A/N- Another update! Now, as I said I hoped to finish this story before HP and the HBP, it's not going to be as long as I expected it to be. I'll be updating a lot sooner as well. If the servers aren't busy. Anywayz, I'm off to make banana pie so you get on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing or my name isn't Shirley Holmes. It isn't.

It wasn't your fault

"The minute Remus walked out that doorPeter changed everything. He sat Mum and me down and laid down the rules for us. It was all nice and simple. He was the man of the house and he was always right. I tried to argue that but he argued right back and when he hit me for the first time, Mum said I'd provoked him. Slowly, it became worse. He'd push me down the stairs, he'd 'accidentally' throw a plate at me, he'd roll his newspaper up and give me a good wallop round the head and it just kept getting worse. Mum kept getting worse. She sunk back into her own world, not really taking in what was happening around her. In her world, everything was fine. When she wasn't in her own world, she was busy doing some kind of experiment. At times, I would talk to her and she'd act as if she didn't know me. In a few weeks, she'd change so much, we both didn't know each other."

Siobhan paused to calm herself. Tears threatened to fall but she swallowed hard. Her father placed her hand reassuringly over hers and that encouraged her to go on. He was there if she should need to cry. Remus and Dumbledore simply sat there, listening intently, wondering how this could fill in the gaps.

"I soon started my third year at Fin Connelly and I thought I'd got away from all the stress. It gave my bruises a chance to heal, and the healer there had seen enough abuse cases to keep quiet about them. There was a new boy and when I got to know him I found out he was Peter's son from an earlier relationship. I sent Mum a letter telling her about it, and instead got a reply from Peter telling me to keep out of his business. At the time, a secret organisation had been set up called the Junior Eaters of Death. Private schools tend to have more Death Eaters because the head teacher doesn't care as long as we pay the fees. Adrian, Peter's son, joined but I didn't. I knew it would lead to nothing but trouble and I wasn't that depressed."

"I already told Dad this, but not in such depth. On Christmas Day, I had a fight with Peter. I gave him a black eye and broke his nose, whilst he broke my arm and gave me a selection of bruises. I ran away and Adrian's mother was happy enough to let me stay for Christmas and on Boxing Day I was initiated as a JED. They didn't do anything that serious. We went around, torturing Muggles and Mudbloods and because of certain skills, I was mainly the organizer to start with. I'd organise the torturing sprees and so on. Whilst I did that, I never got caught. Later, when I became the safety net, I always got caught. Aurors would arrive and I'd face them and hold them off long enough for the rest to escape. They'd haul me all the way back home where Peter would make me suffer for bringing shame to him."

"Yet I went back and each time they dragged me back home, kicking and screaming. The façade Peter put on made everyone wonder why I was such a rotten apple. The JED got bigger and bolder, doing more daring things. I got caught more often and assigned a probation officer but it didn't do anything. The JED was like a home to me. Everyone there treated me like an equal, sometimes a superior. There, I didn't have anyone breaking my bones, hammering nails into my back or beating me to a pulp. I was safe."

"It was the Easter holidays after my fourteenth birthday when things turned real bad. Peter would get extra drunk and when I got caught once again and brought home, he was drunk but sober enough to know what he was doing. I was in my room when it happened. He came in; I could smell the alcohol the minute he walked in. I fought him off as much as I could but it proved no use. He was too strong and he got what he wanted. He left me feeling so dirty."

Siobhan choked back the tears that we threatening to fall. There was a pause and she felt her father's hand tighten on hers. She was close to the end, and taking another deep breath, she carried on her story.

"At first, I had no idea I was pregnant. I carried on as normal and when my shirts and jumpers began to feel tighter around the stomach, I told myself I was putting on weight. At the same time as this was happening, I had been selected to meet the resurrected Voldemort. I refused, and was tortured so badly for my insolence, any thoughts of being pregnant flew out of the window. I was to meet him the following month but I didn't. During a Muggle terrorising spree, I got myself in a lot more trouble. I participated in the act and when the Aurors turned up, I fought them with everything I had. If I was in Azkaban, there was no way I'd be able to meet Voldemort; I was that desperate. That night I put two Aurors in St. Mungo's and had to be taken down by two powerful Stunning spells. I spent two nights in Azkaban before I was put on trial. I never expected to still be pregnant through all of that."

"I was so nervous when the trial came. The whole Wizemgamot was there apart from Dumbledore. For ages they debated over what was going to be done with me. I was close to getting half a year in Azkaban when it was decided that I was to be put on strict probation with guards around my house to make sure I didn't escape. During that time, I checked my fears, and the pregnancy test came back positive. When I told Mum, something in her seemed to click. She seemed to recognise me for the first time in a long time. She told me it wasn't my fault, but didn't split up with Peter. I hid my bump under big t-shirts and prayed Peter wouldn't notice. He didn't."

"When I escaped the guards with one of my many tricks, I went back to JED and told them I was leaving. I was sick and tired of being in and out of the Ministry and I didn't care if nobody said no to the Dark Lord when they had been requested. I fought them off as well as possible, but outnumbered by at least fifty people, it was hard. Due to the noise, Aurors showed up, a lot of them, and soon half the JED was arrested including me. At a disciplinary hearing, they threatened to break my wand, but simply confiscated it. I was wandless for two months and during those two months, I gave birth to a premature little girl."

"When Mum held her granddaughter in her arms, I think she realised what had been going on whilst she was in her little world. She kicked Peter out and although he was he was never charged for rape, he was charged for impregnating a minor. Things grew better from then onwards, and Mum looked after Emily so that I could go to school and do my OWL's. She loved being a grandmother and everything was fine until Lucius Malfoy murdered her and tried to kill me. Whilst I was at the Ministry of Magic this summer, finding Dad and setting up foster parents for Emily, I also stole a few files concerning my involvement in the whole JED thing. Well, that's pretty much it."

Siobhan wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe and let her father envelope her in a hug. She had just poured her heart out and talked about something she hadn't intended to until she was of Age and would get custody of her daughter. Dumbledore was lost for words. He'd known Siobhan had had it rough, but this wasn't what he'd imagined. His crystal bright blue eyes shone with tears but none fell. He couldn't break his calm composure. Remus was too busy kicking himself to cry. If only he had stayed, if only if he had kept in touch, if only he had been there for Siobhan. Dumbledore cleared his voice and managed a smile.

"We don't blame you for your behaviour. At such a young age, it must have been undoubtedly stressful on you. But your mother was right. It wasn't your fault," Dumbledore said reassuringly. "Do you regret having kept the baby?"

"No, not at all. Emily means everything to me. It doesn't matter the way she came into this world; she's mine nonetheless. She's the sweetest thing in the world," Siobhan answered, wiping away the last of her tears. "Sometimes I miss her so much. Even though I spent most of my time at school, I was still there when she said her first word, and I watched her make her first steps."

"Siobhan, since it is becoming more and more dangerous, I thought perhaps you would consider Emily and her foster parents coming to reside at Hogwarts. It would enable you to spend more time with her and I'm sure Severus would like to get to know is granddaughter and Remus his grandniece." Siobhan's eyes lit up as she thought of being able to see Emily whenever she wanted.

"That would be great Professor Dumbledore."

"Good because they're already here and settled. If you would like to follow me." Dumbledore got up and went to a door in his office that Remus, Siobhan nor Snape had noticed before. They followed him into a reasonably large living room where a man sat reading the Daily Prophet and a woman sat on the floor playing building blocks with a little girl on the floor.

"Emily!" Siobhan exclaimed as she barged past Remus towards her daughter. The small child also seemed to recognise Siobhan and held out her chubby little hands to be picked up. "How's my little Emily? Been a good girl?" As soon as Siobhan had finished squeezing Emily to death, she turned to a bewildered Remus and Snape. Dumbledore simply stood there smiling. The resemblance was striking. Same dark eyes, Emily's with a rim of brilliant blue instead, inherited from her father.

"Mum-mum," Emily said, obviously happy to be reunited with he mother. The woman that had been previously on the floor straightened herself up. Her brown hair was streaked with grey lines and although her face seemed young, the lines around her eyes told a different story. Her blue eyes smiled as she introduced herself.

"I'm Helen Termini. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said shaking their hands. Snape managed a small smile and Remus would have definitely been attracted if she didn't bear a wedding ring and her husband wasn't present in the room. "And this is my husband Paul. If you didn't know before, we're Emily's foster parents." The man had dark brown hair with matching eyes and he appeared middle-aged. He too shook their hands, his handshake curter, before enveloping Siobhan in a fatherly hug.

"You seem to grow every time I see you. What are they feeding you? Growing beans?" he said, apparently more comfortable with Siobhan who laughed him off. She put Emily down and gave Helen a hug. It was a greeting but a small 'thank you' as well. Not being able to be parted with Emily long, once again she swept the girl in her arms and suffocated her with kisses.

"No. No. Mum-mum, no?" Emily garbled, her big large eyes turning to the three strangers to her in the room. Even though her words contradicted, she reached out to Snape who took a small step back. He wasn't good with children. He hadn't held a child this old since he was very young. Tears began to form in Emily's eyes and soon she was crying.

"Dad! You made Emily cry. You'd better say sorry," Siobhan said shaking her head and bringing Emily closer. Frowning, he allowed Siobhan to position Emily so that she was safely held and could see who was holding her. Instantly she stopped crying and grabbed hold of his large nose. "See. You're a natural." Severus let a smile come to his face as he tried to ease her strong grip off his nose. Soon she grew bored and turned her attention to Remus.

"No. No. No. No. No. No." She repeated the same word until Remus took her in his hands, more adjusted to children, and swung her around. She laughed with joy and stared into his eyes intently. She was interested but not for long. Again she began fidgeting and repeating the same word. Remus put her down and watched as she walked around, and then when she fell on her feet, crawled around, going from person to person.

"I'm too young to be a grandfather," Snape muttered watching Emily as she grabbed a building block and carried it to him. He accepted it as if it was a token of her love. She probably just wanted to share her toys round. Everyone laughed and Remus patted him on the shoulder.

"I think you'll find you're way past your sell-by-date."

Nothing could have wiped the smile of Siobhan's face as she skipped through the corridors. She had no idea where she was going but she just felt the need to skip. The hour she had spent with her daughter had been enough to boost her morale. She had soon discovered that No was Emily's word for everything and that Snape would make an all right grandfather – once he got over his fear of little children. It wasn't until the hair on the back of her neck stood on ends when Siobhan stopped skipping. Looking around she saw that she was in an unfamiliar part of Hogwarts; the same part she had got lost in on her first day. The paintings loomed overhead and its inhabitants all kept their eyes on the stranger in front of them. She jumped when somebody behind her spoke.

"Isn't it funny how the past always manages to repeat itself?" Turning around, Siobhan saw it was Draco. Yet, for some reason, she wasn't relieved to see him. He had managed to get the paint off although she could still see traces off the red and gold and he was in his own clothes. Obviously he hadn't wanted to be seen wearing pink robes.

"How did you manage to get an antidote that fast?" Siobhan inquired. Fred had assured her that no one would get an antidote until at least five hours after his or her order and it was still only three hours since the incident. He smirked and held up a half empty bottle.

"Why this little thing? I stumbled across it after your little friend Edward kindly showed me where you stashed it. Of course I had to dangle him out of the window before he complied but he squeaked in the end," Draco answered pocketing the antidote once more.

"You best not be hurt or I'll-"

"You'll what? Set Longbottom on me? They obviously didn't tell you this but on Saturday when you and your 'girlfriends' were getting the Butterbeer, the boys so kindly set the rules for me, basically threatened to kill me if I were to hurt you. Yet, I don't see them anywhere at the moment, do you?"

"If you hurt me, all I have to do is dump you. It's not like we're married." Siobhan's heart beat faster as Draco came closer to her. She was sure he could hear it as he traced the outline of her lips with a finger. Even as he smiled at her, Siobhan's heart just kept pumping faster.

"We might as well be. I gave you a chance to leave and you stayed. Did you really think that I would keep that charade up for long? I would have done, for just a bit longer, if you hadn't gone and pulled a stunt like this. Do you know how many Slytherins at the moment want a piece of you?"

"A lot."

"Exactly. And with my father out of Azkaban, you might not want to irritate me or you might find yourself in a tricky situation. As for this whole dye thing, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't stand a chance against my House. For the trouble I'm going to, I expect something in return."

Draco wrapped his hands around Siobhan's waist and pulled her closer. Leaning down to cover the height difference, he kissed Siobhan with a kiss that was filled with hunger and raw passion. As moved his hands down to her bottom, it left no question in Siobhan's mind how he expected her to return his so-called favour. Without any warning Draco pushed Siobhan away before turning around and beginning to walk away from her, presumably back to the Slytherin Common room.

"If you want to get back to your Common room before tomorrow, it would be best to follow me," he called over his shoulder. Knowing that it was the sensible thing to do, Siobhan followed although she kept a good distance behind him. Instead of thinking about her fate, she thought of the hour before and a small smile crept to her face. No one, not even Draco, could put a damper on her happiness right now. As long as she had family, she'd survive anything.

"They escaped yesterday evening taking along with them a selection of extremely dangerous criminals. The prison was practically emptied leaving only those who would not be of any use to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Within an hour that this information was released, the Ministry of Magic was bombarded with letters from the public asking where the Dementors were whilst this happened. In a statement from the Ministry spokesperson this morning, it was confirmed that the Dementors had in fact began to leave Azkaban but there were still many there. The Ministry urges members of the public to stay vigilant."

"If all the Death Eater's are gone and all the dangerous criminals are gone, who's left?" Ron asked as Hermione finished reading the Daily Prophet at breakfast. The hubbub of yesterday's prank had died down although some of the Slytherins that had been unable to get hold of the antidote and were still Gryffindor colours.

"That's a very good question. Hermione, do you know the answer?" Harry answered asking Hermione as she put down the newspaper and drank some coffee. She had bags under her eyes from spending a little too much time in the library but she managed to stay awake with a little help from her friend caffeine.

"Isn't it obvious? All the rest that aren't labelled dangerous. Remember Hagrid was sent there and I don't remember him being dangerous," Hermione replied snappishly before pouring herself some more coffee. Siobhan simply sat there looking into her tea as if it held the answer to all her problems.

"Why all of them though? It doesn't make sense. It attracted a lot of attention. It would have been a whole lot simpler to have them escape one at a time. This just doesn't add up," Siobhan muttered, not really speaking to anyone in particular. She glanced up at the staff table and doing a quick scan, she noticed Snape was absent this morning.

"Unless they wanted the publicity. Unless it's a sign or a warning," Harry said suddenly aware of what Siobhan was getting at. It just didn't make sense for Voldemort to be so public after being silent the whole summer.

"I'm guessing warning and it's an early one. In my opinion, he wants to let people know he's gathering force. And if he's doing it now he probably intends to start the Second War the day the First war ended."

"On Halloween."