Disclaimer:- I neither own nor own anything from this story. My plot is my own but the world of Harry Potter is the intellectual property of JK Rowling and associates.

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A/N:- Thank you to all who left reviews and alerts on my last chapter, I appreciate them all. I'm also very sorry that this next chapter has been very slow to be posted, time gets away sometimes when you're busy, and I was horrified to see how long it had been since I'd last posted. Many thanks to the dragon and the rose for betaing this chapter. I hope you enjoy this next instalment.

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Chapter Six – Settling in with Extras

Severus listened before he proceeded, and he heard happy noises and much treading of small feet upstairs. He looked above his head and smiled. The house finally had a family, and he took the back stairs two at a time to reach them.

On arriving on the second floor, he looked into the first open door, and saw that Hugo had chosen the bedroom closest to the back stairs, and he and Albus Potter were busily unpacking Hugo's belongings. Severus smiled to himself, that boy and his stomach, I bet that's why he's chosen that room.

"Settling in, Hugo?"

"Yes, Professor," the young boy replied. "This is a wicked house," and he grinned.

Severus considered this comment a moment. He was familiar with the vernacular, he'd just never considered that it would apply to his home, but he said, "Thank you, Hugo. I have always thought so," and he shook his head as he continued up the hallway.

The next open door he came to was on the other side of the hallway and in the middle, and he noted that Portius must have instructed one of the cleaning elves to change the decorations. The usually plain cream walls were now covered in rosebud wallpaper, just as Rose's old bedroom had been. The queen-sized bed had been split into two single beds with matching rosebud comforters on them, and Rose and Amelia Longbottom were busy arranging Rose's books in her book case.

"Would you like your bed instead of this one?" Severus asked, standing in the doorway.

"Oh, Professor," she gushed, placing the pile of books into the bookcase quickly, and running over and hugging him. "This is perfect, thank you."

Severus was slightly overcome by her actions, but he quietly gave her a pat on the back and then asked, "Where is your mother?"

"Aunt Ginny made her go and rest, she's in bed, I think. When can we see your lab?" she asked, her blue eyes looking up at him and literally shining with happiness.

Severus couldn't help the slight upward tilt of his own lips in response, but he said, "Not while you have a friend staying, and there will be some very strict rules about accessing my lab, young lady. It is not a safe place for you alone. We'll speak about it once we're all settled."

"Oh, okay," Rose said, her face falling.

"I am, however, willing to furnish you with a small work area of your own, your mother and I will speak about it first though," he said.

She smiled. "Thank you."

Eager to change the subject, Severus looked around the room. "Is there anything else you need enlarged?" he asked, even though he could see that someone—probably Hermione or Ginny—had already enlarged everything.

"No, I think we'll be fine," and she grinned at him again. "Thank you, sir."

"You are most welcome, Rose," Severus answered, and turned to move up the hallway, but then paused.

He glanced back towards Hugo's room wondering if he needed anything, but from the mess of enlarged boxes he'd seen, he was fairly certain that everything had already been enlarged for him too, so he continued on his search for Hermione.

Walking into the master bedroom, he found that their bed was turned back, but there was no witch in it, and he walked to the doorway of Minnie's new room. "Ah, there you are," he said, spying Hermione sitting on the bed watching Ginny helping Minnie put up her horse and unicorn posters, while both Minnie and Lily handed them to her.

"I tried to get her to put her feet up, but…" and Ginny shrugged.

"Yes, well, we all know how stubborn she is," Severus chuckled, as Hermione poked her tongue out at him.

Ginny nodded in agreement. "Has Harry gone after Ron?"

"Yes, and my apologies, he asked me to inform you."

"No worries," Ginny said, standing back with her hands on her hips. "There, little Miss Minerva, all your posters are up."

Minnie jumped up and down happily, looking around at her vast collection of posters that fitted on these walls much better than they had on the small piece of wall in her mother's old bedroom.

"What do you say to Aunty Ginny, sweetie," Hermione prompted, getting up and walking over to Severus.

"Thank you, Aunty Ginny," Minnie replied.

"Yes, I appreciated your help, Gin," Hermione added, slipping under Severus' arm, and she leant against him for support. She was a lot more exhausted and emotional than she was letting on, and in truth, still feeling completely blind-sided, but at least her manners did not fail her. "Would you like a cuppa, Gin?"

"Thank you, 'Mione, but you need to rest, and I need to get the kids home. They're on a promise to have takeaway tonight if they clean up their rooms and get their homework done."

"And I best see if I can get the television to work in the family room before your favourite crime drama comes on later tonight," Severus said, giving Hermione a squeeze before looking at the two small girls watching the adult conversation. "Now, Minnie," he started. "We'll use the door in the hallway for your room, and keep this door closed unless you need us during the night," Severus stated, closing the door between her room and their room.

"Okay," Minnie nodded.

"I'll come down with you," Hermione said to Severus, watching him instructing Minnie about the rule, and then speaking to her daughter. "Do you want to stay up here or come with us, Minnie," she asked.

"I'm hungry," Minnie declared. "I want to come."

Severus listened, but then said to Hermione, "You can only come if you promise to rest on the lounge.

"Okay, but I'll just make certain that Rose, Amelia and Hugo are okay and know how to get down the back stairs before I come down," Hermione said.

"We can do that along the way," Severus told her.

"Oh, yes… okay," Hermione said, watching Ginny with Lily on her hip trying to collect Albus from Hugo's room as she stopped at Rose's door. "Everything all right, love?" she asked.

"Yes, fine," Rose replied. "I love it here, Mum," she added.

"I'm pleased. We'll be in the family room down the back stairs if you need anything, okay?" Hermione told the girls.

"We'll be fine, Mother," Rose replied.

Hermione repeated her advice to Hugo as she arrived at his door, and Ginny argued with Albus about leaving.

"No, young man, you can come home with us," Ginny told her middle child.

"But I want to stay," Albus insisted, pouting.

Then Hugo added to the argument. "Muumm!" he whined. "Rose has Melia, why can't Albie stay too?"

"Auntie Ginny said no, love. They've got things to do. Albus can stay another time."

"But, Muumm!" Hugo repeated.

"Another time," Hermione repeated firmly, moving along before he could complain more.

"But, Mum!" Albus said to Ginny.

"Remember our plan, Albie," Ginny replied evenly. "Home, cleaning up, homework and Chinese food for dinner if you all finish everything on time."

Albus sighed and gave in, he bumped fists with Hugo and said, "Sorry, mate."

"Yeah, I guess so," Hugo replied dejectedly.

Ginny ushered her children down the stairs behind Hermione and Severus, with Albus, Minnie and Lily behind. They walked out into the formal part of the house, and into the sitting room, where Severus stopped in front of the fireplace. He offered the bowl of Floo-powder to Ginny and spoke to his wards in his mind to open enough to allow her to leave with her children as she took a pinch of Floo powder.

As soon as the wards were opened by this small amount, she hadn't even announced their destination when Harry's Patronus thundered through the Floo.

"Gin, you and the children stay put with 'Mione. Severus, could you come to the Burrow as soon as you can, Kingsley is currently bringing the Black sisters." The Patronus evaporated, and the only sound they heard was Albus as he woo-hooed, and took off back upstairs to Hugo.

Ginny watched him go and barked a laugh. "I hate it when the little buggers win by default," but then she looked at her closest friend and her new partner, and asked, "You guys don't mind, do you?"

Hermione glanced at Severus, and he said, "Of course we don't mind, it must be important or Mister…. Harry would not have asked."

"Exactly," Hermione added. "We're happy for you and the kids to stay here," but then she turned to Severus. "Please be careful, love," she said, pulling him into a hug.

"I'll go and see how the kids are getting on," Ginny said, taking Lily by the hand and going back the way they'd come.

Severus pulled back, and said, "I'll be fine. This is what I do best, and as you know the three of us have been called to situations like this before. We will be fine, do not concern yourself," and he kissed her, and pulled back, apparating away as a cloak that seemed to shimmer in the light of the room swirled into being around him and he closed the wards down again as he passed through them.

As she stood there watching, it finally dawned on her exactly how powerful her wizard was. The ethereal breeze surrounding his exit tugged softly at the tendrils of her hair that had escaped the confines of her plait, and she sent a whispered protection spell chasing after him.

xox

When he arrived at the Burrow, he purposefully made certain he landed somewhere unseen, and he was glad that he had for several reasons. The protection that Hermione had sent after him wrapped around him like a warm hug, and his knees almost buckled at the feel of it. He steeled himself and glanced around, and the first thing that caught his attention was a strong glow to his left over the hill. It looked like a large fire, and it was in the direction that Hermione's little cottage stood.

The Potions master instinctively knew, as the cold February wind blew around him that it was the cottage that was on fire. The murderous book had started its rampage, and this made him turn towards the Burrow and see that the roof of that building was also alight. He therefore knew exactly where the book was, especially when he saw Weasley's limp body being held in stasis above a rather large hole in the burning roof, and he gathered his dragon-hide cloak around him and started down the hill towards the fray.

He'd been expecting the first blow as he walked closer, as Weasley's hatred of him would be well known by the grimoire. If the book was as smart as he thought it was it would also know that he could destroy it if he got close enough, but he easily batted off the fire-ball like it was a tennis ball and he had a giant bat.

Another crackled as it sizzled towards him, and this time he was close enough to see Molly and Arthur, and the two Black sisters sheltering behind a wall of Aurors with Kingsley and Harry in the front. "Gentlemen," he said, using his wand this time to dispatch another ball of flames as it left the hole in the roof. It met his spell in a shower of sparks and a burn of ozone. "Why are we all hiding down here?" he asked, smirking at them.

Harry looked at him agog. "None of us can get in," he said, more than a little panicked.

"We've called for unspeakables," Kingsley put in.

Snape smirked again. "Then we had better give them something to collect," and he turned to Narcissa and Andromeda. "Ladies, shall we?"

As he'd reminded Hermione just now, this was not the first time that these two witches had been called on in recent history to deal with the product of a distant relation. They charmed the grimoire, and Severus dealt the blow that silenced it, and they were both ready now that Severus was with them.

"We're ready now you're here," Andromeda told him.

"Excellent, you start your appeal, and I'll be right behind you."

The two witches looked at one another and rose up from their shelter as Severus cast an unseen shield around them all as they started to chant. They raised their hands, their palms facing in front of them. "Oh, fellow daughter of house Black, we beseech ye to listen."

Nothing happened, but there was a set routine for this sort of thing, and they both kept their minds concentrating on a desire to commune with their relative, in this case the witch who'd written the book.

As they walked closer, Severus obscured his identity, allowing the book to access his surface thoughts, as he told it exactly what it wanted to hear. Oh great powerful and dark book, we seek to be your disciples, pray allow us to gaze on thy pages, he thought.

The book—because these books all appeared to be like greedy undisciplined children—fell for it, sensing much greater power in the three of them than in Ron. Suddenly Ron Weasley's body was dropping like a stone as the book released him. Concentrating on the book, Severus did not know who arrested the boy's fall and pulled him to safety, and he didn't really care as tendrils of darkness were suddenly writhing from the hole in the roof, like an octopus exiting.

Severus grasped the two sisters by the upper arms and levitated himself off the ground, soon he and they were vapour travelling up towards the roof. He cast an impervious on them, and muttered, "Frigore Flammas," as they passed through the flames burning around the roof, so none of them would be harmed as they approached the book.

Once they landed softly and were inside, they found the book open on a table in the centre of the room, and they approached cautiously. The sisters knew how to appease it and each offered the book their blood to prove for certain their right to commune with it.

The book devoured the offerings ravenously, the tendrils that had been escaping came back in to surround the two witches. After this it was almost ridiculously easy for Narcissa and Andromeda to convince the book to open to its heart spells.

Once it had, Severus was ready, he lunged forward and plunged his basilisk tooth dagger into the anchoring spell of the grimoire, severing its heart. Rivulets of what resembled blood, but was actually ink poured from the book, as Severus undid the clasp on his dragonhide cloak he swung it over the two witches quickly, turning them away from what was inevitable as he drew his wand. A wailing, ear-splitting scream pierced the late afternoon air, and the ghost of the book's spirit leapt from the pages. With the only two worthy of possession hidden under the cloak, Severus acted quickly as the spirit paused in confusion at not finding willing supplicants, and he encased the belligerent entity in a strong bubble of magic.

For some moments everything fell deathly silent. The next sound they heard was Harry and Kingsley thundering up the stairs towards them. The two Aurors arrived in the attic at the same time. Severus had pushed the sisters to the ground covered by his cloak, and he was now helping the two shaky witches up, even though he was drained himself from his exertions.

Harry and Kingsley saw the destroyed grimoire on the table and the obviously angry spirit hovering in the now hardened sphere of light surrounding it, and Kinsley knew that it was over.

Harry however, was rather shell-shocked, and he looked at Severus with almost a lost look on his face. "Thank you for your warning earlier, Severus…' but his words trailed off and he just stared at the sight in front of him.

Then three unspeakables arrived up the stairs, and the leader approached Severus. "Nice work, Master Snape," he stated calmly.

"Thank you, Master Bevan," Severus replied, recognising the voice of the wizard addressing him. "We will leave you to it, but I would appreciate my dagger back at your convenience," and without waiting for an answer he turned to Kingsley. "I will escort Andromeda and Narcissa to their home, and I will bid you both good night."

"It's all right, Severus, Auror Blain can do that, I'm sure you're eager to get back to Hermione," Kingsley told him.

Severus inclined his head genially. "I am indeed," and he then bowed to Narcissa and Andromeda. "Good evening, ladies," and walking away from the group he apparated away.

xox

The Potions Master arrived in his lab, and before he'd touched anything he created a man-sized sphere of light, similar to the one he'd encased the spirit in just now. He stepped inside to decontaminate himself of anything that may have attached itself to him that he did not know about.

However, he found that he was clean, and stepping back out he vanished the sphere. He had a secure hiding place for his precious dragonhide cloak, and after giving it an additional cleansing he placed it back inside the hidden cupboard, and renewed the blood lock on it. It was a lock of his design, and it allowed him to access the cloak without opening the lock, but not open the cupboard without proving who he was.

All this done, he then went in search of Hermione for the second time that day. He locked the lab door and warded it, and started up the stairs from his basement. The sound of his feet coming up the stone steps must have carried, and he didn't even make it to the top before Hermione was standing there in the light from the connecting hallway that led into the family room. In such light, his witch looked like an angel, and he couldn't help the smile he had on his face as he reached her and pulled her into his arms.

"Hello, sweetheart," he murmured. "The book is destroyed," he told her, kissing around her ear as he spoke. "Unfortunately, so is your former home. I believe we got out of there just in time, love," he whispered to her.

"Oh," she gasped, and held him tighter. "I love you, Severus."

"And I you," and pulling back, he kissed her properly. When he broke the kiss he asked, "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better now you're back, come, the kids are waiting for you," and they walked arm and arm into the family room where Ginny was keeping the children occupied.

As they entered the redheaded witch looked up. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.

"I can vouch for Harry, he's fine, and so are your parents, but that's all I can tell you for certain," Severus answered.

She breathed out a sigh that sounded distinctly uneasy, and Hermione said, "Lils and Albie will be fine here, love, go and make sure everyone's okay. You and Harry can always come back and get them later if you want," but as she said it a yawn broke out of her control.

Severus watched this and added, "Provided it's before eight, as I do not believe that Hermione will be awake after that."

Ginny smiled, and then she remembered Harry's thoughts on what they might find at Ballycastle tomorrow, and she said quietly, "Actually, would it be all right if we picked them up tomorrow afternoon, after we've been to Ballycastle? Because who knows what we'll find there."

"That's a very valid point," Severus agreed.

"Then it's settled, we'll see you both tomorrow afternoon," Hermione replied, and watched Ginny going over to explain to Albus and Lily that they were going to be staying here tonight, and that she and their father would come back tomorrow afternoon. Both children nodded their understanding and hugged and kissed their mother, and the adults walked out to the Floo.

"Thank you for this," Ginny said, and she hugged Hermione.

"No worries," the brunette witch answered. "It's our pleasure," and with those words following her, the redhead Floo'd away, and Hermione and Severus walked back into the family room and six hungry children.

xox

When Ginny arrived at the Burrow, she walked out to a very sombre discussion. Harry stood and pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Ron," Harry murmured so as not to upset Molly. "They've taken him to St. Mungos, and they've put him in the Janus Thickey ward."

"Oh," Ginny gasped, and she looked at her parents. "Don't worry too much," she said, trying to be cheerful, "we know people who have been in there and come out again, Tonks and Prof McGonagall just to name two."

Molly nodded. "Yes, you're right," she agreed, but her voice was melancholy.

Ginny watched her mum and dad for a time, but then felt Harry pulling on her elbow, and she allowed him to pull her into the hallway. "Are Albie and Lily still with Hermione and Snape?" He shook his head, and then corrected himself. "I mean Severus, man that's weird."

"Yes, I know what you mean, but they're good together, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," Harry agreed.

"And, yes, the kids are still there, and I told them we'd pick them up tomorrow after we come back from Ballycastle, because who knows what…" but her words drifted off as she took in the look on her husband's face. "What?" she asked.

"Shit, I'd forgotten about them," and he looked at her seriously. "Gin, I think that in light of what's happened here tonight, and what Severus told me earlier that maybe we better go up there now."

"Sure, I'm happy to do that, but let's just make sure mum and dad are okay first," Ginny answered.

"Actually, I think they're going to need a place to stay until their roof is fixed," Harry told her.

"Why, what happened to the roof?" she asked, looking above her head.

"It's the attic roof, love," Harry said smiling, and then he added, "Snape's one bloody powerful son of a bitch."

"What, he wrecked the roof?" Ginny asked, confused.

"No, but the magic he wields… it's so effortless, I think he's the only other person apart from people like Dumbledore and You-Know-Who that can perform magic like that… well, apart from 'Mione," and he whistled. "God, imagine if they have children together," and then he cackled. "Glad I'm not teaching at Hogwarts."

"Harry!" Ginny scolded.

"No, I'm serious," he said.

She batted him on the chest, and then said, "So mum and dad could stay with us until things are okay again."

"Oh, yeah, sure, of course they can," Harry agreed. "But let's Apparate up to Ballycastle and see what's going on up there before that."

"Okay," Ginny agreed, turning to go back into the kitchen to let her parents know what was happening.

Both Molly and Arthur waved off Ginny's offer of going to their place. "It's not like we haven't had a hole in the roof before," Molly said, patting Ginny's hand. "We brought up Fred and George, remember," she explained affectionately.

"No, we'll be fine, we're just a bit worried about Ronnie," Arthur told his daughter. "It's very kind of you and Harry, love, but we have some serious thinking to do and we just want to be here… Okay?"

"Yes, Dad, that's perfectly fine," Ginny answered, glancing at Harry waiting at the door.

"Yes, we see so little of Ron these days, and now he's injured, and we find out that he has another family," Molly started, but couldn't continue as her tears flowed over again. "How could he?" she said in a teary voice. "Poor Hermione."

"It's okay, Mum, and Hermione's now in a much better place," Ginny reminded her, but then added, "But I do know what you mean, and it's all very surreal to me too."

"But to think we've had something so evil under our very roof and we had no idea at all," Molly continued, blowing her nose again.

Arthur encouraged his wife up out of her chair, and he hugged her. "Now, now, Molly-wobbles, I think it's time for us to mend our roof, cleanse our attic and find our ghoul. We should let Harry and Gin go and do what they need to do, love, come on," and he led her towards the stairs.

Ginny moved back over to Harry, and he slung an arm around her as they watched the ever patient Arthur guiding his distraught wife up to the stairs, and finally they started out the kitchen door, to do what they needed to do too.

xox

Thankfully, Portius kept a tight ship, and soon all the children at Hermione and Severus' new home were tucking into a takeaway favourite, as the elf who cooked served them up homemade fish and chips, just like the type you got at the chip shop.

"Byron's going to be so jealous when I tell him," Amelia commented to Rose as they ate. Byron being her older brother, and he loved fish and chips apparently.

"How do you know he'll be that jealous? They might be having fish and chips this very minute at Hogwarts," Severus commented, looking up from his spell-work to get the television to work in the room.

"Do they?" both Rose and Amelia chorused excitedly.

The Potions Master smirked. "You'll have to wait until you start in September to find that out, now won't you?" Then he looked at Hermione, who was sitting up on the lounge with her legs up and a blanket covering them. "Try that," he told her.

Pointing the remote control, she pressed the on button and the TV sprang into life. "Thanks, Severus," she said happily, and started searching the channels for what to watch. After a little bit of searching she found a movie that would occupy the kids until bedtime, and they all looked at her as the music for Toy Story started. "Yes, you may finish your dinner in front of the TV," she said, getting up off the lounge and going to the table with Severus so they could have their own dinner.