A/N: Mine. Mine. All mine. Yea, right. If you believe that I got this bridge for sale...

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Lucius woke suddenly. The feeling of being watched consumed him. Narcissa slept deeply beside him. He scanned the room in the dim moonlight and saw a shadow move near the doorway. He reached for his wand. Before he could grasp it, it flew silently through the air toward the shadow. Masking his fear, he rose slowly to stand from the bed as the shadow moved into the moonlight. A slight feeling of relief filled him as the shadow walked past him and into the dressing rooms. Following his night visitor, he closed the door to the bed chamber and lit the lights with a word.

“Severus, what news do you have?”

“I have spoken with those who matter, and we have agreed to help your family.”

“Good news then. When do we leave? How will we escape?”

“No one will be leaving here anytime soon.”

“What? I thought you said they have agreed to help. How will staying here help us to escape?” His voice rising with the anger he was starting to feel.

“Lower your voice, lest you want to be heard. It was decided that once we have the girl safe and hidden, we would work on a plan to assist the rest of your family.”

“The fools,” he scoffed, but before he could complete his thoughts, Snape interrupted him.

“Lucius, use your common sense. If they help you escape now and the Dark Lord finds her first, he will only use her to torture you and your family. She is as good as dead if you leave now. It is only because of her they have even agreed. It is HER welfare and happiness that concerns them not yours.”

“Why is it that? Just because she is innocent she is deemed more important? It is not like we are talking about Harry Bloody Potter… oh.” His voice trailed off. The words his son had said to him so long ago suddenly filled his head. Could his son possibly fall in love with the witch who followed Harry Potter’s every move? He looked to Snape as if to confirm his musings. Snape only gave a slight nod in answer to the question he had in his eyes.

“I do not understand the problem then. If it is Potter’s little friend, then go and retrieve her. I am sure she can’t be that hard to find. She is after all a member of your Order.”

“Potter and his two sidekicks have disappeared. It seems they are off on some sort of mission known only to them and Dumbledore. We have been searching and have been unable to locate them.”

“So, I must sit here and wait whilst some little Mudblood goes traipsing about the country side.”

“I was under the impression that her blood didn’t matter to you anymore,” Snape sneered.“Keep in mind that it is your blood that is growing inside of that girl, Muggle-born or not.”

“Fine, go, go and rescue the witch. Save the world. I will protect my family. Maybe I will forget to lock my memories away and slip to the Dark Lord what your secrets are."

“Do. Not. Threaten. Me.” Snaped growled. “Understand that I care less what happens to you and your family. If the Malfoy line fails, it is not my problem. I will protect Potter. I will see him through to the end. I will see the Dark Lord fall. It is my loyalties to Dumbledore that drive me. Not idle threats from you.”

“Your loyalties! You mean like the ones you swore to the Dark Lord,” Lucius sneered.

“You forget, Lucius, you swore the same as I, and yet, here you are looking to escape your loyalties. Do not pretend that you are somehow better than me because you chose to flee for the sake of your family. It is as much for yourself that you do this.”

Snape was silent for a few moments, letting the man absorb his words. When Lucius made no attempts to further his argument, Snape continued, his voice full of contempt for his longtime friend.

“We need to make plans for Draco to return to school. Since the Dark Lord has taken over the Ministry, he has given me control of Hogwarts. He will be sending some others to keep watch I am sure, but, for the most part, Draco will be safe there. I think we should also move the bust to Hogwarts. Now that it will report on the child, it would not be wise to let it stay so near the Dark Lord. This is it I assume,” Snape said, pointing to the bust in the corner.

Lucius nodded.

“I shall take it with me tonight. I will return on Friday to retrieve Draco.”

“No, you can’t.” Lucius reached to stop him from touching the bust.

“Can’t. I will take…” Snape started before Lucius interrupted him.

“The bust, you won’t be able to move it. Neither will I. It belongs to Draco and he alone can move the bust. It is part of its enchantment.”

“Have the elves move it then. They did so before, they can do so now.”

“The moved it on Narcissa’s order. They will not likely be able to do so now.”

Snape looked over at the statue. He contemplated it for a few moments. Finally a plan formed. He turned back to Lucius.

“Have Draco pack all of his belongings. Everything he has here. I will be here to get him on Friday, like planned. I will bring an elf from the school to remove his belongings to my office. If all works the way I think it should, the elf will bring the statue as well.”

“Let’s hope so.”

“I’ll see myself out. Good night, Lucius.”

“Good night, Severus.”

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Friday morning dawned bright and clear. Snape arrived just after sunrise. He needed a short stroll before he went inside the Manor. Despite rumors to the contrary, he enjoyed being out in the sun. Especially, in the early morning when everything still felt new. He used this time to clear and lock his mind.

Finally he felt ready to begin his day. His first stop in the house would be the library. He had come to receive his orders from his master and to retrieve the boy. With any luck, the troublesome bust would also be retrieved.

After a brief and painless meeting with Voldemort, he went to seek out the Malfoy family. He found them with several other Death Eaters in the dinning room eating breakfast.

He nodded his acknowledgement to those that were present before looking towards Lucius and Narcissa.

“I have come, as I am sure you know, to escort Draco to school,” Snape snapped. Turning his head towards Draco, he continued. “Gather all of your belongings, and meet me in the entry hall. I have an elf waiting to take your things to Hogwarts.”

He turned without another word and swept from the room. A few minutes later, the Malfoy family joined him in the entry. He waited while Narcissa gave Draco an obligatory hug and Lucius clapped him on the shoulder. When Draco turned to face Snape, he snapped his fingers, summoning the elf he had brought with him from Hogwarts.

If the Malfoy family was surprised to see the small creature that appeared before them, not a one of them showed it. However, Dobby was extremely terrified at the thought of being inside Malfoy Manor once again. He hid his eyes behind his hands and trembled from head to toe. He had been told he was coming only to retrieve the younger Malfoy’s belongings. Yet, he still feared that he would be forced to stay here somehow.

“Draco, Dobby has come to take your trunk to school. You only need to tell him what to bring along. I would suggest that you ask him to bring ALL of your belongings,” Snape commanded. “I would hate to have to come back here in a week just to pick up your favorite quill or parchment.”

Draco had a momentary look of confusion on his face before he felt a slight squeeze from his father’s hand. Without looking around he spoke to the small frightened elf.

“Elf, bring ALL of my belongings to the castle. And mind you do not scratch the trunk in transport.”

“Yes, master,” squeaked the elf, his eyes still hidden by his hands. Before he could disappear to do as was commanded, Dobby was stilled by a hand. He took his hands from his face and gazed into the very stern face of the new Headmaster.

“Until I can be sure the school is secure, place Mr. Malfoy’s belongings in my office. He can retrieve them from there later this evening.”

“Yes, master.” This time he was quicker to disappear, not wanting to remain in the Manor any longer than necessary.

“Come, Draco, we are leaving.” Snape turned and exited the house, making his way to the Apparition point just beyond the gardens. With one last squeeze by his father, Draco followed him.

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Severus glanced around his office and pinched the bridge of his nose. , How is it possible that someone so young can obtain so much junk? Honestly, does he really need five different brooms? His dorm room was never going to hold all of this. Looking past the piles of Draco’s belongings, he spotted the bust perched atop a small table. At least the bust made it here, and that was all that mattered.

With a look of disgust, Snape turned and glared at Draco.

“Take what you need for the school year. I will have the rest of this mess placed in storage.”

Draco began to protest the thought of having to drag his trunk to the dungeons, but the look on Snape’s face made him think otherwise. He quickly began gathering his things and headed for the door.

When he reached the threshold, he turned back to look at his new Headmaster, noticing that he now looked relieved. The question that had been on his tongue since before they’d left the Manor burst to his lips before he could stop himself.

“Sir, why was it necessary for me to bring everything I own from the Manor?”

Realizing that Draco was still in the room, Snape quickly threw back on his scowl before he replied.

“My reasons are my own. You may go. And do close the door behind you,” Snape said before turning to sit at his desk.

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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this. This is where I will be leaving the events and timeline of DH to venture into my own imagination. Who knows where that will lead me from here.

My thanks as always to my beta, lilywillow.