Chapter Fifty-Three

She was so peaceful, that if Severus allowed himself to forget for a moment, then he could fool himself into believing she was only sleeping.

That this was simply like all those other times before; better times when he would return to their shared home and he would linger, long enough to wait until sleep took hold of her – always against her will – before he would slip back out into the night.

It was in those moments of quiet, of contentment, as she lay at peace beside him, that he was reminded - reassured, even – that everything they were doing and fighting for was worth it. It was a strength that only Lily by his side could provide.

But the world was waiting. Always waiting.

Well.

The world could wait, tonight.

He'd taken to St Mungo's some hours after Harry had lain it all at his feet; his crimes and misdemeanors, his failings as a father. He had tucked the drawing – so innocently created for him – away in his chambers, unable to bear to look at it another moment, and he had come to Lily.

Severus didn't speak. He only looked. He never saw the point in it, of speaking one's thoughts aloud to an unconscious loved one. Particularly when it was trying enough to do so during their waking moments. And besides, what could he say that Lily did not already know?

She already knew it all of him.

And so, he simply lingered, as he had done countless times before, in the shadows by her side.

He did so, as long as he dared – which would never be long enough – before he sighed and turned away, but not before he reached out, hand grasping hers, tightly, in his for a moment.

Severus headed back out into the still darkness of the St Mungo's corridor, ensuring he was alone before he ducked into the quieter passage – one he knew was used almost-exclusively by the House Elves – that lead down to the courtyard, from where he could slip away, unnoticed.

Severus' mind was on Lily – on them; their memories, their mistakes, their children – as he made his departure which was careless, sloppy – something he could not afford to be – an error that quickly made itself known when he found himself run almost physically into another as they rounded the corner to, unexpectedly, face him.

Both he and the woman stopped, abruptly, each of them startled at the other's unexpected presence in the rarely-used passage.

"Professor Snape!"

Severus only vaguely recognized the woman before him – for it had been years since he had seen her up close – but it took only a second for him to recall and get his bearings.

"Miss Bradbury. This is a surprise."

"Um. Creepy passageway in the middle of the night, yeah," Julia glanced around with a bewildered smile; "Are you lost?"

"I had business with Healer Clay – a project we have been conducting – and must have been turned around."

It was the slightest of flashes – an uncertainty in her expression – that would have easily been missed if Severus were not suddenly on his guard.

Julia gave a smile. One Severus knew was not genuine.

"Well. You won't find him up here, I'm afraid. This is a restricted floor, Sir."

It was basically a dismissal and Severus accepted it; "My apologies, Miss Bradbury."

Julia gave a nod and stepped by him, heading back in the direction that Severus had just come from, but he stayed put and watched her go; stayed long enough to see her glance at him, sideways – an uneasiness in her eyes when she did – as she rounded the corner. The pace of her footsteps increased – ever so slightly – once she was out of his sight, until he heard the open and shut of the door to Lily's corridor.

He should obliviate her.

Severus made to go after her, took a step, but he paused in his intentions – for he would surely have something to say about it if Regulus were to dare raise his wand to Lily – and considered it a moment. Whether or not this was a danger or, as Harry so put it, an inconvenience.

Severus lingered only a moment – it was simple, child's play, even, to explain away – before he carried on with his previous path, down to the courtyard.

Julia was one of theirs, after all. Even if she didn't know it, yet.

XXX

She wasn't alone.

She knew it, even in the darkness.

There was a familiarity. A warmth that surrounded her.

She wanted to reach for it, but she could do nothing but lie still. Lie still until she felt a large, strong hand clasp hers; she tried to grasp it back.

Don't let go.

But it did and then it was gone.

There were voices, then.

"…a guard on this door, at all times…"

She knew the voice.

"You are just a magnet for trouble, Honey."

Trouble.

The word lingered, over and above anything that came next, as the voice went on, the rest of her senses suddenly coming alive, all at once. She heard and felt the hum of enchantments surrounding her. Smelt the vapours of the potions. The sound of footsteps. The tweet of the birds.

But there was trouble.

She couldn't shake it. There was a panic building within her now. And she shook, and she gasped and she couldn't breathe.

"Lily?" a hand was on her shoulder; "Lily, Honey. Hey - hey, you're alright. Lily."

She could see all of a sudden, darkness giving way to bright, bright light. And there were dark eyes that she knew, that she trusted, but the panic was still there.

She tried to speak, she managed, but it should have come out as a shout, a cry, a warning, but, instead, it was only a croak.

"Harry."

XXX

Regulus looked up from the parchments he was studying, at the welcome sound of the door to the cottage open and shut.

"Today is a good day," Julia declared, walking in from the hallway and shooting him a smile as she shrugged out of her cloak; "Today is the best of days."

Regulus grinned at her infectious enthusiasm, as she plonked down onto the couch beside him; "Dare I ask, Miss Bradbury?"

"Lily woke up."

Regulus' eyes widened; "She's awake?"

"Well. No, she's back under now. But – hey – that's not unusual. It is a good sign," her smile was bright as she gave him an affectionate push, clearly delighted by his – ahem, Severus' - contribution; "It's working, the remedy Heart's been giving you."

"I'll get more for you for tonight," Regulus assured her; "I'm going into the Foundation this afternoon."

Julia looked thoughtful at that.

"You still work with Severus Snape, right?"

"Severus?" Regulus frowned, at the unexpected – but not unrelated, even if she didn't realise – mention; "He's a Head in the Research Department."

"So, he's straight up?"

"Straight up?"

"You trust him," Julia clarified, leaning her head in her hand and looking at him – with complete trust in him at the answer; "I mean, you're mates, right, or at least you used to be?"

"Oh. Um. Yes. I trust – why?" Regulus gathered up the parchments on his lap and tossed them onto the table at their feet; "Did something happen?"

"Yeah. It was the weirdest thing; I caught him in the House Elf passage coming out of the restricted ward last night. Goodness knows how he got past the security clearance, but when I spoke to him he said he was there on business with Healer Clay."

Regulus' chin lifted, slightly, because Clay's connections to the Foundation were tight and he knew the error even before she went on.

"But Clay's been on sabbatical ever since New Year. I don't know, don't you think that's weird? He was obviously lying. And Lily's on that ward."

Regulus shifted where he sat, avoiding her eyes for a second, but he knew that was a give-away – Julia was getting good at reading him, now – and forced himself to look back at her, come up with some half-truth, so as to not have to outright lie to her about it.

"Most likely he was there on classified business," Regulus said by way of explanation; "Being the middle of the night, you'd have caught him off-guard. I'm not sure exactly what it is Severus is working on, right now, but it's not unusual for his department to be involved in trials at St Mungo's."

"At 4am?"

"I'd just forget about it," Regulus waved a hand, in what he hoped was a reassuringly dismissive way; "It's probably nothing."

"I don't know, Regulus," Julia was undeterred; "I think you should…I mean, Sirius –" Regulus couldn't help but start at another unexpected mention; "– sorry – but Sirius, he told me that Severus Snape was a Death Eater. Lily rubbished it, back then, but with what's going on with Harry right now…well, there's something not right about it. And what if Sirius was right? Someone with Death Eater connections, hanging around Lily's room? And, I'm guessing you'd probably know if he did have connections, so I'm probably way off…"

"Yes. I would," Regulus conceded, for Julia was well-aware of his own past indiscretions; "It's…I don't think it's something to be worried about."

"Well, I do," Julia said, in a rare show of seriousness; "That's Lily in there. The security's been increased further on the ward, now, but what about the Foundation? I mean, it's a bit of a coincidence, Severus Snape turning back up there the same year that You-Know-Who shows up and manages to blow the roof off the place."

She was so untouched by the war that Regulus forgot, sometimes, how little she knew about any of it.

"Julia. Listen," Regulus said, unable to deflect any longer; "It's not anything you have to worry about."

Julia regarded him, carefully, realising he knew more than he'd let on; "It's not?"

"No. But…I can't say any more than that. It's…"

The tension in her expression relaxed, slightly, when she realised; "It's war business."

"It's war business," he confirmed, with a nod.

"Order business?" her eyes narrowed, curiously.

"Confidential – " Regulus tapped her on the nose, eliciting a smile;" – war business."

"Black – "

"Miss Bradbury," he touched his forehead to hers; "You don't have to trust him. Trust me."

Her expression softened at his imploration – even if there was still a hint of concern, there – and she smiled, warmly; "Alright."

He kissed her, welcoming her home – to his home, his rational, pessimistic mind reminded him – and reached for the parchments he had put aside, before he leaned back into the couch and drew Julia back towards him, tucking her up into his side as he always did. It had become a delightful habit, by now; Julia falling asleep in the crook of his arm after a shift at St Mungo's, while he dealt with the monotonous administration required for getting the Foundation back up and running.

It was so – impossibly – domestic.

A circumstance that had been born out of necessity – for he, embarrassingly, was in no fit state to live independently in those early weeks after being discharged from St Mungo's – when Julia had offered to play nursemaid to her ailing…well. Him.

And when he had found his feet again neither he nor she had suggested that things return to the way they were – that she leave – and, so, here she had stayed and he, most definitely, was not complaining.

Nope.

Regulus was quite content to live out life in this fantasy-bubble of their creation a little while longer – a long while longer – and ignore all of that which would chip, chip, chip away at it. Until, finally – unavoidably – the time came when they could ignore it no longer.

XXX

"Parental objection was surely not unexpected, given the nature of the new curriculum Crouch has seen fit to foist upon their children," Severus pointed out, declining Dumbledore's offer of sweets with a raise of the hand.

"Hm. Indeed. And would you have such objections, yourself, Severus, if you were in the shoes of said parents?"

Severus shifted where he sat, not entirely sure if Dumbledore's question was hypothetical or if he was – in his irritating way – prodding at his connection with Harry.

"I do not believe that censorship – or wilful ignorance – is a valid way of maintaining order. If the Ministry had not been so keen to eradicate all knowledge of the Dark Arts in the first place following the First War, we may not have found ourselves in quite so precarious a situation as we have, now."

"Ah. Then you approve of the new curriculum requirements?"

"I might if I were privy to the details –"and if the students in question were not such dunderheads, his mind added; "Though whether or not I approve is redundant. The curriculum outline is a matter for Lupin."

Lupin, who – along with the Heads of Houses – had been bombarded with owl post from concerned parents demanding to know what, exactly, Hogwarts hoped to achieve by filling their children's heads with this knowledge of the Dark Arts, while – at the same time – suspending the Quidditch season for the remainder of the school year. Indeed, it was unlikely that the sport would resume at all, until the war concluded, if the Ministry-mandated Duelling Club were to continue at the current pace.

"As it so happens, Remus' experiences of the Dark Arts are not quite so developed as to match the new Ministry requirements; I am sure some assistance in any areas of weakness would be most welcome."

"I can only presume you are joking, Headmaster, considering you have continuously rejected me from that post for years on end. And if you honestly believe Lupin – one of your own soldiers, I might add – to be so incompetent in defence as to need my input, then I question your judgement in assigning him, in the first place."

Dumbledore handed him a parchment, one that had been lying between them unnoticed on his desk, for the duration of the meeting; "As you see, the new Ministry requirements for the course are, somewhat, challenging. Even to the most experienced of wizards."

Severus eyed the list, reading off a few of those that stood out the most.

"Unforgivable Curses; Necromancy; Maleficium; Sacrificial Rituals and Blood Magic," Severus cleared his throat, placing the parchment back upon the desk, quite certain that some of these branches were unknown, even, to the Dark Lord, himself; "Well. Clearly, Crouch has lost his mind."

"Indeed?"

"No thirteen-year-old should be exposed – must less trusted – with such knowledge. Frankly, Crouch would be hard-pressed to find anyone with such an extensive awareness of the Dark Arts living, following the Ministry purges."

"Unfortunately, he is not above trying. It was initially suggested by him that a Ministry-appointed teacher of the subject be brought in to do so, alongside Miss Tonks; as is, he is currently satisfied with my reassurances that Remus is more than capable."

"Which you, yourself, have just stated is not the case," Severus pointed out, but, much as he did not want to admit it, it was hardly in his – or, rather, Harry and Grace's – best interests for Lupin to be cast out of his teaching post and removed from Hogwarts at this point in time.

A fact which Dumbledore was entirely aware of.

Not that Severus would be foolish enough, in the first place, to believe that this was merely a request.

"A syllabus which meets the new Ministry requirements, while maintaining the integrity of the school; I'm certain it is a challenge yourself and Remus can overcome," Dumbledore stated.

"Splendid. I shall be sure to prioritise that, over and above my duties on the field and Potter's occlumency schedule this Easter."

"Ah. There will be no need to trouble yourself on the latter of those, Severus. In fact, your focus ought to be entirely upon the field mission throughout the duration of the holidays. We are unlikely to have another such opportunity for close observation until the summer."

"I hardly think allowing Potter to go a full two weeks without these tutorials is wise at this time, Headmaster, particularly now that progress is actually being made."

"Quite right, Severus. I shall take over Harry's lessons for the duration of your absence."

Severus was silenced by the statement – an offer which Lily would be less than thrilled about, for certain – as it made perfect sense.

"Very well. If that is all?"

Dumbledore gave Severus a smile and a nod, another offer of a sweet, before Severus headed from the room – the Headmaster having got what he wanted, as ever.

The Dark Lord was likely to want to keep him close those two weeks of leave from his teaching responsibilities and, with the occlumency lessons taken care of, that, at least, meant there would be one less thing to be concerned with.

But there was another, somewhat, peculiar circumstance which also had to be dealt with regarding the holidays. A circumstance which – despite having been a father almost six years, now – Severus had yet to have to deal with.

XXX

"What with my expected absence and the Full Moon set to fall upon the Easter weekend –" Severus fired a curse, "– it makes the situation regarding Grace and Harry somewhat…undesirable."

"Undesirable," Regulus repeated with a grin and a quick, teasing lift of his eyebrows – obviously enjoying this – and Severus was quite happy to flick another curse his way, that the other only just managed to block.

Regulus' corresponding hex was blocked with ease.

"During these consultations with Lupin –" Severus blocked another hex, firing a curse back Regulus' way; "- I would be more than happy to enquire as to any available spots –" Severus cut off with a hiss, when a stinging hex got his arm, and shot a more ferocious one back; "- in his Duelling Tutorials, if you think that would be of benefit to you, Regulus?"

Regulus snorted, firing another spell his way and ducking to take cover from Severus' corresponding one; "Have to say, you're not doing a – umph!" Regulus was thrown onto his back – hit – but he recovered, quickly, and fired one, two spells Severus' way from where he lay on the floor – the second hitting the bookcase behind where Severus stood and, of course, blowing it up – which made him duck for cover.

"…a great job –" Regulus finished up, from where he was still sprawled on the ground; " – of convincing me here."

"Regulus," Severus said, straightening back up with a disapproving glare in the direction of the rubble-that-was-once-the-bookcase; "That was pathetic."

"Foolproof, actually. Confringo. It's never let me down yet."

Severus lifted his eyes heavenward, as Regulus got to his feet, wincingly.

"You will get nowhere if you do not break this juvenile habit."

"I'm using the environment to my advantage," Regulus said, with a sweeping gesture around the room, before grinning; "I call that holistic fighting."

Severus rolled his eyes.

"Harry and Grace, they're always welcome," Regulus finally put Severus out of his misery, walking in the direction of the desk in, seeming, defeat; "Malachi's birthday falls Easter weekend this year; timing's perfect."

"They cannot leave the premises. While Lupin's paternity of Grace has been an assumption easily made and swallowed by those at the Castle, we are not yet certain that the Dark Lord has followed suit. I'll know more at Easter but a suggestion that she and Harry have come to spend the holidays - even just a weekend - with you just might undo that progress."

"Then why send them? The professors remaining at Hogwarts surely wouldn't mind having Harry's sister accompany him for a few days until Lupin recovers. And Harry could keep Grace entertained. Or, more likely, vice versa," Regulus added the last with an amused, knowing smile.

"After what happened last Easter? Certainly not. Both need constant, adult supervision – someone whom Harry is willing to approach with honesty – and there will be no such person at the Castle that weekend."

Although, if one were to really think about, perhaps Harry would consider the Castle lacking in such a person even under normal circumstances. But Severus pushed that thought aside.

"No chance of Lily's recovery by then?"

Severus shook his head, even if he was reminded of the little spark of hope that Regulus had given him on arrival; "Even if she were to have regained full consciousness, she's unlikely to have been discharged. The full extent of her injuries will not be known until she wakes fully; even then, the care of Harry and Grace is unlikely to prove beneficial to her recuperation."

"Full house it is then. We'll make it a party," Regulus stated, clearly already warming to the idea of the Black Cottage filled with people that Easter. A rare occurrence, indeed.

Severus gave a nod of concession, or, he supposed, thanks before he indicated at the middle of the room.

"I hope you don't believe that was an adequate session."

Regulus poured a drink, smiling to himself as he did so.

"Oh. I'm just warming up."

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Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! It is great to be back.

This one was a little slow on the action front – more a teaser of things come!