"Absolutely not," Elizabeth said firmly, setting her fork onto her empty plate and looking directly at her father.

"This is not a discussion," Severus said tightly, staring right back. "You are not of age, and you'll go where I tell you. Mr. Longbottom as well."

"Yes, sir," Neville said nervously, pushing his food around his plate.

"For God's sake, Neville!" Elizabeth snapped. "He's shipping us off! Stand up for yourself!" She glared at Severus. "You can't make me go."

"Betsy," Fred said, putting his hand on her arm.

"I'm not going just because you're a coward—

"Enough," Severus stood and pulled her up from her chair, his hand firmly around her upper arm. Without another word he strode up the stairs, all but dragging her along and into her room, closing the door behind them. "Young lady, I've put up with your mouth as long as I plan to. I certainly won't have this nonsense in public."

"Public? We were eating—

"Silence!" Severus snapped; stress and fear and lack of sleep making his rope short. "You've forgotten yourself," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Tomorrow we're going to Virginia, where you will stay with Neville until this has reached its conclusion."

"Dad, please—

"Elizabeth," Severus' glare was so fierce she couldn't meet his eyes. "I won't tolerate arguments about this. If you have anything else to say, you may stay in this room and speak to the wall."

"I'm not a coward!"

"Damn it, Elizabeth!" Severus spun away from her, robes swirling, slamming the palm of his hand against the wall near the door. "This isn't an adventure novel! The hero is going to die in the end; don't you understand that? He has to kill you! He will stop at nothing!"

Elizabeth stepped back, running into the bed. She'd never seen that much anger out of her usually controlled father. Even when he was upset, he was always in control. But now, she had a painful suspicion that he'd turned away just in time to avoid hitting her.

He was leaning now, his hand still against the wall, his head down, hair falling over his face. His breathing was labored, as if he was holding back a scream. Or a sob. Elizabeth couldn't tell, but the sight rocked the foundation of her life.

Severus was always there. Always strong. Always forgave her for anything she said or did. Always saved her when she had no one else.

And now he was broken. She could see it. It was almost physical, the anguish that he was suffering. It was climbing up from his feet and wrapping itself around his spine. The weight of it was folding him in half, as he leaned against the wall, unable to continue the marathon scolding at which he was usually so adept.

"Dad?" Elizabeth stepped behind him, gently touching his shoulder. "I'll do whatever you want, okay? Dad?"

His eyes were closed, and his breathing had turned ragged.

Elizabeth went around, putting herself between him and the wall. "Dad?" When there was still no response, panic started to rise in her chest. "Daddy?" Her voice sounded high, childish, but she didn't care.

Severus opened his eyes and slowly stood, still breathing hard.

"Dad?"

"It's… okay…" Severus said, the words coming out of his throat as if they were strangling him.

"You don't look okay."

"My bag," Severus ground out. "Pain…"

Elizabeth all but ran out of the room and into his, suddenly thinking that insisting on her own room was not helpful in this circumstance. She pawed through his bag, pulling out a vial of pain potion and running back, handing it to him. As he raised his arm to drink, his robe fell away, and his Mark was revealed, black and writhing… and tinged with red.

"Dad!"

"He's… displeased," Severus managed, closing his eyes and waiting for the potion to take effect.

"Here," Elizabeth put her arms around his waist and awkwardly guided him to her bed.

Severus allowed her to settle him against the pillows, pain radiating from his arm to the rest of his body, as if the Dark Lord was sending Crucios though the Mark. He looked at his daughter, and was further pained by the terror in her eyes.

"Come here," he said, the pain medication starting to take the edge off the agony.

Elizabeth leaned forward, resting her head on his chest, feeling one arm go around her. She was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry I talked back in front of everyone," she said quietly.

"Hmm," Severus said, the strength returning to his voice. "You shouldn't do it at all. I didn't raise you to be disrespectful."

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth nodded, "I know."

"I should wash your mouth out," Severus threatened. "Throwing a tantrum at the breakfast table, honestly."

"Yes, sir." The room was quiet again, then Elizabeth pulled her head up and looked at him, green eyes pleading. "Please don't send me away," She said softly. "Please, Dad."

Severus pressed his lips together. "Go tell Remus I need to speak with him, please. And stay downstairs."

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth said immediately, standing eagerly. "Thank you, Dad."

"I didn't say anything about changing my mind, young lady, so you can calm yourself."

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth sprinted from the room and down to the kitchen. "He wants to talk to you," she said breathlessly, looking at Remus.

Remus smirked. "I'll be back."

Fred was leaning against the doorjamb to the living room, arms crossed over his chest. As Remus left, Fred unfolded an arm and crooked one finger toward his girlfriend.

"Hi," Elizabeth said, skipping over to him.

"Hi yourself," Fred went into the living room, sitting in one of the armchairs and opening his arms. "If one of our children spoke to me like that, I'd smack her."

"You wouldn't either," Elizabeth rolled her eyes, sitting on his lap and leaning her head against the seat back. "And we don't have any children."

"But we will." Fred grinned. "Frederick Arthur Weasley."

"We're naming our mythical child after your father?"

"The first son," Fred shrugged. "We can name the next one after your father, if you want. Or maybe you'll have twins."

"Twins?" Elizabeth made a face. "Like… more than one kid?"

"That's the general idea," Fred laughed. "What's with the face?"

"I just never… I've been so focused on not dying… I kind of forgot that there was a future."

"Of course there is," Fred said quietly. "Unless you keep making your father crazy. Then he might kill one or both of us."

"He's already crazy."

"Not as much recently," Fred shrugged. "I keep telling you; you didn't know him before. When I was a first year, he threatened to shave my head because my red hair was making him sick."

"He did not."

"He did," Fred smirked. "He also said that he was going to vanish what little was left of my brain, since I wasn't using it anyway."

"That sounds like him."

"Yeah, but before he really meant it. Now he's just blowing smoke."

"Elizabeth?" Remus appeared at the door. "Your father wants to see you."

"Did he say—

"He's in the study," Remus gestured toward the hall. "Go on."

*S*S*

"Look at me," Severus instructed, standing behind the desk, his forearm wrapped in white linen to cover the skin that had been ripped open by the vicious curses flowing through his Mark. He crossed his arms. "I want to make something perfectly clear. Are you listening?"

"Yes, sir."

Severus nodded briskly. "I want to make it clear that your behavior today was atrocious. Speak to me like that again and you'll be lucky to see the outside world until you're of age. As it is, you'll be spending a considerable amount of your next days performing several tasks that will impress upon you my expectations. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth's stomach clenched, the reality of calling her father a coward washing over her. "I'm sorry, Dad. I swear. I was upset—

"That's not an excuse," Severus said swiftly. "I'm disappointed in you, young lady. I thought we'd reached a point where you were in better control of your childish actions."

Elizabeth bit her lip. "Yes, sir."

"I'd hate to think I raised a child with as little self control as you displayed this morning. And in front of Neville, who has certainly had less time to acclimate to this situation than you. He's has no family to be with him during this, and you shouted at him to disobey me? To put his life in danger?"

"I didn't think," Elizabeth said softly.

"No, you didn't," Severus said shortly. "I've never seen such a selfish display of temper," he scolded. "Your behavior was that of a willful, disobedient child, and I certainly can't send a wayward, defiant teenager across an ocean. I can't trust that you can behave appropriately, and it is absolutely unacceptable for you to represent this family in that manner."

Elizabeth wiped at the tears that were hovering in her eyes. She'd never been on the receiving end a Snape tongue-lashing as bad as this one.

"So I suppose you'll have to stay here for the time being," Severus unfolded his arms and clasped his hands behind his back.

It took a moment for Elizabeth to pull herself out of her misery and realize what he'd said. "Really?"

"I am not in the habit of saying things I do not mean," Severus said dryly.

Elizabeth raced around the desk and threw her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Dad."

"Don't thank me yet, young lady. You haven't seen the massive list of disgusting chores that I have planned for you."

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth hugged him hard.

Severus sighed and put one arm around her. "I should have beaten you more as a child."

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth laughed, unfazed.

"Sit," Severus ordered, pointing at the desk chair. He waved his wand and the desktop was filled with glass jars. "Labels," he said, handing her a list of potion ingredients, Self-Stick parchment, and a quill. "Legibly. When you've finished, they go in the cabinet in the lab. Alphabetical order."

"Dad, they already have labels," Elizabeth gestured to the jars.

"Ah," Severus waved his wand again, and the labels disappeared. "Begin."

*S*S*

"You said he has to kill me," Elizabeth said later, cleaning the inside of potion vials with a round brush.

"I did," Severus said evenly, not looking up from the book he was leafing through.

Elizabeth was quiet for a while, scrubbing the rest of the pile of glassware before lining the vials up to be rinsed. "You know what he's looking for. In the Department of Mysteries." It wasn't a question.

Severus tapped the table with one finger, still looking at the book. "I do."

"I need you to rinse these," Elizabeth said.

Severus looked up at the change of subject.

"I can't use magic here, and there's no sink."

Severus nodded once, walking around the workspace and shooting water from his wand to rinse the soap from the vials. "The Blacks were as Pure-Blood-fanatical as anyone. They wouldn't have installed anything that they could have done with a wand."

"Dad," Elizabeth gave a little hop, jumping up to sit on the counter, "I understand that this is serious, and I will stay in this house for as long as I need to. But… if this all comes back to me, shouldn't I know as much as possible?"

Severus pressed his lips together, regarding her with an expression Elizabeth couldn't read. "Don't sit on the lab surface," he said, snapping his fingers and pointing at the floor.

"Dad," Elizabeth gave him his own exasperated look as she hopped down.

"Careful, hatchling, your face will freeze like that."

"Dad, I'm serious."

"I know you are," Severus said quietly, circling the table again to close the book and place it back on the shelf. "I don't doubt that both of us are quite serious about the situation. However, as I have often reminded you, information will be disseminated at my discretion." He took off his reading glasses, tucking them into his robe. "Come. It's time for tea."

"You're not going to tell me anything, are you?" Elizabeth grimaced, dejectedly following him up the steps.

"Did I say that?" Severus raised an eyebrow, ushering her through the door at the top of the stairs before securely latching it.

Elizabeth followed him into the kitchen, where Molly Weasley was sitting at the table, scowling at a piece of parchment, scribbling and crossing things out.

"Molly," Severus inclined his head. "Did we know you were coming?"

"You should have guessed," Molly said shortly. "I'm collecting Ron, Ginny, and Hermione from King's cross in an hour, and someone has to get the house ready."

"You decided to have them stay for the summer, then?" Severus reached into the cupboard for the tin of biscuits.

"I should have gone to get them before this," Molly said, crumpling the parchment and vanishing it with a wave of her wand. "Umbridge used Veritaserum on Ron, did you know? Luckily, the idiot didn't ask questions that would force him to give anything away. Thank goodness he didn't know for anything for sure."

"She used Veritaserum on a child?" Severus frowned. "Who knew that Durmstrang would be safer than Hogwarts?"

"Perhaps if you and Remus had been a bit more diplomatic in your kidnapping, there wouldn't have been this problem," Molly glared.

"It's not kidnapping if it is my own child," Severus rolled his eyes. "And you knew that it was time-sensitive."

Mrs. Weasley made a disbelieving noise in the back of her throat, but said nothing as she went up the stairs to make beds.

"She questioned Ron," Elizabeth said quietly.

"And as many of the others as she could, no doubt." Severus said smoothly.

"But Ron knew," Elizabeth pressed on, her voice revealing a layer of fear. "He's the one that told Fred I was here."

"He didn't know it for sure," Severus shook his head. "Veritaserum can only inspire you to tell the truth as you know it. So if he was asked where you were, he could say he didn't know, which is true."

Elizabeth's stomach churned. "I don't like it."

"No one does," Severus said softly, reaching out to cup the back of her head, pulling her against him in a spontaneous hug. "That's why there are laws… that are apparently not being followed." He paused, feeling her heart beating, faster than he'd like. "If it makes you feel better, Umbridge will have to make her own truth serum from now on."

Green eyes looked up at him through a fringe of dark hair. There was silence for a beat, and then Elizabeth laughed. "People might have to worry about being poisoned instead of interrogated."

"Right you are," Severus smirked, releasing her. "Come. We'll take tea in the study. I have something I need to discuss with you."

*S*S*

Elizabeth looked around the makeshift circle of people, sitting cross-legged on her bedroom floor. Fred had cast a silencing charm before settling himself on the floor between Elizabeth and Neville. Ron and Hermione were picking at each other about something Elizabeth couldn't follow, something Ron had done on the train.

"I know what he wants," Elizabeth started, and the bickerers fell silent. "There's a prophecy. He knows part of it, but he wants to hear it for himself."

"A prophecy about what?" Hermione reached for her bag. "I have a book somewhere—

"It's not going to be in a book," Elizabeth assured her. "It's about… well, it's about me. And it says that only one of us can live."

"One of us?" Ron looked around the circle.

"No," Fred shook his head, realization having hit him long before his brother. "Betsy. Or Voldemort." He put his hand over Elizabeth's.

"But what does it have to do with Neville?" Hermione looked perplexed, puzzling it out. "There must be some reason that Professor Lupin took him as well."

"Voldemort doesn't know the whole prophecy," Elizabeth said quietly. "But he knows that the person who can defeat him was born in July, to parents who fought against him. That's me. But he doesn't have pronouns. Voldemort didn't get the 'he' or 'she' part, and…" Elizabeth looked at Neville. "Your parents… in the first war…"

"And my birthday…" Neville said, a heaviness in his voice sounding as if he was declaring his own death.

Elizabeth nodded. "July 30th."

"Yeah," Neville said lamely. "But it isn't me?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I swear. Dad heard the prophecy originally. It's not you."

"I don't know why they didn't just go to the Hall of Mysteries," Hermione commented. "It would say right on the prophecy whom it was about."

Ron looked at her incredulously. "How do you know things like that?"

"I read," Hermione said, tossing her hair.

"Anyway," Elizabeth broke in. "It's not Neville."

"Good," Neville looked down at his hands. "Living with Snape is terrifying enough."

Ron laughed. Elizabeth looked at Fred and saw that he was smothering a smile of his own.

"What?" Elizabeth looked back at Ron.

"I was just thinking," Ron said, trying to get himself under control, "about the boggart."

Nevile turned red, but smiled sheepishly. Hermione started laughing as well, and soon the mood was considerably lighter, as they sat on the floor, chuckling.

"You weren't even there," Elizabeth laughed, smacking Fred playfully on the arm.

"Are you kidding? That story was everywhere ten minutes after class ended," Fred grinned. "Snape in old lady clothes, brilliant."

"We should have had a camera," Ron said, flopping backward onto the carpet.

*S*S*

Voldemort was displeased. In fact, he was enraged in a way that no amount of Muggle-blood spillage could assuage.

"They were both gone, My Lord," Lucius Malfoy knelt before the black-robed wizard. "They appear to have vanished."

"Find. Them." Voldemort said tightly. "And take care of Severus."

"We will kill on sight, My Lord."

"Yes," Voldemort nodded, then seemed to reconsider. "No. It would be… inconvenient… for me to find someone to perform the duties he fulfils. Find him. Bring him to me."

*S*S*

"I'll only be an hour. Maybe two." Severus straightened the cuffs of his shirt.

"You shouldn't go alone."

"Muggle London, for just an hour," Severus said calmly. "I'll be fine."

"You always say that, and it's never true," Elizabeth shook her head, but handed him his wand.

"Now you sound like your mother," Severus smiled a little and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, someone has to," Elizabeth shrugged, and they both glanced toward the wardrobe, where Lily's portrait was shrouded and stored. It was too dangerous, being linked with Hogwarts as she was, for their location to be revealed.

"I'll be back," Severus assured. "And when I return, I expect to see you in bed, asleep. Understood?"

"I promise to be in bed," Elizabeth smirked.

Snape shook his head and kissed the top of her head before rolling his eyes. "The attitude is my fault, I suppose."

He went out the door and across the street to the secluded area they used for apparation. Severus looked around. The last thing they needed was someone to wonder why people were disappearing in the middle of the street.

In a matter of moments he was in the heart of London. He'd left under the guise of sending a note to Neville's grandmother, but he'd really come to London because July 30th was rapidly approaching.

"Try not to get her something that says, 'your life is in danger, so you need this thing'," Remus had said earlier that day. "Your presents are like warning labels."

So Severus went in search of something that was not created for defense. Not that he would find anything in the Muggle world that could defend a young witch against a crazed, power-hungry murderer.

He wandered the streets, not able to bring himself to go in any store with pink in the window, or music that was so loud it could be heard on the sidewalk. In a moment of inspiration, he found a shop that sold fancy Muggle pens. Smiling at bit to himself in remembrance of how difficult it was to teach his daughter to use a quill, he went inside.

It was on the way out that he felt the stunning spell hit him square in the back.

*S*S*

"Dumped at the gates…message…doesn't remember…"

Elizabeth pressed her ear against the door to the study, desperately trying to hear Remus and Minerva talking inside.

"Doctor…" Remus' voice faded in and out.

"Elizabeth," Sirius whispered in her ear, causing her to shriek and jump. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Molly wants you to come eat."

"Not until they let me see him," Elizabeth said obstinately.

"They will. Just be patient." Sirius put his hands on her shoulders.

"I don't want to be patient," Elizabeth glared.

Minerva had arrived hours before, Severus, lightened with a charm, in her arms. Remus had immediately spirited them up the stairs, leaving Sirius to attempt to corral Elizabeth, who came out of her room at the commotion.

"Come on, beautiful," Sirius said quietly.

Elizabeth looked at him. "Are you… alright?"

Sirius snorted, looking at his socks. "Molly has a tight grip on the liquor cupboard. Apparently, I've been ruining my family." He looked up. "I'm sorry I've been kind of… out of it lately. It appears that being cooped up here as made me crazier than you."

"You've been a prat."

"Molly said… not quite in those words." Sirius put an arm around her. "Not that she was the first person…"

Elizabeth looked up at him serious. "Is that why we haven't been practicing? Because you're pissed that we're stuck here?"

Sirius winced. "Listen to me," he said quietly, "I know I've let you down in the last couple of months. But I'm going to get it together. I'm not saying it will be easy and perfect. But it's nights like this…" He looked at the door of the study, "Too many things can happen. I need to get it together."

*S*S*

"Listen," Remus stood in the hallway outside Severus' room, looking at his goddaughter. "You can go in, but," he grimaced, as if searching for words, "he's not himself. He's a bit confused."

Elizabeth pushed the door open and went into the room, where Severus was sitting in a recliner, transfigured from an end table by the window.

"How do you feel?" she asked, leaning against the windowsill.

Dark eyes focused on her, and Severus shifted a bit in his chair. He looked at her for a long moment before he spoke.

"Who are you?"