"Because you are a child, you don't deserved to be punished for believing what you do, and I won't allow it."

He hadn't elaborated on those words, and Alice was left to ponder upon them for some time. Dumbledore finished his tea and told her that she would spend the rest of the night at the castle and tomorrow the three of them would apparate to London. There was more that had to be explained to her, but it was very late. Alice hadn't considered the change in time zones and wondered at how, despite his age, Dumbledore was still awake. As she followed Severus out of the Headmaster's Office, she glanced back at the elderly man and had a thought that perhaps he was simply used to being up late.

As Alice followed Severus out of the office and down a moving staircase, she tried her best to make note of her surroundings. She knew that, unlike Salem's campus of multiple buildings, Hogwarts was a large castle in the Scottish highlands. Stepping off the staircase, she did her best to keep up with Severus' longer strides as he led her down through the castle and into the colder dungeons.

He said nothing to her, but Alice felt it preferable that way. She wasn't big on small talk, so unless he spoke, she wasn't going to say anything. When he stopped in front of a large portrait depicting a man with the world on his back, he spoke the word "Titanomachy". The portrait swung forward and Alice followed him inside.

The room they entered was a large sitting room that might have been mistaken for a small library. The walls were lined with book cases, with five doors between them. There was a large fireplace that wasn't lit, but as the room was warmer than the rest of the dungeons had been, there was no need for it to be. A black leather couch and armchair sat around a small rectangular table in the middle of the room, a few books on it's surface.

Alice watched as Severus extracted a long, dark wand from his sleeve and wordlessly conjured a large folded blanket and pillow to sit on the couch. He turned to her and indicated to a door to his left. "Through there is the facilities, you may use them. The one over there," he gestured to a door on his left, "goes to a small kitchen. If you are hungry, there are simple foodstuffs you may put together. The other three lead to my room, my private lab, and my office. You are not to enter any of those. Am I clear?"

She nodded to him. 'Well, if he wants his privacy, that's fine by me.'

"The couch is more comfortable than it looks, and tomorrow night you will have a proper place to sleep. I suggest you get some rest." With that, he turned and went into one of the rooms he told her not to enter.

'That was a bit anti-climactic. Oh well.'

As her stomach rumbled, having been empty for hours, it was quickly decided food would come before what would likely be a restless evening.


As soon as the door was closed, Severus pressed his back against it and sank to the floor. The calming drought was beginning to wear off, and he forced himself to breath in and out. Dragging a hand through his hair, he did his best to keep calm.

'What she must think of all this, and I can hardly speak to her.' He needed to find some kind of common ground with her, else come September, she might hate him. 'That is, if she doesn't already.' There was much they hadn't spoken of, things she didn't question aloud. All she wanted was to go home the moment she processed that he was a Death Eater.

He felt, strongly, that he had to justify himself to her. There had been only one other person that he had felt such for, and the thought of her was too much to bear at the moment. No, he had to concentrate on the one who was still here, who he might still convince that he wasn't a villain. He'd not have her hate him as he had hated Tobias Snape.

The man who had tormented him and his mother. The man who had not cared if there was food or clothing for his family. The man who drank himself into a monster. The man who had struck fear and hate into his son. That man had died alone, and no one had cared.

'No, MY child, MY daughter, will NOT despise me like that!'

It was that line of thought that gave him strength to get up and climb into his bed. He would find a way to connect to his child, no matter what.


Someone was touching her, shaking her into consciousness. Her eyes opened and began to focus on the person who had retracted their hand. She nearly panicked, but memories of the night before surfaced.

'Damn, it wasn't a dream.'

Once her eyes had fully focused, she noticed that he was wearing clean robes, and his hair looked to be freshly washed. As she sat up, he sat down in the armchair beside the couch and crossed one leg over the other.

"I trust you slept well?" He wasn't looking at her, but down at one of the books on the table. Her eyes followed his, resting on the title 'Curious Uses of Common Charms.'

"I guess." She could almost imagine what the book contained. The title might have seemed harmless enough to a passerby, but 'curious' people would surely think more on it. Her brow furled as she thought 'But would he really keep a kind of book like that out where he knew a kid would see it?'

"You wouldn't have been able to open it."

Her wide eyes shot up at him. He was looking at her now. "What?" How had he known? A lucky guess?

"That book. Or any of the other inappropriate books for someone your age in my quarters. They are spelled shut unless I open them."

'Well then, guess that means no interesting reading for me.' Alice thought with a sigh.

"We will be leaving in about an hour for London. However, before we go, there are still things that need to be said, and no doubt you have unanswered questions."

Alice nodded. She'd had time to think before she had laid down, questions she knew she needed to ask.

"Very well. Go freshen up, and I will get us some tea. Or would you prefer juice?" His aim was to make her comfortable, as there was little doubt there were things she would not want to hear.

"You got any coffee?"

He wasn't sure he wanted her to have that at her age, but recalling that he had started to drink the caffeinated beverage at the beginning of his teenage years, he refused to be a hypocrite.

He nodded and headed into the kitchen as she picked up her bag and headed for the bathroom.

When he returned, she was folding the blanket he'd found her cocooned in not long before. She was dressed in faded, and in some places, ripped denim jeans. An oversized grey t-shirt had 'Save Ferris' printed on it.

He set the tray he'd brought with him down on the table before banishing the newly folded blanket and pillow back to where they had come from. Alice grabbed her cup of coffee and sat back on the couch, crossing her legs in front of her. Severus grabbed his cup as well and took a sip before speaking.

"Would you like to start, then? I will answer what I can, though you will understand that there are some things I cannot tell you."

She had both her hands wrapped around her mug, enjoying the warmth it gave off. 'I suppose I'll have to take what I can get then.'

"You said you were a spy?

"Yes. Since before you were born. Though I cannot tell you exactly what it is I do, know that my true allegiance is with Albus Dumbledore."

"Were you always a spy?"

"No." His tone suggested he wasn't going to elaborate on that.

"What made you change sides?"

He wasn't about to tell her the real reason behind that. But he had to give her an answer she could accept, else she might not believe anything he said after.

"Because I could not condone certain things anymore."

She seemed to accept the answer for now, though he thought that perhaps one day it would not be enough. 'Maybe one day I can tell you, but for now, you have to live with that.'

"Have you ever killed any one?" She was staring into her coffee cup, as though she couldn't quite bring herself to look at him.

He knew that question was coming, and had prepared for it. "Out of necessity. I have never enjoyed it. Look at me." She lifted her head slowly and met his eyes. "Many Death Eaters enjoy, and please forgive the term, 'playing with their food.'" She looked like she might be sick.

"I am not so sadistic. I do not toy with those I must kill. Those I am charged with killing, their deaths are swift and painless. It is all I can give to them. I have always done so, even before I turned spy."

The answer placated her immediately, at least on this topic.

"There are things I must do to maintain my position. And there are things that you must comply with as well." He had to put his foot down, but hoped that as long as he could give her the right reasons, she would understand and acquiesce. Her eyes hardened, and he hoped she would at least listen to him.

"When you return here in September, you will see division amongst the students. In particular, the students of Slytherin House against the other Houses. It has been that way for some time, and now that the Dark Lord has returned, the situation will only be exacerbated. Slytherin was where the Dark Lord was sorted into, and thus has held many of his supporters. Arguments will undoubtedly start, and some will result in fighting. You are to stay out of it."

"You think I want to be in a fight with some jerks I don't even know?" Alice said, incredulously. "I should hope not. This does, unfortunately, open to another subject." Alice raised an eyebrow. "I teach Potions, and you ought to know by now that it can be very dangerous. As such, I am often short tempered with the antics of the dunderheads I have the displeasure to teach."

Alice snorted. "Yeah, I can see that."

Severus leveled a glare at her, but she ignored him and drank more of her coffee. "It is for my infamous temper and my penchant for handing out detention that I am not well liked outside Slytherin. As their head of house, I tend to favour them. It is because of this you may well be targeted. I have little doubt that should anyone try it, the students of Slytherin will likely come to your aid, if only garner my favour. You would do well not to agitate or alienate them. As a matter of fact, you would do well to forge some loose friendships with them. It would only serve to reinforce my own position."

"So let me get this straight: You know that I couldn't give a shit about all this pureblood crap, but you want me to make friends with people who kiss a murdering maniac's ass just so that you look good?"

Severus could feel his eye twitch. 'If I had spoken like that to Tobias at her age, I would have been lying in bed in pain for days. I sincerely hope she doesn't speak like this all the time.'

"In short, yes. However, you will kindly refrain from using expletives in the future."

Alice blinked at him. "You actually care about that?"

"Of course I do! It's improper and impolite. Certainly your mother didn't put up with that sort of language?"

"Yeah, okay. Regina swore to high Heaven every day for as long as I can remember. If she hadn't knocked herself into that stupid coma she'd be doing it right now."

'Well, that explains alot. I knew that her home couldn't have been perfect, but even so, I had hoped she had some sort of role model.'

"Well, be that as it may, I do not allow for such language. I will find a form of punishment suitable for the offense should it happen again. Am I clear?"

Alice rolled her eyes at him, but replied reluctantly, "Yeah, sure." Severus supposed that it was the best he would get for now, and put down his now empty coffee cup.

"As for another matter, we must discuss the safe house you will be going to. It currently serves as the primary Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix. While there you are not to eavesdrop on any conversations that do not concern you. You are not to discuss anything you know to be sensitive information with anyone outside the Order. Once you come back here, you are never to say anything about it at all, even with those you may befriend while there. As far as anyone is concerned, you will have been in New York for the majority of the summer. I cannot stress the importance of this. Do you understand?"

Alice could hear in his voice the seriousness of the situation. She looked at him and nodded. Severus hoped she understood, but he had to make it clear to her that there were consequences. He stood up and sat beside her, hoping that proximity would help to reinforce the message. He took her chin in his hand and felt her stiffen at his touch. Turning her head so that they were face to face, he used legilimency to skim the surface of her mind as he spoke.

"If any of the Dark Lord's supporters find out that you have been hidden, He will know I have lied to him. Credibility is not the worst thing for me to lose." He could feel her fear, knew she was listening to his every word, and sensed she already knew what he would say next.

"If I am caught lying to him, I will be marked for death."