Caritas omnia potest

-Review 2 May 1998-

The battle for Hogwarts had been fought, the Dark Lord fallen. Only now did he have the chance to check on Severus. Instead of following Narcissa and Draco, his legs carried him to the Shrieking Shack where he suspected Severus was. Briefly, Lucius' breath caught as he saw his best friend lying there, frozen into a pillar of salt. Only when Andromeda spoke to him did the blond-haired man start to move.

"His plus is weak, we need Poppy here. I can't close his wounds," she sobbed softly and looked up at Lucius in despair.

"I'll get Saoirse," he muttered quietly to himself and left the howling hut as quickly as possible. As quickly as he could he ran down to the village and apparated straight to Polperro a small Muggle village in Cornwall. He walked purposefully towards the cottage and entered it.

"Sao!" he yelled, searching all the rooms for the young woman.

"Luc, what at Salazar Slytherin..."

"I don't have time to explain everything to you! I need you at Hogwarts! Please he'll die if I don't!" Shocked, she stared at him, not knowing what to make of it.

"I'll just go up and tell my mother to look after Senara," came from her, slightly frightened. Lucius nodded barely noticeably and ran a hand over his face. Every second he stood here doing nothing brought Severus closer and closer to death.

"I have everything," the angelic voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Gently, he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"I love you."

"I love you too, but let's go. It seems important, otherwise you wouldn't be here" , she whispered, forcing a smile. Together they started walking towards the apparition point, even though Saoirse found it difficult to follow Lucius as he was a lot taller and faster than her. Breathing heavily, they both arrived at the Shrieking Shack. Saoirse took a few deep breaths before she turned her attention to Severus' battered body and shortly after decided to take him away from here. Where to, she did not tell them. She wanted to make sure that the danger had been averted. What Lucius hadn't noticed, in his concern for his best friend, was that he had been followed the whole time. Furious, his pursuer had been watching the scene and waiting patiently outside the Shrieking Shack for that woman who had taken her man. Saoirse returned only ten minutes later to tend to Lucius and Andromeda's injuries. In that time, Lucius had confessed to his sister-in-law that he had committed adultery ten years ago.

"Why?" asked Andromeda curiously, following Lucius out of the Shrieking Shack.

"Sao is different. Not so stiff and bent on being the etiquette. I felt for the first time that life held more than power and money. She showed me another world, far away from all this. I think you can understand it best," he answered honestly with a dreamy look. A scream interrupted their conversation.

"It's Sao!" came frantically from Lucius. Andromeda followed her brother-in-law in the direction from which the scream came.

"Did you really think you could start a new life with your whore?" Narcissa roared when she saw the two of them.

"Let her go please Narcissa! It's not her fault that I betrayed you!"

"It takes two to tango Lucius!" retorted Narcissa angrily, before Lucius and Andromeda could even react Narcissa hurled a curse towards Saoirse who was already lying on the ground whimpering. Lucius ran to her and fell to his knees beside Saoirse.

"I'll take you up to the castle," he whispered softly and gently grasped the black-haired girl's shoulders, but every touch caused her immense pain. Lucius did not notice that the two sisters were dueling.

"Talk to me, please," he pleaded in a trembling voice.

"Cloak," Saoirse brought out with a gasp. Lucius tore his cloak from his shoulders and placed it over hers.

"I love you Lucius...but I can't...be helped by anyone. Every...touch...burns my...skin. There...is...no...counter...curse...against...it. Promise me...that you will...look after Senara...our...little heroine," it came from her in bursts before she snuggled against Lucius' chest and closed her eyes.

"I promise, I love you." , Lucius breathed against her black hair and pulled his arms tighter around her petite body. Only when he could no longer perceive any movement did he allow the grief and anger that had built up inside him. He screamed, a scream that made Andromeda pause. She herself knew this pain and yet this scream went through her. Hate flared up in the normally calm woman, she turned back to her youngest sister, only now, unlike before, she took a much more aggressive approach. Narcissa only laughed maliciously and skilfully warded off the curses, only the youngest Black sister had not reckoned with her husband, who shot a curse in her direction that hurled her full force against the whipping willow.

-Retrospective End-

-Andromeda's View-

Tentatively I knocked on the door, but after the tenth time no one answered, so I unlocked the door and entered the cottage. I heard water running from upstairs, which probably meant that the two of them were frolicking in the bathtub. I went into the kitchen and made some coffee, as I needed it more than anything. I had no problem looking after my grandson, but some days I felt as if I had become a mother once again. I heard a happy babble from upstairs and couldn't help grinning.

"Andromeda. What brings you to me? Better question, where did you leave Edward?", Lucius' voice reached my ear. Amused, I looked to him, yes Lucius definitely hadn't expected me to be in his kitchen, even if he knew I had a key.

"I have news for you, though I would appreciate it if you could at least put some pants on before I tell you more. Edward is spending the rest of the day at his mother's office. Give me the girl and put some clothes on before you're completely naked in front of me." , I smirked and held out my arms to Senara. Senara squealed happily and immediately grabbed my hair.

"Little one this is not nice," I hissed softly, trying to get her little fingers out of my hair again. Edward had gotten out of the habit relatively quickly, unlike Senara. Lucius almost came stumbling down the stairs and pressed a kiss to my cheek in greeting.

"So tell me, what's new besides you dropping Edward off at the office?" he asked impatiently.

"How far along are you with your search?", I echoed, holding out a small piece of banana to Senara. Lucius' smile disappeared instantly.

"Nothing. He's disappeared off the face of the earth," he said dejectedly, looking at me with pained eyes. I set Senara down in her play corner and eyed Lucius for a moment. A lot had happened this year that made it hard for him to rest, so I kept hoping that he would find Severus and at least have his best friend by his side again. Saoirse's mother died only a few months after the battle and Draco was a thing apart. The two had parted in peace, but unlike his son, Lucius had turned his back on the magical world for the most part and retreated here with his daughter.

"I went to Birmingham today with Teddy to get a few things that I can only get there. You know how my grandson can be, some days he gets on my last nerve. Well I went to a coffee shop which is quite out of the way, but I'm addicted to caffeine, so I went in and met someone," I told Lucius with a grin, who had joined his daughter and was helping her stack the building blocks.

"Okay and who? I take it you were in a Muggle coffee shop? The only non-magical I knew was Fiona. Did you meet any friends and have a nice chat?" he asked absently, looking reprovingly at Senara, who had been squealing happily as she knocked over the tower.

"I went to a Muggle coffee shop, that's right, I didn't meet a girlfriend there though. Lucius, I found Severus," I replied quietly, forcing a smile. He stared at me in disbelief, not even noticing how Senera struggled to her little feet and fell around his neck. Reflexively, he put his arms around her.

"You did, but..."

"He can't remember anything. The only thing he knows is his name. He sold the house in Spinners End because he didn't feel comfortable there," I interrupted him and went to his level.

"He doesn't remember anything?" whispered Lucius desperately, gently stroking his daughter's blonde curls and kissing her on the temple.

"Do you think it wise to tell him who he was?"

"Not really. He's suffered, all his life he's blamed himself for Lily Evans' death, if he's happy it would probably be better to keep quiet. It's just, Severus knew everything. He knew about me and Saorise. Sev even helped me hide this relationship. He was here with her while she was pregnant with Senara because I couldn't. He loved Senara, you see. Yes Sev is Draco's godfather too, but he never wanted to tease him, unlike Senara. It was a stupid coincidence that Sao showed up at the Manor that night. Sev couldn't leave, so she came to me and Narcissa overheard the whole thing. I defied my orders not to leave my Manor and came here with her. Severus arrived here five hours later and took care of Sao as best he could. I had to return, gladly accepting the torture in exchange for being present at my daughter's birth. Before you think she was his daughter, no. Senara was Severus' 'little heroine' and he named her after him. Why did he never mention it?" he told her with a pained smile. Lucius rarely spoke of Saorise, the pain of losing her ran too deep. A single tear made its way down his cheek and dried up in Senara's blonde hair.

"Severus wrote down his address for me. Perhaps you should pay him a visit with Senara? You don't have to tell him who he was, maybe just part of it. It would be best if you assessed this on the spot. I never knew Severus as well as you did," I suggested to Lucius and squeezed his hand briefly.

"No you just fell in love with him," Lucius smirked and gave me a knowing look.

"Stop it," I grumbled softly, averting my gaze from him. I hated it when Lucius brought this up. Severus had spent the whole night with me when Ted was murdered and even after that I could always contact him should I need anything. How was I supposed to know that I would fall in love with him of all people, especially so soon after Ted had died?

"Andromeda, if he doesn't remember what happened in his past, then maybe you have a chance of him falling in love with you. Can you feed Senara so I can put on something sensible?" he asked, slightly unsure. Lucius had never dumped his daughter on me before. From the very beginning he had arranged for a nanny to look after the little girl in the mornings while he was at work. That Lucius made a career as an accountant in the Muggle world amused me to this day, but it also showed how much he had loved Saorise and still did.

"Give it to me already," I murmured softly and pulled myself up to the kitchen counter, joining the little girl. I put Senera down in her high chair and put her bowl of fruit in front of her, which she immediately ate, smacking her lips contentedly. Well, if you heard the story of Senara's name, you could really believe she was Severus' daughter, but her hair was not raven black, but white-blond. Her eyes reflected the colour of both parents, which made her even more special.

"Are you done eating Princess?" Lucius looked at her appraisingly before going to the fridge and taking the precaution of putting a little something for Senara in the changing bag.

"How cold is it outside Dromeda?"

"A thin hood will do," I replied with a slight smile, to which Lucius just nodded. He took Senara to finish dressing her as well.

"You're going to meet someone special, we'll have to wear something sensible for that, besides it's too cold outside to be crawling around the against in just a bodysuit, little lady. Before I forget, where do I have to go?" he asked, smiling slightly. There was something like hope in his eyes after a long time. I handed Lucius the napkin Severus had written his address on and wished him good luck before heading home myself to enjoy the peace and quiet for a short while.