And to all those readers under house arrest because of Convid-19, sending across prayers, courage and warm wishes to keep your spirits high.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but my thoughts of AU and OC, the rest all belong to J K Rowling.

Chapter 45

When Narcissa and Draco Malfoy apparated in the empty bleak alley nearest Spinner's End, the street was quiet, apart from a dog barking at them. Draco threatened to send a jinx at the animal but his mother stopped his wand arm, instead, she knelt down and patted the animal. Together the three had remained there, mingling in the darkness, watching carefully the opposite house, quiet and abandoned, the only other place, Severus Snape would stay in this world.

"It always looked so desolate, like this muggle town, barely making it through the day, dying," Narcissa's voice jolted Draco.

"Mother, why didn't he move out?"

"We had asked him the same question again and again, but he had shrugged, Lu..he had asked him to move into the Manor when you were still a babe…but Severus never agreed. I think he was wary of the man, had premonitions about him, much like you and me had…"

"This is such a sorry place to start…"

"Severus was seldom a happy man."

"Do you think he will come here in all the places?"

"I doubt it, but if he turns up, we will see to it that he is fine."

"You have my word mother, I…I will not fail him."

"Draco?"

"Hm?"

"You need to be stronger now, for both of them…"

"I promise you, I will…"

"Love is a strange power in itself, look at Severus, he had loved Lily so much that he had to make sure that the Dark Lord would pay for killing her, he had protected Potter, and you, without considering his own life. Draco if you could love Miss Granger like that, if you would become such an honourable man, I will be happy to have done at least one good thing in my forfeited life…I could make a worthy man out of you."

They stood there, with the dog now curled up beside them, sleeping at their feet.

Potter's patronus had alerted them after an hour's wait, they had Snape. A crack of an apparition, and her sister, Andromeda appeared in the alley. Ignoring the two trained wands pointed at her, she politely asked Draco and Narcissa, to side along with her. When a moment later the three appeared at the deserted beach near the Shell Cottage, all three had gasped at the sight that had invited them.

Rows and rows of soldiers stood circling around the cottage, facing the lone dwelling. On the sounding crack of their apparition, few of them turned and had held the newcomers at sword point. Narcissa incidentally blurted out, "Snape, we are here to see Snape." And that did the magic, a few of those menacing looking knights stepped aside and let them pass. When they were at the door, Lupin held the door open for them, surprised, he whispered unsure of speaking aloud least those undead protectors would mind, "What did you say? How did you do that?"

"Now, Remus, let us in first, we will talk at once!" Andromeda looked over her back at the still present column of Knight of the Undead and pushed her son in law aside.

Draco pleaded, "Where is he? How is he?"

"In the living room," the professor muttered, his eyes still watching the ghosts with horror.

The young man barged in and clumsily crawled up to the prone body of the sleeping man. He failed to notice he had been crying all this while. The deputy Headmistress's soft voice and her hand squeezing his shoulder to convey support and made him come to his senses. He managed to ask, "How…where…?"

"At Godric's Hollow, on Lily Potter's Grave."

Narcissa who was standing behind her kneeling son, covered her mouth, lest her exclamation would wake the sleeping friend.

Pointing at the items tucking within his hands, the woman asked, "What is he holding on to?"

Minerva ushered her out of the room, "Mrs. Malfoy, why don't we talk in the Kitchen, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Madam, may I stay here with him, he should not be left unattended," Draco begged.

Heaving a sigh, the deputy headmistress left him beside his godfather, but before she had left, she had transfigured the couch into a single cot and had conjured a stool for Draco to sit on.

Training his eyes on those closed ones of Snape, he intently watched on. At times, they would roll below those closed lids, at times, he would mumble something, and then he would fall back to sleep. Carefully, placing his hand over his sleeves, Draco prayed under his breath, "Please, please don't lose it now, now when I need you the most, please, just be fine, for me, for Hermione, just be fine. I…I need you."

Initially bewildered by the sudden screaming potion master, both Draco and Harry had leaped to their feet and were at the sides of Severus, who, unable to maintain his balance, was about to tumble face forward. Minerva McGonagall reached out to him from the other side. As the three people cocooned him in their embrace, Snape kept on mumbling, Hermione's name.

"Hush, Hush, Shush, boy, it okay, she…Hermione is okay…you are safe, you got us, we will save her…"

Snape hiccupped, in between his unstoppable tears, he muttered back burying his head at the crook of the old woman,, "No, she is not…she... She told me…she is afraid, and someone is trying to kill her…"

Cupping his tear-stricken cheeks within her wrinkled hands Minerva implored, "Who said this to you Severus, who?"

"Hermione, she was there, along with Lily, but then, Lily told me about those soldiers…" jerking himself away from the three of them, he made his way to the window, peering out, he whispered against the window seal, his huffed breath misting against the cold glass surface, "Knights of the undead."

The floo connection chimed that very moment, and the face of Neville Longbottom appeared. "Bill can we come through, by we I mean Blaise, Luna and Me?" When the owner of the house allowed full access, the three former students stepped in brushing their robes off the gathered soot. Zabini was carrying the very book Draco had been pouring through previously. His eyes danced with joy when he saw his former Head of the House standing against the window. Turning his head towards Draco, he nodded in a mute query, the other shrugged and mumbled, "We got him, but he is still raving."

Their individual hushed conversations were halted by the very familiar confident voice of the renowned potion master of Hogwarts, "Minerva, Molly, Narcissa, Kingsley, Lupin, please stay back and the rest please leave this room. Someone, please get Andromeda here. I would like to talk to each one of you, together in private." Pausing for a moment he said the next words to Blaise Zabini, "Get the others to read through that book you are carrying. I would talk to the rest of you later on."

A/N: Our potion master is back in action! Hurray! and if you like my writing please check out my other story "SCARS".