A/N: Here's Bonus One for this week. Remember, this week only, five reviews get a bonus! We've only got a couple of chapters to go, so you could start the new parts this weekend if you push on!

-C

I've been wandering. Gone away too far, but the road was rough to get back to where you are. – As Long As You Follow, Fleetwood Mac (Christine McVie, Eddy Quintela Medoca)

Severus stood in Malfoy Manor for the first time in a very long time, and Narcissa stared back at him, her eyes slightly bloodshot, her hands folded with false calm and serenity.

"You have the retrovirus," he said.

Narcissa said nothing in return, staring back at him, infuriatingly calm. Severus swallowed, a vessel for violent, swirling emotions he couldn't wrestle under control. They warred with each other, tugging him every which way so all he could do was stand still and look at her.

"Why did no one tell me?" he said softly. "Why did you only say you were ill?"

"You needed to focus on Cynthia," she said, smoothing her hair. "I imagine you're only here because she's found."

"I had to check on Catherine," he said dismissively. "And Rabastan's gone missing."

Her eyes flashed, and he could see the question behind them. Perhaps she suspected, or perhaps she was merely surprised.

"Well, I would look after her," she said, turning slightly to consider a silver tureen awkwardly and – Severus thought – distastefully displayed on a little table in the corridor. "If I were not busy looking after myself."

His nostrils flared, his pulse racing in his throat.

"I'll find a cure," he said firmly. She smiled, and he knew she didn't believe him. "Lily will help. But I'll find it. You will not die."

"We all die, eventually," she said, letting her fingers caress the tureen, although he could see the tremble of her hands now.

Severus scooped her hands into his without a thought, and he began to press kisses to them, feeling them twitch and shake against his hold as he pressed cool lips to each finger.

"You'll not die from this," he said, stern. "You'll die peacefully, pleasantly, from a ripe old age. In your sleep. With no deterioration or suffering."

"That would be nice."

He ignored the irony in her voice as he tried to think what to say to her, but a Patronus greatly resembling Catherine's first dog swept into the room, and Catherine's voice came from its mouth, saying Cynthia had been found and he was needed at Potter Manor. He looked up at Narcissa, as though taking his leave, and he was surprised when her hand slipped out of his hold and caressed his chin, along his jaw, up toward his cheek. He closed his eyes and focused on the warmth of her touch. The violent emotions seemed to intensify, but rather than fighting each other, they all worked together to encourage this foolishness, to urge him toward her.

"She needs, you, Severus," Narcissa whispered. "Go. I'll certainly be here, when all this is finished." He nodded. "Oh, and you should know, Astoria has the retrovirus as well."

His stomach dropped and he nodded again, wondering how devastated Draco was to learn this. He kissed her hand again, more in the usual vein this time, and left Malfoy Manor, Disapparating quickly from Wiltshire to Nottinghamshire, pressing his hand to the gate and letting Catherine Disapparate to the other side of it.

Well, if she was well enough to do that, he supposed, then removing the troubling memories and the news of Cynthia's recovery perhaps had healed her almost entirely. That, or a cup of tea truly did have all the healing properties the Marauders always attributed to it.

"Your daughter?" he prompted as she let him in and he led the way, sweeping toward the house.

"Alive and well," Catherine said with a sigh. "I spoke to her briefly. I think she feels guilty and ashamed more than anything. They've moved her to Marseille to check her health and state of mind before bringing her home. Harry says she might be there as much as a week, but at least a couple of days. Cedric and Scorpius have returned to the Ministry. Severus, I was thinking we should take some people to visit her, when she's well enough for visitors."

"Sensible," he said, knowing she would expect to be among the visitors. Likely Catherine's father, although he wasn't sure that could be done before the weekend. Cara and Lily were both available, and he got the distinct impression Catherine would insist upon bringing Columbine Peakes.

"What do I do?" she asked, pressing her hands together. "I assume Aunt Narcissa isn't able to come stay with me."

"No," he said slowly, thoughtfully. "But Cynthia is found. Perhaps…you should have your parents stay with you, help you prepare for her return. It is only for a few days. I think Caroline could stand without her babysitter for a few days."

"Maybe," Catherine said with a smile. "Tresha's a terror and those twins seem more like four than two."

Severus told her to send her mother a note, that she would be fine alone that long. He needed to go to the Ministry, get another International Portkey to send him to Marseille, to oversee Cynthia's recovery. He felt torn, greatly, between looking after Catherine and Narcissa in England, and being where he knew he was needed in France. But he knew his place.

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Lily was with Cara when the letter from Catherine arrived, and Cara dropped her teacup as she read it.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"They've found Cynthia," Cara said, her voice dull and stunned. "She's in France now. But Rabastan's gone missing somewhere between his home and Catherine's. She was wondering whether Sirius and I could stay with her, until Cynthia and Harry come home."

Rabastan going missing was an odd thing, and Lily had a feeling the Auror Department would work overtime to determine where he'd gone. But to know their granddaughter was no longer missing was a huge relief.

"You'll go, of course," Lily said urgently. "She'll be a mess of emotions. She'll need your support. And I imagine it will be good for Sirius, as well."

"Yes, I think it will be," she said, frowning. "I just…. Well, Caro."

"They'll figure it out for a matter of days," Lily said with a smile. "And I can certainly pitch in, time to time. James can on weekends, as well. And I'm certain Blaise would let Damon work from home for a short time, just to help out."

"He wouldn't get much work done," Cara said with an almost wry smile. "I should go straight there, if she's alone. I'll write Caro when I get there, but can you drop by the castle? Spread the good news."

"I'd be happy to," Lily said, kissing Cara's cheek and watching her dash to the bedroom, no doubt to fill a couple of small bags for herself and Sirius to live out of while they were staying at Potter Manor. It was the simplest thing in the world now, to think of her son's house as such, not like when they first bought it. She decided she'd tell James first, and she focused on the gate to Hogwarts, turning on her heel.

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Jason watched his niece sleeping, and he heard the voice of Severus Snape in the foyer, discussing her condition with Harry. Jason brushed a strand of hair from her face, thinking how peaceful she looked, how marvelously peaceful she and her mother both were now. He'd been able to take a long, healthy nap twice since finding her. She was beautiful, perhaps more beautiful in his mind now she was lost and found, now Cecilia was gone forever. If she had been precious to them before, she was intensely precious now.

He did not move away when Severus stalked into the room, raising a wand to deepen her sleep before speaking.

"How long has she slept?"

"About an hour," Jason said softly. "She fell asleep not long after she spoke with Kitty. How is Kitty?"

"She's better now," Severus said evasively.

Jason didn't ask. Somehow, Rabastan had been the root of the problem. He was now missing, never to be found, Jason supposed. Delia was in on it, or they wouldn't use the story that he'd gone missing between the two places. He let his fingers slide through Cynthia's silky black hair. It felt cool and smooth like her mother's hair, but thick and dark as her father's hair.

Severus began a series of tests and diagnostics, taking blood samples, and a hair sample, examining her fingernails, and asking Jason about her eyes, her eating habits, her bathroom habits. Jason answered as best he could, for having been asleep for part of the time, and Severus said she was well enough, clean enough for the retrovirus testing.

"The drug she took is no longer in her bloodstream," Severus said. "Short lived, or perhaps something she hasn't taken for several days. But I expect I will find the traces in her hair. She will need psychological support, I imagine, and Harry and Catherine will need to explain to her why they do not partake of substances, so she might make better choices. But when she wakes, we'll begin the retrovirus test."

"I'll let you know," Jason said, not looking up from his niece's face.

"I'll have someone bring you up a cup of tea and something to eat."

Jason hummed, knowing someone would be Harry. Likely the two would sit beside Cynthia together and just watch her sleep, the way they'd done with their children as babies. The way Jason suspected they both still watched their wives.

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Damon was popping home on his lunch break when he stumbled across Madam Potter, strolling toward the gate to his home. He blinked at her.

"Oh," he said, smiling weakly. "Were we expecting you? Or did Caro call you in?"

"She has a day off, then?" Madam Potter asked pleasantly, and Damon nodded, opening the gate and allowing her to lead the way to the house. "I'll need to speak with you both. It's good news, mostly."

"But all means," he said, although he felt puzzled as he called out his wife's name, trying to find her. Two of the children ran past too quickly for him to decide which ones, and Caroline glided through to the foyer, looking mildly frazzled.

"Oh," she said, blinking at Madam Potter. "Aunt Lily. What a surprise."

"Indeed," Madam Potter said, kissing Caroline's cheek. "I'll need a quiet word with the pair of you. The elves can handle the children for a moment?"

"I suppose they'll have to," Caroline said, gesturing them through to the sitting room. She shooed Melantha out, winking at the girl before closing, locking, and charming the door. "What's happened, then? Is Kitty alright?"

"Yes, mercifully," Madam Potter said with a tight smile. "There's a few things going on. First, Cynthia's been found, recovered, and is in France while they determine whether she's well enough to come home. A matter of days, really." Both Damon and Caroline said how wonderful this was, and Madam Potter nodded slowly and said, "The bad news is, Rabastan's somehow gone missing. He went to see his wife and never made it back to Potter Manor after. So, while Cynthia's in France, it's been decided your parents, Caro, are going to stay at Potter Manor, help Catherine prepare, keep…an eye on her. She's doing well, but she's tired, and we want her to keep doing well. You understand."

"Perfectly," Damon said firmly. "I'll talk to Blaise, take some time off or work from home. If it's only a matter of days, he'll be perfectly understanding. And Caro's only working every other day for the next few weeks, anyway."

"I can pop in on the days she's working," Lily said. "Not full days, mind, as I need to make regular visits to Malfoy Manor, but much of my work at this stage could be done here, in bits and pieces."

They began to hammer out specifics, and Damon felt, despite the fenagling, things were finally going to be alright.

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Penny greeted Great Mistress, the mother figure to Mistress, with an eager bark, rubbing against her outstretched paw. The sight of Great Mistress was a sign of good things to come, and the dogs were all pleased, as they could roam the house and grounds freely, could be as close to Mistress as they wished. She rested her head in Mistress's lap as the two women sat in the largest room, speaking in soft, gentle, pleasant voices.

"I'm just so relieved she's coming home," Mistress said. "Oh, someone's at the gates."

"I'll get it," Great Mistress said. "You relax."

Penny enjoyed Mistress's fingers through her fur until Great Mistress returned with the Shifter, who pulled Mistress into an eager embrace. They said things Penny could not hear, embracing until Penny pushed herself between them, demanding their attention. Shifter barked his loud, amused bark, and he winked at Mistress before changing to his dog form. He was large, dark, imposing, but Penny was not afraid of him. She deferred to him, as she deferred to Paddy when he was alive, but Shifter was not fully dog, not fully human.

She pressed her nose to his and he blinked large, dark eyes at her amused, rubbing along her as he passed her to press his head into Great Mistress's lap. Penny knew Great Mistress was Shifter's mate, and Penny thought they were beautiful.

"We're both relieved," Great Mistress said, scratching behind Shifter's ears. "Sirius, I'll never get used to you doing that. No, I've spoken to Draco, and he agrees with the report Severus sent. She's well, doesn't have the retrovirus, and can have visitors. He's suggested you, me, and one other person. I would say Lily, but I asked her and she said Wednesday she must be around to help Caro and Damon, and to check in on Astoria and Narcissa. So, Columbine, I imagine. If her parents approve."

"She'll be pleased," Mistress said, kissing Penny's snout. "She'll be quite pleased."

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Catherine woke feeling strangely alone, and she remembered Harry was still in France. She would visit the following day, but for the moment, she was working with her mother to prepare for their return. She stretched, showered, and pulled on a warm sweater dress before going down to the kitchen, where her father was making breakfast for the three of them.

"What's this, then?" she asked, amused.

"I can cook," he teased, kissing her cheek as she hugged him. "Darling, we have some bad news. Best you hear it from us rather than read it in the papers."

"Cynthia?" she asked, feeling her throat close slightly. "Or…Uncle Rabastan?"

"No sign of your uncle yet, and Cynthia's still fine, as far as we know," her mother said gently. "No, there is…news about Ryana."

Her stomach dropped, and she quickly took a seat beside her mother, picking up the tea one of them had poured her while she'd been upstairs.

"Apparently," her father said darkly, adding sausages to the fry pan, "she was hiking up north, took a fall. Must have been alone. She was found yesterday evening, identified by an Auror. I was called in early this morning, as they wanted you to identify her. I didn't want them to wake you. She'd been bloodied up pretty good from the fall, but it was her."

Catherine's hands were shaking, and she nodded, picking up the teacup, hearing it rattle against the saucer until she lifted it above all possible contact points.

She'd regained her daughter, but lost two other people dear to her. It didn't seem to make any sense, and yet it was a reality she lived in. Ryana was gone, and until she heard otherwise, so was Uncle Rabastan. Gone forever, like Cecilia. Nothing to be done to bring them back. The cost of good fortune in other places, she supposed.

"I see," she said softly. "I see. Daddy, are you going back to the castle soon? You've got classes, haven't you?"

"Yes, I do," he said, kissing her cheek. "Remus is going to have Colly Peakes Floo over. Her parents have given their approval for her visiting France with you lot tomorrow. When you do see Cyn, darling, tell her how much I love her, will you?"

"Of course," Catherine said, thanking him as he slid a plate full of food in front of her. She wasn't especially hungry, but she didn't feel right spurning something he'd made specially for her. She ate as much as she could stomach while he lingered, and as soon as he left for work, she pushed the plate away from her.

Her mother gave her a sad, knowing look.

"He's doing the best he can," her mother said gently. "The best he can muster. It's a tricky thing, you know. We all deal with it in our different ways. Let me know if there's anything you need, love."

"Of course," Catherine sighed. "But I think, perhaps, the thing I need right now is to focus in on what needs to be done, instead of what I've lost."

Her mother nodded, and Catherine knew she understood. After all, her mother lived through a war, through countless losses, through nearly losing both of her daughters multiple times, through killing the most notorious Dark Wizard in her lifetime, through losing a grandchild and caring for everyone else while they broke down. Her mother was the strongest person in the whole of the world, and Catherine knew the way she managed was by taking everything each day at a time, one task at a time, until she had everything worked out and she could look back with relief.

"We should start with changing the sheets," her mother said. "And a basic clean of Cynthia's room, of course. I'm sure you've not dusted in there while they've been gone."

"No, I haven't," she said, smiling. "And Mum, thank you."

"It's nothing, darling," her mother said with a smile. "Nothing at all."

But it was everything to Catherine.

A/N: So, Severus knows Narcissa is dying, Catherine suffers another loss, and Jason is recovering from his extreme, prolonged sensory overload.

Review Prompt: How do you think Narcissa felt during this encounter?

Q&A:

Q: How will people react to Rabastan's death? (Noahtheowl)

A: The official story will be missing, at least through the end of this part. Eventually, it'll be missing presumed dead. Delia and Severus will be the only ones who know the true details, although several others (including Jason, obviously) have a pretty good idea what must have happened to Rabastan, if not why. There will be very little reaction in the end of Part 3, but there will be an explosion of reaction in Part 4, because something can't be buried forever without some measure of consequence.

Q: Does Cynthia know her dad is after her? (Joe-wizard)

A: Obviously a bit of an old question…. Cynthia knew someone was after her, but whether she might have concluded Harry was the person looking for her if she'd given it a great deal of thought, she didn't really dwell on who it might be. She didn't think deeply on it at all, and so her father showing up was definitely a surprise for her.

Q: What did Rabastan do to Ryana? (Noahtheowl)

A: For the sake of clarification—Rabastan used the Killing Curse to get rid of Ryana, then dumped her in the cellar of Lestrange Manor. When he was dead and gone, her body was still decomposing in the cellar, where Severus and Delia found it. Severus deposited it on a hiking trail up north (think Scotland), and made it look like she'd had a fall while hiking alone, and the animals had gotten at the body. Her body has since been discovered, and as nothing with a lingering magical signature existed, the authorities magical have no qualms about declaring it a simple accident.

Q: Has Severus ever Obliviated someone's mind before and not told them? (Th3Gingerwizard)

A: In the confines of this story? No. Catherine's was the first. But as far as during the war, absolutely. It wasn't his specialty (Rabastan and Bellatrix were both far more interested in manipulation of memory), but there were times when it was necessary. Especially when Severus turned spy, he needed to have means that weren't permanently detrimental to the victim, and erasing a memory is much less distressing than torture or death. You know, long-term. As far as what he did with James, that was an anomaly. Usually, you don't ask before you erase someone's memories, but he needed a quick and tidy solution for James blundering into his carefully laid plan.

Cheers!

C