Disclaimer

I, Syraxes, do not own the Harry Potter books, movies, or other assorted media. They are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers studios. I am a humble fan, making this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release

The Ministry of Magic was the second most impressive building Severus had ever seen; topped by only Hogwarts. He focused on that thought for a second, before his mind returned to the matter at hand. Professor Flitwick led him through the Atrium and had this been any other time, then Severus might have stopped to bask in the wonder. But this was here and now; Severus had other things on his mind.

He followed his Head of House into the elevator, the only ones inside at that moment. They began to descend.

"Level One: Minister for Magic and Support Staff." A cool witch's voice said as the elevator stopped. The doors open and two harassed looking witches entered the lift, mumbling among themselves about someone named Andrew Mayfield, along with some unpleasant things about his mother. Severus tuned them out easily enough; his mind was on other things.

"The next one will be our stop," Flitwick said quietly.

"Level Two, The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, incorporating the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

The doors opened and more witches and wizards entered the lift. Severus followed Professor Flitwick out into a crowded and busy hallway. Paper notes flew every which way above them, memo's Flitwick explained. A gaggle of witches running up and down the hall, a wizard looking frazzled. It seemed that the ministry itself was as chaotic as the rest of the wizarding world.

"Here we are, Mr. Snape. The Auror Office." Severus's first impression was that it was a sea of cubicles. Stretching back as far as he could see, Auror's moved in and around. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, and Severus had a feeling he would only get more confused the more he watched. Professor Flitwick led him through the cramped aisle. Down past the endless chatter of the Auror's, to a wooden door. Flitwick reached up and knocked three times, before lowering his hand and waiting. A second passed. Then two. Almost twenty seconds had gone by (Severus counted, hoping it would help take his mind off his thoughts; it didn't help.)

"Enter," a voice finally called. Severus pushed the door open and followed his Head of House inside. A blast of warm air and the scent of tea hit Severus full force. It was a small room. Opposite the door they entered through, a polished wooden desk sat. Behind it, was a door on either side. A young woman sat behind the desk and smiled at the two. She waved them forwards.

"Mr. Flitwick. And you must be young Mr. Snape. The door on your right. They're waiting for you."

Severus didn't need to be told twice; a heartbeat later, he pushed his way past the door. Three people were around a small table at the center of the room, talking quietly. Severus registered Professor Dumbledore standing behind the table, whispering to a woman Severus didn't recognize. Across from the women, his mother said, staring down at the table, a mug fit snuggled in her hand.

"Mum!" He called, drawing the adult's attention towards him. Severus didn't care; he ran forwards and embraced her, He could feel her pull him into the hug.

Severus heard the Headmaster whisper he'd wait for them outside. A door closed a few seconds later, but Severus didn't care. His mother was here with him. She was alive.

It hardly felt like he was awakened four hours ago, in the middle of the night, and dragged to the Headmasters office. Flitwick and Dumbledore had explained that his house had been seen with the Dark Mark, the sign of He-Know-Must-Not-Be-Named above it. Other than that, they didn't have much information. No news of either of his parents, but it was normal to find the occupants of placed marked by the Dark Mark to be dead. Severus waited there in Dumbledore's office until he was allowed to floo over.

"Mum." It might have been embarrassing at another time, but after spending hours wondering what had happened to her, he didn't care that he was crying.

A voice coughed and Severus reluctantly pulled away. The woman on the other side of the table stared pleasantly at them. His mother took her seat. The woman drew her wand and gave it a flick; a chair appeared behind him. Severus sat.

"I understand this must be a stressful time for both of you. It's not a pleasant experience to find the Dark Mark above your house. Believe me, I know. That said, I do have to ask you some questions. I'm Auror Amelia Bones. I was first on the scene at your home in the early hours of the morning. I hope you won't mind if I conduct this interview."

Amelia Bones? The name sounded familiar. Suddenly it came back to him; she had been in the papers. Famous for bringing in Lothar Krenz. Edgar's older sister.

"That's fine," his mother said softly. Severus looked over at her tear ridden face.

"For the record, you are Eileen Snape, nee Prince, correct?"

His mother nodded.

"And this is your son, Severus Tobias Snape? First year Hogwarts student, from what you reported?"

"Yes." His mother's answer was almost a whisper. He turned back to look at Amelia Bones. Getting to see her up close, Severus could see the resemblance between her and Edgar. Severus wasn't very close to Edgar Bones, but he had seen him enough to recognize the similarities. From what Edgar has said, she's ten years his elder.

"I see. Have you been informed of your husbands... Passing?" She finished awkwardly. Severus blinked. His father's passing?

"Yes. Auror Moody explained that his... body..." Severus' mother trailed off, looking down at him. "Was found on the first floor."

Amelia nodded, throwing a look at him. "Yes. That's correct. Do you have any enemies, Mrs. Snape? Anyone who might want to..." Her questioning continued to, and his mother answered, but Severus was no longer paying attention. They had both looked at him just now. When talking about how his father was found. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they wanted to keep the more gruesome details, whatever those might be, from him. Severus found he didn't appreciate this. At all. He was twelve years old; they didn't have to sugar coat everything.

The brief feeling of annoyance passed, replaced by the same dread he had been feeling since he found out about the Dark Mark over their house. What were they going to do? They didn't have the money to afford another house; not even a small flat. He and his mother also couldn't go back to that house; not when the Death Eater knew where it was. Had already attacked it.

Then there was his father. His father... His mother used to tell stories about her life, from her time growing up (though leaving out her brother), her years at Hogwarts, and after she graduated. How she had fallen in love with a dashing muggle man, disobeying her parents, never seeing them again. Back then, she had said he'd been kind; witty. Severus never knew that side of him; as far back as he could remember, Tobias Snape had been a drunkard. He screamed out his mother every day, hit her (admittedly not very often, but he had seen it) drinking most of the money away, barely leaving enough for food. When Severus had gone to Hogwarts, he had to use the student fund since they couldn't afford books, robes, or anything else he needed. Now though... Now his father was dead. Gone. Out of the picture. Severus knew he should be broken up about it, the man was his father, but the thought he'd never have to listen to his father scream at his mother. Never have to watch him hit her... It was a relief.

"Okay, I think that can conclude this interview," Amelia Bones said, bringing Severus out of his thoughts and back to the present. Amelia closed her notebook, slipping it back into her robes. "Which brings us to your arrangements. Minister Bagnold has approved a victim fund for those that have been affected by Death Eaters. It's a fairly encompassing program, that a member of the committee would be happy to walk you through. However, there is the matter of your home arrangements. Part of this fund goes to resettling victims of the Death Eaters violence. We can begin to make arrangements to move both of you to another house. Out of the country, if need be."

Severus turned back to his mother. She loved his father, even know. He didn't know why the person who he had been was gone long before his death. She loved that small house in the muggle neighborhood. He didn't think she'd want to move.

"We don't have the money. Even if we were put up somewhere, I don't have a job. I can't pay the taxes."

Both his mother and Auror Bones sounded so awkward. Like it was strange to be having this conversation. It seemed likely that Auror Bones didn't have a lot of experience dealing with the fallout of a Death Eater attack like this.

Amelia Bones, in a move that surprised Severus, reached her hand out and put it on her shoulder. "That's what the victim fund is for, Mrs. Snape. Along with the money, we have legal experts that have agreed to donate time and effort to the victims. Until more permanent arrangements can be made, we have a new safe house scattered across the country. We'll let you up in one. As for your son, his belongings will be retrieved from Hogwarts and brought to the safe house. And whatever else you want from your home. On the matter of new arrangements, Headmaster Dumbledore wishes to speak with you about that. If you would, please wait here, why I see about the status of a safe house. If you want, I can send Albus Dumbledore in. Otherwise, until I get back, it'll just be the two of you."

His mother looked down at him, meeting his eyes. She had the same eyes as Severus, though whatever thoughts lingered behind those eyes, he couldn't even start to guess.

"Yes. Please tell Albus that he's welcome to come in."

As Amelia Bones left, Severus wondered how Dumbledore was on a first name basis with his mother. She had never mentioned him before, other than explaining he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"Severus. I'm so glad you're safe." Even fiercer than before, his mother pulled him into a crushing hug.

Authors Note:

And here we have it folks, the last chapter of The Prince's Tale: Year 1. I hope you enjoyed it.

I know these last two chapters have been on the shorter side. I had other idea's original, that would have not only extended the fanfic's length overall but these chapters as well. However, I decided that I'd rather use them in the upcoming fics.

So we leave the story of the Half-Blood Prince here for now. Severus' first year at Hogwarts was that of a relatively normal year within the school; no Azkaban prisoner escaping and coming to the school. No secret chamber being opened and a monster let out. No tournament, where someone is trying to kill us here, or else the Headmaster choosing to hide something of great importance at the school. Just a normal year (or as normal as one can get during a war).

I do plan on continuing this. As this chapter is posted, I will be starting on the sequel, though it might be awhile before it's out. When I do release it, I will post an update on this fic.

So until next time, this is Syraxes, signing off