Author's Note:

Hello! I'm SO SORRY it's taken so long to post this chapter PLEASE don't give up on me or the story. Just before Christmas my Boyfriend and I moved into our first house together so since then every spare moment has gone into sorting the house out but I think we're finally done so I can get back to writing again! YAY! Although my hard copy of the next few chapters seem to have been lost in the move so I'm gonna have to write those ones again from memory. Booo!

A BIG thank you to everyone who has reviewed and/ or added this story to your favourites and alerts lists.

DISCLAIMER:

Sadly I make no money from this story and do not own the Harry Potter series, it belongs to J K Rowling and WB, I just like to play with her characters : ) Anything/ anyone you recognise belongs to her but the rest is all mine!

Anything written in the story in bold is a quote from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

In the previous chapter...

He's getting desperate the Slytherin thought.

"Please, try not to worry Narcissa. You already have my word that I shall do all I can to keep him safe, once term begins I shall be able to keep a closer eye on him."

"Thank you Severus!" The Malfoy Matriarch laid her hand over his and with hope shining in her eyes gave his fingers a squeeze of thanks. "Thank you so much!"

oOoOoOoOo

Chapter 10.

-Hogwarts-

His duty of care to Dumbledore complete for the time being, Severus rolled down his shirt sleeves and began refastening his cufflinks. Whilst shielded from the older wizard's penetrating mind by his occulumency he allowed himself a brief moment to review the events of the past month. His time in Lily's house already seemed like a distant memory. Or a dream. One of the best dreams he'd ever had. But the faint scar from collarbone to hip grounded him and acted as tangible proof that it had all been real and though he could have treated the scar with his own balms and ointments he found he didn't want to. Not only did it serve as evidence of Lily's survival; it served as a kind of punishment or perhaps 'penance' was more accurate? Yes, penance for his past sins and failures.

"Thank you Severus" Dumbledore exhaled as a sigh. Roused from his thoughts Severus turned to see the Headmaster still slumped in his throne like chair, head lolling back against the ornate headrest looking ashen. Beads of perspiration beaded on his forehead and top lip as he attempted to master the pain from both the cursed hand and treatment. Pity began to worm its way into the younger wizard's heart and despite remembering all the hardships he had endured because of this man: the pain, the suffering, manipulation and lies he found himself selecting a vial of Pepperup Elixir from his box of potions brought from his own personal storeroom and placing it in the aged man's shaking hand.

Turning away he continued to don his teaching robes trying not to think too much about the emotional hold the Headmaster still had over him. Despite his feelings of resentment, anger and betrayal Severus was confused to realise that he could not find it in himself to actively hate the Headmaster. True: he had abused Severus's trust and used him shamelessly; casting him as a pursuedo-villain to suit his mysterious plans for "the greater good" ...but he had also saved Severus from falling completely to Darkness...had saved him from himself.

After the 'death' of Lilly Ev –Potter, he had so desperately wanted to end it all. Overcome with guilt and grief he had planned his own death. The potion designed to give him as much pain as possible for as long as possible with no antidote in case he found himself too much of a coward and tried to save himself. He had planned it all...and then the summons from the Headmaster came and after lambasting him with scorn and apparent loathing Dumbledore had presented him with a mission: protect Harry Potter. Never mind that the notion of protecting James fucking Potter's son, having to see the living breathing proof that Lilly had chosen that Pure-blooded bully over him every day once he was old enough to attend Hogwarts hurt like he had been stabbed in the heart. Never mind all that. He welcomed the pain, embraced it because pain was what he deserved.

A relieved sigh roused Severus from the path his thoughts had taken. Turning once more he saw the Headmaster place the now empty vial on the desk and received a weak smile from his employer. "I believe Severus, we should now make our way to the Great Hall. It would not do to be late for the feast." Using Severus's offered hands as support the older wizard raised himself from his chair and with a gentle squeeze of gratitude the two headed for the door. No sooner had they begun the decent on the gargoyle staircase then a pale and decidedly mangy looking wolf Petronus loped up the staircase and sat at the Headmasters feet.

"Headmaster, Harry didn't get off the train with the other children. I'm going to investigate. Please send Hagrid to open the gate for Harry." Message delivered, the weak looking Petronus of Auror Tonks faded to nothing.

Interest well and truly piqued and even more aware of his duty to protect Lily's son since their reunion, Severus feigned resentment when he was asked to escort Potter to the feast in Hagrid's stead.

Collecting a lantern from the entrance hall and summoning his winter cloak he strode purposefully down the well beaten pathway towards the gates. As he drew closer Severus could see the moonlight highlighting two pale faces in the distance and as his long legs quickly covered the distance between them he noticed with wicked satisfaction the looks of confusion on their faces when they realised it was not Hagrid sent to retrieve The Boy. Potter's look of confusion quickly morphed into loathing. Both The Boy and the Auror were so east to rile up Severus just couldn't resist goading them.

"Well, well, well," sneered Snape, taking out his wand and tapping the padlock once, so that the chains snaked backward and the gates creaked open. "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance."

"I couldn't change, I didn't have my -" Harry began, but Snape cut across him.

"There is no need to wait, Nymphadora, Potter is quite-ah-safe in my hands."

"I meant Hagrid to get the message," said Tonks, frowning.

"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter here, so I took it instead. And incidentally," said Snape, standing back to allow Harry to pass him, "I was interested to see your new Patronus." He closed the gates with a satisfying 'clang' and reapplied the chains and wards. "However," he continued "I think you were better off with the old one...The new one looks weak."

As Snape swept away towards the castle he heard his current and former student calling their goodbyes and then sensed The Boy following at a distance that allowed him to demonstrate his contempt for his Professor while still benefiting from the dim light that his lantern provided. The irony was not lost on Severus.

After a few minutes the silence and almost palpable hatred began to annoy Severus. Even without looking into Potters mind he knew that potter was silently cataloguing all the wrongs the Potions master had done him and knew that more than likely he would be silently blaming him for the part he had played in his Godfather's death. Oh he'd not been the one to curse him, but he admitted (though never aloud or to anyone other than himself) that his constant snide remarks to Sirius about remaining safely hidden while the rest of the Order of the Phoenix were off fighting Voldemort had probably been a powerful factor in Sirius rushing off to the Ministry the night that he had died.

Severus rolled his eyes and sighed, The Boy's predictability boring him. He smirked and decided to taunt him a little more while there was nobody to tell him not to. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for lateness, I think...And, let me see, another twenty for your Muggle attire." Snape sneered in utter contempt at the ugly white Muggle trainers Potter wore. "You know, I don't believe any House has ever been in negative figures this early in the term-we haven't even started pudding. You might have set a record, Potter."

"I suppose you wanted to make an entrance, did you?" Snape continued. "And with no flying car available you decided that bursting into the Great Hall halfway through the feast ought to create a dramatic effect."

When they at last reached the Castle Snape had to reluctantly admit that The Boy had learnt a modicum of self-control, for though he could see Potter clenching his jaw hard enough to crack teeth not once had he retaliated. At the entrance to the Great Hall a burst of talk and laughter and of tinkling plates and glasses greeted them and Potter hastily made his way to his seat at the Gryffindor table while he took his own seat at the head table Snape.

Chuckling to himself under his breath as he served himself a slice of Lemon Tort Severus congratulated himself on his petty victory against The Boy, for as any Slytherin would tell you, a victory – petty or otherwise – is still a victory.

His eyes closed in bliss as he savoured the desert (a secret weakness of his) and then self consciously glanced to his side where he met the gazes of a scandalised Minerva and an amused Pomona. Oh God! Did I moan out loud!? A quick glance at the terrified students closest to him confirmed his worst fears. "Shit!" he cursed under his breath, ducking his head, his hair shielding him and his discomfort from prying eyes.

Mercifully the Headmaster chose this point to commence the start of term speech. As he smiled kindly at the students Severus was surprisingly relieved to see that except for the withered hand which judging by the gasps and whispers the students had just noticed; the Headmaster showed none of his earlier weakness or vulnerability. "The very best of evenings to you!" he said, smiling broadly, his arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room...to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you...We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn." Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waistcoated belly casting the table into shadow, "is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

Severus heard the confused exclamations of 'Potions?' echo throughout the hall at the news and with a self satisfied smile took a long draw from his goblet as he waited for the reaction to Dumbledore's next bit of news. "Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" the cry came from Saint Potter II. Setting his goblet down Severus raised a hand in lazy acknowledgment of the applause from the Slytherin table.

Dumbledore cleared his throat...seemingly oblivious to the sensational nature of the news he had just imparted...but waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.

"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

All smugness aside, Severus gave the impression of giving the Headmaster his full attention when in actual fact his attention was riveted on Draco. Malfoy was not looking at Dumbledore, but making his fork hover in midair with his wand, as though he found the Headmaster's words unworthy of his attention.

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways," Draco glanced up at the Headmaster briefly then flicked his gaze back down to his fork when he found arctic blue eyes looking back at him. "but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that you teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them-in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."

Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

oOoOoOoOo

-London-

The shouting and snarling of the drunken homeless man outside Smithfield Meat Market was seriously starting to annoy Sam, and judging by Liam's expression as he slouched against the concrete pillar to his left it was only a matter of time before the giant of a man snapped and drained the old bugger before throwing the body half way to Bethnal Green! The only one of them that seemed not to notice the commotion was Patrick – their Maker. He stood silently in the shadows with arms folded across his broad chest seeming to examine the floor beneath his boots while patiently waiting.

The shouting and swearing abruptly stopped and the three men looked expectantly at the open sky light through which they'd entered the building. Instead, the door handle turned as the person outside tried to open it.

Patrick bared his fangs and took a step towards the door, arms loosely at his side ready to attack if necessary. Sam mirrored his Maker's actions before dropping down into a crouch beside him, ready to attack should it be necessary. Liam held back slightly but also crouched down on Patrick's other side, one hand on the floor for balance, the other behind his back.

The door handle rattled one more time then fell silent. Two of the men kept their eyes trained on the door. One of them glanced up at the still open skylight.

Suddenly with a roar of protesting metal and exploding masonry the reinforced metal door to the building burst inwards and when the dust settled Sam was amused to realise that Patrick, their Master and great leader was mesmerised by the sight before them. Highly polished black Louboutin heels, black pencil skirt that looked painted on and a silk peacock blue blouse undone almost to a point of indecency and to top it all off; a mane of honey blond curls and eyes almost as blue as her blouse. A perfectly manicured hand on her hip and a defiant gaze tore a growl from deep in Patrick's chest and instinctively Liam and Sam stepped back; recognising an Alpha male stating his interest in what was clearly a feisty unmated female.

oOoOoOoOo

Rose surveyed the room and the Vampire's in it for any sign of hidden danger noting nothing other than the rear male with a hand behind his back. The lead Vampire growled and shifted. Whether it was to protect his comrades, attack or pounce on her she felt her own instincts kick in and she hissed at him, showing fang. "Down boy" she spat. "Back up and tell your boy there to keep his hands where I can see them".

The three stepped back and the huge guy at the rear folded his arms in front of him with a smirk that set Rose's nerves on edge. Eyes pinning the asshole who continued to smirk at her she called over her shoulder "All clear!"

For a moment there was only silence, then the clicking of heels heading towards the room. Lily with hair pulled back into a bun wearing a black tailored suit and white ruffled blouse stepped over the rubble to stand in front of Rose. Kohl lined eyes assessed each of them before she stepped into the middle of the space between the two groups with her hand out in greeting. "Patrick?"

The lead male stepped forward to meet her and the two shook hands. "You must be Lily." She nodded and as the tension began to flow away she smiled up at him "That's me".

"And your...friend?"

"My Progeny," she corrected "Rose".

Rose sauntered over and offered her hand in greeting, noting that Patrick was a couple of heads taller than her and had tiny flecks of green in his brown eyes. "Charmed I'm sure" she drawled then gasped at the jolt of electricity as they clasped hands.

oOoOoOoOo

"So," said Lily brightly "have you thought about my proposal?" Lily forced herself to appear merely friendly rather than triumphant. She had contacted Patrick months ago with hopes of recruiting him to the Light or at the very least convincing him not to join with the Dark Lord. The negotiations had been made longer and more difficult by the fact that they were Nomads, and quite often would disappear for weeks at a time...weeks during which Lily feared they would encounter Sanguini or another of the Dark Lord's 'pet' Vampires who might make a more attractive offer than she could. However, she was pretty certain that Patrick had just found his Mate in Rose judging by their reaction to one another and therefore he would be compelled to join forces with her as Rose's Maker. If she hadn't spent several hours in front of a mirror making the effort to make herself look like the dignified, intelligent leader she needed to be she might have bounced with joy. Things were going even better than expected! I should have brought Rose with me on the first negotiation! This could have all been sorted months ago!

Patrick tore his eyes off of Rose and while the two coven leaders discussed finer details of the small Irish coven joining the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix for the next few hours, the night drew closer to its end and the sun began its assent.

After finally convincing Patrick to join the Order the two leaders shook hands and embraced as allies before the men hurried away to find shelter for the day. Alone at last Rose and Lily worked together to repair the damage done to the door and wall; and then began the search for a taxi to take them home for a well earned bottle of Lily's simulated blood potion.

"It's all starting to come together" Rose thought aloud, slipping off her high heels and shrinking by five inches. "Now that Patrick's joining us other Nomads will too.

Raising one hand to signal to the approaching taxi and rummaging through her jacket pocket for some cash with the other, Lily smiled "You think so?"

"Sure they will" Rose said with absolute conviction "Patrick's a well known, well respected member of the nomadic community. If they see that he's willing to join with us there will be others that follow his lead...or at least decide against joining Voldemort." The two climbed into the back of the Black Cab and began the journey home.

Meanwhile, in the closed down Pub a few streets away Patrick and Sam did the last round of the ground floor of the building; making sure all windows were covered and doors were locked to keep curious passersby out. Upstairs Liam did the same before casting Muffliato on the door and summoning his Patronus – a scruffy looking fox – and dictating his message.

"I've thought about your offer. I accept. If you will help me get rid of Patrick and become Master of the Coven I'll recruit others to our group and pledge myself and my coven to you and the Dark Lord."

Message recorded he gave the Patronus its destination and recipient: "Sanguini".

A/N: Oooo, so there's treachery afoot! What do you guys think so far?

Please comment/ review, I love to hear your thoughts on the story so far, what you like, what you don't like, your predictions for what might happen in the future of this story.

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