Title: False Compare

Author: Drusilla Dax ( )

Rating: 15

Main pairings: SS/GW, HP/SB, HG/DM, RW/GG

Summary: In time of war, allies and enemies can be found everywhere.

Disclaimer: I'm just playing with many people's toys and nothing you think you know is mine. May I be forgiven in my next incarnation... Flamers will be adopted by my family (if you don't believe it's a threat... too bad for you!).

Test readers: Abby, Annemarie, Joyce, Mikee, Stephanie.

Official Plot Bunny Providers: Stephanie and Annemarie

Beta readers: Mikee and Starkindler. The remaining mistakes are all mine, and I apologize for those.

False compare

Grimmauld Place started blinking a few days after Sirius disappeared. In the beginning, it was faint, and only the most powerful witches and wizards could have spotted it. The Muggles who lived near never saw a thing in the first days.

In early July, it became obvious that something was very wrong with the house.

Muggles suffered from headaches whenever they were around it, and various members of the Order of the Phoenix reported incidents to Albus Dumbledore.

The ancient wizard Apparated to London and saw for himself that the magic protecting from prying eyes the place he had chosen for headquarters was on the blink.

He concluded that it needed a master to remain Unplottable.

Albus Dumbledore was ready to do whatever he could to ensure that the Order's Headquarters remain safe.

People were sent to bring Harry Potter there. Dumbledore hoped that, as Sirius's godson, Harry could control the place.

Harry was asked to perform various spells on the house so that it acknowledged the new ownership, but it failed.

It failed, and Dumbledore's eagerness to find a solution made him send Harry to a room. It happened that the only room that was decent and not occupied by a member of the Order was Sirius's. Harry entered the room as if it were a shrine, and he became silent.

Days went by, no one paid attention to Harry.

When Molly Weasley was finally authorized to come, and when Ron, Ginny, and even Hermione came a little later, Harry was already collapsing.

The isolation through which he'd gone, combined with his guilt, were taking their toll.

It was on a bright and pleasant afternoon in mid-July, that Severus Snape was ordered to come and check the young wizard's condition. He was also to resume his tutoring in Occlumency - it was an order from Dumbledore, and Snape was in no position to argue with the man.

The Potions master came into the room occupied by the young wizard, and he instantly knew that something was very wrong with the annoying Gryffindor. The older wizard might not be a Healer, but he could smell fever. He wondered how that could have escaped Molly Weasley, then he remembered that the witch has just been complaining that she barely saw Harry at all, and that when he came down and joined them to eat, he barely touched his plate.

Harry did not move. He was in bed, and he was very pale.

Snape could see that he had lost weight - too much weight.

Harry looked at the intruder in his last refuge.

He whispered two words that resounded in the too silent room.

'I apologize.'

'I have been ordered to resume your tutoring,' Snape said.

'Why would you? Even Voldemort has decided to leave me alone. He knows that my life will end up the same way Lockhart's and the Longbottoms' did. He won't even need to lift a finger against me, I'm going to slip off the earth, and there's no one left to mind.'

'Potter! What do you mean the Dark Lord has decided to leave you alone?' Snape practically barked.

'After I was brought here, I was so tired of everything that he invaded my mind, and I didn't resist. He made me walk around to see where I was. When I walked into the bathroom, he saw me through my own eyes, and he laughed. He laughed so hard. Laughter should not sound so acidic. He slipped out of my mind knowing that I'm already lost.'

'You should have reported this,' Snape scolded him.

'I tried,' snorted the young man.

'We shall resume our tutoring sessions, Mr Potter. If the Dark Lord manages to enter your mind again, I want you to tell me.'

'He won't come back, sir. He knows that it's the end.'

'It will not be the end, Potter. This is not in your power. Are you going to let him win?'

'I lost long before I was born, and I think you know it, sir. You should not waste precious time with me,' Harry said. Suddenly, he jumped off the bed and said, 'I guess you might like a cup of tea.'

Before Snape could react, Harry was out of the room.

The instant Snape saw Harry's glasses on the bedside table, he understood that the brat he despised so much really was in trouble. Next he spotted a small Muggle bottle, and he ran after Harry.

Snape reached the top of the stairs as Harry finished rolling down. The Potions master didn't know if Harry had plunged, if he had fainted, or if whatever was in the bottle had made him collapse.

The young wizard fell almost silently, as if it were a symbol of the way he'd been treated over the past few months.

Snape rushed to him, and Hermione came to see what that noise she heard was. Ron was behind her, and Ginny just behind him.

'Keep them in the kitchen,' Hermione ordered.

Ginny obeyed, while Hermione grabbed Ron and dragged him into the corridor.

Hermione saw Harry stir in Snape's arms.

'It's a miracle he didn't break his neck,' Hermione commented.

Snape snorted, and Hermione wondered what was going on with Harry.

Snape carried Harry back into his room, and the young witch told Ron to bring back some tea for them all and to stop looking as if he'd just seen Voldemort.

Harry was still unconscious.

'What's wrong with him, sir?' she asked.

'You'll eventually figure it out, Granger. I'm not free to tell you,' Snape said. 'Are you willing to help Potter?'

'Yes, sir.'

'I need you to contact your mother, and ask her what those are exactly. I can deal with Muggle chemistry, but there's no exact dosage on the bottle that Potter must have stolen from his relatives,' he said as he handed the pills he's found by Harry's bed.

Hermione looked at the bottle and took it. She understood that her professor trusted her mother to keep Harry's secret. The last thing he needed now was to be shipped to St Mungo's.

'I'll go and see her right now; my parents' surgery is not far from here. Can you brew a counter-poison when I get back?'

He looked at her, Harry's pulse carefully checked under his fingertips.

'Not if you want him to remain free.'

She thought that he might be forced to report his brewing the potion, but there was something in his eyes that he was too careful to hide.

It was not a time for questions.

'I'll bring back my potions supplies,' she said.

Ron was nervous when he brought the cups of tea.

'I saw Hermione in the corridor. She said she'd be away an hour, and that I was to obey you.'

'I'm sorry for that, Weasley,' snorted the professor.

Ron handed him a cup of tea, but Snape, who was still checking Harry's pulse, declined.

Ron sat next to Harry's bed and sipped his tea in silence.

When Molly knocked and asked if they needed anything, Snape practically barked that they were training and should not be disturbed.

Ron was beginning to be really afraid because Harry looked like hell.

Snape took the book that was on the bedside table under Harry's glasses. It turned out that it was Sirius Black's diary. Snape did not need to cast a spell on the book to know that Harry had read it. The young wizard had annotated it, and he had read everything his godfather and father had done in the months before they left Hogwarts, as well as what they did afterwards. Snape snorted when he read what Black had written when Harry was born. Harry must have thought that he'd find links to his past in the diary, but instead he had opened a can of worms - no, a door to hell. The last pages were bits of thoughts Black had while he was trapped in Grimmauld Place. The last entries were Harry's.

Snape got to discover how Harry was told about the prophesy, how guilty he felt, how lonely, and how exhausted.

'Do you want to help Potter?' Snape asked.

'Yes, sir.'

'Read that,' Snape said, showing Ron only Harry's entries, 'but keep the information secret. If you don't want him in St Mungo's, you will have to help him. He needs to mourn for his godfather, and he needs to do so properly. He needs optimism, so he'll stop believing that he'd be better off dead. Last, but not least, you are going to have to fight so that he's not left alone. If you could use your friendship to convince him that he must work in Occlumency, it would be decisive.'

'I'll do my best, sir.'

When Ron had read the few pages that Harry had added to his godfather's diary, he looked at Snape with tears in his eyes.

'Don't be weak, Weasley! That's not what he needs,' Snape growled.

Ron dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve and nodded firmly.

'Sir?'

Snape looked at Ron.

'Harry won't die, right?'

Snape snorted.

'He can't die, Ron,' a fuming Hermione answered as she closed the door behind her.

'A pity that the Sorting Hat didn't place you in my House, Granger,' the Potions master commented.

'And have me share a dorm with Parkinson and Bulstrode? No, thank you.' she growled. 'Besides, what would these two do without me?'

'What do you mean he can't die?' Ron intervened.

Both Snape and Hermione looked at him as if he were really stupid.

'Think about Harry's life, Ron. His family barely took care of him, and his whale of a cousin must eat a good share of what should be his,' she said.

'They could have sent him to an orphanage,' Ron interrupted her.

'His mother's sister must have been forced, one way or the other, to take him in. Surely, as members of the Order, your father and Professor Snape must have been sent to watch over him and saw how they treat him,' she answered.

'I never had the honour of being sent to guard Potter,' he spat.

'Why?' Ron asked incredulously. His father had told him that all the members, at one point, had protected Harry.

If a look could burn, Ron would have been reduced to a pile of ashes.

Hermione placed one hand on his arm and said, 'Ron, we've just stepped into something extremely nasty, and if Professor Snape trusts us, it is an honour you should not question.'

He looked at her as if she were about to sprout a second head, but she had seldom been wrong, so he remained quiet.

'Now,' she went on, 'think of Harry's life since we met him. He faces Voldemort through Quirrell, but he survives. Then he's bitten by a basilisk, but he survives because Fawkes arrives at an awfully convenient time. When confronted with the Dementors, he produced a Patronus, but their number should have overpowered him. He goes through the Tournament, he takes pills to sleep, using a dosage that could off an elephant, he falls down the stairs and only needs a nap to recover... I've been thinking about what his mother did to save him. I even had a chat with my Mum to know what she would have done if she'd had powers. Lily Potter must have found a way to give her life to protect Harry, which means that he can only die of old age - naturally, if you want.'

Ron was gaping when Snape said, 'Bravo, Granger.'

'Now if we don't want him to turn into a mad zombie, we have a lot to do,' Hermione said.

'Even more than you think,' Snape said as he handed her the diary.

She read it and told him what her mother had said about the pills that Harry had stolen.

Snape gave her instructions to brew a potion that would help Harry, and she began to work in the bathroom. The Potions master looked at her and said, 'Why do I have the feeling that this is not the first time that you've brewed something in secret?'

'Because it's not the first time, sir,' she admitted.

While she worked on the first steps of the potion, she looked at her teacher and wondered why he wasn't doing it himself. Certainly, he could report Harry's collapse exclusively to the Headmaster, and no one from the Ministry would ever know. There was something strange in all this. There was something changed in the behaviour of the professor since the last time she saw him at Hogwarts.

'Concentrate on your task, Granger! And I forbid you to spy on me. If you want to save Potter, you'll need all your energy,' he growled.

She nodded.

'Sir? I think Harry's waking up,' Ron announced.

Snape sat next to Harry and watched as he regained consciousness. He placed Harry's glasses on his nose, and Harry fought to focus.

'I was on my way to bring you tea,' Harry said, and he tried to stand up.

'I took care of that, mate, don't worry,' Ron said.

Snape was almost pleased with the red-head's strength.

'Give him a cup, Weasley,' the professor said.

Ron re-heated the two cold cups. He handed one to Snape, who refused again, which made Ron believe that it might not be brewed the way he liked it. He gave it to Harry, who barely sipped it.

'What happened?' asked Harry.

'The pills you took gave you the splendid idea that you might fly down the stairs without a broom,' Snape declared.

'Real luck that I didn't break my neck,' Harry sighed.

'Granger! You'll tell him when I'm gone,' Snape ordered.

'Yes, sir,' she answered from the bathroom.

'Don't leave,' Harry whined.

'I have to report before dinner, but I won't mention your silliness if you swear not to resort to Muggle chemistry to escape your ordeal,' Snape said.

'Anything you want, but don't leave. Not you too.'

By then tears were rolling down Harry's cheeks.

'Give me your word that you will take the potion Granger is brewing for you.'

'Anything you want. Anything, but don't leave me alone again,' Harry sobbed.

Before Snape could react, Harry launched himself into the arms of his supposedly least favourite professor, and he cried on his shoulder.

Ron and Hermione were sad to see that Harry was so desperate that Snape looked like he was his last and only hope.

Snape was paralyzed. He had not expected this, ever.

The brat bothered him, and he looked too much like James not to awaken something nasty in the heart of the professor.

Snape felt that the young man's sanity was in his hands.

He reflected that "Potter" was too ill, and too moved, to identify the magic that surrounded him, or even to spot his dark secret, his deepest shame, so he closed his arms around Harry's shoulders, and the young wizard melted against him. It was as if Snape had come to represent Harry's guiding light in the Darkness.

'You promise to do whatever I say to get better?' Snape said.

'Yes. Anything. You'll stay, right?'

'I cannot,' Snape said, which brought new tears to Harry's eyes. 'It is not in my power, but I'll come back in the morning.'

'Thanks,' Harry whispered, crying in Snape's arms.

When he stopped crying, he looked at the man who was holding him, and he wondered why Albus Dumbledore wanted him at Hogwarts at night.

Snape planned Harry's life for the coming weeks. After all, they had only about six weeks before school started again. Ron suggested that Ginny might help them, and Snape was forced to agree, so he told Ron to inform his sister of the situation.

Snape simply had two main objectives. He first wanted to make sure that Harry would recover, and then he wanted to teach him Occlumency. The professor finally understood that to teach anything to the annoying Gryffindor he would have to save his mind first. Now that he'd read what Black had been stupid enough to write in his diary - and not destroy it after he escaped Azkaban - and that he knew that the young wizard had read it, his anger had seriously subsided. Snape was no longer directly angry with Harry, but his feelings for Black sunk even lower - something which he hadn't honestly thought possible.

If Harry were obedient, Snape would have no problem teaching him, in memory of Lily Evans.

The professor made sure that either Ron, Hermione or Ginny would be with him, and that no one would make them leave Harry. The three swore on their wands that Harry would never be alone.

Next, Ginny offered to organize a mourning ritual for Harry, and Snape said that it would be best if planned by a witch. Harry looked at Hermione who was still brewing in his bathroom, and she told him that there were traditions that were unknown to a Muggle-born witch.

'Muggle-raised isn't much better,' Harry sighed, just loud enough for Snape to hear.

Snape hoped that with a proper magical mourning - provided that it would work in Black's case - Harry would feel better.

Snape became Harry's life line, and as long as the young wizard was working in Occlumency, Albus Dumbledore allowed Snape to proceed the way he wanted.

On that first evening, Molly Weasley had already complained to the Headmaster through the Floo, before Snape had the chance to Apparate back to Hogwarts. The Headmaster immediately asked his pawn why he forbade Molly to come into Harry's room while mere children had been allowed to stay with him. Snape answered that he had decided to use Potter's little team to force him to work, and he informed the old wizard that it was already working marvels.

Dumbledore let Snape go, and Molly was advised to let the Potions master work the way he wanted.

The old wizard had too much on his mind with the troubles around Grimmauld Place, and he stopped paying attention. He had given an order to Snape and he knew that the professor had no choice but to obey.

The next day, Snape arrived just after breakfast, and Ginny opened the door.

'Good morning, sir,' she said. 'Hermione finished what she had to do before she went back home, and it worked. Ron and Harry had so much to talk about that my brother stayed all night long with him. There is something disturbing about the assignment you gave me, sir.'

'What happened, Miss Weasley?' he asked as they slowly headed towards Harry's room.

'I asked Ron to guard the door while I cast the simplest Mourning spell with Harry, so that he could say goodbye to Sirius. When the candlelight flickered, Harry thought that it was a good sign, and with the last events, I thought it was better not to tell him what it meant. If he mentions it to someone, I bet that a charitable person is going to tell him that the soul of his godfather is stuck between planes. I thought I would ask you what to do and what to tell Harry,' she said.

'You did well, Weasley. The next days are going to be decisive for Potter, and the last thing we need is a hysterical and powerful wizard breaking into the Ministry and trying to retrieve his godfather from behind the Veil. I'll tell him what the flickering candle means when I assess that he can deal with such a piece of news,' Snape said.

'Would you like me to bring you some tea, sir?'

'No, thank you. Did Potter have breakfast?'

'Ron brought him a cup of tea and a muffin, but I don't know if he touched those,' she said.

'Will you bring a real breakfast to his room, please? I'll feed him with a charm if I have to.'

'He'll obey you now.'

'God knows why!' he exclaimed.

'Because he sees you as the only one willing to help him, and not use him as a mere symbol.'

Snape was taken aback, and reflected that she might be right. If James had known that he was about to become a role-model for Harry, he might have risen from his grave.

Snape looked at the youngest Weasley as she went to the kitchen to obey his order and reflected that she'd never been the same after her encounter with the Dark Lord.

Harry smiled when Snape entered the room.

'Thank you,' Harry whispered.

'I said I would come back, Potter.'

'But the others told me so many things, sir.'

'I always keep my word, Potter.'

'I was afraid that they'd keep you away.'

'Headmaster Dumbledore said that you were to be my only mission the entire summer.'

'This is going to interfere with your brewing and your research. I'm sorry, sir,' Harry murmured.

'Do not worry. I can brew in the evening.'

'Oh... Yes, of course.' Harry whispered, as if he'd said something really stupid.

Ginny brought a huge tray, and Harry believed that it was for the four of them. Snape quietly told him that it was all for him, that he was not a bird, and that he must take real meals. He pestered him until Harry swore that he could not swallow another bite, even washed down with a fourth cup of tea.

Day after day, Harry's condition improved.

When Hermione understood Occlumency from just listening to Harry's lessons, she helped Snape hammer the concept into Harry's brain.

The Potions master had to admit that the two witches were truly interesting.

Hermione's knowledge was remarkable, and Ginny's strength and affection were astounding - a pity that they were Gryffindors, especially Weasley. Snape wondered what Malfoy would have done if the girl had been sorted into Slytherin against all odds. Would he have had Draco retrieve the diary that had caused so much trouble? Would Lucius's feelings for the girl's father have dictated the Slytherin to do nothing?

With Harry's recovery came embarrassing questions.

Snape only wanted to know if the boy had tried to commit suicide when he took the pills, but Harry had admitted that he only wanted to sleep. He didn't really want to die - and now that sounded particularly ironical - at the time, he just wanted to forget everything while he slept, and since sleep eluded him, he had stolen his aunt's pills.

On the other side, Harry was beginning to notice things about Snape.

He never stayed for dinner, and at lunch and tea, he barely ate.

Except for the tutoring session, Harry realized that he had not seen Snape cast a single charm.

Harry could not imagine a logical explanation. He tried to find ways to please Snape. He was obedient, he worked hard, and he brought snacks to Snape.

The professor encouraged Harry, but he didn't accept the offerings.

'Is it because of my father?' Harry whispered one day. 'Now I know what he was like. I know that I might have been a brat worse than Malfoy, except that I know my parents were not really planning to have me Haven't you seen enough? What my family did... Everything I've been through... I'm not my father. I know nothing about him.'

Harry was surprised to feel Snape's hand on his shoulder.

'Your godfather was a young and arrogant fool when he wrote what you read in his diary. I guess that he kept it because it was a link to his past. The Dementors must have taken most of it from him. I understand, and yet it was silly to leave that without telling you about it, about your past and your parents' history. Your parents did not plan to have you, but I know that your mother wanted you. She loved you, and she wouldn't have allowed James to turn you into an insufferable Pureblood heir,' Snape said.

'Thank you, sir,' Harry whispered.

Harry looked at the plate of sandwiches he had brought for his mentor.

If he didn't touch those when he no longer was mad at Harry, the young wizard reflected that there must be a reason. Tonight, he would ask Hermione what she thought about that mystery.

There must be something that was preventing Snape from staying and doing what he wanted.

Harry thought that Snape's life certainly was not very pleasant, and he decided to stop complaining about his own life. In fact, it could be much worse.

'Your mother wanted you, Harry.'

'Really?' Harry said. He looked at his teacher and added, 'Silly question. Sirius's wife must have known, and she told you. Was she really your friend?'

'Mr Potter,' Snape said without being aggressive, 'I do hope that Theodora is still alive even if she seemed to have disappeared from this world the moment Black was taken to Azkaban.'

'Didn't she tell you where she would go?'

'No, she Disapparated in the wink of an eye.'

'I understand her, but you must miss her,' Harry said.

'Friends who leave remain in the hearts of those left behind.'

Harry nodded.

The young wizard had discovered more than he wished about his father and godfather because of Sirius meticulous recording of his dim-witted pride in his diary.

Harry read there how the Potters had found no family who desired to see their child bond with James. It was how James had remained free to find out that Lily Evans was an interesting witch. In the beginning, Lily had only been an outstanding brain with good genes, but when she made it clear that she didn't want to date an idiot who had a dubious approach to relationships, James fell for her, head over heels. The Muggle-born witch tamed him one step at a time. It was true that because of their work in the Order, they had not planned to have a child so soon, but Lily's pregnancy had made the Potters very happy, and the Marauders had been ecstatic.

Harry discovered that Sirius had been jealous of James and Lily because he was trying to have an heir, but his wife wasn't pregnant yet.

Theodora Black was Albus Dumbledore's own great-great-grand daughter.

In fact, the alliance between the Dumbledores and the Blacks was pretty much exclusively a "mariage de raison". Sirius had not been too happy to obey his parents when they told him that they wanted him to get married as soon as he was a certified wizard. For the Dumbledores, it was a good alliance, and for the Blacks she would only be a broodmare - new genes in the pool.

Sirius never really loved her, but the young Theodora was absolutely amazing. She was the student with the best grades in a century in Beauxbatons, and she was a perfect beauty.

Sirius decided that he would have her. She would belong to him, and be a trophy of some sort.

Theodora was tricked into accepting the engagement and the wedding. Before her wedding night, her parents, the Blacks and Sirius were absolutely charming. When Sirius began to respect all of the oldest traditions to the letter, only then did she understand that she had been trapped into that marriage. She escaped the minute Sirius stepped inside Azkaban, and his spells on her weakened.

In the diary, Harry read all that his beloved godfather had done to his wife, and he wondered how Sirius could have been so cruel. It felt as if that particular Sirius Black had died in Azkaban, and Harry was glad of that, because he wasn't sure that he would have been very fond of the man who had been so horrible to his wife, even if that man was one of the few links he had with his late parents.

One of the other things that had caught Harry's eye in the diary was that Theodora had befriended Snape, which had angered her husband.

In the very last entries written by his godfather, Harry read that Albus Dumbledore had told Sirius what he had done to try and find Mrs Black.

The day Sirius had been sent to jail, his wife had gone to Hogwarts to see her parent.

She had never been seen afterwards. Dumbledore had been highly surprised because the young witch had made it clear that she blamed him for the nightmare that her married life was.

He always regretted not being there when she went to his office.

The last remains of her magical signature came from Hogwarts, but no Location charm could find her. It really was as if she had slipped off the globe.

Dumbledore could not find her, and that mystery bothered him greatly. When a direct member of his family had wanted to see him, maybe needing his help, he was miles away taking care of Sirius Black, yet again.

Harry knew more than Dumbledore could imagine thanks to Sirius's diary.

Thanks to Snape's and his friends' help, Harry was beginning to feel much better. He and Snape had come to a truce, and the young wizard now completely leant on Snape, who in turn, allowed it.

Harry was deeply shocked when Albus Dumbledore announced what he was planning to make sure that Grimmauld Place would remain a safe headquarters for the Order.

During a meeting, to which Harry was invited, and where he sat next to his mentor, Dumbledore declared that the house had refused to acknowledge Harry because there was someone who was first in line to claim it: Theodora.

Over the last days, the Headmaster had researched a spell that would allow the summoning of the last owner of Grimmauld Place and then link that person to it upon arrival.

'It's Dark magic,' Snape murmured, paler than usual.

'You can't do that to her!' Harry almost shouted.

Dumbledore looked at him with cold blue eyes, and Harry felt powerless.

It didn't matter if Theodora Black had wanted to escape. If she was useful, she was but a pawn on Dumbledore's board.

The other members left the kitchen with Dumbledore to leave or only see him to the door. Harry and Snape realized that they were holding hands.

Harry gently squeezed Snape's hand. He patted the young wizard's hand and stood up.

'Is there anything that we can do?' asked Harry.

Snape shook his head slowly. He reached the sink just in time to be sick.

Harry locked the door and re-heated a cup of tea that he brought to Snape after he had cleaned the sink.

The Potions master shook his head.

'You can't drink it,' Harry said.

'No.'

'What are they doing to you?'

Calmly, Snape looked at his young charge and said, 'If... No... When Theo is brought back here, she'll want to know what's going on. I'll tell you then, but if she remains where she's hiding, I'd rather keep that darkness out of your life.'

'Is there anything I can do?'

'No, thank you,' Snape said. Then he added, 'Actually, there is something. Work. Work hard, be strong, and survive. Don't let them use you and destroy you.'

'Will you help me?

'Yes, as much as I can.'

Harry hoped that he would never know what was going on in Snape's life, because it would mean that Theodora was still safe, and maybe happy.

And yet, he wished to know a bit more, so that he could do something for the professor.

The next day, Dumbledore came back before even Snape arrived, and he took possession of the main parlour as if the place belonged to him.

Harry was with Hermione, watching as the Headmaster was spelling magical circles on the floor. He had already asked her if Snape had been right about the fact that such a summoning was Dark magic, and the witch had said that she did fear so.

No one dared say a word to Dumbledore. He was so resolute in his work that it was crystal-clear that absolutely no one would convince him that he was wrong to force Theodora Black to return to London and the life she had escaped.

Ron had spent the night with Harry, and the youngest Weasley son had enlightened Harry about some of the wizarding laws. Thus, Harry discovered that his godfather's wife might have been looking for a refuge when she went to Hogwarts. In such a case as Sirius's, his wife would have been placed under the full control of the Ministry. Harry had been so revolted that sleep almost completely eluded him.

Now, Harry was watching the man he had grown to consider as his mentor, his saviour and his friend preparing himself to trap an innocent woman - his own relative - and condemn her to be a fugitive, or to be in the power of Fudge.

Snape finally joined them, and he looked as if he had barely slept.

He led Harry out of the room and said, 'You should not stay. If the spell works, as I fear it will, Theo will be disoriented. If she mistakes you for your father, she might hex you. She's very powerful.'

'Sir?'

'Yes, Potter.'

'Why do you call her "Theo"? I don't remember ever seeing you call anyone by a nickname.'

'I call her thus, because "Theodora" is the name that her parents gave her, the ostentatious name they chose for her with great care. Her friends call her "Theo", because it's something that is only hers, her decision,' Snape explained.

Harry nodded his understanding and asked, 'What if I were to take off my glasses?'

'Then you would bump in the furniture every other step.'

Harry was forced to chuckle.

'What if I asked Hermione to cast the charm to improve my sight?' Harry suggested.

'It would still be too dangerous. You don't know what Black meant when he wrote about the day Theo came to live with him,' Snape declared.

'Why would she want to hex me if she mistakes me for my father?' Harry wondered, his mouth suddenly painfully dry.

'There is no need for you to know that.'

'Maybe I could hide a bit behind you. I'd like to stand by you in this. You should not be alone in there,' Harry said.

Snape was surprised. Potter was, after all, more interesting than he'd thought possible.

'I do not intend on being in there while Albus attempts to bring her back and bind her to this awful house. You're welcome to hide in the kitchen with me,' Snape said.

Harry went back to take Hermione out of the parlour, and they waited for Dumbledore to begin his task.

They all felt the Dark magic when it worked.

Snape became a shade whiter.

Molly ran into the kitchen and said, completely panicked, 'Come quick, Professor. It's not a witch who's been brought by the spell!'

They all ran into the parlour and found Sirius Black pointing his wand at Albus Dumbledore, the old wizard ready to duel the other wizard.

But it could not be Sirius Black.

Black was trapped between planes, his body behind the Veil, his soul wandering in limbo.

Besides, the wizard who was about to start fighting with Dumbledore was too young. He looked like the spitting image of Sirius Black, but he was about Harry's age.

The horror of the situation struck Snape, who leant against the nearest wall.

'Sirius?' Harry whispered.

All this was so strange, that he believed that Dumbledore's Dark magic had found a way to bring back Sirius from the dead.

'This cannot be Sirius,' Snape murmured. 'He must be his son.'

Harry looked at the wizard who should have been almost a brother to him if things had been different. He so completely looked like his father that it was almost painful to look at him for Harry.

'Lower your wand,' Dumbledore ordered the young man.

Harry had the distinct feeling that it was not the first time that the old wizard was asking that.

'What have you done to me?' the young wizard growled.

Harry and Snape both shivered, even his voice sounded like Sirius's.

'I needed your mother. I'm sorry that you were the one brought here instead, but nothing can be done, you are bound to your heritage now. If your mother had told us that she was pregnant when she left, I wouldn't have cast a spell to summon the last owner of Grimmauld Place,' Dumbledore said.

'How kind of you to blame me, when you are the one who just brought my son here with illegal magic,' Theodora Black said from the door.

They all turned to her.

Like her son, she wore simple Muggle clothes. He wore jeans and a T-shirt, she wore a light-blue dress.

Harry finally understood why Sirius might have wanted her as a trophy. To say that she was a beautiful woman was a pathetic understatement. Her skin was flawless, like a precious Chinese China, her long black hair looked silky, and her blue eyes were mesmerizing.

She walked to her child.

'Are you all right?' she asked.

'Yes, Mum. I felt dizzy when I landed here, but your description of the house and of Dumbledore were accurate enough,' he answered, melting in his mother's embrace.

'Show some respect to your elders, young man,' Dumbledore hissed.

'Is it because Black is a criminal that you thought that you could use that kind of magic on my Mum? Or is it because you really are a pompous and arrogant man?' the young wizard spat.

As Dumbledore was about to answer, with a flick of his wand, Sirius's son sent him flying to the other side of the room.

Theo didn't comment on this. She turned her attention to her son, and checked what their eldest parent had done to him.

She might have forgiven the summoning if her son had not been irrevocably bound to the house of the Blacks.

'You wanted to trap me here so much that you had to use a permanent spell,' she growled at Dumbledore who was getting to his feet.

'This is a war, Theodora. Grimmauld Place is Unplottable, and the Order needs it,' Dumbledore said.

'Why?' she said.

'We need headquarters.'

'No, I want to know why you summoned my son.'

'I need a Black on this plane to control the magic that protects the house.'

'What's going on, Dumbledore?' she growled. 'If I were a widow, you know that I might have agreed to come back. Tell me what's going on.'

'Your husband fell behind the Veil,' Dumbledore announced.

'The Veil? That thing in the Ministry?' she barked.

'But Sirius is dead,' Harry whispered, leaning towards Snape.

Theodora turned towards him. She saw that her friend, Severus Snape, had one hand on the shoulder of the young man who looked too much like his father, and she decided that this Potter might not be too bad, especially if Snape trusted him. She spotted some of Lily in Harry, and that helped her not to hex Harry.

'That idiot can't be retrieved, but he's not exactly dead. Technically, he's as good as dead, but not legally,' she told Harry. Looking at Snape she added, 'I bet the fucker hasn't been freed from Azkaban. What happened?'

'He escaped Azkaban after he discovered that Pettigrew was close to Potter and might try to kill him. He was supposed to stay here, but Voldemort tricked Potter, and Sirius fell because of Bellatrix. The magic is weakening, and Albus decided to call you,' he summarized.

'You brought me in the middle of a war when I'm still related to a criminal! What do you think is going to happen to my son?' she barked.

'I'm sorry, my child, but I'll try to convince the Minister that you are not a threat. I should be able to obtain custody for you and your son.'

'Over my dead body,' she quietly hissed. 'I don't trust you. Al and I will deal with that.'

Snape could not help whispering, 'Al?'

Theodora faced him with a warm smile, 'Severus, meet your godson, Aldebaran.'

Aldebaran walked to his godfather and hugged him.

'Theo!' Snape scolded his friend. 'It was very unwise to name me his guardian.'

'Shush, Severus. That's one of the best things I ever did!' she countered him.

'God! Mum! His magic!' Al gasped, still in Snape's arms and turning to look at his mother.

Snape placed his fingers on his godson's lips, but Theo was already near the Potions master and scanning the spells on him.

She whirled to look at Dumbledore. Harry had never seen so much hatred in anyone's eyes.

'Bastard!' shouted Al.

His mother silenced him.

'I will go and work out a deal with the Minister. Al will remain here as long as the war goes on, and the Order can use this place, but I forbid you to ever come here. If I see you in this house, Dumbledore, I'll find yet another way to leave, with my son,' she said.

'But the Order needs me,' the old wizard said.

'Take it or leave it. I'm willing to bet that if I found a way to destroy this house, my son would be freed of your spell.'

'But, child...' Dumbledore did not say another word. Theodora had hexed him with a spell so strong that he'd been sent into the corridor and had landed against the front door.

Molly was flabbergasted, she had not even seen the other witch use her wand. She didn't even know that anyone could overpower Albus Dumbledore that easily.

Theodora did not wait for Dumbledore to get up to open the door and send him out.

As soon as the door closed, the portrait of Sirius's mother began to insult Theodora.

'That bitch is still there,' Theo said.

'Pity I can do nothing,' Snape commented.

Theo pecked his cheek and faced the magical portrait of her mother-in-law.

'Say goodbye to this world,' Theo declared.

The witch in the portrait kept on insulting her, saying that she was unworthy of their family and that she was a barren whore.

Theo opened her hand, and the house shook because of the spell she cast.

The portrait started burning from inside.

'Pity it's not the real one,' Theo stated as she watched the painted witch writhing and burning.

She faced her audience and said, 'Now let's get to work! This place is a nightmare.'

'I'll pack and leave,' Harry murmured to no one in particular.

He was stopped by Snape.

'Theo, can you keep Potter here?' he asked.

'Where would you go?' she asked Harry.

'I could stay at the Leaky Cauldron,' he said.

'Don't you have a place to stay?' Al wondered.

'Not really. My Muggle relatives aren't too fond of me, and I can't bother the Weasleys,' he answered.

'Mum?' Al said.

'You're staying with us. Your mother was a friend, and I'd like to see how much of her there's in you,' Theo said.

As she walked back to the parlour, she began to cast charms to clean the house of its Dark magic. She told the members of the Order that if they wanted to be allowed to stay, they'd better start helping her.

In the evening, all Black-ness had been removed or destroyed, and they all sat around the kitchen table to chat.

Snape kissed Theo's brow and stood up to leave.

'See you tomorrow,' she said.

'That's what you said last time,' he answered.

'Looks like I'll have to keep my word this time.'

'I wish it weren't like this,' he added.

She nodded, and he left.

Harry looked at Theo and said, 'It's very kind of you to allow me to stay, Ma'am. Would you like me to move to one of the smaller rooms?'

'If Severus wants you here, then you stay here. You were given the main bedroom, but I don't ever plan to sleep in that room. And call me Theo, all of you,' she said.

'The Sirius you knew is not the one I met about three years ago,' Harry said.

'Harry, even if your godfather got some sense and humanity finally hammered into his brain while he was kept in Azkaban, I can't forget or forgive what he put me through,' she said.

'I know some of what he did,' Harry said, blushing and looking at his lap, 'I read his diary. You might want to read what he wrote after escaping jail. He really changed, and he was ashamed of what he'd done to you.'

Al snorted.

Theo placed one hand on her son's arm.

'The Muggles who brought you up didn't tell you what being a wizard meant,' she said.

'I was told that I was a wizard when Hagrid came to fetch me to go to Hogwarts,' Harry informed her.

'But you were given to Lily's sister!' she growled.

'I slept in the cupboard under the stairs till I went to Hogwarts, afterwards they were so afraid of what wizards might do to them that they gave me a room,' Harry said.

'Dumbledore really is a...' her voice trailed off. She didn't want to be too colourful in front of the children.

Theo looked at Harry and flinched.

'I'm sorry I don't understand what my father did. I know almost nothing about wizarding traditions,' Harry apologized.

'Your father was a bit older than you now when I first met him, but the resemblance between you is striking, and it reminds me of dreadful times. Yet, Harry, I can already see that you are not your father,' she said.

'I wish I looked more like Mum,' Harry said.

'There are things that could be done,' Al said.

'What?' wondered Harry.

'Your sight can be corrected, and you could do something about your hair. May I?' Al said.

'You can no longer use magic out of school here, my son,' Theo said.

The young man blinked and growled.

'Something could be done?' Harry murmured.

'Get your glasses off, and tell me how you want your hair,' Theo said.

Harry obeyed and said, 'Just tamed would be nice.'

She took his hands, and he felt her power when she cured his sight and worked on his hair without a spoken word.

Harry blinked and thanked her.

'What did they do to you?' Hermione asked Theo.

'To make it short, I was tricked into accepting a full wizarding marriage, and Sirius respected the traditions to the letter,' Theo said.

Ginny shivered, Molly gasped, and Hermione was at sea.

'We never knew,' Molly squeaked.

'Of course. Can you imagine the almighty Dumbledore admitting that he consented to selling me to the Black?' Theo said.

'Selling?' growled Hermione.

'Hermione is Muggle-born,' Ginny intervened.

'Oh!' Theo said, 'And yet so powerful. A nice proof that family lines don't mean much.'

Hermione blushed an interesting shade of pink.

Theo decided to tell them her story, and they discovered that the Blacks bought her from the Dumbledores. The wedding contract she was tricked into signing was fully binding her to Sirius.

The Pureblood brat invited his friends to witness his wedding night, and share the bride with him - according to a medieval tradition. Remus Lupin had been the only one to decline both. Peter Pettigrew had only witnessed that Theodora Black, that was Dumbledore, had been untouched prior to her wedding. But James Potter...

Harry understood Theo's disgust for his father. He asked why his mother had married his father in spite of what he'd done, and Theo explained without too many details that Lily had made it clear that she would not accept those traditions in her home, and that she'd made James understand how wrong he'd been.

Harry had turned greenish and was feeling sick by then.

Theo's power had been bound to Sirius's. The only freedom she had was to befriend Lily, and then Severus Snape.

Sirius was desperate to be a father, but he'd been too arrogant to see that the magic with which he was binding his wife was preventing her from becoming pregnant. Yet, when she left, she was with child.

Since, she'd been living with Al - she explained that Sirius had found a way to name all his potential future children, and she'd had no choice about her son's name.

They had a pleasant life, and she had other children.

'Did you tell Dad what happened?' Al asked.

'I contacted someone through the Floo, and I'll go and see him and your siblings before I go to the Ministry,' she said.

'I'm sorry, Mum!'

'It is not your fault if we have a devious elder, Darling. Our family will wait for us, do not worry.'

'I miss them so much!'

'I know, Darling, I know. Hopefully, we won't have to stay for long,' Theo said.

'All you have to do is teach me to commit murder,' Harry declared.

With a stunned audience, he shared what he'd been told about the Prophesy. For good measure, he added what Snape had discovered about his condition and the extent of Lily's protection.

Theo gazed at Harry for some time, while those who didn't know about the Prophesy, or his near-immortality, asked him countless questions.

'I am almost sure that Dumbledore didn't tell you all the truth about that so-called Prophesy, and I'm sure that Lily's spell is going to come in handy in this war,' Theo said.

'This is exactly what Professor Snape told me when he began helping me,' Harry said, with his first real smile in a long time.

'Always listen to Severus, young man. Always,' she said.

His smile bloomed into a grin, and he nodded.

'All this is dreadful,' Molly said.

'I guess it must be disturbing to discover that the one you'd come to see as a good man, a leader, and a potential saviour is a filthy dictator and an unkind man when it comes to his family, or his pawns,' Theo said.

'I got used to the feeling,' Harry whispered sadly.

'This is going to be awful to be schooled at Hogwarts,' Al said. 'I feel the spell weaving its magic and linking me to this place.'

'In which year are you going to be?' Hermione asked. 'By my estimation, you should become a fourth year student.'

'His father and I had him taught advanced magic, I'll twist Dumbledore's arm so that he's in sixth year. The old fool should be so proud of that, that he'll grant it. I don't want my son not to be taught at his level,' Theo declared.

'You don't look like you're fourteen. You look older than I,' Ginny said.

'Let's blame it on Black! I grew up fast,' Al said.

'Can you really go to class with us?' Ron wondered.

Al waved his hand towards the sink, and the dishes were done in five seconds.

'Obviously,' Ron growled, and he added in a murmur, 'I should get that trick from him.'

'How many children do you have?' Molly asked.

'Four. Three sons and a daughter. What about you?'

'Six sons and a daughter.'

Theo smiled at Molly as if they shared some witching secret.

On the following day, Severus Snape came back to Grimmauld Place with a small smile.

Al was still asleep, and there was only Theo, Ginny and Harry in the kitchen, sharing breakfast.

'Is Potter eating?' Snape asked.

'Yes, don't worry, Severus, I'll save him - as much as I can - from Dumbledore's claws. He told me his story, I told him mine. With you, me and Al to help him, he'll become a strong wizard. I guess that you're smiling because of Dumbledore,' Theo said.

'I have been ordered to save Potter from your disastrous influence,' he answered.

She laughed heartily.

'The Headmaster won't like what you did to the way Harry looks,' Snape commented.

'But it's much better!' intervened Ginny.

'Oh! Are you a fan of Harry?' Theo teased the young witch.

'No. I was once a devoted fan, but I grew up and... no,' Ginny said.

'Which is for the best,' Harry said. 'I mean, now we can chat. The first time we spent time together, you used to run away without saying a word each time you saw me. You and Ron are the siblings I never had.'

She pecked his cheek and said, 'Speaking of Ron, I'll go and kick him out of bed.'

'Could you do the same with Al, please?' Theo asked her.

'He won't hex?' Ginny wondered.

'Sit on his bed - that won't wake him up - lean towards him and say "Tea". Just do not laugh too hard when he opens his eyes and starts scanning the room for a cup of tea as if he were a hound looking for a fox,' Theo said.

Ginny left, giggling.

The two adults looked at each other, and Harry saw that they had a lot to talk about.

'I'll go help Ginny. I wouldn't miss the fun,' Harry said.

'I told you I'd explain why I can't stay,' Snape said.

'If there is anything that I can do, all you have to do is ask me. Anything, sir. I'll do anything to help you, but I don't want to have you share something that is unpleasant with me, just because you said you would. I'll go and keep them out of here as long as I can,' Harry said.

Snape simply nodded, grateful that he didn't have to expose his shame to yet another person.

Since Theo had already felt the magic on him, all he had to do was fill in the details.

When the children walked into the kitchen, Theo was hugging Snape, who wasn't protesting.

Harry decided to ask Theo if there was anything that he could do for, or give to, Snape to thank him for saving his sanity. When he could finally ask her, she told him that there was nothing he could do. Harry wondered what was going on in Snape's life, and since there was nothing he could do, he took to obeying his professor in the wink of an eye to please him.

Al and Theo's arrival forced the Order to reorganize itself, but since its members needed Grimmauld Place so much, they all worked according to Theo's new conditions.

Theo gathered information about Fudge.

One day she told Al that she'd be gone for some time, but that even without her protection he was to allow no one to pester him.

She went back to their refuge and explained the situation to her companion. She told her other children what was going on in England, and they only told her to take good care of Al, and to come back as soon as they could.

She went to the Ministry and was brought to Fudge's office. Two hours after meeting the Minister for Magic, she was leaving the building with the guarantee that she wouldn't be arrested - even though he knew that Sirius was trapped in the Veil, and no longer on the run - and that her son could go to Hogwarts freely.

She went back to Grimmauld Place cursing Sirius's name on the way.

She went straight to Harry's room where she knew Snape would be.

'Sev, I need you,' she simply said.

Snape paled and told Harry to go and see Al, and to tell him that his mother was fine, but that she had something important to do.

'It's the moment to prove that you really mean to help me, Potter.'

'Yes, sir,' Harry said, obeying instantly.

Snape brought Theo to Hogwarts with him. If she had used their secret code in front of Potter, it must mean that things had been quite nasty at the Ministry. Snape wished that he could hex those who hurt his dearest friend.

Al understood that his mother was hiding something to protect him, and he was tempted to hex Dumbledore through the Floo, but Harry told him that Theo certainly wouldn't like it.

'I hate it when you're right!' Al growled.

'Sorry.'

'Low self-esteem is bad for the health, Potter.' Al paused and said, 'You're really nothing like your father.'

'From what I hear, it's not such a bad thing. I wish I knew more about my Mum,' Harry whispered. 'What's your father like?'

Al blinked, then he realized that Harry wasn't asking about his biological father.

The young wizards ended up sharing a bed and chatting for most of the night.

Al had been reluctant to go to Sirius's room, but when Harry had told him that he'd have nightmares anywhere else, Al had crashed in Harry's bed, not his.

On the following day, Snape came back with Theo, and both acted as if nothing ever happened.

In August, they all got to know one another.

Theo started to see more of Lily in Harry, and she became rather fond of him. She realized why Snape had decided to give him another chance, and she treated him like a cousin of some sort.

Thanks to her kindness, Harry began to love her as much as he loved Molly Weasley.

Harry discovered that Theo was always answering his questions, and he discovered a lot about his past and the rules and laws in the wizarding community. He learnt more in a month, thanks to Theo and Snape, than in sixteen years.

In fact, the only two things that Theo kept secret was the exact location of the place where she'd found refuge and how she got there in the first place. Even if he now could master Occlumency, Harry knew that he was not immune to Truth serums, and he understood the necessity of her keeping that secret, especially if she meant to go back to her true home after the War.

In case they could put an end to all this, Theo had Al write a legal parchment giving Grimmauld Place to Tonks. The young woman had protested a lot, but her cousin had managed to convince her that she was the one who should own the place, not any other member of the family. Theo didn't care much for the house, and yet, she could not stand seeing it go to Bellatrix - assuming that she survived - or even to Narcissa Malfoy.

One day, Harry wondered why he'd never seen Theo's name on the family tapestry, and she told him that her mother-in-law had forbidden her name to be put on it before she'd given an heir to the family. She had discovered that she was pregnant the day the Potters were killed, and no one ever knew her secret.

'Theo?'

'What?'

'Al really doesn't look like he's fourteen.'

'You've been spending too much time with Hermione and Severus,' she answered, gently caressing his cheek. Then she added, 'And yet, he has to be fourteen, doesn't he?'

The only logical explanation Harry found seemed completely farfetched.

'Is it nice where you went?' he asked.

'It was exactly the place I'd been looking for all my life.'

'Will you tell me how you escaped? When the War is over, I'm not sure I want to stay around.'

'If you assemble the pieces together, you already know what to do.'

'Why doesn't Professor Snape do what you did?'

'He can't do what I did. Not yet, at least,' she answered.

'I hope I can thank him properly some day, and I hope he can escape, too.'

She placed her index finger on the tip of his nose and smiled warmly.

'Theo...' his voice trailed off.

'Harry, I already told you that if it's not about your father or godfather, I'll answer anything.'

'Do you know who chose my name?'

She chuckled and said, 'It was Lily. No one else had a word in it, and if I remember well, James is not for your father. It was the name of her favourite actor.'

'Could I have my surname changed?'

She blinked like an owl and gasped, 'To what?'

'Evans.'

'Well, now that you're of wizarding age, I think you could add your mother's maiden name to your surname.' She paused. 'You discovered disturbing things about your father, but,' she had to pause again. 'Lily was doing an amazing job with him. If she loved him, you must give him a chance, for her.'

Harry shrugged, but nodded. Snape had at long last taught him patience, and Harry would analyze his feelings for his relatives over the next several months.

He looked at Theo with sparkles in his bright green eyes, and she knew that he had another question. In fact, he asked her if she could do a bit more magic on him.

She agreed to try what he wanted, and was forced to admit that the change suited him greatly, even though she knew that she wasn't entirely objective.

The following morning, very sure that he'd ask Theo to make the spell permanent because he really liked his hair to be the colour of his mother's, Harry entered the kitchen.

Ron's toast fell from his mouth and dived into his cup of tea.

'I can't believe it, but you look even better than with dark hair,' Hermione said.

'Dark red does it, doesn't it?' Harry purred.

'You're gorgeous, Harry,' Ginny said.

'Even more than usual. It's as if you had a new light coming from you,' Hermione added.

Ron was still gaping.

'Ron? What do you say?' Harry asked his best friend.

Ron had to wrestle his brain to achieve coherent speech, and when he could speak he said that it was very different, but not bad.

'Can you make it permanent now, Theo?' Harry asked.

She and Snape chuckled.

'Your sight could be corrected, but the taming of your hair and the change of colour are semi-permanent. Both spells will have to be renewed from time to time,' Snape said.

'Do you mean that one morning he might wake up with messy hair and dark roots?' Ron asked his professor.

Snape nodded, and Ron laughed heartily. Harry playfully stopped his friend by feeding him a whole muffin in one go. While Ron was carefully chewing, Harry declared that he liked the change and would keep that colour.

'Children!' Molly exclaimed fondly.

'It was Bill who had discovered a spell that would match his hair colour to his eye colour,' Snape said.

Molly nodded and said, 'It lasted for six months. It was strange, but it had one advantage.'

'Which one?' wondered Theo.

'It glowed in the night, so we could spot him in the garden when he tried to leave the house to go Merlin knows where,' Molly said.

While Theo fixed Harry's new colour, the mothers shared some of the strange ideas their children had had, and ended with their idea of fashion when they were teenagers themselves.

'What about you, Severus?' Al asked his godfather.

'I was stupid enough to get a silly tattoo,' he answered with a small smile, while nursing a cup of tea he wasn't drinking.

That seriously chilled the mood, but Ginny asked, 'What is it?'

'Ginny!' Molly shouted.

'Professor Snape said "tattoo", Mum,' she quietly answered.

'You never told me!' Theo exclaimed, giving him a punch in the arm.

'I don't want you to die with laughter,' he answered.

'So, what is it?' Al asked.

'We'll never get to know,' Ginny stated.

Snape was still smiling.

'Magical or Muggle?' Molly asked.

'I'm not telling, curious cat,' he answered without animosity.

'I have a magical one,' Molly said.

'Mum?' Ron gasped.

That morning was beginning to be a bit too rich for the redhead.

'You're hopeless, Ron!' Ginny said.

'What?'

'Dad has one, too. It must be a bonding magical tattoo,' she said.

'How do you know that?' Harry wondered.

She shrugged and said, 'That's Mum and Dad, what else would they do?'

They kept on chatting about silly things before the training of the children was resumed, but Theo and Snape had seen Molly slightly flinch when Ginny spoke. Theo made sure that the other witch knew that she could confide in her at any time.

Beside the members of the Order, Bill came to visit with Fleur, whose English had tremendously improved. Charlie came with a charming young man, Seraphin Român, and Harry soon understood that Charlie was doing more than just work with him.

Al saw Harry blush, and he teased him for being an innocent, which deepened Harry's blush. Theo spotted it, and Harry had a complete "Birds and Bees" course where absolutely nothing was left out. Harry's cheeks could have been used in a lighthouse, but he was happy for the tips.

From time to time, Theo had fun making Kreacher work really hard. She had put a Rejuvenating spell on him, so he would serve her and her son. She made sure he would pay for what he'd done, and even Hermione did not object to the curses Theo put on him.

A week before the children were due to go back to school, Molly and Theo joined the Grangers and went shopping to Diagon Alley.

Harry was not particularly looking forward to his new school year, but he hoped that Snape would be ordered to keep on tutoring him.

Harry was beginning to hope that with the help of his friends he might survive all this and maintain his sanity.

He had not counted on the stupidity of Fudge.

It was the day before they had to go back to Hogwarts that it happened.

Al, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry, who had all settled in Grimmauld Place, were packing their trunks, while some members of the Order had come to visit.

It was just ten in the morning when Tonks started pounding on the front door.

She was the one who announced Fudge's last blunder.

The Minister for Magic became so afraid of what the Dark Lord and his supporters might do that he listened to some of his advisors and had new laws passed.

Captured Death Eaters were to be taken to Azkaban - even though the place was the worst place to take them, since no one knew for sure to whom the last Dementors there obeyed. A list of Dark creatures had been issued, and those in that category were to be registered at the Ministry and bound to one of its members. Those who would try to escape those measures would either be taken to Azkaban or put to death.

Harry turned to Snape, who whispered in his ear, 'I'm not concerned. Do not worry.'

Tonks told them that she had saved Remus Lupin before coming to warn them, which explained her late arrival.

'What?' barked Arthur.

'He tried to resist his arrest, telling them that he's getting the Wolfsbane, but they were about to call the Dementors when I stepped in,' Tonks said.

'How did you manage to save him?'

'I...' she stopped and blushed.

'Tonks?' Shacklebolt insisted.

'You'll have to call me Lupin, now,' she answered.

'You had to marry Remus?' Molly intervened.

'I could not let him be given the Kiss,' she growled, 'but that was what delayed me on my way here after we were given the new instructions. There's worse.'

'Of course, it had to happen on a day when I'm off duty,' Arthur complained.

'I think Percy had a hand in this,' Tonks said, looking at the floor.

Molly sobbed.

'What?' gasped Arthur.

'Aurors have been ordered to put two Hogwarts students under arrest tomorrow,' Tonks said.

'Who?' Ron asked.

'Me,' Harry said very quietly.

'And me,' Ginny added.

Tonks nodded through her tears.

'What can we do?' wondered Shacklebolt.

'I guess that they could be betrothed and bound to someone in the Order, or someone we trust, and who would be approved by the Ministry,' Moody growled, his magical eye moving madly.

'Harry is of age, it wouldn't work for him,' Theo pointed out.

'What are they planning to do with us? Send us to Azkaban? And why Ginny, too?' Harry said.

'You would certainly be kept in one of the cells at the Ministry,' Arthur said.

'To rot in peace,' snorted Harry.

'No,' Ginny softly said, yet her voice resounding in the room. 'We'll be taken to Azkaban, the only place where the evil that we are, because of our link with Voldemort, can be kept. If Percy betrayed me, you can be sure that he convinced Fudge that we are extremely dangerous.'

'Your link with Voldemort, Miss Weasley?' Snape said.

'I brought a souvenir from the Chamber of Secrets, Professor. Only my family knew that. Obviously, Percy has killed too many brain cells and thought that he'd get promoted thanks to that, or maybe he's just a moron.'

'Language, Miss Weasley,' Snape said.

She shrugged, but apologized.

'We'll find a way to help you,' Molly said.

'Harry is more important, help him first,' Ginny said.

They were all trying to find a way out of this, and only Snape saw Ginny take Hermione aside and ask her something. The two witches left silently.

'Molly,' Theo said, 'Would you have a potion against headaches? I think I have the solution, but none of us is going to like it.'

'As usual,' Harry said.

'Moody, am I right to assume that the Kin system hasn't been changed since I left?' Theo asked.

He answered positively.

It meant that the law that allowed the closest relation of a dead man to marry his wife, so that the "Property" would not leave the family, was still valid. Sirius was officially still on the run, but Fudge knew where he fell, so Theo could protect Harry since the young wizard was Sirius's godson.

'Marry you?' Harry said.

He wondered when his nightmares had become so strange.

Theo rushed to his side, Harry looked as if he were about to faint.

'Harry, listen to me carefully,' she ordered, 'with the deal I have with Fudge for me and Al, it would be a mere formality. A sham. He can save face, and I can include you in the arrangement I obtained. Do you agree?'

Harry remained silent, stunned.

'Me or the Dementors, Harry?' she insisted.

'You, of course. I don't want to spend decades in that place dying day after day, losing my mind one memory at a time and hearing Mum's screams before Voldemort killed her. But... it's not fair for you,' he finally answered.

'Our lives aren't fair, courtesy of Dumbledore and Voldemort,' Theo said. 'I'll go to the Ministry immediately. Find someone to protect Ginny.'

She turned around and added, 'Where did she go?'

'She left with Granger, I'll go and bring her back,' Snape said.

The last thing the Potions master heard was Molly begging Shacklebolt to protect her daughter, and the Ministry officer was doing his best to decline the honour.

Snape found Hermione sitting on the top of the stairs. She was crying and holding a sealed parchment. It was the Witching testament that Ginny had just written.

The youngest Weasley knew that if Percy had informed the Minister of the link she had with Tom Riddle, he would have betrayed her entirely.

She'd told Hermione that she was ready to face Azkaban, but she had Hermione witness the sealing of a simple Witching testament that contained her last will.

'The memory of what she went through when she was under the power of the entity in the diary is going to kill her in Azkaban,' Hermione whispered.

'Can you guard her door while I have a word with her, Granger?'

She was on her feet at once, wand in hand.

Snape knocked on Ginny's door, but didn't wait for an answer.

'Miss Weasley?'

She was crying silently, sitting cross-legged on her bed.

He walked to her and sat down.

'What happened in the Chamber of Secrets?' he asked.

'Mum and Dad didn't tell you?'

'Your parents are trying to find a wizard with whom to have you betrothed, and they didn't say a word about what the Dark Lord did to you.'

'That's the irony of it all. It's not Voldemort who marked me. It was Tom. Tom, who swallowed my strength and fed off me, and who finally decided that, as a Pureblood, I would be an obedient consort. He was planning to steal Harry's life force, and rule the world, and use me. When I refused to obey after he... after he marked me, he decided to kill me and Harry,' she paused and said, 'I guess a solution has been found for Harry.'

'Theo will protect him,' Snape paused in his turn. 'I fear your parents might have some problem finding someone to do the same for you.'

'I always knew that I was only borrowing time,' she interrupted him.

'Is it the Dark Mark that Riddle put on you?'

She knelt on the bed, turned around, lifted her T-shirt and showed him the round, black mark on her spine just above her waist.

'But it's a simple Slytherin hymeneal mark,' Snape said.

'Given to me by Tom Riddle,' she pointed out.

'I might have a solution,' he murmured.

He was so pale, that she didn't say a word and waited for him to go on.

He swallowed with difficulty and said, 'I remember what it was like in Azkaban. If you go there, you'll die, and I cannot allow this while it is in my power to save you. I have enough innocent blood on my hands. As a Slytherin, I could offer you a betrothal, and I could transform your mark so that it shows my magical signature. It would only remain an engagement, it wouldn't be final.'

'Sir, I'm certain that Headmaster Dumbledore won't allow the final battle before Harry has completed his education, which means that I'll be of witching age before that. I'm sure that the Minister wouldn't allow a simple engagement to go on; he'd want a full binding.'

'So do you choose death because you can't fake to be married? As soon as the War is over, I would free you of that bond. I may be a Slytherin, but I wouldn't touch you. You're my student and young enough to be my daughter. I am just offering to trick them and save you, but of course, if I'm too slimy for your taste, I understand,' he said, his anger bubbling dangerously.

She whispered a spell in Parseltongue, which activated the Dark Mark of the Potions master, but instead of summoning or inflicting pain, he immediately became quiet.

'Could you deal with that, sir?'

He remained silent.

'And how can you believe that Fudge and his secretary aren't going to verify that I am bound? I don't know much about your past, but I listen to my parents when they speak about members of the Order, and I know how important you are, and that you're an honourable man. You shouldn't even think of adding to your burden because of a girl stupid enough to fall into Malfoy's trap!'

Severus looked at her - so young, and yet so mature.

'If it came to that... could you do it?'

'Sir?'

'Could you become my wife? Could you stand to spend one night in my bed?'

'When the War is over, you can find someone - a Slytherin Pureblood who will be worthy of your family.'

Severus snorted.

'Will you empty your pockets, Miss Weasley?'

She obeyed, and among other things, she had one Galleon "in case of emergency". Snape emptied his pockets, which was done rather fast: he had a phial of Pepper-up potion, an old handkerchief and a Knut.

'This is all I can afford to have, Weasley. Before you answer to my offer, there are a few things that you must know. Give me your word to keep my secrets.'

She promised on her wand.

'I guess it all started even before I was your age,' he began. 'My father's upbringing and his influence in my life led me to the entourage of the Dark Lord. When I realized how stupid and wrong I had been, it was already too late. I turned myself in to Dumbledore. I have been tried, but I haven't been found guilty of being an active Death Eater. I became a spy for Dumbledore, and a prisoner for the Ministry. My estate had been taken, I can't leave Hogwarts for more than a few hours, and my magic is seriously limited when it's not directly linked to my work, or to Dumbledore's orders.'

'So that's why you can't stay for dinner.'

'Yes.'

'Why don't you have lunch with us?'

He flinched.

Why had she grown up to be so perceptive?

'Ah! The most annoying part of my captivity, Miss Weasley, and maybe the one that will bother you more than sharing my jail,' he said, with great sadness in his voice. 'It is something that I cannot afford. Compared with the other teachers, I'm paid Knuts, almost literally.'

'My family is not exactly wealthy, sir.'

He pointed at the coins they'd had in their pockets.

'I can't bother you,' she said.

'I am not in the least thrilled by the offer I am making, but I can save you from Azkaban. When this War ends, I swear that before I leave Hogwarts for good, I'll free you of any bond between us.'

'I hate the idea of interfering with your life, but I'm not looking forward to a trip to Azkaban. I'd rather die on the battlefield,' she said.

'If your parents haven't found a better solution, then we agree, Miss Weasley?'

'I swear to bring no shame to your name,' she said her hand on her wand.

'I swear to protect you as best as I can,' he answered.

He had taken his wand from his sleeve, and that moved her.

They went to the door. In the corridor, Hermione was aiming her wand at Harry and Ron.

'Ron, what are they planning for me?' Ginny asked.

'Mum is contacting single wizards in the Order through the Floo, and Dad went to the Ministry,' he said.

'Will you do as I say?' she said.

He nodded.

'Run to the Ministry, find Dad, and bring him back here,' she ordered.

'Your mother could do it,' Snape suggested.

'She might be a bit too emotional.'

Ron obeyed his sister, and Snape told Harry and Hermione to join them.

Waiting for Arthur, Snape and Ginny told their witnesses some of what they had just shared about their pasts, and what they were planning to do.

Harry was stunned, because Hermione had understood what was going on in Snape's life.

'You are too cunning for a Gryffindor, Granger,' Snape said.

'Thank you, sir.'

'It wasn't a compliment.'

'Never mind, sir,' she answered.

Arthur arrived, out of breath.

Snape told him what he was proposing.

'You are our best hope, Severus. I didn't dare hope that you'd accept,' Arthur said.

'I am your last hope, you mean.'

'No,' Arthur insisted, 'our very best hope. If someone can help Ginny survive, it's you.'

Snape snorted, and said, 'But you were running to find someone else to save your daughter.'

'No,' he said quietly. 'Molly is trying to find someone. I knew you'd offer to save Ginny. I know your situation, and I was trying to find someone to lend me the money for Ginny's last years at Hogwarts, so that you wouldn't have to deal with that.'

'Oh,' was all that the Potions master could manage to say.

'Any luck?' Ginny asked.

Arthur paled.

'Please,' Harry murmured.

Snape turned towards him, and gasped. The young wizard had never looked more like his dead mother than in this instant.

'We must stick together in this, and I can help you,' Harry said.

'I can't accept,' Arthur said.

'Oh, for God's sake! Don't be silly! You are my family, and this is certainly the only way I can thank Professor Snape for his help and for saving my life,' Harry growled.

'I guess I could accept a loan,' Arthur said.

'No, it's a gift. For Professor Snape and for Ginny. Something against Fudge and Voldemort. All right?' Harry insisted.

'That's Lily Evans stubbornness speaking, Arthur. You'd better accept,' Theo said from the threshold.

Harry gave the key to his vault to Arthur, who went to Gringotts' to withdraw the Galleons needed to pay in advance for Ginny's sixth, and seventh years, the fifth being already paid.

Theo told Harry that Fudge had agreed to her conditions, and that he was placed under her care. She gave him his "marriage" certificate, telling him that he was to carry it with him at all times.

Hermione was sent to tell Molly that she could stop looking for a wizard to save her daughter. Molly was too thankful to fully acknowledge that her baby was about to become engaged to the Head of Slytherin, and even if Arthur knew the full extent of Snape's condition, she did not yet.

'Can you have rings?' Hermione asked when she went back to Ginny's room.

'I cannot, but Miss Weasley could, though I...' Snape was interrupted by the Gryffindor witch.

She measured his and Ginny's right ring finger with a thread, and then dragged Ron behind her.

Snape opened his mouth, but Harry declared, pointing his thumb towards the door through which they had just gone out, 'When she's in full "Hermione mode", you'd have more luck wrestling an angry troll.'

'Gryffindors,' sighed Snape.

'Oi!' exclaimed Harry and Ginny simultaneously.

'You are both half-Slytherins,' he answered.

They had the feeling that he wasn't referring to Voldemort, but to himself, and that made them happy.

Hermione and Ron came back from a Muggle jewellery shop, and Ron called Theo in the kitchen so that she could cast charms on the two rings.

Snape's was a simple platinum band that was spelled not to stain, and where his and Ginny's initials were engraved along with the date.

Ginny's was a white gold ring with a peridot stone, and it was engraved by Theo with the same inscription.

'They had no emerald where we went, and I didn't want to risk arriving when it would be too late for Ginny to accept it, but it's Slytherin enough,' Hermione said.

'This is stupid, Granger. I can't take that ring, and the engraving has no meaning. It's a sham betrothal,' Snape growled.

'Ron, as Ginny's brother, is going to keep the ring for you; Ginny can take hers now, so it'll remain among her possessions, and I don't think it's stupid to remember the day she was freed from Riddle, and you saved an innocent,' Hermione countered him.

While Snape was speechless, Ron asked for permission to store his ring, and to give Ginny hers.

The Professor simply nodded.

'Thanks, Hermione,' Ginny said.

'I'm too happy not to have to mourn you tomorrow,' her friend answered.

As soon as Arthur was back, he gave his daughter to Severus Snape.

Molly was grateful, but she was sobbing so much that she could not say a word to Ginny, or her saviour.

All Snape had to do was to transform Ginny's mark.

'Would you mind if I were to call Theo here?' he asked Ginny when their witnesses and Ginny's parents had left them alone.

She shook her head.

Theo was not far down the corridor. She knew that Snape had never cast that spell, and that the restriction on his magic might well make him feel faint, even though it was a simple spell, and far from being Dark.

Ginny lay on the bed on her belly, and lifted her T-shirt out of his way.

'It's a simple spell, Severus. All you have to think of is that she's now yours,' Theo said.

Snape took his wand.

He had never thought that he'd ever cast that charm, even as a sham.

The words were simple, the link as well.

There were various hymeneal marks in their community, and each house had a favourite.

Slytherin's was acting as a reminder, urging the one who bore it to be faithful to the one who had given it.

Theo knew how strange it must be for them to be doing that.

The older witch remembered how it felt to be marked, but she could not begin to imagine what it must have been like for Ginny, possessed by Riddle's magic and marked by an entity that was stealing her life-force for his own use.

Theo and Snape had truly become friends, and she knew a lot about his past.

She knew more than anybody else.

She knew that Snape, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have used Slytherin's mark. If he had decided to bond with someone, he would have chosen a mark - if he even had done so - that would have allowed him to share something with the other person, or protect the one he'd have come to love.

Even in this, Snape was not given a choice. To help and protect, and to do what was probably one of the kindest acts in his entire life, he was to transform something that already existed.

Snape was not happy to do this, especially if he was someday forced to further his bond with the young witch, but to cross at the same time Fudge, Dumbledore and Voldemort - in any form - and save an innocent was something Snape simply had to do.

Snape cast the charm, and he immediately felt the strength Riddle had put into his marking. He wondered how the witch had even survived after the spirit of Riddle had stolen her energy and used it to mark her.

Snape pushed Riddle's magical signature out of Ginny, and he placed his in the existing mark.

The magic that controlled Snape made him feel dizzy. He had not used a spell that would be spotted by the Ministry, but it had drained him.

He sat on the bed, very pale.

Theo took one of his hands. He closed his eyes, feeling sick and shattered because of the magic he'd just performed.

He felt a cool cloth on his face.

It felt good. He wondered how Theo had summoned a cloth without his feeling it.

He opened his eyes, and saw that it was Ginny who was taking care of him.

Tears were rolling down Ginny's cheeks.

'What's wrong, Ginny?' Theo asked, still holding Snape's hand.

She kept on taking care of Snape, oblivious of her tears, and answered, 'Nothing's wrong. It's the first time since I got that mark that it's not painful. I had forgotten how it felt.'

Since Riddle's spirit had imposed the mark, and not offered it, it had been painful, and since a form of the soul of the person who had given it was still alive, Ginny had not been freed when Harry destroyed the entity in the diary.

Snape was touched that she trusted him enough to accept his magic.

'Can I give you a glass of fresh water?' Ginny asked.

He nodded, and she ran to the kitchen.

'You saved her, Sev,' Theo said.

'Do not use that name, Theo.'

'Severus, you did save her.'

'She told me that she had been borrowing time since Malfoy tricked her and she used the diary. Maybe I gave her some more time, but what is going to happen to her if I die? No one will protect her then. What if Fudge orders me to marry her and bind her magic to mine, thus enslaving her with me in my Hogwarts cell? What if the War doesn't end before she has completed her education? Would she be kept in my quarters and her magic neutered?'

'Do you trust me?' she asked.

'I'd trust your judgment more than mine,' he admitted.

'I've been observing Ginny and Hermione. Those two girls are powerful, quick-witted and full of surprises. If you trust me, then you'll trust her - in spite of her young age. What she's been through in the Chamber of Secrets made her grow up faster than her school-mates. She has potential, Severus. She can be your ally. Maybe your friend.'

'I hope that I will only be her protector,' Snape whispered.

Ginny had agreed to be betrothed to him. He wasn't sure he'd be able to extend his protection beyond that, in spite of what he'd said, and in spite of some of the things he'd done for Voldemort when he was young.

Ginny came back in with a huge glass of water, and she handed it to him.

'Your water, sir,' she said with a bright smile, her tears completely gone.

'Thank you, Miss Weasley.'

'You look like someone who's been given a remedy after years of affliction,' Theo said, pushing a red lock behind Ginny's ear.

'Being linked with me is far from being a remedy. It's just another problem in your life,' Snape told Ginny. 'I hope that your new status will be kept secret, so that you can go on living as if nothing ever happened.'

Ginny paled significantly.

'Sir, though this is but an act to save me from the Ministry's new measures, I will do nothing that might lead people, who do not know what you did for me, to think that I do not have respect for you, and that I do not honour your name and your family. I will never do such a disgraceful thing,' she declared seriously.

'I offered help, not another form of enslavement, Miss Weasley,' Snape said.

'And now that I won't be sent to Azkaban, thanks to the ambition of my own brother, I will not bring shame to your name.'

'I do not expect you to respect the traditions to the letter,' he insisted.

'Do not worry, sir. I will still fight to bring the House and Quidditch Cups to Gryffindor,' she said.

'Excellent. So to speak, of course.'

She smiled.

'Would you like another glass of water, sir?' she asked.

'Yes, please.'

Ginny went back to the kitchen again.

'Sev.'

'Theo!' Snape growled. 'You should not cry wolf, or one day you'll need me in a real emergency, and I won't believe that you're using that code between us in earnest.'

'What I have to say is important,' she said softly.

'What is it?'

'Her family may not be a model according to the standards of some Pureblood families, but she has been brought up to respect our codes. Arthur and Molly wanted a witch - like I wanted a daughter, as well - because there are some magical secrets in our families that can only be shared with a witch. I gave that knowledge to my daughter when she turned nine, and I guess that Molly did the same. Ginny is a courageous Gryffindor. You can teach her to be cunning. She is very young, but I do believe that it would be a mistake to treat her as a child. Make her your ally,' she said.

Snape promised to consider what she'd just said.

Snape went back to Hogwarts to get away from Molly Weasley's reactions.

Ginny's mother was on the verge of a nervous breakdown all day long.

First, she was devastated by the fact that it was because of one of her children that Harry and Ginny would have been taken to jail if Tonks - it was strange that no one could get used to calling her by her new surname - had not warned them in time.

Then she realized that her baby girl's only way of escape had been to be linked to her Potions master.

Last, Arthur told her what Snape's condition was, and she Floo'ed back to the Burrow to cry for Ginny.

Harry was stunned, and Theo let Al and Hermione do the cheering up.

Ron had amazingly matured in the morning, and he was marvellously taking care of his sister.

All trunks were packed long before dinner.

The evening and night were quiet.

The trip to the station was silent, but uneventful - even Pig remained quiet.

Just before the train departed, four Aurors Apparated in front of Ginny and Harry.

The students didn't know them, but the Aurors seemed to be on their side.

Harry showed his certificate.

One of the Aurors cast a spell on Ginny, and it showed that she was engaged to a Slytherin, but that it was not the Dark Lord.

'How strange,' one of the Aurors said.

'Someone at the Ministry told us that our trip was not necessary, because Mr Potter and Miss Weasley were spoken for,' another said.

'I don't remember who it was,' said a third.

'It must have been Mrs Lupin,' said the fourth. 'We'll wish you a pleasant and safe trip to Hogwarts.'

They Disapparated, and the occupants of the compartment breathed with relief.

'It won't always be that easy,' Ginny pointed out.

They knew that she was right, but for now they were all safe.

The nicest thing during the trip was the customary visit of the Slytherins to the Gryffindors, and Draco Malfoy literally squeaked when he saw Harry's new look.

As soon as they reached the doors of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall came to fetch Harry and Ginny, who were to follow her to the Headmaster's office, and she had to sort Al into his future House.

'Already in trouble, Potter?' Draco said loud enough for all their mates to hear.

'You are very loud for a Slytherin,' Al said.

'Who are you?' Pansy asked disdainfully.

'I'm Aldebaran. Your cousin Theodora is my mother. Professor Snape is my godfather. If you don't want me to hex you, you'll remember never to mention my biological father, and to call me Al,' he said.

'Do you mean to use the Kinfolk Linking?' McGonagall asked Al.

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'All right then, Mr Snape, I won't question your choice of surname. I have been asked to sort you into your House privately,' she said.

The three students followed the elder witch.

She turned to her two Gryffindors and said, 'If you don't mind, I'd like to go with you. Albus didn't tell me what's going on, but Minister Fudge and Percy are there with Aurors, and I don't like it much.'

While Al was sorted into Slytherin, Ginny told her Head of House what happened just the day before.

Al was sent to warn his godfather, because McGonagall knew that no one had told him that his betrothed would be facing the Minister with Dumbledore's blessing.

The Potions master and his godson joined the Gryffindors.

McGonagall looked at Snape and said, 'I fear that Fudge's visit is going to be highly unpleasant. Did someone give you a blessing, even if the conditions are, let's say, unusual?'

'No,' he answered.

'There was no one who could do it,' Ginny said.

'May I?' McGonagall asked.

Harry didn't know what was going on, but his mentor looked moved.

Al leant towards Harry, and softly whispered in his ear that it was customary to have an elder or a friend give a blessing and that his mother couldn't do it. By blessing Snape, the Head of Gryffindor would add to the validity of the betrothal, and her magic would help to erase Riddle from Ginny's mark.

The elder witch gave a powerful blessing to her younger fellow. It was so strong that even Ginny felt it.

'Professor...' Snape started, but his fellow interrupted him.

'There is a lot that I don't know yet, and I hope you'll come and have a chat with me as soon as you can. In my office or my quarters, whenever it suits you,' she said.

'Yes, Minerva,' Snape said.

They had reached Dumbledore's door by then.

'Mr Snape, you should go to the Great Hall and meet your fellow Slytherins,' Minerva suggested.

'Snape?' Snape said.

'If I can't use my Dad's name, I won't be called by my biological father's name. You said you agreed, Severus,' the young wizard said.

'I didn't think you'd endanger yourself by taking my name,' Snape said.

'After my Dad, you're the best father I could dream of,' Al declared. He looked at McGonagall and said, 'I think it might help Harry if I'm with you, because it will remind Fudge of his obligations to my Mum.'

Harry understood that Al knew what Theo had to do to protect them.

McGonagall looked at Snape, and like the day when Theo had first gone to the Ministry to meet Fudge and had come back and been cryptic with Snape, Harry had the feeling that there was a special bond between those two professors.

'I had an accident not so long ago, Mr Snape. I think I might need to lean on you and Mr Potter,' the elder witch said.

McGonagall came in Dumbledore's office with Al and Harry. Ginny and Snape followed immediately behind.

'A bad day, Minerva?' Dumbledore asked.

'Well, one of my legs is rather painful, but these boys helped me. I would like us to be swift. The first years are about to arrive, and I can't let you hold two of my students here,' she said.

Her tone showed that she clearly wasn't open to any argument.

Fudge was about to protest when Al looked at him and said, 'Minister Fudge, are you sure it is a good thing to have witnesses to this discussion?'

Even if the old wizard had never met Sirius's son, there was no way he could mistake the young man for anyone else. Fudge read in Al's eyes that he knew what his deal with Theo was, and the Minister dismissed the Aurors, who left.

'Potter remains a threat,' Fudge said.

'This is not what my mother said. Incidentally, I met the daughter of someone who owns a magazine, a newspaper or something on the Express. Maybe I should have a chat with her about that,' Al suggested.

Fudge was taken aback by Al's audacity, as were all the people in the office.

Percy was about to explode in the name of the Minister, but Fudge patted the younger wizard's arm and declared, 'Potter is spoken for, as long as he stays out of trouble.'

Ginny took a deep breath; she knew that Fudge would try to make her pay for Al's offence.

'There is still a problem with one of the Hogwarts students according to the new measures voted by the Ministry,' Fudge said.

'Minister?' Ginny said softly with her most innocent smile.

'Weasley, you are linked to the Dark Lord,' Fudge said.

'Me?' she said, with fake tears in her eyes. 'No, sir!'

'I have been informed that the Slytherin mark you had after you were possessed by the spirit of Tom Riddle made you seriously sick,' Fudge said.

'No, sir. Well, not exactly. When I was first betrothed, it was a bit overwhelming,' Ginny said.

'I want to see your mark, girl,' the Minister ordered.

'You do not have the power to command me to do such a thing,' she quietly answered.

'Snape, if she's really yours, I want to see it for myself,' Fudge insisted.

'Miss Weasley is my charge during the school year,' intervened McGonagall, 'I seriously advise you to show her the respect every betrothed witch deserves.'

'Even if she belongs to Snape, he's a Ministry detainee and must obey me,' Fudge growled.

The Head of Gryffindor was about to discover the full extent of Snape's situation.

'She was marked by Riddle,' Percy insisted.

'My mark bears Professor Snape's signature,' Ginny answered.

'Ginevra?' Snape said. 'Would you mind showing them?'

She smiled at him, shook her head, and showed her mark.

It soon became obvious that Snape had protected Ginny.

'Very well,' Fudge said. 'I have no way to check when you made that mark, Snape, but I can make sure that she's irrevocably bound to you, and I order the consummation of the wedding to be witnessed according to our traditions. Dumbledore can marry you tomorrow night. I am curious to see how you will take care of her with your means of existence.'

'Certainly not,' McGonagall said.

Her voice would have chilled Voldemort himself.

'What?' Percy said.

'I cannot allow one of my students to be married when she's still reading. The wedding can take place when she's certified, not before. Besides, I want to know what you mean about Severus's means of existence,' McGonagall demanded.

'Snape is kept in Hogwarts, and he doesn't have wages,' Percy said.

'It's Professor Snape, you twat,' Al growled.

McGonagall's magic fizzed all around her, which had a sobering effect on the wizards in the room.

'What do you mean?' she asked.

She had been told that Snape was kept in Hogwarts, but she had thought it was a protection of some sort, not a twisted form of incarceration.

She looked at Dumbledore, who was pointedly looking at his desk.

'Aren't you paid for your work, and your position as Head, Severus?' she insisted.

'Not really.'

'How much do you get?' she asked.

'I can stay in the dungeons for free, and I'm given sixty Galleons a year,' Snape said.

He felt embarrassed, not for himself, because he had got used to his condition, but Ginny now was trapped in all this with him. His shame was hers as well.

McGonagall gasped.

All their fellows were paid four thousand and five hundred Galleons a year, with room and board. The Head of Houses got eight thousand Galleons, and as Deputy Headmistress, McGonagall received ten thousand Galleons. Snape had told Ginny the truth when he said he got Knuts. In fourteen years, Snape had been able to save four Galleons and twelve Sickles.

Dumbledore had the decency to be embarrassed, but Fudge considered Snape a criminal who had to pay.

'I want those two bound by tomorrow night,' Fudge said.

'It is against the rules,' McGonagall said, very quietly.

'Professor McGonagall is right,' Dumbledore finally said.

'It can be done as soon as she's of witching age, after her sixteenth birthday,' Percy told Fudge.

'You are extremely helpful,' McGonagall commented icily.

'This is what we will do, then. Who do you want for witness, Snape?' Fudge said.

The Potions master snorted and said, 'It's the witch who chooses in my family.'

Ginny murmured something in his ear, and he nodded.

'If you insist on that, we'll have Theo,' Ginny said.

'I want you to name a Ministry officer as well,' Fudge said.

'Oh, then we'll have Mr Weasley,' she said.

'Your father?' Fudge asked.

'No, Mr Percy Weasley,' Snape clarified.

'No!' Percy yelled.

'Why not? You should be honoured to be chosen, Mr Weasley,' Ginny said coldly.

Percy paled and kept his mouth blissfully shut until he and Fudge left.

It was decided that a binding wedding would take place as soon as possible after Ginny came of witching age.

As soon as Fudge and Percy had left, McGonagall gave orders on their way to the Great Hall where they would arrive just in time for the sorting and feast.

Ginny was instructed to come and see her Head at tea-time on the following day, and she was requested to find one of Fred and George's latest catalogues. She could call them through the Floo if need be.

Al and Harry were to come and see her after Ginny's visit.

Snape was to have lunch with her the next day.

As she was about to go and welcome the first years, she turned to Dumbledore and said, 'I'll have a word with you right after the feast, Albus.'

The old wizard wasn't used to being given orders, but there was something in the eyes of the witch that made him simply nod in acceptance - his survival instinct, perhaps.

Ginny and Harry walked to the Gryffindor table, and Snape took Al to the Slytherin's introducing his godson to his students.

During the feast, Al's new mates tried to discover who he really was. When Draco asked who his mother was, Zabini could give them Al's pedigree, or at least try, for when the nosy Slytherin tried to say the name of Al's biological father, Al did some wandless magic to prevent that, and Zabini couldn't stop coughing.

Goyle asked how old he was, but not one of them could believe that he was fourteen.

'My mother went on a journey right after the Potters' death, and I was barely conceived. Do the math,' Al said.

The Slytherins were forced to admit that he was telling the truth, and that he was very powerful.

'There will be wizards who will be delighted to meet you,' Draco said.

Al kept eating without answering.

After the feast, McGonagall followed Dumbledore to his office, and she didn't leave him alone before she'd had a faithful and clear account of Snape's situation, and the kind of consequences it would have on Ginny's life after they'd been forced to finalize their engagement.

The old witch didn't leave him alone before he'd sworn on his wand that the School Board would have the young witch provided for normally, not like Snape.

That was the first thing that she told Snape when he joined her for lunch.

If Ginny's school fees were paid, and if he was assured that he wouldn't have to struggle to feed her and give her clothes, he admitted that it would be a great relief.

Yet, that left him, and Ginny, with one night to spend in the same bed.

'I don't think I can do it,' he stated, pointedly looking at his meagre meal.

The Head of Gryffindor didn't know what to say. She knew that in spite of his one blunder in his youth, he was a man of honour, and that his deontology was exemplary. She couldn't begin to imagine how the prospect of marrying one of his students was making him feel. It was one night, but it must feel like a promise for a passage to hell.

'Maybe we could find a way so that Percy doesn't have to officially witness everything,' McGonagall suggested.

'Al contacted his mother, and she had a chat with me last night. She's rather good in Muggle chemistry, and she's planning to bring some wine for her and the other witness. If Albus agrees - and if we are forced to do it - we might postpone the wedding to the Yule break.'

'I'll force him to do so if it comes to that,' she interrupted him.

He nodded, unable to smile to thank her.

'It's going to be so cold in my quarters that Weasley - I mean her brother - is bound to accept Theo's wine. They'll both fall asleep,' he said.

'We could ask Poppy to testify in your favour as well, and maybe you could get away with only sleeping next to her,' she suggested.

'It's too dangerous for Miss Weasley. Anyone thoroughly checking our link would send her to jail for not being bound,' he answered.

'And you with her.'

'It's not important. It might have been easier for her if her mother had found a respectable wizard to protect her,' he said with a sad sigh.

'Severus... You are the one who had enough courage to save her. You've seen Fudge and her own brother. Though she is a victim, they would have condemned her to a certain death; one because of his blind ambition, the other because he doesn't have the guts to fight like a man, and he's a half-wit. You are the one who can save her. I can see no one else.'

'My future father-in-law, who's barely older than I, tends to think like you, but I don't understand why,' Snape said.

'Your position as Ginny's teacher is not the only thing that bothers you.'

One moment, Snape looked like he was ready to explode, the next he was rubbing his hands over his eyes.

'Minerva,' he said in a low voice, 'do you think that the Weasleys, I mean her parents, know a lot about the Slytherin hymeneal mark?'

'We Gryffindors don't know much about you Slytherins. I guess they have approximately the same knowledge I have. Why?' she asked.

He closed his eyes before speaking.

'Swear on your wand that this conversation will remain between us,' he said. He went on only after her promise, 'When that mark is given freely, it is customary to imprint it on the inside of the right arm, because it often is the wand-hand, and we also put our wedding rings on the right hand. That twisted thing in the diary marked her against her will.'

'Do you think it might have...' her voice trailed off.

His eyes were still tightly closed when he gasped, 'I fear so. There is something she told me before she accepted my offer that allows me to fear that Riddle might have been bold even before his energy was secured on this plane. Even if he didn't, Miss Weasley will have been marked against her will and shipped into my bed. I'm terrified at the mere thought; I cannot begin to imagine how she might feel. Will you do something for me?'

'Of course.'

He finally looked at her.

She could see how powerless he felt.

'Could you find a way to tell her that whatever happened in the Chamber of Secrets is none of my business, and it's not important to me?' he asked.

'I will, but, Severus, shouldn't you speak with her? Are you planning to avoid her like the plague until you are forced to marry her? Honestly, though I loathe the idea because you are forced to do it, I think that you should make the most of it. She's no longer a child, unfortunately. It would be less dreadful for the both of you if you were not to allow Fudge and the other idiots to make you victims in that.'

'What are you suggesting? That we fall in love and have a real wedding night? Do not be asinine, Professor,' he growled.

'I am suggesting that you might come to an agreement that would not leave you feeling as if it were a rape.'

'I would never do such a disgusting thing to a woman!' he yelled.

'I was speaking of you, Severus,' she quietly stated.

That sobered him instantly. For a Gryffindor, she was too perceptive. Snape reflected that some witches from that house were like that. Lily had been like that. Minerva as well, and it seemed that Miss Weasley was as well.

He promised her to give it a thought, but McGonagall had the feeling that she would soon have to do something to help her charge and her fellow.

At tea-time, Ginny arrived.

The Head of Gryffindor told the young witch that she could always count on her help. When Ginny thanked her, McGonagall could clearly see that she would have to prove herself before Ginny would trust her enough to fully open her heart.

The elder witch found a diplomatic way to deliver Snape's message, and she could see that Ginny was worried about him.

'He also told me that you shouldn't have to worry about the witnessing if it comes to that. Theo has found a way.'

'Oh! That's good! I'm nearly sure my... I'm nearly sure Mr Weasley would faint if he were to witness, but it's good to know that Theo found something!' Ginny said.

'You're never going to forgive him.'

'Could you forgive an idiot who betrayed you? Because of his stupidity, his cowardice, and his gigantic ambition, Professor Snape is caught in this. Without him, Fudge might have been too lazy to check the school rules, and your plan would have worked. Instead, I am added to my saviour's burden,' the young witch growled.

'Minister Fudge,' McGonagall corrected her.

'I'll show him respect when he has some for me. I was stupid enough to use that diary, but it's an adult Death Eater who gave it to me! I resisted Tom, and not to be sent to Azkaban, I agreed to condemn Professor Snape to help me. It's unfair!'

McGonagall tried to convince Ginny to become her betrothed's ally, not a burden, as Ginny'd said, but the young witch said that she had no right to disrupt his life in any way.

She asked her Head to tell him not to worry about her.

McGonagall feared that she would have to help Ginny through long years before the end of the war.

Al and Harry's visit after Ginny's multiplied her fears.

Seeing both wizards at the same time also proved to be a terrible mistake, because when she scolded Al for his behaviour with the Minister, Harry discovered what Theo had to do to protect her son, and himself, and he was sick, literally.

Al apologized. He'd been certain that Harry had understood, but his schoolmate pointed out that it was the story of his life: "innocent Harry" unable to put two and two together to save his life.

Al quietly told McGonagall that he was forced to read there because Dumbledore had trapped him with Dark magic. He was planning to keep on learning everything a powerful wizard should know, but he had absolutely no intention of integrating into Hogwarts. He had threatened the Sorting Hat so that he'd be close to his godfather, but he didn't give a damn about the competition between the Houses. When Quidditch was mentioned, he said that he'd grown up practising other sports, and that he would let them play with their fluffy balls.

McGonagall turned to Harry and told him that the Ministry had authorized the Headmaster to reinstate him as Seeker in the Gryffindor team.

'This is something that Headmaster Dumbledore wants me to do?' Harry said.

'I think so,' his Head conceded.

'Then I think I will trade my Quidditch talent for a regular tutoring with Professor Snape. It would be nice if it were to take place when I have my tea and if Professor Snape could freely share it,' Harry said. 'Otherwise, I might have a tiny accident that would frighten me so much that I would no longer be able to fly after that.'

'We'll make something of you yet, Harry, son of Lily Evans!' Al teased him.

'Belt up, Snape!' Harry said affectionately.

McGonagall was speechless, but she was delighted to be the one who would report Harry's offer to the Headmaster.

'Maybe Professor Snape will refuse to accept the offer to share a student's tea,' McGonagall said.

'I'll convince him,' Harry said.

'How?' Al wondered.

'I'll contact your mother, of course,' Harry said.

McGonagall saw that Al and Harry, contrary to Ginny and Snape, were beginning to work together. She hoped that this unusual association might make a difference.

'How do you feel about all this, Harry?' the elder witch asked.

'Like a pawn, but I'm not complaining. My situation could be much worse,' he said, carefully avoiding Al's eyes.

His friend snaked an arm around Harry's neck and hugged him.

'My Dad is a strategist. Mum hasn't told me what she's doing to keep us from being shipped to Azkaban, but I found out what was the only logical conclusion. That war is pretty nasty. We've got to do our best to survive,' Al said, still hugging Harry.

'Surely Albus could do something to protect you,' McGonagall pointed out.

'Mum would rather kill me with her own hands, and swallow hot coal than allow that to happen. Besides, Ma'am, according to the school rules in the section regarding the secrets shared with Heads of Houses and not regarding the school, you are bound not to mention my mother's situation to anyone,' Al said.

'It is my duty to make sure that you are well taken care of. I will not say a word to your relative,' McGonagall said.

'You'll try something else to help us,' Al said.

'I will do absolutely nothing, Mr Snape,' she answered with a small smile.

Al looked at Harry, trying to assess if this was the way the Head of Gryffindor usually behaved, but he could see that Harry would need some serious tutoring in strategy.

Then, Al looked at the professor who had helped his godfather before they faced Fudge, and who had tried to trick the annoying Minister. He felt that there were some secrets that this witch was brilliantly hiding. Al was used to powerful witches, therefore he decided to try and trust her; she had shown and proved that she was ready to help his godfather. Maybe she could do something to help his mother.

McGonagall told both wizards that her door was open, day or night. The circumstances were extraordinary enough for her to welcome them if they needed help, or comfort.

She flicked her wand to pour them a second cup of tea.

'What do you think of your first day here?' she asked Al.

'I'm going to befriend the librarian, help my godfather in his work, and invade your office. The curriculum is boring, and the teachers I have seen thought I was in need of a baby-sitter. Only the Defence teacher knows what she's talking about. Mum and Dad taught me advanced magic, and my school is very different,' he answered.

'Your school, of course,' she said.

Harry could see that there was a lot going on in that exchange, but he couldn't analyze it all.

Al glared at the witch. She truly was amazing.

'Can I come and see you, then?' he asked.

'It will be a pleasure, Mr Snape,' she said, and then turned to Harry, and asked, 'How was your day?'

'If Al had been with us before, he'd know that the new DADA teacher is a blessing. I hope she has no affinity for Voldemort or Fudge, and that she won't have to resign or be sacked. If we can keep her, she might make the difference,' Harry said.

'It was that terrible before? When it's so important! Dumbledore really is an old fool,' Al said.

Harry summarized the previous years, and Al shook his head. He could not understand why some people were acting that way when they had to fight a powerful Dark wizard.

'You have nothing to fear about the new teacher. You can trust her, and she will train you and the other students as long as I'm here, at least,' she said.

'What is your link with Professor Pratchett?' Al asked.

'Can't you tell, Mr Snape?' she teased her young charge.

'She is,' he paused. 'Your daughter?'

McGonagall grinned like the Cheshire-Cat.

'Close enough. She's my youngest sister. My daughters are all working abroad,' she said.

'How many daughters do you have?' Harry asked.

'Three, and one of them has a twin brother. Those two prepared me for Fred and George Weasley. Bless those boys! I have found a very nice item for Percy in their latest catalogue,' she said.

'May we know what it is?' Al asked, suddenly truly enjoying his tea.

'It is an empty box,' she answered sipping her tea with delight.

Harry blinked and Al chuckled.

'Let Harry figure out why it is a wonderful idea,' she told Al.

Harry looked at them. He tried to imagine how Percy would react upon receiving a box, especially with the brothers he had, and his recent behaviour.

'He's going to spend an awful lot of time wondering what's going on, but in fact, there's nothing in it. He's just going to waste time over it,' Harry tried.

'Five points to Gryffindor, Mr Potter, and five to Slytherin, Mr Snape,' McGonagall said.

'But I didn't find your exact relation with Professor Juno Pratchett,' Al said.

'You were close enough, besides there's not one of the McGonagalls' daughters who look like the other,' she said.

'She is the one who's married,' Harry said, and he started gaping.

She laughed softly and said, 'Well, I never believed in engagements put down on parchments, and I've found someone who agrees with me. We've been together for,' she stopped to count. 'Oh, Merlin! Quite some years.'

'Don't you miss your family?' Al asked.

'They're in my heart, always,' she said.

Al nodded, but he still missed his Dad and siblings.

They chatted some more; Al planned visits to the office of his Transfiguration teacher, and Harry was given tips to learn as much as he could, so that he would win his fight against Voldemort.

Afterwards, she sent them back to their respective Houses, encouraging them to convince Ginny and Snape to communicate because they all had to work together in this.

Unfortunately, Snape didn't even let his godson mention the Gryffindor witch, and Harry was told that she had no intention of bothering the man thanks to whom she was given a bit more time in this world.

In its weekend edition, the Daily Prophet decided to take the Minister's side, and it praised the new measures that had been taken. All got to read the list of the few unfortunate ones who had been sent to Azkaban. There had even been a handful of executions, and some deaths in jail. Those who knew what had almost happened to some of their friends shivered when they read the paper.

Some of the Slytherins loudly approved. They began choking while Al was quietly stirring his tea, and pointedly not looking at them.

Juno and Minerva shared a look, and did not help the Slytherins, whose Head was conveniently absorbed in his conversation with Irma Pince.

Finally, Harry got to be tutored by Snape one day out of three, and the offer to share his tea was accepted. Apparently, Theo had told him not to "be a stupid fool", and "work with the boy so that the war ends as soon as possible".

Since Harry had begun to feel better, he had fully mastered Occlumency. Now that Snape no longer was angry with the new Potter, the older wizard understood better how Harry's mind was working, and they started tutorials in the Dark Arts.

One weekend in late November, Snape saw during their tea-break that something was bothering Harry.

'Potter, you should know by now that I'm not going to hex you if we're not training.'

'I know, sir.'

'Then what is wrong?'

Harry looked at his mentor, shook his head and said, 'I can't bother you with that.'

'Potter!' growled Snape.

'I can't bother you with that, sir. It's something about Sirius.'

Snape waved his hand in dismissal and ordered Harry to tell him what was going on.

Harry explained that Hermione had told him that it might be a good idea to start a diary, just to keep track of the important things, and to help him ground. Since he was already in Hogwarts, and could not shop, he took Sirius's diary, because it still had quite a lot of blank pages.

A handful of days later, Harry started dreaming of Sirius. Now, he was dreaming of him almost every night. It seemed so real, that Harry was afraid to be shipped to the hospital for losing his mind.

'Did you speak about that with Miss Granger?'

Harry shook his head and whispered, 'No, sir, you're the only one who knows about it.'

That surprised the Potions master.

'What happens in those dreams?' Snape asked.

'First of all, everything looks like it's real. It feels like a home, or somewhere I know I'm safe. Sirius is always there, as if he were waiting for me to visit. I know it's him, and yet, he's different. As if his aura were different, maybe. He's very quiet. He wants to know what's going on in my life, but I only speak of my lessons, as if I were not sure that I can trust him. And yet, sir, I feel that it's him,' Harry said.

'Would you mind if I were to test a theory?'

'Not at all, sir.'

'Even if I ask you to bring me the diary and to allow me to read it?'

Harry blushed instantly, but he agreed to his professor's condition.

He went back to Gryffindor to retrieve the diary.

When he rushed into Snape's office, he'd been running. Panting, he said that Ginny had been taken to the hospital wing.

When asked why, Harry was unable to answer.

Harry left his diary on Snape's desk, and both wizards ran to the hospital where McGonagall was ready to give an earful to both Ginny and Snape.

It turned out that Ginny had fainted on her way back from the library, and Ron had caught her before she broke her skull on the stairs.

He had carried his little sister to the hospital, while Hermione ran to tell Professor McGonagall what happened, which explained why the Head of Gryffindor was already by the young witch's side when Snape and Harry ran into the hospital.

As soon as she saw Snape coming in, Madam Pomfrey went back into her office.

'Ron, Hermione, Harry, will you please go back to the common room? I will bring Ginny back there myself momentarily,' McGonagall said.

The trio obeyed.

When she was finally left alone with Snape and Ginny, McGonagall turned to her fellow and said, 'Ginny is so overworked that she fainted. I'm going to share a cup of tea with Poppy, while Ginny tells you exactly why she fainted, and you, Severus, try to find a valid explanation for not knowing that reason.'

Right then, McGonagall was rather disappointed with Ginny and Snape. She had told them to communicate and work together, but they hadn't listened to her. If Ron had not taken it upon himself to keep an eye on his sister, she might have been seriously injured. She left them alone.

Snape looked at the young witch. She seemed so small and pale in that hospital bed.

'How do you feel?' he asked.

'I'm fine, sir. Don't worry about me, please.'

'You fainted, Miss Weasley, and you could have broken your neck. I'd like to know why,' he quietly said.

'Professor McGonagall exaggerated when she said that I'm overworked. I was working on my next Charms exam, and I might have been reading a book for too long, and I felt dizzy. You know Ron, he overreacted. That's all, sir,' she said.

He slowly sat next to her and said, 'You are lying. Why?'

She blinked.

'How do you know? Did you read my thoughts?' she wondered.

He took a deep breath and answered, 'Even though I am working with Potter to teach him to protect his mind, I promise you that I'll never read your thoughts, Miss Weasley, and certainly not without warning you. I noticed that you answered a bit too fast. Usually, you speak slowly. It showed that you're telling me a lie.'

'Oh... I'm sorry, sir.'

'Tell me why you fainted.'

'I feel stupid,' she said, looking away from him. 'I wanted to have good grades, and I ended up being caught by Ron, my head an inch away from a marble step.'

'Why are you overworking yourself?' Snape said, but immediately realization dawned, and he didn't know what to feel for the young witch. 'For God's sake, Weasley, you don't have to work that hard. Your grades are good, and you don't have to read so much that you end up fainting. I fail to see how this might fit into our agreement. I think that it is a good idea for you to work hard, but it is a good thing for your own future. In spite of what you have been taught as a Pureblood witch, I do not believe that you have to do anything for me, especially in our situation. Work for yourself, but even in that case, don't work too hard.'

'I'm sorry. I've been silly,' she murmured.

The tears in her eyes made him sadder than he would have thought possible. She was a very nice young lady, and she'd meant to honour his family by obtaining good grades. It was already more than what some members of his own family had ever done for him.

'You're not too bad for a Gryffindor,' he answered softly.

She smiled brightly.

'Take Theo as a model, if you want, or your Head of House, but do not let old traditions direct your life,' he said. 'I do not care for what people might think if you do not behave as a betrothed is supposed to behave. I offered to help you, not trap you in an old form of slavery. If I am to be anything to you...' his voice trailed off.

'Sir?'

He shook his head, and she thought that she could read surprise in his eyes.

'Theo and Minerva were right,' he said. 'It's rather disturbing, but whether we like it or not, we must be allies.'

'Thank you, sir. I promise that I'll be careful now, and I won't bother you,' she said.

Snape didn't have the opportunity to answer, because McGonagall came back to them.

'Do you feel strong enough to go back to your dorm, Ginny?' the older witch asked.

Ginny nodded.

'Excellent, let's go then. Help her, Severus, will you?' she said, practically giving an order to her fellow.

He was surprised, but he offered his arm for support to the young Gryffindor.

As soon as they were out of the hospital, McGonagall turned to them and almost growled, 'For being blind, and for frightening me, ten points from Slytherin, and ten from Gryffindor.'

'But, Minerva, you can't take points from my House because of me,' a flabbergasted Snape said.

'Watch me, Severus! If you don't work together, I'll make you!' and with those words she walked off to her office, leaving the Head of Slytherin to walk the young witch back to her common room.

Snape accompanied Ginny, but as soon as McGonagall had turned around the first corner, Ginny had begun walking without her Potions master's help. She felt that it would have been too embarrassing for him to be seen helping a Gryffindor witch.

Before the door to the common room, he made her promise that she would take good care of herself. She thanked him and promised that she'd be a good witch.

He also told her that Potter was to end his detention on the following day.

Ginny joined her friends and elder brother, while her teacher went back to his office.

He'd thought that he'd grade some tests, but instead, his curiosity got the best of him and he took the diary that Harry had left on his desk. He wondered if the farfetched theory he'd imagined was correct - considering the sense of humour the Fates had whenever Potter was concerned, he would not be surprised.

He opened the diary and read the young man's thoughts, and fears, and dreams.

Suddenly, Snape understood why the young Gryffindor had blushed.

Nothing could have prepared the professor for what he read.

Harry had been troubled by the strange gift he got from his mother.

He was disgusted with himself for practically causing her death - of course, the odds were that Voldemort would not have allowed Lily to live after he'd killed Harry.

He was deeply moved that he was the vessel Lily had chosen to carry on a tiny flame of her life. He knew that his father had tried to save him and his mother, because he'd heard that memory when he first met the Dementors, but it was Lily who had given up this world so that her sacrifice would assure that her son, the proof of her love, would live. Harry knew that Dumbledore knew, and he wondered just how many secrets the old wizard was keeping from him, allegedly to protect him.

Harry was no longer fooled, and he knew he was a mere weapon. He hated it that he had grown up with Muggles, thus having to discover everything about his heritage, and his parents' legacies, practically overnight. He hated it that he was given information only when his elders could no longer do otherwise.

He felt so powerless.

Manipulated.

Harry had been devastated by Fudge's - and Percy's - betrayal. Harry found it was a good thing that Ginny was protected by someone as powerful as Snape - even if he was sure that it must be strange for the both of them to be engaged. Snape could read for himself that Hermione had been tempted to hex Percy, and that Ron had thought of hugging his Potions master for saving his precious little sister. Somehow, Snape was relieved that the Gryffindors were not angry with him for stepping in.

Harry had mixed feelings about his "marriage" with Theo. Harry had thanked all the gods he could think of that she had managed to trick Fudge without having him forced to share her bed. Down in the diary, Snape got to read that Harry had discovered the conditions of Theo's arrangement with Fudge through Al, which made Snape decide that he had to have a serious chat with his unfortunately too-gifted godson.

Snape also read what Harry had felt when he discovered how his own godfather had treated his wife, and what his own father had done. Harry did not understand why some Purebloods would behave that way. He wondered why some of those alleged wizarding nobility were like that. What explained Lucius Malfoy and Sirius Black, before he was sent to Azkaban? Why others were like Arthur and Molly Weasley, or Theo, or Minerva McGonagall? Snape was a Pureblood as well, and even if Harry found his mentor damn demanding, and if he sometimes didn't like his teaching methods much, Harry wrote that Snape had done more to help him than most of the other wizards. Arthur had welcomed him, Remus had helped him with his magic, but Snape was on the battlefield, and he kept protecting him.

Snape couldn't believe his eyes when he read the lines Harry had written as he wondered what his life would have been like if he'd been given to a magical family instead of the Dursleys.

Harry wondered what it would have been like to grow up with Theo, or McGonagall, who were caring, loving and powerful witches.

The Weasleys would have loved him as if he'd been theirs, and Harry wrote rather colourful things about Dumbledore's choice of adoptive parents.

Remus Lupin, he knew, could not have been entrusted with his care, because of his affliction, but it might have been nice.

Harry wondered as well what it would have been like to be prepared for his fight against Voldemort by a wizard like Snape. The Potions master discovered that the young man had begun seeing him in a different light after Harry's visit in his Pensieve, and that when he told him what his mother had done to protect him, and why he could not die before at least decades, it had radically changed Harry's vision of him. Snape could not believe that Harry James Potter had wondered, at least long enough to write down those lines, what it would be like if Snape were more than just a mentor.

Snape decided not to embarrass the Gryffindor, who was not that annoying now that he had a better view of the general situation.

The professor decided to test his theory on the diary on the next day when the young wizard would come, but he would not embarrass Harry by making any comment about the content of the diary.

Snape told Harry that he had to write something in the diary to check if he was right. Harry could read what Snape wrote, and the next time they met, Harry was to report any change in the nature of his dreams.

Harry wondered if the simple sentence Snape had written - "Sirius Black was a deplorable husband" - would make things different.

Before Harry had the opportunity to meet his mentor again - and Harry was more than grateful that the contents of his diary had not angered Snape - McGonagall gave a rather unexpected order to Ginny.

On Monday afternoon, her last class was Potions, and the studious witch practically destroyed her cauldron and her table with her potion. Snape gave her immediate detention, and her fellows ran away as soon as their class was over.

'Could you please explain how you ruined such a simple potion, Miss Weasley?' he asked.

With two drops of another potion and a flick of her wand, Ginny restored everything to its normal state, and she handed a scroll of parchment to Snape.

McGonagall had threatened to send Ginny for long and regular detentions with Argus Filch if she did not find a way to deliver the present message to her Potions master and to spend, at the very least, one hour with him each week.

The Head of Gryffindor was threatening to order her fellow things more sugary than Dumbledore's usual diet for the tea Harry shared with him if he refused to get to know his ally better.

Snape shivered at the mere thought of anything more sugary than the Headmaster's diet.

Snape looked from the parchment to Ginny's cauldron, and he said, 'Nice work on that potion.'

'Thank you, sir,' she said.

He handed her the parchment, and invited her to sit down.

'It looks like Professor McGonagall has found a way to threaten us both,' Ginny commented.

'She's proof enough that when a witch is powerful, she can be more powerful than any wizard. She's doing exactly what she wants with me, and certainly with Dumbledore as well. Theo is the only person I know who has tricked Albus Dumbledore. They should be your models, Miss Weasley,' he said.

'If you can see how brilliant they are, I'm sure I can learn a lot from you too, sir,' she said, with a small smile.

'What could I possibly teach you?'

'More Potions, strategy, or anything you wish,' she said.

'What could you trade for my supposedly precious knowledge?' he asked, blatantly teasing her.

'Gryffindor secrets, of course,' she answered without missing a beat, and fighting a grin.

'Show me, Weasley,' he purred.

'Really?'

He nodded.

Ginny knew that it would be an important moment in their agreement in form of an engagement.

'Since I have been ordered to bother you, even if you have more important things to do, I have been thinking of one or two things. Will you follow me, sir?' she said.

'Where?'

'To the kitchens. I have something to show you, but first,' she said as she took something out of her school-bag, 'I thought that it might be a good idea to borrow an Invisibility Cloak, so that it would not be strange if someone sees me going to the kitchens.'

She handed him the precious material.

'Potter lent you his father's Cloak for me?' Snape said incredulously.

'He likes you, you know,' she said, as she encouraged him to wrap himself in the Cloak.

'I know, but with our past, I find it amazing.'

'He grew up, and with fewer lies in his life, he finally saw what you're doing to help him,' she added.

She heard his sigh, but she could no longer see him.

'Ready to venture into Gryffindor territory?'

'As ready as I can ever be,' Snape answered.

She opened the door to allow him to go out, but she found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy and his two bodyguards.

'What are you doing here, Weasel Witch?' Draco enquired.

'I blew a potion, and Professor Snape told me to fix it and then report to his office,' she answered, making Snape very proud of her courage.

'Our Head is not in his office,' Draco said. 'We're looking for him.'

'He told me to report to his office, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm not getting some extra detentions because of you, Malfoy,' she growled.

She hoped that Snape had manoeuvred around Draco and was already in the corridor. She closed the door of the classroom behind her.

Unfortunately, Draco looked at her right hand on the doorknob, and he saw her ring. He signalled Crabbe and Goyle to catch her, and he took the ring off of her finger.

Snape got rid of the Cloak, but just a second too late. Draco had read the inscription in it.

'Give me the ring, Malfoy,' Snape ordered coldly.

Draco paled significantly and obeyed.

'Crabbe, Goyle! Let her go!' Snape growled.

The young wizards obeyed.

Snape held out his hands to Ginny, and he gave her back her ring.

'One word about this to anyone, boys, and a lifetime of detentions with Filch will sound like a treat,' Snape declared.

Draco paled even more, which showed that there was more than his pestering Ginny, quite by chance.

'Malfoy?'

'I saw you run to the hospital the other day, and then you walked her back to her house,' Draco said barely above a whisper.

'And you couldn't keep your mouth shut, and sent your owl to Malfoy Manor,' Snape ended for his young charge.

Draco nodded.

'Perfect, Mr Malfoy. It is time for you to learn that actions have consequences. If your letter has no consequence, you have nothing to fear, but if it has... The moment it happens, you no longer will be the Captain and Seeker of our Quidditch team, even if it means that I will see the Gryffindors win,' Snape announced.

'But, sir! You can't!' Draco howled.

'What, Mr Malfoy? You'd be free to mess with my private life, and it would have no consequence for you. Certainly not. Now, leave! The three of you!' Snape barked.

The Slytherins ran to their common room.

Snape wrapped himself in the Cloak again as he said, 'We'll talk in the kitchens, Miss Weasley.'

She practically ran there, tickled the pear on the painting, and closed the door behind them.

Before she could open her mouth, Snape had got rid of the Cloak and already told her that it was bound to happen.

'But Malfoy is a pain in the neck!' she exclaimed.

'Do not worry, I am used to Lucius. I know some naughty secrets about him. Even if he tries to make fun of my choice, I can stop him with a handful of well-chosen words,' he insisted.

'Really?'

'I give you my word,' he paused, before asking, 'Do you mind that they know about our engagement?'

She gave him a small smile and said, 'If the situation were different, I'd have a lot of fun torturing Malfoy. As it is, I don't mind, but I'm sorry that the ring betrayed our link.'

'Your life is going to be difficult when some of your school-mates discover that you accepted to marry your old and greasy Potions master,' Snape said.

'I don't give a damn about what the bunch of idiots thinks. I've seen what they do with Harry. One day they worship him, the next they're ready to lynch him, and the next it's back to square one. I'm more worried about you. I don't want them to pester you because I couldn't tell them what you're doing to protect me. Besides, you're not old, sir, and you're certainly not greasy!' she answered.

'I can freeze them with one look. When people do find out that we are engaged, they will not dare criticize me directly, but they will bother you, Miss Weasley. You're fifteen, and I am old enough to be your father.'

'When you're a hundred and twenty, I'll be a hundred,' she said.

'I hope we'll both live to celebrate those birthdays, and we can do so freely.'

She looked at the floor.

'What's wrong?'

'There will never be enough words for me to thank you. In spite of what I told Hermione, the proximity of the few remaining Dementors would have brought me back into the Chamber, and I know that I could not stand it. In fact, I think that Professor McGonagall's idea can be something good. I can learn a lot from you, but I might have one or two things to share with you.'

'What else?' he gently asked.

He had noticed that her tone showed that there was at least one more thing that she wanted to tell him, and she was still looking at the floor.

She remained silent, so he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him.

'What else?' he asked again, even more softly.

'I... I hope that one day we might become... friends,' she said, blushing.

'My only friends have been exclusively witches. Lily was the first, then there was Theo, and then Minerva. I guess we could work on this. God knows what the future holds for the both of us,' Snape said.

She gave him a small smile.

'Can I show you my surprise?' she asked.

He nodded.

'Atty!' she called.

A female house-elf ran to her.

'Mistress Ginnee call Atty!' the elf said.

'Will you provide us with a treat, Atty?' Ginny said.

The house clapped happily and a nice tea appeared on the table by the fireplace. Ginny let the elf pour the tea in their cups, while she invited Snape to join her.

'Welcome to illegal tea, Professor Snape. Atty is a refugee in Hogwarts, and she has agreed to help me take care of you. From now on, she'll bring you something to eat into your office, where her magic can be less noticeable. I know that you told me not to act as a traditional betrothed, because there is nothing real in our engagement, but I'll ship myself to Azkaban before I stop doing all I can to help you in your own jail,' she said.

'This is very kind of you, Miss Weasley, but I fear that it might be deducted from my monthly allowance,' Snape said.

'Atty can does it, sirs,' the elf said.

'You can trust her,' Ginny said.

'Sirs can tries. If Atty fail, Atty punish Atty!' the elf said.

Snape sighed.

'We can try once. If I do not get an owl from the Ministry, we'll discuss this,' he said.

'It's going to work, sir. Atty is powerful,' Ginny said.

The elf was so proud and embarrassed that she dissolved into the air.

'How did you find her?' Snape asked, enjoying a well-brewed cup of tea.

'It's a Gryffindor trait to haunt the kitchen. I often come here when the memories of what happened in the Chamber of Secrets haunt me. It's warm, I have a cup of tea, and I chat with the elves. This is how I met Atty. Her family got rid of her, and she had nowhere to go. Her speech is far from being perfect, but she's a good confidant, and last month she offered to become more attached to me. She's not mine, but close enough. We have an agreement,' Ginny explained.

'Do you often come here?' he wondered.

'Once or twice a week,' she admitted.

'I never caught you in the corridors,' he said.

She felt that it amazed him, and saddened him.

'Well, being possessed by Tom gave me a lot of knowledge about the castle. When I come here, I have time to write some essays, or read books. The elves love it when I read aloud,' she said.

'Lucius never mentioned his plan.'

'I know, sir. Harry is not the only one you protect. If you'd known, you'd have warned me, or simply taken the diary. I know,' she said.

'Why...' his voice trailed off.

'Why did I trust something that was screaming "Dark magic" when I don't have the excuse of growing up with bigoted Muggles like Harry?' she said for him. 'I've always been overprotected, and growing up as the only witch among five brothers...'

'Six,' he interrupted her.

'The mistake in "P" can't be taken into account,' she said, waving her hand in dismissal. 'When I came here, I felt completely lost. I had no one to turn to. I had been given a diary that was old, but that was not used - a first in my life. As soon as I began writing in it, it woke Tom up, and I found myself with a correspondent, not merely a diary. Tom was very nice in the beginning, but he was only gathering information, and stealing my force.'

'The Dark Lord can be cunning and patient when he needs to be,' Snape commented.

'And it's not a pretty sight when he's angry,' she murmured.

Snape felt that they badly needed a new topic, so he asked Ginny if the Dursleys really were as dreadful as everybody seemed to say. She shared with him all she knew.

They ended up chatting for two hours. They agreed to meet each Saturday, either in Snape's office, in the kitchens, or in the Potions lab.

Ginny told Snape that he was to keep Harry's Cloak and that the young wizard would reclaim his possession the next time he saw his professor.

Before leaving the kitchens, Snape offered to tutor Ginny in Advanced Potions and the Darks Arts. She accepted, and he was rather proud that she had noticed that he would not teach her extra D.A.D.A. but some of what he knew about Dark magic.

The next time Snape met Harry in his office, the young wizard didn't have to say a word. The Potions master knew that his sentence in the diary had had repercussions in Harry's dreams. It was written all over Harry's face.

'What happened in your dream?' Snape asked.

'It's strange. He doesn't remember much about what's going on here. He knows that he is Sirius Black, but he wanted to know why someone was saying that he'd been a deplorable husband, and why a past tense had been used,' Harry said.

'Would you consent to one more test, Mr Potter?'

'Anything you say, sir.'

'Occlumency is not that easy to master, but you have spoiled us with your ability to master powerful magic even at a very young age,' Snape said, which made Harry blush. 'I have seen what Miss Granger and I had to do in order to help you understand Occlumency, and now that there is the mystery surrounding the exact nature of your dreams, I do wonder if I have failed to spot one of your natural abilities in magic.'

'Sir?'

'I think that you have great facilities to achieve astral projection, Potter. I could cast a charm on you to make sure that you can project easily.'

'Yes, sir. What shall I do?' Harry asked.

Snape couldn't help thinking about the tremendous change in their alliance since the beginning of the second war. A year before, Harry wouldn't have trusted him, and now the young wizard was ready to try unusual magic with him. The boy really was nothing like his father; of course, he was Harry Potter, but he had learnt to remember that he was Lily's son too.

Snape transfigured a chair into a deck-chair.

'You're going to sit there. I'm going to hold your hand so that I am your anchor in this. When I cast the spell, and if I am correct, you'll be able to wander around the castle while your body remains here. If I feel that it works, I'll allow you to explore for five minutes, and when I let go of your hand, the spell will be broken, and you'll come back to your body. It might be a bit unpleasant,' Snape said.

'I bet it's nothing like the Cruciatus.'

'No, indeed. You might be disoriented, that's all.'

Harry took his position on the chair, and under Snape's spell, he walked through walls to the Slytherin house where he visited the boys' dorm.

When Snape brought him back to his body, it felt as if a huge rubber band were doing its job and Harry had the feeling that his soul was violently pulled back into his body. He opened his eyes, and was disoriented, indeed. Hyperventilating, he clung to Snape, who didn't refuse the contact.

'I suspected that you had a gift in that field, but if what I felt is correct, it is a true natural talent that you have here. How far did you go?' Snape asked.

'I reached Malfoy's room. Apparently he's received a letter from his father. There is a note for you in it, and Malfoy looked like he was ready to cry,' Harry said.

'Oh.'

'Do you know what's going on, sir?'

'Young Master Malfoy saw me accompany Miss Weasley back to Gryffindor house after her fall, and he promptly wrote home. When he took her engagement ring from her hand and read the inscription, he confessed what he'd done. I told him that if his indiscretion had consequences in my life, he would pay for it, and I would discharge him from the Quidditch team,' Snape quietly answered.

'I understand better now,' Harry said.

'Draco must learn not to be Lucius's pawn.'

'If that punishment doesn't do it, nothing will.'

Snape looked at Harry, and noticed a slight side-effect due to the magic they'd just done.

For the first time in his life, Harry saw his Potions master chuckle. It was a cheerful and elated sound.

'What?' Harry asked, smiling in his turn because he was happy to see that there might be some joy in his professor's life.

Snape looked straight at the young wizard and said, 'I'm sorry, Harry. Your roots are showing. Theo's spell must be weakening.'

What Harry registered was that they had fully buried the hatchet.

If he was just "Harry" now, it was the best thing that had happened to Harry in a very long time. He couldn't clearly explain it, but that made him feel good.

Harry grinned.

'Could you help me, sir?'

Snape changed Harry's hair colour.

Running his fingers through his hair that was tickling with magic, Harry kept smiling.

'I really like Mum's colour,' Harry said. 'It would have been nice if I'd taken it naturally.'

'It's already unusual that your eyes are like hers,' Snape said.

'Why?'

'Green eyes are unusual amongst our community. I don't know why exactly, but it might be yet another sign of the incredible powers you have,' Snape said.

'Green eyes, and death only when I'm old, as gifts from Mum, a scar from Voldemort, which connects me to him and makes me a Parselmouth, what else?'

'Both your parents were powerful, and you inherited some of their powers. You survived several encounters with the Dark Lord, you master some very difficult spells, and you can very easily wander onto other planes,' Snape said.

'Is this what I'm doing when I meet Sirius?'

'I think that when you wrote in the diary that Black had spelled to be his, you were able to reach his soul where he's being kept.'

'Is he truly dead, sir?' Harry asked barely above a whisper.

'He's as good as dead. From what I know about what happened to him, he's caught in a dimension from which he cannot be retrieved.'

Snape let Harry digest what he'd just said. The Potions master felt like he was erasing Black from Harry's life.

Strangely his explanation did not have the expected effect.

'Sir? What would happen to me if I were to walk behind the Veil?' Harry asked.

Snape paled significantly.

'I'm not going to do it, sir! But what would happen? Could I even enter the arch? What happened to Sirius's body? Is his soul the only thing that remains of him? Why is he stuck in that dimension?' Harry added in a hurry.

'Swear that you won't go in that room again!'

'I promise, sir!'

'On your wand!'

Harry obeyed, and he was certain that his mentor sighed with relief.

Snape took a deep breath. If someone was to tell the young wizard the secrets of the Veil, let it be him. It would be unpleasant, but accurate.

'The Veil is not exactly Dark magic, but it is very close. Originally, it was meant to be used in a mild form of necromancy, but it never worked properly. Normal witches or wizards tried to enter the first area behind the Veil to communicate with the other side. True Seers who were in touch with them were able to tell our side what was going on there. They cannot fully reach the other side, because they are not technically dead. Their souls retained some memories of our side; they knew who they were, but most of their pasts had been forgotten. The magic in that space kept their bodies alive for years, then they truly died,' he explained.

Harry digested the information.

'What would happen to someone like me in there?' Harry wondered.

'I... I think that the magic in that place and the magic in you would work as magnets, and it would either prevent you from entering, or it would throw you out,' Snape said. 'You must not think of it, Harry,' he added softly. 'Black is gone.'

'I know that, but the man I meet almost every night... he's lost, frightened, kind. I wonder if I could try to do something for him after the War, after I have committed murder. It would be... If only I could do something for one of those who fell because of me,' Harry said.

Snape took Harry's chin in his hand, forcing the young wizard to look at him, and declared, 'They fell because of the Dark Lord, and in a war, there is no murder.'

Harry shrugged.

'Do you think that I might do something for Sirius?' Harry asked.

Snape thought that he might use that motivation to develop Harry's strength and powers.

'Maybe,' he conceded, 'but you would have to work a lot by day, and teach Black all he needs to remember to come back here. You must keep in mind that it might never work, and even if you managed to bring back the soul and body, no one knows what might happen. Black could die instantly, or he might never wake up, or anything. No one knows. Could you stand to see Black die again?'

Harry looked at his mentor straight in the eyes and said, 'If Sirius agrees to try, I'll do anything to bring him back.'

Snape could see some potent flames burn in Harry's green eyes, and he found himself wishing that someone had written a study on the importance of the colours of the irises linked with magical powers.

'There is nothing I can do for you on the plane where Black now is, and you'll have to deal with that alone, though I shall always be a willing ear, but I can train you against the Dark Lord, and develop your powers as much as I can. We won't do anything else today, because I have something to discuss with you and my godson,' Snape said.

'Nothing bad, I hope. Theo's all right?'

'Strange news, but absolutely nothing bad,' Snape said.

Someone knocked on the door, and it was a bit too early to be Al already. Snape silently cast a charm on the door and was able to determine that it was Draco Malfoy. Snape grabbed Harry's Invisibility Cloak and placed it on Harry, who was still in the deck-chair, and both disappeared.

'Come in!' he barked.

Draco entered the office, and he looked quieter than when Harry had spied on him.

The blond Slytherin handed an invitation to his teacher.

'I have been a blind fool. I apologize, sir. Might I suggest that you give my positions as Captain and Seeker to Bella Sky? She's young, but she's going to be a Quidditch champion someday,' Draco said.

Snape took the invitation. It was from Narcissa, and she requested him to come to Malfoy Manor during the Yule break. The invitation showed that Snape was supposed to come with his betrothed.

Snape's elegant fingers played with the invitation.

He looked at his Slytherin and said, 'You will owl to your mother that my betrothed has important exams to prepare for, and will not be allowed to call at Malfoy Manor, but I will be delighted to share a tea with her.'

Draco nodded and turned to leave.

'Did I say you could depart?'

Draco wondered what else he would have to do.

'During your next Quidditch training session, you will have a regrettable accident that will prevent you from playing in the next game. It's against Hufflepuff, so your absence should not be too harmful to your team. If you even think of repeating what you did to me, and to my betrothed, I can assure you that the loss of your positions would sound like a light punishment, and what I'd do to you then, even compared with your father's wrath, would appear positively cruel. This is the one and only opportunity that I'm going to give you to redeem yourself. Do I make myself clear?'

Draco nodded repeatedly.

'Good. Now leave, and answer your mother,' Snape said.

'Thank you, sir!'

When Draco was out, Snape signalled Harry to take off the Cloak.

'Brilliant, sir! Now he's going to worship you even more!'

'I was given a second chance. I must have faith in his ability to be independent and not blindly follow his parents' orders,' Snape said.

A few minutes later, Al joined them, and Snape cast a temporary Secrecy charm on his office.

'What's going on, Severus?' Al asked.

'I have some rather unexpected news that Theo told me to share with you,' Snape said.

'Unexpected? Is it bad?' Al wondered.

'It is not bad, far from it if things proceed as I expect, but disturbing nonetheless,' Snape said.

The Potions master saw that his godson was about to go on asking questions, so he held up his hand to silence Al.

'You both remember the day Theo went to the Ministry to get Fudge to agree not to send her or you, Al, to jail because of your link with the criminal Sirius Black.'

Both wizards nodded. That was the only night Theo hadn't stayed in Grimmauld Place. Al hadn't seen his mother when she came back, but Harry clearly remembered how pale and shaken the usually strong Theo had looked. She'd gone with Snape and came back the next day, quiet and composed.

'Fudge knows that Black is innocent, and that he fell behind the Veil, but it is in his power to do as he pleases with Theo and you because according to the marriage contract that Theo was tricked into signing, you both are Black's possessions,' Snape said.

Harry shook his head; he could not believe that laws like that were still valid.

'Before going to the Ministry, Theo Apparated back to your home and described the situation to your father, Al. They agreed that Theo should do her best to protect you and make sure that neither of you would be in danger because of the Ministry. She told me that your father told her to do her best, and he swore that he would himself take care of the consequences after the end of the War,' Severus said.

'That's my Dad,' Al said fondly, chuckling a bit in spite of the gravity of the situation.

'What did he mean?' Harry wondered.

'This is one of our sayings somehow. It means that Mum does her best to keep the ones Dad loves, herself and me, out of harm during the War. She can do whatever is needed to guarantee our security. After the War, Dad will take over and make those who hurt us pay a thousand-fold,' Al explained.

'Ouch,' Harry commented.

'Understatement of the week, mate!' Al told Harry. He turned to his godfather and asked, 'Why didn't Mum tell me that?'

'Because it would have led you to ask what she has to do to protect you, and she didn't want to discuss this with you, her son,' Snape answered.

'And now she wants me to know that Dad knows that filthy Fudge is blackmailing her?'

Al was truly lost, and Harry was wondering what the news was.

'Fudge was blackmailing her,' Snape said.

'Huh?' Al said.

'Theo stayed with me when she came back from the Ministry, because she needed a friend to hold her hand. She wasn't sure that she would be strong enough not to cast the Killing Curse on Fudge,' Snape went on.

'He really traded our freedom for... for...' Harry said, blushing furiously.

'How do you expect to cast powerful spells if you can't say aloud what Fudge asked from my mother?' Al teased Harry.

'Simple, Al. I can say these spells if I'm casting them at people I hate. I hate Voldemort, so it won't be too much of an issue. But I love your mother, and if Fudge is hurting her, it pains me, and even saying that he asked to bed her is painful,' Harry answered, paling.

'I know, Harry. I'm sorry. I'm angry that Mum has to suffer, but I should not bark at you. It's not your fault,' Al said.

'Boys!' Snape interrupted them. 'There are pieces of information that you do not know. Theo added Harry into her deal with Fudge, because she blackmailed him. If he bothered Harry, she would reveal what he had asked from her. I invited her to come and stay with me for the night after her first encounter with him. She declined, and I hoped that she was all right. She never mentioned Fudge again before this week.'

'What happened?' Harry asked.

'Something completely unanticipated, strange and slightly disturbing,' Snape said. 'Theo told Fudge that she would not meet him before you were in school, and he agreed. When she went to the Ministry,' Snape paused, looked at the two young wizards, and went on. 'To make a long story short, Theo had just entered Fudge's office when Lucius Malfoy forced his way into the room. Lucius had just been freed, and he demanded to have a word with our beloved Minister, who was forced to postpone his interview with Theo until the following month.'

'The unexpected good news is named Lucius Malfoy?' Harry asked incredulously.

'It seems,' Snape said.

'There's more,' Al said barely above a whisper.

'A few hours later, Theo met Lucius in Diagon Alley. She noticed that he was following her, so she went down Knockturn Alley, and lured him into a dark corner. She asked him what he wanted. Apparently Lucius remembered Theo, and he wanted to know why she'd been with Fudge, and why he wanted to see her "at the appointed time next month". She told him that it was none of his business. When he asked her if he could help her with anything, Theo saw red, told him that she wouldn't be indebted to yet another wizard, hexed him a bit, and went back home,' Snape said.

'That's not good. It can't be good,' Harry said.

'And yet, the next time Theo went to the Ministry, she spent an hour chatting with Lucius over a cup of tea. He promised her that he would never ask more from her. Apparently, Lucius has enough Galleons to escape punishment, which is troubling, but he also swore to protect Theo,' Snape said.

'Why? That's Malfoy. He's Voldemort's faithful follower. He tried to kill me!' Harry exclaimed.

'Yes, but he swore to protect Theo,' Snape insisted.

Harry was rendered speechless.

'Do you mean that I have to thank an active Death Eater for saving my Mum from the clutches of an old and disgusting man?' Al said.

'Apparently, yes, we do have to thank Lucius,' Snape was forced to admit.

'Why?' gasped Harry.

'Love,' Snape murmured.

'It's... It's...' Harry could not find words to describe what he thought and felt.

'Won't he try to... you know,' Al asked his godfather.

Harry snorted and said, 'And he dared lecture me!'

'Shut up, Potter,' Al whispered. 'She's my Mum.'

'And the lady I have to thank for not rotting in a cell. I love her, Al. She's great and her well-being is important to me,' Harry answered.

'Theo asked me to tell you that you no longer have to fear for her. She guessed you knew what Fudge's conditions were, and now that Lucius stepped in, she wanted to let you know,' Snape interrupted his charges.

'Lucius will try to hex me or deliver me to Voldemort, but he'd die to protect Theo,' Harry stated, almost unable to believe that he was saying those particular words aloud.

'You are correct,' Snape said.

'That's going to be funny the next time I meet Malfoy on the battlefield,' Harry said.

'He knows that Theo protects you, so he will not try to hurt you if he can avoid it,' Snape said.

'I think I'm going to have the headache of the millennium,' Harry announced.

'I know, Harry. It's disturbing to discover that Lucius can kill anyone without a second thought - I even saw him cast the Cruciatus on Narcissa once - and yet he fell in love with Theo. She told him that she'll never be his, but he pledged himself,' Snape said.

'That Malfoy is married, isn't he?' All asked.

'To an iceberg I'd like to dice slowly,' Harry said.

Snape decided not to comment on that, the situation was extraordinary enough for him to allow his student some freedom of speech.

'Can that man be trusted?' Al went on.

'He must have proven himself to Theo if she shared this with me, and told me to inform you of this new development,' Snape answered.

All three were grateful that Lucius Malfoy had helped Theo, but they could not help wondering what consequences this would have later on, especially during a battle.

Harry would not have been welcomed in the Slytherin common room, so the Gryffindor invited his young Slytherin ally up Gryffindor Tower.

After leaving Snape, Harry suggested to Al that they go somewhere even quieter, and they sought refuge into the Room of Requirement, where they spent hours trying to understand what was going on.

Al concluded that Lucius Malfoy was your standard bastard, but that there was a heart in him, and if said heart was beating for Theo so that she wouldn't have to endure Fudge's assault, then Al was thankful.

Harry wondered how many more surprises he would have to face before the end of it all.

In December, the days before the Yule break were rather quiet.

Almost all the students were planning to go back to their homes.

Harry could have gone back to Grimmauld Place, but he felt that Al needed to spend some time alone with his mother. Besides, Harry was now enjoying his tutoring with Snape, and the holiday would be an extraordinary opportunity to spend more time with the Potions master.

Ginny had received an owl from the Ministry ordering her to stay with her betrothed, and they were supposed to owl back to give the date of their wedding.

Hogwarts was practically deserted.

The grounds were splendid covered in snow, and if the situation were any different, Snape and McGonagall might have enjoyed it.

The Head of Gryffindor had to fight to ensure that Ginny would not be married before the following Yule break. She had to convince Dumbledore to help her, and she was fairly disappointed in her old friend. All that seemed to worry Dumbledore was Harry's training to face Voldemort. The witch had to practically spell out that if he wanted Harry to be well prepared he needed Snape's help, and Snape would not be fully efficient if he could not properly protect Ginny.

Dumbledore and McGonagall declared that it was absolutely out of the question to allow a student to be bonded during school-days. McGonagall tried to postpone the wedding to the summer before Ginny's seventeenth birthday, which might have adjourned the wedding entirely, if an end had been put to the War by then, but Fudge refused.

On their way back from the Ministry, Dumbledore was surprised to hear McGonagall curse Fudge under her breath until they reached the gates of Hogwarts. Without a word, she left Dumbledore and headed to the dungeons where she found Snape in his office with Ginny.

The young witch profusely apologized for disrupting Snape's life the moment the Head of Gryffindor left them together, but he pointed out that saving her was one of the few good things he'd ever done in his life.

However, for the first time since he'd been introduced to Ginny's house-elf friend, Atty, Snape called her to his office, and asked her for a cup of tea. He was nicely surprised when she brought him a cup in which there was more whiskey than tea. It was a luxury which he had not tasted in over a decade, and he fell asleep on his desk. For some hours, he forgot that in twelve months he would have to marry Ginevra Weasley if he didn't want to see her shipped to Azkaban. He would have to have a chat with McGonagall, or maybe Theo, so that Ginny knew that he'd be as gentle as possible with her. He would have a witch chat with Ginny.

His last thought before falling asleep was that he would have to go and gather some wood in the Forbidden Forest in the summer so that Ginny would not freeze and catch a cold the night she'd have to sleep with him.

At dinner-time, McGonagall sent Harry to fetch Snape. The young wizard found his teacher fighting a nightmare, and he gently woke him up.

'Were you dreaming of Voldemort?' Harry asked.

'Not this time,' Snape conceded, his mind still fogged by the tea.

'Is there anything I can do, sir?'

Snape looked at him and finally said, 'Just one thing. Be a brother to Miss Weasley.'

'You know, when she speaks of you, you're her saviour. She'd be dead by now if you had not protected her after Tonks warned us,' Harry said.

Snape felt older than Dumbledore.

He looked at Harry and asked, 'How would you feel if Fudge forced you to share Theo's bed?'

Harry paled.

'I hate Fudge for doing this to you,' Harry said. He placed a trembling hand on his mentor's shoulder and added, 'but Ginny is not too afraid, in case you were wondering. I don't know why, though. I'd be lying to you if I'd say that she's eagerly waiting for Yule next year, but she's not crying her soul out.'

'I know why,' Snape whispered.

He would never tell Harry that Ginny certainly believed that there was no way that her Potions master could be worse than Tom Riddle. He just hoped that she was right.

Harry felt that he shouldn't ask why.

They went to dinner, and afterwards, while Harry and Ginny played chess together in their common room, Snape pretended to patrol in the windy corridors, because even those were less cold than his quarters.

Christmas finally came.

Severus hated that particular morning with a passion - until someone knocked on his door.

He opened the door with a flick of his wand, and Ginny came in with a Slytherin green parcel with a silver ribbon.

'Miss Weasley! You know that I can't accept anything!' he exclaimed.

'Detainees of the Ministry can be given one item at Christmas. Of course, Dad had to convince Fudge that it would be all right to give you a Weasley present. Percy must have told him about Mum's habit of knitting jumpers, and he agreed,' she said, forcing the parcel into Snape's hands.

Cold sweat ran down his spine as he wondered if his future mother-in-law had knitted a green jumper with a huge silver "S".

'What is it?' he asked.

'You do not want me to spoil the surprise, sir,' Ginny said, fighting a smile.

'What is it?' he stubbornly repeated.

She sighed and said, 'A Weasley gift adapted to suit you.'

He untied the ribbon and opened the parcel.

Ginny had the feeling that he was about to cast spells on it to check if Fred and George had done something on it.

He finally saw his Christmas present.

It was a jumper, but not one Molly had knit. It was soft, warm. It was beige. There was no silly initial on it.

'It's a Muggle jumper. Hermione helped Mum a bit. Do you like it?' she asked.

Snape discovered why it was so soft: it was a cashmere jumper. Never had he owned something that beautiful. Never had he been given anything that expensive.

He kept caressing the wool.

'Sir?'

He looked at her with a strange light in his eyes.

'Do you like it?' she insisted.

'It's my first Christmas present, and it's stunning. Thank you.'

'Your first?' she whispered.

He nodded ever so slightly.

She looked at him and finally said, 'Can I make you a promise?'

'Miss Weasley?'

'When all this is over, if you allow me, I'll give you a real Christmas,' she said.

'You don't have to. I'm an adult.'

'May I give you, once in your life, the magic that Christmas can be? Please?'

'If we survive the War, I'll let you show me what Christmas can mean,' he agreed.

'Mum asked me to add something to the parcel,' Ginny said.

'What would that be?'

It was a good thing for Ginny that he'd sat down to open his present, because she could lean and peck his cheek briefly.

'Merry Christmas!' the witch said.

'Merry Christmas, Miss Weasley,' he answered.

He stored his precious gift in his wardrobe, and they went to breakfast together.

Ginny looked so comfortable with him that he ended up wondering if she remembered what would happen to them in the following year.

Malfoy and Riddle had robbed her of her childhood, but even if she was more mature than most witches her age, she still was a child to Snape. He almost wished that he could afford to brew a Soothing potion to calm himself.

Beside the fact that in a year he would be married, which already troubled him more than he'd thought, in the afternoon he was expected at Malfoy Manor to explain why he was engaged to the daughter of a faithful member of the Ministry, and a man Lucius Malfoy hated.

When Snape went out to do his spying job, he always met Dumbledore first, and the old wizard cancelled the Ministry spell for some hours, as was his privilege as Snape's employer and guard. He also added a charm on his clothes so that others would not spot just how poor he was in spite of his position at Hogwarts.

Wrapped in a warm cloak that didn't belong to him, Snape walked to the gates to Disapparate to Malfoy Manor.

Ginny watched him walk away. She was in one of the corridors with Harry by her side. Her friend saw that she was running her thumb over the stone on her ring which she had turned around.

Harry placed one hand on her shoulder.

'I wish I could do something,' she whispered.

Harry didn't know what he could do, so he just hugged Ginny.

'I wish I could protect him,' she added.

'Are you...?' Harry's voice trailed off.

'Am I, what, Harry?'

Blushing an interesting shade of red, Harry mumbled, 'Falling for him.'

She hugged him and laughed softly.

'Silly Harry! He's the one who saved me. He's teaching me quite a lot when we meet each week, and he no longer treats me as a Gryffindor, a Weasley, or a little girl. I'm just a witch with whom he's spending time. He's giving me so much that I wish I could do something in return. We are allies, Harry, that's all,' she said.

'Oh... I'm an idiot.'

'No, you're not. You didn't grow up in a wizarding family where our traditions were something as common as simple Cooking spells. There shall never be anything between Professor Snape and me, and yet, it is my duty to take care of him, or try to, at least,' Ginny said.

'There must be things that you can do, Ginny.'

The two young Gryffindors turned around toward their Head of House.

'Really, Professor?' Ginny asked.

'There is always a way,' McGonagall said.

'In spite of...'

'In spite of the Ministry. Yes, I do believe there must be something that can be done,' McGonagall answered.

Ginny reflected that she had managed to introduce Atty to Snape, and the Ministry had not contacted its detainee about that. Even Snape had concluded that the house-elf must have found ways not to be detected by the spells that were monitoring him.

Harry felt a wave of magic run through Ginny.

'Thank you, Professor. I'll work on that,' the young witch said.

'If you do not mind, Harry, I'd like to have a word with Ginny,' McGonagall said.

'I'll go and see Hagrid,' Harry said.

Ginny followed her Head of House to her office, and McGonagall gave Ginny some ideas that the young witch decided to use to organize her future life in spite of Fudge.

Meanwhile, Snape had reached Malfoy Manor.

Snape discovered that Narcissa had invited Voldemort's most faithful followers and their spouses.

The arrogant witch had also invited the Dark Lord himself.

Snape wondered where the Aurors were when you really needed them. He wondered what Voldemort would do without his minions, but the Dark Lord was cunning enough to seduce new followers in no time, even if a raid from the Ministry deprived him of his soldiers.

Snape saw that his supposed friends all knew about his betrothal, and it seemed to amuse them a lot.

What he also noticed was that Voldemort looked different. It was as if the Dark Lord had found a way to erase the consequences of the magic to which he'd been exposed over the last decade. Snape knew that he was supposed to compliment his Lord on the full restoration of his body, but at the same time he was making a list of what Voldemort might have done to obtain this result, and there was not one of the ways to do so that did not chill Snape's blood.

Beside the disturbing change in Voldemort, Snape was observing Narcissa's guests. They were all pointedly looking at his ring, and he must admit that it made him feel like his friends were by him.

After some idle chitchat, Voldemort decided to ask Snape if there was something he had to share with them all.

'I guess you want me to officially announce my betrothal,' Snape quietly said, sipping his tea as if he were giving the time of day.

Since their master had asked the first question, all the wizards asked Snape why he wanted to get married, and why he had chosen a Weasley.

'Now that our Lord is back among us, I considered that it was a proper time to have a family of my own,' Snape said, which seemed to please Voldemort.

The Potions master thought that the Dark Lord really had a huge ego.

'Why didn't you find someone after leaving school?' Lucius wondered.

'Because I was completing my apprenticeship, and then there were the consequences of Samhain,' Snape's voice trailed off.

'But that girl is so poor, and so scrawny. She's not worthy of you,' Narcissa coldly said.

'It is true that your marriage is such a success, Narcissa,' Snape snorted.

'You are but a guest here, Severus,' she retorted.

'Which should prevent you from disparaging my betrothed,' he snapped back.

'Why did you choose her?' Voldemort asked.

'She's young, and I can teach her to be exactly what I want,' Snape answered.

Voldemort nodded.

'Will you invite us to share her?' Crabbe asked.

'If I remember well, I was not even invited to your wedding ceremonies, so I guess I'll keep her to myself. Besides, my wedding will take place at Hogwarts, and I doubt that any of you would be welcome,' Snape said. He turned to the Dark Lord and added, 'I'm sorry about that, my Lord.'

'Why did you plan it at that time?' McNair asked.

'It's the first break after she comes of age,' Snape quietly stated.

'Why a Weasley?' Voldemort asked Snape.

'The true reason, my Lord?' he asked back.

The Dark Lord nodded again.

Snape pointed at some of the witches who were present, and said, 'Brown, black, blond.'

'You choose the Weasel witch because of her hair?' Lucius asked incredulously.

'No,' Snape paused. 'I choose her because she's a Pureblood and a red head. We all have preferences, haven't we?'

The room was silent. Even Voldemort was speechless, because it was amazing to discover that Severus Snape could have special tastes in women.

They finally congratulated the Potions master, but Voldemort asked to meet the young witch. Snape managed to postpone the introduction until after the wedding using as an excuse the fact that it would be better to have the witch bound to him before he brought her to his Lord. Voldemort commended Snape's thoughtfulness.

The spy for the Order excused himself, saying that he didn't want to leave his betrothed for too long under the influence of the Gryffindors, especially now that he could freely teach her what he wanted her to know.

'Is she that eager to be yours?' Lucius teased him.

'She is a perfect betrothed, Lucius. I thought you would understand the true force of some of our magical engagements,' Snape hissed.

Snape was right on target, and Lucius was left to wonder if Snape knew that he had pledged himself to a witch who wasn't his wife.

Snape sighed with relief when he Apparated in front of the Hogwarts gates. He was out of the lion's den once more, and yet, Voldemort's restoration was disturbing enough, and he must report the fact to Dumbledore.

After his report, and after Dumbledore had put the Ministry spell back on him again, he went back to his office, where Ginny was waiting for him. Atty was called and tea was shared.

Strangely, Snape discovered that sharing some of the events that occurred at Malfoy Manor with someone who wasn't Dumbledore was lifting a huge weight off of his shoulders. Ginny could practically feel that she was helping Snape by simply listening to him.

When Ginny felt how cold it was in Snape's office, she tried to lure him into the kitchen. He thanked her for her solicitude, but he told her that it was even more unpleasant to go back to his office or quarters after spending some time in any area of the castle that was normally heated. To prevent Ginny from catching a cold while he tutored her, he walked with her through the castle, and they shared their respective knowledge of the place.

One day, with McGonagall's blessing and help, Snape tutored Harry and Ginny at the same time, and they ended up in the Chamber of Secrets. Myrtle had conveniently been out, Harry opened the entrance, and with a little work, they could reach Slytherin's secret place again.

Snape saw Ginny visibly shiver when Harry spoke Parseltongue and when they entered the Chamber.

'You didn't have to come,' Snape whispered in her ear.

Harry walked ahead of them to give them some privacy, because he knew why Ginny had insisted upon coming.

'I can't spend my life being afraid of Tom, or of what he did to me, and I have a little something to do in here,' she said.

The magic in the Chamber had dried the corpse of the basilisk, and Harry and Ginny meant to harvest scales, bones and the remaining fang.

'It is useless,' Snape told them. 'We're all monitored by the Ministry one way or the other. They'll never allow you to keep such precious and dangerous ingredients.'

'Which is why we're going to hand them over to Hermione. For a tenth of what we'll bring back, she'll keep the rest for you,' Ginny said.

'For me?' Snape asked in amazement.

'What could I possibly do with those, sir?' Harry chuckled.

'You could sell them, Mr Potter,' Snape suggested.

'Sell bits of it? Really?' Harry said.

'No one has seen a basilisk in about a millennium. Some people would give you their first born for the scale you've got in your hand,' Snape pointed out.

Harry held up his hand gloved in dragon hide in which a razor-sharp scale gleamed in the dim light and asked, 'What's its value?'

'The last time I had the privilege of seeing the price tag for such an ingredient, it cost five hundred thousand Galleons an ounce,' Snape said.

Harry whistled and patted the head of the dead monster saying, 'Nice beast! Let's thank Salazar and Tommy!'

'Hermione said she was interested in scales and bones, but that the fang was to be yours if we could retrieve it,' Ginny said.

'If things had been different, she would have been an extraordinary addition to the House of Slytherin. How does she know?' Snape asked Ginny.

Harry wondered what his mentor was talking about.

'She read the study you published, therefore she knows that the poison in the fang is said to remain eternally active and that it cannot dry up. She knows as well that it might be one of the components to a cure to lycanthropy,' Ginny said.

'Wow! If it's so, you do not approach that thing. I'll collect it,' Harry said. He saw that Snape was about to protest, so he added, 'Tell me how you want your fang, sir, but I'm the only one who risks nothing near it.'

Snape had to grant Harry that he was right.

Following Snape's instructions, Harry dealt with the fang, while Ginny skinned the giant snake to deal with the scales. She handed his pair of gloves to Snape, and let him deal with the bones.

'How did you manage to find my gloves?' he asked her.

'I couldn't tell you what we were planning to do here, or you wouldn't have agreed to accompany us, so I asked Atty to help me. I hope you don't mind, sir. There's not much I can do, but after the War you can work on your research with very good ingredients,' Ginny said.

'That was very thoughtful, but do try not to surprise me too much. I don't like having to cope with a situation that I was not expecting at all,' Snape said.

'I promise, sir,' Ginny said.

They worked fast and in silence, but there was something that Snape had said that bothered Harry.

'Sir?'

'Yes, Potter?'

'Hermione could not have become a Slytherin, she's a Muggle-born,' he said.

'It hasn't been unheard of in the history of my house,' Snape answered.

The Potions master's tone clearly showed that he had stated a fact, but would not discuss this any further.

'We might stop and come back some other day,' Snape suggested.

He was used to the temperature in the dungeons, but the Chamber was positively freezing, even for him.

'We should work as long as we can, sir. We might not have another opportunity like this, ever,' Harry said.

'When the War is over, you could come back under your Invisibility Cloak and finish this,' Snape suggested.

'When I'm free, I'll take Theo's escape, sir. With or without Sirius,' Harry declared.

'I can't blame you. If I survive, and I'm free to leave without risking being killed by the Ministry spell, then I might do the same,' Snape said.

'What about you, Ginny?' Harry asked.

'If I'm not killed and I'm free,' her voice trailed off. 'I'll sleep for a whole week, and then I'll decide what I want to do. What's that thing about Sirius?'

Harry told her what was going on, and it allowed Snape to discover the latest developments in Harry's life on that other plane. It turned out that not to bother Snape, Harry had taken to sending Hedwig to Remus Lupin to get information about Sirius's past so that he could tell Sirius about it.

Two hours later, a bounty that might have given a heart attack to a good half of the Gringotts' Goblins was deposited into Hermione's chest of drawers, where it was protected with one of Atty's spells. The house-elf had the worst grammar amongst the Hogwarts elves, but she was extremely efficient.

All the students came back on Sunday night, just before school started again.

Hermione almost fainted when she saw what the collectors had brought, and as a result, what would be hers after the War.

Harry teased Al, because it was obvious that his friend had not spent the holiday only with his mother. Harry was happy that his absence had allowed Al and Theo's family to visit them at Grimmauld Place.

Ron was delighted to find that his little sister had not felt too lonely, even if it was the first time that she spent the Yule break without her family. He refused to think of what would happen the following year.

During dinner, everybody noticed that Draco Malfoy and his two bodyguards were not at the Slytherin table, and the news that Pansy Parkinson had broken their engagement spread throughout the houses faster than a Snitch.

Hermione looked at Snape, and she instantly knew that she was right to think that the fact was important, and that it certainly did not bode well.

On Monday morning, Draco came to breakfast, but he was pale as death, and Crabbe and Goyle looked as if they had not slept in ages.

Snape would be busy all day, but he was already planning to have a chat with the blond in the evening.

Hermione, Al and Ginny observed Draco during breakfast and lunch, and the two sixth year students kept on watching during morning and afternoon classes.

At one point, even Ron commented that he wouldn't have guessed that the breaching of Draco's engagement would affect him so much.

The blond Slytherin looked as if he were ready to collapse.

As they were coming back from their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, which was their last for the day, Firenze was seeing Ginny's class out of his classroom. The Centaur walked to Draco, gently took his face in his hands and said, 'Your world has been turned upside down, but it will be for the best.'

Draco looked at Firenze and fainted after whispering, 'Please, let me die.'

Crabbe and Goyle caught him before his head hit the floor.

To the witnesses of that scene - Harry, Al, Hermione, Ron and Ginny - it looked as if it wasn't the first time that Draco's friends had caught him.

Both young men looked at the others, but decided to ignore them and help Draco by sharing their strength with him.

Ginny took a step toward Draco, and she felt the spell that was still on him.

She took a deep breath and decided to do what had to be done.

'Harry, I need you to go to the Room of Requirement. We need an extension to the hospital wing, a place where absolutely nothing from the Ministry can enter, and a safe place for Professor Snape,' she said.

'Okay,' Harry said, and he was gone.

Ginny took a bit of parchment and scribbled something on it. She handed it to Crabbe and said, 'You go and give that to your Head. Al, you go with him, and you lead them to the Room of Requirement.'

'How would I know where that room is?' Al said.

'Don't you take me for a fool, Aldebaran Snape! Now if you don't want to join the fight against Voldemort, just fuck off!' Ginny growled.

Al was truly taken aback. He'd always considered Ginny to be a nice girl, but he had not thought that she was growing up and becoming a powerful witch. He didn't know Molly very well either, and on top of her influence in Ginny's life, the young witch had grown up in a family of boys. Besides she had managed, in just two sentences, to remind him that Voldemort was their enemy and their primary target, that he was magically related to their Potions master, therefore they were parents, and he did necessarily know about the Room of Requirement since it was how Theo had escaped their world, and the Blacks and Dumbledores.

'Why do you help Malfoy?' Al wondered.

'Because he'll be more useful as an ally, and because I couldn't go on being protected by your godfather if I did nothing to help his charge when it's in my power to do something,' she said.

Al nodded, grabbed Crabbe's arm and dragged the other Slytherin away.

Draco was still in Goyle's arms, and Goyle looked as if he were about to cry. He looked positively drained, but it was not as bad as Draco, who was still unconscious.

Ginny knelt near Draco, took one of his hands and gave him some of her strength.

Draco stirred.

'How do you know what's going on with Malfoy?' Ron asked.

Hermione winced.

'I know what's going on with him because Tom did nearly the same to me,' the younger witch answered her brother.

Her voice was even, and Hermione knew that Ron was completely at sea. When realization dawned, it would be good if it were in the Room of Requirement, because they would have everything they need to help Ron recover from the shock.

'I'll go first and check that there's no one in the corridors,' Hermione said.

'Goyle, Ron, help Draco up and go, I'll cover your backs,' Ginny said.

Ron decided to obey his sister. He would ask questions later.

Draco moaned when Ron pulled him up none too gently.

'Careful, Ron!' Ginny snapped.

'What's wrong with him, anyway?' Ron asked.

'He's been injured by Voldemort,' she said.

Goyle was grateful that his Head's betrothed didn't discuss his best friend's condition in the corridor.

Harry had asked exactly for what they needed.

Hermione and Ginny made sure that no one saw where Draco was taken, and by whom.

Once inside the room, Goyle and Ron were about to help Draco onto a bed, but Ginny told them to wait.

'We've got to take care of him!' Hermione said urgently.

Draco looked as if he really were about to die.

'He can't lie down before we've healed him a bit. It's too painful to lie down. The shock might kill him,' Ginny said, which made Hermione pale as she understood more about her friend's ordeal in the clutches of Tom Riddle.

The younger witch turned to Goyle and was about to ask him what exactly happened to Draco when Snape, Crabbe and Al came into the room.

Ginny had used the code they had agreed to use only in case of emergency, and Snape had not waited for his two charges to explain what was going on. He'd ordered Al to lead the way, and they ran to Draco.

'We now know how Voldemort fully restored his body,' Ginny said.

Snape gasped as he looked at his student, and as he felt the Ministry spell being lifted without Dumbledore being there to cast it off.

Snape wondered if he would have to brew something for Draco, but it turned out that there was everything he might need already in the cabinets.

'What happened?' Snape asked Crabbe and Goyle.

Goyle was still holding his friend, and he spoke for the both of them. Crabbe looked like he'd pass out any moment.

'When we came back home, Draco invited us over, and he told us that his parents had prepared something special. We didn't know what it was. The Parkinsons came, and Draco and Pansy's engagement was broken, and then Vvvv... the... "he" came. He thanked the Malfoys and held out his hand to Draco. He didn't know. He took his hand. We were all there when "he"... when... I wanted to say something, but my father stunned me. "He" repeated the Ritual for nine days, and we were there each time, while that vampire sucked Draco's life, magic and strength,' Goyle said.

Ron finally understood what had happened to Draco, and to Ginny as well. He surprised everybody by taking Draco's hand and lending him some of his strength.

'When did it start?' Snape asked.

'The day after we left,' Crabbe murmured.

'What's his condition?' Snape asked.

'He can barely sleep or eat, he's constantly in pain, and we can't stop the bleeding,' Goyle said.

Snape asked Ginny to make Draco float like a feather while he took care of him. Thanks to potions and powerful spells that made the walls tremble, Snape managed to treat the internal injuries of the blond. Unfortunately there still was a problem with Draco's power. It was as if the Ritual used by Voldemort to restore his power by stealing Draco's had broken something in the young man.

'Lending him power through fingertips is not enough,' Al said.

They turned to him.

'My Dad mentioned cases when that kind of ritual had been used. As he's been abused in an intimate way, his defences can be restored the same way,' Al said.

'What are you suggesting exactly?' Harry wondered.

'Since his virginity has been taken in a Dark ritual, his force can be restored through kisses,' Al explained.

'It sounds like a Muggle fairy tale,' Harry commented.

'Where do you think the reference comes from?' Hermione said.

Ron looked at his sister. He preferred not to know what Riddle had done to her.

He knew what Voldemort had done to Draco, and if he could help, then he'd do anything, even kiss Malfoy. Not even that pompous prat deserved to be used by an old wizard thus.

'How do we proceed?' Ron asked.

The Slytherins were rendered speechless by Ron's generosity.

'There's nothing you can do,' Hermione said. 'Well, at least if I'm not mistaken.'

She turned to Goyle and asked, 'He likes only witches. He has no interest in wizards, right?'

'Just witches,' the Slytherin confirmed.

Hermione looked at Ginny and said, 'We can't risk a side effect of that magic affecting you. I'm the only one who can help him.'

Draco still looked so pale in the huge bed where Ginny had gently deposited him.

Hermione carefully sat next to him, leant over, and kissed him.

He briefly opened his eyes.

'Granger. I apologize for everything. Tell the others that I'm sorry, will you. I was wrong. Can I die, now?' he whispered before sleep claimed him.

Though she knew he would not stir this time, she gave him another kiss, caressed his hair and said, 'I'll help save you, stupid.'

Goyle sank to his knees by Hermione. He was crying.

'You're helping my best friend. I'm sorry for what we did and said to you,' Goyle sobbed.

Crabbe was leaning on Al.

'Hermione is a tough bird, she'll kick Malfoy back in line in no time,' Ron said, and he helped Goyle up.

'Al, Vincent, Gregory, go back to your common room. Listen to what your house-mates say. Al, find a plausible reason to explain why Draco won't be seen in the next few days,' Snape said.

'Maybe it won't be needed, sir,' Harry said.

'What do you mean, Harry?' Snape asked.

'I am the one who summoned the room, so I think that my projection ability shows,' Harry said, delighted that his mentor was using his first name in front of class-mates.

'What do you mean exactly?' Snape said.

Harry pointed at something behind Goyle. It looked like a ghost of Draco.

'I think that it will take shape when Crabbe and Goyle are out, because they're going to feed the illusion that Draco is with them, so that no one knows what happened to him, and he's not shipped to the Ministry and then Azkaban,' Harry said.

'You and Ron will have to think of me as well, because I'll have to stay here for a day or two,' Hermione said.

Snape signalled his three Slytherins to step out of the room. It looked as if they were four.

'Go listen to the gossips,' Snape said, and the three wizards left with the projection of Draco tagging along.

'Guard the door, and in five minutes, knock on it if the corridor is empty,' Snape told Harry and Ron.

Both wizards took their wands and obeyed. It looked as if Hermione were with them.

When the door closed, Ginny faced Snape and said, 'I hope I did well in the way I called you.'

She was a bit afraid that he'd think that she had misused the code on which they had agreed.

He surprised the hell out of her by hugging her gently.

Hermione pointedly looked at her patient.

'If you had not used that name in your note, I wouldn't have followed Vincent. Even Al wouldn't have been able to convince me to quit brewing Lupin's Wolfsbane,' he said.

'Poor Remus!' Ginny exclaimed torn between what she had to do to help Draco and what she'd done to her Werewolf friend.

Snape tightened his embrace and said, 'Do not worry. The taste is going to be worse than usual, but I'll explain why it is so when he comes to drink it.'

'Really?' Ginny asked.

'Yes, you know I wouldn't lie to you, Ginevra.'

They had agreed that he would always call her Miss Weasley, except in case of emergency when he would use her first name.

She leant on him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

He felt her shiver in his arms, so he caressed her back.

'I'm sorry your friends discovered what happened to you in the Chamber,' he whispered.

'You know,' she said, looking straight at him, 'I don't remember much of what happened. I can still feel how painful it was when he marked me, but that's pretty much it.'

Snape didn't know if it was good that she didn't remember what Riddle did to mark her, or not.

He caressed her hair, gave her a small smile and leant to kiss her brow.

She smiled and tightened her hug until she remembered something.

'What if Draco is marked, too? There's no way he can hide that!' Ginny exclaimed.

Hermione checked Draco's left arm, looking for the Dark Mark.

Ginny walked to the bed and said, 'That's not where it would be.'

She pushed the covers aside and discovered a mark bigger than her own on the small of Draco's back.

'Can't it be erased?' Hermione asked.

'Unfortunately, Miss Granger, only the one who made it, or the use of High magic might allow the removal of such a mark,' Snape said.

'But it can be transformed,' Ginny said.

Snape looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

'I grew up a Weasley, recycling is an art in the family,' she said.

'What can we do, then?' Hermione wondered.

'Since you're already sharing your magic with him, maybe you could claim him. When he's healed, we can find something else to help him. Right now, we can't have him at Hogwarts with Voldemort's brand on his back. Someone is bound to denounce him. I wouldn't put it past Parkinson to do something,' Ginny said.

'Draco wouldn't accept it,' Snape pointed out.

'Because I'm an annoying Gryffindor Mudblood?' Hermione said.

'Among other things,' the professor answered.

'Well, his Pureblood parents tricked him and handed him to a madman who abused him repeatedly. In comparison, I sound like a safe option, sir,' Hermione quietly stated.

Snape was forced to admit that her reasoning was correct.

'Granger,' Snape said softly, 'if you transform the mark, you're going to be bound to Malfoy until the end of the War.'

'He's a pain in the neck, and I bet that I'm going to wish to skin him alive, preferably slowly, when he's strong enough to get out of this room, but I can't let him die because of Voldemort, his own parents, and the Parkinsons, when it is in my power to help him with a simple spell,' she answered.

Snape nodded.

'I'll go and ask Minerva how to cast the Gryffindor version of that spell,' he said.

'There's no need for that, sir. I know it,' Ginny said.

'How?' he wondered.

'Mum taught it to me when I got the birds and bees talk,' she said, blushing.

'When?' he asked.

'Two years ago,' she said.

While Snape reflected that their lives had drastically been altered by Voldemort, Dumbledore, Fudge and Malfoy, Ginny taught the spell to Hermione.

The hymeneal mark of Gryffindor was to be made on the inside of the left arm, where Voldemort's Dark Mark would have been made. It was supposed to be "near the heart".

Hermione's mark, if it was strong enough, would erase Voldemort's.

Ron knocked on the door, and Ginny and Snape left the Gryffindor witch alone with Draco.

Once they were out, Snape was astounded. Even though he knew that Hermione was in the Room of Requirement, he had the feeling that she was there, but he could not look straight at her projection, which was a side effect of the magic of the room.

The magic within Hogwarts really was amazing.

Inside the room, Hermione didn't want to scare Draco when she operated, but she needed him not to be fully awake. Devising a plan, she kissed him awake and asked if she could help him with some magic. He was so groggy that he gave his consent and fell asleep again.

She felt bad for tricking him, but when she marked Draco as her own, he didn't feel it. The magic in Voldemort's mark fought to remain, but since it had been imposed, it lost.

At dinner-time, a tray appeared. There was food only for Hermione, because the room knew that Draco was still asleep.

The room was far from being cold, so Hermione decided to lie down next to Draco, above the covers.

Early the next morning, it was Draco's shouts which woke Hermione up with a start.

Apparently, the blond was living his ordeal again.

She woke him up.

'What?' he said.

'It was a nightmare,' she said, holding him and rocking him.

Draco looked at the person who was holding him so gently.

'Is a nightmare supposed to feel like I went through it all over again, Granger?' he asked tiredly.

'This is what Harry feels when Voldemort is involved,' she said, petting his hair.

'Why didn't you let me die?' he asked.

'Certainly not! You are arrogant, infuriating, and a few other nasty things, but I'll protect you,' she said.

'What could you do?' he whispered without animosity.

'I'm saving you, Draco.'

'What?'

'So much for the famous Malfoy intelligence,' Hermione said.

She leant toward Draco to lend him some of her strength.

'What do you think you're doing?' Draco protested.

'I'm sharing my magic with you, silly. That's all. I offered to cover for you as well, and you agreed,' she said.

When she stopped kissing him, Draco felt stronger, and he began to remember how he'd felt the past days, and how he was feeling now.

Hermione told him what happened after he fainted before Firenze.

Draco fought to rise. He had noticed a mirror in a corner of the room. He stood in front of it and looked at his back that was freed of the mark Voldemort had put on him to help rob the young man of his vital force.

Naked, Draco knelt in front of the mirror and wept.

Hermione wrapped a soft blanket around his shoulders and tried to comfort him.

'Thank you,' Draco said.

'I don't want you to catch a cold. You're still in shock, and you still need more strength.'

'No, Granger. Thank you for erasing that thing he put on me.'

'Oh.'

'And I'm sorry that I imposed my nudity on you. It's strange what being assaulted in front of ones parents does to someone,' he said.

Hermione took Draco's face in her hands and said, 'I don't mind your lack of clothing, Draco. You don't know me yet, but I can assure you that I'm not a prude. Most important, I swear to protect you.'

'It's too dangerous.'

'So was Potions next to Neville, and I survived,' she said.

Draco laughed.

'You'll have to ship me to St Mungo's before long,' he said, sobbing again.

'We'll see you through this, Draco.'

'We?'

'Crabbe and Goyle were worried sick. Your Head and Al helped, and Ron, Ginny and Harry are watching our backs as well,' she said.

She helped him up, assisted him in the bathroom, and guided him back to bed. She fed him as she shared with him what Fudge was doing, and she explained that she'd had to claim him so that he wouldn't be sent to jail.

'I will never bother you about that, though. You have nothing to fear from the "filthy Mudblood", I promise. When the War is over and you no longer risk being arrested, I'll free you. No one has to know what I did for you,' she said.

He trailed a finger on Hermione's mark.

'It's warm,' he commented.

'Is it painful?'

'No... It's not... and it's warm. It's nice. I...' his voice trailed off.

'Draco?'

'I can feel that you want to save me. In spite of what I said to you. In spite of the way I treated you. In spite of...'

'Draco?'

'In spite of what he did to me.'

She took him in her arms, and he leant into her touch.

'Aren't you disgusted?' he murmured.

'No, Draco, I'm not. I wish I could hex Voldemort to make him pay for all he's done. I wish I could have a word with your parents.'

'They think it's a great honour that I restored the strength of their master. I've been an idiot, Granger. I should have understood what was going on when my betrothal was breached.'

'We are allies, now. I know you don't think much of me, but will you use my first name, please?'

He tried to lie back on his pillow and not on the witch as he said, 'I don't deserve your kindness.'

She kept him in her arms and said, 'You're wrong. You've been an idiot, but I believe that Firenze told the truth. Fight with us against them all.'

'Hermione?'

'Yes?'

'I no longer feel the pain, but I remember everything that he did. I feel soiled and betrayed,' he said.

'I'll help you through this, and I won't be the only one to do so.'

'I'm so ashamed.'

'You did nothing wrong,' she said, tightening her hold on him.

'I took his hand,' he whispered.

'He had absolutely no right to steal your energy. You were in a place where you were supposed to be safe, and your parents should be prosecuted,' she said.

'My father would let my mother rot in jail, and he'd be out in a matter of hours. Again,' Draco said.

'Come one day, they're all going to pay for what they did,' she promised.

'They won't,' he whispered.

'Of course they will,' she insisted.

'They won't. Do you think that the Malfoys would have handed their only heir over to... him if they were not sure that they would win in the end?' he said.

'They betrayed you because they're stupid, and they didn't deserve you.'

'You're too kind, Gryffie!' he snorted.

'Ah! That's my Malfoy!' she teased him. 'It's because we are the way we are that we're going to win.'

Hermione kept taking care of Draco all day long.

He almost relapsed when those who had helped him came to check how he was after their last classes.

Snape first strengthened his spells on Draco when he came to see his student.

'I'm sorry. I wasn't informed of the Dark Lord's plan,' the Head of Slytherin said.

'You're taking care of me even though I've been a brat and brought your engagement into the light, and now I know exactly what it means,' Draco said.

'Granger!' growled the Potions master.

'Sir, we're all on the same side now, and it's not by keeping secrets that we're going to be able to defeat Voldemort and the other bunch of idiots,' she paused. 'Besides, if Draco and his bodyguards can't be entrusted with that secret, I'm sure that the way Harry required this particular version of the room will prevent them from ever mentioning anything incriminating outside,' Hermione said.

Snape reflected that she had to be right, considering the power contained in that room, and he simply nodded.

'How do you feel, Draco?' Goyle asked.

Crabbe was so moved that he looked as if he were about to cry.

'You kept me alive until my condition was discovered. It must have drained you,' Draco commented.

'We grew up together. You're our only friend... Of course we fought to keep you alive!' Crabbe exclaimed, a single tear rolling down his right cheek.

'Where would be the fun in Slytherin without you?' Goyle said.

'You saved me. Not only by sharing your magic with me; I remember that you where the ones who took care of me after... after...' Draco whispered.

'I would have used my best Healing spells on you, but I felt that I was not strong enough to counter what he did to you. It might have caused more harm than good,' Goyle said.

Al snorted. He knew Crabbe and Goyle's reputations, and he could not picture them being powerful enough to fight the Dark magic of Voldemort.

Hermione and Ron reacted differently.

'Bloody hell!' Ron exclaimed.

'You've been acting dumb all along,' Hermione declared.

'With my help,' Draco said,' because I was the one who was stupid enough to actually show my parents how powerful I could be. I agreed to protect my friends.'

'But your grades are terrible!' Al exclaimed.

'So much for our excellent strategist!' Ron chuckled.

For the first time in over six years, Gregory Goyle looked at Ron and smiled warmly.

'You're right, Ron,' Gregory said.

'Right about what?' Harry wondered.

'We don't care to get extraordinary grades when we pass our N.E. . What's really important is that we are alive, unmarked, and certified so that we can Disapparate as far away as we can,' Gregory explained.

'You've been playing the Neanderthals all that time?' Al said incredulously.

'With parents such as ours, it was an idea taken from the survival kit,' Crabbe said.

'Brilliant!' Hermione granted.

'You're fooling everybody!' Al said.

'Almost,' Snape said.

Silence fell into the room. They were all weighing the latest revelations.

Gregory looked at Draco and said, 'You won't escape the question. How do you feel?'

Draco remained silent.

Gregory gently took his friend in his arms.

'I would have traded place with you, you know.'

It broke a dam in Draco, and he cried on his friend's shoulder. Vincent came near them and caressed Draco's hair.

That trio moved the others in the room more than they thought possible.

'How do you feel?' Gregory insisted.

Between broken sobs, Draco asked his friend to hold him tight if he were not disgusted with him.

Gregory held Draco as if he were the most precious item in the world, and he whispered tender words.

When Draco began to stop crying, Gregory caressed Draco's arms and said, 'I still love you, but you're still too blond for my taste.'

Draco's eyes took house-elf proportions, and to everybody's surprise, he laughed heartily.

'I love you too, Gregory, but you're really too male for my taste,' the blond said.

Gregory pecked Draco's lips, and it touched the abused young man.

Vincent massaged Draco's shoulders, dissolving knots of tension under his fingers and he said, 'I love you too, but I won't kiss you!'

Draco took one of Vincent's hands in his to thank him for his friendship, and the blond was rewarded by an additional gift of energy from his friend.

Harry neared the bed and placed his hands on Gregory's shoulders. Now that Draco knew that his friends would not reject him because of what happened with Voldemort, Harry felt that he needed to know that none of them would reject him.

'You still haven't answered the question,' Harry insisted.

Draco looked at the Gryffindor who had been caught in this war long before he was caught himself. Those green eyes were not judging him.

'I'm tired. I feel like an idiot for not seeing what was going on. I feel dirty and used. Betrayed. I wish I were strong enough to avenge,' Draco said.

Snape was relieved to hear that his Slytherin no longer wished to die. He would have to channel his wish for revenge, but he'd rather have a vengeful wizard than a suicidal one.

'Welcome to the Survivor Club, Draco,' Harry said, extending his hand.

Draco took it, and besides the new alliance, he got some of Harry's energy as well.

'I'm not kissing you either, though,' Harry said, adding a wink for good measure.

'I thought you were after witches,' Gregory said, blushing.

'There have been some new developments in my life since last July,' Harry said, patting Gregory's shoulder.

'Oh,' was all Gregory could say.

'You have a boyfriend, and you didn't tell me!' an outraged Ron exclaimed.

'The situation is a bit extraordinary, mate. I'm sorry. If you want, I'll tell you everything tonight. That is to say, if you're not uncomfortable with sharing my bed for a chat,' Harry said.

Ron looked at Hermione, who winked. Ron sighed with relief and said, 'Before I slide into your bed, I might first tell you that you're not my type of wizard.'

Harry looked at Hermione, too. It looked like she was about to chuckle.

'Looks like you won our bet, Ginny,' Hermione said.

The younger witch snorted Snape-like and said, 'Of course, I did. It was vital to pay attention growing up with Fred and George!'

'You knew?' Ron gasped.

Ginny nodded.

'Of course, I noticed that two of my brothers prefer wizards,' she said.

'Two?' Gregory asked. 'I thought Charlie and Percy had that taste as well.'

'Bill is glued to Fleur, Charlie to one of his male team-mates, Fred and George prefer witches, and Professor Snape is bound to our Ginny. That's just two of us,' Ron said, blushing.

Snape almost gasped when he understood that Ron was blushing because he was counting his Potions master as one of his brothers, and not by the amazing coming out that he'd just made.

'What about Percy?' Vincent asked.

'None of my brothers are called that,' Ron said.

'Okay, we'll get the details from Al tonight,' Gregory said. 'That is to say if we can get him to say something longer than onomatopoeias. You look in shock, little one.'

'Screw you!' Al growled.

'However tempting the offer might be, you're not my type either,' Gregory purred.

Al blushed deeply.

For once, Harry put two and two together fast. He looked at his mentor, and something in Snape's eyes confirmed his mind-boggling theory. If Gregory Goyle didn't like dark-haired or fair-haired wizards, then... then life would certainly be very funny in the next months - provided that they survived.

'You won that second bet, Hermione,' Ginny said.

'We're even, then,' the other witch said.

'Of course,' Snape said, with a hint of a smile on his lips.

Hermione looked at her Potions master and asked, 'Do you know what we'd bet on?'

'I knew it even before Miss Weasley told me,' he purred.

Hermione was amazed.

'I hope Firenze was right,' Harry finally said.

Before leaving Draco in the hands of his protector for some more hours, they all agreed to find ways to work together against the Darkness and its agents.

Snape was very proud of those students.

In fact, if they had not been about to fight a Dark wizard, Snape would have truly enjoyed the alliance that had come to life in front of him. But of course, without the threat and the actions of Voldemort, none of them would be there today.

Harry, Ginny and Al still had their private tutoring sessions with Snape, and when they saw him, they shared with him what they'd been doing with the others to prepare themselves for the battles to come.

There was not too much going on in the spring - except for Ginny who was to sit for her O. in June. She was helped by Hermione.

Snape was relieved that Voldemort seemed to have postponed some of his plans for the time being, and he was not summoned too often. Most of the times, it was only to help the Dark Lord decipher some obscure text, and not always Potions related.

One Saturday, in spite of the exams that would take place in a few weeks, Snape noticed that Ginny was rather cheerful. She was smiling, which was something that she did not do that often.

After just a few months of weekly invasions in his own penitentiary, Ginny had managed to make her Potions master somehow thaw.

After years of utter solitude, Snape was getting used to the presence of the young witch in the void that was his life. There were even brief moments when he wished that they would both survive the War, and that she still would trust him and not be disgusted with him. When Theo was gone again, and if he stayed in England, he thought that it might be nice to have a chat with the young witch from time to time.

He was not ready to admit it to anyone, but he had discovered that there were things that she could teach him.

Snape knew all there was to know in his field. He excelled in others, such as the Dark Arts, duelling, or Charms.

When it came to simple things, such as a civil conversation or uncomplicated relationships with friends or family, Snape had never been given proper examples.

Besides, the young Gryffindor was sharing with her protector some of the secrets of her house, and it kept showing the Potions master how much she trusted him. During the long hours of his night patrols, Snape was left with his conscience and the latter sometimes pointed out that what he did to help save the young witch was one of the best things he had done in his life. Usually, another part of his conscience reminded him immediately after of what he would have to do next Yule to keep saving her.

If wishful magic really worked, Cornelius Fudge and Percy Weasley would pay a thousand-fold for their actions.

Right then, on that Saturday afternoon, Snape and Ginny were having a tea break between Occlumency training sessions, and the witch had a dreamy smile on her pretty lips.

'Miss Weasley?' Snape said.

'Um? Yes, sir?'

'Might I be informed of the reason for your smiling?'

Her cheeks took a rosy tint, and she tried to hide her grin behind her cup of tea.

One of his eyebrows rose, and she decided to share her discovery with him.

'On my way here, I walked by the corridor where the Room of Requirement is. I noticed that it had been summoned, and I thought that this was where Harry, Hermione, Al and Draco had decided to come and train. I walked in without knocking, but it was not my four friends I found there,' she said.

'Who was it then, and why is it making you happy?' he wondered.

'It was Ron and Greg,' she said.

'Oh, God! What?...' his voice trailed off.

How was he supposed to ask Ginny what her brother and Goyle were doing?

She giggled happily and said, 'Oh, no, sir! It's not at all what you think! Besides, I guess that they would have locked the door if... you know... But they had summoned a very cosy room, and they were playing chess. They were concentrating so much on their game that they didn't even see me. They were cute.'

'Cute, Miss Weasley, is not an adjective I would have thought to hear associated with Gregory Goyle,' he teased her.

'Greg is one of your Slytherins, so I'm sure you must have noticed long ago that Greg likes Ron,' she said, 'and together they're cute.'

'I am beginning to wonder if you are spending too much time with Hagrid. He thinks that most of his creatures are cute. I usually meet some of those in the summer, and cute is not the word that comes to my mind, but you shall see in a few weeks.'

'Sir, Greg is a vigilant Slytherin, and my brother is so shy that he'll never try anything. If those two ever date, it won't be before months, at least! And yet... There was such warmth in that room. It was something simple, but it made me feel good just to see them,' she said with a bright smile.

'Knowing Goyle's father, I wouldn't be surprised if it were Gregory who summoned the room - a quiet place to share with someone who understands him. I think you might well have glimpsed his dream,' Snape said.

'And Ron's. It took him years to understand that Hermione is like a twin sister, and that witches are very pretty, but not enough for his taste. You should have seen Ron the first time Charlie brought Seraphin to the Burrow. It was an epiphany,' she said.

Ginny saw that it was Snape's turn to smile.

'Sir?'

'With one badly noticeable exception, your family is truly amazing, and you are very open-minded,' he said.

She shrugged and said, 'Well, I don't know who you're thinking of when you speak of an exception, but we've got all kinds of families, couples, clusters and triads among our relatives, so I guess it showed me from birth that love is love, whatever the form it takes.'

'I envy you that,' he said, immediately regretting his confidence.

Ginny could sometimes spot things behind his mask now, so she swiftly changed the topic, not to embarrass him.

'You haven't told me where I'm supposed to stay this summer, since Fudge ordered you to keep me with you,' she said.

'The last summer was a bit disrupted compared with my usual summers since I came here. I cannot leave the grounds, but I stay in the Forest. I have found a cave where I sleep. I collect ingredients, and I escape those who stay in Hogwarts in the summer. I thought that you might stay in your quarters in the castle, and I could keep on tutoring you during the weekends,' he said.

She paled significantly.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

She was looking at the floor.

'Ginevra?'

She looked at him, and the tears in her eyes made him gasp.

He promptly brought his chair next to hers and took her hand.

'Please, sir, I'm sorry to bother you again, but could I stay with you? Maybe I could find a place to stay in the Forest and not be a nuisance for you. Please, don't leave me all alone in the castle,' she murmured.

'You are not a nuisance. I thought you'd rather stay indoors and enjoy the comfort of Hogwarts,' he said.

She shook her head and said, 'I'd rather stay in Malfoy Manor with you than alone here.'

He clumsily patted her hand.

'Even if the weather is nice, staying in the Forest can be somewhat unpleasant sometimes, but if you'd rather not stay in Hogwarts, I won't force you,' he said.

She took his hand in hers and held it tight.

'Thank you, sir! I'll find a place not to trouble you in your activities,' she said.

'Certainly not, Miss Weasley! I'm not allowing you to come with me if it's to see you end up on the menu of some of the inhabitants of the place. You'll stay with me,' he insisted.

'I'm sorry,' she mumbled.

'Why should you be sorry? I've just found an assistant for free,' he said, patting her hand again.

'Better grammar than the average house-elf, and a good cook, too,' she said, giving him a small smile.

'Are you, really?'

She nodded fervently and added, 'Mum let me do some things, and the twins and Ron are quite voracious. I think that Charlie might have taught me a few things that might come in handy in the Forest, now that I think of it. I could also ask for tips from Neville, too.'

'Then you'll be in charge of the cooking,' he said.

'Yes, sir.'

He could see that she was already feeling better, but there was one more thing he had to say.

'You said that you didn't want to bother me,' he said, and she nodded, 'but you don't bother me. I didn't want to impose myself in your holiday.'

'Oh... thanks for not minding me staying with you. I'd choose to be near you rather than alone. It's too dreadful. I was alone when Tom possessed me. I feel safe with you.'

'Never forget that it is not safe to be with me. There are always the ministry and the adult and demented version of the Tom you met in my wake,' he reminded her.

She looked at him with a strange light in her eyes.

'Promise you won't hex me, sir,' she said.

He nodded ever so slightly, wondering why in God's name she was taking such a precaution.

'I do feel safe with you. I'm feeling closer to you than to some of my cousins. Sorry...' she said, her voice trailing off.

He saw her blush and pale, and her hand in his became cold.

'Do not apologize, Miss Weasley. Though I do not understand how I could generate such a feeling, it is the nicest thing I ever heard about me,' he said.

That day, they just kept planning their summer together. Suddenly, the tutoring in Occlumency and Dark spells could be resumed the following week. Snape told her where his refuge was in the forest, and she told him what Charlie had taught her about camping.

Later that day, they both reflected, each on their own, that their alliance had just reached another level.

The new alliances caused Al to reconsider his views on life.

The revelations made by Goyle and Crabbe gave him a great lesson in humility. Al's parents and his siblings had taught him a lot, but it was mostly practical knowledge. Being trapped in that particular conflict because of Dumbledore gave Al the opportunity to work on practical situations.

Al was still young, and Snape was delighted to see his godson grow up so nicely.

The young Slytherin still refused to consider himself as a true Hogwarts student, but he fully joined the preparations against Voldemort and his followers. He worked on some of the spells Theo and his father had taught him in his native language. He translated some of the spells he had been taught at home, and he shared them with his fellow students, who knew what was going on.

Snape shared the news with Theo. She was happy that her son was joining the fight that way.

By May, Al's sharing of his knowledge in strategy combined with Ron's, and Gregory's proved to be vital for one of the newest additions to their group.

As predicted, Pansy Parkinson tried to be harmful to Draco.

One day, Percy meant to interrupt Snape's Advanced Potions class. He wanted to bring Draco immediately to the Headmaster's office, but Snape forbade it, and had his class finish the assignment. Percy was torn between his wish to obey the Minister for Magic, his desire to use what he knew about Snape against him, and his shame for being appointed witness to the future wedding night of his baby sister, who'd find herself married because of his own arrogance and pride.

Snape, Draco and Hermione followed Percy to the Headmaster's office.

There, Fudge, Lucius and Pansy were having a cup of tea with Dumbledore.

Hermione waited for them just outside.

Before Draco walked into the room, Hermione grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. Snape had the feeling that it was not just to strengthen the blond's magic, and he carefully hid his smile behind his usual mask. It looked like it would be a privilege to be in Dumbledore's office to witness the scene.

'What are you doing here?' Fudge asked Snape.

The Potions master had the feeling that the idiot was about to blurt out what his exact condition in Hogwarts was, but one of his warranted glares prevented the Minister from causing any harm. Pansy could be dealt with, but it would be too dangerous to have Lucius Malfoy know what was going on in his life.

'Severus is the Head of Slytherin, Cornelius,' Dumbledore intervened.

Fudge blushed and said, 'Erm... Yes... Well, he'll be yet another witness to this.'

'What is going on?' Draco asked, trying to look as innocent as possible.

'I told them,' Pansy said.

Lucius looked as if he were ready to murder the young witch if given the opportunity.

He had handed his only heir to his master, risking the life of his son, but he was not ready to lose Draco to the Ministry. It would mean that he'd be forced to have another child with Narcissa, and the mere thought of coming near her bed made him shiver.

If the girl had decided to betray Draco's fate for whatever reason, he would publicly accuse his son, but the witch would pay for her actions.

'I do not understand, Miss Parkinson,' Draco calmly said.

She looked positively furious.

'I told them that the Dark Lord marked you to absorb your force,' she barked.

'Those are serious accusations, Miss Parkinson,' Snape said, playing his role to help Draco in his staging.

'It's true, sir. I was there when Draco took the Dark Lord's hand,' she said.

'When was that?' Snape asked, as if he were trying to assess if there was some truth in her words.

'Enough Snape! Miss Parkinson told us all we need to know,' Fudge growled.

'Did she tell you how many bats she's got in the attic? I want to have nothing to do with Voldemort,' Draco declared.

'After your engagement was broken, you agreed to be marked by the Dark Lord,' Fudge stated.

'I agreed to no such thing! Look, Minister Fudge, she's the one who wanted our engagement to be broken, and now she's playing a nasty trick on me. What does this mean?' Draco asked.

'Miss Parkinson was told by a witness to your marking that one of the Slytherin marks was on the small of your back,' Fudge informed Draco.

'I have no such thing on the small of my back, sir, I can assure you!' Draco exclaimed.

'Liar!' Pansy yelled.

'You're the one who let me down, so do shut your bloody mouth!' Draco yelled back.

'Order the boy to show us his back, Minister,' Percy suggested.

'You're that eager to get to see my creamy skin, Weasel?' Draco teased the other wizard.

Percy blushed, but Fudge found that it was a good idea.

'May I demonstrate that I am innocent, sir?' Draco asked Dumbledore.

The Headmaster nodded.

Lucius was wondering what was going on, but he remained silent.

Draco took off his outer robes and his jacket. He pulled his shirt out of his trousers, lifted it off his back, and turned around to show his unmarked skin to his father, Fudge, Percy, Dumbledore and a positively furious Pansy.

'It looks like you wrongly accused my son,' Lucius said coldly.

Pansy looked lost.

'Did you see the actual marking, Miss?' Snape asked.

She could only shake her head.

It was Percy who came to her rescue.

'There's no smoke without fire. Maybe he took the Dark Mark,' Percy suggested.

'Take off your shirt,' ordered Fudge.

Draco sighed and said, 'So much for privacy.'

He carefully unbuttoned his shirt, and Fudge rose to examine him.

The Minister almost cried his victory when he saw the mark on Draco's left forearm, but he soon had to admit that it was only a betrothal mark, and one from Gryffindor.

'What have you done?' Lucius yelled as he practically pushed Fudge out of his way.

'What I have done, Father, is accept the best offer that was made to me after you saw fit to have my engagement cancelled. Now, if you have an issue with that, I could always try to find comfort with Mother. I am certain she would be delighted to hear about the latest events in my life. It's been a long time since I had a quiet cup of tea with her,' Draco said very quietly.

Snape thought he'd have to congratulate Draco for the best cryptic threat issued in front of the Minister. Draco had made it clear that he was ready to accuse his father if necessary, and that he would reveal everything about Theo if need be. It was perfect by Slytherin standards.

Lucius seemed to come to the same conclusion, because he smiled to his son and asked, 'Who is to become my daughter-in-law?'

'You'll discover it when we get married, if we invite you,' Draco answered.

Lucius laughed heartily, and was about to put one hand on Draco's shoulder when the young wizard nearly jumped backwards to avoid any contact with the man who had so dearly betrayed him.

Draco got dressed again, while Fudge reprimanded Pansy for her mistake, but thanked her nonetheless for her efforts against the evil Dark Lord.

She all but fled the room; she was both ashamed and angry.

Fudge and Percy Floo'ed back to the Ministry, but Lucius remained behind.

'You can go back to your office, Severus. I think I'm going to have a chat with Draco and his father,' Dumbledore said.

Snape had no choice but to obey, yet, he knew that Draco could handle both men - thanks to his recent knowledge of Occlumency.

He had a brief word with Hermione, who was hiding downstairs behind a pillar, and he went back to his office.

Dumbledore asked why Pansy had invented that story, and Draco said that she might have become unhappy with her decision to break up with him. The old wizard could not read in Draco's mind, and Lucius's didn't know how Draco had got rid of Voldemort's Mark, so Dumbledore was completely at sea. Since none of this concerned Harry, Dumbledore's weapon of choice, he dismissed both wizards.

Lucius announced that he would Disapparate, and he followed Draco outside the office.

Once in the corridor downstairs, Lucius grabbed his son by his robes, and demanded to know what he'd done.

'I survived. I apologize if it was not in your plan, Father,' Draco spat.

'It didn't occur to you that someone might want to use again the initial mark you were given? How dare you change it?' Lucius said.

'If it had not been changed, it would have killed me. I can't say I'm sorry that it happened that way. Now, if you regret that I'm alive, I am truly sorry, Father.'

'It's a good thing that all the energy needed has already been harvested, because I don't think you would have had the opportunity to explain why you bear the mark of the rival house. You'll have to get rid of it before you come home, so that you can take a true Slytherin Mark,' Lucius said.

'I won't obey you. I'm not coming near "him" if it's not on the battlefield - and exclusively to try and kill him!' Draco said.

'You're my son; you're going to obey me.'

'I don't belong to you. I'm not your property!'

'You are quite wrong. I will not hesitate to disown you if you don't do as I say,' Lucius growled.

'If you do that, or if you force me to do something I don't want to do again, I'll find a way to send you back to jail for at least two months, and then Fudge will do you know what, with you know who, and it will be all your fault,' Draco menaced him.

Lucius slapped his son so violently that he landed at Hermione's feet.

She used one of Al's newly translated spells to hex Lucius.

He was surprised to feel her power.

When he got to his feet, he had understood that she was the one shielding his son.

'Draco's mine, Mudblood. I'll do as I please with him,' he said.

It was time to duel through negotiations.

'Leave Draco alone - really - and I'll do something for you,' Hermione offered.

'What could you possibly do?' Lucius said, looking at Hermione as if she'd lost her mind.

'Ask someone you want to see to meet you in July and August,' she simply said.

Draco had never seen his father flinch, not even in front of Voldemort, but Hermione Granger had found a way to make the colossus tremble.

Lucius was defeated by Draco's threat and Hermione's promise.

The Gryffindor witch had won her fellow Slytherin from his father.

Draco finally admitted to himself that he was falling for one of the most brilliant witches in their generation.

The next day Draco managed to send their agreed upon signal to Ginny, and she met him in the Room of Requirement.

Draco was pacing nervously.

She closed the door, and looked at him with kindness. Everything that had occurred since Fudge had decided to strengthen his stupid ministerial decisions in his fight against the Dark Lord had contributed to transform an improbable association of students into a close-knit group.

If Draco Malfoy was turning to Ginny Weasley for a piece of advice instead of his fellow Slytherins, then the elder wizards, who had started the War in which the Hogwarts students had found themselves caught, had better watch out. Things were about to change.

'What can I do for you, Draco?' she asked kind-heartedly.

'How do you know that I need your help?' he asked, deeply surprised.

'Draco,' she mock-scolded him, 'I may be a Gryffindor witch, and a Weasley, but I'm neither blind nor stupid.'

'This is not what I implied. I'm sorry if I sounded arrogant, or as if I wouldn't trust you,' he said.

She shook her head and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Now that she was facing him, she could see how distressed he was.

'Are you having a relapse? Is your energy still being drained?' she asked, suddenly worried.

'Oh, no, do not worry about that. Professor Snape and Hermione have taken care of me wonderfully. I haven't felt the effects of the ritual in a very long time.'

'You look tired, though.'

'Maybe because I tossed and turned last night. It was the first time yesterday that I've seen my father since Voldemort stole my strength,' he said.

'What is bothering you?'

'There are so many things,' he murmured.

There was a sofa in a corner of the room, and Ginny led her new ally to it.

'Did you want to see me because of what happened to me with Tom?' she asked.

'No, in fact, Gregory is helping me recover a lot. I hope you have someone helping you as well.'

'Hermione helped me a lot, but I'm rather lucky, because I don't remember much of what really happened after Tom decided that he wanted me by his side, or when he changed his mind and chose to take all my energy so that he could come back and fight Harry. Most of it is in a blur. I even had to learn again some of the lessons I took while under his power. I'm glad that you won't relapse, or break down. It would pain me to lose you because of Voldemort,' she said.

'You sound like a combination of Gregory and Hermione. It's disturbing,' he teased her.

'What do you mean?'

'There were days when they were afraid that I would try to commit suicide because of the humiliation,' he said.

'Well, I can understand their fears. You said at least twice that you wanted to die.'

'That was because I wanted to escape the constant pain, but I can assure you that now that I have been properly healed, I only wish I could have Voldemort at my mercy, so that I could dissolve him in a vat of acid. Slowly. Bit by bit,' Draco said.

She caressed his hand and said, 'I remember the pain.'

Draco paled significantly and asked in a whisper, 'What has he done to you?'

'There's no need to pass out, Draco. I can't say for sure, but I think that Tom didn't do much to me. What he did was mark me as his own. The mark was always painful until Professor Snape transformed it. I could have kissed him when he made the nagging pain go away. Besides, I was always afraid that Voldemort might discover what his spirit had done, and he would want me as well,' she said.

'I am so sorry that you had to go through this because of my father.'

'Look at what he did to you!' she exclaimed. 'It's a miracle that he fell for Theo. We would be in so much more trouble if he hadn't.'

'We might be in trouble if Hermione can't convince that lady to meet my father this summer even if it's not in her initial agreement with Fudge,' Draco said.

'Don't worry, Hermione contacted her, and she said it wouldn't be an issue. Actually, she was planning to give that to your father as a treat. She said that tea with him was not such an ordeal.'

'Hermione already took care of that?' Draco said incredulously.

Ginny nodded.

'Salazar! She's efficient!'

'You're in love with her,' Ginny said.

Draco looked at the floor and murmured, 'It doesn't matter. She probably hates me.'

Ginny giggled happily and declared, 'You can be worse than Ron!'

Draco looked at her as if she had lost her mind, blushed, and said something that sounded a lot like "gah?".

'You said that Greg and Hermione are helping you. What does Greg do?' she asked.

'He sleeps with me so that he can help me through my nightmares, and it shows me that he's not disgusted with me.'

'What does Hermione do?'

'She's sharing her strength with me. She's shielding me from the Ministry, and she protected me from my father.'

'I was there when she decided to transform the mark, so it was just a move to get a new powerful ally,' was all Ginny said.

'So?' he wondered.

'So, she could have let your father lure you back to your home, but she hexed and threatened him.'

'So?'

'So, Draco Malfoy, it's official; you are as slow as my dear brother! It's been weeks since you last felt the effects of the ritual, and yet she keeps on sharing her strength with you. Please, prove that you have a brain, and don't tell me that you haven't noticed that you're actually kissing her back,' she said.

'I am...' his voice trailed off.

'Merlin!' Ginny giggled in a whisper.

'I'm kissing her, and she hasn't hexed me?'

'That's it, Blondie! Now the logical conclusion is...' her voice trailed off.

'She likes me?' Draco said, blushing furiously.

'Why would she do all these things for you if she hated you? Why would she be planning to take you back to her home with her if she didn't mean to make sure that you'd be somewhere safe?' Ginny said.

'I can't go to her parents'!' he exclaimed.

'Why?'

'I've been awful. I kept insulting her. Why would she give me shelter?'

Ginny gently knocked on Draco's forehead and said, 'Hello, Silly! She doesn't want anybody but her to make sure that you won't be in danger this summer.'

'Why?' he asked again.

All this was just a bit too much for the young Slytherin. His world was completely turned upside down.

Suddenly, he remembered Firenze's words, and it all made sense.

'I'm falling for a Muggle-born Gryffindor witch,' he declared.

Ginny's smile could have illuminated Hogsmeade in the middle of the night.

'You'll be good together,' Ginny said.

'I'll have to find a way to properly apologize for all those nasty things I said,' he whispered.

'You'll find a way,' her voice trailed off. 'Actually, you know what would be nice?'

He shook his head.

'You and I grew up among our magical traditions, but some are still unknown to Hermione. When she helps you deal with everything in the Muggle world, you could offer to share with her what we've been taught,' she said.

'It will most likely be the only thing that I can give her for a very long time,' he said in a very low voice.

'What do you mean? If it's money you're concerned with, she told me that her parents could provide for you until you are certified, if your father disowns you.'

'I have my own account, so Galleons will not be an issue. In fact, I fear that I'm going to need some time before I can feel emotionally strong enough to properly date my own betrothed. I'm not feeling that strong yet,' he confessed.

'She's not stupid, you know. Far from it. Don't you think that she already figured out that you're going to need time?'

He looked at her and said, 'She might not want to wait.'

She slapped his hand, but not too hard.

'Once and for all, Draco, quit being such an idiot! She likes you, so she's going to wait for you to be ready for whatever is going to happen between the two of you. Gryffindors are not only courageous, they can also be faithful,' she said.

Draco nodded.

'Er... May I ask you a question?'

'If you want.'

'Since your engagement to my Head is but a sham, why aren't you dating someone?' he asked.

She slapped him so hard that her fingerprints were almost visible on his cheek.

'You now know that it's a sham, but to a vast majority of people it is not,' she growled. 'I'll hand myself over to Azkaban before I do anything that would blemish Professor Snape's name! He's had Professor McGonagall and Theo chat with me, just to make sure that I would be all right when he's forced to marry me. Do you know what bothers me in all that?'

Draco shook his head.

'He's taking care of me. He's afraid of the way I'm going to react. The truth is strange. I trust him so much that I know that he's going to do his best so that it doesn't become a terrible memory for me. There's one thing he hasn't taken into account, and that's going to make his nice plan extra difficult for him,' she said.

'What?' Draco gasped.

'No one is thinking of him. It's all about me, poor little Ginny, who was dumb enough to think she'd become Tom's friend. What about him? He's the Head of Slytherin, a brilliant Potions master, an extraordinary wizard, and because of one error in his past, he finds himself the only one able to protect me. I feel like an additional punishment. For all I know, he might prefer his witches much different, and preferably well out of their cradles. I've tried to tell him that I'm afraid for him, but he never let me finish my sentence.'

'Maybe he read your mind, and he knows,' Draco suggested.

'He promised never to read my mind, and I know he wouldn't. No... He's protecting a baby, and he's going to sacrifice himself for one of his students. Again. It makes me feel so guilty, Draco. I do wish he'd let me tell him that I'm grateful that he's going to keep me out of jail, that I'm sorry for him that he has to be stuck with me till the end of the war, and that I want him to be all right. Merlin! I would not even be mad at him if he decided that it's too much and that he can't do it.'

Draco was looking at her, but apparently, he was lost in thought.

Finally, he said, 'I don't know... Maybe you're his redemption, not his punishment... and I apologize for implying that you might be unfaithful to your word to him.'

She merely nodded her acknowledgement of his apologies.

She rubbed her hands over her eyes.

'Are you all right, Ginevra?'

'Please give me a nickname, Draco, any kind of nickname, but being called by my given name makes me feel like I'm being given some official notice. And, yeah, I'm all right. It's just that I do wish that I could do something for Professor Snape. He's the man he is, and there are many things about him that I don't know, and that I'll probably never know, but I'd like to be his friend one day. Not just an ex-student who - hopefully - survived the War. I don't want to be a burden, or his worst memory from this war. I wish to be a friend and an ally. He's always keeping those walls around himself. I want to help him.'

Draco hugged the young witch.

'He's a spy and a Slytherin. Give him time. Maybe you'll have to wait for the end of the War before you can hope to become his friend without him being afraid that even friendship with him might be dangerous for you. That's the way he is,' he suggested.

'You bet that I'll be there!' she said hugging him back.

'Could you do something for me, Ginny?'

'What?'

'Before I help Hermione with those strange traditions that you and I know so well, could you tell her that someone might decide that our betrothal is not valid because she's not braiding her hair the proper way? When Pansy is told what's going on, it's going to be awful,' he said.

She touched her hair which was braided according to tradition, and smiled.

'Beside Ron, I bet that you're the only one who noticed my new hairstyle, which is rather a good thing... but of course you already had a good look at my engagement ring,' she teased him.

Draco blushed.

'Come on, Slytherin, let's go back to our houses! I've got to share girl stuff with your girlfriend,' she said.

She dragged a blushing Draco out of the room.

Once they were out, the door through which they had exited disappeared.

Severus Snape took off the Invisibility Cloak he had found in the version of the room he had summoned just before Draco arrived.

Ginny's concern for his well-being moved him deeply. He reflected that it might not be so dreadful to treat her as a friend even now. He would try during the summer. After all, they were bound to spend two months together.

Snape looked at the precious material in his hands. He decided to try an experiment, and he took it with him out of the Room of Requirement through the door that he had summoned.

He didn't feel the monitoring spell of the Ministry activate, so he decided to keep it. It might come in handy - especially in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry came to his last tutoring session before the summer with a huge grin.

'Are you that happy to be rid of me for two months, Mr Potter?' Snape teased the young man.

'What do you mean, Professor?' Harry asked.

'You're smiling widely.'

'Oh, I hadn't noticed, sir. I'm sorry. Besides, I'm going to miss you terribly over the next two months,' Harry said.

'I do wonder why,' Snape retorted.

'Because I've seen past your mask, and I like you,' Harry answered truthfully.

'I know, Harry, but you'll learn a lot with Theo in the next two months.'

'Yes, but I'll miss you nonetheless,' Harry said, his joy at being called by his name by Snape clearly showing. It was way too rare a treat according to the young wizard.

Snape could not bring himself to scold Harry for being so emotional. Emotions were the most powerful strength in Harry; those had to be channelled, not extinguished. Now that Snape had understood that, he obtained extraordinary results with Harry.

'We're going to work on strategy today,' Snape announced, 'as soon as you've told me why you keep smiling like you're Lockhart's cousin.'

'I had a nice dream last night, that's all,' Harry said, blushing enough to make Snape suspicious.

'Was it a real dream, or something that you did with Black?' Snape asked, suddenly afraid for Harry.

Harry's blush deepened, and Snape's concern did as well.

Snape knew that there was only one way he could get the truth from Harry before anything bad happened. He placed one hand on the young wizard's shoulder and said softly, 'What happened, Harry?'

Harry immediately looked at his mentor. Past the mask of the spy, Harry could spot true worry for his well-being.

'I'm spending all my nights with Sirius now, sir. He's not the same man, you know.'

'I can easily imagine what being caught between planes can do to anyone's soul. I must admit that I'm rather anxious about what could happen to your soul while you're floating on the other side. Being there has become natural for Black. His body is in the room behind the Veil, but yours is not, and if anything should happen to you while you are on Black's side of un-life, or non-death, whatever it is, there's no telling what would happen to you. For all we know, your soul might get trapped with Black's, and your body would be left to rot for decades on this side. I thought your meeting Black was only occasional,' Snape said.

'In the beginning I was not seeing him each night, but I soon discovered that I'm resting well while I chat with him. I feared that I might be tired, but it's quite the contrary. I told him everything I could gather about "Sirius Black", and he didn't like it much. He remembered more things about me, which was somehow disturbing. If I can bring him back, he wants to change quite a lot,' Harry said.

'I do not doubt that Black might be experiencing something between redemption and reincarnation, but I'd like to know what triggered your good mood.'

Harry's blush came back, but he answered. 'He's so changed, but he's still Sirius to me, but he's no longer my godfather. Well, he never really was a godfather to me. He was a bit more like an elder brother, or something. We're getting along together well. I...'

'Harry?'

Now, Snape really was worried.

'We... We have feelings for each other,' Harry confessed, looking at the floor.

Snape thought of the young versions of James and Sirius. He could avenge himself from both wizards with a handful of well-chosen words, but Harry had done nothing to deserve that.

He took Harry's chin and forced Harry to look at him.

'I'm just your teacher. I don't have to judge your inclination, or your taste. However, I am concerned for your well-being. I do not mean to spy on your privacy, but I fear that there might be some danger because of Black's present condition,' Snape said gently. 'What happened last night?'

'We kissed.'

Snape kept Harry's chin in his hand while he thought about what he'd just been told.

Finally, he said, 'You must promise me that you will never fully bond with Black however tempting it might seem, even if he's trying to convince you. Otherwise, your soul might be tempted to stay with Black.'

'You have nothing to fear. Sirius practically fainted when he realized what we'd done. He was so afraid that I'd be stuck with him that he forced me to go back to my body immediately. I woke up, and travelled back to him. I've become his only concern, sir - even more than when he was on our side, and after he escaped Azkaban,' Harry said.

'And he fell in love with you?'

'And I with him.'

'This is a most unexpected development. If you were to tell Theo, she would fully appreciate the irony of the situation,' Snape said.

'In fact, sir, I'll have to share with her some of what happened.'

'How so?'

'If I can bring him back, Sirius wants to grant her a full wizarding divorce,' Harry said.

Snape gasped and invited Harry to sit down in the chair next to the one where he just sat.

'He cannot mean that,' Snape simply said.

'His theoretical knowledge is perfect, sir. Sirius knows that by acknowledging publicly that he abused and betrayed his wife, and by granting her a full divorce, he's going to lose everything he ever owned, down to his name.'

'This is going to be too degrading for Black. He won't do it,' Snape said.

'He's asked me to tell Theo what he's wishing to do if I can bring him back. At least, he wants me to tell her that he's truly sorry that he'd been such a horrible man with her. He's really changed a lot,' Harry said.

'I'll believe it when I see it. I've seen him being so selfish for so long that I find it difficult to imagine Sirius Black doing anything that wouldn't be so,' Snape said.

'Maybe I could show you?'

'The Linking spell needs monitoring,' Snape said.

'Linking spell, sir?'

'Yes, to allow me to follow you to the other plane and not get lost there. What were you suggesting if not that?' Snape asked.

'I thought that I could let you read my thoughts freely, so you could see that Sirius is a different man, and that he wants nothing bad to happen to me.'

'Your memories of your encounters could have been modified, which is why I was offering to follow you. Besides, Black might consider that keeping you with him might be something good for you,' Snape said.

'No! You should have seen him! He completely freaked out when he realized that we'd kissed, and he feared it would have consequences!'

'You were willing to let me see your thoughts; would you agree to let me accompany you?'

'Yes, I would. Shall I show you tonight?' Harry wondered.

'No, we're going right now,' Snape announced. 'Atty!' he called.

The house-elf appeared in the office.

'Master is called Atty?' she said, looking at Harry.

'I need your help,' Snape said, 'but first, I would like you to meet Harry Potter.' Turning to the young wizard he said, 'Harry, meet our elvish friend, Atty.'

'Pleased to meet you, Atty,' Harry said.

The little house-elf was deeply moved. Harry was treating her as a sentient being, and the one to whom she had decided to attach herself thanks to Ginny was really considering her as a friend.

Beaming, she asked, 'What Atty do for you?'

'I need you to bring Miss Weasley here as discreetly as possible. I need her help,' Snape said.

Two minutes later, the elf appeared again into the room with Ginny.

'Is anything wrong?' the witch asked.

'I just need your help with a spell,' Snape said.

He told her what was going on, and what he was expecting from her.

'Maybe you should have called Hermione,' she suggested.

'It would have taken Atty time to explain who she was to Hermione, and I didn't want to monopolize her for too long. And you can easily do what we need from you,' Snape said.

She was forced to agree that her task was more than easy. Snape was to link his thoughts with Harry's, they would both drink a Sleeping draught, and ten minutes later, or before if she noticed any sign of agitation, Ginny would wake them up.

Snape prepared everything and then followed Harry onto the other plane.

When he fell asleep, Snape had the feeling that he'd been brought back to the cellar where his father sent him for punishment. He felt a hand reach out for him, and when Harry wrapped his soul around his, he could finally see where he was.

The place looked like a small flat, or a cottage, maybe. It was cosy and warm, and Harry led him from the kitchen where they'd arrived to the parlour where Sirius was asleep on the sofa by the fireplace.

Sirius looked fifteen years younger, but his hair had completely turned white. He looked serene and relaxed.

Without letting go of Snape's hand, Harry woke Sirius up.

When he saw another man holding Harry's hand, Sirius's pain was written all over his face.

'I brought a visitor, Siri. This is Professor Snape. Do you remember him?' Harry asked.

Sirius stood up, and looked at Snape without a trace of recognition in his blue eyes.

'Your father,' Sirius said. 'I know you said I wronged him dearly.'

'He's not my father, Siri.'

'Right! You said you'd like him to be your father.' Sirius paused and turned to Snape to add, 'Harry's a wonderful wizard, isn't he?'

Snape looked at Harry, who was sporting all the colours of a rainbow, and he tightened his hold on Harry's hand. He turned to Sirius and said, 'He is an amazing wizard once one gets to know him.'

'Did you come here because of what I did to you? Does Harry regret what happened? Do you want me to pay for what I did to the both of you?' Sirius asked.

On this plane, Snape could almost taste the honesty of both wizards.

'Can spells be cast here?' Snape asked Harry.

'I... I've never tried, sir,' Harry admitted.

Snape knew that his soul should be enough to cast a spell here, there was no need for a wand.

He slithered into Sirius's mind, and could see for himself the transformation of the other man.

Snape finally concluded that Sirius Black was dead, and that his soul, re-educated by Harry during their nightly encounters, had given birth to a new Sirius, who was a strong man, and a good man.

'I want nothing for what you did to me. Be honest with Theo, and kind with Harry, and I will no longer wish for the Ministry to get your hide,' Snape said.

'I swear on my honour,' Sirius said.

Snape felt Ginny obeying him, so he hastily said, 'I forbid you to fully bond with my charge on this side, but I'll give him permission to come back at night. For now, we must leave.'

'Oh, thank you!' Sirius sobbed, tears running down his cheeks.

Snape opened his eyes, and met Ginny's.

'Are you all right, sir?' she asked, holding his hand.

'Yes, I am. Thank you.'

'Harry?' she asked.

It looked as if Harry was trying to make up his mind between paling and blushing.

'I'm sorry, sir,' he mumbled.

'There is no need for an apology, Harry,' he said. 'I knew. I don't understand, but I knew. Now that I've seen for myself that there is nothing to fear, I won't even tell you that this is a bad idea. If your heart is to be broken, it'll be on either plane. Do as you please, but keep in mind my one interdiction.'

'Yes, sir, I promise.'

'Good boy,' Snape said gently. 'I think that we've done enough for today. Go back to your house, and start packing for the summer.'

'Thank you, sir. I'll go and see Hedwig. I thought that she might stay with you, if you need to contact us,' Harry said.

'Thank you, and tell her that she wouldn't have to stay in the Forest with us,' Snape answered.

Harry left.

Snape turned to the young witch.

'I appreciated your help in that. Thank you, Ginn...,'his voice trailed off. 'Ginny sounds too much like a baby's name to my ears. Would you mind if I were to call you Gin in private, since we agreed that your name would be the emergency code between us?' Snape asked.

She shook her head, too surprised to utter even a single word.

He gave her a small smile and added, 'If you want to use my name when there is no one around, feel free to do so.'

'Really?'

He nodded once.

'You won't mind?' she asked.

'I think that I would mind having you calling me by any title while I'll be using your name. You're more than my student. You're my ally... and my assistant for free this summer,' he added to tease her.

'Thanks.'

'You do not have to thank me,' he slightly scolded her.

'But I do! You can't know what your trust means to me, and you've found a great nickname. Thank you, si... Severus.'

Snape was not sure that she was blushing, because her warm smile was blinding him. All he knew was that he'd done something very good, and that made him proud of himself, even more than the day when he saved her from jail.

Summer came and the Hogwarts students left.

The one who had to adapt to drastic changes was Draco Malfoy.

It was strange to ride the Express with those he had carefully tried to avoid the prior years.

It was even stranger when Pansy, Millicent and Blaise came to tease Draco.

The three Slytherins came into the compartment where Al, Gregory, Vincent and Draco were travelling with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

'How did you manage to change it?' Pansy growled from the door.

'What are you talking about, Miss Parkinson?' Draco asked, barely looking up from his book.

'Stop that game, Malfoy!' she barked.

'Be quiet!' Ron commented, 'I'm trying to win against Al.'

Both wizards were engaged in an amazing game of chess, and Crookshanks had caught some of the dead pawns that had been flung off the board.

'I know what happened after I broke up with you,' she said.

'Parkinson,' Al said, without looking at her, 'why did you denounce your ex-fiancé to the Ministry?'

'His father and mine said that it would be for the best, but I see no benefit for me in it. The Master's health has been restored, but I haven't been given a new social status. I think that Draco's father tricked mine so that he'd be rid of me, and now that he's pleased our Lord, they all forgot about me,' she said.

'Surely even you can't be that stupid,' Al said.

'What do you mean?' she asked disdainfully.

'I mean that if I were you, I'd find another wizard, even a Hufflepuff, to protect me from what might happen if you're free to be given to anyone,' Ron explained.

'Why?' Millicent wondered.

'Because Pansy is a Pureblood witch who's not bound to another wizard, and her father might have aspirations that she would find too high,' Draco deciphered.

Blaise understood what might happen to his friend when she returned to her parents', and he offered to protect Pansy. She laughed and said that they were silly, and that even if her father was planning to give her to the Dark Lord, it would be an honour.

'Okay,' Harry said, 'if she's that stupid, she'll only get what she deserves.'

Pansy was about to yell at him that he had no right to speak that way when she finally noticed Hermione's braided locks. Ginny had shown her the simplest pattern, and no one had even thought that Hermione might be engaged and respecting old traditions.

Pansy looked at the other witch, and then at Draco.

She put a spell on Draco that revealed the identity of his betrothed.

'With a Mudblood!' Pansy spat.

The Slytherin witch didn't have the opportunity to say another word. Hermione had punched her out of their compartment, and when she got to her feet, Hermione's wand was pointing between her eyes.

'He's mine now, Pain in the Neck. Sod off, and stop bothering us. If you're not too arrogant or stupid, try to think of what your life would be if your parents mean to give you away to Voldemort,' Hermione said.

Blaise and Millicent managed to drag Pansy away.

'Thanks, Hermione,' Draco said.

Ron looked at Gregory, and in perfect unison they said, 'Don't be silly, Draco, and kiss the lady.'

Draco blinked, but Hermione leant towards him, and she just pecked his lips.

Draco was deeply surprised to see his friends, old and new, accept his change of interest so well.

'Say, Draco, when did you give a Slytherin mark to your girlfriend?' Vincent asked, chuckling.

When Hermione had threatened Pansy, her right sleeve had been lifted, and it showed a mark.

'When do you think it was?' Hermione purred, sitting next to the curious Slytherin.

Vincent looked at his two friends and said, 'Soon after Draco got his brain back, and he finally saw that you're the best match for him?'

'Why?' wondered Al.

Ron rolled his eyes and said, 'Because he stopped being an idiot, and he fell in love with her. They're perfect for each other.'

Hermione beamed and took Draco's hand in hers.

'There was no need for Hermione to take a mark,' Al insisted.

Draco took his girlfriend in his arms and let his best friends decipher everything.

'You're really thick for someone who's supposed to be so bright,' Gregory said, winking at Ron.

'Wha...?' gulped Al.

'In our families, both betrothed take a mark, it's a way to make sure that there will be no cheating. So even if Hermione is a Muggle-born, if Draco wants to make everyone believe in the validity of their engagement, she had to take a mark, so that they couldn't be separated,' Vincent said.

'But why a Slytherin mark?' Al went on.

'I think we should ship him to St Mungo's,' Harry said.

Al growled.

'Come on, Al!' Harry insisted, 'Even I saw that those two fell in love. If Draco had to be given a Gryffindor mark, and if he wanted to share something with Hermione, a Slytherin mark sounds like a good option.'

'I thought it was all a sham!' Al exclaimed.

'In the beginning, that's what it was, and then, it slipped and I really fell for Draco,' Hermione said.

'Do you mean to fulfil your bond?' Al wondered.

Both betrothed nodded.

'Have you been given a blessing?' Al wondered.

'We've been given blessings, but if you wish to add yours, we'll be honoured,' Draco said.

Instead of taking his wand, Al snapped his fingers, and whispered words in a foreign language. Draco and Hermione smiled and kept holding hands until they reached London.

Once in the station, Vincent and Gregory left Draco's side, not to reveal their faithful attachment to the one who'd be treated as a traitor by the Death Eaters. Al walked by Harry, and Hermione by Draco, while Ron was watching their backs.

The first adult they saw was Lucius Malfoy. He was dressed pompously, and he was ignoring the Muggles around him. He didn't feel Mrs Granger arrive behind him with Theo and Molly.

'Showtime, Sweetheart!' Hermione said.

'What?' Draco wondered.

'Follow my lead. Mum's there, your Dad had better be prepared for a little surprise,' she said.

Draco hadn't met Hermione's parents yet, so he could not understand what she was foretelling.

Hermione walked straight to Lucius and curtseyed.

'Greetings, Mr Malfoy,' she said.

'Is this the father of your boyfriend?' Mrs Granger said, walking to her daughter to face Lucius.

His snarl as he turned to see who was speaking was stopped when he saw the witch he loved more than anything on earth just behind him. It gave just enough time to Mrs Granger to grab Lucius's hand and shake hands with him. Theo's chuckle reminded Lucius that by allowing Hermione's mother to shake hands with him, he had just validated his son's engagement.

Lucius reclaimed his hand with as much dignity as he could.

'Good afternoon, Mr Malfoy,' Theo said.

'Madam,' he greeted her, bowing. He turned to Molly and even Mrs Granger, and said hello.

Draco was clutching Hermione's hand.

'Are you certain you don't want to come back home with me?' Lucius asked his son.

'The only home I have left now is the one the Grangers are giving me,' Draco answered.

Theo placed one hand on Lucius's arm and told him that it would be highly unwise to harm his one and only heir.

Lucius shivered. He would not go back to Narcissa's bed, even if it meant that he'd have to see his son betray him for a Mudblood.

'It's time to go,' Mrs Granger said, encouraging her daughter and Draco to move on.

'We'll keep in touch through the usual means,' Hermione told their friends.

Mrs Granger was about to follow them when she turned to Lucius and said, 'If you ever have a toothache, Mr Malfoy, and you can't find your Healer, just look for us in the phone directory, it'll be a pleasure to operate on you.' Turning to Theo and Molly, she hugged them briefly and said, 'Girls, don't hesitate to call me,' and she was gone.

'Why did Hermione's Mum offer to heal him?' Ron whispered none too discreetly in Harry's ear.

'Did you hear her mention anaesthetics?' Harry chuckled.

Ron and Al snickered and followed Molly.

'Are you free?' Theo asked Lucius.

'When? Why?' he wondered.

'Right now, for lunch, with me. Just the two of us, I wouldn't dream of bringing you to the Weasleys' home,' Theo said.

'What about the tea you promised in three weeks?' Lucius asked, suddenly afraid that he'd have to live without seeing her before the end of August.

'Do not worry, your summer treat stands still. I'm giving you a prize for agreeing to Draco's new betrothal,' she said.

'Really?' he asked.

Theo saw that she could make him do anything. It was a true pity that only Harry could kill Voldemort, otherwise she had found a perfect soldier. Lucius Malfoy was completely besotted with her, and he'd give her his heir if she asked for him. She was sure that he'd die for her.

'Really. Not everything is about power, Lucius. Good actions deserve rewards,' she said.

Lucius's arrogant expression melted into pure bliss.

Theo didn't have the slightest interest in that man, but she found the way he thought and led his life absolutely fascinating.

'Where do you want to go?' she asked.

'I guess you don't want to come to Malfoy Manor,' he tried.

'Even if your wife isn't home, I'm not setting foot on Narcissa's territory,' she said.

Lucius seemed lost.

'Do you trust me?' she asked.

He nodded fervently.

She gave him her arm, and took him to a Muggle restaurant that he truly enjoyed, and not only because of the one who had taken him there.

Lucius was forced to accept Theo's invitation, because he didn't have any Muggle currency in his pockets.

Before Theo Disapparated to her home, Lucius asked her if he'd see more of her if he kept doing things she considered "good".

'I'm not going to fall in love with you, Lucius. I'm happily married where I found refuge. I'm sorry if you consider our lunch as an encouragement for you to drastically change. I didn't mean to encourage you, I merely wanted to thank you for one good action,' she said.

'I know you'll never love me. I just beg to see you more often,' he said.

Malfoys never begged, so Theo decided to try a bold move.

'Which is your favourite day in the week?' she asked.

'Friday. Why?'

'I'll see you each week on Fridays, but there is one condition,' she said.

'Oh, thank you! Anything you say,' he said, beaming with happiness.

'Hear my condition first,' she said. 'I won't ask you to betray Voldemort or your Death Eater friends, but the instant you do anything that might hurt, in any way, one of the children, I'll have tea with Fudge.'

'The children? Just them?'

She nodded, and he accepted her condition. He could concentrate on the adults, there was enough to do with them, and now there would be weekly tea with Theo to look forward to.

While Molly took the three young wizards to Grimmauld Place for Al and Harry to put their trunks in their rooms, and then Floo with them over to the Burrow, Mrs Granger was driving her daughter and Draco back home.

'Lunch should be ready when we arrive. Dad is taking care of that. We'll have lunch together, and then Dad and I will go back to work. I guess you can stay home alone,' Mrs Granger said.

'Of course, Mum!' Hermione said.

'Thank you, Ma'am,' Draco whispered just loud enough for Mrs Granger to hear him over the engine.

'There's no need to thank me, Draco. We're family now. You can use my name, or call me Mum if you want,' she said.

Draco looked at Hermione, who was sitting next to him in the back, and then at the woman who was driving.

'May I give it some thought?' he asked.

'Of course, Draco. I understand that it must be disturbing for you to come and live in our world. However if you haven't made up your mind in a fortnight, I might decide to help you a bit,' she said.

Hermione patted Draco's hand.

Once at home, Mr Granger welcomed Draco and gave him practically the same instructions as Mrs Granger. He looked as if he were positively delighted that the young wizard evened things up for the males in the house.

'I imagine that a Muggle house is something mostly unknown to you, but you can ask Hermione anything, or us when we're back. This is your home, and we'd like you to feel at ease here,' Mrs Granger said.

'Thank you. If you had not rescued me, my father would be having me prepared to take the Dark Mark. I was brought up to believe false things, and I'm glad that I could see the truth, even if it had to happen through betrayal,' Draco said.

'If you ever need to talk to us about anything, day or night, do not hesitate,' Mr Granger said.

'Well, actually, sir, about nights, I'm still having nightmares. Would you have something to help me sleep without dreams?' Draco asked.

'Our medicine can't control dreams, but do not be afraid, we've found a solution,' Mrs Granger said.

'A solution?' Draco asked Hermione.

'Greg told me about your nights, I told Mum, and we agreed that I should sleep with you,' she said.

Draco blushed.

'Sleep next to you, Silly!' Hermione pointed out.

The Grangers went back to their surgery, and Hermione showed the house to Draco.

He was absolutely fascinated by the television set and Hermione's computer, but to the three Grangers' surprise, Draco discovered something that he enjoyed even more. Hermione spent her afternoon searching the internet for some additional information that might come in handy in their reading, and she'd told Draco to rest, watch the television or do whatever he wanted - he knew where to find her if need be.

When Caroline and Andrew Granger came back home, Hermione still was enriching BT, and Draco was not in the living-room. Alarmed, the three of them followed the whistle of the kettle and found a beaming Draco in the kitchen. He'd found Caroline's cookbook, and the handbooks for most of the appliances stored in one of the drawers. He'd prepared simple things, but dinner was ready.

'I hope I did well, and I hope you don't mind,' Draco said.

'I didn't know you could cook,' Hermione commented.

'Oi! It's like Potions, only it tastes better,' he said. 'Well, hopefully, it's my very first try. The microwave-oven nearly drove me crazy and I felt like hexing it.'

'You could have called me to help you,' Hermione said as she began dressing the table.

'According to traditions, you should ask your mother if she doesn't mind that you're the one dressing the table. If we were at Malfoy Manor, you wouldn't have to ask, because it would be your right to help,' Draco said.

Caroline was about to protest, so Draco added, 'Hermione has to know these things. This is just information so that the others don't bother her.'

'Why does she have to ask here? It's her home,' Andrew said.

'Yes, but according to those traditions, she's a Malfoy,' Draco said.

'When you spot something that I should know, tell me as soon as you can,' Hermione said as she kept on dressing the table, helped by her parents.

Draco nodded.

'Oh! By the way, I came to fetch you when the oven nearly drove me crazy, but you were having an argument with your computer, and I didn't fancy being caught in the middle,' Draco added, putting the dinner he had prepared on the table.

'Must have been when the connection broke as I was downloading a file,' Hermione said.

'You'll have to show me how that works,' Draco said.

'You'll see, it's fascinating,' she answered.

Caroline looked at her sink and said, 'You didn't have to wash up, Draco.'

'Well, I thought that I might do something useful, and it was the simplest thing I could do. It's very soothing, by the way. Then I read all the handbooks, then the cookbook, and I thought you'd all like to find dinner ready. I know it's probably just edible, but that's all I found to thank you all,' the young wizard said.

'That's very kind,' Andrew said.

They sat together at the kitchen table, and enjoyed Draco's work.

They finally all settled in the living-room with their cups of tea, and they were right on time to watch the news. Draco was absolutely captivated. There were many things that he had to learn and discover, but this new life sounded more interesting than the one promised by his father.

Caroline and Andrew were each in their own chairs while Draco and Hermione settled on the sofa.

'Who's got the programme?' asked Caroline.

'Got it!' said Hermione, who'd been sitting on it.

'What's on?' asked her father.

'Good gracious!' the witch exclaimed as she read. She turned to her father and said, 'We're in for a tape.'

'I'd let you chose, Draco, but what do you know about films?' Andrew said.

'Films?' he answered.

'Hermione? What do you want to see tonight?' her father said.

'I think that "The Magnificent Seven" might be a good start to introduce Draco to video tapes,' she said.

Draco was utterly lost, but he reflected that the Grangers knew better.

When the end credits started to roll, Andrew asked his guest if he'd liked it.

Draco looked at Andrew and said, 'I know it's just a fiction, but it gave me hope. I know it's completely stupid, but I can't help feeling better... optimistic... I loved it! Do you have more like that?'

'I think you're going to like Hermione's selection of films,' Caroline said.

Draco looked at his girlfriend and said, 'You knew it would do that to me.'

'I know you, my Slytherin,' she said gently.

'All right,' Caroline said, 'it's been a long day. Let's go to bed.'

The Grangers kissed Hermione and Draco goodnight, and let them retire to Hermione's room.

'Your bed is huge,' Draco commented.

He slithered under one of the two coverlets which had been folded in two and placed on his side. Hermione slithered under hers.

'When I first went to Hogwarts, I wrote Mum and Dad about the dorms, and how much I enjoyed the beds. When I came home for the summer, they'd bought this bed for me.'

'I like your parents,' Draco said, turning to his side, his back to Hermione.

'They're amazing, you'll see,' she said, slithering closer to spoon Draco.

'You don't have to watch over me.'

'Greg told me what to do. It's my job to make sure that you rest properly,' she said.

'Hermione?'

'Yes, Draco?'

'I truly apologize for all those nasty things I said, and even for those I thought. I didn't know. I was stupid enough to believe my father blindly,' he said.

She tightened her grip on him, pecked his brow and said, 'It was normal that you believed your parents, but you grew up. You are an independent wizard now.'

'You're a blessing.'

'You haven't yet seen me in the morning before tea,' she joked.

He chuckled.

They talked some more, until sleep claimed them.

His first nightmare brought the Grangers to Hermione's room. The three of them soothed Draco.

Between sobs, he apologized for waking them up.

Caroline took him in her arms and held him tight, while she told him that she was sorry that he still suffered from nightmares because of what his parents allowed to happen.

'Would you like tea or something?' asked Andrew.

'No, thanks, I'll be all right. Back at Hogwarts, I think that Gregory has found a way to cast some kind of Sleeping charm on me, so I go back to sleep soon after I woke him up,' Draco said.

'There's one thing you must keep in mind, Darling: Voldemort can no longer have you. You're ours. You chose our daughter, so you are our son now. I'll grow to love you, and I forbid anyone to hurt you,' Caroline said.

'I could not stand anything to happen to any of you because of me.'

'Nothing bad will happen, because the first to even think of hurting any of you is good as dead,' Caroline growled.

'They're powerful wizards,' Draco said.

Hermione caressed his hair and whispered in his ear, 'Lily Evans.'

Draco melted in Caroline's arms, and he slept rather quietly after that.

Over the next days, Draco learnt how to live in the Muggle world, and he got used to his new family.

He finally decided to call his future parents-in-law by their names.

He discovered that Hermione's mother really was a strong woman, and Andrew showed him how to deal with mother and daughter.

During their first weekend together, Caroline and Hermione went shopping and sent Draco and Andrew off to play golf. Caroline even teased the both of them, pointing out that it was a perfect male Muggle hobby for them to bond.

It turned out that Draco was not much more gifted than Andrew, and they ended up chatting a lot together.

Draco quite enjoyed that. He discovered that the Grangers would have loved Hermione not to be an only child, but they never could conceive another child. Draco said that his parents had been married for years before they had him, and he was sure that they had not tried that often to have their required heir.

'You can't say for sure,' Andrew said, digging himself deeper into a bunker.

'You've never seen my parents together. It's like the North Pole meeting the South Pole!' he answered, trying not to swallow sand.

'Well, you have us now, and with you I have a son,' Andrew declared seriously.

'Thank you,' Draco said, deeply moved. 'I'm really in love with Hermione, you know.'

'I know. Besides, if you make my daughter cry, or if you hurt her, I'll let Caroline deal with you,' Andrew said.

'I'll die before I hurt her. I hope we'll have many decades before us so that I can properly apologize for being such a prat with her.'

'All I wish you is to have a family as wonderful as the one Caroline and I have been blessed with,' Andrew said.

Draco blushed and said, 'We have time.'

'Indeed. Take all the time you need.'

Draco grinned and whispered a spell to help Andrew's ball fly out of the bunker.

When the men came back home, they felt that the women had been chatting together as well. Each gender carefully avoided commenting on the situation.

Out of a magical environment, Draco recovered faster, as if he were forgetting the threat that spells might be. When they all went shopping in Diagon Alley, Draco was feeling more like his old self, minus the arrogant and annoying parts.

Draco was even told that his father had paid for his supplies beforehand.

As soon as they were back home, Caroline told Draco to pack for two days. He obeyed, and his bag was stored with two others in the trunk of the car, and they left. When they reached the south coast, Draco asked where they were going.

'Brussels,' said Caroline.

'But I can't go!' he exclaimed.

Hermione handed him a passport, and an authorization to leave the country.

'How?' he said.

'Room of Requirement,' she answered. For good measure, she added, 'Surprise!'

He was practically still gaping when they boarded the boat.

They just spent the weekend abroad, but Draco had never had so much fun.

He was beginning to wonder if Firenze liked chocolates.

Things were not too bad either in Grimmauld Place.

Harry could tell that Al dearly missed his former life and his family, and that Theo always feared what she'd have to do before they'd be free to go back whence they came, but the atmosphere was different from what it had been the prior year.

Harry couldn't believe that so many things had happened in just twelve months.

He tried not to think too much of all the things that had happened, and the ones that were bound to happen, because when he did, he usually ended up with a nasty headache.

Theo had taken over Harry's tutoring, and she was helped by Molly, Arthur, Alastor and Remus.

Harry hadn't dared ask his werewolf friend how he was adapting to married life, but his robes were much nicer and he looked to be in better health than the last time he'd seen him. Harry reflected that, with some luck, Tonks and Remus were getting along together well.

Hermione and Draco visited Grimmauld Place, and Theo was amazed to see for herself that Draco was so completely different from his father.

Ron sometimes stayed for the night when he was too tired to Floo back to the Burrow - or when he knew that the twins were planning to test some of their newest creations.

Harry's best surprise during that summer was the deep friendship he developed with Al. The bathroom was the only room where they were not together. Most of the nights, the young wizards worked together on a spell or on a counter-curse, and they ended up in the same bed.

That morning, Harry was in Al's arms in Harry's bed. The two young wizards had been working on D.A.D.A. and had fallen asleep in Sirius's room. It no longer bothered Al to sleep there, well, as long as Harry was there. Theo's son would not have spent a night alone in the last room his biological father had occupied.

What woke Al up were Harry's caresses and kisses. Obviously, his bed companion knew what he was doing, but Al wondered why Harry had waited for so long to initiate anything between them. Maybe Harry had not really understood that Al really was older than Theo had said. Maybe Harry feared that he was not sixteen yet.

Besides, it looked like Harry was still mostly in dream-land.

Al didn't really know what he felt for Harry, but he had hormones speaking, and who was he to refuse the attentions of a young man as gorgeous as Harry?

Al allowed Harry's hands to roam freely over his body, and he answered the heated kisses.

Al was deeply surprised when Harry divested him of his pyjama bottom.

Harry moved and found himself between Al's open legs.

Then Harry froze.

He opened his eyes, looked at Al, jumped out of bed, apologized, and ran into the bathroom.

Al ran after him.

Harry was already under a cold shower.

Al forced his friend to exit the cold torture and said, 'What's going on, Harry? I swing both ways, I'm not a virgin with either gender, and I'm of age, in case you're still wondering.'

Harry took Al's hand and kissed his friend's palm.

'I do apologize, Al. I figured out that you can't be just fifteen, and I'm flattered that you're not disgusted with me. Well, that's because you don't know,' Harry said, very pale.

'What?'

'I molested you because you were near me, and I could reach you.'

'Oh... You were not trying to shag me! I'm wounded, Harry!' Al said, attempting to joke with his friend.

Harry remained silent and paled even more.

'Who were you thinking of? Tell me you were not doing Voldemort in your dream!' Al said.

'It's someone I meet in my dreams. Well, not exactly my dreams. My soul travels to him, and that's one of the reasons why Voldemort can no longer find me when I sleep. That other plane has become my refuge. I meet my... I meet him each night, and we chat about anything and everything. I know him better than anyone else does now,' Harry said.

'It could be dangerous!' Al exclaimed, ready to lecture Harry.

'Professor Snape knows,' Harry said, hoping that Al would not ask other questions.

Unfortunately for Harry, the son of Theo and Sirius could be curious.

'Where do you go?' asked Al.

There was no beating around the bush, and Al would pester him until he got an answer.

'I venture into the space that is behind the Veil,' Harry simply said.

He knew that Al would understand everything that he wasn't saying, that he was spending all his nights with Sirius, and that they obviously had become more than friends.

Al paled in his turn.

'How come you stopped before... you know,' Al's voice trailed off.

'Your frame is different, and your eyes aren't exactly the same colour.'

Al said something that Harry didn't understand, and he assumed that it was the language of the country where Al had grown up.

'I'm really, really sorry,' Harry said.

Al gulped visibly and finally said, 'You stopped right before it was too late, and you've been honest with me. You've got no reason to be sorry.'

'I practically made you my morning treat,' Harry almost sobbed.

'That's all you do with... him?'

'Yes, we haven't... You know... Not yet. Not on that side.'

'It might trap your soul if you bond with him,' Al said.

'That's what he said.'

'I can't believe that he's not selfish in that,' Al declared.

'Al, the man who made you is a bastard to whom I wouldn't give the time of day even if his life depended on it - and I do mean that, and he knows it. Yet that man died in Azkaban. The Sirius I met about four years ago was a brainwashed man. All he remembered was that he had been made my protector. Al... While he was hiding in his Animagus form, he ate raw rats just to make sure that no one would spot him, and so that he could stay near me and protect me. Since he's been stuck behind the Veil, he's been changing in front of my eyes every day. You know that I kept his diary, and that I used it for some time. When I started meeting him, I thought I was dreaming, and I told Professor Snape what was going on. He helped me understand that it was more than dreams. Professor Snape had written something in the diary that made Sirius ask me questions about his life on this side. He practically was a blank slate, Al. Your Sirius Black no longer exists. Mine is the reason I'm not giving up hope in this world. Once more, I'm sorry that I nearly molested you. I was leaving his side, and I thought you were an extension of that other world where I go,' Harry said.

'Kreacher!' barked Al.

The elf appeared in the room.

'Bring breakfast for two,' Al ordered, and the house-elf obeyed.

'We do have a lot to talk about, Harry,' Al said.

Harry nodded.

Through most of the day, Harry shared with Al what the reformed Sirius Black was like. A charming man, who had forgotten what his family and its values were like. A good friend, who was eager to know if Harry's life was all right on the other side. And recently, a caring boyfriend.

It was Sirius's unconditional love that gave Harry the will to go on.

After some days, Al got used to the idea, but when he worked with Harry and they fell asleep together, Al never forgot to move in the bed so that they'd be top-to-tail.

Harry thought that his friends should know which gender he preferred, and particularly whose company he was enjoying nightly.

One day while Hermione and Draco were there, he told them. Al and Ron had some fun observing Draco's reactions when he was told with whom Harry was in love. As usual, Hermione had already solved that mystery.

'How's life at the Grangers'?' Harry asked Draco.

'Fantabulous,' answered the blond.

'I think I got him a bit addicted to Muggle things,' Hermione chuckled.

'Looks like it,' Al commented.

'I'm sure we could achieve great things if only we got inspiration from the Muggles. I know we can never mix with them, but I bet that there must be things that we can do. The Muggle world is very different, but it's not as bad as my father wanted me to believe it,' Draco said.

'You're a very good Slytherin. I'm sure you're going to find out something great,' Harry said.

'Thank you. That's very kind of you to say,' Draco answered.

He and Harry shook hands, and Harry noticed that Draco's magic felt stronger under his fingertips.

'I'm completely healed, and I've stopped having nightmares,' Draco said.

'That's fantastic!' Harry said.

'I was even instructed to migrate into the guest room, since there was no justification to my staying near Hermione any more,' Draco added.

'Greg is going to be delighted,' Ron declared. 'That is to say, if you don't mind that I tell him the good news.'

'When are you seeing him next?' Draco asked.

'I haven't seen him since we left the station three week ago, but I've had the pleasure of seeing his owl every other day since the holiday started,' Ron said.

He sounded as if he missed the other wizard dearly.

'The twins must be teasing you,' Hermione commented.

'A bit, but not too much. I guess that they're happy for me, and just a bit jealous that they haven't found steady dates yet,' Ron said.

'What about your parents?' Draco wondered.

'Well, I had to tell Mum why I got post that often. I told her, and Dad, things, but gradually. I said it was from a wizard - and believe me, if I didn't need Pig to answer Greg, I would send chocolates to Charlie, because our parents didn't freak out, thanks to him. When they got used to the idea that I prefer wizards, I told them that he's a Slytherin - then it was Professor Snape who made it easier, because he's saving Ginny, so he's the very first proof we had at home that the snakes aren't all bad. When I finally told them who's owling me, Mum and Dad said that if the Malfoy heir could, I quote "turn out to be a great kid", then a Goyle might not be that bad. Mum said she'd have preferred me to fall for someone a bit brighter, but she's okay with my owling Greg. If some blessed day I can introduce Greg to my family, his genius will be a nice surprise,' Ron said.

Draco was shaking his head because of what the Weasleys had said about him, but he was happy for both wizards.

'You're two silly wizards,' Hermione said.

Al fully agreed with her, but he knew that the one Ron considered as his other sister would be more efficient in her lecturing Ron than he would ever be, so he just sat back, and enjoyed the exchange.

'What do you mean?' Ron wondered.

'Your parents are going to accept Greg because he loves you, and it would be a nice idea to let them know that they don't have to worry about your security, or Greg's, because he's brilliant,' she said.

'Professor Snape is right, witches are amazing,' Harry commented.

'That's not completely right,' Hermione said.

The wizards looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

'It's not about gender, or power, or birth, or anything. I've seen how Molly and Arthur react, and it's logical to consider that they would worry about Ron on the battlefield if they believe that Greg is as dumb as everybody, but us now, believes. They're in the Order, they won't betray Greg to his father, but it'd be a relief if they knew. I can tell you that, not because I'm a witch, but because I have a different point of view. I'm sure that to really be stronger, we must acknowledge and balance together all the elements we have in and around us. Strength and weakness, female and male, evil and good... We've got everything in us, and we must make the most of it,' she said.

They thought about what she'd said and had to admit that she must be right.

'Do you think that Greg might agree to come and have lunch at the Burrow?' Ron asked Draco. 'I miss him terribly. Do you think that he could leave his home for a few hours?'

Draco looked at Hermione, and Al and Harry could see for themselves the depth of the bond between them, though they both wondered if the two betrothed had noticed it.

Hermione nodded ever so slightly to encourage her boyfriend.

'Ronald Weasley, I'm going to give you pieces of information that one of my two best friends entrusted me with. If you hurt Greg in any way, I swear that Voldemort is going to be your very last concern,' Draco said.

Ron gulped, but nodded.

'Gregory's mother went back to her parents' when he went to Hogwarts, and his father is never home. The only company he's got is an old house-elf,' Draco said.

'When I asked him if he was all right, he said he was fine!' Ron protested.

'He got used to it,' Draco explained.

'Silly snake!' Ron said.

Hermione saw that Ron was already planning to invite Greg as soon as Molly approved.

From that moment on, Ron was lost to their conversation. He was focusing on Greg, and how he could convince him to come to the Burrow. Finally, Gryffindor courage won, and in his next letter, Ron issued an invitation. On the very same day, Greg sent his owl back to accept.

As soon as Ron told his parents Greg's secret, they wished to see it for themselves, and they were particularly eager to meet the Slytherin for whom Ron had fallen.

Greg was to Floo to the Burrow on Sunday for lunch.

Ron kept groaning, because Molly had categorically refused to allow Ron to take Greg out for a picnic. In the beginning, Gregory Goyle was supposed to have lunch with Ron and his parents. Fred and George discovered that their younger brother was dating a Slytherin, and in spite of Snape's chivalrous behaviour with Ginny, they wanted to make sure that Greg was good enough for Ron; therefore, the twins told their mother that they'd be there for the Sunday lunch.

Curiously enough, Charlie contacted the Burrow to know if he could come over for lunch with Seraphin.

When Bill said he'd be there with Fleur, Molly found Ron banging his head on a kitchen cupboard.

'Stop it, Ron!' she said, hugging him tenderly.

'Mum! It feels like you're all going to be there to judge Greg! I don't want to frighten him,' Ron said.

'I guess your brothers want to meet your boyfriend, that's all. You have nothing to fear, Ron. Besides, I think Bill and Charlie might have news to share with us,' she said.

'Huh?'

'I think our clock would be about to grow new hands if they were still living here,' Molly said.

Still in his mother's arms, Ron turned to the clock.

'Really?' Ron said.

Molly nodded.

When Bill and Charlie had completely moved out, the hands for them had dissolved. Percy's had evaporated too, and when Ginny had become Snape's betrothed, her hand had disappeared as well. Now, only Arthur, Molly, the twins and Ron were acknowledged by the family clock.

'You really like him,' Molly said.

Ron blushed, nodded repeatedly, and leant to bury his head in his mother's neck.

Molly held her baby tight, wondering when her children had grown up so much, physically and emotionally.

Sunday morning saw the invasion of the Burrow.

Molly ordered the men to go and prepare everything for lunch outside. Fleur, and Seraphin as well, stayed in the kitchen with Molly.

Ron was allowed to be alone when Greg Floo'ed in.

At the appointed time, Greg arrived with a house-elf.

'Master Ronald Weasley?' the elf said.

'Yes,' Ron answered, looking from the elf to Greg and back.

'I is Joory, Master Gregory's chaperone,' she said.

'Welcome to the Burrow,' Ron said.

The house-elf was satisfied with the greetings.

'She didn't want to let me go alone,' Greg said. 'She's the only one who takes care of me.'

'Then she's more than welcome here,' Ron said, taking a step towards Greg.

'Thank you,' Greg said, taking a step towards Ron as well.

'I missed you,' Ron admitted.

'I missed you, too.'

Greg gasped when Ron placed one hand on his arm.

'Ron! Is your guest here yet?' Molly shouted from the garden.

Both wizards guiltily jumped apart.

'The other Ministry employee isn't there, of course, and Ginny is with Professor Snape, but you're going to meet all my family, plus two new additions,' Ron apologized.

'Oh...'

'I'm sorry,' Ron said.

'No! It's great! I'll be delighted to meet them!'

'Oh... Then, follow me out,' Ron said.

Greg was looking around.

'Your home is fantastic,' Greg said.

Ron grinned and said, 'I'm glad that you like it.'

In the garden, the Weasleys met Greg and his chaperone.

Greg apologized to Molly for not being able to bring her anything to thank her, because his father might notice that something was missing when he'd stop by their house. Molly's mother-hen instinct made her adopt the young wizard immediately, and she told him that he was welcome in their home, and that as a friend, he didn't need to bring presents. Joory pulled Greg's sleeve, and she offered to help.

Once she was in the kitchen, Greg told his hosts that Joory was the one who'd taken care of him after his mother left, and that she would have been delighted to take care of a large family.

Greg told them bits about his life and what he was doing to escape his father's clutches, and consequently, the Dark Lord.

Seraphin didn't know the Goyles, so he was the only one who wasn't prejudiced about Greg, and he understood the young wizard's tactics perfectly.

None of the Weasleys teased either Ron or Greg, they only got to know the Slytherin, and they were delighted to discover the true face of Ron's love interest. Molly was a bit sad that Greg would not get the grades he deserved for his N.E. , but Arthur pointed out that Greg could prove himself after the War, when he'd be truly free to do so.

Greg, and Joory, enjoyed the company more than any words could express. Being with the Weasleys meant being wrapped in love, warmth and fun.

The twins turned to their elder brothers and showed Greg what it meant to be related to them.

'So...' one of the two began.

'Don't you have stuff to share with the clan?' the other said.

'Of course, we could start with Bill, because he's the eldest of us...'

'But Charlie and Seraphin have been together for longer.'

'What can we do?'

'Indeed.'

'Mum, when you made those two, your magic must have decided to have fun with us all,' Bill declared.

'Oi! I was not the only one involved in their creation!' she exclaimed, pretending to be outraged.

'Was it some kind of experiment? Was that why you turned to Muggle things so that it would never happen again?' Charlie asked his father.

Greg was grinning widely. He loved Ron's family, nearly as much as he loved...

While Arthur acted as if he were scolding Charlie, Bill had whispered something in Fleur's ear, and she nodded.

'We have something to tell you,' Bill said louder than Arthur and Charlie.

The twins eagerly turned to face their eldest brother.

'You said "we",' Fred teased his brother.

Bill silenced his younger brother with just one look.

'We, indeed. Well, we're not going to get married, but Fleur and I have decided to move in together,' Bill said.

'That's a first step towards the legal parchments,' George pointed out.

Bill threw his napkin at George, who caught it and sent it back.

'Fleur, my dear, do not hesitate to kick my son if he doesn't obey you,' Arthur said.

'Bill is too nice for me to hurt him,' she answered, taking Bill's hand.

'Your English has improved tremendously since I last saw you at Hogwarts,' Greg finally said.

'Then, I was with my class-mates, and we spoke French between us. Now, I have no choice but to speak your language... and, yes, Bill is helping me a lot,' she said, smiling warmly.

They all let Joory bring them tea, and Seraphin turned to Molly and Arthur.

'Mr and Mrs Weasley,' Seraphin said, pale and shaking visibly, 'I would like to ask for your permission to ask for Charles's hand. I wish to marry him.'

Faster than any of them would have thought possible, Molly was up and hugging her soon-to-be son-in-law. Arthur stood next to his wife.

While the Weasleys and Fleur congratulated Charlie and Seraphin, Greg observed more closely the young couple. When Ron noticed what Greg was doing, he looked at Charlie.

Ron leant towards Greg and whispered, 'Do you think that it's possible?'

Greg nodded imperceptibly.

Charlie looked at Greg and said, 'You are truly amazing, Greg. It's a nice surprise.'

Charlie took Seraphin's hand and added, 'Do we tell them now?'

Seraphin shrugged and paled even more.

Charlie turned to his parents and said, 'Mum, Dad... I'm pregnant.'

Arthur sat on Fred's lap and gasped, 'Huh?'

'How?' Fleur wondered.

'It's my fault,' Seraphin said, practically sobbing. 'There's a curse in my family. I thought that since I was in love with Charlie, there was no danger, that the curse that made the members of my family extremely fertile would not affect us, but it looks as if the curse transformed Charlie.'

'Under the care of a good Healer, there should be no problem for your baby,' Greg said.

They all turned to him.

'If you ever need some witching energy, just contact me, and I'll Apparate to you in the wink of an eye,' Fleur said.

'Thank you!' exclaimed Charlie.

'How do you feel, Darling?' Molly asked her son.

'I can feel the magic of it in me.'

'What's bothering you?' Greg asked the pregnant wizard.

'I'm afraid that the magic might finally reject me for being male. I'm afraid to lose the baby,' Charlie admitted.

'There are at least two potions and five spells that aren't dangerous, and that you could use to secure your condition,' Greg answered.

All but Ron looked at him as if he had a collection of bats in the attic.

'Books have been the only toys I ever had,' Greg explained with a shrug. 'I could copy the recipes and spells that can be useful for you and send Joory over to you.'

'I'm sorry,' Seraphin apologized once more.

He found himself trapped between his fiancé and future mother-in-law.

'Don't be! I love the idea of having a family that'll be ours,' Charlie said.

Molly hugged them both, then she realized something and beamed.

'I'm going to be a grandmother!' she happily said.

'You wanted to marry Charlie because you wanted to make an honest husband of him before he becomes a parent,' George teased Seraphin.

Blushing this time, Seraphin said, 'The baby is just an opportunity. I want to spend my life with Charlie.'

'Leave Seraphin alone!' growled Charlie.

'Why should we treat him any differently from any of our other brothers?' Fred said.

Seraphin melted in Molly's arms, and Charlie beamed at the twins.

Greg chuckled.

'What?' purred Bill.

'It's strange, but I bet that Fred and George would not treat Professor Snape that way,' Greg said.

Fred looked at George, and the latter said, 'Well, if the circumstances were different, we would.'

'Be prepared, Slytherin!' Fred teased Greg.

Greg chuckled and declared that he'd love to be there the day the twins would treat the Head of Slytherin as one of their brothers.

'Aren't you afraid for yourself?' Bill teased Greg in his turn.

Greg shook his head, and Ron blushed slightly.

They all fussed around Charlie, and Greg sent Joory to fetch some of his books, because the Slytherin could see that Seraphin really feared that his curse was endangering the man he loved. To add to the strength of the spells, Fleur and Molly cast them, lending some natural female magic to Charlie.

Seraphin looked more than grateful.

While Fleur was talking to the twins about the new flat she and Bill would share, and while Charlie and Seraphin were planning their wedding with Molly and Arthur, Ron signalled Greg to follow him. When they were at the garden gate, Ron shouted that they were going for a stroll in the woods. The others were too busy to even think of commenting, or following the two youngest wizards.

'I love your family,' Greg said when they entered the woods behind the Burrow.

'You really impressed them.'

Greg stopped abruptly.

'Gregory?' Ron said, walking back to his friend.

'I...' Greg's voice trailed off.

Ron took Greg's hands in his.

'What is it?' Ron asked.

'I know Seraphin's curse.'

'How?'

Greg was silent, so Ron gently pressed Greg's hands to encourage him.

'My mother is a Român, too. She passed the curse onto me... That's the last thing she told me before leaving for good. She thought that I was so dumb that she explained everything in great detail. As long as I'm not the one topping, there's no danger with that problem,' Greg said.

'Your mother is a Român, and yet you're an only child?' Ron whispered gently.

Greg nodded.

Ron let go of Greg's left hand, and he tenderly cupped Greg's cheek.

'How could children be a curse? Since I understood that I prefer men, not being able to have children was the only thing that made me sad about my choice. It's not a curse you have, it's a blessing. Would you share it with me?' Ron said.

A deeply blushing Greg looked at Ron, who just realized what he'd said, and blushed in his turn.

Greg could see that Ron had spoken fast, but that he meant what he'd said. He closed the space between them, and for the first time held Ron in his arms.

They were almost the same size, and Ron snaked his right arm around Greg's neck while Greg wrapped his left around Ron's waist.

'You are a blessing, Ron,' Greg murmured in his friend's ear, and pecked his cheek.

Ron moved back slightly to look at Greg's face.

'I love you.'

'And I love you,' Greg whispered.

Ron slowly leant towards Greg and brushed his lips against Greg's.

Greg opened his lips, heart and soul.

When their lips finally parted, they had sealed quite a lot between them, even without a word.

They walked a bit and went back to the Burrow hand in hand.

None of the Weasleys, even those by proxy, commented on the young wizards silly grins.

Greg and Joory had to go back home - it was too dangerous to risk being discovered by Gregory's father, but they were both invited to come over whenever they pleased.

Late that night, Molly was in Arthur's arms when she reflected that their family was really strange. Five of her sons were happy, the sixth had betrayed them dearly, and there was her little princess, her only daughter, the apple of her eye.

Molly fell asleep wondering how Ginny was doing in the Forbidden Forest, and if she was getting along with her protector.

In fact, Ginny was not staying in a palace with Snape in the Forest, but she was rather enjoying her time with him.

Immediately after the other students had left, Snape went to see Dumbledore as was customary for him in the summer. As soon as he was out of the Headmaster's office, Snape went to fetch Ginny in Gryffindor tower. She had already packed her school books, some items of clothing fit for camping, a blanket and her cauldron. Snape went to his quarters to retrieve his own bag.

They walked silently into the Forest.

At one point, they came across some of the Centaurs. Swiftly and silently, Snape wrapped the both of them in the Invisibility Cloak he had taken from the Room of Requirement.

When the Centaurs were far away, he signalled Ginny to follow him, and they walked faster.

Finally they reached a clearing where Ginny could feel that some soothing magic was at work there.

'We're safe here, and I'm going to show you one of my secrets. Well, not exactly mine, but the reason I decided to settle here,' Snape said.

The clearing was nice, and Ginny could spot bushes that would provide them with berries. She could hear a stream nearby as well.

Snape led her to one side of the clearing, and in a ditch of some sort Ginny saw the opening that led into a small cave.

As soon as she stepped into the cave, Ginny felt safe.

She knew that it was strange to feel that, that strongly, inside the Forest, so she turned to Snape. He pointed at something that was glowing in the back of the cave.

'Gin, allow me to introduce you to the ward given to the grounds by Helga Hufflepuff,' he said.

Then, to Ginny's surprise, he addressed the ward, 'I brought you another refugee.'

The ward glowed brighter.

'This ward has been my only company for many summers,' he told her.

'Does it need something?' Ginny asked.

The ward glowed brighter again.

'Well, there is one thing that you might be able to give it. It never fully worked with me. It likes to offer nice dreams, but I've got too many ghosts within me, and I tend to have nightmares. Incidentally, if I wake you up because of one of my nightmares, you can retaliate any way you want. I promise I won't punish you when we're back at Hogwarts if you decide that you want to throw a bucket of cold water on me,' Snape said.

'Really?'

'Yes.'

Ginny addressed the ward and said, 'If you want to share something with me, you can try.'

Ginny discovered that from one summer to the next, Snape always kept some wood and dried moss ready. Some of the nights were cold, and not everything he found could be eaten raw, and sometimes a good fire was welcome. Moss was for the bed.

'I fear we'll have to collect some more. I'll have the fresh one,' he said as he showed her the grounds that were immediately protected by the ward.

'Unless the Ministry contacted you, and you forgot to tell me, your magic may be restricted, but I'm still on school grounds, so I can use magic freely. If I'm not mistaken, I can dry the moss in a flick of my wand,' Ginny said.

She walked past him and began to work for him. Snape was deeply surprised.

Over the following days, they worked together to have some supplies ready.

The blackberries were not ripe yet, but Ginny found one apple tree that Snape had never noticed before, and there were some raspberry bushes not too far away.

They found honey, wild carrots and garlic, dandelions and nettles. There were plenty of fish in the stream as well.

While Snape was catching trout, Ginny found black trumpets growing in the leak litter by the stream. She cooked fish and mushroom together, but she saved some mushrooms, which she threaded on a string and hung in their cave.

She also found some chanterelles and other mushrooms.

Ginny always managed to find new combinations so that Snape was never bored with their diet.

He asked her if he could leave her alone while he worked on his side, and after she promised not to leave the protection of the ward, he went on collecting plants and resuming his usual summer activities.

Ginny took to chatting with the ward, and she had the strange feeling that something of Helga Hufflepuff was still in that ward.

Ginny gathered some roots that she dried, alongside with some Jews Ear fungus that she found on an elder nearby, and giant puffballs that she ground to powder once dried.

At one point, she wondered if the ward was helping her, because she found a handful of early beech nuts, and there was a beehive nearby from which she could retrieve some honey to sugar the water in which she soaked them before dry roasting them and presenting them to Snape for dessert.

She sometimes found eggs, too.

Snape truly was amazed that she could cook so well with practically nothing - he'd been extremely surprised to see her use her school cauldron. Potions had taught her to thoroughly clean it, and Atty had added some magic before Ginny left the castle.

Snape brought some plants, but Ginny figured out that he was also doing something which he wasn't ready to mention. She reflected that he deserved some privacy, and she didn't ask him where he was going and what he was doing.

Snape had shown her their bathroom: a big pond that was heated by the sun and where some of the plants that grew nearby could be used as soap. The young witch saw that Snape's hair improved thanks to the lack of potions fumes. As a whole, he seemed to be rather at ease with Ginny. He even allowed her to fully see the extent of his fall and poverty when he let her mend his one and only shirt, the one that was not part of his school uniform, and that he first got when he was still a student himself.

They worked together to gather food, and Snape worked on his research, or whatever he was doing. Ginny worked on her sixth year textbooks, which McGonagall had delivered to her before she left the castle.

Hermione and Harry used Hedwig to send Ginny a copy of the Sunday Prophet, and Muggle books to entertain her and Snape in the evening.

They took to reading aloud, the ward glowing to provide them with light.

Much to Snape's surprise, because he was so used to solitude, they got along together well, maybe because they each respected the boundaries set by the other, and because they were actually listening to each other.

Their alliance took one more step towards friendship one night during a storm.

Snape had ventured out of their cave to get some more wood, and he came back drenched to the skin. Ginny had to fight with him to convince him not to be silly, undress and wrap himself in her blanket, which was the warmer of the two they had, while she took care of lighting the fire.

She had to convince him to keep her blanket for the night, but she succeeded.

When they went to bed, the storm was still raging.

Ginny fell asleep, and the ward gave her dreams about what she could do with her means to prepare to be Mrs Snape in about five months, and how she could help Snape.

Snape was brought back in his past, and the first nightmare he had since he'd brought Ginny there made him scream. He was back in his father's house, he was a child. He was hungry, cold. He'd been beaten by his father and shoved into the cellar. In spite of the raging storm, he could hear his mother scream, cry and beg.

He didn't really wake up. He felt warmth all around him, and soothing words were whispered in his ear. Soft hands caressed his brow and pushed his raven locks away from his face and neck. He was asleep again when Ginny saw in the faint glow of the ward the hideous scar that his hair hid on his neck.

She thought that he murmured, 'Mama,' but it might have been just a sigh.

When he woke up the next morning, he was in Ginny's arms. He was still wrapped in her blanket, and she had brought his to cover herself and him as well.

'What happened?' he asked.

'You had a nightmare, so I retaliated as you gave me permission,' she said, yawning fiercely.

'You should have woken me up.'

'In the Weasley family, we don't just wake up people who have a nightmare. We comfort them and take care of them. Now, I can see in your eyes that you disapprove, but you did tell me to act as I saw fit. Well, sorry, Severus, but I took care of you through that nightmare. Full stop. Now will you do something useful and put water to boil? I want my tea,' she said.

Snape had discovered that Ginny needed her cup of tea in the morning before he could have a truly coherent chat with her. It was already a near-miracle that she had explained that much.

Once their brew - black, sweetened with honey, and with tea leaves floating in their cups - was ready, he looked at her, and noticed that she didn't seem to mind too much having to rescue him from one of his nightmares.

'Thank you, Gin.'

'I wish I could have done more,' she said.

'You made it stop. I didn't have to spend the night in my own version of hell, thanks to you.'

'But I wish I could have prevented it.'

'You don't know how much your help means to me,' he said.

She hid a small smile behind her cup of tea.

During the following week, there was a storm each night, and soon after he fell asleep, Snape had a nightmare. Each time Ginny went from her side of the cave to his, and she wrapped him in more warmth. Thunder was triggering the bad dreams, and warmth was soothing him.

One bright day, Snape found Ginny rearranging their layers of moss together.

'What are you doing?' he asked.

'Well, since the weather doesn't seem to be about to improve, I might as well make my nights a bit more comfortable by having a bit more moss under me. Besides, we should share the two blankets. You may be relatively used to the cold in your dungeons, but that's no reason not to have warmth when you can have some here,' she explained.

'But I can't allow you to do that,' he protested.

'Sorry, but you did say I could do whatever I wanted if you had nightmares. Now I want to see if you have nightmares if I'm near you before you fall asleep.'

'It would not be proper. I appreciate that you comfort me, but... this,' he said, pointing at their new bed of moss.

'Severus,' she scolded him, 'at one point or another I've been sharing the beds of all my brothers. This is no different. You keep thinking of Yule, and you can't forget my date of birth, but that's really silly. I am not your daughter. I'm not even your cousin, well, except if you do take into account the one or two drops of blood we share through very distant relatives... I'm your ally, remember? I won't let you freeze and have awful nightmares if I can prevent it.'

He observed her silently.

She sighed and added, 'I don't want to invade your life. I want to do a tiny little something to thank and help you.'

He reflected that she was right. She was young, but she was his ally, and she was becoming a friend.

'I suppose I can't be worse than the twins,' he said.

Her victory made her smile, and she said, 'Well, you know, they tell the best bedtime stories... In fact the one who really was no fun at night...'

She stopped abruptly.

'Percy?' he tried.

She looked at him, her eyes were shining.

'Why did he have to become so stupid?' she asked.

'People can do silly things, Gin,' he said, extending his hands to her, and welcoming her into his arms.

She hugged him.

He could almost feel how much she trusted him thanks to that simple embrace.

'Gin?'

'Yes?'

'You told me why you followed Tom. One day, when I can utter those words again, I'll tell you why I became a Death Eater. Nothing is entirely black or white. Maybe you'll understand Percy,' he said.

'If you want to tell me, I'll be there, but you don't have to,' she said, tightening her grip on him.

He hugged her back and said, 'Lily was the first to whom I told that part of my story, even Dumbledore doesn't know. Then I told Theo. I'd like you to know the truth. Just not yet.'

'As you wish.'

He looked at her and finally noticed something.

'You grew up,' he chuckled.

'Oi! I'm not such a baby,' she said with a grin.

'No, you grew up. I hadn't paid attention,' he insisted.

'Oh! That would explain why my pair of jeans is a bit too short, I thought it was the herbs I used to wash them up,' she said, and then laughed heartily.

'I'll ask Hedwig to go and see Minerva, she'll take you shopping,' he said.

'Thank you.'

Snape caressed Ginny's hair.

'Which plants did you use?' he wondered.

'Um?'

'Your hair is so soft.'

She giggled and promised to share her recipe with him. It turned out that she had combined tips from Charlie and Neville.

Two days later, Snape and Ginny walked to the main gate of the castle where they had the pleasure to be welcomed by McGonagall and Theo.

Snape's friend had come to keep him company and have a chat with him while the Head of Gryffindor took Ginny to London.

Snape protested that he should accompany Ginny.

'This is girl stuff, Severus. I'll take care of Ginny. She's my charge,' McGonagall said.

'Is the "girl stuff" line supposed to frighten me?' he asked.

'Yes.'

'Then I'll just pretend that I am. Don't bring her back too late; we'll have to go back to our shelter,' he said.

The two Gryffindors walked into the castle to Floo to Diagon Alley, and Theo suggested a walk by the lake.

Theo asked her friend how he was getting along with Ginny.

'You know me too well,' Snape admitted as they sat together on the shore.

'So?' she asked.

'So, you were right.'

'About what?' she asked.

'I have everything to gain by making her my ally and my friend.'

'She's amazing, isn't she?'

'She is challenging, powerful, and interesting,' he said.

'I'm happy that you let her into your life.' She saw that he was about to protest, so she added, 'as a friend. She can become a steady friend, a guiding star in your life, if only you let her.'

'I guess she'll be delighted to be rid of me after the end of the war. Provided that we both survive, I'll just be someone who helped her. We'll meet from time to time, in Diagon Alley, or in Ministry celebrations - if they remember to invite me.'

'Sev.'

He turned to her, and he saw that she wasn't using their secret code lightly.

'What?'

'You've been alone for too long. Ginny is giving you her friendship now. She's a Gryffindor, and Molly's daughter. She's not planning to reject you when she no longer needs your protection. Don't be an ass, Severus. She's offering life-long friendship, not because you're saving her, but because she's grown to like you - at least what you've allowed her to see of the real you, not the spy for the Order,' Theo said.

'How do you know?'

'We had a chat once, and I didn't promise not to read her thoughts. I wanted to make sure that she was all right, and she trusts you more than she does her own brother, the Ministry puppet,' she explained.

'All this is going to change after Fudge forces me to marry her,' he nearly spat.

Theo rubbed her temples.

'My best friend is an idiot,' she growled, looking at the lake.

Snape was about to protest when she whirled to face him.

'Tell me, honestly, are you afraid for her or for yourself?' she asked.

'For her.'

'Why?'

'Look at me, Theo! No witch ever was interested in me; my father didn't even bother to betroth me! I know what the students say about me, how they see me. Why wouldn't she be disgusted by the way I look? I was twenty when she was born, for God's sake, and...' his voice trailed off.

'What is it that you fear?' she asked, more gently.

'What do I fear? Not much in fact. I got so used to considering all the Hogwarts students as my charges that I'm ecstatic at the mere idea of bedding one. But it might not be such an issue, because I'm feeling so disgusting that I'm not sure that I'll be physically able to do anything. Mind you, it's been so long since I last shared a bed with a woman that I may have forgotten how it works,' he growled.

They were friends, but Theo knew how much it had cost Snape to voice his fears.

'There's something you're forgetting,' she said.

He looked at her, waiting for her to go on.

'You are the one who can make her forget her first marking - whatever Riddle actually did to her. You have the opportunity to make her a stronger witch by being gentle and truly making love to her,' Theo explained.

'How could I do that?'

'I brought some of my Pillow Books back from home, I'll have an owl deliver them to you in September. I'll take the Kama Sutra back from Al, and I'll lend it to you as well.'

Snape felt himself blushing.

'That's not what I meant, but it might be useful, I agree,' he said.

'What did you mean?'

'She is becoming a friend. How could I betray her trust and use her for my pleasure?'

'If she is a friend, you'll make love to her, and you'll make her feel good,' Theo insisted.

'How could I do that to her?'

'I'd make love to you if it were to protect you. In fact, if you want me to help you, I'd do it, Severus.'

'I bet your husband would be delighted,' he said.

She cuffed the back of his head and answered, 'I would have no interest in a man who would not understand that I offer help to my best friend. Of course, it's unusual, but I could spend a night with you if you want.'

He snorted.

How could he believe that the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen - and his friend! - would spend a night with him?

The proof of the cake being in the eating, Theo grabbed Snape and kissed him to demonstrate that she was serious.

When she let go of his lips, the Potions master had been given a lesson in friendship, and a thorough tutorial in the art of kissing.

He was still panting and blushing furiously when she said again that he could do a lot for Ginny if only he stopped believing that he was bound to become the young witch's worst nightmare.

'I get your point. Your books will do, thank you. I'll skip the private lecture,' he said.

'If you change your mind,' she teased him.

'Theo!'

More seriously, she said, 'There's another thing that you must keep in mind.'

'What is it?'

'If she reacts positively to you and she wants to make you feel good, don't deny her that. If you can make love to her, allow her to make love to you if she wishes,' she said.

'All this is so strange,' he complained, shaking his head.

'Promise you'll share the night with her?'

'I'll do my best. That's all I can say,' he whispered.

She took his hand and they walked by the lake until Ginny ran out of the castle towards them.

Theo said goodbye, and Snape and Ginny walked back to their refuge.

When they reached the protection of the ward, they broke the silence that they had respected until then.

'I thought that you would come back with other clothes,' Snape said.

'Well, the T-shirts I brought here are mine, and they still fit, but the jeans were Hermione's. Minerva and I went to Muggle London to phone the Grangers', and Hermione is going to lend me another pair. By the way, she and Draco say hello,' she said.

'Minerva?'

'If I use her name in class, I'll get detention with Hagrid,' Ginny said.

'I guess you will not slip, then.'

'You bet! I've read which kind of creatures we're going to study next year, and I don't fancy taking care of them,' she said and pretended to shiver.

'Where did she take you shopping?' he asked.

'Well, as the Head of Gryffindor, Minerva was the one to whom the Ministry sent my allowance. We went to Gringotts', had the Galleons changed in pounds, and we went to the Muggle side of town. Thanks to Hermione, I knew where to go to shop for my school uniform. In fact, I've been able to save some money, and I bought things for you. I had Atty store them in your quarters,' Ginny said.

'Gin! I can't! Even Atty's magic can't allow me to accept what you brought. It would be deducted from my allowance,' Snape protested.

Ginny stopped abruptly and Snape had to walk a few steps back to her.

'I am your betrothed, right?' she growled.

He nodded and was about to protest some more, but Ginny didn't give him time to do so.

'The Ministry is limiting what you can have, but not what I can have if I buy it with what they give me. I'm yours, but according to our laws, since I'm to be a matriarch, you're mine as well, and you can use what I buy for you on my allowance, because it still belongs to me,' she snarled.

'Oh... My mother wasn't like you, and Theo was under Black's spells when I met her. I forgot. History of magic never was a subject I liked that much,' he said.

That was one of the best apologies Ginny would get and she knew it.

'I hope you'll like what I found for you,' she growled and stomped towards the cave.

Snape was utterly surprised to see her react that violently. He had the feeling that a cold thread was wrapping itself around his heart. She was nice with him, and he'd barked at her. Theo would have said that he'd been alone for too long, and that he no longer knew how to behave properly with those who were kind to him. Snape thought that he'd never known how to do that. Maybe Miss Ginevra Weasley was the perfect teacher for that.

Ginny almost ran back to the cave, and Snape had difficulties following her, which disturbed him, because for the first time in his life he feared that he'd been too unfair to someone who really didn't deserve it.

When he entered their shelter, Ginny was putting on a jumper. She ignored him and kept looking for something in her bag.

'What did you find for me?' Snape asked.

'Two simple things. One shirt for the summer, and one warmer for winter,' she said, still looking for something in her bag.

'Thank you,' he said.

'I really hope you'll like them. I chose them in white. I was tempted to try eggshell, but you can use them with your school uniform if you want,' she said, practically diving in her bag.

'That's very thoughtful. I should have known that you'd take our conditions into account before doing anything. I shouldn't have barked at you,' he insisted.

'Severus, I'm not giving you the cold shoulder. I'm really looking for something I can't find,' she said.

'Are you?'

'Yes.'

'Can I help you?' he wondered.

'Could you lend me your jacket for a few minutes, please?'

He took it off and deposited the item of clothing on Ginny's shoulders.

'Are you cold?' he asked, suddenly fearing that she might be sick. 'How do you feel?'

She smiled.

'I'm a bit cold, but it'll pass as soon as I find my pills,' she said.

'Are you unwell?' he asked, really concerned now.

'No, it's just that time of the month,' she stated.

While she looked for the medication that would get her rid of the cramps and feeling of cold, he lit a fire and wrapped her in their two blankets. He even called Atty and asked the house-elf to bring some chocolate for Ginny.

'You don't have to do all this,' Ginny said. 'It looks like you're trying to make amends, but I'm the one who practically barked at you.'

'You were justified.'

'No, I wasn't.'

'I thought you were not capable of helping me. That was unfair,' he said.

She wrapped the blankets around her and shook her head.

He brought her a cup of water for the medication that she had finally found at the bottom of her bag, and he gave her the piece of chocolate Atty had stolen from the kitchens of the castle.

After a long silence, they simultaneously said, 'This was no way to treat a friend.'

They looked at each other and laughed heartily.

When they stopped laughing, Ginny looked at Snape and said, 'You had one of those chats with Theo.'

'You had one with McGonagall,' he stated.

She nodded.

She looked away when she said, 'I trust you. I'm just afraid for you.'

'And I for you,' he answered as gently as he could.

'To conclude, we're both silly,' she pointed out.

'I cannot be silly, I'm the Head of Slytherin,' he joked.

She giggled, chuckled, and laughed.

'Ouch! Don't make me laugh so hard. It hurts,' she said.

He sat next to her and took her in his arms.

'Cramps?' he inquired.

'Yes, but it'll pass in five minutes. The pills I made are very efficient.'

He slowly placed one hand on her belly, so that she could protest if she wanted. She accepted his help and he rubbed her belly.

She put her head on his shoulder and let him help her.

When she started feeling better, she placed her hand on his.

'Thank you,' she whispered, eyes closed. 'Can we stay like this a couple of minutes? I'll make our dinner momentarily.'

'Not tonight. I'll take care of everything,' he offered.

'That's very kind of you, but I'm completely fine now, and I'm not letting you anywhere near my mushrooms,' she said.

Snape was surprised, but he let her prepare their evening meal.

Over their customary evening cup of tea, Snape finally found enough courage to ask her if McGonagall had not bothered her too much.

Without sharing what had passed between them and their respective advisors, they managed to tell each other that they'd got useful tips - apparently, Snape had decided to consent to treat Ginny as a true friend, and she was beginning to act as a true matriarch whose duty it was to protect her family.

For the first time that night, Snape slept with Ginny in his arms, instead of the other way around.

They stayed together the next day and Snape didn't go away from their refuge. He helped Ginny with her school work and with the gathering of supplies.

Their friendship grew steadily, and they truly enjoyed their time together.

Their peace was disrupted when Voldemort summoned Snape.

'I want you to stay near the ward. I guess the Dark Lord needs me to help him with something. The last time he called me, I stayed only a couple of hours. Don't venture out, it's too dangerous,' he said.

Ginny grabbed her bag and took Snape's ring in it. It was kept on a chain that belonged to Ron. She handed the ring to him and said, 'I won't move, and you do keep in mind that I'll be with you wherever you're called.'

'Thank you, Gin,' he said, placing the ring on his right hand.

'Now, run to the castle,' she said, handing him the Invisibility Cloak.

'Thank you, but I don't want to risk anyone but you knowing about that Cloak,' he said.

Before he realized what he was doing, he kissed her brow, like he did with Theo. He swiftly ran out to obey one of his masters.

Ginny smiled, but she began to fear for Snape as soon as he disappeared in the forest.

He'd told her what Voldemort had asked of him the last times he'd been summoned. He had even told her about some of the things active Death Eaters did.

She hoped that Voldemort only wanted to ask Snape for information.

She gathered some berries for dessert, but it was not enough to keep her from thinking of Snape and what he might be facing. She went back to the cave and spoke to the ward; it had looked strange when he had addressed it the first day, but now she understood how soothing a chat with the ward could be. Of course, it could not answer directly, but it always found a way to convey emotions.

Finally, she called Atty and the elf decided to keep her company until Snape came back.

Atty encouraged Ginny to do something, but she was not in the mood to go and find food, and she could not concentrate on her school books, so she turned to the Sunday Prophet, and read aloud for the ward and Atty.

Hours passed and there was no sign of Snape, so Ginny asked Atty to go back to the castle and let her know when Snape returned.

Ginny lit a fire and started cooking their meal.

The sun began to set, and there was still no sign of him.

The ward glowed, as if to encourage Ginny to eat something, even if she were alone, but she could not.

She stubbornly glared at the entrance of the cave.

She put a spell on her cauldron of soup, and she tended to the fire.

As the sun disappeared behind the trees, Ginny had an epiphany. For the first time since Fudge had decided to take new measures, or maybe even since Tom had tricked her, she was not afraid for herself. Now she could admit, at least to herself, that she had always feared for her safety, even with Snape's protection, but today the only thing she wanted was to see Snape come back safe and sound. She would even be happy if he were so angry when he came back that he'd give her detention with Filch for no reason.

Snape's well-being had become more important than anything.

Atty found herself in Ginny's arms as soon as she told the witch that Snape was back.

The house-elf felt that Ginny really considered her as a friend, and she was deeply touched. She was thrilled with Ginny's feelings for her; it made her feel truly alive.

'Is he making his report to the Headmaster?' Ginny asked.

'Atty see Professor Snape walks down for a change,' she said.

Ginny could easily imagine that Snape would not like to keep his Death Eater attire on upon his coming back. After changing back into his summer clothes, he would go and see Dumbledore, and the Headmaster would recast the Ministry spell used to monitor the Potions master.

'What time is it?' Ginny asked Atty.

'One.'

Ginny reflected that it was too late for Snape to walk through the Forest, and she thought that he'd go to sleep in his quarters and come back to her in the morning.

Now that she knew that her friend was back, Ginny felt a bit hungry, and she invited Atty to share her meal if she wanted. The elf was not hungry, but she accepted the invitation nonetheless.

Ginny was about to give a handful of blackberries to Atty when she heard galloping, and then a scream.

Ginny recognized Snape's voice.

His scream chilled her, and she grabbed her wand and ran out.

She growled "Lumos" as she went towards the sounds she could hear.

In a small clearing on the Centaurs' territory, Snape was surrounded by four male Centaurs, who were threatening him.

Snape was lying on the ground, and the Centaurs were debating how they should kill him.

'What do you think you're doing?' yelled Ginny.

'Look! Another one dared invade our forest!' the leader barked.

'Your forest? You are not the only ones living here!' Ginny said, walking towards Snape.

'How dare you bring your filthy magic where we live?' another one said.

'Oh, shut up, you twat!' Ginny snarled. 'We're two refugees here, and you know it perfectly well.'

'That one,' the leader said, pointing at Snape, 'bears the mark of the Dark One, and you belong to him.'

'Oh, that's how you treat people? You are prejudiced. You're just as nice as the plonkers from the Ministry who sent us here to seek refuge. Well, I have a bit of news for you, Mister, you don't get to kill Severus. He's mine!' she shouted.

Snape knelt on the ground.

'Go away, Ginevra,' he said, wishing for her to go back to safety.

He thought that if he tried to Apparate to the cave, Hufflepuff's ward might protect him, but he could not escape the Centaurs if Ginny was there.

Something Snape had not expected happened. Ginny handed her wand to Snape, and she walked to the leader. She radiated so much power that the Centaur took a step backwards, but he was not fast enough, and she slapped him.

'He's mine, and I forbid you to touch him. If anything happens to him, I swear that I'll hunt you down, and I'll deal with your lot, and believe me, I won't need magic to make my point. Now sod off!' she yelled.

'She's fire,' one of the Centaurs said.

The three who were not near Ginny fled, while their leader was wondering what was going on. Finally, retreat sounded like a good option.

As soon as they were alone, Ginny threw herself into Snape's arms and hugged him as if he were coming back from hell.

'How are you?' she asked.

'You saved me,' he whispered, more to himself than to her.

She stood up and helped him up.

'Did they hurt you?' she asked.

'No, in fact, I fell when I ran to escape them,' he said, giving her back her wand.

'I won't have to kill them, then, arrogant idiots. Let's go back to the cave,' she said, taking his hand.

'You saved me,' he repeated.

'Are you all right?' she wondered, suddenly realizing that it was something really stupid that Snape had just done.

He nodded, but she didn't believe him.

'Darling?' she said, using their code.

'I could not stand to stay in my quarters,' he finally said.

'Why?'

'Let's go back to the ward, and I'll tell you,' he said, clutching her hand, without registering what he was doing.

'Did the Dark Lord hurt you?'

'No. Let's go back home, Gin.'

He felt her magic soothing him. He remembered his chats with Theo, and he intertwined his fingers with Ginny's.

Ginny felt terribly sad because "home" for Severus Snape was a small cave in the Forbidden Forest. She vowed to hex Fudge to the moon and back if she survived the war and she was freed.

Back in the cave, Ginny asked Atty if she could go and steal some chocolate for Snape, and the elf dissolved immediately.

'Are you cold?' she asked.

He shook his head.

She placed her cauldron of soup back on the fire.

'Don't,' he said, 'I couldn't eat it.'

'Did you have dinner wherever you went?' she asked.

'No.'

'Then you're going to have a spoonful of soup, or two, and at least a bite of what Atty will bring,' she ordered.

Since his mother, Ginny was the first to really take care of him. Theo never had the opportunity to bond that deeply with him, and McGonagall had a life of her own outside Hogwarts.

Snape tried to do as Ginny wished, but he could not swallow much.

'Do you want to rest, or do you want to talk about what happened?' she offered.

'It was an unintelligent thing to do not to stay in Hogwarts, but for once, the Headmaster's lack of concern for someone he doesn't need made me overreact. I'm not even certain that I'm going to be able to rest,' he said.

'What happened?'

'One of my Slytherins will not come back.'

'Who?'

'Pansy.'

Ginny rubbed her brow and said, 'I'm sorry. Was she forced to accept?'

'No, she considered it a great honour to be given to the Dark Lord.'

She went to sit next to him and took one of his hands.

'Considered? Past tense?' she pointed out, caressing his hand.

He sighed and said, 'If Malfoy had not said that none of us were worthy enough to witness his claiming of his wife, I would still be there, watching one of my charges being enslaved through spells and charms. Pansy realized that she wouldn't be his wife, but merely his broodmare.'

'I am so sorry, Severus,' she said.

She took him in her arms, and he didn't even protest, which showed how tired he felt.

'You should try to rest, now. There's nothing you can do,' Ginny said.

That seemed to trigger something in him.

'There's one thing I can do,' he said.

'What?' she wondered, hoping that it wasn't something that would endanger him.

'I want to free you of the mark I transformed. I'd like to do that for you; thus, if I die, you'll have a chance. Besides, I don't want to leave that on you. May I?' he asked.

'You cannot use High Magic, or the Ministry is going to have you executed,' she said.

'If I were to use my wand, but not if I use the ward. May I free you?'

She felt that he needed to do something against Riddle, even if it were only symbolical.

Snape found himself with Ginny in his arms. He noticed that she hugged him the way she hugged her friends and her brother at school, and he wrapped his arms around her.

'You're always the one helping me,' Ginny whispered in his neck.

Snape caressed her hair and whispered, 'And pray, Miss Gin, what did you do for me but a moment ago?'

She slightly moved backwards to be able to look at him.

'Friends?' she said.

'Friends.'

They were still holding each other when Atty came back with a whole chocolate cake.

'Could you help me?' Snape asked the elf.

She looked at him with a strange light in her eyes, and then said, 'Yes, Master.'

'You don't have to bind yourself to me, Atty,' he protested.

'She's our friend, too,' Ginny said.

Atty nodded fervently.

Snape sighed and said, 'You don't have to, but if this is what you wish, I accept, and I am honoured.' Then he looked at the ward and asked, 'Will you help me, Helga?'

The ward glowed warmly. The witch had really left something of her soul to protect the school grounds. She'd had plenty of time to weigh Snape's motivations, and during his second summer there he had told his entire story to the ward - that had been the only thing that he had found to keep himself from becoming mad because of his condition as detainee, and puppet of two masters.

It was likely that their clothes would be singed by the surge of energy generated when Snape would resort to High magic, and he didn't know what to do. It was Atty who presented her master and his friend with cloaks made of leaves. Turning their backs to each other, they both fully undressed and wrapped themselves in the cloaks.

Ginny lay down on her belly near the ward, and Snape knelt next to her.

'If it's painful for you, tell me, and I'll stop,' he said.

She looked at him over her shoulder and nodded.

He placed his left hand on the mark he'd made his not a year ago, and he begged the magic in the ward to help him free an innocent witch.

The last things he remembered when he woke up in Ginny's arms were that he'd felt the warmth of Helga Hufflepuff wrapping around him, and a blinding light.

Ginny was wearing the T-shirt she slept in, and he was wrapped in her soft blanket.

There was no sign of the cloaks Atty had made for them.

'Atty checked that you were all right, and she's the one who covered you after the leaves burnt. I've been a perfect lady with you,' she said, giving him some water and caressing his hair.

He leant on her and tried to speak.

She knew what he wanted to know, so she said, 'Don't tire yourself. It worked. Your betrothed has perfect skin; there's no sign of any kind of mark.'

He smiled.

Atty walked back into the cave with a handful of herbs and she walked straight to Snape. Only then did he notice that his right hand was burnt. Atty healed him with elfish magic.

It was very late, and Snape surrendered to sleep.

Atty and Ginny looked at each other. Neither needed words to know that they both only wished for him to rest quietly.

Neither dared to hope that the day when he would be fully free would come soon.

At dawn, Snape woke up with a start. He was in Ginny's arms, and she lulled him back to sleep.

When they both woke up some hours later, they noticed that Snape's right hand was a bit sore, in spite of Atty's cure.

While Ginny prepared their breakfast, Snape tried to estimate how long he'd be unable to fully use his hand.

'I can help you in whatever it is that you're doing,' Ginny offered.

'Of course, but I was planning to show you what I've been doing the past weeks the day before we had to go back to Hogwarts. I meant it to be a surprise for you,' he said.

'A surprise for me?' she said.

'There is something that I discovered when I came here. Each summer I've been working on that, and I'd like you to have it. There is no logic in my giving you that whatsoever, because our agreement is but a sham, and yet, I feel bound to give you what I've found,' he said.

'What is it?' she wondered.

'Gold. There's gold in the stream, and I'm panning for it. There is not much I found, but it's already more than the money I've been able to save from my allowance, and it must be yours,' he declared.

'It's not because you're a Pureblood that you have to respect that tradition. You've been working for years to gather that gold. It should remain yours,' she said.

Ginny saw that her words moved him, but she didn't know why.

'There is something I must tell you, and I might as well do so now,' he said, paling significantly.

'That thing only Lily and Theo know about?' she said.

He nodded, paling even more.

'You don't have to, Severus,' she said.

'It's simple, Gin. I am not a Snape by blood. I am not a Pureblood.'

She remained silent, as if to encourage him to speak.

'Well?' he said.

'Am I supposed to be disappointed or anything, Severus? If I were Lucius Malfoy or his iceberg of a wife, maybe I would find the information interesting, but the amount of magical blood in your veins is something of no interest to me. It's you I like, not whoever begot you,' she said.

He closed his eyes and told his tale.

The man he had always considered his father had been repeatedly exposed to too much Dark magic and he could not father a child. When his wife suggested that they adopt a baby, he decided to steal one. He used more Dark magic, and found a Muggle couple who was expecting a wizard. As soon as the child, Severus, was delivered, he killed the parents and got rid of their bodies. No one would bother him within the wizarding community, and he had an heir.

Unfortunately for Severus, he never was enough for his father. The child was brilliant, but he was a bit of an ugly duckling, and at a very early age, Snape's father began to punish him and his wife for suggesting something that was not what he wanted exactly. Snape got the scar on his neck the day his father told him that he was a Muggle-born, and that he was nothing in their world. Snape kept that scar as a reminder.

Snape worked hard, but his father never was satisfied.

Snape even begged the Sorting Hat to make him a Slytherin when he should have been a Ravenclaw.

Years went by and nothing changed for Snape, but the day the old wizard told him that there was one thing that would prove that he was an obedient son, Snape agreed to do anything to please his father. On the very same evening, he was marked by Voldemort.

A few weeks afterwards, his father died, and he discovered that he had been handed over to Voldemort because he was a young Potions master, and that his father really had never cared for him. He'd been a pawn.

It was just another betrayal in his life.

His mother could not live without her husband, and she followed him in death soon after.

Snape found himself alone.

'You have Theo and me,' Ginny said as she slithered into his arms.

He sighed and said, 'Theo will leave as soon as she can.'

'Am I so insignificant?' Ginny murmured.

He opened his eyes and saw how much he'd hurt her with just one sentence.

'You might wish to leave as well,' he said.

'My life is here. Unlike Theo, I have no reason to flee. I am your friend until you dismiss me,' she declared.

Again, it was time to treat her as a friend.

'I'll never betray you, or reject you, Gin. Never,' he promised.

She pecked his cheek, and that made him smile.

'What?' she asked.

'You make me think of a blend between Lily and Theo,' he explained.

'What!' she pretended to exclaim, 'Nothing of Minerva?'

'Ah! Maybe, but I don't know her well enough,' he said.

Ginny smiled widely.

After breakfast, Snape led her to the stream and he showed Ginny the gold he'd found.

'If you tell me what you do, I could even help you,' she said.

He showed her how he usually proceeded, and she worked in the stream while he sat on a fallen tree.

'Can I come and help you here now?' she asked.

'Of course, and if you want, I could help you with the gathering of food supplies,' he offered. He saw that she was about to add something, and he said, 'I'll let you cook our meals. I know... The mushrooms are yours.'

She chuckled and said, 'I see you understand how to survive in a Weasley kitchen.'

'I could help you more with your school work if you want,' he said.

'Thanks, but I'm going to just enjoy being here with you. I've read all my books for next year thrice, I've done all my homework, which you checked, and that's enough. I need some rest.'

'As you wish.'

She worked in silence for a while and then went to sit next to him.

'What's bothering you? That Pansy is lost? That the Headmaster doesn't give a damn? What's wrong?' she asked.

'I'm a spy and a fraud. My life is one huge lie. If you want to ask me questions, I'd answer as best as I could.'

'Do you want to know who you are to me?' she proposed.

He nodded, but he wasn't sure of what she was going to tell him.

'You are Severus Snape. My Potions master - even though your teaching methods are a bit sharp, you're good in that field. You are the one member of the Order of the Phoenix who risks his life by spying on Voldemort and his followers. You are the only one who protected me. You don't treat me as a child - well, not too much,' she teased him.

He smiled.

With all the candour of her years, she added, 'You are my friend. What you did before I was born, or whose blood is coursing through your veins are things of no interest to me.'

'If it ever changes, I'd understand.'

She playfully punched his arm.

He took her chin in his left hand, and pretended to look for something in her face.

'My! Maybe those Centaurs were right, and I should nickname you Fire Gin,' he said.

She slightly blushed.

'Severus?'

He could feel that she was about to ask him something important.

'Yes?'

'When do you think the War is going to end?' she asked.

'After Harry's eighteenth birthday, when the magic that still protects him, even though he no longer resides with his aunt, no longer prevents Location charms from being used to find him,' he answered.

'What's going to happen after?' she asked so softly that it practically was a whisper.

'Nothing can be planned, because we must wait to know how the Ministry is going to treat those it deemed dangerous once the Dark Lord is killed. There is one thing I can promise you, though, it's that I'll do exactly what you ask from me,' he said.

'How can you be sure that Harry is going to win?'

'Because he wants to escape this madness and rescue the man he loves. The Dark Lord does not stand a chance,' Snape said.

Ginny checked how his hand was healing, and then she went back to work, her head spinning with questions.

On September, 1st, Snape and Ginny put the last touches to the supplies they would need the following summer. This time, there was not only wood and moss, but also some food supplies on which Ginny put a very strong spell to preserve them.

Snape asked Ginny to reduce significantly the size of a dozen logs, and once they were the size of matches, he placed them in his pocket in preparation of their wedding night.

They walked hand in hand and in silence until they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Then she reluctantly let go of his hand.

Hagrid wasn't in his home, but Fang greeted them happily.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Pratchett were at the door of the castle, waiting for them.

'Good afternoon!' the two female professors greeted them.

'Good afternoon,' they answered simultaneously.

'You're right on time for the staff meeting, Professor Snape,' Pratchett said.

'As usual. I'll dash to my quarters and put my uniform on,' he said, and then he turned to Ginny and said, 'I believe you have a Potions essay to write, Miss Weasley.'

'Yes, Professor,' Ginny answered.

Snape disappeared inside the castle.

The two elder witches looked quizzically at Ginny.

She chuckled and said, 'He really gave me an essay. I lost a bet.'

'You had a nice summer, then,' Pratchett said.

'Yes, Professor,' Ginny answered.

'Will you tell us what the bet was if we bribe you with a cup of tea after the staff meeting?' McGonagall asked.

'I'll have tea with you if you want, but I'll keep my secret,' Ginny said with a grin.

'Why don't you go to your dorm to change into your school clothes and then wait for us in my office?' McGonagall suggested.

'Yes, Professor,' Ginny answered.

The young witch went to her house, and her two teachers reflected that in spite of the unusual circumstances, Snape and Ginny might end up being good allies, however different they were.

Meeting and tea were uneventful, and at night, the students arrived.

Even though her friends had owled her, Ginny was delighted to see them again. It was one thing to hear from them in letters, and another to see Draco Malfoy tanned like a muffin and reading a Muggle book at the Slytherin table, or finally getting to see pictures of Charlie and Seraphin's engagement, or Bill and Fleur's flat.

It took them the entire meal to share mere summaries of their adventures.

Ron and Hermione were facing the Slytherins, deeply sad to be so close of the ones they'd come to love, and not able to be with them.

Ginny was in front of them, and sometimes she looked at Snape. The small portions she could see on his plate made her sad and angry. She wished she could share her plate with him, but she knew he'd never agree to that, arguing that he was used to his diet, and that she was still growing up.

Ginny knew that she could do nothing yet, but one day she would avenge her friend.

There was one thing that had occurred during the summer that Hermione had waited to announce when all her friends would be around her, and it touched Ginny.

Right after dinner, Gryffindors and Slytherins went to the Room of Requirement.

As soon as the door closed behind the students and the Heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin, Draco laughed heartily.

'Oh! Do shut up, Draco!' Hermione said, but all could see that she was about to laugh as well.

'What is it that you have to share with us all?' Al asked.

Harry would not tell his friend, but Al did have some traits in common with his biological father. Harry looked at Snape, and they shared a look that showed that they were both thinking of Sirius at that moment.

'Well, it is not much - and it's far from being bad - but something funny happened at home just before we left,' Hermione said.

She turned to Draco, who was still chuckling, and she shook her head.

'Would you tickle him for me, Greg, please?' she asked.

'Your wish is my command, Dame Hermione,' Greg said.

Vincent grabbed Draco, and Greg briefly obeyed Hermione.

'Yesterday, Mum almost fainted in the kitchen when she came down for breakfast,' Hermione said.

'Is she all right? Did she hurt herself?' Ron asked.

'She's fine. In fact, an inch from the floor, she began to float,' Hermione said.

'Huh?' Harry said.

'Her Mum must be pregnant,' Ron explained.

'Oh!' Harry exclaimed.

'Pregnant with a magical child,' Snape added.

'And a very powerful one,' Vincent commented.

'Not necessarily. The magic of the child just protected Mrs Granger,' McGonagall commented.

'It's so recent that the Healer we saw at St Mungo's could not even say for sure if it's going to be a witch or a wizard,' Draco said, grinning happily.

'It must be strange for you,' Snape commented.

'A bit, but it's great,' Hermione said.

'Next year, we'll be baby-sitting our brother,' Draco said, beaming.

'Have you got a bet going on with your betrothed, Mr Malfoy?' Snape asked.

'Of course, sir,' Draco said.

They all told Hermione to send their congratulations to her parents, and McGonagall even offered to call at the Grangers' to check the condition of the mother-to-be.

Some weeks later, the Head of Gryffindor was able to tell their group that Draco had won the bet, and that Hermione would have a brother in a few months. Draco blushed furiously, and they all wondered what the blond had won. Hermione blushed a bit as well.

After they left the Room of Requirement, Snape invited Draco into his office, and he advised the young wizard to take his time with his fiancée, even if he'd won their bet. Draco asked him if he'd read his mind, but Snape had just used logical deduction. Both wizards had a long chat, and Draco pointed out that he was not ready to further their relationship beyond kisses, yet. Draco rubbed his mark on his left forearm and told his Head that Hermione was wondering if he was all right. He excused himself and went to see Hermione.

Snape was left to wonder how it felt to be so completely connected to someone.

He thought of the books Theo was lending him.

He thought of Ginny.

He looked at the parchments the Ministry had sent, giving him instructions on the spells he was allowed to use to legally bind his wife to him.

He looked at the calendar and shivered. Next month, Arthur and Molly would give him their daughter in marriage.

Theo worked a lot to make sure that Percy would not bother her friends. She spied on the young wizard under the influence of Polyjuice, and she noticed in early December that Percy truly looked like a wreck. She was delighted that on some level, Percy understood the full repercussion of his betrayal.

Theo was certain that she'd have no problem controlling Percy during their Witnessing.

Ginny's friends all decided not to go home for the Christmas break. There was nothing that they could do, but they'd be there to show Fudge that they were against him and his stupidity.

The weekend before the holiday, there was a Gryffindor against Slytherin Quidditch game. Harry and Draco could see through Snape's mask, and he looked positively shaken as his wedding day approached. The two Seekers plotted together to give something to their mentor, and they both chased the Snitch in such a way that the golden ball flew towards the Head of Slytherin, who was sitting at the top of the terraces. Snape caught the Snitch, and the victory was attributed to his house.

Harry had to face some of his team-mates who were disappointed.

'What?' Harry yelled, acting perfectly. 'It's the second time in seven years that I didn't catch the Snitch, and you bark at me? You've got a nerve! It's not my fault if that bloody ball flew so close to the terraces that Snape caught it!'

Some apologized, others fought not to laugh.

Harry was walking back to the castle alone when Dumbledore joined him.

'What happened, Harry?' he asked.

'When, sir?'

'Why did you manage to lose this game?' Dumbledore asked.

'Why would I let Slytherin win? It's a question of House pride,' Harry said, perfectly faking outrage.

'It's been a long time since I last had the pleasure of offering you a cup of tea,' Dumbledore said.

'Well, Voldemort has been pretty quiet, sir, and beside Remus, I have no family left who might get in trouble with the Ministry, and Tonks is protecting him. That leaves only my friends, but there's nothing that can be done. There is no reason for me to go and bother you, sir,' Harry said.

'You might come just for a chat, Harry,' Dumbledore offered.

'Actually, sir, the only thing I have on my mind is a certain wedding, but we all know that nobody will cross the Minister this time. Now, if you'll excuse me, sir, it's a bit too cold for my taste out here,' Harry said, cold sarcasm dripping from his lips.

'Maybe...'

Harry whirled around, facing Dumbledore. Harry's expression was blank, and Dumbledore could not insinuate his mind into Harry's.

'Sir?'

Dumbledore was taken aback.

Harry waited for thirty seconds and said, 'Well, sir, I guess I'll go back to truly important things, like helping a friend with the rituals for her wedding.'

Dumbledore found himself alone on the snowy lawn.

He knew that this time he'd really gone too far.

As soon as the students had left to return to their homes, Fudge Floo'ed in with Percy and was followed by the Weasleys, Fleur, and Theo.

'This is a family matter, Minister,' McGonagall said.

'This is not a normal wedding,' Fudge answered.

'I knew you'd say that,' Molly growled.

Fudge was about to retort something when an Auror Floo'ed in and informed the Minister that his wife wanted to see him immediately.

Fudge was forced to leave Hogwarts, but he ordered Percy to represent him.

They all turned to Percy, and he said, 'I'll do nothing. I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I swear that I'll find a way to make amends.'

'You can use my office,' McGonagall offered.

McGonagall and Molly had shared a look that showed that Fudge's departure was not a coincidence.

'Who do you want to assist you, Ginny?' Snape asked.

'Mum and Minerva,' she answered.

'Which means that I will give you to Severus,' Arthur said.

'That's all right with you, Dad?' Ginny asked.

'Of course, Sweetie,' Arthur said, taking her in his arms.

In the private ceremony for which they had opted, they needed one of Ginny's parents to give her to her husband, and two witnesses each for the bride and groom.

'And you, Severus?' Molly asked gently.

He looked around and at Ginny. She had chosen her mother to stand for family, and Minerva for mentor and friend.

Theo was an obvious choice because she was his friend, but naming his second witness was trickier. Al was his godson, Harry was his protégé, and Snape knew that both wizards would love to stand by him that day.

Yet, there was one detail that Snape had to take into account. If the Weasleys accepted his help, it was time to accept their alliance.

'Theo and William will be my witnesses,' Snape said.

Bill, Charlie, the twins and Ron looked at Snape, and beamed.

They all walked to McGonagall's office, except Percy, who meant to stay behind.

Snape was holding Ginny's hand, and they both turned around just a few feet away. Snape squeezed Ginny's hand, and nodded.

'Oi! Stupid, we're still blood-related, move your arse over here, or I'll find more pretty names to call you,' Ginny said.

Percy looked at her with tears in his eyes. He opened his mouth, but Ginny held out her hand.

'I'm still angry, so keep your mouth shut, and keep in mind that it's Professor Snape who suggested that I should forgive you,' she said.

He nodded, the movement making his tears spill over.

Only Arthur, Ginny, Snape and their witnesses entered the office.

'Though all this is but an act to save our daughter, Professor Snape,' Arthur said, 'we all want you to know that you'll always be our friend, and we'll be eternally grateful.'

Molly nodded.

'In short, we're gaining a brother, even if it's not through a real wedding,' Bill added.

Snape slightly bowed.

The legal parchments were signed rapidly, and when Arthur handed them to his daughter, he said that it was mainly a deepening of their alliance.

Snape looked positively upset, so they all shared some of their strength with him when they shook hands with him, as was the tradition.

Snape had to kiss Ginny to seal their binding, and they were left alone in McGonagall's office.

'Maybe I should have chosen Poppy,' Ginny said.

'Why?' Snape asked.

'Severus, you look dreadful. If this is too much,' she began.

He placed his fingers on her lips and invited her to sit down on McGonagall's sofa.

'I admit that I am somewhat shaken, but it's because of the lack of privacy,' he said.

'We knew it,' she pointed out.

He slowly nodded.

'I have a few things for you. I am not respecting the traditions, but I figured that you wouldn't mind,' he said.

She tilted her head.

In one of his pockets, he fished for the small notebook in which he used to write down his expenses. There was a brand new black ribbon wrapped around it.

'The ministry might pester you if I don't do this. You are the mistress of the house, so you are to keep the books and keys. Unfortunately, there is no key, but you have the proper kind of ribbon - for once, Draco knew more about this than I did,' Snape said.

She caressed the ribbon and thanked him. It was completely useless, but extremely thoughtful.

He also took a piece of cloth in which he kept most of his savings.

'Up to now, I've been able to save very little money. I know that the amount is insignificant, and that it is highly improper to give you an offering before we have even bound, but I want you to have this,' he said, placing the cloth in her hands. 'It's in Sickles and Knuts, but there are four Galleons.'

After buying the ribbon and giving her most of his savings, the extent of Snape's personal fortune came to nine Sickles.

It was not much in monetary value, but Ginny appreciated that offering more than she would have had it been a million Galleons.

'I don't deserve a protector like you,' she gasped, deeply moved.

'Don't be silly, Gin!' he feebly scolded her.

She pocketed his gifts, and moved to sit on his lap. It was when she noticed slight changes in him. His clothes looked relatively in a better condition, and his skin and hair looked nicer. He spotted her looks.

'The Room of Requirement can be extremely useful,' he said.

'Who summoned it for you, so that the Ministry didn't discover what you were planning to do?' she asked, snaking an arm around his neck.

'Draco,' he said.

'Boy! Did he change!' she exclaimed.

Snape nodded again.

Ginny didn't want to scare him, so she let him fasten their bond at his own pace.

She felt that he was about to apologize for what he had to do, so in her turn, she placed her fingers on his lips, and shook her head..

He took her hand, and kissed her fingertips.

She smiled.

He thought that if Theo had been able to kiss him, he should be able to kiss his latest friend, Ginevra Snape.

For Snape, it was almost as if he could taste her trust on her lips, and she melted against him, completely at ease with him.

Snape hoped that the rest of the evening and night would be moderately like that.

Their wedding sealed, Snape and Ginny walked out of McGonagall's office. Their friends and families were in the corridor, and they did their best to look as if the situation were not what it was for the couple who had been forced to get married.

They went down to the kitchen where the entire body of house-elves welcomed them - even Hermione was forgiven her attempts to change their lives.

In front of Percy, Atty didn't reveal her attachment to her "master".

Their evening meal was quiet.

Time flew by too fast for Snape. They left the kitchens, said goodbye to the visitors, wished good night to their friends in Hogwarts, and Snape found himself holding Ginny's hand and leading her down to his quarters.

He told Ginny to place her hand on his door, and he had his wards acknowledge his wife's magical signature.

They entered his cold cell followed by the two they had appointed to witness the wedding night.

Percy looked as if he were about to faint, and he started shivering violently, probably because of what was about to happen to his sister because of his stupidity, and because of the freezing temperature.

As planned, Theo offered a drop of wine.

'You first,' she told Percy, 'you look like you're about to turn into an ice-cube.'

He gratefully accepted the offering, and he passed out nearly as soon as he'd drunk.

'Potions are good, but Muggle chemistry is not bad either,' Theo commented as she grabbed Percy and settled him on a chair. 'You have nothing to fear for the whole night,' she added for the couple, 'I released the chloryl hydrate through a magical wine, so we're going to be out for more than the usual couple of hours, and it's completely undetectable.'

'Thanks, Theo,' Ginny said.

Theo kissed the younger witch's cheek, sat down on another chair that was facing the bed, as Percy's chair, and she drank her wine.

Seconds later, Snape and Ginny were as good as left truly alone.

Snape called Atty, and she lit a fire with the logs that he'd brought from the Forest. He invited Ginny to sit on the bed, and he held her until the temperature was a bit less unpleasant.

'I'm sorry,' he began.

She placed her cold fingers on his lips to stop him from apologizing.

He took her hand in his, kissed the tips of her fingers, and said, 'I'm sorry that it's so cold.'

She smiled and answered, 'It's colder than in the cave, but we can warm each other.'

He nodded.

'And we could move the bed nearer to the fireplace,' she suggested.

They stood up, and moved the piece of furniture together.

'Do you mind if I put out the candles?' he asked.

'Not at all, there's enough light from the fire, and there's no need for you to use all your supply of candles because of me,' she said.

He turned around a bit too swiftly for her taste.

'What's bothering you?' she asked.

'Nothing,' he said.

'Liar,' she answered. 'In fact, you don't want me to be able to see your Muggle tattoo. Spoilsport!'

He turned again to face her, but he found himself with a young witch holding him gently.

'It's just a shamrock on my left shoulder,' he said.

She looked at him, deeply surprised. She didn't think that he'd answer that way.

'How you managed to hide it while we were in the Forest will remain a mystery,' she said, tightening her grip on him.

'It was easy for me. I know where it is, so I always faced you. Beside, it's so faint that you couldn't see it through my shirt, in spite of its poor state,' he said.

'Can I see it now?'

He sighed and said, 'You're right about the candles. It's not to save them. In fact, would you do something for me?'

'Anything.'

'Will you close your eyes?'

She granted him his wish.

He pecked her lips to thank her.

He was trying to remember what was written in the books Theo had lent him.

He was leaning to kiss Ginny when he thought that he should have found a way to poison Fudge before he forced him to bind such an adorable witch to himself.

'What?' she asked, feeling that something was on his mind.

'I was thinking that it's a pity no one poisoned Fudge.'

She caressed Snape's back, put her cheek on his chest and said, 'I don't want you to do silly things because of me, Severus.'

She tilted her head and slowly opened her eyes.

Snape could not put a name on what he saw in her eyes, but he felt a bit stronger.

She closed her eyes again.

'Maybe all this is meant to happen this way, even if we have to live with lies,' she said.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes too, before he whispered, 'Maybe.'

They sat on the bed, Ginny on his lap, and they proceeded to thwart the Ministry's plans.

He reflected that kissing was something they'd already done, and that she had liked it a bit, so he thought that it was a good starting point. Soon she responded to his kisses.

When the logs he'd taken had finally warmed the room a bit, they undressed each other.

Perhaps they did not make love, but they did share the night.

Snape did his best between his meagre experiences, Theo's lecture, and the various Pillow Books he'd read to make the night pleasant for Ginny.

Ginny responded to Snape's caresses, and she even tried to make it good for him as well.

Snape succeeded in bringing her to completion, and he then surrendered to his own body. After all, he had to to trick the Ministry, and save Ginny.

She briefly opened her eyes and brightly smiled at him, before surrendering to sleep, her arms still wrapped around his neck.

He settled next to her, unable to believe that she was not mad at him, and that he'd been able to complete the act without hurting her.

Then, he looked at their clothes at the foot of the bed and saw the crest on her robes.

His heart sank deep in his chest when he looked at Ginny again.

He left the bed, thinking that he'd never be able to sleep again on the mattress where he had defiled one of his students.

He wrapped the light cover around the sleeping witch, and he fled into his cold bathroom.

There was no hot water in his quarters, and Snape usually didn't use the shower in winter, but he felt so filthy, that he punished himself under the freezing whips of the winter water.

He lost track of time, but afraid that the punishment he had chosen might make him slip or faint, he stopped the water, and got out of his old tub.

He caught his reflection in the mirror, and gasped.

The Ministry had made him sink so low that for a second, he wished his father had killed him the day he told him the truth about his birth.

He wrapped a towel around his waist, and realized that he was sobbing.

He didn't dare look at himself in the mirror again, and he went back to his bedroom.

His blood froze in his veins when he looked at the bed and Ginny was not in it. She was by the door, wrapped in her robes, and trying to open the door. As was customary when there was such a Witnessing, the door had been spell-locked.

Ginny had woken up when Snape showered, and she heard him crying. She knew it was her fault, and she meant to hand herself over to the Ministry.

Snape ran to her and carried her in his arms back to the bed.

'Don't,' he said.

'I hurt you!' she sobbed.

'Don't leave me,' he begged.

'I'm just more trouble in your life.'

'I... I overreacted because I saw your crest,' he whispered, tightening his grip on her, up to the point where it was almost painful.

'You're still teaching me Potions, but I'm supposed to be more than your student now,' she said.

'You're right. I reacted excessively, I'm sorry.'

'You saved me, and,' her voice trailed off.

'Gin?'

'You were warm, and it felt good.'

He was so close to her that he didn't need to see her blush, he could feel it.

'So did you,' he whispered, hiding his face in her neck.

His damp hair was so cold from the shower that she shivered.

'You're freezing. Let's go back to sleep,' she suggested.

He turned his back to allow her to slip under the cover, and he joined her.

She was sobbing silently.

'I'm sorry', he said.

'You frightened me, because I feared that I had ruined our friendship, but I just remembered something.'

'Do you still consider me your friend?' he asked in awe.

'My best friend, yes.'

He kissed her hand, and she caressed his cheek.

'You're freezing, silly,' she said, taking him in her arms, and rubbing his back.

'An interesting nickname,' he sighed. 'What is it you remembered?'

'When I was a very little girl, I heard my parents joke about why they wanted to have a daughter. It was during one of those family reunions, you know; where everybody says stupid things without meaning them. They said they could give their daughter to some wealthy husband and restore the family standards. Suddenly, that joke sounds awfully cruel.'

Snape kissed the tip of her nose - it was something he'd seen Theo do with Al and Harry.

She smiled and tried to warm him.

'That was awkward,' she said. 'Us... And our exits.'

'I guess,' he granted her.

'Severus, you're awfully cold.'

'I'm sorry.'

'I don't want you to catch a cold because of me.'

'I won't, don't worry.'

'To worry for you is my job,' she stated.

'I'll stop shivering soon.'

'Do you trust me?' she asked.

'I do.'

'No, Darling. Do you trust me?'

He gulped, but nodded, and he let her warm him.

Percy and Theo were stirring when two Aurors violently opened the door, waking up Ginny, who was in Snape's arms.

The Aurors were men approximately in their fifties. Ginny knew them, and she knew that they didn't like her father.

'How was the Witnessing?' one of the two asked Percy, ignoring Theo.

Percy shrugged.

'I bet that with the books he's been lent, Snape did a couple of interesting things with his wife,' the other said, revealing the care Fudge had put in the monitoring of Snape.

'Which time was the best? The initial taking, or round two?' the first asked.

'Are you bringing breakfast?' Ginny asked coldly.

'My, my! The Dark Lord's latest follower and whore is a spicy morsel!' the second mocked her.

'If she could get the greasy git to honour her twice, she must be,' his fellow answered him. He turned to Ginny and said, 'Get dressed, Snape, we're taking you to have your binding checked. There shall be no need for you to take your wand.'

'What are you doing?' Percy barked.

'It's routine, Weasley. Minister Fudge is waiting for you. Leave,' the second answered.

Percy reluctantly obeyed.

Theo stood in front of the two Aurors, and extended her cape to hide Ginny from them as she got dressed.

Both men snorted. They could not imagine that Theo was already planning what she'd do to them to make them pay. They'd never know what hit them.

'I'm sure my wife would have gone to the school Mediwitch without being escorted by you,' Snape growled.

'We'll never know, because we're taking her to London.'

Neither Theo nor Snape had the opportunity to protest, the Aurors barked 'Petrificus totalus!' and they took Ginny away.

In the corridors, Ginny spotted Crookshanks, and she saw the faithful cat run towards Gryffindor house.

Five minutes later, the cat guided Hermione to Snape's quarters, and she freed her professor and Theo.

Snape used a spell to get dressed. He looked positively murderous.

'If they hurt her, I'll kill Fudge with my own hands,' he growled.

Hermione was at sea, but she didn't interfere.

Theo resorted to the magic of the country where she'd sought refuge.

The walls trembled, and she howled a single name, 'Dumbledore.'

Much to Hermione and Snape's surprise, the old wizard was brought into the room.

'What happened?' he asked.

'Two Aurors took Ginny away, allegedly to London,' Theo explained.

'This is against school rules,' Dumbledore said.

'Wake up, old fool! They're just like you. They don't give a fuck. Do something now!' Theo yelled.

The Headmaster left to rescue Ginny.

While Dumbledore was giving an earful to Fudge, who'd had to face his wife's wrath the day before because someone had told her what he was doing to a young innocent witch, Ginny had been brought to a Muggle hospital by the two Aurors. Before they could hand her to an accomplice who would give her all sorts of embarrassing exams, they'd met Caroline Granger and the pregnant Muggle made it clear that Ginny was coming with her.

Mrs Granger went with Ginny to Diagon Alley and bought Floo powder for her.

Ginny tried the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, and all her friends were there, waiting for her. Ron flew downstairs to alert Snape, who was pacing at the door.

Ginny thanked Mrs Granger, and Floo'ed into Hogwarts.

The fireplace was not meant for travels, so it spat the witch on the sofa.

'Where's Severus?' were the first words she said.

'At the door, waiting for Dumbledore to bring you back,' Al said.

She ran to him.

They met on the stairs.

'Are you all right?' he asked, holding her in his arms.

'Hermione's Mum rescued me,' she said. According to an old tradition when a wife was abducted, she looked at him and declared, 'I brought no shame upon our name.'

He caressed her cheek and said, 'Of course not, you're the best, Darling.'

Ginny barely had time to register that his fingers were cold as ice, and he fainted.

The stairs decided to change, but it turned out to be a good thing.

'We've got to take him to Poppy,' Ron suggested.

'We can't,' Ginny said.

She looked where the stairs were heading, and had an idea.

'Make him float and follow me,' she told her brother.

They went to the Room of Requirement, and for the first time, Ron witnessed one of the more unusual summonings: they were feet away from it when a door popped out of thin air. The magic of the room had acknowledged the emergency Ginny was facing.

'Guard the door for me, I've got to take care of Severus,' Ginny said.

She didn't wait for Ron to answer, and she rushed into the room, Snape floating before her.

Ron heard their friends coming towards him; the stairs had forced them to take another route. He turned to face them when the door opened again. Snape and Ginny walked out, hand in hand.

'Hell! That was fast!' Ron exclaimed, relieved to see Snape looking so much better.

'How long have we been gone?' Ginny asked.

'Not a minute, literally,' Ron informed them.

Though they were out of the Room, the door had not disappeared yet.

'I was right,' Ginny said with a bright smile.

Snape looked deeply surprised.

'One moment,' she told her brother. 'We'll be right back.'

She pulled Snape back into the room.

'Who was right?' she asked Snape.

'You were right, Gin. I was wrong, and I apologize,' Snape said between greeted teeth.

'It's good to win a bet!' she said.

He sighed and growled at the same time.

'Come on, Severus! There's no need to bark just because I was right when I said that the two weeks we've spent in here would not be registered on the other side. I summoned that place. I knew it. Pity I didn't ask for something other than a proper apology,' she teased him.

'Gin!'

'Let's go back to our other friends,' she said.

So much had come to pass between them after she saved him. She had transformed him more than anyone before.

When they joined their friends in Hogwarts, Snape was deeply conscious that his friendship with Gin now was deeper than his friendship with Theo. Knowing him so much better now, she squeezed his hand to encourage him.

Their friends could see that their auras were different, but they never were told why.

Pratchett went after Dumbledore, and he apologized to Ginny for the intrusion of the Aurors into her bedroom.

Theo condescended to say goodbye to Dumbledore before she went back to Grimmauld Place.

She hugged Snape and whispered in his ear, 'You're never going to tell me.'

He shook his head slightly.

Theo felt that Ginny had become more than an ally and a friend, and without knowing why, that made her happy that something that might have turned into a tragedy was slowly forging a deep union.

Who could imagine that when Ginny entered the room she had summoned, it was warm as in summer?

It was an opening to a bungalow that was on an exotic beach.

The warmth immediately made Snape feel better.

She brought him to a bed and found all the potions she needed to heal him.

Heal him she did, and then she made him feel better about what had happened between them, and she made him forget about the two Aurors.

She made it very clear that she didn't care if people commented on what they'd done together. She insisted that she had liked the first time, and quite thoroughly enjoyed the second. She had only meant to warm him, but she did not regret it.

They talked a lot and fully opened their hearts.

What their night together, and the following catastrophic morning, could have breached between them, in fact, strangely brought them together and deepened a true friendship that gender, background or anything could not alter.

In a place that was pleasant, where they had nothing to fear for their security, and where they didn't have to work to feed themselves, they had the opportunity to weave a bond that brought them closer together.

Ginny even taught Snape to swim in the quiet sea that seemed to belong to them only. As a thank-you present, she got to see the infamous tattoo on his shoulder.

Snape refused to stay longer than the Yule break, even if Ginny told him that they had nothing to fear. She'd won their bet.

Both had won more than a friend.

They were building something that would make them stronger in the War.

They got to try their new force when Snape received an owl from Lucius requesting him and his wife to come for the end of the year celebrations at Malfoy Manor. Snape knew that he'd have to introduce Ginny to Voldemort.

Dumbledore was reluctant to allow Ginny to go with Snape, but she vehemently pointed out during a meeting of the Order that there was no way out for Professor Snape, and it was just a bit too late to treat her as a child.

Hermione lent robes to Ginny, and Ron handed Snape his ring just before they Portkeyed to Malfoy Manor.

Their arrival was a bit rough, but Snape caught Ginny and held her tight.

Lucius had sent a Portkey that brought his guests into the main parlour where Death Eaters were gathered around Voldemort.

'What a landing!' exclaimed Ginny.

'Indeed,' Snape granted.

Everybody was silent in the parlour.

Ginny looked at them all and turned to Snape to ask, 'Are all your friends mute?'

'Usually, they're not. I guess they must be in awe,' he answered.

'I thought I asked you to stay for the night, and you brought nothing. Are you going to go back to Hogwarts because the little one has to sleep in her dorm?' Lucius teased Snape.

'May I?' Ginny said, mock-innocently.

'It'll be a pleasure to see you render him speechless, my dear,' Snape answered.

'We accepted your invitation, but you seem to forget that we just got married,' Ginny said.

'What do you mean?' Goyle asked.

'That his normal state?' Ginny growled, pointing her thumb at Goyle.

'Unfortunately, yes,' Snape answered.

'An eager and faithful wife you got there, Severus,' Lucius commented dryly.

'You wish you could say the same, I bet,' Ginny shot back.

'Gin!' Snape pretended to scold her.

'Oi! You gave me permission to deal with him,' she answered.

'Anyway, he deserved it,' he told her. 'Well, any other comments?'

'No, but I'd like to be introduced to your charming wife,' Voldemort said.

Snape took Ginny's hand, and they walked to the Dark Lord.

'Mrs Snape, it is a pleasure to meet you,' Voldemort said.

Ginny curtseyed and said, 'Well, thanks to Malfoy, I already met a part of you.'

'I was told that you were given my old diary,' Voldemort said.

'But she failed you, my Lord,' Narcissa commented.

'Oh, please! I was just eleven when the idiot you married, Merlin knows why, gave me a magical item that was extremely powerful without even warning me. What could I do?' Ginny growled.

'I'm curious to know what happened,' Voldemort told Ginny before Narcissa or Lucius could say anything.

'Well, the "you" who was in the diary befriended me, but I was not strong enough, and then the Headmaster decided to step in,' Ginny summarized.

Voldemort tried to read Ginny's mind, but she only allowed him to brush memories that were of no interest, so he was led to believe that she was telling him the truth.

'You sound like you don't like Dumbledore,' he said.

'He's not my favourite wizard,' she said.

'Who is, then?' he asked.

She showed her ring, and she could see in the eyes of the Dark Lord that he envied the Potions master.

'Did you really become my friend?'

'I could give you proof, but that was between us,' she whispered.

Voldemort laughed heartily.

Nagini slithered into the room and went straight to Ginny. The young witch didn't even flinch, and she crouched to caress the head of the snake.

'Pity I don't remember Parseltongue, I could tell her how beautiful she is,' Ginny said.

'You aren't afraid of snakes,' Voldemort said in admiration.

'Of course not, sir.'

'Show some respect to Lord Voldemort,' Bellatrix hissed.

'My only lord is Severus,' Ginny growled.

Bellatrix flinched, and silence fell in the room.

'I figure you're not going to report to the Ministry that I was at Malfoy Manor today,' Voldemort said.

'Sir, I may be a Gryffindor, but I'm not stupid,' she coldly answered.

'That is not what I implied,' Voldemort said.

'Well, it sounded like it. I may be young, but I do have a brain,' she said.

Snape was hiding his feelings behind his spy-mask, but all the others were paling at Ginny's audacity.

Voldemort turned to Snape and said, 'You have found an amazing woman to be your wife, Severus. I wish my consort were half as devoted to me.'

Snape thanked him and the party really began; Ginny had passed Voldemort's tests.

While Snape found himself included in talks with Lucius Malfoy and McNair, Ginny was placed under the scrutiny of Narcissa and Voldemort.

'I do wonder why your parents let Severus marry you,' Narcissa commented.

Ginny turned to the icy blonde and growled, 'Severus asked me, and I agreed to marry him. My parents respected my decision.'

'He's old enough to be you father,' Narcissa added.

'By Muggle standards, yes,' Ginny said.

Narcissa walked away, deeply vexed, and Voldemort chuckled.

'It's annoying to have people commenting on the age difference,' Ginny told Voldemort.

'This is something they don't dare do with me,' he said softly.

'Lucky you,' she sighed.

Voldemort saw that she was observing him.

'Is there something you want to ask me, Mrs Snape?' he said.

She smiled and said, 'It's strange to see you now. The last time I saw you, you were sixteen.'

He smiled, chuckled, and finally laughed, causing his hosts and the other guests to turn towards them.

Voldemort asked Snape if he could have a more private chat with Ginny, and Snape had no choice but consent.

The Dark Lord asked Ginny if she'd walk with him, and they left the party.

'Aren't you afraid to be here with me?' Voldemort asked.

'I lived for months with you, why would I be afraid?'

'You really are amazing, Mrs Snape. I take it you'll never do anything against me.'

'My only concern is Severus. He bears your Mark, and I bear his,' she said.

'Did he mark you?' he eagerly asked.

She showed her ring, and Voldemort's look of disappointment almost made her laugh.

It was a very good thing that Snape had taught her Occlumency, because she deeply hated the Dark Lord.

'I take it you won't betray us to the Ministry,' he said.

'I'm not particularly fond of the Ministry, and I'll die before I do anything against Severus. I know that there is no proof I can offer, and I'm so young, and a bloody Gryffindor, and I was a Weasley,' she snarled.

'You are entirely devoted to Severus.'

'Entirely doesn't start to cover it,' she said.

The sound he produced was between a sigh and a snort, and he declared, 'I do wish my consort were like you.'

Voldemort saw the flames in Ginny's eyes.

'Mrs Snape?'

She waved her hand in dismissal.

'I won't hex you. In fact, I think I could do with some honesty,' Voldemort said.

Ginny remained silent.

'Mrs Snape?' he insisted.

She looked at him and said, 'We're speaking of Pansy, right?'

He nodded.

'I don't know her, and I don't know you - the adult version of you - but I know that Severus asked me to be his wife. He would be freezing in a lonely bed otherwise,' she paused and glared at him. 'Where is she? Why isn't she celebrating with us?'

It turned out that Voldemort had used Dark magic to impregnate Pansy, and she was not faring too well.

'I hope she can give you the family you want,' Ginny said, after Voldemort told her what was wrong with Pansy, and why he'd left Pettigrew to take care of her in their room.

He was surprised, because all his followers had merely congratulated him, but there was something different about Ginny.

'You know, when I met you in the diary, you were my first friend at Hogwarts,' she said, not mentioning what happened afterwards. 'I know you want a family.'

Ginny had managed, with Snape's training and her innocent look, to win the trust of the Dark Lord.

'It is true that she looks shaken and frail,' he commented, more to himself than to Ginny.

'Pregnancy is very tiring. Now, if you add magic, plus the fact that she must feel a bit isolated in your world, don't you think that she would be shaken? Besides it takes some time to get used to being married. Severus and I were betrothed for over a year, and yet, it still feels a tiny bit strange.'

'Severus really is a lucky man, Mrs Snape,' he said as he led her back to the party.

'Maybe I'm the lucky one.'

'Are you going to give him a family, too?' he asked.

'After my N.E. ,' she said.

Voldemort looked at her as if she'd uttered some incongruity.

'What? Severus wants me to become his assistant, so I may as well sit for that exam while he teaches me advanced magic on the side,' she said.

'Two Potions experts? That might be interesting.'

'And we are rather complementary, so when I know more in Potions, we can really work together.'

'Would you come and cheer up Pansy?' Voldemort abruptly asked.

'When?'

'Right now.'

Ginny shrugged, but followed Voldemort, much to the others' surprise.

He noticed that she was looking back towards Snape.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

'Malfoy is pestering Severus, and he's got that expression, like when a cauldron is about to explode,' she said. 'I hope he doesn't hex him.'

'Malfoy wouldn't hex a guest.'

'I wasn't thinking of Malfoy.'

Voldemort laughed.

'You are a delight,' he commented. 'I was planning to have a meeting after the party, but I'll just send everybody to bed after midnight, as a treat.'

'If you have things to discuss, I can wait for my husband, you know. I'm not as needy as Mrs Malfoy suggested,' Ginny said.

'No, I merely wanted to check details, but I could even wait for next July to deal with that.'

'July? I hoped to have Severus all for me during the summer holiday,' she said, pouting.

'I'll summon your husband only twice, I promise, and after the second time, the world will be mine,' he said.

She said nothing.

'Don't you have questions?' he wondered.

She shrugged.

'Tell me, I won't bite,' he insisted.

'You won't keep Severus away too long, will you?'

She made him smile again. He found her refreshing.

'Do not fear, Mrs Snape, I'll call him for only a couple of hours in the end of July to confirm my plan, and then we'll launch the final battle on the first of August,' he said.

Ginny decided that she would have a good laugh at Voldemort's expense when she was back in Hogwarts. She really wondered how Tom Riddle had managed to make such a mess in their whole world when a schoolgirl could fool him.

'Are you going to need Severus then?'

'I'll need all my followers, but my powers will be unlimited once I've got rid of a little problem that is slowing me down. I won't keep your husband away too long,' he said.

'All right.'

'Maybe you could keep my... wife... company.'

'If she doesn't mind a Gryffindor by her side, of course,' Ginny said.

'You are a Slytherin now,' Voldemort said, before the door of his suite.

'That was very kind,' Ginny purred, eyes shining.

Voldemort smiled again, and Ginny regretted that she had not met Tom when she was a bit older, maybe things would have been different. Then again, if things were different, she would not be here gathering information for the Order, and protecting Snape at some level. She smiled too.

'Where do you stay in the summer?' he asked, trying to obtain from Ginny a piece of information that Snape had never supplied.

'Home,' Ginny said.

Pettigrew had felt the return of his master, and he opened the door, saving Ginny from further investigations.

Voldemort told Pettigrew to join the party. The Dark Lord looked toward his bed, and decided to let Ginny spend some time with Pansy. He practically fled from the room and closed the door behind him.

Ginny walked to the bed where Pansy was lying as pale as death, shivering, and apparently sleeping.

Ginny took Pansy's hands, and gave her witching energy.

Pansy woke up.

'Did your side win the War? Am I free?' Pansy asked.

'No. Do you want to be free?' Ginny asked, helping Pansy up.

'No, I want to die, but he's made sure that I'm bound to him, and I can't sneeze without his permission.'

'I'm sorry that your marriage is not what you were expecting,' Ginny said.

'Will you do something for me?' Pansy begged.

Ginny nodded.

'Tell Draco that I've dearly paid for what I've done, and tell Blaise that I wish him a happy life far from their madness. They'll understand,' Pansy said.

'Is there something else I can do? Something for you? He said that I might keep you company during the final battle.'

'On August 1st, in the Department of Mysteries "where it all started", he said. They'll summon Potter. He's planning to have Malfoy stun Potter, and he'll kill him with a magical dagger that belonged to his mother,' Pansy said.

'Why are you telling me that?'

'Because I can't commit suicide, or get rid of the thing he's sown in me, but I'm not mute. You are Snape's wife, and I've seen in his eyes that he can do something to put and end to this madness.'

Ginny gave the other witch even more energy.

'Why?' Pansy wondered. 'I'd rather die.'

'Are you a Slytherin, or what?'

'I am a pitiful Slytherin.'

'Redeem yourself,' Ginny said.

'How?'

'I don't know... Pretend to be what they all want. Find a way to survive. When are you due?' Ginny asked.

'In August... Right on time to give him an heir when he becomes the Master of the world.'

'Darn!'

'I willingly gave up my freedom. I'm getting what I deserve. Besides, what could a pregnant witch do?'

Ginny told her what she could do, and Pansy found new hopes.

They chatted for some time, and when both witches entered the main parlour, Mrs Snape's abilities no longer were questioned by anyone. Voldemort thanked her for helping his wife, and thanked Snape for choosing such a good witch.

When they retired to their room, Snape silently cast the spell that allowed him to read Ginny's mind, and she shared with him what happened with Voldemort and with Pansy. She added that their mirror was spelled so that someone might spy on them.

'We should just sleep tonight,' Snape suggested.

'What, Darling? You don't want to have some fun on that splendid fur in front of the fireplace?' Ginny exclaimed.

'As you wish, Ginevra,' he answered.

The fireplace could not be seen from the mirror.

When Lucius Malfoy himself came to wake them up in the morning, he found them in each other's arms on the skin of a tiger that Lucius had killed.

The look on Malfoy's face was absolutely priceless, especially when Ginny told him to come back with breakfast in an hour, after "Well, you don't need a picture, do you?".

Snape and Ginny escaped the snakes' pit to go back to the lion's den.

The highest members of the Order were waiting for them, and none were prone to believe that the information given by Pansy was correct.

'How can you be so sure that she didn't lie?' Moody asked.

'Well, you let me go with Professor Snape because he told you that I'm a good Occlumens. What I kept for myself is that I'm a Legillimens too,' Ginny said.

'What you read in Pansy's mind might be false,' Remus gently pointed out.

'What is absolutely great is that no one believes that Lil' Ginny can do something useful. What I read in Pansy's mind when she gave me the information merely confirmed what I had read in Voldemort's mind,' Ginny said.

All the members gasped.

Snape was incredibly proud of his ally.

Now that they knew what Voldemort was planning, the Order and Harry's friends began planning what they could do to get rid of the Dark Lord for good.

There was a handful of information that Dumbledore didn't know Harry was aware of.

There was one particular news item that was shared exclusively in the Room of Requirement between Snape, Ginny, Hermione, and - of course - Harry.

Ginny had found a way to help Harry put an end to the War, but none of them liked what they would have to do. Yet, they kept their plan secret and worked together.

On top of the stress generated by the impending battle, the seventh year students had to work for the N.E. .

Hermione was bossing her friends around. She was more stressed by the exam than by the battle that would take place inside the Ministry, and that amused her friends deeply. She was so tense that instead of sending an Express owl to her announcing the birth of a healthy wizard, the Grangers sent it to Draco. It was a bit earlier than expected, and Hermione was rather disappointed; she'd hoped that she'd be there for the delivery which should have taken place during the Easter break, but her mother and brother were fine, and that was all that really mattered.

Besides, when Draco got the owl, he read the message and practically flew to Hermione's side, sharing the news with her and their friends and outing their relationship. There was a collective gasp from the students, in perfect unison, when Draco pecked Hermione's lips. All their friends were invited to meet Alexander Granger during the break.

The owl that Ginny got from the Ministry at the same time of day cast a shadow over her happiness for her friends and Hermione's parents.

'Ron?' she said.

She was so pale that they all understood that Fudge was being his usual stupid self once more.

'Yes, Ginny?' Ron said.

The whole school was already watching them.

Snape didn't have to share a look with Ginny to know that something was wrong.

McGonagall was ready to intervene. She looked at Dumbledore, and the old wizard was pointedly looking at his plate, which showed that he knew whatever was going on, and he'd done nothing to warn either Snape or Ginny. When the Headmaster finally looked at his Deputy Headmistress, the disappointment in her eyes made him feel ashamed of himself.

It turned out that Fudge had been informed that Ron was keeping a ring for Snape, and the Minister had decided to pester the Potions master by ordering Ginny to retrieve the ring from her brother upon receiving the owl, and to bring it to her husband in front of the whole school.

Ron gave her the ring he'd taken to keeping in one of his pockets, and she walked to the high table.

Snape held out his hand for Ginny to place the ring on his finger.

Heads were still spinning from Draco's coming out. Instead of making fun of Snape or Ginny, the whole body of students chose not to comment.

Vincent and Gregory were noting those who were likely to owl home to followers of Voldemort, and they were planning to put special charms on the parchments, so that they'd have time to perform illegal Memory-charms on the potential culprits. That way the Dark Lord would never know what happened that day. It might be of no consequence, but they'd rather be safe than sorry, and the two wizards were the only ones who could protect their Head of House, because no one would pay attention to anything they'd do.

'You'll be by my side even more,' Snape said.

Ginny smiled and was about to go back to the Gryffindor table, when McGonagall leant toward Dumbledore and said, 'I guess you'll allow Ginny to come with me to Hogsmeade during the break. The Lupins have invited us to the Three Broomsticks.'

'But I can't, Mi... Ma'am,' Ginny protested, almost getting a detention with Hagrid in the process.

Dumbledore looked at McGonagall.

'If your Head wants you to go to Hogsmeade, then to Hogsmeade you'll go,' he said.

Ginny turned to Snape, and he said, 'This must be another of this "girl stuff" our Minerva mentioned last summer.'

Ginny shrugged, but nodded, and she went back to her seat.

Draco helped her to distract the students from her revelation by practically squealing, 'I have a brother!'

And Hermione coughed, 'By proxy.'

The students commented on the new version of Draco Malfoy, who was engaged to Hermione Granger.

The staff knew better than to question Snape. They even feared that congratulations might get themselves hexed, so they resumed their meal.

A week later, McGonagall was walking to Hogsmeade with a growling Ginny. She didn't want to spend even just Sickles of her allowance on a glass of water at the pub.

'I think the Lupins have something to tell us,' McGonagall finally said.

'So what?' Ginny said.

'So I think they're going to invite us all.'

'Oh.'

Suddenly Ginny felt silly about her reaction.

'I'm sorry. It's just that,' she began, but McGonagall interrupted her by patting her shoulder.

Tonks and Remus were already there. Theo was there as well, and she had brought Al and Harry.

The Lupins were blushing.

It turned out that in living together, Remus and Tonks had discovered that they enjoyed each other's company, and though they'd been forced to marry, they now were a real couple, and they wanted their friends to share their happiness.

Harry was absolutely delighted for them.

Theo and McGonagall were curious to know how it really all started, and holding hands, Tonks and Remus told their friends through what tortuous process they had gone, until that blessed day when they'd looked at each other, and found there was more than companionship and respect in each other's eyes.

In turn, McGonagall told them how she met her companion, and they'd never imagined that the quiet professor was the kind to move in with a man not two hours after meeting him. Fifty years later, they were still sharing the same house, and they were as good as bonded.

'Tell them, Mum!' Al encouraged his mother.

A blushing Theo was quite a sight.

The tale of the day she'd met her husband was a favourite for her children.

'Well,' she said, 'I won't tell you where I went, but I can tell you what happened, and how I met Severus.'

Ginny paled, blushed, and paled again.

Theo patted her hand and said, 'I know, it's strange. My best friend is named Severus, and so is my husband. I do wonder what the odds were.'

'It gets even better,' Al purred.

'Would you like to tell them the story?' Theo teased him.

'Nah! You tell it!' Al said, settling comfortably to listen to the story for the umpteenth time.

Theo had used the Room of Requirement to escape, and the Room had sent her slightly back in time, so no one would look for her there. She'd landed practically on the other side of the globe. She arrived in a huge forest, but she could feel that there was nothing to fear there. She'd been brought to a safe place.

She was exploring her new territory when she slipped and fell down... on a sleeping wizard. Severus opened his eyes, and Theo drowned in the most amazing blue-green eyes she'd ever seen.

He gently held her and smiled.

'I was waiting for you. I was told that the love of my life would fall into my arms. Today. Here,' he'd cryptically said.

Theo had thought that she'd found a mad man, but it turned out that Severus's parents had told him to go to his favourite clearing in the wood behind their house on that particular day, and to wait for the witch who'd become his companion. That was the one and only time Severus mentioned his parents; apparently he had promised them to keep them exclusively in his heart, and they'd moved to another country where they'd told him they had duties to attend to.

Theo told Severus her story, and he took her in, and helped her throughout her pregnancy.

Before the delivery, they'd become a couple, and all the children Theo had were also Severus's, even though they were not all genetically his.

'It's very romantic and magical,' Harry commented.

Theo grinned, which was something that only the mention of her family could do.

'Are you all right, Ginny?' Al asked his friend, who still looked a bit pale.

'Yes, of course. Your stories are so amazing,' she told Tonks, Minerva and Theo.

'Was your wedding unpleasant?' asked Tonks.

'The two Aurors who took me to London were, the fact that a good part of the Ministry knows is, but... no, it wasn't unpleasant. Could we change the topic, please?' she said.

Remus talked about the honeymoon trip he and Tonks were planning in September: they'd rent a cottage in the Cotswolds and simply enjoy life.

They chatted some more, and McGonagall hoped that Ginny was enjoying their time together a bit.

Theo was occupied by the whirlwind named Tonks, and she stopped spying on Ginny.

McGonagall was chatting with Remus when Harry started exchanging secret messages with Al. When Ginny went to the Ladies', Harry followed her.

'What are you doing?' Ginny exclaimed.

'You've got to tell him,' Harry said.

Ginny sighed.

'He's got enough problems. We're friends. I don't want to ruin that. Maybe it'll go away,' Ginny said.

'We might die in the battle. Don't you think that he deserves to know that someone truly is in love with him?' Harry said.

'He's my friend and my protector. I nearly ruined it all during our wedding night. He was so moved... He's been very nice. He took care of me, and I made him cry. I can't bother him with my feelings. I'll do no such thing,' she said and sobbed.

Harry took her in his arms, and she held him.

Ginny moved away from Harry to put water on her face.

'What is it?' Harry asked softly, when he saw her looking at her hands.

Tears steadily rolling down her cheeks, she said, 'I remember each scar I felt under my fingers, and he's so dreadfully thin. If I survive, I'll have a word with Fudge.'

'I'll give you a hand,' Harry said, hugging her again.

'No, you'll be escaping our world with Sirius in tow,' she said.

Harry was forced to admit that she might be right. If he could kill Voldemort and bring Sirius back to this side, they'd stay just long enough to grant Theo a full wizarding divorce, and they'd be on their way to the Room of Requirement to flee, and hopefully live happily ever after - at last.

'You know, Ginny, if I were in his shoes, I'd love to know that I'm loved, truly loved, and not used. I'm going to fight to get Sirius back. At least, give this a thought.'

'I don't want to endanger our friendship,' she stubbornly said.

Harry disagreed with her, but he'd respect her decision.

The exams took place, and Ginny planned what she could do to make Snape's stay with her in the cave as pleasant as possible.

It would be the last time she'd be with him that way. If they both survived, she knew that her father, and other members of the Order, would fight for those who had been imprisoned, one way or the other, by the Ministry, and her marriage would be dissolved. Severus would be a friend she'd see when he'd be on holiday - if he wanted to see her.

When her friends and the other students left, and Severus went to the Headmaster for his usual report, she prepared herself for their stay in the cave that had become home for her as well.

McGonagall believed that she was tense because of the impending battle and what she would have to do. She brought her her seventh year books and wished her luck. It was likely that they'd meet on the battlefield next.

In silence, Snape and Ginny went to their refuge.

Once in the cave, they both greeted the ward which glowed happily in return.

'You bring some branches for the fire, and I'll make the bed,' Ginny ordered Snape, pretending it was merely a suggestion.

'Logs for me, moss for you,' Snape said.

'Moss and mushrooms,' Ginny joked.

He meant to snort, but he chuckled.

They settled down.

In the morning, they had a quiet breakfast - Snape being in charge of their tea. Then they both went to the stream to pan for gold because Snape insisted on the fact that it might be useful for Ginny if anything were to happen to him, and she was denied any allowance. Ginny didn't want to accept that gift, but she loved the time she spent with Snape.

They had a late lunch, and then Snape helped Ginny with her lessons and her seventh year books. Before it was too late in the day, they gathered food together.

Ginny was always in charge of dinner.

In the evenings, they read the newspapers and books sent by their friends; sometimes, they just stayed in front of the cave and watched the birds, or the sun set.

Each night, Ginny watched over Snape's sleep, and he never protested.

Time went by.

Life was quiet.

One night in late July, Snape was woken up. He didn't stir, not wanting to disturb his bed companion. He tried to assess what had disturbed him enough to break the peace he now experienced, thanks to the ward and to Ginny's care. It turned out that Ginny was crying in her sleep, and her tears had rolled down onto his neck. The ward was glowing as if it were trying to soothe the witch. Snape manoeuvred and held Ginny for the rest of the night.

'Huh?' Ginny asked when she woke up in Snape's arms.

'You had a nightmare, so I comforted you and took care of you, like you do for me,' Snape said, rolling off their bed of moss to put water to boil for their tea.

'We'll make a Weasley of you yet,' Ginny said with a yawn.

Before she fully realized what she'd just said, Snape said amiably, 'I thought William had made me an honorary Weasley.'

Snape handed her a cup of tea, and he noticed that she still looked shaken.

'Was your nightmare that disturbing, is it just a bad night, or is it that time of the month?' he gently asked.

She looked at him and lied, saying, 'Option three.'

'You should avoid the stream, then. We could stay here today,' he said.

'Or I could hunt mushrooms down and dry them,' Ginny suggested.

Snape had discovered that he positively hated looking for mushrooms.

'It's amazing that I love each soup you've made, but the mere idea of searching the grounds for mushrooms for them makes me want to go and wander on the Centaurs' territory,' Snape admitted.

They agreed that Snape would go to the stream, while Ginny would take care of gathering additional supplies. The time of the ultimate battle was approaching, but if Snape and Ginny were not cleared immediately after the death of Voldemort, they might have to seek refuge there again.

It didn't take Snape two hours to realize that he found working alone to be boring, even the prospect of looking for mushrooms became interesting because it meant that he would not be alone.

He went back to Ginny.

Silent as a cat, he saw that she was kneeling by a tree, and he thought that she might have found a nice variety of mushrooms.

When he was but a few feet away, he saw that she was shaking. She was crying as softly as she could.

He knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

'Shall I fetch your medicine?' he asked.

She gasped.

She had not heard him come near her, and she thought that she had some time before her to deal with her feelings and ground.

As August came closer, she grew more afraid for Snape, and she was afraid to lose him.

She knew that life would never be the same.

She remembered the pain caused by her first mark, and she remembered how Snape's had made her feel.

She remembered how they'd become friends.

She could not remember when she'd first understood that she'd fallen for her protector.

She loved every moment she spent with him.

She loved their friendship and companionship.

She loved to remember how he'd made her feel during their wedding night.

She was burning, craving for his touch. The feeling was so strong that it was painful. Her skin felt hot, and breathing was agonizing.

Her protector was there. She was in his arms, and she could tell him nothing, because he already had too much weight on his shoulders.

She kept lying.

'I'll be all right, Severus. It's just the usual cramps, and some lack of sleep,' she said, drying her tears and rising to her feet.

Snape followed her.

Suddenly he knew that she was lying. She was not having her period. There was something about her that was different, but he couldn't tell what exactly.

'What's wrong?' he said softly.

The purr that his voice could be made her shiver and ache for him.

She didn't turn around, and said, 'Nothing.'

He listed all the reasons that might explain Ginny's behaviour, and finally said, 'Are you afraid about the battle?'

'Maybe a little bit,' she answered.

'A bit too fast to be the truth,' he shot back.

She whirled around to face him.

He could see that something was eating her up from inside.

'What's wrong, Gin?'

She tried to smile, but she felt that she was not too successful. She shrugged and turned around; she wanted to escape before she said something she'd regret.

'Ginevra Molly Snape! Tell me what's wrong, so that I can help you,' he said, walking two steps to catch up with her and forcing her to face him.

Tears steadily rolling down her cheeks, she patted his chest and said between sobs, 'It's just girl stuff. Don't worry.'

'Gin, you're frightening me. Tell me what's wrong, or I'll fish for the information in your thoughts,' he said.

'No, you won't. You promised me not to.'

'I promised not to do it without warning you,' he said.

'You taught me to resist such an intrusion.'

'Let me help you. Open your mind to me, and I'll open mine to you,' he offered.

She shook her head, and said, 'I need a good cry, that's all. It's really just girl stuff.'

Ginny was about to get away with her secret when the ward that knew all their secrets decided to step in, and both Snape and Ginny's mental barriers were down. It was as if they'd been swapped into each other's minds.

Snape could taste Ginny's love for him. It started with a wish for his well-being, and ended with a burning desire for his touch. It was so strong, so pure, so complete, that he could no longer breathe, and he sat on the ground. He could see himself through Ginny's eyes, and he felt fire coiling in his heart and belly. He could feel Ginny's longing and need for him, and he wondered how she managed to breathe and talk while she was denying herself the comfort of his touch.

Meanwhile, Ginny was given a tour of Snape's mind. She discovered that he enjoyed her company so much that he'd categorically refused to make a list of the options they'd have to be legally separated after the War. He was clinging to the belief that what he had with Ginny would be the only crumbs of happiness he would have in his entire life. Ginny saw that his last nightmare had not been about Voldemort, but about the day he was invited to Ginny's wedding to a handsome young man straight from his imagination, and who could have been Fleur's brother.

Ginny wanted to be a Snape.

Snape wanted to keep Ginny by his side.

Whatever the ward had done dissolved, and Snape and Ginny found themselves facing each other, fully aware of each other's feelings.

Ginny was beaming so much that in comparison, the sun looked pale. When she knelt next to Snape, all traces of tears gone.

Was it Fate, or the result of their initial alliance and ensuing friendship, or some god's twisted sense of humour? The fact remained that they had fallen in love.

Their feelings were beyond true respect and trust.

Snape's eyes were attempting to reach house-elf proportions, because he could not believe that such an adorable witch as... his wife had feelings of love for him, and yet, he could still feel her blood burning for him, and her skin yearning for his touch.

Now that Ginny knew that he loved her, the flames of her love were channelled to fully seal their bond.

Snape still was too numb from the experience to protest when she kissed him. It was like lava. Snape was burning under her touch, but like phoenixes, their love burnt down the past, and when their lips parted, Severus and Gin Snape were transformed, though they had not changed.

'This is pure madness,' Snape said, out of breath.

'We don't have to rush anything.'

He nodded.

Ginny was a stubborn young lady, and there was no point in denying what they'd seen of each other's desires.

'If this is what you want, I think we should do it properly,' he said.

'Do you mean date, and everything?'

He nodded again.

She grinned, and he knew that he was lost. He knew that it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

She slithered into his arms, and they stayed together for the rest of the day, talking about their true feelings for the first time.

When they kissed goodnight, they were sure that they heard a female voice whisper "at last", and they wondered how the ward could speak, but then again, if it could make them experience each other's feelings, why couldn't it speak?

One step at a time, they explored their relationship.

All too soon, Voldemort summoned Snape to check the final details of the intrusion inside the Ministry.

All too soon, August came.

Snape and Ginny left their refuge to go to London and their destiny.

Voldemort's plan was simple. Really simple.

He was planning to summon Harry with the kind of spell that Dumbledore had used to bring Al to Grimmauld Place. Then, with Harry in front of him, Voldemort was planning to duel the young wizard, kill him, and then launch his attack on the Ministry.

He'd take all the key positions and get rid of Fudge; once he'd become the head of the state and government, the entire community would have no choice but obey him or die.

Once Harry was killed, absolutely no one would be able to stop the Dark Lord.

There was no summoning from Voldemort that day: his followers simply obeyed his last orders and entered the Ministry through various means.

Voldemort loved symbols, and he had decided that he would duel Harry right before the Veil, to torture the wizard who had thwarted his plans for so long. He would remind Harry that Sirius had met his end because Harry had been unable to do what had been expected from him.

Dark Lord and Death Eaters met in the Department of Mysteries. They didn't spot the shadows that were observing them.

Voldemort had only invited the members of his inner circle, the people he really trusted. His other followers would join them later.

They were all dressed in black, but they did not wear their masks. Voldemort wanted to see the faces of his followers as he operated and became the master of the world - his world.

The sign to summon Harry was engraved on the stone floor with Dark magic, and a potion was added to strengthen it.

Voldemort brought Harry into the circle.

The Dark Lord was surprised when Harry smiled at him.

'So, this is the end,' Harry said.

'Yes, Mr Potter. Are you going to duel properly with me this time?' Voldemort teased Harry.

'Our wands can't fight each other. With what have you planned to fight?' Harry said. Looking around, he said, 'Are you going to make me fall behind the Veil?'

'Your death there would be too slow, but if you don't fight me, and if you let me kill you, I might throw your body behind the curtain, so that you keep your godfather company,' Voldemort said.

'Are you going to murder me like the coward you are, or are you going to fight with me?' Harry asked.

Anger flashed in the eyes of the Dark Lord.

From his sleeve, Voldemort took the thin dagger that his mother had inherited, and that he'd found quite by chance.

He showed it to his young foe.

The blade looked sharp. It must be a valuable weapon, and a good one.

Harry's silence was beginning to frustrate Voldemort. Harry was supposed to fight or try to escape, not look around with a small smile, as if they were about to share a cup of tea.

Voldemort's followers were preparing themselves to obey their master, whatever his wishes.

Harry took a step towards the Veil, but he seemed to hesitate.

'You don't want to die, Harry, so you're going to fight with me. You're clinging to some silly hope, but this time I'm going to win, and you're going to die,' Voldemort declared.

'I am clinging to a lot more than hope, but you will never understand that,' Harry said.

Voldemort dismissed that declaration, and he advanced towards Harry.

They were surrounded by Death Eaters, who were so interested in the exchange that they did not feel the movement of the members of the Order all around them.

Voldemort was surprised by the lack of response he got from Harry.

The young wizard didn't really try to escape Voldemort, nor did he take his wand.

All too soon, the sharp blade was plunged into Harry. Once near the heart, another time in the stomach, and one last time in a lung.

Harry collapsed on the floor, almost in the middle of the mark that had summoned him. Harry's wounds were bleeding severely, and he coughed up blood.

The Death Eaters could see that Harry Potter would die soon.

'I could have been so much for you, if only...' Harry didn't end his sentence, and death took him.

For Snape, who really knew what had just taken place, the scene was excruciating. Yet, it was one of the oldest rites in the magical community, and it had to be respected.

Besides, the sacrifice that had just been made would guarantee that they'd get rid of Voldemort.

'Now that I am fully invincible, and that we're all here, it's time to make this world ours,' Voldemort said.

The members of the Order stunned all the Death Eaters. It would not last for long because they were powerful Dark wizards and witches.

'What do you think you can do against me?' Voldemort hissed.

'Kill you,' the real Harry said, walking out of the shadows.

Voldemort turned toward the dead body at his feet. In death, the Polyjuice that had been used no longer worked, and Voldemort howled when he saw that he had killed Pansy.

He knelt by her, hoping to find his son alive in the dead vessel of its mother, but the blow delivered to the stomach had pierced the child.

'It was her right to die because you had enslaved her. It was her wish, and only you could free her from the nightmare you had created for her,' Harry said.

'I'm going to kill you for that. She was mine, and the child was mine,' Voldemort howled.

'You never loved them. Besides, they were not your properties. They could have been so much for you, if only you'd loved them,' Harry said, ending the sentence Pansy never had the opportunity to finish.

Voldemort reflected that there was only one way that Pansy could have had access to something from Harry Potter, and the particular kind of Polyjuice that could trick his spell: it was through the Snapes.

Before Harry, or anyone, could react, Voldemort cast the Cruciatus on Snape, who was still on the floor. The combination of spells was a terrible torture, since the Potions master could not writhe in pain.

'Stop!' yelled Ginny.

Voldemort turned to her. He aimed his wand at her, but Harry grabbed him, and the both of them fell behind the Veil.

Ginny ran to Severus, and freed him from the spell that kept him stunned.

He was unconscious.

Ginny did not look at the others. She knew that they would bind the Death Eaters, so that they could be handed to the Aurors, and that they would be taking great care of Peter Pettigrew. The only thing Ginny wanted was to take Snape to the hospital.

The security wards in the Ministry had finally alerted officers, and Fudge and a handful of Aurors arrived. All they saw were the body of Pansy, the sign on the floor, and the ones who were branded as Death Eaters stunned.

Fudge overreacted, as usual, and he prevented Ginny from leaving before he knew what had taken place.

It was Moody who came to the young witch's rescue and offered to escort her and Snape to the hospital. Fudge was afraid of Moody, like almost everybody, and he consented to let them go.

Fudge wanted to do something significant.

'Those who bear the Dark Mark should be burnt at the stake. Immediately,' he declared.

The Aurors were about to obey when Arthur Weasley grabbed Pettigrew by the collar and showed him to his Ministry fellows and the Minister for Magic.

'Sirius Black spent over a decade in Azkaban because Pettigrew tricked us all, and because he didn't have a trial. Don't you think that you should avoid making the same mistake again?' Arthur asked Fudge.

The Minister looked like a fish on dry land, so one of the chief Aurors took things into his own hands and ordered his men to bring the Death Eaters to Ministry cells.

'Now that Voldemort no longer is a threat, I hope that you're going to change the silly measures you took,' Arthur said.

'What... what happened?' Fudge asked.

'Harry plunged behind the Veil with Voldemort,' Remus said.

Fudge gasped.

'Will you free all those you imprisoned?' Minerva asked.

Fudge was too surprised to react.

'You should resign,' Molly growled.

'Before we inform our community of what happened, and of what you did,' Remus said.

'Or before I duel you,' a man, who had just entered the room, said.

'Severus!' exclaimed Theo.

She ran into the arms of her companion.

While she was hugging him, Minerva turned to the young wizard who'd come in after Severus.

'I thought we had agreed that you would not come here today, that you'd wait with the others in Grimmauld Place,' McGonagall scolded Al.

The young wizard chuckled and said, 'Professor McGonagall, I presume. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Altair Chance, Aldebaran's twin brother.'

'This is amazing,' McGonagall said.

'Silly,' Theo said, 'there was no need for you to come.'

'As soon as you're granted a full divorce, I shall Apparate you and the boys back home, and I will marry you immediately,' Severus Chance said.

Theo grinned.

'What's going on here?' Fudge growled.

'I knew that things were to happen the way they did, so I didn't move here to be with Theo. Besides, we still had three kids at home who needed me. Now that your War is over, I'm taking my woman back home, and I intend to live happily ever after there with our four children. Incidentally, when the spell that I had put on Harry Potter yesterday activated as he went behind the Veil dragging Voldemort along with him, I took it upon myself to send information about your politics, as well as some of your more personal practices, to the media. If I were you, I'd set the imprisoned innocents free, and I'd resign,' Chance said.

'I'll help Minister Fudge do that,' Percy said.

Molly looked at her son and smiled.

Fudge could not look at Theo's companion. Escape sounded like a good option, so he finally nodded. Before leaving his office, he'd have an official declaration asserting that what he'd done was for the best of the community.

'My Love?' Theo asked her companion.

'Yes, Darling?'

'How do you know that it was wise to denounce the plonker,' she said, pointing at Fudge, 'while Harry is not back yet?'

'You're not going to believe it,' Chance said.

'Dad got an owl from his fathers,' Altair said.

Chance glared at his son, but the young wizard chuckled.

'Are they still travelling?' Theo asked.

Severus Chance nodded sadly. His fathers had left a few days before Theo's arrival, and he hadn't seen them since. He was blessed with a beautiful family, but he missed his parents.

'They said the time had not come yet. They were even more cryptic than I can be, and they said that they'd come only when everything had been set to rights,' Chance said.

Theo caressed his cheek and said, 'Why don't you go to the house and fetch Al? We've packed everything, and we are just waiting for Black to come back to this side before we go back home. I don't want you to hex Black. I might do so, but only after he's freed me. Go to Grimmauld Place, Darling.'

Chance and Altair agreed to obey Theo.

On their way out, Altair walked to McGonagall and said, 'Ma'am, I have messages from my twin.'

'I'm all ears,' the witch said.

Altair hugged her, pecked her cheek and whispered in her ear, 'Almost nineteen.'

McGonagall chuckled and said, 'Tell Al that he's welcome to come and see me anytime he wants, he'll always be welcome.'

Altair winked and left.

During the tutoring sessions Al had received in Transfiguration, he'd confided in the Head of Gryffindor. He'd told her that he was a certified wizard, according to the custom of his native country, when Dumbledore bound him to Grimmauld Place, that he was reading at the local equivalent of a university, and that he was older than people had been led to think.

Who could indeed imagine that in Hogwarts, there was a door to the past for those who needed it? Theo had escaped through time and space.

Now, Altair would once more tell his elder brother that McGonagall would always welcome him, were it for a short visit, or a longer stay.

The members of the Order found the end of the War very anti-climactic. Harry had tricked Voldemort, they had stunned the Death Eaters, and that was it.

Some went to check that Fudge was doing what was expected from him, others went to announce the good news to their world. Molly and Minerva went to check that Ginny and Snape were all right, while Remus reverently took charge of the body of Pansy.

'She should be thanked posthumously,' Arthur said. 'She's one of the children we didn't protect, and she paid dearly for the education she'd been given. If she had not shared information with Ginny and sacrificed today, Harry might not have had the opportunity to carry out his plan.

'I'll take great care of the poor child,' Remus said, and he left to bring her to the Aurors Headquarters.

Arthur was left with Theo, and both were waiting for Harry to come back to their side.

Albus Dumbledore joined them.

'How kind of you to join us now,' spat Theo.

'You didn't follow my plan,' the old wizard growled.

'It was a bad plan. By having Harry duel Voldemort, you would have had him hurt, and he would not have been strong enough to come back to our side for years, decades maybe,' Theo pointed out.

'But he would have been with his godfather,' Dumbledore said.

'You were planning to have me witness the slow decay of the man I love!' Harry yelled.

He was standing just behind the Headmaster, and Sirius was next to him.

When Harry had found Sirius's soul on the other plane, he'd always seen him with white hair, and now Harry's had whitened, too.

It was strange and almost painful to look at them. They looked both young and old, though it was not because of the new colour of their hair. There was a deep sadness in their eyes that their love could not fill yet.

They would need time to heal, maybe as long as they'd suffered.

'Harry, my dear child,' Dumbledore tried to soothe him.

'You knew I could not die, so you shipped me off to the Dursleys, because you knew that I'd be so grateful to you for bringing me to the wizarding world that I'd worship you and you'd be able to get anything from me,' Harry said, spitting with rage.

Dumbledore tried to protest, but both Harry and Sirius kept accusing him.

Arthur wanted to warn the old wizard, but Theo stopped him. After all, Dumbledore had done nothing to protect the children, any children. Arthur looked at the floor and didn't say a word when Dumbledore backed off and fell behind the curtain.

'Good riddance!' Harry said.

Arthur was delighted to see that the farfetched plan that Gregory had shared with him the night before had worked. He was happy that Sirius had been saved, and looked so well. Were it not for his white hair, he'd look even younger than when he was taken to Azkaban.

'Pettigrew has been caught, you'll be absolved momentarily,' Arthur said.

'We are dead to this world and shall remain dead,' Harry said.

'Our place is no longer here, Arthur,' Sirius said softly.

'What about...?' Arthur's voice trailed off as he pointed towards the black curtain.

'Voldemort or Dumbledore?' Harry asked.

'Both I guess.'

'Well, if there is an inquiry, two magical signatures will be detected in the antechamber. If no one hires someone capable of contacting the spirits of the wizards beyond the Veil, no one will ever know that Voldemort is trapped with Dumbledore. You're just going to have a missing Headmaster, but since Theo already disappeared once, people might believe that he did the same,' Harry said.

'It all depends on who is going to be the next Minister for Magic, I guess, but I swear that I won't betray your secret,' Arthur said.

While Arthur and Harry spoke, Theo had been observing Sirius. She was forced to admit that Harry had been right: the Sirius Black she had married had died in Azkaban.

Sirius knelt and went to her on his knees.

'Sirius Black was a pitiful husband,' he started, quoting Snape. 'I wish to fully free you. May I?'

Theo had to admit that she was surprised to see him keep his word.

Arthur registered Sirius's divorce.

Everything that had ever been Sirius's belonged to Theo then.

Sirius had the clothes he had on his back and that was all. He no longer even had a surname.

'May I make you a promise?' Sirius asked Theo.

She nodded.

'I'll find a way to make amends,' he said.

Something in his eyes told her that he meant those words. She accepted his olive branch.

Harry promised that they'd find a way to keep in touch, and then they were gone.

Arthur and Theo felt strangely empty.

Theo told Arthur to take good care of his family and the children. She added a word for Severus, and she Apparated in front of Grimmauld Place that now belonged to Nymphadora Lupin, and the Chances Disapparated to their home.

Thanks to Severus Chance, the news spread faster than it would have if Fudge had had his say in it.

The entire community finally decided that Fudge's measures were unfair, and when it was announced that Fudge no longer was Minister, and that his decisions against alleged Dark creatures and followers of Voldemort were discontinued, people rejoiced even more. They were mourning the death of the courageous Harry Potter, but some people - along with Gringotts Goblins - knew better.

Percy worked to make amends, and he obeyed his father to the letter.

Arthur stayed all day, and even the following night, in the Ministry, working to keep their world together, and setting Fudge's blunders to rights.

When an exhausted Arthur left the Ministry to look for his wife and daughter, there were already people asking him if he'd agree to become the next Minister.

Arthur and Percy Apparated to the Burrow, where Percy's hand popped back onto the family clock.

Molly cried a lot.

The twins were cautious, but Ron and Greg were suspicious; Percy would need to prove that he had really changed.

'Where's Ginny?' Arthur asked, 'We went to St Mungo's but no one had seen Snape there.'

'They did go to St Mungo's,' growled Ron.

'What happened?' Percy wondered.

'They were aware of his condition and they refused to heal him,' Gregory explained. 'Moody brought him and Ginny to Hogwarts before the spell on Professor Snape activated and started poisoning him for attempting to escape his jail.'

Arthur took a pinch of Floo powder, and he contacted Moody.

Arthur asked how Snape was, and he was told that the Potions master was really weak, and that Ginny was worried sick.

'Well, I have good news for them,' Arthur said.

'Are they no longer in danger because of their supposed link with Voldemort?' Moody asked.

'Professor Snape has been cleared, and Ginny has nothing to fear about her mark. I didn't have time to fully restore their status, but Percy had their marriage cancelled,' Arthur said.

There was a shrill cry behind Moody, who barked 'Idiot!' to Arthur and put an end to the connection.

'You really are stupid,' Gregory growled, when most of the Weasleys wondered what was going on.

Ron knew that Ginny had fallen for her saviour, and his boyfriend had demonstrated that the Head of Slytherin was not indifferent to his ally. Ron could not imagine how his beloved sister was feeling. Her life was turned upside-down once more.

Molly was the first to understand, and she Disapparated to the gates of Hogwarts right after Ron and Greg.

When they finally reached the castle and Snape's quarters, they found Moody working feverishly to prevent Ginny's heart from failing her.

Snape dragged himself into the small parlour as the Weasleys and Greg were approaching Ginny. She was as pale as a shroud, shivering violently and crying steadily. Her left arm was paralyzed in a painful cramp, and Moody knew that her blood pressure was terribly wrong.

Ginny refused to let her father comfort her, and she and Snape staggered into each other's arms.

'Shush, Gin,' Snape said.

She instantly felt, and looked, better.

'You're awake,' she whispered, burying her face in his chest.

He caressed her hair and back. He looked terrible.

'What happened?' Snape asked.

'Voldemort is trapped in the Veil, Harry and Theo escaped, and Fudge quit. We're working on reversing his last measures. You and Ginny are free. I was telling Alastor that your rights and status aren't fully restored yet, but your marriage has been dissolved,' Arthur said, showing a piece of parchment.

Snape and Ginny were clinging to each other. They looked deep down into each other's eyes, and Ginny began breathing normally again.

Completely ignoring the people near them, Snape said, 'I gave you my word, Gin. I'll do exactly what you want. Shall I destroy that document?'

She nodded.

Snape could not feel his wand in his sleeve, and he reflected that Moody had certainly placed it near his bed, but when he'd felt that Ginny was distressed, he'd pulled himself out of bed, and made his way to the witch he loved, without looking for his wand.

He searched Ginny's sleeve for her wand, and said a spell that would destroy all copies of the annulment. Arthur, who was holding one of the copies, was able to feel the depth of Snape's love for Ginny, and Moody could almost see their bond, thanks to his magical eye - it nearly made him smile.

'Severus?' Ginny said.

'Yes?'

'I want another name-code for you between us. I want to use the old one freely,' she said, definitely feeling better.

'Whatever you wish, Gin,' he said. He hugged her and murmured, 'Silly cat, how could you believe that I'd betray you by repudiating you?'

'I feared they'd separate us,' she answered, clinging to him for dear life.

'You no longer need protection,' Percy pointed out.

George - or Fred - cuffed the back of his head and said, 'They fell in love, stupid!'

'We're truly gaining another brother,' the other twin said, which touched the Snapes.

'You're going to end up with a whole collection of Slytherins,' Greg teased the twins.

'How do you know?' George asked, blushing furiously, and wondering how Ron's boyfriend had discovered that they had started dating Slytherin twin witches who had been in Bill's year.

'He's gifted,' Ron purred, intertwining his fingers with Greg's.

'I want to go home,' Ginny whispered.

Snape nodded, and they walked back to the room where Moody had helped Ginny heal her husband as best as they could, and he took his wand.

'I'm not certain I can walk through Centaurs' territory without being caught,' Snape said.

'You should come to the Burrow, with us,' Arthur said, hoping that Snape would understand that he was more than welcome to remain a member of the family.

'Dad, as long as we're not fully free, we can't risk staying anywhere but on the Hogwarts grounds,' Ginny said.

'I could take it upon myself to lift the spell on Pro... on Severus,' Arthur said.

'You cannot,' Snape said. 'Only the Minister or my employer can lift it.'

'Why don't you stay here today?' Arthur said. 'I'll sleep a couple of hours, and I'll go back to the Ministry.'

As he walked by Arthur, Snape put one hand on his father-in-law's shoulder and said, 'Get some rest, they won't let you help me that easily.'

Snape turned to Ginny, who said, 'You won't get rid of me because of a bunch of daft civil servants.'

He smirked.

They thanked Moody and left. They would ask for Atty's help to get to their cave before leaving the castle.

Molly was about to protest, and try to convince them to stay in Hogwarts at least, but Greg walked to her and said, 'Wherever they're going, they're together, and there they're free.'

Molly nodded and pecked Greg's cheek.

'All right, Severus and Ginny are relatively safe here, and I've got you home. If Percy moves back in, you might share Ron's room,' she said.

A Slytherin with Gryffindor-red cheeks always was an interesting sight.

'Mum, if you tease my boyfriend, I'll go and work with the twins,' Ron said, wrapping an arm around Greg's waist.

'What a threat!' Arthur said, yawning fiercely.

They all hoped that things would work out for the best.

Moody decided to help them a bit, and he went with Molly to the Ministry to try and accelerate Snape's emancipation.

The Potions master had been unfortunately right, and it took the Weasleys a whole week to have some lazy quill-pusher allow the lifting of the Incarcerating spell on Snape. It took them so long in fact, that the legal parchment arrived at the Burrow just after the one making Arthur the new Minister for Magic.

Greg sent Joory to tell his mentor and his mentor's wife that they were finally completely free. The elf came back and said that the Snapes had no means of existence. Snape was waiting to know if he still was a Hogwarts teacher, and the Forest was the only place where they could find shelter.

Molly said that they could come to the Burrow, but Greg pointed out that neither Snape nor Ginny would agree to that.

Arthur decided to kick the old witches and wizards who were slowing him down in the shins, and he made them vote his re-organisation of Hogwarts. Since Albus Dumbledore had curiously disappeared without a trace, Minerva McGonagall was appointed Headmistress, and Severus Snape was appointed Deputy Headmaster, on top of being the Head of Slytherin and Potions master. Juno Pratchett replaced her sister as Head of Gryffindor.

Arthur tried to have Snape paid retroactively for his position, but that is one thing that Arthur could not obtain because there were too many people who hated Snape. All he could get was the restoration of the Gringotts account that had belonged to Snape when he was prosecuted and imprisoned; it was not much, but so much more than what he'd had the past fifteen years.

Molly sent Joory to invite her daughter and son-in-law to the Burrow.

The Snapes said goodbye to the ward that had protected them and brought them together, and they went to the Weasleys' with Atty, who had completely bound herself to the Snapes.

Greg and Ron were the first to see the changes in Snape.

People saw that he had cut his hair, but no one knew that it was because he'd asked Ginny to erase the scar on his neck. They saw that he looked different, because Ginny was taking care of the man she loved. They never guessed that they'd pushed him too far when they denied him the means to properly care for his wife until he got his first month of wages.

Snape was not even thanked officially, and Ginny did not forgive the Ministry officers who refused to ratify her father's decision in favour of her husband.

Snape and Ginny stayed with the Weasleys, but it was as if they still were in a world that only belonged to them.

They only got to stay a fortnight at the Burrow before school started again. By then, the wizarding world was transformed.

The Death Eaters had been rapidly, but fairly, judged. They were all sent to jail, and Draco and Greg were given their fathers' estates. Narcissa was sentenced as well, and Hermione helped Draco face his parents when the legal parchments were given to the young wizard. Once he was out of the Ministry, Draco took his girlfriend in his arms, Apparated to the Grangers', and offered a betrothal to Hermione in front of her parents.

The Snapes were invited to the blessing of Alexander Granger, and Charlie and Seraphin's daughter. They were also there when Draco renamed the place where he'd grown up to honour his betrothed and christened it "Granger Hall". They were invited during the Yule break to the weddings of Draco and Hermione, and Ron and Greg.

The Snapes seldom left their quarters, and the Headmistress allowed the young witch to stay in the dungeons with her husband. The only thing that Ginny planned with her friends and family was a huge Christmas party, and Snape was delighted that she had not forgotten her promise and had kept her word.

Ginevra Snape's last year at Hogwarts was extremely quiet. In fact, the only incident occurred when she hexed one of her fellows, who was teasing her about her choice of husband. Juno Pratchett gave her a whole week of detentions... with the Potions master.

In early July, the Headmistress brought her N.E. results to Ginevra Snape. The next day when McGonagall found the Snapes' wands in their empty quarters, she understood them.

The Hogwarts Headmistress contacted the Minister for Magic and brought him the two wands.

'I'm really sorry, Arthur,' McGonagall said.

'Minerva,' Arthur began, but he didn't know how to relate what happened before she Floo'ed in.

He handed her the letter that a white owl had delivered.

The owl was Hedwig's son, and it had brought a message from Harry and Sirius, enjoining Arthur to "keep the wands, and wait for another letter".

Gregory Weasley was appointed temporary Head of Slytherin and Potions master while Professor Pratchett became the Deputy Headmistress until Professor Snape was back.

The Weasleys and the Hogwarts staff members waited.

It was only the following year that the white owl flew back, to the Burrow this time.

The message was short. It gave a name, an address, and asked Molly and Arthur to come together.

They Disapparated to London, and found the flat they were looking for.

They thought that they'd find people who would tell them where to find Severus and Ginny, but they'd have never dreamt that Sirius would answer the door.

They'd never imagined that Harry and Sirius had escaped to the past, and had done what they were supposed to do there without interfering with the events that took place in the UK. Harry and Sirius were two old wizards - well, they were not that old by wizarding standards, but Arthur could clearly see that Harry was older than him.

They had been visited by their older selves while they were on the plane where Sirius had been caught for years, and they'd known where to flee, and what to do.

They'd kept an eye on their friends after they'd left their own family - their adopted son, actually - to deal with his own part in their tale.

After their escape, they had taken in a Muggle orphan, who turned out to be a wizard. Harry and Sirius knew that their Severus was a happy man, and the best way they could have ever dreamt of to make amends to Theo. The day before, Severus Chance had told Theo who his fathers were, and Theo had agreed to meet them, on the grounds that they'd done an amazing job with her husband, and that they'd become grandfathers for her children, not fathers - even to the twins actually fathered by Sirius.

Arthur and Molly's heads were spinning.

They were told that Harry and Sirius had been the ones who gave money, through Gringotts, to help those who had been wronged by Fudge.

They had also delivered the cure against lycanthropy and vampirism to St Mungo's.

'Before we go back home, we must tell you that it took Severus four years to find those cures, which we delivered ourselves to the hospital,' Harry said.

'I thought your adopted son was a strategist,' Arthur said.

'It's Severus Snape who found the cure, Arthur,' Sirius gently said.

'Four years?' gasped Molly.

'They've been with us for five years,' Harry said.

'Why are you contacting us now?' Arthur wondered.

Harry and Sirius grinned, and led the Weasleys to the other flat on their floor. They had a key to it, and entered silently.

A man was softly singing, and it took the Weasleys a moment to understand that it was the voice of Severus Snape, and he was singing a lullaby.

Sirius and Harry led Arthur and Molly into a dining-room.

'We contacted our younger selves last night. From this point on, we don't know what's going to happen, but if you want Severus and Gin back, you'll have to be pretty convincing. Severus is a respected chemistry professor,' Harry said, as he gently pushed Arthur and Molly into the room.

The Weasleys walked to their daughter and her husband.

Gin was positively radiant. Severus wore the jumper he'd been given for Christmas after his betrothal, and a baby was sucking his index finger.

Molly sobbed, and the Snapes looked at their visitor with warmth.

'Come and meet our daughter,' Severus said.

Helga Gin Snape was adorable.

Even if Harry had freed Severus from the Dark Mark, it had taken him years to recover from its magic, and when Gin became pregnant the Snapes decided to wait for the birth of their first child before contacting the Weasleys.

Arthur told them that Greg had been a fantastic alternative, but Ron was pregnant - courtesy of the curse of the Român - and McGonagall wanted to retire.

Arthur officially asked Severus Snape to come back to Hogwarts.

'Why would I come back, Arthur? Of course, now that you know where we are, you can visit, but the Ministry imprisoned me for years when I had just been tricked to join Voldemort, and Gin would have been sent to jail because she'd been tricked by Lucius,' Severus said, never taking his eyes off of his daughter.

'If you come back, I promise an official apology for the both of you, the Order of Merlin, and the Order of the Phoenix, which was created for War heroes. You'll be free to do whatever you want with the curriculum, and I swear that I'll back your decisions before the Board. I'll name a new Board if you want me to,' Arthur said.

Severus and Gin were focussing on their daughter.

'We miss you so much,' Molly said.

'Mum, you know where we are now,' Gin insisted.

The Weasleys and the Snapes were about to try convincing one another when a barn owl flew in through the open window.

Neither Severus nor Gin wanted to move and disturb their baby, so they asked Arthur to read the message brought by the owl.

It was from Minerva. She was breaching the school secrecy to announce the Snapes that their daughter was a witch who was on the school list, and she suggested that it might be nice to have her grow up among her peers, friends and cousins.

The Snapes knew that Harry and Sirius would leave them in a few hours to go back to their family, maybe it was time for them to go back to theirs as well.

Severus looked at his wife.

They needed no words to communicate.

'Two conditions, Dad,' Gin said.

'I'm all ears, Mrs Snape,' Arthur said, fighting a grin.

'Severus gets free reign to reorganize the whole system, and no one says a word, or we're back here for good,' she began.

'Granted.'

'And Gin and Helga get to live with me at Hogwarts, in very nice quarters,' Severus said.

'Anything,' Arthur answered.

'Very big quarters,' Gin added.

Severus chuckled. Neither Arthur nor Molly had ever seen him that happy.

'What?' Molly asked, smiling widely.

'My dear wife - your daughter - is determined to have a son, whatever it takes,' Severus said.

'Are you coming back?' Arthur asked, placing one hand on his son-in-law's shoulder.

'If you swear to fight with me against lies and deceit, we'll come back,' Severus said.

Arthur and Molly invited the Snapes to join them for a family lunch.

They had so much to share: what it was like to live among Muggles as one of them, or get to know what happened to their foes and friends.

When the Snapes Disapparated to the Burrow with their daughter, Harry and Sirius went to their family, to put an end to the last lie in their life, and to take care of their adopted son, his wife, and their children.

It was only that day that the mess created by Dumbledore and Voldemort ended - and very few people knew it.

Finis

Final note: I really want to thank Stephanie and Annemarie for sharing information with me, and Mikee and Starkindler for their fantabulous beta work (Ginny's real name was given to me by Star. I guess I'll have some editing to do in other fics - wink). If you liked that tale, it's because it turned out good thanks to them.