Maria Hanuschak: Uncle was pleased with the raid, and sent me back to my estate to continue with making minor healing potions and, of course, more reading. A week later though, he asked for me to create an antidote for the potion I had created earlier. He had been using it as a torture device, but thought he could gain more information by giving it to someone then showing them the antidote if they gave him what he wanted. I began work on that, which took far less time though, as Severus was again partnered with me for help; yet, he somehow knew exactly what was necessary to make an antidote. I was also conscripted to develop an Icarus Potion with similar effects to the spell. The Icarus spell, as you know, causes the middle layers of the skin to melt, blister, and then burst. It's a very painful spell as you can well imagine. Creating a sister potion to it was difficult. I worked on it alone, without Severus. It was completed in May. I was then asked to combine it with the Ashwinder potion so that both effects could be assumed through a singular potion, a perfect choice for a long and painful death that began its effects immediately. It took some time to reconfigure the bases correctly, but I finished for him in August.

Between the first raid in November and August of the next year, I was called to seven more raids. I killed twelve people. I don't know the names of the people or places where I was sent. I was not at the Battle of Hogwarts though; I want to make that clear. I aided the recovery of the Death Eaters after it, but had no hand in the actual battle.

Chief Warlock Greene: The raids aforementioned were the Smythe, George, Chester, Mayfield, Davis, Bowen and Greenwood raids. Continue with the Battle of Hogwarts.

Maria Hanuschak: As you know, my cousin Draco, and Severus Snape both fled Hogwarts after the battle. Uncle had given Severus instructions to Apparate to where Uncle and I would be. I was to heal the injured as Uncle read their minds. Severus was unusually calm in comparison to the others. I healed everyone though; the names or descriptions are on a list I gave to the Wizengamot already.

Chief Warlock Greene: The list is found on page twenty-three of the Nolan Commission findings. Continue.

Maria Hanuschak: It was then, after the Battle of Hogwarts, that Uncle came to me and gave me the assignment that would be his undoing. He told me I was to stay with Severus and Draco in an unplottable cottage. I would be the liaison between the outside world and them. Draco was not to leave the cottage grounds, Severus could leave for no longer than fifteen minutes. I was given full liberties in managing them, anything I deemed necessary was correct.

I Apparated to the cottage to find Severus and Draco already there.

"You must be the warden," Severus said dryly.

"The entire wizarding world is going to be looking for you. You can't be walking about," I replied to him.

Draco said nothing. He simply looked at the ground as he sat on a sofa. The poor boy, he was in such shock. Eventually he went to one of the bedrooms and fell asleep, though it was fitful. Severus retired as well and eventually, after checking on my cousin, so did I.

It was a few weeks into this confinement when Severus left for a walk. I watched the clock when he left, but I felt no worries about his compliance. It was then that I heard Draco. I walked to his room where he was crying on his bed, sobbing so deeply he shook.

"Draco, Draco, what's wrong?" I asked him. He just looked at me and burst into tears again.

"Why did you choose me? Why did you choose me to hold your arm?" he sobbed to me.

"I knew that it would affect you the most," I said to him; attempting to comfort him.

"Maria, why…" he paused and began anew, "Maria, is all this worth it? Was all this pain and loss worth it? What is this "it" anyway?"

"Yes, Draco, it is worth it. The "it" is what we make our lives around. The "it" is our pride and our dreams," I explained to him.

"Will you hold me?" he said after a long pause.

"Yes." And I held him until he stopped crying and stopped shaking.

"Draco," I said, "You know that I will be here for you. We are blood and nothing can change that."

He lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. His gaze was penetrating; there was a maturity in them that had not been there before. When had my cousin grown up? He looked away then; contemplating something. He turned again to my eyes.

"Maria, I don't know if this is right to ask, but would you lay with me?" I realized he would ask it as soon as he started speaking, but I also knew why he asked for it. His eyes have always been expressive, he says wonders with them. He did not want the act as an act alone. This intimacy would be to consummate a trust between us, a trust that could not be broken. It would prove our loyalty to our blood; to ourselves. It would join us together in a way that could not be betrayed. It would only ever be done once and both of us knew that. I answered him with a kiss and he quickly became as men do. We made our trust then, without regard to anything else.

I do not know when Severus came back during the course of everything. I do not know if heard or saw anything. All I know is that when I came down, he was drinking tea by the fire, silently watching the flames.