—————S—————

She was the last one to have the Restorative Draught administered, so he lingered over her as the rest of the victims began to stir. He ignored Argus blubbering while he clutched his cat and wept. Creevey drew his attention for a moment with his exclamation about his missing camera, but Severus promptly turned away with an eye roll.

He watched as limbs grew limp and unseeing brown eyes regained focus. His son had those eyes, and that's what was the most annoying thing about young Miss Granger: Severus was able to see his own children in her because she would eventually become his Hermione. But unlike seeing young James through Harry, he couldn't see his wife through this annoying little chit. Not even the one he'd first met had been as irksome as this girl.

But when those brown eyes peered up at him, he couldn't help but give the slightest of smiles.

"Welcome back, Miss Granger," he whispered.

"Thank you, sir," she mumbled.

He nodded and stepped away. It was only when he was out in the corridor that he let his exhaustion sweep over him.

When Pomona had announced that the Mandrakes were ready, he'd started the base he would need for the Restorative Draught. When that had been prepared, he'd readied himself to venture out of his lab to fetch the vital ingredient. Before he could leave the dungeons, Minerva had demanded all students return to their dorms and teachers meet in the staff room.

"It has happened," Minerva said to them, her voice shaky and her gaze averted. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself. The Heir of Slytherin left another message: 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'"

Severus' heart nearly stopped, and no one said a word. There were gasps and squeals of panic, of course, but no one asked the question he was sure everyone wanted to know the answer to.

"Who?" he asked softly, gripping the back of a chair. When Minerva didn't answer right away, his stomach churned. "Who was taken, Minerva." His knuckles turned white as he demanded his knees not to give out.

"Not Rory," she assured him at once. "Ginny Weasley."

The relief was not as overwhelming as he'd have liked. His daughter liked the girl and if he were honest, she was also one of the Weasley children he actually liked. Percy was the terrible combination of Slytherin ambition and Gryffindor brashness, and Charles and Ronald were a bit too similar in their academic mindsets. While the twins were not scholars, they were clever and creative. They and the eldest, William, were amongst his favorites. Ginevra and the twins had the added bonus of being kind to his daughter, and he had never been able to overlook kindness.

He'd had too little of it before he'd met his wife.

It was then that the pompous Lockhart came swaggering in.

Perhaps this is how we lose this Defense teacher, Severus thought to himself without guilt. The man had vexed him from the moment he had joined the staff. He'd gotten the job Severus had asked for since the Dark Lord had first fallen. There had been plenty of professors who had stepped down, neither killed nor wounded. But no, Dumbledore had gone through the list of experienced, knowledgeable applicants a few years back and still insisted that Severus should not leave the Potions classroom. And the result was this: a pretty face who thought it was an honor to be the youngest professor on staff, who believed that young girls fancying him was something to brag about.

And for the love of Merlin, Nimue, and Salazar, if he had a Galleon for every time Lockhart flirted or blatantly hit on Hermione when she visited, they could afford to expand their personal library in not only space, but books as well. Thank whoever was listening that his Hermione thought Lockhart an idiot. He'd worried when he'd noticed the ridiculous hearts and "Hermione Lockhart" written in the margins of practice essays Miss Granger wrote in study hall.

Severus would have outright murdered the idiot if he'd seen "Aurora Lockhart" written anywhere in his daughter's neat script.

And he was an idiot, if the tales Potter told of what happened in the Chamber were true. The man didn't know his own name when they emerged. All the better.

But it was all over now, and Severus was finally able to slink off to his chambers to get some well-deserved rest. A nagging, bossy little voice in his head insisted that he should thank Potter for ridding them of the Basilisk, but he ignored it. He'd not thank Potter but give Dumbledore a good tongue lashing when he saw him again. Lucius removing him as headmaster was one of the few smart things the blond had ever done. Even if it was only temporary.

Severus slipped into his sitting room.

It was early, or late, he wasn't sure anymore. But when he saw the top of a curly brown head, he sighed with relief. Moving to the sofa where his wife was perched, he sat beside her heavily. She'd been reading and didn't look up when he joined her.

"Where's Leo?" Normally, if their son was not in the rooms, he was with Hagrid. But with the half-giant in Azkaban, he wasn't sure.

"Spending time with his grandmother. She dropped by unexpectedly," Hermione replied, turning a page. "She also mentioned that he's much less cuddly at seven and she's not getting any younger. She'd hate to only have teenagers visit; they're quite obnoxious at that age. I may have misunderstood, but I think she wants us to have another."

"Not tonight, too bloody exhausted," he said as he lay his head on Hermione's lap, closing his eyes. She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. Often, he wondered if it ever bothered her that it was nearly always greasy. But she'd never said anything, and he knew she never would. So, he kept silent, allowing her touch to graze along his scalp in long, relaxing strokes.

"Not ever, as far as I'm concerned." Hermione sighed, and Severus wasn't surprised to hear the pain in her voice. "It was ... too much, the years between Rory and Leo. Too much ... that I don't really want to experience again."

He reached out and caught her hand, bringing her palm to his lips to place a kiss before letting go. "Two is fine. Two is more than we hoped for, and two it will be. And with all that has happened this year, two at Hogwarts at the same time will shave decades off my life when the time comes. Having another one pass these halls with all that could happen will send me to an early grave."

"Next year ... well, there's no Basilisk," Hermione said tentatively. Severus groaned. "One more year, love. One more year and I will be as in the dark about it all as you are."

"I know you meant that as a comfort, but it's not."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Of course you are." He grinned. "At least tell me this, if you can without dropping dead. Will next year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at least be competent?"

He waited, not enjoying the silence that followed, peeking through his lashes enough to see her. He watched her grin.

"You'll like them more than you're expecting to," was all she said, either in an effort to be cryptic or because she was oathbound.

She continued to caress his hair and he relaxed once more before an irritation on his left arm distracted him. He stiffened, then reached for his sleeve, unfastened the plethora of buttons and pushed it up to bare the Dark Mark.

Hermione stilled.

"It was darker earlier," he said absently, running his finger along the snake. "I noticed as I was brewing and thought it was a trick of the light at first."

"Darker," Hermione repeated. "But that would mean ..."

"The Dark Lord was on the verge of returning," he confirmed. "It was only a few shades darker than it is now, like a worn Muggle tattoo, but it was returning. He was returning."

He shifted his eyes to his wife and watched her brow furrowed in concentration. So this wasn't something that stuck out as a big event, she had to dig deep for the answer.

"I vaguely remember Harry mentioning the diary belonged to Tom Riddle and ... and that he was using Ginny to find a more corporeal form. But he said Riddle was a young man, not much older than a seventh year." She frowned again. "He was handsome, as I recall, but certainly didn't look that young."

Severus shook his head and frowned as well. Potter had faced a young seventh-year Tom Riddle in the Chamber, not yet Voldemort, apparently. That was strange. And of course, Hermione had been busy with motherhood and studies in the last year before the Dark Lord fell. He'd kept her away when he watched the man becoming more manic, not wanting to put her or Aurora anywhere near him. Even Narcissa had quietly retreated shortly after Draco's birth and hadn't returned to the social circles until after the Dark Lord's fall. Voldemort had changed slowly over the years, but the madness of the blasted prophecy had driven him off the deep end. His dark brown eyes had changed into a deep red. They'd grown narrower, too. His magic was shifting, something within him changing beyond repair.

Severus was certain he'd even win a beauty contest against Lord Voldemort in those last days.

"I don't understand how he could come back. Or how he could have done so through a diary," Hermione said as she resumed stroking his hair.

Severus snorted. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, dear. I also think Rory needs to know more about the current state of events."

"Right," Hermione agreed. "But it can wait, can't it? At least until summer? My innocence died my first year at Hogwarts, I'd like her to live a little longer with her innocence."

"I think that's fine," Severus conceded, wanting to hold on to his little girl just a little longer himself. But he knew she was growing up and doing so in a time that was far more dangerous than before.

But the Mark had faded, Potter had won the day, and his family was safe. The danger was over for the time being and with that thought, Severus drifted off to sleep.

—————H—————

Hermione grinned and waved.

"Hello," she said. She hadn't cocked things up with Severus but now, she felt an unwelcome vibe from her other friend.

"Hermione," Lily said, shaking her head a bit before plastering on a grin. Hermione knew that grin, she'd seen it often directed at Sirius in the common room. "What are you doing here?"

"She invited herself," Severus answered, walking himself backward on the swing and using the taut seat as a leaning post. He crossed his arms and peered at Hermione with mirth in his eyes. "Apparently, she was really eager to see me."

"Was she." Lily didn't try to hide her condescension very well. "Well, that's sweet. It's only been a week and September is a long way away."

"September?" Hermione looked at Severus, seeing the mirth was gone and was replaced by the vacant stare of being caught in a lie.

"Well, I suppose you might have managed to run into us at Diagon Alley. We've gone the last couple years to get our school supplies, haven't we Sev?"

Severus kicked the ground with his toe. "I imagine we still can, if you let us know ahead of time when you'll be going. Though, I imagine we won't need to stop at Slugs and Jiggers."

"I guess that depends on if you're willing to muck around in the greenhouses and garden. Bob has two set aside for the more dangerous plants, so you wouldn't have to worry about a Mandrake or Venomous Tentacula while trying to get your potions ingredients," Hermione said as casually as Severus.

She was quite certain that Lily had been around when Hermione asked Severus about spending the summer with her. More so, she was fairly certain that Lily had heard Severus say he'd spend a couple days at home to ditch what he didn't need and get some Muggle clothing before catching the Knight Bus.

Severus shrugged a shoulder. "I'm willing to work daily spreading fertilizer if it means quality potions ingredients."

"Wait," Lily said, lifting her hands with palms toward them. "You make it sound as if you're going to go stay with Hermione."

"Because I was. Am," Severus amended. "She invited me and I accepted. You know what it's like here, Lily. You understand why I wouldn't stay when given another option."

"But what about me?" Lily asked petulantly. "Stuck with Tuney all day, every day, rambling about what a freak I am and how she goes to a normal school."

"You have other friends, which is something I can't say," Severus replied calmly. "Present company excluded, of course."

Lily's eyes turned cold. "So what do you call those you hang around with from your house, Sev? Avery and Mulciber?"

"Acquaintances," Severus sneered. "And as I've said before, Lily, time and time again: if I don't make nice with my own housemates, I wouldn't be safe anywhere."

"They say and do awful things, Sev. To me, to other Muggle-borns, to anyone they don't think live up to their ideals."

"And what about Sirius?" Hermione interrupted. "What about James? How are they any different than Mulciber and Avery? They do the exact same things to others. They target anyone who doesn't have the so-called 'Gryffindor ideals.' They take house rivalry to an entirely different level, especially with Severus."

"It's not like he doesn't fight back," Lily protested.

"I would be surprised if he didn't," Hermione retorted. "Hell, look at you getting bent out of shape over who Severus has no choice but to live with. I highly doubt he has the same feelings toward Muggle-borns as they do, given who he spends his time with, but that doesn't mean he can openly contradict those who think you less than them."

"But he should." Lily stomped her foot.

"Why? So, he has to sleep with one eye open at all times?"

"How did we get from me staying with Hermione for the summer to this?" Severus ground out.

"Because Lily felt as though you were abandoning her before I came along," Hermione replied, standing from the seat of her swing and walking a few paces away before turning to Lily. The hurt in her green eyes instantly pierced Hermione with guilt, and she glanced at Severus to see he looked uncertain. A little niggle of something told her not to be surprised. Lily was beautiful and smart, and wanted his attention. And it wasn't all that long ago that he'd hoped she would, so why shouldn't he be uncertain about leaving her?

With a sigh, Hermione looked at the ground. "And probably thinks the same thing now. I keep throwing things out of balance. You two have a tradition, and I've disrupted it." She glanced at Severus, seeing his wide black eyes staring at her in disbelief. "I'll go back to your house, apologize profusely to your mother, and head home. Or at least to the Leaky, and then home. If you want to stay, don't feel like you have to take me up on the offer. The invitation stands, of course, but I don't ... I don't want to ruin your friendship." She turned, heading back to Severus'.

She should have known, deep down, that this wouldn't be different than before. She knew full well that Harry spent at least half his summers with Ron, and she was a third wheel. She should count herself lucky that she had friends at all in this era.

"Hermione." Severus didn't need to shout, and it startled her when his hand came down on her shoulder. She turned. "You can't bloody well come all the way here and honestly believe I would drop you because Lily threw a tantrum?"

Hermione's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to understand.

"Blimey, you can be incredibly stupid for a such a brilliant witch," he mumbled, but not quietly enough to go unnoticed, and she scowled at him. "Lily and I used to spend summers together before Hogwarts, but because she's away most of the year, she spends most of her summer with her Muggle friends than with me. She may have tried to catch me for days, but that wouldn't have lasted long. We would have gone to Diagon Alley together, yes, but mostly because her parents feel bad that my mother and I have no way into London."

"I should go apologize for leaving." Hermione tried to move toward the playground, only to have Severus' hand hold her firmly in place.

"I don't think so. For one, the moment I went after you, Lily probably stormed back home. For another, you have done nothing that warrants an apology." Here, he hesitated. "Lily and I have not been as close as we were before Hogwarts. Think about how often she leaves with her other Gryffindor friends without a second thought."

She did, and it barely took a second for her to accept that Lily left them quite often.

"Come on," he said, gesturing back to the park. "Ma probably thinks we'll be gone a bit longer."

Hermione gave a nod and followed him back to the park.

To their surprise, Lily was still there, only now she was on the swing that Hermione had occupied.

"I thought you were going back?" she asked, her voice holding no malice, but her eyes were narrowed.

"I told her she was being ridiculous," Severus replied, plopping down next to Lily but facing the opposite direction. "We could arrange a time at the Leaky. If you still want to get our supplies together, we could plan it."

Lily took a deep breath, her gaze shifting between Severus and Hermione as if she were weighing her options. "All right," she finally agreed. "We can do that."

—————H—————

The afternoon spent with Lily was stilted. Hermione still felt like a third wheel; but at the Snape residence, with only Mrs. Snape and Severus, Hermione felt much more at ease.

Eileen Snape took a liking to her that the young witch couldn't quite understand. And Hermione thought the older woman the ideal Slytherin. Eileen wandlessly and wordlessly lit a wood-burning stove after transfiguring an old newspaper into proper firewood.

"What Tobias doesn't know," Severus commented, a glint of amusement in his eye.

"Tobias has never noticed," Mrs. Snape replied.

As she went about preparing potato hash, Hermione pitched in without asking. And in turn (and true motherly fashion), Eileen Snape told tales of Severus' childhood.

"His first incident of accidental magic happened when he was about one, just before the holidays, I think. Tobias' beer kept vanishing, winding up on top of the fridge where I often put things I didn't want Severus to get to."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "You always said it was when I lit the chair on fire in a temper tantrum."

"Oh, I'm fairly certain that was your first intentional bit of magic," Mrs. Snape replied, a similar smirk on her face to the one Severus often wore when amused.

"Exactly what was so terrible that you lit a chair on fire?" Hermione asked him.

"He wasn't allowed to climb the bookshelf," Mrs. Snape replied, and Hermione bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"And what was your first bit of magic, then?" Severus snapped, his eyes narrowed, and his arms crossed firmly over his chest.