“I see they’ve let you out again little one,” the crone cackled, “I’ve missed you novice, you’ve been gone for a long time. And this must be a new one with you, I haven’t seen her before.”
“Yeah, this is Nimue, she’s from Britain, along with Kalliope’s new consort.”
“Ahhh… so our new high priestess has a consort now… it’s about time. Is she breeding yet? A breeding priestess is good luck, a high priestess with child should be even luckier still. She won’t be able to enter this village without being swamped by every woman of childbearing age, asking for her blessing and such.”
Nimue’s eyes grew wide at the question, but she held her tongue as Sophia and the old woman continued to talk.
“Of course she is with child Helena. You should come to the temple to see her and make a sacrifice. You could get something to help with your eyes too.”
“I’m not in any condition to make the trek up to the temple these days girl. I would ask that you make a sacrifice for me though. What is the cost of a dove these days?”
“I’ll make you a deal,” Sophia said, a grin falling into place, “I’ll cover the cost of the dove if you provide a serpent for Nimue.”
Helena grunted in approval, “that’s more than fair little novice. Come here girl,” she beckoned to Nimue, “look in the jars and pick whatever of my little serpents that you wish. Don’t be scared child,” she added as Nimue hesitated, “as long as you are gentle they won’t bite. They trust the hands of the priestess born, you have nothing to fear.”
Nimue glanced back over her shoulder and was comforted by the sight of Remus and Sirius waiting close by. Tentatively she peered into one of the wide-mouthed clay jars at a tangle of green scales. At Sophia’s prompting she reached in and pulled one of the little green snakes out, “she’s soft,” she said quietly.
“There now, she knows you are one of the priestess born,” Helena said with a smile as she watched the little green serpent twine itself around Nimue’s wrist. “She’s taken a liking to you. Now, while you’re in the village you should find her a jar of her own.”
“Thank you,” Nimue barely whispered as she stroked the head of the snake with one finger, “she’s beautiful.”
“Now get going girls, your escorts are waiting for you,” Helena nodded towards where Remus and Sirius were standing. “And don’t forget to sacrifice that dove for me!”
“A snake?” Remus asked as the girls rejoined them.
“Guess we were wrong,” Sirius said, “Severus must have fathered her.”
“Can I have this?” Sophia asked, pointing to Remus’ pocket watch.
“Why?”
Sophia rolled her eyes, “this is a bartering society, I’m not sure how far your wizarding money will get you here.”
“Absolutely not,” Remus told her.
“Here,” Sirius reached into his robes and pulled off a few bronze Knuts, which he tried to hand to Remus, “transfigure them into something useful.”
“You’re the transfiguration professor, you do it,” Remus told him.
“Fine then,” Sirius turned back to Sophia, “what would be useful?”
Sophia thought for a moment, “bronze buckles, leather harness pieces, jewelry… a chicken?”
“I think I can do the buckles and the jewelry,” Sirius said as he transfigured the buttons into the desired articles.
“No chicken?” Nimue asked innocently.
“Maybe next time,” Sirius said with a smile as he handed over the transfigured Knuts to the girls, “be back here before the sun gets too low.”
“Thanks,” Sophia said with a smile.
“Where did your stepson wander off to?” Remus asked as the girls rushed off down the street.
Sirius rolled his eyes, “he said he was going to go check prices.”
“On what?”
Sirius cleared his throat, “hetairai.”
“Don’t worry, he wouldn’t be able to afford them. Unless he does some transfiguring of his own of course…”
“Please don’t say that, his mother would probably kill me if that actually happened.”
“Actually… I have a feeling we should find him. There are… varieties… that come much cheaper than the hetairai.”
“Yes, we should definitely find him.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Are you still mad at me?” Morgan asked as she leaned against the bedpost. She had been teasing her husband mercilessly since dinner had ended and he had finally snapped at her before retiring to their bedroom to get ready to leave for the wedding.
Severus looked up from his packing, “not particularly.”
“Does that mean I’m forgiven?”
“No.”
“Are you going to forgive me before you leave for Canterbury?”
“Most likely.” Morgan chewed on her bottom lip, “now?”
“Insufferable brat.”
Morgan moved to wrap her arms around her husband’s waist, “I think that means I’m forgiven.”
“What would I do without you?” Severus asked softly as he returned the embrace.
“Be a miserable, old, greasy, bat?” Morgan suggested. Only to give an undignified yelp as Severus’ palm connected sharply with her backside, “I was only joking,” she muttered as she glared up at him, a hand going back to try and rub away the sting.
“Hmmm… well it wasn’t particularly appreciated.”
“Why don’t you come to bed… leave the packing for the morning,” Morgan suggested.
“Morgan, I’m worried. Voldemort has been lying low, it only means that he is planning something horrific.”
It wasn’t quite the change in mood Morgan had been looking for. “We survived once, we just have to do one better and bring him down completely this time.”
“If we couldn’t do it before…”
Morgan understood her husbands concerns. But she couldn’t understand how they haunted his thoughts so completely. They consumed him. She reached out to put a hand on his arm and inadvertently brushed the spot where the dark mark still lingered, causing Severus to pull away from her, as though he had been burned.
“Perhaps I better stay here after all,” Severus said as he turned away.
“Severus, please,” Morgan reached out to him again, “we can’t let fear control our lives.”
“I am not concerned about my own life, I am concerned about you and the children. Voldemort will try to hit me where I am the weakest, he has already proven that.”
“What can we do about it?”
“Nothing, there is nothing that can be done.”
“Do you think Hogwarts is still safe?” Morgan dreaded asking that question, but she knew she had to.
“No. There are no guarantees now, we have no way of confirming what Voldemort is capable of. For all we know it is possible that we are playing directly into his hands.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“I can’t believe you actually thought that I would even [I]think[/I] about doing that!” William accused as they headed back towards the temple.
“Well, you did tell Sirius that was where you were going,” Remus began patiently.
William rolled his eyes, “I was joking. Besides, those were some really good parenting skills, letting me go off if you actually thought I was going to buy a woman. I still can’t believe you thought I would do that. Shows a whole lot of trust… especially the part where you came looking for me…”
Both of the girls were giggling shamelessly at the whole exchange, which made it rather difficult for Nimue to hang onto the small clay pot that held her snake.
“And where was I?!” William continued, “Looking, very innocently I might add, at pottery with the girls. Honestly, your lack of faith is very disheartening. I can’t believe you.”
Sirius just shook his head, “I’m sorry that you think I didn’t trust you.”
“Well you didn’t,” William pointed out. “Honestly, what is Mum going to say? She wants us to get along and here you act like you can’t even trust me to be off by myself for five minutes… I’m not a child you know.”
“Which is exactly why I was worried…” Sirius muttered.
“So… now that we’ve discussed this…” William raised an eyebrow, “we’re not going to mention this to Mum… right? Because she’s would just lay into me about respecting women… even though I do! And then you would get it for letting me go off even though you though I was trying to buy a woman…”
“I wouldn’t dream of telling her,” Sirius replied.
“Good, then we’re agreed on that.”
“Yep.”
“I can’t believe you two, plotting against Elizabeth together… you’re almost acting like… friends,” Remus avoided looking William and Sirius, although he could tell they were staring at him. He figured William was probably glaring and Sirius was probably grinning like an idiot. “I ought to tell Elizabeth myself, get you both in trouble.”
“Cut it out you two!” William snapped at Nimue and Sophia, but they only giggled harder, “Well at least they think this is amusing…”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“What in the world is that?” Severus asked as he glared suspiciously at the large object tucked under Eric’s arm.
“Nothing for you to worry about… yet.”
Severus narrowed his eyes, “considering how little I trust you, either tell me what it is or I hex it into nothingness.”
“It’s nothing Severus my boy, and keep it down, he’s sleeping.”
“No,” Severus realized what it was that Eric was holding, “no, you are not bringing that portrait with you.”
“And why ever not?!” Eric demanding as he banged his cane on the floor for emphasis, “he wanted to get out, not that I blame him. Besides, he’s good company. And I thought you two were friends…”
“There is no way I am spending an entire weekend with the two of you,” Severus insisted, “one of you is already more than I can handle. If he is going, I am not.”
“Oh stop whining, it really isn’t flattering at your age,” Eric said irritably.
Severus crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Eric menacingly, “You know how I feel about the two of you, especially the two of you together.”
“Nonsense! Besides, I thought it might be a good idea to bring along someone who might be able to give the boy a bit of decent advice. Unless you think he’s going to enjoy spending the evening with me, and we both know what he thinks of me, and a former death eater like yourself. Let’s face it my boy, we’re not exactly the best companions.”
Severus sighed, “I propose that we leave the old fool,” he gestured at the painting, “to baby sit while the two of us hit the local pub.”
“Except I’m still not technically supposed to be in the country,” Eric pointed out.
“I have no idea why I put up with you.”
“Because I’m an old man who most people want dead, and you’re one of the few that recognizes the fact that I am still of some value. You see things that other people don’t. Now stop looking at me like that Severus, you know it is true, your Slytherins are a fine example of that. You have the care of a house that the vast majority of the wizarding world does not trust, and yet, instead of becoming bitter, they love you to distraction. I don’t pretend to understand it, but there it is. You, my friend, are a complicated man.”
“And you’re starting to sound like a meddling old fishwife!”
Eric mumbled something to himself under his breath, quiet enough so that Severus couldn’t catch it, as he positioned the portrait close to eye level and left it there to hang in midair. “Come on you barmy old codger, wake up! I’d hate to end up hexing the boy just because there was no one around to stop me.”
“I’m going out for some air before he wakes up,” Severus said as he wrapped his cloak around himself, “tell him that if he so much as offers me a lemon drop when I get back he is going straight in the fireplace.”
~~~~~~~~~~
