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The Dark Lord did not withhold the details of his revised plan from his elite for long.

After summoning Severus and Lucius to his side early that evening, he decided to reveal the true purpose behind his cryptic actions.

Severus maintained his Occlumency with every fiber of his being as Voldemort paced frantically in front of him and Lucius.

A hideous scowl had twisted his scarred face.

He held his broken teeth gnashed in uneven lines, as if they craved some flesh to sink into that had not yet been provided.

His red eyes glowed bright as his dark robes swirled at his feet like obedient, smokey snakes.

"I will ask you one more time, Lucius….Are you certain the confirmation you received was reliable?" Voldemort hissed.

He paused just long enough to cast his follower a sideways glance before he resumed his heavy brooding.

Lucius stared at the floor as he whimpered, "Of that, not entirely, my lord, after hours of torment, the only information offered by the house elf I managed to capture from Hogwarts' kitchen was that Potter's child had been at the castle. There were no other facts I gathered. I'm afraid…I also was unable to pinpoint when such a person had left the premises…..as well as whether or not they still remain there now."

Severus felt his stomach turn with nauseating dread as he dared to contemplate what dark command Voldemort may issue next.

As headmaster and double agent, there has been more than one occasion of sickening obedience Severus had forcibly observed after Dumbledore's death.

Voldemort sneered as he clenched his teeth tight and narrowed his own eyes with a low, howling hiss.

"Of what little use that is to me, Lucius, for the first time in nearly seventeen years, you may have some fragment of a clue!" He grouched, more to himself than anyone else.

"What would you have me do, my lord?" Lucius asked quickly, ready to beg for his and his family's safety.

Severus furrowed his brow as he glanced over at his friend once he heard the anxious fear in his voice.

In his nervousness, Lucius made the great mistake of babbling, "Shall I capture another house elf from the castle's kitchen? Perhaps more interrogation would-"

"-Silence, you fool!" Voldemort hissed as he whirled around to face the lesser wizard who had dared try his patience.

Determined to make sure another senseless word did not fall from Lucius's lips, Voldemort pushed his palm under his follower's chin and roughly grasped his tongue between two fingers.

The gurgles that came from Lucius's throat made Severus grimace to hear, but Voldemort enjoyed the sounds.

His lips curled back in a joyless smile as his eyes lit up with the joy of his own malice while he needled Lucius's tongue between his sharp, white nails, teasing him with the possibility of a brutal death.

"Do not underestimate me so greatly, my friend, that you would dare imagine my mission would rely merely on slaves and vermin to succeed!" Voldemort hissed.

Lucius's blue eyes widened in terror as he stared into Voldemort's scarred face.

The Dark Lord seemed to be deciding whether or not he should kill Lucius on the spot, much to Severus's dismay as he dared glimpse the scene through the locks of raven hair that his tilted head sent hanging down.

Finally, with a great swing of his wrist, Voldemort made his decision and released Lucius, careful to scrape his nails across his tongue just enough to leave streaks of blood in his mouth as a reminder of how merciful he had been.

Lucius's breathing was laboured as he shook his head and tried to steel his mind against the soul-withering terror that stood in front of him.

Severus couldn't help but feel relief that his friend had escaped with his life, although a subtle pride whispered through him at the same time.

He would never attain the Malfoys' level of wealth, yet he possessed a courage that his rich friend would never be able to embody.

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Although he remained grateful the frightful encounter had ended, Severus immediately rushed to Lily and hurriedly relayed what he had learned after he ushered her to the privacy of their bedroom.

"S-So, then, he knows-" She began as her voice thickened with tears.

"He believes he knows, my love." Severus nodded, "...And yet, he remains ignorant to the truth he should seek. Don't let worry overtake your mind…..Harriet is safe in her bed, that is all we can ask now."

"Did you know about this?" Lily asked as her green eyes scanned his face, "Did you know he would-"

"-I had my suspicions when he recalled the students and forced them to stay." Severus admitted as he scowled in brooding thought, "Though I confess, I was not certain if he had sinister plans in mind for the castle itself or elsewhere."

"We…..We should have done something…." Lily gasped as she put a hand to her chest, "Now everyone is in more danger! We can't……How can we possibly defend them all?!"

"With the help of a staff that's been told to brace for an attack." Severus calmly replied.

"You warned them all about him?" Lily blinked in disbelief.

"Hardly." Severus nodded, "I told them the students were called back because danger lurked at our doors, that is only half a lie. We cannot stop him from coming, my love, not here, or to Diagon Alley, or to Hogsmeade, or wherever else he may choose."

"Harriet's in no condition for this." Lily sighed as she passed a hand over her face.

"It is my hope that he will assign the work to someone else, possibly even me, and by doing so…..the situation will pass quickly and harmlessly." Severus nodded.

"What do you mean, Sev?" Lily asked.

"Perhaps he won't come to the castle at all." Severus replied, "Perhaps……he'll send someone to examine the students. When no trace of Potter's blood is found within the castle's walls, he'll move on to another fleeting obsession with discovering the whereabouts of his enemy."

"...And if he doesn't?" Lily frowned.

"If his immediate plans should be on a grander scale," Severus nodded, "...Then I will stand to defend our family and this school until the air is taken from my lungs."

"Oh, Sev!" Lily cried as she clutched onto him.

Severus held her close as they shared a kiss.

With nothing left to do besides brood and dread, Severus and Lily found the craving to connect to one another an unbearable burden.

As Severus pushed Lily against the heavy, wooden desk that stood close to the window, a single whisper of his velvet voice sent the door to their room slamming shut as her fingers pulled at the buttons of his dark robes.

His large, skillful hands snaked from her ankles to her thighs with seductive speed, exposing her bare legs to the unseasonal chill that had drifted through their small cottage.

"Open for me, my love." Severus whispered against her lips.

Lily parted for him so quickly that he nearly fell on the floor as the means of support under his palms was suddenly taken away.

With his subtle grace and flowing dignity, Severus managed to regain his balance in enough time that he kept the motion elegant as he positioned himself closer to his wife.

Tears poured from Lily's emerald eyes as she held Severus close during their coupling.

She buried her head in the crook of his neck as he breathed in the sweetness of her hair.

Severus's heart pounded in his ears as he and Lily exploded together.

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After the temporary burst of bliss generated by their loving exertions faded, Lily quickly penned a letter and sent it in the talons of a fluffy owl before she and Severus returned to sit in the Great Hall with the rest of Hogwarts' staff as an eerie sense of unease settled over the castle.

The students stayed safely inside their dormitories with prefects doing their part to act as chaperones, all the while ignoring the mounting sense of despair that seemed to permeate that wretched night.

Madam Sprout saw them first, as she stood from her seat to peer out the window when a slight sound caught her attention.

"Madam Sprout?" Lily asked nervously as she watched the woman linger at the pane, "...What do you see?"

"Oh…….dear." Madam Sprout answered before she turned around to stare at Lily with wide eyes, "They're……They're……"

"Yes! What is it?! Who?!" Lily called.

Severus's dark eyes moved from his wife to his frightened faculty member as Madam Sprout cried, "They're……coming!"

Severus and Lily were among the first to race to the windows and stare out across the darkened grounds.

All the way across the narrow bridge that linked Hogwarts to the outside world, Voldemort's shining skin could be seen emerging from the forest.

He walked with a heightened sense of arrogance as he led an army several thousand strong of dark witches, wizards, and creatures towards the castle.

"Begin casting defensive charms around the grounds!" Severus bellowed as he launched into action.

While Hogwarts' staff scrambled to defend their home, Lily raced out of the Great Hall and down the stairs towards her husband's dungeon chambers.

A second letter would need to be sent immediately.

She had to warn Draco and Harriet of what would take place that night.

More importantly, she wanted to send a goodbye note to her daughter, in the event that she and Severus did not live to see the next sunrise.