Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor anything otherwise related. I do, however, make claim on NM Harry's personality as well as those of all the other canon characters and my original chars.

Despite sorrow and pain,

life moves on.

Despite the heartache,

there is a world beyond.

Beyond the death

of those we love,

there is life – for us.

"Untitled" written by Hermione Malfoy upon the death of Harry Snape

Chapter 3 – Beyond Death

"NO!"

Severus chuckled as across the table Damian plunged his head into his hands.

"Sorry, old man," he said, leaning forward slightly to look at the three dice. "Looks like you missed."

"A critical miss," moaned Damian as he picked up his Zeus and clicked the dial. "My dice have abandoned me!"

"Well, you have had them in a box for nearly three years," pointed out Severus as he shook his own dice in his right hand. "Secondary weapons on my Dasher II there, firing at your Zeus."

"No! Dear Merlin, man, leave him alone!"

Severus chuckled and released the dice, letting them fall onto the table.

"All is fair in love and war, my friend!" he cried. "Your defense is…?"

"15," moaned Damian.

"Muaahaha. Take 3!"

"I hate you."

"Yes, I know," said Severus with a smile as Damian spun the dial on the Zeus.

Janella entered the Ashdeir Fierion kitchen then and groaned. The two men chuckled as she said, "Don't tell me you two are at that again!"

"Okay," said Damian. "We won't tell you we're at it again."

"Indeed we shall not. Prepare yourself, my good man! My Thunderbolt is about to maul your little peasants!"

"Bloody peasants," grumbled Damian, glaring at Severus' hand as he rolled the dice.

"Haven't you two gotten tired of that?" asked Janella as she waved Marly back to her work. "No, I've got it, Marly. Go back to work."

"Yes, Mistress," murmured the house-elf, bowing slightly.

Severus chuckled as Damian tossed a peasant off of their 'battlefield' and replied, "It's fun, Nella. You should sit down and try it sometime."

"I'll pass," said Janella around a mouthful of cereal. She then swallowed and continued, "I just don't understand how you two have played that since you were children and are still interested in it."

"S'fun game," said Damian. He then cursed as his attack on Severus' Dasher II missed hitting by one point and shook his head. "Well, when you win, anyway."

Severus frowned and said, "Losing can be fun as well. As long as it was a good battle, it was a good game, win or lose."

"Point taken, Sev."

Janella shook her head then watched the two of them as she ate the cereal she'd poured, not even attempting to figure out the process of how the game worked. During that time, Severus managed to kill off Damian's Zeus and all his peasants but the Malfoy Heir had come back and salvaged the Thunderbolt in retaliation.

"Ha! Take that!"

"May I remind you that I have two more 'Mech's on the field in good condition?"

"Oh, shut up, Clanner."

"Freebirth," shot Severus in retaliation.

"Falcon."

"Republic."

"Smelly green turkey!"

"Worthless savashri freeborn."

"Test-tube baby," sneered Damian as he shoved his last 'Mech, a Vulture, across the field.

Janella shook her head as her husband smirked.

"Lawyer."

Damian blinked then snarled, "Damnit, I hate it when you do that!"

Severus laughed at that then promptly launched an attack at the Vulture with his Dasher II by making a charge.

"Aaaaaand…Arnis misses! Again!"

"Arnis always misses on a charge," said Damian.

"No, he doesn't. He's just temperamental."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that one and maybe it'll come true."

The sound of the big fireplace on the other side of the kitchen roaring to life caused them to pause and Janella frowned.

"Uncle Sev?"

"John?" said Severus, rising from his seat to go over to the fireplace, where his nephew's head floated in the flames. "Is something wrong?" He then waved a hand, causing golden words that revealed John's location to appear above his head. "And what are you doing calling from Hogwarts?"

John winced then said, "Something's happened, Uncle Sev. Is Uncle Ian there with you?"

"Yeah, I'm here," said Damian as he joined Severus in front of the fireplace. "We were having our monthly 'Mech game. What's the problem?"

"Two Hogwarts students have gone missing. We tried to contact you, Uncle Ian, but only got static in response."

Severus winced, suddenly remembering the magicked pagers the Aurors had begun wearing a few years back when Damian's mother had figured out how to make them work. He also remembered that the rather expansive wards on the Snape estate blocked most spells from getting inside. The only people that could even get near the house or Floo into it now were those recognized by the wards.

"The wards here block it," explained Severus. "Now, who's gone missing?"

John blanched and part of Severus went cold.

"John, don't tell me…"

"Sorry, Uncle," he whispered. "It's Ana and Mori."

A crash came from behind the two men and Damian turned to see a pale Janella with her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in horror. The bowl she'd been eating out of was in shards at her feet.

"Oh, Mistress!" exclaimed Marly, cleaning up the mess with a wave of her hand. A chair at the table then moved and positioned itself behind Janella, who sank into it with a small sob.

Severus winced then looked at John.

"Move, boy. I'm coming through."

"Uncle, what…"

"If someone has my children, they will not keep them. And if they are simply on those grounds where you cannot find them, I will find them."

Severus then rose and stretched out a hand towards the open kitchen door as though he were summoning something. But he hadn't had to speak the words for simple spells since he was twelve.

A small, dingy, yellowed scroll of parchment shot through the door and into his hand first then a more recognizable object flew in. Damian's eyes widened as Ardwynhén, the Elven sword that was an heirloom of the Snape family, flew into the room in its scabbard.

Etienne Daladier, his pale blonde hair replaced by silver, followed it and frowned at his nephew.

"And where are we going?" asked the one-hundred-one-year-old wizard.

"Hogwarts," replied Severus as he slung Ardwynhén over his shoulders. He pushed up his sleeves as he added, "Ana and Mori are missing."

Silver eyebrows arched in surprise and Etienne asked, "Did someone take them?"

Severus frowned and replied, "That's what I'm going to find out, Uncle." He waved the dingy scroll and the older wizard nodded.

"Don't go after whoever it was on your own, Sev. Call me, call Saerry, call someone to come help you if they really aren't there. You aren't as young as you used to be, remember?"

"Neither are you, Uncle."

Etienne frowned.

"I can still beat you over my knee, whelp. Now go. I'll hold down the fort here."

Severus nodded then looked at Damian, who was also frowning.

The blonde then said, "I'm coming with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Go then," said Etienne, waving his hands at them. The two men nodded then Damian hurled a handful of Floo power into the now empty fireplace.

"Headmistress' Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Pass code: Damian Aleksandr Malfoy!"

The flames roared green and he stepped into them, vanishing an instant later. Severus waited a moment then hurled his own handful of Floo power in.

"Headmistress' Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Pass code: Severus Jardin Snape!"

He looked once at Janella, who was now staring straight at him with Etienne's arm around her shoulders.

"Find them," she mouthed and he nodded.

Then he stepped into the fireplace and was whisked away to Hogwarts, coming stumbling out of the fireplace in the Headmistress' office. He cursed foully as he nearly tripped and brushed ineffectively at the soot on his clothes.

Damian caught his arm and muttered, "Easy, Sev," even as he continued to curse.

"I now remember why I despise the Floo," snarled Severus as he finally spelled the soot from his shirt and pants. Then he looked over at the Headmistress, who stood behind her son. "Hello, Aunt Mione."

"You're looking well, Severus," said Hermione Malfoy, smiling slightly. Severus didn't even bother to attempt to return the smile. "You brought Ardwynhén?"

Severus nodded slightly.

"If I find my children are actually missing and not just hiding somewhere, I'm going after the bastard that took them. And he's going to pay in blood for touching them."

The green cat's eye gem set in the hilt of the sword flashed at that and Hermione remembered when Harry had wielded it during the war. Severus didn't have his father's training but he did know how to handle a sword.

"Go then," she said, waving towards the door of her office. Seeing the Marauder's Map tucked into his belt, she asked, "You do know how to change the floor views on that without having to walk them, don't you?"

Severus nodded shortly and replied, "Yes." He then moved past her and left the office, his steps echoing back up to them. Damian stayed for a moment and frowned at his mother.

"Do you really believe Ana and Mori aren't here, Mother?" he asked.

Hermione sighed and looked at her son, worry clearly showing in her eyes.

"I know when my students aren't here, Ian. It's an advantage of being Headmistress. And they aren't here."

"Severus will kill whoever took them."

"I know."

"And he won't feel a shred of remorse."

Hermione nodded, murmured, "I know. And I blame that war. That damned war that we all fought."

Damian frowned and hugged her briefly before saying, "I'm going to help him."

"I know."

He smiled and kissed her forehead then left the office, nearly running to catch up with Severus. The other wizard was standing in the center of the entrance hall, a scowl on his face and the Marauder's Map clutched in his hands. As Damian approached, he waved his hand over the map then muttered, "Mischief managed," and stuff it back into his belt.

"They're not here," he growled as the Malfoy Heir came to stand beside him.

"I figured," said Damian. "Who do you think took them?"

Severus turned his scowl on him and spat, "Who do you think has them?"

"Surely…surely Parkinson's not that stupid!"

"He's not as brilliant as he seems," grumbled Severus. "You didn't have to room with the bastard."

Damian frowned.

"Point taken. But we need real proof that he has Ana and Mori before we go after them, Sev. These aren't our father's times. Going running off half cocked and ending up doing something wrong can get us thrown in Azkaban."

"I know that," snarled Severus as John and two Aurors entered the hall. "Oh, do tell me you found something."

"Nothing, sir," said one of the Aurors with a shake of his head. "There's nothing that gives any hint of where they went."

"Or were taken," added his partner.

Severus' scowl deepened.

Suddenly a first year clutching a piece of parchment ran into the room, skidding to a frightened stop as Severus' dark scowl fixed upon him. Then he shuffled forward a few steps and stammered, "Um…a-are you M-M-Morgan's f-father?"

"Yes," replied Severus. His eyes then latched onto the piece of parchment and he asked, "What's that?"

"A n-note, s-sir. I f-found it in his b-bed."

The first year held out the parchment and Severus did his best to not snatch it from the eleven-year-old's hand. He scanned it quickly then cursed, ignoring Damian as he glared at him for saying such things in front of a child.

"Thank you…"

"Ed," offered the boy. He then looked nervously up at Severus and asked, "Is he going to be okay?"

Severus smiled and ruffled the first year's blonde hair, saying, "He'll be fine, Ed. And thank you. This will help us find Morgan much faster."

Ed's face lit up at that and he cried, "That's great! Um…I'd better go now. Good luck, sir!"

"Be careful," murmured Severus as the first year ran off. He then looked down at the parchment again before handing it off to Damian. "Is this proof enough to go after that bastard?"

Damian frowned and scanned it, his expression growing fouler as he did so. Then he cursed and snarled, "Damn right it is! John, call in more Auror's and meet us at Parkinson Lodge."

"You two are going alone?"

"Not alone," said Severus, eyes gleaming viciously. "First."

He then scowled and snarled, "That bastard will pay for laying a hand on my children."

With that he and Damian stalked out of the entrance hall, leaving John and the two Auror's standing there. Once the realization that they were really going at that very moment set in, the three ran after them, their wands out so they could Apparate back to the Ministry the moment they had the ability.

And John knew he had to hurry.

Or his uncle would kill everything in that house and probably die trying before an Auror had even stepped onto the doorstep.

Author's Notes

The whole MechWarrior part in the beginning is based from playing and from an amusing conversation a fellow player once told me about. Also a piece of the argument between Sev and Ian is taken from arguments between myself, that fellow player, and his girlfriend. She's responsible for the test-tube baby comment, which occurred after myself and her boyfriend threw 'freebirth' at her.

I had much fun writing that. And, yeah, there have been arguments like that during games and regular conversation.

Also, to anyone who's actually played MW that's reading this (I seriously doubt it but, hey, I could be wrong), I didn't check any stats on any 'Mech's whilst I wrote this so any defenses and attacks listed could be wrong. And, yes, to anyone that's actually playing 'Mech, Severus is playing Spirit Cat (Arnis Drummond in his Dasher II and Youree Nova Cat in his Thunderbolt) and Damian is playing House Davion (Zeus) with a random Vulture thrown in. I myself play Spirit Cat and I own the Davion Zeus, so I thought I'd put them into play.