“My daughter—“

“Your mother is coming to be with her.”

They took her to the ministry and started questioning her about her friendship with Sirius.

“When did you last see Sirius Black, Mrs. Snape?”

She shook her head. “I don't know, it must be weeks ago. He's been working with the people who were protecting the Potters.”

“You know this for a fact?”

“I guess not. Sirius and James had been best friends since riding the train together before first year. I heard something and figured it was true. What has this got to do with me?”

“What would you say is the relationship between your husband and Mr. Black?”

“It's hostile at its warmest. I don't think they ever agreed on anything.”

“They both must have found you attractive.”

Emily snorted. “That's hardly the sort of thing to build a friendship upon.”

“So you wouldn't be aware of any collusion between the two to break the Potters' secret and inform He-who-must-not-be-named of that site?”

“No! Sirius would die before giving up that secret.”

“What about your husband?”

Emily thought before answering. “The last thing he would have wanted in this life was the death of Lily Potter. Anyway, he couldn't give that sort of secret to the Dark Lord. He was the last person on earth James and Lily Potter would have trusted.”

“That's an interesting answer to our question, Mrs. Snape.”

“It's the best I have.”

“Is your husband a Death Eater?”

“No.”

“But he's worked for He-who-must-not-be-named.”

“Severus has worked for Dumbledore. You would need to discuss what that involved with him.”

“Back to Sirius Black. How long were you and he lovers?”

“Never. We started dating during our sixth year at Hogwarts and it became a habit of sorts that continued until shortly before my marriage.”

“Were you aware that he was working for He-who-must-not-be-named?”

Emily's eyes suddenly lost their glazed over look. “That's impossible. He hated the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters and even all things Slytherin. He was disowned by his family over it.”

“Couldn't it have been a front?”

“From the age of eleven?” Emily shook her head. “I don't believe that. He loved James Potter like a brother and James would never have gone along with that sort of thing. They had no secrets from each other. It drove Lily batty sometimes. Sirius might have hidden something like that from me, but never from James.”

They stopped questioning her but held her for hours. That twinge in her tummy came and went. The simulated window showed that it was getting dark and it was later still before Severus came bursting through the door.

“It's fine, now, Emily, we can go. Dumbledore spoke for me and they never really wanted anything from you.” He held out his hands to her.

Emily looked up but wasn't sure how to approach her husband. He had asked for the life of Lily Potter, but she thought that his love for her over the past year and a half had been genuine. She decided that at least he loved her as he had on their wedding day and that it was enough. She hurried into his arms and held him tightly as he cradled her and buried his face in her hair.

---

They went back to Hogwarts and saw to their daughter. When they were at last alone, they came together despite their grief. It was a relief that the Dark Lord was gone, even if only temporarily as Dumbledore believed. It was a relief not to be held by the ministry any more. It was a relief to be back in their own apartment, with their own daughter sleeping in the next room. Nevertheless, the grief over the destruction of the Potter family, and the loss of so many brave and bright people over the past years hung over them.

Severus never felt more comforted than when his wife made love with him. At such times he knew that all things began and ended with her and that his world made sense. On this night his happiness in her arms was absolute, especially after the day and a half that preceded it. Every kiss was a healing draught and every caress brought him closer to sanity. He didn't think he ever loved her more than at this moment when so many bad things and so many good ones swirled around them. At the moment they were closest a name came to his lips and he cried it out joyfully.

Emily couldn't breathe until she could get away and curled up on the very edge of the bed. She couldn't cry and she couldn't be upset. She had agreed to this from the first moment she and Severus had ever touched each other. She had known his feelings since they were both still children. Perhaps she had been mistaken in the last eighteen months. He had hidden it well and her life had been much richer for it. She was grateful for the gift. On a day like today, it was bound to come out. There had been so much to live through.

Severus lay on his back. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what possessed him to say that name at such a moment, when all he could think about was how warm and loving his wife was, when all he wanted was to be with Emily exactly as they were at that moment. Then he ruined it. He put his hand out to touch her but if possible she huddled even closer to the edge of the bed.

“I've betrayed you.”

“I know better. I know what you were hoping for. He told me.”

“What did he tell you?”

“He said that you could console the widow and then he said that he and I...” she couldn't say the rest of it.

“No. I never wanted that, any of it.” He sat up and looked at her. Maybe she would finally tell him what had happened with the Dark Lord.

Emily got out of the bed and started to dress.

“Emily, I need to tell you how it was and you need to tell me what happened at Malfoy Manor.”

“I don't know if I'm ready. I don't know if I'll ever be ready.”

“What are you doing?”

“My mum said they're short staffed at St. Mungo's. I'm going to see if they can use me.”

“Emily, I don't think it's safe.”

“What's going to happen, now? Surely any Death Eaters at the hospital will have had their wands removed.”

“Think of the baby.”

It put some life in her eyes at least, even if it was a vicious glint. “It's all about the children, isn't it? Even him, he was going to...” she still couldn't say it, “then and there that night, but he wanted to protect the little Slytherin I'm carrying. The first time you ever said you loved me, it was when we knew Hope could die.”

“Emily! It's not like that. Sit down, we should talk about what he said to you and what's really going on.”

“I don't think I can, Severus. I just need to get out of here for a while. I can be useful at the hospital.”

She reached the door and turned around.

“I don't know what Hope is going to be like today, since she was without either of us yesterday. Try to go easy on her.”

Emily backed out of the room. Severus heard the puff of the Floo and then nothing.