A/N: This is a repost to fix the atrocious spacing errors. Sorry about that. I've had a motion to drop the Haydyn/Gabriel nicknames...anyone else concur? Nicknames will be important later for other...characters...but dropping them for Sam and Severus is doable...I think. I'll try it in this chapter and see if it works.

Chapter 12- A Little Housecleaning

It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it; but the young know they are wretched for they are full of the truthless ideals which have been instilled into them, and each time they come in contact with the real, they are bruised and wounded.-- W. Somerset Maugham

Samantha woke the next morning with the feel of an arm draped across her waist, a pale hand resting on her stomach. She covered Severus's hand with her own and wiggled back down into the covers. Severus tightened his hold around her and pulled her closer to him, nuzzling her neck. She smiled, and fell back asleep only to be woken again by the sound of pots falling in the kitchen. Severus groaned.

"Severus," crooned Samantha as she turned over. She trailed kisses up his neck. "Severus, the kids are here."

"Mmhmm," mumbled Severus. He eyes were still closed. He pulled Samantha on top of him, causing Samantha to giggle.

"They can fend for themselves," said Severus sleepily. "I'm not awake yet."

Samantha smiled as she bent to place kisses on his neck. She slipped her tongue out to taste the salt on his skin. He moaned as she moved down his chest, placing kisses as she moved lower. He gasped and opened his eyes, arching his back as she swirled her tongue around his navel. He pulled her back up and flipped her over, pinning her arms above her head. He captured her lips in a blinding kiss. He held both her wrists in one hand as he trailed the other slowly down her side and back up again, lifting up the edge of her tank top ever so slowly.

"Severus," mumbled Samantha against his lips. She inhaled sharply as he found a sensitive spot on her neck. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him on top of her, when she heard another loud crash from the kitchen, followed by the muffled sounds of a woman shouting. She groaned.

"Severus," said Samantha as she twisted her hands out of his grip. She giggled as he feathered kisses on her bare stomach. She lifted his head in her hands and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Sorry, love, but this is going to have to wait until later," she said as she slid out of bed. She pulled down her top and ran a hand through her hair. She laughed at Severus's limp form sprawled across the bed, moaning into the sheets. He looked up at her, squinting at the sunlight pouring in the window behind her.

"Damn it, Sam." He propped his elbows up on the bed and put his head in his hands, watching her as she flipped her head over and gather her long hair in a sloppy bun on top of her head.

"Go take a shower," said Samantha as she walked to the door. "I have to make sure the kids don't burn the house down."

She walked downstairs. She could hear the sound of Hermione's voice, cut off by what sounded like Ron explaining something. She opened the door slowly to find the two facing off over a broken jug of liquid that was pooling around their feet.

"If you didn't use every meal as a chance to show off," shouted Hermione, her face red in anger, "maybe we would have food to eat!"

"Oh, lay off Hermione," yelled Ron, his face as flush as Hermione's, "it's your fault! If you hadn't had tried to mess with it, I wouldn't have dropped it!"

Samantha chuckled softly and saw Harry in the corner by the stove doing the same. She walked forward towards the oblivious pair, who were glaring at one another.

"Evanesco!" said Samantha, pointing her wand at the floor. She grabbed both of them by a shoulder and sat them at the table.

"Now, then," said Samantha in a business-like tone. "Since you have awoken myself and Severus with your shouting and fighting over who can drop the most dishes on the floor, maybe we can fix a little breakfast, hm?" Hermione and Ronblushed as she walked over to Harry. "What are we cooking this morning, Monsieur Potter?"

"Just the usual," he said as he flipped some bacon. "Eggs, toast, bacon, a little sausage. We don't have a lot of food in the house - probably enough for today and breakfast tomorrow. I'll have to send Kretcher out for some later."

"Hmm," mused Samantha as she stirred the eggs. "I don't know if Kretcher knows what real edible food looks like."

"Good point," said Harry. He put the bacon on a plate and carried it over to the table. A bowl of eggs and a plate stacked high with toast joined it about 10 minutes later. Severus walked in just as Samantha headed towards the door, his hair tied back, dressed in a long-sleeve black button-down and slacks.

"Good morning, sir," said Hermione. Severus ignored her and walked to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"You might want to wait until he's nursing his second cup," said Samantha, grinning at Severus's scowl. "He can be awfully anti-social in the morning. I'll be back in a few minutes." She walked out of the door and up the stairs.

There was an awkward tension as the Trio served themselves breakfast under Severus's watchful eye. He leaned against the stove, slowly sipping the scalding hot liquid, listening to the Trio talk about inane matters between periods of blessed silence. He finished his first cup and poured himself another. He sat down across from Harry and grabbed a plate, piling it high with eggs and toast.

"Did you get everything moved in last night, sir?" asked Harry. Severus smirked at him as he buttered his toast.

"Yes, Potter, although it's a good thing we had dinner fairly early last night," said Severus. He set down his toast and picked up another slice to butter. "My house no longer exists. Sam and I barely made it out before the damn thing exploded."

"It WHAT?" cried Harry. He stared in shock at Severus's impassive face. "Your house just exploded?"

"No, Potter, it did 'just explode,'" sneered Severus. He rolled his eyes at the boy's questioning look. "It had assistance in exploding. The Dark Mark floating above Voldemort's former second-in-command will make a wonderful story for the paper."

"Bloody hell," whispered Ron as he took another bite of bacon.

"Indeed, Mr. Weasley," said Severus. He put a forkful of eggs in his mouth. Swallowing, he pointed his fork at Harry. "The only good thing about it will be that our less intelligent friends in the Ministry will think I died a most fitting death, being killed by my Master after my betrayal of the greatest wizard of all time. Ironic, really. But Sam and I made it out, and we got all of her stuff packed without interference. We took two rooms on the second floor, as I believe you three usually stay on the third."

"That's fine, sir," said Harry. "This house has enough rooms for us each to have three of our own."

Severus nodded in agreement and looked up as Samantha came through the door, her wet hair piled on top of her head. She poured herself a cup of tea, bringing the pot of coffee over to the table and topping off Severus's cup. She sat down and pulled an empty plate towards her. She took one piece of toast and topped it with strawberry jam.

"So, what are we going to do today?" asked Ron as he finished off his third helping of eggs. He reached for more but Hermione slapped his hand away and pushed the bowl of fruit towards him.

"I would like to take a look at this fake locket and the letter from our friend," said Severus. He took a sip of his coffee. "Since I knew most of the Death Eaters from the first war, I might have a clue as to who wrote the letter. Sam and I should also go to Diagon Alley and gather some supplies, especially if we're going to be holding summer school for you three."

"I think we need to look at that letter now," said Samantha in a careful tone. Severus raised an eyebrow at her. Samantha looked down into her tea, spinning the cup on her saucer. "Severus, brace yourself for that letter."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" said Severus. He looked at Harry. "You've got the locket with you, correct?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden chain, placing it in Severus's outstretched hand. He opened the locket with a smug look at Samantha and removed the letter. He unfolded the scrap of parchment and lowered his eyes. What little color was in his face vanished as Severus read the note. He threw it on the table and leapt out of his chair. The Trio looked at him with alarm, Harry reaching across for the letter. Severus ran a shaking hand over his face and began to pace the length of the room.

"Severus?" said Samantha softly. He didn't seem to hear her, even though his pacing was less noisy without the snap of a cloak. "Severus, is it who I think it is?"

"Who?" asked Harry as he passed the note to Ron. "Who do you think it is?"

"Regulus Black," said Severus, not slowing his pace. "I would recognize his handwriting anywhere, even if he didn't foolishly sign it with his initials. He was in my initiation class when I took the Mark. He was a couple of years younger than me, one of the youngest Death Eaters ever branded. But he had a deep knowledge of the Dark Arts and was an Arithmancy prodigy. Voldemort had Lucius personally recruit him, which was a high honor given that at the time, Lucius was the young rising star of Voldemort's troops." Severus fell silent and lengthened his stride.

"We both knew him from school," said Samantha. "He was one of our good friends, despite his being younger than us. He dropped out of school a month before we graduated and we never heard from him again. Severus found out he had been killed a few years later, but was never told why."

"More like stumbled across a mangled body with a familiar looking face if you ignored all the blood," muttered Severus.

Samantha coughed, quickly swallowing the bile that had risen. "Severus told Albus about his being murdered. I can only assume Albus told Sirius before all that stuff with Pettigrew happened. I was in hiding and Severus wasn't exactly on speaking terms with Sirius." She looked to Severus for confirmation.

"No, I didn't tell Black anything," said Severus. He slowed his pacing and sat heavily in a chair at the table. He hung his head, a hand massaging his temple.

"Do we know this for sure?" asked Hermione. "What was Regulus's middle name?"

"Arcturus," said Samantha. The Trio and Severus all looked at her. She shrugged a shoulder. "It's on the tapestry in the drawing room. I was looking at it yesterday before we left. I thought it might be him, but I wanted Severus to look at the note before I said anything for sure."

"Oh bloody hell," whispered Harry. He stood slowly and stumbled backwards away from the table as the rest of them eyed him with apprehension. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at Ron and Hermione. "Do you remember that cabinet we were cleaning last summer with all that Dark Arts stuff? There was a locket -" Harry swallowed thickly, his face ashen. "-a locket none of us could open, remember? If R.A.B. is Regulus Black -"

"And he was young enough to still be living at home when he found it," said Hermione continuing his thought. "Then it would make sense that he would have kept it here!"

"What happened to all that stuff?" said Ron, standing from the table. "We were just chunking it in great black bags! They never told us what they did with them!"

"DAMN IT!" cried Harry as he pounded his fist on the wall. He leaned his head against it.

Samantha looked at Severus. He still looked dazed at the news. She thought for a moment as she watched Kretcher's door open slightly and an eye look at them through the crack. She sneered at the elf, who promptly closed the door.

"Alright!" yelled Samantha. Everyone in the room jumped. She stood and glared at Severus. "Gabriel, snap out of it! We're gonna need your great mind. Mr. Potter," she turned to the young man gaping at her, "if you would be so kind as to call your wretched house-elf. We need his assistance."

"Kretcher!" shouted Harry. "Get out here now!"

The miserable elf yanked open his door and stalked slowly towards Harry. The Trio looked at Samantha, who pulled Severus up out of his chair.

"Mr. Potter," said Samantha with a hand on Severus's arm. "Please ask Kretcher if he knows what they did with those bags."

"Kretcher, where are the bags of stuff from the drawing room cabinet?" asked Harry. They watched the elf squirm in discomfort.

"They is in the attic," ground out Kretcher. The elf got a manic gleam in his eye. "Is Master going to put them back on display?"

"Thank you Kretcher, that will be all," said Harry icily. He turned and ran out the door, followed by a blur of red flame and bushy brown hair. Samantha pulled Severus along, racing to follow the kids.

"Come on, Gabriel," she said as they climbed the stairs. "As I recall, some of that stuff is pretty nasty. Wartcap powder and all kinds of interesting things."

"Really?" said Severus. He bound up the stairs ahead of Samantha, who raced to catch up. "I could use some of that for potions."

"Not legal potions, Severus," said Samantha as they rushed to the drop down ladder to get to the attic. The kids were nearly at the top. Severus grabbed the side of the ladder and motioned for Samantha to go first.

"Yes, Samantha," said Severus as he climbed behind her. "I am quite familiar as to the nature of any potion requiring that powder." They reached the top and looked around. The kids were all in different corners of the room, looking into the boxes and bags piled all over the room in disarray.

"This place is a mess," said Ron. He threw down a pile of old robes. "It'll take forever to go through all this stuff."

"Do not be so hasty, my young Gryffindor," said Samantha. She pulled out her wand. "There are other ways of finding things besides your eyes." She began to wave her wand around the room, casting various detection charms and spells. Most of the boxes and bags glowed a gentle blue. The Trio moved these over to the other side of the attic. Anything that glowed red, Severus moved to the big open area in the middle of the room. Samantha cast a charm on one, encasing a black bag in red light. Severus bent to pick it up, but dropped it with a yelp, cradling his left arm against his chest.

"Severus, what's wrong?" asked Samantha. She walked him over to where the ladder descended down to the lower floors. Severus opened his eyes and stared at Samantha with a strange look on his face. He undid his sleeve, revealing the ugly red brand of the Dark Mark. He narrowed his eyes, looking back at the sack with a calculating look. He approached the bag, holding his left arm out in front of him. He clenched his teeth as he got closer, the Mark burning a bright red. Samantha and Harry followed close behind him, one on either side. Severus bent down to touch the edge of the black bag. The Mark blazed black and Severus recoiled.

"Potter, let Sam open this one," said Severus shakily. He walked over to where Ron and Hermione were standing.

Samantha swallowed thickly and held Harry back with an outstretched arm. She carefully untied the bag and opened it slightly. She frowned at the -

"Robes?" asked Harry. He raised a hand to grab one. Samantha grabbed his wrist tightly.

"Please try to control these impulses you have to touch things, Mr. Potter," said Samantha as she let go of his arm. "Severus, I'm sorry, but we're going to need your arm."

"Wonderful," said Severus in a dull tone. "I love being a Dark Arts detector."

"Beats being a Voldemort emotion detector, sir," said Harry. "At least your scar is useful."

"Thank you for spotting the silver lining, Potter," growled Severus. He stood to Samantha's right. She flicked her wand at the top robe and levitated it over near Severus. He shook his head. She let the robe drop on the floor and levitated another robe. She eventually reached the bottom of the bag and lifted up a smaller bag with her wand. As she brought the bag closer to Severus, he hissed and grabbed his arm.

"That's it, Sam," growled Severus. She pushed Harry back a bit and put the bag on the floor. With quick movements, she undid the bag, keeping her fingers from touching it too much. Once the ties were loose, she grabbed a corner of the bag between two fingers and dumped the contents out on the floor.

Several jewels and gems fell out of the bag. But they all gasped at the golden locket that lay on the floor. Harry bent and picked it up. He turned it over in his hand as he straightened back up.

"I think this is it," he whispered. Ron and Hermione walked over and looked at the necklace in his hand.

"Do you not feel anything in your scar?" asked Severus as he tried to get a look at the locket from where he stood.

Harry shook his head. "No, sir, nothing. It was the same way with the diary. I could hold it and read it and everything without so much as a twinge." Hefrowned in thought."Why does your Mark burn if I can't feel it in my scar?"

"Our Marks always burn in the presence of Voldemort," said Severus angrily. "One of the more pleasant side effects of the branding. Usually, my Occlumency is so strong that it blocks the pain."

Harry turned the locket over and looked at the back. "There's some markings on the casing. In the memory I looked at, the locket had Slytherin's mark on it, but I don't know enough about it to know if these markings are the same or not."

"I've seen his mark in a book I have in my room," said Severus. "Let me go get it and you all can look at it. My arm can't take getting much closer to that thing." He climbed back down the ladder.

Samantha took the locket from Harry and looked at it. It wasn't all that remarkable, in her opinion. It was nice, yes, but it looked so innocuous, so innocent.

"So if this is it," said Ron, eyeing the locket with distaste, "how are we supposed to get rid of it?"

"Well," said Harry as he touched the locket with his finger. "With the diary, I stuck the Basilisk's tooth through it. His soul just exploded into a million pieces."

"Basilisk poison is very caustic in concentrated amounts," mumbled Samantha. "Maybe Severus can find a potion or something to melt the thing, and destroy this part of the Dark Lord at the same time." She turned towards the opening as Severus climbed back up into the attic holding a book. He flipped to the middle of the book and handed it to Hermione. The others looked over her shoulder as Samantha held the locket in her palm.

"They match," whispered Harry. He glanced at Samantha, who nodded.

"Excellent," she said as Harry took the necklace in his hand. "Mr. Potter, please go and put that somewhere safe and hidden from Kretcher. We don't want to risk him running across it and stealing it." The boy nodded and climbed back down the ladder, followed by Ron and Hermione. Samantha turned to Severus, who was leaning against the wall in thought.

"Potter said that he stuck a Basilisk tooth through the last Horcrux and destroyed it," said Samantha softly. "Do you think some kind of caustic potion would work on this one?"

He shook his head slowly. "It would be tricky, Sam. If we don't destroy the soul held inside but break the locket open, it could enter into anything or anyone." He sighed."I would have to look through my books and maybe the books downstairs. If Regulus was planning on destroying it when he stole it, maybe he knew how and left something here."

"Okay," said Samantha. "We'll look through the library this afternoon."

"We should go to Diagon Alley before that and pick up some supplies," said Severus. They walked over to the ladder, Severus climbing down first and helping Samantha. "I need to get some Potion supplies for the kids so that we can have them brew some mixtures for practice. I also need to go to Gringott's and get some items out of my vault."

"It's going to take us forever to get through security at Gringott's," said Samantha as they descended the stairs to the third floor.

"Then we should leave soon, then, shouldn't we," said Severus. He knocked on a door.

"Come in," said a male voice. Severus opened the door and stepped inside.

"Sam and I are going to Diagon Alley," he told the Trio. "You all are to stay here. Please try not to get into any trouble. I know that's asking a lot from the three of you, but hopefully today will be my lucky day."

"Alright," said Hermione with a grin, "we'll see you when you get back."

"It may be a while," said Samantha from the hall. "We have to go to Gringott's, but we should definitely be back before dinner."

"You two have fun, then," said Ron cheekily, doing his best imitation of his mother. "Behave yourselves and don't get into any trouble."

"Yes, we'll keep that in mind," said Severus as he shut the door. "I am going to end up strangling Weasley by the time this is over."

Samantha laughed. They went to their rooms to change into robes. Samantha was pulling on her cloak as she walked into Severus's room. He was standing in front of the mirror, changing his hair color and length. He turned around and held out his arms. "Well, Sam, what to you think about Jacob Prince?"

Samantha tilted her head at him, looking over his hazel eyes and emerald robes. She walked over and touched his face.

"He's alright," she said with a smirk. "Most women would think he's really handsome and charming."

"Hmm…handsome and charming," said Severus as put his hands on her waist. "Do you think he's handsome and charming, my dear Samantha?"

"Not really," she said with a wide grin. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He grabbed her hand and they left for the park to disapparate.