April 13th, 1995
--------A--------
"And he didn't question it?" Aurora asked Draco as they sat out by the lake. He'd just returned from Easter Hols, though he had done so long before the rest of the school would.
Draco smirked sadly, head bowed, eyes on the long strand of grass he kept wrapping around his fingers. "Why would he. My lady is here, and how am I to woo her properly, assure myself that I would maintain her affections if I allow her to be near the Weasley twins all on her own? Of course, he didn't believe Potter was gay. Weasel, on the other hand .... He laughed, you know. How funny it was that at least the 'blood traitors' didn't have to worry about losing out on an heir because there were so many of them that one of them preferring the company of wizards wasn't going to do them any harm."
"He can't possibly be that oblivious." Aurora grumbled.
Draco scoffed. "I'm fairly certain he knows, but he raised me to know what my purpose was, and that was to carry on the Malfoy name. To keep it pure."
Aurora bit her tongue on that one, not really feeling the need to point out that his father would have already known her blood was less than pure, even if Uncle Lu didn't know what the extent of that was.
"He seems ... scared." Draco said quietly. "He kept touching his arm, pacing randomly. And he found a need to be in his study more than ever. Mother was also worried. She would put on a good show, of course, pretend that everything was fine. But she watched him with an expression of utter ... fear."
"Dad's a bit different, too." Aurora whispered. "Do you think that means ... do you think it could mean...."
"I don't know, Rory." Draco said softly, and a rumble of familiar laughter caught their ears. Turning, Aurora noted Harry, Ron, Gin, and the twins all heading toward them, Ron blushing as red as his hair.
Harry had glanced back up, did a double take, and smiled wider for a moment before he seemed puzzled as to why.
"You saw that didn't you?" Aurora asked quietly, refusing to look at Draco.
"I saw. It doesn't mean anything except that he was happy to see me."
She refrained from rolling her eyes as the others approached.
"What are you doing back so soon?" Harry asked when they were within speaking range.
"I was bored." Draco replied. "And staying near Rory would look good in my father's eyes."
"Snape has to marry a ferret. I thought snakes ate rats?" Ron smirked, crossing his arms.
"Rory's not a snake," Fred said, smacking his brother upside the head.
"And Malfoy's not a rat." George added with a punctuating smack of his own.
"Why are you two standing up for him? He's of a rival house, and his family hates ours." Ron grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Just because our families have history doesn't mean we have to carry it on." Draco sneered. "And besides, you're really the only Weasley I can't tolerate."
"Really?" George asked.
"What about Percy?" Fred suggested.
Draco snorted. "Pompous boot licker, to be sure. But at least he had a brain. And manners."
The twins chortled, and Ginny smirked, none of the siblings coming to their brother's defense.
"Wish 'Mione were here." Ron said as she shot a glare at shaking Harry. "At least she'd have defended me."
"No, she wouldn't." Aurora said with certainty.
"How would you know? Barely knew her, you did." Ron countered.
"I know her better than you think." Aurora countered. "After all, she was one of the first people who were nice to me after I was sorted into Gryffindor."
Ron had opened his mouth, likely to counter it, but then promptly shut it.
"Are you ready for the final task, Potter?" Draco asked Harry, cutting off the topic of conversation before it could possibly lead down a dangerous road.
"I'm not even sure what it is yet." Harry replied. "They'll tell us closer to when it is, likely so we're not distracted from exams."
"Yes, because that's really going to help." Ginny snorted. "After all, the closer to exams they wait to tell you, the more pressure you'd have. If they told you now, at least you'd have some time to practice."
"Unless the practice took away from your studies." Draco pointed out.
"Blimey, that sounds like something Hermione would say." Harry smirked. "Guess you're filling in for her on that front."
Draco quirked his lip at that but said nothing.
After a pause, Ron asked, "are you two really in an arranged marriage?" Aurora turned and gaped at him, and the others must have done the same as he looked about the lot of them and shrugged. "You have to admit, it's a bit old fashioned."
"If they are, then I'm in a lot of trouble." Fred said cheekily.
"I'd say have at her, but I'm sure Longbottom would try and fight you for her." Draco replied.
"I'm sitting right here and can speak for myself, thank you." Aurora rolled her gaze to Draco.
"Yes, Dear." He quipped, making the others chuckle.
"So, you are?" Harry asked, sounding as though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
Aurora watched the mirth fade from Draco's face as he sat up straighter. "Unofficially." He replied. "I am expected to court her beginning .... Beginning next year. When Aurora turns fifteen. It's been something discussed since our birth, though never put on paper."
"So, if Aurora were to choose someone else?" Fred asked.
"Like Neville?" Ron suggested. "He seems to fancy you, despite how terrified of your Dad he is."
"I think that would rightly depend on Uncle Severus." Draco replied. "Speaking of, where is your father?"
————S————
"You will take care of them?" Severus asked Black as the man lounged comfortably on the sofa of his sitting room, glass of fire whiskey in hand.
Sirius met his eye and held it. "Upon my honor, not that that accounts for much these days. But you can be assured that, should the worse happen, I will protect Hermione, Rory, and Leo to the best of my ability."
"You have done an exceptional job with Potter on your own." Severus admitted reluctantly. "In the short time he's had you as his official guardian over Petunia and her boorish husband, his attitude has improved. He actually asked me for something before his second task, something that just a year before he'd have likely stolen."
Sirius smirked, a pleased little thing. "I appreciate that, coming from you, Severus. Given that Hermione is his godmother, and you a second godfather by extension, I had assumed you'd have wanted a say in things."
"Hermione had, in a way, up until you came in, already looked after him. Here, when she was younger, and through Aurora. We don't exactly live near Surrey, after all. It wasn't coincidence that put Rory in school with him from the beginning."
Sirius chuckled. "She never ceases to amaze me."
"And that fondness in your voice is exactly what has Albus convinced you're Aurora's father, and not I."
"Well, she's a lovely girl. Far more beautiful than her mother, and with my dark hair...."
"Yes, but you'd be more willing to hump Lupin's leg than hers." Severus smirked, amused he could still make Sirius blush over it.
"Yes, well, that would require him to have stuck around, wouldn't it?" Sirius said bitterly, and Severus frowned before suddenly recalling something Hermione had mentioned ages ago.
"He left. When he asked her to leave me again, and she said no, he left, didn't he?" Severus asked, sneering at the thought.
Sirius shrugged. "He said it was because he needed to do things on his own. To branch out. We're both doing work for Dumbledore, keeping an ear out for things, but when we get home...."
"I am not my wife, I quite frankly don't need to hear of your marital woes."
"We aren't married."
"You may as well be," Severus countered, glancing out the window, seeing his daughter, Draco, Potter, and the Weasleys out near the lake. "How is ... Harry dealing with it? That his godfather would hardly be able to give him advice on girls."
Sirius smiled. "Actually, he asked me about that not that long ago in a letter. Shortly after that article in the Prophet about his... preferences. I'm not quite sure Harry is the lady's killer that his father would have hoped for."
"Bloody wonderful. I just hope Dra-"
Severus cut himself off mid-sentence as he felt something in his left arm flare. For a fleeting, fearful moment, he swore he felt the pull of a demand, the burn of summons. Appearing as calm as possible, Severus opened the sleeves of his coat and shirt, pulling them back as if he were peeling a banana.
"Severus, what is it?" Sirius asked, but Severus held up his right hand for silence before going back this his arm and running his fingers over the mark.
It had darkened further, looking exactly as it did just day before the Dark Lord fell. He skimmed his fingers over it, waiting for the burn to intensify as though he were ignoring a summons.
"Blimey, that thing is ugly." Sirius said, more to himself than to Severus, though he heard it all the same.
"Yes," Severus agreed before swiftly putting his sleeves and buttons back in place. "And getting uglier by the day, I'm afraid." He turned to Sirius, looking him dead in the eye. "Dumbledore would not have told you, but there is little doubt the Dark Lord will be back. He's rising up again."
"Are you sure?" Sirius asked.
Severus nodded once. "The year Aurora first started at Hogwarts, the mark had begun to darken again. Not as bad as this, except for the night Potter went down to the chamber of secrets to rescue Ginevra Weasley."
"He told me about that." Sirius said softly. "Of how a teenage version of You-Know-Who was returning, or something. That it came from a book, or something, and he went away when Harry stabbed the book with a basilisk fang." Sirius chuckled. "A bit farfetched, I admit, but...."
"Hardly." Severus replied. "Once Potter returned home after that year was done, Albus and I went below. The door had stayed open, after all. No one thought to seal it, and since Ginevra was going down there under the influence of Riddle, she didn't remember going at all. No one quite knew how to close it. We found the basilisk, dead of course, eye gouged out as Potter told Albus Fawkes had done. We obtained a couple of fangs, I may have plucked a hearty amount of scales. Much as Potter can be his own, biggest fan, or had been, he did not lie about the basilisk. And while I was never permitted to see it, I don't doubt for a moment that he was being honest about the book."
"So... what does that mean?" Sirius asked, his pallor having taken on a paleness that hadn't been since his departure from Azkaban.
"It means exactly what you think it does. So be prepared, Black, for the worst."
June 24th, 1995
—————A—————
There had already been red sparks sent up earlier, and Fleur Delacour had been carried out, unconscious but alright. After they had her roused, she was in a bit of a panic, trying to explain in both French and English what happened while hysteria clouded her voice.
Aurora had turned to look at her mother and Sirius Black who were sitting with the other parents and teachers, her father having gone with aunt Poppy to try and calm Fleur. Her mother shook her head ever so slightly upon meeting Aurora's eye, Black too focused on the maze to notice someone looking their way.
When a new set of sparks went up, the crowd grew tense once more, the eyes of all likely going to those patrolling the area to see who was being carried out.
"Come on, Potter." Draco murmured under his breath.
There was a tense silence, then suddenly Ginny cried, "Viktor!" Barely a breath, and she was out of her seat, running out onto the field.
"I actually bet on him winning," Fred said, more confused than disappointed.
"Something's not right," George said a beat later.
And it wasn't. Aurora watched as her father and Aunt Poppy left Fleur's side, both wearing frowns as Fleur began to his and screech in French. At one particular word, Madam Maxine, who'd been at her Champion's side, and her father both tensed. Her father spun around sharply, and while his words could not be heard, the timber of his voice carried over the near silent crowd, only the musicians having attempted to fill the void with music that frequently quieted or tapered off altogether.
There was a brief conversation in which Fleur gestured to her face, and then to Krum, and Professor Snape did nothing but give quick responses. He then turned back to Krum, crossing the distance in a few brisk strides, and then forced the boy's eyes open just as Ginny had pushed past those trying to keep her back to be at his side.
And inspection, and a quick wand movement, and Aurora watched as her father turned to Dumbledore with a quick nod and said something that could not be heard at all.
Karkaroff whipped his head toward Professor Snape just before a bright, blue light came from near the center of the maze.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked, turning to Aurora with the space between she and him vacant with Ginny's absence.
"Part of the task?" Draco replied. "A sign that there was a winner?"
"I'd overheard Professor Flitwick say that the winner would be announced by fireworks," Luna said, her normal, dreamy tone laced with dread. "The crest of the school, and in the case of two champions, red for Gryffindor or yellow for Hufflepuff."
"So, what's blue mean?" Fred asked.
"Trouble, I'd wager." George said thoughtfully. "And not the good kind."
"'Mione would know." Ron said, shifting uncomfortably.
Aurora looked to where her mother was still sitting with Aunt Min, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.
"I'm not sure she would." Aurora said quietly, turning back to the maze to scan it for any sign of anything.
For a long time, it was quiet. The musicians started to play again off and on, there was a small wave of chatter as Krum was carried to the hospital wing, Ginny following, Fleur being led behind them. The Aurora noticed her father grimace before clutching his arm. His left arm. Karkaroff did the same, starring at Professor Snape with utter fear. She couldn't see the minute details of her father's face, but Aurora could imagine it all: the lift of his brow, the cold glare, the curl to his lip as he attempted to hide his pain. Karkaroff turned and left the field quickly. Aurora watched her father turn to Dumbledore. After a short exchange, her father stiffened, then bowed, returning to where Hermione Snape sat and watched the exchange with an increasingly worried glance. He knelt before her, and Aurora wanted to burst into tears for the way her mother's eyes widened, the visible way her breathing increased. She doubted anyone had seen, but her father kissed his wife quickly before dashing off.
"Where's your dad goin'?" Ron asked.
"I'm not sure I want to know." Aurora replied.
She felt Draco's hand slip into hers and squeeze it in solidarity.
More time passed, longer and more indistinct, during which Neville came and slid into the empty spot between she and Ron. His arm went about her, and she leaned into his comfort. She tried not to look at her mother, quietly crying, Aunt Min with her arm wrapped around her and doing her best to sooth. Yet her eyes kept darting there, and the longer her father stayed gone, the longer her mother let her tears fall while looking completely unperturbed, the more Aurora feared the absolute worse.
Then there was another flash of light, a thud, and before the teachers could surround him, she could see Harry on the ground. One of his hands clutched a glowing cup, the other was holding tight to Cedric Diggory. The latter didn't seem to be moving.
The former just kept screaming, "He's back, he's back. Voldemort is back."
—————S—————
The odds were not in their favor. Severus had Hermione do the calculations, and so when his arm burned a short while after the strange light came from the maze, he was not surprised.
He met Karkaroff's eye and knew in an instant the coward was going to run. He had ratted out so many of the Death Eaters publicly, Severus wasn't as surprised as he thought he should be. Karkaroff had loved the muggle baiting, loved to remind anyone of lesser blood that they were just that: lesser. Yet the moment things would have been hard for him, he was willing to sell out everyone and anyone that he could to be free. Even his name had come up.
Severus turned to Dumbledore as Karkaroff took off.
"I'm being ... summoned." He said.
"And you already know how I feel about that." Dumbledore replied.
"And you know, for the sake of my family, I am not holding off."
"Then you will do as we planned."
"Yes."
"Good luck, Severus."
Severus bowed, then turned toward to seats where his wife was watching worriedly. He moved swiftly toward her, knowing time was of the essence. But just in case ... if it was the end....
He took in his wife as he stopped before her, kneeling down to be at eye level. He'd wished, in that moment, that she hadn't used the charm to alter her identity slightly. He wanted to see her: her big curls, and hazel eyes, and the freckles by her nose. He wanted to see Hermione, not this slightly altered version. But there was no time for that.
"It's happened." He told her, ignoring Minerva's questions.
"And you're going." It wasn't a question. Hermione held his gaze, and gaze a curt, short nod. "Come back to me."
"Tell the children I love them." He said, leaning in and giving her a swift kiss. He then rose to his feet and swept out of the stadium. Once he was clear of it, he felt in his robes for the items he had shrunken and kept on his person since the calculations became conclusive.
In quick motions, he wandlessly and wordlessly enlarged his mask, placing the heavy, silver piece to his face. As he pulled out and enlarged his robes as he swung them around his shoulders, the movement all muscle memory from thirteen years ago. His wand was out, and he pressed it to his mark. No apparating inside Hogwarts, except for the Headmaster and his trusty Death Eater.
When he opened his eyes from his apparation, Severus was a bit surprised to find himself in a grave yard. It was a short-lived emotion before it was tucked firmly behind his occlumency shields, ones that had not lowered since he formed them as a teenager.
He moved toward the tall, disturbing looking man he had no doubt was Lord Voldemort as he was now. He looked humanoid, but that was really where his resemblance to his old self ended. Even in the end, the Dark Lord still had an aura of charm, of allurement. Severus could detect none of it now.
And there, pinned to a statue of a reaper, was Potter. The boy was bleeding, struggling to get free even though it was utterly useless. The boy was a fighter, and that may actually help him survive this. If only Severus could have as much confidence in himself.
As if imperiused, Severus followed to suite of his brethren, getting to his knees, crawling to the Dark Lord, kissing the hem of his robes. He felt no less disgusted by it now than he had all those years ago. He stood, taking his place in the circle, the spots on either side of him empty. He glanced around at the numbers that were there. It was ... low, really, considering how many went free.
"Welcome, my Death Eaters." The Dark Lord greeted them warmly, hands out as if extending the sentiment physically. It was a near laughable thought, but it was almost as if the reptilian like man wanted to embrace them. "Thirteen years .... Thirteen years since we met. Yet, you answer my call as though it were yesterday. We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?"
More swiftly than in the past, the Dark Lord's mood shifted from familial to hostile, his expression shifting from joy to anger so swiftly, Severus didn't even have time to blink. The nostrils on Voldemort's noseless face flared. "I smell guilt!" He hissed. "There is a stench of guilt upon the air.
Severus straightened his spine, refusing to show fear now.
"I see you all, whole and healthy with your powers intact - such prompt appearances - and I ask myself, why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of the master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"
A sob caught Severus' attention, and his eyes shifted to the heap of whimpering on the ground. His sneer was hidden by his mask, the instinct too strong for it to be smothered quickly. Fucking Wormtail, the sniveling little rat, clutched his bleeding stump of an arm while on his knees, head bowed.
"And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living? And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort. Perhaps they now pay allegiance to another, perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?"
Severus felt the Dark Lord's eyes dart to his, and in practiced ease, Severus allowed the Dark Lord to ram his way in, all while hiding the most damning of proof of his allegiances.
"Master, forgive me, forgive us all!" Avery threw himself on the ground, begging and trembling, pulling the Dark Lord's attention away from Severus and on to him.
The Dark Lord laughed, as though truly amused, and then a beat later said with utter seriousness, "Crucio."
Avery writhed on the ground, shrieking and clawing at himself. The screams turned silent, yet his mouth was still open, pain twisting Avery's already ugly features Severus would guess the man was ten seconds away from pissing or shitting himself when the Dark Lord ended the spell.
"Get up, Avery." He commanded softly. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years, I want thirteen years repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?"
Pettigrew said nothing, only sobbed.
There was an exchange that Severus only half listened to as he scanned the rest of the scene. The Death Eaters were all either focused on the Dark Lord or had their eyes to the ground. The grass around Avery's feet was damper than the rest, though he only trembled slightly in the after affects.
His eyes darted to Potter as he watched Wormtail and Voldemort. He'd stopped struggling, no longer drawing any attention to himself. Severus looked away, spotting the tri-wizard cup not ten feet from where Potter was pinned, and....
Cedric Diggory. The boy was clearly deceased, face still frozen in confusion. It was a shame, he liked Diggory. Well behaved, concise essays, respectful. The boy had potential, though not in potions.
"Lucius," The Dark Lord drew Severus' full attention. "My slippery friend." The Dark Lord stopped before Lucius' spot in the circle. "I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of muggle-torture, yet you never tried to find me. Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay, but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?"
"My Lord, I was constantly on the alert." Lucius said smoothly. "Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me-"
"Yet you ran from my mark when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?" The Dark Lord interrupted with false casualness. "Yes, I know all about that, Lucius. You have disappointed me. I expect more faithful service in the future."
"Of course, my Lord. Of course. You are merciful, thank you." Lucius bowed, but the Dark Lord ignored it, moving on in the circle. He stopped at the two-person gap beside Lucius.
"The Lestranges should stand here." The Dark Lord said with a sort of sadness, though Severus suspected it wasn't really toward the Mister of the relationship. "But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. The went to prison rather than renounce me. When we break it open, the LeStranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us, they are our natural allies, we will recall the banished giants, I shall have devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creature whom all fear...."
The dazed like speech left Voldemort seemingly unaware. Severus had to wonder if noticed the shift among the ultimate purists, the ones who truly believed in blood supremacy.
Snapping out of his revere, the Dark Lord continued his inspection. He said nothing to a few of them, and Severus had no idea if that boded well for them or not. The exchanges he had with those he did stop before were perfunctory, barely nothing more than pleasantries.
It was when the Dark Lord stood before Severus, the spaces around him vacant enough that it was as if he was separating himself from the others on purpose.
"And here we have five missing Death Eaters. Three are dead in my service, one too cowardly to return, he will pay. One who has remained among my most faithful servants, who had already re-entered my service." The others in the circle shifted, though Severus refused to even flinch. He may have been sweating a bit about his temples and hairline, but he willed his heart not to pound as he gazed upon the face of absolute evil. "He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant. And it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight." Voldemort said, gesturing to Potter behind him. "And you... you my loyal spy." The Dark Lord approached him in an almost snake like manner. His hand reached out, and Severus worried for one moment that the Dark Lord was going to unmask him. The snake-like face smirked, revealing his slightly pointed teeth. "I will not unmask you, not yet. You have done well, my friend, for keeping to your task. I know how much you did not wish to teach, how much you longed to become a master worthy of your title. Yet once I was thought gone, you continued. You came to me tonight for you thought that, with my return, you were no longer needed, did you not?"
"Yes, my Lord." Severus replied, pitching his voice just a touch lower, hoping with the mask and the slight difference, Potter wouldn't know it was him. Not like it mattered, he wasn't so sure Potter was going to make it out of this one. And there was no way for him to get word to anyone where they were.
"Yet you watched over the old fool, put up with his mocking, his taunting. It would have been so easy for you to kill him, and yet you didn't. Why?"
"I did not think it would be wise to do so, my Lord." Severus replied. "Dumbledore still believes me loyal to him, that my wife and I are his, and not yours entirely, as we are. He has grown increasingly complacent, hiring the worst to fill his consistently vacated Dark Arts position."
"Yet you helped him." Voldemort said, his voice dangerously calm and quiet. "With the Philosopher's stone. You helped hide it from me, and my faithful Quirrell."
Severus hadn't even opened his mouth to respond before the intense pain of Crucio came over him. His knees buckled, and he grit his teeth in an effort not to scream. He could feel the blood vessels in his eyes burst from the force, the bile rise in his throat that he forced to keep down. He would rather die than show weakness.
Then it stopped. And with a deep, lungful of air, Severus grit out, "I did not know, my Lord, that he was one of yours. He would not trust me, and so I could not tell him the secrets."
"If you had known me there, Severus, would you have allowed him to aid me?"
Not a chance in Hades.
"Yes, my Lord."
"And should the need arise tonight, once I have ... dealt with our guest, will you return to the old goat's side and continue your good work?"
If it means seeing you done, once and for all.
"It is my honor to serve you in any way I can, my lord."
"Then return now. As much as I am sure it would please you to witness what is about to happen, it would be best if, for now, Dumbledore continues to think you his. That cannot happen if you are here."
With a bow, and a mumbled, "yes, my Lord," Severus stepped back from the circle. With one last glance at Potter, he twirled away in apparation, landing outside the gates at Hogwarts.
The effects of the Crucio, combined with the mode of transport, had him shoving his ask off his face and vomiting his meager meal just outside the gates of Hogwarts.
"Like it was yesterday," he grumbled to himself before accioing his mask and shrinking it. Panting, he removed his robes and shrunk those as well, preparing to give his first report of what may very well be the second Wizarding War.
—————S—————
By the time Severus had made it back to the Quidditch pitch, Potter had returned. He stayed in the shadows, watching the events unfold as best he could. But he was not at his best, the effects of the Crucio manifesting quicker than he'd ever remembered them to, and his head was pounding hard enough to make his vision blur. It was that that had allowed Potter and the Moody impostor to slip by unnoticed.
"Shit," He hissed between his teeth, moving to Dumbledore just as the Headmaster stepped away from the grieving Diggorys.
The old man did a double take upon seeing him. "I had not expected your return."
"Tonight, or ever?" Severus asked.
"Honestly, I wasn't sure." Dumbledore confessed, eyes darting to the stadium seats. Severus followed his gaze and caught that of Hermione's. Relief and worried mingled in his wife's eyes, and he offered her a weak quirk of a grin to allow her to know he was well enough.
He then turned to Dumbledore. "We have much to discuss."
"I believe it can wait." Dumbledore said as he started heading toward the school.
"Or it can be said on the way. It was Crouch Junior who is impersonating Moody." Severus said with certainty, ignoring the pain in his legs to keep a quick, confident stride in time with the headmaster.
Dumbledore looked at him curiously, pausing in thought. "So, it wasn't Crouch Sr Harry had seen in the forest after a slip up in his Polyjuice dosage. Can you be sure."
"Crouch was once someone who stood beside me in the inner circle." Severus said, noting Minerva and his wife catching up to them. "As did Karkaroff. The other three nearest to us had perished in the first war, prior to my incarceration. Crouch was thought to have died in Azkaban, yet the Dark Lord mentioned a coward who ran, and one who remained loyal. And who was here at Hogwarts."
"Who is?" Minerva asked as she and Hermione came up to them.
"Trouble. Mrs Snape, I kindly ask that you assist the staff in getting the students back to their common rooms as quickly as you can. You can step in for Severus to fill in for Head of House. Ask Aurora or Septima to do so for Minerva."
"Of course." Hermione said with a quick, decisive nod, reaching briefly to stroke the back of Severus' hand with her knuckles before returning to the stadium.
"Albus, what is going on?" Minerva asked once they started moving again.
"Moody is not our Alastor." Severus replied when Dumbledore remained silent.
"Well I'd already known that, but who is he?" She asked.
After a pause, Severus turned to Minerva and mouthed, "A Death Eater."
She didn't ask any further questions after that.
—————H—————
"Mr Malfoy, if you could come out here and speak to me for a moment?" Hermione said once she'd had all the Slytherins inside their common room.
The wards which were keyed to Severus were conveniently keyed for her as well, his magic recognizing hers as an extension of some form. Still, she mumbled something under her breath to make it look like she was merely cautiously giving the password.
The lagging Draco stopped, and the smirk he gave her reminded her that this was actually the first time she'd seen him since he started Hogwarts. Waving him out into the corridor, she checked and noticed that none of the other students seemed to notice he was being held back. Good, they would probably think he either slipped away in the chaos, or simply managed to avoid them.
The door closed behind him, and she gave him a proper smile. "You've grown up so much since the last time I saw you." She said, reaching out and adjusting the collar of his jacket.
"I could say the same for you, Granger." His smirk hitched just a bit higher.
"That's Aunt H to you, now, young man." She mock-scolded before she turned serious. "They'll likely bring Harry to the Hospital wing. I thought, perhaps, you'd like to go be there for him."
Draco swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing as though trying to slide around something large. "I heard what Potter said. That ... that he's returned."
"And you believe him?" She asked, and Draco nodded. "And why should this news hold you back?"
Draco looked at her incredulously. "Because I'm ... and he's ... and if my father...."
"Listen to me, Draco Malfoy." She said, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye. She didn't even need to bend her knees to do it, merely tilt her head down. When had he grown so much? Could he have really sprouted up like this in just four years? "Your father does not define who you are. His beliefs do not have to be yours. His actions do not dictate those that you will take. His side is not necessarily yours." She brushed his hair from his face. "Your Uncle Severus is a prime example of how no man needs to become the one who fathered him."
Draco swallowed again, his eyes beginning to glitter. "What if I don't have a choice?"
"Of course you do. Anyone who says differently is wrong." Hermione said firmly. "If you need to, you can spend the summer hols with us, as much as you can. It may not be the manor, and you may not have an entire suite of rooms for yourself, but you can be yourself there. And now that I don't need to worry about your seeing me and, well, you can come around as much as you'd like."
Draco bowed his head, his hair somewhat curtaining his face. "I want to see Harry." He said quietly.
"Then I'm going to take you to him." She said, withdrawing her wand from her sleeve and tapping Draco on the head with it. The boy melted away before her eyes. "Follow me, stay close." She said, leading him up to the hospital wing.
Just outside the door, Hermione tapped Draco's head and ended the disillusionment. Once he was visible, she pushed open the door, taken aback to find Molly inside, Ron, Rory, and Luna around her. Ginny was beside Viktor Krum, holding his hand as he lay asleep on his hospital bed.
As Poppy came around from a private room, she stopped short. "Her-mi-H." She stuttered. "What are you doing here?"
"I was asked to oversee Severus' Slytherins. Draco wanted to come up and see Harry, though I take it he's not here yet?"
"Not as of yet, but... ah, here they are now."
Hermione turned and watched as Dumbledore led Harry in the hospital wing, Sirius helping to support him.
Her heart dropped in her stomach. She didn't want to believe it when Severus said Sirius casually mentioned Remus' departure from their home. But there was no doubt that the werewolf had left now that Harry had been through something terrible, and Remus hadn't turned up for either him or Sirius.
"Harry!" Molly shrieked, half rushing toward him.
"Molly, not now." Sirius said firmly, cutting him off.
"How can you say such a thing! The boy needs."
"Rest," Dumbledore cut in. "He's been through quite enough tonight, and now he needs rest, and quiet."
"What are you all doing here?" Harry asked as Sirius helped him in the bed. He sounded half drunk, exhaustion slurring his speech.
"Here to see you," Rory replied. "Just to be here for you."
"And you can all stay with him, if you promise to be quite." Dumbledore said, and Hermione covered her smirk as he looked pointedly at Molly.
"Do you all hear that? Harry needs quiet." She hissed to the kids as though they were the ones who were loud and prepared to make a fuss.
Poppy rolled her eyes, gave Harry a drop of a potion, and Harry quickly seemed to succumb to slumber.
With a heavy sigh, Dumbledore looked to her. "Mrs Snape, I'm sure you would like to get back to your son."
"Leo is with my parents." She replied. "He is safe and has yet to know his father ... slipped away for a moment. To be honest, headmaster, I would prefer to stay here with my husband."
It seemed like Ronald mumbled something, but Hermione couldn't hear what, and if Molly's hissing scolding was anything to go by, she didn't want to know.
"Very well. But I will need to speak with him for a while. Perhaps you could wait in his chambers?"
"Do you need anything, Poppy?" She turned to the matron, half ignoring the Headmaster's request.
"Actually, would you mind brewing some of Severus' pain relief potion? You're one of the few who know it, and given Alastor's condition, he'll likely need it.
"I'm going to go to his lab, then." Hermione said pointedly, and the Matron's eyes lit with recognition.
"Thank you, H." She said with a nod, and Hermione left the room for the make shift lab Severus had as a teenager. If the children needed her, Rory and Draco would know where to find her. If Severus came looking for her, Poppy could direct him. With a last glance at Harry, surrounded by his friends and sound asleep, Hermione left them to brew.
—————S—————
Severus had had enough of the bumbling idiot. His head still ached, his muscles were cramping, he'd just had any joy he possibly could have had in him sucked out by the presence of a dementor, who had kissed the man one and only person who could give testimony that the recent string of murders were done in an effort to bring back to worst wizard to ever be born. Or reborn. Well, except that Rita Skeeter woman. She disappeared shortly after the article on Potter and Weasley came out.
But Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, seemed to have his head so far up his arse he couldn't see the truth before him. Dumbledore out for his job? Oh yes, it was so coveted by Albus that he had to turn it down each time it was offered to him.
"He can't be back," Fudge whimpered. "He just can't be."
Not wanting this whimpering idiot to beat around the bush any longer, Severus stepped forward, unfastening his sleeves as he went. He glanced to the children hovered around Potter's bed. So much for trying to keep it from him. He had a feeling Aurora had told them, if not Draco, but he couldn't be sure. He supposed it didn't matter now.
Barring the mark, he shoved it in Fudge's face, making it impossible for the man not to see it.
"The Dark Mark. Not as clear as it was an hour or so ago. Then it had burned as black as it had freshly seared into the flesh, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into them by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to apparate to his side in an instant. This Mark has been growing steady all year, as did Karkaroff's. You may have noticed he fled shortly after that flash of light in the maze? He fears the Dark Lord's vengeance, as he betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."
Fudge stepped back from him, disgust and fear written all over the pompous imbecile's face. He stared at the mark for a long time before turning to Dumbledore.
"I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the ministry." He was nearly out the door before he turned around. As an afterthought, he gave Potter his winnings for the tournament, talking about a ceremony to the boy as if he could somehow guilt Potter into saying it was all a lie.
When it got nothing out of him, Fudge sighed, and left the hospital wing just as Hermione came in with a basket of potions.
"There is work to be done." Dumbledore said once the door was closed behind Hermione. She came to Severus' side as Albus continued. "Molly, am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur in this once more?"
"Of course, you can." Molly replied, pale but sure. "We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years."
"Then I need to send a message to Arthur." Albus said. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."
"I'll go to Dad," The eldest Weasley child, who had been standing so quietly at his mother's side, that Severus nearly forgotten he was there, headed for the door.
"Excellent," Dumbledore said, catching him on the way by. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I'm interfering at the Ministry...."
"Leave it to me." He said with a deceive nod, leaving the room.
"Minerva," Albus said to his deputy. "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. And Madam Maxine, if she will consent."
She nodded, looking to he and Hermione with a nod for them as well before leaving.
"Poppy, would you...."
"No." She said sharply. "I want in this time, Albus. I know precisely what you're going to try and do, and this time I want to be a part of it. I will not be made to delay patching up Severus upon his return as I had before."
"Fine." Albus said, his serene smile seemingly anything but. "I will consider you a member, but I kindly ask you go down to Moody's office and find the house elf named Winky. Bring her to the kitchens, as I'm sure Dobby will take care of her."
Poppy nodded, leaving the room at a much slower pace than either Bill or Minerva had.
Severus watched as Albus eyed the children, his eyes lingering longer on Draco than they had on any of the others. "I must ask, all of you, to kindly leave the room."
"No." Severus found himself saying in time with Sirius. They looked at one another, and seeing as how Sirius was Potter's guardian, he allowed him to speak. "Dumbledore, with all due respect, anything that must be said among us should be done in your office. Let's not send the kids away."
Dumbledore seemed torn, and then sighed. "I was going to ask you to gather the old crowd. I trust you are in contact with Remus?"
Sirius shifted, "He had been staying with me, and I'm sure he would come back when he hears what happened. Who else...?"
"Mundungus Fletcher and Arabella Figg are our priorities." Albus replied.
Sirius nodded, and then clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder. "If I am not back before school lets out, got to the Weasley's or the Sn-"
"No," Severus cut him off. "We are not an option for Potter." He said firmly, and he could tell by the looks the Weasleys were giving him that he sounded a bit cold.
"Ah," Sirius replied. "Apologies, Severus. I wasn't thinking."
"It had never been your strong suit." Severus retorted.
"Quite right," Sirius replied with a devilish smirk. He turned back to Harry. "To the Weasleys, then. And when I'm back, you can come right home."
"Thanks, Sirius." The boy replied. Sirius nodded, leaning in and embracing him. There was a whispered conversation, in which Potter nodded or shook his head before suddenly bursting into tears. He sobbed against his godfather, mumbling about it being his fault. Severus watched as Aurora grabbed Potter's hand as it fell limply from Sirius' back. He noted Draco clasp Potter's shoulder as Sirius pulled away.
"You being honorable, by wanting to share the win, is not what killed him, Harry. You could never have known. It was Wormtail, and Crouch. Not you. No, listen." Sirius said, cupping the boy's face as he tried to deny it. "Harry, it's a long road from here, and I know that as the Chosen One, you are the face of the light. But your shoulders will not carry the weight of loss. You are not responsible for those who fall or have fallen. It's Voldemort." Sirius said, flinching slightly as Severus hissed. "He is to blame. Not you."
Potter nodded, face puffy and blotched red from grief. Molly went to him, handing him a dose of potion.
"Take your potion, Harry." She encouraged, half helping him guide the vial to his lips. He took it without question, and Severus watched as his eyes fell shut nearly instantly.
"Sirius?" Albus said. With a nod, Sirius turned and left the room. Once he was gone, Albus turned to the children. "Now that Harry is asleep, he will remain so for the duration of the night. Please, return to your common rooms. You can come see him bright and early in the morning."
All of them seemed hesitant, but one by one, the children, including the silent and out of the way Ginevra Weasley, left the room.
"Molly, could you please stay here with Harry since Sirius will not be back before he wakes?"
"Of course, Albus." Molly said, straightening up as if she were planning to stand guard against a foe.
Albus nodded. "I will be in my office, should anyone need me. There is much to think on." And with that, Albus left the room.
"Could you give these to Poppy for me." Hermione said, handing the basket of potions to Molly.
"Of course." Molly said, watching as Hermione plucked on of the vials from the basket and tucked it into her robes.
She then returned to him, taking his arm and guided him out of the hospital wing. He allowed her to lead, too tired and too sore to put up a fuss.
Once they were in his chambers, she led him toward their bedroom, and into the master bath.
"My Slytherins, has anyone...?"
"I was in charge of returning them to their dormitories, and the prefects were instructed to go to Rolanda if there was any problem, since I am not staff. I was actually the one who brought Draco to see Harry." She replied as she began to work on his buttons.
"And you brewed for the wing, I noticed." He commented as she removed his frock coat and robes.
She started on his shirt. "Yes." She replied, and once she had the garment removed, she waved her hand toward the bath, setting it to fill. "And you." She said, meeting his eye as she began to work on his trousers. "You were tortured tonight, weren't you?" she asked quietly, seeming to already know the answer. He nodded, and she ducked her head. "I can feel the spasms of your muscles." She said softly. "Light flutters that were always a sign that you'd been punished. What displeased him? Surely the fact that you showed up right away...."
"Back when Albus had the brilliant idea of keeping the Philosopher's stone here at the castle, the Dark Lord was piggy backing on Quirrell. Do you remember that?"
"Vaguely," Hermione replied, stripping him of his trousers and pants all in one go.
"The Dark Lord knew I was not aiding Quirrell, that I was trying to stop him. He needed to be certain I was not Dumbledore's." He explained, and Hermione did nothing more than nod. "You aren't planning on having me bathe alone, are you? It seems like so much work for you not to join me."
Hermione snickered. "Fine. But you get in first." She said, gesturing to the steaming bath. Severus knew better than to argue and climbed into the tub big enough for two. Hermione went to the cabinet over the loo, opening the door and pulling out a vial he hadn't seen in a long time. He watched as she uncorked the green, sludge like liquid and poured it on under the running water.
Instantly, the smell of strong spearmint filled the room, a note of lavender shortly behind it. Severus already started to feel the tension leave his body, and he watched as Hermione slowly undressed. He knew she was allowing the medicinal properties of the potion work its way into him before she came in and dampened some of the effect. Once she had her robes removed, she reached into the pocket she stored the pain relief potion in and pulled it out. Uncorking it, she handed to him.
He quaffed it in one go, closing his eyes as he waited for the rest of his pain to dull. He felt her curls brush his shoulder before her lips pressed to his forehead. Then the bridge of his nose, then the tip. Both cheeks, his chin, and then finally his lips.
He opened his eyes when she pulled back, and he was pleased to see his wife as she should look, with her curls and freckles and hazel eyes. She removed the remainder of her clothing, and then climbed in the tub with him, sinking down into the water with her back pressed to his chest. His arms came around her, and it all felt so familiar that Severus searched his memory for why that was.
It wasn't that they hadn't bathed together in the intervening years. Parents though they may be, there was still the need for physical intimacy even if it couldn't lead to sex.
But then, Severus realized, that they had done this, exactly this before. Oh, so many years ago after he'd accidentally pissed off the Dark Lord. He couldn't remember the exact reason why he had, it could have been as complex as not participating to his liking in a revel, or as simple as not having anything for him. Aurora had only been a few months old, and the real fear that something could happen to him, or Hermione, or both of them had him cold with fear.
And Hermione had done this. She eased his spasms and pain with a hot, potion laced bath. She'd kissed him in precisely that same way, and then climbed in with him. She was over tired from having a new child and a new job, and her two main sources of support were inaccessible to her. And yet she had put aside her fatigue, her own pain, and tended to him. It was not the first time Severus had felt wholly undeserving of her, but it was one of the times that had truly stuck.
"If something were to happen...." He said, his voice tight, tired, but resolved.
"Same as before." Hermione said quietly, her hand stroking his thigh. "Should I be discovered, you plead ignorance, disgust."
"Aurora and Leonidas will be sent to stay with Minerva, or I send them to Ireland with Delia."
"And if you're discovered," Hermione said, her voice cracking slightly, "I take the children and run to the Americas, Order be damned."
"No, not this time." Severus said, stroking her back. "Potter will need your influence, even if it is through Aurora. This time, if I am discovered, stay with Sirius. Grimmauld Place will be safe for you all."
"Alright," She said softly, her hand moving leisurely across his skin. After a moment, she asked, "Since when did he become 'Sirius?'"
He looked at his wife, seeing the amused glint in her eye and the slight curl to his lip.
"Since I knew for certain he had more interest in me than my wife." Her replied, making her chuckle.
"Something you want to tell me?" She teased.
"Don't. Start." He replied, his words clipped. Hermione giggled for a moment, making him give a half smile, but the joy didn't last.
"It's going to be very different this time. I won't know... and there's so much more at stack."
He kissed her head, nuzzling her curls. "And so, there is more to fight for. Which will only make us more fierce."
June 28th, 1995
—————A—————
Her back to the tree by the lake, Aurora looked out over the water, contemplating. Her father had spoken to her, much like he had the year before when she discovered the truth about his mark. About why he took it. He had told her his job as a spy was starting up again, and that things would get ... trickier.
She was already too entrenched with Harry to suddenly pull back.
"I'm going to tell the Dark Lord I allow the friendship as it allows me to know more about Potter. But unless the other children of Death Eaters that are still at school somehow find themselves in contact with their parents, I don't foresee there being an issue. However, ... it may come down to one of us renouncing the other."
His words stuck with her, and over the last couple days they repeated in her mind whenever she was with Harry in the hospital wing.
She never said anything to him, none of them had. They'd all simply been there in quiet support. Now that he and the other champions were released, the leaving feast not long off, they'd all taken shifts in staying with him, and helping to act as a buffer from the rest of the school.
Oh, sure, Dumbledore told everyone what happened, to not bother Harry with it or ask for stories, but she, the Weasleys, Draco, and Luna all knew it was likely only their constant presence that had everyone keeping their distance.
Well, perhaps not so much Draco since Harry left the hospital wing. She'd seen him at the Slytherin table, eyes seeming to be staring off at the distance while eager whispers made their way through many of the purebloods. She hadn't seen him around with them aside from meals, and while she could venture down to the dungeons, she chose not to. Harry needed space, and so did Draco. Perhaps she had needed a bit of it as well.
And now she was getting it. Luna was with Harry and Ron visiting Hagrid, Draco hiding, Ginny spending as much time with Viktor as she could before he returned to Bulgaria. She thought she would take this time to think of what she would do if it came down to a choice between the light or the dark, but she found it wasn't so simple.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Neville startled her, and she managed to give him a slight smile before patting the ground. He sat slowly, his limbs awkward before he finally managed to get on the ground beside her. He smiled shyly. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you."
"You have been?" She replied, confused by the confession. "I hadn't realized providing comfort during an unsettling situation was a form of avoidance."
Neville blushed. "Before that." He said, moving his hand about. "I... after you told us ... about your dad? I... you know what happened to my parents. And who did it to them. Well, after you told me... well, all of us, about your Dad. Well, I just didn't know if I should ... if we should be ...."
"You didn't know if we could be friends." She filled in the blank.
Neville kept his eyes firmly on the ground, his face reddening as he nodded.
"I know what you said. And when you hear how your father was in comparison to Draco Malfoy's? But then I always wondered, in the back of my mind, if your Dad was part of the one who did that to my parents. But then, well, my Gran told me the names once. Said that they were all in Azkaban or died while in there. But they weren't. Harry told me who Moody really was. I trusted him, and he was one of the people who helped destroy my parents. And ... I didn't trust your Dad, but Harry said he was the one who helped the most. That he gave Harry a potion for the pain, healed his arm wound." Neville looked up and around before leaning in and whispering, "He asked Harry if he was alright, and if there was anything he wanted to know. But Dumbledore... he said Dumbledore sent your dad from the room before he could say anything."
Aurora frowned. "The Headmaster didn't want Harry to know anything."
Neville shook his head. "But anyway. That's why I was avoiding you. And I know I shouldn't have, it was bad of me. I mean, Draco is nice enough, despite who his dad is. But even him...."
"Neville, I get it." Aurora said, putting a hand on his knee. "We're still friends, I promise."
He seemed relieved, and thankful stopped trying to explain himself.
Aurora turned back out toward the lake, watching as the Giant Squid came up and broke the surface.
"So, about that article." Neville said after clearing his throat. "Do you think Ron and Harry would be a good couple? 'Cause Dean and Seamus each think that they could be, one day."
Aurora laughed, resting her head on Neville shoulder, the tension of the last couple days ebbing a bit. "Ron wishes."
July 3rd, 1995
—————A—————
As the train pulled away from the Hogsmeade station, no one inside the car spoke. They'd said their goodbyes to their new, foreign friends. Ginny a bit more tearful as her first love departed for his homeland and his career as a Quidditch star, but no one was happy to see them go. Dumbledore had spoken of the need for unity, how the tournament helped create and cement bonds that would be needed during the dark times ahead. Aurora couldn't help but not the convenience of it all with a suspicious mind.
But she would leave that thought unsaid for the moment.
"Everything's going to be different now, isn't it?" Ginny noted, the first to speak out of the seven of them all crammed in the car.
"Yes," Harry said seriously. "I think it's going to get worse."
"It may not be as bad as you think," Luna said, looking around Ginny to Harry. "You Know Who may be back, but you aren't alone. You have your Godfather, and Professor Lupin. You have the Weasleys, and you have us."
"Does he though?" Ron asked, looking at Draco where he sat beside Aurora.
Draco raised his head from its bowed position, his hands clasped between his knees. He didn't straighten his posture at first, merely looked at Ron and said, "he does." When Ron looked skeptical, that was when Draco straightened, looking down his nose at Ron as best he could while being at eye level. "I have a choice, don't I? I could continue the charade, pretend to loathe Potter and mock him. Act like a prat. Or I could, effectively, renounce my father." While Ron didn't look convinced, Harry seemed hopeful. "A wise woman told me that my father's actions and beliefs do not dictate my own, and I know for a fact she's a hell of a lot smarter than most. I was told growing up that muggles and muggleborns were inferior. That even half-bloods weren't as superior. Potter's a halfblood and he can kick Weasley and Longbottom's arses in most things." Draco said, getting an indignant scoff from Ron and an amused chuckle from the rest.
"And Hermione was better and smarter than all of us." Harry added.
"Speak for yourself, Potter." Draco smirked. He then cleared his throat. "I told you back when we first met that you didn't want to go making friends with the wrong sort of wizards." He glanced to Ron. "That some wizarding families were better than others. Seems I needed to take my own advice." He offered his hand. "No more hiding. I'm on your side, out in the open. If you'll have me."
Aurora watched as Harry smiled, reached across the gap, and shook Malfoy's hand.
"Bloody hell, I must be dreaming. No way this is really happening." Ron said, watching with his eyes wide as Harry and Draco finished their handshake.
"Sod off, Ron." Ginny said. "Been friends for a while now, the lot of us. You're the only one not letting it go."
"Yeah, but," he looked to Draco. "The Slytherins will skin you alive, mate. Supporting Harry Potter and being in the same house as You-Know-Who?"
"Snape did it." Harry said. "He was on the side of the light while in Slytherin."
"How can you be sure, though?" Ron asked. "You said he agreed to do what Voldemort said."
"Yeah, but that's his job. He was there in the hospital wing with his wife, that first night. I don't think they knew I was awake, but I heard him talking. He wants to figure out a way to train me better, to prepare me. He said some other things, specific things, but I couldn't hear what. She offered to teach DADA next year, but he didn't want her to. Something about your brother?" Harry glanced to her, and Aurora nodded.
"Leo wouldn't start Hogwarts for another year. He's only 10 now."
"Point is, Snape wouldn't want to do that if he wanted the light to lose. He wouldn't stand by and make sure no one came to harm me."
"Why was his wife there?" Ginny asked.
Aurora stiffened, and she felt Draco tense beside her.
"She cares about Harry, too." Luna said. And when everyone not in the know looked at her as if she were mad, she shrugged. "Harry's parents and Godfather were friends with Professor Snape and his wife in school. I can't imagine not caring about the child of your friend, especially when your friends are no longer around to care for him themselves."
The cart went silent for a beat, then Ron said. "Blimey, so Snape really doesn't hate you."
"Well he's not fond of you." Draco said. "But you're growing on him, I think."
"Like I grew on you?" Harry replied with a smirk.
Draco coughed, "Not quite."
Before anything more could be said, the twins slid open the door. "Ooo, full car, Forge."
"I see that, Gred. Anyone up for some exploding snap?"
"You guys always cheat." Aurora noted.
"Maybe, but you have a Slytherin in here." George pointed out.
"And a Ravenclaw," Fred noted with a wink at Luna.
"Maybe this time,"
"We'll be out sneaked."
"Or Smarted."
"So whaddya say?" They said together.
"I'm game." Draco said with intrigue.
"Me too," Said Harry.
And for the rest of the journey, the atmosphere was more relaxed, and jovial. And even if the reprieve was short, Aurora couldn't imagine any of them being worse for it.