A/N: This is it! The last chapter!

A massive thank you to everyone who's stuck with this, despite the sporadic updating and long waits in between. It really does mean a lot and I honestly am incredibly grateful.

I hope you enjoy the final part!

x

Laughing softly, the older sister pulled the younger back down to sit on the bench once more. She reminded her that she couldn't just make big decisions on her own anymore. Running a tired hand over her eyes Regina nodded. Narcissa shot her husband a hard look and Lucius nodded, standing and walking away uncomfortably with Draco. The sisters watched them for a moment, the father and son doing their level best to look inconspicuous.

"Regina, you have to take her." Narcissa told her firmly. "She needs a loving, stable family and, while I would love her, I strongly doubt whether my family is the best place for an infant at the moment."

"Cissy..."

"No, the child must be raised properly. Her parents... She must be brought up to do good. We have to keep her away from the darkness. If she were to..."

"I understand, Ciss, I honestly do." Regina assured her sister, sighing deeply and running a hand through her hair. "This is the child of Bellatrix and, if what Mother said is true, the Dark Lord himself. I cannot begin to imagine the darkness inside of her."

"Precisely. She needs you to guide her."

"But... I know I need to take her, but I have Henry and... I'm hardly..."

"Emma will help you." Narcissa quirked her lips into a smirk at the shock that appeared on her sister's face. "Oh, Gina. Don't be naive. You're my baby sister; you can't hide anything from me."

"What makes you think Emma would be willing to play happy families with Henry, this child and me?"

"She's good." Narcissa pointed out meaningfully. "She will do the right thing."

"Suppose I agreed, what-?"

"Her name is Delphini Bellatrix LeStrange."

Regina shook her head. "No, if I am to raise her then she will be a Mills. I cannot be reminded of the horrors that we have battled through every time I look at her."

Narcissa squeezed her hand over the table. "You're stronger than I could ever be, Gina."

With a weak smile, asking her sister to keep an eye on Henry, Regina went in search of Emma to tell her what was going on. The blonde listened in confusion as her girlfriend gave her a jumbled version of the conversations she'd had with her mother and her sister. Forcing her to slow down, Emma finally managed to work out that they needed to go to Cora's house as quickly as was possible.

"I need to speak to Severus before we go." Regina told her distractedly, scanning the Great Hall for any sign of her best friend.

Emma's face dropped and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. "Oh… babe… you haven't…?"

"What?"

Looking around, almost desperately, Emma spotted Harry heading down the grand staircase, flanked by Ron and Hermione. Beckoning him over, she linked her fingers with Regina's and squeezed them reassuringly. The teenagers looked at her curiously as she explained that the older woman hadn't yet been informed about what had happened to Professor Snape.

"What do you mean, 'what happened' to him?" Regina demanded, whirling round and fixing Emma with a hard look. "What's happened? Where is he?"

"Professor…" Harry looked incredibly uncomfortable. "He said… he told me to tell you… he loves you."

"Where is Severus?" She demanded again, a very real fear flooding through her. She knew what his words and the expression on every face around her meant, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. "Tell me where he is, Potter!"

"Snape is dead." Ron blurted out. He clamped a hand over his mouth as the witch turned blazing eyes on him. "Sorry…"

"Ron's right, Professor Mills." Harry told her gently. "I'm so sorry, he was murdered. Voldemort's snake…"

Regina let out an anguished cry at the news, stumbling forward and pressing her hands over her mouth. Harry reached out and attempted to comfort her, patting her arm tentatively, but the woman pushed him away and buried her face in her girlfriend's neck, clutching fistfuls of Emma's jacket as she sobbed. Emma held her tightly, letting her cry without attempting to offer any sympathies or platitudes. She knew her words wouldn't help Regina now and they would definitely not be appreciated.

Harry shot his friends a meaningful look. Nodding, they headed quickly into the Great Hall, giving the sobbing witch some privacy. Carefully, Emma led Regina over to a quiet corner of the Entrance Hall where they wouldn't be overheard. She guessed, correctly, that the revelation wasn't the end of the conversation between Regina and Harry.

"Professor Mills… Professor Snape… he gave me his memories."

"What?" Regina's eyes blazed again as she wrenched herself away from Emma and rounded on the teenage boy. "He did what?"

"He told me to take them." Harry defended himself. "He wanted me to see. I didn't realise…"

"What?" If Emma wasn't very much mistaken, Regina seemed almost fearful about what the teenager might say; of what he might have seen in Snape's memories. "What didn't you realise?"

"You knew my parents…"

"Of course I knew them." Regina snapped. She motioned to Emma. "We both did."

"My mum didn't like you, did she?" Harry asked softly.

Regina scowled at him ferociously. "You could say that."

"But you tried to patch things up between her and Snape?"

"I assure you, I did that for him. I couldn't care less about your mother's feelings. What she ever did to deserve–" Regina snapped, breaking off and taking a breath. "I tried, what little good it did…"

"You said that you'd–"

"I did speak to her, Sev." A teenage Regina told her best friend, rolling her eyes and looking as though she was totally disinterested by the entire thing. She barely looked up from the book she was reading. "I told her that you were really sorry for what you said, that you hadn't meant it… that you were just embarrassed after Potter's little stunt."

"And?"

"She didn't care, Sev." Regina shrugged. "I tried."

"Did you really try?" He pressed, leaning closer and searching her face for answers. "I know you don't like Lily. Did you really try, Gina?"

The witch rolled her eyes. "Yes, Severus, I did. Evans looked down her nose at me like she always does and practically laughed in my face, but I tried." She stood up and pushed her book back into her bag, her jaw clenching. "I think I did more harm than good."

"What do you mean? What did you say?"

"She asked why you'd think sending a Death Eater to plead your case would work."

"But you're not–"

"I know that and you know that. Miss Perfect, however, doesn't agree and you know what? It's all your fault, Severus. Mulciber, Avery, Nott, Carrow… they will end up as Death Eaters one day and you've started hanging around with them. By extension, everyone thinks I've started hanging around with them. I've had enough!"

"Yeah, because hanging around with Saddler isn't worse?" Severus snapped angrily. "He's a Hufflepuff, Regina! Haven't you got any pride in your House… in your family?"

She shook her head and shouldered her school bag angrily. "I can't believe you just said that…"

"Regina…" Severus called after her as she strode away. "I'm sorry! Regina!"

"You always believed in Snape, didn't you, Professor?" Harry asked her softly. "You knew that he was a double agent all along."

Regina shook her head, jumping slightly as he dragged her back to the present. "Not always… not at first. I betrayed him… turned my back on him… abandoned him. I ran away with Henry's father and left Severus on his own. There was nothing to stop him embracing the darkness and joining the Death Eaters."

"But he turned against Voldemort?"

She nodded. "Because of the prophecy about you. Severus was still in love with your mother. He risked his life to protect her. Your mother was the one thing that Severus and I disagreed about the most. I didn't believe she was worthy of his adoration and, I'm sorry, I still don't. She didn't deserve what happened and neither did your father, but I won't say that I liked them. I can't, without lying. Severus was… he deserved better."

Regina had the strange feeling that she was being watched. Clutching Henry more tightly against her, she glanced over her shoulder and started to walk more quickly towards her house. Placing one hand on the latch of the gate, she paused for a split second before whirling round.

"Regina…"

"Severus?"

"I didn't mean to startle you…" He apologised, holding up his hands and taking a step backwards as the woman recoiled. "Hello. Who are you, then?"

"Henwy Daniel Miws. I'm thwee."

Severus smiled at the toddler, reaching out to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Henry. I'm Severus Snape. I'm twenty-six."

"What are you doing here, Severus?" Regina asked, shifting her son on her hip.

"Can I speak to you in private?"

She considered him for a long moment before nodding and leading the way up the path to her front door. Once Henry was settled with a drink and his toys, Regina folded her arms and leant against the wall, looking at Severus expectantly. He was perching on the edge of the sofa, watching Henry playing.

"Say whatever it is you came here to say." Regina ordered in a hard tone.

"I'm sorry about Daniel." The man said softly. When she simply made a snorting sound and didn't speak, Severus swallowed nervously. "Regina… I... it's been so long since we spoke last. I miss you."

"It wasn't me who became a Death Eater." She snapped.

Severus twisted his hands in his lap. "I was a double agent, Regina. I went to Dumbledore when I learnt about the prophecy about the child who would take down the Dark Lord. As soon as he decided it was about Lily's son, I–"

"Lily Evans?" Regina's lip curled in disgust. "You risked your life for her? After everything…?"

"Regina, you know I–"

"Didn't work, did it?" She pointed out bluntly. "She's dead."

"I know." The pain that shone clearly in Severus' eyes was the same pain that Regina felt every time she looked at her son and remembered her late husband. "I couldn't save her. What I did… it wasn't enough."

"It will never be enough, Severus." Regina replied quietly. "You and I… we can never bring them back and we can never make up for what we've done… or not done. We can never make it right. We can never…"

"But you've got Henry now. I've got no one."

"Sev…"

"Regina, please." He moved towards her. "I know I hurt you and I wish I'd been there to protect you from Cora." Glancing towards the toddler playing happily on the rug, Severus nodded sharply. "But let me help you now. Let me help you protect Henry. If he can't have Daniel looking out for him, let me go some way to filling that gap."

Her gaze lingering on her son, Regina nodded slowly. "I've really missed you, Sev."

"I really am sorry, Professor Mills." Harry told her gently, seeing that the witch seemed to have got lost in her memories again.

She blinked several times, before focusing her gaze on the teenager. "Thank you, Harry."

Emma nodded at the teenager, wordlessly dismissing him with a weak smile. She waited for a couple of moments, just letting Regina sob into her shoulder. Gradually the shaking stopped and Regina went quiet. When she looked up at Emma, the blonde reached out and wiped the tears away from her cheeks.

"I love you." Regina blurted out, grasping her girlfriend's wrists tightly and looking at her imploringly. "Emma, I…"

"I know, Regina. I love you, too. Now, let's go and get this little girl." Emma suggested gently. "Let's go and start the rest of our lives."