There was a soft knock on the doorframe of the guest room she was staying in, Lily Potter smiling at her hesitantly. "Um- Lena? Severus is brewing and, well, Garrick Ollivander said he was here to see you so I thought it would be okay if I came to let you know?"

"Oh, right, thank you- I sort of forgot that Dumbledore was sending the crazy man my way." Pulling herself up from where she'd been sketching in her favorite journal, she moved to pull a tank top over the sports bra she had been lazing around it, not having much of the motivation to leave the room she'd been given.

"What- um- what were you drawing?" The woman shifted her weight slightly, smiling softly. "I used to like drawing too when I was younger and even made a few paintings that I'm sure are hanging somewhere around the house but, uh, I sort of lost my inspiration with the war and- and when James died."

Lena reluctantly held out where she had been penning out the lines for a drawing of Riddle laying back with his hands folded behind his head with his eyes closed, surrounded by a field of soft dewy grass. "It's a work in progress, but-"

"I love it. It's beautiful… This is that boy from your memories, right? Tom?" Lily looked at her with a more genuine smile. "What's he like? Did you know him at the orphanage?"

Hugging the sketchbook to her chest, she genuinely smiled at the woman for the first time since meeting her. "Not at the orphanage, but I have known him since what seems like forever… He's a sweetheart but we tend to bicker a lot, though we would never actually think of being mean or hurting the other person."

Lily giggled softly, eyes softening in a way that was faintly reminiscent as they started down the hallway. "James and I were a lot like that and a lot of our friends thought we hated each other for a long while because we bantered back and forth so much."

"I'm honored. Your biological mother seems to approve of me."

If you're that proud of her approval then I'll leave killing her husband out of it, for your reputation's sake.

"Love you too."

Lena looked curiously at the woman, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Riddle's words. "You two were in the same grade, right?"

"Yup! Both Gryffindors too, much to Severus' annoyance." Both of them chuckling softly, Lily gave her a curious smile. "Is Tom about your age? I mean, the papers said that he didn't go to Hogwarts but…"

Lena looked away with a bit of hesitance, not sure how to answer that. "He's older than me and… I don't think I'll ever see him again, but- but I hold onto whatever parts of him as I can." She glanced up to the woman, pulling out the locket and tapping it gently. "This was his last gift to me, as he found it because he remembered me mentioning I was in Slytherin… It was the last time I saw him."

Reaching out slowly to rest a warm hand on her shoulder, the woman gave her a small sad smile of empathy. "If he and you are anything like James and I were… he'll come back to you, don't worry."

Not about to mention that seeing him again would equal her death and she dreaded that day with every fiber of her being, she just smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Miss Potter."

"Lily. Please." Drawing back slightly as they got to the main sitting room of the enormous manor, the woman then gestured to Ollivander and looked at them both. "Anything you two need?"

"No, thank you. I'm just here to make sure Lena has everything she needs and her wand is in peak condition for her coming adventures." The wizened wandmaker stood from the chair he was sitting in, moving over slowly.

Nodding, the woman lingered for a second longer before nodding as she realized the two of them wanted a bit of space, mentioning something about Charlie lightly before moving from the room.

"Albus sent you to look over my wand?" She arched an eyebrow.

Ollivander snorted softly. "No, Albus sent me to deliver a warded wand holster that will make both of the wands you carry unable to be taken from you as well as untraceable when not being used, as there are a few rarer rituals to trace twin wands that Albus was worried about. As well as that, he sent you a letter with a portkey included and instructions." The old man with the crazy white hair pulled out a small package with a letter tucked under the brown wrapping string. "Though I run the risk of getting a visit from the one you are running from, you will be out of the country when I am made to tell him what I know."

Lena looked at him with a small frown. "Are you worried?"

"Why would I be when his wand cannot cast against me?" The man smiled conspiratorially and then ambled to the floo. "Have a wonderful trip, my dear girl."

She swore the man had to be a Slytherin, grinning when she realized that being protected from her wand was the same as being protected from his, as they were essentially the same wand.

What was it with crazy old men and being so cool?

"I see Ollivander stopped by." Severus's shadow lingered by her as she sat on her balcony so she could watch the sunset. "You got your instructions on where you're going?"

"Why? Want to tell Voldemort?"

The man sighed softly. "I wanted to tell you that when he comes back and finds out who I helped keep him from all this time… I might not be able to see you turn 17." Then stepping forward, he set down a package to the side of her gently. "So I thought I would give this to you early."

Lena stayed silent until his footsteps faded, the door to her room shutting with a soft click, before reaching out with shaking fingers. Carefully slipping her fingers under the tape and unfolding the muggle wrapping paper that had become a tradition when gifting each other small ridiculous things, she set it aside so she could open the flat box.

Fingers brushing against a leather cover, she picked up what looked like a journal, opening it up to see pictures.

Photographs of her and Charlie as babies, of her and Cedric dancing at Yule, of her laughing with her court, or her facing down a dragon. Snapshots from memories that were obviously from a whole range of people.

But at the back was a picture.

A real one, tucked in the pages carefully.

A picture of an old man with cropped grey hair with his hands resting on the shoulders of a small girl with green eyes.

"Is that…"

That's Jack.

Riddle hummed softly.

I thought… I thought matron had burned this.

Setting the album on her bedside table next to the wand holster holding both her wands, she found herself at Severus's door, knocking quietly.

He opened the door, almost looking surprised to see her. "Lena?"

"You're an idiot." Then moving forward to bury herself in his arms, she felt a tear be absorbed by the fabric of his robes. "But- but I'm going to miss you."

"I thought you hated me." His tone wasn't accusing, more just distantly curious.

Her snort was wet and followed by a half-choked out sob that had her hugging him tighter as he smoothed out her hair gently. "I don't hate you." Her laugh was broken, words muffled by the fabric. "You're my dad."

Feeling the exhale he gave as if the breath had been punched out of him, Severus pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Yeah." His voice was just about as shaken as hers. "And you're the best kid I could have asked for, you know that? I will never stop being proud of you, no matter what you do."

The sunset bathed them in the fiery tones of rebirth as they forgot how to do anything but hold each other close and mourn how far they'd come only for her to leave.

But it would be alright.

She could say that to herself, hoping, wishing as they both were.

They would be alright.

Lena found herself bonding with the Potters fairly well. Especially since Charlie had over Draco and she'd gotten to hug her friend tightly, swearing him to secrecy while also handing him a bunch of letters to give out to her other snakes. And because Draco was there she'd been dragged into playing board games which was… interesting.

Severus had sat to the side with a pina colada and just snorted whenever someone was doing something stupid- which was a lot- but Draco was currently winning 'Sorry' and seemed to be saying those words twice as much whenever he did something well until she just tapped his bracelet that was reading 'no one will be upset at you for being good at something'.

Remus had creamed everyone in Monopoly and then she had proceeded to pick all the others off one by one when they started into hearts, coming out of multiple rounds with no points and a wide grin.

Then she had twisted Remus's arm (metaphorically) to go get art supplies so she could sit with Lily on the back porch and paint, smiling sheepishly when the woman teased her about the small figure of a boy leaning against one of the trees in her landscape.

It was good, but now… well, she didn't want to go.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Reaching out to take Severus' hand, she furrowed her eyebrows slightly. "I don't like the idea of the Dark Lord getting close to you."

"I'll be alright Lena." His smile was stiff though, eyes taking in her face as if he wouldn't see her again before he pulled her into a hug. "Just worry about yourself. No being reckless, listen to whoever's in charge, and letter me whenever you can- alright?"

Smiling up at him, she nodded. "Of course. I'll come back in one piece and I expect you to do the same."

With another hug, they stepped away from each other and both smiled slightly.

There were no goodbyes.

Not when they were both determined to see each other again.

Lena turned to where Lily, Sirius, and Remus were standing with Charlie, who was holding a lumpy wrapped package. "What's this? A gift to send me off on my adventure?"

Charlie smiled sort of wryly, shoving it at her so he could pull her into his arms, his taller and broader frame holding her tightly. "You're always going to be my sister Lena and this- well it's a tradition for this to be passed to the youngest of the Potter family so… I wanted you to have it."

Slowly unwrapping the package, she let one of her eyebrows quirk up at the ugly cloak in her hands.

"Try it on. I promise, you won't want to let it go when you see what it does."

"I feel as if I should be scared." Lips curling up with Severus snorted, she let the coak unravel and then pulled it over her shoulders, staring blankly at where her body seemed to have just... disappeared. "...oh. Fascinating."

Remus chuckled when she pulled it off, looking at the fabric with a frown, studying it intently. "Keep it safe and you'll have plenty of time to use it."

Then Lily and the others were pulling her into hugs, the cloak getting folded into her bag gently and she smiled at them before pressing the side of the pocket watch she'd been given, feeling the portkey activate instead of opening.

Barty found him in his office as he threw curses at a mannequin head made look like one of the Lords that was being a stubborn pig about his Orphanage, the man clearing his throat without fear. "You know how Dumbledore met with Ollivander and we thought it was nothing? Well, Ollivander was apparently visiting the Potters, which we also thought was nothing, but then Remus Lupin was seen getting art supplies with-"

"Barty, the point?" He snarled, cutting the mannequin head in half with a severing curse.

"Severus Snape. He's staying with the Potters."

Spinning on his heel- because wherever Severus went, Lena usually was- he grabbed his cloak and stalked past the man. "Couldn't you have started with that?!" Moving to the floo, he opened a fire call, hoping someone reasonable would answer and that it wasn't Severus.

When the channel opened, he pushed his face through to blink up at the woman he knew was Lily Potter. "Good morning, Miss Potter."

"Lord Gaunt? Is there something you need from Sirius or-

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you. May I step through?" When the woman nodded, he pulled back and stepped through the floo, brushing himself off and studying the house around him when he was out. Hoping that he could rely on Lena to love talking about him as much as he knew he loved to tell anyone who would listen about how brilliant his angel was, he smiled a bit sheepishly as he looked down. "Please, call me Thomas. I- well- I came to ask if you'd seen Lena."

Hearing a glass shatter from across the room, he looked up to see Severus looking at him in equal parts understanding, horror, and panic. "You-... You're Tom?"

Lily moved to sit down heavily in one of the chairs and he took the moment to send a sharp glare the other man's way, then moving to sit across from the woman gingerly with a small concerned frown. "Miss Potter?"

"You-you're what, twenty-three? Lena's only just turned sixteen! That- How-..."

He grimaced slightly, knowing that- yes the subject of their ages probably wasn't going to be the most accepted by most people- but that he didn't care as long as Lena didn't, spinning the thread of a story she'd accept in his impatience. "I met Lena when I was a teenager and she was stealing from a convenience store to eat. I saw she was going to get caught and tried to help her. We've only ever been friends and I swear I hold no type of nefarious intentions towards her, I just- I hoped that I could see her again before she went off on her next adventure so I could make sure she was alright."

He could see Lily Potter melt just slightly and the woman smiled at him gently. "I-... Thank you for helping her. I know it must have been hard for her and-"

"She's not here. She left yesterday to a place that none of us know, as Albus wanted to send her to see some friends of his." Severus's eyes were dark as they stared him down. "Now, shall we perhaps talk about your relationship with my daughter elsewhere?"

As if unaffected, he stood with a small shrug. "We could step back into my place?"

Severus just nodded sharply, murmuring something to Lilly before pointing at the fire. "You first."

Stepping through, he turned and blocked the curse the man sent his way as soon as he came through, rolling his eyes. "Sit down Severus."

"You're older than I am! How dare you trick Lena like that! You're nothing like the man I chose to-"

Flicking his wand to lash the man to a chair, gagging him so he didn't have to listen to the yelling, he sighed deeply and leaned against his desk. "Now… let me make this clear. I did not 'trick' or lie to Lena for a second. I might have failed to mention that the so-called 'consciousness shards' of mine she carries around are part of my soul and every single one she so sweetly decides to care for before letting go become part of me, but I'm sure when she sees her darling Tom, that everything will be alright. She does know that the Horcruxes are past versions of the 'Dark Lord' and honestly from what I've seen, she doesn't seem to care all that much." He then twirled his wand in his fingers with a side smirk. "After all… we are soulmates, just as Nicolas and Perenelle are."

The man's eyes fell on his wand, widening slightly as the tenseness drained from his lanky form.

Tom released the gag after a moment, raising an eyebrow.

"Swear to me. Swear to me that you won't touch her without making completely sure she is a hundred percent okay with it or I'll try to kill you because we both know that'll make my mark kill me and then she won't ever come back to you." The man's grin was vicious as if almost wanting that outcome.

He raised his hand calmly with just a slight sigh. "I, Thomas Marvolo Gaunt-Slytherin, swear to not touch Lena Farland with the intent to take advantage of her against her will."

Only the Diary had ever even had the thought of keeping his Queen for his own against her will, but that had long been burned away by the simple desire to hold her in his arms willingly and give her everything she ever deserved in life, to see her grasp hold of every single strength and weakness she had and use them to her advantage.

Tom smiled simply at the man when he lowered his hand, the binds releasing Severus though the man didn't move. "That is not why I want to find her, nor is it to harm her as you seem to think. It's because every minute she isn't near me, I have this aching hole in my chest that her closeness soothes." Then his face twisted just slightly as he steeped to loom over the man. "So imagine how I feel now that she is somewhere halfway across the world."

To put it simply, he was cold and painfully alone without her.