Hello! The first chapters are a rework. I would like to thank my beta-reader girl in the library corner who is so patient :) Thank you!

Since a few months there's a story in my mind, but I've never wrote it down. So thanks to Helen and Michaela who helped me to develop it. This is my first HP fanfic, so please be kind. English isn't my first language.

In my story Lucius Malfoy has a sister. When he's in prison she now has to deal with some strange happenings alone. There's only one man who might be able to help. This man is confronted with some things buried deep in the earth ... and in his soul.

I hope you'll enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Prologue

"Ok Severus, time to get up," called the voice of a woman. When she didn't receive an answer, she sighed, let the plates float on the table and walked in the dim light of the bedroom.

"Severus?" she asked, and smiled when she heard him grumble under the blanket.

"Come on, you've got an appointment."

"Five minutes more. Please!"

"No, Darling. Breakfast is ready and you've to get up. Besides it's your turn to wake up the children."

Growling and tired he went out of the bedroom, past the bath, and down a long golden hallway until he reached an ever familiar set of double doors. The carpet felt thick and soft beneath his feet. At the end of the hall, he carefully opened the door.
On tiptoes Severus got closer to the bed on the left site and bent down to child laying there. Gently he brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face. Slowly the little girl opened her aquamarine eyes and very sleepily gave him her brightest smile. For Severus the sun began to rise and a warm feeling spread across his heart as the tiny one stretched her arms out for him. He lifted her up.

"What do you think? Should we wake up your brother?"

The girl nodded and buried her head on his shoulder. Together they looked toward the other bed as morning sun slowly began to shine through the light blue curtains. The little boy lay there with his face deep in his pillow and the blanket thrown down on the ground, unnoticed. The girl giggled and touched the cheek of her brother. Displeased, like his father half an hour ago, he turned and opened his dark eyes. He focused and with gummy eyes he saw his father and sister.

"Not now. Only five minutes, please," he muttered.

"No chance. Last time you fell asleep again." Severus bent down to his son and kissed him on his forehead.

The boy gave him an irritated glance and with difficulty he got up. Meanwhile Severus brought his daughter to the bathroom, gave her the toothbrush and went to the kitchen. Searching, he let his eyes wander. Severus wondered where she was and stepped further in the room. He found her finally standing in the door which led to the patio. She was looking up into the sky while snowflakes were falling down all around her. Everything was covered by snow. The garden. The lake. Her stretchted arm. Her hair. Everything was silent, and still. The blue glimmer of the frozen lake spread over the landscape. It seemed the world laid there in a deep sleep and even the bare trees hardly breathed. But soon the sun was shining and myriads of little crystals began to gleam on every surface.

Unnoticed by her, Severus crossed the room and stopped behind her. A poem, which he read a long time ago, came to his mind: "Don't cry about the rose when she is in danger by ice and snow, she will die and in spring be in bloom again. Also this body is not anything more than an illusion which pass in stream of time, in presence of truth nothing continues to exist. Only love, in eternity."

The woman turned around and Severus was blinded by the sudden brightness of the sun. He stretched out his hands and she began to laugh, before she wrapped her arms around him. When she leaned against him, he heard the hoarse cry of a raven.

With a jerk Severus Snape woke up. During the first few minutes he had no idea where he was and searched for a warm body beside him. But there was nothing. Only cold. All at once he knew everything was just a dream and he fell back into his pillow. A sudden feeling of loss overwhelmed him. He felt a desperate loneliness that ached terribly and settled deep in his heart. There was so much pain. Severus wondered how much more it could take to break his heart.
More often than he liked, he had such vivid dreams. The years before they had been dominated by Lily, but lately they were so much different. These dreams were full of smells, sounds, and feelings that he couldn't put in an order. They glided past him, very often wistful or sad and in the end always caused him to brood about his life. He shook his head. Too often his thoughts had gone over this again and again.
But this feeling of being able to hold his(!) children in his arms was … unbelievable, fantastic and marvellous. But that would never happen. He didn't deserve such luck. He felt so old and tired. Exhausted in every way. His only desire was to sleep without these nasty dreams. He wanted to give up, but he couldn't. Long time ago he made a promise and he wasn't such a coward to break it.

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Many miles away, an old woman sat at the window of her room. Her eyes wandered over the deep blue sea. The whitewashed house was situated just so on a cliff so that the first beams of the morning sun warmed her wrinkled face. Above her a raven soared across the sky and its cotton-wool clouds. On her lap was a strange vessel. It was deep blue and decorated with golden symbols at the top. Inside there was a swirl of different colours: red, blue, green, silver, gold and purple, black and white.

The old woman sighed. She had done everything necessary. Time would show if her last act brought her people a future where all of them could live together. She lifted her face and felt the gentle winds coming up from the sea. Her aquamarine eyes turned to the church tower. At one single moment she thought she could hear the choir was singing and a young girl was playing the piano. But it was only a moment. Slowly her eyelids closed and she slipped away.

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Now you can push the button for 'review' and let me know if I should continue the story. Reviews are always appreciated.

* Englische Übersetzung einer Strophe aus "La Soldier"