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.

9. Chapter 36 to 40

Chapter 36

April 16, 2005~

"Are you sick again, Mummy?"

Ana opened her eyes, shifting her head slightly on the pillows that she was propped up on as she lay on the couch.

"No, sweetheart." She smiled gently, reaching up to stroke her daughter's cheek. "The Healer said I needed to rest. Your sister isn't ready to be born yet, and mum's having some…problems. Nothing to worry about, but the Healer won't let me work. We're just being careful."

"So you're okay?"

"I'm fine, darling. Are you and Daddy finished making potions?"

Nina, now six years old, nodded her head.

"Yes, Mum." She grinned. "We made Sunburn Ointment, Vanishing Cream, and Pepper-Up Potion. Oh, and Daddy showed me how to slice flobberworms right. But he still won't let me use the knife."

"You did a lot this afternoon, then." Ana nodded. "Daddy is just being careful, dear. Knives cut fingers, too. What's Daddy doing now?"

"He had to go to the Ministry again." Nina frowned. "Why does he have to go to the Ministry so much? He always gets home too late to read to me."

Ana sighed, hugging her daughter as best she could, as she was lying down and Nina was half-sitting on the couch.

"Your Daddy is trying to fix something for Miss Pansy, Nina."

"Are they still trying to put Miss Pansy in Azks…Axeb-"

"Azkaban, dear." Ana sighed. "Yes, the Ministry is. They're not trying as hard now, but they haven't given up. The problem is, the parents of some of the students are still angry with her."

"It's not fair. She can't even walk." Nina frowned. "She's still in that frame thing in the hospital, Uncle Neville told me so. How can they put her in…Azkaban?"

"Because they want to, Nina. I agree with you, they shouldn't."

"I like her. They should stop being so mean to her."

oOo

May 20, 2005~

"You have a window now." Neville said, closing the door behind him. There was still an Auror posted at her room, but he was sitting in a chair, out in the hallway, and looked rather uninterested in whether she had a visitor.

"Yes." Pansy said softly, looking at the sky. Fluffy clouds drifted along, blocking out some of the sun, but not all.

"I brought you some things to help pass the time." He smiled, digging in the bag that he'd brought with him. "Some books and magazines, a Muggle thing that Hermione sent for you, she called it an Empty three player-"

"It's an MP3 player, Neville." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's a generic name for a Muggle device that plays files in MP3 format. Digital music."

"Um, right. I knew that." He said, blushing. "Anyway, I had Hermione load it with things you might like, some pop, some classical, some-"

"How can I work it, Neville? I can barely wiggle my fingers now."

He looked at her for a long moment, then at the MP3 player in his hand.

"Uh…right." He sighed awkwardly, setting it aside on the bedside table. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"Would you like me to read to you?" He asked, holding up a copy of The Daily Prophet, as well as a few magazines.

"If you wish." She said, closing her eyes. "I'd rather not hear anything from The Daily Prophet, if you don't mind."

"Alright." Neville nodded, setting the paper aside and picking up a magazine.

I wish he'd just go away and leave me alone, she thought. I don't understand why he doesn't.

"You know, I think that Professor Snape still has a hands-free reading device that his father-in-law built for him while he was in hospital." Neville said, shifting uneasily. "You wouldn't have to listen to me read to you."

She thought about that for a moment.

"That might be helpful." She said.

oOo

July 11, 2005, 3 p.m. ~

"I'm glad that school is out for summer holiday." Ana sighed. "It makes me feel slightly less useless."

"Oh, don't be like that, dear." Madam Pince said, setting the tea service down on the coffee table and pouring them each a cup. "This is only temporary. You have one more month to go, and then we'll have Fiona to care for, just in time for the school year to begin."

"That should be fun. I really don't know what I'd do without you and the house elves to help us; it's been so crazy around here."

"Yes, but at least we don't have to worry about Death Eaters. For now."

"Indeed." Ana sighed. "I'd be happy if I never see one again."

Marcus was dozing on the magical play rug on the floor, and Nina was quietly filling in the outline of an elephant in a coloring book. Ana scooted up on the couch, propping herself up a bit more. Madam Pince handed her a cup of tea, then sat down in Severus' armchair.

The older woman took a sip of her tea, smiling as she watched Nina color. Slowly, her granddaughter's head came down to rest on her arm as she stifled a yawn.

"I think Nina may be getting a bit sleepy." She said, glancing over at Ana. Her eyes widened in alarm.

Her daughter-in-law was sitting upright on the couch; sweat beading on her forehead, her face pale. Her teacup lay on the floor, the tea pooling around it on the rug.

"Ana?" Madam Pince said, setting her cup and saucer aside. She got up and went over to the couch.

"Get…Severus." Ana said, gritting her teeth. "Now."

oOo

"What's going on?" Severus snapped, glowering at the Healer outside Labor & Delivery.

"Professor Snape, your wife is fine, just a bit tired. You'll be able to go back to see her soon-"

"What about my daughter?"

"We're not sure yet, Sir." The Healer sighed nervously. "She's breathing on her own now, but-"

"She wasn't breathing?"

"No, Sir. Not at first. We're doing everything we can, Sir."

Snape rubbed his eyes wearily. It was three in the morning, and Fiona had been delivered some four hours ago.

"Can I go back and see my wife?" He asked.

"Of course. I don't think she's awake yet, but you can see her."

Hesitating, the Healer looked at him.

"Do you want to see your daughter?"

He nodded, and she beckoned to him, leading him to a door marked 'Neonatal ICU'.

"You'll need to scrub up, and don a sterile gown and gloves, Professor. She's very vulnerable to infections right now."

Without saying a word, he washed his hands with the iodine soap, donning the sterile gown and gloves after hanging his robes up.

"Right this way, Sir." The healer said, walking into the Neonatal ICU.

Fiona Rozalina Snape, the card said. It was taped to the side of the incubator, along with Healer's orders.

Maintain 80-90% O2 level, alarm set at 70%.

IV: D5W as required.

Keep warm and clean, check diaper every 30 minutes.

Parent Contact: Professor Severus Snape, Professor Ana Romanov-Snape.

He gazed down at her, taking it all in. So many tubes and wires, a heart monitor quietly beeping next to the tiny glassed in bed. She'd freed one of her hands, tiny slender fingers flexing as she fussed, half-grumbling to herself as she scanned her surroundings with dark gray eyes. A few wisps of fine jet-black hair protruded from under the knit cap on her head.

"Hello, trouble." Snape said softly, blinking back tears.

oOo

July 15, 2005~

"Calm down, dear." Severus said, pushing Ana along the hallway in the wheelchair.

"It's not right, Severus, and you know it." She grumbled. "You just wait till I can get to a floo, I'm going to singe Shacklebolt's ears good for this nonsense."

"It won't do any good, dear. It's out of his hands."

"The hell it is!"

Snape stopped the wheelchair and looked down at his wife.

"Ana, you may do more harm than good at this point." He sighed. "We're still negotiating with some of the parents, and a few of them are being stubborn. No matter what the end result was, a few families are unwilling to…forgive Pansy."

"So, who are they?" She snapped, glaring up at him. "I'll talk to them."

"Darling, I know you would set them straight. But, one thing at a time. We need to go visit Fiona, and you need to calm down."

Ana made a rude sound, turning her head away from him as he began to push the wheelchair down the corridor once again.

"I know that, Severus. It's not fair, though. The risk she took, coming to you-"

"It's just as well, dear." He sighed. "Besides, she's still in the hospital. Last I heard from Neville, she's still effectively paralyzed from the waist down. It appears that the cervical vertebrae were not the only ones affected in her fall."

"Oh, dear." Ana said. "So, what's going to happen with her?"

"She'll be in the hospital a while longer, I fear. They've started with physical therapy, but as it is, she only has recovered about 40% of her ability to move her arms. She's able to wiggle her toes a bit, but that's about it."

"How dreadful!"

"It's actually very good news, dear." He said, opening the outer door of the Neonatal ICU.

One of the Healers walked up to hold the door open for them, nodding to them with a friendly smile.

"Good morning, Professors." She said, helping them in. "She's doing very well. A fighter, that one. We weighed her this morning; she's gained nearly a whole pound!"

"Well, I have more for her." Ana smiled, pointing to the small cooler floating along behind Severus. "Any word yet on when she can come home?"

"Probably in a few weeks, we'll be able to move her to the regular nursery. After that, it will depend on how she does, but you might be able to take her home in as little as a month."

oOo

July 18, 2005~

"Hello, Pansy." Luna said brightly as she walked in.

"Luna…I-" She began, blushing.

"How are you feeling? I'm sorry I haven't visited you until now, but I've been dreadfully busy. Did you get our card, and the flowers?"

"Yes." Pansy said, glancing over at the flower in the vase that set on the window sill. "They're very pretty. Neville put a charm on them to keep them looking fresh."

"He told me that they might finally be taking your halo thing off soon." Luna said, standing next to the bed so Pansy could see her easily. "That's wonderful news."

"That's what they told me." Pansy said, lifting her arm off the bed a few inches. "See? I can move my arms, though my coordination is horrible…and I'm so weak."

"It's going to take a while for you to recover." Luna smiled, grasping her hand affectionately.

"Yes." Pansy sighed. "Is there any news on my charges?"

"Not yet. John, Harry, Severus, and Ana are hard at work, though. I imagine that Minister Shacklebolt is really dreading floo calls lately."

"I'm sure."

Luna stood there, silent next to her bed, humming softly.

"You didn't just come by to visit me, did you?" Pansy said, a bit of uneasiness in her voice.

"No."

Pansy swallowed, shutting her eyes tightly.

I'm in for it now, she thought.

"I am here," Luna said softly, "because you have been positively hateful to Neville. Now, he won't tell me what you said to him, because he's protecting you. But you will. And you're going to make it right with him, if you want a moment of peace from now on."

"But I didn't-"

"DON'T lie to me, Patsy." Luna hissed angrily. "Now, I've had about enough of comforting Neville every weekend after you hurt him. You are both dear friends of mine, but I've had enough of this. John and I have a daughter to raise, and I have classes to finish so I can graduate this fall."

"Luna, he…he doesn't need to visit me. I just told him not to."

"Well, for some reason, he insists on it."

"I have no idea why."

"Me, neither." Luna snapped, glaring down at her. "Except that I think he's in love with you."

Pansy's mouth gaped open in surprise.

"No…no way." She gasped, when she was able to speak. "If he is, he's a bigger fool than I thought he was. I can't even walk…and they won't say if I'll be able to, ever again."

"Well, that's what I think it is. Why else might he keep coming to visit you, when you are so mean to him?"

"Well, convince him to stop visiting, then." Pansy said irritably. "He's a wonderful person, very kind, very gentle, and a real catch for some lucky girl. I'm a cripple who may never see the outside of a hospital again, much less have anything resembling a normal life. He'll listen to you, Luna."

"Not if I won't tell him to stop. If anything, I'm going to encourage him."

"You-!" Pansy sputtered, flailing her arm weakly. "If I weren't in this contraption-"

"You wouldn't do a thing, Pansy." Luna said gently. "You really need to calm down. Now, I'm going from here to Hogwarts, to visit Ana and Severus. Their baby was born on the 11th, isn't that marvelous? They named her Fiona. That's a lovely name, don't you agree?"

"You'd better tell Neville not to come visit me." Pansy hissed weakly.

"Wouldn't dream of it, dear." Luna smiled. "I'd suggest you treat him nicer, as I don't like people abusing my friends. That's why I'm fighting to have those charges against you dismissed, you know. You're my friend."

"Please, Luna. Leave me alone." Pansy sobbed, tears abruptly springing up, streaming down her cheeks. "I don't deserve friends like you and Neville-"

"Hush, Pansy." Luna said gently, taking a tissue and carefully drying her tears. "Be glad that none of us get what we deserve, but better than we deserve. Let go of the past. You made mistakes, we all have. Move on with your life."

"I don't have a life now," Pansy said bitterly. "It's all gone. I'm helpless, unable to move. They're going to put me in Azkaban if I ever get out of the hospital-"

"Not if we can help it." Luna said, looking down at her. "And 'we' includes an awful lot of people."

oOo

July 22, 2005~

"Neville? Are you going to dinner?"

Startled, he looked up from his desk in the classroom he used to teach first-year potions to see Professor Romanov-Snape standing in the doorway.

"Oh…hello, Professor. Sorry." He said. Wiping his quill and putting it aside, he closed his notebook. "I was just…making my lesson plans for the fall term. Guess I lost track of time."

"You seem to do a lot of that lately." Ana observed, walking over to his desk. She picked up his quill, smoothing the vanes along its shaft.

"Um…yes, I know. Sorry, Professor."

"Thinking about Patsy, aren't you?"

Neville blushed, opening his mouth to speak, but nothing coming out.

"Walk with me to dinner, Neville." Ana said softly, turning toward the door. "Mother has already started that way with Marcus and Nina, and Severus is still at the Ministry, in a meeting."

"Um, alright, Professor."

As they walked toward the Great Hall from the dungeons, Neville looked over at her.

"Professor, have they made any more progress with Patsy's case?"

"Not much, Neville." Ana sighed. "A few parents are still rather upset about the Death Eater attack."

"Can you get me a list of their names?" Neville asked, his expression thoughtful. Ana stopped, and he stopped to look at her.

"Why, Neville," She smirked, crossing her arms across her chest and cocking an eyebrow, "What do you plan to do with such a list?"

"Oh, just make a few visits." He said innocently. "Make a few social calls, talk to a few people. See if my family name has any influence left."

"I'll get you a list." She smiled, continuing on toward the Great Hall. "It will be on your desk by morning."

oOo

July 31, 2005~

She was sitting up in bed, pillows propping her up, the Healers having turned her bed toward the window a bit more so she could at least look out into the garden. Little bandages dotted her head where the screws for the halo device had been; thankfully, that cursed thing was gone. Of course, now it seemed that she had a permanently stiff neck, something that was aggravated by the physical therapy, even though the therapist claimed that it would help.

The door opened, and she looked over at it to see Neville come in.

Be nice, she thought. Remember what Luna said.

"Hello, Pansy." He smiled, bringing in a tote loaded with books. He'd brought the magical reader from Professor Snape two days ago, along with a few books for it and some magazines, and showed her how to work it. He'd even made a lanyard to secure her wand to her wrist, to help her keep track of it.

"Hello, Neville." She smiled, wincing at a pain in her neck. "I've enjoyed the reader, it is wonderful. Thank you for bringing it to me."

"Um, well, you're quite welcome." He said shyly, setting the tote down and stacking the books where she could see them on the bedside table. "I got the books you asked me to bring, plus a few more. Don't want you to be bored here."

"Oh, they keep me busy. Physical therapy takes up fully half of my day here. I really look forward to reading when it's over, but there are some days that I can barely keep my eyes open afterwards."

"I'm sure."

"But, look!" She smirked, pointing at her head, as best she could. "I'm no longer an angel. No more halo."

"I see that." He laughed, shaking his head at the bad joke. "I bet you feel better without the hardware."

"I do, but I still can't turn my head very well yet. Calcification in the vertebrae, stiff muscles, all things that they are tormenting me to fix in therapy."

"How much movement have you been able to recover?"

"Can't turn my head much because of the fractures…" She raised her right hand, mimicking a wand motion jerkily, and then raised her left hand, which trembled worse. "I'd say the right is about 70% recovered. Mr. Left Hand is a bit slower."

"Well, that's very good, I'd say." He said softly.

"My legs…" She shrugged. "I'm very good at wiggling my toes, but not much more."

He nodded, looking away from her.

"Neville, Luna told me what happened." Pansy said softly.

"Told you about what?" Neville said, startled.

"About you casting the hex that blew me off the ledge."

"I…she did?" He said, his eyes widening as he realized what she was talking about.

"She did." She said, looking at him steadily. "I don't blame you for it, it was just an accident. If you hadn't cast the hex at Mickleson when you did, I'd probably be dead."

"But it's my fault. I cast the hex, and I should have allowed for the likelihood that you might be knocked off your feet by the back blast-"

"No, Neville." She said sharply. "I don't want you blaming yourself. You couldn't have planned for it. As it was, you barely had enough time to cast it, let alone do it with the kind of precision needed to not harm me."

"All the same, I wish you wouldn't have been hurt so badly." He said quietly.

They sat in the room for a long moment, she lying propped up on the bed, he in a chair by the bed. Finally, she spoke again.

"Neville, I'm…I'm glad you came to see me again."

"I needed to bring that reader to you."

"No, that's not what I'm glad for." Pansy said, rubbing the numb fingers of her left hand. "I…I missed your company. I'm glad you came to visit me again."

"Well, I didn't want to come by too often-"

"No. No, please…come as often as you like." She said, blushing. "I…miss talking to you."

"I've missed you, too."

"Neville…about those times I was mean to you…"

"Not a problem."

"No, it is a problem." She said, closing her eyes in frustration. "I was mean to you in school because I was…well, you weren't in my house, and you were-"

"Fat." He smiled good-naturedly. "I had big old teeth, too, and I was clumsy and timid…"

"But you turned out to be brave, and sure of yourself, and…"

"I was still scared, even at the Battle of Hogwarts, Pansy. When I told Voldemort I wasn't going to join up with him, even being a pure-blood, I thought I would piss myself, I was so scared. And then there was going after Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor…I did it, cut its head off, but afterwards my knees were shaking so bad I could hardly stand. Good thing there was plenty of fighting still going on, nobody noticed how scared I was."

She looked at her hands, frowning.

"I abandoned you then." Pansy said sadly, her cheeks coloring with shame. "I abandoned all of you, refusing to fight. We sided with the Dark Lord."

"Yes." He nodded. "But that's all in the past, Pansy."

She sat there silently, tears rolling down her face. She didn't even protest when he took a tissue and gently wiped them away.

"I don't hate you, Neville." She said softly, so faintly that he could hardly hear it.

"I know you don't hate me, Pansy." He said.

Someone knocked on the door, then opened it. In stepped Ecclestone, the lawyer, his dark eyes looking at Neville, then Pansy.

"Pardon me." He said, smiling thinly. "If I'm interrupting, I can come back later."

"No, it's alright, Sir." Pansy said, glad for the interruption.

I nearly said something I might regret, she thought. Or Neville might have.

"I can leave, if I need to." Neville said, rising from his chair.

"No, Neville." She said, surprising herself. "I…I'd rather you stay. Mr. Ecclestone, this is my friend, Neville Longbottom. I don't mind if he's here for any discussion we have."

"Well, you may not be happy to see me after we talk." Ecclestone said, his face grave. "I was informed by the Ministry that all criminal charges against you have been dropped. You will not be prosecuted due to the 'extenuating circumstances' of the incident and your involvement."

"That's wonderful news!" Neville said, grinning at Pansy.

"I beg to differ, young man." The lawyer said with a sigh. "There are eighteen families that have filed civil suits against you and your estate for damages, citing 'unnecessary pain and suffering as a result of the actions of Pansy Parkinson.' I fear that we have some long days ahead of us, Miss Parkinson."

"My estate?" Pansy gasped. "I…I don't have an estate. It was seized by the Ministry after the Second Wizarding War-"

"While it may be in the hands of the Ministry, it is named in the suit, and as such is a target."

Pansy sat in her hospital bed, her face deathly pale, and her eyes on Ecclestone. Swallowing nervously, she took a deep breath, blowing it out to try to calm herself.

"Mr. Ecclestone, who is paying your retainer?" She asked softly, watching him carefully.

His eyes flicked to Neville, who was studying the floor, then back to hers.

I should have known, she thought, suddenly feeling quite weary.

"Several parties, who are interested in your case, have donated funds to retain me to represent you." Ecclestone sighed, pulling a chair up to her bedside to sit down. "I am quite well compensated for my work, I assure you."

"I have an estate." Pansy protested. "Surely I could pay you myself."

"Not while it is in Ministry hands, dear." He replied, opening his briefcase. "If it has any value at all, it will probably be sold to pay any civil judgments awarded. I'm sorry."

oOo

Ana sat on the couch in her sitting room, comfortably nestled into Severus's body, his arm around her shoulders. While the magical play rug still lay before the fireplace, Madam Pince had taken Marcus and Nina to visit Elizabeth in France, a 'mini-holiday' of sorts. Which was quite well timed, given their visitor, who had arrived just an hour before dinner.

"…and that's what the situation is." Neville finished, taking a sip of firewhisky. He'd been in such turmoil when he'd arrived via floo that Severus had immediately poured two fingers in a glass and handed it to him, virtually before Neville even brushed the ash from his robes.

"How dreadful." Ana said softly, looking at Severus.

"She has virtually nothing, and now they're going to try to take more away from her." He sighed irritably, swiping at his eyes with his free hand. "I swear, I…I figured that when the Ministry dropped the charges, it was over with-"

"I have some experience in these matters, Neville." Snape said quietly. "I lost a good bit of my fortune fighting civil suits following the War. At least I didn't have the additional burden of being paralyzed."

"Ecclestone, he's not going to quit, is he?" Ana asked. "With what we've given him as a retainer, it should be enough, surely."

"No, he said he's in it to the bitter end." Neville replied. "He even said he would write some of it off as pro bono work, not charge us for it. But he did say he would need more help with it, clerks to help with the paperwork, and probably a few more lawyers to assist with the cases. It…he said it would take years to resolve."

"How is Patsy taking it?" Ana asked, eyeing how little firewhisky remained in Neville's glass.

"Not very well." Neville sighed, draining his glass. "She was really depressed about it when I left. I hated to leave her like that, but visiting hours were over with thirty minutes before I left her. I got scolded by the nurse for it."

"It's going to be a long, hard fight." Severus said, frowning. "Unless…"

"Unless what, dear?" Ana said warily. "What are you thinking?"

"Excuse me for a moment, dear." Severus said, getting up from the couch. "I need to make a few floo calls."

"But-"

Leaning down, he kissed her, and then nodded to Neville.

"You'd best get some rest, Neville. If I'm successful, we may be doing a lot of traveling over then few weeks we have left before fall term begins."

With that, he opened the door to the Potions Classroom, heading to his private study.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's notes:

Pro bono: legal term, meaning 'services rendered for free', often applied to volunteer work.

Chapter 37

August 7, 2005~

"A shame about her family, truly it was."

"Indeed." Severus said quietly, taking a sip of his firewhisky. They were sitting in a quiet corner of The Flaming Dragon, a pub in Coldingham that had seen better days.

"My own finances are a bit of a mess since the war, of course." Lucius Malfoy said, looking over at Snape. "Not that they were able to take all of what I have. Narcissa and I can still live comfortably, though we've had to cut a few corners. My investments are still making a good return."

"That's why I came to you. You managed to do well at avoiding seizure of all your assets. Unfortunately, Pansy's estate was seized almost immediately after the war, following the arrest of her mother and the death of her father."

"So, you come asking for donations, is that it?"

"Not really, though I'm sure they would be appreciated. Actually, what I'm more interested in is your financial and legal expertise. We retained Benjamin Ecclestone to represent her; I'm sure that you know him, at least by reputation."

"I do." Lucius nodded. "He's a sharp one. Had I been able to retain him, I might not have lost half that I did. You don't happen to have one of his cards, do you?"

"Yes, I do." Snape said, producing a business card and handing it to him. "So you'll help us?"

"I'll help Pansy, Severus." Lucius smiled thinly. "I remember her well, she had a crush on Draco, but then, most girls did. But she was one of the nicest ones, a very sweet girl. I'll do what I can to help her."

"I thank you on her behalf."

"Think nothing of it. By the way, how is your beautiful bride faring? Is her cancer still in remission?"

Severus gave him a sharp look, his dark eyes boring into Malfoy's.

"It was you, wasn't it?" He said softly, watching his former fellow Death Eater closely. "You were the 'anonymous donor' of the bone marrow."

"I beg your pardon?" Lucius smirked, draining his glass and rising to leave. "No, Severus, it wasn't me."

"However, you might thank Narcissa the next time you speak to her." He said, putting his hand on Severus' shoulder and squeezing it affectionately. "Do come visit us in our new home soon, Severus. Bring the wife and those adorable children of yours, too."

"I will." Severus said softly, watching as Lucius left the bar, leaning a bit more on his cane than he used to.

We're all like that, Severus thought, swirling the firewhiskey in his glass. Whether the injuries are physical or mental, we're all walking wounded, thanks to that damned war.

oOo

August 20, 2005~

"The Lassiters? What's the situation with them?"

Neville scanned the files in the box, his brow furrowed in concentration, lips moving silently as he located the file. Pulling it out, he opened it, scanning the front page, where they were recording any changes.

"Spoke with them on the eleventh." He said, glancing over at Pansy and Ecclestone. "They told me they would be willing to settle out of court for 38,000 Galleons."

"Oh, Merlin." Pansy groaned.

"Pansy, it's better than what they were asking originally." Ecclestone said gently. "They were demanding 120,000 Galleons. I would recommend you accept their offer. "

"But the damage was easily reversed!"

"Pain and suffering, dear. You hexed their daughter Hilda, turned her into a water buffalo. A teenage girl doesn't live such a thing down easily. They stated that she was still in therapy to help her cope."

"I had to give the Death Eaters the impression that I was actually harming students!"

"We know, dear." Ecclestone sighed. "This is why I'm advising you to accept their offer, because if they take it to the courts, you're going to lose. While the Ministry has dropped the charges, they aren't willing to assume the legal burdens that would come of their acknowledging your help."

"Fine." Pansy sighed in defeat. "How much does that leave me, Neville?"

Neville did some figuring in a ledger, frowning as he punched in the number on the Muggle calculator.

"Um…about 340,000 Galleons." He said softly.

"Wonderful." She said bitterly, closing her eyes. "Only eight more lawsuits to go."

oOo

August 21, 2005~

"This is a very old watch." James Gryffon, sole proprietor of Gryffon Brothers Watch Shop, Raffles Street, Hogsmeade. His two other brothers, both older, had passed on, Silas of old age, while Elias was killed in the First Wizarding War.

Carefully, the old man took a slim tool that looked like a miniature prybar with a handle, removing the back from the watch. He picked up a magnifying glass and peered at the workings, his long fringe of gray hair obscuring his face.

"Magnificent." He breathed in wonder, examining the workings intently, paying no mind to the young man. Rubbing his balding head, he selected another magnifying glass and bent over the watch again.

"It was my Grandfather's." Neville said nervously, watching the old watchmaker look at the pocketwatch.

"Hm…yes, very nice workmanship." Gryffon mumbled under his breath, squinting at the tiny gears and levers inside it. "Don't see them like this anymore. Magical movement, never needs winding, keeps track of the phases of the moon and the tides…very nice. Very nice indeed."

"Yes, I know all of that."

"Just what did you need, young man?" Gryffon asked, looking up at Neville from his workbench. "It's in perfect condition, perhaps could use cleaning and oiling, but it's not that bad off."

"I'd like to sell it, if I can."

"Sell it?" The old man blinked in surprise. "My word, this is an heirloom. You don't want to keep it, pass it down to your children?"

"Um…no, Sir."

Gryffon sighed heavily, turning his attention to replacing the back on the watch.

"You young people these days…" He grumbled, half under his breath. When the back was secured, he handed the watch to Neville.

"Get out." He said rudely. "You have no appreciation for the finer things in life, young man."

Neville gaped at him for a moment.

"I…Sir, can I ask you something?" He said.

"I suppose," Gryffon sighed heavily, "but if you bother me much longer, you'd better buy something to make it worth your wasting my time. I do have a great deal of work to do."

"A watch like this, in this condition…what is it worth?"

The old man sighed, giving Neville an irritated look.

"Are you that determined to be rid of it?" He snapped. "Does it mean that little to you?"

"No…" Neville said miserably. "It's just…I need the money…a friend needs the money. Please, Sir…I've gone through most of my own liquid assets. All I have left is the family home and the estate, and this watch."

For a long moment, Gryffon stood in his shop, looking at Neville.

"So you need it to help a friend, do you?" He said quietly. "Why?"

"She…she's being sued. By several people. We're about 20,000 Galleons short of settling all of the suits out of court, Sir…"

"That watch is worth a lot, but it's not worth 20,000 Galleons, young man. She must be a very important friend."

"She is, Sir." Neville said.

"You're the new Potions Professor at Hogwarts, aren't you? Loginson?"

"Um, no, just an Assistant Professor, Sir. And it's Longbottom…Neville Longbottom."

"Oh." Gryffon said, squinting up at him. "So, Professor Romanov-Snape is still there, eh? Tell her that her order came in last week, would you?"

"Yes, Sir, I will. She's sort of my supervisor."

"Good, good." The old man muttered, and then peered up at Neville again. "Aren't you Augusta's Grandson?"

"Yes, Sir." Neville said nervously, fighting the impulse to look behind him. While his Grandmother didn't visit Hogsmeade often, the mere mention of her made him feel uneasy.

"And this is your Grandfather's watch." Gryffon said softly, gently tapping the pocket watch with a gnarled finger, a shrewd look in his eyes.

"Yes." Neville said softly, fighting the urge to run.

"Your Grandmother probably wouldn't like this." The old man said, walking back to his workbench and sitting down. "I can only imagine how desperate you are to help your friend if you are willing to risk incurring the wrath of Augusta Longbottom."

"Well, Sir," Neville said, putting the watch in his pocket and heading for the door, "I wish you a good day, Sir, and I'll just be going-"

"Stop!" Gryffon said, pulling out his wand. The locks clicked into place on the door, barring Neville's escape.

"I said that I wouldn't buy the watch, or help you sell it." The old man said gently, putting his wand away. "I didn't say that I wouldn't help you, Professor Longbottom."

oOo

August 27, 2005~

"That's all? You're sure?"

"Quite certain." Ecclestone said, closing his briefcase. "I hand delivered the last check this morning to the Moellers. I can't say that someone else won't come forth with another suit, but the suggestions made by Mr. Malfoy were most helpful."

Pansy sank back on the hospital bed, feeling utterly drained.

"Thank Merlin." She said softly.

"I'll let you know if anything new develops." The lawyer said. "I'll be staying on as your retained counsel for a while yet."

"But your fee-"

"Never mind that." He said, waving dismissively as he got up and headed to the door. "Let me know if anything new comes up."

"Of course. Thank you for everything, Mr. Ecclestone." Pansy said, feeling rather numb.

Once the door closed, she let out a sigh, sitting up as best she could in the bed.

"Well, how much money do I have left?" She asked Neville, who was slumped in a chair, exhausted. "Or rather, don't have?"

"I'd have to look at the ledger," He sighed, rubbing his eyes, "but I think you might have enough for dinner at a decent restaurant, perhaps two."

"Let's do that." She said, wincing as she turned her head to look at him. "Find someone who will deliver dinner here. For two."

For a moment, he just stared at her, blinking, as if he didn't believe his ears.

"Are you mad?" Neville finally sputtered, his face reddening. "You just signed a check for 46,000 Galleons! You've virtually nothing left, maybe a hundred Galleons at most."

"That's enough." She smiled. "Go find a floo you can use, arrange for dinner to be brought to my room. Oh, and candles. I want a candlelit dinner, just for you and me, because this ordeal is over."

"But you heard Ecclestone, there may be more lawsuits-"

"All the more reason to have a nice dinner together, isn't it?" She said, smiling at him again.

"I-"He began, and then nodded. "I guess you're right. Fifty, a hundred Galleons, it doesn't matter at this point, does it?"

"No, not really." Pansy said, closing her eyes. "They can't take what I don't have. I'd like to be happy for a little bit, at least for right now."

"I'll go find a floo." He said, getting up and heading to the door.

oOo

"Oh, Merlin." Pansy said, carefully putting her fork on her plate with a shaky hand. "That was so good. I can't eat another bite, though."

"I thought you might enjoy the Chicken Primavera from Manzetti's." Neville said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "It was the first place I thought of. I'm a regular there, and they didn't mind delivering."

"Does this count as our first date?" She asked, her tone light and teasing.

Neville nearly choked as he took a sip of his wine, spilling half of his glass on his robes.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Neville!" Pansy said, feeling rather embarrassed. "I was only teasing you."

"Oh, it's alright." He said, taking out his wand and vanishing the wine from his robes. "It's only wine."

"I don't think I should have had any wine at all, with my pain potions." Pansy observed. "I feel a little woozy right now."

"Well, it is getting rather late." Neville nodded, standing up and vanishing the remains of the dinner. "I should go, so you can get your rest."

"Will you come see me tomorrow, Neville?" She asked shyly.

"Of course, if you want me to." He said, blushing. "I'll see you tomorrow, around four?"

"I'll be looking forward to it." Pansy said, smiling sleepily.

"Well, goodnight, Pansy."

"Goodnight, Neville."

oOo

September 17, 2005~

"I can't."

"Yes, you can." The Healer said gently, standing behind Pansy, her hands holding on to the handles of a belt strapped around her patient's waist. "You're doing very well with bearing your weight on your legs today. You're much stronger than you were two weeks ago."

"I just can't, I tell you." Pansy said, trembling with fear. "I fell the last time we tried."

"I'll help you, Pansy." Neville said gently. He'd taken off his robes and had rolled his shirtsleeves up, and stood in front of her, his arms ready to catch her if she fell.

Pansy looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him.

"Neville, I'm scared. I…I can't do this."

"It'll be alright, Pansy. I'll catch you if you fall, I promise."

Her knuckles were white; such was her grip on the two smooth wooden rails she stood between.

"I can't, Neville."

"Come on. It's like dancing." He said, holding his hands out to her. "You like to dance, right?"

"Is this some kind of joke?" She snapped, glaring at him.

"Of course not. I'll take you out dancing if you take just one step."

"I've seen you dance, Neville." Pansy said, stifling a giggle. "You're bloody awful."

"I swear, I've improved since the Christmas balls at Hogwarts, honest. Haven't broken anyone's toes in the last year or so, at least."

She swallowed nervously, looking down at her feet.

Come on, she thought. Just one step. A baby step.

With a great effort, she leaned slightly to her left, biting her lip as she willed her right foot to slide forward.

"I'll catch you if you fall, Pansy." Neville said softly. "I won't let you down."

She glanced up at him, trembling.

"I know, Neville." Pansy said with a weak smile.

Turning her attention back to her uncooperative right foot, she gritted her teeth, concentrating on moving it.

Just one step, she thought to herself, perspiration beading on her forehead from the effort. Just one step and I get to go dancing.

Her right foot slid along the floor, moving perhaps ten inches.

"You did it, Pansy!" Neville exclaimed, grinning widely.

"Hardly a step." She demurred, blushing.

"It's a start, Miss Parkinson." The healer said. "Let's try to move the left foot now."

oOo

June 2, 2006~

"Your credentials are most impressive, young lady." Headmistress McGonagall said, peering through her reading glasses at the parchments on the desk before her. "Master's degrees in both Transfiguration and Charms, with minors in Arithmancy and Potions. And you still graduated with honors, that's quite a feat."

"I had quite a bit of help." Luna said, smiling at John, who sat next to her in the Headmistress' office. Elizabeth sat on his lap, her fingers in her mouth as she looked around the room, fascinated by the moving portraits.

"What do you plan to do, Mr. Worthington?" Minerva said, taking her reading glasses off and closing the folder containing Luna's application.

"Well, I've been talking to someone here about the possibility of an assistant professor position, teaching DADA." He said, shifting Elizabeth so she was more on his right leg. "He said that with my experience in the field as an Auror, I would be well suited to teaching that subject."

"Do you need me to take her?" Luna asked softly, touching him on his forearm, her blue eyes dark with concern.

He shook his head.

"She's fine."

"Yes, Mr. Worthington," Minerva smirked. "I believe I've discussed such a thing with our…temporary DADA instructor, Professor Snape. How long will it be before you have your teaching certification?"

"I'll complete my classes this December."

"Hm. That does present some difficulties." The Headmistress sighed. "I'll have to see if the Board of Regents will waive the requirements. So long as it's only for an Assistant Professor position, it might be possible."

"Well, I'm still employed at the Ministry." He said, steadying Elizabeth as she dropped her head onto his chest as she gave a big yawn. "It's not like I can't commute to work from here while we wait for the Regents to decide."

"Pretty confident, aren't you, Mr. Worthington?" Minerva smiled.

"Professor Snape is very persuasive, Ma'am." He said, feeling Elizabeth slowly go limp as she fell asleep. Carefully, he brushed a few of her unruly auburn curls out of his face, where they had been tickling his nose.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you're both hired." The Headmistress said. "We'll have to wait to make your appointment official, Mr. Worthington, but Miss Lovegood can start right away. I'm looking forward to having some relief from teaching Transfiguration."

"Thank you, Headmistress." Luna said, beaming. "I can hardly wait."

Minerva smiled fondly at Elizabeth, by now drooling slightly on John's dress robes, her thumb in her mouth.

"I'll arrange for rooms to be prepared for you." The Headmistress said softly, getting back to business. "Will the standard accommodations for instructors be sufficient? Two bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room, and a study?"

"Of course, Headmistress." John nodded. "We can share a study."

"I must ask, to satisfy my own curiosity…do you plan to marry?"

Luna blushed scarlet.

"Headmistress, I have proposed, and she has asked me to wait." John said. "But she hasn't said no."

"I…I don't feel it's time yet, Headmistress." Luna said hesitantly. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, I see no problem with it." Minerva said, smiling gently at Luna. "Most of the students probably won't even notice that you two aren't married, and they'll be too busy to care. They will probably assume that you are."

oOo

July 10, 2006~

"Well, that's the last of it." John said, allowing the box to gently float to the floor in the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" Luna asked, stacking dishes in the cupboard. "You haven't worn yourself out again, have you? Do you need a pain potion?"

"I'm fine, dear." He sighed, rubbing his leg. "It's not like I'm carrying anything. I'm just floating the boxes up here with levitation."

"Well, you are doing all of the walking here and at the apartment," she pointed out. "Along with the apparating to bring our things here. I don't want you to wear yourself out. You forget that you have limitations, dear."

"Where's Elizabeth?" He said, looking around the sitting room.

"She's down at the Snape's, playing with Nina and Marcus." Luna replied, coming up behind him to slide her arms around him. "Madam Pince's daycare, the best at Hogwarts."

"Are you sure she's not a problem?" He frowned. "I don't want to wear out our welcome with them."

"She's not a problem. In fact, Madam Pince flooed me this morning, asked if Elizabeth could come over to play. Nina's been bugging her for a week about it, when we could get here, when we would get moved in…when Elizabeth could come over."

"Well, I'm glad that she already has some friends." John smiled, covering her hands with his own. "She needs someone to play with."

"That reminds me." Luna said, giving him a flirtatious smirk, her blue eyes twinkling. "You need to accompany me to our bedroom. Elizabeth won't be back until dinnertime, and mum wants to play a bit, too."

oOo

August 15, 2006~

"Well?" Severus said as John walked up to him in the hallway near the Great Hall.

"I've done it." He sighed. "I've resigned from my job at the Ministry. I'll miss my friends that I worked with, but not the Ministry."

"You won't regret this, John." Snape said as they walked toward the doorway that led to the garden. "I spoke with the Headmistress; she told me that the Board of Regents has already approved hiring you as an Associate Professor to teach DADA."

"Because they want you out of the DADA classroom." John said bitterly. "You're just as qualified as I am to teach the subject, probably more so. The fools can't see past their own prejudices against you."

"Oh, don't fret about it, John." Severus smirked. "I'm used to it. There are still many who despise me, and I really could care less about their opinions."

John shook his head, breathing out a sigh of disgust.

"Well, their opinions are wrong."

"Perhaps, but they do have a right to hold them." Snape said softly. "By the way, will the salary offered be adequate?"

"Of course, combined with Luna's salary…and my medical pension."

"The Ministry gave you a pension?"

"Yes, not a bad one, either." John said, leaning against the stone wall. "I guess someone at the Ministry felt guilty about what happened to me."

"Shacklebolt?" Severus said.

"Probably. I'm sure there were others."

They stood there for a long time, just looking at each other.

"Severus…" John said softly, "Thank you. You saved my life."

"I did very little to help-"

"You got me out of there, Severus."

"You would have done the same for me, John." Snape replied, crossing his arms. "As a matter of fact, you did, several times. Think of it as my paying you back, if only a little, for all the times you rescued me."

"I guess so." John nodded. "Well, I suppose I should get up to my rooms, tell Luna the good news."

"Indeed." Severus smirked. "Has she changed her mind about marriage yet?"

"Not yet." John shrugged, leaning on his cane. "I suspect that she wants to wait until Elizabeth can be the flower girl."

"Well, that would be ideal. Marcus could be the ring bearer."

"Only if they don't fight." John sighed. "How is Marcus doing, is he alright?"

"Still has a black eye, though it's fading. For a four year old, Elizabeth is a scrappy girl."

John sighed again, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Severus." He said. "Luna and I have both talked to her about it, but she's so stubborn-"

"Don't fret about it, John. I'm sure things will work out with time. Marcus brings much of it on himself by teasing her."

"But Nina and Elizabeth get along so well."

"The problem is, I believe, that Marcus is jealous." Snape said. "Nina and Elizabeth will be playing together, quiet as can be, and then Marcus comes along to cause trouble. Ana tries to keep them separated, but somehow he always manages to get Elizabeth's attention, usually in a bad way."

"Speaking of Ana, how is she doing?" John asked. "Her cancer, is it still in remission?"

"Apparently so." Severus said softly. "The last visit to the Oncologist was three months ago. He doesn't want her to come back for a year."

"That's wonderful."

"It has been quite a relief." Severus nodded. "It appears that I will enjoy a few more years with my wife. I intend to make the most of them."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 38

August 28, 2006~

"John?"

He jumped slightly in spite of himself, spilling some of his firewhiskey. As he held one hand to his chest, trying to calm his racing heart, Luna walked into their sitting room to sit beside him on the couch. She had a blanket wrapped around her, and she was shivering as she tucked her bare feet up underneath her.

"Sorry." He said softly.

"It's okay." Luna said, moving closer to him as he put his arm around her. "Bad dreams again?"

Hesitating, he nodded, and then took another sip of firewhiskey.

"How's Elizabeth?"

"Sleeping." He said, running his thumb along the rim of the glass. "I looked in on her just a few minutes ago, before I came out here."

"Was it the dream with her in it?" Luna asked anxiously.

"No." He sighed, shuddering a bit. "Not that one. It was…it was the one…where they had me…just before they started..."

It lay unsaid between them, who 'they' were, and what 'they' had done to him. Luna had heard it before, any number of times that she'd held him, shushing him like a child with a nightmare. Holding her husband, his body trembling with fear, as he suffered the memories of being tormented with Fiendfyre, of his leg slowly being flayed of its skin. His tears of shame and terror soaking her nightgown as she hugged him, kissed him, comforted him.

I will be his refuge, Luna thought to herself, not for the first time, nor for the last. I will heal him, no matter how long it takes me. For our sake, and the sake of our children.

"You should wake me up when you can't sleep." She said, hugging him gently. "I don't mind comforting you."

"One of us needs to sleep well."

"We both need to start teaching next week, John." She sighed into his chest, tapping on in with a finger. "It's two in the morning. Why don't you take some Dreamless Sleep?"

He shook his head.

"I take enough to sleep, I can hardly function the next day."

"So come back to bed with me." She whispered. "Just take a little bit, perhaps?"

"I can't, Luna." He said, shaking his head. "I won't have you hurt again. I can't-"

"Now, none of that, John." She said, tilting his head down gently so she could kiss him. "You were asleep, in the grip of a nightmare. I shouldn't have startled you like I did."

"I hurt you." He said miserably, his eyes filling with tears as he reached up to touch the remnants of the bruise on her face. "I can't stand that, I can't risk it again-"

"What bruise?" She said softly. Raising her hand, she made a slight motion with her fingers, reapplying a glamour to hide the bruise. He frowned at her, shaking his head.

"John, don't. You were in the clutches of a nightmare, and silly romantic that I am, I tried to console you without waking you. I took a risk, and I paid for it. I don't blame you."

"But I hurt you."

"I'm fine, John." She said gently, getting up and tugging on his hand. "I know that you didn't do it on purpose. Come on, let's go back to bed."

He hesitated, and then nodded, rising from the couch to follow her.

oOo

January 3, 2007~

"So there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Headmistress McGonagall sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"No." Severus said softly. "I shall miss Hogwarts, but I think it's time I moved on."

"Would you consider staying on as an Associate Professor of DADA?"

"No. Minerva, please don't insult me with such a suggestion. It would be a step down for me, and we both know that the regents, as well as a good number of parents, want me gone."

"Severus, that isn't true." Minerva said, wiping away a tear. "You've done so much for the students, and for Hogwarts-"

"And I've also done much to them." Snape sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Minerva, I have my business interests to look after. The apothecary supply house is going quite well, but demands more and more attention every day, as does my new Potions shop in Hogsmeade. I have three children whom I adore, and a loving wife who would prefer not to see me work myself into an early grave."

"Do you really think John is ready to take over as DADA Professor?"

"Of course, Headmistress. Having him attain his degree, well, that was just to satisfy the requirements set forth by the Board of Regents. We both know from watching John duel that he could fight rings around most of those blithering windbags on the Board."

"When would you be leaving us?"

"Not for a while. I plan to finish this term out, and then resign. I'll still be living here with Ana and the children, as long as she is Potions Professor."

"Then you'll be here at Hogwarts a long time, Professor Snape." Minerva smiled. "Ana will have a job here as long as I'm Headmistress."

"We appreciate that."

Minerva sat quietly, watching him.

"I'm glad I invited her to teach here while you were in a coma." The Headmistress said softly. "She saved you, Severus."

He studied his feet for a moment, frowning, and then nodded.

"She did." He said softly, looking back up at her. "She certainly did. John saved my life, treated my wounds, got me to the Hospital wing…but Ana gave me a reason to go on living. And she came to Hogwarts because you asked her to come teach."

"I deserve little credit for your recovery," Minerva said, wrapping her shawl more snugly around herself. "I had no idea that you two had…how should I put it? A history together."

oOo

February 8, 2008~

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?"

Minerva turned away from the window to see John Worthington in the doorway of her office.

"Yes, John." She said, waving to a chair. "Have a seat."

"Thank you, Headmistress." He said, seating himself and leaning his cane against his leg.

"I suppose Severus has spoken with you already, as thick as you two are."

"He has." John sighed, rubbing his left thigh absently. "For what it's worth, I tried to talk him out of it."

"Yet he is determined to quit."

"Well, he's had enough, I suppose. He actually told me that he'd miss the children most. Funny how that is; I suppose having children of his own made him like them more."

"Perhaps." Minerva nodded, and then sighed. "I suppose there's no point in putting it off any longer. John, I'd like to offer you the position of DADA professor, beginning with the fall term. Do you accept?"

"Of course, Headmistress. I am at your service."

oOo

March 26, 2008~

"Come in!" Pansy called out in response to the knock on her door. She was sitting in her wheelchair, with a box of books, sorting through them and putting them on the shelves with her wand.

"Hi, Pansy!" Luna said cheerfully, coming into the sitting room.

"Hi, Luna." Pansy replied, unable to keep her disappointment off her face completely.

"You don't seem that glad to see me." Her friend said, frowning. "Is it because I'm not Neville?"

Pansy blushed crimson.

"I knew it!" Luna smirked, sitting down on the couch.

"He's a friend, that's all. A very good friend."

"Of course." Luna nodded. "A very good friend."

Pansy shot her an irritated glare, and then busied herself with sorting through the books.

"I heard your 'good friend' took you to dinner at Manzetti's." Luna said casually, picking up a copy of Moore's Detailed Taxonomy of Scottish Lichens and leafing through it. "Well, actually, I saw you two there. John and I were there, over in the corner near the back."

"Well, why didn't you say hello?" Pansy huffed.

"Because …well, I wanted to see how things were going for you, and you seemed so happy that I didn't want to interrupt-"

"You were spying on me!" Pansy snapped irritably. "You used disillusionment, didn't you?"

Luna rolled her eyes, sighing heavily.

"I was spying on you, that much is true." She said. "It wasn't difficult, and I didn't have to disillusion us, because you only had eyes for Neville. It's not like I was doing it out of malice. It's just that I care about both of you very much, and you are my friends, both of you. You've had so much unhappiness in your life, and it makes me happy to see you finally having some happiness."

"I'm sorry, Luna." Pansy sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's…I'm just all out of sorts lately. What with therapy, and moving back to Hogwarts, and moving my things into these new quarters-"

"Don't worry about it, Pansy." Luna smiled gently, patting her hand. "We all have our bad days."

"Don't we though."

"So, how are things going with Neville?"

"Luna, stop it." Pansy huffed, blushing. "There are no 'things' going."

"It doesn't matter, so long as both of you are happy." Luna said cheerfully.

"Luna, there's nothing to it. We had dinner together a few times, that's all. I'm very grateful to him for his help with the lawsuits, and for encouraging me since the…attack. There's nothing more to it than us just being friends."

"Of course, Pansy." Luna said, rising from her seat on the couch. "Well, I'd best be off. Lots of essays to grade before tomorrow."

"I'm sure." Pansy nodded, her fingers idly running along the spine of an old book as she watched her friend leave, the door closing with a soft thunk behind her.

Friends. She thought bitterly. As if I could hope for anything more than that with anyone now.

I'm a cripple, pretty much useless from the waist down.

Neville is a good man, a good friend. He deserves better than me.

I can hardly walk at all.

I live in fear of another lawsuit. One more could take what little I have left. I won't let someone else live with that liability.

"I wish…I wish I could turn back time, go back and right the wrongs I've done." Pansy whispered half to herself in the quiet sitting room, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I've hurt so many people, just because of my pride, or my vanity…my arrogance…"

Dropping the book, she put her face in her hands and wept.

oOo

"Hello, Neville."

He jumped in spite of himself, cursing his instinctive flinch upon hearing the familiar voice. Casting a stasis charm on the bubbling cauldron of Pepper-Up potion, he turned to face the woman standing in the doorway of his potions lab.

"Good Morning, Grandmother." He smiled, though his voice was still a bit unsteady. "How was Bermuda?"

"Dreadful." Augusta Longbottom sighed irritably, walking over to his desk and sitting down in his chair.

"Would you like some tea?" Neville asked, taking his apron off.

"No. I have heard some rather disturbing rumors about you, Neville." She frowned. "That you've been begging for money. Do they not pay you to teach here?"

"I…well…"

"Come on, lad, I haven't got all day!"

"Good morning, Augusta." Severus said smoothly as he walked in, nodding genially to Neville. "What a…surprise to find you here."

The old woman glared up at the former Potions professor.

"This happens to be a private conversation, Professor Snape!" She growled. "I don't recall inviting you, and for that matter, why are you even here? You no longer teach here."

"I am still a Professor Emeritus," Snape smirked, "and my wife happens to be Neville's direct supervisor, Augusta. We happen to live right next door, and as she was busy with our youngest daughter, she asked me to see what all the commotion was about."

"Well, now that you know, get out!"

"Severus, what on earth-" Ana said, walking into the Potions lab carrying Fiona. Their daughter was wrapped up in a blanket, but had wriggled one hand free and was busy undoing her mother's French braid on one side. Ana winced as Fiona tugged on her auburn hair.

"So this is the new Potions Mistress?" Augusta scoffed. "She seems rather unprofessional to me."

Ana's expression shifted instantly from one of surprise to a rather predatory smile, her lips thinning and her gray eyes narrowing.

"You must be Augusta Longbottom." She said softly, her voice cold as she walked over to them.

"Severus?" She said, turning to her husband. "Would you mind taking Fiona for me?"

"Are you sure you won't need me?" He said, as his wife handed him their daughter.

"I'm certain." Ana said, folding her arms across her chest and glaring back at Neville's grandmother. "Nina was asking if you could help her with her homework, dear. This won't take long."

Severus nodded, and then walked out of the lab into their quarters.

"Mrs. Longbottom, I am Anastasiya Romanov-Snape." Ana said politely, walking over to the desk. "Neville is my Assistant Professor, and is responsible for teaching first and second year basic Potions. Anything that concerns him is a matter of concern to me. My husband and I are quite fond of Neville-"

"Stow it, missy." Augusta snapped. "I'm here to find out why my grandson was spotted in Hogsmeade trying to sell his grandfather's pocket watch."

"Missy?" Ana fumed, her cheeks turning scarlet.

"Oh, dear." Neville said, his eyes widening.

"What on earth are you spending so much money on, Neville?" Augusta went on, blissfully unaware of the impending explosion. "Is it firewhisky? Butterbeer? A girl, I bet that's what it is. You've gotten hooked up with some bloody tramp and she's living off you, that's what it is!"

"She's not a tramp, Grandmother!" Neville snapped suddenly, taking both women by surprise. "Pansy is a good friend, a member of a good family that fell on hard times! She lost everything in the last Wizarding War, even her family!"

"Neville!" Augusta shouted, her face white with shock as she got up from the chair.

"Be quiet and let me explain, Grandmother." He said, pointing his finger at her. Ana started to speak, and then thought better of it.

"But-"

"Accio wand." Neville said, catching Augusta's wand when it leaped to his hand. "Grandmother, I'm not a child any more. I'll cast Langlock if I need to in order to explain the situation to you."

Her jaw working furiously, her face beet red, Augusta Longbottom sat down, glaring at her grandson the entire time. Neville drew a deep breath and began his tale.

"Professor Romanov-Snape and I were in Hogsmeade shopping one weekend." He said. "We heard a commotion, people shouting 'thief' and 'catch her'. After we…created a distraction, we pursued the woman and caught her. It was Pansy Parkinson, a classmate from Hogwarts. There was a…accident, and she hit her head….and well, we couldn't just leave her in the alley. It was cold, and threatening to snow again, so we brought her back here to Hogwarts."

He paused for a moment, looking at the two women. Ana nodded to him to go on.

"We nursed her back to health, tried to help her…" He sighed, thinking about how to phrase the ugly truths of the matter. "She…she wasn't what she seemed. She was in league with the remaining Death Eaters, led by Rudolphus Lestrange."

"I knew it!" Augusta snapped, making to rise from the chair, only to have Ana's left hand come down on her shoulder, forcing her to sit. Glaring at the younger woman, she attempted to get up again, only to gasp painfully as the Potions Professor tightened her grip.

"Mrs. Longbottom, I crack walnuts quite easily with this hand." Ana said softly. "I'm also quite good at casting body-bind, along with many other spells wandlessly…and did I mention that while I was in school, I was one of the best on the Durmstang dueling team?"

The older woman shot Ana a venomous glare, but remained seated, her mouth in a tight frown.

"But that wasn't what it seemed, either, Grandmother." Neville continued. "She…the Death Eaters told her that they were holding her mother hostage, that they would kill her if Pansy didn't cooperate. She didn't dare go to the authorities, so she went to Professor Snape and confessed the plot, a month before the attack. He came up with a plan to foil it, with her help, and that's how we managed to prevail against their assault last year.

"But it the suffering wasn't over for her." He said. "As it turned out, a hex I cast at one of the Death Eaters who was trying to kill her after she killed Lestrange…it knocked her off the pile of rubble she was standing on. She fell eight feet, landing on the side of her head, breaking…she fractured several vertebrae in her neck and lower back."

He paused to get his hanky and dab at his eyes, breathing out an exhausted sigh.

"I felt responsible for it." He said, swallowing as he looked over at his grandmother. "She still can't walk very well yet. She's confined to a wheelchair, for the most part. With all that, while she was in hospital, she was under Ministry custody, pending charges that were later dropped…then was sued by several families because of the attack on the school, and what she did during it, just to deceive the Death Eaters.

"After all of that, she finally learned of her mother's death, some four months ago, that Lestrange had deceived her with the false hope that her mother was still alive. She hasn't got a knut left to her name, not after the lawsuits. We spent over 420,000 Galleons settling them out of court, as we didn't dare go to court, not with the Ministry refusing to acknowledge any responsibility.

"It's true; I did go to Gryffon's to sell Grandfather's watch." He paused, his cheeks reddening in shame. "I was desperate. I-"

"Neville." His grandmother said softly. "Did you think that I would not have helped you, had I known?"

"I was afraid you'd be angry with me." He said.

"You're a Longbottom, and a Gryffindor at that," She snapped, then paused. "I'm sorry, Neville. I…I've always been rather direct with you. I can see that you might believe I'm angry. But I could never be angry at you for helping someone in need."

With a deep sigh, Augusta turned to look at Ana.

"I suppose that you were involved in this, as well." She said, more a statement of fact than a question.

"I was, as was my husband." Ana nodded. "But I had no idea that Pansy was running short of money to settle the lawsuits. Neville, you should have said something to us about it to us."

"He didn't say anything to you?" Augusta said, looking sharply at Neville.

"Not a word." Ana said, raising an eyebrow at Neville. "Neither he nor Pansy said a thing about it. Neville, we can't help you if we don't know you need help. Severus and I would have been happy to assist Pansy."

"Well, we…I mean, she didn't want to ask for help." Neville said nervously, wadding up his hanky and sticking it in his pocket.

"We?" His grandmother said with a smirk.

"Yes, WE." Neville said, his nervousness vanishing. "I helped her because she…she needed it. As time has passed, we've become close. Nothing more than friendship, mind you."

He tried not to look at Professor Romanov-Snape, who was smirking behind his grandmother, as if she knew a secret.

oOo

May 2, 2008~

"Luna?" John said, knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you okay?"

The toilet flushed, then water running in the sink. Shuffling footsteps approached the door, and then it opened. She sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her bathrobe, and then slid her arms around him, laying her head on his chest with a heavy sigh.

He put his arms around her, hugging her gently, closing his eyes and breathing in the fresh scent of her hair.

"Honey, are you feeling okay? I heard you being sick-"

"I've messed up, John." She sniffed, looking up at him, tears welling up in her blue eyes. "I'm pregnant again. I was so careful, I thought I cast the charm right every time before-"

"Oh, don't fret about it so, dear."

"You're not angry?"

"Why would I be angry, darling?" He said, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "These things happen, you know. Do you know how far along you are?"

Luna thought about it a moment, then held up three fingers.

"Two, three months, I think. I'm pretty sure I've missed three periods." She sighed, burying her face in his chest again. "I swear, I was being careful-"

"No sense in worrying about it." He said, patting her back lovingly. "At least I have plenty of time to reconfigure our living quarters, put in a nursery. It'll keep me out of trouble this summer."

Luna looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes, and sniffed, a smile playing on her lips.

"I love you, John." She said, rising on tiptoe to kiss him.

oOo

June 22, 2008~

Pansy was sitting in the garden in her wheelchair, idly watching the ducks swim along, several of them with ducklings paddling along behind. It was better than sitting in her room, and there were hardly any students around to bother her, most having left for the summer holidays. A slight crunching of gravel on the path warned her that she was no longer alone. With a sigh, she turned to see who was coming down the path.

It was Luna's husband, John Worthington, limping along on his cane.

I forgot that he often takes a walk this time of day, she thought with a sigh. Perhaps he'll just pass by. I'm not in a mood for conversation.

"Good morning, Miss Parkinson." John said as he came nearer, veering toward a bench along the path.

"Good morning, Professor Worthingon." Pansy said politely, though inside she was rather irritated. "Out for your walk?"

"Yes, I am." He said, sitting down on the bench with a sigh of relief. "Two miles, only another two to go. But if I don't sit and rest now, my leg gets to cramping up something fierce before I go another mile."

Looks like I have to be social, Pansy sighed inwardly.

"At least you can walk." She said sourly, regretting it almost immediately. "I mean, you can get out and…well, I-"

He smiled at her indulgently.

"It's not much, my walking." He said softly. "I do what I can, within my limitations. On average, I have to rest pretty often. Some days, I have to just sit down wherever I stop, and use levitation to get back up. Are you still doing therapy?"

She nodded.

"It'll take a while. Don't give up." He said.

"What do you know of it?" Pansy snapped irritably.

"Plenty." John said calmly. "You fell off a pile of rubble, fracturing several vertebrae. I was tortured for two months with cruciatus and Fiendfyre, and nearly lost my leg as well as my mind. I'm not saying that our experiences are the same, but we do have one thing in common, which is a recovery that is long and difficult."

"Luna sent you out here to talk to me, didn't she?" She said.

"Actually, she didn't. You've seen me out here walking every day, about this time, anyway."

She gave a quiet snort of disbelief, turning away from him.

"You're making a huge mistake, though." John said. "You are allowing your disability to limit what you can do. Luna tells me that in therapy, they have you walking with crutches and leg braces. Why aren't you using them?"

"Because I'll fall!" Pansy snapped, unlocking the wheel brakes on her wheelchair and rolling it away from him.

Or, at least she tried to roll away, as it seemed that the wheels wouldn't turn.

She turned back to glare at him silently as he put his wand away.

"Now, where were we?" John said casually, "Oh, and don't bother trying to hex me."

"You can't keep me here."

"It's quite rude to leave like that, especially when I'm trying to help you."

"So she did put you up to this."

"No. I've already told you that she didn't." John said, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "In case you may have forgotten, I was an Auror, and spent many years doing investigations. It's not hard to deduce what's going on with you. I felt the same way when…when I woke up in hospital."

"Felt like what?"

"Hopeless. Crippled. Unworthy." He said softly, taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a sigh. "Luna…she was to me much like Neville is to you. She came to visit me in hospital, again and again, even though I tried my best to shoo her away. I was hateful and vicious to her…but she never gave up on me."

"Neville deserves better than me." Pansy spat, her chin trembling. "I'm useless to him. At least you can work; you can help support your family."

"He does, but he wants you. I can tell from talking to him." John nodded, watching her carefully. "I know that you've told Luna that he's just a friend. But doesn't Neville have the right to decide for himself if he wants to be with you? And how can you say that you can't support yourself?"

"I can't be anything more than a friend to him!" She said miserably, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'd only be a burden. I don't even know-"

She stopped herself, blushing fiercely.

That was close, she thought. I almost said it aloud.

I don't know if I can even have children now. Neville deserves children; he would be such a good father.

I want-

Abruptly she choked off the thought, stifling a sob.

It doesn't matter what I want. I don't deserve him, she reminded herself fiercely. I'm lucky to be alive at all.

"He shouldn't have to put up with me." She said, swiping tears away with her hand. "I'd be nothing more than a burden to him."

"That's what I thought too, that I'd only be a burden to Luna." John said gently. "But she persisted, and that's the best thing that ever happened to me. She gave me hope."

Taking out his wand, he removed the stasis charm on her wheelchair.

"You're free to go." He said, tucking his wand away. "Think about what we've discussed. Luna and I are willing to talk to you, to help you, any time you need us. Don't dismiss Neville as 'only a friend', though. He could be more than that, but he's waiting for you to decide. He won't force you…but remember, he won't wait forever. He shouldn't have to, either."

Pansy sat there next to him, her chin trembling, and her eyes downcast.

"He's good for you, Pansy." John said gently. "Give him a chance. Please."

Abruptly, she fled, as best she could, blindly rolling her wheelchair down the path toward the castle. She didn't stop until she reached her room, where she bolted the door securely, nearly falling out of her wheelchair in her haste.

Grabbing a porcelain unicorn from the bookcase, she flung it with all of her strength at the fireplace, where it exploded in a shower of china fragments. Pansy slumped in her chair, weeping bitterly.

"He's good for me." She muttered, between sobs. "But I'll never be worthy of him."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 39

June 28, 2008~

He was sitting in his armchair, reading The Daily Prophet, when she came in after putting their daughter to bed. He could feel her glaring at him as she passed by; he didn't need to look up. She sat down at the far end of the couch, as far as she could possibly get from him.

He glanced over at her, and she turned her head, picking up a copy of Transfiguration Journal and setting her tea aside to cool. Flipping through the pages of the magazine, she settled on an article to read, her blue eyes scanning the print rapidly.

Well, at least she didn't throw her tea at me, John sighed.

"Are you ever going to talk to me?" He asked, half-dreading the answer.

"There's nothing to say." Luna snapped.

"Alright, then." He sighed. "You know, that would make more sense if it wasn't upside down."

With a glare at him, she turned the magazine over, her cheeks reddening.

"I knew that!" She hissed.

This isn't going well, he thought, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"Luna, I can only say I'm sorry so many times-"

"Well, you're not apologizing to the right people, then." She fumed, slapping the magazine down on the couch. "Pansy won't come out of her room, and she's not speaking to anyone. Neville thinks it's something he said or did. You started all of this; you should be the one to fix it."

"For Merlin's sake, all I did was talk to her about the situation, tell her what I thought she needed to do-"

"All well and good, but what if she's not ready to take your advice? Did you even think about that?"

"Luna, I was just trying to help her." He sighed. "I meant no harm."

"You upset her."

"So what should I do, coddle her?" He snapped. "Tell her everything is fine, that it's alright for her to draw into a shell, to shut everyone out?"

"That's exactly what she did, thanks to your interference." Luna shot back.

"All I did was tell her what I saw happening with her." John sighed. "She's doing the same things to Neville that-"

"What? Go on."

"…that I did to you." He said softly, rising from his seat on the couch. "Just like she's doing to Neville, I shut you out. By Merlin…"

"What is it?"

He looked down at her, and then picked up his cane.

"Excuse me, dear." He said gently. "I need to talk to someone. I should be back in an hour or so."

oOo

"Coming, coming." Neville sighed, wiping his hands on a dish towel. Tossing it next to the sink, he quickly made his way through the sitting room to his door. Opening it, he blinked.

John Worthington stood there, with a paper bag, leaning on his cane.

"Mind if I come in?" He asked, holding the bag out to Neville.

"Um…no, Sir, come in. Would you like tea?"

John limped over to the couch and sat down with a sigh.

"No, Neville, just get us a couple of glasses and pour us each a shot." He said, leaning his cane against the couch.

"Um…Sir, I'm not much of a drinker-"

"Neither am I, Neville." John smiled. "We don't need much. But we do need to have a talk."

Producing two glasses, Neville uncorked the bottle of firewhiskey and poured two fingers in each glass. Stoppering the bottle, he handed one to John.

"What's this about, then?" The younger man asked nervously, rolling the firewhiskey around in his glass carefully.

"Pansy."

"Ah. She's angry with me, I fear-"

"She's not angry at you, Neville." John said softly, taking a sip of firewhiskey. "She's put out with me because I had a talk to her. I tend to say things in a rather blunt way, and I may have hurt her feelings. I'm sorry that I fouled things up for you."

"Well, I don't see how you did that-"

"It's beside the point. You need to go talk to Pansy, and soon."

"I've tried." Neville sighed. "She won't open her door when I knock. She won't return my floo calls. I don't know what to do."

"Neville, forgive me if I'm blunt in my manner of speaking, but she believes that you don't want her."

"But I-"

"Hear me out." John said calmly, holding up his hand. "She believes that she'd be nothing but a burden to you, that you deserve better than her."

Neville squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, cheeks reddening as he stared into his firewhiskey.

"What was more interesting was what she didn't say." The older man said softly, taking another sip of his drink. "Neville, do you only want a friendship with Pansy? Or do you want more than that?"

"You used Legilimency on her!" Neville said abruptly, nearly spilling his drink.

"No need for that, she was fairly shouting her thoughts at me, until she caught herself doing that and put up her occlumency shields. All I did, Neville, was passively open my mind to catch any stray thoughts of hers. Hardly an intrusion."

"Still, I-"

"Answer the question, Neville." John said firmly, looking at the younger man hard. "Do you want something more with Pansy than friendship?"

After a moment of hesitation, Neville nodded.

"I…didn't think she wanted such with me." He said softly, and then took a sip of his firewhiskey, grimacing as it burned its way down his throat. "She's always been so hateful to me, and then after…she was hurt…well, I just couldn't help myself, I had to help her. There was nobody else willing to-"

"I know, Neville." John nodded. "You're a good man, just the kind of man that she needs most."

"I…I can't talk to her."

"You need to, and soon." John said, leaning forward.

oOo

July 19, 2008~

She sat bolt upright in bed, wide awake.

Someone was in the sitting room. As she lay there in the bed, half-frozen in fear, she heard movement, then a crash of something being knocked over.

Fumbling for her wand, Pansy slid from the bed to the floor, struggling to at least get to the bathroom. She pulled herself with her elbows and hands across the rug, her wand pointed at the door with a trembling hand.

They've found me, she thought in blind panic. The other Death Eaters, the ones who survived, they're here to finish the job.

Readying her wand, she grabbed hold of the bed, pulling herself up, hand over hand.

My wheelchair-where did I leave it?

Fumbling along the foot board of the bed in the dark bedroom, she tried to remember.

It wasn't on the side of the bed that I got up from, I know that. It must be on the other side, obviously.

In the end, it was a wrinkled up spot in the rug at the foot of her bed that was her undoing. As she came around the foot of the bed, struggling to pull herself around to where she believed her wheelchair to be, her still numb foot caught on the wrinkle, tripping her. As she fell, she heard a snap.

Oh, Merlin, please don't let it be…

She felt along her wand.

It was neatly broken in two, held together only by the unicorn hair core.

I'm dead, she thought in horror. I didn't do well with wandless magic, I never have. I can do little spells, like Accio and Alohomora, but nothing that I could defend myself with.

She looked around her for a weapon, anything she could use, listening intently for movement in the sitting room just outside her door. Nothing could be heard. As she searched for something to use, she glanced over at the fireplace in her room.

A lonely coal glowed faintly in the ashes, the remains of the small fire she'd built for her to chase the chill away.

"Accio floo powder." She whispered, holding her hand out to catch the small bowl as it sailed toward her. Taking a handful, she gently sprinkled it on the burning coal as she blew gently on it, coaxing a flame out of it.

"Neville Longbottom." She said softly. "Neville, are you there?"

Nothing.

"Please, Neville, answer me." She whispered frantically, trembling with fear, "Please wake up-"

"Hrm…Hello?" Neville said, his ghostly green face in the flames thin and difficult to see at all. He covered his mouth and yawned. "Who is this…do you know what time it is?"

"Neville, it's Pansy." She whispered, pausing to listen. "I think there's someone in my sitting room."

Neville's face blinked, then he rubbed his eyes.

"I'll be right there." He said, sounding more awake now. She could see him shrugging into his bathrobe.

"Step aside, I'm coming through." Neville said.

She crawled as best she could away from the fireplace, moving out of the way just in time for him to step out of the floo, brushing the ash off of himself. Holding his wand at the ready, he knelt beside her.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, wand pointed at the door to the sitting room.

Pansy nodded, her eyes wide with fright.

"Stay right here." He said softly, rising and moving to the door.

Jerking the door open, he quickly moved into the sitting room, closing the door behind him and warding it. Pansy reached up and grabbed the poker from the fireplace, holding it before her like a sword as she sat on the floor, listening intently.

Footsteps approached her door, and then it opened. She cringed away from it, unsure of who might come in, hoping it would only be Neville.

"Lumos." Neville said, pointing his wand at the candles on her bedside table. "I have apprehended your burglar, Pansy."

"You did?" She gasped, lowering the poker. "But…I didn't hear anything."

"It appears that it was a cat burglar." Neville smiled, opening his bathrobe to show her a tiny, bedraggled black kitten, with a white left ear. "Or more properly, perhaps a kitten burglar. Do you happen to have any milk in your fridge?"

The kitten looked up at Neville and meowed pitifully.

Patsy put the poker back, her hand shaking, sighing heavily with relief.

A kitten, of all things, she thought. I must have been dreaming, and it made a noise out in the sitting room.

"I…I think there's some cream in the fridge, perhaps." She said, pulling herself back up to a sitting position. "I'm just going to sit here a moment, until I'm over my fright."

"Alright then." He left the room. Pansy could hear him in the kitchen, dishes clinking gently as he found a saucer and put some cream in it for the kitten, talking softly to it as he put the dish down for it to drink.

After a few minutes, he came back to her room, pausing to retrieve her dressing gown from the foot of her bed and coming over to her.

"Here, put this on." Neville said. "Would you like me to freshen up your fire? You must be freezing-"

"Neville, I fell." She said softly, holding up the remains of her wand. "I broke it. I'm so sorry-"

The wand that he bought for me, she thought miserably, as tears welled up in her eyes. She shut her eyes tightly to shut everything out, to disappear in her shame.

Then she felt his arms go around her, his embrace gentle and comforting, causing her tears to flow freely down her cheeks.

"It…It's alright, Pansy." He murmured into her hair. "We'll get you another wand."

"You…you can't Neville!" She protested. "You've spent virtually everything you have trying to help me with the lawsuits, you can't afford a new wand for me. I was clumsy and I broke it, I'm just going to have to go without!"

"Pansy." Neville said softly, lifting her chin to look at her. "I'll spend the last knut I have if it means that you would be happy again."

"No, Neville. You can't-" Pansy sobbed, grabbing him by his bathrobe. "I won't allow you to let me drag you down-"

"Nonsense. What if you're what I want?"

"Neville…no…" She whispered, burying her face in his chest.

"Pansy, look at me."

"No."

"Please?"

Hesitantly she raised her head, her eyes reluctantly meeting his.

"I promised you that I'd always be here for you, didn't I?" Neville said softly. "I keep my promises, Pansy. I love you."

She shook her head in disbelief, hardly noticing that her hands were knotting themselves even more firmly in his bathrobe.

"You can't, Neville." She sobbed, fresh tears springing forth. "You know as well as I do that I could be sued again, that it may never stop-"

"I'm willing to accept that, if I can be with you, Pansy."

"But…I was so mean to you…"

"Water under the bridge. You're not that person anymore, and I rather like the woman that you've become. You're strong, resilient, kind, gentle, intelligent-"

"Would you hush?" She said suddenly, covering his mouth with her hand as she blushed fiercely.

He worked his way free of her hand, and then grinned at her.

"There's only one way to hush me." He said, and then before she could react, he kissed her. A gentle, chaste kiss, but a kiss nevertheless, that was followed by another, and then another.

She was surprised to find her arms winding around his neck, her lips moving on his as she sought more contact.

Merlin, he's a good kisser, she thought, coming to her senses and breaking the kiss, leaving them both panting.

"We…shouldn't have done that." She said quietly, turning her head away as she blushed.

"I think it was a fine thing to do." He said, gently caressing her back with one hand as he held her to him. "I meant what I said, Pansy. I do love you."

"You're a fool, Neville Longbottom." She said, struggling to make it insulting, but instead it came out with little heat, sounding more like a compliment.

Neville smiled.

"Shall I carry you over to the bed?" He asked, sliding his arms under her to scoop her up, easily picking her up with ease.

Pansy nodded shyly.

Neville walked over to the bed, gently setting her down, and pulling the duvet back up to cover her. Taking his wand out, he rebuilt the fire and set the floo powder where she could reach it. He walked back to the bed, leaning down to kiss her again.

"Will you be alright for the rest of the night?" He asked softly. "Or do you need anything?"

Pansy looked at him for a long moment, and then patted the empty space beside her in the bed.

"Just one thing, Neville." She said gently. "I need my fool, right here."

He hesitated for a moment, and then when she patted the bed again, moved around to the empty side as she threw back the duvet.

"Um…Pansy?" He said awkwardly.

"Yes, Neville?"

"I…I'm only wearing boxers under this robe."

"So, take off the robe and get in the bed, Neville." She said softly, giving him a smile. "I think…we should take things slowly, for now. But I'd like you to hold me…I think I could sleep that way."

"Alright, then." He said, untying the sash of his robe and tossing it over the foot of the bed.

Blushing, he lay down on the bed, pulling the duvet up to his chest as he rolled onto his side facing her. She rolled facing away from him, sighing in contentment as she felt his warmth on her back.

"Big spoon, little spoon." Pansy murmured absently.

"What?" Neville said softly, raising his head to look at her, confused.

"You're the big spoon to my little spoon." She said, reaching over to take hold of his arm, pulling it around her to place his hand just under her breast, intertwining her fingers with his.

It was later, when she felt him relax, his breathing deepening in sleep, that she finally started to feel safe again.

"I love you too, Neville." She whispered softly, closing her eyes.

oOo

Something was tickling her nose.

Pansy screwed up her face, batting at whatever it was, nearly knocking the kitten off the bed.

"Oh dear!" She said, "Accio kitten!"

Catching it in her hand, she tried to put it as close as she could to where it had been curled up next to her. After a moment, it began to purr. She rolled slightly to her left, looking over at Neville, who had rolled onto his back and was still sound asleep, snoring lightly.

He loves me, she thought to herself as she watched him sleep. The very idea of it terrifies me.

She rolled onto her tummy, propping herself up on a pillow. The kitten carefully climbed up on her back, cautiously making its way over to the warm spot right between them.

I think I love him, she thought as the kitten snuggled into her side, yawning widely. That terrifies me, too. He's such a good man, so gentle and kind, so strong…

Neville's eyes fluttered, opening slowly as he yawned, and then focusing on her face.

"Good morning." Pansy said softly.

"Good morning." He said, smiling a bit. "I see that I forgot to close the bedroom door to keep your cat burglar out."

"She's fine."

"She?"

"Yes, Neville, she." Pansy smirked. "I looked."

"How did you sleep?" He said, reaching over to twine his fingers in hers.

"Very well. You?"

"I slept alright. I'm not…I'm used to sleeping alone."

"It's okay, Neville." She said shyly. "I…haven't been with anyone since just after graduation."

"Well, I'm not a virgin."

"Neither am I." She said, and then frowned slightly, blushing.

"What's the matter?"

"I…need to talk to you about a few things, Neville." She said softly, chewing on her lip nervously. "It…it isn't that I wouldn't want to…with you…but I'm not sure how well it would work…"

He began to say something, and then thought better of it, deciding to just hear her out.

"I definitely haven't been with anyone since the accident, when I was injured." She continued, her voice unsteady. "I…I don't know how well things work…down there…I mean…I'm just not sure…"

Swiping away a tear with the back of her hand, she sniffed.

Merlin, why does this have to be so difficult? She sighed miserably.

"I just don't know if I can…be a good girlfriend, wife, lover, whatever we decide this is."

"I can be patient." He said, gently squeezing her hand. "As I told you, I love you. I've gotten kind of used to your company, and I like it. I'd like to keep on with this, if you don't mind. We don't have to go any faster than you wish; in fact, that's probably for the best. One day at a time."

She couldn't speak. For a moment, all she could do was look at him, her vision blurry with tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. Finally, she nodded.

"Let's do just that, then." She whispered.

oOo

August 17, 2008~

"Come in!" Pansy called out when the knock came at her door. As the door opened, Nina shot past her mother, looking for the kitten. Ana sighed at her daughter's impulsiveness as she and Luna walked in, three boxes floating in behind the younger witch.

"Hello, Pansy," Luna said cheerfully, lowering the boxes to the floor with her wand, then sitting down on the couch with a weary sigh. Tucking her wand behind her ear, she absently rubbed her swollen belly through her teaching robes.

"Luna, do you need anything to drink? Tea?" Pansy said, rising from her seat, positioning her crutches under her arms.

"I'll put the kettle on, Pansy." Ana said, patting her on the arm as she walked past her toward the kitchen.

"Thank you, Professor." Pansy sighed, sitting back down again. "I made tea sandwiches; they're in the fridge, and there are biscuits in the pantry.

"Miss Pansy, where is Nox?" Nina asked, leaning on the armrest of Pansy's chair.

"Heavens, I don't know." Pansy said gently. "She's probably hiding under the couch, or under my bed. You need to be calmer, sweetheart. She's just a baby, and you frighten her when you run after her."

Nina frowned, and then nodded.

"I'll just sit down here on the rug by the fireplace." She said, doing just that. "She'll come to me then."

"She probably will, if you're quiet enough." Luna said gently, smiling at her.

Ana came in, bringing a tray of tea sandwiches, along with some biscuits. Setting it on the coffee table, she turned to Luna.

"Do you want me to take those clothes to Pansy's bedroom?" She said to the younger witch. "That way you won't have to get up, you can rest."

"I'm only pregnant, Ana." Luna sighed. "I'm not fragile."

"All the same, I'm standing and you've already sat down." Ana said, then turned to Pansy. "Pansy, where do you want me to put these boxes?"

"Probably the closet would be best." Pansy said, thinking about it.

As the last box trailed along behind Ana into her bedroom, Pansy's eyes widened.

Oh, Merlin, she thought in horror. I hope she doesn't notice any of Neville's things-

"Professor Romanov-Snape!" She called out anxiously, turning in her chair. "Never mind putting them in the closet; I need to sort through it, try the clothes on first."

"Alright, I'll just set them at the foot of the bed." Ana's voice drifted out to her.

After a few moments, the Potions Mistress walked back into the sitting room, carrying Nox. Setting the kitten in Nina's lap carefully, she went to the kitchen, where the kettle had begun to whistle. Nina gently began petting the kitten, talking to it softly.

"So how are things?" Luna said, raising an eyebrow at Pansy.

"Fine." Pansy said nervously. "Things are fine. How about you?"

"Five months along." Her friend said with a sigh. "Little Ian is very active. I'm lucky to get two straight hours of sleep. He's a terrible night owl."

"Is Elizabeth excited to have a brother on the way?" Pansy asked as Ana set the tea service on the coffee table and began to pour.

"I'm not sure she really understands, but she seems happy enough with it."

Ana sat down next to Luna on the couch, stirring a couple of lumps of sugar into her tea. Pansy looked over at the Potions Mistress nervously, and nearly came undone when Ana smirked and winked at her.

Merlin's beard, she cringed. She knows. She saw Neville's robe in the bathroom, or worse…

"Pansy," Ana said casually, "I brought some materials for you from Beauxbartons, regarding the scholarship. I left them on your little desk in your bedroom, for you to look at."

"Thank you, Professor." She said, her mouth feeling rather dry. She picked up her cup and took a cautious sip of her tea.

"I'm happy to help you, dear." Ana smiled. "I see things are going well for you lately. That's wonderful…Neville seems in a very good humor lately, also. Must be something in the air."

Oh, gods, Pansy sighed. She knows.

"I…truly appreciate it, Professor." Pansy smiled, certain that her cheeks were quite red by now. "I've been looking at different colleges in the area, trying to decide."

"Good." Ana nodded. "There's no restriction on where you can use the scholarship; I made that a condition when it was founded. I didn't want someone who was in need to be limited to only one, or a few schools."

"So, how is therapy going?" Luna said, picking up a cucumber sandwich. "I see you're using the crutches and leg braces again. I thought you didn't like them."

"Well, I didn't," Pansy replied, "But I'm never going to walk again just sitting in a wheel chair. Neville got me a wand to replace the one that I broke when I fell, so I put cushioning charms on just about everything, even all of the floors."

"But you're walking again, even if it's with crutches." Ana smiled. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you, Pansy."

Later on, as they were leaving, Ana was the last out, turning to Pansy at the door and giving her a warm hug.

"As I said, I'm very happy for you," She whispered in Pansy's ear. "Both of you. Mind you don't keep my Assistant Professor up too late, dear."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 40

September 8, 2008~

"Mind if I join you for a while?"

Startled, Pansy looked up, having been engrossed in her book. Severus Snape stood towering over her, one eyebrow raised in inquiry.

"No…of course not, Professor Snape." She said, moving her crutches over to make room on the bench.

"I see that you seem to be getting around well." He observed as he sat down with a weary sigh.

"Yes, the crutches are much better than the wheelchair." Pansy nodded, tucking her bookmark in her textbook to mark her place. "You seem tired, sir."

"I am. Business is booming in my shops." He sighed. "When I am home, my time to rest is limited by the adoration of my children and my lovely wife; that makes for little rest for me. I scarcely have time to keep up on my studies myself. What are you reading?"

"Beckett's Stewardship of Magical Creatures." She said, showing him the cover. "It's the textbook for my 1st year classes."

"So you finally did decide to attend college?" Severus asked, watching a motley squadron of third-years on their brooms above the Quiddich field in the distance.

"Yes...I allowed Professor Romanov-Snape, Luna, and Professor Longbottom to talk me into graduate school at Beauxbatons. I'm majoring in Care of Magical Creatures for now."

"Pansy, please, you may call her Ana if you wish." He said gently. "You're no longer her student, and I am no longer a professor. I would rather you call me Severus."

"I…I'm sorry, Sir. I called you Professor for so long, it's difficult to change."

"I understand, my dear."

For a long time, they sat quietly on the bench, Pansy reading her book. Butterflies and birds flitted around the garden as the water in the pond lapped at the shore near where they sat. Snape closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax as he listened to the birds singing.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Pansy?" Severus said, opening his eyes as he turned his head to look at her.

"How…how do you deal with it?" She blurted, blushing and looking at her feet.

"I don't follow you."

"Well, you know," Pansy said nervously, "How people treated you, after the war. The insults, throwing things-"

"I pay them no mind, dear. I did what I had to do, what I was asked to do by Headmaster Dumbledore. I did what was necessary to accomplish our goal—the defeat of the Dark Lord."

Turning to her, he studied her for a moment, and then with a sigh, he continued.

"You're not still upset about your trip to Hogsmeade last weekend with Luna and Ana, are you?"

Pansy hesitated, and then nodded, biting her lip.

"I…I never had anyone throw something like that at me, Sir." She said, shuddering at the memory of how close the rotten cabbage had come to hitting her in the head, or the sound it made as it hit the stone wall of Rosemerta's.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to people hating me." She went on, looking over at him, her fingers nervously toying with her bookmark. "I know that I wasn't that well liked in school, but this is different. More personal. They are so…vicious."

"Pansy, it will take a while for people to forget." Snape said gently. "You can't live in fear of their little tantrums. It was over with quickly, correct?"

"Yes, Sir." She nodded. "After Luna cast protego on us, Professor Rom…um, I mean, Ana chewed them out good after she cast body-bind on them. It was pretty scary for a little bit."

"I'm sure she terrified them quite thoroughly." He smiled.

"Oh, she certainly did." Pansy smiled back, and then turned more serious. "Sorry, Sir-Severus. I suppose I shouldn't take so much delight in their getting chewed out."

"Nonsense. After all, you are of Slytherin house." Snape said gently, shifting on the bench to face her. "We don't provoke trouble, yet it always seems to find us. Don't worry; we will protect you from them until they stop. You have a loyal defender in my dear wife; she will keep you safe."

"I have Neville, too." She said softly, glancing at the book in her lap.

"Yes, you do." He nodded. "He's a good man, Pansy. He will take good care of you."

"Professor-um, sorry, Severus…" Pansy said, picking at thread protruding from the binding of her book, "Um, I-do you know Neville's grandmother?"

"I do." He nodded. "Don't fear her, my dear. Augusta's bark is far worse than her bite."

"Well, I've only met her the one time." Pansy replied nervously, fighting the temptation to look behind her, to make sure that Neville's grandmother wasn't coming up behind her.

"I heard."

"She seemed pleasant enough, but it was like being questioned by the Aurors. No, worse."

Snape smiled, brushing a speck of lint from his black robes.

"Trust me, it's not a problem." He said, patting his former student's hand reassuringly.

"It's not?" Pansy said uneasily. "It was the most unpleasant hour of my life."

"She would have run you off, or left within fifteen minutes, if she didn't like you, Pansy."

"Merlin." Pansy sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I hope it gets easier after this."

"It will." Severus said, rising to leave her. "She's a bit abrasive, but she has Neville's best interests at heart. When I spoke to her last, she seemed in very good spirits about it."

"She…she approves?" Pansy said, feeling rather lightheaded all of a sudden.

"Of course." He said, smiling at her. "Otherwise she would have run you off. As I said, she's rather protective of her grandson. Ana and I have talked with her a few times, vouched for your good character, so to speak."

"I…" Pansy said softly, "I owe you my thanks, then."

"It was our pleasure to help you and Neville." He replied. "All we did was voice our honest opinion of you."

oOo

October 4, 2008~

She lay in their bed, listening to the sounds the castle made, the ticking of the clock in the sitting room, the wind moving past their windows. Nestled against the warmth of Neville's body, Pansy still could not sleep, though they had retired to bed some three hours ago.

"Knut for your thoughts, my darling." Neville murmured drowsily, placing a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder, causing her to shiver slightly.

"Insufferable Gryffindor." She sighed contentedly, smiling in spite of herself. "Just go back to sleep, would you?"

"I would, but my beloved cannot." He said, drawing her closer into his embrace and kissing her forehead. "So, tell me. What's got you so restless tonight?"

"Nothing, really." She shrugged. "Just not feeling sleepy. That's all."

"Really. Sure you don't want to talk?"

"Neville, it's nearly two in the morning. You have to teach class in six hours."

"And you have to attend class in France in seven hours." Neville said softly. "What's bothering you? You're not fooling me, you know."

Nervously, she fidgeted with a button on her nightgown, not looking at him.

"Pansy." He said, ducking his head down so he could look at her better. "Look at me."

She shook her head, fighting back the tears as she put her forehead against his chest.

"It's not about what happened earlier, is it?" He prodded gently. "I'm not upset, really I'm not. We knew things might not be that easy to begin with-"

"But it's been several weeks of it, Neville!" She snapped in frustration, tears spilling down her cheeks, her chin trembling. "I want you to make love to me, to have you inside me, to love you-"

"Pansy, it's alright." He gently shushed her, kissing her forehead again. "It's just a minor bump in the road. I'm always going to be here for you, through good and bad times both."

"But I can't be a good woman to you-"

"You are a good woman to me, darling. You are the only woman I want, ever."

She bit her lip, burying her face in his broad chest, shaking with her sobs as he hugged her.

"I want to marry you." He said softly. "I want you as my wife."

She froze, her breath catching in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, not daring to even so much as think of such a thing.

It would all fall apart, she thought, trembling despite his strong arms around her. I don't dare dream it could happen, I don't deserve it. It would just be snatched away from me-

"Pansy?" He said softly.

"No, Neville." She whispered, shaking her head. "I don't want your name tainted with mine."

"Pansy." He said sharply, startling her. "Look at me."

Hesitantly, she did so, her wide gray eyes searching his. Gentle hazel eyes met hers as he looked down at her.

"THAT is enough of such nonsense. I love you. I want you to be my wife." He said gently, yet with a firm resolve behind it. "Your name does not 'taint' mine, and I will have no more talk of such. I would be honored to have you as my wife."

"But we couldn't-"

"It's alright, love." He sighed, rubbing her back with his hand. "We got farther this time than the last few times. You just get frustrated too easily, and that makes everything more difficult for you."

"I just want you to be happy, to be able to finish…" She whispered miserably, fresh tears springing up in her eyes.

"I am happy. I have the woman I love in my arms every night, and that is what makes me happy."

She sniffed back her tears, wiping them away with one hand, and then pulled him down to kiss her again. When they broke the kiss, she smiled shyly at him, biting her lip slightly for a moment as her fingers fiddled nervously with his t-shirt.

"I want to try again, Neville." She said in an unsteady whisper, pulling his lips down to hers.

oOo

October 6, 2008~

"Hello, Pansy."

She looked up from her textbook, startled to see Ana leaning over her table in the library.

"Oh! Hello, Professor." She stammered, taking her wand out and vanishing the smear of ink on her parchment. She'd been deeply engrossed in her revising, so much so that she hadn't realized how late it was, nearly time for dinner. She began to put her books and parchment away in her bag.

"I just happened to come in to speak to my mother-in-law," Ana said, sitting down, "and noticed you were still here. It's nice to see that you are still such a diligent student, but you don't want to miss dinner."

"Yes, ma'am." Pansy nodded.

"Oh…I received an owl yesterday from Professor LeDoux, Pansy." The Potions professor said softly, idly tapping the table with a black-gloved finger.

Oh, dear, Pansy thought, her mouth suddenly rather dry. Oh, my stars, this is bad…

"Professor, I can explain-"

"Please, do, by all means."

"I…I…overslept." Pansy said quickly, blushing now. "Neville…he, um…we were up late, talking-"

"Oh, please stop." Ana sighed, waving to her with a gloved hand in dismissal. "I know that you and Neville are living together. That's not much of a secret, except perhaps from the students. Merlin knows, Severus and I lived together for nearly a year."

"Well, he didn't wake me when he left to teach class." The younger woman said softly, blushing fiercely. "We…well, I…um-"

"Just don't let it happen again, dear." Ana said gently, patting her hand as she got up from her chair. "I'll smooth things over with Professor LeDoux-"

"We had a breakthrough, of sorts." Pansy whispered, blushing even more deeply.

Ana paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. As she realized what Pansy was hinting at, she smiled gently at her former student, nodding in understanding.

"Good for you." She said warmly, and then held her gloved hand out to Pansy. "I'm so happy for you, dear. Shall we go to dinner?"

oOo

November 10, 2008~

"It's an awful name to saddle a young boy with."

"Oh, stop being so grumpy." Ana said as she neatly finished wrapping a gift for the baby shower. "John and Luna wanted to honor you. Besides, it's only his middle name."

"Ian Severus." Snape muttered darkly, swirling his firewhiskey in its glass as he sat in his armchair, holding the October issue of Potions Monthly loosely in his other hand, one slender finger marking his place. "Poor lad."

"Severus, stop being so grumpy about it."

"I just don't see why they feel the need to do this."

"In their eyes, you are a loyal friend, mentor, and war hero."

"Nonsense." He muttered darkly, taking another sip of firewhiskey. "I was a pawn in the game, a mere tool to be manipulated by the powers that were."

"You are a hero." Ana snapped, banging the scissors down on the table hard enough to splinter the wood. "I will have none of this! Я не буду стоять в стороне и позволять никому, включая вас, чтобы запятнать свое доброе имя-"

"Darling," Severus said softly, "Mind, the children are right here in the sitting room."

Ana paused, startled, and then clapped her hand to her mouth, turning away from him and the three children. Marcus sat very still, obviously pretending not to have heard her outburst, next to Fiona, a book still open in his hands as they sat together on the magical play rug. While her youngest daughter was watching her closely, her eyes wide, Nina was sitting on the couch, pretending very hard to be completely absorbed in reading a first year potions textbook.

"Ana?"

She turned to look at him, her tears streaming down her cheeks, blushing.

"I…I'm sorry." Ana sniffed, "I forgot myself, I-"

"It's alright, dear." He said gently, setting his magazine aside and rising from his chair, crossing the room to her to hug her.

"I…I just can't stand it when you talk that way about yourself." She sobbed, knotting her hands in his white dress shirt. "You know how it upsets me."

"Mama?"

They turned at one to see Fiona toddling over toward them, arms outstretched to her mother. Ana swiped her tears away with her hand, then bent down and scooped up her tiny daughter, who promptly began to finger her French braid.

"Oh no, you don't." Ana laughed, pulling her wand out to cast a charm to protect it from being unraveled. "I'm wise to you, missy."

"Mum, will you teach me how to speak Russian, too?" Marcus said, looking up at her.

"Of course, darling." She smiled.

oOo

January 4, 2009~

"Who gives this woman to be married?" Minerva McGonagall said, looking out at the small group of people.

"I do." Severus Snape said, feeling Pansy's fingers tighten nervously on his forearm. He could feel her trembling as she fought to remain standing, having stubbornly refused to use her crutches. He made a subtle motion with his hand, casting a levitation spell to take some of the strain off of her unsteady legs, the bride looking up at him with a smile of gratitude.

Carefully, he moved out of the way so that Neville could take her arm.

"I'll maintain the levitation charm, until you wish to use your crutches, dear." Snape whispered. Pansy shook her head.

"Just have them handy at the reception, please." Pansy whispered back. "Thank you, Sir."

Severus nodded, and once he was sure Neville was supporting her, moved to his seat next to Ana in the front row. Once he had sat down, intertwining his fingers with Ana's, his wife had leaned over to him.

"Being stubborn again, is she?" Ana whispered, her breath tickling his ear gently as Minerva began the ceremony.

Severus nodded.

"You did well giving away the bride." She smirked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "You shouldn't have any problem at all when Nina gets married in the next ten years or so."

"Hold your tongue." He hissed, earning another smirk from her.

oOo

August 3, 2009~

"I now pronounce you man and wife." Headmistress McGonagall said, her grey eyes twinkling. "You may kiss your bride."

Lifting the ivory veil, John leaned down and kissed Luna as she stood on tiptoe, her feet bare on the grass.

Seven year old Marcus Snape tugged at the uncomfortable high collar of his shirt, the pillow that had held the wedding rings tucked under his arm. He badly wanted to take off the suit and shirt, but a glance at his mother reminded him that he still had to behave a bit longer. Glancing over at the flower girl, he was surprised to see her stick her tongue out at him.

Elizabeth was happy that her mum and dad were married now, though it seemed silly to her, all this ceremony. She glanced up at her parents, they had finished their kissing, and now the old lady was saying some more words, and it seemed that things were over, but no, there was more talking to do. She really didn't care; she badly needed to go to the loo. Squeezing her thighs together, she looked past her mum and dad, spotting the tall black haired boy. He was smirking at her. With a glance at her mum to make sure she wouldn't be caught, she then stuck her tongue out at him, making her ugliest face at him. That would show him.

After the wedding cake was cut, and she had had two pieces-one that Mummy had given her, and one that she filched when Mum wasn't looking-she sat in a chair, listening to the grownups talk. Boring, she thought, stifling a yawn. The ringbearer, Marcus-he'd been introduced as her Aunt Ana and Uncle Severus's son-seemed bored too, but she didn't care about him. He looked half asleep, having eaten his fill of tea sandwiches and cake. Waiting for the moment when Mummy and Daddy were busy talking, she quietly slipped away, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't followed as she made her way to her favorite place; the lake.

She felt it slide down the back of her dress, all wet and slimy and icky. With a shriek, Elizabeth spun around, her red hair whipping around as she confronted her tormentor; her hands connecting with his chest as she blindly shoved him backward. Her heart leaped in terror as she realized her mistake; his back had been toward the lake, and she stumbled forward against him as they both fell toward the murky water. The boy shoved her roughly back toward the bank, causing her to sit down hard in the muck, just as he disappeared under the water in a swirl of bubbles.

She sat there in the mud, horrified, staring at the inky water, the rapidly approaching footsteps only dimly registering on her consciousness.

I killed him. She thought. The frog that Marcus had put down her dress, now finally free, hopped off unnoticed.

"Elizabeth! Are you alright?" Her daddy said, turning her to face him.

With a trembling finger, she pointed at the water, at the few bubbles that remained.

"Marcus." She whispered, trembling.

As her mother came up to take her in reassuring arms, her daddy shucked his robes, diving into the water.

Elizabeth trembled worse than ever as she watched.

I'm in trouble now, she thought, tears welling up in her eyes as she began to sob against her mother's wedding gown. Now I've ruined everything.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's notes:

"Я не буду стоять в стороне и позволять никому, включая вас, чтобы запятнать свое доброе имя-" : "I will not stand by and allow anyone, including you, to sully your good name-"