"Severus," a familiar female voice said. He couldn't deny he wasn't upset at the interruption. He had no idea what the fuck he was doing here. What he should get. He had never in his life been required to shop for Valentine's Day.

Until now.

Never mind he had no idea what to get for a witch who was his mate that he hadn't even formally had a date with, yet had been - very - intimate with more than once now.

It was so utterly bizarre to him.

Never had he imagined having a mate. It occurred to him that if his older self hadn't time traveled, he may not even know he had one.

He'd stood on Diagon Alley for a good fifteen minutes, looking around at his various options for today's excursion. He was somewhat limited. He could not be seen buying anything of … significance for the supposed muggleborn woman he was having a sexual relationship with. That would be reported to Voldemort, and would not go over well.

He knew for certain that there was no way he could purchase flowers, chocolates, or any other such thing that was typical of the holiday without drawing attention to himself.

A used - rare - book, however, would not be suspect. No one would likely think it was for anyone but himself, for that matter. All the better. A new release would be too … common. Maybe for another occasion he could do that. Not his first gift for her ever. And, in essence, it was a gift from Ziggy, too.

What book to get the witch was what was puzzling him.

He turned from the shelf he'd been perusing, spotting Narcissa Malfoy. She was obviously the owner of the voice who had called his name, as she was walking right toward him. She looked rather … harried. More so than when they'd met at his home to enter into their Unbreakable Vow. He hadn't had much reason to see her otherwise. Even when he was a … guest … in their home, it wasn't to see her.

"Narcissa," he said smoothly with a polite bow of his head. "You are looking lovely today."

"You're lying, Severus, but thank you for saying so."

Her eyes darted around, looking frightened if he wasn't mistaken. He was curious what that was about so silently cast a Muffliato around them.

"Is everything all right, Narcissa? Lucius? Draco? Forgive me for saying so, but you look as if something is on your mind." He knew that Draco was all right, at Hogwarts. As all right as he could be anyway.

"It's Bella, Severus," she murmured. "She's…"

"I'm familiar," he said, cutting her off from talking ill of her sister.

If he allowed her to continue, there was the risk she'd feel guilty later and tell someone (Bella possibly) she'd confided in him. That would not do. Bella would not like anyone thinking she was weak, or losing control. Bella would certainly not like the idea of her sister confiding in him of all people. She'd come after him, and he could really do without the added headache and stress of a pissed off Bellatrix LeStrange focused on him right now.

"It's worse than usual. She's insisting that someone is trying to break into her Gringotts vault."

"Why would anyone wish to do that?" he asked.

That seemed a bit … paranoid, even for Bella. Unless, of course …

"I don't know!"

"Has she said who she thinks is trying to do this?"

"No! I heard her mention to him that an item was safe. Evidently, he didn't believe her."

"And that's when she started becoming paranoid that people were trying to break into her vault?"

Who would try to attempt such a thing so soon after Quirrell had a few years ago? Certainly, anyone with half a brain would realize that with the war going on and everything, the goblins would not be taking chances. Likely, their security was even more vigilant than usual.

"Yes," she said with a huff. She grabbed onto his wrist. "I just, if there is something there that is important to him . I'm not sure she's coherent enough to know if it truly is safe there."

"Yes, well." He couldn't think of a safer place than Gringotts honestly. Narcissa must really be worried if she hadn't thought that herself. "You came to me?"

He was glad that she had. Being at Hogwarts, he was not privy to the day to day activities taking place at Malfoy Manor. It was why, for instance, he had no idea until Ziggy told him that Miss Lovegood and the others were being held captive there. Even when he did go there, tours of the dungeons and announcement of captives did not occur. If he gave this information to Hermione, or Ziggy, could it be helpful?

"I was trying to come up with a reason to visit you at Hogwarts, but couldn't. I am not free to leave without reason. And I'm never one hundred percent sure I'm not followed. Valentine's Day was my excuse today."

Severus scowled.

It was an appropriate thing for Severus Snape to do. And it reminded him that he still had yet to buy anything for his valentine (or Ziggy's for that matter). His fault for it not even dawning on him until the day before the silly holiday that for the first time in his life he had a witch to get something for.

"Seeing you today was just a coincidence."

"I will, of course, do what I can to protect the Dark Lord's property," Severus said. "And Bella as well."

"Thank you, Severus. I knew that you would. I knew you were the right one to come to with this information."

"You are correct on both counts, Narcissa. I do not want anything that belongs to him to fall into the wrong hands. Nor do I want harm to befall Bellatrix. I know how much our Dark Lord values her."

No harm that didn't come from his own hand at any rate. Ziggy had told him what Bellatrix had bragged about doing to Hermione. It hadn't happened yet, and hopefully would not at all. If Harry Potter didn't say his name, leading to their capture. It was still innate in him to want to avenge his harmed mate.

"He'll kill her if she says something to the wrong person and they actually do break into the vault."

His lips twitched a bit. She was rather pointedly telling him that she didn't trust the death eaters to not steal from her sister. Her position with the Dark Lord be damned. Or, perhaps, in spite of it Many didn't understand their relationship. He couldn't blame her, of course.

He watched the witch leave and almost followed her, before realizing he still hadn't bought a gift for Hermione.

Damn mates.

It was too bad his older self couldn't do it. He likely knew the witch better when all was said and done. Spending every day with her for nearly seven months would certainly give him insight Severus did not have. Their visits since she'd been upset about the doe hadn't been many. And, whether it was his or her influence (or both), neither had talking on their minds when they did see one another.

He felt like such a clueless dolt getting her a book, but living as she was currently, he didn't think much else would be a good idea. Potter nor Weasley would notice a new book, but they would certainly notice her wearing a new necklace or something. And he had no doubt she would wear something if he purchased it for her.

Giving her extra money when his older self came later tonight to get rations and such was not the thing to do. He knew that. She wouldn't be insulted, but it wasn't much of a gift. And then an idea came to him. He was screwed if his older self thought it was a poor one when he told him about it later. (Because he would tell him. If he had to return to his home and choose something else, Ziggy would tell him.)

He apparated into his home, summoning the book in question he had thought of before returning to Hogwarts. He didn't have wrapping paper or anything, never having occasion to own such items before in his life. He could ask an elf for some, but that would stand out. A muggleborn sex partner was not someone to buy a Valentine's Day gift for and if any were asked he could not have them reporting anything he had done. Too cautious? Mayhaps but he'd come too far to screw up with something so asinine. Hopefully, that would not come back to bite him in the arse later.

He gathered the food and supplies that he would send with Ziggy, adding his first edition of The Wizarding World's Bestiary . It wasn't a romantic thing, by any means. He wasn't a romantic man, but he thought she would enjoy the artwork and the bestiary differences from what she knew of in the muggle world. Also, as it was a first edition, and thereby old (and valuable), it would have information about magical creatures no longer taught readily about. She would like that. Wouldn't she?

Stupid? He'd find out, he supposed.

He shifted almost as soon as Ziggy arrived, a sign he was nervous. Uncertain. Both things that were rather new to him. Oh, sure, he was … nervous about his dealings with the Carrows and Voldemort. That was different.

"They are well?" he asked.

"Yes. I think Potter knows someone is aiding them, but he hasn't figured out who, how, or why yet."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Potter is no fool."

"No, he is not," Ziggy said.

"There is a … gift for her in the bag," he said, describing to him the book he had decided to give her.

"I remember it, and it's a bit unusual for Valentine's Day, but as it will be the first gift we give to her, I think she will be pleased."

"Do you?"

"Severus, it's a valuable and rare book. What part of Hermione do you think wouldn't appreciate that?"

"It's not very romantic."

"If we weren't in the middle of a war, I would probably suggest something else. As it is, you thought of her. She will appreciate that."

"You're not setting me up to get her angry at me?"

Ziggy gave a low growl. "No. Her being angry at you is her being angry at me."

He then proceeded to tell Ziggy about his run-in with Narcissa Malfoy earlier in the day.

"There's something in her vault," Ziggy said.

"I would assume there's plenty in her vault." It was no secret the LeStrange's were well off.

"No," he said. If he could roll his eyes at him, Ziggy likely would be doing that just now. "Hermione, Harry, and Ron broke into Gringotts and escaped just before arriving at Hogwarts the day I came back here. There has to be something in her vault that they took possession of."

Ziggy proceeded to tell Severus what he remembered hearing that day as far as what they had done. How they had escaped.

"I see," Severus said. Both were quiet as they sorted through that information. Had they really broken out on a dragon? Their witch hated flying, even he knew that. They came here, to Hogwarts, almost immediately after from what it sounded like from Ziggy. So that meant that they had what they needed. "So, one of the horcruxes is in Bella's vault."

"It would seem so."

"They truly broke in and escaped?"

"Yes. On a dragon. I wish I could have seen pictures."

"She is going to give us a heart attack before we're forty."

"I think you might be right," Ziggy said.

"Think of a way that we might be able to get a hold of that item. I will, too. Next week we can talk again. If we can get a hold of it. Well, that would solve our problems. Wouldn't it?"

"There are six, I believe she said. The diary, ring, and locket are destroyed. Nagini is one. Whatever is in Bella's vault. I do not know the sixth. As I've mentioned before, I believe Harry is an inadvertent one, too. So, that would make seven. If I'm right about Harry."

"Yes."

"Oh," Ziggy said. "I do remember the last one. Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. It's in the Room of Requirement. The basilisk fangs we harvested from the Chamber of Secrets will destroy it."

"I remember that is what Harry used on the diary. I kind of wish I'd spoken to him about it at the time."

"I'm not sure that we would have made the leap to one horcrux let alone six or seven of them."

"You are likely correct," Severus said. "All right, wish our witch a Happy Valentine's Day."

"I will," he said. Severus changed back then, fastening the bag that was essentially Ziggy's now around him.

"And, Ziggy," he said, sliding a hand over the top of his head and ears. "Be safe."

"You, too."

Not that his human self heard him. So he woofed in acknowledgement before leaving.

They'd managed to get the prisoners out of Malfoy Manor. It was relatively easy, actually, to send anonymous owls to Xenophilius Lovegood, as well as a friend of Ollivander's Severus knew of, stating where they were being held as well as information on the best time of day to attempt a rescue based on inside information both had on the comings and goings. As well as the sleeping schedules of those who stayed there currently. That had taken both of them to think about things both preferred not remembering.

To prevent their witch from being captured, though, they did it.

There were casualties, which both Severus and Ziggy felt bad about. However, his mate had not been tortured. The snatchers, for a little while, had been assigned other tasks so their militant patrolling had eased up some. That made it easier for Hermione to find nightly places to stay. The tasks the snatchers had been assigned to? To find out who had alerted anyone to the fact that there were prisoners at Malfoy Manor.

Severus had occluded probably more severely than he had ever before the day the Carrows had questioned him.

The fact that they monitored every owl that left the grounds of Hogwarts contributed to them not looking too hard in his direction. They weren't very deep thinkers, the Carrow siblings, so neither seemed to realize he could have sent an owl from outside of Hogwarts. (They presumed, it seemed, he only left Hogwarts to visit his muggle sex partner.

That skirmish, thinking he'd been betrayed by someone internally, actually led to Voldemort finally entrusting Severus to take possession of Hufflepuff's cup within the (seemingly) confines of Hogwarts' walls, no longer believing anywhere else to be safe. Oh, he hadn't just given him the cup on a whim. The Dark Lord had clearly taken great care in deciding what should be done with the item. Severus knew what it was as soon as it had been set on his desk, though. He felt it.

Merlin, to think of the three of them - for six weeks just the two of them - wearing that locket made him want to kill Voldemort himself. He knew he couldn't do that. It didn't mean he didn't want to.

So that meant two more horcruxes were destroyed by the basilisk fangs he'd harvested. Been able to harvest because Voldemort opened the Chamber of Secrets. Without them, he couldn't have done it himself, and they would have had to wait until Harry returned with Gryffindor's sword. The sword a usable tool in this also because of the Chambers' opening. The Dark Lord contributed to his own demise! Severus and Ziggy both found that fitting.

That left two horcruxes: Nagini and Harry. Severus believed his older self that the wizard was one. Inadvertent, but still. It explained things, and the more Severus thought of it, there was no other sound explanation.

The final battle came. He had no idea what it had been like originally, other than he knew his older self was bitten by Nagini. That was avoided since he was expecting it. Nagini couldn't bite what she couldn't sink her teeth into. A potion that made the epidermis impossible to penetrate did the trick. If the snake had struck more than she had, she might have been able to eventually. He had designed it to withstand a few blows, not hundreds of them.

He'd expected Voldemort to get angry. To retaliate. Instead, the demented wizard seemed to take it as a sign.

"Let us finish this then, Severus," he said. "Together."

His master was too focused on finding Potter to notice Severus casting spells against other death eaters, or counterspells to those death eaters were casting at people they were fighting against.

He had no idea how things ended originally. His older self couldn't tell him. He firmly believed that they had to have won, or he would have killed Albus for nothing. Today, though, he could say without a doubt that Voldemort was defeated.

Ziggy had helped. His jaws and teeth were a weapon in and of themselves. Severus was pretty sure his older self wanted some revenge of his own.

His witch lived.

Albus truly did not seem to know that Hermione was his mate. Whether the portrait version of his former boss and sometimes friend was lying, he would never know.

His friend's son lived. And he was pleased about that.

He could admit that the boy wasn't James Potter. Looked like him, yes, but he wasn't him. Ziggy assured him that he was an honourable best friend for their witch. As he'd spent months with the witch and wizard, he had to take his word for it.

Ziggy. Well, he was still Ziggy.

And still here.

Severus wasn't sure what he'd expected.

For him - either one of them - to disappear?

For Ziggy to (or him, he supposed) die?

He had not expected both of them to live as they were: man and dog.

He hadn't thought that hard on it, truthfully. He'd been focused on the war. On helping to keep his witch from getting tortured while still finding the cursed items and recovering those held hostage at Malfoy Manor.

The house elf, Dobby, survived. This was something that Ziggy thought would matter not just to Harry Potter but Hermione as well.

No charges were filed against him. Hermione's word that he had worked with her, discreetly, to ensure they didn't hide in areas known to be patrolled by snatchers, among other things, helped with that.

Weasley wasn't pleased. Not that Severus could blame him.

Potter seemed to accept.

No one was told who Ziggy truly was. To anyone but the three of them, and Phineas Black, Ziggy was merely a brindle bullmastiff that Hermione had found and taken in.

All three agreed no one needed to know.

Only a handful of people knew Hermione was his mate. They kept it quiet so that she could complete a seventh year self-study at Hogwarts. She still wanted to sit her NEWTs, bless her heart.

Ziggy would be allowed on the premises.

As if they could keep him out, but no one knew that.

And Phineas' Hogwarts portrait? He very much wanted to stay in Severus' room. He was allowed, under the stipulation that he never, under any circumstances, tell anyone anything he saw. And no one but him was allowed in that particular portrait. The former headmaster had blustered and sounded put out, but threats of the second portrait being kept in Hermione's beaded bag for good settled those.

He never asked to be moved and never expressed shock at what he was witness to. Severus was pretty sure his mate and his animagus self all rather enjoyed Phineas' presence when they were conscientious enough to think of it at all.

~The End~

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com