Okay I totally apologize for not updating sooner, but the farther I got from the holidays the less and less I wanted to work on this story… and I was getting totally burnt out at work, so I pretty much just got home, ate dinner and went to bed. For those of you who care, I have a very physically demanding job where I have to get up at 4:30 am and I don't get home til' 4:30pm… so like a kid in elementary school I have a bed time of :: sigh :: 8:30-9 at the latest.

Also I apologize if this chapter seems a little disjointed as I wrote half of it this summer… and the second half is me trying to follow my outline.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters just the stupid law that they are trying to get changed.

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"talking"

thinking

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Severus was sitting in Hermoine's library telling her, in more detail than his letter, of his plan of how to deal with Harry. "I must be very careful when we meet, we must maintain the utmost secrecy, but I know he will insist that I see Olivia, and frankly, even I don't have the heart to deny her. Especially not after receiving her card. And that is something else I must keep from him. At least gaining his assistance will be easy, but still if anyone were to discover that he was here."

Severus was interrupted mid-sentence by Hermoine exclaiming as she stands and begins to pace, "And why must his return be kept a secret? Everyone looked for him for so long, I'm sure after all this time we could come up with a plausible cover story, or just use the one he currently uses, wherever he is, that his wife died in childbirth, and he is now a single father?"

Severus fixes her with one of his trademark glares at her obvious brain malfunction. He cuts off her tirade with an angry wave of his hand and replies, "Harry came out of the closet before he disappeared. Do you really expect people to believe that he suddenly became straight and fathered a child in the limited time frame of his disappearance and Olivia's birth? While many people would simply be glad to have 'the Savior of the Wizarding World' back, Potter still has enemies, and they will start asking questions; questions that he/we won't be able to answer."

Sighing and shaking her head that Severus was obviously right, she responds, "But some people deserve to know. Ron may not care anymore, but that isn't true of the rest of the Weasleys. Harry always considered them to be family."

Severus gestures for her to sit, so she will stop distracting him with her pacing. "That will not be our decision. I will broach the subject during our meeting, but it is up to Harry. He has cared and raised this child for six years, if he is mature enough to do that, then perhaps he may already have a plan in mind. Though Merlin help us, if it is anything like his last plan." Severus frowns as he remembers the young, newly impregnated, boy disappearing.

Staring at her hands, Hermoine sighs as she realizes that she will not be able to persuade the man to bring Harry back to England.

Suddenly the door opens and in walks Draco who starts to speak before he notices the occupants, assuming that Hermoine was alone, "My love, I took the afternoon off of work I was hoping we could…" Draco trails off as he notices Severus. Nodding in his direction he says, "Godfather, to what do I owe this pleasure? You haven't been to this house to see me since before my wedding, and now I find you here chatting up my wife?" He then raises his eyebrow as though with disdain but really he is attempting to disguise the surprise at seeing the man who he thought hated him.

Unlike Draco, Severus shows his surprise clearly on his face while he responds, "Actually I was here earlier this week, and I had assumed your wife would have told you of my visit." He then proceeds to glare at the Gryffindor for having put him in this awkward position.

Setting her own glare onto Severus for making her seem unfaithful, she quickly concocts a lie. "Draco my heart, Severus came to ask me about some research for the ministry, that I did several years ago. As the research was Top Secret, I didn't want to tell you about his visit, because then you would ask questions that I wasn't allowed to answer." Hermoine makes sure to avoid looking into Draco's eyes as she speaks. He was always able to tell when she was lying.

"Be that as it may, I would have assumed my wife" putting extra emphasis on the word, "would have had at least told me we had a repeat visitor. And that she would have trusted me enough to tell me that the nature of the visit was secret. But as it is, I will leave you to your secret meeting." Draco then abruptly turned on his heal and strode out of the room, obviously upset at Hermoine.

"Oh, dear." Hermoine sighs, "I've really bungled things up this time, haven't I?" She says as she glances over to Snape.

His glare still firmly in place, "Don't give that look to me, Mrs. Malfoy. How was I to know that you kept secrets from your husband? But look at the bright side, you can always tell him it was Potter's fault. He ought to appreciate that." His face turning completely neutral at the end of his speech, not wanting to betray anything at the look on Hermoine's face.

Sputtering, "Was… was that a joke? Oh my GOD, the snarky git who haunted the dungeons, just told a joke." She raises a hand to her forehead, while saying, "Do I have a fever? Am I hallucinating?"

Waving his hand to silence her, "Please cease these hysterics, they are not called for as the joke was not that funny and as most Gryffindors know, I do have a sense of humor, and it just happens to revolve around torturing them. Something I have always found highly amusing."

Now frowning, "Still I am going to have to explain something to Draco..."

Quickly interrupting her, "Why don't you simply tell him the truth, well a version of the truth anyway, Potter has contacted me and you were assisting me in finding a safe way to bring him back into the country, without anyone finding out."

Hermione's mouth wavers open and closed reminiscent of a fish, until she blurts out, "But Draco knows when I'm lying."

Sighing at the exasperating female, "As I said you will tell him a version of the truth. Draco has always been rather naive when it came to family."

Glaring at Severus, "That is totally unfair and you know it, Draco was manipulated by his father. All children love their parents, And what's even worse is that he trusted you, and you betrayed him in the end as well."

Letting out a defeated sigh at her anger, he responded, "I will explain this once and only once, I will not apologize for my actions, as I still believe it to be the correct course of action. At the time of your wedding, I was working undercover with the ministry to help arrest the remaining Death Eaters. Since no one but the Dark Lord, and Potter saw me assist in the Dark Lords demise, then they would have believe I escaped, and I would have retained their trust. I would have lost that trust, had I attended the wedding of my Godson to a Muggleborn. And had I explained the situation, to you at the time, your reactions would not have been believable. Afterwards we were not on speaking terms and there was no chance to explain. And now that I have the information that I need, I bid you goodbye." Severus then stood and quickly walked away to the front entrance, which was the nearest apparating point.

Hermoine merely stared at the retreating figure, not quite believing that they had been wrong all these years. That instead of a prejudiced, and cynical professor, he was actually a decent and caring man. She then vowed to tell Draco, and to make it up to Severus for believing in the worst of the man, instead of trusting that after everything he would be prejudiced enough to betray his godson.

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Severus arrived home and decided upon an early bedtime tonight, as after an afternoon spent at the Malfoy's he was decidedly exhausted. He was not ashamed of his actions, but he was disappointed that his Godson could think such horrible things of him, but the other part of him knew he deserved it for how he acted during that time of his life. But again it was a necessary evil.

Severus finished eating the dinner Elvis had prepared, and then retired to the library to work a little more on their proposal before bed.

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AN: I know its kinda short but don't worry the story is going to be moving on from here, this just seemed like a good place to stop… I already have the meeting and christmas planned… although I'm still working on the world council meeting

Also any reviews are appreciated I do read them and thanks abbyagapao for your review and reminding me that I need to update.