“What do you think?” Charlie asked as they surveyed the damage.
“I would never have expected this.”
“I know, this place is supposed to have more wards on it than Hogwarts and the Ministry buildings combined…” Charlie kicked at a singed board. “I’m not sure if I want to find anything here.”
“I can’t believe this,” Harry surveyed the destruction around them, “if this was the main target of the Death Eater attack then what happened at the school?”
Charlie found a painting of a ballerina leaning against the wall. It seemed undamaged, “Minerva said…” he sighed, “after receiving some rather convincing evidence… the attack on the school was a diversion, so that none of the Order realized that this was the real target and the real attack was happening here.”
Harry felt his stomach churn, he hadn’t received that information before they left the school. They had been in too much of a hurry. But Charlie had been there with Minerva and Mark McKean when he arrived. He had a feeling that the Head Boy had supplied most of the pertinent information. “Then Morgan… for absolutely no reason…” his heart clutched as he realized how very senseless the casualty was.
“I would hate to be the one to tell Snape the nature of the attack,” Charlie said as he stepped over the field of broken glass carefully. “I hope your stomach is strong, there’s no telling what we will find here.”
“Strong enough.”
“There,” Charlie pointed to a blanket covered lump next to the wall, “I wonder about the quality of life we live when we’ve become so desensitized to death and destruction.” He tried to avert his eyes, but there was no where for him to look. The floor was covered in shattered glass and the contents of the former jars. Hangings from the wall had been ripped down, pages from books ripped out… the walls were scorched from stray spells.
“Poor old man never had a chance,” Harry muttered has he righted a lantern and lit it with us wand. The warm yellow light did nothing to dispel the unease in the room.
“They got through all of his wards,” Zach confirmed as he came out of the last room, the sanctum sanctorum. “The mirrors are still intact, but everything he had stored there is gone.”
“The entire stock of Quintessence?” Harry confirmed.
Zach nodded his head. He wasn’t sure what the Death Eaters could use it for. There were probably limitless possibilities. It just kept getting worse and worse… “have you found him?” He didn’t dare hope that his grandfather was still alive. It was too much to ask.
Charlie gestured to the shadows where the body lay, partly obscured by the blanket, “they left him.”
In a fit of rage Harry slammed his fist into the nearest wall, grateful for the pain the unforgiving stone gave them, “this will end! This time I will kill Voldemort myself and make sure that it is done right. I wish I had killed him last time. I should have killed him last time.”
“Harry, no one could have foreseen that Voldemort would find a way to recover from the Dementor’s kiss,” Charlie reminded him. He tried to be pragmatic. It was a bit easier as none of his family had fallen yet, “we knew we would lose people… we knew it would come to this. But whatever it takes we will prevail.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Remus, what have you done?” Kalliope tried to keep her voice steady and calm. Her nerves weren’t fairing so well.
“She was left out there all alone Kalliope, I couldn’t have left her.”
“Yes you could have. You should have left her out there.”
Remus sighed, “you don’t understand…”
“I understand the way my culture works far better than you do wizard. She is deformed! She cannot stay here,” Kalliope nearly relented. Remus looked so morose… but she had to stand firm. The temple could not expect to remain in favor if they took in children who were rightfully exposed. It was their way of life. One that could not be altered on a whim.
“I am not giving her up,” Remus insisted as he gently wrapped the infant in a blanket of the softest wool. “She can be a sister to Angelos,” he moved to lay her in the crib next to his own son.
“No,” Kalliope stopped him with her hand on his arm, “she does not sleep in the same cradle as our son.” She was truly starting to get angry, he didn’t understand and he wasn’t even trying to. She was the Head Priestess! Her word was law! Tradition was important. It could not be overlooked in such a manner, she wouldn’t allow it.
“She is staying Kalliope!” Remus insisted, “I know you’re tired, you just recently gave birth. You should be in bed resting, I will look after both of our children,” he spoke with a certain grim finality in his voice.
Kalliope frowned at her husband as she retrieved Angelos from his cradle. “It just isn’t done Remus. Not here. A child missing an arm… she will be labeled as unlucky. She cannot be raised as a priestess and no man will marry her.”
“If we were in England we could raise her without question.”
“If we were in England you would never have found an exposed child to bring home.”
Remus rolled his eyes, “I’m certainly not going to abandon a child in need and I never expected it of you.” He sat down on the bed next to his wife, who was now nursing their son, “you had a daughter once… you could have another one…” he gently pleaded with her. He couldn’t see how anyone could refuse to keep the big-eyed little creature currently sleeping in his arms.
“No. I will not raise her. I cannot Remus, as harsh as it sounds it has a lot to do with politics. The temple is not immune from them.”
“She is staying,” Remus insisted, just as adamant about his side of the argument and just as stubborn as his wife. He knew that neither one of them had any intention of giving in.
“Then she is your responsibility, and yours alone. You will not ask any of the priestesses for help in caring for her,” she could see exactly where her husband’s mind was going, “and that includes Nimue, she is under my care.”
“Are you going to give me any help at all?” Remus asked.
“No.” Kalliope was starting to lose her patience. This was ridiculous! She had just had a baby, sleep was already at a premium. Did Remus really expect her to welcome an unwanted child with open arms? She didn’t care if he thought she was being irrational. Her hormones were all over the place right now, she was allowed to be irrational. He would just have to deal with it. If he was so set on keeping the child she wasn’t going to interfere, either to help or to hinder him.
“I have to feed her somehow…”
“Then I suggest you grow breasts,” Kalliope said sharply. Her temper at it’s fraying point.
“I’m sure I’ll come up with something,” Remus said, ignoring her suggestion. “Come on love, we’re going for a walk,” he cradled the little girl against his chest, making sure that she was well wrapped up against the cool night air.
“Where are you going?” Kalliope demanded as she put the now sleeping Angelos back in his cradle. He was such a quiet baby. At least so far… She remembered spending much less time sleeping… of course she had been young and a new mother. She found it much easier to relax this time. Of course she also wasn’t a scared and lonely teenager. She had Remus by her side… who was very likely to drive her mad one of these days.
“Since you aren’t going to help me I’m going to make sure that my daughter eats all on my own. I believe, priestess, that I’m going to go learn how to milk a goat.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus remained seated by Morgan’s side. He had no intention of leaving her alone. He couldn’t leave her.
“Severus?” Poppy reappeared at his side, “are you going to be alright?” she wondered if she should get someone to look after him.
“Watch.”
“Severus…”
“Just watch,” he demanded. He squeezed Morgan’s hand tightly as her chest rose again. It was a shallow breath, but she had taken it on her own. It had been nearly a half hour since Poppy had left him alone. “Well?”
“She has lasted much longer than I thought she would,” the nurse slowly conceded.
“Is there any reason to hope?” Severus pressed.
Poppy sighed, “you must decide that on your own, Severus. It is all up to her now. It’s going to be Morgan’s inner strength that determines whether or not she lives.” She held back with the last comment that she wanted to make… she couldn’t bring herself to say it, it was sitting there… so conspicuous and sadly prevalent. Morgan had been ready to die. In the few short seconds of consciousness she had before she slipped into this coma she had decided that she was going to die. She sighed, she had a feeling that Severus was going to have many chances to ask his wife’s forgiveness before she finally left him, but she would never likely be awake to truly hear him.
~~~~~~~~~~
“What on earth are you doing wizard?” Theodora demanded, hands on her hips.
“Milking a goat,” he replied, not looking up at her. He had found that this particular older priestess tried to mother him, either bossing him around or treating him as a favorite child. He figured the first was his status as a man, and the later was his status as Kalliope’s husband.
“Scaring the goats is more like it,” she mumbled, “you’re too tense, she can sense that. Try to relax a little.” She grinned wickedly as she tucked her grey hair back under her head covering, “you’re a married man now, I expect you to know exactly how to work one of those things.”
“Very funny…” Remus deadpanned, “sooo… exactly how often do I need to feed an infant goat’s milk if she’s going to thrive…”
“Kalliope already warned us about interfering,” Theodora informed him.
“I think you’ve already interfered.”
Theodora looked around to make sure they weren’t being watched, “she’ll let you know when she’s hungry. How were you planning on feeding her?”
“A bit of cloth dipped in the milk…”
“She won’t last long on that, and no one at the temple will be allowed to act as wet nurse, especially if Kalliope has refused to nurse the child herself, and warned us against interfering…”
“Will goat’s milk from a bottle work?”
“It won’t hurt to try wizard,” Theodora was repulsed by Remus taking in a deformed child, who was so obviously inauspicious. But she couldn’t help but be touched by his determination to raise the poor little thing by himself. “If you’re going to keep her you’d best give her a name,” she informed him as she prepared to leave, content that Remus would be able to coax enough milk from the somewhat traumatized goat to give the infant a decent feeding.
“A name…” he hadn’t even thought of that. He was too concerned with getting the infant something to eat.
“Make it a strong name,” the priestess advised, “something with meaning… make it very clear that she is your daughter, it will help keep her from coming to harm.” She subtly reminded Remus of the violent and archaic culture he now resided in. Such a child would be clearly seen as an ill omen. While she agreed with that view she didn’t want to see the wizard hurt in the process.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It had taken much coaxing to get the Gryffindors back up to their Common Room. But they wouldn’t go any further. They huddled together in groups throughout the common area, talking in hushed whispers.
“What do you think?” Neville asked the Headmistress who had accompanied him to check on the students.
“It’s going to take time,” her eyes moved to the Snape twins, who were clutching each others’ hands while Nick Wood watched them with concern. “Do what you think is best, but make sure that they all sleep here tonight, no more sneaking off to the other Common Rooms. They have to overcome this. And I know it will be hard.”
“I’m sure I’ll come up with something,” Neville assured her. “Any chances of you staying?”
“I’m afraid you’re on your own tonight, Professor Longbottom. Our new Ancient Runes professor should be arriving shortly, I must be available to greet her.” There was a long pause of awkward silence. No one wanted to admit that it was necessary to replace Morgan. The loss of one of their own had hit them all hard. Each of the Heads of House had met with their Houses to inform them of the staff change, and why it had happened. No one had taken it well. As much as Severus was feared and despised by the majority of his students, that’s how much they all loved and admired Morgan.
“I can handle it from here, Headmistress,” Neville assured her. “Do what you must,” he saw Minerva to the portrait hole before turning back to his students. “I think its bedtime,” he announced loudly. He was met with a sea of blank stares. “You do have classes tomorrow,” he reminded them. Still, no one made so much as a move towards the stairs that led to the dorms.
Neville sighed, time to try another tactic, “alright then, everyone go up to your dorms and bring your bedding down here,” he put enough force behind the words so that they were obeyed this time. Although he noticed that the students still clung to each other as the climbed the stairs and they were uncharacteristically silent. It was a terrible thing to be afraid of your home and now the Gryffindors were terrified of their own tower.
He waited until everyone had come back down and told them that they could all sleep in the Common Room that night. He figured the camaraderie would help and he could get Nearly Headless Nick to watch over them for the night.
“Professor, won’t you stay with us?” Ophelia asked softly, appearing at Neville’s elbow just when he was ready to climb back out the portrait hole.
He turned to look at her and found the entirety of Gryffindor House looking at him for a response. He realized that this wasn’t a personal request, she had been elected delegate by her Housemates. “Of course,” he settled himself in a chair in front of the fire, not really planning on sleeping as the Gryffindors settled down around him. He figured it couldn’t hurt to spend the night. After all, it was even rumored that Snape had spent occasional nights down in the Slytherin Common Room. He wondered what went on down there to result in that. What kind of horrors had the Slytherins faced? It was beginning to dawn on him that the most ostracized House at Hogwarts had probably suffered more than the other three Houses combined.
~~~~~~~~~~~
