V

Thank you very much, WriterMerrin!

Chapter V

Lily held the small book reverently. It had just arrived via owl mail. She had spent an entire month’s allowance to purchase it. She hoped that it would be worth it. She had spent the last two and a half years trying to figure out the enigma that was her mysterious tutor. She had studied every single book on non-humans in the Hogwarts library. She had discreetly asked Hagrid. She had even tried asking her tutor. He had frowned and flashed his fangs. She had thought to talk with the Merpeople on the subject, but the Giant Squid had had a different opinion. It was fortunate that Scorpius had managed to extricate her. There was also that other time when she had thought that the Creatures hunter passing through Hogsmeade might know the answer. She had been lucky once again to have been saved by Scorpius. Her venture to the Forbidden Forest to search for her tutor had also proved futile. She avoided remembering her other attempt that had ended before the Mirror of Erised. Seeing an older version of herself dressed in white next to a very handsome Scorpius Malfoy had shaken her.

After that incident, she had decided to keep her distance from Scorpius. It would not do for him to guess her infatuation with him.

…

Severus Snape slipped into Hogwarts. It was not for one of his tutoring sessions with the girl.

His past as a spy had taught him the value of good information. Since he had decided to involve himself in her life as a tutor and protector, he needed to know everything about her environment.

He had often justified his action to himself by thinking that he was doing this for the love of her grandmother. He was not delusional enough to also believe this. Lily Evans was nothing more than a sad memory anymore.

The aim of his visit this evening was to find out more about Scorpius Malfoy. The boy had seemed to be predominant in young Lily’s mind.

…

Draco fixed the covers over his sleeping wife. With tenderness he straightened a blond tendril that had fallen over her eye and nose. She was the best part of him. She had still been in school when they had first met at her sister's wedding. She had never held his past against him, not even back then. Even though there had been no legal sanctions against his family after the war, the first few years had been difficult. Still they had been better than the two years before the final battle. In his nightmares he could still hear the threats that Voldemort had made should he fail in his task. He had played them all so well. Threatening him with his parents’ wellbeing and his parents with their child’s.

People had often thought that his regret was for his role in Dumbledore’s demise. That was not true. He was sorry for many things and for his role in the war, but he had never forgiven the old man enough to feel sorry for his death. In his mind Dumbledore had been as bad as Voldemort. Dumbledore had used children in the war. Even the Muggles knew that this was reprehensible and forbidden. And those he had not used as his pawns and soldiers, those he had left to their fate. Dumbledore had known of his task, and yet for a whole year he had done nothing to help him out of the predicament. Had the old man approached him with a plan to hide his whole family, they would have willingly gone. He had known, but he had not helped, leaving him and many of his classmates to Voldemort. Once upon a time, becoming a Death Eater had been a choice, a bad one to be sure, but a choice nevertheless. In those last few years though, it was never a choice. It was blackmail. Just that. If you cared for your family, you did what the Monster dictated.

There were only two others who had ever understood. One dead one alive. Severus Snape and George Weasley. Poor George had never been able to forgive Dumbledore. The twins had been his most faithful soldiers. And in the end, they had been betrayed. Many had fought in the war against Voldemort, but the twins had fought for Dumbledore. Their faith and trust had been absolute. And yet, this wound was one that George had never shared with his family. They would not have understood. Arthur had simply shrugged the revelations about Dumbledore with a ‘we are all just humans, with human weaknesses’ comment. Draco had been the only one privy to George’s inability to forgive Dumbledore, since he shared it.

Astoria sighed in her sleep, and Draco placed a kiss on her cheek. He closed his eyes and returned to sleep.

…

Severus Snape finished his glass of blood. Vladimir would appreciate his experiments for improving the nutritional value of bottled blood.

His recent foray at Hogwarts was not without consequences. He had slipped into the Headmistress’ suite while she slept. She looked old and frail. The Bloody Baron had informed him that, while she wanted to retire, she had been unable to find a suitable replacement. He understood. Being Headmaster of Hogwarts meant holding the responsibility for the future of the wizarding world in your hands. This responsibility could easily be neglected or abused. He had decided to help ease her load until she was able to find her replacement.

Instead of just looking into the school files for information on Scorpius Malfoy, he had spent the night dismantling the protective wards of the school and then creating new ones supported by his life force instead of Minerva’s.

Theoretically, that should have not been possible, but the School recognized him as Head of Slytherin House and former Headmaster. He had also managed to take a look into Scorpius Malfoy's transcripts. He had feared that the boy would be as spoilt as his father had been.

However, young Scorpius seemed to be an excellent student and one his teachers adored. The only detentions he had ever got were for skirmishes with the Potters and Weasleys. He was angry to see that in many of these cases the boy had ended to the Hospital Wing hexed with malicious curses. Seeing this, it puzzled him why he was so kind to Lily. If the boy thought to take out his revenge on her, he would regret it. Severus Snape would make sure of it.

…

“Harry, what are you doing here so late? You have a wife back home. With all the children at school, you should be enjoying your evenings with your wife,” Kingsley commented lightheartedly to his friend.

“There is this case that I need to follow closely,” Harry replied.

“There is always a case. Go home to your wife,” Kingsley advised.

Harry avoided looking at the other man. Kingsley was one of his best friends. But he had never told anyone of how he felt nowadays regarding his marriage. There was nothing wrong per se. Sex was still good, but after twenty years with the same person, one required something more in a relationship than just a good fuck. He wished they would talk more about meaningful things. He was not interested in the latest gossip or the newest trend. But discussions on political reforms, religion, or international relations left his wife bored, and she refused to participate in them. And even after so many years, he still felt that she wanted something more from him. She had his heart, his body, his children. What more could he give her?

…

Lily closed the book. It had indeed held an answer. It seemed that her tutor was a vampire. That was surprising indeed. She would have guessed earlier, but everyone knew that vampires were close to extinct. It have been fifty years since the last sighting of a vampire. She would soon inform him that she knew what he was.