"Does anyone care to follow the standard set of rules in this castle?" Snape snapped in an icy voice as all of the students glanced up at him with sets of guilty eyes.



"Daddy, it wasn't our fault! It was all Pot--"

"Snape--"

"Wea-"

"Mafoy's faul--"



"ENOUGH!" Snape shouted, causing Mrs. Norris and Crookshanks to skitter down the hallway from their perch on top of a stairwell, and a closest door to knock open, Senas and Remus spilling into the hallway.



"We'd better be going..." Senas whispered, blushing furiously as he and Remus ran off down to their rooms, as Snape stared after them, mouth slightly ajar in shock and disgust. With a momentary shake of his head, he returned to the buisness at hand.



"You go to the dungeons and wait for your mother! I, on the other hand, am taking all of you to my office,whereas I will contact each of your parents and you will have to explain to them face-to-face about how you were expelled.. yes, expelled.. from this school."



"Severus, aren't you being harsh? After all, it is my decision as to whomever is expelled." Albus said softly from his stance near the doorway. "Let them explain to their parents; that is punishment enough, don't you think, Severus?"



"Yes, Headmaster." Severus said rapidly, shooting a darkly veiled glare at his own children, sending them scurrying off to the family quarters. "Malfoy, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom- all of you, come with me to my office while I contact your parents. I daresay it will be a pleasure for them to see their former Potions-Master."



Ginny Potter sat primly in a chair, her back ramrod straight as she narrowed her eyes at her two sons and listened to Hermione rattle off a list of rules that had been broken by Saxen, and Talyn's first-year accomplishments in Potions.

"For land's sakes, it doesn't seem like they are even brothers at all." Hermione said with an arched eyebrow as Severus entered the room, giving a slight start with his own eyebrow upon hearing that statement, and eyes flickering from one boy to the other.

"Hermione, could I have a word with Mrs. Potter?"

"Certainly, Severus." Hermione said, narrowing her eyes at the two boys. "As for you two, you may go begin cleaning out the bedpans in the hospital wing until dinner."



"Mrs. Potter, what were you thingking, bringing Taliesin here at Hogwarts, especially with Diana Malfoy here? people will know, and my stint as your secret keeper will be finished..."

"Professor Snape! will you just calm down?! I'm going to leave Harry soon. He's gone mad, trying to get Hermione away from you, trying to destroy the Malfoys, I mean... " Ginny said in a dark tone, her small figure beginning to tremble. "I understand if you don't want this, Professor."

"No.. it will be done. Hush, woman. Draco will be here in a moment, why don't you go see him? it will do you a bit of good. And by the by, those concealment spells were quite nearly illegal, I will need to give Hermione a good talking-to for telling you those spells."

"But they saved my life."

"I know that, but would you rather go through this charade the rest of your life? Think about it, Miss Weasley. Think long and hard." Snape snapped icily, sweeping out of the room with his black robes flying, face hard with anger. Foolish woman.





"Hermione, what were you thinking, teaching those spells to conceal pregnancy? Potter could have killed the two of you if he ever found out."

"Severus, with you as thier secret-keeper, he will never find out. Harry will never know that Draco and Ginny are in love, perhaps even more in love than us." Hermione whispered as she nuzzled her husband's neck in the privacy of her own office after the children had left. Severus let out a small sigh, closing his eyes. He was weary and tired of this game. He only prayed that the two had enough sense to finally come out in the open. Granted, Potter was dangerous, but after a few months in St. Mungo's or Azkaban could tame him. Severus's heart flew in his throat at the thought of Potter coming after his wife yet again, hurting his children yet again. He was lucky he had gotten off easy with a restraining order of fifty yards against any Snape or Granger appointed by Draco Malfoy, Minister of Magic.





A/N: sorry things are going slow, got a bit of writer's block.. any help would be appreciated. :) THANK YOU to all who read & review!! :-)