Hey! Next one! This one's where the sub plot with murders kind of come in... I hope...I don't want to be lying to you... I'm pretty sure. Hope you enjoy!


When he had walked in he almost had thought it was truly her. That Johanna was sitting at the end of the couch in a dress that really left nothing to the imagination. He felt like, for once, the Gods had been kind to him, but after he'd paid the money, his mind started picking up on the differences. This woman may look like Johanna but was in no way like her; her leering smile and tinkering laugh made him cringe and her great acting skills that could have fooled any other man only served to remind him, Johanna wasn't here. She would never do half of the things Severus did with that woman that night, even when they had had sex, Johanna was still much reserved. She had always been quiet and never really showed any emotion, it made him feel like he had achieved something with Johanna when he made her cracked a smile, unlike this woman who gasped and moaned at his every touch. Still she was better than no Johanna. Now she was stroking his arm while he was sat up in the silk bed, gnawing a finger in his mouth and thinking. Lucie had brought his mind back to the murders. Though he hadn't really paid attention as the Minister had read out his crimes, too afraid to even speak, he knew the murders that he supposedly committed. Calla Black found in an unused potions room, poisoned, his magical imprint all over the room, Abraxas Malfoy in his Winchester manor, his throat cut open with a knife that his friends had confirmed was his. A first year Hufflepuff called Darius Harvey pushed down a flight of stairs and had broken his neck, witnesses saying they had seen him fleeing the crime scene and finally Professor Athanas, a witness account saying he had been seen stabbing the man. He sighed he could understand Malfoy Sr., but the boy and the Professor? Why was he framed for them? Perhaps it hadn't just been one person, how quickly the murders had followed one another showed that it couldn't possibly be one person. Then why frame him? He sighed and looked down at the woman, still softly tickling his arm.

"You know, you have half an hour left, you gonna use it?" her voice was rough and judging by the yellow fingers and pre-old aged wrinkles, she was definitely addicted to something, probably trying to pay off her debts, maybe a child involved. He felt something a kin to sadness, his child's name was Phoenix, even though he was pretty sure that was a boy's name, he still felt closer to her now. He sighed again, getting out of the bed, trying to locate his clothes. He was meant to be trying to become a spy so he could see her, not sorting out a revenge plan.

"Keep the money," he said once fully dressed. Surely he could try both.


It was the second time that week he had found Snape in his kitchen in the dead of night. At least he didn't scream like a girl this time. Snape was looking through an old tome, one he was pretty sure he didn't own,

"Hello Potter," James opened his mouth to reprimand Snape, but then realised it probably wouldn't do much.

"…You wanna speak to Lily?" he asked gesturing up to where Lily was sleeping.

"No, I want to talk to you," he closed the book with a sharp snap, the kitchen now thick with tension.

James licked his lips before letting out a shaky sigh,

"Can I get a drink first?"

"Please," he walked as slowly as he could over to the drinks cabinet, trying to prevent the inventible consequences for his actions. He took out a bottle of firewhiskey and a crystal glass and sat down opposite Snape, before taking a shot and refilling his glass.

"You know," Snape started, James' hands starting to shake, "what I've had in abundance as I rotted in Azkaban?" His throat became too dry to talk, so he took another shot, it didn't help instead he shook his head.

"Time," he pushed the large, fraying book to James, "and this book." The cover paper was faded but he could still read the title 'the art of Occulemency and legilimency.' "Do you know what legilimency is?" James shook his head again. "In laymen terms, it is the ability to enter one's mind and extract their memories, a skill I have perfected. Why did you kill Darius Harvey?" James tried to speak but ended up having a coughing fit, "Perhaps I should let you have your say, even though I wasn't even allowed a defence,"

He swallowed another shot before speaking, "I…I never, look ok, it wasn't that I murdered him,"

"Well, actually you did,"

James audibly gulped,

"He was just so insulting, I'm not trying to not take the blame but, he kept insulting my family…I just wanted to push him, to scare him you know. I didn't know he was standing that close," he shuddered, taking another sip from his glass; he could sometimes still hear the cracking sound when he hit the floor below.

"So, you thought it would be funny to tell the aurors it was me," James opened his mouth to denied it but Snape spoke over him, "thought you could have a laugh with Black about how you put a Snape behind bars?"

"No-"

"You make me sick, just cause I'm a Slytherin you thought-" the glass shattered as James brought it down on the table.

"No!" They fell into silence now, straining to hear any movement from upstairs. When none could be heard, James took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose before speaking, "Look you have to understand…I know Phoenix isn't Sirius', I know she's your daughter." His lips thinned, "she told that day, told me she was pregnant, with your child. I was so angry. I didn't think when I told them it was you, just that it would get rid of you, but…" he looked Snape in the eye, "once I did, I felt terrible, but I couldn't go to prison." Snape stood showing nothing on his face

"If Lily found out…"

James stood up too, chair scarping loudly, his heart in his throat.

"Please you can't tell her."

Snape ignored this, still moving towards the door and said, "It would kill her. And Johanna,"

James moved towards Snape grabbing his sleeve making him turn back around,

"she would never talk to you again,"

"Please you didn't even go in for that long only two years."

"Only two years! I was sixteen! Because of you and your only foolish mistakes, I lost everything! Do you know what I went through? I suffered through every nightmare I've ever had, through ever last fear my mind could come up with. They starved me to the point that I was insane. I would have and did anything to eat, to drink! And you acted like what happened to me, what should have happened to you is nothing?" James was crying now, he didn't need to hear Snape's tales, he knew enough about Azkaban, his parents using it in stories when he was little to make sure he behaved. Snape could tear his life apart; he could go to Azkaban for this. Just the thought of the undead monster there, made his pride shatter, allowing him to say, "I'm begging you, please!" Snape looked no remorse as he looked into his eyes, causing James to bow his head in dismay, it was hopeless.

"You're…begging? You want to be free, then truly beg, for my mercy." James swallowed, this didn't sound like it would end well for him, but he knew he deserved this, so he got down on his knees,

"Please…don't tell anyone,"

Snape offered no answer to his begging, "You're pathetic and I am so tempted to become the murderer you tried to make me out to be." James bowed his head, looking at his shaking hands, "but I was right, it would kill Lily. Potter get up!" He couldn't possibly be letting him go.

"Thank you!" he said, stumbling up.

"Don't thank me," he snapped, as if what James had said was a crude insult, "I'm not doing it for you." James nodded, violently, he couldn't believe it, he was actually free, this horrible weight on his chest was being lifted, if only lightly, by Snape's words.

"That kid…he had a family right?" James nodded, "good, you're gonna give them 200'000 galleons and an apology,"

"What? Why?"

"Because you can't bring back their son, but you can help them, even if you're two years too late." James looked dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open, it wasn't the amount of money, it wouldn't put a dent in the Potter fortune but it was the fact that a Snape being asking this, why would someone relate to Samantha Snape be this selfless? "Oh and I need five hundred," or maybe not.

"Why?"

Snape smirked at Potter as he accio'd a large money pouch from the living room and caught it,

"Because I have a party to go to."


Not all his friends had abandoned him, he saw that as a plus, he did wish that one who hadn't abandon him wasn't deeply in love him. He had been staying with Lily's younger sister since acquitted from Azkaban though frankly he couldn't wait until he could leave her home, but that wasn't an option right now.

"Sev!" Rose squealed as he opened the front door, she ran at him full pelt and hugged him. He smiled weakly as Rose tried to squeeze the life out of him. She had always been a peculiar girl, those on the outside she seemed to just be a goody two shoes like her sister, but she, unlike Lily, was obsessed with the Dark Arts, probably why she had always loved Severus. "Where have you been?" she cried, jumping up and down after she had finally let Severus breathe.

"I've been…busy." It was true, but he'd also been trying to avoid her, it wasn't really because of her jumpy nature and just all round cheeriness that got on his nerves, it was the fact no matter what he did to deter her from have feelings for him, it would never do her any good to have feelings that would never returned. 'You can't talk,' an irritating voice whispered to him, he shook his head, he had been a stupid hormonal boy, he had been allowed to obsess over Johanna non-stop and it had work out in the end, 'this is what you call 'working out?' He sighed, sitting down at the plastic table in Rose's kitchen/dining/living room. She had rented out an apartment as soon as she had turned seventeen, and was now staying in it during her final summer holiday. It was a block of flats at which many Hogwarts finishing students stayed in until they got a job and house. Never having lived in one, Severus was actually quite amazed at how luxurious it was, it was much nicer than his own home had ever been. The stench of human decay filled his nose he looked down at his mother. Her hair falling away in clumps, her body looked even smaller now as her flesh underneath rotted away and her skin had become translucent. The memory went as quickly as it came, it seemed to be a curse of Azkaban, like a dementor was following him around, non-stop, everyday more memories haunting him, of the pain, of loss and of decay, he could still smell Azkaban on him, he reeked of it.

There was someone else in his cell. It was too dark to tell where, but he could hear someone gasping. He stayed in the corner, that he had claimed as his own, when he'd first arrived he stayed in it to retain his strength. Now…what was the point of moving anywhere else? A dementor glided past, he closed his eyes and focussed on what the book in his hands had said. He closed off all memories from the front of his mind, creating a wall. It didn't stop the depression that swept over him as it passed. He didn't even hear the scuffle as the person moved closer.

"You ok?" He looked up, he had been leaning over of table, panting, sweating gathering on his forehead.

"Yeah, just memories…they're getting worse." Rose frowned slightest at him, but she clearly had no way of empathising with him, she was too innocent to understand anything, including what she was eluding to when she stroked his hand. He carefully removed his hand from under hers.

"When were you going to tell me about Daisy?" he asked, wishing to quickly change the subject. Rose seemed to have thought he would ask about Daisy, as she didn't look surprised, only hurt. She drew herself up, though it did not have the strengthening effect she probably had hoped it would have, as her emotions were painted clearly on her face.

"How did you hear about that?"

"Lily told me."

"Ah, so you've been speaking to Lily but not me." Severus raised an eyebrow, she couldn't have possibly thought that would have worked.

"She's my friend and I needed information," he said simply refusing to be taken off topic, "but she didn't tell me what happened,"

"Oh didn't she?"

"No, I was rather hoping you would." Silence followed Severus' obvious command, as Rose rubbed her forehead. Finally she stood up, taking the book of satanic rituals off the table and put it on the side, as she got two cans of lager. Severus waited impatiently for her to sit back down and start talking.

"She's was a squib," Rose said, looking into her can.

"What?"

"She's-was a squib," Severus put down his beer can, he hadn't known that, Lily hadn't told him, she had gone at the beginning of his fourth year, but he'd always assumed her parents had taken her out,

"A...muggle squib?" Rose nodded, and as an afterthought chuckled.

"It is funny when you say it like that, isn't it?" She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, "she had magic, that was for sure, got a Hogwarts letter, could get a wand, but do actual spells?" She shook her head, the pained look was back, "but she couldn't been allowed back into the muggle world, she had magic, and seeing as she couldn't control it...statute of secrecy and all that bull. They said she was somewhere where they'd look after her, somewhere that was meant to keep her safe." Rose had tears in her eyes now, sniffing a little. Severus hoped she didn't actually start crying, he was terrible at comforting people, but Rose seemed to gather herself together, "she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for nothing, I don't think she liked the way they spoke to her, and it was horrible." She took another gulp, before throwing her can down on the table in anger, "so condescending, just because she didn't have magic didn't mean she was stupid!" She hiccoughed here, and slowly stood to get her herself another drink, she was at the counter with her back to Severus when she spoke again, "well I guess she was a little stupid." Severus had to strain to hear, "they found her two days before you were arrested, she was in Knockturn alley, dead." Severus wondered how much Rose knew about how her sister was killed. She sat down again, Severus watching her carefully, but there seemed to be no tears now, only a blank stare at nothing. Severus took his chance and looked into her mind, it wasn't difficult, the memory was at the forefront of her mind. Daisy was hovering on an invisible stretcher, a blanket over her to keep her decency but it was clear she wasn't wearing any clothes underneath. Bruises were on her throat, finger-marks from where her murderer had strangled her to death. He had never realised how small she was until then, she was fourteen, and her eyes should have been full joy and innocence, not dull and unseeing. He withdrew as Rose moved away again, unable to taken her emotions out of anything but the floor, as she was now furiously pacing up and down. "They never found out who did it, nothing. but if they'd just-" she marched to a shelf and plucked took a book out, and slammed it down on the table, making Severus flinch at the loud noise, but Rose did not notice, it had been clearly a long time since she's been able the talk to anyone about what happened to her sister.

"See this! The Tandum curse, can track the magical signature of any wizard after up to three weeks, but of course," she slammed the book shut, "it's illegal, because it invades citizen privacy," something Rose did not care about if her sisters were concerned. "They could have found him...but they never did," she was quiet now, just looking down at Severus probably hoping he would been able to help her with the pain she was feeling. Severus sighed, as he stood up and hugged her. He hated her puppy dog eyes; she could make him do almost anything. Almost.

"And what would you do," he spoke softly into her ear, "if you did find who killed your sister?"

"I'd kill them," she had the stubborn tone of anyone who truly didn't understand what they were committing themselves to.

"No, you can't."

"Why not?"

"You're too young to be planning revenge murder."

"Oh yeah, like you aren't planning to kill whoever sent you to Azkaban, why is what I'm doing any different?"

"You're too young,"

She scoffed. "A year younger than you, that's no difference,"

"It's all the difference, you've never killed before." She pulled away, and anger radiated off of her, as she stormed into the only other room in the house, her bedroom. He sighed, Rose had no idea what she wanted to do, and he shook his head, as he laid down on the tiny sofa. 'Definitely need to find a new place to sleep.'


Hope you enjoyed it! Have an nice day and review please!