Part 4

Harry didn't want to lose his soul. Snape hadn't explained exactly what it involved, when Harry pushed him on why the demon said he'd be back in ten years, except that it didn't involve Dementors.

Not that Harry really understood what losing his soul meant, or what a Dementor was, except that they came at night to suck out the souls of naughty children. At least according to Bill Weasley, but Harry had his doubts because they hadn't sucked out Fred and George's souls yet, and they were the naughtiest people Harry knew.

However it happened, Harry didn't want to lose his soul in ten years. He also didn't want to lose his new-found knowledge, at least not without healing Calla first, which he couldn't do until he saw her and examined her for himself. He was pretty sure he could, anyway. He must be able to with all this information about healing and medicine.

"You will cure the girl," Snape said gruffly on Monday. He hadn't tried to hex Harry this morning, but he'd been awake before Harry. Harry had a suspicion Snape had been up all night. "I will make sure of that much before freeing you from this demon deal."

"Can you do that?" Harry asked hopefully. "I really don't want to lose my soul."

"That will not happen, I assure you."

"You promise? You swear on your magic?"

Snape raised an eyebrow at that, but Harry glared back at him. Everyone knew if you promised on your magic and broke it then you became a squib and had to go live with Muggles for the rest of your life. Harry wanted that assurance from Snape on this.

"I swear on my magic," Snape promised solemnly, "that I will prevent demons from taking your soul."

Harry nodded just as solemnly. "Good. And you'll help me see Calla so I can heal her?"

"Yes. Are you ready to go?"

"No, you haven't made my lunch."

Snape stared blankly at him.

"I need a packed lunch. For lunch time?"

Snape scowled then – as if Harry was the one being stupid! – but went to the kitchen and packed him up a lunch. Finally ready, they headed out

"Remember to tell no one about the demon," Snape reminded him as they walked towards the Apparition point by the river. "No one."

"I know."

"And don't reveal –"

"Don't show them what I know. I know, you told me already fifty times."

"It was not fifty times," Snape said curtly, "and I need to be sure you remember. If anyone finds out, they might deem me an unfit parent and take you away." He paused, then added, "If they do, no one else would save your soul, nor let you see your sister."

Harry kicked a loose pebble, angry and scared. "I won't tell anyone, I swear it."

"On your magic?"

Harry stopped, gaping up at him. Snape looked down with a raised eyebrow. But it was only fair, wasn't it? Snape had promised on his magic, so Harry should too.

"I swear on my magic I won't tell anyone about the demon deal."

Snape nodded and set off again.

They were a little late arriving at the school, Apparating onto the edge of the playground, so all the other kids were already there, and Harry waved to them, getting several waves back. They all stared openly at Snape, curious, but he scowled and they quickly looked away.

Mrs Weasley was trying to get everyone in order before heading inside, which today included breaking up a fight between Sonya Fawcett and Angelina Johnson. Harry grimaced at the sight; Sonya only got into fights when her parents had been arguing really bad. Mrs Weasley noticed Harry and Snape as they approached, but unable to leave the girls she just turned her head and yelled for Mr Lupin.

Snape's hand clutched Harry's shoulder, stopping him short, fingers digging in so hard it hurt.

"Ow!"

Snape's grip loosened slightly, but he didn't respond to Harry, his gaze instead fixed on the double doors into the school, where Mr Lupin had appeared. Harry had thought Snape looked angry when he found Harry talking to Nemo on Saturday out in the street, but it was nothing to the look on his face right now.

Mr Lupin stared back at Snape with an unusually solemn expression. He looked tired – he'd been sick again lately, not teaching them last Thursday and Friday – but even so Harry had never seen him looking like he did right now. Even tired, Mr Lupin was nearly always smiling, and he never yelled at them like Mrs Weasley did when they misbehaved. He would just look at them sadly and say he was disappointed, which was worse, but if they proved they were really sorry and behaved well then he'd smile and say how pleased he was with them.

Right now he just looked incredibly sad.

Mr Lupin sighed softly, unheard but visible from across the playground, then stepped out and started towards Harry and Snape. Snape let go of Harry's shoulder finally, but only to step in front of him and draw his wand.

Mr Lupin stopped a little way from them. "Good morning, Severus. Hello, Harry."

"Hi, Mr –"

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Harry gaped up at him then quickly looked to Mr Lupin for his reaction.

Mr Lupin frowned – that initial disappointed look that usually stopped slight misbehaviour from getting worse – and answered, "I work here."

"You?" Snape voice practically dripped with disgust.

Harry was staring at Mr Lupin, so he noticed the very slight glimmer of fear on his face when the man glanced down past Snape to Harry, but it passed quickly and his expression was calm when he returned his gaze to Snape.

"Yes, me. I have been since it was established, and there've been no complaints or problems. I'm sure you'd have heard about it if there were, so I don't see that you have any right to complain."

"Oh, you think so?"

"Yes," Mr Lupin said, voice hardening slightly, "and if you disagree then we can discuss it in the office, away from the children."

Snape didn't answer immediately, fingers twitching slightly on his wand. His gaze flicked towards the crowd of kids across the playground, then his head turned slightly to get a glimpse of Harry.

He looked back to Mr Lupin, but said, "Go join the other kids, Harry."

Harry hesitated, looking between the two men, but Mr Lupin smiled gently at him and nodded, and Snape ordered, "Go!" so Harry headed across the playground. Snape shifted as he went, staying between Harry and Mr Lupin the entire time.

Mrs Weasley had broken up the fight so the other kids, eager for something more interesting than a scolding, all gathered around Harry, pestering him with questions. He answered them absently, watching Snape and Mr Lupin enter the building. He had no idea what their confrontation had been about, but he really hoped Snape didn't change his mind about Harry still going here because of it.

The school's office was reasonably sized, crammed with a messy desk, a filing cabinet shoved in one corner, a sofa and a sideboard with a kettle and tea things. Severus entered it behind Lupin, wand still in hand and gaze never leaving the werewolf as he shut the door and moved to the desk.

"Does Weasley know what you are?"

"Yes," Lupin answered calmly. "As does James, of course, and he still presides over the school even if he doesn't work here."

Severus' lip curled. "Yet again Potter proves his utter unsuitably to be even tangentially caring for children, as if the way he abandoned my son wasn't enough."

Lupin leant against the desk, hands loosely clutching the edges. "He's sorry about –"

"Don't apologise for him."

Lupin frowned, but nodded. "I shouldn't, I suppose. But he does feel bad for throwing Harry out like he did."

"He's not getting him back. If he even thinks –"

Lupin shook his head. "He won't do that. He wishes he hadn't been so abrupt and callous in how he did it, but he still doesn't want Harry living with him."

"What happened to the girl wasn't Harry's fault," Severus snapped. That might not be entirely true – Severus hadn't been there, he only knew what Harry and Fawcett told him – but he'd defend his son against any accusation from Potter.

But Lupin just said, "I know. I think James knows, too, he's just too upset at the moment to think clearly. Harry would never intentionally hurt Calla." He paused then, worrying briefly at his lip before saying, "But that's not what you came here to discuss."

"I didn't come here to discuss anything."

Lupin appeared calm as he looked at Severus, but his hands tightened on the desk and his gaze flickered briefly to the wand still in Severus' hand.

"Are you going to tell everyone about… me?" When Severus didn't immediately answer, he hurried to add, "I'm not a danger. I don't work the six days around the full moon and I take the new Wolfsbane Potion. Have you heard of it? It –"

"Yes," Severus interrupted shortly; it was one of the legal potions he brewed and sold. "I also know how expensive it is. You expect me to believe you can afford it? I seriously doubt Potter pays you that much. Doesn't this place run on donations?"

Lupin looked faintly embarrassed. "Yes. My salary is – well, anyway, I have other means."

"Really?" Severus drawled. "You manage to keep two jobs? I am astounded."

Lupin scratched his chin. "Well, not precisely. I merely – my finances are really none of your concern anyway," he said, finally showing a modicum of backbone.

Severus considered him, considered what he'd heard about his old schoolmates over the years, and slowly smiled. Lupin tensed.

"Dear me, Lupin, there's no need to be ashamed," Severus said silkily. "Really, for a thing like you, being a kept man is a remarkable achievement, though it doesn't surprise me in the least that Black is into bestiality."

Lupin straightened up, knocking a quill to the floor in his haste, and it was Severus' turn to tense, wand raising. For a moment they just stared at each other, Severus ready to hex him and Lupin looking as if he was about to pounce, until Lupin sat back again.

"You didn't answer my question. Do you intend to tell anyone about me?"

"And if I do?"

"They'd shut us down, Severus." Lupin almost sounded pleading; Severus almost enjoyed it. "You know they would, despite the fact we've never had a problem in five years. Would you do that to all those kids?"

He gestured at the door, through which they could hear the chatter of young voices and a small stampede of footsteps passing.

As if Severus gave a damn about any except one of them.

He sneered at Lupin. "Would I save them from getting eaten by their teacher?"

Lupin clenched his hands against the desk. "I told you, I'm no danger to them."

"The Wolfsbane Potion is no guarantee –"

"I'm not even here at nights, Severus, and neither are they!" Lupin glared at him; Severus glared right back. "Just answer me straight, for Merlin's sake, because if you intend to tell then I'd rather just quit."

Severus raised an eyebrow at that. "You would quit?"

Lupin nodded stiffly. "If it keeps you from telling people, then yes. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I'd rather that than the school having to shut down because of me."

"So your livelihood is in my hands."

Lupin didn't answer that, just looked at him. It wasn't a pleading look, which Severus was tempted to demand. He wondered just how much he could ask for to keep his silence and not demand Lupin's immediate resignation.

There was a quick sharp knock on the door before it swung open and Weasley stuck her head in.

"Are you nearly done, Remus? The older ones are ready to start their lessons. Oh," she said then, noticing Severus' wand. She stepped inside properly, pushing the door shut behind her. "Is everything alright in here?"

Lupin looked at Severus. Severus stared back, glanced at Weasley, who was frowning deeply now, then back at Lupin. He bit back a sigh.

"Everything is fine if Lupin would hurry up with the paperwork I came here to deal with."

Weasley looked to Lupin, who gave her a nod. "There's some maths worksheets on the desk," he told her. "Get them started on those and I'll be out soon."

Weasley nodded then turned to Severus. "Mr Snape, isn't it? Harry's… father."

Severus nodded curtly. Weasley didn't offer her hand, and neither did he. She was eyeing him somewhat distastefully; because she'd found him with his wand out, or because she knew and disapproved of him fathering a bastard? He'd have to find out just how much Fawcett and Potter and had told people about the circumstances of Harry's conception.

"Well," Weasley said stiffly, "it's a pleasure to meet you, and I'm very glad Harry's staying with us. I'm sure things are difficult enough for him at the moment without taking him out of school, too."

Severus said nothing. Weasley sniffed and left. The door clicked shut again.

"Thank you, Severus," Lupin said.

Severus turned dark eyes on him. "Don't thank me yet, Lupin. I could still change my mind." He paused to let Lupin absorb that, then added, "But I want something from you."

Lupin eyed him warily. "What?"

"Harry wants to see the girl. His sister."

"She has a name," Lupin interrupted.

Severus ignored him. "I assume you've got visitation rights. I want your help to get Harry and I in to see her."

"And you?"

"I'm not leaving my son alone with you."

Lupin looked sad at that, but didn't argue with him. "It won't be easy. James has barely left Calla's room since the accident."

"Find a way to make it happen, or the whole world finds out what you are."

"Severus, you can't –" Lupin objected, but stopped short at Severus' glare. He sighed. "Alright, I'll figure something out."

"Make sure you do. Now, there's paperwork I need to sign?"

Three days was not enough. Severus knew it wouldn't be. He couldn't even get Harry into St Mungo's in that time; no amount of threats could speed up Lupin's work on that.

Which only left him one option. There was no hope of finding and convincing some child to give up their soul for Harry's in the time he had, but finding out about Alison Morgan's children was all too easy. He remembered her name, and her sudden promotion to superintendent made the news, so it wasn't hard to find her workplace. From there, a few discreet spells got him her home address. He visited the house briefly on Monday afternoon while it was empty, to get an idea of the layout, then returned that night.

It wasn't hard to sneak through a Muggle house undetected, but it reminded him uncomfortably of those few years working for the Dark Lord. He hadn't often joined the raiding teams, his skills better suited to brewing potions for those teams in between potion and curse experiments the Dark Lord assigned him, but he'd gone a few times and hadn't liked it.

He never really subscribed to the Dark Lord's agenda. He did think wizards and Muggles were better off separated from each other, but he didn't care to wipe out Muggles entirely and he took no pleasure in tormenting them. If he was going to torture someone, he wanted it to be someone who deserved it. Unfortunately he'd never had the chance to revenge himself upon Potter and Black during the war.

He wasn't going to torture these Muggles, but what he did plan wasn't much better. He acknowledged the slight guilt he felt only so he could then bury it; his son's life and soul were more important than these Muggle children. Their parents might disagree, but the mother only had herself to blame. She shouldn't have summoned a demon and left it roaming around to take advantage of innocent young wizards.

He'd already calibrated the soul gem the demon gave him; after touching it to Harry's cheek as he slept, the crystal had turned a brilliant purple colour. Now, he snuck into the rooms of the Morgan children and touched it to each of them in turn. Against the eldest, a boy perhaps a year or two older than Harry, it lightened considerably, turning a pale lilac colour. Against the younger two, boy and girl twins, it lightened only slightly, but it was enough.

These souls were worth more than Harry's. They would work for the Dark Sacrifice.

He left that night. He still had to research the exact steps of a Dark Sacrifice, and as he returned to Spinner's End he had to wonder how a soul's worth was determined. What made these children more valuable than Harry? Was it some reflection on the person Harry would grow up to become? Or was it all just bullshit dreamed up by a demon trying to trick him into performing a Dark Sacrifice?

He didn't care if it was, as long as the demon came through on their end of the bargain.

He spent most of Tuesday researching, going through his library all morning then venturing to Knockturn Alley. Dark Sacrifices were elaborate rituals requiring certain objects; he had the candles and herbs for burning, but didn't own a ritual knife. He usually disdained of this sort of magic, but he supposed it was necessary for ensuring his soul was banished to the hell dimensions when he died.

He wasn't lingering on that aspect of things. What he'd said to Nemo was true, he did believe himself damned already, but that wasn't the same as performing magic that guaranteed he was doomed to a torturous afterlife. He feared if he thought on it too much, he wouldn't be able to go through with the sacrifice, but he'd never forgive himself if he let Harry go to a hell dimension when he could stop it.

It was strange how this child had been in his life for all of three days, but already Severus was willing to die for him. It was illogical, he knew, but Harry was his and he didn't let what belonged to him get taken away.

With the knife, there remained only the issue of where to perform the ritual. He couldn't do it at home, not with Harry there. Even without the boy, he wouldn't risk drawing that kind of attention to his home; dark magic like this left traces that even the imbecilic ministry could pick up. But then where?

It came to him as he napped that afternoon. He dreamt of his time as a Death Eater, not an unusual occurrence but likely prompted by his more recent illicit activities, and when he woke he knew exactly where to do the sacrifice. A failed attempt to destroy the Ministry of Magic building shortly before the Dark Lord's downfall prompted them to move headquarters. Severus had been one of those asked to scout new locations and he'd found the perfect one right when the Dark Lord died.

It was a recently abandoned mental hospital in east Yorkshire, shut down amidst outrage over their outdated and abusive 'treatments'. The building itself was supposed to have been knocked down, but the council decided it was too much money. It didn't take him long to discover the building was still standing and still abandoned, now in considerable disrepair.

He had to pick up Harry then, and put all thoughts of Dark Sacrifices behind his Occlumency as he Apparated to the school. He was one of only a few parents there; lessons for the day finished at three o'clock, but most kids stayed for another two or three hours while they're parents worked. Appealing as it was to Severus to give himself an extra few hours freedom, he wasn't willing to let his son remain in the care of a werewolf any longer than absolutely necessary.

He was regaled with Harry's daily activities during the walk from the river to Spinner's End, though he had no interest in Lupin's teaching methods, the Patil twins' rebellion against matching outfits and hairstyles, or the dead frog Harry found. Fortunately Harry didn't require much more input than acknowledgement.

Back home, he suddenly remembered he had a delivery to make to one of the legitimate apothecaries tomorrow, so he left Harry doing homework while he retreated to the lab. There were several potions he had to make in batch, but they were all simple ones that he could do simultaneously.

When he returned to the living area, Harry was sat on the floor with a deep look of concentration on his face, an unfamiliar wand in his hand, and Nemo sitting opposite him.

Severus' wand jerked up, sickly orange light burst from the tip, and slammed into the wall behind where Nemo sat half a second earlier.

Harry yelled. Severus ignored him, eyes and wand scanning the room. His heart beat in his chest with a terror he hadn't felt since the Dark Lord died. It was impossible to Apparate to or from his home, or within a mile around it; he'd personally made sure of that. If the Aurors ever came for him, he'd have chance to escape before they reached the house.

But there was no sign of Nemo, even when he cast several detection spells. He stalked to the front door and wrenched it open to check the street, then hurried across and broke into Nemo's own home. It was sparsely furnished, littered with empty potion vials and Muggle drug paraphernalia, and stank worse than a rubbish tip, but Nemo wasn't there.

He returned home, hands trembling slightly as the adrenaline of the moment caught up to him. Harry stood in the middle of the living room, eyeing Severus and clutching the wand to his chest. It was a pale brown wood, probably similar in length to Severus' own, but looking longer in a child's hands. It took everything Severus had not to snatch it from the boy and snap it clean in two. Only the gut-wrenchingly wary look in those familiar green eyes held him back.

"Put it down."

Harry clutched the wand tighter. "No. It's mine."

"It's dangerous. Put it down."

Harry looked at him as if here were an idiot. "Wands aren't dangerous, everyone has one. And this one's mine so it's definitely not dangerous."

Severus was not going to argue with a child. He cast a silent Accio and the wand jerked from Harry's hands to cross the room.

"Hey!"

Severus ignored him, gingerly taking the wand and laying it on his writing desk. Aware of Harry approaching, he idly cast a spell to halt him and then another to silence his objection. Sitting, he examined the wand, checking for hexes and jinxes, curses that harmed the user or twisted their spells to unexpected results. When that found nothing, he checked for subtler spells, dark magic that'd gradually twist a person's mind or sicken them so steadily until, by the time it showed, it was too late to do anything.

Half an hour later, he was forced to admit there were no spells on the wand that he could detect. He turned in his chair to face Harry, still stuck in place. His face was streaked with tears but his expression was bitterly angry. When Severus removed the spells, he didn't move but to angrily wipe his face.

"You're mean."

"I am trying to protect you," Severus said harshly. "I've told you before that Nemo is dangerous and yet you invited him inside my house!"

"Didn't," Harry said mulishly. "He let himself in."

"You should have fetched me!"

"I'm not allowed in your lab."

Severus gripped his wand and grit his teeth. This kind of obstinate idiocy was exactly what he'd feared Potter would nurture.

"Anyway," Harry went on stubbornly, "he needed my help. He cut himself and needed me to fix it. He already knew about the demon and he wanted to see how much I could do, but first he had to make loads of wands to find the one that worked for me. I want it back."

Severus' growing fury stuttered abruptly at that final revelation. "What do you mean he 'made loads'?"

"He just kept making them appear from nowhere."

"That's impossible."

Harry shrugged. "Nemo did it."

"All so you could heal a cut?" Severus scoffed.

Harry nodded, then shook his head. "He said he's a drug addict and asked me to deoxi–" he paused, frowned, tried again, "de-tox-i-fy him, but you need potions for that. I fixed his teeth though, they were gross." He shuddered, then added, "He thought I would do better but I guess I need to practice more. Can I have my wand back now?"

"No. You disobeyed me," Severus said sternly when Harry started to object. "You can go to your room and stay there until I call you for dinner."

Harry stomped off, scowling, but Severus was already turning back to the wand. For years he'd dismissed Nemo as nothing more than a junkie. He knew there had to be a little more to him given how easily he provided payment, but had given it no more thought than assuming the money came from some illegal endeavour.

Now, however, it was clear there was much more to him. He'd utterly immobilised Severus on Sunday, vanished without a trace today, and apparently could conjure countless wands from nowhere. It was impossible to conjure such highly magical objects from nothing; one could only Unvanish something they knew had been Vanished before. Surely Nemo hadn't Vanished multiple wands at an earlier time just to conjure them later for Harry.

So who the hell was he and what did he want?

No answers came to him that evening and he was forced to push the issue aside. He made their dinner, had Harry finish his homework, and ordered him to bath afterwards, realising he hadn't done so since the boy came into his care. Harry complained and grumbled, but did as he was told; Severus wasn't sure if the complaining was a farce, or Harry was aware of his own growing filth despite a dislike of bathing.

He'd intended to slip Harry another sleeping potion and leave him safe in the house that night, but after Nemo's visit he decided against it. He long ago set up a safe house for himself, a flat in Muggle London, and he took Harry there, settling the boy into bed. As he looked down at the sleeping child, he wondered if it was time to move. Maybe he should give up selling illegal potions and focus on being a good father, at least until Harry was grown.

But that would come later. For now, he had other business to deal with.

The old hospital wasn't in complete disrepair. Although some parts of the structure were of questionable integrity, other parts still stood mostly undamaged, only their window panes missing and interiors housing the encroaching flora. The most well standing part appeared to have been a chapel; the shape of the empty windows were narrow where others were broad, and a few remaining pews were rotting before what might have been an alter.

Severus' first task was setting up protective charms and spells. He couldn't have local teens trying to impressive their friends stumbling in on him, and he needed to make sure the Ministry wouldn't catch wind of the dark magic before he even completed his task. The Dark Magic Detection Department were generally useless, as evidenced during the war – rumour had it they were to be shut down – but even they wouldn't miss a surge of dark magic akin to that involved with a Dark Sacrifice.

With that done, he cleared a space, consulted his books, and set about painting the requisite symbols across the floor: pentagrams and seven-pointed stars, nested within each other; runic symbols, few familiar from his studies at Hogwarts; icons and symbols he saw no meaning in, but which the instructions insisted were necessary. He set candles at intervals around it all, and into the centre put a single large wooden table, transfigured out of the abandoned furniture.

His preparations complete, he allowed himself only a fortifying breath before he Apparated to Leeds.

Though not especially late, the Morgan household was already dark. Under the protection of a Disillusionment Charm, Severus crept into the back garden where he couldn't be seen by the neighbours and cast a revealing spell to determine how many people were inside. It showed him four shapes – three children, one adult, likely male. He recalled seeing pictures of a husband yesterday, but nothing that indicated what he did for a living. Whatever it was, it must have early starting hours for him to be abed so early.

With no idea when Alison Morgan herself would be returning home – though probably not soon if her husband hadn't left a light on for her – Severus put a charm on his feet to muffle his footsteps and broke silently into the house. Not wanting to draw attention with Lumos, he waited until his eyes adjusted to the dim light before moving further in.

Upstairs, he used a Locking Charm on the door of the master bedroom, followed by a Noise Muffling Spell, and then moved onto the room which housed the younger two children. Both were asleep, but the girl stirred slightly as Severus crossed the room. He paused, waited for her to settle again, then went her bed.

He'd decided transfiguration was the easiest way to transport the children and some of his research earlier had been on human transfiguration, something he hadn't done since his school years. When he disguised himself while visiting the illicit dealer he supplied, he used potions; they were more reliable and harder to detect.

He'd never had need to transfigure a whole person before, but it was easier than partial transfigurations and it went perfectly. The girl on the bed turned into a fabric doll, its brown cotton hair and clothes still an imitation of the real child's, and he picked it up with some satisfaction at a job well done.

There was a gasp, and then a scream.

Severus whirled, the Stunning Spell leaving his wand before he even finished turning. It hit the boy on the opposite bed and he fell from his half raised position. Swearing, Severus turned to the door, hearing movement from across the hall. He waited, listening, and when the door opened he cast another Stunning Spell as soon as the figure appeared. The elder boy, the one who'd turned the soul stone lilac, collapsed to the floor in a silent heap.

Severus moved quickly. There were sounds from the master bedroom suggesting the father had woken, but not urgent; his Noise Muffling Spell wasn't enough to silence things completely but at least the father wasn't hurrying to investigate. Severus transfigured the two boys to dolls, scooped up both, and Apparated directly away from the house.

He would've liked to remove the Locking Charm on the master bedroom but could already hear the father at the door. It wouldn't matter a great deal; even if circumstances did conspire to bring this ordinary Muggle home under the attention of wizards, it was almost impossible to determine the caster of a spell.

Back at the hospital, he returned the children to their proper selves, and had to Stun the girl as she woke from the change. He laid all three on the table he'd made, and checked all his markings one last time before taking out the ritual knife. The blade glimmered in the moonlight coming through the broken windows as he shook back his sleeve and put the knife to his arm.

He glanced at the children on the table, at the small bodies hardly bigger and hardly smaller than Harry. He thought of his son, tucked in bed at the safe house, blissfully ignorant of the evil his father was about to commit for him. That Severus chose to commit, a magic darker than any he'd done before. Once he broke the skin of his flesh, there was no turning back. He would damn himself, put a tarnish on his soul that could never be wiped away, and all for a boy he'd known for less than a week.

A boy who had Severus' hair and stance and temper, but Lily's eyes and smile and heart. A boy with the potential to be great and good, but not if he died younger than even his mother had, all because of a deal made in childish ignorance.

A boy who was his son, and Lily's son.

Severus firmed his grip, touched the blade to where the Dark Mark once stained his flesh, and –

A hand touched his shoulder, a hoarse voice murmured, "Idiot," and then darkness.

Severus woke to the cloying scent of blood. He had an instant awareness that only came from being knocked out and revived by magic, and sat up to find Nemo sitting beside him. His wand was nowhere in sight.

Before him, still on the table he'd made, the three Morgan children lay dead, faces white and chests red. He swallowed down a sudden urge to vomit.

"What did you do?" he choked out.

Nemo didn't look at him. "Nothing you weren't planning to do yourself."

Severus' first reaction was horrified repulsion, but it was quickly followed by angry despair. "Son of a bitch." Harry was doomed; even if Severus had time, he would never find three more possible sacrifices.

"Nice way to thank me for saving your son's soul from eternal damnation," Nemo said lightly, opening a fist to show a palm full of crushed purple crystal.

Severus stared at him. "You performed the Dark Sacrifice? Why?"

"I owed your Harry a favour," Nemo said, then glanced at Severus. "And apparently I still care."

"About what?" Severus asked, baffled. "And what favour? This is hardly equal to fixing rotten teeth."

Nemo's lips quirked slightly. "No. But I really can't be bothered to explain it all. Suffice to say that your Harry taught me something immensely important."

"He's seven, what could he possibly teach you?"

Nemo shook his head and got to his feet. Severus quickly rose as well.

"I told you, I don't want to explain it all. Just be grateful for what I've done and I'll ask no payment for it."

"For damning your own soul instead? You seemed convinced of it before."

Nemo laughed humourlessly, gaze roaming over the three dead children before turning on Severus. "My soul was damned a very long time ago and has been tarnished in worse ways than this since then. A Dark Sacrifice is a raindrop in the ocean of my sins. Taking that burden from you is nothing at all."

The man was mad, Severus decided. He just wasn't sure if it was the kind of mad that should be locked up in St. Mungo's or in Azkaban.

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing," Nemo said, turning to walk away from him. "You have nothing to give me, Severus, and I told you why I did this. After today, you'll never even see me again."

Between one step and the next, Nemo vanished. All that marked his passing was an echoing clatter as Severus' wand appeared from thin air to drop lightly at his feet. Severus snatched it up wondering what the hell Nemo meant, though he probably wouldn't have answered even if Severus had the chance to ask.

But he found out anyway. He went to the Muggle flat to fetch Harry, but when he returned to Spinner's End, Nemo was sprawled motionless in the middle of the street. Severus' first instinct was to flee right back to the flat, hastily setting down Harry before returning to Cokeworth.

Nemo hadn't moved. Wary of a trap, Severus approached cautiously, wand in hand. He carefully didn't think about the fact Nemo had twice before disarmed him without effort.

He stopped six feet away, still no movement from the other man. Was Nemo unconscious from some drug or potion? It wouldn't be the first time he passed out in the middle of the street. But, after what happened at the abandoned hospital, Severus doubted that Nemo would have left to get drugged out of his mind. Unless…

He flicked his wand at the prone figure. Nothing happened, and he lowered his wand, stalking forwards and ungraciously prodding Nemo with his foot. He rolled onto his back and Severus stared down at him. At the white face and empty eyes, showing what his spell had already confirmed.

Nemo was dead.

"Bastard," Severus spat, jerking his wand and making the body vanish. Now he'd never get answers to his questions.