D/C # 1 – Non Con, Mpreg. Angst and unhappiness abounds. Not my characters that I'm abusing. Gratuitous uses of goats in this chapter, but no charms were used against any underage goats during the creation of this chapter.

A/N # 1 - Thanks to Linze and Excessively Perky for ideas and suggestions.

While Severus' exhausted body was drifting off to sleep, his mind was busy reliving his day.

He promises to protect us.

But I heard his unspoken threat and I know that you did. I must do everything that he wants me to do, willingly and without complaint, as he was furious about my lack of faith in him. No matter how I fear that I will drown, I have to let him be in charge. If I do that, he'll care for us, protect us, and keep us safe. I'm terrified of him but it's the only way you'll survive.

Once I'm in his bed, and regularly servicing the Head Master, perhaps he'll loosen my leash. He's promised me access to his library, and I need to research a way to prevent the Head Master from needlessly weakening himself. I am the Dark Lord's weapon, created in order to weaken and destroy the Head Master but the Dark Lord has made a very foolish mistake. By Compelling me to love you with every ounce of my being, I have no choice but to do everything I can to ensure that the Head Master lives so you can grown up under his protection. I'm not really essential after you're born; I am only required to survive the next seven or so months.

Fool, the Dark Lord didn't need to waste the energy to Compel me to love you. I would have done anything to ensure that you were safe, but now he's given me leeway so I can wiggle and juggle his various commands. I'm not to tell the Head Master the truth, yet I must tell him the truth so you can live.

Yet when I've tried to tell the Head Master, my tongue is stilled by the Dark Lord's magic. I have to struggle harder… but I will… I will…

Tomorrow when the Head Master barges in here, he'll have the date set for our Bonding, and I can start working toward my goal of warming his bed. Perhaps, tomorrow, I will hesitantly plead with the Head Master to sit next to me in bed and put his arm around me? I will fearfully shy away from his touch, yet I will shyly beg him to keep his arm around me. I must to begin his seduction slowly, perhaps when he leaves; I can place a timid schoolboy kiss on his cheek, so when we are once again intimate, the Head Master will believe that he is fulfilling my wary desires. After the first time I pleasure him, the Head Master will no longer concern himself about my fears. He'll be focused completely on his needs that I will supposedly delightedly succor.

Severus knew that his dreams would be jam-packed with nightmares of an angry, abusive Albus, but it matter not at all to him.

The Dark Lord didn't need to Compel me to love you either, Albus.I'd willingly endure your abuse because I accept that I am intrinsically unworthy of your love. I know that I am only worthy of your exploitation. But I would rather be used and consumed by you than loved by another. Just… please… don't cast me aside. Not until after she's born.

Not now, not after you promised me that I was your Severus, and that you'd protect us. I didn't want to believe you… I didn't… for I know what your promises are worth… yet… I am so weak. To protect her, I have to trust you.

Please, I beg you. Don't break your promise to me.

And when he dreamed of the Head Master roughly pushing a fourteen year old Severus onto the Head Master's large bed, Severus continued to smile. For Severus drew comfort from the unmistakable fact that he would willingly endure the unendurable in order to save the sprog. His body was a form of currency after all, and therefore, Severus would use it.

"How do I inform him that the Bonding is off?" Minerva questioned Albus.

"The simple truth is probably best," Albus assured her. "Tell Severus that after a great many applications of your Beater bat to my thick skull, I finally realized that I was forcing him to accede to my wishes. My intentions were well meant, but still forced upon him. In this case, I do not know best. When he is stronger, the two of us will discuss all the available options and he will make the decision. You will naturally sit in during our discussions to ensure that I behave."

Minerva sat back in her chair, and deliberately and yes, mockingly. she opened her mouth in a big "O" of fake surprise. In response to her joke, Albus merely snorted.

"Mock me, will you? When I'm being sincere and humble? No wonder I don't endeavor to be humble more often," Albus huffed. In a far more serious timbre, Albus continued, "Anything he needs…"

"I'll inform you." Minerva assured him.

"Will you keep me informed regarding his precarious health? If he begins to fail, time will be of the essence in order for me to finalize our Bond."

"Naturally, but Poppy believes that he has several months before the bairn begins to adversely affect his health."

Albus' response wasn't repeatable in polite company, and a sympathetic Min nodded her head.

"I agreed with that comment and told Poppy such. She explained that his current health crisis is mainly due to his extended torture sessions. It's not because of the Paters spell. Paters Gignere Ingeniter is really a very crafty spell as its main goal is to produce a viable, healthy child, and that won't happen if you kill the incubator within the first few months," Minerva paused and then slowly added. "It's just after the baby reaches a viable state that the incubator can die."

When Severus woke, he was bleary and wool-headed. Nightmares had disrupted his sleep for most of the night, but he was still quite stunned when he realized that it was almost two in the afternoon.

Odd, that the Head Master didn't wake me when he visited. If he's teaching Filius' classes today, your father had the hour before lunch free. There is no doubt in my mind that he was here to inform me when we'd be bonded. Don't you worry; he'll be back shortly as he is a relentless meddler.

I hope our Bonding is soon, so you'll be safe. He'll grow to love you as much as I do.

Severus closed his eyes, and he cursed the fact that he was a Potions Master. His stump was aflame in agony and he knew too much regarding Poppy's current arsenal of pain potions to request anything that might ease his pain. Too much narcotics would adversely affect the sprog, and therefore he'd have to endure the pain.

I do this for you.

And so the days and nights of Severus Snape continued; his living was full of pain and nightmares, and the rare, welcome disturbances of the occasional visitor.

Minerva was visiting and her keen eyes noticed the small dish of candy that was on his chest of drawers. Severus had requested that a House Elf fill it with the Head Master's favorites, lemon drops, sherbert lemons and peppermint humbugs. Obsessively, every time he woke, he counted the candies to see if the Head Master had stopped by to visit him. If the Head Master had stopped by to visit, there was no doubt in Severus' mind that he'd indulge in a sweet.

He had his uneasy doubts that the Head Master was actually visiting him. Yes, Severus had been sleeping for most of the last two weeks, but it was odd… that the Head Master hadn't accidentally woken him at least once. Filius, Horace and Minerva had visited, he knew, but he didn't remember Albus visiting.

The last few times he had compulsively counted the candies, there had been eight of each. Once there had been only seven of the peppermint humbugs, but after his burst of wild euphoria had faded, he had remembered that he had offered a scrikey Millicent Bullstrode sweets during one of her visits. She had taken the peppermint humbug, not the Head Master.

Yes, many of his former Slytherins had taken it upon themselves to visit him, usually for only a short time thankfully due to Poppy's strict rules on visiting the unwell. Milicent had been one of his more frequent visitors, and he had been surprised to find her a quiet visitor. Well, except for the day she had wept.

Yes… his Slytherins were visiting him. Even Draco had sat with him once, and the boy had said nothing during his entire hour long visit. Draco had just tightly held his hand while Severus had bit his lip hard to prevent himself from screaming obscenities at the boy. He had no idea why Draco had visited, the boy had seemed to want to say something but he never spoke.

"Developing a sweet tooth?" Minerva dryly questioned.

"No, it's for when the Head Master visits," Severus sheepishly explained. "Minerva, please, inform him that the next time he stops by that he can wake me…"

"Severus, Albus was banned from the infirmary. Do you not remember that?" Minerva gently questioned.

Her comment made his blood run cold. What if the Head Master had abandoned him since he had gotten what he desired? Severus had agreed to the Bonding, which meant under Wizardly Law that if anything happened to him, Albus would have sole custody of the sprog.

When I die giving birth to you, he will have you to himself! He can raise you exactly the way he wants, remove the taint of Slytherin from your innocent soul… and you'll love him for it! Love him!

"Like that would stop him?" Severus desperately quipped, struggling to hide his fear. "If anything, I would assume that the Head Master being told that he couldn't stop in would make him more determined to visit. I don't even know when we're to be Bonded. I know he's planned it all out and no doubt our Bonding will be ostentatious and flamboyant. I almost fear to hear the details."

His hand was shaking, and Minerva placed her hand on top of it.

No! The Head Master had pledged that he truly cared for his Severus and Severus had decided to believe him.

The Head Master had even assured him that they'd be lovers.

You promised me that you'd woo and court me. You mouthed insincere platitudes how I was honoring you… HONORING you… because… because… I wanted to share your bed. But I know how you are, Head Master! You lied to me! You lied to me! I should have known that I can't trust you.

You always talk out of your goddamn Gryffindor arse!

Why did I trust you? Because you spoke so sweetly to me that I dared to believe your lies!

You're no better than my father! My mother used to cuddle me after she hit me, tell me sweet sounding lies on how she'd never hit me again… but she always lied! My father promised that he wouldn't hit me again, but he always blamed it on me when he hit me!

"Severus…" Minerva's voice was very soft.

"There's to be no Bonding?" He was proud that his voice was steady. All Severus had left was his pride, and he was determined to keep it.

"Albus realized that he was forcing his decisions upon you…"

Minerva was toeing the party line, explaining in detail why the oaths and pledges of Albus Dumbledore to a Slytherin could be so easily broken without reprisal. She continued to talk, and while he heard her soft, caring voice, his soul was loudly shrieking, "You're not getting her without a fight!"

After a long time in which Severus heard everything Minerva said and yet understood none of it, Minerva ended her conversation with a heartfelt, "It's for the best, Severus. You understand that, don't you? You need time to heal, Severus."

"Yes," he easily agreed, as he refused to let Minerva how much pain he was in. "I understand that it's for the best."

They were silent for a bit, and Severus swallowed once, before he again spoke.

"Did he mention my new position of Assistant Deputy Head Master to the Board of Governors yet?" Severus tentatively questioned. "Did they approval the funding for the position at their latest meeting?"

Waiting for the answer he knew was coming, his heart still shattered when Minerva informed him that the proposed position was still unfunded.

I have no way to provide for us! I can't brew! I would willingly prostitute myself, but I am worthless. I can't teach. I can't spy. I'm ugly and maimed! I'm utterly useless to the Head Master, except as an incubator to his Heir.

"It's for the best, as I'm in no condition right now to assume the position," Severus calmly stated. It was almost frightening how easily Severus was compartmentalizing his emotions. He needed his cool, rational intellect now. He'd deal with this latest and final betrayal of Albus later. "Minerva, as much as I enjoy your visits, I find myself a little tired today. Would you mind letting me rest?"

"Are you sleeping, Severus? You look exhausted," Minerva questioned.

"Last night she kept me up, as she didn't like dinner," Severus easily lied. "Perhaps tomorrow, you could bring some Indian takeaway? She seems to prefer spices."

They playfully argued over what Minerva would bring and how spicy the food should be. Then at last, Minerva agreed to what he supposedly wanted. That done, Minerva asked him once more how he was feeling.

"I'm just… tired…" Severus shammed and then he closed his eyes.

"Very well, I'll leave you. Just let me know if you need anything," she insisted. "No matter what the time, please contact me."

"I promise," he lied. Then with a heartfelt sincerity, he thanked her for her assistance. "I want to make sure you understand how much I appreciate you. It's not easy standing up to the Head Master. No one else could have done as much for me as you have."

"Now, now, love, you're getting maudlin," Minerva gently chided.

Severus knew Minerva well enough to know that she was touched by his uncharacteristic gratitude. He did appreciate her; it was just a damn shame that she was a thoroughly indoctrinated devotee of the Head Master. Minerva had struggled to help him, she had, and he'd never forget that Minerva, and Minerva alone, had struggled to shield him from the Head Master.

For what little time remained to him, he'd cherish their friendship.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then Minerva left his room. He kept his eyes closed, his breathing even so that he appeared to be sleeping during a quick check by Poppy. When the mediwitch left, he waited for some time, just to ensure that the damnable efficient Poppy wouldn't return.

I've got to get away from Hogwarts.

I need to get away from both Albus and the Dark Lord.

I need… I need… to escape.

I have money… at Gringrotts. Albus oversees my account as part of my original parole… but he doesn't need to give me permission for me to remove my funds. They'll notify him if the account has been closed… but I could inform the bank that the cost for my mother's care has increased and that I have not been collecting a salary. Perhaps that will delay Albus' notification.

But I am in arrears… I'm in serious arrears for her care.

I'm…what… three months in arrears… they'll toss her out in the street if I don't pay soon… She wasn't much of a mother, but she is my mother… I can't let that happen.

His mind was reeling, his thoughts scattered and uncollected. All Severus knew was that he needed to protect his daughter and his mother but he had no way of doing so.

"Professor?" Draco's voice was barely audible. "I need to speak to you."

"What is it?" was Severus' curt response.

Draco entered his room, and quickly approached him.

"My mother wanted me to give you a message," Draco informed him. "I had to wait until Madame Pomfrey was busy before I could talk to you."

"If your mother wishes to give me congratulations on the upcoming blessed event, she can go directly to hell," Severus retorted.

"No," Draco stated. His pale face was flushed with his anger regarding Severus' disrespect to his mother, but the boy held his tongue. "I'm to tell you that she remembers her life debt to you, and that it remains unpaid. If you require assistance, she will help as much as she is able to do so. Father will never know of our assistance in this matter, as I understand that I owe you a life debt also."

Narcissa Black Malfoy had a difficult time conceiving and carrying a child to term and she had been feared barren by Lucius. Severus had provided her with several potions that had resulted in one Draco Malfoy.

It wasn't a life debt, but Cissy had an almost Hufflepuff loyalty in assisting those that had once helped her, and she had instilled the same characteristics into her son.

He wouldn't go to Cissy for help, but he could use her son.

"Can you get me out of Hogwarts?" Severus intently questioned. "Get me out of the school, and all debts between us are paid. I need to return to Him, and the Head Master will not let me."

"You just can't leave?" Draco questioned.

"No, I just can't leave, Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps you failed to notice that I'm currently being held in an observation room in the Infirmary. My magic fluctuates erratically at the moment, and while I could simply blast my way out of the Infirmary, that seems to be a case of Gryffindor excess. I am a Slytherin, after all."

Draco flushed once more and he nodded his head.

"I've got an invisibility cloak," Draco explained. "You can use it to escape and when you're done with it, you can return it. I brought it here with me."

Ah, the sweet blessed innocence of the obscenely rich. How could the boy not understand how dear an invisibility cloak was?

"How can you explain that you're here?" Severus questioned.

"I came with Millicent. She's distracting the staff by bleeding," Draco answered easily.

"Bleeding?" Severus repeated in disbelief.

"A great deal."

"I need to pack, and you'll need to create a simulacrum to replace me in the bed. It's a NEWT levels charm, but I'm sure you're more than capable of it," Severus decided that flattering the boy would be the best way to head off Draco asking why Severus wasn't casting. "Make sure it breathes and looks realistic."

He was quite dizzy from his physical and magical exertions but Severus managed to pack a great many of his new clothes into a small package which he then had Draco miniaturize 'for practice'. He had debated taking the warm sweater and the fuzzy socks, but knowing Dumbledore, there were Location charms cast in each stitch.

"Here," Draco said. He pushed a small leather purse into Severus' hands. "We took a collection, it's not much, but it's what we could pull together on such short notice."

"We?" Severus softly questioned.

"Slytherin house. There's some Muggle money included. I'm not sure what your plans are, but I'm sure that you'll need money."

"Was this a willing collection, Mr. Malfoy?" Severus couldn't help but ask. He knew the boy far too well after all.

"Professor Snape!" Draco exclaimed in a faux innocent tone.

"That tone doesn't even work with Flitwick, Mr. Malfoy, and he's a far more trusting soul then I have ever been," Severus tartly informed him. "But… thank them for me."

"It was Millicent's idea," Draco blurted. "She convinced everyone to contribute and to keep it quiet. Professor Slughorn has no idea what we've done."

"Don't let him find out," warned Severus. "I don't want your generosity backfiring on you."

"He'll never find out! We Slytherins take of our own. He's too busy with his Slug Club to watch over us like you did," Draco easily admitted.

Damn him for a fool, he was getting mawkish. He should stay to defend his Slytherins against the Head Master's anti-Slytherinism, but he had to flee for his child's sake.

"We better leave," Severus decided. "I doubt Millicent has much more blood left in her body for us to dawdle."

�A heavily bandaged Millicent was escorted from the Infirmary back to the Slytherin dorm by a helpful Draco. Severus followed the two Slytherin students closely, and he never realized until now, how bloody far it was from the Infirmary to the Slytherin dorm.

"Follow her into the girls' dorms," Draco hissed. "Pansy will get you out of Hogwarts. It will be easier for you to walk directly to Hogsmeade rather than traveling through the secret passageways."

He followed Millicent through the dorms until at last he was standing in a dark hallway. Pansy Parkinson saw Millicent the mummy arrive and then Pansy loudly announced that she was having a smoke break. A gaggle of girls followed her as she opened the door to the outside. She propped open the heavy door and Parkinson began handing out contraband cigarettes.

Howhorrifying! His underage students were smoking Muggle tobacco? They'd get pneumonia! It was February!

Millicent hung back, as she couldn't join the smoking clutch for fear of setting her bandages on fire. Severus brushed her back with his hand and whispered his sincere thanks into her ear. She nodded once, and then whispered good luck.

It took almost the last of his energy, but at last, after what seemed like hours of trudging, he found himself in Hogsmeade. It was late in the evening, and most people were inside where it was warm. Naturally, he was the only idiot outside. Severus continued walking until he was on the very outskirts of the village.

Then he held up his wand hand, begging that he had enough magic left to do this simple task.

With a loud bang, a triple-decker, violently purple bus that was exuberantly lettered in gold letters arrived. Somehow, he managed to stand, and then a pimply faced boy stepped off the bus.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus," he said in a nasal tone, intently reading off a small card that he had clutched in his hands. It was obvious that even with his many years of reading the same spiel over and over, he was having a great deal of difficulty with the words. "Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening."

He paused, and then he glared at Severus.

"Where do you want to go, mate?"

Where did he want to go? Anywhere, far away from here.

Spinner's End would be the first place Albus would expect him, and therefore, it would be the very last place Albus would look. He'd go there, rest for the night. Then tomorrow, he'd go the bank, pay what he could for his mother's care, and then… decide what to do next.

"Leaky Cauldron," Severus stated. "London."

"That will be one galleon and two sickles. But for one galleon four sickles you get 'ot chocolate, and for one galleon six sickles, you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toothbrush in the color of your choice," Stan announced.

He needed to be careful about his money, but he was about to puke. Maybe a hotwater bottle would help settle his stomach.

"I'll take the hot water bottle," Severus decided, deliberately enunciating his 'H''s. "And I'll take the toothbrush. Do you have it in black?"

Stan Shunpike took his money, and showed him to an empty bed. Severus failed not to notice that the chandeliers were swinging wildly. His stomach was already upset enough, and he feared that it was about to get much, much worse.

"Take her away, Ern!" Stan shouted.

When the shrunken head chimed in with, "Yeah, take it away, Ernie! Fasten your safety belts, clench your buttocks! It's going be a bumpy ride," Severus knew that he was doomed.

With a loud crash, the Knight Bus disappeared from Hogsmeade leaving silence that was soon interrupted by a bleating goat kid. The goat kid bleated again, and knocked its head against an older man's leg. He was a rather grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long grey hair and a beard. He wore glasses and his blue eyes looked vaguely familiar. His legs were also quite stunning as he wore a neat kilt to show them off to their full advantage. When it was Witch's Night at the Hog's Head, his lovely legs brought in a significant amount of tips to help supplement his income.

"And what, I wonder, has my dear brother done now?" he questioned. "Come along, Mattie. You shouldn't get lost this late at night. A renegade wizard might find you and cast inappropriate charms on you."

Mattie the goat kid bleated loudly in response, and the two friends returned back to the Hog's Head tavern.