Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.

First, I would like to thank Dead but still beautiful and Kat Black1 for being my very first reviewers. Much obliged.

Secondly, enjoy as the plot thickens.


Severus found Erra seated at the kitchen table with a teacup grasped in her tiny hands. She seemed to have been staring off until he stumbled into view. His skull pounded from his evening's activities. He didn't even remember how he made to to the kitchen.

Erra stood up and shoved a phial into his palm and muttered "idiot" under her breath before walking over to the stove.

"What is it?" Severus asked cautiously, uncorking the phial and sniffing its contents. He quickly pulled it away from his nose, grimacing at the smell.

"Hm... Last I checked, you trusted me or should I just do my job and shut up?" she mimicked, thrusting a hot teacup into his hand causing him to nearly drop the phial.

Severus quickly downed the potion and took a swig of tea. The thumping at the base of his skull dissipated. He looked down at the tea smirked. No milk or sugar with just a hint of lemon; just how he liked it. He placed the cup on the counter beside him and sat in front of Erra at the table. He crossed his hands, placing them on the table. She had her arms crossed starring him down.

Severus shifted in his seat. "I apologize for my outburst. I realize that it was uncalled for."

"You apologize?" she snorted. Erra remained silent. Then she whispered, "I didn't have to come back. I could have stayed. I was happy. I had a life. Someone loved me over there."

"I'm indebted to you," Severus replied solemnly. This was his mistake as this wasn't the response she was looking for. She sucked air through her teeth angrily.

"Does our history mean nothing to you?"

"I never said--" he began.

"You never do! It's as if I don't exist to you. I don't know what this war's done to you but once I finish here, I'm gone," she said with finality. Her chair screeched as she stood up. Without another word, she left him with his thoughts.


Severus knocked on the door of his bedroom. He waited. No answer. He knocked again. His patience growing thin, he opened the door. Erra was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at the clock on the mantle above the fireplace. Ten til six, it read. He needed to leave but he hadn't explained to Erra of the wards in case something should happen.

"Yes?"

He spun around, with his wand ready to curse, but found Erra standing in front of him with her own wand at his throat.

"You should calm down; you're not a spy anymore," she mumbled as they lowered their wands.

He cleared his throat. "I'm leaving in a moment. I need to show you the wards before I do."

She nodded and followed him down the stairs and out the front door.

"My wards extend from the curb to the door and the fence's perimeter around the house. I've three sets of wards. One will identify you and only you. The second is to shield the house from a muggle's view. The third will go up in cases of dire emergency. That ward voice activated. I'll need you to state your name."

"Erra Neas--" she began.

"Your full name," he stressed.

"Erratum--" before she could finish, glass shattered from within the house. They both ran through the door and up the stairs to Lucius' room. There they found Lucius on his hands and knees next to the bed; bits of glass were embedded in his palms. Severus and Erra heaved a groggy Lucius onto the bed.

"Sit him up," she commanded as she left the room. She soon returned with bandages, forceps and muggle anticeptic. Erra found Severus asking Lucius various questions regarding who he was and what he remembers.

"I'll tell you after you get this bloody glass out of my hands!" Lucius spat.

Severus quickly told Erra he was going to send a quick owl and left her with Lucius. Erra inwardly cursed him for leaving.

"What are you doing?!" Lucius snapped at her. She calmly attempted to proceed at him with the forceps but he snatched his hand away.

Erra roughly grabbed his hands, strongly resisting the urge to body bind him. "Severus will explain when he returns. You'll just have to wait," she said through her teeth.

"I will do no such--"

"Relax, Lucius. I'm here," Severus said, reentering the room.

"Tell me what the hell is going on, Snape!" Lucius growled.

"Let her continue and I'll explain," Severus said cocking his head toward Erra.

"How about you explain now and I won't hex her into tomorrow," he snarled.

"I'd like to see you try without a wand," Erra mumbled lowly.

"Erra," Severus warned. She rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Lucius and I can explain."

Lucius glanced bitterly at Erra and told Severus to proceed.

"What was the last thing you remember?" he asked Lucius.

The blond man frowned, sifting through his thoughts. Suddenly, he growled, "Greyback."

"Well, Lucius you picked a perfect time to avenge your wife because he bit you," Severus said sardonically.

"Slaughtered, from the looks of it," Erra interjected. Severus glared at her.

"You mean to tell me... That is, you mean to that... I'm a beast?!" Lucius strangled out.

"Not necessarily. I've come up with a potion that suppresses any transformation whatsoever."

"But you said, 'Not necessarily.' What do you mean by 'not necessarily'?" Malfoy demanded.

"There are some... Ramifications, if you will," Severus replied, desperately trying to choose his words.

"Ramifications?"

"Because I've suppressed the severest and most obvious symptom of your condition, you're still liable to obtain other symptoms as well," he concluded.

"Such as?"

"Craving raw meat, heightened sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch. Aggravation, mood swings, weakness; all depending on the state of the moon," Erra answered. Lucius narrowed his eyes at her, briefly reminding her of his son.

"Do you have anything to remedy these symptoms?" Lucius asked Severus.

"Unfortunately, not at the moment. But I cannot be sure you've developed these symptoms or of the potion worked at all. I'll need you to remain here until we can be sure your body's taken to the potion."

Before Lucius could react to what Severus just told him, Erra stood up and said, "Done." Lucius looked down at his hands to find them wrapped with gauze. Erra looked at him smugly and continued to pick up the bloodied gauze and broken glass.

"I'll need to stitch one or two of those cuts," Erra told him as she exited to room.

"Stitch?"