“The Daily Prophet is, as ever, displaying its fantastic Ministry control and refusing to acknowledge how serious the situation with Voldemort is becoming, but that is to be expected.”
“What about your [I]Ars Alchemicae[/I] newsletter? That usually puts you in a better mood,” she said as she turned around and leaned against the table.
He shrugged, “the annual convention is at the end of the month. It’s in Florence this year.”
“Who’s the guest speaker this year?”
“Ptolemy al-Rashid. I don’t think I’ll attend though.”
Morgan gave him a questioning look, it was not like her husband to miss an opportunity to meet with the other scholarly elite in his field. She assumed that whatever excuse he had it was covering any concerns he had about leaving her and the children at home.
“I’m not speaking this year and I have no desire to go alone, and since one of us must stay home with the children…”
Yep, there it was. She wasn’t at all surprised.
“Dad?”
“What is it Dierna?” Severus did nothing to curb the sharpness of his tone.
“Could I go with you?”
Severus dropped the letter he was holding and turned to face his daughter, “what did you say?”
“I want to go with you. I’ve read al-Rashid’s latest book on how the phases of the moon affect healing potions practically to pieces. I’ve heard that he’s done new research on it, and if he’s speaking he might discuss it… he’s brilliant. Please take me with you.”
Severus looked to Morgan, but she only shrugged. This was a decision she was leaving up to him. But she silently hoped that he would take her. She wouldn’t mind getting both of them out of the house for awhile. The conversations her husband and potions enamored daughter had were liable to drive her up the wall at times.
“I’m not sure if now is the time to be leaving your mother and siblings alone, it is not safe.”
“They could go to Egypt for the week, Olivia hasn’t met Viviane yet,” Dierna suggested hopefully.
Severus crossed his arms over his chest and thought for several moments. For the life of him he couldn’t come up with a legitimate excuse. Besides, his daughter’s enthusiasm was something he wanted to encourage.
“I suppose…”
“Thank you!” Dierna threw her arms around her father, practically knocking both of them off their feet.
Severus couldn’t help thinking that he might come to regret this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What are you doing?”
“Hiding.”
“And where are you supposed to be?”
“Helping Penelope tally the offerings.”
“So why are you hiding? That doesn’t sound like too hateful a job,” Remus sank down onto the rocky outcrop next to Sophia.
She shrugged, “I used to enjoy it, but not as much anymore. I’ve seen what else there is…”
“You want to go back to Hogwarts already?”
She shrugged again.
“You want to stay in the wizarding world,” this time it wasn’t a question.
Sophia nodded, “this,” she gestured with her hands towards the temple and the clusters of buildings that surround it, “isn’t for me. I used to love the mystery of it all, I got a thrill whenever I entered the inner sanctuary, I longed for the robes of a priestess, but not any more.”
“How does Kalliope feel about this?”
Sophia sighed, “I don’t think she wants to talk about it. Basically I’m stuck here until you give her a daughter, until them I’m unofficially her heir.”
Remus looked out at the sea, he wasn’t sure how or if he could give Sophia any reassurance. He wasn’t familiar enough with temple law to be convinced that she could freely leave, and besides, he had no real authority here. Perhaps he should start to learn a bit more about his new home… “What makes the robes of a novice different than the robes of a priestess?”
“Not a whole lot. For certain ceremonies we where white while the priestesses where red. But for day-to-day wear color isn’t an important factor. The main differences are in details. Novices carry a plain bronze dagger and priestesses carry an engraved electrum one. And a priestess knots her belt in a sacred knot, which is always positioned over the womb.”
“Why?”
“The sacred knot is a symbol of fertility.”
“And all of this has lost its appeal to you?”
Sophia nodded, “I feel guilty. All my life I have been trained to be a priestess, it is what is expected of me. I’m afraid I’m going to let everyone down, that they’ll all be disappointed in me.”
“I would be very disappointed in you, if you did not do what your heart tells you is right.”
“Really?”
“Really. And I’m sure Kalliope feels the same way. She wants you to be happy. And I wouldn’t worry about her finding another heir. Maybe the child she’s carrying will be a little girl who she can raise to be a priestess.”
“Thanks Remus. I wish you were my father instead of…” she stopped herself, she knew how close Sirius and Remus were.
“I know you’re not that fond of Sirius, but he’s a good man. You should give him a chance.”
“Why? He was never there for me,” she said bitterly.
“Be fair. He never knew about you. If he had you would not have grown up here, he would have taken you away and been thrilled to raise you.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to like him. I hate both him and my mother… especially my mother.”
“Why do you hate her so much?”
“She abandoned me.”
Remus knew it went deeper than that. This was a society where daughters were valued above all else. Honestly, he couldn’t think of a reason for Sophia to not hate her mother.
Sophia decided it was probably a good time to change the subject, “which house do you think I’ll be sorted into at school?”
“You’re as good as my daughter, Gryffindor of course.”
“If she doesn’t take care of her duties she won’t live long enough to be sorted,” Kalliope appeared behind them, hands on her hips.
“I’m going, I’m going,” Sophia said sulkily as she got up off the ground, “it’s not like the offerings are going anywhere.”
“You keep up with the attitude and you can spend the rest of the afternoon scrubbing the sanctuary floor. I’m not joking,” Kalliope continued when she saw her ward about to protest, “you are asked to do relatively little around here, but not even that gets done. You may not be taking vows but you are still subject to temple authority.”
“I said I was going.”
“Then go.” She watched Sophia trudge back towards the temple, “I don’t know what to do with her, ever since we came back she’s been miserable,” she sank down onto the ground next to Remus.
“I have a feeling she’s just missing the freedom she had at Hogwarts, she’ll settle down.”
Kalliope sighed, “If I can’t control her what am I going to do with this one?” she placed a hand over her abdomen.
Remus smiled, “well that’s easy to answer. Remember, Sophia is Sirius’ daughter.”
“Your point?”
He leaned in to kiss Kalliope, “you’re carrying my child, she’ll naturally be the perfect child.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“You could just take your shirt off.”
“Or I could keep it on.”
“You look so hot though… I though you might be more comfortable with it off.”
Kamen rolled his eyes, “you say that every time I walk by here.”
Anastasia put her hands on her hips, “well I can’t help it. It’s the truth. I’ve been watching you move stuff in for a week now. And I’ve been watching the way your shirt clings to you when you start getting warm…”
“Maybe if you decided to come down off your pedestal of superiority and help me…”
“Hmpf… easy for you to say, your feet are not attached to said pedestal.”
“And it’s such a loss to humanity, the world would be a better place if you could get off your fountain.”
“You’re so full of yourself, no pity at all for how it feels for me to be stuck here. Not like I had any say in the matter… have you ever considered how hard it is to get off when you can’t get off?”
“Too much information.”
“Get used to it.” Arabella said as she joined them, “you have to walk past her to get to your flat. You’ll hear a lot of stuff you don’t want to hear.”
“Why in the world do you put up with her?” Kamen couldn’t help asking.
Mrs. Figg shrugged, “she came with the place, and I didn’t want to have to go through the hassle of having her removed.”
“I may be made of stone but that doesn’t mean I don’t know when you’re talking about me.”
Mrs. Figg shook her head, “she’s a cheeky thing, I can’t believe the way the tenants put up with her.”
“I think it’s her sweet personality,” Kamen said with a smirk.
Mrs. Figg snorted, “sweet personality my foot.”
“We talking about the qualities my darling brother does not possess?” Serena asked as she came bounding down the stairs. “My sweet, wonderful brother who left me to arrange his flat for him…” she let the sentence hang as she glared at Kamen.
“I thought you girls liked that arranging and decorating stuff,” Kamen looked confused as to what he had done wrong.
“Not when its your place and you leave me to take care of it by myself!”
“I know how to make it up to you, my sweet little sister,” Kamen draped an arm around Serena’s shoulders as they headed back up the stairs to his and William’s flat. “William and me are going to hold a little party once we’re settled in. I’ll make sure you and Dierna are invited, and that Mum and Dad let you come.”
“This better be a good party.”
“One you won’t forget… well… it actually might be the kind of party that you don’t remember what you did come the following morning. But those are the best kind.”
Serena rolled her eyes, “when have you ever remembered a party you’ve been to?”
“I resent that… I have been to parties when I have not passed out by the end of the night, and I remember them perfectly.”
“Name one.”
“That’s not the point. Besides, you keep being a brat and you won’t be invited to the next bash. However, it will have to wait a bit. William and I decided to wait until after our quidditch tryouts, hopefully we’ll have something to celebrate.”
“What are you going to do if one of you doesn’t make it, or if you’re on different teams?”
“We’ll just have to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
