Severus smiled at the gentle touch against his cheek followed by flood of warmth through out his body overflowing the blissful blackness of his sleep. He knew the touch and snuggled down into his bed, letting the dream wash over him. It had been so long since she'd been with him, except in his dreams. He missed her. He missed the very idea of her.

"Sev."

He heard her voice and shifted closer to the sound while resisting the force pulling him toward consciousness. He could feel her fingers playing with his hair, pushing it behind his ears and caressing his cheek. "Bella," he sighed.

"Sev, wake up," Arabella said, "Please."

His eyes snapped open at the strained quality in her usually calm, rich voice. He smiled slightly at seeing her lying on her side facing him; even knowing she was distressed didn't stop the contentment at waking in her presence. The smile faded quickly though as he recognized the trouble expression on her face and the worry that clouded her eyes. Reaching out, he returned her caress, gently tracing the outline of her face with a finger as the sleep cleared from his brain.

"How is Dr. Granger?" He asked softly and watched the emotions warring within her eyes just before she rolled onto her back. Pushing himself up on his elbow, he shifted closer so that he could look down at her. He could see the water welling in her eyes and his heart plummeted to see how they glistened with both new and remembered pain. Even after fourteen years apart, he still remembered that all he could do was wait for her to talk.

"He's doesn't have much longer. He woke earlier; I gave him some pain potions and directed his energy to help him sustain consciousness for as long as possible. I woke Hermione so she could spend sometime with him before," her voice was broke and she was forced to take several deep breaths. "She's a Healer," Bella said flatly.

It took Severus several minutes to fully comprehend what or rather about whom she was talking. Hermione Granger a Healer? He had a hard time believing it; Granger was a Muggleborn and the chances of one of the ancient gifts manifesting itself in a Muggleborn were beyond astronomical. Healers, themselves, were extremely uncommon and for over a millennium had only come from one wizarding line - the Figgs. Technically, he figured it could happen, even if in all recorded history there wasn't one documented case.

"Are you sure?" He asked. His disbelief was obvious.

"Yeah, I suspected it when I found her the first time, especially after I examined her father. I confirmed it when she woke up. I think the ability was just beginning to wake when her father was hurt and her desperation triggered it full strength. She's pretty burned out right now and it's the only thing keeping her from being overwhelmed by her senses. She's going to need a lot of help once her magical strength returns."

He listened to her as she talked. Her weariness was obvious, both physically and emotionally. He knew if she didn't rest soon, her body would literally shut down, no longer capable of dealing with the demands she placed on her mind and body. Shifting his position beside her, he pulled her into arms and settled her against him, rubbing small circles against the small of her back.

"Did Dumbledore bring down Poppy?"

He felt her nod her head against his chest, affirming his suspicion. "Remus and Harry are making dinner. I sent Hermione to clean up; she needed some time alone."

"Dinner?" He asked, "How long did I sleep?" He was surprised. He hadn't intended to sleep more than an hour or two.

"It's around 5 in the evening. Harry took care of the potions, with some guidance. He was a bit nervous; scared he'd do something wrong. He did a rather good job." She yawned then continued, "He could probably use some reassurance though."

He remained there unmoving except for his hand caressing her back until he was sure she had slipped into a deep sleep. Carefully, he extricated himself and entered the bathroom, casting a silencing charm around the room so as not to disturb Bella's sleep. He almost laughed when he saw the clothes his wife had left for him, black slacks and a forest green lightweight sweater that was just warm enough to stave off the chill of stone walls. Sighing, he resigned himself to humoring Arabella's choice in clothing, at least until he could make it to his quarters to change. Quickly, he showered and dressed. He paused in the doorway of the bathroom, just watching Arabella sleep for a moment. Walking over to her, he kissed her briefly on the forehead before go to the door. He opened it to find Sirius in dog form sitting patiently on the other side. Stepping back, he motioned the dog to enter; for a moment their eyes meet in silence before Sirius trotted over to and jumped onto the bed, curling up at Arabella's feet. As much as he disliked depending on or asking for anything from Sirius, he rather she not be alone.

With one last glance, he shut the door behind him and walked toward the common room. He found Dumbledore by the fire, a tray of food resting on the table before him. The elder wizard gestured for Severus to take a seat and help himself to the food. Sitting down on the sofa, he took a roll from the tray and picked at it half-heartedly.

"How is Arabella?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not good. She's exhausted."

The door to the infirmary swung open and both he and Dumbledore looked to see Remus exit with Harry behind him. The Headmaster sighed audibly, his eyes turning from the two figures. It was easy to see the burden that weighed the elder wizard down in that moment. "Did Arabella tell you what caused Ms. Granger's condition?"

"She's a Healer." He answered simply.

"Poor child," he whispered, shaking his head slightly, "We'll have to protect her," Dumbledore said, his attention fixed on the duo approaching. Severus felt a surge of protectiveness surge through him at the mention of the young woman; he felt it on countless occasions when Arabella, and more recently, Harry were hurt or threatened.

"WWN is reporting the Grangers' deaths; Fudge released a statement claiming it was an accident; that she was likely attempting some illegal magic." Remus said softly as he reached the sitting area, disgust clearly evident in his voice.

"It is likely for the best," Severus sighed.

"Best?! What the hell are you talking about?" Harry hissed, "She just lost everything and you say it's for the best?"

Severus flinched at the anger and resentment he heard in Harry's voice. He looked up at his son and saw the pain, frustration and guilt that were bubbling just under his surface. He could see that Harry was on the verge of cracking and wished there was something he could do to help or comfort him.

"Severus, perhaps you should explain?" Dumbledore stated.

He nodded then stated with a false calm, "As long as Voldemort thinks she, they, are dead, he won't be hunting her down. The best way to keep her safe and alive is to make sure she stays dead."

"He's right, Harry," Remus stated in a resigned voice.

"I know." Severus almost missed his son's softly spoken words. He watched Remus place a comforting hand on Harry's arm before glancing over at him. "So what do we do now?" Harry asked as he walked over and collapsed onto the opposite corner of the sofa from Severus.

"For now, Harry, we wait," Dumbledore said softly. "I believe both you and Ms. Granger have enough to deal with just now."

An uneasy silence settled over the group for several minutes, before Dumbledore sighed and rose from his seat.

"If you will excuse me, gentleman, there are things I must attend to," he said. "Remus, will you accompany me? There is something I would like to discuss with you."

Remus nodded, casting Harry a sympathetic look before following the headmaster out of the room leaving them alone in the room. Several awkward minutes went by as Severus struggled to find something to say to his son. He could see the boy - young man - slumped back against the sofa looking worn and exhausted yet fighting to stay awake. Finally, his eyelids slid shut and didn't flutter open again. Pulling out his wand, Severus quickly drew out his wand and whispered a sound muting charm to keep any sudden or loud noises from waking Harry then settled back down in his chair, prepared to act as a sentinel guarding his sleep from nightmares.

He watched Harry sleep for several minutes and felt the awe and trepidation wash over him anew. Severus didn't think he would ever adjust to the power of the emotions the simple sight of his child evoked in him. The first time he'd seen Harry after remembering the truth of his parentage, his body had fairly trembled with the overwhelming emotions - love, fear and protectiveness. The sheer intensity had driven him from the great hall; even now he could still feel the internal shaking.

Harry shifted in his sleep and Severus tensed, prepared to leap to the young man's side in aide. Instead of showing any signs of distress, however, Harry settled more comfortable into the sofa and seemed to drift into a deeper sleep. Relieved, Severus leaned back in the armchair and idly fingered the chain around his neck as he remembered a brief time when soothing Harry back to sleep had been an easy task. Unconsciously, he pulled the chain out from under his sweater until the small glass ball that hung from it rested in his hands. As he rolled the ball lightly through his fingers, he could almost hear his own voice soothing an infant Harry; he could feel the weight of a phantom child against his chest as he breathing slowly evened out in a restful pattern.

"Professor?"

The soft, hesitant voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to see the red, tear-stained face of Hermione Granger. He looked up at her from his seated position for several moments before silently gesturing toward the unused side of the sofa. Quietly, the young woman took the seat, nearly curling into a ball by pulling her knees in tightly to her chest. He could see the goose pimples dotting her exposed arms and instinctively summoned a blanket. With the warm fleece throw blanket in hand, he rose from his seat and gently wrapped the blanket around the shoulders of the slightly shaking young girl. As he slid back into the armchair, he noticed her wide-eyed, startled expression and tried to keep a smirk off his face. She glanced down quickly, breaking the eye contact but he could see her studying him out of the corner of her eye. Despite the way her hair was hiding her face and thus her expression, or perhaps because of it, he found him self struck by her sudden and strong resemblance to Arabella and he felt his breath quicken slightly. He quickly dismissed any odd suspicions, marking it up to the strain and the similarity in situations between the two women. The two females had very little in common, appearance wise. Their hair and eyes were very different in color; in actuality, Ms. Granger looked far more like Arabella's mother than Arabella herself. Yet, there had been something in the way she looked at him.

"Is that a Memoria Globe, Professor?"

Granger's voice startled him from his introspection, for a moment he couldn't fathom what she was talking about; at least until he shifted his position and felt the bouncing weight of the memory ball hitting his arm. Looking down, he grasped the globe in his hand and rolled it over his fingers. "Yes, Ms. Granger, it is indeed a Memoria Globe," he replied in a cool but not unkind tone. "Would you care to examine it?"

At her hesitant nod, Severus removed the chain from his neck and placed the orb and chain in her hand. Carefully, she retracted her hand and held the small globe up close to her face.

"I've read about these, but never actually seen one. It's beautiful; two glass globes, one inside the other with the Memoria mist filling the gap. The inner globe looks like its dark blue or maybe dark green; was this made in Avalon, sir?" she asked, her amazement clear in her voice.

"No," he replied. He wasn't surprised she knew the significance of the color of the interior orb and the connection to Avalon and old magics; he would have been more surprised if she hadn't. "But it was made with water from Avalon's well."

Even as she spoke, she never looked up from the ornament in her hand. He watched her running her fingers over what appeared to be etchings in the glass. "Is there significance to the engraving?" she asked, looking up at him for the first time since taking the orb.

He nodded his head, "It's a prayer. It asks the powers that be to protect that which is held most dear and represented by what is kept within the globe."

She smiled slightly, the small curl of her lips enough to convey a sense of bitter-sweetness that, again, reminded him sharply of Arabella.

"Will you show," Granger started, only to stop with a stricken look on her face, "I'm sorry, Professor. That was rude of me." She finished and held out the globe to him in a slightly trembling hand.

Severus took the Memoria globe from her hand and watched as she pulled back into herself, both physically and emotionally. She looked so frail and frightened as she sat there. Frail and frightened, two words he usually didn't associate with a Gryffindor. Harry moved in his sleep and Severus eyes flashed towards him. He looked peaceful now and Severus tried to remember the last time he'd been able to watch him sleep without him being so drugged up he wouldn't have known if Voldemort himself had entered the room. Looking down at the ball again, he concentrated on the memory. Extending his hand, he whispered "arddan.gros"1 and smiled as the gold light burst forth from the small globe.

He heard Granger's gasp of wonder as the light shifted into images and the soft sound of a laughing toddler filled the room. Severus watched as a young Harry toddled around while James and Sirius pretended to sneak up on him. Each time they would catch him they would grab him by the waist and toss him in the air. The boy would squeal in delight only to land safely on his feet and start the game again. In the midst of the game, Harry suddenly spotted Severus walking toward the group and took off towards him in a fashion that passed for running in one-year olds, giggling madly. Severus had paused, leaned low and scooped the boy up, tossing him in the air, then settling the boy on his hip as he continued his walk toward the group.

As he watched the recorded scene playback, he could almost feel the weight of the boy in his arms again and had to fight against the pain it caused him to realize just how much he'd missed in Harry's life. Swallowing to force the tightness in his chest down, he locked his face in a neutral expression and watched as the scene changed again. This time he could see Harry standing on the edge of a blanket, pushing against the magical barrier and crying. He could hear Lily cooing to him, trying to calm him with her voice while she and Arabella worked at preparing lunch. He could see the hints of amusement on both the women's faces when Harry fell, landing on his bottom and continued to pout before giving up on them altogether and crawling to the other side of the blanket. His little face lit up and he started mumbling nonsense words as he extended his pudgy arms toward someone in front of him.

Severus felt his heart quicken as he recognized the images playing out before him; he knew that the person Harry was reaching for in the image was him. He smiled slightly at the expression on the tired little boy's face. Suddenly, the image flashed brightly and Harry tumbled through the barrier, letting out a startled cry. Three startled cries of "Harry!" emanated from the image and Severus could see his own image rush into view as he scooped up the crying toddler and frantically checked him over before clutching the child to him, rocking him slowly and whispering reassurances to the boy and the two startled woman who rushed them. Sev remembered the terror he had felt when Harry's accidental magic had caused him to disappear in a that flash of light and how he had wanted, no needed to continue holding the boy to reassure himself he was okay. As the image began to fade he could hear himself murmuring to the calming child, "Shh, Harry. It's okay. I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you. It's okay."

Even after the projecting light from the orb dissipated, Severus eyes remained trained where the images had been.

"Does Harry know about that?"

The girl's voice was hushed and hesitant and as Severus turned toward her, he found her looking directly at him as if she had been studying him. He stared at her, trying to judge what it was she was really asking him.

"Does he remember this specific occasion, I do not know. He is aware that we were . . ." he paused, titling his head slightly as he looked at her through slightly narrowed eyes, "closer when he was a small child."

"Then why have you been..." she started to demand, her confusion and anger on her friends behalf quite evident. Severus had no doubt that her reaction was also intensified by her current circumstance.

"That is not for you to know, Ms. Granger," he replied, cutting off her inquiry sharply. She sat back as if slapped by his rebuke and he felt immediate regret at his tone. He willed his expression to soften before continuing in a more gentle tone, "You need to rest, Ms. Granger."

Rising from his chair, he pointed his wand at his armchair, whispered a spell to transfigure and meld the armchair into the sofa, expanding it into an "L" shape. Taking one of the pillows, he transfigured it into a softer, bed pillow and dropped at the end of the sofa. He waited for her to shift her position and finally raised an eyebrow in question when she didn't move.

"I don't want to sleep," she said softly.

When she glanced up at him, her eyes were glassy and frightened and he felt something tug at his heart. Cursing internally, he said, "I will remain here, Ms. Granger. At the first signs of a nightmare, I promise to wake you." Still, she didn't move, only glanced down at her tightly clenched hands. Taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to yell, Severus tried again, "Ms. Granger, you've had traumatic experience. I am sure Arabella explained it to you." He waited for her to nod and confirm his suspicions, "Then you already know your body needs rest to recuperate. If you insist on not sleeping, I will be forced into giving you a sleeping draught. If that happens, Arabella will forbid you from participating in whatever happens tonight. It is your choice."

She looked up at him with wide, panicked eyes brimming with tears, but slowly moved to lie down on the sofa. He watched as her eyes fluttered a few times before her body relaxed into much needed sleep. Walking across the sitting area, he took a seat in the remaining armchair. Pulling out his wand, he extended the sound muting charm to cover the Granger girl as well, summoned a book from the shelf, dimmed the lights and settled in for the next few hours of guarding the sleep of two blameless children from the spectors that would torment them.