Aberforth let out an almost imperceptible sigh, the old, constant pain in his heart rekindled every time he laid his eyes on the portrait of his little sister. Ariana looked back at him; Her lips, blurred with soft strokes, curved into a warm smile. She suddenly turned her back, walking away down the rural road that served as the background of her painting.

The surface of the portrait began to ripple slightly as if it were water, and a distant sound of hurried footsteps brought Aberforth out of his melancholy state. His sister was back, but this time she wasn't alone.

The old man scrunched his face with a stern expression as he watched the portrait open for the third time in the week.

"Hello, Ab!"

"Here you go, Longbottom," —Aberforth grumbled, roughly handing him the sack of supplies. — "Now leave. Those Carrow rats will begin to suspect your constant disappearances... What... What... Why are you bringing more students? Where do you think you are going young lady? Come back!"

Neville Longbottom watched as the red-haired blur jumped out of the portrait's tunnel and ran pass them. He shrunk his shoulders and gave an apologetic look to Aberforth.

"We must speak to the potioneer, Ab." —Neville said as he followed Ginny Weasley upstairs.

"I already told you that she doesn't want to know anything. You must be content with the concoctions and ointments she gives you... She wants nothing to do with Hogwarts!"

But Neville had already disappeared. The boy quickly climbed the stairs until he reached the attic, stopping when he saw Ginny knocking on the door. A hoarse voice was heard from inside:

"Not now, Aberforth!"

Neville raised his eyebrows and looked into Ginny's bright brown eyes. She bit her lip, hesitant on what to do next.

"Maybe we can try later". — the young man mouthed.

Ginny shook her head:

"We need her, Neville"—and without further thought, she opened the door.

The acrid smell punched their nose first, then they shivered, but not precisely because of the ice-cold temperature of the room, which had been deliberated charmed to keep the ever-increasing amount of magical ingredients fresh, but because of the shred of a woman Laurel had become since the last time they saw her.

She was thin. Sickly thin. Sallow, yellowish skin. Dark circles around reddish eyes. She was standing next to the window, the faint daylight shining upon her sad face, her dull hair cascading down her back. She was looking at herself in a small mirror hanging in a decrepit closet, her bony hands holding a pair of scissors.

"Leave, please". —the hoarse voice startled them. — "I am busy".

Laurel was not looking at them, she was still staring at the mirror. Slowly, she raised the scissors and began to cut her hair at ear level. The snipping whisper of the shears calmed the soft sob that escaped the woman's throat. After cutting a handful of hair, she stared at it for a second, then approached the table, dropping it onto a scale. It barely moved. Laurel sighed shakily and picked up the scissors again with trembling hands.

"Miss Noel," —Ginny took a step toward the woman who turned her gaze toward them for the first time. —"Let me help you."

Laurel choked back another sob and nodded slightly, handing the scissors to Ginny.

The scale moved little by little and at the same time as the weight of the hair increased, the woman's face lightened. When there were no more strands to cut, Laurel stood up and took a page of newspaper and wrapped the hair carefully, tying it with a piece of twine. She was tempted to look in the mirror, but she restrained herself. Who cares how she looks like? She turned to Ginny:

"Thank you". —Laurel said in a fast whisper — "It is a small fortune or so Slughorn promised. The Order needs it. Aberforth needs it, even if he doesn't want to admit it, the inn is falling to pieces... And potion ingredients are so expensive and hard to come by nowadays..." —Then she stopped on her tracks, noticing the girl's fiery red hair:

"You're a Weasley."

"Name's Ginny. I'm Bill and Ron's youngest sister" —she said, nodding.

"I heard Bill got married."

"Yes" — the girl answered, trying to keep her voice from breaking. —"But after the Ministry fell, he had to go into hiding. He still works for the Order of course, but we rarely hear from him."

Ginny looked around and Harry's photograph immediately caught her attention. Laurel realized that the young woman's gaze was riveted to the poster.

"I suppose Ronald must be with Harry," —she said, breaking Ginny out of her reverie.

The girl looked at her with bright eyes.

"Ron, Harry and Hermione. The golden trio," —the redhead replied, and Laurel couldn't help but catch a hint of resentment in her voice. — "They infiltrated the Ministry not so long ago. I reckon you must've learnt it from the newspapers".

"I read something, yes. But I hardly believe anything that comes on the Daily Prophet".

Laurel sighed again, looking down at the newspaper wrapper on the table. She ran a hand over her head, playing with her short hair absentmindedly.

"I admire you, Miss Noel. I really do." —Ginny approached her. — "And though at first I thought you were an accomplice to that damned son of a..." —Neville shook his head in warning — "Well, your actions have shown me the opposite. I could not imagine how the Hogwarts students would heal without your magical ointments. Madam Pomfrey cannot cope with all the students who have been punished with physical torture and much less she can care for the members of Dumbledore's Army who are in hiding..."

"That's enough, Ginny." —Laurel lifted her hand, silencing the girl's speech — "I appreciate your words, but I know your intentions. I know why you came. Neville had asked before and I already gave him my answer. And it will be the same one I will give to you: I am not going to set foot at Hogwarts.

"But..."

"No." — Laurel sat down, crossing her arms. — "I am trying to help the cause as much as I can, and I would go to great lengths to defeat the Dark Lord but not this."

"You are the only one who can help us, Miss Noel. We have traced a plan..."

"I've already heard it from Neville. You want Godric's sword. That means entering the headmaster's office. I am not doing that."

Ginny stared at Neville, asking for help, and he cleared his throat:

"Tell you the truth, Miss Noel. We have tried to break the protective spells, but it was impossible to gain access to the office, and worse, it triggered an alarm. Those bastards Carrows were there at once. But for you, we think it will allow you free passage."

"Being a Soulless one does not mean I can bypass the magical barriers"— Laurel's eyes wandered to the window from which the top of the Astronomy Tower could be seen — "He will know I am there".

"I never said I expected you go undetected" —Neville came closer to Laurel. — "But I do believe your presence will not set the alarm to warn the Carrows. I don't think Snape will want the Death Eaters to find out you are there."

Laurel turned her attention to Neville, a lump forming in her throat:

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"We believe he might be inclined to keep your presence a secret... —Neville struggled to say the next words: — "He might be tolerant to you. Even indulgent, perhaps."

"You think I can convince him to give me the sword?" —Laurel scoffed. — "You think that after everything he has done, I would be able to... sweet-talk to him?"

"That would be the last resort". — Neville said, blushing slightly. — "The plan is to keep him away from the office while you are inside. If everything goes well, your paths will never cross".

"There's a bigger chance everything goes wrong, Neville".

"You two were close, he will be lenient with you, let you go unharmed ..."

"You don't know that". —Laurel interrupted him — "You don't know what he is capable of..."

The woman shook her head and attempted to stand up, but Ginny lowered herself in front of her, eyes drilling into Laurel's.

"Miss Noel, we wouldn't ask you to do this if there were any other way. Dumbledore left Gryffindor's sword to Harry in his will. There must be an important reason for it. I'm sure you must want to fulfill Dumbledore's final wishes and let Harry have the sword. Think about what Dumbledore saw in you. He trusted you to be part of this fight, to make difficult choices. We all must make sacrifices, and this is yours. You must do it for Dumbledore, for Harry, for all of us".

Laurel took a deep breath, her eyes watering. She remembered the Dark Mark drawn in the sky, the helplessness in that cell in the dungeons, the dark tunnels that were Severus eyes. She shuddered at the thought of having those eyes in front of her.

She looked from Ginny to Neville, seeing the earnest determination in their faces, then to her hair, wrapped in the newspaper. She stood up slowly, handing the wrap to Neville.

"Give this to Professor Slughorn, and make sure the Galleons are given to Aberforth in case I am no longer here". — she said, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. — "Now tell me when I should infiltrate Hogwarts."

Neville took the wrap, his expression serious.

"You'll be back safe and sound. We promise".

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

"Laurel"

The mere thought of her name brought a sharp pang to his chest. He missed her more than he could articulate, and sometimes the physical, raw, biting pain was too much to bear.

Severus Snape looked up at the overcast sky, the heavy grey clouds fell over the mountains and in the distance Hogsmeade looked like an abandoned village, dark and gloomy. The wizard blinked a few times, realising that his eyes had blurred. He hadn't slept more than a couple of hours, and he still carried the dread of his constant nightmares in his body.

He wondered where Laurel was, if the Order had managed to protect her. She was not in Azkaban, that was for sure. McGonagall refused to speak to him, and everyone seemed to forget that an Akardos had once lived in the castle.

Everyone but him.

One night when he could no longer handle his restlessness, he had gone to Hackleton, hoping to see at least a glimpse of her body, of her gaze, but he had only revived the memories of that past winter. He had sneaked in and seen the family asleep in their beds: Fern, Hazel, David, but no sign of the woman he loved.

He had lost her. He had lost her forever and caused her the worst humiliation.

He was a monster.

He closed his eyes.

Cold wind.

Shivers.

Morning dew over smooth stone.

He could let himself go.

He could slide his shiny shoes over the windowsill he was standing over.

A few meters down and he would not feel any more pain.

"Laurel"

Hot tears slid down his cheek and Severus opened his eyes again.

His gaze drifted away from the horizon and back to the grounds below. The sight of the Hogwarts students entering the castle in strict formation pulled him from his morbid reverie.

The weight of his responsibility pressed heavily on his shoulders. He had a duty to fulfill, one that Dumbledore had entrusted to him. He could not allow himself the luxury of despair. The students needed him. He needed to protect them, to keep them safe from the horrors that awaited outside the castle walls, to contain the ruthless practices of the Carrows. And then there was Harry. The boy who lived, the boy who must die. Snape knew what he had to do. He needed to tell Harry the truth, to prepare him for the ultimate sacrifice. But how?

With a deep, shuddering breath, Snape turned away from the window, the dark thoughts of escape fading into his mind. He had a mission that could not be abandoned. He straightened his robes and walked purposefully into the headmaster's office.

"A dreadful morning, Severus" —Dumbledore's portrait declared upon seeing his wet face. — "Is it raining already?"

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

The school she remembered was unrecognizable. The students shuffled through the corridors, their gazes fixed on the floor, fear and despair etched into their young faces. The once vibrant hallways were silent, dirty.

Laurel walked as relaxed as she could, dressed in a school uniform Ginny had lent her, she tried to blend with the rest of the students. No one seemed to pay attention to the stranger and Laurel moved slowly towards the headmaster's tower.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a series of explosions. One erupted in the courtyard, another in the gardens, and a third one in the library. The deafening booms sent shockwaves through the castle, and chaos erupted around her. Students screamed and ran in all directions, but Laurel pushed against the tide, determined to reach her destination. She sped up, weaving through the panicked throng.

Her heart was racing. Finally, she was in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the office and then she froze.

"Password?" —the gargoyle asked in a grating voice.

The infallible plan, the goddammed perfect plan was faulty. How could she be so stupid to forget such an important step? Ginny and Neville overlooked it. Maybe it was something so obvious...

Desperation clawed at her, and she glanced over her shoulder, aware that every second counted.

"Please," —she whispered, her voice trembling. — "I need to go inside. You let me in last time..."

The gargoyle remained motionless, unimpressed by her plea. She racked her brain for the correct phrase, but panic was starting to set in and just as she was about to give up, she remembered the night she entered the Slytherin common room.

"Slytherin!" —she blurted, unable to remember the exact password Severus used that night but saying the first thing that came to mind.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a grinding sound, the gargoyle stepped aside, revealing the spiral staircase behind it. Laurel took a deep breath and stepped onto the moving stairs, ascending towards the headmaster's office. The commotion and screams below seemed to fade. She was doing it, she had come this far, and she couldn't turn back now.

The staircase stopped; she was in front of the imposing oak doors. A cold sweat washed over her as she realised there was surely a magical barrier protecting the entrance. She stood still, listening intently, making sure there was no movement in the other side of the doors. She reached inside her robes to pull out a pocketknife, but there was no need to pick the lock. When Laurel extended her arm to push the door, it opened smoothly.

Laurel did not enter. Her eyes darted around the room, expecting to see the dark, tall figure of Snape, but the office was empty. A few seconds past and there was no sound of hurried steps coming up the staircase. She entered cautiously, her gaze falling upon the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, who appeared to be dozing in his frame.

The mid-morning sun was washing the whole room in light. The office was silent, the usual collection of instruments that whirred and emitted small puffs was gone. In exchange, there seemed to be more bookcases filled with dark leather-bound books.

Laurel heart skipped a beat. There it was. The Sword of Gryffindor was encased in glass cabinet on top of one of the bookshelves behind the desk. She approached it fast, but it was then when she noticed the small laurel tree, blooming before her eyes.

That was the tree that Severus had given her and that she had abandoned when she left Hogwarts behind. Why was it there? Why would Severus have any interest in keeping it in his office? Laurel suddenly felt intense heat on her cheeks, and she couldn't help but caress one of its tiny leaves, taking it between her fingers and bringing it to her lips. She felt like crying at that moment, but she silenced the flood of emotions that came upon her. She wanted to flee from that place immediately.

She took a deep breath and turned her attention to the sword. She had to move the leather chair to be able to reach the case. She cursed under her breath when she saw glass case was hermetically sealed, without any sort of lock or lid. She tried to lift it, but it was stuck to the shelf.

"Shit...shit," — Laurel whispered, knowing that she was running out of time. — "I have no choice."

Clenching the knife in her fist, she hit the glass with all her might. It took a few minutes for the glass to give way, but finally the display case broke into tiny pieces and the Sword of Gryffindor fell to the floor. Laurel jumped behind it, picking it up with trembling hands. The Sword gleamed in the sunlight, its ruby-encrusted hilt glinting beautifully. She grasped the sword, feeling its weight, staring at her reflection on the polished blade. It was done. She was going to be back at Hog's Head Inn in a couple of minutes.

"You shouldn't be here," — came a quiet, but stern voice.

Laurel spun around to see Severus Snape closing the oak doors behind him.

"Sev... Severus". —she whispered, the blood draining from her face.

A flicker of emotion passed over Snape's face, when he heard his name from Laurel's lips.

The wizard stared at her, narrowing his eyes. Laurel could feel the blazing scrutiny in his gaze. She dared not to move.

"It is too dangerous, Laurel". —he said after a long pause, his cold voice echoing off the office walls.

He walked over to her, his cloak billowing behind him. As he drew closer, a frown creased his brow.

"You're extremely thin. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"And you look like you haven't slept in ages". —she spat with scorn. — "My health is none of your business".

Snape smirked and Laurel tightened her grip on the sword, pointing it at the wizard.

"There's no need of that". —He said, putting down the blade with a hand. — "I won't hurt you".

"Why would I trust you?"

"That's right, Laurel. I don't deserve your trust. I will have to earn it back somehow".