"How do you feel?" Severus asked after Charlie had left.

I shrugged. "I feel like there is a barrier between me and the rest of the world. Everything is muffled and foggy, but I feel like everything that I want to accomplish will happen. I'm also exhausted."

"The odd feeling should start to fade soon," he said, "You didn't take very much. The exhaustion is probably your own." He lifted a hand to my face, stroking my cheek gently with his thumb as he surveyed me with dark eyes.

"Oh," I said, turning to fetch my bag and returning with the remainder of the potion. "Thank you so much. There's probably about…nine hours left in there." I held out the swirling gold vial.

"That's yours." he insisted. "Hold onto it."

"Thank you." I said, lowering the vial but gripping it tightly in my hand. "How did you know to brew it? Felix Felicis takes months to make, we weren't even speaking when you had to have started it."

"I knew what was coming six months ago," he said, "For me, not you. Dumbledore was still alive, but I knew what I was going to have to do and what sorts of things were to come. I thought it wouldn't hurt to have some reserves in case things weren't going right to push them back on course. The timing just happened to work out perfectly to be able to help you."

I paused. "You have to go." Disappointment was thick in my words.

"I have a little more time before my absence might be noted," he said.

I shook my head. "No, it's a feeling I have that you should go." I turned the vial of Felix Felicis in my hand. "Now."

He furrowed his brow. "I'm really glad everything is alright. I'll see you on Friday." He leaned in and planted a quick, gentle kiss on my lips before apparating from my side. I'd barely had a second to swoon over the way he made me feel before there was another crack and Susan was standing in my living room.

A loud sigh escaped her. "Thank God! You're alright!" She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me. "I was so worried. All day. How did you do it?"

I held up the vial of golden potion.

Her eyes went wide. "Where did you get that?"

"A friend gave it to me." I said with a smile.

"A friend?" Susan questioned. "But you don't have any friends, except for me, and I didn't give it to you."

"Oh, ha ha." I snarked.

"Is this, perhaps, the same friend that got you the family tree?" Susan asked, batting her eyelashes. "The one who did all that work and research just to keep you safe?" Her mannerisms were overly flirtatious.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling at her. "It is the same friend."

"It's a man isn't it?" she asked in a demanding tone. "He's in love with you and now I need to know who it is! Tell me!"

I rolled my eyes at her excitement. "I can't tell you."

"I'm your best friend!" she stated as though I were unaware. "When people tell you not to tell something to anyone I'm the implied exception! I get all the details!"

"I'm sorry." I said, and I was. "I can't tell you. Not yet. I promise I will when the time is right, but that is not right now." She was never really a fan of Severus even when we were students. Now that she thought he put her children in a place of danger, she would certainly not understand my affinity for him.

"Ugh," she groaned, "Why do you have to be so secretive? Who could your friend possibly be that the situation requires you to not tell me?" She paused, I could see the wheels in her brain turning. My heart caught. What if she figures it out? Would I be able to convincingly lie to her that it isn't Severus? I shook the thoughts from my head, she would never guess who it was. "Unless, it's someone you don't want me to know you're even talking to." she mused. Shit, she knows. "Kingsley Shacklebolt." she said the name proudly.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "Absolutely not. I haven't spoken to him since the failed date years ago. You've got to let that fantasy of yours go. Kingsley and I will never be a thing."

"I'll figure it out." she said, squinting her eyes at me. "Someday. But for now," She lunged at me again, wrapping her arms around me, nearly taking both of us to the ground. "I'm so happy you are alright and that you're not going to die in a cell in Azkaban. Whoever it is that saved you, I love them forever."

I smiled broadly and stifled the laughter that I felt rising inside me. If only she could appreciate what she was saying.

I sat in the quiet darkness of the Shrieking Shack. The past week had started to melt the memories of my court date and rather odd victory. The events of that day had already started to lose their importance as I fell back into my normal routine and my work reclaimed most of my attention. I checked my watch out of habit. It was too dark to be able to see the face, but I knew Severus was late. I was always too nervous to use lumos when I was alone in the shack.I had an irrational fear that someone would see the light and come to investigate. I knew it was a dumb thing to be afraid of, the windows were all boarded and besides, everyone thought this house was severely haunted. No one would come to investigate a ghostly light. I sat on the sofa, bouncing my leg nervously as I waited for him to climb through the trap door.

A crack sounded and floorboards creaked. "Lumos." Severus stood in the middle of the room holding onto his lit wand. "Sorry I'm late." he said, an amused smile on his lips.

I was relieved to see his smile but I still found myself curious. "Where were you?"

"I was in my office," he said, "There was an–"

"But you apparated." I said. "You can't apparate from inside the school."

"You can't apparate from the school." he said in a corrective tone. "I'm the headmaster, I can. One of the many perks of a job I'd rather not have."

"Why don't you normally apparate in, then?" I asked, not sure why I was so curious.

"I usually enjoy the walk here," he said, "It gives me a chance to be alone with my thoughts, but today, I was already late and decided that I would have to give up the walk to save you from whatever dramatic scene you were building in your mind."

"I wasn't building anything." I said defensively, I was only moments away from making up terrible, life in peril scenarios, but he didn't need to know that.

"Yet." he added with a smirk, his ability to see through me was astounding. "Anyways, there was an attempted heist that I had to deal with."

"Attempted heist?" I asked.

He nodded his head. "The new troublesome trio tried to steal something from my office."

"What is in there that's worth stealing?" I asked.

"The Sword of Gryffindor." he said with an impressive grin. "Unfortunately, I do really need to keep that. It's part of a very important plan that I have to execute at some point."

"When are they set to be the target of the Cruciatus?" I asked, ready to be upset with him.

"They aren't." he said, taking several steps towards me. "They are going to accompany Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest. Those three have no idea how amused I am by them. If they had taken anything else from my office, I may have pretended not to see it, but like I said, I really need that sword. Besides, I caught them sneaking it down the stairs and they were doing a terrible job of concealing it. I think I caught them a bit off guard. I had already left to come here when I realised I had forgotten something and turned back to go get it."

"What did you forget?" I asked, I loved listening to him speak. When he was calm his voice was gentle and low. I'd long thought he would be a perfect reader of bedtime stories.

He put his hand into his pocket. His brow furrowed and he searched his other pocket. A smile crossed his face and a breathy laugh escaped him. "It seems I have forgotten it again. Wait here." He extinguished his wand and a crack indicated that he had left. My eyes had adjusted to the light of his wand and I was now thrust back into inky black darkness. The quiet was stifling. The sound of my clothes rustling as I adjusted my position on the sofa was as loud as a yell. I ran my hand over the back of the sofa. My lips curved slightly when I remembered repairing it the first time I was here with Severus. He yelled at me to stop fixing things. It was only a moment before another crack sounded and Severus stood illuminated by wand light, a broad smile stretched his full lips. My heart leapt at the sight of him and I couldn't help but smile back.

"How do I do this?" He asked, reaching his hand into his pocket. "I don't think I've given anyone a gift since you, I'm a bit out of practice. Do you close your eyes or–" I immediately shut my eyes. I could hear his soft laugh followed by light footsteps. The sofa dipped as he sat down next to me. The unexpected movement almost made me roll into him. "It's not much, don't get your hopes up, but it's something I want you to have."

I opened my eyes to find Severus dangling a small golden locket by a long chain. The locket was oval in shape with a small, light green gem set in the middle. Intricate scroll work surrounded the gem, a dark patina had settled inside the swirling design, it was certainly not new. Small, white pearls dotted the perimeter of the oval, more looping designs wound their way around the pearls. I gently cradled the locket in my hand to stop it swaying and allow myself to better appreciate the craftsmanship. Severus let go of the chain and the weight of the locket fell into my palm. "It's beautiful." I whispered.

"It belonged to my mother." he said, his eyes watching me contentedly.

"Oh, Severus." I said, holding my hand out to him. "I can't take it."

He folded my fingers over the small piece of jewellery before holding my closed fist tightly in his hands. "I don't have much of hers, she didn't keep many things…my father didn't let her keep many things. She wasn't the best mom, but I still loved her. She gave this to me when I was a boy, she told me it had been her mother's and her mother's before. I kept it well hidden and protected from my father, who upon finding it would have sold it for drinking money." he paused before shaking his head. "I want you to have it. Lately, when I look at it, I think of you."

I opened my hand and admired the glittering antique. "Severus," I objected. "It's too much, I couldn't possibly–" I was silenced by a gentle finger pressed to my lips. He pulled the locket from my open hand, undid the clasp, and, leaning so close to me that I could feel the heat of his body, closed the chain around my neck. His fingers ran along the chain, lingering on the locket, before allowing the golden trinket to fall into place on my chest. He leaned in again, pressing his lips tenderly to the side of my neck. The small action sent my blood raging and my heart pounding. "That's not fair." I whispered. I felt his mouth curve into a smile as he planted a gentle kiss on my throat.

He pulled away slowly, taking me in, his eyes lingering on the locket. A slight smile curved his lips. "I think it's the green." he said.

"What?" I asked, looking down at the locket.

"I think the green reminds me of your eyes." he reached for the locket, his fingers grazed the skin on my chest sending shivers up my spine. His thumb gently swiped over the decorated face of the locket. "It suits you."

The locket fell back to my chest when he let it go. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. He smelled of books and faintly of sour potions. The heat of his body seeped into my skin, the shack was getting chilly even though it was only October. A hand pressed against my back, cradling my body against his. I wanted him forever like this. A moment of calm, he wasn't worried, he wasn't stressed, he was free to be mine. I buried my head into the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply the scent of his skin. "Severus?" I mumbled into his shoulder.

"Hmm?" he sounded, pulling himself away to look at me. The opposite of what I wanted. His dark eyes held me in their deep depths. I could feel my heart crawl into my throat. I felt the weight of all my emotions just from staring at him. I loved him, so incredibly much that it caused me pain. I wanted to protect him, I wanted to make sure he never felt sadness, felt pain, felt fear again. When I looked at him, I saw my past, my present, my future. I wanted to hold him and be held by him. I wanted to be with him, always. These thoughts flowed through me like they were my blood. I laid my hand on top of his. "You're shaking." he observed, "Are you cold?" Without a moment of consideration, he enveloped me in his billowy robes, the warmth of his body made my aching stronger.

"Don't leave me." I whispered.

"I don't have anywhere to be," he said, "I'm all yours."

I shook my head. "You've spoken of death like it's nothing, like it's the least of your worries." I could feel tears pressing against my throat.

"Death is part of my plan." he said, his voice low and calm. "I'm not stupid enough to think that I'll accomplish all of my tasks and live to tell the tale."

"I don't want you to die." I said, my voice cracking.

"I'm here now." He said, wrapping his arms tighter around me. "Concentrate on that."

"Do you ever think about how things could have been if I hadn't done what I did?" I asked, looking up at his face.

He shook his head. "Don't do that to yourself. You did what you thought you needed to do. Life is what it is and now I have you back. Don't think about what could have been, we don't know what could have been, we can only know what is. And what I know is that I love you and I'm going to accept every moment with you for what it is; perfect."

"Perfect? Even when I'm annoying, or opinionated, or a sobbing mess?" I challenged.

He regarded me in a soft, almost dreamy manner. An easy smile pulled on his lips. "Especially those moments. Do you want to know something?" I nodded my head and he continued. "When I think about you, the memories that make me the happiest are when you are being unabashedly yourself. I have so many memories of you scrunching your face at me in anger, or crossing your arms in annoyance, or unflattering mocking faces. I enjoy the memories of us in times of peace but I can feel you the most in the ones where you're annoying, opinionated, or emotional." he leaned down at the end of his words and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

At some point during his explanation, I melted. My bottom lip was in a pout as I listened to him speak of me in a manner I had never been able to see myself, in a manner I didn't know anyone could see me. I draped my legs over his lap and buried my head in his chest. He adjusted himself to wrap his robes around me like bat wings. I snuggled into him closer, wrapping my arms around his torso, and breathed in his bookish scent. "If I'd known how much you liked when I was neurotic, I could have given you more material."

His chest bounced with deep laughter and his arms tightened around me. "Are you telling me that this whole time has been you showing restraint? Lies. I can't believe that."

I looked up at him with a smile, he craned his neck and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. We sat in comfortable silence, content with the feel of each other's bodies and personal warmth. I wasn't sure how much time had stretched by, I wished time would stop so I could enjoy this moment for as long as I wanted. I knew it was inevitable that he would need to return to the school and I would be forced to endure another week without him.

My feet hit hard packed earth. In front of me stood the strangest structure I had seen. It looked like a child had begun designing their dream home but decided that there wasn't enough room for all the things they wanted, and instead of starting over with a more spacious design, they drew new houses stacked on top of one another. The additions were mismatched and were certainly held up with the help of magic.

"The Burrow." Sean announced with a beaming smile. I had heard about The Burrow when he was in school and would visit Bill over summer break. The way he talked about it, I had expected an extravagant wonderland. Not a haphazard building with unkempt gardens, an old garage, and a green pond. "Isn't it lovely?"

"It's…something." I said. Sean hit me with a warning glare. "It is! I've never seen anything like it."

His stare held me for a moment, challenging me to say anything less than 'This is the greatest place I have ever been.' He seemed to accept my silence as an agreement that this place was a utopia. "Bill will be here with his wife, Fleur. Arthur and Molly are his parents and will be very enthusiastic to meet you. Arthur is going to ask you questions about what it was like to grow up in a muggle household, you are obligated to answer each one of his questions no matter how silly they seem, because Arthur is a saint." I smiled at my brother's inclination to protect his friend's father. "Molly will offer to feed you, you always accept food from Molly. Not only will it be the best meal of your life, but Molly is also a saint. Bill's twin brother's Fred and George will also be here. George is missing an ear, we don't talk about this. Bill's brother Percy will not be here. Percy has decided to side with the ministry, we don't talk about this either. It will make Molly cry."

"I wouldn't have known that Percy existed if you wouldn't have said anything." I pointed out.

"Ah," Sean considered. "Good point. Oh well, now you know about him. Don't bring him up." He gestured for me to follow him as he walked up to the front door and knocked. There was a moment of nothing. A cold breeze blew across my face. I could hear something running through the long grasses of the garden, the rhythm of the steps suggested a biped and not an animal. I swore I could hear voices as well. Sean must have noticed my attention had been pulled. "They have garden Gnomes. Nasty things. I was bitten by one the summer before my third year."

The door opened, revealing a handsome, tall man with red hair pulled into a ponytail, an earring with a fang dangling from it, and a scar across one side of his face. His face was serious and his wand was drawn. I wasn't sure I was even noticed as his attention was fixated on Sean. "In our second year at Hogwarts, what did I convince Gertrude Ferris would get rid of her acne?" he asked.

"Cornish Pixie Dung." Sean answered, his own wand was drawn, I hadn't noticed him grab it. "What did she do to make you do such a nasty thing?"

"She poisoned Rebecca Spindle's toad." The man who I realised must be a grown up Bill Weasley answered, lowering his wand. Sean lowered his wand as well. A smile stretched across his face as he pulled my brother into a friendly hug. "It's good to see you." He turned to me, his cheeks flaring red. "Ruby, been a long time." I smiled at his obvious embarrassment over how he had acted the last time he saw me. "Well, come in, come in. Everyone is in the kitchen."

I followed Sean inside. Walking into this home gave me an instant homey, cosy feeling. The furniture was worn but comfortable looking with knitted blankets draped across the backs. I looked up to find a number of staircases leading up, circling up, and up, and up. I wondered if this style of house was typical for magical families or just this one. I followed Sean into another room as he talked with Bill. It turned out to be the kitchen with several people sitting around a table and others standing around. Most people, I had noticed, had red hair. I wondered if the Order would have had enough numbers to remain if not for the Weasley family.

"Ruby Winston?" I heard my name in a deep voice. I turned to find Kinglsey Shacklebolt approaching me.

"Kingsley." I used his name as a sort of greeting.

"It's been a long time." he said, "How is Susan and her family? I haven't heard from her since she left the ministry."

"Oh, they're all doing well." I said adding, "I suppose. How are you?" I wished he wouldn't have started a conversation if all it was going to be was awkward pleasantries.

"I'm as well as can be expected," he answered, "What brings you here?"

"My brother Sean," I said, gesturing to my brother still in conversation with Bill who had been joined by an extraordinarily beautiful woman with silvery blonde hair. "He told me about the Order right before I went on trial. I've decided that I want to help instead of sitting around aimlessly, waiting for information."

"Such conviction," he said with a smirk. Was he flirting with me? "I didn't know Sean had a sister, much less that it was you. Susan said you were muggle-born, I assumed you were a stand alone witch."

"Oh, no. I found out a little while ago that I'm not actually a muggle-born. My grandfather had been a wizard but he left to marry my grandmother. My magic apparently just skipped a generation."

"Is that how you won your trial? By discovering this information?"

I nodded. "My boyfriend was the one who found it out. He has more resources and better attention than I do."

"That's fortunate for you." he said, nodding his head. "Welcome to the Order."

I watched him wander over to another man, whom I immediately recognized as Remus Lupin. He looked tired, pale, and a little ill. I wondered what phase the moon was in and if that had any bearing on his current state. By this time a few other people had begun to notice the out of place stranger and were watching me with cautious regard. I wished Sean would stop his conversation and notice so I could be introduced.

A man with red hair that appeared to be thinning and glasses stepped into my viewline. His face held a pleasant expression and he possessed the same tall thin frame as Bill. This must be Arthur I thought. "Hello," he said with a smile, "Who are you, then?" His question was not pushy, it was said with the air of a man who was used to numerous strangers taking over his home.

"I'm Ruby," I said, "Sean's sister."

He looked over at my brother. "Ah, yes. Bill and Sean used to be quite the troublesome pair. I believe Bill said Sean would be bringing someone. I'm Arthur, Bill's father. Welcome to our home."

"It's very lovely." I said, looking around at my surroundings.

"Nothing, I'm sure, to your muggle upbringing." he said with an excited tone to his voice. "I have recently become aware of something called a washing-up machine. How does it know where the mess is to wash it up?"

"Um," I stammered, "Well, it sort of–"

I was cut off by Remus Lupin clearing his throat. The attention of the room turned to him. "Listen up, everyone." he began.

"I'm all ears!" one of two identical boys sitting at the table called, making an obvious gesture to an area where an ear should have been.

I looked over at Sean who had given me a warning about not mentioning the missing appendage, he was watching me with a grin and walked over. "We don't mention it because George enjoys making his own jokes. I didn't want you stealing his thunder." he whispered.

"You thought I was going to make a joke about a stranger with a missing ear?" I asked.

He shrugged. "You've turned into a wild card, I'm not sure what your next move could be." There was a moment of silence where Remus was speaking about things that had happened since the last official meeting. "Oh," Sean whispered. "We still don't talk about Percy. The George missing an ear one was a joke, but Percy is a serious matter."

"Again, I don't know Percy, so why would I bring him up?"

"Like I said, wild card."

I shook my head and continued listening to the short brief.

Once the meeting was done, a short, plump woman with fiery red hair set to work in the kitchen. I watched her as she worked quickly and soon, the table was full of food that hadn't even been started a few moments before. I began to appreciate how little household magic I had learned. I had been in this world for most of my life and it never ceased to amaze me how little I knew about what magic could really do. Roast chickens, boiled potatoes, mushy peas, bread, and apple crisp were spread out over the table and the smell was divine.

I stood back while everyone else helped themselves. The conversation turned friendly and laughter broke out from time to time. This was not what I had envisioned a resistance meeting would look like. I had pictured colder surroundings, more leather and angst. Everyone here were friends and I was an outsider. I looked over at Sean, he was having an easy conversation with Bill and his wife, the twin with both ears had joined their conversation and was adding a bit of laughter. I could sneak out of the door and no one would notice that I had gone, not many people had noticed that I was even there. I felt like an intruder.

"Don't be shy." Molly had appeared at my side with a plate full of food. She held it out to me and I took it from her. "Arthur tells me that you are Sean's sister. We're happy you've decided to join us, we can use all the help we can get. Eat!" she urged. I took a hurried bite of boiled potato that had no business being as tasty as it was. Sean was right again, this woman could cook.

"You must really enjoy entertaining, to have Order meetings in this small space." I said, taking a bite of roast chicken breast.

Molly shook her head. "It's more out of necessity. We had a different meeting place, but Severus knew about it so it was no longer safe." My heart jumped at the unexpected use of his name and I choked a bit.

"Severus?" I asked between coughs.

"He was a member, a prominent one, before…" she paused. "Before he turned out to be a traitor who was working for You-Know-Who the whole time." She shook her head. "He'd been a good friend and Dumbledore trusted him with his life. I didn't think Albus was capable of putting his trust in the wrong person. It's a shame how Severus had us all fooled. He spent years gaining our trust, making us believe that he wasn't on the side of the dark, we accepted him and he betrayed us. He is of the worst sort."

My heart broke for Severus. He'd had friends in the Order, he'd had their trust and their protection, but Albus Dumbledore had forced him to become alienated from them. They believed he was a monster, a man capable of murdering someone who considered him a friend. No one knew of the sacrifices he had made, and continued to make for the same cause they were fighting for. Albus had separated Severus from everything. His friends hated him, and he hated the group he was supposedly working with. He was forced into being an island, completely alone in a sea of other people's decisions. I knew that Severus held no ill feelings towards him, but I hated Albus Dumbledore. There had to have been a different way this all could have been done other than ruining a man's life.