August 2, 1995

Time was up. Severus had feared this day since he had stepped through the Veil of Time. He had lain awake for most of the night, curled around his wife, dreading the coming light. In the beginning, when the children were small, he had almost managed to forget he would soon have to explain himself to Voldemort and find a way to explain the existence of his family and protect them all at the same time. As the first red rays broke lit the edges of the drapes, Severus climbed quietly from the bed and gathered the robes and clothes Bella had set out for him and left the sleeping chamber. Entering the bathroom, he quickly bathed and dressed before exiting his rooms. Lucius had agreed to meet and accompany him to the Dark Lord; he would be arriving at any moment.

As he crept down the hall, he thought of how different his life had been a year ago as he crossed through the Veil. There had been no way he could imagine how important the children would become to him. He had loved his son, that was unquestioned, but he hadn't been able to conceive of how integral spending time with Harry would become to him. He couldn't imagine not having the boy in his life now; not having his son's love – or his daughter's for that matter.

And that is what Hermione had become – completely. His Livia. His daughter. If anyone had suggested to him that such a bond was possible when he had met the Gryffindor on her first day of classes – or any day there after – he would have thought them mad. It had taken a tragedy and her close proximity for him to see the similarity she bore to Bella and for him to realize he could care for her as a individual and not just a student. The thought that she could be revealed and what would happen to her and all of them if that happened had terrified him. The nightmares that resulted from these fears often propelled him into his lab during the late hours of the night.

Nightmares or no, he'd often climbed from his bed in the middle of the night to watch the children sleep. It had become a nightly ritual for him, to stand in the doorway to the nursery. His thoughts were always the same; that it was amazingly easy to love the small girl that slept in one of the two beds in the room. Her resemblance to his Bella, with her dark hair, eyes shaped like those of her adoptive mother and her uncanny ability to mimic Bella's facial expressions made her impossible for him to resist, but he couldn't deny that a large part had simply been her own doing. She was a bright, eager child who willingly and freely gave him her love; it was hard not to return it.

And then there was Harry. He had only just begun to accept him when he had been returned to infancy. The gulf between them immense and he wasn't sure they'd ever truly close it. It had been one of the reasons he agreed to de-aging, the chance to build a relationship with his son without all the mental barbed wire that blocked their path. The closer time grew to the day Harry's memories would be restored, the more he feared he would lose him again.

"Papa?"

Severus turned immediately upon hearing his son's quiet and slightly scared voice calling to him. Harry was shuffling his feet slightly and looking at him with those wide, innocent green eyes full of apprehension. His straight, blue-black hair was ruffled from sleep and hung in disarray about his head. With a gentle smile, Severus called to his son, "Come here, Darrius"

Harry ran towards him, throwing his arms about Severus' waist. "Don't go, Papa, please."

"I will not be long," Severus replied coolly, but gently as he separated himself from the boy's grasp. Kneeling down in front of him, he asked, "What is upsetting you, Darrius?"

"I don't like it when you leave," he mumbled softly. "Everyone is leaving."

Severus sighed. Remus and Sirius had left the night before and both Harry and Livia had been rather upset. Bella had to use her skills and a promise they would see them in a week to soothe them. "I promise you, I will return as soon as possible. I need you to look after your mother and sister while I am gone. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, sir." Harry replied quietly.

Severus' smiled and glanced down the hall, intending to send Harry back to his room and to bed. His eyes caught the fleeting sight of wavy black hair. Livia – Hermione. Of course, she would be awake. Softly, he called up to her, "Livia, come here."

With a slightly more timid manner than usual, she walked toward them, "Yes, Papa?"

"Care to tell me why you are skulking about?"

"I heard you leaving and didn't wish you to go, either." She replied softly.

Severus sighed. These two small children would be his undoing. "Go back to bed, both of you," he said. Kissing them both on the head, he told them both he loved them and would return soon before sending them to their beds. He watched for a few moments as they walked down the hall before rising and proceeding down the stairs. Within minutes, he was greeting Lucius in the Great Hall.

"You look well, Severus," Lucius said smoothly, "Are you prepared?"

"As much as is possible, Lucius," he replied coolly as he adjusted his cloak about his shoulders.

"And Bella and the twins? They are well," Lucius asked as he smoothed the supple dragon hide gloves he wore over his hands.

"Well, all of them," Severus paused and moved to face Lucius directly. "You may hear things today that are contradictory to what I have told you in the past. It was necessary to protect my family. You understand?" he stated, his gaze intent on Malfoy and determining how far he could depend on the man. Both men remained quiet as they examined the other until Lucius' eyes drifted toward the curving stairs. A slow slime curled Lucius' lips before he turned his gaze back to Severus. "I understand Severus and I do believe we have company." Lucius' head tilted toward the stairs and Severus turned in time to catch Harry and Hermione dashing behind the wall.

"Darrius, Livia, come down here," he called out and watched as both children slowly made their way out from their hiding place and down the stairs. As they descended, he tried to see them as if for the first time, to see them as Lucius was seeing them now. Darrius was taller than he had been at the same age in the guise of Harry Potter, but just as skinny, or perhaps lanky was a better term. His features were finer as well; his face showed signs of eventually bearing an elegant, chiseled appearance. The sharper features and slimmer face had taken away some of the innocent appearance his once rounded features had given him. His blue-black hair, though still messy, was longer and wavier than it had been before. The length he knew was a result of the rapid growth, but the texture of his hair was very different from James' and even when messy was never as uncontrollable as it had been. The resemblance between his son and himself at the same age was remarkable; yet with the different nose – Severus' mother's nose - and eye shape and color, Severus suspected he would grow to be quite handsome.

Hermione was equally the same and yet different in her appearance. Her hair was brown-black like Bella's and quite long, falling down to the middle of her back in soft waves. Her eyes were dark brown, almond shaped and slightly narrow, again like Bella's. She had full lips and sculpted bone structure, even at eleven. She was half a head shorter than Harry and equally as thin, which gave her a waif-like, almost elfin appearance.

When they reached the foot of the stairs, Severus said, "Children, I would like you to meet a friend. This is Mr. Malfoy."

"Good Morning, Mr. Malfoy," both children responded. Hermione then took a step forward, looking up at Lucius and said, "Are you my Draco's Papa?"

"Well, Severus," Lucius said in his distinct drawl, "Your children are quite good looking, though I was expecting teenagers." Turning to look down on Hermione, he said, "Yes, my dear, I am Draco's father."

"Is he here, too?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening in her excitement. He and Bella had told her about the arrangement between the families and the history behind it. In her child's innocence and imagination, she turned it into a sort of fairytale. She had developed quite a crush on Draco based on pictures and stories they had shown her. Her eagerness didn't surprise Severus, though he did find it amusing to see Lucius try to cover his surprise.

"No Livia, Draco is not here, Now, both of you, back to bed. I will see you later." Severus answered. To Lucius, he said, "I will explain about their age later. We need to be going."

Severus watched as both children nodded and reluctantly turned and made their way back up the stairs toward their rooms. A sudden sense of fear at leaving them filled him. He had no way of knowing what would happen today and couldn't help but wonder what would happen to his children should he die as a result of Voldemort's temper. How would they cope with loosing yet another parent? The urge to dash after them was strong, but he resisted. Appearances, after all, must be kept. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder and looked back to see Lucius standing behind him; the look on the blonde man's face was softer, a look of understanding reflected in his icy eyes. It was a rare thing, for Lucius to lower his mask and allow you to see the human being inside. With a nod, Severus stepped away and gestured toward the doors. "Shall we?" he asked.

The mask firmly reappeared on Lucius Malfoy's face as he inclined his head in agreement and preceded Severus through the door.

"Luuuciuss tellssss me you have newssss?"

Years of practice at hiding his reactions made his body's shudder at the hissing sound of the Voldemort's voice hardly noticeable as he rose from the low bow that was required upon arriving the Dark Lord's presence. No one saw anything other than an erect and steady posture and an emotionless mask. "Yes, my lord," he replied smoothly, "I have news of my wife. I have found her."

"Really," the dark lord said as he walked down from his dais and circled Severus slowly, watching his reactions closely. "And where has she been these past years?"

"Hiding, my lord, from the Ministry. She feared their interference after your fall. She wished to protect my children." Severus said and waited for the Dark Lord's eyes narrow as he stared at him.

"Tell me, my Luciusss, " Voldemort said, his focus still on Severus as he spoke. "Did you know of this?"

"I did not know she lived, my lord, until recently – though both my wife and I hoped she did," Lucius replied smoothly. "We did not know of the children until after her return."

"Neither my wife or myself know they survived birth, my lord. Sirius … " Severus explained, forcing barely feigned disgust into his voice at the mention of his brother-in-law. "My wife's brother … was the only one present and there were serious complications. Bella was too weak and nearly died, my lord. Sirius told us they were still-borne."

"Continue," he hissed.

For a brief second, Severus hesitated, gathering all his strength, discipline and skill to present the strong, unbreakable assurance he needed to convince Voldemort of his tale. "When Sirius believed I was dead," he started, "he confessed to Arabella that he had secreted the children away. He felt Muggles would be a better influence on my children than a Death Eater." He spat the words out, lacing them with just enough resentment and bitterness to be believable. "He told her where they were hidden but before she could retrieve them, you destroyed those meddling Potters. That moron Fudge targeted her, used her as a scapegoat and blacklisted her. She feared what the ministry would do if they learned of the children; as it was, they were trying to steal the Snape and Black estates she controlled."

As he stood there, he emoted all the anger he felt or could conjure and watched the Dark Lord for any sign of reaction. The man was still, regarding him closely. Severus could feel the dark mind sliding against his consciousness, but, as yet, Voldemort was not attacking his mental walls. As unpredictable as the Dark Lord had become, he prayed that was a good sign.

"With both her brother and Lucius in Azkaban at the time, she did the only thing she could to protect herself, her children and the family interests - she made arrangements with the goblins of Gringotts to protect the estates and took the twins into hiding. She returned last year, because of an obligation of the Snape family," he said. As soon as he mentioned Bella's willing return, he felt Voldemort's interest peak.

"SShe returned, now, of her own ffrree willl? Whatt obligattiion could sshe have that wasss ssso immportantt that ssshe would return after four-teen yearssss?" Voldemort's voice was slow as it was low and chilling; that he implied a threat by his question distinctly clear. Severus maintained his ramrod straight posture, refusing to let any of the fear building in his stomach to be perceived.

"There is a contract, my lord, between the Malfoy and Snape families that goes back centuries – a marriage contract. One of the twins was a girl and thus the betrothed of Lucius' heir. She brought them back so my daughter, Livia, could fulfill the contract." Severus stopped there and glanced briefly at Lucius before continuing, "She verified ahead of time that Lucius had escaped the Ministry's clutches and was a citizen in high standing. She knew he could assister her in protecting the children from the Ministry, if necessary. She was quite surprised to discover I was alive."

Voldemort moved to stand in front of him; the red of his eyes locked Severus' into his stare unwillingly. He felt the cold thread of the serpent-man's mind trying to slide past his mental walls. For a split second he felt a terror grip him before he forced the emotion into the darkest pit of his mind. Drawing on all his training, he offered up only those memories he wished the Dark Lord to see. Images flashed before his mind's eye

… Harry and Hermione, lying side by side on the bed, kicking their legs excitedly as toys floated above them...

…A three-year-old Harry toddling after him as he gathered herbs and ingredients from the woods…

… A four-year-old Hermione sitting beside Bella, practicing her first healing lessons…

… Both children, age seven, standing on either side of him learning basic potions …

He stifled the emotions, locking them away; disassociating them within himself. Severus would let the Dark Lord feel the pride he felt in his children, but not the depth of love; he would not allow them to be tools used against him.

"Tell me, Severus," Voldemort said in a low voice. "If you did not know of them, how is it you have memories of them growing up? Crucio!"

The sound of the curse being cast barely reaching his ears before the pain ripped through him, driving his body to the ground. The crack of his left knee hitting first was barely audible over the sharp intake of Severus' breath as it slammed into the hard marble floor before he collapsed completely. His mind was rapidly consumed by the agony inflicted on his flesh. His thoughts narrowed as he fought to maintain his presence of mind while the pain danced along his nerves like flickering flames.

Slowly, the pain began to recede; it became easier to breath as awareness of the world seem to rush at him. The first thing he heard was the unforgivable being cast again. He braced himself, but the pain never came. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucius drop to his knee and topple forward, curling into a fetal position as fought not to cry out. His face was twisting in agony, yet quiet as only one accustomed to such torture could manage.

Pulling himself up, he fought for breath enough to speak through the lingering pain. "They were de-aged, my lord, so that I could develop a stronger bond with them. They had adopted much of Bella's bitterness toward the Ministry and …" He barely had time to take a breath before his nerves flared in pain again and knees buckled, send him sprawling gracelessly to the ground. His mind barely registered the Dark Lord's harshly whispered words.

"You've kept this from me, my Death Eater. You should have told me when you first returned, offered your children into my service."

Severus tried to speak evenly, "Bella has already sworn them to Avalon, my lord. They are bound to that oath until their 18th birthday."

Again the searing pain hit him, forcing the air from his lungs and past his clenched teeth. Then just as suddenly it was over.

"Perhaps there are advantages to allowing they to continue their education in the old ways. However, I expect your son to swear himself to me when the time comes, Severus. Your daughter I will leave to her mother, so long as she chooses her side in this war wisely." Turning to Lucius, he said, "You know what I expect," An eerie silence descended over the room as the Dark Lord exited.

Taking a deep breath, Severus drew himself back up and faced his friend. He knew Lucius well enough to know that whatever Voldemort expected, it was something the blonde man wasn't quite prepared to give - yet. He wanted to ask him about it, but knew that this was not the place; the walls had proverbial eyes and ears – and he knew someone was observing them. Severus inclined his head slightly toward entryway and waited for Lucius to move toward the door and then followed closely behind him. They walked in silence for several minutes, until they were far beyond the wards around the Dark Lord's hideout. Without saying a word, Lucius pulled a handkerchief from an interior pocket and held it out to Severus. A familiar tug, then shifting light and suddenly he was standing in the gatehouse on the Malfoy estate. A quick spell, a handful of powder and step through the fire and they were home – his home – Snape Keep.

As they stepped out into the courtyard from the Keep Gatehouse, the sounds of laughing children greeted his ears. Scanning the area, he found the cause. Draco was flying around the yard, Hermione sitting behind him on the broom, her arms wrapped securely around his waist, laughing merrily. Harry was soaring around behind him, matching him turn for turn. He smiled as he walked slowly toward them. Hermione was the first to spot them and as soon as Draco drew near enough to the ground, she jumped off the broom and ran toward him. As she charged, he stooped down to catch her. He regretted it almost immediately, though not for the pain in his limbs caused by the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse.

Hermione's screams and wails as her hands made contact with his neck tore through his heart and he cursed himself for not remembering how vulnerable she was as a result of her gift. Though Lucius thought quickly and pulled her away, his own exposure to the unforgivable curse did little to calm the frightened and upset girl. Her plaintive cries of "Papa" echoed in his mind. His only relief came when Draco rushed forward, hearing her cries and pulled her away from Lucius. Helplessly, Severus watched as her cries began to calm as Draco comforted her.

Minutes later Arabella rushed toward him, followed closely by Narcissa, Harry clenching tightly to her hand. His heart broke again to see his son's face stained with tears and his bright green eyes alight with anxiety.

"Sev?" she asked, her hands extending towards his face. He saw the momentary flash of rage and disgust as she felt the lingering curse in his system. She closed her eyes briefly and when they opened, it was the professional staring back at him. One hand extended toward Lucius. He saw her frown deepen and knew she felt the curse on Lucius as well.

"Cissa, can you see them both upstairs? Call Mimi or Iggy and have two therapy baths prepared. Lucius can use my bath, if he prefers." Bella said, her eyes looking back and forth between Lucius and himself. Severus could see from her expression that there was no room for argument and silently resigned himself. "I'll be up as soon as I check on Livia." He glanced over his shoulder at his daughter sitting with Draco, visibly calmer even as she clung to the blonde boy. "I'll explain, Sev. She'll be alright."

He nodded and tried to smile reassuringly before turning and allowing Narcissa to guide him into his home.

"Papa?"

Turning quickly, he saw his son running up to him. "Yes, Darrius?"

"Mama will make you feel better and I'll make sure Livi is okay, I promise."

Reaching out, he brushed his fingers through the boy's hair and gave him a genuine smile. How had he ever believed this boy was a spoiled, self-centered brat? What was truly amazing was how gentle and loving his basic nature had to be for him to be as good-natured and caring as he was after the conditions in which he had originally been raised. "Thank you, Darrius," he said. He felt Cissa's gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Come, Severus," she said softly.

With one last look, he turned away.