Author's Note: I just had to say a huge thank you to all my reviewers! This story has now become my most reviewed story ever! That brought tears to my eyes, as well as all your kind words! Thank you so very much! And to Support Severus Snape, I actually put "Guardian Angel" on repeat on my computer and then just played it over and over again on my mp3 player when I write. That is definately a Severus/Lily song. Believe it or not, I actually make soundtracks for all my stories...Silly, I know but hey, it works. ;-)
Chapter Nineteen: Bridges Built
The students would be returning to Hogwarts in just a few days and Severus, having lost some time sleeping and recovering, had taken up almost a permanent station in the wood paneled staff room. He still had the sixth and seventh year's essays that needed to be graded and the replacement ingredients had just been delivered that day and needed to be put away. The grading would have gone faster that night if Lily's cat had left him in peace. However, Oreo had dumped the inkwell on the table (thankfully missing the parchments of essays) and wouldn't stop playing with the end of his quill.
"I thought I would find her in here."
He looked up to see Lily stepping into the room. "Who? The cat?"
She nodded and picked up the said animal from the table. "I saw on the map that you were in here and since I couldn't find her in the Tower, I figured she was with her new best friend."
"I don't know why she likes me."
Lily gave him a sly smile as she sat down at the table with him. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with the treats you feed her when you think no one is looking."
He sometimes wondered if she was legilimens. He always snuck food out of the Great Hall and broke off pieces of whatever meat they had that day or a sweet roll if it was breakfast, giving it to Oreo throughout the day. As far as he could remember, he only indulged the feline in private. "Where's Harry?"
"Asleep. You do realize that it's ten o'clock, right?"
He dropped the quill and rubbed his face. "You're kidding. I'm never going to get this all done before Professor Slughorn comes back."
"Sev, I'm sure he'll understand when you tell him that you were beaten up by Peter Pettigrew and took a few days to recover. I'll even tell him if you want."
"No, that's fine," he tried to look his most pathetic, "I guess I just need your permission to stay up past my bedtime." Ever since his four day "nap," Lily had imposed an eleven o'clock curfew on him to ensure he was getting rest. He was unbelievably shocked to find out one night, leaving his room to raid the kitchen around midnight, that she had set a caterwauling charm on his room.
"How about this, you pass me the sixth year's essays and I'll do them while you finish grading up the seventh year's." She dropped the cat down onto the floor, who mewed in protest, and picked up the stack of essays he had been grading. They worked together in companionable silence, the scratch of quills on parchment and the occasionally meow from the cat, filled the room.
Usually he found grading the essays tedious work, but tonight was completely different. As he and Lily sat in the empty room, he reverted back into the child that spent the quiet times between them listening to her steady breathing and relishing the scent of peppermint and that unique scent of the outdoors that was solely Lily. He indulged himself in a moment of quiet with her. He doubted she was even aware of it but the time she had been spending with him since the Pettigrew fiasco was slowly unraveling years of pent up frustration and despair. She was expertly weaving a tapestry of contentment and, he was afraid to admit, happiness in these shared moments like this one.
"What are you thinking about?"
He lifted his head and feigned confusion. "What was that?"
She propped up her head on her hand, leaning her elbow on the table. "You were daydreaming. Care to share?"
She really did know him better than he knew himself. "No, not really."
"Are you keeping things from me?"
Her tone was light and playful but he regarded her in extreme seriousness. "Never again."
She blushed slightly under his gaze and he immediately felt guilty as she returned back to the grading with an air of deep concentration. He had asked Muppy the house elf to keep an eye on Lily only to discover the creature had been doing it already. Muppy had reported to him that Lily still cried herself to sleep at night, the only time during the day now that she allowed herself to vent those emotions.
"Oy, there you are!" Black burst into the room and Severus turned his eyes back down to the essay in front of him and frowned deeply.
"Is Harry awake?" Lily asked, no emotion showing in her voice.
"No," Black sauntered into the room and dropped himself into a chair across from them. "You left the map out on your bed and I saw you were here with good old Snivelly. Just making sure you're al- Hey!"
Severus looked up just in time to see Lily hurl the ink well across the table. Black ducked just in time (pity) and the bottle smashed against the wall, leaving a large black, runny spot on the wood paneling.
"What the bloody hell was that for?"
Severus tried to stifle his laughter with a cough. He never remembered seeing Black so incensed.
"I've already had this discussion with you, Sirius. If you can't behave like an adult, get out." Lily flicked her wand and the ink well reassembled itself and filled with ink again, settling back on the table in front of her. "Who's watching Harry?"
Black actually looked afraid to speak. "Remus."
"I'm helping Severus," she emphasized his name, "grade some essays and then I'll be back up."
"Alright," he turned to go but stopped at the door. "Oh, I wanted to tell you I got a letter from my brother today."
"Regulus?" Both Lily and Severus answered with the name.
Black's eyes narrowed at Severus. "I forgot he was a buddy of yours. Were you the one that recruited him, Sni-, uh Severus?"
"Your brother didn't need recruiting, Black. If anyone was responsible for his induction into the Dark Lord's circle it would be your parents."
"So what did the letter say?" Lily asked.
Black stared at Severus. "I'll tell you when you come up to the Tower," he said before finally exiting the room.
Severus tapped his quill against his hand a few times. "Nice shot with the ink well."
Lily grimaced slightly. "I've had a lot of practice these last few days."
Guilt once again came over him. Nothing pleasant ever lasted long for him. "He's giving you a hard time for being nice to me, spending time with me."
"And I'm giving him a hard time right back." She smiled. "I can take care of myself."
Yes, he supposed she could.
Regulus wasn't surprised when Albus Dumbledore arrived at the entrance of Hogwarts with a small contingent of his men. Mad Eye Moody, the Prewett brothers and his own dear brother. He allowed them to search him physically and well as magically. He could always count on Moody to have a sneak-a-scope, foe glass and his magical eye to make sure he had nothing on him that could cause harm to any of them. Without them having to ask, he presented his wand to Dumbledore, silently handing it over. Without taking it but giving him a hard stare, Dumbledore shook his head.
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Black," the Head Master said. "I believe your intentions are true. But forgive me if I ask that we talk in the game keeper's home instead of the castle."
Regulus repocketed his wand. "That would be fine." He walked side by side with Dumbledore, suddenly feeling uneasy about this. He had decided to follow Snape's example by seeking refuge with Albus Dumbledore, especially after Pettigrew got himself caught and shipped off to Azkaban. He had been around Voldemort enough now to know that the only thing the Dark Lord feared was death and Dumbledore. The students had yet to return to the school, so no loyal Slytherin students would see him on the grounds. It still didn't help him shake this uneasy feeling. Hagrid, the large game keeper, opened the door to the small hut as they approached.
"Ah, thank you, Hagrid," Dumbledore greeted. "Your opening up of your home is greatly appreciated."
"Anything I can do ter help, ya know that."
Regulus took a seat around the large table and waited for everyone else to settle in while he gathered his thoughts. Surprisingly, it was his brother that spoke first.
"What is this about, Reg?" Sirius pulled out the letter he had sent and threw it on the table. "Suddenly you want to change sides. Why the change of heart?"
"I only just discovered I had one actually. I can't stand listening to Mum and Dad anymore. Now that Snape defected they keep pushing me to move into the position. I don't want to. I don't want to be part of this anymore. Also, there's this girl. She wants out as much as I do. If you don't believe me with what I have to tell you and if you're unwilling to protect me at least protect her."
"Is she marked yet?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, not yet. He won't give students the Dark Mark. He considers them too close to you and fears you'll convert them back to your way of thinking and turn them spy for you."
Dumbledore seemed to think for a moment before he spoke again. "Holly Avery."
Regulus nodded. "Yes, that's her. She's graduating this spring and will be initiated then unless she's offered a refuge."
"If this is her desire," Dumbledore nodded, "I will offer it. But why her?"
Regulus smiled and felt like almost embarrassed and yet also relieved to admit it verbally. "I'm, uh, I'm in love with her. She doesn't know yet, but-"
"Charming," Sirius said, though Regulus recognized the tone to infer he thought it was anything but. "What was the rest of letter about? What are horcruxes and what do they have to do with Voldemort?"
Regulus shifted in his chair. "As best as I can understand it, a horcrux is an object that a dark wizard can encase a part of his soul in when it splinters off after he commits a murder. I have reason to believe that Voldemort has made six horcruxes."
"And how do you know this?" Dumbledore asked.
Regulus looked at his hands. The story still left him sickened. "The Dark Lord recruited our house elf, Kreacher. The poor thing came back half dead and it took me three days to find out what exactly happened. Apparently, one of the horcruxes is a locket and one of the protections that he placed on the locket is a potion. He placed the locket in a basin filled with this potion that causes desperate thirst, pain and near madness. If you manage to drink the potion enough to take the locket, you're so driven by thirst that you go to the lake to drink. Only the lake is infested with Inferi. He needed Kreacher to test the potion as house elves are expendable." Regulus spat the last word.
Mad Eye Moody stared down at the sneak-a-scope which hadn't lit up a flash or moved an inch. He gave Dumbledore a curt nod.
"Very well," the Head Master said, standing up. "If you don't mind, I would like to place you into hiding until I can confirm this information. Professor Slughorn will be returning tomorrow and there are issues I wish to discuss with him before I give you a final answer. I trust this is acceptable to you?"
Relief seemed to overwhelm him. "Yes, it is more than acceptable."
"Do you know what the other horcruxes are?"
Sirius handed the letter to Dumbledore. "He listed them all in the letter."
"Excellent," Dumbledore pocketed the parchment and bid everyone good night. Sirius stood up, annoyance written on his face.
"Come on, I'll show you where we're going to stash you."