—————S—————

"Severussssss."

"My Lord," he replied, looking up from beneath his hood.

Voldemort sat on his throne-like chair, stroking the head of his snake lovingly. It leaned into his touch, her tongue darting out frequently. Bellatrix, standing off to the side, looked disgustingly jealous. It was actually a bit amusing, but Severus tucked that away. The Dark Lord hadn't torn through his mind just yet, and he wasn't about to risk him catching such a simple stray thought.

"Severussss, I wondered how the boy was doing?"

"Mr. Nott, my Lord?"

"Indeed."

"I know not. The school year has only just begun, and he has yet to tell me anything. He is keeping to himself, showing no interest in clubs or sports. I know from his placement in my N.E.W.T. Potions that he keeps his head down and does as he's instructed. I have been meaning to ask him his plans, but I haven't been able to catch him at an opportune time."

The Cruciatus Curse hit Severus before he had time to prepare, and a grunt escaped him before he suppressed his reactions. It was over fairly quickly, and he could hear Bellatrix cackling with glee through the blood rushing past his ears.

"Do better, Severusss! I should be hearing of plans by now."

"I will do better my Lord."

Before Voldemort could either hit him with another curse or say something else to him, the door behind them opened.

"What isss it!" Voldemort demanded.

"A problem, my Lord," Yaxley said.

"Rissse Severuss. I shall return shortly."

Severus rose and watched as the Dark Lord walked out, his pet following alongside him.

The hairs on his arm stood on end, and he turned slowly to face Bellatrix. The woman didn't have all her sense before she went to Azkaban for fourteen years, and now, Severus was fairly certain she had utterly lost it. He wondered if she ever bothered to use what little Occlumency she knew to shield herself, or if maybe time had worn away her shields.

Bellatrix was looking at him with a deranged grin on her face.

"Lucy had some things lying around," she began, playing with her wand. "Did you know he was planning on having the manor in France cleared out? Made livable again? For the new Lord and Lady Malfoy." She slowly started to circle around him. "Your wittle baby girl. Aurora," she sang the name, and he curled his lip.

"Why does my daughter hold any interest to you?" he asked.

She giggled, though it turned into a cackle at the end. "Why don't you bring her 'round?" she said, eyeing her wand. "We can have a bit of fun. Girl talk. Find out where Draco and Cissy have been hiding out."

A shot of cold rage ran down Severus' spine, with a healthy dose of fear. "I think not. She knows nothing, and she is better served where she is. At Hogwarts, earning an education."

Bellatrix scowled. "You should be doing everything you can to help our Lord."

"And I am," he replied calmly, affecting an air of ease. "Our Lord has asked me to prepare Hogwarts for his reign, and I am doing just that. When I am headmaster, there will be order. And it will be because I will have put Dumbledore in his grave."

"Will it? Because I think Theodore Nott is going to kill him."

"Perhaps he will. And if he does, and then decides to remain at the school, he will be named Head Boy, given far more power than what would be the norm. If not, well, we shall see."

"You don't fool me, Snape," she said, and Severus had to repress the urge to roll his eyes. Here was the same old song and dance. Severus, the half-blood, not loyal. Not true to the cause, not to be trusted. It always provided a bit of amusement to him to know that she was, in fact, absolutely correct. But after hearing it so often, it was getting very, very old.

"I'm not trying to fool you," he said.

"I see you. I see you're not truly loyal to the cause. The Dark Lord will put me at Hogwarts, you'll see."

"He wants the next generation of purebloods to be intelligent, something you never were yourself."

Her lips curled into a snarl and she raised her wand, but stopped as a hiss marked the return of the Dark Lord.

Severus looked over his shoulder and watched as the snake slithered toward them. He remained still, tamping down his fear as the giant thing slithered around his feet. It looked up at him, and for a moment, Severus thought it was looking into his mind, his soul. The snake was seeing through him and judging him. Then Nagini twisted and lunged at Bella, hissing with fangs bared but not actually striking.

Bellatrix stumbled backward, eyes wide with confusion and no little fear.

"Nagini, calm," Voldemort said as he glided into the room. "You were but a young thing when last we were all together, you forget that Severuss and Bellatrix often bickered like siblings." He smiled. "Severusss, when do you expect to meet with the Nott boy without distraction?"

"There is a Hogsmeade weekend a week from today. I will ensure the boy stays behind by whatever means necessary."

"Good," Voldemort said, but Severus wasn't looking at him as the Dark Lord granted him leave.

He was watching Bellatrix grin like Cheshire cat with murder on its mind.

—————A—————

Aurora wasn't sure she wanted to go to Hogsmeade. She wasn't sure she was prepared for what awaited her.

A few days after she'd made the Quidditch team, she'd received an owl at breakfast.

Rory,

Heard through Mum, who heard from Gin, that you made the Quidditch team. Keep up the legacy.

Yo

Fred

It was short and simple. No intimacy or hint of lingering feelings. His note was safe, and she liked that it was.

But then just a couple days before, there was another note delivered to her by owl, and seeing as how her family was inside the castle, she had a feeling she knew who it was from.

Meet me at the Three Broomsticks at 11am.

It's all the note said, no signature, and written with a Quick-Quotes Quill, so there was no way to tell who'd written it. But who else could it be? Anyone who wanted to meet with her would be at the school and, well, they'd be able to just ask her.

So, as she trudged through the village, soft flurries of flakes dancing in the air around her, she wondered if she should be doing this. Meeting with Fred was just asking for trouble, and she knew that. But their last meeting at the Leaky was so perfectly platonic that she could nearly picture them actually being friends. Perhaps she was merely going there so he could give her pointers for her first upcoming game. Share some weaknesses of the other teams that she had not observed herself.

She spotted George talking to the Zonko's proprietor and wondered if Fred was still there or had already left. She'd left Ginny at Spintwitches at ten to eleven. Ron, she knew, was shadowing Harry and Draco, with Neville and Luna trying to guide him away.

She took a deep breath and she headed inside the tavern. The warmth enveloped her, and she smiled softly. She spotted Fred, though he hadn't seen her. He was looking down at something with great intensity.

At least until Katie noticed him and she went up to greet him, who stood and embraced her.

"You got my note!" Neville's voice came from behind her, and Aurora turned around in surprise. He glanced past her, and she did the same to see Rosmerta head toward Fred and Katie. "That is... you knew it was me, right? Or... or did you, were you meeting, er, him?"

"No," Aurora quickly replied, blushing at how loud and fast that came out before she took a breath and reined herself in. "No, I didn't know who the note was from. I assumed Fred because, well, anyone at the school could have just asked me to meet them."

"Right," Neville replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I suppose I could have done that."

She waited, fidgeting, glancing around the tavern that was quickly filling up.

"Should we find a seat?"

"You still want—"

"Nev," Aurora interrupted. "Please stop. Yes, I want to hang out with you, just you. You only have to ask me. Which, I guess, you did. In a note. Where did you get the Quick-Quotes Quill?"

"I didn't," he said, blushing again as he led her to a table. "Gran made me practice writing over the summer, making it as readable as possible. Especially after the last letter I sent you. Probably why you didn't know it was me. Thought the letter would make asking you easier."

"Neville," she chided in good nature, taking a seat. "You can just ask in the future, you know? Though I should warn you, should your intentions be more than platonic, you're going to need my parents' permission."

He paled. "Right. Makes sense, I guess." He swallowed, coughed, and cleared his throat. "I'm going to get us some drinks," he said, pointing to the bar, his voice going quite high. She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't laugh at him.

As Neville got up, she looked around the tavern, and noticed that Fred was alone again. She quickly averted her gaze and looked out the window. She watched people come and go, her heart stuttering at the sight of a figure in black and covered with a hood. It reminded her of the Death Eater robes her father had, but she shook herself, remembering that while Voldemort was on the loose and possibly on the rise, he would be stupid to attack Hogsmeade. Wouldn't he?

"It's busy, sorry," Neville said as he came back with two warm butterbeers. "Rosmerta seemed a bit distracted today."

"Probably just really busy," Aurora said, watching the foam on her drink.

"So, Quidditch," Neville said, and she peered at him through her lashes as he looked quite serious. "I, er, was never really able to learn to fly before Hogwarts, as you know, so I wouldn't have... I mean, what made you, er, want to play? And Beater?"

"I'm a good flyer and like to hit things," she replied, and at his uneasy smile, she laughed. "My dad, Draco, and... and Uncle Lu would sometimes play a small pick-up game in the back of Malfoy Manor when Draco and I were young. And then, well, I don't know why, but Uncle Lu stopped. But Draco and I never stopped playing, and Dad would sometimes join us when we were at ours. As for Beater... I don't know, I like the challenge."

"Right," Neville said, though he clearly didn't understand.

She leaned forward. "Chaser, your main goal is to try to score, avoid Bludgers. A Seeker, you need to be fast and balanced. I mean, it's a small little ball fluttering around, catching it is a lot harder than a Quaffle. And as a Keeper, well, you just hover near the goalposts. You only need to go after the Quaffle when it comes after you, maybe duck a Bludger. But Beater? A Beater is a protector. You're watching out for all the players, keeping them all out of harm's way so that they can do what they need to do. And at the same time, you're an offense, aiming those rogues back at the other team to slow 'em down or stop them all together. And honestly, there's a rush when you get a really good smack in with the bat."

"Huh," Neville said. "So... so you're going for Beater had nothing to do with..."

"Fred? Yes, Neville, I chose the position I tried for because my ex-boyfriend had the position before me."

"Just not many girl Beaters, you know?"

"If you're doubting my strength, I can give you a demonstration."

"No! No, I saw the tryouts. Your mum was always a bit scary, but you are for different reasons. Hate to admit it, but when you were up there on your broom, you looked like your dad."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, sipping her drink. While she was amused, it was clear that Neville wasn't. Which made Aurora wonder in what context he had intended to invite her to the tavern. Was this... was this supposed to be a date? Boys were just never clear when things were supposed to be that way. Trying to smooth things over, she asked, "So, why do you like plants?"

"Plants are easy," Neville said, his grin genuine.

"I beg to differ."

"They are, really. I mean, all they need is water, good soil, sunlight, and proper care. I mean, yeah, a few have quirks, but who doesn't? It just takes the right touch, a good word, and you're set. I've been working on this plant with Professor Sprout, a moonflower, which opens only during a new moon. Haven't gotten to see it yet, but I bet it's really, really pretty when it opens."

"You've been working with Professor Sprout?" she asked and watched as Neville was suddenly completely at ease.

"I have. She wants to take me on as an apprentice when I'm done with Hogwarts. Last year, when they were going over what we want to do with our lives? I mentioned Herbology to Professor McGonagall, and all of a sudden Professor Sprout was eager to take me on. Or, at least, help me get an apprenticeship with someone else, if I want to be a bit quicker with it all. That's this year for you, isn't it? Career options? And with both your parents in the school, that can't be pleasant. But what were you leaning toward?"

Aurora chewed her lip. "I don't know," she confessed. "I always thought Transfiguration, but I'm not sure."

"Professional Quidditch?" he suggested with a smirk, and she laughed.

"No, I'm not that good. Gin, yes, Harry, Draco, if they wanted to."

"Ron?"

"Blimey, no. I mean, he's a decent Keeper, but I wouldn't say he's, you know, professional level. I just... I don't know."

"What do your parents think?"

Aurora glanced around the room before leaning in a bit. "Honestly, with the war going on, I don't think either of them have given much thought to having an opinion. I mean, Leo... Leo I already know is going to be a potions master like dad. You know he worked for Fred and George over the summer? Bloody lil bugger earned more Galleons than I have saved, and he's technically not even old enough to work. What I knew at eight, he knew at five. But me? No, I'm... afloat."

"You're not afloat," Neville reassured.

Aurora smiled uneasily, gulping back her butterbeer.

"Want to go for a walk? It's getting a bit crowded in here," Neville suggested, and Aurora nodded as she rose to her feet. They donned their coats, heading for the door. When she felt eyes on the back of her head, Aurora glanced over her shoulder to see George had joined Fred in place of Katie, and the latter twin gave her a thumbs-up when she caught his eye.

She didn't have the will to return it.

Once outside, Aurora noted that the snow was sticking. "Bit early for this nonsense, isn't it? Not even Halloween yet!"

"Does sort of make one think less of pumpkins and more of pine trees," Neville quipped as they made their way to a quiet side street to avoid a herd of third years on a sugar high.

"Or mistletoe!" Aurora whispered, barely restraining herself as she poked Neville, gesturing to the sight down the road.

Harry and Draco. Alone. Hidden just enough by the trees they were standing under, that they'd have easily gone unseen had it not been for their need for a detour. It was the road to the Shrieking Shack, and there wasn't a whole lot of reason for anyone to head this way unless it was to snog.

Which, admittedly, Aurora was mentally crossing all her fingers and toes in hopes they would. In reality, she was clutching onto Neville's coat as if he would run toward them if she let go.

She watched, silently encouraging them as Harry very, very slowly leaned in toward Draco. She wasn't entirely sure he did it, but she was very willing to bet that she saw Harry brush his lips on Draco's. She nearly squealed with glee before Draco shoved Harry's back against a tree, and...

"We should not be seeing that," Neville said as Draco snogged Harry senseless, the two of them seeming to fight for dominance.

"No, no we do not," Aurora said, loosening her grip and trying to shove Neville back down the road. They'd only just gotten back to the main road when a scream pierced the air, and they saw Katie Bell rising majestically into the air.

—————S—————

He didn't pretend to do something while he waited for Mister Nott to show up for his "detention." He knew the boy was aware it was a ruse, a fake misdemeanor to force him to miss Hogsmeade weekend and talk to him. Hermione, thankfully, had essays to mark, and so she was sequestered in their rooms, finishing them up so she would have the rest of the weekend free.

A knock on the door had Severus calling, "Enter," and he crossed his arms and leaned back against his desk, watching as Nott came in.

The boy was wearing his Slytherin sweater, though it wasn't required of him. Severus imagined it was to keep the Mark on his arm hidden. Or protected.

"Does it hurt?" he asked first, gesturing to Theo's left arm.

"Nothing works," he replied with a shrug.

"I have a balm, it will sooth and numb it. Occlumency is a skill you should be looking into."

"I have enough," Theo replied, though the boy wouldn't look him in the eye.

"You have what you think is enough," Severus replied, gaining the boy's attention. "If you were strong enough, your Mark wouldn't bother you at all. You'd be able to suppress the reason you're in pain." At that, he watched an understanding dawn over Theo.

"You're going to have to kill Dumbledore yourself. I'm not doing it," he said point-blank.

"I was going to anyway," Severus replied, and that newfound understanding changed to uncertainty. "The way I see it, Mister Nott, is this: you were not asked, as I was, to commit murder before getting your Mark. Your initiation was not traditional, and therefore your soul is unbroken. I would like to keep it that way. You were part of Potter's Defense Association last year, were you not?"

"I may have sat in on a lesson or two. I wanted to be an Auror," the boy scoffed. "Not that that's going to happen now."

"I have associates that may be able to arrange it."

"Yes, but are they really warding off Dark wizards or are they all part of the 'old boys club'?"

"Speak frankly, Mister Nott."

"I'd rather not."

"Of course." Severus nodded. "Then consider this: Draco Malfoy has been my daughter's close friend for the last several years. Tell me, how easy do you think it would have been to find him when the Dark Lord asked for him?" Theo frowned. "And why would I even allow my daughter to associate with Harry Potter? Let alone a group of blood traitors and Muggle-borns?"

At that, Theo perked up.

"Blaise is the only one who knows of the Mark. He helped with the pain after I returned home."

"And what does Mister Zabini have to say?"

"That anyone who willingly joins that madman needs to go to the Janus Thickey ward."

"They'd never be able to handle the madness," Severus replied, a slight quirk of his lips. "You need to at least make it seem as though you're planning."

"And how, precisely, am I to murder a man, or plan to, when he's in his tower? He invites no one there to see him. Should I sneak to the kitchens and ask a house-elf if they'd be willing to put something in the headmaster's food? Spice it up a bit? No? Should I have joined the Quidditch team, become a Beater, aim for his head?"