The first hour of secretly guarding the lobby of the Ministry of Magic, Freddie was on high alert, nervous that she would miss something if she so much as blinked. But the job quickly grew boring when she realized just how few people would be coming and going in the middle of the night. In the four hours she was there she saw a total of five people and none of them looked particularly suspicious. She carefully tested her Legilimency on them and found nothing unusual – only grumbling thoughts about how they didn't want to work this late or the two who were leaving who were thinking of nothing but getting home to their families.

With nothing to distract her, Freddie had far too much time to mull over the memory of her mother and Regulus Black. It wasn't the first time she'd remembered something from her childhood, but usually her repressed memories were more traumatic – like seeing her parents murder an Auror before they were arrested. This particular memory hadn't been all that painful. Sure her mother had physically assaulted her, jerking her arm away from the tapestry and threatening her with her wand... but she'd been so happy to see Regulus. He seemed so nice. How could she have forgotten about him completely?

Part of her wished that Tonks hadn't interrupted her and that she'd gotten a chance to ask Sirius Black about his brother. But as much as she wanted to know about Regulus and find out what happened to him, she didn't want to be around Black any more than was necessary. Talking to Lupin was one thing, he seemed to have matured over the years, but seeing how Black still treated Snape and how much the two so clearly hated each other... She didn't really want anything to do with him.

I could ask Remus about Regulus, she considered silently. He and Sirius are best friends so surely he knew his brother. Or I can ask Severus. Regulus had to have been a Death Eater, so he would definitely know...

Freddie kept an eye on the large clock in the lobby and at ten minutes until midnight, when the lobby was completely abandoned, she heard a voice whisper her name.

"Freddie?" came Lupin's voice, almost inaudible, causing her to jump.

"I'm here," she whispered back and heard the rustle of the invisibility cloak as he approached her invisible form.

"Anything to report?"

"Nope," she answered quickly. She did want to ask Lupin about Regulus Black, but this wasn't the time or the place for it.

"You can head out then. See you next time."

"Thanks, Remus."

Freddie Disapparated from the Ministry and appeared in her office at St Mungo's to a sight that surprised her – Snape was stretched out on the couch in her office, sound asleep, with Ziggy curled up on his chest. Her heart melted and she smiled at the sight of them. Ziggy's eyes blinked open and, despite the fact that her Invisibility Potion was still in effect, he looked directly at her and began to purr.

She thought about taking the rare opportunity to startle Snape like he so often did her, but she couldn't bring herself to disturb him...not to mention the likelihood that he might hex her if she scared him awake. Still smiling, she turned her attention to her Wolfsbane Potion and noticed, for the first time, that a second cauldron had been set up beside it. She easily identified the brew inside of it as a batch of Invisibility Potion. She touched the outside of the cauldron cautiously and found it was only slightly warm – she estimated it had been cooling for the last half hour.

He must have stayed here after I left to make this for me, she thought to herself, glancing back at Snape's sleeping form.

She tended to the Wolfsbane Potion quickly while she waited for her Invisibility Potion to wear off. She could've taken the antidote, but with only a few minutes left on the effects of the brew she decided it'd be better to just wait. When she was visible once more and her task had been completed, she approached the couch.

"Severus?" she murmured softly as Ziggy leapt from his chest to the back of the sofa. Snape's dark eyes opened and focused on her immediately. She leaned over the couch to give him a quick kiss.

"How did it go?" he asked, sitting up and stretching.

"Boring," she admitted, which caused him to smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you could use a fresh batch of Invisibility Potion, since you've no doubt depleted your stores," he answered as she sat down beside him.

"Why'd you make it here? Why not at home or at Hogwarts?" she asked curiously. "What if someone had come into my office and found you?"

"I put spells on the door to keep them out. I thought I would stay here in case anything happened and you didn't make it back by midnight. I wouldn't want your Wolfsbane Potion to be ruined."

"I appreciate that," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder sleepily. "Fortunately it was an uneventful night at the Ministry."

"Good," he said and kissed the top of her head. "You ready to go home?"

"Yes," she said, stifling a yawn. "I'm exhausted."

"Come on then," he chuckled. "Grab your cat."

"Kneazle," she protested as she scooped Ziggy off the back of the sofa and kissed his furry head.

A short while later the two of them were in bed together at the house in Spinner's End, wrapped in each other's arms, with Ziggy curled up at the foot of the bed. Freddie was almost asleep when she remembered the memory that had surfaced earlier that evening at headquarters.

"Severus?" she asked hesitantly, uncertain if he had already fallen asleep.

"Mm?" he responded sleepily.

"Did you...did you know Sirius Black's little brother?" she asked and she felt his body stiffen around hers.

"Why," he began slowly. "Are you asking me about Regulus Black?"

Freddie quickly began to explain the memory that had resurfaced earlier. Midway through explaining she felt him slip into her mind, without moving a muscle, and she stopped talking as he watched the memory play out. She felt his anger when he saw Alexia twist her arm, shouted at her. The memory froze as Alexia raised her wand threateningly and little Freddie cowed before her mother, knowing the pain that was about to come. She felt Snape's pity too at the sight of her and she didn't like that feeling. She didn't want to be pitied. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she started to squirm away.

It's okay, Snape's voice said soothingly in her mind, pulling her back to him and holding her tight.

I don't want your pity, she thought stubbornly, refusing to let herself be mollified. I'm not some pathetic child.

I know you're not, he responded silently. I don't pity you, Winifred. I pity your family who couldn't appreciate you... and I'm angry that things like this happened to you and no one did anything to stop it.

Regulus did, she thought insistently, pulling the memory back up and pushing it at him. His arms tightened around her as he watched Regulus interrupt Alexia's fury and scoop Freddie into his arms.

"Did you know-?" she began as the memory faded, but Snape's fury silenced her as he saw Sirius Black in her mind, standing in the doorway of the drawing room with the tapestry. She bit her lip anxiously, but he quickly got a handle on his anger. Still she didn't dare speak as he watched her interacting with the older Black. She felt his annoyance flicker through right before he withdrew and she couldn't help but flinch.

"Sorry," he murmured and pressed another kiss to her forehead. "Did I-?"

"You didn't hurt me," she assured him quickly. "I just thought – with how angry you were the last time – but it was fine this time."

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice full of remorse.

"I want to know about Regulus," she said, a little impatiently. "I didn't get to ask Black about him – I didn't really want to anyway. I figured you would know – he was a Death Eater, right? Did you know him?"

"Yes, I knew him, and yes he was a Death Eater," he answered then hesitated a moment before continuing. "He was a few years younger but he was part of a group of my Slytherin peers who all turned out to be Death Eaters. He dropped out of school early so he could join the Dark Lord, around the same time I graduated and joined Him as well."

"So you were friends?" she asked eagerly.

"Not really," he said uncomfortably. "Like I said, he was younger. I did tend to keep to myself and the few friends I did have were my age or older – like Lucius. And I suppose a part of me held a grudge against Regulus because of his brother."

"Oh," she said, unable to help feeling disappointed. She wanted to know more about the man she had called 'Uncle Reggie'. "...Whatever happened to him?"

"I don't know," Snape answered and her heart dropped. "He wasn't with the Dark Lord for long – less than two years, I think. Then one day he disappeared. I never heard anyone mention him again."

"Do you think he's dead?"

"Almost certainly," he answered, then seeing her dismay quickly hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Winifred. From what I remember he didn't seem to have the stomach for the Dark Lord's...methods. Many of the younger Death Eaters realized just how bad the Dark Lord actually was and tried to back out, but..."

"There's no backing out," Freddie whispered, reflecting on the memory. Had Regulus already decided, at that point, that he wanted out? It certainly explained the fear and sadness she'd seen in his eyes.

"Exactly."

"My...Alexia was older than you, right?"

"Yes. She and Marius were already part of the Dark Lord's inner circle by the time I joined."

"So they would've been a lot older than Regulus, too. I wonder why we were at Grimmauld Place when I was a child, why I seemed to know him so well. Well enough to consider him 'Uncle Reggie'."

"Sometimes older Death Eaters would take new ones under their wings," he said, clearly still uncomfortable with the conversation. "Someone like Regulus with such a prestigious lineage, well, he would have been a catch."

"So he was like her protege? I bet she was pissed when he tried to leave."

"She may have k-..." Snape fell silent but Freddie knew what he was going to say.

"She probably killed him herself," she finished darkly.

"I'm sorry, Winifred," he said immediately. "I shouldn't have said that, I wasn't thinking."

"No, you're right," she sighed. "It makes sense. My mother was – is – an awful person. It's a wonder she didn't kill me as a child, seeing what a disappointment I am."

"You're not a disappointment, Winifred," he murmured, stroking her hair gently.

"To her I was. Guess I still am," she said with a faint smile. "But that's a good thing. What kind of person would I be if my Death Eater mother was proud of me?"

"Well, I'm proud of you," he said, kissing her forehead once more and stifling a yawn. "I always will be."

"I'm proud of you too, Severus," she said with a smile and kissed his lips. "Get some sleep. And thank you...for answering my questions."

"Mm-hmm," he responded drowsily.

A moment later he began to snore and as Freddie drifted off with her face buried in Snape's chest she wondered if she would ever know for sure what happened to Regulus Black.