Eyes of a Tiger

by LittleReporterGirl

Follow the story of young Abigail Abby Prewett through her days at Hogwarts. There is murder, loss, friendship, and, most importantly, love. If you liked my story "Dreams" you'll love this! Please Read and Review! I thrive off of reviews!

6. Year 6

YEAR 6

A few weeks into the summer holidays I saw a similar pattern emerging like it had at Christmas. Snape was balancing his work for the Dark Lord and his work with the Order. He sometimes didn't come home until late at night, but he always told me what he was doing. It wasn't unusual for him to come crawl into my bed in the early hours of the morning on those nights when he came home late. I was as much a comfort to him as he was to me.

Late one night, when I was already asleep, Snape came hurrying into my room. I sensed his urgency, protectiveness, and fear immediately.

"Abigail, wake up," he said urgently, "You have to come with me to see Dumbledore immediately."

"Why?" I asked sleepily, sitting up.

"I'll tell you when we see Dumbledore. Come on."

"I have to get dressed first, Severus!" I exclaimed, "Jeez."

"Well hurry," he said impatiently. I pushed him out the door and shut it behind him. I dressed at top-speed in blue jeans, a black tank top, and tennis shoes. Snape was waiting for me downstairs. He held out his arm. I braced myself and took his arm.

We Apparated just outside of Hogwarts gates. I had to morph into tiger form just to keep up with Snape as he strode across the grounds. I didn't morph back into human form until we were right outside Dumbledore's office.

"He should be waiting for us," Snape said, "I sent him a note."

Dumbledore was indeed waiting for us. He was sitting at his desk, waiting patiently. He indicated we should sit. I sat down in one of the chairs, yawning loudly.

"What has you so distressed, Severus?" Dumbledore asked. Snape came to stand behind me.

"I screwed up, I…I don't know what to do," Snape said, a white-knuckled grip on the back of my chair.

"Just tell us what happened," Dumbledore said calmly.

"The Dark Lord wants to see Abigail, to meet her. What do I do?" Snape asked, trying hard to calm his emotions. Dumbledore didn't say anything. I had already suspected something like this would happen, however.

"Let me do it," I said immediately. Dumbledore and Snape looked surprised.

"Absolutely not," Snape said forcefully. I stood up and turned to face him.

"Severus, don't you remember what I said to you last year? You can't shelter me forever Let me be your protégé- you can teach me to do what you do. Teach me how to be a spy."

He looked anxious still. I glanced at Dumbledore.

"It's up to Severus," Dumbledore said, "He is your guardian…"

"I can do it," I insisted, looking back at Snape, "Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that…" Snape murmured, clearly distressed.

"There's more to it, isn't there?" Dumbledore asked quietly. Snape looked at him helplessly.

"It's just…" he said, and took a deep breath, "The Dark Lord…is Abigail's biological father."

I felt as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over my head. I opened my mouth, then closed it, unable to think of anything to say. It couldn't be true…

"Are you sure of this?" Dumbledore asked, his expression grave. Snape nodded wordlessly, his eyes on me, but not quite meeting my gaze.

"How long…when did you find out?" I asked quietly.

"I just found out tonight," he replied, "…Did you know?"

"Of course not! I would have told you, had I known. …I… the Dark Lord?"

He nodded his head again, this time looking away from me. Dumbledore was frowning slightly, thinking hard about something. I considered my options carefully.

"I…I'll still do it," I said determinedly, "I can still be a spy…"

"Abby could you step outside a moment?" Dumbledore asked me, "I'd like to speak to Severus alone."

"But-"

"Abigail, just do it," Snape said softly, still not looking at me. Slightly stung, I headed for the door and let it shut behind me.

I waited out in the corridor pacing. Why had my mother never told me? How could she keep something like this from me? I thought furiously, And what could have possibly possessed her to "get with" the Dark Lord?

The door to Dumbledore's office opened and Snape walked out. He looked extremely pale.

"You get to meet the Dark Lord tomorrow," he said without looking at me. He glanced at me quickly, then looked away, as if he didn't even want to look at me anymore. I felt sick to my stomach.

We didn't speak the entire walk through Hogwarts grounds. His emotions were completely cut off to me. Snape still didn't look at me. When we Apparated inside my room, he immediately headed for the door.

"Severus…wait," I said pleadingly. He paused slowly and turned to face me. His black eyes met my mismatched ones. Neither of us spoke. He turned and left the room. I sat down on my bed, feeling miserable. My heart felt painfully constricted in my chest. He didn't want to be around me now, all because of something I had no control over.

I sat in my room for a while, feeling sorry for myself. Then I decided to do something about it. I couldn't loose Snape. If I lost him, I wouldn't have anything. I was also very annoyed with him for acting the way he was. I got to my feet and went down the hall to Snape's room. He was laying on his bed, staring up at his ceiling, deep in thought. He glanced at me when I entered the room, then returned his gaze to the ceiling.

"You aren't supposed to be in here," he commented dryly.

"Well you aren't supposed to act like a complete asshole!" I retorted coldly. He didn't say anything. I grabbed a book off his shelf and chunked it at him.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as it hit him in the head. I continued to chuck books at him as quickly and furiously as I could. He sat up, shielding his face and got to his feet. When I ran out of books, I began to pummel him with my fists.

"Hey! Ow! Stop it!" he exclaimed. I ignored him and continued to hit him, releasing my full fury.

"Dammit stop it, Lily!" he roared, grabbing my arms. We both froze. Our gazes locked and I could see confusion shining in the black depths of his eyes. I tried to pull away from him, but he still held my wrists tightly. I didn't know what to think of him calling me Lily.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he said quietly.

"For what, being a complete ass?" I asked dryly.

"Yes, alright? I'm sorry for being an ass. It's just… I don't know what to think. You…the Dark Lord's daughter…"

"I'm still the same person, Sev. It doesn't change anything about me…" I said quietly, "You can't hate me… If I lose you, I won't have anyone left…"

He gazed down into my eyes for a long time. I saw something soften in the black depths of his eyes. Slowly he released my wrists and pulled me into an embrace.

"Of course you're not any different for it," he murmured, pressing a kiss onto the top of my head, "I'm sorry, Abigail."

I sighed, glad that he didn't hate me anymore. I walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. He followed suit.

"…Why did my mother do it, Severus?" I asked quietly, "Did she really love the Dark Arts enough to…to 'be with' the Dark Lord?"

He considered his answer a moment.

"The Dark Arts was always a large part of Julia's life. Even when we were young. She always had her nose buried in a book, especially ones from the Restricted Section of the library."

"How did she get them?" I asked curiously.

"Julia was very charming. She could get anything she wanted from anyone. The librarian adored her…but Julia secretly hated her. You should have heard the way she bad-mouthed that woman whenever she wasn't in the library."

I half-smiled, but the weight of everything that had happened laid heavy on my mind and my smile quickly faded.

"So, I'm meeting the Dark Lord tomorrow…meeting my father tomorrow."

"Yes. …You're going to have to act a tad more… evil," he said to me.

"You think I'm not bad?" I asked hotly.

"You're a good balance of good and bad. Tomorrow we'll have to be more dark."

"You mean, act like we go skulking around Knockturn Alley every night?"

"Precisely."

"No problem."

I yawned and lay back on his pillows. He lay down beside me and I snuggled up close to him. He put his arm around me and kissed my forehead.

"You should get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

I nodded my head and closed my eyes. Before I drifted off to sleep, however, something occurred to me.

"Hey, Severus?" I murmured, my eyes still closed.

"Hm?"

"Even though you didn't know what to think, you still came back for me, instead of going straight to Dumbledore."

"…So?"

"Why did you?"

"Because I made a promise to be open with you…and you had a right to know."

"Oh. Well thanks."

"…No problem."

The next morning when I awoke, Snape was already gone downstairs. I could smell coffee brewing. I lay in his bed a few minutes longer, enjoying the change in pace- usually I awoke in my own bed, sometimes with him, sometimes alone. I rolled over, pressed my face into his pillow, and sighed. I had to meet the Dark Lord today. The prospect was frightening…and also a little exciting. The Dark Lord had been a large part of Mother's life…and one of the reasons for her death.

"Abigail, I know you're awake," said Snape's voice from the doorway, "Get out of my bed."

I lifted my head to look at him, blushing as I did so.

"I was just thinking," I murmured as I crawled out of bed.

"Well breakfast is on the table. I summoned it from Hogwarts. I imagine we'll be leaving shortly."

"What do you mean 'you imagine'?" I asked, following him downstairs.

"The Dark Lord will summon us whenever it is most convenient for him," he replied simply.

As we ate the breakfast he had summoned from Hogwarts, Snape talked about how I should act.

"Answer all questions he asks you. Use your Occlumency to make lies seem true. Don't refuse anything he tells you to do or offers you. Keep your temper in serious check. Don't speak unless spoken to-"

"Sure are a lot of rules," I mumbled.

"These are guidelines to keep you from getting tortured or killed," he said shortly, "I suggest- no, I insist you obey them."

"Fine… Does he know you told me that I'm his…his…"

"He will know. It'll be easier that way."

After we ate, Snape sat on the couch, reading the newspaper, while I paced back and forth, thinking. After a few minutes, Snape put the paper down and sighed.

"Will you sit down, Abigail?" he asked, "You're distracting me."

"…I'm worried," I admitted, "What if he doesn't like me? What if I mess up and say the wrong thing?"

Snape grabbed his wrist suddenly and hissed in pain. Something like panic coursed through me. Snape stood and pulled me into an embrace.

"Calm down," he murmured, but I was trembling even more now.

He gazed down into my eyes a moment, then did something that made me forget all about the Dark Lord- he kissed me. It wasn't a swift kiss on my forehead or cheek, either. It was a real kiss. I just stood there at first, shocked. I had never kissed anyone before, at least not outside of my dreams. I kissed him back, slowly and tentatively at first, then passionately as I put my arms around him.

After a moment he pulled away, but didn't release me.

"You'll do fine," he whispered softly, "Are you ready?"

I shook my head to clear it, then nodded numbly. He half-smiled, then we Disapparated.

We appeared in a large manor house, not unlike my friend Jenny's house. There was a large table where sat a group of wizards and witches, which included, to my surprise, Draco Malfoy and his Mother. At the head of the table sat a pale, bald man, who gave off an air of authority and strength. The Dark Lord. There was an empty seat on either side of him.

"Welcome, daughter," said the Dark Lord, indicating the seat to his left, "Have a seat."

I obeyed, walking away from Snape to sit at the Dark Lord's side. He motioned for Snape to take the eat at his right. Snape sat, careful not to look directly at me.

"What's your name?" asked the Dark Lord.

"Abby, my lord," I replied swiftly, swallowing my fear and nervousness, "Abby Prewett."

"Tell me, Abby- what happened to your mother?"

I remembered Snape's instructions to answer all questions I was asked.

"She was killed my lord- murdered," I replied.

"You witnessed it, correct?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Do you know why was she killed?"

I hesitated a moment.

"They claimed she and my step-father turned their backs on you…but they never did, my lord."

"Didn't they? It's my understanding that Julia and Tommy claimed to be acting under the Imperius Curse. They gave up the names of their fellow Death Eaters, for the life of bookkeepers in Diagon Alley."

There was a hiss of disapproval from most of the surrounding Death Eaters. I didn't say anything, but underneath my cool demeanor I was seething with anger.

"How long has it been, Abby?"

"My lord?"

"How long has it been since your mother's death?"

I counted the years silently.

"Five years, my lord," I said.

"…Are you aware that her killer may sit at this very table?"

I looked at the witches and wizards surrounding us. One of them was my mother's murderer.

"I hear you are a very talented witch, Abby," said the Dark Lord in a mildly conversational tone.

"I'm pretty good," I said with a shrug.

"Do you know how to duel?"

"Essentially, yes."

"I would like to see you duel. …Wormtail?"

"Yes, my lord?" said a pudgy looking man halfway down the table. One of his hands was encased in silver. He had a rat-like look about him. From his description, I knew him to be Peter Pettigrew, one of Snape's enemies from his schooldays, one of Lupin's old friends, and the person responsible for selling Lily Evans to the Dark Lord.

"Wormtail, I want you to duel Abby," said the Dark Lord. Wormtail glanced at me nervously.

"Are you sure, my lord?" he asked. The Dark Lord said nothing, merely motioned for me to move to an open space beside the table. Wormtail stood reluctantly and walked over to face me. I could tell he was scared. I turned to face the Dark Lord.

"I'm not supposed to do magic outside of school," I said, feeling like an idiot the moment the words were out of my mouth.

"You need not worry about that," he replied. I turned to face Wormtail, my wand raised. We bowed and took a few steps backwards.

"Oh and Wormtail?" said the Dark Lord lazily, "…If you lose, I may decide I have no further use for you."

Wormtail paled and faced me, trembling. He was probably frightened enough to wet his pants. His fear only encouraged me, however, and I began our duel.

"Reducto!" I shouted, waving my wand. Wormtail let out a whimper and dodged it.

We began a long duel that wasn't at all challenging for me. Mostly Wormtail cast Shield Charms and hid from me. After about twenty minutes, I decided to end it.

"Electrius," I said, with just enough force to knock him unconscious. A few of the Death Eaters applauded and jeered.

"That wasn't very challenging at all," I said with a sigh, "Are you going to kill him now?"

"No, I think not. I have a better idea for his punishment," the Dark Lord said. Wormtail stirred slightly and began to cower before me.

"Please don't kill me," Wormtail sniveled. He disgusted me. He began to kiss the hems of my robes. I gave him a kick to the ribs and he fell backwards.

"Your punishment, Wormtail, will be to stay with Abby and Severus and assist them with whatever they need, understand?" asked the Dark Lord.

"Yes, my lord. You are most merciful, my lord."

Snape and I exchanged a quick glance.

"No problem, is there?" the Dark Lord said.

"Of course not, my lord," Snape said.

"None at all," I agreed, "We are most grateful."

"Now, before I allow you to return home, Abby, you'll have to be branded with the Dark Mark," said the Dark Lord to me.

"Of course, my lord," I said, docile.

An hour later when Snape and I returned home, with Wormtail in tow, my forearm was still throbbing painfully. A trickle of dried blood ran the length of my arm. Having the Dark Mark branded into my arm was the absolute most painful thing I had ever experienced.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Wormtail asked in a voice that sounded greedy and sympathetic at the same time. I had long decided that I hated Wormtail- he had sold Lily to the Dark Lord…and I didn't like the way he looked at me, with a greedy expression on his face.

"Come, Wormtail…I'll show you to your room," Snape said to him. With one last glance at me, Wormtail followed Snape up the hidden staircase.

When they were gone, I sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh. I thought about everything I had seen and learned today. Two of the people sitting at that table- who were now considered my fellow Death Eaters- had been responsible for the death of my mother. Which ones could it have been? Not Wormtail- he was too much of a coward to kill anyone directly. Also, he'd spent thirteen years as a rat after the Dark Lord's downfall. None of them had appeared shy before me or had looked away when I looked around the table. I had sensed no guilt.

I let my mind stray to what had happened before we left to see the Dark Lord, which was, admittedly, a much better subject to think about. I heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to look at Snape. He looked mildly irritated.

"What's wrong?" I asked, though I already guessed the answer.

"Wormtail," he scoffed, "I'd rather have a chimera living with us."

I chuckled quietly.

"But we have a servant now," I said, "And we can make his life as miserable as possible."

"True," he agreed.

Our eyes met and we both fell silent. I wanted him to kiss me again. He looked up suddenly and pointed his wand at the bookcase that concealed the stairs. The bookcase sprang aside, revealing Wormtail, who quickly rushed back upstairs. Snape rose to go after him, but I grabbed his wrist.

"Just leave him be," I said quietly, "There'll be time to torture him later."

Over the next couple of weeks, we took full advantage of having Wormtail to boss around. We set him about the task of cleaning, fetching things, and whatever else we wanted done. Wormtail hated Snape with a passion, but held me in great reverence and fear, because I was the Dark Lord's daughter. One afternoon, I found Wormtail in my room, pawing through my things. He had found the picture of Lily I kept under my pillow.

After a great deal of yelling, torturing, and threatening, I allowed Wormtail to scamper off to his room. Drawn by Wormtail's yelling, Snape came up the stairs just as I was stowing the picture back under my pillow.

"What's going on, Abigail?" he asked casually, "Torturing Wormtail?"

"That little slime ball was in my room," I said annoyed.

"So keep your room locked."

"I'm planning on it."

I became acutely aware of the fact that this was the first time we'd been alone together since Wormtail came to stay. We had agreed that it would be best to stay away from each other while Wormtail was around. There was no need to have rumors started. I couldn't help but recall the kiss. My breath caught in my throat.

"I'll be glad when Wormtail's gone," I muttered absently, sitting down on the edge of my bed. Snape looked contemplative a moment, then flicked his wand towards the door. It sprang shut noiselessly.

"Muffliato," he said quietly.

"What was that spell?" I asked curiously as he sat down on the edge of my bed beside me.

"Sound proofs a door," he replied simply, "I created it when I was young."

"You created a spell?" I asked, impressed. He shrugged his shoulders carelessly. I was uncomfortably aware of the fact that I was blushing.

"We could be- ah…taking advantage of Wormtail's temporary absence?" I suggested quietly. He looked mildly surprised, but allowed me to kiss him tentatively on the lips before holding me back.

"It's not a good idea," he whispered without looking me in the eye, "You're too young and…"

I let out a 'humph' and lay down, pressing my face into the pillow.

"I have good news," Snape said, changing the subject.

"Hm?" I said without lifting my head.

"I've been given the Defense Against the Dark Arts post," he said casually. This captured my attention.

"Really? That's excellent! Who's going to teach Potions then?"

"Dumbledore's got the old Potions master out of retirement- Professor Horace Slughorn. He taught at Hogwarts back in my day."

"What's he like?"

"He likes people who are well-connected or extremely talented."

"He'll probably have a field day when he meets Potter."

A few days later, when meeting with the Dark Lord, Snape and I were told of one of his new plans. This one involved Draco Malfoy. He was to kill Dumbledore. I had to act excited throughout the remainder of our meeting, but when we got home I felt ill.

"Don't worry," Snape said reassuringly to me, "Everything will be fine. Dumbledore is a very strong and capable wizard."

"Are you going to tell him of the plan?"

"…We have been forbidden to speak of it…but I will tell him when the time comes. I do have to go see him now, though."

"I think I'll stay here," I said weakly, sitting down on the couch. He looked down at me and half-smiled in a sad sort of way. He glanced around quickly, then kissed me swiftly on the forehead before Disapparating.

A week after that day, it was late one night- maybe 2:00am- and Snape came silently into my bedroom. He shook me awake.

"Dumbledore needs my help immediately. Would you like to come?" he asked softly.

"Yes, of course," I said, sitting up at once, "Let me get dressed."

Without waiting for him to leave the room, I slipped off my pajama pants and pulled on my blue jeans. He cleared his throat and looked away. I smirked as I quickly put on my shoes and tied them. When I was dressed Snape extended his arm and we Disapparated.

We appeared outside the gate and went as fast as we could to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was barely conscious, sitting at his desk. His hand was black- it looked dead. An old, cracked ring lay on Dumbledore's desk next to the Sword of Gryffindor. Snape examined it a moment before he began to pull a number of things out of his pockets. I stood in the corner of the room so I wouldn't be in the way.

Snape was muttering incantations, pointing his wand at Dumbledore's blackened hand while simultaneously pouring a goblet full of some golden potion down Dumbledore's throat. After a moment or two, Dumbledore's eyes opened.

"Why," Snape said without preamble, "why did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realized that. Why even touch it?"

Dumbledore grimaced.

"I…was a fool. Sorely tempted…"

"Tempted by what?" Snape demanded.

Dumbledore did not answer.

"It is a miracle you managed to return here!" Snape said furiously, "That ring carried a curse of extraordinary power, to contain it is all we can hope for; I have trapped the curse in one hand for the time being-"

Dumbledore lifted his blackened, useless hand and examined it, a curious express on his face.

"You have done very well, Severus. How long do you think I have?" Dumbledore asked, the tone of his voice seemingly conversational. Snape hesitated.

"I cannot tell. Maybe a year. There is no halting such a spell forever. It will spread eventually, it is the sort of curse that strengthens over time."

Dumbledore merely smiled, unconcerned.

"I am fortunate, extremely fortunate, that I have you, Severus."

"If you had only summoned me a little earlier, I might have been able to do more, buy you more time!" said Snape furiously, "Did you think that breaking the ring would break the curse?"

"Something like that…I was delirious, no doubt…" Dumbledore said as he straightened himself in his chair, with a little effort, "Well, really, this makes matters much more straightforward."

Snape looked utterly perplexed. Dumbledore smiled.

"I refer to the plan Lord Voldemort is revolving around me. His plan to have the poor Malfoy boy murder me."

Snape sat in the chair across from Dumbledore, wanting to say more about Dumbledore's hand, but Dumbledore held it up to prevent him from doing so.

"The Dark Lord does not expect Draco to succeed. This is merely punishment for Lucius's recent failures. Slow torture for Draco's parents, while they watch him fail and pay the price," Snape said, scowling.

"In short, the boy has had a death sentence pronounced upon him as surely as I have," said Dumbledore, "Now I should have thought the natural successor to the job, once Draco fails, is yourself?"

There was a brief pause.

"That, I think, is the Dark Lord's plan."

"Lord Voldemort foresees a moment in the near future when he will not need a spy at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore inquired.

"He believes the school will soon be in his grasp, yes."

"And if it does fall into his grasp," Dumbledore continued, "I have your word that you will do all in your power to protect the students of Hogwarts?"

Snape nodded stiffly.

"Good. Now then. Your first priority will be to discover what Draco is up to. A frightened teenage boy is a danger to others as well as to himself. Offer him help and guidance, he ought to accept, he likes you-"

"-much less since his father has lost favor. Draco blames me, he thinks I have usurped Lucius's position."

"All the same, try. I am concerned less for myself than for accidental victims of whatever schemes might occur to the boy. Ultimately, of course, there is only one thing to be done if we are to save him from Lord Voldemort's wrath."

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Are you intending to let him kill you?" Snape asked sarcastically.

"Certainly not. You must kill me," Dumbledore replied as if this was obvious.

There was a long silence.

"Would you like me to do it now?" asked Snape, his voice heavy with irony, "Or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?"

I couldn't suppress a laugh. Both adults glanced at me and I clapped a hand over my mouth. They both sort of smiled.

"Oh, not quite yet," said Dumbledore, smiling, "I daresay the moment will present itself in due course. Given what has happened tonight we can be sure that it will happen within a year."

"If you don't mind dying," Snape said harshly, "why no let Draco do it?"

"The boy's soul is not yet so damaged," said Dumbledore, "I would not have it ripped apart on my account."

"And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?"

"You alone know whether it will harm your soul to help an old man avoid pain and humiliation," said Dumbledore, "I ask this one great favor of you, Severus, because death is coming for me as surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this year's league. I confess I should prefer a quick, painless exit to the protracted and messy affair it will be if, for instance, Greyback is involved- I hear Voldemort has recruited him? Or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it."

Dumbledore's tone was light, but his blue eyes were piercing. Finally Snape nodded curtly. Dumbledore seemed satisfied.

"Thank you, Severus… If you don't mind, I would like to have a word with Abby, alone."

Snape and I exchanged startled glances. Snape opened his mouth to protest.

"It's alright, Severus," I said quickly. He hesitated a moment longer, then inclined his head. He left the room. A moment passed and Dumbledore didn't say anything. My eyes were on the door Snape had departed by.

"I don't suppose he's too inclined to listen at keyholes anymore," I mused. Dumbledore inclined his head. Then he reached out and picked up the old ring off his desk. He studied it carefully a moment, then held it out to me. Curious, I took it and examined it. It was an ugly gold ring set with a large, black stone that was cracked.

"A most curious fact about that ring, Abby- it belonged to your great-grandfather," he informed me, "Your paternal great-grandfather."

I glanced back down at the ring, startled. I set it back on Dumbledore's desk.

"You mean…this belonged to the Dark Lord's grandfather?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. His name was Marvolo Gaunt. It's my understanding that he wasn't the friendliest of people- a pureblood to the core and desperately proud of being a descendant of Salazaar Slytherin."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, guarded.

"You have a right to know your heritage…and I highly doubt Voldemort himself will tell you. If you don't object, I would like you to attend private lessons with me this year- mind you, they will be few and far between, for I am very busy, but-"

"Why?" I interrupted, "What sort of lessons?"

"I would like to teach you what I can about your heritage, with what time I have left."

"I'm not sure I understand…"

"Just humor me- an old mans dying wish."

I shuddered slightly and Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"It's just…you talk so openly about your death…so carelessly," I muttered.

"Everyone dies eventually," was all he said, "Will you take the lessons?"

"…Alright then. …can I tell Severus what I learn?"

"That's up to you…but tell no one else," he warned. I nodded my head and he indicated I could leave.

Snape was waiting for me outside of Dumbledore's office. I was frowning slightly, still perturbed by the idea of lessons with Dumbledore…lessons about my heritage. What purpose could it serve?

"What did he say?" Snape asked curiously as we walked out of the castle. I told him everything Dumbledore had told me.

"What purpose could it serve?" Snape wondered aloud.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking."

One evening after dinner there was a knock on our front door. Snape and I exchanged surprised glances. Wormtail was up in his room. Snape peered out the window.

"Narcissa and Bellatrix…you may find this more interesting if you were invisible. They hold you in high reverence, but when I am not with you…Bellatrix despises me," Snape said to me.

"What are they doing here?" I asked as I tapped myself on the head with my wand, casting my Disillusionment Charm.

"No idea," he said, walking over to the door. He opened the door a crack and looked out at them.

"Narcissa!" Snape said, opening the door a little wider, "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Severus," she said in a strained whisper, "May I speak to you? It's urgent."

"But of course."

He stood back to allow her to pass him into the house. Bellatrix, who was hooded, followed without invitation.

"Snape," she said curtly as she passed him.

"Bellatrix," he said, his thin mouth curling into a mocking smile.

Snape gestured Narcissa to the sofa. She threw off her cloak, cast it aside, and sat down, staring at her hands. She was paler than usual, I noticed, and her long blonde hair streaming down her back gave her the appearance of someone who was drowned. Her sister, Bellatrix, was slower to lower her hood. She didn't take her eyes off Snape as she went to stand behind Narcissa. Bellatrix was the exact opposite of her sister. She had heavily lidded eyes and a strong jaw. Her hair and her eyes were dark.

"So, what can I do for you?" Snape asked, sitting in the armchair opposite the couch. I went to stand behind him so I could see them and not be in the way.

"We…we are alone, aren't we?" Narcissa asked quietly.

"Yes, of course. Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?"

He pointed his wand at the hidden staircase and it fled open, revealing Wormtail, who stood frozen.

"As you have clearly realized, Wormtail, we have guests," said Snape lazily. Wormtail stepped into the room.

"Narcissa!" he said in his squeaky voice, "And Bellatrix! How charming-"'

"Wormtail will get us drinks, if you'd like them," Snape interrupted, "And then he will return to his bedroom."

Wormtail winced. He glanced around the room, no doubt wondering where I was.

"I am not your servant!" he squeaked, avoiding Snape's eye. I was surprised. Wormtail was slightly more outspoken when I wasn't in the room, apparently. Snape had a handle on it, however.

"Really? I was under the impression that the Dark Lord placed you here to assist me."

"To assist, yes- but not to make you drinks and- and clean your house!" Wormtail exclaimed.

"I had no idea, Wormtail, that you were craving more dangerous assignments," said Snape silkily, "This can be easily arranged: I shall speak to the Dark Lord-"

"I can speak to him myself if I want to!"

"Of course you can," said Snape, sneering, "But in the meantime, bring us drinks. Some of the elf-made wine will do."

Wormtail hesitated for a moment, looking as though he might argue, but then he turned and went into the kitchen. He returned a moment later with three glasses and a dusty bottle of wine. Snape poured three glasses of wine and handed two of them to the sisters. Narcissa murmured a word of thanks, but Bellatrix continued to glower at Snape. He looked rather amused.

"The Dark Lord," he said, raising his glass and draining it. Narcissa and Bellatrix copied him and Snape refilled their glasses.

"Severus, I'm sorry to come here like this, but I had to see you," Narcissa said in a rush, "I think you are the only one who can help me-"

Snape held up a hand to stop her, then pointed his wand at the concealed staircase. There was a loud bang and a squeal, followed by the noise of Wormtail scurrying back upstairs.

"My apologies," said Snape, "He has lately taken to listening at the doors, I don't know what he means by it…You were saying, Narcissa?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath and started again.

"Severus, I know I ought not to be here, I have been told to say nothing to anyone, but-"

"Then you ought to hold your tongue!" snarled Bellatrix, "Particularly in present company!"

"'Present company'?" repeated Snape sardonically, "And what am I to understand by that, Bellatrix?"

"That I don't trust you, Snape, as you very well know!"

Narcissa let out a dry sob and his her face in her hands. Snape set his glass down and sat back again, smiling into Bellatrix's glowering face.

"Narcissa, I think we ought to hear what Bellatrix is bursting to say; it will save tedious interruptions. Well, continue, Bellatrix," Snape urged, "Why is it that you do not trust me?"

"A hundred reasons!" she said loudly, "Where to start? Where were you when the Dark Lord fell? Why did you never make any attempt to find him when he vanished? What have you been doing all these years that you've lived in Dumbledore's pocket? Why did you stop the Dark Lord procuring the Sorcerer's Stone? Why did you not return at once when the Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you a few weeks ago when we battled to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord? And why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy for five years?"

She paused, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her cheeks flushed. I knew the real answers to all of these questions, but I wondered what he would tell our fellow Death Eaters.

Snape smiled.

"Before I answer you- oh yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord! Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn. Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?"

Bellatrix hesitated.

"I know he believes you, but…"

"You think he is mistaken? Or that I have somehow hoodwinked him? Fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?"

Bellatrix said nothing, but looked a little discomforted. Snape picked up his drink again and sipped it.

"You ask me where I was when the Dark Lord fell. I was where he had ordered me to be, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, because he wished me to spy upon Albus Dumbledore. You know, I presume, that it was on the Dark Lord's orders that I took up the post?"

She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Snape stopped her.

"You ask me why I did not attempt to find him when he vanished. For the same reason that Avery, Yaxley the Carrows, Greyback, Lucius" -he inclined his head to Narcissa- "and many others did not attempt to find him. I believed him finished. I am not proud of it, I was wrong, but there it is… If he had not forgiven we who lost faith at that time, he would have very few followers left."

"He'd have me!" said Bellatrix passionately, "I, who spent many years in Azkaban for him!"

"Yes, indeed, most admirable," Snape said in a bored voice, "Of course, you weren't a lot of use to him in prison, but the gesture was undoubtedly fine-"

"Gesture!" she shrieked madly, "While I endured the dementors, you remained at Hogwarts, comfortably playing Dumbledore's pet!"

"Not quite," said Snape calmly, "He wouldn't give me the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, you know. Seemed to think it might, ah, bring about a relapse…tempt me into my old ways."

"This was your sacrifice for he Dark Lord, not to teach your favorite subject?" she jeered, "Why did you stay there all that time, Snape? Still spying on Dumbledore for a master you believed dead?"

"Hardly," said Snape, "although the Dark Lord is pleased that I never deserted my post: I had sixteen years of information on Dumbledore to give him when he returned, a rather more useful welcome-back present than endless reminiscences of how unpleasant Azkaban is…"

"But you stayed-"

"Yes, Bellatrix, I stayed," said Snape, betraying a slight impatience, "I had a comfortable job that I preferred to a stint in Azkaban. They were rounding up the Death Eaters, you know. Dumbledore's protection kept me out of jail; it was most convenient and I used it. I repeat: The Dark Lord does not complain that I stayed, so I do not see why you do.

"I think you next wanted to know why I stood between the Dark Lord and the Sorcerer's Stone. That is easily answered. He did not know whether he could trust me. He thought, like you, that I had turned from faithful Death Eater to Dumbledore's stooge. He was in a pitiable condition, very weak, sharing the body of a mediocre wizard. He did not dare reveal himself to a former ally if that ally might turn him over to Dumbledore or the Ministry. I deeply regret that he did not trust me. He would have returned to power three years sooner. As it was, I saw only greedy and unworthy Quirrel attempting to steal the stone and, I admit, I did all I could to thwart him."

"But you didn't return when he came back, you didn't fly back to him at once when you felt the Dark Mark burn-"

"Correct. I returned two hours later. I returned on Dumbledore's orders."

"On Dumbledore's-?"

"Think! Think! By waiting two hours, just two hours, I ensued that I could remain at Hogwarts as a spy! By allowing Dumbledore to think that I was only returning to the Dark Lord's side because I was ordered to, I have been able to pass information on Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix ever since! Consider, Bellatrix: The Dark Mark had been growing stronger for months. I knew he must be about to return, all the Death Eaters knew! I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted to do, to plan my next move, to escape like Karkaroff, didn't I?

"The Dark Lord's initial displeasure at my lateness vanished entirely, I assure you, when I explained that I remained faithful, although Dumbledore thought I was his man. Yes, the Dark Lord thought that I had left him forever, but he was wrong."

"But what use have you been?" sneered Bellatrix, "What useful information have we had from you?"

"My information has been conveyed directly to the Dark Lord. It he chooses not to share it with you-"

"He shares everything with me!" exclaimed Bellatrix, "He calls me his most loyal, his most faithful-"

"Does he? Does he still, after that fiasco at the Ministry?"

"That was not my fault!" Bellatrix said, flushing, "The Dark Lord has, in the past, entrusted me with his most precious- if Lucius hadn't-"

"Don't you dare- don't you dare blame my husband!" said Narcissa in a low, deadly voice.

"There is no point apportioning blame," Snape said smoothly, "What is done, is done."

"But not by you!" said Bellatrix furiously, "No, you were once again absent while the rest of us ran dangers, were you not, Snape?"

"My orders were to remain behind. Perhaps you disagree with the Dark Lord, perhaps you think that Dumbledore would not have noticed if I had joined forces with the Death Eaters to fight the Order of the Phoenix? And- forgive me- you speak of dangers…you were facing six teenagers, were you not?"

"They were joined, as you very well know, by half of the Order before long!" Bellatrix snarled, "And, while we are on the subject of the Order, you still claim you cannot reveal the whereabouts of their headquarters, don't you?"

"I am not the Secret-Keeper; I cannot speak the name of the place. You understand how the enchantment works, I think? The Dark Lord is satisfied with the information I have passed him on the Order. It led, as perhaps you have guessed, to the recent capture and murder of Emmeline Vance, and it certainly helped dispose of Sirius Black, though I give you full credit for finishing him off."

He inclined his head and toasted her, but her gaze did not soften.

"You are avoiding my last question, Snape. Harry Potter. You could have killed him at any point in the past five years. You have not done it. Why?"

"Have you discussed this matter with the Dark Lord?"

"He… lately, we… I am asking you, Snape!"

"If I had murdered Harry Potter, the Dark Lord could not have used his blood to regenerate, making him invincible-"

"You claim you foresaw his use of the boy?"

"I do not claim it; I had no idea of his plans; I have already confessed that I thought the Dark Lord dead. I am merely trying to explain why the Dark Lord is not sorry that Potter survived, at least until a year ago…"

"But why did you keep him alive?"

"Have you not understood me? It was only Dumbledore's protection that was keeping me out of Azkaban! Do you disagree that murdering his favorite student might have turned him against me? But there was more to it than that. I should remind you that when Potter first arrived at Hogwarts there were still many stories circulating about him, rumors that he himself was a great Dark wizard, which was how he had survived the Dark Lord's attack. Indeed, many of the Dark Lord's old followers thought Potter might be a standard around which we could all rally once more. I was curious, I admit it, and not at all inclined to murder him the moment he set foot in the castle.

"Of course, it became apparent to my very quickly that he had no extraordinary talent at all. He has fought his way out of a number of tight corners by a simple combination of sheer luck and more talented friends. He is mediocre to the last degree, though as obnoxious and self-satisfied as was his father before him. I have done my utmost to have him thrown out of Hogwarts, where I believe he scarcely belongs, but kill him, or allow him to be killed in front of me? I would have been a fool to risk it with Dumbledore close at hand."

"And through all this we are supposed to believe Dumbledore has never suspected you?" asked Bellatrix, "He has no idea of your true allegiance, he trusts you implicitly still?"

"I have played my part well," said Snape, "And you overlook Dumbledore's greatest weakness: He has to believe the best of people. I spun him a tale of deepest remorse when I joined his staff, fresh from my Death Eater days, and he embraced me with open arms- though, as I say, never allowing me nearer the Dark Arts than he could help. Dumbledore has been a great wizard- oh yes, he has, the Dark Lord acknowledges it. I am pleased to say, however, that Dumbledore is growing old. The duel with the Dark Lord last month shook him. He has since sustained a serious injury because his reactions are slower than they once were. But through all these years, he has never stopped trusting Severus Snape, and therein lies my great value to the Dark Lord."

Bellatrix looked unhappy, but uncertain of how to attack Snape next. Snape took advantage of her silence and turned to her sister.

"Now…you came to ask me for help, Narcissa?"

"Yes, Severus. I- I think you are the only one who can help me, I have nowhere else to turn. Lucius is in jail and… The Dark Lord has forbidden me to speak of it. He wishes none to know of the plan. It is…very secret. But-"

"If he has forbidden it, you ought not to speak," said Snape immediately, "The Dark Lord's word is law."

Narcissa gasped as if she had been doused with cold water. Bellatrix looked satisfied.

"There!" she said triumphantly, "Even Snape says so: You were told not to talk, so hold your silence!"

Snape had got to his feet and strode to the small window, peered through the curtains, then closed them again with a jerk. Frowning, he turned to face the room again.

"It so happens I know of the plan," he said quietly, "I am one of the few the Dark Lord has told. Nevertheless, had I not been in on the secret, Narcissa, you would have been guilty of great treachery to the Dark Lord."

"I thought you must know about it!" said Narcissa, breathing freely, "He trusts you so, Severus…"

"You know about that plan?" said Bellatrix, outraged, "You know?"

"Certainly," said Snape, "But what help do you require, Narcissa? If you are imagining I can persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind, I am afraid there is no hope, none at all."

"Severus," she whispered, tears sliding down her pale cheeks, "My son… my only son…"

"Draco should be proud," said Bellatrix indifferently, "The Dark Lord is granting him a great honor. And I will say this for Draco: He isn't shrinking away from his duty, he seems glad of a chance to prove himself, excited at the prospect-"

Narcissa began to cry.

"That's because he is sixteen and has no idea what lies in store! Why, Severus? Why my son? It is too dangerous! This is vengeance for Lucius's mistake, I know it!"

Snape looked away from her tears, feeling awkward.

"That's why he's chosen Draco, isn't it? To punish Lucius?" she persisted, "He could have used the girl…"

Snape couldn't hide from me the rage that boiled in him at these words and he looked at the spot where I stood, even though he couldn't see me.

"If Draco succeeds," said Snape, "he will be honored above all others."

"But he won't succeed!" sobbed Narcissa, "How can he, when the Dark Lord himself-?"

Bellatrix gasped and Narcissa seemed to lose her nerve.

"I only meant that…that nobody has yet succeeded…Severus…please… You are, you have always been, Draco's favorite teacher… You are Lucius's old friend… I beg you… You are the Dark Lord's favorite, his most trusted advisor… Will you speak to him, persuade him-?"

"The Dark Lord will not be persuaded, and I am not stupid enough to attempt it," he said flatly, "I cannot pretend that the Dark Lord is not angry with Lucius. Lucius was supposed to be in charge. He got himself captured, along with how many others, and failed to retrieve the prophecy into the bargain. Yes, the Dark Lord is angry, Narcissa, very angry indeed."

"Then I am right, he has chosen Draco in revenge! He does not mean him to succeed, he wants him to be killed trying!"

Snape said nothing and Narcissa seemed to lose what little restraint she had left. She stood up and staggered over to Snape. She seized the front of his robes. Her face close to his, her tears falling on his robes, she gasped, "You could do it. You could do it instead of Draco, Severus. You would succeed, of course you would, and he would reward you beyond all of us-"

I could feel a growl rising in my throat, even though I wasn't in tiger form. A large part of me wanted to hex her. Hands off, I commanded with my mind.

Snape caught hold of her wrists and removed her clutching hands. Whether because I wanted him to, or because he wanted to, I couldn't be sure.

"He intends me to do it in the end, I think," he said slowly, looking down into her tearstained face, "But he is determined that Draco should try first. You see, in the unlikely even that Draco succeeds, I shall be able to remain at Hogwarts a little longer, fulfilling my useful role as spy."

"In other words, it doesn't matter to him if Draco is killed!"

"The Dark Lord is very angry," repeated Snape quietly, "He failed to hear the prophecy. You know as well as I do, Narcissa, that he does not forgive easily."

She crumpled, falling at his feet, sobbing and moaning on the floor.

"My only son…my only son…"

Seeing how pathetic she was made me feel a little better, but not as much as sensing Snape's disgust.

"You should be proud!" said Bellatrix ruthlessly, "If I had sons, I would be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord!"

Narcissa gave a little scream of despair and clutched at her long blonde hair. Snape stooped, seized her by her arms, lifted her up, and steered her back onto the sofa. He poured her more wine and forced the glass into her hand.

"Narcissa, that's enough. Drink this. Listen to me. It might be possible… for me to help Draco."

She sat up, her eyes huge.

"Severus- oh, Severus- you would help him? Would you look after him, see he comes to no harm?"

"I can try."

She flung her glass onto the table, slid off the sofa, and kneeled at Snape feet. She seized his hand in both of hers and pressed her lips to it.

Oh she is so dead meat, I thought to myself, reaching for my wand.

"That's quite enough out of you, too," Snape said in my mind, sounding briefly annoyed with me, "Just look at her. She's pitiful. …and she's married."

I scowled.

"If you are there to protect him… Severus, will you swear it? Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?" Narcissa asked him.

"The Unbreakable Vow?" Snape repeated, his expression blank, unreadable. Bellatrix let out a cackle of triumphant laughter.

"Aren't you listening, Narcissa? Oh, he'll try, I'm sure… The usual empty words, the usual slithering out of action… oh, on the Dark Lord's orders, of course!"

"You can hex that one," Snape said in my mind, but he was joking. He didn't look at Bellatrix, but kept his gaze on poor, pitiful, Narcissa. She had not yet released his hand.

"Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the Unbreakable Vow," he said quietly, "Perhaps your sister will consent to be our Bonder."

Bellatrix's mouth fell open. Snape lowered himself so that he kneeled opposite Narcissa. They grasped right hands.

"You will need your wand, Bellatrix," said Snape coldly.

She drew it, still looking astonished.

"And you will need to move a little closer," he added.

She placed the tip of her wand on their linked hands. Narcissa spoke.

"Will you, Severus, watch over my son, Draco, as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?"

"I will," said Snape.

A thin tongue of flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire.

"And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?"

"I will."

"And, should it prove necessary…if it seems Draco will fail… will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?"

There was a moment of silence and the room seemed to hold its breath.

"I will," said Snape. Bellatrix's astounded face glower red in the blaze of the third tongue of flame, which shot from the wand and twisted with the others, forming a snake around their clasped hands. When the fiery ropes faded, they released hands. Narcissa kissed Snape's hand once more and he stood up, going to sit back in the armchair, seemingly satisfied.

"You can make an appearance, if you like," he said to me.

I removed my Disillusionment Charm, but let off a bang so my entrance would seem more impressive. Bellatrix and Narcissa both bowed to me. Snape looked amused.

"What's going on here?" I asked casually.

"Narcissa merely wished to have a quick word with me, Abigail," Snape said.

"But we really should be going," Bellatrix added quickly, "Or we'll be missed. Come, Narcissa."

She grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her to her feet. Narcissa had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red.

"Thank you, Severus," she said quietly, then she and Bellatrix both left, bowing to me once again. When they were gone, I flopped down on the couch. I scowled and Snape absently rubbed the back of his hand, as if wiping away dirt.

"Was that really such a wise move, Severus?" I inquired, "You're bound to it now."

"I promised nothing I couldn't fulfill," he replied lightly.

"I think you liked all that flattery. 'You are the Dark Lord's favorite, his most trusted advisor'," I mimicked and made kissy noises. It was Snape's turn to scowl.

"Why does it bother you so much?" he retorted. I opened my mouth, then closed it and shot him an evil glance. I decided it was best to change the subject.

"Your story is well thought out," I commented, "Dumbledore's an idiot for trusting you."

"Not so," he disagreed in my mind in case we were overheard, "I'm one of the good guys… You know why he trusts me…"

And we were both swamped with that feeling of despair and hopelessness, recalling the memory of him in Dumbledore's office. Snape was able to shake it off easier than I could. Seeing that the feeling still swamped me, he came to sit beside me on the couch and put an arm around me. His eyes flicked towards the hidden staircase, then he pulled me close and kissed my forehead. After a moment, I shook him off and headed for the stairs.

A few days after that, the Hogwarts booklist came, along with the results of my O.W.L. exams. Top marks in everything, of course. Only Snape and I went to Diagon Alley to do the shopping, leaving Wormtail at home alone. I was careful to make sure my room was locked up tight before we left.

Diagon Alley looked positively dreary. Many of the shops were boarded up and posters of the escaped Death Eaters covered the windows. People traveled in nervous packs, glancing back and forth constantly. Hard to believe my father was the cause of such despair. I raised an eyebrow at Snape as we passed Ollivanders, which was boarded up.

"You don't know everything your father does, Abigail," he said quietly.

"What does he need a wandmaker for?" I wondered aloud.

"It's not safe to talk about here," he replied, looking around quickly.

There were a number of strange carts or stands set up along the street, selling 'protective amulets'.

"Protect your girl's pretty neck, kind sir?" a sales wizard said to Snape, "These amulets are effective against Inferi, werewolves-"

Snape chuckled quietly and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's just- the thought of you needing protection… especially from a werewolf," he said, half-smiling. We continued walking down the street, leaving the sales wizard baffled by our strange behavior.

Something bright caught my eye as we walked down the street. It was sign on the front window of Fred and George Weasley's joke shop. It had bright, flashing, yellow letters that spelled out:

WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT

YOU-KNOW-WHO?

YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT

U-NO-POO-

THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION

THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION

Snape pulled me away from the busy shop, looking around as if he expected our fellow Death Eaters to come swooping down upon the blatant display of disrespect for our master.

"Hey, I wanna go inside," I said, pulling free of his grasp.

"Abigail, no. I'm surprised no one has firebombed this place yet."

"Come on, Sev. Let me go in," I pleased, looking up into his black eyes. He hesitated, then sighed.

"Alright. I'll go get your books and meet you back here shortly," he said finally.

"Yay! Thanks, Sev," I said, hugging him quickly.

"Stop that…and don't call me that," he muttered, holding me at arm's length.

"Hmph. See you in a bit, then."

I made my way into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and took a look around. There were a number of rather impressive love potions. There were boxes of Self-Inking, Spell-Checking, and Smart-Answer quills. There were Skiving Snackboxes, which I had come across briefly during their years at Hogwarts- they were a variety of sweets that made you ill. They had been especially popular last year when Umbridge was teaching. I bought a variety of things, including a purple Pygmy Puff, which was a miniature puffskein, whom I decided to name Katie.

When I left the shop a little while later, Katie was riding on my shoulder. Snape had not yet arrived and I decided to take a quick trip down Knockturn Alley. The last time I'd gone down Knockturn Alley I had been young and scared. This time I was ready- I was the Dark Lord's daughter. I wasn't afraid of Knockturn Alley.

Much to my dismay, the streets were deserted, the shops were empty, and it wasn't at all frightening.

"Abigail," hissed a disapproving voice behind me. I whirled around to find myself face-to-face with Snape.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked me.

"Just looking around," I replied with a shrug, "Besides, it's not so scary down here nowadays."

"Hm… How would you like to go get a drink?" he asked me.

"Oh. …well…sure," I said, surprised. Snape beckoned for me to follow him down Knockturn Alley. He caught sight of Katie riding on my shoulder and raised an eyebrow at me.

"What is that?" he asked me.

"A miniature puffskein," I said fondly, "Fred and George call them Pygmy Puffs. Her name is Katie."

He shook his head incredulously and said nothing more on the subject.

I followed Snape until we came to a building. There was an ornate black door with a green glass window. There were no windows, no way to see into the building at all. A sign hung above the door that said 'Slytherin's Finest' in ornate letters. Snape held open the door for me. I walked in and looked around. It was a classy sort of bar. The lights were dim, the walls were painted black, and the floor was stone. A few older witches and wizards, all dressed in black, sat around the bar, drinking. Snape looked around, then smiled at me and took my hand. He led me over to the bar and we sat down.

Snape ordered a glass of Firewhiskey for both of us and the well-dressed bartender gave them to us without question.

"Long time, no see, Severus," said the bartender.

"I've been rather busy, Baxter," Snape said to him. The bartender smiled knowingly and walked away.

"Come here often?" I asked in a slightly sarcastic voice.

"Not so much anymore," he replied, smiling at me. I studied the Firewhiskey in my glass tentatively a moment.

"Cheers," I murmured, lifting my glass. I downed it quickly. The Firewhiskey burned my throat. I barely managed to suppress a cough. Snape chuckled at me, then took a sip of his own drink and sighed in a contented sort-of way.

"It's good to get out of the house…and away from Wormtail," he said. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Will he go back with my father once it is time to go back to Hogwarts?" I inquired.

"Of course. He's not staying in my house," he replied, black eyes narrowed.

Snape and I stayed in the bar for a few hours. Right before we left, two people walked in that I recognized immediately, though they were disguised- Bellatrix and Yaxley. They both bowed to me respectfully. Yaxley quietly greeted Snape, but Bellatrix completely ignored him. As we left the bar Snape looked at me curiously.

"What?" I asked, noticing his gaze.

"They bowed to you."

"Well yeah. …I guess it's because I'm like the Dark Princess or whatever."

He looked momentarily surprised then laughed loudly. I half-smiled.

September 1st, Snape and I got up early. We had to drop Wormtail off with the Dark Lord before continuing on to Hogwarts. The three of us ate breakfast in complete silence. Wormtail was glad to be leaving and we were glad to see the back of him as well. I had just reached for the Daily Prophet when I felt the Dark Mark burn on my wrist. I dropped the paper in alarm, knocking over a jug of milk. Snape said nothing, but cleaned the mess with his wand. Wormtail sort of giggled, but fell immediately silent at a look from me.

The three of us Disapparated and reappeared outside of Malfoy Manor. We walked in to find no one but the Dark Lord waiting for us.

"Greetings, daughter. Are you looking forward to your return to school?" the Dark Lord asked me, ignoring Snape and Wormtail for the moment.

"Yes, my lord," I responded automatically.

"Good… You could, of course, remain here, if you wish. You need not return to Hogwarts."

"Not return to Hogwarts?" I repeated blankly, "…but what about my education?"

"I could teach you. Of course I understand perfectly if you wish to return to Hogwarts. I hear Professor Slughorn has resumed teaching?" he said, looking now to Snape. Snape inclined his head.

"I was one of his favorite students, back in my day," said the Dark Lord to me, "I think you will find Professor Slughorn has much to teach. He is a very valuable asset. You should befriend him at any cost, Abby."

"Yes, father," I said dutifully.

The Dark Lord's gaze drifted from me to Wormtail.

"Wormtail," he said lazily, "How did you enjoy your employment with Severus and Abby?"

"A p-pleasure to serve your daughter, my lord," Wormtail stammered, "A great honor."

The Dark Lord laughed softly, a dangerous sound.

"Run along, Wormtail. I will speak to Severus and Abby alone," he said.

"As you wish, my lord," Wormtail said with a low bow, then he scampered from the room. The Dark Lord motioned that we should sit- Snape to his right and me to his left, as usual.

"Abby… I think you need an assignment…something to prove your loyalty to me," he said thoughtfully.

"Anything, my lord," I said, then added cautiously, "…What sort of assignment?"

"Hm… I think I'll have you kill the traitor, Igor Karkaroff," he replied lightly, "Luckily for you, the hard part has already been taken care of- I have located him. Yours is an easy part. Consider yourself very lucky."

"Yes, my lord," I said, forcing myself to stay calm and not panic, "When shall I go?"

"Today. Now, I think. Severus will go with you. Karkaroff is hiding out in a shack up North."

"I'm not dressed for cold weather," I commented.

"You may borrow a coat from Bellatrix or Narcissa. They are upstairs," the Dark Lord said absently. I inclined my head, then made my way to the stairs.

When I got upstairs I took a few minutes to do some deep breathing. I didn't want to have to kill Karkaroff…I didn't particularly want to kill anybody!

Severus will think of something, I thought to myself reassuringly, he always has a plan.

I knocked on the door to Bellatrix's room and she wrenched it open, a wild look in her eye.

"I told you no, you pathetic little- Oh, it's you!" she said, bowing to me, "Forgive me, Princess. I was expecting…well, it doesn't really matter. How can I be of assistance?"

"I have to travel North- hunting down a traitor- and I was wondering if I could borrow a coat?" I inquired.

"Of course, Princess," she said immediately. She disappeared into her room for a moment, then reappeared with a black, fur-lined cloak.

"Here you are then. I don't suppose you need me to go with you?" she asked me.

"I think not. The Dark Lord said Severus should go with me."

Her lip curled in dislike.

"Right. …tell me, Princess- do you really think Snape is to be trusted?"

"I've lived with him for the past five years. He's never done anything to make me think he is not completely loyal to the Dark Lord," I replied.

"…Right. Well, best of luck with the traitor- who is it you're going after?"

"Karkaroff."

"Never liked him much anyway," she said, sort of smiling. Then she disappeared back into her room. I shuddered slightly before returning downstairs.

Snape was waiting for me at the foot of the stairs. My father was nowhere in sight. I looked at him helplessly. He hesitated a moment, then put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry…" he said in my head, "If you can't do it…"

The Dark Lord re-entered the room.

"Are you all set to go?" he asked me.

"Yes, father," I said dutifully.

"Will we need to set the Dark Mark over his body?" Snape asked.

"No. He is not worthy," the Dark Lord said dismissively. Then he left us again.

Snape led me out of the dark manor and into the blinding sunlight. When we stood in the driveway, he fastened Bellatrix's cloak around my shoulders. Then he extended his arm to me and, once I took hold, we Disapparated.

Where we appeared was anywhere but bright and sunny. Freezing snow swirled around us and I clung to Snape as I shielded my eyes to look around.

"Where are we?" I called over the noise of the howling wind.

"Some hodgepodge Muggle village in the North…the far North," he replied, "Come along."

I clung to him as we trudged our way through the snow. I was glad he seemed to know where we were going because I couldn't see anything. At last, an eerie dark shape emerged through the swirling mass of snow. As we got closer I could see it was a shabby little shack. I glanced up at Snape questioningly.

"It doesn't look like much on the outside, but I'm sure he has it dolled up on the inside. He would want to be as inconspicuous as possible," he informed me.

As we approached the door, Snape pressed a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. He drew his wand and I mimicked him. When we reached the door, Snape pushed it inwards. There was a flash of light and a crash. Karkaroff was frozen in a half-rising position, his hand on his wand, held immobile by Snape's wand. There was no mistaking the terror and pleading in his eyes.

"S-Severus!" Karkaroff cried, a slight hopefulness in his voice, "Y-you aren't going to kill me, are you?"

"Actually…Abigail is supposed to do it," Snape said, looking to me. I held my wand aloft, trying to look determined… but I knew I couldn't do it. He looked almost humorous, frozen in his half-risen pose. He was griping his wand tightly and I had no doubt that, had Snape not frozen him, he would have struck us first…but something about me knew I couldn't kill him. I didn't understand it, couldn't explain it- I didn't even like Karkaroff. I remembered the way he used to look at me, almost as if he were devouring me with his dark eyes. He was a traitor to his fellow Death Eaters. He only cared about saving his own skin. He had named many of his friends as Death Eaters to keep himself out of Azkaban all those years ago…but so hadn't Mother?

I looked at Snape helplessly.

"I can't," I said, and lowered my wand. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of killing Karkaroff.

"Severus, please…I thought we were friends?" Karkaroff said pleadingly, "You wouldn't kill me, would you?"

Snape looked indecisive. There was a fire in the fireplace- a smokeless one. I turned my back on them both as I walked over to the fireplace so maybe I could thaw a little. I decided this was no longer my battle. I couldn't do it… the decision to let Karkaroff live or die was up to Snape now.

"…I can't do it either," he said finally, lowering his wand. I turned to look at them. Karkaroff dropped his wand and fell to the floor at Snape's feet, sobbing in gratitude.

"It's not that I can't do it, so much as I don't want to…not when there is a better option," Snape added, looking down at Karkaroff with something bordering dislike.

"And what's your 'better option'?" I inquired curiously. Karkaroff crawled over to me and began groveling at my feet.

"Thank you, Abigail, you are such a good person," he said gratefully, kissing the hems of my robes. Revolted, I kicked him rather painfully in the ribs, causing him to scamper away from me.

"Don't call me Abigail," I said venomously, "And just because I won't kill you doesn't mean I won't hurt you."

He nodded his head weakly and crawled back to his seat. He certainly didn't look as high and mighty as he did in my fourth year. His hair was dirty, unwashed, and untrimmed. He was still wearing his expensive fur-lined robes, but they were tattered and worn.

I looked around the room for the first time since we entered. There was an old couch where Karkaroff had been sitting when we entered. There was a black-and-white Muggle television playing a few feet away. There was an old mattress in the corner, covered in blankets, where he had obviously been sleeping. The whole room smelled nasty. The air seemed sour.

"You could have lived a little more luxuriously, Igor," Snape said, also looking around.

"N-no point. I've been moving around every week. …you'll find material items hold less and less value when you're trying to stay alive," Karkaroff replied.

"You'll have to leave here, of course… I suggest you go out of country. We will spread the news that you are dead," Snape said. He lifted his wand again, pointing it at the floor. A moment later, the rug was transfigured into a body identical to Karkaroff…only dead, with eyes wide open and a trickle of blood running out of his mouth. The real Karkaroff looked extremely perturbed at the sight of his own corpse and immediately got to his feet.

"I'll go," he said immediately, "To South America. Right now."

"Good…and Igor?"

"Yes, Severus?"

"If anyone finds out about this…"

He didn't need to finish the threat. Karkaroff nodded his head weakly and headed for the door. I made up my mind quickly. As soon as his hand touched the handle, I raised my wand.

"Obliviate," I said loudly, startling myself slightly. Karkaroff's face went oddly slack. I walked over to him.

"Your name is Alan Cacklehalt. You will go immediately to South America and settle down in the nearest jungle to spend the rest of your days hunting the legendary Crumple-Horned Snorlack. You don't remember ever living in Europe. You don't know who the Dark Lord is. You will not remember this. Do you understand?" I asked softly.

"Yes," Karkaroff said, expression blank.

"You will go now."

There was a quiet pop and Karkaroff Disapparated. Snape looked at me curiously.

"If he had been captured, he would have squealed our names like a pig to keep himself from being killed," I said quietly, "I could sense it in his emotions… and in his mind."

"Good thinking," he said with a nod. We were both silent, looking down at the 'dead body' on the floor.

"If anyone ever found out about this…"

"I would be killed," I finished the sentence for him, "This was my ultimate test of loyalty to my father…and I failed."

He nodded his head slowly, his face a little paler than usual.

"We have to go back and tell the Dark Lord we succeeded," he said after a moment of silence, "Before we can go to Hogwarts. Remember to keep the story straight in your mind- we came here, found him watching that Muggle contraption, and you killed him immediately."

I concentrated on making the thought permanent, more like a memory, blocking the memory of what actually happened to where I almost believed I had killed Karkaroff.

"Ready?" Snape asked, extending his arm to me. I nodded my head and we Disapparated, like Karkaroff had done.

We Apparated outside of Malfoy Manor and walked up the path towards the house together. The Dark Lord was waiting for us, along with a handful of Death Eaters.

"Were you successful in your task?" the Dark Lord asked, looking at Snape.

"Yes. The traitor, Igor Karkaroff, is dead," Snape announced. A few of the surrounding Death Eaters laughed cruelly and the Dark Lord smiled.

"Well done, daughter," my father said after the laughter had died out, "You have proven your loyalty."

I inclined my head, not knowing what to say.

"You and Severus may return to Hogwarts. I will expect usual reports," the Dark Lord continued.

"My lord," said Snape quickly, "I think the headmaster may grow suspicious if I pull Abigail out of school too frequently."

"Then do not get caught," replied the Dark Lord calmly, "I won't call for you too frequently."

Snape inclined his head. I bowed to my father, then Snape and I left.

When we arrived outside Hogwart's gates I let out a breath that it felt like I had been holding forever. I gazed fondly up towards the castle and the grounds. Even when everything else in the world was crappy, Hogwarts seemed as strong and immune as ever.

Snape and I walked down to his office together. As we passed the Potions classroom something occurred to me.

"You won't be teaching down here this year, will you? You'll be up on the third floor," I remarked.

"Yes."

"Why keep your dungeon office, then? Wouldn't it be easier to have the office on the third floor?"

"It would be…but I like the dungeon. And Dumbledore said Slughorn wanted Professor Merrythought's old office."

"Professor…Merrythought?" I inquired, frowning slightly. The name sounded familiar.

"He used to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher…a long time ago. Back when Slughorn worked here," Snape replied.

"Oh… Mother stole a fire salamander from him, didn't she? I dreamt about it once."

"Yes, she did," Snape said, half-smiling at the memory, "And let it loose in Dumbledore's office."

"And you two got caught. But not the others, Avery and…Avery and Mulciber? The Death Eaters?"

Snape nodded his head.

"We were friends when we were at school. Nearly every Slytherin from my generation ended up a Death Eater," he said.

"…Can we go meet Slughorn?" I asked, changing the subject.

"He isn't here yet. Dumbledore wanted him to ride the train with the students…just in case something were to happen."

When we reached his office, Snape unlocked the door and we walked in. He sat down at his desk and began searching through a stack of papers on his desk. I sat in my usual seat and pondered all that had happened as Snape began to work.

"You know something amusing?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" he asked, looking up interestedly.

"All these big, bad, Dark Wizards…breaking down and crying like babies," I said, chuckling, "Wormtail, Karkaroff…and anyone that crosses the Dark Lord."

He half-smiled at me, then continued his work.

When it came time for the feast, Snape and I walked down to the Great Hall together. I went over to the Slytherin Table and he went to sit with the other teachers. Draco was sitting with his friends, but he looked up when I sat down and smiled sort of nervously. I said nothing and he turned back to Pansy and finished telling her whatever he was saying.

"-And then I stomped on his face. I heard his nose crunch," Draco said gleefully.

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"Potter, of course," Draco replied, "I caught him eavesdropping on the train."

I laughed quietly and turned my gaze upon the staff table. I immediately spotted the man who must be Professor Slughorn. He was a fat, bald man who resembled a walrus.

The Sorting had just started when, unnoticed by anyone but me, a large silver animal floated through the back wall. It was a Patronus and it seemed to be delivering a message to Snape, who was listening to it intently. He stood up to go. Quietly as I could I secretively tapped myself with my wand and put on my Disillusionment Charm. Silently I walked past the house tables and followed Snape out the door, which he graciously held open for me. He took a lantern out of the entrance hall and walked out onto the grounds.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"Shh…don't speak out loud," he warned inside of my head, "Potter was late and needs to be let in."

So I get to see you torturing him? I thought gleefully. He looked slightly bemused.

"Yes."

Ten feet away from the gate we could see Harry Potter standing with a woman who had mousy brown hair and looked about as cheerful as Narcissa Malfoy.

"Well, well, well," Snape sneered as he tapped his wand on the chain that bound the gates and they began to come undone, "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would distract from your appearance."

"I couldn't change, I didn't have my-" Potter began.

"There is no need to wait, Nymphadora, Potter is quite- ah- safe in my hands," Snape said to the brown-haired woman.

"I meant Hagrid to get the message," the woman replied, frowning.

"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter here, so I took it instead. And incidentally, I was interested to see your new Patronus."

Snape moved aside to let Potter pass and then shut the gate. He tapped the chain with his wand and it locked itself again.

"I think you were better off with the old one," said Snape maliciously, "The new one looks weak."

There was a fleeting look of shock and anger on the woman's face, which I only saw briefly because Snape turned the light away.

"Good night," Potter called over his shoulder to her, "Thanks for…everything."

"See you, Harry," the woman said miserably.

Patronuses can change shape? I thought curiously.

"Yes. Sometimes due to a… heavy emotional blow."

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for lateness, I think," Snape said aloud to Potter, "And, let me see, another twenty for your Muggle attire. You know, I don't believe any house has ever been in negative figures this early in the term: We haven't even started pudding. You might have set a record, Potter."

Potter didn't say anything but his fury was apparent. Snape savored his taunting for a moment before continuing.

"I suppose you wanted to make an entrance, did you?" Snape continued, "And with no flying car available you decided that bursting into the Great Hall halfway through the feast ought to create a dramatic effect."

Potter still didn't speak. We walked up the steps and through the doors. They paused in the entrance hall where Potter was thinking he might could slip on his invisibility cloak.

"No cloak. You can walk in so that everyone sees you, which is what you wanted, I'm sure," Snape said to him. Furious, Potter stomped away through the open doors.

Every eye in the room was on Potter so I went unnoticed as I removed my Disillusionment Charm and began to load food onto my plate.

A while later Dumbledore got to his feet to address the room as soon as the plates were cleared.

"The very best of evenings to you," he said, smiling with his arms open wide. Everyone in the room saw his blackened hand.

"What happened to his hand?" Jenny gasped, as did everyone else in the hall.

"I dunno…" I lied absently.

"It looks dead."

"It looks as if it's been cursed," Draco added from across the table..

Dumbledore merely smiled and shook his sleeve down over the injury.

"Nothing to worry about," he said lightly, "Now…to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of the staff this year. Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

The while hall broke out in muttering as everyone was unsure if they'd heard right. I merely smiled.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore continued over the noise.

"No!" said Potter loudly from the Gryffindor Table, not caring that a number of people heard him and were staring at him. The Slytherin Table broke out in cheers and applause. I clapped loudly as Jenny punched me lightly in the shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"It was a surprise," I replied, smiling brightly. Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and the chatter began to die out. He waited until there was absolute silence before continuing.

"Now, as everybody in this hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them- in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say goodnight. Pip pip!"

As the hall began to empty, I saw Snape talking to Slughorn. Curious as I was, I decided to head to my dormitory and not bother them. I spotted Draco walking a few feet ahead of me in the hallway, alone.

"Oi, Draco!" I called as I hurried to catch up with him. He looked a little nervous as he turned to face me.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind…not telling anyone else about my being a Death Eater…or that the Dark Lord is my father?" I inquired quietly, "I'd rather it not be public knowledge…if Dumbledore were to catch wind of something like that…"

"Sure," he said with a relieved smile, "No problem…but you would be so popular, you know? At least amongst the Slytherins."

"Never mattered much to me, really," I replied with a shrug, "Just keep your mouth shut about me."

He inclined his head, then I walked past him. I had almost reached the Slytherin Common Room when Snape's voice intruded on my thoughts.

"Got a minute?" he asked me, "I'd like to talk to you about something."

You couldn't have talked to me about whatever it is when we were sitting in your office earlier? I asked, slightly annoyed that I now had to turn around and walk back towards his office.

"It didn't occur to me then," he replied, sounding slightly amused.

When I reached his office, Snape was sitting at his desk. He indicated I should sit and I did with a loud, meaningful yawn. He half-smiled.

"I want you to follow Draco Malfoy for me. I'm supposed to keep an eye on him and he doesn't trust me… but you can make him trust you."

"So I'm doing your dirty work, is that it?" I asked lightly.

"No. …I'm entrusting you with a task that needs to be done."

"…Okay, I'll do it. What exactly do I have to do?"

"Just find out what he's up to. What his plans are, if you can. And be careful. Don't do anything stupid or dangerous."

"Nice to know you have so much faith in me," I said sarcastically.

"Well you don't see me asking anyone else to do this, do you? Besides…if I can't trust you, who can I trust? I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Touching," I said, sneering to keep the emotion out of my voice, "but your concern is wasted. I'm not an idiot, Severus, you don't have to worry about me…actually, it can get a bit annoying. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

"Of course you are," he said, waving his hand dismissively in a way he knew would annoy me. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch slightly. I scowled at him, but there was no way I was going to let him know how much his concern meant to me.

"Can I go to bed now?" I asked irritably.

"Sure. See you in the morning."

"Hmph."

Later that night, as I was trying to fall asleep, I wondered how I was going to find out what Draco was doing. I had to be friends with him… which may mean having to forsake my friendship- or whatever you would call it- with Snape for a while. If Draco no longer trusted him, he might not trust me either.

The next morning I got my course schedule and was pleased to see that my first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. I had a free period first off and another free period after lunch, so after eating breakfast I went back down to the common room. I looked over my schedule for a while, then went upstairs to be put my schoolbooks in my bag. When I returned to the Common Room, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were sitting in the corner. I sat in one of the chairs and, under the pretense of reading my Potions book, watched Draco and his cronies from across the room. They were talking quietly, but I could hear them.

"-I've seen it in there a million times. It will make a good backup plan, don't you think? Smuggling it in shouldn't be too much of a problem," Draco was saying. At that moment the bell rang, much to my annoyance. I closed my book and caught up with Draco and his friends so I could walk with them to Snape's new classroom.

We lined up outside the classroom door along with a number of other students. I wondered how Snape was going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? This was going to be different than any other teacher we had in the subject, undoubtedly. Even Draco couldn't hide his faint air of interest.

The classroom door opened and Snape walked out into the corridor. An eerie silence fell over the class.

"Inside," he said. Draco and I walked in and looked around delightedly. Snape had redecorated the room so that it now felt more like the usual dungeon classroom. The curtains had been drawn against the sunlight and the room was lit by candles. Draco and I shared a grin as we looked around at the pictures on the wall. All the pictures showed various curses being used. Many of the people in the pictures were missing body parts or sporting gruesome injuries. Draco sat down in the very back of the room, staring fixatedly at a picture of someone being tortured. I sat down in the front of the room, in the desk closest to Snape's.

"I have not asked you to take out your books," said Snape as he shut the door with a loud snap. Many people dropped their books back into their bags.

"I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention," he continued and no one dared look away as he made his way to the front of the class, "You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."

He began to walk around the classroom and many people craned their necks to keep him within view.

"The Dark Arts," said Snape, "are many, varied, and ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

A slight chill crept up my spine at the way he was talking about the Dark Arts. There was a tender caress in his voice which I had never heard before. I wasn't the only one who heard it.

"Your defenses," he continued, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse, feel the Dementor's Kiss, or provoke the aggression of the Inferius."

"Has an Inferius been seen then?" asked a Gryffindor girl in a high-pitched voice, "Is it definite, is he using them?"

"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," Snape said dismissively, "which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now…"

He walked towards his desk again, his black robes billowing out behind him. Every eye was still on him.

"…you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?" he asked. Hermione Granger put her hand in the air immediately, but Snape ignored her and looked around the room. His eyes lingered on me for a moment.

"You know the answer. Raise your hand," he said in my mind.

I don't feel like answering, I replied lightly, Ask Granger. Maybe she'll get it wrong.

"Very well- Miss Granger?" he asked her curtly.

"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform which gives you a split-second advantage," she said promptly.

"Unless they're using Legilimency," I said quietly, but no one else heard me.

"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six, but correct in essentials," Snape said dismissively to Granger. Draco snickered in the corner.

"Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some-," Snape said, his eyes falling on Potter, "lack."

I smirked, also remembering Potter and Snape's disastrous Occlumency lessons the previous year.

"You will now divide into pairs," Snape went on, "One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."

As the class began to break into pairs Draco made his way up to me.

"Do you want to work with me?" he asked me.

"Sure," I replied brightly, "but I already know how to do nonverbal spells."

"Maybe you could show me?" he asked anxiously, "and I'll get a chance to work on the Impediment Jinx."

I nodded my head in agreement. Snape was watching us with a faintly amused expression as Draco faced me with his wand raised. I raised my wand. Draco's face was screwed up in concentration as he tried to perform a nonverbal spell. He ended up muttering it out of the corner of his mouth. I deflected it easily and he had to duck as his spell rebounded off my Shield Charm.

"Let me work on this nonverbal thing a minute," he said, screwing up his face in concentration. When it came clear to me that Draco wasn't going to be producing a nonverbal spell anytime soon, I let my gaze wander around the classroom.

I held my wand at the ready in case Snape should happen to look back at us, but I wasn't really paying attention to Draco. I was watching as Snape stopped beside Potter and Weasley. Potter had his wand raised and Weasley was trying to perform a nonverbal jinx.

"Pathetic, Weasley," Snape said after watching them for a few minutes, "Here- let me show you-"

He turned his wand on Potter so quickly that Potter forgot himself for a moment and yelled "Protego!"

His Shield Charm was so strong that Snape was knocked backwards into a desk. I let out a sharp gasp and had to try really hard not to run over and help him up. Draco, however was smirking.

"I thought you liked Professor Snape, why are you smirking?" I muttered to him.

"I don't like him anymore," he said coolly. We both watched as Snape got to his feet, scowling.

"Do you remember me telling you that we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?"

"Yes," replied Potter stiffly.

"Yes, sir," Snape corrected menacingly.

"There's no need to call me 'sir', Professor," Potter retorted coolly. There was a collective gasp. Everyone in the room was now watching Snape to see his reaction.

"Detention, Saturday night, my office," said Snape coldly, "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter…not even 'the Chosen One.'"

When the bell rang and class ended, I hung back a moment to help Snape repair a few jars that had toppled off the desk he had knocked into.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Fine," he replied, then scowled slightly, "Potter thinks he can get away with cheek in my classroom…he was wrong."

"What have you got planned for his detention?" I asked, half-smiling.

"Sorting rotten flobberworms from good ones… without gloves. It's a tedious chore that's needed to be done for a while now. Seems like a good punishment. …you better hurry or you'll be late for Divination," Snape said, nodding towards the doors. I sighed because he had a point and picked up my bag. Halfway to the door I paused and looked back at him.

"You have my schedule memorized?" I asked, smirking slightly.

"I have to write your schedule…of course I would know what class you had next."

"Right," I said, shaking my head slightly and walking out the door.

Draco and I spent the entire break after lunch practicing nonverbal jinxes and Shield Charms in the Common Room. He finally managed to silently deflect my nonverbal jelly-legs jinx when the bell rang. Only four Slytherins had managed to pass into N.E.W.T. level Potions; Draco, myself, and two boys named Zabini and Nott. The four of us went down to the dungeon classroom to see four Ravenclaws, one Hufflepuff, and the usual three Gryffindors had passed as well.

Slughorn opened the door and we all walked in the room. The room was already full of unusual smells and vapors. As I passed one of the cauldrons that was smoking I peered inside to see what I recognized to be Amortentia, a very strong love potion that smelled differently according to what most attracted each person. I could smell cold, nighttime air and something sweet that might have been lilies. I walked away from the cauldron rather reluctantly and sat with my fellow Slytherins. The Ravenclaws sat at a table together as did the Gryffindors. The single Hufflepuff boy sat with the Gryffindors. Slughorn walked in and went to the front of the room. He began to call role. When he got to my name, he paused, as did all new teachers who came to Hogwarts and heard about me.

"Oh-ho! Are you Snape's Abigail?" Slughorn asked me. Draco snickered at me and I blushed slightly.

"It's Abby, sir," I said determinedly, "And yes… I suppose I am."

A few people tittered quietly at me, then Slughorn merely continued on down the role. When he finished, he looked up.

"Now then, now then, now then," said Slughorn, "scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making…"

"Sir?" said Potter, raising his hand.

"Harry, m'boy?"

"I haven't got a book or scales or anything- nor's Ron- we didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T., you see-"

"Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall did mention…not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blotts…"

Slughorn walked over to the store cupboard. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of the potion bubbling away in the cauldron nearest our table. I recognized it immediately as well…Veritaserum.

"Now then," said Slughorn as he returned to the front of the classroom, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"

He indicated the Veritaserum and I was actually going to put my hand in the air, but Granger was quicker and Slughorn pointed to her.

"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," she said.

"Very good, very good!" said Slughorn happily, "Now this one here is pretty well known…featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately, too…who can-?"

Granger's hand was in the air once more as Slughorn pointed to what I, too, noticed to be Polyjuice Potion.

"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," said Granger promptly.

"Excellent, excellent!" Slughorn said, he then pointed to the love potion, "Now this one here…yes, my dear?"

Granger's hand was in the air once more.

"It's Amortentia!" she exclaimed.

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," said Slughorn, looking impressed, "but I assume you know what it does?"

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

"Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"

"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals," she said enthusiastically, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and-"

She broke off, embarrassed.

"May I ask your name, my dear?" asked Slughorn.

"Hermione Granger, sir."

"Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

"No, I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."

Slughorn beamed and turned to Potter.

"Oho! 'One of my best friends is Muggle-born and she's the best in our year!' I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," said Potter.

"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," said Slughorn genially. Draco and I exchanged gloomy glances. Snape would never have given her twenty points.

"Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room- oh yes," Slughorn said, nodding gravely towards Draco and Nott whom were both smirking, "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love…

"And now it is time for us to start work."

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," said the Hufflepuff boy, pointing to the cauldron on Slughorn's desk. I looked at it curiously. This was not a potion I had recognized.

"Oho," said Slughorn again, obviously hoping that someone would ask, "Yes. That. Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?"

"It's liquid luck," said Granger excitedly, "It makes you lucky!"

"Quite right, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis. Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed…at least until the effects wear off."

"Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" asked a Ravenclaw boy.

"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence," replied Slughorn, "Too much of a good thing, you know…highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally…"

"Have you ever taken it, sir?" asked a different boy.

"Twice in my life," said Slughorn, "Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast. Two perfect days."

He gazed dreamily into the distance. I was pretty sure he was playacting.

"Abby," Draco whispered to me.

"What?"

"Try and snag me some of that lucky potion."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I muttered back.

And since when did I become your slave? I wondered.

"Try and get close to it during the lesson," Draco said quietly.

I nodded my agreement as Slughorn came back to Earth.

"And that is what I shall be offering as a prize this lesson," Slughorn said loudly. Draco sat up at little straighter, listening eagerly.

"One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis. Enough for twelve hours' luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt.

"Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions…sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary say only…and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!

"So," Slughorn said, suddenly very brisk, "how are you going to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion-Making. We have little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex that anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does the best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"

I dragged my cauldron to the end of the table nearest the cauldron full of lucky potion. As Slughorn walked around, looking into people's cauldron, I tried to get close to it. I had conjured a flask to put it in, but didn't want to be noticed by my other classmates.

"I could get to the Polyjuice Potion easier," I muttered quietly to Draco. He looked momentarily annoyed, then cleared his facial expressions.

"Alright, yes, get that. I can think of something to do with that," he muttered. I slipped the flask in and out of the Polyjuice quickly, corked it, and stuffed it into the pocket of my robes without anyone noticing. As I passed it secretively to Draco, I decided it was better for him to have Polyjuice Potion than Felix Felicis. The last thing I wanted was for Draco to get lucky and kill Dumbledore. I turned to the potion I was supposed to be brewing.

After ten minutes of doing everything by the book my potion resembled the smooth, deep purple color described as the ideal halfway stage. I was feeling increasingly delighted until it came to having to cut up sopophorous bean, which was more difficult than one would expect. I cursed myself for not being able to remember exactly how Snape and I had brewed the potion.

"Sir, I think you knew my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?" Draco said loudly. I looked up, briefly annoyed that he had interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes," said Slughorn without looking at him, "I was sorry to hear he had died, although of course it wasn't unexpected, dragon pox at his age…"

I looked back down at the shriveled bean and had a silent resolution. I grabbed the knife I was using to try and cut the bean and crushed it with the flat side. A large amount of juice squirted out. Feeling utterly delighted with myself I scooped all of it into my potion which now turned a nice shade of lilac. I began to stir clockwise and after five minutes of this I began to feel annoyed again. According to the book my potion was supposed to turn clear, but it had merely turned a paler shade of purple.

"And time's…up!" called Slughorn a short while later, "Stop stirring, please!"

Furious at my inability to make the potion turn clear I stopped stirring and put my head down on my desk.

"Psst," said an annoying voice in my ear. It was Draco.

"What?" I hissed, lifting my head slightly.

"Switch seats with me, please, Abby. Your potion's clearer than mine and I really want that lucky potion," he said, a faint note of begging in his voice.

"Alright, quickly," I said agreeably. I switched seats with Draco while Slughorn had his back turned. I peered into Draco's cauldron which held a blue substance that was definitely not the Draught of Living Death. I racked my brains, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong.

"Very nice," Slughorn said to Draco as he peered into the cauldron that was actually mine. He merely gave the blue potion a passing glance before moving on to the Gryffindor table. Slughorn stopped at Potter's cauldron with a look of delight on his face.

"The clear winner!" Slughorn cried, "Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was!"

I stiffened slightly when he talked about Lily. …I had never known she was good at potions. Perhaps that is why Snape took the job as Potions master when he was denied the Defense Against the Dark Arts job.

Later that afternoon, after classes were over, I went down to Snape's office to do my homework. Draco had been bugging me to practice nonverbal spells with him and I didn't want to. Snape looked up when I entered, then rummaged around his desk for something. He handed me a folded piece of parchment.

Abby,

I'd like you to come to my office Sunday afternoon at five o'clock for the first of the several lessons I discussed with you over the summer.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

"Did you read it?" I asked Snape. He nodded his head.

"Should be interesting," he said mildly, "Though I don't see the relevance."

I shrugged my shoulders and put the note into my pocket.

I spent all of Sunday wondering what Dumbledore had to share with me regarding my heritage… and why it was important. When five o'clock came I left Snape's office and went up to the Headmaster's office.

"Come in," Dumbledore said when I knocked on his door. I entered the room and looked around curiously. Nothing looked particularly out of the ordinary, save for a familiar stone basin sitting on his desk. I recognized it as the Pensieve he had lent Snape last year when he was teaching Potter Occlumency. Dumbledore himself was sitting at his desk.

"Good evening, Abby. Have a seat," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

"I trust you know what this is?" Dumbledore asked, indicating the stone basin.

"It's Pensieve. You lent it to Severus last year when he was teaching Potter Occlumency. It can be used to store memories, right?"

"It can also be used to revisit memories."

"Ah. …hm…"

"Anything wrong, Abby?"

"Well, it's just… I'm not sure I want to revisit anyone's memories. I… I sometimes dream Severus's memories…"

"I am aware. He told me last year when you were taking that sleeping potion. It will be different this time, however. You will be visiting memories in Pensieve, with me…and with permission. It won't be quite as… personal as dreaming Severus's memories."

"…Right. Whose memories will we be visiting?"

"Tonight, A man named Bob Ogden. He worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He died long ago, but not before I acquired these recollections-"

"What does he have to do with my heritage?" I interrupted, "This Bob Ogden fellow?"

"Patience, Abby. We are about to accompany Bob Ogden on a visit he made in the course of his duties for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Dumbledore pulled a small bottle out of the pocket of his robes. He pointed his wand at the cork stopper and it flew out. He dumped the silvery contents of the bottle into the stone basin where they shimmered and swirled, neither gas nor liquid.

"After you, Abby," he said, gesturing to the basin, "You need only touch it."

I reached forward hesitantly and plunged my hand into the silvery substance. I felt my feet leave the floor- I was falling, falling, though swirling darkness… and then quite suddenly, I was blinking in dazzling sunlight, standing on the ground. Dumbledore was beside me before my eyes had adjusted.

We were standing in a country land bordered by high, tangled hedges, beneath a bright blue summer sky. It was different than other memories I had visited- I was still myself, for one. Some ten feet before us stood a short, plump man wearing thick glasses that reduced his eyes to mole like specks. He was reading a wooden signpost that was sticking out of the brambles on the left-hand side of the road. The man was wearing a strange assortment of Muggle clothes- a frock coat and spats over a striped one-piece bathing costume. Bob Ogden, I decided as he set off at a brisk walk down the lane. Dumbledore motioned for me to follow. As we passed the sign Ogden had been looking at, I looked up at the two arms. One pointing back the way we came said Great Hangleton, 5 miles. The arm pointing after Ogden said Little Hangleton, 1 mile.

We walked a short way with nothing to see but hedgerows. Then the lane curved to the left and fell away, sloping steeply down a hillside, so that we had a sudden, unexpected view of a whole valley laid out in front of us. I could see a village, undoubtedly Little Hangleton, nestled between two steep hills, its church and graveyard clearly visible. Across the valley, set on the opposite hillside, was a handsome manor house surrounded by a wide expanse of velvety green lawn.

Ogden broke into a reluctant trot due to the steep downward slope. Dumbledore lengthened his stride and I hurried to catch up. I supposed Little Hangleton was our final destination and wondered why we had to approach it from such a distance. I was mistaken, however. The lane curved to the right and when we rounded the corner, it was to see the edge of Ogden's coat vanishing through a gap in the hedge.

We followed him onto a narrow dirt track bordered by higher and wilder hedgerows than those we left behind. The path was crooked, rocky, and full of potholes, sloping downhill like the last one, and it seemed to be heading for a patch of dark trees a little below us. Sure enough, the track soon opened up at the copse, and we came to a halt behind Ogden, who had stopped and drawn his wand.

Despite the cloudless sky, the old trees ahead cast deep, dark, cool shadows, and it was a few seconds before my eyes discerned the building half-hidden among the tangle of trunks. It seemed a strange place to have a house, but I sort of liked it. I wondered if it were actually inhabited- the walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and thick with grime. Just as I decided that no one could possibly live there, one of the windows was thrown open and a think trickle of smoke issued from it, as though someone were cooking.

Ogden moved forward quietly and rather cautiously. As the dark shadows of the trees slid over him, he stopped again, staring at the front door, to which someone had nailed a dead snake. I took a startled step backwards when I saw what it was.

There was a rustle and a crack, and a man dressed in rags dropped from the nearest tree, landing right in front of Ogden who leapt backward so fast he stumbled on the tails of his frock coat. The man standing before him had hair so thick and matted with dirt it could have been any color. He was missing several teeth and his eyes stared in opposite directions.

"You are not welcome," hissed the man. I recognized it immediately as Parseltongue. I looked at Dumbledore and frowned. This was someone who was related to me?

Ogden baked away several more paces before speaking.

"Er- good morning. I'm from the Ministry of Magic-"

"You're not welcome," he repeated.

"Er- I'm sorry- I don't understand you," said Ogden nervously. I noticed, for the first time, that the stranger who was related to me had his wand in one hand and a rather bloody knife in the other. He advanced towards Ogden.

"Now, look-" Ogden began, but too late: There was a bang, and Ogden was on the ground, clutching his nose, while a nasty yellowish goo squirted from between his fingers. I chuckled quietly, mostly because I didn't particularly like the look of Ogden. Dumbledore looked at me and frowned.

"Morfin!" said a loud voice.

An elderly man came running out of the cottage, banging the door behind him so that the dead snake swung rather pathetically. This man was shorter than the other, and oddly proportioned; his shoulders were very broad and his arms overlong, which, with his bright brown eyes, short scrubby hair, and wrinkled face, gave him the look of a powerful, aged monkey. He came to a halt beside the man with the knife who was now cackling with laughter at the sigh of Ogden on the ground.

"Ministry, is it?" said the older man, looking down at Ogden.

"Correct!" said Ogden angrily, dabbing his face, "And you, I take it, are Mr. Gaunt?"

"S'right," said Gaunt, "Got you in the face, did he?"

"Yes, he did!" snapped Ogden.

"Should've made your presence known, shouldn't you?" said Gaunt aggressively, "This is private property. Can't just walk in here and not expect my son to defend himself."

"Defend himself against what, man?" said Ogden, getting to his feet.

"Busybodies. Intruders. Muggles and filth."

Ogden pointed his wand at his own nose and the flow of goo stopped immediately.

"Get in the house. Don't argue," Gaunt whispered to Morfin out of the corner of his mouth. Morfin seemed to be at the point of disagreeing, but when his father cast him a threatening look he changed his mind, lumbering away to the cottage with an odd rolling gait and slamming the front door behind him, so that the snake swung again sadly.

"It's your son I'm here to see, Mr. Gaunt," said Ogden, wiping the last of the pus from his coat, "That was Morfin, wasn't it?"

"Ar, that was Morfin," he replied indifferently, then asked aggressively, "Are you pure-blood?"

"That's neither here nor there," said Ogden coldly. Gaunt apparently felt differently.

"Now I come to think about it, I've seen noses like yours down in the village," he said in an offensive tone, squinting into Ogden's face.

"I don't doubt it, if your son's been let loose on them," said Ogden, "Perhaps we could continue this discussion inside?"

"Inside?"

"Yes, Mr. Gaunt. I've already told you. I'm here about Morfin. We sent an owl-"

"I've no use for owls. I don't open letters."

"Then you can hardly complain that you get no warning of visitors," said Ogden tartly, "I am here following a serious breach of Wizarding law, which occurred here in the early hours of this morning-"

"All right, all right, all right!" bellowed Gaunt, "Come in the bleeding house, then, and much good it'll do you!"

We followed the two men into the small house. It seemed to contain three tiny rooms. Two doors led off the main room, which served as kitchen and living room combined. Morfin was sitting in a filthy armchair beside a smoking fire, twisting a live adder between his thick fingers and crooning softly at it in Parseltongue:

Hissy, hissy, little snakey,

Slither on he floor,

You be good to Morfin

Or he'll nail you to the door.

There was a scuffling noise in the corner beside the open window and I realized for the first time that there was someone else in the room- a girl whose ragged gray dress was the exact color of the dirty stone wall behind her. She was standing behind a steaming pot on a grimy black stove, and was fiddling around with the shelf of squalid-looking pots and pans above it. Her hair was lank and dull and she had a plain, pale, rather heavy face. Her eyes, like her brother's, stared in opposite directions. She looked a little cleaner than the two men, but she had a defeated look about her.

"M'daughter, Merope," said Gaunt grudgingly, as Ogden looked inquiringly toward her.

"Good morning," said Ogden. With a frightened glance at her father, she turned her back on the room and continued shifting pots on the shelf.

"Well, Mr. Gaunt," said Ogden, "to get straight to the point, we have reason to believe that your son, Morfin, performed magic in front of a Muggle late last night."

There was a deafening clang. Merope had dropped one of the pots.

"Pick it up!" Gaunt bellowed at her, "That's it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle, what's your wand for, you useless sack of muck?"

"Mr. Gaunt, please!" said Ogden in a shocked voice. Merope, who had already picked up the pot, flushed blotchily scarlet, lost her grip on the pot again, drew her wand shakily from her pocket, pointed it at the pot, and muttered a hasty, inaudible spell that caused the pot to shoot across the floor away from her, hit the opposite wall, and crack in two. Morfin let out a mad cackle of laughter.

"Mend it, you pointless lump, mend it!" screamed Gaunt.

Merope stumbled across the room, but before she had time to raise her wand, Ogden lifted his own and repaired the pot for her. Gaunt looked for a moment as if he was going to shout at Ogden, but seemed to think better of it.

"Lucky the nice man from the Ministry's here, isn't it?" jeered Gaunt at his daughter, "Perhaps he'll take you off my hands, perhaps he doesn't mind dirty Squibs…"

Without looking at anyone, Merope picked up the pot and returned it to the shelf, hands trembling. She then stood quite still, her back against the wall as if she wished for nothing more than to sink into the stone and vanish. I disliked Squibs as much as the next pureblood, but I felt bad for Merope.

"Mr. Gaunt," Ogden began again, "as I've said: the reason for my visit-"

"I heard you the first time!" snapped Gaunt, "And so what? Morfin gave a Muggle a bit of what was coming to him- what about it, then?"

"Morfin has broken Wizarding law."

" 'Morfin has broken Wizarding law'," Gaunt imitated Ogden's voice, making it pompous and singsong. Morfin cackled again and I chuckled quietly.

"He taught a filthy Muggle a lesson, that's illegal now, is it?" Gaunt continued.

"Yes," said Ogden, "I'm afraid it is."

He pulled a scroll of parchment out of his pocket and unrolled it.

"What's that, then, his sentence?" said Gaunt, his voice rising angrily.

"It is a summons to the Ministry for a hearing-"

"Summons! Summons? who do you think you are, summoning my son anywhere?"

"I'm Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad," said Ogden.

"And you think we're scum, do you?" screamed Gaunt, pointing a dirty yellow-nailed finger at Ogden's chest, "Scum who'll come running when the Ministry tells 'em to? Do you know who you're talking to you filthy little Mudblood, do you?"

"I was under the impression that I was speaking to Mr. Gaunt," said Ogden warily.

"That's right!" roared Gaunt, showing Ogden an ugly, black-stoned ring he was wearing on his middle finger, "See this? See this? Know what it is? Know where it came from? Centuries it's been in our family, that's how far back we go, and pure-blood all the way! Know how much I've been offered for this, with the Peverell coat of arms engraved on the stone?"

"I've really no idea," said Ogden, "and it's quite beside the point, Mr. Gaunt. Your son has committed-"

With a howl of rage, Gaunt ran at his daughter and dragged her toward Ogden by a gold chain around her neck.

"See this?" he bellowed, shaking a heavy gold locket at him while Merope spluttered and gasped for breath.

"I see it, I see it!" said Ogden hastily.

"Slytherin's!" yelled Gaunt, "Salazaar Slytherin's! We're his last living descendants, what do you say to that, eh?"

"Mr. Gaunt, your daughter!" said Ogden in alarm, but Gaunt had already released Merope. She staggered away from him, back to her corner, massaging her neck and gulping for air.

"So!" said Gaunt triumphantly, "Don't you go talking to us as if we're dirt on your shoes! Generations of purebloods, wizards all- more than you can say, I don't doubt!"

Then he spat on the floor at Odgen's feet. Morfin cackled again.

"Mr. Gaunt, I am afraid that neither your ancestors nor mine have anything to do with the matter in hand. I am here because of Morfin. Morfin and the Muggle he accosted late last night. Our information is that Morfin performed a jinx or hex on the said Muggle, causing him to erupt in highly painful hives."

Morfin giggled.

"Be quiet, boy," snarled Gaunt in Parseltongue, and Morfin fell silent again.

"And so what if he did, then?" Gaunt said defiantly to Ogden, "I expect you've wiped the Muggle's filthy face clean for him, and his memory to boot-"

"That's hardly the point, is it, Mr. Gaunt?" said Ogden, "This was an unprovoked attack on a defenseless-"

"Ar, I had you marked out as a Muggle-lover the moment I saw you," sneered Gaunt, spitting on the floor again.

"This discussion is getting us nowhere," said Ogden firmly, "It is clear from your son's attitude that he feels no remorse for his actions. Morfin will attend a hearing on the fourteenth of September to answer the charges of using magic in front of a Muggle and causing harm and distress to that same Mugg-"

Ogden broke off as the loud, jingling, clopping sounds of horses and laughter drifted through the open window. Apparently the winding lane to the village passed very close to where the house was. Gaunt froze, listening, eyes wide. Morfin hissed and turned his face toward the sound, expression hungry. Merope raised her head. Her face was deathly pale.

"My God, what an eyesore!" rang out a girl's voice, "Couldn't your father have that hovel cleared away, Tom?"

"It's not ours," said a young man's voice, "Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp called Gaunt, and his children. The son's quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village-"

The girl laughed. Morfin made to get out of his armchair.

"Keep your seat," said his father warningly in Parseltongue.

"Tom," said the girl's voice again, "I might be wrong- but has somebody nailed a snake to that door?"

"Good lord, you're right! That'll be the son., I told you he's not right in the head. Don't look at it, Cecilia, darling."

The jingling and clopping sounds were now growing fainter again.

" 'Darling'," whispered Morfin in Parseltongue, looking at his sister, " 'Darling' he called her. So he wouldn't have you anyway."

"What's that?" said Gaunt sharply, looking from Morfin to the very pale Merope, "What did you say, Morfin?"

"She likes looking at that Muggle. Always in the garden when he passes, peering through the hedge at him, isn't she? And last night-"

Merope shook her head jerkily, imploringly, but Morfin went on, "-Hanging out of the window waiting for him to ride home, wasn't she?"

"Hanging out of the window to look at a Muggle?" said Gaunt quietly.

All of the Gaunts seemed to have forgotten Bob Ogden, who was looking bewildered and irritated at the outbreak of incomprehensible hissing and rasping.

"Is it true?" said Gaunt in a deadly voice, advancing towards the terrified girl, "My daughter- pure-blooded descendant of Salazaar Slytherin- hankering after a filthy, dirt-veined Muggle?"

Merope shook her head frantically, pressing herself against the wall.

"But I got him, Father!" Morfin cackled, "I got him as he went by and he didn't look so pretty with hives all over him, did he, Merope?"

"You disgusting little Squib, you filthy little blood traitor!" roared Gaunt, losing control. He went for her throat.

"No!" Ogden cried, raising his wand, "Relashio!"

Gaunt was thrown backward, away from his daughter; he tripped over a chair and fell flat on his back. Morfin leapt out of his chair and ran at Ogden, brandishing his bloody knife and firing hexes indiscriminately from his wand.

Ogden ran for his life. Dumbledore indicated we should follow and I obeyed, Merope's screams echoing in my ears.

Ogden hurtled up the path and erupted onto the main lane, his arms over his head, where he collided with the glossy chestnut horse ridden by a very handsome, dark-haired young man. Both he and the pretty girl riding beside him on a gray horse roared with laughter at the sight of Ogden, who bounced off the horse's flank and set off again, his frock coat flying, covered from head to foot in dust, running pell-mell up the lane. I turned curiously back towards the house to see Morfin standing in the front yard, cackling madly.

"That will do, I think, Abby," said Dumbledore. He took my elbow and tugged. The next moment, we were both soaring weightlessly through the darkness until we landed squarely on our feet, back in his office.

Dumbledore walked over to his desk and sat down in his chair. I sat down as well, frowning slightly, thinking over what I had seen.

"So… they're related to me? The Gaunts?" I asked him.

"Yes. The girl, Merope, is your paternal grandmother," he replied.

"So she survived…and became the Dark Lord's mother."

"Yes. Bob Ogden Apparated back to the Ministry and returned with reinforcements within fifteen minutes. Morfin and his father attempted to fight, but both were overpowered, removed from the cottage, and subsequently convicted by the Wizengamot. Morfin, who already had a record of Muggle attacks, was sentenced to three years in Azkaban. His father, Marvolo Gaunt, who had injured several Ministry employees in addition to Ogden, received six months."

"A grandmother, a great-uncle, and a great-grandfather… are any of them still alive?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at me.

"Surely, after what we just witnessed, you would not wish to encounter any of the Gaunts?"

"No sir," I said quickly, "Well… perhaps Merope…"

"Ah," he said, inclining his head, "I am afraid not. A few months after the arrest of her father and brother, Merope ran off with the Muggle, Tom Riddle, whom we saw riding the horse."

"She…they…fell in love?" I asked disbelievingly.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"Can you not think of any measure Merope could have taken to make Tom Riddle forget his Muggle companion, and fall in love with her instead?"

"A love potion. Or the Imperius Curse?"

"I am rather inclined to think she used a love potion. I am sure it would have seemed more romantic to her. I doubt it would have been very difficult, some hot day, to persuade Riddle to take a drink of water when he was out riding alone. In any case, the village of Little Hangleton enjoyed a tremendous scandal when the squire's son ran off with the tramp's daughter, Merope.

"The village's shock was nothing compared to Marvolo Gaunt's, however. He returned from Azkaban expecting to find his daughter waiting dutifully with a hot meal ready on the table. Instead, he found an inch of dust and a note of farewell. From all that I have been able to discover, he never mentioned her name or existence from that time forth. The shock of her desertion may have contributed to his early death- or perhaps he had simply never learned to feed himself. Azkaban had greatly weakened Marvolo, and he did not live to see Morfin return to the cottage."

"What happened to Merope?" I pressed.

"Well, I must do a certain amount of guessing at this point, although I do not think it is difficult to deduce what happened. You see, within a few months of their little runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumor flew around the neighborhood that he was talking of being 'hoodwinked' and 'taken in'. What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under an enchantment that had now lifted, though I daresay he did not dare use those precise words for fear of being thought insane. When they heard what he was saying, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom Riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby and he married her for this reason. Merope did have his baby, but not until a year after they were married. Tom Riddle left her while she was still pregnant."

"Why did the love potion stop working?" I inquired.

"Again, this is guesswork, but I believe that Merope, who loved Tom Riddle deeply, could not bear to continue enslaving him by magical means. I believe that she made the choice to stop giving him the potion. Perhaps, besotted as she was, she had convinced herself that he would now have fallen in love with her in return. Perhaps she thought he would stay for the baby. If so, she was wrong on both counts. He left her, never saw her again, and never troubled to discover what became of his son."

There was a few moments of silence. Something occurred to me and I laughed. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at me.

"The Dark Lord… he isn't pure blood, then?" I asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"No. That he is not. …I think that is enough for tonight, Abby. I will send for you when I have more to share."

"Yes, sir," I said, standing to leave. I was almost at the door when I noticed it. Sitting on one of the spindle-legged tables that supported so many frail-looking silver instruments, was an ugly gold ring set with a large, cracked, black stone. I reached out to touch it, then thought better of it. I let my hand fall to my side, then left Dumbledore's office.

The next day was Monday and I spent most of the day impatiently wanting to go down and see Snape. I knew he wanted to hear what Dumbledore had shared with me. When the last class of the day, Potions, came, Slughorn asked me for a word after class. I agreed, even though I really didn't want to.

"You're Julia Prewett's daughter, aren't you?" was the first thing he said to me once the others had left after the bell rang.

"Yes, sir," I said rather stiffly.

"That explains it. I hear you're good at nearly everything… if it weren't for Harry, you'd be brilliant at Potions," he said, winking, "But then, his mother was always top-of-the-class in Potions… neither Severus nor Julia stood out much compared to Lily."

I shifted my feet awkwardly.

"Am I right in saying Tommy Rivers was your step-father?"

"Yes, sir."

"He wasn't much. Not too smart. Do you know who your biological father is?"

I laughed inwardly, wondering how he would react if I told him the truth.

"No, sir. I don't know."

"Shame. I'm having a little party this coming Saturday night in my rooms- just a few rising stars, I've got McLaggen coming and Zabini and Harry Potter… and Miss Granger, as well. I was hoping you would join us."

I thought about it a moment. My father had said Slughorn would be a valuable asset and that I should befriend him. I sighed inwardly.

"Yes, sir. Of course," I replied.

"Spot on," he said brightly, "Run along now, Abby."

I inclined my head, then headed for the door.

"So the Dark Lord isn't pureblood?" Snape said, sounding faintly amused once I had finished telling everything I learned from Dumbledore.

"Apparently not. …I can't believe I'm related to those people! I'm glad I don't look like that," I said, thinking of Morfin and Merope.

"It's all very interesting…but I still wonder- what's the point?"

"I think I'm starting to get it- people like to know where they come from, you know? And heritage is especially important to wizards. …I grew up thinking I was pureblood, acting like a pureblood…but I'm not," I said thoughtfully.

"It's not all that important," he assured me, "…If wizards hadn't married Muggles, we'd have died out. There are very few left who are truly pureblood. Most are half-blood or less…myself included."

"You're half-blood?" I said, surprised, "…I always assumed you were pureblood."

He shook his head and averted my gaze. He was silent a moment.

"My Mother's name was Eileen Prince. She married a Muggle," he said finally.

I decided maybe it was best to change the subject. He didn't look comfortable talking about his heritage.

"Slughorn invited me to a party Saturday evening," I informed him after a moment of silence.

"Are you going?" he asked curiously.

"I suppose I am. The Dark Lord said Slughorn could be a valuable asset."

"Indeed. The only reason he took the job from Dumbledore was because he was tired of hiding from recruiting Death Eaters. …well, that and Potter."

"What's so special about Slughorn?"

"The Dark Lord was in what they call the 'Slug Club' when he was in school, along with a number of students who became the first Death Eaters. Slughorn was head of Slytherin house. He always favored the Dark Lord…before he turned evil."

There were a few minutes of silence as I pondered something.

"Do you think… don't you think he was always evil?" I inquired finally.

"…I don't know. I think that may be one of the things Dumbledore plans on exploring with you."

The rest of the week passed by rather quickly, despite the fact that sixth years' workloads were so intense it seemed like the teachers thought Exams came once a week. By the time Saturday came I was exhausted, but still had tons of homework to do. I spent most of the morning practicing nonverbal spells with Draco and a boy named Blaise Zabini who had been in my classes before, but never spoken to me. He was friends with Draco, apparently, and I recalled Slughorn mentioned he was going to the party.

After lunch with Draco and Blaise, who never missed a chance to insult a Muggle-born and therefore became one of my least favorite people, I went down to Snape's office to work on my other homework. I was almost finished with my Transfiguration essay when there was a loud knock on Snape's door. We both looked up from our work, slightly annoyed.

"Enter," said Snape. The door opened and Slughorn walked in. He smiled at me before turning to Snape.

"Severus!" he boomed, "Could ask a favor of you?"

"And what favor would that be, Horace?" Snape asked rather warily.

"I was wondering if you could postpone Harry's detention on account of a little party I'm having tonight…I'm sure Abby's told you all about it," Slughorn said, winking at me. I smiled weakly.

"I think not, Horace. I've already postponed it once for Albus and Potter really needs to learn his lesson. I do not take cheek from anyone. I wouldn't want Potter to think himself any better than anyone else who cheeks me," Snape said.

"You're right, I suppose. Ah, well…if you are immovable on the subject, I can always plan another party. You are still coming, aren't you Abby?" Slughorn asked me.

"Yes, sir," I said, "If this Transfiguration homework doesn't kill me first."

"Good girl," he said, laughing. Then he left.

Snape looked over at me and smirked.

"Found a favorite teacher?" he asked me.

"Oh shut up. I really don't like him. My father said he could be a useful asset and I should make him like me, so I did," I retorted, "…You'll always be my favorite teacher."

"Really?"

"Well, you and Lupin."

He scowled, then half-smiled and returned to his work.

I finished my Transfiguration essay as there was another knock on the door. I scowled as a Gryffindor girl named Demelza Robins entered.

"I have my Inferius essay, Professor Snape," she said, ignoring me and handing Snape a piece of parchment.

"It was due yesterday. Five points from Gryffindor for lateness," he said coolly.

She turned and headed for the door, looking annoyed.

"Robins?" Snape said before she could leave.

"Yes, Professor?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Take a message to Harry Potter for me- tell him he is to come to my office at half past eight tonight to do his detention, no matter how many party invitations he's received. And let him know he'll be sorting out rotten flobberworms from good ones to use in Potions- and there'll be no need to bring protective gloves."

"Yes sir," she said, then left.

"Aw… I have to go to Slughorn's stupid party. I won't get to be here for Potter's detention," I said regretfully.

"Too bad," he said dismissively.

"Promise me you won't kill him- or poison, maim, disembowel, hex, curse-"

"I can't make any promises," he said, but he was hiding a smile. I grinned broadly, then sighed heavily at the thought of Slughorn's party.

"You could poison me. Then I wouldn't have to go to Slughorn's party," I said heavily. He shook his head and half-smiled.

I went down to Slughorn's office after dinner, feeling glum. Blaise was already there, sitting by himself. Granger was sitting unhappily beside a boy named Cormac McLaggen, who was also in Gryffindor, and the rather pretty Ginny Weasley. I was surprised to find a small part of me wanted to go sit with Granger and Ginny Weasley…particularly Ginny Weasley. I shook the feeling and went to sit with Blaise. He looked delighted at having someone to talk to and immediately started jeering at Slughorn's other choices. After he had called Hermione Granger a Mudblood for the sixth time, I slid him an irritated look.

"Blaise, shut up. I don't like that word," I said quietly.

"What, Mudblood? Why should you care- Draco said you're pureblood."

"I don't like it," I repeated.

"Hmph," he said, and muttered something indiscernible. I got to my feet rather abruptly and went to sit beside Ginny Weasley.

"Fine!" Blaise said, glaring at me, "Go sit with the blood traitor."

I reached for my wand.

"Now, now!" said Slughorn, looking rather uncomfortable, "Let's not fight."

Blaise glared in the opposite direction of me and I crossed my arms across my chest, staring determinedly at the floor. Slughorn continued talking about some famous person whom he used to teach. After a few minutes of me staring at the floor, I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Ginny Weasley smiling at me, much to my surprise. I thought she would have nothing to do with me, with her being a Gryffindor and me being a Slytherin.

"I heard what you said to Blaise…when he called Hermione a Mudblood," she whispered to me.

"No big deal," I said quietly, "I don't like that word."

"But you're a Slytherin."

"…Not all Slytherins are like that. I don't discriminate against Muggle-borns…I used to love a Muggle-born," I said, thinking not only of Lily, but of Samantha, the girl I met at the World Cup. A pang of sadness passed through me- I hadn't thought of her in a while.

"What…what happened to him?" she asked cautiously. Him…I thought to myself, Of course she thinks it's a him… She wouldn't understand. No one would.

Since she was still waiting on an answer, I merely shook my head.

"You're Ginny Weasley, aren't you?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah."

"Your brother's in my year."

"I have a lot of brothers," she said with a smile. I smiled as well.

"I mean Ron. …I knew Fred and George. I like them. I think they're funny."

"They have their own joke shop now, you know?"

I spent the rest of Slughorn's party talking to Ginny and making friends with her. Slughorn beamed at us when the party was over and we started to leave.

"It's good to see you two made friends. Slytherins and Gryffindors rarely become friends," he said to us. I smiled weakly and looked down at the floor as I followed Ginny out. I said goodnight to Ginny and headed towards the dungeons feeling elated.

I didn't see much of Ginny over the next few weeks- Slughorn had two more parties, but Potter was scheduling his Quidditch team's practices so that they clashed and he wouldn't have to go…which meant Ginny couldn't go because she was on the team. I had taken to avoiding the parties as well, preferring to sit in Snape's dungeon office and sulk. He noticed, of course, but he didn't question.

Halfway through October we had our first Hogsmeade visit of the year. The morning of our Hogsmeade visit proved stormy and cold. Filch was stopping people as they went out to check us with his Secrecy Sensor. As he was jabbing me with it, I spotted Ginny a few feet ahead. When Filch was done, I hurried to catch up with her, steeling myself against the wind and sleet.

"Hey Ginny! Care to join me in Hogsmeade?" I asked her.

"Sorry, Abby. I'm supposed to meet up with my boyfriend, Dean," she replied. She did sound sorry. A moment later her face brightened.

"I'll ditch him after a while. Meet me down by the Shrieking Shack at noon, alright?" she said to me.

"Alright," I replied, smiling. She waved to me, then hurried to catch up with a Gryffindor boy. I watched them as I trudged down the path to Hogsmeade, feeling a slight pang of jealousy.

It must be the red hair, I thought to myself, Damn these red-haired muggle-borns.

As I walked through Hogsmeade I let my mind wander between Ginny, Lily, and Samantha. Two of them were painful to think about…well, not Lily so much if I concentrated on memory-dreams that made me happy.

I found myself walking along the train tracks alone. Something about walking along railroad tracks seemed oddly familiar, in a comforting sort of way. When noon came, I walked along the path to the Shrieking Shack to find Ginny waiting for me. She grinned when she saw me coming.

"Hey Abby. I'm freezing. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks for some warm butterbeer," she said to me.

"Sounds good," I agreed.

We talked for a long time about a lot of different things, including her different classes. I gave her advice on potions and she taught me about the Bat-Bogey Hex which she was quite apt at. We stayed in Hogsmeade as long as we could, but the longer we stayed the worse the weather got. Eventually, we trudged our way back up to the castle together. There, however, we had to part.

"See you later, Abby. I should be at the next party- Harry has an appointment with Dumbledore that night," she said in the Entrance Hall.

"Awesome. Later, Ginny," I said brightly. I watched as she disappeared up the stairs, then I turned to go into the dungeon and found myself face-to-face with Snape.

"So that's why you're always in such a foul mood when you don't go to Slughorn's parties," he said, watching as the last of her red hair whipped out of sight. I couldn't stop a blush that crept over my cheeks.

"It's none of your business," I said coolly. I made to push past him to go into the dungeon. He grabbed me by the shoulder and, after looking around quickly to make sure the Entrance Hall was deserted, he pushed me gently against the wall and held me there, much to my annoyance.

"It's not a good idea," he said quietly.

"What?" I said ruefully, "You pinning me to the wall? Because that seems like a pretty bad idea, too."

"Loving the Weasley girl. She-"

"I can have friends," I interrupted, "She and I… we can be friends. Just because your friendship with a Gryffindor ended badly, doesn't mean mine will."

The moment I said it, I knew I had gone too far. Shock and hurt spread across his face and he let the hand that was pinning me to the wall, fall to his side.

"Severus…I-"

"Shut up," he hissed as the door to the Entrance Hall opened. It was Filch, carrying something, an urgent look on his face.

"Professor Snape- a girl's been cursed," Filch panted as he limped quickly across the hall.

"What?" he snapped.

"A girl's been cursed," Filch repeated, holding out something wrapped in a scarf, "This is the thing she touched."

Snape took the thing from Filch. I took the opportunity to slink away, down into to dungeons, feeling terrible.

Rumors flew around the school about the girl who had been cursed. Her name was Katie Bell and she was a Gryffindor. She was moved from the hospital wing to St. Mungo's hospital. They said she had been given a cursed object to give to someone…but no one seemed to know who. Rumor was all I had to go on because I couldn't bring myself to face Snape. In Defense Against the Dark Arts class, I avoided his gaze and we didn't speak.

One of the rumors I heard was that Potter blamed Draco. I started to wonder if this had been one of Draco's attempts to kill the headmaster. It occurred to me that, as the Dark Lord's daughter, I had the power to question him about it. One night after dinner, I came upon Draco sitting in the Common Room alone.

"Ah, Draco. Just the person I wanted to see," I said as I approached him.

"What?" he asked a little guardedly.

"What happened to Katie Bell…did it have something to do with you?" I inquired. His face fell slightly and I saw a slight hint of fear come into his eyes.

"It, uh…it was an accident. The Bell girl wasn't meant to touch it. I had the Imperius Curse placed on her. She was supposed to take it to Dumbledore."

"Not a very smart move, was it? You don't think Dumbledore wouldn't notice she was cursed or have better sense than to touch the necklace?" I asked, "Surely this isn't your best attempt at completing the task my father has set out for you?"

"Of course not! I have a much better plan, it's just…it's taking longer than I expected. You see, the Polyjuice Potion came in handy after all, but we've run out… And it's harder to make than I expected…"

"You should have asked me already- I'll brew Polyjuice Potion for you. I can do it. Actually, it takes a few months to brew, but I can get some for you."

"You can?" Draco said.

"Of course. I have good resources," I said with a smile.

"Thanks, Abby. I didn't think you would help me," he said, "Being the Dark Lord's daughter and all… I thought it would be beneath you."

"Of course not," I replied, "It's not as if I want you to fail."

At that moment the door to the Common Room opened and Pansy Parkinson came in. I sent Draco a warning look- he had promised not to reveal my identity as the Dark Lord's daughter.

"I have a note for you," Pansy said, and handed me a slip of parchment. I left the Common Room and went into my dormitory and unrolled the note, kind of hoping it was from Snape. It was from Dumbledore.

Abby,

Come to my office Tuesday night at eight o'clock for your next lesson. I think you'll find this one a little more interesting than the last. Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

The prospect of another lesson on my heritage cheered me slightly. It was no secret that Dumbledore had been leaving the castle for days at a time- everyone was talking about it. He was hardly ever at meals anymore and one never saw him walking around the grounds. I wondered where he went…and I wondered if he would be back in time for our lesson.

Having heard no word to the contrary, I arrived at his office at precisely eight o'clock. I knocked and was told to enter. Dumbledore sat at his desk, the basin of Pensieve before him.

"Good evening, Abby. How are you?" he asked me when I sat down.

"…Fair enough, I suppose," I said heavily. There were a few minutes of silence. He studied me with his bright blue eyes, making me feel as if he could peer into my soul.

"I am correct in assuming you and Professor Snape have had a falling out?" he asked me.

"…Of sorts," I answered after a moment, "…It's my fault, really."

"Is it? Well, I suggest you do your best to fix it… would it really be all that difficult?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Then you should fix it. After all, it's all a little pointless without Severus."

"Er…what's all a little pointless?" I asked, frowning slightly.

"Nevermind," he said, standing to peer into the Pensieve, "We left off, I'm sure you remember, with your grandmother, Merope, who having just been abandoned by her husband, found herself very much alone and pregnant in London."

"How do you know she was in London?"

"My evidence is here," he said, prodding the swirling mass of Pensieve with his wand, "In the memory of one Caractacus Burke, one of the founders of the shop Borgin and Burke's."

I stood and peered curiously as out of the silvery, swirling mass, rose the figure of a little old man revolving slowly.

"Yes, we acquired it in curious circumstances," said the old man, "It was brought in by a young witch just before Christmas, oh many years ago now. She said she needed the gold badly, well, that much was obvious. Covered in rags and pretty far along… Going to have a baby, see. She said the locket had been Slytherin's. Well, we hear that sort of story all the time, 'Oh, this was Merlin's, this was, his favorite teapot,' but when I looked at it, it had his mark all right, and a few simple spells were enough to tell me the truth. Of course, that made it near enough priceless. She didn't seem to have any idea how much it was worth. Happy to get ten Galleons for it. Best bargain we ever made!"

"Only ten Galleons? And she was pregnant!" I said resentfully as he disappeared back into the swirling mass of Pensieve.

"Caractacus Burke was not a very generous man," Dumbledore said, "So- we know that, near the end of her pregnancy, Merope was alone in London and in desperate need of gold, desperate enough to sell her one valuable possession, the locket that was one of Marvolo's treasured family heirlooms.

"Now, we will be entering a memory belonging to none other than myself. I think you'll find it rich in detail and quite accurate. After you, Abby…"

Curious and excited, I reached into the Pensieve. I was falling through darkness again…

Seconds later, when my feet hit the ground, I opened my eyes to see that Dumbledore and I were standing in a bustling, old-fashioned street.

"There," Dumbledore said brightly, pointing ahead of us to a tall figure crossing the street. We hurried after him. This younger Dumbledore's long hair and beard were auburn-colored. He was drawing many strange looks, perhaps due to the fact that he was wearing a flamboyantly cut suit of plum velvet. I snickered quietly. Dumbledore merely chuckled as we followed his younger self a short distance, finally passing through a set of iron gates into a bare courtyard that fronted a grim, square building surrounded by high railing. The young Dumbledore knocked on the door once. A few moments later, the door was opened by a girl wearing an apron.

"Good afternoon. I have an appointment with a Mrs. Cole, who, I believe, is the matron here?" said the young Dumbledore.

"Oh," said the bewildered girl, "Um… just a mo'… MRS. COLE!"

There was a distant voice shouting something in response. The girl turned back to Dumbledore.

"Come in, she's on 'er way," the girl said, leading us into a black and white tiled hallway. The whole place was rather shabby, but impeccably clean. Before the door had closed behind us, a skinny, harassed-looking woman came scurrying towards us. She had a sharp-featured face that was more anxious than cruel, and she was talking over her shoulder to another aproned helper.

"- and take the iodine upstairs to Martha, Billy Stubbs has been picking his scabs and Eric Whalley's oozing all over his sheets- chicken pox on top of everything else," she said to nobody in particular. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon," said the younger Dumbledore, holding out his hand.

Mrs. Cole simply stared.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I sent you a letter requesting an appointment and you very kindly invited me here today."

Mrs. Cole blinked.

"Oh yes," she said feebly, "Well- well then- you'd better come into my room. Yes."

She led Dumbledore into a small room that seemed part sitting room, part office. She invited Dumbledore to sit on a rickety chair and seated herself behind a cluttered desk, eyeing him nervously.

"I am here, as I told you in my letter, to discuss Tom Riddle and arrangements for his future," said Dumbledore.

"Are you family?"

"No, I am a teacher. I have come to offer Tom a place at my school."

"What school's this, then?"

"It is called Hogwarts."

"And how come you're so interested in Tom?"

"We believe he has qualities we are looking for."

"You mean he's won a scholarship? How can he have done? He's never been entered for one."

"Well, his name has been down for our school since birth-"

"Who registered him? His parents?"

Dumbledore slipped his wand out of his pocket while picking up a perfectly blank piece of paper from her desk.

"Here," said Dumbledore, waving his wand once as he passed her the piece of paper, "I think this will make everything clear."

Mrs. Cole's eyes slid out of focus and back again as she gazed at the blank paper.

"That seems perfectly in order," she said placidly.

Her eyes fell upon a bottle of gin and two glasses that had not been present a moment before.

"Er- may I offer you a glass of gin?"

"Thank you very much," said Dumbledore, beaming. She poured them both a generous measured and drained her own glass in one gulp. Smacking her lips, she smiled at Dumbledore for the first time. He pressed his advantage.

"I was wondering whether you could tell me anything of Tom Riddle's history? I think he was born here in the orphanage?"

"That's right," said Mrs. Cole, helping herself to more gin, "I remember it clear as anything, because I'd just started here myself. New Year's Eve and bitter cold, snowing, you know. Nasty night. And this girl, not much older than I was myself at the time, came staggering up the front steps. Well, she wasn't the first. We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. And she was dead in another hour."

"Did she say anything before she died? Anything about the boy's father, for instance?"

"Now, as it happens, she did," said Mrs. Cole, who seemed to be rather enjoying herself now, "I remember she said to me, 'I hope he looks like his papa,' and I won't lie, she was right to hope it, because she was no beauty- and then she told me he was to be named Tom, for his father, and Marvolo, for her father- yes, I know, funny name, isn't it? We wondered whether she came from a circus- and she said the boy's surname was to be Riddle. And she died soon after that without another word.

"Well, we named him just as she'd said, it seemed so important to the poor girl, but no Tom nor Marvolo nor any kind of Riddle ever came looking for him, nor any family at all, so he stayed in the orphanage and he's been here ever since."

Mrs. Cole absentmindedly helped herself to another healthy measure of gin. Her face was becoming slightly flushed now.

"He's a funny boy," she said then.

"Yes, I thought he might be," replied Dumbledore.

"He was a funny baby too. He hardly ever cried, you know. And then, when he got a little older, he was… odd."

"Odd in what way?"

"Well, he- …He's definitely got a place at your school, you say?"

"Definitely."

"And nothing I say can change that?"

"Nothing."

"You'll be taking him away, whatever?"

"Whatever."

She squinted at him for a moment.

"He scares the other children," she said in a sudden rush.

"You mean he's a bully?"

"I think he must be, but it's very hard to catch him at it. There have been incidents… Nasty things… Billy Stubb's rabbit… well, Tom said he didn't do it and I don't see how he could have done, but even so, it didn't hang itself from the rafters, did it?"

"I shouldn't think so, no," said Dumbledore quietly.

"But I'm jiggered if I know how he got up there to do it. All I know is he and Billy had argued the day before. And then on the summer outing- we take them out, you know, once a year, to the countryside or to the seaside- well, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they'd gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. He swore they'd just gone exploring, but something happened in there, I'm sure of it. And, well, there have been a lot of things, funny things… I don't think many people will be sorry to see the back of him."

"You understand, I'm sure, that we will not be keeping him permanently? He will have to return here, at the very least, every summer."

"Oh, well, that's better than a whack on the nose with a rusty poker. I suppose you'd like to see him?" she said, getting to her feet with surprising steadiness for someone who had just drank 2/3 a bottle of gin.

"Very much," said Dumbledore, also rising.

Mrs. Cole led the younger Dumbledore out of her office and up the stone stairs, calling out various instructions to the helpers as she did. The children we saw all wore the same grayish tunic. They looked well-cared for, but there was no denying it was a grim place to grow up.

"Here we are," she said as we turned off the second landing and stopped outside the first door in a long corridor. She knocked twice and entered.

"Tom? You've got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumberton- sorry, Dunderbore. He's come to tell you- well, I'll let him do it."

We entered the room and Mrs. Cole closed the door. It was a small bare room with nothing in it except and old wardrobe and an iron bedstead. A boy was sitting on top of the gray blankets, his legs stretched out in front of him, holding a book.

"My father?" I asked, looking at the older Dumbledore beside me for confirmation. He nodded his head.

Tom Riddle didn't look anything like Merope or any of the Gaunts. He was as handsome as his father in miniature. He was tall for eleven, dark-haired, and pale. His eyes narrowed as he looked over Dumbledore.

"How do you do, Tom?" said Dumbledore, walking forward and holding out his hand. After a moment of hesitation, Tom shook hands with him. Dumbledore pulled up a wooden chair beside him.

"I am Professor Dumbledore."

" 'Professor'?" repeated Tom, "Is that like doctor? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a look at me?"

"No, no," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"I don't believe you," he said, "She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!"

He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was not unfamiliar to me. Dumbledore merely continued to smile pleasantly as Tom glared at him. After a few seconds, Tom stopped glaring, though he looked warier still.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school- your new school, if you would like to come."

"You can't kid me! The asylum, that's where you're from, isn't it? 'Professor', yes, of course- well, I'm not going, see? That old cat's the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they'll tell you!"

"I am not from the asylum," Dumbledore said patiently, "I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you-"

"I'd like to see them try," sneered Tom, reminding me strongly of myself.

"Hogwarts is a school for people with special abilities-"

"I'm not mad!"

"I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic."

There was silence. Tom was motionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore's, searching for any hit of deceit.

"Magic?" he repeated in a whisper.

"That's right."

"It's… it's magic, what I can do?"

"What is it that you can do?"

"All sorts," Tom breathed, a flush of excitement rising in his cheeks, "I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."

A shudder ripped through me at the tone of his voice. Here was proof that my father had always been evil.

His legs were trembling. He stumbled forward and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in prayer.

"I knew I was different," he whispered to his own, quivering fingers, "I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something."

"Well, you were quite right," said Dumbledore who was no longer smiling, but watching Riddle intently, "You are wizard."

Riddle lifted his head. His face had transfigured; there was a wild happiness on it. It made him look rougher somehow. Less human.

"Are you a wizard, too?"

"Yes, I am," Dumbledore replied simply.

"Prove it," said Riddle at once, in the same commanding tone as before.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

"If, as I take it, you are accepting your place at Hogwarts-"

"Of course I am!"

"Then you will address me as 'Professor' or 'sir'."

Tom's expression hardened for a fleeting moment before he said, in a strange polite tone that I often found myself using when talking to Slughorn, "I'm sorry, sir. I meant- please, Professor, could you show me-?"

A moment passed before the younger Dumbledore drew his wand from an inside pocket of his purple suit jacket, pointed it at the shabby wardrobe in the corner, and gave a casual flick.

The wardrobe burst into flames.

Tom jumped to his feet, furious. His most worldly possessions must be in there. But even as he turned to yell at Dumbledore, the flames vanished, leaving the wardrobe completely unharmed.

Riddle stared from the wardrobe to Dumbledore; then, his expression greedy, he pointed at the wand.

"Where can I get one of them?" he asked eagerly.

"All in good time. I think there is something trying to get out of your wardrobe."

And sure enough, a faint rattling sound could be heard from inside the wardrobe. Riddle looked frightened for the first time.

"Open the door," said Dumbledore.

Riddle hesitated, then crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe door. On the topmost shelf, above a rail of threadbare clothes, a small cardboard box was shaking and rattling as though there were several frantic mice trapped inside it.

"Take it out," said Dumbledore.

Tom took down the shaking box, looking rather unnerved.

"Is there anything in that box that you ought not to have?"

Riddle looked at Dumbledore calculatingly.

"Yes, I suppose so, sir," he said finally.

"Open it."

Tom took the lid off and tipped the contents onto his bed without looking at them. I peered curiously at the pile of simplistic, everyday objects- a yo-yo, a silver thimble, and a tarnished mouth organ among them. Once free of the box, they ceased to quiver.

"You will return them to their owners with your apologies," said Dumbledore calmly as he put his wand away, "I shall know whether it has been done. And be warned: Thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts."

Tom did not look remotely abashed; he was staring coldly at Dumbledore.

"Yes, sir," he said in a flat voice.

"At Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, "we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have- inadvertently, I am sure- been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic- yes, there is a Ministry- will punish lawbreakers still more severely. All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws."

"Yes, sir."

It was still hard to tell what Tom was thinking. I wished I could use Legilimency to know what was going on in his mind. His face was kept perfectly blank as she put the stolen objects back into the cardboard box.

"I haven't got any money," he said baldly.

"That is easily remedied," said Dumbledore, drawing a leather money-pouch from his pocket, "There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes. You might have to buy some of your spell books and so on secondhand, but-"

"Where do you buy spell books?" Tom interrupted. He had taken the heavy money bag without thanks and begun examining a golden Galleon.

"In Diagon Alley. I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything-"

"You're coming with me?" asked Tom quickly, looking up from his examination of the Galleon.

"Certainly, if you-"

"I don't need you. I'm used to doing things for myself, I go round London on my own all the time. How do you get to this Diagon Alley- sir?"

"You will be able to see it, although Muggles around you- nonmagical people, that is- will not. Ask for Tom the barman- easy enough to remember, as he shares your name-"

Tom gave an irritable twitch that Dumbledore did not miss.

"You dislike the name 'Tom'?"

"There are a lot of Toms," he muttered, then burst forth with a question, "Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too, they've told me."

"I'm afraid I don't know."

"My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died. It must've been him. So- when I've got all my stuff- when do I come to this Hogwarts?"

"All the details are on the second piece of parchment in your envelope. You will leave from King's Cross Station on the first of September. There is a train ticket in there, too."

Tom nodded. Dumbledore got to his feet and they shook hands again.

"I can speak to snakes. I found out when we've been to the country on trips- they find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?"

"It is unusual," said Dumbledore after a moment of hesitation, "but not unheard of."

He said it casually enough, but his eyes moved curiously over Riddle's face, as did mine. Here was another trait I shared with my father- Parseltongue. He seemed like he was trying to impress Dumbledore with his last power.

"Good-bye, Tom. I shall see you at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, finally breaking the handshake and heading for the door. Tom did not say goodbye, merely sat back down and resumed studying the money.

"I think that's enough, Abby," said the old Dumbledore.

He took my arm and seconds later we were soaring through darkness once more, then we landed squarely in his present-day office.

"Have a seat," Dumbledore said, as he did so, "What have you learned?"

"Well," I said slowly, my mind teeming with all I had just seen, "I am a lot like him… I noticed similar traits, anyway."

"Such as?"

"He talked to you civilly… but I got the feeling he didn't like you. I use that same tone of voice with Slughorn… and Umbridge. She liked me, eventually, but I hate that woman," I said, clenching my fists. Dumbledore nodded his head in understanding.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. He kept his face blank a lot of the time. He didn't let you see what he was thinking. I do that a lot, too," I said.

I was quiet for a while, thinking of the similarities between myself and my father. I knew my father was evil, but I hoped he hadn't always been so. I didn't like that there were similarities, either. If he was evil… did that make me evil, too?"

"Can I ask you a question?" I burst out to Dumbledore. He smiled.

"I was expecting you to."

"Was my father always evil? …I know he's evil. I'm sure there isn't a hope of goodness in him now, but… was there ever?"

"What do you think?" Dumbledore asked me gently.

"Well, he was bad then… but maybe not too bad. What he did at the orphanage was terrible, but something could have happened to him to change him… couldn't it?"

"We'll see, won't we? The point, so to speak, of these little lessons is to examine your father's childhood. You want to know if he ever had a chance of being good. I think you have a right to know. Since I am collecting various memories regarding him anyway, I thought we could focus on his good-bad qualities, together."

I was quiet a moment.

"Why are you collecting memories anyway?" I asked curiously. Dumbledore looked momentarily thoughtful. He was considering sharing something with me, I could tell. He steepled his fingers in front of him and peered at me through his half-moon spectacles.

"I am also having private lessons with Harry. Teaching him things that will help him survive," he said, then paused and smiled, "…You know something, Abby? It's funny…but I've started thinking of you as a miniature, female version of Severus."

He chuckled quietly. It pleased a small part of me… but I also found it annoying since Snape and I were fighting.

"Hmph," I muttered.

"You need to repair your relationship with Severus," Dumbledore said to me, "You both need each other, though I doubt either of you would admit to it."

"I'll apologize to him… if only for the fact that, without him, I might have gone to an orphanage… then I'd be no better off than the Dark Lord."

Of course! I thought to myself, That's what makes me different from my father. I have Severus… my father doesn't have anyone… and doesn't want anyone.

"You look as if you've just had a very important realization, Abby," Dumbledore said, smiling knowingly.

"Um… may I go?" I asked quickly.

"Of course."

I hurried out of Dumbledore's office and went down to the dungeons. I didn't stop until I was outside of Snape's office. Then I froze. I had no idea what I was going to say. …Would apologizing be enough for what I did? What if he didn't forgive me? I could hardly blame him. I'd crossed a boundary… all because I was angry.

"I can sense your standing out there, Abigail. Just open the door," said Snape's voice from inside his office.

I opened the door. Snape was sitting at his desk. He looked at me for the first time in over a week.

"I'm sorry," I said, eyes filling with tears before I could prevent them. He sighed and looked away for a minute.

"Forget it. You were angry. I get that. I forgive you," he said quietly.

"That…was surprisingly easy. You forgive me?"

"Yes. Just forget about it. …You had a lesson with Dumbledore tonight didn't you?"

"Well, yes… but how did you know?"

"I know everything," he said with a half-smile, "Tell me about your lesson with Dumbledore."

"I thought you knew everything?" I taunted. He let his smile morph into a full one.

I told him everything I had learned about my father. I told him about the similarities to my father I had noticed and told him about my concerns…that I would turn out evil.

"So… do you think he was always evil?" I asked Snape.

"…I honestly don't know, Abigail. I suppose there's a chance. …Are you really worried about the 'evil' thing?"

"I was at first, but…" I smiled slightly, "I have something my father never had."

Snape waited for me to elaborate.

"Which is?" he prompted when I didn't continue.

"Hm… maybe I will tell you someday."

"What? You're going to keep a secret from me?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Severus. I can keep a secret."

"Well I'm going to keep a secret from you, then."

"You have a secret?"

Snape smiled slyly. I frowned slightly, then smiled.

"Fine, then, keep your secret," I said, glancing at my watch, "It's getting late and I have classes tomorrow."

"Of course you do. Go to bed, Abigail."

"Don't tell me what to do…" I said as I walked to the door, "I'm going of my own free will."

Our eyes met momentarily before I left the room and I couldn't not smile. Snape smiled as well, his black eyes almost soft. As I walked back to the Slytherin Common Room, I thought about the moment before I left. I had felt something… something I usually only associated with Ginny Weasley… or Lily, which made me feel extremely conflicted.

"Damn complicated emotions," I growled as I went into the girl's dormitory. Then I sighed in a not-entirely-unpleasant way and collapsed onto my bed.

"Someone's getting in late," yawned Jenny from the next bed.

"Oh hush," I said, smirking slightly, "Go to sleep."

That night I dreamt of Lily, for the first time in a long time.

I was fifteen years old. It was late and I was standing outside the doors of the Entrance Hall, waiting.

"Hey Severus," said a voice. I jumped slightly and Julia stepped out of the shadows.

"Julia! You scared the crap out of me!" I exclaimed.

"Don't admit that, Severus," said another voice. It was Lily. She stepped out from behind a bush, grinning because she had snuck up on us as well.

"So, where are we going?" Lily asked as she followed Julia and myself towards the gates, walking in the shadows, "All I got was a note from Sev, telling me to meet him out front."

"We're sneaking out to Hogsmeade," Julia said simply. Lily gasped audibly.

"But what if we get caught?"

Julia and I exchanged glances and we smiled.

"I don't get caught," Julia said lightly, "I'm good a doing bad things."

"You don't get caught? What about the time you and Severus got caught with the fire salamander?" Lily challenged.

"Psh. A mere fluke," Julia replied, "…Dumbledore is a smart man. Even the Dark Lord admits it."

Lily gasped again. I looked hard and meaningfully at Julia.

"Julia!" I hissed. She should know better than to mention the Dark Lord in front of a Gryffindor. Our opinions of him greatly varied.

"What?" said Julia innocently, "I'm not saying he's great or anything… he's actually quite flawed. If I was going to be a Dark Lord, nobody would know it was me."

Lily looked at me and frowned slightly. I frowned as well. I knew Julia's ambition was to become a Death Eater- who among the Slytherins did not- but to talk about becoming a Dark Lord… this was new, even for Julia.

"Lighten up, Lils. …It's just talk," Julia said simply.

"Right," Lily said uneasily.

"You couldn't be a Dark Lord anyway, Julia," I said, trying to lighten the mood, "You are a girl."

"I could be the Dark Lady then," Julia said. I laughed at the absurdity of it. Lily did not.

When we reached the Hogwarts Gates, Julia pulled out her wand. She waved it once and the chains that locked the gates became undone. The moon was full and shining brightly down on us as we walked along the path to Hogsmeade. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf- or something similar- howled. Lily shuddered slightly and walked a little closer to me. I took her hand reassuringly and looked at Julia. She was walking a few feet ahead of us. Unperturbed by the howl, she was looking up at the moon.

"We could have waited until the moon wasn't quite so bright," she remarked absently.

"What if someone sees us?" Lily asked worriedly. Julia stopped short and turned to Lily.

"You worry too much," Julia said shortly. Then she turned and continued walking. Lily looked at me. I shrugged and put my arm around her. I could think of a better reason to wait until the moon wasn't full, but I said nothing.

We reached Hogsmeade at last. The shops were closed and there was no one about. I could see the lights on in the Hog's Head pub and in the Three Broomsticks.

"As long as we stay away from the bars, we'll be fine," Julia said, noticing my gaze. The three of us walked along in the shadows of the deserted street. It was quiet and peaceful. Julia led us down to the train tracks without really looking where she was going. She had her face upturned to the sky, watching the stars.

When we reached the tracks, Julia looked down. She jumped up on one of the steel beams, her arms out on either side of her for balance, and began walking. She made it look extremely easy. I copied her, but after a few steps I lost my balance and jumped down before I could fall. Lily chuckled and stepped up onto the other beam. She walked a few steps, swayed, and jumped down, giggling madly. We stepped back onto the tracks together, Lily on one side, me on the other, our hands clasped together above the wooden planks that crossed between the beams.

We walked along the tracks for a while. Julia had disappeared in the darkness ahead of us. Lily lost her balance suddenly, which caused me to lost mine as well. We jumped down together, laughing.

"I give up," Lily said, laughing, "Julia makes it look easy."

She sat down on one of the steel beams and I sat down a short ways away from her. She scooched closer to me. She looked up at the stars and sighed contentedly.

"I'm glad I came," she said, leaning against me. I put my arm around her.

The barking of a dog broke the silence.

"Shut up, Padfoot, you're going to get us caught," said a familiar voice.

"You shut it, Prongs. A talking deer- honestly! At least I was barking, like a dog should," said another familiar voice.

"Well I don't know what sort of sound a deer makes, do you?"

"I haven't the faintest- …Hey, Prongs, check it out! Evans and Snivellus."

Lily and I turned to see a large, male deer and a black dog hurrying towards us.

"So it is," said the deer, morphing into James Potter as he approached, "What're you doing, sneaking out, Evans?"

"None of your business," she retorted coolly. Potter's eyes found me. He reached for his wand, quicker than I could grab mine, and with a loud crack, I found myself hanging, upside down, in the air.

"Cut it out!" Lily said, green eyes flashing dangerously.

"Why don't you make me?" Potter taunted, "I should report the both of you to the Headmaster. Sneaking out of the castle. Disgraceful."

Sirius, who was still in dog form, let out a bark of laughter.

"You can't tell on us. You'll get caught, too, you prat," she fired at Potter.

"Oi!" said a voice from the darkness. A jet of red light came speeding out of the darkness and hit Potter dead in the chest. He went flying backwards, dropping his wand, and I fell to the ground with a painful thud. Julia stepped out of the darkness and stood between Potter and myself, wand raised, a deadly expression on her face. Lily had her wand out now as well. Potter looked between the two of them, then shrugged and morphed back into a deer. He went back over to Sirius, then looked back at us.

"Like me antlers, Evans?" Potter asked arrogantly.

To my surprise, and secret delight, she fired a hex at him. Laughing, he dodged it, then he and Sirius disappeared in the darkness towards the Shrieking Shack.

"We should go," Julia said promptly, "Before they come back with reinforcements."

"Good idea," Lily said.

I was quiet as we walked back to the castle. I was moping because I had been saved by a girl.

"I didn't need your help, you know?" I said to Julia rather coldly.

"I'll bear that in mind next time you're hanging by your ankle," she retorted coolly. I opened my mouth to retort, then thought better of it, and kept my mouth shut for the rest of the walk back to the castle.

When we reached the castle, I walked Lily up to the where the Gryffindor common room was hidden to make sure she got back safely.

"I'm still glad we went," Lily said softly, "It was fun."

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I said nothing. She sighed and took a step closer to me.

"Goodnight, Severus," she said, then kissed my lips…

I awoke with a start. I squinted confusedly at the clock on my bedside table. The flashing red numbers said 7:00am. I looked around the dormitory and sat up.

"Thank God," I said aloud, relieved, "I'm me."

"Who else would you be?" Jenny said, laughing. She was rummaging through her trunk, looking for something, but she paused a moment to smile at me. I smiled weakly and said nothing.

That morning at breakfast Draco reminded me I was supposed to be getting Polyjuice Potion for him and brewing some.

"I have all the ingredients already- the boomslang skin and everything. I just need someone talented enough to brew it," he said to me.

"I can do it. Do you have somewhere for me to brew it?"

"Of course, but I can't show you now and you can't tell anyone."

"Of course I won't," I snapped, "I happen to be very good at keeping secrets."

After breakfast I hurried down to Snape's classroom, glad we had repaired our friendship. He was preparing for his first class of the day when I came in and shut the door.

"Abigail, the bell rings in ten minutes for first period," he said, "You should be getting ready for your Arithmancy class."

"I have something to tell you- I need Polyjuice Potion," I said quickly.

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to be brewing some for Draco and I promised him I'd get him some for immediate use," I replied.

"Has he told you what he's doing?"

"No, but I plan on finding out."

"…I can get you some Polyjuice potion by tomorrow. Do you need some of the more harder-to-acquire ingredients?"

"No."

"No?"

"Draco says he got them," I said with a shrug.

That afternoon after Care of Magical Creatures, Draco walked back up to the castle with me.

"If you like, I could show you the place before dinner," he said, "The place you can brew the Polyjuice Potion."

"Sure," I agreed immediately.

When we reached the castle, Draco motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to follow us. He led us up the Grand Staircase to the fifth floor. He stopped in front of a blank slab of wall.

"This," he announced, "Is the Room of Requirement."

I knew of the room already, from when I was a member of Dumbledore's Army…but Draco didn't know that.

"So, uh…how does it work?" I inquired casually.

"You walk back and forth three times in front of this wall and think 'I need a place to brew Polyjuice Potion' and the door will appear," he replied, "This is how I got the ingredients. Try it."

I obeyed and when the door appeared- a black door with a silver handle. Not the door which had appeared for the DA. Curious, I opened it and peered inside.

The Room had turned into a large dungeon-like room. There were a dozen cauldrons sitting, ready for potion making, in the middle of the room. There were tables surrounding the room which one could prepare ingredients on, on all but one wall, which had a large bookcase along it, stacked high with books about Potions. There were cabinets which, upon opening them, I found contained a variety of Potions ingredients.

I couldn't help it.

"I'm in heaven," I said aloud. Draco and even Crabbe and Goyle laughed.

"So you'll brew the potion?" Draco asked me.

"Of course!" I exclaimed, "I love this room."

The last of October came with blazing sunshine and the leaves on the trees changing from green to brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow. Not that I saw much of the leaves- I spent most of my time in the Room of Requirement, brewing Polyjuice Potion for Draco and a few others that I was merely testing my skills. I awoke early on the morning of my 17th birthday. I fell upon the small pile of presents at the foot of my bed rather ravenously. I had the usual candy and whatnot from my friends. From Lupin I received another book called Walking with Werewolves by Amaretto Blackman. There was also a short letter.

Abby,

Seventeen at last, huh? Congratulations. You can use magic outside of school now. It doesn't seem fair that you have to stay at school for your birthday, does it? I remember how excited I was when I could finally use magic outside of school.

Sorry I haven't been writing, but it's hard to get out letter from where I am staying right now. You can ask Severus about it. Tell him I told you he could tell you.

I don't pretend not to know what you are doing, and I wanted to let you know, I'm proud of you. What you and Severus do takes a lot of courage. Your actions are admirable… if not a little foolish. It's very dangerous.

I do have to go now, but I hope to see you soon.

Your friend,

Moony

I folded the letter and tucked it into my pocket, feeling a little sad. It had been an entire year since I last saw Lupin. There was no gift from Snape, but I had the feeling I would receive one before the day was out.

After lunch, I went down to Snape's office. It was Saturday, so I didn't have any classes to go to. To my surprise, Snape had on his cloak and looked ready to leave.

"Happy Birthday, Abigail," he said without looking at me.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously.

"We are going out for your birthday… er, if you want to, that is."

"Of course," I replied, surprised, "Let's go."

Snape didn't seem to care that a number of people saw us leave, which included Dumbledore, who was walking towards the village. Dumbledore waved cheerfully and, much to my annoyance, walked over to us.

"Off on another one of your excursions?" Snape asked him idly.

"Not at all. Just off to the Three Broomsticks for a drink," Dumbledore replied cheerfully, "Care to join me?"

Snape glanced down at me and I silently shook my head no behind Dumbledore's back.

"I'm afraid not, Albus," Snape said smoothly, "You see, today is Abigail's birthday."

"Really? Happy Birthday, Abby. How old are you now?" Dumbledore asked me, "Sixteen?"

"Seventeen," I corrected automatically. A shadow seemed to pass over his face, but the next moment it was gone and he was beaming at us, so I assumed it was my imagination.

"You're of age then. Congratulations," he said as we reached the gate, "You two have fun."

We watched as Dumbledore headed off to the village. Then Snape extended his arm, I took it, and we Disapparated with a pop.

I was startled when we appeared, not at home, but in Knockturn Alley. Snape looked down at me and half-smiled before motioning for me to follow him down the street towards Slytherin's Finest. The bar was almost empty when we arrived, save for three people in the corner.

"It's Yaxley, Dolohov, and Avery," Snape informed me in my mind, "Should we greet them?"

I suppose I should, I thought in response, Considering I am the Dark Princess or whatever.

Snape couldn't suppress a snort of laughter. I smiled and raised an eyebrow at him.

"It just struck me as amusing," he said quietly, "…Dark Princess."

We made our way to the corner and greeted our fellow Death Eaters. All three stood respectfully when I approached.

Snape and I then made our way over to the bar where the barman was watching curiously. I ordered a glass of sherry, which was a lot smoother than Firewhiskey. A short while later, the others left and it was just Snape, myself, and the Bartender.

We didn't talk much, but I didn't mind so much- it gave me time to ponder things. I thought about what I would have done if I had stayed at Hogwarts- probably gone to find Ginny and see if she wanted to hang out with me. Still, I liked being alone with Snape better. I caught him looking at me a few times and it excited me in a way I didn't quite understand why. After a few drinks we went for a walk, which helped me clear my head. It was rather cold outside and Snape walked closer to me than was strictly necessary. Being the idiot I am, I could think of nothing to say, but Snape didn't seem to mind.

When it began to grow dark, we found ourselves at the Leaky Cauldron, a less dodgy bar than Slytherin's Finest. We ate a little something and hadn't drank much before Snape was ready to leave.

We Apparated directly into my room in our house at Spinner's End. The only light came from my enchanted ceiling. Our eyes met and, in the dim light, his black eyes looked soft and caring. He took a step closer to me and my breath caught in my throat. He swept me into his arms and kissed me like I had never been kissed before. I was better prepared this time and I kissed him back with equal passion.

I seemed like a lifetime passed before we broke apart. When we did, I could sense Snape's immediate guilt and confusion.

"Damn it," he muttered, "I thought I could…but… I have to think on things, Abigail," he murmured and I nodded my head in understanding.

When he was gone, I sat down on my bed in a daze. I didn't turn the light on- it would ruin the surreal quality of everything. I didn't want to consider reality just then, even if he did.

After some digging around, I found the Muggle lingerie I had bought a few years back with Jenny. I put on a little black dress that was made of satin. I wondered if I should go to him or wait for him to come to me. I decided to wait. I felt almost certain he would come back to me.

A few minutes passed and I heard his soft footsteps approaching. He stood in my doorway a moment, looking me over. Blushing slightly, I got to my feet and walked over to him. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his lips tentatively. He gave way and kissed me again. I could still sense his hesitation and his guilt.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," I murmured quietly, breaking the kiss, "You aren't doing anything wrong. I'm of age now."

He still seemed reluctant, so I took his hand and led him over to the bed. Then I turned and kissed him again, placing his hands on my breasts. I could feel him trembling slightly and he wouldn't meet my eyes. I was probably just as nervous as he was, but I knew if I didn't take control, we'd never get anywhere. I made him look at me and I gazed into his black eyes a moment before kissed him hungrily. I pressed myself against him and I sensed him throw all caution to the wind.

He lifted me up effortlessly, still kissing me, and I wrapped my legs around him as he laid me on the bed gently. He led a trail of kisses from my mouth, down my neck. He slipped my dress of my shoulder and kissed me there.

Before I knew it, my dress was on the floor and I was completely naked beneath him. He was kissing my breasts, suckling and fondling. I arched my back, moaning softly. He bit down gently on my nipple, drawing a ragged gasp from me. He smirked.

I pulled him down and rolled him over to where I was on top. I began to undress him rather clumsily- my hands were shaking in anticipation. He watched me with a smirk on his face. It wasn't a mean smirk- it was an amused, fond one.

Our minds were completely open to each other. I could sense exactly what he wanted me to do, where and how to touch him. With this knowledge it didn't take long for me to make him cum.

Now that he was able to concentrate on something other than his own desires, he flipped me onto my back. He kissed me slowly, running his hands down my body. I had never fully realized how good it felt to have him touch me.

Our minds were still connected- he knew my body's every desire. He used the knowledge to taunt and tease me, whereas I had used it to please him as quickly as possible. He liked to make me moan. I was drenched in sweat and overwrought with passion and desire when he finally spread my legs apart and entered me slowly. The passion and desire trumped the slight discomfort of being stretched. He began to thrust in and out of me slowly. Each time I could feel something building up inside of me until I thought I would die from pleasure.

"Oh god, yes!" I moaned loudly. I could tell Snape liked it when I was loud, especially when I called his name.

When I finally orgasmed, it was sheer ecstasy. I felt him cum inside of me at the exact moment. I had never felt so one with someone before. Our minds and our bodies were one.

When we were both spent, we collapsed onto my bed. He wrapped me in his arms and pressed a kiss into my sweat-soaked hair. We lay there together, breathing heavily, until we caught our breath.

"That was… amazing," I murmured quietly.

"You were very loud," he said, smiling. I blushed faintly, but smiled as well. There was a meteor shower streaking across my enchanted ceiling. I watched the stars for a while, feeling happier than I had ever felt in my life…

The next morning I awoke, still entangled with Snape. I was only awake a few seconds before his eyes opened, too. He smiled and kissed my lips. We both got up and I took his hand, pulling him along into the bathroom. I turned on the shower. I let out a yelp when I stepped under the spray of water, which was cold. Snape smirked at me and I pulled him into the shower with me.

We took turns washing each other. Snape started to protest when I dumped raspberry shampoo on his hair, but I soon found I could be very persuasive. When we finished our shower, I hurried into my room to get dressed and Snape went into his room.

After careful consideration, I dressed in tight jeans and a black tank top. Then I went downstairs to make breakfast. Snape came down a short while later, lured by the smell of food. We ate in silence, neither of us really knowing what to say. I didn't mind the silence so much, however. It gave me a chance to think over what had happened. I guess that is what he was doing as well. He was staring at me as he ate, as if he'd never really seen me properly before. It unnerved me slightly, but his black eyes glittered softly in the light, not coldly.

I met his gaze and for a few minutes, neither of us so much as moved. I had frozen with a spoonful of eggs halfway to my mouth. Finally, I tore my gaze away from him and ate my spoonful of eggs.

"Today's Sunday. We have to go back to Hogwarts," he said heavily.

"But I don't want to," I protested. I could tell he really didn't want to go back today either and he looked torn.

"Why don't we stay here tonight and go back to Hogwarts first thing in the morning?" I suggested,

"We'd have to get up really early…" he said slowly.

"And at least attempt to get some sleep tonight," I added, smirking. He smirked as well and looked away from me.

After breakfast we resumed our passions. We didn't even clear the table. Snape got up and walked over to me. He held out his hand and I took it. He pulled me up from my chair and into his arms, then kissed me passionately-

-and at that moment, it felt like my forearm burst into flames. Even though I should've been used to it by now, the burning of the Dark Mark still caused me to yelp. I looked at Snape. Our eyes met. I saw terror in Snape's eyes and his thoughts at that exact moment- The Dark Lord had somehow found out about last night.

"Impossible," I assured him, "No way."

"…Yeah, you're probably right," he said, "Just…an initial response."

"I'm sure he just wants to see me for my birthday and a status update. He said he would be calling for us a few times during the school year for status updates, remember?"

"Right. We can't let him know anything that happened-"

"I'm not an idiot, Sev," I said coolly, "I know how to block certain thoughts…certain memories…"

"Of course. Sorry. Let's go," he said, extending his arm to me. I took it and we Disapparated.

As it turns out, I was right. The Dark Lord wanted a status update and to wish me happy birthday. I told him everything I knew about Draco Malfoy's plans, which was almost nothing.

"Now, I do have a gift for you, Abby," my father said to me when I thought the meeting was over.

"Oh?" I said, surprised.

"Yes. I am going to grant you the power to call the Death Eaters to you. It is a power that you and I alone, will share," he said to me. Although the idea of sharing another power with my father didn't appeal to me, I could not refuse.

"Thank you, my lord. It would be greatly appreciated," I said to him.

Upon the getting of my new power, I decided, to myself, that I would never use it. At least, not unless it was an emergency. I couldn't imagine a situation where I would be required to call Death Eaters to me, but the future is never clear. When Snape and I were able to leave, we returned home and started up where we'd left off.

I awoke early the next morning to the ringing of an alarm clock. Snape leaned over and kissed my before rolling out of bed.

"Shower?" I murmured sleepily, raising my head.

"No. We'd never get going if we did. Get up and get dressed, Abigail," he replied. I was tired, however, and sore, so as soon as Snape left the room I rolled over and went back to sleep.

A few minutes later Snape returned.

"Abigail, get up," Snape insisted. I didn't respond and kept my eyes closed. He grabbed my legs and pulled me out of the bed with a yelp. He proceeded to dress me in my school robes.

"Jeez, Sev, I can dress myself!" I protested.

"You cannot be late for school."

The feel of his hands on my body made me really not want to return to Hogwarts.

"Are we really in a hurry?" I murmured, pressing him against the wall, pushing my knee between his legs. He closed his eyes and bit his lip.

"Yes, Abigail," he said after a minute. I blew out a sigh and kissed his lips before heading downstairs.

When we Apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts, the sun was just beginning to rise. Snape looked around quickly, then kissed me swiftly. He then tapped me on the head with his wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm on me.

"Sorry, Abigail, but if someone sees…"

"I know. It's okay," I assured him.

Students were just starting to trickle into the Great Hall when we reached the castle. Snape went up to the teacher's table. I waited a moment before removing my Disillusionment Charm, entering the Great Hall, and walking over to the Slytherin table.

"Where have you been?" Jenny asked when I sat down at the table.

"Uhm… I went home for my birthday," I said slowly.

"You'd rather be alone with Professor Snape than at Hogwarts? And you missed the Halloween feast."

I tried really hard not to blush and frowned, concentrating on my breakfast.

I had Defense Against the Dark Arts for my last class of the day. Needless to say, I found it hard to concentrate. Snape caught me more than once, watching him and absentmindedly fingering the heart-shaped necklace he had given me for Christmas last year. He was careful not to meet my gaze for very long. Towards the beginning of class, when we were supposed to be copying something out of our textbooks, Snape caught my eye and smiled. I didn't have to read his mind to know what he was thinking. I accidentally knocked my book to the floor. One of the Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnegan, laughed loudly at me.

"Detention, Finnegan," Snape said silkily, "For being loud and disruptive."

Finnegan scowled. I retrieved my book, blushing, but touched that Snape had come to my defense.

When the class was almost over, I sat there, glaring at the clock, waiting for the bell to ring.

Five more minutes, I thought impatiently, Five more stupid, useless, minutes.

I glared at the slowly ticking second hand. One…two…three…four…

A sharp crack rang through the deathly quiet classroom. The face of the clock had cracked. Only a few people noticed- it hadn't been a very loud noise. Two or three of my fellow students glanced up, frowned, then shrugged it off. Snape's black eyes jumped from the clock, to me, then away again. He was smirking slightly. I scowled slightly to hide my own amusement.

When the bell rang it was like a floodgate had been opened. My fellow students poured out of the classroom and as soon as the door shut behind them I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I waved my wand briefly at the door so it locked and then I was Snape's Girl again and I embraced him and kissed him. He enjoyed it for maybe two minutes… then he pushed me away gently.

"You really, really can't do that at school, Abigail," he said firmly, but I could sense his remorse, "…I could lose my job."

As much as I hated it, he had a point. I sighed again, but this time it was a sad sigh. I sat down in a chair near Snape's desk and he sat down as well. He looked over at the clock.

"You broke the clock," he said, smirking. I blushed slightly and grinned broadly.

"I was impatient," I explained lightly, "Apparently I used my magic without realizing it…like I'm a first-year or something."

"So it would seem. Do you want to help me grade papers?" he asked.

"Sure."

I dragged my chair over to the other side of his desk so I could sit beside him. He did not object.

December came up fast and Slughorn announced he was going to throw a Christmas party for some of his favorite students. One evening on my way down to Snape's office, I passed Slughorn coming out of the Potions classroom.

"Miss Prewett! I can't leave you out, can I?" he said, chuckling warmly. He pulled a ribbon-wrapped invitation out of his pocket and handed it to me.

"Christmas party," he added, seeing my surprised look, "Only for members of the Slug Club."

"Alright then. Thank you, sir."

I continued on to Snape's office. He was working when I entered. I spied an identical, ribbon-adorned invitation on his desk.

"Slughorn's party?"

"Yes," he said, glancing at the envelope distastefully, "I don't want to go. I didn't like them when I was young and I won't like them now."

"You went when you were young?"

"Yes. The Slug Club. I think I have been panhandled into going to this party, however. Slughorn insisted upon it."

"Don't worry- I'll go, too. Then it won't seem so bad."

He half-smiled, but for some reason it didn't quite match his emotions. I decided not to mention it.

A few days later, I had a dream that sort-of explained it…a dream about Lily…

"I don't want to go, Sev," Lily was saying. We were sitting in a deserted classroom. It was late at night. This was one of our usual meeting places- an unused classroom on the third floor. It was easy for either of us to get to from our Common Rooms- mine in the dungeons, hers on the fourth floor.

"But it's a party, Lily! It'll be fun," I encouraged her, "Slughorn adores you."

"Just because Professor Slughorn likes me doesn't mean the rest of the Slug Club does. They're mean to me, Sev. Your fellow Slytherins. They call me names and laugh at me… because I'm Muggle-born."

I looked up at her- she was sitting on top of one of the desks and I was standing before her. Her green eyes were filled with tears, which she blinked away. I felt bad.

"You're way smarter than any of them, Lily, and way more talented," I proclaimed. She said nothing in response. I sighed heavily.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to…" I said reluctantly. She smiled a watery smile and jumped down off the desk to hug me.

So worth it, I thought to myself with a smirk as I put my arms around her.

The scene shifted to a room decorated with pink and silver tinsel and heart-shaped confetti. Music was playing and there were couples dancing all around. A few people, myself included, sat at little tables with red tablecloths, in the corner of the room. I was looking down at the tabletop, feeling dejected, wishing I hadn't come, absently picking at the heart-shaped confetti that was on the tablecloth.

"Oi, Snape!" said a boy sitting a few tables away, "Where's your pretty Mudblood girlfriend"

A few others laughed or jeered. They were all Slytherins- older boys whom I would usually ignore. Not this time.

"You wouldn't have the guts to say that outside, Parmelat," I said in a low, dangerous voice.

"Oooooh…" chorused the other boys, looking expectantly at Parmelat for his response.

"Alright then. Time to teach little fourth-years their place," Parmelat said, standing up.

The two of us and a small group of onlookers slipped away from the Valentine's party and went outside. As soon as we were out, Parmelat reached for his wand. I was faster, however, from years of dealing with James Potter.

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted, just as Parmelat grabbed his wand. His wand went flying.

"Locomotor Mortis!"

His feet locked together. Cursing, Parmelat hopped towards his wand.

Levicorpus, I thought, brandishing my wand a third time. Parmelat was hoisted into the air by his ankle. The small crowd howled with laughter. I watched, feeling immensely satisfied, as Parmelat began to revolve slowly in the air, still cursing and yelling at me.

"Nice one, Severus," said a voice. I glanced over at a tree where Julia was hanging upside down off a branch. Almost everyone greeted her enthusiastically- she was very popular- and Julia just smiled.

"Why weren't you at Slughorn's party?" I asked her.

"Too good a night to waste indoors," she replied, "Why-"

"Oi!" called Parmelat nastily, still revolving upside down, "Why not go for Julia, rather than that filthy little Mudblood, Lil-"

"SHUT UP!" I bellowed furiously. I brandished my wand, about to attack him, but lost control of the spell. He fell to the ground, grabbed his wand, and aimed it past me towards a clump of bushes.

"Crucio!" he shouted. There came an ear-splitting, sickeningly familiar, scream from the bush. Lily fell forward, writhing in agony. I saw red. I aimed my wand at Parmelat.

"Sectumsempra!" I shouted, slashing with my wand as if with a sword. Deep gashes appeared on his forearms and Parmelat collapsed. My eyes weren't on him, however. Lily was still on the ground, trembling, but now trying to push herself into a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" I asked, offering her a hand up. She took my hand and allowed me to pull her to her feet. She almost fell again, but I put my hand up to steady her. Lily nodded her head weakly. We turned back to Parmelat. The rest of the crowd has disappeared almost instantly when I slashed Parmelat. They didn't want to be anywhere around if we got caught.

"Cowards," Julia muttered. She was now standing bend over Parmelat, a mildly curious expression on her face. She glanced up at me, exasperated.

"You can't just kill anyone who insults your girlfriend, Severus!"

Lily and I exchanged quick glances.

"He's not dead… is he?" I asked, feeling ill. She shook her head and pulled out her wand. She began a low, soft spell that sounded melodious. When she was finished, Parmelat had stopped bleeding and became a little more lucid. He tried to get up, but Julia sat on his chest to prevent him from rising.

"So, Lily, why didn't you go to Slughorn's party?" Julia asked casually, as if nothing unusual at all had happened.

"Because of people… people like him," she said, pointing to Parmelat. She was still trembling slightly so I put my arm around her. She turned and buried her face in my chest. I put both arms around her and patted her back awkwardly.

Julia scoffed.

"I thought you Gryffindor lot were supposed to be brave?" she sneered, "but you let a useless lump like this scare you away from a Valentine's party?"

She prodded Parmelat's figure as she said this. I was torn between agreeing with Julia and defending Lily. Lily sniffed, but didn't say anything.

"Just because someone called you a Mudblood… it's just a word, Lils. It doesn't mean anything," Julia continued, "It doesn't affect you unless you let it affect you. What if I called you a Mudblood, huh?"

"Then Severus might hex you," Lily said, sort-of smiling.

"I'd really rather it not come to that," I said hastily.

"Mudblood, Mudblood, Mudblood," Julia chanted, "It's just a word. I could call Severus a shit head all day, every day, but you wouldn't catch him crying about it and hiding in his dorm, would you?"

"…No," Lily said. They were both smiling now. I scowled at Julia.

"You two should go on to Slughorn's party. I'll take care of this," Julia said, rapping Parmelat sharply on the skull, "He won't be bothering you anymore, either."

Lily looked to me.

"Do you still want to go to Slughorn's party?" she asked me.

"Only if you do," I replied quickly. Julia made a noise like a whip and smirked at me. I scowled at her. Lily took my hand and led me back towards the castle. As we walked away, we saw Julia get off Parmelat, raise her wand, and levitate him in the air. Then she walked off into the darkness, Parmelat's floating figure before her.

"What do you think she's going to do with him?" Lily whispered when we were out of earshot.

"Probably just modify his memory or something," I assured her.

"Hm… right. Let's go to the party," she said, smiling at me.

The last thing I saw was us dancing beneath the pink and silver streamers.

The moment I awoke, I jumped out of bed. I had seen something in my dream that jogged my memory- a spell. I touched the scar over my left eye absently.

I slipped on my shoes, not bothering to change out of my pajamas. I knew Snape had a small room in the back of his office where he slept, but I had never dared to go in it. His office was dark when I arrived but I lit my wand tip so I could see. I knocked on the concealed door behind his desk. A few moments passed.

"Abigail?" said his sleepy voice from within. The door opened and I entered the room. I held my wand aloft and looked around. There were shelves lining the walls with various strange potions in bottles. Snape was lying on a mattress on the floor. On the shelf nearest his bed was a picture of Lily. I said nothing of this, however.

"Abigail, what. …you really shouldn't be here…" he said quietly.

"I… I had a dream and… I have a question."

"…Oh?"

I hesitated a moment, then absently touched the scar over my left again.

"The Sectumsempra spell- you created it, right?"

He looked surprised.

"Well, yeah," he said.

"Who all knows it?"

"…A number of Death Eaters, friends from the old days, and myself," he replied.

I sighed heavily. Feeling dejected, I walked over, kicked off my shoes, and crawled into Snape's bed. He held up the blanket so I could get under it. I was warm and comfortable next to him.

"What's the matter, Abigail?" he murmured softly.

"The men who killed my mother… the one who gave me this," I said, touching the scar, "He used Sectumsempra. I'm sure of it. I was just sort of hoping I could find out who did it…"

"Oh. I'm sorry, Abigail," he whispered, putting his arms around me. I snuggled as close to him as I could get.

It was dark now, without the light of my wand. I touched his face gently, running my fingers over his face. Then I kissed him. Something stirred deep within me and I pushed him over on his back.

"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea…" he murmured, but he didn't physically do anything to stop me as I trailed my hands down his chest, then lower…

I awoke the next morning, wrapped in Snape's arms. I kissed his lips and he awoke with a start. He groaned loudly and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Bad idea," he groaned.

"Was it really?" I asked, smirking. I kissed him again.

"Yes," he said more firmly, pushing me away gently, "It was. You can't be here."

"Well maybe I'll just leave now," I said lightly. I threw back the blanket to reveal that I was completely naked. Snape looked away. I took an exceptionally long time finding my clothes. I could sense Snape's discomfort and anxiety.

"No one's going to come in," I assured him, "You are such a worrywart."

Snape didn't respond.

When I left his office a short while later, Snape insisted on waiting at least three minutes before going up to the Great Hall after me. I was only slightly late for breakfast.

"Where did you sneak off to?" Jenny asked curiously once I sat down.

"Oh, uh… I woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep. I went for a walk around the grounds," I replied, thinking quickly.

I forced myself not to look up when I sensed Snape enter the Great Hall.

"Professor Snape doesn't look too happy, does he?" commented Jenny. I had to look up then. He had a sour expression on his face. I examined his emotions- guilt, worry, and unease. He met my gaze very briefly, then looked away.

"What's his problem?" I muttered.

"Maybe he feels ill," Jenny suggested.

"Yeah…" I said slowly, "I'm sure that's it."

I was distracted throughout the rest of the day. Snape wouldn't meet my eye in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. In my last class of the day, which was Potions, Slughorn peered into my cauldron at my Invigoration Draught, but came back coughing. I was absently rolling a berry back and forth on my desktop, deep in thought, and frowning slightly.

"Bad day, Miss Prewett?" Slughorn asked.

"Yes sir," I replied meekly.

"I thought so. Professor Snape told me you were the only one to brew the Invigoration Draught perfectly during your OWL Exams."

"Of course he did," I muttered and accidentally squashed the berry I had been playing with.

When the bell rang, I was the first person out of the door. I reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom just as the last student was filing out. I ducked inside once all the students were gone and let the door slam shut loudly.

"What's your problem?" I demanded. Snape, who was sitting at his desk, looked up at me with a blank expression on his face.

"What?" he said moodily.

"Your problem," I repeated, "You're all mopey and- and depressed! Was what happened last night really such a bad thing?"

"I don't mope," he said shortly.

"The hell you don't!" I snapped back, "Do you regret what happened?"

"It would have been better for all involved had you not…if we had not… I could lose my job and-"

"To hell with you and your job," I snarled, "I won't be making that mistake again. I'm done."

I turned, wrenched the door open, and left, slamming it shut behind me. I felt some satisfaction when I heard something fall off the shelf and break.

I ran down the Grand Staircase and out the front door, not caring who saw me. As soon as I was outside, I morphed into tiger form and headed in the general direction of the gate. Before I got there, however, I almost crashed headfirst into Dumbledore, who stepped swiftly out of the way seconds before I would have ran into him. I was so startled I skidded to a halt, tripped over my own paws, and tumbled forward into the dirt. I quickly got to my paws and turned to face Dumbledore, daring him to laugh. He wasn't laughing, however. He was staring off into the distance at nothing in particular.

"And where are you going, Abby?" he asked me finally.

"I… don't know. Away from here. I'm annoyed with… someone," I replied, tail lashing angrily.

"So, you are running away?"

"…Yes. Yes, I am."

"I see."

He looked down at me finally, observing me through his half-moon spectacles.

"I never imagined I would see a tiger, taking the coward's way out," he said after a moment.

"I'm not a coward," I growled viciously, "You don't know anything about me!"

"Maybe that is true, but anyone who runs from their problems instead of facing them is certainly not very courageous… but then, I suppose you are a Slytherin, after all."

"I don't have to take this crap from you," I said darkly, then took off, this time heading for the forest.

I made my way through the trees and underbrush blindly, not really knowing or caring where I was going… until I smelled the fiery scent of the chimera, that I hadn't smelled in years. The chimera's nest was empty, but the scent was recent. She had probably only gone out hunting. I walked slowly around her territory, trying to clear my head. I was sad and angry still. I had needed comforting and Snape had been there. He could have just as easily said no or kicked me out of his bed, but he hadn't. All he said was 'bad idea'. …If it had really been such a bad idea, he wouldn't have let it happen.

Then why do I feel like it's my fault? I thought to myself, Why do I feel like I did something wrong?

Swamped with unexplainable guilt, my mind teeming with questions, I did not realize the chimera had returned until she nudged me playfully. I got to my paws and obliged her wishes by playing with her. We chased each other though the trees for the better part of two hours. It got dark out and it occurred to me that I couldn't stay in the forest all night long. Even with the chimera it was too dangerous.

The ground was cold beneath my paws as I made my way back to the castle. As soon as I left the shelter of the trees, snow began to fall, clinging to my fur. Almost immediately, I spotted Snape sitting beneath a tree by the lake. Again I was swamped by the feeling that I had done something wrong. I sighed heavily and went to sit beside him, still in tiger form for it was far warmer than human form.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, not even entirely sure why I was apologizing.

"Don't be," he said immediately, "This is my fault. I should have known better- I did know better. …You are too young. I'm too old. …You'd be better off with someone your own age."

I was momentarily speechless. This was what had been bothering him? I laughed shakily.

"I don't want anyone my own age, Sev. …I've never dated anyone, never kissed anyone but you… I don't want anyone but you," I murmured. He looked away from me, out over the lake where the cold air made steam rise.

"But it's not right," he whispered without looking at me.

"What's not right about it? It's how I feel… even if you don't feel the same way…"

He let out a short derisive laugh and opened his mind to me. I was flooded by a series of strong emotions, along with various flashes of images involving me. When he closed his mind, I shook my head to clear it, then look down at myself to make sure I still had clothes on… only I was still in tiger form.

"How could you even think I didn't feel the same way?" he asked quietly, finally looking at me.

"You acted like what happened was the end of the world. I thought maybe I wasn't… wasn't pretty enough or…good enough…"

"Oh Abigail… you are beautiful and… more than adequate…"

His face flushed slightly.

"I'm cold," I said, changing the subject. He reached out and brushed snow off my head. I shivered slightly, which had nothing to do with the cold.

"We can continue this conversation inside," he said to me. I nodded my head and got to my paws. I morphed into human form and shivered- this time because of the cold. Snape put his arm around me, wrapping his cloak around me for warmth.

We walked back up to the castle and down to his office. Snape used his wand to make a fire in the fireplace and it grew warm. I sat in my usual chair and Snape took his seat behind his desk.

"If you wish… If we are to continue this, we're going to have to establish some boundaries," he said after a moment's silence.

"…Such as?"

"You can't tell anyone. You can't stare at me during class… it can be a bit distracting," he said with a half-smile, "And I think there should be a strict, hands-off policy while we are at school."

"Fine," I said with a sigh, "Whatever you think is best."

I got to my feet.

"Where are you going?" Snape asked.

"To apologize to the headmaster… I was a bit short with him earlier."

"Would you like for me to go with you?" he offered. I nodded my head gratefully.

We made our way up to the headmaster's office together. Snape didn't walk any closer to me than was strictly necessary. When we got to his office, however, Dumbledore was not there.

"Off on another of his mysterious excursions, no doubt," Snape said dryly, "He'll probably be gone for days."

"…I have a feeling… maybe we should wait a few minutes. He could just be down in Hogsmeade," I said.

"If you want to," Snape replied with a shrug.

We stood in silence. I leaned against the wall and listened for even the slightest noise. About five minutes passed, then-

"Are you two waiting for me?" said a voice.

We both jumped as Albus Dumbledore appeared at the top of the stairs. I hadn't even heard him walk up!

"As a matter of fact, yes, Albus," Snape said to him.

"Good, good. Please, come in," Dumbledore said cheerfully, gesturing towards his office. We followed him inside. Dumbledore hung up his traveling cloak, then took a seat behind his desk. I sat down in the chair before his desk and Snape remained standing behind me.

"Abigail wanted to apologize-" Snape began.

"Uhm, excuse me?" I said, "I do have a voice, you know?"

"Sorry."

Our eyes locked for a brief moment, then I looked back to Dumbledore.

"I, ah…wanted to say that I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier and…and being disrespectful," I said awkwardly.

"We all have our moments," Dumbledore said brightly, "But I take it you have resolved your conflict?"

I glanced quickly at Snape and he sort-of smiled.

"Yes," I said to Dumbledore.

"Excellent, excellent. Your timing was impeccable as well- I have another memory for you to review."

"Really?" I said, suddenly alert.

"Yes. I came across this while searching and… I don't think I'm going to share this particular memory with anyone but you. It's rather gruesome but… I think it will help you see a major difference in you and your father."

I noticed a slight prickle of annoyance rip through Snape's emotions, which were open to me.

"Perhaps I should leave?" Snape inquired. I looked at Dumbledore questioningly.

"I was actually going to ask you- if Abby has no objection- to go with her into the Pensieve. I'm afraid I don't feel quite up to it and this memory is not a pleasant one to view…she'd be better off with you there," Dumbledore said to him.

"I can take whatever it is," I said brashly, then added in a somewhat meek undertone, "…but I don't mind if Severus comes along."

Snape half-smiled at me.

"I'll give you a bit of background information before you go plunging into this memory alone," Dumbledore said to us, "This memory belongs to a woman named Cecelia Android. She went to school with Tom Riddle and she, like many girls back then, fancied herself in love with him…though he wouldn't have anything to do with her because she was only half-blood."

"But he was only half-blood himself," I scoffed, "What a hypocrite… pretending to be pureblood, of course…"

Snape thumped me on the back of the head.

"Oh, right, I forgot you're half-blood," I said, smirking. Dumbledore cleared his throat before continuing.

"At this particular moment in time," he continued, indicating the basin of Pensieve, "the young Tom Riddle had three 'girlfriends', one of which was named Samantha Keyes. In this memory, Cecelia follows Tom and one of his girlfriends on a so-called date…"

Dumbledore indicating we should proceed into the memory. Snape and I glanced at each other before plunging our hands into the Pensieve.

We swirled down through darkness together and landed side-by-side outside of the hidden entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. It didn't look any different than it did in the present-day, but this had to be almost 50 years ago. I could see a teenage version of the Dark Lord- maybe 13 or 14 and especially handsome. He was standing near the entrance of the Common Room with a pretty blonde-haired girl who had light blue eyes, and whom I assumed was Samantha Keyes, the girl Dumbledore had mentioned. They were talking quietly. I noticed a second girl, the one whose memory it had to be, hiding behind a suit of armor. Cecelia Android- black curly hair, dark brown eyes, extremely pale skin…

"She's prettier than the blonde girl," I said to Snape, who was standing beside me, "don't you think?"

"Uhm…yes?" he said rather hesitantly, "I suppose so. It doesn't matter whose prettier. The Cecelia girl is half-blood…the Dark Lord wouldn't have anything to do with her. It is widely frowned upon among Slytherins…like dating a Muggle-born."

"Only not as bad."

"Precisely."

"Where are we going, Tom?" the girl, Samantha, asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

"It's a surprise," he said with a shadow of a smile. They started to walk up the stairs to the Entrance Hall. Snape, myself, and the Cecelia girl followed them.

They walked slowly along the moonlit path, towards the Dark Forest. Cecelia was following silently, ducking behind bushes, wearing a rather poor Disillusionment Charm.

"I wonder what Dumbledore wants me to learn from this?" I said aloud, "So what if he had a girlfriend? …Three, apparently."

"Well he doesn't seem to like her very much," Snape pointed out, "Look- they aren't walking close together, he doesn't have his arm around her…he isn't even looking at her."

Indeed Snape was right. Samantha and Tom Riddle walked farther apart than Snape and I did. He was staring up at the stars and she was looking down. As if to prove some sort of point, Snape put his arm around me.

"Rules?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"Don't apply here," he said calmly, "We're not at Hogwarts and I know Dumbledore can't see us."

"…Technically we are in Hogwarts- in Pensieve in Hogwarts anyway," I replied, "…and I'm not so sure Dumbledore would even care. He's always encouraging me to make up with you when we fight."

"A part of him would care… Teacher-student relationships are a touchy thing and he is still headmaster."

"As if his relationship with Potter isn't exceedingly inappropriate," I said, rolling my eyes. Snape looked down at me and frowned slightly. Then he rolled his eyes, shook his head, and looked towards the forest where Tom Riddle was leading Samantha in, soothing her with his voice, though I couldn't hear what he was saying.

"We should try and catch up to them," Snape said to me, "We may be missing something important that Dumbledore wants you to hear."

"There's no trying to it," I replied. I morphed into tiger form and bounded up to the forest, until I was right behind my father and his girlfriend. Snape ran to catch up and I laughed when he arrived, panting, his hair askew. I morphed back into human form and straightened his hair for him, then kissed him lightly.

Luckily, they didn't go very far into the forest. It was a hidden path I had never been on before. We followed Tom Riddle into an old cabin, that looked as if the roof could fall in at any moment. When he opened the door, however, it was a different story. The interior of the house looked comfortable and dark. There was a single couch in the corner of the room. A fire flickered to life in the fireplace at the flick of my father's wand. Strange shadows danced around the room. The couch was the only part illuminated- the rest of the room could not be seen.

He led Samantha over to the couch and they sat down. Snape and I were able to follow them inside, but I saw Cecelia, the owner of this memory, was only able to peer in through a window.

"This place is really cool, Tom, did you do it?" Samantha asked him.

"Yes," he said simply.

He snaked his arm around her and leaned close to her to whisper in her ear.

"You're beautiful, you know," he murmured, "Not like the other girls. They're just pretty, but you… you are beautiful."

Something about his voice told me he was lying. It was not unlike the way he spoke to Dumbledore in the previous memory and the way I talked to teachers and people I didn't like, but had to make like me.

"He doesn't really care about her," I observed, "He's just telling her what she wants to hear."

Snape inclined his head.

We were silent, observing as Tom Riddle kissed Samantha's cheek. He began to speak softly. At first I thought he was singing, then I realized he was speaking Parseltongue.

"Come to me, my love, come to me," he was chanting softly, soft and crooning.

"What's he saying?" Snape asked me, but I put a finger to my lips, motioning for him to be quiet. I could hear something else now… more hissing: Coming, Master…

Then I spotted it. A large, black snake, slithering up onto the couch, unnoticed by Samantha who was gazing adoringly into Tom Riddle's eyes.

"Bite," Riddle said quietly in Parseltongue to the snake. As it sank its fangs into the girl's arm and she screamed, Snape squeezed my hand. More snakes slithered out of the darkness. Three more bites and the girl was unconscious. They latched onto her body, dozens of them, maybe hundreds. All the while Riddle sat there, his arm around her, watching in silent fascination.

The girl watching from the window, Cecelia, ran for her life. Suddenly, the memory became blurry and the next moment, Snape and I whirled through darkness and landed in Dumbledore's office, which was empty and dark.

"Where's Dumbledore?" I wondered aloud.

"He left again, shortly after the two of you departed," said one of the portraits from the wall, Phineas Nigellus, a famous Slytherin headmaster.

"Why did he have to show you such an… an unpleasant memory?" Snape said, frowning, "I'm not sure I approve."

"It wasn't that bad… I can deal with unpleasantries, Severus," I said lightly, "Having dealt with many in my life time."

"Such cheek!" said Phineas Nigellus, "In my day, that'd earn you a good smack in the mouth."

"He can't smack me," I scoffed, "He's my guardian."

"All the more reason he can smack you, girl," Nigellus retorted.

I scoffed and looked at Snape.

"Are you going to smack me?" I asked tauntingly. He scowled as well.

"Thank you, Professor Nigellus," Snape said to the portrait as he pushed me towards the door.

"You should keep a better eye on your girl, Professor Snape. She's bound to meet trouble with that mouth of hers."

We walked out of the door and I scoffed again, but this time I was hiding a smile.

"What?" Snape asked, also smiling slightly.

"'Snape's Girl'…It's what every single new teacher has called me at some point in time. They'll be reading the roll the first day of school and when they get to my name they'll say 'Ooh-ho! You must be Snape's Girl'," I said, imitating Slughorn. Snape tried to hide a smile, but couldn't quite manage.

"Hmph. I don't belong to you," I said proudly.

"No, of course not, Abigail. You belong to no one," he replied, smiling.

"I wonder why Dumbledore took off?" I wondered aloud as we walked back towards the dungeons together.

"What do you expect- it's Dumbledore," he replied heavily.

I didn't see Dumbledore for the remainder of the term. The last day of school seemed to drag by slowly, most likely because of the impending air of doom due to Slughorn's party. Jenny insisted on spending a long time doing my hair and her own. She also insisted I wear a set of dress robes she had, because my Muggle dress was much to small now.

I emerged from the dungeons at eight o'clock to find Snape waiting for me in the Entrance Hall. There was a brief pause as he took in my appearance- black dress robes, curled hair, high-heels, and makeup. Then he smiled.

"You look… nice," he commented. Jenny, who had followed me out of the dungeon, giggled as I blushed.

"See you two later," she said brightly, heading up the marble staircase where her date was waiting for her.

Snape and I took our time walking to Slughorn's office, but I kept stumbling because of the high-heeled shoes and Snape kept smirking.

"Why are you wearing those things?" he asked finally, "You can barely walk straight."

"Jennifer made me wear them," I muttered, "I always take her fashion advice."

He laughed quietly and the sound was almost drowned out by the sound of laughter, music, and loud conversation coming from Slughorn's office.

We walked in the door together and we both paused to look around. Slughorn's office seemed much larger than any other teacher's office I'd been in, but he may have used magic to make it so. There were emerald, crimson, and gold hangings on the walls and the entire, rather crowded room, was bathed in a red light that came from an ornate lamp hanging in the middle of the ceiling.

"Do you think there are real fairies in there?" I murmured to Snape, looking up at the ceiling.

"What?" he asked, then followed my line of sight, "Oh. Yes, probably."

"Severus!" said a loud booming voice. We both turned to see Slughorn making his way towards us and we both exchanged unenthusiastic glances.

"Think it's too late to slip off into the crowd?" I murmured quietly.

"Definitely," Snape replied gloomily. Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat and I got the impression that he may have been drunk.

"And Abby Prewett, too," Slughorn said as he reached us at last, "Nice to see you both. You've got a smart girl, there, Severus. She has a good head on her shoulders."

"Thank you, Horace," Snape said, looking down at me with a faint smile, "But I would not go so far as to call her mine. Abigail belongs to no one but herself."

I couldn't help but smile brightly at him.

"Of course, of course," said Slughorn dismissively, "But she is your charge, is she not? And how did that happen? As I recall, Mary Prewett was a few years ahead of you in school."

"She was," Snape confirmed, "But we were both in Slytherin and outside of classes, we were friends, of sorts, and remained so…enough for her to name me guardian, anyway."

"And what about her father?" Slughorn inquired and I started slightly, "Tommy Rivers, wasn't it?"

"Yes, he was in my year. We got along well enough, I suppose," Snape replied.

"I was surprised to hear he and Julia got married," Slughorn commented.

"Many people were," Snape agreed.

"Any what about you, Severus? You never married, did you?"

"…No," Snape said, looking down at the floor.

"Pity. I always thought you and Lily…but she was in Gryffindor, so, of course there were certain…"

I shifted my feet uncomfortably and gazed off into the crowd, looking for some way to escape this uncomfortable conversation. As if in answer to my prayers, a small, stout, bespectacled man appeared at Slughorn's shoulder, followed by a tall, dark man with shadows underneath his eyes- a vampire, I could tell.

"Eldred Worple!" Slughorn crooned, "Long time no see! And you've brought a friend, how lovely."

"This is Sanguini. He's promised to behave himself," said Worple. Snape was still looking down at the floor. As Worple engaged Slughorn in conversation, I took Snape's hand and pulled him off into the crowd.

The crowd was thick with people and Snape and I simply stood there. The crowd was so thick now we couldn't see the door. Neither of us felt much like talking, thanks to Slughorn dredging up things I'd rather not think of. Snape snagged a drink from a passing tray and handed it to me.

"So what was Malfoy doing tonight?" he asked me quietly.

"No idea. He wasn't in the common room when I left and I don't think he had an invitation…"

"No, he wasn't invited."

"Well he may be off doing something with Crabbe and Goyle. The three of them always seem to disappear when I'm not looking and it's damn near impossible to follow them."

"He's not with Crabbe and Goyle. They're in detention."

At that moment we both heard Slughorn's booming voice and I turned my head slightly to see that he was talking to Potter and Professor Trelawney.

"Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject's most important! But I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions. Instinctive, you know- like his mother! I've only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, I can tell you that, Sybill- why even Severus-"

Slughorn reached out one of his massive arms and drew Snape towards him. I kept a short distance away, looking faintly amused.

"Stop skulking and come and join us, Severus!" said Slughorn happily, "I was just talking about Harry's exceptional potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"

Snape was trapped in Slughorn's grasp and he could do nothing but look down at Potter, his eyes narrowed.

"Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all," Snape said slowly.

"Listen to his thoughts," Snape said inside my head. I focused my attention on Potter, though he didn't seem to be thinking anything at the moment.

"Well, then, it's natural ability!" shouted Slughorn, "You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of Living Death- never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don't think even you, Severus-"

"Really?" said Snape quietly.

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" asked Slughorn.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology…" Potter listed.

"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," said Snape with a faint sneer.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Potter boldly.

"And a great one you'll make too!" Slughorn boomed.

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," said a blonde-haired girl unexpectedly. She had a dreamy look about her. It was Luna Lovegood, who had been in Dumbledore's Army with me.

"The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're working to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease," she continued. Potter laughed, Professor Trelawney looked remotely interested, Slughorn looked bemused, and Snape simply stared at her.

What? I thought, utterly confused. Snape looked at me and shrugged his shoulders discreetly. Then we both spotted Draco Malfoy being dragged towards us by the ear by Filch.

"Professor Slughorn," wheezed Filch, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him an invitation?"

Draco wrenched himself free of Filch, looking furious.

"Alright, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily, "I was trying to gate-crash, happy?"

"No, I'm not! You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?" Filch retorted.

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, "it's Christmas and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco."

For some reason Draco looked even more unhappier than Filch. Snape was watching Draco with an angry expression. Just as quickly as the expressions were there they vanished as Draco smiled and thanked Slughorn. Snape's expression had become unreadable once more.

"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away Draco's thanks, "I did know your grandfather, after all…"

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Draco quickly, "said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known…"

What a suck-up, I thought, directing my thoughts at Snape, Didn't he used to say the same thing to you?

"Probably. …I should talk to him now while I've got a chance. You stay here."

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," said Snape suddenly.

"Oh, now, Severus," said Slughorn, hiccupping, "It's Christmas, don't be too hard-"

"I'm his Head of House and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Snape curtly and I chuckled quietly, "Follow me, Draco."

They walked off together and I didn't dare disobey Snape and follow them. Potter disappeared a moment later as well. The blonde-haired girl was talking with Professor Trelawney, leaving me to talk with Slughorn.

"You know he really was an excellent potion-maker," Slughorn said suddenly.

"Who?" I asked, frowning.

"Severus, of course. Him and Lily Evans…they were best friends for a long time, too. Always thought they would wind up together, but I suppose Lily fell for James in the end," Slughorn replied. I felt increasingly awkward, not entirely certain that I wanted the conversation to continue.

"She was Muggle-born, you know? Funny how that happens…" Slughorn continued, unaware of the fact that I was trying not to listen to him.

It was nearly 15 minutes later that Snape returned, without Draco. I had spent all of those fifteen minutes listening to Slughorn talk about Snape and Lily, and now I was feeling a bit annoyed… and rather nauseous. Snape didn't look too happy, either.

"What's wrong?" I asked, forcing myself to keep my voice low as I met up with him.

"Draco thinks I'm trying to steal his glory. What a childish, idiotic thing to worry about. I'm not trying to steal his glory," Snape muttered.

"There are more important things than glory," I said quietly. Snape looked up as if suddenly realizing we were in the middle of a party.

"Let's get out of here," he said, pulling me towards the door.

"Where will we go? It's too early to go to bed…" I said as we walked along the corridor, our footsteps muffled by the sound of the party.

"We can go for a walk on the grounds," he replied.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be skulking around after hours?"

"I'm a teacher, remember? I give you my full permission to skulk about after-hours with me," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

"And what about our rules?" I inquired. He made a dismissive gesture.

"It's just a walk."

"Right."

The Hogwarts grounds were deserted and dark other than us. We could see the path in the moonlight and we walked in silence until I tripped in my high-heels and swore loudly as I fell to the ground.

"Stupid- effing- shoes," I grumbled, ripping the shoes off and throwing them at a nearby bush. Snape was trying not to laugh as he helped me to my feet. It was much easier to walk barefoot, even if it was a little cold.

"So, did you hear anything from Potter's thoughts a while ago?" he asked me.

"I'm not sure. It didn't make much sense to me…" I said slowly.

"A lot of things don't make sense to you," he said playfully, "What was Potter thinking?"

"Well, something about a potions book…and a-…a half-blood something," I said, struggling to recall. He stopped so abruptly that I nearly fell over again.

"Half-Blood Prince?" he said faintly.

"Yes, that was it- hey!" I said suddenly, as my memory was jogged, "That's the owner of the written-in Potions books I used to get from the storage closet at the beginning of the year."

"Yes. My old Potions book. I can't believe Potter got it…I wrote a lot of things in that potions book…alternate instructions for potion-making…and a few spells…Dark Magic."

"Damn. If I had known that, I would have snagged it before Potter could get his hands on it. He doesn't deserve it."

"He really shouldn't have that book…"

"Well then take the book back. Report him."

"I can't associate myself with that book," he said sternly, "didn't I just tell you it's full of Dark Magic?"

"Right. Of course not."

"That's really irksome, though. Potter has my book…"

"I should have that book," I said, also annoyed.

"I would give it to you if I had it," he assured me, "According to Slughorn, you could use the help in Potions."

"It's not that bad. Even my Draught of Living Death wasn't so bad, but I switched with Draco because his was worse than mine and he was hoping to win the Felix Felicis. If I hadn't figured out to crush the stupid bean instead of cutting it, the potion I had probably wouldn't have been worth a crap," I said bitterly.

"That's one of the notes I made in the book. Crush the sopophorous bean with the flat side of the silver dagger. You figured that out on your own?" he asked, impressed.

"Well I sure as hell couldn't cut the damned thing," I murmured. Even in the moonlight I could see him smiling faintly. He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, causing me to shiver slightly. Suddenly, something cold and wet landed on my nose.

"What the-?" I said, looking skywards. Flecks of snow were drifting down from the sky.

"It's snowing," Snape said, also looking up.

"Yeah, I can see that, oh stater-of-the-obvious," I said, rolling my eyes, "I guess it's colder than I thought. Too cold for me, but cold enough for snowflakes."

I morphed into tiger form so I would be warmer. Snape watched as I ran and chased the falling snowflakes. I felt…free. I ran in the snow for a while before returning to Snape's side. I pressed myself against his leg and he reached down to pat my head. I flicked my ears back in annoyance.

"I'm not a dog, Severus," I said to him.

"Sorry."

I pushed my head against his hand and he got the idea. He stroked my head, running his fingers through my white fur in a way that made me purr.

"…Are we going home for Christmas?" I asked after a lengthy but comfortable silence.

"If you want to," he replied quietly.

"Of course I want to."

We walked in silence for a while until we had made a circle and came back to the castle. As we approached the Entrance, we met Albus Dumbledore coming out of the castle. Snape and I stepped apart before he spotted us.

"Hello Severus. Abby," he said, inclining his head to me, "Where are you two off to?"

"Just walking around the castle, talking," Snape replied, "We went to Slughorn's party. Argus caught Draco sneaking around tonight and I had a talk with him."

"Did you learn anything?"

"No. He's won't talk to me about anything. He thinks I'm trying to steal his glory," Snape said, "Foolish boy."

"He's got Crabbe and Goyle taking Polyjuice Potion, but I don't know why. When I try to follow them outside the Common Room after that I always lose them."

"Who has he got them turning into?" Dumbledore asked me.

"First years, second years. Really small girls mostly," I replied.

"I wonder how he's been getting the hair," Snape said, frowning, "Polyjuice Potion requires a bit of the person you're changing into."

There was a brief silence as we all contemplated this.

Dumbledore looked at his watch and then looked towards the gate.

"I've got to go. I'm running a bit late tonight," Dumbledore said to us.

"Another excursion, Albus?" Snape asked him, "You just got back from the last one."

"Yes. If anyone asks, tell them I went for a drink in the village."

"Of course. Will you be back before Christmas?"

"I hope so. If not, I will need you to stay here. You're one of the only Order members who I would ask to guard the castle on Christmas."

I immediately wanted to protest- we had planned to go home for Christmas- but Snape silenced me with a look.

"Of course. Who else will be working?" he inquired.

"The usual. If I'm not back on Christmas Day, it will be just you and Tonks here."

Snape nodded his head. When Dumbledore left I looked up at Snape.

"But I wanted to go home on Christmas," I said.

"I know, I did too, but if Dumbledore won't be here, then I definitely need to be."

I sighed, but decided he was probably right. There couldn't be just Tonks protecting the castle.

"I suppose there's always the hope that he'll return before Christmas and won't need you," I said heavily.

"Don't get your hopes up."

The next few days, the castle was very quiet. Most of the students had gone home for the holidays. Every morning, I got up and went down to breakfast in hope of finding Dumbledore had returned, but by Christmas Eve day I had to give up hope that Snape and I would get to go home.

"Why don't you come with me tomorrow when I go walk around the perimeter of the castle to make sure no bad guys are breaking in?" Snape suggested when we were sitting down in his office, drinking hot chocolate on Christmas Eve night.

"If we find someone, can I curse them?"

"Probably," he replied, smiling faintly.

"Then okay."

When I awoke on Christmas morning in the deserted dormitory, I was saddened to find that there were no presents at the foot of my bed. There was, however, Snape. Surprised, I sat up, pulling the covers around myself against the cold.

"What time is it?" I asked, yawning slightly.

"Not yet dawn. I thought we should head out before the rest of the world wakes up," he replied.

"You shouldn't be in my dormitory," I said as I got out of bed, "I'm pretty sure it goes against our rules."

He scowled, then inclined his head.

"You're right, it does. I'll be waiting for you outside of the Common Room."

He turned and went out.

I dressed in warm Muggle clothing, which included a thick, grey, wool sweater and thick black gloves, which I had long ago attached the Slytherin crest to. I wrapped my scarf around my neck, then headed out.

The early morning air was well below freezing and I clung to Snape for warmth. He didn't seem to mind, however, as we made our way along the perimeter of the grounds. We met a very depressed-looking Tonks wandering along the street to Hogsmeade. She had her wand in her hand, but she was looking up at the full moon.

"Seen anything tonight, Tonks?" Snape asked, drawing her attention away from the sky.

"No. …Why have you got the girl with you?" she asked disinterestedly.

"Dumbledore said it was fine. Abigail is a very capable witch."

"Mm."

Then Tonks continued on her way, eyes on the moon.

"Well she seems chronically depressed," I commented when she was out of earshot.

"She's in love with someone who won't have her," Snape informed me.

"Ah…"

When we reached the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest, Snape began to peer into the trees curiously, as if he were waiting for something. Suddenly, out of the darkness, walked a familiar, four-legged creature whom I hadn't seen in ages.

"Moony!" I exclaimed, then added, guarded, "Have you taken Wolfsbane Potion tonight?"

"I have. Severus was kind enough to brew it for me so I could come see you in the few hours I had to spare," Lupin said to me. I morphed into tiger form.

"Would you like to go for a walk in the forest?" I asked him. He hesitated and looked to Snape questioningly.

"I don't care," Snape replied smoothly, "I brought you here because I knew she would want to talk to you."

"Thank you, Severus," I said gratefully. I headed into the darkness of the forest, Lupin close at my heels.

"Where have you been? What have you been doing?" I asked eagerly as we walked along the hidden path.

"I've been underground… literally. I've been living amongst my fellow werewolves. No doubt you know that most of them are on Voldemort's side. Well Dumbledore wanted a spy and here I was, ready-made," he said, his voice a little bitter.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be, is it?" I asked, smiling faintly. He smiled as well and shook his head.

"That's why I haven't been able to write. It would have been a dead giveaway. I already have the unmistakable signs of having tried to live among wizards, whereas they have shunned normal society and live on the margins, stealing- and often killing- to eat."

I inclined my head in acceptance.

"I know Fenrir Greyback spends a lot of time in the company of Death Eaters…" I said slowly.

"Voldemort has promised him prey in return for his services. He specializes in children."

"The Dark Lord won't mark him, however…the Dark Mark. It sets him apart from us- the Death Eaters- and he hates it," I said.

"Good," Lupin said grimly, "…It was Greyback who bit me, when I was young."

"…Moony," I said quietly, pressing my flank against his. His werewolf hair was coarse, unlike my soft tiger fur, and he smelled a lot like a dog. I didn't mind though. It was familiar and comforting.

"I did not know, for a long time, the identity of the werewolf who had attacked me," Lupin continued, "I felt pity for him at first, thinking he had no control, knowing by then how it felt to transform. But Greyback is not like that. He positions himself close to his victims at the full moon, ensuring he is near enough to strike. He plans all of it."

I didn't know what to say and the two of us walked in silence for a while. The sun started to rise and Lupin stopped walking.

"It's time for me to change back," he said weakly.

"Would you like for me to stay here with you?"

"I would be most grateful…"

I watched from a short distance as Lupin's body convulsed. His snout started to shrink, his fur receded, and his bone structure morphed. In a little over five minutes time, he lay limp and human in the snow. I morphed back into human and helped him to his feet.

"You have it so much easier," he said, again sounding bitter, but who could blame him?

"Sorry," I whispered quietly, not knowing what else to say. He shook his head.

"I should be used to it by now," was all he said. He put his arm around me and we continued our walk through the forest.

After a few minutes of silence, I decided to share with him something I knew he did not know.

"I've got something I would like to tell you… I know Dumbledore and Severus haven't told you…"

"Am I about to find out why you are so interesting to Dumbledore all of a sudden?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"Hm?"

"Well, you've done something to warrant private lessons, like Harry, and I don't think it is just because you are an extraordinary witch."

"You're right… promise you won't get angry or… or think anything less of me?" I inquired.

"I don't see how I could," he said, looking curious.

"Well," I said, taking a deep breath, "…I'm the Dark Lord's daughter."

Lupin stopped abruptly. His face remained carefully blank as he absorbed this fact.

"You don't look too surprised," I commented.

"Well I suspected you had some tie to him, since Dumbledore allowed you to be a spy… though I had hoped it was only your tie to Severus," he said. We continued walking, though I noticed his eyes remained on me.

"It doesn't make me evil, you know?" I said finally.

"Of course not! I would never think that, Abby," he exclaimed, "Severus raised you right… or as right as he can. Your heritage doesn't change who you are."

Snow was falling now and I wished he was still in werewolf form so that I could be a tiger and be warmer. Lupin smiled at me, as if he could read my mind, and put an arm around me.

"I know another secret, too," he said triumphantly after a few minutes.

"What?" I asked warily.

"You," he said slowly, "Love Severus."

I gasped loudly.

"He told you what we did?" I asked in disbelief. Now Lupin looked confused as well and I realized I had just made an error.

"No, I just meant like… a friendship love," he said, frowning, "You did what now?"

"Nothing!" I said quickly. Too quickly, but his brilliant mind had already pieced together his words and my reaction.

"Abigail Prewett, I can't believe-!"

I clapped a hand over his mouth.

"You can't tell anyone, Moony, understand? No one. Especially Dumbledore," I said meaningfully, looking him in the eye, "We could get in so much trouble… you don't want Severus to lose his job, do you?"

He was silent a moment.

"No, of course not," he said finally, "I won't tell a soul if you don't want me to."

We started to walk again. I felt guilty that I had accidentally betrayed mine and Snape's secret. I debated whether to tell him and decided I would, if the moment was right.

I noticed Lupin was looking at me oddly.

"What?" I asked him finally.

"Nothing. I was just… trying to imagine… you and Severus," he said with a shudder. I punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"Moony, you perverted old wolf, don't picture me naked!" I exclaimed, hiding a smile.

"I wasn't-" he began, but broke off, blushing ever so faintly. I hit him again, a little lighter.

"Come on. We should be getting back to the castle," I said, prodding him in the direction of the castle.

"Alright. Wouldn't want to keep you away from your lover," he teased. It was my turn to blush and I hit him a third time.

"You can't tease me about this, Moony, seriously. We can't even speak of it. If anyone were to find out…"

"Okay," he said agreeably, "We won't speak of it. I have to be on my way, anyway. I'm having Christmas with Harry and the Weasleys."

"Sounds fun," I said sarcastically.

"Better than spending it holed up in the castle with Severus," he replied brightly.

"Maybe to you," I said with a smirk.

We left the forest and made our way to the lake, where Snape was looking out over the water. He didn't even hear us approach.

"See anything, Severus?" Lupin asked when we were a few feet away. Snape didn't jump, but his head jerked in our direction.

"…No, nothing. I was just thinking," he replied.

"Understandable," Lupin said.

"Did you two have fun?"

"As much as a werewolf and a tiger can have in the wee hours of the morning," I replied brightly, "Thank you, Severus."

He made a dismissive hand gesture.

"I've got to be going," Lupin said, looking up at the sun which was already making its way into the sky, "Molly would kill me if I were late for Christmas."

Snape inclined his head. Lupin looked at me, smiled, then turned and left.

With Lupin gone, Snape and I stood in silence for a while.

"So, what did you and Lupin talk about?" he asked casually.

"Nothing. Mostly we talked about what he's been doing for the Order," I replied, then after a brief silence added, "I told him I was the Dark Lord's daughter."

He looked surprised.

"Well, that's your right, I suppose. If you think you can trust a werewolf…"

"Don't be prejudiced," I said sharply, "and I do trust him…and you should, too."

"Why is that?"

"Because… I sort of accidentally told him… about us."

"You did what?"

"He guessed," I said hastily, "Sort of."

I quickly drew up the memory in my mind, then pushed it towards him on our alternate plane. I felt his emotions shift as he viewed the memory- annoyance, anger, acceptance, understanding…

"Do you believe he won't tell anyone?" Snape asked me finally.

"Of course!" I exclaimed immediately, "Moony would never betray me."

"I believe that as well. Lupin trusts you," he said, "He likes you."

"Jealous?" I asked tauntingly.

"You wish," he retorted, "As if I would ever be jealous of that wolf… I better not have anything to be jealous about."

I didn't respond- of course he had nothing to be jealous about- but I just smiled mysteriously.

We returned to the castle a short while later. I went to the deserted Slytherin Common Room and worked on my homework for a while. Then I went down to the library and spent most of the day reading. When it came time for the Christmas feast, I went to Snape's office to see if he was going.

"Are you going to the feast?" he asked me as soon as I walked in.

"Are you?" I inquired.

"I asked first," he said with a smirk, "Do you want to go?"

"Not particularly. Do you?"

"No."

I was silent a moment, thinking.

"Is there any way we could go to the Three Broomsticks? I mean it's right down the road and it's Christmas. Would Dumbledore really get mad?" I asked him.

"…Probably not…but I can't be seen with a student in a pub. It looks bad."

"It does not," I retorted, "You are my legal guardian. I'm like your daughter."

He made a face.

"That makes it sound creepy…" he replied, "but okay. We can go. After all, it is Christmas."

Snape got his cloak and fastened it around his shoulders

"I've got to tell Minerva first, so she'll know where to find us if anything happens," he said as we walked out the door. I nodded my head and followed him up the stairs to McGonagall's office.

She was sitting at her desk when Snape knocked and we were told to enter. She looked up questioningly.

"Abigail and I are going down to Hogsmeade instead of going to the feast. I thought you should know, in case something happens," Snape said to her.

"Right," she said crisply, "Three Broomsticks or Hog's Head?"

"Hog's Head, most likely," he answered.

"Very well. Happy Christmas, Severus… Miss Prewett," McGonagall said, nodding to me.

"Happy Christmas," Snape and I said together.

The grounds of Hogwarts were deserted as Snape and I headed down the path to Hogsmeade. Everyone was at the feast, probably…though not many people had stayed for Christmas.

"Why did so few students stay for Christmas?" I mused as we walked.

"Because everyone knows the Dark Lord is back. Parents worry about their kids, though Hogwarts is a lot safer a place than most of them could provide," Snape said.

"Would you worry about me?"

"If you weren't already in the middle of this, yes. As it is, I don't have to worry about you, because you are never far away. …I'm sort of glad you're a Death Eater," he said quietly. I laughed softly.

"I don't think I'd be able to do it if you weren't there…be a spy…" I admitted, "If I didn't have anyone I could tell everything to…"

"It is difficult," he confirmed.

"No wonder you seemed so cold and distant when I first met you."

He smiled half-heartedly.

We reached the village of Hogsmeade and made our way down to the Hog's Head pub. I hadn't been in there since the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army last year. There were six other people in the pub when we entered- three of them had their hoods up, two were witches, and the last was a scruffy-looking man who sat alone and looked very drunk. Snape and I went to a dark table in the corner. He went up to the bar and got us drinks. He handed me my drink and sat down across from me. I sipped my drink thoughtfully.

"I have a question for you," I said quietly after a moment.

"Shoot."

"Why did you agree to take me in? After my mother died?" I inquired.

Now it was his turn to look thoughtful.

"Well…I guess I did it because Dumbledore told me to," he said finally.

"Oh. …Well I feel loved," I said sarcastically.

"What did you expect? I didn't- don't- like children."

"Then why, pray tell, are you a teacher?"

"It serves my purposes."

"I'm a double agent. I can sit at Hogwarts and be safe while I pass information to the Dark Lord and information to Dumbledore," he informed me in my mind. I inclined my head and changed the subject.

"You hated me at first, didn't you?" I asked accusingly.

"I didn't hate you…I just didn't know what I was supposed to do. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the parental type."

"You've got the over-protectiveness down pat," I said with a small smile. He smiled as well.

"You didn't like me, though, did you?" Snape asked me.

"No, I didn't. Everyone but you treated me like a glass doll after my mother died. Everyone but you said they were sorry. Everyone but you was empathetic."

"I was empathetic," he disagreed, "I mourned Julia's passing as well. As for treating you like a glass doll, I didn't want you to grow up spoiled, thinking the world revolved around you, just because your parents were killed…like some people we know."

He meant Potter. I half-smiled.

"Well, I turned out all right in the end, didn't I?" I said, "So maybe you were right."

"Of course I was right," he said, snorting indignantly, "I'm always right."

We sipped our drinks for a while in silence. After a while we stood and left. The quiet in the bar was unnerving. Neither of us was ready to go back to the castle so we walked aimlessly around Hogsmeade. After a quick look around, Snape reached out to hold one of my gloved hands.

"No one's out on the streets on Christmas day anyway," I pointed out.

"You can't be too careful," was his reply.

"Sure you can," I replied, "There are people who are so careful they never leave their houses for fear of some unknown doom."

He looked mildly surprised, then laughed.

"Okay," he said, still laughing, "Point taken."

We found ourselves walking along the train tracks. I wondered if I could balance like Mother had in my dream. I stepped lightly up onto the beam. I didn't let go of Snape's hand as I began to walk down the beam and I didn't lose my balance once. I looked at Snape, grinning triumphantly. Our eyes met and I knew we were remembering the same memory. My smile faded and I jumped down off the beam.

We were silent a moment and Snape held me close. After a few minutes he sighed and pressed a kiss onto the top of my head.

"Let's walk towards the Shrieking Shack," he suggested and I nodded my head in agreement. We followed the tracks back up to the road, crossed over it, and found the path leading to the Shrieking Shack, away from Hogsmeade. We stepped under the gate warning people to stay out. The villagers all thought the Shrieking Shack was haunted, from the days when Lupin was in school.

The front door opened with an eerie creak. Snape and I walked through the creepy building. The wall paper was slashed, there were broken pieces of furniture everywhere… I knew they had all come from Lupin, but it was still a little scary. Of course I would never admit I was scared…just like Snape would never admit he was, though I could sense he was, too.

"Earlier when I asked you if I had anything to be jealous about… I don't… do I?" Snape asked quietly. Surprised, I looked up at him. He was actually worried. I smiled.

"Of course not," I murmured, putting my arms around him, "but it's cute that you're worried about it."

"I'm not worried about it," he said defensively, "I don't care what you do with that werewolf. I…I'm just…"

But apparently he couldn't decide what he was 'just' so he sighed heavily and leaned down to kiss me to fill the silence. I didn't mind in the least.

After a while, we broke apart. Snape looked down into my mismatched eyes. His black eyes burned with longing. After a few minutes he sighed again and released me.

"We should go back up to the castle. No one would know where to find us if something happened," he said finally. I inclined my head in acceptance.

The next morning I awoke with a sore throat and a bad cough. This is what I get for wandering around in the cold with Severus, I thought miserably, my head pounding.

"Don't blame me," said another voice in my head. I started.

What are you doing in my head so early? I inquired.

"I was waiting for you to wake up. Dumbledore is back."

That barmy old-

"He wants to see us," Snape interrupted before I could finish my thought.

Fine, I thought gloomily, I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall in a few minutes. …how does he get off coming back the day after Christmas? We could have gone home!

But there was no response. Snape had already withdrawn from my mind. I groaned as I got up from my bed. All my bones and muscles ached. I stumbled around my dormitory, searching for warm clothes. Finally, I dressed in blue jeans, a long sleeved black shirt, and a thick black sweater. I didn't feel up to brushing my hair or anything, so I slipped my shoes on and left.

Snape was waiting for me in the Entrance Hall. He looked me over quickly and half-smiled.

"You really are sick," he commented.

"No shit," I grumbled, "What does Dumbledore want?"

"I have no idea. He sent one of the ghosts to wake me."

"What time is it?"

"Almost 7:00."

"Absolutely ridiculous," I muttered as we started up the stairs. Snape continued to smirk and I punched him half-heartedly in the arm.

Climbing the flights of stairs took a lot out of me and when we reached Dumbledore's office I plopped down in one of the chairs, exhausted. Snape was no longer smirking, but was trying not to look worried about me.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" Dumbledore asked brightly. He looked a little ill himself, or at least tired. He had bags under his eyes.

"No," I grunted. Snape looked at me pointedly.

"Yes," he said, "We did."

"Good, good," Dumbledore said, "Abby, you are the one I wanted to speak with most. I have another memory for you to review."

I couldn't suppress a loud groan and Snape thumped me.

"Abigail Prewett, don't be so ungrateful," he said to me.

"But I'm sick," I whined, "I don't want to review a memory, I want to go home."

Much to our surprise, Dumbledore chuckled quietly.

"You do look sick, Abby, and I sympathize. I tried to get back before Christmas, but… I was delayed," Dumbledore said, then looked to Snape, "Severus, if you wish to take Abby home, you may. The memory can wait."

"Thank you, Albus…but I'm not sure I want to take her home, considering how ungrateful and whinny she is being," Snape said lightly. He was joking and I scowled at him. I muttered something along the lines of "at least I don't look like an overgrown bat" and it was Snape's turn to scowl. Dumbledore laughed at our immaturity and gestured towards the door.

"If you leave now, no one will known you have gone," he said. Snape inclined his head and I stood up. The pounding in my head made me a little unsteady on my feet and as soon as we were outside of Dumbledore's office, I leaned on Snape for support. Gently but firmly he pushed me away. I could sense how much it killed him to do so.

"We can't risk anyone seeing us," he said quietly and I nodded.

"I think Dumbledore knows," I said, panting slightly as we descended a number of stairs.

Snape scoffed.

"He doesn't. Besides, you thought Lupin knew, too, and look where that landed you. We will assume, for safety's sake, that Albus knows nothing."

By the time we reached the Gate I barely had the strength to Disapparate. I clung to Snape desperately as we flew through darkness. When our feet hit solid ground, I almost collapsed. Snape caught me and carried me- though I protested the whole way- upstairs to my room. He tucked me into my bed then walked towards the door.

"I'll be back shortly, okay?" he said.

"No," I retorted, "Not okay. Where are you going?"

He said nothing, but half-smiled at me before leaving the room. I lay back on my pillow and listened to his footsteps going down the stairs. A few minutes later I heard him clanging around in the kitchen. Suddenly he gave a shout of surprise. I heard something glass break on the floor and Snape began a rather impressive stream of swearwords. A moment later I heard him say "Reparo!"

"Everything okay?" I tried to call, but my throat hurt too much.

Everything okay? I repeated in my head, pushing my thoughts towards his consciousness.

"Fine. Just fine," was his reply.

Ten minutes later Snape reappeared in my bedroom door, holding a cup of strong-smelling tea in his hands. His hair was disheveled and slightly wet. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What happened?" I inquired.

"There was…there was a mouse," he admitted with a sigh, "It startled me."

I laughed at him, as he knew I would.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you," he said, approaching my bedside with the tea, "Here, drink this."

"Why?" I asked, wrinkling my nose.

"It has Pepperup Potion mixed in to make you feel better. Also, it will help dislodge the mucus buildup in your head so it will stop hurting. In which case these-" he waved his wand and a purple box of tissues appeared on my bedside table "-will be needed."

"Thank you," I said, taking the tea from him.

I sipped my tea slowly and Snape sat on the edge of my bed. After a few minutes I had to blow my nose rather vivaciously, which made me feel self-conscious since Snape was sitting there.

"Do you have to sit there?" I asked irritably, my voice coming out nasally. Snape smirked.

"No, I don't," he said coolly, standing up, "I'll be downstairs if you need me. I suggest you try and get some sleep."

He left the room. I finished up the tea, blew my nose a few times more, then laid back on my pillows and closed my eyes.

I slept deeply and dreamt odd dreams. I slipped in and out of them frequently and it was hard to remember them. One of them, however, was more prominent than the others. One concerning the Dark Lord, Snape, and a Killing Curse…

When I awoke I was sweating and trembling. I got up out of bed and changed out of my sweaty clothes. Then I went to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. After that, I felt a little better and made my way downstairs. Snape was sitting on the couch, reading a book entitled Potion-makers Throughout History. I sat down beside him on the couch and he put an arm around me without taking his eyes off his book.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked me absently.

"Not so much…" I admitted, pressing my face against his shoulder. I snuggled close to him and began to read the book as well. I finished the page about three seconds before he turned it, which was good timing.

We read the book together, reading at almost the exact same speed. I was still a few seconds faster. Snape chuckled as he closed the book and leaned down to kiss me. I held up a hand to his lips before he could.

"What?" he asked.

"I don't want you to get sick," I said sheepishly.

"I don't get sick," he said smirking, "Don't worry."

He reached for my hand and kissed my fingers before moving my hand aside to kiss me.

"If you say so," I murmured and let him kiss me.

We spent the rest of the Christmas holidays at home and by the time it was time to return to Hogwarts there wasn't a room in the house that didn't invoke a very fond memory. The morning of the day we had to return to Hogwarts, Snape found me sitting on the couch, pretending to read a book but actually recalling a particularly pleasing memory of something we did on the couch…

Snape saw the memory and blushed. Then he sneezed loudly.

"Sick?" I asked with a faint smile. I had completely recovered from my cold.

"Not at all," he replied simply, "Allergies."

"Right," I said, rolling my eyes.

It was early in the morning- we hadn't been able to return yesterday, as we originally planned, but as usual saved it until the last minute. Snape came and sat beside me on the couch. He had just taken a shower- alone, much to my dismay- and his hair was wet and smelled of raspberries.

"Did you wash your hair?" I asked, amused. He inclined his head slightly. I kissed his cheek lightly, smiling. He glanced at his watch and sighed.

"We have to get going if we want to make breakfast in the Great Hall," he said to me.

"What if we don't want to make breakfast in the Great Hall?" I asked flirtatiously.

"We should make breakfast in the Great Hall, or risk having questions asked."

"Okay," I said agreeably, "I suppose I'm more than satisfied for a while."

He blushed again and smirked.

When we reached Hogwarts we went inconspicuously into the Great Hall for breakfast. He headed up to the staff table and I went to the Slytherin Table where my peers were all discussing Apparition for some reason.

"There was a notice up on the board this morning," Draco informed me, seeing me sit down, "They're offering Apparition lessons for seventeen year olds. Costs 12 Galleons. Are you going to sign up?"

"I suppose. It's not that hard. Snape and I do Side-Along Apparition all the time," I said with a shrug.

"Bet that's not all you and Snape do," said Brandy, grinning. My fellow Slytherins laughed and jeered at this. I forced myself not to get angry because she was one of my friends and it was all good-natured. None of them actually suspected anything. I willed myself not to blush and instead rolled my eyes at my friends.

"As if," I muttered and they all laughed again.

I snuck a glance at the staff table and noticed Snape had been eavesdropping in my mind again. He looked faintly amused.

"You handled that situation well-"

"I don't know, Professor Snape's not so bad," said a little second-year girl a few seats down as Snape spoke in my mind. A few people chuckled at her, but most were ignoring here because she was a second-year.

"Abigail, don't kill her," Snape said jokingly and I booted him out of my mind quickly.

I whipped my head around to look at the girl- scrawny, pale, blonde, and blue-eyed.

You are so not his type, little girl, I thought to myself, Or mine either for that matter…

I forced down the part of me that wanted to hex her.

"No one invited you into this conversation, you little first-year," I sneered at her.

"I'm a second-year," she shot back bravely. She was trying to sound brave, but I could see her trembling. I could sense her fear and her surprise that she had actually stood up for herself.

"Whatever," I said coolly, "I'm a sixth-year. I could obliterate you in the blink of an eye."

The girl backed down and didn't say anything else. After a few minutes talk returned to normal and I chanced another glance at the staff table. Snape was still watching us. He nodded approvingly, then continued to eat breakfast. I turned back to the table and began to load my plate with bacon and eggs.

"So what does Apparition feel like?" Jenny asked me curiously.

"It's…not very pleasant. Like being squeezed through a dark tube or something."

For the remainder of breakfast my classmates bombarded me with questions about Apparating- had I ever splinched myself? Did it hurt? How long did it take?

Later that afternoon I had Snape's class at the end of the day. I noticed immediately that he didn't look so good. He was coughing and his face was paler than normal. He was also sneezing. All of these things made him exceptionally irritable and by the end of class he had taken over 50 points from Gryffindor.

You okay? I asked towards the end of class when we were sitting in silence, waiting for the bell to ring.

"Obviously not."

Okay, mister 'I don't get sick', I teased.

"Abigail, seriously, I am not in the mood."

Why don't you take some Pepperup Potion? I inquired.

"We're out. I haven't had a chance to brew any today."

Have you asked the nurse?

"Of course. Apparently there was an outbreak of the flu while we were gone."

When the bell rang, I left my bag on top of my desk and walked up to Snape's desk. I felt his forehead. He had a slight fever. He swiped my hand away.

"I know that and I don't need you playing nurse," he said aloud. I would have retorted, but my mind wandered into a daydream inspired by his words.

"Hey!" Snape said loudly, snapping his fingers in front of my face, "Don't think things like that without protecting your mind. …I didn't think girls thought about things like that, anyway."

"I can't speak for all girls, but I think like that. Now, I'm going to brew Pepperup Potion for you. I declare you too sick to brew potions," I said to him. He made a face at me, but ultimately agreed with me. He stayed in his chair while I went to gather ingredients from the store cupboard. I dragged my cauldron up to the front of the room so I could work close to him.

I prepared the ingredients and brewed the potion without too much thought. Snape and I talked while I was stirring the potion and he reminded me that Dumbledore had a memory for me to review.

"I guess I should go see him this afternoon, then," I said, feeling curious about the memory now that I wasn't sick anymore, "Wanna go with me?"

"Depends on if this potion helps or not," he said, sniffing.

"You should blow your nose," I said to him, "Sniffing the stuff back up doesn't help."

He made another face at me, but reached for the box of tissue on his desk.

I made sure Snape drank a full serving of the potion. Slowly the color started to come back into his cheeks and when he ceased sneezing, he stood.

"Let's go see Dumbledore," he said to me, "I feel up to it now."

"Are you sure?" I asked, trying not to sound worried and failing miserably, "You shouldn't push yourself…"

"I'm fine. Let's go see what he has for you."

Snape knocked on the door of Dumbledore's office and we were told to enter. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, writing a letter. He looked up when we entered and beamed. He put down his quill.

"I thought I would be seeing you today, Miss Prewett," he said to me, and nodded to Snape, "Severus, you are welcome to stay as well."

Snape inclined his head. Dumbledore stood and went over to a cabinet. He carefully lifted out the large stone basin that contained Pensieve.

"I have for you today another memory of Tom Riddle," Dumbledore said as he set it down, "Where we left off, Riddle was almost through his school years. Few people who knew him in those years are unwilling to talk about him. A few of those whom I could persuade to talk, told me Riddle was obsessed with his parentage, which is, of course, understandable. He searched in vain for any trace of Tom Riddle senior in the trophy room, on the lists of prefects in the old school records, even in the books of Wizarding history. Eventually he was forced to accept his father had never set foot in Hogwarts. It was then, I believe, that he assumed the identity of Lord Voldemort and began his investigations into his previously despised mother's family.

"All he had to go on was the name Marvolo, which he knew from the woman who ran the orphanage had been his mother's father's name. Finally, after research through old books of Wizarding families, he discovered the existence of Slytherin's surviving line. The summer of his sixteenth year, he left the orphanage to which he returned every summer, and set off to locate his Gaunt relatives…"

Dumbledore held a small crystal bottle filled with swirling memory in his hand. He unstopped it and poured the contents into the Pensieve.

"I was very lucky to collect this, as you will see when we visit it," Dumbledore said.

"Oh," I said, mildly surprised, "Are you going with us this time?"

"Yes, I think I shall," Dumbledore replied simply, "It's not quite so unpleasant as the previous memory."

"Speaking of which," Snape began, but I silenced him with a look.

"Now isn't the time. Forget about it," I said to him. He looked annoyed for a moment, as if he would still complain about Dumbledore's choice of memory, but after a minute he inclined his head.

The three of us approached the stone basin together. I was the first to plunge my hand in, closely followed by Snape. We plunged through darkness and landed upon a dirty stone floor in a room with very dim lighting. I squinted around as Dumbledore landed beside us. It was the Gaunt's house, which was now more filthy than anywhere I had ever been. The ceiling was thick with cobwebs, the floor coated in grime; moldy and rotting food lay upon a table amidst a mass of crusted pots. The only light came from a guttering candle placed at the feet of a man with hair and a beard so overgrown I could see neither eyes nor a mouth. He was slumped in an armchair by the fire, but he wasn't dead. There came a loud knock on the door and the man jerked awake, raising a wand in his right hand and a knife in his left.

The door creaked open. There, on the threshold, holding an old-fashioned lamp, stood the young Tom Riddle. His eyes moved around the room slowly and then found the man in the armchair. For a few seconds they looked at each other, then the man staggered upright, the many empty bottles at his feet clattering and tinkling across the floor.

"YOU!" he bellowed, "YOU!"

He hurtled himself drunkenly towards Riddle.

"Stop," Riddle hissed in Parseltongue. The man skidded into the table, sending moldy pots crashing to the floor. He stared at Riddle. Neither of them spoke for a long moment. They were contemplating each other.

"You speak it?" The man asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes, I speak it," said Riddle. He moved forward into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. His face plainly showed disgust and slight disappointment.

"Where is Marvolo?" he asked.

"Dead," said the man, "died years ago, didn't he?"

"Who are you, then?" Riddle said, frowning.

"I'm Morfin, ain't I?"

"Marvolo's son?"

"'Course I am, then."

Morfin pushed the hair out of his face, which was dirty, so he could see Riddle better. I immediately noticed he wore Marvolo's black-stoned ring on his hand.

"I thought you was that Muggle," whispered Morfin, "You look mighty like that Muggle."

"What Muggle?" Riddle asked sharply.

"That Muggle what my sister took a fancy to, that Muggle what lives in the big house over the way," said Morfin, spitting unexpectedly on the floor, "You look right like him. Riddle. But he's older now, in 'e? He's older'n you, now I think on it…He come back, see."

Riddle was now gazing at Morfin appraising his possibilities.

"Riddle came back?" Riddle asked, stepping closer.

"Ar, he left her, and serve her right, marrying filth!" said Morfin, again spitting, "Robbed us, mind, before she ran off! Where's the locket, eh, where's Slytherin's locket?"

Riddle did not answer. Morfin was working himself into a rage again.

"Dishonored us, she did, that little slut! And who're you, coming here and asking questions about all that? It's over, innit…. It's over…."

He looked away, staggering slightly, and Riddle moved forward. As he did so, an unnatural darkness fell, extinguishing everything.

My feet hit the floor in Dumbledore's office. A moment later Snape and Dumbledore appeared beside me. I walked over to a chair and sat down. Snape came to stand behind me as Dumbledore sat at his desk.

"Did he kill Morfin?" I asked, looking at Dumbledore.

"No. He merely stunned him. Morfin didn't awake until the next morning. Marvolo's ring was gone. Meanwhile, in Little Hangleton, a maid was running along the High Street, screaming that there were three bodies lying in the drawing room of the big house: Tom Riddle Senior and his mother and father.

"The Muggle authorities were perplexed. The Avada Kedavra curse does not usually leave any sign of damage. The Ministry, however, knew they had a convicted Muggle-hater living in the valley across from the Riddle house. They paid a visit to Morfin. There was no need to question him, to use Veritaserum or Legilimency. He immediately admitted to the murder, giving details only the murderer would know. He was proud, he said, to have killed the Muggles, had been awaiting his chance all these years. He handed over his wand, which was proved at once to have been used to kill the Riddles. He permitted himself to be led off to Azkaban without a fight.

"It is my belief that Riddle stole Morfin's wand, killed his Muggle father and his grandparents, then returned to the hovel and implanted false memories in Morfin's mind."

"What became of Morfin?" I asked curiously, "Is he still in Azkaban?"

"No. He is dead. I visited Morfin in the last few weeks of his life and was able to secure this memory. When I saw what it contained, I attempted to have him released from Azkaban. Unfortunately, he died before that could take place."

I was quiet a moment, then sighed.

"I'm done," I said to Dumbledore," I don't want to see anymore memories."

"You've drawn a conclusion?"

"I came to a conclusion a long time ago," I replied, "I'm not like my father. We do have some similarities, but it doesn't mean we are the same. It doesn't make me evil. I'm good at heart and I have something the Dark Lord will never have, as you pointed out."

"Which is?" Dumbledore prompted.

"Love, of course," I replied, forcing myself not to look at Snape.

"Precisely," Dumbledore said, sounding pleased.

"Also, I'd never kill my family. Even if they were Muggles. They were still family. And I don't have very much of that left."

Snape put a hand on my shoulder, but said nothing.

"You are correct, of course," said Dumbledore, "The murder of the Riddles was unnecessary. Before you leave, I have a question for you."

I inclined my head, indicating he should ask it.

"Knowing that your father is evil, as you have admitted, would you- if the circumstances arose that you had to- be able to kill him?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

I didn't know how to answer that. Would I? I thought to myself anxiously. I wasn't sure if I could. I hadn't even been able to kill Karkaroff. Snape's grip on my shoulder was now so tight I wondered vaguely if it would leave a bruise.

"What kind of question is that?" Snape snapped at Dumbledore, sounding annoyed by the careless attitude with which the old man had asked his question.

"A valid one," I said calmly, looking up at Snape. Our eyes met and his vice-like grip on my shoulder slowly loosened. I looked at Dumbledore.

"I don't know. Am I supposed to know? …Shouldn't killing someone- even if they are evil- be a spur of the moment decision?" I inquired. Dumbledore beamed, his blue eyes twinkling.

"A very good answer, Miss Prewett," he said to me, "You may go now, if you want."

"Thank you," I said, surprised. Snape's hand fell off my shoulder as I stood up.

We left Dumbledore's office together and made our way back towards the dungeons. It was late now and we ran into Filch patrolling the Entrance Hall. Filch wheezed towards the stairs eagerly, but his face fell when he saw it was just us.

"Are you on duty, Professor?" Filch asked Snape with a certain amount of respect.

"No. We had a meeting with the headmaster," Snape replied. Filch nodded his head in understanding and prowled away.

Snape and I entered the dungeons and went down to his office.

"How many people know I'm a spy for Dumbledore with you?" I asked curiously.

"Just the most important members of the Order and most of the staff who protect Hogwarts. Minerva, Filch, Flitwick, Sprout, and Hagrid all know. Dumbledore told them."

"…Why is it I'm not an official member of the Order?" I inquired, "We both provide information to Dumbledore."

"You're too young," he replied.

"Too young to be in the Order but old enough to be a spy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

He looked contemplative.

"You do have a point… I'll talk to Dumbledore about it," he said finally.

"Good…and thanks. For sticking up for me in Dumbledore's office. Even though I didn't need you to."

"I still don't think he should have asked you that. Honestly," he muttered, "Of course you couldn't answer it."

We were quiet a moment.

"I think I could," I said finally, "If I had to."

"I hope," Snape said quietly, "That it will not come to that."

"I hope not either."

We were quiet a little while and I thought over what I had learned. I sighed and Snape raised an eyebrow at me.

"I was just thinking… the only family I have left is the Dark Lord," I said quietly, "I guess a part of me hoped that by digging through his history I could find a part of my family that wasn't evil."

His expression darkened considerably and he closed off his emotions. A moment later, his face cleared.

"You know… you are legally adopted and…if you wish, you could take my surname," he said slowly, avoiding my gaze.

Abigail Snape…

"Um…Uh…" I stammered stupidly.

"It's okay if you don't want to," he said quickly.

"It's not that, it's just… it would be kinda weird…"

"I understand," he assured me. He stood up and walked around the desk. I stood as well and he pulled me into an embrace. He kissed my forehead, then rested his chin on top of my head.

"Damn," he said quietly after a minute, "You really should be in bed. It's late."

"Right," I said with a sigh, squirming away from him, "…Goodnight, Severus."

"Sweet dreams, Abigail."

I returned to my dormitory where my peers were sleeping peacefully. I changed into my pajamas- black shorts and a green tank top- and snuggled into my bed. As soon as I closed my eyes, I began to dream…

I was out on Hogwarts grounds. It was cold, but I had bundled up. The sun was high in the sky and it glittered off the snow-covered grounds. I stood there a minute, enjoying how beautiful everything looked, when all of a sudden, something cold and wet hit me in the side of the head. A snowball.

I heard light, tinkling laughter and turned my head to see Lily's face peeking out from behind a tree. She smiled warmly and walked over to me.

"What are you doing out here? It's cold," she said to me.

"I was just thinking. I was going to go for a walk around the grounds… you could walk with me, if you want to," I replied. She smiled again.

"I'd like that."

We walked in silence for a little while. I was just enjoying walking with her. It was snowing lightly and she looked especially beautiful.

"Julia told me why they pulled you out of Potions class to go see Dumbledore," she said quietly, "I'm so sorry, Sev."

Dammit there it was. I had been trying not to think about it. I looked away from her and didn't say anything. I didn't want to talk about it.

"How did they die?" Lily asked gently. I was starting to wish I hadn't invited her to walk with me.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, snappier than I meant to. Then I felt guilty. Might as well tell her, I thought to myself, she's my best friend, after all…

"He killed her," I said after a minute of walking in silence, "Then he killed himself."

I heard her sharp intake of breath. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Sev," she said to me. I shook her hand off mine and looked away. I didn't want to talk about it. She seemed to understand and we continued to walk in silence.

I awoke in the darkness of my dormitory. I lay there for a moment, thinking about what I had just dreamt. Snape's parents…They had died when he was young, only a few years older than I had been when mine died. I wondered who he stayed with after that.

Without really thinking about it, I slipped out of bed. I grabbed my wand off the bedside table and brushed my hair out of my face. I'd be breaking one of our rules, but… I really wanted to see him. I cast my Disillusionment charm and made my way to his office. It was late and he wasn't up. I opened the hidden door to his bedroom. His room was lit solely by a lantern on the wall. Light flickered off the various jars on the surrounding shelves. The picture of Lily on the shelf was sleeping. As I passed, I turned her to face the wall.

Snape was sleeping deeply, completely oblivious to my presence in his room. I crawled into bed next to him and snuggled up close to him.

"Abigail…wha-?" he said groggily.

"Please don't make me leave," I murmured, "The doors are locked, no one has any reason to come in here. …I had a dream."

"Well I was having a rather good dream myself," he said. He yawned and stretched then put his arms around me and pulled me close. He kissed my forehead. I took this as a sign that I could stay. I smiled and reached up to touch his face. I ran my fingers along his jawbone as I kissed him.

He was more fully awake now. With a swift movement he pinned me beneath him, quickly taking control of the situation. He kissed me hungrily. He ran his hands down my body before slipping them beneath my tank top. He trailed kisses down my neck to my stomach. I squirmed beneath him.

"Are you ticklish, Abigail?" he murmured quietly, sounding amused.

"No," I said unconvincingly.

"Don't lie to me," he said, trailing his fingers across my stomach. I squirmed again and fought back giggles.

"Stop that, Severus," I said, still fighting giggles.

"You don't really mean that, Abigail," was his response.

"No. I suppose I don't," I murmured.

A short while later, we lay entwined on his bed. He pressed a kiss on my damp forehead.

"So what was your dream about?" he asked me.

"I…it's not important," I replied, "I would really rather not talk about it…and so would you, trust me."

He hesitated a moment.

"Okay," he said finally, "This once, I won't press the matter."

When I finally fell asleep, wrapped in Snape's arms, I started to dream again…

I was waiting behind a suit of armor on the fifth floor. She'd been avoiding me for days now. When she finally emerged from the hidden entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, I stepped out.

"Lily-" I began earnestly.

"Severus, no. I told you, I don't want to see you anymore," she said.

"But I didn't mean-"

"Just leave me alone!" she said, heading for the stairs. I reached out for her. As soon as I touched her shoulder, she whipped around, wand drawn.

"Avis! Oppugno!" she shrieked. A flock of birds erupted from the tip of her wand and flew at me. They attacked- pecking and scratching. By the time I had fended them off, she was gone…

I retreated to my dormitory rather than go to my classes that day. I'd come up with some excuse later. Rather than have to see her beautiful faced turned away from me. Rather than to have her ignore me.

With a cry of anguish I collapsed on my bed.

"She hates me. It's all my fault," I said aloud to myself, my voice muffled by my pillow, "I'm such an idiot."

I wept silently, feeling worse than I'd ever felt before. I wanted to die. As if drawn by some unknown force, my eyes found the pocket knife on my bedside table. I picked it up and tested the blade- it was very sharp. I touched the blade to my wrist, but didn't press down. It would be so simple… one quick slice and no more pain. No more seeing her face, her emerald eyes filled with hatred whenever she saw me… but I didn't press down. I couldn't do it. I was too much of a coward. That's all I'd ever be. Severus Snape, the coward, who couldn't even tell her how he really felt… I was nothing but a coward.

My fingers found the engraving on the handle of the knife. 'Happy Birthday, Severus. Love, Julia'. Julia… I wished she were here now. She would know what to do, what to say to Lily to make it all better… but she had already graduated. Already joined the Dark Lord…

I threw the knife against the wall so suddenly I surprised myself. It his the wall and fell to the floor, unharmed.

I awoke with a start. I was still wrapped in Snape's arms. I immediately shook him awake.

"What did you do?" I asked him.

"Huh?" he murmured groggily, "Abigail…what are you talking about?"

"What did you do to make Lily Evans hate you?" I demanded. Pain flashed through his black eyes. I recalled what I had just dreamed and shoved it at him through our mind link. He withdrew his arms and turned away from me.

"You have to tell me," I insisted.

"Why do I 'have to tell you'?" he asked without looking at me, "Why should I?"

"Because I don't understand! Because I feel it too and it hurts and I don't understand! The last thing I saw before that was the two of you holding hands, kissing and whatnot and I want to know what changed! What did you do?"

I hadn't meant it to sound so accusing…or maybe I had. Even he had admitted it was his fault, hadn't he?

He was silent a moment.

"I…" he said, his voice heavy with pain and barely more than a whisper, "…I called her a Mudblood."

"What? Why?" I asked, shocked.

"It was an accident," he said softly, still not looking at me, "…It just slipped out… I didn't mean it…"

I was quiet a moment, thinking it over. Eventually Snape rolled over to face me again. The hurt had not faded from his black eyes. A part of me wanted to kiss him, but I couldn't. Not while he was thinking of her… not while I was thinking of her. My heart felt squeezed…torn…we lay there in silent agony.

Finally I just let it go. I closed the distance between us and buried my face in Snape's chest.

"I don't want to think about it anymore… it's the past… and it's not even my own. It's so confusing," I murmured. After a moment he put his arms around me once more and kissed the top of my head.

"I believe it is time to start the day, Abigail. They'll start breakfast soon in the Great Hall and you need to stop by your dorm and change first," he said to me.

"Good idea," I said. I rolled out of bed and stretched. I grabbed my wand and headed for the door. I paused to don my Disillusionment Charm.

Can I come back tonight? I asked in my mind.

"Not tonight, Abigail…I can't quite keep up with you, I actually need sleep," he admitted, "How about Friday?"

Fine, I replied sullenly, Friday it is, then.

Friday afternoon after Potion's class I made my way to Snape's office in a rather foul mood. He was sitting at his desk, grading papers, but looked up questioningly as I tossed my bag on the floor and flopped down in my chair.

"What's wrong, Abigail?" he inquired.

"Potter," I said, glowering, "I'm going to kill him."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he said, sounding amused, "What did he do?"

"I spent all of Potion's class period separating the ingredients of my potion, measuring them, and preparing a very complicated antidote only to have that wise ass impressed Slughorn by turning in a bezoar," I growled.

"That cheeky little-…" he said agitatedly.

"He would never have gotten away with that if you were still teaching Potions," I said. I was irritated that Potter had outshined me in Potions, but I have to admit, I admired his nerve.

It also seemed like Potter was making an extra effort to be nice to Slughorn, make Slughorn like him. Which is what I was supposed to be doing as well. The Dark Lord had told me to get in on Slughorn's good graces.

"It seems like Potter's trying to get in on Slughorn's good graces, too. I wonder why?" I said to Snape.

"Albus probably put him up to it," Snape said, "He's been having private lessons with Potter. Albus won't tell me what the lessons are about, though."

He sounded slightly bitter.

"I know he was showing him some of the memories regarding my…the Dark Lord," I amended quickly, "And I know that Slughorn taught my father. Perhaps…"

"Albus didn't bring Slughorn back just to teach Potions," Snape finished.

"Slughorn must know something Dumbledore really wants to know," I said.

"…Too bad you already told Albus you didn't want to see any more- you might have gotten to see Slughorn's memory."

"Eh, I don't care anyway," I said with a shrug.

"You're not the least bit curious what Dumbledore and Potter are doing during their private lessons?" he said doubtfully.

"Well, maybe a little…" I admitted, then grinned mischievously, "Then again…maybe I don't want to know what Potter and Dumbledore do when they're alone."

"Wha- Abigail!" he said, shocked, "That's disgusting…and wrong."

But he was smirking.

"Great, now I'm going to have that image stuck in my head all night," he said darkly.

"I highly doubt that," I said, also smirking, "Tonight's Friday."

"So?"

"Don't tease, Severus. I know you didn't forget."

"Of course I didn't," he replied, "You'll have to return to your dormitory and pretend to go to sleep, then sneak out."

"I know how to sneak out, Sev, I've been doing it for a while now. I wish it was possible to Apparate within Hogwarts."

"You don't even know how to Apparate. Besides, you should be grateful I'm only a corridor away. In my day, I had to sneak out and go all the way to the fifth floor."

"I could Apparate if I had to, probably. I've done it a lot with you."

I realized this sounded wrong before I had even finished saying it. I grinned mischievously again. Snape shook his head incredulously.

"Just wait until you take your first Apparition lesson. I bet you can't do it," he said.

"Hmph. I'll show you what I can do… When is the lesson, anyway?"

"Tomorrow morning, in the Great Hall."

"Will you be there?"

"Yes. All the Heads of Houses will be there."

The next morning when I awoke in Snape's room I couldn't help but smile. I rolled over and kissed his lips.

"Wake up, Severus, or we'll be late for breakfast," I murmured. His eyes opened blearily and groaned tiredly.

"Maybe I should brew you an Invigoration Draught," I said with a smirk.

"I've honestly considered that," he said, rolling out of bed.

"I guess I've got to go back to my dormitory before breakfast," I said, also getting up.

"Why? You brought clothes," he said, gesturing to my bag where I had tucked a set of Muggle clothes- no need to wear school robes on the weekend.

"But I forgot my hairbrush."

He observed me coolly for a moment.

"I do have a hairbrush, you know?" he said.

"Said the man that didn't wash his hair before I came along," I said teasingly, rolling my eyes.

"I did too," he protested. I rolled my eyes again. He grabbed a hairbrush from one of the shelves and tossed it at me. I grabbed it in midair and brushed my hair quickly.

After breakfast in the Great Hall, everyone gathered in the Great Hall for our first Apparition lately. Snape went to join the Heads of Houses and I joined Jenny and Brandy in the crowd of students. Rain was lashing against the windows of the Great Hall and the sky was dark. The Ministry wizard who was here to teach us to Apparate was a small, wispy looking man named Wilkie Twycross, an amusing name if ever there was one.

"I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you can have a clear five feet of space in front of you," said the Ministry wizard, capturing my attention. There was a massive scramble and I positioned myself not too far from the Heads of Houses.. When everyone had stopped moving the Heads of Houses shouted "Quiet!" and silence fell.

"Thank you," said the Ministry wizard whose name was Twycross, "Now then…"

He waved his wand and wooden hoops instantly appeared on the floor in front of each of us.

"The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D's! Destination, Determination, and Deliberation! Step one: fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination. In this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now."

I stared intently at my own wooden hoop.

"Step two, focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body! Step three, and only when I give the command…Turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation! On my command, now…one-…two-…THREE!"

I tried to do exactly as Twycross had instructed, but all I managed to do was turn in a circle and trip over my own feet. I hopped up and glanced at Snape, who was shaking with silent laughter. I glowered.

Shut up, I thought irritably.

"Can't be good at everything, can you?"

Despite my many attempts at Disapparating, nothing happened. On the fourth try I heard someone shriek and I turned quickly to catch a glimpse of a Hufflepuff girl standing in her hoop with only one leg. The other leg was five feet away in her original hoop.

Awesome! I thought excitedly. The Heads of Houses, which included Snape, quickly surrounded her. There was a puff of purple smoke and a big bang, and they moved aside to reveal the horrified, sobbing girl, reunited with her leg.

At the end of the hour nothing more interesting than that had happened. I hadn't manage to move a single inch and was feeling quite frustrated. Twycross didn't seem at all discouraged, however, and strode out of the hall after saying he would see us next Saturday. Irritated, I walked over to Snape and we left the Great Hall together and went down to his office.

February moved along into March with no change in the weather other than it became windy as well as wet. As for my Apparition lessons, there was no improvement.

On February 28th my friends and I reported to the Great Hall rather disgruntled for an Apparition lesson. It had recently become a habit of Zabini and Pansy to see who could come up with the most foul nickname starting with D for Wilkie Twycross and his three D's, which is what they were doing that rainy morning as we made our way into the Great Hall.

"Dunghead," Pansy said.

"Dickface," Zabini replied..

"Dicklick," countered Pansy.

"Miss Parkinson!" said McGonagall, who had overheard this last one as we walked into the Great Hall, "Ten points from Slytherin for use of foul language!"

Snape, who wasn't standing far from McGonagall, scowled at me.

What? It's not my fault, I thought indignantly.

"You should have been more attentive. All of you," he thought, annoyed. I scowled.

"You two should've been more attentive," I said to Pansy and Zabini.

"How do you get off telling us what to do?" Zabini shot at me. I glared at him. If he knew that I was the Dark Lord's daughter…

"Abby's right. You two were being childish," Draco said from behind me. Zabini and Pansy both scowled and walked off.

"Thanks," I said to Draco.

"No problem. They were being childish. You know, if they know who you really were… Why don't you tell them?"

"There will be an appropriate time for the world to know, but this is not it," I said finally.

The appropriate time, I thought to myself, Would be never.

I had to admit, I was getting irritated with not being able to Apparate. I still hadn't moved an inch and this was our third lesson. Snape, on the other hand, seemed to think it was most amusing, watching me stand there, my face screwed up in concentration, not moving at all.

"Destination, Determination, Deliberation. Destination, Determination, Deliberation," Wilkie Twycross was chanting. There was about an inch of sanity keeping me from hexing him into oblivion when all of a sudden, I jolted forwards. Suddenly, I heard a collective gasp from the other students in the hall. I looked down at my splinched arm with a sense of emotional detachment. I felt light-headed and as the Heads of Houses gathered around me, I fainted.

I awoke to the ceiling moving above me… I was being carried. Alarmed I squirmed and tried to free myself.

"Abigail, be still!" said Snape's voice. I was still instantly.

"What happened?" I murmured.

"You splinched yourself and fainted. I'm carrying you to the hospital wing," he replied. I couldn't help but notice he looked paler than normal.

"Nonsense!" I said, "I don't need a hospital wing. Let me go."

I started to squirm again.

After struggling a moment, Snape gave up and set me on my feet.

"You are going to the hospital wing," he said, grabbing my arm.

"But I'm fine," I insisted.

"You don't know that. You could have hit your head when you fainted. You could have a concussion- internal bleeding- brain hemorrhage…"

"Way to be optimistic, Severus," I said sarcastically, "You worry too much…but if it'll make you feel better, fine. I'll go. But I'm walking."

"Fine," he said acceptingly.

As we continued up the stairs I found my head did hurt…but I didn't want to alarm Snape. No need to make him worry.

I sat fidgeting while the nurse, Madam Pomfrey, looked me over.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to stay for the night, Miss Prewett," Madam Pomfrey said finally, "You can never be too careful with head injuries."

"But I'm fine!" I insisted. I could sense Snape's worry.

"And I shouldn't have let you bring me here," I shot at him.

"You think you let me do anything?" he scoffed, "I would have dragged you here if I had to."

"Well you aren't the one that has to stay in the hospital wing overnight!"

A moment of silence passed.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" he offered.

"No. I don't," I said, annoyed with him, "Just go."

"Fine," he said, also annoyed now. He stood and left the hospital wing.

As soon as he was gone, I regretted it- I now had to spend the night in the hospital wing alone- but I was too proud or too stubborn to call him back and apologize. Instead I lay back on the hospital bed with a sigh.

"Don't fret now, Miss Prewett, it won't be all that bad," Madam Pomfrey said, coming out of her office, "You won't be allowed to sleep for the next 12 hours though, in case you have a concussion."

"12 hours?" I yelped, "What am I supposed to do for 12 hours?"

"We've got some lovely magazines for you to read," she replied, gesturing to the table by my bed. I glanced at the titles- Witch Weekly, The Quibbler, Muggles of Today, Witch Warlock… I suppressed a groan.

About an hour of complete boredom later, I had three visitors- Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"You two, wait outside," Draco said to his cronies. They obeyed without question.

"Er… How are you, Abby?" Draco asked awkwardly once they were gone.

"Fine, but I'm stuck here overnight."

I gave Draco careful instructions for the current batch of Polyjuice Potion.

"And send one of the girls into my dormitory to bring me books," was my final order. Draco nodded his head and left.

Jenny came shortly after that with an armload of books for me.

"I would have thought Professor Snape would be here with you," she said, plopping herself down in a chair by my bedside.

"No. He…we…" I said, then sighed, "Forget it. I don't want to talk about it."

"O…kay then," she said, then started talking about our Transfiguration homework.

Jenny sat with me until Madam Pomfrey kicked all visitors out for the night. Once she was gone, I settled myself to read books for the rest of the night.

"Now Miss Prewett, I can trust you to stay awake, can't I? I don't have to check on you every hour like a first year, do I?" Madam Pomfrey asked me.

"No," I said sullenly.

"Good," she said approvingly.

I watched the hour tick by slowly. 9pm…10pm…11pm… At midnight I put down Wandering with Werewolves which I was re-reading. Surely Madam Pomfrey would be asleep by now? It wouldn't hurt anyone for me to go for a walk… I slipped out of bed quietly. The occupants of the other beds in the hospital wing were all asleep. I grabbed my wand off my bedside table and cast my Disillusionment Charm. I walked quietly out of the hospital wing and made my way to the Entrance Hall. I slipped outside with no one noticing.

As soon as I left the castle, I noticed I was not the only one out on the grounds. Down by the lake, I could see Snape and Dumbledore walking and talking. A little ways away I spotted Hagrid skulking in the woods. Interesting… I thought to myself. Blocking my mind so Snape wouldn't know I was there, I walked down to the lake silently to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"You take too much for granted, Albus. Maybe I don't want to do it anymore. Maybe I think it's too risky…too dangerous," Snape was saying.

"You've never been afraid before," Dumbledore said.

"…It's not myself I'm afraid for," he said quietly, looking at the ground.

"Ah," Dumbledore said with a knowing smile, "And where is Abby this evening?"

"Hospital wing," Snape said, still not looking at him, "She, er…hit her head this evening during the Apparition lesson."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"She splinched herself and fainted," Snape explained.

"Ah. No lasting damage, I trust?" Dumbledore inquired.

"No, but Madam Pomfrey made her stay overnight. Abigail got a bit short with me, however, and we argued…nothing serious- I made her go to the hospital wing when she didn't want to and she was- shall we say- unhappy that she had to stay overnight."

"She'll probably apologize tomorrow," Dumbledore said.

"Probably," Snape agreed. I was mildly irritated that they presumed to know me so well. As it was, I had no intentions of apologizing.

A few moments passed.

"You agreed to do it, Severus, and that's all there is to it," Dumbledore said frankly, then added in a softer tone, "…It remains to be what's safest. If you turned traitor, you know Voldemort would hunt you down and kill you…and Abby."

A chill passed through me and Snape's face paled visibly.

"Fine," he said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"As you wish," Dumbledore said, "It's getting late, anyway. I'm off to bed."

"I think I'll stay here a bit longer," Snape said, looking out over the lake. Dumbledore inclined his head and walked away. I hesitated a moment before returning to the castle and sneaking back into the hospital wing.

I lay back down on the hospital bed, exhausted from my midnight excursion. Surely it wouldn't hurt if I closed my eyes, just for a second…

"Abigail," said a familiar voice. Though it was a familiar voice, I had never before heard it say my name before. I bolted upright, causing my head to throb painfully.

Lily Evans was sitting in a chair beside my bed.

I'm dreaming, I told myself, I am SO dreaming…

But somehow, I knew I wasn't. For one, she wasn't the teenager that featured in my dreams- she was a grown woman. Second, I wasn't Snape. I was me. I could think, feel, move, and speak freely.

"You aren't real," I said matter-of-factly, sitting cross-legged on the hospital bed, "You can't be. You're dead."

"Maybe you're dreaming?" she suggested, smiling.

"No. It doesn't feel like a dream… I could be hallucinating. I bet that's it. I have a concussion."

"Well, what are you going to do?" she inquired.

"I could scream. Wake Madam Pomfrey."

"But you won't," she said smartly.

"No," I said agreeably, "I definitely won't."

"Why not?"

"Because…I'm curious. You're here for a reason, right?"

"Well, I wanted to meet you."

"Me? Why?" I asked, surprised.

"Now is not the time for me to answer that," she replied, still smiling, then changed the subject, "You love me, don't you?"

I blushed bright red.

"I…uh…well, it's complicated," I stammered, "You see, I dream-"

"I know, Abigail. I don't condemn you for it," she said, chuckling quietly, "In fact, I understand better than you do. One of those advantages of being dead."

I winced slightly.

"You know why I dream Severus's dreams?" I inquired.

"Yes. However, now is not the time for me to tell you."

"That's starting to get annoying," I said, but I couldn't help but smile.

"You love Severus, too, don't you?" she inquired, changing the subject again.

"Well…that's complicated, too."

"Why?"

"Because…he still loves you and… I do, too… it's weird."

"But I'm dead," she said and I winced again. Her expression softened and she reached out and touched my face gently. I closed my eyes. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

"Severus -" she started to say, but fell silent at the sound of approaching footsteps, "I have to go."

"Lily, no," I said, grabbing her hand.

"Abigail, I have to," she said softly, taking her hand from me, "Don't worry- you'll see me again."

She kissed my cheek swiftly.

"But when?"

But she had faded.

The door to the hospital wing opened.

"Abigail?" said a quiet voice.

I jumped out of bed and ran over to him. I buried my face in his chest. I couldn't stem the flow of tears.

"Shh…" Snape said quietly, stroking my hair, "What happened? Did you dream?"

"No…not exactly," I said, wiping my nose on my sleeve.

"What happened?" he inquired.

"N-nothing. I…can't tell you. It would just upset you."

"Abigail, tell me," he insisted. I shook my head. I felt him push against my mental barrier. I tried to block him but he was stronger. An image of Lily touching my cheek, her green eyes shining, passed through my mind. I stepped backwards, away from Snape. In a moment of blind fury, I slapped him.

"I…how….?" he said weakly. He went and sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He touched his cheek absently where I had slapped him. It was red.

"I'm not telling you anything," I hissed, "You pushed past my mental barrier!"

"I'm…sorry, okay? Please…" he said, sounding desperate. I was quiet a moment, then sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed beside him.

"It was a dream…or a hallucination from my concussion, I think… I mean, it couldn't have been real…could it?"

He shook his head and didn't answer.

"Wha-…" he swallowed heavily, "What did she say?"

It was my turn to shake my head.

"I can't tell you. It's private."

Much to my surprise, he didn't press the matter. He was staring at the floor, his face expressionless.

"I told you it would just upset you… I can't believe you infiltrated my mind," I said, for I had still not entirely forgiven him, "I thought I could trust you."

"I said I was sorry," he said guiltily, "You can trust me."

"I would never infiltrate your mind without your permission," I said, "You trust me not to."

"Abigail I won't do it again," he said, looking into my eyes, "I promise."

He sealed his promise with a kiss, which he broke off quickly.

"Shit," he said, looking around quickly, "I shouldn't have chanced that."

The hospital wing was practically empty, only a few younger students who sported various injuries, but they were all, I felt quite certain, asleep.

"Sure you should have," I said, smiling, "It worked- I'm not mad at you anymore."

"Mm. …You weren't supposed to be asleep," he said, looking at the chart Madam Pomfrey had left on my bedside table.

"Like I said, it could've been a hallucination."

"Probably from sleep deprivation," he said with a half smile, "The twelve hours are up now. You should get some rest."

"You… Are you going to stay?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes," I said, unabashed.

"Then I will. At least until you fall asleep… but I'm going to sit over here," he said, moving from the bed to the chair beside it where Lily had sat. I said nothing but lay down in the hospital bed, exhausted from crying and my head injury.

"Goodnight Severus," I said softly.

"Sweet dreams, Abigail."

When I awoke the next morning, he was gone. Madam Pomfrey was bustling around the hospital wing, tending to the various students.

"Can I leave?" I asked immediately upon waking.

"Ah, Miss Prewett. Did you make it to the required 12 hours?"

"Yes. I read books all night."

"Good. Now, let's see…"

I sat still while she looked me over and when she announced me fit to leave, I flew out of the hospital wing like a bat out of hell.

My first stop was my dormitory to change clothes and drop off my books. Then, since it was Sunday I made my way down to Snape's office. To my surprise, Dumbledore was there when I arrived. He was frowning slightly, but smiled when he saw me.

"Hello Abby. All recovered then?" he asked me.

"Yes sir," I said, "…Why so grim? What's happened?"

"I'll trust Severus to tell you. I'm afraid I have to run," Dumbledore replied. He inclined his head to Snape before heading out the door.

"What happened?" I repeated, sitting down in my usual chair.

"Ron Weasley was poisoned- Dumbledore was the intended target," Snape said grimly.

"Draco," I said immediately.

"Obviously. If he doesn't stop these weak attempts, someone innocent is going to get killed."

"What became of Weasley?"

"He lived…but only because Potter was there and shoved a bezoar down his throat."

I scoffed.

Many rumors flew around the school regarding Ron Weasley's poisoning, but one afternoon I came across a rumor that had nothing to do with him- it had to do with me. I was in the library, looking for a book for my Transfiguration homework, when I overheard a group of Slytherin third years who were working at one of the tables. I was standing behind a bookshelf so they couldn't see me. Normally I wouldn't have paid any attention to them, but the subject of their conversation captured my interest.

"Man, Professor Snape must be insane- 12 inches of parchment on Grindylows. As if anyone really cares about Grindylows," said one of the girls, rolling her eyes.

"What's with him and that girl he's always with?" said one of the boys who didn't deter his gaze from the book he was reading.

"That Prewett girl?" the girl inquired, "He's her guardian."

Me, I thought, They're talking about me…

"He's more than that," said the other boy with a smirk, "Andrew Milton was in the hospital wing the other night- he ate a bunch of bow truckle eggs for a bet- and he said that he woke up during the night and Professor Snape was there, sitting with her on the edge of her hospital bed- she had splinched herself and fainted during the 6th years' Apparition lesssons haha-" I scowled to myself. "-And Andrew said they kissed."

The other two gasped. My heart nearly stopped in my chest.

"Like a kiss kiss?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," replied the boy, smirking.

"But that's Andrew, isn't it? He's not exactly known for telling the truth," said the boy who was reading. I prayed they'd believe him.

"But he swore he saw it happen," the boy insisted.

"Anything I can help you with, Miss Prewett?" said a voice from behind me, making me jump. It was Madam Pince, the librarian.

"Oh…yeah…no, I found it," I said stupidly, holding up the book I had found. I checked it out then left the library, trying to decide what to do about what I had overheard. Should I tell Snape or not? Should I find this Andrew Milton kid? And what would I do to him if I did? Threaten him? Perform a Memory Charm?

Not wanting to go to Snape's office or the Slytherin Common Room, I went to the one place I knew I would be alone- the Room of Requirement.

I would on the Polyjuice Potion for a while. Draco had managed not to screw it up the night I was in the hospital. Once the Polyjuice Potion could be left to its own devices, I walked over to the bookcase and browsed the books. Some were the same ones that could be found in the library while others were more obscure. Some were purely about poisons and illegal potions- I had already read all of those. After careful consideration, I chose a book called Uncommon Concoctions. I looked around for a place to sit. Before my eyes, a green armchair appeared in the corner.

Cool, I thought to myself, …That gives me an idea.

"I need a door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom," I said aloud to the Room of Requirement. To my surprise and delight, a door appeared on the floor- like a door that leads to a basement. I opened it an peered down into a torch-lit stairwell. Cautiously, I drew my wand and started down the stairs.

About three minutes later, I reached the end of the passage. There was a door, similar to the door to the Room of Requirement. I took a deep breath and opened the door to find myself face to face with the end of Snape's wand.

"Abigail!" he exclaimed, lowering his wand, "You scared the crap out of me. I was sitting at my desk, grading papers, and a door appeared! How-?"

"The Room of Requirement," I said, beaming, "Do you want to see?"

He inclined his head.

"Let me lock my classroom," he said and waved his wand at the door. The lock clicked into place and Snape followed me back into the passage.

When we reached the Room of Requirement, Snape looked around in awe.

"This is…amazing," he said. He walked around, opening cabinets, peering at the books on the shelf, and peering into the cauldron where I had Polyjuice Potion brewing.

"Nice," he commented and moved on to the next cauldron. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Amortentia?" he inquired.

"I was just testing my abilities, I swear!" I exclaimed, blushing, "I have no intentions of using it, I assure you."

"I believe you," he assured me. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the smell of the potion, and sighed. I went to stand beside him.

"What do you smell?" I asked curiously.

"What do you smell?" he inquired, looking into my eyes.

I closed my eyes and inhaled.

"…Pine trees," I murmured.

"Spring grass," he said.

"Lemon thyme…"

"Peppermint…"

"Lilies," we said simultaneously. Our eyes met a moment then we both looked away.

"Cinnamon," I said quickly.

"Ras-" he began but stopped short, blushing slightly.

"What was that?" I asked, smiling.

"…Raspberry shampoo," he admitted quietly. I grinned, feeling pleased. He pulled me close to him and kissed the top of my head.

"What's with the book?" he inquired, noticing the copy of Uncommon Concoctions I still held clutched in my hand.

"I'm going to use it as a door stop," I said sarcastically, "I want to read it, duh."

"I still have papers to grade," he said, choosing to ignore my sarcasm, "You could read in my classroom, if you want."

I inclined my head.

"Will the passage stay, do you think?" I asked as we walked back through the stairwell to his classroom.

"If we need it to, yes, I think it will…but perhaps the door should remain hidden."

When we entered Snape's classroom and closed the door behind us, it faded into the wall. I glanced at Snape, perplexed. He frowned a moment, studying the wall. Then his expression cleared.

He reached out and touched a crevice in the stone and the door reappeared instantly. He removed his hand and it disappeared.

"Oh… cool," I commented.

Snape went and sat at his desk to resume grading papers wile I made myself comfortable in my chair and began reading.

About 30 minutes later I tired and failed to suppress a giggle, breaking the comfortable silence that had formed. Snape looked up curiously and I closed the book quickly, marking my place with my thumb.

"What?" he asked curiously. I just shook my head and smiled. He got up and came to stand behind me.

"Show me," he insisted, sensing my playful attitude and also smiling. I shook my head again. He reached out and tickled me until I was breathless with laughter. Finally, I opened the book so he could see the title of Chapter 4: Potions for Lovers.

"Oh," he said, smirking slightly, " 'Tingling Potion'… sounds fun."

He read silently over my shoulder for a moment, resting his chin on my shoulder so his warm breath tickled my ear. He reached around me to turn the page.

"Hey look- Invigoration Draught," I said, pointing to the page, "So it was originally designed for that purpose."

"Hmph," he said with a slight smile, "…Can I borrow this book?"

"Why? Going to brew a Tingling Potion?" I asked, smirking as I handed it over.

"I wanted to read it," he said, his face slightly red, "…But if you want to, I see no reason we can't use the Room of Requirement… Except- Draco knows how to get in, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but the door locks and he rarely comes in and if he did, he wouldn't go poking about in my cauldrons."

Snape stifled a laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing…" he said, "…I just thought something vastly inappropriate."

"Tell me," I insisted, smiling.

"I shall save it for a more appropriate time."

"…How about after dinner? We could meet up in the Room of Requirement. It's almost 6 and we shouldn't both not be present at dinner."

Especially after what I overheard in the library today, I thought to myself. I had decided not to tell him. At least, not yet.

"Very well," he said with a slight smile, "I'll meet you at 8."

"Until eight then," I said, standing up.

I could barely concentrate on my dinner that night. I wasn't hungry at all. I wanted to be up in my dormitory, preparing for a night alone with Snape. After pushing my food around my plate for about fifteen minutes, I got up and left the Great Hall. I went for a quick bath, washing my hair with raspberry shampoo, and dried it with a spell. I changed from my school robes into Muggle clothes- a short black skirt and my favorite green top. I slipped out of the Common Room at 7:50 and made my way as quickly as possible to the Room of Requirement.

I need a place to brew Tingling Potion with Snape, I thought, pacing in front of the blank slab of wall, I need a place to brew Tingling Potion with Snape, I need a place to brew Tingling Potion with Snape where no one can catch us…

The door appeared and I opened it to a room slightly different than the one I usually brewed Potions in. The cauldrons were still there, the potions still bubbling away, and the trap door hiding the staircase that led to Snape's classroom, but there was now a bed in the corner. It looked extremely comfortable with sheets of green satin and a comforter made of black satin. The torches that usually lit the room had decreased in number and spread out, giving the room a more romantic lighting.

The trap door opened at that moment and Snape stepped up into the room. He looked around, bemused.

"I was under the impression we were here to brew potions, Abigail," he said, small smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"It's not my fault. The room did it. I guess it took it from my thought I used to conjure it…" I said, blushing.

"What did you think?"

" 'I need a place to brew Tingling Potion with Snape'," I said, smiling sheepishly, "I was going to go back and set it right, but then you showed up. I could fix it now, if you'd like to step out-"

"Leave it," he said, smiling mischievously. I obeyed.

"Do you have the book?" I inquired. He held up his left hand which held Uncommon Concoctions. I accepted the book and flipped to Chapter 4.

"I think we should have everything we need for the potion. It's not too complicated- Glumbumble treacle, powdered Graphorn Horn, Peppermint-"

"Dragon's Blood," I read aloud, "I don't recall that as being one of it's twelve uses."

"Perhaps there are thirteen…" Snape replied.

"Didn't Dumbledore discover the uses of dragon blood? Maybe he discovered this one too."

"Something I'd preferably not imagine," Snape said as he began to lay ingredients out on the counter.

"Ew," I said, picking up a vial and wrinkling my nose, "Flobberworm mucus."

"Rarely are potions made out of pleasant things," he said, "You should know that."

"Peppermint," I said, inhaling its scent, "That was one of your favorites, wasn't it?"

He inclined his head and smiled.

We worked on the potion together for a long time, taking turns cutting or pounding ingredients. I was stirring- one clockwise, two counter-clockwise- when Snape came and put his arms around my waist. He kissed my cheek as he added a fistful of peppermint leaves to the potion as I stirred.

"Are you going to tell me what you thought earlier that was so vastly inappropriate?" I inquired, smiling.

"Oh, right… well, if you must know, it was what you said about someone poking around in your cauldron…it- er…reminded me of a sexual innuendo I heard made when I was young," he said, smirking.

"Oh. I get it," I said, blushing slightly and chuckling.

"How much longer until the potion is done?" he murmured quietly, resting his chin on top of my head.

"About fifteen minutes," I replied.

"I don't know if I can wait that long," he whispered in my ear.

"Well there's no reason to wait, really. The potion has to stew for fifteen minutes. It can be left to it's own devices while we- ah…take advantage of the time alone," I said, smiling.

"I love the way your mind works, Abigail…"

We spent the night in the Room of Requirement, testing out not just the Tingling Potion but a number of others including the Invigoration Draught that helped us both stay up all night. When I went down to breakfast the next morning, Jenny came to sit beside me, grinning.

"Someone never came to bed last night," she said in a sing-songy voice. I nearly choked on my apple juice.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she assured me, "Who is it? A boy from Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff? …I know it isn't a Gryffindor."

"It's not a Gryffindor. Just don't worry about it," I said, grinning, "I know how to take care of myself."

"Abby," said a voice behind me. I turned to see Professor McGonagall standing behind me.

"Yes, Professor?" I asked politely.

"The headmaster wishes to see you in his office after breakfast."

"Oh. Okay," I said, surprised.

"Is it Dumbledore?" Jenny asked, half-jokingly.

"Ew, no! Jesus, Jenny, you're going to make me puke!" I exclaimed, "Besides…that's Potter's territory."

She laughed.

After breakfast, I headed up to Dumbledore's office. This meant I had to miss my first class of the day, which was Divination. No complaints there. Wondering what Dumbledore could possibly want, I knocked on his door.

"Enter," said his kind voice from within. I opened the door, half expecting to see Snape standing there. He wasn't. It was just Dumbledore and he looked very serious.

"Have a seat, Abby. I have a very important matter to discuss with you," he said, indicating the chair before his desk. I sat cautiously, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

"Professor McGonagall overheard a rumor regarding yourself and Severus. It seems the nature of your relationship has caught the interest of some of your peers…" Dumbledore said, observing me through his half-moon spectacles, "Your peers… and Severus'."

I hesitated, not really knowing what to say. Dumbledore didn't sound too…disapproving. Was there a way out of this without getting Snape into trouble?

"I pose but one question to you, Abby- Do you love each other?" Dumbledore inquired. I hesitated and my gut instinct told me to tell the truth.

"Neither of us has said it yet, but… yes… I do love Severus," I said quietly, the first time I had ever said it aloud to anyone. Dumbledore smiled. He went quiet for a minute, looking thoughtful.

"I wonder…" he said aloud, more to himself than to me, "What to tell McGonagall and the others… I doubt they will be as understanding."

"You should just tell them you have a reason to trust that our relationship is appropriate. They'll go with whatever you say- you're Dumbledore. Besides…you owe Severus one," I said.

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…what you arranged with him over the summer- that he should kill you. He doesn't want to do that and it's mad of you to ask him to…but he still agreed to it. And he's still playing spy for you, even though he would rather take me and run…"

"Which you knew how?" Dumbledore asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I…uh…er…overheard you talking…" I said, blushing.

"I knew you were there," he said mysteriously, "You are, without a doubt, one of the most capable witches I've ever seen perform a Disillusionment Charm, but there are few- if any- who could sneak past myself, if I may risk sounding vain."

"Of course. You're Dumbledore, aren't you?" I said, smiling, "…So will you do it? Tell the others you trust it?"

"Yes. I believe you are right about me owing Severus one."

"Good," I said, pleased.

"I'll leave it up to you whether or not to share this altercation with him," Dumbledore said, "Is there anyone else that knows the nature of your relationship?"

"No…yes. A friend of mine."

"Who?"

"Moony- er…Lupin."

"Ah," Dumbledore said, smiling, "You have nothing to worry about with Remus. I am pleased to hear you are friends. He doesn't have many. Have you heard from him recently?"

"No, not in a while. He's out doing work for the Order, isn't he? For you?"

"He is…but I know it is weary for him. I believe he spends more time at Headquarters than he would like for me to know," Dumbledore said, but he was smiling slightly.

"I don't know anything about that," I said, "…Can I go now? I'm already quite late for Divination."

"Of course. I shall write you a pass."

As I left Dumbledore's office I shoved the pass into the pocket of my robes. I had no intention of going to Divination. I had a plan half-formed in my mind. I wanted to go see Moony. I had been to headquarters of the Order once before, with Snape, to talk to Potter…but the only way I could get there would be by Apparition. Very risky…but I somehow felt I could do it. I cast my Disillusionment charm and left the castle, walking right past Filch who was prowling around the front door, and passing Hagrid teaching a class on the grounds without getting myself caught. As I slipped out of the gate, I repeated the three D's in my head- Destination, Determination, Deliberation.

Okay, I thought to myself determinedly, To the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix- Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

I was jerked forward into darkness- everything felt compressed and stretched all at once- then all of a sudden I was standing in the dimly-lit Entrance Hall of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Alright!" I exclaimed, "I did it!"

A bloodcurdling scream met my words and I whirled around to face what appeared to be a large portrait of a mad woman. Before I could get a good look, however, someone ran in and closed the curtains over the painting.

"Abby?" said a cautious voice. It was Lupin who had run into the room and he had his wand pointed at me. His gaze was mistrustful.

"Moony, it's me," I insisted.

"You could be a Death Eater posing as Abby…how do I know you're the real Abby Prewett? …Turn out your pockets," he instructed. I did as told, pulling out a few Sickles and Knuts, the note from Dumbledore, and a multitude of Potions ingredients from my inside pockets.

"Powdered Graphorn horn, Mandrake Juice, Nettles, Moonstone, and a bezoar…you are Abigail Prewett," Lupin said, beginning to smile.

"You never know when they'll come in handy," I said, tucking the ingredients back into my pockets.

"I know a better way to check- What shape did your boggart take in your first class with me at Hogwarts?" Lupin inquired.

"Ah… A werewolf," I admitted, "But that was before I got to know you. Now it would probably be something different."

"Indeed. What are you doing here Abby?" he inquired, sweeping me into an embrace, "Though it is very good to see you."

"And you," I said, returning the embrace.

"How are things with Severus?" he inquired.

"Well…that's one of the things I'd come here to talk to you about. Are we alone?"

"Quite. Come in, have a seat," he said, gesturing towards the kitchen, "Would you like some tea? I just made a pot."

"Sure," I said, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Lupin poured two cups of tea and sat down. He pushed the sugar and milk towards me.

"So, what's the trouble?" he asked me.

"Well," I said, adding sugar to my tea, "It's not really trouble, but… Dumbledore found out."

"Really?" he said, intrigued, "And how did that happen?"

"Well, I was in the hospital wing a few nights ago-"

"What?"

"It was nothing, really, I cracked my skull when I fainted. I fainted because I splinched myself during Apparition lessons. Anywho, I was in the hospital wing and…well let's just say a younger student saw Severus kiss me when he came to visit late at night. We thought everyone was asleep…"

"I know how rumors spread at Hogwarts. What did Dumbledore say about it?"

"Well…he agreed to tell everyone he has a reason to trust that mine and Severus' relationship is completely appropriate. They'll believe him, because he's Dumbledore."

"They will," agreed Lupin, nodding his head.

"His only question was do I love Severus," I said.

"…And what did you tell him?"

"That I do."

"And is it the truth?"

I hesitated.

"It's complicated," I said with a sigh.

"Why?"

"Well…it's a long story…"

"I have time."

In a rush I told Lupin everything- about sharing Snape's memories, about being in love with Lily, about seeing her in the hospital wing… By the time I was finished, Lupin looked a little pale.

"So he loved her?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I would never have guessed… I knew they were friends- they lived near each other- but after a while, they drifted apart. Slytherins and Gryffindors can't be friends. Especially if one of them is Muggle-born."

"She stopped speaking to him…after Severus called her a Mudblood. He said it was an accident."

If possible, Lupin got paler.

"I was there," he said hoarsely, "The day that happened. A lot of people were there. James was torturing Severus- it was an unfortunate favorite pastime of his- and Lily came to the rescue. She was unequivocally brave, Lily Evans, and James had a huge crush on her. Anyway, a crowd of people had gathered and I suppose Severus was embarrassed. He told her he didn't need help from 'filthy little Mudbloods like her'…so she left him to James' clutches."

"Oh Lily…she should have known he didn't mean it," I said, feeling his pain anew.

"He should've known better than to call her Mudblood…it really is a terribly offensive term to someone who cares about such things."

"If she had listened to Mother… Julia told her that it was only important because she made it important," I said with a faint smile.

"I remember Julia Prewett," Lupin said, inclining his head, "She was Slytherin, a bit older than us, but unimaginably wise beyond her years and- some would say- a bit odd."

"She was a bit odd," I agreed.

"…Why come here if Dumbledore doesn't have a problem with it?" Lupin inquired.

"He left it up to me whether or not to tell Severus…but I don't know if I should," I murmured.

"You should," he said at once, "If you mean to trust him and have him trust you…"

"We do trust each other…we have to…" I said quietly.

"Well then it shouldn't be a question of whether or not to tell him. …How did you know I was here?" he inquired.

"Dumbledore."

"Was he mad?" Lupin asked, looking guilty.

"No," I said, shaking my head, "He understands. As for you… you could write more often. Let me know you're alive."

"I will," he said, smiling, "…You're missing classes, aren't you? I should get you back to the castle."

"Can you Apparate?"

"Of course," he said with an indignant snort, "I'm surprised you made it, considering you splinched yourself during one of your lessons."

"I was surprised I did it, too, but I managed."

"Don't worry. Everyone has trouble at first," he assured me, smiling.

"Did you ever splinch yourself?"

"Well, no."

I shook my head.

"Let's get on with it then," I said heavily. Lupin extended his arm. I braced myself and took it. Within seconds we were back in front of the gates to Hogwarts.

"I would walk you back to the castle, but I really shouldn't be seen by anyone," Lupin said to me, "So I shall depart here, Abby."

"Bye Moony…and I'd better hear from you more often."

He smiled and Disapparated.

I started back up towards the castle and presently saw an approaching figure coming down the path- Snape. He didn't look happy. He beckoned for me to follow him back to the castle. He didn't speak until we were in his office.

"Where have you been?" he inquired, frowning slightly.

"I went to see Lupin. I-"

"You left the safety of the castle to see that werewolf?"

"I needed to talk to him about something important. How did you even know I was gone?"

"I noticed you weren't in Defense Against the Dark Arts class- your friends told me you had been called to the headmasters' office. I talked to Dumbledore at lunch- he had sent you back to your classes after talking to you briefly this morning. I couldn't locate your mind within the castle. What was so important that you would leave the castle without telling me?"

"I wanted his opinion on something. I do have something important to tell you- Dumbledore…found out about us," I said quietly.

"Us us?"

I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself.

"Yes."

"How did he find out?"

I quickly told him about the rumor from the kid who'd overseen us kiss in the hospital wing.

"I know I shouldn't have risked that," he said.

"But the good news is, Dumbledore took care of it. He's going to tell the staff that he has a reason to trust our relationship is completely appropriate. You know they won't question it- he's Dumbledore. They all believe you are good and not evil because Dumbledore says he trusts you."

"But he's sort of lying to them, isn't he? How did you get him to agree to that?"

"…Well…I told him I thought he sort of owed you one… You're going to- you know…kill him, and you don't want to. And you're still a spy for him, even though you don't want to be…"

"How do you know that? That I don't want to be a spy? Did Dumbledore tell you?"

"No, I…eavesdropped," I said guiltily, "It was unintentional- I was out for a walk- I snuck out of the castle that night I was in the hospital wing and I heard you and Dumbledore talking."

To my surprise, he didn't look angry. He looked away from me and wouldn't meet my gaze.

"I didn't want you to know that… I didn't want you to think I was a coward," he said quietly, "For wanting to run…"

"I don't think you're a coward," I assured him, "You've always been overprotective of me, it's only natural you'd be worried now that we're both spies. It's a dangerous life."

I imagined it was similar to the worry I felt when I was the one left behind, worrying about him, when he went on missions for the Dark Lord.

"…If you ever wanted to run, we could," he told me.

"No," I said immediately, "Dumbledore was right. It's nowhere near the danger we'd be in if we ran."

He inclined his head in silent agreement.

Weeks passed and one afternoon I came into Defense Against the Dark Arts class to find Snape in an irritated mood.

What's wrong? I asked him as soon as I walked in and noticed his foul mood.

"One of the Order was imprisoned- a lowly thief who occasionally has good information by the name of Mundungus Fletcher. He was arrested for impersonating an Inferius," Snape told me through our mental link, "It's nothing too worrisome…"

At that moment Harry Potter hurried through the door and Snape's attention was drawn away from me and onto torturing his least favorite student.

"Late again, Potter," Snape said coldly, "Ten points from Gryffindor."

Potter scowled as he flopped into his seat next to Ron Weasley. He wasn't really late and he knew it- half the class was still pulling out books.

"Before we start, I want your dementor essays," Snape said, waving his wand carelessly. Twenty-five scrolls of parchment flew towards his desk and landed there in a neat little pile.

Awesome! I thought, smiling.

"I hope for your sakes they're better than the tripe I had to endure on resisting the Imperius Curse. Now, if you will all open your books to page- what is it, Mr. Finnigan?" he continued, referring to the Gryffindor boy who had his hand raised.

"Sir," said the boy, "I've been wondering, how do you tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost? Because there was something in the paper about an Inferius-"

"No there wasn't," Snape said, bored.

"But sir, I heard people talking-"

"If you had actually read the article in question, Mr. Finnigan, you would have known that the so-called Inferius was nothing but a smelly sneak thief by the name of Mundungus Fletcher."

"But Potter seems to have a lot to say on the subject," Snape said suddenly, pointing towards the back of the room where Potter and Weasley were whispering, "Let us ask Potter how we would tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Potter as he struggled for an answer.

"Er-well-ghosts are transparent-" he said slowly.

"Oh very good," interrupted Snape, sneering, "Yes, it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. 'Ghosts are transparent'"

I snickered quietly and grinned.

"Yeah, ghosts are transparent, but Inferi are dead bodies, aren't they? So they'd be

solid-" Potter continued.

"A five-year-old could have told us as much," Snape retorted, smirking, "The Inferius is a corpse that has been reanimated by a Dark wizard's spells. It is not alive, it is merely used like a puppet to do the wizard's bidding. A ghost, as I trust you are all aware by now, is the imprint of a departed soul left upon the earth…and of course, as Potter so wisely tells us, transparent."

"Well, what Harry said is the most useful if we're trying to tell them apart!" said Weasley defensively, "When we come face-to-face with one down a dark alley, we're going to be having a shufti to see if it's solid, aren't we, we're not going to be asking 'excuse me are you the imprint of a departed soul'?"

I didn't dare laugh, even though I kinda wanted to, and those that did laugh were soon silenced by the look Snape gave them.

"Another ten points from Gryffindor," Snape snapped, "I would expect nothing more sophisticated from you, Ronald Weasley, the boy so solid he cannot Apparate half an inch across a room."

I laughed quietly, glad that I had finally managed to completely master Apparation during the last lesson.

"Now open your books to page two hundred and thirteen," Snape said, smirking a little, "and read the first two paragraphs on the Cruciatus Curse…"

The class obeyed. The rest of the class period when by without incident. After the class was over I followed my fellow students out of the room. I saw Potter and Weasley walking along, and another Gryffindor girl who wasn't Hermione Granger. I was going to ignore them, but when I heard what the one girl was saying, I couldn't ignore it.

"That stupid ignorant bastard," she said hotly, "He hasn't got the right to say anything about you, that slimy, greasy-nosed-"

I didn't have to hear anymore. My wand was out within seconds. When Potter and Weasley took a detour into the boys bathroom it was just me and the girl in the corridor.

"Locomotor Mortis," I said with a quick wave of my wand. Her legs snapped together and she fell with a thud to the ground. It gave me a fulfilling pleasure, cursing the girl, but I wished I knew something stronger.

"Furnunculus," I said with another wave of my wand. The girl was soon covered in horrid boils and with a satisfied smirk I turned around…and ran smack into Snape, who'd been standing there watching the whole thing.

"Not that I'm against Gryffindor punishment, but…you shouldn't be cursing people in the hallways," he said to me, "You could get caught."

I blushed bright red and he motioned for me to follow him back into the classroom.

I followed Snape to his office and sat down in my usual seat in front of his desk. He sat down behind his desk and looked at me with a mildly curious expression on his face.

"I'm not in trouble…am I?" I asked hesitantly.

"Have you ever been in trouble with me, Abigail?"

"Well, no…not that I can recall."

"Why did you attack Lavender Brown?"

I didn't feel like repeating what she said so I let him see the scene replay in my mind. He sat back looking mildly irritated and faintly amused.

"Abigail, you'd have a hell of a time going around and cursing everyone who said bad things about me, so why waste your time and energy cursing her? It doesn't bother me…I hate children," he said with a shrug, "Well…most children."

"Well it bothers me," I grumbled, "Stupid little Gryffindor bi-"

"Abigail! …watch your language."

"Heh. Practice what you preach, Severus. 'You'd have a hell of a time going around and cursing everyone who said bad things about me'," I quoted him. He scowled at me, but I thought I saw the corners of his mouth turn up a little bit.

Sunday morning Snape came up to me after breakfast.

"Would you like to help me harvest plants in the greenhouse today, Abigail? I've gotten permission from Professor Sprout," he said to me.

"Sure," I said, surprised. He usually didn't approach me in the Great Hall, lest a teacher see. As it was, McGonagall was only a few feet away. I thought I saw her give us a disapproving look, but she didn't say anything. Snape saw this look, too, but he merely grinned.

Why so lax? I inquired as we left the Great Hall.

"Because…we have Dumbledore on our side now," he replied.

"Who is that?" he said aloud, frowning. I looked to see whom he was referring to. Coming up the path was a thin woman with lank mouse-colored hair. It was Nymphadora Tonks.

"Ah. What brings you here, Nymphadora?" Snape asked smoothly as she got closer.

"I was hoping to see Dumbledore," she said, frowning slightly.

"I'm afraid he has left the castle again, but you're welcome to check his office."

"I will… I don't suppose you've heard from… from anyone in the Order?" she asked him hesitantly.

"Afraid not," Snape said coolly, "Abigail and I must be going now. We're heading down to the greenhouse to harvest plants for potions."

Tonks surveyed me quietly and watched as Snape swept me off down the path. Eventually she turned and headed towards the castle.

"She looks worse-off each time I see her," I commented.

"That's what happens when you love someone who won't have you," he said without emotion.

"…Who does she love?" I inquired out of curiosity, "Anyone I know?"

Snape inclined his head and was quiet a moment before answering.

"She loves Lupin," he said finally.

"What?" I said, surprised, "And he won't have her? Why not?"

"I have no idea," he said, sounding a bit irritated, "It's not my job to get caught up in the tangling soap opera of a werewolf's life."

"O…kay then," I said and decided the subject was best left alone…though I planned to visit Lupin again as soon as possible.

That very afternoon I sent Lupin a letter, telling him I needed to see him soon.

Much to my disappointment, weeks passed and I didn't hear from Lupin. Signs of summer approaching did nothing to cheer me up. Draco looked as bad as Tonks nowadays, so whatever he was working so diligently on seemed to be going badly, which was a cheerful thought. One morning at breakfast, an article in the newspaper caught my attention. A young boy had been attacked by a werewolf. My stomach jumped into my throat and I looked around the Great Hall for Snape. He wasn't there. Nor was Dumbledore.

Unable to eat until I found out for sure, I left the Great Hall and hurried as quickly as I could down to Snape's dungeon office. I didn't bother to knock- I burst into his office, clutching a stitch in my side from running. To my surprise, Dumbledore was there, sitting in my chair. Snape was sitting at his desk and he looked at me, mildly irritated.

"It…uh…I… I could come back," I stammered, my face turning red.

"It wasn't Lupin," Snape snapped, "I know that's what you want to know. It wasn't him."

Relief washed over me.

"Remus is quite safe," Dumbledore said, "I believe he's staying at headquarters for a few nights. The culprit was Fenrir Greyback. You're familiar with him?"

"Unfortunately," I said heavily. Fenrir Greyback was a werewolf who worked for the Dark Lord- he killed for pleasure, even when there wasn't a full moon…and children were his specialty.

"The boy didn't make it?" Snape asked Dumbledore. Dumbledore shook his head. His face grim, he rose from his chair.

"I'm afraid I must go," Dumbledore said, "I'll be away from the castle again tonight, but I should be back by morning."

When Dumbledore left, I sat down in my recently vacated seat.

"I want to talk to Lupin," I said.

"Of course you do," he replied sounding irritated.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, no problem at all…but I'm going with you. I cannot allow you to leave school grounds unattended. Besides, you could splinch yourself again."

"For your information, I mastered Apparition during the last lesson," I said proudly, "And I don't care if you go. When can we leave?"

"We can't leave the castle unattended while Dumbledore is gone tonight…it'll have to be tomorrow morning. We can leave early, before anyone else wakes up."

I sighed, but agreed.

The rest of the day passed by agonizingly slowly and it took me a while to fall asleep that night. When I did finally fall asleep, my rest was not a fitful one. I awoke before the sun rose to Snape's voice in my head.

"Wake up, Abigail," he was saying, "Meet me in the Entrance Hall. Five minutes."

Then he severed the connection. I sat up, rubbing sleep from my eyes. My dorm mates were still asleep, so I slipped out of bed quietly and dressed quickly. Snape was waiting for me in the Entrance Hall.

"Interesting dream you were having when I woke you. Are you sure you want to go see the werewolf?" he inquired. I knew what he was talking about- all night I had dreamed of werewolves and children dying.

"I'm sure," I said, not looking at him, "…It was just nightmares."

We walked to the gate together, neither one of us speaking or looking at the other. When we reached the gate, Snape extended his arm wordlessly. I took it and we Disapparated.

We appeared in the front hall of headquarters. As expected, Lupin was there, his wand drawn.

"A werewolf," I said before he could ask the security question. He turned his wand on Snape.

"What is Dumbledore's full name?" Lupin asked after a moment of thought.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Snape said without smiling. I snickered quietly. Lupin lowered his wand and embraced me quickly.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, looking down at me.

"I wanted to talk to you… er…"

I looked at Snape who was scowling.

"Unless you want to hear a long conversation about Moony's feelings…?" I said, half-smiling.

"I'll wait out here," Snape said tonelessly.

Lupin led me down the hall to the sitting room.

"What's with him?" he asked quietly.

"No idea…jealous, I think," I said.

"Of me?" he said, surprised.

"Needlessly…right?"

"Right. What're you here to talk about?"

"Well one reason was I wanted to make sure you were okay… I read in the newspaper yesterday…but Dumbledore assured me it was Greyback…"

Lupin winced.

"…Fenrir Greyback is the werewolf who attacked me when I was a child," he said quietly.

"He works for my father…"

"Of course he does," he said bitterly, then he forced a smile, "…What was the other reason?"

"The other reason is Nymphadora Tonks."

"Blimey, not you too," he said heavily, "Listen, she's too young for me and I'm… too poor…and too dangerous…"

"Honestly, Moony, I don't think the poor girl gives a shit. Surely you can't stand to see her in the state she's in?"

He looked guilty and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"I never meant for her to fall in love with me. …I thought it was just a fling. She'll get over it," he said, though he didn't sound certain.

"She won't," I said certainly, "She loves you. To her you aren't poor or old- and, by the way, I resent that, you aren't old. If you're too old for her, then what does that make Severus?"

"Way too old for you," he said, smiling half-heartedly. I scowled.

"Listen, Abby…maybe you are right, but if there is a time for Tonks and I to be together- and I'm not saying there will be one- but now is not it. The Wizarding world is at war with itself and we put our lives in danger on a daily basis. If we're meant to be…we should at least wait until the danger is gone."

"You really think you'll feel her death any less if the two of you aren't together?" I said quietly. He winced slightly and wouldn't meet my eye. I sighed and stood.

"Well, I've said all that I came to say and I wouldn't want to be late for breakfast," I said, glancing at my watch.

"Best not to keep Severus waiting," Lupin added, nodding to the door. After a moment of hesitation, he embraced me again.

"I'll take your words into consideration, Abby. Goodbye," he said.

"Bye Moony."

Snape was waiting for me in the hall. He still looked mildly irritated. An idea struck me suddenly.

"Can you let me try Apparating?" I asked.

"I suppose so," he said tonelessly, "Your test is this afternoon…"

Grinning, I extended my arm. After a moment of hesitation, he took it.

When we appeared we were not anywhere near Hogwarts…but I hadn't expected us to be. We were standing in my bedroom at home.

"You didn't quite make it," Snape said, almost smiling.

"I did it on purpose," I said and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. He swept me into his arms and kissed me hungrily.

"You don't have to be jealous of Moony," I said when he paused to take a breath, "Ever. I went there primarily to talk to him about Tonks. Moony and I are nothing more than friends."

He didn't say anything, nor did he resume kissing me.

"Besides- he thinks he's too old for her and I'm even younger than she is," I added.

"Hm," he said and released me. He sat down on the end of my bed.

"Don't you start worrying about that now," I said to him, "We've only got fifteen minutes before we need to be back at the castle…if you think you can do it in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, I'll show you what I can do in fifteen minutes," he said with a smirk.

20 minutes later, we walked into the Great Hall together. Snape looked at me and smirked before going to join the teachers. Ignoring McGonagall and Flitwick's suspicious glances, I made my way to the Slytherin table and sat down. No one there had paid any attention to me coming in with Snape. Most of my friends were pouring over leaflets on Apparition that the Ministry wizard had handed out. I smiled, knowing I would have no trouble whatsoever when it came time to go to Hogsmeade for our test.

That day, after lunch, I lined up with my fellow students in the Entrance Hall. Snape was making his way towards the Grand Staircase, but he caught my eye and smiled.

"Good luck. Wish I could go with you, but I have a class," he said inside my head.

I can do it, I replied certainly.

I watched classmate after classmate attempt the Apparition test. Some passed, some didn't. Ron Weasley failed by half an eyebrow, much to my amusement. When my turn came, I stepped forward, grinning. I Disapparated with a pop and Apparated successfully down the street.

"Congratulations," said Twycross, "You pass."

I went to stand with the others who had passed. Suddenly, my forearm seered with pain. I clenched my teeth and looked around, uncertain of what to do. My eyes found McGonagall, standing a little ways away, watching Pansy Parkinson try to Apparate.

"Professor," I said quietly, "I need to leave."

She glanced down at me and I discreetly showed her the Dark Mark, which was burning black. Her eyes grew wide, but her face remained stern and authoritative.

"Very well, Miss Prewett. I'll escort you back up to the castle to meet Professor Snape-"

"There isn't time, Professor," I said, shaking my head, "I have to Disapparate now. Can you tell Professor Dumbledore? I doubt Severus will have had the time…"

"Of course. Of you go then- go behind one of those buildings and Disapparate," McGonagall said.

"Thank you, Professor," I said, and started off towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Oh and Miss Prewett?" she said. I stopped and looked back at her.

"Good luck," she said, her voice strangely tight. I inclined my head and hurried behind the building, my arm still burning. I took a deep breath and Disapparated with a pop.

I appeared inside some sort of hotel room. Snape appeared beside me before I had a chance to look around. The Dark Lord was sitting at a table with five other Death Eaters. He talked to Snape, mostly, asking him about Dumbledore. Then he asked about Draco's mission.

"The boy won't talk to me, my lord," Snape said, "He doesn't trust me."

"He won't tell me either," I said, "But I've been brewing Polyjuice Potion for him."

The Dark Lord looked thoughtful.

"Very well. You may return to Hogwarts," he said.

Snape and I bowed, then Disapparated.

We appeared outside the gates of Hogwarts and started down the path.

"…So, did you pass your Apparition test?" Snape asked casually.

"Yes. I had just finished when the mark started to burn. I told McGonagall. Did he summon us just to ask about Draco?"

"I think so."

"…Maybe I should try following him to see what he's up to," I said. Snape inclined his head.

That very evening I followed Draco out of the Common Room. I was invisible. He met up with Crabbe and Goyle in the hallway and led them into the boy's bathroom. I waited outside. Draco reappeared moments later with two young girls- Crabbe and Goyle under he influence of Polyjuice Potion. I could barely suppress a laugh. The three of them, tailed by me, went up to the corridor where the Room of Requirement could be accessed. Crabbe and Goyle waited while Draco paced in front of the wall. When the door appeared he slipped inside before I could follow him. Crabbe and Goyle were left outside as guards.

Try as I might, over the next few weeks I couldn't get a glimpse inside the Room of Requirement. I spent three hours one evening trying to get the room to open to where Draco went. I tried every variation of 'Become the room you become for Draco Malfoy' I could think of, with no success.

One day I was following Draco, invisible as always. He was alone- no Crabbe, no Goyle, and he looked terrible. I thought he was heading to the Room of Requirement on the 7th floor, but he stopped on the 6th floor and went into the bathroom. Since I had absolutely no desire to go into a boy's bathroom, I waited outside.

A few minutes later, Potter appeared in the hallway. He pressed his ear against the door and listened before opening it. Draco was bowed over the sink, crying. A ghost named Moaning Myrtle was floating above him, crooning. I followed Potter in quickly, stunned to see Draco actually crying.

"Don't," murmured the ghost, "Don't…tell me what's wrong…I can help you…"

"No one can help me," Draco said, his whole body trembling, "I can't do it…I can't…it won't work…and unless I do it soon…he says he'll kill me…"

Draco glanced up into the mirror and saw Potter staring at him, dumbfounded.

Within seconds wands were drawn and nonverbal hexes were being fired and dodged. Moaning Myrtle was shrieking and crying. Water was squirting everywhere from a broken cistern. Potter slipped in the water that pooled on the floor and Draco raised his wand menacingly.

"Cruci-" Draco began.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Potter bellowed, waving his wand wildly.

Blood squirted from Draco's face and chest as he staggered backwards. He collapsed onto the waterlogged floor and his wand fell from his limp right hand. Potter looked almost as shocked as I was. He probably hadn't known what the spell did…but where did he learn it? Draco was shaking uncontrollably and the blood was pouring way too fast. I knew he needed help, but I couldn't move. My body was numb.

SEVERUS! I called out in my mind, Sixth Floor…boy's bathroom…Potter…Draco!

Unable to word what had happened I sent him a mental image of Draco on the floor.

"MURDER!" shrieked the ghost, "MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!"

The door burst open and Snape ran in, face livid. He shoved Potter out of the way, knelt over Draco with his wand out, and began to heal him with the song spell. It echoed oddly in the cold, wet space. Neither Potter or myself dared to speak. I doubted I could if I wanted to.

When Snape finished the spell he half-lifted Draco into a standing position.

"You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take some dittany immediately we might avoid even that…come…and you, Potter…you wait here for me," Snape said, eyes flashing angrily.

"Abigail, stay here and watch him," Snape said in my mind.

Potter didn't even consider disobeying. He stood up slowly, shaking madly, staring at the blood on the floor. The ghost girl was still wailing. I was shivering and trying hard to keep my teeth from chattering.

Snape returned ten minutes later. He looked at the wailing ghost girl.

"Go," he said sternly and she fled into the toilet.

"I didn't mean it to happen," Potter began at once, his voice echoing in the empty bathroom, "I didn't know what the spell did."

Snape ignored his excuse, which was actually the truth for once.

"Apparently I underestimated you, Potter," he said in a quiet, dangerous voice, "Who would have thought you knew such Dark Magic? Who taught you that spell?"

"I read it in a book somewhere."

"Where?" Snape asked Potter.

"It was- a library book," Potter lied, "I can't remember what it was call-"

"Liar," Snape said. A moment passed as Snape used Occulmency to dig into Potter's mind. When I tapped into the link I saw a hazy copy of Advanced Potion-Making.

"Bring me your schoolbag," Snape said softly, "and all of your schoolbooks. All of them. Bring them to me here. Now!"

Potter turned on his heel and fled the room. A moment of silence passed. I was glad I was invisible because I was shaking even more than Potter. I was still frozen to the spot. After a little deep breathing Snape walked over to my invisible form.

"Abigail?"

I didn't respond. I felt ill I was wet, cold, and shivering. When I didn't answer he put his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

"Are you okay?" Snape asked me.

"…Yeah, I guess," I said, shaking a little bit.

"What happened?"

I replayed the scenario in my mind for him.

"I wonder why-" he began, but at that moment Potter rushed back in. Snape took his bag wordlessly and examined Potter's books one by one. When he reached the copy of Advanced Potion-Making he looked at it carefully before speaking.

"This is your copy of Advanced Potion-Making that you purchased at Flourish and Blotts?" Snape asked Potter.

"Yes," said Potter firmly.

"Then why does it have the name 'Roonil Wazlib' written inside the front cover?"

Potter paused momentarily.

"That's my nickname," he lied quickly.

"Your nickname," Snape repeated.

"Yeah…that's what my friends call me."

"I understand what a nickname is," Snape snapped at him, "…Do you know what I think, Potter? I think you are a liar and a cheat and that you deserve detention with me every Saturday until the end of term. What do you think, Potter?"

"I- I don't agree, sir," said Potter.

"Well we shall see how you feel after your detentions. Ten o'clock Saturday morning, Potter. My office."

"But sir…" said Potter desperately, "Quidditch…that last match of the…"

"Ten o'clock," Snape repeated, grinning evilly, "Poor Gryffindor…Fourth Place again."

Snape marched out of the room and I hurried after him. I was still cold and wet. My wet shoes made an irritating squeaking noise that echoed throughout the empty corridor. Snape was still covered in blood and, after removing my Disillusionment Charm, I found that my shoes were soaked with it.

"You should go clean up," Snape said when we reached the dungeons, "Then come see me."

I nodded shakily and headed towards the Slytherin Common Room.

After I changed into some warm, dry clothes I made my way to Snape's office where he saw waiting for me.

"Did you happen to hear what Malfoy was crying about?" he asked me.

"His mission. Apparently it is not going well and he thinks- and is probably right- that the Dark Lord is going to kill him," I replied. Snape nodded his head briefly then changed the subject.

"…Are you okay?" he asked me, "You didn't get hit by a stray spell or anything, did you?"

"Almost, but I'm fine. Just a little…shaken."

Mostly I was disappointed in myself. I could have easily healed Draco but I'd frozen up, unable to move. Snape seemed to guess as much.

"You shouldn't feel bad about freezing up like that. You've never been in a situation like that before. There's no training for that sort of thing, it isn't something you can learn… it's a life-or-death situation."

"Exactly! I shouldn't have frozen. I could have died," I said bitterly. I thought I saw him wince, ever-so-slightly.

"That's not what I was trying to say, Abigail," he said, his voice unexpectedly soft, "Actually, the safest thing to do in that situation, as a spy, is not to move. You stayed out of harms way and didn't give away your position."

"Well…"

"You're alive, aren't you?" he said earnestly.

"Yeah."

"Then you did just fine…however, if you find yourself in the same situation visible…then you'd better have your wand out and be using it. Understand?"

"Yes sir," I said with a faint smirk.

"You should get back to your dormitory."

"Is Draco going to be okay?"

"Of course."

Saturday morning, instead of walking down to the Quidditch pitch with Jenny, I walked, invisible, towards Snape's office to witness the berating of Potter.

"What are you doing here?" Snape asked, surprised, "Shouldn't you be at the game? It's the last one of the season."

"Hearing you belittle Harry Potter is more fun," I replied lightly. He smirked and laughed quietly. I sat down in the chair in front of his desk, invisible. Potter knocked on the door a few minutes later.

"Ah, Potter," said Snape when he entered, "Mr. Filch has been looking for someone to clear out these old files," said Snape softly, "They are the records of other Hogwarts wrongdoers and their punishments. Where the ink has grown faint, or the cards have suffered damage from mice, we would like you to copy out the crimes and punishments afresh and, making sure that they are in alphabetical order, replace them in the boxes. You will not use magic."

"Right, Professor," Potter replied, his voice full of contempt.

"I thought you could start," said Snape with a malicious smile that chilled me in a non-entirely unpleasant way, "with boxes 1012 to 1056. You will find some familiar names in there, which should add interest to the task. Here, you see…"

Snape reached into one of the boxes and showed Potter a card.

"'James Potter and Sirius Black. Apprehended using an illegal hex upon Bertram Aubrey. Aubrey's head twice normal size. Double Detention.'," Snape read aloud with a sneer, "It must be such a comfort to think that, though they are gone, a record of their great achievements remains…"

Potter said nothing, but began to do the cards, his emotions boiling.

Are there any with Mother's name on them? I asked curiously.

"Few, if any. Julia rarely got caught doing anything wrong," Snape replied.

As it turned out, Gryffindor won the Quidditch match. The very next day I heard word that Harry Potter was now dating Ginny Weasley. The sight of the two of them together made me a little nauseous, thinking of James Potter and Lily Evans, so if I saw them coming down a corridor together, I turned and went the opposite way. I told Snape as soon as I found out and he began to torment Potter during Saturday detentions.

"It sure is a shame you're missing all this fair weather," Snape said tauntingly as Potter filled out note cards, "all the opportunities…"

Potter simply grit his teeth, turning a bright shade of red, and continued to work.

I am so weird, I thought to myself as something ironic occurred to me.

"And you're just now figuring this out?" Snape asked sarcastically, teasingly.

It's just that- I'd rather sit in a dark dungeon, brewing Potions that to be outside taking advantage of the fair weather.

"Sitting in a dark dungeon brewing Potions has some good opportunities, too," he replied, smiling at me.

The next few weeks passed without anything of interest happening. Draco looked increasingly worse so I worried increasingly less. One evening, Snape and I were working in the Room of Requirement when there came a knock on the door. Alarmed, I peered out the peep hole that so conveniently appeared in the door. I found myself looking into the vibrant blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. I opened the door uncertainly.

"Ah, Severus- I had a hunch you would be here. I only have a moment- I wanted to tell you I'm leaving the castle tonight, and to be on your guard. There's a touch of destiny in the air tonight," Dumbledore said quickly. If he noticed the bed in the corner of the room, he gave no sign.

"Okay," Snape said, sounding slightly puzzled.

"Also, I suggest you return to your rooms tonight… in case something goes amiss and you need to be reached. And Abby, you should return to your dormitory as well-"

"But sir… if something goes amiss, oughtn't I need to be near Severus?" I interrupted half-heartedly. Dumbledore looked thoughtful a moment.

"Yes, you're right…but stay well hidden. Your Disillusionment Charm is impeccable," he said. He left quickly after that and I turned to Snape, grinning triumphantly.

"I just got permission from the headmaster to stay in your room tonight," I said.

"I'm impressed," he said, inclining his head, "I wonder what he means by 'a touch of destiny'?"

"Who knows? It's Dumbledore, isn't it?"

We sat up in his office for a while. I stayed invisible, as Dumbledore had ordered, but I pulled my chair up beside Snape so I could sit beside him while I helped grade papers. It was getting late when all of a sudden a frantic Professor Flitwick burst into Snape's office, shouting that there were Death Eaters in the castle. Snape and I glanced at each other. Within seconds he had his wand out and had stupefied Flitwick.

"Stay hidden," he said quietly, his face deathly pale, "And for God's sake be careful…"

"I'll be fine. Do what you have to do," I said softly. I followed him out silently, my wand drawn. Right outside his office we ran into Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. Snape handled the situation better than I would have- I would've just stupefied them.

"Professor Flitwick collapsed," Snape said to them, "Go attend to him while I help fight."

The frightened girls obeyed without question.

I had to run to keep up with Snape. He ran up the stairs. It didn't take long to find where the fighting was. It was dark and curses were flying everywhere. I could hear Greyback snarling somewhere close by. Someone- one of the Death Eaters- ran up the stairs and blocked it with some sort of curse. Neville Longbottom tried to run through the barrier but got thrown back.

"The Dark Mark will get us through," Snape informed me quickly as he blasted spells. He was right- we passed through the barrier with ease. At the last moment I spotted Lupin trying to follow us up the stairs, but he was thrown back like Longbottom. I winced slightly, but followed Snape, as I knew I must.

Snape was faster than me and I lost him on the stairs. When I reached the top, I found Snape, Draco, and four other Death Eaters surrounding Dumbledore. Draco looked like he wanted to puke. Snape was staring at Dumbledore with hatred etched into every line of his face. Only I could sense his true feelings- uncertainty and fear.

"We've got a problem, Snape," said a lumpy wizard, "the boy doesn't seem able-"

"Severus…" said a quiet voice that startled me. It was Dumbledore. He sounded feeble, weak, pleading. Snape walked forward, pushing Draco out of the way roughly. The Death Eaters fell back obediently without speaking. Snape gazed at Dumbledore with revulsion and hatred etched on his face.

"Severus…please…" said Dumbledore. A cold chill filled me as Snape lifted his wand and pointed it straight at Dumbledore.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A jet of green light shot out of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore directly in the chest, blasting him into the air and out of sight.

"Out of here, quickly," said Snape to the Death Eaters. He grabbed Draco by the scruff of his neck and forced him ahead of him. The Death Eaters followed. I fell behind, unable to run as fast as them. We went back down he stair and into the heart of the battle. Over the noise of the battle I heard Snape shout to the Death Eaters, "It's over, time to go!"

Spells were still being fired as I chased after Snape and Draco. I was dodging as best as I could, but I had a feeling I'd be hit soon if I didn't get out of the altercation. I followed them out onto the Hogwarts Grounds where I immediately transformed into a tiger so I could catch up with Snape.

I was hit suddenly by a stray jinx that had been fired by Potter, who was chasing after Snape and Draco. I went crashing to the ground and in that second my Disillusionment Charm failed me and I became visible again. I didn't care about that anymore. Potter and Snape were now engaged in a dual. I dragged myself to my feet and morphed back into a human so I could reapply my Disillusionment Charm.

"No, Potter!" Snape screamed. There was a loud BANG and I looked up to see Potter soaring backwards. He landed hard on the ground, wandless. Snape closed in.

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them- I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don't think so…no!" Snape said, face livid. Potter had dived for his wand, which Snape shot a hex at and caused it to fly way out of reach.

"Kill me then," panted Potter, his voice filled with contempt, "Kill me like you killed him, you coward-"

"DON'T-" Snape screamed, sounding inhuman, "CALL ME A COWARD!"

Snape hit him with a hex in the face, causing him to be slammed backwards into the ground. A rush of wings made me look up as a Hippogriff flew straight at Snape, who stepped backwards as it slashed at him. I raised my wand.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, waving it at the Hippogriff, "Stupefy!"

The spells hit it dead on, but had no effect. I thought frantically.

"Confundus," I shouted. This charm hit the Hippogriff, confusing it, and giving Snape enough time to run. I ran after him, holding my wand close. He was merely feet away now. He stopped just outside the gate and finally opened his mind to me.

"You all here, Abigail?" he asked me.

Yes, I replied. He extended his arm discreetly. As the others Disapparated around us, we looked back at the castle. The Dark Mark was set over one of the towers, where Dumbledore's body had been thrown. Snape took my hand and squeezed it. Then we Disapparated.

When we appeared, we were outside of Malfoy Manor. I removed my Disillusionment Charm. The Death Eaters were exuberant at our success in killing Dumbledore. The Dark Lord, though not as open as the rest of us, looked pleased.

"What're we going to do now?" I asked quietly.

"It's best if we don't return to the house for a few days. I'm not sure how many people know where I- where we- live," Snape replied.

"What are we-" I started, but was interrupted by the Dark Lord approaching.

"Well done, Severus," the Dark Lord said, "And Abby. What will you do now?"

"We were just discussing that, my lord," Snape said to him, "I think it's best if we don't return home for a while. Tomorrow we can find somewhere more permanent, but tonight…I'm not sure where we should go."

"How about the Leaky Cauldron?" I suggested.

"We wouldn't be welcome. Word will have reached their ears what happened at Hogwarts. It's too risky," Snape replied.

"Well I don't see you coming up with any ideas," I said, slightly annoyed.

"Hm…don't you have a sister?"

This caught me off guard.

"Yeah…a half-sister…but…Mary and I don't really talk…"

"But you know where she lives, don't you?"

"Well…yeah. I suppose we can go see Mary," I muttered.

"All settled then," said the Dark Lord and he turned and walked towards the house.

"Let's go. It's only for tonight," Snape assured me, "We'll find something more permanent tomorrow."

I inclined my head.

We Apparated together outside of a brick apartment complex. I looked up at the looming building and sighed. Snape took my hand and we walked in together.

"I'm pretty sure it's number 3," I murmured as we walked up the stairs. Snape knocked on the door for me. A few minutes assed before my sister opened the door. Another minute passed before recognition lit up her face.

"Abby! I haven't seen you in ages!" she exclaimed, hugging me, "…and the things I've heard…"

"Can we…come in?" I asked timidly.

"Of course!"

Mary moved aside and led us into a small sitting room. She picked up her wand from the coffee table and made a fire in the fireplace. She sat in an armchair and Snape and I sat on a rather comfortable couch across from her.

"Is it true you're a Death Eater now?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Well…yeah."

"And did you really kill Dumbledore?" she asked, looking at Snape.

"Uhm…"

Snape looked at me a little helplessly and, for the first time, I saw the pain in his eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah he did," I said, "And now we need some place to stay for the night. We'll be finding someplace more permanent tomorrow, but for tonight…"

"Of course you can stay here! I couldn't turn my own sister out," she said, eyes gleaming, "I'm afraid I only have one spare room…"

"We'll make do," I assured her, "Thanks sis."

"No problem."

The room Mary had for us was a small one. There was a small bed barely big enough for two. The rest of the room was crammed full of books. I browsed through the books a moment before sitting down on the edge of the bed, feeling ill.

"What's wrong, Abigail?" Snape asked me.

"The, uh…these books…came from Mother's bookstore," I said quietly. He didn't say anything but put his arms around me and kissed my forehead. We sat like that a moment and I felt his defenses go down slowly. As he reflected over the night's events, the pain emanating from him was great.

"…I killed my best friend," he said quietly.

"Severus…you mustn't think like that. Dumbledore wanted you to do it," I said gently, "You saved him a great deal of pain and humiliation…"

He didn't say anything, but kissed my forehead again before laying down. I lay down beside him.

Neither of us spoke for a while. Words weren't really needed. We lay there for a long time, but I couldn't sleep. I suppose he couldn't either because he kept shifting around and sighing. Finally I lifted my head to look at him.

"What's wrong?" I inquired.

"Oh…nothing. I'm just…thinking."

"What about?"

A few moments passed before he answered.

"Well…I …I love you."

He averted my gaze. I was momentarily speechless.

"You're, uh…just now figuring this out, huh?" I asked lightly.

"No… I suppose I've known it for a while now. This is just the first time I've ever said that aloud to anyone besides… besides Lily. …I still love her, but…"

"If you can't have her, you can have the next best thing."

"Which is?"

"…Someone who loves her as much as you do."

Snape was silent a moment, staring into my eyes. Then he smiled and kissed me passionately.

"I love you," he repeated. I chuckled quietly as he repeated it three more times. I pinned him to the bed and kissed his lips.

"I love you, too," I said, still chuckling, "Only I've known it longer."

"Hmph," he said with a faint smile.

Early the next morning we disentangled ourselves and went into Mary's sitting room. She smirked knowingly when she saw us.

"I was thinking we could go abroad," Snape said to me, "I doubt the Dark Lord would mind. Just for a few months, until things get settled down and the Dark Lord gains his influence at the Ministry."

"So it'd be like a vacation?" I said interestedly.

"Well, we'd still have to Apparate back if the Mark burned, but yes, I suppose it would be like a vacation."

"I want to go to America," I said quickly.

"O…kay. I guess we could go to America."

"Cool," I replied, thrilled.

"Well don't be a stranger. Write me sometime," Mary said as she walked us to the door, "I want to hear all about America."

"I will," I promised, though I knew I probably wouldn't.

"Bye Abby," she said, then added with a smirk, "Bye Severus."

I scowled slightly at her, then smiled. Let her think what she wanted to think.

Outside of Mary's apartment, the sun was shining brightly. Snape laced his fingers in mine and smiled at me.

"So, do you want to just Apparate or-"

"I want to fly. It's too far a distance to Apparate," I said certainly.

"It's too far a distance to fly," he pointed out.

"Not if we stop occasionally," I replied, "We could stay in hotel rooms…"

"Okay," he agreed quickly, "I'll conjure us up some broomsticks from the house."

Snape led me behind an old building so no one would see us. He waved his wand and two broomsticks appeared.

"We'll have to stay above the clouds once the sun comes up. We'll be good for a while- it's still dark out- but better safe than sorry," Snape said, swinging one leg over the handle of the broomstick. I climbed onto my broomstick as well. Soon we were flying above the clouds, unseen by the Muggles below who were just starting to wake.

"Oh," I said after we had been flying for about ten minutes, "I just realized- all my stuff is at Hogwarts still…my clothes, my owl…"

"It's too risky to go back now…perhaps they'll be put somewhere safe? We can always buy you new things in America."

"Will we ever be able to return to Hogwarts?"

"Of course. Dumbledore wanted me to return to look after the children. I expect I'll be made headmaster, after the Dark Lord gains control of the Ministry."

"That sounds like it could be fun," I said, grinning.

"No, it sounds tedious and irritating. I hate children. I don't want to spend my days worrying about children," he replied.

"If you hate children, why did you become a teacher?"

"I became a teacher because it was convenient."

I rolled my eyes.

We flew for the rest of the day. We talked some, but mostly we stayed silent. I would have enjoyed most of the flight, had I not gotten soaked by a rain cloud early in the journey. Plus once it started to get dark, it started to rain. When we stopped for the night I was grateful, even though our 'hotel room' was a small, old countryside inn.

"Unless you feel like flying some more, looking for somewhere else?" Snape said when I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not particularly."

At least it was near the beach- after a day of flying, we had reached the ocean. I hoped maybe I could go swimming later for the rain showed signs of ceasing.

We rented a room from the old lady innkeeper who looked disdainfully upon us as she handed us a key.

"What's her problem?" I said once we left the office.

"She looks down on our…relationship," Snape replied awkwardly, "Most people would agree I am too old for you."

"People should mind their own business," I muttered darkly, "You aren't old."

He looked as if he would argue the point but then decided it wasn't worth it.

The room wasn't too bad. There was a bathroom with a shower, which I hadn't expected, and a fluffy queen-sized bed.

"Dibs on the first shower," I said, jumping into the bathroom and locking the door. I would have invited him in, but I actually wanted to get clean. I stripped off my wet clothes and turned the water on hot. I waited for the water to get warm before stepping under. It felt wonderful after a day of flying.

I washed with the lavender-scented soap the hotel had. It wasn't too bad and it made my skin really soft. I had no desire to put back on my wet clothes, which I draped over the shower rod, so when I emerged from the bathroom I was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around myself. Snape stared at me and I blushed faintly.

"You can have the bathroom now, Severus," I said quietly. He walked wordlessly into the bathroom, his eyes on me until he shut the door.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around the room. I heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. My eyes found the door and I remembered the beach I had seen earlier. Surely no one would be out there at this hour? I went to the door and went out noiselessly.

The rain had stopped and I made my way down to the beach by moonlight. The damp sand felt especially good on my bare feet. I waded out into the water for a while, then went back to the shore. I walked down the beach for about five minutes before stopping. There I unwrapped the towel from around myself and laid it out on the sand. Then I headed out into the water for a swim.

A short while later I saw a light coming up on the beach. I quickly morphed into tiger form and sat quietly in the water.

"Abigail?" said Snape's voice. As he got closer I could see he had his wand out- the light I had seen was him using Lumos. I swam towards the shore and as soon as my paws touched the sand I morphed back into human form. I grinned as Snape averted his eyes.

"I brought you your clothes," he said without looking at me, "and your wand. I dried the clothes with a spell. I can't believe you left the hotel room wandless, alone, and naked. For God's sake, Abigail, you're a seventeen-year-old girl."

"No, Severus, I happen to be a seventeen-year-old Animagus. I morphed as soon as I saw someone coming."

He said nothing but held out the arm which held my clothes, still not looking at me. I put on only my bra and underwear. I tossed the rest of the clothes on the sand and headed back out into the water.

"What're you doing?" Snape called after me, finally looking at me.

"Going for a swim. You could join me."

"I think I'd rather not. I'll sit here," he said, and sat down on the towel.

"Enjoying the show?" I asked him after I had been swimming for a few minutes. Even from my spot in the ocean I could see him blush by the light of the moon.

"I'm only here to make sure you don't meet up with trouble," he called out to me.

"Right," I said, smirking.

When I finished my swim and climbed out of the water, dripping wet and barely covered, Snape covered his eyes with his hands.

"You're going to give me a stroke," he said to me. Chuckling quietly, I knelt in front of him and pushed his hands to the side. I touched his face gently and kissed him.

"Ever had sex on the beach?" I whispered. He blushed and swallowed.

"No, I can honestly say I haven't," he replied.

"Well you're going to," I said, grinning.

It was late when we returned to the inn, past midnight, and we hopped into the shower together to rid ourselves of the sand from the beach. When we finished our shower we lay down on the bed, exhausted. I snuggled up close to him and fell asleep almost instantly.

The next morning we awoke early and started flying again. Flying over the ocean was rather unnerving, but at least there was no need to stay above the clouds. The sun was shining brightly and I found great pleasure in flying just above the water, letting my feet skim the ocean.

Towards noon I started to think we'd be flying all night when all of a sudden, an island appeared on the horizon.

"We'll rest there for the night," Snape said, heading towards it. We flew around the island first to check it out. It was a small island, only three miles wide and four miles long.

"Doesn't look as if anyone lives here," Snape said as we landed on the beach.

"Hm. A deserted island," I said, smiling, "Sounds fun."

The first thing we did was make a shelter. It wasn't too hard- we just used our wands to make a simple cabin-type shelter.

"What're we going to do about food?" I wondered aloud as Snape made a fire in the fireplace of our magical home.

"I'm sure we can find some fruit or something. After we get it we can transfigure it into whatever we want."

"That actually works?"

"Well, you lose a little bit of flavor that way, but yes."

We explored the little bit of woods around our shelter. We found a few banana trees with bananas on them. We didn't see any wild animals besides myself- I was in tiger form- and we eventually came upon a wide river. The water was flowing slowly and a few quick laps told me it was salt water.

"From the ocean," Snape said, "I wouldn't be surprised if this river cut across the whole island."

We took the bananas we had found and went back to our shelter. We sat down at the table and Snape transfigured the bananas into ham and potatoes, like what we would normally have for dinner at Hogwarts.

"Are there Wizarding schools in America?" I asked curiously.

"Yes. There are three major Wizarding schools in America- one in California, one in Florida, and one in Wyoming. Wizards and Witches in America start training even younger than we do- they start school at age 6."

"Why don't we start school that early?"

"The Ministry of Magic decided that 11 was the appropriate age for a child to start learning to control their magic. I imagine the schools in America have a lot more magical accidents with their younger students."

"Don't they have a Ministry of Magic in America?" I inquired.

"No. They have some sort of presidency," Snape replied, rolling his eyes, "But we're not going to worry about them. Best not to alert any authorities to our presence in America."

"Have you ever been?"

"To America? Once, when I was young…" he murmured, then took a deep breath, "Lily and I went one summer. There was music playing and everyone was dancing…"

"I remember!" I exclaimed, "Well, I mean…I dreamt it… a long time ago. My third year, I think. I didn't know that was in America."

"It was," he said with a sad sort of smile.

"What's America like? Besides music-y and dancing?" I inquired.

"Big," he said after a moment of thought, "There are skyscrapers and all kinds of strange buildings. There's all kinds of food and the clothes are bizarre… I think you'll like America."

That night I dreamt of America. I dreamt of tall buildings and crowds of people. We stayed on our little island for three days, exploring, and enjoying each others company. I felt like I could have stayed there forever with him. There was no one there to judge us or look disdainfully on us. There was no Dark Lord and there was no Dumbledore. However, after three amazing days, we decided to leave.

"I'm getting tired of wearing the same clothes," I complained as we were flying over the ocean, "When are we going to reach America?"

"By tonight I should think," he replied, "We may have to fly a bit in the dark, but it won't be too much longer."

"I kind of wish we could've stayed longer," I said mournfully, looking back over my shoulder at our little island which was fading in the distance.

"America will be much more fun," Snape assured me, "Which part of America do you want to go to? It's a rather large country."

"I dunno…"

"Well would you rather go to the city or the country?"

"City."

"New York sound good to you?"

I nodded my head.

We didn't reach America until almost midnight, but the city lights were so bright they made it look like daytime. Snape and I walked hand in hand down the streets. I looked around in awe at the busy city.

"We should probably try and find a hotel-" Snape started to say, but I cut him off with a swift kiss.

"Forget the hotel, for now. We're in New York, at night- it's practically daytime. I'm not tired-"

"Nor am I," he added quickly.

"-But I am hungry. Why don't we go eat somewhere?" I suggested.

"I like that idea."

We continued walking until we came upon a small pizza place. It was crowded with Muggles. We followed a skimpily-dressed waitress to a booth in the back. Snape sat beside me, rather than across from me, and held my hand under the table until the pizza came.

"The waitress is very pretty," Snape said inside my head when he noticed my gaze lingered on her a little longer than it should have. I blushed and grinned guiltily.

"No harm in looking," I whispered, "You aren't jealous, are you?"

"Not at all. I wouldn't be jealous of a girl."

"Why not?"

"Well if it was a guy I'd wonder- what does he possess that I do not? But if it's a girl, I'd know," he replied with a grin. I laughed and shook my head.

After we finished eating, we left the pizzeria. Out on the street I suggested that he go find us a hotel room while I explored the city on my own.

"I dunno, Abigail," Snape replied hesitantly, "… You're a seventeen year old girl, you shouldn't be walking around the city alone, at night…it's dangerous."

"Dangerous? More dangerous than being a spy? More dangerous than illegally entering America? Besides- I'm not a seventeen-year-old girl…I'm a seventeen-year-old witch. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Well…" he said uncertainly, "Alright, I guess. But if you have to curse someone, be sure you use a Memory Charm."

"Yes sir," I said, snapping him a mock salute.

"Smart aleck," he said with a smirk.

My first stop was, of course, the mall to buy clothes. Snape had given me American money before he departed. I spent three hours at the mall. I had just finished my clothes shopping when I felt Snape prod my mind.

"Abigail, what on Earth is taking you so long?"

I'm shopping. I happen to be a girl and I need clothes, I thought in response.

"It takes you two hours to find clothes?"

Oh bug off, I said, smiling, I'll be done soon.

"I'm at the Hilton. Room 22B," he informed me.

I'll be there soon, I promised, then severed the connection. I had just spied a hair salon where a number of Muggle women were having their hair done. This gave me an idea. I headed into the salon, praying that Snape would like it…

A little over an hour later I took a deep breath an opened the door to room 22B. Snape was stretched out on the bed, flipping through the Muggle channels on the television. He glanced at me when I entered, then froze.

"Your hair's red," he stated.

"Yep."

"You bought a lot of clothes," he commented, nodding at the numerous bags in my hands.

"Yep. Wanna see?"

He shrugged, then inclined his head. Grinning, I ducked into the bathroom, which was huge and even had a Jacuzzi.

I changed into one of the outfits I had bought at the mall: skin tight black jeans and a short-sleeved baby blue top that was cut low- really low. I stepped out of the bathroom. Snape observed me from where he lay on the couch.

"Cute," he said simply. I scoffed and shook my head, smiling.

"I was going for sexy."

"Try again."

Smirking, I stepped back into the bathroom. I emerged seconds later with a skirt so short it would be banned at Hogwarts- it'd probably give Filch a heart attack.

"Much better," Snape said approvingly. I walked over to the bed and kissed him.

"You're going to need Muggle clothes too," I said to him. He grimaced.

"Americans don't care," he insisted.

"Humor me."

"…Fine. Now you can wait in the hotel room while I go clothes shopping- and I won't take three hours," he said with a faint smile.

After Snape left the room, I lay down on the bed. I half-watched the television, which he'd left on something called Animal Planet. As I watched some program where mice lived inside of fresh-baked bread, I imagined Snape clothes shopping. The thought was laughable. I wondered if he'd ask for help from one of the Muggle assistants?

The show with the mice went off and another show came on where I saw alligators having sex. I grimaced and turned the TV off. At that moment the door opened and I turned to face Snape eagerly.

He was wearing black slacks and a black cashmere sweater.

"Look at you," I said, beaming, "That's adorable."

"I feel like an idiot," he muttered, blushing.

"It looks good," I assured him, getting up and walking over to him for a better look.

I inhaled.

"Cologne?" I asked him, grinning.

"Some woman at a counter sprayed me," he said, blushing even harder, "You really like it?"

"I love it," I said, "You look so American."

He smiled and pulled me to him for a kiss.

"You didn't tell me if you liked my hair or not," I said breathlessly when he finished kissing me.

"It's different…but I do like it," he said, kissing me on top of the head, "…Your hair smells like chemicals. You could've just used a color-changing charm."

"I didn't think of that," I admitted, "but I'd rather do it the Muggle way. They're quite interesting these Americans- and a little disturbing. You'll never believe what I saw on Animal Planet."

"I'm not sure I want to know," he replied, grimacing.

Then he smiled and kissed me again. Things were just starting to get interesting when my arm seared with pain. Snape and I both let out a startled cry and broke apart.

"Hm," I said, frowning at the Mark on my arm, "Can we even Apparate that far?"

"Yes, but please do Side-Along with me- I think it's too risky for someone so inexperienced."

"Alright then, let's go-"

"No, wait. At least change back into the jeans," he said, gesturing towards the bathroom.

"Why?" I asked as I changed.

"You want the Dark Lord to see you in that skirt?" he replied, "He'd kill me!"

"Good point. Alright," I said, coming out of the bathroom, "Let's go."

Snape held out his arm and I took it.

We appeared on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Three others soon appeared beside us. Bellatrix Lestrange was one of the three.

"Where've you two been?" she asked curiously, looking at Snape with contempt.

"Perhaps you should mind your own business, Bella," Snape replied, sneering.

"Enough," I said, frowning, "Both of you. We've been in hiding, Bellatrix. In case you haven't noticed, Severus is on the top of the Ministry's Most Wanted list."

"Not for much longer," said Yaxley who had appeared a short ways away, "We have several people stationed within the Ministry now."

"Have you gotten close to the Minister?" Snape asked curiously.

"Well, no…but it won't be long," he replied hastily, glancing at me fearfully.

Ha. I invoke fear in my father's Death Eaters, I thought to myself, grinning wickedly. Snape caught my eye and half-smiled as we made our way into Malfoy Manor.

The Dark Lord was seated at the head of a long table. A number of fellow Death Eaters were seated at the table, along with Lucius Malfoy whose normally pale skin was waxen yellow. He was staring down at the table, not daring to meet anyone's eye. I assumed he and some of he others had been rescued from Azkaban. Lucius did not look as if his time there had been pleasant.

When everyone was seated, the Dark Lord spoke. He questioned Yaxley about the Ministry and a number of others. Then he turned to Snape.

"Do you have any contacts left within the Order?" the Dark Lord asked him.

"I…believe so, yes," Snape said, inclining his head.

"Where Harry Potter is now, I cannot touch him, until he turns seventeen. I suspect the Order plans to move him from his aunt and uncle's house and I need you to find out when."

"Of course, my lord."

When we left Malfoy Manor we walked a little ways down the road, so we could talk before we Disapparated.

"You have contacts left within the Order?" I said dubiously.

"Not…exactly… I'm sort of winging it."

He ran his hands through his hair, looking exasperated, and swore.

"I need Dumbledore. I can't do it on my own," he murmured.

"You aren't on your own. You have me."

"…What about- dare I say- the werewolf? He might still talk to you."

My heart constricted painfully.

"I'm not so sure about that. He'll believe Potter about you killing Dumbledore and he'll know that my loyalties lie with you…"

"You can at least try. What's the worst that could happen?"

"He could kill me," I said dryly, "He could hold me hostage. He knows I'm the Dark Lord's daughter."

Snape winced.

"Lupin wouldn't do any of those things. …I won't force you to go if you don't want to, though."

"I'll do it," I sighed, "I've got to do my part. Where do you suppose he'll be? Headquarters?"

"They'll have no doubt vacated Headquarters. I think, if you concentrate on Lupin, you'll be able to Apparate wherever he is."

"I'll give it a shot."

"I'll wait for you at the Leaky Cauldron. I need to go to Diagon Alley anyway. I'll be in disguise."

"I'll find you. If I'm not back in an hour, come look for me."

Snape inclined his head. He glanced around quickly before kissing me swiftly.

"Be safe," he murmured.

"You too."

He Disapparated first, leaving me standing alone in the dark of the night. I took a deep breath and Disapparated.

I appeared in a dark alley, right on top of a figure that I couldn't see.

"Who's there?" said a voice. I looked up to see a woman with bubblegum-pink hair standing over me with her wand pointed at me.

"Get off him," she commanded. I scrambled off of the figure, which was Lupin.

"Abby! You shouldn't be here…" Lupin said slowly.

"Not…not Snape's Abby?" said the woman, aghast. She pointed her wand at my throat.

"Easy, Tonks," Lupin said, reaching out and lowering her wand, "Abby, why are you here? After what happened?"

"I…It's not…It's difficult to explain. I'm not one of the bad guys," I stammered.

"Abby, I have no way of knowing that for certain. I can't trust you, not after what Severus did…" Lupin said to me. He sounded weary.

"But Moony, you can trust me!"

"Severus killed Dumbledore, Abby!" he said loudly, "…If you want me to trust you, leave him and join our side."

My heart constricted painfully and tears filled my eyes. I looked down so he wouldn't see.

"I can't do that, Moony," I said quietly.

"Then you need to leave…and you can't come back. If you come back…"

He didn't have to finish. I nodded my head. I prepared to Disapparate, but paused, my eyes on his left hand- specifically, the golden band on his ring finger.

"You got married," I said.

"Engaged," Lupin said reluctantly. I glanced at Tonks, who certainly looked more cheerful than the few times I had seen her before. I forced a smile.

"Well, I'm happy for you," I murmured. Then I Disapparated with a pop.

I appeared on the Muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron.

You in there, Sev? I asked with my mind, feeling miserable.

"Yes. I'll come out," came the reply. A few moments later the door opened and a hooded figure walked out. I could tell it was Snape only because he still wore the Muggle clothes. He had used his wand to alter his appearance so he wouldn't be recognized. We left the main street and went off into one of the dark alleys, there he fixed his appearance.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sensing my misery. I just shook my head.

"What did Lupin say?" he prodded.

"That I can't come back. He doesn't trust me. …Can we just go back to the hotel now?" I said pleadingly. Snape inclined his head and extended his arm. I took it, clinging to him through the dark, compressed feeling of Apparating which lasted longer than usual because of the distance. I didn't let go of him until we were back in the hotel room in America. I swayed on my feet for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It does make one dizzy to Apparate over great distances," Snape said, also sitting down.

I sat there a moment then stood up.

"I'm going to take a shower. It's late and I'm exhausted. I just want to go to sleep," I said quietly. Snape nodded wordlessly and watched me go into the bathroom and shut the door.

I showered quickly, not really thinking about it. What happened with Moony hurt me more than I expected. I climbed out of the shower, toweled off, and dressed in my new Muggle pajamas- the bottoms were soft and dark grey and the top was a new forest-green tank top.

Snape was already half-asleep when I came out of the bathroom. I crawled into bed and snuggled close to him. He kissed me on the forehead.

"I'm sorry you're sad," he murmured sleepily, "I shouldn't have made you go see Lupin."

"Don't worry about it," I told him, "It…It would have happened eventually."

"I'm sorry," he said again, then he fell asleep. I sighed and closed my eyes. Eventually I drifted off into an uneasy sleep…

Author's Note:

Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to update. Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad there are people who like my writing enough to read this extremely long fanfic and stick with it. Thanks you guys! Next Chapter is the last, so hang in there! J

~TheVampyre13