A/N: First off, I'm amazed no one pointed out my stupid math error. :) I've fixed Angel's age to the correct one. She's now five, since she was born May 2, 1998. Figured this out on the very last chapter, so that shows you how awesome I am at math. ;) Secondly, this story didn't turn out the way I had thought it would at the beginning I admit, but I'm satisfied with how it did work out. Third, I've clearly been watching way too many crime dramas lately, so it'll show in this chapter. :D Enjoy.

Necessary Evil

Much to his discontent, Aurora had pled guilty to his stabbing and all of the murders. He nearly needed to be restrained when he heard her guilty plea in front of the full Wizengamot. How could she do that? How could she admit her guilt in front of everyone and seem so damn calm? She was going to get herself locked away forever. Or worse. Did he and Angel mean so little to her that she didn't care how it'd affect them? He sighed at that thought. No. He knew she cared about them. She loved him and Angel more than life itself. Just doing the right thing was something drilled into her very psyche, an instinct he couldn't talk her into going against.

As he stood in the waiting area of Azkaban three months after being stabbed in the back, he closed his eyes, recalling her attorney informing him that the following day was the last day in her sentencing phase, a day she'd be allowed to testify in her own defense if she wanted. Her chances now were slim at receiving no time. At the very least it'd be ten years according to the attorney. Ten years without her? He couldn't imagine that. Their daughter would be a fourth- or fifth-year at Hogwarts then. Not to mention that he'd be raising their kids alone, regardless of all the help his mother had offered for him. It was beyond all comprehension to him. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Not anymore.

He barely acknowledged the guard who patted him down to check him for any prohibited items. Nothing was found of course. He hardly even noticed his own actions soon after as he handed over his ebony wand for them to hold onto while he was there. He was completely on autopilot. He had been all week with his wife now having been locked up in Azkaban, leaving him alone once more.

When the door suddenly swung open, Snape took a step back and sighed. He caught the other man's sad green eyes and glanced away. He didn't need Potter's pity. Not today.

"Ready for your conjugal visit, sir?" Harry asked politely.

Snape's eyes snapped towards him, glaring at him murderously. The urge to choke the little twerp was great right then. "No," he hissed, his jaw clenched tightly. "I'm here to talk with my wife."

Harry nodded, seemingly oblivious to Snape's outrage. He held the door open and allowed him inside. They walked down the long black corridor past the locked doors that held the other prisoners.

"We've got the room all ready for you two. When you're finished, just knock and we'll let you out," Harry explained. "I guess all that's left is to tell you that the room's been thoroughly cleaned with intense disinfectant charms for obvious reasons. And, well, you don't need to worry about us listening at the door either, sir. There are privacy charms on the room to keep us from hearing anything or seeing. You can check for yourself, of course. The charms are something we recently installed for couples. To give couples more privacy during those intimate moments."

Snape gnawed his teeth. It was difficult to keep from throttling Potter. The only reason he didn't was because Potter was an Auror, a fact Snape kept reminding himself. Felix Felicis, why didn't the little brat understand that he wasn't there to have sex, but instead to talk with his wife? He growled when Potter suddenly held his arm out to stop him from going any further.

"There are condoms in the room if you need them, sir. Anything else, just knock. You get about an hour in this room, so make the most of it," Harry stated, forcing a smile before opening the door.

Snape opened his mouth to snarl at Potter when he heard the sound of a mattress spring popping inside the room. He frowned and quickly brushed past the green-eyed Auror. He'd deal with the twerp later. After he spoke with his wife.

Stepping into the small prison room, he heard the door hiss shut behind him a moment later. He felt his heart sink slightly before he shook it off. His eyes quickly found his wife sitting on the cot and sighed. He hated seeing her in here. She didn't deserve Azkaban at all. The Dark Lord, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Greyback, Scabior, Umbridge, Lucius, himself—they deserved Azkaban, not her.

"A conjugal visit, really, Severus?" Aurora said with a soft laugh. "You miss me so badly that you'd be willing to sleep with me in here?"

He exhaled to keep from losing his temper. He truly was going to murder that brat later. However, he shook his head and slowly sat down beside her on the small cot. She was four months pregnant and here. His hand found hers soon after, the tension quickly leaving his body because of this.

"I assure you that this was not my idea. I'm quite aware that's the last thing on either of our minds right now," he stated quietly. He watched her bring their joined hands to her lips before she kissed the back of his hand. "How are you today?"

"Good. I'm a little nauseated still, but not as bad as before. I've been resting mostly."

He nodded. "I'm glad." And he was. This whole week she had been in Azkaban, he had heard how violently ill she was. It had concerned him greatly. However, from Pomfrey who was using her sources inside here, he knew that his wife's sickness was solely due to their unborn child and that the healers of Azkaban were keeping a close eye on her.

"So . . ." She gave a short laugh.

"Indeed." The silence quickly fell over them again. He sighed several moments later, shaking his head. They needed to talk. He needed to convey how much he needed her to fight during her sentencing phase. To tell the Wizengamot about Dumbledore's stupid vow. But the words wouldn't leave his throat. So there they sat, next to each, shoulder-to-shoulder.

"How's our little Angel?"

He shrugged, unable to help it. "She still refuses to talk with me." In fact, whenever he'd come near his daughter now, she'd turn away from him and wrap her arms around herself protectively. He hated to admit it, but it hurt each time he saw Angel do that. It felt like another stab in the back.

"Give her time. She'll come around soon, and you'll be her amazing daddy once more."

"Unfortunately, I have to disagree with that," he replied with a heavy sigh.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Severus. I did."

"Our daughter disagrees."

"She doesn't understand. All she knows right now is that I'm not there. She's likely trying to wrap her head around everything, trying to figure out if she did something wrong. Children tend to take it personally when their worlds change drastically."

He glanced at his wife and frowned. "I've informed her about what's going on, so she understands more than you think. Currently, she's upset with me because I didn't stop you. I let you turn yourself in and let you be taken from us. Her words."

"I'm sorry." She gave his hand a gently squeeze, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand. "Don't take it to heart, love. She's only five. We may treat her like an adult, but she's still just a child."

"How can you be so damn calm about this?" He scoffed, pulling his hand back before he stood up and paced in front of her. "Do you even understand what this means? You pled guilty. Guilty!"

"Yes, because I am. I killed them. Contesting it would only bring further pain."

"To whom? Us or them?" He clenched his jaw, still pacing. "Honestly, woman," he grumbled. "I should've chained you up in the dungeons all those years ago."

She laughed rather quietly. "As if they would have held me," she teased, watching him walk back and forth in front of her. "What's done is done. We can't do anything about it now."

"Ten years, Aurora! That's what you're facing. And that's just the minimum sentence."

"I know. And it's life if they choose the maximum. My attorney informed me of all of this."

"Then you understand that you have to go in there tomorrow and fight this. You can't just sit back and let them give you the maximum." He sighed heavily before kneeling in front of her. "I need you to fight this, Aurora. Tell them about the vow. Tell them why you did it."

"It won't change anything."

"Yes it will. Merlin, woman," he said rather annoyed. "Right now they think you snapped and killed all those Death Eaters in some sort of blood lust. Do you want our daughter to think that as well?"

"Severus," she started to say.

"No," he firmly replied, cutting her off. "You claim you love me, right? Well, prove it to me tomorrow. Take the stand in your own defense. Tell them what you told me. Tell them how Dumbledore manipulated you into accepting that vow. Tell them, Aurora. Otherwise, you're going to get the life sentence and never be allowed to see our children again." He grabbed her hands, kissing her fingertips gently. "Please. Screw doing the right thing for one time, and do this for us. You don't belong in here, and you know it. You were blackmailed into killing them. You had two options: kill them or break the vow and die yourself. Please do this. Please. I am begging you, Aurora. Do this for us."

She closed her eyes before inclining her head slowly. "All right. I will."

He felt himself relax even more, relieved to hear those words from her lips. He didn't want to lose her. Ever. Lately, it felt like he so close to losing her that it made him physically ache. She was going to try now. Not just sit there and accept her unjustified punishment in his mind. That was all he needed. To know that she was trying to fight for them finally. He stood up and kissed the top of her head before working his way down her face with gentle kisses.

"Thank you," he whispered against her lips a moment later.

"You should go. Angel's probably missing you, and I need to rest before tomorrow."

He nodded slowly, giving her hands a final squeeze of strength before walking to the door and knocking. His heart thumped loudly in his ears as he waited for the door to open. He hated leaving her here, but what else could he do? The Wizengamot had denied her petition to be under house arrest, having cited that she was an obvious flight risk.

When the door opened soon after, he closed his eyes and stepped out. He glanced at the guard walking past him with the familiar chains she had been forced to wear in the Ministry. He didn't dare look back, knowing that seeing her now would hurt like hell as he left. He silently followed another guard to the waiting area, collecting his wand from the bin several moments later.

He had nearly reached the exit when he heard Potter's voice.

"Visit went well, I take it?"

Snape stopped in mid-step and whirled towards the green-eyed Auror. His eye twitched as he held his temper back by a mere strand of will. He desperately wished to throttle the other man to death.

"Look. I know it doesn't make up for all the times you saved me, sir, but it was the best I could do to give you two more privacy while you talked. Plus, protocol for conjugal visits says that couples get an hour alone, whereas it's ten minutes in the common area," Harry explained, holding his hands up. "I'm sorry I made it seem like you were there for that sort of visit, but I was trying to help without the others knowing what was really going on."

Snape's black eyes narrowed. Potter's brilliant idea to pay him back for all the times he saved the brat's life was to act like Snape was there for a conjugal visit just so he could talk to Aurora longer?

"Congratulations, Potter. You've surpassed all other idiots in the world." Snape swiftly left then.

The following morning, when Snape woke up extra early in his small cottage, he quickly dressed in his usual formidable black robes, making certain he wore his wedding ring before leaving his bedroom. He then checked on his daughter and glanced into her room, sighing when she turned her back to him instantly. He shook his head before he took a step in.

"I know you're mad at me, my Angel," he started to say quietly. "You must understand, though." He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought of his next words for a moment. "While I love her immensely, your mother can be a stubborn dunderhead some days. Like me. However, she was doing what she thought was right, and I supported her." He paused before the words flowed out of his mouth. "Even though it was the entirely wrong thing to do and I shouldn't have," he added. "However, part of my job as her husband is to support her."

"Even though she hurt you?" his little girl asked, turning to him while biting her bottom lip. She looked so much like her mother when she did this.

"Yes. Even though she hurt me," he replied. "Because I know in my heart that she didn't want to hurt me but that she had to because she didn't have another option. She had to hurt me to make sure she didn't get hurt."

"I thought it was 'cause she didn't want Hawy and others to think you were bad?"

He snorted. "That too."

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Does Mummy love us?"

He instantly picked his little girl up, feeling her wrap her arms around his neck within seconds. "Your mummy loves us with all her heart. She just gets a little blind sometimes and doesn't think about how her actions will affect us—because all she sees is the fact that she did something wrong."

"Mummy's too hard on herself," his daughter commented, producing a laugh from her father.

"That she is, my Angel. That she is." He kissed her cheek. "Let's go see Mummy, all right?" Father and daughter then left the cottage soon after by Apparation, heading to the Ministry.

After the last character witness had been called, Minister Shacklebolt peered over his podium at Aurora, who sat quietly in her chains that kept her movement restricted to only the hard defendant chair. He cleared his throat, all eyes on him once more. He gave her a faint polite smile. They had always been on friendly terms. In fact, he had even asked her out on a date once around the whole Umbridge disaster saga. She had politely declined of course, her heart having already been given to Severus.

"Professor Sinistra?" Minister Shacklebolt announced. "If you have anything you'd like to say to the court, now is the time to say it."

She nodded slowly, starting to rise before quickly sitting back down when the chains wouldn't allow her to stand. She sighed quietly and brushed back her long messy curls from her face. All throughout the day, she had watched her coworkers take the stand and testify. She had tried to concentrate on their words, but found it increasingly difficult to do so for some reason. She ended up blaming her inability to understand on the pounding headache she had woken up with that morning. She swallowed and opened her mouth.

"Thank you, Minister." She sounded weak and tired, she noticed. She certainly felt that way as well. It was as if someone had taken all her energy from her and left her just as an empty shell. Her eyes narrowed when she felt her attorney slowly help her stand, the chains allowing her movement this time. She assumed that the spell likely was lifted temporarily. She closed her eyes and drew in a slow, steadying breath. The room felt as if it was swaying now. Or perhaps that was her? She wasn't certain anymore. The only thing she was certain of was that she felt like utter crap.

"Anytime you're ready, Professor," gently urged another Wizengamot official.

"I apologize," she rasped, drawing in a shaky breath. She forced a faint smile to her pale lips. "I'm not exactly feeling the greatest right now, but I'll try to power through it and not waste any more of your time." She drew in another breath, swallowing back another wave of nausea. She felt her attorney quickly and gently grab her arm to steady her, glancing at him and noting his sudden concern for her. It was just damn pregnancy sickness. That was all it was. No need to waste everyone's time fussing.

Watching his wife from the closest bench to her, Snape's eyes narrowed as she dangerously swayed while standing. He could tell by the nervous energy in his daughter, who kept moving on his lap every two seconds, that she had noticed it too. Something was wrong with Aurora.

Turning his head to the right, he glanced at Poppy Pomfrey. He could see her wand already in hand as she ran a discreet diagnostic spell on Aurora. His frown deepened as he turned back to his wife.

"Was she this ill when she was pregnant with Angel?" Minerva McGonagall asked from his left side. The concern was clearly etched in her voice.

He shook his head slowly. "No. She'd sick up every now and then, but I'd usually give her a potion to help."

"I don't like the look of her at all."

Neither did Snape for that matter. She was absolutely flushed from head to toe with little white blotchy patches every now and then on her skin. The sheen of sweat that ran down her face practically showed how much heat she was radiating off with. She was still swaying like a tree in a gentle wind, forcing her to grab the chair every now and then to balance herself. But most of all he could hear her words starting to slur together, as if she had drank an entire bottle of the potent fairy ice in one sitting.

"Poppy, have you found anything yet?" McGonagall urged.

The matron shook her head and kept pointing her hidden wand at Aurora. Snape could feel his insides knot painfully. What was going on? Clearly the Wizengamot was noticing how ill she was. Why weren't they taking a break? Of course he knew that answer actually. The majority of them had already convicted her in their minds to a lifetime in Azkaban.

"Minister!" a loud voice suddenly yelled from the opposite side of the room from Snape.

His eyes darted instantly, trying to find the person who had interrupted his wife as she admitted to being pregnant again. When he found Narcissa Malfoy standing a moment later, he briefly closed his eyes and sighed. Of course she'd take issue with Aurora's version. Narcissa was still grieving for the loss of her husband. He couldn't imagine how painful it'd be for her to hear Aurora state that she had killed him solely for being on a stupid list and that Aurora had had no choice in the matter.

"I request a recess now!" Narcissa screeched, clearly panicked now by something.

"Mrs. Malfoy, please sit down," Shacklebolt calmly replied to her, seemingly understanding of her sudden distress.

"Respectfully, Minister, I can't do that," she cried back, her eyes darting to Aurora. "We need to take her to St. Mungo's this moment!"

Snape started instantly, feeling his mouth drop. What? He heard a gasp from Pomfrey and turned towards her. What on earth was going on? Why the hell was Narcissa caring about Aurora's welfare? That didn't seem like something a woman would do for her husband's killer.

"On what grounds, Mrs. Malfoy?" Shacklebolt slowly asked, clearly intrigued as well.

"I have reason to believe that she's been poisoned, Minister," Narcissa announced, trembling slightly. She looked downright scared to death.

On pure instinct, Snape hopped up at the word 'poison.' He quickly handed his daughter to McGonagall before he jumped over the railing that separated the audience from the defendant's chair. He brushed past one of the guards and dove when he noticed Aurora start to fall forward towards the stone floor. As he caught her, he felt his heart stop. His eyes met hers, seeing the slight reddish tint in them. He'd have gladly taken any poison but that one. He heard Aurora's slight gasp as he took the brunt of the impact as they hit the floor together.

Please, he begged in his mind. Not her.

At the feel of her convulsing against him a moment later, he swallowed back his emotions. He wouldn't lose her. He wouldn't lose another woman he loved. Not again. His heart couldn't bear another heartbreak. He'd break for certain. He felt the others quickly gather around them, hearing their intense whispers. A hand rested then on his shoulder before he felt the sickening feel of a quick side-along Apparation. Hands quickly pulled Aurora away from him, causing him to try to reach for her again. However, arms wrapped around him and pulled him back from her.

"Aurora!" he yelled, watching the healers disappear with her behind a closed door. "No . . ."

For several hours, Snape paced to and from in the waiting room, his head snapping to the door whenever it opened to allow a healer to speak with another family. What was going on? Was Aurora all right? Had they gotten to her in time? So many questions filled his mind.

"Will you stop pacing? It ain't doing no good anyway," Tobias mumbled as he sat next to Angel.

Snape tensed when he heard his father behind him, but he didn't listen. He kept pacing instead, since it was the only thing that was keeping him from finding his wife himself. Clenching his jaw, he drew in several deep breaths. His mind was playing tricks on him every now and then, bringing up the image of her reddish eyes. That image unsettled him most of all. Poison, especially that one, was always deadly. It was a very old poison, so it'd be rare for someone to know it offhand. If he recalled correctly, that particular poison was discovered around Merlin's time.

As the door to St. Mungo's waiting room opened again, his head turned to it. He tensed instantly at the sight of the person walking in. Only the knowledge of his daughter being there in the room with him kept him from lashing out at Narcissa as she slowly entered.

"How?" he demanded in his deadliest voice.

"A note," the blond answered somberly. "It was passed to me in the courtroom. The moment I saw it, I spoke out. She may have killed Lucius, but I don't want that sort of revenge for his death. I swear it, Severus."

Snape frowned deeply before he grabbed the note she held out to him. He silently unfolded it and read the words 'Justice served' that had been written sloppily on the badly aged parchment. He growled under his breath and shook his head.

"You only needed two words to realize she was poisoned?" It smelled fishy to him. There had to be more to it than just that. Narcissa may have been a superb healer, but she wasn't that amazing.

"Since Lucius's death, I've had numerous people show their support to me. All sorts of people, Severus." Narcissa closed her eyes, hanging her head. "I was angry with her when I learned that it was Aurora who had killed him. She had taken the only man I had ever loved from me. Taken my son's father, my husband. I wanted her to pay for what she had done. And I said as much."

He clenched his jaw, but remained silent. Narcissa had likely been overcome with grief, not realizing at the time that some moron would take it upon him- or herself to avenge all the deaths.

"Then the trial started, and she pled guilty. She didn't even try to fight it. You saw that as I did," Narcissa continued quietly, rambling somewhat. Clearly she felt like she needed to get everything out, though. "I don't know how to explain it. It confused me. I had been so angry, so consumed with hatred for her. Yet when she admitted her guilt, stood up there and stated that she was sorry for all the pain she had caused and how she hoped that we would find peace now with the knowledge that she would be properly punished for her crimes, I-I didn't want to think then. She didn't sound like the cold-blooded killer I had made her up to be in my mind." She paused for a moment. "I could hear her genuine sadness, that she was sorry."

His eyes narrowed on Narcissa. He felt slightly puzzled himself now. Yes, Aurora was genuine with her apology, but he hadn't expected Narcissa to be so quick to accept his wife's apology. It seemed almost unreal to him to consider it even.

"She was accepting her fate, not fighting it." The blond woman drew in a shuddered breath. "No mother wants to be away from her child that long. Not willingly. So, why was it then that Aurora killed all these Death Eaters, knowing that she likely would be caught someday and taken from her daughter? Why was it that she hurt you, Severus? A man she so obviously loves with every bit of her heart. I started to ask myself all those questions during the trial because I started to realize that it didn't make sense anymore. The pieces weren't fitting the puzzle. Today I finally realized what those answers were, Severus. Like me, she had been forced to do things, terrible things, for her family. For you."

"I don't understand."

"Oh, I loved him, Severus. I truly did. But I realized quickly that I had married a monster. He brought me before the Dark Lord to ask permission for us to marry. You recall that foolish rule, I'd imagine." She laughed shortly, clearly disgusted. "My sister was quite giddy with excitement. She was so proud that I was engaged to a Death Eater. Bella told me that everything would be wonderful once I was wed to Lucius." Her voice hardened into ice. "To celebrate our marriage, I witnessed my sister, my brother-in-law, and my husband murder an entire Muggle family. I saw the monster in Lucius, the evil in him as he tortured a little girl who begged him to stop." She trembled slightly. "When Lucius and I returned to the manor later, I asked him why. Do you know what his response was?" She laughed harshly when he shook his head. "Because I have to, Cissy."

She was rambling from one subject to another. He listened, though, moving her thoughts around in his mind so it'd make sense to him. It took some definite concentration to do this, but even then it was only making half sense to him.

"I didn't understand at first," she said. "I had always believed that there was always a choice. I believed that until the day came when the Dark Lord presented me with a Muggle. He wanted to test me, make sure that I was worthy of Lucius. I couldn't raise my wand at first against the cowering woman. She was pregnant just as I was. I wasn't like Lucius, like my sister. But the moment I heard my husband's screams, I realized what Lucius had meant on our wedding night. When it came to those you love being safe, you don't get a choice. You do whatever you have to for them and for yourself. I killed that woman and her unborn child that night, Severus, just so my husband would live. And I didn't give a single thought to it at the time. How wretched it was."

"Narcissa—"

"The Dark Lord knew that if he hurt Lucius, I would do whatever he asked of me without any questions or dissent of any kind. He owned us, Severus. And if what Mr. Potter has said about Albus Dumbledore is true, Dumbledore owned you and Aurora just like the Dark Lord owned Lucius and me."

He sighed inwardly. He was grateful that Narcissa had figured that out, but he still didn't understand what that had to do with Aurora being poisoned and how Narcissa knew it for certain.

"I have a feeling she was starting to say that before she collapsed." She held up a hand and cut him off before he could say anything. "You must understand. I loved him, Severus. I truly did," she repeated once more, as if she was trying to convince herself now. "But Dumbledore was right. Lucius and the others would return to their old ways. Oh, I had watched him over these past few years and saw what I had seen before after the Dark Lord had been defeated the first time. Lucius was biding his time until the right moment."

Snape blinked as he stared at her in complete shock. If what she was saying was true, then . . .

"Before you arrived in the graveyard, the Dark Lord gave orders that night after that Hufflepuff boy and Potter returned to Hogwarts. He wanted to strike fear in the public's hearts, Severus. So, his remaining followers would rise up every now and then and attack the public in his name. They had been so brainwashed that they believed his lies, believed that if they did it enough times that the Dark Lord would return to them again. Lucius bought it, so he waited for his moment." She closed her eyes. "I knew all this when I learned that Lucius had been killed. I knew that every single Death Eater that she had killed was part of the group instructed to carry out the Dark Lord's last wishes. You see, Severus, I-I had given Dumbledore the names before he had died. He didn't know it was me, of course, but I gave it to him. I just wanted it to be over with. I just wanted my family to be whole again. I didn't know what Dumbledore would do with the names. I couldn't really."

"If you knew, then you—"

"Could have spoken up on Aurora's behalf?" she offered. "It had crossed my mind, I admit, but I couldn't get past my heartbreak and my confusion. It didn't make sense to me, Severus. None of it did until today." She sighed, shaking her head. "When I read that note today and stood up to interrupt, my hate-filled words echoed in my head."

"What words?" he asked.

"The only way justice would be served is if she took a bit of her own poison."

He closed his eyes. "Who did you tell that to, Narcissa?" He glanced at her.

"One of Draco's old schoolmates. I can't recall his name exactly. He was there with his wife, though. Pansy Parkinson."

"Theodore Nott," a low voice spoke up quietly. "He married her, Mother."

Snape glanced at his godson, watching the younger man slowly approach with Harry by his side. Both men were in their Auror uniforms. He could see the resigned sadness in Draco's gray eyes.

"He'd certainly have access to her food," Harry stated. He turned towards Draco. They both nodded at one another before they Disapparated from the area.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Narcissa softly whispered.

"You didn't poison her," he replied, exhaling loudly before rubbing his face. Merlin, his back was acting up again. Then again, he recalled Pomfrey's words. He wasn't supposed to be gallivanting about the countryside that quickly. It had only been three months since his stabbing. His muscles were still healing, yet there he was standing and pacing and doing whatever.

The door opened once more, causing him to glance at it. His eyes narrowed when he watched a healer walking towards him. Maybe this time the healer was for him.

"Headmaster Snape?" a tall, sandy-blond haired man asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm Healer Reynolds." He gave Snape a forced polite smile. "Your wife and unborn child are doing just fine now."

"You neutralized the poison?" When Reynolds blinked, Snape's eyes narrowed on him. "She was showing signs of a rare type of poison called—"

"She may have been showing similar signs, but we found no poison in her system, sir. Your wife was suffering from acute appendicitis." He shrugged. "It's a common occurrence in pregnant women."

"Appendicitis?" Snape repeated quietly, staring at the man in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Her eyes were reddish, though."

The healer blinked a few times before he shook his head. "Well, if that was the case, what you likely saw was her eyes being bloodshot, sir. Her fever was dangerously high."

"The seizure?"

"We're not exactly certain why she suffered it. Sometimes pregnancy messes with the body drastically. She may have just had a random misfire in the brain. We're not certain. We're keeping an eye on her and the baby, though."

"She's fine?" He couldn't believe it. His wife and unborn child were fine.

"She's a little groggy, but she's perfectly fine. Both of them are. You can see them if you'd like."

Snape closed his eyes, sighing in relief. Appendicitis? Truly? Of all the damn things in the world, she'd end up with that. When he felt a hand on his upper arm, he turned and glanced at Narcissa.

"I'll inform the Wizengamot what I told you. About Lucius and the others." She sighed softly, clearly uneasy about all of this. "It may not help her any. However, if I'm right and she was like me—blackmailed into committing these crimes, then she's a victim in it just as you are."

"Thank you," Snape replied. Frankly, he and Aurora needed all the help they could get at this point. His wife truly didn't deserve a lifetime in Azkaban. She may have murdered the other Death Eaters, but so would have the Aurors eventually. Disregarding the fact that life wasn't fair of course, he could only think on the fact that it truly wasn't fair that he was free and absolved of all his terrible crimes while she was stuck in there for a few murders.

When Snape had been a Death Eater, a true one, he had committed horrendous crimes in the Dark Lord's name. He had stood by and watched the others violate their victims in sickening ways. He had participated in the dreaded Muggle Hunts, not discriminating from whom he killed. He had helped the others sometimes, assisted in the torturing. He had given information that had led to the extermination of many prominent families. And for what reason did he have to commit such vile crimes? It was all to have a sense of belonging.

Having the hindsight he did now, Snape realized how stupid and pathetic that reason was. He had parents that loved him. Not the perfect family life, of course, but his parents did what they could for him. Had he not been so blind at the time, so convinced that the world sucked, he'd have seen that he had a sense of belonging on Spinner's End with his parents. That he was loved by them. But all he truly saw at the time was pain and despair. He was such a dunderhead.

"Daddy!" his little girl cried, running to him after breaking free from her grandfather's hold.

Snape instantly scooped her up into his arms and held her against him. He shushed her and gently brushed back her long blond curls. His family was fine. Safe. For now, he reminded himself. He turned back towards Healer Reynolds, thankful that the man understood that they'd follow him.

Several minutes later when the door to Aurora's private room opened, Snape walked in with Angel still in his arms, squirming around as she tried like mad to get a better view. He inclined his head when Reynolds silently left them alone with her.

"Shh, Daddy. Mummy's sleeping," his daughter whispered in his ear.

He couldn't hold back his smile. Sometimes his daughter was too cute for words. He slowly set Angel down in one of the nearby chairs, pulling another chair next to her before sitting down as well. His eyes slowly trailed down his wife's prone form, noting the relaxed look on her face. He sighed quietly and leaned forward, grabbing Aurora's hand. They would wait for her to wake up. They certainly had all the time in the world right then.

His mind wandered to his wife's trial as he waited. She had pled guilty to his aggravated assault and the nine other counts of homicide. The Wizengamot had dropped the other charges concerning torture earlier, stating that in several cases it was not clear if Aurora had caused the injuries or if the young female kidnapping victims who had been found with the castrated men had. In his mind, he assumed that the Aurors just didn't really want to investigate that part too intently. He knew that his testifying on her behalf had helped muddy the waters concerning the charge of his aggravated assault. However, the other nine counts against her held more weight than his charge.

"They were bad people, though, Daddy," his daughter softly said, interrupting his thoughts and gaining his attention immediately.

He snorted, shaking his head. "What have we said about that?"

"Not to," she answered with her head hung. "But it's true, though."

"They may have been bad people, but there's a rule that we all have to follow that says what she did was bad too."

"It's a stupid rule."

"In some cases," he agreed thinking of the Dark Lord and how it wasn't bad to kill him. "But we can't pick and choose what rules we want to follow, though. Otherwise, it'd be a free for all."

"But Mummy was just doing what she was told to do."

"I know that, and you know that. Sometimes, though, people tell you to do really bad things that you shouldn't do because they're wrong and it could hurt people."

"Is Mummy bad then?"

"No. She's just a little white and a little black now."

"So she's gray?" Angel said, screwing her face up as she thought of what the two colors made.

He couldn't hold back his chuckle. He still couldn't believe even after five years of being her father that he was could father someone so adorably sweet. She clearly inherited a lot of her mother in his opinion.

"Yes. She's a gray now. And gray is just fine. The world's not as black and white as people like to make it out to be." He caught his daughter's eyes narrow, knowing that she was going to ask some off-the-wall thing. "I'll explain it when you're older, my Angel."

"Kay." His little girl shrugged before she turned back to her mother. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Do they know Mummy's gray now? Or should we send them an owl and tell them that?"

"That's what they're deciding." It was the truth in a way. The Wizengamot was deciding if Aurora was Dark Lord-evil or if she was just First war Ludo Bagman-evil. She had been misguided clearly like Ludo had been, but she hadn't enjoyed killing the others like the Dark Lord.

"Daddy?"

He closed his eyes. It was going to be one of those days of twenty questions. He could tell it already. He glanced at her and waited.

"What's a necessary evil?"

His brow rose. Now there was a term she clearly plucked from someone's mind. "It's when someone does something bad but does it to make sure something happens."

"Oh." His little girl was quiet for a few minutes, picking at her dress before glancing at him again. "Daddy?"

He sighed. "Yes?"

"That's what Mummy did, isn't it?"

"You could say that, yes." He watched his daughter's smile overtake her face. "Why?"

"Cause they were thinking it today before Mummy was talking to them. That was what they were wondering about. If it was what Mummy did. Sort of like when you were trying to know why Mummy stabbed you and if you were all wrong about her."

He shook his head. "We are seriously going to need to do something about your magic soon," he remarked. It was downright scary to hear his daughter plucking people's thoughts from them so easily. But his mother had warned him that when he had been around his daughter's age that he was just like Angel was at times. According to Eileen, Angel would wear herself out after a bit and stop using it just as he had. He was still waiting for that to happen with his daughter.

"That's good, though, right?" his daughter asked, clearly ignoring her father's remark. "Cause they'll see that Mummy did what she had to do just like that. Unless they're the usual duh heads."

He snorted. She clearly had listened to his start-of-the-year speeches too much. When he watched his daughter pull herself up and start to crawl up into her mother's cot, he stood up and quickly grabbed her before she could reach Aurora.

"Daddy!" she squealed, squirming in his arms.

"No. Your mother just had surgery." He sat down with her on his lap, watching Angel cross her arms soon after. "She needs to rest now. So we're going to just let her, okay?" He caught his daughter's huff and raised his brow further at her.

"Fine. But I don't like this."

"Of course you don't, brat," he quietly drawled, noticing her eye roll. His daughter seriously took after them too much. He pulled her closer and held her, waiting silently. He hoped Angel was right about the Wizengamot coming to the same conclusion that he had—that the murders were a necessary evil. Narcissa's evidence would clearly help make that case, but he knew that at the end of the day Aurora had pled guilty. They had to give her some form of punishment then. The question remained, though, just how long it would be.

It was nearly nine o'clock the next morning when he caught his wife's first movement. He heard his daughter's soft gasp, knowing that she had seen it as well. Slowly, he leaned forward—still holding onto Angel—and squeezed Aurora's hand. He smiled faintly when he felt the responding squeeze.

"Good morning," he quietly whispered, watching his wife's head lull to the side so she could look at them.

"Where am I?" Aurora asked groggily.

"St. Mungo's." He watched her nod in understanding. "The healers had to perform surgery on you to remove your appendix yesterday. You and the baby are just fine now I'm told."

"The Wizengamot?"

"I don't know," he sighed, feeling the cold splash of reality again. Of course she'd bring them up right away. Her life hung in the balance so to speak. "I know there are two Aurors outside of the room, and that they've placed a tracking spell on both of us." He saw her nod again and squeezed her hand once more as if to convince her that everything would be all right.

"Can't get too far, then, can we?" Aurora teased with a weak smile.

"So it would seem." He cleared his throat when Angel squirmed a little more in hopes that she'd reach her mother once more. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore," his wife replied before her eyes glanced towards the door as there was a sharp knock on it. "Are we expecting anyone?"

"No." Her healer had already come to check on her earlier. He frowned and slowly turned to see the person walking in as well. "Potter." He couldn't keep the growl from his voice.

"Nice to see you too, sir," the young man replied dryly before his eyes darted to Aurora. "I have something for you." He strode forward with a rolled up parchment in hand. "Directly from the Minister of Magic himself," he announced with a half-smile as he held it out to her.

Snape's eyes narrowed. When he heard his wife's soft gasp, his eyes darted back to Potter.

"What is it?" He couldn't read his wife's face and Potter's wasn't giving anything off either strangely enough. Maybe the man finally did learn Occlumency after all.

"It's a note stating that her case was dismissed."

"How?" Aurora and Snape both asked simultaneously.

"The Wizengamot reached a deadlock. With your testimony defending her, it muddied the waters just like you thought it would. Then Narcissa Malfoy yesterday came forward a little later and informed them about her husband and the others' plans. Frankly, the other officials just ended up confused out of their minds. You admitted your guilt, but people like Snape and Narcissa and others were coming to defend you. Some of them said they couldn't in good conscience do it because you killed people who had murdered others with no remorse whereas you showed genuine remorse and understood you did wrong." Harry shrugged. "Others stated that it didn't matter who you killed because you still did it. In the end, they were deadlocked."

"That doesn't make sense, though."

"It does if you remember that most of them lost people in the war and that they aren't really objective no matter what they claim. If they were objective, well, you'd likely be in Azkaban, Professor. But they voted based on their hearts like always. Consider this your second chance." Harry smiled. "Just something you should keep in mind. You are, however, on probation. It was the only way the Minister could appease the dissenters who wanted to convict you. So, just, you know, don't kill anyone again, Professor," he half-joked.

"Thank you, Harry."

"No need," he replied, shaking his head. "I remember the manipulations I went through with Dumbledore. And I saw the ones that Headmaster Snape went through. I can understand why you made that vow. Keeping your loved ones safe is the most important thing in the world, and sometimes that forces you to make a deal with the devil." He smiled again, a thought clearly going through his mind. He slowly turned towards Snape. "Sometimes love makes us do things that we'd never do in a million years because it sucks, but we do it anyway for our love for them." He then inclined his head. "It was nice seeing you again, Professor, Headmaster." He turned a moment later and left the room quietly.

"He was talking about his mummy, wasn't he, Daddy? About how you kept him safe for her?"

"Yes he was."

"See? I didn't even need to use my magic for that one." Angel grinned proudly.

The little girl's parents laughed, shaking their heads in amusement.

"So," Snape started to say after a few moments had passed. "Are there any other deadly secrets I need to know? Like you have illegitimate children? Or is it going to take another stab in the back before I learn them all?" he asked sardonically.

"No. I think that's it," Aurora replied with an apologetic smile. "I am sorry, Severus."

"Save your apologies. I understand. Potter had that right at least. We know all too well the lengths the old man would use to get his way." He then sighed. "However, I should make you aware that you paid for my physical therapy. It was after all only fair considering."

"I see." She laughed, shaking her head. Perhaps it was the fact that they'd had a stressful past three months, but for some reason they were both finding their dark humor funny. "So just how much did your being stabbed in the back cost exactly?"

"A paycheck," he replied flatly. "Or two." He caught his wife's mouth dropping instantly. "Well, I did suffer extreme mental anguish, Aurora," he stated, forcing his face to remain neutral even though he wanted to smile. He hadn't truly used her paychecks, and he knew she likely knew that as well.

"You suffered mental anguish? Oh, please. You've been getting those damn massages of yours every day for the past three months. I'm the one who had to stab you on our anniversary."

"Yes, but you could have chose not to," he pointed out.

"Next time I will. Then how will you get your massages, hmm?"

"You two are weird," their daughter quietly said with a shake of her head, interrupting them.

Snape merely chuckled, though. He had to agree with Angel. His and Aurora's humor was in bad taste truthfully, but somehow he just didn't care. Maybe now all would be well for real. No more vows. No more manipulating Dumbledore. No more anything but the joys of family. He could get used to—

"Daddy, where do babies come from?" He closed his eyes instantly and hung his head.

A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.