"So, You Know Who needs Wormtail for… something." Sirius said, looking at Remus. "And we have to assume that now that the traitor has escaped from what is apparently the worst guarded prison ever… he's going back to his master."
"The only problem with that theory is that, if I remember correctly, Pettigrew was a scared little wuss when we were in school, and his performance at his trial proved he didn't grow out of it." Severus swirled the whiskey in his glass. "He has to know that Azkaban is a safer place to be than in the Dark Lord's presence."
"Perhaps he feels that he has some kind of power in this position in the inner circle," Albus said, leaning back.
Remus shook his head. "Why did he hide as a rat for the last 12 years if he thought he had power?"
"Because the source of his power was gone," Severus said. "It's an illusion, of course. The Dark Lord trusts no one. But he gives the illusion of trust in order to keep people loyal to him. His easiest targets are those who are so painfully awkward, like Pettigrew, or those who have heavy delusions that some day they can replace him, like Lucius."
"So he's going back," Sirius said. "According to Elizabeth, You Know Who has regained some kind of consciousness, if not a corporeal state. How is he doing that?"
"Unicorn blood and snake venom," Severus stared hard into his glass.
"How do you know things like that?" Sirius looked at him like he'd lost his mind.
"I know things I wish I didn't," Severus said softly. "I didn't think of it until Elizabeth mentioned 'milking' the snake, but that explains the dead unicorns in the Forest."
"Are you sure that we can hear her?" Remus looked toward the stairs.
"I took her wand," Severus said. "And I have a monitoring charm on the room. If she makes a sound, we'll hear."
"So what do we do about it?" Sirius asked.
"The question really is this," Albus said thoughtfully, "would stopping Peter from returning to Voldemort stop whatever has already been put in motion? Does he really need Peter, or does he simply want someone who is so easily manipulated?"
"I suppose that is the question," Remus said, finishing his own glass.
"If he knows where he's going, he could already be there," Sirius said. "We can assume that he snuck out as a rat. Then, he's only need to get somewhere private to apparate."
"Can rats swim?" Severus asked.
"Better than Peter," Remus chuckled a little. "Which we found out when we threw him in the lake one year."
"It's good to hear that I wasn't the sole focus of your torture," Severus considered another glass. "Perhaps the situation warrants careful monitoring rather than rash action."
"As soon as we know where to go, Remus and I will suit up," Sirius said. "I've got a bit of a score to settle with a certain murderous wizard."
"Calm your testosterone, Black," Severus said, rolling his eyes. "When we know where to go, we'll bring an army."
*S*S*
"I've come to discharge the patient," Severus said two days later. "And it's a good thing, because one more day of that chest congestion and I was taking you to St. Mungo's."
"I feel better."
"I believe that this time," Severus smirked. "Of course, you've lied to me about fifty times over the past few days, so maybe you should stay here for another day just to be safe."
"Dad!"
"No?" Severus raised an eyebrow. "Alright then. It's time for breakfast, then. Sirius is cooking."
"Is that safe?" Elizabeth got out of bed and rummaged in her wardrobe for clothes.
"He can make eggs," Severus went to her desk. "I'll take your homework down so you can get started after we eat."
"Dad!"
"Would you rather discuss the use of underage magic in deceiving me about your safety?" Severus frowned.
"No," Elizabeth tossed clothes on her bed.
"Then get dressed, make your bed, and I'll see you downstairs."
"Yes, sir," Elizabeth sighed.
Nodding once, Severus left the room, going downstairs.
"Severus!" Sirius called from the kitchen. "When did you get a cat?"
Severus went into the kitchen to find Casper, all his hair bristled, eyeing Sirius from one corner.
"He's not mine," Severus said, sitting at the table. "Albus gave him to Elizabeth in a failed attempt to win her affections. Although the cluster of coconut seems to enjoy lying on my bed more than being with his mistress."
"Well he certainly doesn't like me."
"You smell like a dog," Severus said helpfully.
"Don't be mean, Dad," Elizabeth came in, dressed in jeans and a Gryffindor tshirt. She looked at the puffed up cat. "What's wrong with Casper?"
"He's mental," Sirius shrugged. "Wash your hands and sit down."
"Did I just hear Sirius say something responsible?" Remus came into the kitchen, stretching.
"The world is, indeed, coming to an end," Severus said, picking up the Daily Prophet. "If I were Azkaban, I wouldn't report breaks anymore." He examined the lead article. "All it does is spawn an endless string of 'haven't caught him yet' articles."
"Well, at least there is food," Sirius floated breakfast over to the table. "Eat, everyone." He looked at Elizabeth. "I thought we'd go to Diagon Alley this morning. I believe I promised you a trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies."
"She has homework," Severus said, taking a bite of toast.
"Dad, there's weeks and weeks before school starts!"
"And you'll be finished with your work long before that," Severus said firmly. "You can go one afternoon next week."
"Why can't we go after lunch today?"
Severus looked at his daughter. "Don't ask ridiculous questions you already know the answer to. Eat your breakfast."
"I'm not doing the Potions essay," she scowled into her eggs.
"Ever?" Severus asked passively, turning the page.
Elizabeth glared. "Not this morning."
"That's fine. You can to the Defense work."
"What are we learning next year, Moony?" Elizabeth eyed her milk glass.
"What ever your new Defense professor puts on his syllabus," Remus poured coffee.
"New Defense professor?" Elizabeth looked up. "You're leaving? But you were brilliant!"
"I appreciate that, Sevling, but your grandfather has asked me to use my skills in another way next year."
"What are you going to be doing?" Elizabeth bit her lip.
"Keeping an eye on the Pettigrew situation," Remus said, careful not to mention anything Order related. "Hey," he looked at her. "I'll be around, don't worry."
Elizabeth shrugged and poked at her eggs.
"Elizabeth?" Remus stood and went around the table, crouching by her chair. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Elizabeth slid the eggs around.
"Stop playing with your food and look at me," Remus captured her wrists. "I thought you'd be delighted to have one less pair of eyes tracking you."
"I just…" she looked at her lap. "You weren't going to try to kill me."
"Neither will your new teacher, I promise." Remus soothed.
"Who's it going to be?" Sirius asked, shoveling food into his mouth.
"Alastor," Remus said.
"Moody?" Severus put the paper down. "Isn't he a bit over qualified?"
"Aren't you?" Remus asked, before turning back to Elizabeth. "Alastor Moody is a long time associate of ours. He's an auror who fought with us in the war. He's an excellent person to have in the building during a time like this."
Severus still looked perplexed. "It's one thing to have an auror in that position… but Moody? What's going on that he needs the best Dark Wizard catcher in history?"
"Severus? We're reassuring your daughter here." Remus looked pointedly at his friend.
Severus turned his attention to Elizabeth. "He's the best, hatchling, don't worry. I won't have to worry about your Defense class this year."
Remus stood, dropping a kiss on his goddaughter's head. "Don't worry, cub."
"May I be excused?"
Severus frowned at her half-full plate, but nodded. "Your books are on my desk."
Elizabeth disappeared into the study, and Severus turned to Remus. "She wouldn't be that upset if I was leaving Hogwarts."
"Jealous, Snape?" Sirius grinned, refilling his plate.
"No," Severus finished his coffee. "That's not it at all."
"Sev…" Remus started, but Severus waved him off.
"Don't worry about it." He got up. "I'm going to work for awhile… try not to break anything, mutt." Severus swept from the room, opening the door of the study and closing it after him.
He was surprised to see Elizabeth sitting on the sofa reading her Potions text. "I thought you were going to put that off as long as possible."
Elizabeth shrugged. "Seems silly to do Defense work if no one is going to collect it."
"I'm sure Moody will collect what Remus assigned," Severus sat beside her, surprised again when she leaned her head on his shoulder. "To what do I owe the spontaneous affection?"
"I'm almost 14," she said letting the book fall into her lap.
"Yes, you are," Severus affirmed.
"So maybe it's stupid… you're still going to be there next year, right?"
"Yes," Severus took the book and put it beside him on the cushion.
"I'm not a baby," Elizabeth asserted. "But… I'm glad you're there. I'd miss you."
"I'd miss you too, hatchling," Severus put his arm around her, pulling her securely to his side, and kissing her head. She sighed, and he looked down at her. "What?"
"I'm not a baby."
"That's the second time in as many seconds you've reminded me of that."
"I should be able to go to school and not be homesick," she shrugged. "I should be able to spend all my nights in my dorm, not down in the dungeons with you."
Severus was a quiet for a moment. "I'll tell you something," he said softly, "but you'd better not repeat it to anyone, especially your mutt of a godfather, understand?"
Elizabeth nodded.
"When I came to Hogwarts, I wasn't homesick. I was so glad to be out of the house where my parents were always fighting, my father was always angry, and my mother was always upset about something. I felt the way I imagine you would have felt if you'd come to school from Petunia's house."
Elizabeth made a face. "I would have been sick to go back to that house."
"Quite so. However, after my mother died and your grandmother adopted me, I had… a bit of a rough time."
Elizabeth put one arm around his waist, listening.
"I quickly adjusted to having someone care about me. Not that I didn't outwardly fight it, mind you, but I internally reveled in the attention. Eileen had always worked too much, and I don't know that she ever really wanted children, so the idea that Minerva wanted me was intoxicating." He squeezed her shoulders. "The problem with that was after one summer of being mothered, staying in my dormitory when school started was difficult. I spent quite a bit of time in your grandmother's quarters. Then, I had the feeling that I was too old to want to stay with my mother, so I spent a miserable week having as little contact with her as possible. I was sure that it was a bad thing to be so dependent, and I didn't want to be weak."
Severus closed his eyes a moment. That time in his life… Lily was alive, and there was hardly anything to worry about…
"After a week, Minerva being Minerva stuck me to a chair after Transfiguration and forced a conversation out of my teenage mouth. I said many of the same things as you said when I came in here today. So I'll tell you what she told me."
Severus ducked his head a little to look at her. "If you had had someone to hold you and baby you when you were a child, you might not need it so much now. But making up for your childhood now is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is it something I mind doing. Being your father is not a short-term commitment. We missed some time, and if you are having childlike tendencies, it may be best to just embrace them." He kissed her forehead. "I'd rather you didn't grow up at all, but biology is going to thwart that plan." He squeezed her again. "Don't worry. You don't see me spending my nights on your grandmother's couch, do you?'
Elizabeth giggled. "No."
"And while you aren't worrying, I'd like you to stop trying to assert your adultness in ways that involve underage magic and connecting with Dark Lords." Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Do you really think he knows I can see him?"
Severus was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure how long I'm willing to wait to find out. Whenever it happens, I want to know about it. Hide this, or anything like it, again, and you'll think that there is a cauldron scrub brush attached to your hand."
"I thought you were going to yell."
"I was also under that impression," Severus ran his hand through his hair. "However, my desire to shout seems to have left me for the time being. So it will suffice to remind you that you have three people in this house who love you, and that it is not a crime to depend on us. It does not make you weak; it makes you a member of a team. I've agreed to let you work with me in situations like these, no matter my personal reservations, but part of that deal was that you share all information. That part of the agreement still stands."
"Yes, sir."
"Now, finish your Potions reading, and if you can pass the quiz I'll give you before lunch, you can go drool over Quidditch supplies with Black for the afternoon."
"Thanks!" Elizabeth reached over him, grabbing the book, and opened it while Severus got up and went to his desk.
Severus watched her read, wishing that they hadn't lost that time. He's often been tempted to go into her mind and see those years. But he was almost afraid of what he'd find there. What he wanted was to see a happy dark-haired child at the zoo or something… but he was sure that's not what he'd see.
"Dad?" Elizabeth was looking at him.
"Hmm?"
"Are you okay? You're looking at me weird."
Severus blinked. "I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"The time we lost. I wish I had pictures, at least."
Elizabeth snorted. "Aunt Petunia was camera happy, but only for Dudley. But Mrs. Figg has pictures."
"Arabella?" Severus looked quizzical. "Arabella Figg?"
Elizabeth nodded. "She used to babysit for me when the Dursleys went on vacation or whatever. Her house smelled like cabbage and she had too many cats, but she was nice. How do you know her?"
"She's a squib," Severus said, pulling parchment out of his desk. "Albus must have enlisted her help in monitoring the situation."
"How come she didn't tell me?" Elizabeth looked indignant.
"Would it have mattered?" Severus shrugged. "You would still be living in that house."
"Yeah, but I would have known that I wasn't crazy," Elizabeth muttered.
"I'm sure she was following Albus' orders."
Elizabeth shrugged. "I guess I can't complain. She fed me."
"And for that, I will be eternally grateful." Severus said. "In fact, I intend to write her now to thank her for that."
*S*S*
Arabella Figg did not disappoint. Two days later, Severus' owl arrived with a package.
The makeshift family was sitting down for lunch when it arrived. Severus started to untie the twine when Elizabeth broke in.
"No mail at the table, Dad."
He smirked. "I'm exempt from all my own rules. Afraid of what might be in here?"
"What is it?" Sirius finished a half sandwich in three bites.
"Arabella Figg sent some pictures," Severus said, finishing the untying.
"Arabella?" Remus looked confused.
"She used to babysit for the Dursleys," Severus supplied, pulling the paper back.
"Well, just for me," Elizabeth corrected.
"Dear Severus," the Potions Master read the letter aloud. "Every father should have pictures of his daughter as a child, if only for embarrassing conversations with boyfriends. Enjoy!" He smirked. "Shall we save these for after lunch, or can we all multitask?"
"I'm an excellent multitasker," Remus grinned.
"Me too," Sirius downed another half sandwich.
"I thought so," Severus pulled out the stack of photos. "Well, let's see. Elizabeth, you'll have to narrate, because Arabella didn't write much on the backs of these." He held up the first one. "Elizabeth, 1982." The photo showed a green-eyed toddler, wrapped in a pink blanket.
"Softie!" Elizabeth exclaimed, then looked embarrassed. She looked around the table before mumbling her explanation. "Mrs. Figg gave me that blanket. I used it at her house. I named it softie because it was… soft."
"Sounds reasonable to me." Severus flipped to the next picture. "Elizabeth, 1985, Dudley's Birthday Party".
"I wasn't supposed to be there, she was supposed to keep me upstairs. But she brought me down, and Aunt Petunia couldn't explain to Dudley's friends' parents why I couldn't be at the party, so I got to stay."
Severus looked at the picture. "Who is that woman with the cane?"
"Aunt Marge. The yappy little dog is Ripper."
The Elizabeth in the picture was neatly eating a small piece of cake while Dudley stuffed a large piece into his mouth with one hand. Severus was suddenly glad that Muggle photos didn't move… watching that boy eat might make him ill.
"That's a charmer of a cousin you've got there," Sirius chuckled.
"Elizabeth, 1988." Severus frowned. "You'd been crying."
Elizabeth looked at the picture and grinned. "Yeah, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were so mad that day, I ran to her house."
"Why were they mad?"
"I turned my teacher's wig blue." Elizabeth smiled. "I didn't know how I did it, but they were always so touchy about anything 'freaky'. I was crying because they yelled at me, but Mrs. Figg gave me cookies and let me stay the night. She took that picture, and I never knew why…"
"She was recording your accidental magic," Remus took a drink.
Severus continued through the photos until they reached the last one. The Elizabeth he knew from finding her at the Dursleys looked out of the photo at him.
"Elizabeth, 1990." Severus read. "Why are you in a tree in the middle of the night?"
"You see Ripper?" Elizabeth pointed to the bottom of the photo. "Aunt Marge was there, and I stepped on Ripper's tail accidentally. The dog chased me up the tree, and I stayed there until Mrs. Figg found me after midnight."
"And she decided to take a picture?" Sirius questioned.
"She loved her camera," Elizabeth shrugged. "That was right before Dad came to get me."
"I think my favorite one is you standing beside the snowman." Remus flipped through the photos.
"I vote for the one where she's trying to pull the bag of rocks," Sirius grinned.
"It was 100 day," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "It was first grade, and we were supposed to bring in 100 of something. I thought rocks would be a good idea, but I couldn't carry it."
"What did you end up bringing?" Severus asked.
"Mrs. Figg had all these crazy beaded necklaces. She let me take them apart so I could take 100 beads." She smirked. "Dudley brought 100 doughnuts."
"And ate them all, from the looks of him," Sirius rolled his eyes.
Severus gathered the photos up and carefully put them back in the paper. "We'll get frames," he said.
Elizabeth finished her sandwich. "Now that 'embarrassing hour' is over, can I go flying, please?"
"Stay within the wards," Severus said automatically, as if he hadn't said it every time she'd asked the question for years. "Take the mutt with you."
Sirius grinned. "I bet my Firebolt can beat your Firebolt."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "There's no chance of that," she said, offhandedly, "But if you insist on embarrassing yourself, who am I to stop you?"
Sirius looked at Severus. "Just exactly alike, aren't you?"
Severus looked at the picture on the top of the pile. "Maybe."
*S*S*
That night, Severus was roughly shaken awake well after midnight.
"Elizabeth?" He sat up, his wand drawn. "What is it?"
"He's back," Elizabeth said quietly. "Peter Pettigrew is back with Voldemort."
