Chapter Nineteen

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling's stuff. I own nothing here except the plot. Alas, no money is being made. This is for entertainment purposes only. Happy reading!

A big thanks goes to my beta, Charmed Nay, and I would also like to thank GinnyW for helping me go through this a second time and dusting it off.

Draco finished using the loo and buttoned his trousers only to find that the elder Higgs had come in. "I don't like you, boy," the old man rasped. "Your father isn't worthy of the title Death Eater, and you aren't either. I would be very careful if I were you."

"I don't really give a damn what you think of me, and I believe that you, Higgs, should be the one that is watching his back," Draco said with a sneer. The audacity of the old bloke trying to intimidate him! "Your new Lord looks upon the Malfoys with favor. Same as your last Lord. Idiotic Voldemort!"

The old man lashed out swiftly, bringing the back of his hand across Draco's face. Draco pushed the old man back. Before he realized what was happening, the old man began hopping back wildly, trying to avoid Harry's snake, Loony. Higgs fell hard, hitting his head on the wall. The snake slid over as if to inspect. Its face was right in the old man's when he opened his eyes. Draco laughed at the old man's expression of extreme horror. The snake's forked tongue tickled the man's nose as if tasting him. Suddenly, the man began to twitch violently, and he clasped a hand to his chest. "What the fuck? It's not going to eat you," Draco said incredulously. The old man stopped moving, eyes open but unseeing. Draco couldn't believe it. The man was dead. "Shit." How would he explain this to Harry? He prodded the man's body with his foot. Nothing.

"He's gone, Draco," said an all too familiar voice.

"Tonks?" he asked, looking around. Then he noticed that the wall seemed to be moving. With a whispered spell, the woman appeared before him.

"Wotcher, Draco. Had a Disillusionment Spell on. Saw and heard the whole thing. What are you doing here? Where is everyone?" she asked, checking the old man to be sure he was actually dead. The snake seemed to not care about the sudden appearance at that moment. It began slithering back in the direction they had come from.

"Down low in some secret dungeon," Draco said quickly. "Harry is pretending to be the new Dark Lord. He's gaining their trust. I think that he wants Bella to come up with a counter hex for Luna's problem. He's sent Hermione back to Hogwarts."

"I've seen to Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, taking his charm off.

"How many are here?" came Moody's gruff voice. Draco flinched. The man didn't lift his Disillusionment Charm, but it appeared that the wall was breathing just to his left.

"There is Snape, my father, Harry, Bellatrix, Rabastan, Mulciber, Antonin, Stebbins, and Travers' body is there. Nagini and this other snake took him down." Draco hoped that this admission would not get Harry in trouble. "I think he tried to attack Harry, so the snakes attacked when nobody was looking."

"Is that right?" Moody asked.

"Er... yes," Draco answered.

"Leave him be," another voice said. Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared after he broke his enchantment. "The others will be suspicious if they don't return. What should we do?"

"I won't risk Draco. They won't come quietly." Dumbledore seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Are they all armed?"

"Yes, except for Rabastan. Harry broke his wand."

Moody growled. "Why didn't he disarm the others? That makes no sense!"

"I think he is trying to gain their trust. Bellatrix really believes that Voldemort is inside Harry. She'll do anything to please him," Draco said. "I think you should let him talk to them for a while."

"Where is the entrance?" Tonks asked, looking around. "We've searched this place and never found anything."

"It's that way. I was knocked out when we came in, but we just exited through the wall just there around the corner." Draco started to walk forward, but Shacklebolt stopped him.

"I must agree with Albus. You shouldn't go back down. I think you should show us the entrance, and then take a Portkey to Hogwarts with the old man's body. Madame Pomfrey will know what to do with him until we return," the black wizard said.

To be honest, Draco didn't care to go back down. He nodded and moved forward. He wondered why Moody didn't show himself. Paranoid old tosser! Draco had never forgotten that 'Moody' had turned him into a ferret back in his fourth year. He knew it wasn't the real Professor Moody, but hell, the man gave him the creeps anyway. Chunk missing out of nose, magical eye, scars all over, stuffed up leg, and just many things that were horrible. Poor bloke probably never gets laid. "It was just here that we came out. I don't see any way in," Draco said, truly mystified.

Shacklebolt turned to Tonks, "Look, take the boy back. We'll try to figure a way in. Maybe someone will come up looking for them. Get Hooch to go back with him and the body. You take Hooch's place outside."

"All right. Come along, Draco," she said, pulling him away.

Moody's gruff voice broke the silence. "There is an entrance beyond here. Very heavily warded. Only a family member can get in. If we blasted the wall, we still might find nothing. These are very Dark wards here. I say we sit and wait. Someone will come looking for the pair."

"I hate waiting, but you're probably right. I wonder how the snake got back through?" Shacklebolt asked, touching the wall gingerly.

"Perhaps the snake is elsewhere," Dumbledore offered. "Disillusion yourselves."

"Now, we wait," Moody said, pointing out the obvious.

~~~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione awoke to a cold washcloth being pressed to her head. She was in a small, private room. She could see the Infirmary beds through the open door, so she knew she was still at Hogwarts. "Minerva," she croaked. Her throat was dry. "Water."

"Here you are," the older witch said, bringing a glass to her lips. "Just a little at a time."

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asked tiredly. It seemed that she would doze off at any moment again. What the hell had Poppy given her?

"It's only been two hours since you came back. You were having bad dreams almost the entire time." Minerva gave her another drink. "Is there anything you wish to talk about?"

"Just... what's wrong? Why do I feel this way?" she asked.

"You had a nasty hex to your abdomen. It caused your appendix to burst. You also had two broken ribs. Poppy has you all fixed up. There was a slight tear in your uterus, but it was minor. She sealed that up," Minerva said softly. "In fact, you are ovulating. I wouldn't worry that it did any lasting damage."

"Did Severus not come back?"

Her mentor shook her head. "We moved you in here to keep the Aurors from questioning you about anything just yet. Stuart has been taken to St. Mungo's for the night. Miss Edgecombe will go to join her mother, Umbridge, and Fudge at the Ministry. They've all been taken into custody."

"I need to sleep," Hermione said. Hopefully, Severus would be with her when she awoke again. She was worried. If something happened to him, she wouldn't know what to do.

"Rest, Hermione. Rest," Minerva said. After the girl went to sleep, she went to find Poppy. The mediwitch was tending to a sick first year, so Minerva waited in her office until she was done. "Well?"

"I just did a scan. Her bones have healed. Her wounds are mended completely. There is no sign of sexual assault, but she was actively involved with Severus. If someone did rape her, it is possible they took extra care or had her Stunned. There is no tearing, no bruising, and I would say no. It will be up to her to let us know." Poppy sat down hard. "I hate knowing that they have to go through this again. The lot of them. All of us. When will this ever end, Minnie?"

"Hopefully, Albus and the others will see it end today. There can't be many left. Imagine, Poppy, if they can round up the last few, it will truly be a new era in our lives." Minerva smiled. "Albus deserves to be able to retire without worrying about everyone else for once."

"Too right you are," Poppy agreed.

"Poppy!"

"Rolanda is back. Oh, dear," the woman replied, hurrying out with Minerva on her heels. "What's happened?"

"Bloke keeled over for no reason," Rolanda said, hovering the body of old man Higgs. "The boy needs some healing." She nodded to a numb looking Draco. "And, some Sleeping Draught, if you ask my opinion."

"What news do you bring?" Minerva asked quickly, as they placed the dead man in a bed. Poppy was seeing to Draco behind a privacy screen.

"Well, Draco and the old man went upstairs. They argued a bit, the man tripped over a snake, and fell down, hitting his head. When he came to, the snake was hovering in his face. Draco says that it looked as though he died from fright." Rolanda shook her head. "He's not all that old. Just doesn't seem right."

"Go on, woman. What else?" Minerva urged impatiently.

"Oh, sorry. Albus, Alastor, and Kingsley are unsure of how to enter the dungeons where all of the others are. The men down there either went in with one of the Higgs or Apparated when Harry summoned them." Rolanda closed the man's eyes. "They've been waiting for a while now, hoping someone will come out to see what has happened to Draco and the old man."

"So, you know nothing?"

"No, Draco says that Harry is playing the part of the new Dark Lord quite well. Gave us the whole story whilst retching a few times before we Portkeyed in. Poor little blighter."

"Well, come on then. Tell all you know, woman. You are so damn infuriating," Minerva scoffed.

"How is Stuart?"

"He's gone. Poppy says he'll be fine. Now, if you don't want to end up in a pink dress, I suggest you sit down and tell me all you know." Rolanda grinned and sat on the bed with the dead man laying in it. Minerva looked around uneasily. "Er... perhaps we should go in Poppy's office. She'll want to hear it as well, as soon as she puts Draco down."

"Someone needs to Floo Ronald Weasley. Draco seems to think he would want to be with Hermione and him at a time like this. You do that, and I'll go fetch us some drinks," Rolanda said, walking off towards the exit.

~~~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~~

The evil spirit walked up to Hermione's bed. She was dreaming that she was sleeping in her old quarters, the one from her days as a student. The Incubus remembered those days fondly. Spirited one, this, he thought snidely. She had been too strong and was able to rebuff his advances. He'd then tried to seduce the man in the form of the Succubus, but he was able to deny the desire to mate as well.

"Hermione," Incubus Severus whispered. "Let me hold you." Her little dreamy eyes opened slowly. When she held out her arms, he laid next to her. Patiently biding his time. He knew that in order to succeed he would have to trick her. Take away her suspicions. Let her think she was having sweet little dreams. Build up to a bedding. He only wished he could figure out what seemed so off about her.

~~~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, that's all that's happened since I came by this morning," Ron said sadly, hoping to see a glimmer of recognition in Luna's eyes. There was nothing. "Ginny, do you want to talk to her?"

"No, Ron. They said she couldn't hear us anyway. Talking to her just... makes me sad," his sister replied, wrapping her arms around her body. "I'm really worried about Harry. He's very angry right now. I can still feel his emotions. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was mad enough to kill someone." She shivered. There had to be something more that was going on. She needed to find out exactly what.

"Kids," Molly said, entering the room. "I've come to tell you that Professor McGonagall Flooed a few moments ago. Something has happened to Hermione and Draco. They are at the Hogwarts Infirmary now. You have permission to Floo in, Ronald."

"I want to go as well," Ginny protested.

"No, you don't, young lady! I don't even want him to go. Not if... something is happening." Molly put her hands on her hips. "Besides, they said only Ron."

Ginny pouted. Ron nodded. "Goodbye, Luna. I'll come back tomorrow." He kissed her cheek softly, wishing again that some flicker in her eyes would clue him in that she knew he was there. Nothing. No time to dwell on it. Apparently, he had the rest of his life to try, but for now, Mione needed him. Draco needed him. He had to go.

~~~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~~

Harry wanted to choke the witch before him. She was rambling on about so many things that he didn't give a flying fuck on a broomstick about. "Bella, if you fail me in this, I shall be very angry. She was in the midst of my research. Imagine what we could do with such knowledge! If the Ministry keeps creating its restricting decrees, we may need to take action."

"I know, Master, but I am just telling you everything that led up to my researching the spell. I know I should have mentioned it before, when... well, before, but I wanted to perfect it before presenting it. If I could just get my notes, I know that I could figure out a reversal." She nodded. "It feels good to have a master again."

Harry smirked and leaned forward. "Between you and me, I think that Antonin and Rabastan will try to overturn me. I saw Rabastan's mind. He doesn't feel loyal to me."

"Should I kill him?" she asked, eyes lighting up. "To prove my loyalty?"

"No. He may have his uses yet," Harry said, trying to appear thoughtful. "Say, what of that young boy over there? I don't remember much about him. How long had he joined us before the final battle?" Harry bit the inside of his mouth. He'd almost said some biting remarks.

"You never did trust him, Master. You made him take the Mark, but you only sent him to get necessities. We were going to destroy him because you'd read in his thoughts that he initially planned to attack you," Bella said proudly, smiling adoringly at Harry. Harry sneered at the woman. She was talking to him like he truly did have Voldemort living inside of him. The dumb woman!

"That's right," Harry said, turning wicked eyes to the boy. "Diggory. He wanted to avenge his death."

"Oh, my Lord, you've remembered!"

Harry nodded. "You stay here, and you gather your thoughts. See what you can come up with about your damn hex. I think I shall have a talk with this Stebbins." Bella nodded as Harry walked away. A quick look around the room, told him that Draco had never come back. He asked Nagini if she'd been able to hear Loony, but she couldn't hear anything. There were heavy Silencing Wards on the rooms.

Mulciber had been talking to Lucius about the places he and Travers had been staying. Rabastan and Antonin were talking quietly in a corner. Terence was sitting against the wall with his head down on his knees. Stebbins was sitting next to a silent Severus. Harry decided to approach his brooding friend. "She's going to be fine, mate. You'll get your revenge. Soon. Bella is trying to get some ideas together."

"It's not only that," Severus said. "There is something wrong. Draco has been gone nearly an hour I would estimate. What would the old fool want with him?"

"I have been wondering as well. Loony was with them though. There was no way that the man would get away with trying to harm Draco. Perhaps we should send Lucius, but I don't want to be outnumbered, if something goes wrong." Harry nodded towards Stebbins. "Severus, I think that he should be set free. If the Aurors see his Mark or find out that he was here, he'll be punished for having good intentions. I think he deserves a second chance."

"How do you propose that we do that, Harry? The Mark is embedded in him forever. They are likely on their way here, if they aren't here already." Severus' eyes lit up. "Perhaps that is why Draco has not returned. Maybe the Order is here, waiting for some sign from us."

"It's a thought." Harry patted Severus' shoulder. "I can change his Mark."

Severus merely nodded and watched as the boy approached the nervous Stebbins. Harry smiled kindly at the boy, taking care that nobody else was looking. "You joined to avenge Cedric, didn't you?" he asked bluntly.

The boy met his gaze evenly. "Mostly. Yes. I thought I could make a difference."

"You may have made a difference on some things. We'll never know though. Give me your arm," Harry commanded. Then, in a low voice, he said, "I am going to get you out of here. I think you deserve a second chance without the name of Death Eater tarnishing you or your family. I will act as though I am angry with you, and I will pretend to think that you are not worthy to have my Mark. Feign disappointment. Beg me to let you prove yourself. After I alter your Mark, I will hand you a Portkey. It will take you to Hogwarts. I want you to stay there until I come to talk to you." The boy nodded, hope shining in his eyes. "Tell the headmaster and anyone there what is going on, where we are, and check on my mates."

As if on cue, Stebbins said, "Please, Lord Potter, I can prove myself. Just give me a chance. I will obey you at all costs."

"You have never been anything other than a lapdog, Stebbins! You have no right to wear my Mark." Harry grabbed the boy's arm, pulling off a button as he yanked up the sleeve. "My Mark. Only for those who are worthy." Harry dug his thumb into the boy's mark and concentrated on changing it. He could feel the flesh under his thumb heating. After a few moments, he checked. The Phoenix remained, but the snakes had disappeared. On top of the Phoenix were the words, in memory of, and then underneath had the words, Cedric Diggory. Tears showed in Stebbins' eyes.

"Master, please. Do not banish me," he pleaded. Harry saw the tears spilling from Stebbins' eyes. Tears of gratitude, remembrance, and hope were present. There were no tears of regret, pain, or fear.

"Portus," Harry whispered, pointing his wand at the button. "You will get out of my sight. For all time." He shoved the button in the boy's hand and mentally counted down. When he knew the boy would disappear, he whispered something in Parseltongue and waved his wand. A large puff of green smoke and a bang sounded. To anyone watching, it would have looked like he'd destroyed the boy. Harry turned to face everyone. "Let that be a lesson to you all."

"My Lord," Lucius said, sneering openly. "I request permission to check on my son. I suspect foul play. They have been gone much longer than they should have been gone."

"Very well," Harry said with a nod. "Mulciber, accompany Lucius." Harry knew that Lucius would likely subdue the man if anything happened. By sending a foe with Lucius, it evened up things here. Young Higgs seemed to not be noticing anything that was happening around him. Since he'd been able to breathe again after Severus' attack, he'd backed against the wall in fear. That only left Antonin, Rabastan, and Bella to deal with. Rabastan had no wand, but the other two each had wands. Higgs had a wand as well. If something happened and he came out of his stupor, he might cause trouble. "Severus, take that berk's wand. We don't want him going mental and hexing us all."

"Good point," Severus muttered. When the boy realized who had come for his wand, he shrunk into a fetal position. "Good Lord, child. Hand over your wand." The boy didn't move. Severus had to reach down to bodily search for the wand. He snapped it in half angrily, throwing it back down at him. This bastard had touched Hermione. He had cut a lock of her hair, cut her body, and he had intended to take pleasure. Severus decided that as soon as nobody could witness him, he would take his revenge. "No wand here," he called out.

~~~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~~

Lucius nudged the man to step out into the hallway. "Go on, man. I need to search out my son. What is it?"

Mulciber was sniffing the air wildly, as if he was a dog. "You smell that?"

The blonde man raised an eyebrow and looked around. "It smells like a stuffy old manor house. I can also smell... something lemony."

"Lemon Drop?" Albus Dumbledore asked, materializing suddenly. Lucius began laughing as Mulciber's face turned white. The man didn't even attempt to go for his wand. He merely slumped his shoulders. He had the look of a worn man that was tired of running.

"I'll have one," the man said, reaching out towards the headmaster. Shacklebolt appeared and pulled the man's wand from his pocket. Mulciber accepted the candy from an amused Albus and allowed Shacklebolt to bind him magically.

"We should get Tonks to take him and keep watch," Moody's voice said gruffly. Lucius looked around. "Don't worry about where I am, Malfoy. Tell us quickly what's going on down there. Leave nothing out."

~~~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~~

Stebbins appeared in the Infirmary. Three distraught witches eyed him momentarily before recognizing him. "Explain yourself," Minerva said, pursing her lips shrewdly.

"Harry Potter sent me here to wait for him. They are still at Higgs Manor," he replied. "Hello, Professors, Madame Pomfrey. It feels strange to be back here."

Rolanda moved forward. "Well, Stebbins, I remember you were a right little flyer. Why didn't you try to play after you finished school?" The two chatted about Quidditch for a couple of minutes before Minerva became impatient and demanded to know all that had happened.

Just as the boy was finishing his tale, Ron Weasley came out of Hermione's private room. "She's just asked for some water. Is it all right for me to give her some?"

"Of course," Poppy said, standing up. "I'll go run a few checks on her. You can stay here for a moment."

"I think I'll go sit with Draco for a moment," Ron said, eyes brimming with tears.

Minerva shook her head as the boy slowly made his way to Draco's bedside. He'd lost a brother, as much as lost a girlfriend, two of his mates had been assaulted, and he had to worry about how his other mate was faring against a group of mentally challenged dolts. From what this Stebbins bloke said, there has been no sign of Albus or the others. It is possible that they still haven't found their way into the dungeons at the manor. Someone will likely go looking for Draco at some point.

~~~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~~

"Fuck, it's a set up!" Antonin yelled, pointing towards the door. He swiftly pulled his wand and aimed it at Harry.

Bella jumped in front of Harry. "What are you doing? Our Lord will save us," she shrieked.

"Move, Bella! It's a trap. Aurors are here! The Mudblood whore has sent them after us!" Antonin yelled.

Severus began striding purposefully towards the man with his wand drawn. "Diffindo!" A large cut appeared in the man's chest. "Severio!" This time the man's wand hand was nearly severed. His wand dropped to the floor. Rabastan picked it up just as Severus tackled the man.

Harry hissed to Nagini who came slithering towards the men. He instructed her to be sure Higgs didn't get up to help his mates. Harry had his arm around Bella's waist. He whispered into her ear. "I will not betray you. Somehow they have found us. We need to go easily with them. Pretend to allow them to arrest you. I will come for you." The woman turned to search his eyes quickly.

She nodded and smiled wildly. "Yes, Master." She pulled out her wand and pointed it towards Rabastan. "Avada Kedavra!" The man's surprised face tinged with the green glow of the Killing Curse would forever be etched in Harry's mind. "That was for you, Master. It proves I will do your bidding." She spun at the Aurors, but a Disillusioned Moody immediately disarmed her bodily. Lucius had to pull Severus away from the bloodied Antonin.

"Well, it appears that we really weren't needed here," Albus said, patting Harry on his back. Moody finally appeared. He had the wand that Bella had used in his hand.

"This is evidence. She just killed Rabastan! Her own brother-in-law! Bloody bitch," Moody said with his magical eye roaming about the room.

Shacklebolt magically bound the young Higgs while Albus looked down to the body of Travers. "Harry?" he questioned.

"Er... snake accident?" It sounded more like a question than an answer. Albus merely nodded. He suddenly hissed for Nagini to go to find Loony. He looked down to the now bound Bella and winked. She simply closed her eyes and smiled as if she hadn't a care in the world. Harry could have kicked the bitch. "I need to banish that room of snakes. They should live freely." He moved away to the room with Nagini's family.

As he banished the snakes, he heard a scuffle break out behind him. Before he could pull his wand, Antonin had snatched Lucius' wand from his hand. The man had been trying to calm Severus and keep him away from the bleeding Death Eater on the floor. With the wand aimed at Severus, he shouted a Blasting Curse! As if in slow motion, Lucius twisted around to push Severus out of the way. Unfortunately for him, the hex hit him in the lower back. It was at this moment that Harry's hex hit the man on the floor, dead in the chest. He didn't know what he'd said exactly, but the man fell back immediately. His body began twitching wildly as large boils began forming over his skin.

Severus was horrified. Lucius had tried to get him out of the way and had taken a hex for him. It was a Blasting Curse that the bastard had sent. From Lucius' initial scream, the blood, and the loud crunching noise, Severus imagined that good portions of the man's insides were blasted to bits. He would die if he weren't taken to St. Mungo's immediately. "Harry, I have to bring him."

"I'll do it," Shacklebolt said, running over. "I'll meet you at Hogwarts." With a firm grip on the unconscious blond's arm, they Disapparated from the manor.

"I think we all need to get back to Hogwarts, and we need to do it soon. I've got all the snakes out of here, aside from Nagini and Loony. Let me talk to Dumbledore," Harry said, leaving the man to deal with the dying Antonin. The boils had begun popping, and disgusting fluids were oozing out. He would not be saved. Harry pointed his wand to Bella. "Sleep, Bella. Stupefy." The Stunned woman dropped down immediately. He shrugged at Moody's odd expression. "If she thinks that I am her Lord, she will work with me to get Luna's hex reversed! I have to keep up the act... for now."

"Travers, old man Higgs, and Rabastan are all dead. One by a snake accident, one by what appears to have been fright, and the other by his own mate's curse." Moody looked at Severus. "Antonin is dead now as well. Compliments of a mix of Potter and Snape curses."

Albus sighed. "Lucius has been harmed terribly. Let's hope Kingsley gets him there in time."

"How is Mione?" Harry asked quickly.

"We left before Poppy could make a diagnosis, but I think she will be just fine. We've sent off young Draco to the castle as well. It appears that your snake frightened the old man so badly that he just died, to hear Draco tell it." Albus looked around sadly. "I think we have finally rounded up the last of the resistance, Harry."

"Hell, I hope so," Harry said darkly. Nagini slid back into the room. She and Harry had a conversation in Parseltongue as if nothing was amiss. Moody scrunched up his face in disgust. He never did sit well with bloody snakes. They reminded him of Dark Wizards. Severus smirked at Harry while Dumbledore popped a lemon drop into his mouth. "Holy shit!"

"What is it?" Severus asked quickly, noting the shock on Harry's face.

"Nagini says that Loony found a man in a secret room, chained to the wall. She says he's a dark man from a foreign land. I'll bet it's Karkaroff!" Harry moved forward. Nagini hissed some more. "Shit. We won't be able to get through. They went in through some vent. The room is warded like this place was. It's no wonder the Aurors never saw it."

Dumbledore spoke. "I'll get Terence Higgs to open the room for us. For now, Alastor and Harry, I think you need to bring the two dead men back to Hogwarts. Severus and I will handle Higgs and this man. Be sure to let Tonks know that all is well, and we will likely need her assistance. Take Nagini with you."

Severus rolled his eyes and followed the headmaster to the young boy. "Get up, Higgs," he hissed coldly. "You have something to do for us." The boy's wide eyes looked between the men. He nodded slightly to Dumbledore.

Albus smiled. "We need to get into your family's secret room. The one with the man trapped inside. Will you unward the door for us?"

The boy found his voice. "Will you see to it that I am not put to death?"

Albus nodded, and Snape shook his head. Albus narrowed his eyes at Severus before answering. "We will not seek that your life be destroyed if you should help us save someone now." The boy stood up shakily and guided them to a wall.

He chanted a few words and the wall opened up. Sure enough, they found a severely tortured, frightfully thin Igor Karkaroff inside. Severus unbound the man immediately. The poor sod never even opened his eyes. "We should have Tonks bring him to St. Mungo's," Severus said. "I think this is also beyond Poppy's means."

Dumbledore agreed. "Come on, Loony," he said to the snake that had been standing guard near the man. "It's time to go back to Hogwarts. We have to straighten this mess out and put everything together."

Snape smirked. "Been hanging out with your little Parselmouth so long that you now believe that you have the talent as well?"

Albus simply smiled. For the first time in his life, it felt as if everything would be all right. Well, at least until the next Dark Lord rose up and tried to take over. Thankfully, he would not be a part of that fight. Those battles would fall to Harry, Severus, and all of the others.

Severus and Albus Apparated just outside of the gates of the castle after they'd help seal the house and property until they were ready for the Ministry to send all of their teams over. The Order had its own investigation to perform first. There would be no loose ends this time. Albus had brought the snake along for Harry. Severus wryly hoped that the boy wouldn't be bringing his new pets to all of his classes with him.

Wasting no time, he hurried to the Infirmary. Harry was talking to Weasley, but he took a moment to point to a small door. Severus nodded and went to the room. He closed the door behind him. In the dim light, he could see his sleeping witch. Tears burned his eyes and demanded release. She was fine! She would live! In a couple of long strides, he was at her bed and crawling in to hold her. "Hermione," he said softly.

She sat up as quickly as she could, looking around oddly. "Severus?"

"I'm here," he said, pulling her against him. As soon as her body pressed into his, he began weeping openly, not caring if she thought him a weaker man because of it. "I was so afraid that I had lost you, Hermione." He caressed her hair, running his fingers through the portion that had been cut off.

Hermione said weakly, "It's going to be hard to get rid of me. Is everyone all right?"

He shook his head. "Lucius has been taken to St. Mungo's. I am still not sure how he fares. We had to tidy up some loose ends. There is more to do, but I couldn't stay away from you. God, Hermione, I thought I lost you."

The lost tone and the tears took Hermione aback. He really had been upset and had truly believed her to be dead. "You'll never lose me, Severus. I love you."

"Hermione, you are my life. I didn't want to be in this world without you. I would follow you anywhere, even to death." He kissed her head softly while tightening his hold on her. "The only thing that I could think of at first was that I had never told you exactly what you meant to me. What you mean to me."

"Severus, I know you care deeply for me. I feel the same. If I would have died, I would have died a contented woman," she said firmly, kissing the wet cheek near her mouth. "Honestly."

"I honestly love you deeply and completely. There will never be anyone else for me. Ever." Severus looked into her eyes. "I mean that, Hermione. I love you. I just wanted you to know."

Hermione's heart leaped with joy! He'd said it. Finally. He'd declared what he never could before. She knew that she would never leave this man. He had become her life in a matter of five weeks. Impossible? Certainly not. "That makes me happy, Severus. I will be proud to call you husband one day. I'm afraid that I lost your mum's ring earlier."

He dug into his pocket and pulled out the blood-crusted ring. Severus found his wand, cleaned it off, and slipped it back onto her finger. "This is where it belongs. Hermione, I want to marry you soon. Today just proved... I just need you so much. I've waited thirty-eight years for you. Don't make me wait any longer."

"Yes. I will." She kissed him on his lips, inviting him to taste her lips thoroughly. They quickly sealed their agreement with a long kiss. "Hold me."

"Always," he whispered, lowering them back down onto her pillows. "I love you," he said minutes later, unsure if she was awake or not. "I can't stop saying it."

"Good," she murmured sleepily. "I don't want you to stop."

Southern's Notes: Finally. I'm glad that he was able to voice his feelings! We have a bit of a ride left though. Muahahaha...