I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

Dudley looked around, screaming his head off and thrashing wildly, screaming as loud as his lungs could manage. He didn't know who this man was, not until another man approached him and called him 'my lord'. His eyes widened as he continued to scream his lungs out in writhing pain as he was subjected to more of the Cruciatus curse. This snake-looking freak was Voldemort, he realized, even though he wasn't the sharpest tack in the box.

"Cruccio," Voldemort and three Death Eaters said in unison, and Dudley's agonized screaming and writhing reached new heights previously unfounded by any other Muggle.

"Help me!" Dudley screamed for all he was worth as he wet himself and the light gradually died from his eyes.

"Noo!" Harry woke up screaming loudly, covered in cold sweat, jerking upright.

"Harry," Severus soothed as he raced into the teen's bedroom, rushing to the shaking Gryffindor to bring him into his arms. "Harry, it's alright. It was just a nightmare."

"Dudley," Harry gasped, still breathless. Ron and the rest of the Weasley boys were right behind the Professor, and had stopped in the doorway in shock at what the 'greasy git' was doing. "Dudley."

"He's alright," Severus said calmly. "Would you like me to get him as proof?"

"No," Harry gasped, knowing that his Potions Professor was his lifeline right now. "Stay. Please, stay, I don't – I can't do this…"

"Hush," Severus snapped. "Weasley – I don't care which – get me the Muggle a few doors down and bring him here. With the racket Potter was making I doubt he was asleep."

Charlie nodded as he went to get the large boy for his former teacher. Molly and Arthur were away on Order business, and had left the care of the children in Percy's hands. Charlie, however, was enraged at his younger brother's attempts at trying to get his four other younger siblings into joining the Ministry of Magic, and had brought them to Professor Snape to get them all away. He had, of course, gotten his mentor's permission during the Order meeting two nights prior.

Severus' thoughts were intervened at that point as Charlie returned with his oldest ward, and the second ward left his arms and went to embrace his cousin. Dudley, who was still trying to get used to being civil with Harry, was extremely groggy and confused at his cousin's outburst of affection, but put two and two together as he took notice of his guardian sitting on Harry's bed leaning onto his legs wearily.

"Sh, it's okay, Harry," Dudley soothed. "You're alright, it was just a dream, tough guy."

"No, Dudley," Harry sobbed. "They – you haven't seen – him – have you?"

"N-no," Dudley said taken aback, and Severus' head snapped up immediately, realizing the severity of the situation. Kiru's defenses were either failing or he realized that Harry was having nightmares in fear. "H-harry, it's alright. I'm fine, nobody's coming after me, I'm a Muggle, I did nothing to them."

"Wrong, Dudley," Severus said quietly. "I was given orders by Dumbledore to protect the two of you for a reason. I would be the first to know if the two of you were in danger, I can assure you, and should something like that hatch in the Dark Lord's mind, I will use everything in my power to keep you safe since you are the only one that can protect Harry with his mother's blood wards."

"Oh," Dudley said, not fully comprehending what he'd said, but knowing it was just best to know that his guardians would protect him as best they could until this huge mess his cousin was in would be over. He sighed, rubbing Harry's still sweat-soaked back, and holding his thin frame up to his own now-muscular one.

Severus smirked. It had taken him two years, but he'd finally gotten the two sons of the Evans sisters to get along, and they now both knew the full extent of the danger they were in. They also knew how vital it was that they stay together and act as a team, especially with Kiru and Hermione's uncanny abilities to help them in any given time that he could not. Luckily for Harry, Severus had just gotten back from a Death Eater meeting and was already awake and still dressed when he'd screamed at the end of his nightmare.

"Potter," Severus finally said. "In your dream – what was happening? What did you see?"

"I – Dudley," Harry answered, and his cousin's eyes snapped downwards to him. "Dudley was being hurt with – with the Cruciatus curse. It was – he did it, and then – then three Death Eaters joined him. I – I could hear Dudley's bones breaking and – and – and!"

"Alright, Potter, come here," Snape cut off before his charge could start hyperventilating from a panic attack. "Accio calming draught, bottle one." It made a small smacking sound as it made contact with his hand after racing from his own room to this one. "Drink it – all of it."

Harry obeyed, and sniffled once before wiping away a set of tears that had been forming in his emerald eyes. He yawned, leaning up against the Potions master, who he knew would smell like chamomile and his other potions, breathing in the scent from his dark robes deeply. Severus let him stay put, knowing that this was another method that he had of relaxing after a nightmare, and gently put his arms around the terrified teen. He sighed through his nose, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow in exhaustion at the whole issue. Molly and Arthur were supposed to have returned a few days prior, and Severus snapped alert as his daughter weaseled her way into her stepbrother's bedroom.

"Do I need to check again, father?" she asked, looking at Harry, and Severus nodded slightly. Kiru whistled out the Nocturne of Shadow, knowing it would be all she needed since Harry was in the room, and soon Lily and James Potter's spirits immediately had a mind connection to her own. She sighed as she drilled them with questions, much to their concerns, and smirked when the woman panicked over her and her sister's sons.

'Relax, Lily,' James soothed. 'I'm sure Severus is doing just fine. Let him handle this, she's probably just worried that we aren't shielding Harry's brain from Voldemort.'

'Right you are, Potter,' Kiru nodded slightly as she narrowed her eyes. 'He woke up screaming about Dudley being tortured with the Cruciatus curse. Completely unfounded upon, but he still woke up screaming and sweating nonetheless. I'm pleased to report that the Muggle is safe and in no way harmed. Did you-know-who get in Harry's mind tonight?'

'No,' James replied with a shake of his head. 'He tried, but I made sure to stop him. I'm wondering if Harry's fears are the cause of his nightmares…'

"A valid point," Kiru said aloud and mentally. "The Marauder wants to know if it's Harry's fears that are causing the nightmares. The female's too panicked worrying over her nephew. She saw some of my memories, she'll calm down in a bit."

"It's possible," Severus whispered as Harry fell asleep against his dark robes. "Perhaps I should teach him Occlumency for himself instead of just relying on Lily and James to do all the work…"

"That would be smart, especially since it helps get rid of nightmares, and we all need to learn it for the upcoming war," Kiru nodded. "Wait, where's mom?"

"With the twins," Severus sighed quietly as he gently placed Harry back on the pillow and flicked his wand to clean the boy and change his clothes in one fell swoop. "Harry's panicking woke them up. Everyone back to bed, we'll discuss this in the morning."

Ginny's eyes rested on Harry, and she was the last of the Weasley's to leave, preceded even by Kiru and Dudley. Severus looked at her, knowing that she was like himself at that age and desperately in love with his charge. He smirked, pulling her aside to whisper a threat in her ear about his charge's well being, and she blushed crimson as she raced out to her own quarters. He knew by now that Harry, Kiru, Hermione and Draco were the only students that weren't deathly afraid of him, and that included during the summers and school year alike. He stifled a yawn and went to his room to rest at long last, joined moments later by Chessie. After writing out everything that had happened at the Death Eater meeting, he stuffed it under his pillow and changed clothes, knowing that Chessie would only look at the list if she were under the Imperius curse, which was physically impossible since she was always at home and their house was the most well-protected one in Britain.

"Severus," Chessie said hesitantly as they climbed into bed. "I went to St. Mungo's the other day, and I ran into a few others that I tried to follow from what was the Order of the Phoenix before. I – Frank and Alice were there, but Neville was in school. Molly and Arthur were there, too, but I couldn't quite figure out why until I saw the – saw the – Oh, Sev, they were bitten."

"Greyback?" Severus asked quietly, and Chessie nodded as a few tears escaped down her cheeks.

"Am I – weak?" Chessie whispered as Severus wiped her tears from her face.

"Name one other woman that would be willing to marry and bear children to a Death Eater spy who had Harry Bloody Potter, said Potter's Bloody cousin, and the Musiclancer daughter of two Death Eaters under his roof," Severus retorted, and she smiled. He smirked, kissing her as he went fully under the blankets. "He wants us to try again. He thinks it was my lineage that gave Kiru her abilities."

"But," Chessie whispered, terrified and her eyes wide like a deer in headlights. "But it wasn't you, it was her mother's abilities! Why don't you tell him that?"

"Because I need him to think that they did stem from me," Severus smirked. "I'm probably one of few people who can outsmart the Dark Lord and get away with it for a while. As long as he thinks the abilities stem from me, I can continue to get you pregnant, which will give you protection from his crackpot schemes."

"Oh," Chessie realized. "I love you, you mad genius. But what happens when he finds out?"

"He won't," Severus smirked. "Kiru has told him that she'll join his ranks when she graduates from Hogwarts, but I doubt that will come before the war. No, the Dark Lord is plotting, Chessie, and he needs as many pawns and chess pieces as he can. As long as he thinks that Kiru is on his side, we're safe. I'll need you to take Kiru to St. Mungo's tomorrow. She says that Sarabella taught her a few more songs, and one that will cure Frank and Alice of their insanity issues."

"Of course I will dear," Chessie gasped. "I know how vital even one soldier can be in a war, and I'm not about to let a healer go to waste! Kiru is like Dumbledore's chess version of a queen, with Harry being the king. But – but what are we?"

"I am a knight," Severus said. "I can get behind enemy lines without a problem – literally. You, my dear, would probably be a rook since you're in this for two reasons and two reasons only. Childbirth and protecting Dudley and our children are your two tasks, and I'm sure Dumbledore knows the severity of the situation."

"Oh," Chessie grinned. "You know, you should have seen the looks on some of the children's faces after the Christmas feast and after everyone got back from Christmas vacation."

"I was under the impression they all thought I was under the Imperius curse that day," Severus smirked as he cocked an eyebrow at his wife.

"Oh, they did," she smiled back. "Until I set them straight when one in each class asked how I managed to get you to always join in on the festivities. I told them – and I repeat my words exactly – "I have enough dirt on that man to last me a lifetime of guilt trips out of him. He's as harmless as a mouse as long as you know what strings to pull after marrying him!" and that is where I stop. The students wouldn't have handled much more shock of my news. One of the Gryffindor first years actually asked me if I was pregnant! Naturally, I told her that I'd be telling the headmaster if I were, and that that was, indeed, the reason I was quitting at the end of the school year since we didn't figure it out until school was already in session. The looks of utter shock on those students' faces were priceless, my greasy dungeon bat! Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a – oh, wait, you do have a Penseive. Never mind, I'll show you in the morning."

"And if I wanted to see it now?" he retorted, immediately wanting to relish the feel of his all-too-soft sweetheart terrifying the students in her own hyperactive, yet extremely Slytherin, mannerisms. It had, after all, been her mischief that landed her in Slytherin, and she was notorious for playing pranks without getting caught until the crimes were so long past that there was no way for her to be punished, most of the time on Marauder-want-to-be's.

"Your fireplace is glowing again," Chessie said calmly snapping Severus out of his reminiscing, and Severus immediately swore in perfect mandarin as he stalked downstairs to the fireplace.

"What now?" Severus growled angrily as he put his head into the fire. "I was just about asleep, damn it."

"Now, now, Severus," Albus said gently. "Why don't you come back for debriefing?"

"I hate you," Snape spat but went through the fireplace anyways to give a full report. Just as soon as he was done, he yanked the Floo Powder that he needed and went back to Snape Manor with a growl of disgust. He stalked and stormed back to his bedroom, still barefoot, and climbed back into bed. "Useless brainless git."

"Me?" Chessie asked, offended and appalled.

"Dumbledore," Severus growled, leaning over her wearily to kiss her. "Now go back to sleep, you daft lovesick ninja."

"Ninja? Oh, you mean how I pulled of hundreds of pranks without being caught?" she smirked and giggled, turning him on slightly.

"Chessie, I have not the time, energy, nor patience for you making me aroused," Severus reprimanded quietly. "But, yes, I was referring to how Slughorn and I were never able to catch you at your pranks until you were almost expelled in your seventh year during the middle of NEWTS."

"That was hilarious!" Chessie laughed, recalling the ultimate prank she'd played, albeit it was a copycat of the Marauders that she hated so very much.

"You almost killed a Gryffindor in fear," Severus scolded. "You repeated on that boy what the Marauders did to me! Well, without the actual werewolf."

"It was really fun, though, you had to admit," Chessie laughed. "I scared that Marauder wanna-be so good he was wetting himself and screaming that there was a werewolf in the Slytherin house for days!"

"And I was at my wits end trying to figure out which one it was and why you were in on the attack on him," Snape scolded harshly. "You do realize that the Marauders actually had a real werewolf amongst them and that they attacked me in my fifth year? Potter Senior only intervened because it would put his and two fellows' own secret life as an Animagi at risk, and landed his werewolf Marauder in Azkaban for my murder!"

"Severus, the children," Chessie fretted, and he snorted.

"So what? I cast an extremely powerful muffling charm on our bedroom, for your information, and there isn't a blubbering idiot alive who could listen in unless we were having a shouting match."

"You raving lunatic."

"Lunatic? I'm the lunatic? You're the one who was repeating those bloody damn them to hell Marauders that I would give anything to watch them suffer in the deepest pit of Tartarus!" Severus shouted, and immediately after his Dark Mark flared once more. "Damn it, Chessie, stop pissing me off, he can sense it through our Dark Marks and it aggravates him more, which makes him summon us more, which gives said aggravated Death Eaters more jobs!"

"Then take a bloody dreamless sleep potion, damn it!" she yelled angrily as she shoved the vial's contents into his mouth, to which he immediately fell back onto his pillows into a deep and relaxing sleep that she knew they both needed.

I'm sure you can put the title in on your own. Good? Bad?

Reviews really are appreciated.