Poles Apart

by Slytherin99

Snape survived, but in a coma. Headmistress McGonagall arranges for a Russian professor to take over teaching potions, but she has some secrets of her own...and that's only the beginning of the story. Post DH, mostly compliant, perhaps AU, with several OCs. Rated M for safety. Chapter 6-10 revised 1/30/15.

6. Chapter 21 to 25

Chapter 21

Something was poking him, disturbing his rest. Irritably, Severus swatted at whatever it was, muttering something both profane and unintelligible.

"Time to wake up, grumpy." The voice was cheerful, and irritatingly familiar.

He opened one eye to see Ana perched on the bed, leaning over him with a smirk on her face.

He grimaced and shifted in the bed, sucking in his breath at the pain.

"Should I call the nurse?" She asked, sudden concern in her face. "Are you hurting?"

"It's not that bad." He sighed. "Merlin, I am quite weary of people trying to kill me. It's becoming rather tedious."

"The Healer says it will probably be a week yet in Hospital for you," Ana sighed sadly, taking his hand and intertwining her fingers with his. "But they're going to release me tomorrow."

"It's just as well," Severus said, giving her an encouraging smile. "I'm sure that…Mother needs a break from Nina, and at least one of us needs to be with her. I'll be fine here."

"I'll miss you terribly." She said softly, leaning down to kiss him gently.

"I know." He sighed when she broke off the kiss. "How do you feel?"

"Like a piñata at a birthday party." She smiled. "My ribs are still a bit sore, but that will pass."

Taking out her wand, she widened the bed a bit, and then lay down beside him.

"You're going to get in trouble." He smirked. "This isn't the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, you know. Unauthorized alterations of the furniture are frowned upon here."

"So? You're my husband now." She smirked back, and then snuggled up to him, her head on his shoulder, his arm sliding around her back. "I'll change it back when I leave."

"Insufferable witch." He said with a contented sigh, closing his eyes.

oOo

"Ready to go home?" Sarah Williams said cheerily, pushing a wheelchair into Ana's hospital room.

"I guess so." Ana said reluctantly.

"Oh, don't fret, Professor. It shouldn't be but a week or so before your husband can go home, too. I'll make sure he behaves himself so he heals up quickly."

Ana laughed at that, Severus' difficulty as a patient having become a regular joke between her and the young medi-witch.

"I knew him by reputation, but I never had him as a Professor," Sarah said, helping Ana dress in robes that Minerva had brought for her from Hogwarts, "is he always this difficult?"

"You have no idea how difficult he can be." Ana replied, tucking her wand into its hidden pocket in her sleeve. "Trust me, he's behaving himself now. Just be on your toes; he's very good at wandless and nonverbal magic."

"Well, you're ready to check out." Sarah said, helping Ana sit down in the wheelchair. "Headmistress McGonagall said she could take you in side-along apparition, but if you don't feel up to it, she also brought a portkey."

"Where is she?" Ana frowned.

"No idea. Shall I roll you down to the lobby? Perhaps she's down there."

"Yes, please. I really need to get back to Hogwarts to check on my daughter."

With sure hands and a steady pace, the young medi-witch carefully pushed Ana down the hallway in the wheelchair, heading for the elevator.

"I'll certainly miss our chats, Professor."

"As will I, Sarah." Ana sighed, smiling. "It was nice to see you again."

Sarah backed the wheelchair into the elevator and pushed the button for the lobby.

"Well, here." Sarah said, handing Ana a slip of parchment. "Here is my cell number. I'd love to visit with you again, anytime. Just give me a call if you're in town, or send me an owl."

Ana tucked the slip in the pocket of her robe, wincing slightly at the slight movement required. Despite a dose of Skele-Gro, her ribs were still tender.

It's going to be a lot of fun picking up Nina for a few weeks, she sighed to herself. Breathing isn't so bad now, but anything involving picking things up…

With a soft chime, the elevator doors opened, and Sarah carefully pushed the wheelchair into the lobby, which seemed unusually crowded to Ana. Stopping the wheelchair in the middle of the room, the young medi-witch walked past her a few feet, then turned to face her. Uneasily, Ana put her hand on her wand, which was in her sleeve.

"Wait!" Sarah said quickly, holding up her hand. "Please don't hex anyone!"

Ana watched from her wheelchair, surprised, as nearly everyone in the lobby turned toward her.

"What…what is this?" Ana said nervously. Only the timely appearance of Harry Potter, as well as Ginny and Headmistress McGonagall, kept her from readying a hex.

"Some people who wanted to see you before you left, Professor." Sarah said gently. "Marie?"

A petite blond girl with blue eyes, who could have been not more than seven years old, perhaps, came forward with a small box.

"Go ahead, Marie." Sarah said to the little girl, giving her a gentle push toward Ana. Her eyes wide, her chin trembling, the girl hesitantly walked toward Ana's wheelchair.

"P-professor…" Marie said shyly, so faintly that Ana could barely hear her, "My name is Marie Penninger. My daddy is Martin Penninger. Th-thank you for saving my daddy."

Ana sat there, speechless. Sarah walked up and put a hand on Marie's shoulder reassuringly, smiling at her.

"Professor," She said, wiping away a tear, "We are the survivors of the October 4th dormitory fire at Beauxbartons. While not all of us could be here, I wanted to tell you that 93 of the 140 students and staff in the dorm that night survived, thanks to you.

"We debated at length what we should do for you, and we decided to do two things to honor your bravery: first, we are establishing a trust fund for a scholarship in your name, to be granted to one deserving student per semester in perpetuity, based on either the student's financial need, or an act of selfless bravery; second, we would like to present you with this book."

Taking the box and placing it in Ana's hands, she opened the lid. Inside was a leather bound book, marked on the cover in simple, elegant gilt script, 'With Undying Gratitude.'

Numbly, Ana opened it, acutely aware of the crowd's eyes upon her. Line after line jumped out at her as she slowly turned the pages of the book.

Dear Professor Romanov, thank you for saving my life that night…

Were it not for your actions, my wife would not have lived to marry me…

I often tell my daughter that you are the bravest witch…

I owe you my life. Every day that I wake, I thank the gods that you were there…

Professor, your selfless sacrifice made sure that we would live…

Finally, when she could read no more, she looked up at the crowd. One man in a wheelchair, magically operated as he had no hands, save for what remained of his right. Twin boys, shyly peeking around their mother at her, their mother's face and hands marred by scars so like her own. As she examined the crowd of people further, she realized that many of them bore scars of some varying degree.

With a faint hum, the man in the magical wheelchair glided forward, stopping for a moment so that Marie could hop up in his lap.

"Professor Romanov," He smiled cheekily, hugging Marie with the stump of his left arm, while the two fingers left on his right hand brought the chair to a smooth stop only a few feet away from Ana. "I'm Martin Penninger. I don't know if you remember me, I taught Arithmancy, I'd just started that fall that we were attacked. My wife and I were trapped in the dorms with the students when the Fiendfyre hit.

"Jeanne, wasn't it?" Ana said softly. "Is she…"

"Right here, Professor," Jeanne said as she made her way through the crowd, holding a very young baby to her shoulder on a towel. "Sorry, Marcel was hungry, and he's not very patient…I was in the loo nursing him."

"It's alright, Jeanne," Ana sighed, thinking of Nina and Severus. "I have a daughter of my own."

Jeanne gave Martin a uneasy glance.

"Professor, is it true?" She whispered fearfully. "What that awful woman published in The Daily Prophet?"

Ana sat up straight in her wheelchair, her throat suddenly tight, feeling much like she'd swallowed a stone. She closed her eyes for a moment, struggling to control her temper as it threatened to rage out of control.

When she opened her eyes, they were hard as flint, and about the same shade.

"Marie, sweetheart," Ana said gently, keeping a tight rein on herself, "there's some pretty tropical fish over there in the aquarium. Could you leave me alone with your parents for a moment? Please?"

The girl nodded, slipping off her father's lap to go look at the fish in the small aquarium near the welcome witch's desk. When Ana looked back at the Penningers, they were both rather pale, especially Jeanne, who had plenty of experience with this particular side of Professor Romanov.

"Sonorus." Ana said, casting the amplifying charm on her voice.

"I suppose you are referring to my husband, Professor Severus Snape." She said coldly, her voice reverberating throughout the lobby.

"Oh, Merlin..." Minerva sighed, walking quickly toward Ana. "This is bad."

"Come on, Harry." Ginny said urgently, tugging on his arm and following the Headmistress.

"As much as I appreciate this honor, especially the creation of the scholarship in my name, I must refuse it." Ana said, modulating the charm a bit, her voice shaking with anger.

"As you all know, I married the infamous former Death Eater and reputed right hand of the Dark Lord, Severus Snape, in July of this year, as was reported in the Daily Prophet. That much is true. I love my husband very much, and we have a beautiful daughter.

"I'm sure that most of you are quite familiar with the…accuracy of Ms. Skeeter's reporting, her flair for the sensational. With her tendency to…shall we say, stretch the truth a bit?"

A chuckle erupted from the back of the crowd, which otherwise was silent.

"Now that I have your full attention, I will explain why I refuse to accept your honors." Ana continued, her voice a bit unsteady, raw with emotion that seethed just under the surface.

"I turned from the fighting to go to the dormitory, which had been set on fire, because you and your fellow students were trapped there. I broke down the door, as best I could, trying to get you out." She paused, wiping away a stray tear, fighting to keep herself calm.

"I was unable to save some of you." Ana went on, blinking away tears. "I'm happy that so many of you were able to get out, and had I known the price I would pay with…my body for my efforts beforehand, I would gladly do the same thing again without hesitation."

The lobby was deathly quiet, all eyes trained on her. She pressed on.

"All of that said, what I did was nothing. I only did what any decent wizard or witch in my place would have done. That's all."

A quiet murmur swept through the crowd, until Sarah raised her hands, confusion on her face.

"Professor…" She said, eyes wide in shock, "You are our heroine, our savior…how could it be nothing?"

For a moment, Ana said nothing, only toying with her simple gold wedding ring.

"Because," She replied finally, raising her eyes to the crowd defiantly. "I saved only a few, compared to Severus. Ninety-three of you I saved, but what is that compared to how many lives he saved through his dedication and selfless actions? Anyone care to guess how many? Millions, possibly billions, for the Dark Lord would not have stopped with the few who died during the war. He would have wiped out the Muggles, as much as we make fun of them, or worse. Then it would have been the disloyal among the wizarding population, everyone not willing to kiss the hem of his robes!"

"Tell me, what rewards has Severus Snape received for his actions? Death threats, lawsuits, rotten cabbages! We were in Berkshire only a month ago, shopping for Christmas for our daughter and our friends, when two of our fine fellow wizards threw rotten vegetables at him!

"He never expected any reward. Ever. He only did what he believed to be the right thing, guided by Albus Dumbledore. As a Death Eater, at the orders of the Dark Lord, he committed horrible crimes, it is true. But he did so much good, in hopes of somehow redeeming himself, by helping to defeat the Dark Lord.

"The only reward he ever sought…" She said, her voice faltering, tears streaming down her face, "…was…was the release of death. But even that was denied him."

By now Ana was shaking with rage, the crowd seemingly petrified before her scathing words. Minerva stepped up to her and placed a restraining hand gently on her shoulder, leaning down to her ear.

"Ana," Minerva whispered, "Please…enough. You can't repair all of the damage to Severus' reputation in just a few minutes. Please, calm down."

"It's not fair, Minerva." The younger witch sobbed, sagging in the wheelchair. "It's just not fair! He's still in a hospital bed upstairs, suffering from injuries that were inflicted by a follower of the Dark Lord, and I'm being honored?"

Hesitantly, Sarah came forward to kneel before Ana's wheelchair, her face somber.

"Professor?" She said, her eyes full of concern. "I…I'm sorry we upset you."

Harry and Ginny moved to stand protectively on either side of Ana, with Harry retrieving his hanky and offering it to her. Mumbling a soft 'thank you,' she wiped at her eyes, still trembling from with anger.

"Ana-" Minerva said, her face full of concern.

"Just get me home." Ana sobbed, "I have to get out of here. I want to go home. I just want to go home."

oOo

By the third day she was back at Hogwarts, Ana was exhausted. Between taking care of Nina, teaching her classes, preparing for Christmas, and apparating to the hospital to visit Severus, her body and nerves were nearly shot. Worse yet, she'd nearly fainted at breakfast that morning, leading Minerva to order her to go to the Hospital wing to see Poppy.

"I certainly hope it's not that I'm pregnant again," She grumbled as the medi-witch ran her wand over her body. "I do believe that might be the last straw right now."

"Oh, no, dear," Poppy said genially, finishing up her scans. "You're just tired, your iron is low, and you need to eat better. Just the usual problems you tend to have."

Ana scowled at Poppy's back as the medi-witch went to the potions cabinet. Just as she suspected, one of the vial she brought back had the too familiar reddish-brown color of iron.

"Is that an iron supplement?" She sighed. "That stuff tastes awful."

"Indeed it is, and you're going to take it, young lady." Poppy said calmly, handing her the vial. "You need to stay well. Once Severus is released, you'll have even more to do. Lucky thing that the students will be headed home on holiday."

With a grimace, Ana drank the potion, shuddering at the taste.

She didn't mention the blood on her pillow that morning to Poppy.

Just a nosebleed, she told herself. Not a big deal.

oOo

"Come in!" Ana called out, quickly buttoning up her blouse after nursing Nina in their sitting room. The door opened and Madam Pince came in, followed by Minerva.

"Hello, make yourselves comfortable." She smiled, gesturing to the couch, Nina already falling asleep in her arms. "I just need to put her down for her nap."

"Take your time, dear." Madam Pince said, taking a seat on the couch.

When Ana came back, the two older women were having tea, engrossed in idle conversation.

"I apologize; it took a bit longer to get her settled than usual." She said, sitting down in Severus' armchair and pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Really, Ana! It's not a problem, not at all." Minerva smiled, picking up a shortbread cookie.

"What did you find out at the hospital today?" Madam Pince asked.

"Tomorrow, definitely." Ana said cheerfully, sipping her tea. "The Healer said that he's doing well, that he's been a model patient. I think he's just willing to do anything they ask so he can come home."

"I'm sure." Minerva said with a smirk. Turning serious, she gave Ana a hard look. "How was the rest of your trip?"

"I…I don't follow you." Ana said nervously.

"Did you see Sarah Williams?"

Ana frowned, her eyes darkening, then shook her head.

"Ana, you need to talk to her." The Headmistress said softly. "She's owled me four times just this week, apologizing for that…incident at the hospital."

"I just can't talk to them, Headmistress." Ana sighed. "I…I feel like they want to honor me, but ignore Severus. It just doesn't feel right to me."

"Perhaps you should invite her to Hogwarts," Madam Pince said, setting her empty teacup down on the coffee table to be whisked away by the house elf.

"What for?"

"I wasn't there, but from what I've heard," the older woman went on, "it sounds like it was just too much at one time for you. Owl her today, invite her to visit. Don't just sweep this under the rug."

"But Severus will be here-"

"Exactly." Madam Pince said, "She needs to talk to him too, to see what he's like now. You've changed him, Ana, and for the better."

"I don't see what good it would do." Ana said softly. "He's still going to be treated as a pariah. He doesn't want to be honored, he doesn't want to be hated, and he just wants a normal life with Nina and me."

She looked at Madam Pince, then Minerva, her chin trembling, her eyes moist with tears.

"I can't understand why people don't understand it." Ana said, producing a hanky to blot her eyes. "We're just veterans of an ugly war. We did what needed to be done, and we were lucky to survive. I didn't do anything special. Things like that little award ceremony at the hospital…it's like alcohol poured on a raw wound. I just want to move on with my life, to forget about…about the war."

"Just consider inviting her here." Minerva sighed. "Or meeting her somewhere, perhaps Hogsmeade. I believe she is sincere, that she is sorry that she upset you, that her intentions were good. You should tell her what you just told us."

"Haven't I done enough damage?"

"Nonsense, young lady." Minerva said, patting Ana on the knee. "If you talk to her, I think she'll understand why you feel as you do. Do it for Severus."

"What do you mean, do it for Severus?" Ana asked, puzzled.

"Well, her last two owls, she told me that she'd been talking with him a bit. Somehow, that doesn't sound like she sees Severus as a pariah. Anyway, she said she'd like to talk to you sometime."

"I…I'm not sure I can do that."

"Give it a try." Madam Pince said cheerfully. "After all, you tamed Severus Snape, this shouldn't scare you a bit."

"I'm not so sure I tamed him, Irma." Ana said with a crooked smile.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 22

January 10, 2000~

"It's good to be home, isn't it?" Ana sighed, walking beside Severus as he silently rolled along the hallway in his wheelchair.

"I despise this infernal contraption."

"Nonsense." She smirked. "You know very well that if my father hadn't built that, your hands would be worn down to the bones by now, or worse, you'd be stuck in our rooms. Besides, it's only for another week, until your legs heal up. You don't want to tear any of the stiches out swooping down the hallways, terrorizing poor students."

"They are in need of terrorizing." He smirked back. "I've heard that the Potions Professor is sadly lacking for that quality since giving birth to an adorable baby girl. No time to properly scare the students, not when she is full of motherly love. I hear that some students believe that Professor Romanov has been kidnapped, and replaced by a kinder, gentler doppelgänger."

Ana stuck out her tongue at him, swatting him on the shoulder.

"I'll give you some 'motherly love', alright." She threatened playfully, waving her fist in his face. "Right in your big nose."

"You call that scary? That fist is nigh the tiniest one I've ever seen."

"Greasy old dungeon bat."

"Ice queen."

"Careful with that tongue, Mr. Snape, or I'll have you writing lines for me." She said, grabbing the handles on the back of his wheelchair and rolling him into a side passage, where she slid into his lap to kiss him hungrily.

"Oh my…" He gasped when she allowed him to breathe again. "It seems that Professor Romanov has missed me."

"You have no idea, моя дорогая." Ana whispered huskily, nipping gently at his earlobe. "Я хочу, чтобы вернуть вас в нашу спальню, копировать ваши одежды от ..."

"Ahem."

Ana closed her eyes tightly, sagging against Severus in defeat with a sigh.

"Professor Romanov," Headmistress McGonagall said sternly, "while there are no students in the halls in this area of the castle, there are students on the grounds. Do you think you could possibly restrain yourself from ravishing your husband until you get back to your quarters?"

Ana opened her eyes to find Severus smirking at her. Shooting him a nasty glare, she got up from his lap with as much dignity as she could muster and turned to the headmistress.

"I apologize, Headmistress." She sighed, straightening her sleeves. "I suppose I got carried away in the moment."

"I have some letters for you." Minerva said crisply, holding a sheaf of envelopes out to Ana. "Did you talk to Sarah Williams yet?"

"No, I was busy with bringing my husband back to Hogwarts." Ana said irritably, taking the letters.

She scanned the names, rapidly sorting through the various envelopes.

Martin Penninger. Sarah Williams. Marie Bannon. Another from Martin Penniger. Another from Sarah, and a third, with 'please owl me' scrawled across the back. She sighed, tucking them into a pocket of her robes.

"I know you don't feel that you deserve the honor," Severus said gently, taking her hand in his, "but they don't mean to slight me. I really don't care what people think of me, dear. I did what I had to do, and I just want to live the rest of my life quietly."

"Not much chance of that, I fear." Minerva smirked, crossing her arms across her chest and looking at Ana. "Your darling Nina has had her grandmother pretty busy while you were gone to fetch your husband."

"Oh, Merlin…"Ana sighed, "What has she done now?"

"Well…" Minerva smiled, "I think that your sitting room may be habitable sometime after dinner. I assigned six of the house elves to repair the damage-mostly flour and soot-"

"Soot?!" Ana gasped, turning a bit pale.

"Well…there was a tiny fire involved." The Headmistress chuckled, patting Ana's shoulder reassuringly. "It didn't burn too long."

"О, боги ... что я буду делать с этой девушкой ..." Ana sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily.

oOo

March 18, 2000~

"I'm glad that you finally chose to meet with me, Professor." Sarah Williams said as she sat down on the couch in the Snapes' sitting room. Ana sat across from her in Severus' favorite leather armchair.

"You've been very persistent." Ana smiled thinly, dropping a cube of sugar in her tea and quietly dismissing the house elf. "I guess I could avoid you no longer once my husband started in on me."

"Oh…sorry about that…" The younger woman said nervously. "I…he's really very nice, once you get to know him. I never had a chance to talk to him before, so I just knew him by reputation, by what others said about him…I'm sorry. I was mistaken about him. He's really a very good man. I hope you don't feel like I-"

"It's alright. If Severus felt we should meet, then I suppose I might have been in the wrong."

Sarah sipped her tea nervously.

"I still do not feel that what I did was anything other than what any decent witch or wizard would have done had they been in my situation." Ana said softly.

"I understand that, Professor." Sarah said. "At the same time, we survivors are grateful to you, as we would have been to anyone who would have done what you did. We didn't mean it as a slight to Professor Snape. "

"I know."

"We've discussed it, and we'd like to do what we can to restore his reputation. Do you think he would cooperate?"

"I doubt it, Sarah." Ana sighed. "He's a very private person, and he'd really prefer that the wizarding world just forget about him. He doesn't want honors, or glory, or riches. But he would like to be able to go out in public without fear of someone throwing rotten vegetables at him, or hexing him from behind."

"Would you consent to our conducting a quiet campaign to make people stop?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

"Yes, though I think it wise not to mention it to him." Ana said, taking a sip of her tea. "He would prefer to be left alone."

When Sarah left, Ana felt a sense of relief. Perhaps the group of 'October 4th survivors', as they often referred to themselves, could help a bit, perhaps not. They still planned to go ahead with the scholarship program; Ana saw no harm in that.

Merlin knows, she thought, there are enough orphans these days after the war.

She leaned against the heavy oak door, closing her eyes.

I feel so tired these days, she thought wearily. If I go see Poppy, she'll insist on my taking that wretched tasting Blood-Replenishment potion, no doubt.

Retrieving her hanky from the pocket of her robes, Ana dabbed at her nose. She frowned at the spot of blood on it before folding it and putting it away.

With a sigh, she went to the nursery to feed Nina before dinner.

oOo

September 14, 2000~

"How long have you been feeling poorly, dear?" Poppy asked quietly, once she removed the thermometer from Ana's mouth. She frowned at it, then noted down the temperature in Ana's file.

"Several months." Ana sighed, wiping her nose with her hanky. "Really, I guess, for the past six months…it comes and goes. Yesterday was the first time…I fainted. I haven't fainted in a long time, not since…since Severus was poisoned."

"Yes, and you scared those first years half to death when you hit your head on the desk, when you fainted yesterday." The medi-witch replied. "How is your head today?"

Ana unconsciously touched the bump on her head, wincing. Severus had a fit when he'd examined it last night, insisting that she see Poppy as soon as morning came.

"Still tender, Poppy."

"I'm sure." The older woman sighed, taking her wand out of her apron pocket. "I need to run some tests on you."

"It's probably just some sort of virus, Poppy." Ana laughed nervously. "Some Pepper-Up potion, and I'll be fine."

Before Ana could react, Poppy plucked her hanky from her hand, examining it closely. Finally, the Medi-witch looked sharply at her, holding the hanky out to her.

"How often does this happen?" Poppy asked sternly, pointing at the bloodstains.

Ana cringed.

"I…not that often, really, Poppy." She blurted out. "No more than a few times a week-"

"Ana, I need to take some blood." Poppy said grimly. "That's far too often. We need to find out what the problem is, and soon."

Ana hesitated, and then took out her wand, using it to unbutton her right sleeve to bare her pale, thin forearm. Poppy frowned, gently taking her arm and examining it closely.

"How did you get these bruises?" Asked the Medi-witch, pointing her wand at them. "Revelio iniuriam."

"Finite incantatem!" Ana blushed, her voice trembling in panic. "Poppy, I'll tell you what happened-"

"Severus didn't hit you, did he?" Poppy asked sharply.

"Oh, no, nothing like that." Ana blushed. "It's just…I…um…I got a bit carried away…when we…well, I just seem to bruise so easily lately…"

"Ana, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Poppy sighed. "He's your husband, and whatever you like, and how you like it, is none of my business. I'm only concerned about the bruises."

The blush on Ana's face deepened somewhat in colour, spreading down her neck as she cringed in her chair. Ah, youth, Poppy smiled to herself.

Taking Ana's arm gently, she began to run her wand over the bruises, murmuring softly in Latin as they disappeared. After a long while, she frowned.

"Ana…" The older woman said softly, "Have you noticed anything unusual? Other than feeling tired, the bruises and the nosebleeds?"

"Poppy, I'm always tired." Ana laughed weakly. "I have a one year old child who is already showing signs of magic ability. It's all I can do to keep her out of mischief."

"I'm sure you certainly get plenty of exercise." Poppy smiled. "How is your appetite?"

"Fine." Ana said, shifting uncomfortably under the sharp gaze of the Medi-witch.

"Well, you've lost more weight than you should have, especially since giving birth."

"Most women would be happy about that." Ana laughed uneasily, still avoiding Poppy's eyes.

"I need you to undress from the waist up so I can examine you."

With a sigh, Ana grudgingly complied.

"I hope this won't take long." She grumbled, slipping out of her robes and unbuttoning her blouse.

oOo

January 5, 2001~

Ana lay in their bed, staring out the window into the darkness, watching the fat snowflakes drift lazily past.

"Can't sleep?" Severus asked softly, his breath tickling her ear.

Ana smiled, then sighed and turned over, snuggling closer to his warmth as his arms slipped around her. She caught one of his hands, pulling it to her lips, giving his knuckles an affectionate kiss.

"No." She whispered. Nina had been rather reluctant to go to bed, and she felt rather restless herself. "I'm exhausted, but I can't stop thinking."

"What's on your mind?" He asked, gently caressing her back with his free hand.

"I'm scared, Severus." She said, rolling over to face him, her hands on his chest.

"Why?"

"Poppy can't figure out what's wrong with me." Ana whispered, nervously toying with the hair on his chest. "Now she wants to send me to London, to have blood work done and see a specialist there."

"I'll be with you."

"I know."

He held her a long time, gently caressing her back long after she finally drifted off to a restless slumber. Listening to the steady tick-tock of the grandfather clock down the hall in the study, the muted noises of the castle around them, the muted static of the baby monitor on Ana's night stand beside the bed.

"I'm scared, too." Severus whispered to the dark bedroom as Ana shivered in her sleep.

oOo

June 25, 2001~

"Professor Romanov-…Snape?" The Medi-witch called out into the waiting room, with only the slightest hesitation over the latter name.

"Yes, right here." Ana said, smiling at Severus bravely when he gently squeezed her hand just before she rose from her seat. They followed the young Medi-witch back to the Healer's office, with the Medi-witch closing the door behind her as she left.

"Professors," Nodded the Healer as they took their chairs before the desk. Healer Plumstead was a rail-thin older man with a bald head and thick sideburns, with a set of reading glasses perched on his nose as he intently examined the lab results in Ana's file. "I trust the hotel we arranged for you was satisfactory? You slept well?"

"Yes, Healer Plumstead. It was quite comfortable." Ana said, a hint of her apprehension in her voice. Severus covered her hand with his own, interlacing his slender fingers with hers.

"Excellent." The older wizard said, closing the file and leaning back in his chair. "Well, I have good news for you. Your lab tests indicate that the new potion seems to be effective. Your white blood cell count is still a bit high, but everything else seems normal. I'm going to give you some of the Muggle antibiotics, just in case you have a minor infection that is trying to hang on to you.

"Also, you'll need to keep taking the blood-replenisher potion." Plumstead chuckled when Ana made a sour face. "Yes, my dear, I know it tastes awful. It's the iron in it. As a potions mistress, I'm sure you understand."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Ana sighed, giving a sidelong glance at Severus.

"We still haven't found out why you are having these symptoms, so I'd like you to come back in three months for a checkup. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I'm not convinced that whatever this is has been fully resolved."

"But…I feel so much better." Ana protested, glancing briefly at Severus. "Except for being sick again this morning…"

"Ah, but there's a good reason for that, my dear." Plumstead smiled kindly. "It appears that you're pregnant. Congratulations to you both."

Both Ana and Severus sat there in shock.

"But…what about the other symptoms I'm having?" Ana asked, her voice shaky. "The nosebleeds, the bruising, the-"

"That could be due to the increased demands on your body due to the growing fetus." The Healer said, steepling his fingers. "All the same, we will carefully monitor your health throughout the pregnancy. Have your Healer stay in touch with my office, and report anything unusual. We'll see you every three months to check how you're doing and repeat the lab tests."

oOo

"Mama!" Nina squealed, toddling over to grab Ana around her knees. Madam Pince came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a flannel.

"Well? How did it go?" Madam Pince asked.

"I'm pregnant." Ana said weakly, as she steadied herself on the kitchen table.

"I knew it." The older woman smiled, reaching down to straighten a bow in Nina's untidy mop of black hair. "All that fuss and bother for nothing!"

"Where's my princess?" Severus said, eliciting a squeal of glee from his daughter as she toddled toward him, her arms outstretched to him.

Once Severus had scooped up Nina, tossing her up and catching her as she squealed with delight, Ana pulled Madam Pince back into the kitchen.

"They still don't know what's wrong with me." Ana whispered urgently. "The blood tests came back inconclusive. My white blood cell count is higher than normal, my platelets are low, my iron is low, but for me, that's normal-"

"Ana." Madam Pince said gently, taking her daughter-in-law's hand. "I'm here to help you with Nina, and with the next child, when they arrive. You take care of yourself; do what the Healer tells you to. There's no sense in worrying over something like this. You may not know what is ailing you, but you have a baby to take care of now, along with your family."

"Irma, I'm frightened." Ana sighed, sitting down at the small table in the kitchen. "They only thing they confirmed is that I'm pregnant, and that's one more thing to worry about. We haven't heard anything from Dolohov and his bunch of misfits, and who knows what they might have planned by now-"

"Ana, listen to me." Madam Pince said, taking her hand. "Knowing that bunch, they're probably hiding from the Aurors, not daring to come near Hogwarts. You and your family are safe as can be here."

"But it's like a prison. We don't dare go outside, to Hogsmeade, or to London, without constantly being on our guard."

"But at least it's a refuge. Why don't you floo Ginny, find out if Harry's any closer to catching them?"

"I will." Ana said, rising from her chair. "I need to check with her on some documents and other things related to our project."

"I'll keep an eye on Nina and her father." Madame Pince said cheerfully. "He doesn't need to get her so riled up. It's too close to her bedtime."

oOo

Once in the sitting room, Ana crossed to the hearth. Taking a handful of floo powder, she tossed it into the flames and waited until the flames turned green.

"Harry Potter residence." She said confidently. "Ginny, are you there?"

"Um…just a moment, Professor."

Ana smirked and folded her arms across her chest, her smile becoming bigger the longer it took for Ginny to come to the fireplace.

"I'm here, Professor." Ginny's face finally appeared in the green flames. "How did you guess I was here? I have the calculations finished for most of the Protego refinements-"

"Intuition, dear." Ana smiled. "Is Harry there, too? I have some questions for him also."

"I'm right here, Professor." Harry said, his face appearing just about Ginny's shoulder. "I promise that I won't keep her up too late tonight-oof!"

Harry's face blurred, then became clearer.

"Harry!" Ginny blushed.

"Never mind all that," Ana laughed, then became serious. "I need to ask Harry something, assuming he's recovered."

"Right here, Professor."

"Have you any news as to Dolohov's whereabouts?" Ana asked anxiously.

"Well, officially, no." Harry said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "But you may see something in The Prophet fairly soon. Not that I can tell you anything, mind you, can't say anything about the case, but…he's in custody. You didn't hear it from me, though."

Ana was speechless for a moment.

"Professor?"

"What about his bunch of thugs? Like that blonde woman who attacked Severus and I in London?"

"That's why the hush-hush." Harry explained. "We're working on rounding them up before they know we have their leader. As I said, the story will be released sometime next week."

"Well, this is very good news." Ana said, looking around the room to make sure she was alone. "May I tell Severus?"

"You may, but tell him to keep it quiet. We don't want to risk tipping anyone off."

"Believe me, I won't tell a soul." Ana said grimly. "The last thing I want is for any of those rats to escape the net."

oOo

Author's notes-

"моя дорогая" : "my darling"

"Я хочу, чтобы вернуть вас в нашу спальню, копировать ваши одежды от ...": "I want to get you back to our bedroom, rip your robes off..."

"О, боги ... что я буду делать с этой девушкой ...": "Oh, gods…what am I going to do with that girl…"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 23

August 10, 2001~

"No!"

"Young lady, you will not speak to me like that!" Ana snapped, towering over Nina in the sitting room. "As I said, there will be no more magic!"

"You and daddy do magic! Why can't I do magic?" Nina sniffled, her grey eyes welling up with tears.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Severus frowned as he came in, setting several packages down on the end table near his arm chair.

"This!" Ana said, holding up Nina's teddy. Or what remained of it.

Most of the head was scorched coal black, with one arm missing, as was one of his button eyes. As his wife held it in front of him, Severus found himself concealing a smirk as one of teddy's legs detached itself and fell to the floor, trailing a bit of stuffing.

"Daddy!" Nina wailed, running to him and grabbing his leg, burying her face in his black robes.

Ana huffed, giving Severus an exasperated glare.

"Darling, mummy's right." Severus said patiently, scooping his daughter up. "Magic can be dangerous. Look at what happened to poor Teddy there."

Nina quieted, looking over at the remains of the stuffed animal.

"How about we make some potions after dinner, just you and I, hum?" Severus said, paying no mind to Ana giving a sigh of disgust and rolling her eyes heavenward. "Mum's tired, and she needs a break. But no more magic, not on your own. It's just too dangerous, Nina."

He knelt and placed her on her feet in front of him. Nina looked up at her father with somber eyes, still puffy from crying.

"Promise Daddy you won't do magic by yourself, not until I tell you that you can. Please."

Nina nodded.

"Okay. I won't do magic." She said softly, her voice sad and forlorn, her eyes on the floor.

Severus smiled gently.

"It won't be forever, Nina. I promise." He said, brushing a stray lock of curly auburn hair behind her ear. "Now, go wash up and get that soot off before dinner. After dinner, we'll make some potions, and you can help. I'll even let you stir this time, if you can follow my instructions exactly."

Nina smiled shyly.

"I get to stir?" She asked softly.

Severus nodded.

"You're the best dad ever!" Nina bubbled, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"Run along, now, go wash up." Severus said, disentangling himself and giving her a gentle push toward the loo.

Severus stood up, turning toward Ana, who was standing by the fireplace. Her arms were crossed, her face a neutral mask, though her eyes were like flint as she glared into the flames.

"How are you, dear?" He asked gently, walking over to her to run his hand down her back to her waist.

"Awful." She sighed, leaning slightly back into him. "My back is already starting to hurt, and I'm only four months along. If this is what it's going to be like with this one, I imagine I'm going to be absolutely miserable by my delivery date."

"Right here?" Severus asked, gently probing her lower back with his slender fingers.

"Oh…yes." Ana said, nearly swooning in relief, bracing herself with her hands against the stone mantel. "Lower…a bit to the right. There. That's where it hurts the most."

Deftly, he worked to get the knotted muscle in her lower back to relax. She closed her eyes with a sigh.

"You spoil her." Ana said accusingly, though without much heat in her voice. "You indulge her too much."

"It would seem that I spoil you, too. Nina wants to do magic, like mum and dad." He sighed. "She's going to do it anyway, so it's best that we make a deal with her to only do it under our supervision."

"I suppose you're right." She conceded grudgingly. "But it's far too early for her. She doesn't have enough control of her power, she uses too much and blasts a hole in something, or starts a fire-"

"Which is why I will take her with me to my lab, distract her by making potions with her. I'll even let her do some magic there, get her good and tired so she'll go right to bed. You're trying to do too much, to handle everything yourself, dear. You're going to wear yourself out."

Ana stuck her tongue out at him petulantly.

"You know it's true. My mother loves to take care of Nina, and she's perfectly able to keep her out of trouble. Why not let her take her in the afternoons?"

"Oh, I don't want to impose on her. She has things she'd like to do, too."

"Well, usually she's quite willing to put that aside for Nina." Severus smirked, brushing a stray lock of hair out of Ana's face, his hand lingering for a moment on her cheek.

"I'm serious, Ana." He said softly. "I don't want you to exhaust yourself, to bring harm to yourself or the baby. You need to let others do things for you."

"I'm not helpless, Severus." She sighed, pulling away from him.

"No, you're not, and that's part of the problem. You can do so many things, and you don't accept that others can do them as well, so you try to do everything yourself. You end up running yourself ragged, and then-"

"I get it, Severus." She grumbled. "I need to let other people take care of things for me."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you." He said, pulling her toward him, into his embrace.

"Nothing's going to happen to me." Ana sighed, relaxing into his arms.

oOo

September 3, 2001~

Fall term proved busy, with a full enrollment at Hogwarts. Ana found herself teaching five sections of Beginning potions, staggering them through the work week, but ending up having to use two of her planning periods to teach extra classes. Severus, Minerva, and Poppy lectured her constantly about not doing too much, though she brushed it off as nonsense. Finally, after being cornered in the staff meeting room after lunch, she gave in.

"I don't see why this is necessary." Ana huffed.

"It is necessary because you are not following healer's orders." Poppy replied, checking the baby's heart rate with her wand. "Little Marcus is rather upset with you."

"Marcus?" Severus said, raising an eyebrow at his wife, who simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"For my step-father." She said, a bit uneasily, recalling the fight they had over Nina's name.

"Hm."

"Don't worry; I won't use…your father's name." She said quickly, hoping to head off trouble. "In fact, you can pick the middle name if you wish."

"Remus." Severus said quietly, eliciting a gasp of surprise from both Poppy and the Headmistress.

"What?" He said irritably, looking at the three women, who were still in a state of shock. "I can't name my son for a colleague?"

Ana sat down in one of the chairs at the table, still uncertain that she'd heard him right.

"Are you alright, dear?" Poppy asked, touching Ana on her shoulder.

Ana nodded.

"Actually, I really feel pretty good lately." She said, smiling at the Medi-witch. "The potions the clinic have put me on help a lot. Other than the constant backache and running to the loo, I'm fine."

"Well, Severus," Minerva said briskly, "I'd like you both to give me a list of your suggestions as to who you think might make a good assistant for Ana, someone who would be good at teaching first years. He or she could take over the first years completely; take some of the stress off of her."

"Of course, Headmistress." Severus nodded. "It will be on your desk by morning."

oOo

"Is this your idea of a joke?" Minerva asked, peering over her reading glasses at Severus.

"No."

She frowned, pursing her lips in thought.

"Headmistress, I think that an assistant professorship, under the gentle tutelage of my wife, would help him blossom into the talented potioneer that lies within him."

"That's two jokes you've made within one sentence, Severus." The Headmistress chuckled.

"What?"

"The comment about your wife and her 'gentle tutelage', for one. She's hardly gentle. If anything, she terrifies her students more than you ever did. Then, there's the phrasing you used, 'blossom.' Neville seemed quite happy at the Stanton greenhouse when I saw him last fall."

"Nonetheless, he is my top choice for the job."

"You despised him! He was terrified of you!" Minerva snapped. "Are you wanting another go at him?"

"No." Severus said calmly, studying his nails. "Mr. Longbottom was lazy in my Potions classes. He showed signs of true promise, but always got sidetracked by one thing or another. I believe that he might see Ana as, shall we say, less threatening than myself?"

"Well, I don't know about that."

"Invite him to meet with you and Ana, offer him the assistant professorship. Go ahead and tell him that he was my first choice for the position."

"What if he refuses?"

"You have five other names on the list."

oOo

September 16, 2001~

"Uh, hello, Professor Snape."

Severus turned to study the tall young man who seemed even more at unease than usual, surrounded as he was by children gaily squealing as they ran around the two men in the garden.

"Longbottom." Snape nodded, extending his hand. Neville looked as if he might faint.

"Oh, come on, Longbottom." Severus sighed. "I put your name in for that assistant professorship, if Minerva didn't bother to tell you."

"Sir, I don't understand why."

"Because you were bloody brilliant in my potions classes. Your grades could have been better, but you had a better grasp of what each ingredient did in a solution than any student I ever taught."

"But you…"

"Longbottom, I was angry with you because you were not doing your best. It wasn't personal, I assure you. I always find it frustrating when students don't reach their potential in my classroom."

"Um…I see." Neville said nervously. "Thank you for inviting me to your daughter's birthday party, Sir."

"Well, my wife invited you." Severus smirked. "I just went along with it, as I often do where she is concerned."

With a flick of his wand, he refilled their cups of punch.

"I know that I was terribly harsh on you when you were my student." Severus said, "But now that you are teaching first-years, I'm sure you understand why."

"Of course, Sir." Neville sighed. "They're so careless. On Thursday, Devlin Norton added cockatrice quills to a solution of bat's wings and essence of murtlap. Thought he'd blow up his cauldron, but I added the right amount of powdered sulfur to balance the pH in time. It was a close one, though."

"Indeed. Did you not give them the correct ingredients?"

"No, I think he was trying to impress a girl. He deliberately picked up the quills, even though they weren't on the list."

"Imagine that."

Across the garden, Ginny Potter nudged Ana slightly as they stood by the punch bowl.

"Would you look at that?" Ginny chuckled. "Neville was terrified of Severus when he was a student, and they're chatting it up like old friends."

"He's really been a lot of help to me, taking over the first-year Potions classes." Ana smiled. "I think that's Severus' way of telling Neville 'thank you'."

oOo

October 10, 2001~

The heavy oak door, bound in iron, slammed open, causing several objects that were rather precariously balanced on the shelf at the back of the DADA classroom to fall. Most of them survived, thanks to carefully placed cushioning charms, but a couple of them broke anyway.

Professor Snape rose from his desk, swooping down on the poor student who had barged in like a bird of prey, his eyes flashing with anger. The class collectively held their breath, cringing away from the boy who way laying on the floor, looking as if he might pass out at any moment.

The first year was completely out of breath, looking as if he would faint. As he struggled to catch his breath enough to form words, he cowered in terror at the feet of the professor he dreaded the most.

"What's the matter with you, boy? Mac Innis, isn't it?" Snape thundered, cross at someone barging into his fifth period class, interrupting the written exam he had been administering.

"Yes…yes…Sir…" Mac Innis gasped, struggling to stand before Professor Snape. "I…Professor Romanov…she…"

"Yes, out with it!" Snape hissed, pulling Mac Innis to his feet, barely able to contain himself. "Did my wife send you up here? What is the rush?"

"Sir…Professor Longbottom sent me…its Professor Romanov, Sir…she passed out again. They've taken her to the Hospital wing, Sir."

"Class dismissed." Snape said curtly as he pushed past the boy to the hallway, breaking into a run just before evaporating in a swirl of black smoke with a crack.

oOo

When she awoke, she didn't recognize her surroundings. With effort, Ana lifted her head from the pillow to look around her.

The walls were painted a beige color, with paintings here and there, but it was obvious from the bed she lay in and the IV drip that she was in a hospital, not the Hospital wing. Severus was sitting near the window, his reading glasses that he so despised perched on his nose as he leafed through a copy of Potions Monthly.

"Ah, you're awake." He said, closing the magazine and setting it aside. He got up, walked over to her bed, and took her hand, being careful of the IV needle in the back of her hand.

"How do you feel, dear?" He asked anxiously.

"Tired." She whispered. "Can I have some water?"

"Of course." He turned to the side table, retrieving a cup of ice water with a straw, holding it up to her lips so she could drink.

"What happened?" Ana asked when she finished, sighing as she relaxed back onto her pillow.

"You collapsed during fifth period potions." He replied, carefully sitting next to her on the bed. "Harold Mac Innis nearly killed himself running the whole way to my classroom from the dungeons to tell me.

"Anyway, by the time I got to the classroom, Minerva was already there with Hagrid and Neville. We took you to the Hospital wing, and Poppy flooed the clinic here in Newbridge."

"The clinic?" Ana said absently. She wasn't sure she'd heard right.

"The oncology clinic." Severus said softly. "Healer Plumstead finally figured out what's wrong, dear."

"Oncology…" Ana said softly, her heart sinking. "…that's for…cancer patients."

"Healer Plumstead said it…that you have Acute Myeoblastic Leukemia." He said, wiping at his eyes with his hanky. "He said…it was probably brought on by your exposure to fiendfyre."

She lay there silently, taking it all in.

Leukemia… she thought, and then looked back at him.

With a shock, Ana realized he probably looked as haggard and worn as she'd ever seen him. Unshaven, with black and gray whiskers covering his face, his hair uncombed, deep circles under his bloodshot eyes.

She knew that look. It was the look of a man pushed to the brink, running on his last reserves of mental and physical endurance.

"Come here." She said. "Now."

Severus said nothing, just sat on the bed, his eyes squeezed shut tightly. Ana reached over to him, taking hold of his sleeve and tugging him toward her as he collapsed like a building being demolished, collapsing on himself as he began to sob brokenly.

"Shh…it's alright, darling." She shushed him, holding him as tightly as her weakened body could. After a while, he regained his composure, awkwardly sitting up as he fumbled for a hanky.

"I'm sorry…I…was just so relieved that you finally woke up." Severus said, wiping at his eyes.

"Severus." She said numbly, half dreading the answer. "How long have I been here?"

"Nearly a month." He replied. "Mother is taking care of Nina. I…I apparate to see her every few days or so."

"A month? My classes-"

"Headmistress McGonagall says that you are not to concern yourself with your classes." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Assistant Professor Longbottom has taken over your classes, and for now, DADA classes are being taught by Harry Potter. So, I'm not playing hooky. She was a bit put out with me, but she agreed I wasn't much use as a professor when you are here."

"So what happens now?" Ana said, struggling to remain calm. "What about our baby? Am I…going to …"

"He's fine." Severus said, pausing to put away his hanky. "They are presently determining what will be the best course of treatment. The baby…some aspects of the treatment will have to be postponed. They could be harmful to him."

"You need to get some rest." She frowned. "You look awful."

"I'm fine. I'll sleep better tonight now that I've been able to talk to you."

"You mentioned treatments…what kind of treatments?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Healer Plumstead said they tentatively plan to monitor your condition through the course of the pregnancy, give you extra supplements and potions to depress your body's production of white blood cells and boost your immune system as best they can."

"Is there any danger to the baby?" Ana asked nervously.

"None at all, he assures me." He hesitated a bit, and then continued. "It will be after the delivery that they will…the treatment will be more…aggressive."

"I know a bit about leukemia." Ana said quietly. "They'll wait until after the baby is born, then they'll use chemo."

"Yes."

Unconsciously, she ran her fingers down to her collarbone as she thought about how the treatments would be done.

They'll put a central line in here, into the subclavian vein, because the drugs they'll use are too caustic to put in through a normal IV. Then they'll kill all of my white blood cells. I'll be even weaker than I am now, I'll be vulnerable to infections, and I'll feel even worse than I do now.

I won't be able to touch Nina…or Severus…

"Ana? Are you alright?"

She nodded.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"The children. I won't be able to care for Nina…"

"Mother and I can take care of her, and Marcus, after he is born."

"I won't be able to nurse him." She said bitterly.

"After you begin treatments…no." Severus' voice was faint. The sun was setting, and Ana watched it slowly fade from the horizon, bathing the world in a rosy glow as she lay in her bed. Severus sat beside her, his hand resting protectively on her belly over their son as she idly traced his hand with her fingers.

"Severus?" She finally said, many long minutes later.

"Yes?"

"Does life ever get easier?"

He pondered that question a long time.

"I don't think so."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 24

November 28, 2001~

Ana stared out the window, hardly seeing the snowflakes as they slowly drifted down, covering the garden in white.

It's so beautiful. So peaceful.

This may be the last snow I ever see, she thought morbidly, shivering a bit.

"Do you want me to warm up your tea, dear?" Madam Pince asked gently.

"What?" Ana said, shaking herself out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry…I was off woolgathering."

Ana pulled the blanket tighter around herself as she watched her mother-in-law warm the tea with her wand, then return to the baby blanket she was knitting. Blue in the main, with threads of Slytherin green and black, scarlet and gold. Nina dozed on the magical play rug at their feet, basking in the warmth from the fireplace.

I can't seem to keep warm enough, she thought uneasily. I'm always so cold, chilled right down to the bone. I've never been like this, not even when I was a child in Russia. And the winter is so much colder there.

"I don't see why the Headmistress won't allow me to teach a few classes." She sighed grumpily.

Madam Pince smiled gently.

"She's worried about your health, dear. We all are."

"She let Severus go back to teaching."

"Severus isn't pregnant, and he really needed something to occupy him, to keep him out of trouble."

Madam Pince leaned forward to whisper in a conspiratorial way.

"You know, it's like when a baby is being delivered…they always send the father away to boil some water. Keeps him out from underfoot, so we ladies can get the important work done."

Ana laughed weakly at that.

"Two more months." She sighed, gently running her hand over her belly, over their son.

"Is he as active as Nina was?"

"Hmmm…" Ana frowned, considering the question, "yes, but in a different way. Not as much the night owl as she was. Marcus, he tends to be more active during the day…and he tends to kick me more in the tummy than the bladder. I swear, Nina used to wake me up constantly, jumping up and down on my bladder. I do believe that Marcus is trying to knock the wind out of me sometimes, kicking me in the diaphragm."

Madam Pince chuckled, setting aside her knitting to take a sip of her tea.

"Ana, you know you can count on me to take care of him." Madam Pince said gently. "Nina is no bother at all. You'll need help…when you go to have your treatments."

"I know."

There it is, Ana thought. The eight hundred pound gorilla in the room. Cancer. My own body gone mad, overproducing white blood cells, determined to kill infections that don't exist, attacking healthy cells. Will I live to see Marcus have his first birthday? To see Nina start school? To see Severus grow old and gray with me?\

She shivered again.

He shouldn't have to bury me, to grieve over me. I don't want that. I don't want him to suffer that pain.

"Ana."

She blinked, starting slightly when her mother-in-law took her hand gently.

"Sorry…I was just…"

"It's alright, dear." The older woman said. "I know you have a lot on your mind these days."

Ana took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she felt she needed to say.

"I want you to promise me something, Irma."

"Anything, dear."

"If something happens…" She swallowed a lump in her throat. "If I…die…"

"Ana, no! Don't even say that, not even as a joke."

"No, listen to me." Ana said unsteadily, her voice raw with emotion, "This is important, and we can't just ignore it, hoping it will go away. Promise me one thing. Promise me that you'll take care of Severus and our children. Please, Madam Pince."

"I…"

"Please, Irma. I'm begging you…Severus is a proud man, a strong man, but I fear that if something happens to me…if I die…he'd fall apart. I need you to make sure he keeps going. Please."

"You aren't going to die, dear. They'll treat this, and you'll get better."

"I don't plan on dying, not yet." Ana said, her voice steadier now, more composed. "But I just want you to promise me that if by chance, I don't make it, that you'll look after the people I love the most."

"I…I promise." Madam Pince nodded, squeezing her daughter-in-law's hand affectionately. "I'll take care of Severus and your children."

"Thank you." Ana said softly.

"But you'd better fight." The older woman said sharply, even though she was smiling. "I don't think I can find a daughter-in-law to match you."

Ana gave her a fierce grin, and then laughed weakly.

"I will. I won't give up."

oOo

December 30, 2001~

The quiet in the operating room was shattered, at 4:20 a.m., when Marcus Remus Gregori Snape made his grand entrance into the world.

"My goodness, he's a spry one." Chuckled the medi-witch as she cleaned him up, deftly diapering the squalling infant as he protested mightly.

"Another unit of whole blood, and ready another one." The surgeon said calmly, though sweat was beading on his brow. He was well aware of who was pacing in the waiting room hallway, his black robes billowing behind him. Dr. Alan Morrison had not enjoyed his time in Potions under Professor Severus Snape, but managed to do well enough to earn an "Outstanding" grade from the gruff potions master by the time he graduated from Hogwarts in 1989.

"Yes, doctor." Said the surgical assistant, readying the IV bags.

"Hemostat, please. Suture."

"Cautery?"

"Yes. Right there…and there." He said. "Wipe, please."

The assistant deftly swiped a pad of gauze across the surgeon's forehead, dropping it in the 'biohazard' bin.

"Working toward closing up. Stay sharp."

"Yes, Doctor."

oOo

"Mr. Snape?"

"Professor Snape, if you don't mind." He hissed, whirling to face the young medi-witch, who involuntarily backed up a step.

"Stop it, Severus!" Minerva snapped. "I know you're tense, but this doesn't help."

"Well?" She said, turning to the young woman.

"I…um, the baby is fine. He's very noisy, that's for sure. He's in the nursery if you care to-"

"What about my wife?" Severus said, looming over the petite medi-witch.

"Um…she's still in the surgery suite, sir." She replied, her voice shaky. "I…we'll inform you as soon as she's out of surgery. I believe they are closing now."

"Severus." Minerva said gently, putting a calming hand on his arm. "It's out of our hands, lad. We can only wait now."

For a moment, she thought he might hex her; such was the raw emotion that showed in his face.

"Come on. Come sit down with us." She urged, tugging at the sleeve of his robes.

He glared down at her for a moment, then nodded, allowing her to lead him into the waiting room, to seat him in a chair as the occupants looked on. Severus numbly looked around the room, at the people who had gathered there.

Hermione Granger, her nails bitten nearly to the quick, leaning over from her seat to touch his knee.

"Have faith, Professor Snape. We're all praying for her, for you too." She said.

Harry Potter and his fiancée, Ginny Weasley. Harry gave him a nod, while Ginny gave him a brave smile.

Hagrid…working his way through the only box of tissues in the room.

Argus Filch, sitting with Madam Pince, Nina blissfully asleep in his mother's lap. Her normally impeccable black robes besmirched with a wet drool spot, his daughter limp as a dishrag against her grandmother's shoulder.

"Professor Snape?" Said a medi-witch, leaning into the room. "Dr. Morrison is here to speak with you."

Hermione and Minerva both catching his hand as he went by, giving him reassuring squeezes.

Now in the hallway, turning toward the sandy-haired surgeon, the man's scrubs spattered with blood…

So much blood…Ana's blood. Severus thought, his stomach turning a flip.

"Professor Snape? Alan Morrison, Chief of Surgery here." The man said gently, taking Snape's hand in a firm handshake. "Your wife's going to be fine. The Cesarean procedure went fine, but there was a bit of bleeding due to her low platelet count, and that took a bit more time to resolve."

"Is…is she awake yet?"

"No, Sir. She's in recovery from the procedures, still under anesthesia. It will probably be another 4-5 hours before she wakes up, and she'll still be in a bit of pain."

"I see."

"Sally!" Dr. Morrison called to the medi-witch that had called Snape from the waiting room. "Please show Professor Snape to the nursery to see his son, and then take him to Intensive Care to see his wife. She won't be awake yet, but I'm sure he'd like to see her."

"I…I remember you." Snape said quietly. "You were at Hogwarts, graduated in '89, correct?"

"Yes, Sir." Dr. Morrison nodded. "You inspired me to seek to better myself, so I decided to go to medical school in '90. Graduated top of my class."

"Glad to hear you've done well for yourself." Snape said quietly.

"It was an honor to take care of your wife, Professor."

"Thank you, Doctor." Severus said, shaking his hand and turning to follow the medi-witch.

"This way, Sir." Sally said, walking briskly down the hallway.

oOo

Now he sat by her bedside, dressed from head to toe in surgical scrubs, over the protests of the medi-witches. Dr. Morrison had approved of it, ordering them to allow him to sit with her.

"If it were my wife, I would want to do the same." The doctor had snapped at them, finally.

"Severus…" Ana said faintly, opening her eyes to look at him.

"I'm here, darling." He said, bending over her to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. She felt clammy to him, almost chilly.

"I'm cold."

"I'll ring the medi-witch to being another blanket for you." He said, reaching for the call bell. "How do you feel, darling?"

"Awful." She sighed, shifting in the bed, grimacing as she did so. "It hurts."

Severus eyed the IV bag nervously. Two bags, one of whole blood, the other the standard D5W solution for keeping a patient well hydrated.

That's in addition to what they've already given her in surgery, and in recovery, he thought, unable to shake a feeling of unease.

"Are you alright, love?" She whispered, grasping his hand in her own.

"Oh…yes, dear. Much better now that you're awake."

"Have you seen Marcus? Is he alright?" Ana asked anxiously.

"He's fine, darling." Severus smiled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Very good lungs, didn't seem to matter to him that he was born a month early. Very active, he is."

"I'm sorry…"

"Now, none of that." He scolded her gently. "You couldn't help it, getting sick like you did. Healer Plumstead warned us it might happen, remember? "

"We could have died." She sobbed, shaking violently. "Marcus could have-"

"He's fine, Ana. Shockingly healthy, in fact." He leaned forward, raising her hand to his lips to kiss it. "You're tired, you need rest. You've been through a lot."

"I guess so…" She said, her voice trailing off.

"You need to rest." Severus repeated.

"Mmm hm." She sighed, slipping back into unconsciousness.

oOo

March 10, 2002~

"You're sure you want to start now?"

"Yes." Ana said, rocking Marcus gently after she'd finished nursing him. "I've stored plenty of milk for him, and if it runs out…well, we'll just have to use formula."

"Then it's settled." Severus said quietly, watching her as she soothed their son to sleep. "I'll arrange things with the house elves."

"And you need to remodel that room next to the nursery for your mum to stay in. She'll…well, when I'm…"

Ana bit her lip, not wanting to think about it.

"When you are…indisposed?"

"Thank you." She sighed. "She'll need to be close by, to supervise the house elves, and to help with Nina and Marcus."

"You don't think I can handle it?"

"That's not it. I'm going to need you, more than ever before."

"I know."

"Also, you need to modify your mum's quarters, so Nina and Marcus can stay with her if…need be."

"I don't think-"

"Severus." She said quietly, but with an edge to her voice that caused Marcus to stir slightly.

"You heard what the healer said. I don't know how bad things might be, but we need to be ready for anything. I…"

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, fighting to calm herself.

"I don't want Nina to see me…if things get as bad as he warned us they might."

"I know. But we can't protect her from everything."

Ana nodded soberly.

oOo

She stared at her hand, at the hairbrush she was holding, eyes wide in horror.

There was a thick clump of auburn hair caught in the bristles. She reached up with a trembling hand to gingerly touch the bare patch on her head, swaying slightly on the stool in front of her vanity.

"Severus."

"Yes, dear?" He said from the bed, looking over his reading glasses at her, closing the book he had been reading.

"Come here."

He walked over to her, reached down and took the brush from her, placing it on her vanity and vanishing the hair.

"It's…falling out." She said, her voice unsteady, her chin trembling. "It's coming out in great big clumps."

"I know, darling." He said gently, taking her in his arms. "I clean it off your pillow every morning before you wake up."

"My hair…" She sobbed, leaning weakly against his chest as his arms encircled her.

oOo

July 2, 2001~

"Severus, really…" Ana said, fumbling with one hand down the short hallway from the bedroom to the sitting room, leaning on him for support. "Aren't we a bit old for surprise birthday parties?"

"Not at all."

"Who is here?" She frowned as he led her to the couch. "I don't hear anyone."

"It's just you and I, at least for now." Severus said, guiding her to sit down on the sofa, gently prying her fingers off his arm where she clutched at him. He rose and went to his desk, where he knelt to retrieve a box.

"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" Ana said, her voice a mixture of uneasiness and curiosity.

"Not yet, dear. Just a few more minutes. I have a…special gift for you, to wear to the Great Hall. Minerva had a chocolate cake made for your birthday."

She flinched visibly, beginning to tremble.

"I…I can't go up there, Severus." She whispered fearfully, reaching up to remove the blindfold. "I…I just can't."

He gently caught her hand, preventing her from taking off the strip of cloth that covered her eyes, and then placed the box on the couch.

"Not yet, dear."

With a sigh of exasperation, she dropped her hands into her lap.

"Keep your hands in your lap." Severus said softly, opening the box. "I need to take your scarf off, but don't be alarmed. There's nobody here but you and I."

Reflexively, her hand went up to the scarf that covered her head, concealing her lack of hair. He easily caught it, gently returning her hand to her lap.

"Trust me, darling." He said softly. "If you don't like what I got you, you don't have to wear it."

Trembling, she nodded her head. Severus untied her scarf, gently unwrapping it from around her bald head. Putting it aside on the couch, he reached into the box.

"Now, this may tingle a bit." He said, gently putting his gift on her head. "The magic was surprisingly simple to figure out, once I worked out the problems…"

"A hat…?"

"No." He gently removed the blindfold.

Ana blinked, looking across the room to see the full length mirror from their bedroom next to the fireplace, directly across from where she sat. Severus took out his wand to make some fine adjustments to the wig he had made for her.

"I used your own hair, what I collected from your pillow and brush." He said, using his fingers to tuck a few stray strands into the French braid. "The most difficult part of the project was figuring out how to charm each strand to look alive. Your research partner, Miss Weasley, assisted me with some of the Arithmancy research, but I concealed the subject so well she thinks I was working on a shaving tonic."

"It…I…"

"Do you like it?"

She nodded.

"It's wonderful, Severus. It looks…real."

"I love you, Ana." He said quietly, gently pulling her to her feet to embrace her. "I will always take care of you, my darling."

"I know you will, Severus." She whispered huskily into his robes, closing her eyes.

She's so frail, he thought as he held her. I can feel every rib, every bone in her body. I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, I might hurt her accidentally.

How much longer can she survive this?

How much longer do we have?

Severus closed his eyes, placing a gentle kiss on top of Ana's head as he fought back his own tears.

oOo

September 5, 2002~

"Who is the donor?"

"Severus!" Ana scolded him, slapping his knee.

"I want to know." He fumed, glaring at Healer Plumstead. "There are still many who might seek to harm my wife. I can't think of an easier way to do it than to-"

"Please, Professor Snape." Healer Plumstead pleaded, holding his hand up as if to pacify him. "The donor is well acquainted with you, but has asked to remain anonymous. They asked me to tell you both that this act is to, and I quote, 'ensure the happiness that you two have found together does not end prematurely, but continues on so long as you both may live'."

"So," Snape glowered, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning back in his chair, "Who is it?"

"Severus, I love you, but I swear…" Ana snapped irritably. "Daryonomu konyu v zuby ne smotryat! This could mean that I could finally be well again!"

"Please, Professor Snape." The old healer sighed. "This is too much stress for your wife. We have carefully checked the bone marrow samples that we extracted. The procedure is quite safe. We cross-matched the bone marrow and it is nearly a perfect match."

"Nearly a perfect match." Snape scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ради Мерлина!" Ana fumed, slapping Severus on the arm. "You stop this right now! You know as well as I do that the extraction procedure is very painful! Whoever the donor is, they didn't undertake this lightly."

"Severus, please." She said, softening her tone and putting her hand on his arm. "This might be my only hope."

He sat for a long moment, his jaw working as his eyes bored into hers. With a sigh, he nodded his head.

"How perfect is a nearly perfect match?" He asked quietly.

"It's about as close as we can get, Professor Snape." Healer Plumstead replied. "I've done this procedure many times, often with less of a match than we have in this case. It's very unlikely there will be any problems."

"I have no objection, then." Snape sighed. "If my wife wants to do this, then I support her decision."

"Excellent. I'll contact the donor for the collection. We should be ready to make the transfer next week, say on the 9th at 10 a.m.? We'll need to have you here for the prep work about eight."

"That will be fine, Healer Plumstead." Ana smiled weakly. "We'll be here."

oOo

Author's notes:

Daryonomu konyu v zuby ne smotryat! : "Don't look at the teeth of a horse you've been given", the Russian equivalent of "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Ради Мерлина!: "For Merlin's sake!"

D5W, for those who may not know, is a volume expander solution commonly used to keep patients hydrated and give them a bit of nourishment. It's pretty much just a solution of 5% dextrose (simple sugar) in sterile water.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 25

October 9, 2002~

Nina stood solemnly by the couch, watching her mother sleep.

Severus walked into the room, and seeing this, walked over to his three year old daughter, quietly kneeling beside her.

"Sweetheart, come with me." He said gently, giving her a hug, "You need to let mummy rest. She's very tired. It takes a lot of rest to get well sometimes."

"Mummy's not going to die, is she?" Nina whispered, her chin trembling.

"No, darling. Mummy's not going to die."

"Why does she need to sleep so much?"

"Because she was very sick for a long time, even before you were born."

"That made her tired?"

"Yes." Severus said, carefully scooping Nina up to carry her out of the sitting room, hoping that Ana would be able to rest.

"Severus, I'm not asleep." Ana said softly, her eyes just barely open. "Let her stay. She doesn't bother me."

"I'll be really good, mummy." Nina said, squirming out of Severus' arms to lightly drop to the floor. "I promise."

Did she just float down? Severus frowned. It didn't look like she'd used magic, but it was hard to tell with Nina; she had her mother's natural grace of movement already.

Now Nina was cuddled up to her mum, chattering gaily away as Ana struggled valiantly to stay awake, to listen to her.

Up to me to be the bad guy, I suppose, he sighed to himself.

"Ana," He said gently, "You really do need to rest. Dinner is only an hour away, and if you're going to be able to go to the Great Hall, you need to get a bit more sleep. Nina and I can putter about in the potions lab for a bit."

"Yay! Potions!" Nina chirped excitedly, jumping up to run to the door of the potions lab, where she struggled to open the heavy oak door.

"Spoilsport." Ana smiled faintly, reaching over to give his arm an affectionate squeeze.

"I do what I must, dear. She'd have you worn out by dinner, and you know I'm right."

"I suppose." She sighed. "What about Marcus? How is he, have you checked on him?"

"He's with mother, in the library. She'll be bringing him back to us at dinner."

"Oh, no! I hope he isn't a bother to her-" Ana whispered anxiously.

"He's not, dear. She insisted on taking him for the day, said things were pretty slow at the library today."

"Your mum's a godsend. I don't know what we'd do without her."

Severus nodded, carefully taking her hand in his, trying not to let his eyes linger on the many bruises on her hands and arms. So many, some old and fading, others new and fresh. It seemed that she, as she joked, 'bruised if you look at me too long.'

"Severus."

"Hm?"

"You're looking at bruises again, dear." She smirked. "I feel better, really I do. The bone marrow transplant takes time to have an effect, you know."

"I know."

"So stop worrying. Take Nina, go make some potions, and let me rest for a bit longer."

He nodded, scooping up their daughter into his arms.

"I'll wake you thirty minutes before dinner."

"Lovely. Have fun, you two."

oOo

Nina tired after walking halfway to the Great Hall, so now she rode along in her mum's lap, in the powered wheelchair that Sir Petto built for Severus so long ago.

"Good thing we kept this, isn't it." Severus said as they made their way to dinner.

"Indeed." Ana nodded, then smirked. "Though it would be more fun if it went faster."

"You have no need of such."

"I like to go fast."

"I know. You're quite reckless sometimes-" He paused, looking down the long hallway toward the doors of the Great Hall, his attention sharply focused on the two Aurors there.

"Severus?" Ana prompted, and then noticed the Aurors. "Oh, dear. I wonder why they're here. I recognize one, that's Harry Potter. I don't think I know the other one."

At that moment, the Headmistress came out of the Great Hall, speaking with the two Aurors, smiling and patting Harry Potter on the arm as they talked. The other Auror towered over Harry by a good bit, being nearly 6' 4" or so, with a powerful build and sandy brown hair.

"John." Severus said softly, quickening his pace slightly, walking toward the tall man.

"Severus!" The big Auror exclaimed in delight, turning toward Severus and his family at the sound of his name, his handsome face breaking into a wide grin as Snape swooped toward him. Grabbing Severus in a crushing embrace, he laughed, thumping him on the back.

Releasing Severus, who coughed a bit from the thumping, he turned toward Ana and Nina.

"You must be Ana." He grinned. "I always knew Severus would be tamed eventually, and by a beautiful princess."

"You're too kind, sir." Ana said demurely, shooting Severus a glance.

"I forget my manners." Severus said smoothly, turning to her. "Ana, this is one of my few friends that I have left; John Worthington. Slytherin, class of '81. John, my wife, Anastasiya Romanov-Snape, P.M., OoM 2nd class, and our daughter, Katerina Snape."

"Daddy!" Nina scowled.

"Oh…pardon me, my princess." Severus said, giving Nina a deep bow. "We call her Nina, and I'm sure that she will expect you to call her Nina also."

"Nina it is, then. I know how to treat my betters, Severus."

"What brings you to Hogwarts, John? Anything you can talk about?"

"Just visiting, really." John smiled, leaning against the wall. "Had to come up here to supervise Harry while he visited old friends. Mentioned he was coming by here, and I figured I might have a chance to see you."

"Oy, Worthington, my probationary period's long over." Harry said, pretending to be angry.

"Kids." John shrugged, looking over at Severus.

"How are you feeling, Professor Romanov-Snape?" Harry asked Ana, giving Nina an indulgent grin as she tugged on the pocket of his long Auror's coat.

"Better now, Harry, thank you." Ana smiled. "Please, call me Ana. I'm not your professor any more. How is Ginny?"

"Doing well." Harry said, turning shy. "We're expecting."

"How wonderful!" Ana beamed, her eyes sparkling with joy. "How far along is she?"

"Only about three months along. Hardly showing yet."

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter." Severus said.

"Ah…Severus, a word in private, if you don't mind?" John said.

"Harry can take me to our seats, Severus." Ana said. "Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Worthington. Severus has told me so much about you…I hope you two can join us for dinner in the Great Hall."

"Wouldn't miss a chance to enjoy the house elves' cooking again." John smiled, walking down the hall with Severus.

"She's a beauty, Severus." John sighed, glancing back over his shoulder at Ana. "You're a lucky man. Me, I don't think I'll ever be able to settle down. Not unless I quit chasing Death Eaters for a living…not that I have much in the way of prospects, mind you."

"You?" Severus scoffed. "I figured you'd be beating women off with a bludger bat."

"Never been a problem for me. I always stay too busy." John laughed, and then turned serious. "You're looking good these days."

"I told you to leave me." Severus said quietly as they walked down the hall together.

"You were hurt; you weren't in your right mind. I wouldn't abandon a friend."

"You risked your career, helping a Death Eater. You left your post, and gave aid and comfort to the enemy. I should have reported you to the ministry, but I was too busy choking on my own blood and that thrice-cursed bezoar you shoved down my throat. Did I ever tell you that your bedside manner as a healer is awful?"

"You're welcome, Severus." John sighed. "You deserve this happiness that you have, and I'm glad to have been able to help save your ungrateful ass again. You're a good man."

Harry scooped up Nina, who giggled in delight, following Ana as she rolled along in her wheelchair, talking to Headmistress McGonagall. Severus watched until they were almost at the staff table, and then turned to John.

"What is it that you need to tell me, John?"

"I put in for that job, Severus. The assignment we discussed earlier this year."

"Really? Do you think you'll get it?"

"Don't know yet." John sighed, and then grinned. "Thanks for the pep talk. Shacklebolt put in a good word for me when I asked, and a month later, they interviewed me."

"You're perfectly suited to the role." Severus smirked. "Loyal, honest, and cunning. Like a Hufflepuff crossed with a Slytherin. With a bit of Griffyndor courage thrown in, but none of the wisdom of a Ravenclaw."

"Up yours, you git." John laughed, leaning casually against the wall. "They told me it would probably be close to November before they decide anything. I'm thinking I'm going to go to the Bahamas, get some sun and relax. I need to use up some of my vacation time."

"That should be good for you."

"Sure will. I'm run ragged, keeping young Potter out of trouble."

"He's not that bad, is he?"

"No. He's actually darn good." John smiled. "I would put in for him to be my next partner, but if I get this assignment-"

"You'd be deep undercover, as I recall." Severus looked hard at John, frowning. "Just how deep?"

"No contact with anyone. It's a black operation, so no contact with the real world until I get the signal to come out…and that's really all I can say. That, and I need to warn you…don't believe what you'll be reading in the papers about me when the time comes."

"Merlin's beard, John." Severus whispered, shocked. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Somebody has to." John shrugged. "Death Eaters are pretty good at hiding out. Getting harder to catch them out lately."

"Indeed."

"I heard you had some run-ins lately."

"Yes. The Carrows right in Hogsmeade," Severus scowled for a moment, "and some nobody, Eaon Cadwell, in London."

"Sorry about that. We did catch the leader of that cell, Anton Dolohov. That was a huge break, but the other leaders are hard to catch; all my net brings in are the small fry."

"Not your fault."

"I know, but-"

"But nothing, John." Severus said gently, patting the younger man on the arm. "You're not my baby sitter. Merlin knows, you've saved me enough times. Now, let's go to dinner. It's Chicken Primavera tonight."

oOo

September 9, 2002~

Top Auror A Thief! Over 60,000 Galleons missing!

-Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Reporter

"An audit of our offices has uncovered a substantial amount of funds missing from our Special Operations budget, along with numerous records on subjects under investigation." Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt announced today in a late-afternoon press conference. "At this time I am, with a heavy heart, issuing warrants for the arrest and detention on sight of John Worthington. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement is giving the case top priority, given the seriousness of this security breach."

Minister Shacklebolt declined to answer further questions, except to affirm that a number of cases involving former Death Eaters may have been affected given that a number of investigative records were also taken over a period of some eight months.

Interviews with sources within the Ministry of Magical Law Enforcement uncovered some disturbing news-that Worthington vacationed in Bermuda in August, living lavishly for a month at the most expensive hotel in Kingsport, then disappeared shortly after returning to his one-bedroom flat in Knighton. Doubtless he had sensed the Aurors closing in on him. A few of the case folders were recovered, but none of the stolen funds-

Snape crumpled the paper with a softly muttered oath, tossing it on the floor.

"Severus?" Ana said, looking up from her book. "What's wrong?"

He bit his lip, accioed the tumbler of firewhiskey and a glass, and poured himself a shot. Taking a sip, he put the glass on the side table-he didn't trust his shaking hands-and looked at Ana.

"It's John." He said simply, rubbing his eyes.

"Accio paper." Ana said softly, catching the crumpled up newspaper. She read silently for a few minutes, and then looked over at him.

"Oh dear gods." She breathed, her eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, no…"

oOo

October 30, 2003~

It was a quiet evening in the Snape household. Marcus lay on the play rug in the sitting room in front of the fireplace, listening to his older sister 'read' from a book to him with rapt attention. It didn't matter that it was a ragged old Beginning Potions textbook, or that it was upside down; Nina was telling the story, and she made it up as she went.

Ana was propped up at one end of the couch with the latest edition of The Daily Prophet, her feet in Severus' lap, mostly covered up with a blanket. She still got chilled easily, though her leukemia had been in remission for nearly a year. As it was, at least she could teach again, freeing Severus to go back to teaching DADA for now. 'For now', because lately they had been discussing his opening an apothecary supply house, both of them having become thoroughly disgusted with the quality of potions ingredients as of late.

Severus was engrossed in a thick book listing various suppliers of ingredients around the world, his quill making annotations in the margins as he read, and then writing notes on a parchment lying next to him on the side table. When he wasn't writing, he would lay the quill down, sliding his hand under the blanket to gently rub her feet. Ana smiled, but it was more for the children. She was deeply worried about her husband; he was working far too hard, mainly to conceal his grief over his friend's betrayal.

"Look, daddy!" Nina shouted, pointing at the flames in the fireplace as they shifted to the familiar color of an incoming floo message. Severus and Ana both gave a sigh; a floo this late on a Friday evening couldn't be good news.

Harry Potter's face materialized in the flames, causing Nina to squeal in delight.

"Uncle Harry!" She said, jumping up from the rug.

"Nina, stay back from the fireplace!" Ana said sharply, causing Nina to pout a bit.

"Hey, Nina!" Harry smiled, and then turned serious. "Severus, are you there?"

"No. I'm not here, Potter." Severus sighed. "I'm off in Norway, collecting seagull toenails. This is a recording-"

"Cut it out, Severus." Harry said sharply, surprising both Ana and Severus with the severity of his tone. "Have you heard anything from John recently?"

"I…" Severus shot Ana a concerned glance. "No, I haven't had any contact with him for over a year."

"We can't find him." Harry said grimly. "The assignment went bad. His cover was blown, his house destroyed, we can't find him. I'm afraid that the Death Eaters have him."

Oh, Merlin, she thought with a shudder, turning back a few pages in the paper.

A tug on Severus' sleeve drew his attention to Ana, who was holding up a section of The Daily Prophet.

Gas Explosion Kills 38 in Prague Suburb

Former Auror, War Hero, Hogwarts alumni, and wanted fugitive from justice John Worthington listed among missing after a suspected gas main explosion demolished most of a city block…

"A gas explosion?"

"Yes, that's the story we gave out." Harry nodded. "His house was demolished, Severus. They used fiendfyre on it, we don't know if he even was able to get out in time."

At the mention of fiendfyre, Severus felt Ana fingers dig into his arm painfully as she dropped the paper on the floor. He slid his arm around her to comfort her, feeling her trembling against him.

"Keep me posted, Harry."

"I will, Sir. Don't worry, we'll find him."

oOo

December 5, 2003~

"I swear, you paid far too much for that bauble." Hermione laughed, poking Ginny in the arm.

"Harry will love it, just wait." Ginny grinned, clutching a paper bag. "He loves owl figurines. This one, he's been looking at it every time we go by the shop."

Hermione chuckled, and then stopped short, her grin fading to a frown of concentration.

"What is it, Hermione? What's wrong?" Ginny asked as her friend abruptly turned away from her, pushing through the crowd.

Hermione walked briskly toward a blonde woman who seemed to be aimlessly wandering down the sidewalk. Ginny followed as fast as she could, a confused expression on her face as she stuffed the bag with the forgotten owl figurine back into her purse. By now, Hermione had almost caught up with her quarry, who somehow looked rather out of place in the busy downtown shopping district. Perhaps it was that she was barefoot, in December, in London, her pale feet drawing attention from curious onlookers as she walked through the dirty snow on the sidewalk.

"Luna! Luna Lovegood!" Hermione shouted at her.

The woman paused, and then slowly turned around.

"Hello, Hermione. Why are you shouting at me?" Luna said quietly, turning toward her.

Hermione and Ginny gasped at the sight. A torn blouse, a bruised cheek, her skirt marred by grass stains.

"Luna, your feet must be freezing!" Hermione said, tugging her mittens off and kneeling to put them on Luna's feet and casting a warming charm on them.

"Are you okay? Did someone assault you?" Ginny asked, pulling out her wand and moving to open Luna's coat to check for further injuries. "We can call the police-"

Luna laughed, without any humor to it. The bitterness in her blue eyes seemed foreign to her friends, as if it wasn't really Luna.

"No police." She said, snatching her coat away from Ginny. "It wasn't an assault. I just wasn't able to get my shoes before I left my daddy's house."

Smiling a bitter smile, one that looked completely out of place on her angelic face, Luna laughed again.

"He was angry with me." She said vacantly. "My daddy put me out on the street. He…he called me a whore. Maybe I am."

"Luna, no!" Hermione said, leading her to a bench to sit down. "I'm sure it was just some sort of misunderstanding…"

Ginny made a subtle motion with her wand. Before she could speak the incantation, Luna grabbed her by the wrist, forcing the wand away from herself.

"No need to make a scene, Ginny." Luna said sharply, and then sighed. "Sorry. Yes, I'm pregnant. I know who the father is, but I can't tell daddy…and well, he's furious about it. Not before I talk to the father, at least…and I can't find him anywhere. All of my owls come back to me, the messages undelivered. Have you ever heard of that?"

"Never." Hermione said, shaking her head. "Look, you can stay with me until you get back on your feet. It's the least I can do for you."

"Harry and I can help with groceries, too." Ginny said, putting her wand away. "Have you seen a Healer yet? I can get you into my Healer, she's wonderful…and very discreet."

Luna's face fell, her chin quivering as her tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so much trouble-"

"Don't be, love. It's alright." Hermione said gently, hugging Luna tenderly. "This isn't your entire fault, and you need help. You're our friend."

"Thank you." Luna whispered. "Ginny, do you think you could talk to Harry? He…the father is an Auror, we met in the Bahamas last summer. I'm worried that something's happened to him."

"I'll ask him, Luna, but if he is, Harry might not be able to help."

"Please, Ginny. I have a feeling that something terrible has happened."

"I'll try, Luna."

oOo

December 15, 2003~

"So that's what the situation is." Ginny finished, looking across the desk at Ana.

"Where is she now?" Ana asked quietly, picking up her cup to take a sip of her tea.

"She's staying with Hermione Granger, in London, for now. Her father still isn't speaking to her. Mr. Lovegood…well, he's a bit upset about it, mainly because Luna won't tell him who the father is. He won't answer the floo; he doesn't accept owls from Hermione or me. I'm getting rather put out with him."

"No luck on finding the father of her child?"

"No." Ginny sighed, shifting in the chair slightly. "I suspect Harry knows something, but he can't say. I've asked him, but he won't talk to me."

"Men." Ana frowned in disgust.

"I think Luna's right. Something happened to him, and they aren't talking about it. He was sent on some sort of undercover mission, and they think he's been lost."

Ana drummed her fingers on her desk, humming under her breath. Ginny had worked long enough with her to know better than to say anything; her mentor was thinking, coming up with solutions to the problem. Patiently, she waited for the result.

"Beauxbartons." Ana said finally.

"Beauxbartons?" Ginny gasped, surprised. "She wants to go to graduate school to study Transfiguration, but isn't Beauxbartons grad school frightfully expensive? There's no way she could afford it."

Ana smirked.

"I have some…connections there for a scholarship." She replied, taking up her quill and a piece of parchment. "If anyone deserves the help, she does. I'll owl them right now. In the meanwhile, I have some money of my own to help her get started. She can stay in the apartment that I lived in during graduate school; I still own it. It's not good that it sit empty, collecting dust."

"Oh, Professor, that would be wonderful! I'll miss having Luna around, but I think a fresh start would be good for her…and perhaps her father will have a change of heart, given time."

"Oh, he will." Ana said grimly as she scribbled on the parchment. "I plan to pay Xenophilius a personal visit as soon as the Healers declare me fit to apparate again. There's no excuse for him treating her like this, not his own daughter. I won't tolerate it, and neither will Severus once he hears of it."

"Oh…I've been meaning to ask," Ginny said, frowning, "Where has Severus been lately? I haven't seen him for a month now."

"Off in Europe, meeting with some sources for potions ingredients. He's pretty busy, hasn't even been able to apparate home, not even for a weekend. We floo call every night, though."

"Oh, so he's going to go ahead with the apothecary supply house?"

"Yes, as soon as he can work it out. He may have to eventually quit teaching DADA, but until then…"

oOo

December 18, 2003, 11:58 p.m.~

The Welcome Witch looked up irritably as the crack of apparition echoed through the lobby. Two men, one leaning heavily on the other, stood before her desk.

"Gentlemen," She snapped, "This is a hospital, not your private playground for apparating-"

As she scolded the two men, they slid to the floor, the larger man dragging his companion down to the linoleum with a groan.

Merlin! She thought in disgust, noticing that the bigger man wasn't wearing anything from the waist down save his boxers.

Drunks, she thought grimly as she rounded her desk. I'll have to notify security to throw them out.

As she reached the two men sprawled on the floor, the sharp odor of blood and scorched flesh assailed her nostrils, causing her to reel back, gagging. Through sheer force of will, the witch managed to avoid being sick. The smaller man raised his head, black eyes peering up at her from a sooty, bloodied face with a hawk nose.

"Help him." Severus croaked, wiping blood and soot from his eyes. "Please."

The Welcome Witch stared wide-eyed at the bigger man's leg in horror. It seemed stripped of all covering skin, black with blood and scorched muscles. She hesitated, but only for a moment before she ran to her desk to pick up the intercom.

"ER personnel to the Lobby, stat!" she shouted, "bring a cart!"