“I don’t know if she will or not, but the twins are all for it, and I know Ginny wants to come back, it seems Aunt Kitty brought her here a few days before Solstice to borrow a dress from Sara.” Meg explained, “And I am telling you now Diana, they have ‘got’ to be kine, you should see them….”
“I have, I keep staring at the pictures you brought back.” she squealed, “he has curly hair… oh I think I’m in love.”
Meg rolled her eyes, “Besides that Di… sheesh, you’re worse than I am… although I can’t wait for Charlie to send a letter back to Molly, he sounds absolutely dreamy. I just know we’ll get along famously, he even likes dragons, he works with them for a living.”
“Do you think Molly will like me?” Diana asked, “I know how important it is that our parents like him, so I want them to like me too.”
“I’m sure she will, although I’m hoping she won’t be awfully upset if they come to visit us. Their father Arthur can’t wait to visit, he’s heard stories of Fernglennis his whole life it seem, but I think Molly is still afraid that we might hurt them.” Meg added, a tinge of sadness in her voice. “I didn’t understand at first, but Aunt Kitty and Aunt Orpha explained what they’ve made of us in the wizarding world. Its hardly flattering I’m afraid.”………
“You obviously have ‘not’ been listening to me Lucius” Voldemort stated, his voice deadly calm as he glared at the elder Malfoy with his red, reptilian eyes. “I have told you I need Potter ‘alive’. His living blood is required to complete the spell.”
“Forgive me, master.” Lucius replied, bowing lowly “I simply thought…”
“You did not ‘think’ Lucius, you never ‘think’. You obey.” Voldemort snarled, hurling a crucio curse at Malfoy, causing the wizard to collapse to the floor. Voldemort smirked coldly as he watched the wizard try to hold in the scream that was building within him. Let the vain wizard fight it all he wanted, Voldemort had more than enough time to play with the wizard, and he would draw blood curdling shrieks from him before the night was over.
Turning to face another of his death eaters, Voldemort watched with satisfaction as the man’s eyes grew wide with terror. “And what of our spies? Has Snape managed to make contact with the Sidhe yet, or is he still imprisoned by her vampyres?”
The death eater dropped to his knees before answering, “My master, according to the other spy the vampires have not let him alone for more than a few minutes. They have been sleeping in shifts to make sure he is never unguarded, but to the best of our knowledge, he has told them nothing of your plans regarding the Tremere.”
“Ah yes, the Tremere” Voldemort hissed, “They ‘had’ been meant to be my winning hand, but do to an ‘over-zealousness’ by Malfoy, my plans may need to change.” He paced the floor as he thought over his options. “Is there any chance that they have made him one of them? Can our spy tell if Snape has been bitten?”
“No master, he has said nothing regarding any marks, and the vampires seem to have no aversion to allowing him to see Snape.”
“That is because Snape has betrayed us” Lucius Malfoy growled, attempting to rise to his feet, “Snape has fallen in love with the Sidhe bi***, he intends to betray us all to ….” “To whom Malfoy?” Voldemort taunted, his voice soft and deathly calm, “Who is there to betray us to? The Ministry was wiped out by the Sidhe, Dumbledore is fully aware of my rebirth and still is helpless to prevent my return to power. Do you think he will go to the muggle word for help?”
Lowering his head, Malfoy prepared to face more torture as he replied “What about the Sidhe themselves, what if he goes to them?” he had seen what one Sidhe woman alone had done, and he had the distinct impression she was far from the strongest among them.
Voldemort paused and narrowed his eyes at the tall, blonde death eater, who was quickly becoming more trouble than he was worth. “Do you think ‘she’ has not already told them? The Sidhe are more than well aware of my presence, and they know how to prevent my rebirth from becoming final and eternal, but they will not act against me.” he grinned maliciously.
“But Snape would.” Malfoy insisted. “We must destroy them, all of them, before Dumbledore and Snape realize what is happening and take action against us. My master, please, I beg of you, I’ve seen what the Sidhe did. She is to dangerous to allow to live, and Snape has been doing everything in his power to protect her.”
“Yes,… he appears to follow my orders with much more loyalty than you do Lucius. I do not want the Sidhe woman harmed, I need both her and Potter alive to gain my immortality, Severus understands this. And once I have Potter‘s life‘s blood, Snape can do as he pleases with the Sidhe witch, provided she remains alive.” ……
Albus sat at his desk, smiling happily as he and Minerva shared a cup of tea and watched Fawkes and his new friend. “It seems Wafa did not wait long to seek out company” he remarked as the two birds twittered and warbled back and forth. Seeing a strange look on his friend’s face, he asked “Is something disturbing you Minerva, you seem distracted this morning.”
Minerva startled when she heard her name. “No Albus, nothing like that. Just homesick I’m afraid. Hearing them sing like that reminds me of home, and of Michael.”
Albus nodded his understanding, “I only wish I could have prevented his banishment, the charges were obviously false.”
“I know Albus, but there was nothing any of us could do, if we had told the truth it would have exposed us all to danger. Michael made a conscious choice to do what he did, for all of our sakes. Although I must say he seems to be enjoying his new life.”
“Without you at his side? I find that impossible to believe Minerva, you were both dedicated to each other, and to your children.” Albus responded softly, “How are the children? I haven’t seem them in many, many years.”
Minerva smiled contentedly “They are all doing very well, and it seems I am about to be made a grandmother, again. I hope to visit again this summer, although I honestly do not know how they endure the heat.”
Albus nodded, “The Mediterranean does get rather hot, but I expect the ocean breezes do help to make it more bearable. Is he continuing the ‘family’ business there?”
“Oh no, nothing like that,” Minerva grinned, “he’s far too old to continue doing anything that demanding. He’s decided to fulfil a life-long dream instead. He opened a pub, an Irish one of course.” she rolled her eyes “He calls it the ‘Mucky Duck’, I have no idea where ‘that’ name came from. But he does so enjoy himself, especially when he has those bands playing, muggle or wizard, it doesn’t matter to him, he simply enjoys the energy and happiness that they bring to the crowds.” Her smile grew wide once more as she continued. “I hope Kitty can stop in and visit him, I asked her to deliver some presents to them while she’s gone.”
“Speaking of Kitty… where does our wager stand?” Albus asked, grinning knowingly as Minerva groaned.
“The wager is the least of my concerns Albus. My most pressing concern is what will we do with the one she doesn’t choose? I don’t know that I care to see what either of them would do to the other in a state of heartbroken rage.” she then added softly “And I am less than thrilled to know she’s testing the waters the way she has.”
“Now, now Minerva, if what Cash and Raul tell me is accurate, she was under mistaken assumptions when she made that decision, it appears when she saw Esmeralda Filch leave my office, she believed that she had been here to visit her husband, Sirius Black.”
“I doubt anyone will find much comfort in that explanation Albus, I know I wouldn’t. It makes it sound like he was chosen out of sheer desperation. And he’s made such great strides lately, I’ve actually caught him laughing. And Rick insists he is learning to accept the Gangrels, if not vampyres in general.” Minerva explained, “I do hope she makes her decision quickly though, I would hate to see this drag on, it would be nothing short of torture to them both.”
“Tell me honestly Minerva, would your clan allow Kitty to wed Severus and raise a family together?” Albus asked softly.
Minerva smirked, “Albus if you had asked me that prior to Christmas, I would have told you no, they never would have allowed a marriage between them. But now, with Rick’s support….well, things may have changed. And I’m still not sure what they will do about Mr. Black, knowing the sort of history he and Kitty had together. And of course bloodlines and lineage are always a priority to the crones, they may not approve of either of them.” She sighed deeply as she finished her tea “It seem no matter what, one, if not both of them will end up heartbroken.”
Albus smiled knowingly, “I would not worry myself Minerva, I know your clan,” he winked “I seem to recall losing out on the woman I loved, only to be ‘thrust’ upon another, one whom I found very much to my liking, and I to hers may I add.”…….
Merlin’s spirit form flitted angrily about the room as the flames gathered around him, “How dare you even suggest such a thing?! She is your own flesh and blood, her mothers have lived and died for our clan. You ask too much from her.”
“We ask no more from her than we have asked from her predecessors.” Maharet replied evenly, refusing to allow Merlin to bait her into an open argument before the other crones. “Orpha, you and I will have words about this later, you had no right to bring a man to the chamber of the crones.”
“He has every right to be here, and if I had had the time, I would have brought her father as well.” Orpha snapped back, “And he is right, you are pushing her too far. First you keep her son from her for years, and then thrust them together with no warning…. And why??? To see him sacrificed for the sake of the mortal world? Even you must realize she will die before she allows him to be harmed.”
“Not if she needs to chose between protecting him and protecting her unborn children who grow within her. She will do the sensible thing, you and I both know that.”
“I think you underestimate her resolve.” Merlin interjected. “Just as you have done before. As ‘I’ recall, you never thought she would walk away from her clan, but she did, without so much as a trace. Only this time, she will take the unborn future of the clan with her if she does.”
“Then we will find her again, we always have before.” Maharet responded, narrowing her eyes at Merlin.
“Last time she ran away not even YOU could find her Maharet! So do NOT think to tell me we will simply find her and drag her back.” Orpha hissed, “I’ve seen the look in her eyes, not to mention the fear and dread inside her heart. She is being torn to pieces over this, and her son is in agreement with me, as will her father be.”
“Do NOT think to dictate to me Orpha of the Elvish Witta, I have written the history of this clan, I alone have followed the bloodlines and the prophecy. She will bond with whomever ‘I’ dictate, as her mothers have done throughout the millennia. It has been my guidance and my guidance alone that has kept this clan strong and enduring.”
A bright flash of light filled the candlelit room as Merlin roared with anger, “ You have written the history of our clan in its own blood! She is my god daughter, and he’s my descendant, I’ve managed my own bloodlines just fine, and if it weren’t for the madness invading the wizarding world, she’d have a lot more to chose from, but as it is there are only two left, and she obviously loves Sirius, they are more than prepared to have and raise a family, this alone would fulfil your precious prophecy and leave her and her son unharmed.”
“And you know this how?” one of the crones asks, her bright eyes fixed on the verbal battle in front of her.
“They are my children, I watch over them as any good father would. I’ve seen them, heard them, they confess things to the air and the shadows that they don’t dare confess to one another, much less you.” Merlin explained softly, his eyes locking on the eyes of several of the crones who appeared undecided as to which side they would back.
“She is the last of her kind, Maharet.” Orpha stated loudly, refusing to be silent, “Her mothers have all passed or been embraced, your decisions have nearly killed her once. And have driven her away from us more times than I can count.” she walked slowly, deliberately to the middle of the room. “Understand this, I have seen the pain and horrors my childe has suffered through, bearing them all in the name of her clan, but this will end now. “I” will chose her husband, as you yourself said I could.” she added, pointing a finger at Maharet. “I intend to narrow it down even further within the next few weeks. At this moment she is with the wizard Sirius Black, childe of Merlin, and father to her son. She has feelings for another wizard, one that is also known to Merlin, I myself will evaluate him and decide who is best for her. And if I need to re-institute the laws of Maeb and make her take them both, I will do just that. She will have children, and she will be able to love her husband, ‘that’ it is what is needed.”
So saying, Orpha turned on her heals, disappearing as her skirts swirled around her……
Severus smiled softly as he found himself humming along to the songs now. It was amazing, but Rick and his friends had actually managed to make him forget about her for a few minutes. He felt a strange and nearly overwhelming fondness for the three Gangrels as he watched them singing and laughing with each other. Rick was right, Roel was a good friend to him, Sev had watched as the dark haired Gangrel spent the entire time making up bad puns and even worse jokes in an attempt to make Rick smile.
Hearing the music suddenly stop, Severus was pulled from his thoughts, only to see Rick’s hands around Roel’s neck as he pretended to strangle his friend. “Another bad pun” Sev guessed quietly, only to jump when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Yes, one to many, even for our patient Rick” Angus confirmed, smiling widely as he sat down next to the professor. “It wouldn’t be so bad, but Roel has this habit of not knowing when to stop, we’ve found this is a rather effective way of letting him know.” he added, winking as he chuckled at his friends.
“You are not joining them?” Severus asked, feeling out of sorts with this relatively unknown vampyre sitting so closely to him.
Angus shook his head, making the mid-day light catch his waving curls. “Not on your life or mine, I’ve seen what happens when they get together. I’ll wait it out here where its safe……. So, how are you feeling anyway? We really weren’t sure you were going to recover after the Tremere got his talons on you, even after Rick gave you some of his blood.”
Severus winced as he recalled the night of the attack. He was honestly unsure what had frightened him more, the brutal beating he had received by the Tremere or the ways Rick had found to heal him. “I am much better, thank you.” he stated, his voice barely a whisper.
Angus regarded him for a few moments, ‘You know, its alright if you don’t want to talk about it, all you need to do is say so.” Seeing the wizard nod, Angus changed the subject “Well, seeing as how I really don’t know you very well, what would ‘you’ like to talk about? I’ll go along with pretty near anything, except the weather… I see no point in discussing the weather.” Angus grinned when he heard the professor snort and nod his head.
“Something we appear to have in common.” Sev agreed, he too could never see the point in having a conversation centred around what it was doing outside. “I would like to ask you something, about your clan, the non-vampyre one.”
Angus leaned back against the chair and smiled “Ask away wizard, my family is one of my favourite topics.”
“I was wondering, the place were Catri has gone, Fernglennis,…What is it like there? Would ….that is to say, if I….should I find myself….”
“They would love to meet you wizard” Angus assured him, “you are a friend of Kitty’s, a close and personal friend. My only advice would be to keep as open a mind as possible. My clan is not a human one, we have many different species within our bloodlines, and we love them all without reservation. If you were to harm one, by either word or deed, it would not be taken kindly.” Angus explained as gently as he could. “To be honest, knowing what I do, and knowing Orpha and Tris know it as well, I’m honestly surprised they haven’t come looking to meet you already.”
Severus couldn’t hide his surprise at Angus’s words, “So I may yet have the chance to explain to Catri what has happened? I may still have a future with her?”
Angus shrugged his shoulders “Whose to say? I’m neither a mind reader nor a fortune teller. But I can tell you her family, most particularly her son, are more important to her than anything else in this world or the next.” Looking back towards Roel and Rick, Angus quickly threw his arm in front of Severus, yelling “Incoming” as he blocked an object from slamming into the professor, “Better watch yourself potion master, I think things are going to get very interesting very, very soon.”
Sev smirked, “Needless to say. Perhaps you should try to calm them down before Professor Flitwick hears the noise coming from his classroom.” Watching Angus laugh and grin, Sev wondered if maybe, just maybe, if he timed his request just right, perhaps one of the three would take his letters to Catri for him. Provided of course Cash and Hamish never found out……..
Hamish smiled and sighed as he appeared in the kitchen of his home. “Siobhan? Still in the kitchen instead of…”
“HAMISH!!!” Siobhan yelled, not giving him a chance to finish his sentence as she dashed to him and flung her arms around his neck. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? Are you alright? You’re not hurt are you?”
“Relax Siobhan, I’m fine, honest,” Hamish insisted as he hugged her back, it felt so wonderful to be back among his mortal clan once more, sharing in their love and warmth. “I just got a little homesick is all, its lonely at the school without the students. I’m used to a houseful of children, not big empty, quiet castles.”
“Well then prepared to wish for quiet once more” Siobhan teased as she heard the children dashing down the stairs. “Breakfast was cleaned up not more than an hour ago, and already I have youngsters coming looking for snacks.”
“And you’d be worried senseless if they didn’t.” he teased, “So, where are the adults? They haven’t abandoned you to the little savages have they?”
“By adults if you mean Orpha, she’s off looking for Tris, Paddy is playing with Edana, Duncan and Luke are feeding the animals and Kitty has gone to the barn with Sirius to make sure her son and my daughter haven’t blown anything up yet.”
“Yet being the operative word” Hamish laughed. Kissing Siobhan on her cheek, he headed out to the barn, secure in the knowledge that the sun had no effect on him here, there were far too many charms to even give it a second thought, although it still made him sleepy to feel the warming rays caressing his body.
The first people he came across were Angel and her little family, Sirius had his arm around her waist and they were both smiling proudly at Harry and Sara. Sneaking up behind them, he covered her eyes with his hands and nodded to Sirius who spoke for him.
“Guess who, Cat” Sirius grinned, knowing she would never say Hamish, at least not if she were as shocked to know he was here as Sirius himself was.
After several wrong guesses, Hamish finally laughed and turned her to face him “Hello Angel” Hamish grinned as he returned Angel’s excited hug. “and hello Sirius” he added, giving Sirius a brotherly hug. “Harry, Sara… what are you two up to now?” he grinned opening his arms as the two ran to greet him.
After a few minutes of conversation, Cat began to frown at Hamish, “Sweetie, look at you, you’re dead on your feet, you need to rest.” she insisted, “No arguing with me Hash, I want you nice and rested, especially if we start the celebrating early. You know no one can play the pipes like you can.” she added, winking at him.
“This is true, I’m one of a kind” he winked back, grinning widely as he tried to stifle another yawn, “and as much as I hate to admit it, you’re right, I haven’t been this tired in years. Although the last thing I want to do is sleep alone right now.”
“Well if you’re looking for a girlfriend, I’m afraid I can’t help you” Sirius teased, “However, if you’re looking for warmth, body warmth. I do believe my dear friend Remus escorted the lovely Tristessa to her rest after breakfast this morning, and I have noticed his complete lack of presence since.” He chuckled as Cat turned and stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Reeaalllyyy” Hamish replied, “well now, this I have to check out. Good night all” he stated as he kissed each of them and headed back to the house, and straight into the heart of the house, deep within the hill. Hamish grinned as he realized Sirius’s guess appeared to be right; there in the soft light of the candles was Remus Lupin, napping as Tris slept in his arms. Hamish felt his grin growing wider and wider as he watched them, it looked as if Tristessa was well on her way to husband number three.
Feeling a deep longing within him, Hamish slowly made his way towards the couple, the last thing he wanted to do was disturb them, but he felt so alone lately. He desperately wanted someone to love, someone to share his thoughts and feelings with, but for now, he would gladly settle for the affection of family. Quietly curling up next to Remus, he all but drank up the warmth and softness of the wizard’s flesh as he snuggled up against him………..