Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

---

Dearest Severus,

I love to receive your letters. I read them at least twice while eating my breakfast and then keep them close to my heart so that I can read them at the hospital, too. The days have become an endless line of receiving new patients, patching up those who aren't as hurt, and admitting those with more serious wounds. From the patients I often hear about the things you don't tell me in your letters. I must admit I worry.

I've also heard, from someone who sees both of us regularly, that you are starting to get a bit worn. She tells me she's not sure if you're eating. Please, dearest, take care of yourself. If not, I shall have to take advantage of your upcoming holiday to fatten you up.

Things at home are very much the same as before. Mum has gotten a bit less difficult. Perhaps all the work has tired her to the point where she doesn't care so much. Perhaps it has to do with her correspondence with a highly respected Hogwarts professor. I think they may be comparing notes.

Our new little one grows by the minute, it seems. The midwives say that things are going very well right now. It's a good thing, since they need every hand at the hospital, that I'm not having complications. Brendon misses his Daddy and the opportunity to do “man things.” The day care center has expanded its hours as has the staff in general. He gets a chance to play with other children his age, but not so much time with his family. It's not the best way to raise a child, but I know it's only for a while longer. Some day this will all be different.

There's only just enough space left to tell you how I miss you. I miss your eyes that always let me into your soul. I miss your mouth, which sets me on fire. I feel like I could die from missing your hands. You have been a wonderful lover, husband and father. I long for the time when, one way or another, we are back together again.

All my love,
Emily

---

“Lucky.”

Neville heard the whisper, a voice he never expected to hear again in that room, and looked toward the place from which it had come. As he watched, Margo removed the Disillusionment Charm she had on herself. She was carrying the sort of bag Healers used and she had a look of distress on her face.

“You don't belong here.”

“I know, but I saw the way they tortured you in class today, and they gave you detention tonight, too. I know what that means. I couldn't do just nothing. For one thing, I owe you.”

“So what are you here for?”

“Sit down and let me work on those cuts and bruises.”

For some reason, Neville found himself doing as she asked. He sat on a couch the room seemed to make for the purpose and she knelt beside him. He had to admit that he did feel better after she said some simple healing charms. He couldn't decide how he felt when she dabbed some ointments on his face and hands.

He tried not to look into her eyes. They were a gentle blue tonight, which wasn't a problem. The unshed tears, however, did cause a difficulty. If he acknowledged the tears he had to acknowledge that he was wrong about her position in the war and perhaps some other things as well. He was already re-thinking some of his ideas. Luna had sounded crazy and some of her father's ideas had as well, but if they were completely wrong, why was Luna kidnapped from the train at Christmas? Neville couldn't face those questions, so it was easier not to look.

Instead he allowed himself to feel her gentle touch and the tingle it left on his skin. Once again he was in trouble. The tingle must be caused by her ointment, he decided. It was the effect of the pain going away. He knew that wasn't it, but it was easier than admitting what her touch really did to him. It was bliss while it lasted, and a relief when it ended.

“Okay, the bruises are still there, but the underlying hexes and jinxes have been healed. That way they won't think you've gotten away with it.”

“Hope, you're brilliant.” He had not meant to say it; somehow it just came out.

A brief look of joy passed over her face, quickly followed by concern. “I care about you, Lucky. This ointment is a concoction of my parents'. I've learned that Daddy has had to use it upon occasion. Why don't you keep the jar?”

The image of her father rose between them and gave Neville the perspective he had been trying to retrieve. “Well, Snape, your debts are paid, you can leave now. In fact, I may be in debt to you, since your appearance has alerted me to a problem with the way I've been requesting the room.”

Scarcely able to breathe at this rapid change in Neville's demeanor, Margo cleared up her things and closed her bag. She took Neville's hand and placed the jar within it before turning. More of the DA were arriving at that point and they watched in amazement as she Disillusioned herself once more and the door opened and closed. She sped to her own dormitory and cast a muffling spell around her bed before indulging in the tears that had been threatening since she saw the full extent of his injuries.

The DA members looked from the door to Neville, who was still sitting on the couch.

“What was that about?” asked Ginny Weasley.

“Oh, nothing. She just stumbled in here.”

Ernie Macmillan gave Neville a hard look. Margo Snape never stumbled anywhere, but he let it go. There was a lot to discuss and he didn't want to argue with their leader.

---

Dear Lucky,

Do you know how you are killing me? I just want to help. I want other things, too, but I would settle for just helping. Would you please just realize it's not the way it looks?

She quickly set fire to this one and dropped it into a drinking glass she had near her bed. It was no use. For a moment, she had understood the sweet distress Mum must go through when treating Daddy's injuries, but then Neville had ruined it.

---

Emily smiled to herself as she looked around the mostly clear admitting area. For once there weren't many skirmishes. Hope had arrived for the Easter Holidays yesterday. The children were both home and she would go soon, too. She made her way to her office to finish some paperwork. Severus would come this afternoon and she would see her husband that night and for several days. She had managed to get the rest of the week off from work. She moved her hands over her belly. She hoped he wouldn't find her too large. She had been so much smaller when he last saw her, just round enough to look definitely pregnant. Now her robes were a bit snug around her. She would have to find the ones she used for the last months in one of her closets.

A silvery tiger broke into her thoughts. “Emily, I'm expecting a visitor this evening and I'm not sure exactly when. It will make me late in getting to you.”

She cast her own Patronus, the mate of his. “I understand and I will be at your house.” She had found the basic answer to their question, but hoped the last couple of books would provide a more complete explanation.

---

It was very late when Severus Snape blew into his house on Spinner's End. He found his wife dozing on the couch. Several books were stacked on his desk. He looked back at Emily and admired her in her sleep, the sweet face, the lush bosom, and the way her robes stretched over their child. He knelt beside her.

Emily had sat down for just a moment to rest her eyes. She had finished reading about the topic and needed a break. Her slumber deepened and she started having an incredible dream. The hands she loved were unfastening her robes and then caressing her bare belly. She felt his lips start at her navel and move to where the waking child was thumping.

A heartbeat later she was awake and in his arms, kissing him for all she was worth. “You're here,” she finally said. “It seems so long and now you're here.”

“Let's not waste time in talking,” he answered her. She kissed him in return, matching his passion.

He pondered the options. Making love at her stage of pregnancy was rewarding but complicated. It all came down to positions that would protect the baby and positions in which the baby was not in the way. He decided that the couch wouldn't work and pulled her to her feet, guiding her up to their bedroom. They didn't speak.

They kissed everything they could reach as they undressed themselves and each other. They caressed and touched with the urgency of weeks of separation. They treasured each moment until it was over and then treasured the time they could simply hold each other. Finally, all was quiet as they fell asleep, Emily in Severus's arms.

---

Severus woke from the best sleep he'd had in weeks to the sensation of Emily running her hands through his hair and along the contours of his face. He kept his eyes closed for a moment to enjoy the feeling of being adored. Her touches changed somewhat, from recalling memories to making new ones and he found his own hand rising to brush the hair from her cheeks. He watched her face as she realized he was awake and saw her eyes turn smoky blue.

She leaned in to receive the kiss that was waiting for her lips and they were lost in each other. He took the time to caress her more carefully and in greater detail. He enjoyed the changes to her body and kissed her everywhere. She abandoned herself to his touches and begged for more, kissing and touching him as much as possible.

This time they didn't fall asleep. Emily looked at him carefully, in a way he knew well.

“Are you injured at all? Are you getting enough to eat? Do you get enough sleep?”

He smiled. “No injuries at this time, and I eat and sleep when I can.”

“I hear stories about Hogsmeade at St. Mungo's.”

“I'm sure they're true. No hyperbole can do it justice these days. There are Death Eaters on every street corner, Dementors prowling the outer boundary walls of the school, and more Death Eaters prowling around the halls of the school. Even a professor and his wife would find it difficult to sneak off for a quick snog in a deserted hallway right now.”

She smiled at his attempt to make humor out of the situation. “Perhaps it's just as well that your wife isn't there.”

“It's hell, Emily. The Dark Lord is convinced that Potter will try to break into the school and he's covered every avenue to make sure that he doesn't do it. They behave like animals, they eat a fortune's worth of food, and the students have to travel in packs. If they get caught alone, especially if they're Half-blood...” She looked at him to finish the sentence. “I don't think we've had any cases of clear rape, yet, but a few have come close. There's definitely been torture.”

It gave Emily an opening. Hope had been so listless over the weekend. “What has happened to our daughter?”

“Malfoy.”

“I knew it. I knew he would hurt her as soon as he got the chance—“

“He didn't get a chance. Longbottom happened past and rescued her before any damage was done.”

Emily closed her eyes and sighed in relief. “Why didn't she tell me about this? We had all weekend—“

“Because he then rebuffed her, and rebuffed her again when she tried to thank him. Given the current circumstances, I didn't feel the need to warn her against sitting outside the Gryffindor Portrait Hole.”

Emily smiled. “I wanted to kill Lily Evans that week.”

“I read that part of your diary. I know.” He pulled her close and kissed her nose.

“Does Hope seem quieter to you?”

“She's got a lot on her mind. Malfoy did suggest to her that the Dark Lord has plans for our family.”

“Does he know about what I will be expected to do?”

“I'm not entirely sure, but I know he hasn't told her. From conversations I've been hearing before and after meeting with the Dark Lord and from what he's told me himself, he wants her in his circle. Draco suggested to her that she's been mentioned to certain families as a prize the Dark Lord may bestow. It almost sounds as though he wants a younger version of Bellatrix and Rudolphus.”

Emily shivered. “That's worse than what he wants of me. There must be some way...”

“I've kept her clear so far by suggesting that she will be a Healer.”

“Will she be given a choice?”

“I'd rather Nott than Malfoy, myself, but much comes down to what he desires.” He stopped for a moment and kissed her frown. “Enough of this for now. We have no intention of letting things get to that point. What are our arrangements for this time together, and what have you been working on in my library?”

“I can't talk about what I've been reading when we're like this. It's horrible.” She shuddered. “The children are at Mum's house with the elves today, but we can either stay here together or at the flat. Either can be made ready fairly quickly.”

“I think I would rather be here this week. Perhaps we should find some breakfast, you can tell me what you've been looking at in the library, and then we can retrieve our progeny.”

---

She explained what she learned after they ate.

“A Horcrux is a sort of magical device. It's the closest way to describe it. The theory is that whenever a murder is committed, the murderer's soul splits. If he does it while using this spell, the split part can be trapped in another object and this binds the soul to an Earthly existence.”

Severus asked, “And that's how he was able to come back?” Emily nodded.

He thought for a minute. “The locket, then... but what about the ring Dumbledore was wearing, and there was a diary... Emily, can a person make more than one?”

“You can make one every time you commit murder, but this book specifically recommends against it. As more are made, the murderer becomes less and less human—“ Emily gasped and looked at her husband in horror.

“Yes, that's definitely happened.”

They were silent in their own thoughts for a while.

“Dumbledore must have suspected the snake. He said that there would be a time when the Dark Lord is more protective of the snake. He also must have suspected something about Potter's scar—“

Emily gasped again. “He knew Harry was one. I gave him that information and he made hints about it being the secret to You-Know-Who's return.” When Severus looked at her, she went on. “We were apart most of that day, weren't we? Albus asked me to look over a young patient and Hagrid brought Harry to me. He was perfectly healthy except for where the curse hit him. When I probed it to see how to heal it, his eyes turned red. I almost dropped him. I couldn't find a cure, and I went later and explained it all to Albus. Do you suppose Harry knows?”

Severus looked away. “He does not. Yet another delicious little task Dumbledore left to me without really explaining the reasoning.”

“What do we do?” Emily asked.

Her husband got up and stretched. “We put the books away and do nothing except watch and wait for ways to help. I wonder if the Dark Lord knows that Potter et al are destroying these things. Perhaps that's why he wants me to protect the castle. One of them must be there and Potter's scar must be another.

“Somehow I must convince Potter that he must allow himself to be killed. What I need you to do, Emily, is help me organize my thoughts. I suspect that giving him some of them in a vial would be best, because he enjoyed watching my secrets in the Pensieve before so greatly. If nothing else happens, he will be intrigued and want to know what my memories would show him.”

They put the books away and Severus took Emily's hands. He looked into her face and asked, “Is there a counter-spell? I think I know what's meant by having one's soul torn.”

Emily pressed herself into his body, as closely as she could get. “It's not really a spell, it's remorse. You have to feel the horror of what has been done and truly regret that you have done it. Severus, you've done that. You didn't do anything out of a desire for gain, nor for reasons of your own, really. You were following the orders of a master who made that choice. Besides that, you didn't attempt to gain immortality for yourself.”

Severus put his arms around his wife and held her close. “I don't need immortality if you're with me.”

The child between them started moving in protest of his or her parents standing so closely together. “Ah, but we do have a form of immortality, don't we?” He tipped his wife's chin up to kiss her deeply. “How soon do we have to get our children?”

“We have time,” said Emily with a funny catch in her voice.