A/N: Once again, it has been forever. Sorry. Hubby Vingilot and I bought a house and moved, which took up an enormous amount of time. Plus, Baby Vingilot is expected in February, and the joys of morning (and afternoon and evening) sickness are eating up a lot of my previously-free time. I am trying to write though! Hope more will follow soon.

For those who followed Skin Deep, I have finally finished the first of the epilogues, too. I’ll post it within the next few days after some fine tuning.

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Chapter 37

“You invited students…here?” Severus asked incredulously. “To our rooms?” he clarified, evidently completely unable to fathom the possibility.

London shrugged his shoulders. “Draco wanted me to go hang out in their rooms, but it didn’t feel right, leaving.”

That stopped the impending tirade short. He was right – that would not have worked. “I suppose you have a point,” Severus said reluctantly. “But I have never had any students but Draco in here – and I only allowed him to visit occasionally because he is family, and largely tolerable. Did he say who he was bringing with him?”

“No. I didn’t think to ask. I bet that girlfriend of his and maybe another friend or two. I didn’t think you’d care this much.”

A knock at the door cut off any response Severus might have made to that. A quick check of their wards revealed Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Millie standing in the dungeon hallway. Of the possible Slytherin students who could have showed up in his rooms, Severus considered them to be the most tolerable. He had known all of them since they were babies, and he mingled regularly with their parents and family members at the few pure-blood events that he was invited to that he was unable to decline. With a deep sigh, he spelled the door open, but did not move closer to greet them.

“Good evening, Severus,” Draco greeted his taciturn cousin, not even remotely put off by the chilly reception. “Thank you for inviting us into your home.”

Severus raised an eyebrow but did not respond.

The students ignored their professor’s response (or lack thereof) and stepped further into the room. A quick smile from London assured them that their presence was still welcome, in spite of their professor’s lack of enthusiasm. The four students each brought out small boxes and presented them to the potions master, uncertain of whom they should be presenting their gifts to. “In celebration of your bonding,” Draco murmured, bowing low in respect. “May the gods protect you and bless you in your long days to come.”

Severus was taken aback. While a few of the Order members had found it within themselves to congratulate the two of them on their bonding, no one had given a proper bonding gift, as required by all pureblood traditions. Minerva’s parents had eschewed the pureblood traditions, and had never taught their children the Old Ways. Sirius Black had spent so much time trying to escape the rituals and traditions that made up pureblood culture, that he likely had forgotten the proper greetings, although he had been unable to forget the importance of bonding.

Severus swallowed thickly as he took in the sight of his cousin, bowing low before him with the Malfoy Gift. Severus frankly had never thought he would go through this particular short ceremony, as he had never thought that he would either find his mate, or, if he did, that he would have anyone who cared enough to congratulate him properly.

He suddenly noticed London standing at his side, as London’s strong arm wrapped around his slim waist. The boy must have been able to feel his conflicting emotions. The bond really was growing stronger by the day.

Severus reached out and accepted the first gift from Draco, his hands closing gently around the small box. “May your happiness one day equal my own,” he said in reply, before handing the gift to London and taking the other three gifts from his other students and passing them on as well, his motions making it clear that London was the dominant in their relationship. He motioned the group further into the room, and waited for them to all take a seat before sitting down in his favorite arm chair. London sat on the floor by his feet, leaning against his legs.

“I was not aware that you had planned a bonding ceremony,” Draco said politely, surprised that he had not been invited. He knew that his cousin was a private man, but he had at least assumed that family would have been welcome at the bonding. “My lady mother was most upset to have missed it.” This bonding would change his family’s political stance of necessity, and they were all rather shocked to have not even been invited to the momentous occasion.

“We didn’t have one,” London said cheerfully, his hands already starting to unfasten the ties on the gift. If there was one thing that London loved it was presents.

Draco nodded, unsurprised. Given the little that he knew about his cousin and London, he wasn’t terribly surprised to hear that. He had been expecting it sooner or later.

“It is rumored the strongest bonds are formed in that manner,” Blaise said smoothly. “Did not the great Salazar Slytherin bond with his wife without following the traditional ceremonies?”

“It is a blessing to have found each other,” Pansy said, her heartfelt congratulations evident. “Our people seem to have a more difficult time each year.”

Severus nodded. The girl was correct – the number of purebloods who followed the old ways and had been able to find their perfect match seemed to dwindle further each year. In his own year at Hogwarts, there were eleven students who practiced the old ways. Only five had found their mates – he was now the sixth. He reached out and stroked London’s messy hair for a moment, reflecting on how lucky he was to have found him.

“The students in your year seem to be luckier than most,” Severus said. “I am eager to discover the results of your comings of age.” Likely matches had sprung up throughout Hogwarts, particularly among the Slytherins, who were more likely to practice the traditional mating ceremonies. Unfortunately, it was all too common for a young witch or wizard to think that they have found their match and then, upon coming of age, realize that they were mistaken. Until that day, when you would come fully into your magic and your full magical awareness, it was really just guesswork. But this year there were more pairings than usual, and Severus could only pray that this was a good sign.

London managed to get the box open, his large hands easily dwarfing the small present. He pulled out a black stone and held it in his palm for a moment. His brow wrinkled as he tried to puzzle out what the stone was. Magic was thrumming from the center of the stone with a strength that even a squib could sense. “This…heals?” he asked, looking up to Draco in question.

“Yes, it is runic magic. Families place these in their children’s bedrooms…or their own” he said hastily as he realized his cousin might very well have no desire for children, “when they are ill. They promote a quicker, more thorough healing. It can be used for any ailment, from a broken bone to pneumonia to curses. It won’t work instantly, and the effects will be blunted without the proper potions and medi-magic, but it will work nonetheless. It is best to use it in conjunction with proper healing techniques – the stone magnifies the healing effects of traditional spells. The Malfoy Family blesses you with good health,” he finished formally. This was the traditional gift that the Malfoy family would give to young bonded couples, which he was certain his cousin had been expecting. He was also certain that the gift from the Parkinson Family would be a Wisdom Rune, which promotes clear thinking and fast learning.

“Cool,” London said, tossing the stone in the air and catching it again. He handed it up to Severus. Before he could move on to the next gift though, the auras in the room shifted almost violently.

The group as one jumped as two people blinked into sight in front of them. A young man was fighting violently with an even younger girl. One of his dirty hands fought to pin both of hers above her head, while the other tore at her trousers, trying to force the button open. His thighs pinned her own to the floor, forcing her legs open. A strangled scream slipped out of the girl’s throat.

Before the wizards could speak, or stand up, or shoot off a single spell to separate the intruders, London leapt forward, and in a single, fluid motion he gripped the boy’s hair, pulled his head back as far as it could go, and plunged his dagger into the boy’s exposed throat up to the hilt. A simple flick of the wrist drew the dagger from left to right, opening the boy’s throat from end to end.

Blood gushed out from the gaping throat, the slash so deep that it had nearly decapitated the boy.

None of the wizards could find breath to utter a sound.

“Lonnie?” the girl called out, her voice thin and shaking. She made no move to avoid the blood that was spilling on her thighs and stomach.

“Sorry Ana,” he murmured, releasing his hold on the boy’s hair and dropping the body to the floor with a stomach-twisting thunk. “I should have turned him away from you first. No need to ruin perfectly good clothes with a bit of blood.”

The Hogwarts students swallowed thickly, staring in horror as the blood spread along the rug, inching closer to their own feet. Pansy tucked her feet up on the sofa under her robes. Draco twitched, but remained with his feet on the floor, unwilling to move out of the way of any part of the wretched muggle boy. Millicent moved slightly to the left, although she too left her feet on the rug.

The small girl sat up as best she could, with her attacker’s body weighing her legs down. “It worked. The key worked.” She held out her hand, showing London the key that Severus had given her to get into the flat while they were at Hogwarts. She had clutched it so tightly there was a dark pink imprint of the key’s ridges in her small palm.

“Of course it worked,” London said indignantly. “Do you really think I would have left you there by yourself, without any protection?”

Ana let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob.

London took in her appearance at a glance, his fury mounting with every second. “Could you get to the key in time?”

She nodded, still too shaken up to do much more.

He reached out with one hand and re-clasped the button on her trousers. Another sob slipped out.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice shaking nearly uncontrollably. “I don’t know why I’m being such a baby.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he said firmly. “You cry if you want to. You’re safe now.” He wiped the blade off on the dead boy’s worn cotton jacket and slipped it back into place at the small of his back.

“It’s all so stupid,” she said, her anxiety rolling off her in waves. “I mean, you must have faced things like this all the time, before,” she said, referring to the time before he had gotten together with Severus, and had a safe haven to escape to at night, as well as the time before he had grown so large and so strong. “I know I’ve been lucky – almost unfairly lucky. Any other girl would have already had it happen. I’m almost fifteen, for fuck’s sake! I shouldn’t get so shook up over some guy who wants me. It was just…it was just so different from the guys I usually sleep with, you know? He was just so rough and they were all yelling and hitting me…I shouldn’t be such a baby. Nothing even happened!”

“Plenty happened,” London countered, his countenance dark with repressed rage. “And don’t ever think that you had an unfair advantage.”

“But I did!” she protested. “I’ve had you to keep me safe, all these years.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I should have been there more. Fuck. Look at you.” London said, reaching out and grasping her chin tightly. He turned her face into the light a bit and frowned fiercely at the bruise that was darkening on her cheek. “I can’t believe I let you get hurt.”

“But the stupid fuck never actually did anything!” she exclaimed, her anger and fear and adrenaline still rushing through her. “I mean, they chased me for a while, and they tossed me around some, but then he decided that he wanted some privacy and took me away from the rest. I had time to grab my key and it took me to you.” Her fear was still evident, although she made no move to get the dead body away from her. “I didn’t know it would bring him too.”

“Who the fuck is this, anyway?” he said, rolling the boy over to look at his face. He pulled the head back, ignoring the spurt of blood this caused to roll out onto Ana’s already drenched jeans. “Steve. Stupid fuck. I would have thought he’d be smart enough to stay the fuck away from you. But then, two days ago I would have thought the whole fucking city knew better than to touch you. What the hell happened?”

“I guess they all thought you’d left, and I was fair game,” she said, wiping her cheeks although no tears were present. “Getting me has turned into the new way to ‘make’ yourself in London. You know, fuck London’s sister, rule the city. That kind of thing.”

London swore violently, dropping the head back down with a thud.

Ana looked around herself curiously, ignoring her volatile friend. “Is this where you and Sev live? I always thought he taught at some posh school,” she said wrinkling her nose. It didn’t look too much better than the warehouse. Given how nice his flat was, she had always assumed his housing at the school would be at least as nice.

London looked around the formal sitting room, his bewilderment clear.

“I believe Ana may be suffering from the muggle-repellant charms,” Severus said calmly, as though there was not a dead muggle lying at his feet. “There are charms over the entire building to make the castle look like an abandoned ruin.”

“She’s a muggle?” Pansy murmured in disbelief. She had never seen a muggle before, and for some reason, she had always imagined them to look different, somehow.

London nodded his understanding of the charms and straddled the body to get closer to Ana’s face. Placing his hands on either side of her head, he stared at her intently, studying the magic that for the first time surrounded his muggle friend. She had never before had even a hint of magic detectible on her person, and now she was covered in it. After a few moments of tinkering with the magic, he drew away.

Ana gasped as the room came into view, the opulent rugs and posh furniture were just the start. The walls were covered in beautiful paintings and clearly expensive (and clearly old) books and knickknacks and sculptures littered the large room. Everything that surrounded her looked like something out of a movie – expensive, fancy and very, very out of date. Unlike the flat, there were no lamps or electronics at all. Even without the items that she usually associated with wealth though, the whole atmosphere gave a single, unadulterated message of wealth. “I knew you were loaded,” she said with a grin, before turning for the first time to the kids who were also in the room with them. “Who’re they?”

“Some of the students here,” London answered her impatiently, wanting more information. “Never mind them. How the hell did Steve get to you? You could kick his arse any day. I taught you better than that.”

“Not when he has ten of his friends with him,” Ana countered.

London sighed and shoved the body over, sitting down next to Ana. She was right. He didn’t even know how he would have fared in such a fight. “How many did you deal with?”

“Two. But then I lost my knife.”

London shrugged. “I’ll get you another one. Did they go to the warehouse?”

“No, I was on my way home from a club. It’s a long walk back to the warehouse and a lot of those streets don’t have good lights.”

“I thought you were going to stay in the flat?” Severus asked gently.

“I did do, but I had stayed a few days with our friends. The cops raided our home and shut it up for a few weeks, and I was staying with some friends nearby trying to help them keep warm. And then these fuckers come out of nowhere. One of them took my Christmas coat!” she said indignantly, obviously expecting Severus to see the vast injustice of that action.

“I’ll get you another one,” Severus said soothingly. He knew that to someone who lived on the streets, a good coat could mean the difference between life and death on some nights. She had nearly cried when he had given her the coat last Christmas.

“That was a great bloody coat,” she snapped back, anger overtaking her fear finally. “Stupid fuckers. If they wanted to kill me they would have done better to bloody do it quickly. Honestly, leaving a girl without a coat when there’s snow on the ground!”

“I’ll deal with them tomorrow,” London said firmly. “Let’s get you washed up,” he said, helping her to her feet. She winced as she stood up fully, pain already forming from her bruises. “Sev’s got the coolest bath.” He led her down the hallway, chattering about the bathroom and shower gels, trying to keep her distracted. He knew the shock would set in at some point, and he was hoping to hold it at bay until they went to bed.

“London,” Severus called after him. “There is a dead muggle on my rug.”

“I can’t very well change him back to the city now,” London shouted back through the open bathroom door. “I’ll deal with him tomorrow when I go to take care of a few other things.”

Severus sighed but acknowledged that sending the body back now would just serve as warning to the other would-be rapists. And although his colleagues would certainly frown on the sort of vigilante justice that ruled the streets of London, Severus Snape was certainly not against it. There are some things that are simply better handled alone than with law enforcement. And keeping Ana safe was one of them. The muggle police so rarely gave a damn about the homeless children that flooded the city that they were unlikely to ever do anything. Or, if they actually did do something, they might lock the boy up for six or twelve months – hardly fitting punishment for what he tried to do to Ana, and what he likely had already done countless other times.

“What are you going to do, sir?” Blaise asked, nodding toward the body.

Severus sighed again before pulling out his wand and transfiguring the body into a paperweight and setting in on his bookshelves. A few more spells removed any trace of blood from the carpet and the stones beneath.

“Hey Sev, you got some of that bruise stuff you used to give me?” London called out.

Severus stepped into the small lab that was adjoined to their quarters and grabbed a small bottle of the potion. “I will need to rub it in properly,” he said, moving down the hall to the bathroom to assist.

“You’re not going to rub that shite into my arse, Sev!” Ana yelled out indignantly. “You may be gay but you’re not that gay! If someone has to touch my arse it’s gonna be Lonnie.”

London laughed at her, but honored her request by reaching out the bathroom door and grabbing the bottle of potion from his lover, pulling him into a quick, hard kiss. The Hogwarts students stared down the short hallway in fascination, unable to reconcile this easy-going man with their stern professor. “Thanks Sev. Can you maybe change some clothes to fit her?” he asked, before returning to the bathroom to help out his friend.

“Perhaps I should bring some of my clothes back,” Pansy offered from the sitting room. The muggle had looked to be around her size, and she was sure the girl would feel better wearing clothes that hadn’t belonged to the potions master.

“That would be greatly appreciated, Ms. Parkinson,” Severus said. Before he could request that she bring a nightdress as well, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.