A/N:

Hello and apologies!

I have been away from the writing scene for quite a while now and am having trouble getting into the swing of things. My last chapter left on a bit of a weird point and some people believed it to be the end... that is not the case. Although my updates could be far and few between, I am trying to get back into the things I used to love; writing and drawing used to be my world.

I want to thank the people who went out of their way to message me and check in on me to make sure I was okay. I had several relapses with my depression, but am happy to say that things are turning around; if only slowly. Many good things havehappened and I am getting betting at dealing with the bad.

This chapter is not as long as I would have liked, but baby steps are a bit easier at the moment. Also have been doing this update on my phone; something that is way harder than I thought it would be.

As usual, enjoy and feel free to leave some feedback. Trying some new thought processes and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Severus awoke with a start, "Merlin!" he whispered none too quietly, stirring the ball of sleeping Gryffindor.

Holding his chest while trying to calm his breathing, Severus Snape, Bat of the Dungeons, ex-Death Eater and the former right hand of Voldemort, let himself cry. He was so confused. He had just come to terms with the fact that Hermione may not remember anything and his subconscious throws that at him.

Not only had his dream been the nicest thing, but also the worst. If Hermione didn't remember, he would be devastated. If she did remember, but he still didn't get to be there to watch her grow up, what kind of relationship could he have with her? How much would she honestly remember? She is only three, how much do you remember from that age? He had bathed her, clothed her and shared his bed with her; would that be all she remembered? The awkward moments? Or would she remember him trying?

She would be back to herself and he would look like the creepiest teacher in the school if he continued to seek her attentions. He was not her father after all, not even her friend, just her Potions Master. But Potter and the Weasley girl would understand, they could explain that he appreciates her company and intellect. And the fact he had been on talking terms with Albus in his own mind made him angry; he was never going to forgive that man. Accuses him of crimes against a child and then wants to play nice. Whether Albus had meant to do harm or not, he had hurt Snape's pride and called into question his moral compass. That old man had said and done a lot to Severus and he took all of it. But that? A shiver ran up his spine at the thought of what the Headmaster had implied to him that day. He could never. He would never.

Deciding that sleep was a lost cause, Snape haphazardly rolled out of his bed and gently grabbed Hermione to take back to her own. She was so precious and small in his arms and had a bad habit of wanting to sleep in Snape's rooms instead of her vastly greater room. After tucking her back into bed and turning her nightlight on, Severus moved her hair from her face and made to kiss her forhead, but stopped himself. She was not his child and he needed to start to steel himself for the worst.

Feeling his heart ache as he moved away, Snape cursed his life as he made his way to the labs across the way. The aging potion seemed to mock him from its place on the table, silently bubbling away. It would be so easy to corrupt it. Just remove the stasis charm for a few hours and let it burn away. But he couldn't. He needed to do the right thing by Hermione.

Instead, Severus walked past the potion and to the open books that lay on the desk behind it. Everything he could find on the aging and anti-aging potions was sprawled about the place; little notes written next to important steps. The dream still playing in the back of his mind had honestly shaken the older mans core. Knowing all his work could be for nothing, but still wanting to fail was a strange feeling. He had documented every step of the potion so that there would be a better record for future reference. The tombs he had read were not good, in both desciption and outcome.

Rubbing his hands across his face, Severus walked around the desk and sat down to reread all of his notes. Grabbing a spare piece of parchment, he began cross referencing the aging and anti-aging potions. Which ingredients were the same, which ones could be subsituted and most importantly, how the first potion had caused the explosion. Although he had pinned it down to the adding of the unicorn hair that had actually caused the volitile nature of the reaction, it would not cause the rapid effects he had seen.

46 seconds. That was how long Hermione was in the potion for before Snape had vanished it. The second it had left her skin, it had stopped working and her aging began to move forward again. A tactile response to a potion that normally needed to be injested. The only thing he could think of, was that Longbottom had made not one, but two mistakes. The first one may have not be so much of a mistake though and a bit more of an upgrade, where he had increased to potions overall potency. Possibly doing something similar to the clup of unicorn hair; another ingredient already in the potion that was prepared in the wrong manner. But how to recreate such a bizzar set of circumstances?

An explosion was hard enough to control when that is the desired effect. Exploding something on purpose, but still doing it "by accident" by putting in ill prepared ingredients would be impossible. The Dark Lord would be on high alert following Snapes untimely departure from his ranks. He would suspect an attack and would be making changes to his routine to combat the unseen threat. Something Severus Snape was no longer privy to. Looking back at the clock, Snape noted it would be a few more hours before Hermione would awake and so he decided to continue what he was doing.

A wizard whos name was too faded to make out on a particular book had Severus tossing out half of his notes due to their uselessness. Annoyed at the set back, but glad for new information, the dark haired man reached for another tomb to cross examine. Potions were difficult enough, but he was setting out to fool one of the smartest wizards of his time with a simple anti-aging potion and an explosion. Harry had been clever to think of it, but it came with so many problems. What if it doesn't get on him? What if the explosion get on others? And of course the big one, what if it just doesn't work?

They would be back at sqaure one with an even more suspicious target on thier hands. Not just that, if, and it was a big if, he could convince Narcissa to betray the madman in her house, the reprocussions of a failed attempt could cost the socialite her life. Despite what had caused Snape's life to get to this point, he did like the Malfoys. They were friends of sorts. The closest thing to a friend a Death Eater could have at least. But he was no longer a Death Eater, was he?

Sighing deeply, Severus regretted not coming up with a brilliant lie to tell his old master the moment he was accused of being a traitor. Had he denied everything and said that Dumbledore had made him swear not to tell; throw in an unbreakable vow perhaps, maybe he could have saved face. But he hadn't done that. Infact, he had spat, then told the Dark Lord that Hermione would be his downfall before sending a cutting curse his way.

"Smart move Snape." He mumbled to himself.

The Dark Lord hadn't targeted the Grangers for no reason. They were dead because they were a threat, and then Snape had rubbed it in his face that the girl he originally wanted dead was better than him. Something the Dark Lord did not like one bit. He had let Severus live. A fate worse than death in the eyes of the Dark Lord. To suffer in the knowledge that he knew who she was, where she was and that she was a child. A threat to him no more, but a serious crutch to Harry and Snape should she be killed. Snuffing out a life that they already knew would be a great help to the Order of the Pheonix.

Hermione Granger was the brains of the Golden Trio, the brightest witch of her age and now a helpless child. Everyone knew this now; at least the people that could change the outcome of the war, both good and evil. It was starting to feel like the young Gryffindor was the deciding factor to this whole thing. Harry may have to cast the final blow, but she would be the reason he could do so.

Rubbing his face vigorously to get his train of thought back on track, Snape sighed again. He had made some headway on his plans, but they were far from complete; maybe even further from being coherent instead of looking like the ramblings of a crazed person. He had a few things he would need to ask the twins and a bit more to discuss with Potter before he could even take this suggestion to the Order.

The piles of books and parchment began to create a wall around him as the answer to his unknown question still remained out of reach. His eyes were tired and his body hurt; the answer was so close. Straightening his back and groaning at the cracks it produced, Snape turned to the clock once again.

"Bugger." He whispered as the clocks hands seemed to have move a lot further than he had thought.

Hermione should have knocked on his door over an hour ago asking for breakfast and yet she was not there. Pausing to listen to his surroundings, Severus Snape was met with an unnerving silence. Even if she had not come to his labs, she would have been playing or even calling out to him. And yet, silence. Athough he didn't want to, Severus began to panic. His previous train of thought getting the better of him, Snape briskly walking to the bedroom attached to his own.

The door was still ajar like he had left it and the dull blue glow from the floating nightlight told him that Hermione was still asleep. As he started to open the door, Severus could feel the tingle of magic coming from just infront of him, like a silencing charm. Pushing the door, he revealed more of the room before quickly reaching for his wand. At the end of the carved bed sat a shadow; a figure with their back to him as they watched Hermione. His own heartbeat drumming in his ears as the fear in his chest rose. Feeling as though the air around him had become to thick to breathe, the Potions Master edged closer.

The figure remained still as Severus shortened the gap between them. The floating orb that was Hermione's night light drifted near enough to the figure that it illuminated the face of the person that sat there. His heart stopped.

"She has nightmares," A low whisper came from the figure, "Calls out to you, you know."

Severus Snape blinked, but didn't lower his wand. A long pause let the silence creep back into the room. The figure remained unmoving to the point where Snape began to believe this was all an elaborate dream and he was asleep at his desk in the lab.

"He is angry with you," the voice still so quiet, Severus strained to hear despite the lack of sound, "and he wants her."

The bark of laughter had left his mouth before Snape could stop it, "He will have to go through me first."

A softer laugh came back at him, "He plans to."

"Why are you here Draco?" Against everything he knew, Severus Snape lowered his wand.

Slowly, the blonde haired boy stood and turned to face his Godfather. He was thin and his face was more drawn than the last time Severus had seen him on Christmas. As the orb of light came floating closer, it showed more of the boy before him. His white shirt was stained at his left forearm and Snape felt his heart ache. Draco had taken the mark early and it was attacking his magic.

"He has Father locked away," the young Malfoy choked a bit on his words, "Mother is..."

Severus stepped forward and around the bed, "What? Draco tell me."

"She's hurt," the words seemed to fall from the boys lips, "I haven't seen her since you were... you know..."

Moments before, Snape was plotting how to use the Malfoys closeness to the Dark Lord to his advantage while still calling them his friends. And here stood his godson, crying before him because they didn't know he was a traitor and he assumed the Dark Lord did not believe them.

"Come sit down," he motioned towards the living room before looking at Hermione who had yet to stir, "You didn't do anything to her, did you?"

Draco chuckled and threw a vial at Severus. He caught it and examined the lable on the nearly full vial in his hands. His own spiky writing read "Dreamless Sleep" and a sigh of relief washed over him.

"After her nightmare, I found it in your bedside table. Three drops into her mouth while she was already asleep."

Severus Snape's gaze moved over Draco and to the bleeding mark on his arm before meeting his eyes. He raised an eyebrow; he wanted so badly to just believe his godson.

"I swear," the boy suddenly pleaded, "I need your help, the last thing I am gonna do is poison your precious angel."

"How did you get in here?" Snape was still suspicious, "My wards were not tripped."

"I would hope not, not if you are using the same ones since last year that is." Draco's smile was a knowing one.

Of course they were the same ones, because he was only just thrown out of the Death Eaters and was apparently stupid enough to forget that there were some that knew of his wards. Cursing his own forgetfulness, Snape gave a swift nod and motioned again to the living room.

"I swear Draco," Severus suddenly put his hand on the boys shoulder and spun him around, "If this is a game, a ploy of the Dark Lords to gain some kind of leverage..."

Draco nodded quickly, "I understand, and I swear I am acting on my own accord. He doesn't even know I am here."

"How did you get here, the castle I mean?" Snape questioned.

"The tunnel under the lake," Dracos eye dropped to the floor, "It's going to be one of their entry points. You should probably block it after I leave."

"One of? There are more ways into the castle?" The panic had set in; they were planning an attack on the school.

"There will be. At the moment the castle wards still affect a lot of the old hidden passages, but they are relentless. I found the one I used tonight a few months back, but I haven't told them about it yet." Malfoys feet were apparently very interesting.

"And why would you chose to keep this information to yourself?" His dark gaze drawing that of the young boy. "Scared of him, aren't you?"

"Any smart person would be." Draco spat, but shook his head, "I was waiting to see when the information would serve me better, and it has. I have come here unnoticed and I need your help."

Turning around, the boy continued walking to the living room to sit down. Maybe it was because Draco was his godson or maybe because he was also risking a lot to come here, Severus wasn't sure. But he had to hear him out. Even if this was a very cleverly constructed plan to get to Hermione, he needed believe his gut. Who knows how long Draco had been sitting there. Surely long enough to have lowered his wards and let Death Eaters into the school for a sneak attack.

They sat down on the couches across from each other and Severus watched as Draco seemed to get he sentences in order. Just as the boy was about to speak, there was a knock at the door and they both froze. Glaring at the young boy infront of him, Snape sneared.

"Not mine. I came alone." Malfoys eyes darted between the door and his professor clearly unnerved.

Standing, Severus went to brush his hands down his robes only to realise that he was still in his pajamas. There was another knock at the door followed by a voice.

"Professor? It's Harry, is Hermione awake yet?"

Without thinking, Snape shouted for the boy to enter and turned to see Draco launch to his feet with wand drawn.

"I said I needed help, not a fight." His voice creeping in volume.

"Then I would put your wand away," Harry's voice was no longer muffled by the door, "Ginny's here too Sir. I didn't realise you were entertaining, we can come back later."

Standing in the doorway were the two Gryffindors in question; Ginny looking angry and confused, while Harry seemed more interested than anything.

"Put your wand away Draco, she would have hexed you by now if anyone was going to." Snape rubbed his temples and sat back down.

Ginny smiled and nodded at Snapes statement, which caused Malfoy to second guess himself. Carefully, and with as much speed as a sloth, Draco Malfoy pocketed his wand and folded his arms, but remained standing. Harry, on the other hand, walked over and sat down near Snape.

"Have you had breakfast yet Sir?" Ginny asked as she followed Harry's example, "The elves offered to bring some down if you like?"

"That would be nice actually," Severus could feel his stomach grumbling at the thought of food.

Ginny smiled and called for an elf, asking for enough breakfast for all of them. The elf nodded and returned quickly with plate after plate of food and pots of tea and coffee. Severus poured himself and Ginny a coffee and passed Harry the teapot before piling up his own plate. Much to his amusement, Draco stood there with his mouth agape and his eyebrows pulled together in perfect confusion.

"Do sit Draco," Snape half smiled, "We have a lot to talk about."

Shutting his mouth and deciding that he was also a bit hungry, the blonde boy sat down and filled a plate. They sat in silence for a bit while everyone ate the delicious food in front of them. The smell must have been particularly good as it could wake the dead, or at least very tired. Hermione came from her room and awkwardly stumbled to the coffee table where the food was and sat down on the floor infront of Snape. She reached up and grabbed a piece of toast with jam and leened against Snapes leg while she ate half asleep; unaware of the tension in the room.

Harry chuckled at his young friend and her morning habits; Hermione was never a morning person. Not when she was older and not as a child apparently. While this little exchange was shared, Draco Malfoy mulled over in his head just what he was going to say to his Godfather. How would he even speak now that Potter and the Weasley girl were here? And since when were they so chummy with Professor Snape of all people?

He was confused and annoyed, but most of all, he needed them to listen and hear him out. If everything Aunty Bella had told him about Snape was true, then there may be a shot. If he was indeed the best spy the world has ever seen and has manged to fool the Dark Lord himself for years, then just maybe. Unfortunately, Draco also knew that he might be signing his own death certificate if he was wrong. This whole thing could be a test to see where his loyalties lay and Snape may have never left the Death Eater ranks. These people might not even be Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, but Death Eaters in disguise.

The Dark Lord has done crazier things before. But he had no choice, it was trust these people or risk it alone and Draco was done being alone. His Father was locked in his own dungeons, his Mother has probably hung herself and he was here, about to do something dumb. He had really put his foot in it this time; may as well start from the begining.

Clearing his throat, Draco held his head high once he had the rooms attention. He knew this was going to be hard, but the last couple of weeks at home had really opened his eyes to what the future held for the Malfoy family. Swallowing all of his pride, he spoke.

"I want to apologise," Draco started, "I am the reason everything is so messed up."

"I know." Harry stated.

"Oh shut up Potter, I am trying to do something here." Malfoy snapped.

"No, I mean I know that you were the one who told Voldemort about Snape." Harry kept eating his toast while the two other males flinched at the name.

Gaping like a fish out of water, Draco floundered to find his wording, "But how? Who? I didn't even get to that part yet."

Again Harry chuckled as he ate calmly next to the perplexed Slytherin. Taking a sip of his tea, the bespecticaled boy decided that Draco looked rather funny when he was confused.

"You went home before the last feast," leaning forward, Harry tried to look understanding, "you remembered Hermione and you told your Master?"

"It wasn't that simple Potter,"Draco ran his fingers through his hair, but sat down to finish. "I was ill and stayed in my dorm until I was told we were leaving."

Ginny snickered.

"It's true!" Jumping to his feet, Draco began to pace, "When I got home, it was strange. Like I knew something I wasn't supposed to. It took me nearly an hour to connect the dots; it was like there was a fog over my memories, but the longer I was home, the clearer I could remember."

The boys voice became paniced and definately not his cool, sarcstic self. His arms kept shooting in the air as his well thought out apology speech unravelled before him.

"I knew who she was and I told Mother and Father, I didn't know what else to do." He turned to Severus for the first time, "She was with you all this time and I finally knew who she was, I didn't even think before I told them. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. You were so distant towards me and it was because of her."

He pointed at Hermione who was now snoring againt Snapes pants leg. Draco paused and he seemed to instantly lose all the fight in his words.

"Father wanted me to tell the Dark Lord in hopes of gaining favour with him," he collapsed in the chair suddenly and brought his hands over his face slowly, "Mother did not want to harm your standing with him, she said that if you were doing this so secretly, there must be a reason."

When Draco finally looked up again, he was crying. Openly and freely.

"I told him. I told him who the child in your care was and he laughed." The blonde boys voice shook with emotion as he tried to continue speaking, "He told me I was a smart man and that I was right to come to him, but I was wrong. He beat Father infront of the group that night and gave me this."

Draco ripped at his shirt sleeve to reveal the angry flesh of his forearm. Ginny gasped and put her hands to her mouth. It oozed and bled while the snake riled under his skin trying to settle in.

"You idiot." Harry's voice was not harsh, but full of sorrow.

"He sent for Mother, but she refused to come down," Draco's voice suddenly paniced again as he recalled the events, "He was mad, said they should of known what you were doing, that it was impossible you could have lied to him. He really liked you I think. Even Aunty Bella wasn't spared."

He took a deep, shakey breath, "When Mother wouldn't come down, he sent Dolohov and Greyback up."

The noise that came from Severus was completely involitary and he shut his eyes to avoid the tears there from falling.

"I could hear her screaming," the young Slytherin swallowed thickly and looked at his Godfather, "I haven't seen her for nearly two weeks because her bedroom door is locked from the inside. She cries a lot, but I haven't heard anything for three days. I sit outside her door all day and beg her to come out, but she has never left and now she is silent."

Looking around the room with tear streaked cheeks, Draco Malfoy begged, "Please? Please help me? I want my Mother back."

A/N:

Yet another cliffhanger. I will be doing writing as often as I can, but like I said earlier, I can not guarantee regular updates. I hope you all enjoyed my newest attempts at igniting my passions again and stay safe.