The school was too quiet. The students had all left for the summer and most of the teachers had followed suit. Dumbledore stayed behind in order to start up the Order of the Phoenix again. Five days ago Voldemort had returned and Severus had gone to him. Joanna had heard nothing from him since and feared the worst. Dumbledore insisted that she not worry about it, but it was hard to imagine anything but the worst.

Alastor Moody was still at the school, insisting he stay put until he knew exactly where the order was going, though Sirius Black had already made an offer of his childhood home. Dumbledore had considered all of a few seconds before accepting it, but Sirius had warned him that there was no place livable there as of yet so he and Remus Lupin were working to clear out the bedrooms, the kitchen, and the sitting room at the very least so that people could move in. When Joanna asked who, she was told by Alastor that the Weasley family would be staying there for the summer in its entirety, along with Sirius, Hermione, and Harry once they fetched him.

Alastor spent a lot of time talking with Joanna about the previous school year and her place in the priory. One afternoon they sat together in the teachers' lounge and he said, "I think it's time I realize I'm not young anymore. I need an apprentice. And heir or whatever you want to call it."

"A second in command," Joanna offered.

"Right. Listen, you're the cleverest person I have, you're young, energetic, and determined. Most of your peers are mostly in love with the job because they can cause trouble without retribution. I'm not saying they don't do their jobs," he added, "but they are out for themselves. You're out there for everyone."

It was clear Alastor was offering Joanna the seat at his right hand, so to speak, but she wasn't sure about it. After all, she hadn't had the opportunity to meet anyone who was a member of this group yet and wasn't even aware of who they were. She could have walked through the Ministry all day and passed a dozen or more and not realized it. All she knew was that the Priory acted act like the Aurors but with license to use whatever means to achieve their ends. They were undistinguishable in public and there were only about twenty members, and most were older than Joanna.

"Well, girl? Don't make me wait all day for an answer."

"Sir, I'm flattered, but I'm also pregnant. I'm not sure this is the time to be gallivanting around getting myself into dangerous situations."

Alastor gave a barking laugh and said, "You'd be learning about my job! The bookkeeping, the decision making, you won't be going anywhere near a duel for a long time."

Now if Joanna was nothing else like her father, she was determined to be successful. This was an incredible offer, and who was she to say no?

The door swung open creakily. Dumbledore had mentioned when he gave her the spare key that the place had been unchanged in the past thirteen years, but Joanna didn't expect to remember as much as she did. She stepped in and immediately the smell of dust and wine met her. She set down her bag and closed the door. The living room was exactly the same, with old furniture and bookcases floor to ceiling.

Room by room everything was familiar, but it was in fact different. Everything here was old and dusty. As she remembered it the house was clean and orderly and just…different. Joanna knew Severus had been back since then. Before he started training Joanna he summered here. But this place looked like it hadn't been touched for over a decade.

There was a creak down the hallway and Joanna's hair stood up on end. Joanna stepped quietly to hide at the living room wall around the corner from the corridor. There were footsteps coming, but they were light, almost like a cat. Joanna waited for a moment before jumping out from around the corner hands raised ready to cast a spell. But she shrieked a little before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Marvin," Joanna said breathlessly. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Master Snape came to the house and sent me here yesterday Madam." Joanna knelt down and hugged the little elf.

"I'm so happy to see you Marvin."

"As am I Madam."

Joanna closed her eyes and smiled into the short embrace and when she looked up, Severus was standing at the end of the hallway. Joanna let her mouth hang open and stood up slowly as he made his way toward her. She hadn't even realized it, but Joanna suddenly felt a tear roll down her cheek. She let Severus take her into his arms and for what seemed like hours he stroked her hair and they both cried.

"Come along," Severus finally said, flicking his wand and levitating her Joanna's bag toward them. "This is no place to discuss matters." Joanna followed him down the hall and watched as he opened a closet door on the left. She was about to say something witty, but Severus flicked his wand and the floor disappeared and stairs replaced it. He motioned for her to step down, which she did. Marvin followed and Severus came last, motioning his wand again so that there was now a staircase leading to a stone ceiling.

At the bottom was another door just like the closet door they had come through, and when Joanna opened it all she could do was smile. The door opened to an identical hallway, with an identical living room at the end. But everything here was clean and cozy. Maybe bright wasn't the word, but it was by comparison despite the slightly depressingly deep colors on the walls. This was the home she remembered living in for three months.

It was exactly as she remembered it. The living room, the kitchen, the dining room, workroom, bedrooms, even the bathroom hadn't changed. Severus helped Joanna unpack and while they did he explained about the spells he was using to keep this place a secret. He told her the house above was the decoy. Joanna had been brought here asleep when she first arrived all those years ago and she never left the house. When Severus brought her to the Ministry who turned her over to her father, Joanna had been asleep then too. She had had no idea that she was underneath another house. Severus described as he helped her settle that the upstairs was his childhood home. When Joanna asked how that could be considering his family's wealth, Severus answered simply that his mother squirreled away most of the gold they had in Gringott's, so his father couldn't get to it.

Afterward Marvin popped open a new bottle of wine for Severus and poured some pumpkin juice for Joanna as they changed into pajamas and tucked in for the night. While sipping a light elf-made sauvignon blanc Severus recounted the past week when Joanna asked, "So what exactly happened?"

"Everything went fine," Severus said. "I didn't think it would last as long as it would, but once I got there I just couldn't get away. At first it was just a big welcome back party. Lots of booze, and plenty of slutty women from the old days who still look exactly the same." Joanna gave him a look and Severus added, "I did nothing."

She laughed. "I know. Go on."

"After three days of that there was just meeting after meeting. Meeting with everyone, meeting one on one with the Dark Lord. When my time for that came I told him I was married to you. He trusts what I told him, about you being submissive to me in all things. Sorry but it's the only way I could see to get him to trust you. He knows you belong to me, and he knows you're with child. Anything he asks of you will go through me. Trust me he'll treat you with no more importance than Narcissa as long as I keep it that way."

Joanna nodded and snuggled into the blankets. "Well, I don't think any path would have been an easy one, but I do think we're both safer playing both fields. Are you worried about the things you'll be asked to do?"

Severus set his empty glass on the nightstand and sighed. "Mostly he asks for my help on poisons, but on the occasion that he asks me to do something a little more direct…I can't take another person under my wing. I barely convinced him of my motives to saving you." Severus slid beneath his own covers and kissed Joanna's forehead. "This will be more real than it was last time. It will be real this time."

The lights went off and Joanna made herself comfortable in Severus' arms once again, happy to have him back and all too aware of the trials she would be facing all too soon.

It didn't take long for the meetings to start. When Joanna and Severus weren't at the Order, Joanna was busy studying the business of the Priory and wizarding law with Alastor. Often times they would do this back to back and Severus could bring himself to be around Sirius longer than necessary so he would go on home and collect Joanna the next morning.

Severus didn't like this much, but at the same time, Joanna had given him a task to attend to that filled his days when he wasn't required to be at Voldemort's side, which for the moment numbered few. She had asked him to set up the back bedroom as the nursery.

He had a difficult time starting. Severus was about a step away from asking Narcissa for help, but he couldn't bring her into his true home, so it was out of the question. He did ask her advice, however, and she referred him to a shop in Knockturn alley. It was surprisingly bright considering the location. He must have messaged Joanna a hundred times that day. See, their wedding bands were connected and actually a tool to communicate. He asked her about color, he asked about theme, he asked about quilts for Merlin's sake. All she ever said was that green and yellow were neutral colors for boys or girls and that she was sure he would do just fine.

It took almost a month, but eventually Severus was pleased enough to show off the finished nursery. Joanna hadn't expected it done so soon, but as Severus did point out they would be starting on turning the work studio Joanna used for various activities and experiments at school into a nursery as well.

Joanna nearly cried when she saw it. Not because she was so pleased, mostly it was just that the walls were so dark. They were forest green and it pulled the whole room down into a gloom. Severus had chosen to decorate with frogs. Stuffed frogs, frog quilt, frog rocking chair. But all Joanna could see was the wall color. It was easily fixable, with just a flick of the wand, but she still teared up over it for the remainder of the afternoon.

That wasn't the least of the things they had to do in their spare time. Joanna needed a new wand. Apparently Nagini had snapped it in half so one afternoon they were off to Ollivander's shop. Joanna must have tried nearly a hundred wands over the course of two hours and none of them behaved for her. Finally Ollivander had to dip into his very special stores and pull out a few wands of rare make and quality. They did eventually find one that worked, a twelve inch ash wand with essence of dragon tongue. Tongue in wands was very rare. In fact the practice had been disbanded, but not before this wand had come into existence. According to the old man, this wand had already gone some forty years and had still not found an owner.

And then when Severus thought they could just finish out the summer vacation with relative ease outside of the constant meetings they were both in, an insistent Joanna woke him early one morning for an appointment at St. Mungos with a healer to determine the course of action for Joanna's pregnancy. Now Severus didn't really mind going, he simply did not enjoy being woken at six in the morning to get there by half past seven. He yawned widely as they stepped off the elevator one the second floor and headed down a short corridor in the Magical Bugs ward towards Healer Anderson's office.

Really there wasn't much going on that Severus couldn't handle, but over an hour Joanna and Anderson decided on a home birth at Spinner's End with only Anderson present. They decided on dimmed lighting, no spell or potion work for pain (at which Severus scowled and muttered something about Joanna being sorry about two hours in), and agreed on keeping the fireplace ready and connected to the hospital should something go wrong.

In retrospect Severus was relived and surprised at how well Joanna got along with the other wives of Death Eaters, particularly Narcissa. She even went maternity robe shopping with her, returning with several shopping bags and a big smile. "I can't believe you are so amicable with them," Severus said while he watched Joanna put her new clothes away.

"I don't think Narcissa is as bad as she seems. I think she was actually kind in a past life." Severus shrugged. Being friendly with the other spouses would do her well in keeping up this façade, so there was no need to get concerned. Besides, she was having fun.

Severus waited until they were both in bed that night before saying, "We're supposed to be at Black's place tomorrow evening for another meeting. Dumbledore called on me today to let us know we should both be there. Alastor will be there as well." Severus sighed. "And he also thought you might like to know the boy is being fetched tomorrow. Alastor would like you to arrive to the meeting early to take his place while he and a group go and fetch him."

"Oh, Harry," Joanna said, "I'm glad he'll be brought back. He doesn't belong with those horrid people you know. From what Dumbledore says they're absolutely terrible."

Severus nodded. "Well, if you're so fond of him, you might want to go even earlier than Alastor requested." Joanna gave him a questioning look. "Potter was attacked by a couple of dementors. His cousin was with him, so he produced a patronus and now the Ministry is slapping him with a hearing."

"Dementors? In Little Winging?" Joanna thought for a moment. There was no way the Ministry didn't send them, but all the same, she heavily shrugged. "It's not Priory business. I mean we help handle cases on breaking Wizarding Law before the Wizengamot, but it's only a hearing."

"Dumbledore has a reason to believe Fudge will make a bigger deal out of it than need be."

Joanna had been warned by Alastor of the specific nature of Priory cases. They were vigilantes, with the general blessing of the Wizarding government even if Fudge wasn't a fan of the arrangement. They looked into suspicious folks that the Ministry had no legal reason, or else a very frugal economical one, to touch them. They fought cases for the innocents who could not defend themselves. If Harry was going up against the entire counsel, chances are he would not know about it until the day, maybe not even in enough time to make it to his hearing.

"I'll see what I can do."

When Severus woke up the next morning there was a note on Joanna's pillow for him and her cloak was gone. She had left at the crack of dawn to head for the Ministry to visit a Priory member in the Hall of Records to collect the folder on Harry's case. Severus sighed and rolled over, going back to bed. Marvin could hold off on breakfast this morning.

It was just before six in the morning and Eric Reed was rubbing his eyes as he sat at his desk dimly lit among the stacks, large bookcases containing millions of documents. Everything from birth certificates to criminal records could be found in this cavernous room that was roughly the size of a large gothic cathedral. He lifted his head and adjusted his glasses at the sound of light footsteps.

Joanna Flamel Snape was approaching him and smiling. "You look terrible, Eric," she said when she reached the desk and set her bag down.

Eric stood and shook Joanna's hand. "You don't look much better." Joanna looked at her reflection in a sneakoscope on the desk. Her hair was a mess and there was no makeup on her face. She shrugged and smiled. "You are glowing though," Eric admitted, giving Joanna's small bump.

Eric sat back down and picked up a hefty open file from the desktop. "Got here at five to dig it out and copy it for you. Didn't read any of it, but from the looks the boy is in a world of trouble over nothing."

"That's what we're thinking. We'd rather Harry not have this record sealed based on lies. Eric, there's something else I need that I couldn't ask you about through the note last night. Severus was home, and I couldn't very well risk his seeing it if I had included it. I was wondering if there's any way I could get a hold of his criminal file as well?"

Eric sighed and said, "He has no basic records so I can only assume you want his…special records."

Joanna nodded. Eric stood up and together they entered the labyrinth.

The stacks were not only tall, but long and dimly lit by fairy lights hung from the ceiling. Eric said all the war records were kept in a separate place below the basic hall. They had to go all the way to the back and down a flight of stairs. As they walked, they talked about life and recent events. Eric was in his mid-twenties and probably Joanna's closest friend from the Priory.

"How's Jacob?" Joanna asked. "Last time I talked to you the two of your weren't getting along at all."

"Magic has a way of doing that," Eric shrugged. "He seems to be doing better about it. At least I'm not sleeping on the couch anymore." Eric and Joanna laughed. Wizards were just as controversial about homosexual relationships as muggles, but Eric had the added pressure of Jacob actually being a muggle himself. Eric had moved in with hid lover and then told him about being a wizard, against Joanna's advice. Though she was glad to hear things were going better, she knew Eric would have ended up on the couch for a time.

It took nearly ten minutes but they finally reached the stairs and walked down into a much small space. It was very dark, Joanna actually had to light her wand to see well enough to read the labels. The room was very claustrophobic compared to the hall above and everything was covered in dust. She searched until she found what she was looking for. It was a large envelope heavy with parchments of records. The sealed records on Severus Snape, November 5-November 15 1981.

She slid the envelope out and was about to turn and leave. When they were on their way back something jumped out at Joanna from a shelf in the profile stacks. A name: Thomas Riddle. Beside that was another name, Mary Riddle.

"Eric," she called, "What section is this?"

"Muggle Murders."

"Come here." Eric did and Joanna thrust Harry and Severus' files to him. "Hold these." She grabbed the first Riddle file and slit open the seal with her thumbnail. Eric moaned. He could get in big trouble for opening sealed records; Ministry policy. Joanna furrowed her brow and flipped through parchments, studying them. She was most interested in the name of the killer. Morfin Gaunt. She also took note of Morfin's place of residence. She knew Voldemort's father and parents lived in his now headquarters, and she knew their names. Voldemort was in fact the third Tom Riddle in a lineage, at least as far as Joanna knew. What no one seemed to know was Voldemort's magical lineage. Gaunt…hm.

"Eric, where are the death records? And the family tree records?"

"Two rows to the left." Joanna grabbed the Riddle files and followed Eric's directions. Her eyes were blazing and her mind was working feverishly. She looked until she found Gaunt. There were two death records on men. Morfin and Marvolo. Looking in the lineage records she found the gaunt tree and noticed that there was a daughter of Marvolo's by the name of Merope. Joanna thought for a moment and then looked through the missing persons records for the name. It didn't take long to find. Still there was something she didn't have, something that would tie these strands of thought together in her head. Tom Riddle II was apparently never married. Was she wrong? More likely she was missing something.

Joanna sat down and set aside the records. She sifted through them and opened the death report on Thomas II. There was a small note on the body examination stating long-term potion damage. And not just any kind of potion. The cuticles on his fingernails had evidence of love potion damage. It wasn't a well-known fact as cases were so few, but were someone under a love potion for years at a time, the subject's cuticles would start to take on a suspicious pinkish tone that would never go away.

She had it.

Eric was getting antsy. "Joanna it's seven and the Minister said he would be in as soon as I was open this morning."

But just as the words were out of his mouth the doors several hundred feet away and to the leftmost of the hall burst open. Joanna quietly gathered the files again as she heard Fudge shouting, "I know you're here, Reed! Door was open! Come now boy I need those files yesterday!"

Staying in the shadows, Joanna mouthed to Eric, 'what does he need?'

'Potter's file.'

'Another copy?'

'No. Taking original.'

"Reed!"

Eric whispered. "Stay here." He handed over the Potter and Snape files he was holding. "Potter's original record is four stacks down from here. I'll keep him talking so you can hear when we've past and you can slip out with your," he considered a moment, "seven original records. I know the Snape one is good as gone, but the others-"

"They'll be back by the time you close today. No one will know they were gone. Now go."

Eric fled the aisle and she could faintly hear him greet the Minister warmly. Joanna and Eric knew they couldn't get in any trouble for pulling files, Priory immunity from legality and all. But considering the content of the files Joanna was lifting it was better not to let the Minister in on the interests of the Priory or the Order, of which both Eric and Joanna were members. Better not let Fudge know anything unusual was going on this morning.

The Minister wasn't very chatty this morning, but he was interested in berating Eric for being slow to answering to his call, and as soon as his voice had traveled from the right side of Joanna's hearing to the right, she crept out from her aisle and calmly and quietly walked along the entrance to the stacks and past Eric's desk, grabbing her bag, and out the door. Eight folders and envelopes total. Six more than she intended to walk away with but what Joanna stumbled upon was as good as gold. She exited the Ministry, stuffing her treasure away and took the nearest entrance to the subway. She caught the train to the residential parts of London and then walked the four blocks to number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Molly was up making breakfast and Arthur, Sirius, and Remus were already enjoying coffee at the kitchen table. Joanna set her bag down on the table, saying, "Is Dumbledore here yet?"

Sirius nodded. "He's in the meeting room waiting for you. Would you like some juice before-?"

But Joanna was already rushing out of the kitchen. She reached the former sitting room and knocked once, entering immediately afterward before an answer could be made. Indeed Dumbledore was sitting at the table Sirius had brought in for meetings with the Prophet and when Joanna walked in he smiled and said, "Joanna, I didn't know you were going to be so late." He set aside his paper.

"When you see what I came across," Joanna said, "you will be glad I stayed in the Hall of Records so long." She opened her bag and lifted the records out and splayed them across the table. Dumbledore picked one up. "Severus' records from 1981?"

"Those are a gift," Joanna said, taking those back and putting them back in her bag. She picked up Harry's file, "These are for Harry's hearing, and the rest of these," she gestured to the rest of the sealed envelopes and open files, "are some very interesting records indeed."

Dumbledore sat down and let Joanna walk him through all the information she had uncovered. They looked through the parchments over and over again, trying to find a discrepancy, some fact that could disprove everything they were thinking. Lunch came and went, though Molly was generous enough to bring in sandwiches, and still they weren't leaving the room. It was verging on three in the afternoon and the two of them sat silently, taking in everything they had just learned.

"Are these original copies?" Dumbledore asked.

"They are. We can copy them and return the originals."

Dumbledore nodded and drew his wand. A few quick spells and there were two identical stacks of records sitting on the table. Dumbledore stood and lifted the first set in his arms. "I'll return these to Eric. I'm sure he's missing them."

"I could do it for you sir."

"No need. I am in fact very interested in following this story further."

"Further?"

"Yes, there was a name in Morfin's death records under criminal history summary and I am very interested to track him down. Bob Ogden." Dumbledore excused himself, and Joanna moved herself to the kitchen for better lighting and Sirius' company so she could study Harry's file more closely. If she was going to help get him cleared, Joanna was going to need to know everything that happened and everything the Ministry was going to say happened. The two of them closed off the kitchen to the Weasleys and anyone else who might come and go in the next few hours so as not to be disturbed.

They sifted through the file for two hours before they finally put the thick stack of parchment aside and sat in disbelief. It was worse than they thought. Instead of coming up with some cockamamie story as to WHY the dementors were where they were, the case file was making it sound like the Ministry was going to deny there were ever dementors there at all.

Joanna looked lost and Sirius looked irate. This was going to be harder than they thought. No file could be found saying dementors were sent out after someone else because there was no one else. Everything would have been done off the books and it was word against word.

"I can't go in for him Sirius," Joanna said. "I don't have enough understanding of the law." She looked at Sirius. "Dumbledore's going to have to go in himself."

Sirius gave Joanna a hug. "Don't worry, he'll come through." When they parted Sirius stretched and stood up to root through the pantry. "Best let the old man know he should talk to Mrs. Figg."

"And Mundungus?"

Sirius didn't even need to answer. As Joanna cleared the table and started to move on toward the sitting room where some other members had already arrived and gathered she excused her notion immediately. Dung was a drunk and a thief. Beyond that no one was sure he saw anything at all, and if he had, his credit wasn't worth much. Besides, marching him through the Ministry meant immediate imprisonment for him, and irritating as he was to have as a member of the Order, he knew the ins and outs underground and was useful enough. Mrs. Figg would have to do.

As more members arrived, Joanna noted a few close friends were missing beyond Alastor. He had taken Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius' cousin, Remus Lupin, Sturgis Podmore, Kingsley, and a few others Joanna had met so far. Oh well, she figured, Severus will be in a fairer mood with one less Marauder here.

Everyone was asking her how she was doing and commented on how much she was glowing, but Joanna didn't brighten up until Severus arrived. She smiled and took her seat beside him. "How did everything go today?"

Joanna shrugged. "There was good, and there was bad. And there was worse. Harry's in some real trouble over nothing."

"Is that the bad or the worse?"

"The bad."

"What was the worst?"

Joanna was hesitant to let Severus know what she and Dumbledore had read through for most of the day. He would want to be filled in immediately, and this was neither the time nor the place.

Dumbledore came in and started to settle everyone. Joanna leaned into Severus' ear and whispered, "How much do you really know about the origins of Tom Riddle?"

Halfway through the meeting Alastor and the others had returned, and when it was over many of the Order started to depart. Severus and Joanna lagged behind to speak with Dumbledore.

"I did find Bob Ogden," Dumbledore said. "Good thing too, he was very old and dying of dragon pox in St. Mungos. Caught him just before he went."

"What did he tell you?" Joanna asked.

Dumbledore drew a small vial from his sleeve containing a wispy sort of substance. It was a memory. Dumbledore briefly described to Joanna and Severus the contents of the memory. The couple was shocked. The headmaster continued on, saying, "I have spent the better part of the afternoon reviewing what I personally know about Tom and other memories that have been entrusted to me over the years. I think, Joanna, you have provided quite a crucial bit of information. I know Tom's history from his birth to now, but the proof of his lineage was rather questionable. You have justified his rite, or at least the rite he feels he has, as the heir of Slytherine." Dumbledore pocketed the vial again. Smiling he concluded, "Now we know."

"At least we know as much as he does," Severus put in.

Dumbledore nodded. Severus was itching to conclude this conversation so he could take his wife home. "So now we have the whole picture. When are you going to start telling Potter about all this? He'll need to know at some point."

"Not now, Severus," Dumbledore responded. "I think he has quite enough going on in his mind at the moment. When the time is right, Joanna, I think I shall want your help." Joanna nodded and bid the headmaster farewell as he left the sitting room.

Severus pulled on his cloak saying, "I am stared. How about we go home and ask Marvin to make a nice stew for dinner?"

Joanna shook her head. "Are you nuts? Harry just arrived. He's going to want answers."

Severus was cautious, not wanting to upset Joanna and the case of the green nursery crossing his mind. "Darling, it's late. You must be hungry and you need your rest."

"Molly's making dinner right now and Sirius said I could stay over anytime." She could see Severus' face darkening. She took his hand and smiled. "The boy needs as many opinions here tonight as possible."

"The others can handle it."

"I want to help them handle it."

Severus was losing patience. He knew he shouldn't but he found himself raising his voice. "Fine! Go ahead then! I know you'd rather spend your time here than with me alone in our house anyway! That's why you still have your father's house! So you can escape whenever you want!"

Joanna rarely got upset when Severus was in a mood. Despite being overly sensitive now was no different. Actually quite different indeed. She was cold with an even tone when she answered, "You know sometimes being around other people I haven't seen in some time, laughing and sharing news instead of enduring the surprisingly pleasant company of those I'm trying to hoodwink or sitting at home with you while you brood over this and that worry is quite simply more attractive an evening activity."

She opened the door and began to leave, but turned around to add, "And I kept the house because it is a three floor townhouse and yours is a one floor ranch. Should this family expand more than we are currently expecting it would be nice to not have to pay for a new house."

Joanna stalked into the kitchen and toward the table, not entirely certain why there was a knife sticking out of it. She assumed it had something to do with the twins. Molly had warned her that they were using their wands for every little chore since they were officially of age. Joanna pulled the knife out and sat down heavily. "Everything all right?" Remus asked.

Joanna shook her head and laid it acoss her arms propped on her table, knife still in one hand. Muffled, she answered, "He can be so stifling." She lifted her face again and Remus was sitting beside her. "He's throwing himself into this double life, as well he should, but he spends more time making face for them instead of letting me be true to me. Honestly if I'm not at home I'm here or at Priory headquarters and it's not like any of them know that."

She had been talking with her hands and the knife had come close to Remus' nose once. The werewolf gently wrested the knife from her and set it aside. Joanna blushed and Sirius laughed. "Cabin fever, huh?"

"You have no idea," Joanna said exasperatedly. "I told him to tell anyone who calls and I'm not home that I've gone and started sleepwalking again and need my rest. It's not like it's not possible."

Sirius nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Remus sighed and laid a hand on Joanna's shoulder. "He's not my favorite person, but I know you wouldn't have married him if he couldn't be understanding. He stifles because he worries."

"I know." Joanna nodded and said, "I think I'll spend the night here and hope we've both cooled off in the morning." As everyone was coming to the table for dinner that Molly was now setting down upon the table, Harry slide into the chair beside Joanna. The young witch smiled and turned to him. "So, how many dementors were there?"

"You know about that?" Joanna nodded and Harry sighed. "Two. I didn't know what else to do."

"You did everything right Harry. Don't worry it'll all come out right."

Joanna didn't say much during dinner but she had plenty to say afterwards. Molly didn't want Harry to be told anything about what was going on. Sirius was ready to spill everything. Molly and Sirius were a half step away from smacking one another before Joanna jumped in. The thing was that Dumbledore knew Harry would need to know more than the others considering he had more at stake (though the boy really had no actual idea of how much). Then it was discussed that the twins were adults and they should stay, and Harry would blab to Ron and Hermione so they should be allowed to listen in as well. A defeated Molly ordered Ginny up to bed and the discussion could finally begin.

Harry really just wanted to be caught up. Joanna didn't feel keen on actually saying much, but did explain a little what the Priory was working on as Alastor was really just supervising what was being said at Dumbledore's request. She descended into silence again until Sirius started talking about the weapon Voldemort was after. "Sirius," she warned him. But she had cut him off, and so concluded for him, "Something he didn't have last time."

That had been quite enough for Molly. She sent everyone to bed, and Remus walked upstairs behind Joanna after them. Remus' room had a spare bed so Joanna would bunk with him for the night. As they took turns turning their backs to change into nightclothes, or in Joanna's case, one of Remus' night shirts, they talked.

"I don't suppose you've seen much of Voldemort yet."

Joanna slipped into the shirt and stepped out of her robes. She picked them up and folded them neatly as she spoke. "Well, no. He's not much interested in having me around while I'm pregnant according to Severus. Chances are when the baby comes that will change. Just because we have the illusion of control over wither he tries to use me or not is precisely that: and illusion. We don't have much of a say." She draped her sky colored robes over a chair. "Ready?'

"Yeah." They both turned around and slid into their respective beds. Joanna tied her hair into a ponytail and snuggled in for the night.

She woke up before Remus the next morning and dressed quietly. Molly was in the kitchen just starting to gather things for breakfast. She asked Joanna to stay but she refused and grabbed her cloak to leave. In five minutes she was Apparated back to Spinner's End and standing just before her front door. Joanna opened it with her key and stepped inside. The upper house looked the same as always, but inside the closet where the stairs started, Joanna came upon white rose petals. They led all the way down the stairs and into the hallway below.

She followed them into the living room. There she found Severus sitting up in the armchair and the entire room was covered in roses. Roses in vases, bouquets on the mantle, petals covering the floor, everywhere she looked was roses. Severus noticed her and stood up, smoothing his robes and saying, "I was up all night conjuring. I'm sorry, Joanna. The next time you feel you need some honest company to discuss…I don't know, Witch Weekly or complain about my oversized ego," they both laughed a little. "Please feel free. I don't want to trap you."

Joanna set down her cloak and her bag and walked into Severus' arms. When she pulled back she said, "I have something for you."

She retrieved her bag and pulled out the file she had rescued from the crypt of the Hall of Records. "I was going to save it for your thirty-fifth birthday but I don't think I can wait."

She handed over the file. Severus sat down and stroked it for a while, finally saying, "I've read this before. Dumbledore brought a copy once."

Joanna sat on the arm of the chair. "What did you do with it?"

"Burned it. There can always be another copy made."

Joanna leaned in close. "Well, not if you burn this one. This is the original."

She stood up again and headed toward the hall. "I'm going for a nap. Remus snores." Before she could disappear, Severus stood and asked, "What should I do with this?"

Joanna shrugged. "Whatever you want. It's your history."

When she was gone, Severus considered the records in his hands for a moment. Then he turned and tossed them in the lit fire. He hadn't felt like such a clean soul since he rescued Joanna almost fourteen years ago.

"She horrendous," Joanna said for the hundredth time in the evening. She was referring to the new Defense professor, appointed by Fudge. He had appointed Dolores Umbridge, the roiling harpy herself. "You know she's going to take over this school."

Severus was brushing his teeth in the bathroom before they went to bed in their school quarters while Joanna stood in the work studio across from the bedroom. There was no way she could make this into a nursery. It was a small workroom.

Severus spat out his Sparkledent toothpaste and stuck his head out the bathroom door to shout down the hall. "She doesn't have the right to change anything here." He stuck the toothbrush back in his mouth and started polishing again, speaking in garbled syllables, "She had no authority." Severus disappeared back into the washroom to finish up.

"She doesn't," Joanna called back, exiting the workroom and walking down the hall, "but Fudge does. She's going to give him ideas and this school is going to suffer having her eyes inside its walls."

Joanna leaned against the door and watched Severus wipe his mouth on his towel. "The work studio is too small for a nursery."

"We could commission Dumbledore to expand."

"Or we could turn the study into the nursery. The sitting room is the one with the fireplace anyway, and there's more than enough empty shelf space for the study's texts. We can move the desk in too. I'll use the sitting room for what I do and you can have the work studio." They lumbered down the hall together arm in arm. "Besides," Joanna added, "I'm not mixing up elixirs anymore, it should be your space. I need a work desk not a workshop."

"Deal," Severus said, shutting the bedroom door behind them. "So long as you don't leave me to the decorating this time. Remember this is the room that really counts."

Joanna nodded and slid into bed beside Severus.

Just as Severus turned on the fairy lights the next morning, there was a flash of flame at the end of the bed and when it disappeared Fawkes, the headmaster's phoenix was there. It laid a scroll of parchment on the quilt and disappeared again in another blaze. Joanna reached for it and when she unrolled it she let out a groan. Severus took it form her with a quizzical furrow in his brow. It read:

Joanna,

I realize it is early, but I must ask you to meet me in my office this morning after breakfast during the first class period. There are some things I would like to discuss with you.

Albus

"What do you suppose?" Severus asked.

Joanna rolled over and closed her eyes against the smoothed stone walls. She opened them again and looked at the new tapestry on the wall. It was a shifting tapestry. Severus had enchanted it himself. It could reweave itself to show numerous places. One was the Ministry lobby. Another was St. Mungos. Spinner's End, Joanna's father's house, along with a half dozen other places…They could jump right into it and get to any of these places. A nice substitute of not being able to Apparate inside the grounds. For the time being, she could see Spinner's End and the small garden in the backyard Joanna had started that summer. The sunflowers really were growing beautifully.

"I think he wants me to keep an eye on Umbridge and her classes discreetly," Joanna surmised as they were getting dressed. Joanna decided to wear something comfortable for the day so she donned some muggle jeans, a long sleeve shirt and a sweater. As she was tying her hair back, Severus, already dressed, walked in with the mail he paid Filch to bring directly to the room. "I think it might have something to do with this as well." He held a magazine out to Joanna. She took it and immediately smacked her hand to her forehead. The cover of Witch Weekly, as it was every fifth first-week-of-September issue, was announcing its highlight of the top hundred most influential witches of the past five years. And smiling on the front her name scrolled in gold lettering was Joanna.

It was an older photograph. An old Prophet picture from the year Joanna graduated when she was announced to be the most likely to succeed.

As it turned out it was a bit of both the headmaster wanted.

"I suppose you've already guessed I would like you to keep an eye on Dolores." Joanna nodded. "And I also have a request of you regarding your recent honor."

"Witch Weekly you mean."

"Yes. I was rather hoping I could ask this at some point, and wasn't sure if you were up for it at your age, but we've been meaning to add a new curriculum to the school. Elective for third years and up, you know."

"What's the venture?"

"Well, we find that Hagrid is more than a sufficient teacher for Care of Magical Creatures, however since he took the job there has been a flux of instruction on more dangerous creatures and less on the more common ones. I was wondering if you would be interested in teaching a sort of joint class on Magical Creatures. Hagrid can take a certain list and you can take a certain list; divide the creatures you know. And anyone who chooses to stay with the course after third year can switch teachers for the second and after that choose to work with one professor for the rest of their time here." Dumbledore smiled widely. "Besides, most Priory members have cover jobs and you as of yet do not. And if it goes well you can stay as long as you would like."

Joanna folded her arms. Albus had not forgotten it seemed all the creatures her father used to bring home when she was a child. There was even a time he purchased a newly hatched dragon for its products and it was nearly the size of a baby elephant by the time he conceded to ship it off. While Potions was Joanna's strong point for obvious reasons of talent and a special connection with the teacher, she had been just as successful with Magical Creatures and had plenty of experience working with them from her alchemy training.

"I suppose this will keep Umbridge from wondering why I'm here, won't it?"

"Indeed it will."

Joanna hesitated. Then she said, "I want the tower on the seventh floor."

Severus was seeing the final student out of his second period class when Joanna arrived and walked right past him, finally slumping into the comfortable chair at the back of the room. Severus closed his door and weaved through the desks. "So what happened?"

"I am now Professor Flamel-Snape."

Truthfully Joanna was glad to have so many things to do to take her mind off the daily bad news Alastor would send to her by various forms of post. More disturbing occurrences, strange behaviors, etcetera. He even asked her advice on a better way to keep an eye on the Department of Mysteries, but honestly there was no better way. Stationing random people at the entrance was not the best idea, and Joanna was sure someone would get arrested before long, but what could they do? Joanna had another idea that got shot down immediately. A transfiguration into something else other than a random person in the corridor, Alastor said, would be better but if something should happen it would take too much time to change back and do something. Still, Joanna was of the opinion that it would be better to try and stop a thief inside than start a scuffle outside. Then again, Alastor wasn't retiring from the Priory yet.

Either way, Joanna had a good time setting up her office and classroom. Admittedly it wasn't so much an office as it was a lounge. There was a large fluffy sofa against the wall with a coffee table sitting before it. She added a fireplace and two other comfortable chairs. There was a radio and on a bookcase was an array of books Madam Pince had in storage on various beasts from classes A to E, some spare textbooks and there was even a self-updating encyclopedia. Irma had put it away when she purchased a newer version for the school that wasn't falling apart. Magical books were difficult to repair, but Joanna figured she would try her hand from time to time. She had decided to call upon some old clients of hers for smaller animals of the rarer varieties, but the simple things were creatures she could easily acquire through a menagerie or else catch herself in the forest. She looked around at the warm comfortable environment she had created and smiled.

The classroom on the lower level of the tower was not quite so bright, but it was comfortable. She did not believe in desks much, particularly not for studying something such as an animal. She would have students getting up and bumping each other trying to attempt their hand at something all lesson. Instead she did a similar trick with her office and put in four large sofas around an entire wall and two half walls in her classroom. Behavior studies as an applied science required no books, and if she did need for them to read something likely she would hand out copies from articles in her office books.

There was a small broom cupboard in the corner, in which Joanna stored towels, first aid items, spare dragon hide gloves, and other things she could think of in case something did happen. She would be ready by the time the second week of school started.

One thing that did bother Joanna was that Hagrid hadn't returned from his assignment yet so Professor Grubbly-Plank was taking over for the time being. Not that she had a problem, the professor was a lovely woman, but she insisted on teaching about such…nice things. Not everything you meet will be nice or even moderately manageable. It isn't good to only do dangerous creatures like Hagrid, but Joanna was certain it would be no better doing the precise opposite.

Joanna quickly came to find she enjoyed the classes. The students were all third and fourth years now, as anyone else would be following the old system for the Magical Creatures class. They were still open minded and many were not endowed with that terrible teenage chip on their shoulder as of yet.

Having set a schedule with Grubbly-Plank, Joanna started her first lessons with a rather nasty little creature, but not the most dangerous by far if you knew how to catch them: tooth fairies. It sounded cute, and indeed they looked it, but a tooth fairy could eat a bird alive in minutes if it so desired. A clan of them could eat a cow…or a person. They were named because they fed on calcium rich parts, which could be found in everything from bones to organs, but they primarily went for teeth before anything else, hence the name.

Erring on the side of caution, Joanna decided to start with comprehensive lessons on anatomy and nature of the third century pixies in the first week before bringing one in. Madam Moss from the menagerie in Diagon Alley was able to get her hands on one from a Knockturn competitor who had had it shipped straight from Germany only a week before and ship it to the school.

Of course it didn't take long for Umbridge to get to work. One of the first things she did was make herself the High Inquisitor. Now what precisely that position was, no one seemed to know, since it had never existed. Basically in the event something could not be taken care of or else was being refused to be taken care of by the headmaster, it became the Inquisitor's job, along with reporting everything to the Minister and visa versa. In fact, she was conducting class observations. Plenty of people would do well, Joanna figured, but she was concerned about a few of them. Sybill Trelawny, for example, was in most senses a fraud. Dumbledore said once that she had had two predictions before of merit, but no more than that. Mostly she just tried to over act through her classes to make up for a lack of greatness that her great grandmother had.

Another person Joanna was concerned for was Hagrid. He wasn't back yet, and though Grubbly-Plank was perfectly capable in the eyes of Ministry protocol, Hagrid would return and there was not a snowball's chance in hell he would pass with the old toad.

Which brought Joanna certain concern for herself. Not only was she a new teacher but her classroom style was unlike any indoor class there was in the school. And she doubted hearing the student call her by her first name would chuff the woman much. Still, it wasn't like Joanna to lay down for the Ministry and she wasn't going to start now. Not that Severus didn't have reservations about it.

"You must think the way she does. She has the right to sack you." Severus and Joanna were speaking during a break in the school day. As it were, Joanna only had four classes a week, since the fifth years on up were being unaffected by the new system, so she almost always had time when Severus did. Minerva McGonagall was also in the teacher's lounge with them. She stood and said, "Well if you ask me, Joanna should do exactly as she always does. I'm not even going to be trying to make this woman comfortable here, and that includes bowing to this woman in any way."

Minerva left and Joanna smiled. "See, she's not going to try and guess what pleases that stupid cow."

"She had tenure. You don't."

Joanna sighed and slouched into her armchair, watching Severus scan his essays and award grades. She drew small circles on her growing belly and said, "You're not worried?"

"No, why?"

"You know she's going to ask about your yearning to teach Defense. She'll ask you why you haven't been awarded the position for the-" Joanna stopped and counted, "sixteen years you've been here."

Severus didn't respond. He knew damn well she would poke a stick at him for it. There was hardly anyone more qualified to teach the subject so she couldn't very well sack him. He was more worried about Joanna.

Much the same as Minerva had done, Joanna was perfectly in her own personality under scrutiny. Even when Umbridge made a note on the classroom the second she walked in, and gave Joanna a rather disapproving look when she unveiled to the class a diricawl in a cage. She donned her dragon skin gloves and reached into the cage to tie the bird's leg with a length of leather to keep it from getting away, as it could apparate at any time is so chose regardless of the charms on the school.

Each student took a turn getting the dodo, thought to be extinct by muggles through it's little ability to disappear, to step onto their gloved arm much as a hawk handler would and worked on the most efficient way to tie the bird off so as not to stress it. It wasn't easy, the bird was about the size of an American eagle though built much studier. The whole thing went rather well until the final student. Apparently the bird had had enough and started ruffling his feathers, getting restless. Joanna took him over, but while she was getting him in the cage, the leather strap got loose and the bird struggled out of her grasp, one of it's talons scraping along Joanna's arm. It disappeared in a puff of feathers.

"Well, that's that then. Off you go."

The students were on their way out and Joanna went to fetch her first aid box. She brought it to the table in the front of the room and opened it, extracting a small bottle of ointment. Umbridge approached her and said, "That could have happened to one of the students, Miss Flamel."

Joanna smiled, "Mrs. Flamel-Snape, Dolores, and it could happen to anyone. Magical creatures carry a range of danger and it's unwise for students to only learn about the safe ones. How else will they know what to do when a dangerous one comes along?"

"And you're not concerned about you ability to teach this class with such dangerous beasts in your condition."

Joanna said, "I don't see how my pregnancy has anything to do with my ability to teach," and uncorked the vial roughly. She plugged the top with her left index finger. "And I hardly think it's any of your business, much like how the running of this school isn't any of the Minister's business." Umbridge scratched something on her pad and as Joanna uplifted the bottled to wet her appendage with the potion inside, the old toad said, "And don't you find that their seating arrangement is distracting?"

"No," said Joanna shortly as she put the bottle back on the table with a clink. "In fact, it conducive to this kind of class. They learn from Hagrid out on the grounds where larger creatures or those who strictly must stick to being outdoors can be brought in, but in here we need the space to be as open as possible when I bring things in, and desks are simply a…clutter." She dapped the small cut on her inner arm, halfway up from her elbow. It really was little more than a cat scratch.

"One more thing, Miss Flamel. You allow the students to call you by your first name. Why is that?"

Without looking up and while packing away the supplies, Joanna responded, "Because I'm twenty-two years old, and I don't enjoy feeling any older."

"You'll be sacked," Severus said over dinner that night.

Joanna shrugged and responded, spearing a snow pea pod, "It doesn't matter. This course is an experiment and I have another job anyway."

"Still, she's going to make you pay for that. Minerva is a thorn in her side, but at least she's conventional, and she's been here forever. Like I said, tenure."

Severus was certainly thinking it, but he dared not say anything to Joanna. He was concerned about the baby. If there was anything Dolores would physically do Joanna to get back at her, the baby would also suffer.

Joanna sighed and looked around the former study. The nursery was finally finished, and in not too soon a time. She was nearly nine months now, and only had until the end of the month to make sure everything was in order.

Joanna had chosen yellow for this nursery. She thought it brightened the entire living space that had walls covered in deep saturated colors much like the house at Spinner's End was. She vowed to color at least one room there cerulean blue in the summer. Everything was there: a crib, rocking chair, dresser. Joanna had bought many onsies that were neutral in color and style, mostly greens and yellows, but she also got her hands on an orange one she rather liked and, at the suggestion of Narcissa Malfoy, found a nice placid aqua that seemed appropriate for either a boy or girl.

Joanna was more than ready to have the baby. She wanted to meet the tiny imp that had been kicking her in the stomach. Severus was a nervous wreck. Sometimes Joanna would gasp at something she read and he would bolt out of his chair in a nervous frenzy. Though he should have been more relaxed. Things were getting done faster than usual in the quarters, since Joanna had excused the school elves from caring after the place and brought Marvin in. She would need him, she said, for the next term. Severus was uneasy about leaving an infant in Marvin's care, but Joanna insisted that when she was quite young before she and her mother were sent off to Godric's Hollow, that her father had Marvin do precisely that for her.

In the meantime, things had not improved with Umbridge. Actually they had gotten even tenser. One afternoon Joanna had turned the classroom into a tropical oasis for a particularly intriguing serpent from Asia. Needless to say the temperature was exhausting. The students all emerged for lunch glistening with sweat and shirttails un-tucked. As they passed Umbridge she had the audacity to flick her wand toward the band of students and tuck in their shirts for them. Joanna proceeded to instruct them to make themselves comfortable and followed Dolores down the hallway.

"They are in lunch now, Dolores, they can dress how they want outside of class."

"While I'm at it my dear," Dolores flicked her wand at Joanna and her seemingly simple and unassuming muggle shirt turned into a turtleneck sweater. "Best keep those things away from prying eyes. Wouldn't want a so called 'slip of the nip' to happen, dear.'"

Students who were passing on their way to lunch stopped in their tracks. Joanna could not speak. It was not often she was at a loss for words, but it was as it was. Dolores proceeded to continue her way down the hall, back to Joanna and humming a rather irritating tune. Something someone who was rather pleased with themselves would hum.

Joanna reached for her own wand and flicked it toward Umbridge, who inexplicably dropped her papers. When she bent over to pick them up, the seam at the back of her dress split open…and kept splitting. It kept going and Dolores was seen by students and teachers alike running down the hall way as the hem and back of the dress separated completely, revealing a salmon colored slip.

When Joanna finally sat down beside Severus for lunch, he said, "I saw that." Joanna changed her shirt back and reached for a grilled cheese sandwich. "I didn't do anything. She insulted something about my body that I have no control over and beyond that I have no patience for vulgar scrutiny."

Severus considered a moment. "What?"

Joanna lowered her voice. "She commented on the size of my breasts. Honestly, they don't fit into a damned thing, I've gone from practically preteen to playboy and there's nothing I can do about it."

While Severus had no idea what 'playboy' meant, he caught the gist of it. "You still shouldn't have done that."

"All I did was make her drop her papers. The split happened on its own."

"But the continuation of splitting did not."

Joanna didn't answer because she had no defense. He was right. Joanna was wrong to have done something like that, but Dolores was worse to have commented on the breasts of a professor openly while she was pregnant. In Joanna's mind she got everything she deserved.

And she would have liked to say as much at dinner, when it came around. Only Severus sat between Joanna and Umbridge. The meal had passed quite silently, until an argument broke out at the Slytherine table. Dumbledore was skipping dinner that evening so Severus had to retreat from his place and solve the matter. In the meantime, Dolores said sweetly to Joanna, "You owe me for the cost of the repairs on that dress."

"I owe you nothing. You made a fool of my condition."

"You made a fool of my reputation."

"Not much to make a fool of really. Your reputation is deplorable."

"I don't think you want to be saying such things."

Joanna finally looked up from her plate. "You underestimate your power here, Dolores. If you keep it up someone is going to run you out of this school."

"Really. Would that be you?"

Joanna would have thought more carefully about this statement if she had known what would transpire afterward. "You, Dolores, are a disease in this school. Diseases are meant to be run out from the body they are attempting to destroy."

The argument at the Slytherine table was still going. There was no other head of house, nor was there even a former house member aside from Joanna, so she heaved herself up and began to walked down from the staff table, but as soon as she did there was a slight whooshing sound from behind her. Joanna turned and saw the hourglasses holding the gems depicting house points. Some of the emeralds in the Slytherine glass were retreating back to the top half. Severus had docked points. He hardly ever did so form his own house. He must have resolved the matter that way when he saw Joanna getting herself up.

She waited for him and they returned to the table together, descending back into silence and finishing their meal.

Later, in their quarters, Joanna felt ill. Thinking it was nothing, she took an extra blanket and retired early. Severus was concerned, but excited. Perhaps tonight was the night. He couldn't sleep so he stayed up and read in the sitting room and checked on Joanna every hour or so. By one in the morning when he looked in on her, she was burning hot to the touch.

Severus was about to go to floo Healer Anderson when he noted something very strange. Joanna's nails had taken on a distinct shadow of color to them. They were turning black. That was a sign of poison. Severus grabbed a book from the bedroom shelf and grabbed Joanna up in his arms. She didn't wake up. Severus fluttered the tapestry on the wall from the bottom right corner and it changed to show Dumbledore's office. The headmaster was up, reading. He stepped through and walked to the couch in the corner of the room. He lay her down as Albus asked, "Severus, what's happened?"

"She's been poisoned."

Dumbledore got a wet cold cloth for Joanna's head and Severus sat in a chair beside the couch and thumbed through his book looking for poisons that had a side effect of blackening nails. There were many possibilities, all of them very rare and most of them accompanied by fever. With no other symptoms, it was impossible for Severus to guess.

"She needs to go to St. Mungos."

"Can't you do anything for her Severus?"

Severus looked to Albus and slammed the book shut. "No, I can't. I don't have a definitive answer, or the proper time to make a testing serum. The hospital has them ready made in spades."

Albus didn't look pleased. "Severus…my heart goes out to you, but you must understand that this must be handed very carefully. Umbridge will never admit to doing this, but she will report it to Fudge, perhaps plant the seed of blame in your backyard. If an investigation is started here it will reach into your past. Severus if you're locked up it will be a great disadvantage to the Order. It could cost us hundreds of lives."

Severus stood, but he could not speak for a moment. When he collected his thoughts, he said, "Sir, am I hearing you correctly? You would rather Joanna die to possibly save a few hundred strangers."

Dumbledore was walking back to his desk. "The lesser of two evils, Severus."

"You're supposing something we have no proof of! Has Sybill told you that if I take her out publically like this we will cause hundred's of causalities? No! You can't afford to lose, and neither can Alastor! And I can't afford to lose her! I tell you I cannot save her here! I need to get her out of here now!"

There was a knock on the door to the office. Minerva poked her head in when Dumbledore beckoned. "Ah, Minerava. And…ah." She had led Harry in after her. And Ron Weasley as well. Minerva informed the headmaster that potter had had a nightmare, but when Harry insisted it was different from that, Dumbledore halted him a moment.

Severus was interested in hearing about the dream, but he had to get to the hospital. He rushed to the couch and scooped Joanna up in his arms. He walked to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of powder from a pot on the mantle. Severus threw it into the flames and as they turned green he stepped into it and calling out "St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!"

As they spun in the shaft together Severus prayed to Merlin that it wasn't too late for the baby…or for Joanna.