Dierna was practically skipping as classes let out Friday afternoon. She had received a letter from Stefan and was feeling almost giddy. She headed back towards the Gryffindor tower from the dungeons as a strange feeling came over her.

She walked down the corridor quickly; she had the distinct impression that she was being followed. She could feel it, and it was a feeling that she didn't like. She quickly glanced over her shoulder. There was nothing there. Only the shadows playing on the walls, and the slight movement from the tapestries as the chilly March breeze caught them, making their tasseled edges dance.

She kept walking; she had to be imaging that feeling. There had been nothing there. But, she still felt uncomfortable. She tried to distract herself by thinking about the success of the Quintessence. Now that they had brewed it successfully they could start working on ways to counter its effects. And they would be able to study exactly how it worked. She glanced over her shoulder again. Still nothing. She shook her head, and turned around to start walking again, but felt a cold, clammy hand clamp over her mouth.

"Hello doll, I was hoping to catch you alone." Connor uncovered Dierna's mouth, his breath was hot and heavy on the back of her neck, "now, I want you to know that my offer still stands. How about it? Why don't you come warm my bed tonight? I know it's what you want."

"For the last time, leave me alone. I want nothing to do with you Connor. You are a creep and a rat. If you touch me again, I swear, I will scream rape."

"Now why would you do something like that, when you know it's what you want?" He laid a hand on her arm, which was instantly shrugged off. "Fine, I can see that you're going to be stubborn about this. Maybe I'll just have to make sure your boyfriend never makes it back to you again. No? That threat doesn't get to you. Then maybe I'll just work my charm on your little sister. I should have no problem 'convincing' Nimue to get with me. Besides, if you say anything about this whole exchange to anyone, I'll kill you. And I have 'friends' in very high places now that my father is the Head Minister. I'll make sure your family suffers unless I get what I want. And I want you, but I suppose your sister will make an adequate substitute. You wouldn't want anything to happen to you family now would you?"

Dierna was enraged, how dare he speak like that about her sister and threaten Stefan like that! She felt a strong sense of satisfaction as she spun around and felt her fist connect with his jaw. She flew at him. All the rage she had been bottling up since he had first started hitting on her was released. It felt wonderful. Her fist connected with his jaw again, and then she clawed at his face. She wanted to see his blood run.

Connor tried to fight back, but he had been caught off guard, and was definitely getting the worst of it. Dierna swung at him again as they both fell to the floor. She was going to make sure he never hurt her again.

As she started to swing at him again she was suddenly grabbed by a pair of rough hands and dragged off of Connor. She swung blindly at her captor as hot angry tears poured down her face. She felt her elbow connect with something soft, the person who was holding her, as she continued to struggle. "Let me go! I'm going to kill him!" Her voice was thick with rage and tears. Her family and Stefan were her two weaknesses, something inside of her had snapped when that sewer rat Connor threatened them. She wanted to see him suffer.

Through the tears she saw her father pulling Connor up off the floor, but that did nothing to quell the fury in her heart. "Let me go!" She continued to struggle, trying to fight her way out of the grasp of whoever was holding her. But it did nothing. The hold on her only tightened and her arms were pinned to her sides.

"Hold still!" Dierna barely heard the angry, masculine voice through the rushing in her ears. And in her state of rage she didn't even try to place it.

"No! Let me go, I'm going to..."

"Silence!" Dierna stopped struggling at the authoritative command in her father's voice.

The man holding her spoke up, "Severus, you better get him to the hospital wing. She broke his jaw and he looks pretty banged up. I'll have her in my office."

Dierna recognized the voice now, it was Professor Lupin. She watched as her father supported Connor as they headed down the hall. She hoped she had broken more than his jaw, he deserved everything he got.

"Are you calm enough to walk by yourself, or do I have to keep a hold on you on the way to my office?" Remus' voice was hard. He couldn't believe the scene he had just witnessed.

"I'm calm enough," her voice was choked by her fury. Dierna knew that she was anything but calm, the hot angry tears continued to pour down her face. And the boiling rage she was feeling was not subsided. As she felt Professor Lupin ease his grip on her she fought the temptation to bolt. Part of her recognized the fact that she had never heard her head of house sound so angry. It wouldn't be worth it.

"Where's Tanta Eva?"

"She had to go to Paris to help Eric put together some supplies for a project they're working on. She'll be back late tonight."

"Oh..."

"What's the matter? You that disappointed that she asked me to look after you?" Zach said with a half smile as he looked down at Clara.

"Nein, es ist ok. She and Alberto decided not to see each other anymore last night."

Zach stopped in his tracks he was so taken by surprise by that random statement. He had taken his grandfather's order to look after Eva to heart, and had been more than a little disappointed when she had started spending her free time with Alberto. But this changed things. He was pulled back to reality by Clara tugging on his hand.

"Du sollst sie heiraten."

"What does that mean?"

Clara smiled mischievously, "not telling."

"You broke that boy's jaw and his nose, and his face is pretty beat up, now, what do have to say for yourself?"

"That's all I broke? I was hoping the damage would have been worse." Dierna's voice was bitter and icily cold.

"Adelaide Dierna Snape! I cannot believe that you just said that. I am thoroughly disgusted with your behavior today."

"Well I'm not; you should have heard what he said to me!"

Severus fought for control of his temper, "I do not care what he said to you, you had no cause to attack him."

"But I..."

"Dierna listen to me, and listen well. As much as you may detest Mr. Macnair that does not change the fact that his father is now the Head Minister, and is high up in Malfoy's hierarchy. You have to be more careful. You cannot do anything to provoke them."

"But he..."

Severus cupped his daughter's jaw in his hand, "they have killed people for less. I have warned you before about watching yourself around Connor; you need to be more careful." He picked up her hand from where it lay in her lap and ran his thumb over her bruised knuckles, "I worry about you enough as it is, stay away from him. If not for your sake then for mine."

Dierna nodded mutely, as she drew her hand back.

"She's in your house Lupin, deal with her as you see fit," Severus said as he resumed his seat.

Remus stood up from where he had been sitting behind his desk. "You've been warned about fighting before Dierna, and according to school policy you should be expelled."

Dierna turned several shades paler, "Professor, please don't expel me."

Remus continued on as though she hadn't interrupted him, "however, I strongly suspect that Connor provoked the fight, and I'm willing to write your actions off as self defense. But I know that Walden Macnair is going to make sure that justice, as he sees it, was done. So I can't let you completely off the hook."

Dierna turned pleading eyes to her head of house, silently begging that whatever he decided it would not involve removal from the quidditch team. She made up her mind that she could handle anything but that.

Remus sighed wearily, there were very few times when he hated his job, but this was one of them, "in school suspension for three days, you'll be allowed to turn in any work you miss, but you won't attend classes for those days."

"How was your day with the little ones?" Charlie greeted his wife with a kiss.

"As well as can be expected. How were your classes?"

"As well as can be expected," he said, echoing Meg's words. "Where are the children hiding?"

Meg sighed as she looked around, "Arthur is sleeping. I have no idea where the twins are, they were here a minute ago! Those two have been driving me up the wall all day."

As they moved back into their living room from the hallway Charlie's eyebrows shot up, "I think we found them, and it looks like they found some crayons..."

Meg closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeply to keep from losing her temper as she thought about the crayon markings all over the walls. As tired as Charlie was he decided it might be best if he handled this situation. "Ok you two," he said as he retrieved broken crayon bits from the pudgy hands of the twins, "your bedroom now, I'll be there in a minute. And you," he placed his hands on Meg's shoulders, "go to our room. I'll be there soon."

Meg tried to protest, but found herself dragged by the hand and deposited on their bed before she could form the words.

Charlie, for his part, cleaned up the walls in the living room and had all of the children in bed in record time before rejoining his wife. He sat on the bed behind her and began to rub her shoulders, "I love you..." he murmured against her think blond hair.

"Mmm... I'll give you an eternity to stop that," Meg said as she closed her eyes, "I love you so much. There are days when I don't think I deserve you."

"Of course you deserve me," there was a hint of a smile in Charlie's voice, "Weasley men have impeccable taste in women." He wrapped his arms tightly around her and lay back on the bed, taking his wife with him.

Viviane chewed her lip nervously, a trait she had inherited from her mother, "I wish you didn't have to go."

Stefan shrugged, "I don't have much choice in the matter. I have my orders, we both do." He checked his pockets to make sure he had the portkey that would bring him back, and his one dose of a potion used for suicide if the situation became too extreme.

"Screw the orders, I just don't feel right about this one. Stay here."

"I've gotta go. We can't let Malfoy get away with what he's doing." Stefan turned to pick up the portkey that would take him to Malfoy's headquarters, but stopped, "do me a favor Viv; tell my parents that I love them. And tell Dierna that I'm sorry and that I wish... just tell her that I love her."

Viviane nodded, fighting back tears, "please come back Stefan, if things look like they're going downhill just come back."

Stefan lowered his head as he reached for the portkey, "I'll do my best, but I have a job to do."

"Are you mad?"

No response.

"Are you disappointed in me?"

No response.

"Are you at least going to say something to me about it?!" Dierna's voice was edging on hysterical.

Severus looked at her over the stack of papers on his desk. He hadn't expected his daughter to follow him down here, he would have though that she would go mope in her common room for awhile, "are you asking me to yell at you?" he asked calmly.

"No... I don't know... I just thought you would..." she sighed in frustration as she tried to put her thoughts in order. "I don't know. I thought you would be really angry with me."

"I am not pleased with the situation, but I am not angry with you. I am displeased with your actions, but I understand why you reacted the way you did. So, I have no intention of saying anything more on the matter. Does that satisfy you?"

Dierna sniffed as she nodded, and tried to blink back the tears that were threatening. She wasn't happy with herself, and that was the worst part.

Stefan tripped and would have fallen head first down the stairs if Macnair hadn't had such a tight grip on him.

"We've known about you for ages MacNeill, I'm not sure why Malfoy waited until now to deal with you, but it's about time," Macnair said as he thrust the younger man into a damp, and poorly lit room. "We moved our other... liability... down here to keep you company."

"Liability?!" Stefan growled in outrage, "You mean prisoner!" He was furious that he had allowed himself to be taken, and that they relieved him of the contents of his pockets.

Macnair shrugged, "same thing." And he slammed the door shut.

Stefan could have howled in frustration as he realized how desperate his situation was. "Who are you?" he addressed the ragged looking man crouched in the corner.

The man shrugged, "it doesn't really matter here, not when we're just going to die anyways." He pushed matted and scraggly red hair out of his eyes. "welcome to hell."

Stefan sighed as he sank down on the dirty floor next to his cell mate, "I'm Stefan, I was working undercover for the Ministry, until... well, until today."

The other man shrugged, "same with me, my name's Percy Weasley."

Nimue dumped a stack of books on the table in the empty classroom and faced Kalliope. "I've done a lot of research."

"On what child?"

"On mythology, and on the history of seers."

"And what have you decided?"

Nimue tucked a strand of her soft brown hair behind her ear, "there are some forms of the goddess that I really like. And there are some that scare me. But I like most of what I've seen of her cults. It's comforting somehow."

Kalliope looked into the girl's violet eyes, "so have you been able to reconcile the vengeful side of the goddess with her other aspects?"

Nimue nodded, "and I've been reading about the seers and seeresses in different cultures. It seems like a hard life but a useful one. And since I'm stuck with it..."

"You might as well learn to control your gift..."

"or curse..."

"To the best of your abilities."

Nimue chewed her lower lip, "but I don't want to do it by myself."

"And you won't child, I'll be right here with you, helping every step of the way," Kalliope wrapped a comforting arm around the girl's shoulders.

Nimue shook her head, "that's not quite what I meant." She took a deep breath, "I want to be a priestess."

Viviane paced the small confines of the debriefing room with increasing agitation. Stefan had been gone for too long, far too long. She turned in frustration and punched the wall with a balled up fist. "It's not fair..." she sank down onto the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest and cradling her bruised hand gently. "This damn mission, I'm separated from my husband, Stefan is separated from his family, and we're getting nowhere."

She let her head fall back against the wall while she contemplated resigning. She wasn't supposed to be here. She worked in the department of mysteries; she wasn't supposed to work on missions like this. Foul play was apparent.

She was about to give up her vigil for the night and turn in when there was a small popping sound. She turned very slowly in the direction of it, silently praying that it wouldn't be what she thought it was. Stumbling over her feet she scrambled to the spool of thread that had been Stefan's portkey this week. Tied to it were the contents of his pockets and a note, which read:

Your game is up. Don't wait up for young MacNeill, he won't be returning. Most Sincerely D.M.

"No... no no nononono..." Viviane sank back on her heels cradling the small collection of items in her lap. "This didn't happen..." sobs wracked her body as she sat there, shaking violently. "Please no..."

She tried to gather herself together. She stood up, clutching Stefan's possessions to her chest as she stumbled to a cabinet which held assorted portkeys, and wrapped her hand around one marked for Ron Weasley's office at the Ministry. She felt the familiar jerk around her middle that accompanied portkey travel, and the next thing she knew she was sprawled on the floor of the auror's office.

"You've got to be kidding me. Everyone thinks you turn coated on your family, there were even rumors that you died a few years back."

Percy shook his head, "not true. I was in league with Fudge and Macnair for awhile. But I finally wised up and decided I wanted out. They didn't feel the same way. I've been shuffled around every since, living in squalor, in the most dilapidated room of wherever their current headquarters are located. My family doesn't even know that I came back to their side... If I could have one wish, I'd want a day, an hour, with my family, to explain. What about you kid? One wish, what would it be?"

Stefan shrugged, "facing eminent death? One more day with my girlfriend." He leaned against the damp wall, "I bought a ring, absolutely perfect for her. I was just waiting until I was sure her father wouldn't kill me if I asked for her hand... god how I love her..."

"What's her name?"

"Dierna... her name is Dierna Snape."

Percy snorted, "No relation to Severus Snape by any chance?"

"His daughter."

"Wow... who would have thought there was someone out there who wanted to procreate with him?"
Viviane sobbed out the story of what had happened to Ron Weasley, who had a hard time following the garbled information through her tears. He finally got her situated in a comfortable chair as he contacted several people through the floo network, silently praying that no one was monitoring it too closely.

Moments later Bill Weasley came through the door.

"Thanks for coming mate," Ron said as he shook his brother's hand, "we have to get her out of here in case Draco decides she'd make a good captive... or worse... too."

Bill nodded solemnly, "it's a good thing Colin decided to switch jobs and go to Gringotts as a curse breaker, not only does he have a great boss," he gave a ghost of a smile, "but we can keep them both save in Egypt for awhile. I'll make sure her parents know that we have her and she's safe."

Viviane had remained silent throughout this exchange, only sniffing occasionally into the handkerchief Ron had given her.

"Come on sweetie, we've got a place all set up for you and Colin in Egypt. I'll take you to him now," Bill said as he gently stroked his niece's hair.
"It's getting harder and harder to keep a cover up with them Severus, I'm afraid that they're going to start suspecting something... what's she doing here? Shouldn't she be in class?" Eric cut himself off.

Severus glanced over at his daughter, "she got herself suspended for fighting, I told her she could invade my office during that time as long as she was working."

"Use poison next time darling, it's less messy and harder to trace."

"Eric she does not need your help getting into trouble! That is something she is perfectly capable of on her own."

"I was just trying to be helpful, unless you let her get in more lab time her talent will go to waste."

"Will you two stop talking like I'm not in the room!" Dierna snapped at the two men, a scowl on her face.

"You're on thin ice already young lady, I would watch your tongue if I were you."

Dierna slammed the book she was reading down on the table and swept out of the room muttering under her breath.

"I heard that!" Severus shouted after her.

"Amazing, the female mind... it has yet to be fully understood..." Eric commented lightly as he examined a spot on his robes.

"Why are you here?" Severus asked in exasperation, "because if it is just to harass me you have already succeeded and you can leave."

"That's not my reason for coming; it's just an added bonus. I'm actually here because we need to come to a consensus about what I can tell our friend Draco without endangering our cause. I have to keep a good front up."

Severus nodded thoughtfully, "give him a few details on Quintessence, but don't let him know we have completed it. I want to see what his reaction is."