Happy weekend friends!

I'd like to note: nine months did not pass while Penny was at the ministry, so fret not, no baby! But what Yaxley was referring to will be revealed and you may hate me! But we will see, that'll be at the end of Ootp when Penny returns to the DoM with the crew!

I know the last chapter was mean so I tried to add some happiness to this one, I hope you enjoy it! There is nothing more fun than writing a Malfoy, haha! Thanks for reading and stay happy

The front door swung shut, the sofa skirting back into place with a swish of Snape's wand, leaving nothing between Penny and Lucius Malfoy. She stared up at him, her teeth gritted in an attempt to qualm her shaking.

"You know you have to feed your pets, Severus." Malfoy said.

"Indeed, Lucius. As it turns out, Ms. Potter is residing here because of an ailment that has made it difficult for her to keep down much. My efforts appear to be helping, but the work is, nevertheless, tedious," Snape said, his eyes lingering on Penny, pointedly.

"How disgustingly charitable of you," Malfoy said, his lip curling. "I suppose the sickness is the result of ill-breeding."

"Or Voldemort murdering my boyfriend, but whatever helps you sleep at night," Penny said, finally finding her voice.

"She uses the Dark Lord's name?" Malfoy said, turning to Snape.

"Don't look so surprised, Lucius, she is a Potter after all, and all Potters think the rules don't apply to them."

"Rules? You mean like the law that says torturing a teenage boy in a graveyard should lead to a cell in Azkaban? Or is it just more convenient to refer to rules in the hypothetical sense?" Penny said, looking between Lucius and Snape.

She could see the warning flash in Snape's eyes but did not care she was throwing caution to the wind. He'd already invited them in without a thought for Penny or her feelings on the matter. Being harassed was not what she signed up for today and refused to let the three men before her trample all over her, Death Eaters or not.

Yaxley's horrendous cackle filled the air again. "I am the law, Penny. Come back to the Department of Mysteries and I can remind you of all the things I can make legal," he said, moving past Snape to make himself comfortable on the couch, his eyes not leaving Penny.

"Open your mouth again, Yaxley, and they'll be in need of your replacement," interjected the cold voice of Snape.

"Now, now, Severus, Yaxley meant nothing by it. But I do think we should correct our little friend here, who seems to be deluded into believing the lies of her brother," Lucius said, softly, moving forward to circle Penny like a vulture. "Haven't you read the Daily Prophet, Penny? It seems your brother is prone to episodes . But don't worry, the Ministry has assured the public his little fairy tale remains a figment of his imagination," Lucius went on, smirking at Yaxley as he continued his circle.

"So Cedric Diggory just dropped dead of his own accord then?" Penny spat, throwing a furious look at Snape, who remained fixed to the spot.

"He wouldn't be the first nor last to die from a moment of stupidity."

"I'll be sure to wait with bated breath for your moment. Voldemort can't stay in hiding for long, it's not in his nature, but I'm sure he just needs to recover a little after the shame of losing to Harry for the second time. Bit embarrassing, losing to a 14-year old and all," Penny said with a smirk of her own.

Anger flashed across Lucius's face, darkening all his features, stopping him dead in his tracks to change direction and begin taking slow steps toward her.

"You forget your place, Potter, but no matter, I can teach it to you. If the Dark Lord had returned, one would want to be careful of the company they kept, especially one as delicate as you," he said, continuing his advance on her.

Penny stumbled away from him, not taking her eyes from his hand, waiting for it to twitch to his wand. Her back pressed against a cold bookcase, having no room left to move. This did not stop Lucius, who pressed into her bubble.

"With that out of control magic of yours, if anything were to happen to you, it might be assumed it was a terrible accident," he whispered in her ear.

The strong smell of aftershave hit Penny, intermingling with spearmint. Up close, even for his age, his features remained smooth and handsome, much like his son, Draco. But the attractiveness could not hide the evil that lingered behind his grey eyes, the malice and intent to harm. Penny suddenly understood what murder looked like and it sent a spiral of fear up her spine. Her whole body shook against her will, reminding her of how pathetic she was, wand-less, defenseless, alone and foolish. Of course, Lucius knew all of this and soaked in the pleasure of watching her flounder beneath his power.

"Oh, what's wrong, Penny, don't you like that idea?" Lucius said, grasping her throat with one hand and squeezing.

Penny coughed, her hands moving instinctively to try to pull his hand from her to free her airway, but they were helpless against his strength. Her brow furrowed, watching the cold grey eyes, which seemed to brighten with each sputtering breath of hers.

He wanted to force the life from her, to watch her agonizingly struggle against his will, but before he could see his action to its end, he was lifted several inches into the air and thrown sideways, toppling to a heap on the floor. Though the exchange had only lasted for a few seconds, Penny gasped in air, the freedom of being able to breathe again filling her with a sense of safety. Then she turned, confused about what had happened.

Snape stood, oozing fury, his wand out, staring at Lucius with violent vehemence.

"Get out," he said so quietly, Penny wasn't even sure he spoke.

Registering what happened, Yaxley jumped to his feet, waving his wand, but he flew backward before he even straightened himself, Snape's wand moving so fast, Penny barely caught sight of it. He hadn't even bothered to look away from Lucius, who was getting to his feet to dust himself off, looking mutinous.

"I underestimated you, Severus. You would throw away our friendship for this girl?" Lucius spat, wiping blood from his lip.

"I warned you. . .not to touch her."

"She's the daughter of a mudblood-"

"GET OUT," Snape screamed, blasting a vase beside Lucius's head, and then a picture frame on the other side.

Penny jumped, startled by it, terrified by the anger exuding from Snape. She was utterly confused, watching the man, his wand perfectly steady in his hand, pointed at Malfoy, a fellow Death Eater and friend. Penny was afraid to believe that Snape was choosing her over them, that he'd come to her aid so recklessly. It deeply touched her and made her inexplicably angry at the same time.

"As you wish," Lucius said, slowly, his eyes darting momentarily to Penny before he and Yaxley made for the door, shutting it with a snap.

For a moment, the only sound to be heard was each of their panting. Finally composing herself enough, Penny marched across the room and shoved Snape with all her might. His jaw clenched as he looked down on her in irritation, Penny shoving him again.

"You are a jackass!" she shouted, resorting to hitting his chest with her first because he'd decided he was not budging any more. "You think you get to be the hero after inviting them in here without any warning!"

"Stop acting like a spoiled brat, Potter. You got yourself into a foolish situation because of your carelessness. Did you want Lucius to continue his lesson, because I can guarantee you wouldn't have liked it," hissed Snape.

"Yeah? Is it something you're familiar with, then? Perhaps something you do to others often? Do you have any idea what Yaxley did to me. . .Did you stop to think for one second what it feels like to be on the receiving end of people like you!"

"Why don't you say what you really mean, Potter. What are you afraid of hmm?" Snape said, grabbing the fist beating him, with a bruising grip.

"Why? Does the title make you feel special?" Penny said, scathingly.

"Do you imagine that I enjoy risking my neck? That there aren't other things I wouldn't prefer to be doing?" Snape spat, his whole frame shaking in fury.

"What I think is, that looked like it came a little too naturally to you. And that it took you an alarming length of time to stop trying to look cool in front of your friends at my expense."

With what looked to be a great force of will, Snape released her hand, took several steps away from her, grabbed a vase and threw it at the wall, yelling as he did so.

"What's wrong, Penny, did you delude yourself into thinking I was the nice spy, that I could show up and tell the Dark Lord no to anything you might deem unsavory? Did you not imagine he would find my sudden unwillingness to serve suspicious; that it could be me at any time that doesn't come back if I do not play my role well!" he said, manically, lobbing another trinket he picked up from the coffee table.

Penny watched him, looking past the violent outburst and seeing the cracks in his facade. She'd never seen him so unhinged, so far from his normal composure. With heavy regret, she understood the terrible toll his role took on him. It made her think that perhaps he was a little like her-that sometimes he wished didn't have to be Dumbledore's spy or Voldemort's spy, that he wished he could be-just a man. A man who didn't pay for an awful mistake for the rest of his life.

Penny walked calmly across the room toward the raging beast of a man, unafraid.

"Give me your hand," Penny said, gently.

Snape turned his bulging eyes on her, narrowing them in suspicion. But he did not budge. Sighing impatiently, she reached for his left arm and pulled him to the sofa, pushing him onto it. Sitting beside him, she took his left arm in her hand, turning it over to reveal the buttons of his shirt on his wrist.

"What're you doing, Potter-"

"Just, shut up for a moment," Penny said, more impatiently than she intended. "Please," she quickly added, glancing apologetically at him.

The vein pulsed in his forehead, but he remained silent, flinching slightly when she revealed the mark emblazoned on his muscular forearm. He looked at his mark, pain cutting across his face as he did so. Penny waited for him to finally look away and meet her green eyes. Then, very slowly, not taking hers from his, she touched the mark, watching him recoil as she did so, gripping his wrist tighter in assurance. His brow furrowed in confusion, but the tension eased, allowing Penny to look away from him and watch as she carefully traced the outline of his mark with her pointer finger.

"I'm still mad at you for letting Yaxley in here. But. . ." she began, the pleasant tingling emanating from his skin, zapping all the irritation from her. "It doesn't matter. I don't know why you got this mark on your arm, but honestly, I don't care. I know who you are. You can't scare me away from you Severus Snape, I'm sorry for making you think you could," Penny said, her voice getting steadily quieter as she went on.

Normally, these emotional exchanges did not go well with Snape, which was why Penny tried hard to avoid them. But since Cedric died, something between them had changed. The barrier Snape usually liked to keep between them had slid away and neither of them wanted to put it back. It was odd for Penny, but she could not deny it-even though there was a gaping hole where Cedric had been, being near Snape somehow made her feel whole again, like she was exactly as she should be.

A heavy sigh from him distracted her from her thoughts. She glanced sideways just as his heavy frame leaned into hers, his head resting against her own. Her heart thumped quickly in her chest, the wave of bergamot smothering her with its intoxication. His dark hair felt soft against her cheek, so unlike his firm frame. Penny found herself closing her eyes and leaning back into him, continuing her tracing on his forearm.

She listened to his methodic breathing, wondering what was going inside his head. As though he heard her question, he said, "He won't touch you again. . ."

"When you asked me about the memory you saw, did you suspect he altered my memories?" Penny asked, releasing the thought that was weighing on her chest.

"The split was sloppy, much like all of Yaxley's work," Snape said, his voice suddenly cold.

Penny couldn't help but laugh. Truth be told, when Snape had asked her about the memory, she did not want to think about it, did not want to accept the possibility. But hearing Yaxley's words, Penny could no longer pretend. His utterance of "first born" filled her with dread. She both wanted to know what he meant and to forget the encounter entirely.

"Would you like to know?" Snape asked, stiffly..

"Yes-No. . .Maybe? Ask me again later, right nowI just want a nap. Wake me up if I have another nightmare," Penny said, ending her tracing and wrapping her hand around his forearm as though if she held onto it, she could not fall into the darkness hiding within her.

"Tommy says you're lying," the bright blue-eyed girl said.

"Lying about what?" Penny asked.

"About Dumbledore. He doesn't believe someone that good and powerful exists, that he has to be made up," the girl went on, looking desperately at Penny.

"Dumbledore is pretty fantastical, isn't he? But I assure you he is real."

"Describe him again to me!"

"Alright," Penny smiled, pulling the girl into her lap and rubbing her head. "He wears vibrant blue robes that match his brilliant blue eyes and he has this really long beard that I could tie you up three times with!"

"Three! That's not possible."

"Fine, but it's really long," Penny laughed.

"And he keeps sweets in his office!" the girl added.

"Of course. The last time I was there he had chocolate frogs."

"And-" the girl said, pausing nervously. "And does he really protect the children? Even orphans?"

"Yes he does. He is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. He even let my good friend, who is a werewolf, come to school," Penny said with a reassuring smile.

"A werewolf," the girl said with a shudder.

The tinkling of keys at the door sent waves of stiffness into the small body in Penny's arms. The door swung open, and two towering figures shrouded in darkness loomed over them, reaching for them, pulling at the girl in Penny's arms.

"It's not your turn yet," one growled, kicking Penny in the side.

"Let her go!" Penny yelled, wrestling against the warm, slimy hands, only to receive a blow to the head.

Stars springing in her vision, screaming filled her ears. People were screaming, but how many, Penny did not know. They were all blending together, until she realized it was she that was screaming. Blinking several times, the black figure loomed over her, holding her arms, and pinning her, but it's grip felt distinctly different. It was cold, and softer. Then it touched her face, and her eyes processed that she was looking at Snape. Penny stopped screaming abruptly, reaching to touch the hand on her face in an attempt to ground herself.

"Thanks," Penny muttered after a moment.

Snape let her go and lifted her into a sitting position. He checked her pulse and watched her for several minutes as she tried to calm her breathing. When she finally glanced at him, she realized he must have been asleep as well. His hair was disheveled and there was a red mark on the side of his cheek, causing her to laugh.

"I forget you're human," Penny grinned.

Snape rolled his eyes and got to his feet.

"Come, you've been inside too long."

"Where are we going?" Penny asked hopefully.

"Nowhere until you change into some actual clothing," he replied, glancing down at her reproachfully.

"And if I change, then where?" Penny pressed.

"Out," was the only response she received.

Ten minutes later they were walking down the warm, shabby streets of Cokeworth. It was a rough neighborhood, full of some sketchy looking characters. Taking a good look around, Penny understood why Snape forbade her from going out alone. Cokeworth was nothing like Surrey.

But the warm night air was gloriously refreshing, the cool breeze blowing through Penny's hair. Above them, the sky was a beautiful pink as the sun started to dip toward the horizon. After they'd been walking for twenty minutes, Snape stopped at a shabby looking shop, pointed to a small table seated out the front, and bade Penny stay.

Knowing better than to argue or try to get a groggy Snape to give any more details, Penny did as she was told and saved Snape a seat. He returned after several minutes, a bag in hand. Penny sat up straighter, feeling intensely curious but trying very hard not to look it. From within the bag, Snape pulled a pint of rocky road ice cream and two spoons. In the most bizarre sequence of events Penny had ever seen her potions master partake in, he pulled off the lid, slid the ice cream to the middle of the table, handed her a spoon and immediately scooped himself the first bite.

Penny stared at the man, dumbfounded. Was Severus Snape sharing ice cream with her?

"You eat ice cream?" Penny said, unable to hide her astonishment.

"Why are you asking me a question your eyes can answer?" he said, dryly.

"But you're. . ."

"Human," he offered, looking up at her with a damning arch of his brow.

"Maybe. . ." Penny said, with a mischievous grin.

"What are you doing now, Potter?"

"It's Penny. But I'm testing how human you are. I mean, we are sitting here sharing ice cream, and in every muggle movie ever someone always feeds the other one at least one bite," Penny said, leaning across the table, flying her spoon full of ice cream toward Snape like an airplane.

"If you do not desist, you will sleep outside," Snape said, icily.

"Fine. After you tried to drown me with the hose, I wouldn't put it past you," Penny said bitterly, taking a bite of the ice cream.

"And I wouldn't put it past you to be the only person capable of drowning from a hose."

Penny rolled her eyes, but made no retort, not wanting to ruin the mood. The two of them sat quietly, enjoying the last of the evening sun, watching as the stars replaced the pink. Even after they finished their ice cream, they remained, watching the twinkling lights above them, enjoying the stillness surrounding them.

"Look, a shooting star!" Penny exclaimed, pointing wildly.

"Hmm?"

"Did you see it!" Penny demanded.

"Yes, Potter, I saw it," Snape drawled.

"Make a wish, quick!" Penny said, thinking hard on what her own wish would be.

"I'm not six."

"Fine, you spoil sport, I'll make a wish for both of us," Penny said definitely.

"I am confident that's not how that works," Snape said, and Penny could hear the eye-roll in his tone.

"I wish we could do this again sometime," Penny finally said.

"You wasted the wish on that." Snape asked, sounding thoroughly unimpressed.

"Excuse me, but I believe you said you weren't even participating, so no complaining," Penny said, her eyes narrowing.

"I do wonder why you'd wish for something you need only ask for," Snape replied, getting to his feet.

"Fine, you choose our wish," Penny said, blocking his path in challenge.

She crossed her arms, as though she would look intimidating enough to prevent Snape from doing exactly what he wanted. The street light flickered above them, casting Snape in orangish light. He looked down at her, surveying her for several moments.

"Don't forget this," Snape said, and then pushed her out of the way and began walking home.

It took Penny several minutes to process Snape's words. As heart warming as they were, filling Penny with a sense of hope that perhaps he was finally coming to accept and need their relationship the way she did-she could not shake the feeling of foreboding that accompanied his words.