Alice

Early on Saturday evening Alice was rudely woken from her late afternoon nap by Professor McGonagall hammering upon her door, informing her that there was a meeting in the staff room in five minutes. As she stumbled groggily into the room a few moments later, she noticed the air was charged with electricity. The staff sat or stood nervously, and no one spoke. Obviously, something was up. Had there been a Death Eater attack? Alice wondered. She looked around for Snape or Remus but couldn't see either of them. She went and stood by a window and stared out into the night, imagining worst case scenarios.

A minute later Dumbledore, Remus, and Snape walked in accompanied by Sirius Black. All of them looked deeply concerned about something. Remus and Sirius walked over to where Alice stood and she smiled thinly at them. 'There hasn't been an attack has there?' she asked. Remus shook his head. 'Not yet.'

Dumbledore cleared his throat and called for attention.

'Now I know many of you were starting to plan for Christmas and the holidays, but I'm afraid that, given the information I've received this afternoon, we will be canceling Christmas leave. No students are to return home -- it is too dangerous.' A murmur rippled around the staff room as Dumbledore spoke, the staff exchanging puzzled glances. 'Yes, yes I know, many of you were looking forward to going home to see family and friends. However, information gathered by Sirius Black has shed new light on the plans of the Death Eaters. Unfortunately they involve attacking muggle born and mud blood students and their families, and we believe these attacks are going to start at Christmas. Therefore, no student is to return home, and thus we will need all staff to stay at the castle and, protect its inhabitants. Of course this doesn't mean that we will be teaching. Minerva, Severus, and I will organize a supervision roster and some events to keep the children occupied.' Dumbledore looked around at the assembled staff and smiled broadly at them, as if trying to encourage them to be more cheerful about the prospect of spending the Christmas holidays with a school full of students. Alice looked up at Remus, trying to catch his eye, but he was whispering with Sirius. Alice turned her attention back to Dumbledore, noticing that Snape was staring intently at her. He immediately looked away when her eyes met his.

Dumbledore continued to address the staff but Alice 's attention wandered as she turned her gaze back out of the window. Her mind was distracted by the thought of Death Eater attacks and their consequences. Her thoughts traveled to her father and she wondered if he would have any involvement in the planning or execution of the attacks. He wasn't a Death Eater yet, but she didn't think the small issue of a Dark Mark would make much difference in an attack of this scale. She tried to work out how many students and families would be affected by this danger, but soon gave up; it was far too many.

Alice then started to think about the logistics of such an attack and came to the quick realization that a simultaneous attack was most unlikely. The number of Death Eaters just wasn't large enough, unless they were doing some overseas recruiting, and even then all they could hope for was to hit a handful of families in each attack. Then the penny dropped. Her father's task before his induction... He hadn't mentioned it, and Snape certainly hadn't said anything. Could it be that he had been secretly recruiting Dark Wizards from overseas for Voldemort? He would be the perfect choice. As far as the current Death Eaters were concerned, Declan Kyteler had no links with the Ministry. Moreover, as they didn't consider Dumbledore and his operatives a serious threat, they didn't even consider the possibility that he had links to Hogwarts. Indeed, as far as the Death Eaters were concerned, Declan Kyteler was just another wizard like themselves, sick of having wizarding families sullied with Muggle blood. What was more, he was someone who had the means to travel incognito in Europe gathering Dark Wizards to the cause without raising the slightest suspicion. Yes, thought Alice, he gave the illusion of being free of ties and able to do what he pleased. The perfect recruiter for Voldemort. Alice couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this before. She desperately wanted the meeting to finish so she could talk to Snape or Remus about her theory.

Unfortunately when the meeting did finish, Alice found herself alone with Sirius whilst Remus went to discuss something with Dumbledore and Snape.

'So Alice, how are you?' Sirius asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Alice sneered at him. 'Fine Black, you?' she replied curtly.

'Fine, all factors considered,' he replied smoothly, smiling broadly at her. Alice caught him glancing in Snape's direction and she turned to find him glaring at the two of them with open hostility. 'He never gets any happier does he?' Sirius observed.

'Who? Oh, Severus. Well, I'm sure his present displeasure probably stems from being cooped up in the same room as you. If you'll excuse me, I think I may start suffering from the same ailment shortly.' Alice turned on her heel and stalked back to her chambers. Opening the door, she waited for Madox to emerge and when he did, she scooped him up and left to take him for a walk outside.

As she passed the entrance to the staff room, Remus caught up with her.

'You going for a walk?'

'Yeah, Madox needs some air, as do I.'

'Care for some company?'

'Sure, so long as the mutt doesn't come too,' Alice replied with a slight edge to her voice. Remus smiled and motioned to Sirius to stay where he was.

They walked silently out to the school grounds where Madox wriggled free and set off to explore and hunt for food. Remus conjured up a small fire on the ground between the two of them and they stood huddled close to it.

'Remus,' Alice started hesitatingly, 'my Dad. When he agreed to the idea of becoming a Death Eater, he was told he'd have a mission to complete before he would get his Dark Mark. Has Snape said anything to you about what it might be?'

'No,' Remus looked at Alice speculatively, 'but it sounds like you have an idea...'

Alice nodded. 'I think he's overseas recruiting dark wizards for Voldemort. What do you think?'

Remus thought for a while. 'Well someone has to do it, and in some ways it would make sense, although I would have thought a more high profile Voldemort supporter would have been chosen.'

'Yes, but not if it was a covert operation, planned so that no one suspected what was happening. A quiet swelling of the ranks to catch any opposition by surprise...'

Remus paused for a minute, obviously considering the possibility. 'You have a point. A very good point. Bugger.' He kicked at the ground with the toe of his shoe. 'As if things haven't been complicated enough.'

'If you think about it, the only way a number of simultaneous attacks could take place was if the Death Eaters had some outside support. And I don't think the Death Eaters would slowly pick their prey off one by one; they would more likely hit a few at once to create more of a display and generate more notice. I think they have got to be getting somewhat disappointed that no one is taking their threat that seriously at the moment. Well, no one except Dumbledore, and in their eyes he doesn't count.' Alice was talking quickly and was breathless with excitement by the time she had finished outlining her theory to Remus. She knew she had stumbled onto something.

Remus stared at her. 'We need to go and see Dumbledore again. If you're right... Bloody hell.'

Alice shrugged. 'I don't want to be right, Remus, I really don't. But we need to make sure these attacks never happen.'

'And how we will manage that without the full support of the Ministry I have no idea.'

'Unless...' Alice paused, her mind racing with ideas, 'we let them attack some families in the presence of Aurors. Surely they would have to take notice then.'

'When did you get so strategic in your thinking?'

'I don't know, it just came to me.' Alice grinned.

'Good. Can you bottle it for the rest of us? I think you are right. We need to plant Aurors in a few Muggle houses. How I don't know. The only evidence we have is Sirius's list and I don't think the Ministry will be prepared to take that very seriously at all. What we need first is confirmation of who they are planning on hitting from a reliable source.'

'I can get that,' Alice said quietly.

'Ho... Oh, your father.'

Alice nodded, a small, devious smile spreading across her face. 'He can get the information from Lucius, hopefully without too much difficulty and without raising any suspicion that we know something.'

'How? I would have thought given recent events, your father's relationship with Lucius would be a little strained.'

'I don't know how yet, but give me some time to think about it and I'll work something out.' Alice turned and looked around for her pet fox. 'Madox!'

'You aren't thinking of doing anything rash are you?'

Alice whirled around to face Remus again. 'Listen, I learned my lesson. I'm not going to do any rash, stupid things where Death Eaters are concerned!' she growled.

'I'm sorry, I just...'

Alice took a deep breath. 'It's okay. It's a perfectly reasonable question given the circumstances. I'm sorry I yelled.'

Madox trotted up then, ready to go back into the warmth of the school so he could sleep peacefully following his hunting expedition.

Alice and Remus went straight to Dumbledore's office to discuss the theory. Whilst Remus and Dumbledore talked, Alice sat staring at the fire thinking about how her father could get Lucius Malfoy to give him the information. She knew he would never steal documents from Lucius. If he did that and they were discovered missing, she was sure the first place Lucius would look was in Declan's general direction. The only solution Alice could come up with was to get Declan to convince Lucius to "tell all", so to speak. She turned back to Dumbledore and Remus.

'I think I should owl Dad. We need him to get Lucius to talk.'

'I know, but how?' Remus asked.

'Dad will think of a way. And perhaps we can plant a Muggle listening device on Dad that records his conversation. I assume Lucius would have the house warded against any magical listening devices.'

Dumbledore nodded in agreement with Alice's theory.

'If we can get Lucius to confess to something, then the Ministry will have to believe the threat Voldemort poses. '

Remus looked at Dumbledore with raised eyebrows. 'What do you think?'

'I don't foresee many problems with the plan, except how to get a Muggle listening device to work.' Dumbledore stroked his beard, gazing intently into the fire.

'Perhaps Sirius and Arthur can work on something. I'm sure that together they could come up with a solution,' Remus suggested.

'Yes, that could work. Alice, we need your father to come to the school as soon as possible. I'll owl Arthur Weasley and get him to come and start work with Sirius.'

The meeting soon broke up and Alice headed up to the owlery to send a message to her father. When she had done that, she made her way back down to the staff room and found Snape sitting by the fire reading. Alice walked over to him and sat in the opposite chair.

'Hi.'

Snape looked up. 'Good evening. I was waiting to see you, where did you go?'

'I took Madox out for a walk, with Remus. We were talking about Sirius's information.' Alice stopped and looked around. A small group of professors were still in the room, sitting at a table playing cards. Snape looked over at them and then back at Alice. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

'Speculating about my father.'

'Ah.' Snape closed his book, put it on the floor, and leaned forward. 'And?...'

Alice looked nervously toward the teachers, then sat forward and quickly whispered her theory. Snape sat silently, occasionally nodding in agreement. When she finished, Snape sat back in his chair and scrutinized Alice intently.

'It makes sense. Explains why I was summoned Friday night. Also explains why Lucius wants as many potions as he can get his hands on in the quantities he has requested. We need to start stockpiling antidotes. Can you resume working with me nightly?'

Alice nodded. They then both sat silently staring at the fire until Snape spoke up again.

'What were you thinking of using?'

'Well, I know you can get voice activated listening devices. It's too late to get one of them and modify it, but I have a tape recorder that I'll give Arthur Weasley. Perhaps he and Sirius can alter that to activate by voice so Dad doesn't have to worry about turning it on. Maybe they could even shrink it so it fits into something unobtrusive like a pen. But we still need to overcome the problem of magical interference.'

'We should talk to Filius. I'm sure he knows a charm that can be used on Muggle instruments to enable them to work in magical environments,' Snape said as he continued to watch the flames in the grate. Then he stood up. 'I have some papers to mark. I'll see you tomorrow no doubt.'

'No doubt.' Alice watched him leave, feeling a slight tug at her heart. She sighed and pushed her thoughts about Snape to the back of her mind, reminding herself that they all needed to focus. Now, more than ever, they needed their heads to be clear.

Alice spent most of Sunday worrying about her father. Arthur Weasley had turned up shortly after breakfast, brimming with excitement at the prospect of playing with Muggle technology. Alice had briefly informed he and Sirius of her idea and they had disappeared off to work on it shortly afterwards. She'd spent the rest of the day marking parchments, planning the week's lessons with Remus, and checking on progress with the recorder. Her day hadn't been a complete waste: she'd learned a charm from Professor Flitwick that enabled Muggle technology to work in magical locations. Alice was looking forward to getting back to her room at some point to test it out on her CD player. However, by dinner she still hadn't received an owl from her father, and her concern began to increase.

'You've had no owl?' Remus asked over dinner.

'No, not yet,' Alice mumbled.

'I'm sure he'll respond when he gets a chance. He's probably with Lucius or overseas if your suspicions are correct.'

'I know. It's just that, if Lucius saw the owl, he'd think it odd that I needed to see Dad at the school so urgently.'

'I'm sure you're just being paranoid.'

'And in the present circumstances, Remus, I don't think that is a bad thing,' Alice snapped.

'You're right. But you shouldn't worry yourself unnecessarily just yet. Listen, we've all been under a fair bit of stress this weekend, so why don't we go to Hogsmeade tonight? Have a few drinks at The Three Broomsticks? If he isn't here when you get back, then you can worry, okay?'

Alice sat back and sighed. 'Yeah, all right. It will be my last night of freedom anyway. Starting tomorrow night, Severus and I are going to start stockpiling antidotes for various potions. But before we go to Hogsmeade, can we check up on Arthur and Sirius and see how they're getting along?'

'Sure, shall we go now?'

'No time like the present.'

After checking on the progress with the recorder -- Sirius and Arthur were now trying to make a backup receiver in case of emergency -- Remus and Alice went down to Hogsmeade for a drink. They settled into a quiet corner of The Three Broomsticks and, over the course of a few hours, drank their way through a bottle of whiskey and chatted about various trivial matters. Alice noticed that as the evening wore on, Remus slowly edged closer to her and began increasingly flirting with her. She wondered if she should say anything about her encounter with Snape the previous day, but since nothing was happening on that score, she decided there was no need. And besides, what could she say? 'Oh, I kissed Snape and, yes, we have feelings for each other; but, hey you know, the big bad bogeyman is around the corner so we thought we'd indulge in some self-sacrifice and not do anything about our feelings'? In many ways, Alice felt that what had happened the day before had been an aberration. She was deep in thought when she realized that Remus was suggesting they get back to the school.

'It's getting late, we should head back. Besides, your Dad might have turned up or owled.'

'Yeah, you're right.' Alice stood up, somewhat unsteadily. Remus held his arm out for her to take and she grasped it. He smiled down at her, and feeling her stomach contract slightly, she averted her gaze. Guilt surged through her as if she was in someway leading Remus on.

They walked out into the night and Alice shivered slightly from the sudden cold. Remus put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. Without thinking, she moved closer to him. Remus's hand then slipped from her shoulder to her waist and he pulled her body closer to him. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his head and gently kissed Alice on the lips. At first she responded, but then she realized that it was Remus. Sweet, adorable Remus who had been like a big brother to her. And then she remembered Snape. She broke the kiss.

'Remus, stop. I can't do this.' Alice pushed him away. 'You need to know something. Yesterday morning, when Severus came back from being summoned, he...' Alice took a deep shuddering breath and tried desperately to look Remus in the eye, but found that she couldn't. She didn't like being in this situation, but she was and she needed to deal with it. 'Well, he and I... Remus, we kissed. But, well... There is something there, but I, he... We aren't going to explore it, because of Voldemort and everything that is going on. Everyone needs to concentrate on that, not... other stuff. But you needed to know. I'm sorry, I should have said something yesterday.' She looked up to find Remus staring at her in disbelief.

'Severus Snape kissed you? And you let him? How could you?' he asked incredulously.

'I didn't ask for this to happen, but it did and I am not going to deny that I'm attracted to him.'

'Snape?' Remus asked again, even more incredulity creeping into his voice.

Alice nodded. 'I'm sorry that I don't feel the same way about you that you feel about me.'

'Is it because of what I am?'

'No, that has nothing to do with it.'

Remus kicked at the street and turned away from Alice. He stood with his back to her, and she could see his shoulders rising and falling as he took several deep breaths. She closed her eyes so she didn't have to see him and chewed her top lip in regret.

'So, why him?' Alice opened her eyes again to find Remus facing her with his hands on his hips, obviously ready for some kind of an argument over Snape. 'He's treated you disrespectfully, admitted to taking some delight in putting you down, and gone out of his way to make you miserable. And yet you still find that attractive. Do you have some kind of mothering fantasy? Because if you do, I think you should wake up and smell the roses Alice. He isn't the type who will allow himself to be mothered. Or perhaps you think because he tried to save your life at Malfoy Manor you owe him something in return and maybe sex is the answer?'

'No. God, no, that isn't it. I just...'

'What then? Don't tell me there is a side to Severus Snape that ninety-nine percent of the population doesn't usually see?'

Alice nodded silently.

'Oh my God. Your kidding!?' Remus allowed himself a sarcastic laugh. 'What, he closes the dungeon door and it's all roses, chocolates, and love sonnets?'

Alice snapped. 'Oh don't be so bloody fatuous! No, it isn't anything like that. I just, he... You think this has been easy for me? Come on, this is the man who has made a large part of my life miserable. But guess what? I discovered that working with him was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, that he is a different person when he isn't your teacher or head of house. I have come to respect him...'

'Respect him? So what, you kissed him out of respect?' Remus spat at Alice.

'Fuck off Remus,' Alice hissed. 'I'm trying to explain this to you! Explain to you how I feel. But I don't know how to explain it to myself so excuse me if I am not as eloquent or clear minded in my thinking as you would like.'

'Okay, fine.' Remus had stopped yelling and sounded slightly calmer than he had a few seconds earlier. However, Alice suspected this was just a lull in the storm. She was feeling fairly charged up herself; she knew it was the alcohol and she suspected Remus was feeling the same. A little voice in the back of her head told her she should just go back to the school and have this discussion with Remus when they were both sober.

'I just found that he has the most amazing mind and a black sense of humor, and that really attracts me. The rest just kind of came after that I guess. God, Remus,' Alice sighed. She wished she could tell Remus exactly how she felt about Snape, but she knew she couldn't. She didn't know quite how to go on and the realization that she might be a fair way to falling in love with Snape hit her. She thought of Snape standing in the dungeons, glaring threateningly at a student, and she grinned despite herself. 'His mind is so attractive, that the rest just...'

Remus stood, staring at Alice in disbelief. 'You'll excuse me if I choose not to comment on the attractiveness or otherwise of Severus Snape', he scoffed.

'I'm sorry Remus,' Alice muttered quietly, wondering if she would ever be forgiven. She hoped she would, because she cared very deeply for Remus. 'Will we be okay? I love you as a friend, Remus, and I don't want to loose that.' Alice took a few steps toward him, but he backed away.

'No, I'm sorry Alice, I can't. I just...' Remus turned and walked back into The Three Broomsticks leaving Alice alone in the middle of Hogsmeade. She considered following him into the bar but reconsidered, thinking that he would probably appreciate being alone, or at least out of sight of her. She decided to go back to the school, swallow her pride, tell Sirius what had happened, and send him to take care of his friend.

She returned to the castle with a heavy heart and slowly walked up the stairs to the room on the fourth floor where Sirius and Arthur were working. She knocked upon the door before opening it, and looking up, was pleasantly surprised to find that her father had arrived.

'You're here. Thank Merlin.' Alice and Declan embraced quickly.

'Where's Remus?' Sirius asked, looking at the door as if expecting him to walk in at any moment.

Alice grimaced. 'Can I see you outside for a moment?' Sirius scowled at her, but laid aside his work and walked into the corridor, Alice trailing behind him. She shut the door behind her and turned to address Sirius. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, frowning. His body language and facial expression didn't make Alice feel any happier about what she had to tell him.

'What happened? What did you do this time?' he asked accusingly.

'We had a bit of a fight. We had had a bit to drink and that didn't help matters.'

Sirius sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He gave a wry half laugh before addressing Alice again. 'Let me guess. He tried something and you rejected him.'

Alice nodded.

'I've seen this coming for months. Okay, I suppose this means you want me to go make sure he's all right?'

Alice nodded again, amazed that Sirius seemed to be taking things so calmly. She had been sure he was going to lecture her or yell - or worse.

'I warned him about you,' Sirius remarked bitterly.

Alice opened her mouth to reply but Sirius continued.

'Is there someone else involved?'

Alice grimaced again. 'Sort of. Yes.'

Sirius didn't say anything; instead, he turned on his heel and walked away shaking his head, leaving Alice to surmise that he knew who the someone else was. She went back into the room where her father and Arthur were waiting, oblivious to the man who emerged from the shadows of the corridor.

Severus Snape had been on his way to see how much progress was being made on the recording device when the door had opened and Sirius had come out into the corridor with Alice. He had shrunk back into the shadows, curious as to why Sirius and Alice would be talking in private. Listening to their conversation, he realized that something must have happened between Alice and Remus. A jolt hit him in the chest and he struggled to compose himself and maintain his hidden position. After Sirius had walked off and Alice had returned to the room, he stepped from the shadows, angry that Remus had propositioned Alice in some way. He stood in the middle of the corridor for some minutes trying to decide if he should go and see Alice and the others, or follow Black down to Hogsmeade and have it out with Remus. He decided on the former, and strode purposefully into the room, masking all his emotions to avoid giving anything away to anyone, least of all Alice.

Alice looked up from the workbench as Snape walked in. He looked his usual menacing, cantankerous self, sneering as he greeted Declan. Alice tried to catch his eye in greeting, but found that he was more interested in ignoring her.

'So is it working?' Snape asked in a passive, slightly bored tone that Alice suspected he was putting on in order to hide something. She stood silently staring at him, trying to work out what he was hiding this time around.

'Yes. Arthur and Sirius have done a great job. We tested it earlier. Charmed it to make sure it worked even with all the magical interference,' Declan replied enthusiastically. 'If I can get Lucius to tell me about just two attacks it should be enough evidence for the Ministry to at least start deploying Aurors.'

'And you can get Lucius to talk? He trusts you enough to tell you state secrets?'

Declan laughed. 'You know what Lucius is like. Feed him a little flattery, suggest he might be planning something devious, and his ego gets the better of him. He can't help but tell you what he has planned. Even if it's some scheme of the Dark Lord's, Lucius usually takes the credit for it.'

'Hmm,' Snape replied noncommittally. 'I hope you are right Declan. But I certainly wouldn't want to be in your shoes if he suspects your motivations.'

'I'll be fine. Besides, Sirius and Mad Eye will be just outside the Manor with a receiver, listening to everything that Lucius says. If they sense that trouble is brewing, they'll call for reinforcements.'

'We should just go ahead and send in Aurors now if Mad Eye is going to be hiding in a hedge. Everything he sees will be suspicious to him,' Snape sneered, the corner of his mouth twitching upward slightly. 'And what is this receiver you speak of? I thought that pen contraption was recording everything?'

Arthur Weasley spoke up, rather excitedly. 'Well, it's a backup, just in case Lucius talks too much. The tape in the pen only lasts for an hour or so, so Declan will need to be quick. But in case he can't extract the information in that period of time, we can receive a signal from a transmitter in the pen and record it from a distance. We can take lots of tapes with us apparently.' Here Arthur Weasley looked over and grinned broadly at Alice. He'd found this job fascinating and had questioned Alice endlessly about Muggle recording methods, the whys and wherefores. She had tried to answer his questions as best she could, but she wasn't too sure of some of the finer points.

Snape looked down his nose contemptuously at the pen which now housed the recording device and transmitter.

'Well this had better work or it's Black's word against Lucius's. And even with Lucius's reputation and history, they'd be more inclined to believe whatever he said against the testimony of an escaped convict.'

'Don't worry Severus, it will work,' Alice replied, hoping Snape would turn around. Instead he kept staring at the table, doing his best to ignore Alice completely.

An uneasy silence filled the room until Declan announced that he had to see Dumbledore to discuss when the bugging operation would take place. Arthur Weasley decided that he should be part of the conversation too, as the recording device was his baby. Declan kissed Alice on the cheek, told her he'd see her afterwards, and departed with Arthur, leaving Alice and Snape standing in the room, both waiting for the other one to speak first.

Alice's patience was the first to wear thin. 'So, here we are.'

Snape looked sharply over at her. 'Mmm. What happened?'

'What do you mean?'

'I heard you and Sirius talking earlier. What happened? What did Remus do?'

Alice hesitated. That explained why Snape had been ignoring her for the last half-hour. And if he had heard her conversation with Sirius, then he no doubt had a very good idea of what happened earlier with Remus.

'He kissed me. I told him I wasn't interested in him like that. End of story.'

'And where is Remus now?'

'I would hazard a guess that he's still at The Three Broomsticks with Sirius.'

The room fell into silence once again. The tension between its two occupants slowly built until Alice finally snapped. She walked over to where Snape stood, put her hand around the back of his neck, and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. He didn't put up any fight and slid both his hands around her waist, pulling her in tightly against him and kissing her deeply in return. Eventually she broke away.

'You know, this is ridiculous. I want to be with you, and judging by that kiss you feel the same way, so why don't we? Denying our feelings will only drive us mad and distract our attention. We can't spend every night working together, avoiding looking at each other, avoiding conversation. It's foolish. But if we take each day as it comes, maybe it could work?'

'I don't want you to fear for me. If I should be summoned one night and then fail to return... I don't want to put you through that anguish,' Snape said quietly.

'It's too late for that. I already worry about where you go and what you do when you are summoned. I breathe a sigh of relief every time I see you at breakfast, because it means you've survived another night.' Alice looked up at Snape's concerned face. He closed his eyes, shutting Alice out from seeing the pain in them.

'If we take this a day at a time...' he began.

'One day at a time...' Alice whispered. Snape opened his eyes and looked down at her. He was about to kiss her again when the door flew open and Sirius burst in.

'Where the hell is everyone?' He didn't seem to notice, or chose not to notice, how close Alice and Snape were standing.

'They went to see Dumbledore. Why?' Alice replied, panic rising in her chest in response to the wild expression on Sirius's face.

'There was an attack. They attacked Remus. It looks like he stumbled on a couple of Death Eaters outside Hogsmeade. He's in the hospital wing in a coma.'