Chapter 9

Harry twirled his eagle feather quill absentmindedly between his fingers, thoroughly distracted. He was supposed to be signing off the first year Auror reports except his mind was elsewhere: roughly two hundred and fifty miles west of his current location. Despite the fact that he'd been at work since eight that morning his thoughts kept returning to Godric's Hollow and his increasingly perplexing guest. Severus Snape was a conundrum, he'd decided.

For all intents and purposes his old Professor had made significant progress over the past week and half. The last set of memories seemed to have restored the majority of his school knowledge and with it the expected improvement in his magic had finally come. It was no longer unusual for Harry to come home to find him brewing complicated NEWT level potions or transfiguring various household objects for the children's amusement.

What concerned Harry though was what Severus wasn't doing.

He'd been very good at hiding his deficiencies behind showy charms and technically difficult transfiguration work, but eventually Harry had caught on. Snape was incapable of producing anything that could vaguely be classed as a jinx, hex or curse. Even simple disarming spells and shield charms seemed to be beyond him. He'd discussed his observations with Severus but the older man had been oddly evasive, dismissing his concerns out of hand with the rather weak excuse of: "I no longer have any need for school boy jinxes, Potter".

At first the behaviour had baffled Harry. As an Auror he knew all too well that there were still members of Voldemort's organisation that remained at large in the community; fanatics intent on finishing the Dark Lord's work no matter that the man himself had been dead for almost a decade. They were also the sort of people who would be very interested – for all the wrong reasons – to learn that Snape had survived the war. From Harry's perspective it seemed completely illogical for a man who was widely known to have defected from the Death Eaters to willingly remain incapable of defending himself. It was an unfortunate truth that the moment his survival became public knowledge Snape would find himself the target of such people. If he wanted to survive in the post-Voldemort world, the man needed to know how to protect himself.

It was a frustrating situation for all involved because Harry had begun to suspect that the reason behind Severus' poor progress in defensive and duelling magic was more to do with his own stubbornness than any innate inability to perform the spells. From what he'd witnessed Snape simply didn't want to succeed at the spells. In fact, the man seemed determined to never use such magic again.

If Harry had to take a guess, he'd assume it was because Severus now had a fair number of memories to remind him exactly how destructive the Dark Arts could be. Of course it was impossible to think the Dark Arts would ever hold the same fascination for him that they once had when he'd been a lonely sixteen year old desperate to make his mark on the world, but at some point he would need to overcome his aversion to such magic. It was a necessary and unfortunate step he would have to take if he was to become capable of defending himself against them once again.

Unfortunately, it also seemed more and more likely that it would be Harry's job to convince him so. Given he was beginning to realise exactly how stubborn his old Professor could be, Harry couldn't say that it was a job he particularly relished. He'd had enough trouble already trying to keep the older man from brooding over the latest set of memories he'd returned.

Still, it hadn't escaped his notice that inexplicably one of the few things Severus had asked him about was Evelyn Hughes. Considering almost every encounter Harry had witnessed between the two had been hostile, he couldn't for the life of him work out what had prompted the older man's sudden interest in his mother's old friend. As far as he understood it, Eva had shared a dorm with his mother and the two had been good friends. That was the extent of it though. Each had had their own separate set of close friends and Harry was absolutely certain that unlike his mother's group of friends, Eva's hadn't included Severus.

Initially he'd thought it was simply remembering that they'd been contemporaries fuelling the older man's curiosity. He'd thought that perhaps Severus had hoped to rekindle some remaining link to Lily through Eva. Harry could hardly fault him for wanting something like that when he knew how important Lily had been to the other man. Except that didn't seem to be what Snape was interested in at all. Rather he seemed intent on finding out what Eva had been doing after the first war had finished. Any discussion of her schooling days at Hogwarts was promptly dismissed by the tight-lipped Professor.

The day he'd brought Snape home to Godric's Hollow and Evelyn had forced her way into his living room, Harry had wondered if there was some sort of shared history between the two of them. But now he was certain. There was some secret between them, one that neither of them seemed remotely interested in divulging to him. Amusedly, Harry reflected that his fifteen-year old self would have been outraged to know that he was deliberately being kept in the dark. With over a decade's more experience now though he knew well enough to mind his own business. Severus and Evelyn could keep their secret. Although he was certain he wouldn't feel quite so charitably about it the next time he had to mediate an argument between them. There was something wholly unsatisfying about acting as negotiator to two people his parent's age.

His musings were interrupted as Ron poked his head into his office.

'You done yet, mate?'

Harry glanced at the small pile of reports he'd yet to tackle.

'Almost,' he sighed.

Ron grimaced in sympathy.

'I don't envy you,' he said. 'Anyway, Hermione asked me to drop by on the way out to make sure you hadn't forgotten about next Wednesday.'

He rolled his eyes as he finished delivering the message and Harry had to suppress a smirk. At nine months pregnant he knew Hermione could be a little overbearing, she'd been the same when she'd been pregnant with Rose. Ron bore the brunt of it but it wasn't unusual for Harry to be roped into her harebrained ideas too. Why she'd decided to take on organising the traditional New Year's Eve celebration for their extended family this year was beyond him. With a due date of second of January Harry thought she was cutting it exceedingly fine. Although knowing how determined Hermione could be, he suspected there was no way that baby would be arriving before December thirty-first.

'We'll be there,' he promised Ron.

'Be where?'

Ron swore, jumping nearly half a foot in the air in surprise. Laughing, Ben Hatchman sauntered into Harry's office. He looked extremely pleased with himself. Having recovered his senses somewhat Ron turned on the newcomer, elbowing him good-naturedly.

'You have got to stop doing that,' he said in exasperation. 'It's not even funny!'

Ben simply raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly at Harry who was doing his best not to laugh.

Ron sighed in defeat.

'And you're the man I call my best friend, Harry.'

The indignant exclamation was too much for the Boy Who Lived Twice and he burst into laughter, followed shortly thereafter by Ben.

'To think you're both supposed to be adults,' Ron muttered to himself as he waited for his colleague's amusement to abate.

'You do know he'd stop doing it if you didn't react so badly,' Harry commented helpfully as he finally regained control of himself.

'He does have a point, Weasley,' Ben agreed.

Ron simply rolled his eyes.

'I'm going home before Hermione comes looking for me,' he announced.

'Make sure you tell her hello from us,' Harry said by way of farewell.

Ron grunted in acknowledgement as he left the office, leaving Harry alone with Ben.

'What was he talking about before I scared the living daylights out of him?' the older man asked curiously, paging idly through the copy of the Daily Prophet Harry had left on his desk.

'He stopped by to remind me about Wednesday,' Harry answered absentmindedly.

'Hermione must be in overdrive,' Ben commented. 'Ron's reminded me half a dozen times already this week.'

Harry chuckled.

'Trust me. This is tame compared to last time.'

'I'll take your word for it.'

'Your other half keeping you waiting again?' Harry continued conversationally.

As he worked in Harry's department it wasn't unusual for Ben to stop by occasionally whilst he waited for Evelyn to finish up for the day. Mostly he'd amuse himself by going through Harry's in-tray for him, providing colourful commentary on some of the more interesting memos that managed to find their way into his office. Tonight he seemed to have an agenda though.

'Actually,' he said carefully, returning the newspaper to the precarious pile he'd found it on, 'I was hoping you might be able to tell me where she is.'

'She's not in her office?' Harry asked in surprise, finally looking up from the report he'd been completing.

'No,' Ben confirmed. 'Her secretary said she left over an hour ago. On urgent business,' he added pointedly.

Harry frowned. It was unusual for Eva to have urgent business that he wasn't aware of.

'I'm sorry, Ben,' he said honestly. 'I had no idea she'd even left the Ministry.'

'You're certain you don't know where she is?' Ben pressed.

There was an edge to the older man's tone he'd never heard before and for a moment Harry had the strangest thought that his friend didn't quite believe what he'd said. But the moment passed as quickly as it had come, leaving Harry wondering if he'd imagined it after all.

'I'm sure she'll be back soon,' he offered lamely, suddenly wanting to finish the last of his wretched paperwork and return home to his own family.

Ben smiled disarmingly.

'You're probably right,' he agreed easily. 'I think I'll go wait for her in her office, Harry. You look like you're almost done anyway.'

Harry nodded, watching as Ben stood and made to leave.

'Merry Christmas to your lot then,' he offered by way of farewell. 'I'll see you at Weasley's on Wednesday.'

'Merry Christmas, Ben.'

The Auror left his office and Harry returned to his reports. It didn't take him long to finish the final report and it was with much relief that he reached for the Floo Powder on his mantelpiece. He'd be home in time for dinner he realised happily. Although the boys were going to be an absolute nightmare to get to sleep tonight he'd promised them he'd be home in time to put up their stockings for Father Christmas. It seemed after all his worrying to the contrary he was actually going to make it home on time for Christmas Eve.

He'd barely stepped out of the fireplace in his study when a frazzled looking Ginny entered the room.

'Oh thank Merlin you're home,' she said by way of greeting. 'The boys have been insufferable all day. I just caught James redecorating the Christmas tree for the third time this afternoon.'

Harry laughed, plucking a stray piece of tinsel from his wife's hair.

'As long as he hasn't brought another gnome in again it can't be worse than last year,' he answered pragmatically.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

'I'm still not entirely convinced that it was George who gave him that idea, you know.'

'Ye of little faith,' Harry teased, stealing a quick kiss.

'I'm taking that as an admission of guilt,' she declared primly, although his kiss seemed to have appeased her somewhat.

'Alright then,' he conceded, grabbing her hand as he made to leave his study. 'You best show me the damage.'

They were at the door when Ginny stopped suddenly.

'Wait,' she said, sounding confused. 'Shouldn't Severus have come through by now?'

'"Come through?"' Harry repeated dumbly.

'The Floo,' she prompted.

'Why would he come through the Floo?'

'You didn't take him to work with you?' Ginny asked sharply, all amusement gone from her tone.

Harry's gut turned to ice as he shook his head in the negative.

'Ginny, why would you think he was at work with me?' he asked slowly, his voice sounding surprisingly calm despite already knowing what his wife's answer would be.

'Because I haven't seen him since breakfast, Harry,' she said simply. 'He's been gone all day.'

o0o

Severus nursed the pint he'd purchased, careful to only sip at it occasionally. It was tempting to down it all in one go and let the alcohol have its effect. At least if he was drunk he'd be incapable of the wretched second thoughts that had begun to plague him. What had seemed like a reasonable idea two days ago was now starting to look particularly stupid. He wasn't even sure the charm he'd used would deliver his message. Not to mention he really had no idea how his message was going to be received. The person he remembered was almost thirty years younger than the one he knew now.

Distracted by his thoughts he didn't realise he had company until a familiar voice interrupted his musings.

'I haven't been back here in almost twenty-eight years, Snape. You'd better have an excellent reason for wanting to meet in this hellhole.'

Oddly enough the realisation that she'd come was enough to settle his nerves, and it was with restored confidence that Severus turned from his place at the bar to face the newcomer.

'Come now, Hughes. Is that anyway to speak of your hometown?'

Perhaps provoking her was not the best way to go about this conversation, but it was at least safe ground for the pair of them. Even at school they'd had a propensity to exchange insults more frequently than conventional discourse. However, Evelyn did not look in the least bit amused by his comment. In fact, she was furious enough with him that her normal lilting accent thickened noticeably. It reminded him of those first few months at Hogwarts where nearly every student and teacher alike had had to ask her to repeat herself because they hadn't been able to understand her rural accent.

'I stopped calling Ballycastle home the night you and your Death Eater friends murdered my family,' she spat at him.

Her accusation hung awkwardly between them, unanswered by Snape. She hadn't raised her voice but out of the corner of his eye he could see that they'd piqued the interest of a few of the bar's more sober patrons. Even to the casual observer the tension between them was obvious. Irritated by the unwanted attention, Severus scowled darkly at the offending locals which seemed to be enough to discourage any further interest on their part. However, he needn't have bothered as it became apparent a moment later that Evelyn had no intention of staying.

'I should never have come here,' she said suddenly.

Without a backward glance or any sort of explanation she turned and left, leaving him sitting alone and bewildered by the bar. Caught off guard it took him a few seconds to realise what had happened. Throwing a tenner down on the counter for the bar keep he followed after her. She'd managed to make it halfway down the street from The Boyd Arms by the time he caught up to her, jogging the last few feet so that he was within hailing distance.

'Hughes, wait!' he called out. 'I didn't mean to upset you.'

Miraculously, she stopped. Although he could tell the moment she whirled around to face him that he'd once again put his foot in it.

'Upset me?!' she shrieked hysterically, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. 'Why on Earth would you think it wouldn't upset me to come back here, Snape!? You claimed in that ridiculous note of yours that you'd remembered what happened here. Well, even someone as cold-hearted as you must have realised what this place means to me now. Or is that why you lured me back here?' she accused, jabbing a finger into his chest. 'Did you want to relive the old glory days then?'

Severus stared at her coldly.

'That's below the belt even for you, Hughes.'

For a moment he was certain she meant to dispute his claim, but he was wrong.

'You're right,' she said stiffly. 'I apologise.'

Her apology was so unexpected that for once he had no immediate reply at hand. Instead, an awkward silence stretched between them until eventually Evelyn broke it.

'Why did you ask me to come here, Snape?'

Severus raised an eyebrow.

'I thought I "lured" you here,' he replied unhelpfully.

His sarcastic reply earned him a pointed glare: one that he recognised meant she would accept nothing less than an honest answer now.

'I asked you here because I think we both have questions about that night that need answering,' he said finally.

This time she was the one caught off guard by his answer. He could tell by her slight frown that it was not what she'd expected at all.

'What do you want from me? My forgiveness? My gratitude?'

Oddly, her genuine confusion was what bothered him most.

'You think I want you to thank me?' he clarified. 'We haven't spoken in twenty-seven years, Hughes. I've had no memory of my life for a decade, yet you think that the first thing I'd want when I remembered what happened here is your forgiveness? Followed by your gratitude? What sort of man do you take me for?' he asked incredulously. 'I haven't even forgiven myself!'

The words slipped out without thought, a truth he'd never intended for her to know. Angered by his lapse in concentration he belatedly clamped his jaw shut but he could tell it was already too late. The confusion that had prompted his honesty had faded from her features, replaced by something too much like understanding. Not wanting to witness the pity he knew such understanding heralded, Severus abruptly about faced and stalked away.

He had no set destination in mind; rather he simply wished to put as much space as he possibly could between himself and Hughes before he either said something more incriminating or she recovered her wits enough to remember that she did in fact have a voice. To add insult to injury the clouds which had been threatening rain all afternoon chose that moment to make good on their promise. It was only a light drizzle for now but it looked set to stay the night if the cloud cover was anything to judge by. The locals seemed to agree because already they were clearing the streets for the night, disappearing back into the warmth of their homes for a cosy Christmas Eve spent clustered around roaring fireplaces with friends and family.

Pulling his overcoat more tightly around his shoulders, Severus bowed his head against the irritating precipitation and continued his furious pace through the town. Vaguely he was aware that Evelyn was following him; far enough behind him that she wasn't being intrusive but close enough that he knew their conversation was not over yet.

If he hadn't been so angry with himself he might have realised sooner that his wanderings had unwittingly carried him to the outskirts of the small town of Ballycastle. It was only as he reached a familiar looking run down bridge that he realised where he was. He stopped dead in the middle of the bridge, his gaze drifting involuntarily towards the ruins that had once been Evelyn's ancestral home. Twenty-seven years had passed since he'd last been here but he still remembered everything that had happened that night.

'You ambushed me just over there.'

The matter-of-fact statement rent the silence, startling him badly. He'd been lost in the past and hadn't heard Evelyn reach him. She stood beside him now, her face pale in the gloom but her gaze resolute as she stared past him at the small copse that had once marked the entrance to her property.

'I didn't ambush you,' he murmured, his own gaze fixed on the same spot.

Dimly he was aware that Evelyn had said something in response to him but he'd missed it. All he could hear was laughter...laughter and the sound of screams...

o0o

Severus felt sick. He wanted to vomit but he knew he couldn't. Not yet. Not while they could still see him from the house. It was unlikely that any of them would bother to glance out the window now that they were distracted, but he couldn't chance being seen emptying the contents of his stomach on the lawn. He'd already given them reason enough to doubt him tonight. No new recruit turned down an offer of first blood. And they certainly didn't volunteer for sentry duty.

He'd told them that he was waiting for the older sister to arrive. That he'd been saving up one of his new spells to try out on her; revenge for all the problems she'd caused him at school, he'd claimed. Mercifully they'd believed him, the group sniggering beneath their masks as his excuses brought back memories from their school days. He'd never thought he'd have been thankful for the fact that Hughes had made no effort to hide her dislike of him at school, but for once he was glad she had. She'd disapproved of his friendship with Lily almost as much as his fellow Slytherin's had and hadn't been afraid to tell him so.

Dolohov was the only one who'd seemed sceptical of the excuse, his cold gaze resting eerily upon Severus for a tense moment before he'd granted his request to stand sentry. He'd stared for long enough that Severus was certain he'd started to sweat beneath his Death Eater mask but thankfully it appeared the amusement of his peers had been enough to appease the older man's doubts. Severus knew he would have to be more careful in the future lest his comrades begin to doubt his enthusiasm for the cause, but tonight he was simply grateful for the temporary reprieve he'd been granted.

It wasn't that he disagreed with the Dark Lord's vision for the Wizarding World. Nor did he particularly find himself at odds with the great wizard's philosophies. In fact, he found there was much that he could relate to and he certainly revelled in the newfound power and respect being a Death Eater had brought him. He just wasn't sure when he'd agreed that to do so meant torturing and murdering innocent children.

The fresh reminder of what was occurring in the house behind him was enough to set his stomach off again and it was only with quick thinking that he managed both to remove his mask and duck behind the nearest tree before being sick. Once the worst of it had passed he cleaned himself up with a silent Tergeo before sinking down miserably to the ground, the tree at his back the only thing keeping him upright. The small part of him that remembered he was still a teenager himself and not much older than the three children left up in the house, wanted to cry. But he'd promised himself over a decade ago that he wouldn't be that snivelling little twerp any more, that never again would he give others the satisfaction of knowing they'd hurt him. For a long time his stubbornness had been the only weapon he'd had against his worthless father and it seemed he'd had too much practice to break the habit now, he realised bitterly. No matter how much he wished he could simply curl up in a ball and forget about where he was.

Locking away those dangerous feelings before they could take root he was left feeling angry. Although whether he was angrier with the Hughes family or himself he could not tell. He'd tried to convince himself that he'd done the right thing by leaving; that it was what any intelligent Slytherin would have done when faced with such a situation. Self-preservation was not something to be ashamed of, and it would have been madness for him to have revealed such a weakness before his fellow Death Eaters. But no matter how he justified it to himself he couldn't ignore the small voice in the back of his mind – the one that reminded him horribly of Lily Evans and which had become much more difficult to ignore of late – that told him quite frankly he was a coward.

Unwilling to contemplate that hard truth Severus chose instead to drown out his conscience by focussing on his anger with the Hughes family. If they'd had one iota of sense he'd never have found himself in his current predicament. Evelyn's father knew he was a target. He was a prominent member of the Ministry and one of those people stupid enough to have come out against the Dark Lord. With that knowledge, Severus for the life of him could not understand what had possessed the man to remove his children from the safety of Hogwarts for the winter break. Was it sheer arrogance? Or some misguided attempt to prove that he would not be intimidated by threats?

Whatever his reasoning he was paying dearly for it now.

Any further speculation was halted as the soft 'pop' of someone apparating close by broke the silence. Severus was instantly alert, pulling his wand from his robe slowly lest he alert the newcomer to his presence. It was dark, but he'd been in enough skirmishes with Dumbledore's foolish followers to know one could never be too careful. He was in luck though as it seemed the person who'd arrived had no interest in surveying their surroundings at all but was simply intent on reaching the house as quickly as they could.

He watched them as they approached his hiding place, surprised to realise that they were entirely alone. He frowned in confusion. As far as he was aware each member of Dumbledore's group had a partner that they were required to take with them whenever they engaged Death Eaters. It was a tactic of the old Headmaster's to ensure that no member of his group was left behind at a battle.

A brief flash of blonde hair simultaneously clarified and complicated everything: he knew exactly who the newcomer was and he knew without doubt that they'd stupidly come alone.

Before he could really think about the consequences of his actions he'd cast a silent Expelliarmus and tackled Evelyn Hughes to the ground. He felt rather than saw her wand sale past him to the copse behind them, but could spare it only a brief thought as he struggled to keep his grip on Hughes and keep her silent. He'd caught her off guard enough to disarm her but now that she knew what was happening she seemed determined to break free of him. Thankfully he'd had the sense to slam his hand over her mouth before she could shout out but he was beginning to regret not having the foresight to silence her when he'd disarmed her. It was all he could do not to shout out himself as she sank her teeth into his palm in a bid to get him to release her.

Realising he needed to get the situation under control, Severus took advantage of his larger size to temporarily pin her beneath him before pulling his wand arm free and erecting several hasty privacy charms, including Muffliato. Assured that they would no longer be heard from the house, he set about securing Evelyn before she managed to do something stupid that would get them both killed.

'For Merlin's sake, Hughes,' he muttered irritably as he used a modified Auror charm to bind her feet and wrists. 'Will you stop struggling?'

The moment he spoke she stilled completely before shifting so that she could see his face. She wouldn't be able to make out much in the dim light but he could tell she'd recognised him. It was a regrettable oversight on his part not to have put his mask back on the moment he'd finished vomiting. Although he suspected in this case even his voice had been enough to give away his identity. She confirmed his suspicions a moment later.

'Snape?'

Given she'd spent most of their Hogwarts years accusing him of being a Death Eater, she didn't sound particularly surprised to have found him sans mask.

'Obviously,' he replied dryly, hauling her upright so that she was awkwardly slumped against the same tree he'd been sitting beneath earlier.

The brief respite he'd gained by revealing himself to her disappeared the moment the screaming started up again. As if possessed, Evelyn launched herself at him in a desperate attempt to wrestle his wand away from him despite her bound hands. Catching him off guard she managed to land an elbow to his cheek, hard enough that his vision was momentarily filled with black specks.

'Bloody hell!' he snarled, using his body weight to press her back against the tree. 'Stop struggling, you idiot. What is wrong with you?!'

Furious blue eyes pierced his own dark ones.

'What's wrong with me!?' she repeated hysterically. 'That's my family you can hear being tortured, Snape. My three younger brothers are up there. Did you really think I'd be content to sit out here playing catch up with you when they need me? What the hell is wrong with you?'

Snape blinked in surprise, confused by her conviction.

'Surely you know you can't save them, Hughes,' he said lamely. 'If they're not dead yet they will be soon enough.'

His words only seemed to make her angrier and she resumed struggling against him.

'So I should just sit out here and let them die?' she demanded. 'Is that what you'd do then, Snape? Just let them die?'

'Nothing you can do will change what will happen,' he replied firmly. 'Your brothers were dead the moment they came home for winter break, Hughes. Accept it.'

'I will never accept that,' she spat acerbically. 'Even in the face of the inevitable I will never stand by and do nothing. Not while I remain capable of intervening.'

'Then you are a fool,' Snape answered distractedly, completing the intricate wand movement he'd been focussed on. 'Besides, I think you'll find you are wholly incapable of intervening now,' he finished smugly, stepping back to admire the fine lattice work of magic that would trap Hughes in place until he chose to release her.

He could tell she knew it too because when she looked up at him he could see her desperation starting to leak past her facade of determination.

'Liam is only eleven, Snape,' she pleaded. 'He is a child. He is no threat to your master or his followers. Neither are Sean and Patrick. They've not even reached their majority. What risk is there in sparing their lives? Let me save them. Please.'

He couldn't meet her gaze.

'There are a dozen Death Eaters up there, Hughes,' he answered softly, his voice cracking. 'You wouldn't stand a chance.'

'I don't care,' she answered defiantly. 'I have to try. Besides, the Aurors will be here soon enough.'

He turned away from her, weighing up his options. Part of him was tempted to let her go, to untie her and watch her carry out her foolhardy plan. But he knew he couldn't do that. Hughes might have deluded herself into believing there was still a chance for her brothers, but Severus knew the truth. Even if she had alerted her allies before coming alone he knew it was too late. Her family would die tonight. He'd let her parents and brothers die, but he could still save her. He knew she'd hate him for it, but she'd be alive at least.

'You'd do it,' she said suddenly, disrupting his thoughts.

'What?' he answered reflexively, turning back to face her.

'If it was Lily,' she pressed. 'You'd save her. Even if it meant your own life.'

He froze, eyes widening in disbelief. How could she possibly know, he thought desperately.

'That's not true,' he denied automatically. 'I wouldn't risk my life for a filthy M – '

He tried to say the word but it died in his throat, his own body betraying his true feelings. Blue eyes flashed triumphantly as she spoke to him earnestly.

'Let me go, Snape. It's not too late.'

Whether he'd have released her or not they'd never know because at that moment the sky lit up with the eerie green light of the Dark Mark. Oddly, the only thing that Severus could think was that he hadn't noticed when the screaming had stopped. Beside him Evelyn let out a terrible cry, her legs giving way beneath her. His spell was still holding her in place though and she looked more like a puppet that had had its strings cut. Stepping forward he cancelled the spell, lowering her gently to the ground. Distantly he was aware of the sound of a dozen or so Aurors apparating, drawn by the casting of the Dark Mark. He could hear curses being exchanged, interspersed with the sound of his own comrade's disapparating. Clearly it was not a battle they wished to engage in. The Death Eaters had achieved their goal for tonight, there was no point needlessly risking capture.

Knowing that it was time to make his own escape he glanced down at Hughes, who had become unnaturally quiet. She was slumped to the side, her gaze fixated on the ground and her thoughts clearly miles away. It felt wrong to leave her sitting there alone and vulnerable. Against his better judgement he summoned her wand to him before placing it carefully just out of reach of her right hand. Then he stood to leave.

His movements must have roused her because her head snapped up suddenly. Before he could stand and back away she'd grabbed him by the neck of his Death Eater robes, her grip surprisingly strong.

Her eyes burned bright with hate as she stared him down.

'You coward, Severus Snape,' she declared. 'I will never forgive you for this.'

Reaching up, he gently pried her fingers loose from his robes.

'I know,' was all he said.

Without another word he stood, turned his back to her and walked away. He expected to be struck down from behind, but no curse ever came. It wasn't until the first hints of sunlight crept over the horizon that he realised he'd walked through the night.

She'd let him go.

o0o

Warmth was the first thing Severus noticed as he came back to the present. It was strangely tangible; a physical manifestation of everything that was good and pure in the world. Opening his eyes he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. The room he was in was bare of furniture, an air of disuse about it despite the hearty fire crackling away in the fireplace. He was propped against the wall, a travelling coat he didn't recognise wrapped tightly around his shoulders. He had a fair idea of whom the coat belonged to though when he caught sight of Evelyn Hughes.

How he hadn't immediately noticed her presence he could not say.

She was standing on the other side of the room by the single grimy window, seemingly enveloped in a swirl of light. With a start he realised it was the light that was the source of warmth he'd noticed upon waking. Still feeling disorientated it took Severus more than a moment to recognise what he was seeing. Hughes hadn't simply created a source of light, she'd conjured her Patronus.

He felt like an idiot because it was clear on a second closer look that what he'd initially thought was indistinct light was in fact a corporeal Patronus. It took the form of a majestic Golden Eagle, its talons almost encompassing her forearm where it perched. She must have been instructing it because it seemed to be listening intently as she murmured to it. A moment later it took flight, circling the room once before disappearing through the window she was standing next to.

Its departure left Severus feeling bereft and it took him a moment to realise he was now the sole focus of Hughes' attention.

'You're awake then.'

Oddly, she sounded put out. Severus wondered what he could possibly have done whilst unconscious to irritate her.

'Where are we?' he asked instead, deciding it would be best not to antagonise her too early in the conversation.

'The groundskeeper's old cottage,' she answered absentmindedly. 'Father never believed in segregation. He would hire Muggles from the town to help run the estate. They never realised what our family was, but it was important to Father that we understood that Muggles were not something to be afraid of. He wanted us to see them as fellow humans. To recognise our similarities and to understand how it was a privilege to have magic in our lives. Not a right.'

'He sounds like he was an intelligent man.'

'He was,' Evelyn answered shortly before abruptly changing topic. 'However, I did not bring you here to discuss my father. Short of leaving you in the rain after you collapsed, it became clear that shelter would be necessary. Unfortunately, this was the closest place I could think of. As amusing as it would have been to take you back into town, I'm not sure the locals would have appreciated a demonstration of my ability to levitate inanimate objects.'

'Yes, well thank you for your discretion,' Severus muttered irritably.

Evelyn raised a solitary eyebrow in acknowledgement but said nothing further. She seemed to be perplexed by him. Exasperated by her odd behaviour, Snape decided to throw caution to the wind. He had his own questions he wanted answered.

'Who did you send your Patronus to?' he asked rudely.

For some reason the question seemed to amuse Evelyn.

'I would have thought that was obvious,' she answered unhelpfully.

'If it was obvious, I wouldn't have asked you,' Snape ground out.

'Did you tell Potter that you were coming here?'

The apparent non-sequitur caught him off guard.

'What?'

'Did you think to tell Harry where you were going?' she repeated slowly.

Snape scoffed.

'What business is it of his? I'm an adult, Hughes.'

'You're also his guest, you moron,' Evelyn huffed irritably.

'I was not aware the word was synonymous with prisoner,' he snapped coldly.

Evelyn simply rolled her eyes.

'Being his guest does not give him the right to know where I am at all times of the day,' Severus continued furiously, fed up with her manner.

His words must have struck a chord because all trace of Evelyn's amusement vanished instantly.

'You have no idea what he is risking for you, Snape,' she warned him. 'There are people out there who would consider his family nothing more than collateral damage if it meant capturing you. Do not blame him for being anxious when you disappear without trace.'

She spoke as someone who'd suffered the consequences of such a situation.

'I apologise,' he offered sincerely. 'I overreacted.'

Evelyn considered him for a long moment before sighing. Her whole body seemed to slump as she did so, the tension his careless words had provoked dissipating.

'No, I did,' she admitted. 'Being here has reminded me of everything I've tried to forget for the last twenty-seven years. I loved my family,' she elaborated, 'but knowing how they suffered here...it's too much...'

Her voice cracked and it took her a minute to compose herself before she could continue on.

'I prefer to remember them as they were,' she finished quietly. 'Not how they died.'

Silence stretched between them, demanding and awkward until Severus could stand it no longer and he blurted out the only thought that had been on his mind since he'd woken up.

'I should have done something...I should have saved your brothers.'

The words hung between them, blissfully ignorant of their significance as Severus looked anywhere but at Evelyn. He could feel her gaze on him but he couldn't bring himself to meet it, too certain of what he would see there. Although he knew that her hatred and disgust was entirely warranted.

'No.'

The word was so unexpected that Severus reflexively looked up. She was watching him as he'd suspected, except for the first time since they'd met again her expression was entirely neutral. In fact, she almost seemed regretful.

'You were right then, Snape,' she confessed. 'And you're still right now. Nothing that you or I could have done would have saved them.'

He must have appeared genuinely surprised by her concession because she seemed compelled to explain her change of attitude.

'Ignorance makes it easy to hate,' she offered. 'It's much harder to do so once you've realised that the person you've spent half your life hating hasn't forgotten either.'

Severus simply nodded his head in acknowledgement. There were no words to encompass their complicated past, but at least now it seemed that they might be able to move beyond it. Although there was still one question he needed answered.

'Why didn't you turn me in?' he asked, his voice loud in the silence that had fallen between them.

Evelyn frowned in confusion.

'What do you mean?'

'When I went to trial at the end of the First War,' he clarified. 'You never came forward to give evidence. Not only could you name me as being one of the Death Eaters who murdered your family but you saw me without my mask, Hughes. You had to have known that your memories would have been enough to send me to Azkaban,' he added. 'Not even Dumbledore's testimony would have saved me if you'd spoken up. So why did you stay silent?'

Evelyn smirked, that funny twitch of her lips that Severus was beginning to realise was more self-deprecating than anything else.

'I might have hated you for being there to stop me, Snape,' she said sagely. 'But I think I knew even then that you'd stopped me from getting myself killed. No true Death Eater would have done that so I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. Plus,' she added amusedly, 'it seemed like less of a ridiculous idea knowing that Dumbledore himself had vouched for you.'

Any further conversation was sidelined as a magnificent silver stag appeared in the middle of the room, trotting forward to stand majestically before Evelyn.

'Thank you, Eva. We will expect him shortly.'

Potter's voice echoed eerily in the small room, confirming his suspicions as to the owner of the Patronus. As the charm faded though Severus was struck by how dim it was inside the cottage. In fact, he realised it was pitch dark outside. Belatedly he understood why Potter had been looking for him. He'd clearly been unconscious for far longer than he'd thought.

'I meant to be back before he finished work,' he said honestly, forestalling the return to their previous argument that he was sure Potter's Patronus would prompt.

Evelyn chuckled.

'Yes, well I think we can safely say that ship has sailed, Snape.'

Severus rolled his eyes.

'Perhaps it would be wise to put him out of his misery then?' he suggested.

'Yes, I think so,' she agreed dryly.

She was halfway through extracting an old inkpot from her pocket when she paused suddenly, peering at him suspiciously.

'Where's yours then?' she asked.

'Excuse me?'

'Your illegal Portkey,' she said expectantly, as though her answer should have been obvious.

He looked at her blankly, which only seemed to irritate her.

'I already know you didn't register it with the Ministry, Snape,' she snapped. 'There's no need to be coy. I will have to take it off you though and have it decommissioned when I return to work.'

Severus blinked.

'I didn't make a Portkey,' he said slowly.

'Well how else did you get here?' Evelyn huffed, although she sounded less certain now given his noticeable confusion.

Snape frowned.

'I apparated.'

His pronouncement seemed to render Hughes temporarily speechless.

'You apparated to Ireland?' she managed eventually.

'Obviously,' Severus replied, only just refraining from rolling his eyes.

'To another country?' she continued.

'Yes, Hughes,' he finally snapped in exasperation. 'I apparated. How else was I supposed to get here?'

'Merlin's beard, Snape! Are you insane?' she asked seriously. 'Even Dumbledore used other means of transport to travel internationally! What were you thinking? You didn't even know you were a wizard three months ago...' she broke off suddenly before throwing her arms up in the air. 'Actually, I don't know why I bother. You're impossible, Snape. Let's get out of here.'

Severus smirked.

'I couldn't agree more, Hughes,' he said, reaching out to touch the proffered inkpot.

With a familiar jerk behind his navel they left Ballycastle behind.

o0o

Unused to travelling by Portkey it took Severus several minutes to reorientate himself. Embarrassingly, he'd lost his footing as they'd arrived and had ended up sprawled out behind a large oak desk. He didn't recognise where they were but it was obviously somewhere familiar to Hughes because she'd hurried over to a fireplace the moment she'd gracefully touched down. Based on the presence of the cluttered desk, a small flock of Ministry memos and oddly enough an entire wall taken up with clocks – none of which seemed to be telling the time – Severus surmised that they'd travelled to her office.

What neither of them had immediately noticed however, was that they were not alone.

'Where have you been, Evelyn?'

The voice was unfamiliar to Severus, male and apparently displeased. Evelyn who had clearly been trying to locate her Floo powder froze for an infinitesimal moment, her eyes ducking towards Severus, before she turned to face the intruder.

'You've been gone for hours,' the man accused. 'Where have you been?'

Something about his tone set Severus' teeth on edge and without really thinking about it, he stood up.

'Where she's been is really none of your business,' he said snidely, enjoying the way the man's eyes widened briefly as he caught sight of him.

He was a stocky sort of fellow, barely taller than Hughes. In fact, he was almost forgettable Severus thought: brown hair, brown eyes, plain features. He wondered what possible reason he could have for being in the Head of the MLE Department's office.

Having recovered from the surprise of Severus' appearance the stranger obliged him with an answer.

'Oh, I think you'll find it really is my business as to where she's been,' he said coolly. 'She is my fiancée after all.'

Severus frowned when Hughes didn't immediately tell the man to pack it in. From what he recalled of their time at school Evelyn would never have let a boy talk about her in such a way. In fact, Hughes had been abnormally quiet since her supposed fiancée had spoken up. Confused, Severus glanced towards her. She seemed to sense his gaze, eyeing him irritably and giving Severus the distinct impression that she was very annoyed he'd revealed himself. She also appeared to be doing some very rapid thinking.

'Who is this man, Evelyn?' the stranger demanded, apparently fed up with waiting for an answer.

He moved to stand beside his fiancée, all the while eyeing Severus suspiciously. When his question was met once more with silence the impatient man reached out to grab his fiancée's elbow, clearly intent on getting her attention. The moment his fingers grazed her elbow she seemed to unfreeze, bursting into motion. She paused only long enough to shoot Severus a warning look, just daring him to disobey her.

'Ben, he is nobody,' she said firmly. 'And he was just leaving,' she added briskly as she successfully located the Floo powder.

But her fiancée was not to be put off.

'If he really is a "nobody" then what's the harm in knowing his name?'

Evelyn ignored him in favour of throwing the powder into the fireplace, murmuring Harry's address quietly enough that Severus was certain Ben wouldn't have heard it. Looking at Severus she raised an eyebrow, as though questioning why he hadn't already left, before turning back to her fiancée.

'We will discuss this at home, Ben,' she said with a note of finality.

Sensing that he had outstayed his welcome Severus moved towards the fireplace. As he stepped into the emerald flames he glanced once more at Evelyn's fiancée. The other man was looking at him expectantly, as though he'd been waiting for Snape to look back again. For a single instance their eyes met and in that moment Severus was certain he saw recognition in the other man's cold gaze. But the moment was broken and just as quickly forgotten about as the emerald flames pulled him away, depositing him into the sea of anxious Potters that awaited him by the hearth at Godric's Hollow.

o0o

A/N: So things are starting to ramp up now...To everyone who has reviewed - thank you! I'd love to hear your thoughts and theories. Special shout out to Leopard1 for being an excellent sounding board. I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter. Until next time :)