Helen Potter and the Founder's Follies *YEAR THREE*

Disclaimer: I don’t own them, not making any money, just having fun

A/N: And so it begins. We step away from what we know a little further and go into the unknown. What is to come, what will we find, and what will we learn? All that and more coming up after these messages from Utako Anonymous!

Prologue
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
July 1^st 996

“We have enchanted almost everything else in this school Salazar, why not this?” Godric asked annoyed.

“Have you considered that maybe I do not wish to be stuck with you for the rest of time.” Salazar ran his hand over the smooth piece of marble, “What will this do?”

Rolanda looked at him excitedly, “What won’t it do! It will be the heart of the castle. It will run the staircases, the armor, the paintings can communicate with it, it will run the hour glasses, and all the other functions in the school.”

Helga looked at him, “Just do it Salazar. They aren’t going to leave you alone until you do and besides, let’s leave something behind.”

They looked at each other and nodded. Of his three friends he was closest to Helga. He had concerns, the school’s magic was growing wild, they needed to do something. This spell was going to do just that. But the downside of crafting the heartstone was that they imprinted themselves onto the stone itself. They would never be free of this place so long as it stood. He wasn’t looking to leave but knowing that a part of him never could was unnerving.

“Fine, let's get this over with before I come to my senses.”

They chanted the spell and as the power rose four murky figures began to take shape in the stone.  But lights began to float about the room. Large glowing orbs of red and blue and green and yellow circled the chamber deep in the heart of the dungeons. They floated above the roll book and the pen launched from the table and began to float over the roll and write names as a magical child was born. The map table suddenly rose up, and the castle and its grounds took shape on its surface. The chests and fabric shimmered and then rolled tapestries and hangings took their place and the chests opened and were filled with precious stones. As the last word was complete the figures on the stone took form. Salazar found he was looking at himself.

Shaking his head he turned toward the door, “We are stuck with each other now. I hope we can live with that. Even in death.”

Hogwarts
Modern days

Helen’s eyes fluttered open and she realized she knew these sheets, and the fluffy pillow, and the mattress that was just a little too soft. She was at Hogwarts. But the good news was her head didn’t hurt. Judging by the empty vials on the tray next to her and the exhausted people sitting at her bedside she figured it didn’t hurt because she was medicated. She took her glasses from the nightstand and placed them on her face. She really wanted to know which blur was which.

Her dad leaned forward, “How do you feel?”

“Fine, I guess. What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell us. I found you unconscious on the floor of your bathroom.”

Helen tried to think her way through it, but she was fuzzy, on pretty much everything. There was a thick web of cotton clogging her mind and she couldn’t push through. It was like trying to think her way through fog, it just couldn’t be done. She found it concerning, she was used to her neurons firing rapidly and it seemed like they were just taking a break. The longer she tried to remember the more annoyed she became.

“Easy, Helen. There are a lot of potions in your system right now. We do have a working theory. You have been working a lot in the heartstone room, it seems to have had an effect.”

“Dad, it's not like the room is some kind of...” she shook her head, the words wouldn’t come to her. “What is wrong with me?”

“You are imprinting on the heartstone. Without the aid of spells.”

“Can you get rid of this... this haze?”

“If we do, the pain will return.”

“I can handle pain, just dull it,” she told him stubbornly. “I can’t figure out whats going on with my head all….foggy.”

Severus looked at Poppy and nodded so the school’s matron stood and held out a clear vial. It would neutralize the potions as soon as she swallowed it, and Helen knew it was going to suck. She held the vial out in a toast and tipped the contents into her mouth. Two things happened at once, her brain cleared, and the pain returned. She was prepared for it this time. Clutching her head she carefully turned in bed and got her feet on the floor so she could push up to stand. Severus quickly stood and took her arm to help her. It took them two hours to get to the heartstone, and Godric didn’t want to let them enter.

When they finally gained entry the four founders were arguing viciously with each other. Screaming didn’t seem to cover it. Helen was kind of shocked they weren’t coming to blows, and she had never seen them like this before. But worse, the more they argued the worse the pain got.

“He’s not fit!” Godric raged.

“Why?” Salazar asked. “Because he has broken your precious Gryffindor rules of honor? He is doing the right thing, which should be enough for you.”

Rowena stood between them, “You need to stop. The school is in chaos.”

“Can all of you stop, please,” Helen begged.

They finally took notice of their audience, and all argument stopped, and with it the pain. Helen sighed in relief. With the pain gone she could finally see and think straight. She waved her wand, and a chair appeared. She needed to sit, she was exhausted. When her dad finally had her settled, she looked at the stone and raised an eyebrow, she had to admit she was annoyed.

“So,” her tone was as sassy as Severus had ever heard it, “what seems to be the problem?”

It looked like the argument was about to start up again, so she held up her hand to stop them and pointed at Helga, “These two are having a tiff. It is nothing unusual.”

“A tiff wouldn’t have caused me to pass out. Since we are all one big happy family now, how about you tell me the truth.”

“Snape,” Slytherin barked, “what is she talking about?”

Severus gave him an arch look, “I am the head of Slytherin, not your bitch. Do not bark at me or I will exhume you and piss on your bones. You four have somehow become linked to Helen.”

Salazar spun to Rowena, “I told you this could happen. This room is too dangerous. We should have never...” He stopped as soon as he saw Helen’s pained look, “I am sorry child. I will be still.”

“The spell was sealed almost a thousand years ago,” Rowena lectured. “There is no way she could effect it unless...” Rowena looked at her closely, “Did you ward your dorm?”

“Yea, used a good one too. Cast it once and I can just raise and lower them.”

Rowena nodded, “You have added to the castle. Quite a bit. You have three links to the map, have added corridors, changed rooms. But most importantly, you have now added your magic to the mix. I believe you are the first to make any major changes in quite some time, at least to the spells and structure. You my dear have made yourself one of us.”

“Great, I’m a builder, can we stop my head from hurting?”

They looked at each other and finally Rowena nodded, “I have kinda had a thousand years to think about this. Our spell was never quite complete, and that was on purpose. We should have four stones outside of the heartstone, but only Godric got his. We didn’t complete our sections of the castle, only Godric did.”

Godric snorted, “That is because you all buggered off and left me to run this place on my own. I had ample time to finish Gryffindor tower.”

Rowena nodded, “That is my point exactly. Helen, if you are willing, you could complete the school.”

Helen looked at Severus, “Do you have a bloody clue what they are talking about?”

Severus couldn’t help but nod at something that was all to obvious when you had spent enough time at Hogwarts, “I do actually. If you fly above the school, you can see there are areas that just aren’t built up. There are foundations, but we have turned them into outdoor study areas and such.”

“Wait, how am I supposed to do this?”

Salazar grumbled, “The plans are in my quarters and the spells you need are in the chamber. If you brew the potion on the third page of my spell book, it will take care of the head pain. I found that every time we started fighting my actual self got a migraine.”

“Wizard, where are your quarters?”

Salazar groaned, “History never records the mundane. Ask your map, it knows.”

Shrugging, Helen did as instructed and followed the map. It provided a route from the sub-dungeon levels back up to The deeper they went into the dungeon the more she understood why it hadn’t been found. She looked at the map and realized that it was a tower under the lake. She stopped at a portrait and sighed, she was officially at the door to the Slytherin’s dorms and common areas. She was going to ask her dad to open it, rather sarcastically, but when she gave the frame a tug it opened all on its own.

Severus looked at the portrait of Merlin and scowled, “Do you just open for anyone now?”

“No, Master Snape, but all doors are open to the builder. The founders so ordered it.”

“Bloody convenient that is,” Helen pointed out.

 “Yes, and a security issue.”

Helen rolled her eyes, “Yea dad, because I am going to poison the professors, rob the library, and steal Faulks.”

“I don’t know, you are curious beyond reason.”

Helen waved him away and continued into the Slytherin common area. It was what she expected, sueded leather, green hangings, and dark woods. The staircase ended up being behind a bookshelf and when they got down to the bottom it let out into a spell laboratory. Protective enchantments were placed around the room to keep anything from getting out and there was a writing desk in a niche by the next stairwell. The next level was a potions lab, a very ancient potions lab.

She was actually surprised that she didn’t lose her dad at this point because some of these instruments must have been of Slytherin’s own design and others probably just hadn’t been seen in a thousand years. As interested as she was, she had a goal in mind, and that goal was a holiday. She found an office and library next and finally his chambers. They weren’t green and leather. Instead, the furnishings were mostly springs and old wood. The passage of time had been allowed to march on here and the destruction of a thousand years was evident.

She found his desk, but the drawers were swollen shut. It looked as if he had kept the enchantments in this area to a minimum, which had allowed the room’s possessions to decay. She finally gave up on gentleness and just hit the desk with a ball of stone. The rotted wood fell apart under the impact and she found the protective tube and pulled the age yellowed pages from inside. She couldn’t say it any other way, they were a work of art. The level of detail in the plans and the calligraphy of the labeling was something found only in ancient works.

With the plans in hand, they left the quarters and Helen found Slytherin’s personal entrance to the chamber. It led right into the cistern. The basilisk had been removed, its body used for potions or simply disposed of as her dad saw fit. She stood looking at the statue of Salazar and knew that despite the difficulty involved in accessing this place, this was not the Chamber of Secrets. Slytherin would never allow his students to access his precious chamber. No, if this was anything it was a transit hub the held the secret to accessing the place. There were tunnels leading off in all directions, but she didn’t think that was the key. The pipes were too easy of a solution, and they made little sense. Instead, she stepped up to the great statue at the end and examined it closely. Slytherin had an ego that rivaled the size of the castle itself. If he were to hid a door anywhere it would be within his own effigy. The problem, as she knew, was that sculptors from the time were so good they could seamlessly hide a door and if you didn’t know where it was you would never find it. But then she touched the statue0 and found out just what Merlin was talking about. A section of stone recessed and went deeper into the statue until a hallway formed.

Torches burst to life as she entered the room beyond, and she realized that Riddle had never really found the Chamber of Secrets. Just its entry hall. The chamber was easily five hundred yards deep and at least a hundred yards wide. Huge braziers shot their flames up to light the space and showed the collection of books, scrolls, art, and even coins. It was obvious that Salazar’s adventures had taken him all over the world as he had Egyptian statues, totem poles, and even a Japanese suit of samurai armor. He had moved everything he owned into this chamber, including himself as it turned out. In the middle of the space, they found a bed, a writing desk, and cooking supplies. She wondered how long he had sat here, surrounded by his former glory, as time ticked away until old age took him.

At the end of the Chamber they found a glass case, inside lay an ancient spell book bound in leather and hammered bronze, and Slytherin’s wand. On a mannequin sat his battle robes, deep emerald green, with shoulder plates of silver serpents interlocked to offer some protection. They were embroidered with ancient protection ruins along the hems, and she realized something, he had been short. Judging by the mannequin he could only have been five six or five seven. Next to that, leaning against the mannequin was a six-foot staff topped with silver filagree and a huge orb of emerald. The stone was probably priceless.

She picked up the staff and realized that it wasn’t made of wood but was heavy and metal. The wood texture was carved carefully into the metal, and the green was created through some process probably long forgotten. But as she examined it, she realized that it was only a casing to protect the actual core. It looked to be ash, and she wondered what the animal element was. Because she could feel the power flowing through the length of wood and metal in her hand. It nearly vibrated in her fingers and when she spun it flames streamed from the emerald and built into a whirl of fire like a shield. When she stopped the flames faded away and she returned it to its rest.

“Do you think anyone still makes these?”

“Probably, although most of us don’t use them these days. Staffs were purely for combat, so they lost favor. It was also much harder to hide that you were a witch or wizard carrying around a six foot rod.”

She opened the case and pulled the book from inside, “I was going to suggest that we come down here and retrieve this. Anything Salazar regrets is probably something that should be protected. Let’s lock them in your quarters, the book and the blueprints. They will be safest there.”

“Very well. After we pick up Hermione we can stop off and pick up some books on magical building. Something tells me the two of you are about to go into the construction field.”

“Why, dad, however did you guess?”

Hermione looked more than ready when they arrived. It turned out her parents were overcompensating for her petrification, and she was longing to escape. Of course, the trip to the bookstore had ended up taking far longer than Severus had planned, and it was all of their fault. Three bibliophiles in a bookstore was just asking for trouble. Severus didn’t mind the delay, they couldn’t check into the hotel for a while, and he was planning on taking the scenic route anyway. He was sure Hermione would find the dirigible fascinating. But Helen had other plans. She wanted to stop of at the quidditch shop, and so they had spent an hour there, and then it was on to the potion supply store so she could restock on several things… and Severus had added to the bill. Then they had to stop and see about a new familiar, because Helen refused to go through who knew how long without one.

Magical Menagerie was a hole in the wall crammed with every kind of familiar a wizard could want. The walls were packed with cages and the smell let them know that the proprietor need a refresher in cleaning charms. Helen gave a passing look at the snakes, but she couldn’t overcome the thought of what had happened to Mia. Despite them being together for three years the thought that at any moment a serpentine companion could be turned by the dark one was a sobering thought. She would give up the ability to speak to her companion if it meant an increase in her safety. She found cats to be aloof and dogs to be entirely too needy. She would have given it up as a lost cause, but there was a certain kind of companionship that only came with the bond between witch and animal.

They walked out with a bandy-legged ginger cat named Crookshanks that Hermione had adored and a spider monkey of all things she named Sara. The little monkey sat perfectly on her shoulder, her tiny head turned to watch behind her. Anytime someone got close she would subtly tug at Helen’s ear. It was proving to be useful for keeping her paranoia from becoming overactive.

Severus knew that part of the reason his girl avoided crowds was because they gave her wicked panic attacks. She kept a calming drought in her pocket at all times, just in case. Usually she could control them, but there were times when it was just impossible. The sad reality was that there were people who wanted to hurt her and knowing that had an effect. Two years ago she had seen that first hand. One of the low level Death Eaters had been sent to kill her, and had nearly succeeded. Ever since her ability to control her fear had been compromised. Her ability to handle more than an hour or two in a crowd tested her ability to see beyond the past.

They boarded Wizard Aire and Helen watched as Hermione marveled at the airship. She had been the very same way the first time. So much so that she had gotten one of the stewards to show her around everything. Helen settled at a table with her dad and waited for her apple juice to arrive. Sara chittered happily when he returned with a bowl of dates. But Hermione was off to the races. The blimp was magical after all. They had kitchens, a smoking room, and even a pool. Much like a certain blue box, the gondola was bigger on the inside. There was a lot to see, so much that Helen had read half the paper as she watched Hermione’s exploration. Helen giggled as the poor steward followed her around answering the litany of questions she spewed. It was almost an hour before the steward returned.

“What does Sara mean?” her dad asked.

“Princess, because she is my adorable little princess, aren’t you sweetness?”

Sara looked up with a mouth full of date before offering her mistress one. Helen rubbed her little head and took the offering before her new friend could rethink the gift. Hermione returned a few minutes later and she and her cat settled at the table. Helen looked at Crookshanks and motioned to the empty chair. The cat proved why it was good for a familiar as it nodded and jumped onto the vacant seat.

“What made you go with a cat?”

“I always wanted one, and he’s so intelligent.” Hermione broke off a piece of her banana and offered it to Sara, “Why a monkey?”

“I kind of think she chose me. It’s just too bad that I don’t speak monkey.”

“Well,” Hermione offered in condolence, “people will be far more comfortable around Sara.”

Helen decided it was time to change the subject, “So, are you finally going to tell us where we are going?”

Severus smiled, “You like beaches so much I figured you would enjoy another such trip. Therefore, we are going to the Virgin Islands.”

“Great,” Helen gave him a teasing look, “but you know only Hermione and I will be allowed. It’s been a long time since you were one of those.

When Severus had said the Virgin Islands, she had figured either the US or British. Instead, they were on the Wizarding. A small chain that was hidden with magic by some cunning pirate wizards who wanted a bastion to hide from the Royal Navy. She didn’t mind though, the hotel was amazing, the beaches were wonderful, and Sara and Crookshanks were treated with the proper respect.

She was glad that whoever ran the hotel they were staying at knew about the wonders of pools, because it wasn’t always beach weather. Sometimes, when the tide was right, the beaches were just inhospitable. Besides, she could order food and drinks right to the pool. The two friends lounged on deck chairs reading as Helen tanned and Hermione just enjoyed the sun.

“So, you have some kind of link to the castle now,” Hermione completed the explanation for her.

“Seems so. Rowena said that if I complete the school then the heartstone should spawn stones for each of the founders. I am not sure how that will help me, but I have to admit it would be nice if they could each go to their own corners.”

“Well,” Hermione waved the book in her hand, “we have everything we need, I think. And if we don’t, I am sure that Slytherin and the others have even more information to help us.”

Pulling her sunglasses down her nose, she glanced at Hermione, surprised. It still surprised her, the depth of their friendship. She had gone from isolation to having… to having a sister. She was enjoying how her life had changed over the last two year. It was a pretty big shift in her world. The dynamic of her and dad was over. Not in a sad way. There was an addition to their lives now.

“So, you are willing to help me?”

“Did you think I wasn’t going to?”

“I didn’t want to assume…”

Hermione laughed, “Yea, I get that. So, what are we doing here, besides lounging?”

Helen got excited, “Tomorrow is a pirate experience. We will command a pirate ship and take prizes and sail the sea.”

“Wait, what?” she asked shocked.

Helen laughed at the scared look on Hermione’s face, “Relax, they aren’t real attacks. It’s all simulated. But the boat is real.”

“Anything else?”

Sighing, Helen shrugged, “Not a clue. Dad has this thing about keeping the plans a secret. He says he likes to surprise me, but I think he just likes to keep everyone guessing.”

“Maybe he doesn’t have a plan, and he is just making it up as he goes.”

“Could be,” she admitted. “That would definitely work to keep the world in the dark.”

They had fun on their pirate excursion and then done some diving off the island. They reboarded the blimp and were off again on a new adventure. Their next stop had been ComiCon in LA and Hermione had discovered that Helen and Severus were nuts about comics and anime. For three days they had shown her the world that had brought Severus a reprieve and Helen joy. It was three days of cosplay, panels, and shopping. But then they were off again. It seemed as if the pair wanted to cram as much as they could into their breaks from the school and that meant moving often. She knew part of the reason Snape did that was to keep anyone from nailing down just where they were, but she also suspected it was because he wanted to see these places as much as he wanted to share them with his charge.

They were in the District, the Wizarding section of Chicago. If hiding it wasn’t enough, the fact that the entrance was at Belmont and Clark helped it be missed even more. The inhabitants of the Halstead area were a colorful menagerie of humanity that frequented stores like Egor’s dungeon, a store that sold lingerie and adult toys, which Severus had refused to allow them to even look through the doors of and the Alley which they had spent an hour browsing. As well as a host of bars and clubs that had showgirls, Drag Queens, and all the beauty that was the LGBT community. They had taken in a baseball game at Wrigley, which Helen had insisted on and gone shopping on the Mag Mile. Then there were museums, a lot of museums, both wizarding and non mag. It was a packed week of exploring all that the city had to offer.

Then it was back to the house for some much needed downtime. They would have two weeks before they had to go to London to catch the train and return to life in the castle. The girls were looking forward to the return but would miss this freedom if they were being honest. They spent their time tending to the gardens and lounging on the tower deck and of course there was lots of reading. Hermione even spent some time with Severus learning to cook some of his more ambitious meals. It was a bonus for Helen; she got to spend time with her best friend, and the meals were exquisite. She didn’t need to worry, one of their projects had been a running trail around the property for their morning jogs.

More than that, there were snacks. Hermione was dedicated to the art of learning and Severus, wouldn’t admit it but, was a dedicated Professor who loved the vocation. Severs had learned the art of potions making from an unlikely source. A man who had taught him that cooking and brewing were nearly the same thing. Untrue, but that hadn’t stopped Severus from learning everything he could about the arts of the kitchen. Helen was leaning back enjoying those snacks as she watched the sun set over the trees. The sky blazed as the great orb kissed the horizon. This was the freedom she craved. She looked away from the blinding light down to her feet and the fuzzy slippers she wore. She loved the travel; it was her release at the end of the year. But this is what she craved. The simple quiet of the deck and her family made her feel a peace that she always found slipping through her fingers. It was these few weeks at home that kept her grounded.

She and Hermione walked the countryside and even went down the road to Hogsmead to do a little shopping. The warm summer air compelled them to spend as much time as they could outdoors and in the gardens and forest. Even the summer rains weren’t an excuse to escape into the confines of the house. The two friends continued to stroll along the lake with the aid of their wellingtons as they found a peace they couldn’t at the school. Helen realized that it wasn’t about the classes. While those tended to edge toward the mundane, they weren’t at the point of annoying. There was just nowhere for them to escape the rigors of their class load and the professors who heaped the workload on them. Here, if they chose to read a book it was for pleasure. They could sit in the sun, a comfortable cushion making the hours slide by smoothly, the turning of pages the only inconvenience.

“I rather miss our gym,” Helen lamented. “There are far to many professors down there for my taste.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “You’re not wrong. I don’t know what Professor Dumbledore was thinking taking over our gym.”

They turned at the edge of the property and started around the western trail. When they had set out to build the gym it was just a place for them to exercise out of the weather. But it had quickly turned into a refuge from the student body. A much needed space where they could just exist without the pressure of being the girl who lived or the brightest witch in an age. Helen loved having a friend who regularly challenged her own intelligence. It was like having a younger, female, Severus around all the time.

“I just don’t know what we are going to do for down time.”

“Have we had any of that? We have ten months of work followed by two of freedom. We will either end up workaholics or complete slackers when we graduate.”

“I highly doubt we will end up slackers. We aren’t built that way.”

Hermione gave her a raised eyebrow, “Don’t scoff, its called burnout. For all we know you could end up a drunken party girl.”

“Me?” Helen questioned, laughing. “What about you? I can totally see you in a French café, clove cigarette in one hand and a glass of absinthe in the other. Reading the works of some modern philosopher while lamenting the passing of the golden age of wizardry.”

“Oh, shut up. You’re just being ridiculous now.” They settled on a log in their favorite clearing, “We will find somewhere to relax. But, we need to think of something else now. Our time is ticking away.”

Helen looked around the clearing and sighed, “You’re right. Lets get started. I want to turn this into a cozy campsite.”

“And then camp in it I assume.”

“I like this plan! Let’s get started.”

But their time went quickly. The summer holiday was only a small part of their year, and the two girls watched the days get crossed off the Calander one after another. The campsite got its use, and the girls had spent a quiet night under the stars. It reminded Helen of all those trips to get the green houses started. Nights with her and Severus, laying around the fire in some wilderness somewhere. Watching time tick by. Just as she and Hermione were doing now. They started to prepare for the coming year. There were plans to make and supplies to lay before they returned to Hogwarts and all the responsibilities that came along with their renewed classes. For her part, Helen tried to make sure that their days didn’t become about the return. She knew there were things that needed to be done to close up the house and all the packing that they needed. But they also needed to have their fun. That fun had to include her dad. So, they had taken a day trip to Blackpool, they had gone and seen Grandma Snape, and even enjoyed a picnic.

Then there was school shopping, Hermione’s parents, the Weasleys, and the Malfoys had joined them. Hermione would be going home for a few days at the end of this trip and Helen and her dad would get a few days to spend together. Both parents wanted to spend a little quiet time with their kids. Severus wanted to take Helen for a night in London and Hermione’s parents had some plans of their own. Severus watched them as they gathered their potions supplies and realized there just weren’t enough days in the year for all that he wanted to do. The bill for supplies was much smaller than it had been last year, true to his word Severus had taught them to make or find most of what they needed.

They had had lunch and then broken up. She had hugged Hermione goodbye and then she and dad had returned to the house. They spent the remaining time brewing, because that was what the Snapes did. They also spent a weekend in London, just enjoying the sights and a few days as tourists. But Helen began to notice something, the Profit had stopped coming. Severus was a daily reader of the paper and the fact that it wasn’t on the morning table each day was strange to say the least.

She finally asked him on the last day, “Dad, where is the newspaper?”

“I cancelled our subscription.”

“You most certainly did not. Now, where is it?”

Sighing, Severus pulled today’s copy from his robes, “I haven’t wanted you to see.”

“What, is Tom back?” she asked, only slightly sarcastically.

“No,” he held the paper out to her knowing she would find out soon, “your godfather has escaped Azkaban.”

She looked at the wanted poster across the front of the paper and shrugged, “I know. These were all over the place, did you think I was blind or something?”

“Actually, I was hoping you didn’t know who he was.”

“I did do some research on my parents and their friends. So, what did Sirius do?”

“He ran his mouth. Which he was rather good at. Plus, he killed one of his friends.”

“What do you mean?”

It was time to give her a history lesson, “When we learned that Voldemort was targeting your parents they went into hiding. Albus told them to choose one of their friends to hide them and they chose a young man named Peter Pettegrew. Albus cast the Fidelius charm, and your parents went to stay in Godric’s Hollow. They knew no one would believe they had picked Peter over Sirius or even Remus and Sirius wanted to cement that belief. He would have conversations with known allies in public places about dying before he would betray your parents and how honored he was to be their secret keeper.”

Severus shook his head, “I got word from Lucius that your parents had been found, he wasn’t sure how, but I knew. Only that rat Pettegrew could have told him. I raced to your parents' cottage to find it plainly visible. You know what happened from there. What you don’t know is that Sirius found out and went mad. He went looking for his former friend and when he found him, he whipped his wand out right there on the muggle street and began to duel him.

“It was such a ferocious fight that in the end all they found of the rat was a finger.” Severus held up his hand and wiggled a single digit at her, “Just a finger. Personally, I say it was a public service. But apparently several muggles got caught up in the blast. He was tried and sent to Azkaban to serve out the rest of his life in the prison.”

“No one escapes Azkaban. It’s in the middle of the ocean and guarded by dementors. What did he do, convince one to fly him to shore?”

“Not a clue. But when they find him, I am sure they won’t care. He will get the kiss and that will be the end of it.”

“So, why have you been hiding the paper from me?”

“Because they think he served the Dork Lord, and that he plans to murder you.”