“I hope neither of you will hate me for this, especially you Sirius,” Rick began, “but in all good conscious I need to tell Angel some things, things that I know you will not be happy about.”

“Rick? What is it? Has something happened? Is it Roel? Do you need me to heal him?” Cat asked, fearing the worse. Her blood ran cold when she looked to Sirius, only to see a look of confusion and fear on his face. “Rick?”

“Roel is injured, Cash and Poppy are tending to him, but that is not the only reason I’m here today.“ Opening his jacket, Rick pulled out the thick pile of letters and handed them to her. “He’s been trying to get these to you since the day you left. He thought one of us had done something to stop the owls he was sending from finding you.”

“Severus Snape?” Sirius whispered softly, feeling his stomach cringe as Cat stared at the letters.

“Yes. ..

“There you are, Raul.” Minerva’s crisp voice stated as she stared intently at the Gangrel Primogen. “We have been waiting for you, I hope at the very least you have managed to talk Rick into leaving Severus for a few hours.”

Raul simply scowled at her as he heard her remark. “No, I didn’t convince him of anything.”

“Well if you’re having trouble, perhaps I can…”

“NO, There is no trouble, it seems Rick has already left.” Raul interrupted, “For the better part of an hour if I’m not mistaken. His scent is already growing faint.”

“Did Severus tell you where he went? Perhaps he went to check on Roel.” Minerva suggested.

Raul sighed deeply, “No, Minerva, I didn’t bother to ask Professor Snape, I didn’t feel like being lied to. And don’t try to defend him to me, I know him better than you might think. I’ve seen far too many men like him in my lifetime.”

“Raul, you really do need to curb your anger towards Professor Snape, he IS on our side. And considering the way he feels about Kitty, I should think you would…” she paused mid-sentence when she saw Raul raise his hand.

“I know all about his feelings regarding the angel, but it doesn’t help. If anything, it makes matters worse than they already are.” Raul explained joining Mohrg and Minerva as they made their way to Snape’s office. “We all know what he did to her, and even if she went of her own free will, and a large part of me doubts she did, it just isn’t right. I’ve seen her with both of them, and while I will admit there is an attraction, perhaps even a fondness in her heart for him, it is ‘nothing’ compared to what she holds in her heart for Sirius. I have seen how their eyes light up when they see each other, the way they blush so easily, and smile so widely. Ask Mohrg, he’s seen it as well.”

Minerva turned expectantly to Mohrg “She does seem happy when she is with him.” he admitted, “And her son regards him as a father, I cannot say the same for Severus Snape.”

“No, that is certainly true, Harry Potter and Severus Snape have been at odds since Harry’s first day of school.” Minerva admitted. “I had hoped they would each learn to accept, or at least tolerate each other as time went on.”

Sensing his opportune moment, Raul asked innocently “So then, tell me what you think of the rumour circulating through the clan; that our angel may be carrying ’his’ child.”……

Severus shook his head as he inventoried and straightened his personal stock of potion supplies. More ingredients had gone missing again, expensive and rare ingredients, and nothing that a student would have use for in any of his classes. He made a mental note to ask Filch to search through Granger’s and Krafty’s dorms, if anyone in the school had both the resourcefulness and the intelligence to brew up potions with those ingredients, it would be one of them. Although the smart money would be on Hermione Granger, especially if the Weasley boys or Potter had another hare-brained scheme in mind.

Potter,…. how could he ever manage to win Catri as his wife as long as she insisted on claiming Harry Potter as her son. She knew he was Lily’s child, but that just didn’t seem to matter to her, although to be truthful, if he didn’t know any better he could easily believe she was his mother, especially as they shared those amazing eyes. Part of him regretted the tone he had set with Potter during the boy’s first years at Hogwarts, but the boy needed limits, he needed to understand he wasn’t above the rules, or beyond the reach of death. Sev sighed deeply as he remembered the last letter Lily Potter had sent him, she had chosen to confide in him and him alone, that she and Catri had managed to break the barrier for a few precious hours, time which they spent invoking ancient and powerful magic to protect her son. She had told him of the ‘birthmark’ that had appeared on him, and that at the end of fifteen years, there would be no more protection, no more magic to keep him safe.

A chill ran through him as he realized yet again what her letter had meant, she had known she was going to die, she had always known, those spells had been cast when Lily was carrying Harry, long before Voldemort had singled Potter out. It was a testament to her love and courage that she used the last years of her life to save her child, most people would have run, or at least hid, hoping and praying that somehow, death would pass them by, but not her. She faced it bravely, heroically ….foolishly …..she could have run, he wouldn’t have bothered chasing her, not really. It was James Potter that Voldemort wanted dead, Lily was simply in the way, she was standing between him and the last living Potter.

And now Catri had stepped in to take her sister’s place in Harry Potter’s life, being the mother he always should have had but never did. Sev actually winced as he thought of Potter’s first eleven years of life, to go from being the centre of Lily’s world to being neglected and abused by the Dursley’s. It was yet another cruel twist of fate, one he could relate to all too well. A small smirk crossed his face as he recalled the vengeance he himself visited on Vernon Dursley at that ridiculous ‘factory’ he was so proud of. He had overheard McGonagall and Dumbledore discussing what to do about Vernon’s latest habit of locking the then toddler in the laundry hamper, denying him room to roam and even sunlight, the boy had been in a dangerous state of health, and Severus had personally never seen Albus quite so angry.

It was almost amusing, all these years he had been something of a secret benefactor to Harry, helping to keep the worst of the Dursley’s antics to a minimum, and even feeling a strange sense of pride whenever Potter’s powers would manifest, even if they were released at the worst possible times. Yet the moment he saw Harry waiting to be sorted, all he saw was James Potter, the self-centred jock, the man who thought nothing of anyone who wasn’t in his ’special’ circle of friends, the reason Lily Evans was dead. As much as he had wanted to guide Harry down the precarious road to adulthood, he knew he didn’t have the heart to see it through, he was too much his father’s son, and would more than likely end up just like him, dead.

Shaking his head to clear the morbid thoughts from his mind, Severus continued straightening the long rows of jars and bottles, only to pause as he came upon one of his old sketch books he had ‘liberated’ from Professor McGonagall’s office a few months earlier. He was actually surprise she still had it, she had taken it from him during his last year as a student, right after he and Black had come to blows over who only knew what. Not that Black ever needed a reason to make his life hell, apparently just breathing was enough of an excuse for that animal to attack, he was worse than Lupin, but at least Lupin had the excuse of being a werewolf, Black was simply unfit to be in civil, let alone polite society. It was difficult to believe his family was pure blooded, impossible in fact.

He flipped through the pages, smiling as each picture brought back dozens of happy memories, some many years old, others only a few days. He found his thoughts drifting back to Catri, in fact, at the moment, his entire life seemed to be revolving around her, a disconcerting, yet not totally unpleasant feeling. Sev leaned against the sturdy, wooden shelves as he continued paging through the book, wondering what her reaction to Rick’s message and his letters would be. And then of course, how she would respond when Rick told her the truth about Roel’s injuries. Poor, Roel….Sev felt a pang of something resembling grief as he recalled the few conversations he had head with the witty and always smiling Roel. It was beyond his comprehension why the vampyre should chose to die instead of allowing his friends to heal him.

Actually, it was far beyond a lack of understanding, he was completely at a loss, after all, Roel had nearly everything Severus had always hoped for in life. Friends and family who loved him dearly, people who truly cared if he lived or died, and although he couldn’t be sure, Sev suspected Roel had a ‘family’ of his own to go home to, most of them did. He had lost track of how often Cash and Hamish had mentioned specific members of their ‘mortal’ family, as they called them. Grandchildren, great-grandchildren, or in Cash’s case, ‘his young uns’, he obviously didn‘t even attempt to call them by their proper relationship to him. Sev found it hard to hold in an amused chuckle, Catri had tried explaining to him once exactly how old Cash was, he had shut down all reasonable train of thought when he realized the Gangrel was well over two thousand years old, older even than the very school he stood in. It simply didn’t seem real, it certainly wasn’t anything he was able to deal with, although Catri and Cash seemed to have no issues at all with it.

“Why Roel, why don’t you fight?” Sev whispered softly “you have so much to live for.” Certainly more than Severus himself had and yet he clung to life with a tenacity that was rivalled only by his determination to see the men responsible for his daughter’s death pay. In fact, the only thing he had to live for, other than revenge, was the single hope that Catri would return to him at the start of the new term, and that they might start a family of their own. He grinned madly as he imagined her with a large, round belly, brimming with the life he had helped her create. A daughter,…. he so wanted a daughter, someone to lavish his affections on, to guide, to teach. Its not that he felt a son wouldn’t be wonderful, but he missed his Serenity. Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the lifeless body of his infant daughter flashed before his eyes. “Never again” he whispered, “never again will those I love be taken from me. I will die first.” he swore as a flash of pain and longing shown in his dark eyes. …..

Minerva wasn’t sure what she should do, it was obvious that Severus was deep in thought, after all, it wasn’t like him not to realize someone else was in a room with him. He didn’t like to admit it, but he had an inborn talent when it came to telepathy, a gift from his mother, no doubt, and one that he seemed to abhor. She had considered rapping sharply on his door in an attempt to get his attention, but the words she had just heard him whispering venomously spurred her into more immediate action. “Severus?” she whispered, a sad and tender smile on her face as the surprised potion master turned on his heels and stared at her.

“My apologies, Severus, I did not mean to startle you, or to eavesdrop.” she added as she saw the glower on his face. “Is there anything I can do to help?” She watched as he fidgeted uncomfortably, even after all these years, he still found it so hard to believe anyone would help him without wanting something in return. She had lost track of the times Albus had brought him into the office, reminding him time and time again that he was not alone, that the other professors were here to help, to share the burden of both teaching, and surviving in these troubled times. But Severus was a scarred man, he had suffered so much in his time, far too much one might say, it left him cold and hard, and it was an utter shame.

“No, I was just commenting that more bicorn horn, gillyweed and boomslang skin have gone missing again……I take it that the time has come?” Severus stated as he straightened his robes and cleared his throat. “Did any of them come with you?”

Minerva nodded “Yes, Mohrg and Raul have decided to accompany us.”

“Raul?” Severus replied, seemingly shocked, “But I would have thought Cash…”

“No.” Minerva stated emphatically, “I don’t want Cash involved in this. He has ‘that’ look in his eyes, if he goes out, he is not going to come back.” she sighed. “He’s a good man, Professor Snape, he loves his clan very much, perhaps too much. I firmly believe that if we do not do this tonight, or if Cash finds out what we have planned, he will insist on sacrificing himself to prevent anyone else from being harmed.”

“But…..Minerva, someone does have to be sacrificed….” he paused as he stared at the deputy head mistress, her determination and power had surprised him on several occasions, and he was sincerely hoping this would NOT be one of them. “You are not considering sacrificing yourself!” - it was not a question.

“No, no….I have a volunteer for that part of the spell.”………

“Sirius, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, and I hope you can forgive me, but she has to know the truth, it’s the only right thing to do.” Rick insisted as Sirius stared numbly at him and the thick stack of letters in his hand. “You love her, and its obvious that Angel loves you, but he loves her as well, and I know she has deep feelings for him,…..we ‘both’ know that.”

Sirius nodded slowly “I know she does,” he barely whispered as his hands trembled noticeably, “Cat? Do you want me to leave while you and Rick talk…” he asked as he stood to leave. He felt as if someone had suddenly stolen all the heat out of the room. He had just been so happy, so calm; he and Cat were finally getting down to their true options, she seemed to finally understand how much she and Harry meant to him. He was about to willingly renounce the only world he had ever known and swear fealty to her clan if that is what she wanted of him. After all, hadn’t Siobhan called him her ’son’, Lia and Meg treated him just like they did the other guys, and Aunt Orpha… well, she had made her opinions very clear to him.

“No, not if you don’t want to” Cat responded quickly, “I don’t want there to be anymore secrets, they’ve already caused far too much unnecessary pain.” She took his hand in hers, pulling him down next to her, all but refusing to release his hands from her own. Why oh why was this happening now, she was so certain Sev no longer had an interest in her, after all, she had left him detailed instructions on how to get in contact with her and had even gone so far as to invite him to Fernglennis, but until this moment she hadn’t heard so much as a peep from him.

Taking a deep breath, she squeezed Sirius hand as he wrapped his arms around her, she then turned to Rick and asked, “Tell me Rick, explain everything I should know, and then tell me why it was kept from me. Tell me why, or better yet, who, is playing games like this?”

Rick laughed sadly, “The why it was kept from you is easy, we all love you too much. We know how much you’ve been through and we want you to be happy.” he stated softly as he took her face in his hand, then, looking over her shoulder at Sirius, he added “And we know he loves you just as much as you love him, and its obvious that our clan accepts him without reservation.” Rick felt his guilt lessen as Sirius smiled back at him, although the wizard’s eyes were still full of hurt and worry. “As for who? I have no idea, the only people who wouldn’t want you to be with anyone but Sirius are either here with you, or are Cash and Hamish.”

“You aren’t accusing them of something as underhanded as this, are you?” Cat asked, slightly shocked that the thought would have crossed Rick’s mind.

“Not Cash, no, he faces things straight on, we both know that….but Hamish isn’t Cash and he’s been acting a bit….uhm…‘off’…lately.” Rick explained, “Its not something I can put my finger on, usually he’s fine, but every now and again…..” he sighed deeply, “I’m sorry, Angel, I just don’t know how to put it into words. I’m not even sure if I honestly believe Hamish would do anything like this, not to you.”

Cat shook her head, “He wouldn’t, he’d come to me and discuss it at length, over, and over, and over again….”

“I take it he’s spoken with you then” Rick dead panned, trying not to laugh as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, yes, as I said, at length, many times.” she nudged closer to Sirius when she felt him resting his head on her shoulder. “Much like the rest of our clan, he has made his opinion regarding my love life very much known.” she smiled softly as she felt Sirius tighten his hug around her waist, kissing her neck quickly as he did so.

Rick felt torn as he watched the tenderness between Angel and Sirius, the clan was right, they made a wonderful couple and he knew how much they loved Harry. But he also remembered the way Severus would open up to her and her alone. The way his eyes lit up at the sight of her, the soft smile that appeared on his lips the moment he heard the sound of her voice. “I’m sure he has, but there is so much more you haven’t been told.”

“So then, what haven’t I been told in the efforts to protect fragile little me?” Cat asked sardonically, waiting as Rick carefully thought out how to tell her about Sev and Roel.

“I supposed it would be best if I just blurted it out, but I’m afraid you’ll over react.” Seeing the less than amused look on her face, he sighed and continued. “Severus came back to the school hoping to find you, he was told why you had left and with whom. Needless to say he was upset, but more anxious about you and Harry than anything else. A day or two later, he was attacked….by Gustavas.” Rick said gently as Angel gasped, her green eyes filling with horror, he noticed that even Sirius cringed, probably recalling what the Tremere had done to him. “Cash and I took care of him, and Poppy came to see him several times a day. His ribs where crushed and his spine was damaged, but he’s doing much better now. I’ve been allowed to tend to him the way you would. I know I’m not a healer, but....”

“No Rick, you did the right thing” Cat assured him as she took his hands in her own, temporarily abandoning Sirius. “But what is happening now? Hamish told me Brutus has arrived, yet I haven’t heard a word about Gustavas being found, let alone stopped. How do Roel‘s injuries tie into all of this? And is Severus in need of me? Have his wounds healed?”

“The physical ones, yes. He’s still a bit wobbly now and again, but its his heart and soul that worry me Angel. He feels as if he has nothing to live for without you. I would say he is very much in need of you.” looking up at Sirius, Rick knew the wizard understood exactly what Severus was going through, “And the letter you left for him didn‘t help, it was a bit harsh to say the least, he thinks you hate him now….. And there is something more, something else that’s been kept from you….its Roel, his injuries are much worse than you have been led to believe.”……

Severus nodded stiffly as he joined Mohrg and Raul, “Gentlemen. I trust we all know our parts.”

Sensing the stress that Raul was under, Mohrg decided it would be best to answer for them all. “We are here to support Minerva and protect her should the Tremere attempt a ‘last ditch effort’ to escape or do anymore harm. I understand you have brought several potions to aid her.”

“Along with a few other things, yes” he replied politely, making sure to show the Nosferatu the utmost respect, just as Catri had asked him to, telling him time and time again how important it was to her. Severus hung back slightly with Mohrg as Minerva and Raul discussed what they would say to Cash, should he suddenly appear. “Mohrg, do you honestly think you can protect her against the Tremere if things go badly? Is she truly safe? I am not at all certain this plan of hers will work, and the fact that Albus is not involved only concerns me more.” he whispered, making sure McGonagall didn’t hear him.

“If you are so uncertain, than why are you here? Are you being forced to do this?”

“Of course not.” Snape retorted, “I have faced worst creatures than this Tremere, but I can hardly think of any more intrinsically dangerous. And if he has the chance, he will attack Minerva first, she’s Catri’s aunt and the one who will be casting a majority of the spells. I am simply concerned for her well being…”

“I am more than capable of protecting her, or protecting you, but not both of you at once. This Tremere’s magic is as dark as it is powerful, if he attacks…” Mohrg began.

“If he attacks, I would ask you to take Professor McGonagall out of harms way, I am sure Raul would agree with me.” Severus felt an uncomfortable silence as the Nosferatu stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time. “You seem to disagree with me, is there something I am unaware of?”

“No, not at all, I agree with you completely.” Mohrg replied quickly, “I am simply surprised by your comments, I apologize if my manners were lacking in any way.” trying to ease the awkwardness, Mohrg continued. “How much of this plan has she informed you of?”

“Not nearly enough. I trust her judgement and her abilities, but the fact that she has kept several of the more important details to herself has me very concerned.”

Mohrg knit his brow as he turned to face Severus “What details would those be?”

“First and foremost, who the sacrifice will be, she has told me she has a volunteer, but she has yet to name anyone. And I am giving you fair notice, if she thinks to sacrifice herself, I will put an end to the spells immediately.” Snape said emphatically.

“Can you tell me, exactly, what this plan entails.” Mohrg asked, “she has asked me for my help, and I give it gladly, but she has been annoyingly vague on the details.”

Severus nodded, “I cannot pretend to be surprised by that, it took quite a bit of convincing on her part to persuade me from going directly to Dumbledore. But she is absolutely right, he must be stopped here and now, and she does seem to have the only feasible idea, provided of course he hasn’t escaped that pit of his.”

“According to Brutus, the Tremere still resides at the bottom of it, just out of his reach, he’s barely left it, he has taken to burying himself next to it during daylight instead of joining his clan to sleep. I have heard that he has even attempted to dig his way down and tunnel over, but Gustavas has placed barriers all around himself.” Mohrg explained.

“Well he’s not stupid, I will give him that much, but his own spells will be his undoing this time.” Severus smirked. “Minerva’s plan is simple, brilliant, and terrifying. She intends to reinforce Gustavas’s spell, along with adding a few of her own, making the hole at the opening of the pit the only way to enter or exit, he won’t be able to dig down or out of the sides. I am to add a potion through an opening she will create, one that will leave him unable to transform his shape and inhibit his ability to perform magic. I will, of course, also be Minerva’s back up should the spells exhaust her.”

Mohrg nodded his understanding, “But you said something about needing a sacrifice…”

“Yes, the last part of her plan was to transform someone into a large boulder to be placed over the pit, on the off chance he did ever manage to break out. The moment the Tremere touches the boulder, the spell will be broken and that person can then stop Gustavas from doing any further harm.”

Mohrg stopped dead in his tracks, “But who will she transform? And why haven’t I been told of this before now?”……..

Rick sighed deeply as he closed the door behind him and slumped up against the wall. He had expected Sirius to take it badly, but the look of hurt and reproach in the wizard’s eyes felt like a burning blade being thrust into his soul. He would have much preferred it if Sirius had yelled at him, even physically attacked him, but those eyes…..those sad and haunted windows to his soul. Rick truly wondered if Sirius would ever be able to forgive him for telling Angel how much Severus loved her. Or for giving her those letters, proclamations in his own hand and words the heaviness and longing in his heart. But it was something he had to do, not so much for Severus’s sake as for Angel’s, she had the right to know, it wasn’t fair for the others to keep these things from her. She was the rion, they trusted her with the lives and future of the clan on a daily basis, so why didn’t they trust her to make a decision regarding her own life.