47-48

Chapter 47: With My Bones

Neville Longbottom woke up in the room he was sharing with Fred and George (the twins had a bunk bed) with the distinct feeling of dread.

Today was day 3.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and quietly climbed out, not wanting to disturb his roommates this early. It was too early for grins and smiles, after all. Today was the day his parents would be cured, or lost forever.

He slipped his cold toes into the dark red slippers before softly padding downstairs. The rain from last night was just easing up, though he could still hear the raindrops splat on the rooftop.

Downstairs, the candles were lit. Raisin bread and leftover scones preserved by a stasis charm lay on the counter. Everything was so perfectly ordinary.

He glimpsed a head of light golden hair on the couch in the living room. Next to the figure was a shorter one. Apparently Narcissa and Draco had spent the night on the couch. He dared not turn on the rest of the lights. Pulling up a stool to the window that overlooked the street, Neville stared. And sighed. And dreamed.

It was a few hours later when the rest of the house awoke. But it seemed that in no time at all, everyone was showered and dressed, bright-eyed and ready to cure some Longbottom brains! Their optimism made Neville queasy, but what could he do? Inside, he was also excited, but they didn't have memories like he did. They came in at the very conclusion, a veritable deus ex machina to save the day. And if they failed, they failed, so what. It wasn't like Alice and Frank were their parents.

Hasan was tired. Too tired to do anything really, but everyone was to go on a Longbottom trip, so naturally, Hasan had to come too. For the sake of protection and all. Though in Hasan's humble opinion, he thought he was quite safe here, thank you very much. And did everyone have to go to St. Mungo's? That was like placing a target on the hospital's back, but what did he know? He was just the bloody Boy-Who-Lived.

Luna approached Hasan with a small roll of raisin bread, light smile on her face.

"Today is the day," she said happily. "Today is the day for new beginnings."

Hasan took the bread from her and split it. He gave half of it back. They nibbled on it a bit.

"Is everyone ready?" Molly asked sharply, getting ready to exit the building. Everyone nodded, except for Severus who was too tired to do anything of the sort. "Then off we go!"

Sirius and Remus were exempt from the day's outing because of some top secret werewolf meeting happening that night. And Augusta Longbottom was off at Hogwarts, doing Poppy's usual duties as the mediwitch was watching over her children. But other than that, the residents of Grimmauld Place were in full attendance at St. Mungo's. Arthur kept a firm watch over Ginny and Ron who were 'grounded' from any fun, while Narcissa and Lucius took up the rear, making sure that none of the many kids wandered off.

Draco and Hasan gradually fell into step beside Neville, while Luna was busy chattering away with the twins who were more than happy to share her ideas about nargle breeding for their joke shop. Hermione kept to herself, perhaps the only one besides Neville who truly felt the enormity of the situation.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" the woman at the front desk said as Arthur politely asked for fourteen visitors' passes. "We are under tight security after admitted Mr. Fudge into the psyche ward yesterday. We can't just allow fourteen people to visit his room!"

Arthur babbled his reasons, but the woman was unmoved.

"Molly?" he asked desperately, for he was not in the mood for fighting.

"How about I take the kids who don't want to go and we'll wait in the cafeteria for you, honey?"

Arthur nodded his assent. "Who wants to stay with Molly?" he asked.

Ginny and Ron swiftly stepped to the side, as did Hermione, Fred, and George who did not want to crowd the room during what they saw as a personal invasion of privacy.

"Eight passes, please," Arthur repeated to the desk lady. The woman pursed her lips and nodded.

"Go on through."

Each pass magically appeared on their shirts, a new installment due to Fudge's presence there.

"We must administer the potion to them one at a time so that we may observe any...unpleasant affects before affecting them both," Severus explained quietly to their little group.

Neville had turned the adults out a while ago. As the elevator rose, up and up and up, his heart dropped down an extra level.

"I'm sure you have made the potion exactly, Severus," Narcissa said smoothly.

"I agree," Lucius cut in, "You are the finest Potions Master in England for a reason."

Severus looked away and refused to answer.

Arthur cleared his throat. Ding! "We're here."

As the little troupe exited the magically enlarged elevator room, they ran into Madam Pomfrey who was told of their visit.

"They've stored Fudge in here too. Can you believe it?" she whispered conspiringly. "The guards just went on lunch break, but they'll be back soon. Quick!"

Severus strode forward first, his long legs reaching the door long before Lucius' who hung back purposefully in case the guards came back.

"Mr. Longbottom," Snape said suddenly, locking his onyx eyes with his. "Are you sure you want me to go through with this? I hold no guarantee that this will work, none at all. In all, honestly, this could very well cause them immense suffering before they die. The choice is yours."

Draco, Hasan, Narcissa, Luna, and Arthur stepped away from the two to give them privacy, perhaps...or maybe it was out of fear. They didn't want to be part of this, not...not really. Slowly, Neville blinked. He gave one tight nod and then took a step backwards.

Severus glanced back at their audience, wanting them to see his face, to know that he truly meant what he said. He didn't want to hurt the Longbottoms, but it was a very likely possibility. He was tired of their distrust, or namely just the Weasleys' distrust in general. He hoped that Arthur would be able to convey the story of his innocence when all was said and done.

Turning back around, Severus took in the appearance of his subjects. Alice was pale and shaking. The magic having drained out of her left her frail looking, more than any normal muggle woman surely. Her lips were pale too, no hint of pink, and her hair was dry and grey. Drool trailed down her mouth and on her pillow...

Alice would be first.

Severus approaching the bed, vial in hand. One vial each, ingested orally, that's what the instructions had said. He slowly took her head in his hand, pulled the hair away from her mouth, and tipped back the potion. Massaged her throat.

Neville was trembling behind him. Everyone could feel his vibrations in the air. Poppy came towards him and lead him to a chair. It was no use for them to have another patient to treat today.

They waited, all with baited breaths. Looking for some sign of life, perhaps her rosy cheeks would blossom anew or her eyes would look sharp and not glassy like a doll's.

Poppy cleared her throat. "The elevator just picked up the guards. We don't have much time."

Neville bit his lips and scrunched up his face in pain. He was crushed. His ribs were crushed to dust beneath a giant's hand and he was nothing but ashes.

Severus' lips thinned. There was no choice. Reluctantly, he walked over to the other, to Frank Longbottom, whom he had never truly known in the first Wizarding War, and took his head in his hand.

"Mr. Long- Neville," Severus amended, throat constricting. "The chances of this working on your father are dismal. If you would rather I not-"

"Do it," Neville said firmly, wiping away his tears. The boy got up and stood beside Snape, looking upon the faces of his parents. "I'd rather know we tried our very best to save them."

Snape nodded. He uncorked the vial and slowly poured the potion down Frank Longbottom's throat. The man was a walking ghost, more or less. White, thin hair, lips shriveled like flattened gnarled dates. Severus was helping a corpse to swallow.

And then, all of a sudden, Frank's eyes snapped open. His color returned briefly, light brown with wisps of white. Poppy covered her mouth as she gasped. Arthur nearly whooped for joy!

Then-

"ARGH-!" Frank lunged out of the bed, attempted to, as his legs became entangled in the sheets, dull brown eyes locked on his son. The body was fast, too fast. His hands had locked around Neville's throat before even Severus could react.

"Fa-Father-Father!" Neville cried as he was taken under. His vision was bleeding black.

"Oh my god! The man's possessed!" came a shout from the doorway. The guards had come back, half-sandwiches in their hands.

"Stupefy! Stupefy!" Lucius shouted, slashing his wand in their direction. The two guards, hardly out of auror training, crumpled to the ground in a pitiful pile of clothes. Narcissa quickly shut the doors leading to the psyche ward, locking them shut with layers of charms.

Meanwhile, Neville had fallen to the floor, any attempts by Snape to subdue the body of Frank Longbottom were proving unsuccessful. It seemed nothing short of an AK would stop the man, but that was exactly what Severus was hoping not to do. Neville deserved more than that. As Neville began to fully lose consciousness (the boy could wait, Severus thought blithely), Severus tore into Frank's mind and fought. He did not expect possession, and indeed, it was not, but what he found shocked him perhaps more than it should have. Bellatrix Lestrange had visited on more than one occasion to this particular ward under orders from Voldemort to make Frank strangle his son. She would have planted the ideas in Alice's brain too had she not run out of time. Luckily, she had.

Quickly, Severus extracted himself from Frank's consciousness and now in full possession of the spell Bellatrix used, quickly ended it with the specific countercurse. When he came to, Arthur was staring at him in awe.

"Neville, Neville, my son!" Frank was saying. Poppy helped Neville to stand as his balance was a little shaky from being strangled recently.

"Dad? Dad?" Neville repeated.

"She came again. She made me!" he said. His eyes were bugging out of his head. He didn't know where to look. "I don't have much time. The countercurse triggers another curse. See? It's already starting..." Frank unbuttoned the front of his hospital gown to reveal dark veins that were creeping up his chest. They seemed to penetrate deep within the body, shriveling the muscle and the organs wherever they touched.

"I love you, son. We both love you."

"Dad..." Neville took his father's head in his hands and kissed his cheeks. The tears were running freely down both of their faces, but no one minded. Everyone looked away.

"Don't leave me," Neville pleaded. His father smiled, then his lips turned black. The curse had reached his brain.

Where once existed a soul, now remained only a charred, twisted body.

Severus cleared his throat.

"We need to leave."

"Wait!" that was Luna, coming forward from the group. She was staring, transfixed, at the other body.

"Hello Neville, my son..."

.oOo.

It worked, Severus was thinking over and over in his mind. It worked. It worked!

Alice Longbottom, in all her hospital robe glory, alighted from her hospital bed with the grace of a queen. She took in the company in the room, but didn't seem to mind that three supposed Death Eaters were also with them.

"Come, it seems as if we need to leave." Alice took one fleeting glance at her husband and looked down. "I knew she had come back and done something to him. I am sorry we could not save your father for you, Neville."

But Neville was a ball of mess in her arms and did not answer.

"Let's go..." Alice was around the age that Severus was, around, -ish. But she seemed so much wiser, recovering from a coma than Severus could have ever been at the age her life stopped.

"Go on ahead," Severus called to the crowd. "Make sure they get out of here properly..."

Narcissa bowed to Alice in a show of respect. "May I?" Narcissa asked.

Alice nodded. With a swish of her wand, Alice was wearing a lovely blue dress with silver thread. No one could have imagined what went on in the room. No one would suspect it was Alice Longbottom leaving today. Hasan stayed behind, not wanting to see Neville with his nearly revived mother, knowing that this kind of fate was not for him.

They little crowd walked towards the elevator, leaving Hasan behind just outside the room.

"Take this, Hasan," Severus told him, just as he wheeled Fudge's bed out into the hallway.

"Incendio!" Hasan heard Snape shout from within the ward. The body burst into flames, then the curtains and the chairs. Severus made sure to keep the fire to just one room, however, but he needed evidence of his potion to be gone, as well as a false trail to mislead others from knowing what exactly had occurred.

Snape exited the ward as if he had not just set the room on fire.

"Let us go, Hasan," Severus said, placing his hand comfortingly on the boy's shoulder and steering him towards the elevator. He pried the boy's numb fingers from the bed and let Fudge roll down the hallway. They'd find him...eventually.

.oOo.

In the excitement following Alice's return, it was easy for Severus, Hasan, and Lucius to slip out of the house.

"Where are we going?" Hasan wondered as he ran to keep up the men's long strides.

"Yes, I'd like to know that as well," Lucius murmured.

They had left Grimmauld Place and apparated to an alley in muggle London before entering Diagon Alley the usual way.

"I've checked the box," Snape stated shortly.

Lucius' eyes widened.

"The box-?" Hasan echoed. "What box?"

Severus took a deep breath. "Before your father died, he left a...box. It was his backup plan, I believe."

"For what?" Hasan asked, knowing his father could have several failed plans that could've required a backup.

"I'm not sure, but inside was his Gringott's key."

Lucius shook in his head in disbelief. "Of course. If Altair wanted to leave us anything, he would have had to leave it someplace safe, and of course his will can't be carried out, so he sent you the key directly, Severus. Simply...brilliant."

"Infuriatingly brilliant, you mean," Severus muttered darkly.

Hasan tried to keep up with the conversation, but he was getting a little tired running behind them. Eventually, the three entered the esteemed Goblin bank, Hasan a little worse for wear.

Severus strode up to one of the head goblins, placing the key on the high counter. "We would like to access his vault, please."

The goblin looked over the desk to stare at Hasan and then Lucius with a curl of his lip.

"Ah, the famed heir returns!" he said, then his sharp beady eyes roved over Lucius. "Well met again, my friend, Lord Malfoy."

"Griphook," Lucius replied, realizing suddenly who was before him.

"Indeed." The goblin hopped down off his stool and came around the counter. "Follow me."

He led them to the cart with a jerk of the head that implied they should get in. They did. One queasy ride later, the four stumbled out of the cart and onto the cave floor.

"So you've found him?" Griphook asked, nodding to Hasan.

"Altair's son? Yes," Lucius said evenly.

"Then you should know that time is running out for both of you."

Lucius shot a sharp glare at the goblin. "Who told you that?" he demanded sharply.

"Altair Castell, of course," Griphook answered nonchalantly.

"Sounds like him," Severus commented.

Hasan watched as the goblin approached the stone wall and place the key within the hole. He pushed it in and the door trembled.

"Before I let you in here, I need your word, Lord Malfoy, that you will fulfill your end of the agreement."

"Agreement?" Lucius asked delicately.

"The sword of Godric Gryffindor was promised to me by this Altair. If he had told me correctly, he would have disappeared through the veil by now." Griphook fixed him with a stare. "I need your word that I will have the sword before the year is out."

Hasan watched Lucius dip his head.

"That was not his to promise, but I give you my word."

A tongue of magic shot out from his mouth and wrapped around Griphook's fingers. The goblin pulled, and Lucius felt the magic constrict around his throat. Dammit! Goblin magic...he had not thought of that. Maybe this was why wizards never made deals with goblins.

"What did you just do to him?" Snape asked purely academically. He was slightly concerned with his friend's sudden choking attack, but he trusted Altair up to a point to ensure the safety of his loved ones.

"Goblin magic, eh?" Griphook grinned, his ugly pointed teeth gleaming in the torchlight. "If I do not have the sword by the end of the year, your magic will suffocate you. I hope that is sufficient motivation for you, Lord Malfoy."

Lucius glared at the detestable creature. "More than," he spat out.

The goblin grinned to himself and pressed both hands to the door. The entrance lifted a little more. "Now some blood from the little heir."

Hasan looked from Severus to Lucius to Griphook. "Why?" he asked suspiciously. A wizard did not give his blood out freely and especially not to beings that so easily enslaved a human to its will.

"Relax, the door requires blood verification that you are indeed the Castell boy."

Severus stepped forward, "If I might be of some assistance?"

Hasan nodded numbly. When Severus suggested he come, he hadn't expected to be bleeding into a wall, but apparently that was what he was going to be doing. Severus warned the goblin back with a fierce glare, knowing perfectly well how this verification was carried out and not wanting Griphook to take advantage of Hasan's inexperience.

"Give me your hand," Severus told him softly. "I'll heal it right afterwards."

Hasan bit his lip, emerald eyes glowing in the light. He glanced nervously at the goblin who had his hands up and shrugged.

"Alright." Severus made a clinical cut with his wand and pressed the boy's bleeding finger to the door. It throbbed for just a moment before the door accepted his offering with a pleasurable groan. A second later and Snape had healed his finger as if the cut was never made.

"I'll wait outside," Griphook said as the three wizards peered inside the vault. "Just tell me when you want to leave."

The vault inside was not lush or opulent as Lucius had expected. Instead, it was large, cavernous, with a single item inside. A box wrapped in golden and silver gift wrapping and bow.

Lucius began to reach for it, but Snape stopped him but gently touching his arm. "There may be a spell on it that allows only the heir to touch it." Lucius pulled back reluctantly with a nod.

"Should I-?" Hasan wondered, voice unsure.

"Yes," Snape replied softly.

Hasan reached for the box and picked it up. Seeing as nothing exploded, Hasan looked up to the two wizards for guidance before opening it.

Inside was a small square envelope, blank. Hasan opened it and read silently.

My Dearest Hasan,

I have travelled back in time. I have not died though I have seen death with my own eyes many a time. I am soon to be that person on the other end of the Dark Lord's curse. Hopefully you will have the courage to finish what I have started approximately at the time I am in now. Goodbye. Forgive me my loves.

With all my love, always and forever,

Altair Dean Castell-Malfoy

P.S. I thought you would enjoy this quote my dearest son.

"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take."

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Hasan's hands trembled as he held the letter. "He's really dead."

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "Can I-?"

Hasan handed the letter over to him. Meanwhile, Lucius had reached into the box and extracted a tiny glass vial.

"Merlin's tears," Lucius breathed, reading the engraved label. "He has saved us!"

From himself, Hasan thought inwardly, but kept his comments to himself.

"Lucius?" Severus asked cautiously. "Will you read this and tell me what you think about this wording here?"

Lucius carefully replaced the tears back in the box, before taking the letter proffered to him. At first, the letter read smoothly. There was nothing suspicious about it, but then he read it again. Soon to be that person? What did that mean? No...No, he couldn't have.

"But they've all been smashed!" Lucius exclaimed. "This can't be!"

"It's Altair," Severus said as if that explained everything. "Of course it can."

Chapter 48: Coffee Spoons

Hasan sat on his bed in Grimmauld Place, unwilling to go down to the Potions Lab from the events before to help Severus develop the potion that would hopefully allow Lucius' memories to be placed back in Lucius' mind.

Tina was fast asleep on one of the lower bookshelves, while Draco was also staring straight up at the ceiling. From down below, the people roared with laughter over something Alice had said. They were having a veritable party down below, though the actual party was scheduled for next week.

"Good one, Alice!" Sirius guffawed, banging his glass down with such force it made the paintings on the wall rattle.

How did it feel to have a mother? Hasan wondered absently. One that wasn't a friendly guiding snake, one that was whole and human and lovely?

Draco, on his side of the room, was thinking about his family. Aunt Bellatrix had destroyed the Longbottom family, yet Neville had still been in some comradery with him despite that. Did that make Neville a better person than he was? Or just stupid?

"Hey, Hasan," Draco asked presently.

"Hmm?"

"Where did you go earlier today?"

"What do you mean?" Hasan asked, still staring at the ceiling.

"When everyone was celebrating Mrs. Longbottom's return, I noticed you were gone."

"Oh, that." Hasan sighed. "We went to Gringott's," he began tentatively.

"...and?"

"Well Altair...my dad, you know?"

Draco shifted in bed. "Was in love with my father, I know, I heard."

Hasan had the distinct sense that Draco was upset that he hadn't told him about that, but really, what was Hasan to say? Hey Draco, I know you've been trying to turn me into the Dark Lord for a good part of the year, but I just wanted to tell you of the backstory between our fathers! Yeah, that would go over real well.

"Yes, well...we went to see his vault today. He d-died at the Department of Mysteries. You saw. But since he's already deceased, they won't honor his will, even if he did write one, so we just went to his vault."

"What did you find?" Draco asked, trying to keep the accusation from his voice.

"Merlin's tears."

"That's a thing?"

"Apparently."

"Why do you need them?"

Hasan paused. "Have you ever wondered why your father never told you about him?"

Draco shrugged. "Sometimes."

"And your mother?"

"Probably jealousy."

"It wasn't."

"How do you know?" Draco asked sharply.

"Because Altair did a memory charm on them I think. On your father for sure."

Draco sat up in bed and narrowed his eyes at his roommate.

"So these Merlin's tears..."

Hasan took a deep breath. "Altair didn't erase his memories...just, took them out. And placed them in me."

"WHAT?" Draco hopped out of bed and landed on Hasan's. "He did WHAT?"

"Yeah," Hasan grinned, tapping his forehead. "It's getting a little busy up here. Sometimes I feel like I want to...hug your dad, but that's an easy enough feeling to suppress."

"I can't believe this!" Draco was saying, mouth agape. "He really did that?"

"Yes, and Severus is working right now on a potion with the tears to set things to right."

"Wow."

"Indeed."

There was a moment of silence where both boys just stared at each other.

"Are you mad at me?" Hasan finally asked. "I'm sorry, but it really wasn't my secret to tell, and when was the proper time for this?"

"No, I- I'm just tired, that's all. I'm a little shocked you didn't tell me when we were at the manor, but I guess I understand. Or at least I'm trying to."

"Thank you."

After another moment of silence, a sly grin crept up on Draco's face.

"So...anything of interest in those memories of my fathers?"

Hasan gave him a deadpanned look. "You really want to hear about your father making love?"

"Eww! No! Hasan, why would you even suggest that!" Draco gasped. "I just meant anything I could tease him with!" Draco protested, bright red.

Hasan had a thoughtful look on his face. "He likes lavender soap?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless!"

.oOo.

Later in the evening, when most of the party-goers had left the top secret base and Augusta had passed out from excitement, Hasan and Draco crept downstairs. Neville sat next to his mother by the fire looking up at her in adoration. Narcissa was next to her on her other side, and then Lucius, Minerva, Albus, and Luna remained. Minerva was still on heavy painkillers from the battle down in the Department of Mysteries, but otherwise was fine. The Weasleys had all come earlier and were now asleep upstairs.

"Draco, Hasan," Narcissa greeted her boys as they entered the living room.

Draco looked warily at Alice and gave her a jerky polite nod of the head. Hasan bit his lip.

"We were just talking of the potion that saved Mrs. Longbottom's life," Narcissa told them. "Have a seat."

"Actually, I've heard Severus mention that the potion's base was a potions project made by these two," Minerva put in, beaming at the Slytherin boys.

"Well that settles it," Alice smiled, "You're calling me Alice. Thank you."

Draco and Hasan sat on a small sofa next to Neville, unsure of what to do.

"I'm glad it worked, Alice," Hasan said softly, "Though Luna did a lot of the work."

The girl in question blushed.

"I'm also to understand a prophecy was at work as well," Alice continued. "I would have very much enjoyed hearing it for myself. What did it say on the orb, may I ask?"

Albus' eyebrows raised. Was this why the children were down in the Department of Mysteries? For the Longbottom prophecy? He silently berated himself for his negligence. How could this have happened beneath his very nose?

"The orb said C.T. to M.P. Luna Lovegood and (?) Frank Longbottom and (?) Alice Longbottom."

Dumbledore stroked his long silver beard, deep in thought. "Could C.T. refer to Cassandra Trelawney? The great great grandmother of our very own Sybill Trelawney?"

"That's highly likely as most of the prophecies were made by Cassandra," Lucius said, remembering his time working closely (or hovering over) the Unspeakables.

"And the M.P.?" Minerva questioned.

"Not a clue," Lucius said airily.

"What a mystery!" Alice exclaimed. "If only Frank were here...he loved mysteries."

Faces darkened at her comment and there was a break in the conversation.

"Lady Longbottom," Lucius began in a tone of voice that held purpose. Even Hasan sat at full attendance and he wasn't even sure why. But Draco did. His father was going to do something great. The twinkle in Dumbledore's eye could have imploded the man.

"Lord Malfoy," Alice returned in that same tone of voice.

"Lucius?" Narcissa questioned softly. Her husband gave her an infinitesimal shake of the head. Don't interfere. He knew what he was doing.

Lucius Malfoy stood up and walked before the recently recovered Longbottom matriarch and knelt at her feet. Neville stifled a gasp.

"Our family has hurt yours in a manner that was and is unforgiveable. I hope this will offering will forge a new era of peace between us."

On his outstretched arms lay the last of the Malfoy daggers, the one that Hasan recognized as the one Altair had kept and the one Lucius had loved.

Alice rose to her feet gracefully, the potion working wonders for her strength.

"I, Alice Longbottom, accept your offering. May our families be united in peace." Carefully, she took the offered dagger and stowed it in her robes.

"That was-that was-that was-" Draco whispered to Hasan, unable to believe what had just happened.

"I know," Hasan said.

Minerva had tears in her eyes. Albus had tears in his beard.

"I'm proud of you," Narcissa said, smiling up at her husband. A tiny part of her though was relieved he had passed on the dagger and not kept it. She still remembered the times when he had cradled the object, mouthing Altair in his sleep. She understood that it stopped the Dark Lord's wrath from killing him, but after Draco and Hasan had developed the short-term cruciatus cure this past year, the dagger became unnecessary. Just another reminder of the life and love Lucius had before her. Selfish, perhaps, but she was only human.

"Thank you, 'Cissa," Lucius said, watching as the reunited Longbottoms hugged each other like the world had finally resumed spinning.

.oOo.

Severus had called Hasan and Lucius down to his potions lab with a conundrum.

"I cannot understand how to add these damnable tears!" Severus growled in frustration. "I can't change their temperature without risking some of the properties and I can't just pour it in because the cauldron is so hot they will evaporate on the spot!"

Lucius looked resigned. "Did he not leave us any other hints?" he asked.

"None," Severus frowned. "Unless..." He turned to Hasan. "Down in the chamber of secrets, did Slytherin have any books on Merlin tears?"

"Umm...he had a book written by Merlin," Hasan said, face scrunched in concentration.

The two men exchanged a look.

"Albus!" Snape called, just as the old man was getting ready to floo back. Dumbledore stopped just as he was getting ready to leap into the green flames. (What a waste of floo poweder! he tsked to himself.) "Albus, can you take Hasan back with you to Hogwarts?"

No way was Severus leaving his carefully crafted potion lying around for dunderheads to mess it up, and Lucius couldn't be seen at Hogwarts. He had been at St. Mungo's earlier, where no doubt an investigation was happening as they spoke, and it was only a matter of time before they started scanning the floo ways for all of the people who were visitors of the Longbottoms. At least with Hasan, as he was a kid, they wouldn't necessarily tug him out of the floo channel, and especially not with Dumbledore on board.

"Why, may I ask?" Albus asked pleasantly.

"It's a long story."

"Very well, very well. Come along, Hasan!"

When they arrived at Hogwarts, Hasan led the way to the girls' bathroom.

"Sir, could you wait out here?" Hasan asked the man.

"Whatever you want, my dear boy!"

Approaching the snake sink, Hasan hissed out the password before levitating himself down to the bottom floor. The chamber was just as he remembered it. Eerily lit, dark, magical.

"Lumos!"

Hasan made his way down to Slytherin's study, wand in hand, eyes alert for gutter rats and the like.

As he pushed the door open, he wondered briefly where Melusine had gotten to, but that was quickly answered as the snake in question was curled up in a ball by Slytherin's desk.

:Hasan!: Melusine exclaimed. :I didn't expect you today!:

:Hello, Melusine,: Hasan smiled. :I was wondering if you know where I stowed that book on Merlin.:

Melusine was wide awake in seconds, slithering over to where Hasan stood and drawing herself up so her face was right in front of the boy's.

:So you are ready to add the Merlin's tears to the potion, is that right?: Melusine hissed.

:Wha- What? How did you-?:

:Hasan, please,: Melusine hissed, :I know a thing or two about you. You only come down here last minute when you remember you have Slytherin's expanse of knowledge at your disposal. But no need to worry, I know how to use Merlin's tears, remember?:

:Even in a say, memory sharing ritual potion?:

Melusine laughed as only snakes can laugh.

:Why, of course, my dearest Hasan. Especially those.:

"Ready?" Albus asked as Hasan emerged from the sink tunnel with a large green snake around his arm.

"Yes," Hasan said.

"Good, good! Then off we go. You know, Severus really needs to work on his patience."

.oOo.

When Hasan returned to the potions lab, he was slightly startled to see Narcissa and Draco present as well. But not as startled as they were upon spotting Melusine wrapped around his arm.

"That's not Tina, is it?" Severus asked just to be sure.

"No, this is Melusine," Hasan replied. "What?"

Lucius stepped forward, locking eyes with Severus. "You recall when I said that the Dark Lord had a painting of Melusine before the potions lab?"

Hasan nodded.

"That is the snake," Severus said with certainty. "I would know, I had to pass her every day."

"How is that possible?" Hasan asked, quickly echoed by Narcissa.

:Please relay my story to the others, little one," Melusine said.

"What's she saying?" Draco demanded.

"She's going to tell you a story," Hasan replied blankly, trying not to fall into parseltongue.

They listened to her hiss a while before Hasan took a deep breath.

"She says that one day a man came into the potions lab, but there were two men...and they freed her from her confines. In return, she gave them extra vials of Merlin tears."

"And these men...wouldn't happen to be Altair, would they?"

"They?" Narcissa asked.

Melusine hissed again.

"Yes," Hasan answered, seemingly surprised by his own answer. "Yes, they were."

After a brief intermission in which Severus and Lucius and Narcissa stood off to the side discussing important topics like paradox in hushed tones, Severus returned to the matter at hand.

"We need to do this ritual now. Hasan, if you would consent to be Melusine's translator?"

They worked like that, hiss, speak, stir, for fifteen minutes, until the potion released a plume of scarlet then blue smoke.

"It's ready," Hasan told him. "Or at least, Melusine says so."

"She's correct," Severus said.

"Now we just have to let it set for five minutes," Hasan continued. "And then we have to drink it at the same time."

.oOo.

"Ready?" Hasan asked.

"Ready."

Narcissa watched on with concern in her eyes as the two drank down the pearly pink concoction in one go. It didn't seem very interesting at all to watch. But then a large golden orb formed above Hasan's head and fell plop right into Lucius'.

Draco watched his father's face for any sort of indication of pain or...something, but his father's face was a carefully blank slate. Then Melusine starting hissing something, rapidly.

It seemed to occur to all of them at once that Hasan could not respond. What was the snake saying? Was it something important? Had something gone wrong.

Splat! What was that?

Splat! Splat!

Narcissa was by her husband in a minute. "Darling! Darling! Stay with me. I'm here. Are you okay?"

He didn't answer. Tears kept falling from his eyes, uncontrollably. The snake kept hissing.

"I believe it's working," Snape said lowly, but his nervousness was belied by his tightly drawn face. Sure, Altair had planned for this to work, had presumptuously assumed it would work, but would it? For only a blasted portrait snake for guidance, who knew what was supposed to happen?

"They're both crying..." Draco whispered to himself. "Is that supposed to happen?" he asked his godfather.

"I don't know anymore, Draco," the man answered.

As the onlookers waited with baited breaths for the memories to realign themselves, Hasan and Lucius were in the midst of a memory field, blasting by their eyes and ears like a wind tunnel.

A memory of Hasan eating his first bowl of oatmeal swam by soon followed by Lucius and Altair bent over books of data on blood purity.

"He did it all for me?" Lucius asked, inhibitions down.

"He knew I was the safest place," Hasan answered peacefully, "because he would never let anything happen to me. Ever."

"Why did he do it? Do you think?" Lucius asked, walking along the path of dreams and thoughts. "Why not get all the horcruxes himself? Why send me letters? Involve Narcissa? Adopt a child, if all he planned to do was shoot himself into oblivion again?"

"All people desire happiness," Hasan replied. "I don't think he could stay away...Is he in oblivion?"

"In a time loop...yes, I believe so..."

"How?"

"It's difficult to explain," Lucius sighed. "But never doubt he knew what he was doing. Yes, he was a brilliant man, all right."

"He loved you."

"He loved many," Lucius smiled. "I am glad you are my son also now. You connect us, in a way. Did he tell you? We intended to adopt..."

"So even in a different universe, a different dimension I would still be-"

"Still be our son, yes."

Their hearts were at ease, here, now, in this beautiful wind tunnel of colors with flowers and clouds. Their desires intermingled in the air. They knew each other, enveloped as they were in Altair's love.

"You feel envious of Neville for having a mother?" Lucius remarked absently, plucking a lily from the pathway.

"I don't feel ashamed of my emotions. Not anymore. Even those Severus would call silly."

"It isn't silly to want a mother. Narcissa does love you, Hasan. She always wanted another son. And now you are here."

"How can you say that?" Hasan asked, coming right up next to Lucius and snatching away his lily. "She didn't even know who I was before all this. Even now I feel her quiet resentment of Altair and your love for him."

"She doesn't resent you, child. You are hers to her."

Lucius softly hugged the emerald eyed boy, letting his feelings of love wrap around them in a gust of scarlet wind.

"We're a family."

"Luna and Severus too?" Hasan asked, childishly.

"Luna and Severus too..."

Suddenly, they were slammed to the ground, black engulfing their spirits whole.

"Lucius! Hasan!" shouts from beyond the pitch called to them. They felt the familiar tug of apparation behind their navels.

"Hasan! Hasan!"

"Lucius! Lucius!"

Then all was white.

"I'm fine! We're fine!" Hasan told them, swatting away their hands despite the fact he still couldn't see anything.

"We are all intact. It was rather pleasant actually."

Lucius came into focus first when Hasan blearily opened his eyes. Then he could see the others.

"You have a lily in your hand," Severus said in awe.

Hasan unfurled his fingers and indeed, there sat plump and lovely, a beautiful lily flower. He glanced up quickly at Lucius and smiled.