Dear Lily *COMPLETE*

cateye: I hope you like this chapter. No, that was definitely Tonks. She recovered quickly because I see her as a fast healer.

beeky63: Okay, just for you, as I have had a busy time of it myself and will continue to do so, I will update slowly. Two chapters at a time.

sheedy: Hey, nothing wrong with being greedy. But, you don't want Fanfic Indigestion... so, I'll update two a day... this is the first of those two. Okay.

Dear Lily

It has been rather busy the past fortnight, so I have not been able to write about what has been happening for a long time. Two things have kept me busy: one the second rescue of Hermione and; two; the consequences thereafter. And let me tell you, Lily, that it has been rather arduous to say the least, because not only is Hermione a full-fledged woman that suffers with PMT she now has the temperament of a Werewolf to contend with as well!

The rescue did not all go smoothly. Harry and I were stationed at the mouth of the cave with Mad Eye; Ginny and Weasley Jr beside him a little way off. Harry squared his shoulders, he looked pale but determined. He peered inside the cave; he gently walked in the cave where the smoking embers of a fire were dwindling away in a few faint puffs of cloud. It was deserted!

Harry then motioned me forward. He picked up something that had been left for our benefit presumably. A note!

Dear Harry

Please make no attempts to rescue me now, as I am more danger to you than ever. Fenrir has taken me somewhere else where even I know not the location; I just wish that I did. Tell Severus from me if he is not with you at the finding of this note that I hope that he find happiness and contentment!

From your loving friend

Hermione.

Harry snorted.

"Like I've ever listened to you, Hermione!" he said screwing the note in his fist and threw it at the dying fire. He turned to me.

"Don't look at me; I never associated with Fenrir enough to ponder over whether he had a summer home or not!"

Harry kicked at some of the colder ashes at the edge of the small pyre. He then sat at the rock and put his head in his hands.

"The best thing I ever did was rescue her from that Mountain Troll," he said. "She has always been there for me and I've failed her."

"Don't give up that easily boy," I urged. "Look, we can always send out our Patronus's and ask them to seek her out, and when one of them finds her she'd respond with her own!"

"Won't that place her in more danger?" Harry asked. I shook my head as I walked up to the scrumpled up note and read it myself.

"This isn't her writing," I said.

Harry looked up at me.

"Of course it is, I'm her friend, I should know what her writing is and that is her writing," he said stubbornly.

"Yes, and I was her teacher that received essays from her on a weekly basis, and therefore has seen more of it than you probably have and this is not Hermione's writing, for a start it's too scrawly, and another thing, it's blotched in a few places."

"She was in a hurry," Harry surmised.

I put my hand up as a silent gesture to be quiet. He took the hint. I put the letter to my nose.

"I'm going to transform now,” I informed him, “I'd be able to pick things up which I can't as a human," I said.

He shrugged his shoulders and held the letter in his hand continuing to scrumple it up even more. Once I was back as Ebonium I sensed something. A flowery perfume like smell was hanging around the cave. A perfume that I associated with Narcissa Malfoy! She was here. Then there was the note; I sniffed it once, yes! That was the scent of Bellatrix she had always been careless. The Black sisters were here together, so that could only mean one thing.

Wiltshire!

I transformed back into my human form and looked at Harry he was dejected, he was too young for this role, yet it was him and him alone that could kill You Know Who. Damn! I wish that I could do it for him, but it wasn't my task, unfortunately. I thought about my next action and knew that not only he needed it but that I did too, after all Lily; he should have been my son.

I picked his limp body up and then held him in my arms, he then wrapped his arms slowly around my waist uncertainly, and then all of a sudden he gripped tightly to the back of my robes and then he began to cry. I put my hand on the back of his head and began stroking his messy hair, he sniffed on me. I was never one for hugging normally, especially hugging other men. I didn't mind hugging women. I held him close to me, and laid my cheek on the top of his head.

"I know where Hermione is Harry don't give up!" I said more to reassure myself than the boy/man I held in my arms.

He sniffed once more and then we slowly broke apart, his glasses all steamed up and his face tear stained.

"I'm sorry for that," he said. His voice thick with emotion. "That was cowardly of me, just to break down like that!"

"Your mother told me once that it took a true man to cry," I said to him holding him at arms length. "Harry, I want to say something to you which means me eating a huge slice of humble pie."

"What?"

"I just found out from Remus that your father didn't know about the prank that Black played on me that would have resulted in my death, that they didn't speak to each other for weeks after that!"

"So, you forgive my father then?"

"Yes," I said. "I doubt he would ever have liked me but he did care enough about whether I lived or died. And that is probably the quality that Lily saw in him which few others could see."

Harry regarded me for a little while and then he looked away.

"Um, I won't tell anyone that we hugged if you don't," he said.

I smiled.

"Of course not, now we have to meet up with the others. Are you all right now?"

"Yes," he said nodding.

"Oh Harry," I said before we walked out of the cave, "your father would have been proud of you!"

"I know," he said.

We walked out of the cave. Ginny ran up to Harry. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him roughly and passionately.

"Did he hurt you Harry?"

"He wasn't in there but Severus detected that before we got there. The Black Sisters were there and have written a note pretending to be her, we think that she's been taken to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire."

Ginny looked at Harry and then at me. She took hold of his hand and then she walked a little down the way with him. I looked at Mad Eye.

"I know Malfoy Manor," I said. "Listen, I don't want to endanger Ginny's life please take her back to her mother."

"We're doing this together," Weasley jr said gritting his teeth together.

"You can come, Weasley," I said. "But not your sister I don't want her to die."

"She won't Severus," Mad Eye said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "She'll be fine she is a strong little one."

"Alice Longbottom wasn't exactly a weak imbecile was she? But look what happened to her. I am not risking it with Ginny. She is the only chance for Harry to remain happy and I am going to make sure he manages to keep that chance! I screwed up his first chance."

I watched Harry hug Ginny close to him and I watched Ginny respond with a hug equally as fierce. She was his only chance of survival. If Ginny lived Harry would too. That was plain and simple. They were so together that if one did get hurt the other would feel the pain. Harry was tenderly stroking her hair and then she looked up in his eyes. I decided to give them a few moments longer before I had my little chat with her. They came back to us hand in hand.

"Miss Weasley, may I have a word with you please?"

She sighed and reluctantly let go off his hand and then followed me.

"What is it, sir?"

"Please go back with Mad Eye."

"Over my dead body," she said. "I care about Hermione as much as everyone else does."

"Look, Miss Weasley, Harry cares for you so much so that you hurt him every time you smile. You hurt him every time you look at him. But most of all you hurt him when you're hurt. If in the knowledge that you are with your mother and safe then it will give him more of a drive to succeed and to be safe to. But if you die Miss Weasley, he won't see any reason himself to carry on and do what he is meant to do and destroy You Know Who."

Miss Weasley sighed again and pouted, her brown eyes looking across at Harry who was talking to Weasley Jr about something, presumably Quidditch.

"You're acting like you care about what happens to Harry and me," she said a confused look in her eyes.

"That's because I do, Miss Weasley," I said. " If you have any love for Harry, please go back to your mother and stay there. And no this is not so that you and your brother can play boy hero, it's so that he has an extra incentive to stay alive."

She looked on the floor and thought about it for a second. She glanced back up at me.

"All right," she said. "But I'm not happy about it!"

I rubbed her arm and then stroked her face and squeezed her cheek.

"Harry needs you Ginny he just needs you to stay alive."

She nodded again and then she walked back to Harry and I followed her.

"Be careful, Harry, won't you?"

"I will," he said.

"You too, Ron," she said. She hugged Ron but she kissed Harry yet again and then she looked at me. "Look after them won't you, sir?"

"Yes ma'am."

She then hugged me as well. Mad Eye took her hand.

"Come on missy let’s get you back to your mum," he said. She gave Harry a lingering, tearful gaze and he blew her one last kiss. Once they were gone I turned to them both.

"Right take hold of my hand, we're going to Wiltshire!"

Harry did so, and he forced Weasley Jr to do the same. He took hold of my hand grudgingly.

We then connected our thoughts to get us to Wiltshire.

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

"He knows something’s up!" I heard as we landed thump in a shrubbery. It was Narcissa.

"It was fool proof," Bellatrix said.

"Yes, but he's no fool, Bella."

"I told you not to trust him, Cissy!"

"Yes, yes all right no need to rub my face in it. I didn't know he still carried around that muggle loving disease he caught of his mother, did I? I thought he was one of us. It must have been that old goat Dumbledore!"

Instead of Harry having to control his temper it was me. Albus Dumbledore was the greatest and I killed him in a moment of cowardice. A male voice joined in the conversation, it was Fenrir.

"The problem with Severus is that he doesn’t know when he is beaten. I've mated with her and she is now mine as is right and he still thinks he can help her! After I'm through with her she'll need more than greasehead to save her!"

Greasehead? He can talk! At least I know what a bottle of shampoo looks, smells, and feels like.

"As for the Minerva disguise; he saw it wasn't her and, guess what? he got Mad Eye Moody to keep an eye on ME!" Narcissa screeched. "Just wait until I get my hands on him. All that stuff Lucius and I told him. All the information and now he could very easily tell Potty boy exactly what we know. And as for the redheaded bitch, Weasley, I'll get her too! She was supposed to have died and Arthur arrested for suspicion of holding a Dark Art item but no! Potty boy had to go and destroy it all. He's as bad as his mother was. I forgot she was a red-haired bitch too!"

"Hermione," Fenrir said. I peered through the bushes and saw her. She was worse now than when Lupin described her, I felt Weasley Jr trying to hold something in. "How are you my dear?"

"Fine," she said. "As well as can be expected."

She wasn't locked up. And it appeared she had some strength about her now. Bellatrix and Narcissa looked at the young woman.

"You better be grateful, Miss Granger, not all Mudbloods are given the privileges that you have been given, the Dark Lord wishes to make you one of us," Bellatrix explained.

Oh no he isn't. I thought to myself!

"I don't want to be," she said. "Even if I was a pure born I wouldn't want anything to do with you!"

Bravely said!

"I wouldn't take that tone with our Master if I were you, he's being most generous and you should thank him on bended knee for it!"

"I'd rather rot in hell!"

I saw Narcissa walk up to her and she slapped Hermione in the face making her nails scrape alongside her cheek, adding more scars to her already beaten up body.

"No one asked for your opinion, Mudblood!"

She then walked off with Bellatrix following. Fenrir stayed behind. He grabbed Hermione harshly and forced his dirty, drooling lips on hers!

"Keep up that spirit sweetie-pie and I might be nicer to you tonight!"

He walked off too. Hermione sank on her knees and sobbed clutching hold of her bloodied cheek.

"Quickly," I whispered.

She looked up as she heard the rustling of the leaves.

"Severus," she said. "Harry! Ron! Go now, all three of you please, just go. I told you not to follow me!" She made a furtive glance over her shoulder.

"No, Narcissa and Bellatrix told me not to follow you I have never listened to them, and Harry, I believe never listens to you so here we are and please keep your voice down."

She got up and then ran up to me first of all. She flung her arms around my neck and I felt her quiver, I held her tightly to me.

"It's hopeless, Professor," she said. "I am a Werewolf now and I belong to Fenrir he is almost telepathic and he does have a control over me."

"We can fight it, you come back with us and Remus can help you."

I picked out the locket from my left hand pocket. I carelessly let it slip to the ground.

"Oops," I said.

"But that's the -"

We heard another faint rustle.

"Wormtail do this! Wormtail do that! Wormtail go and kill yourself! Wormtail get your cowardly treacherous face out of my presence! Wormtail fetch that pretty muggleborn!"

He looked up and saw the three of us standing there, preparing to leave with Hermione.

"Run!" Harry yelled. I made a quick grab for Hermione's hand.

We ran fast and furiously. Wormtail most assuredly would have sounded the alarm by now. I dragged them in a copse.

"You two go back to Grimmauld Place," I said to the boys. "Hermione and I will go somewhere else!"

"Oi!" I heard Weasley jr complain.

"We haven't time to argue," Harry said. "Just do what Severus say's please, Ron! I am sure he knows what he's doing!"

He was just about to retort back before Hermione went up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Please, Ron, for me?" she asked.

He couldn't argue with that! They disapparated back to Grimmauld Place.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the last place they'd suspect of finding me in!"

I held her close to me and we apparated back to Spinners End. Home. Sort of.

"Okay so where are we again?"

"My place!" I exclaimed. "Forgive the rather run down appearance but my father never had enough money for the upkeep of the property."

"It's sweet," she said. "If a little Tim Burtonish!"

"Who's Tim Burton?" I asked.

"A rather quirky weird muggle film director. His films tend to centre on the light side of death and the buildings in his films tend to be lopsided and rather odd but sweet as well. I like them! This cottage looks straight out of a Tim Burton film."

I nodded working out whether or not she was paying me a compliment. I decided she was.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up, dressed and rested with a proper meal."

She took hold of my hand, and then we walked up to my front door. I did the Allohomora. I got in and shivered.

"Let's get the fire's going and then I'll give you the grand tour."

She however was skipping merrily down the cramped small hallway that I always hated.

"It's wonderful!" she said. "Oh it feels like I've gone back in time the past few centuries!"

I smiled. At least someone enjoyed Spinner's End. My mother never really liked its poky halls and less than adequate rooms. But then she did come from a well off Wizarding family, goodness know's why she married a poor muggle anyway! She loved him at the time but she soon got depressed when she couldn't get the fine things she was used to.

Hermione had reached the kitchen and then came out her eyes shining.

"A real cooker and Belfast sink!"

I walked up to her.

"I thought that you would hate this!"

"Hate it? Why? It's just wonderful, well all it needs is the woman's touch!"

"If you’re offering?"

She looked away then. Well done Severus! I went into the living room and lit the fire up in there and then put on the light. She walked in with me and squealed with delight as she spotted my mini library. Books were spilling over the floor and shelves.

"Severus this is gorgeous!"

I kept trying not to blush. She was being far too complimentary.

"I feel like I am in a Grimm Fairy tale."

"Just so long as you don't cook me in the aga!" I replied. "Come on, I'll show you the bathroom and the bedroom where you'll sleep, there's only two so you'll get the one where my parents slept, I'll sleep on the sofa!"

"But I have no clothes," she said.

"You'll be all right; my mother was about your size you should be able to fit into some of her old robes. I mean if that is you haven't got a bug about wearing dead peoples clothes!"

"Looks like I haven't a choice. I like to read in the bath, can I?" she asked motioning towards the bookshelf. I nodded. She picked out a book at random.

"Come with me!"

She followed me up the stairs after I switched the light on.

"Oh it's so cute. I always wanted to live in a place like this, it has so much character. Much like the owner."

"Watch out for the top step it is slightly raised up and can cause a stumble if you're not careful!" Did she just flirt with me then?

I then directed her around the cramped top half.

"Your bedroom," I said. I opened the door and she walked in. She went up to the dresser and picked up a photo. It was one that was taken when I was six. I was on my father's shoulders, and my mother was by his side holding his hand. I was smiling, probably the last time I ever did.

"Is this you?" she pointed to me.

"It is, I cannot deny it!"

"You look so happy there," she then looked at my father. "He looks all right."

"My father was all right it is my grandfather on my mother's side that I take after!"

"A Prince through and through then?"

She put the photograph back and then opened the wardrobes and shifted through the clothes. She eventually picked out a red nightdress. She hung it on the door and then turned towards the double bed.

"It is charming," she said.

She then followed me out.

"Bathroom," I said. "Separate toilet though, and then there is my room there!"

"Hot water?"

"Just use magic, I do!"

She smiled and then walked into the bathroom. I walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen to inspect the food front. Nothing! Oh well, there was always Wong Wok Cuisine. It's a good thing that I have a little nook with emergency muggle money. Yet, another one of Dumbledore's wisest suggestions. He claimed he didn't have them often. If I had a gold galleon for every wise or good decision Dumbledore had I would be richer than Malfoy!

I picked up the leaflet and thought of waiting for Hermione before I made the order. I wasn't even sure if she liked Chinese food.

I decided to sit down in the sitting room. There was an old copy of the Daily Prophet and I picked it up looking at the crossword section and found I hadn't finished it. I decided to finish it now.

9 across was completely empty. The clue was; Scream and you'll miss it (8); well, that was obvious I don't know why I didn't write it in before: MANDRAKE. I had settled down to a few more clues then Hermione came down the stairs with a towel around her hair and she looked stunning in my mother’s old, red nightdress. She looked over my shoulder. She pointed to 10 down. Same as 9 across but under a different name (9).

"Mandagora," she said.

"Thank you!" I replied tersely.

"Only trying to help!"

"I have no food but I do have a Chinese Restaurant Take Away list fancy one?"

"Yes please," she said. She was towelling down her hair but she winced when she reached the back.

"Here," I said. I towelled down the back of her hair and she looked through the list.

"I like beef and ginger and egg fried rice," she said.

"And to round it off I'll order sweet and sour chicken and extra rice," I said. I picked up the phone that was by my chair. She leaned back into my lap.

"I never thought of doing anything this normal with you of all people."

"Normality grabs me from time to time. I do try to avoid its grip!"

She laughed. She then placed the book on her lap and began reading it.

"What is that you are reading anyway?" I asked.

"Potions and Healers: A Match Made In A Cauldron!" She exclaimed. "By Septimia Scrubb!"

"Is that what you want to be?" I asked gently drying her beautiful golden hair.

"Wanted to be but, thanks to Fenrir I can kiss goodbye to any of my dreams and ambitions."

I gulped down a lump of guilt. It was all my fault! If I hadn't have outed Lupin as it were then Umbridge would never have made that Law. I had to do something about that.

The nice Chinese voiced woman answered the other end and I made the order. She said it would take half an hour and I told her I'd pay on delivery.

Hermione was reading the book.

"You should be sitting on a chair, Hermione," I offered.

"It's all right, Severus," she said. "I'm enjoying you drying my hair."

We ate dinner when it arrived, and then, because she was tired she went to bed and I decided to have a bath and go to bed myself.

As I was drowsing, Lily, I heard a sound of faint footsteps outside my house, I peered from my window but couldn't see the intruder. Hermione screamed from the bedroom!

I ran in and she was clutching her forehead. I had seen Harry do this occasionally, particularly the first time we met.

"Hermione, what's the matter?" I asked.

"Fenrir!" she breathed.

"What about him?"

"He's here!"

Severus

A/N - Hee, hee. Now you know why the two chapter update... I am not SOO cruel to leave you hanging like that... hey, wait a minute, maybe I am... oh well, I am in a good mood today.