"Lilith, can you come down for a minute?" her father called up the drafty staircase. He waited, paused at the edge of the bottom stair, leaning forward. Her response came in a distant call. The tall, dark haired man moved into the living space behind him and stood by the mantle of the fireplace. He was wearing his usual work clothes, the sleeves of his work shirt pushed up to his elbows. His pants were sensible, and again, black. Dragon hide boots encased his feet. He looked up as his young daughter strode into the room.

"What is it, father?" she asked. She took her long dark hair and swept it up into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. He appraised her. She truly had grown up over the years. How had he really not noticed until now? She had her mother's beauty, but his dark countenance. Dark eyebrows framed near-black eyes. Her nose was dainty, but thin, pointing out above a full mouth. Average height for a female witch, she had matured into a young lady of poise and youthful energy.

"I am in need of an ingredient for a potion I am in the process of making. I truly cannot be away for very long; it is at a delicate stage." Lilith resisted the temptation to roll her eyes but could not stop her lips from twitching upward at his remark.

"Do you need me to pop over to Jiggers and Slug?"

"Not exactly." This time, she couldn't resist the urge and rolled her eyes.

"Well, what do you need?" She was a lot like her father in that she had the patience of a teaspoon. Lilith watched him sigh. He was nervous, she observed. He was never nervous! Severus Snape was always so rigid and decided. She concluded that whatever ingredient he needed, it must be a rare ingredient indeed.

"I have no one else to ask. It would be… inappropriate for me to acquire this ingredient from a normal student." She swallowed thickly. She immediately knew what he was after. She was after all, the Potions Master's daughter and as such, had grown up learning his craft. What potion was he brewing? He couldn't know.

"I need an ounce of virgin's blood." He looked at her silently. His dark eyes that so matched hers watched as she looked to the ground quickly and then back up at him. She knew he was a Master Legimens. She was never more grateful that he had insisted she learn to protect her mind than in this moment. Behind her mental shields, she shivered as a memory flashed across the plane of her mind. The breathy moans… the need… the pleases and the oh fucks… Lilith hurriedly scrambled to find an excuse. Realizing she didn't have one, she lifted up her sleeve and extended her arm. If he was going to find out that she wasn't his little innocent daughter anymore, she wasn't going to be the one to tell him. It was a coward's way out, but she was a Slytherin – she called it picking her battles. She glanced at her father's unreadable expression and he approached her with his wand. In a moment and with a little pain, she watched as thick red droplets of her blood were collected into a phial. He healed her arm with a quick flash of his wand, and as he passed her to return to his lab, he kissed her forehead in a rare occurrence of affection.

Watching him go, Lilith let out a sigh. At the age of sixteen and a sixth year at Hogwarts, she was legally still under his care, but that didn't stop her from rebelling in the ways of normal teenagers. She felt guilty. She rarely lied to him. Lying had never turned out well in the past. Her blood would ruin his potion and she hoped he hadn't been working on it for long. If it was one of those month-long-to-stew potions, she'd be in even bigger trouble. Returning up to her room in his quarters at Hogwarts where she sometimes stayed on weekends, she gathered up her school things. If he was finishing his potion at this very minute, she didn't want to be here when it went wrong. She'd rather deal with the aftermath then the very moment her father went into a rage. So, it was to the library she went.

Entering his lab, he quickly walked to his potion brewing on the far side of the room. It had already turned the appropriate shade of lilac and now, all that remained was to add the virgin's blood – his daughter's blood. He felt relief that she had been so willing to give it to him because it meant that she was safe. Safe from the dirty hands of teenage boys, he thought with a snarl. Everyone knew him as the nasty Potions Master, and often he was, but his daughter saw a side of him that no one else did. He was her father. He cared for her more than anyone else had ever cared for a child. She was his precious little girl. Even though her mother didn't survive past her birth, Lilith was his whole world. He would continue to fight the Dark Lord, for her. She was all that mattered.

Returning his thoughts to the task at hand, he measured out the blood that he needed for his potion. Ladling it in, he began to stir counter-clockwise. When brewed correctly, the potion would turn a translucent blue, the colour of a twilight sky. But as soon as the droplets breached the potion, the colour bled an angry red and began to bubble. Severus had just enough time to shield himself before the potion exploded. Stunned, he racked his brain, trying to fathom what could have gone wrong. He realized the potion had been perfect until he added the blood. Looking around at his lab as still smoking potion dripped down the walls and the legs of his work table, he realized it had been the blood. No. It couldn't be. He let in a ragged breath. Oh, he was angry. Not only was she no longer pure, she had lied to him. And ruined a potion that contained no less than five rare and expensive ingredients. Wiping his shaking hands on the cloth at his side, he didn't think he'd ever been this angry with her. He'd never lost his composure like this and now, it was hanging by a thread. Setting both hands on the work table, he took in a shuddering breath. Severus prided himself on being a good father. It wasn't something that had come naturally to him, but he spent years learning how to be a father his daughter could look up to and respect. His Death Eater persona was a black stain on that record, but that couldn't be helped. He was needed by the Order to continue his work as a spy. Not that the weight of his work was ever appreciated or acknowledged. To everyone else, he was the greasy bat of the dungeons and a Death Eater.

He remembered his daughter's expression as she had offered him her arm so he could retrieve the blood. Calling her face to mind in his memory, he observed something he hadn't before - there - she was using Occlumency to shield her thoughts from him. He thought he had taught her never to lie to him. Granted, her virginity was a subject they had never discussed. And he had been hoping to keep it that way. But circumstances obviously had changed. His thoughts turned to whom she had... been intimate with... and he pictured all the sixth year Slytherin boys. He quickly filed through and disregarded Goyle, Crabbe, Nott, Pucey, Crosse... Zabini was known to have a reputation. Maybe it was him? He hoped his daughter had better taste than Blaise Zabini. Any girl with sense should be able to see right through Zabini's act... right? And then of course there was Draco Malfoy, but Severus knew better than to consider him. His godson would never defile his daughter without engaging in the proper courting rituals. His blood boiled as he continued to consider who might have touched her. It better not have been a Gryffindor, Severus thought with a snarl.

Drawing in another deep breath, he felt he had regained some semblance of control over his torrential temper. Taking another glance around his disastrous and slimy workspace, he sneered. Lilith could clean up the mess, after a long, hard, defense session with him in their training room. He would get the truth from her and in the process, teach her never to lie to him again. Spinning on his heel, he marched from the room, determined to find her.

In the library, Lilith was writing an essay for Advanced Transfiguration on the risks and rewards of human transfiguration in battle zones. She was seated at her favourite table in the library, a petite Victorian writing desk placed in front of a tall window that overlooked the Black Lake. It was wedged in between two shelves near the back corner of the East library wall. Lilith had just dipped her quill into her black ink pot when she felt rather than heard someone approach her from behind. Tensing, her fingers inched for her wand beside her ink pot. Her father had been taking time out of his busy schedule to teach her private defense lessons and she would be damned if she wasn't constantly vigilant, as Mad-Eye continued to drill into her every time she saw him at Order Headquarters. Suddenly, hot breathe was on her left cheek, warm lips nipping at her earlobe. A shudder ran through her and she turned to face her assailant. She smiled when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" She shifted in her chair to face him as he leaned over her.

"I was bored. Homework has been holding less and less of my attention of late."

"Is that so? And why would that be, I wonder?" She slyly asked him and he reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. It must've come loose from her bun.

"I suppose it's because I have a wonderful admiration for one of my classmates. But we both know your father and my father would disapprove for entirely different reasons." His reply did not shock her. She knew that if his father found out, he would demand his son focus on his grades and the Dark Lord. While if her father found out, her boyfriend wouldn't survive past Christmas.

"You shouldn't be here. My father could show up any minute. I have to tell you something." As she explained what had happened that morning with her blood, his eyebrows rose and he snorted.

"This is serious! I feel so terrible that I lied to him, but what else was I supposed to do?" Lilith looked up at him with honest concern, her dark eyes filled with worry.

"We both know he'll do his best to rip me apart. I'll be dead. But I won't jeopardize your relationship with him, Lilith. If you need to tell him, we'll face the storm together. Just give me some warning if you can." He smiled at her, unaware of how his declaration affected her. She loved that he cared that much about her relationship with her father that he was willing to face his wrath. Their relationship had begun in secret last year, and it was only recently they had been intimate together. Before she could formulate a reply, she paused, her eyes going wide. Her father stalked past the shelves, clearly in search of her. He hadn't even changed from his work clothes and students at nearby tables were looking at him in alarm. It was a rare occurrence that her father left his quarters without his teaching robes. She pushed her boyfriend away from her, to a safe distance that told only of friendship.

She stood up hastily from her chair and peeked through the shelves. Shit, she thought.

"Lilith, what-?" She jumped at him, silencing his mouth with her hand, her eyes wide in alarm. When she was sure he wouldn't say anything, she removed her hand, signalling to him to be quiet. She returned to peering through the books on the shelves, but she couldn't see her father. Where was he?

"Looking for someone?" She jumped at her father's cold tone as he appeared in their row. Squaring her shoulders, she stared into her father's eyes. She could immediately tell he was tense, but his gaze was as unreadable as always.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are dismissed." Severus said without even looking in his direction.

"Yes, sir." With that, Draco began to walk away, only to look back over his professor's shoulder at Lilith, who stood very still. She was in her battle pose and he noticed that the lock of hair he had tucked behind her ear had come loose again. His Slytherin mask slid into place again as he strode back to his desk. Nothing in his behaviour indicated his world was out of place, but his insides whirled and twisted with nervousness, both for Lilith and for him. What would Severus do to him when he found out? And he didn't doubt that he would find out. Yes, he believed Lilith was strong, but she was also loyal to her father. He knew how much lying to him was an ache in her heart and Draco didn't think she would last long when her father's wrath crashed down upon her. But he had meant what he said though. He would stand by her. She was his light in the darkness. Although his task for the Dark Lord remained a secret, even from her, she knew he had taken the Mark. They had fought about it for two weeks and the majority of the time, she had given him the silent treatment. He would never admit it to anyone, but she was his saving grace and although it terrified him, he was well on his way to loving her for what he hoped was forever. He ached to love her forever. As he returned his attention to his Potions homework, he couldn't help but wish his life wasn't so complicated. He wished he wasn't a Malfoy. He wished he had never been forced to take the Mark. He wished he could have a normal school year instead of plotting murder. But most of all, he wished he didn't feel this way about Lilith. If only to protect her and preserve her from the infection of darkness.

On the other side of the library, Severus continued to glare at his daughter. She glared back.

"Pack up your things." When she quirked her eyebrow, his furrowed.

"Now." His voice left no room for interpretation. She was to pack up her things and leave with him. Turning around, she snatched up her wand and shoved everything back into her bag. She could feel his eyes watching her every movement. Head held high, she stalked past her father into the open space of the library with him on her heels. Students watched as he took her elbow and marched her from the library. The whispers did not take long to start once they had gone through the library doors, the most common remark being whether or not she'd survive to dinner. It was obvious to most students that Professor Snape was displeased with his daughter and had felt obliged to retrieve her quite forcefully from the library. Rumours quickly began to circulate and speculate about what Lilith had done to rile up the Potions professor into a barely-bottled rage.

As her father stormed through the halls with her trotting in tow, she noted the expressions of the students they passed. Most scurried out of her father's path, faces set in pity or fear. When they round a corner on the lower West side of the castle, she realized her father was leading her to the training room where he held her private defense lessons. It was an old, unused classroom that he had transformed into a training space. A large section of the floor was charmed to feel padded and the far wall was lined with dummies for practice. It was a rather large space and as they entered, she noted the floor space had been cleared for their use. Refusing to show fear, she kept her mask of defiance in place as she watched him retreat to the side opposite her. Setting down her bag and removing her school robe, she transfigured her jeans into a pair of black training pants, leaving her T-shirt a solid light grey colour. The room echoed with the tense silence. She knew her father wouldn't go easy on her - he never did. But she would admit that she was nervous to face him when he was this angry, especially in a mock battle.

Reaching the edge of the padded floor space, she took off her shoes and strode to the middle, where her father stood. His back was rigid, his gaze unreadable, but the rest of his posture spoke to her of built up tension and simmering anger. Taking a deep breath, she began,

"Father, I–" His eyes flashed and he bowed to her, as per the etiquette of duelling. Okay then, I guess talking's out, Lilith thought as she offered a bow in return. Striking a duelling pose, she waited. Usually when they trained, her father always let her deliver the first spell, but she didn't want to fight him. She wanted to talk.

With no warning, a bright red beam of light shot towards her, barely giving her enough reaction time to erect a nonverbal shield. Lilith gritted her teeth. So that was how this was going to go. She was going to be his emotional punching bag because he couldn't handle that she was growing up. Fine.

"Confringo!" She shouted. "Expulso!" Her father dodged the latter and shielded the former. He shot another stupefy at her, which for him, was rather soft. She shielded and delivered a slicing hex. Back and forth, the duel escalated until they were dancing around one another. Five minutes into the duel, sweat began to form on her brow and she became more and more emotional and exasperated with her father.

"Why are you doing this?" She yelled. "I'm sorry I lied to you!" He responded with a hex that would've made her toenails grow fast and long. A slicing hex followed in quick succession and she didn't move fast enough. It caught her shoulder and pain erupted, blood seeping from the deep cut.

"Expelliarmus!" Her father barked and her wand soared into his hand. She stood in defeat, tears silently rolling down her cheeks, from both the pain and the guilt of her lies. He strode quickly to her side, lifting the sleeve of her T-shirt so he could better see the wound he had caused. He began to chant vulnera sanentur.

"You could've just used Episkey." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I don't want you to have a scar." He murmured back. His voice was soft and he sounded exhausted. "I'm sorry I hurt you." Her face whipped up to look at him. He rarely apologized. Her bottom lip began to quiver and her tears began to leak faster. Seeing this, he pulled her into his embrace and held her, her shoulders rising and falling with the strength of her sobs. He held her until she quieted and then pulled her to sit on the floor with him. He held her hands as he looked at her.

"Lilith." He waited. "Lilith, look at me." She didn't want him to see her like this. His hand came under her wet chin, and lifted her face to his. She took in a breath. His gaze was so open. He looked unsure, nervous, hurt, and angry. He had lowered his shields for her. It made her want to start crying again.

"Lilith, we need to have an honest conversation. Not only did you lie to me this morning, you ruined a potion that contained a handful of expensive and rare ingredients."

"I know... I'm sorry."

"Why did you do it if you knew what the consequences would be?" He was giving her a chance to explain herself. She felt so grateful.

"I– I didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

"Lilith, I'm disappointed that you felt you had to lie to me. And I'm angry you chose to be intimate with someone while you're still so young. That's a big decision and I worry you don't understand what it means. Lilith, I'm only going to ask you once. Who was it?" She looked at him and felt the weight of her actions and the decision she was about to make. She really didn't want to tell him. In a small voice, she said,

"Daddy." He closed his eyes. She never called him that. It was always "father". He opened his eyes to look at her. She would tell him.

"I don't want you to be mad. I love him. I haven't told him yet, but we've been dating since the end of last year. We– we've only done it once, I swear." He nodded for her to continue. But he didn't make any promises. He could already feel the rage bubbling deep within him. She took a deep breath and tightened her hands around his.

"It's Draco, daddy." His gaze snapped up to meet hers, searching them to ensure she was telling the truth. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. His godson and his daughter. It was unfathomable. He was so angry. He had always trusted Draco. He knew the task Draco had been set by the Dark Lord. It was a task he himself had made an Unbreakable Vow to complete should Draco fail. How dare his godson play with Lilith's affections? At some point soon, Lilith would lose both of them and he wasn't sure how to prepare her for that.

Lilith watched her father's reaction, afraid of what he would think of her, afraid of what he might do to Draco. A dark shadow passed over his face and she knew Draco was in trouble. Frantic, she rose to sit on her heels and said,

"No, you can't hurt him. Please. You can't. It was our choice. I'm pretty sure he loves me, father. Please."

"Lilith, this is more serious that you can possibly realize." She stilled.

"Is it because of his Dark Mark? I know he took it." He glanced at her. Of course she's seen it. But he kept silent. He wondered how that had gone over. He knew she worried about his work as a spy. But Draco was in it for real, in ways Severus had only known when he first joined - before the prophecy and Lily. He knew Draco didn't enjoy the revels.