Dear Lily *COMPLETE*

Lisa: Yes, my Harry is always slightly more mature than canon Harry because I see him as a boy with so much potential as being more mature. I was kind of hoping that when SB died it might have changed him but it didn't. On a side note: (Please don't flame me!) I actually LIKE Harry. The reason being is because he has a lot in common with Snape, although neither wants to see it.

Pittwitch: *Puts wand down and sits back steepling fingers considering what else to do...* Right, sorry, mad moment there... of course I'm not going to hex you... we all have our differing versions of Snape, this one happens to be mine.

cateye: This was my very first Dear Lily, and as I said it is all completed in WORD, so that's why you got the regular updates. There's about ten more... incidentally, this story is 175 pages long in Times New Roman size 12 font... so, quite a bit more to go!

Dee Dee: I apologise in advance, and you'll see why when you read this.

Dear Lily

Well after last weeks events a state of gloom pervaded the Order and there was nothing that any of us could have done to have cheered everyone up. Tonks and Molly went to St Mungo's. Tonks is still there and Lupin has been there as much as he possibly could. I even accompanied him once and all he does is sit there silently; stroking her hand tenderly, and putting new flowers in a vase. He truly does love her that I can tell and I knew how he felt. You might think I am sick and twisted Lily by my saying this but I can't ignore the fact that Hermione is more to me than a daughter. I truly, madly, deeply care for her, as much and I know she is young enough to be my daughter, but Tonks and Remus have a similar age gap. Okay perhaps Tonks is slightly older probably twenty-three. I do remember, though, I taught her she was clumsy with her potions as well rather like a female Longbottom.

I was sitting at Grimmauld Place eating a meal prepared by Molly Weasley and no wonder Arthur stayed with her with cooking this good and no wonder those boys of hers were so big. Harry was sitting at the further end of the table talking to Ginny, she seemed adamant about something and so did he.

"Is that fair, Snape?" Ginny was asking me. In the course of the week both Harry and Ginny have been using me as a piggy in the middle to their arguments. Like MY opinion mattered to either of them.

"What? Is what fair?"

"Hermione's my friend to and I want to help her as she has helped me over time and Harry there say's it's too dangerous and that it would be too risky to take me along on the rescue mission! I mean Harry I have had Tom Riddle in my brain for a year and I'm still here!"

"That's not the point, Ginny, you stay put!"

"Is this so you can play boy hero?"

"No, it's so you can kind of stay alive," Harry said. He turned to Arthur. "Wouldn't you agree Mr and Mrs Weasley?"

The imploring of her parents didn't sit too well with the young woman. Ginny could never be described as a girl looking the way she does.

"I wholeheartedly agree with Harry," Molly said. "You've been through enough and he's right it's best you stay with us."

"But -" Ginny began to protest when Mr Weasley Jr, (can never bring myself to say his first name don't know why!) said this.

"It didn't work for Hermione did it?" he asked looking at me fiercely. As if it was my fault, I suppose it was. "No amount of protection saved her from Fenrir."

"That was my fault," I said. "I told her to stay when I should have told her to run."

"How on earth did Fenrir get here in the first place?" Arthur asked his wife, Molly shrugged her shoulders.

"Draco Malfoy was here," I said. Everyone peered around to give me a good long look. "I bought him here the day that I gave you the message about Hermione being in trouble in the first place, when I was with you Malfoy was upstairs in your room, Harry, and then when I came back up he'd disappeared back to Bellatrix, and she obviously told Fenrir where and how to find us. This place had the Fidelius charm removed when Black died."

Everyone went silent.

"So, why did you bring Malfoy here?" Harry asked.

"I had no other choice, believe it or not Harry I do actually care for him, someone has too, his father certainly never did. And his mother might love him but it's not enough. He wasn't born very strong to begin with, Lucius thought that Draco was a squib at first and almost cast him out but when Draco performed a trick at the age of two he breathed a huge sigh of relief!"

Harry blinked and Molly had tears in her eyes, Arthur sighed.

"He could have been -!" Molly exclaimed.

I nodded.

"But for that he is a selfish brat whom I wished I didn't care for so much especially with how he treated Hermione."

"How did he treat Hermione?" young Weasley said angrily.

"She looked after him for me I don't know why she did it; I certainly would not have done it if I were her, but she did, and he thanked her by calling her names and by telling her off. He said that he couldn't stand her for a minute longer than he needed to. Ungrateful contemptible idiot!"

"I knew that the moment I first saw him," Harry said. "In Madam Malkins, he was being robed up and I had to wait, he went on and on about bullying his father into buying him a broomstick even though it wasn't allowed and he then said that he would rather leave than be put into Hufflepuff, then he mentioned Quidditch, the more he talked the more I despised him. Hagrid just ended up laughing about it when he said that if he did grow up in the Wizard world he should have known who I was as soon as he looked at me. And then he said better Hufflepuff than Slytherin."

I flinched almost at the similarity between Harry and myself, only it was James on the bench with Sirius both talking about how they were going to smuggle things in even if it wasn't allowed, and like Harry the more they talked the more I despised them! I daren't say this out loud, things were still tricky with us and I didn't want an argument.

"Right Ron, Ginny do the washing up, Muggle way!"

"Oh mum do we -!" the glare silenced any further protest that they might have had.

"When you two have done that meet me in the Library and we'll devise plans to get Hermione out of there."

They grumbled and groaned. They shuffled slowly to the kitchen with all the washing up. I actually felt sorry for them (I think I might be getting too soft in my old age!) Or was it love that was softening me? As soon as Molly and Arthur walked out of the room I turned to them.

"A simple Scourgify wait for about half an hour then join us!" I suggested.

Ginny smiled playfully and giggled and Mr Weasley Jr shrugged his shoulders. I stepped out of the room and walked towards the library. Arthur was out the other side of the dining room door.

"I heard that!" he said.

"Sorry," I replied.

"I'd have said the same thing but you don't have to share a bed with her!"

I laughed. Although I had a mental image in my head of that… er? No thank you!

Once we were all in the library Harry stood up.

"Right we need to get other members of the Order here, Flitwick can do another Fidelius charm, and Hagrid you know the crowd. I want you all to get your Patronus's out and send them to various people."

I stood up.

"Me too?" I asked. No one was bound to trust me.

"Yes, you too."

Everyone looked at each other. They stood on their feet, said or thought the spell and the silvery ghostly forms of various Patronus's came out of each individual wand.

I looked down at mine - what the? A dolphin? Where did that dolphin come from?

"Right, before you station yourselves around various places of London to call the other members I want to know who it is you are calling. Arthur?"

"Kingsley and Mad Eye Moody," Arthur said. Harry nodded.

"I'm going to call Mrs Longbottom and Neville," Molly said. "And my sons."

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. Neville Longbottom. Perfect!

"I'll call Luna," Ginny said.

Ground please now take me alive!

"I'll fetch Hagrid," Ron said.

"Right and Snape what about you?"

"Is that a good idea?" I asked.

"Are you questioning me, Snape?" Harry asked glaring at me. Somehow he seemed worse than Professor Dumbledore when he said that.

"The thing is no one will know it's me," I explained.

"Oh how?" Harry asked with a sly, cheeky look at my Patronus. He folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head sideways. His green eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Because this isn't my Patronus," I said. "It's a fox, no one will know this is me!"

"All right,” Harry sighed. “I want everyone to partner up though, Ginny you go with your mother, Ron with your father and Snape and I will go together."

"So, who are you going to invite?" Ginny asked.

"I personally want a word with Dung, and there's a dear old friend of mine who has to be caught up on the specifics as well," Harry said. "Now what about you Snape?"

"I'll try and get Lupin here shall I?"

"Hmm, an impossible task," Harry said. "I should know."

He looked at Ginny, the expression in his eyes made me roll mine.

"Oh for Pete’s sake stop being so damn noble you nitwit!" I said to him bluntly.

"What did you say?" Harry asked sharply.

"Let’s put it this way, she likes you and you like her - a lot - you’re both so bloody Gryffindorian at times it makes me sick! Just continue dating her, she knows what she's doing as did your mother, if anything your father wasn't half as noble as you, he'd have gambled any chance he had."

"Perhaps I'm fed up with chancing my whole life on luck. Its fickleness is as untrustworthy as a Slytherin. I'll die for Ginny but I don't want her to do the same for me, she's got more choice than I'll ever have."

"You're right there, but she loves you boy and believe me love like that is a rare find and not something to toss away lightly," I advised. "Keep her by your side, Harry, Ginny could be the most powerful ally you could ever have, besides you know what they say?"

"No go on," Harry said.

"Behind every great man there's always a greater woman!"

"You know Snape, I'd hate to admit this, but you're right," Harry said. "And that is something that Dumbledore might have said."

"It is exactly what he said to me when you two started going out with each other and we were talking about it. So - where are we going?"

"We're staying here anyway I want Dung here so I can pelt him one and I think Mrs Figg would like to join me, her tins of cat food were useful last time!"

"Am I missing something here?" I asked.

“Oh you remember when I sent my Patronus in the muggle streets,” I nodded, he continued. “Well, the reason why I had to do that was because Dung left his watch early to see about some flimsy cauldrons, and so I had to save my cousin from Dementors. Anyway after that happened, Mrs Figg, an elderly woman that was my babysitter when my Aunt and Uncle decided to go out, turned up and started yelling and mentioned Dumbledore. I was confused. However, Dung came back and she started pelting him with a bag full of tinned cat food as she was berating his lack of judgement and care.”

“Do you think Dung was a bad choice then?” I asked.

“Bloody hell can you get more careless?” He returned back.

“So, do you think it’s a good idea to get him back?”

"Probably not but I want them here now," he said. He squared his shoulders; he was already beginning to look a little older than the seventeen year old he was. Responsibility and stress weighed heavily on the young man, so much so that he was beginning to look world-weary. I noticed also that there was a bit of stubble growing on his chin, he obviously has not been shaving.

He held out his wand and said Expecto Patronum again and his stag came out. The stag looked at me and sniffed me. I then whipped out my new patronus, a dolphin!

"I honestly do not know how this has happened!" I said. "It was a vixen, much like your mother, she was beautiful and fox like and now there is this – this - dolphin!"

"Who's been making you happy recently?" Harry asked shrewdly.

"No one!" I said hurriedly.

"Don't lie, Snape, the Dolphin is obviously how you see Hermione," Harry said. "You've been doing an awful lot for her recently so it's no wonder that your Patronus has changed. You've changed. It's simple as that. Tonk's changed because she fell in love and you have too!"

"Have not!"

"You're good with the mind, I'm good with the heart, I know you love Hermione I am going to talk with you about that soon but not today!"

That was you Lily! You spoke there; you would have wanted to talk to me about this.

We had all sent our Patronus's and now all we had to do was wait.

**************************************************

"What you're saying is we have to go to Greybacks pack and fight the living daylights out of him?" Neville said. His reaction to seeing me again was not exactly friendly, when I had spoken of my story and what I had been doing he even attempted to brain me one with a spell, but Harry blocked him.

"Well yes," Harry said. "It's the only way to get Hermione back here where she belongs."

"And it's all my fault," I said. "I took advantage of her good, sweet nature and now she's - she's -" I started crying. To my surprise I felt a light hand brush mine. I looked up into the goggly eyes of Luna, her father in the background.

"You love her, don't you?" she whispered. No one else heard. "Don't worry I know you're good!"

Somehow that didn't assure my chances of being trusted more amongst this lot. Minerva gave me a killer stare that reduced me to the schoolboy I once was, she looked like she was sucking on a bitter lemon. Flitwick had his wand by the ready in case I hurt Miss Lovegood, she was after all under his headship and he cared very much about Ravenclaw. And Hagrid looked at me as if he'd rather sit on me than by me. Mind you after my story had been told and confirmed by Harry, Hagrid did actually take my hand and squeezed it, something which my hand was still trying to recover from!

"Knew it musta been a missake you killin' Albus!" he whispered. The thing is everyone heard the whisper. And not everyone took his view of it. Minerva just swivelled and stared harshly at me, and Mad Eye Moody humphed.

"We'll see about that!"

But then I was prepared for this negativity. Mrs Figg was a grey haired squib, who seemed to cart her cats about with her everywhere. She went all misty eyed at Harry as she patted his cheek and gave him a tin. He opened it.

"Don't worry its proper and fresh, I no longer have to pretend to give you a hard time to please those -!" I was surprised such language came from a sweet looking elderly woman.

"My sentiments exactly," Minerva said. "I didn't understand why Albus did that! There were plenty of good decent Wizarding homes he could have gone to!"

That shocked me to! I always saw Minerva as straight laced, but the fact that she didn't bat an eyelid at Mrs Figgs vocabulary stunned me. And I did!

"Right," Harry said sternly. "Meeting in session."

Everyone stopped chatting and I am glad that my story was said before the actual meeting started.

"Severus and I have been having a discussion,” Harry began, he turned slowly towards the Werewolf, “Remus, I'm sorry, but I need you to come with me."

"But what about Dora?" he asked, he looked more haggard and tired than ever, the full moon change coupled with the emotion of looking after his beloved one made him look as if he could not care about his own state.

"I'll look after her," Molly said, she turned to Fred and George.

"Good thing we bought our products!"

"It was your products that got Dumbledore killed in the first place!" Mr Weasley jr retorted tartly.

"That's not fair it was me that killed Dumbledore not your brothers," I said. "Keep that thought in mind."

Fred and George turned to me stunned.

"We've, um, bought some extendable ears, and some of that powder," one of them said. It didn't matter they both looked the same.

"How many pairs?" Harry asked.

"Three," they answered.

"Right that would be me, Severus and Remus," Harry said. "I can use my cloak and Severus can change into his animagus, and Remus can apparate straight to the hideout, he'll be kind of accepted. We'll sneak close and listen to what is going on."

"What do we all do?" Minerva asked. "Mr Potter!"

"At the moment, Professor McGonagall, we're just collecting information, we don't intend to fight yet, once the three of us have the information then we can come back and plan a proper rescue strategy," Harry answered. "I just wanted you all here to settle the score and tell you that Severus Snape is still working for us - in fact he's now a proper member of the Order, I don't trust him and neither do any of you have to but work with him and cooperate with him! That is an order!"

"Yes, Harry!" everyone chanted.

Minerva did not look too happy at this; I suppose she felt she should have been the new leader, being the next headmistress of the school. Flitwick looked at me and then walked up to me.

"If anything happens to Harry or Hermione again then I will show you exactly how good a wandsman I am!" he threatened.

"Nothing will Filius," I answered. One absence was noted. Where was Slughorn? Not that I cared. All he ever wanted to do was surround himself with the powerful and famous, so he could hide behind them when the going got tough. Coward that he was and is! "I have begun caring for them myself." ‘And one of them a lot more than the other,’ I thought to myself. But if I told you that I loved Hermione you’d probably not hesitate in showing me what a brilliant wandsman you are right here and now.

Minerva then walked up to me and she was fuming, her dark eyes flaming with incandescent rage, she raised a hand and promptly slapped my face and stormed by me.

"I deserved that!" I said to no one in particular.

"Severus," Harry said. "We're going!"

He walked out of the room and I followed with Remus traipsing close behind me.

"What sort of information are you hoping to get, Harry?"

"Any," he said. "But most of all I want information on Hermione at the moment, we'll have to tackle everything else when we get there."

"Good, one step at a time I like that!" I said a little nervously in a hushed voice.

Remus told us where to go and then Apparated, I morphed into Ebonium and Harry picked me up and wrapped the cloak around us and Apparated himself.

It was freezing, where we were. But what did I expect? Fenrir lived in a cave mountain, even as a human, he said it kept him as wolf like as possible. He ate human flesh as a human; I shivered as I saw the skull of a child. I heard Harry trying to keep his stomach contents in. We saw Remus approach the cave cautiously and tentatively. Harry slipped by an enclosure near the cave. He placed an extendable ear on the cave.

"Ah! Remus, the prodigal returns?" he drawled wolfishly.

"I've come to collect what's mine," Remus answered bravely.

"Ah you mean that sweet little mate of mine, she doesn't belong to you now she belongs to me. I have mated her as a wolf and she has my scent over her, she is now mine! Ah, what a sweet little thing she is as well. You know, Remus, if you’re really good I might even let you have her on the next full moon. But as I am leader, only I can breed, that’s the rules. She’s not so bad as a human either! Oh yes, Remus, she’s one of us now. Her first transformation was most interesting to watch, and the sex, oh the sex, it was the best. Have you ever copulated throughout a transformation, Remus? I assure you it’s most challenging to keep the mate under control. Oh, she wriggled and squirmed. And such a delight to me. Especially as I was the one that broke her.”

"You're lying!" Remus growled I knew he was trying very hard to keep his anger under control. I was struggling in Harry’s arms in an effort for me to leap in the cave and scratch that monsters eyes out, but Harry kept me in his arms. He’s surprisingly strong.

"Really?" Fenrir said. I wanted to step in there and wallop him one, oh Merlin how like a Gryffindor. We heard a shuffle feet. "Ask yourself!"

We heard a whimper clearly from our position outside the cave.

"Remus," she said faintly. "What are you doing here?"

"What have you done to her you animal?" Remus bellowed in indignation.

"Thank you for the compliment, son!" Fenrir said he emphasized the word son. "By the way bow before your Queen!"

"He doesn't have to Fenrir," she said, her voice weak and thick. She was in pain but at least she was still conscious and talking.

"Listen, dear, hah! Deer, fancy some? I love Stag don't you?"

Harry was grinding his teeth in an effort to remain calm and silent. He didn't want the cover blown.

"Um, not particularly," she said. Her tone was now submissive. She had succumbed. Fenrir had tamed her to do his bidding, his will.

"I particularly love Venison don't you? Speaking of Venison how is Potty boy doing?"

"Potty boy is going to kill you if you crack any more sick jokes!" Harry muttered under his breath.

The cold was penetrating through the robe and whilst Harry was keeping me warm with his body and anger it wasn't enough. He felt me quiver in my cat form and he held me closer to him and he even threaded me through his jumper so I could keep extra warm. I purred a little. He fussed behind my ears a little whilst listening. Beat that Black! No dumb dog could comfort a distressed person by purring!

"Hermione, come on," Remus was urging. "Come back home. Severus will brew you some potion to calm the worst off and we'll look after you."

"I can't Remus," she said. "My loyalty is to the pack."

"Hermione would never say that!" Harry mumbled to me. "He's done more than mate with her, he's controlling her! Hermione you should have fought harder!"

I knew what he was on about, the Imperius!

"We're your pack," Remus said. "Me. Harry. Ron. Severus!" Why add in my name?

"Severus?" she asked. "He cares for me?"

"You know he does, Hermione, come on take my hand, we can all leave!"

"Pointless Remus," Fenrir said laughing coldly and jarringly. "She goes with you and she dies!"

"What?"

"I've made sure she depends on me and no one else," Fenrir said. "I am her master, she comes to me when I call, she goes when I tell her too, and she does what she is told and the beauty of it is, she does it without argument. She's even better than a house elf, at least she can do certain things that a house elf can't do for their masters, no matter how much they were to want it!"

Harry was shivering himself now; his body was quivering with rage I'd never felt from him before, not even in front of me! I put a comforting paw on his cheek. He looked down in my eyes. He held me closer. I was beginning to find it difficult to breathe! Er? Harry, cats need to breathe you know!

"Hermione, please come home," Remus said softly. "Hermione, please. Don't give in there is still time, I don't depend on him, come on!"

"That's because, Remus, you always have been an unsubmissive pup. She always follows the rules; it is why my Master is so interested in her. She's loyal, she obeys, and she follows everything down to the last letter. After next months change she will be given the Mark and become one of us! After all fair is fair isn't it? You've taken Severus away from us so we'll take Hermione away from you."

"You'll lose so much more than Severus by the time I'm through with you!" Remus said bravely.

"Just leave Remus, go back to your pink haired slob and the rest of the ragamuffin crew, without Dumbledore you and your friends are nothing!"

"That's a matter of opinion!"

Remus walked out of the cave and walked a little down the mountain. Harry waited a while before bundling the extendable ear back in his pocket. I climbed further up and nestled my body against his neck preparing to Apparate back to Grimmauld Place. He lingered for a few minutes and then went.

How were we going to get Hermione out of this one? I believed every word that Fenrir said. Remus actually got a look at her and we'll have to wait to hear his description of her face, complexion, and eyes. But I believed him because Fenrir never lied. He never saw the need to, as he was proud of being who he was and what he was.

Hermione you will be a Dolphin again, you will play, you will nicker and you will be back with us! You will be back with me!

I love you and I don't want you hurt! I know that I'll die for you!

Severus