“What…?” Kamen groggily tried to sit up as he was shaken from a deep sleep. He blinked uncertainly up at Madam Pomphrey who was standing over him. He and Beth had started taking turns sleeping in the Hospital Wing, so that one of them would always be available if Poppy needed an extra pair of hands. He couldn’t help but wonder why, more often than not, Beth got to sleep peacefully through the night, while some second year always had to go and overdose on some product from Weasley Wizard Wheezes on his shift.
“I’ve got a trio of Slytherins suffering from smoke inhalation and Eric… he needs all my attention right now…”
Kamen nodded as he climbed out of bed, thankful that he had taken to sleeping in his clothes on these nights. “I’ll see to the Slytherins, you keep looking after Eric.” He understood Poppy’s concern. Eric’s health continued to decline. He wondered how much longer the old wizard would be with them.
“Alright you three,” he remembered the antics of the Bulstrode triplets from the couple of years he had shared with them in school. They were notorious for pulling pranks on anyone and anything. “What exactly caused the smoke you inhaled?”
“We’re not exactly sure really…” Marcus looked anywhere but straight at Kamen.
“On our first attempt it was orange...”
“This time it was rather closer to amber in color…”
“Uh-huh… and what were you trying to do?” He ran some basic diagnostic tests looking for poisoning while he tried to extract information out of them. He was reminded of a saying a Muggle born friend of his used to use, something about extracting teeth… “Look, I’m not much of an authority figure here, and I respect patient confidentiality.”
“We had some dungbombs…”
“And some fireworks…” Agrippa confessed guiltily.
“And we were trying to bind them together…”
“Ok, I get the picture. You’ll be fine, we’ll just keep you here overnight. I am obligated to tell your Head of House that you spent the night here though.” He hid his smile as they even went so far as to divide a very expletive phrase between themselves. “Sorry, it’s the Headmistress’ policy, not mine. We just have to let him know why you were here though,” he continued sympathetically, he knew very well what his father’s temper was like. “we don’t have to tell him the cause of it.”
“He’ll know…”
“He’s the one that caught us…”
“The first time,” Posthumous finished despondently.
“Well, there’s not much hope for you then. I’d make sure that you’re very busy studying, preferably in the library, whenever you’re not in class tomorrow. It always helps to at least try and look innocent.” He looked over at where Poppy was supporting Eric as she helped him swallow yet another healing potion. He wasn’t sure how much good it would do.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Look at what I got!” Olivia held out a book for Draco to inspect. “Can we study from this one today?”
Draco suppressed a smile as he flipped through the children’s potions text. “Does the fact that you brought this with you mean that it was your most exciting birthday present?”
Olivia grinned, “no, but it was the only one I was allowed to bring with me.”
“I have something for you to. I know you’ve been a bit lonely with only me for company, and not very good company at that. And, I made sure that your father approved, so no need to worry on that end,” Draco held out a basket to his young charge. He wasn’t going to admit to her how much convincing it had taken on his part to secure Severus’ permission. It had practically come down to blackmail in the head, a practice he was rather adept at.
Olivia took it carefully, looking up in surprise at the way it moved in her hands.
Draco leaned back against the wall, a smug expression on his face, “well, open it.”
Olivia set the basket on the floor and pulled off the lid, squealing in delight as she caught the mewling sound from inside. She carefully pulled out the grey kitten, a green box tied jauntily around its neck. “Is it a girl?” She grinned as Draco nodded in response. “I’ll name her later, I’m too excited now.”
“I take it that your birthday has been a good one so far.” He didn’t miss how still Olivia became at that. “Are you going to tell me, or do I have to hex it out of you?”
“I asked if I could go see my friends at the lake… they knew it was my birthday.” She didn’t miss how still her tutor became at that, she could see his poorly concealed anger. At least with him she knew that he wasn’t angry at her, but only protective.
“And what was your father’s response?” He asked even though he was sure that he had a pretty good idea.
Olivia shrugged and decided to pass over the worst bits, “It came down to the fact that I’m very lucky it’s my birthday.”
“He’s only looking out for you.” Although, honestly, Draco remembered many occasions from his youth where he too had bristled at Snape’s protectiveness and the ways in which he showed it.
She sighed, “I know.” She played with the ribbon around her kitten’s neck. “Mr. Malfoy?”
“Yes?”
“You should be a teacher here.”
Draco pushed himself up off the wall and came to sit on the floor next to Olivia, “you’re the second person to tell me that.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Who was the other person?”
“Potter, of all the people here, it was Potter…” and now it was a Snape telling him to stay here and teach. He found himself wondering how many strings McGonagall would have to pull to make that happen. Of course, once Voldemort was defeated, if they defeated him, Arthur Weasley would be reinstated as Minister of Magic. Arthur Weasley who was thrilled to have Harry Potter as a son-in-law. It could work…
But now was not the time for daydreams like that. They had a war to win first. So, he put all thoughts of his personal happiness aside and concentrated on giving Olivia his full attention. Once he delivered her back to her parents for the evening, that was when he’d have to really work at keeping himself busy so that his mind wasn’t tempted to dwell on things that could probably never be.
~~~~~~~~~
It was Dierna who finally suggested the chosen name for the kitten. All of the family, save Viviane, had dinner in the Snapes’ quarters that night, and the children all tossed back and forth names that theuvaguely remembered Professor Binns droning on about. After Olivia had refused every famous witch or sorceress they offered, Dierna had offhandedly suggested that given the kitten’s color she might as well be called Jane Grey.
And so Olivia spent the rest of the evening darting about with a bit of string for Lady Jane to chase, until both child and kitten fell asleep curled up on the floor in front of the fire.
“You are starting to worry me, Adelaide, if you don’t come up with a final project for your independent study soon I shall be forced to fail you.”
Dierna rolled her eyes as she returned several cushions that had been a casualty of Olivia’s play with her kitten to their rightful place. “I’ll have something. I promise.”
Severus looked doubtful, but out of respect for the look Morgan was giving him, one that begged that he not start an argument, he decided to let the matter drop. He didn’t want to ruin her first full day spent out of bed if he could help it.
Morgan wrapped an arm around Serena, who had joined her on the sofa. “I can’t believe the way you girls have grown up these past months. I don’t suppose I would have noticed if I’d been here to see it myself… although I do remember my mother remarking on how beautiful you were becoming.”
“What else did you talk about with your mother?” Serena asked curiously.
Morgan laughed, “oh, the most ridiculous things at times. I’m sure it all came out of my head, things I wished my mother had been around for me to talk about. All the little things while you children were growing up that I wished I could share with her. Nothing important really. She talked about how she remembered your father, they were at Hogwarts together for a year. Although, there was one thing she said that I couldn’t place…” she frowned as she tried to recall the exact words, “it was right when she told me I had to go back, right when she left me. She told me to tell you, Severus, that Lucy sent her love. I’d completely forgotten it until now…”
The change in the room was dramatic. Severus went ashen. And then he noticed that his children, except for Olivia who was still asleep on the floor, were wearing similar expressions of shocked horror. They knew something…
“Severus, what is it? What is the matter?” Morgan looked from her husband to her children. At their shocked expressions, and as her children’s expressions turned to ones of fear as their father’s eyes, narrowed, turned on each of them in turn. “Someone had better start explaining what is going on.”
“I was in Greece,” Nimue quickly defended herself.
“I was still playing Quidditch, you know I wasn’t around here then,” Kamen quickly inserted. Being a legal adult with a job hadn’t diminished any of his fear of his father’s anger.
“Viviane did it,” the twins said together. Not only was the responsible party not present, but they had no problem ratting out another of their siblings if it kept them out of trouble.
“What, exactly, did Viviane do?” Severus’ voice was deadly low. His children remained silent. “If someone does not tell me, right now…”
They didn’t wait for whatever he was going to threaten.
“She was poking around and found a box,” Kamen was the first to cave.
“Some pictures, letters and such,” Serena added. “But she put it back again, almost right away.”
“I think it would be best if you all returned to your respective rooms now,” Severus’ voice was still dark, although quiet. His children scrambled over each other in a race to get out the door. He could feel Morgan watching him. “Morgan…” he turned to face his wife.
She was staring up at him with wide eyes. Severus angry was frightening. Severus quietly angry was terrifying.
“I never intended for you or the children to have any knowledge of Lucy. She is a part of my past.”
“But the children found out anyways,” Morgan pointed out, “no matter how much you may deplore that they did.”
“I was betrothed to Lucy Liddell, years before I ever laid eyes on the little first year Gryffindor with mousy curls and a mouth that she dearly loved to shoot off.”
Morgan smiled, but it was strained, “your flattery, if that is what you want to call it, is not an explanation.”
“She was killed Morgan, both for being my betrothed and for being Albus Dumbledore’s granddaughter. Voldemort used her to make a point.”
“And what point was that?”
“That Dumbledore wasn’t untouchable and that my life was his to control.” Of all the things he had confessed to Morgan while she lay on the brink of death, Lucy had not been one of them.
Morgan looked away. She had never realized that her husband’s secret past included a would be wife. One who sent her love from the afterlife.
“I am very sorry that she died, for her sake, and for the sake of her family. But I am not sorry that it left me free to marry you, Morgan,” he made a caress out of her name, as though intent on proving his love to her.
“I suppose I should have gotten used to you keeping secrets from me by now.”
“Except for Lucy, I told you everything,” he said quietly. At his wife’s confused look he continued, “you just may not have been able to hear me.”
“Everything else?”
Severus nodded in the affirmative.
“I can’t ask for much more than that, can I? Although, I would appreciate it if you had anything you’d like to re-tell, now that I’m conscious.” The second she reached out for him he was there, holding her in his arms. “Severus…”
He sighed, “I promise, I shall not harm our eldest daughter.”
“How did you know that that was what I was going to say?”
He allowed himself a small, rueful smile, “it just might have something to do with the number of years we have been married. Or it could have just been a lucky guess,” the sarcasm dripped from his words.
Morgan smiled as she leaned against her husband, “you know, even though they’re all Gryffindors, our children certainly are as sneaky as any Slytherin.” The smugness in her voice didn’t reveal if that observation was meant as a compliment or an insult to the only Slytherin currently present.
~~~~~~~~~~
Vanth stepped proudly into the circle of Death Eaters, her head held high while the lot of them knelt, eyes firmly on the ground. “You… requested… my presence?” She would not be ordered, but she would acquiesce to politely worded summons.
“You have done much for my cause,” Voldemort was careful to keep any derision for the non-human out of his voice. He respected her power, but he had grown weary of dealing with her. She seemed to think herself his equal. “The time to fulfill your promise is drawing near.”
“I will do what is required of me.”
“Entry to Hogwarts’ grounds. That is what I require.”
Vanth took a moment to examine her nails, frowning when she found one chipped. She shrugged her delicate shoulders, “best not try crashing in through the roof again, they trounced you that time. And I wouldn’t try just walking through the front gates.”
“Give me the answer I am looking for!”
Vanth smiled smugly, “since you asked so nicely… my original plan was to come in by the lake, but they’re watching it now. You may gain the grounds through the Forbidden Forrest, don’t worry about the dragons. We’ll take care of them.”
Nimue won’t with a start, her breathing coming in short shallow gasps. She wasn’t sure if what she had dreamed was a conversation yet to come, or one that had already happened, or even one out of her own imagination.
She cursed the power of Sight that had been granted to her. She would give anything to have it taken away.
She slipped quietly out of bed so as not to wake her roommates and pulled her robe close around her. She knew Filch wouldn’t be far from the Gryffindor Common Room. He had taken to watching over it at night, and she knew it was for her sake. He would walk with her to find someone to tell the dream to, and he wouldn’t ask too many questions either.
~~~~~~~~~~
