—————S—————

He knew he wasn't going to be facing anything pleasant when he walked up to Malfoy Manor. Severus was not summoned often during the school year, unless it was a really important meeting or the Dark Lord wanted an update. And what's more, he could see he was meant to come alone, since Theo didn't meet him at the gates.

The manor had fallen into disrepair, looking more and more worn and uncared for each time he visited since Narcissa abandoned it. There were no peacocks on the lawn, and it made Severus wonder if they'd been killed or if they'd taken off. If there were still house-elves about, they did not answer to the new master of the house. None opened the doors or greeted guests. Severus let himself in and headed to the dining room, the likeliest place they would be holding a meeting.

He found the Dark Lord and the inner circle members, a group which had grown substantially since the first war, in the dining room. The snake was coiled around her master, scenting the air with her tongue as Severus took his seat at the Dark Lord's right hand. Bellatrix sneered from across the table, her dark crazed eyes filled with malice.

"My Lord." Severus inclined his head to the Dark Lord, who smiled back in an oddly fond way.

"Severuss," he hissed. "Welcome." The Dark Lord looked at the table, his brow wrinkling. "It's been brought to my attention by your brothers and sisters that we may be putting too much faith in young Mr. Nott. He has been able to do what is asked of him, thus far, but we cannot trust that Dumbledore will not corrupt him and convince him to leave our side."

"I see no reason why you should doubt Mr. Nott's loyalty to you, my Lord. He may have been reluctant in the beginning, but he has thrown himself into his new station with great vigor."

"He has," the Dark Lord conceded. "But nonetheless, we need to be sure. It was proposed that we have a few witnesses. Not only to ensure Mr. Nott's loyalty, but to have backup for you. What say you?"

Severus frowned, letting them see that he was considering the idea.

"I believe that can be easily arranged," Severus said, already mentally adjusting the plans they had. "As you know, the Headmaster disappears from the castle more than a headmaster should, for long periods of time and for reasons I am not privy to. I believe, if I have a way to alert the would-be witnesses that the Headmaster has left the castle unguarded, we could easily sneak a few inside without tipping our hand and having the Aurors called on us. There are members of the Order roaming the halls, but we can easily distract them."

"That is wonderful to hear." Voldemort smiled, pointy teeth bared.

"And how do we know you won't send for the Aurors or the Order once we arrive?" Bellatrix demanded before turning to the Dark Lord. "He cannot be trusted, my Lord. He can't be trusted with this or anything else."

"I believe there are ways inside the castle, dear Bella, that would ensure you or anyone else does not walk directly through the front gate. The Shrieking Shack, for instance, has a tunnel that is connected to the Whomping Willow. You can make a direct line across the ground to the castle once you Stun the tree," Severus said in a bored tone.

Bellatrix pouted while Voldemort clapped with delight.

"So it will be!" The Dark Lord exclaimed. "I will send the Carrows to you, and Yaxley."

"My Lord?" Bellatrix protested, but Voldemort held up his hand to silence her.

"Your distrust in Severus has been noted, as has your desire to see his offspring killed. The children shall remain unharmed, Bella." The Dark Lord returned his attention to Severus. "When Dumbledore next leaves the castle, touch your Mark. I will send the others to you."

Severus bowed his head, swallowing back bile. "Thank you, my Lord."

He climbed up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, the echoes of teenagers free from worry, from the pressure of exams, reaching his ears. His own children might be among them, though knowing Leo, he was more likely to be inside, tucked away in the library or his dorm. Hermione was with Minerva, sharing a cup of tea and grading exams, taking the opportunity before they could no longer do so.

Severus found Dumbledore waiting for him at the top of the tower, as he was meant to. His cursed hand was on display, and his entire appearance haggard. He didn't look away from whatever he was watching over the rail, but Severus approached him nonetheless, waiting.

"I will be taking Harry out this evening," he finally said. "And we will return here. And then, you will kill me."

Severus stiffened and frowned.

"Potter, my—.... Potter?" he said.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "He'll need to believe you're Tom's completely. No one can know, Severus. The fact that your family does is nearly too much already."

"Nearly?" Severus said, barely containing the malice in his voice.

"I have said from the beginning that I preferred you do this alone," Dumbledore said. "I still, to my very core, believe that you should have done this by yourself. I hoped that would happen when Aurora was born, for I didn't believe for a moment she was yours. Not once. Hermione had been spending so much time with Sirius that when that pretty girl was born, it seemed obvious. And Merlin knows I've tried to prevent you conceiving since you were freed from Azkaban."

Severus snorted. "I'm afraid errand boy tasks and ridiculous amounts of work as a professor would hardly—"

"I didn't mean through you," he said.

Severus stared at the old man, waiting for the deathbed confession.

When he didn't say anything else, Severus said, "You know I would taste or smell a potion in Hermione's breath or skin, so don't try to insult me by trying to convince me to go through with this because you poisoned my wife."

"Poisoning is a strong term," Dumbledore said.

"Is it? I believe giving anyone a substance, especially a potion, without their knowledge with the intent to cause harm is a poison."

Dumbledore had the audacity to smile. "I suppose, in this, you are a better man than I."

"I would counter that I am a better man than you in many ways, but I will not."

"How good of you," Dumbledore said sarcastically. They were quiet a moment, Severus deciding to let Albus say his piece. "You will look after the school when I'm gone."

"I will," Severus swore.

"I understand that you can't keep them completely in check, but you will ensure the Death Eaters will not harm the children?"

"They are under strict orders not to, not unless they get in the way," Severus assured.

Dumbledore nodded, looking down and out onto the grounds once more. He took a deep breath before admitting, "A foolish fumble, putting that ring on. It only took seeing that faded symbol, and I was but a boy of twenty again. A Hallow in my hand and I forgot for just long enough that it had been tainted. Had I not allowed old greed and remorse to overwhelm me in that moment, I would not be here, facing Death. But then, perhaps it's where I was always meant to meet my end, and at the hand of a man I have wronged in many ways.

"I knew you didn't want to join the Death Eaters, not by the time they showed interest in you. I admit that I didn't care. I needed someone in their ranks, and I thought you would work well for the job. I wanted you to do it alone, so I hoped Hermione would fall for one of her fellow Gryffindors when I separated you. I thought that, if I pointed out how you were growing Darker, she would call off the engagement. And when you were sent to Azkaban, I truly believed she would confess that Aurora wasn't yours and leave. Alas, things did not fall into place, but I still thought the truth about Aurora would come out in time. It would enrage you, embitter you, ensure you would do what was asked of you without hesitation, even if it meant betraying the Light or giving up your own life. But it didn't happen that way, so I thought a little push would work. Make you wonder if there was something wrong with you when you couldn't conceive for a second time. Something that would lead you to your own conclusions."

Severus frowned at the old man, watching as Albus hung his head in honest regret.

"We had a professor here before you began school, she fell pregnant. There's one thing I noticed immediately: she stopped drinking the herbal tea she preferred. When I asked, she said it wasn't good for the baby. Hibiscus, while not a strong taste, was known to cause miscarriages, especially if consumed in any great amount. I'd seen Aurora in Hermione's mind, but as she never knew Leonidas, I never knew you would have a second child. But I admit to trying very hard and succeeding in delaying a pregnancy, if not stopping it. Not to mention the added bonus of all those young witches who did not brew their potion properly, they never needed to worry about being with child so long as they consumed their standard cups of tea."

Severus' whole body went cold as Dumbledore spoke. He had to Occlude to keep from shoving the man off the tower right then and there. "And I assume you recently returned the tea to normal."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "The house-elves were always under my order to add the herb to the tea, all tea, brewed in Hogwarts. Now that my demise is imminent, I felt it wise to change it back. And to tell you. Not only to give you a motive to kill me, but also as a deathbed confession. I don't want to die with regret."

Severus stared at the old man for a long while, even after he heard the faint creak of the door opening below, signaling Potter's arrival. Severus took a step forward, keeping his voice low, but knowing Potter would most likely hear it anyway. "And will you regret not telling the boy everything?" he asked. "Or do you plan on giving him a deathbed confession as well?"

Dumbledore looked at him with tired eyes filled with condescension. "I don't know what you're referring to, Severus. Everything Harry needs to know, he does."

Severus shook his head slightly, then turned away, heading for the stairs. He paused as he and Potter met up, and he heaved a heart heavy sigh as he looked at the boy. Potter looked a mix of betrayed, resigned, heartbroken, and disappointed. And then, in a flash, it was gone. He looked at Severus, face blank of emotion, and Severus couldn't help but smirk. The boy had learned. He kept his emotions to himself and would now face a weakening headmaster who clearly had no intention of divulging the truth.

The two wizards passed one another, and Severus went directly to his chambers. As planned, Hermione was there waiting. Pacing.

She paused when she saw him, and before she summoned the Order with her Patronus, he allowed the emotions he felt show.

"Severus," she said carefully, slowly approaching him as though he were a wild animal. Her caution and concern quickly melted away, replaced by a fierce anger that would rival his own. "What did he say?" she asked quietly, before nearly shouting, "What did he do?"

"Every miscarriage, every failed conception, every time we asked, 'why us,' it was his fault," he confessed.

He told her everything Dumbledore had told him. He expected tears or a Gryffindor demonstration of rage.

Instead, Hermione had taken a deep breath, and calmly said, "You're a better person than I, Severus Snape."

"Because I didn't push him off the tower?" he asked, frowning.

"No." She shook her head. "Because I would have Stunned the bastard, Apparated him to the Dark Lord, and offered him as a gift. Then watched gleefully as Riddle tortured him before killing him." She sniffed, blinking the angry tears from her eyes. "Hibiscus in the bloody tea. No wonder I was pregnant two months after leaving the castle, and that was the one that stuck! I just... how? How could he think that that was for the greater good? What is it about our lives that he so desperately wanted to meddle with them?"

"Because you were in mine," he reminded her.

She sighed and shook her head. After taking a second deep breath, Hermione squared her shoulders. "We have a task."

"We do," Severus conceded. He slowly unbuttoned the left cuff of his frock coat, then the sleeve beneath as Hermione closed her eyes and focused, sending her raven out to the Order. It flew away to the other Order members.

"Dobby," he said, and a moment later, the elf appeared. "Please ask Mr. Theodore Nott to meet me in my office."

"Yes, Master of Potions." The small elf bowed before disappearing.

Severus sighed. "Potter will be there," he warned his wife.

"Well, then. Good thing he already knows how this is going to play out."

—————A—————

The sky was overcast, which wasn't really abnormal, but it felt more like an omen than normal. Before she and Neville disappeared from the common room, Harry had left for his final private meeting with Dumbledore. She knew what that meant. Ron and Ginny knew. So, Ron cuddled up with Lavender, Ginny went to see Luna, and Aurora coaxed Neville to their room on the seventh floor.

It wasn't something they'd done often. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was that Neville wasn't a terribly physical person, and he didn't pester her. Ron practically humped Lavender's leg every other day, and Harry and Draco had skipped out on enough lunches here and there that she suspected they were up to something, but Neville was always happy to let her lead. To let her initiate. And if there was one thing that having both your parents teach at the boarding school you attended did, it was limit how often or even how much you wanted to sneak around and do things that might or might not be against the rules.

And now they were there, curled up on the old dusty bed, Neville spooned against her, with Aurora looking out the window.

Part of the plan was to keep the people they cared about and not aware of the plan out of the way, as none of the grownups wanted them near the Death Eaters. Which was fine by her, Aurora wasn't foolish enough to want to have a run in with them so soon.

Neville kissed her shoulder, and she flinched slightly as she was pulled from her thoughts. "Worried about your O.W.L.s?" he asked.

"No," she said, shaking her head slightly. "Not worried at all. Frankly, they were easy. Even Herbology, so don't start on that."

He chuckled. "Speaking of Herbology, I have something in the greenhouse I've been wanting to show you."

She stiffened. "Sounds nice, but maybe it can wait for tomorrow?"

"It's another nocturnal one, and we both know we'll be too busy starting to pack to get another chance." Neville shifted away from her, and she twisted on the bed to watch him pulling on his pants and trousers.

She smirked, barely containing a laugh at the sight of his bum while he bent over but sobered when she realized he was serious. "Nev, we shouldn't."

He laughed. "We also shouldn't be sneaking into an unused guest room to, you know... do stuff."

"It's less likely we'll get caught here," she said, reaching down and picking up her clothes.

"Less likely, but still possible," Neville said as she slipped on her underwear and denims. "And let me tell you, I have nightmares of your father catching me in here naked," he said as she slipped on her bra. "Sometimes I'm not even with you."

She chuckled. "Well, let's just say that while he might be able to take points, I have a feeling he can't take the high road. My parents have been together since they were younger than we are now," she chuckled, reaching down to grab her sweater.

"That's not an image I want either," Neville said as Aurora pulled on her top. "I still don't understand how Mione could have fallen for Snape."

Something about how he said it made her tense. It wasn't the question, she knew that. In some ways, she couldn't fathom the Hermione Granger she'd known ending up with someone like her father, but then, she hadn't really known her. Even her mother now admitted to being a different witch than she was in her first and second years.

"How could she not?" Aurora reasoned. "They were and are both incredibly intellectual."

"Yeah, okay, I suppose," Neville said, and Aurora turned to see something in his bashful smile that she couldn't quite place. He fiddled with his cardigan before putting it on and buttoning it. "Anyway, you should really see the thing I was doing. Come on."

He was heading for the door. He already had his shoes on. Bloody hell, how did he get his socks and shoes on already? Scrambling to catch up, Aurora threw on her own, then grabbed her wand from the night table and chased after him.

"Nev," she called. "Neville!" she persisted when he wouldn't pause. "Would you wait?"

"Why?" he asked over his shoulder. "We don't want to be out past curfew, then we'll really...."

He slowed and stopped, and Aurora heard it, too. Faint, somewhere else in the castle, but very obviously yelling.

"Something's going on," Neville said, and before she could stop him, he was running, unwittingly heading right into possible danger.

—————S—————

All said, Severus couldn't have been more pleased with the setup.

Mr. Nott had gone up to the Astronomy Tower to await Dumbledore and Potter's return, the Death Eaters were called and had created the perfect amount of ruckus to raise the alarm and have the staff on alert. Filius came running for him, a touch sooner than he had thought Minerva would put on her show, but it had worked nonetheless. He Stunned the professor and headed upstairs, shaking his head at Minerva when she and Hermione began to enact their portion of the plot.

When he arrived, Potter was beneath the tower, looking up, wand at the ready. He whipped it toward Severus as he came up, and Severus placed a finger on his lips to silence the boy. Potter relaxed, then mouthed, "Nott?"

Severus nodded. When he made to pass Potter, Potter stopped him.

"He disarmed Dumbledore," he said so softly that if Severus hadn't been trying to listen, he wouldn't have heard him. The information was... new. Disarmed? How had Albus allowed such a thing? "He drank something," Potter continued. "A potion."

"Later," Severus replied, leaving the boy in his position as he joined the others.

"Where you been, Snape?" Yaxley asked as he arrived.

"Dealing with some wayward staff and students. Hopefully they will stay precisely where they should be. Now... Nott, on with it," he ordered, sounding bored.

Theo glared at him, his lips curling in disdain. He pointed his wand at Dumbledore and a jet of green shot out toward Dumbledore. The old wizard deflected it, eyes wide and stunned, looking at the young man with his wand still pointed at him. The Death Eaters chuckled.

"Look at his hand," Amycus snickered. "Might've stopped it somehow, but he killed it."

"Enough," Dumbledore rasped out, and he Stunned the Death Eaters and Theo. "Severus...." But the old man didn't get much more out before his breathing grew deep and ragged.

Severus slowly approached, studying the prone man before him. He realized that he was dying, whatever potion he had consumed was killing him quickly, working with the curse in his hand to destroy him.

"Please?" Dumbledore wheezed, and Severus narrowed his eyes at him.