Squib, daughter of one of your worst enemies."

Severus raised an eyebrow, but with his glamour it didn't look quite as impressive. "You find that remarkable, that I could come to love a child like that? Why? Because you believe she is . . .inferior?"

Narcissa shook her head. "No, and get off your moral high horse, Snape. I find it remarkable that you can love one who is not of your blood. I would never wish harm upon the girl, but . . .I do not know if I could come to care for her the way I do Draco. And it has nothing to do with her being Lucius's byblow."

"Narcissa, blood is not everything." Severus declared, looking directly into her eyes. "I would lay down my life for my students, were it called for, and they are not related to me in the least. But I am responsible for their safety and were harm to come calling, I would be ready to defend them. I would lay down my life for Holly as well. It would not even be a question. She is my daughter now, as Harry is my son. I would like to try and make a deal with Lucius, to get him to relinquish his paternity claim, so that I may legally adopt her."

Narcissi blinked. "You'd be making a deal with the devil, Severus."

"I have done that before," Severus said dryly. "In return I would pledge not to reveal what I know of his actions regarding Holly to Cornelius Fudge. His precious reputation would be safe."

The witch laughed harshly. "From you, perhaps. Once I get my son, I intend to go to my solicitor and file for a divorce, and I don't care if the press knows about it."

"Is that wise, Cissa?"

"Wise or not, it is what he deserves. I intend to expose him for what he is and perhaps get him locked away for the duration of his life. I want to be free of him, Severus, not looking over my shoulder every second. Make whatever deal you want, and let me take care of my own. For once, I want Lucius to get what's coming to him!"

"I understand. Retrieving Draco is the first step." Severus paused and drank some more ale, motioning for Narcissa to do likewise. Then he continued, "What kinds of traps and wards are upon the manor?"

Narcissa began to describe the ones she knew about, and Severus listened intently. Some of the wards were standard, things that almost every wizard worthy of the name could put on their home to keep out unwanted trespassers. Others, however, were unique to Malfoy Manor.

"There may be more than what I've mentioned," she cautioned. "I have no idea what he might have done since I've been gone. Although Draco doesn't think he's done anything to the defenses since I left a few days ago."

"He may not be aware of it, since he's not up to reading wards yet," Severus cautioned. "Well, we will simply have to be on our guard and ever vigilant. When would you like to begin this rescue mission, Narcissa?"

"As soon as possible. I'm afraid Lucius might suddenly decide to send Draco somewhere else, or perhaps try and make him into an Initiate of the Dark Path."

"He's a bit young for that, Cissa. He's only what . . .ten?"

"Lucius likes to start them young," said the former Mrs. Malfoy, with a hint of bitterness in her tone. "That way by the time he's sixteen, he'll be ready to take the Mark." Her hands clenched over her tankard. "But I refuse to let that happen. My son will not be his father's shadow. Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Calm down," Severus soothed. "Let us go and scout the grounds. You did say Lucius normally works extra hours on the weekends?"

"Yes, when Fudge requests it of him. Then he gets days off during the week as compensation. Draco said he'll be in his office at the Ministry until three o'clock."

"Good. Plenty of time for us to see what we're up against." Severus finished off his ale. "Drink the rest, and then we can be off."

Narcissa eyed the dark brown liquid with distaste. "Horrid stuff! How you men can stomach this is beyond me." But she swallowed the rest gamely.

"Actually, I don't really care for ale much myself," Severus admitted. "I prefer a good white wine. But we must keep up appearances." Then he cancelled the Muffliato spell and said, loud enough to be overheard, "All right, Hobbs. Let's go over to your flat and we'll catch the rest of the match, aye?" He deepened his voice and gave it a soft burr.

"Sounds good to me, O'Rourke," agreed Narcissa, then she followed Severus out the door and then they both Apparated to Malfoy Manor.

They arrived at the edge of a well-manicured sweep of green lawn that surrounded a great gray stone manor house. The house was three stories high with a Gothic style roof with gargoyles and crenellated columns flanking a large porch with huge mahogany carved double doors with a silver dragon head knocker on them. Neat clipped bushes lined the long flagstone walk up to the house and at the end of the walk was a marble pillar with the Malfoy crest engraved on a silver medallion, which was a wyvern biting a flaming sword.

It looked like the prosperous home of a rich nobleman or a businessman, no one would have expected a lingering aura of Dark magic to surround it, nor that the man who was its master was cold, cruel, and evil to the core. Severus tensed as he approached the lawn, his spell had deposited him a few feet beyond it, and he could sense the oily feel of black magic, it overlay the protective wards surrounding the grounds like a film of scum-laden polluted water. His lip curled involuntarily, but he suppressed his initial stomach-churning wave of revulsion. This was not the first time he had encountered a dark aura, though it had been years since he'd had to endure the dark taint. But he had not forgotten it.

Narcissa, who had now cast off her glamour, appeared beside him, and shivered upon sensing the dark aura. "He's done something, the black taint was never so strong."

"Are you certain?" Severus inquired softly. "Sometimes, when you are accustomed to living with something for so long, your senses adjust to it and it doesn't register with you until you are away from it."

"No. He's changed the wards, I can feel it." She extended one well-manicured hand and there was a sudden crackle and a flash of reddish light. She yanked her hand back, shaking it in pain. "Merlin's blasted rod, but he's keyed the wards against me, Severus!"

The former spy held up a hand. "Hush. A minor setback. We can mask your aura, Narcissa, so your signature doesn't register with the wards."

She threw him a blank look. "How? I never learned any spell that could do that."

"Fortunate that I did," remarked the secret agent. He drew his wand and made a few passes with it, muttering several detection spells. After a few minutes, he nodded and turned back to Narcissa. "Lucius has interwoven some extra spells into them, but they shouldn't be too difficult to breach, not compared to some others I've encountered, like those upon the Dark One's fortress in the Carpathian Mountains."

"But if you shatter them . . .Lucius will know we were here."

Severus favored her with a disappointed frown. "Really, Narcissa, give me some credit for intelligence. I didn't survive for years as a spy by being an imbecile and rushing around like a dolt. We won't need to shatter the wards, merely mask ourselves and slip past them." He pointed his wand and chanted a spell, and a greenish mist hovered over Narcissa, before settling down around her.

She gasped, for the mist was freezing, it felt as if every pore of her body had been invaded by needles of ice. "Ahhh! Severus, this . . .hurts!"

"Yes, it's unpleasant, but you'll only have to bear it for a few minutes." He said, then cast the spell upon himself, grimacing as it took effect.

Narcissa trembled sharply for a minute, before saying angrily, "You might have warned me, damn it!"

"Had I told you it would hurt, you would have tensed up and it would have been worse," responded Severus calmly. "Come, we can enter the grounds now."

He glided forward, and Narcissa noted in awe that he hardly seemed to be touching the ground as he walked. The wards did not even flicker as he set foot upon the lawn. How does he do that? Walk like a ghost? She made haste to follow, for she had no way of knowing how long the masking charm would last.

This time there was no crackle or flash of light. The wards permitted her entry as one who belonged.

Severus moved across the lawn cautiously, concentrating on feeling for any unexpected magical presences. He knew Lucius would have other defenses up besides the wards and the carnivorous venomous Tantagula Plant Narcissa had told him about.

The trick was to discover them before he or Narcissa blundered into them.

He had almost reached the walk, and he hesitated before setting a boot on it, examining it with his sorcerer's sight. All wizards possessed the sight to varying degrees, it was an innate part of a magic-wielder, but few were taught how to use the sight beyond recognizing auras or enchantments placed upon an object. Severus, in his role as a spy, had developed his natural sight far beyond it, and he allowed his conscious mind to shift into a hyper aware state, and his sight showed him that some of the stones on the walk had been enchanted, they glowed a sickly black to his magical sight.

"What's wrong?" hissed his companion, throwing a lock of pale hair behind her ear. She had never felt so uneasy or so frightened, and to think this had once been her home, and she had come and gone from it without ever thinking about the traps her husband had set up.

"There is an enchantment upon the walk. Watch where I step and follow me exactly." Severus ordered. He stepped carefully upon a large gray flagstone, then stepped over to the left and up one to set both feet upon a red colored stone and then a white one.

The pale witch obeyed, copying him, thinking inanely that it looked as if Snape were playing an odd game of hopscotch.  One red square, one white, now jump to a gray one. She just hoped her son wasn't watching from a window, he would think they had gone utterly mad.

Severus was concentrating very hard upon the path, and had almost made it to the stairs leading up to the double doors when the venomous Tantagula awoke and slithered across his path, hissing furiously.

The Tantagula bore several round pods upon its thorny vines and these now split apart and were filled with several rows of curving fangs, like those of a viper. They lashed at the Potions Master, and Severus was forced to jump backwards to avoid the plant's strike.

He was uncertain as to what had caused the plant to awaken, until he cast a glance back at his companion, and saw that Narcissa had mistakenly stepped upon an enchanted stone.

"Severus! I can't move!" she wailed, trying to pull her foot free of the walk without any success. "It's caught me!"

The Tantagula, sensing easy prey, crackled and surged forward. Narcissa went utterly white, for the plant could devour a cow in about five minutes, its venom was acidic and the many heads upon the tentacle-like vine could strip flesh from bone in minutes.

"Stop moving!" snapped the Potions Master. "It is drawn to movement like a moth to a flame."

"Merlin save me!" Narcissa whimpered and froze.

The Tantagula hissed, its tentacle heads probing the air, searching for the prey it had sensed. It covered the whole front of the walk now.

Severus, who was safe upon a large white flagstone, deliberately stomped his boot, knowing the movement would cause the plant to turn towards him, and away from the helpless witch.

Sure enough, the carnivorous plant whipped about and lunged at him.

Snape snarled a Withering Curse, and the spell blasted into the plant like a meteor, striking the Tantagula head on.

The Tantagula started to rot and wither, shrieking furiously, and thrashing about futilely. It writhed and curled in upon itself, scraping the walk as it shrank away across the lawn, critically injured.

"Oh, thank Merlin, you were so quick, Severus!" Narcissa said gratefully.

 Severus nodded, then frowned. "You must be more careful, Narcissa." Then he pointed his wand and hissed, "Finite Incantatem."

Narcissa felt the spell holding her to the walk dissipate and she pulled her foot onto the safe red square with a huge sigh of relief. "I'm sorry. I only brushed against the wrong tile." She looked uncertainly at the Potions Master. "Where do I step next?"

"The gray stone to the right, and then two stones up to the white one," he instructed.

That brought her even with Severus and then he could lead the way once more.

"How do you know where to walk?"

"Sorcerer's sight," he replied shortly. "I can see where a spell has been placed and know where to avoid it."

They resumed their odd hopping dance until they were upon the porch stairs.

Then Severus held up a hand again, and began looking for more traps.

Narcissa glanced up, for she felt more than heard something above them.

A great skeletal wyvern with shredded wings dove upon them from the roof, screaming in fury.

"Look out, Snape!"

Her warning came a scant second too late.

Severus managed to jerk a hand up just before the wyvern's bony talons closed upon his arm, biting deep into his flesh.

The black-garbed wizard cursed and gasped, trying to fend off the beast as best he could, but the sheer size of the thing knocked him down.

The skeletal wyvern howled and opened its jaws, ready to tear the trespassing wizard to shreds.

Until Narcissa cast a Shattering Curse upon it and blew it apart.

Bits and pieces of bone rained down upon them, but Severus managed to get to his feet, one hand clamped about his arm, which was bleeding badly.

"Are you all right?"

"I'll live," Severus answered through gritted teeth. He withdrew a flask from a pocket of his robes and sprinkled it upon the jagged laceration. The bleeding halted and the wound sealed itself somewhat. "I'll see to it later," he said, and ripped off a strip of his sleeve and bound it tightly.

Then he removed a yellow potion from another pocket and gulped its contents. "Antitoxin. Just in case." He gave her a slight smile. "You aren't so bad yourself in the combat department, Cissa."

She blushed. "I earned top scores in my NEWTS for Defense, but Lucius would never permit me to train as an Auror. Said it wasn't fitting for his wife to be employed like some middle-class hedge witch. I haven't had to use anything like that for years."

"You did well. Thank you," Severus said, then resumed dowsing for evil influences.

There was a spell upon the door itself, though Snape was unable to determine its exact nature.

Before he could cast another revealing charm, the dragon knocker upon the door opened its eyes and spoke.  "Whosoever desires to pass the threshold must first answer three questions. Succeed and you may enter Malfoy Manor. Fail and your magic is forfeit."

Both wizards exchanged glances.

"A Riddle Test?" Narcissa queried, half to herself. "I thought he had disabled that particular ward a long time ago, ever since it nearly drained Cornelius Fudge one time when he showed up unexpectedly."

"Would you know the answers to the questions?"

"Yes, unless he's changed them." She turned to the dragon knocker. "Guardian, what is thy first question?"

"A simple one, my lady," sneered the dragon. "What is the motto of the most high and pure Malfoy family and what is their crest?"

"Typical." Narcissa snorted and Severus cast his eyes heavenward. "You never did miss a chance to proclaim your pureblood status to the heavens, Luc." She cleared her throat and responded, "The motto of the most pure Malfoys is "Power lies in purity and greatness in power." And the crest is of a wyvern rampant upon a bloodred field holding a flaming sword in its jaws."

"Correct." The dragon turned to Severus. "Your turn. What most potent potion did Margrave Malfoy develop that gained him renown throughout the wizarding world?"

Severus sighed. "Lucius, you are so predictable." Then he answered the waiting dragon. "Margrave Malfoy developed a Nerve Stimulant Elixir, which is used in combating the effects of the Cruciatus Curse." But not out of any wish to end suffering, he wanted to be able to torture Muggleborns more effectively, and that enabled him to keep his victims alive longer, thought the Potions Master with a sneer. Still, the potion did work and it proved the old adage that something good could come out of something bad.

"Correct. All hail the Malfoy name!"

Then it looked at Narcissa. "Next question. Cousin to fire, yet born of ice am I, dweller in the midnight sun, the wind my companion, out of legend I arise, but forgotten is my name. What am I?"

Narcissa thought for several minutes. She knew the answer to this riddle, it had been one of the first Lucius had designed, but it had been long since she had studied the riddle game. She struggled to recall the answer, then all at once she recalled a toy Draco had once had, a white and blue tinged replica of an "Ice dragon!" she cried. "Cousin to a dragon, who breathes fire, yet it alone breathes ice and lives in the far north, where hardly anything dwells save the wind, it is so rare most wizards have forgotten they even exist."

"Very good. You are more intelligent than you look," said the dragon, chuckling. "Ready, sour puss?" it smirked at Severus's glower. "A stone, a wand, and a cloak, three brothers possessed, but then lost, vanished without a trace, bringing ruin upon all who find them. Of what do I speak?"

Severus replied a few moments later. "You speak of the Deathly Hallows. The three objects are the Resurrection Stone, the Elder Wand, and the Cloak of Invisibility."

The dragon seemed most put out. "Correct. Last question, pretty lady. If I were to add crushed snake fangs to a draught made from asphodel, unicorn horn, ground tansy, and shredded lupine, what would occur?"

Narcissa scowled. "Do you know the answer, Severus?" The Potions Master nodded.

"But he cannot answer! You must do so!" declared the knocker smugly. "Well?"

"Half a moment, you talking piece of melted tin!" snapped Narcissa, closing her eyes and trying to recall the potion ingredients for such a draught. Potions had never been her strongest subject, though she had done well in it.

At last she recalled a similar question on her NEWTS, and remembered that adding snake fangs to any solution containing unicorn hair would result in an explosion.

"Correct. You may pass." The dragon said, sounding very annoyed. Then it glared at Snape. "Final question, wizard. What was the name of Lucius Malfoy's dog he had as a child and what breed was it?"

"What the bloody hell kind of question is that?" demanded Severus.

"One with an answer. Do you know it, wizard?" the dragon inquired insolently.

Severus ground his teeth together. How the hell was he supposed to know about Lucius's pet that he had probably had twenty years ago, before Severus had ever known him? He threw an exasperated look at Narcissa, who looked very puzzled. "Do you know the answer, Narcissa?"

"I . . .I'm not sure . . .I could have sworn . . .we never had a pet recently . . ."

"Silence! You may not assist him!" yelled the knocker.

Severus wished he could simply curse the knocker into pieces, but he wasn't sure if that would break the spell over the entrance. There had to be a way to figure this out. He cudgeled his brain, trying to recall any instances where Lucius might have mentioned a favorite pet to him. Minutes passed, and the knocked sniggered.

"You're stumped! Admit it!"

"Quiet! I'm concentrating, you pompous arse-licking twit!"

"Humph! Really! Such language!"

What kind of name would Lucius come up with for a dog? What self-respecting dog would ever want to be his pet? Severus wondered. He thought of Hagrid's beloved Fang and that in turn triggered a memory of standing amid a circle of Death Eaters, with MacNair claiming that disemboweling that silly Prodgrass's mutt was easier than taking candy from a baby. "The fool will be weeping like a whipped child when he ses what's become of his pet, aye!"  And Severus had fought to keep from hexing the evil bastard, only to have Lucius remark, in his cold patrician manner, "Dogs are overrated. Man's best friend, ha! Give me a cat or an owl any day of the week. The best cat I ever had was a Nightdusk Longhair named Swiftpaw. . ."

"I'm waiting! I haven't got all day here!" whined the dragon.

"Lucius Malfoy never had a dog, he had a cat named Swiftpaw, a Nightdusk Longhair, to be exact."

The dragon ground the ring between its jaws. "Blast! Correct. You may enter. Enjoy your stay at Malfoy Manor."

Then the double doors swung open and the two stepped over the threshold into the great marble tiled entrance hall.

Narcissa walked in first, glancing about warily, then saying softly, "Now where is Draco? I told him to be packed and ready to leave."

There was soft cough and a blond boy dressed in a gray cable knit sweater and black trousers emerged from the den off the entrance hall. "I'm here, Mother. What took you so long? Father might return any minute."

Narcissa rushed over and hugged her son, much to his embarrassment. "Draco, are you all right? He didn't . . .hurt you or anything, did he?" She cupped her son's face in her hands and eyed him worriedly.

"No, I've been careful to stay out of his way as much as possible. He's been in nasty temper." The boy suppressed a shiver.

"Come, Narcissa. We should leave," Severus said softly.

Draco's eyes widened. "Professor Snape? What are you doing here? My father said he would rip out your organs and roast them over a fire if he ever saw you here again."

"Wishful thinking," snorted the spy.

"Are you all set?"

"Yes, Mother. Where are we going?"

"You'll find out when you get there," Severus said briskly, then shrank the boy's trunk and owl cage and handed them to Narcissa. "Ready?"

Narcissa and Draco nodded. Then all three vanished with a loud snapping crack and Malfoy Manor stood empty of occupents, save for two house elves.