Disclaimer:- I neither earn nor own anything from this story except my plot. Harry Potter and his world are the intellectual property of JK Rowling and her associates.

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A/N:- Thank you to LadyWinterlight for her beta work on this chapter, and thank you all for your reviews and alerts. I appreciate every one. Despite my assurance that this chapter would explain completely I decided to split the explanation into two parts, as it spilt over the bounds of one chapter.

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Chapter Thirteen – House of Cards

Hermione sighed. "It was magical," she stated, placing her cup down. "And Alice is quite enthralled by them."

Minerva smiled and cackled quietly. "It must have rubbed off on her from Severus; he has an amazing love for those unicorns, and it's true he often used to help Hagrid with the herd at Hogwarts," and she leaned forward as if conveying a secret. "The skittish creatures seem to adore him back too."

The younger witch smiled warmly and nodded in agreement, her eyes turning to her husband and daughter in the garden, where Severus was pushing Alice in the swing he'd made to hang from the apple tree.

Hermione and Minerva were sitting in the shade of the garden with tea, having their usual Saturday morning catch-up.

"They are so good together," Hermione said, sighing fondly, her eyes fixed on the tall man with raven hair lovingly taking care that he did not push the giggling child too high on the swing despite her cries of, "Higher, Daddy."

Severus must have felt Hermione's regard; he glanced at her and winked, and her smile grew. Finally, she turned back to her companion. "I never thought I'd find such completeness, Minerva," she murmured.

"Ay, Lass, I know what you mean," Minerva answered, reaching forward for her daughter's hand. "I'm sorry I haven't been here much for you now you've recovered from that wretched curse."

Hermione turned to look at her. "You've got a school to run too."

"Ay," Minerva muttered. "And no end of trouble it gives me too."

Hermione laughed. "You like it, I know you like it."

Minerva joined her laughter. "That I do," and then her eyes turned to Severus. "I'm glad he's giving me this time to run it," she admitted. "But if you ever tell him I said that I'll deny it."

Hermione cackled. "Understood," she replied in mock seriousness, her hand on her heart.

"Good," Minerva replied. Then she glanced at her watch. "What time are your guests expected?"

"Oh, twelve," Hermione told her, checking her own watch, and the reminder of their coming guests making her tummy flutter nervously. "I'm really looking forward to hearing what Kingsley has to say about things, but at the same time I'm scared..." and her words trailed off. She inhaled and her eyes narrowed. "I still can't believe that Harry's in St. Mungos."

Minerva looked both ways again, like she was checking for anyone listening. "Poppy's sister says he's a very angry man, and he's become very introverted, just sits there staring at the wall. He doesn't react to anyone."

Magritte Pomfrey was a mediwitch in the Janus Thickey ward.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Really," she replied incredulously. "I'd expect something like that from Ron or Ginny, but Harry was always too… too," but she didn't seem to be able to find the right word.

Minerva nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean, and after all he's been through."

"Mmm," Hermione hummed. She wasn't convinced, but then her attention turned to Alice running towards her.

"Mummy, Mummy; you come," and she was tugging at Hermione's arm. "Nanny Nerva too," she continued, pulling on Minerva's skirt. "Daddy says we've gots to see Noddy."

Noddy was Alice's name for the new unicorn foal, and Hermione knew that Severus wanted, not so much to see him, but to see that the other mares had foaled without incident. There were two more other than Noddy's mother who were expecting.

Hermione stilled Alice, and said to her. "Sweetheart, Nanny Nerva, might have to go. She mightn't have time to come with us."

Alice turned big brown eyes to Minerva. "You have time, don't you, Nanny Nerva?"

Minerva chuckled. "For you, Poppet, I have time," she replied, chuckling. The two witches got up and turned to where Severus had just arrived, behind him Argus had brought the buggy, with two bales of hay secured behind the seat, around the corner.

xox

It was a quick visit to the unicorn herd, and as usual Severus spread out the hay for them. They found that one more mare had foaled, and one was still waiting. However, Alice was hard-pressed to stay quiet because she was tired from running around all morning, and she became disappointed that the little ones stayed in the undergrowth, just peeking out at them while the older ones stood in front. She'd wanted to see her Noddy up close, like the day they had when he'd been born.

In her disappointment, she'd cried herself to sleep in Hermione's arms on the return journey, and was now safely tucked up in her cot as Minerva was wishing Hermione and Severus a good afternoon and taking her leave before their lunch guests arrived.

Severus kissed Hermione's head as they watched Minerva walking down the drive and out the gates to apparate away. "It looks like we're going to have a cranky girl when she wakes up again," he commented.

"Mmm," Hermione agreed, snuggling into his side. "But as long as she doesn't sleep too far through lunch time we should be right." Her eyes turned to Minerva's retreating form. "I wish I got to spend more time with her."

"The holidays are coming up," Severus replied, turning them away now that Minerva was gone.

"True, but before that will be Alice's birthday," she said, glancing up at him as they walked into the house. "And we have to decide on what her pet will be."

"It will become clear, Hermione."

Hermione exhaled and nodded. "Yes, you're right."

"Of course I'm right," he laughed. "Now, come. Let's make sure that everything is prepared for lunch."

"Git," she told him, making him laugh louder.

xox

While Hermione and Severus were discussing Alice's birthday present, a very different discussion was happening between Kingsley and Abigail, and Kingsley was reaching his tolerance level with the witch he'd rekindled his romance with after her attack.

"Why would I want to go there?" Abigail asked him curtly, a scowl of disapproval on her face. "I didn't come back to spend my time with boring people I barely know."

"They are my friends, and I said that we'd have lunch with them. They want to meet you," Kingsley tried. He knew that it was something else, every time he mentioned Hermione or Severus Abigail tensed.

Abigail rolled her eyes. "Well, I have no interest in meeting them. You should have asked me first," and she pouted.

"It's only a small thing I'm asking you to do," Kingsley told her. "If you can't even do that… perhaps there is no future for us. After all, Severus brewed the cure that saved you."

Her scowl deepened, and she sneered, but she instantly capitulated. "N-No, don't be hasty, Kings, it's just my hormones," she said, winding herself around him.

Kingsley wasn't so sure about that, he was starting to think that she was playing games with him, but for the moment he would play along, and he nodded. "Perhaps," he conceded, but he wasn't convinced. He was a good judge of character, and he noted that she'd changed while she'd been away. She'd been a good-time witch before she'd left, but something had shifted while she was away, and he couldn't shake the feeling that it had something to do with an encounter with Harry Potter that she was still denying had happened.

He sighed; as much as he wanted to, he had grown not to trust her over the week since the incident behind The Three Broomsticks. There was something off, but he couldn't put his finger on it yet. She'd never been a fluffy kitten, but she was downright belligerent at the moment, and he couldn't work out why.

xox

Lunch was quickly becoming tedious and, as much as she hated to admit it, Hermione had not taken a liking to the witch that Kingsley bought as his lunch companion. She looked like she didn't want to be at their table, and a pout that spoke of consequences if she did not get what she wanted lined her face. Whatever had happened between Harry and her, it was clear that this witch was no victim, and this troubled Hermione. She'd wanted her to be in the same boat as she'd been in, to have a common chord, so to speak. However, she could see that she'd never be able to be friends with this witch, and she went quiet, hoping the Kingsley would remember that he had made an oath to Severus not to reveal her part in things.

She glanced at Kingsley and saw that he appeared unusually tense; she couldn't seeing this relationship lasting long, and this saddened her for the unborn child. Hermione sat there continuing to reflect and very aware of the coldness in Abigail's eyes every time the witch glanced at her.

They were almost all the way through lunch before Alice woke up, and Hermione rose from the table to attend to her. "My apologies, I'll return momentarily."

However, as she went off to bring Alice down for lunch Abigail spoke. "Surely an elf can deal with the child," and then she sneered. "But of course you'd want to do it the muggle way, wouldn't you?"

Hermione turned slowly. "Yes, Shotsie would be happy to assist Alice, but there is nothing wrong with the 'muggle way,' as you put it."

"I take it you disapprove of muggles?" Severus asked coolly, as he kept an eye on his angry wife who'd turned away to continue her journey out of the room.

Abigail sneered. "There's no reason for them," she replied.

"Ah, is that so," Severus said smoothly, and cut a quick glance to Kingsley, who was actually sitting there with his mouth open in stunned silence. "That explains a lot," he continued enigmatically. "I think I'm starting to get the picture," and he looked back to Hermione returning with Alice on her hip.

However, the little girl was instantly taken back at their guests, and she refused to sit in her high chair. Finally Hermione placed her on her lap and encouraged her to eat from her own plate in an attempt to keep the peace, but a further comment from Abigail made her see red.

"Badly behaved little whippet, isn't she?" the blond witch stated.

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Severus beat her to it this time. "No, Madam. On the whole, our daughter is very well behaved, and I will thank you to keep your opinions to yourself."

Hermione sighed softly, they hadn't yet broached the subject of the Potters yet, and she just wanted this over. She did not want to start the Potter conversation herself, that was asking too much of her, it was all such a can of worms.

Seeing how uncomfortable Hermione was, Severus finally steered the conversation to the desired topic so the lunch could end. The Potions Master genuinely felt sorry for Kingsley, the man had obviously hoped for better, but what could he expect? After all, he'd broken up with the witch before she'd gone away on assignment, and he cleared his throat, and commented, "I see this morning that The Prophet still hasn't got wind of your rather high profile case, Kingsley," Severus said.

"Mmm," Kingsley commented, but didn't get any further, as Abigail interjected.

"We're not going to discuss this in front of them, are we?" she said. "I mean, it's none of their business what happens to Harry and Ginny."

It was a slip of the tongue made in anger, but it was the push that made the whole house of cards started to crumble. The witch realised very quickly that she'd just blundered badly as she looked around the stunned and thunderous looks being levelled at her. "I mean it's confidential, right?" she said, obviously trying to salvage things.

Both Severus and Kingsley shot to their feet, and started speaking angrily at the same time.

"What on earth made you say that?" Kingsley asked.

At the same time, Severus said, "I believe this lunch is over. I will not tolerate Potter sympathisers in our home."

Then Kingsley found his manners in his shock. "My profound apologies, Hermione," and he rounded on Abigail. "We're leaving, you have been unspeakably rude all day."

However, this seemed to push her over the edge. "Well, what do you expect, you've been demanding that I go to boring places. I mean that's the reason I broke up with you in the first place. You're just as boring as they are," she yelled.

All the yelling made Alice put her hands over her ears and yell. "Mummy, Mummy makes it stop," and she dissolved into loud sobs.

Abigail turned cold eyes to Hermione and barked. "Can't you even keep that kid quiet for a minute, you useless cow?" and she drew her wand, but found Severus in front of his wife and daughter in an instant.

He was wearing a ferocious scowl, and the witch found herself disarmed in a flash. "I do not remember you from Hogwarts, Madam…"

Abigail cut in. "I proudly attended Beauxbatons," and she sounded quite patronizing about it.

"Did you indeed, in any case," Severus continued after her interruption, "perhaps you may not know who I am, but allow me to inform you that if you touch my wife or daughter you will be incredibly sorry, pregnant or not. Good bye," and he waved his own wand and sent Abigail to outside the front gates.

He then turned to Kingsley. "I believe I'd make very certain that whatever is growing inside her came from your loins, Kingsley, because it appears to me that she is hiding something significant, or she's suffering significant spell damage that it just appearing. Also, she seems intent on ridding herself of the child. Surely Ramrod told her that she should not consume alcohol for at least a month after her treatment? Yet during the course of this lunch she has blatantly disregarded his advice." Then giving a look to Hermione, he walked Kingsley forward, and whispered, "She has also been actively occluding throughout this entire lunch. I would be very wary my friend. She's hiding something."

Kingsley sighed. "Yes, I have to admit that I'd already begun to suspect things are not as they seem. This has been one disaster after another. I am intending to have her scanned for spell damage, as you are correct, it may be something that was not apparent before." He sighed, glancing in the direction of the front gate as his words trailed off. "Would you excuse me, please? I will return when I'm able to impart the information you requested… alone… if that is convenient."

"Please come back whenever you're free, Kings. You are always welcome here," Hermione put in, still hugging Alice tightly and cooing words of comfort to her. She didn't like to think that perhaps someone had cursed Abigail, and that was an explanation for the other woman's behaviour, but she suspected that it wasn't simply that. After a moment, she added, "Especially if you want support…" but she didn't finish that sentence, and moved close to Severus' side. This whole lunch had brought up so many awful memories she thought were finally buried for good.

This was when a strange thought entered her head. Luna would know. Hermione hadn't seen Luna Lovegood for many years. However, the little blonde witch always seemed to have some insight into a person's behaviour that proved to be correct down to the finest detail. Still, it was a strange thought to have. Last she'd heard, Luna was living in the jungle and had two sons, and that was the last letter she'd had from her. That must have been three years ago, as she remembered still being in Italy when she'd received it.

She pulled herself from her thoughts as Severus added, "Yes, you are always welcome here, and as Hermione has said, come back whenever you're free. We are still eager to hear what you have to say," he told Kingsley, seeming to sense how withdrawn Hermione currently was.

"Yes, thank you," and he looked at Hermione. "And again, my apologies, Hermione. I believe I need to find out exactly what's going on here."

Hermione was happy she was holding Alice, the little girl's weight in her arms was reassuring as she tried to think of what to say to Kingsley, but nothing came to mind. She sighed, it was only a soft sound but Severus' arm arrived around her, and they walked to the front door together to bid Kingsley goodbye.

Severus handed Kingsley Abigail's wand, and he opened the door for him. They watched Kingsley disappearing down the drive, and Severus turned to Hermione and kissed her head. "I would like to follow Kingsley as I'm certain I can gain some insight he can't, but I would feel more secure doing so if I know that you and Alice are safely within the confines of the house wards."

Hermione wrapped an arm around his waist and both Hermione and Alice hugged him. "You go, love. We'll be here when you return. I'll get Alice a treat in the kitchen after all the upsets," and she reached up and kissed his lips. "Be careful," she whispered.

"I shall," he replied, kissing her back, and then kissing Alice's forehead.

xox

Kingsley stormed towards the property's gates after leaving the Severus and his family at their front door. He was unspeakably angry, and a good deal confused and hurt, and not the least of that was the fact that he loved what Hermione and Severus had, and he'd hoped for something similar himself. As he walked, he thought back to sitting beside Abigail's hospital bed after the attack, and his happiness at seeing her after her months away, as well as his hopes for a future. However, that hadn't lasted long once she'd been awake.

At first she'd been disorientated, but soon he'd remembered how crass and argumentative she's been before she'd left, and his heart had sank. However, today had been her worst behaviour so far, and strange thoughts started to settle into his mind. Is she actually friends with the Potters, and if Severus is right, why didn't she just terminate her pregnancy when she'd first found out about it? It's obvious that she has no interest in children, and it would have been easy enough to do; a simple spell. Thenhe thought about other things she had done and said during the week, and things started to slot into place. "No!" he gasped as he reached the front gates and went through them.

His eyes turned to the angry witch waiting for him at the gates, unable to apparate away without her wand. "Why the bloody hell did you let that bastard disarm me?"

Kingsley's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you're asking me that. You were about to hex his family."

She gave him a hard look. "As if. Even I'm not that bad."

Kingsley exhaled loudly. "I'm not so sure about that anymore."

She watched him with calculating eyes, but then held her hand out. "I want my bloody wand so I can leave."

"No, I want some answers first," Kingsley replied, patting the pocket where the wand was.

"Maybe I don't want to answer any questions," she spat back.

One of Kingsley's dark eyebrows rose, and he folded his arms. "You owe me this," he told her.

"I owe you nothing," she replied, mimicking his posture.

"That is allegedly my child you're carrying," he replied, but then steeled his resolve to ask the question he wanted to know the answer to most. "And in view of your blatant disregard of the healer's warnings, as well as your general demeanour, I'd like to know why you decided to keep it at all?"

A calculating look arrived on her face, and her eyes narrowed. "What the hell, I'm over you anyway," she said him smiling nastily and she drew a slow breath. "It's special."

Kingsley's eyes tightened further in response at her statement, it made no sense. "Special?" he asked.

"Yes, special …" Then her smile turned nasty, and she nodded to herself. "And I've done nothing wrong, so you can't stop me from leaving."

Kingsley was suddenly very angry with himself. He had allowed someone to compromise his position, and as he realised this a new voice made them both turn towards the front gates of the property.

"It's Potter's, isn't it?" Severus interjected, pointing to Abigail's stomach. "But it's not that simple either, is it. You're not one of Potter's victims, you're in collaboration with his wife," and Severus snorted. "You're both dragging him around by the balls, aren't you?" Then he smirked. "I almost feel sorry for him… Almost."

Abigail blanched. "N-No! But h-how?" she stuttered.

Severus answered easily. "In your anger you've dropped your occlumency shields, very sloppy," and he smirked at her once more. "At this moment your thoughts are almost palpable. I picked up on them easily…" Severus paused artfully before adding, "But there's more, isn't there?"

"No! You bastard!" she snarled.

Severus merely smirked again. "My parents were many things, but I am no bastard, Madam. Shall I inform Kingsley of my other discovery?" he asked calmly.

"No, you can't," Abigail started.

"Oh, indeed I think you'll find that I can," Severus replied, he was still very angry that this witch had acted the way she had towards Hermione and Alice, and that was not even counting her discriminatory comments. "It was your muggle remark that got me thinking, and also made me determined to know what you were thinking. Hence I followed the pair of you."

"You've raped my mind… Kingsley!" she demanded, like she expected him to do something about it.

Kingsley stood resolute. He was not a strong Legilimens, but even he was starting to pick up on her thoughts the more flustered she got. "No, I'm supporting Severus here; even I'm picking up on your thoughts, and I really do not like what I'm learning." Besides, Kingsley trusted Severus' instincts implicitly, and it all slotted in with other intelligence he'd heard recently, only he hadn't thought that it would lead him to Harry and Ginny Potter, or his supposed girlfriend.

This other intelligence was also the reason he'd asked Severus about his dark mark some days back. He'd wondered if Severus had noticed any changes in the mark on his arm, but in a way he was glad to hear that Severus had rid himself of the thing, and he'd followed other leads to find out what he'd wanted to know. He'd discovered that the rumours were false. It had been a tempest in a tea cup, but his Auror senses were telling him that this witch was very much involved in what was going on, so he swallowed his hurt and took her into custody.

"I think we'll be continuing this at The Aurory," Kingsley said, and strode forward, turning to Severus as he did. "Thank you, my friend. I'll be in touch."

"I will assist in any way that I can," Severus replied, and with that Kingsley apparated himself and Abigail away.

xox

True to his word, Kingsley took Abigail to Auror headquarters, and amongst threats that she was pregnant and they would never find out the truth, she was placed in custody until he knew the truth. In her anger she'd given Kingsley too many clues he needed to piece the puzzle together further and this coupled with would Severus had discovered, well, it was quite damning.

Therefore, Ginevra Potter was questioned again, and this time she spilled the beans. It helped when you knew what sort of questions to ask. Veritaserum made you tell the truth, but the questioner needed to know what questions to ask to get the information, and John Dawlish went straight for the kill. Kingsley had stepped aside as chief until this matter was settled. He was sitting in on the interview, but with his personal interest, he had handed things over to John.

"Ginevra Molly Potter, are you attempting to create a new dark lord?" Dawlish asked.

Her eyes narrowed, and her answer came through gritted teeth. "Yes."

That one word was enough to confirm that they on the right track, and he nodded. "Are you in collaboration with Harry James Potter, and Abigail Genevieve Brocklehurst?"

Ginny sneered, and seemed torn before the potion compelled her to speak. "No."

"No?" he'd seem her waver in her resolve before answering.

"Would you care to quantify that statement?" John could not believe from what Kingsley had admitted to him before asking him to lead the interview that she was not working with at least one of them.

"Well, I was working with both of them until the uppity bitch told me that she loved Harry, and they were leaving together. I showed her how it worked, and I showed Harry when we got home. We'd worked too hard to have it snatched out from under us now."

"What snatched out from under you?"

"Victory," she answered.

"What victory?"

This had her singing like a canary. "Healer Bevan seemed to have finally found the right spells and potions to guarantee our success."

"What success?" John pushed.

"A child… a new destiny for all of us in twenty years or so," and she grinned an insane, twisted smile at them.

"She's mad," John leant around and whispered to Kingsley.

"Yes, but we still need the entire answer," Kingsley answered, before turning back to Ginny. "So you wanted to create a new dark regime, but Abigail and Harry decided to doublecross you?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Harry would never double cross me. It was only that bitch."

"But he had an affair with Auror, pardon, Miss Brocklehurst, I doubt she'll be an Auror by morning," John added, more to himself than anything.

"Bitch," Ginny spat. "Yes, he's always leaving problems that I need to deal with, but we belong together, we've both been inhabited by him."

"Him?" Kingsley asked, he couldn't help trying to hurry this along.

She smiled that unsettling smile again. "Our Lord," and she licked her lips at him.

Kingsley unaccountably thought of the mad witch, Bellatrix Lestrange, it was the sort of thing she used to do. It made him shiver.

John remained calm. "How?" he asked.

She was still smiling. "With some ingenious spells I found."

"How did you learn of these spells?" Kingsley asked, he'd already written the name of the healer she'd mentioned down.

"Oh, I came across them years ago in the old Black family library at home," Ginny told them. "I started my own Grimoire with them."

"And where is this Grimoire now?" Kingsley asked.

"In my library at home."

"So, when you attacked Miss Brocklehurst, it was retribution for her affair with Harry?" John pushed.

"Yes, but more so her desire to run off with him."

Looking at one another, Kingsley and John knew they had the witch, she would go to Azkaban for a long time for this. People were still very sensitive about the war and everything to do with it, but how many other people was she going to bring down with her? They had Ginny Potter escorted back to her cell, and they knew they had some work to do.

"We'll need to get that Grimoire, and speak to…" John started, but he couldn't think of any dark arts specialists off hand.

"Severus," Kingsley put in.

"As in Snape?" Dawlish asked.

"The very same, we need to make sure we nip this in the bud, and who better to help us?"

John raised an eyebrow. "Do you think he will?"

Kingsley smiled. "I know he will."