“It’s nearly one, hardly an ungodly hour. And put some clothes on Mr. Snape,” Mrs. Figg snapped as she hurried past him.
“Didn’t even answer my bloody question,” Kamen grumbled as he headed back inside. He decided it might be a wise idea to put something else on before he went to investigate. No telling how Anastasia would react if he went down in just his boxers. “Come on Darcy,” he growled at his roommate as he pulled a shirt over his head, “let’s go see what’s going on.”
“Do I have to get up to do that?” William asked from the sofa, where he had passed out during the early morning hours.
“Yes.”
“You’re not my mother you know, stop trying to tell me what to do.”
“Get your arse up and come on! If you don’t I’ll tell Anastasia that you’ve been talking about her in your sleep…”
“I have not!”
“True… but she’ll still believe me.”
“Fine, I’m up. I’m just going to go grab a shirt before we go down,” William said in annoyance as he headed to the bedroom. “I’ll forgive you for everything you’ve ever done,” he said as he came back out, “if you give me that coffee,” he eyed the mug in Kamen’s hand.
“I don’t think so!” Kamen said as he pulled the mug closer to his chest, “however, I was kind enough to make an entire pot… unlike some people… pour your own damn cup.”
They were still bickering, back and forth as they stepped outside to find out what was going on. “New tenants,” Anastasia informed them as soon as she saw the boys approaching.”
“No…” Kamen said, his throat suddenly going dry.
“That double-crossing…” William was equally shocked.
“This is unfair, how could they be this cruel?” Kamen very nearly lost the grip on his mug of coffee.
“Not overly thrilled with your new neighbors, are you love?” Anastasia asked as she swung her empty jar idly from one hand. “I can’t say that I’m overly thrilled myself. With more people moving in it seems unlikely that you boys will pass through here shirtless as frequently as you have been… pity.”
“That box better be for either aesthetic purposes or it better be for us,” William said as he narrowed his eyes at his step-father.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Sirius said as he set the box down. “Minerva thought it would be a good idea if the families of all the staff were moved closer to the school as a protective measure.”
“Thank Merlin both my parents have to live at the school,” Kamen muttered under his breath.
“Who is moving in?” William asked, his voice dripping with malice.
“Just a few people,” Sirius answered elusively.
“Who is moving in?” William repeated, thoroughly annoyed. He now realized that he and Kamen had not ended up living in Mrs. Figg’s complex on accident. They had been planning this from the start. All of their dreams of freedom from the oppression of the older generation were now being crushed.
“Well, let’s see…” Sirius set down the box he had been carrying, “there’s Harry and his family, Charlie and all of his. You know he’s actually going to live full time out here now, no more going back and forth between the school and…”
“So why are you here?” Kamen asked pointedly.
Sirius flashed the boys a lopsided smile, “I thought it best that Elizabeth and Willow be here too, for their own safety of course.”
“So they can keep a bloody eye on me, you mean…” William scowled.
Sirius was still grinning, “It won’t be that bad. Plus, the order is stationing several aurors here for added protection. I want you to meet the new head of security. Macnair! Get over here!”
Kamen instantly tensed at the name ‘Macnair’, the memories of what Connor and his father had attempted still fresh in his mind.
“Boys, I want you to meet Andrew Macnair, an excellent auror, and a member of the Order who has agreed to ensure the safety of those living in this complex,” Sirius was smiling widely as he pulled the middle-aged man over.
Neither Kamen nor William made any move to greet the man, they merely eyed him coldly.
“Well now, I told you my name would precede me,” Macnair drawled in an accent that marked him as being from the southern part of the states, “I take it these two have already had the pleasure of meeting my dear cousin Walden. Mama always said he was the bad egg of the family.”
“And why should we trust you?” Kamen asked, not sounding at all convinced.
“Well now, I suppose because you don’t have much choice.”
“Why did the Order need to bring an American over?”
“Because, William,” Sirius started calmly, “this is going to be a group effort…”
“Well, I suppose,” Macnair cut in, “that would be because you need us. We managed to kick your sorry hides out of our own country, it shouldn’t be that hard to do the same thing over here.”
“Are we sure he’s all there?” Kamen asked William quietly.
William turned his laughter into a cough, “I’d say he’s pretty far gone,” he whispered back.
“Why don’t you two make yourselves useful and help with the moving,” Sirius suggested.
“I’m going back to bed,” Kamen said.
“Don’t you two have practice today?” Sirius asked.
“Not for another two hours, which means we can sleep for at least another hour and a half,” William informed Sirius as he and Kamen headed back towards their apartment. “I’m not wasting valuable sleep time to help unwanted neighbors move in.”
“Now you’ve gone and upset them,” Anastasia said as she pouted, “They’ll be no fun anymore. Way to ruin a girl’s only form of entertainment.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“I am most pleased that you decided to join us Charun,” Voldemort addressed his guest in a more respectful tone than he normally took, “you and your demons will be most valuable.” His eyes flicked towards Charun’s female companion, “you don’t appreciate the title of demon? Well… perhaps in one such as yourself ‘angel of death’ would be a more appropriate title.”
Walden Macnair looked back and forth between the creatures in front of him. The man, Charun, was truly hideous to behold. He had blue tinged skin, which aptly enough, reminded him of death and decay. His pointy ears and long hooked nose gave him a disturbing and very much, less than human appearance. His teeth were a sickening yellow and his orange scraggly hair protruded in a scraggily thatch. In fact, his short red tunic and large, white and soft blue feathered wings were the only similarities he held to his female companion. It was hard to imagine that they were of the same species, let alone related in some manner.
The woman, Vanth, was truly spectacular. She wore the same scant red tunic, but it clung to shapely curves of delicate rosy skin and reveled all of her succulent curves. The soft leather boots that clung to her caves only seemed to heighten his perception of the skin that they hid. Her face was soft, with full red lips and large black eyes, framed by a cloud of dark curls. All of it crowned off by the full wings that sprang from her back in muted colors. She truly was the vision of an angel. An angel of death, Macnair had to remind himself. To make love with her, to kiss her, to be embraced in those luscious limbs would be death to a mortal. She was of another race, the death demons, and they were merciless.
“How many of you can I expect?” Voldemort asked, bringing Macnair’s mind back to the business at hand.
“As few a twenty of the Lasa, as many as forty,” Vanth answered in a voice as beautiful as she was.
“A smaller number than I had hoped for,” Voldemort sneered.
“But more effective than any of your mortal minions,” Charun reminded him, his ugly face twisted by his smirk, “we are far more deadly than any of your other allies. Besides,” he reached out to fondle Vanth, his hands tracing over her body, “there are few who choose to attack so stunning a visage. Vanth and her sisters are the deadliest of all, thirty of them may well be able to take down Hogwarts by themselves.”
“Unfortunately I lack your confidence,” Voldemort replied darkly, “Hogwarts is better protected than even I may tell. However, I have managed to place quite the little spy within their midst, she shall hopefully provide us with whatever information we need to break their defenses.”
Charun smiled as he passed his hammer back and forth between his hands, as though itching to use it on a victim, “then it is only a matter of time. We will be ready for whatever you ask of us.”
“I may have a mission for you before the time of the deciding battle. I may have need of you as messengers.”
Vanth glared at the dark lord as she lifted eyes to his, not at all afraid of the ghostly pale face and red eyes that met her gaze, “we are not lowly messengers, we are bringers of death,” she hissed in a low voice.
“I am quite aware of that my dear,” Voldemort was quick to try and appease the infuriated death demon,” however, your wings make you a most suitable means of relaying information.”
“Are you demoting us to a position no higher than that of the owls you keep as messengers?” Charun asked, his own red eyes glowing dangerously.
Voldemort laced his fingers together, “owls are not capable of delivering what I intend to send,” he smiled maliciously as the two demons leaned in, obviously interested by what he had to say, “I believe I may have located one of my most notorious traitors, should we deliver his body to those at Hogwarts it will throw them into utter confusion. It will be the last thing they are expecting.”
“And what is our part in this?” Charun asked.
The dark lord spread his hands, “find him, and then do with him as you wish. But once you are done playing with him deliver his body to Hogwarts. It will be the last thing they are expecting.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Absolutely not!” Severus glared across the table at Minerva as he contemplated what would happen should he strangle the headmistress.
“Severus, it is not up for discussion. As headmistress it is my…”
“As deputy headmaster I am saying no,” he snarled at her.
Minerva glared over her spectacles at him, “if you refuse I shall no choice but to dismiss you.”
Severus smirked, “we both know you can’t do that. Only the board of governors can. Care to try again?”
Minerva sighed as she picked up her cup of tea, “you know I turn a blind eye to what goes on in the dungeons.”
“There is nothing wrong with the way I treat my Slytherins. You know very well that not one of them has ever complained.”
“Be that as it may, you know very well there are other things I could mention as well. I have given you a free reign Severus, as Albus did. Now I am asking you to do this for me.”
“I do not need an assistant.”
“We both know that you do not need an assistant, but we must do something with Eva. She has been exposed, Voldemort would love to get his hands on her. The only safe place for her is here at Hogwarts.”
“Then foist her off on someone else.”
“Severus, the girl is a genius at potions, what else do you propose I do with her? We have to keep her here.”
“Let her assist Madam Pince, I am sure she would appreciate the assistance, whereas I do not.”
“She does not have to assist in all of your classes. You could give her your first years…” Minerva suggested innocently before hiding behind her cup of tea.
“As appealing as that sounds, and trust me, I would love nothing better, I wouldn’t dare hand the first years over to anyone else. My classroom would be gone within a matter of minutes.”
Minerva sighed irritably, “just think of something you can have her do. I will have her assist Madam Pince part of the time. But she deserves to have some time to work in her area of expertise.”
“Fine, I’ll use her as a grader and she can assist in my NEWT classes, the more advanced students could use a bit more one on one attention anyways. Does that satisfy you?”
“Good for you Severus,” Albus spoke up from his portrait above Minerva’s desk, “you’re doing someone else a favor!”
“Meddling old fool…” Severus muttered under his breath.
“Well, now that we have that out of the way,” Minerva rose from her desk, “shall we adjourn to my sitting room? The rest of the Heads of House should be here any moment and we have to discuss the appointments of Head Girl and Boy and the new prefects.”
“It is a pity that Potter turned down your offer to make him Head of Gryffindor.”
“I’m surprised Severus, it sounds as though you wanted him to have the promotion.”
“I wanted him to experience the hell that goes along with being the head of a house. He deserves it.”
~~~~~~~~~~
