A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've had a massive run of assignments and this will probably be the last update for the next fortnight. But, I will write more and semester break which is about 2 months starts, which will mean more updating and I might actually update on my other fandom who I think are about to kill me. Anyway, on with the story. Apologies if this is a little out of character I had no idea how to write this…

8 – The Lion about the Snake April 8th 1979

Minerva McGonagall folded the previous day's Daily Prophet and set it aside with a sigh that made her rib cage ache with the uncharacteristic expansion. The Scottish witch was only 44 years old, but reading that verbal excrement of an article had aged her at least a decade. Miss Skeeter was not the most reliable of sources and the Professor recalled her being a downright nuisance when she had attended Hogwarts, though she had to acknowledge that as a girl Skeeter had shown an aptitude for transfiguration. Even so, there was little doubt in her mind the contents of the article were unfortunately true. Though she had tried all through his schooling years to deny it, he was always going to have joined the war on the wrong side. Really, the only question she had left was, who at the Ministry or the Prophet had Lucius Malfoy paid off to keep his name out of it?

It was an incredible tragedy that Severus had taken the fall for the true evil of others. Minerva had no doubt the snake had struck only when he had found himself backed into a corner. The process had taken years, his life up to that point, but the combination of his parents, Lucius and eve Eris had finally succeeded. The only vague hope she had was that he had enough venom in him to strike all the right people and maybe escape with his life. But he was livening in a snake pit, a writhing mass of fangs that could bite right back and some snakes with bigger fangs and more toxic poison.

"Minerva?" The witch in question startled and looked up as her floo flared, signalling an incoming visitor.

"Come through Miss Evans." McGonagall responded sharply, still distracted by the article. The red-head did as she was instructed, her head slightly inclined. Lily felt very much like a school girl once again getting called to the office of her head of house.

"I really wish you wouldn't call me Miss Evans, I'm not a student anymore." She responded good-naturedly after she had recovered, though there was a definite edge to her voice.

"You will always be a student to me Miss Evans." Minerva sounded distinctly resigned, an emotion which only increased when she noticed the paper in the younger woman's hands. It didn't surprise her, part of her had actually expected the younger witch to visit at a ridiculous hour the previous night. "So you have seen it?"

"More than seen the article, I was there during the attack. James tried to warn me something would happen, but I just love Easter." Lily sighed, clearly retrospectively classifying her actions as the epitome of foolishness. Minerva didn't necessarily disagree, even she, a respected witch who moved with ease through pureblood circles, hadn't braved the alley over Easter.

"Did you see Severus?" The older witch asked carefully, looking closely for a reaction from the younger woman. All she got was a hard light in the emerald eyes and pursed lips.

"You call him by his first name but not me?" Lily's tone had the same edge as her eyes, which didn't work on the more experienced Minerva who simply glared until the younger woman relented. "I don't know. There was a masked Death Eater standing out the front of Severus' apothecary, simply observing the fray. He, I assume from the breadth of his shoulders, cast the dark mark when Bellatrix LeStrange killed a child. That at least is different from the article. The Death Eater faced the child for a few moments even when Bellatrix and the vampire moved away and fought. When the dementor's came one attacked him and he was forced to cast a patronus to protect himself. The patronus was a doe, which may or may not mean something. I didn't even know Death Eaters could cast them, then again I didn't think a dementor would attack a Death Eater."

"He has ceased to be my student; I do not teach in the dark." Minerva fell silent for a minute and allowed some of the sadness she felt to colour her voice. "If anyone would recognize him it would be you and yet, you are not sure he was there. I wonder how this Skeeter woman knows. I wish she was wrong, but I seriously doubt it. " She seemed to come back to herself and once more addressed the young woman. "I know of no other Knights who can cast one, the charm requires the caster to have a soul."

"He has no soul and hasn't for years." Lily spat before controlling herself by means of a deep breath and slow blink. "Skeeter wasn't there. I know who she is, there was a crossover when we attended Hogwarts. She was a jealous liar then and, she's a jealous liar now. Filthier than a dung beetle."

"You did not come here to confirm or deny the facts of the article or compare witches to insects." Minerva probed as she tired of the conversation. The topic was irritating the witch who had yet to hear one word about her cub's child.

"A Death Eater has my child." Lily finally brought up Eris' existence and the lioness pounced.

"My dear, you can hardly lay claim to child when you do not even know its name, what sex it is. You gave it up the moment it was born to a young man that you had serious doubts about even then." Minerva was testing Lily's devotion to the child. After all, most mothers would have brought the child up first thing, without being distracted by the details of a battle and a man she supposedly loathed.

"You would leave it with a Death Eater?" Even this defence was weak; an attack against the other woman rather than concern for her child. She had not even bothered to enquire after the gender. Apparently she preferred to refer to her own flesh and blood as 'it'. This did not go down well with the older woman, who was deeply maternal.

"He takes good care of her, better perhaps, than the care he takes of himself." Minerva growled, but finished weekly as tiredness settled on her shoulders once more.

"She's not safe with him." Finally Minerva started to see genuine maternal instincts in response to the child being humanized, which gave Lily something to bond with. The older witch was comforted to know that the younger woman might raise a child well if she only formed a proper attachment to it, rather than giving it up the first chance she had.

"She is perfectly fine. I've seen her many times and Severus and I are in regular correspondence. Even if she wasn't safe, you could hardly take her home to James. I can't imagine your husband would be pleased to know you had a child with a man he used to call Snivellus."

Lily looked down, suitably chastised but clearly not done with the fight. Her old professor considered her in the meantime. Lily had been the best thing to come out of Gryffindor for a long time; kind, gentle and considerate to everyone without that terrible foolhardy bravery so many were prone to. She'd befriended Severus early on and been a chance for his redemption. Until it had all come crashing down after James Potter had humiliated him and the vulnerable boy had lashed out. Minerva knew Severus had spent the remainder of his time at Hogwarts trying to make it up to Lily, even sleeping outside the portrait. The old witch recalled draping the scrawny young boy with a blanket and sitting up all night as a tabby cat, watching over him. James had used that attack to gain favour with Lily and had eventually settled down enough for her to agree to be his girlfriend, then fiancé, now wife. Minerva couldn't fathom it and didn't think it was a particularly good mix. But they clearly loved each other and there was very little the old witch could do about it. It was just a pity it had changed her favourite cub into something far less pleasant than who she had been.

"I want to see that she's okay with my own eyes." Lily's voice brooked no argument, but it was Minerva's duty to intervene. She didn't particularly want to fight for the sake of either Lily or Severus, so she focused on Eris' wellbeing.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? It could well disrupt the child and if you aren't satisfied, what will you do? You can hardly tear the girl from her father's arms. If you are satisfied, what will you do? Can you live with yourself and reconcile your opinions of Severus with what you will see. And what about Severus himself? For all his faults, he will be affected by this just as much as you are and that makes you just as bad as him."

"If you're not going to help me, I'll find them on my own." Lily's temper started to flare adding an extra sheen to her flickering hair.

"You don't need my help my dear, you know where he lives." Minerva responded dismissively, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Well, she thought, it was obvious. The blithe tone was at odds with the attentive side-eye she laid on the young witch.

"He's still at Spinner's End? I thought he'd have left a long time ago. He always said he hated that house and would leave as soon as he could. That's why he always came over to our house. It was an escape. Surely he's not still there." The bright green eyes looked almost desperate, as if she too, couldn't bear the idea of going to that house. Minerva couldn't blame her; Lily no doubt remembered the old house as it had been when Severus was still subject to his parents.

"Do you really think he'd ever move somewhere you couldn't find him?" Minerva said seriously, staring the young woman in the eyes. Lily looked away after a mere few moments.

"He still…" Lily faltered but Minerva simply inclined her head. A pleased smile played about the edges of the younger witch's lips before it was quickly controlled. Too late, however, the Professor had already noticed. Minerva's features hardened as she looked at her grown cub, disdain twisting the once affectionate look.

"Is this about Severus or your daughter?"