Once inside, Evelyn began supper. She had been delayed in doing so, as she had been busy catching the birds for the thestrals. Harry was really hungry and rather wished supper would cook faster, though Evelyn was still chopping potatoes. Curious, he walked over to a pot resting on the edge of the table, and saw something weird looking soaking in water within it.

     "What is that?" Harry asked, looking at the strange, brownish things in the pot.

     "Dried fish," said Evelyn. "I have been soaking it."

     "Oh," said Harry, not sure what to think of this. He glanced over at Snape, who scowled and walked out the door. Not particularly interested in where he was going, Harry sat down at the table, rather bored. After about five minutes, Evelyn looked over to him, sitting forlorn at the table.

     "Why don't you go outside?" she suggested gently as she threw the potatoes into a pot. "Dinner will be a while."

    "Okay," Harry said, and did just that.

     Harry could hear Maggie running and laughing around the side of the house furthest from the door. He didn't feel like playing with her, so he wandered a little ways, thinking he might just walk around a while. He didn't expect to find anything interesting on his little walk, but as he went down the same slope that he had taken with Snape to go lure the thestrals, he saw something mildly interesting. He was surprised to see Snape crouched behind a log, watching something intently over the top of it. Harry walked over, curious as to what his professor was doing. He was a few feet away from Snape when he spoke.

    "Professor Sn-"

   "Shh, Potter!" said Snape hurriedly, his wand arm resting on the top of the log. He gestured for Harry to crouch too, a look on his face suggesting that he couldn't believe his luck.

     "What is it?" Harry mouthed once he too was behind the log.

    "Dinner," Snape said, lip curled into a rather frightening grin.

    Harry's eyes followed where Snape's wand was pointing, and saw a fluffy rabbit, chewing serenely on the clover not far away.

    "But -" Harry began, only to be shushed.

     In horror Harry watched Snape aim, and before he could further object Snape flicked his wrist and a jet of red light shot at the rabbit. It looked up just as the spell hit it, and tumbled back over its hind legs, its pale belly to the dim sky.

    Harry rushed over to the rabbit, eyes wide. Its chubby little cheeks were still full of clover, and its mouth was gaping open, pink tongue lolling out for all to see. Harry could feel his knees trembling as he looked at the poor thing.

    "Got it!" Snape said triumphantly, staring down at it as well, though with an entirely different expression.

   "Is it ... is it?" Harry asked, horrified.

   "Dead?"

   Harry nodded.

    "Not yet," said Snape as he picked it up. "I stunned it. It is far too dangerous to fire a killing curse around here, might hit someone. But a quick twist of the neck should do it."

    "Why would you though?" Harry asked. "Evelyn's got dried fish for dinner."

    "I hate fish Potter," Snape said with passion as he surveyed the rabbit in his hands. It twitched.

    "But it's so fluffy!" Harry said faintly, his gaze also upon the stunned rabbit in Snape's grasp.

     "Yes, and tasty."  Snape had an oddly glazed look on his face for a moment or two. He returned to earth at the expression of horror on Harry's face.

     "Fish isn't so bad, and that rabbit deserves to live!"

     "First off ... yes, yes it is," Snape said with the same amount of seriousness that Hermione possessed when professing the importance of studying, "and second, life isn't fair."

      Snape made to break the rabbit's neck, but hesitated. He looked to Harry's devastated expression and then to the rabbit, with its tongue lolling and its cheeks puffed up with clover. He scowled so heavily and suddenly that Harry took a step back in alarm. Then, much to his surprise, Snape roughly stuffed the twitching rabbit into Harry's arms.

    "Fine," he spat venomously. "You are so much like your mother it hurts." He then spun on his heel and stalked back to the cottage, muttering all the way about how stupid fluffy little animals were and why on earth everyone had to think they were so damned cute. He didn't appear to realise that he had confirmed he actually had known Lily.

     Harry set the rabbit on the ground, and watched it from afar as it began to move again. It looked surprised then startled. It looked around, and seeing and hearing nothing resumed chewing the clover. Harry glanced toward the little hill where Snape had disappeared beyond, and couldn't help but grin when he thought of the comment Snape had made just before he stormed off. Harry had the strangest feeling that wherever his mother was, she was laughing right now.

       ***

    Evelyn and Snape rose at the crack of dawn to ready themselves for the rescue. Harry chose to get up to observe the action. He sat at the table eating his bread and jam, watching Snape sketch out their final routes on the roughly drawn map that Evelyn created earlier. With bright ink they had highlighted areas where McTavish was likely to have lookouts, and the best possible places that they would be able to hide the thestrals and still have quick access to the square. There were three possible places for the Evelyn and the thestrals, and if all went well they be located by the place that Snape had scrawled a large A on. Evelyn made Harry look at the map for a while to make sure he understood it and knew their rough whereabouts should he need to find them, though she said that in all likelihood he would be fine staying behind with little Maggie.  Harry watched as the squiggling line outlining their route from the square grew on the parchment under Snape's careful hand, curving and winding so that it avoided open areas on the map, and instead wove around forested places.

    "Why not just go straight?" asked Harry after swallowing his last bite of bread and jam.

    "Three reasons Potter," Snape began, head bent low over the parchment and his quill gliding this way and that. "One: our destination will be harder to ascertain. Two: we will be less likely to be shot by arrows or spells. Three: this route - along with the backup ones - will help us to stay unnoticed by passers-by below. Must I really continue to explain this?" he added slightly exasperatedly without looking up.

      "No sir," Harry said.

     "That was rhetorical."

      "Er, rhetorical?"

      "In this context it refers to a question that does not require an answer and is asked to prove a point or to add emphasis," said Snape irritably as he dipped his quill back in the ink. "And here is a non-rhetorical question for you: Don't you have someone else to bother?"

     "No," scowled Harry.

     "Go outside then."

     "I don't really-"

     "That was an order, not a suggestion," said Snape dryly as he capped the ink and tapped the map with his wand, two identical copies appearing next to the original. He folded one and handed it to Harry to keep just in case.

     Harry tore his gaze away from the map and began his way to the door, quite miffed at Snape's irritating ways.

     "Hang on Harry," said Evelyn as she made sure Maggie's buttons were all done up on her dress, "can you help Maggie into her shoes so she can go out too?"

     "Sure," Harry said as Maggie practically bounced over to Harry, her hair still sticking up from sleeping.

     "Hi Harry!" she said as she stuffed her feet into her shoes. Harry helped her with the buckles and let her follow him out into the morning light.

     "Stay close to the house Maggie!" called Evelyn from the house.

     "Uh huh," said Maggie as she ran over to the other side of the house.

     Harry contented himself with flopping down on the grass and listening to the birds saying good morning. It was quite peaceful for a while, but the calmness was disturbed not ten minutes later when Harry heard a sound quite different from chirping and twittering. It took him a moment to identify it, but he soon realised it was the clip clop of a horse's hooves. It was certainly going fast. He realised quite suddenly that Maggie was silent, and just then Harry thought he heard the horse halt. A sudden gripping fear pierced Harry as he leapt up and ran to the other side of the house. The patch of grass Maggie usually played tea in was empty, and she was nowhere to be seen. There was a rustling sound far off in the belt of trees and bushes that bordered the yard.

     "Maggie, where are you?" called Harry, worried. Silence answered him, which was broken after a moment by a slight jangle, which he thought came from the metal pieces on the horse' reigns.

     "Maggie!" he called loudly as the clip clopping of the horse' hooves resumed, and the panic in him grew even more.

     "I'm right here!" said Maggie grumpily, walking out from some bushes nearby and making Harry jump. Funny, Harry had thought he heard the rustling noise at least a couple of feet from there.

     "Evelyn told you to stay close to the house, and not go wandering," Harry scolded. "Why didn't you come right away?"

    "I didn't hear you," said Maggie resentfully.

    "What's wrong?" called Evelyn as she ran over to them, looking worried. "I thought I heard ..."

     "A horse?" Harry asked.

    "No, you yelling for Maggie," said Evelyn. "Why, was there a horse?"

    "Yeah," said Harry. "It just galloped by."

    "Oh, that's nothing really to worry about," said Evelyn as Snape came to join them as well, looking annoyed. "We get a few people passing to go to the next town over. The road isn't far from here, the sound probably carried."

     "It sounded pretty loud though," said Harry hesitantly.

    "I wouldn't worry about it. Is everything alright otherwise?"

    "Yeah, I just couldn't find Maggie for a moment, but she was just playing in the trees," Harry told Evelyn.

    "Maggie, play closer to the house now, okay?" said Evelyn.

   "I want to come inside instead," Maggie said, wining a little.

   "No you cannot, we're busy," said Evelyn. "You can stay out and play with Harry."

   Maggie scowled as Snape and Evelyn rounded the corner to go back into the house. 

    Harry looked over to her, wondering why she was so grumpy, as he had only known her to be quiet and well mannered. Oh well, everyone had off days. Harry watched Maggie closely after that, though he wasn't told he had to. He thought he should. He noticed that she really wanted to go inside, as she made a few excuses to do so, though quite unsuccessfully as Evelyn thwarted all of her plans and marched her back out.

     "Why don't we play the game we did yesterday?" Harry suggested.

    "Which one?" Maggie said, rather uninterested as she glanced over at the door.

    "You know, the one where you run the shop," Harry said, a little confused for they had only played one game. "I come in and trade things."

    "Oh, that one. No, I don't want to."

    "Er, alright." Harry was a little disappointed actually, for he had had fun the other day playing with Maggie, but right now she seemed rather unwilling to do anything but get inside the house. 

           ***

      It was almost time for the rescue mission to get underway, and Harry was helping Snape lead the thestrals up the hill. It was the first chance in a rather long time that Harry got to be alone with Snape, when he was in a good mood that is. Harry recognized this immediately as his chance. He had been working himself up for it all day, for he had decided that it was now or never, with Snape and Evelyn going on a dangerous rescue mission and all. He was going to tell Snape that he had forgiven him for passing on that piece of information so many years ago. Harry felt he needed to tell Snape, not just for him, but so that maybe Snape wouldn't feel so guilty, or be so convinced that he deserved to die for it. It had been a bit frightening back in the prison when Snape had been telling Harry that death was the price he thought he should pay for his mistake, regardless of what he had done since. The look in his eyes was so sure, and so positive that Harry was the only innocent one that was to be taken to the platform.

     "Sir?" Harry asked, a little nervous. No, very nervous, especially because he knew he did not have much time. 

    "What?" Snape asked as they walked up the hill together, the thestrals trailing along behind them. Evelyn was waiting by the house, and Harry could see her head at the top of the hill, her brown hair waving in the wind.

     "Can I tell you something?" Harry asked as they drew nearer still, wishing he didn't sound so scared.

     "Do you need to tell me now, exactly?" Snape said, though not unkindly as he checked his watch. "There isn't much time."

    "Well," Harry said hesitantly.

     "Come on Severus," called Evelyn hurriedly, who was pacing. They increased their speed as they reached the house.

    "I'm sorry Potter but it will have to wait for after," said Snape, sounding rushed as Evelyn sped toward the gate in the fence that enclosed the little property, the two of them close behind her.

     "Okay, I guess," Harry said, not feeling brave enough to say that he was worried he might not get to tell him if he didn't say it now. Some Gryffindor he was.

They had reached where Evelyn was standing, waving her wand in complicated patterns, her brow furrowed.

     "Is something wrong?" asked Harry a little gloomily.

    "The wards are acting a little funny," said Evelyn, frowning. "They are weaker than before."

     "Wards do lose strength over time," supplied Snape, who was now leaning casually up against the fence, the two ropes attached to the thestrals in his hands.  

     "Yes, but I just redid them after Maggie showed up ... well, perhaps I didn't do them as well as I thought."

    "You were awfully worried about everyone when you did them," Harry piped up.

     "You're probably right," said Evelyn, shaking her head before doing a few more charms to update the wards. "It's a good thing I checked."

     "Be careful," said Harry, Maggie staring at the floating ropes Snape held onto. 

    "What are those?" she asked curiously, pointing.

    "Thestrals," said Snape. "They're a bit like horses. They're invisible to most people."

    "Oh!" said Maggie, finding that extremely interesting. Her eyes were wide, and she had a slight smile on her face.

      "You two stay here," Evelyn warned, finishing up the charms on the wards.

       "Preferably inside with the window and door shut," Snape added hastily. "Don't let anybody see you, and don't leave unless there is an emergency. If something happens" - he looked to Harry - "you know the places we are likely to be." Harry barely held back a laugh, as Snape's words reminded him of the time that Aunt Petunia had gone to get milk and left him and Dudley alone for the first time. She had said something very similar.

    "Yes sir," Harry replied as Snape shut the gate.

     And with that the two of them set off. Evelyn turned into a raven, speeding through the air and diving into the trees up ahead where the wards ended.

     "Wait!" Harry called suddenly to Snape before he could stop himself.

       Snape spun around, and looked at him as though he were trying to figure out what Harry was thinking. Harry suddenly lost his nerve.

       "Good luck," he called miserably to Snape, who nodded, still giving Harry (who was mentally kicking himself for not saying what he wanted to) the same calculating look.

   And with that Snape gave a leap and swung himself up onto the thestral at the front of the group. It broke out into a run, the rope with the others trailing bizarrely along. As the trees swallowed them and the sound of the thestrals' footfalls faded, Harry couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong with the whole thing; that something had been overlooked and was lurking nearby, ready to pounce. And he was more right than he, Evelyn, or Snape could possibly know.