A/N: March… and it's snowing again. This shouldn't REALLY surprise me. It is still winter and all, but— I was kinda really liking the non-shoveling thing going on for a while. However… this may put a damper on our pesky friends (not) mosquitos.

After reading about a 4-year-old that trekked 8 kilometers in -37 degrees Celsius to get to town from her grandparent's cabin in the middle of the Siberian taiga (in order to save her grandmother)— I am CONVINCED that nothing I have child Hermione do is even remotely far fetched.

Beta Love: The Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01, & the Flyby Commander Shepard

A Day in the Life of a Spy

Chapter 2

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. William Shakespeare

"Minerva, turning a bunch of children loose in Hogsmeade is just asking for something horrible to happen, either to them or to us," Severus complained.

"Severus, not all children are prepared to blow things up at all times," Minerva chided. "Besides, they have to be third years before they can go, and they have to have a permission slip signed by—"

"Parents who don't have to deal with the inevitable sticky-fingered aftermath."

Minerva shook her head. "Really?"

"While there are some children who are indeed redeemable, Minerva, I am willing to bet that the influx majority of them here at Hogwarts are in dire need of much more than a mere tongue lashing to keep them in line."

"Daddy," Hermione said, tugging on his robes. "Crooks found a funny-smelling plant. It looks wicker."

Minerva smiled. "Wicked, lass."

"Wick-ed," Hermione repeated. Crookshanks mrowled and headbonked Hermione, practically toppling the little girl over.

"Well at least someone has the decency to ask before putting their hands on something," Severus said with a sigh.

Minerva and Severus followed Hermione down near the lake and then beyond to the far side into the reeds. Hermione held onto Crook's fluffy tail, allowing the Nundu cub to guide her back to where she had been.

"Oof, you've been traveling, my dear," Minerva said.

Both adults were grateful that the young witch had Crookshanks, for the young feline never steered her into trouble, and if trouble came her way, being a Nundu tended to sort that out right quick— even if he was only a cub. While they didn't believe she could run around without a chaperone of some sort, Crooks filled the bill more often than not, and she knew the path back "home" to the house outside of Hogsmeade as well as how to get back to Hogwarts without getting too close to the Whomping Willow or annoying the centaurs. All the Unspeakable children knew basic orientation and wayfinding. They also knew that if they did get lost, they were to stay put rather than wander around. More importantly, they followed instructions better than most, having been exposed to protocols on dangerous things since they were old enough to walk.

"Child, you will surely be the death of me," Minerva exclaimed. "Where are you taking us?"

"Just a little further, Mummy-nerva," Hermione said.

"Severus, how are you not getting caught on everything with those robes?"

Severus grunted. "Avid practice."

"How much practice could you possibly have chasing after a child through thick reeds?"

Severus, the corner of his mouth twitching, kept to himself the number of occasions on which Lucius had "lost" Draco on picnics due to the boy's insufferable curiosity.

"Rubbish," Minerva muttered. "Draco never once led you through the reeds on a wild goose chase."

Severus turned slowly to look Minerva in the eye.

"Think you're the only one who had to throw a net over Draco, hrm?"

"It had crossed my mind that Lucius inflicted his son on only a few unfortunates."

Minerva shook her head at him. "I'm not the only one with multiple avenues of experience, lad," she said.

"So what did you do to keep him out of trouble?" Severus asked.

"Threatened to tie him to the Whomping Willow," Minerva said as she glided away.

Severus blinked. He trudged behind her in a hurry. "Wait, what did you really do?"

"What makes you think that wasn't what I did?" Minerva replied

"I refuse to believe an experienced teacher and witch threatened a baby with tying them to a homicidal tree!"

Their discussion was cut short when Severus almost tripped over Crookshanks.

"Mrrrrrl!" Crooks said, giving him the eye.

"What is it, Daddy?" Hermione asked, pointing at the lone, fragile looking flowering plant hidden in the brush. It's bright red and yellow flower and glowing green stems seemed to scream poisonous.

"That, Hermione, is the single best reason you are not like other children your age," Severus said, scooping her up. "That is a Findlestine's Folly."

"Fiddle's ton holly?" Hermione sounded it out.

"Findlestine's Folly is a rare Grecian plant that shares a look-alike said to cure any disease," Severus said. "See how the tips of the yellow petals are red?"

"Mmmhmm!" Hermione said.

"That means it's poisonous," Severus said. "If they petals were black-tipped, it would be the even rarer healing plant."

Hermione peered closely at the colourful plant. "What does this one do?"

"Grecians of myth believed it was the only plant that could turn an animal back into a man if ensorcelled by the sorceress Circe," Severus said.

"But does it really?" Minerva asked.

"Unknown, Minerva," Severus said. "Far more people used it as a poison to care overmuch what did magically. "So much so that it was harvested to the point of this being the first I've seen in or outside of Greece and the Unspeakables' Greenhouses."

"I never spend much time there back in the day," Minerva confessed. "The pollen did something horrible to my feline senses."

Severus pulled out his wand and sent a Patronus zinging away. "Amelia will want to keep this plant alive, and I think you will probably want it off school grounds, yes?"

"Yes, and yes," Minerva said.

"Ummmm," Hermione said, hugging Severus' neck and whispering into his ear. "So, many fiddle hollys bad?"

Severus shifted his weight and hoisted her up. "Yes, Hermione."

"What about the healie ones?" Hermione asked. "Black-tipped yellow pedals."

"Petals, yes," Severus confirmed. "What do you mean 'what about the healie ones'?"

Hermione tugged on his hair and pointed in the other direction. "Those."

Severus and Minerva turned simultaneously, their eyes taking in the smear of bright colour of a sprawling bed of flowers— red and black tipped all. Their jaws dropped as Hermione slid down to the ground as Severus' grip on her loosened in startlement.

Hermione leaned to speak into Crookshanks' ear. "I don't think they saw those, Crooks."

"Mrowl," Crookshanks replied.

Internal Memo

To: Herbologists, Unspeakables Division

From: Amelia Bones, HBOY

RE: Findlestine's Folly and Snape's Succor

One of our GNUs, if you haven't heard this already, has led us to an unheard of find just inside the grounds of Hogwarts. Due to the nature of the plants, which seem to grow in symbiosis. We have both Findlestine's Folly and the legendary healing plant, which had been officially named Snape's Succor by the head herbologist. It stuck. Severus hates it, so unless you want to be punched, do try to not bring it up in his presence. Technically, it was his daughter who found it, thanks to her Nundu familiar. However, the head herbologist thought that Crookshanks' Conundrum was a bit of a mouthful for such a great plant.

After a lot of hard work, we have successfully transferred half of the plants to our greenhouses and half to a new greenhouse on Master Snape's Hogsmeade property. We have allowed Professor Sprout of Hogwarts to keep two of the plants in her private collection on the condition that it be kept away from the children at all times. We don't want poisoned kids coming back to bite us on the arse.

Worse, we don't want mutant kids turning up to bite us on the arse and unleashing some sort of highly contagious zombie-disease. Just say no.

Thanks to those who provided assistance with the move and building a brand-new greenhouse at the drop of a hat. I'm taking us all out to dinner this Friday at Molinari's at seven o'clock sharp. Don't make me bribe you with booze to be there.

Amelia Bones (still HBOY)

"What are those, Daddy?" Hermione said, frowning at the odd-looking creature dangling from a leaf..

"That is a snail," Severus said. "Looks like Mr Hagrid has quite a few in his garden."

"I ran out of numbers," Hermione said. "I tripped and forgot where I was. There are so many."

"Those are garden snails, which could be a real boon as they can be cooked and eaten. At last they aren't the flesh-eating kind."

"Ewwww," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Quite."

"Want to help me pluck them off the garden before Hagrid loses his cabbages and greens?"

"Okay!"

"Mrrff!" Crooks said, his mouth already full of snails.

"Overachiever," Severus said to the hungry Nundu cub.

"Good Crooks," Hermione said, patting him on the head.

By the time Rubeus Hagrid stumbled in with a boarhound puppy under his arm and a can of something in the other, he stared at Severus and Hermione in dismay like he was guilty of something.

"P-perfessor Snape?" Hagrid stuttered. "Wh— what brings you here?"

"I live here, Hagrid," Severus replied, arching a brow. "I am allowed to wander the grounds, yes?"

"Well, er, yeah," Hagrid replied, stuffing the can of clearly marked slug repellant down by the door and dropping the boarhound puppy in the doorway.

Crookshanks padded up to the boarhound puppy and spat out a fat snail at his feet. The puppy sniffed it curiously and tried to wrap his mouth around it, his teeth clack-clacking on the shell. Crooks shook his head, cracked a shell between his teeth and spat out the remains in front of the puppy. The pup snuffled around the shell and grabbed the exposed snail inside of it, making it disappear. He licked his chops and whuffed, giving Crooks an appreciative lick.

Crookshanks wrinkled his nose and pawed his muzzle in distaste that clearly said, "Ugh, dog drool."

"Hagrid?"

"Er, yes, perfessor?"

"Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of us?"

"Ah, well, erh, no," Hagrid answered, scratching his beard.

As the two adults chatted, Hermione noticed a small furry creature trying to reach one of the snails that was just out of reach of his paws. It had a ducklike bill, grey-blue fur, and perfectly round, shiny eyes.

Hermione plucked the snail off the leaf and gave it to the little creature.

The animal hugged it tight, sticking its bill into the snail's shell and seek the food within, dropping the shell after it found it, swallowing the tasty nugget of snail in seconds.

Hermione stared at it.

It stared back, round eyes expressively asking for more.

Hermione plucked another snail, and it took it excitedly, stuffing its beak into the shell again. There was a soft pop as it sucked the snail out from its shell. The creature licked it's bill, looked around, and then dashed up Hermione's trousers from the inside.

Hermione squeaked in surprise, giggling as it popped up under her hair and snuggled into her neck with a soft purr.

"Okay, there are a lot of snails, but you have to get along with crooks," she said to the little creature.

Crooks leapt up into Hermione's arms and snuffled the new addition. They sniffed and nuzzled each other, bill to muzzle.

"Mrrrl," Crooks purred.

"Crooks says your name should be Fuzzy. I want to call you Wiggles, but Daddy says better to call someone you just met by their honour-riff-tick. So, we'll call you Mr Fuzzywiggles, okay?"

The new and improved Fuzzywiggles squeaked in approval.

"Okay!" Hermione agreed.

Fuzzywiggles squeaked at her.

"Another one? Is your stomach going to explode?"

Mr Fuzzywiggles hung his head and held open his belly pouch, pointing inside it.

Hermione looked dubiously at the small creature. "Okay, but if you burst, you are not allowed to haunt me."

He shook his head at her.

Hermione plucked a few more snails off the plants and gave them to her new friend, and he stuffed them into his belly pouch. Strangely, they disappeared inside without a trace. Hermione picked him up and stuck her hand into his pouch, feeling around. "What do you have in there?"

Mr Fuzzywiggles squeaked in protest, slapping her hands away.

"Sorry," Hermione apologised. "May I please look inside?"

The creature gave her a skeptical look, but nodded.

Hermione carefully opened up the pouch and pulled it open, peering inside. "Ooo! Pretty!"

Hermione closed the pouch and patted it. "Don't let your dinner escape, Mr Fuzzywiggles."

He squeaked at her and dove under her bushy hair, keeping the back of her neck warm.

Hermione giggled.

"Hermione."

Hermione froze. "Yes, daddy?"

Severus knelt beside her. "What is that you have there?"

Hermione wilted. "You won't get mad?"

Severus shook his head. "Not at you, most definitely."

Hermione pulled back her hair, and two round black eyes peered up at Severus.

"That, my dear, is a Niffler," Severus said. "May I?"

"He loves snails," Hermione said. She frowned. "And shiny things."

Severus put out his hand, plunking down a snail on his hand. The young Niffler stepped out and grabbed the snail, looking up at Severus with wide eyes.

"Hello there, my little friend," Severus said. "And what is your name?"

Mr Fuzzywiggles squeaked at him, seemingly a little intimidated.

"This is Mr Fuzzywiggles," Hermione said proudly.

"You may be surprised to know this, Hermione, but Nifflers do not normally reside in Hogwarts," Severus said. "They live in lairs below the ground. Quite deep. The stony ground of Hogwarts tends to be less than ideal. So imagine my surprise in seeing one here in Scotland."

Severus' black eyes went directly to Hagrid, and the visibly nervous half-giant swallowed hard.

"I'll, um, make sure the little guy is taken care of, Perfessor Snape," Hagrid said, moving to pluck the Niffler up and take him.

Mr Fuzzywiggles promptly bit Hagrid's finger and let out a rapid-fire chain of angry squeaks, springing off of Hagrid's thumb and diving back into the safety of Hermione's hair. Hermione immediately hugged Severus' legs tightly, and Crookshanks hissed at Hagrid, his fur standing up on end.

"Mr Hagrid," Severus said with steel in his tone. "I think you've done enough for our little Niffler friend, which I'm sure you can discuss with the Deputy Headmistress at your first opportunity."

"Well, uh, that won't be necessary, perfessor Snape, sir," Hagrid said, backpedaling back to his hut.

Mr Fuzzywiggles poked his head out from Hermione's hair and made a soft phewing sound.

Severus turned and offered a plump snail to the Niffler. "I trust you will control yourself and not touch our things, hrm?"

Fuzzywiggles took the snail and looked up at him in awe. He placed a paw on his finger and nodded. Stuffing the snail into his pouch, he pulled out a very shiny pocket watch and offered it to Severus.

"Daddy, that has initials on it!" She pointed her finger. She squinted. "C— H."

Severus turned the watch over. "So it does." He looked down at the Niffler and his daughter. "It's up to you to teach him what things to leave alone, my daughter."

"Ok!" Hermione said immediately. "Crooks will help."

"Mrrrt!" Crooks agreed.

Fuzzywiggles pulled a giant pink umbrella out of his pouch and it thumped on the ground as it fell.

Severus arched a brow. "I have a feeling I know exactly where Mr Fuzzywiggles has been." He eyed Hagrid's hut with suspicion. Time to tell Minerva what we've learned."

"Yay! Mummy-nerva!" Hermione exclaimed with glee, spinning around on the tips of her feet. "Do you think she's busy today?"

"Minerva is always busy," Severus said with a chuckle.

"Just like Daddy," Hermione said, copying his sniff and cross of arms.

Severus put his hand on Hermione's head and ruffled her hair. "Let's see if we can catch her at an off moment."

"Okay!" Hermione said, taking Severus' hand in hers tightly.

The potion master's expression softened as they both trudged up the path back to Hogwarts with Crooks bouncing around their feet and Mr Fuzzywiggles riding on Hermione's shoulder.

Severus and Minerva came running when the high-pitched scream from Hermione signalled that something wasn't right. They skid to a halt as they saw Hermione's feet coming out of a suit of armour, Mr Fuzzywiggles dangling from a high chandelier, and one brassed off Nundu who was ripping Peeve's somehow-frozen body to tiny pieces of frozen ectoplasm.

Severus waved his wand, pulling Hermione out of the armour with a clatter of metallic sounds. Minerva floated the distressed Niffler, who had frantically stuffed all the shiny crystals from the chandelier into his pouch, down from the high ceiling.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked as Hermione whimpered and clung to his robes with all the tenacity of a codependent octopus. "What happened?"

Hermione sniffled, hiccupping between words. "He told me he had something to show me, and then he stuffed me into there!"

Severus had an armful of Hermione as he soothed her hair, his face twisted in a pained, awkward expression that seemed caught between sympathy and wrath. He glared at the pile of frozen ectoplasm the Nundu was doing its best to turn into even smaller pieces.

Crookshanks growled viciously, clouds of darkened disease breath coating every piece of the offending Peeves.

Minerva had an armful of terrified Niffler that was trying to bury himself in the folds of her robe and under her arm. "There, there, I've got you, Mr Fuzzywiggles," she placated. She stared at the pieces of Peeves. "I have never seen him stuck in a physical form— Perhaps Peeves is actually non-corporeal and hiding somewhere else in the castle."

A tortured moan came from the pieces of Peeves.

"Or not," Minerva said.

Severus seemed to look less murderous now that Hermione had stopped crying, but he eyed the pieces of Peeves with undisguised loathing.

Crooks, satisfied that he had properly dealt with the poltergeist's body, hiked his leg over the remains and relieved himself. He padded up to Severus and Hermione, mrowling and headbutting, batting at their robes with the clawless swipes of his large paws.

Hermione finally let go of Severus to hug Crooks, giving him a tight hug.

"Mrrt!" Crooks said, tolerating her grip upon his person.

The Bloody Baron, perhaps lured in by the sounds of the scuffle, floated by, eyeing the frozen bits of Peeves with morbid curiosity. "You really must teach me that trick," he said with a twinkle in his ghostly eyes.

"Probably not a wise idea," Severus said. "Consider what he could do if he decided to breathe on you."

The Baron crossed his arms. "I suppose, but I reserve the right to call on his services in the future, just in case this obnoxious troublemaker should happen to thaw out."

Crooks tilted his head and flicked his tail, then gave Hermione a big, rough-tongued slurp upside the face.

"Eee!" Hermione giggled.

Minerva swept up random bits of Peeves with her wand, containing him within a small jar that she happened to have on her person. "Well, Albus will certainly have fun with this one," she said with a tilt of her head.

"Mummy," Hermione said, tugging on her robe.

"Yes, lassie?"

"He won't be mad will he?" Hermione asked. "Eggs wasperated?"

"No dear, he won't be exasperated," Minerva said with a chuckle. "He might even be a bit relieved."

Hermione beamed. "Okay! Crooks was worried." She hugged the Nundu cub as if that explained everything.

"Well, he has nothing to worry about," Minerva said with a wink to Severus.

Hermione snuggled the Nundu cub, and his eyes grew wide with the attention, but he tolerated her, even protesting when she tried to put him down.

Minerva handed Hermione back Mr Fuzzywiggles and smiled at her. "I think your little friend here needs a hug too."

Hermione did her best to hug both at the same time, giggling as the cub and Niffler proceeded to snuffle her mercilessly.

"Whooo," Ceres hooted from Severus' shoulder, seeming to want in on this display of gratuitous affection. He rubbed the owl's feathers and let her nibble his fingers.

"Ceres says she'd really like to have a nice, fresh frog," Hermione said. "She's feeling kinda peckish."

"Well, we can't have that," Severus chuckled. "Shall we feed our furred and feathered friends?"

"Okay!" Hermione agreed.

"Whoo!" Ceres hooted agreeably.

"I don't know what to do," Lucius said as he watched Draco attempt to pet the Nundu cub and hold his breath at the same time. Hermione was looking at him kind of funny, as though he were some sort of strange new species.

"You don't have to hold your breath," Hermione chided the little boy.

"Whoo," Ceres agreed from her perch.

Mr Fuzzlewiggles spit out a long chain of Niffler-ese that seemed to say "Yeah, what they said."

"Mum won't let me have a familiar," Draco said, pouting.

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno," Draco mumbled.

"Maybe she doesn't want you to have just a regular pet," Hermione reasoned. "She thinks having a real familiar would be lots better."

Draco shrugged. "Maybe." He sulked, his lips formed in a pout. "Not fair, even Greg gets pets. Can't take care of them."

Hermione frowned. "Crooks always tells me when he needs something."

Severus shrugged as he turned from the conversation between Hermione and Draco. "Maybe you need give Narcissa some peace of mind, Lucius. Something to ease her paranoia regarding young Draco?"

Lucius frowned. "What would you recommend, old friend?"

Severus rubbed his chin with his fingertips. "A sibling."

Lucius scowled. "We have tried—"

"There are other ways to get a proper sibling, Lucius," Severus said, lifting his hand. "Ways that you very well know."

Lucius' brows knit together.

"Think of all the benefits, Lucius. If you adopt someone from the GNU program, you know they will be well taught. Bring Narcissa in, see who Draco gets along with best, and let her see how well they get along. This may also convince her to allow you to bring Draco into the program. She will get to see firsthand how stable the children are, and since they have to return to the program— she will have someone to send Draco with, hrm?"

Lucius drummed his fingertips together, then cracked a small smile. "You, Severus, are the quintessential Slytherin."

"I would hope so, Lucius," Severus replied dryly. "I was not sorted into Hufflepuff."

Lucius eyed Hermione, who was teaching Draco how teach Mr Fuzzlewiggles how to perform tricks for treats. "And your daughter, Severus? What happens if the hat does not sort her to Slytherin?"

Severus narrowed his eyes. "I have no doubt that if she wishes to be in Slytherin, the hat will comply with her choice."

Lucius rubbed his snake-headed cane. "It is my devout hope that the old man hasn't found a way to tamper with the old artefact to serve his own purposes."

Severus' eyebrow twitched. "I do not think Albus can mess with her in the way he might think he could," he said.

"How so?" Lucius asked, sighing deeply. "He has always done whatever he bloody well wishes to do. How he so skillfully manipulated Potter and his idiot cronies and somehow made it all disappear being but only one of a great many inexplicable things—"

Severus saved Lucius off. "We cannot change what has been done, but we can inoculate the future with a little wisdom of the past."

Lucius nodded. "She is already so much like you, Severus. Only more cheerful and friendly."

"Then she is nothing like me," Severus quipped.

"Bah, more than you think," Lucius said, tapping his nose with one long index finger. "She'll be wearing high-collared black with an obscene number of buttons soon enough."

Severus scoffed, turning his head. "Idiot."

Lucius' eyes widened as he realised both Draco and Hermione were wearing miniature black robes with high collars and practicing stern faces at each other. "Sooner than you might think, old friend."

Severus' eyebrow arched. "Did you put them up to this?" He eyed Crookshanks and Mr Fuzzlewiggles, who both wore their own set of high-collared robes.

"I swear to you I did not," Lucius said, trying hard not to snicker uncontrollably.

Somehow, the Nundu cub was standing on his rear legs and crossing his forelegs in front of him like a mini-Severus. He even arched a furry eyebrow just so.

Lucius smiled evilly. "You may find, my friend, that they are far more influential than you might believe them to be."

Severus scowled. "I refuse to allow my daughter to get a tattoo."

Lucius put a hand on his shoulder. "You and me both."

"You don't have a daughter," Severus mumbled.

"You know what I mean," Lucius said, snorting. "Not that the kind of tattoo we're both thinking of isn't mutually exclusive."

Severus rubbed his arm uneasily. "Indeed. I'll be happy when we can both remove them. Even with the enhanced skin, I do not like it being on me."

"Give that back! It's mine!" Draco yelled, snatching something away from Hermione. His face screwed up into an unkind, unforgiving visage and he cradled something closely to himself.

The two adults immediately turned their heads to see what all the commotion was about. "What is going on here?" Lucius demanded, his walking cane thumping on the floor with a distinctive, irritated thump.

"Draco," he said, letting his son's name hang in the air questioningly.

Hermione gripped Crookshanks tightly and ran, dragging the Nundu cub off to her room, crying her eyes out.

"It's her fault!" Draco pouted stubbornly. "You always say you shouldn't ever touch what isn't yours!"

Lucius tapped his fingers against the head of his cane. "This is normally true, however, you do not scream at someone for a transgression. That is not appropriate behaviour for a civilised person.

Draco crossed his arms and said nothing. Then after a few minutes, he blurted, "She said it was EVIL and that I should BURN it!"

"What?" Severus had his wand in his hand almost immediately, and Lucius wasn't far behind.

Draco clutched what was in his hand just as tightly as he could. "No! It's mine!"

Severus did a series of wand movements and nodded to Lucius.

"Draco, put that down."

"No!" Draco yelled.

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to give you mother one more reason why you can't ever have friends over?"

Draco immediately paled and dropped a small dragon figurine on the floor with a heavy thump of metal against stone.

"Where did you get this, Draco?" Severus asked, his narrow-eyed expression pinning the boy in place and brokering not a single millimeter of wiggle room.

"A man I met in Diagon Alley said I could have it," Draco said in protest, his eyes fixed on his prize.

Lucius stared at the figurine and cast a spell over it. It flashed a brilliant red as a feeling of overwhelming rage and hatred rolled off it.

Draco gave a startled cry, stumbling backwards and away from it. "Wh-what? Father what was that?!"

"Dark magic, my son— the kind that kills."

Draco paled even more and got up and ran towards Hermione's room. "I have to go apologise right now!" The boy zoomed off into the next room and Severus and Lucius exchanged glances.

"Kids," Lucius said, shaking his head ruefully.

Severus stared at the dragon figuring. "This, however, is not child's toy."

Lucius clenched his fist. "Severus, if it were anyone but my son—"

"I'll do it, Lucius," Severus answered. "Better that my Occlumency and Legilimency actually comes in use for a cause more personal."

Lucius touched Severus shoulder. "Thank you, my friend. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Severus looked toward his daughter's room, hearing giggles and laughter now instead of crying. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," he replied.

"It's bad, Lucius, but perhaps not in the way you think," Amelia said, handing the pacing wizard a hot cup of tea and gesturing for him to have a seat.

Lucius sat down as Narcissa clutched his hand tightly.

"Are you sure nothing happened to Draco?" Narcissa asked worriedly.

Amelia sighed. "We are monitoring him very carefully, but there no sign that anything has latched onto him. The object was— we aren't certain if the trigger wasn't tripped or some other mechanism. There is a compulsion to keep the thing with you, so it was amazing Hermione got it away from him."

Narcissa looked more worried.

"Don't worry, Lady Malfoy," Amelia assured the worried mother. "Draco will be fine. If anything, this is why we like to team up our GNUs who aren't being fostered like Hermione. They tend to catch things better that way, even this young."

Narcissa wrung her hands and nodded. "This— Hermione? She's okay?"

"She's dutifully teasing Draco out of his shell and introducing him to the other GNUs in the group. I have no doubt whatsoever that Severus ran every single scan on her that he could think of and probably invented a few more just to be absolutely sure."

Narcissa huffed with some amusement. "That sounds like our Severus."

"Severus is one of the most talented of our Dark Arts detectors and unravellers," Amelia said. "What he is trying to figure out is why he didn't detect it, yet somehow Hermione did."

"I want to know why no one did!" Lucius snapped. "We should have— how in Merlin's name could a child detect it and yet we could not? The manor's wards should have—"

"It's an exceptionally insidious Dark object," Amelia said. "It was designed to be undetectable— but I think the very magic they used to target children also let it be detectable by children— provided they were looking. Fortunately our GNUs do. We want them to be as safe as possible around the magic they will encounter. Even if most of them aren't able to wield a wand just yet, an apt danger sense is critical around here."

Narcissa clutched Lucius' arm tightly. "Are you saying if Draco hadn't been around another child, it would never have been detected?"

"Not just any child," Lucius pointed out. "A child in the the GNU program."

Narcissa seemed somewhat conflicted. "I believe you tried to tell me that you wanted Draco to become part of it."

Lucius sighed. "Yes."

"You— you taught this girl, this Hermione?"

"I was not her only teacher but yes," Lucius said.

Narcissa seemed thoughtful. "I think I would like to meet Hermione. Would that be okay?"

"I think Severus would really like for you to actually meet his daughter," Lucius mused. "He's been inviting you to his home for weeks now."

Narcissa lifted her head at that. "I— I'm afraid I've been so worried about Draco being unduly influenced by other people—" Narcissa looked at Amelia. "Please don't think ill of me, Madam Bones. Our Draco is all we have!" she exclaimed.

Narcissa stared at Amelia, her knuckles white.

Amelia shook her head. "A good parent always tries their best to protect their children from the evils of the world, Lady Malfoy. But, I would also hope you are not running yourself ragged trying to protect him from every possible danger that may or may not happen."

Narcissa flinched, nodding. "I would really like to meet her."

Amelia ran her hand through one side of her hair. "Tell you what, Lady Malfoy. Why don't you sit in on one of our classes and see them in their own element?"

Narcissa squeezed Lucius' hand tightly. "I'd like that."

"You— you let children go out in the wilderness alone?" Narcissa fretted, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Narcissa, these children are GNUs," Lucius said, handing her a steaming cup of tea. "They all have a handler with them and they all have familiars with them. Those who don't have a familiar of their own are always teamed up with those who do."

"But— Severus is a father not some handler!"

"He's both. If anything he's an even better handler because he's her father."

"How is that—"

"Narcissa!" Lucius scolded his wife sharply. "I do not presume to question your choices of colours and clothing for a soiree, and I will surely thank you not to insinuate that I'm some kind of negligent child abuser just because I'm training young children how not to be stupid in an exceedingly dangerous world!"

Narcissa paled at that and stared down at her shaking hands.

Lucius's face softened. "Narcissa, I know you still do not believe that I am good enough to protect our son, but he will be immensely better off in life after learning with these talented young witches and wizards before they have their full adult magic rather than attempting to play catch up afterwards— when magic has become a crutch for him."

"But you said Hermione—"

"Hermione— is special." Lucius looked his wife squarely in the eyes. "She came to us with her magic blown open by the kind of severe trauma that would kill most adults let alone children. I cannot even imagine what she must have experienced before the Unspeakables found her. That she is so well-adjusted and able to trust others is a miracle, indeed."

Narcissa rubbed her arms. "I don't want our Draco to disappear just like my sister's baby!" she blurted, a great depth of fear and worry clearly evident in her anxious features.

"Bellatrix would not even permit Rodol—"

"Not Bellatrix!" Narcissa exclaimed.

"But Bellat—" Lucius froze in place, his eyes wide with shock. "Do you mean… Andromeda?"

Narcissa gave her husband a pained look. "I was there with her on the night she lost the baby. We were talking in the living room and then everything went black. When we woke up the baby was gone, Lucius. You were away being arrested at the time, and by the time I came back to Andy she couldn't even remember having a baby! She didn't even remember being married!"

Lucius looked quite uncomfortable. "To be fair, my wife— I'm afraid I don't really remember who Andromeda was married to." Lucius rubbed the area between his eyes with a frown. "It is very strange, as I tend to remember who marries who as a matter of self-defence."

Narcissa scowled. "I know appearances had to be kept because you couldn't be seen supporting a non pureblood marriage, Lucius, but you don't have to put on that show for me."

Lucius tilted his head. "My wife, this is no show. I have no idea what you are talking about."

"How is that even possible?"

Narcissa seemed to search Lucius' face for falsity. "Truly?"

"My lady wife, I would not lie to you on something like children and husbands. You do not speak of Andromeda-not until now. Last I heard, you said she was moving to America."

"But that was before—"

"Before what, Narcissa?" Lucius had a frown that spread across his face and even permeated his eyebrows. A lock of platinum blond hair fell across his face in uncharacteristic rebellion.

"Before Andromeda was pregnant the first time."

"Wait, so you're saying she was pregnant more than once and I still have no memory of it? How is that even possible? Why do you remember this?"

Narcissa looked nervous.

"My wife," Lucius said, his knuckles tightening around the head of his walking cane.

Narcissa wrung her hands. "I think Bella did something truly horrible, but when everything happened you were being dragged in front of the Wizengamot to be charged as a Death Eater, our Draco wasn't even born yet, and then Bella herself was sentenced to Azkaban. I never got to talk to her! Part of me didn't want to because I didn't want to know. Bella had laughed when I asked her if she was going to have a child with Rodolphus. Laughed! She said she'd happily tear it out of her own womb and sacrifice it to the Dark Lord before raising any— "defective" sons of the Lestrange family.

Narcissa stared down at her hands. "I was absolutely terrified, Lucius. I was terrified that if I told you anything you didn't specifically ask that it would end up being used against you. That I'd have to raise Draco alone! That you'd be rotting in Azkaban while Draco grew up—"

Lucius sighed. "Narcissa, you knew I was working for the Ministry. You KNEW it! The trial was all to cement my backstory—"

"You are such an eloquent liar, Lucius! You could tell someone the sky was purple and you'd make them believe it. I—" Words failed Narcissa at this point. "I didn't know that you weren't still working for the Dark Lord and thought you were just pretending to be working for the Ministry. And Severus is even worse! He's unreadable as a stone. How can I trust that? How could I possibly—"

"Set the token by Mr Malfoy," Severus' stony voice said as he stood nearby. Hermione rushed up with Crooks and Mr Fuzzywiggles and plunked a large, shiny crystal prism down on the tally table.

The Niffler was reaching out to grab the prism again, but Hermione had a tight grip on the shiny-seeking Niffler. "Uh-uh, Mr Fuzzywiggles. The prism is for Mr Malfoy."

Mr Fuzzywiggles pouted, his bill twisting into a frown. Hermione gave him a large snail, and he squeaked happily, making short, crunchy work of it.

"Next task, Daddy?"

"Mmhmm," he said with a nod. "Show me what you've learned."

"Okay!" Hermione smiled. She looked up into Severus' face and frowned. "Why is daddy sad?"

Severus' black eyes darkened as he squared his jaw. "This is not about me, my dear. This is your test."

"But— Daddy is sad," Hermione said worriedly. "Do you need a hug? Would you like Crookshanks to knead your shoulders and back?" She lifted her arms up to him.

Severus pulled her up into his arms, letting her wrap her arms around his high-collared neck. "No, love. You are all I need."

"And Crooks!" Hermione said.

Severus shot Narcissa a look. "And Crooks. And Mr Fuzzlewiggles."

"Okay, but if Daddy ever needs a hug, just ask, okay?"

Severus' expression softened. "We have a bargain, little one."

Hermione held out her pinkie finger, curling it out towards him.

Severus eyed it with amusement and gently curled his pinky around hers.

Hermione hugged him, strangling him slightly before sliding down on the ground and taking off with Crookshanks. The cub mrowled excitedly as Mr Fuzzywiggles clambered up Severus' robes, gave him a lick along the side of his nose, and slid down again, bouncing after Hermione with a series of excited squeaks.

Severus sighed softly, shaking his head and starting to walk away.

"Severus," Lucius said.

Severus turned back to look at his oldest friend, his face unreadable. The black had swallowed his eyes like ink flowing across surface of rice paper.

"Severus, she didn't mean—"

Severus jaw tightened. "They never do, Lucius," he said, his voice cold and barely above a whisper. He turned on his heels and swept the clearing, his dark robes whipping around his body like a banner in the wind.

Narcissa cradled her head in her palms. "What have I done?" she moaned.

Lucius' jaw ground his teeth together. "Severus has been nothing but a most loyal and dutiful friend our family has ever asked for and did not deserve— and you just let him know in no uncertain terms that you have never trusted him."

Narcissa's eyes pleaded with Lucius to make her faux pas right.

"After telling me that you, my lady wife, of all people, didn't know you could trust me," Lucius said in a steely tone.

"Lucius—"

"Please, Narcissa," Lucius replied. I need to clear my head." The blond wizard waved her off. He gestured to a figure draped entirely in white with an ornate headdress of crystals hanging from their face. "Please watch for the token return," he said softly.

The Unspeakable nodded in silent response, making a hand gesture with his hand.

"I won't be far," Lucius said grimly, as he disappeared into the forest.

Harry and Draco came rushing up to the tally table, each holding a glimmering token. "We got it!" they chimed together, bouncing on their heels as they put the tokens down.

"Salsbury!" Harry cried, jumping into the Unspeakables embrace. "You came to watch us?"

The Unspeakable nodded silently, gesturing with his fingers and hands. Harry had a look of concentration on his face as he gestured back, using similar hand signals. Salsbury corrected a few with by showing him a different sign, and both Harry and Draco tried to mirror it.

Salsbury's headdress tinkled as he slid his talon-like gauntlet finger down Harry's nose and ruffled his hair. Harry grinned and hopped down and clapped Draco on the back. "Come on, let's do the next task. Salsbury says Hermione is ahead of us by a few minutes, and Jessica beat us all by three tasks!"

"Three?!" Draco moaned. "How? You got all that from a bunch of hand waving?"

Harry shook his head. "You'll understand it soon. It takes a few months to get the basics down. Longer when they start flailing around."

Draco sighed. "We better get a move on! Where is father?" He looked around.

Harry made a bunch of signs to Salbury, who signed back in a fluid but slower chain of signs, perhaps for Draco's benefit. Harry shrugged. "You father went for a walk. He'll be back."

"Ok!" Draco waved to the Unspeakable, and Salsbury waved back, his posture radiating amusement even under the cover of the ornate robes of his office.

Harry hugged Salsbury shamelessly and took Draco by the sleeve and dragged him off. "Come on, we have to get moving!"

The boys disappeared again, their silent handler following them as they led the way to their next task.

"Hurry Mr Cumberforth!" Harry said, tugging on the other Unspeakable's robes. "We're behind!"

Narcissa startled as a gryphon kit landed on the table with a scramble of wings and claws, sliding across the tokens to slam into Salsbury. The kit squawked, ending up on his back, flopping, and Salsbury assisted the kit up, rubbing his tummy and his head and earning himself some beaky hugs and wing flops in returned.

"Chirrrrk!" the kit said, spitting out a token and adding it to the pile.

The Unspeakable made a few gestures with his hands, and the kit opened his mouth for a treat. He placed a chicken leg into the gryphon kit's mouth and tapped his beak.

"Chirrrrrrrr," the kit purred and launched off the table back into the forest towards wherever his mistress was, but not before slamrubbing his head into the Unspeakable's chest, slapping his overgrown tail into his headdress a few times to make a tinkling sound.

Salsbury shook his head, but gave the kit an affectionate pat and tug on the tail before the the kit launched off the table. He sorted the tokens into piles and awaited the next delivery.

Narcissa watched with no small amount of awe before her shame returned, and she cradled her head in her hands and let out a low, shaky breath.

Hermione tugged on Severus' sleeve.

"We have all the tokens," Severus said. "What is troubling you?"

"Crooks says someone needs our help," Hermione said. "In there." She pointed one finger toward the gaping mouth of a dark cave.

"What do we do when we have to make an unplanned stop?"

Hermione remained thoughtful before she pulled Mr Fuzzywiggles to her. He pulled out a shiny notebook with a travel quill out of his pouch and handed it to her. She scribbled on it and put it back into his pouch. She whispered into his ear and gave him a pat, putting all the token into his pouch. Mr Fuzzywiggles rubbed his bill against her face and scurried off into the woods back towards the tally table.

Hermione pulled her wand out from her arm holster and concentrated hard. The first few times, her gestures were awkward or her pronunciation awkward, but she kept at it until the glow from her wand was bright and steady. Glowing runes formed around the cave front, making the entrance with the symbol of the Department of Mystery's traveling sigil. The sigil flickered slightly, but Crookshanks leaned into her leg, and his added stability added to her Weave, and the spell stabilised completely with a warm rush of magic.

"Thank you, Crookies!" Hermione praised, hugging the Nundu cub.

"Mrrrt!" he replied, tail lashing pleasantly.

They looked up at Severus together.

Severus nodded his approval.

Hermione pointed her wand at Crookshanks. "Hold still, Crooks!"

"Mrowl?"

"Lux inhaereo!" she said, her face twisted in utter concentration.

A glowing radiance surrounded Crooks.

"Okay, Crooks! Lead the way!"

"Mrrt!" The Nundu cub bounced ahead, stopping every so often to make sure Hermione was following, and Severus kept up from behind.

As a handler, Severus knew his role was different than his as a father. He stood behind, watching over Hermione as she pondered solutions to her tasks and executed what she knew. He knew that all the tasks were set at levels each GNU was able to handle with a few that were set higher just to see how well they adapted. This place— this cave— however was not on the plan. Yet, Crookshanks said there was someone in need down within, and ignoring those in need of help overruled other tasks. Fortunately all of Hermione's tasks were done.

Unsure if this was a task that had been planned or not, Severus treated it like it was, acting as her handler and not her superior, being there in case something happened but allowing her to decide what she needed to do. GNUs, unlike most children their age, were not helpless, nor were they imbeciles. Even at such a young age, they excelled in tasks students much older struggled with. Still, even so, he send out a silent Patronus to inform the outposts where they were. just in case it really wasn't a drill and Mr Fuzzywiggles went on walkabout trying to collect all the shinies on the way back. The Niffler was dutiful and meant well, but he was a Niffler. Nifflers were very good at getting distracted by shiny objects.

And shinier objects.

Hermione made her way through the cave as she had been taught: slow, testing steps with soft touches of toe before the weight. She sent her magic through the vines on the wall of the cave, enlarging them so she could use them as a stable place to cling in case something went pear-shaped. She ignored Severus for the most part, knowing that his function at this time was not as a father, and her ability to separate individual roles at such a young age had fascinated the other Unspeakables greatly.

At one point, Crooks startled a cloud of bats, and they swirled around the cavern's spaces in a panicked swirl, but Hermione closed her eyes and put out her arms as though in sun worship. A few bats clung to her fingers and her robes, chittering and then took off. The cloud went back to their roost, leaving Hermione to her task.

Animals and Hermione had always seemed to have a connection. If Crookshanks himself wasn't the perfect example of it— events such as communicating to a cloud of swirling bats surely did. Then, there was Mr Fuzzywiggles and the fact that the Whomping Willow really liked to swing her around in its branches and yet pummel everyone else senseless. Hermione was so greatly open to the natural world. It was only the human animal that she needed protection from. The human animal had left her to die alone in a forest. It was with no small amount of amazement for the Unspeakables marveled that their GNUs had turned out to be as well adjusted as they were. Many of them came from truly deplorable conditions.

Harry had been rescued from a tiny cupboard at his maternal aunt's house— being treated as nothing more than a freakish obligation. Hermione had been abandoned in a wood as a helpless infant. Jessica, who was one of their very best GNU agents, had started her life in a sewer, literally cast away into a run-off pipe by whatever pitiful, piss-arsed excuse for parents she had unfortunately been birthed to. Fortunately for Jessica, she'd bonded to a gryphon kit that became her most stable pillar in life next to their tight-knit Unspeakables family and had grown up to become one of the finest and most well-adjusted young agents they had. All of them had endured a horrible start to life, yet all of them were thriving in their new home.

Much as Severus had, when Amelia had found him sporting a rather nasty black eye in the aftermath of his drunken father's wrath. Hogwarts had been an unmitigated disaster, but he always had two places he knew he could always go: Minerva's office, and through her floo-connected hearth, the very bowels of the DoM. Minerva had always been his pillar, the single place where he knew he'd be safe, even from the predators within her own house. The problem was, there was nothing she could do to save him from what Dumbledore had clearly sanctioned. In fact, Severus was pretty sure Minerva had conveniently "forgotten" some of the things she certainly should have remembered, and some of those things Severus had personally experienced with Dumbledore under the guise of "helping" Lupin remain in school.

"What do you think, Crooks?" Hermione said, feeling a wall with her hands.

"Mrrt." Crooks sniffed, his whiskers twitching.

Hermione felt around, then struck something sharp with her index finger. "Ow!"

She stared at her finger where a jagged rock had cut into her fingers.

"Mrowl!" Crooks licked her finger with his rough, sandpapery tongue, and the skin knit back together almost immediately.

"Aw, thanks Crooks!" Hermione hugged him. "You're the best Nundu ever!"

"Mrrrt!" Crooks agreed.

The wall of the cave cracked where her blood had smeared against the stone, glowing with a aquamarine radiance as it rumbled and slowly began to move, pulling open to reveal a different passageway.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Are you sure we have to go in there, Crooks?" She looked at the Nundu cub dubiously, her eyebrow rising up into her hair in a very Snapian manner.

Crooks headbonked into Hermione's hip and used his head as a lever to push Hermione firmly along.

"Okay, okay!" Hermione complained. "I believe you!"

Hermione worked her way along the inside of the passage, carefully testing her footing each step. Crookshanks patiently tolerated her caution, tail waving as he bound ahead and provided ambient light simultaneously.

At one spot Hermione's foot slipped, and she slid into a crevice. She let out a panicked squeal, her hands flailing frantically. Her arm glowed where the hidden wand was embedded, and she cried out, "Leg-golly-helpus!" Ropes went shooting out, and Crookshanks grabbed one bundle and pulled, his claws digging deep into the stone and earthen floor of the passage.

"Don't let go, Crooks!" Hermione cried.

The Nundu cub scrambled, his jaws tightening around the rope as he struggled and strained.

Severus struggled to remain at the sidelines— sensing his daughter's fear, but also knowing she was capable of pulling herself out. His eyes widened as a large, white, fluffy shape came tumbling out of the crevice with a bunch of rope—

No. That wasn't rope at all.

It was silk.

An enormous, fluffy spider with pewter fur and prismatic, rainbow eyes skittered over to the edge of the crevice, rapidly spinning silk from its multiple spinnerets and wrapping it around Crookshanks so the Nundu could help pull her up and out. The Nundu scraped and clawed his way backwards, and the giant, obnoxiously fluffy spider used its front legs to pull Hermione up.

Hermione wheezed as she lay on her back. "Thanks for the team effort, guys!" she breathed, catching her breath. "Oh, you're new." She reached out to pet the oversized spider.

"Hallo!" the spider chimed in a surprisingly feminine tone. "Salutations!"

"I like you," Hermione said, her head falling back on the floor of the cavern. "Are you an Acromantula?"

The spider's eyes shifted colours. "Um... I don't think so. I was much smaller than this before— but you needed help, so I became a lot bigger."

"Thanks!" Hermione said. "Crooks says thanks too."

"Mrowl." Crooks chewed on the silk to untangle himself.

"That's my daddy," Hermione said, pointing into the dark of the cave. "Please don't eat him."

The spider rubbed her front legs together. "Okay!"

"What do I call you?" Hermione asked.

The spider bounced on her eight legs. "Um… I don't really have a name."

Hermione frowned. "Would you like one?"

"How about Arana?" Severus suggested quietly. "It is a Basque name derived from words meaning 'spider' and 'valley'."

Hermione looked at her fluffy new friend.

"Okay! I like it," the spider replied happily.

"Thanks, daddy," Hermione said, grinning. Ignoring protocol, she ran up and flung her arms around Severus' waist and gave him a hug.

Severus' expression softened and he gently patted her head with his pale hand. "You are welcome."

Hermione tugged on Severus' sleeve. "Daddy, I don't think we're in the forest anymore."

Severus tilted his head, unsure what Hermione was really saying.

"It doesn't feel like the forest anymore," she said cryptically.

Severus reached out his hand, splaying his fingers as he "touched" the air around them. His arm glowed softly as his magic resonated.

A low whine and growl heralded the shaking of the cavern walls, and Severus held Hermione close to him until they eased.

"What was that, Daddy?" Her eyes going very wide, Hermione fearfully tightened her grip on Severus.

"Seems like an earthquake," Severus replied, soothing her hair with a reassuring touch.

Hermione swallowed. "Scary." She tugged on his buttons. "Is this still just an exercise? Or is this for real?"

Severus frowned. "I do not think this is part of a planned exercise."

Hermione hugged Crooks nervously. "Okay." She squared her shoulders. "Someone in here needs our help." She took in a deep breath and patted Crooks on the head.

Hermione followed the passageway, allowing Crooks to illuminate the path. She kept her hand on the back of Arana, allowing the giant spider to steady her footsteps. Severus followed behind, always watching her back, yet allowing her to be as independent as she was comfortable with. This, he knew, was the foundation of their relationship. In order for her to trust him implicitly, he had to trust her to use the training and abilities that she possessed.

As a father, he had a responsibility to her as well, but theirs would always remain a strange balance of the obligation of professional duty and the obligation of familial endearment. She was so much more than just a student, now. The tendrils of her boundless love and trust wove their tentacles around his heart and held it captive, and he knew it was the same power she had over the beasts.

She did not demand; she asked.

She did not subjugate; she trusted.

And the very core of her magic seemed to flux with a sort of strange weave of need and desire, changing her intent into the power of magic. She could use a wand, even now, but even the most basic of spells seemed to do what it was that she wanted or needed rather than what she was actually saying. "Leg-golly-helpus!" had grown a giant spider to help pull her out of a crevice— a helpful, fluffy, rainbow-eyed, and cheerful giant spider that he had no doubt she would be cuddling with when bedtime came around.

How she was able to charm seemingly every kind of animal around, from arachnid to Niffler, remained a mystery.

The tunnels seemed to go on forever. Whatever place they were going was apparently buried under miles of long, twisting passageways. The air seemed thicker, almost heavy, and weighed every step with an almost oppressive force. The echo of a deep growl traveled through the caverns. Hermione paused with each one, fearful and nervous, but also emboldened by her companions. Every so often she would look silently back to him, square up her shoulders, and turn up her chin, plunging forth with newfound bravery. She tried not to rely on his presence, but he knew she was checking— much the way that one would rely on a trusted partner. In the future she would often have to rely on herself, but it was not uncommon for Unspeakables to be paired with complementary partners. One day, she may rely on some of them to watch her back— well, provided they could get past her quickly growing bodyguard menagerie.

Severus' lips curved up slightly. And him— and quite possibly Lucius as well. Minerva would be like a battle-cat lioness on the warpath to protect her cub. He flinched. Narcissa, however, was another matter. Even after so many years, she didn't trust him, and it seemed as though she didn't fully trust Lucius either. Her incredibly intense, downright paranoid sense of protectiveness over Draco seemed ridiculously over the top. Was it because of her distrust for her own husband and the company he kept— supposedly kept? What did she really think of him, the half-blood, less-than-pure agent of the Dark Lord? Did she seriously think that brand on his arm was real? What about her husband's?

Severus knew that the Unspeakable life was more than just a mere job. It was a life. It required trust, not only between those that worked together but also trust between the wives, husbands, and those that were left at home. Those like Lucius would need to rely on a trusting partner in life to be able to go home and relax at night. Severus had never had the luxury of being able to come home to a friend, let alone a family— until now.

Hermione had stopped a few yards in front of him, her head cocked as though listening to something. Another, louder growl heralded the following shaking, and Hermione hugged Arana tightly. The giant spider made a soft purring sound and wrapped a leg around the tiny witch.

Hermione took in a deep breath and kept going, dragging her fingers along the wall with a whisper of the marking magic all the children had been taught— breadcrumbs in case something happened or she needed to backtrack her way back. They all used it, each GNU having an almost paranoid need to be found in case something bad happened. For children, they had a surprising well-rooted sense of what it meant to not to be found, and they did their level best to avoid actions that could lead to them being left behind, unfound, or worse— believed that they wanted to be gone.

Each of the GNUs had been significantly damaged as young children. Thankfully, the program was mother and father and family to them all, filling that empty brokenness caused by so many different sorts of neglect. Severus too, had been saved by the program. It had been later in life, but Severus knew that part of the reason he hadn't been brought in sooner was because his mother had done everything in her power to cover up the damage, conceal the bruises, and dampen the magic. His magic, too, hadn't been left out of her desperate attempts to make them seem a normal family— a family where the father didn't mercilessly beat his own wife and child, get rip-roaringly smashed on cheap booze, only to finally pass out in a pool of his own foul, drunken vomit. .

Amelia had been so very angry when she'd finally found out what was going on—again, Minerva had been the one who had brought him to safety. Amelia had taken him in, seen to it that he was clothed in more than rags, put into an apprenticeship, and most importantly given him a safe place to be that wasn't anywhere near Spinner's End. Severus got off the train coming from Hogwarts and was immediately escorted to his new "home" in the DoM. The Unspeakables had apparently cornered his mother about the situation at home, and she had denied the accusations that her home was unsafe for a child and demanded Severus be brought back home to her.

The memory vials had eloquently proven otherwise, and his mother was promptly brought in front of the Wizengamot to arrange making Severus a ward of the DoM. It hadn't taken much once the glamour on his mother's black eye and broken arm had been neutralised. Severus, for the first time in his life, had a truly safe home to live in and come home to. He had known better than to owl his mother. No regular post was safe from his father. Nothing was ever safe from his father.

"Daddy, I think he's in pain," Hermione's said, breaking him out of his depressing reverie.

Severus rushed forward, and Hermione hugged his leg for reassurance.

"I want to help him, but he's really angry right now," Hermione said, grasping his robes and pulling herself up close to him. "Really, really angry."

Severus frowned and looked into the cavern. Crookshanks was frozen in place, barely moving save for a flick of the tail or a twitch of a whisker. He stared intently into the darkness beyond his light radius. As his eyes adjusted to both the light and the dark beyond, Severus made out the form of a giant wolf bound in what looked like fine jewelry chain. A sword was thrust between its jaws, rather like someone would pitch a tent, standing at attention to keep the wolf's mouth from closing.

"If you'd stop being so scary, I could help you!" Hermione told the wolf, her small fingers latching around Severus' collar.

The wolf, sword in mouth, managed to snarl viciously in response.

Hermione pulled her head out of Severus' hair. "That's not a nice thing to say about Mummy-nerva! You take that back right now!"

The wolf, mid-snarl, paused, seemingly unsure of how to respond to the little girl's chastisement.

"You can understand him?" Severus asked, visibly astonished.

"He's very wude," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose in clear distaste. She whispered into his ear, "He says all the things you tell us not to say. Like buck few and up fors."

Severus' eyebrow lifted. "Positively ghastly."

Hermione nodded her agreement. She slid down off Severus' robes and faced the wolf. "Now if you really want help, you have to say the magic word," Hermione stated firmly, tilting her head just so like a Malfoy.

Severus made a mental note to tell Lucius to stop being such a terrible role model around his Hermione.

The wolf growled, much softer this time, and then gave an even softer sort of whine-growl.

"You swear?"

The wolf growled.

"Not that kind of swear," Hermione said, putting her hands on her hips and scowling at the foul-mouthed wolf.

The wolf's ears flattened back on his head, and he whine-growled in response.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I'm not the one wrapped up in chains with a sword in my mouth," she said. She crossed her small arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.

The wolf's ears flicked forward and then backward, flattening against his skull. His jaws worked slightly, and he whined as the sword dug deeper into his tender mouth.

"If you let us help, we could get that sword out of your mouth," Hermione said, her expression pouty. "Yelling and being rude isn't going to help you. Daddy says being wude doesn't help you make friends."

The wolf's fur lost its bristle brush appearance, and he made a softer whine.

Hermione tugged on Severus' sleeve. "Help me take off the chains? He promises not to bite."

Severus seemed wary. "A giant beast chained in a cave. How can you trust that?"

Hermione tugged on him a little harder. "He promised, Daddy. You'd want someone to believe you if you promised, right?"

"Did he promise you, or am I covered under this statement as well?"

Hermione frowned. "You promise to not hurt my daddy and my friends?"

Crookshanks and the giant spider stood side-by-side, studying at the giant wolf rather warily. Crooks licked his teeth, and the spider bounced up and down on all eight legs, making excited commentary in chittering noises.

Hermione looked up to Severus. "He promises, Daddy. On rag-ner-hock."

Severus' eyebrows went up into his hair. "Ragnarök?"

Hermione nodded. "It sounds better when he says it," she said, pointing to the wolf. "He has a really neat accent."

Severus fidgeted. "Fenrisúlfr?"

The wolf immediately perked his ears forward, and his eyes met Severus'. His golden eyes glowed softly.

"I will hold you to your Oath, Fenrisúlfr," Severus said after a moment. "You are said to be honourable. I would hate to learn otherwise through the breaking of a the heart of a young girl."

The wolf flattened his ears, but his tail beat on the ground, causing the cavern walls to shake.

Hermione looked up at him. "Okay, Daddy?"

Severus was silent for a moment. "I will help you."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Hermione said, grinning. She approached the wolf with great confidence. She lay her hands on his muzzle and soothed the softer fur there. "I'm going to pull this out. Don't bite me okay, Fen?"

"Rrrrrufff," he replied.

She grasped the hilt of the sword and had to plant her small feet against Fenrisúlfr's chest in order to pry it loose. She made a low grunt of effort and a squeal as the sword went clattering off onto the floor of the cavern, and the wolf's jaws went together with a loud clack.

Hermione giggled and laughed as the wolf's nose hit her in her most ticklish spots, her belly and armpits, his tongue sliding over her face and arms in a clear expression of gratitude. She wriggled and thrashed, trying to push his head away, but he was having none of it.

Slurp.

Slurp!

SLURP!

Wet nose and lupine tongue covered the little witch with a fine layer of wolfish drool. Hermione tugged at the chains. "I need— Fen, stop— I can't get them off if— ehehehehehehehehe!"

Hermione squirmed and giggled. She wrapped her hands around the chain to pull herself up, and the chain went completely slack, sending her and Severus tumbling backwards into the cavern dirt in a flurry of fabric and flailing limbs just before a warm rush of alien magic filled the cavern.

Fenrisúlfr's body seemed to radiate pure energy, his body growing even bigger. There was a sudden roar of magic and the low, thunderous howl. The walls shook, rubble fell, and the ground lurched underneath them before everything went black.

Severus woke to a wet, slurping welcome and the sound of Hermione giggling from atop the giant wolf's back. Crookshanks was looking on forlornly, meowing as his rear end wiggled as a precursor for leaping up to join her.

"Come on, Crooksie," Hermione called, patting the area in front of her.

Thump!

Crooks settled himself in front of her.

Severus grunted, grimacing as his hand came back coated in wolf drool. "Thanks," he said, his nose scrunching up in distaste.

Fenrisúlfr panted and pegged Severus right between the eyes with his lolling tongue.

"Ugh," the wizard mumbled, shoving the happy unincarcerated animal away from his person.

"Rrrrr," Fenrisúlfr said bounding down another passage with Hermione and Crooks clinging to his back. Arana skittered behind in a rustle of long, speedy legs.

"Come on, Daddy! Fen says he's not the only one needing our help!"

"We just released the World Wolf unto Earth. What could possibly go wrong?" Severus muttered to himself as he followed his highly-excited daughter.

The tunnels wove and wound deep into the earth, and the air soon became much thinner. Hermione tugged on Fenrisúlfr's ear. "Wait, Fen! It's really hard to breathe in here."

She hugged Crookshanks to herself, fighting to catch her breath.

Severus rushed up, casting a bubblehead charm on himself as ran to her side. He assessed to see if Fenrisúlfr or Crooks were having issues, but neither they or the spider seemed to be in any kind of distress. Hermione reached out to Severus, pulling on his buttons.

"It's hard to breathe, Daddy," she said, trying to catch her breath.

"Remember that spell we said we wait until you were older?" Severus asked.

Hermione nodded.

"We're not waiting until you are older. Come here," he said, beckoning her closer.

Hermione hopped down and came to him.

"I know it's hard to concentrate when you can't focus. Breathing is really hard to ignore, yes?" Severus allowed her to hang on his arm as she nodded.

Hermione looked up at him, trying to pay attention.

"This is an important lesson," Severus said. "You must be able to cast a spell when you are in trouble. You must be able to think even when can't breathe."

Hermione nodded. Her breaths were coming quickly, but she wasn't in pure distress. It was enough to unfocus her, but not completely derail her.

"The movement goes like this," Severus said, waving his wand in a specific motion.

Hermione mimicked it, but she was slightly off. Severus corrected, and she did it again. She struggled to focus on the task at hand, her eyes focusing on his movement and refusing to go elsewhere. She had a method, Severus knew, even for a child of six, but no child of the GNU program was a typical example of the age. All of them were more than a little talented and had more than a small amount of talent even as children. Some even had dangerous talent that had to be controlled early lest they hurt others without intending it.

Hermione, however— he knew that she had a great strength of will that, when properly trained, would make her capable of great things when she wished it to happen. It simply had to be encouraged, nurtured, guided, and carefully honed.

Severus gave her the incantation, carefully enunciating each syllable until she could repeat them all flawlessly. Then, they said it together. Finally, he had her raise her wand and try it herself.

A rush of warm magic flared, and a bubble-shaped remarkably like Crookshanks' head formed over Hermione's small head.

Hermione looked at Severus hopefully, her breathing quickly becoming easier and less laboured.

Severus tried not to laugh as he held up the mirror he'd quickly conjured.

Hermione squealed happily and hugged him tight before celebrating her new spell by putting Crooks-shaped bubbles over Fenrisúlfr's, Crookshanks', and Arana's heads as well. Each one was shaped a little different; one looked like an aubergine. One looked like a pumpkin, and finally the last one looked like a bubble.

They worked, though, and that was what mattered most to Severus.

Hermione climbed back on Fen's back, the wolf patiently lowering his front end so she could pull herself up and over his furry back. Hermione checked her legs and that Crooks was safely up and then sat up straight.

Fen, feeling the subtle cues of her leg movements, stood and trotted down the passage again. Yet, even as he trotted down the path, his ears swiveled backwards to keep tabs on Severus, and he slowed down when he got too far behind. About a half hour of walking brought them into the dark depths of the earth, they came to a chamber so overrun with gnarled vines and dried roots that looked as though they had survived a massive forest fire. The area was littered in leaves and stones, all charred by heat. There were no flames present, but the air seemed to be on fire simply due the sudden, sharp rise in temperature.

Severus waved his wand, not waiting to teach, bringing the temperature down as well as dousing the area in a spray of water. He threw up a shield to protect them from the superheated steam. When the steam cleared, a strange transformation took over the charred roots and gnarled vines. They began to bloom and turn green again instantaneously. Flowers glowed, filling the room with a strange, vibrant radiance. Even the floor of the cavern came to life, filling with lush, moss-like vegetation.

"Pretty!" exclaimed Hermione, hopping off of Fenrisúlfr for a closer look.

The giant wolf whined and stared fixedly at one particularly overgrown area.

"What is it, Fen? He's in there?" Hermione tugged insistently on Severus' sleeve. "Daddy, Fen says he needs our help."

Severus waved his wand and frowned, the glow from his wand turning a pale and sickly green. "Stand behind me, Hermione."

The little witch obeyed, hugging his leg and hiding under his outer robes, using them as both a curtain and a shield.

Severus cast a series of incantations, and the newly grown plants and vines moved away, pulling themselves aside to reveal the body of an emaciated young man lying tightly bound to a boulder. He hung by his wrists, wrapped in what looked like catgut.

Hissssss!

A giant serpent, its coils wrapped around the branch of the roots above, struck outwards. Venom dripped from its mouth, and the moment it touched the man's body, his thin body arched and writhed as he screamed in agony. The caverns trembled and shook from floor to ceiling. Rocks cracked, crumbling around them. Dirt, broken bits of roots and other debris spilled down from the roof of the cavern. The annoyed serpent struck out again, seemingly so irritated that it didn't care where it was striking as long as it hit someone or something. Its angry hisses were punctuated with stray drips of venom and more violent earthshaking.

Hermione came out from hiding. "Stop it! Temper tantrums don't get you ice cream!"

Startled, the serpent froze in place, eyes staring at the little witch, its tongue flicking in and out.

"Of course I can understand you," Hermione huffed, crossing her arms. "You are very loud and very wude. Worse than Fen."

Fen browled, flattening his ears.

"Sorry, Fen, but you were pretty wude," Hermione said, gently petting his ears.

Crooks and Arana nodded together in agreement.

Fen drooped his ears and tucked his tail between his legs.

The serpent curled up around the branch, seemingly in contemplation.

Hermione put her arms around Crook's neck, snuggling into his warm fur. "Why are you here? Do you have a name? Is that your branch? Your tear-a-tori? Is that why you're so angry?"

The serpent coiled even more tightly around itself, its tongue flicking thoughtfully.

Hermione frowned. "Everyone has a name. That's silly. Isn't there something you want to be called?"

Hermione rubbed her arms with her hands. "Tore-ture isn't very nice. What did he ever do to you?"

The snake hung his head over the branch.

"Daddy says just because someone tells me to stick my head in a cauldron doesn't mean I should," Hermione told the snake. "If you don't want to be here— and he doesn't want to be here, then why are you still here?"

The serpent flicked his tongue rapidly.

Hermione frowned and hugged Arana's legs. "She doesn't sound like a very good miss-truss to me. I would never ask Crookshanks or any of my friends to go sit in a cave and watch over someone and never come check on them. Even partners take care of each other better than that. Daddy would never ask me to sit in my room forever."

The serpent's venom dripped, but this time it landed on the cavern floor instead of over the bound man. It hissed softly.

Hermione looked up at Severus and back at the snake. "I'd be your friend, but you have to promise not to dribble on the people I care about." Hermione looked at the bound man. "Or him. He's had enough." She crossed her arms tightly, brokering no exceptions despite her much smaller stature.

The serpent looked to the man below and then to the very small but determined little witch. The snake's scales were pale, glistening as though moonlight reflected off each one. Its eyes were glazed over with clouded, dry skin obscuring the lens.

"Okay, if you promises, I will put my hands out for you."

The serpent flicked his tongue and slowly extended itself off the branch, seemingly nervous about leaving its secure (and known) safe place. It slumped itself off, slowly unfurling its coils as it eased over towards Hermione's outstretched hands. Tongue flicking against her fingers, Hermione stifled a giggle, and it slid into her hands, down her arms, and practically oozed down and up her arms, seemingly relishing her body heat. It curled around her neck and vanished, leaving behind an intricate and ornate serpent-shaped tattoo on her skin, leading from the tip of her middle finger, up her arm, and around her neck like a choker.

Hermione giggled. "That tickles!"

Severus waved his wand over her. "Hermione? You are well? Bargaining with another on your own is risky."

Hermione hugged his waist. "He was pretty wude, but he was way more lonely."

Severus' face softened. "You have a very powerful gift, Hermione. Just remember to seek another's counsel whenever a decision is not easy. Okay?"

Hermione frowned. "Are you mad at me?"

"Not mad," he replied honestly. "Just worried."

Hermione hugged him as he knelt, seeking comfort from his embrace. "Promise?"

Severus ruffled her hair. "I promise that I am not angry with you.

Hermione pet his arm in a comforting motion. "Okay. Can we help the man now?"

"Let's," Severus agreed, setting her gently down on her feet. His eyes looked over the bindings and the stone the man was bound to. "This is no ordinary cord. See how its making is not woven? What do you do before you touch?"

Hermione scrunched her face. "E-value-ate and assess."

Severus nodded. "And what do we do when we evaluate and assess?"

Hermione thought harder, scratching her head idly as she did so. "We poke it! With our wand!" She pulled out her wand.

Severus tilted his head thoughtfully. "We do not poke things with our wands, Hermione."

"With our fingers?"

Severus shook his head.

"With our spells!" Hermione said.

Severus nodded. He held out his wand and Hermione mimicked him, mirroring every motion. He spoke the incantation, and she carefully repeated him. Her wand slowly took on the same glow as his. He showed her how to guide the magic to the bound man. The glow went from a soft blue to a pale green.

Severus pulled out a sealed flask from his robes. "The serpent's venom is still burning him. Be very careful to not touch his skin, Hermione."

"But how are we going to move him, daddy?" Hermione asked.

"We'll be able to soon, I just have to neutralise the venom first." He poured the flask over the man's prone body, and a low hiss sounded as the liquid touched his body. Steam rose, but the pale yellow-green venom trailed off into the earth.

Deep, raw, angry-looking welts carved into the man's skin marked where the venom had done the most damage, no doubt causing him tremendous agony.

Severus pulled a roll of bandages out from his inner pocket and unrolled them, carefully binding the wounds with a loose wrapping of gauze. He poured more potion over them. Soon, it became clear that a lot more wrappings were needed.

"I can help!" Arana chittered, using her back legs to spin silk into a loosely woven but strong bandage.

"Thank you," Severus said, startled by the talking spider but also by the creature's kindness and generosity. He continued to bind the wounds and apply the potion, knowing the danger in touching the victim had passed.

Hermione tugged on the strange bindings, and as her hands touched the strange material, it crackled and fell away, sending her tumbling backwards with a yelp.

Fenrisúlfr and Crooks dove for her, but it was Arana that caught her with her front legs and a few quickly spun strands of thick silk.

"Thank you," Hermione said, patting the spider between the eyes. Arana chittered in appreciation.

Severus lunged forward, casting a hasty series of spells as the victim tumbled from his suspended position towards the unforgiving ground. Just before he hit dirt and stone, his body slowed and hovered slightly above. Severus' eyes widened slightly and he let out a low breath of relief. "You okay, Hermione?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Hermione answered. "Arana caught me."

"Browl."

"Mrrt!"

"Fen and Crooks helped."

Severus smirked, the corner of his mouth quirking upward. "Do you have your PortKey?"

Hermione nodded, pulling a stone out from around her neck.

"Let's gather around him then," Severus said, holding one hand over the victim's body and one out for Hermione. Hermione put her hand in his.

"Everyone link up!" Hermione said. Crooks leaned on her leg. Fen set his huge head over hers, and Arana drapped four out of eight legs over the little witch.

Severus checked to make sure everyone was touching and then nodded to Hermione.

"Mummy-nerva knows best because Gryffindor is awesome!" Hermione yelled brightly.

Severus' face twisted in disgust as the Portkey yanked them all back to safety. "We're definitely getting you a new Portkey."

"Whoa!"

"WICKED!"

The serpent poked his head out from Hermione's hair, its tongue flicking., tasting the air rather nervously. He eyed the plump mouse Hedwig had caught.

"Scree?" Hedwig said, shifting her weight and eying the serpent in the girl's hair.

"Hedwig says he can have the mouse," Harry said.

"I have to put this ointment on him to help him shed," Hermione said. "Daddy made it, but Madam Pomfrey said he'd need it a few times a day until he sheds."

She rubbed her hands with it and held them out. The serpent slithered into her hands and allowed her to coat his dry scales with the balm. His tongue flicked out lazily as she rubbed him over.

Draco peered at the serpent, and the serpent's tongue flicked, eyes unfocused.

"Careful, he doesn't see very well yet," Hermione said. "He gets cranky."

Draco pulled his head back.

Hermione took the dead mouse from Harry and gently stroked the serpent's head. "Here you go."

The serpent opened his mouth in invitation, and Hermione placed it inside so he could feel it. His fangs dug into it and he swallowed it, dislocating his jaw just enough to make the swallowing easier. Draco and Harry used Arana as a spider-pillow, propping themselves up against the giant, fluffy arachnid. She coo-chittered in approval and allowed them to snuggle into her warm fur.

"Daddy says that being so hot in the depths of the earth messed up his pit scentors," Hermione said, wrinkling her brow as she tried to remember the right word. She ran her fingers across the snake's heat-sensing pit organ that lay between his nostrils and the eyes. The serpent rubbed himself against her fingers, seemingly enjoying her touch. There was a patch of almost-shed skin on his head, and Hermione picked at it, pulling off the bit for her friend.

"Can we help?" Draco asked.

"Sure, but ask first," Hermione said.

"May we help you?" Draco asked.

Harry got a look of concentration on his face and said something, but it came out as a strange mash of hissing speech.

The serpent raised his head as Harry spoke, tongue flicking.

"He said 'okay'," Hermione said.

"I— I understood him!" Harry said excitedly. He winced and rubbed the scar on his head. He looked up and smiled, even so, reassuring his friends.

"That's great, Harry!" Hermione said, soothing the serpent over its head.

They all shared the duty of rubbing balm on and helping the serpent shed his itchy patches. The happy serpent even rolled over, exposing his belly scales for attention. The bump where his recent dinner lay peacefully digesting stood out clearly against his much more slender body.

"Daddy said you did really good out there in the forest," Hermione told them.

"Really?" Harry beamed with pleasure.

"You and Draco make a pretty great team, yeah?" Hermione said with a grin.

Harry and Draco blushed together, and the snake bumped his head into their still hands when they stopped rubbing the oil into his scales.

Hermione giggled. "He's getting spoiled now. Aren't you Kaa?"

The serpent hissed in agreement.

"You named him after a python?" Harry asked, giggling.

"What python?" Draco asked.

"The Jungle Book," Hermione beamed. "Daddy reads it to me at night."

"Oh, a book," Draco said, rubbing his nose disinterestedly.

"I like books," Hermione answered, turning her nose up at Draco.

Fenrisúlfr pretended to swallow Hermione from head to waist, causing Draco to stumbled backwards in terror.

Hermione, however, giggled as the giant wolf gave her slurp and released her, panting and tail wagging.

"You need a mint," Hermione said. Pulling out a tin and placing a mint on the wolf's lolling tongue. "Not like Crooks, though." She patted him on the nose tenderly, earning herself a minty slurp from a sandpapery tongue.

Draco swallowed hard.

"Fen wants to go hunting for dinner," Hermione announced, looking at Draco with a strange expression. "What? Fen has to eat too!"

"That is not my issue!" Draco wailed.

"You hungry too?" Hermione asked.

Harry eyed Draco. "I think Fen kind of took him by surprise."

"How? He's gar-ghan-tuious."

"Browl?" Fen replied, tilting his head curiously.

Hermione scratched her head. "I think I got the word wrong again."

"G-giant wolf is so not normal!" Draco said, pointing a finger accusingly.

Hermione scratched Fen's ears. "Don't be silly. He's perfectly normal. You need to get yourself a familiar. Someone who wants to take care of you and steal your warm blankets."

Fen hung his head as Crooks batted him playfully between the ears.

"Mum doesn't think I'm ready for a familiar," Draco said.

Hermione blinked. "Erm… you don't really have a choice. I mean— they sort of just happen."

"You could make one!" Harry recommended enthusiastically, giving Hedwig a frogleg. "I did. She's brilliant!"

"Hrrrrrrr, woooo," Hedwig agreed, happily munching on her treat.

Draco shook his head. "You can't just make a familiar!"

It was Harry's turn to give Draco a strange look. Hedwig hooted at Draco, shredding the perch with her talons.

Draco tugged at his collar, looking a little nervous.

Harry sighed. "You just have to want it bad enough," he said. "That's what I did. "She woke me up telling me I was squeezing her way too hard."

Draco shook his head. "Did you really bring Hedwig to life? Are you sure someone didn't just replace your toy with a real owl?"

Harry frowned at that. "I wasn't awake when it happened, but she told me she was happy that I wasn't drooling on her anymore."

Draco seemed to consider this, but he still sported a crinkled, dubious brow.

"Just go to bed with your most favouritist toy, and go to sleep thinking on just how much you want him or her to be real. Really real. You have to mean it, though. You have to want it more than anything, with all your heart."

"Most magic requires you want something badly and really mean it," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Magic always knows when you don't."

Draco shrugged and gave them all a sheepish smile. "I'll give it a shot."

Lucius poked his head around the corner. "We're having a picnic out on the green. Do make sure to clean up your messes before we go."

Fen jumped up and shook himself off as Crooks bounded off to dig out the picnic hamper from one of the cubby holes. Arana held out a light sweater for Hermione, and Hermione slipped into it. "Thanks, everyone!"

Hedwig flew onto Harry's shoulder and hooted cheerfully, ready for the next adventure. Harry soothed her feathers and grinned as he picked up the pieces to the game they were playing and put it away.

Draco seemed confused as to what to do. There were things to pick up, but he didn't make a move towards it.

"Come on, Draco," Harry encouraged. "Pick up the game and put it up so we can go have fun outside."

"But—" Draco hesitated. "Mum says the house elves do that."

"We all have to pick up our stuff," Hermione said. "Otherwise we don't get ice cream later. Daddy always remembers if we did our chores or not."

Harry began to pick up more of the random toys off the floor, and Draco simmered over it for a moment before leaning down and helping him pick up the room. Arana used her back legs to line the books up on the bookshelf by feel, and Kaa slithered back around Hermione's neck and disappeared into her skin— but not before fanglessly nipping the little girl on her ear and tickling her skin with his forked tongue.

Hermione idly scratched her neck and giggled. She helped Harry and Draco pick up the rest of the toys and shove them into the toy chest. She frowned slightly as she patted the chest. "When school starts, Daddy is going to be busy."

Severus, who appeared out of nowhere, scooped her up and hoisted her into the air. "Not so busy as to forget you."

Hermione squealed and giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck in her best boa constrictor impression.

"Come, the elves have already filled the picnic hamper, and I'm pretty sure if we don't hurry, Crookshanks will eat the spoils."

Hermione gasped. "He wouldn't do that!"

Severus arched a brow at her.

"Okay, maybe if we were really slow," she conceded.

Severus plopped Hermione down on Fen's back and the wolf whuffed.

"Hey!" Harry and Draco called, jealousy dripping from every pore.

"Well, come on," Hermione huffed. "Fen is hungry!"

"We're hungry, too," the boys said, clambering up the wolf's side, almost comically, trying to pull themselves up. Fen stood tall and erect, amusing himself in making it as difficult as possible for the two boys to get on his back. Finally Harry seemed to have an epiphany, and he leaned over so Draco could use him as a step up. Draco climbed up and then helped pull Harry up beside him.

Hermione looked as though she was going to say something, but Fen tore off out of the door and down the corridor with the three children clinging to his back.

"Wait for me!" Arana cried, skittering after with all due haste.

"Does it worry you, old friend, that your daughter seems to have an entourage of beastly protectors at the grand age of six?" Lucius asked.

Severus tilted his head and shrugged. "I'd worry more if she didn't have them. Think of how much fun it will be when she grows to the age when boys are interesting and they try to get close to her only to realise they have to get passed a giant wolf, a Nundu, a giant spider, and a neck viper."

"Don't forget the rampaging shiny-stealing Niffler minion."Lucius arched a blond eyebrow. "By fun, I assume you mean chaos and terror?"

Severus' mouth quirked upward. "Perhaps."

Lucius sniffed. "I'm sure Dumbledore is wondering how many more authorisations for irregular familiars he's going to have to sign."

"Will Minerva be joining us?" Lucius added.

"She's checking on our venom victim, but she'll be along after. Amelia has one of our healers living in the Hogsmeade house with him. It seemed like the best place in case he woke up and thought he was being held in a prison."

Lucius wrinkled his nose. "The DoM is not a prison."

"No, but the decor is about on par," Severus noted. "At least in the infirmary."

Lucius looked skyward. "There is that. At least your house is probably the most safely warded place to recuperate outside of the DoM. Is he still in a deep sleep?"

"Yes," Severus replied, taking in a deep breath. The DoM healers say he's not a wizard, but he is magical. I told them who I think he is, given that my daughter has taken quite a shine to Fenrisúlfr and vice versa. It is all pure speculation, though. He hasn't woken to let us know. Still, there can only be so many people— gods or otherwise— who could be found bound by entrails to a stone in the deep Earth, and only the Norse have such a specific… flair for such things."

"Barbaric sadism, if you ask me," Lucius quipped dryly.

"Quite," Severus replied with a snort. "But, Fenrisúlfr has been the most perfectly behaved and honourable sort, taking to guarding Hermione like a pup. He even tolerates the other children for her sake. That breaks all the rules of what we know in myth about Fenrisúlfr, but then—"

"Myth rarely portrays the World Wolf kindly," Lucius recalled, frowning in thought. "Norse myth, specifically, was both a teaching tool and a warning that death was hardly the worst thing that could be inflicted upon you."

"Still," Severus pointed out, "there is no telling what is truth or no. All I know is that he's fiercely loyal to Hermione. He looked me in the eye and I somehow knew that he would keep his word."

"Pity Greyback isn't quite such an honourable sort," Lucius said.

"I highly doubt Greyback could be honourable if it turned into a weasel and bit him in the face."

Lucius snorted. "Weasel or Weasley?"

"Yes." Severus looked Lucius in the eye.

Lucius waved him off.

Severus nodded. "Let's go find the children before they stuff themselves silly with dessert before they even finish their sandwiches."

The blond wizard snorted and glided out the door before him as Severus followed behind, closing the door firmly behind him.

"There you go," the elder witch said, sticking a magical tag on Arana, Mr Fuzzywiggles, and Fenrisúlfr. "All registered and official, young lady."

"Yay!" Hermione cheered, practically stuffing Mr Fuzzywiggles into her face. "Say thank you, Mr Fuzzywiggles!"

The Niffler squeaked and swiped the witch's gold-framed spectacles right off of her face.

Severus tsked, and the Niffler sullenly gave them back.

The elder witch laughed and pet the Niffler gently, handing him a shiny bronze coin. "Thank you for allowing me to come here to check them out."

"I am glad you could make time," Severus said. "I'm sure it's much easier when people to come to you."

"Easier, yes, but I really wanted to get out of that dusty old office," she replied. "At least when I'm evaluating DoM familiars I know they are well behaved. I had some boy bring in an imprinted dragon hatchling the other week and it tried to destroy half the office and eat our postal owls."

Severus blinked.

"And let's not talk about how someone's cat ate someone else's toad—a rare Kihansi Spray Toad of all things."

"I do not envy you your job, Gemma," Severus confessed.

"Teaching a bunch of our future leaders how not to blow themselves up?" she replied. "I'm not all keen on having your job, that is for sure."

Severus harrumphed. "You could be Professor Gemma Barlowe-Stokes, professional wrangler of heathen children."

"I've always known myself to be horrible with children. I have all the patience of a sunburned hippo."

"Lovely image."

"Isn't it though?"Gemma laughed. Her eyes twinkled with laughter as she watched the children play keep-away mounted on spider and wolf-back. The Nundu cub would leap straight up into the air and snatch the ball they were trying to toss back and forth to each other.

"No fair!" Draco yelled.

"You're just mad 'cause you didn't pick Crooks for your team," Harry laughed at the red-faced blond.

"Crooks is on his own team!" Hermione giggled.

RRRuuff! Ruf! Rrruff!

The children instantly froze in place, their eyes sliding over to peer at Fenrisúlfr.

"Browl?" he said, ears perked.

Ruff! Ruffruff!

The odd barking was louder this time and the children clung a little closer to their larger, furrier guardians. Arana tapped her front legs on the ground, and Crooks sniffed the air curiously. Fenrisúlfr turned to face where the barking had come from.

Suddenly, a rabbit bust out of the nearby hedge and tore across the green.

"Rabbits bark?" Harry pondered out loud.

RUFF! Ruffruff!

A brown dog-shaped, furry blur zoomed after the rabbit, barking madly. A chewed off piece of rope dragged behind it. The dog had a very distinctive three heads.

"Whoa! A cerberus!" Harry exclaimed.

"A puppy!" Hermione said excitedly.

"I've always wanted a puppy!" Draco said excitedly, jumping off Fenrisúlfr and tearing off in the direction of where both rabbit and cerberus went.

"Wait! We have to tell—"

"What about your fath—"

Hermione and Harry exchanged glances.

"What about me?" Lucius drawled.

Harry and Hermione's mouths opened and closed silently as they pointed in the other direction.

"I believe your son is chasing after a three-headed puppy in a desperate need for his own warm and wriggling companion of his very own, even if it kills him," Severus said with a sniff.

"What?!" Lucius yelled.

Severus gave Lucius the eyebrow translating to "So much for propriety and manners in conversation."

"Why are you protecting him?" Lucius spouted.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Please. Do you see this menagerie of dangerous creatures with protective instincts and none of them were worried about it. Besides, you were the one who said Draco needed a fuzzy animal to keep him company."

"Not a three-headed dog!"

"Details. It's a puppy," Severus sniffed and wrinkled his nose. "Even a three-headed, excessively drooly puppy is not a threat to national security."

Lucius grunted. "You seem to awfully blasé about my son's being accosted by a three-headed mongrel."

"Puppy, Lucius," Severus corrected. "And I'm pretty sure he's purebred cerberus from Greece, as they only come from one place."

"Like they just pop out of nowhere?"

"Pft," Severus said, waving his hand. "Everyone knows that if some strange animal is going to materialise at Hogwarts it's going to come from one place."

"And where, pray tell is—"

At that moment a bumbling, stumbling half-giant burst out of the hedges, tripped, and landed on top of Lucius.

"Ooooooo!" the children scolded. "Somebody's in trouuuuuble!"

Perhaps fortunately, Lucius' walking cane had flung itself into the air and embedded itself into nearby brush. However, if looks could kill, Lucius was doing a very good interpretation of lethal glares.

"Ah, is this the owner of the cerebus?" Gemma asked, using her magic to levitate Hagrid off of Lucius.

"Well, I er, of course he's mine. I bought him off an Irish feller just the other day. Gave me a proper discount in exchange for a big sack of my best giant pumpkin seeds. Said he was tired of growing potatoes he did," Hagrid announced indignantly.

"Oh, I'm sure breeding three-headed dogs is such a normal switch from growing potatoes," Severus said without inflection of any kind.

Hagrid shifted his weight uneasily. "Well, I wouldn't know. Seems raising potatoes isn't very exciting, so I can't blame him."

"For wanting a little danger?" Severus asked. "The ire of the Grecian regulatory committee?

"My transaction was perfectly legal," Hagrid said. "We shook hands an' ever'thing."

Gemma was rubbing her eyebrows rapidly, seemingly trying to stave off a headache or a migraine bordering on the line of torturous cluster headache.

Severus stuffed a small bottle of a potion into her hands without a word being said.

"Whu—?"

"Drink it," Hermione said. "It makes the woodpeckers in your head go away."

Gemma eyed Hermione suspiciously.

"Would you prefer flesh-eating zoobies?"

"Zombies, Hermione," Severus corrected.

"Those," Hermione said. "Zham bees."

Gemma popped the lid and drank the potion, sighing with instant relief.

"Magical folk call them Inferi," Lucius instructed.

"In furr nigh?"

"In-fair-eye."

"Un-fair-eye."

"IN-fair-eye."

Hermione strained to hear the difference and pretended to learn it like she was learning a spell. Her shoulders straightened, her arm went out like a conductor. "Inferi."

Lucius smiled. "Correct."

Hermione bounced, her seriousness exchanged for happiness and glomped Severus' leg happily.

Severus looked skyward, but his hand ruffled Hermione's curly black hair with affection.

Hermione walked over to Gemma and patted her knee. "Does Mr Hagrid get in trouble for illegal bleeding?"

Gemma's mouth curved into a half-stiffled smile. "Well, I think Mr Hagrid should just show me the paperwork and permits transferred when he bought the dog, and then there would less illegal breeding involved."

Hagrid turned pink under his mask of beard hair. "It was a gentlemanly agreement, it was. We shook hands and everything!"

Hermione looked from Gemma to Hagrid to Lucius and then the Severus, weighing what reaction seemed the most common for the situation and settled with a wrinkled brow and puckered lips.

Just as Gemma was going to attempt explanations as to what legal transactions were when it came to magical animals, Draco came stumbling back with a three-headed puppy in his arms. It licked his chin in triplicate, tail wagging and butt wriggling in excitement. The puppy became so excited that he peed, much to the horror of Lucius. Draco, however, didn't even seem to notice.

"Can we keep him, father?" Draco asked. "He says he likes me."

Lucius frowned at the puppy, and much to his displeasure, the puppy peed again.

"He says you're scary," Draco said.

Hermione smiled at the puppy. "Hi!"

The three-headed pup wagged his tail and barked. She smiled at him broadly. "He says Draco is his person. He wants to be with him."

Draco looked at his father in appeal.

Lucius' lip curled slightly.

"Wooo," Celeste hooted from Severus' shoulder.

"I don't think you have a choice in this one, old friend," Severus said, giving a evaluating sniff.

"But, that pup is mine!" Hagrid protested.

Gemma beckoned Draco over. "Over here, please."

Draco plunked the three-headed puppy in Gemma's lap.

The pup looked up at Gemma with wide eyes all around.

She let him sniff her fingers and she pet him between the ears on each head, then she waved her wand over him. The pup got dizzy following her and flopped over, exposing his belly to her. She rubbed his tummy as she waved her wand. He pawed at her with his too-big-for-his-body paws as he made cute growling sounds. She passed her wand over Draco and then the pup. "Well, it seems, Lucius, that the boy and the dog have a familiar bond. It is newly forged, but it is there."

Draco looked super-excited, but Hagrid had a thunderous scowl on his face.

"Unfortunately, keeping a Cerberi is high maintenance business, Lord Malfoy," Gemma said. "Young Draco will have to go to a specialised handling class in Greece, register the pup with the Greek Ministry, and have permits authorised through both ministries. Cerberi are much like pandas, that are considered citizens of China no matter where they are, so there are very specific regulations regarding their care. This is required for all Cerberi owners in all countries."

"I have a bank!" Draco said proudly, lifting up a coin bank shaped like a bludger and placing it on the table.

Gemma exchanged a look with Lucius, and he waved his hand in a whatever motion.

"Now," Gemma said. "If Mr Hagrid is the true owner of this pup, fully registered and fees paid, then special paperwork will be required to transfer ownership due to the familiar exception as well as fee and class compensation he would have taken in good faith as his owner. Do you have your paperwork, Grecian approval papers, and class receipts, Mr Hagrid?"

"I shook hands for him," Hagrid said, scratching his head. "There was no receipt."

"Then you can have him come here and verify your agreement, Mr Hagrid. You can send a Patronus to summon him here if you would?"

"I, uh, I can't do that."

Severus whispered something into her e ar.

"Well if you don't know the Patronus spell, you can use my owl," Gemma said. The sooty black owl on her shoulder hooted softly.

"Hallo, Veeks," Hermione said to the owl.

The owl hooted back to her excitedly.

"Would you like an owl nut?" Hermione asked. She looked at Gemma. "May I give Veeks an owl nut?"

Gemma smiled. "He loves them. Go ahead."

Hermione held out an owl nut, and Veeks took it from her fingers gently and crunched it up with enthusiasm.

Hagrid, on the other hand, fidgeted in discomfort.

Gemma frowned. "Mr Hagrid. I presume that you cleared the purchase and bringing of such a potentially dangerous animal with the Headmaster of Hogwarts and that will be on record when I speak with him?"

"Uh, well, no ma'am, uh," Hagrid stammered nervously. "The agreement just happened and I was going to present my case to the Headmaster when I saw him next. After the pup got himself settled in, yeah? Prove he could help to protect the school."

Gemma rubbed the pups belly, and the cerberus pup browled and panted happily, licking her hand. "Fortunately, this pup is quite young and impressionable. Socialisation is key at this stage to as many people as possible. Since I am to forced to assume that your purchase of this pup was not done through normal channels through the Grecian authorities, I will not have the Malfoy family pay restitution for your purchase. They may, however, on their own, choose to do so on their terms. The pup is not in the care of his bondmate, Draco Malfoy, and I will expect him to show up daily to training classes this summer until the Grecians authorities come to test and give their approval of the bond."

"Be advised, Draco, that a familiar bond is not permanent this soon. If you abuse him in anyway, the bond can be broken."

"I won't, I swear!" Draco promised.

"Mr Hagrid, I feel I must give you a formal warning. Purchase or exchange for illegally obtained, unofficial trades or purchased magical animals is forbidden by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Gemma said. "Normally, I would you fined and arrested for trial in ths, however, the animal has found a familiar bond, which is sacred. I cannot punish you officially for, even inadvertently, bringing them together. Had I discovered this animal in the future, however, unregistered and untrained, your situation would be dire indeed. Do I make myself clear, Mr Hagrid?"

"Uuuaahhh, yes, sir, ma'am," Hagrid replied.

"If you are to continue raising of magical animals here on the grounds, Mr Hagrid, you are to have the proper permits signed and filed with the Headmaster, as this is a magical school. The safety of the students and staff is paramount."

"Y— yes, ma'am," Hagrid said, straightening.

The pup browled and slurped Gemma's hand, panting happily as she put a collar and a tag on him. "He's all yours, Draco. Take good care of him, and don't be late to the classes. They will start next week at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. You can come to my office and I will take you to the right place."

"Thank you, ma'am!" Draco crowed enthusiastically as the happy pup pounced him, slamming him down on the ground and drool-slurping him.

Hermione and Harry beamed at Draco.

The pup bounced over to inspect Arana, and the fluffy spider patted him with her front legs.

Lucius sighed, but Severus put his arm on his shoulder. "It will be a good experience for him, Lucius. He will feel less behind the other GNUs, and Harry and Hermione will keep them both in line."

"I worry more for if Narcissa will not have a nervous breakdown, old friend."

Severus twitched. "I fear I cannot help you there."

Lucius looked as though he was going to say something, but Severus clapped his hands. "Let's have our picnic, shall we? Gemma, please stay and enjoy the evening with us. It is the least we can do for having you come to us."

Gemma was soothing Arana between all of her eyes, and the spider purred at her.

"What? Oh! Yes, of course!"

"Yay!" Harry cheered.

"Woohoo!" Draco added.

Hermione tugged on Severus' sleeve. "Does Gemma want to sleep with Arana or Fen tonight? Crooks says he can be a good pillow as long as she doesn't pull his whiskers."

"Aegeus says he wants to be her pillow tonight!" Draco said, ruffling the pup's ears happily."

Gemma exchanged knowing glances with Severus and Lucius. "Well, with an invitation like that, who am I to refuse?"

The children cheered as the entourage of animals chased after them on their way to set out the picnic blankets and the hampers.

"Welcome to the family," Lucius said to Gemma, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Veeks hooted to Ceres and Hedwig, and the owls bobbed their heads agreeably.

Gemma smiled. "I'll have to visit more often," she said with a warm smile.

"We'd like that, my friend," Severus said. "We'll get to use the guest room after all."

"Hah!" Gemma laughed, slapping her knee. "Looks like they are getting set up at the beach. Shall we?"

Lucius extended his arm politely, and Gemma looped her arm around his as he escorted her down to the picnic, the owls flying circles around them in playful loop-de-loops.

Severus kept up at the rear, a smile on his normally dour face.

A/N: Draco is going to need two more sets of arms and hands to keep up with Aegeus, though I think that's what Hermione and Harry are for. Do you think Gemma will keep Hagrid honest? Can anything keep Hagrid honest? I dunno… Whatever happens, I think Draco will take far better care of his new multi-headed best friend, and he needs a friend that will be by him even when his GNU friends cannot.

Sorry for taking so long on this updated (started in March arugh) but so many other things on my plate. Writing child-Hermione/Harry/Draco is hard, and I stare at the screen a lot.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.