A/N hello everyone! so heres the next chapter! oh, and some people may be a bit OOC in this chapter, but that's how it came out...

Enjoy!

8:36 pm

Sighing, Severus looked away from the clock and glanced down at the little girl dozing in the bed next to him. A smile quirked the edge of his mouth as he recalled her sneaking into his room not a half hour before, regularly checking behind her for followers even though the staff had given up trying to stop her sneaking in with her brother. Satisfied that she was not followed, Erin had turned around and beamed at her brother, the little blue tee-shirt and shorts glowing in the stark room. Severus had smiled and pushed the blanket down, moving over to make room.

Erin had leaped into the bed and snuggled under his arm, smiling up at him as he tucked the blanket around her. She had fallen asleep with a smile on her face, her grip on her brother never loosening even in sleep.

In the time that the siblings had been in the hospital, Severus had noted the schedules of the nurses assigned to his ward. Those on the job now finished at midnight, so Severus had decided that it would be best to leave at around half past eleven, when they were lounging around in the last hour of their shifts. That would be when they were the most lax in their attention.

Severus glanced at the clock once more.

8:41 pm

He sighed again and lay back, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift into a dose.

Severus awoke abruptly, his eyes wild as he looked around in an attempt to determine what had woken him. There it was again! A... whimper? His brain clicked and he looked down at his sister, taking in the furrowed brow and clenched jaw. She whimpered again as he looked at her. Shaking her gently, he whispered to her; "Erin? Erin, sweet, it's time to wake up."

Erin's grey eyes slitted open, and she looked at her brother. "Sorry, Sev," she said in a small voice, looking down at her hands.

Severus frowned slightly, before reaching over and lifting his sister's chin up with a finger. He took in the red eyes and how she was chewing her lip nervously, and gave a mental sigh. "It's alright, sweet," he murmured, giving her a crooked grin; "We had to get up now anyway. And you know you don't have to be sorry for waking me up, right?" he looked her in the eye as he said it.

Erin bit her lip, looking at him hopefully. "I know, Sev. But father doesn't like it when I wake him and mummy up at night." She looked down again when she saw Severus' jaw clench.

"Erin," Severus said in a carefully controlled tone, "I am not father-" his voice almost broke "-so I expect you to wake me up anytime you feel upset, afraid, or just want to talk, alright?"

She looked at him for a moment, before lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his torso tightly. "Love you, Sev," she whispered, squeezing tightly. Smiling gently down at the child, looking up at him hopefully, he replied, "And I you, little one."

Severus glanced at the clock: 11:33 pm. Good, they had woken up at exactly the right time. "Erin," he said softly, reaching down and lifting her face up so he could meet her eyes. "We have to leave, now."

Erin's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded silently when he pressed his finger to his lips. He slipped off the bed and reached under it, grabbing the black trainers. Whilst they had given him some shoes, Erin had none, so they would have to make do. Frowning slightly, he decided he had better carry Erin once they left the hospital so she didn't step on anything. He slipped them on, and held his hand out to the silent girl perched expectantly on his bed. Erin latched onto his hand and slipped off the bed, clutching him tightly and looking up with wide, solemn eyes. He touched his finger to his lip once more and again she nodded, sticking close to his side as they moved to the door.

Peaking out the door, Severus saw no one, and slowly edged his way out, keeping the silent Erin close. It wasn't hard for the two of them to ghost silently down the halls, encountering no one. Severus counted them in good luck that they were on the first floor, and even more so when they came across a service exit. Pushing open the door gently, he glanced around, and determining that they were alone, pulled his sister behind him and closed it, wincing at the abnormally loud – in his opinion – click that signalled it was closed. Letting out a sigh of relief as no one came running, he turned and held his arms out to his sister, who immediately clambered up and situated herself comfortably on his hip, gazing at him solemnly. Severus shot her a grin, which she returned, and he carried her away from the hospital and into the heart of London, keeping his eyes peeled for a bus station in which there would, hopefully, be a map.

The sixth year Gryffindor dorm room, even past midnight, was still bright and cheerful. The only notice that the occupants should be asleep was the pyjamas the four donned and also their various positions on the beds around the room. Sirius Black lay on back with his head hanging over the edge of the bed, his long black hair dangling over the floor. James Potter lay on his front, chin resting on crossed arms and glasses half way down his nose. Remus Lupin sat with his back cushioned against the headboard, hand resting calmly on his bent knees. Peter Pettigrew perched on the edge of his bed, feet swishing the floor gently.

The marauders were discussing the whereabouts of their favourite pranking victim, one slimy Slytherin Severus Snape.

"Maybe he's invisible," Peter offered, scrunching up his face in thought.

Sirius snorted derisively; "Nah, he 'aint that smart... maybe he's just hiding?"

James shook his head. "Can't be; I walked all the way through the train, saw every compartment. He wasn't there." He frowned slightly and pushed his glasses up his nose with a long finger.

"So, he missed the train," Sirius pondered, his gaze distant as he mused, "And he wasn't already here... so maybe he's changed schools?"

The other boys were quiet for a moment before James shook his head. "You wouldn't think so, would you? I mean, Snivellus can barely afford to go here."

"He could be dead," Remus said quietly, not meeting his friends' eyes. "I mean, he's a half-blood. They're not really that safe now either."

There was silence. None of them liked Severus, but they didn't want him dead.

Remus sighed. "Well, I'm going to sleep. If he doesn't show up tomorrow, the headmaster will probably make an announcement." With that, the werewolf burrowed under his covers, listening silently as his friends extinguished the lights and did the same.

Severus leant against the wall and let out a soft sigh. Shifting the dead weight in his arms, he glanced down at the sleeping face of his sister. A small, tired smile touched his lips. Erin had been exceptional, not complaining in the least as they switched between multiple buses and trams. The only way she had shown her hesitance and fatigue was how as soon as Severus had sat down she would clamber into his lap and wrap her arms around his chest, sighing and closing her eyes. She had finally fallen asleep on the latest trip, a near empty tram that dropped them a few blocks from the leaky cauldron. Not wanting to waken her, Severus had merely shifted her around until her head rested on shoulder and he could carry her one-handed.

He looked up, and couldn't help a small sigh of relief at the sight of the wizarding pub. It was near five in the morning, so Severus did not yet have to worry about being questioned by any who may have the slightest chance of questioning just why he wasn't at Hogwarts.

Severus straightened, shifting Erin up slightly, and moved to the door. Pushing through, he glanced around. There weren't any customers yet, but he could see old Tom the barman wandering about behind the bar.

Severus came in, the creak of the closing door bringing Tom's curious eyes over to rest on the Slytherin, taking in the gentle hold he had on the girl. Leaning on the bar, he merely waited as Severus slowly came forward.

"Mr Snape," Tom said in greeting, eyes fixing on the gauze taped to the teen's face before letting his gaze dart to the sleeping Erin.

"Tom," Severus replied, nodding his head in greeting.

Tom's gaze returned to the teen, and a curious glint took over his eyes. "Forgive me for prying, but shouldn't you be at school?"

Severus shrugged and looked away uncomfortably. "There was... an incident... that caused me to miss the express..." unknowingly, his gaze rested on Erin. Tom noted this, and dropped his polishing rag on the bar.

"You know, you two both look like you could do with some food," he noted, gazing resting on them kindly.

Severus shifted uncomfortably. "Er... I haven't actually got any money on me right now..." he muttered, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. He was suddenly very happy that Erin was fast asleep. "I've got to stop at Gringotts and get some out..."

"Ah," tom replied, looking at him keenly, noting the way he gave his sister a concerned look. "Well," he said, straightening up, "How's about I make a nice big breakfast for you and the little 'un for when you get back?"

Severus looked at him in relief. "Thank you," he replied, turning and heading towards the door to the alley.

"You're welcome," Tom murmured, his gaze resting thoughtfully on the abnormally polite teen.

Diagon Alley was basically deserted, the stores on both sides of the street locked and dark, closed signs clearly displayed in the growing dawn. Severus was glad for this, and doubly glad as he stood before the bank that it was an enterprise that was open twenty-four hours.

Severus glanced at his sleeping sister, then sighed regretfully knowing that he would have to wake her. "Erin?" he said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She stirred, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder in a way that Severus thought was adorable but would never admit. Smiling slightly, Severus shook her gently. "Erin... time to wake up, sweet..." also something he would never call her if anyone were around. Pouting slightly, Erin opened her grey eyes and looked up at him, yawning. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around sleepily. "Can you walk? Or would you rather I kept carrying you?" he asked. She didn't answer, just tightened her grip on his shirt.

Smiling, Severus pushed open the door to the bank and slipped in, making his way over to one of the booths where a goblin sat tallying in a ledger. He felt Erin gasp in amazement as she caught sight of him, and glancing at her felt a small smile touch his lips at the sheer amazement and awe on her little face.

The goblin glanced up and raised an eyebrow expectantly. Severus cleared his throat. "Hello, um, I'm here to access the Prince vault," he said nervously.

"Do you have a key?" the goblin asked.

"No, but it's my inheritance, my grandfather left it to me, his will said I could only access it after..." he faltered, glancing at Erin, before ploughing on at the impatient look on the goblin's face. "...after my mother and father had passed on."

"Hmm..." said the goblin, before standing. "Follow me, then. We'll just have to perform a kinship spell. Hope you're not scared of giving a little blood," he sneered, leading the siblings into a small room off the main hall.

It was nearly an hour later that the two left Gringotts, Erin still in Severus arms but clinging to him even tighter. She had definitely not approved of the goblin slashing open her brother's palm, having the gall to tell off the startled goblin before the blushing Severus had managed to managed to calm her enough for the now amused goblin to complete the ritual, handing the teen a strip of clean linen to bind the cut. Having their identity confirmed, they had then taken a surprisingly long ride in the carts – Erin had clung to Severus the whole ride – and come to the vault.

The Prince vaults was filled with more gold and artefacts than either had ever seen, and they had merely stared for a few moments before Severus had accepted a bag from the goblin and gotten Erin to help him stuff it with galleons, sickles and knuts. They had then returned to the top floor, and Severus had insisted on having some of the wealth exchanged for British pounds, telling Erin he would take her to buy some new clothes, much to her delight.

Standing outside the bank, Severus could see Diagon Alley beginning to awaken, sleepy store keepers setting up their wares with absentminded looks on their faces.

"Sev?" Erin said, yawning. Severus glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, prompting the five year old to continue. "I'm hungry."

Smiling slightly, Severus replied, "Well, we can't have that, can we?" He began making his way through the alley, ignoring the curious gazes of some of the storekeepers. Stopping in front of the wall, he tapped it with his wand and watched the bricks move and shift to reveal the back door of the Leaky Cauldron. Smiling at his sister, he carried her through and opened the door.

"Mr Snape!" called a voice, and Severus looked up into the smiling face of Tom. It was still early, so they were the only ones there. The man winked at Erin, who blushed and waved at him shyly. He grinned at her. "So, I trust you two are hungry then?"

"Yes, thank you, Tom," Severus said, coming over to the bar. He set Erin on a barstool, pushing it forward so she would be able to reach and settled next to her.

Tom disappeared into the back of the shop and reappeared carrying a massive tray covered with a thin cloth. He placed it before them and removed the cloth with a flourish. He immensely enjoyed the look of absolutely amazement and astonishment as the two looked at the steaming piles of eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, toast and all the spreads still piping hot from the stasis charm he had placed on it.

"Er..." Severus said, goggling at the sheer amount of food in front of him, "How much would you like for it?"

"One galleon," Tom said seriously. It was a lot less than what he would normally charge.

"One galleon?" Severus asked incredulously, looking up and meeting the man's gaze. He swallowed but handed it over, thanking the man with his eyes. Tom just grinned at him.

"Now, would you like pumpkin or orange juice?" the old barman took two tall glasses out from under the bar.

"Orange, please," Severus replied, piling food on a plate and placing it before his sister. Tom stuck a straw in one of the glasses and placed it in front of Erin.

"Thank you," the little girl said, giving him a shy smile.

"You are most welcome, little one," Tome replied, placing the other glass before Severus.

Severus swallowed the last mouthful of his breakfast and glanced at the clock above the bar.

6:24 am

Hmm... a bit early to send an owl... he bit his lip in indecision, and glanced at his sister. Erin had also finished her breakfast, and was playing sleepily with her unfolded napkin. He smiled slightly. He was lucky Erin was a relatively clean child, because she hadn't dripped any of her breakfast onto her shirt.

"Tom," Severus called, and the barman made his way over. "I don't suppose you have a room we could rent, do you?" he asked hopefully.

Tom hummed thoughtfully, glancing at the youth appraisingly. "For five galleons you can rent it till tomorrow," he replied, and accepted the galleons from the teen, leaving them to go and collect their key.

Severus hopped off the bar stool and held his hand out to help Erin off the barstool. Erin glanced at the hand then back up at him. "Carry me?" she asked hopefully, giving him a pleading look. Severus huffed and scowled but gently picked her up and settled her on his hip.

When the barman came back and handed him the key with their room number, Severus inquired whether he could borrow the man's owl.

"'Course you can, young 'un!" the man replied, digging out a crumpled piece of parchment and a Muggle pencil, handing it to the teen.

Severus scribbled a quick letter, signed it and handed it back to the man with a small smile. "Thank you, Tom," he said, and turned to walk up the stairs, Erin clinging to him like a monkey.

Tom watched them for a moment before glancing at the folded parchment. It was addressed to Albus Dumbledore. Tom smiled and went to send one of his owls to Hogwarts with the letter, accompanied by one of his own.

A/N so what did everyone think? i just love writing sev and erin together... makes me think of how one of my big brothers used to get all protective and angry whenever i was upset... but yeah anyways arent they just adorable together?

you all know i love it when you review!