AN: I'm sorry if this chapter takes more time its just that I'm actually going to have to plan this chapter more than the others. I honestly don't want to kill a bunch of characters off but its inevitable. They're in a war against some of the most despicable wizards and witches out there. But I'll try to save as many as I can. Once again I am not JK Rowling.

Sirius POV

It took me awhile to calm Hermione down. She was still crying in my arms when Albus and Severus came in. Severus was holding a bottle of calming drought and set it in front of us his face devoid of all emotions. I carefully uncorked it and brought it to Hermione's lips. She drank it down wordlessly and her tears stopped. The pain was lifting from our bond but some of the depression was still there.

"Poor Professor Snape." I looked down at her curiously. She had been thinking that ever since we had gotten up here. What the hell was going on?

"This will probably take awhile." Albus said sitting behind his desk steepling his fingers. He absently grabbed a lemon drop off his desk and popped it into his mouth. "You will probably want to get comfortable." I helped Hermione up and transfigured one of the chairs into a loveseat. Hermione sat on the couch her eyes distant, her face pale. Severus leaned against a wall looking at one of the trinkets on Albus' desk.

"Mrs. Black you overheard a rather private matter Professor Snape and I earlier." Albus threw a glare at Severus but he didn't seem to notice. "I must implore you to not speak of any of it to anyone."

"What did she -?" I started but Albus cut me off.

"Need to know basis." He said quickly. I frowned but didn't say anything. Hermione weaved her fingers through mine and my mouth opened in shock when I heard something loud and clear from her.

"Your dying." I said slowly to look up at him. Albus seemed to deflate and covered his face with his hand.

"I knew the bond in your marriage would come back to haunt me some day." Albus muttered then sighed. He waved his hand and a steaming teapot and four cups appeared on his desk.

"First things first everything that is said in this room stays in this room." Albus said authoritatively his voice echoing. Merlin whatever Hermione had overheard it was big. "And second you will not treat anyone differently once you leave." Hermione looked up blankly and a tear slid down her cheek. It seemed she was still on autopilot and didn't know how to react. I nodded slowly and waited for him to start.

"Where to start, where to start." Albus muttered grabbing another lemon drop.

"Why not the beginning your going to tell them every bloody thing anyway." Severus said dully looking at the carpet.

"Severus," Albus said warningly. He closed his eyes for a moment then sighed. "When Lucius failed to acquire the prophecy and happened to give this diary to Ginevra Weasley." Albus threw a black diary with a gaping hole in the middle on his desk. It looked exactly as Harry described and I shuddered. "Draco became a death eater to replace his father and was given a mission. To kill me and his family would be given, for lack of a better word, a pardon for Lucius' failures. If Draco fails, like Voldemort expects, then Voldemort will kill Narcissa but if he succeeds I am out of the picture and he can take over seemingly everything." I slumped back against the couch my mouth slightly open. My brain was working sluggishly and it was hard to compute everything.

"When he fails it is expected for Severus to kill me." Hermione was silently crying again and I could feel her pain. She loved Dumbledore as if he were her grandfather and she had a soft spot for Severus. I slid my arm around her waist and she clung desperately to me.

"Is there any way to stop this?" I asked thickly.

"I am already dying." He said simply holding up his blackened hand. "I was cursed from touching something and Severus kept the curse in my hand but its spreading." Hermione looked up slowly at his hand and her mouth formed a small 'O'. Nausea was spreading through our bond her face turned a slightly greenish tinge.

"You know don't you?" Albus asked his eyes soft. She nodded and shuddered in fear.

"OH NO!" The words were chanting through her head and I looked down at her confused. What in the world was going on? I looked up at Severus but he looked just as confused as I was.

"Anyway," Albus said after a moment, "Either way I will be dying soon and the school will be unprotected next year if Severus does not kill me by proving his loyalty to Voldemort. You have seen what it is like in halls already imagine it with death eater teachers mixed in encouraging it." Merlin this was bad. I covered my face with my hands and shuddered. Complicated didn't even begin to cover what this situation was.

"Next year Severus will most likely become head master and that is crucial. He will be playing a quadruple agent silently protecting the students."

"What about Harry and everyone in the Order?" Hermione asked her voice thick.

"What about them my dear." Albus asked looking at her.

"They trust and rely on you. Harry really does and he'll be devastated when he finds out. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to Avada Professor Snape themselves."

"Hermione I believe we have reached the point in our relationship where you can call me Severus outside of class." Severus said pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Alright, S-S-Severus then." She stuttered over his name and blushed.

"I know that and so does Severus he has agreed to it. He promised me a long time ago that he would protect Harry." Severus looked up a dark look on his face.

"Albus," he said warningly.

"Its that mistake you made that turned you to the Order, isn't it?" Hermione asked softly reaching forward to pour herself a cup of tea. She made a face when she took a sip but continued to drink it.

"Yes." Severus said simply.

"Are you going to tell us what it was?" She asked.

"No." I frowned but didn't say anything.

"Can I ask you something else?" Her voice was slightly off.

"You already have but you may ask me another question." Her eyes flashed and she cleared her throat.

"Do you plan to live through this war Severus?" Her voice was stronger and it seemed as if she was coming back to herself.

"No. Nor do I wish to." His face was drawn and pale. There was an uncomfortable silence and a conversation between Hermione and I suddenly came back to me.

"What about the muggleborns?" I asked turning to Severus.

"The Dark Lord has a plan of getting them registered. It is mostly to get Hermione because he believes Hermione is the brains of the golden trio and they will fail without her or that he can take all three of them down at once while they try to protect her." I snarled and held Hermione closer to me. She squeaked in surprise and I slackened my grip.

"What about the first years?" Hermione asked her voice strained.

"I haven't heard yet but it won't be pretty. Possibly Azkaban? I mean that's the plan for the other muggleborns. Being sent to Azkaban and have some dementors guard it. If they resist arrest or try to falsify papers its immediate death." Dread seeped through my body and I frowned thinking. What could we do to save those children?

"What if Remus and I did something to save those kids and their families?" I asked running my fingers through my hair.

"You would have to wait till the Hogwarts letters were sent out but you could save a lot of lives that way." Severus said pacing back and forth. "I could easily send you a Patronus with a message listing all of the muggleborns but you would have to work fast. You would be going against Rabastan and Rodolphus their the ones who are in charge of the incarceration of muggleborns." They would be too. The two of them loved hexing muggleborns at school.

"Whats your Patronus?" Hermione asked her eyes brightening.

Severus pulled out his wand and waved it through the air. "Expecto Patronum!" A beautiful doe pranced around the room and then nuzzled his cheek. His eyes widened and it disappeared a moment later.

Blood roared in my ears and I took in a steadying breath. Severus paled when he saw the look on my face. All I could do was wonder how I could have been so blind. They had been friends before they had even come to Hogwarts. He had followed her like a sick puppy. James had hated him for it and believed there was more between them than friendship. Severus must have loved her deeply for their Patronuses to match. I muttered only one word and he froze when I said her name tears in his eyes.

"Lily."

AN: Please Review! Tell me what you love, what you hate, what you want to see happen, who you want to live or die. Things like that. I love feedback. It really helps.