AN: I have had a REALLY crappy week so, last night I sat down to write. Spit out a chapter for this one and my Marriage Law. Felt better too! So I hope you like it and let me know what you thought!

Chapter 4

It had been nine months since Severus had his heart ripped out. In those nine months, Severus had done little else but brew potions and drink firewhisky. Most nights Severus had some man in his bed, usually a low level Death Eater who thought that pleasing The Dark Lord's Potion Master would, in turn please The Dark Lord.

Lucius had tried to get him to take Dumbledore's out but Severus could not find a reason to anymore. He knew that he had lost his reason to live when James betrayed him and married Lily. Severus had lost his will to fight.

The Dark Lord had given him a new assignment two months before and Severus had obediently done as he was told.

Albus was happy to make it Severus' new assignment as well. He was in need of a new Potions Master at Hogwarts and hoped that Severus would pull out of the depression that Malfoy had told him about.

Severus thought the worst thing about this assignment was that he couldn't drink like he had been, and there wasn't going to be anybody he could fuck while he pretended he had his James backing his arms at night.

"Severus," a voice called to him. He swallowed his emotions and looked up.

"Yes Minerva," he said softly as he stood from his seat.

"The train has pulled in; the students will be here in just a few minutes, are you ready?"

"Is anyone ready to deal with little brats?"

"Severus," Minerva admonished him. "They're not all brats, Molly and Arthur's oldest is starting his year, maybe he'll be in Slytherin."

"I don't think so," Severus scoffed. "The Weasley's have been in Gryffindor since they left the Black family all those years ago."

"And you know that how?"

"I was once best friends with a Black. I know more than I want to about the Black family."

"Good Evening," the Headmaster said as he came into the room. "You two should be getting downstairs soon. The Slytherin's will be curious to know who their new Head of House and Potions Master is."

"Remember, many of them know, seeing as their Death Eater fathers have told them about my being here," Severus told him snidely. "They are all prospective Death Eaters in training."

"That is ridiculous," Minerva said with indignation. "They are just children."

"You might think that," Severus told her. "But to the Dark Lord, they are new recruits."

"Well," Albus interrupted. "Here, they are students who we are trying to set on the right path. Come you two."

Severus suffered through the opening feast and the first two weeks of whiney brats who he had to keep from blowing up the castle. Severus was enjoying teaching more than he thought he would. It helped to keep him distracted. He could assign an essay a day and then he would be up all night grading and he would be so tired, he couldn't miss James.

That is what Severus was doing tonight. He had finished the potions that he was working on before dinner and now he was grading the first year's essays on the use of flubberworms in potion making.

As the time neared midnight, he realized that it was a full moon. He couldn't help but wonder if his former friends were running around like they use to.

"Sev!"

Severus looked up to see Lucius Malfoy's head floating in his floo.

"Lucius, is something wrong?"

"Yes, I need you to come as soon as possible and don't tell anyone."

Lucius' head disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Severus immediately stood and exited his rooms, grabbing his traveling cloak that was hanging next to the door on his way out.

As he fled from the castle, he wondered what his friend could need. He had heard that there was going to be a raid tonight but being at school, he was not aware of any specifics.

When he exited the gates, he quickly turned on the spot apparating to outside the wards of Malfoy Manor. Severus rushed through the gates, feeling the wards drop in recognition of him. The door to the Manor was thrown open as he approached.

"Severus," Lucius said as he pulled the dark haired man in through the door.

"Lucius," Severus said severely. "What in the name of Merlin has you so tense?"

"Your goddaughter."

"What?"

"The raid tonight," Lucius said. "It was the Lupin home, I didn't find out until The Dark Lord called me in tonight. He put Avery in charge of her safety and I took her when no one was looking, brought her back here and went back before anyone noticed I was missing." Lucius explained as he led Severus through the house to the sitting room at the back where his wife was. "Emmaline Lupin is dead, Remus, obviously wasn't there. Potter and Black, I assume, were with Remus. She was alone and I couldn't save her too."

"Oh dear," Severus said. "Where is she?"

"With Narcissa," he said opening the door to show Severus into the room his wife was in with a baby who was crying.

Severus stopped in the doorway and looked at his goddaughter, who he had never seen. He had received notification when he checked in with Dumbledore just before Christmas, that he had been named godfather even though he wasn't there for the christening ceremony.

"What's her name," he asked Lucius quietly.

"Aurora Rose, though I think that they call her Rory."

"Narcissa," Severus said as he approached the chair that she was in. "May I?"

"Of course," Narcissa said as she stood and handed the girl over to Severus.

The baby girl looked up into Severus dark eyes and stopped crying. Severus couldn't help but smile down at her.

"You need to take her somewhere safe," Lucius told him. "I wouldn't take her to the castle and I don't know that I would tell Albus yet. To keep my cover, so he doesn't come after my family, everyone needs to believe that she has been kidnapped."

"Did you bring any of her things?"

"Oh," Narcissa said. "There's clothes and stuff in here. She has a couple bottles and I added more diapers so that you should be good as long as you use the cleaning spell on them right away, they won't stain as badly that way."

"Thanks," Severus said as he took the bag Narcissa was holding out for him. "Uh, Lucius?"

"Yes?"

"Since I can't go back to the castle, do you have some clothes I can borrow?"

"Yeah," Lucius said before turning to leave the sitting room. "I will be right back."

"Cis?"

Narcissa looked at Severus and raised her eyebrows in question.

"I don't know how to take care of a baby."

"Well," Narcissa said with a smile. "She is almost 17 months old so she's easier than a few months ago. She will likely only take a bottle before bed and she eats real food but it still needs to be softer foods… You'll be fine. She will likely tell you if you do something that she doesn't like."

Severus sat down on the couch, not having taken his eyes off his goddaughter for a second yet. He just sat there quietly watching the little girl watch him.

"Alright," Lucius said coming back into the room with a small bag in his hand. "This should be good for a while. I would keep a watch on things, maybe by Christmas you can take her to Albus and reunite her with her father. It may be a few days before The Dark Lord or Albus realize that you are actually missing and not doing something for the other. Be safe Severus."

"I will," Severus said as he stood from where he had been sitting and took the proffered bag. "I would tell you where we are going but I think it's better if you don't know."

"I agree," Lucius said.

Severus took a last look at his friends and shrunk both his bag and Aurora's bag before leaving them alone in the quiet room.

"Severus," Albus called as he entered the Potion Masters office. "Are you in here?" Albus went through the office to the door behind the man's desk. The door led to the man's personal potions lab. "Severus," he said as he knocked on the door. "I need your assistance." He waited a moment in the silence before knocking again.

"ALBUS!"

The headmaster turned and exited the office.

"ALBUS!"

Albus was hurrying toward the distraught voice.

"Remus," he said as the brown haired man burst into the potions classroom. "Are you alright?"

"Where are they," Remus asked hysterically. "Please tell me you saved them? Please, my girls Albus. Where are they?"

Albus put a hand on the shoulder of the young man. "We didn't find out about the attack until after they had already arrived. Emmaline was already gone when we got there."

Remus fell to his knees at the headmasters words, shock was all he felt. He thought his throat was closing in, he was gasping for breathe. "Rora?"

"We don't know," Albus said sadly. "She wasn't there. I have not been able to get a hold of Lucius or Severus to find out what they know."

"They're gone," Remus whispered as the first tear slid down his cheek.

"Moony, Albus," James said as he and Sirius ran into the room. James took in the appearance of his friend and knew the outcome of his family. "Oh Merlin, Moony?"

"They're gone," Remus whispered before he collapsed in around himself. "My girls," he whimpered repeatedly.

"Padfoot," James motioned to their troubled friend and Sirius went to comfort the werewolf. "Where's Severus," he asked the headmaster.

"I don't know."

"WHAT?"

"I am sure he was called to Voldemort's side and will return shortly."

"No," James said with heat to his words. "I should have known, he's gone too, only he chose to leave."

"James," Albus said. "He is loyal to us, I assure you."

"No," James shook his head before he kneeled down to comfort his friend. "He chose his side when he left me; he just made it known now. Come on Remus, let's get you somewhere safe."

"NO!" Remus bellowed before scrambling to his feet and running out of the room.

"I'll never forgive him for this," James said sadly as Sirius offered him a hand to get up off the floor.