Chapter 4- '… there are things worth dying for.'

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to farewell two of the bravest and talented people to fight against he-who-must-not-be-named. Of course I am referring to Nymphadora and Remus Lupin. Together they gave birth to their son Teddy, and ensured that he had the best life they could afford him before they were both tragically killed during the Battle at Hogwarts. So, what can we say about Nymphadora? Well firstly, she would be jumping on me if she were here, demanding that I call her Tonks," the minister paused for laughter, but only a few smiles appeared. "We all loved Tonks, if not for her bubbly personality or kind nature, then for her excellent Auror skills, despite her clumsiness." The minister chuckled to himself quietly. "I do not think any of us will forget her metamorphagus abilities, especially her pink, bubblegum coloured hair and the way she would entertain others by changing her appearance. Her smile and laughter will always be remembered; she was strong, brave and extremely intelligent- a wonderful friend and fighter till the very end." The minister looked up from his paper and saw a sea of faces, frowning, sobbing or otherwise looking at him blankly as if unable to comprehend his speech at all. But the minister was used to this reaction from mourners when they said goodbye to their loved ones. He sincerely hoped his speech was so far doing Tonks justice.

Clearing his throat, the man continued.

"Remus John Lupin was a kind, gentle and supportive friend who gave comfort and advice to those who needed it. Although it was greatly unfortunate that Remus was bitten by a werewolf when he was a young boy, for many of us, this affliction did not matter; he was still our friend and an amazing fighter for the Order of the Phoenix. It was through this organisation, founded by Albus Dumbledore, that Tonks and Remus met and although their relationship was instigated by Tonks, the feeling ultimately became mutual and passionate. I have been told that many here today, encouraged Remus to date Tonks, as his only reservation was his werewolf condition. It is perhaps their decision to marry that would remain with me the longest; not because it was, as many may argue, a foolish decision, but because they actively showed that it didn't matter to them. They demonstrated that love can truly prevail over prejudice, discrimination and unfair judgment, that werewolves are human beings and deserve, contrary to the ministry, respect. For those of us who knew them, we were delighted by their marriage, considering them to be a perfect, happy couple despite their age differences and contrasting upbringings. Getting married at a time when the Dark Lord was still at large made us grateful that something so normal and delightful could occur during such a time. It saddens me that the pair of them did not get to raise their son, Teddy to the very end because all of us here know that they would have been great parents who would have demonstrated the values of love, fairness and understanding towards their child everyday. It is people like Tonks and Remus who make our world a better place and if they were still alive I am sure they would be tremendous ambassadors for all that is fair and just. But more than that, we will miss them for all that they have shown us: that love really conquers all that is evil or unjust and for that, we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. Remember Tonks and Remus for all that they were as individuals and as a couple. Perhaps they would be remembered most for their part in the defeat against You-know-who or for their son, of whom they raised so brilliantly up until their deaths. But I- I will remember them for fighting and tragically dying in pursuit of a better place for their child and the children of the next generation to grow up in. Their determination to rid the world of all that is dark and prejudiced, fighting for a kinder, more just place reminds me that although their deaths were tragic and perhaps unnecessary, they felt that there were some things worth dying for. And I can't help but agree with them."

Silence seemed to echo around the field, rows upon rows of chairs were set out, flowers surrounding the area, the graves of Remus and Tonks in the distance. No one spoke, only an occasional sniffle sounded every now and then. The minister didn't quite know what to make of the situation; normally someone would take over from him, but no one seemed willing to leave their seats. Realising that Tonks and Remus must have truly been wonderful people he felt deeply sorry for the hundred or so men and women sitting before him. Fidgeting slightly, the man decided to descend the stairs and walk to the side of the area so that hopefully someone would feel free to speak next. As he quietly walked away from the podium, he saw the boy who he knew to be Harry Potter sitting next to a young lady with red hair, who was crying quietly on his shoulder. Harry had his arms wrapped around the girl, trying to comfort her, but it did not seem to be helping as the girl continued to weep.

Harry turned to face the man who was watching him, who had just spoken those kind words about Remus and Tonks. He was grateful that the minister did them both justice and looked at the man in such a way that hopefully showed him that he appreciated the beautiful speech he gave.

The minister was still looking at Harry Potter, unable to tear his eyes away from the boy. Instead of thinking about the two people for whom the people around him were mourning, he realised that the boy in front of him was the reason the Dark Lord was gone forever, such a happy occasion. Yet the fight produced so many losses and the minister couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, so young and yet forced to experience so much death and tragedy. He smiled at the boy, ever so slightly, hoping that Harry Potter would not treat his gesture as something indecent to do at a funeral. The minister was glad when the boy smiled gently back, a tear falling down his cheek, no doubt a sign of his mourning. Finally the minister managed to pull his eyes away from Harry and made his way to the back of the crowd; he had mourned for their loss and his own; he too knew both Remus and Tonks and meant every word that he said, but he couldn't really call them friends and consequently it didn't take him long to say goodbye. Now all he could do was hope that what he did- what he said was good enough.

After the funeral had finished, Harry got up off his chair. Helping Ginny stand they walked to Remus and Tonks' grave. Ginny remained silent, apparently she was all cried out and just stared blankly at the tombstones. Harry however, knelt down in front of them and whispered, "Goodbye, Tonks and Remus. Thank you for all you have done. I hope you are happy together… I'm so sorry…"

Harry broke down, for Remus and Tonks and for his Godson who would grow up an orphan like him. Although Andromeda was generous and kind unlike the Dursleys, Harry felt for the boy. But there was more behind his tears than the mourning for Tonks and Remus. He couldn't help but shed some emotion for Snape, after all he had done, he wasn't even honoured with a burial, with the respect he deserves. They couldn't find his body, Harry thought Voldemort likely disposed of it, but still he grieved for the loss of Remus and Tonks as well as Snape, the man he still so badly desired to talk to.

Goodbye, Snape. Thank you…

"There are too many things that we could say about Fred: his humour, his constant rule breaking and love of jokes and fun. Of course we will always remember him for the excitement he brought to our lives, for making us feel like the world- that life is a game rather than the scary, uncertain thing that it is. He was an excellent friend, a loving brother and a wonderful son. Although Mr. and Mrs. Weasley received more letters than they can count regarding Fred and his twin George, they cannot deny that he always brought laughter and happiness into their family. Although I am not a member of the Weasley family, I hope to be one day, because I know what lovely people they are. The loss of a family member as loyal and passionate as Fred is a great tragedy, a terrible loss, especially for George; I don't know what it would be like to lose a twin and already I find it hard to imagine George walking around without Fred by his side. The two of them made my life at Hogwarts a lot of fun and their excellent Quidditch playing often sent us to victory. And although my best friend and brother of Fred, Ron always complained about him, how he used to gang up on him and bag him out for becoming a prefect, I know that he loved Fred, nevertheless. He was so proud- I think all of the Weasleys were, of the efforts Fred and George put into their very successful Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes joke store.

Perhaps many of the younger kids who knew Fred would remember him as the prankster and one of the two students that fled Hogwarts on their broomsticks, leaving behind many firecrackers that drove Professor Umbridge crazy for weeks. But for the rest of us who knew him, loved him and treasured him, we will always remember him for his hilarious jokes and great humour as well as his ability to be serious and loving when it mattered. And if it is any consolation to any of you, please rest assured that Fred died doing what he always loved; making jokes. I hope he rests in peace and may he continue to make jokes, wherever he is, knowing that if we were with him, we'd all be laughing…"

Goodbye, Fred.

Harry wiped away a tear as he moved from behind the podium and resumed his seat next to Ginny, who had streams of tears pouring down her cheeks.

"That was beautiful, Harry," she sobbed.

Harry just smiled at Ginny and held her to him, knowing that if he spoke, he too would cry.

Four days after Voldemort's down fall, Snape was still, much to his distaste, residing at the Malfoy Mansion. When the three Malfoys returned the night the Dark Lord was killed by none other than Harry Potter, Snape was relieved when they told him that Harry was still alive. At least Lily's death was not in vain, he said to himself; he was grateful for that, but was also surprised that the boy had managed it nonetheless.

Realising that Snape was still weak from Nagini's bite, the Malfoys left him alone, not questioning or talking to him, except to ask how he was. It seemed that they too, were silently celebrating the down fall of Voldemort, even though they would never admit it to anyone.

However four days had now past and it was becoming clear to Snape, what with Luicus and Narcissa constantly keeping an eye on him, that they wanted to talk to him. About what, Snape could only guess. Waking up to a freshly made breakfast in bed, compliments of Greagor, Snape began to eat; he was hungry, but still wasn't able to eat his usual sized diet; it seemed that he didn't consume the anti-venom fast enough that night and consequently, some side-effects were to be expected. Quickly and perhaps somewhat fearfully, Draco entered Snape's room after knocking and gave him the Daily Prophet, of which Snape requested the moment he began to feel better and capable of reading in bed.

"Thank you, Draco," Snape said with indifference as he took the paper from the boy.

Draco left the room without a word. Opening to the front page, a large black and white photo of Harry Potter greeted him and the headline: 'Harry Potter, the funeral man.'

Snape skimmed through the article, sneering as he read how many people had asked Harry to the funeral of their loved ones and even let out a laugh when he learned that Harry only accepted the invitations to Tonks, Remus and Fred's funerals. Not that the situation was particularly funny. On the contrary, Snape was slightly saddened by the loss of those three lives. Lupin, though a werewolf was always decent to him, even during their time at Hogwarts. He had to respect him for that. He also noticed that while many of the Order members didn't trust Snape, Lupin trusted him enough to drink the Wolfsbane potion he made for him while he was a teacher at Hogwarts. Snape didn't know Tonks that well, only as an Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix, but she seemed nice enough and though perhaps foolish to marry a werewolf, she did love him and felt slightly sorry when he was so harsh with her the year previous when her Patronus changed into a werewolf, no doubt reminiscent of her love for Lupin. Although Fred did always mess around with his twin and Mr. Jordan, Snape did appreciate the way they left Hogwarts in their sixth year as he too strongly disliked Umbridge and enjoyed watching her and Filch attempt to get rid of the swamp and extravagant fire displays.

Looking again at the photo of Potter, Snape recalled how the boy was sorry that Snape was required to make that ultimate, deadly sacrifice. Harry must be blaming himself severely by now. So, Snape felt it would be indecent of him to reappear in public and talk to Potter after Voldemort had already told him that Snape was dead. Imagine how the boy would react if he approached him? Perhaps more to the point, Snape knew people would still be looking for him as the man who killed Dumbledore and he didn't particularly feel like going to Azkaban.

Snape continued to browse through the paper, stopping when he reached yet another article about Potter and Kingsley. Apparently, Kingsley had been appointed Minister for Magic and that one of the first things he did was to exile the Dementors from Azkaban. Perhaps Azkaban wouldn't be so bad after all? Then Kingsley made an announcement stating that he asked Harry Potter to join the Auror department, an offer of which Harry accepted. Snape sneered. The rest of the article was uninteresting, just talking about new appointments in the ministry Snape was shocked when Lucius' position wasn't replaced. Wanting a word with the man he asked the house elf to call 'Master Malfoy' to him.

"Good morning, Severus. What can I do for you?" Even though Lucius was trying very hard to appear generous and caring, he really was hoping that soon Snape would be well enough to return to his own home; it was strange having someone else in the Manor.

"I was just reading the paper this morning Lucius and noticed that you still have your job at the ministry. With Kingsley as the new minister, I thought you would have been fired."

Lucius sneered, "Yes Kingsley did want to fire me, but apparently the Potter boy said to Kingsley that before Voldemort's downfall, I was a neutral part of the war, on neither side." Lucius paused as he realised the truth of it. Although he prided himself on being a Death Eater and a follower of the Dark Lord, the past year had been so tough on him and his family that by the end, he didn't care if the Dark Lord won or lost. Lucius was surprised that those feelings were noticed by the Potter boy somehow.

Snape too was shocked at Harry's seemingly kind gesture towards Lucius and wondered just what the Malfoy's must have done to deserve such kindness and consideration from the boy who was often the victim of their son, Draco.

"So you are still working for the ministry then?"

"As I just said."

"What do you think about Potter's appointment as an Auror?"
Again Lucius sneered. "Well obviously Kingsley thinks that because the boy defeated one of the Darkest Wizard of all time, logic would tell you that any minister would gladly accept him as an Auror without question, though I think I would be more skeptical, after all the boy didn't actually duel the Dark Lord."

Snape had heard the story of what happened from Lucius' mouth on a few occasions, even though Lucius didn't witness the final battle himself, he heard the recount from other onlooking Death Eaters and Greyback who constantly recounted the moment indignantly; it seems he couldn't believe Potter had succeeded either.

"Why are you asking so many questions about Potter anyway, Severus?" Lucius' question distracted Snape from his reverie and forced him to think hard about the question. Why was he talking to Lucius about Harry? Did he just want to make sure the boy was okay?

Lucius however had another objective; he wanted to find out more about Snape's relationship with the Potter boy. Although, there was no substantial evidence, he as well as Narcissa and Draco were confused as to why Snape was unable to find Potter that night, for Draco had seen Harry several times running along the corridors. The three of them suspected that Snape was hiding something.

None of the Malfoy family witnessed the conversation that took place prior to the Dark Lord's defeat as they were yelling for Draco and couldn't care less. They only returned to the top of the stairs to see Voldemort's wand fly out of his hand and into Harry's. That was all they knew, all they saw and hence didn't know what Harry had so openly stated about Snape, the man who now lived in their quarters, a traitor to Lord Voldemort and apparently the Death Eaters who did recount the showdown didn't think twice about mentioning Snape's loyalties either because the man was 'dead' or because they thought, like Ron, that Potter was lying.

"Snape, what exactly was your relationship with the Potter boy?"

Snape looked up to see Lucius looking curiously back at him.

"Why is it of a concern to you?"

"Because I and the rest of my family believe that you are hiding something from us. Why couldn't you find the boy that night? Draco said he saw him several times battling Death Eaters and running up and down the corridors."

"So you think I was a traitor to the Dark Lord? That I purposefully didn't find the boy?"

"Well…"

"I knew you were suspicious of me. Bring your family in here- I'll set this straight." Snape said with confidence.

When Lucius left to call for Draco and his wife, Snape began to worry. He knew that if he revealed the truth behind his double agent role, that Lucius would likely turn against him and Draco would mock him like there was no tomorrow. But now that the Dark Lord was defeated, perhaps it would be okay to tell them about his true loyalties, after all they were kind enough to offer their services. Perhaps he owed them the truth?

Snape was still considering the possibilities when Lucius, Draco and Narcissa returned to his room looking curiously at the man sitting up in bed.

"Do all of you think that I am a traitor of the Dark Lord?" He used Legilimency against Draco and Narcissa and discovgered that yes, they both believed it.

"Well-" Snape paused, trying to decide exactly what to say: the truth or the same lie he has been telling all of the Death Eaters and Voldemort for the last sixteen years.

"Well, you're right."

"What!" Lucius was furious. "Explain yourself!"

"Do you really want to hear it Lucius, or are you taking delight in treating me like a child who can't make his own choices?" Snape asked looking into his friend's eyes.

"Do you realise that if the Dark Lord were still alive and he found out about your being on Dumbledore's side, he would have killed me, Narcissa and Draco!? You would have been responsible for our deaths as well as your own!"

"I am well aware of that Lucius and I assure you that if the Dark Lord were still with us, under no circumstances would I have revealed my loyalty."

"So you are being serious? You were on Dumbledore's side this entire time?"

"Yes."

"But why?" It wasn't Lucius asking the question, but Draco. Snape moved slightly in his bed to look at the boy.

"I would rather not say."

"But, it's just that you always seemed to hate Potter, I didn't think you would be on his side."
"I was more on Dumbledore's side rather than Potter's and you're right I do hate Potter. My actions towards him were always completely genuine, but just before the Dark Lord fell the first time, I swapped sides and have been a spy for Dumbledore ever since."

"But why?" Draco asked again, he almost sounded like a little child asking why his mother wouldn't buy him candy. Snape looked to Narcissa and Lucius to see if they too seemed to want to know the answer. Snape was alarmed at the look on Lucius' face, he seemed beyond reason, Narcissa on the other hand seemed like she was about to cry.

"I trusted you, Severus! And all this time, Bella was right! We shouldn't have trusted you!"

"Narcissa, I-"

"I bet you told Dumbledore immediately what I asked you to do and you had a plan all worked out! Draco could have died that year and you wouldn't have cared!" Narcissa was beside herself.

"Narcissa, listen to me!" The distraught woman remained silent, but stared avidly at the man still confined to his bed.

"I do not deny that I told Dumbledore about what you had asked of me, but to the contrary, we did not devise a way of putting Draco in danger. You forget that Dumbledore cared for all of is students, even Draco and it was he that insisted that I kill him at the end of the year so that Draco's soul would remain intact. We had a plan and it worked. At no stage in my life have I ever wished ill things for Draco and I kept my word by monitoring him all of last year, as much as he detested it." He looked at Draco who continued to stare at him, apparently shocked at what he was hearing.

"You must realise that although I was working for the Order of the Phoenix, I still had to convince you and especially the Dark Lord of my loyalty, there were some things I had to do for the Dark Lord to gain his trust. I risked my life for Dumbledore and I understood that if the Dark Lord ever found out he would torture and then kill me without a seconds thought. But luckily I kept up appearances and although he suspected me a few times, he had no proof of my treachery."

"This is completely unprecedented Snape! You- you-" Lucius seemed lost for words.

"I still want to know why you swapped sides," apparently Draco was becoming impatient.

"And I told you that I do not wish to talk about it!"

"Well I think after everything you have done, after lying to us and putting our family in danger, that we deserve to hear the whole truth!" Narcissa was clearly still upset, but she too wanted to know what was so important that prompted Snape to change sides so suddenly.

"Okay, fine! You should also know that Potter most likely knows this already."

"What? Potter knows? Why did you tell him?" Draco seemed genuinely pissed off that Potter managed to know something so important before he did.

"He may know; I'm not sure… I thought I was going to die that night-"

"So?" Draco replied somewhat aggressively.

"I just thought he deserved to know the truth, something Dumbledore rarely gave to him until it was too late." The Malfoys just stared at him.

"Fine," Snape sighed and braced himself for the reaction he was about to receive.

"The prophecy made about Potter-"

"Was heard by a Death Eater," Lucius cut in.

"Yes,"

"Did you?" Lucius' eyes were wide.

"Yes, it was me who heard it that night. It was my second mission for the Dark Lord and I wanted to do it right. I did everything he told me, I was planning to ask Dumbledore for a position as a teacher. When I overheard the prophecy being made to Dumbledore, I hastened to tell the Dark Lord immediately, but was chucked out of the pub before I heard the whole prophecy and consequently, the Dark Lord had no idea what the rest of the prophecy said which is why he wanted to retrieve it two years ago. Anyway, when I gave the Dark Lord the information about the prophecy he spent hour after hour going through all the people it could possibly refer to, he eventually narrowed the options down to Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom."

"What! Father you never told me that!"

"I didn't think you'd care, Draco."

"That great old lump? Why didn't the Dark Lord choose him? He would have had no problems defeating Longbottom!"

"Are you implying that Potter was a match for the Dark Lord?" Draco's father cut in, furious.

"Well-" but Draco forced himself to stop talking when he saw the look in his father's eyes.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Snape continued, "the Dark Lord told me the two boys he was going to target and I hoped that he would choose Neville as opposed to Harry."

"Why?"

"Stop interrupting me, Draco. The Dark Lord decided that Potter would be a more threatening nemesis and so decided to go after him. I went immediately to Dumbledore, who knew who I was and was in no mood to talk to a Death Eater. Eventually however, I persuaded him to listen to me and trust me that the Potters were in danger and to protect them as best he could. He did and the Potters chose Wormtail as their Secret Keeper to their demise because as we know, Wormtail was a Death Eater. He turned the Potters in to the Dark Lord and the rest is history."

"You still haven't explained why you did this, why you told Dumbledore what was happening and why you changed sides." Draco demanded.

"Yes, you conveniently skipped over that part, Severus." Lucius was accusing Snape now; he was becoming dangerously impatient just like his son.

"I cared about what happened to the Potters."

"Just because they were in your year at Hogwarts?" Lucius looked disgusted.

"No…"

"Then what? I remember how James Potter used to humiliate you in front of everyone, you hated him. There was no way in hell that you would have wanted to protect him. And Lily…" Lucius stopped and it was clear to Snape that the man had finally realised why Snape changed sides.

"My god, Severus! This is unbelievable, I mean you actually- you actually changed sides for her? For a Mudblood?"
"DON'T use that foul name in front of me!"

"So it's true? You're not denying it? You fell in love with her?"
"With who?" Draco asked, looking excited.

"Lily Evans or after she married, Lily Potter!"

Draco's jaw dropped as he stared at Snape.

"Close your mouth, boy!" Snape hissed at Draco.

"Don't you dare tell my son what to do! You are a disgrace to the wizarding world! You're as bad as the Weasleys: Mudblood lovers."

"Shut up, Lucius!" Snape hissed.

"This is unthinkable Snape! I knew there was something there between you two. I used to watch you both talking during lunch and I knew there was something there, perhaps a friendship, but LOVE? Love so powerful that you defied the Dark Lord and lied to your friends? You disgust me!"

"Lucius! Trust me, I disgusted myself, but I couldn't help it, she meant everything to me and when she died, I felt responsible and Dumbledore suggested that I redeem myself by protecting her son, so ever since the boy started school-"

"I don't want to hear it! Let's go!" Grabbing his wife and son's arms he tried to pull them towards the door, but to no avail. "What are you doing? Surely you don't want to hear anymore of his rubbish? His pathetic assertions of love?"

"But, Father… Potter saved my life…" Draco whispered so quietly that Snape only just heard it.

"But you hated the boy, Draco!" Lucius replied, shocked that his son was disobeying his orders.

"Yeah I did, but he's- he's not that bad and if Professor Snape was protecting him, then, maybe… maybe it's not such a bad thing."

"He attacked you in your sixth year, you still have the scars!"

"I know, but Snape arrived just in time. If he wasn't keeping an eye out for Potter, may be he wouldn't have been able to save me."

"That is hardly the point Draco!"

"But, Father!"

"Leave!"

"No, Lucius." Narcissa, who hadn't spoken for many minutes, defended her son and stood up to her husband.

"Narcissa-"

"I agree with Draco, Severus still protected our son and so what if he was also protecting Harry Potter and was actually on Dumbledore's side. He kept our son safe, Lucius."

"But he lied to us! Risked our lives! Are you really going to forgive-"

"Sometimes we do stupid things for the people we care about." Narcissa was now speaking in a higher tone, which attracted Snape's rapt attention.

"What do you mean, Narcissa?" Lucius asked his wife, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Snape isn't the only one who has lied to the Dark Lord."

"What do you mean? Who else? Do you know of another Death Eater who has also eaten out of Dumbledore's muggle loving hands?"

"No…"

"So who are you referring to then?"

"Me." It was barely a whisper, but it seemed to reverberate through the room.

"Mother?" Draco asked, shocked.

"Remember in the forest Lucius, when the Dark Lord asked me to check Harry Potter's pulse?"

"Yes," Lucius replied with a clenched jaw.

"Well, I lied. I could feel his pulse, I knelt down and asked him if Draco was still alive in the castle. He said yes. He helped me, so I helped him. If I told the Dark Lord the truth another fight would have started and that may have led to Draco's death, but I didn't want that to happen so I lied!" Narcissa was beginning to sound hysterical, her voice continuing to rise in pitch, but she soon cowered under her husband's gaze.

"You lied to the Dark Lord? Narcissa what possessed you to-"

"I love my son and I wanted to find him and if that meant lying to the Dark Lord then so what?"

Lucius was speechless; he didn't know what to say. He just stared between his wife, son and friend and concluded that he was among some of the biggest traitors in wizarding history.

"What are you going to do, Lucius? Throw me out? Exile me from our home? God only knows what would have happened if I didn't lie. I may have saved all of our lives!"

"All because of love?"

"YES Lucius, because I love our son, is that so hard for you believe?" Draco was standing to the side, swaying backwards and forwards, Snape had the feeling that spoilt Draco wasn't used to his parents arguing about their love for him.

"What is hard for me to believe is that you would risk this family by lying to the Dark Lord!"

"Stop it!" Draco yelled, Stop yelling about it! Mother lied to the Dark Lord, who cares? We are all alive, the Dark Lord is dead- there is no point in arguing about it!"

"How dare you yell at me?" Lucius withdrew his wand, his son moving backwards towards the wall, terrified.

"Lucius, put your wand away! We don't use magic to punish Draco! We never have!" Narcissa was beside herself, looking between her husband and son, hoping that the former would keep his temper.

"The three of you are just- I don't even know what to think!" Lucius stated looking utterly mad as he stared at the faces in his company.

"Can't you understand that there are some things worth risking? That there are some things worth dying for?" Narcissa tried to reason with her husband through her tears.

"Like what? Love?" Lucius spat at her.

A harsh silence rented the air, except with the sound of Narcissa's quiet sobs. Eventually, Snape decided to answer for her, realizing that she seemed incapable of speaking.

"Yes, Lucius," Snape replied calmly.

"This is ridiculous!" But Snape noticed that Lucius' outrage was beginning to decrease; although the man hated the idea that his family and friend would risk their lives for love, he had to admit that he was slowly beginning to accept it. Lucius was not a man who openly expressed his emotions to anyone, but he did, perhaps deep down, love his wife and son. While he may not have lied to the Dark Lord to protect them, he was looking for his son while Voldemort was fighting against Potter. So, he did care, not that he was about to admit it.

"Don't pity your wife because she's weak-" Snape began to reason with his friend.

"It's not a weakness, Severus! You know that!" Narcissa was accusing Snape through her tears, pointing at him dramatically. "If you thought it was a weakness you would not have disobeyed the Dark Lord; you would have done the opposite to prove that you are not weak! But you and I both took risks and if it is a weakness that we feel, then we support it! We may hide it, be disgusted by it, but we don't deny it!" Narcissa's voice was piercing, she was clearly passionate about her loving action towards her son and Snape was thoroughly surprised by the accusations she laid at his door.

"My apologies, Narcissa, I meant no offense."

Narcissa was still upset, so Snape turned to Lucius. "Are you still disappointed in me, Lucius?" Lucius didn't answer; he wasn't even looking at Snape, but staring at his wife. Snape had no idea what was going through the man's mind, but from the look in his eyes, Snape felt that Lucius was not about to argue with him again; it seems that the man finally understood that some people would die- would risk everything for love, friendship and redemption…

A/N: I hope you guys liked the chapter- please review and tell me what you think. Chapter 5: 'the truth is generally preferable to lies' has already been written and I will post it up soon.