Camilla sat at the kitchen table, sipping her orange juice and trying to shake the anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. The previous night, she had had a horrible nightmare about Severus being killed, and woke up screaming. She was so upset that Ruby had to fetch a Calming Draught from their private stores to calm Camilla down.

It took an additional sleeping potion and a great amount of coaxing from Ruby and her father to get her to go back to sleep. She was certain something was wrong. She could feel it; Severus was in trouble.

And now, as she sat at the breakfast table, the sense of dread only seemed to grow. She had spent the past several weeks convincing herself that she hated Severus. He was immature, cruel, and stubborn as hell. He didn’t trust her and refused to believe her when she said there was nothing between her and Jon. And she couldn’t forget the way he had treated her the last time she had seen him.

That encounter had almost convinced her that it was over between them. She had taken off her wedding ring and placed it in her dresser drawer, unable to get rid of it completely. She had even removed the necklace he gave her for her birthday. Unable to let go of the message stone, she still carried it in her pocket, just in case. She had been taking the steps toward forgetting him when she had that nightmare. Now she couldn’t get him off her mind.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” her father asked, gazing at her with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Camilla answered dismissively.

“It was just a dream, dear. I’m sure everything is fine,” he said reassuringly.

Camilla nodded and focused her attention on her plate. She ignored the sniffing noises coming from her mother’s side of the table. The fact that Catherine hadn’t bothered to get up to see why her daughter was screaming hadn’t eluded Camilla.

Camilla looked up at the sound of tapping on the kitchen window. Ruby rushed over to let in a tawny owl that had a newspaper tied to its leg.

“Ah, the Prophet is finally here. It’s running pretty late today,” her father remarked as Ruby brought the paper to him.

Thomas unrolled the paper, opened it to the front page and froze. All the color drained from his cheeks as his eyes swept over the page.

“What is it, Dad?” Camilla asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. Could it be that her dream wasn’t merely a nightmare after all?

He closed the paper abruptly and rolled it back up. “Er…it’s nothing,” he said quickly, picking up his coffee mug with trembling hands.

“Give me that,” Catherine snapped, snatching the paper from his hands.

“Catherine, I don’t think---“

“What can be so horrible…?” She scanned the front page, a horrified look on her perfect face.

“For Merlin’s sake, what is in that paper?” Camilla demanded, reaching across the table.

Her mother folded the paper back up and gave Camilla a cruel smile. “I knew it.”

“Knew what, you old cow?” Camilla hissed.

“How dare you!” Catherine spat, rising from the table.

“I’ve had it with you, Mother!” Camilla shrieked, pulling out her wand. “Now tell me what’s on that front page or I swear I will curse you!”

Catherine backed away from the table, her face turning a bright shade of red. “Don’t you talk to me that way, you ungrateful little brat!”

“Quiet!” Thomas said, holding up his hand. “I think I heard someone knocking.”

“Ruby will go see,” said the house-elf, scurrying toward the front door.

Camilla returned to her chair and crossed her arms, glaring at Catherine. A minute later, Ruby returned, followed by two intimidating-looking wizards in black robes.

“Camilla Snape?” the taller wizard asked gruffly, scanning the room. As his eyes fell on Camilla, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and squinted at her.

“Yes?” she said, her heart pounding rapidly. This can’t be good.

“This is Stuart Parker,” he said, gesturing to his companion, a short, balding wizard who had a defeated air about him, “and I’m Richard Morris from the Auror Office. We need you to come with us, Mrs. Snape.”

“Wait a minute,” said Thomas, stepping forward. “Now what is this about?”

Morris lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “We can’t discuss it here. You need to come with us to the Ministry, Mrs. Snape. By order of the Minister of Magic.”

Camilla gaped at the wizard. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You will go,” Catherine hissed. “I want you out of my house. I can’t imagine what the neighbors must think—Aurors here! It’s absurd!”

Camilla glared at her mother. Catherine would never stop worrying about her precious reputation long enough to realize her daughter might be in trouble.

“Please,” pleaded Parker. “We don’t want to have to restrain you--”

“But we will if we have to,” Morris said firmly.

“Now see here—“ Thomas began, his face becoming a bright shade of red.

“It’s okay, Dad,” Camilla said softly. “I’ll go. It’s fine,” she said reassuringly.

“We’ve made arrangements with the Portkey Authority to transfer you to headquarters,” Morris said.

“Can’t we just Apparate?” Camilla asked nervously. She was not fond of traveling by Portkey.

Morris laughed. “I think not. This way, we know exactly where you’ll end up.”

“Fine,” Camilla grumbled. “Let’s go, then.”

“We apologize for the intrusion, madam,” Parker said to Catherine.

“After you,” said Morris, gesturing to Camilla.

Camilla lifted her chin, squared her shoulders, and marched out the front door. She could hear Ruby’s anguished cries from the street.

---

Twenty minutes later, Camilla found herself sitting in a cramped, windowless room in the back of Auror headquarters. She had been escorted through the Auror office, flanked by Parker and Morris, each grasping her arm tightly, as if expecting her to turn and run if left unattended. When she had entered the office, it was as if time stood still. Every witch and wizard in the entire office froze and gaped at her as she passed. They all seemed to know who she was, though she still had no idea why.

She had searched the offices for Jon, but he was nowhere to be found. And now, she sat tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for answers. They had left her there alone in the dimly lit, cave-like room, while they stepped outside to talk about her, she assumed.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the two Aurors returned. They sat down at the table facing Camilla and stared at her.

“Are you going to tell me what this about or not?” Camilla demanded impatiently.

“Mrs. Snape,” Morris began, “when was the last time you saw your husband?”

Camilla felt all the color drain from her cheeks. “Over a month ago, why?”

Morris ignored her question and continued, “And where did you see him?”

“At the Leaky Cauldron,” she answered impatiently. “Why are you asking me about Severus?”

Morris and Parker exchanged glances.

“Do you know where your husband is now?” Morris asked.

Camilla’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not telling you anything until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

Parker exhaled slowly and looked to Morris, who nodded reluctantly.

“Last night your husband was involved in a serious crime. Do you know anything about this?” Parker asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Camilla said through clenched teeth. “And if you don’t tell me, I’m going to scream!”

“Last night, Albus Dumbledore was murdered,” Parker said softly.

Camilla stared at him dumbfounded. Dumbledore, dead? No, this can’t be happening…

“According to an eyewitness, your husband murdered him,” Morris said harshly.

Camilla’s heart skipped a beat. She clutched her chest; her lungs constricted painfully, making it difficult to breathe. “I…I can’t breathe,” she gasped, tears springing to her eyes.

Parker jumped up and squatted down beside her. “Take deep breaths,” he instructed gently. “Put your head between your legs and breathe.”

Camilla did as she was told, and finally regained her composure enough to ask, “How do you know this? Who is this eyewitness?”

“Harry Potter,” Morris responded, folding his arms over his chest.

“Harry…” Camilla repeated. Harry had to watch Severus kill Dumbledore… What had happened? She supposed that Draco was somehow unable to go through with it. Oh, God, Severus…

“So, as you can imagine, we would very much like to find your husband,” Morris said icily.

“I don’t know where he is,” Camilla said. “And I don’t believe you. Severus wouldn’t do that. Severus wouldn’t kill Dumbledore. They were very close.” Even as she said the words, they seemed empty and hollow, as if she were trying to convince herself.

Morris leaned across the table. “Your husband is guilty. The Ministry made the mistake of believing Dumbledore when he said Snape was reformed. We had ample evidence to convict him for Death Eater crimes, but Dumbledore assured us he had changed; he had turned spy for the Order of the Phoenix. Obviously, Dumbledore made a grave error in trusting your husband, an error that cost him his life. Now we need your help, Mrs. Snape. We need to find him.”

Camilla stared at him incredulously. “And then what? What will you do when you find him?”

“The Minister of Magic has authorized all Aurors to use whatever measures necessary to take care of him.”

“You’re going to kill him?” Camilla exclaimed. She swallowed painfully and attempted to slow her racing heart.

“We will do what’s necessary,” Morris hissed. “Your husband is a very dangerous man, not to mention an extremely powerful wizard. Our men will do what they have to do to protect the Wizarding world.”

Camilla shook her head. “And you think I’m going to help you find him? Even if I did know where he was, I wouldn’t tell you,” she spat.

“Look,” Parker said, “If you tell us where he is, we will promise to bring him in without hurting him. You have my word. If you choose not to cooperate, you’ll make it worse for him. I know that’s not what you want. You have the chance to save his life, Mrs. Snape.”

“I told you,” Camilla hissed, “I don’t know where he is.”

“We have ways of getting this information from you,” Morris said with a calculating stare. “I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but we will do whatever it takes to find him.”

Camilla swallowed painfully. Although she didn’t know where Severus was, if she were given Veritaserum, she would be forced to divulge information about the Unbreakable Vow and Severus’ disloyalty to the Dark Lord. She had no idea how many of Voldemort’s spies lurked at the Ministry. They had to continue to think that Severus was on Voldemort’s side.

“Are you threatening me?” she demanded.

“Of course not,” Morris said with a smirk. “Merely informing you of what will happen if you choose not to cooperate.”

“I’ll say it one more time, since you seem to be either deaf or extremely stupid--” She caught Parker stifling a smile behind his hand. “I--don’t—know—where—he—is!”

“Fine. You’ve left us with no choice.” He turned to Parker. “Go fetch the Veritaserum.”

“I don’t think—“ Parker began.

“Just do it,” Morris snapped.

Parker rose uncertainly and headed toward the door. He mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ to Camilla as he closed the door behind him.

“You’re wasting your time,” Camilla said, folding her arms over her chest.

“We’ll see,” Morris said with a satisfied smile.

---

Camilla felt as if her mind was immersed in a thick, dense fog. She could vaguely sense the man before her asking her questions, and she heard herself answer each one in the same flat, almost mechanical voice. Yet, she could not comprehend what she was telling him. The voices, her own included, were muffled and unintelligible. It was as if she were floating around in a semi-conscious state, unable to pull herself out.

Something was happening. Camilla fought desperately within the murky depths of her mind to discern the situation. There seemed to be a different voice there now, one that was familiar. The voices became louder and angrier, though she still could not make out what they were saying.

Silence. More questions. The other voice was gone now.

Minutes passed like hours. More questions…Will it ever end?

The voice was back. It was a man’s voice--familiar, comforting. He was whispering something in her ear…

She felt him tilt her head back and sensed the cool, wet feeling of liquid sliding down her throat. She shook her head slightly as her eyes began to focus. She could hear the voices clearly now; she could understand what they were saying!

“Camilla, are you all right?”

She blinked and looked up into Jon’s face. “Jon…?” she mumbled. Jon was there, kneeling beside her chair, gazing at her with a troubled look in his eyes. What was he doing there? She struggled to rid her mind of the lingering fog, to remember where she was.

He smiled sadly. “Yeah, it’s me, Cam. Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know. What happened?” she asked, her eyes focusing on the two men standing with their arms crossed on the other side of the room.

Aurors… They were going to ask me questions about Severus… Veritaserum…Oh, God!

Jon turned to the men and said in a quiet but dangerous voice, “You’ve done your job, now leave her alone.”

“You’re overstepping your bounds, Ward,” Morris hissed. “You had no authority to give her the antidote!”

“Then have me sacked,” Jon snapped. “I honestly don’t care right now.”

Morris clenched his jaw and motioned for Parker to follow him as he stormed out the door.

When they were finally gone, Jon pulled Camilla into a tight embrace. “Shit, Cam. I’m sorry. I was too late.”

“Too late for what?” she asked. “What happened? What did I tell them?”

Jon sighed and pulled back. “When I came in, you were telling them…” he trailed off and stared down at the ground.

“Tell me, Jon,” she pleaded.

“You were telling them about the Unbreakable Vow Snape made with Narcissa Malfoy.”

“What?” Camilla gasped for air as her heart began to pound wildly within her chest.

“How could you believe that, Cam? It was obviously just a lie he told you so that you would still trust him even after he committed murder,” Jon said angrily. “Now will you believe me when I say he doesn’t love you?”

“What are you talking about, Jon?” she demanded. “You don’t know how hard it was for him. He was backed into that Vow. He had no choice!”

Jon snorted derisively. “Yes, I’m sure it was very hard for him to kill the one man whom his master feared, the one man who could have stopped this war, the one man who could have defeated You-Know-Who once and for all. I’m sure it broke poor Snape’s heart.”

“Shut up, Jon!” she cried, hot tears spilling from her eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

He stared at her, a look of disgust on his face. “Now…even now you’re defending him! God, Camilla, he’s a murderer! He’s a Death Eater. He never stopped being a Death Eater. He killed a man, Camilla. Not just any man--Dumbledore! He’s heartless, Cam. He doesn’t care about you. He only cares about pleasing his master.”

Camilla buried her face in her hands. Jon didn’t understand. And she could hardly blame him. But, she knew the truth. She knew that Severus killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore had told him to do it. Dumbledore would have never let Severus sacrifice himself. Dumbledore knew how important Severus was to the Order, to Harry, to the whole Wizarding world.

And now… Now he was in danger. It surely wouldn’t be long before Voldemort’s spies discovered that Severus was acting on Narcissa’s behalf. He had betrayed Voldemort by making that Unbreakable Vow; Draco was supposed to be the one to kill Dumbledore, not Severus. When Voldemort found out Severus had been plotting with Narcissa to preserve Draco’s life…

Camilla couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let Voldemort find out.

“What else?’ she asked abruptly.

“What?” Jon said, startled.

“What else did I tell them?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t here the whole time.”

Her mind was racing. What if they knew? What if she had told them that Severus was really on the Order’s side. What if it got back to Voldemort that Severus had been betraying him all along, and was actually a spy for the Order? She couldn’t let that happen. She had to save him.

“Camilla, please,” Jon said with a sigh. “Face the truth; he’s not who you thought he was.”

She reached up and took Jon’s face in her hands. “I know you don’t understand, Jon. And I don’t blame you. I know you think I’m mad for still believing in him, but I know my husband. He may be a bastard, but he is not evil. He did what he did because he had no choice.”

Jon stared down at the ground, refusing to meet her eyes. She saw the muscle in his jaw twitch as it clenched tightly.

“I know I have no right to ask this of you, but promise me something,” she whispered as tears streamed down her face. “Promise me that you won’t let the Aurors kill him,” she sobbed. “Please, Jon…”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” he muttered. “He killed a man. They’re considering him very dangerous. I don’t know if I could stop them, even if I wanted to.”

“Try, Jon,” she wept. “Please…Please, just try.”

He sighed deeply. “I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise you anything.”

She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Jon.”

He pried her arms off him. “Don’t thank me. I only agreed to it because I think if your horrible excuse for a husband died, you wouldn’t make it.”

Camilla’s face fell. She bit her lip and stared down at her hands.

“Now, as you can imagine, I have a lot of work to do,” he said coldly. “I will let you know if we get any new information.” He stood and strode toward the door, his fists clenched tightly by his sides.

“Jon…”

He turned and gave her an icy stare. “You’re free to go,” he said, pulling open the door.

Camilla winced as it slammed shut behind him. As much as it pained her to see Jon so angry, she could not afford to lose any time thinking about him. Severus was in trouble. He had to be warned…

---

A/N: You probably know, but just in case, I will tell you that since Deathly Hallows came out, this is obviously AU now. I finished writing Innocence Found around six months ago and I'm not going to change it now. I'm happy with how the story came out, so it stands. It's canon compliant through HBP.

Again, many thanks and hugs and chocolate to LariLee for beta reading. She's such a wonderful person.

Thank you for reading, and you know what to do now! : )