—————H—————
June 22, 1996 (continued)
"You're... well, you're not forgiven, but I..." she stopped, turning around to look at her daughter and her other godson. They had been wide-eyed, and Hermione had assumed it was because they were terrified of her temper. But now, she realized, they had been wide-eyed because she looked like herself. She looked at the others in the room, Luna smiling serenely, Neville was squinting, Ginny stared, teary-eyed, seemingly unsure if this was a happy development or not, and Ron was slack-jawed.
"It was the Time-Turner, wasn't it?" Harry guessed, drawing her attention back to him. "When we were in the hospital wing, the last time I saw you. Something happened with it."
Before Hermione could answer, Severus' voice cut through the room. "I think it's best that this all stays in this room. That said, I will find Albus to discuss what has happened."
"I'm sorry, sir," Harry spoke before Severus could leave. "I was scared. I wasn't sure the Order would come, and we'd been waiting a while. I should have tried harder to keep him out, too."
Severus lingered at the door, wavering between saying something or walking out. He glanced at Hermione, then looked at Harry. "You have experienced how dangerous it is, how deadly it could be if it happens again," Severus said, and Harry nodded. "Then do better to keep him out. And perhaps you'll heed my word next time." And without another word, Severus walked out.
Hermione felt his magic coat the room, ensuring their conversation wasn't overheard or interrupted.
She sagged, filled with exhaustion. With a wave of her hand, she summoned a chair to her, sitting heavily.
"It was the Time-Turner," Harry repeated, though there was no question this time.
"Yes," she confessed. "You managed to send me back twenty years."
"And... and you couldn't come back?"
She shook her head. "You have to wait out the time, remember?"
"And you had to wait twenty years." He bowed his head.
"It wasn't so bad once I settled in. I missed you, of course, I missed all of you. But... I had a good life."
"You married Snape!" Ron shouted. "How was that a good life? If you had to marry anyone, why not marry Remus? Or Sirius?"
"I prefer not to be someone's beard," she confessed. "And I love Severus."
"You realize if she didn't love Snape, Rory wouldn't exist," Harry pointed out, and Ron paled further.
"Merlin, you're..."
"Slow on the uptake," Aurora snarked.
"So, you... you married Snape. And you... and Aurora."
"I have a brother, too, remember," she pointed out unhelpfully. "So that thing you're thinking? Had to have happened at least twice."
"Your parents," Ron said with disgust.
Aurora shrugged. "I'm not stupid enough to think that married couples only sit and hold hands."
"You knew my parents," Harry observed.
Hermione turned to look at him sadly. "I couldn't save them," she said regretfully. "Merlin knows I wanted to, but Dumbledore made me make an Unbreakable Vow when I arrived in 1974. I will confess, I never cared much for your father. He was too brash and too obnoxious for my taste. And your mother and me... Lily and I had our differences. We had our rows, but Lily was a dear friend, and I miss her every day. You're very much like her, you know? You may look like your father, but you have more than your mother's eyes. You have her heart."
"Remus always made it sound like they loved each other from the beginning," Harry said.
She smiled. "Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Your father most definitely loved your mother from first sight. Lily took much, much longer to come around. But when they finally did, they were happy, and they were in love."
Harry smiled, pleased with this insight.
"Snape," Ron said again, seeming unable to wrap his head around it. "He's such a git."
"That hasn't changed much since our youth, but he wasn't always one to me," she said, recalling the days before they could call one another friends.
"How did you deal with all that?" Ginny asked, sitting forward. "Your professors were suddenly your age."
Hermione shrugged. "I didn't at first. It was difficult. Seeing Harry's parents, knowing who they were, what was going to happen. Seeing Peter bloody Pettigrew being chummy with James. Sirius, whole and healthy. He still isn't quite recovered, but I don't think he ever will be. And Severus—"
"But he hates you!" Ron growled, rubbing at his bandaged arms. "He was always nasty to you!"
"Well, yes, I suppose he was as a teacher," Hermione replied, trying to recall. She did still have a vague recollection. But she also remembered thinking he hadn't wanted to be that way. And she did get a tremendous amount of "just because" flowers the year she started Hogwarts, continuing until she vanished. "But you must understand that I was a Muggle-born Gryffindor. On principle, he would have had to hate me for that reason alone."
"What house were you in back then?" Ginny asked.
"Gryffindor, still."
"So how was it different when you were a student?"
"I was never sorted in front of the school. It was presumed that Dumbledore placed me there because of favoritism. Considering how quickly Severus and I became friends, and then more, none of the Slytherins thought to question it."
"But you were Muggle-born, weren't you?"
"No. I posed as a pureblood. Just not one from around here."
"More than friends with Snape." Ron grimaced. Then it cleared and he appeared thoughtful. "Wait, so... did he know you weren't really pure-blood?"
Hermione heard Aurora snort behind her as she did. "Severus' mother was the one who taught me how to act like a pureblood. He knew, pegged it from the beginning. But he didn't care. His best friend was Muggle-born. Dumbledore \ wanted him to spy, to use the invitation to meet the Dark Lord and be part of his inner circle and become a Death Eater. It was never what he wanted."
"The rumors he wants the Defense position?" Ginny arched a brow.
"Partly true. Potions is his passion, but it does depress him that so many of you are utter bollocks," Hermione said, turning to smile over her shoulder at Neville.
"Got worse since you left," he said, voice still quivering a bit, but he at least attempted a grin.
"He also wants you all prepared. It's why he was willing to take the time with you over the hols."
"What do you mean Dumbledore asked you to make a Vow?" Harry asked. "And that he's the reason Professor Snape is a Death Eater?"
Hermione knew that look and took a deep breath to steel herself. Harry was hurt and angry and seemed to be pleading with her for something she wasn't sure she'd be able to give him.
"He did both. He didn't want me to accidentally change events. But he apparently peeked around and read my mind before I learned Occlumency."
"Mind reading is a Muggle phrase."
"Yes, well, old habits." Hermione grinned before sighing heavily. "And I will tell you everything, Harry, in great detail, but not now. All of you need rest, injured or not. And so, you're aware, this little... reunion, doesn't get any of you out of trouble. Sirius is here, and probably with Severus now, discussing proper punishment," she said, turning to look at her daughter and Draco. "And your mother must also be considering that while she waits at the cottage."
Draco didn't react to that. Aurora, at least, had the decency to look chagrined.
"Your parents are being spoken to," she said, rounding back on the Weasley siblings a moment. "And so is your grandmother," Hermione said to Neville, who turned a shade of green at the mere mention of the woman.
"I'm sorry, Mione," Harry said again. "Truly. I know now we should have given Professor Snape more time, that he does care, even if we weren't sure. That he was doing something about it. It's just, I read the papers, I saw all the 'mysterious' deaths, and knew... I know the Order wasn't doing anything about it, so we had to wonder..."
Hermione looked around the room as if she could see the wards she still felt. They were strong, and she knew that Severus had ensured that not even the headmaster could listen, even if there were any eavesdropping devices around. She looked at the children, all of them looking at her.
"Harry," she began, "you're absolutely right. If it were me there, the Order probably wouldn't have been sent to retrieve me. My death weighed against the possible loss of more important people, Order members. The greater good, in that instance, would not include me."
"But it would include me, right?" Harry said angrily. "I'm the Chosen One, so of course, had it been me, everyone would have tried to save me. They did, because I took everyone to the Ministry to save you. But if we weren't all together in that room, if, say, Luna or Draco had been in another room..."
"The Order wouldn't have been asked to retrieve them, no. Their priority would have been you."
Harry's face twisted in anger, his nostrils flaring as he looked away.
"But that doesn't mean a good number of us wouldn't have looked for them and done everything we could to get them," she said, and he looked at her in confusion. "Draco is my godson through Severus," she said, ignoring the choking sound from Ron. "You'd better believe that Albus-sodding-Dumbledore would not have stopped me rescuing him or Aurora. Luna may not be my child, but she is one of my daughter's best friends. One of your best friends. I would dig through rubble, face down a dozen Death Eaters, if it meant getting her back. Because the loss would break you. Break all of you. And you may all be children, and what you did was absolutely foolish, but you are going to be the leaders of this war, whether the powers that be like it or not. There's too much prejudice in the older generation. In my generation. There is still a stigma that lingers over all of us. Blood status. House loyalties. That doesn't seem to be a thing for you all."
"Except with Quidditch," Ginny murmured.
"Yes. But I know about the DA, I know you invited everyone, even if very few from any of the other houses showed up."
Harry seemed to think on that, a slight note of pride in his eyes as a smile began to play lightly on his lips.
"Still, you should never have put them in any danger."
"Yes, Mum," Harry mocked, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Rest, all of you," she said, earning murmurs of ascent and nods from them. She left the infirmary and leaned against the closed door, closing her eyes. Before she knew what was happening, she was quietly sobbing against the wood. Her energy was drained, and it was both a relief and not having her identity revealed to them. There were no more secrets from them, from Narcissa. This war was not going to be like the other. It wasn't going to be filled with glamorous gatherings for spouses to meet one another, all under the pretense that it was merely an evening with friends who all happened to know the Dark Lord. She may still have to walk a tightrope, but the chances that she would need to conceal her identity wasn't as likely.
But they were at war, and her daughter, her godsons, the people that were once her friends, were children about to enter said war whether she wanted them to or not. They'd had their first taste of it, and she her first taste of true fear for their safety. Only Luna truly walked away uninjured.
"Hermione," Severus said softly, and she felt his hands grip her arm and pull her toward him. Gently, he embraced her, fingers flicking toward the door as she sensed two people go past them. After a moment, she calmed down, and she pulled back to look at him. "Why are you crying?"
"For everything," she said, shrugging and shaking her head. "It was for everything. I think I was just finally processing everything."
Severus nodded. "Come, we'll go back to my rooms, and—"
"I DON'T CARE IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW HERMIONE WAS THIRTY-SIX! IF IT COMES FROM THE SNAKE LORD, YOU ASSUME IT'S A TRAP UNTIL SEVERUS SAYS OTHERWISE!"
Hermione and Severus stared at the door.
"Was that—?"
"Lupin," Severus confirmed. "Quite frankly, I expected Black to do the yelling."
"Reverting to last names again, are we?"
"Habit."
—————A—————
June 29, 1996
The change in the air as the end of the year approached was even more palpable than it had been the year before. Before, Harry had come back after vanishing, shouting that Voldemort was back, but this year, the Prophet confirmed his story. Aurora barely remembered who had been around when Harry had had his vision, but soon, with all of them in the hospital wing, word had spread that Harry was at the Ministry when Voldemort returned. That they were all there. And the fact that Draco had been with Harry, had been at his side the whole year, had many whispering about the Slytherins and their loyalties to the Dark Lord.
"I'm getting tired of the looks," Draco grumbled as they walked together through the castle to the Transfiguration courtyard. They'd passed a group of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who made no effort to hide the fact that they were staring at him.
The day before, it was confirmed that Uncle Lucius had been arrested and had been sent to Azkaban along with a couple other Death Eaters. His mother was reported missing when the Aurors went to tell her the troubling news, though it was rumored that Narcissa Malfoy wasn't just missing if her husband was Death Eater.
"How is it in your house?" she asked as the two of them slowly made their way down the stairs. Her ankle was still tender, and Draco's curse mark made it hard to breathe when he went too fast.
"Tense," he said with a hint of amusement. "I'm either being glared at with malice or confusion. No one's really talked to me, except Theo, but that was only after he got a letter from his dad. He recognized me, but Uncle Severus has kept you and Leo so well hidden from everyone but our family that I think your identity is safe. It's not like father shouted your name while we were there."
"No, but he did let me go. And whichever Death Eater caught me after him did, if they saw him let me go, they'd know I'm important ."
"Perhaps, but that's a bridge we'll cross when we get there. The Weasleys are utterly screwed, of course, but I think Luna is a mystery."
Aurora snorted. "A mystery for the time being. She's not exactly an inconspicuous blonde."
Draco snickered, and they finally made it to a landing. Turning, they spotted Harry, Ron, and Neville coming toward them.
Aurora peeked at Draco when Harry flashed him a bright, welcoming grin, and was happy to see him return the smile despite his faint blush.
"Here, Rory," Harry said as he darted up the stairs. "Can't be easy on either of you to be supporting each other." He went up to Draco's other side, lifting his arm to put around his shoulders as he slipped his arm around Draco's waist.
"Need a hand?" Neville offered when Aurora was free of Draco.
"No," she said, waving it off. "I'm fine, just a little—" she cut herself off with a gasp as she took her first step without her walking partner and her ankle couldn't hold her weight. "Okay, fine, a hand. But only if you're doing better yourself."
Neville grinned shyly as he tucked her arm in his elbow. "That stuff your dad gave me is disgusting, but it worked. Within a couple hours, the tremors stopped. I felt like I'd spent the day playing Quidditch, but aside from that, I'm fine."
She hadn't been sure why Neville, after facing an Unforgivable, had been released so quickly, along with Luna, Ginny, and Harry. She, Draco, and Ron had to stay a few extra days. But then, she hadn't really known what the potion her father gave Neville would do, and then she was in her own potion haze from the bone mender.
They continued through the castle, and Aurora noticed the glances here and there from others. By the time they made it to the courtyard, she was glad to be away from the staring.
"Next year should be interesting," Draco said as they joined Ginny and Luna.
"Why is that?" Ron asked. "Because now the world knows You-Know-Who's back? And we might get a professor who actually knows what they're doing?"
"Well, Umbridge won't be returning." Ginny smirked wickedly. "Rumor is she's leaving Britain altogether."
"At least until the markings fade," Neville said thoughtfully.
"They kept trying to test the quills at the Ministry." Ginny nodded. "Nothing happened. Just the word 'Dunderhead' appearing on the forehead of anyone who cheated."
"So that's the last of her, then," Ron said, brushing his hands together as if he'd been the one to send her off.
"At least here," Harry said. Then to Aurora, "Think your dad might teach next year? He knows what he's doing."
"No idea," she said with a shake of her head.
They were quiet, enjoying the sunshine.
"I keep thinking nothing can be stranger than the year we've just had," Harry said. "And then September rolls around, and it starts all over again."
"Would be nice to have an uneventful year," Luna agreed thoughtfully.
"No stones hidden in the castle," Ron wished.
"Or Riddle hiding on the back of a teacher's head," Harry said wistfully.
"Or cursed diaries containing him," Ginny whispered.
"Pet rats who are actually his minion." Ron scrunched his face.
"Accused murderers breaking into the castle," Aurora sighed.
"Deadly tournaments Potter gets roped into," Draco drawled.
"Makes this year seem tame," Ginny noted.
They all hummed in agreement.
—————H—————
July 1, 1996
She stopped short as she entered the sitting room, finding Narcissa holding a parchment, looking thoughtful and sad, staring off into the distance. After a pause, Hermione continued to set the tea tray on the coffee table, deciding to perch on the edge of the sofa. The children were all occupied and Severus was in his lab. This way, they would be undisturbed while she told Narcissa where she and Draco would go into hiding.
Her friend lowered the parchment to her lap and looked blankly at the tea set. Then, slowly, she looked at Hermione.
"It's from the Ministry," she said quietly. "Lucius has officially been registered as a prisoner of Azkaban. He was found guilty of breaking into the Ministry with ill intent and aiding a Dark Wizard in crimes against Britain. His sentence is twenty years. They included the Dissolution of Marriage form. I assume you've seen one before?"
"Yes," Hermione said softly. She had, fifteen years ago, when her own husband was detained.
"Why did you stay married to Severus?" Narcissa asked. "I know how it sounds, but ... but I want to know the reason you stayed."
"I knew he would be freed," she said softly. "Alastor Moody knew of Severus' allegiance. He was one of the people who encouraged Severus to spy. He was arrested to keep up appearances, and he had a trial. But it was private, and there were many people willing to testify about the good he'd done. He wouldn't stay long. But I also knew that regardless of the length of his stay, Severus can Occlude. Not everyone is able to shield themselves from the dementors like that."
"And my cousin? How is he still sane after twelve years? Bella is utterly insane, far more than she ever was before her incarceration."
Hermione smiled ruefully. "Dementors have no interest in animals. And as an Animagus, Sirius spent a large part of his time in dog form."
"So there is little hope for Lucius, then," Narcissa said softly.
"No, I don't believe so. Not unless he is broken out."
"But I still have Draco to think about," Narcissa said, twisting the ring she'd loaned Hermione around her finger. "The dissolution renders him fatherless."
"Yes. But only in terms of Lucius' access to him."
"Is this how Muggle separations work?"
"Yes. Though it doesn't normally sever all rights to the child."
Narcissa nodded sadly. "I still love him. I love him, I do. But I have to think about Draco. I can't have him still linked to Lucius in case the Dark Lord decides to punish Lucius through Draco. There is still a chance he might, of course, but less so if I sign this."
"Severus is his Head of House. If the students attempt something against him, Severus can settle things. And as long as he is hidden for the next couple months, Draco will be safe at Hogwarts. Which reminds me: I know somewhere you can go."
"Go?" Narcissa said, summoning a quill.
"To hide," Hermione said as Narcissa signed her name on the parchment with a stiff spine.
"And where would that be?"
"Somewhere I am certain you've longed to go for quite some time."
July 3, 1996
It brought a small smile to her face to see Narcissa nervous. She'd fussed enough with Draco's clothes and hair that one might have thought him six and not sixteen. She fidgeted quite a bit herself, enough that Hermione held her hand after Apparating to calm her.
After Narcissa took a few deep breaths, Hermione knocked on the door.
It opened very quickly to reveal a grinning blond man. "Took you long enough."
Hermione smiled. "Nerves, Ted. This has been a while in the making."
Ted nodded, then looked at Narcissa and Draco. "Come in, come in. Andromeda is in the sitting room with Dora. We figured it was good for the children to meet as well. Well, not that they're children anymore."
Hermione followed them inside. The sisters only stared at one another when Narcissa entered the sitting room. Tonks gave a sly smile and a little wave to Draco, and he did his best to smother a grin and nod, taking a seat beside her.
"Cissy," Andromeda said, taking a slight step toward her younger sister. "It's been—"
"I've missed you," Narcissa choked. "And Bella, she's not, she's gone—"
Andromeda simply stepped forward and wrapped her sister in her arms as she wept. Hermione looked at Ted, but he was already slinking back upstairs, giving the witches space. Hermione then looked at Tonks and Draco, and they left for the kitchen, leaving the sisters to their reunion.
—————S—————
He wasn't really sure why Black was there, in his living room, sipping tea. He frowned, picking up his teacup, taking a sip while watching Black out the corner of his eye.
"Have you ever wanted to have sex with a man?" Black asked, and Severus choked on his tea. "Or anyone other than Hermione," Black amended.
"No," he coughed. "My desires have only ever settled on my wife."
"But have you ever had to fake seduction with ... anyone... in your time as a spy?"
"Where is this line of questioning leading, mutt?" Severus asked, teeth clenched.
"Remus wants a relationship, but he wants it to be an open one," Black explained in a rush. "He says he loves me, and I believe him, but..."
"But what?"
"But he also says he wants to explore what he feels for Tonks. And I get that he likes to be a Beater for both teams, but I would have thought that..."
"You thought that once he realized he had feelings for you, he would choose you and that would be that." Severus arched a brow. "The man pined for my wife even while the pair of you were shagging each other senseless. Should it truly surprise you that, while you have a loving relationship, he would still seek out female companionship? He's a werewolf, Sirius. If he were not born interested in the fairer sex, his biological compulsion to reproduced is magnified because of his partly animal instincts. Females are required for reproduction. Unless, of course, you take that potion I mentioned before."
"No, thank you," Sirius said instantly, nearly spilling his tea in his haste to raise his hands and prove as much as he could that he had no desire to carry a child. Severus snickered, pleased to have unsettled the mutt. "But my own cousin? Isn't that a bit..."
"Considering the amount of intermarriages within the wizarding population, a man choosing his lover and his lover's cousin as his potential mates is not entirely odd. Well, no odder than having the desire for two mates at once. It could be worse, he could have chosen a female who knew nothing about you. Kept it hidden."
"I'm not sure that would have been worse," Sirius grumbled.
"And when Lupin announces he's going to be a father?" Severus arched a brow. "What then? Would you not feel betrayed?"
He sighed heavily. "Probably. But Tonks... Severus, she really loves him. Her Patronus actually changed, for Merlin's sake."
"Oh?" Severus said. "To what?"
"A wolf. She used it to find Remus the other night, asking if he would be willing to go see her. I think it was a rabbit before."
"And so, because she has a Patronus that is the same as Lupin's, she's in love with him? Hermione and I have never had matching Patronuses, does that mean we love one another less?"
"It's not what I mean. But...I guess it is what I mean. You don't match, no, but you complement each other. Her Patronus is a raven, and you're a bit bird-like in appearance," Sirius teased with a charming smile. "You have a fierce lioness, and what is Hermione if not one of the fiercest lionesses we know?"
"If you are basing your worries off of ethereal guardians, then I believe Azkaban may have done more damage to your brain than I thought. And don't you dare bring up Potter and Lily. Would you care to question Molly and Arthur's marriage? I'm sure she'd love to hear your theory on non-matching Patronuses. And if you want to think they are a reflection of our love, then would you care to tell Molly her husband thinks her a weasel?"
"So why do you think Tonks' changed, then? If not for love?"
"Oh, it's possible that it changed for love, but don't take it to mean anything significant. Personally, I believe it has everything to do with the creator. Their soul. Take, for instance, one who has gone Dark. Truly Dark. They would not be able to cast, correct? Narcissa, for instance, would be able to cast a Patronus if she wanted to badly enough. Lucius would not. Now, love will either change or strengthen a person, depending on the circumstances. I believe it made Hermione and me stronger people. But even I admit we were very young when we fell in love with each other. It's rare. Had she fallen into our lives a few years later, my Patronus would have changed to match hers. Because she would have changed me. I believe Lily changed Potter the elder when it became clear his antics and carefree attitude weren't going to make her happy. And that he changed her with their pregnancy and marriage. You and Remus were independent of each other for a long time, enough that you were firm in who you were before you came together. The same could be said for Minerva, who married later in life. Nymphadora... she is young still. Young and impressionable. And she can change herself at will."
Sirius shook his head. "I never thought that I would be having a discussion about magical theory with you. What you said makes sense, but... When did you sit and think why a Patronus is the way it is? Have you always had this theory or did you come up with it on the fly?"
"I pondered it once in my youth."
Sirius scoffed. "Your youth. You make it sound like you're ancient."
"Raise a teenager, then talk to me," Severus retorted.
"I am raising a teenager, in case you've forgotten. It certainly doesn't make me feel like a young man myself, but it hardly makes me feel like I've left my youth behind."
"Forgive me and let me rephrase: Raise a teenage daughter and then talk to me." It was then that said teenage daughter came through the Floo, looking as though she were about to Avada someone. Her wavy hair was a tangled mess and sweat dotted her brow, dirt on her cheek. "What in Merlin's name—?"
"I need my broom," she said, heading for the stairs.
"You did not take it to the Weasleys'?" he said over his shoulder as Aurora paused on the stairs.
"No, I didn't think I needed to today. The weather was shite this morning."
"Language," Severus scolded half-heartedly.
"Sorry. Anyway, Ron got a new broom last year for making prefect. His old one... let's just say, I'm surprised he didn't break his neck. And if that ginger moron mocks me again for my terrible flying when it's his sodding broom that's causing me to do so poorly, I'm going to hex him so badly I'll be expelled for use of magic way out of the realms of what could be considered accidental."
Severus waved his hand and Aurora stomped up the stairs.
Sirius looked at Severus. "I never knew she could be so terrifying."
"She gets it from her mother," Severus said, and Sirius merely nodded in agreement.
July 10, 1996
He was curious why it took the Dark Lord so long to call this meeting. Frankly, Severus had expected it much, much sooner.
It did, however, surprise him to find himself at the gates of Malfoy Manor. And it seemed like he wasn't the only one as he glanced at Crabbe and MacNair.
"Did he bust them out?" MacNair asked. "He couldn't have."
Severus said nothing, merely touching his wand to the gates, feeling the wards ease for them. They walked down the path in silence, entered the manor without issue, and made their way to the formal dining room.
The Dark Lord sat at the end of the table in a chair that had obviously been brought in. He was a king on his throne, and to his left, his would-be Queen. Bellatrix looked pleased, of course, not thinking much about not being the Dark Lord's right hand.
"Severus," he hissed. "Come, sit." He gestured to the empty right seat, and it was suddenly clear by the sneer that graced Bella's lips that she had been aware, she simply thought the place was for someone else. "My loyal spy, how are you this evening?"
The pleasantries were false, and as Severus replied, "Well, my Lord. I thank you for asking," he felt Dark Lord barge into his mind.
In an instant, he knew he was searching for Draco's whereabouts. Carefully crafted memories of not seeing the boy since the end of the summer, of trying to convince the lad to stay with him and being defied rose to the surface. Images of his daughter weeping, technically over Weasley, but changed to be about their engagement, were pulled to the forefront of his mind. Aurora was such a hideous crier that the passing image of her in full sob hid her appearance. He only hoped that the Ministry was dark enough that night she went with Potter that none of the followers had gotten a good look at her.
But then the memories shifted, and the Dark Lord was searching for Dumbledore. There was always a thin layer of annoyance or bitterness that overlaid any memory of the old man. It wasn't really hard to magnify that during certain scenes, but Severus had to wonder why the Dark Lord had decided to look through those memories now.
Whatever the Dark Lord saw, he was pleased. At least, that's what Severus hoped the wide, terrifying grin meant.
"You truly have no love for the old fool, do you, Severus? You have stayed at your post, obedient and loyal, for nearly seventeen years. For me."
"Of course, my Lord," Severus replied. "You did not express that you would want me anywhere else before your vanishing."
"And if I asked more of you, my faithful spy. If I asked you to leave this role for another, would you take it?"
"I would do what is asked of me, my Lord," Severus replied.
Voldemort laughed. "Such faith! Such loyalty! He does not even ask the task, merely says he will take it up, will do what I ask without question." The joy left his snake-like visage, replaced by cold anger. "Bring in the boy!"
Severus turned toward the door as Bellatrix smiled gleefully, cackling as quietly as she could.
Theodore Nott was dragged in, Goyle pulling on his arm and keeping his grip on him to keep the unhappy teenager from running. Severus knew, though, that Nott was not a stupid boy, and would know better than to flee.
"Theodore," Voldemort enunciated. "Welcome."
Nott said nothing.
"I wish it were under better circumstances," Voldemort continued, and Severus was sure that no one in the room believed him. "Your father, you see, was an incompetent fool. He let witches and wizards of your age, blood traitors, best him. I had hoped it would be Draco Malfoy here before me, but alas, his mother has severed her ties to Lucius, and therefore Draco's ties. But you, sole heir that you are of the Nott family, did not run. You stayed in your home, among your fathers' things. You stayed ... loyal."
"The alternative was becoming a ward of Hogwarts," Theodore replied with an air of indifference. "My stepmother has yet to sever her marriage, so as a result, I am able to stay where I am."
Bella rose to her feet. "You will show respect for such a powerful wizard, you filthy ingrate!"
"Bella, sit," Voldemort commanded. "He has yet to realize he needs to be respectful. Young men like him, they don't realize just yet that they need to earn their place."
"Sorry, my place?" Nott said, and Severus felt on edge.
"Your father failed me," Voldemort said, rising casually, moving smoothly toward the young man. "Failure must be punished. And a family name must be redeemed. You see, Lucius' punishment, since he has no heir to take his place, is to give all he has left to our cause. His fortune. His home. And if it were still possible, his son. But alas, he will simply need to find a new witch to give him a new child. Once I lead all of Britain and wizarding kind, the name Malfoy will be clean once more. Pure, like the blood that flows through their veins. But Nott... Nott will not hold such esteem. Not yet. But you will be able to bring it out of the muck."
Nott, wisely, remained silent, his glare of hatred becoming thoughtful.
"How would I do that?" he asked cautiously.
"You will prove yourself. Prove your family's worth." Voldemort smirked. "You will kill the fool, Dumbledore."
Nott gave a single incredulous laugh. "And if I don't?"
"I will kill you," Voldemort said simply. "Crabbe," he commanded, and without a word, the wizard rose and seized Theodore's other arm. He gripped the boy's wrist, then forcefully pushed Theodore's sleeve up, baring his pristine left arm.
Despite not wanting to, Severus watched as one of his students, a boy who would not turn seventeen until May, was branded against his will. Much could be said about Nott, who tried to push away with his feet before someone leg-locked him. He did not scream, but he did grunt and groan, still trying to push away from the elder Crabbe and Goyle, despite his weaker frame. His eyes were glossed over when it was done, but he was still full of fire and rage.
Voldemort, of course, did not care. "I will be kind, for I believe education is important. I tried to be a teacher once, did you know? But Dumbledore did not deign to give me the opportunity. But that matters not. I will be kind to you, Theodore Nott, by allowing you until the end of the school year to complete your task. He is an old man, I'm sure his murder will be simple. And if you fail," he said, touching the newly-branded Mark on the teenager's arm, "I will find you. Regardless of where you run or hide. And I will ensure your father watches.
"Severus. I expect you to be available to young Mister Nott, should he require your help."
"Of course, my Lord," Severus said, truly meaning it. He didn't think Theodore would go through with his mission. He was fairly certain he was one of the only Slytherins interested in fighting against the Dark Arts.
"And if he fails in his task, I ask that you take it on, Severus," Voldemort said as he slithered back to his throne. "I plan to have the Ministry under my control by this time next year. Slower than I would like, but it does take time to do things properly. And when I emerge with wizarding Britain under my influence, my control, they will see that I am their rightful leader, that things under my reign are far more superior. With Dumbledore dead, no one will oppose me."
"And what of Potter, my Lord?" Severus asked.
"I do not fear the boy," he dismissed. "I have a plan to wipe him out. He is weak, full of foolish notions that love is powerful, that friendship is more powerful than loyalty. He is nothing but a boy, and a boy can be easily vanquished." Severus noticed those Death Eaters who were in the graveyard the night of the Dark Lord's resurrection looking at one another, but no one said a word. Severus didn't need to skim their thoughts to know what they were thinking: Potter was not so easily vanquished.
"Severus. Do I have your word on this? Should Nott fail, will you finish the job yourself?"
"With pleasure, my Lord."
How was he going to get around this one?
—————A—————
July 29, 1996
"Do we have to?" Aurora asked Ginny as the ginger clung to her arm. They were facing the shop.
It had been nearly four months since she was last inside, and exactly three months since the bloke whose face was on the outside of the building broke her heart. And she knew it was Fred because of the number of freckles painted on his cheeks, and the way the hair was parted.
"Yes," Ginny said, pulling her reluctant friend toward the shop.
"But I have rats to get for my dad," Aurora pleaded, glancing at the magical menagerie over her shoulder. She wasn't sure why he needed rats or why he was going through so many. This was his second dozen since a meeting two weeks ago, one that had her parents sequestered in their office, a strong Muffliato on the door, and both of them coming out looking as though they'd been through a serious fight. Her mother hadn't been quite as bad afterward, though they had spent quite a few of their nights in her father's lab. Leo wasn't allowed down there, and she hadn't dared to ask, but she knew from the faint curses and odd laugh she had heard that they were experimenting and not... being weird in the potions lab.
"I do believe your dad said, and I quote, 'take your time, it will keep you out of my hair,'" Ginny said, deepening her voice in a bad imitation.
Aurora rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean go trapezing through Diagon Alley!"
"And we aren't," Ginny countered. "We're going to see my brothers' shop, and you are going to face Fred so you can stop being all... mopey."
"I am not mopey," Aurora argued. And she wasn't. Not really. So what if she preferred brokenhearted music? It didn't mean she was mopey. In fact, she was not mopey. She was over Fred Weasley and had been since the day he left. Sort of. Most of the time.
"Rory, if I have to hear the song Love Fool again, I am going to take that ... that circle thingy and toss it like a discus out the window, never to be heard again."
"You love that song."
"Not after the twentieth time," Ginny complained as she opened the door to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes and shoved Aurora inside.
She had no idea why she was so worried. There was so much noise, so much commotion, that any thought that she would be instantly transported to the day Fred had snuck her here was gone. And they were busy. She had no idea that their gags and tricks would be so popular.
And then she heard him and George over the din, calling out product suggestions, sounding more like showmen than salesmen. When she caught a glimpse of his red hair, she darted her gaze away, only to have it land on the counter that she instantly had to turn away from as well. She sat on that counter once, with Fred so very close. She refused to remember what it was like to kiss him while she sat there with her arms around his neck. She followed Ginny, nearing the pink glow of something that looked like a fountain. Ginny picked up a bottle, looking it over.
"Love potion," George said. "But from what we hear, you don't need it."
"Shut up," Ginny said, blushing slightly.
"Does this have to do with the date you had with the older bloke you won't tell me about?"
"Might," she teased with a smirk, and Aurora rolled her eyes.
"What about you, Snape? Have any prospects?" George asked.
Aurora looked at him, a dozen answers shooting through her mind. But in that moment, George had never looked more like Fred, and she hated that he was asking. Even if he were only being nice, making conversation, treating her like his sister's friend and not his brother's ex-girlfriend. So, she turned away, leaving the inane love potions behind. She rounded a corner, heading for a display she hadn't seen before, and stopped short, immediately wishing she hadn't.
"Alcoves not romantic enough? Cloud cover blocking the stars the night you sneak up to the Astronomy Tower? Use the AURORA. Simulate the Northern lights in any dark space. Deluxe version comes with gentle music."
Hands shaking, Aurora reached for one of the boxes. It was both a relief and not to see that the flowers on the top (painted, not carved) were different from the ones on her box. She gently opened the lid, finding she didn't know how to feel about the black lining. And the scent. Again, it was different. Parchment still, perhaps honey as well, but the earthy smell was different. Grass, maybe? Damp grass in the early morning? No, not quite. It was something floral that she couldn't put her finger on. And something else.
She brushed her fingers against the crank and was relieved when the song wasn't the same as hers.
"It was our song." Fred's voice behind her startled her, but she refused to turn around and look at him. Especially when she felt him come up behind her. "Couldn't sell them with our song, seemed too... personal."
She closed the box. "And the scent?"
"Perfume in yours," he said. "Didn't know what I smelled like exactly, not without a few rounds of Quidditch, and I didn't think that was something to put in a gift. So, I made it smell like you. What you smell like."
Aurora nodded, putting the box back on the shelf. She wanted to move but realized too late that Fred was too close to make a clean getaway.
"Looks like you're doing well," she said over her shoulder.
"We are."
"Good."
She swore he inched closer, thought she felt him touch her hair. "How are you?"
"Fine," she replied.
"Are you, though?"
She took a deep breath, and hated that she could smell him, even if only faintly. Hated that she sensed his heat. Hated that when she caught a glimpse of him in the reflective surface being the Aurora Boxes, he looked incredible in his suit, and that he had a look of sadness and longing in his face. She stared, hating him, but hating herself for still finding him attractive. Her heart ached, torn between wanting to move and staying in an infatuation so deep she nearly called it love. It might've been love, still was, but he'd left. He'd left, and he'd done it for a good reason, and she understood. There were still three years left for her, and here he was, with a very successful business, and it really didn't make sense for them to be together when they really couldn't be.
He looked up and caught her eye, and her heart jolted in that way that felt wonderful and miserable all at once.
Then she felt his touch on her hand and knew exactly what she wanted.
"I can't do this," she said, turning and fleeing despite it causing her to have to brush past him.
"Rory?" he called, but she didn't look back, she just wove her way through the crowd as quickly as she could, ignoring Ginny, ignoring Ron, Harry, and Draco as they came into the store as she left. She didn't look back until she was out in the streets, letting her feet take her to the magical menagerie like she was supposed to. She didn't look away until a ginger in a three-piece suit started coming out the door. She wasn't sure which one, and it didn't matter.
She looked away in time to crash into someone else.
"Rory?" Neville said, and she looked up in surprise to see who she'd collided with. He frowned. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she said quickly. "Just... awkward, being in there. Fred. I mean... I just, er..."
"Looks busy in there."
"It is."
"Glad I went earlier," he said, and she looked up at him in confusion. He shrugged, looking bashful. "I know I was usually one of their, er, test subjects."
"Unwittingly so," Aurora reminded him, feeling her lips tug upward.
He blushed. "Yeah. But, well, they were always a bit clever, weren't they? I mean, not Hermione clever. That is, your, er, well, just not as clever as her. But much more than me."
"Just remember, they left without earning their N.E.W.T.s. How clever can they be?"
He smiled. "Yeah, well. Still." He shrugged, smile turning a bit self-deprecating. "They had some neat things."
"Yeah," she agreed.
They stood there for a moment, and in that time, they both realized that Neville was still holding her arms. His blush, which had only just begun to fade, roared back to life. He cleared his throat.
"So," he said, his voice a pitch too high. He cleared his throat again while loosening his collar. "So," he tried again, hands in his pockets as he rolled on his feet. "Were you just takin' off, or...?"
"I need to get rats for my dad. He's experimenting."
Neville paled. "Poor rats."
She laughed. "He doesn't want them to die," she said, heading toward the menagerie. "But if he doesn't test on them..."
"This is why I like plants. You want to experiment with plants, they aren't going to—" he stopped, looking over at her as she arched a brow. "Well, okay, they might die."
She snorted. "You just won't feel as badly about it. I get it."
They entered the menagerie, and Neville looked around as Aurora enquired about the rats her father had owled about in advance. A box, charmed to remain stable with the rats inside, was handed to her. She turned and found Neville smiling as he offered a finger to an owl, who gently nipped at it, fluttering its wings as it hopped from side to side.
"Are you two-timing Trevor?" she teased.
"Well, lil fella is certainly livelier than Trevor. But I couldn't find him before we left. I think he managed to get down to the lake. Hate to say it, but I'd never be able to tell him apart from the other toads."
"Think you'll get an owl, then?" she said, gesturing to the peppy little guy in the cage.
"Gran won't let me," he said shyly.
"I wanted a Kneazle," she confessed. "A cat, maybe. But Mum wouldn't let me."
"What? But she had—"
"I know," she chuckled. "And we sort of adopted him when she... you know. But he tends to stay in my father's rooms."
Neville bid the little owl farewell and followed her out as she left the shop.
Once they were outside, Aurora looked around, trying to both look at the Weasley shop and not. She turned to Neville, wondering if maybe he wanted to stay with her while she waited for Ginny.
"Neville Frank Longbottom!" his grandmother recited, and even Aurora straightened. "Why are you here with your young friend without a proper chaperone?"
"Chap-chaperone? Gran, I promise, we aren't...It's not like that."
"Do your parents know you are out here unsupervised with a young man, Miss Snape?" she asked, turning her piercing eyes on Aurora. Even the vulture on her hat seemed to stare at her accusingly.
"I, er, ah. Well, you see, I didn't know Neville was here, uh, ma'am. And, well, he just wanted to escort me while I ran an errand for my father. My friend is visiting her brothers in their, er, shop."
"Yes," she said, sneering at the Weasleys Wizard Wheezes sign over her shoulder. "What a pointless establishment."
Aurora had no idea what to say to that.
"Neville, if you did not arrange to meet this young witch, we need to go," she said, turning back to her grandson. She didn't say anything further, merely turned and walked away.
"I have to go," he said regretfully.
"See you around," she said, waving.
—————S—————
August 3, 1996
"What have you done, you old fool!" Severus snapped, hiding his panic as best he could.
It was luck, Felix Felicis kind of luck, that he happened to be in the castle when Dumbledore's weak Patronus found him. He just happened to be in his personal lab, taking stock of what needed to be purchased for the upcoming year. When he Flooed up to the headmaster's office, and found Albus falling out of his chair, his hand blackened, Severus had to wonder if the old coot took a small sample of the golden potion before he did whatever idiotic thing he'd done.
"I was a fool, Severus," he mumbled.
"Yes, I've known that for many years," Severus said as he got to his knees, quickly casting any and all counter-curses he knew. It was as his brow began to dot with sweat, his voice becoming raspy, that Severus noted the vial on the headmaster's desk, filled with a gold potion. Well, he did say it was that kind of luck. Without thinking, Severus uncorked the vial with his teeth, took three drops on the tongue, and set the bottle back down.
His head went fuzzy, as it always did when one was high on positivity, and it suddenly dawned on him that the curse was probably not going to go away. Not lucky. But, well, there was a potion that acted like a stasis. He'd never had a live specimen to use it on. But he had a feeling that, maybe, if he used it now...
"Tinny," he called, and a house-elf popped into the office. "I need you to bring me the potion in the round vial with the serpent topper." And then as an afterthought, "And my best firewhisky."
"Yes, Master Snape, sir," he said, popping out of view. Severus resumed the incantations, not heartened by the way Dumbledore looked as though he were about to seize at any moment. Tinny popped back into the room, the thoughtful thing looking proud as it placed the two bottles and a goblet on the table.
"Thank you, Tinny," he said, thumbing open both bottles and pouring an equal amount into both. " Quae continere tenebris ," he said to the goblet, then repeated the incantation as he poured the smoking liquid slowly into Dumbledore's mouth. Thankfully, or luckily, the old coot didn't need help swallowing. He slowly directed the flow of his magic to Albus' right hand, where it was clear the curse originated. The sickly color in his skin began to recede, and Severus mentally held his breath as he waited to see if his efforts worked.
After a moment, Albus' eyes fluttered and opened.
Breathing a sigh of relief, with as much relief as Severus could feel, he slumped back on his haunches. He looked around the room, trying to decipher what it was that Dumbledore had touched that had done ... that.
He spotted the sword first, which was so rarely out of its display case that it was the first thing Severus focused on. He then spotted the glint of something black. Creeping closer, he saw a ring, the black stone, the serpent mouth that held the stone in place.
"Why," he hissed scathingly. "Why did you put on that ring?"
"I already said I was a fool." Albus shrugged, his voice tired.
"You had to have known it would carry a curse, why even touch it?"
"I was tempted. Sorely tempted." Dumbledore shook his head.
"Tempted. By. What?" Severus asked slowly, watching the old man. After a few seconds, Severus realized that his quick nip of Felix had worn off. Just enough to save the old man, not enough to earn answers. Bloody brilliant. "I've contained the curse in the one hand for the time being, but..."
"Very good work, Severus. How long do you think I have?"
Severus sighed. "I can't be sure. A year, maybe? A spell like that cannot be stopped forever. Maybe if we remove the appendage—"
"No, I doubt that will help. And you must admit, this does make things much less complicated."
"In what way?" Severus asked as he got to his feet.
"The plans that Tom has for Mr. Nott and what happens if he fails."
Severus waved it off. "I nearly perfected a spell—"
"No, Severus. No more spells. Before a year has passed, I will be dead. And you will be the one to kill me."