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.