“I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
Morgan shrugged, “maybe if I keep saying it it’ll be true.”
“I know that you were not overly close with Morgester.”
“I wasn’t.”
“So I am rather confused as to why you left the room in such a worked up state.”
Morgan sighed and absently plucked at the corners of the pillow in her lap, “next time it will probably be someone I am close to.”
“It is a possibility.”
“I want to be strong for the children.”
“You have been.”
“Next time it could be you.”
Severus looked down into the anguished face of his wife and found that he had no reassuring words to offer her.
“There were so many times the last time around… so many times when I thought you weren’t coming back to me. I don’t know if I can bear that again. Eve if we defeat Voldemort he has stolen so many opportunities for happy memories from us.”
“Morgan, I want you to listen to me,” Severus cupped her face in his hands, “my life means nothing. Your only concern is to keep yourself and the children safe. Do not waste time or energy worry about me.” I am already lost.
“I won’t lose you! Not after we’ve come so far!”
Severus didn’t have the heart to tell her who great the chances of him dying were. Instead he lowered his head to kiss her. As he reveled in her taste, not daring to hope that he would be able to do this for years to come, he realized just how wet his face was becoming from Morgan’s tears. He broke away long enough to use his handkerchief to awkwardly dab at her face.
“Let me do it,” Morgan said with a sad smile as she put herself to rights after Severus’ blundered attempt.
“Any better now?” Severus ran the calloused pad of his thumb over Morgan’s soft cheek.
“I’m not really sure… everything has gone numb…” she looked up at him with large, pleading eyes, “stay with me tonight. No visits to the Common Room, no patrolling, no late night grading. Just you, in bed with me, until we absolutely have to get up.”
Severus couldn’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a better way for his wife to deal with her pain then giving her body to him. But he could deny her nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“It’s very quiet tonight.”
“I wish I knew if that were good or bad.”
Alberto shrugged, “does it have to be either?” Why can’t it just be a quiet night?”
“Because I’ve lived through too much to know what to do with myself on a quiet night,” Sirius replied ruefully.
Alberto grinned his gold-toothed smile, “go home to your wife, that’s what I would do.”
“With my wife?”
Alberto shrugged, “if you’re not with her…” he barely ducked in time as a pair of dragon hide gloves were flung at his head. “Did you come down here for some reason other than trying to decapitate me?”
“Just to get a status report.”
“The dragons have been quiet tonight and there’s been very little movement in the forest. There was some activity on up one of the western towers earlier.”
Sirius’ eyes instantly flew up to the battlements, as though something might still be up there.
“Relax amigo, it was a couple of students, nothing to worry about.”
Sirius shook his head, “they should not have been up there and you should have alerted someone to the fact that they were up there.”
“I figured it was harmless.”
“It might not have been! We are all putting in far too much effort to keep them safe to allow them to sneak around and put themselves into danger. Plus, there is still a spy somewhere amongst us. We can’t take any chances.”
“And they are children, living in a world filled with war. I say let them find their fun where they can.”
Sirius frowned, knowing that he had once thought the same way, “if it happens again report it. The students aren’t supposed to be up there in the first place and I would rather they got into a little bit of trouble for being out of bounds than getting themselves killed for being reckless.”
“Has it come to that yet?”
Sirius scanned the night sky, as though hoping to find an answer written among the stars, but was brought back down to Earth by one of the Welsh Greens snuffling loudly, “I hope not, but with a spy among us… I just can’t tell.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“We have the Satyrs now.”
“I am not sure how much help they will be,” Remus admitted.
“I am not concerned about that. I am just happy that they are on our side and not against us. The more allies we have, even if they are in name only, the better off we shall be.”
“What about the local people?”
Kalliope sighed, “they will side with the temple.”
“I would have thought that was a good thing.”
“They are mostly peasants. They cannot fight, they are not trained in stealth. They will come to us seeking protection, but will bring nothing in return.”
“So they are more of a liability.”
“Basically.”
“And you are very pregnant.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything wizard,” but Kalliope’s voice was affectionate.
“It means that you will not overexert yourself,” Remus told her firmly, “you have attendant priestesses for a reason.”
“You’re starting to sound like an old fishwife.”
“And you are not going to take any unnecessary risks where you and our child are concerned.”
“Keep it up and you’ll no longer be fit to train with the warriors, you’ll have to sit inside all day and spin with the old women.”
Remus nuzzled Kalliope’s neck and planted several kisses along her bare shoulder.
“Don’t stop.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“I want you to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“When the time comes fight with your wand, not the sword.”
“Are you questioning my prowess as a warrior?”
“No, I just want you to come home to me and our child.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sorry,” Dierna skidded to a halt in front of her father’s desk, out of breath, “I was finishing up my Transfiguration essay in the library and completely lost track of the time. I won’t…”
“Let it happen again?” Severus pierced her with his eyes, “that is what you said last time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I am beginning to think that you are not serious about this. I very rarely take on students for an independent study for precisely this reason. If it happens again do not bother coming back.” He felt vaguely guilty about sounding so harsh as he watched Dierna’s shoulders slump. “I know it is your NEWT year, but unless you keep up with your regular studies then I will have to put an end to this study.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now, I believe you were to prepare an essay for me on the properties of…” he paused as Dierna gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “Adelaide!”
“I’m sorry, I completely forgot about it.”
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, “you are severely trying my patience today.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And I am getting very tired of hearing that phrase.”
Dierna opened her mouth, ready to apologize again, but thought better of it.
“Very well, get done what you can now and we shall see how productive you can be during detention tonight.”
“I have Quidditch practice tonight.”
“Then you will just have to miss it!”
Dierna very much wanted to protest, but realized it would not be in her best interests and not at all conducive to living long enough to see graduation.
“Get to work!”
Dierna quickly set about getting her workstation ready. Once everything was at a point where she could leave it set for a few minutes she dragged her father’s books out of her bag and warily approached his desk, not quite sure what sort of reception she would receive.
After standing there for a full minute without getting any acknowledgement she realized that she was being ignored. Narrowing her eyes in anger she thumbed the books down on the corner of the desk and turned to go back to work.
“Were they helpful?”
Dierna turned back and shrugged, irritated enough that she didn’t want to admit just how helpful they had been. But then she caught the look her father was giving her… she didn’t know what it was, but suddenly she wasn’t all that angry anymore, “I’ve stayed up all night the last couple of nights to finish them. I didn’t have any other time with my homework and all… and well… I guess I spent part of my homework time buried in them as well.”
Severus didn’t say anything. He just stared at his daughter with that expression that she couldn’t quite read.
Not getting any response Dierna shrugged again and started to turn back to her own desk.
“Keep them.”
“What?” Dierna turned back to her father, certain she had not heard him right.
“Keep the books, you may need them again.”
Dierna hesitated as she reached out for the books, not quite certain that this was actually happening.
“Take them girl! It’s not as though I’ll miss them. I do make more than one copy of all my research.”
Dierna left the books where they were sitting and flung her arms around her father’s neck, “thank you! And I know you’re tired of hearing it but I really am sorry about being late and not having that essay done.”
Severus detached his daughter from him and glared at her in what was a most terrifying manner for the vast majority of his students, “that is completely unacceptable behavior for a classroom environment. Get back to work.”
Dierna rolled her eyes, but scooped up the books from the desk and returned them to her own bag. She was in an incredibly cheerful mood for the rest of the hour. She didn’t even care when her experiment with the altered sleeping potion was a complete failure. She knew she’d get it right eventually.
~~~~~~~~~~~
