(Back to Severus's POV)

I woke up to find Mrs. Petrov dozing in an armchair next to my bed and Ana in an ordinary chair next to her, with a book in her hands, but not really reading, for she kept looking around the room and randomly flipping pages. Ana noticed that I was awake a couple of seconds later and immediately got up. "Mother, Severus is awake. How are you feeling, Severus?"

"T-tainted," I replied after I cleared my throat. "Why am I here?"

"Where else would you be?" she asked. "You're still recovering, by the way." She helped me sit up and then handed me a glass of water sitting on the dresser.

Once I was done drinking, Mrs. Petrov said gently, "None of us blame you for the mistake you made. If you had refused to take the Dark Mark, I am sure Voldemort would have killed you, or ordered one of his Death Eaters to do it. We know you are not evil at heart. Now, you are going to rest, and we will do everything in out power to fully heal you."

"I don't deserve any of this," I spat. I rolled up my sleeve and thrust out my arm. "Just look!"

Mrs. Petrov glanced at the Dark Mark without flinching, then said, "So you have something on your arm that you do not like, Severus. That does not make you evil or undeserving of good treatment. It will simply remind you that you were forced into a horrible situation that you hate, and it will make you a stronger person. Just as the number tatooed on my arm does for me."

"There's a difference!" I protested. "The Nazis didn't see you as a person and the number represents that! The Dark Mark is evil and shows that-"

"Severus Snape!" snapped Mrs. Petrov, shaking me slightly. "That is quite enough! I will not have you working yourself up into a state over this. You are not evil, and a million Dark Marks branded on you would still not prove that. If Niko was forced to join the Death Eaters, since he was also a Slytherin, and took the Dark Mark, would that make him evil?"

"No, but he's never-"

"Do you think my twin is a perfect saint and has never done anything wrong in his life?" interrupted Ana. "Because that's not true."

"Do you want further proof, Severus?" asked Mrs. Petrov. "Well, the apothecary has wards placed on them, and one of them prevents those with evil in their hearts from entering. If you were evil, then you wouldn't have been able to set foot in here. In fact, the moment you tried to Floo here, you would have been repelled and thrown out of your fireplace."

I opened my mouth, then shut it again. There was nothing I could say to argue against that, and so I had to accept the fact that I was not evil and the Dark Mark had not made me so, since the wards on the apothecary had let me in.

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Romanov came in, wearing her Healer's robes. Clearly she had just finished her shift at St. Mungo's. "I see you are awake, Severus," she said. "Don't blame yourself. None of us do, and we would rather have you alive than dead, which is what you would be if you refused to join Voldemort." She pulled a small flask out her pocket. "This is a Calming Draught. I want you to take a dose. Then you're going to have some food and we'll discuss what we can do to protect you."

"I don't need protection, Mrs. Romanov," I replied. "I need to atone for what I did."

Mrs. Petrov and Mrs. Romanov exchanged looks. "That isn't necessary, Severus, but we'll discuss that later," the latter said before handing the Calming Draught to me and leaving the room.

When I finished with the dose of Calming Draught and made a trip to the loo, Mrs. Romanov returned with a tray that had a bowl of porridge with milk, honey, and cinnamon mixed in, a mug of herbal tea with honey, and a two slices of toast with strawberry jam. The tray was set on a stand that she placed over my lap. "Enjoy your breakfast, Severus," she said and then she and Mrs. Petrov left the room. Ana picked up her book again so I could eat in peace, but I knew she really wasn't reading when she still hadn't turned a page by the time I was halfway through with my meal.

When I finished eating, Mrs. Romanov and Mrs. Petrov returned. The former had changed out of her work uniform and was now dressed in a pale yellow blouse and a bright green skirt with gold braid at the hem. Ana picked up the tray and silently left the room, while the two older women sat down next to me. "Severus, the fact that you sincerely regret what you were forced to do atones for it," said Mrs. Petrov gently. "There is absolutely no need for you to do anything else to make up for it."

"It's not enough," I answered stubbornly. "I made a mistake and need to make up for it. I think the best way would be to pretend to be a loyal Death Eater and spy on the Dark Lord's activities."

"You will do no such thing, Severus Snape!" snapped Mrs. Petrov. "That is far too dangerous! If Voldemort ever found out that you were a double agent, he'd have you killed on the spot!"

"Mother, he is an adult and capable of making his own decisions," pointed out Ana. "And you aren't his mother. Though I do agree that what he proposes is too dangerous."

"Just because I'm not his biological mother doesn't mean I can't function as one, Anastasia! Besides, if Eileen were alive, she would object to this too."

"Mrs. Petrov, I know it's dangerous, but I still want to do this," I interrupted. "Even if I don't need to atone for my actions, it's still the right thing to do."

"Yes, but-" Mrs. Petrov sighed and continued, "Well, I suppose I can't really forbid you. You are an adult and not my biological son, after all. And the children in our two families have never been the sheltered sort, so it would be rather hypocritical of me to try to shelter you."

Mrs. Romanov frowned. "But it's still not something we want you to do, Severus. Spying on Voldemort is extremely dangerous. Still, Ilsa has a point. We can't protect you forever, and it is true that we raised our children to be capable if taking care of themselves when necessary. So we must do the same with you in regards to Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Vladek has said that he is willing to teach you Occulemency. Do you know what it is?" At my nod, she continued, "That way Voldemort will not figure out that you aren't loyal to him in case he happens to know Legilimency. You already have the ability to hide your emotions and don't seem to be a horrible liar, so you are safe there. We will see if there is anything else you need to learn in order to protect yourself."

"Thank you, Mrs. Romanov and Mrs. Petrov," I said humbly.

"We do want you to be safe, Severus," said Mrs. Petrov. "Besides, we also know that you are very stubborn and rather than waste time trying and failing to talk you out of being a double agent, we might as well do our best to help you. Now, you need to recover from what you've endured. Once you're completely well, you can start with the Occulemency lessons."

After leaving me with a mug to tea and a book on Occulemecy and another on Potions to keep me from being bored, the three witches left the room. I picked up the book on Occulemency and started reading.