Disclaimer: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

Beta Love: Fluffpanda

Warning: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene.

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful comments! Also for those of you who voted in the Energize WIP Awards. This story won 2nd place! Thank you so much! Oh, for those who asked, my new tattoo can be viewed on my twitter, Pinterest, or tumblr accounts. I love it!

Q&As - Djomar, Draco, despite being raised to view purity the way he was, still slept with Hermione during sixth year because he was a teenage boy with impulse controls and thought he'd be dead by the end of the year. At that point he felt he had nothing to lose (and was really only working on the cabinet at that point to try and delay the inevitable) and decided to do whatever he wanted (regarding Hermione) because it's not as though he thought he'd live long enough to see his wedding to Astoria take place. G the Headmaster, LOL! Minerva is at her wits end with running the school in the aftermath of war. If you thought Dumbledore had a problem finding a teacher every year for DADA, Minnie finding a replacement for Transfig post war is just as hard and despite being a giant child, Sirius really is incredibly talented at Transfiguration. To become an Animagus at fifteen, one would have to be.

Presque Toujours Pur

Almost Always Pure

Chapter Twenty-Five

Evanesco

October 1981

Regulus sat at the small round table in the middle of the kitchen at Iliad Cottage, parchment strewn about the place and tall carafe of pumpkin juice in the center of the table, because Hermione had insisted that he stop drinking so much firewhisky, or as she had coined it the "funny smelling brown liquid", and Meela had agreed with her. Being backed up by house-elves made the girl a right menace. "All right," he said, looking down at a notebook in front of him listing dates, locations, and names, "so Christmas he'll make his move. You're sure?"

Severus, looking exhausted and burdened, shook his head. "No. And it makes me unbearably nervous."

Regulus nodded. "As it should. This is . . . is Dumbledore ready?"

His friend sighed in frustration and reached for his glass of pumpkin juice, taking a sip and then frowning as he realised — and not for the first time that night — that his drink was also non-alcoholic. "I'm not told enough information from either side. The Order consists of people who've hated me since I was eleven, or people who've learned to hate me over the years and now only barely tolerate my presence because Dumbledore tells them to play nice with the turncoat."

"And Evans?"

Severus sneered. "Potter," he corrected and then his bitter expression gave way to something of sadness. "She . . . she apologised to me. For not offering me forgiveness after the . . . incident."

Regulus remembered how the man had grieved the loss of his childhood friendship with the ginger witch. "Good," Regulus said, still a touch defensive over the pain his best friend had endured due to the forgiveness that the redhead had withheld from Severus for all these years.

Still, Snape frowned, looking positively disheartened. "It won't . . . it doesn't matter. She's married now."

Regulus rubbed his thumb against the wedding band still resting on his own hand, something he vowed he would never be parted from. "Don't be a prat," he told Severus. "She was your friend for years before you realised you wanted her to be more than that. She . . ." he sighed and pressed against his wedding ring harder. "Don't turn away a friendship. Be grateful for what you get."

Severus looked up, noticing Regulus fiddling with the band on his finger. He nodded in understanding. "I will."

When the uncomfortable silence passed, Regulus turned his attention back to the notes. "How's he going to do it?"

"The plan that I know," Severus growled bitterly, both men still furious that Severus had not been let in on the plot of the McKinnon's murders. The Dark Lord was spreading his secrets out amongst his followers. No one person knew everything about the man or what he was planning. It was a smart move on the Dark Lord's part, and positively enraged the pair who were desperate that he should fall. "The plan that I know," he repeated, this time his voice a touch more collected, "is that he's hoping to get through to the Secret Keeper."

Regulus nodded. "My brother."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Who else?"

The younger wizard ran his hands through his long black hair and stared down at the notebook in front of him where his brother's name was underlined multiple times. Sirius was a target. Not only because of who he was, but because of who he was connected to. Best friend to Potter and his wife. Godfather to their kid who supposedly had the power to destroy the Dark Lord. "Shit," he groaned. "That makes me nervous. Sirius won't give up his friends. He's too loyal for that. He'd die first."

Severus nodded in agreement. "Then the plan will be to kill him."

Regulus didn't flinch at the words, but internally he was screaming. He'd already lost too much. Lost his family, his freedom, his wife. Severus was half certain himself that he wouldn't survive whatever was to happen in the near future. Regulus wouldn't lose his brother. Not again. "So you find out when the Dark Lord plans to make his move," he said. "I'll Apparate out and track down Sirius. I'll stun him if I have to," he insisted. "Drag his arse back here and lock him in the basement until it's all done and over with. The Dark Lord will be short one Secret Keeper and just angry enough to be weak and unsuspecting of an ambush. That's when you get Dumbledore and the Order."

Severus's expression was cold and hard and one of great determination. This plan needed to work. They couldn't live like this any longer. The world couldn't live like this.

"Papa?"

Regulus turned and smiled as his daughter stepped into the kitchen, rubbing her fists into her sleepy eyes, the large nightgown that Meela had dressed her in before bed had been tossed aside and replaced with one of his old Slytherin Quidditch t-shirts that hung well past her knees on her tiny frame. Regulus opened his arms to his daughter as Severus pulled all the parchments together and out of the way. "Come here sweetling."

Hermione crawled into her father's lap, burying her face into his chest and reaching up to curl a lock of his black hair around her tiny finger.

"Why are you awake young lady?" Severus said, leaning across the table to give her a teasingly stern look.

She giggled, not intimidated by her godfather in the slightest. "Wanted a story," she replied.

Regulus kissed the top of her head. "You could have called for Meela, little princess."

Hermione shook her head stubbornly and clutched at his hair tighter. "Want you."

He sighed and held her closer, but adjusted her small body in his arms so that she faced the table as he disentangled her hand from his hair. "Papa's doing something very important with Uncle Severus," he told her, "but when we're done, I'll come and read Babbity Rabbity, all right?"

She nodded but then looked at the stack of paper near her godfather. "What's important?" she asked, pointing to the parchment, spotting a quill sitting there next to a notebook. Her eyes widened and Severus glared at her, remembering two weeks ago when she'd gotten a hold of his phoenix feather quill and used it to draw a snake on her arm, trying to duplicate the tattoos that both her father and godfather had without knowing the meaning behind the mark. He stared at the girl and slowly pulled the quill further out of her reach and she giggled at his response.

"We . . . gods," Regulus sighed, "how do you explain something like this to a two-year-old?"

"You don't," Severus said. "It's asinine to try. She's a toddler. She has the memory of a puffskein."

Hermione laughed loudly. "I'm not a puffskein!"

He reached across the table touched her nose. "And what are you then?"

"Your favourite," she replied knowingly.

Severus scoffed and Regulus laughed. "Well . . ." the surly man said, "that may or may not be true," he reasoned and, when Hermione jumped down from her father's lap to crawl into his own, he grimaced. "No, no . . . I don't need hugs. I don't like . . ." he sighed in defeat as she wrapped her arms around him and toyed with the hair on the nape of his neck affectionately. "Oh, very well."

Regulus smirked. "Softie."

Severus ignored the comment and looked down at the parchments and notebook. "If it should go bad?" he asked his friend.

Regulus frowned. "Like we planned. We meet here as always. If I don't return within twenty-four hours, have Meela come and track me down," he said. "She's been ordered to protect Hermione until either one of us comes to take her place, at which point she'll serve to track down the other and then we reconvene at that point."

Severus nodded. "Two months. It doesn't feel like enough time."

"It's not."

oOoOoOo

October 31st, 1981

Severus burst in the front door of Iliad Cottage, looking pale and a mixture of terrified and angry. "He's moving!" he shouted loudly, drawing Regulus out of the kitchen where he'd been carving pumpkins with Hermione. "He's going tonight!"

Regulus stood, wand in hand, gaping at his friend in shock. "What?! What do you mean . . ."

"I mean he's going after them tonight!" Severus snapped and began pacing in the room, running a hand through his shiny black hair. "The Lestranges were just sent out to hunt down the Longbottoms. The rest of us have been tasked with distracting known Order members. He's going after them tonight! Fuck!" he screamed and picked up a nearby empty glass, launching it across the room and watching as it shattered on the wall.

"Papa?" Hermione's tiny voice whispered from the doorway and both men turned to see her staring at them with wide, frightened eyes. She looked worried, as though she wanted to run to her godfather and make him feel better, as he was clearly upset, but also his tone of voice and volume had clearly scared her, and she was, instead, running into her father's arms for protection.

Regulus held her tightly and kissed her head. "Hermione," he whispered, "go to your room and stay with Meela."

"No!"

"Hermione . . ." he tried to use a stern voice but couldn't bring himself to do so. "Love . . . I will be back, all right?" he promised her, pulling away so that he could look into her eyes, grey like his own. "I have to go and help Uncle Severus with something very, very important. Something . . . something your mother would have been very proud of me for."

Hermione, hearing her father speak of her mother, frowned deeply and pulled at his hair anxiously. "You'll come back?"

He kissed her forehead. "I swear to you, love. Now go and stay in your room with Meela until I get home, okay?" he said and moved to put Hermione down but she clung to him desperately.

Snape was on edge. "Regulus we have to go."

Regulus nodded and reluctantly pried Hermione's hands off of him. "I love you, sweetheart," he said, kissing her forehead and each of her round cheeks and tried to ignore the fact that her eyes were filled with tears.

"Love you," she whispered back just as Meela walked out of the hallway and took her hand. Regulus shared a look with the house-elf, and Meela nodded gravely before pulling Hermione away.

Regulus turned and grabbed his cloak, throwing it over his shoulders before reaching for his wand and securing it to a holder against his right forearm. "Last I heard, Sirius was holed up in a flat near Diagon Alley. I'll track him down there."

"And what if the Dark Lord finds your idiot brother before you do?"

Regulus's lips formed a tight line at the words and he had to take a breath to calm his nerves. "Then . . . then I go to end it all myself. You get Dumbledore and . . . and take care of Hermione if this goes south. Keep her out of sight," he demanded as they stepped out the front door, slamming it shut behind them. "I'll see you on the other side of this," Regulus said, turning to face his friend.

Severus swallowed hard. "Don't let anyone make a fuss when I die."

Regulus forced a laugh and then embraced his friend. "Where's your Gryffindor spirit?" he asked.

Severus scowled. "You're not funny," he said and the two friends took one last look at one another before Disapparating away.

oOoOoOo

November 9th, 1981

Severus stumbled through the front door of Iliad Cottage, stinking of firewhisky and whatever brand of Muggle scotch he'd found in his father's old cupboard at Spinner's End, locked away in the master bedroom that Severus still hadn't moved into, despite the old man being dead for some time now. He hadn't eaten more than a few meals since it had all gone tits up on Halloween. Since . . . since they'd won and they lost and he fucking lost.

"Regulus!" he shouted for his friend. "You . . . we . . . we failed and you've been . . . she's gone," he mumbled, forcing himself to be angry rather than grief-stricken as he had been for more than a week. Gods, it had only been a week since Lily had been murdered. Since the Dark Lord killed Potter and her and the boy . . . "The boy survives," Dumbledore had told him when he'd fallen at the man's feet and begged for death. Told him that Lily's son lived as though that was somehow supposed to lift his spirits and make him say, "Well, at least there's that." Severus didn't care that Lily's son had lived. She had died. Her husband had died. Sirius Black was to blame and Regulus fucking failed! They'd both failed.

Fuck . . . what had happened?

"The Dark Lord is dead and she's still gone and I . . . fuck! Regulus!"

"Master Snape?" the small house-elf whispered as she poked her head from around the corner, watching with wide eyes as Severus stumbled around the living room before collapsing onto the sofa where he planned on staying until he and Regulus could come up with a plan. He'd been spared Azkaban thanks to Dumbledore's word, but Regulus . . . there was no saying how that would work out.

"Meela . . . get me a drink and . . . and get Regulus."

Meela worried the edge of her tea towel apron in her hands nervously as she spoke. "Meela . . . Meela has not seen Master for many days."

Severus looked up, instantly sobering at her words. "What? Where'd he go?"

"With you."

His mouth fell open. "With . . . he never returned?" he asked her. She shook her head and Severus ran a hand through his hair.

Halloween night had been an absolute mess. The Dark Lord had sent his Death Eaters to attack the Order. Severus had gone to Dumbledore, waiting for word from Regulus that Sirius Black was secured. When he was with the Headmaster, the old wizard clutched at his chest and frowned deeply informing Severus that a charm he'd placed on Lily and James had been alerted.

"No," Severus said and then watched in horror as the world fell to pieces. Ten different Patronuses came flying through the window, each shouting a variety of updates, pleas, and angry words.

". . . James and Lily, it can't be true!"

". . . the boy, have you heard if the boy . . ."

"Where will he go? Albus, what do we do . . ."

And then the Aurors had shown up.

Severus, unable to return immediately to Iliad Cottage as promised, was taken into immediate custody with Dumbledore's vow that freedom would follow as soon as Harry Potter was safe and secure. When Severus was dragged through the Ministry of Magic, he was shoved into a cell between Lucius and the Lestranges. Both brothers remained silent, but Bellatrix was screaming in delight, telling anyone who would listen the details of how she had broke the Longbottoms.

"How can you cry out in joy at a time like this!?" Karkaroff had snapped at her. "The Dark Lord is dead and we're all bound for Azkaban you stupid woman!"

"Our Lord will rise again! And you will be punished for your lack of faith, Igor!" Bella had cackled back at him. "Perhaps he will let me be the one to do it!"

"Is it true?" Lucius whispered. "Is he . . . is he really gone?"

Severus nodded, not that Lucius could see. "Where are Narcissa and Draco?" he asked, eager to know if his godson had been harmed by either angry Death Eaters looking for vengeance or angry Aurors looking to punish.

"Safe at home," Lucius whispered. "Cissa . . . she's not marked and I went quietly when they showed up."

"When they showed up?" Severus asked. "I take it you did not follow orders and do as you were told?"

Lucius scoffed. "I did what I had to do to keep my family safe. And where were you when our Lord fell?"

Severus sighed. "Where I was told to be," he said though he didn't mention who had given the order.

He didn't know how long he'd been in the cell when the Aurors started whispering and the running down the long stretches of hallways, shouting, "Sirius Black! It's not possible! He was their best friend!" Severus leaned forward and paid attention, eagerly looking for word on Regulus, though it was unlikely that the supposedly deceased Black heir would make a reappearance this soon after the Dark Lord's death. Still, the whole of the Ministry was gossiping, spreading what could have been rumours or truth for all Severus knew. What seemed to be a commonality on every tongue was that Sirius Black had murdered Peter Pettigrew and a group of Muggles and had been found, half-mad, shouting that the deaths of the Potters was on his hands.

Severus had assumed that Regulus didn't get to his brother in time and would be waiting at Iliad Cottage to make their next move.

"He . . . I thought that he didn't get to . . . his brother turned on his friends," Severus told Meela, "and I thought he . . . where is he?"

She frowned. "Meela does not know. Meela stays with Missy Hermione."

"Hermione," his eyes widened and he stood immediately. "Shit. Is she all right?"

The elf looked down. "Missy Hermione very sad. Misses her Papa."

"I'll stay with her. Go and . . . go and get Regulus."

She hesitated. "Meela . . . Meela cannot."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean you cannot? He's your Master. An elf can always Apparate to their Master. Now go."

"Meela cannot sense him. Master Regulus is . . ."

A chilling coldness flooded through his veins. "No," he said. He couldn't lose Lily and Regulus. Not both of them. "I . . . you are certain?"

"Meela is sorry."

Severus took a long moment to compose himself. He thought he should have cried in mourning for his fallen friend, but Lily's death had stolen every last tear. "Umm . . . Meela go and fix food for Hermione and umm . . . leave me with . . . with my goddaughter for a while," he told the elf and then walked the short distance to Hermione's room, opening the door to find the little witch sitting in the corner of the room, toying with a stuffed owl in her small hands. At the creak of the door, she looked up and her eyes brightened. "Uncle Sev!" she shouted and then ran directly into his arms. Unlike usual, where he tried to keep her at a slight distance, he scooped up his goddaughter and held her as close as humanly possible. She and Draco were all that he truly had left in this world.

"Hello, Hermione," he whispered.

"Where's Papa?"

"He . . . I didn't bring him with me."

"Go get him," she said and pointed to the door as though her words were a direct order.

"I . . . I cannot," he said, doing his best to hide the grief from his expression. "He . . . I will look after you now. For now. Until . . . shit."

oOoOoOo

December 23rd, 1981

He waited as long as possible, hidden away at Iliad Cottage with Hermione, Meela there to care for them both as he grieved for his friends and did his best to help the girl understand that her father was dead. Though he still did not know how. It wasn't as though he could request an investigation. Regulus had been pronounced dead years earlier. He supposed that Blood Magic could be used to track him down, but Severus was being highly monitored, the Aurors even going so far as to put a Tracking Charm on his wand for a short probationary period. Even still, he would have to use Hermione's blood to perform any kind of spell and he wasn't going to cause harm to the girl, nor let anyone else even know she existed.

They had planned for this, after all.

When Dumbledore's owl tracked him down during a visit to Spinner's End for potion supplies, he'd taken the letter and sighed in frustration. His time for grieving was going to be over soon and Hogwarts would expect it's new Potions Master to arrive at the beginning of the year. Slughorn was eager to retire and had only agreed to stay on an extra year because Albus had begged him to. But the war had left the old coot paranoid and he claimed his sadness over the loss of so many former students was too much to take and he was ready to part ways with the school. Apparently, Slughorn could leave Hogwarts claiming grief, but Severus could not.

So he did what Regulus asked and went in search of Muggles to take Hermione. He'd investigated a few lingering around an adoption agency with paperwork in hand. But it was only when a man called to his wife, "Helen," that Severus attention was grabbed. Helen. The stupid name Regulus had called Marlene. Helen Granger was a kind woman, both she and her husband were dentists and well off and healthy for their age, but unable to conceive a child of their own. Severus had waited for the Tracking Charm to be removed from his wand, thankfully just in time, and he placed several detailed and complicated Memory Charms on the Muggles, before packing up Hermione's things.

"Where's Meela?" the little witch said as she clung to Severus's robes after catching her breath followed the Side-Along Apparition.

"I have dismissed her for now," he said. "You and I are taking a trip into the Muggle world and elves cannot be seen by Muggles."

Hermione frowned. "Are Muggles scary?"

He scoffed. "Of course not. Don't be silly."

"My hair feels funny," she frowned and reached up to touch the ball of frizz on her head. Severus was quite good at glamours, but not as well as Regulus had been, and changing the girl's colouring had been complicated. Black genetics ran deep and he'd had to anchor the charm to her magical core in order for it to actually stick.

"That's because it's glamoured," he said. "A strong spell too. Took me far too long to figure out how to weave it straight into your magical core when you were sleeping. No one will mistake you for a Black now. You're as average as any other little girl. It would take a very powerful witch or wizard to break this charm and I hope to the gods that we never have need to see your black hair again."

Hermione pouted and then reached up to touch his locks. "I like your hair."

"Lying at such a young age. Impressive," he smirked. "You'll be a Slytherin for certain." The thought calmed him somewhat. After sending word back to Dumbledore about accepting the position at Hogwarts, he was told that he would become Head of Slytherin House. He hated children and the thought of having to be in charge of so many was nauseating. But he figured that in less than ten years both Draco and Hermione would come to Hogwarts, be Sorted into his House, and there he could properly look over them both and fulfill the vows he'd made to their parents to protect them, teach them, and guide them.

Hermione continued to toy with his black hair. "Looks like Papa's," she said softly.

He frowned and then set the girl down on the ground. "Come along, Hermione."

The Muggles were easy to distract while Severus converted their home office into a bedroom for Hermione. He transfigured documents and photographs and did his best to make it appear as though she'd always been there. Less than ten years, he reminded himself, and she would be back where she belonged in their world and he could figure out what to do at that point.

When he moved to leave, she realised what was happening and began to scream. "Don't go. Don't go. Don't go!"

"I will . . ." he sighed in frustration, prying her small hands off of his robes and doing his best not to get emotional. "I will see you very soon. These lovely people are going to take very good care of you until you come to Hogwarts. Then, and only then, can we . . . can I see you. It's too dangerous. Your father is gone and your uncle has caused quite a stir with the media. If people were to discover your existence it would bring down hell upon the both of us and I would have to resort to doing terrible things like . . ." he groaned ". . . like trying to explain this situation to a toddler. Hermione, let go."

She flung herself to the floor and sobbed loudly. "I want my Papa!"

Severus, unable to see her cry for another minute — lest he change his mind and take her far away from Britain, labeling himself a potential fugitive — raised his wand at her and whispered, "Somnus," and caught her small frame as she fell into a deep sleep. "Forgive me, child," he said, pressing a small kiss to her forehead as he placed the tip of his wand to her temple.

"Obliviate."

A/N: Sorry. Horrible. I know. The next chapter we get a little more from Severus's POV and then we'll jump back to our lovely Dramione.