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.

8. Chapter 31 to 35

Chapter 31

April 27, 2004~

Luna was frowning at a sheet of paper, scribbling figures on a scrap of parchment as she sat at the kitchen table in her apartment. For the third time, she carefully checked over her Gringott's bank account statement, tallying the figures carefully, comparing it to her chequebook. It totaled up the same as it had the previous two times.

Someone has been putting 500 Galleons a month into my account, she thought, chewing on the nib of her quill, not noticing that she had a blue spot on her lips from the habit. That's why my balance was so far off from my chequebook. I have 1,500 Galleons more than I should, by my figures.

For a moment, she sat at the table, tapping her fingers idly, just thinking. With a sigh, she got up, and carefully made her way to the sitting room, where she took a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace.

"Gringott's, accounts department." She said.

After a few minutes, a goblin's face appeared in the greenish flames.

"Elin Martfurn, Accounts, may I help you?"

"Mr. Martfurn, Luna Lovegood, account 395xxxx." She said, kneeling closer to the fireplace so he could see her clearly.

"Code phrase?"

"Plum zucchini Nargles."

There was a brief delay, and then he came back to her.

"Yes, Miss Lovegood, how may I help you?"

"There's been some odd activity in my account. The amount is 500 Galleons being deposited every month, the first occurrence being on February 15, 2004, then again on March 15, and then again on April 15. There's been a total of 1,500 Galleons deposited-"

"Miss Lovegood," Martfurn said in a bored, polite voice, "There are several parties who are depositing money in your account every month. The Anastasiya Romanov foundation at Beauxbartons, Mr. & Mrs. Harry Potter, Mr. & Mrs. Severus Snape, and Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood…and…"

There was a long pause as the goblin studied a parchment, holding it closer to his face, squinting at it through his reading glasses.

"Mr. Martfurn." Luna said sharply. "The only depositor I'm wondering about is the one that is depositing 500 Galleons a month. Who is that?"

"Just a moment." Martfurn said, beckoning with a gnarled hand to someone out of view. Another, older goblin came over, peered at the parchment, and shook his head. Then both of the goblins stepped away from the floo, leaving blank green flames.

Luna fidgeted nervously, waiting for Martfurn to come back.

After several minutes, his face appeared, and he looked rather uncomfortable, as if he had endured a tongue-lashing.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lovegood," Martfurn said nervously, "we are not allowed to give out that depositor's information."

"Mr. Martfurn, I insist." Luna said, rubbing the small of her back with one hand as she glared into the flames at the goblin. "It's my account. It is my business. Why, 500 Galleons a month is a good bit of money, more than most people make in a month!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Lovegood, truly I am." The goblin said, as polite as Luna had ever heard a goblin talk to a human, his eyes sad and his face downcast. "I would, but there's a Ministry ward on it. Even the bank President can't access it without approval from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

For a moment, Luna sat there on floor, stunned.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" She repeated, frowning. "Then…"

Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, fighting to calm herself down, she thought for a moment.

"Mr. Martfurn, you've been very helpful, sir." She said politely, and smiled. "I apologize for being so difficult today. Have a good day."

The goblin looked at her, confused.

"Um…You have a good day, too, Miss Lovegood-"

Abruptly, Luna ended the call.

Using the coffee table to help herself up, she stood, bracing her aching back with both hands for a moment.

"Accio chair, accio floo powder." She said calmly, catching the bowl of floo powder and moving the chair to the fireplace. She had several people to talk to, and she wanted to work quickly.

"Snape residence." She said, tossing another handful of floo powder into the flames.

After a few moments, Ana's face appeared in the green flames.

"Hello?"

"It's Luna, Professor Romanov."

"Oh, hello!" Ana smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm a bit angry right now." Luna said, getting right to the point. "Is Severus there with you?"

Ana gave her a puzzled look, and then looked over behind her, and after a moment, Severus appeared, holding Marcus, who was asleep.

"What's going on, Miss Lovegood?" Snape asked, his voice soft. Madam Pince walked up and he passed his son to his mother, adjusting his sleeves and leaning closer.

"Someone has been depositing 500 Galleons a month into my account for the past three months, without my authorization." Luna said, glaring at Severus. "Someone who is connected to the Ministry. Is this some scheme that you cooked up with John, to buy me off? I haven't asked him for anything, you know. I'm not some kind of…of goldigger or something."

Severus and Ana looked at each other, then back at her. Severus looked puzzled, and Ana seemed surprised.

"Miss Lovegood, I don't know anything of this." He said, spreading out his hands in supplication. "John has not mentioned it to me. I did talk to him about what his plans might be concerning you and your child, but he wasn't very cooperative with me. Refused to discuss it at all."

Luna rubbed her eyes, feeling rather weary all of a sudden.

"Can one of you go with me to the hospital? I need to talk to John, and I know you have a portkey to get there, Professor Snape."

oOo

"This is embarrassing." She fumed, blushing. "I can walk perfectly well-"

"Yes, yes, I'm quite sure of that." Snape said, pushing Luna along in the wheelchair. "But the Welcome Witch insisted. Something about hospital policy."

She crossed her arms, sulking as they proceeded down the corridor to the high security area. As they reached the outer door, the auror at the desk-Timmons-looked up, and broke into a grin.

"Miss Luna! What a pleasant surprise." He said, getting up to let them in. "Professor Snape, good evening to you, too. How's the family?"

"Good, Auror Timmons. Busy, as usual. I'm glad that we only have two children, we'd never get any sleep if we had another."

"Could we move this along, please?" Luna snapped.

"Oh…right." Timmons said, embarrassed. He unlocked the door, holding it open for Severus to push Luna through in her wheelchair. Snape gave him a shrug and a sympathetic look as they rolled by.

"You don't have to be so testy." Severus said quietly as the door shut and locked behind them.

"I'm sorry." Luna sighed. "I'm just…just a bit on edge. My due date is in three weeks, and I'm under a bit of stress."

"No need to apologize to me." He replied, bringing the chair to a smooth halt in front of a room. "But you might want to say something to Timmons on the way out."

"Wait." She said, as he reached for the doorknob.

"What is it? I thought you were in a rush."

"I just…I just need to…compose myself."

"Take your time." Severus said, just a hint of a sneer in his voice.

"As you told me, you didn't suggest this to him, right?"

"Correct. The only thing that we discussed was what he planned to do about his relationship with you, and he rebuffed me quite fiercely, didn't even want to discuss it. Nothing was said about any financial responsibility. I believe he did this on his own, somehow."

Luna sighed.

"Professor Snape, please believe me." She pleaded. "I'm not expecting him to do anything for me right now, and especially not while he's in the hospital. I'm just…"

"May I offer you some advice?" Severus said gently, kneeling so that he was more at eye level with her. "John has been my friend for years, probably the closest friend I have. Accept the money, don't mention it to him. There is much on his mind, and I guarantee that foremost is getting well and out of this hospital so he can help you more with the baby. He's struggling with what he wants, and what he feels is expected of him. You, my dear, have completely upset his life, but in a good way, I assure you."

"Upset his life? What do you mean?" Luna said, confused now.

"He had everything going for him, professionally." Severus sighed. "But he wasn't happy. Then he meets a young woman while on vacation, falls-dare I say it? In love. Suddenly, everything shifts; a new perspective opens up to him, showing him the possibility of having something he gave up on long ago. Love, a family, a normal life where he doesn't have to constantly be on guard. It's been somewhat difficult for him lately."

"I didn't mean to upset his life." Luna said quietly, looking at her hands in her lap. "I…we…just made a mistake-"

"Some things happen because they are supposed to, Miss Lovegood." He said, giving her a gentle touch on the shoulder. "That's how I found Ana."

He stood up.

"Are you ready?" Severus asked gently, one hand on the doorknob.

Luna nodded, taking in a deep breath to calm herself.

Severus opened the door, propping it open with a doorstop, and then nodded to the healer sitting by the bedside and Auror Mimbs in his chair.

"Is John awake?" He asked.

"Of course I am." John said, setting a book aside. "Hello, Severus. This is a surprise. What's up?"

"You have a visitor." Snape said, and then looked at the healer and Auror Mimbs. "I think this should be a private visit, if you two get my drift."

"Oh, my." Mimbs said, glancing over at John, then at Healer Miller. "Come on Denise; let's go get a cup of tea. I think he'll be alright for a little while."

As they walked out of the room, Healer Miller gave Luna a curious glance, and Auror Mimbs patted her gently on the shoulder.

"Good luck." He whispered as he left.

Severus pushed her into the room in her wheelchair. When John saw her, he went rather pale, and then blushed, his mouth opening to protest, but nothing coming out.

"Severus-"He finally managed to choke out, just as Snape picked up a chair and headed toward the door.

"John, I believe you and Miss Lovegood have some talking to do. I'll be right outside to take her home when you two finish."

John watched helplessly from the bed, where he was sitting up, then sank back on the pillows when he realized that it would be just him and Luna.

She was sitting right next to the bed in the wheelchair, calmly regarding him with her blue eyes, her hand resting lightly on her swollen belly. Uneasily, he finally managed after several attempts to meet her eyes.

"Hello, John." She smiled gently. "I've missed you."

He looked down at his lap, at his ruined leg under the sheets and blanket, his mouth working. Finally, he looked over at her shyly.

"I…I've missed you, too." He said softly, almost in a whisper, still hardly able to look directly in her eyes. "I…hellfire, I'm no good at this!"

"It's alright." She replied. "You're not being hateful or ugly to me, right? That's a good start."

He blushed deeply, remembering his behavior earlier that year when she'd first begun to visit him.

"That…I'm…I'm sorry about that. I-"

"Don't worry about it." She said gently. "It wasn't really you talking."

They sat for a long moment together, the silence heavy in the room.

"I noticed you putting money in my account." She said softly. "Thank you. It's really too much."

"I'm not using it for anything, and you might need it until…" His voice trailed off, and he looked away, toward the window.

"Until…what?" She asked, puzzled.

"Until I get out of the hospital." John said, fidgeting with his hands. "Until I can get back to working, while you're going to school…until…we figure out what to do. With us…and the baby."

"Elizabeth." Luna said quietly. "Her name is Elizabeth Rosemarie. It came to me in a dream."

"Elizabeth Rosemarie…" he said, almost reverently. "That…that's a nice name."

A few more minutes passed.

"Could you do something for me, John?" Luna asked, reaching down to lock the wheels of the wheelchair.

He looked at her, and then nodded.

With an effort, she pushed on the handrails of the chair, and stood up. Walking over to the bed, she carefully turned her back to him, and then sat down gingerly with a sigh, dropping her head.

"Rub my back, please." She said, closing her eyes. "Down low, in the small of my back. It hurts there."

Hesitantly, he reached over with his right hand, placing it on her lower back. She sighed contentedly, and he began to carefully knead the cramping muscles.

Slowly, as the knots in her back loosened, so did something else.

"I've missed you, John." She sobbed, feeling his hand suddenly stop, just lightly resting on her back just above her hips. Turning toward him, she pulled her legs up, lying down next to him, her head coming to rest on his right shoulder, carefully avoiding his legs with hers.

He sighed, his right arm curling around her, hugging her to his side gently, her belly-our baby, she thought-resting against him. She relaxed for a moment, and then stiffened as she had another thought.

"This probably isn't wise." She said, wiping tears away with her hand. "The Healer or Auror Mimbs could come in at any moment, or Severus might."

"No, they won't." John said softly, hugging her gently with the one arm, closing his eyes. "Severus has the door warded."

"What?" Luna said, raising her head up to look at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "Won't something like that set off the Ministry wards?"

"Not a chance. They've relaxed the security a bit, so the really nasty one isn't up any longer."

She lay her head back down, giving a contented sigh.

"Are you better?" He asked gently, stroking her back with his fingers.

She nodded.

"I may need a crane to get me back up, though. I feel about as graceful as a baby hippogriff lately, and probably weigh about the same."

"Nonsense." He laughed. "I can probably still pick you up with one arm."

She lifted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling.

"That's something I've waited a long time to hear." She smiled, moving a bit closer.

"What's that?"

"Your laugh. I haven't heard you laugh since…since we were in Bermuda."

"Not much to laugh about since then." He said quietly.

"John."

"Luna?"

"There's something else I've been waiting on." She said softly, looking at him expectantly.

He looked at her, her face only inches away from his, and smiled slightly. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her gently. Luna moaned softly into his mouth, her tongue darting along his lips, a shudder passing through her body as she clung tightly to him.

Then, abruptly, she pulled away slightly, swiping her hand down her chest.

"Shit." She said testily, pulling out a hanky from the pocket of her robes.

"What's wrong?" John asked, puzzled.

"I'm leaking, that's what's wrong!" She sighed, unbuttoning her blouse to tuck the hanky inside her bra. "Sorry. That was a bit harsh. I feel like a damn milk cow."

By now, John was biting on his lip to keep from laughing. Calming himself, he reached over to the bedside table to grab a box of tissues.

"Will this help?" He asked, setting them on his chest where she could reach them easily.

"Yes, thank you." She said shyly, tucking tissues into the other side of her bra. "Merlin's beard, there's so much…maybe its twins."

He blinked in surprise.

"Kidding!" She giggled, poking him in the chest with her finger. "Just kidding. You should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless."

"Now, that's just mean." He said.

"You were laughing at me because I was leaking. I saw." Luna said, poking him again. "Now, that's mean. I can't help it."

Taking his left hand in hers, she brought it down to her belly, placing his hand over their unborn daughter.

"Feel that?" Luna asked. "Keep your hand there, and say something. Go ahead, do it."

"What should I say?"

"Anything." She smiled. "She just moved a little bit just then. Did you feel it?"

"I think so. So she's awake now?"

Luna nodded.

"She doesn't have much room to move around anymore, so she's quieter than she has been. She was pretty active up until a couple weeks ago, and then she just slowed down a bit."

Gently, John stroked Luna's swollen abdomen, fascinated by the movement within.

"I suppose I should be going soon." She said, a note of sadness in her voice. "I don't want to leave you, but I hate to keep Professor Snape from his family."

"Take your time." Snape's voice drifted to them from the hallway. "The children are in bed, and Ana is undoubtedly catching up on her reading."

"Voyeur." John said, loud enough to make sure that Severus heard it, smiling when he heard his old friend chuckle. Luna was hiding her face in his chest, only the tips of her ears showing, which were bright pink with embarrassment.

"Hey." He said, tugging at the sheet that she was hiding under. She shook her head, pressing her face harder into his chest.

"Hey, don't worry about it." John said, gently pulling the sheet away from her face so he could see her face again. "Our secrets are safe with him."

"He was my Professor! I'm so embarrassed." Luna whispered. "Do you think he heard me talking about leaking earlier?"

"Luna, he and Ana have two children. Do you think he doesn't know about this kind of stuff?"

"I suppose he would," She sighed, fiddling with the sheet, "But that doesn't make me feel any less embarrassed about it."

He sighed, hugging her to him.

oOo

"Mr. Lovegood. What a…surprise."

Xenophilius stood at the door of Severus and Ana's private quarters at Hogwarts, uneasily eyeing Snape, who was regarding him with the sort of expression one would reserve if you found something disgusting on your doorstep.

"I…I'm here to visit Luna, Severus." He said nervously, attempting to peer around the former Potions professor. "May I come in?"

"Honestly, Severus!" Ana snapped, coming into the sitting room. "Let Mr. Lovegood in, please. There's no need to be rude."

Turning to Xenophilius, she took Severus' arm in her hand, pinching the inside of his forearm just hard enough that he'd have a good bruise. He sucked in a breath with a hiss, grudgingly backing out of the doorway and allowing their visitor to come in.

"No need for that." He said, shooting Ana a hurt look. He pulled his arm away from her, rubbing his injury. "Do come in, Xenophilius. I'll inform Luna that you're here."

Turning on his heel, he left the room, disappearing down the short hallway that led to the bedrooms. Ana closed the door, and then gestured to the couch before the fireplace.

"Have a seat, Mr. Lovegood." She said, walking over to the sideboard. "Would you care for a brandy, perhaps?"

"Um, I…no, thank you, Professor Romanov-Snape." He said, sitting carefully on the edge of the couch, wiping sweaty palms on his robes. "I…I would like to apologize to you for the way I behaved the other day at the shop. I don't think I was able to do that properly at the time."

Ana waved dismissively.

"Please, don't even worry about that. Water under the bridge."

He opened his mouth, and stopped as Luna walked briskly into the room, rushing to him as he stood up to greet her.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed, hugging him as tightly as she could. "What a surprise! I'm so happy to see you."

Severus made a rude sound, covering it partly with a cough. Ana shot him a glare of warning, her eyebrow rising as her gray eyes narrowed.

"Come with me, dear." She said softly, walking toward the kitchen. "I do believe I might need your help getting the tea down, and I'm sure everyone would like a cup."

With a sigh of resignation, Severus followed her into the kitchen.

Xenophilius let go of Luna, nervously watching Snape walk away.

"Daddy, don't worry about Professor Snape." She said gently. "He…he's just very protective of me."

"I can see that." He said, as they sat back down on the couch. "Um, I was wondering…your young man…how is he doing?"

"Oh." She said, brightening up even more. "He may be getting out of hospital soon, we hope. The healer wasn't letting me go see him, because she didn't want me walking too much, too much stress, but Severus took me to see him the other day. We had a very good visit. He…"

Her eyes fell, and her chin began to tremble.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Xenophilius said, putting his arm around her.

"Daddy…I don't know if I should tell you any of this. But I need to. Daddy, he…he was captured by a group of former Death Eaters. They tortured him, for six weeks, until Severus happened to hear him screaming…"

"Luna, if you don't think I should know-"

"Let me finish, Daddy." She said, taking out a hanky to wipe her eyes. "I…I'm just under so much stress lately, with the baby, and with John being in-"

She covered her mouth, horrified of her slip.

"Yes, you're under a great deal of stress, with the baby, and with your man being in the hospital." He smiled, giving her a hug. "I didn't hear his name, dear, if that's what you're so worried about."

Her father leaned closer to her, beckoning to her. Luna gave him a curious look, and then leaned closer.

"I do believe we are being watched." Xenophilius said softly. "Behind the couch. It might be a nargle."

Luna glanced behind her, spotting Nina's unruly mop of black hair, just the top of her head and her gray eyes visible.

"It might be, daddy." She said, stifling a giggle. "Nargles are constantly roaming around here at Hogwarts. They're everywhere."

Nina popped up, pulling herself up on the back of the couch, her eyes flashing.

"I am NOT a nargle!" She shouted, raising her hands like claws. "I'm a Ukrainian Ironbelly! Rawr!"

Luna and her father burst into laughter. Combined with several loud, menacing growls from Nina (the fearsome Ukrainian Ironbelly), the clamor drew both Ana and Severus, from the kitchen.

"Oh…" Luna gasped, tears streaming down her face as she held herself, still laughing. "I think I hurt myself. Oh, Merlin…"

"Nina!" Ana snapped, her eyes blazing, "How many times do I have to remind you to use your inside voice inside!"

Nina's face fell, and she burst into tears, deftly avoiding her mother's attempt to grab her as she ran to her father. Ana gave him a wilting glare as he scooped her up, and then shrugged his shoulders, raising his eyebrow at her.

"I believe that this is the best thing to do, given that Marcus is taking his nap." He said, shushing their daughter gently. "If I'm not needed, I'm going to take her into the potions lab, let her calm down there."

Ana sighed, and then nodded her head in agreement.

"Do as you must, dear." She said, turning to Xenophilius. "I'm dreadfully sorry about that. Nina can be rather rambunctious at times."

"It's perfectly alright, Professor." He said, glancing at Luna. "I know a thing or two about rambunctious children."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 32

May10, 2004~

"Luna, dear, how are you feeling?"

She opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Ana coming toward her bed, with Ginny close behind.

"Good, Professor." She yawned. "Just…exhausted. They brought her to me a few hours ago to nurse her…have you see her yet?"

"Yes, we went by the nursery." Ginny said, excitement shining in her eyes. "She's so precious. She already has dimples!"

"I know." Luna sighed, and then looked over at Severus, who was hanging back by the doorway. "Professor Snape, have you talked to John?"

"I did, Miss Lovegood." He said politely, walking closer to the bed. "I flooed the hospital, and Auror O'Neill passed on the news."

"I wish he could have been here." Luna said, a touch of sadness in her voice.

"I'm sure he does, too, Miss Lovegood. At the same time, I do have some good news for you, something that even my lovely wife doesn't know of. The Healers said that he would start physical therapy next week."

"That's wonderful!" Luna said, sitting up in the bed, and then wincing.

"Careful, dear." Ana said, helping her lay back down on the bed. "It's a little early to be jumping around just yet."

oOo

June 6, 2004~

He was sitting in a wheelchair next to his bed when they came in; as the door opened he looked over, putting his book down on the bedside table.

"Oh, would you look at that…" Healer Miller said softly, a smile spreading across her face.

Severus and Ana stepped aside, allowing Luna to walk in, carrying Elizabeth, who was swaddled in a blanket.

"Here she is, John." Luna smiled. "Wake up, sweetheart. It's time to meet Daddy."

She walked up to him, gently placing their daughter in his outstretched arms, as he struggled to even speak. Severus picked up a chair, putting it next to John's wheelchair for Luna to sit on. Clearing his throat, Snape glanced at Healer Miller and Auror Timmons.

"I think it would be best if we give them some…privacy." He said, ushering Ana to the door.

Healer Miller nodded, and the four of them left the room, an event unnoticed by the new parents as they marveled over their child.

"I…I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you." He said softly, after Elizabeth had yawned one last time and nodded off to sleep. Luna smiled, shaking her head.

"I managed fine." She said, taking hold of his free hand. "I heard you've started physical therapy, so you're getting closer to being with us. How is it going?"

"Painfully." John smiled. "I think that I'm paying for all of my past and future sins every time I go for therapy. But it's the only way I'll be able to walk again."

oOo

September 6, 2004~

It was late afternoon, the shadows long on the street outside as the two men walked down the hallway, the larger one leaning heavily on a cane as he went.

"229, 230, 230b…ah, here it is, 230b ½. Right in here, John." Auror Timmons said, opening a door just a ways down from the elevator on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic building. John followed the shorter Auror into the small room.

"This is a broom closet, isn't it?" He said, glancing around the room, running his finger along the desk and frowning at the dust.

"It was Hayworth's office, until he retired in November of last year." Timmons sighed. "He was the older guy from Edinburg-"

"-who didn't like having a window in his office. I remember. So I get his old broom closet, is that it?"

"I…John, you know how it is. As it stands, you…well-"

"Yaxley made it clear. I'm not an Auror now." John said, a note of bitterness in his voice. "I resign my position to work an undercover assignment, it goes bad, and they toss me under the bus."

"It's not like that, John."

"You know damn well it is." He sighed, leaning a bit more on his cane to take the pressure off his leg. After spending the past four months in intensive, painful therapy, the Healers had finally discharged him from hospital.

I can finally walk again, John thought bitterly. If I always use my cane. If I don't mind having to stop every fifty feet to rest. And if I don't mind gritting my teeth a lot, or having to take pain-reliever potions every three hours or so, and only rarely being able to sleep an entire night without awakening with my leg cramping up so painfully that I wake up screaming.

And then again, there's the nightmares, he mused, inwardly shuddering. Thank Merlin and all the gods for Luna.

"It's the best we could do right now, John." Timmons sighed. You know how it is, your office was given to the newer guy waiting for one, and-"

"They didn't expect me to come back, is that it?"

"No, of course not." The Auror said, looking genuinely hurt. "I…oh, sod it all. Let's go get some fish and chips, eh?"

"It's tempting, but I'm going to pass. Luna's expecting me for dinner." John said, "Maybe another time?"

Timmons nodded.

"She's good for you, John." He smiled. "I'm glad you decided to take up with her again."

"That's for sure, Mark." John nodded. "I don't know how I could have made it without her."

oOo

October 10, 2004~

"So," Neville said, hefting his burden of boxes and bags, "if you mince the valerian root with a silver knife, it makes no difference?"

"Of course not, Neville." Ana replied, checking her list as they walked through Hogsmeade. "That's just an old wives' tale some incompetent moron cooked up because they made a mistake once, ruining the potion. I've never seen it happen, and most of the other potions masters and mistresses I've spoken with haven't either."

"What else is there that we need?" He asked.

"Thief! Thief!" Someone shouted ahead of them, obscured in the bustling Saturday morning crowd of shoppers. "Someone catch that woman!"

"Oh, my." Neville said, peering down the street at the commotion, "Wonder what's up with that?"

Ana frowned, her eyes narrowing under the fur hat she wore.

I know that girl, she thought with a frown, racking her brain for the name to go with the face of the young woman running from the shopkeeper, a loaf of bread tucked under her arm as she dodged the hands grasping at her.

"Ivan." She said quietly, "Поймать эту женщину."

With a sweep of his wings, her eagle owl took off from her shoulder, swiftly gaining altitude and swooping down the busy street. As the woman turned into an alley, she reached out, tugging on a stack of boxes, spilling them across the path of her pursuers. Ivan veered down the alley, undeterred by such, his powerful wings allowing him to rapidly close on the dark-haired human that his mistress had set him on.

Taking out her wand and palming it discreetly, Ana rapidly walked toward the mouth of the alley toward the crowd that was presently occupied with moving the boxes.

"Come on, Neville." She commanded, her eyes grim.

Her assistant hurried along behind her, juggling his burden.

"Confundo. Confundo. Confundo." She repeated rapidly, pointing her wand at her targets, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Professor, she looks like a vagrant. I don't think-"

"Hush, Longbottom." She snapped, "I know what I'm doing. Confundo. Confundo…"

By the time they reached the alley, the dozen or so people were standing around, looking stupidly at the boxes in their hands in confusion.

"What the 'ell am I holding this for?" A florid man in a shopkeeper's apron frowned, as Ana and Neville came up.

"I think those boxes fell over," Ana said helpfully, palming her wand to conceal it, "and you were helping put them back in a neat stack. Such a gentleman, you don't see that anymore."

"Right you are, ma'am!" He said proudly, flexing his muscles as he stacked the box on another.

She patted him on the shoulder approvingly as she walked by. He reached for another box, nodding to Neville as they passed.

"Professor, I don't know about this…"

"No harm done, Neville. Besides, someone could have been hurt pursuing her."

They turned another corner to find the woman sprawled on the ground, her precious loaf of bread across the narrow alley near the wall. She was lying very still, warily watching the eagle owl as it preened itself.

She was thin as could be, a pretty face showing high cheekbones smeared with mud and soot, the bit of hair that spilled from her head scarf dirty and tangled. It might have been black, it might have been red, but it was so filthy it was difficult to tell. Dressed in dirty clothes that ranged from merely dirty to threadbare rags that hung loosely on her, with a set of men's trainers that looked far too big, she was quite the fashion statement.

As Ana and Neville came closer, she whipped her head around, her gray eyes widening in terror. Leaping to her feet, she made a desperate bid for freedom, dodging Ana's hand at the Potions Mistress grabbed at her cloak, catching the hem. Deftly, the woman spun away, shedding the cloak and gaining speed, then as she threw a smirk over her shoulder at her would-be captor, and then ran with a THUD smack into Neville. His burden of boxes, packages, and bags went everywhere in the alley, accompanied by the sound of something glass breaking in a bag. With a sickening sound, her head hit the cobblestones as she fell, and she lay still.

Dropping the cloak, Ana walked over to check on the woman, checking her pulse and inspecting her eyes for pupil reaction with her wand lighted with a quickly spoken 'lumos'. Neville righted himself, coming over to where the woman lay, peering at her over Professor Romanov-Snape's shoulder.

"Merlin's beard." Neville said, his eyes widening in shock. "That's Pansy Parkinson."

oOo

"Again, WHY did you bring her here?" Severus sighed, watching Poppy run her wand over the unconscious Pansy as she lay in a Hospital Wing bed. Ana removed a flannel from a basin of water, wringing the excess water from it, and resumed cleaning the dirt from the younger woman's face.

"I told you, Severus." Ana sighed irritably, shooting him a glare, "We couldn't just leave her there. The poor thing's starved half to death, she took a nasty knock on the head, and I'm pretty sure she's got a fever. I wasn't about to just leave her there in the alley."

Severus rubbed his eyes, frowning.

My wife and her 'causes' will be the death of me, he thought in resignation.

"Well, everything seems alright neurologically," Poppy said, tucking away her wand. "I'll get some Pepper-Up for the fever, and in case she has a cold or the flu. We don't need her getting any worse. The poor dear, you can count every rib on her. She hasn't eaten well in a long time, probably several months."

"Another casualty of the War," Severus said softly, leaning against the wall. "Or rather, a victim of the fallout following it."

"What happened to her family, Severus?" Poppy asked, glancing at Ana. "I never heard."

"Her father is dead, perhaps her mother also. If she's alive, then probably in Azkaban. I don't know if she had any siblings."

"How dreadful." Ana said softly, looking down at the painfully thin young woman on the bed.

oOo

October 16, 2004~

Luna walked into the sitting room of her apartment, drying her hands on a kitchen flannel, and smiled.

John was lying on the couch, fast asleep, with Elizabeth curled up on his chest, her mouth slack as she slept deeply with her ear pressed to his heart. Luna walked over and gently removed the bottle from his hand, noting that Elizabeth had indeed finished it. As she turned to go back to the kitchen, she felt his hand lightly grasp her leg.

"Caught you." He murmured sleepily. She smirked at him, using the nipple on the bottle to place a droplet of milk on his forehead, causing him to frown and wipe at it.

"I snuck up on you fair and square." She said, lowering herself to her knees beside the couch, relaxing into his hand sliding up to her lower back. "Elizabeth is out cold. Want me to take her, put her in her crib?"

"Yeah," He sighed. "It might not be that easy for me to get up with her without waking her. I hate to disturb her, she's sleeping so well."

"Well, that's because Daddy is so warm and cozy." Luna said, stopping to yawn, covering her mouth with her hand politely, "You're the best teddy in the world. I'll put her to bed, and then I'll put you to bed, sleepy head."

Setting the bottle on the coffee table, Luna carefully scooped Elizabeth up, pausing when she stirred irritably due to the change in her situation. Moving smoothly and cautiously, she took her daughter to the room that she and Ana had converted into a nursery, and gently laid her in her crib.

When she returned to the sitting room, John was sitting up on the couch, rubbing his left leg through his blue jeans.

"Are you hurting?" Luna asked, walking over to the couch to sit next to him, her hand coming to rest on his thigh.

"No."

"Liar." She smirked, pushing him back on the couch.

Gently, she kneaded the tight, cramping muscles in his upper thigh, turning toward him so she could use both hands. He sighed with relief, sitting back on the couch to give her freer access to his leg.

"Did you take your potions?" She asked.

"Yes, I just did." He sighed. "I know I should have taken them an hour ago, but she was just so comfortable…I would have had to accio my bag in here from the bedroom, and that would have been rather difficult, so I just left it until just now."

With a pat on his leg, she got up from the couch, picking up his cane and holding it out to him, along with her hand.

"Come on, then." Luna said softly. "We have one more night to spend together this weekend."

With an effort, he pulled himself up; hobbling along behind her to the bedroom they shared on the weekends. Luna went to the bathroom, taking her nightgown with her; he went to 'his' side of the bed and began the laborious process of undressing himself.

Back in September, when they had begun 'dating' again after he was released from hospital, they'd argued the first time he spent the night.

He was poking through the hallway closet, trying to find a blanket, when she came out of the nursery after putting Elizabeth in her crib for the night.

"What are you looking for?" She asked.

"Um…a blanket?" He said, closing the door to the closet. There wasn't one in there, anyway.

"Why?" She asked, frowning.

"Well, I figured it might be more…appropriate if I slept out here…on the couch."

"John, don't you dare start with this again."

"What?"

Her eyes narrowed and she set her jaw, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I invited you to spend the night, because I wanted you to sleep with me, in my bed. You're Elizabeth's father, and I love you." She said softly, though there was an edge to her voice. "I don't expect anything more than a warm companion in my bed tonight to cuddle with. You're tired from work, and apparating, and after we finished that bottle of wine, I don't think it's safe for you to apparate home. Not after you take your bedtime dose of pain-relieving potion."

With a sigh, he gave in, following her to the bedroom.

"It would probably be best if I take this side," he had said, pointing at the left side, closest to the bathroom.

"Why?" She frowned, looking over at him from the bathroom doorway, where she stood with her toothbrush. She'd been brushing her teeth when began, and a thin film of white toothpaste clung to her lower lip.

"Well, I can't sleep on my left side, just my right side or my back, and I figured if I took the left side-"

"No. I might need to get up to use the bathroom, and the left side is closer."

"Well, the right side is closer to the nursery."

"But the baby monitor is on the left nightstand." She frowned, her eyes boring into his. "That's not why you want to sleep over on the left side, is it?"

He sighed.

"I…can't sleep on my left side because of my leg. I figured if you sleep on the right side, and I sleep on the left, I…wouldn't bother you at night."

She blinked for a moment, and then smiled craftily, a spark of deviltry in her blue eyes.

"What if I want you to 'bother me?"

He blushed.

Luna tapped him on the shoulder as he sat on the edge of the bed, and he jumped a bit.

"Sorry." She said gently. "Knut for your thoughts? You look like you're thinking deeply. That's not good for your sleep, you know."

"Just thinking about the first night I spent here with you." He sighed.

"Mm-hm."

"This isn't going to upset your father, is it?"

"Heavens, no." She laughed. "Dad and Mum lived together for 5 years before they got married. My grandparents on both sides were furious, but it worked out. I promise, Daddy wouldn't get angry about this."

"I see." He said softly.

Luna sat quietly on the bed beside him, just watching him.

"What else is bothering you, John?" She finally asked.

"Leaving tomorrow morning." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's the end of the weekend, and now I have to endure another boring week at work, stuck at that desk."

"You hate your job now, don't you?"

"I push parchment around all day long," He grumbled. "It's as if I'm not really even there. I know everything that's going on, but all I get to do is attend meetings and fill out paperwork. And then, at the end of the day…"

His voice trailed off, as he clamped his mouth shut, unwilling to go on.

Luna smiled, poking him gently in the side.

"Oh, no. No Mr. Grumpypants tonight." She said, her voice light and teasing. "Tell me what you're thinking."

John drew a big breath, blowing it out in an exhausted sigh.

"At the end of the day, I come home to an empty flat and eat takeout, or whatever I happen to have, and read…" He looked over at her, her blue eyes only a few inches from his. "The only good thing about it is talking to you via floo when we can."

She blinked, and then smiled.

"You know…" She said softly, "You don't have to go back to London. You could get a portkey; use that to commute to work. From here."

Chewing on his lip for a moment, he looked down at his lap, and then slowly looked back at her.

"Is that an offer?" He said shyly.

She nodded, breaking into a huge grin.

"I suppose I need to make a portkey, then." He said, pursing his lips.

"And sublet your flat." She smirked.

"Yes." He said quietly, fiddling with his hands. She reached over and took hold of them, her fingers tiny compared to his.

"What are you thinking, John?" She asked.

"I'm thinking I want to marry you." He said candidly.

"Are you asking me?"

He looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded.

"If you'd have me, that is." He said. "Luna Lovegood, would you do me the honor of being my wife? I don't have much, but I would give you everything I have, and take care of you till my last breath. Because…because I love you. I can't see myself with anyone else, ever."

By now, her eyes were large and luminous, tears abruptly streaming down her cheeks as she covered her mouth, unable to speak.

"I-"He began, and then hushed when she held her fingers up to his lips, silently asking him to stop.

After she composed herself, she looked over at him.

"The only thing I would ask, is that we wait until I graduate." She said, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand. "I have two years to go till I finish. I want to be able to devote my full attention to my classes."

"Alright."

She gently brought her hand up to touch his face in a gentle caress.

"Thank you." She said, smiling. "It will be so much easier with you here to help me. The house elves are nice, but I need you here."

Leaning over to him, she kissed him, and then drew back.

"It's past midnight, and you have to be at work by eight tomorrow." She sighed. "Let's go to bed, dear."

oOo

"Am I a prisoner here?" She said, her gray eyes flashing defiance despite her weakened condition.

"No, Pansy." Poppy said gently, dipping the spoon back into the broth. "Professor Romanov-Snape and Assistant Professor Longbottom-"

Pansy made a rude sound, knocking the spoon away from her with her hand. Poppy sighed, giving the young woman an indulgent smile.

"Accio spoon." Poppy said, catching it deftly, then took her wand out.

"Petrificus membra." She said calmly, pointing her wand at her patient.

Pansy's eyes widened, first in shock, and then her face flushed red with anger as she struggled to move against invisible bonds.

"You…you've bound me!"

"Perhaps you would rather starve? Or would you like to cooperate?" The Medi-Witch said, dipping the spoon back into the broth. "As for myself, I'm getting weary of picking the spoon up. You need to eat, dear. Once you're well, I imagine your former head of house wants to speak with you about your recent behavior."

"Snape can go to hell!"

"Perhaps you'd rather talk to the police, or perhaps the Aurors?"

Pansy sagged against the magical bonds, defeated.

"Now, it seems that you've attracted a lot of attention to yourself in Hogsmeade, young lady. Therefore, Hogwarts is the safest place for you right now."

"I can take care of myself!"

"I'm sure, dear." Poppy said. "That's why Assistant Professor Longbottom had to carry you into my Hospital Wing."

"'Assistant Professor Longbottom'!" Patsy scoffed, "Don't make me laugh. What does Longbottom teach, anyway? Finger-painting?"

"He's Assistant Professor of Potions, teaching 1st years, and he's quite good at it."

"You're putting me on. Next thing you'll tell me is that it was Professor Snape's idea."

"As a matter of fact, it was." Poppy smirked.

Patsy's mouth dropped open, and the Medi-Witch took the opportunity to slip in a spoonful of soup.

oOo

December 15, 2004~

She sat impatiently, arms folded, in the waiting room at the clinic with Severus calmly leafing through the October issue of Potions Monthly.

"Calm down, dear." He murmured, turning the page. "It's just a checkup. I'm sure they'll find things to be in order."

Ana scowled at him.

"It's been far too long that we've waited." She grumbled, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs in agitation, smoothing down her scarlet dress with her gloved hands. "And why are you reading that issue again? The copy you have at home is nearly worn out; you surely have it memorized by now."

"They are rather busy today." He sighed, closing the magazine and laying it aside. "You know how it is; they never have new magazines at a Healer's office."

Ana huffed in frustration, tapping her foot nervously on the wooden parquet flooring.

"Professor Romanov-Snape?" A young Medi-Witch called from the doorway. "Healer Plumstead will see you now."

"About time." Ana grumbled under her breath as she rose to follow the young woman back to the Healer's office.

"Patience, darling." Severus said, trailing along behind his wife.

"Come in; come in, Ana, Severus." Healer Plumstead smiled as they walked into his office. "All good news today, I'm pleased to say. Your leukemia is still fully in remission, everything on your blood work was fine."

Ana blew out a sigh of relief as she sat down in one of the chairs, Severus sitting in the other.

"Well, that's certainly good news." She said, smiling at her husband.

"I'll want to see you again in," He frowned at his calendar, examining it closely, "A year from now. They'll make an appointment for you at the front desk."

"Excellent." Severus smiled, reaching over to gently give Ana's hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Oh, and it appears," Healer Plumstead went on, "that there's a very good reason for your problems; the nausea, the tenderness, the problems sleeping. The blood work shows that you are pregnant again. Congratulations."

Ana tightened her grip on Severus' hand painfully, her breath caught in her throat.

"I…that can't be…" She gasped. "I…we've been so careful. It's not possible."

"Nevertheless, that's what our tests show." The older man said gently. "You need to consult with your Healer, your Midwife, and make sure everything is in order.

After a brief hesitation, he leaned forward on his desk.

"If you wish to…end the pregnancy," Healer Plumstead said carefully, "It's not that risky at this point in time."

Ana blinked, feeling somewhat lightheaded, then glanced at her husband.

"It's up to you, dear." Severus said softly.

"No." Ana said, shaking her head. "I…I'm only thirty years old, and in fine health. I…I'd rather go on with it, if it's safe to do so."

Healer Plumstead nodded.

I've looked over the surgeon's report on your Cesarean. Everything went perfectly, and you should have no problem whatsoever with a normal delivery if you choose that way. Of course, the Cesarean is always an option if necessary."

Severus frowned at her, gently flexing his fingers, which had begun to turn white due to Ana gripping them so tightly. Glancing at him, she released his hand.

"Sorry, love." She said gently, and then looked at Healer Plumstead. "Thank you. We'll discuss this…and decide what we want to do."

"Of course, Ana." He nodded. "As always, I stand ready to assist you in any way I can."

Taking their leave of Healer Plumstead, they left the office after making an appointment for next December. Silently walking down the street toward the apparition point, each deep in their own thoughts, they didn't speak until they were almost there.

"I want to keep this baby, Severus." Ana said softly, stopping on the sidewalk. "I don't know if we…there's no telling if we might have another."

He had stopped to listen to her, his breath turning to white mist in front of him in the cold.

"Whatever you decide, darling, I support." Severus said gently. "I'm happy with Nina and Marcus, or I'm happy with another child. My sole concern is your health. Do you truly feel strong enough to go through another pregnancy and delivery?"

She nodded.

oOo

Author's notes:

"Поймать эту женщину.": "Catch that woman."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 33

January 2, 2005~

Pansy hummed softly under her breath, cleaning dust from an empty bookshelf. She'd been moved into a room in the Astronomy tower, more to her liking as there weren't many students wandering around. She despised the curious looks, the staring, and the whispers as she passed by them. While she was clean again, and dressed in better clothes, and finally feeling stronger, they still talked about her.

Her hair was slowly growing out, having been cut by Poppy when the Medi-Witch and Professor Romanov-Snape gave up on trying to get all of the tangles out of it. (Even Professor Romanov-Snape, with her own long, lovely hair that never seemed to tangle, was at a loss.) But now her hair was clean, and back to its normal auburn shade, soft and gently curling at the ends.

A polite knock, three raps, on the door.

"Who is it?" She said warily, feeling a bit silly for brandishing a feather duster at the door.

"Neville."

She grimaced, groaning inwardly. Of all people-

Going to the door, she cracked it open.

"What do you want, Longbottom?" She said irritably.

"I came by with some things that Professor Romanov-Snape had for you." He replied, nodding at several boxes that were floating just behind him. "Shall I leave them here in the hall for you?"

"You know I can't do magic." Pansy snapped, "They broke my wand, remember? I never learned to do much in the way of wandless magic, so-"

"Well, if I may come in, I'll bring them in for you."

"Fancy a shag, perhaps, Longbottom?" She hissed nastily, reveling in the discomfort on his face. "Figure I can compensate you for all the things you've so kindly done for me? Work it off on my back, perhaps?"

Neville sighed, fighting to compose himself as he blushed deeply.

"No, Pansy. I'm not like that. If you'd rather, I can just drop the boxes here in the hallway, and you can carry them in as well you can. But some of them are a bit heavy."

I'm not going to allow her to bully me, as she bullied everyone when we were students, Neville thought to himself, looking her steadily in the eye. I'm not the little boy that she could intimidate as she pleased, not now.

For a moment, he thought she might hit him as they stood there with their eyes locked, her gray eyes full of fire and defiance as she tried to stare him down. After a few moments, her gray eyes faltered, abruptly seeming to lose their fire completely as they dropped to the floor. Docilely, she moved back from the doorway, swinging the door open to allow him in.

He hesitated, and then walked into the room, using his wand to float the boxes into the small sitting room.

"Right." He said nervously, lowering the boxes to the floor and tucking his wand away. "Professor Romanov-Snape said that the clothes should fit, but if you need them adjusted, just floo her or Poppy, and they'll-"

"Get out, Longbottom." Pansy said softly, sitting down on the floor amidst the boxes.

"Pardon?" He asked, blinking.

"I said get out!" She shrieked, grabbing a teacup from the coffee table and flinging it at him, only narrowly missing. The teacup shattered on the stone wall, pelting Neville with fragments of china as he scrambled to get out the door.

oOo

Ana frowned, then leaned over to Neville, staring intently at his hair as he cut his roast beef. They were seated at the staff table in the Great Hall, and dinner had just been served by the house elves, the hall filled with quiet conversation of students and the faculty.

"What?" He muttered irritably, glancing over at her, inadvertently drawing Severus' attention.

"It appears that you have some…china fragments in your hair, Longbottom." Snape drawled. "Is there something we should know about?"

By now, Ana had deftly plucked a bit of china out of Neville's hair, and was examining it closely.

"No, nothing, Professor." Neville said, forking a bit of beef and chewing it nervously.

"You and Pansy didn't have another fight, did you?" Ana asked, holding up the fragment. "This is the same pattern that I gave her to use in her kitchen."

Neville sighed, putting his fork down.

"She got mad and threw a cup at me, Professor." He said, shrugging. "I took the boxes of clothes up to her, just as you asked me to do, and then she flew mad at me. I don't even bother to try to understand her, ma'am."

"I wonder what she was upset about." Ana mused, half to herself.

"I don't have a clue," Neville sighed. "Pansy despised me from the day I met her, when we were eleven years old and first-years here at Hogwarts. She took great delight back then in tormenting me, as well as everyone else that she didn't like. I gave up on trying to please her a long time ago."

"Well, people change, Neville." Ana said, tucking the shard of china into the pocket of her robes, with a glance at Severus.

oOo

She was picking at her roast beef, idling pushing a bit of it around her plate, when the knock came at her door. Sullenly, she said nothing, hoping they would go away. After a few moments, just as she thought they had left, the knock came again.

"Who is it?" She said, scowling at the door.

"Pansy, it's Ana. May I come in?"

With a sigh, she composed herself, getting up from the floor and the upturned box she was using as a makeshift dining table. Going to the door, she opened it.

"Hello, Professor."

"Hello, Pansy." Ana said, walking into the room. "I see the house elves brought your dinner up here. Still not keen on eating in the Great Hall, I take it?"

Pansy frowned, shaking her head.

"I can't stand the students." She said, hugging herself. "They're always looking at me like…like I'm some kind of freak."

"I don't think that's why, Pansy." Ana said gently, sitting down on the couch. "It may be more that they are students, they are curious by nature, and they probably assume you're a member of the staff or faculty."

"That's a laugh." The younger woman snorted derisively. "I'm nobody now. I was a witch, a member of a pure-blood family, and now…"

Tears, unbidden, began to roll down Pansy's cheeks, her face collapsing in long-repressed grief.

"My…my family is all gone, dead or imprisoned, scattered…I have no one to turn to. I have no job, no income, no resources, nothing. I don't even have a wand to protect myself with. I-"

Ana rose from the couch, walking over to the younger woman to embrace her.

"There, there, Pansy." She said gently, as Pansy sobbed into her shoulder, clinging to her. "You need to get your strength up, to heal, to rest. We will help you get back on your feet, dear. Severus and I have discussed it, and he feels that as your former head of house, he needs to take care of you until you can care for yourself."

"But…Professor…I don't have a wand, I don't have anything. They're still looking for me in Hogsmeade for stealing that bread, I-"

"Pansy." Ana said, holding her by the shoulders. "You can walk through all of Hogsmeade safely. Nobody's going to bother you."

"But…how?"

"One of your classmates, dear." Ana smiled, "Said he was happy to help you out. His wife sent over some of her clothes, as well as collected some from her friends, after I gave her your size."

Now fresh tears were rolling down Pansy's cheeks, with her swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Ana produced a hanky from the pocket of her robes, handing it to her.

"I must be going now, dear." Ana said gently, reaching back into her pocket. "But, you might try being nicer to everyone. We are trying to help you, you know. All of us."

With that, she dropped the china shard that she'd plucked from Neville's hair on the coffee table, and left.

oOo

Neville was intently researching an interaction between dandelion root and Eowan sap when the knock came at his door, and it was so soft that for a moment, he sat at his desk thinking he was hearing things.

I do hope Peeves isn't up here, up to his old games, he thought. Turning back to the copy of Finkelstein & Groumeyere's Comprehensive Toxicology, his brow furrowed with concentration as he searched for the information he needed. After a few minutes, the knock came again, louder this time, yet still difficult to hear. Neville laid his quill down, rubbing his eyes in frustration.

I could just ignore it, he thought, not without a bit of guilt. But what if it's Ana, or Severus?

With a sigh, he got up from his desk, walking over to the door, and opened it.

Pansy Parkinson stood at his door, her thin body wrapped in a shawl, shivering. After a brief hesitation, she looked up at Neville as he towered over her.

"May I come in?" She said meekly.

Neville stared down at her for nearly a full minute, dumbfounded.

"I…" He began.

"I won't take long, I promise." She pleaded, her eyes begging with him.

"I…alright, I suppose." He said, backing out of the doorway and gesturing to the couch in his sitting room. "Please, sit down over here by the fire, warm up a bit. Would you like some tea?"

"I…um, yes, please." Pansy said, walking past him to stand before the fireplace, holding her hands out to the warmth.

"I'll…I'll just go put the kettle on." Neville said, walking into the kitchen.

As she listened to Neville puttering around in the kitchen, filling the kettle and putting it on the burner, her eyes wandered up to the mantel of the fireplace. Framed pictures lined it, along with various mementoes from his life.

A framed picture of Severus, Ana, and two children.

Another of Luna Lovegood, with some wizard she didn't know, and a baby.

Hermione Granger, by herself. Pansy couldn't help but feel a twinge of enmity.

An older couple, a dark haired man and his wife, that she didn't recognize.

Harry Potter, with Ginny Weasley, with what looked to be their children.

Ron Weasely, in the uniform of some Quiddich Team, not one that she recognized…

"Pansy?"

Startled, she turned to him.

"How do you take your tea?" Neville asked from the kitchen doorway.

"Two lumps of sugar, if you don't mind." She said, blinking. "Um…Neville, who is this?"

Neville looked over, squinting at the picture that Pansy was pointing to. His mouth twitched slightly, and then he recovered, smiling nervously.

"Um, that's one's my mum and dad." He then ducked back into the kitchen, as the teakettle had begun to whistle.

Oh, my, Pansy groaned inwardly. His mum and dad. That was very sensitive of me, wasn't it?

Be nice, Professor Romanov-Snape had told her.

Well, I'm sure to make a botch of this, aren't I? She mocked herself.

Neville came into the sitting room, carefully carrying a tray with a tea set, and set it on the coffee table. With a nervous glance at Pansy, he busied himself with preparing the tea.

"There's no need to be nervous, Neville." She sighed. "I'm not going to eat you."

"I'm not nervous." He said, plucking two lumps of sugar from the bowl and promptly dropping them, one skittering across the table to land on the floor.

"Let me do it." Pansy sighed, taking the tongs from him and getting the sugar herself. Once she had her tea to her liking, she sat down in a chair near the fire.

"I came down here to apologize." She said softly, and then took a sip of the tea.

It's quite good, she thought in surprise, then took another sip, frowning. I've never had this tea, but it's excellent.

"Oh, don't mind that." He said, "I…well, you don't need to apologize to me."

"I do." She said, fighting down a wave of irritation. "I'm sorry that I behaved so badly, so hatefully to you. Ever since you brought me back to Hogwarts, trying to help me, I've been absolutely awful to you, and I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Nothing to worry about."

For Merlin's sake, stop being such a doormat! She screamed inwardly at him. Don't you ever get angry about anything?

Closing her eyes, she struggled to calm herself down, doing the breathing exercise that Professor Romanov-Snape had taught her. Finally, she opened her eyes. Neville was watching her with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Neville," Pansy said, "I know that you aren't angry with me, I can tell that. You've always been one of the most kind and forgiving people I've ever known. But it's important that I apologize to you for the way I acted, and the way I've treated you the whole time I've known you. I've been absolutely horrible to you, and I'm sorry."

"Well, it's really alright." Neville said. "I never took any of it personally, since it wasn't like you singled me out."

No, she sighed inwardly. I targeted everyone that I didn't approve of, or didn't like, or whoever wasn't as pretty as I thought they should be, or was a Gryffindor, or a Ravenclaw, or a Hufflepuff…

And then later, I followed Draco, because I admired him, had a crush on him…until he took the Dark Mark, and I saw for myself how ugly something could truly be…

Unable to stop herself, her eyes flicked over to the mantel, to the picture of Neville's parents, and bile rose in her throat, her stomach suddenly roiling with nausea.

I supported that, she thought, her face turning deathly pale, her nails digging painfully into her palms. I cheered it on. I'm just as responsible as if it were my wand…

"Pansy?" Neville said softly. "Are you alright?"

With a start, she opened her eyes, looking over at him. Putting her hand up to her cheek, she found it damp with tears.

"I…I'd best go." She said, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as she bolted blindly for the door, leaving Neville sitting there on his couch, thoroughly confused. Hitting her shoulder on the doorframe, she staggered perhaps another twenty feet down the hall before falling to her knees, retching violently. Pansy lay panting on the floor, the vomit before her and on her robes adding to her misery until Neville appeared, taking out his wand and vanishing the mess.

"Leave me alone." She rasped pitifully, not able to meet his eyes.

"No, I don't think so." He said, tucking his wand away and scooping her up, ignoring her weak protests. "Now, let's get you back to your room."

"I hate you." She whispered weakly. "You big stupid lunk of a Gryffindor."

"Yes, yes, I know." He said, carrying her with ease as he walked briskly down the hallway toward the stairs to the Astronomy tower and her room. "By the way, you forgot to tell me I'm fat."

"I said you were fat?"

"You did. Many times." He said good-naturedly. "'Lardbottom', you used to call me."

"Oh." She said quietly, her eyelids getting heavy.

I hadn't realized I was still so weak, she thought. I-

Her head gently lolling against Neville's muscular shoulder, try as she might, she could not keep from drifting off to sleep.

oOo

Sunlight was streaming into the window, gradually coming to rest on Pansy's face. She grimaced as the bright light came to her eyelids, screwing them shut, and then pulling the duvet over her head with a low moan of agony. Sitting up and throwing the covers off, she realized she was still dressed in her nightgown, rather than still wearing her blue jeans and t-shirt that she'd been wearing under her robes when's she'd went to Longbottom's room the night before.

How did I get to bed? She thought, rubbing her eyes. Swirling her tongue around in her mouth, she remembered. Oh, yes. I threw up in his hallway. That, or hippogriffs have been camping in my mouth. Yuck.

Sliding out of the bed, she glanced at the clock.

It was well after noon.

Well, looks like a lie-in for me, she sighed. I wonder if old 'Lardbottom' got a good eyeful when he put me to bed last night.

She went to her bathroom, taking out her toothbrush and brushing her teeth. Spitting out the last of it and putting her toothbrush in her cup, she walked back to the sitting room.

"Bee?" She called out, looking around the room. A muffled pop announced the arrival of her house elf that Ana had arranged for her.

"Yes, Miss?" Bee said brightly.

"Can you get me some breakfast, please? Nothing too heavy, just some toast, unbuttered, and some fruit. Some tea, too."

"Yes, of course, Miss." The house elf nodded. "Is the young Miss still feeling sick? The young Potions Professor left the young Miss a potion, he did. Said it might help."

One more thing I owe Longbottom for, Pansy sighed irritably, gritting her teeth.

"Yes, I might need that, Bee." She said. "Tell me, did the 'young Potions Professor' put me to bed, Bee?"

"Oh, no, Miss." The house elf said, shaking her head vigorously. "He said it would be improper, summoned me and asked me to put you to bed, he did. Very polite man, he is."

oOo

Thomas Fishburn was sweating, and quite dirty. He was a small boy, even for a first year, and because of that had been lucky enough to be assigned to clean the great cauldron, which was still sticky with the residue of Pepper-Up potion. Taking a break with the scouring brush, he peered over the rim of the cauldron at the other two boys he was doing detention with.

"Blimey." He sighed. "Professor Longbottom's going to work us all to death."

Drury glared up at him from the floor, where he was scrubbing with a brush and wiped sweat from his eyes.

"If it hadn't been for you and those mussel gills," he panted, "we wouldn't be in this mess, Thomas. So shut it!"

"Boys," Neville said calmly, walking into the first-year Potions classroom with Severus Snape, "I think you need to talk less, and work more. This is a detention, not a party."

Seeing the former Potions master chilled the boys to the bone, and they set to their tasks with vigor. Severus walked over to the great cauldron, Thomas eyeing him nervously. He only knew of Snape by reputation and hushed whispers among the students, and he dearly wanted to be somewhere else right now. As Snape approached the cauldron he was cleaning, Tomas shrank back, his eyes wide with fear as he peered over the rim.

Snape, however, paid him no mind, reaching into the cauldron he was working on and scraping a bit of residue off the inside. Examining it closely, he walked back over to Neville.

"So…mussel gills were added?" Snape said, his eyes far away in thought.

"Yes." Neville nodded. "I've checked the references available to me, and talked to Professor Romanov-Snape about it, but even she didn't know why it happened."

"From the looks of things, you're lucky to have a great cauldron left." Snape sighed, glancing up. "Took out the ceiling, didn't it?"

"Yes. It's repaired now, but it took out about eight to nine stones, perhaps six feet by six."

Taking out a potions vial, Snape dropped the curl of residue into it.

"I'll take a look at this tonight in my laboratory after dinner." He sighed. "I'll let you know what you find out. There's a good reason for this, I'm sure. But do try to keep your students from adding silly things to the Pepper-Up potion. It could be dangerous."

"Oh, I'll keep a close eye on them, Professor." Neville nodded. The two men walked out of the room to the hallway, where Neville reached out to catch Snape by the arm.

"Professor." He said. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course, Neville."

"It's about Pansy. She's been acting a bit strange."

"Most women do, from time to time, Neville." Snape smirked. "Are you trying to understand her better? If so, forget it. I've known my own wife most of her life, yet she never fails to surprise me."

"Well, she came by the other night to…apologize to me." Neville said softly. "For everything she's done to me. Then, when I told her it was alright, she began to cry, and then she ran from the room. She was so upset, she…she got sick. Threw up in the hallway. I took her back to her room after I vanished the…the vomitus, then went back to mine."

"Go on."

"Well, that's pretty much it." The younger man sighed, running his hand through his hair. "She's pretty much…avoiding me now. I saw her briefly in the hall, and she turned and went the other way. I went by her room, and she won't answer the door."

"I have no idea what it could be, Neville." Snape said dryly. "Perhaps you should speak to my wife about it; after all, Pansy is one of her 'projects'."

"Right, then." Neville said, "By the way, I wondering…how are Luna and John getting along? And Elizabeth?"

"Very well, though John is very frustrated with his job at the Ministry. I don't imagine it will be long before he finishes his coursework and has his degree, and applies for the DADA position here."

"The DADA position? I thought that you were the DADA professor…"

"Neville, so long as…certain people sit on the Board of Regents, I will never 'officially' be the DADA professor here at Hogwarts. The only reason I am able to teach it is that Headmistress McGonagall has appointed me to the position temporarily, and they can do nothing to stop her from doing such as long as there is not an acceptable candidate for the position.

"However, my days in the post are numbered, and I'm very happy that John will be able to apply soon. He's sure to be approved by the Board, despite being in Slytherin. His twenty some odd years of service as an Auror ensure it."

"That's good to hear." Neville nodded. "We need a good instructor for DADA here. It's a real shame they won't allow you to do it a bit longer, with your experience, Professor."

"I'm tired of fighting the prejudices against me, Neville." Snape said softly. "I would rather live out my days, quietly running my apothecary supply house, devoting my time to my family, than teach much more than another year. Besides, controversy is bad for Hogwarts, and I've brought more than a fair share of it here."

"Do you think you might ever consider…being Headmaster again?"

"Never. Absolutely not."

oOo

February 3, 2005~

She turned over on her back, and then rolled back over on her right side. For twenty minutes, she lay there in the dark bedroom with her eyes closed.

I can't sleep, she sighed inwardly. I don't know why, but I feel restless.

Long moments passed, and then she plumped her pillow, as quietly as she could.

"I'm not asleep, you know." Severus said softly.

"Sorry."

"Not a problem, dear. You know that I'm a light sleeper. I always know when you're having a bad night."

"Well, it isn't really a bad night." Ana sighed, sliding her hand over to his to interlace their fingers. "No bad dreams, just feeling restless."

"Would you like me to massage your back? Are you hurting anywhere?"

"No, not really. I just can't put my finger on it, and that bothers me itself."

"How about I just hold you," Severus smirked, "and kiss you, and tell you how much you mean to me?"

Ana thought about it for a moment.

"That'll do." She smiled, sliding closer to him, giving a contented sigh as his arms slid around her.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 34

February 18, 2005, 1:23 a.m. ~

She was wading, in black water that reached nearly up to her waist at times, soaking robes clear through and dragging at her, slowing her progress. Black, murky water, that seemed to go on endlessly, her feet struggling to break free from the muck on the bottom every time she took a step.

"Pansy…where are you?"

"Coming, mother. I'm not far." She cried out, ducking as something dark flew by her. "Where are you?"

"Near the bank, by the willow." Drifted over to her.

Struggling along, quickly growing weary as she fought her way toward her mother's voice. A bit of moss, hanging from a tree, snarled around her neck, choking her. Panicking, she tore at it blindly with both hands, gasping for air as it tightened around her neck. In horror, she realized that the moss had turned into Nagini, the serpent familiar of the dark lord, its mouth opening slowly to reveal its fangs, dripping saliva and venom as she grabbed it just below the head, pushing its mouth away from her, with its fetid breath that stank of death and decay. Her fingers scrabbled for purchase on the smooth, scaly hide as the snake stared malevolently at her, its forked tongue flicking in and out of its mouth. Despite her struggles, she found it wrapping coil after coil around her body, gradually crushing her until she could hardly breathe at all, her fingers clawing feebly at the powerful snake's body.

As she struggled with the snake, she watched as Luna Lovegood walked up, silently watching her fight for her life, seeming almost bored with the struggle before her.

Neville Longbottom and Severus Snape walked up next, with Neville crossing his arms across his chest, and Snape sneering down at her.

"A real witch would be able to easily break free." Snape said casually. "I'm quite disappointed in you, Pansy."

"Indeed." Luna said. "She's not as good as she thought she was, is she? And I had such high hopes for her."

"What a waste of potential." Professor Romanov-Snape said drily, taking her husband by the arm. "I should have known she wasn't worth it. Quite a disappointment."

"Help me! Please!" Pansy begged, gasping to breathe, the snake constricting her air even further.

"You got yourself into this mess," Neville said, shrugging, "Let's see you get out of it. We've babied you long enough. Show us you deserve it. Fight for it."

"I can't do it!" Pansy cried desperately, prying at a coil that Nagini was trying to put over her mouth. "It's too strong!"

"I'm very disappointed in you, Pansy." Headmistress McGonagall said, shaking her head in disapproval. "You were so bright, had so much potential…and you wasted it. Such a pity."

She choked on brackish water as Nagini dragged her under the water, fighting her way back up to the surface with a herculean effort born of panic. Coughing and retching violently, she spat out foul black water, sucking precious air into her lungs.

"Please…Please!" She begged, reaching for Neville's hand, the one that happened to be closest.

He looked at her for a moment, his face cold, and then shrugged.

"You'll regret it, Neville." Snape said with a sigh. "She's not worth your trouble."

"I know, Professor Snape." Neville said, holding his hand out to her. "But I'm just foolish enough to give her a chance."

She missed his hand the first time, crying out loud in frustration.

"Have to try better than that, Pansy." Luna said, half watching a glowing purple moth fly by. "You'll never get free at this rate."

"Come on, Pansy." Neville sighed, leaning closer. "I don't have all day for this."

Gritting her teeth, she lunged for his hand, grabbing it tightly.

Her eyes widened in horror as the flesh sloughed off of it, the bones of Neville's hand coming apart in hers, his eyes widening in surprise.

Then he laughed.

And then the others began to laugh, the flesh sloughing off their faces, their hands, bone showing as they held their sides, their laughter ringing in her ears as her vision began to grow dim. She had time for one last shriek of terror as Nagini dragged her under the brackish water, her scream cut off in a swirl of bubbles.

Her face hurt.

She was lying on the floor, next to her bed, and Bee was standing near her with a puzzled expression on her face. Trembling, Pansy sat up, fighting her way free of the sheets and duvet that were still more or less tangled around her body.

"Is young Miss needing anything?" Bee asked cautiously, twisting the tea towel that she wore in her hands nervously.

"Some water, please." She said, her voice unsteady. Looking at her hands, she could see she would probably not be able to hold a cup. "A straw, too, please, and just set it on the floor next to me. Thank you, Bee."

The house elf vanished with a pop, reappearing almost immediately with a glass of water, and a straw, setting it within easy reach for Pansy. Gratefully, she drank half of it right away, lying on her tummy on the floor with the glass in front of her.

"Is the young Miss in need of a sleeping potion, perhaps?" Bee asked gently. "Or perhaps some Dreamless Sleep?"

"You can get me some Dreamless Sleep?" Pansy asked.

"Oh, yes, of course." Bee nodded. "Bee knows all about potions, she does."

"Then, could you please get me some Dreamless Sleep?" Pansy said hesitantly. "I really do need to sleep, but I'm afraid of the dreams."

There was a pop, and the house elf vanished, reappearing a moment later with a vial containing the familiar blue liquid that was Dreamless Sleep. Bee handed the vial carefully to Pansy, curtseying as she did so.

"Thank you, Bee." Pansy sighed, looking at the vial in her hand.

oOo

Severus lay in his bed, wide awake, just listening to the night sounds of the castle. Insomnia was no stranger to him; in fact, he often woke in the middle of the night, often to putter around in the potions lab, or wander the halls, looking for wayward students. However, since his marriage, he suffered less with it.

Ana murmured in her sleep, shifting closer to him, her hand sliding over his chest, the cool metal fingers of her prosthetic hand twitching once, then stilling. He smiled a bit, sliding his hand down her back, hugging her a bit closer to him.

"Mmm." She sighed, opening one eye to look at him sleepily. "You're awake."

"Yes."

"It's…" She rose up to look at his Muggle alarm clock on his nightstand, stifling a yawn. "It's three a.m., Severus. You really should try to sleep. We both have classes to teach tomorrow."

"I'm not sleepy." He sighed. "I…was just lying here in bed, listening to the castle. I don't know what it is, but something doesn't feel right."

"You're imagining things, Severus." She sighed, laying her head on his chest. "Everything is fine. I just checked the charms monitoring the children, they're both fast asleep."

"Ana, I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right."

"So what is it?"

"If I knew that, I could do something about it." He sighed, exasperated. "It's just a gut feeling that something is terribly wrong. I haven't felt like this…since the War, really. I just can't shake the feeling that the castle knows that something is off, and it's trying to communicate that."

Ana lifted her head, fully awake now, and regarded him soberly.

"Have you talked to the Headmistress about it?" She asked.

"No…not yet, anyway." He replied.

"Then go talk to her about it, tomorrow. For now, let's try to get some more sleep."

oOo

February 19, 2005, 8 p.m. ~

John was sitting in the rocker that he'd bought at an estate sale the previous month, steadily rocking Elizabeth, his daughter propped up on his shoulder on a flannel as he patted her back. She'd been having so much trouble with gas lately, and he had resigned himself to rocking her until she passed it, or they both passed out. They rocked; he patted her back and her bottom patiently. With a gurgle, her face turning a bit red, she cleared a bit of the gas out, but then began to fuss again.

"Shush, Lizzy." He murmured, his deep voice soothing her a bit, though she still was frowning. "Let's just rock a while longer, get it worked out."

The flames in the fireplace shifted color to green, and he sighed deeply, rolling his eyes heavenward. Floo calls on Friday evenings were never good news, in his experience. A young woman's face that he didn't recognize appeared in the flames.

"Luna, are you there?" She said, looking into the darkened room.

With a sigh, John got up and walked over to the fireplace, leaning down so the caller could see his face.

"Just a moment, please." He said, "I'll go fetch her. She's revising for her exams, but she needs a break."

"Oh!" said Pansy, looking up at him. "I saw you in a picture with Luna. Are you her husband?"

"No, at least, not yet." John smiled. "I'm John Worthington. We're doing everything in the most unusual way possible, I think. By the way, this is Elizabeth, our daughter. May I say who's calling?"

"Pansy Parkinson." She said, and then frowned. "Are you the John Worthington who was a beater for Slytherin, back in the '70's?"

"I am, or I used to be, rather." He smiled. "But that was ages ago. Let me go get Luna for you, she's in the kitchen."

As he walked to the kitchen, where she was bent over her parchments and books, Luna looked up.

"You have a floo call, love." John said, "A Pansy Parkinson."

"Oh, dear." Luna said, rising from the table. "I'd wondered how long it would be. Ana said that she was doing fine, but now all of a sudden she was having problems for some reason."

"Well, you'd best go talk to her."

"Do you want me to take her?" She said, nodding to Elizabeth and holding out her hands.

"Oh, no, we're fine." He sighed, leaning down to give her a peck on the cheek. "I think she wants me to walk around with her, and that works better right now for me than sitting. Get some circulation back in my leg. I'll walk her up and down the hallway."

"You're such a good daddy." Luna smiled, reaching up to pinch his cheek. "Don't wear yourself out, though. Let the house elf take her for a bit if you get tired, alright?"

"Okay." He nodded.

Luna walked into the sitting room, and then lowered herself to the floor to sit cross-legged before the fireplace.

"Hi, Pansy." She said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Better, thank you." Pansy's greenish tinted face said. "Your daughter is so adorable! I think that's the first time I've seen her for real, not in a magical photograph. She has so much hair, and it's brown!"

"Adorable?" Luna laughed, "She's a bit out of sorts right now, so she's not exactly acting adorable right now. Thank Merlin for John; he's taking care of her so I can study, otherwise I might not get a thing done. She has my eyes and complexion, but she got her hair from John.

"But enough about us, what did you need? Did those jeans and blouses I sent fit okay?"

"They're a perfect fit. Professor Romanov-Snape helped me adjust them…it's such a pain not having a wand. I should have paid more attention to non-verbal spells and their use when I was in school."

"Oh? You don't have a wand? I didn't know, Pansy." Luna said, blinking in surprise. "We'll have to get you one soon. Maybe next weekend Ginny and I can take you by Ollivander's, we can do some girl stuff too. Shopping and that kind of thing. Madam Rosmerta has a new recipe for strawberry cheesecake that is absolutely to die for, you need to try it."

"That would be fun." Pansy said, a shadow passing across her face. "I…I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. You've all been very kind."

"Well, you're quite welcome, Pansy." Luna smiled gently. "I was in a bad spot around this time last year, and my friends helped me out. Look, have you thought about going to college?"

"No. How on earth would I pay for it?" She sighed. "My account at Gringott's was closed when my family's assets were seized by the Ministry."

"Talk to Professor Romanov-Snape; she is associated with a scholarship here. That's how I was able to go to graduate school. I'm sure that she would be quite willing to help you."

"Luna, she's already done too much." Pansy said, frowning. "I…I don't want to be a burden."

"Well, I could help you now, too. I'm nearly finished with my degrees, and now that John is here to help me, we could help you. If you want to go to school, we'll make it work."

Pansy looked down, her mouth twisting into a grimace as she blushed, then back up at Luna.

"Why are you people being so nice to me!" She exploded, her face twisting in agony, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't deserve this! If you only knew what I've done-"

"Pansy, please." Luna said, alarmed. "Please calm down. What you've done doesn't matter. All of us are helping you because we love you. You're a classmate of most of us, and we don't want to see you hurting, or suffering."

"You have no idea what I've done." Pansy said with a sharp sob, and then abruptly ended the floo call.

Luna sat there on the floor before the fireplace for a moment, blinking in surprise.

"Everything alright, dear?" John said from the doorway of the kitchen, patting Elizabeth on the back gently as he watched Luna get up.

Luna set her jaw in determination, reaching for a handful of floo powder, her blue eyes turning stormy. Pulling her wand out of the ponytail that her hair was gathered into, she held it in a ready position, gazing intently at the fireplace.

Oh, boy, John thought, here we go. Pansy is about to see how much Luna has changed these past few years.

"Luna? Is everything alright?" He asked her again. She blinked, turning her head to look at him.

"Yes, John." Luna said, smiling thinly, "Everything is fine. Could you excuse me? I think the connection dropped. I'll be back in a little while, after I straighten this out."

Tossing the floo powder into the fire, she stood up.

"Pansy Parkinson's sitting room." Luna said calmly, and then stepped into the flames, vanishing.

John sighed, and then looked down at Elizabeth with a smile. She gurgled, reaching up to grab his nose, cooing softly.

"Looks like it's me and you for a little bit, kiddo." He said, gently kissing his daughter on the forehead, and then wrinkled his nose, his eyes watering.

"Oh, Merlin's beard." John sighed, holding Elizabeth a bit farther away from himself. "I do believe you've made me a present, and it's a smelly one."

"Finum Odore." He sighed, casting a wandless charm to block the smell, and carrying her back to the nursery to change her diaper.

oOo

Accompanied by a thunderous boom and a flash that resembled lightning, Luna stepped out of the fireplace into Pansy's sitting room.

"You didn't think you'd brush me off that easy, did you?" Luna said, brushing soot off her clothes. "You forget, my future husband was an Auror. He taught me how to force a floo open, you know."

Pansy spun around, panic in her eyes, desperately looking for a way to escape.

"I-"

"Sit down." Luna said sharply, pointing at the couch. "Now."

"I don't-"

"Sit. NOW. Or I'll cast body-bind on you."

Pansy sat down, hugging her knees, eyeing Luna warily as she sat on the couch.

"Now, this really is getting tiresome, Pansy." Her former classmate said gently, sitting down in an armchair across from her. "You have friends, lots of friends. Despite whatever happened between you and others in the past, guess what? They don't hold it against you. For example, Neville. He-"

"Neville's just trying to-"

"Don't interrupt me, Pansy." Luna said, holding up her wand, "Or do I need to cast langlock?"

The dark haired young woman shook her head, eyeing the wand nervously.

"Now, where was I?" Luna said, absently tucking her wand behind her ear. "Oh, yes. Your little pity party, the tantrums that you seem to throw so often. Frankly, I'm quite tired of this, Pansy. Yes, we all know how horrible you were in school. You were never mean to me, really, though I do know you were cruel to some of my friends.

"But that is all in the past. All is forgiven. Water under the bridge, as folks say. Nobody is holding any grudges against you, and you acting as if they do is quite tiresome. We're your classmates, your friends, Patsy. We love you."

"But I-"

"No buts. Let it go, Pansy. We're all trying to help you, and we expect nothing in return. You getting back on your feet is reward enough for me, personally. You've had a hard time of it, and you needed a break. I know you're having a hard time, and I'm here to help you, to listen, and to give you the best advice I can. Because I'm your friend."

"Can…can I ask you something, Luna?" Pansy said timidly.

"Sure."

"I don't understand…I can't help myself with Neville." Pansy said miserably, "I just get so angry with him, and he's been nothing but helpful and polite to me. I try to be nice to him, but somehow…I always end up angry with him."

Luna sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't know what it could be, Pansy." She said. "Have you talked with him about it?"

"I've tried, Luna, really I have. But it always seems to go wrong. It's like I get along well with everyone…well, I haven't talked to Hermione, but I even talked to Harry and Ginny Potter over at the Snape's the other day, and that went well. I even got to hold Nina and Albus, Marcus too. But Neville…I start out doing alright, but it seems like there's always something that he says or does…I just get so angry with him. I feel so bad about it, but I can't seem to help it."

"Well, perhaps you're rushing some things. Just avoid Neville, maybe take him in small doses, and build up your tolerance to him." Luna smiled.

"You make it sound like I'm allergic to him," Pansy sighed, "or that he's a potion that makes me break out. I try, Luna, I really do. He…he's still acting like a doormat. But it's worse. He just laughs it off when I'm mean to him."

"So try not being mean to him."

"I do, but it never fails that he always says something that sets me on edge."

"Try harder, Pansy." Luna smiled gently. "Think about why you get mad at him, try to sort that out. I know Neville pretty well, and I don't think he's goading you on purpose."

Pansy looked down at her feet with a sigh.

"Keep in mind that we all want things to be better for you." Luna said softly, then got up, walking over to the fireplace and picking up a handful of floo powder.

"Now, I need to get back home, to John and Elizabeth, and my studies." She said, rolling the green shiny floo powder around in her hand, "But I want you to come visit me, so we can see about getting you into school at Beauxbartons. And talk to Ana about the scholarship, because I'll be suggesting you as a recipient. Okay?"

Pansy nodded.

"Okay, Luna. I'll do it." She said, feeling rather uneasy about the whole thing.

"Seriously, Pansy. Don't forget."

"I won't, I promise."

"Floo me after Wednesday afternoon, I should be able to help you with it Thursday." Luna said, tossing the floo powder into the fireplace. "See you next week, Pansy."

"See you then, Luna." Pansy said, watching her friend vanish in the green flames.

She sat on the couch for a long time, long after the fire had died down to red coals, glowing in the grate like the eyes of a basilisk, staring accusingly at her. Bee asked if she needed anything, but Pansy just waved her off, dismissing her for the night. With a sigh, the house elf disappeared with a pop, leaving Pansy alone in the dark sitting room with her own thoughts. With her demons.

You are the lowest of the low. Their shrill voices echoed through her mind. The worst of the worst.

Professor Romanov-Snape took you in, kept you from being arrested for stealing, hid you at Hogwarts.

Professor Snape, with his gentle and wise counsel, the former head of my house that I admired so much in school.

Poppy nursed you back to health in the Hospital Wing, even though you are no longer a student.

Neville's been nothing but a gentleman, seeing to your welfare, being kind and gentle despite your abusing him.

Harry and Ginny Potter have brought me clothes, and Harry made that theft charge disappear.

Luna is willing to move heaven and earth for me to help me get into school, even willing to pay for it with what little money she has.

I've eaten their food at their dinner tables; held and played with their children…they trust me. They trust me, not knowing the truth.

Traitor. Echoed in her mind, as she slid to the floor, retching violently as the room seemed to whirl around her.

Everyone is trying to help me, not knowing that they've taken in a serpent.

If I do what I've been told to do, they could all die.

If I don't do as they told me to, mother will die.

Merlin help me…

oOo

"When do we move? She's in."

"We wait."

"We've been waiting for years! Worthington's gone, he's in France now."

"Do you want to end up like Eaon Cadwell?" Sighed the shorter of the two men, taking his eye away from the magical telescope. "Or the Carrows, perhaps? Myself, I'd rather not be on the business end of Snape's hexes."

Silence, then the first man, the impatient one, shook his head no.

"We wait." The shorter, stockier man said patiently. "We wait until the signal, when she's opened the gates."

"What if she refuses? What if she changes her mind?"

"We kill her mother, that's what we do."

"Then what?"

The second man sighed.

"We start all over again, and we wait." He said grimly, peering through the telescope at the Astronomy tower.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 35

March 1, 2005~

"Professor Snape?"

He turned to find Pansy Parkinson behind him in the hallway.

"Yes, Pansy?" He said, turning to face her fully.

"I need to talk to you, sir." She said, swallowing nervously. "It's important."

"Of course."

"If you don't mind, sir…it's private."

"Come with me." He sighed, walking into a nearby classroom. When she came in, he closed the door and warded it, also casting silencio to prevent eavesdropping.

"So, what did you need to talk about, Pansy?" Snape asked, leaning against a desk.

"I've lied to you all." She said, her voice barely a whisper, trembling with fear. "I'm not what you think I am. I've sold you out…to the Death Eaters."

"Go on." Snape said calmly, his black eyes locked on hers. Unseen, he withdrew his wand, palming it.

"They have my mother, Professor." Pansy sobbed, fighting to maintain her composure. "They want me to open the gates for them to get into Hogwarts just before midnight, on April 7th. If I don't, they promised that they'd kill her."

"Do you know who their leader is?"

"Rudolphus Lestrange." Pansy said, sitting down at one of the desks, her legs finally giving way. "Professor…I'm sorry…"

"Never mind that, Pansy." He said, sitting down next to her. "Why did you come forward to tell me this?"

"I…I can't go through with this, Sir." She whispered miserably, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You've all been so kind to me, so generous…they told me I was nothing, and then promised they would restore my family to its former status…"

"And you found that was a lie, didn't you." Severus said softly.

"Yes, Sir." She said, wiping her eyes on her robe. "You can use Legilimency on me if you need to. I'm telling the truth, I swear it."

"Here." Snape said gently, offering her his hanky. "I've already used it on you. I know everything, and you are indeed telling the truth."

"Thank you." Pansy looked over at him, her face twisting in agony. "They'll kill my mother now for sure, won't they? Especially now that I've talked to you?"

Snape let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes.

How do I tell her that her mother is probably already dead? He thought, watching her with a neutral expression. They used the faint bit of hope to corrupt Pansy, as they so often do with the naïve.

As they did with me, he recalled bitterly.

"I can't say for sure, Pansy." He said, "It's not likely that she'll survive either way, even if she is alive. I haven't seen your mother since just a few months before the Battle of Hogwarts."

"What do I do?" The young woman said, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks, her chin trembling with fear. "I came to you because…because of what you did to stop the Dark Lord. You were my head of house; surely you know how to help me."

Snape sat back in the chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he sighed, leaning forward to look directly at her.

"I need to meet with you daily, until it is time for you to open the gates." He said. "I hope I will have enough time to teach you what you need to know."

"Such as?"

"Occlumency, for one." Snape sighed. "A few…rather arcane spells, ones that you've never learned, let alone knew existed. Also, what we do to prepare must be a closely held secret. For now, only the two of us should know about it; while we may bring the Ministry in on it, it would probably be best if we did not."

Pansy swallowed nervously, pushing aside her misgivings.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked softly, his black eyes boring into hers. "The spell I have in mind is a dark one, and probably hasn't been used for a hundred years."

I may have been a total bitch, despised by everyone, she thought grimly, but I will redeem myself somehow.

"When do we begin, Sir?" She said.

oOo

March 7, 2005~

Pansy glared at the door, willing the person there to go away. Instead, they knocked again.

This late, it's either Professor Romanov-Snape…or Longbottom, she sighed. I'd better answer the door in case it's the Professor. Longbottom, I'll just shoo him away, like the pest he is.

Opening the door a crack, she glared up at Neville.

"It's late, Lardbottom." She hissed nastily, glaring up at him. "I certainly hope you have a good reason for bothering me this late. I'm really not in the mood for your foolishness."

He rewarded her efforts with a big grin, holding up a bag.

"I brought you something." Neville said. "May I come in?"

"Why, do I need to pay you with a quick tumble for it?" She muttered bitterly, opening the door. "Do you think I'm that easy?"

I should have my head examined for putting up with his nonsense, she thought.

"No, not tonight." He smirked, setting the bag on the coffee table and sitting down on the couch. "Perhaps another day."

The cheek of him! She thought, her cheeks burning furiously. If I had my wand, I'd hex his bollocks off!

"Go ahead, open it." He grinned, waving his hand at the bag.

"You act like it's a present for you." Pansy said sourly, picking up the bag and sitting down on a chair, as far as she could get from Neville and his good cheer.

"Maybe I'm just excited about finding you a good present."

"Perhaps. I'll be the judge of that." She scoffed, peering into the bag.

For a long moment, she just stared at it, her mouth open in shock.

"Well?" Neville prodded, smiling.

"It…It's a box from Ollivander's…" She said softly, still in a state of disbelief.

"It is."

Slowly, as if in a dream, she reached into the bag, withdrawing the box and carefully opening it. Numbly, she stared at the contents of the box.

"Go ahead, pick it up, and try it." He said gently. "Make sure it works well for you. He had to hunt for it a long time, but there was a second one."

A second one? She thought, then her eyes widened as she realized what he meant.

Carefully, she made a slight movement with the new wand, smiling involuntarily when a lovely shower of sparks erupted from the end. If anything, it worked better than the wand that was broken.

Remembering where she was, and who she was with, she forced the smile off her face.

This won't do, she thought grimly. No, this won't do at all.

Putting the wand back in the box carefully, she slid it across the table to Neville.

"I can't accept this." She said, her voice faltering slightly.

Liar, she rebuked herself. You do want it. You know you want it.

"You can't return it. I won't accept it." Neville said, crossing his arms across his chest. "It's your wand."

"Take it back."

"No."

"Longbottom. Take. It. Back."

"No."

"Damn it, Lardbottom!" She hissed, flipping the top off the box and grabbing the wand, pointing it right at his face. "I'll hex you into next week if you don't take this damned wand back!"

"Then go ahead and do it. Because I'm not taking it back."

For several minutes, he sat calmly watching her, the wand wavering slightly as she glared daggers at him. Slowly, she lowered the wand, her hand shaking badly.

"I hate you. I hate you so much." She said quietly, her voice unsteady. "You, of all people. You fat, ugly, prissy, clumsy Gryffindor. I made your life miserable in school. Why won't you just leave me alone? Why are you so nice to me?"

"We're no longer in school, Pansy." He replied, looking directly at her. "I know what it's like to be alone, to feel as if you have no friends. I'm not being nice to you because I want something from you. I'm being nice to you because that's how I am to everyone."

Rising from the couch, he looked at her.

"I'm going to go now." He said. "You don't owe me anything for the wand, or anything else I do to help you."

Numbly, she watched him walk to the door, open it, and leave.

Why? She thought, sinking to her knees on the stone floor. How has my life gotten to this point?

In a month, when I open the gates for the Death Eaters, I may have to use this wand against him.

Can I do that?

I have to stay alive long enough to execute the plan Professor Snape and I made, or it's all for naught.

Putting her wand in her pocket, she hugged her knees, pressing her forehead into them as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Trying in vain to stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks freely, trying to quell the trembling of her body.

I don't want Neville to die.

I don't want to have to kill him.

What I have to do might kill him.

She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffing.

But for the plan to work, I have to take the risk. I have to do what Snape taught me to do.

Getting up with a sigh, she held up her new wand, examining it closely. Experimentally, she went through the wand motions that Professor Snape had taught her earlier that day.

I'd better practice, she thought grimly, as she concentrated on getting the wand motions just right.

Especially if I don't want Neville to die.

oOo

April 7, 2005, 11:58 p.m.~

"Check Longbottom, Pansy." Lestrange hissed, his wand at the ready. "Make sure he is dead."

Pansy smirked, then, holding her new wand aloft, walked past Ana, where the Potions professor knelt, cradling her unconscious husband's head. The gaze of her former Potions professor's gray eyes, full of pain from her broken arm, seething with hatred, bored right through her.

Good thing I broke her arm so she couldn't use her wand, Pansy thought, shuddering inwardly. I'm glad I had the foresight to lock her owl up, too. I do believe that she would quite willingly give her life to kill me right now.

But not today, Professor Romanov-Snape. Not today.

Headmistress McGonagall, disarmed, three Death Eaters pointing wands at her as she stood between them and the crowd of students in the Great Hall. Minerva's gray eyes followed Pansy as she went by, silently rebuking her.

Poppy Pomphrey's disapproving glare as she tended the wounded.

Ignoring them all, Pansy walked over to Neville where he lay by the fireplace, to kneel next to his body. She put her ear to his chest, pretending to listen for a heartbeat.

Dear Merlin, she thought, I hope this works. I hope that the spell Snape taught me worked.

I hope that what I'm about to do works. Because if it doesn't…

"Enervate mortis." She whispered, putting all of her concentration into the spell, concealing her wand movement as best she could.

Neville's eyes fluttered open, focusing with difficulty on hers. As he coughed and began breathing again, Pansy quickly put her hand to her mouth, pretending that she was coughing. Before he could speak, she put a finger to his lips, silencing him.

That was a close one, she thought. I hope nobody noticed.

"Silencio." Pansy whispered, sliding Neville's wand from her sleeve and slipping it into his hand. Waving her wand over him, she pretended to be checking for vital signs, while at the same time casting a healing spell on his injuries.

"Neville." She whispered, acutely aware that some of the Death Eaters were watching her. "Play dead. When you hear me cast avada kedavra, get up and start fighting. Get Severus and the others out if you can. The Aurors are on their way."

"What about you?" Neville whispered, tucking his wand underneath himself to conceal it.

"Never mind me, Neville." Pansy smiled sadly. "Leave me. Save the others."

"Pansy! Wait!" Neville whispered urgently.

"Neville, I've taken too much time as it is." She said gently, stroking his cheek with a finger. "They're watching me. I have to go. Now, be quiet and still. It'll all be over soon."

"Well, is he dead, or not?" Mickleson sneered from where he was, only twenty feet away behind her.

"He's dead." Pansy said, standing up, holding up a pocket watch to admire. "I just wanted to lift his Grandfather's pocket watch that he was so damn proud of. He won't need it now."

"You bitch! How much lower can you sink, to steal from the dead?" Ginny hissed, struggling against the vines holding her fast, her wand in her hand but secured to her side. "You traitor! We helped you-"

"Langlock." Pansy sighed, waving her wand casually. Ginny's face went red as she continued to try to vilify her, despite the fact that her tongue was fixed to the roof of her mouth.

"Lord Lestrange, why does she get to have all the fun?" Complained Jenny Fulthurn, scowling at Pansy, who smirked back at her.

Just a few seconds more and it will all end, Pansy was thinking, a twinge of sadness coming on her. I'll miss them.

"Because Mrs. Potter was attacking her, in that case." Rudolphus sighed, and then turned to Pansy. "Well, done, my dear. I-"

"Avada Kedavra!" Pansy's wand snapped up, pointing at Rudolphus Lestrange, a jet of green fire leaping from her wand to strike him square in the chest. His wand dropped from nerveless fingers as his eyes widened in surprise.

Perfect shot, she thought with a twinge of pride. I wish my former head of house were conscious, so he could have seen it.

As she watched the lifeless corpse fall to the ground, flashes of green lit up around her. The Aurors had arrived, right on time. As she watched, Neville sprang up from the ground, killing three of the Death Eaters before he gained his feet, killing nearly a dozen more as he savagely fought his way toward her. Fire flashing from his wand, he hacked his way through the mob.

Pansy, she could see his lips forming, shouting her name as he cut down four more Death Eaters, his voice inaudible above the din of battle.

How sweet, Pansy thought, a single tear wandering down her cheek as she lowered her wand. He really did care. But it's too late. Far too late for me. Besides, I prefer this to Azkaban.

Perhaps my death will cleanse my soul.

As Mickleson aimed his wand at her, the Unforgivable forming on his lips, she closed her eyes, smiling thinly.

Mum, Dad, I'll see you soon, she sighed.

Goodbye, Neville. She thought sadly, just as a flare of green blinded her, and then everything went black.

oOo

"I don't have time for this. I need to get to 's, right after I check on our children."

"Episkey." Poppy said, waving her wand.

Ana sucked in her breath with a hiss of pain, turning pale, as the bones in her arm moved back into place with a grating sound. Breathing out sharply, she sat on the bed trembling.

"Professor, he's in good hands." Poppy said, checking the alignment of the bones. "Madam Pince said the children are safe, and hardly knew there was a battle going on at all."

"I should be with him." She said, fighting back her tears. "He needs me. Ginny can help-"

"Yes, Mrs. Potter can help me, and she is already hard at work, along with Luna and John Worthington." The Medi-witch said, gently pushing Ana back onto the hospital bed. "However, as the Medi-witch in charge of this Hospital Wing, it is my opinion that you are not fit to apparate in your condition."

Picking up a vial, she opened it, handing it to Ana.

"Drink it."

Ana held the vial, meeting her gaze coolly.

"Pain relieving potion?" Asked the Potions Mistress, raising the open vial to sniff of its contents.

"No." Poppy admitted. "You know what it has in it. Pain-relieving potion, with a quarter dose of Dreamless Sleep. Standard procedure for broken bones."

Ana frowned, eyeing the vial.

"You'll wake me if there's any news, and wake me in four hours regardless?" She asked, looking at Poppy again.

Poppy hesitated, and then nodded.

Ana drank half of the contents of the vial, and then replaced the stopper.

"A half dose should be enough." She said defiantly, putting it on the bedside table. "When I wake up, I'm going to my husband, after I check on my children. Don't forget to wake me up."

oOo

The ceiling was gray, the single light fixture far too bright for her eyes.

She blinked, shutting out the glare.

I'm so thirsty, she thought, squinting as she looked around the room.

Where am I?

Why can't I turn my head?

Rustling of paper nearby, then a metallic click.

"She's awake. Get in here." Said a woman off to her left, then another click. A phone handset being replaced, she realized.

The sound of a door opening, footsteps.

A Healer moved the lamp overhead, cutting down some of the glare. Two men and a woman leaned over her, one of the men wearing a business suit, the other man and the woman wearing the brown coat of Aurors.

"How are you feeling, Miss Parkinson?" The Healer said gently, running a wand over her.

"Thirsty." She heard herself rasp. Merlin, is that my voice? I sound like a frog.

"What happened to me?" She asked uneasily. Her head and neck felt wrong; she was unable to move them.

"Miss Parkinson, you suffered a fracture of the vertebrae in your neck in a fall. C2, C3, and C4 were affected. You're presently in a halo device to prevent any unnecessary movement while you heal."

Oh, Merlin, Pansy thought. Not only am I alive, but helpless as well.

"Can you feel this?" The Healer asked.

"Feel what?" Pansy said anxiously, frowning.

"I'm pricking the sole of your foot with a pin." The Healer said, looking over at the two Aurors and the man in the suit. "What about now?"

"I…I don't feel anything." Pansy whispered, now rather horrified.

Oh, Merlin…she thought, despair washing over her. I'm paralyzed.

"That was the palm of your left hand." The Healer said, putting her pin in a case, and pocketing it. She gave the two Aurors and the other man a stern look. "Don't be stressing my patient, mind you. This is a hospital, not a gaol. If you upset her too much, you'll be escorted out."

The male Auror sighed, walking closer to the bed to loom over her. He was balding, with a graying fringe of hair and a moustache. The female Auror was pretty, but plain, with hazel eyes and brown hair cut fashionably short.

"Miss Parkinson, this is Auror Rovins, I'm Auror Bennett," The male Auror said, nodding toward the female Auror. "We need to ask you some questions, if you feel up to it. At this time, I am bound by law to caution you that anything you say can and will be used against you in court proceedings in the Wizengamot."

"As your Ministry-appointed counsel, I advise you not to answer." The man in the business suit said, shooting Auror Bennett a glare. "Benjamin Eccelstone, Barrister."

"I…don't think I've done anything wrong." Pansy whispered defensively, sinking deeper into despair. "I don't-"

This is it. They're going to put me in Azkaban.

"Miss Parkinson, we just need to determine the facts." Auror Bennett said, interlacing his fingers. "We were left with a real mess to sort out, and very few witnesses."

"Are my friends okay?" Pansy said, wincing as pain shot through her neck. "What about Professors Snape, Ginny, and Neville?"

Auror Bennett looked at Ecclestone, then back at Pansy.

"I'm not at liberty to say, officially."

"For Merlin's sake, tell her, Bennett!" Ecclestone sighed irritably. "There's no harm in it, other than my client showing concern for her friends, and whatever that may do to your case against her."

Bennett sighed, nodding.

"Miss Parkinson, your friends are fine, save for some injuries." He said. "With the exception of Professor Snape and Professor Longbottom, all injuries were minor. Even Professor Romanov-Snape is in good health, as is her baby."

"Professor Snape and Neville?" Pansy said anxiously, "Will they be alright?"

"They are both expected to fully recover, Miss Parkinson."

"Where am I?" She said, dreading the answer.

"The secure wing at Bannonburk Hospital." Ecclestone said. "Officially, you are in custody, pending charges in the Wizengamot. I really must advise you not to speak any further."

"What am I charged with?" She said uneasily, not certain she wanted to know.

"Auror Rovins?" Sighed Auror Bennett.

"I have it right here." Rovins said, flipping open a folder. "Thirty-three counts, use of an unforgivable. One hundred twenty-nine counts, assault using magic. Three counts, conspiracy. Eleven counts, using magic to torture. Twenty-one counts, use of…"

Pansy closed her eyes, feeling nauseous as the Auror read off the charges against her.

oOo

April 15, 2005~

The door opened, but she kept her eyes tightly shut, praying that whoever it was would just leave, thinking her asleep. A muffled conversation, then the door opened and closed again; the new person had been a male. Who it was, didn't matter to her.

"Wake up, Miss Parkinson." Auror Rovins said gently, touching her on the cheek. "You have a visitor."

So they weren't gone, after all, she sighed inwardly. Another Auror to ask questions, or that lawyer, Ecclestone.

"Pansy, wake up." Said a familiar voice.

Opening her eyes, she saw Neville leaning over her, half the side of his head bandaged. The part that wasn't bandaged was heavily bruised. She felt tears springing to her eyes, blurring her vision to the point she could barely see him.

"You…" she said, and then choked on her words, unable to speak.

"It's going to be alright, Pansy." He said gently, smiling at her. "We'll get you out of this jam soon enough."

"I told you…" She sniffed, glowering at him as he wiped her face dry with a tissue, "…leave me…"

"Well, you know what a stupid fathead Gryffindor I am." He replied, grinning. "You saved us all with your little ploy. I must admit, you had me fooled too."

"It wasn't a ploy! I wasn't supposed to survive-"

"Funny how such things work out." Neville said, getting another tissue and wiping her nose. "Seems that Mickleson was hit by a stray hex, threw his aim off a bit. Unfortunately, the same hex hit close enough to you to knock you out cold…and it also-"

"I…stop wiping my face!" She raged impotently, still restrained by the frame encircling her head, preventing her from moving to avoid the tissue. "Leave me alone, damn you!"

"No, I won't." Neville said gently, wiping the fresh tears of frustration from her cheeks. "I'm not going to abandon you."

"Professor Snape-"

"He's fine. His wife is rather upset with him; I think when he gets out of hospital next month, he'll still be in the doghouse. Ginny is fine, too. You really saved her by using that entanglement spell so she couldn't do much to get involved."

"But…but I broke Professor Romanov-Snape's arm…"

"And, it's healed up well. She's not angry with you, Pansy, not after Severus woke up and told her what had happened. Stroke of genius, it was, on your part and Severus'. Harry is talking to the Minister on your behalf; given Severus' testimony, they are considering dropping the charges. Of course, it will be spun as a Ministry operation, but you don't mind, do you?"

"Beats Azkaban, I guess." She said softly.

"Indeed."

"Neville," She found herself sobbing, "I'm paralyzed. I can't feel anything-"

"Shush." He said gently, stroking her forehead, moving a wisp of hair out of her eyes. "I spoke with the Healer. While you may be paralyzed now, they think it's more your spinal cord swelling due to the injured vertebrae. They've repaired those, but now we have to wait until the swelling goes down to see what will happen."

"I'm frightened." She whispered, trembling. "I'm so scared."

"It's alright." Neville said softly. "I won't leave you, Pansy."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's notes:

So, an update…I will post 30 new chapters, and then consolidate them into one volume (which, due to the file system here at FF, will be classified as a chapter) when I post what would be the 31st chapter. I'm still getting used to publishing here at FF, and it's been a learning experience. Very frustrating at times, too.

There is plenty more to cover in the story. In my mind, I have things worked out for the next 20-30 years, and there's much to tell.